tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post3465610798448762480..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Another writing secret to successBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50544289570236859362015-07-10T06:26:28.738-07:002015-07-10T06:26:28.738-07:00I discovered your blog just recently and have been...I discovered your blog just recently and have been pleasantly binge reading over the last week. It's a fascinating peek behind the curtain and inside the heads of those who create entertainment. Now that I'm retired (survived) from radio, I am really enjoying reading about the creative process in that "other" media. I only wish I could read the blog in chronological order since it would help me keep the stories straight. I just wanted to drop a line and say Thank You.Old Hippyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08282387739067480806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-47822204698062608532015-07-10T05:00:58.626-07:002015-07-10T05:00:58.626-07:00Since Comedy has always been considered true art, ...Since Comedy has always been considered true art, why would 20th/21st Century Situation Comedy not be considered art? This is an honest question. I've always been a little obsessed with the definition of art. There are so many that it isn't easy to figure out what most people mean when they say it. Diane D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-22099130354309083772015-07-10T02:32:19.230-07:002015-07-10T02:32:19.230-07:00"Early on in our careers, my partner David Is..."Early on in our careers, my partner David Isaacs and I tried an experiment. We decided to write an evening of one act plays. There would be four of them – all in different comic styles. We had an overall umbrella theme of Los Angeles but that was the only similarity between the pieces."<br /><br />What a great exercise to stretch your creative muscles and get outside your comedy comfort zone.MikeK.Pa.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14010961990732396012015-07-09T23:03:48.780-07:002015-07-09T23:03:48.780-07:00Potential Friday Question: In your opinion, what i...Potential Friday Question: In your opinion, what is the ideal number of characters to have in the regular cast of a half-hour series? Is there ever a case of having too few characters on a show, or too many?Rashad Khannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-65409867349667876332015-07-09T17:52:14.047-07:002015-07-09T17:52:14.047-07:00True artists aren't necessarily good at everyt...True artists aren't necessarily good at everything except their specialty. Could Picasso manage realism a la Rockwell, or could Rockwell do abstract like Picasso? Which might beg the question - are sitcom writers true artists? Which also might beg the question, would the comedies on the air be better off if they were manned or "womaned" by writers who specialized in that show's given genre? But I get your point - as a matter of practicality and employability, I guess you need to be all things to all showrunners. As for Cosby, I think Seinfeld should feature him in the premiere episode of next season's "Comedians in Cars". Jerry could pick him up in... "a 1955 Chevy convertible, top speed 93 miles per hour, the American symbol of dominance and power in which underage girls found themselves hopping into the backseat for a little unanticipated action, the perfect vehicle for today's guest, Mister Unanticipated Action, himself, Bill Cosby." ... Bill: (over phone) "Hello?" ... "Bill, it's Jerry."... Bill: "Jerry, my lawyer?" ... "No, Seinfeld. Want to grab some coffee?" ... Bill: "Is she cute? The phone cut out after you said, 'Want to grab'." Pablonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-53115954875407826102015-07-09T15:51:21.816-07:002015-07-09T15:51:21.816-07:00The trouble with Veep, while I love the show, is t...The trouble with Veep, while I love the show, is that it seems like one writer is doing all the characters, hence they all use analogy as their sense of humor. For instance, this season's best line "your the worst thing to happen to this country since food in buckets..!" Mike Barerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14447874605833321732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-44265748809901767932015-07-09T15:40:12.571-07:002015-07-09T15:40:12.571-07:00I remember watching reruns of The Beverly Hillbill...I remember watching reruns of The Beverly Hillbillies as a kid and wondering if Nancy Kulp, who played Jane Hathaway, wasn't ever a little offended or hurt by the steady stream of jokes lobbed at her over her appearance and lack of sex appeal. I mean, I guess actors just separate it out. It's directed at the character. Not at them personally. Still, I wonder sometimes. Like all those overweight women on Married with Children who were hired to be insulted by Al Bundy as being fat and unattractive.Karlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-79499621828472426502015-07-09T14:59:56.704-07:002015-07-09T14:59:56.704-07:00I'm assuming actors are forced to develop thic...I'm assuming actors are forced to develop thick skins. I remember one Cheers episode where Lilith called Carla a "hideous gargoyle." Wow! No matter who you are, that would have to hurt a little.Garynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-466085685215391622015-07-09T13:59:03.236-07:002015-07-09T13:59:03.236-07:00Just out of curiosity, how much do you think NBC e...Just out of curiosity, how much do you think NBC et al is going to lose from never being allowed to air the Cosby Show again in syndication? $25 million? 50? more?<br /><br />On the plus side, it seems that any regret you may have had about not being able to write the pilot must now be a giant sigh of relief! Lesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51009581000335389042015-07-09T12:56:49.633-07:002015-07-09T12:56:49.633-07:00Completely off topic, but bad rerun editing has be...Completely off topic, but bad rerun editing has been discussed a fair amount on this blog:<br /><br />Last night, the worst rerun edit I've ever witnessed. TVLand, God Bless 'em, edited out the individual solos from "You Need Us", the song sung by the Honey Bees in "Don't Bug the Mosquitos". <br /><br />Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but, still, wow.<br /><br /><br />bensonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-48753724672627240782015-07-09T12:01:26.443-07:002015-07-09T12:01:26.443-07:00Here, let me try my hand at writing a "2 Brok...Here, let me try my hand at writing a "2 Broke Girls" script: "Vagina. Vagina. Balls. Tits. Vagina. Penis. Vagina. Boobs. Nuts." Nailed it!YEKIMIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01921751875397071034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-63406524654061087562015-07-09T11:42:24.243-07:002015-07-09T11:42:24.243-07:00Another Nick Bakay fan!
In addition to the shows...Another Nick Bakay fan! <br /><br />In addition to the shows mentioned above, he's also written / co-hosted Dennis Miller's late night talk show and did a great bit on ESPN's SportsCenter called Tale of the Tape.<br /><br />If there was a Bakay fan-club, I'd join!<br /><br />Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70701246721350565752015-07-09T11:19:03.908-07:002015-07-09T11:19:03.908-07:00@ Terry. Thanks for asking that question. I've...@ Terry. Thanks for asking that question. I've always wondered that too. Carla's insults to Diane were brutal too.<br />Other examples I'm curious about: Jason Alexander and Wayne Knight in Seinfeld (weight, baldness, shortness).Andrewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-57394706536469571722015-07-09T08:26:52.109-07:002015-07-09T08:26:52.109-07:00UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT sounds really stupid. No...UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT sounds really stupid. Now, if it were something like UNBREAKABLE SARAH SCHMIDT, I'd <i>pay</i> to see that.Joseph Scarbroughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06851086150240380366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14571096004964300992015-07-09T08:19:52.193-07:002015-07-09T08:19:52.193-07:00When you are a funny hammer, every joke looks like...When you are a funny hammer, every joke looks like a nail. Better to be a funny Swiss Army knife I guess....blinkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04284135060900752329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-15726153278956638872015-07-09T07:35:19.217-07:002015-07-09T07:35:19.217-07:00Not related to this topic but a Friday question fo...Not related to this topic but a Friday question for you, Ken: When writing insults for characters to hurl at each other (as happened quite often on Cheers and MASH), do you take the actors' feelings into consideration? Especially if the insult revolves around a physical characteristic? I remember Carla, for example, being referred to as "brillo head" or something similar at least once on Cheers. Would you run something like that by Rhea Pearlman first to make sure she was okay with it?Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17540162876296654215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-82643889102843359332015-07-09T06:28:41.463-07:002015-07-09T06:28:41.463-07:00Nick Bakay's resume ranges from "Sabrina,...Nick Bakay's resume ranges from "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" (where he also voiced Salen, the animatronic cat) to "The King of Queens" to "Mom" -- three sitcoms with wholly differing sensibilities. But he's helped make them all work.VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.com