The dangers of Googling oneself
This is weird. I have no idea whose these young men are or how they found out about my monologue “Television,” and I find it bizarre that they never tried to contact me to tell me they were making a short from my material, but they do give me credit so I guess that counts for something.
For those interested in how this piece originally appeared, you can find it here (click on “9:02 ‘Todd Alcott’ by Skip Blumberg”).
I have also learned that, while I haven’t yet made it into America’s Wikipedia, I’m apparently big in France.
Those cheese eating surrender monkeys have some good taste.
This didn’t happen because I Googled myself, but once upon a time I was contacted by a theater group at some Midwestern college that was putting on a night of short plays and they wanted to do a few of my comedy sketches, which I had put up on my website as writing samples. The only problem was they needed permission immediately because the show was that weekend and they’d spent the past month rehearsing and the person who was supposed to contact me never got around to contacting me. (deep breath) I gave them the go-ahead to do the pieces with the stipulation that I would get a videotape of the performance and copies of the program. I waited a couple months and neither appeared, so I guess that job also fell to the person who never contacted me in the first place. I don’t mind that so much as not knowing how they went over with an audience.
The weirdest thing about Television was that they actually put together a blooper reel.
When I was in “film school” (actually the Scottsdale Community College film program, which is substantially more advanced than it sounds) no less than three of my first-year classmates chose to make their first films by lifting short stories wholesale from Raymond Carver. So you’re in good company.
I did a silly comedy skit with my great-grandmother, using a completely broken Scoopic 16mm camera that ruined 75% of my shots. It’s no Raymond Carver but then again I won’t get sued by the estate of Raymond Carver.
I’m big on American Wikipedia. Half of it’s wrong, but I’m big. Also, your imdb bio (which I found via the French wikipedia) is weirdly thorough on the names of your various relatives.
That’s because it was written by one of my nephews, without my permission. I’ve tried several times to figure out how to remove it, to no avail.
Ever-helpful me, I can help you with this. I’m sending you an email with instructions.
Duh…
Oh yeah, I am the aforementioned “anonymous”. Forgot to log in. What, are you crazy, allowing anonymous comments? Just think of all the random weirdos who can comment on your posts!
Re: Duh…
Not to worry — I log everyone’s IP, you couldn’t have sandbagged me if you’d wanted to.
The most interesting google experience, is when you’re randomly googling something you like and your picture comes up. (I swear this happened to me.)
The French translation (dubbed) of Antz is outstanding. You’d swear that somehow Woody Allen and Sly Stallone are fluent in French and that we’re hearing them instead of two Parisians. The French voice actors got their intonations and mannerisms down perfectly. When you add to that the fact that Woody Allen is considered as very “sympa” in France it’s no surprise you got an article there.
Urbaniak and I and our wives once spent a morning in Paris watching a dubbed version of Woody Allen’s Everyone Says I Love You and yeah, the guy doing Allen’s voice is astounding. You really would have sworn it was Allen speaking fluent French. Probably the same guy did Fourmiz.
Vive la difference!*
I liked that TV thing “Look at Me!”, kinda of a Max Headroom feel about it. You were full o’ beans 🙂
PS> You seen House season 3 yet? Hints about season 4 are now out, and 3 was sooo good I had to have a read to see what the hells going on. lol.
* I would have put an accent, but I dont know how 🙁
It’s weird watching “Television” all these years later, after a thousand onstage performances. That video is, literally, the first time I’d ever performed it, having written it probably the night before. It later became a staple of my “act,” such as it was, and a crowd favorite.
I’ve been watching House‘s season 3 in repeats. It’s good, although the one I watched last night was weird — there was no mystery, medical or otherwise, just people in rooms talking.
I saw you perform that monologue many times but I’d never seen the Blumberg video before. Most amusing. You’re all young and shit.