tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post3508111202637556149..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Friday QuestionsBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-29231273972426488082014-10-21T06:58:16.401-07:002014-10-21T06:58:16.401-07:00Can you give us the log line to your pilot for the...Can you give us the log line to your pilot for the USA Network? I'm curious to hear what might have been.Jeff :)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-63739842613996391132014-10-20T14:37:20.170-07:002014-10-20T14:37:20.170-07:00Mindy Kaling seems to be a very intelligently-spok...Mindy Kaling seems to be a very intelligently-spoken woman (not exactly a very funny woman) but is it shallow of me to ask you if at least a portion of her success is attributed to people thinking she's more physically attractive than she actually is? If you don't find it an unfair judgement and shallow, I'd love to hear your thoughts?Krisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-36839122370739618512014-10-18T19:18:00.324-07:002014-10-18T19:18:00.324-07:00If you knew one of your shows was on the borderlin...If you knew one of your shows was on the borderline to being renewed, would you deliberately end a season with a cliffhanger?Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45159793418438109892014-10-18T03:02:02.902-07:002014-10-18T03:02:02.902-07:00Ken, the problem I have with cliffhangers is that ...Ken, the problem I have with cliffhangers is that there are two times in the recent past that a show has done a cliffhanger only to have the show cancelled and the viewer/fan never finds out what happened. A&E has done this twice now with the result that I have removed the channel from my favorites in my DVR and I no longer have any interest in what they choose to run.Barry Traylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14134880916215990198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-72310829084195754792014-10-18T00:28:08.955-07:002014-10-18T00:28:08.955-07:00Friday Q: I was watching Madam Secretary last nigh...Friday Q: I was watching Madam Secretary last night and I noticed that Bebe Neuwirth plays quite a similar character to that of Lilith. How difficult is it for actors to avoid falling victim to typecasting? Mariannenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-68249464749673667062014-10-17T22:00:51.221-07:002014-10-17T22:00:51.221-07:00Friday Q!
In a pilot, is it acceptable to introdu...Friday Q!<br /><br />In a pilot, is it acceptable to introduce a "temporary character" that serves to tell a conflict between a main character - or should that be saved for a future episode?<br /><br />Thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-40529304545530405492014-10-17T21:23:13.781-07:002014-10-17T21:23:13.781-07:00Call me weird and possibly perverted, but I always...Call me weird and possibly perverted, but I always found Bebe Neuwirth much more sexy in her normal Lilith get-up with the tightly pulled back hair than when she let her hair down. (But that pic is pretty damn sexy. Thanks, Ken!) Maybe I'm one of those fellows who likes the domineering female types.<br /><br />Cheerio,<br />JeffroJeffrohttp://kenlevine.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-86511082897196268622014-10-17T19:03:03.929-07:002014-10-17T19:03:03.929-07:00As a lad it was always exciting to see an episode ...As a lad it was always exciting to see an episode of CHEERS where Lilith would dress sexy. They were rare, but they were great.Eric Lnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45054237594817149172014-10-17T16:51:00.944-07:002014-10-17T16:51:00.944-07:00That looks like a Gleason
impersonator doing Ralph...That looks like a Gleason<br />impersonator doing Ralph Kramden. KING OF JAZZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00200780538546507679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-61537288914796709972014-10-17T15:16:53.858-07:002014-10-17T15:16:53.858-07:00FRIDAY QUESTION
Ken,
You and the others who mak...FRIDAY QUESTION<br /><br />Ken, <br /><br />You and the others who make tv shows get to see the actors turning in great work on a weekly basis. Even if you never take them for granted, it's easy to forget just how good they are.<br /><br />Can you discuss some of the moments when the actors were so good, everybody shooting the show was truly astonished, maybe awestruck. <br /><br />I remember your praising the way Alan Alda performed his section of the script when Hawkeye was blinded, for example.<br />Max Clarkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07706524941272103444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64710806877456127672014-10-17T13:35:33.279-07:002014-10-17T13:35:33.279-07:00and it seems to me her voice dropped even further ...<i>and it seems to me her voice dropped even further as the Lilith character continued on the show.</i><br />One of my favorite bits on Cheers, Phase II, was when Rebecca asked a pregnant Lilith to coach her on being a tough business woman. One of LSC's key pieces of advice in scaring men stupid was to lower her voice.<br /><br />"If I choose to accept their offer, you're looking at the new vice president of operations for the Eastern seaboard"<br /><br />Jim, Cheers Fannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-32043980385618745542014-10-17T13:15:00.322-07:002014-10-17T13:15:00.322-07:00Who "shot" JR? ^_^
I'm looking for...Who "shot" JR? ^_^<br /><br />I'm looking forward to seeing the play on November 9 and a blog post about how the preview performances may prompt script revisions.<br /><br />Apart from how the actor accepts negative physical comments directed at his/her character, when does this practice serve as a model for bullying? Are these jabs okay just because the characters are friends and they don't take it seriously, and it's not perceived as mean-spirited just because they are friends? I think that to a degree it is mean-spirited regardless of friendship. In "Married With Children," the dysfunction is so exaggerated that those kinds of comments are funny, but in TBBT or TAHM, it seems unnecessary to go there. I don't know. Where is the line between "kiddng" and bullying? "Kidding" can hurt someone's feelings, too.Lorimartiannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-29247667140382501612014-10-17T12:52:02.156-07:002014-10-17T12:52:02.156-07:00Ken,
Some supporting actors from TV shows disapp...Ken,<br /> Some supporting actors from TV shows disappear after their show ends while others continue to pop up in new shows in varying degrees. In your opinion, which factor is most important in determining this - talent, a good agent, simple luck?Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-37560825802398518662014-10-17T12:41:23.811-07:002014-10-17T12:41:23.811-07:00In "Goodbye Radar" Colonel Potter remark...In "Goodbye Radar" Colonel Potter remarks in the chow line about how Margaret is always able to "pack it away", then tries to back out of it by adding "and yet you manage to keep that girlish figure".<br /><br />Bea Arthur's character took a lot of abuse on "The Golden Girls".Robnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-38337428946795134282014-10-17T12:30:40.656-07:002014-10-17T12:30:40.656-07:00Nancy Kulp, Reta Shaw, Ruth McDevitt, Marion Lorne...Nancy Kulp, Reta Shaw, Ruth McDevitt, Marion Lorne--I miss the character actors from that era. Brilliant, all of them. I really can't think of anyone like them working today.Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-23672117518591004642014-10-17T12:19:10.572-07:002014-10-17T12:19:10.572-07:00Nancy Kulp was confident enough to run for Congres...Nancy Kulp was confident enough to run for Congress after her acting career ended. I do remember reading that she was upset when her opponent got Buddy Ebsen to record an ad characterizing her as a crazy Hollywood liberal. chalmersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14546626188068756642014-10-17T10:41:55.212-07:002014-10-17T10:41:55.212-07:00"The irony on CHEERS was that every character..."The irony on CHEERS was that every character took shots at Lilith for how cold and severe she was, and off camera and out of costume Bebe Neuwirth (pictured above) was the hottest woman on that set."<br /><br />I remember the episode of Frasier where Lilith ended up in bed with Frasier, and in the morning says, "You were a busy boy"<br /><br />The way she said that still makes my toes curl...dgwphotographyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17457021093344362212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-71799086088404105872014-10-17T10:00:12.618-07:002014-10-17T10:00:12.618-07:00Speaking of Bebe Neuwirth, Lilith's voice drop...Speaking of Bebe Neuwirth, Lilith's voice drops <i>at least</i> an octave between her first appearance - Second Time Around - and her second, Abnormal Psychology, and it seems to me her voice dropped even further as the Lilith character continued on the show.<br /><br />The lower register seems to me to suit the character better. I guess - and I guess this is a Friday question - this is normal character development and I wonder if this is something one of the director's suggested or if Bebe evolved it on her own. (If anyone knows.)<br /><br />Here's YouTube links:<br />Second Time Around:<br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlyhoMzL1hw<br /><br />Abnormal Psychology:<br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGDq7bchbEUJudithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00515313368190919011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-15092518042863600812014-10-17T09:50:56.522-07:002014-10-17T09:50:56.522-07:00It depends on your definition of "pictured ab...It depends on your definition of "pictured above."<br /><br />"Above" is so subjective.Howard Hoffmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05377628524697677407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-27410778484751693902014-10-17T09:38:22.810-07:002014-10-17T09:38:22.810-07:00All the time Cheers was running I thought Neuwirth...All the time Cheers was running I thought Neuwirth was Bebe Buell's daughter.Scooter Schechtmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-35102800660582868092014-10-17T08:54:11.568-07:002014-10-17T08:54:11.568-07:00benson said...
Maybe only on my browser, but wher...<i>benson said...<br /><br />Maybe only on my browser, but where Ken, you wrote Bebe Neuwirth was the hottest woman on the set, right above that was the picture of Jackie Gleason.</i><br /><br />That was the joke...Hamidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-28953108102339574842014-10-17T08:49:53.557-07:002014-10-17T08:49:53.557-07:00Nancy Kulp would have had a reason to file a griev...<i>Nancy Kulp would have had a reason to file a grievance during her run on Beverly Hillbillies as her looks were often the brunt of many a joke.</i><br /><br />I remember reading an interview with Max Baer (Jethro, on <i>Hillbillies</i> in which he discussed that aspect of Kulp's work, the gist of which was that she was a very self-confident woman who was quite comfortable in her own skin.<br /><br />I suppose that's true of most all actors. Acting, after all, isn't a very good career choice for the hypersensitive and the easily offended. A smart actor is aware of the realities and limitations of his or her physical appearance and uses that to their own advantage.<br /><br />At the same time, I can't help but wonder if playing so heavily on the negative of aspects of certain actors' physical appearance doesn't sometimes get difficult for the staff of a show. My dad used to watch <i>Married with Children</i>, and a recurring bit on that show was Al Bundy's battles with the unending parade of overweight, unattractive female customers he had to deal with in the shoe store where he was employed. I used to wonder if it ever bothered those who handled casting on that show, dealing with a steady stream of actresses who were being cast because they were overweight and less than photogenic, and whose role on the show was to be insulted as fat and ugly. Lynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-66937894379424184752014-10-17T08:42:47.786-07:002014-10-17T08:42:47.786-07:00"this convention has now been done to death. ..."this convention has now been done to death. "<br /><br />Absolutely! That and the season-long story arc. Remember when NCIS had a story arc that went to 5 consecutive episodes? By episode 4 I was pulling for Richard Schiff's character ... the bad guy. As you said, Ken, the audience might not be quite that invested, and faced with a cliff-hanger, they might decide to skip it altogether.<br /><br />I'm also not a fan of these new tv dramas where they are chasing a seriel kill for the entire season/series. And generally it's not a successful concept because they audience gets tired of waiting for the pay off, so it's a pretty bad bet.McAlvienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6182432495183266852014-10-17T08:25:08.512-07:002014-10-17T08:25:08.512-07:00Found this Bob Ellison quote, from obit on David L...Found this Bob Ellison quote, from obit on David Lloyd, which pretty well sums up what David and Bob did.<br /><br />“He lit up the writer’s room when he came in. And that’s a big part of the job, bringing the room to life, resuscitating it.”<br /><br />I didn't see any credits for Bob on IMDb since Andy Richter's show a decade ago. Is he retired? You'd hope not with that great gift of wit.MikeK.Pa.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-72113870275623075022014-10-17T08:17:59.966-07:002014-10-17T08:17:59.966-07:00Maybe only on my browser, but where Ken, you wrote...Maybe only on my browser, but where Ken, you wrote Bebe Neuwirth was the hottest woman on the set, right above that was the picture of Jackie Gleason.<br /><br />BTW, the episode where Frasier and Lillith are in Cheers, and she takes her glasses off, undoes her hair bun, and "oh, Mama" is still one of the great Cheers moments.bensonnoreply@blogger.com