USA Today talks with Jimmy Buffett and Carl Hiaasen about the movie Hoot: "These guys give a ‘Hoot’ if kids like the movie"
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2006-05-03-hoot_x.htm
Buffett has dabbled in films through the years, playing bit parts and hoping to get one of his novels made into a movie, but nothing has worked. He says "several people" turned down Hoot before the Walden Media production company got involved. But he didn’t give up.
"I remember being turned down by 20 record companies," he says. "They turn down 99% of the stuff. Who knows?"
What he learned, he says, was that it’s not easy to shepherd a movie. "It’s ruled by committee out there, and I had a big problem with that. I taught myself some lessons in patience."
Does Hoot mean he’s getting into kids’ stuff?
"I’ve always been into kids," Buffett says with a laugh. "Children of all ages. Hoot is just Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn and Becky Thatcher. That’s all. I think Mr. Twain would like this movie. "