Bollywood is cool

So, I saw That Film That Started With S, and it was awesome despite the whole “mobile phone confiscation, no idea where you’re going” thing.

Here’s what I told Lisa about it.

What sort of tv are you watching?

Are you watching streamed stuff from the US?  Are you downloading from the official station sites, watching clips on You Tube, buying official dvds from ebay before the shows come out here?

You might want to stop that.

The Writers’ Strike is officially on in the States.  Pencils down means pencils down, people, and that is… totally sucking for people who are doing what they love for a living, but have been told by their union that it’s strike time, and can’t in good conscience continue (and I know enough of the people who read me here to know that they wouldn’t cross a picket line, either).  They have a point, but maybe I’m biased.  Here’s a beginner’s guide to the writers’ strike, from the writers’ pov.

Writers currently get nothing at all in residuals for internet stuff (which is sold on iTunes and through official sites for yes, actual money)(as opposed to the pirated stuff, which I can thankfully still watch – hey, the industry is screwing the writers, let’s screw them!), and, even worse, they’re not getting a share of the dvd sales.

Yup, you read that right.  If you finally, FINALLY get a gig on a show like Friends or Dexter or Veronica, and you do the dance of joy, and you think your life is about to change?  Well, no, sorry, it isn’t.  You’re gonna get paid when it shows on tv, once, and then you’re gonna get paid every time it gets replayed.

The major problem is that for a niche show like Farscape or Trek (god, Trek?  Goldmine!) or Veronica, the major sales point is dvd.  Cult shows make their money from dvd sales.  They don’t get replayed, because people in the main didn’t love them, but nutters people like me buy them.  And buy them, and buy them.  You’ve (almost certainly) seen my dvd shelves.  If I like it, I buy it.  I can’t keep to appointment television, so I just go “Yes, I like that show, I’ll pick it up and marathon it.”  And the writers get nothing from that.  Which sucks (enough to make me look in horror at my shelves, and not watch them while the strike is on.  But not ever enough to make me toss them.  Straight to Hell for me).  I mean, yeah, there are actors and producers and directors and the companies that invested in the show in the first place, but every single show that I love or that you love started out with one guy at a computer thinking “what if,” and working from that to a spec script.

Even if that guy gets totally shunted into the background once Ackles and Padalecki and Bell and Cross and Hatcher sign on, he was there first.  Every week’s tv we see had a table of eight to ten people sitting around, spitballing ideas, putting words into the mouths of every character we see on screen.  I mean, Joss never wrote every word of every show he created.  What the hell is Jane Espenson getting paid when I buy my Buffy dvds?  Because I love her eps, and if I could cut the Marti Noxon ones out, I would!

It’s hellish hard to get started in the industry, no matter how good you are, and like any industry, beginners deserve a guaranteed level of compensation for their work when they’re coming at it so grateful to have a job that they’d take, I don’t know, free tickets and the glamour of seeing their name around?

I’m not comparing myself to Pamie in this, but about half of my close friends are writers, and everyone has that dream of making it, even if they dream of making it medium.  And the industry is taking advantage of that right now.  So it’s pencils down until things get worked out.  Pamie is working her arse off.  She’s just nabbed a new job as a staff writer on Samantha Who  (Christina Applegate vehicle), and everyone on staff loves it, but they’re all off.  She’s Strike Captain.  Lots of stuff to read about here: http://www.pamie.com

So if you’ve some time, scroll through some Pamie.  She’s awesome and she’s strong.   And even though I’m not always pro-strike (I don’t know, I sometimes think from the other side it must feel like negotiating with terrorists)(yeah, I’ll hand in my lefty card at the next meeting) I can’t help but support what she’s doing right now.  I’m dead proud of my internet community sometimes, so I am.

NaNoWriMo

Yeah, that looks stupid. It is stupid, actually. I mean, they’re supposed to be all about words, and they’re shortening four perfectly good words, making them one? Um, yeah.

So, I’m doing that, as you know if you read your email, but I thought I’d best write about it here after nagging people to come read the sites. If you’ve got an idea or some sort of whipping implement to keep me motivated, this is the place to talk about it.

Well, here or at livejournal – I’m going to see which is easier to use to run this whole thing as a sort of open forum. I’m doing the writing, but there are elements of Idol about it, too. Seriously, you guys, want to play this one with me? I think I need the support network at this point. Once I get going, Ill be fine, but to get started…

And so, click here, click there, come ride the roller-coaster with me, because I’m too chicken to go by myself.

The Incredible Shamo rides again

Ok, so I went to see Shamo’s latest play the other night.  In all fairness, I should probably call it Helen’s play, since she did the translation and directed, and all, but… Shamo organised my comps (don’t tell Lisa!), so his play it is.

It was all Greek, and my notes in the first few minutes say stuff like “Ooh, how Wilde!” and “Relax, buddy, don’t recite!” and “Ahhh, there’s the requisite metric tonne of hubris we need to get this show on the road!”

Ok, so that last part’s exaggerated: I just wrote “…and there’s the pride,” but that’s official Wen’s Green Pen shorthand for the longer thought.

Shut up.

It was a lot of fun, and I kind of managed to forget that they were obviously going to end badly – aside from the chorus who (sorry) I really didn’t like (sorry, but ladies?  Actually getting INTO those dresses is a good first step if you’d like to stay in them.  Also?  Stop singing.) (No, really, stop.), everyone was very entertaining, though the direction was a little heavy-handed in places.

Helen very cutely sat in the audience, three rows back, dead centre, leaning forward in her seat and reciting along with the lines.  Lou reminded me that, when Shamo directed The Clouds, he did the same thing in the back row with us.  Must be a directing thing.

Anyway, click the link to read the review, as usual.  It’s up at The Program, but I’m using this forum to say oops, I mis-spelled Helen’s surname: Slaney, not Stanley.  Mea Culpa.

Oops

Have been a liiiiitle bit absent lately.  I realise that I am, at this point, essentially apologising to the void where regular readers should be (AIMS), but courtesy dictates, and all that.

I figure that, in the spirit of better late than never, I should probably start updating on The Proper Use Of The Fabled iPod.

Yes, as advertised, I am finally using the iPod as promised: as an aid to regular exercise.  It’s like having a high-tech, specially-selected mix tape in my pocket!  Especially since it is, in fact, a high-tech, specially-selected mix tape machine.  I used to read on the treadmill, but I’m much, much happier listening to music and zoning out.  If I take off my glasses I can’t even see the time, and I’m starting to learn which songs will take me to the twenty minute peak-hour limit on the machines.

The six day working has left me feeling tired, so I decided I’d energise with regular workouts.  Paradox?  Sure.  Fun?  Hell yeah.  I paid upfront (thanks, Jean!), so the usual problem won’t occur: I won’t be ditching because I know I’ve not added funds for direct debiting and I feel guilty.  I’m currently kicking arse with a minimum of three quarters of an hour on the cardio equipment (I try for longer on the cross trainer but it depends how busy work’s been), plus weights every second night.

Should work, you’d think.  Grin.

Anyway, recorded here for posterity, and in the spirit of playlistism, is the full field of fun songs for working out to.  I’ve already cut Muse’s Darkshines and Blondie’s Call Me – they just weren’t working out.  Plus, I tacked the Silverchair song on at the end, having only just picked up that album.  (And loving it unconditionally, by the way.)

White Stripes – Icky Thump

Nine Inch Nails – Sin

Muse – Supermassive Black Hole

Arctic Monkeys – Mardy Bum

The Basics – Rattle My Chain

Bodyjar – Hazy Shade of Winter

The Ataris – Boys of Summer

The Cat Empire – Sly (which might go, actually)

Foo Fighters – The Pretender

Nine Inch Nails – Head Like A Hole

JT – Sexyback (come on, after Nails it’s just funny)

The Basics – Just Hold On

White Stripes – Blue Orchid

Muse – Starlight

Veruca Salt – Seether

Barenaked Ladies – It’s All Been Done

ACDC – If You Want Blood

Silverchair – If You Keep Losing Sleep

I also ditched Deliverance, by The Mission (or by Ministry, I keep forgetting.  I know the album cover’s blue).  It had a good beat once it got going, but boy, did it take it’s time.  It was over six minutes long, and with lines like “and the apple tree will bear its fruit in the gardens of Avalon, forever and again,” I just got over it.  Smile.

Anyway, so that happened, and I’ll update here in the spirit of the old LiveJournal, with the pain and the suffering and the doing of penance.  I’m only on cardio tonight, though, so that should be penance enough in and of itself.  At least with the weights the endorphin rush kicks in while I’m on the crosstrainer, instead of halfway home.

This week’s special bonus shoutout points go to Benny, because the Ataris and Bodyjar covers are the best things EVER.