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By David Poland poland@moviecitynews.com

BYOB – Thursday After April Fools

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66 Responses to “BYOB – Thursday After April Fools”

  1. LexG says:

    i hate not being famous. it sucks.
    famous people are inherently better, and every single day i’m not famous but someone else is, it’s totally depressing and makes me feel suicidal, because some people get paid to say lines and bang chicks, and i have to run color qc on some 1962 movie for 16 hours a day like it’s fucking nasa or something.
    fucking depressing. zac efron doesn’t have to make mpegs in the valley.
    i wish they’d invent the time machine so i could go back to 1985 and run away from home in the sticks to move to la and become like one of the coreys.
    if you weren’t famous by 1985, you’re not going to be.
    fucking depressing.
    i’m jealous of any person who is famous and can command [censored] any time they get a [censored] and want to tax some [censored].
    instead of going to the “club” i get to go to the “posthouse” and do mundane paperwork and tech shit, because rent is like 2,000/a month so i have to work 80 hours just to make ends meet.
    i wonder if anyone has ever actully hanged themselves and left a note that read: “this is because i couldn’t get famous and [censored] models.”
    whatever.

  2. jeffmcm says:

    “i have to run color qc on some 1962 movie for 16 hours a day”
    When you finally do kill yourself (I’m guessing November) please recommend me as your replacement. Any job this mindless, high-paying, and where you can apparently show up drunk is up my alley.

  3. jeffmcm says:

    Oh, and $2000 a month? You’re single, and you live in, like, North Hollywood. You’re getting seriously ripped off.

  4. LexG says:

    kstew bow to the stew.
    stew is charming.
    you know when i said i didn’t like her anymore yesterday? i was april fooling, ha ha.
    that just reminded me of foolin around with gary busey when he hangglides around to impress annette o toole.
    remember when that was on hbo six times a day on the odd days of the month, back in between showings of harry hamlin in king of the mountain?
    of course you dont, i’m older than most everyone here. what’s really depressing is harry hamlin must be like 20 years older than me but has thicker, better hair.

  5. leahnz says:

    i don’t pretend to know anything about real estate or the property market outside whoville, lex, but if you are indeed paying two grand a month rent, wouldn’t you be better off putting that dough towards a mortgage on your own flat or something, so at least you’re building equity?
    (sorry for what i realise may be the single most boring comment ever posted on the hot blog)

  6. leahnz says:

    i don’t know about ‘king of the mountain’ but harry pranced around in ‘clash of the titans’ on hbo a lot when i was a nipper

  7. LexG, just enter the porn industry, make some XXX tapes, and you’ll become famous if you go down the Tila Tequila/Jenna Jameson route.

  8. hcat says:

    We’ve got to move these refrigerators, We’ve got to move these Color TVVVVVVVs.
    Nah that aint workin’, thats the way to do it, Money for nothing and Chicks for free”
    We’re the same age Lex (36 right?) and i will also never be famous though when I was 18 I was certain I was destined for greatness (still don’t see why I couldn’t have been a Bateman level talent, except of course not putting an ounce of effort into trying). But c’mon stop the whining.

  9. hcat says:

    Besides I’m sure your apartment’s light fixtures or shower curtain rod is not going to hold that type of weight.

  10. christian says:

    2000 a month? You live in the Valley? I can picture the place — one of those cookie-cutter apartment units with two windows, both shuttered, snow white carpet, a green pool outside and a gym with a Nagel print on the wall. So you never have to leave…
    Get out or make your own porn, for Gawd’s sake.

  11. mysteryperfecta says:

    “2000 a month? You live in the Valley? I can picture the place — one of those cookie-cutter apartment units with two windows, both shuttered, snow white carpet, a green pool outside and a gym with a Nagel print on the wall. So you never have to leave…”
    Sounds like where the Karate Kid lived.

  12. christian says:

    Sounds like 90 percent of the Valley…I keed!

  13. mutinyco says:

    Finally saw Slumdog Millionaire.
    Really glad Tony Scott finally won the Oscar. Oh wait…

  14. a_loco says:

    And the worst joke of the day goes to…
    mutinyco!

  15. mutinyco says:

    No. The worst joke of the day is watching Slumdog Millionaire. And seeing the Best Picture logo on the cover of the DVD.

  16. LexG says:

    isn’t it boring going through your workday knowing you’re not going to
    a) bang anyone
    b) get famous
    what is the point?
    i have no idea why all people aren’t furious 100% of the time over not being famous. someone is famous. so it is not impossible.
    every mundane second of the day is so painfully boring and worthless. have you ever really thought about this? how you’re going through paces for no reason? sucks.
    oh yeah if tony scott had really made that movie, denzel would have owned as jamal.

  17. Triple Option says:

    I’m so seriously bummed about the imminent Broncos-Cutler break up. Can’t anyone in the entire affair act like a grown up?!
    Never been much of an ER person. I’m a bit curious to peek in on the finale but it’s 3 hrs. What a shameless cash grab.
    How much will Fast & Furious need to make to ensure a 5th installment? What will that one be called? Furiously Fast? Faster & Even More Furious? Maybe RuPaul brings out some drag queens for Fast & Fierce? Maybe the critical success of Hunger w/spawn a melodramatic subplot and call it Fasting & Feverous?

  18. christian says:

    Lex, have you ever thought your two goals are not paths to happiness?

  19. LexG says:

    basically above i don’t know if i got this across, but it is so not fair that any and every “kid actor” gets into the biz automatically, just by nature of having stage parents and growing up in la.
    so if i had grown up here, i couldve said, hey mom take me to an audition and “bam”, instant screen actors guild *for life.*
    but I came here at 22 all not knowing anybody and not having gone to school here, so unless you look like brad pitt there is no way to get into acting at that age, so it becomes this captain ahab quest to get into the guild, whereas any and every child actor whose loon parents bring him in the door is instantly issued a lifetime pass into movies.
    kids who grow up in los angeles have a 100%, no obstacle change of getting into acting with zero effort, because any and every kid is cast in something.
    but like today, i couldn’t “audition” for something if i was chev chelios shot full of the beijing cocktail.
    where would i even begin? you have to have an agent, which you can’t get until you’re sag, which you can’t be until you’ve had a part, which you can’t get without an agent, which you can’t get until you have a reel, which you can’t have until you’ve had parts, ad infinitum.
    and all that shit goes out the window when you don’t have a posse of likeminded actor friends having your back, but instead are 100% solo with only non-industry friends and zero connections whatsoever.
    like if today i wanted to audition something by 6pm or commit suicide, how would i even get in a single casting call door? no agent, no manager, no connections, no current headshot, only a few random classes i didn’t like in the last year or two. no credits except extra work and student films.
    this town is so beyond rigged and impossible i can’t believe some of you guys from poland on down aren’t just in total, total awe that you work with any proximity to it, because it is absolutely a closed town and i don’t know how i can go on living at boring bullshit when there’s one thing i’ve wanted to do since i was eight years old but can never and will never do it because there’s no way, no way, no way, no way of breaking into this biz if you’re over 19 or don’t have family connections.
    and all that “get out there and sell yourself” bullshit is bullshit unless you have a product (ie, a certain look) anyone is buying, which i don’t. i’m like if paul giamatti at age 36 had no theater experience or credits and rolled into la anew trying to find an agent. impossible.
    this town is impossible. it has basically killed me.
    but hey, i get to go sit in a cubicle all weekend! drink up!

  20. hcat says:

    I was thinking about checking out ER as well, haven’t watched it forever, but I am a little sad at its passing. NBC’s heyday ended long ago but this just seems like the last gasp for the network (with Leno taking the 10 pm slot all week they have pretty much given up on even attempting to take back first place).
    Aside from catching 30 Rock occasionaly (which I watch online as often as not) I have not sat down to watch a network show at the appropriate time each week in about five years. Is this the norm with anyone else? I know a lot of people here watch Lost but is that DVR or Tivo or do you go oh shit its 8:59, get off the phone and find the remote?
    And for all the talk of Niche last week, I don’t recall a network show since ER that EVERYONE watches. Lost and Greys have big audiences in respect to other shows today but thats half of what ER would do when it was number one. So I might tune in tonight just because this feels like one of the last nails in the coffin of network tv.

  21. jeffmcm says:

    The Lex G cycle of whininess is beyond tolerable. He whines, various people give him perfectly good, usable advice, he ignores it. Repeat cycle.
    Just be honest and admit that you’re in a rut because it’s comfortable there and stop annoying the rest of us. Also, stop pretending like you want to be an actor when you clearly don’t – you want to be a reality TV star, where you can get famous without having any discernible skill or talent.

  22. hcat says:

    TO- I would think if Fast and Furious does 250 worldwide it would warrent a sequel. And since the cast really has nothing better to do they can keep making them until Walker is as bald as Diesel and they can race down the freeway at 35 miles an hour with their blinkers on.

  23. storymark says:

    “kids who grow up in los angeles have a 100%, no obstacle change of getting into acting with zero effort, because any and every kid is cast in something.”
    Apparently Lex has drunk himself into an alternate universe, where every single child in LA is a star.
    Lex, in case this hasn’t sunk in yet – we don’t care. We’ve heard you whining, and you have been offered much usefull advice. But it’s clear you lack the character, or even the balls, to so much as TRY – so please, wallow in your self-pity silently.

  24. Aris P says:

    Oh please. He doesn’t mean any of it. He just likes the attention and the responses and the jabs in a masochistic way. His whole persona is a sham. zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

  25. LexG says:

    If by “usefull (sic) advice,” you mean scattered self-help bromides that read like a Lancaster single mom fiending for her tweak, or impotent threats from equally disillusioned people training desperately to maintain a sense of importance and status when they have none, then, yeah, I’ll just keep posting about my plight till someone offers me a goddamn Reelz or VH1 audition.
    Because if you don’t think I can speak more eloquently about film, pop culture, celebrity and television than BEN LYONS or 90% of the people on IFC, Reelz, Sundance, etc., then you are sorely mistaken.
    I just don’t KNOW ANYONE. What am I supposed to do, camcorder myself ACTING or TALKING ABOUT POP CULTURE and, what? MAIL IT via UPS to “The Reelz Channel”?
    I. HAVE. NO. VENUE. And going to open mics where zero paying customers are in attendance DOES NOT COUNT. Acting classes in the Valley where NO ONE IS SEEING YOU DO NOT COUNT.
    What am I supposed to do, stand out in front of NBC “acting” in the parking lot? Paging Security!
    Every hick in the heartland throws a stupid video up on YouTube… somehow I don’t think Soderbergh’s casting his next “Banging Sasha Grey” indie by watching YouTube rants.
    THERE. IS. NO. WAY. INTO. THIS. BUSINESS.
    Unless you are a TOTAL USED CAR SALESMAN about PROMOTING YOURSELF, which is the lowest pond scum form of human behavior ever, on par with telemarketers and date rapists.
    If you send UNSOLICITED QUERIES to agencies, either as an actor or screenwriter, you are HUMAN GARBAGE trying to force yourself somewhere where you are not wanted. You are a screenwriting rapist. NO ONE ASKED FOR YOUR SUBMISSION, so go hide in a cave until someone solicits your services.
    CHRIST. How does that PODCAST SHIT work? I should have a radio show or something where I can explain this better.
    But here’s for the record, smart guys:
    Tom Cruise, famous at age 18, dated a girl in high school who was in the biz. Nic Cage, uncle famous director. Sean and Chris Penn, father a famous director. Ben Affleck, was in movies at AGE 8. Matt Damon, was friends with Ben Affleck, who was in movies at AGE 8. Paul Walker, CHILD STAR. Corey Feldman, CHILD STAR. Jason Patric, related to JASON MILLER and JACKIE GLEASON. Will SMith, famous as a teenager. Scarlett Johansson, CHILD STAR. Elijah Wood, CHILD STAR. Kirsten Dunst, acting in commercials as a CHILD. SM Gellar, same. Freddie Prize, dad famous comic. Drew Barrymore, descendant of Hollywood royalty. Brad Pitt, supernaturally good looking, though to his credit, no industry connections. Angelina Jolie, dad Jon Voight.
    I could go on and on, but eliminate ALL THE ACTORS who grew up in LA, were child stars, grew up in NY, or had industry connections, and you are left with:
    JIM CARREY (though he was in movies at age 19.)
    LUKE PERRY
    The town is rigged.

  26. jeffmcm says:

    Shorter version: whine whine whine excuse excuse excuse.
    I know a lot of people who actors who get auditions and jobs and so on and none of them have industry connections. What they do have in common is that they actually want to be actors (instead of ‘famous’) and perform all the time at improv theaters multiple nights a week and take classes and actually work at it.
    Honestly, Lex, I don’t give a shit about helping you out or giving you advice. I just want you to shut up about it already.

  27. mutinyco says:

    Apparently, a new special edition 3-disk DVD set of No Country For Old Men is coming out next week. Amongst the special features are a ton of interviews done with the talent at various outlets — NBC, Charlie Rose, Variety, etc…
    And…
    …”Lunch With David” featuring Brolin and Bardem.

  28. LexG says:

    Jeff,
    This will only be anecdotal and exclusive to your posse of friends and acquaintances, but if you even know, how do these people make that leap from appearing on some tucked-away improv stage to actually getting managers, agents and auditions? Are your friends in some “troupe” or something where everybody looks out for each other and hooks each other up?
    Because in the NOHO ARTS DISTRICT acting classes I’ve taken, it’s every man for himself and I don’t blame anyone. If I had a good “in” with an agent or manager, I’d be out for myself exclusively, not trying to help somebody who could conceivably surpass me in fame and status.
    I don’t know, I just always assume with you you have this huge posse of Silverlake/Feliz USC expats who’ve been friends and bonded for like 12 years now, like some ragtag crew of artistes who all work on each other’s student films and shit. And all live together in groups of like six so you don’t have to actually work for a livng.
    Otherwise, one needs to make 200 TO 300 DOLLARS A DAY just to survive in this city, and that entails working double shifts and weekends and being on call all hours of the night, no exceptions. I haven’t been home before 11pm in two years, so absolutely all acting classes are out of the question, as are improv and standup.

  29. mysteryperfecta says:

    “so unless you look like brad pitt…”
    You know who looks like Brad Pitt? Brad Pitt. And you know who’s NOT out there banging hot chicks? Brad Pitt. Why not? The option is as available to him as it is to anyone. Granted, he’s with Angelina Jolie, but I can say without hesitation that its not anything approaching the thrill that banging a steady stream of hot chicks would be.
    Moreover, take Jolie sans professional hair/make-up/soft lens, accounting for her post-natal post-20s body, and factor in the daily occurrence of natural-but-off-putting bodily functions, and now tell me how appealing the arrangement is.
    Yet, Pitt CHOSE domestication (with KIDS, no less!). Maybe Pitt knows something you don’t. Maybe, LOL.

  30. frankbooth says:

    Or maybe Pitt is having it both ways and banging hot chicks on the side left and right.
    Sorry. I know I shouldn’t encourage Lex, even indirectly.

  31. LYT says:

    I feel the dilemma. Even with a small posse of film school friends, and a foot in a tiny door, it’s still like banging my head.
    I have three great scripts, and no-one will read them. Any producers or agent types I get ’em to either say it’s good but not what they want, or rule it out based on the logline. My friends will often start but not finish them.
    Maybe the scripts suck, but I don’t believe that.
    Still, you know how I got my first job as a film critic? Zines. Just stuff I self-printed, photo-copied, and handed out in free flier areas of record and comic stores. No connections. Answered an ad seeking a critic by sending in my zines. All me on that one. And the zine only lasted four issues.
    I still have a box of leftovers if anyone’s interested in proto-LYT.

  32. LexG says:

    it’s 5:58, two minutes to go, and i didn’t get to any auditions today.
    epic fail
    oh no the beijing cocktail
    i am sad, still not famous. boo this sucks.
    oh cool, pabst is 3.79 on the vons card yay!
    better now yep yep.

  33. Martin S says:

    Lex – the two things you want are built on self-gratification. Your want to bang hot chicks is easily satiated by rubbing one out and the desire to be famous is swayed by watching a bunch of lesser talents who made it.
    To fix your situation – drop the pron, escorts, etc…and stop consuming entertainment. It will be tough, but your mindset will change. Highly successful people, in all fields, find short-term gratification from besting other people, not themselves.
    And I’m not sure how the “everyone’s already connected” theory holds up when you look at Favreau, a guy who, IMO, you seem to be trying to channel.
    As Chris Rock said, you have to get up everyday and eat “no” like it was coming from a box of cereal. The idea is that through attrition, you develop a network of contacts. If all that is too much, then work on your post skills and try for a studio connected gig or at least one closer in proximity.

  34. LexG says:

    i have a good idea.
    since i’m not very good looking i am going to start video taping my rants with the lens cap on and making a youtube video that’s just audio
    maybe i will put like a picture of kstew up the whole time so you will be happy but at the same time you will be listening to my hilarious jokes and movie reviews for 10 minutes.
    my first video is going to be me doing my imitation of kevin dillon and kevin connelly on entourage, it will be funny.
    keep an eye out when it’s up this weekend i will post a link and you can hear the funny man make you laugh ha ha.

  35. Triple Option says:

    I have a serious question for you, Lex, that if need be, I hope you will take a moment to contemplate before you answer. Why haven’t you updated your blog in over two weeks?

  36. Hallick says:

    “We’re the same age Lex (36 right?)”
    Quick poll – besides Lex, hcat, and me, who the heck else is 36 here?

  37. Hallick says:

    “every mundane second of the day is so painfully boring and worthless. have you ever really thought about this? how you’re going through paces for no reason? sucks.”
    When you feel like that, it’s supposed to be a wake up call to overhaul your shit and pull your ass out of that rut. But you can’t help clinging to your dream while it drags your ass under. Like if Rose grabbed onto Jack and slid off that plank in “Titanic” instead of shoving his corpse into the sea.
    As long as the only thing that equals happiness in your mind is FAME, you’re just screwed. God damn it man, you’ve seen characters like this in the movies just as much as I have. So you do know where this path leads, right?

  38. jeffmcm says:

    “I’m not sure how the “everyone’s already connected” theory holds up when you look at Favreau”
    The ironic thing about this is that the second most successful guy to come out of my class at USC has his current job because he’s related to Favreau.

  39. ployp says:

    “Apparently, a new special edition 3-disk DVD set of No Country For Old Men is coming out next week. Amongst the special features are a ton of interviews done with the talent at various outlets — NBC, Charlie Rose, Variety, etc…
    And…
    …”Lunch With David” featuring Brolin and Bardem.”
    I know Mr. Poland banned himself from the blog but perhaps someone else knows: does this mean he gets money from the DVD?

  40. Blackcloud says:

    “Quick poll – besides Lex, hcat, and me, who the heck else is 36 here?”
    I’ll be there soon enough. Don’t remind me. Boo!!!!

  41. leahnz says:

    cry me a river, 36yr olds

  42. The Big Perm says:

    Lex, I have a freind who has a roommate…I know you look down on that. He’s in movies and tv shows all the time though! Not getting rich, but doing all right. Better than you.

  43. Blackcloud says:

    Finally saw “Watchmen” today. Dull, plodding, humorless, implausible. But I have two questions: 1) What the hell was that cat-thing Veidt had at the end? 2) Did Patrick Wilson remind anyone else of Richard Dreyfuss in “Jaws,” or was I the only one?

  44. scooterzz says:

    leah — funny
    i would kill to be an over-the-hill 36-year-old… again…

  45. Hallick says:

    “cry me a river, 36yr olds”
    Better than a dead 35 year old. That’s how I always look at it. It’s all gravy when you’re not dead yet.

  46. Hallick says:

    “But I have two questions: 1) What the hell was that cat-thing Veidt had at the end? 2) Did Patrick Wilson remind anyone else of Richard Dreyfuss in “Jaws,” or was I the only one?”
    1)it’s a genetically engineered pet which has a little more story time in the comic.
    2)only when he was about to get it on with Silk Spectre and said “I got no spit”.

  47. LexG says:

    “I have a serious question for you… Why haven’t you updated your blog in over two weeks?”
    Doubt Triple Option’s been on pins and needles for five hours, but for the record:
    Can’t complain too much about a free service, but Blogspot can be a little clunky if you’re not particularly adept at HTML and layouts and such. So for one, even though I appreciated the handful of folks who popped by and have made comments, I can’t see so low-wattage a blog ever gaining much interest.
    Also, the more accurate answer is I’m a) lazy, and b) and egomaniac.
    So if I can get a couple dozen people to read some tirade by putting up in the comments section of HE or THB and get immediate validation (which is my main MO), that’s just more enticing than starting from scratch on my own low-key blog where only five or six people might even look at it, let alone sign in to comment.
    Maybe I’ll put some more stuff up, but props to Poland and He Who Shall Not Be Named. Coming up with unsolicited stuff on the fly isn’t easy… or maybe it’s just not easy when you suspect it won’t really be read.

  48. lazarus says:

    Hallick, I’m also 36. And it pains me to have to admit something in common with Lex, whose neutered rants are somehow even more pathetic.
    Seriously, dude. Move back to wherever you came from or kill yourself. Because you’re probably not going to make it based on what I’m seeing.

  49. lazarus says:

    Also, for those that can’t get the taste of Slumdog out of their mouths (I refuse to see it, so can’t pass judgement on its quality), I’d suggest a viewing of Renoir’s The River. Sure it’s still a white man’s look at India, but I don’t remember anyone ever accusing it of being poverty porn, and I imagine it’s a much better kind of “feel good” movie.

  50. jeffmcm says:

    “if I can get a couple dozen people to read some tirade by putting up in the comments section of HE or THB and get immediate validation (which is my main MO)”
    I seriously don’t understand how deliberately seeking to irritate and annoy strangers can result in ‘validation’ since it would seem to be the exact opposite of validation. It’s all very confusing to me, unless the point is that Lex is so shy and introverted that he’ll take any attention that he can possibly get. Which is really fucking pathetic.
    Is that it?

  51. LexG says:

    No.

  52. Joe Leydon says:

    Well, I can’t say I didn’t see this coming. And I don’t think this will be an isolated incident.
    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090403/ap_on_en_tv/tv_nbc_affiliate_leno_4

  53. Eric says:

    POSSIBLE WATCHMEN SPOILERS
    Re: Blackcloud’s question 1, elaborating a bit on what Hallick said:
    The large cat’s name is Bubastis, or something like that. In the Watchmen comic, Ozymandias’s plot centers around a large genetic engineering experiment, and the cat is an early iteration of those experiments. Or something like that. It’s a hint of what Ozymandias is capable of.
    In the movie, of course, Ozymandias’s plot was altered and has nothing to do with genetic engineering whatsoever. And I actually like how they changed the plot for the sake of the movie, but the fact that they included Bubastis nevertheless is a little puzzling.

  54. Martin S says:

    Jeff – “The ironic thing about this…
    that is funny.
    Joe – re: Leno. Why do you see this trending? Because of affiliate news?

  55. Joe Leydon says:

    I think many affiliates will be very unhappy about having a prime time talk show five nights a week leading into their local news. Especially since everyone involved knows that it’s a cost-cutting measure for NBC that probably won’t help ratings in the 10 pm EST time slot.

  56. hcat says:

    Joe’s right, Local News is the affiliate’s bread and butter and getting an hour jump would be a huge incentive to the station not to air Leno (besides simple good taste). I would think this will be a problem with the affiliates all along the east coast where the local news doesn’t come on until 11 (I know in DC the local fox channel gets strong ratings with their 10 PM local news).
    I can’t decide if this new NBC strategy is innovative or simply a throwing up of hands surrender. The other question is if Leno bombs at 10 PM will they be able to quickly fill up five hours of prime time with new programing? Thats a lot of predators to catch.

  57. Joe Leydon says:

    NBC actually tried something like this way back in the 1960s, after Jack Parr left the Tonight Show. They gave Parr his own primetime, 10 pm EST show — and it lasted for about three years. But here’s the thing: It was on only ONE night a week (Friday). And there were a lot fewer viewing alternatives at the time.

  58. Cadavra says:

    So what will they air at 11:00? Leno? More news? Reruns of BOSTON LEGAL?
    I have a belt that’s 36.

  59. hcat says:

    I think the whole reason they are doing it is because there are so many viewing options. NBC seems to be trying a HBO or FX strategy where they have a few hours of hip signature shows a week and find an inexpensive way to fill the rest of the time. Its entirely possible that ABC and then CBS will also look like this in five years.

  60. hcat says:

    “I have a belt that’s 36.”
    You should do some sit ups
    hee hee

  61. hcat says:

    And I think the plan for 11 was indeed more news. Its entirely anecdotal but the DC Fox affiliate runs 90 minutes of news (or at least reporting the hidden everday menaces that are waiting to kill your families type of news) in the evening and does quite well.

  62. christian says:

    And another mass shooting…Is anybody keeping count this week? America has a serious problem.

  63. Triple Option says:

    LexG wrote: So if I can get a couple dozen people to read some tirade by putting up in the comments section of HE or THB and get immediate validation (which is my main MO), that’s just more enticing than starting from scratch on my own low-key blog where only five or six people might even look at it, let alone sign in to comment.

  64. lazarus says:

    Christian: Don’t give Lex any ideas. His problems can be solved with one bullet, not 14.

  65. Martin S says:

    Re: Local news. It’s no longer a cash cow. They’re in serious, serious trouble. A lot of the water Newscorp is carrying is because regional advertising has imploded. This is what’s prompting the talk about selling the national network at and Fox once the cable conversion is done.

  66. Cadavra says:

    Indeed. KNBC’s Paul Moyer is “retiring” after 25 years because the station can no longer justify his $5 million a year salary.

Quote Unquotesee all »

It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?

So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.

And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.

There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.

I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.

So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.

But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”

My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher

“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.

~ David Simon