KCRW's Martini Shot
Summary: Veteran TV writer and producer Rob Long shares his behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood life on "Martini Shot." A contributing editor for the National Review and Newsweek International, he was a co-executive producer of "Cheers" while still in his 20s and is the co-creator of a string of (cancelled) sitcoms: "George & Leo," "Men, Women & Dogs," etc. Rob is also the author of "Conversations With My Agent," the cult classic about real life in Hollywood, as well as its recently published sequel, "Set Up, Joke, Set Up, Joke."
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- Artist: Rob Long, KCRW.com
- Copyright: KCRW 2014
Podcasts:
Rob Long talks about that famous movie where two women go on a crime spree and drive off a cliff. He?s speaking, of course, about 'Laverne & Shirley.'
Long on the theft and plagiarism that occurs when the Chinese steal sit com jokes and characters that hard working American writers stole from the Dick van Dyke show.
Long talks about the most powerful part of the human body, if you work in television. It's the thumb. The thumb that tweets.
My dog has a rubber toy that has a hollow core, and what you?re supposed to do is fill the core with peanut butter or cheese or cubes of something delicious, and watch as she nudges it and bounces it and tries to get at the treat inside, but in general just stares at it with a totally baffled expression which is the exact same expression most people in the television business have when they?re trying to figure out what the ratings mean.
Rob Long tries and fails to baby-proof his brain. It's a complicated metaphor, but...
Rob Long learns something from the people who work at the Apple Store: when you go on break, always take off your T-shirt and ID badge.
Rob Long tries to follow the only rule in screenwriting: he tries not to be boring.
Rob Long muses on the only two things that anyone in Hollywood really cares about. Getting credit and getting paid. Not in that order.
Rob Long on who gets credit ? and money ? for what on a writing staff. And more importantly, who gets blame.
Rob Long discusses the three stages of a writing staff ? when everybody's nice, when everybody's funny, and when everybody's mean. It happens fast.
Rob Long goes to a French restaurant, tries to break the rules, and fails -- and he twists the whole thing into a parable about the entertainment business.
Rob Long drives around and gets lost, and then does what people do when they're in the car and trying to figure things out: he turns down the radio. It's a metaphor...
Rob Long can't take a compliment from an executive, and as punishment, he's subjected to an awkward personal conversation. It was worse than it sounds.
Rob Long talks about the cruelest thing you can do to a room full of writers. No, not more script notes. It involves lunch.
Rob Long spins a writer's fantasy. What would it be like to spend a day with a studio or network executive, and give them notes and comments about their job?
