Hollywood Studios Are Acquiring More Inventive Material Causing Spec Sales to Spike.

Good news for screenwriters! October spec script sales set mark for highest in 5 years. We’ve seen an enormous amount of remakes, sequels, and Madea(Ha Ha). Hollywood picked up 18 non-contract scripts written in October the highest since the Writer’s Guild strike in 2007/2008.

“A lot of the safe bets in terms of branded[intellectual property], the Harry Potters or the Hasbro products, have had their run , or have not worked  out,“ Brooklyn Weaver, owner of the literary management company Energy Entertainment, told TheWrap. “When you look at things such as ‘Inception,’ what’s working is the original ideas from original voices.”

Major Studios have increased their spec buys over the last 10 months. Sony and Warner Bros. lead the way with seven and fourteen respectively while Fox, Paramount, and Universal all picked up five.

“As the recession tapers off, [studios] are feeling a lot more free with their money,’ Goldberg of New Wave Entertainment said. “They’re back in the development game, but they’re doing it smartly so there’s not excessive waste.”

More info on Spec script sales can be found via The Scroggins Report.

Cover Girl Queen Latifah Is Next To Take On Talk Show Heaven

Oprah definitely set the mark and Tyra picked it up for the new generation. What will the “Queen” do for daytime talk? Whatever the theme will be I’m sure it will grab everyone’s attention. According to deadline.com , Sony and Overbrook Entertainment have set the date for Fall 2013. Overbrook who is headed by James Lassiter and Mr. and Mrs. Smith are taking the reins to produce Latifah’s show along with her Flavor Unit imprint.

“We’ve had a long and successful history both personally and professionally with Overbrook’s Miguel, JL, Jada and Will,” Compere said. “We share a common vision and have been wanting to collaborate for quite some time.” Compere currently serves as co – producer for Flavor Unit Productions and was invaluable to getting this project off the ground along with Overbrook’s Miguel Melendez. “We are excited to join forces with Latifah and as well as Sony Pictures TV on this new venture,” Melendez said. “This forum is the perfect place to showcase Latifah’s tremendous range of talents & unique ability to connect & inspire people.”

Fall 2012 has been overcrowded with the launch of several new talk shows including hosts Katie Couric and Steve Harvey that have already cleared!

Congratulations “Queen”. You can check out Queen Latifah in her lastest project. “Joyful Noise”, scheduled for release Jan. 13.