... than host of the Oscars?Jimmy Kimmel hosts his second Oscarcast tonight. (I will be reviewing it. Check out my podcast.) I thought he did a very good job last year, alt…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 03:00PMDevastating news that David Ogden Stiers has passed away. He was only 75. Probably best known for playing Dr. Charles Emerson Winchester on MASH he had a long distinguished…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:37PMI've got a bunch of theatre pieces being produced in March and April. Depending upon which continent you're on come see one.My short play, THE HOOK UP gets two productions. March…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMThere was a recent article in the LA TIMES proclaiming that spec screenplays are now dead. For quite some time studios would buy these scripts written on speculation for goodly amounts and…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMI have a number of short plays playing in different festivals. These are generally evenings of ten-minute plays. Theatres seek submissions and I send off material. An…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMThere’s nothing writers enjoy more than hearing or reading about other writers’ horror stories. It’s not schadenfreude per se (okay, maybe a little); it’s more that we all have the…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMFor a TV writer or a playwright, there’s nothing like seeing your first production. After God knows how many specs, one acts, and plays that never saw the light of day, the feeling can …
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMWhen the musical I co-wrote was produced I was asked to submit my bio for the program. The trouble is, if I list that I am primarily a TV writer it’s like putting a big target on my …
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMThe new TV trend is to do reboots of classic TV series. WILL & GRACE, X-FILES, ROSEANNE, FULL HOUSE, and others are in the works including MAD ABOUT YOU.So what about MASH? Why not? …
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMBased on a reader’s question I surveyed a number of very successful actors and actresses to learn how they memorize scripts. Their answers were all fascinating and wildly different. T…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMHappy New Year! Here are my New Year’s resolutions:Throw out my Miramax DVD's.Finally watch THIS IS US.Get ALMOST PERFECT on Netflix or Hulu.Go to the gym at least twice a week. (My gym…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMWe all talk about how great the theatre is. I'm writing for the theatre. I love it. But in the interest of fairness, I present the opposing view. From British comedienne Sara Pascoe:
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMI have two (count ‘em – TWO) ten-minute one act comedies playing this weekend off Broadway. And by off Broadway I mean the San Fernando Valley. They’re part of an evening of one-act…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMAs I’ve mentioned on occasion, I’m in a weekly improv workshop taught by the masterful Andy Goldberg. (Notice I've never mentioned whether or not I’m any good?) A few years ago we&nbs…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMKen talks to Greg Ehrbar, a Disney historian who shares the stories and secrets behind Disney’s most beloved animated features. A must for Disney buffs, film buffs, cartoon buffs, an…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 12:01AMBack from New York where I saw several theatre pieces (besides mine). DEAR EVAN HANSEN, which is fabulous because of Ben Platt’s performance and THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG. DEAR EVAN HANSE…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMIt’s not unusual for there to be major changes during the production of a TV pilot. I’ve helped out on many, coming in to do punch up, and I’ve seen pretty much everything. Charact…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMHappy to announce that my new play, OUR TIME will be performed at the Saratoga Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, NY. later this month. OUR TIME is a loosely autobiographical comedy abou…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMThere’s no need to really review it. (“Hey, Ken Levine said it was good so maybe we should see it after all.”) By now you’ve been told that Lin-Manuel Miranda is a genius, the pro…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMKen is unleashed. Instead of one or two topics, he has twenty. From TV, movies, sports, Broadway, hurricanes, Emmys, theme songs, songwriters, Hollywood myopia, his dad, a review…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 12:00AMI recently participated in a terrific writing exercise. It’s a one-day play event. Five playwrights arrive at the theatre at 9:00 AM, we’re given a topic, headshots of two actors, an…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMTwo former child stars who made it to adult stardom. Ken discusses the life and mysterious death of Natalie Wood and then interviews his childhood friend Ann Jillian who went on t…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 12:00AMYes, it’s time for Friday Questions. Leave yours in the comment section. Thanks.Bob Sassone is up first.I can't watch older sitcoms on TV anymore. The stations either chop them up so mu…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMSo sorry to hear of the passing of Jay Thomas. He was 69. All of the articles announcing his death point to his roles on TV, notably as Eddie LeBec on CHEERS. M…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 03:39PMI’m glad to know it’s not just me.At first I thought my hearing was going. More and more now I’m having trouble deciphering what actors are saying on TV dramas. To my ear they’re …
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMA few years ago I went to see a rather unusual play called TAMARA. The theater is actually a mansion and the audience follows around the various cast members as they perform their scenes…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMPeople who live in LA rarely go to Hollywood – specifically Hollywood Blvd. Yeah, there’s Grauman’s Chinese Theater and the big mall at Hollywood & Highland. But by and large i…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMGreetings! This is guest blogger John Barrymore. Yes, I’m related to Drew. For those few who don't know me (no more than three of you I’m sure), I was one of the great actors of the A…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMHalf-hour sitcoms always used to be two acts. The big act break would come in the middle. It was (hopefully) suspenseful enough to keep you through the commercial break. When the grea…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AMHere's a great alternative to going to the movies. Go to the theatre. And see my new play. Okay, I'm plugging this a lot because it's appearing this week only. …
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 05:00PMCommenting on my review of BABY DRIVER, reader ChipO wrote:Everyone / anyone, and Ken, of course:Our theater included a short, just before the studio screens, thank you message from the dire…
SOURCE: Ken Levine at 09:00AM
