On Sun, Jun 5, 2011 at 12:01 PM, Kevin M. <[email protected]> wrote:
> 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. > Again, not having seen Glee I am handicapped in this discussion, but people whose taste and judgement I respect seem to like the show. It is not my cup of tea, but I think you will have to go a little further to defend the assertion that it is crap. The fact that you happen not to care for it is not quite sufficient. Assuming for the sake of argument that it is crap, I think you still have a ways to go to defend the assertion that anyone who accepts payment in return for working on a crap show is a whore. I can imagine shows that I would expect any self-respecting actor to decline - but I can also imagine a ton of bad shows that I would expect the vast majority of competent, ethical actors to accept. There is a valid point somewhere in what you have above - the mass entertainment industry all too often is satisfied with appealing to the lowest common denominator, and many prosper financially without pushing themselves and others to do their best work. Originality and creative merit are not prerequisites for success. Your students are lucky to have a teacher who tries to inspire them to develop and then follow their own set of values. But rarely does that mean that people of integrity will only accept jobs at top of the line organizations. My grandfather was a worker on the line at Ford for 30 years. He took pride in his work, and may have aspired to put Mercedes or BMWs together, but spent of his time assembling pieces of shit Fairlanes - but I don't think that made him a whore. Actors act - that is what they do. They act in great shows and they act in crappy shows, and in shows in between. What makes them professionals is that they do their best work even in crappy shows. -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
