tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post1176146862726408953..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Hollywood Agent Musical ChairsBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-8078733517502267062011-11-21T07:02:15.286-08:002011-11-21T07:02:15.286-08:00What interesting is the line the I took from the m...What interesting is the line the I took from the movie was "Show me the money!<br />Thanks for sharing with us..Gregory Chairshttp://www.sitbackandrelax.com.au/gregory-boxta-drafting-chair.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-754224689510897222011-11-17T08:29:34.695-08:002011-11-17T08:29:34.695-08:00Lou H doesn't understand how phone switches wo...Lou H doesn't understand how phone switches work (even today, logging takes up space: if the carrier isn't billing you for it individually, they're not logging it.), and I think Rich misunderstood Broadcast News: in the end Jane goes with her head... and then discovers that it's too late; Aaron can sing while he reads, but she couldn't; so she gets neither of them.<br /><br />Mean to say: BN was a *character study*, not a plot-driven film.Baylinkhttp://baylink.pitas.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70859881931298657512011-11-14T11:49:08.954-08:002011-11-14T11:49:08.954-08:00Jerry Maguire is a special case. It was the first ...Jerry Maguire is a special case. It was the first Movie I owned on DVD - I wasn't able to buy a DVD Player for another three or four years so I could actually WATCH it but still... <br /><br />The only reason the movie holds up is because I am able to tune out everything Cooba Gooding made after this and that Renee Zellweger stalked George Clooney.<br /><br />What I can't get past is this<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Scientologists<br /><br />and the fact that the kid in the movie is obviously handicapped or has a birth-defect and they NEVER ADDRESS IT. That annoyed me to no end back then but nowadays it gets pushed to the back because of the idiocy that is scientology.<br /><br />If you don't want a ton of movies and TV Shows to get ruined for you then don't visit that Wikipedia page. I mean when I read that hald the cast of "That 70s Show" is now in Scientology it makes me want to do hurt someone...<br /><br />The whole "Religion" is so clearly a scam. Every time I hear someone complain how the Jews run Hollywood it makes me wonder if that person every heard of that rotary club that is Scientology.<br /><br />You know, that rotary club with its own group of secret agents.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01936042470523695383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-56660116744237764032011-11-11T15:04:45.298-08:002011-11-11T15:04:45.298-08:00But more to the point, I'm in healthcare and h...But more to the point, I'm in healthcare and have a hard time with medical shows/films (especially TV) with House M.D. being the worst. The entire setup of that show is pure fiction starting with the imaginary "diagnostic department" with licensed physicians doing nursing and lab tech work, nonsurgeons performing surgery, and basically no one actually doing anything that resembles the practice of medicine. It drives me insane.Little Miss Smoke and Mirrorshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03929842073300471147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-55393262500803111572011-11-11T15:01:09.558-08:002011-11-11T15:01:09.558-08:00I loved Jerry Maguire back in the day, but I tried...I loved Jerry Maguire back in the day, but I tried to watch it recently, and was sad to see it doesn't hold up at all. That said, I was surprised and happy to see Donal Logue was in it. He wasn't on my radar back then, but after Terriers, I totally love that guy.Little Miss Smoke and Mirrorshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03929842073300471147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-33188208526040698022011-11-10T17:25:20.667-08:002011-11-10T17:25:20.667-08:00I'm a woman and I thought it was lame. I didn&...I'm a woman and I thought it was lame. I didn't buy the love story AT ALL. And I didn't even know about the bogus agenting stuff.<br /><br />I thought it was horrific how what's her face's character just LOST herself in such a jerk. The "You complete me" shit came way too late.Angie McCullaghhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13338130265872869124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-4928622267122769722011-11-10T11:42:19.613-08:002011-11-10T11:42:19.613-08:00This is how I feel about the glut of police proced...This is how I feel about the glut of police procedurals that swamp our TVs. Once you've seen (and loved) The Wire, it's very hard to go back to the ridiculousness of CSI.<br /><br />Personally I really hate when shows/films do something that's not realistic. With regards to JERRY MA, I have to wonder how hard it would have been for the writers to drop something in to appease the more savvy audience members?Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-47399017670636778522011-11-10T10:02:32.394-08:002011-11-10T10:02:32.394-08:00I watched The Rum Diaries this week and even thoug...I watched The Rum Diaries this week and even though I don't have any real-life experience with Amber Heard, the scene where she and Johnny start making out while he is in the shower? Have you seen it? And the scene cuts to them lowering themselves on to the bed and Johnny is ... <i>what</i>? Johnny is suddenly wearing a <i>bath towel </i>around his waist??<br /><br />Oh, no way, man.Daddy Backgroundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02730937266890118648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45021225710672908552011-11-10T04:44:40.139-08:002011-11-10T04:44:40.139-08:00I have similar thoughts about "Outbreak"...I have similar thoughts about "Outbreak". In the film a small monkey provides antiserum to save the lives of hundreds of virally infected patients.<br />If you're an immunologist like me, this denouement kind of ruins an otherwise very entertaining movie. It takes usually months of hard work to end up with a therapeutic agent like this. And then there's the upscaling to provide larger quantities.<br />But who wants to watch scientists pipetting and ethics boards discussing compassionate use?jcsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-86368521296955626352011-11-09T17:09:56.503-08:002011-11-09T17:09:56.503-08:00But what about Broadway Danny Rose? He busted his ...But what about Broadway Danny Rose? He busted his hump for those clients and got them all kind of gigs, but they all dumped himPaul Gottliebhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14062464400324829622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-8599305897108724082011-11-09T15:27:31.981-08:002011-11-09T15:27:31.981-08:00I worked in a hospital stroke/traumatic brain inju...I worked in a hospital stroke/traumatic brain injury rehab ward through part of the run of <i>ER</i> and it was always interesting to see what they got right and what they got wrong -- like the spinal anesthetic given in the wrong body position which wouldn't work as anesthetic but would kill the patient which I saw in one episode.<br /><br />The prop and set decorations departments usually got things right -- they had the same <b>brands</b> of boxes of rubber gloves as we had in our supply rooms, and their admin desk telephones were identical to ours, but way too much license was taken with certain medical procedures for dramatic purpose.<br /><br />Some variation for dramatic license I understand, but when they botched the depiction of a procedure and showed someone dying from it on top of that, it made it extraordinarily difficult to convince some patients to consent to what in some cases were life-saving procedures because of what they saw on the screen. The episode "Love Labour's Lost" from the first season has given thousands of expectant mothers unnecessary nightmares over the years over a depicted concatenation of events which while technically medically accurate were in reality almost impossible to happen in sequence without utter inexperience (which Mark Green had) and utter incompetence (which he didn't) on the part of the physician.<br /><br />And don't get me started on their notion of what safe physical therapy was supposed to be...!David K. M. Klaushttp://davidkevin.livejournal.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-37840837167090065292011-11-09T13:20:38.822-08:002011-11-09T13:20:38.822-08:00I really want to like Cameron Crowe. I LOVE "...I really want to like Cameron Crowe. I LOVE "Almost Famous", but maybe that's so good because it was based on his own reality. And he had Peter Frampton teach everyone how to play their instruments. ;-)<br /><br />Having grown up in Louisville and passed Elizabethtown (or E-town as EVERYONE calls it) a billion times to and from college, it drove me crazy when he's supposed to be getting lost on his way south to E-town and the road shot is a section of I-64 east of downtown Louisville. All Kirstin Dunst had to say was "hop on I-65, that interstate you can see out the airport windows, and head straight south. You'll be to E-town in 30 minutes." Instead she gives him some convoluted directions even though she is perfectly aware of how to give exact driving directions to a variety of locals around the country. <br /><br />Jerry Ma=romantic drivel & Vanilla Sky=great Paul McCartney song, sucky movieBarbara C.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03568254165279635079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-56014880458186971132011-11-09T12:55:41.986-08:002011-11-09T12:55:41.986-08:00If it's any consolation, Jerry Maguireboird th...If it's any consolation, <i>Jerry Maguire</i>boird the crap out of me. (And I'll bet the Academy really regrets that Oscar to Cuba Gooding Jr now, just for getting excited and jumping around while on the phone. 10 or 20 small roles in direct-to-DVD movies later, Cuba's acting reputation lies in tatters.) And I rewlly enjoyed t<i>The Verdict</i>, even if I am always predisposed to like James Mason.D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-22583551074471434572011-11-09T11:00:59.175-08:002011-11-09T11:00:59.175-08:00As corny as the "you complete me" line i...As corny as the "you complete me" line is, it's totally worth it just hear the Joker say it to batman in The Dark Knight.<br /><br />My pet peeve is politics. Having worked in Washington as a congressional aide, Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing drove me crazy. The way those people acted was pure fantasy. Think about it. The President has MS and doesn't tell anyone?<br /><br />Remember it was established that Leo approached Bartlett to run for the job. Bartlett had been diagnosed with the disease by that time, but NO ONE knew? It's been my experience that when someone is diagnosed with a serious illness they tell their best friends. Bartlett wouldn't say, Leo I can't run, I have MS, thanks for thinking of me? No, don't buy it.<br /><br />When Sorkin left, I found the plots to become far more realistic. People acted like people. Friends fought, enemies cooperated. I know I am a minority, but that's the way I roll.Jim Snoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7776749059175297982011-11-09T09:18:07.779-08:002011-11-09T09:18:07.779-08:00Some GOOD examples of actors fake-playing the pian...Some GOOD examples of actors fake-playing the piano were in The Competition and The Fabulous Baker Boys. (Of course having Michelle Pfeiffer as a distraction certainly helps...)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-35390639019873722612011-11-09T07:46:32.434-08:002011-11-09T07:46:32.434-08:00Yes, what Becky said.
Closely related: when they...Yes, what Becky said. <br /><br />Closely related: when they pretend they're typing, banging their fingers against the keyboard. Frequently hitting, like, five keys at once. All on the same row. "It sounds like I'm typing fast!"Kathynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-47793540110993483652011-11-09T05:02:14.729-08:002011-11-09T05:02:14.729-08:00I'm right there with you Becky. I mean, they ...I'm right there with you Becky. I mean, they have consultants and advisers for every aspect of the film, spending thousands of dollars on these people, and at no point did someone think to tell them how to hold the stupid instrument in the first place? How hard is it to move a finger or hand or whatever with the notes? <br /><br />And if the argument is that they don't know at the time what music is going to be playing, well that sounds like poor planning to me on the part of the director.404https://www.blogger.com/profile/00064577649967514295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51485416154440544372011-11-09T04:50:59.654-08:002011-11-09T04:50:59.654-08:00I saw it a couple of weeks ago. Yeah, "You co...I saw it a couple of weeks ago. Yeah, "You complete me" and a few others were sort of dropped in. The player who stayed with Jerry, his one client, was interesting than the big . . . uh, than Jerry.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-32701331260265043052011-11-09T03:58:36.559-08:002011-11-09T03:58:36.559-08:00And I could never understand why a football agent ...And I could never understand why a football agent got to fly a navy jet. Wait.HogsAteMySisterhttp://hogsatemysister.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-65725906031123042412011-11-09T00:04:35.578-08:002011-11-09T00:04:35.578-08:00For me, I'm totally thrown out of a picture wh...For me, I'm totally thrown out of a picture when someone is (*not*) playing a musical instrument. (No comments on the relative worth of the movies listed below; just the believability of the actor as musician.)<br /><br />The worst example I've seen is Kirk Douglas playing the trumpet in Young Man With a Horn. It was obvious that he had no clue how the instrument is actually played and it pretty much ruined the film for me.<br /><br />Alan Alda did better in The Mephisto Waltz -- I heard a story that he had the strings of the piano silenced so that he could actually play on the keys, and they dubbed the music in later. Too bad, though, he still moved on the bench like he thought pianists moved, rather than having the movements driven by the approach to the keyboard required by the music.<br /><br />And how many times have we seen singers not singing, guitarists fingering the same chord for an entire song, and violin bows moving with no relationship to the notes? <br /><br />Of all I've seen, the one that actually worked for me was, of all things, Mark Hamill in Earth Angel. If I hadn't known better, I would have believed he'd been playing the saxophone his whole life.<br /><br />BeckyBeckynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-77225814725187275792011-11-08T23:25:53.018-08:002011-11-08T23:25:53.018-08:00My late father was a Korean War vet, and he liked ...My late father was a Korean War vet, and he liked "MASH." He didn't think it reflected his personal experiences exactly, but then, he was in the photo corps (he'd hang out of helicopters shooting at enemy positions with a camera while they shot at him with guns). But the jokes about the contradictory insanity of the military bureaucracy really hit home with him. And oddly enough, he said the the scenery was perfect. It was shot in California, but he said all the craggy rocks and gravel and scrub brush looked exactly like the ass-end of the world he was stuck in when he was in the Army in Korea.Pat Reederhttp://www.comedy-wire.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10225321542928850852011-11-08T22:12:04.429-08:002011-11-08T22:12:04.429-08:00The conceit isn't that Jerry was simply leavin...The conceit isn't that Jerry was simply leaving one agency for another---it was that the perception within the industry was that he'd had a nervous breakdown, and that if you were going to entrust your multi-million dollar career to someone, it's unlikely to be the guy who made himself a pariah by seemingly going batshit overnight. <br /><br />Now, as you pointed out, clients often follow agents based on relationships they've forged over the years, but in this particular case, remember, it is established that everyone in Jerry Maguire's life knows that they are essentially meaningless to him except as commodities. Most are pretty pragmatic about this, as they likely regard him similarly. However good he is at his job, he is shown to have absolutely zero personal investment in his clients, and so when the perception starts to spread that he is perhaps losing his grip and his "edge", if you will, the lone reason for any of his clients to remain with him...is gone. He has no personal relationships with his clients. Not only does Cameron Crowe establish this early (and beautifully), *it's the entire point of the movie*, Ken.<br /><br />Quibble if you will with the idea of Jerry's reputation disintegrating overnight---it's the one aspect of the premise in which a bit of obvious artistic licence is taken. I mean, Christ, he isn't caught in a motel room with a dead girl and a live boy. He just wants to focus more personal attention on his clients. If anything, that would substantially elevate his reputation, not destroy it. No, the only way it becomes plausible is if we take it as read that Bob Sugar (Jay Mohr's character) is simply a much better agent than Jerry is, and his explanation of Jerry's epiphany being a sign of dementia rather than inspiration simply seemed more plausible to his clients. Put it this way: if Scott Boras isn't putting the screws to team owners for you, do you really want to have Scott Boras in your life? The general consensus would seem to be "no". That's what "Jerry Maguire" uses as its starting point. The "how" may require the suspension of disbelief to some degree, but the "what" rings absolutely true to me.<br /><br />I think your perception of it may simply be coloured by the agents you've had. If you'd ever been personally repped by a Scott Boras or a Mike Ovitz (and apologies if you actually have been, and my assumption to the contrary), a complete fucking shark, in other words, you might see the story with a bit more clarity. As it stands, I think Cameron Crowe was a few steps ahead of you (and the rest of us) all along.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-76933140321389363532011-11-08T19:51:19.178-08:002011-11-08T19:51:19.178-08:00Our Prime Minister's big 'gotcha' line...Our Prime Minister's big 'gotcha' line last week on the campaign trail was "Show me the money!" For that, and the general Scientology weirdness, Jerry Ma is off the list.HogsAteMySisterhttp://hogsatemysister.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-75243886842302204912011-11-08T17:40:28.649-08:002011-11-08T17:40:28.649-08:00It's "tenpercetery," not 'tencen...It's "tenpercetery," not 'tencentery."<br />A <i>Variety</i> coinage, as I recall.Harold Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07803159453346537762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-35313310735348686382011-11-08T16:58:35.948-08:002011-11-08T16:58:35.948-08:00Can't abide Cruise in any way, shape, or form....Can't abide Cruise in any way, shape, or form.<br /><br />What always bugged me about MASH was the closeness of the officers and enlisted men. The Army I was in had a huge gulf between the two, and most officers acted like their feces were odorless.<br /><br />WV-Wardies: Hugh Beaumont fans.Cap'n Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11783977137812876489noreply@blogger.com