THE POST -- My review

THE POST takes us back to a time when Americans were smart enough to realize the “Fake News” came from the government, not the media. Steven Spielberg delivers a handsomely mounted film with a message more timely now than when its events took place.

Steven has put together a Justice League of American Actors. It’s amazing how many great actors are in this film with nothing to do. Maybe one or two scenes. Alison Brie, Sarah Paulson, Carrie Coon, and Jessie Mueller are just a few of the supporting cast members to go along with mega stars Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. And other supporting thesps who did get some good stuff to play include Bob Odenkirk, Tracy Letts, Jesse Plemons, Bruce Greenwood, and Matthew Rhys. What, Steve couldn’t get Marlon Brando to come back one time and play Spiro Agnew?

And poor Sarah Paulson.  Is there a more thankless role than the "wife."  Plus, she has to deliver the worst speech in the film explaining to us (via Ben) why the stakes are so high.   Later there's another poorly written scene.  Meryl Streep with Alison Brie (who plays her daughter).  For the sake of getting information out to the audience Meryl tells Alison things she would obviously already know.  I'm paraphrasing but not much: "Remember that day you wrote a note and we got into the car and were our way to your father's funeral because he had died and you gave me the note and we were all wearing black...?"   And then, only for our purposes, Meryl has Alison read the note aloud.  Who does that?  Nobody.

The John Williams score sounds like a network news theme played for two hours.  But those are quibbles and personal pet peeves. 

THE POST is a very good movie that would be considered a better movie if it weren’t for ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN, which was a spectacular movie. And it’s hard not to compare the two when it’s the same paper, same era, similar storyline, and many of the same characters. ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN took down an entire administration. THE POST exposed the government’s cover-up on Vietnam but caused no major impact on history. And as my daughter Annie pointed out, it seems like every year we get another one of these newspaper movies.

Reporters are trying to uncover a major scandal, they’re stymied in their attempt to get all the facts, there’s resistance to print the bombshell story, they finally do, the end.

A recent version was SPOTLIGHT. Spielberg even got the SPOTLIGHT writer, Josh Singer, to rewrite Liz Hannah’s original screenplay.  (If Josh happened to write the Streep-Brie "note" scene Liz might be reading this going "YES!!!") 

And I’m sorry but Jason Robards was better as Ben Bradlee than Tom Hanks.  Tom went in and out of a Boston accent.  He was doing Lawrence Bourne III from VOLUNTEERS.  I wonder if I can get any sequel money??? 

I’m glad Spielberg made THE POST. As always, it’s beautifully shot. The camera work and performances are dazzling.  You should definitely see it.  I say that not as a California Elitist but as someone who loves this country and fears for its future.  The First Amendment needs to be protected, now more than ever. 

How to memorize scripts -- part 2

Here’ the final  installment in how actors memorize scripts. Part one was yesterday.   These come from actors you know. As you’ll see, no two methods are even remotely similar.

Actor 1:

The repetition from rehearsals is very helpful. But, of course, on "Cheers" we had lots of changes. That's why starting in the middle of the week was so constructive.

I could study during the weekend. I would mark the common consonants, like the "t"s or the "s"s or whatever. Sometimes the letters were near alphabetical, but even if they weren't the consonants gave me a landmark in my long paragraphs.

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Actor 2:

When memorizing lines, I make it a rule to lay off xanax or klonopin.

Most shows aren't that good, so it's difficult to stay awake anyway. Usually, I read the whole script first so I understand the story. Then, I sit in a chair in the corner of my bedroom and literally memorize page by page, reading each line and the cues, and then by putting my hand over my lines (i.e. covering up my lines) and trying to say them. It helps me to say them out loud.

I stay with each page until I can do the whole page and then move on. In a long play, I aim at only five pages a day. For plays, I also like to know my lines as soon as possible, even before we start, even though a lot of directors don't approve of that (because, they believe, you get locked in to line readings. I disagree- particularly in a really wordy play. I think if you know the lines really well you can say them in any way that occurs to you during rehearsal.

I also like to go over my lines in my head wandering around the street - if I can do them with all the distractions of the city - then I really know them, even though you look pretty stupid to all the people passing you by .

It has to be a little faster for film and tv - although I do the same things. It helps me to imagine the blocking, even if what I imagine doesn't always turn out to be correct.

Honestly, I'm not particularly good at memorizing. I know people who are dazzlingly fast - they can read down a page and they've pretty much got it. They almost never sit in a corner somewhere and work on it... just by rehearsing and osmosis they get it. Alec Baldwin's ability to memorize fast is astounding. Somehow, they see the page in their head.

A bunch of people hire assistants to constantly grill the lines - I don't usually do that but it's really common.

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Actor 3:


Hi Ken,

It is fairly easy for me to memorize lines at this point.

Normally, there is an objective to whatever I am saying in a scene (ie: I know what I want to say) so the lines are obvious to learn.

Sometimes it is harder when there is a long speech. That is harder to learn - I have to make sense of it for me then just say it over and over until I know it in my sleep.

I have little clues for memorizing too: if I have to remember a list of things in a speech I remember the first letter of each word.

The hardest lines to remember are those in another language.

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Actor 4 (a soap opera star):

A great deal of it depends on certain skills that you're either born with or you're not. If you are born with the capacity to memorize, so much the better for you. However other factors do come into play. One of those is your comfort and familiarity with the character you're portraying. If it's new and you're just kinda feeling your way along, might be slightly difficult at first. However, if it's a character with which/whom you are completely familiar and at ease then you know, almost before the writer puts it on the page, what you'll say and how you'll say it. Another factor is the leeway, if any, that an actor is given with his/her lines. On a soap, for instance, with sometimes PAGES of dialogue or (heaven help us) a monologue, you (more often than not) will be given a little room to ad-lib. Get all the correct information out, give your partner their correct cue and make it sound natural and real...and you can get away with a lot.

Stage trained actors usually fare much better on the screen than the other way around with regard to memorization. There's very little ad-libbing tolerated in the theatre and so that training is invaluable when making the leap to TV or film. However, the advantage of doing live theatre is the rehearsal process, which can take weeks of doing the same scene over and over...and THAT'S where much of the memorizing is done for the stage. For the screen, big or little, if you are just not a good memorizer, the only thing you can do is go over and over and over and over...and over it with a partner or in the mirror. Sentence by sentence if you have to.

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Actor 5:

Years ago I was taught a method called the "key word" method for memorizing commercial copy quickly when auditioning for commercials in NY where the copy is presented to you when you get to the audition. You only have a few minutes to look at it before you're whisked in to go on camera. The "key word" is the word that jumps out at you when you are reading a line and is different for everyone, but hopefully is the "heart" of a sentence. You circle it and memorize it. Then in theory you have a list of "key words" that bring up the complete sentence when needed.

Now, my actress wife has also influenced me and her method is one that I have used more and more the older I get. Seeing a picture in my mind of the sentence and matching an action to it at the same time.

An actor also has an action for each line. Actions being verbs. For example, in typical arguments between two romantic leads in a scene, often one character will get to a point where they "present", "list", "defend" (all active verbs) their P.O.V. with a "laundry list" of idea. In the actor's mind when you get to that place in the scene in my mind I know what is to be said is the "laundry list", and I match that to my action/verb "defend my P.O.V.", "present my reasoning", "list my reasoning", etc.

The process typically gets harder the older you get because for most of us our memory begins to go, but with these tools and techniques, hopefully we can stay adept at memorizing for more years than we should. They are good brain exercises too. All memorization ... jokes, poetry, speeches, etc. are good for our brains.

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Actor 6:

I'm what is called a "quick study" -- I can learn pages in a few minutes. Apparently, that has to do with what side of the brain you work on -- and that's not a choice!

I learn through images. I see a line and I see the picture of the line. For example, "I love you, you're the greatest man I've ever known, but if you don't clean up that office, I"m going to leave you!"

I see the man I love standing in a room full of paper which he is not putting in a trash can and then I see myself leaving.

The picture -- to the action -- to the line.

Sometimes, there is a word I get caught on and then I use a muscle memory technique. The brain is a muscle and if you lift 20-30 times all the other
muscles (the tongue etc.) remember. So, I repeat by rote over and over and over until the muscle remembers and then I don't have to think about that word -- it comes -- the muscle just
does it.

Finally, my acting technique, Meisner, learned in grad school -- lines are just an extension of the physical action. So when you are working out the part you are in motion moving from
set piece to prop to person etc. and it's like a dancer with choreography you just know what the action is your playing and you move in that direction and the lines come because you know where you are headed based on the intention and action of the scene.

Thanks again to all the actors who participated.  

How to memorize scripts

Based on a reader’s question I surveyed a number of very successful actors and actresses to learn how they memorize scripts. Their answers were all fascinating and wildly different. There were too many to squeeze into one post so tomorrow I’ll share the rest. I’m sure a few of you have methods of your own. My thanks to these actors for their generous participation. Memorization is just one of the many skills I don't have to be an actor.

Actor 1

Read the scene a few times. Try not to read it out loud a lot. Then get a pad and scribble your dialogue as quickly as possible without worrying about being able to read it back later...no punctuation. Write as fast as your brain goes. Keep doing that until the lines come fast.

Then have someone read the scene with you a few times, or do it yourself covering the dialogue with something until you get to it.

If they're good lines it'll go quickly. If they're crap lines, do the same thing but curse a lot while you're doing it.

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Actor 2

I have a lousy memory. And it isn't - for me at least, though I expect this may be generally true - something that gets easier with time, since, with time, one's memory declines.

I HATE memorizing.

Then, there are 2 categories of memorizing: 1) Theater - must be word perfect. Them's the rules, since the script is "rented" from the owner, not purchased. 2) tv/film: depending on who the producers are, who the director is, how much clout the writer has (lots if he's a producer - as you know), one may be able to get away with a bit of paraphrasing...or "improving". More in drama than comedy, I think.

Here's how I memorize, and it's totally obsessive/compulsive.

I number all my lines. If there is more than one scene, and the scenes do not immediately follow each other, than I treat each scene separately. After numbering, I go through the scene, making sure I can do each line by memory. Then I make sure I can do each pair of lines by memory. 1&2. 3&4. 5&6, etc. Then I do 2&3, 4&5, 6&7, through to the end. Then by 3's. 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, etc. Then 2-4, 5-7, 8-10, etc. Then 3-5.... Then by 4's, 5's, 6's, until I'm doing the entire scene's lines from memory. If there are lengthy speeches, I also treat them as separate entities with this method. This is a method of my own devising, and probably a rotten way to go about it. Some people simply look at dialogue and remember it. Some people should not ever step in front of my car.

And that's how I do it. If working creatively is heaven, then my process is hell.

Oh, and one also has to memorize cues...or just wait until there's a lengthy silence and then begin speaking. Cues, sometimes, are actually more difficult, unless they actually "cue" the next speech.

Friendly cue: What time is it?
Unfriendly cue: I'm feeling kind of...mushy.

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Actor 3

Hmmmm.... Good question. It just comes from a combo of looking it over and the repetition of saying the lines. I think I'm a visual learner because if I can visualize the type and where it was on the page, the words come. It's probably second nature at this point. It's also really great for me to have at least one night of looking at it just before bed. Then, somehow, the next day ...as if by magic....it's there. ( I go into a terrible panic when handed pages on the set!)

Overall, I would say that the more often someone practices the skill the better they become at it. I'd advise a new actor to work on various monologues regularly .....just to become easy with the skill (I'd recommend Shakespeare.)

I do have to say that good writing is easier to memorize. Bad writing can be a real struggle. CSI is a nightmare!

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Actor 4

The truth is that the only time I actively memorize is when the lines are awkward or poorly written. Then it is sometimes necessary to go over the words again and again until you find a way to make them 'fall trippingly off the tongue'.

When doing a play, where everything must be learned at once, I usually find that by the time I have studied my way through the script several times I have already picked most of them up. The thing that seals it is the blocking process; suddenly you just know that when you cross down stage left and pick up that glass you say "X".

The same is true when you are shooting movies and long form TV. You just do it scene by scene, and working with the other actors makes it all come alive and be much easier.

Now sitcoms - that can be a real challenge since those darn writers just keep fussing and adjusting up until the moment they are thrown off of the sound stage by the janitor after the final taping. I made the mistake of telling the Charles Brothers that I was a very quick study. It got to be a sort of game with them to give me brand new lengthy orations just as the stage manager was counting down. Certainly kept me on my toes!
 
Tomorrow the rest. Hope you find this topic as fascinating as I do.

Friday Questions

First FQ’s of the year. I've been doing this feature for ten years now. So I’ve answered about 2,000 of them. Let me answer yours. Just leave it in the comments section.

Doug G. starts us off:

How did you feel about the decision to kill off Henry Blake? I know you weren't on the writing staff yet but I wonder what you thought of it at the time and if your opinion changed or not after being on staff later on.

It was mind-blowing at the time because I didn’t expect it. I was watching that night and recall being completely gobsmacked. My first thought was “How could they do that?” But upon reflection, it was a brilliant move. This was a show about war and in a war there are casualties, including people we know and love.

But I believe it was the first time a series regular was killed off during an episode. (On the DANNY THOMAS SHOW they killed off his first wife between seasons, a la KEVIN CAN WAIT.) Now it’s the rare series that doesn’t kill off one of its main characters.

Final note on the Henry Blake killing: Thousands of people wrote to the show incensed. To their credit, showrunners Gene Reynolds and Larry Gelbart answered each one individually.

From Steve B.:

Which is more challenging as a showrunner: writing a pilot episode for a show, or writing episode 2?

Episode 2. You have to accomplish two things. You have to re-tell the pilot for all the viewers tuning in for the first time, and for those who did watch the pilot you have to give them enough of a new story to hold their interest.

Also, you generally have months to craft a pilot. You can’t devote that kind of time and effort to episode 2 because you also have episodes 3-13 to worry about.

Andy Ballow asks:

Ken, you mentioned in a recent podcast that Gene Hackman is one of your favorite actors. Can you talk about a couple of your favorite Gene Hackman films? My personal favorites are The French Connection, Mississippi Burning, and Unforgiven.

I would include all of those. Along with HOOSIERS, POWER, THE CONVERSATION, SUPERMAN (he is also an extremely funny comic actor), THE BIRDCAGE, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, GET SHORTY, CRIMSON TIDE, THE FIRM, NO WAY OUT, NIGHT MOVES, and of course BONNIE & CLYDE. And I’m sure I’m leaving out five others.

It’s always fun to watch some show from the early ‘60s on one of those nostalgia channels and there are actors like Gene Hackman playing cops on the beat or waiters.

And finally, from Laura:

They have cut out a dialogue that referenced Kevin Spacey from "This is Us".

Friday Question - Have you ever had any of your dialogues cut at the last moment to avoid controversy?

Is such a last moment cut necessary? Or is it just too much "political correctness" that each and every thing related to someone needs to be "purged".

I seem to recall we had a joke in a CHEERS episode about someone who died just prior to airing. And we cut it so as not to appear insensitive.

One of my plays was in final rehearsal a couple of years ago. I had a whole run about Arnold Palmer and his drink. Three days before we were scheduled to open he died. So I threw out that section and wrote a completely new one. Unfortunately, these things happen.

I, TONYA -- My review

I, TONYA was about a winter Olympic hopeful who starts a poker game.  Oh wait, that was yesterday.  I, TONYA was about a winter Olympic hopeful who can't help putting her foot in her mouth with her skate on.  

Let’s say it right up front. Allison Janney STEALS this movie. Margot Robbie should have someone clonk her knee. Not that Margot wasn’t terrific (and had good balance) but Allison as her chain-smoking mom crushed it every time she opened her world-weary caustic mouth. The sense I got was that Allison Janney was having the time of her life. And when she dropped out for large stretches the movie suffered. Cruella DePlorable.

If there’s a takeaway from this film it’s that Tonya Harding led a tough life and didn’t deserve to be as vilified as she was. And white trash is ignorant and violent.

This is a highly stylized dark satire that was mostly entertaining but suffered from repetition. There have to be no less than eight scenes of Tonya’s cretin boyfriend beating the crap out of her (and over the same argument). We get it. As much ice as they needed for the rink they needed for her face. I also wasn’t too keen on Sebastian Stan as her boyfriend/husband, Bluto. You need someone scarier. Where’s the young Eric Roberts?

We could be looking at Oscar nominations for Robbie & Janney. Director Craig Gillespie and screenwriter Steven Rogers really put you in the world of figure skating and morons. Watching Robbie (and her skating double – good CGI) go through her routines was thrilling.

Kudos also to the soundtrack, which featured some very cool classic rock tunes. The only song missing was “If I Had a Hammer.”

I recommend I, TONYA.

UPDATE:  A future post got posted accidentally.  So I took it down and it will appear in the future when it's supposed to. 

EP53: Revealing the Secret: Who is Richard Castle?

The TV show CASTLE spawned 7 novels supposedly written by the star, Richard Castle.  They became New York Times Best Sellers.  But who really wrote those books?   He also produced NURSE JACKIE, COSBY, NIGHT COURT, GRACE UNDER FIRE wrote for Craig Ferguson’s Late Night Show, was a radio DJ, program director, and weekend TV weatherman.   This week we’ll meet him and for the first time I will reveal his true identity.  You’ll learn a lot about the process of writing and what Edie Falco is really like.

Listen to the Hollywood & Levine podcast!

MOLLY'S GAME -- my review

If you love Aaron Sorkin – and I do – you should really be pleased with MOLLY’S GAME. If you don’t, see what else is playing.

But if you’re a fan, it was Sorkin porn.

In MOLLY’S GAME he wisely finds characters to write about who all have 175 IQ’s and that includes doormen. I do not see Aaron doing a reboot of GRAPES OF WRATH.

And this time, by directing the movie himself (a very impressive debut effort), you really get to hear the lines delivered exactly the way he intended.

There are some standard Sorkin tropes in this film. The lead is smarter than everyone else (185 IQ unlike the village idiots at 175), it’s a biopic of a real person, and there are daddy-daughter issues. (Even in MONEYBALL there were daddy-daughter issues. This topic must come up a lot in his therapy.)

Sorkin plays to his strengths and avoids his weaknesses in MOLLY’S GAME – notably there’s no budding romance. So we’re spared the “if you like her you have to tell her” recurring storyline.

And what you’re left with is crackling dialogue, an interesting world, and terrific performances by Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, and my favorite actor who no one's ever heard of but always steals every scene he’s ever in – Bill Camp.

The story, based on real life, is about Molly Bloom, an Olympic skier hopeful who winds up running a super high-stakes poker game featuring Hollywood moguls and stars (who lose as much in one week as they pay out in a year for their sexual harassment settlements). Oh, and some Russian mafia guys also play. Borscht night. Molly gets arrested by 17 FBI agents and the movie is her struggle to clear her good name and stay out of prison for twenty years. But mostly to clear her own name.

If I had one quibble, it’s the same one I have in most Aaron Sorkin vehicles. I wish at times his films would slow down, give us a few moments to breathe and savor. The dialogue goes by so fast that you really have no time to appreciate it. And after awhile the relentless rapid pace gets fatiguing. The speeches are too good to whiz by so quickly.

There’s not a lot of the trademark Sorkin “walk and talk,” but there is “ski and talk.” And you might learn a little something about poker.

Kevin Costner appears as Molly's Jewish father who's a therapist.  Talk about miscasting?  YIKES. 

MOLLY’S GAME is rated B for Blue State.

As we head into Oscar season...

Watching a bunch of “for your consideration” screeners I’m picking up some patterns.

For whatever reason most of these movies begin with the sound of wind over the opening production vanity cards. I always worry that my sound is working until two minutes into the movie.  I think it was five minutes into HOSTILES. 

There seems to be a lot of biopics or depictions of real life events. And in most cases everyone knows the ending. Is Hollywood trying to make SPOILER ALERTS obsolete? The problem this creates for filmmakers is that the way you tell the story must be so compelling that you’re enthralled even if you know the ending. THE POST and I, TONYA fall into that category. THE DARKEST HOUR and DUNKIRK tell the same story but from different angles. At least in MOLLY’S GAME, although it’s the story of a real person, no one knew her before or what her game was. THE GREATEST SHOWMAN centered on P.T. Barnum but was a musical so I don’t think anyone cared about the ending.  You knew it was going to be happy.  And any movie with a bearded lady doesn't need a socko finish.

Very few comedies even bother to send screeners. THE BIG SICK and maybe LADY BIRD can be considered a comedy.

As always, there’s a bunch of movies I’ve never heard of. And a bunch of movies that are so depressing you want to blow your brains out. A few of those are even in English.

Every movie was too long.

LADY BIRD has been praised to the heavens.  Ten years ago it would just be considered a cute little movie.  

This year the word “Wonder” is in half the titles. WONDER, WONDER WHEEL, WONDER WOMAN, WONDERSTRUCK.

I’ll be reviewing a couple more movies this week and next.  But unlike film reviewers, no one's paying me so if I want to skip one I can (and I DO). 

One thing is consistent however – more of you will see STAR WARS than all the Oscar hopefuls combined. See ya at the popcorn stand.

My New Years resolutions

Happy New Year!

Here are my New Year’s resolutions:

Throw out my Miramax DVD's.

Finally watch THIS IS US.

Get ALMOST PERFECT on Netflix or Hulu.

Go to the gym at least twice a week. (My gym is usually packed in January and by March it’s me and two other guys.)

Stay off the 405 freeway when it’s crowded (so only take it between 2-4 AM).

Get more productions of my plays.

Meet Claire Danes. (I resolve this every year)

Learn to do an accent in my improv class.

See a Broadway show I wish I had written.

Go somewhere in the world I've never been.

Recover from the jet lag.

Impeach the president.

Finish writing my new play (almost done with the second draft).

Learn what half the features on my car are.

Finish watching THE DEUCE. It's been on DVR for months.

Champion strict gun control.

Get a humor piece in the NEW YORKER.

Get a cartoon in the NEW YORKER.

Avoid the incredibly tasty fried chicken wings at the Hamburger Hamlet.

Keep Tetris playing down to three hours a day.

Answer more Friday Questions (which I'll be able to do if I keep the previous resolution).

Clean my desk (a perennial resolution but this year for sure!)

And finally, solve the Natalie Wood case.

Let's see how many I keep.  What are your resolutions?

Happy New Year

It can't come fast enough. 

May you have a happy, healthy, prosperous new year.  And may we be better off in a year than we are today.

Now I know what it's like to have a song written about me

I always thought girls named "Laura" were lucky.  There's a gorgeous song named after "Laura."   Same with Roseanna, Wendy, Nancy, Georgia, Mandy, Brandy, Carol, and even Sharona.  For guys, Johnny and Bill, and Tom seemed to have cornered the market.  No one ever sang a love song to "Ken."

Until now.

And what a hard-driving classic it is.  This is from an early '60s Barbie album.   I'm kinda hoping Katy Perry will do a cover.  But until then, I'll have to be content with being the object of affection of a girl who hallucinates and has no genitals.   What a fitting tribute.

RIP Sue Grafton

This has really been a SHITTY year.  Now comes word that mystery writer, Sue Grafton has died.  She was 77.  I never met her but loved her Kinsey Millhone alphabet mysteries.  I just finished her last book, "Y is for Yesterday" a few weeks ago and was looking forward to Z.  

Her stories were always ingenious and well-plotted.  Rarely could you out-guess her and once the mystery was solved you always realized that the clues were right there for you all along; you just weren't as clever as Kinsey.   Over the course of the series you also became fond of the other characters in Kinsey's world. 

One thing I really admired about Ms. Grafton was that she refused to option any of her books to movies or television, and she refused to let any other writer ghostwrite her series.   And her family will continue to honor her wishes.  So don't expect to see Margot Robbie as Kinsey Millhone anytime soon. 

Prior to writing her mystery series, Sue Grafton wrote screenplays for TV and movies.  And did you know she also wrote an episode of RHODA? 

I really will miss Sue Grafton.  Especially when I go on vacation. 

Friday Questions

Last FQ’s of the year. What’s yours?

John H gets us started.

I also have a Friday question regarding Cheers. There haven't been any books written regarding the behind the scenes drama. I know much of what has been said about the challenges with Shelley Long had more to do with her dedication to her character, but I'm sure there are plenty of stories. The antics with Ted and Woody, Kelsey's wild lifestyle, etc. Have you ever considered writing a tell all Cheers book?

We used to joke in the writers room about one of the assistants writing such a book.

But here’s the God’s honest truth from someone who was there. There’s not much to tell. No behind-the-scenes scandals or blow-ups. No feuds. No juicy secrets. A couple of pranks and that was it. Even the Shelley stories are wildly exaggerated.  We had a happy set, there was great mutual respect between the writers and actors.

There may have been some debates over lines or scenes or no big scenes. No actor ever threw down a script. No actor ever refused to come out of his or her trailer. No actor counted lines. No actor was habitually late.

We knew at the time we had a sweet deal with this show and appreciated it.

So honestly, it would be a very short and boring book.

From 71dude:

How late in the season can a network order additional episodes of a series?

Five minutes before the series season wraps. On MASH they always upped our order to 24 from 22, but then at the last minute added one more. In season 7 we begged them to let us know earlier. They insisted they would only need 24 that year. The last week of production they ordered a 25th show. My partner and I had to write it over the weekend and it went into production that Monday. (“Night at Rosie’s”)

Last minute additional episodes generally require lots of overtime, extra editors, etc. The network almost always picks up that tab.

I will say this: it’s much easier slapping together an episode last minute in the digital world. Film required processing, negative cutting, etc. It’s quite possible now to wrap production on a Wednesday and have the show air the following Monday. I don’t recommend it though.

Dan Reese wonders:

Does a show’s creative team ever come to regret establishing an every-episode convention or joke that becomes a pain to have to write into every episode? I’m thinking of the Cheers cold opens, the titles to scenes on Frasier... or Bob’s Burgers writers constantly having to come up with new names of stores next door, exterminators and burgers-of-the-day.

We hated those independent teasers on CHEERS. Today there is less of that because the running time of shows have shrunk to accommodate more commercials. If we were making CHEERS today we would need those extra two minutes to tell stories.

And finally, Patrick asks:

Why is it whenever people are eating dinner on multi camera comedies its always pasta and salad? Is it because its easy to fake eat, doesn’t involve more than a fork and doesn’t matter if its hot or cold?

Easy to pick at, easy to refill, no knives or cutting necessary, easier to match takes.

On the other hand, there’s no concerted effort to use these foods. And as a writer/producer I’ve never thought about it. If I need characters to eat turkey or burritos I write that in and no one ever comes up to me and says “turkey requires cutting.”

One time when I was directing LATELINE we had a character eat a three-pound lobster. So the production had an extra one. When it wasn’t needed they gave it to me. I had a clambake for the crew up in my office. I don’t think they would have stuck around for leftover salad.

Rose Marie RIP

Just got word that Rose Marie passed away at the age of 94.  She was in show business for 93 of those years.  I had the pleasure of getting lunch with her about five years ago.  She was truly a kick.  Funny, smart, and with a million stories.  For many she'll always be Sally Rogers, a role model for women getting into comedy and writing.    How eerie that both Rose Marie and Mary Tyler Moore died the same year. 

Just last weekend CBS ran two colorized episodes of THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW and they were a huge rating hit.   Rose Marie's work will be seen and appreciated hopefully another 94 years.  

Joe Buck is great -- I don't care what anybody says

Here’s a Friday Question that became an entire post.

Ken, maybe you can offer some insight...why do people dislike Joe Buck? I'm not really a "fan" (the only thing I really know about him is that he calls the World Series every year), but he knows his baseball and his voice doesn't bother me during a broadcast. Supposedly he's too "New York-centric" or whatever, and since I'm a Red Sox fan I'm not supposed to like that? What is the beef with this guy?

Joe Buck is both a terrific guy and an excellent sportscaster. I wish I had his voice (although I’m sure he wishes he had my hair). I’ve known Joe since we were both announcing minor league baseball in 1989. Proud to call him a friend.

He wrote an autobiography called LUCKY BASTARD that I’ve read and enthusiastically recommend. In it he addresses the criticism and is very candid in accepting the complaints. Some fans found him dispassionate and he agrees with them and has since adjusted his delivery.

Some feel he’s smug. In truth he’s anything but. Joe has a great sense of humor and is very self-deprecating. He’s friendly with everyone he comes in contact with. He’s great with the crew. I can think of a hundred guys in sports broadcasting that are way more smug.

Some feel he only got the job due to nepotism (his father was legendary sportscaster Jack Buck), but that doesn’t fly. Nepotism might get you in the door, but you don’t hold onto a network’s number one play-by-play position for twenty years if you don’t have the talent and goods (and voice -- that bastard).

Do you have any idea the pressure that goes with the job? Just blow one big call and it follows you for life. And you’re on the air live… with a director talking constantly in your ear, a stage manager handing you a promo to read, substitutions all over the field, a ten minute delay while a pitcher takes all the time he wants to warm up since he came in following an injury, and a partner who may cheerfully throw you under the bus if he doesn’t like you. That’s air traffic controller pressure.

In his book he brings out a good point that social media today effectively stifles any creativity. This is one of my pet peeves as well. Show any personality, say something facetiously and you get crushed. The result is sportscasters now pull back and play it safe. And networks now hire young generic boring robots. This is the week there are dozens of bowl games. 90% of the announcers will be completely interchangeable.

A few years ago I was broadcasting some games for the Mariners following the passing of their great announcer, Dave Niehaus (who had personality to burn). We were in Detroit. I was on the radio. My partner Rick Rizzs and I were talking about Dave and I said on the air that the Tigers were honoring him as well that year, which was really touching since he never broadcast in Detroit. But I told the listeners if they ever go to Comerica Park or see a Tigers’ home game on TV they’ll notice a big old English “D” on the front of their uniforms. That’s for Dave.

Well, the internet blew up. “What an idiot that Levine is. The “D” is for Detroit.” “How could they let a guy that stupid on the air?”

Yeah, I’m the idiot.

Over the last few years Joe has felt more comfortable and has allowed more of his personality to seep into his broadcasts. He was terrific before. Now he’s even better.

One final point: People accuse him of bias against their teams. All national announcers face that. If he’s calling a Yankees-Red Sox game he’ll get an equal number of complaints that he’s rooting for the Yankees and the Red Sox. You can’t win. Here’s the truth: National announcers don’t really give a shit whether your beloved team wins or loses. Yes, they may root for a team to win a particular game so it can extend the World Series, or root for a team to get back into a game so the ending is more dramatic, but they don’t hate New York, they don’t hate Dallas, they don’t hate L.A.

If I were president of major network’s sports division I would hire Joe Buck in a second and tell him, let it loose. Don’t worry about Twitter. Don’t worry about anything. Just be the best you. And only say nice things about the Dodgers.

EP52: Drop the damn New Year’s Ball already!

Ken goes stream-of-consciousness this week, riffing on the end of the year, the industry, parades, bowl games, Disneyland, prime rib, Oscar season, and one of the great Elizabeth Montgomery stories EVER.   Start or end your year off right with this episode.

Listen to the Hollywood & Levine podcast!

THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI -- my review

This movie has gotten rave reviews. Even Oscar buzz. I suspect my review will be quite different from the others out there. I say that as a disclaimer. You may well feel differently.

First of all, I was really looking forward to this movie. I’m a huge fan of Martin McDonagh. He’s kind of the thinking man’s Quentin Tarantino.  He's assembled  a great cast headed by Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, and Sam Rockwell. The premise seemed intriguing and the trailer looked really cool.

The story (don’t worry, no SPOILER ALERT necessary) is about a mother (McDormand) in a small Missouri town putting up three billboards to get the local police department to solve the case of her murdered and raped daughter.

The performances are great – especially McDormand and Harrelson’s. And the dialogue is chock-full of McDonagh’s dark twisted humor and surprises. The supporting cast is terrific as well. It was a little weird to hear Abbie Cornish’s Australian accent in Missouri but okay.

All good except for one thing – and again I state that this is a personal bias based on the times we live in – I am not in the mood to watch ignorant redneck knuckleheads. Not in the current state of this country. I listen to these people and idiotic things they say and do and partly blame them for the mess we’re now in. So other than Frances McDormand’s character and Woody’s – I didn’t give a shit about any of them. Some were worse than others. Some were victims of senseless violence. But for the most part they were backward yahoos who weren’t sure of the difference between polo and polio (that’s in the film). And all I could think was they voted for Trump. So what do I care if they beat the shit out of each other?

That said, I’m so glad JUSTIFIED came and went when it did. I absolutely adored that show at the time. If it were on now I’d probably have the same reaction I had to THREE BILLBOARDS. Boyd & Dewey aren’t so hilarious when they vote Republican.

You may not have that reaction. And if so, you’ll probably enjoy THREE BILLBOARDS. I would have – two years ago.

UPDATE:

Yes, I'm angry.  It breaks my heart that I'm angry at certain fellow citizens.  By wanting to provide them health care, and fair taxes, and a government that looks out for them instead of the rich I feel I care more about their well-being than they do.  I look forward to the day when we can all be united again, and my taxes go towards giving these people a better life and not padding the bank accounts of the 1%.  And if you believe that we are currently going in the right direction, then respectfully, this is not the blog for you.  So save your angry comments (that will be deleted) and just somewhere where you feel more comfortable.   No SPOILER ALERT necessary.  I'm furious that there are those who don't see through this con man.  

UPDATE 2:

I have no problem with opposing political views.  Having a genuine belief on how better to run the country that is different from mine is not the issue.  Politicians who hide behind party lines to line the pockets of billionaires and disregard the wishes of the people are the ones I detest.   When 80% of the country says they want net neutrality and it's repealed anyway, when the president of the United States tells his billionaire friends they just got a lot richer after the tax bill passed, that's what royally pisses me off.   But that's different from being a conservative or even a Republican.  

I rarely dabble in politics in this blog because I do like to keep it light and keep readers of all parties.  I would hope people who have opposing views will stick around and find other posts of value here.  But I always try to be honest with you on this site.  And sometimes that means expressing my anger.  Nothing's going to change if we don't speak up.  So for one day in twelve-plus years I'm speaking up.  

Final thought:  If you thought today's post was controversial, just WAIT until you see what I write tomorrow.

The world's greatest Trout

I don’t get Jeff Glor. Not yet anyway. He’s the new CBS Evening News anchor – sitting in the Walter Cronkite chair. That used to be the single most prestigious and respected position in broadcast news. Earlier this month Glor was in Los Angeles because of the brush fires. He went out to a fire location and the local CBS-TV affiliate news anchors interviewed him out in the field.

I was shocked. He couldn’t articulate two sentences without stumbling, repeating himself, saying “you know,” rambling, changing subjects, and conveying nothing. It was the first time I had ever seen him when he wasn’t reading off a teleprompter, and to say he was unimpressive was an understatement.

Compare that with Robert Trout.

Who’s Robert Trout you’re probably saying? He was a CBS newsman, first on the radio in the 30’s and 40’s and television for several decades after. When Franklin Roosevelt was president he would have periodic “fireside chats” (one-on-one radio interviews) with Robert Trout.

One day Trout was sent out to New York harbor to report live on the return of President Roosevelt who was arriving via cruise ship from Europe. The ship was scheduled to dock at noon.

So at 11:55 they threw it to Robert Trout who went live coast-to-coast just holding a microphone poised to describe the president’s return. The ship was in sight; it was only a few moments before the president would be back on native soil.

Trout did his brief introduction and noticed that about 100 yards offshore the ship stopped. Trout didn’t know why but just kept talking. He described the reason for the trip, what the president hoped to achieve. He described the ship and the dock and the other well-wishers who were in attendance. He talked about cruise lines, talked about politics, recapped Roosevelt’s agenda, put it in world-wide perspective.

Finally, after about 45 minutes the ship was on the move and docked several minutes later. A relieved Robert Trout made his way to the gangplank to get a quick interview with the president. Roosevelt emerged, Trout caught up to him and asked what the delay was?

Roosevelt said, “Oh that was my doing. I told the ship to stop. I had a radio and was listening to you and wanted to see how long you could just ad lib. Very impressive.”

In those days a reporter had to be able to put two sentences together – or thirty. I sincerely doubt that Jeff Glor could do something like that. But Cronkite could. And Dan Rather. And Peter Jennings. And John Chancellor. And Chet Huntley. And David Brinkley. And certainly Edward R. Murrow. Al Michaels, a sportscaster, switched immediately and effortlessly into the role of news anchor when the San Francisco earthquake hit just before a World Series game.

Looking good, being young, and being able to read smoothly off a teleprompter is a poor substitute for real journalism. And now more than ever, we need all the true journalists we can find.

Merry Christmas

Listing my blessings

Yes, there are actors who are monsters.  But I've found that most are lovely people, passionate abut their work.  A number of readers have asked me say which actor was a pleasure to work with and I can't come up with just one.  Instead I've compiled only a partial list.  As we head into Christmas Eve and Santa determines who's naughty and who's nice, here's an incomplete list of the actors I thought were more than nice.  

Ted Danson
Tom Hanks
Rita Wilson
John Candy
Michael Douglas
Nancy Travis
Alan Alda
Mike Ferrell
Harvey Firestein
Emma Thompson
Harry Connick Jr.
Harry Morgan
Shelley Long
Rhea Perlman
Nick Collasanto
Woody Harrelson
George Wendt
John Ratzenberger
Kirstie Alley
Kelsey Grammer
Steven Webber
Tony Shahloub
Andrew Rannells
Tim Daly
Julie Benz
Crystal Bernard
Amy Yasbech
Adam Arkin
Jane Kaczmarek
Malcolm McDowell
Kurtwood Smith
Kevin Kilner
Patrick Breen
Ed Asner
Jennifer Tilly
Wendie Malick
George Segal
David Hyde Pierce
Jon Tenney
Peri Gilpen
Laura Linney
Aaron Eckhart
John Mahoney
Jane Leeves
Patricia Heaton
Ray Romano
Doris Roberts
Peter Boyle
Brad Garrett
Troy Metcalf
Tracey Ullman
Julie Kavner
Dan Castellaneta
Neil Patrick Harris
Yeardly Smith
Nancy Cartwright
Hank Azaria
Harry Shearer
Laura San Giacomo
Chip Zien
James Farentino
David Clennon
Matthew Letscher
John Astin
Katey Sagal
Tony Randall
William Christopher
Jaime Farr
Jane Seymour
Jules Willcox
Lisa Kudrow
Roz Chao
David Ogden Steirs
Alan Arbus
Loretta Swit
Gary Burghoff
Allison Janney
Paget Brewster
Marcia Wallace
Bob Newhart
John Cleese
Ana Ortiz
Lisa Edelstein
David Spade
David Schram
David Morse
Enrico Colantoni
Former senator Al Franken
Megyn Price
Miquel Ferrer (who I really miss)
Kristen Chenowith
Robert Forthworth
Sanaa Latham
James Tolkin
Kat Denning
Jenna Elfman
Hattie Winston
Terry Ferrell
Alex Desert
Shawnee Smith
Bess Armstrong
Thomas Gibson (yes, he was great with me)
Willie Garsons
William Ragsdale
Sean O’Bryan
Mark Feuerstein
Bess Meyer
Nathan Lane
Joan Plowright
Joel Murray
Paul Dooley
Jack Coleman
Brenda Vaccarro
Tea Leoni
Gilbert Gottfried
Mimi Kennedy
Alan Rachins
Susan Sullivan
Bob Elliott
Steve Landesburg
Victoria Jackson
Jon Lovitz
Rita Rudner
Ever Carradine
Avery Schreiber
Ryan Mitchell
Maggie Lawson
Harriet Harris
Lenny Clarke
…and Moose (Eddie on FRASIER)