tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post580033991979534003..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Friday (the 13th) QuestionsBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-40352545623368133002013-12-16T06:53:38.084-08:002013-12-16T06:53:38.084-08:00@ Neil D
"Person Of Interest" has a not...@ Neil D<br /><br />"Person Of Interest" has a noticably older cast than most shows - the 4 main cast members are all over 40, only the most recent additions (Amy Acker & Sarah Shahi) are younger... great show, too!Metal Mickeynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90490867712400879232013-12-15T17:52:07.803-08:002013-12-15T17:52:07.803-08:00@Daniel: That's an interesting question. I do ...@Daniel: That's an interesting question. I do know that doubling up on sets happens. On I LOVE LUCY, Lucy and Ricky's bedroom doubled as Fred and Ethel's living room. On BEWITCHED, Tabitha's nursery doubled as Darrin's den.Treynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-13497218702582990472013-12-15T17:39:45.425-08:002013-12-15T17:39:45.425-08:00A Friday question: Hey Ken! So, I just watched Hi...A Friday question: Hey Ken! So, I just watched His Girl Friday, (I was thrilled to read the snippets you wrote about it)<br />and I heard somewhere that because improv was encouraged on the set, Rosalind Russell hired a writer to beef up her part. Have you ever heard about things like that happening in tv or other movies? Have you ever encountered that? Stellanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-46199512079662281082013-12-15T12:25:50.841-08:002013-12-15T12:25:50.841-08:00Friday Question:
What was it like working with D...Friday Question: <br /><br />What was it like working with Derek Jacobi? Did you come up with the idea of mocking a Shakespearean actor first, and then sign Jacobi, or did you know you could get Jacobi and then thought up the character for him?<br /><br />For those not in the know: Derek Jacobi is one of the great Shakesperean actors of his generation, who did a guest appearance on Fraiser in "The Show Must Go Off".Williamnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-67208202426580686372013-12-15T11:52:00.714-08:002013-12-15T11:52:00.714-08:00Hey Ken!
Long time reader, first time Friday Ques...Hey Ken!<br /><br />Long time reader, first time Friday Question asker.<br /><br />When I was in undergrad, a teacher of mine told me that many contemporary sitcoms are based off of Jewish theater: the Rabbi, the Putz, the Schmuck, and the Princess appear as the main character archetypes. He specifically cited Frasier, Seinfeld, Will and Grace, and even Friends to some extent (though the leads rotate these roles frequently). Now I'm in grad school, and my theater history teacher suspects the tradition dates as far back as Plautus and the birth of New Comedy.<br /><br />My question to you—as a college professor and writer of one of the aforementioned shows—is how aware of this were you when writing for TV? Did you work to establish characters as these specific archetypes? Do you even agree with this?<br /><br />Thanks! (and if you answer my question, I promise to buy your book, which I hear is available on Amazon for $2.99)Bobby M.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-26992916985491483632013-12-15T06:50:28.444-08:002013-12-15T06:50:28.444-08:00Neil D: A couple of years ago, there was a pilot ...Neil D: A couple of years ago, there was a pilot for a new version of "The Rockford Files" with Dermot Mulrooney (born 1963) in the lead. However, it did not sell, so I suppose your point still holds.<br /><br />Anna Hedburg: Supposedly, in the script for the "Mission: Impossible" pilot, the master of disguise was named Martin Land--creator Bruce Geller's none-too-subtle way of indicating who he wanted for the role. After Martin Landau signed on, the character was renamed Rollin Hand, a name selected so as to minimize the retyping needed.Jim Linzernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-43180814661562690032013-12-15T05:50:39.396-08:002013-12-15T05:50:39.396-08:00Here's my Friday question: How many permanent ...Here's my Friday question: How many permanent sets does a sitcom usually have available? An ensemble show like <i>Friends</i> or <i>The Big Bang Theory</i> has a lot of different characters living in separate apartments. Are some of them a generic apartment set that keeps getting redressed, or is there a lot of storage space in the studio?<br /><br />And, at the risk of boring people with insider trivia, I'm curious: When characters on a show live across the hall from each other, do they build one big set with a hallway in the middle or a bunch of smaller sets?Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15616847561066820280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-83472104252405209622013-12-14T13:28:31.996-08:002013-12-14T13:28:31.996-08:00How about a baseball sitcom set in a team's Tr...How about a baseball sitcom set in a team's Traveling Secretary office? One of the main characters could be a 'so-so' player who keeps going up to the majors and back down to the minors every couple weeks (Based on an all-too-true story!)<br /> PLUS: all the baseball action would happen offscreen, or rather, on the same TV screen that regular BB fans see it on...so just license footage from ESPN, etc.Mike Sniderhttp://snichael.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6138378636865950992013-12-14T06:10:50.230-08:002013-12-14T06:10:50.230-08:00@ Mike:
My opinion is that, Once art is regarded a...@ Mike:<br />My opinion is that, Once art is regarded as a product to be produced for the profit of a company and it's shareholders, you're going to start filtering out anything controversial, or though provoking, or unique. That's why television has always been years behind where society actually is at that moment, and why we get endless repetitions of hit shows. It's why non-caricatured gay characters were an anomaly on TV until probably the 90s, and why we have endless copies of Law and Order and CSI. "Make money. not waves" has got to be an entertainment industry mantra.Aaron Sheckleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-9910588085422336192013-12-14T05:59:37.647-08:002013-12-14T05:59:37.647-08:00I don't know if you allow it but his article o...I don't know if you allow it but his article on the state of sitcoms<br />http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/arts/television/new-girls-2-broke-girls-last-man-standing-new-season-for-old-jokes.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0<br />Says exactly why I click right by anything produced in the last 2-3 years. The sitcom landscape has turned into my Thor 2Fredhttp://acaliforniadudeinharvardsquarecourt.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-49376410233366369872013-12-13T22:20:36.815-08:002013-12-13T22:20:36.815-08:00"Mom" is one show that's not quite f..."Mom" is one show that's not quite following the beautiful-young-lead blueprint. Although the quite attractive Anna Faris is nominally the lead, 54-year-old Allison Janney is as much of a reason for the show's reach as Faris is. I constantly laugh my gut out at the outrageous stuff Janney does and says that Faris' hapless character has to deal with.<br /><br />F.Q., advice version. What do you think is the best way to divide time on two projects at different stages of development? I've marketing one completed screenplay and am about to start the first draft on another, and the professional feedback I've been getting is that the completed script needs a moderate rewrite. Does that mean I should put the new one aside while I do the rewrite?Liggienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-49103004091054327562013-12-13T20:04:21.899-08:002013-12-13T20:04:21.899-08:001. Many of you are assuming that "Friends&quo...1. Many of you are assuming that "Friends" was a good show, something I don't agree with. There always seemed to be a smugness about it.<br /><br />2. I sense the suits admired "Friends" because of the log-rolling between Warners (whose property it was) and TimeWarner, explaining why cast members (particularly Jennifer Aniston) were disproportionately on the covers of that group's magazines.VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-80823548717896001772013-12-13T17:50:39.715-08:002013-12-13T17:50:39.715-08:00I always feel that the "suits" are unjus...I always feel that the "suits" are unjustly vilified on this blog. (But then, I've never met any of them.) They're conscientously performing their duties as custodians of the company's money and bankers to the shareholders. Their task is risk reduction - the bigger the budget, the more formulaic the product and the heavier their interference. So Hollywood has decided that the best way to make money is through blockbusters - the blockbusters become comic book sequels.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06248182899977033579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-65315063840600763932013-12-13T16:05:23.843-08:002013-12-13T16:05:23.843-08:00Matthew Perry is set to produce and star in a new ...Matthew Perry is set to produce and star in a new version of The Odd Couple as Oscar Maddison. What do you think of the apparent recent trend of remaking classic television shows, and the fact that it keeps persisting, despite the fact that most of them seem to die horrible deaths? It'd also be interesting to see how modern audiences perceive Felix. I fear there will be a temptation to turn him from neat freak to gay.MrCarlsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18081465847843874816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-31738209028875266032013-12-13T14:36:15.358-08:002013-12-13T14:36:15.358-08:00What advice would you have for someone who has (br...What advice would you have for someone who has (brief) experience storyboarding and would like to tackle a screenwriting project (like a 5-10 minute short)? Is format something to consider when you're a newbie? Mark B.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-77889851180680899732013-12-13T13:32:18.644-08:002013-12-13T13:32:18.644-08:00Hey Ken,
I've been watching a lot of SNL late...Hey Ken,<br /><br />I've been watching a lot of SNL lately and I know there has been countless cast members who ended up starring in NBC produced sitcoms, most currently Amy Poehler and Andy Samberg. <br /><br />My question is: when you sit down to write characters do you ever think of certain actors for the parts to help yourself write it, even if they might be unattainable, and do you ever go so far to name them (Seth Meyers-like)or is that crossing the line between storyteller and fanatic fan?Anna Hedburgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10502909434427111292013-12-13T13:11:31.106-08:002013-12-13T13:11:31.106-08:00While Bleacher Bums as a series is a good idea, al...While Bleacher Bums as a series is a good idea, all baseball shows have one great problem - baseball takes place in the summer, while the TV season is traditionally from late September through May. The characters would have to be in summer all season, while the audience would be experiencing different times of year.<br /><br />Candanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-52307696534076545182013-12-13T13:01:28.736-08:002013-12-13T13:01:28.736-08:00@John - Ken answered this in a previous Friday que...@John - Ken answered this in a previous Friday question.<br /><br />http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2011/03/was-mash-ever-asked-to-change-its-title.html<br />Rich Shealerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06349316644704593604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-91206658374863642612013-12-13T11:48:17.132-08:002013-12-13T11:48:17.132-08:00Ken, on the going into syndication while the show ...Ken, on the going into syndication while the show is still in first-run on network -- back in the old days, when re-runs aired out of prime-time when the show was still on network, they would re-title those episodes, under the premise that people were too stupid to realize a show running five times a week at 5:30 p.m. wasn't the same as a show running once a week at 9 o'clock at night.<br /><br />But I remember reading a story in late 1978 or early '79 that, because of some sort of mistake by Fox and/or CBS, the episodes of MASH about to enter syndication were keeping their original title, and the Monday night CBS episodes faced the dilemma of finding a new title because of the idea that first-run and syndicated episodes couldn't share the same name. <br /><br />In the end, it didn't happen, of course, but was that scenario really playing out during the last season you were show-running for it with David?Johnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-84478771665325143162013-12-13T11:08:10.718-08:002013-12-13T11:08:10.718-08:00Given the increased focus on ratings "demo&qu...Given the increased focus on ratings "demo" of young viewers vs total number of viewers, I think there will be a continued emphasis on young leads. For example, last night Scandal had 9.3 million viewers with a demo of 3.2 while Elementary had 9.5 million viewers with a demo of 1.8 in same time slot, yet Scandal is written about as a much bigger hit (and my guess attracts much bigger advertiser dollars).Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-4671604240328757822013-12-13T10:23:46.145-08:002013-12-13T10:23:46.145-08:00gratis idea:
"A-Rod after baseball"
s...gratis idea:<br />"A-Rod after baseball"<br /> sitcom from FOXChuck Warnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00118868209923095810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-36068548858539322742013-12-13T09:36:04.540-08:002013-12-13T09:36:04.540-08:00Richard J. Marcej: I like that idea. Mine was to s...Richard J. Marcej: I like that idea. Mine was to set it in the locker room/office. The problem with a baseball show made by a baseball nut is he might make the mistake of thinking it's about baseball. :)<br /><br />wg<br />Good. The numbers are back on the captcha. Much easier.Wendy M. Grossmanhttp://www.pelicancrossing.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-46053798227155853842013-12-13T08:52:15.990-08:002013-12-13T08:52:15.990-08:00Last week's Raising Hope was wone of the best ...Last week's Raising Hope was wone of the best examples of focusing on the 'older' actors. In "Murder, She Hoped" Burt & Virginia went all Rear Window. One of the best ever.<br /><br />Pam aka SisterzipAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-74884318818274955892013-12-13T08:34:52.376-08:002013-12-13T08:34:52.376-08:00Baseball => eastbound and down <3Baseball => eastbound and down <3Jayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15402929096196555156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-30703646410454374872013-12-13T08:22:01.328-08:002013-12-13T08:22:01.328-08:00Oh noo! - Ron Shelton is laboring to turn "Bu...Oh noo! - Ron Shelton is laboring to turn "Bull Durham" into a Broadway musical - <br /><br />http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20131210&content_id=64560616&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb<br /><br />At least he isn't trying to fund it through Kickstarter. Yet...Phillip Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08498595633633248863noreply@blogger.com