tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post9065830584691130391..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: How to interview a celebrityBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64739974507704858262018-11-15T02:24:11.706-08:002018-11-15T02:24:11.706-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-15870046227545260982010-02-17T12:10:11.209-08:002010-02-17T12:10:11.209-08:00I adore observational comedy, and this is it to a ...I adore observational comedy, and this is it to a tee. Strong work, sir.Dickie LeRoohttp://dickieleroo.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45613343749091569752007-08-16T05:12:00.000-07:002007-08-16T05:12:00.000-07:00So hooray for Henry Rollins who actually asks inte...So hooray for Henry Rollins who actually asks interesting questions and lets his guests talk about things other than their latest projects. And for ten or fifteen minutes solid. He has one of the few talk shows worth watching as far as I'm concerned.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-22193599996139984322007-08-15T19:32:00.000-07:002007-08-15T19:32:00.000-07:00You forgot to mention that if the starlet is a gue...You forgot to mention that if the starlet is a guest star or an addition to an existing cast, that "the cast was really warm and welcoming and made me feel right at home." If she's a real Chatty Cathy, she'll go on to say that "Everyone is like a big family and, you know, it's hard joining an existing family, but everyone gets along so well."Gilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12229540759401924373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-33139130041617485532007-08-14T18:37:00.000-07:002007-08-14T18:37:00.000-07:00That's not how I would interview a celeb.I'd proll...That's not how I would interview a celeb.<BR/><BR/>I'd prolly turn her over my knee and spank her until the police drag me away... then while in the holding cell rehearse my explanation at the inevitable press release.<BR/><BR/>That should be worth at least 15 minutes...Dwaconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07544514023626682777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-35149234929940071562007-08-14T15:04:00.000-07:002007-08-14T15:04:00.000-07:00Dr. Leo Marvin, based on the file name for the pic...Dr. Leo Marvin, based on the file name for the picture, that is Uma Thurman as a zombie. If you Google Image "uma thurman zombie", it returns that image, and further down, the original before-Photoshop image.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14189359175250772072007-08-14T11:10:00.000-07:002007-08-14T11:10:00.000-07:00Man that was wonderful! Just about dead solid per...Man that was wonderful! Just about dead solid perfect! I'm still shaking my head!<BR/><BR/>And here's one more puff-piece cliche, Ken. It's the news copy you see right AFTER the headline (and the headline, by the way, is always something like "OWEN WILSON, SERIOUSLY"). <BR/><BR/>More times than I can remember, the next line will go something like, "He's goofy, loves Captain Crunch and Almond Joy, and just might be the best actor of his generation." <BR/><BR/>That particular line, "the best actor of his generation" seems to come up again and again and again, typically after some "quirky" or "whimsical" phrase meant to humanize the subject, like, "THE ETHAN HAWKE INTERVIEW: Scarfing White Castles and playing X-box with the best actor of his generation"... or some such nonsense. Look for it.dbreckmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07777353045484625460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-16652481428824451382007-08-14T10:16:00.000-07:002007-08-14T10:16:00.000-07:00Doug...do you think you can get Talullah to tell u...Doug...do you think you can get Talullah to tell us what it was like to be on a talk show before there was television?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-39868882129409505292007-08-13T20:23:00.000-07:002007-08-13T20:23:00.000-07:00Halle Berry has always irritated me. Her Oscar sp...Halle Berry has always irritated me. Her Oscar speech seemed to imply that she was the Rosa Parks of the Academy Awards:<BR/><BR/>"Oh, my God. Oh, my God. I'm sorry. This moment is so much bigger than me. This moment is for Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll. It's for the women that stand beside me, Jada Pinkett, Angela Bassett, Vivica Fox. And it's for every nameless, faceless woman of color that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened. Thank you. I'm so honored. I'm so honored. And I thank the Academy for choosing me to be the vessel for which His blessing might flow. Thank you."<BR/><BR/>Guess she forgot about Hattie McDaniel opening the door decades earlier. Of course, Hattie only won best supporting actress. And she didn't star in Catwoman. And she didn't have Jesus on her side guiding the Academy's hand.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-11191338031219214312007-08-13T19:58:00.000-07:002007-08-13T19:58:00.000-07:00When interviewing someone in the crossword world, ...When interviewing someone in the crossword world, always begin the article with "What's a ___-letter word for ___?"Ellenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09699703443886498884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-28142221746271786822007-08-13T19:44:00.000-07:002007-08-13T19:44:00.000-07:00The interviewer must also mention what the celebri...The interviewer must also mention what the celebrity does over lunch to save the planet. <BR/>She's a saint who gave up toothpicks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90741871157423879822007-08-13T19:05:00.000-07:002007-08-13T19:05:00.000-07:00I'm ashamed to admit how old I was before I stoppe...I'm ashamed to admit how old I was before I stopped taking these publicist-primed interviews at face value...so I won't say how old I actually was. But I've noticed that all it takes is one step forward in terms of believability for me to start listening again. In other words, when the celebrity's answer to the "tough" question is not the usual stock answer, for a moment I take it seriously.<BR/><BR/>My guess is that once the insincerity of some stock answer becomes too obvious, some PR genius (Ken, no offense, maybe these PR people are the real creative talents in that town) sits down and thinks, "What would someone say about this subject if <I>they really were being thoughtful and sincere?"</I> They come up with an answer, train their client to mouth those words, and away we go. And a new stock answer is born.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3639263878971548502007-08-13T17:34:00.000-07:002007-08-13T17:34:00.000-07:00By the way, who's the pictured well-adjusted looki...By the way, who's the pictured well-adjusted looking babe? I can't tell you how many of my ex-girlfriends she reminds me of.Dr. Leo Marvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07669626692363827776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73714799969462633542007-08-13T17:22:00.000-07:002007-08-13T17:22:00.000-07:00Last Friday I saw Halle Berry on The View (Oh, lik...Last Friday I saw Halle Berry on <I>The View</I> (Oh, like you don't!). Talk about giving unselfconscious narcissism a bad name, Berry lectured Barbara Walters about celebrity interviews. When an interviewer recently displayed a firm grasp of the obvious by telling Berry she seemed moody and impatient, Berry claimed that her exasperation was a response to banal interview questions. She offered as a solution to both their problems to interview herself. The magazine accepted, and if her piece hasn’t appeared already, it will. I was light-headed from the synchronicity of this scene’s simultaneous affront to irony, Jacques Troufaut and my will to live.Dr. Leo Marvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07669626692363827776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-85853796747332195222007-08-13T16:58:00.000-07:002007-08-13T16:58:00.000-07:00Let us not forget these comments:"I didn't realize...Let us not forget these comments:<BR/><BR/>"I didn't realize how hard a job being a parent is." <BR/><BR/>Translated: My nanny looks really tired.<BR/><BR/>"People don't realize how hard it is being the daughter of a celebrity." <BR/><BR/>Translated: I couldn't get into bars until I turned 12. <BR/><BR/>"Saving the environment is important to me."<BR/><BR/>Translated: I replaced all the lights in my 18,000 square feet poorly insulated mansion with CFLs.<BR/><BR/>"Having a kid really made me grow up." <BR/><BR/>Translated: I once changed a diaper full of number 2 and now I go to bed an hour before the sun comes up. <BR/><BR/>"I think all children should have a name that celebrates its uniqueness."<BR/><BR/>I named her Apple because I really dig my iPod.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08923161793979910495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-65306880657223420942007-08-13T16:46:00.000-07:002007-08-13T16:46:00.000-07:00Ken, I think you've missed the new wave of celebri...Ken, I think you've missed the new wave of celebrity journalism, as practiced by Merry Miller of NBC News. Or is it ABC? Hell, she doesn't know either. <BR/><BR/>See for yourself.<BR/><BR/>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbpUwx_YLGc<BR/><BR/>Boy how I miss the days when talk shows were frequented by people who had nothing to promote but had something fun to say. I agree with d. mcewen, after the monologue with Conan or Dave, I'm usually tuned out.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08923161793979910495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-65581838129732826432007-08-13T16:43:00.000-07:002007-08-13T16:43:00.000-07:00you forgot to mention what brand of cigarette she ...you forgot to mention what brand of cigarette she was smoking.Paul Rinkeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06376278565763162845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24482996567455581272007-08-13T15:47:00.000-07:002007-08-13T15:47:00.000-07:00Ken,You hit the proverbial nail. I'm off to get wo...Ken,<BR/><BR/>You hit the proverbial nail. I'm off to get work...*https://www.blogger.com/profile/05745598940917309631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-26723820734000893692007-08-13T15:17:00.000-07:002007-08-13T15:17:00.000-07:00Very funny piece. This is why, for many years now,...Very funny piece. This is why, for many years now, with ANY celebrity interveiw show (But mostly Letterman, since it's the only one I look at regularly), the words "My first guest is ..." are my cue to fire up the DVD player and switch off the show.<BR/><BR/>You know, vacuous male celebrities get interviewed too. They are anxious to explain how their new vanity project is in black & white, because they saw a 3 stooges short in back & white, and once the repairman explained to them that there was nothing wrong with their TV, they loved it for it's emotional honesty and insisted that their vanity project ("Stupider and Stupidest") would be more hard-hitting in black & white. The execs greenlighting it so the star would then do TEENAGE MUTANT ANACONDA GARGLERS agrees to shooting the vanity proj in B&W since it will be less money lost anyway.<BR/><BR/>The male celebrity will explain why leaving the mother of his 7 children for someone named "Jolie" was "Painful but ulitmately positive." That while shooting HACKSAW MEETS DRILL PRESS he and Miss Jolie shared deep experiences that bonded them forever as he was pretending to snip bits off of her. (And this isn't new. Vincent Price & Coral Browne's romance/marriage began back in 1973 when they fell in love as he electrocuted her in THEATER OF BLOOD)<BR/><BR/>If the male star is Matthew McConaghy, he will explain why wearing shirts is emotionally dishonest. If he's anyone else, he will be shirtless at the interview, even if it's backstage at the Kennedy Center Honors.<BR/><BR/>No matter who you are interviewing, he will take a cell phone call from Angelina Jolie during the interview.<BR/><BR/>The Australian interviewer above, not being from a third-world country, doesn't realize that the essential component to a celebrity forgeign interview, is explaining why the celeb found it necessary to adopt 20 of their country's children, and how the kids's real parents, the ones being restrained by bodyguards just outside while shouting "KIDNAPPERS!" is completely onboard with their children's new last name being "Federline".<BR/><BR/>When a celeb couple is interviewed together overseas, they will adopt an additional child during the interview, ordering off the desert menu.<BR/><BR/>There are terms one must learn the meaning of. "We grew in different directions." means the now-divorcing male celeb just made a film with Angelina Jolie.<BR/><BR/>"He/she's a genius!" means "We just worked together."<BR/><BR/>"It's all about the craft." means "It's all about the money and publicity."<BR/><BR/>"It's a difficult work that looks at uncomfortable truths." means "No one will see it."<BR/><BR/>It's a searing indictment of human bigotry." (Not to be confused with animal or vegatable bigotry) means "It's about kids in bathing suits having sex at the beach."<BR/><BR/>"It's incredibly honest." means "I did my own nude shots."<BR/><BR/>It really opened my eyes." means "I'd never heard of World War II until the script treatemnt was read to me."<BR/><BR/>"This was the most difficult movie I've ever done." means "This is the most recent movie I have ever done."<BR/><BR/>"I reached deep into my soul and found out things about myself I never knew." means "The bastard director insisted I MEMORIZE my lines! I had him fired."<BR/><BR/>"It was written for me." means "I screwed the writer."<BR/><BR/>I turned down three other movies because I wanted to work with him. His movies illuminate The Human Condition." means "It's another Woody Allen movie no one will see."<BR/><BR/>I really grew making this movie." means "I just aborted my co-star's baby."<BR/><BR/>This could go on. And does.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7904720046381519812007-08-13T09:59:00.000-07:002007-08-13T09:59:00.000-07:00Now do one on the opposite side, the "hard-hitting...Now do one on the opposite side, the "hard-hitting" interview, where you can call them any name in the book simply by saying it's what "others" are saying. You know, "what do you say to people that think you're just a talentless wannabee who has no business getting any acting job?"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-4275660392907967252007-08-13T09:23:00.000-07:002007-08-13T09:23:00.000-07:00You're right that these articles always describe t...You're right that these articles always describe the interviewee "picking at" his or her food. Does it never occur to the interviewers that their subjects are picking at their food because their eating keeps getting interupted by having to answer questions? I can eat my dinner in front of the tv in five minutes. The same meal eaten in a restaurant on a date would take me more than an hour to eat, and not just because I use the utensils in the restaurant. I actually have to listen to and intelligently respond to the person I'm eating with on a date. That takes time and effort.Stephen Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07508942802266658906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-74325872876465944452007-08-13T08:09:00.000-07:002007-08-13T08:09:00.000-07:00In all these celebrity profiles, the subject is ei...In all these celebrity profiles, the subject is either "picking at" or "munching" their food. I've even read that male subjects "pick at" their food. I don't care about what they're eating, much less in what disgustingly-described way they're eating it.<BR/><BR/>(Though I do admit that I've done profiles that described what people have ordered at the nondescript Starbucks in which I'm asked to meet the person, even though I'd rather speak to them at their homes or somewhere that can give a much better backdrop to the story.)<BR/><BR/>Nice job capturing the experience, Ken. You might want to add the "Men's Magazine Corollary" to this: it's the point where the starlet says or does something that's completely innocuous but the writer makes the reader think it was a flirtatious move towards the obviously handsome (fat) and testosterone-filled (bearded) writer.Joelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05271095412998848104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-65843183379059883912007-08-13T07:45:00.000-07:002007-08-13T07:45:00.000-07:00Very funny. Thanks for making me laugh before I sc...Very funny. Thanks for making me laugh before I schlep off to work.Feisty Cronehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02821808042889216134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-86552727035944718482007-08-13T06:58:00.000-07:002007-08-13T06:58:00.000-07:00Ken, Awesome, awesome post!!The only missing piece...Ken,<BR/> Awesome, awesome post!!<BR/><BR/>The only missing piece is when she runs off to the ladies room to purge.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-43541623643069297292007-08-13T06:30:00.000-07:002007-08-13T06:30:00.000-07:00Don't forget to include that Starlet thought of he...Don't forget to include that Starlet thought of her fellow actors on said movie as "a real family." They were all "close and supportive." Her boyfriend is never jealous when she has love scenes with Mr. Hunk because he's "secure and trusting." And don't forget to mention that she's wearing Jimmy Choo sandals, a sleek black tee, the latest jeans. Handbags are Prada. And for her next movie, whatever she's being paid is described by temperature, as in "a cool 10 million."<BR/><BR/>Also mention the waiter, who either does or doesn't recognize the starlet according to whether you're in a restaurant in L.A. or NYC.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com