TV Finales - got some spoilers here

My ex roommate used to make fun of me for many things. One of which was how I saved TV series' finales forever, not wanting to see how things ended, and then I never saw them. This happened with "Oz," one of the great early HBO dramas that many people might not have watched probably because they assumed if it was a prison drama it was either boring (people sitting around in a cell) or a lot of tushie rape. It actually went beyond both. And I liked it so much that I saved the finale for a long time (back on good ol' VHS) until one day I realized I'd lost it. To this day I've never seen it. Now, many years later I realize I will have to rewatch about two seasons or so because I forgot a lot of it. Which is fine with me, as it will be all spankin' new again.

So now I watch all my season and series finales, as bittersweet as they are. But it's hard to say goodbye to old friends, families and worlds I've grown accustomed to. I still remember how sad it was to watch the final Cosby Show. That is, the second Cosby show. Between "Fat Albert" and the one where he has the same wife but he's old. And not counting something called "The Cosby Mysteries." I'm talking about the good one. With the great family, humor, strange new characters at the end, big jazz numbers and really, really 1980's sweaters. That was a hard goodbye.

Seinfeld, not a hard goodbye. In fact, kind of a tepid goodbye, but anyone following "Curb Your Enthusiasm" will note that they manned up and made good on that one. Recently I rewatched the Friends finale and got a little weepy, and did you know the Mash finale is still (I believe) one of the most watched episodes in TV history? Try that one without a handkerchief.

One hour dramas can be even more painful. Especially when they pull a "Chuck" (see my earlier blog) and just rip it off the air without you knowing to say goodbye. I wasn't quite a fan of Heroes towards the end but it certainly would have been nice if they had known it was the end so they could go out with a bang instead of just another episode, assuming they had another year or two. Goodbye Heroes.

This week I watched a few finales - one of every type:

1. The season finale of American Idol. Not a hard goodbye at all, but for the second year in a row, they got it wrong and I favor the second place winner. Adam Lambert and Crystal Bowersox are much more compelling than Kris Allen and Lee Dewize. But as I stated in an earlier blog, that's what comes of young girls controlling the voting in this country. It was a series finale in the fact that it was Simon's goodbye. In fact it seemed like a show about Simon, where in the end, they decided "Oh, we should also crown a winner." What was sadder than Simon's tributes was Paula Abdul contributing to the tribute, constantly reminding us that she never got one. Goodbye Simon. Belated goodbye, Paula.

2. A harder finale was Flashforward. This was hard because I loved this show, I click on ten websites a day to try to save it, but it has been yanked off the TV set without my permission. As seen above, since I am over 16, my vote on TV shows apparently doesn't count, I guess. While this wasn't a perfect show (I often tune out at quantum physics meets Nazis meets birds dying in Somalia) I thought the concept of knowing your fate and what that does to people and relationships - was excellent. And I wanted to see a post flash forward world and the next one. Bad. Goodbye Flashforward?

3. And the hardest finale of the week was Lost. Like Flashforward, this had physics meets hatches meets a lot of C4 explosives and a smoke monster but it had seven seasons to make us REALLY come to care for the characters and the relationships. You'd have to go through the whole journey to make it count but boy was this ending a weeper. And smart. And I think I get most of it, but not all. I'll look up other blogs so people can tell me what to think. :) Goodbye Lost.

What I am present to right now, is how powerful journeys and good character pieces are and how much I want my writing to matter to people the way these shows have mattered to me. I have written quite a few scripts in the past years, and recently wrote a statement of purpose for a TV writing program and now, after watching these shows, I really feel what I wrote in it. How important it is to put quality, inspirational, humorous, moving experiences on the air, so through entertainment, we can all become better people.

To the shows that came before, thank you. To the ones that are coming, including any I pen- take from the best and let's continue to broadcast the best of all of us.

Now off I go to watch the season finale of Nurse Jackie and wait for the series finale of the Tudors.*


*If this is really a show about the Tudors, then why is it only about Henry VIII? Why not continue the next seasons about his kids- who are Tudors? And I have many other questions as well, the least of which is why Henry never really ages and is really handsome? We've all seen the pictures, folks.

My Meeting with CBS and then a whole lot of digressions.

Well, thank you well-wishers. The CBS meeting that Pranav and I attended was really excellent. Now I can drop that and concentrate on the other 12 things with deadlines. It is very hard to read CBS pilots, watch CBS shows and then work on an Orthodox 8th grade Jewish girls' play about tznius (dressing modestly). I told the CBS executive I should write "CSI: Jerusalem- Modesty Squad" but I don't think they'll buy it. This is why we have separate file cabinets in our head, and when they crisscross it gets a little crazy. Like when I was writing the Jewish play while also co-penning an Alcatraz short film and outlining a cop/supernatural pilot. I had dreams of Orthodox girls trying to escape from Alcatraz but they had to do it before sundown on Shabbat or else they'd turn into werewolves.

Have I mentioned my brain continues to hum and that sleeping is a bit difficult?

I am already an overly anxious person so the concept of a CBS meeting at 5pm and a flight to San Francisco at 8pm really started the day well. I also had to read scripts, re-read our script, fed ex a poster for this conference in San Fran this weekend while also trying to find the nearest TOGO's. They make this amazing bbque chicken wrap. This was all after rehearsing with the 8th grade girls Monday and getting a massage on Tuesday.

I would like to discuss this massage for a moment now:

I wanted to nurture myself but for some reason my massages, (and I'm not rich, I paid for 5 last summer and forgot) never soothe me. The people whack the crap out of my newest old lady hip and butt pains and I feel like I've been through a grinder. Why is it if a friend or loved one gives me a massage, it feels pleasurable, relaxing and I make purring noises, but when I get it done professionally I suddenly call out to the Christian god, as I grab the toilet-looking thing you stick your face in and pound my fist on the sides of the table? And I didn't even get the really scary ninja lady. I was abused by a woman named Heather. Heathers aren't supposed to physically abuse you. They're just supposed to mentally abuse you in high school 80's films.

But I digress from my digression.

Did I mention that as soon as I got out of the massage on Tuesday I got a call that my 4pm CBS meeting (before my 8pm flight) needed to be moved to Thursday? So I tensed up and worked the phones. Now I really needed a massage. (Or Christian Slater and Winona Ryder to protect me when I see Heather again.)

So here I am, I made my flight, after my lovely writing partner rushed me over to LAX. I wish we could have asked CBS for a siren to stick on our car from one of their maaaaaany cop shows, but alas, I thought that might not go over as well as my Jerusalem comment.

I am now spending a day with my beloved brother, and then on to The Conference For Global Transformation, which I'm very excited about. I get to be with a lot of people talking about inspirational plans and goals for the planet.

And then back to LA to continue working on NYPD Jew.

From Celebrities to Revolution

I'm really worried that celebrities won't be able to fly on airlines.

First, Kevin Smith was too fat and now I discover that Jonathan Rhys-Myer was too drunk.

(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/14/jonathan-rhys-meyers-bann_n_576218.html)

What's the world coming to when Henry Tudor is banned from traveling?

What with all of the price increases and all, they're the only ones who can afford to fly.

So who will?

First, we lost our free food service. Then we were charged for an extra checked baggage. Then any checked baggage. And now one of the cheapest airlines is beginning to charge for carry-ons?

When my friend and I flew to NY, American Airlines made us each pay for our checked luggage and then accidentally put both of them on another flight. We waited in the airport for 2 hours late at night and finally got them. At the end of the trip we both asked to be reimbursed. This was denied.

So we pay for a service that they don't really have to provide well?

I have flown to San Francisco 5 times this year and prided myself for always sticking everything into one big bag I can stuff above my seat and then just hold my laptop. I was so good at this. I didn't know any other George Clooney, "Up In The Air" professional tips but this I could do. Next weekend when I go back I'm on United and will try to stick it all in the compartment above me but I have to bring one of those presentation conference tri-fold up doohickey posters and don't think I can stuff that in my jacket pocket.

In August I'm going to Hawaii on the aforementioned $$#@$@#!!! American Airlines and I don't think I can stuff all my Hawaii gear for a week's vacation into one bag.

And if they decide to charge for carry-ons, well then, I'll have to wear all my clothes in layers on the plane.

But then, like Kevin Smith, I'l be too fat.

This will make me depressed and I'll drink. And get into a fight. And then, like Henry the 8th, I'll be banned.

So since the airlines are charging us for too much without our consent, I ask you all to rally, climb on a plane and as you pass over the oceans, dump tea into them.

And since it's about tea and airlines will call this movement "The T & A party!"

Who's with me?

May Madness

The Month of May is the season for drama. Staffing season for TV, 8th grade Orthodox Jewish girls and therefore, my life.

I have been working very hard, readying for "staffing season." The time when you submit your TV scripts to shows who are staffing their writers for next year. My partner and I had an original pilot and a sample of "The Mentalist" ready by February, as that's when it began. And our manager has submitted our work and all is well. We had a few meetings already and I assumed the meeting season was Feb till about July, since most shows gear up in August, to present them to you fine folks in September.

I was wrong.

While I was in the middle of tutoring a 6th grader, my manager emailed me that my partner and I had a meeting with CBS (YAY CBS!) next Friday the 14th. Then I informed her that my partner was in India (BOO INDIA) till the 18th. To which she informed me that meeting season was in May. May! Within the staffing season there was just a month long meeting season and it's a pretty small window. Kind of like the one my writing partner was looking out of as he flew away for 2 of the 4 weeks of meeting season. Whew. We finally found a good day for the meeting but still, we were in a pickle. (What an odd saying. How did it start? Why that preposition - "in" a pickle? Who gets trapped inside of a pickle?) But with some creative mental elbow grease, we will make it work.

The other season that May contains is "8th grade girls learn acting, dancing, singing, and rehearse and put up a play" season. Previously, the 8th grade girls at the Jewish school I teach at, has had a play written by a lovely Jewish woman. And there were usually about 8-12 girls in the class. This year I was asked to help pen a play for 20 girls, based on a book about Tznius (dressing and acting modestly) that they could perform. It was based on a series of diaries that were not already in play structure. As I sat in my thong and miniskirt, picking my teeth with bacon covered toothpicks, I set to the task of writing a very Orthodox Jewish girl play. Actually, I took the top 3 writers in the 8th grade class, came up with a structure and had them write it. Or so I thought,

And then I wrote a lot more. And rewrote. And rewrote. And rewrote. And it was April. And the play was supposed to be in May. But it came together like lox and a bagel and I realized that this was boot camp for when I am staffed on a show. I will have crazy deadlines, input from everyone, actors waiting, and a tight production schedule. So I'm quite grateful for the process. And I also know from experience that when I see them acting, singing and dancing, and most importantly,when my little writers see THEIR OWN writing on the stage, it will definitely be worth it.

So May is a crunch time for these girls. They got the script and are learning songs, dances, lines, and so much more, ready to go up on June 6. They are working their hearts out and yes, they complain a bit (they're 13 and 14 year old girls after all...) but they're under the gun and it is, after all, just for the month of May.

Like staffing season.

So for now, I direct the girls, wait for calls about meetings, change a flight for $200 so I can meet with the lovely CBS people, and it's an exciting time.

To paraphrase the classic comedy, "Airplane":

I think I picked a hell of a time to cut down on sugar.