"Toy Story 3"

I'm often skeptical when sequels come out. I believe in the saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." When those brilliant Hollywood studio execs decide to remake a TV classic into a movie, I cringe. When they commission an SNL movie, I shudder. When they demand sequel after sequel, I gag. I was nervous about the third installment of TS, but I was pleasantly surprised.

I missed some of the toys, including Bo Peep, but I enjoyed Jesse and Bullseye. Once again, a supposedly cute toy is a vaillian. However, there were more laugh-out-loud moments in this movie than I expected, including the moment when Mr. Potato Head becomes Mr. Latke. I enjoy Estelle Harris a great deal and loved it whenever Mrs. Potato Head had a line.

TS3 was very sad, but I think it's a nice conclusion for an epic saga. I really hope that this is the end because to do future installments would do a huge disservice to the movie's premise (not to mention the fans). Good job, Pixar! Maybe you'll pick up on Oscar for this movie.

"Grey's Anatomy"

My neighbor came over last night, and we watched a few season 2 episodes of "Grey's Anatomy": episodes 16 and 17, "It's the End of the World" and "As We Know It." Though GA is still on, I never had an interest in watching the series (though I've read the articles surrounding the cast departures of Isaih Washington, Katherine Heigl, and T.R. Knight).

I have to admit that these episodes were very good because the A, B, and C plots were neatly tied together, and while there was tenuous drama, it was not overdone. The actors stayed true to their characters (from what I could tell), and the writing was pretty good. The patients were realistic as were the doctors (though I'm aware of the controversy surrounding the show because of how it tends to stray away from some proper medical procedures).

Will I continue to watch the show? I don't know. I might watch a few episodes online, but I don't think I'll be watching religiously in the fall. That's not happening until "Desperate Housewives" returns.

"Videocracy"

Italian television has been revolutionized for over 30 years, but perhaps not for the better. Silvio Berlusconi, television magnate and president, created a vast empire full of obsessive wannabes who devote their lives to becoming silent pin-up models for Italian television hosts. Based on what this documentary portrayed, the majority if Italian TV is female-centered. Most of the time, these women are half or fully naked and parading around lavish sets for the pleasures of millions of viewers. Auditions are a public experience with people cheering aspiring models.

"Videocracy" follows several subjects: a young man who is a TV wannabe (his mom is absolutely hilarious); Silvio Berlusconi; Fabrizzio Carona, the chief of paparazzi famous for taking pictures of celebrities in compromising positions and selling them to celebrities (i.e. extortion, which he is arrested for) and who enjoys attention, money, and fame; Lele Mora, the pupeteer of Italian television and close friend of Berlusconi who prides himself in discovering Italy's freshest talent; and Marella Giavonnelli, Berlusconi's neighbor who is the main photographer at all his events.

This documentary generated a lot of emotions. It was so candid yet not one-sided. "Videocracy" is an appalling but honest look into the world of Italian TV. Berlusconi and all the other subjects are so shallow and vain that it's painful. I have contempt for the majority of people profiled in this film. At times, I felt like I was watching a Hollywood movie because this reality in Italy is so unreal. I've never felt more angry after watching a documentary--and this is a good film. Everything I learned in my documentary class last fall is now coming to light; I'm experiencing what I'm supposed to and reacting in ways I never thought imaginable.

When "Videocracy" gets a more widespread release, I recommend checking it out. If you want to see a documentary that will provoke your innermost feelings and cause much debate, "Videocracy" is therefore the film for you.

"Crimes and Misdemeanors"

I've always been a fan of Woody Allen films because I appreciate his sense of humor and the Jewishness played out by every character in every scene. While "Crimes and Misdemeanors" is not a comedy per se, there are a lot of funny moments. Overall, this is a more serious film dealing with the implications of morality. Tonight, I had the opportunity to screen this film as part of Temple Israel's Summer in the City learning series.

I remember seeing C&M once before and enjoyed it as much then as I did tonight. The interesting aspect about tonight's screening was focusing on the movie's metaphor: eyesight.

*SPOILER ALERT*

Judah, an optometrist tries to help a Rabbi regain his vision while the Rabbi tries to help Judah deal with having a two year affair with a neurotic mistress and Judah's decision to have his brother hire someone to kill her. Both men fail to adequately help one another "regain" their "vision." This metaphor plays out in other aspects of the film: Woody Allen's character is blind to the fact that the affair he wants to have can never happen despite his feelings for his crush. His documentary film subject, an esteemed psychology professor, is blind to the positive opportunities that life has and consequently kills himself.

Until tonight, I never thought about watching the movie this way, but it was an amazing opportunity to see the film (and questions of Jewish morality) in a whole new light. The discussion following the film was dynamic in the differing opinions on ethics, each individual's moral code, Woody Allen's stance on the issue as the writer and director, and addressing other related ambiguous questions.

If you haven't already seen "Crimes and Misdemeanors," I highly recommend you check it out.

"I Am Love"

One of the perks of being a college student living in Boston during the summer is keeping up to date with all the events happening in the city. Thanks to e-mails from going.boston.com and JewishBoston.com, I've been on the go for the past week traveling to screenings, exhibitions, and social events. Tonight, I attended another screening at the MFA with a friend: "I Am Love," an Italian romance film that will be released in a few weeks.

"I Am Love" stars Tilda Swinton as Emma, a married woman in Milan who struggles over her identity as a mother and housewife when she meets her son's friend Antonio. I don't want to give the plot away, but I do want to comment on the elements that made this film so spectacular. The director (Luca Guadgagnino) favors high angle shots. At first, I couldn't understand why he insisted on using them, but once the ending is revealed, his shots make sense because they deeply penetrate into Emma's psyche, and her actions and motivations become increasingly clearer.

The acting itself was top notch, and Tilda Swinton is extremely convincing as a Russian-Italian housewife. She has a strong command of both languages and is really enveloped in her character. Moreover, she seemed very calm and in touch with her character during her nude/love scenes. Comfortable with her body, Tilda has no shame baring all, and her love scenes were tastefully done.

Though the movie is in Italian, the translated writing is strong and poignant. The characters are cleverly written and develop nicely over the course of the film's duration. Special effects, clever editing, and fantastic lighting also contribute to the magnificence of this movie. I strongly suggest people see it when it's commercially released.

Commuting

As much as I love my internship at WGBH, my commute isn't so wonderful. I used to go from my apartment to Park Street, switch to the red line to Harvard, then wait for the 86 bus to drop me off near the station. On a good day, it would take me up to 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to work. Luckily, I learned that there is a free shuttle that takes employees directly from the Coop in Harvard and near BU in Kenmore.

I decided to travel to Kenmore because it's a bit closer to my apartment. Granted, I could walk 30-40 minutes to get to the location of the shuttle, but I'm in no condition to do that much walking in the morning (especially in the afternoon ). Even by taking the T one stop to Kenmore, it's still a 10-minute walk to Hynes, a 3-minute train ride, and a 5-minute walk to the shuttle (followed by a 10-15 minute ride to WGBH).

I'm glad I found an easier way to commute, but I'd rather find a way to apparate to work everyday.

Great Internships

Tonight's post is going to be short, but I wanted to take a moment to write about my internship at "Antiques Roadshow." I've only worked there a few days, but I love it so much. The people I work with (and for) are extremely nice, down to earth, and appreciative of every task I do for them. What's also great is that they don't want to reduce the interns to doing grunt work--and that includes making coffee (though it is a plus).

I don't mind stuffing envelopes, sitting in front of the copy machine for eons, or fetching mail twice a day. My internship is exciting because it's production season. On Thursday, everyone leaves for the first production in San Diego (the executive producer and some staff members will fly out Wednesday). I'm so excited for them and really wish I could accompany them. Alas, someone has to stay in the office to hold down the fort. Although there is another intern who comes in on Thursdays and Fridays (when the crew normally flies out), I also have a pay job that I enjoy just as much.

I hope the good times keep coming at AR.

Harlan: In the Shadow of Jew Suss

The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) is currently screening some of the best selections from November's Boston Jewish Film Festival. This afternoon, I had the opportunity to watch a documentary on the director of "The Jew Suss," a highly controversial and anti-Semitic film made during the Third Reich.

Veit Harlan was commissioned by the Nazis to make a movie depicting Jews in the most negative light. Harlan's wife, Kristina Soderbaum, co-starred in the film as a woman who drowned herself after the Jewish banker (Oppenheimer) raped her. Clips from "The Jew Suss" were included in the documentary, and consequently, it was very hard to sit through those scenes.

"Harlan" contains interviews with the director's immediate family: sons and daughters from different marriages as well as nieces, nephews, and grandchildren (including Stanley Kubrick's wife). Most of the interviewees expressed their varying degrees of shame over what Harlan did, and the documentary chronicles their struggles and how they came to feel the way they do. There is tension throughout the film because siblings respond to each other's interviews. I found Jessica Jacoby to be my favorite "character" because of how she renounced her grandfather and proclaimed that he should've been found guilty for war crimes (Harlan was tried and acquitted twice over abetting Nazism during the war).

I enjoyed the film overall and highly recommend that everyone see it. There is discord among the family members, including son Thomas who publicly denounced his father. It's a film about shame, guilt, history, and different definitions of family. It's a part of our history as well.

Keeping Up Appearances

"The Bouquet residence, lady of the house speaking!"

I love "Keeping Up Appearances," as well as many other Britcoms. I owe my appreciation of these classic shows to my grandmother, who first introduced them to me a few years ago. In addition to KUA, I also enjoy "As Time Goes By," "Fawlty Towers," "Waiting for God," and the Inspector Morse/Lynde/Miss Marple mysteries. One day, I want to start watching "Upstairs, Downstairs."

KUA, though 20 years old, doesn't age. I just hosted a marathon with a friend last night, and we were laughing at every episode. Hyacinth's determination to have her name (Bucket) be pronounced Bouquet and to mingle and become a part of aristocratic society is sheer gold because Patricia Routledge plays her with comic genius. All of the characters are great, including man-hungry Rose, clumsy Elizabeth, and Hyacinth-fearing Emmet.

I hope Patricia Routledge is around for a long time; I would love to do a scene with her. While I own all the KUA episodes, I'm grateful that PBS continues to air the series weekly.

Rue McClanahan Died Today

I recently read the sad news: Rue McClanahan, better known as Blanche Devereaux on "The Golden Girls," died this morning from a massive stroke. It's really sad because Estelle, Bea, and Rue all died within a year of each other. Thankfully, Betty White is still going strong and will continue to remain in good health. I hope we can get her to host the Oscars next year!

Rue acted in a lot of programs, including "All in the Family" and "Mama's Family." A few days ago, I caught an episode in which she played Grandma Irene on "Charles in Charge." Rue displayed a charm when she acted, and she clearly had a presence on screen and on stage (you should check out a clip of her performing "Nunsense" in 1996; it's on YouTube).

RIP, Rue! I'll be holding a "Golden Girls" marathon this weekend to celebrate your wonderful life!

Laughter

I like laughing. I bet you do, too. After coming home from a long day at work, it's nice to kick back and find entertainment. In my case, I have Hulu, YouTube, and a stack of Golden Girls DVDs as my source of entertainment. I love laughing at loud because it makes me become more of an active participant with the show. It's also a great stress reliever (not that I have any, but it's a good distraction from cleaning the apartment or making my lunch).

Here's to many more years of the funny stuff!

Education

I value the importance of education. Curiosity is an essential part of being human, and I believe it is important for us to embrace curiosity and our desire to learn more. What fascinates me is that education does not stop after you graduate high school or college. There are times when I find myself looking up miscellaneous facts about calculus, chemistry, or a book that I wish we read in my British literature class but didn't. I read through AP and SAT exam prep books just to learn more about these subjects (and at times often wonder what it would have been like to take more advanced classes).

For the longest time, I wanted to be a teacher. History enthralled me the most because there are many ways to connect the past, present, and future by examining economics, primary sources, historical documentaries, and learning how to understand how previous events shape current policies. I always preferred European history because of the continent's unique cultural developments. I enjoyed public speaking and jumped at any opportunity I had to deliver a presentation. Challenging my peers to think critically was invigorating because it was as much of a challenge for me as it was for them. I wonder if teachers experience this on a daily basis.

I am also aware of the fact that children in particular are very impressionable. Anyone can call him or herself a teacher and impart "knowledge" to someone else. What exactly are we teaching each other, especially the younger generations? Now that I'm legally an adult, I often think ahead to when I have children. In addition to a standard curriculum of math, science, English, and physical fitness, I want my kids to know that it is okay to be different, to embrace individuality, to treat everyone else with equality and respect, and to embrace differences of opinion. I want my children to be aware that there are multiple sides to every issue, and I would encourage them to examine each argument and come to their own decisions.

Going into television, I realize that I have the power to educate and entertain, to shape and to alter. Storytelling gives me a platform to impart my views and opposing opinions, to showcase the real emotions of real people in real settings, to fixate on the interplay between personalities and philosophies, and to ignite debate over controversies. Reactions will vary, but it is my goal to force audiences to think about their lives and to reflect on reality and even the "What if?" scenarios. If teachers have the power to influence students in classrooms, then I also have the same power as a teacher in a visual medium to influence my audience, my classroom.

This is part of an ongoing and exciting adventure.

New Beginnings

After a six week hiatus, I'm back, fully recharged, and ready to begin what is bound to be a fantastic summer!

I have an internship at "Antiques Roadshow" that I'm very excited about. Due to a new load in schedule, I won't start until Wednesday. But I'm still excited nonetheless! My basic responsibilities will be logging and dubbing footage as it comes in from the road (the show goes into production over the summer), archiving older tapes, and ensuring that all talent release forms are signed. I read the biography of the executive producer, Marsha Bemko. She's a highly respected individual, and I hope I have the chance to meet her!

As many of you know, I intend to outline and begin my sitcom pilot this summer. What's it about? Well, the premise is still formulating, but it will be easier once I put it down on paper and make sense of everything. What I do know is that it will involve three 20-somethings living in Queens (a fictional town within the borough): one guy and two girls. The guy's neurotic mother lives in the same building a few floors down. The relationship between the mother and son is a unique love/hate one, as the two tend to play off of each other. The building's landlords (an older couple, most likely in their 70s) frequently interact with the other characters. The comedy will come from the characters and how they get themselves into messes each week. Moreover, the show will focus on the psychological framework of each character, his/her ethical views, the conflicts derived from a clashing of personalities, and will attempt to showcase how even the most dramatic moments in life can be touched by humor. Physical comedy will also play a large part over the course of the series.

This is as much as I know. I hope to start outlining tomorrow and even come up with names and backstories for these people! After all, that's the first step to creating a show...

Picture Locked but Far from Done

We finally did it! After several weeks of delays, additional cuts, viewings, notes, and more cuts, my team finally accomplished picture lock. This means that all cuts and edits to the video (sans credits) are completely finished. While my team can take a few short breaths, my job is far from over; I'm only 1/3 of the way done.

Getting to picture lock was the main hurdle of post production. Now, I need to make sure the audio editor accomplishes the sound edit, the head mixer gets a DVD of the show, the show gets to Mix One (the audio post production house), we get the final master on time, DVD graphics are delivered on time, menus are delivered to the DVD production facility, and that the correct amount of DVDs are manufactured--on time.

It's a lot of work being a post production supervisor. My main jobs are scheduling, following up with deadlines, meeting those deadlines, and ensuring that everything is essentially "honkey dorey" among my team members, both video and audio. We hit some snags along the way, and yes, things definitely could've gone better. But for what it's worth, I think we did a great job of learning from our mistakes, moving ahead, and getting the project done well and on time.

This is certainly an experience I will never forget, and I mean that on a very positive level.

My Other Ambition

I still want to be a television executive producer; that would be the most exciting and adventurous career I could ask for. However, I've also harbored a second desire, one that most people don't know about: I want to own my own cable network.

Syndication is something that has always fascinated me--at least the rerun aspect. 95% of the shows I watch are reruns of classic television shows (such as I Love Lucy, The Golden Girls, Roseanne, and Mama's Family, just to name a few). Something has always bothered me about showing reruns on American TV, and that's the annoying chopping of three minutes per episode to make room for additional commercials. The reason this is an issue is because some shows (such as ALF, Mama's Family, and the first seasons of The Cosby Show, Roseanne, and Third Rock from the Son) were released to DVD in their syndicated formats--these masters haven't seen the light of day since these shows' original broadcasts.

If I had my own network, I would show sitcom reruns 24/7 of all the classic shows from the 1950s to the present. Now, "classic" is very subjective, but I'd say that the shows mentioned in the 100 Greatest Sitcoms of All Time would end up on my network. My goal is to scrounge, save, and hire a competent entertainment lawyer to procure the rights to air the original masters. I would even go so far as to purchase some original commercials (a la TV Land's "Retromercials," back when the network was watchable) to throw them into the mix. Further, I would purchase some older TV specials and short-lived sitcoms to air as weekend marathons.

My philosophy is this: If Oprah can do it, so can I.

Garyisms

This is one of my favorite posts. A few years ago, my parents coined the term "Garyism," which refers to when I say something innocently that ends up being funny because I never realized how silly it was at the time. I hope these Garyisms provide you with as much laughter as it does for my friends and family. Enjoy!

“Turn around, and show me the pictures.” Turns all the way around (360°)

“That woman looks just like Mama Cass except for her face.”

Dad: “How tall is she?”

Gary: “She’s my height, give or take a few inches.”

“I don’t have to explain myself to me!”

“There must be a vacancy in my mind.”

“Oh, that’s bridge under the water.”

Mom: “What’s that thing on your mouth?”

Gary: “What mouth?”

"MIMIMIMIMI!"

"My dinner is like a ferry boat going through my stomach."

"So how are you Kelly?" (in a menacing voice)

"Purse, purse, reimburse."

"I'm a flaky barnakle!"

BEST CONVOS EVER!

Gary: I'm a little feather duster.

Justin: Short and stout?

Gary (to Justin): How'd you hurt your ankle?

Kelly: He was playing HAND ball.

(after a failed "thats what she said" from Gary)

Kelly: NO! She didn't! She's mute!

Gary: She's saying it in sign language!

Kelly: You're deaf and blind! You can't hear or see anything she does!

Pre-Madonna vs. prima donna

"They should create feet warmers. Oh wait, those are slippers!"

Time Machine

I wish I could go back in time and undo some of the things I've done in the past. Sometimes, it involves retaking a test and other times, I would use the time machine to go back and react differently or just prevent myself from doing something. Unfortunately, there are no take backs in life. If you mess up, you need to own up to it and prevent that mistake from happening again. Life is one big learning experience; however, not all of these moments are pleasant. At times, people aren't so forgiving if you botch something up, and that's a shame. Yet, you need to focus on the present and future and not on the past. Stay positive and remain solution-oriented. People will appreciate that, and you will, too.

The Weather Outside is Weather

Whatever the weather is, it sucks. I hate the rain because it gives me headaches. Even if there's a slight shift on the weather front, I feel it. I wish Mother Nature would make up her mind and stick to one thing for awhile. I'm a child of spring, and thus, that is my favorite. It should be sunny and in the 70s all the time. Anything that would give me an excuse to relax in the Common or the Fens would work for me!

Roseanne

Last night, I had another weird dream--and I should clarify that I tend to have a lot of bizarre dreams. This one placed me in the heart of the Conner household. The Roseanne Conner that began to talk to me looked like the Mrs. Conner from the Roseanne pilot: blue sweatshirt and frizzy brown hair. Surprisingly, she wasn't sarcastic and didn't make jokes at anyone's expense. Dan Conner was unusually quiet, though Darlene and DJ were definitely in character. Where Becky Conner was, I had no idea. I remember interacting with DJ quite a bit, and he was a real brat. Darlene was, well, Darlene. The part that got really strange was when Roseanne took me upstairs and told me to stay in Darlene's room. Somehow, that bedroom was huge--I could've sworn it was the master bedroom. There were wooden floors, wooden dressers, and Darlene evidently had a Queen bed. All I remember was standing speechless and momentarily wishing I was related to Roseanne Conner.

Well, that was just a dream. As bizarre as it was, the dream does reflect my interest in Roseanne. When TV Land reran the show incessantly last summer, I thought to myself, "Oh God, it's that crazy fat woman." But I began to watch the show, and I started to enjoy the zany one-liners and controversial plots. Seasons 1-5 are definitely the show's best with the peak occurring during the third and fourth seasons. The plots and rhetoric were convincing because they reflect real people and real lives. I could barely put the remote down after each episode and was really intrigued by the nuances of each character. Once I started watching season 6, however, I began to lose interest; Roseanne Conner became a selfish diva, and the characters started to morph in different directions. Jackie in particular became more bizarre (though I later found out Roseanne wanted the character to be a reflection of Barnie Fife). Don't even get me started on season 9: the premise was interesting (the Conners win the lottery), but the writing was awful. The show stopped being funny because Roseanne turned into a man-hating feminist, Becky turned into a Barbie doll, Mark became dumber than President Bush, and even Dan started to become unlikeable.

Overall, the show is really good, and despite my not liking the later seasons as much, there are some token gems from all seasons (especially "Girl Talk" from season 7 and "Heart and Soul" and "Fights and Stuff" from season 8). If you have the opportunity, definitely watch Roseanne; if anything, you'll at least be presented with a realistic and truthful point of view.

A Night to Remember

Last night, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the dedication of the Kevin Bright Screening Room at the newly renovated Paramount Theatre in downtown Boston (which Emerson College proudly owns). Being at that ceremony made me feel even more honored to be taking this sitcom class. I've always admired and respected Kevin, but after seeing the documentary on Jackie Bright and talking to Kevin after the screening, I knew more than ever that I belonged in that class and that it was my destiny to make sitcoms. The event made me realize how important comedy is and how the genre can do so much good in enabling people to laugh at life's fodders. We need to laugh more often and at the right things.

Be Solution Oriented!

There are so many things I'm going to take away from being a part of the Kevin Bright Workshop, such as effectively producing, casting actors, paying attention to wardrobe, loading an audience, and supervising post-production. However, one of them will always stand out: be solution-oriented.

I've learned through experience that when a problem happens, you deal with it right away. If it involves someone else, you should tell them ASAP. Well, that's not always the case--especially when you work for a big macher EP like Kevin Bright. Sometimes, it's not a good idea to inform an executive producer of an issue if you don't know too much about it. If you don't have a solution to present, you're only creating more stress for everyone involved. An upset EP could torpedo a production.

Finding a solution means tackling the problem at hand right away. Make calls, write e-mails, grab anyone who has knowledge of the issue you're dealing with. Most importantly, remain calm. Freaking out at a time like this is like fighting fire with fire; more stress means the problem increases tenfold. If you have a game plan and know how to execute it, then you can inform the EP of the problem AND the solution. Save yourself some trouble and a sleepless night. You'll thank yourself later.

Dealing With Stress

I'll be the first to admit that I stress myself out. Usually, it's because I take on too many things each semester. Every year, I promise myself that I would cut back on something, but I always renege on that one. This semester alone, I'm doing the following: President of Hillel, Director of Scheduling Operations at The Emerson Channel, Executive Producer of "Speechless," Associate Producer of the Kevin Bright sitcom "The Record Cellar," two other classes (one of which is at the 500 level), member of the Academic Policy Committee, and member of the Faculty of the Future Committee. On top of that, I live off campus.

Other times, I cause myself undue stress because I think things are worse than they really are and start to freak out. That's never a good idea; I think I have a stress line on my forehead because of that. Based on my experience, I've come up with the following ways to effectively manage stress:

1) Don't have a meltdown. It's embarrassing, and it doesn't solve anything.

2) However, it's OK to vent every now and then.

3) BREATHE, and have a moment to yourself. I usually devote an hour of "me time" everyday.

4) Always live by: "Everything will be alright in the end." Be an optimist!

5) Surround yourself with nice, productive people. They're out there!

6) Take each day one at a time. If you think about too many things at once, you'll burn yourself out even more.

7) Treat yourself every now and then. There's nothing worse than having a low self-esteem, because that ultimately affects your work and your attitude.

8) When the weather is nice, take advantage of it! Fresh walks are great for clearing your mind.

9) Be solution-oriented!!!

10) Be in control of the situation; only you can set yourself back.

What a Day!

I'd like to start off by thanking Amtrak for deciding to not electrocute me if its trains were to run today. It's a nuisance for Rhode Island to be flooded, but it's not my fault--or is it? Anyway, I got most of my fare refunded, and I managed to get on a Megabus to NYC at 2:30. I loved Megabus, especially since it was a double decker. It claimed to have Free Wi-Fi, but what's the point if internet disappears once you leave the bus depot? I also don't understand why there's a service called, "Free Public Wi-Fi" when it doesn't do anything to juice up your internet. EPIC FAIL! Unlike Amtrak, where I could legit concentrate and get work done, I couldn't really do that on the bus. I have a 7-page paper, a detailed budget, a schedule for The Emerson Channel, and Kevin Bright post work to do. I guess that'll have to wait until this weekend!

The trip to NYC was fairly smooth, and we only hit traffic when we got closer to our destination. We bypassed the Bronx and drove through Harlem, from 153rd Street all the way to 28th Street. It felt like an eternity. No wonder I prefer taking the subway! Speaking of which, I had to take another bus from NYC to NJ, and that meant taking the subway from 28th Street to Times Square/Port Authority. Once I got to the bus terminal, I grabbed dinner, and just made the 8:00 bus. Why that bus was crowded at a late hour, I'll never know.

I'm home now, resting. I prepared some notes to deliver at my grandfather's funeral tomorrow. Thankfully, it's supposed to be nice weather. I'm not looking forward to traveling: NJ to Long Island to Brooklyn to Manhattan to Boston. On top of that, guess what my Friday will look like: sleep, 7AM registration, sleep, 4-hour class, "Speechless," and post-production supervising for the Kevin Bright class. I really need to sleep in this weekend!

The Font Tard

Ah, nicknames. They come and go whether you like them or not. I've had a few attached to me over the years, including "G-Unit" and "G-Man." But the nickname that tops them all is one I earned last month: the font tard. What does it mean? Where did it come from? Two words: my professor.

Before I go into how I got that nickname, I should clarify that she didn't directly call me that, but because of the way it was presented, I managed to take that name upon myself and embrace it. Actually, it's a pretty cool and original nickname. As the post-production supervisor, one of my responsibilities is to schedule the editors' availabilities and label them on a calendar to present to the producers and professors. I copied and pasted a calendar layout from the internet. Most of the calendar was done in Helvetica, which is my professor's font of choice. However, the large heading was laid out in Comic MS Sans Serif. According to my professor, a veteran of the production world, such a font will only cause you to get teased by your colleagues and bosses. Anyone who uses that font, said my professor, is a font retard. Guess who submitted his calendar the exact moment she said "font retard?" Well, "font tard" sounds better--the class took a vote.

Since that eventful day, I've taken on two more nicknames from this same professor: "VIP" (I'm not sure where that came from) and "Pants" (because I lent one of my jeans to one of the lead actors for wardrobe). Taken in the right context, I think nicknames can be hilarious and great. Sometimes, they are mean and verbally debilitating. Use caution before labeling someone. Better yet, don't label them at all. If you must, do it in Helvetica.

Floor Directing

Tonight, I had the great opportunity to floor direct "The Dish": a college version of "Entertainment Tonight." The headset the office gave me was one of the reasons I was so excited to floor direct: I looked like a pilot flying a jet, except I had a battery pack attached to my waist. Most people wouldn't feel safe with a pilot who had such attachments. The first hour and half was uneventful: I got the white card, moved around a camera, and listened to whatever the director commanded.

One of the funny parts about me floor directing was that I was still expected to know all this technological know-how about plugging cables into "Ox 1" or extending BNC cables and stingers. Granted, this was stuff I supposedly learned last year in Intro. to Studio TV, but somehow, I managed to bypass the crew part and shoot up to executive producer. Speaking of which, one of the EPs I worked with tonight was as knowledgeable in technology as I was. Essentially, it was the blind leading the blind. When that happens, hilarity ensues. Thank goodness we got along well. I should also mention that the other EP is a very good friend of mine. Do you want to know another funny part about this evening? When cuing talent, I think I accidentally gave them the finger.

One of the things I learned about floor directing from my Studio TV class was not to make funny faces, gestures, or movements because the talent will literally fall apart. I don't think I improved that much, because the hosts had to stifle some laughs whenever they looked at me. Hey, at least I made the evening more enjoyable. Honestly, I'm so glad I did this, and I hope I'll have a similar opportunity in the near future.

Audience Coordinator

As I mentioned earlier, one of my jobs as an Associate Producer was to be an audience coordinator. Basically, I was in charge of publicizing the in-studio taping and booking a full house. The task started out well; I contacted every program coordinator, PR person, and high ranking school official I could think of. Luckily, I also had an assistant who e-mailed production offices and followed up on printing tickets. We publicized like crazy: Facebook, Twitter, listservs, etc. We got the class to reserve a set amount of tickets, and the student body e-mailed us like crazy. My assistant and I devised a color coding system for marking the different groups of tickets: class, actors, VIPs, and general admission. Everything was going swell. Then, show night happened.

Everything was set up: stanchions with row markings, labeled tickets, and a table to hand out tickets. I was told I would have a PA and a few classmates to help out. Great. People showed up, got their tickets, we had them wait in the lobby, then we set them to the theatre lobby at 4:30. At that time, though, we got nervous; many people didn't show up or ended up canceling their reservations. To make matters worse, I contacted the general audience to let them know that we were overbooked but still encouraged them to come, stand by, and sit in the holding area until we could pull them for the studio audience. Well, that failed because people equate over book with "don't bother showing up." FAIL. Oh, and then was the audience load-in.

It all worked in my head: I'd line people up by rows in front of the stanchions, I'd lead them in one row at a time, and seat them. Well, a few things happened: I didn't get my PA on time. House management was disorganized and delayed load-in for 20 minutes. Moreover, I confused the hell out of people when I attempted to line them up. If I actually had a head attached to my shoulders, I would've moved the stanchions to the front of the theatre and lined people up accordingly. But did I do that? Of course not. I lined people out in front of the production office, and I told them to face me while I counted them off. That didn't work too well, as people wanted to be at the end of the line to sit by the aisle. Folks: it doesn't freaking matter where you sit! People were just confused. I was frustrated. To make matters worse, the house manager assigned to help me clearly didn't want to be there; she told me it was my show and to do what I want. She then walked to the theatre and counted people as they entered. She could've died from boredom. FAIL.

Regardless, I got people seated, mass texted everyone I knew, and seated the extras halfway through the show. When all was said and done, I was only three people short of a full house (despite the fact that I originally overbooked in the first place). The show itself was great, and the audience had a great time; I can hear their laughter now as we're editing the show. Yes, there are things I would've done differently, but given the circumstances that arose, I think I did a pretty good job. I wonder how they deal with audiences in the industry...

The "T" = Totally Annoying!

I, like many Bostonians, have many complaints about the T. The green line is the worst: it's slow, it constantly breaks down, the "E" train (my train) rarely comes, and the damn thing goes express! Hello, there are 30 people waiting for you, yet you just ring your damn bell and breeze right past us. Also, must you close at 12:30AM? Do you know how much it sucks to have to leave a party early because I just don't feel like shelling out money for a cab? Do you know how many times the T has delayed me?

Aside from bashing the MBTA, I do have my share of T stories. One that stands out was when I got back from Thanksgiving break; I was having a miserable morning, and I realized that my November pass expired. Since I live at an outdoor stop, I have to show my pass to the conductor because there are no scanning stations (FAIL, MBTA!). The train pulled up, and at first, the conductor only opened the front doors. I was about to go in that way, but she then opened the side doors, so I decided to enter those doors. I found a seat, put my stuff down, and was gathering my things when the conductor got up, turned to me, and barked at me to pay. I was about to do just that when her royal highness made that proclamation. I told her I had a pass and showed it to her, and she brazingly snipped, "Well, you get on and you show it!" I haven't seen her since... hopefully she was fired for being a witch.

Another moment occurred a few weeks ago when a few of us were coming back from a party at the Middle East. A guy sitting across from us on the red line saw we were dressed up--more specifically, he noticed my friend who painted herself blue (background: we went to the party as the X-men). The conversation took a different direction when we talked politics, Jewish culture, war, peace, etc. For a guy who didn't know English too well, he did a pretty good job.

Last one: a few days ago, I'm waiting at the Northeastern stop. The train pulls up, we line up in front of the door, and we move aside to let people off. This woman with a horrible dye job and dreadlocks tries to make her way through, but we block her to let people leave the train. We enter, and she starts babbling about how she was trying to pay, how rude we were, when in fact she wasn't better than any one of us. I just glared at her and said nothing. In an alternative universe, I would've given her a piece of my mind, but in this world, I'm too polite and simply stay quiet. It takes a lot of patience to not explode at people, no matter how much they deserve it.

I miss the New York subways. They may be dirtier, but they are much more efficient!

Life and Stuff

After writing a morbid post, I decided to be more uplifting, and stealing titles from "Roseanne" episodes seem to work for my entries. I've been thinking a lot lately about life, and this

is what I have come up with:

1. Be surrounded by people who love you and support you--no matter what.

2. Find something you want to do and makes you happy.

3. Live by the Golden Rule.

4. You can always get by with a little help from your friends.

5. Try to laugh once a day; you'll feel a lot better.

6. Don't take guff from anyone.

7. People will do mean things things to you. As atrocious as that is, you can't let it affect you. They are the ones out of line and will eventually pay for it. You're just as strong as you ever were, and you ARE a good person; don't ever let anyone tell you the opposite.

8. Try taking a bath every now and then; it'll relax you.

9. Never assume. EVER.

10. Learn a trade (i.e. gardening, cooking, sewing, etc.): you'll be amazed at what you can do if you put your mind to it.

Death and Stuff

My life is a whirlwind of activities. Literally, I spin from one thing to the next--sometimes not fully cognizant of what I'm doing. Rest assured, I do set aside time for myself everyday. However, reality hits, and you have to stop what you're doing.

I learned that my grandfather died this afternoon of respiratory failure at the age of 93. He lived a very long and fulfilling life; I'm just sad he never took advantage of the tape recorder we gave him for his birthday a few years ago. My grandfather was full of stories, whether it be family tales or accounts of when he was a soldier during World War II. Whenever a lot of people filled the room, he would sit back and observe; I think I get that from him. Papa lived through many eras: the last few years of World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, Sputnik, Watergate, Reagonomics, the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, and thankfully, the election of President Obama. I wish Papa spoke more about his experiences during these times; he was a wonderful storyteller who always kept his audience captivated, and he was quite the charmer. Though he lived in New York for over 80 years, you could stick detect my grandfather's Boston accent (he was a native of Winthrop before his rather large family relocated to the Bronx).

I'm so glad I had the opportunity to visit him over spring break. The news of a family member's passing is always hard to accept even when you know it's bound to happen. No matter what, you're never fully prepared. I find writing about my grandfather a catharsis for dealing with his death and for reflecting on one of THE most important elements of life: FAMILY. I'm lucky to come from a tight group of hilarious, crazy, intelligent, and caring family members, but I realize that not everyone is fortunate. You don't have to have a blood family--nuclear families are just as efficient in bringing people together and forming tight bonds and strong networks of grounded interpersonal relationships. At this time, I want all of you to get up and hug someone you consider family whether you're related to this person or not. Don't take each other for granted, and always remember to enjoy the times you have together.

TV Theme Songs

I'm not going to lie... this what I do in my spare time sometimes. People think I'm nuts for liking old school TV shows and for listening to their intros repeatedly. Yet, I strongly believe that a theme song can make or break a show because of the tone it sets for the series. I've downloaded quite a few of these songs onto my iPod over the last few weeks. I still can't get "Cheers" and "The Wonder Years" out of my head. The '80s version of "Swinging on a Star" is quite a hoot, and no matter how many times I listen to the opening of "The Hogan Family," I still think it's a drama. If there's one song that really stands out it's the opening from "Life Goes On": the cast's rendition of the Beatles song of the same name. Actually, I HIGHLY recommend that everyone watch this show; it's beyond realistic and so well done; I watched it almost everyday at my internship last summer and nearly cried every time. They just don't make TV shows like they used to.

Wrap Parties

Based on tonight's interesting experience, I decided that there should be several rules for a wrap party:

1. Only invite the people who worked on the production.

2. Hire a bouncer.

3. If you are hosting a party, and people whom you don't know show up, be alarmed.

4. Crowd control is something to consider.

5. Champagne should always be included (which was a WIN for tonight!).

6. If people get excited over the latest Photoshop installment, don't mock them; join in the revelry.

7. Don't talk about work--MOVE ON (unless you're like me and have to be a part of post-production. BOO).

8. Every department should host a wrap party.

9. Hug everyone who worked on the production at least once.

10. Don't let anyone urinate on the floor.

My Tastes in Music

As you've realized by now, my musical tastes are rather unique and unusual for someone my age. I tell people I'm a hippie at heart. Honestly, I think I must've been alive during the '60s in a past life. The music is so rich because it's fun to listen to and because the lyrics are so deep. I'm not trying to put down contemporary music because some modern songs do a great job speaking to love, pain, politics, and war. Yet, there seems to be more depth to hippie music, and these songs definitely apply to modern times. Look at the lyrics to "Eve of Destruction" or "I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends."

I'm listening to Susan Boyle as I type this. No, she's not a hippie, but she has one hell of a voice. This woman is so angelic--she makes my heart melt every time I listen to her. I honestly don't think anyone can top her rendition of "I Dream a Dream," and I'm looking forward to her next release. I just hope she's able to take it easy every now and then. Cass Elliot is now playing on my iTunes. Now THAT'S a singer. There's so much emotion behind her music that it feels real every time I listen to her. Elliot's friend Leon Bing hit the nail on the head when she described Cass' singing as comfortably settling into a hot bath. Remember when "Make Your Own Kind of Music" played during the second season of LOST? That was vintage Cass Elliot. I wish there were more singers like her.

Recently, I've gotten into '80s music. I know describing the tempo of these songs as groovy is anachronistic, but it's the only term that comes to mind. I think some of the greatest love songs came from that decade. However, the most unusual singer on my list is Sheila, an internationally renowned French singer who surprisingly is not as popular in the U.S. as in other countries. Her career spans from the sixties to the present, not to mention she looks FANTASTIC for someone who will turn 64 in a few months. I was first introduced to her when we watched "8 Women" in my French cinema class; one of the characters sang "Papa, T'es Plus Dans le Coup" ("Daddy, You're Not With It") during a segment, and I've been drawn to Sheila ever since. The only reason I continue to understand French is because I keep listening to Sheila.

Casting

Casting the pilot was a tedious process, and I highly commend the Casting Director and her assistant for putting up with multiple auditions, call-backs, hirings, and firings. The casting gods were not always nice to this team; we fired our two main leads, one of them right before we began pre-taping last Saturday. However, being a part of the casting process was really eye-opening, given that I'm going to have to be an essential part of this one day--not to mention that I really want this casting team to work for me in the future. But let's deal with the present for now.

Helping out with auditions was definitely one of the highlights of working on this project. As the crowd control person, I had the opportunity to meet a plethora of people who waited anxiously for their turn to perform. A lot of them were fun to talk to. Others... let's just say they were in their own worlds. Working camera during auditions was a lot of fun as well because I was able to sneak footage of my classmates goofing off between auditions. It also gave me a chance to relearn the camera because I'm a "techno boob"; I'm just not meant to operate equipment no matter how many times people show me. Thankfully, I'm more of a creative type. But I digress. The best part was actually sitting in on the auditions and taking notes on the actors. Some were really good while others fell flat. I feel bad because some of my notes were really harsh. Yet, writing those "reviews" made me feel more like a producer because I was being so nit-picky. It's definitely a good trait to have.

I performed the same jobs during callbacks. Some of the actors improved while others failed miserably. Callbacks were intense because we only had a select number of actors we wanted to consider, and at one point, we didn't have anyone to cast for one of the roles! We also had to run all our choices by Kevin, and he didn't always agree with them. As frustrating as that was at times, he was ultimately right. I'm happy with the actors we finally chose, and I'm going to take a moment to toot my own horn because I suggested one of them for the role of T-Vor--the one role that we didn't cast until the night of the table read.

Overall, I enjoyed the casting process and learned so much from my experience. It's a very difficult component of working on a show because multiple circumstances affect an actor's chances of landing a role--and even after that happens, that same actor is often fired before, during, or after taping and replaced. Luckily for us, the actors we ended up casting were a fantastic bunch and were great troopers for lasting in the cold for our 12-hour post-shoot. No one should have to deal with a prima donna, but it sometimes happens. Just remember that everyone is in the same boat regardless of his/her position, and every single person involved has the same goal: to end up with an aesthetic, creative, flawless product that they are all proud of.

That's a Wrap...NOT!

Today marked the final day of taping the Kevin Bright sitcom pilot, "The Record Cellar." It's been a fun ride, and I promise to devote additional posts to the more specific aspects I participated in. It's a great feeling to be done... except, I'm not.

I'm technically the Associate Producer for this project, and my two main jobs are Audience Coordinator (for the in-studio taping that occurred this past Thursday) and Post-Production Supervisor. I've also been a Casting Associate and an on-set PA when needed. The post team will spend many a late night on the eighth floor of the Ansin building cutting and reediting scenes. Our assembly cut is due this Thursday. The good news is that we're tackling the first and longest scene tonight, and most of our footage is ingested.

The fun really begins the week of April 5th when we have in-class edit sessions and when Kevin joins us at night for the last few cuts. I should consider placing an order for a cot; it's about time someone turned the Digital Production Lab (DPL) into a hotel.

What Do I Want Out of Life?

The first things that come to mind: happiness and success

Money always comes to the forefront of this conversation. I don't want to come across as greedy, but ideally, I'd like to live comfortably. If I play my cards right, I could be a millionaire in just a few years! My parents constantly stress that this won't happen unless I work hard, apply myself, be persistent, etc. As much as I hate hearing it over and over again, it's so true. It's very possible for me to live my dreams; I just have to act on my ambitions.

So what is it that I want to be? Two words: Executive Producer. Of what, you ask? Situation comedies. As cliche as this is, laughter really is the best medicine. I constantly argue that no matter what situation people are in, whether they are having the time of their lives or experiencing the worst day/week/month/year ever, a little comedy can go a long way--especially if it's done RIGHT. My gripe with modern sitcoms (except for a select few) is that they cater to crude humor. Sure, sex is funny, but only in moderation. I don't think explicitness is always necessary to make something funny. Implication, on the other hand, usually works. It comes down to stellar writing, awesome acting, and incredible directing (not to mention a generous budget and an outstanding line producer).

I'm still trying to figure out my premise, but mark my words, it'll be the funniest sitcom ever--at least, that's the goal.

Where does happiness come in? Simple: enjoying what I do, loving the people I'm with, and caring for the people who mean so much to me (i.e. friends, family, and hopefully sometime soon, a girlfriend/wife). No matter how tired I'm am, if I can wake up everyday smiling, I know I'm doing the right thing. If I can make people laugh on a daily basis, then I know I've done my job.

I'm so excited to make all of this a reality.

Welcome to My Blog!

Here I am: finally a member of the growing blogosophere. I honestly didn't think I'd be able to do this until the summer, but my position on the Kevin Bright sitcom will give me a lot of time to sit, think, and reflect. Whenever I need to retreat to my room or a private space, I often philosophize on things that happened to me, things I did, or just my life--or LIFE--in general. My goal for this blog is not to solely rant but to get myself and my followers to consider the events that occur everyday, how they affect us, and how we should respond to them. There are times when our lives go to the crapper and we feel helpless and frustrated. But what's better: wallow in self-pitty or find ways to find solutions, learn from our mistakes, and move on? One thing that I will take away from the Kevin Bright class is to always be solution-oriented. Believe me, this applies to general living in addition to television.

With that being said, thank you for joining me on a spiritual and expository journey. This is my world, and welcome to it!