The Bulletin Board

Photo courtesy of The Hollywood Temp


Every now and then a comment one of you leaves here sends me on a long and winding road to a blog I’d otherwise never have found. There’s a lot out there in cyber space -- not all of it particularly wonderful -- but when I stumble across something I like, I figure you might like it too.

One of those roads brought me to The Hollywood Temp Diaries, a snarky, funny look at our often-absurd-and-unfair business through the eyes of a temp worker. This blog has been up long enough to accumulate a rich treasure trove of archives to wander through.

It’s just the thing for a long, empty (unemployed) afternoon.

Next up is Dog Bless Us One and All, a blog that discusses the industry and politics from the perspective of a sound man. Dog Bless leans to the left, so be warned -- if you’re a fan of Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin, believe that the Obama health plan is a socialist plot to enslave us all (complete with “death panels”), or agree with the “birthers” who claim our duly elected 44th President of the United States was actually born in Kenya, and should thus surrender the White House to John McCain -- then you probably won’t enjoy your visit to Dog Bless nearly as much as I did. This is a smart, well-written blog, if you like that sort of thing.

I do.

I’ve been reading “Seriocity” ever since my own blog drifted into cyber-orbit. Kay Reindl is a working writer who throws high heat with an educated spin – she knows the biz from a insider’s perspective, and doesn’t hesitate to call bullshit when and where she steps in it. And let’s face it, bullshit is one thing Hollywood produces in extreme abundance, creating a target-rich environment for Kay’s lethal pen. In this recent post, she discusses everything from Michael Bay to the downside of the digital revolution and the TV biz. Kay sometimes talks over my head in referring to shows I’ve never seen, but she’s always worth reading – and if you happen to be into horse racing, you’ll appreciate her occasional digressions from Hollywood to the track.

Hey, everybody needs a hobby.

Anton recently launched Craft Disservice, featuring stories and photos of particularly anemic (read: cheap-ass) craft service spreads. He’s looking for input, so if you’ve had a particularly disgusting/disheartening/indigestsive experience at a bad craft service table, send it along. Maybe you can help shame the bastards into coughing up for a decent spread next time.

Yeah, I know – I’m dreaming.

Last up are two interesting bits from the LA Times that any of you outside the LA area (or who consider newspapers to be old, dead media, and thus no longer relevant) might have missed. In this piece, the always-wonderful Mary McNamara discusses the mutating roles of television versus movies in our society these days, while here, Mark Olsen talks with indie feature directors who choose to shoot their projects in actual film – not digital.

Sometimes my head spins at how fast things are changing here in Hollywood and beyond, but it’s nice to know there are a few kids out there who still appreciate the look and feel of flim.

Ah well, tempus fugit...