Friday, August 21, 2009
Okay, y'all. Here is my obligatory post from Asia to let you know that I'm still alive. =) I wish I had enough time to write a proper post, but I'm in a tiny cubicle/computer room with a line of two people waiting to use the internet. I could always step out the door and walk to the corner store to buy a new laptop, but that would require getting up and moving around in the 94 degree + crazy humidity weather. So that's a "no." I have a wealth of tales to share and can't wait to relate them all. I hope everyone is well in the States and there are no words to express how much I am looking forward to going back... because it means that Cal football season will soon begin!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Last weekend, I went to see Funny People starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen. I had heard some lackluster reviews about the movie, but I still felt like I should see it just on the sheer principle that I work in the comedy entertainment industry. I found it to be a fairly accurate description of a comedian's life so I couldn't quite understand why people didn't enjoy this movie. A friend of mine, who also happens to be a comedian, once told me that "nobody gives a shit about comics; we might as well be the scum of the Earth." So I thought that maybe he was right and people didn't take to the movie because they just didn't care enough about comedians. Then I realized the truth:
It's not that people don't care about the inside workings of a comedian's life - they really just do not want to see the truth about life in the entertainment industry (aka Hollywood).
People prefer their visions of glamour than to see the ugly truth. Consequently, when TMZ reports that the hottest Hollywood star(let) has fallen off the "pedestal," people can gasp and judge the indecency of it all.
I had gone to see the movie with a girl friend of mine who seemed to take great offense to the portrayal of women. She was shocked that I didn't feel the same way.
"Aren't you offended?! They make it seem like women will throw themselves at a man just because he's famous!"
I was taken aback that she didn't already know this and accept this as fact. Perhaps it is the time that I have spent working in Hollywood and watching the comings and goings of certain people in the lime light that has made me jaded. I've witnessed women shamelessly whore themselves to male celebrities. Sad, but true. I do believe that it happens commonly enough such that these male celebrities assume that they can have any woman they want. Also sad, but true.
This is the fucked up town I live and work in. ...And I love it.
People prefer their visions of glamour than to see the ugly truth. Consequently, when TMZ reports that the hottest Hollywood star(let) has fallen off the "pedestal," people can gasp and judge the indecency of it all.
I had gone to see the movie with a girl friend of mine who seemed to take great offense to the portrayal of women. She was shocked that I didn't feel the same way.
"Aren't you offended?! They make it seem like women will throw themselves at a man just because he's famous!"
I was taken aback that she didn't already know this and accept this as fact. Perhaps it is the time that I have spent working in Hollywood and watching the comings and goings of certain people in the lime light that has made me jaded. I've witnessed women shamelessly whore themselves to male celebrities. Sad, but true. I do believe that it happens commonly enough such that these male celebrities assume that they can have any woman they want. Also sad, but true.
This is the fucked up town I live and work in. ...And I love it.
Saturday, August 08, 2009
Friday, August 07, 2009
I no longer believe or take advice from Forbes. Check out how they rank "America's Best Colleges."
Pffffft.
Pffffft.
There are many things about Hollywood that piss me off - like the water-Splenda girl at Coffee Bean. Then there are the glossy, glitzy dreams that serve as a constant reminder of why LA is such a magical place.
Last night, I met up with a friend - probably one of the most beautiful girls I have ever come in contact with. It had been some time since we last conversed so we had a lot to discuss. We talked about our careers, or lack thereof, and where we were trying to go from this point forward. Some background info on her: she graduated from college, moved to LA, worked at a law office to prepare for law school, went to law school, hated it, quit, and moved back to LA with dreams of becoming an actress. We agreed that life would be simpler and easier if we were the type of people to be satisfied with an office job. I look back on my time in San Francisco working in IT at a finance firm as a lifetime ago and a "stand still" point of my life. Sometimes I wish I could have been happy with that - it was responsible, I made great money, and I didn't have to wonder every day if I was going to be spending my life working towards something that I may never achieve.
My friend is the same way. Things would be easier and less stressful for her had she been happy practicing law. She would have completed law school, joined a prestigious law firm, and possibly opened her own successful practice in the future. That almost seems more plausible and reachable than becoming a famous actress. Now she works a day job and does bottle service Friday and Saturday nights at a popular LA night club in an effort to make ends meet and support herself while she pursues her dream.
Just like everyone else in this town.
Because my job involves the entertainment industry, I am constantly coming across people who are desperately trying to become famous. In fact, the majority of the people that I have met in LA have fit in this category. It's like we live in a separate universe and I almost forget that there are people who just have "normal" jobs. It's the LA snob in me that comes out when I start to believe that those people have no dreams in life because they are satisfied with being "normal." That's when I need to remind myself that I'm not special; I'm just like everyone else. It's when I need to call my "normal" friends and bring me back to Earth.
This is the city of dreams. Unfortunately, not everyone, not even a high percentage of people will ever reach their goals but once you decide to take that road, you can only move forward without looking over your shoulder at past regrets.
Last night, I met up with a friend - probably one of the most beautiful girls I have ever come in contact with. It had been some time since we last conversed so we had a lot to discuss. We talked about our careers, or lack thereof, and where we were trying to go from this point forward. Some background info on her: she graduated from college, moved to LA, worked at a law office to prepare for law school, went to law school, hated it, quit, and moved back to LA with dreams of becoming an actress. We agreed that life would be simpler and easier if we were the type of people to be satisfied with an office job. I look back on my time in San Francisco working in IT at a finance firm as a lifetime ago and a "stand still" point of my life. Sometimes I wish I could have been happy with that - it was responsible, I made great money, and I didn't have to wonder every day if I was going to be spending my life working towards something that I may never achieve.
My friend is the same way. Things would be easier and less stressful for her had she been happy practicing law. She would have completed law school, joined a prestigious law firm, and possibly opened her own successful practice in the future. That almost seems more plausible and reachable than becoming a famous actress. Now she works a day job and does bottle service Friday and Saturday nights at a popular LA night club in an effort to make ends meet and support herself while she pursues her dream.
Just like everyone else in this town.
Because my job involves the entertainment industry, I am constantly coming across people who are desperately trying to become famous. In fact, the majority of the people that I have met in LA have fit in this category. It's like we live in a separate universe and I almost forget that there are people who just have "normal" jobs. It's the LA snob in me that comes out when I start to believe that those people have no dreams in life because they are satisfied with being "normal." That's when I need to remind myself that I'm not special; I'm just like everyone else. It's when I need to call my "normal" friends and bring me back to Earth.
This is the city of dreams. Unfortunately, not everyone, not even a high percentage of people will ever reach their goals but once you decide to take that road, you can only move forward without looking over your shoulder at past regrets.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
