American film director and music video director
As "Final Analysis" and "Heavens Prisoners" proved to be critical and financial disappointments, Spielberg and Bono of U2 (separately) encouraged Joanou to "write something personal" and "from the heart", resulting in the extensively autobiographical "Entropy". Virtually every detail is based on the directors real life: just as portrayed in the film, the director had a lengthy relationship with a fashion model and a short-lived marriage to a girl hed met backstage at a U2 concert; he filmed U2 in concert and on tour for "Rattle and Hum" and the group returned the favor during one Zooropa tour show by projecting footage of Joanous Vegas wedding to the record company A&R executive hed just met and married on the rebound; he once punched a studio executive on set; he has a cat named Puddy Tat, an editing room in his basement, and a brother-in-law who happens to be a screenwriter.
First film credit while still a high school student as special visual consultant on Star Trek: The Motion Picture under supervision of Star Wars effects innovator John Dykstra.
Joanou directed Lithgow again in the 1996-1997 second season finale of his hit television comedy series, "3rd Rock from the Sun" , broadcast during the May ratings sweeps period. Almost a quarter of the special hour-long episode, A Nightmare on Dick Street, required special glasses for viewing 3-D dream sequences which no doubt accounted for a significant amount of the reported $1.3 million budget.
Attended the University of Southern California Film School in the 1980s. The day after Joanous student film Last Chance Dance was shown at the annual USC Film School screening - where student films are screened for industry professionals - Steven Spielberg phoned Joanou at home, asking if hed like to direct an episode of "Amazing Stories." Joanous reply was yes and he ended up directing two episodes: "Santa 85" and "The Doll," the latter of which won a best actor Emmy for actor John Lithgow. Spielberg then gave Joanou the screenplay for Three OClock High , then known as "After School".
Last name is pronounced "Joe-Wan-No".
Really, the criticism was silly criticism that I should have ignored,but again, you get so into the battle. . . and it broke my heart because,that movie had so much promise. I had to go to DGA arbitration against,Savoy during the editing process because they tried to fire my editor.
