Penn alum takes Christmas to new "highs"

Penn alum screenwriter Jon Hurwitz's (W'00) trailer for his upcoming A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas was just released and you must watch it!

After the jump, see some high-larious scenes which include:

• a unique spin on using 3D in movies 
• claymation! 
• a musical interlude by Neil Patrick Harris 
• ...and a fantastic NSFW reinterpretation of the famous Christmas Story tongue-frozen-on-pole movie scene!

Penn Researchers cure cancer?

Over the years on DT, I've covered some great stories about research coming out of Penn, but this one takes the cake.

Penn researchers led by gene therapy expert  Dr. Carl June, found a new way for treating leukemia by "turning the patients' own blood cells into assassins that hunt and destroy their cancer cells."

More about this exciting research after the jump!

 

From aspiring TV writer to "paid" TV writer: the steps this Penn alum is taking

A couple of weeks ago we met aspiring LA TV writer Rob Forman (W'06) and he told us about his journey from Penn to LA, the agency he first worked at, and the TV shows on which he's been a writer's assistant.

In today's installment, Rob talks to us about the steps he's taking from being an aspiring TV writer to a "paid" writer. (Note the Rob's masterful use of "air quotes" throughout the video : ) )

After the jump, listen to Rob talk about:

• "spec scripts" and which TV shows he has written spec scripts for
• what to do once you have finished a spec script
• what has "fallen out of fashion" in terms of writing TV scripts
• which popular writing competitions he has submitted to ...which you should as well! (and which one he was a finalist in!)
• what he's working on now

Also, be sure to check out the embedded spec scripts Rob has provided us to read and learn from!