Jun 172009
Roberta has headed off to Maryland until Sunday. She won’t have Internet access.
I am headed in the opposite direction, to Ontario, and will also not have Internet access.
We are leaving the blog with hullabaloo, our recently returned Ms. Darkly, B. Cooper, Karl, and I haven’t seen Marly lately but I think she’s hiding here somewhere.
You may consider this an open thread. Don’t get in too much trouble.
16 Responses to “Enjoy this beautiful week”
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For some reason, I have this sudden urge to put on "That Old Time Rock & Roll," don a pair of RayBans, and dance around in my underwear…
#2 @Hullaballo,
May I join you? I'll bring wine and cheese…
Comcast is holding a Mad Men sweepstakes. The prize is a trip to L.A. to attend the premiere in August. Here's the link:
http://www.madmencasweeps.com/
Where's Noah?
I plan on having a heart attack after picking up twins, but will try to post Mad News before then.
If anyone has any questions for Bryan Batt, Michael Gladis, Vincent Kartheiser, Rich Sommer or Aaron Staton, here’s the place to ask them:
http://blogs.amctv.com/mad-men/2009/06/sterling-cooper-staff-questions.php
Here's what I've always wondered about TV shows in general. I understand how writers might take turns writing a character and so not be completely familiar with them all, and I understand the same from directors, but I don't understand an actor allowing a continuity error — it seems like they should know that if something contradicts something else said or done in a previous episode.
Again, talking shows in general, and certainly not saying there's a problem with MM.
I wrote for a sitcom and never remember an actor coming to me with a continuity problem — although, of course, normally they'd take that sort of thing to the director or show runner. And from my viewpoint as a junior writer it seemed that the show runner, executive producer and director would take little flack or even input from the actors.
(But that was a show without "stars," so like a lot of television the show runner and executive producer were the gods in charge.)
The actors on that particular sit com seemed more concerned with one getting an opportunity the other didn't, and the executive producer kinda warned me to be wary of being pressured to write a scene for one or the other, so on the whole I was shielded from the actors.
We had a director calling from the set for new dialogue or instant situation, or a producer asking for a new dialogue or a connecting scene, but at least at that particular sit com, I didn't experience an actor catching a problem with continuity.
But then again, there was a change in cast from Season one and two: the maid went from Hispanic to Japanese, the husband changed mistresses for no reason, a son was replaced by a "cousin" — the continuity problems had more to do with actors who fled the first season for one reason or other, only to be replaced by new types for whom the scripts had to be rewritten.
I was cast in a small part (when the budget was blown all the writers ended up with parts bigger or smaller) coincidentially, a scene I'd written.
I'd wanted the lines to go one way, the producer wanted another, but he wasn't there when I was in front of the camera, so I read the lines I prefered.
The continuity girl tried to correct me, "That's not the line." "I know, I wrote it," I said, and got my version on tape.
But I doubt one of the actors would have gotten away with that.
Interesting, Judi.
I speak from the place of someone who knows nothing, but it always struck me as odd some of the errors that made it through on shows.
I'm sure in most cases the actor would be overruled if he said anything.
I'll bet there are also cases, especially in long-running shows like soap operas, where the actor welcomes having something different to do.
Hey, kids, while the grownups are out, let's play spaceman! I'll get the dry-cleaning bags…
If an actor says, "Last year my character mentioned she was an only child and that she's allergic to cats – this year she has an identical twin and they're waxing poetic about the birthday where they got Siamese kittens" the reaction would be, "Ah, shaddup?"
Yeah, I suppose it would in some cases.
Let's throw a party — but we'll keep it small and tell everybody there's no drinking. This will in no way lead to fliers being handed out at school and some falling into the hands off the wild kids, the Hell's Angels showing up, and Roberta's vintage salt shaker collection being smashed to smithereens before the police break up the party. Embarrassing mugshots will not be taken. And we will deduce that To Serve Man is a Cookbook long before a group of us climbs into a spaceship with the aliens who crashed the party.
Nothing can go wrong and it's a totally brilliant plan!
Since we're gearing up for a new season, well, sorta, now might not be the time, but it would be fun to have a book and movie club with era appropriate material or items with similar themes. Or, I could be utterly crazy!
"Time of your life, huh, Hullaballoo? In a sluggish economy, never, ever, f*ck with another man's livelihood."
"I like you Hullaballoo. Don't you know that?"
and last but not least, "How about $300 for the artsy fartsy thing?"
Hmmmm. Every time I feel the party's starting, a post from Deborah Lipp appears. Quick, hide the keg.
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