Gimme The Pliers... I'm Changing Stations!

Tony Robbins, the mega-selling motivational guru, says, "If the plan isn't working, change the plan." Sounds like good advice to me. So that's what I'm doing.

After years of encircling the world of feature film writing, I'm breaking free of that very frustrating and too often disappointing orbit to seek another mission: TV writing.

I've dabbled in it before when I've scripted pilot specs either for myself or people like "Nephew" Tommy Miles and Master P, but I never really firmly committed to the genre. Why not? It probably has something to do with the daily grind of the TV schedule and the nervousness of "pitching" jokes in a room of very funny people. But ya know, I'm ready to get over that.

The new mantra needs to be: TV is my job; film is my hobby.

The reality is that I know more people working in the television biz than the film world. And it's true about Hollywood: it's who you know that makes a difference. Now I don't mean to make this crossover sound as simple as walking over to the other side of the street. Blasting out of ones orbit takes a lot of thrust and when I arrive, there's no guarantee that the good people of TV land will be any more open than those in movie world. When I told Wendy Raquel Robinson I was going to make this transition, she snapped back, "Why? Ain't no writin' jobs in TV either. What you ought to do is reality shows."

Mmm. Not yet. I want to give scripted shows a shot. I know I have the talent and ideas to go along with it. And I think I may just have a key element to my TV plans. I'll know for sure on Sunday, so tune in next week. '

"Tune in." Wow, I'm talking TV already!