Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit amphetamines...

Hey, everyone.

Long time no write. I know...worst...blogger...ever.

As I was telling Mike a couple of days ago, I just felt like I haven't done anything particularly interesting enough worth writing about. Hell, there hasn't even been trivial shit worth talking about like DVDs. Although, I did get my copy of Airplane! signed by Jerry Zucker earlier this week. (For those of you who don't know who he is, he's the guy that co-wrote Airplane!, Top Secret!, and all of the Naked Gun movies, which didn't have an exclamation point in their title. These days he doesn't do much writing, just producing and directing.) That's my copy below:

If you can't read the writing, here is what it says: "To Raymond, You have to start working on a screenplay for me to direct. Good meeting you. Jerry Zucker." Now that I think of if, I should have given him a thinner marker with which to write. I mean, just look at how much space he took. I guess David Zucker and Jim Abrahms will have to sign something else if I ever meet them. (If you don't know who Jim Abrahms and David Zucker are, then just look them up on IMDB because I'm too lazy right now to write it down here. Nevermind the fact that I just wrote a ton of shit about not being able to list things in the time that it could have taken me to list them either...smartass.)

Anyway, how did I get to meet Jerry Zucker? Well, I'm in this class called Industry Insiders, and its main goal is to invite people in the film and televion industry for Q and A sessions with the students. Before the questions are asked, though, one of the filmmaker's films is screened. The week before Jerry Zucker came we got to meet Alf Clausen, the guy who has been composing music for The Simpsons since season 2. I was actually fortunate enough to get a picture with him.

Yeah, sorry his face is blocked out, but he made some joke about posting pictures on the internet, and I didn't know if he was serious or not. So, I'd rather respect the man's wishes. If any of you see me in person with my digital camera, just ask to see the picture, and I'll show you.

Anyway, way off topic. Back to Jerry Zucker. Well, you see, the filmmaker doesn't just sit in the classroom and watch the film with the students. While the class is watching the film, other students are given the opportunity to have dinner with the filmmaker as well as some film school board members who like to wave the film school's cock around in front of potential donors who are also there at the dinner. I forgot to mention though that this oppotunity really isn't that exclusive; all I had to do was go into the film school's main office and put my name on a list.

It was cool actually meeting Jerry Zucker, but I didn't really ask him any questions because I was afraid of looking like an idiot and/or accidentally pissing him off. Here were two scenarios going on in my mind:

Scenario 1:

RAY:
So, what was it like working with Leslie Nielsen?

JERRY ZUCKER:
Good. Next question...something thought out this time.

Scenario 2:

RAY:
So, why don't you write anymore?

JERRY ZUCKER:
What are you saying? You don't like my directing? Fuck you and fuck this school. I'm leaving.

(Jerry Zucker leaves. Everybody gives Ray angry looks.)

In retrospect, my worries were pretty stupid. Mr. Zucker was actually a very jovial and nice guy, and it was great listening to his stories of how he broke out into the business and what he is doing now. (He told us he's currently getting ready to produce a film called Friends with Benefits. He didn't really give many details on it, only that it was a romantic comedy where all of the Hollywoodized ideas of romance are taken out; it's a movie that says the perfect marriage is to a friend that you just happen to have sex with.)

After the dinner, though, he left to do the Q and A in the classroom, and I went to watch. As soon as all the students were gone, and it was just Mr. Zucker and some film school board members, I finally went up to him and asked him two questions:

1. Could I have your autograph? (So touristy, I know.) The results of that are above of course.
2. How the hell did you get Robert Stack to walk out of the mirror in Airplane!? (Don't know what I'm talking about? Watch the film. It's good.)

Believe it or not, the second question actually got him really excited. "Hey, that's actually one of my favorite gags in the movie," he said. "No one ever notices it, though. Good for you." He then proceeded to demonstrate how the set was built and where the camera was set up. I have to say, it was a much more logical explanation than what I thought.

And so, that was the end of the night. I then went home to Pico so I could sleep in a little bit longer before work the next day ay H2F Entertainment, the place where I intern for free doing tasks like dropping off scripts to other studios and fetching the occasional coffee or Subway sandwich. Ah, good times.