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Jun. 17th, 2023 09:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. Almost done with Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - finished S4, which has about seven episodes, maybe eight (can't remember). The last two episodes are actually fairly good. But there are three in the middle that are close to impossible to get through - due to the cringe-inducing comedic routines.
Midge aka Mirim Wiseman Maisel kind of humiliates herself. She's asked by Sophie Lennon to open for her on a television show - to rouse the audience, and is told prior to remember everyone loves Sophie. But it becomes competitive and Sophie and Midge engage in a battle of one-upmanship, when Midge should be ceding the floor to Sophie. Jane Lynch is marvelous as Sophie. Then, there's the debacle at the Kennedy Luncheon, where Midge decides to tell the joke about accidentally sleeping with a married man, and being surprised by the wife. (She didn't know he was married). Only to cause the women at the luncheon to burst into tears. And finally, where her mother is hypnotized into recreating Midge's act at the Strip Club (which her mother had attended without telling Midge).
Midge's self-absorption comes across in each sequence, as does the inherent meanness at the center of the stand up comedy act. Along with the pain.
People often use comedy to deal with frustration, rage, futility and pain.
It's often the source of comedy. It's why comedy can be painful at times.
Season 4 did speak to me in the final episodes, where Midge struggles with her father's deer in the headlight befuddlement at the hospital where her father in law lies after having had a hear-attack. Her own fear of her father's mortality and her father-in-law's comes through on stage, as her jokes are combined with tears - and that's comedy actually. The line between laughter and tears is blurred, and far too thin. We often laugh to keep from crying (or screaming). And again later, where Lenny Bruce gets across to Midge that she has to do the gigs she doesn't want to get ahead, that getting thrown in prison isn't what she should want, but to do the opening acts, to get to Carnegi Hall. To go forward - by doing these gigs and not pushing away opportunities. And much like Midge, I found myself wondering if I'd passed on opportunities in my lifetime out of stubborness?
Susie tells Midge that she's being too hard on herself. That she has to keep trying and not give up. And other opportunities will arise. And she was right in some ways to pass on this. Opening for Tony Bennett - a gig Lenny Bruce had gotten her - is far too similar to opening for Shy (the fictional version of Johnny Mathais) or for that matter Sophie Lennon, where she has to bite back who she is - to cater to their style.
It's a mixed bag this season. Too often the dialogue feels forced, and I feel as if I'm in a theater watching people act in a play, as opposed to watching a representation of reality. I can feel the writers hand at work and hear their voice. This was true of the Palladino's work in both Gilmore Girls later seasons and Bunheads, their banter can at times feel forced and overwrought. But other times, it hits the mark.
And some characters are on target...Rose, Midge's mother, Susie, the manager, Joel, her well-meaning ex - who in some respects is more likable and shows more growth than Midge herself, and Joel's girlfriend, Mai Lin, who just wants to become a doctor.
Compelling in places, frustrating in others. Not helped by Amazon's tendency to kick me out. Yet, obviously compelling enough to keep me hooked.
2. Burn it Down - Hollywood, Complicity, a Call to Change by Maureen Ryan
Well, I just finished the chapter on IP Properties. Basically the emphasis on adaptations of or sequels to pre-established works or intellectual properties, and ownership of IP by the executives, with the writers being work for hire.
Ryan goes into detail on how overwhelmingly white and male the executive power structure is in Hollywood. DC, Marvel, Lucas Film, Dune, Star Trek, are all franchises run primarily by men, with few people of color or women involved. Same with Game of Thrones, and other long-running properties (Outlander).
She also details how the hierarchial structure, and number of executives in comparison to writers, and the power structure affects the work. There is a lot of micromanaging. And as a result the writers are often treated as staff. The executives in many cases don't know what they are doing, are mainly interested in the bottom line, and making the wrong decisions regarding the work they are producing or over-seeing, not allowing the writers a lot of leeway.
In some cases they are being repetitive and just issuing out carbon copies of what has worked in the past.
Marvel - has a major problem in that it has too many projects in the pipeline, and as a result Kevin Fiege is barely involved with all of them, and other executives are working on them. Also the writing staff is turning over fast. They have little control over the end product. The showrunner is often not editing or revising it - another group is. And the control is with the executive producers not the show-runners. As a result, the end product is not quite as good as it was previously. There's almost an assembly line nature to it.
This churning out of product and maintenance of IP over all things - has affected the art and the work in a detrimental fashion. In addition, the lack of diversity in the power structure or higher ups - also has a profound effect on what appears on screen.
It's an interesting chapter, if difficult to follow in places. I got a bit confused regarding what she meant by IP. But her examples of Marvel and Lucas Film - did clarify it. Both are good examples of how executive tinkering can hurt the final product, and fast schedules, too many works, not enough writers, and too many executives tinkering with it - also has a detrimental effect.
I didn't know this - but the creator of Obi-Wan was female. Also there was a lot of push-back on her show-running, and on one of the black stars by both the executives and the fandom. (The Star Wars fandom is a wee bit racist and sexist - hence the reason I've always given it a wide berth. )
But there was also tinkering by executives. Jon Favereau, a white guy, has largely been left alone and allowed to executive produce and oversee other Star Wars projects besides the Mandalorian.
She also mentions that it may not be a coincidence that these writers have chosen so many projects about lone wolfs fighting the system - such as Jessica Jones, Mandalorian, Luke Cage, etc. But I don't know - that kind of dates her.
This is an interesting read, but a bit dry in places, and the narrator who is reading it aloud (I have the audio book version), sucks at doing other voices - so I often have no idea who else is talking. Too date the people who are best at others voices are: Trevor Noah (the king), Viola Davis, Bryan Cranston and James Marsters. Everyone else I've read, kind of sucks at it.
3. Making headway at transferring my film, book and television reviews on A03 to Squidgeworld and Word Press. As a result of this - I've acquired more subscribers and readers of my Word Press Blog. So go me?
It makes it less painful to transfer works that go applause over at Ao3. I'm transferring them - because A03 threatened to delete anything that they didn't consider a transformative work (reviews, recaps) if I didn't. And would delete my account - if they had to warn me about it again.
I'm annoyed with A03 - because they are allowing and not removing incendiary and illegal content that could get their site taken down, nor are they taking measures to fix source code that allows Orphan Works, where people can post graphic child pornography. (Note FF.net had to take down all NC-17 works because of that problem - people were posting graphic porn of teletubbies on that sight - basically baby porn.) They should not be going after folks posting innocuous film and book reviews or episode recaps and author commentary, when they have this stuff in there. It's a waste of their time.
I think they figured that out - since they didn't delete any of the works they claimed were infractions. I was able to transfer them. Nor did they alert me to any other works. All they did was suspend me for two weeks.
Now that I'm unsuspended, I've been transferring and deleting. I now have transferred about two hundred works to Squidgeworld and Word Press, and deleted them from A03. Although actually - some I just deleted - the episode recaps? I just deleted. (They are on my DW journal - so no real loss.)
4. Slept horribly last night, I was edgy and allergies were bugging me. Plus blood sugar is running slightly higher than I'd like - I'm at 6.8 AI, and I prefer to be at 6.1. Hope to sleep better tonight. Not getting a lot done this weekend. Although I did manage to buy a new toilet seat online and Bose headphones. (The ones I have are wearing out - there's a tear in the toilet seat, and the headphones are getting worn out.)
Also vacuumed, cleaned some of the bathroom and kitchen, and took out the garbage.
Working on book. Finished one watercolor, working on last one of the "People I saw on the Subway Painted from Memory Series". Next I may do fictional characters on the subway, or people dressed up like them. I want to do a heavy-set potbellied Captain America, sitting next to Robin Hood or better yet, Storm.
Midge aka Mirim Wiseman Maisel kind of humiliates herself. She's asked by Sophie Lennon to open for her on a television show - to rouse the audience, and is told prior to remember everyone loves Sophie. But it becomes competitive and Sophie and Midge engage in a battle of one-upmanship, when Midge should be ceding the floor to Sophie. Jane Lynch is marvelous as Sophie. Then, there's the debacle at the Kennedy Luncheon, where Midge decides to tell the joke about accidentally sleeping with a married man, and being surprised by the wife. (She didn't know he was married). Only to cause the women at the luncheon to burst into tears. And finally, where her mother is hypnotized into recreating Midge's act at the Strip Club (which her mother had attended without telling Midge).
Midge's self-absorption comes across in each sequence, as does the inherent meanness at the center of the stand up comedy act. Along with the pain.
People often use comedy to deal with frustration, rage, futility and pain.
It's often the source of comedy. It's why comedy can be painful at times.
Season 4 did speak to me in the final episodes, where Midge struggles with her father's deer in the headlight befuddlement at the hospital where her father in law lies after having had a hear-attack. Her own fear of her father's mortality and her father-in-law's comes through on stage, as her jokes are combined with tears - and that's comedy actually. The line between laughter and tears is blurred, and far too thin. We often laugh to keep from crying (or screaming). And again later, where Lenny Bruce gets across to Midge that she has to do the gigs she doesn't want to get ahead, that getting thrown in prison isn't what she should want, but to do the opening acts, to get to Carnegi Hall. To go forward - by doing these gigs and not pushing away opportunities. And much like Midge, I found myself wondering if I'd passed on opportunities in my lifetime out of stubborness?
Susie tells Midge that she's being too hard on herself. That she has to keep trying and not give up. And other opportunities will arise. And she was right in some ways to pass on this. Opening for Tony Bennett - a gig Lenny Bruce had gotten her - is far too similar to opening for Shy (the fictional version of Johnny Mathais) or for that matter Sophie Lennon, where she has to bite back who she is - to cater to their style.
It's a mixed bag this season. Too often the dialogue feels forced, and I feel as if I'm in a theater watching people act in a play, as opposed to watching a representation of reality. I can feel the writers hand at work and hear their voice. This was true of the Palladino's work in both Gilmore Girls later seasons and Bunheads, their banter can at times feel forced and overwrought. But other times, it hits the mark.
And some characters are on target...Rose, Midge's mother, Susie, the manager, Joel, her well-meaning ex - who in some respects is more likable and shows more growth than Midge herself, and Joel's girlfriend, Mai Lin, who just wants to become a doctor.
Compelling in places, frustrating in others. Not helped by Amazon's tendency to kick me out. Yet, obviously compelling enough to keep me hooked.
2. Burn it Down - Hollywood, Complicity, a Call to Change by Maureen Ryan
Well, I just finished the chapter on IP Properties. Basically the emphasis on adaptations of or sequels to pre-established works or intellectual properties, and ownership of IP by the executives, with the writers being work for hire.
Ryan goes into detail on how overwhelmingly white and male the executive power structure is in Hollywood. DC, Marvel, Lucas Film, Dune, Star Trek, are all franchises run primarily by men, with few people of color or women involved. Same with Game of Thrones, and other long-running properties (Outlander).
She also details how the hierarchial structure, and number of executives in comparison to writers, and the power structure affects the work. There is a lot of micromanaging. And as a result the writers are often treated as staff. The executives in many cases don't know what they are doing, are mainly interested in the bottom line, and making the wrong decisions regarding the work they are producing or over-seeing, not allowing the writers a lot of leeway.
In some cases they are being repetitive and just issuing out carbon copies of what has worked in the past.
Marvel - has a major problem in that it has too many projects in the pipeline, and as a result Kevin Fiege is barely involved with all of them, and other executives are working on them. Also the writing staff is turning over fast. They have little control over the end product. The showrunner is often not editing or revising it - another group is. And the control is with the executive producers not the show-runners. As a result, the end product is not quite as good as it was previously. There's almost an assembly line nature to it.
This churning out of product and maintenance of IP over all things - has affected the art and the work in a detrimental fashion. In addition, the lack of diversity in the power structure or higher ups - also has a profound effect on what appears on screen.
It's an interesting chapter, if difficult to follow in places. I got a bit confused regarding what she meant by IP. But her examples of Marvel and Lucas Film - did clarify it. Both are good examples of how executive tinkering can hurt the final product, and fast schedules, too many works, not enough writers, and too many executives tinkering with it - also has a detrimental effect.
I didn't know this - but the creator of Obi-Wan was female. Also there was a lot of push-back on her show-running, and on one of the black stars by both the executives and the fandom. (The Star Wars fandom is a wee bit racist and sexist - hence the reason I've always given it a wide berth. )
But there was also tinkering by executives. Jon Favereau, a white guy, has largely been left alone and allowed to executive produce and oversee other Star Wars projects besides the Mandalorian.
She also mentions that it may not be a coincidence that these writers have chosen so many projects about lone wolfs fighting the system - such as Jessica Jones, Mandalorian, Luke Cage, etc. But I don't know - that kind of dates her.
This is an interesting read, but a bit dry in places, and the narrator who is reading it aloud (I have the audio book version), sucks at doing other voices - so I often have no idea who else is talking. Too date the people who are best at others voices are: Trevor Noah (the king), Viola Davis, Bryan Cranston and James Marsters. Everyone else I've read, kind of sucks at it.
3. Making headway at transferring my film, book and television reviews on A03 to Squidgeworld and Word Press. As a result of this - I've acquired more subscribers and readers of my Word Press Blog. So go me?
It makes it less painful to transfer works that go applause over at Ao3. I'm transferring them - because A03 threatened to delete anything that they didn't consider a transformative work (reviews, recaps) if I didn't. And would delete my account - if they had to warn me about it again.
I'm annoyed with A03 - because they are allowing and not removing incendiary and illegal content that could get their site taken down, nor are they taking measures to fix source code that allows Orphan Works, where people can post graphic child pornography. (Note FF.net had to take down all NC-17 works because of that problem - people were posting graphic porn of teletubbies on that sight - basically baby porn.) They should not be going after folks posting innocuous film and book reviews or episode recaps and author commentary, when they have this stuff in there. It's a waste of their time.
I think they figured that out - since they didn't delete any of the works they claimed were infractions. I was able to transfer them. Nor did they alert me to any other works. All they did was suspend me for two weeks.
Now that I'm unsuspended, I've been transferring and deleting. I now have transferred about two hundred works to Squidgeworld and Word Press, and deleted them from A03. Although actually - some I just deleted - the episode recaps? I just deleted. (They are on my DW journal - so no real loss.)
4. Slept horribly last night, I was edgy and allergies were bugging me. Plus blood sugar is running slightly higher than I'd like - I'm at 6.8 AI, and I prefer to be at 6.1. Hope to sleep better tonight. Not getting a lot done this weekend. Although I did manage to buy a new toilet seat online and Bose headphones. (The ones I have are wearing out - there's a tear in the toilet seat, and the headphones are getting worn out.)
Also vacuumed, cleaned some of the bathroom and kitchen, and took out the garbage.
Working on book. Finished one watercolor, working on last one of the "People I saw on the Subway Painted from Memory Series". Next I may do fictional characters on the subway, or people dressed up like them. I want to do a heavy-set potbellied Captain America, sitting next to Robin Hood or better yet, Storm.
no subject
Date: 2023-06-18 07:17 am (UTC)(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2023-06-19 03:32 pm (UTC)Separately, I'm reminded of a British actor who, when asked about the strategy she'd taken in building an acting career, basically said that she said to about everything she was offered.