magicdog

Now, for my umpteenth rant about my immediate supervisor who does not listen to a thing I or my edit partner tell him! He comes into work right as we're starting to get a last minute edit rush. He says he got the word from "up high" about our shift that there's too much video looping. We both explained to him that there is a reason why this may happen: because there is limited video to begin with! You see there's video that our photogs film (in house) and stuff that comes from FOX (we're an affiliate) or CNN (we have access to national stories they run). Now, whatever the big networks send us, that's all we have. maybe it's a package that we "bust" (break down into a simple VO or a SOT/SOTVO). We have to edit based on script as close as possible, but sometimes, talky anchors do't know how to shut up and before you know it, the video we initially cut is too short and we have to cut it longer (also orders from "on high"). That means it's inevitable that some of the same video will be see onscreen again. If the video is raw video our people shot, we may have more leeway, but there are still only so many useable shots. For example, our local little league team went to the LLWS, unfortunately they lost and came back home a few days ago. I was given a source for the raw video of their return to the airport to greet their families. I used every useable shot possible (many shots were pointed at the floor, shaky cam, etc.) but I still had to loop it after about 30 sec or so of footage. Since this was a story the anchors would drone on about, we hat to cut at least a minute - preferably a minute 30 seconds. I explain this to supervisor who apparently has all the answers: "Just let the producers know and let them decide to continue as is." Really? My partner and I do NOT have time to constantly question every darn story in the rundown. Sure we contact the producer when there are questions or problems of one kind or another but this is insane! We get quick instruction in the scripts what to do and do it. Sometimes we have no choice but to use what is available to us. What does supervisor say? THE SAME THING! It's like he's really not listening! He's just repeating what someone else said (who is NOT in our edit bays dealing with our issues and they never even bothered to invite us to meetings and have us tell them straight up what we have to do to get through the day). Sometimes I think he wants us to rage quit or something.

So sad to hear about both Bob Barker and Arleen Sorkin! Bob Barker I grew up with - as a kid watching The Price is Right when I was home from school! When he turned up in his hilarious role as himself in Happy Gilmore, he developed a new generation of fans. Watching those TPIR shows in which college aged guys would appear, they'd be afraid to come too close to Bob, and they'd say, it was because they'd seen what he could do on Happy Gilmore! Bob must have gotten a kick out of that!! Sorkin I knew more by name as I wasn't watching much of soaps, but I remember her better as the voice behind Harley Quinn on Batman: The Animated Series. RIP to both!

Perhaps, but it's not good for anyone to constantly be taken advantage of, especially for their money. The last thing I want to see for anyone is to have their illness exploited, stolen and devoured by so called family while the victim is left in the streets. Heaven knows we have enough of that now.

I actually had heard of it! It was a radio program at first, then transitioned to TV. It seemed so exploitative to me - airing sad stories to a national audience to win an appliance. It seems to have continued on reality shows though. Of course in my statement was more of a person goes into a contest and tells his/her competitors their [made up] sob story in order to get them to throw the contest. No. She had the reputation as the best baker in town, and purposely threw the contest. She was baking a cake and sabotaged herself on purpose by reducing the heat in the oven during the baking process which caused the cake to go flat. A mistake Hazel would never make otherwise. By episode's end, she bakes the exact same cake that evening for the family perfectly fine. In retrospect, yes, she was. Although her main fault was being a buttinski - even if it was done with love. However, I always admired that the character never let who she was stop her from trying something new (a good lesson to us today!). In one episode it was mentioned she had to drop out of school to support her family after her mother died, so she couldn't continue her education formally, but in many episodes you see her reading a lot and learning new vocabulary words. It was good to see someone keep herself active and never thought of herself as beneath anyone just because she was "the maid".

Here's a wacky story (and it's rather long) just posted to Entertainment Lawyer. Short version: two super geek fans of a TV show got married but the groom is a mama's boy of the highest order to his wealthy mother, and the bride was willing to stay with him but the MIL is doing everything she can to make her look bad and get her to divorce her boy. What show was it and any idea who this couple is?

THIS! Sometimes I think it's one part a reflection of the writer's lives (unhappy ands dysfunctional) and the lack of being able to write drama that didn't involve tragedy. Just once I want to see grown adults in a dramatic series that had a good relationship with their families.* * I did see an episode of Emergency in which we see the father of Dr. Kelly Brackett (Robert Fuller) being admitted to the hospital for a serious condition. Later, Brackett stops by his dad's room and chats with him about the surgery he'll need and his guilt over not being home as much as he'd like and suggesting they plan a fishing trip together. I remember thinking that if this show were made now, there would be all sots of drama about how irascible dad would be and how distant he and Dr. Brackett would be! It was so refreshing to see a normal father [adult] son relationship!!

I LOVE THIS! Yes, I have a weird sense of humor. I'm now imagining people who compete in various contests and give a sob story expecting their competitors to purposely lose to her out of guilt!! Sure, I knew he wouldn't literally forget him (the boy looked about 10 or so and I imagine he has a strong image of Dad in his mind as well as the relationship he would have had), just that that's how the mother put it. If anything (and I've been in this situation myself, as many of us have) he would have been saying things like, "Dad would have loved to see this!", etc. . My parents were at that fair (in fact, my father worked in construction at that time and built many of the pavillions). It was considered the highlight of a lifetime to go. The last time the fair was held in NY was 1939 (My grandparents went to that one, but my dad was still a baby!). Anyone who could afford to travel and get admission would have wanted to see what was there as for many it was a once in a lifetime experience. I think Hazel wanted to go because Harold wanted to go. Of course Harold's father could have just agreed to make it a family outing from the outset.

On to a vintage of anger inducement: On Hazel, in the episode, Just Me, Harold and the Unisphere (1964) Hazel enters a contest in which the first prize is two tickets to the World's Fair (which at the time was being held in Flushing Meadow, Queens, NY). Hazel is a natural shoe in to win, but of course, there's a complication: her competitor is the mother of a friend of Harold's (the son of Hazel's employers and a sort of grandson to her) and of course she had a sob story. She's a widow and really needs to win to make her and her son's dreams come true. In her words, she hopes that winning the contest and going to the fair will help him forget about his father's passing 6 months earlier. Being the good sport, Hazel feels badly and sabotages herself to let her competitor win. ARRGH! OK, so she has a sob story. Forget his father's death? That won't happen. Not that maybe the boy wouldn't have a thrill after dealing with a big loss like that, but ultimately, you still wake up knowing that your loved one is still gone and nothing will ever change that. Purposely lose to every person you need to compete against just because they're possibly in a worse spot than you? What does that teach us? Nothing wrong with having empathy and if you're able, to help them in another way, but one shouldn't sabotage one's own efforts either. Or is it me being heartless and cynical? Of course the episode ends with her employer telling her and the family that he was taking them all to the World's Fair as a family.

THIS! He's been enriching himself in one way or another using her money once her earlier conservatorship was dissolved. Either she got a clue or someone in her family finally got through to her about what a thieving heel he is.

More on the Oher/Tuohy saga. This seemed interesting: [snip] Then, the shoe drops: There's a bit more in this article.

Well, the ultimate endgame was to give the character a spinoff of her own, though the network didn't bite. I would imagine the character would have been a bit like Caine in "Kung Fu", wandering from place to place helping people out. Her character doesn't seem like one that would stay in one place too long.

Just found out about this death this morning - even though it happened in May: the passing of Mike Norell, who was best known as Captain Hank Stanley on "Emergency" (1972-77). He was 85. He not only costarred on the show, he wrote 4 episodes as well.

IMO, you're not the assh*le, but the problem with the workplace environment now is HR and poor management. I've seen it time and time again with my own frustrations. I did just as you did - follow protocols, work hard, show initiative, only to be ignored when I want to move up. All you can do is keep applying elsewhere and hope someone notices you. HR's are a nightmare as well, since many of them are staffed by bitter, petty people who delight in keeping people from getting what they need. I fell like I'm in middle school sometimes (except I can't beat up the bullies this time lest I risk arrest) with all the nonsense. Consider some alternative job search sites like this one or this one. Of course there's also the usual like indeed and monster and perhaps linked in. The only other thing I can recommend (because I'm dong this myself) is start your own business and work for yourself. I'm tired of dealing with idiots anyway. Actually, it is. At least that's what I see - management bending over backward for one disgruntled person who has nothing better to do than whine about trivial matters when there are serious issues. It's like they feel the need to overcompensate because this person is upset over a triviality. I hear about people getting upset over stuff they have no control over or have no business worrying about. I've seen careers destroyed because someone was upset about someone's opinion (which should be kept personal anyway) the websites they browse or their method to get the job done (not illegal or wrong, just different than how the complainer would handle it). IMO, if you're whining about open toed shoes in the workplace (and you're not in a lab or construction site) or that someone's lunch was moved to a different shelf, there is a much bigger issue at work.

I remember an assistant news director (before Bitcheroo) who liked to play a game called, "work more hours, get no OT". People who were NOT salaried employees would be ordered to work extra work hours but not given earned OT with the excuse that the station was trying to save money. Someone reported it to the labor review board and that nonsense stopped quick! She was canned some time later. That's the uber snowflake world we're working in now. To think my parents fought to keep me from being like this as a kid and to learn to take it on the chin, only to see those people catered to! Seriously, open toe shoes??

There are so many woulda, coulda, shoulda moments from this show it isn't even funny! Even when it was still in productions, we fans had better ideas about what to see. I'm sure writers were instructed to ignore any postings since they don't want legal issues, but I wish they COULD have at least contacted fans about some things. I would have loved a contest in which submissions could potentially have been made into an episode.

"Died suddenly".

To be fair, Mr. Drysdale came from humble rural origins himself and earlier in the series was actually kind to them (he did get flanderized by the color seasons but that happens to a lot of characters when they've been on too long). It was his wife who was the real snob of the family.

Was he? I could have sworn he played the nephew of the network honcho.

AWW! There goes another childhood performer for me. I remember some years ago she announced her well earned retirement but I didn't realize she was 90! Before "Benson", she was on "Soap", as Corinne's birth mother, Ingrid Svenson who was trying to interfere with her relationship between her adoptive parents, Jessica and Chester Tate. To Jessica Tate: Ingrid: "You think I'm finished?" Jessica: "No, you're Swedish!" Of course half the fun on Benson was watching the verbal sparring between Krause and Benson. RIP Ms. Swenson.

The show is also airing on Cozi-TV weeknights starting at 3AM EST

My father was a fan of the Chad Mitchell Trio (still have the LPs!) and they were one of my introductions to late 50's-mid 60's folk. If I dig them up, I'm sure I'll find Prestopino's name somewhere. RIP sir.

Same. I think he was intimidated by her career. A [revealed] blind item had them as the subject in which she wanted to go to a movie premiere, but he refused to go with her and urged her to stay home. Now, I can understand not being into the red carpet business, but I think he was just tying her down like a bad HS boyfriend.

AWW! I remember he appeared on a Saturday morning cartoon preview show and it was the first time I had ever seen voice actors of my favorite shows for the first time (Mel Blanc being the notable exception at that point). I remember he not only did Yakky Doodle as a single character, he was able to create a "group" of ducks singing at the same time! I thought it was incredible! RIP Mr. Weldon.

Some new blinds for July courtesy of Entertainment Lawyer: Some people guess it's James Dean but Dean's passenger was a male. Since it's Old Hollywood, the actor's death would have been spun into something tragic but never reveal anything "inappropriate" to his image. HA!! Now, how many vegetarian or vegan foreign born has-beens are there? Not to mention what got her to change her mind. Could it be an Australian or Canadian?

THIS! I loved this show (saw it on reruns and my Dad not only watched it first run, he could still laugh at it decades later!) but I think even Max deserved to know 99's real name. The fact that her mother appeared, one would think she would have used her name at least once - even a nickname! I guess TPTB were afraid of taking all the mystique out of the couple by revealing it. I remember an episode in which 99 was engaged (it was actually another job to catch a Kaos spy) and her name was revealed as "Susan Hilton", only for her to reveal by episode's end that it wasn't her real name. I think it would have been fair if it had been whispered to Max so that only he knew it after they married.