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Archive for the ‘ACTORS’ & DIRECTORS’ CORNER’ Category

Charles Bronson’s Estate Sues Warner Bros., MGM

27 May

Of course, their suit is about residuals for past work performed by this actor. They should know not to cross him, even in death!

Maybe one day the unions will be able to negotiate that all income for all shows goes into a common escrow pot. From that account, revenue and expenses would be distributed equitably, according to a given plan administered by an independent fiduciary. As any accountant should know, debits and credits are supposed to balance. Another way to say this is that goods and services equal money, and money equals goods and services, the amounts fixed by governing contracts.
However, let no man or woman hold their breath. The producers maintain a stranglehold on this possibility, and the unions seem to be powerless to change it. Guess they retain better lawyers.

 
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Posted in "show business accountng", ACTORS' & DIRECTORS' CORNER, COMMENTARY-Passing parade, Equity, SAG

 

Could “Two and a Half Men” Be Better Than Ever With Ashton Kutcher?

22 May

I just read a review of 2 1/2 Men by a “communications professor” by the name of Robert Thompson.  He admitted that while watching and critiquing the show, he would rather be balancing his checkbook.

The fact is, 2 1/2 Men is the only truly honest depiction of male and female behavior in our current American and possibly worldwide culture. It deals with real-life situations, and the greed, dishonesty and scamming that goes on at all levels of society and industry, producing the norms of life today. Its popularity, continuing with huge audience followers watching reruns, deny the premise put forth by this professor of communications.

From the working professional’s viewpoint, it is clear that the core of the show is the relationship between 2 brothers, Charlie and Alan, played by Sheen and Cryer.  They are joint protagonists, and Sheen is the perfect foil for Cryer.  Their interplay is worthy of the best of the Smothers Brothers, Laurel and Hardy and the 3 Stooges, the difference being that they are never seen to be “performing”, but just are; believable at every moment. The writing is so superior that one can sit through each show many times.  There is a kind of inevitability in the substance of the patter, and one discovers nuances in funny lines with deep meaning. I myself relax in the evening watching yet again another episode.  I have 72 of them saved.  I recommend almost every episode as a model for the aspiring writer learning how to shape a script, with perfect character, plot, and story development.

It is a shame that a political situation developed between Sheen, joint creator Lorre, Warner Bros. and CBS.  It has been decided that they should continue the run of this golden goose without Sheen.  But it won’t and it shouldn’t work.

What Sheen and Cryer should do is develop their own show with an entirely different setting, and an entirely different family, and continue the exploration of familial situations for 2 disparate brothers. Of course, they would lose their supporting cast, which would be unfortunate.  Apart from anything else, and aside from the show, it would be fun to watch how these parties will squabble over the age-old conundrum of who creates, and therefore owns, the fictitious characters of entertainment. Actors vs. writers vs. directors vs. financial backers.  Another legal drama in the making.  And they will suffer from the absence of Lorre, who is a writing genius, as well as the supporting cast, unequaled in anything I have ever seen.

If any sample of our civilization should be crammed into a space capsule for aliens to see, it would be every episode of 2 1/2 Men as it presently exists.

 
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Posted in "2 1/2 Men", "Charlie Sheen", "Chuck Lorre", "John Cryer", "Warner Bros." CBS, ACTORS' & DIRECTORS' CORNER, COMMENTARY-Passing parade

 

Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters lunch meetings

20 Mar

This is a wonderful gathering of old-timers, like myself. If you’ve been in the business for 20 years or more, you qualify to apply for membership. We meet for a hearty lunch about once a month (except for summer) at the Sportsman’s Lodge in the Valley. There is always an honoree, being gently roasted by a panel of fellow workers on the dais.

Lately, the place has been more than usually crowded with participants of the Showbiz. My photographer pal, Dave Keeler, wanders around snapping pictures, and if you’re lucky, he might catch you with some old friends, which he did for me at a recent meeting. (If you click on the picture, it will enlarge it.)

 

 

If you’re interested in joining, this is their website.  Just find somebody who’ll sponsor you.

 

 

 

 

 
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Posted in "Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters", ACTORS' & DIRECTORS' CORNER, COMMENTARY-Passing parade, PPB

 

When you’re old enough, friends pop up in the oddest way

14 Mar

Celebrities are full of stories about their exploits, their famous friends, who they mix with, who they work with.  It’s often to do with the size of their billing, or their latest agent’s gaffes.   Then there are the less famous.  People like me, with stories more down to earth, but, I think, more interesting, unless you’re a fan follower.

This is by way of saying that I went to a play the other evening, at the East-West Theatre downtown, a play called “Wrinkles”.  Couldn’t believe what I saw, for there, playing the lead, was my old fellow worker at, of all places, First National City Bank, Park Avenue, N.Y.  5th floor. The year was 1963, the place the computer room, midnight to 8 am shift, Burroughs check sorting machine.  His name – Sab Shimono.  I remember him as a delicate, shy, self-effacing youngster,  wrestling with the machine just as I was.

I met him after the curtain came down, and we swapped a few stories in the car-park.  He has developed into a splendid actor, and reached an age of maturity reflected in his command of the stage.

I plan to see more of Sab.

 

 

 
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Posted in 'East-West Players", "First National City Bank", "Sab Shimono", A SPACE FOR NOSTALGIA, ACTORS' & DIRECTORS' CORNER, Wrinkles

 

Copy, Credit, Meals

16 Sep

This is addressed to my professional actor friends, full members of the Screen Actors Guild, AFTRA, and Equity.

It is to say that I am tired of being invited by student directors to act in their videos, or films, for their benefit and for nothing.  This is a huge step backward to the very beginnings of these esteemed organizations, back to the twenties and thirties.  Student actors, go ahead.  Professional actors, STOP!

Yes, we are entering a new era in the film making process. Yes, the old rules are a-changing. But no, what remains unchanged is the cold hard fact that we need to earn a fair amount of money to survive. SAG and AFTRA and AEA were conceived to ensure that this happens. But what has taken its place?

I am told that I may perform in an AEA condoned "Equity Waiver" theatrical production. That means that I have the opportunity to "practice my craft" for not much more than car fare.

I am told that I may perform in a SAG or AFTRA condoned  "student production" to "practice my craft" for a copy of the result "for my reel".  My reel has become an essential adjunct in the job-hunting process.  Job hunting has become the premier industry in today’s Hollywood (and New York). Hundreds of websites have come into being, offering job hunting services for a price. And so, the poor actor’s pockets, bare due to the near impossibility of getting paid these days, is made even more bare by the new necessity to subscribe to these websites.

The dignity of the professional actor is severely threatened. The new image is that of a young actor, with pleading in his eyes, one hand out, and the other behind his back, to protect it, I guess. While the producer/director wields his traditional authoritarial stick over the actor, ensuring the continuance of a feudal system tolerated since the dark ages. And the middle men, the managers, the agents, the lawyers, and some teachers and casting directors, earn their living in dependence upon the actors lack of confidence, "teaching" said actors "new tricks".

 
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Posted in ACTORS' & DIRECTORS' CORNER, COMMENTARY