GKN Weekly Update 2/26/13 – An Ineloquent Oscar Essay!
Happy Post-Oscar Week! Let’s get right into it, shall we? But first…
GKN ANNOUNCEMENT!
I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Voices.com last year at VOICE 2012. Dig it, yo:
For the record, I do NOT hate actors! That sound bite was taken out of context. It was a joke! I actually hate sculptors. Screw the lot of ’em, I say…
YET ANOTHER GKN ANNOUNCEMENT!
One of the comic books I’ve helped to write, “Anne Manx: Birth of the Cat”, will be releasing very soon! Here is a preview of the cover:
It will go on sale via Ka-Blam Comics, an online digital printing company. You can either order a printed copy or you can download the digital version. More details coming soon!
GKN CASTING NOTICE!!!
Are there any female voice talents living in the Wilmington, NC area? Angelo Panetta of the Radio Repertory Company of America will be recording a celebrity’s lines for their next radio drama and they need a reader. If interested, contact Angelo at info@nullpanettastudios.com for details about the session and compensation. Let me know if you applied. Thanks!
So let’s talk about the Oscars!
I read an article in the Hollywood Reporter today and it said that way too much importance is put on the event and and there will always be those who unconditionally hate it and those who unconditionally love it. All this is majorly subjective so there’s that. For the most part, I can’t stand awards shows. There are way too many of them and it waters down the whole system. I only watch the Oscars and the Independent Spirit Awards (when I remember to).
- I don’t watch the red carpet thing so no comments there.
- Notable missing celebs: Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp. I always assume they’re off shooting something. Either that or they’re a bunch of cranky-pants who won’t go because they didn’t get nominated.
- Seth MacFarlane: I’m not a Family Guy fan and I didn’t see Ted so I rolled my eyes when they announced him as the host. I wanted Billy Crystal or Steve Martin back. They’re awesome! He was kind of funny a few times so it wasn’t too painful.
- So how did you guys do with your Oscar predictions? I stink, stank, stunk. I only got seven picks right out of 24. Blech! I saw many of the movies but I guess missing the big ones (Lincoln, Les Mis, Zero Dark Thirty, Life of Pi) that really hosed me. Go figure.
- In Memoriam: that’s one of my favorite parts. We lost a lot of wonderful talents way too soon, like Michael Clarke Duncan and Adam Yauch aka MCA of the Beastie Boys.
Overall, it was way too long (as always), way too self-indulgent (as always), but fun to watch (as always, sort of).
TIP OF THE WEEK: Watching certain things always give me a sort of twinge or pang. One is watching Shakespeare. I was trained to do Shakespeare and was fully committed to being a Shakespearean actor for a time but certain life choices (and a lack of cojones) derailed that. So whenever I see Shakespeare being performed, I think about the road not taken. I get that same twinge/pang when I watch the Oscars. I was also trained in film acting and was committed to that for a while, but I refused to take the leap, move to New York, and be one of the thousands of broke actors waiting tables. I just didn’t see the point. Maybe it was that attitude, but it was a realistic one!
My point is that if you want something badly enough, you’ll find a way to do it. The problem with that plucky bit of advice is that it doesn’t necessarily equate to success, especially in the voiceover industry. The only thing more important than wanting it badly enough is being truly honest with yourself when it comes to your talent (or lack thereof). Make sure you have the tools to succeed before you start building!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: (from a Yankees telecast) Michael Kay: Did you have any teammates who didn’t swear? David Cone: None that I trusted!
STUFF!: Blazing Saddles was on TV last week and I haven’t watched it in its entirety for years. Holy crap I forgot how funny it is! You always talk about how funny it is in the abstract and quote it incessantly but then you watch it again and it’s as hilarious as the first you saw it. If you’ve never seen it, crawl out of under that rock you’ve been residing and watch it!
From The Oscars Red Carpet (actually from the black & grey carpet in my apartment), this is Tom Dheere: GKN News…
I love your honesty and humility, Tom.
Thanks Annette, that’s very kind of you to say!
Nobody asked, but here goes anyway….
I didn’t know much about Seth MacFarlane, but I thought he had a great speaking voice, was often quite funny and (if you like his style) has a very good singing voice. He seems to be an all-around talent. That said, there was some pretty bad tastelessness (the John Wilkes Booth “joke’) as well as some great tastelessness (“I Saw Your Boobs”). What I got from the show is that you either “get” MacFarlane or not. I “got” him, thought him occasionally very good, often OK, and too often the victim of things that ran too long (the opening routine with Shatner, which went from great to borning, for example – or the stupid Ted stuff, although I’d like to know more about the animatronics of that bear).
I also thought this year’s movies were an unusually fine group and was unhappy that the award winners got hustled off the stage in favor of more vacuous drivel from Les Miz and other tedious musical numbers. (Also, hasn’t Kristin Chenowith overstayed her fifteen squeaky minutes of fame?) I loved seeeing and hearing Streisand and Bassey, even if the songs they sang weren’t my favorites, and thought Adele put as much spine as possible into an awfully weak song; I couldn’t believe such lazy songwriting won “best” song.
Maybe I’ve sat through (too) many awards presentations; I’ve also a few of my own, albeit with significantly lower-budgets! Nobody does any of these things perfectly – too many “moving parts” – but I think it deserves honest reviews from those of us who watched it for whatever reasons. Tom, I’m very glad you reviewed it, and thank you for your honesty, directness and friendship – and I know I’m not alone in saying that.
Bottom line: better movies than show, but MacFarlane was a lot better than the two robots on downers from last year (what DID they put in their drinks, anyway?!?) I think the best award a piece of creative work can get is respect; right behind that is apprpriate commercial recompense. Also, I think the best award people like Tom and me who work for hire get is to be hired again. For me, that’s my Oscar/Emmy/Telly/etc. The rest is just stroking.
Peace, love and a rich warm DX77 in the booth,
Paul