"LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!" Part ONE. WHAT goes on BEHIND the SCENES? Will we see MORE than just this SMILING FACADE?

THE ASIAN CINEMA

In our line of work as PRODUCERS, we often come across all kinds of ACTORS

the BIG stars, the ASPIRING stars and the forgettable SMALL TIME nobodies.

Funnily enough, the top-of-line actors would have their feet planted on the ground.

As we all know, good wine needs no bush,

So the A-LISTERS are mostly down-to-earth and jolly nice .....

The LESSER actors?

Not even half the rung up the ladder, they are already preening like peacocks in anticipation of the super stardom they hope will come their way soon.

The well behaved ones have our blessings when they finally make it,

We laugh at the pretentious "icy cool" dudes and divas who are trying hard to be "different"

because when they fall flat on their faces

they deserve their just desserts.

Pride comes before a fall, right?

A VERY ESTABLISHED FILM DIRECTOR once lamented to me that most ASIAN ACTORS ARE A PRETENTIOUS LOT.

Going by traits developed from their “tools of the trade”, they are deemed to be.

After all, ACTORS are ACTORS.

Who can really blame them?

They are not as "innocent" as they seem.

They can be first-class manipulators with the survival instinct of a coyote, if they choose.

They are in the business of acting and we have to respect occupational hazards.

Their latent personas are “groomed” from environmental factors, just like each and everyone of us.

ACTORS can be all sugar whenever they are competing for a role.

Aside that, their demeanor can switch gear like a crafty chameleon.

This is how the industry “shape” them, when they are vying for a prime role pitching against scores of other contenders.

This industry is far too competitive and tinsel town is often flooded with fellow hypocrites, green eyed monsters and back-stabbers.

Vile gossip abounds, no less.

WELCOME TO ENTERTAINMENT POLITICS.

Never rely on an actor to recommend you to another actor or to his manager, should you be casting for your film projects.

He will nod his head in acquiescence

but there’s a 90% chance that he will deliberately ignore this favor once your head is turned.

Why should he help you?

It is an unwritten rule, and after all, he is unmistakably an actor in his own right - and to assist a fellow competitor to move ahead of him is really unthinkable.

In ASIAN tinsel town, you’ll be smart if you help yourself first before you help others.

Experience teacheth fools.

You have to be selfish in order to thrive in this dog-eat-dog arena of plastic people.

If you have a mentor or a sugar daddy who’s more than willing to help you, well and good. Stick to him or her.

Connections is about everything YOU NEED to get ahead, to secure you that endorsement deal or role.

But if you do not have a valid back up?

Fending for yourself in this complex entertainment industry is hardly easy.

In fact, far from it.

Right?

AN ACTOR’S LOT IS NEVER SIMPLE, much as you like to think so.

He has to be at the RIGHT place at the RIGHT time.

He must have a MENTOR or MANAGER for prestige and representation if he plans to move ahead.

It does not look good on the actor if he has to sell himself personally as artiste.

He must ALWAYS put on his best front to the PAPARAZZI and garner good MEDIA RELATIONS as press interviews and fashion spreads can put him one rung above the others in terms of publicity.

He must cultivate the RIGHT CONNECTIONS and CONNECTIVITY to rise above the occasion.

The CASTING COUCH SYNDROME?

Maybe, who knows? There are always sleazy people around everywhere, but this exists more in the FILM than the TELEVISION industry, going by industry reports. Skip this one.

When the film director shouts “ACTION!” the ACTOR flashes his mega-watt smile instantaneously.

THIS IS FOR "REEL",

When the film director wraps up the scene with “CUT!”, he continues his bewitching smile for his fans and paparazzi, even when he feels like shit with a thousand tons on his shoulders.

THIS IS FOR "REAL",

After all, acting is a profession and this guy is eking out a living.

THE ASIAN CELLULOID WORLD only recognizes YOUTH and EYE CANDIES.

As long as you possess the dashing looks, you can be positioned as the next PRETTY BOY/GIRL or HUNK/SEXPOT.

Once you pass 35 , you are a withered flower - considered middle aged, way over your prime and deemed too old or to put it rudely, passe.

Then you are relegated to secondary roles such as the uncle or auntie, much to your disdain.

You squirm with disbelief because you think you are STILL the gorgeous SUPERSTAR, but hey, this is ASIA and not HOLLYWOOD.

Everybody grows OLD and LOOKS wane.

Time and tide wait for no man, and no amount of hitting the gym regularly, nor faithfully applying tons of herbal facials or ointments daily, will your skin still retain that youthful glow or elasticity. Oh come on!

GRAVITY PULLS and REALITY BITES.

You cannot place a guarantee on fans’ adulation, and they’d readily switch camp whenever another new star shines in the horizon. We all love virgins, don’t we?

The following scenario best sums up an ACTOR’s lot:

“THE CROWD goes wild,

The FANS all cheer,

As the SHOW is done,

And the WORLD is focused

On YOU alone,

NOBODY else,

YOU alone are the soul of life,

YOU alone are the BEST,

YOU have everything they want,

Until the LIGHT goes DIM.”

This is the price every ACTOR has to pay for FAME.

A trite SAD, but very TRUE.

CHECK THIS OUT, MATE.

So you want to be in the acting profession?

TAKE A CUE .....

MYTH? TRUTH?

You decide .....

TO ALL ASPIRING ACTORS WHO ARE “NOT THERE” YET, GOOD LUCK!

He FORGIVES, He FORGETS. He is MAN's BEST FRIEND. Always.

He "yaps" cheerily and hops onto your bed every morning, paws you and nudges you

and bestows you with his wet kisses.

He senses your chameleon moods and is forever there for you : come rain, come shine.

Whilst others may leave, he chooses to stay.

You're his WORLD.

There's no denying his eagerness to please you in every conceivable small way,

There's so much love, too much adoration -

He is your FRIEND, your PARTNER, your DEFENDER, your DOG.

You are his LIFE, his LOVE, his LEADER.

He will be yours, faithfully and true, to the last beat of his heart.

You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.

WHEN LOVE DIES, LONELINESS CAN BRING ON THE CHILLS.

This storm is breathing, brewing, bellowing,

Outside of the window, you watch the rain pelting down heavily -

coupled with the howling of wind,

Frenzied passerbys with umbrellas are busy scurrying pass,

The overall mood is depressingly cheerless,

Awww ... isn't the desolate sky reeking in a thousand gloom?

ARE YOU LONELY, my friend?

Yes, LONELINESS can come calling and crawling like ants all over you,

When love dies,

WHEN LOVE FINALLY DIES ....

We make mistakes, big and small, comic and tragic.

We pledge commitment, in all sincerity, to another person, only to realise later that our love and passion for the person isn't as deep as we once thought and believed.

From there follows the broken promise, the bitterness and heartache and the guilt of having misled someone despite our best intentions.

Rainer Maria Rilke [1875-1926], her poem 'Loneliness' is full of angst and anguish ...

"Being apart and lonely is like rain.

It climbs towards evening from the ocean plains;

from flat places, rolling and remote, it climbs

to heaven, which is its old abode.

And only when leaving heaven drops upon the city.

It rains down on us in those twittering

hours when the streets turn their faces to the dawn,

and when two bodies who have found nothing,

dissapointed and depressed, roll over;

and when two people who despise each other

have to sleep together in one bed-

that is when loneliness receives the rivers... "

A SOUL-SEARCHING PIECE by GEORGE CARLIN, Comedian of the 70s and 80s.

Here's a pretty TOUCHING PIECE by GEORGE CARLIN.

I shall say:

"May all Beings of this UNIVERSE be well and happy."

You retort:

SAY IT, MEAN IT, FEEL IT.

NOW, back to our great guy GEORGE CARLIN.
Isn't it amazing that this wonderful - comedian of the 70's and 80's - could write something so very eloquent...and so very appropriate.

GEORGE CARLIN stipulates:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

THANKS GEORGE, for this awe-inspiring speech.

SOMETIMES, IT'S COMFORTING TO PREACH THE GOSPEL. BUT, REALLY, EVERYTHING IS EASIER SAID THAN DONE .....

ARE YOU HAPPY TODAY?

Did you spread a little kindness?

Here are some rambling thoughts we hold so dear.

But everything is easier said than done, right?

"Our life is what we make it by own thoughts and deeds.

Thus it is through our own thoughts that a man rises or falls."

"It should constantly be remembered that no enemy can harm one so much as one's own evil thoughts and craving.

These are our inner enemies who follow us day and night, and from whom we must try to keep away."

"Man himself is responsible for his own happiness and misery. He creates his own heaven and hell. He is master of his own destiny, child of his past and parent of his future."

"The past is the background against which life goes on from moment to moment, the future is yet to be. Only the present moment exists, and the responsibility of using the present moment for good or evil lies with each individual."