Diablo Cody

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Diablo Cody

Cody at Jennifer's Body premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival
Born Brook Busey
June 14, 1978 (1978-06-14) (age 33)
Lemont, Illinois, USA
Other names Brook Maurio
Occupation Screenwriter, author
Years active 2005–present
Spouse Jon Hunt (2004 - 2007)
Dan Maurio (2009 - present)

Brook Busey (born June 14, 1978), better known by the pen name Diablo Cody,[1] is an American screenwriter and author. She first became known for her candid chronicling of her year as a stripper in her "The Pussy Ranch" blog and her 2006 memoir, Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper. Cody achieved critical acclaim for the script of the 2007 film Juno, winning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. She has since written the films Jennifer's Body and Young Adult and is also known for creating the television series United States of Tara.

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[edit] Early life and career

Cody and her older brother Marc were born and raised in Lemont, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Cody was raised Catholic[2] and attended Benet Academy, a Roman Catholic school in Lisle, Illinois. She took the pen name Diablo Cody (diablo is Spanish for "devil") after repeatedly listening to the song El Diablo by Arcadia[3] while passing through Cody, Wyoming.[4] She graduated from the University of Iowa with a media studies degree.[5] While at the University of Iowa, she worked in the acquisitions department in the main university library.[6] Her first jobs were doing secretarial work at a Chicago law firm and later proofreading copy for advertisements that played on Twin Cities radio stations.

Cody began a parody of a weblog called Red Secretary, detailing the (fictional) exploits of a secretary living in Belarus.[7] The events were thinly-veiled allegories for events that happened in Cody's real life, but told from the perspective of a disgruntled, English-idiom-challenged Eastern Bloc girl.

Cody's first bona fide blog appeared under the nickname Darling Girl after Cody had moved from Chicago to Minneapolis, Minnesota.[7]

[edit] Stripping and journalism

On a whim, Cody signed up for amateur night at a Minneapolis strip club called the Skyway Lounge.[5] Enjoying the experience, she eventually quit her day job and took up stripping full-time.[8] Cody also spent time working peep shows at Sex World, a Minneapolis adult novelty and DVD store.[citation needed]

While still stripping, Cody began writing for City Pages, an alternative Twin Cities weekly newspaper.[5] She left City Pages just before it changed editorial hands. Cody has since written for the now-defunct Jane magazine. In December 2007,[citation needed] Cody began writing a column for the magazine Entertainment Weekly.

At the age of 24, Cody wrote her memoir Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper. The memoir began after Mason Novick, who would soon become Cody's manager, showed interest in Cody's sharp and sarcastic voice. Based on the popularity "The Pussy Ranch" had received, he was able to secure her a publishing contract with Gotham Books.

[edit] Screenwriting

Cody, January 2008

After completion of her book, Cody was encouraged by Mason Novick to write her first screenplay.[4] Within months she wrote Juno, a coming-of-age story about a teenager's unplanned pregnancy. The Jason Reitman-directed comedy stars Ellen Page and Michael Cera.

In July 2007, Showtime announced that it would be producing a pilot of Cody's Dreamworks television series, United States of Tara. Based on an idea by Steven Spielberg, Tara is a comedy about a mother with dissociative identity disorder, starring Toni Collette.[9] The series began filming in Spring 2008, and premiered on January 18, 2009.

In October 2007, Cody sold a script titled Girly Style to Universal Studios, and a horror script called Jennifer's Body to Fox Atomic.[10] Released on September 18, 2009, Jennifer's Body starred Megan Fox as the title character.[11] She revised writer-director Steven Antin's script for his musical film Burlesque.[12]

Cody is good friends with fellow screenwriters Dana Fox (What Happens in Vegas, Couples Retreat) and Lorene Scafaria (Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist) and they often write their screenplays while hanging out together, in order to get advice from one another.[13]

Cody made a small cameo appearance as herself in the U.S. broadcast television series 90210 (2008). She appeared in the same episode that marked the return of Tori Spelling as Donna Martin, in which Cody needed Spelling's character to make a dress for a red carpet event.

In 2009, Cody signed on to script and produce a film adaptation of the Sweet Valley High young adult book series.[14] In 2011, she was brought in to revise first-time feature director Fede Alvarez's script for a remake of Sam Raimi's 1980s horror film The Evil Dead.[15]

At the WTF Marc Maron podcast, on 24 feb 2012, she said her next project will be directing her first movie, about a woman that abandons religion after being severely burnt in an accident.

[edit] Personal life

In her book, she wrote fondly of her boyfriend "Jonny" (musician Jon Hunt). They were married from 2004 until 2007,[citation needed] during which time she was known in personal life as Brook Busey-Hunt.[5]

On April 6, 2010, Cody announced that she was expecting her first child with her husband Dan Maurio, who works on Chelsea Lately, on which Cody also appears frequently as a "roundtable" guest. The couple married in the summer of 2009.[16] Their son Marcello Daniel Maurio was born July 27, 2010.[17]

As of 2008, Cody resides in Los Angeles[9] and aspires to become a director.[18]

[edit] Nominations and awards

Juno was runner-up for the Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award, won second prize at the Rome Film Festival, and earned four Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture. Cody herself won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for her debut script, which also picked up a Golden Globe nomination and an Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay. She also won screenplay honors from BAFTA, the Writers Guild of America, Broadcast Film Critics Association, the National Board of Review, the Satellite Awards, and the Cinema for Peace Award 2008 for Most Valuable Work of Director, Producer & Screenwriter for Juno. In 2011, Cody was nominated by the Broadcast Film Critics Association and Writers Guild of America for Young Adult.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Films

Year Feature Film Credit/Role Notes Ref.
2007 Juno Writer [19]
2009 Jennifer's Body Writer, Executive Producer [20]
2011 Young Adult Writer, Producer [21]
2013 The Evil Dead Writer Pre-Production [22]
Untitled Diablo Cody Project Director, Writer, Executive Producer Pre-Production [23]

[edit] Television

Year TV Series Credit/Role Notes Ref.
2008 Sunday Morning Shootout Herself #5.13 [24]
2009 United States of Tara Creator, Writer, Executive Producer 2009-2011
90210 Herself Okaeri, Donna!: #1.19 [25]
2010 Childrens Hospital Writer Show Me on Montana: #2.10 [26]
2011 Robot Chicken Herself/Diana the Acrobat/Martha Kent Catch Me If You Kangaroo Jack: #5.9 [27]

[edit] Videos

Year Video Credit/Role Notes Ref.
2010 Tight Writer [28]
2008 Sincerely Yours Actress [29]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "What Makes Diablo Cody Unique Now Gets Pans". Associated Press via MSNBC. 2007-02-29. Archived from the original on July 1, 2010. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23360051/. Retrieved 2008-03-03. 
  2. ^ "Diablo Cody Says No". (interview), Inked. September 2009. Archived from the original on March 16, 2011. http://www.inkedmag.com/article/diablo-cody-says-no/. 
  3. ^ Valby, Karen (November 5, 2007). "Diablo Cody: From Ex-Stripper to A-Lister". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20157948,00.html. Retrieved 2008-04-16. 
  4. ^ a b "Ex-stripper in movie spotlight". CNN. 2008-01-23. Archived from the original on January 18, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080118072752/http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/09/film.diablo.cody.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview. Retrieved 2008-01-30. 
  5. ^ a b c d Desson, Thomson (2007-12-15). "Hollywood takes a shine to 'Juno' writer's body of work". The Washington Post via Boston.com. p. 2. Archived from the original on February 7, 2010. http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2007/12/15/hollywood_takes_a_shine_to_juno_writers_body_of_work/. Retrieved 2008-01-30. 
  6. ^ "Former Student Assistant Wins Oscar". University of Iowa Libraries. February 26, 2008. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. http://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/news/2008/02/. 
  7. ^ a b Abramowitz, Rachel (2007-12-06). "Diablo Cody: From stripper to screenwriter". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2008-02-25. http://world-news-live.blogspot.com/2007/12/diablo-cody-from-stripper-to.html. Retrieved 2008-01-30. 
  8. ^ Scott, Megan (2006-03-10). "Unlikely pole dancer tells strippers' story". Orange County Register. http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/life/features/lifestyle/article_1032959.php. Retrieved 2008-01-30. 
  9. ^ a b Dawson, Jeff (2008-01-20). "Diablo Cody, lap dancer turned ace screenwriter". London: Times Online. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article3199604.ece. Retrieved 2008-04-15. 
  10. ^ Covert, Colin (2007-12-07). "Interview: Diablo Cody: Dancing as fast as she can". Minneapolis Star Tribune. http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/12219916.html. Retrieved 2008-01-30. 
  11. ^ "First Look". Entertainment Weekly. February 13, 2009 (#1034). pp. 7. 
  12. ^ Fleming, Michael (October 15, 2007). "Screen Gems enlists Antin for 'Burlesque'". Variety. Archived from the original on November 18, 2011. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117974104. Retrieved November 18, 2011. 
  13. ^ Slotek, Jim. "The Fempire strikes back". London Free Press. http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/CanadaWorld/2008/09/07/6685901-sun.html. Retrieved 2009-07-11. [dead link]
  14. ^ McNary, Dave (23 September 2009). "Diablo Cody takes on 'Sweet Valley'". Variety. Archived from the original on November 18, 2011. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118008999. Retrieved 2011-11-18. 
  15. ^ McIntyre, Gina (July 13, 2011). "'Evil Dead' remake: Diablo Cody polishing script for first-time director". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/07/evil-dead-remake-diablo-cody-polishing-script-for-first-time-director.html. 
  16. ^ "Diablo Cody Expecting a Baby!". Celebrity Moms. 2010-04-06. http://celebrity-moms.blogspot.com/2010/04/diablo-cody-expecting-baby.html. .
  17. ^ "@diablocody". Twitter. 2010-07-27. http://twitter.com/diablocody/status/19698425357. .
  18. ^ Stewart, Ryan (2007-12-10). "Diablo Cody for JUNO". Suicide Girls. http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/Diablo+Cody+for+JUNO/. Retrieved 2010-04-23. 
  19. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467406/
  20. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1131734/
  21. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1625346/
  22. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1288558/
  23. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1262990/
  24. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1170324/
  25. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1368169/
  26. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1666416/
  27. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1821998/
  28. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1648195/
  29. ^ Sincerely Yours
 This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (August 2010)

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