Well, as some of you know I was in LA this past week, my former place of residence from 1981-1994.
In 2008 I wrote a hit book, my life story, The King of Sting. I had optioned the rights to my life story once before in LA, which got me into the film industry back in the early 80’s. And over the years I’ve produced five feature sports films, including Champions Forever starring Muhammad Ali. I did another Ali movie in October of 2009.
My life’s goal has always been to have my life story put on screen and we are very close now.
Thanks to the book being picked up in 2009 by Eric Eisner. His father Michael Eisner was the CEO of Disney Studios for years and he produced a boatload of hit films. Eric’s brother directed Sahara with Mathew McConaughey. Major hit, over $120 million gross revenue. Eric flew to KC a few years back to meet me and make the deal. He’d never been to our city before. Great guy. We hit it off right off the bat.
Now when I go to LA I hang with Eric and his staff, all fun, bright young film makers. Including his head of development, Jake Ryan, who found King of Sting for Eric. We had several offers to make the film including Charles Roven who produced The Dark Knight (Batman).
As luck would have it, Eric and his people got the screenplay for the King of Sting – written by top notch writer Dan Gordon (The Hurricane with Denzel Washington, Wyatt Earp with Kevin Costner)– into Clint Eastwood’s hands last December. Clint thought it would be a great movie for his longtime producing partner at Warner’s, Rob Lorenz to direct. Rob is a two time academy award nominee for producing Mystic River and Flags of Our Fathers. Rob has been 1st AD and producer on most of Clint’s last 10 or so films including Gran Torino and Million Dollar Baby.
Until last week I had never met in person with Clint or Rob. They’re doing a movie now called "Hoover" starring Leonardo DiCaprio. So as part of my trip out west, I met with them. Eric lives in New York but has offices in LA as well.
Rob was great. He’s 42, has loads of experience and is just brilliant. He helped Gordon ,Eric and I do a rewrite of the original script. Major League smart. Everyone wants to know about Clint Eastwood, but the truth is Rob Lorenz will be in charge of this project since he will direct. So we spent several hours together at Warner’s going over the story and how it got here. We really hit it off.
So the plan is for Rob to finish Hoover with Clint and then start King of Sting.
Hollywood studios, the big guys, Warner’s, Disney, Universal and Fox, are doing very few films now.
You see their names on the pictures but they don’t finance many movies anymore. Their credit lines have been cut way back, no more hedge fund money either. And soon no more DVD biz – movies will go straight to Pay Per View skipping DVD, sadly. Right now that’s a large revenue stream for studios and production companies. So the majors are doing only the big budget films, like BATMAN, SPIDER-MAN, TOY STORY and FAMILY ANIMATED FILMS. And not much on action unless its Iron Man.
They would rather spend $180 million on a film that has a shot worldwide to do $700 million than even a smaller film like THE HANGOVER, which can only do say $180 to $250 million in the US but not overseas because it’s American humor.
King of Sting falls into the smaller film group now, as would The Departed, Rain Man, hit films but just not $500 million worth. I don’t agree with this line of thinking, but the studios are trying to hit it out of the park each time and I feel that’s what got them into trouble in the first place. When you miss on a biggie you eat lots of red ink. However its not my call.
So even with names like Eisner, Eastwood, Lorenz it’s still tough to get a movie made today.
Smaller budgets get made but often end up with poor distribution. For example, Michael Douglas (big name star) did a great movie this year, "Solitary Man" was ion few theaters, the lowly Rio in Kansas City, for example. So not many people saw it even though I felt he was better in it than he was in Wall Street’s: Money Never Sleeps.
When I’m in LA I also work with my agent Matt Blake at CAA on other projects. We’re finishing a pilot for TV based on Stanford and Sons. My brothers and I plus our guest star comics each week are in it and we are all so crazy that it’s funny. Oh yeah. this is animated. I also have sold several film scripts over the years. My writing partner Dan York, former vice president at Universal,and I did a rewrite of a football story. Dan lives one hundred miles north of LA.
So it’s not really party time when I go out to LA, it’s a lot of work and meetings to stay in the game. I also try and touch base with big time comics and up and comers and their agents. I spend time at the Improv, Comedy Store (Pauly Shore’s) and The Laugh Factory.
One nice thing happened while I was out there I had lunch with four SME graduates. Sandhal Bergman (Conan), my cousin Keith Pittel and my sometimes girlfriend from KC, Gina Ninci. We had lots to talk about. Gina lives in San Diego, Keith and Sandhal, also a former gal friend, live in LA.
Next story I’ll bring some dirt and sex so you can be more entertained but this is a short version of how the ballgame works.
It ain’t easy, but its interesting.
I’d buy a ticket
Sounds great, I know your book is going to make a great movie. I would much rather see a film based on a true story than something like Harry Potter. The TV show sounds cool. Good luck!
Impressive company.
So why do you hang out with a loser like Hearne?
Be nice
Come on Cliffy, someone has to drive.
Damn
Glazer, with your luck, now that you have attached Eastwood to your project, he’s going to die before it gets done.
Damn! I like Clint Eastwood.
Thanks…
…for preparing me for my cousin’s annual Christmas brag letter.
A "HIT BOOK"? HA!
Craig, I’m not sure what your definition of "hit book" is (unless you are referencing your mob/Mafia ties), but according to Amazon, you are number 552,046 on its best-seller list.
Good luck living in your little fantasy world.
But Tony
How many of us can say our book is in the top 600,000 on the best seller list?
Congratulations!
I really appreciate the opportunity to follow these developments here. This will be fun to watch. I’m really pulling for you (and Hearne). The book was a hit because it was kickass.
I wonder how many books (or frigging anything) Jayhawk Tony and the other detractors here have accomplished. I think the answer is obvious.
King of Sting Major Hit Book
Moron beyond belief Jayhawk Tony. You stupid hick, jack shmuck. Amazon is trackng daily. KIng of Sting came out in June of 08 and was in the top 100 for along time. As time moves forward, Tony with no brain at all, must have flunked the " I am a dumbshit class"…the sales do at some point drop down. Example check out sales on say, another two year old book? See retarded to the ninth power…how that works, amazon is a daily tracker for sales on their site. We did great on the site, in fact you can buy any of my sports films on the site, Ali, Latin Legends just hit Champions Forever and it will bring them all up. My October film on Ali is still in the top 20,000 against l00’s of thousands of films.
Yeah Tony and people like you I am a fool living in a dream world, with people like Eastwood, Eisner, Lorenz in my corner, like someone else said, "what the jack fuck have you ever done with your loser life?" You are like all haters, a jealous want to be….who has done little with your life…by the way I am very proud of my book.
P.S.
King of Sting did so well its now in paperback NATIONWIDE.
Please
Don’t confuse me with someone who wants your project to fail. I don’t want to end up in the foundation of a building. I just don’t want Clint Eastwook to die until he does another cool western.
Eastwood
Jesus – now Clint is going to kill me!
Tony is a Loser
Tony get a real life and stop being a hater Craig wannabee. I don’t even know you and can tell you are ghetto and stupid. When you get a real life then you are allowed to comment on someone else’s – until then stay low and shut your mouth.
In all honesty
Craig, I obviously don’t know you personally, but you come off WAY too arrogant to be liked, at least on this blog. I would think the general public (or even your target audience, whoever that may be), much like myself, aren’t too interested in reading about a pompous, coke-head felon as unlikeable as yourself…. That being said, I do sometimes enjoy reading your stories about Hollywood celebs and such. It’s just.. have you no humility?
Also
I forgot to mention…. The moment I see a trailer The King of Sting soon to be shown in theaters everywhere is the moment I’ll be impressed…And, also, how about having Hearne edit your blogs once in a while? MY GOD.
Hey
I want a tick to the premier. I am taking my wife. We met in Stanford’s on dime draw night…. Remember that Glazer… I have always backed you here… We will be well dressed and enjoying a few vods at your premier… and we will not stalk you. Just throw me the ticks.
and
if the premier is in LA… good.. we will certainly cover our own flight.. and probably chill in santa monica…love santa monica…. but we will need the ticks…
interesting stuff
A movie like the "Hangover" wont make bank like other films because of American Humor.——————-
No idea.——————-
Small world.————–Still, 250,000,000 is a lot of cash.————The best movies IMO, always have great plots, great actors, and most of all, great writers.——————Solitary Man was excellent.————-good luck————–I hate this format,noparagraphs–no nothing, just jumbledtogetherrunuponyourassparametersdesignedtocontrolabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz12435687911211danbrownfigurethatoutuschmuck
WTF?
I keep wondering why a guy like this…with all his connections and
ego stays in kc. why? If you are this big time writer/producer
why be stuck in this podunk town? If you really have all this
weight swinging around why stay here. Holly wood is calling so
why hang in this small time town instead of hanging with all your
so called friends in vegas/ hollywood/etc?
Give us an answwer…and also give us detail about the porn star
party……
sorry…i ‘ve seen lots of bullshit artists in my time…and i just can’t
understand what the hell you’
re doing in kc. If i had your "money"…looks….charisma…connections
i sure wouldnt be in kc trying to impress 20 year old teens to come
sleep with me. I d be in hollywood where the real action is.
Craig …
I think harley and I are asking basically the same question.
BOUGHT IT !
Okay, Glazer, enough hype
Some Great Questions: Here are the Answers
If you have read my other artilcles/blogs, you may have already been answered. I already lived in LA for l6 years. I had many friends there and still do. I enjoyed my time there and was planning on staying as my fulltime residence. However my brothers and I ended up taking over Stanfords in 1990. I fly back and forth from LA to KC for four years or more, every two weeks to help build the business back up, as well as making Westport more of what it had been in the 70’s/80’s.
My income in LA had dropped off and I was making a better income from KC at the time. Plus going back to my hometown was nice. I rekindled many old friendships and made new ones as well. My heart has always been with KC. I loved the Plaza and all the KC traditions. Yes that includes the Chiefs,Royals,Winsteds, Gates so on. Had good times in Westport and the Plaza where I moved back too.
So going back and forth now is great. My being from ‘out of town’ helps me in LA in a strange way. I just like KC better I guess. No traffic headaches here. Less crime, nicer folks and my family lives here. Of course there is Stanford and Sons, my media things on radio daily and weekly so on…
As far as seeming too pompus. If you read my other blogs one might see thats not always true. I was just trying to fill you all in on some interesting update. Hey in the film world there are not any "for sures." Seems things are going well and hope they continue, thats all. There will always be people who don’t think they like me or what I stand for…I undestand that. You can’t make everyone like you, nobody can. I do my best to do nice things these days for others, but you don’t want to hear about that. Its too boring, right?
Glad you guys like these stories and updates. I will keep you posted as things move forward. Thank you.
…’till their Hate turns to Fear…
I live in Hollywood. Have for 3 decades. Craig and I used to live together here.
This is a tough place for those of us in entertainment. Nobody wants to help, and indeed would rather see you crash and burn than succeed. You develop a thick skin and a self-preservation front to survive: "If I am not for myself, who will be for me?" is the mantra in Hollywood.
That is the Craig you people see. Self promotion out of necessity. He’s not an accountant, an attorney or an engineer. It’s entertainment, and it takes a circus barker to be heard.
Craig is one of the most generous and kind people I’ve ever known and his friends are crazy about him, though I don’t expect all of you to believe that. It’s this cynical attitude by some of you rubarbs that keeps K.C. an entertainment dustbowl.
For what it’s worth
Your questions/answers comment was probably the most humble you’ve ever come off as, at least from what I’ve read. Didn’t mean to be offensive in my first comment, just throwing out an honest opinion. But like I said, regardless of my opinion of you, the stories are an entertaining read, so I’d say mission accomplished.
Do the damn thing CG
Good luck man. I wish I had a script or a book being knocked around by a studio about to get turned into a film. Looking forward to it. Some of these jackoffs are so miserable living their mediocre boring lives that the only satisfaction they get is masturbating when the wife goes to the store and talking shit in the comments section of websites.
IMHO
Just me, but Glazer’s stories are mesmerising—-(FUCK NO PARAGRAPHS!!!)_________IMO again, there is no way the stories would be in any way interesting, if he didn’t have an absolute idea, a vision, of who he is.—That identity, that ego, is what, IMO, is what is so interesting.——GODDAMNMUTHERFUCKERIHATETHISFORMATHERNE——With the exception of sports, Just my opinion Craig – Your sports takes are fucked–luv ya-luv your show-still fucked–Glazer’s tales of LA and movie stars, etc—FUCKIN AWESOME!!!——–His local tales of folks we know in this city—-FUCKIN AWESOME!!! Gimme a fuckin break! The guy says Tony G. might be gay!! IWhat fuyckin BALLS!!! Lemme ask ya fuckheads—GODI HATE THIS FORMAT—Where will you, ever hear that shit in the Star—-or ANYWHERE! ___________________________________________________________________________________I hope this is fuckin up the format herne————————————————————————————————————————————
Hey Herne
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I want a paragraph—————————————————————————————————
Outside the lines–
heh heh—
heh, heh————————-Obviously I have no life-I think this is funny———————————————————————————————————————–"Let the word go forth, from this time and place,toallbloggersfriendandfoethat thetorchhasbeenpassedtoanewgenerationofcommentors
Even Glazer’s name is cool
Gimme a break–common JayhawkTony—-you love the guy too. Think about it—where are you gonna get this kind of dish? I love the shit he comes up with. Glazer is the best, most interesting writer in KC. I ain’t sayin he Proust–I am saying his takes (NOT SPORTS.) GLUE your ass to the screen. —————————Me, personally, I hit that fuckin Glazer take on this website like a crackwhore. I have a parasympathetic reaction, on this website when I see Glazer has posted. I can’t wait for the next drop.
Glazer is the most interesting
writer in this city.———Clarification.
Bonafides
Glazer says Bowe is on the Hippie lettuce–gimme a fuckin break–how cool is that?——-Where—where will you EVER hear that except from Craig??–The Mystery of Life take???——-Commmonn!!—The Galagher take–like any of us—gimme a break–would have heard ANYTHING about that fuckhead–SERIOUSLY—-How about the "Cocaine Crazy" take???How about the "Forget the Hooker Stops"—The fuckin guy is a Kansas City Treasure. How about for once, we recognize, and love our local talent. Glazer kills.
Glazer Rocks Our World
Chuck you are dead on brother. I read this site waiting for Craig Glazer to write something. While he makes many errors at times, his stories are the most entertaining I have ever read in print, save some great books. Guy is awsome. I want to read his book, will get it for Xmas. I’m sure its gonna be a hot one. Glazer don’t get so upset over these people who bad mouth you, most of us love what you do.
THANK YOU GUYS
Hey Chuck, thank you and all the others who seem to enjoy what I do here at kcconfidential. I realize there will always be people who don’t like me for really no reason. I also admitt that KING OF STING is not a moive til it is done. We are close but anything can happen. It would be fun and great for me if it goes. Our group feels good about that happening. As I explained the movie biz is a tough place these days. Top notch films like Unstoppable and 3 Days did not come close to the numbers expected from the studios. As one can see its still family films and blockbusters that move the chains. Our type of movie is hard to get that young audience sold on. We have a shot cause my charaacter is 18-28 in the film. So in a way he is a real life super hero. Flawed but who isn’t.
Anyways, thank you for the kind words. As always will keep you posted.