Hollywood is dead! Well, at least in its death throes. Between the glut of good indie media available today and the God-like attitude of many celebrities America’s romance with Hollywood is on the rocks. From skyrocketing ticket prices to wishy washy box office returns, the behemoth is dying under its own weight.
Our stars unable to compete with "reality" tv are succumbing to the habit of airing their very dirty laundry in public, and I wish I could say who cares, but according to the latest sales numbers for the Hollywood gossip rags, a lot of us!
I for one think that the lack of imagination and apathy brought on by too much money, too many drugs, too many adoring fans, and too little regard for personal or artistic dignity will bring our beloved Hollywood to its knees.
Here are a couple of examples:
NEW YORK - The Oscars are a ratings dud. Nielsen Media Research says preliminary ratings for the 80th annual Academy Awards telecast are 14 percent lower than the least-watched ceremony ever.
Nielsen said Monday that overnight ratings are also 21 percent lower than last year, when “The Departed” was named best picture.
The least-watched Oscars ceremony ever was in 2003, when there were 33 million viewers.SUGGESTION!: Wanna make us watch it? Make Oscar a bobble-head and play bloopers for two and a half of the three hours.
Here’s another snippet of what the media had to say, notice the unholstered sarcasm.
Forget the clothes; that's what the red-carpet specials are for. And the recent, disastrous Golden Globes proved that even the awards themselves could easily be dispatched in a simple press conference. But for an industry in a constant state of self-congratulation over how entertaining it is to actually entertain the public for three-plus hours, all while congratulating itself over how entertaining it is … For that, you need a show.WHEW! Lucky break the writer’s strike being over just ten dys before , huh? What a co-inky-dink! Two hours to tell us what the stars think will happen and who is wearing who, partnered with some really great comedy! Hey, Ryan Seacrest, your kindergarten called, they want their jokes back!
So, enough venting, where does this leave us? It leaves us with an awesome opportunity. With the tech available today anyone with an imagination and a credit card can make their own feature films, so why aren’t more of us doing it?
First of all, we are! Have you cruised around the net looking for indie film lately? It’s everywhere! Secondly, we have this whole, trust the experts, syndrome that has pervaded our bored overfed, pampered lives in every area of our society, including entertainment.
I’ll leave you with a little something special to inspire, this is from an email ring I subscribe to about indie film, enjoy!
Do It Yourself Acting Career by Bob Fraser
A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of speaking to the participants at the SAG Conservatory/ AFI 3-day event at the very nice AFI campus. I say “the pleasure” because I got a lot of laughs. I’m still a slut for laughs. But – about half way through the proceedings there was a question that really put me in the ‘hot’ seat. Here’s the question: “What do you think actors should do about the constant ‘not getting it’ thing? We almost never ‘get it’ – yet our whole lives are centered around this ‘getting’ thing. I mean, How are we supposed to handle it?” Here’s my honest answer: “Don’t wait for THEM! “THEY, really, truly – sadly and unfortunately – don’t know diddly squat about “putting on a show.” They’re Philistines – people. You could wait forever! “Do it yourself! Technology has provided you with the tools to successfully supply the public with entertainment – without the mind-numbing downside of having to deal with friggin’ idiots.” Laugh. (No, seriously ... a very nice laugh.) I continued: “For about the cost of used Toyota, you can PURCHASE a movie studio! A hi-def camera is about 2 grand, a fully loaded Mac is about twenty five hundred, lights will run you about 800 dollars, software is about a grand. Total cost for movie studio - 63 hundred dollars.” Much “hmm hmming.” “Of course, the actors are free.” Huge laugh. (At least we actors still have great a sense of humor.) I was on a roll – “There are 8 million stories in the public domain. You could produce – oh, let’s say – Long Day’s Journey Into Night. 4 characters, one set. Burn it to DVD ... sell it on the internet ... and suddenly, you’re an independent!” A few chuckles and a lot of head nodding. “Look around. The audience has moved on to other activities. More people are scrap-booking and bowling, than are watching the latest network offerings or going to the multiplex. Calling it an “extra special episode” or “a cinematic triumph” – isn’t fooling anybody anymore. A nice chortle. “Here’s the point. THEY cannot do it without you! Actors and writers are the only people who are REALLY needed to put on a show. (I apologized to the director on my left. He said that one of the actors would become a director – inevitably.)
“The people in charge of our industry are not actors or writers … and the business is on the ropes. Could there be a connection?” The place was quieting down. I think I had accidentally struck a chord. “Stop competing with each other – to win the favor of the Philistines – and start collaborating with your natural allies. Become friends with writers. Do what you want to do – which is tell stories. Above all, stop wasting your time – waiting to ‘get’ something from THEM. THEY have nothing to give you. THEY are takers.” The auditorium actually became deathly silent. It was the sound of about 150 actors thinking. My timing was impeccable (if I do say so myself). “Or you could just put out for the A.D.” Gigantic laugh. If only I could stay serious for a minute, I might actually be able to help. But, like I said, Nothing cheers me up faster than a cheap laugh. I can’t help it. Don’t worry though, Bev makes me go to a twelve-step program... Agitators Anonymous. * * * * * Bob's an actor, writer, director and executive producer (show runner) on such series as Full House, Benson, The Love Boat - and more. He has also been a lecturer at AFI, UCLA, USC, SAG Conservatory, Denver University, Equity Library, Film Industry Network, Women In Film, Actors Creative Network, Actors Site, Universal Studios, and other venues His Acting Career Courses are being used by 1000's of actors all over the world. You Must Act - The Virtual Acting Career Course http://www.youmusta ct.com Nail It! Delivering The Hypnotic Audition http://www.hypnotic audition. com Headshot Secrets Revealed - Marketing Your Career in Pictures http://www.headshot secrets.com Action! The Professional Actor's Workbook & Planner Get Your Career On Track in 2008 http://www.showbizh owto.com/ action.html Subscribe to Bob's FREE E-zine for performers ... Show Biz How-To - by going here: http://www.showbizh owto.com
