I had a long day today (actually, it wasn’t any longer than other days really, just felt that way) and am going to make a short entry tonight. First, some quick news:
An interesting article on why the FCC should be abolished can be found here.
Before reading the article I felt that the FCC, despite its somewhat evil reputation, probably performs some valuable services for the country. After reading the article, which makes some pretty interesting points, I am less sure. Perhaps the market can regulate itself after all. Anyway, its worth checking out.
Also, Apple introduced some pretty cool new things today. Airport Express and AirTunes. Airport Express is a tiny wireless access point that will, among other things, allow you to stream your iTunes music to a stereo and play it through your speakers in any room. Pretty great. I think they will sell a bunch of these (probably one or two to yours truly even). Check them out for the full run down on features, specs and whatnot.
Lastly, the wife is leaving tomorrow to go see her parents. As she is, as we say in showbiz “between gigs” she felt that this was a good time to go. And I agree. Even though it will most likely rain every day she is home, she will have a nice time. And really, with the kind of hours she has been putting in for the last year and a half, she really needs some time off. Series television at the network level (NBC, CBS, ABC, etc.) is a pain in the ass for the people who actually work on the shows.
Try to imagine going to work for 12 to 14 hours a day and pounding your head against a wall while being told to hurry the fuck up and that you are doing it wrong and you will have some idea of what fun it is to work on series television. Some people will say that its fun and they have a great time and blah, blah, blah. They’re lying. The only people who have any fun are the actors, the writers and sometimes the producers, believe me.
Anyone who actually has to work on the show: the grips, drivers, caterer, production coordinator, pa’s, etc. will tell you that its just a grind that you have no hope of any kind of life while its happening. You just have to get through it until it ends. And it does end. Sometimes rather abruptly like my wife’s last show “The Handler”. Everyone broke for Christmas vacation thinking they were going to come back and finish the season but surprise, the show got axed. Oh well. I still like Joey Pants.
One more thing for the record. The most under appreciated and under compensated job on any film or television production is that of the Production Coordinator. This is one of the hardest jobs you never heard of. If the Production Coordinator does his or her job well, nothing happens. If you do your job right, nobody notices. How’s that for messed up?
Plus, you do much of the work that the Production Manager (your immediate boss) is supposed to do (in some cases all of it) and you get paid a fourth of what he or she makes. I know this sounds like I am just venting, and I sort of am. I just want to call attention to this job so maybe when you have finished watching your favorite TV show or movie and the credits are flashing by in a corner of the screen at a hundred miles an hour you will see the credit of Production Coordinator and give props where they are due.
Just keep in mind that maybe hundreds of people whose names you will never know contributed to your entertainment. All those names and credits like Production Coordinator that come at the end of the show that you never stay to watch or change the channel during. A handful of them do it just for the money but most of them do it for the love. For you.
Ok, end of sermon.
Later.
