tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post5335080088874185401..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Love kills comedyBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-87039844188349521282012-03-07T12:02:41.370-08:002012-03-07T12:02:41.370-08:00Ken. Friday question time.
Ron Howard tweeted a ...Ken. Friday question time.<br /><br />Ron Howard tweeted a picture of the rain they were creating for a scene in his current film, Rush. It made me wonder how often the weather cooperates with the filiming of movies or TV shows. <br /><br />Can you think of any examples of inclimate weather matching the script perfectly? I'm guessing there wasn't actually a blizzard during the filming of The Shining.<br /><br />Thanks.Kirk D Gnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-82210209661037566352012-03-07T09:22:40.116-08:002012-03-07T09:22:40.116-08:00Seeing how much the Friends leads were paid per ep...Seeing how much the Friends leads were paid per episode, I've wondered how much the main supporting character, Gunter the coffee shop manager, made in comparison. One-tenth the salary of a single lead? One-hundredth? He was there in most every episode, even if he only had a handful of lines per season. Would stunt-cast stars like Brad Pitt have made more for a single episode than he made in a whole season?Rootbeer1noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-89786651581821749512012-03-06T10:39:08.055-08:002012-03-06T10:39:08.055-08:00FRIDAY QUESTION SUBMISSION
When writing a sitcom ...FRIDAY QUESTION SUBMISSION<br /><br />When writing a sitcom / pilot / spec, should I be writing in character descriptions for the regular cast? I know in a pilot it be necessary, but if accompanied by a bible is it redundant?<br /><br />-Tomas it TorontoTomas Streethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06305990135671451795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-37499181380256135222012-03-06T09:12:50.966-08:002012-03-06T09:12:50.966-08:00The cast and crew of Cougar Town did their own ...The cast and crew of Cougar Town did their own 'grassroots' promotional campaign while the show was on extended hiatus. They hosted viewing parties, went out and met the fans, and most of the cast joined Twitter. If you had a show on the air now, would you make full use of social media to raise your show's profile, as opposed to relying purely on network support? Do you think more low-rated shows should be doing what Cougar Town did to make a dent?Stephennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-65272215026079523742012-03-04T12:50:24.034-08:002012-03-04T12:50:24.034-08:00Hi Ken:
You mentioned recently that is might be a...Hi Ken:<br /><br />You mentioned recently that is might be a good idea to keep a sleeping bag in your office in order to be prepared for late writing sessions.<br /><br />Just curious, have you ever actually slept at work and gone right back to work the next morning?Marknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-43431342409779084992012-03-03T21:58:05.426-08:002012-03-03T21:58:05.426-08:00Mike: BJ was unfaithful to his wife once, but at l...Mike: BJ was unfaithful to his wife once, but at least he was repentant.Cap'n Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11783977137812876489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-29420955417057573532012-03-03T18:27:34.844-08:002012-03-03T18:27:34.844-08:00Hey, here's a Friday question (on Saturday): I...Hey, here's a Friday question (on Saturday): I recently read online that MASH's phasing out of its adulterous themes (Henry, Trapper and Frank all cheated on their wives while they were in Korea, where Potter and BJ were incredibly faithful to their spouses, and Winchester didn't seem to have much interest in having a sex life, period) happened to coincide with the short-lived implementation of the "family hour" on TV (which ran from 1975-77, when it was declared unconstitutional). I know this was before your involvement with the show, but it was nothing more than a coincidence, right? I've always thought the reduction of the adultery (and the toning down -- okay, basically elimination -- of Hawkeye's womanizing) was just part of the natural development of the show. The "family hour" didn't have anything to do with it, did it?Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08009776249065841021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-82958514647230759642012-03-03T14:35:56.889-08:002012-03-03T14:35:56.889-08:00Ken- Jumping The Shark has become the popular idi...Ken- Jumping The Shark has become the popular idiom to describe the moment a show begins a decline in quality. I wonder if there seems to be moments when shows find their stride that launch them into longevity. I think of when characters become solidified, i.e. Krammer becomes one step ahead of things around him instead of some brain dead mooch. Daphne looses the goofy Manchester persona and holds her own with the other cast. MASH goes from the Marx Brothers go to war to "Sometimes You Hear The Bullet." Is this efforted by writing, the production team, the actors? What precipitates these changes?JAWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04553829581905554569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-53830519715499312992012-03-03T12:44:59.239-08:002012-03-03T12:44:59.239-08:00@jank, I believe Ken has written about that in the...@jank, I believe Ken has written about that in the past. If not, I think I've heard something about it elsewhere.<br /><br />I <i>believe</i> it's fine to use shorthand when describing characters (e.g. "Picture a young Harrison Ford"), but I know Ken has said it's important to make sure your characters are somewhat different to ones the audience already knows.<br /><br />For example, we all know the "geeky" character, or the "womanizer" character, but what makes your version different? Barney from How I Met Your Mother, and Sam from Cheers are cut from the same cloth, but they're very different characters.<br /><br />With that in mind, and from what I've heard, I'd be careful not to make your "fastidious fusspot" too similar to other such characters we've already seen. If you're going to describe him as "Niles Crane with...", it's probably really important to highlight what makes him <i>different</i> from Niles Crane.<br /><br />I could be completely wrong, but that's what I've picked up, anyway :)<br /><br />I'm sure Ken has much better way of putting across what I'm trying to convey, and with a lot more useful information to boot.Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-22266134346651515342012-03-03T11:20:31.068-08:002012-03-03T11:20:31.068-08:00Say you're writing a spec script and you imagi...Say you're writing a spec script and you imagine the character to be very similar to one that exists and is already well known... for example, a fastidious or fussy upper class fellow in the mold of Niles Crane. <br /><br />Is it considered bad form to simply state in your character introduction that he is 'a fastidious and fussy upperclass fellow, a red-haired Niles Crane with an unfortunate case of halitosis and a peg leg'? <br /><br />Would referencing the existing character be akin to cheating, or is it acceptable as a form of shorthand?<br /><br />Thanks.<br /><br />BTW, we got Jim Price and Dan Dickerson doing a bang-up job for Tigers broadcasts out here in Detroit. (/beautiful area)janknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-39724407384685335162012-03-03T08:41:51.760-08:002012-03-03T08:41:51.760-08:00Mitchell Hundred? One of my favorite fictional cha...Mitchell Hundred? One of my favorite fictional characters reads Ken's blog. How cool is that?Stevenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7567753526029887502012-03-03T08:01:33.142-08:002012-03-03T08:01:33.142-08:00Thanks, Ken.
Regarding couple finally getting to...Thanks, Ken. <br /><br />Regarding couple finally getting together, Seinfeld came very close few times, with some last minute catastrophe avoiding the union.Rajhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17687803784528215259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-38983866979220094722012-03-03T07:30:40.813-08:002012-03-03T07:30:40.813-08:00It's interesting to note that everyone seems t...It's interesting to note that everyone seems to agree that Frasier went downhill after they got married... Now whether it was <i>because</i> they got married, I don't know.Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-53937783333629215492012-03-03T07:29:11.418-08:002012-03-03T07:29:11.418-08:00Thanks Ken!Thanks Ken!Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-84978204549246106912012-03-03T05:35:03.779-08:002012-03-03T05:35:03.779-08:00Friday Question.
Further to Sitcom actors salaries...Friday Question.<br />Further to Sitcom actors salaries. What do guest stars get paid? Judy Greer appeared on her last episode of "Arrested Development" for literally ten seconds. Would she be paid less than her usual salary for such a brief appearance?Jonasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-9628641494358148052012-03-03T04:29:22.877-08:002012-03-03T04:29:22.877-08:00In the case of Frasier, Niles and Daphne weren'...In the case of Frasier, Niles and Daphne weren't the main characters so that has to be considered as well. It was Frasier's love life and issues that was center, and his brother and Daphne evolved as a kind of counterpoint to Frasier's perpetual singleness. <br /><br />Niles and Daphne was beautiful in that moment that she runs away from her wedding and joins Niles in the van etc... and they take off down this new route. I wonder that no one mentions what was rather hard to take serious was Frasier's father suddenly having this hot younger (than him) singer who wants to marry him as well. Please....A_Homernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-29309227118257523502012-03-02T23:37:51.244-08:002012-03-02T23:37:51.244-08:00One of the things you're also forgetting to me...One of the things you're also forgetting to mention about "Rhoda," is that the Wedding episode was also an elaborate cross-over episode where practically everybody from "MTM", flew to New York for the Wedding, so what you also had was essentially, two audiences, the "Mary," and "Rhoda," audiences watching the show, and actually in a way, I liked that we got to see a show, that early on, where a character marries, and then got divorced, in the same show. The will they/won't storylines are great (And btw on that, is everybody forgetting the best one, Sam & Diane on "Cheers," the show that started that format?)but you'll never see a couple divorcing on TV anytime in the near future. Yeah, a few shows about divorced people, but not shows that are so Pinteresque in showing a couple divorcing. (I know that's not really what Pinter wrote, but that's the best adjective I can come up with at this time of night)David Baruffihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09554779573559438331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42653144491640559812012-03-02T23:27:56.341-08:002012-03-02T23:27:56.341-08:00Of course, Ken himself sidestepped the issue with ...Of course, Ken himself sidestepped the issue with Almost Perfect, a comedy which starts when the leading lady gets her dream job the day she finds her dream man. Will they or won't they is morphed into 'will they or won't they survive?' Thy didn't, but that was because they didn't account for the network.<br /><br />So if the studio doesn't do a dvd, are you allowed to do an e-book of all the scripts for your blog?Ger Apeldoornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03633862833036214748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45608113935167979672012-03-02T19:55:37.749-08:002012-03-02T19:55:37.749-08:00Are TV networks contractually obligated to run the...Are TV networks contractually obligated to run the credits of a given program but not required to make them readable, viewable, or comprehensible? It maddens me to distraction when credits begin to roll but are then shrunken to half-screen (or less) in size while some promo blares on in the other half of the screen or when they are sped up to vertigo-inducing speed! Why bother at all if no one can read them?Rick Hannon, Rochester, NYnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-54016034453647263722012-03-02T19:39:18.991-08:002012-03-02T19:39:18.991-08:00>>What's the atmosphere on a set when a ...>>What's the atmosphere on a set when a supporting character "breaks out" and starts to overshadow the star?<<<br /><br />Ask Polly Holliday.Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-17619602042352007412012-03-02T14:16:39.730-08:002012-03-02T14:16:39.730-08:00You have captured the history of the studios you h...You have captured the history of the studios you have worked at so well - Did you ever find out who occupied your offices at the studios in the past? Rumor has it that some writers have worked in Shirley Temple's old dressing room bungalow at Fox. Were your offices old dressing rooms or writers buildings? Any great writers occupy your space before you?<br />ThanksNancy Knechtelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-49713060754176332912012-03-02T14:10:30.598-08:002012-03-02T14:10:30.598-08:00F.Q. Sometimes actors will have to perform two dif...F.Q. Sometimes actors will have to perform two different roles in one movie/episode, e.g. a superhero and his secret identity, or the recent "Castle" where the cast re-enacted an 1940s case along with their regular roles. When writing the script, can you use the two characters' names in the appropriate scenes ("Spider-Man" in action scenes, "Peter Parker" in the others), or do you have to use one name in both scenes to make it easy on the reader ("Castle" in both the '40s and modern settings)?<br /><br />W.V. "reventer ezatee" -- What happened to a certain British sheep in a lab a few years ago.Liggienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-52805939327830830862012-03-02T13:08:42.252-08:002012-03-02T13:08:42.252-08:00I've always had the feeling that a show has ru...I've always had the feeling that a show has run out of steam when either a wedding or baby comes along.Cap'n Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11783977137812876489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6096528087840424712012-03-02T10:11:56.478-08:002012-03-02T10:11:56.478-08:00I loved Niles and Daphne both before and after the...I loved Niles and Daphne both before and after they became a couple. The new situations that developed after they got together was the main draw for me in the later seasons. That said, I don't think there is a way to resolve this type of storyline that would please everybody. I didn't have any preconceived notions on how the writers of Frasier would resolve things, I just sat back and enjoyed seeing what was to come. I was probably in the minority in that respect, though. You'll always have the "jump the shark" people that will hate change of any kind. There will be writers of fan ficion that will dislike it when the show deviates from their ideas on how the couple's relationship should be. People will say they got together too soon or too late, that they're too affectionate together or not affectionate enough, that they get along too well or that they argue too much. Incidentally, in talking with and reading message board comments from people who started watching Frasier after Niles and Daphne were already together so they weren't familiar with the whole long "will they or won't they" story arc, they all loved the couple. I guess all a writing staff can do is resolve the storyline the best way they agree on and hope that enough viewers stay along for the ride, like Frasier which lasted four more seasons after Niles and Daphne got together.Ericnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-71573219776872025902012-03-02T08:48:04.020-08:002012-03-02T08:48:04.020-08:00I'm in the same boat as Butch above, except I ...I'm in the same boat as Butch above, except I live in Central California. It's only a four hour drive to meet producers and agents, but will they be put off that I don't have a southern cal address?Tim Simmonshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18105748192914475435noreply@blogger.com