Month: August 2016

South African Writers Call for Workplace Justice

Think TV writers here in the US of A have it bad? Thank your lucky stars and garters that you aren’t working in South Africa!

Ah, the joy of the need for anonymity - not
Ah, the joy of the need for anonymity – not

An open letter to SABC chief Hlaudi Motsoeneng
by Ben Trovato

Dear Comrade Oberstgruppenfuhrer Hlaudi Motsoeneng the First, Commander of the SABC in General and the Airwaves in Particular, Guardian of Local Content, Master of Invention, Supreme Defender of the Truth, I kneel before you in greeting.

Congratulations on taking the public broadcaster to new heights. There are those who say you have dragged it to new depths. Pay no heed to these counter-revolutionary quislings. Depths, as you know, are nothing more than heights in reverse. It all depends on how you look at things. And you, sir, are able to look at things in a way that beggars belief. Speaking of beggars, please issue a decree banning the depiction or mention of beggars on your television and radio stations. People exposed to beggars will want to become beggars themselves and soon there will be nobody left to pay your handsome salary. read article

Diana Vacc sees “All the Way”

by Diana Vaccarelli

All_The_Way

*If you haven’t viewed this film yet be warned. This review may contain spoilers!*

With the U.S. Presidential election turning into a bad reality show I decided to take the time to watch the film All the Way. Produced by HBO, this film follows President Johnson after the assassination of Kennedy and the 1964 civil rights bill.  It is great to be reminded of how far our country has come. Not to be too political by any means. read article

The Dimension of Mind

Twilight-Zone

by Mike Gold

Speaking of Rod Serling, here’s a bit of an intro to the legendary, erm, legend himself for those of you who still don’t know who it is you’re trying to be as you grow up:

he so-called Golden Age of Television, with its two and one-half channels of network programming, produced an astonishing number of great writers, directors and talent. To name but a very, very few: Barbara Bel Geddes, Paddy Chayefsky, George Roy Hill, Ron Howard, Ernest Kinoy, Jack Lemmon, Sidney Lumet, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Boris Sagal, Rod Serling, Rod Steiger, Gore Vidal, Joanne Woodward… my fingers won’t hold out long enough to type even a “best-of” list.

You’ll never guess which of the above pioneers is my favorite. read article

Stuff on the Web We should’ve Reposted Here But Screwed Up & Didn’t – Part 2

Some recent articles on TV, TV writing, and the TV biz that we regret not posting earlier. But here they are now.

Well, the opening paragraphs anyway:

Rod Serling’s First TV Drama Aired Here 65 Years Ago read article

Houdini and Doyle – The Victorian Odd Couple

HoudiniDoyle1
That’s “Doyle” on the left and “Houdini” on the right for those not up to snuff on 19th Century superstars

by Lew Ritter

The modern detective procedural show features a group of suave actors playing Detectives. They solve crimes while driving around in hot sports cars, using the latest technology and keep the world safe from the bad guys. Very traditional and often very predictable.

Houdini and Doyle is an offbeat period piece procedural that takes place in Victorian England, circa the early Twentieth Century. Its main characters are Harry Houdini, the famed illusionist, and Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. The two men were real life friends, who unite to fight unexplained supernatural phenomenon. It is not inconceivable that they would unite for such purposes. It is an offbeat and well executed concept.

In its first season, beginning in the spring of this year, each episode dealt with some impossible crime that appears to be supernatural in nature. Vampires, aliens, unexplained deaths etc. The trio uncover logical reasons for the crime at the end of each episode. Some critics have labeled the show, The “Victorian X-Files. That is fair description because it deals with supernatural crimes in Victorian England. It sounded like an even better idea especially since Fox’s other hit supernatural show Sleepy Hollow ran out of steam in its third season. read article