Five or six hours were eaten up today as I chased a single story about a movie possibly not going forward, or at least about the finances being stalled for the time being. I wrote emails to and left phone messages with several parties to try and learn what’s up, and then I spent almost two hours on the phone with a guy I’ve known for years who explained that the story was not true although certain aspects might be sort of half-true in this or that respect.

The result is that I didn’t post very much today, which mildly irritates. On one level it’s exciting and enriching to dig down into a story and get to know the whys and particulars, but I have to crank stuff out no matter what. You have to shovel coal into the furnace.

I can’t write six or seven riffs (i.e., items, reviews, rants) for this column and also do the old John Horn or Patrick Goldstein routine, chasing down an interesting, sometimes labrynthian story and talking to the right people and taking notes and assembling the final version of the story just so and tying up the loose ends. I have to think fast and write faster and get out the six-shooter and be completely unafraid to channel Judge Roy Bean. A perceptive, passionate, fair-minded Judge Bean, I mean.