From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V2 #168 Reply-To: aml-list Sender: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk aml-list-digest Thursday, September 25 2003 Volume 02 : Number 168 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 23:23:58 -0700 From: "Kathy Tyner" Subject: Re: [AML] Candor in Discussions [MOD: Just to clarify... Yes, this is a public forum. I, too, like the living-room-type ambience, but we must not let our comfort level with that atmosphere blind us to the fact that once something is posted here, neither I nor anyone else has any way of controlling where that information might go.] Ah, you bring up some interesting points. I posted some comments on an LDS YA book that I still intend to do a review on, and now that its sequel is out, even more so. (Once I read the sequel). The author contacted me offline as someone on the list had sent her my comments. She did thank me for bringing up an issue with one of the characters that she admitted I was right about, but she focused on another theme for the book and would've missed it if I hadn't pointed it out. She was cordial and explained herself well. I replied and reinterated some- thing about that issue and few others I had with the book, but also made sure I pointed out things I liked about it. I've even repented of a few of the criticisms I made at the time, but since she didn't see fit to keep up the conversation and answer my reply, I guess she'll have to see this post or read the review when I do it. ;-) BTW, she did not tell me who sent her my post, nor did I happen to ask, although I thought it might be nice if the sender had let me know they did that. I'm guessing she didn't say who it was to protect their privacy, but they felt fine sending her my thoughts since they must consider this a public forum. And whether it is supposed to be or not, it is. In the past, I have felt comfortable sharing some very personal things on this list, and my husband and I have been touched by both online and offline messages and replies to those posts. It has been helpful in both of our writings. But I must admit I was taken aback when I was contacted by that author. It doesn't mean I won't still do this from time to time, and I'm not expecting others to follow suit, but as some on the list cautioned, I will expect that it may find its way to someone else's inbox not on the list, and they find their way back to mine. Kathy Tyner Orange County, CA - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 00:10:10 -0700 From: "Kathy Tyner" Subject: Re: [AML] Candor in Discussions I don't remember the exact artist or post you're referring to, so I'll try and make my comments general. I think you have a lot of good points concerning how many of us will never know all the details of a person's personal life and what caused them to make certain choices- BUT, if that person has let themselves be held up as a good role model, doing things like firesides, youth conferences, Ed week presentations, etc. and used that good reputation to sell their art or products, schmooze with important people in the Church, and in general, enrich themselves from the good will and admiration of The Saints, and if they do something dishonest, unethical, immoral or dishonorable, then I think they are just going to have to take some heat for their choices, and own up that they've probably disappointed and hurt a lot of people. Do I think they should be hounded endlessly? No. (And parents need to choose carefully and wisely who they hold up to their kids as roles models anyway). Whether or not they "repent" they should be given the opportunity to quietly do so, same as anyone else should be. But as they were more than happy to bask in the glory of other people's adoration, they ought to just take some criticism for less than decent choices. The trouble with all this is that by their nature, many creative types possess more than a modicum of ego and pride and that makes it all the more difficult to eat some humble pie and admit that perhaps they've done something wrong or stupid. They might be surprised to find out if they do offer an apology, attempt to make things right, people can soften quite a bit in their attitudes towards them. And, as sharp as my comments are, believe me, I understand we're all sinners and stand in need of grace, mercy and forgiveness and that rather than always being on the lookout for the other person's mote, we need to take care of our own beams instead. Off my soapbox for now. :) Kathy Tyner Orange County, CA - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 00:19:21 -0700 From: "LauraMaery (Gold) Post" Subject: Re: [AML] SF versus SciFi >>What's a "warp" for example? What warps? How? Where? It sure >>looks like they're just pressing down on the gas pedal. Barbara Hume replied: >I've noticed, in reading about the sailing ships of Horatio Hornblower's >day, that they speak of a ship of the line or a frigate "warping" out of >the harbor. That surprises me. I'd always assumed "warp" speed was related to the wrinkle in Madeleine L'Engle's "A Wrinkle in Time." Go figure. - --lauramaery - -------- A message from LauraMaery (Gold) Post Visit our library at: E-mail reply: - --------- . - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 05:06:18 -0500 From: Major Productions Subject: Re: [AML] AML-List Members in Theater? > Here's what I know about the history of "Joseph" in Utah Valley -- maybe > all of Utah. > > In the early Eighties -- two, three or four -- Charles Whitman's BYU > Summer High School Theatre Workshop did a production of it. > And this was the SECOND time that the workshop had done this play. The > first time (and I don't know exactly when that was -- just a handful of > years before the production mentioned above) it was done the production > was fraught with controversy. People were so up in arms about it (don't > ask me "What people?" It's always the same "people.") that a General > Authority had to come down from Salt Lake to preview the show before it > could be presented to the public. In the summer of 1982, after I had just graduated from BYU, I was costumer and acting coach and assistant dorm mom for Bro Whitman's high school theater workshop. That summer we did GODSPELL. (If you think JOSEPH caused controversy...!) On opening night, the President of BYU was dragged unwillingly out of the audience of a main stage production to sit in on the opening night of our kids' show. (We had a circus theme, so the performance was done in the round on the de Jong stage, with the audience on risers on four sides on the stage and large pieces of fabric draped overhead so that it felt like the inside of the Big Top.) I will never forget the disgruntled look on the face of our illustrious campus President who, after the show ended, pronounced us "clean", refused to close down the show as some concerned citizens had wanted, and high-tailed it out of there. I have no idea if GODSPELL was ever done on the BYU campus in any form after that, but I'm doubtin' it. The other thing that happened was that the workshop kids were invited to submit art for the cover of the program, but just before the programs were run, the sunrise with big funky rays was eliminated from the cover and replaced with a small sentence in Old English script: "'Godspell' is the Old English word for 'Gospel'". I had a hard time understanding how something that was so wonderful for the kids involved could inspire such suspicion and fear in the hearts of the community. Of course, I hadn't seen the movie version yet. I got GODSPELL on DVD a few months ago and watched it with my kids. Didn't much care for that version. In fact, I haven't watched it again. Robbin Major Missouri City TX - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 05:41:21 -0500 From: "Thomas C. Baggaley" Subject: [AML] _Saints and Soldiers_ Wins Top Award at San Diego Film Festival "Saints and Soldiers" was awarded "Audience Choice - Best Picture" at the San Diego Film Festival last weekend. The LDS-themed feature film directed by Ryan Little has screened now in four film festivals. It has won the Best Picture or Audience Choice Best Picture award at ALL FOUR festivals. "Saints and Soldiers" was directed by Canadian-born Latter-day Saint filmmaker Ryan Little, whose previous films include the critically acclaimed feature film "Out of Step" (2002) and such short films as "The Last Good War" and "Freedom on the Water" (both starring Lincoln Hoppe). Little was the cinematographer for the popular movies "The Singles Ward", "The R.M." and the upcoming comedy "The Home Teacher." "Saints and Soldiers" was produced by Adam Abel, whose previous feature film credits include working as location manager for the LDS-themed feature films "Brigham City" (2001) and "The Singles Ward" (2002). - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 07:20:06 -0500 From: "Thomas C. Baggaley" Subject: [AML] Gordon Jump Dies Gordon Jump, one of the most famous Latter-day Saint TV actors ever, has died. In recent years Jump was best known for his long-standing role as the Maytag repairman in the TV commercial series about a repairman who is often bored because Maytag washers and dryers are so dependable... they never need repairs. Jump's best known TV role was as station boss "Arthur Carlson" on the TV sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati." Jump reprised the role in the 2-season series "The New WKRP in Cincinnati." Jump also played "Edward 'Ed' Malone" on "Growing Pains" (1986-1991); he played "Amos Ferguson" on the TV series "McDuff, the Talking Dog" (1976), and he played "Lucas Underwood" on "Sister Kate" (1989-1990). Jump recently made a cameo appearance in the LDS-themed feature film "The Singles Ward." He was in the earlier temple film, playing an apostle. Jump was a voice actor for the Disney animated short film "The Small One," directed by LDS animation director Don Bluth and assistant directed by LDS animation director Richard Rich. "The Small One" is the story of the donkey that Marie rode into Bethlahem, and concludes with a scene showing Mary and Joseph on their way to the birth of the Christ child. Jump also had guest appearances on a large number of network TV series, including: Alice; Amazing Stories; Baa Baa Black Sheep; Baywatch; The Bionic Woman; The Brady Bunch; Cade's County; Caroline in the City; City of Angels; Daniel Boone; Diff'rent Strokes; Empty Nest; Get Smart; The Golden Girls; Green Acres; The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries; Harry O; The Incredible Hulk; Kojak; The Love Boat; Married... with Children; The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Murder, She Wrote; Night Court; The Outsider; The Partridge Family; The Rockford Files; Seinfeld; Simon & Simon; Soap; Starsky and Hutch; The Streets of San Francisco; T.H.E. Cat; Who's the Boss? Major film roles: A Dog's Tale (1999; V) Bad Lie (1998) Making the Grade (1984) The Small One (1978) Smaller movie roles: The Singles Ward (2002) Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) Honeymoon Academy (1990) Moving (1988) The Fury (1978) House Calls (1978) Trouble Man (1972) Smaller roles on TV movies: Bitter Vengeance (1994) Justin Case (1988) Perry Mason: The Case of the Lost Love (1987) On Fire (1987) Gus Brown and Midnight Brewster (1985) For Lovers Only (1982) Midnight Offerings (1981) Goldie and the Boxer (1979) Ruby and Oswald (1977) Sybil (1976) Cop on the Beat (1975) Starsky and Hutch (1975) A Cry for Help Rolling Man (1972) - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 09:16:48 EDT From: Terashan@aol.com Subject: Re: [AML] Romance and Pornography In a message dated 9/22/03 10:12:26 PM Eastern Daylight Time, cloudhill@yahoo.com writes: > My personal conclusion to these questions all come > down to relativity. It all depends on book to book, > and from writer to writer. Besides, genre labels like > "romance," "gothic," "horror," "fantasy," "SF," > "Literary Fiction," etc were created by marketing > departments in order to sell more books. I think > genre labels are useless, and only create division > among writers. > I agree with you here, somewhat. I don't like categorizing writers with genres. I was in a writer's group online that was split in different genres. I signed up for the romance group, but I didn't consider the novel I was working on a romance, but it didn't fit in any of the other categories either. I found myself dropping out of the group. I think that being categorized in such a way puts limitations on your writing. Tequitia Andrews - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 09:25:57 EDT From: Terashan@aol.com Subject: Re: [AML] Supporting Mormon Movies Being from Virginia where LDS movies are rarely shown, I'd have to say that I probably would go see anything with a LDS theme. Like I said I've seen God's Army and Brigham City and loved them both. They were available through a local library and because the new director for the library system is LDS. I don't think they would've have ordered them otherwise. I've been to the LDS films site and there are quite a few movies coming out or available that I would like to see but they aren't coming to this area. As far as buying it on video/dvd, I must say that the prices have been discouraging. The Single's Ward is $25! I don't know if I want to make an investment like that in a movie that may not be all that great. Since I'm a sahm, most of the movies we see come from the library. Since hearing about the BoM movie I've been emailing and talking to members in our stake to rally enough interest to get it shown here, so far no luck. But I am interested in seeing it. Tequitia Andrews - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 07:59:12 -0700 From: thelairdjim Subject: Re: [AML] Book Burning Justified? As one who has burned a book before I guess I'm anathema now. I was in a car accident in the mountains of Utah and the only dry paper I could find was a Book of Mormon. I used it to build two fires on the road because we couldn't find the flares. I guess that falls in line with Eric's post about "dying in a cabin." Aside from the demands of necessity I don't believe that burning a book that is your personal property is any big deal. There is a cultural disdain for such actions which derives only from the fact that books used to be rare and precious; when the Caliph ordered the library of Alexandria to be burned it contained only about 200,000 books, down from the 5 million or so it contained when Caesar "accidentally" burned it a few years earlier, but it remains a crime against humanity. The reason even the worst of books ought not to be burned is the loss of the knowledge in them. This is no longer much of a worry, at least with regard to recently published books. Burning new editions of _Mein Kampf_ isn't going to do anyone any good--it's still around, and available online. I don't think it's the worst book I've ever read--I think Mao's _Little Red Book_ is worse. But again, burning it won't do any good. It's a waste of time. However if I felt like burning my copies of either I would. I'm not destroying the knowledge, I'm throwing out trash. If it were the last copy on earth I would not burn it or destroy it no matter how evil. It's not like the Old Scratch can't inspire a new madman without the example of history. Even easier to let them invent it as they go like the Nazis did. It's good people that need example and inspiration, both positive and negative, otherwise it's too easy to get lost in the noise. What worries me is the future. What happens when online publishing takes over completely? When hardcopy is a luxury? Some vile little wanker of a hacker will write himself a virus to destroy or corrupt every copy of _The Deerslayer_ and the only remaining hardcopy versions will be somewhere in a vault collecting dust. What a tragedy that would be. I forgot I was in a hurry, Cheer, The Laird Jim - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 09:26:02 -0600 From: Margaret Young Subject: RE: [AML] POTTER & WELLINGTON, _Lehi in the Wilderness_ (Review) Excellent points about _Lehi in the Wilderness_, Jeff. I think this was the book the authors were trying to sell during the Utah Valley Parade of Homes. Really interesting marketing. I can understand why people interested in interior design (such as my daughter) might be buyers of a well-illustrated book about Book of Mormon geography. You betcha. As far as I'm concerned, nobody has come close to John Sorenson's careful research. As a scholar, John knows better than to claim that he has "proved" a thing--only the possibility. Years ago, I bought my father a book by Milton R. Hunter about Book of Mormon geography. It was the first time I realized my dad was not entirely orthodox. He said the pictures were pretty, but he didn't think highly of the author's knowledge. I was about ten years old, and my little Mormon mind understood that any general authority (which Milton R. Hunter was) has way more knowledge than the rest of us. Brother Hunter had great enthusiasm, of course, but his work on that subject was pretty bad. He once found a tribe of albino Indians and pronounced the fulfillment of the prophecy that the Lamanites were becoming "white and delightsome." Anyway, the whole idea of the geography is really beside the point, isn't it. You can scour all of Central America, write a book describing each geographical location, take pretty pictures, but if you haven't gotten the same message that permeates all scripture--that charity is key to every spiritual gift--you haven't really got much. ________________ Margaret Young 1027 JKHB English Department Brigham Young University Provo, UT 84602-6280 Tel: 801-422-4705 Fax: 801-422-0221 - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 09:43:04 -0600 From: Christopher Bigelow Subject: RE: [AML] Veloz Adapting King's "Bag of Bones" What I remember from "The Stand" is that the bad guys were based in Las Vegas and the good guys in Boulder, Colorado. Maybe there was some crisscrossing of Utah, but I don't remember Utah playing any signficant role. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 15:42:13 -0500 From: Linda Adams Subject: Re: [AML] Veloz Adapting King's "Bag of Bones" At 12:23 PM 9/20/03, you wrote: > I don't think there are any scenes in the >written version of the Stand that take place in Utah. There are none that I remember. The gathering place was Colorado. It's been.... about 3-4 years since I read the complete, 1000 pg uncut version. Linda - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 21:33:20 -0500 From: "Preston Hunter" Subject: [AML] _The Stand_ in Utah Over 50 pages of the written version of Stephen King's _The Stand_ take place in Utah, identified by name. There is an extended section of the novel that takes place in the Hotel Utah in Salt Lake City. The Osmonds are also mentioned in _The Stand_. Preston Hunter - - --- Original Message --- In response to: >King's most LDS-intensive novel is largely considered >to be "The Stand," which takes place largely in Utah Thom Duncan wrote: >>Utah stands in for Colorado... in the filmed version. I don't think there are any scenes in the written version of the Stand that take place in Utah. >>It's been many years since I read this, his second greatest novel (the first being, imo, Misery), so I could be mistaken. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 14:10:34 -0700 (PDT) From: "R.W. Rasband" Subject: [AML] Deseret News: Gordon Jump Dies Deseret News, Tuesday, September 23, 2003 TV, Utah stage star Gordon Jump, 71, dies of lung ailment By Lynn Elber=20 Associated Press =20 LOS ANGELES =97 Gordon Jump, who played a befuddled radio station manager on the sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati" and made his mark in commercials as the lonely Maytag repairman, died Monday. He was 71. Jump suffered from pulmonary fibrosis, said his cousin, Katherine Jump Wagner. The illness causes scarring of the air sacs of the lungs, leading to heart or respiratory failure. =20 Jump was well known to Utah audiences. He performed in local theater and in productions by Utah-based Bonneville International. In 1998 he co-hosted the=20 first annual Pearl Awards, which honors popular music related to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. =20 He became a convert to the LDS Church early in his acting career, after meeting Ruth and Nathan Hale when the Utah couple was running a theater in Glendale, Calif. =20 Wagner, of Arcanum, Ohio, said she learned of her cousin's death from her father, also named Gordon Jump. Her cousin was under hospice care at his home=20 southeast of Los Angeles, she said. =20 Jump played Arthur Carlson in "WKRP in Cincinnati," which aired on CBS from 1978-82 and featured Gary Sandy, Loni Anderson, Tim Reid, Howard Hesseman and=20 Richard Sanders as the ragtag station's crew. =20 A native of Dayton, Ohio, Jump began his career working at radio and TV stations in the Midwest. He worked behind the microphone and the camera, including jobs as a producer for Kansas and Ohio stations. Jump portrayed the Maytag repairman "Ol' Lonely," a well-recognized advertising symbol, from 1989 until he retired from the role in July and another actor took over. "Gordon was an incredibly talented actor and a remarkable human being," said Ralph Hake, chairman and chief executive officer of Maytag Corp. Jump is survived by his wife, four daughters and a son, Maytag said in a statement. He also had a brother, Wagner said. =A9 2003 Deseret News Publishing Company=20 =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D R.W. Rasband Heber City, UT rrasband@yahoo.com __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 15:10:25 -0700 From: "Susan Malmrose" Subject: [AML] re: Gordon Jump Dies I'm sure someone will post that Gordon Jump died. Very sad--I think WKRP was one of the best tv shows, ever. I looked him up on imdb.com to see what else he was in, and they actually have a listing for "Mormon Temple Film." Susan Malmrose - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 15:23:33 -0700 From: "Susan Malmrose" Subject: Re: [AML] Adapting the Scriptures > What's even scarier than what Jon suggests about people being so bored by the > BOM movie that they don't delve into the actual Book is the very real > possibility that they WON'T be bored by the movie and will be looking for > Nephi's love interest all through I Nephi. Then before long, they'll hit > Isaiah. Major wall there. Isaiah's a major wall for anyone, anytime. (Except those well-versed in him! :) I think this fear is pretty much unwarranted. A movie is a movie, people realize this. How many people saw The Ten Commandments or The Prince of Egypt and assumed they were accurate? Then read the Bible and tossed it aside because it didn't match up with the movie? Note: I haven't seen the Ten Commandments and can't say how accurate it is--but note that *because* it's a movie, I assume it's inaccurate. It's the Spirit that converts. Who's to say someone doesn't see the movie, thinks "man those Mormons can't make movies worth crap--but I never knew that's what the Book of Mormon is about!" and picks up a copy to read. If someone is going to dismiss the BoM based on a movie, then I tend to think they would have dismissed it anyway. > dangerous territory. Arthur Henry King was very insistent that parents need to > read the actual scriptures to their children and not presume that age determines > the capacity to "get it." I'm afraid we're in a cycle of pablumizing our faith, > making checklists and plot-based movies ABOUT the scriptures (whether cartoon or > other), and setting up our children to be judges of themselves and others. I > believe that one's actual relationship with the Savior can, in just this way, > become elusive and sentimental. I see the pattern as a huge danger. Your kids will have all kinds of bad influences, I don't really think watching scripture cartoons is going to poison them. :) Although I specifically did not buy The Prince of Egypt on video because I knew my kids would watch it again and again (like young kids do) and I did not want that version of the it to be the one they retained in memory. Another note: I've never seen the scripture cartoons. Susan Malmrose - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 19:05:16 EDT From: RichardDutcher@aol.com Subject: [AML] BofM Movie Viewed [MOD: As you can see, one review has in fact already come in from Eric Samuelsen, an AML-List member. Others are more than welcome!] In a message dated 9/22/03 10:07:30 PM Mountain Daylight Time, ftsrc@uaf.edu writes: > I'm waiting with bated breath for the AML reviews of this movie to > start coming through. I'm way too far away to actually see it. I need a > proxy > experience here. > Allow me to second Stephen's motion...Where are the reviews?! It seems to me that Jongiorgi has been trying to lure people into a discussion of THE BOOK OF MORMON MOVIE, but no one is venturing into the arena. The movie is in its second week. Is no one seeing it? Eric Samuelsen? Michael Martindale? Someone? Anyone? Are you all afraid that Gary Rogers is lurking? By the way, I've decided not to see the movie for the following reason: every day several (at least 8 or 10) people ask me if I've seen it and what my opinion is. It is so liberating for me to simply say "Oh, I haven't gotten around to that one yet." I know that, if I ever see the film, I will be unable to restrain myself from sharing my opinion. And I have a fear, based on what I've read and heard about the film, that I will not care for this movie. And my dislike may be so passionate that I will be unable to restrain myself, and then I'll hurt lots of people's feelings and I'll look like a big jerk (as I did with my undiplomatic, yet very sincere review of SINGLES WARD). So I abstain. But, please, someone, say something. I am starved for entertainment. Is it brilliant? Does is schlurp? What's the deal? Richard Dutcher - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 21:08:36 -0600 From: "Alan Rex Mitchell" Subject: Re: [AML] Deseret news: KSL Won't Air Adult Sitcom Subject: [AML] KSL Won't Air Adult Sitcom HOORAY! Coupling? Why didn't they just name it, oh I don't know, "Humping?" It doesn't sound like an adult sitcom, it sounds like a juvenile sex dialog. Crude. Vulgar. Sex humor was like Woody Allen (before we found out he was practising it) and Bennie Hill (who was really making fun of it) Why isn't this a bigger fight in the culture wars? Are the radical Islamist right about us? Or have moral conservatives given up on TV a long time ago? Mo Lit Tie In: Perhaps a comedy about real adult themes: mortgages, braces, flat tires. Incidently, for not the first time in my life, we have no working TV since June when we moved out beyond the realms of local transmission. And, for not the first time in my life, the only thing I miss are sports. (Sorry Thom but I still write plays and like Art--unless of course it is on PBS which is somehow makes it worse than golf. Alan Mitchell - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 21:31:38 -0600 From: "Alan Rex Mitchell" Subject: Re: [AML] Form and Content in Theatre Diane, Excellent post about the spirit, about powertrippers, and about playing the "spirit" card. I can't think of a proper way to say to someone, "The spirit tells me I'm right and you're wrong." because we learn in Section 50 that if there are many spirits and if they don't edify and unite and make us understand each other, they are wrong. Period. "Reproving betimes with the spirit," but I have only experienced this a handful of times in my life. More often I have felt one of the many other spirits that occur. Alan Mitchell - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 21:36:23 -0600 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] BofM Movie Viewed Barbara Hume wrote: > I saw it with a friend. I have two reactions. One is that parts are > good--the music Dang it! I wrote a review fore the next Irreantum, and I forgot to include what I thought of the music. So I'll say it here. The music was part of the (many) negative things for me. I thought it was not remotely subtle. It reminded me of the music in the original Star Trek series. It beat you over the head with the emotion it wanted. - -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 19:46:05 -1000 From: Randall Udell Larsen Subject: Re: [AML] Form and Content in Theatre Bryan, I have great respect for method actors. Of the method actors I have filmed (when I worked as a DP in LA) Martin Landau is probably one of the finest. He came out the Actor's Studio in NY. He was one of Alfred Hitchcock's favorite actors. His performances are compelling and real at the same time. I worked behind the scenes with Orson Welles in the late 1970s. Welles the director had his own "method." He could get a performance out of anyone by being an absolute tyrant on the set. As an actor Welles would rehearse his lines briefly and then deliver them with a unique style that no one could duplicate. He could steal the scene from Kermit the frog or Rita Hayworth with equal flair. He was a tyrant, but his performances were never boring. Though I've never worked much as an actor I studied acting in LA in the 1980s with late David Alexander who used a technique called objective imagery. David's credits included the original Pal Joey on Broadway and numerous episodic TV shows. He thought that method acting was OK but it was too draining on the actor for sustained theater performances. How many times can you remember when your grandmother died to get a performance? Method actors often go crazy (or get arrested) trying to be their character. In contrast objective imagery actors use an image or set of images that they think about to get in character. It works better than the method and doesn't cause you to go crazy! Method actors while not always boring are sometimes "Prima Donas." A stage manager friend of mine told me a story about the daughter of a famous method acting couch (Susan Strassberg). She once insisted on having "real strawberries" for the set decoration for an eating scene. She complained that she couldn't emote if she didn't have "real strawberries." My stage manager friend (Scott Duncan) got her real strawberries. The same strawberries sat on the table for the whole six week run of the play! I don't think method actors have as many tricks to get characters as actors who use objective imagery. Jack Lemmon, for example, was an actor who used objective imagery. There are also some very fine (and occasionally boring) English Actors. I worked behind the scenes on some shows in London in the mid eighties. I found the english actors very well trained and seldom boring. They were technically perfect often requiring no more than one take per setup. The English actors never required the 30 takes I have sometimes seen method actors demand (or need) to get a performance. I have not read Mamet's book but it sounds interesting! I don't think you can generalize to say the all method actors are boring. Do you thing Marlon Brando was boring! Was Marilyn Monroe ever boring? Martin Landau is probably the finest example of method acting to come out of the Actor's studio. Besides his role in North by Northwest check out Marty as Abraham in the Turner Network remake of the Genesis Apocryphon. Martin has a tremendous range! Today many film actors such as Julia Roberts,George Clooney &c. don't act (they play themselves). They may claim to be "method" actors but the reality is that they are NOT in the tradition of Martin Landau & company. Probably the worst acting I've ever seen on the silver screen was Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt in Mexico. Their performances were self-absorbed and boring but not because of the method (what method?). The way shows are cast today you don't need to act. You just need to be a well known personality (hunk or babe). Perhaps the pendulum will swing back toward serious acting in the next decade. kind regards, Randall Larsen Honolulu, Hawaii - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V2 #168 ******************************