TruMix.com : Podcasts : KCRW's Martini Shot Podcast

Alternative

Add your Podcast

Trumix.com : Podcast : Arts : Arts

KCRW's Martini Shot

Network:
Language: English
Category: Arts / Arts
Visit Website

Veteran TV writer Rob Long shares his behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood life with Martini Shot, a four-minute weekly commentary heard during KCRW's broadcast of NPR's All Things Considered.

Add to Playlist

View RSS |

View in iTunes

Previous1 2 3 4 NEXT

He Likes That

I know someone who works in advertising, and on his first week on the job, years ago, a more seasoned copywriter took him aside to give him advice. They were both on their way to the creative director's office, to pitch him some ideas for a new campaign... ...

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:44:00 +0000 ]

Can We Talk about This Later.

The people who run KCRW only give me four minutes to make these little jewel boxes of commentary ---- something about wanting to broadcast the news or I don't know what ---- so it's hard to fit everything in sometimes. Most of the time it's easy, of course, because everything I say pretty much boils down to: writin's hard... ...

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:44:00 +0000 ]

No More Cupcakes

A few years ago, a friend of mine tried to fire his agent. It didn't go well. After a long, wearying phone call, in which the agent tried everything in his bag of tricks --- you owe me! This is wrong! I screwed up, I know! Gimme one more chance! This is a bad career move! -- all of them, my friend finally agreed to the thing he had been dreading --- the thing that every single one of his writer friends told him, under no circumstances, to agree to... ...

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:44:00 +0000 ]

Wonderful, Wonderful Me

I have an actor friend who, early in his career, attended a very popular, respected acting class. On the first day, the teacher arrived, told the class to stand up and said, "Now, each of you wrap your arms around yourself and give yourself a big, hurting hug. And repeat, wonderful, wonderful me!" ...

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 20 Mar 2008 01:44:00 +0000 ]

New Media

Sometimes, certain things seem strange or stupid just because we haven't seen them enough. You know what I mean. They'll come out with a new car design, and it'll look strange and stupid and then you see them all over the place and soon they look normal. And a little while later you're thinking, "Hey, I like the look of that car..." ...

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 13 Mar 2008 01:44:00 +0000 ]

Lunch

Years ago, when I was based on the Paramount Studios lot, we used to order take out lunch maybe twice a week from the old City Restaurant on La Brea. It's not there anymore, but I can still remember every item on the lunch menu... ...

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:44:00 +0000 ]

Call My Doctor

Call My Doctor...

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Wed, 27 Feb 2008 08:00:01 +0000 ]

What's That Noise.

You know that moment, in slasher movies, when the promiscuous teens who have been racing around the old barn, trying desperately to avoid the psycho killer, finally get him, somehow.... ...

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 21 Feb 2008 02:44:00 +0000 ]

Already Late

Here's how I knew that the writers strike was over, really over. It wasn't the voting, or Nikki Finke's site, or anything like that. It was the email. From the studio... ...

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 14 Feb 2008 02:44:00 +0000 ]

What Are You Going to Do.

People, I think you'll agree, can be awfully mean... ...

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 07 Feb 2008 02:44:00 +0000 ]

Iunno

If you have a kid, or know a kid, somewhere between the ages of 12 and 17, you know that when they don---t know the answer to a question, they don---t say "I don---t know." They say, "Iunno..." ...

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 24 Jan 2008 02:44:00 +0000 ]

Good Agentry

True story: A writer in his late 50's, who hadn't worked in a long, long time, but who at one point was well-paid and in-demand, found himself facing what we'll call Typical Hollywood Career Ending Number 3: private school and college tuitions paid, barely; 401k plan ransacked; home equity tapped; savings dwindling; cars, one; supermarket, Ralph's; area code 661... ...

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 17 Jan 2008 02:44:00 +0000 ]

Three Hole Punch

Three Hole Punch...

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 10 Jan 2008 02:44:00 +0000 ]

Lazy

I was once stuck in a writers room with a really lazy writer. And no, that's no redundant. And no, it wasn't me. I mean, yes, I am a lazy writer, but no, I'm not that lazy writer... ...

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Wed, 02 Jan 2008 08:00:01 +0000 ]

The Money Is Important

I was talking to a writer yesterday about the need for writers like us to be more risk-taking, more entrepreneurial. He was pretty enthusiastic: "You're totally right! We should just all say 'to hell with the studios' and go to Google or Yahoo or wherever and do stuff for them!" ...

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 27 Dec 2007 02:44:00 +0000 ]

My Friend's Place

I went to a party the other day and I didn't talk about the writers' strike... ...

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 20 Dec 2007 02:44:00 +0000 ]

Solidarity

I'm going to get in trouble for this. But, anyway. Let's be honest. If you're a writer, or a writer/producer, or any of the constellation of hyphenates that means that along with what you do that really brings in the dough, you also are a member of the Writers Guild, you've been on a movie or TV set before... ...

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 13 Dec 2007 02:44:00 +0000 ]

Continue Trading

Continue Trading...

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 06 Dec 2007 02:44:00 +0000 ]

Three-Bean Salad

I know two guys who make three-bean salad. A few years ago, they pooled their money, bought a small machine that fills jars, and they went into the three-bean salad business......

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Wed, 28 Nov 2007 08:00:01 +0000 ]

How Long Is This Going to Last.

I was joking around with a friend of mine ---- a fellow writer on strike -- a few days ago. He hurt his leg a week or so ago, so I sent him a text message. "Hey, haven't seen you on the picket line. Hope your leg is okay, and it didn't SCAB over." And I put "scab" in all caps. I was kidding, of course......

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 22 Nov 2007 02:44:00 +0000 ]

Emoticons

The letter from the studio came yesterday. It said this: Reference is made to the Agreement ---- and then, in parentheses, they put the word "Agreement" in quotation mark, for some reason ---- between you on the one hand and us on the other hand, in which you agreed to render specified services and for which you are being paid. Blah blah blah. Boilerplate, boilerplate, boilerplate..." ...

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 15 Nov 2007 02:44:00 +0000 ]

Strike

A few years ago, I heard this story from a friend of mine.-- He's got a kid in elementary school ---- he and the family live back east ---- and one day, in his oldest kid's second-grade classroom, suddenly, without warning, all of the kids started to throw up......

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 08 Nov 2007 02:44:00 +0000 ]

Long Form

The only time you really, truly know that you've made a sale in Hollywood --- that the studio bought the script, that the network bought the pitch --- is when they call your agent to get your social security or tax ID number......

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 01 Nov 2007 01:44:00 +0000 ]

The DeLorean

I want to tell you a story. I started working in the entertainment industry in 1990. I was twenty-four......

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 25 Oct 2007 01:44:00 +0000 ]

My Struggle with Addiction

Years ago, when I told my agent that I had written a book, she said to me, "Hey, if you want $800, I'll give you $800."...

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 11 Oct 2007 01:44:00 +0000 ]

Chit Chat

The great thing about the entertainment industry --- well, one of the great things.-- It's a fantastic industry in almost every way --- is at some point, no matter who you are or how much power you have, eventually you're going to have to sit in someone's office --- probably someone you despise --- and pitch......

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 04 Oct 2007 01:44:00 +0000 ]

White Wine

I had lunch not too long ago with a friend of mine. We sat down, the waiter came to get our drink orders --- I ordered a Diet Coke, and he, he ordered a white wine......

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 27 Sep 2007 01:44:00 +0000 ]

Check Email

Here's what I believe: I believe that if you're a writer in Hollywood and you want to have any degree of control over your career, you can't wait around for someone to hand you a writing assignment. You can't wait around to get a studio deal. You're a writer: write yourself into the business. Write yourself into a new genre, a new form, a new career. Sit down at the computer and write. No excuses. No dithering. Just sit down, focus, and do it. That's really the only way to succeed......

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 20 Sep 2007 01:44:00 +0000 ]

The Casino

The chairman of a large movie studio once said that the movie and television business was a crapshoot. You make a bet, you play the (razor thin) odds and then you roll the dice......

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 13 Sep 2007 01:44:00 +0000 ]

Hack Tricks

Hack Tricks...

MORE... | LISTEN | DOWNLOAD | MOBILE DEVICE

[ Thu, 06 Sep 2007 01:44:00 +0000 ]

Previous1 2 3 4 NEXT


NewsPod Daily programme highlights from BBC Radio News. Interviews and reports from BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 live, the BBC Asian Network and the BBC World Service.		News for Rugby - 7 days in 7 mins Sue Curtis rounds up the news from across Rugby & East Warwickshire. Updated every seven days.		Sportsweek Garry Richardson interviews the biggest names in sport. Sony award-winning sports journalism from BBC Radio 5 Live. Broadcast live on Sundays at 9am.