New Book Makes Allegations of Racism And A Toxic Workplace BTS of Lost

[DRW50]

It lost effectiveness by the last few seasons, but Homicide was a show that did montages well for me, and even poked fun at themselves for it (in an episode about a documentary they filmed, while watching it one of the characters says, "Ooh, montage!" in a sarcastic way). 

Something that annoys me almost as much when overdone is a montage with someone yammering away in narration. Shortland Street started doing that a lot this year and my eyes began nearly rolling out of my head, not helped by the bad stories. One episode ended with a shot of a nurse vaping - she was part of a story about how bad vaping is, but none of this had been shown through the whole week up to that point. She just popped up again to vape. I laughed, which presumably was not the goal.

[Vee]

More from Ryan's book, about SNL. Book out's tomorrow. @DRW50

 

[DRW50]

Thanks, @Vee . I'd heard about this and wondered what Ryan would have to say, as SNL is very difficult to write about, which you can tell from the piece (and she says at one point). It's simultaneously open and about as walled off as you can get. I'd read most of her various quotes before, but I do wonder how someone who isn't as trapped in the show's tendrils must feel. The Horatio Sanz story was heinous, and was one of the times where I finally saw just how much power Lorne (and NBC and their owners) have to be able to suppress it as much as they did.

I don't really believe there is an aw shucks persona of Lorne Michaels - he went on TV for years in his expensive suits, sipping champagne and being imperious. If anything I think he projects an image of power that was not always there (due to the terrible culture he'd gotten SNL into by the mid-90s, and various finger-in-every-pie men who took over at NBC, he was weakened for most of the mid/late '90s and through a good chunk of the '00s). There's a whole mythology of how challenging he is which amounts to saying he can't stop playing mind games. 

I'll also say Seth Simons, who is right about much of comedy culture and SNL, is a very erratic figure, as I used to read his Twitter before he put it on private. I never could take him as seriously afterward.

I believe the Danitra Vance characters she refers to were characters Danitra brought with her to the show, although I'm not 100%. 

I assume the rest of the SNL material in there talks about Trump, as Ryan was one of the critics (rightfully so) most disgusted with him being booked. 

I like her comparison to Doctor Who. In both cases I often think the narratives of the show, all the generations of history, compel me more than the material itself, with some glorious exceptions (glorious more in the case of Doctor Who - SNL never really hit those heights). It's also one of those shows you have to start when you're young to care about, which is one of the reasons why, although I would like to see how a fully Lorne-free SNL would be, I am expecting it to go off within the next year or two once Lorne is gone from NBC (Doctor Who has shown more of an ability to regenerate [no pun intended] so I am hoping that can keep chugging along).

[marceline]

My copy just showed up in my Kindle. I'll be honest, I haven't looked forward to a book this much since Prince Harry's Spare.

[Vee]

Please pass along the SH dirt (or anything else you wish)! I won't be getting to it for at least a couple days.

Yeah, I knew a lot of that SNL stuff already. I do wonder if there's more in the full chapter. I do find the whole of DW compelling, though - the history but also the material.

[DramatistDreamer]

Yes, Sis!

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[marceline]

I skipped right to the SH chapter and had to put it down because it just broke my heart to remember how much I loved that show. When she refers to the fans as Sleepyheads I got all in my feelings.

[dragonflies]

 

[DramatistDreamer]

Admittedly, I have never seen the Sleepy Hollow television series, though I am a fan of Nicole Beharie (if that Doris Payne biopic ever comes to fruition, Beharie is the only actress that truly makes sense for the role, no offense to Tessa Thompson).

From the little that I have read about the BTS machinations, it sounds like the word toxic is an understatement as a descriptor of the environment.

[marceline]

I've read the Sleepy Hollow chapter and I just want to punch everyone and everything. 

I just keep thinking about when I used to attend New York Comicon every year. I really wanted to attend the SH panel but it sold out in record time and the line for autograph signings for Mison and Beharie went on forever. But it became obvious watching the show that TPTB didn't want to be a show beloved by Black women. They didn't want us as an audience. It reminds me of OLTL and REG/Evangeline. (Yes, I'm going there.) 

And don't get me started on [!@#$%^&*] they pulled with Orlando Jones. I'm enormously grateful that he went on record.