Follow the Formula! Say Something! Presto!

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Thanks to friend Mike Hall, I recently discovered yet another TV show that has quickly become one of my favorites:

“Sports Night”

“Sports Night” is a behind-the-scenes look at the people responsible for producing a show within this show.

Sound familiar?

Yup, kinda like “30 Rock”.

And to me, that’s pretty cool. I may be wrong, but I’d like to think that people –mainly Tina Fey- followed a successful formula that worked great for a show that was a little ahead of its time and just added their own brand of humor, pace and architecture that has worked wonderfully.

‘Sports Night’ was brought to us by Mr. Aaron Sorkin, a great screenwriter and also the person that brought us “The West Wing” and “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” (the latter being a wonderfully shot show that found it’s formula a little too late).

So far I’m in the middle of season two and really enjoying seeing how the show is maturing –something I really hoped it would do during season one.

Like many shows that eventually turn out to be great, the first season had to deal with the ensemble and the characters finding their chemistry then taking off running.

For example, there were many times during season one where I was a bit annoyed by some of the characters and cheesiness, but unlike other shows, this show always reeled me back in the way they ended their episodes.

See, they always did a great job of relating to their audience by touching on social or sentimental values or dealing with topics that one normally didn’t expect to find in a show that’s supposed to be a comedy. Furthermore, with the use of these artistic curveballs, more often not this show always had “something to say” other than just trying to be another comedic show. Know what I mean?

Plus, although it was little ahead of it’s time, the way it was shot was uniquely cool and interesting. I may be wrong, but I think this was the first time that style of shooting was used in a TV show.

It’s these unique qualities, and the fact that they made a successful effort to look at what needed some tweaking going forward, that has made this one of my favorite shows.

In the area of “tweaking” what needs more attention, I compare this show to “Friends”.

When ‘Friends’ first started, I wasn’t interested in the characters and their extremely cheesy comedic dialogue and delivery. The only reason I was mildly interested was because they were using a formula that had proven to be successful in the past with Seinfeld: Ensemble.

It’s only because of that style that I chose to keep tabs on the show, and that paid off for me because after some tweaking of the characters, dialogue and cinematic feel for the show, I became a huge fan of the show and really enjoyed the developing relationships between the characters on the show.

I wonder if the creators and writers of the show took a page from Sienfeld, added their own style to it, and applied it to this show. If so, they did a great job.

To me, the show was kept fresh using this method of writing because one never got tired of any of the characters on the show. They always seemed to leave you wanting a little more after each episode.

Of course, after the show ended its run a common mistake was made: They gave us too much of one character and of course….we rolled up our windows and drove away.

Still, thanks to following the proper formula and caring for the show, ‘Friends’ still holds up to this day. Well, not the first season.

Another show that grew on me was ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’.

I never had any interest for this show and even after it was being lauded as this great thing, I never took a trip to cbs-land to take a peek.

But then I read an article that explained some of the writing processes of the show.

I was intrigued, watched the show, and was hooked.

See, in the world that I live in, a commitment to honesty and or truth on stage is what more often than not will get the desired result: Laughter.

In a weird but very cool way, the more honest you are with your reactions to what’s said and or done around you is what gets the best results on stage. (“Truth in Comedy”)

In the article I read about the show, it explained that the show was based on real-life experiences of the lead actor in the show, Ray Romano.

That caught my attention. I kept reading and learned that most of the ideas for the show came out of the writing staff sharing family stories. The ones that made them laugh –or cringe- the most are the one’s they would write and base episodes on.

Well, now I gotta check it out, right?

I did, and this too quickly became one of my favorite shows.

Not only was it ensemble based, but it was also based on true experiences and happenings.

No wonder it became a hit; every family can relate to the characters and situations on any given episode, and relating with your audience is key.

Add some very talented comedic actors and writers, and you have a hit on your hands.

Like ‘Friends’, I wonder if the creators and the writers took a look at “All in the Family” for a little guidance.

If so, they too did a great show of following a successful model and adding their own style to it.

*

As you can see, I tend to get to the party a little later, and as a result, a lot of my favorite TV shows are now off the air. But recently I got to the party early and discovered a new favorite: “Modern Family”.

This show is on ABC and I strongly support and suggest it.

This show has all the combined formulas of the shows mentioned above:

• Character development and relationship.
• Great comedic acting, value, and timing.
• A story telling style that is scarcely seeing on TV. ( I’d like to think this has a lot do with fellow improvisor Jason Winer, who is the director of the show.)

And they didn’t stop there. They took another page from another great show, ”The Office”, and used the mockumentary shooting style formula used in that show as well.

Truly a great and funny show that does a tremendous job of slowing down the ride and Saying Something.

Please give this show a try if you haven’t already.

Speaking of “The Office”…

This show is the ultimate example of following a formula that works.

This show is a direct adaptation of a BBC series of the same name. The right people saw this show, recognized the brilliance behind it, and asked to do an American version of it.

Because the original BBC series only contained 12 episodes over two seasons (which is normal in the UK), the American version of the show eventually had to add their own style and pace to the show, but it’s still very, very true to the original concept and, surprise, it works.

It’s sad sometimes when people try to fix things when they’re not broken, or refuse to follow a proven formula.

So here’s a toast to all the people involved in all the shows mentioned and a huge thanks for seeing the value in what works.

And a little homie spill for ‘Joey’, a great character that should have been left alone after ‘Friends’ called it a night.

NC! Pimpin! Inspiration! Coco! MJ!

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Last month I had the opportunity to travel to beautiful North Carolina to teach Improv at Duke University.

Friend Bob Kulhan owns his own company, ‘Business Improvisation’, and they have a great relationship with Duke. This year, I was chosen to be part of the team that would teach this course to business students at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

The course is basically a class/course in dynamic management using the basic fundamentals and beliefs of the art of Improvisation.

Bob has hired me on numerous occasions for these types of gigs at Duke as well as Columbia University in New York, but the gigs have never been longer than a couple of days with maybe a total of 6-8 hours in teaching his course.

But this time, I was chosen to do the intensive teaching course at Duke which consisted of teaching your own class from 10am to 5pm, Monday through Friday, where we also prepare our students to perform an actual show for each other at the end of the week.

I was honored to have been asked but was pretty nervous about the gig. I mean yeah, I’m comfortable teaching and besides the other gigs I’ve been on with Bob, I sub teach at iO, as well. But, it’s never longer than a 3 hour class…per week.

I’d never taught for as long as I was going to on this gig, especially to students who weren’t necessarily interested in improv. The students that signed up for this course had heard good things from past students that had taken to course, so they signed up. For some, the class is merely an elective and for some it’s a chance to make up credits needed.

So day one comes and I finally get to meet my students.

The last person to enter the classroom comes in, takes off her coat, announces she’s dropping the class, puts her coat back on, then leaves.

Oh, boy.

I quickly recovered and hit the ground running making sure I established a good sense of trust amongst the group as well as a good sense of suspension of judgment.

Thanks in large part to the wonderful students in my group, the week couldn’t have gone better.

This was easily the best teaching experience I’ve ever had.

To be able to teach the thing I love to people that don’t have a passion for it, and to have them understand where we’re coming from and find actual Value in what we teach and believe in was….wonderfully gratifying.

I’ve always believed it, but this week really solidified my beliefs that what we do has value and merit in the real world, and has the chance to make one a better person overall.

At the end of the week I silently thanked Del Close and Martin DeMaat for their dedication and for inspiring people like me to continue their work as best as we can.

Jen, Lee Anne, Javier, Yetunde, Min-Ki, Schree, Margaret, Arti, Rodnei, Adrienne, Joe, and Brandon, Thank You for helping make this a week to remember.

Eliza, Tara, James, Joe B., Sara, and Bill, thank you for the great company, laughs and tutelage.

And an even bigger Thank You to you Bob Kulhan, for giving me the opportunity to work this gig.

As for the rest of you, stay in school and say no to drugs.

Sincerely,

Professor Jaime

*

While in beautiful North Carolina, (seriously, this place is beautiful) I was pretty much secluded to the Fuqua center where they have housing. Since I couldn’t really venture out, I decided to see what movie I could rent from the front desk.

I looked through their catalogue and came across the movie “Hustle & Flow”.

For some reason I never cared for this movie, especially after a rap group –a RAP group- won the Oscar for best song.

A movie about a pimp, and the song about pimpin’ wins?!?

No, thank you.

So yeah, I never made that selection on my Blockbuster trips.

But for some reason I decided to give it a shot while on this trip. Still, after I rented it, I waited 2 days before watching it, and even then I almost didn’t.

But I did.

Immediately after the movie was over I regretted not having made that decision sooner.

I REALLY liked this movie, and liked it even more watching the extras explain how the movie was made and how it almost wasn’t made.

Yes, a movie that seems to glorify pimping and degrading women can of course make one want to look the other way.

But the movie isn’t about that. It’s about a pimp that doesn’t want to pimp. He wants something better and through a series of events eventually begins to follow his actual dreams.

And that right there is what the movie is about, Following Your Dreams.

“Well, that’s fine but why does it have to be a pimp?”

That question was asked by every studio that turned it down for obvious reasons but is explained nicely in the extras. I’ll leave it at that.

I couldn’t believe that a movie I avoided for so long was one of the most inspiring movies I’ve seen in a while. It has a great simple message that most of us are often to blind to see.

It still feels silly for me to say to people that the movie “Hustle & Flow”, about a pimp, was inspirational to me, but it was, because it’s completely different than what you expect, -if you’re willing to look a little deeper into the message being delivered.

And much like the movie “8 Mile”, I see and agree why the song for the movie won the Oscar.

*

“Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought what they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen”.

That was Conan O’Brien on his last show as host of “The Tonight Show”.

There’s lots of opinion and blame going around for that whole mess, so I won’t bore you with an opinion that is shared by many and that you’ve read before in different ways.

For the record, I’m a Conan fan. I’m a supporter because of the type of show he does, who he is as a person, and because I have friends that work (ed) on his show.

As stupid and cheesy as it sounds, those words he said on his last show resonate with me and made me an even bigger fan.

I’ve always found that being patient was a fault of mine. And it didn’t help that the times I decided to be more assertive and ‘promote’ myself on advice from friends, didn’t help much.

So more often than not I’ve relied on the work speaking for itself in hopes that the ‘right’ people will notice.

The few times that way of life has produced good results, have often been the best experiences of my life.

Yet, I’ve always felt that sometimes it may be necessary to do more or try to do more, but have always been afraid of pissing people off in the process.

Not knowing if what you’re doing or HOW you’re doing it is wrong can mess with your head sometimes.

But hearing Conan say those words, with the honestly and belief behind them, really made me feel good about how I sometimes lead my life and what I hope for the future.

Now more than ever I really respect and admire the guy.

I will still try to be more assertive here and there, but I will no longer feel guilty about not being the person that’s constantly in your face in hopes of getting something out of it.

I’ll simply continue to work hard and believe in the things I can do and accomplish, be kind to people and the process, and hope that living my life in a more positive way can one day produce amazing results.

*

Anyone see Michael Jackson’s “This Is It”, movie/doc?

A gem.

In time, even those that remember MJ when he was sane, came to think of him as a weirdo. And if you’re even seen those weird tv specials where they give a glimpse into his life you’d have to agree: Wacko Jacko indeed.

When people talk about MJ and his weirdness they often say things like “When he was in his element, he was On.”… “He was really talented.”… “He was a true professional”… “It was when he was in show mode that he was at his best”… etc. etc. etc

When he announced his final tour, I had NO desire or curiosity about it. Because by now my memory of him wasn’t a performer, it was a weirdo trying to do what he was best known for doing a LONG time ago. Something he USED to be good at.

Almost like hearing that a great athlete wants to come out of retirement way, way, way after his prime. You know it’s going to be a circus, right?

Well hot damn if Michael didn’t prove us wrong.

I watched the movie/doc more out of curiosity about what was being said about the film.

The movie is ALL about how the show was going to be. There’s no cheesy interviews with him spouting off goofy things.

You see a man at 50 years old doing what you thought was not possible.

You see a man truly doing what he does best and you begin realize that the stage really was his life. That he was best and “normal” when on stage.

You see a man doing what you think he couldn’t do and singing –SINGING- like you thought he wouldn’t be possible of doing, -and sounding great!

Little by little you begin to enjoy watching this man in action and in his element. And little by little you begin to feel bad that this concert never happened.

In the end you wish that you’d have had a chance to see this concert

And most important, in the end you realize that this man was truly a genius of music, dance, and showmanship.

Sadly,because of opinions you may formed of the guy,  you also feel ashamed of feeling the way you do about the movie/doc and about MJ himself. But despite how ashamed you feel, you still can’t deny that what you just saw truly was a master at work.

It never made sense to hear how many drugs the guy was on in his final days and how “exhausted” he was towards the end, but watching the movie you realize why.

The man was putting everything –I mean everything, into this tour and it was going to be great. But at a price.

Personally, after watching the movie/doc, I don’t think he would have gotten anywhere close to completing a 50 show tour. But I do think the few shows he would have been able to get through would have been truly enjoyable and entertaining.

I’m not ashamed to say I watched the movie/doc and that I enjoyed the hell out of it.

And I’m also not ashamed to say that I came to respect MJ the artist a lot more than I ever thought I would.

Rest in Peace, MJ.