Earning It
That’s not how capitalism works.
Fuck Jay Leno
‘s show. From what I’ve heard, he’s a nice guy. Also, he supported the writers’ strike, and now the guild is screwing with him (which is totally unfair). He may be the most middle-of-the-road comedian in history, but he’s still a lot funnier than most of the guys in the office who hate him. Despite […]
Six AM? Really?
Today’s post was going to be about something totally different, until I read this post from the Tightrope Walker blog this weekend. I should start by saying I enjoy this blog from Doris Egan, although I don’t watch any of the shows she writes for. She’s interesting, informative, and funny. In fact, Saturday’s post was […]
Thank You for Smoking
I make fun of and complain about actors a lot on this blog, but they’re not the only ones who are egotistical and disconnected from reality. A friend of mine recently got a job on a big, huge show. It’s one you’ve heard of, trust me. He was telling me all about their sets and […]
Reading
DJ asks how I got a producer to read my script. I asked.
Perception
Do you ever have a very clear idea of who a person is, only to have that perception dashed by someone else’s viewpoint? I’m not talking about those who behave differently around their superiors. My old boss had the emotional maturity of an autistic seven year old with Asperger syndrome. When his bosses were around, […]
A Moral Quandry
A conundrum, if you will. Today, I overheard the showrunner talking to some other person who gets paid enough to not know my name: “I don’t know what _____ is going to say when she finds out she doesn’t get one. We’ll just keep assigning them until there aren’t any left, and then we’ll see.” […]
How Many Members of a Particular Demographic Group Does It Take to Perform a Specified Task?
A finite number. One to perform the task, and several others to behave in a manner stereotypical of the group in question. I love these jokes. How many grips does it take to change a light bulb? That’s an electric’s job. How many script supervisors does it take to change a light bulb? You can’t […]
Luck
I believe in luck, but not in the way people usually mean it. I don’t believe luck determines whether or not you’ll be successful. I think talent, hard work, and generally being nice to work with makes you successful. It’s in timing where the luck comes in. I knew a kid fresh out of film […]
Not That Glamorous
I ran into one of the writers in the office kitchen. I asked how it was going, and he said, “Oh, you know, we’re trapped in that room for hours.” “Working hard?” I ask. “Not really,” he says, honestly. “We’re just sitting in there, talking about stories.” “Man, I wish I had your job.” Then, […]
Really Writing
I walked into the writers’ office yesterday and saw a ping pong ball and two paddles sitting on the assistant’s desk. I paused, staring at the ping pong ball. This was one of those moments you see in indie movies, where the character is contemplating his life, but you don’t know exactly what he’s thinking […]
Blame Arbitration
I remember a director trying to give a pep talk at the beginning of a shoot. It’s going to be a great film, we have a great cast, great blah blah blah. Then he gets to the part about how this film will be great for all of our careers. Pretty standard, until he says, […]