Texas Fold ‘Em

Posted on June 26, 2009 by E
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So I played my first real game of poker last night, real world after a few months online. I’d played with this lot before, a couple of years ago, but everything was new back then, I didn’t know what I was doing, one of the guys had printed out a cheat sheet for me detailing the hands in descending order… yeah that time didn’t count.
I’d had an opportunity once before, a couple of months ago but I didn’t take it. This time I was bored enough and pissed off enough with the hand of cards life was dealing me to go out and see whether I could actually hold my own against a roomful of guys who had played together before, for years. I expected it to be the kind of bummer that really pissed me off beyond the sucky string of days I’ve been having. Why would I go tempting fate like that? That’s for me to (think I) know and a therapist to figure out. Read more

Comedy Store Tour 09

Posted on June 5, 2009 by E
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Comedy Store Tour 09 - Ticket StubA few days ago, one of our friends asked us if we wanted to go check out the Comedy Store gig at Blue Frog on Thursday. Now, the Frog isn’t exactly our favourite place to go and spend money (I’d offer that there really are few places we’d like to go spend our meagre earnings in but of the lot, Blue Frog is definitely low, low down on the list). Don’t know what it is about the place but it always manages to piss us off. I’m not being royal as I say us, I’m simply speaking for the missus and me.

Plus there was the added joy of having to shell out a thousand are-you-pee-to-the-double-ee-ess (each!) to essentially go stand around and watch people with questionable senses of humour hold forth about this, that and the other thing. As far as I’m concerned that’s our average night out, and my friends are funnier. Still, a flurry of phone calls later we had agreed to let our actor friend book tickets on our behalf and it was decided (because it is better to have a bad experience than no experience at all – one of our life’s mottos in the recent past) that we would go.
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Moviebiz Myths: Interest

Posted on February 24, 2009 by E
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Newspaper articles, trade guides and online journals will periodically feature talk about how a certain screenwriter/director/actor has a few people ‘interested’ in them or their project. At that time, the bulk of the article will be devoted to listing the credentials of the interested parties and everything they have achieved in the past and how that is validation of the fact that the abovementioned screenwriter/director/actor is doing important work.

People just starting out (or struggling to find a toehold) in the business will also be familiar with the term from emails, text messages or actual verbal conversations with powers-that-be (of varying intensity). The word ‘interest’, quite like the stuff you accrue on a bank account, can lead to a great deal of disappointment if you place too much hope in it.

‘Interest’ is not a commitment. It is (at best) an indication that you haven’t totally turned off a potential employer with your script/showreel/curves, at first glance. Will that ‘interest’ translate into a commitment that involves someone other than your mother/father/brother/sister/lover investing time and effort into making one of your dreams come true?

It is not the most preposterous idea in the world but you’d better have a foolproof proposition before another person (who is neither emotionally beholden to you nor someone you have some serious dirt on) will lift a single finger to help you.
In the meantime, an expression of interest only means that the two of you may dance together someday. Up until that day, take a tango lesson or two. Because you don’t want to be caught with two left feet the day it’s your turn to try on the glass slippers.

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