The old not-so-hotness: In perhaps the most painful of all the 2003 retrospectives -- yes, more painful than even Rich Johnston's -- Brandon Thomas recounts, in excrutiating detail, his Epic journey:

"Epic was a chance to begin firmly within one of the big two, but as the summer wound down, all the 'will' in the world wasn’t enough to quiet that sinking feeling in the back of my head. Progress was slowing to nothing, and the frustration built to that breaking point I swore to never reach. The fleeting light at the end of the tunnel had me writing 'A New Hope' with renewed faith, one final victory within reach, having made the decision to walk away if I couldn’t finally bring this home. Eight months of almost nonstop work dispensed into one last script. If I received the usual round of notes I’d become accustomed to, I’d walk away, sanity and spirit intact."