On Sun, Jun 5, 2011 at 11:40 AM, Joe Coughlin <[email protected]> wrote:
> She's a working actress. There's no selling out. You do what you need to do
> to get a gig. Unless it's completely tasteless or run against your moral
> code, there's no selling out unless you're very rich and can afford to be
> choosy.

Respectfully disagree. There are a lot of actors, directors, writers,
and even behind-the-scenes guys and gals who hold out for the right
job or jobs. Yes they are rare, and that is what makes them special in
a business where most everyone will whore themselves out for a
paycheck.

I actually get to discuss this concept with my students, asking them
to define for themselves what constitutes success. For some it is an
award such as a Grammy or Oscar or Emmy. For others it is to be able
to sit in a hotel room with a hooker locked in the closet and a
mountain of blow on the coffee table. For still others it is about
money or fame. But for a few it is about respect; respect for oneself
as well as the respect of trusted friends and/or peers.

There are always going to be crap shows on television, and there will
always be those who can defend them as escapist fare or whatever. I
don't deny having my own crappy favorites, but I'm honest about them.
I'm also honest about the crappy shows I worked on before leaving the
industry. I saw talented people of all ages stifled by the jobs they
had to do, feeling more bitter and resentful each day. I saw myself
heading the same direction and got out (imagine if I'd stayed in). But
those who delude themselves (or try to delude an audience) into
believing a show isn't crap -- well, that is just sad.

So I try to make the effort to seek out the shows that follow another
path and offer praise and commendation when I spot them. And I try to
point out when the opposite is the case, too.

-- 
Kevin M. (RPCV)

-- 
TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People!
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