tying up a few loose ends here and there.
The quote of the day:
Whatever the pig says, goes.
Well, because they're not all bloody useless. Some managers are quite effective, and it's nice having hands-on attention (if you get it). Managers for actors and directors have been a long-term thing; managers of writers are fairly new to the game.
There are some powerhouse management companies, like Warren Zide Entertainment and Brillstein-Grey Communications and now Mike Ovitz's new company. (In fact, if you pay attention to the credits of sitcoms, it seems like Brillstein-Grey produces half the sitcoms on the air...and they're a management company.)
I think managers are the way of the future, because the ablity to get a constant source of money from a stable of workers and produce is going to be too tempting of an alternative. Of course, I could be wrong.
Another reader wanted to know how I could mention "brining turkeys" and then not mention how to brine them.
Because I'm...uh...well, let me go get the recipe.
How to brine chicken, from Cook's Illustrated, July/August 1997:
3/4 cup kosher salt (or 6 tablespoons table salt)
3/4 cup sugar
4 split chicken breastsIn gallon-size zipper-lock plastic bag, dissolve salt and sugar in 1 quart water. Add chicken, seal bag, and press out as much air as possible. Refrigerate until full seasoned, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from brine, rinse well, dry thoroughly.
How to brine a turkey, from Cook's Illustrated, November/December 1993:
Soak the turkey in water seasoned with 2 pounds of salt for 4 to 6 hours, in a cool spot.
Go and make perfect poultry. No, really -- brining is the secret to having juicy poultry, rather than the dried out stringy stuff. I'll never eat chicken or turkey again that hasn't been brined.
Darin and I went to see Babe: Pig in the City today. I wasn't sure about seeing it -- the reviews have either been "Loved it!" or "Hated it!"
Our review: we liked about half of it.
There are some funny bits, and some pretty well-staged action scenes. But there's a whole bunch of stuff -- for example, the big finale at the party -- that left us cold. Babe the pig is still cute, and having animals talk is always funny, but I wasn't as involved in this one as in the last one.
The sets are pretty good. The city is every city (the panorama is good) and the wacky street scenes are fun to watch. How many details can they throw in to indicate that you have no clue as to where you are? That kind of thing.
I thought there were scenes that were way too intense for kids. At the end, there were kids crying really loudly in the back of the theater.
|
|
|
|
Copyright 1998 Diane Patterson
Send comments and questions to diane@spies.com