It's My Passion. Passion!

I've been working on my main screenplay a lot lately. Which is awesome! Over the past few years, I would pick it up and write for a couple of weeks or so only to put it down and not work on it for months at a time. The last time I completed a draft was in 2009. 6 years ago. That's ridiculous! 

This time around I decided my screenplay needed a severe makeover. I started from scratch. I pinpointed who these characters were, their past, present, and goals for the future. I discarded unnecessary plot points. Anything that didn't have to do with the protagonist and his story was tossed out the window. 

So here's what I have:

     "Following the death of his father, high-school senior
     Peter Matthews isn't happy. He goes to school, works a 
     dull job, goes to bed, etc. It takes the help of 
     fellow classmate Sarah (along with his sister Liz and 
     friends) to help him realize what's missing in his life."

Not the most original or even very exciting plot line, I know. I also know the teenage coming-of-age genre is extremely crowded lately. It's Peter's journey to happiness that makes the story. I've sprinkled little details from my personal high school experiences into the script. Peter is a introverted kid with an unabashed love for 80s music and Spider-Man. He works as a cashier at a grocery store. His sister and her friends are ballet dancers who are very witty and always on their toes. I've also decided the story will be set in the spring of 2005, the year that I graduated high school. So there will be topical references sprinkled throughout the tale. The soundtrack will include lots of 80s tunes but also alternative songs from the turn of the century.

Basically it's going to be awesome. I'm really excited to be writing again! It's been far too long since I've enjoyed the writing process. The goal right now is to finish this draft. Then go from there. Who knows? Maybe this script will find its way on the big screen someday <GASP>! Whatever happens, I'll keep you posted.

Playing Catch-Up

Whoa. As per usual Joe Moore style, I have neglected my blog these past few months. I was doing really well there for a while. Over a year! That must be a new record. Anyway fret not for I have returned. Woo!

Here's a Cliffnotes version of these past few months:

1) The house is great! Moving in had its hiccups. Big hiccups actually. But excluding the occasional terrifying bug encounter things are fine now. It looks like somebody actually lives here rather than just squatting haha.

2) This summer my schedule is all over the place. I'm performing in Fantasmic, Hollywood Studios' nighttime show, four nights a week. Then Disney schedules me whatever they want around those four nights. While the variety in nice, I wouldn't mind a schedule that's more set in stone. Here's hoping I get that in the fall.

3) I was in a relationship for three months. The first two months were great! Unfortunately the last month was not. I'm not ashamed to talk about it, but I don't want to get into it on here. It was nice to be in a relationship again. For now it's back to the single life. Nuthin wrong with that!

4) I'm back to writing again! Not just on here. I'm working hard on my coming-of-age screenplay. It was time for a fresh start. I went all the way back to the beginning of the writing process. We're talking character and plot development. I'm already about halfway done. My main focus is to get through this draft. I haven't finished a draft since 2009 because I have this really irritating need to fix things as I write. Such is the curse of being a perfectionist. Gotta muscle through it. It's gonna be fun!

I suppose that's the gist of things. I have a lot of thoughts about the future, but I've talked about them on here before. I'm slowly but surely moving on with my life. I'll keep everybody updated of course. Until next time, peace!

House Hunters Orlando

For the past couple of months, the Sexy Ketchup Factory has been looking to change locations. That's right folks. Andie and I are moving out of our apartment of the past two years. (If you have to ask what a "Sexy Ketchup Factory" is, go watch Bob's Burgers on Netflix. I simply don't have time to explain the awesomeness of that show.) We were both kinda bummed because this has been a great apartment in a great location. We just couldn't afford to renew our lease in April. Wah wah. So a'house hunting we went!

There were the usual inconveniences of course. Houses were already taken, and the owner/agent had forgotten to take down the listing. Some places never responded to our inquiries. Others we found turned out to be a scam. We found one house online that was in a great location with a dream price. We drove by and called the realtor who apologized and informed us that the property was for sale and it was for A LOT of money. Good thing we checked before continuing with that place!

Once March came around, most of what we were finding was a lot of 2/1's. Andie and I agreed that as long as the house was in a good neighborhood and the one bathroom was big enough, that wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Last Friday (which is basically my Monday at work) I was browsing through housing options online when I found a 2/2 smack dab in the middle of our price range. It was only 10 minutes from where we live now, and it was right behind an absolutely delicious market we've visited. I texted Andie about it right away.

She got to see it first. She fell in love with it. The next day I had time to run by. Of course I loved it too. It was a little smaller than our apartment now, but there would be more storage space than we've had in a while. It would also need a little love, but that's something both Andie and I are good at so we decided to move forward...

...only to find the deposit was steep. Like wayyy more than we ever intended to spend. Cue exponential amounts of stress on both our parts. We agreed we didn't want to go back to square one, and after figuring out our finances for the next month, we decided to carry on.

TIME FOR MOORE STRESS!

We met with the landlord on Tuesday with our applications. He was a cool guy, but it was clear he wanted the deposit money ASAP. He was nice enough to let us distribute the amount for the next couple of weeks so that lifted a burden off our chests for half a second. Then he informed us that he would be showing the house the next day, and if these people had the deposit money in full that he would be giving the place to them. We smiled and agreed that was more than fair though I know on the inside both of us were screaming.

Now was time to scramble for more money. I was almost ready to sell myself on the streets. I live downtown. It would totally work. Or maybe my parents could help? Neither of us had any idea what to do. We did not want to let this place slip through our fingers. Before we let ourselves get too carried away worrying about where to pull out some nonexistent money, the landlord was already calling us. He had already run our applications, and our credit scores were good. He said we really seemed like good, honest kids and that we could just consider the house ours.

WHOA!!!

Yup. That was definitely a "Joey" whoa right there. Andie was screaming. I was in shock. I think I still am today. I mean both our budgets for this month are super tight. I know I can't spend any extra money at all. But ya know what, that house is ours! We won't be homeless or living in a van down by the river! This news definitely calls for a celebration, and I know exactly how to do that: drinking water and playing 80s/90s trivia. Good times ahead, y'all. Good times.

Wizards With Wi

I've been living in Orlando for essentially 8 years now. You would think that hanging out at Universal Studios wouldn't be such a big deal. But gurl you would be mistaken! Today I got to have a Universal play day with my sister from another mister, and let me tell you, there were shenanigans for all!

1) Other than attending Halloween Horror Nights every year since I've lived here in Orlando, I had not visited Universal since 2011. That is 4 years ago. FOUR YEARS.

2) My friend Wi texted me a couple of weeks ago saying she'd be in Orlando for a conference. I got super excited! What's that? What is a "Wi"? Let me explain. Wayyy back in the day, when I was a wee teenager dancing at The Studio, there were many MANY young ladies named Laura, two of whom were in my class. So we called them by the first initial of their last names. There was a Woo, short for Wootton and a Wi, short for Williams. Make sense? I hope so because we're moving on.

WI! This will be 9 years ago
this summer. NINE YEARS.

Wi and I decided it would be easiest to meet at Universal and have a play day. Which is perfect because (as I said before, you may recall) I haven't visited the Universal parks in yeeears! The parks opened up a new Harry Potter section last year that I still had yet to see. So yeah that was definitely what Wi and I were doing today. 

Btw, thank you Aaron for getting us into the parks today. We need to have a drinking night or a video game night (or both!!) sometime soon.

So with great excitement I attempted to get some sleep last night. HA! What a laugh. I maybe slept for four hours. I hadn't felt this excited about visiting a theme park since last summer when the family visited Disneyland for the first time ever. (And what a coincidink, Wi was there for that too!) This is a pretty big feat too because I don't get excited about visiting theme parks. It's Florida. It's hot. I hate hot. But I couldn't wait to be first years together with Wi!! It was going to be so much fun!

And it WAS so much fun!! We had a lot to do before attending our first year at Hogwarts. We had a get our robes and our wands and our animals!! Okay not really. But we did to go Gringotts to pull out some money, and while we were there some Death Eaters arrived along with He Who Shall Not Be Named. It was scurry. Okay not really. Escape from Gringotts was alright, but Diagon Alley was absolutely amazing! And so was King's Cross. And so was walking onto Platform 9 3/4. Just... gah. I was freaking out! On the inside of course. I rarely freak out for real, but on the inside I was Aunt Sue from SNL. It was all so cool! Kudos on the design team to put it all together so quickly and so magnificently. Now if only Disney could follow suit.. *ahem* 

So yeah. There was Butterbeer and chocolate frogs and flying cars and dementors and spiders (EEK!) and dragons and hippogriffs! Whoa. That was all in the first hour. There was also lots of screaming but mostly giggling on ALL the roller coasters (not roller coaster-type rides) that Universal has to offer. You see, neither Wi nor myself scream during thrill rides like normal people. No. We laugh. Hysterically. And it's awesome. We also apparently attract wannabe theme park know-it-alls and cheer squads wearing nothing but tanks and spanx. Guh-ross.

*sigh* It was all such a fun time. Oh! On the way out we had to ride an oldie but a goodie... The Mummy ride! Do not fret, people. It is just as fantastic as it was when I first rode it back in 2007. That ride will never get old. Just like those movies. So cheesy. So horrible. So awesome! Okay enough chit chat. Here are a few pictures. You are all so welcome! 

Just as excited (or scared) whether it's going to Hogwarts
or meeting a fire-breathing dragon

There are some GEMS in this picture
*please note the screaming child in front*

Yes there are things to do at Universal beyond Harry Potter.
Just ask the happiest nerd alive.

Yes today was so good! Yes you should all be jealous. Yes I do have to wake up in three hours to go to work all day. Thank you so much for asking! Am I tired? Of course not! Today was way too much fun, and I can't wait until I have another park day like this soon. Hopefully it's sooner than four years from now. Urgh okay now I'm just blabbering. Off to bed with thee! I leave you with one picture from Teen Girl Squad just because it's...

DEUCES!!

Come Sunday Night

The 87th Academy Awards are on Sunday night, and I could not be any more excited. I'm so excited I forgot to use a pun just now. Weird! 

The Oscars have been a big deal to me ever since I was a teenager. When I still lived at home, Sunday night was family night. After church let out around 7, the family would either get pizza or Chinese on the way home, and then eat and watch a movie in the den. Always fun times. Once I became a full-on movie buff, there was one night of the year that I didn't want to watch a movie. I wanted to watch the Oscars. I didn't always win over the family vote, but if I didn't I had my own room right off the den where I could go watch the Oscars all by my lonesome, thank you very much. So Joe Moore usually won either way. Kudos me.

I still haven't caught all the Oscar nominated films from this past year, but that's okay. I've seen almost all the ones I absolutely had to see. As long as Birdman and Boyhood walk away with a few wins, I will be more than content. What I want to chat about now is some of my own personal opinions on who was snubbed this year.

Keira Knightley - Begin Again

Sure, she got a Best Supporting nod for The Imitation Game, and that's great because she was wonderful, and it's been a few years since the Academy honored her work. However I feel the role Knightley truly shined in this past year is her starring role here. She gives dimension to what could've been a one-note role. She's more spirited and fun than she has been in years, and who knew she could sing?! She should've at least gotten a Golden Globe nomination. But it has been a busy year in the Lead Actress category.

Speaking of which!

Emily Blunt - Into the Woods

As I said, this category was swamped. Blunt did get a Golden Globe nomination for her wonderful work here, and I'm very happy for that. Unfortunately the Academy forgot about her. I hate that because I feel Blunt was better than Meryl Streep (sorry, Meryl). I do realize Meryl was nominated in the Supporting Actress category. The truth is there wasn't as much competition there. Also! Where did Marion Cotillard come from? I love her, but has anyone seen Two Days, One Night? No. So if anyone deserved that fifth spot at the Academy Awards, it was Emily Blunt.

The Lego Movie - Best Animated Feature

I don't think there's too much to say here. Everyone was shocked when the nominations were released, and last year's best family film was nowhere to be found. Just typing this right now makes me upset and confused all over again. At least the directors had a good sense of humor about the snub. One of them tweeted a picture of a Lego Oscar saying, "It's okay. I made my own." Pure class.

Bret McKenzie - his music in Muppets Most Wanted

I realize not most critics liked the Muppets follow-up to their 2012 comeback. While it wasn't great, it was still fun. I enjoyed McKenzie's musical work better here. Sure, there was nothing as good as "Man or Muppet", but most of the songs were pretty catchy. My favorite was Constantine's serenade to Miss Piggy, "I'll Get You What You Want". It's so 70s and so hilarious, and I hate that it didn't get more attention. *sings "You want an Oscar nomination? Er... I'll see what I can do...* Don't worry, Bret. I still love your song.

One final snub!

anything for Nightcrawler

The Academy is a bunch of old sniffs. They hate anything that isn't dramatic or British or stuffy or whatever. This film is brilliant. Jake Gyllenhaal is better here than he has been in years. Rene Russo proves she still has what it takes. I understand why this thriller didn't get more Academy attention, but I definitely wish it had.

Okay that's a wrap. I can't wait until Sunday night. See you all at the movies!