Carsey-Wolf Center at UC Santa Barbara 
Script to Screen: Legally Blonde
- Thursday, June 2, 2011 / 7:00 PM (PDT)
- Pollock Theater
- Screening Format: DVD (97 minutes)
- With Karen McCullah & Kirsten Smith (Screenwriters)
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Director: Robert Luketic
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair
“Boldly going where no blonde has gone before.”
When a blonde sorority queen (Reese Witherspoon) is dumped by her boyfriend, she decides to follow him to law school to get him back and, once there, learns she has more legal savvy than she ever imagined.
This 10th Anniversary of Legally Blonde (2001) event was the premiere of the Script to Screen series. The screening was followed by a Q&A with Screenwriters Kirsten Smith & Karen McCullah Lutz. The event was moderated by Pollock Theater Director Matt Ryan.
Following the Q&A, we hosted a “Bend and Snap: Fashion Show Contest” judged by our honored guests. The laughs and conversation continued during a reception featuring 300 pink cupcakes, baked and decorated by our energetic and creative Pollock Theater Interns.
“It was such an incredible night. Thank you so much for organizing it all and for taking such good care of us. We were, and are, thrilled, and have been raving about the experience to all our friends and colleagues.”
– Kirsten Smith, Screenwriter
Biographies
Screenwriters Karen McCullah & Kirsten Smith
Karen McCullah & Kirsten Smith wrote their first feature film together in 1999: 10 Things I Hate About You. They went on to become writing partners for a number of screenplays, including Legally Blonde (2001), Ella Enchanted (2004), She’s the Man (2006), The House Bunny (2008), and The Ugly Truth (2009). They are currently working on an all-female version of The Expendables, titled The Expendabelles.
Karen McCullah is also a novelist. Her book The Bachelorette Party (2006) will be adapted into a film in the near future.
Kirsten Smith has produced films including Whip It (2009), American Virgin (2009), and the upcoming Entanglement. Her first novel was 2006’s The Geography of Girlhood, a novel in verse, which fulfilled her lifelong dream of having a book of poetry published. Her poems have appeared in The Gettysburg Review, Shenandoah and Rush Hour: Reckless (2006).
Moderator Matthew Ryan
Matthew Ryan is Director of the Pollock Theater where he pioneered the Pollock Theater Internship, which professionalizes students by developing production skills with hands-on experience. Ryan created and hosts the Script to Screen series, which has welcomed prestigious guests like Oscar® winning screenwriter John Ridley for 12 Years a Slave and Oscar® winning screenwriter Alan Ball for American Beauty.
Matthew Ryan began his career as a video librarian at the legendary Kaufman Astoria Studios. He became Associate Producer for Fox Movietone Newsreels putting together video packages for news stories. As Events Manager at New York University’s Cantor Film Center, he produced a series of film programs that included evenings with Martin Scorsese, Tim Robbins and Alec Baldwin. In 2008, he received an MFA in Screenwriting from Loyola Marymount University. His primary writing focus is science fiction and comedy.
This event is sponsored by the Carsey-Wolf Center, the Department of Film & Media Studies, and the Scott Frank Fund for Screenwriting.
Script to Screen
The Script to Screen series examines the screenplay and its transition to the screen from the perspective of writers, directors, producers, editors, and actors. The Pollock Theater connects artists to our audience of aspiring production students, and Guild & Academy Members. Our Q&As transform into a television show that airs on the UCTV cable station. The series is hosted by the Pollock Theater Director, Matt Ryan, and co-produced by the Pollock Theater student staff.