quote:... or is there an endless supply of appreciation for bathroom humor and sexual inuendo out there?
I don't know that there is an endless supply out there... but... one of the ways to create an appetite for it is to feed it to us and our kids so that they can keep doing it over and over again.
Remember Shrek farting in the pool and killing the fish in the opening scene?
That humor was aimed at young kids... young kids who like to fart in the tub and then watch us as parents laugh along with them. The kid laughs because it tickles. We laugh because the kid is so cute laughing.
I think one of the reasons I keep ending up at GreaseSpot is because there's nothing to watch on TV. Seriously. It's one long, tired cliche. I figure maybe I've just moved out of the right demographic range. The advertisers have given up on me, having squeezed me of my last dollar, so they don't even make an attempt to cater to my tastes (not that I'm so finicky, but, c'mon, I've already figured out the names of all the body parts, let's move on to something else).
I think there's a direct correlation between bathroom humor and disposable income, of which I have little, so they're not interested in my likes and dislikes anymore.
TGN - I remember that scene. I'm ashamed to say I laughed too. Must be some kind of fart/laughter reflex built into the male nervous system. If the underwater fart went over in Shreck, I guarantee it will be on Everybody Loves Raymond next season.
laleo, I think you're primed for PBS. I was watching next to nothing until I broke down and bought a "Tivo." I watch almost no "live" TV any more. It's like a library. I "check" the show out, and delete it after I see it.
It's all recorded on the box, and I watch when I have time. There really is a lot of good stuff on, but I have to find it, and then record it. I delete a lot of stuff I don't watch, but after a busy month lets up, I can sit through a marathon of shows I wanted to see.
It is live TV that is so disappointing, because "prime time" is when all the garbage comes on.
You mentioned demographics. I don't think there is an original idea on TV any more, or it's very rare. They probably use computers to combine characters with plot lines and predict ratings based on demographic data. I was in a test audience at Universal for some sitcom a few years back. They really do care what a bunch of tired, sweaty theme park visitors think. What if Shakespeare had tried his stuff out on us first? He'd have been producing "Star Search."
I wish people would stop watching the junk. It would make them try a little harder to make something good. But as long as they are getting those commercials onto the tubes, they aren't worried.
I know there are creative and talented people out there. They just can't seem to get any work writing TV shows.
Even under the best of circumstances, I'm not much of a television viewer. Never was, although I'll occasionally get hooked on a weekly drama -- usually the one they cancel in mid-season. I've heard of many frustrated script writers who had their work accepted for television, only to have most of their characters edited out. Maybe they don't want to pay too many actors for roles that might have "star" potential, so they limit the number of main characters. I've also heard that television production companies tend to rely on a pool of writers rather than one or two. I think what they end up with is something similar to assembly line art. It's vaguely pleasant, or vaguely humorous, or even sometimes vaguely offensive, but mostly appealing to sentiment.
I've heard of the Tivo (I think) and have even thought about acquiring it. Doesn't it also "recommend" shows based on your viewing habits? I sort of like the idea of watching a few episodes at a time, if it's a show I enjoy. I'm embarrassed to say that I've yet to program a VCR, and don't even know where the power button is on the DVD player. I hope Tivo is easy to operate. Can you shout instructions to it? I've got plenty of practice with that. I do tend to like PBS, although their frequent and tedious fund drives can be too much. But, honestly, if the televisions in my house disappeared tomorrow, I'd only notice because of the increased competition for the computer. I could easily live without it. The TV, I mean. The computer stays.
What I'm really interested in is that thing that gives you hundreds of radio stations for the car. I don't even know what it's called. Do you have one? Is it worth it?
Tivo has a very friendly user interface. You don't even have to know what time the show comes on, just pick the title off a list and tell it to record it. You can even tell it to record every episode on any channel it comes on, and it's smart enough not to record the same show twice in a 30 day period unless you specifically tell it to.
The fool hath said in his heart, "PFAL is the Word of God..."
I've noticed that the most sought-after demographic currently seems to be 15 to 19 year-old pimply-faced adolescent boys.
Since when do THEY have a huge disposable income?
Doesn't seem to matter though, radio, TV, cable, movies, everything is geared to teenaged-boy sensiblities. From "Don and Mike" to "Shallow Hal", all we seem to get is an endless stream of references to anatomical parts, urinating, defecating, flatulating, and various and sundry sexual practices. And occaisionally we hear about hot cars, drinking and drugs, and have the usual litany of things exploding.
Although I'm in my mid 20's, I like to watch some of the gross and gory stuff. South Park is one of my favorite shows, not so much for the toilet humor but because they seem to have a lot of interesting things to say. They are a parody of life and they generally end up insulting everyone at some point but they generally have a moral to the story and it makes sense. Of course, their political commentary lines up with my beliefs most of the time, but that's just a secondary thing.
I also like shows like Law and Order, because it's interesting for some reason. It deals with murder all the time and other bad things, but it's still something I like to watch.
Anyway, I guess I just feel that there are quite a few channels on TV, so there is something for everyone. This particularly holds true if you have DirecTV or digital cable. I can turn on something like the History channel or one of the various science channels and always find something good and interesting. Perhaps you all just need to look at different channels.
By the way, I watched part of "The Mullets" last night and I was incredibly dissapointed. Rather than being a show about some rude, mullet-headed, PBR drinking, Camaro driving freaks, it was about some idiots that were really nice guys. People with mullets are amusing, but it's the attitude they have more than the haircut.
As far as Tivo goes, I love those types of devices. I have a ReplayTV because they allow filesharing, work over ethernet, etc. but both should work about the same way.
I do have to agree with P-Mosh on South Park. Beneath all the crude humor lies some biting social commentary that skewers the fanatics on BOTH sides of the aisle. The South Park theatrical film was one of the best anti-censorship statements of recent memory.
Since kids are drawn to bathroom humor, you might as well teach them things with it. Like the idiocy of hate crime legislation, the dangers of mob mentality, the stupidity of political correctness, etc., etc.
The fool hath said in his heart, "PFAL is the word of God..."
So, Zixar, is this thing voice activated? Actually, user-friendly or not, I think I'll get one, if only because it's another electronic gadget, which means a great gift idea. I'm surprised there's not one in the house already.
Are you still doing any screenwriting? What are the production companies looking for?
Thanks much, Steve. I did a google search a couple of months ago, but since I didn't know specifically what I was looking for, it came up with a few hundred thousand matches. When the first twenty didn't give me the information I wanted, I gave up the search. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I'll look into it.
laleo: Not quite voice activated, but near enough. Zixette has no problems operating our TiVo. If you don't have DirecTV yet, I'd highly recommend buying into both technologies at the same time. The DirecTiVo satellite receivers have two separate tuners so you can record two shows simultaneously while watching a third you've previously recorded. Plus, the monthly Tivo charge on DTV is only $5 for all Tivos in the house, while the monthly charge for standalone Tivos is $12.95 each. This really will change the way you watch tv forever.
As far as screenwriting, I take it in fits and starts, although the market is hard to predict. The best advice I can give you is just write the story you'd want to go to the movies to see. Once it's done, start writing a different one while you shop the first around. If one genre is cooling off, another might be heating up. Think about what you haven't seen in a while--"Chicago" got the awards partly because there hadn't been a good musical in many years. You might hit it rich by writing a silly teen comedy WITHOUT a semen joke in it. Look at Animal House, Caddyshack, etc., the movies that all the baby boomers quote--there's nothing really that outrageous in them, yet they're still funny.
Real life experiences can be a knockout, too. Big Fat Greek Wedding? Just one lady telling her family stories to the tune of $200 million.
The fool hath said in his heart, "PFAL is the word of God..."
I'm not much of a screenwriter. I tried it once. Briefly. I fumbled through a very, very lame stage play, which I didn't bother to finish, just so I would have something to show for my effort, but writing such an extended dialogue was a struggle for me. I'm amazed by some of the dialogue people can come up with, though. American Beauty comes to mind. Whoever wrote that was brilliant, technically and creatively, as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure I'd never be able to match that kind of writing.
To tell you the truth, I'd rather go to a play than a movie, given the option. I think I prefer the live performance, slower pace, and not as much hype. As far as writing goes, about the only thing that keeps me motivated is when I meet with a writers' group. I recently joined up with one after writing next to nothing the past few years. It includes a memoirist, three poets, and two fiction writers. We meet once a week, criticize each other for a few hours, and go home to re-write whatever it was we submitted.
Actually, rather than writing what I'd like to read, I usually try to write from ambivalence. I seem to get inspiration from uncertainty. Two hundred million dollars? I won't hold my breath. If I can get fifty dollars for a story, I consider it better than a blockbuster hit. But even that is rare.
One more thing I thought of. Speaking of writing, whoever writes those radio shows for Joe Frank is impressive. Listening to his program is like walking into the engine room of the male psyche and studying the components of a fantasy, in all of its futility and absurdity. I've listened to a few of his shows, each one more entertaining than the last.
[This message was edited by laleo on September 12, 2003 at 22:33.]
"Tivo" sounds like a step in the right direction. Television is becoming
unwatchable and time-consuming due to the commercials alone.
One of my favorite channels used to be AMC,
which would interrupt a movie for commercials only once halfway through it. Now it seems they're playing commercials every 5 minutes, for goodness sakes.
I would have thought that for all that people are paying for cable, so many commercials would have been unnecessary. Now they're blaring huge ads across the bottom part of the screen during a show or movie. It's getting ridiculous.
Dan: Skipping commercials is the thin end of the wedge. Tivo lets you time-shift television. You don't have to be at the mercy of the tv schedules any more. Tivo lets you create your own personal tv station with only the stuff you want to watch. Spend a couple of hours with the family, then watch that 8 o'clock show at ten, instead. The football game starts, but long-lost friend calls just at the kickoff. Press Pause, talk to him for up to half an hour, then hit play and watch the game without missing anything. You can then skip through the commercials for trucks & beer until you're caught back up to realtime.
Secret Tip for TiVo users: Take the remote, press Select-Play-Select-3-0-Select and your ->| key will turn into a skip 30 seconds forward key. (It still functions as ->| when in FF or REW modes.) Now you can use ->| to skip commercials with one button press in your recorded shows. :)--> Do it again (S-P-S-3-0-S) to turn it off.
The fool hath said in his heart, "PFAL is the word of God..."
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Too Gray Now
QQ
I don't know that there is an endless supply out there... but... one of the ways to create an appetite for it is to feed it to us and our kids so that they can keep doing it over and over again.
Remember Shrek farting in the pool and killing the fish in the opening scene?
That humor was aimed at young kids... young kids who like to fart in the tub and then watch us as parents laugh along with them. The kid laughs because it tickles. We laugh because the kid is so cute laughing.
It is a gaseous cycle.
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laleo
I think one of the reasons I keep ending up at GreaseSpot is because there's nothing to watch on TV. Seriously. It's one long, tired cliche. I figure maybe I've just moved out of the right demographic range. The advertisers have given up on me, having squeezed me of my last dollar, so they don't even make an attempt to cater to my tastes (not that I'm so finicky, but, c'mon, I've already figured out the names of all the body parts, let's move on to something else).
I think there's a direct correlation between bathroom humor and disposable income, of which I have little, so they're not interested in my likes and dislikes anymore.
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QamiQazi
TGN - I remember that scene. I'm ashamed to say I laughed too. Must be some kind of fart/laughter reflex built into the male nervous system. If the underwater fart went over in Shreck, I guarantee it will be on Everybody Loves Raymond next season.
laleo, I think you're primed for PBS. I was watching next to nothing until I broke down and bought a "Tivo." I watch almost no "live" TV any more. It's like a library. I "check" the show out, and delete it after I see it.
It's all recorded on the box, and I watch when I have time. There really is a lot of good stuff on, but I have to find it, and then record it. I delete a lot of stuff I don't watch, but after a busy month lets up, I can sit through a marathon of shows I wanted to see.
It is live TV that is so disappointing, because "prime time" is when all the garbage comes on.
You mentioned demographics. I don't think there is an original idea on TV any more, or it's very rare. They probably use computers to combine characters with plot lines and predict ratings based on demographic data. I was in a test audience at Universal for some sitcom a few years back. They really do care what a bunch of tired, sweaty theme park visitors think. What if Shakespeare had tried his stuff out on us first? He'd have been producing "Star Search."
I wish people would stop watching the junk. It would make them try a little harder to make something good. But as long as they are getting those commercials onto the tubes, they aren't worried.
I know there are creative and talented people out there. They just can't seem to get any work writing TV shows.
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laleo
Even under the best of circumstances, I'm not much of a television viewer. Never was, although I'll occasionally get hooked on a weekly drama -- usually the one they cancel in mid-season. I've heard of many frustrated script writers who had their work accepted for television, only to have most of their characters edited out. Maybe they don't want to pay too many actors for roles that might have "star" potential, so they limit the number of main characters. I've also heard that television production companies tend to rely on a pool of writers rather than one or two. I think what they end up with is something similar to assembly line art. It's vaguely pleasant, or vaguely humorous, or even sometimes vaguely offensive, but mostly appealing to sentiment.
I've heard of the Tivo (I think) and have even thought about acquiring it. Doesn't it also "recommend" shows based on your viewing habits? I sort of like the idea of watching a few episodes at a time, if it's a show I enjoy. I'm embarrassed to say that I've yet to program a VCR, and don't even know where the power button is on the DVD player. I hope Tivo is easy to operate. Can you shout instructions to it? I've got plenty of practice with that. I do tend to like PBS, although their frequent and tedious fund drives can be too much. But, honestly, if the televisions in my house disappeared tomorrow, I'd only notice because of the increased competition for the computer. I could easily live without it. The TV, I mean. The computer stays.
What I'm really interested in is that thing that gives you hundreds of radio stations for the car. I don't even know what it's called. Do you have one? Is it worth it?
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Zixar
Tivo has a very friendly user interface. You don't even have to know what time the show comes on, just pick the title off a list and tell it to record it. You can even tell it to record every episode on any channel it comes on, and it's smart enough not to record the same show twice in a 30 day period unless you specifically tell it to.
The fool hath said in his heart, "PFAL is the Word of God..."
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George Aar
I've noticed that the most sought-after demographic currently seems to be 15 to 19 year-old pimply-faced adolescent boys.
Since when do THEY have a huge disposable income?
Doesn't seem to matter though, radio, TV, cable, movies, everything is geared to teenaged-boy sensiblities. From "Don and Mike" to "Shallow Hal", all we seem to get is an endless stream of references to anatomical parts, urinating, defecating, flatulating, and various and sundry sexual practices. And occaisionally we hear about hot cars, drinking and drugs, and have the usual litany of things exploding.
Doesn't this crap EVER get old?
geo.
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Steve!
Laleo - the satellite radio thing is called "XFM". It's a subscription service.
You can find it at http://www.satusa.com/satellite-radio.shtml
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Mister P-Mosh
Although I'm in my mid 20's, I like to watch some of the gross and gory stuff. South Park is one of my favorite shows, not so much for the toilet humor but because they seem to have a lot of interesting things to say. They are a parody of life and they generally end up insulting everyone at some point but they generally have a moral to the story and it makes sense. Of course, their political commentary lines up with my beliefs most of the time, but that's just a secondary thing.
I also like shows like Law and Order, because it's interesting for some reason. It deals with murder all the time and other bad things, but it's still something I like to watch.
Anyway, I guess I just feel that there are quite a few channels on TV, so there is something for everyone. This particularly holds true if you have DirecTV or digital cable. I can turn on something like the History channel or one of the various science channels and always find something good and interesting. Perhaps you all just need to look at different channels.
By the way, I watched part of "The Mullets" last night and I was incredibly dissapointed. Rather than being a show about some rude, mullet-headed, PBR drinking, Camaro driving freaks, it was about some idiots that were really nice guys. People with mullets are amusing, but it's the attitude they have more than the haircut.
As far as Tivo goes, I love those types of devices. I have a ReplayTV because they allow filesharing, work over ethernet, etc. but both should work about the same way.
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Zixar
I do have to agree with P-Mosh on South Park. Beneath all the crude humor lies some biting social commentary that skewers the fanatics on BOTH sides of the aisle. The South Park theatrical film was one of the best anti-censorship statements of recent memory.
Since kids are drawn to bathroom humor, you might as well teach them things with it. Like the idiocy of hate crime legislation, the dangers of mob mentality, the stupidity of political correctness, etc., etc.
The fool hath said in his heart, "PFAL is the word of God..."
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laleo
So, Zixar, is this thing voice activated? Actually, user-friendly or not, I think I'll get one, if only because it's another electronic gadget, which means a great gift idea. I'm surprised there's not one in the house already.
Are you still doing any screenwriting? What are the production companies looking for?
Thanks much, Steve. I did a google search a couple of months ago, but since I didn't know specifically what I was looking for, it came up with a few hundred thousand matches. When the first twenty didn't give me the information I wanted, I gave up the search. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I'll look into it.
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Zixar
laleo: Not quite voice activated, but near enough. Zixette has no problems operating our TiVo. If you don't have DirecTV yet, I'd highly recommend buying into both technologies at the same time. The DirecTiVo satellite receivers have two separate tuners so you can record two shows simultaneously while watching a third you've previously recorded. Plus, the monthly Tivo charge on DTV is only $5 for all Tivos in the house, while the monthly charge for standalone Tivos is $12.95 each. This really will change the way you watch tv forever.
As far as screenwriting, I take it in fits and starts, although the market is hard to predict. The best advice I can give you is just write the story you'd want to go to the movies to see. Once it's done, start writing a different one while you shop the first around. If one genre is cooling off, another might be heating up. Think about what you haven't seen in a while--"Chicago" got the awards partly because there hadn't been a good musical in many years. You might hit it rich by writing a silly teen comedy WITHOUT a semen joke in it. Look at Animal House, Caddyshack, etc., the movies that all the baby boomers quote--there's nothing really that outrageous in them, yet they're still funny.
Real life experiences can be a knockout, too. Big Fat Greek Wedding? Just one lady telling her family stories to the tune of $200 million.
The fool hath said in his heart, "PFAL is the word of God..."
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laleo
I'm not much of a screenwriter. I tried it once. Briefly. I fumbled through a very, very lame stage play, which I didn't bother to finish, just so I would have something to show for my effort, but writing such an extended dialogue was a struggle for me. I'm amazed by some of the dialogue people can come up with, though. American Beauty comes to mind. Whoever wrote that was brilliant, technically and creatively, as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure I'd never be able to match that kind of writing.
To tell you the truth, I'd rather go to a play than a movie, given the option. I think I prefer the live performance, slower pace, and not as much hype. As far as writing goes, about the only thing that keeps me motivated is when I meet with a writers' group. I recently joined up with one after writing next to nothing the past few years. It includes a memoirist, three poets, and two fiction writers. We meet once a week, criticize each other for a few hours, and go home to re-write whatever it was we submitted.
Actually, rather than writing what I'd like to read, I usually try to write from ambivalence. I seem to get inspiration from uncertainty. Two hundred million dollars? I won't hold my breath. If I can get fifty dollars for a story, I consider it better than a blockbuster hit. But even that is rare.
One more thing I thought of. Speaking of writing, whoever writes those radio shows for Joe Frank is impressive. Listening to his program is like walking into the engine room of the male psyche and studying the components of a fantasy, in all of its futility and absurdity. I've listened to a few of his shows, each one more entertaining than the last.
[This message was edited by laleo on September 12, 2003 at 22:33.]
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mj412
Gods and Generals is very good . no bathroom humor.
it is about General Lee and the war. sencond in the trilogy .
Also public television is excellent they have mystery theater, nature programs and a 40's house show which is really good...
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Mister P-Mosh
I was going to rent that yesterday but Blockbuster was out of it. We got "Old School" instead, which is hilarious and full of bathroom humor.
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TheInvisibleDan
"Tivo" sounds like a step in the right direction. Television is becoming
unwatchable and time-consuming due to the commercials alone.
One of my favorite channels used to be AMC,
which would interrupt a movie for commercials only once halfway through it. Now it seems they're playing commercials every 5 minutes, for goodness sakes.
I would have thought that for all that people are paying for cable, so many commercials would have been unnecessary. Now they're blaring huge ads across the bottom part of the screen during a show or movie. It's getting ridiculous.
Danny
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Zixar
Dan: Skipping commercials is the thin end of the wedge. Tivo lets you time-shift television. You don't have to be at the mercy of the tv schedules any more. Tivo lets you create your own personal tv station with only the stuff you want to watch. Spend a couple of hours with the family, then watch that 8 o'clock show at ten, instead. The football game starts, but long-lost friend calls just at the kickoff. Press Pause, talk to him for up to half an hour, then hit play and watch the game without missing anything. You can then skip through the commercials for trucks & beer until you're caught back up to realtime.
Secret Tip for TiVo users: Take the remote, press Select-Play-Select-3-0-Select and your ->| key will turn into a skip 30 seconds forward key. (It still functions as ->| when in FF or REW modes.) Now you can use ->| to skip commercials with one button press in your recorded shows.
:)--> Do it again (S-P-S-3-0-S) to turn it off.
The fool hath said in his heart, "PFAL is the word of God..."
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