Go Marc

My buddy, partner and Godfather to my youngest, got a glowing, bordering on saint-like, interview/article on Newsarama's site. Check it out here: All Hail Marc!

I haven't posted in a while because I have been crazy busy. Some I can talk about, some I can't...

- Marc and I are signing off on artwork for our indie Graphic Novel to be published in early 2007.
- We are reviewing artists for our 5 episode mini-series to be published by one of "the big two."
- Finishing Issue Two of said mini-series.
- Producing "Gene Simmons Family Jewels."
- Pre-production on a pilot my company "Insert Name Here Entertainment" sold to a cable network.
- Negotiations for my company to produce a late night talk show for another cable network.
- Daddy and husband.

As usual I am crazy - but they are high class problems. I have nothing to complain about with the exception of every time I see my kids Harry Chapin's "Cat's In the Cradle" plays in the soundtrack of my mind. I am due for a break soon but I keep getting amazing opportunity after opportunity.

All this from the guy that cut class so much I almost didn't graduate high school. I guess I got my shit together.

God of Thunder

I have written before about how surreal my job can be - meeting people I never would have dreamed of meeting.

If you would have told me when I was 6 years old watching Star Wars that I would one day watch a fourth Star Wars movie sitting next to George Lucas I never would have believed you.

If you would have told me when I spent 2 weeks of 8th grade listening to the "Unforgettable Fire" on a continuous loop in my walkman that I would one day produce a show with U2 I would never have believed you.

If you would have told me what I was ten years old watching Batman that I would one day have a near death experience with Robin himself, Burt Ward...well, I probably would have believed you but I still would have thought it was cool.

Same goes for Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Dennis Hopper, R.E.M., Mr. T, Dave Letterman, Jay Leno, the Ramones, John Lydon, Elvis Costello etc. ...these are people I grew up listening to or watching and now I have worked with them. Of course, a lot of them were assholes but hey...

When I was in 5th grade I almost cut off my left thumb while trying to cut a cardboard guitar out of an old refridgerator box with a steak knife. I was cutting out what I didn't even know at the time was a Gibson Les Paul - so I could be Ace Frehley from Kiss. Like most of America's youth I was obsessed with Kiss. I have written about this before. (read it here) They were rockstars, they fought crime, what the fuck were they? They were marketing geniuses is what they were.

So in another case of my surreal career, say hello to the new Co-Executive Producer of "Gene Simmon's Family Jewels" on A&E.

The man that scared the crap out of me, the man on the poster my parent's had to cover so I could sleep at night. Very surreal.

I will be working with Adam Reed who produced the first season. He seems like a very cool guy and I look forward to working with him and all the folks at The Greif Company (they produce the show).

All I have to do now is jam with Paul McCartney, have Francis Ford Coppola cook for me and slow dance with Uma Thurman and my list is pretty much complete. Oh, and Woody Allen is in there somewhere too but I can't imagine doing anything with him that wouldn't be awkward so I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Short Sighted

"Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip" is taking a lot of heat for not being the blockbuster it was predicted to be. Of course, it has been on exactly 3 times. Three. Have you seen Ray Liota's new show, "Smith?" No? Too late. It was cancelled after TWO airings.

There was a time when the entertainment industry had patience. There was a time when a record company cultivated an artist, gave them two or three albums to come into their own, hit the road and build an audience. If by the third album they didn't show any promise, their were consequences. Nowadays a new artist gets a SINGLE to prove their worth. If it doesn't rocket up the charts an album is either scrapped or marketing dollars are pulled.

Of course, when talking about giving TV shows a fair shot everyone points to the classic example - Seinfeld. Horrible first season, ratings wise. It was a miracle it got a second season. We all know what happened after that.

Shows with substance, music with substance, takes time. If they are good they work on several levels and you may not get all those levels the first time around. Seinfeld isn't truly hilarious until you know how self destructive George is, how neurotic Jerry is. Pink Floyd didn't write hit singles. They produced amazing albums that give you something new every time you listen.

At some point I will talk more about ratings, focus groups and how the wife of a station manager in Peoria can really effect the color of your set. All true stories folks. I could go on for days and probably will.

I find Studio 60 fairly accurate. Of course a network President like Amanda Peet is a dream, but hey we can dream.

I was a huge fan of Aaron Sorkin and Tommy Schlamme's Sports Night. Peter Krause before he ran a morgue and Felicity Huffman before she was Desperate. I was not really a fan of The West Wing. I gave it a fair shot but just could not get into it. I am not a political person - I have strong opinions but they are all assumption, not based on substantiated fact and my theories could be shot down by a high school freshman but fuck you they're mine. I am uninformed and stubborn. And I like it that way. I haven't cared about how a bill becomes a law since School House Rocks.

Let's see, I liked Sports Night, didn't like The West Wing, and like Studio 60. You see a pattern here? Two shows about running live television shows. Of course I find it interesting, it is my life. The White House? Not so much. I guess America isn't interested in what I do for a living.

And that's a shame cause it's pretty damn exciting.

Give Studio 60 a chance. The writing is good, I think Matthew Perry and Brad Whitford work really well together. Of course their witty banter is well rehearsed, but that is Sorkin's rhythm. You like or you don't. Amanda Peet is charming, if completely unrealistic, and Timothy Busfield does a great job of portraying a live director.

Oh, and a big shout out to the actress who plays Timothy Busfield's 2nd AD. She had one line in the pilot but I recognized instantly from a bit part she played in a Chelsea Handler Book Club sketch we did. Congrats on the gig. I hope it sticks around long enough for you to enjoy it.

Me, Me, Me

Since both "Wild n' Out" and "The Chelsea Handler Show" wrapped at approximately the same time, I have been out looking for projects. More precisely, my new agents at UTA have been busting their ass having me meet with as many as three to four networks/production companies/misc. a day.

This basically boils down to me spending approx. 5 hours a day telling a room full of people how great I am. I never thought I would say this, but I getting tired of talking about myself.

This informal "conversation" has now been unintentionally molded into a finely tuned monologue. A one man show starring me. Unfortunately, I have now seen this show 57 fucking times. I am getting slightly bored with it.

It is also very interesting to note how each executive or producer handles each meeting. Most are very cool, make you feel relaxed, have researched or googled you before hand and partake in a pleasant conversation. This is where I thrive. Hell, this is where anyone would thrive.

Next up is the "talk at me" people. The people who introduce themselves and then are completely silent. This is where I go into performance/stand-up comedian mode. Sometimes this works, often it does not. This monologue works best with some audience participation.

Next are the "if you are so busy why did you call this meeting" people. The people who ask you a question and while you are answering turn their attention to their e-mail, their blackberry, the model airplane they are building on their desk. I am pretty sure someone once actually left the room, caught a movie, and came back.

And lastly there are the aggressors. These are the people who assume you are an idiot and completely unqualified for the project. You are put on trial the minute you walk in and have to prove to them otherwise. I have had people start sentences with, "Your credits aren't really impressive, you know that right?"

I think I need a career change. Maybe something in mail delivery, or car sales.