I caught the "Simpsons" ITAS as well and it now ranks as one of my favorite episodes of that show (along with the Kevin Spacey interview, which featured his killer impressions of Jack Lemmon and Al Pacino).

On a related note, a couple years ago I wrote a tounge-in-cheek tribute to ITAS (you can find it here). Somehow, it got good placement in search engines and it still gets a lot of monthly traffic. The weird side effect to all this is that people occasionally mistake me for James Lipton, so every once in a while I get mail asking for insider information or help getting into the Actor's Studio.

There's a point to this story. Recently, I received another one of these messages -- although I think they considered me some sort of "ITAS" expert rather than Lipton himself -- asking for an explanation for Julie Kavner's quick exit. I didn't answer because I've got no idea. Best I can guess is she got sick -- it was a noticeable departure though.

my co-worker asked me if i saw "the simpsons" on the actors studio, then said, "did you notice that the lady who did marge left?" ha ha that me me laugh.

oh yeah, and the kevin spacy interview was fantastic!

I'd like to share an anecdote, with a tangential relationship to ITAS:

I visted an old friend in Kansas City, once upon a time, and he got us tickets to see Andre Watts perform with the KCSO. Part of the attraction was that, before the show, Watts would have a 'conversation' with his audience, in which he would discuss his work with a moderator and field questions from the audience. A format not dissimilar from ITAS. Several members of the audience were conservatory students, all of whom asked him 'inside baseball' type questions. The silliest of these was a guy who identified himelf as a 'fifth generation Rachmaninov student', and who asked a long and rambling question that seemed more focused on his own accomplishments than Watts' knowledge. [Watts neatly skewered his pomposity in his reply, telling the audience we ought to be grateful to have such a distinguished personage among us. Got a big laugh.] Nobody ever left the topic of music and performance. Not that I wanted anyone to ask him what kind of tree he imagined himself to be, but it would have been nice to see some recognition that AW was a person and not some resident of Olympus who periodically descended to awe us with his mastery of the Steinway concert grand.

My point: I can't get into ITAS because every time I leave it on, it reminds me of that night spent amongst the likes of Mr. Fifth Generation Rachmaninov Student. A bunch of people entirely too weighted down with the great importance and great difficulty or their great craft. One gets the feeling that its been quite a while since some of them surfaced for air.

DC- you could watch ITAS for about 45 minutes and then watch something else. The students don't ask their quesitons til the end.
I also attended an AW concert where he did that question and answer thing, but it was at the Barns of Wolf Trap and so it was more of a general audience and he had a chance to be really funny. I found him to be totally unpretentious and mostly he expressed a great love of playing and of music. Seeing him inspired me to start practicing again. ( I guess I need to see him again as I've kind of stopped again..) I also have personal experience (tangentially) with the type of music student that you speak of, having been a music major once upon a time and also hanging around with my husband when he was a graduate student in NY. My piano teacher was a doctoral student and she was majorly screwed up- as were most of the "lifers". These guys never had a chance to do the stuff we all did from grade sachool through high school. Most of them were practicing 5 or more hours a day and their summers were spent at places like Interlochen where they interacted with more of "their kind"! It's a strange world-insular, competitive, intense, and most of them have had their emotional development arrested before adolescence and never learn how to interact with other people. As for the Rachmaninoff remark- it may not have only been boasting. There are many people in the piano world who really care about the lineage of their piano teachers. There are several well-known lines (Beethoven/Czerny/Schnabel) and there are certian characteristics that are passed down through the generations of teachers. One of the first things pianists ask each other is "who have you studied with?". When I hung out in this atmosphere and actually reconsidered performing in public, I ended up with tendonitis!
Maybe you'll be lucky and see AW again someday in a less "professional" environment or one where the perosn who chooses the questions balances pedagogy with human interest.

Let's see...

My mother's flight instructor learned to fly from Orville Wright. Does that make her a Second or Third Generation Orville Wright Student?

It's interesting you bring up that point, DC, because one of the things I enjoy most about ITAS is that it focuses on the work rather than the celebrity. Certainly, Lipton and his students go overboard with their lauding, but I let that slide because the interviews often reveal a nugget of information about a particular film. I think of ITAS as the antithesis to shows like "Entertainment Tonight" and "Access Hollywood" where the work is the last thing anyone cares about.

But you're right -- the student-question segment is hard to watch. "Hello Mr. Carrey. I'm a first-year acting student and I marvel at your ability to mix slapstick comedy with dramatic heft, particularly in the 'Ace Ventura' films. Can you speak a bit on this?"

[This message has been edited by trustno1 (edited 03-06-2003).]

The two types of shows aren't antithetical, Mac, just two sides of the same coin. Each show assumes a disproportionate sense of importance regarding their subject.

Not to go on a rant here, but . . .

Shows like ET foster/trade on the belief that we're all deeply interested in the hemlines of every B movie starlet, the dating habits of everyone who ever charted a record, and the number of rooms in everyone's Hollywood mansion. Shows like ITAS foster/trade on the belief that playing pretend for a living is far, far more difficult than doing real work for a living. Both are trading on the myth of the importance of celebrity. Each show begins from a presumption that these people are somehow above ourselves, so everything they do is worthy of our rapt attention.

Gossip about celebrities is still just gossip. We don't live in small towns any more, so if we want to tell/enjoy venal stories about the follies of mutual aquaintances, the only such people we all 'know' are celebrities. In order to make ourselves feel better about gossiping about strangers, we tell ouselves that their fame makes them important. So we don't talk about them because we're small, we talk about them because they're big. The irony lies right on the surface, but escapes most folk's sight anyway.

And, of course, we need to reinforce that rationalization by believing that what these folks do for a living is really, really hard--the product of genius even. ['Genius', I'm quite certain, is a word absent from no episodes of ITAS.] Shows like ITAS make us much more comfortable that the fame, fortune and attention lavished on actors is deserved, because they're just so darned better than we are at something immensely difficult.

Bunk. And bunk of the same kind as ET sells. It's just stargazing and gossip dressed up with an erudite host.

But, of course, I could be wrong.

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Originally posted by Deep Cover:

ITAS foster/trade on the belief that playing pretend for a living is far, far more difficult than doing real work for a living. ...

And, of course, we need to reinforce that rationalization by believing that what these folks do for a living is really, really hard--the product of genius even. ['Genius', I'm quite certain, is a word absent from no episodes of ITAS.] Shows like ITAS make us much more comfortable that the fame, fortune and attention lavished on actors is deserved, because they're just so darned better than we are at something immensely difficult.

Bunk.

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General agreement for the most part. The "fortune and attention" are out of proportion. However, I do have to note the exceptions. There are those actors who are nothing more than personalities. Whatever role they play they are always recognizable as "Joe Star". But the exceptions are those actors who are not recognizable, who melt into varied roles so well that you forget the actor. This is difficult, this is genius. And whatever the compensation the hours are long and even the best luxury RV available cannot make some location shoots more bearable. (My husband was in the industry for about 10 years.)

DC- I share your disgust and impatience with the American public's obsession with famous people-especially stars- actors, sports figures, and pop musicians. I watch the occasional ITAS if the guest is someone whose work I admire- just as I would watch it if it featured people I admired in other fields I was interested in- music, writing, education, philosophy, etc. Finding out that they seem to be a 'regular Joe' is usually a bonus-not my reason for watching. Although I enjoy the occasional "Making Of" specials about movies I like (like the Matrix), sometimes I think about the amount of effort and money that goes into special effects to entertain us and what would happen if that same effort and money went into something like a cure for cancer. The amount of money involved in sports and entertainment is obscene (IMHO) and pairing that with people's obsession about famous people just brings it into the realm of the surreal, for me.
Anyhow, that's enough ranting for today. I am already too tired from ranting about GWB's press conference last night to have much energy and thought to make sense about much else.

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Originally posted by govtlawyer:

And, BTW, what's new with you? Are you edging towards a degree?

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Edging, stumbling, staggering...my own personal Rubicon has almost been crossed. Maybe.

Freedom Fries? Freedom Toast? What's next? "Freedom Roast Coffee" "Freedom Onion Soup" Rename the country, "Freedom" ?



SYXX, so, how close are you and with a degree in what?

Touching on the earlier topic of celebrity and how Americans love them (or hate them, as the case may be) Reading the LA Times is hilarious...you'd be amazed how much of the paper is devoted to the movie section and interviews and entertainment. There was an article today about how the folks in charge of the Academy awards (I think: there are so many award shows now) are trying to keep a 3 minute limit on speeches.
Frankly, I think The Industry here in LA is so...well, c'mon, three hours of dance and songs and handing out little statues! It's so mastabatory! (can I say that word? I'll replace it if asked, but I can't think of a better one at the moment)

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Originally posted by Ittot:
There was an article today about how the folks in charge of the Academy awards (I think: there are so many award shows now) are trying to keep a 3 minute limit on speeches.

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A fine idea, after that Jerry McGuire chick thanked everyone who's ever worked in film, TV , and radio at whatever that pointless award show was the other night.

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Originally posted by govtlawyer:


SYXX, so, how close are you and with a degree in what?

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Computer Science/Information Systems. Which, in this economy, should prepare me for the wonderful world of unemployment.

I hear ya, SYXX. Until a couple of weeks ago, we had 4 family members, with a variety of computer skills, unemployed. Thankfully, 2 are now employed, but the other 2 are still looking.

ITTOT, is Mr.Ittot ever nominated for any awards?

When we relocated to Chi-Town 2-1/2 years ago, my wife sent out six resumes and got three job offers within 2 weeks (computer-based graphic artist). Last year, she decided she was unhappy with her workplace and started sending out resumes again. Most go unreplied to, and not a single interview. She's sent out considerably more than six.

A few weeks ago, there was an aticle in the Tribune that analyzed the Chicago job market in a variety of ways and declared it the worst in the nation. And, of course, if your skills are tech-based, you are in the worst sector of the worst employment economy in the nation.

I try to counsel patience, but my wife is having difficulty seeing light at the end of the tunnel. She's starting to review the job ads for executive secretary/office manager type positions (what she did before getting into the graphic artist thing). Historically, that market has always been crowded, but she always did well because people with skills and intelligence are always in demand.

In short, Syxx, I feel your pain. Looking back on my school days, I can now say with confidence that the worst thing you can do is listen to career 'experts' opinions on the future of any job market. I was repeatedly counseled to rethink my ambition to be a lawyer, because every 'expert' out there *knew* that market would be overcroweded and that execessive competition was driving down pay. By the time I graduated law school, law firm pay was skyrocketing and ranged from mid-50s to $79k to start. Last I checked, law firms in Chicago were paying $130k-$150k to start.

My feeling about the tech market is that the worm will turn, and the 'experts' will be surprised at how quickly. All new economic sectors follow boom/bust patterns. The best economic policy is peace and stability. The lack of same is prolonging the bust cycle. The moment people have confidence those conditions have been restored as status quo, the tech sector, IMO, will be among the first and strongest beneficiaries of that confidence.

You will discover then, that you did not invest the time and treasure that you did in your degree in vain.

There might be a short interim, however, where you most important job skill might be remembering to ask, "Would you like fries with that?"

syxx- I know what it feels like to be getting your degree in a field in which doom and gloom about the lack of employment is constantly in the news. When I was in college ('70-'74) my father kept sending me articles from the NYTimes predicting huge teacher lay-offs at about the time I was graduating. (he wanted me to become a lawyer and then eventually a judge- but I was paying for school completely on my own and that would have been more student loans than I could handle) Anyhow, the predictions weren't far off- I managed to work full-time for 3 years and then the cuts came. But, there are other options besides fast food- although I admit, that I did work in a pizza place for while! (cash off-the books and free food).
1: if you're willing/able to relocate, there is usually a job somewhere.
2. Keep looking at the technical help wanteds in different areas and see what they're looking for. When we relocated from NY to DC, my husband noticed when DB2 became more prevalent in the DC area (it was already popular in NY) and timed his job-seeking accordingly.
3. Be really good at what you do. There is no substiutute for excellence. When you do get a job, be willing to help anyone with their problems and become indispensable. This has helped Mr. C keep his job when others around him have been let go.
4. It's good to have a specialty when you start, but keep getting trained in whatever comes along. (Mr. C has gotten Oracle certifications-like I know what I'm talking about!!)
5. Live modestly in an area that has lots of rich people. This has always worked well for us- Mr. C in music and me in piano teaching/tutoring. If the job market sucks, then start your own business and fill a need for wealthy people- maybe setting up their new computers, trouble-shooting, etc.
Good luck and don't worry. I agree with DC that once the world situation stabilizes, so will the economy.

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Originally posted by govtlawyer:

ITTOT, is Mr.Ittot ever nominated for any awards?

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Hi Gov!
Well, as an individual he wouldn't be -- but as part of a special effects or CGI team, he can be, and was! He was part of a team that recieved a Prime Time Emmy for "Dune", the first one that was on the SciFi Channel. So we have a certificate, part of the credits, and a title card matted and framed on the wall behind the TV. Cool. No, he didn't have anything to do with "Children of Dune". BUT, he animated the Worms that attacked the Emperor's spaceship/palace in the first series, and a few of the 'thopter scenes, etc.

WOW! That is really great, ITTOT! Did he get an Emmy statuette also?

At least I can say I didn't do this for the money, so not having any isn't quite as big a shock to me as it likely is to those looking to cash in on graduation day. The Sunday paper had 45 jobs in the computer section...45 in a city of 3,000,000. It will get better, these tech purges happen every 10 years or so. Of more concern is both the huge number of work visas still being issued(at 1999-like numbers), and the frenzied outsourcing of jobs to India. Why pay an American $35 an hour when you can pay an Indian $7 an hour with no benefits? We send our jobs there, they send their workers here.

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Originally posted by govtlawyer:
WOW! That is really great, ITTOT! Did he get an Emmy statuette also?

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Nope, only the certificate. He was getting all excited about getting the Emmy (there are benefits both within the field and from the Emmy academy) but learned that group/team Emmys aren't givven the same weight as a statued Emmy!