tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post3043358916030163819..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Friday QuestionsBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-89023093862310367512015-03-31T06:50:21.342-07:002015-03-31T06:50:21.342-07:00I could not find any venue to watch Bluestone 42. ...I could not find any venue to watch Bluestone 42. I read about it and loved the premise, but just couldn't find a place to watch it.Diane D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-46364787856095162332015-03-30T13:49:47.351-07:002015-03-30T13:49:47.351-07:00Are you aware of the British sitcom Bluestone 42? ...Are you aware of the British sitcom Bluestone 42? Have a look. Have they done their research, and in what media?Do You Do Any Wings?https://www.blogger.com/profile/16464188169541771585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7997052420328305202015-03-30T12:35:05.934-07:002015-03-30T12:35:05.934-07:00Actually, it's a great question and I hope Ken...Actually, it's a great question and I hope Ken answers it. Although, in a way, you answered it yourself when you pointed out that 10 of the 12 shows nominated for Emmy Awards were from cable or VOD. I have not watched network television for years, which means I do not see even really good shows like MODERN FAMILY until they come to USA. I just cannot bring myself to even try a new network show when there is always something I know to be wonderful on cable or Netflix. Diane D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-59068232091293829872015-03-30T10:44:09.475-07:002015-03-30T10:44:09.475-07:00Do you feel that the major networks are even relev...Do you feel that the major networks are even relevant anymore? I was thinking the other day about my favorite shows and realized they are nearly all on cable. The critics seem to agree, as 10 out the 12 shows nominated in this past year's Emmy's for best comedy & drama were either cable shows or programs offered on streaming services. <br /><br />To make matters worse, I recently read the list of upcoming pilots for the major networks. The vast majority of the shows fell into A) generic cop/medical drama, B) comedy based on the life of a stand up comedian the average person has never heard of, or C) shows based on existing intellectual properties (i.e. comics, spin-off shows, shows based on movies, etc). <br /><br />From reading your blog I understand that there is a lot of creative constraint from the networks put on writers, but some of the loglines I read were so laughable that it was hard to fathom that these were the best ideas pitched. <br /><br />P.S. Sorry for the long winded question :) Jeff :)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-86603792181772154862015-03-29T20:02:34.289-07:002015-03-29T20:02:34.289-07:00What was the writers take on Diane Vs Rebecca. A l...What was the writers take on Diane Vs Rebecca. A lot of people like Sam and Diane, but I thought Sam and Rebecca were a fun coupling because they were friends first. Did the writers ever considering putting them in a relationship or did they not want to go down that road again? It seemed like it got close to that point in season 8 but then died off. I've always been curious!Erin Knoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-23536079276094654082015-03-28T23:47:19.414-07:002015-03-28T23:47:19.414-07:00Douglas Trapasso
That didn't even occur to me!...Douglas Trapasso<br />That didn't even occur to me! Of course, you're right. Mine is a rather more romantic interpretation, don't you think? At least it makes sense to me now.<br /><br />VP81955<br />Yes, I saw your earlier comment about the reading being cancelled---very disappointing; I know you were looking forward to hearing professional actors read it. I hope you will continue to report on the stages of your screenwriting journey. I assume you will be submitting one of them on April 11. Good luck if you do!Diane D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-43286411472038115202015-03-28T22:52:50.297-07:002015-03-28T22:52:50.297-07:00Diane D., just in case you hadn't heard, the t...Diane D., just in case you hadn't heard, the table reading for my excerpt from "Fugitive Sweetheart" was scratched Tuesday for lack of entries. So after the TCM Classic Film Festival ends tomorrow, I'll get back to my screenwriting, specifically the other screenplay, the sci-fi/fantasy romantic comedy whose title I've been reluctant to give out for fear it will give away its premise. <br /><br />There's a comedy screenplay writing contest whose deadline is April 11. (I'm at page 109; it probably will wind up at 125 or so before I begin whittling.)VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10043713868883011742015-03-28T19:05:16.304-07:002015-03-28T19:05:16.304-07:00Love your interpretation, Diane D.! Just playing ...Love your interpretation, Diane D.! Just playing the scene back in my head, I think the laugh comes from Diane C. making a rare slipup in grammar, and then, being Diane C., feeling the immediate need to correct herself.Douglas Trapassohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18348522207945522495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-91351135322853328062015-03-28T10:27:10.136-07:002015-03-28T10:27:10.136-07:00I've wondered about the same thing mmryan aske...I've wondered about the same thing mmryan asked about improvising in CHEERS. There is one in particular; it's the scene in the last episode of Season One when Diane and Sam are in the final stages of their argument that culminates in their first kiss. Sam has said he is going to bounce Diane "off every wall in this office." She says, "Try it and you'll be walking funny tomorrow." Then the camera goes to Sam who doesn't say anything, and then back to Diane who says, "Or should I say funnier?" Although she does it masterfully, I've always felt she was saving the scene by throwing that in when Sam momentarily forgot his next line. <br /><br />I'm probably mistaken, but the line just doesn't make sense to me (Sam doesn't walk funny), and when the camera goes to Sam after the first line, the delay seems just a moment too long. I've also thought that a scene like that, so emotionally charged, is not a scene the actors would want to lose. Diane D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-87460035720985812452015-03-28T09:24:52.744-07:002015-03-28T09:24:52.744-07:00Damn! My evil twin has escaped from the attic. I&#...Damn! My evil twin has escaped from the attic. I'll stop that Oprah Winfrey hater. I'm the real Hamid!hamidverifiedhttp://www.patrobertson.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70208629966857454562015-03-28T06:29:28.598-07:002015-03-28T06:29:28.598-07:00Thanks for asking my question, Ken. Clearly I put ...Thanks for asking my question, Ken. Clearly I put 2 and 2 together and got 5.Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-81881046614804953682015-03-27T23:17:27.243-07:002015-03-27T23:17:27.243-07:00I had no idea I'd provoked a completely unhing...I had no idea I'd provoked a completely unhinged lunatic who's now taken to posting retarded comments under my name all because I suggested to the troll that his daily rants about readers was getting tedious. For the record, the comment linking to a porn site is the troll and not me. I think I'll take a break from posting until this loon has disappeared or got tired of being clinically insane. Apologies to Ken and everyone else for having provoked this idiot.Hamidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10400188693169893312015-03-27T23:01:28.840-07:002015-03-27T23:01:28.840-07:00I was an extra (not on Cheers unfortunately) I was...I was an extra (not on Cheers unfortunately) I was in the X-Files though. We are told to be quiet, unless we are told to cheer, like we did in Rocky IV. "Raw-Key Raw-key!"<br /><br />Albert Giesbrechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17742338183833125104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14919626684006468662015-03-27T22:14:22.273-07:002015-03-27T22:14:22.273-07:00Ken, I'd probably delete hamidverified. Click...Ken, I'd probably delete hamidverified. Click on the link and it takes you to a porn site......not that there's anything wrong with that! But impressionable young minds might click on it and who knows how many will deviate into a life of perversion because of it.YEKIMIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01921751875397071034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-54244746941534825352015-03-27T21:57:30.788-07:002015-03-27T21:57:30.788-07:00Obviously because of Friday's questions here t...Obviously because of Friday's questions here there will be CHEERS questions to be answered so a good opportunity to throw mine into the mix. There are moments in Cheers when lines seem to be "unscripted"and too real and I`ve wondered if improvisation was then scripted into the show.If true, I`d love examples. I have some excerpts that I believe were added because the actors almost couldn't help themselves from funny lines. Maybe I`m mistaken.mmryan314https://www.blogger.com/profile/03956737239500293977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-43675681266024834232015-03-27T20:16:37.082-07:002015-03-27T20:16:37.082-07:00You know what I miss more than the Movie of the We...You know what I miss more than the Movie of the Week? The ABC 'After School Special', which was basically the same thing, except for the tweenie demographic.<br /><br />Oh, the simpler time we lived in then. Sigh.ScottyBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64637707962768012222015-03-27T20:07:38.991-07:002015-03-27T20:07:38.991-07:00I loved 'Coach' when it was first being ai...I loved 'Coach' when it was first being aired, but I won't be able to stomach the new version because of Bill Faggerbakke, either. Because I would be forever seeing Patrick Star instead of Dauber. I blame Nickelodeon and my kids.ScottyBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90498063051469337652015-03-27T19:56:42.098-07:002015-03-27T19:56:42.098-07:00I always just figured networks (most notably ABC) ...I always just figured networks (most notably ABC) gave up on MFTV movies because someone eventually figured out they were really, really horrible. But most likely, they ran out of diseases and social problems.<br /><br />But even more most-likely, it's a different world today. Everyone has the Internet at their fingertips chock full of disaster and despair far worse than things writers could dream up during the 1970s.<br /><br />Heck, once the world starts topping a kid in a plastic bubble and a wife burning her piece of shit husband in his bed like it's nothing, about all you can do is just shuffle off. <br /><br /><br /><br />ScottyBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-35376322348506759402015-03-27T17:50:47.551-07:002015-03-27T17:50:47.551-07:00BEWITCHED held onto a seventh season episode and d...BEWITCHED held onto a seventh season episode and didn't run it until season eight. Don't know why, though.<br /><br />Not, technically, a holdover, but BEWITCHED once pulled an episode from its scheduled air date as season opener and dumped it to late in the season.<br /><br />The episode, which was supposed to be the sixth season premiere and a showcase for "new Darrin" Dick Sargent, was a reworking of one of Dick York's best episodes, which had Endora dividing Darrin into his work side and his fun side. Problem was, York filmed his episode late in season two, when he'd had two years to get to know the character. He was, by that point, in a good position to be able to play Darrin at extremes of his personality. Sargent, though, was being asked to do the same thing with a character that was brand new to him. One he hadn't yet played at all, much less played with variant approaches. It was unrealistic and a little stupid to have expected him to handle the script well. <br /><br />ABC, disappointed in the results, pulled the episode from its slot as season opener and ran it late in the year, with a new flashback opening, since Samantha had been pregnant in the episode, but had had her baby by the time it finally aired.<br />Stephannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1112209564442007662015-03-27T17:47:18.094-07:002015-03-27T17:47:18.094-07:00The odd thing with Daniels is that he ended up dir...The odd thing with Daniels is that he ended up directing Lucy in that horrible last show she did, LIFE WITH LUCY, and ended up passing away only about a week or so before Lucy did. <br /><br />LouOCNYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16151395857835632917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-75958091307367705102015-03-27T17:19:37.556-07:002015-03-27T17:19:37.556-07:00Marc Daniels left I LOVE LUCY because he was offer...Marc Daniels left I LOVE LUCY because he was offered more money to direct Joan Davis's I LOVE LUCY knock-off I MARRIED JOAN. Desilu either couldn't or wouldn't top Davis's offer, so Daniels left. He didn't last a single season on I MARRIED JOAN, though. Years later, he said that working with Davis made him take back anything bad he'd ever been tempted to say about Lucille Ball.<br /><br />The only serious disagreement he ever recalled having with Ball concerned a scene which called for one man to chase another through the Ricardo's bedroom, Daniels thought it would be funnier if they ran across the top of the beds. Ball didn't think it made any sense for them to do that. Series producer Jess Oppenheimer was called in, and told Daniels he could only do it his way if he could give him a good reason why the two men would run across the top of the beds. Daniels couldn't -- he just thought it would be funnier, so they did it with the men staying on the floor. There was no animosity between Ball and Daniels, though, and he later expressed regret about leaving. He returned to direct several episodes of her HERE'S LUCY series, as well as some of her post-series specials. At 74, he directed half-a-dozen episodes of Ball's short-lived LIFE WITH LUCY.<br /><br />William Asher had actually already directed one I LOVE LUCY episode, a show titled "The Young Fans," filmed about halfway through season one. Marc Daniels spent that week working on the pilot for OUR MISS BROOKS, so Asher was called in to helm LUCY that week. That was why Asher was hired to take over after Daniels left. He was experienced with the series, he was good at his job, and he got along well with Lucy.<br /><br />The holdover thing: five episodes were filmed for season two in May and June 1952, right after production on season one wrapped. It was during production of these "holdovers" that Lucy broke the news of her pregnancy. The series took only a one month summer break before resuming production for the new season in July, as they could only use Lucy until November.<br /><br />In remaining LUCY seasons, one episode was held for season three, and five were held over for season four. Seasons five and six had no holdovers.<br /><br />It is true, though, that Ball routinely worked ahead like that on her later series. In fact, later seasons of HERE'S LUCY had the full season in the can before September even arrived.<br /><br />The anecdote you're recalling didn't involve William Frawley. It was Vivian Vance. Viv was late making it back from a costume change. Lucy, pregnant at the time, snapped at her about it. Viv told her, "I'd tell you to go fuck yourself, but Desi already took care of that."Thomasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-47541710594094202862015-03-27T17:15:48.359-07:002015-03-27T17:15:48.359-07:00CBS once released the original JAG pilot from NBC ...CBS once released the original JAG pilot from NBC as a special movie ten years later.Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-63558928032766400172015-03-27T14:40:28.186-07:002015-03-27T14:40:28.186-07:00Just to be picky, Lucy only did the holdover thing...Just to be picky, Lucy only did the holdover thing once. The legendary Marc Daniels was the ILL director the first season, and directed a whopping 39 episodes - almost TWO seasons worth today. After working with Lucy that many weeks, he had had enough, and quit. About two of his last ones were saved for the start of season 2, as they had to break in Bill Asher as a Desilu System director, long before Lucy's maternal problem was known. Once they knew about the pregnancy, they speeded up production - first filming the 'post pregnancy' episodes, which would be shown as flashbacks, then film the pregnancy shows. (Lucy looks pregnant in the one where she finds out shes pregnant!) THEN, after they were done with those shows, and Lucy, the were able to bring back Frawley, Vance and Desi to film the little set up scenes for the shows that they would show when Ms Ball was recovering from having Desi Jr - which included one Marc Daniels show. The whole thing took them pretty deep into the 52-53 season, they did not need to overwork the new momma or the rest of the cast and crew, who had to bust it pretty hard during the whole pregnancy situation. <br /><br />(one of the classic stories is that during that frenzied period, Bill Frawley got pissed off at Lucy for something, and yelled at her, "I would tell you to stick it somewhere, but Desi already took care of that!" :OLouOCNYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16151395857835632917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-77679764360383863742015-03-27T13:23:32.770-07:002015-03-27T13:23:32.770-07:00Jeff: People who actually know something about th...Jeff: People who actually know something about the television business may be able to correct me on this, but my understanding is that using movies-of-the-week as pilots is something the studios liked much more than the networks did. For the studios, this solved the basic problem with pilots, which is that they were an all-or-nothing deal: if the pilot did not sell, all the money spent on it had to be written off. A pilot disguised as a movie, however, was good for two network showings, and then it could be bundled together with other movies into a syndication package, and maybe even be distributed theatrically overseas. These movies, however, did not really represent the series they were selling--they were longer than the typical episodes, with bigger budgets and different pacing--and the networks supposedly did not like having to make their buying decisions based on them. So I have read, anyway.Touch-and-go Bulletheadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-21682941912586803532015-03-27T12:21:44.281-07:002015-03-27T12:21:44.281-07:00Friday question:
I have been (re-watching) Cheer...Friday question:<br /><br />I have been (re-watching) Cheers (yet again) and admittedly my favorite standout this time around is "Al," particularly his respect for and pronunciation of "Sinatra." Cheers was great at developing these small albeit pivotal characters in the bar setting. What was your role in creating and nursing these barflies?Justin Russohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12277379716974798413noreply@blogger.com