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Ripped from the Headlines Posted by albieh | Production Blog | DECEMBER 1, 2010

Update: Please submit your story ideas to the "Ripped from the Headlines" challenge. 

 

Many of you have pitched ideas involving historical figures from the likes of Michael Jackson to Richard Feynman, while others have pitched plot lines surrounding historic events such as the JFK assassination or the dropping of the atomic bomb in World War 2.  We like this direction and want to take it one step further by seeing if we can translate current events “ripped from the headlines” into fictional tales.

 

“Bar Karma” offers a provocative platform for many issues, events and present day concerns, while allowing for creative liberty and expression along the way.  We would like to challenge you to bring a scripted show that will be relevant to our audience and the world around them. The past, present and future are all tied together! Our job is to make the connection!

 

Entering Story Development - "The Expectant Mother"

To honor this challenge, we have decided to promote Stingblade’s pitch to the Story Development phase. Please help develop the Story of the Expectant Mother. 

 

"A young woman comes into the bar. Deciding she wants an abortion she is given a series of timelines:

  • If she has the abortion an anti-abortion extremist will gun her down and serveral other people before turning the gun on himself.  Any attempt she makes to warn of the impending slaughter causes a police standoff that kills an innocent bystander-a woman who would've inspired hundreds of inner-city school children.
  • If she does not have an abortion and gives the baby up for adoption, the baby's adoptive parents are killed in a car wreck. Leaving him in a series of abusive foster homes until he lands in prison. Any attempt to prevent the deer that caused the accident from getting on the road leads to the death of a prominent politician in a hunting accident-one who would very shortly find himself as a material witness in a drug cartel investigation.
  • If she keeps the baby for herself, she will be so involved in her now budding career that the child will be neglected and spoiled at intermittent times. When her child commits a crime, the woman loses all credibility.
  • If she keeps the baby and walks away from her budding career (in a job doing similar work but still able to raise the baby and have a satisfying career),  the son grows up to be an AIDS researcher, and later the first Doctor to become President Since Martin Van Buren."

 

Let’s see if you can bring further ideas to this great pitch!  

- Albie

 

53 comments // Ripped from the Headlines

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  • morphineking
    • 0
      morphineking  

    • Hello April, Morphineking here. I got your email today. Sorry for not getting back to you sooner, but I've been away and besides. I get a bit confused about "responses" and what folks want to do with my Idea about Sadam and the bar. Are you saying that you'd like to maybe work on a full story about Sadam's time in the bar? If you will, let me know how you'd like to do this. "By the way. you're much cuter than some of the others that have responded!" Not a come on, just a compliment and I hope you take it that way.

    • 1 year ago
  • jilbake
  • morphineking
  • aprilpattillo
  • atemporaryguestcalled_moses
  • aprilpattillo
  • jilbake
    • 0
      jilbake  
    • aprilpattillo:

      The definition is of the original karma as it relates to Eastern religion, but the definition is taken and re-ordered to fit the American perception of action -vs- consequence. The idea of Bar Karma is just that, people faced with or having subsequent events that have resulted from thier decisions or lack there of, from the simplest to the most complex in nature. Having said that, this leaves the series open for just about any convievable idea to introduce new perspectives that would normally not be of the usual storyline protocol. Thats what its all about. No idea is a bad idea or irrelivant, but can have the potential for a great idea to build on. Hope that helps bring some light to the whole concept for you! :)

    • 1 year ago
  • aprilpattillo
  • jilbake
    • 0
      jilbake  
    • aprilpattillo:

      Actually alot. He has made many big Karmic decisions, that have not only affected him, but the whole music industry. Everyone can be plotted ia a karmic scenerio. He is definately one of them, especially with the obvious recent events surrounding his death...

    • 1 year ago
  • aprilpattillo
  • jilbake
    • 0
      jilbake  
    • aprilpattillo:

      The definition is of the original karma as it relates to Eastern religion, but the definition is taken and re-ordered to fit the American perception of action -vs- consequence. The idea of Bar Karma is just that, people faced with or having subsequent events that have resulted from thier decisions or lack there of, from the simplest to the most complex in nature. Having said that, this leaves the series open for just about any convievable idea to introduce new perspectives that would normally not be of the usual storyline protocol. Thats what its all about. No idea is a bad idea or irrelivant, but can have the potential for a great idea to build on. Hope that helps bring some light to the whole concept for you! :)

    • 1 year ago
  • Tartan10
    • 0
      Tartan10  

    • She has a...Spontanious Abortion........ Leaving questions to what happened to the baby.... she goes under hypnosis.... and finds out... her visitations from strange grey beings is all too real..... The baby has been taken...back.... and she has more lifetime abductions to come..........

    • 1 year ago
  • DidiT79
    • 0
      DidiT79  

    • If she aborts the baby, she will finds out that child's DNA has a speciific deformity that, when sythesized,can be used as a vaccince that prevents the onset of Autism in infants.

    • 1 year ago
  • mrlepto
    • 0
      mrlepto  

    • how about ripping stories from WWN Headlines (Weekly World News) and bringing them to life - ie, the mother of Batboy speaks, etc

    • 1 year ago
  • morphineking
    • 0
      morphineking  

    • >The door opens and Saddam Hussein (dressed in the same street clothes he was hanged in and "grubby" looking) has gone from the rope's grip quickley collapsing his jugglar, and the distinct and terrifying feeling of his eyeballs beginning their commute into new territory outside of their sockets, into what he surely thinks is either his hell...his Heaven...or possibly Pergatory. He unexpectedly, never knowing the exact second that he must re live and feel the pain of a person that was tortured or killed by his hands or by his command (even being raped...to show the woman's side once?). He tries to run from the bar but each opening of the door, places him in the situation that the person dieing or being tortured and he screams as their pain grows inside of him.

    • 1 year ago
  • omacadams
    • 0
      omacadams  

    • I like this - other shows do it with a lot of success (Law & Order being one).

    • 1 year ago
  • atemporaryguestcalled_moses
    • 0
      atemporaryguestcalled_moses  

    • @ Albieh: An interesting idea would be to indirectly address this whole recent WikiLeaks buzz...
      What would be the consequences of withholding or exposing such kind of secretive information to the general public, and the many ramifications of this decision for our present and future.

    • 1 year ago
  • freecrack
    • 0
      freecrack  

    • i love the idea of adressing social issues analogously in the show, as to not speak to the person but the issue.oj simpson is rife for an episode.back and forth over if he did it, or didnt.
      skinhead or jihadi having to confront the bigger picture than what he personaly believes, the irrationality and counter productive nature of hate.
      or the karmic reprecussions from say releasing governmental cables to the public?

    • 1 year ago
  • jilbake
    • 0
      jilbake  

    • Could there be some type of integration with a couple of the characters from "The walking dead" series that is currently running. Could they possible come into the bar and either wrestle with some ethical decisions that they have already made during previous episodes and be introduced to some consequences to those decisions in advance, while given options that they can choose from that could change the outcome ???? I would find it quite mind twisting and far beyond the twilight zone in its thought provoking nature to intertwine somthing like that or even some ideas come to mind from the movie "about becoming John Malcovich". I think we could pitch a real brain twisting aspect to the show .!!. Anyone see potential in any of this???? Im starting to come up with so many ideas. Hopefully somthing I am pondering will material into a usable addition!.

    • 1 year ago
  • jilbake
    • 0
      jilbake  
    • jilbake:

      Certainly. I just used Binladen as an example of the idea. I agree, some better examples are definately out there to be addressed lol. I think it would really keep an interesting twist to capture viewers attention. Sort of put a realistic and realtime perspective on it, while at the same time puzzling.

    • 1 year ago
  • jilbake
    • 0
      jilbake  

    • Wow, I was just pondering the idea of taking current reality and using people and their situations, adding a twist and an outcome. Example - Osama Binladen and his coming in and facing some of his demons. Possibly Kwame Kilpatric and one of his many delimas.

    • 1 year ago
  • Bumpusballfields
    • 0
      Bumpusballfields  

    • Just joined today.Interested in contributing to the mosaic.I will be watching and getting familiar with the mythology. Bb.

    • 1 year ago
  • Nick19
  • remanns
    • 0
      remanns  

    • note - - I still haven't read the "show Mythology" yet, ( still sounds like "Cynosure" to me,...or "Sigil",....or Cowboy Feng's dive,....but am now curious,....going,....)

      p.s. getting a beer first.

    • 1 year ago
  • remanns
  • remanns
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