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RELATED: Lena Dunham Book Bidding At $3.6 Million
Random House and Lena Dunham slipped to The New York Times the news that RH is where she will write her humorous essay book Not That Kind Of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s Learned. The publisher will pay her upwards of $3.5 million, which was pretty much where Deadline pegged it last week. Now, the question is: does this book have any chance to earn out? It was constantly being compared in the press to Tina Fey’s Bossypants, which went for a reported $5 million and became a bestseller. You knew that book was going to sell for a pile of dough: Fey was the head writer of Saturday Night Live, she anchored Weekend Update for years, and created and starred in the hit NBC sitcom 30 Rock and who can forget her wonderful appearance with Steve Martin during the Oscars several years ago? She gets offered the hosting gig all the time, but has been too busy to say yes. She is a big star.
I gotta admit, I don’t get Lena Dunham. Her film, Tiny Furniture, got some acclaim, but grossed only $392,000. I found her HBO comedy series Girls to be too cringe-worthy to watch, and tuned out after the first couple of episodes when her character went off to have sex with her indifferent booty call partner. When she spoke to him too much as he was trying to focus on the task at hand, he tells her, “Let’s play the quiet game.” I hate seeing young women demeaned and punted the series after that. But then again, I am a 52-year old fossil and certainly not the target audience for this book by the 26-year old talent. She may become the voice of her generation, but right now she seems to have more of a cult than mainstream following, and you have to sell a lot of books to recoup a $3.6 million advance. That must have been some proposal to get so many publishers hot and bothered!
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Hooray for talent!
So, how is this not going to read like the exact written transcript of “Tiny Furniture” and “Girls”?
Lena Dunham is the next Woody Allen. She’s an incredible writer with a gifted talent.
Let’s not be rash here, Jack. Woody Allen is the platonic ideal. Lena gets naked and talks about white girl problems.
Totally agree. She is the voice of this generation of young, self-centered, promiscuous women who think the world revolve around them. She really gets it. I’m not being facetious, this is how women are today. Maybe those who dislike the show dislike it because it hits too close to home. Whatdayathink?
I’m a woman and her show sounds like total crap. Sorry, all women don’t have promiscuous sex with men they hardly know and then whine about how badly they are treated. Well, maybe the young and stupid ones do.
It sounds as boring as stupid shows about stupid men who sleep around and whine, like 2 1/2 Men.
To Marnie’s regret: “Sounds like” crap? So, you haven’t actually WATCHED the show, then. Nice of you to share your strong opinions on it, though.
Keep working on your specs, honey…
I’m sure you’ll get there too.
Rich girl gets more money for her allowance. Am I supposed to care?
As someone with no connections who scraped and clawed my way into a great career in Hollywood, I want to decry the calls of nepotism. Everytime Lena gets her due, someone cries nepotism.
Nepotism can get you a meeting or an assistant job. It gives you a boost that other people, like me, had to fight a year to earn. It doesn’t cause New York Magazine to call your show a ‘gift,’ or the New Yorker to call it “engrossing.”
Stop whining about nepotism. Lena is the real deal. If you don’t have the taste to understand, that is on you. It isn’t nepotism. It’s talent.
Your check is in the mail. Good job.
Except for Will Sherak. That was nepotism.
are you sure that 1. you understand nepotism, especially within the Hollywood world and 2. that you have a great career? you’re delusional at best, and at worst you are either lena or one of her cohorts. her whole show and its casting screams nepotism. nothing wrong with that but c’mon, call a spade a spade …
…love to. but there are no spades on her show.
Who is Lena related to?
If you want to call that talent, go ahead. I call it stupidity.
Well nepotism sure didn’t hurt the Baldwin brothers, or the Arquette siblings…or Julia Roberts. Wonder where they would be without that?
Overrated. Just like that horrible Girls show.
$3.5 million for this joke of a woman? Puh-leaze.
I don’t get her either! She’s a classic case of Emperor’s new clothes and I fail to see her “talent”. Hate the show, Tiny Furniture was as good or bad as any other “sundance” directorial debut..in that it was promising, but she has failed to deliver on that promise and now a book? WHY?
I couldn’t disagree more. I think she’s absolutely brilliant. Good on HBO for backing her. And as a writer, I should be jealous! It’s just she’s so good, I can’t help but applaud.
Is Ms. Dunham a genius? Probably not. Is she a unique writer? Yes. Is she a good actor? Yes.
Here’s a theory on why LD is getting so much attention.
We live in a world where writing — comedy, drama, etc. — is chosen by idiots. What, pray tell, does anyone working at a studio, or a production company, or an agency, or a management co, know about writing, comedy, movies, etc.? Nothing. They were hired in most cases due to some sort of “in” they’d accrued. That said, storytelling is an instinctive form, i.e, it doesn’t require a degree in order to determine what makes a story work. Some of these said agents/execs can actually be quite brilliant at discovering talent or story. Odds are, however, in the current Hwood, as most are in it for the love of the Porsche, and less the passion for narration… and the ones who truly dig it for the art are often kicked to the curb like Bonnie Sherow in THE PLAYER.
In the past, studios were run by storytellers, people with a passion for the form. Since corporations have taken over studios and agencies, the corporate model — bottom line decision making — like an insidious cancer, has managed to infiltrate virtually every pocket of the industry. What happens as a result? You get movies like BATTLESHIP and TV shows like TWO BROKE GIRLS. Formulaic crap generated by marketing departments. Blah blah blah.
Insert Judd Appatow. Who’s managed to create original content within an otherwise corporate system. Because his products have made profits, the studio system welcomes him with wide-open arms.
Whether you like him or not, he’s an original thinker. He spotted Lena Dunham, decided to champion her.
Is she a wunderkind that deserves 3 and a half million dollars for a book deal? No, that’s an absurd amount of money for a bunch of essays by anyone. The truth of the matter is this: there are TONS of Lena Dunham’s out there, in all shapes and sizes. Hollywood just ain’t interested in looking for them. These kind of unique, talented individuals are like ghosts among us; if you claim to spot one, or attempt to champion one, people think you’re crazy. As a result, someone like Lena Dunham, in comparison to all the crappy writers that do get hired, shines like a beautiful, crazy diamond.
Good for her!
She is the result of an independent mind making a smart decision.
Ben you just explained her and her success perfectly.
Hell I’ve been told I’m a unique talent by a former exec but I don’t want stupid juvenile crap like Judd Apatow.
He’s another one who lacks talent as far as i’m concerned. I hate his misogynist scripts.
Judd Apatow is a grown man who writes juvenile sex comedies about men with a delayed adolescent. I have no interest in him whatsoever. which is probably why he likes a female writer who writes about delayed female adolescence.
I have to agree with Mike here. What’s the big draw? And I can tell you that we’re not alone. My buddies in “the demo” don’t get it either. None of us have bothered with “Girls” since episode two and we all thought “Tiny Furniture” was just…meh. We’re just not that into her. No way she’s going to out earn her advance – or even come close.
I love that Nikke isn’t not only willing to express her opinion but backs it up with reasons why she has come to form this opinion. She does not need one to agree with her. I think in this case her question is warranted: how does RH justify this size advance? If Ms Dunham is indeed as talented as they think, her book sales will generate a worthy payment for her “talent”.
Another reason why book publishing is losing money and esteem…too much money spent on bad choices. I wouldn’t pay a dime to read anything by this over-hyped, under-delivering snarky woman.
Agreed. She’s funny. Just saw tiny furniture. The Brit was hilarious too. It’s urbane humor. She’s so clever and seems like a genuine person. That makes her even more appealing.
Lena targets her audience & knows how to please them. clearly none of you are her targets, so don’t worry about it. I’m definitely getting this book though.
Her audience is 18 to 26 year old silly women who drink and sleep around. Hopefully not the majority, but in this society probably so.
her audience must be idiots
In Hollywood, if you’re young, white (male or female) and create some buzz…you can strike it rich.
God bless the American dream.
White’s got nothing to do with it, bro…
I see jobs going to “color” all the time and others shut out just cause they’re white.
Sucker born every minute.
Love this woman & the brilliant writing on this show. His character may have said that but he in fact adores her and they have a cute way of communicating. And i am not 26 either but I still find each episode very relatable.
Lena is a real talent–she’s sardonic, original–I think the comparison to Woody Allen works. And while her depiction of the demeaning state of sexual politics for today’s “girls” is truly cringe-worthy, that’s her point. It’s funny, fresh, daring, a challenge to the status quo. I’m over fifty and I get her, nut I can’t take Whitney or 2 Broke Girls.
well when you sleep around don’t expect to get treated well. it’s not a mystery
what really bothers me is that this type of behavior is treated as “normal” for young women…well, it’s not.
if you let yourself be treated as a sex object then don’t complain about it.
oh we treat these Girls nice and right! Keep it coming ladies!
I’ve never seen Tiny Furniture, but i have seen Girls and I mostly like it, considering I detest most of the characters. There’s obviously something about Lena. As for the publisher of this article, she’s holding Tiny Fey as the gold standard and it took me a loooooong time to “get” her- and not because she was so witty and above my head- she’s just not all that amusing to women who aren’t just like her.
wow i get the sense we have a bunch of bitter screenwriters trolling these boards today. Anytime someone gets paid, it should be a cause celebre, not a reason to question someone’s talent. Clearly Lena Dunham is an original, and whether you like her work or not, or even get it, thats entirely subjective.
Signed,
a 37 yo white guy (ok, a producer).
well it’s sad when there are many more talented people who can’t sell scripts because they aren’t the latest hot thing with a thumbs up from a Judd Apatow, who is a juvenile writer himself
so we are supposedly to appaud any crap that sells? Just because it sells and has little merit? your logic escapes me
ALL of those with really great scripts get agents and get work bro… all those with so-so scripts, or just down the middle, don’t get shit.
Just the way it is.
The system quickly weeds out the no-talent. Like yourself.
your post REALLY makes no sense at all
No WAY she earns out that advance. Swing and a miss by RH.
Plus, not that talented.
I’d don’t think Dunham and Tina Fey are even in the same league…
Tina Fey can make you laugh.
Dunham can actually move you.
Are you kidding?
Not at all.
I watch 30 Rock and think, “this can be better”.
I watch Girls and think, “I wish I wrote this”.
Tina Fey is a huge talent, don’t get me wrong. But I do think she has a better voice than Dunham, no way.
For what it’s worth, Lena, I’ll probably never earn out the advance Random House gave me, either. The good news is, they haven’t sent goons to collect… yet.
Do you guys really think quality has anything to do with success in this town? Let me say this… The comments for this article are sort of like a Yelp review for a new restaurant: a handful of 5 star reviews that are tellingly too effusive with their praise versus the majority of 1 star reviews that all share the exact same criticism(s). Who gives a sh*t that she’s not talented and this is an unjustified sum for what she delivers? I, personally, applaud the tailor who sold the emperor his new clothes… this month, her name is Lena Dunham.
“I hate seeing young women demeaned and punted the series after that,” says Mike. But young women are being demeaned like that every day (and many of them, having issues of their own, continue to come back for more). Of course some of the world is responding to a young woman who’s able to recount the experiences with pain, humor, and a strong point of view. And, of course some of the world has to change the channel really fast, because they “hate to” see it. I’m the camp that celebrates the pungent voice, and vision.
and some women are just smarter than that
yeah, i would say sleeping around with stupid men is pretty demeaning…but whose fault is that? HERS
you can’t bring bad treatment on yourself through bad behavior and then whine about it