Michael starts us off.
I know you hated a lot of the music you played as a disc jockey, but could you have survived if you had to play 2 months straight of Christmas music like some stations do today?
Yes, it might drive me a little crazy, mostly because it’s the same songs. I see that Sirius/XM has 19 channels dedicated to playing Christmas music. There aren't 19 Christmas songs!
When I was a DJ I would always work extra shifts on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day since the holiday meant more to the other jocks than me. So I’d be playing Christmas music for eight hours at a time. But it was tolerable because…
As a teenager I worked in record stores. Usually during the Christmas break I worked a 12 hour shift. So I was bombarded with Christmas music 12 hours a day for ten straight days. There was no escaping Johnny Mathis.
So I imagine I could tolerate playing Christmas music on the radio today as long as it was no more than a four-hour shift. And I was allowed to drink... and not egg nog.
cd1515 has MAD ABOUT YOU FQ:
I also noticed watching that show that in year four or five when Helen Hunt became a producer suddenly there were a lot more references in the scripts to how “beautiful” her character was.
Ken, do you think that was a coincidence or is that something a Star Who’s Now Also A Producer would do?
Well, first of all I never worked on MAD ABOUT YOU nor know any of the staff. So I have no idea whether Helen Hunt used her producer credit to achieve the goal you suggested.
But I will say this, an actor doesn’t need a producer credit to force the producers into showing them in a more favorable light. Make a big enough stink and be worth it on the screen and an actor gets his way.
From Irv:
What is your opinion on showing text conversations? I get that this is how we communicate now, but the type on the screen is usually so small that I almost always have to stop, rewind and move closer to read them (and then also have to read aloud to my wife). I don't find this any different than your pet peeve about inaudible dialogue. Thanks.
I hate it. I can’t read them on the screen and unlike you, I’m not willing to go back and see it again, or get a bigger big screen or an eye operation to read texts on TV.
It’s annoying and if done too often can turn off a viewer.
And finally, from Brian:
I see this a lot and it drives me nuts. A story will hit the web--[Actor X] joins cast of [Awesome Forthcoming Project.]
But, the thing is, I know for a fact that [Awesome Forthcoming Project] has been wrapped for months. And there have been no major reshoots to incorporate a new actor/character. So why say someone has "joined" a cast that late into the process when it's obvious they've been with the project the whole time?
Blame this one of the PR machine. Outlets and trade sites print what they’re sent. I think in some cases, these stories are floated out there just to get a little extra publicity.
Text messages -- I liked the way Sherlock did it, with the sentences floating in large type over the actors faces.
ReplyDeleteHow important is a title, which is something over which a writer has no control?
ReplyDelete"A Fish Called Wanda" - *not* an intriguing title for a comedy, which was nevertheless a smash hit.
"Urinetown" - terrible title of a terrific musical - in which they discuss how awful the title is.
The subject came up because I was looking for the title of a comedy film for which my wife and I recently worked as extras, "Holiday Hitman." I found its airdate, but the title had been changed to the bland and presumably inoffensive "A Christmas Witness."
I have Direct TV and play music off their streaming channels. I hate that every November, well before Thanksgiving, the big band channel that I stream converts to Christmas music. They have over 50 music channels, a number of them just variations on the same genre, but for some reason, it's the one I listen to (and that our parrots love) that gets replaced.
ReplyDeleteBTW, like you, I worked in a record store when I was right out of college. We played a wide variety of cool Christmas music, so that wasn't so bad. What was hard for me was that it was in a mall. I not only had to fight the crowds to get to work, but if I left the store on break or for lunch, I was subjected to the same tape loop Christmas song torture for nearly two months.
I listened to a recent podcast with showrunner Dave Hackel, and you got into a conversation about casting. Specifically, Ted Danson was pointed out as someone that no one, including himself, thought was right at first for BECKER. The question is, how often do you think unlikely casting choices go right? And is there ever a case where someone is just perfect from the start?
ReplyDeleteI explicitly remember that Helen Hunt question being asked and answered before. Is today's post a rerun?
ReplyDeleteThe Helen Hunt question got me thinking about a story I've seen out there on the interwebs (so you KNOW it has to be true). The story goes that during Season 4 and throughout the duration of MASH, Loretta Swit had final say over any female supporting players (mainly the ones playing nurses) because she didn't want anyone in her scenes that was more attractive than her. Is there even a grain of truth in any of this?
ReplyDeleteNope. Brand new post.
ReplyDeleteThe thing I should be working on is boring. So I did a little light googling on the Helen Hunt question instead. It was July 2018. And it was a guy with the initials CD that time too...
ReplyDeletehttp://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2018/07/friday-questions.html
I can attest the Christmas music question is new - asked it earlier this week.
ReplyDeleteThanks for answering it, Ken.
When I was a kid we lived across the parking lot from a hardware store that marked this holy season by rigging an outdoor speaker and playing Christmas music performed by barking dogs. Please tell me you never did that on the radio.
ReplyDeleteInstead of the text bubbles, many directors will cut to a full-screen shot of the character's cell phone to display the message. This goes as far back as the Nokia phones used by characters in "The Departed" to the fancy iPhones used by the characters in the CW's teen dramas.
ReplyDeleteI could listen to the Phil Spector Christmas album all day, every day. And you can on line.
ReplyDeleteI guess this means Kyle Rittenhouse is front runner for the Republican ticket in 2024. He's got the neo Nazi, assault rifle militia vote sewed up.
ReplyDeleteI remember Hunt when she was in an anti-PCP propaganda movie.
ReplyDeleteTo those who are listening to Christmas stations: Is "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" playing on them? I haven't heart that song on the radio in years...
ReplyDeleteWhere do I send in my own FQ? The comments section is the only link I could find?
ReplyDeleteLove how responsive you are
Just leave the FQ in the comments section. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteK
YES, I hate that "joins the cast" crap, when the project has been in the can for months. It's LUDICROUS. Deadline does it all the time, but it's a totally jackass website. I don't think that they've posted an article for the past three years, that DOESN'T have a typo. I also HATE that they've allowed their comments section to be overrun by Far Right nutcases, all for the sake of ad-clicks.
ReplyDeleteWay back in season one of Cheers Leo, played by Donnelly Rhodes, comes into the bar looking for Gus, a previous owner. Coach doesn't seem to know who he is but looks into it and finds out he's dead. Fast forward to season nine and Gus appears, played by Pat Hingle. Not only is he alive but he assumes that Woody is 'Coach's boy', which would seem to imply that he knew Coach.
ReplyDeleteI know this was well before streaming services and binge-watching, but was there any discussion as to whether or not he should show up alive? Granted, Martin Crane rose from the dead.
Re: Helen Hunt. I’ve noticed that on Denis Leary’s shows, his characters always have beautiful women falling all over him, even though he’s not particularly handsome and his characters aren’t particularly honorable.
ReplyDeleteTo your note about Christmas music. I have a YouTube playlist that I've curated over the years for Christmas music which I will listen to for about 2 or 3 weeks a year (usually ending Dec 24 before my movie marathon). It also includes Adam Sandler's 3 or 4 versions of the Hanukkah song. But it's actually about 50 songs long, and mostly (but not all) songs from classic rock artists. But I can't stand listening to these songs for the other 49 weeks of the year.
ReplyDeleteThat's the trouble with Christmas music: a finite amount of music, an infinite number of people to sing it.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I had a great idea that no radio station has adopted yet: dedicate one day to each tune. Like, December 15 is "Winter Wonderland" day. Nothing but the 693 versions of that song, all day. From Glenn Campbell to Axl Rose to Nat King Cole to The Muppets. Next day, move on to "Jingle Bells". Talk about the 12 days of Christmas...
I just saw the "bathtub" episode of MASH, which is credited to you & David plus Johnny Bonaduce. Was he related to the kid from the Partridge Family?
ReplyDeleteChristmas music doesn't need to get on one's nerves if there is variety, and there are hundreds, if not thousands, of Christmas recordings. The problem is that music rights are very complicated.
ReplyDeleteIn a retail store that sells records, especially a smaller one, it's not a problem to play an endless variety. But chain stores and larger entities have to pay rights for everything they play. Music services like Muzak and Music Choice also pay for each selection. A lot of the instrumentals in Muzak and Music Choice are European because the fees are usually lower, which has been the case since the mid-20 century.
To get more variety it takes music supervisors and legal people to investigate the rights and someone to pay for them. They do add new selections but the repetition is often because the approved playlists are limited.
To me, the nice thing about hearing Christmas music is that it is the only time I can hear some of the greatest singers and musicians of all time in the mainstream and public places. There are many fine new renditions but the finest versions are the gifts that keep on giving. I read that about two years ago, one of the top most-streamed songs during the holidays was "Let it Snow" by Dean Martin.
BTW, The Smurfs do a lovely take on "O Sanctissima."
Re Helen Hunt and Mad About You: I've watched most episodes of the show and I just don't recall her character Jamie getting lots of compliments on her looks. There were a lot of conversations where both Paul and Jamie made self-critical remarks and sought assurance or talked about insecurities about aging, losing their appeal, or infidelity. In one episode Paul thinks he's getting jowly like Charles Laughton.
ReplyDeleteIf anything stands out it's Jamie being called crazy and nutty by Paul and the other characters.