tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post7320976252571589074..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Could I write for Elvis?By Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-34188221820608534892013-08-29T05:16:29.953-07:002013-08-29T05:16:29.953-07:00I just realized I should've used the generic &...I just realized I should've used the generic "he" in my question instead of "them."Hoverboredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18261516789731491826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-79992558988627773972013-08-14T16:46:17.235-07:002013-08-14T16:46:17.235-07:00Hi Ken,
I just read this article on Defamer about...Hi Ken,<br /><br />I just read this article on Defamer about Greg Daniels' production company: http://defamer.gawker.com/why-office-creator-greg-daniels-walked-away-from-univer-1128374119. <br /><br />Their claim is that his quality of work is "slipping" because his last five pilots haven't been picked up. The impetus for the report was that Daniels didn't choose to renew his contract with Universal this year. <br /><br />As an experienced writer, what are your thoughts? The guys has worked on SNL, The Simpsons, King of the Hill, The Office, and Parks and Rec, and now he's second-rate? Seems strange. <br /><br />Thanks!<br /><br />JennaJune Bughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18331184235846759794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-8555181535163994112013-08-12T23:44:04.952-07:002013-08-12T23:44:04.952-07:00...the hell? I put my money in my bra all the time......the hell? I put my money in my bra all the time, always have (well, since I had cans enough to need one, anyway). So do my drag queen friends. So did my mother, always with the announcement "Ain't no one gettin' in THERE without MY say-so!" Because that's just the kinda broads we are.<br /><br />I agree completely with Lionheart: If I hear ONE more person say "How's THAT working out for you?", I will frickin' PLOTZ.<br /><br />Cheers, thanks a lot,<br /><br />StormStormnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-81752790374004659122013-08-11T17:42:42.752-07:002013-08-11T17:42:42.752-07:00Many years ago, I found myself sitting through thr...Many years ago, I found myself sitting through three consecutive trailers: THE MUMMY, EDTV and a third I've forgotten. <i>All three</i> ended with the same button: "Oh, this just keeps getting better and better."cadavranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-22508535218375437082013-08-11T09:40:51.428-07:002013-08-11T09:40:51.428-07:00I hate the expression "That's what I'...I hate the expression "That's what I'm talking about" It is a reality TV staple. I guess those aren't scripted. No one looks good saying it, although Jesse from Burn Notice pulls it off and he says it a lot.<br /><br />Reality TV folks who say "This is the hardest thing I've ever done" also should be a bit more self aware to realize they are very lucky people if climbing a rope in the sun is their biggest challenge in life!<br /><br />Reality TV has its own set of irritations.bettydnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70074289924739969372013-08-11T02:54:21.592-07:002013-08-11T02:54:21.592-07:00The phrase that makes me grimace the most is "...The phrase that makes me grimace the most is "at its best" as in, for example "We present comedy at its best". Don't know why, it just drives me up a wall. And me without a license.DwWashburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03057278992504418291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-33282720611437676662013-08-10T19:01:23.904-07:002013-08-10T19:01:23.904-07:00Chris said...
It's hard for a writer to a...Chris said...<br /><br /> It's hard for a writer to actually write this in dialogue, but actors transpose it: "It's a whole nother thing." No, the correct phrase is: "It's another whole thing."<br />= = = = =<br />Jan Freeman, longtime language columnist at the Boston Globe, likes "whole nother" and wrote:<br /><br />But if a new era is dawning — one in which Americans proudly embrace our linguistic inventiveness — I have some other nominees for a reputation rescue. “A whole nother” is a wonderfully useful expression, and surely good enough for journalism. There are good reasons for “it’s a ways away,” and for “way back” too (either in time or in a station wagon). Americans are apparently replacing the verb career with careen; I say, right on.<br /><br />http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/12/05/a_whole_nother_language/?page=2<br /><br />To complicate Chris's complaint, some people think "whole nother" is correctly "whole other" rather than his preferred "another whole." <br /><br />Among people who observe American English, "whole nother" is well established as an American idiom. You can dislike it all you want, but I don't think actors are misreading the line; I think the written dialogue is probably using the idiom. <br /><br />Barbara Phillips LongAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1649021766774440502013-08-10T17:56:45.895-07:002013-08-10T17:56:45.895-07:00I've heard this on at least three different sh...I've heard this on at least three different shows in the past month - some variation of "It's like finding a needle in a... bigger pile of needles." It was clever the first time. Not so much anymore.Kendallnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-56189053628264945162013-08-10T16:13:04.078-07:002013-08-10T16:13:04.078-07:00And I also don't like this conceit, generally ...And I also don't like this conceit, generally in three-camera sitcoms before a live studio audience -- the main character delivering a soliliquy alone center stage, while most (if not all) of the supporting cast is huddled together, listening earnestly, on one side of the stage...AndrewJhttp://www.scribd.com/Andrew_Milnernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6869362560156332502013-08-10T07:40:28.387-07:002013-08-10T07:40:28.387-07:00Tom Cruise RunningTom Cruise RunningEVERYONEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-2740774646427541302013-08-10T07:28:30.972-07:002013-08-10T07:28:30.972-07:00Brian Phillips said...
It's not dialogue, but...<i><b>Brian Phillips said...</b><br /><br />It's not dialogue, but I dislike it when a woman gets money she's owed, she smiles and puts in her bra.<br /><br />I have only seen a woman retrieve money from that area ONCE in my life.</i><br /><br />And obviously, you remember it well. (Reminds me of a scene in "That '70s Show" where Laura Prepon's character elicits information from a pre-teen boy by exposing her bra strap -- not her bra, just the strap.)<br /><br />Actually, the money-in-bra concept might be an outgrowth of pantyhose (or no hose at all) replacing stockings, because back in the day, women supposedly stashed cash in their stocking tops, secured by a garter. <br /><br />There was a fan magazine story about the March 1933 bank holiday called by newly-inaugurated President Franklin D. Roosevelt and how Hollywood handled the situation in those days before credit cards and ATMs. (Keep in mind that at the nadir of the Depression, many businesses would not accept checks from <i>anybody</i>, even celebrities.) The magazine ran a pic of the sexy Joan Blondell taking some bills out of her garter, and the caption read "Joan Blondell had some cash in the old feminine national bank." Learn more at http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/578625.html<br /><br />(It should also be noted the FDR bank holiday came only days before the infamous Long Beach earthquake, just what Hollywood needed on top of salary cuts and bank holidays.)VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-908845098279638692013-08-10T06:09:51.561-07:002013-08-10T06:09:51.561-07:00"I can't believe I'm hearing this!&qu..."I can't believe I'm hearing this!"AndrewJhttp://www.scribd.com/Andrew_Milnernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-57708972706529240542013-08-10T05:51:14.840-07:002013-08-10T05:51:14.840-07:00The one that bothers me is '555' for N.Ame...The one that bothers me is '555' for N.American phone numbers, as in '123-555-1234'. Written or spoken on screen takes me right out of the story.<br /><br />I know it's to prevent unwitting folks getting unwanted calls to their real numbers, but if you know the 'phone number code system', you could write fake phone numbers that sound real to the majority of viewers:<br /><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Numbering_Plan#Numbering_system" rel="nofollow">North American Numbering Plan</a><br /><br /> <br /><br />deanareenohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17655468881103268566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-34815323124243936822013-08-10T01:59:44.675-07:002013-08-10T01:59:44.675-07:00"How's that working out for you?"
C..."How's that working out for you?"<br /><br />Character gets huge/devastating news by telephone and rushes off leaving the person they were talking to speechless when maybe two words would convey the news. An over-used device to create a "stunned" character who must now figure out what just happened.<br /><br />Talking heads on Tv and in print who want to cover both sides of an issue and separate the two arguments with "having said that".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-17702362800459741432013-08-09T19:14:51.807-07:002013-08-09T19:14:51.807-07:00Two that drive me crazy:
1) Boy asks girl out, or...Two that drive me crazy:<br /><br />1) Boy asks girl out, or some variation. Girl responds, "I'd like that." (I've never heard this phrase used in real life.)<br /><br />2) "I'll send for my things." (Really? Exactly how do you send for your things?)Garynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-40857352437511408602013-08-09T18:35:20.172-07:002013-08-09T18:35:20.172-07:00I'm not sure whether it's actually said it...I'm not sure whether it's actually said it in one of his movies, but the line that I most identify with a generic Elvis script is when he tells a gorgeous and willing teen beauty to "Come back when you grow up, Baby."Powerhouse Salternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7782082468411004042013-08-09T18:22:04.481-07:002013-08-09T18:22:04.481-07:00"Don't you get it?!"
Hands down, my..."Don't you get it?!"<br /><br />Hands down, my pettest peeve.pumpkinheadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-53237352337114044592013-08-09T16:58:50.030-07:002013-08-09T16:58:50.030-07:00In dramas, they use death in the promos to boost r...In dramas, they use death in the promos to boost ratings: "Which member of the team will make the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE?!"Roger Owen Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05298172138307632062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-16619562205427933322013-08-09T16:31:07.242-07:002013-08-09T16:31:07.242-07:00You know, Elvis movies get a bad rap (mostly for a...You know, Elvis movies get a bad rap (mostly for a good reason), but I've always felt like he could have become a pretty decent actor given better material. I really liked him in "King Creole" and even some of the silly '60s films are fun if you take them for what they are. <br /><br />One of the great "what ifs" of Elvis' career is the remake of "A Star is Born." I'd like to think that had Col. Parker gotten out of the way and Elvis had done that picture with Babs, that might have been the challenge he needed to stop his downward spiral that ended with his untimely death. <br /><br />Having said all this, I think that "Harum Scarum" would have been a hell of a better picture had you written it, Ken. Jake Mabehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01908036270824377919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-87468222601232630492013-08-09T15:59:27.311-07:002013-08-09T15:59:27.311-07:00I've got to say that I am really annoyed by &q...I've got to say that I am really annoyed by "I've got!". <br /><br />First, I despise "got" since it's a lazy verb that can replace a multitude of better verbs. <br /><br />Then, "have" and "got" are the same, so both are not needed. It's either "I have" or "I got", not "I've got".<br /><br />I also despise "thing(s)" as a noun, as it is also a lazy word that replaces better, more descriptive nouns. <br /><br />But as for television shows and annoying phrases, many that annoy me have already been stated, but I especially hate the back-and-forth banter of "No, I didn't!", "Yes, you did!", "No, I didn't!", "Uh-uh!", Nuh-uh!", etc., etc. Damon Rutherfordnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6523645717512323352013-08-09T15:43:39.655-07:002013-08-09T15:43:39.655-07:00So, you could say Edward Anhalt could cross writin...So, you could say Edward Anhalt could cross writing for Elvis off his Becket List. (And I dislike puns)<br /><br />Didn’t check in yesterday, but I’ve loved the blog from the beginning and posts about (in descending interest to me):<br /><br />Writing and the business<br />Baseball<br />Radio<br />Growing up in SoCal<br /><br />Script dialog pet peeve: That’s crazy, but it just might work! <br />Stop watching immediately. It WILL work. The End.<br /><br />Sports announcer pet peeves: Unanswered points. <br />Say the Jets scored 7, then the Lions 14. Announcers have said the Jets had 7 unanswered points, until the Lions answered with 7 and then scored 7 unanswered of their own… (this is madness! )<br /><br />Using the word “within” to mean “exactly” instead of “less than”. <br />The Tigers were ahead 6 to 1 when Cleveland got a grand slam, making it 6-5 and pulled to within 1. No, Cleveland is 1 behind, but not less than 1. They are within 2, 3, 4, infinity, but they are exactly 1 run back, not WITHIN 1.<br /><br />Radio personality pet peeve: We’ll pick this up right after the break. It’s a coin flip whether the topic will be picked up after the break or not and you’ve endured three minutes hearing about the great pickup truck lease deals available and the latest advances in lasik surgery.<br /><br />Size 12 shoe (like O.J.), and since I’m Ken’s age, but without credits, too old for comedy writing, but looking for a writing partner to try it.Southfield_Bobnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-536223711478723112013-08-09T15:07:56.786-07:002013-08-09T15:07:56.786-07:00This one seems to have died off a bit, but in the ...This one seems to have died off a bit, but in the 90's you could not escape the multiple variations of "You just don't get it, do you?"Dave Arnottnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-952534432792332452013-08-09T14:25:55.331-07:002013-08-09T14:25:55.331-07:00Size 13 and feeling good about myself.
My current...Size 13 and feeling good about myself.<br /><br />My current pet peeve doesn't focus on dialogue, or even movies/tv. I'm annoyed by the little photos of article writers at internet news sites. Those little portrait picture/head shot thingies. Blech.<br /><br />First, I want to read good writing. I don't care what the author looks like. Second, many of them are just plain unattractive or have some goofy-assed expression going for them or they forgot all last month to shave. Third, I guess the Internet gets a group rate at Sears.<br /><br />As far as a tv peeve, I'll go with those little animated ads at the bottom of the screen for some other show that the network would rather that you think about instead of the one that the network is currently actually showing you. I might as well show up to my girlfriend's place wearing a t-shirt featuring a photo of her next boyfriend. "If you like me, honey, you'll really like this guy. He'll be here in September." (Making me what? Her summer replacement boyfriend? Hmph. Well now I'm a little pissed.)Charles H. Bryannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-88840997166537690582013-08-09T12:23:48.378-07:002013-08-09T12:23:48.378-07:00@matthew - I recently watched a bunch of "Fam...@matthew - I recently watched a bunch of "Family Ties" episodes over the course of a week and noticed that same thing. It usually indicated a cathartic or dramatic scene with a happy resolution. Ahhh, 80s TV. <br /><br />@ken - my pet peeve line is "I don't know who you are anymore." or any variation of that. I understand what is meant by it, but I never liked but it just reeked of being overly dramatic. Terrence Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09365112876091271689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-27389917384306847372013-08-09T12:12:58.402-07:002013-08-09T12:12:58.402-07:00One of my pet peeves is not a line I can't sta...One of my pet peeves is not a line I can't stand - but a situation -- where something happens like a character drops their keys into a strange spot, and another character of the same sex tries to help them out, and a third party comes into the room and "catches" them in what looks like some kind of gay sex act.<br /><br />This is pretty much what kept me off of watching "Friends" for years.-beenoreply@blogger.com