tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post4085125788580789708..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: "What" writing partners argue overBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-8890046824467230362014-06-22T09:17:51.711-07:002014-06-22T09:17:51.711-07:00We used to fight about punctuation and room temper...We used to fight about punctuation and room temperature. Now it's down to just temperature.<br />Eileen H.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-48506991313650609262014-06-19T02:50:42.267-07:002014-06-19T02:50:42.267-07:00Actually Ken I have had to come up with alternate ...Actually Ken I have had to come up with alternate ways of saying "what" whenever my wife talks to me from 20 feet away (with her back turned no less) then accuses me of being hard of hearing. 203Barry Traylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14134880916215990198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-27516306220703737902014-06-19T02:42:25.674-07:002014-06-19T02:42:25.674-07:00Friday question for you, Ken: Have you read DIFFIC...Friday question for you, Ken: Have you read DIFFICULT MEN? It's an fascinating expose of the rise of the cable drama, and the showrunners behind those shows.<br /><br />I'd love to know your thoughts on it. Is it too sensational? Is it accurate?<br /><br />You can read more about it <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/sep/18/difficult-men-brett-martin-review" rel="nofollow">here</a> (if you've not read it).Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-40858843008581007822014-06-19T02:30:50.613-07:002014-06-19T02:30:50.613-07:00Further to my comment above, here is, in my opinio...Further to my comment above, here is, in my opinion, the greatest "What?" in history!<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeD27HUi2HU Hamidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3377469209403411642014-06-18T23:46:01.834-07:002014-06-18T23:46:01.834-07:00@Pay Reeder: I figure those sitcom wives find thei...@Pay Reeder: I figure those sitcom wives find their husbands' behavior hard to believe for the same reason that Ralph Kramden never seemed to expect those fat jokes wife Alice hit him with every week, even though he masochistically persisted in giving her screamingly obvious set-ups for them. ("Alice, I'm gonna be a biiiig man someday.")Langleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-18274196211684488622014-06-18T23:43:02.514-07:002014-06-18T23:43:02.514-07:00The next time you feel the need to use "what&...The next time you feel the need to use "what", substitute "pardon", and see if David notices.Albert Giesbrechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17742338183833125104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-21963691588406763732014-06-18T22:27:00.164-07:002014-06-18T22:27:00.164-07:00I'm used to "what?" because my wife ...I'm used to "what?" because my wife has a hearing problem. My sitcom cliche pet peeve is "Unbelievable!," often delivered by an angry wife to a doofus husband as three separate words: "You are un!... BEE!... lievable!" Some sitcoms, like "Til Death," couldn't get through a single episode without someone saying this. <br /><br />I often wonder why sitcom wives find their spouses' selfish/clueless/dumbass behavior so hard to believe when it happens every week. <br /><br />Pat Reedernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-72199532168823547452014-06-18T18:21:45.895-07:002014-06-18T18:21:45.895-07:00Hey Ken - Question for Friday: How would someone w...Hey Ken - Question for Friday: How would someone with experience writing for national radio and touring stand-up comedians get into TV writing? I'm fine starting as a PA in a writers room and working my way up. I just honestly don't know where to start because I got into comedy writing a few years after college. I'm not a 22 yr old graduate that can join an intern program, so it is hard to get into the loop. I have been cold calling and emailing random ppl but most writers' contact info is an agent that doesn't care about some PA. HELP!Jamesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-13766856501333270672014-06-18T18:03:06.634-07:002014-06-18T18:03:06.634-07:00I was about to take David's side on the "...I was about to take David's side on the "What" debate, but after seeing the Don Draper compilation, it proves that it's not the word but how it's said.What Said Frednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42057161260199464272014-06-18T16:45:22.678-07:002014-06-18T16:45:22.678-07:00…and then there is the new (soon to be old) varian...…and then there is the new (soon to be old) variant, "Wait - what?"katherinenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90642840756207224902014-06-18T15:24:46.017-07:002014-06-18T15:24:46.017-07:00Here in Cincinnati, people often say "Please?...Here in Cincinnati, people often say "Please?" instead of "What?" Supposedly this traces back to the high concentration of German immigrants here - Germans say "Bitte?" when they don't hear someone clearly. I've always been a little disappointed that WKRP didn't feature this verbal 'signature' in their scripts.Smurchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24350272691018258102014-06-18T15:00:41.094-07:002014-06-18T15:00:41.094-07:00One could say in real life people say 'what...One could say in real life people say 'what' too much too, like "um", or like "like.<br /><br />These are usually placeholders for the thought process - the translation may be "I am having a hard time mentally processing that information" or "I am having a hard time figuring out how to put this into words". It's actually, I think, a good tool for actors because ideally, we as the audience often want to see the wheels turning in a character's heads, and these filler words allow actors to do that in an oblique and non-expositiony way.<br /><br />Writing naturalistic-style dramatic dialogue is not the same thing as writing a speech.<br /><br />Would be interested in the argument about "--"!-beenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-61389972500172298332014-06-18T14:50:03.779-07:002014-06-18T14:50:03.779-07:00Ill give you a what, but then you've got to in...Ill give you a what, but then you've got to include a who.<br /><br />What?<br /><br />No, who. And it has to be first. <br /><br />What has to be first?<br /><br />No, who has to be first. <br /><br />Who?<br /><br />Right, who!<br /><br />What? <br /><br />No, what's second. <br /><br />I don't know. <br /><br />That'll be third.Wallis Lanenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24959473366615048662014-06-18T14:18:30.623-07:002014-06-18T14:18:30.623-07:00Sorry make that 3:45.Sorry make that 3:45.Rich Shealerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06349316644704593604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-19996237746548008852014-06-18T14:17:39.374-07:002014-06-18T14:17:39.374-07:00This clip is based up a dramatization of a Levine ...This clip is based up a dramatization of a Levine & Isaacs "What" usage disagreement.<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE9Qm8mShik<br /> Approximately 4:45 into the clip.<br /><br />(Pulp Fiction came to mind immediately)Rich Shealerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06349316644704593604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-72919196278880932962014-06-18T14:10:44.968-07:002014-06-18T14:10:44.968-07:00It drives me insane when a character begins a conv...It drives me insane when a character begins a conversation with "sooooo......" If they just started with the information it would still work. I see TV and film with a lot of money and great writers who begin every conversation with "Soooooooo..... i heard you were late for work today" Just use your facial expression then start the line "I heard you were late for work today" If you really pay attention you can hear it in every TV show and every movie. It's awful to hear.....and now that I said that it will bug you too.<br />Paul SAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-5139991690464871052014-06-18T13:31:13.825-07:002014-06-18T13:31:13.825-07:00Hey! The machine said the first one didn't go ...Hey! The machine said the first one didn't go through!Tod Hunternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-20786717578449050542014-06-18T13:30:14.211-07:002014-06-18T13:30:14.211-07:00As a longtime member of the Magic Castle, I can te...As a longtime member of the Magic Castle, I can tell you that if I had a nickel for every time a twenty-something reacted to an effect with an outraged "Whut?" I could give up my day job. And so could my kids. And their kids. <br /><br />--tTod Hinternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-84660294855139131272014-06-18T13:29:54.669-07:002014-06-18T13:29:54.669-07:00As a longtime member of the Magic Castle, I can te...As a longtime member of the Magic Castle, I can tell you that if I had a nickel for every time a twenty-something reacted to an effect with an outraged "Whut?" I could give up my day job. And so could my kids. And their kids. <br /><br />--tTod Hinternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-55433621638225451162014-06-18T11:32:14.393-07:002014-06-18T11:32:14.393-07:00"What" is clearly the second most expres..."What" is clearly the second most expressive word in the English language.<br />Eric Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10639837826294361383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-65451273353424545032014-06-18T09:10:31.398-07:002014-06-18T09:10:31.398-07:00Ken, you can appreciate this, but after almost 40 ...Ken, you can appreciate this, but after almost 40 years in radio, my hearing is shot. I do say "what" a lot, along with "say that again?"<br /><br />I love hearing the British "whot". Dame Judi Dench on "As Time Goes By" in some of the Lucy-flavored later episodes says it great.bensonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-37288486272212152882014-06-18T08:55:53.905-07:002014-06-18T08:55:53.905-07:00They also say "That's True" A LOT on...They also say "That's True" A LOT on Mad Men.<br /><br />What/That's True would make a good drinking game. Do people still do TV drinking games?Phillip Snoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73303944392431519302014-06-18T08:44:21.267-07:002014-06-18T08:44:21.267-07:00People really do say "What" in real life...People really do say "What" in real life a lot. I noticed in the last few years a new phrase that I hear often and it's appearing in many shows (although I don't understand how it started in the first place);<br /><br />"I know, right?"Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10896165980216477144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6456537752098668232014-06-18T08:31:05.809-07:002014-06-18T08:31:05.809-07:00Ken, I think you're close on this. But...
Ev...Ken, I think you're close on this. But...<br /><br />Eve: These look like good apples.<br />Adam: What?<br />Eve: You wanna fuck?<br />Adam: What is "fuck"?<br /><br />And then, back in the 1100s, as Maimonides was writing his interpretation of the story of Adam and Eve - of course it was brilliant. But wow, did he ever have terrible handwriting. (It's said that his Hebrew looked like Aramaic.)<br /><br />And so, when his secretary typed up his notes, she typed Adam's second reply as, "What the fuck?" <br /><br />And it's stuck that way 'til this day.<br /><br />(With apologies to "Fractured Fairytales".)<br />Igornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-43329282469607126022014-06-18T07:54:04.986-07:002014-06-18T07:54:04.986-07:00People do say "What?" a lot, and I respe...People do say "What?" a lot, and I respect that. That said, I do notice the frequency with which it's said in many TV shows, so I think taking some of them out makes sense.<br /><br />I'll trade you a "what" for an "OK".<br /><br />wgWendy M. Grossmanhttp://www.pelicancrossing.netnoreply@blogger.com