"Candyland" readers care about their characters!

ESPECIALLY Hunter!

Episode 11: "The Badfather: Part II"

EPISODE 11 IS UP!

GET YOUR READ ON ... FREE!
(Note: next week is one of only two "holiday" weeks we're taking with "Candyland", which means no new episode posting; please check back Friday, July 10th, for episode 12 - giving you proper time to binge-read and catch up on the entire series!)

COMING SOON: "Redwood Falls: The Book of Job"

And you thought southern California was strange?

Welcome to Redwood Falls, the second offering from Read-TV which debuts Saturday, October 31st with a teaser introduction, followed by the pilot that drops on Friday, November 13th.  It was always the intention, upon starting Read-TV, that a second TV-for-Readers series would begin toward the end of 2015, and we're proud to announce our next production!

A big departure from "Candyland" (to say the least), "Redwood Falls: The Book of Job" is an idea that's been brewing in this writer's mind even longer than the story of Candace and company.  Think the CW's "The Originals", meshed with a modern-day "Penny Dreadful" (you gotta love Showtime) ... with maybe just a touch of "Hannibal" (curse you, NBC!) and a more mature Twilight (sans Bella, thank God), and you get the idea.

(Note: this series will run for only twenty episodes, with new installments every two weeks instead of every week as it's the first of a projected trilogy.)

A brief intro to the series is below (a separate blog/website for "Redwood Falls" will go up mid-October), along with the beginnings of the Dream Cast (the actors who inspired the characters), with more to be added soon.  So enjoy this sneak preview, remember episode 11 of "Candyland" drops here this Friday ... and please join us for "Redwood Falls: The Book of Job" in October!

(click on any image below to enlarge)

Synopsis:

It's been nearly a year since the Rios family buried their adopted son Angel, who took his own life.  Still reeling from the loss of her younger sibling, even pulling away from her parents (who've since split up) in her grief, twenty-one-year-old Darcy Rios works her crap retail job in Los Angeles with no plans for the future, instead spending her days turning over in her head, again and again, what she could possibly have done to save the brother she adored ...

When a voicemail left by Celie, her BFF since childhood, changes everything.  Celie, a "richie," has been on a road trip throughout northern California, prior to transferring college to San Francisco in the fall; a summer vacation Darcy was invited on, but had neither the money nor the inclination to do.  Initially ignoring the voicemail, figuring it'd be Celie's usual ramblings about her trip or her latest boyfriend, when Darcy finally does listen to the message a day later, what she hears is unbelievable:  Celie, while stopping for gas and supplies in a small town called Redwood Falls, swears she has seen Angel.

And while known to pull the occasional juvenile, bone-headed, even tasteless prank, the tone in Celie's voice on this message is ... different; too convincing for her limited acting skills, and too lucid for Celie to be either drunk or stoned - especially when she also mumbles, in a shaky voice, something indecipherable about "a creepy little blond kid."  Darcy immediately calls her back, gets voicemail, and for the next twelve hours continuously tries reaching her friend ... until the phone is answered by Celie's mother, who tearfully informs Darcy that her daughter has been killed in a tragic accident, driving her car into a tree after apparently falling asleep behind the wheel.

But Darcy doesn't believe it.  Celie had vision issues, hated driving at night - often blinded by other headlights coming at her - and had always been too vain to get her eyes checked, never even telling her parents for fear of being banned from night driving at all.  No way would she have been out there on her own, in unfamiliar territory and in the dark, with night blindness.

So before she can talk herself out of it, Darcy is packing a bag and hunting down her parents' atlas ... certain, in her heart, that all answers lie in Redwood Falls.

DREAM CAST

(actors/artists who simply inspired the characters; their depictions/names here are in no way meant to imply they endorse or are in any way part of bringing "Redwood Falls: The Book of Job" to television.  Yet!)

Olivia Cooke (Darcy), Austin Mahone (Angel), Douglas Smith (Sam), India Eisley (Kinny), Ki Hong Lee (Nugget), Dev Patel (Sai), Michiel Huisman (Ira), Elizabeth Banks (Elyse), Daniel Henney (Carl), Tom Williamson (Jax), Arden Cho (Mistress Anne), Saoirse Ronan (Lynx), Betty White (Miss Nora), Alexander Ludwig (Pug), Max & Charlie Carver (Derek & David Ohlson), Nico Mirallegro (Nigel) - with Drew Barrymore (Pixie) and Wilmer Valderrama (Diego) ...

... and

J.J. TOTAH

as Job

Aww ... Acknowledgement by Warpath!

Just taking another reason to shout out a big THANK YOU to those in the industry (Kenton Duty, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Brad Everett Young, Luke Bilyk, Bronson Pelletier, Danny John-Jules, Gren Wells, Nick Jaine, Jeff Hephner, Robbie Kay, Scott Lowell, Reno Wilson, Jordi Vilasuso, Greg Louganis, Perez Hilton, Dior C. Choi, David Smithyman ... and if I've forgotten YOU, please let me know and I'll edit this post!) who in one way or another have shown their support for "Candyland" by following, reposting, retweeting, or favoriting us.  My years in L.A. taught me how "chilly" those in the business can be, especially once achieving some level of fame or stability, even in supporting new projects or talent - so your support, especially, has meant the world.

But with all that love, it was still pretty cool to hear from Warpath today, via Twitter, acknowledging that he thought "Candyland" was a "cool idea."  Have been a fan of Booboo Stewart for maybe a decade now, and he's made the transition from "child star" to adult actor pretty seamlessly; the guy works like crazy (and may he always do so, as like wine he only gets better with age).  Anyway, thanks Mr. Stewart - the message made my day, and reminded me that with the support of industry peeps like you and those listed above, the idea is to PERSEVERE, against all odds, until this puppy is on Showtime (actually, you'd fit right into "Candyland" stylistically; may have to think about that one, working as I am on a couple of potential new characters ...).  Either way, a big "God Bless" to you all!

Don

Creator/Writer

This week's episode ...

Candyland (TVMA)
"The Badfather: Part II" (#1.11)
Father's Day revoked.  Neo makes a joke.  Teak is suddenly stoked.

Happiest of Birthdays - to The Queen, Herself!

Kudos, salutations, and all best of wishes to the woman who - when "Candyland" takes off from the printed page and does make its way to television - I will owe it all to.  I've been a fan of Courteney Cox since first seeing her dance on a concert stage with Bruce Springsteen in a music video, through "Friends" and the Scream franchise and more ... but it was the brilliant, beautifully-written and perfectly-cast (and, sadly, prematurely cut down by a writer's strike) FX series "Dirt" that first generated the idea in me that Courteney Cox as a conscienceless, power-driven shark was nothing short of enthralling!

Candace Gray only came to life when I pictured Cox playing her, and while I can only hope she will do so when the series comes to light, no matter who ends up in the role I will always owe the entire thing to Ms. Courteney, who turns a beautiful fifty-two today!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

This week's episode ...

Candyland (TVMA)
"The Wizard of Ahhs" (#1.10)
Oscar's pimp has clout.  Hunter squashes some doubt.  Dominic - finally - finds out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ... to one of the main reasons "Candyland" exists!

The original inspiration for "Candyland" - the story of what (and who) it takes to survive in Hollywood (and if it's even worth the trip to get there) - started with three people.  Or more accurately, three characters: Candace Gray, Oscar Yamada, and Hunter West.  Had they not bloomed fully into my mind, thanks to the actors that inspired them, NOTHING you see on this page would exist today.

From the beginning I've always had a soft spot for Oscar (those of you reading the series will soon find out why, I think), and just wanted to give a shout out to KEVIN WU, who from day one inspired this reserved yet passionate, devoted and self-sacrificing assistant to - quite possibly - the biggest bitch in Los Angeles.  From the days of watching KevJumba videos left and right on YouTube, to reality television and the budding of an acting career, you have to love Kevin's energy, positive spirit, and often hilarious sense of humor.  

So Happy 25th, KevJumba, and God Bless for all the laughter and inspiration!

"Candyland" fans are crazy-loyal ...

AND WE LOVE IT!

So why aren't YOU reading?! Free, now, for everyone!

give a donation - get written in as a character!

Any donation to keep the series going is a blessing, and THANKS TO THOSE WHO'VE HELPED ALREADY, BY EITHER DONATING OR SPREADING THE WORD - but here's a shot for readers to be immortalized as part of the story: now through June 30th, anyone who gives a donation of $200 or more (see button on the left) to help get this tale of Hollywood behind-the-scenes on TV & reach our $3500 goal, gets him- or herself written into the series as a character!

(click image to enlarge)

"Candyland": Straight Talk from a Gay Writer

I first went to Los Angeles in the spring of 1996 to try and be a working actor.  Finding a boarding house in Hollywood, I think now that living in that reconverted mini-mansion gave me my first inspiration to create something like "Candyland"; the cheap, three-story, rent-a-room-by-the-week place with the johns in the hall (much like the Yucca Arms, where Hunter resides) was full of aspiring actors, models, singers and comics.  A communal kitchen in the basement guaranteed we all got to know one another sooner or later, and even when one of us couldn't afford his weekly rent and had to sleep in an antique Jag he'd bought for $200, out at the curb, we would still take food to him so no one ever went hungry.  Looking back, I loved those days; a time before the corner of Hollywood and Highland had morphed into a mega-plex, and when you had to track down a fax machine to get your sides if there wasn't time to go to the agent's office, because back then there was simply no such thing as having them sent to your cell phone.

Those days with Heather, Said, Ping, Chuck, Olaf, Andy, David - they're all tinged with gold now, fond memories ... just like my first "acting job" a week after arriving in L. A.: three days' background work playing a jury member on the ABC series "The Practice".  It was my first time on a set, and I was awestruck; knew this was the atmosphere I wanted to - needed to - surround myself with for the rest of my life, were I to be happy.  Over those three days, I even worked up the nerve to speak with actors on-set whose work I had only admired up 'til then, including Linda Hunt (a wonderful woman), William Atherton (to this day one of the friendliest, most upbeat people I've ever met), and the man himself, Dylan McDermott (cordial, but I was interrupting his baseball game so it was to be expected).  And while ultimately I realized that writing was my first love, the experiences I had then (and have had since), in Los Angeles, have all been fodder for the writing project you see here.

Flash-forward nineteen years later, and though life has intervened in unforeseen ways my heart still belongs to this insane crap-shoot of a business; still empathizes with the uphill battle of the struggling actor.  I write "Candyland" on a seven-year-old Dell laptop that is nearly as broken-down as I am, and work a part-time job to try and pay up bills a few health issues left me behind on.  But like those who troll the shark-infested waters of Los Angeles every day, I persevere; stay up many a night trying to make each episode of this TV-series-in-book-form (as well as the episodic scripts, which I work on pretty much simultaneously) the best I can, so that when it lands on cable it will be true to the story, as well as the characters so many of you have already grown to love.

But December is still some time away, and with another 28 episodes to go until the Christmas Day finale, my fear is that "Candyland" may be preempted by something as simple as the death of my Dell ... so after some calculating, have figured out a bare-bones goal for donations of another $3,500 that, if reached, will make sure those who've already shown their love of the series - their determination to help get it on Showtime - won't have been for nothing.  That we'll all, together, make it to back to that parking garage roof featured in the teaser, on Christmas Day, for a finale that will have jaws dropping.

So while I know there are many more "worthy" projects you can help fund out there, via Kickstarter or Indiegogo or GoFundMe, if you choose to click on the "Donate" button on the left, to support "Candyland" - as well as this LGBT writer, toiling away 24/7 to bring to light this story of artists who strive every day for their voices to be heard - I guarantee not only a mention in the pilot credits ... but that far beyond "Candyland" I'll always be writing about and fighting for misfits like the ones in that boarding house of so long ago; those who keep pushing every day, despite the million-to-one odds, because this is all they ever wanted to do.

This week's episode ...

Candyland (TVMA)
"The Remains of Five Days" (#1.09)
Dominic grows a pair.  Lynn refuses to share.  Candace finds something to wear.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ... to the man who inspired Hector Silva!

A HAPPY 37TH BIRTHDAY  to a hell of an actor ... and the inspiration for the lustful, lovable, possibly larcenous (we'll have to see, come future episodes) screenwriter/gigolo from England, Hector Silva, in "Candyland"!  This writer's been a Cooper-Head since The History Boys and Starter for 10, and thank you Dominic for being a constant source of inspiration for almost a decade.  Looking forward to the day you may actually play Hector when "Candyland" comes to TV!