Friday, May 11, 2007

Upfronts and Personal Announcements

First a couple of announcements. I will back on the radio Saturday night from 7-midnight P.D.T. playing the hits on KRTH 101 in Los Angeles. You can also hear the station on the web.

Secondly, my partner and I just sold a spec pilot script to FX. We’re very excited and hope that it goes. But we’re not buying any new homes just yet. The cable development season runs on a very different schedule than the networks’. There are no “fall seasons” or upfronts deadlines they must make. Pilots get greenlit and ordered based on need. It seems a much more civilized way to work.

Meanwhile, the networks upfronts process is going on right now in New York. Fall schedules will be announced very soon. To give you some idea of what takes place I’m posting an excerpt from my play, UPFRONTS AND PERSONAL. To help you picture the characters I’m listing the actors who participated in my L.A. reading.

The set up: A hotel suite a studio is using as its war room. Very early in the play. Donald is the studio president (Ed Asner), Andy his officious veep (Patrick Breen). Matthew has just arrived (Matt Letscher). He’s the young wide-eyed neophyte writer. Later Gary and Beth will enter. (Jason Alexander & Wendie Malick). They’ve been through the wars.


MATTHEW
Hey, let me ask you -- why do they call this process the "Up Fronts"?

DONALD
The networks announce their new Fall schedules then the advertisers buy commercial time "up front". Spending billions on nothing more than blind faith. It's like if you put an Off-track betting window in a mental institution.

MATTHEW
Well, I appreciate your letting me be here for this.

DONALD
It's not a studio perk. The networks like to have the show runners available if they have any stupid questions.
(chuckling)
Andy, remember, Bob Milstein?

ANDY
(chuckling too.)
Priceless.

MATTHEW
What?

DONALD
Walter was screening his pilot and said, "I want to see more close ups!" And Bob said, "Then move your chair up."
(suddenly somber)
Bob's writing for the Disney Channel now. We'll never hear from him again.

MATTHEW
So I guess we do it New York because that's where the money is, right?

DONALD
No, it's 'cause that's where our wives aren't. Take a fruit basket. Take four of 'em.

MATTHEW
Thanks.
(crossing to the window)
So...let's check out the view.
(he sees it, disappointed)
Oh.

ANDY
We usually have a higher suite but apparently Queen Latifah is in town and she has dogs, and the dogs need to see the sky for some reason we haven't been told so...well, here we are.

DONALD
Feel free to take a dump on the carpet. Fuck 'em.

MATTHEW
Well, there's always the Empire State Building.

ANDY
First time in New York?

MATTHEW
Are you kidding? Never been out of So-Cal. This is totally unreal. Three years ago I'm working at Kinkos writing scripts at night. And now here I am with my own TV show.

(DONALD takes a big gulp of HIS drink. There's a KNOCK at the door. As ANDY crosses to answer:)

ANDY
Come on. It's refreshing. You know what happens to writers after a couple of years.

(ANDY opens the door. GARY NOGLE and BETH HELLER enter. Both are in their 40's. GARY is wiry, always a little revved. BETH is taller than GARY, attractive, bright, and seemingly very much in command.)

(GARY is schlepping a large heavy garment bag.)

GARY
I mean it, Beth. I can't do this anymore. I walked by that idiot in front of the hotel, y'know, the one wearing the big Beefeaters costume and I thought to myself: "Oh my God, I envy that man. I wish I had his job." A Beefeater, Beth! With the hat, and the stick, and the little tights, and...that's when you know it's time to get out.

BETH
So why did you come?

GARY
Why do you think? I had to. If we're going to get our damn show renewed they've got to see I'm committed to the fucking thing one hundred percent.

DONALD
That's what you want -- Talented and trapped.

25 comments :

maven said...

Wow, first! LOL

Congrats, Ken and David. FX has some great shows!

Vince said...

Great news, Ken!

Anonymous said...

Ken,

Warmest congratulations to you and David. Is it OK to say "break a leg" with writers?

Also, if you haven't seen it I want to recommend to everybody who enjoys great writing the Canadian cable series Slings and Arrows, the third, and apparently final, season of which is currently on in the US on the Sundance channel. Warm, funny, just one of the very best shows I've seen on TV in a very long time. I found out about it just recently from Alex Epstein's blog. Now I've got to go get the dvd's for the first 2 seasons.

Best of luck with the new series.

VP81955 said...

From the Hollywood Reporter -- if you're someone who loves sitcoms, this is depressing. The five broadcast networks may pick up as few as five new sitcoms for '07-'08:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i03fe5ba7c643306b96d93cced5056557

VP81955 said...

Oopsie...try this:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i03fe5ba7c643306b96d93cced5056557

Ger Apeldoorn said...

FX, huh? So does it have unlikably characters and a lot of sex humor?

Anonymous said...

Ken,

Welcome back to the swingin' swirlin' world of radio. Best of luck on KHJ-FM...I mean, KRTH 101.

I can hear it now. "Ken Levine twixt the tables, spinning the labels, pulling the trigger on some great 45's."

Maybe we can get RJ to call and yell on the hotline every half-hour or so.

Don't give up the day job.

Anonymous said...

Does this mean I can finish college?

--Your daughter

Anonymous said...

Congrats on the spec script sale, Ken. Um, it's not that Aaron-Sorkin-meets-baseball idea, is it?
On second thought, I'd like to see 13 episodes of that.

Anonymous said...

Ken, you didn't say whether or not it's the same show you and David pitched to NBC back in October, but Lots of Congrats!

Mary Stella said...

Congratulations! Please promise to continue blogging through the entire process so we can get our inside look.

Anonymous said...

Ken, Congrats on selling your pilot script to FX.

At least you know that FX, unlike the networks, won't overhype the show for months and then drop it after two episodes before it can find an audience.

Can't wait to see it!

Dave Olden said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Dave Olden said...

Ken,

Fingers crossed for the pilot. Great news.

:-D

VP81955,

This...

< a =http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i03fe5ba7c643306b96d93cced5056557>... like this.< /a >

... when the spaces are removed, will look ....

... like this.

Anonymous said...

Have fun on KRTH. Do you think they'll allow you to display any personality, or will you be reading liners like everyone else?

If it goes well, then perhaps next time you can convince them to let you venture beyond the same 250 songs they play over and over and over again.

You'll have a boss blast, Ken. Enjoy!!

-- Lane

Ian said...

Great news, Ken. Of course this means that I'll finally HAVE to get cable.

And I've got my car's radio button all set to K-Earth... I guess it would be inappropriate to request a little Badfinger tonight?

Anonymous said...

Can you play Stairway to Gilligan's Island by Little Roger and the Goosebumps? And could you not talk over the intro so I can tape it?

Have a great time tomorrow night.
Who knows, if it goes well, maybe Annie gets to go to grad school, too.

howie said...

I'm looking forward to reading Sorkin's blog once your show airs.

Paybacks are heck!

Seriously, it is great news!

Richard Cooper said...

Ken,
Congratulations on the FX script!

It's solid work. I read it while making copies for you at Kinko's on Wilshire last year, and I'm so relieved the coffee stains didn't ruin your pitch. If you don't mind me saying, though, your first act needs a little punching up. And, Ken, the twin little-person ex-hookers who win the lottery? They're so 1997! I have more notes if you're interested.

--Richard

P.S. Please tell Annie I'll be a little late for our date - Aaron Sorkin needs twenty copies of his new baseball commissioner drama by 4:30 and I have a LOT of extra reading to do.

By Ken Levine said...

Richard,

You lead a rich fantasy life.

Anonymous said...

RRRREALLY looking forward to the return of Beaver Cleaver!!!
All set to record!!!

Anonymous said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E416N7Wd8NU

If it does sell, promise us the cast will join the rest of the season's stars singing a peppy anthem.

NBC let's all be there!

Unknown said...

BEAVER CLEAVER rides again! WooHoo! It proves that someone in radio has a brain, and decided to use it at least once! Good luck sitting behind the mic and keyboard! What music system do they use, ENCO, Scott, or two hamsters on a wheel? Matt from www.bigappleairchecks.com !

Anonymous said...

So I get home tonight, and need to clean the place up before the fantasy goddess arrives, and I log onto Great Big Radio, and who's aircheck hits the stream but....BEAVER CLEAVER on Ten-Q.

Man, you were good!

He's streaming one from 1978. You were a part of what was great about Top 40 Radio. (Debbie Boone song notwithstanding...but it was a hit, inspite of itself) I loved the line about Carole King. ("The first lady of Jewish soul!)

I also noticed the aircheck's in stereo, from an AM station. You guys were optimists?

Bryan Simmons said...

On my way back from the gym last night I heard you on what I'm guessing was a break in shift on KRTH. I drove around for hours just to listen. Loved the line when you intro'd the Beatles. Yes,it is one of the greatest chords ever! By the way, you owe me a tank of gas now!