May 17, 2024
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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
W.T.F. is that? Someone’s casting couch clearly paid off big for them.
Bassingthwaighte? How in the blue blazes do you say that girls name, and why did she not change it to Bassing?
I guess it’s nice when people are proud of their given names, but sheesh. Kinda makes you miss the days of Tab Hunter and Rock Hudson. No one seems to change their name anymore. I especially hate all these three-named kids out there, though I get the impression that’s sometimes done because SAG already has a member with the same first and last name.
I guarantee you that Natalie Bassingthwaighte, like many an actress in recent years, thought to herself, “If Meryl Streep didn’t have to change her name, why should I?”
My favorite is Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, who I’ve seen on TV a fair amount and has a role in PREDATORS. He actually did change his name for show biz — from Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore.
Oh, another good one is Imogen Poots.
Cherry Chevapravatdumrong writes for the Family Guy…used to always think it was a funny made up name but no, she’s real! It’s a Thai name.
Imogen Poots should co-star in something with Alison Doody.
Imogen Poots is easily one of the funniest names in the history of funny names. The person who really should change her name, and hopefully will when she marries King Lewis, Nicole Scherzinger. Outside of the INGER, that whole SCHERZ is damn hard to say. Seriously Nicole Hamilton is a nice classy name.
Imogen Poots is SO smoking hot. Dug her in 28 Weeks Later and is really something else in Solitary Man. Unfortunate name though, yeah.
BASSINGTHWAIGHTE? Holy shit. And now I wish Kamikaze (or leah) were around more frequently of late so I could ask what exactly NEIGHBOURS is the Aussie equivalent to. Looks like this chick was on that, along with EVERY AUSTRALIAN ACTOR EVER. Is it like an Aussie… what? Young and the Restless? Days of Our Lives? 90210? Dynasty?
Is it literally THE ONLY show on the television in Australia? I realize the film industry might not be as huge there as it is in the U.S., but always strikes me as odd that virtually ever Aussie actor EVER was on this show. Isn’t there at least a RIVAL SHOW that some of them can be on?
Isn’t it just some cheesy soap opera? How is it the NATIONAL PASTIME?
It’d be like if Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, Brad Pitt, Angelina, Jamie Foxx, Will Smith, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Sean Penn, Kristen Bell, Kristen Stewart, etc etc (you get the point) ALL “got their start” on General Hospital, like it was the ONE LONE SHOW that GALVANIZED THE ENTIRE NATION.
Ellen Page on the CLASSIC Canadian TV show, Trailer Park Boys:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1lokNSLs1I
You call that a chainsaw?
There aren’t all that many opportunities for young actors to catch a break in Australia, but historically “Neighbours” and it’s close competition “Home and Away” provide that break.
These two shows are essentially early evening soap operas that focus mostly on younger characters which are constantly turned over, with the occasional youngster who would never attempt to find success elsewhere and simply stay on the show for what seems like forever.
Most of the time, however, you see some young talent (not always actors, often they attempt to become ‘popstars’ such as Bassingthwaighte) slumming it for a short period to get some national recognition and a pay check and then move on elsewhere.
Cooper how do you say Bassingthwaighte?
Lex – there are actually TWO! (count em!) Aussie soaps that spawn 90% of actors downunder. “Neighbours” and “Home and Away”.
Woah, how did Yvonne Strahovski manage to miss both of them?
Re: Cherry Chevapravatdumrong
Cherry is probably her nickname. Her last name, long even for a Thai last name (which are usually 4 syllables), means approximately ‘life’s history maintained’ (pronounced chee-va-pra-vat-dum-rong). My last name has 3 syllables and is considered shorter than average.
IO: Uhm… you pronounce it pretty much how it looks, I think it’s just that it looks so daunting.
I’m not good with phonics but: Bassing-thw-8? lol. But only 2 syllables
Indeed, it’s pronounced bass-sing-th-weight. She used to be on Neighbours, has hosted three seasons of So You Think You Can Dance, fronted a popular dance group (The Rogue Traders) and released a #1 album. All in all she’s done quite well in spite of her ridiculous name that most people here joke about “Natalie Bassingsassingthassingthwaight” and so forth. Just because it’s amusing to see how many variations on her kooky name we can come up with.
And, yes, Neighbours and Home & Away are exactly what Cooper has described. They’re an easy way for young actors who have a regular weekly acting gig, which is not something you find too regularly down here. I would point out, however, that the big names that get listed as having come from these shows (Russell, Naomi, Heath, etc) only ever appeared as short story arcs and guest roles. They were never full time stars like, say, Clooney was on ER (not that ER is a comparable program).
H&A and Neighbours really aren’t comparable to any American show. They are five episodes a week series, but they are prime time (7pm and 6.30pm respectively) and not daytime, plus they are not about rich people or fashion designers or anything extravagant so they can’t be compared to Bold and the Beautiful or The Young and the Restless.
England and Australia have that connection with shows like Eastenders, but there’s no similar American program. Not sure why, but it’d sorta be like if The OC was on five nights a week? I guess.
I was so happy when I discovered how to pronounce Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s name that I kinda just wanted to throw his name into random conversation – “have you heard about the new Apichatpong Weerasethakul film?” and so forth.
As for “The Outback” – otherwise known as Prey, it is a HILARIOUS movie to see with a crowd of likeminded people who are there to laugh at the absurdity of it all. It has lesbians, chainsaws, ancient Aboriginal curses, ghosts, possessed serpents, exploding faces, Natalie Bassingthwaight playing a DOCTOR (hah hah) and even Don Johnson’s lookalike son! It’s terrible in every conceivable way, so much so that the director walked off the project half way through and it was completed by someone else who used a pseudonym (“Oscar D’Roccster”). The producer apparently had to file for bankruptcy after blowing $3.5mil of investors money on it only to have the film make only $1000 at the box office.
And now I shall return to my cave.
Thanks Cooper. I just wanted to make sure because that epic sized name deserves proper pronunciation.
Good for her. It’s a beautiful looking name.
Poland is just jealous that her name is bigger than his dick.