Thursday, April 14, 2011

On the other side of INSPIRATION
My roommate, lover, friend, wife and mother of my children works on the hit TV show "The Big Bang Theory".  With stories running rampant about televisions sets that are unhappy and filled with dissent, her show is the polar opposite. She is always coming home with stories of the fun that they have at work.  
The AD organises "dress up day", "theme day" and Mark the director fronts a season long table tennis tournament that takes place on three ping pong tables positioned around the studio.  Getting jaded camera men to participate in these activities especially dress up days speaks to the unusual level of cooperation and admiration the entire crew has for the show and each other.  
Scenes in a sitcom script are identified alphabetically. One usually hears the assistant director say, "Moving on to Scene D".  Anthony the assistant director on Big Band decided to make a game out of the scene changes.  Each week the crew competes to come up with the best name starting with the letter of the scene.  After four years the quick and easy names have all been done and it gets more complicated.  Now it is a dual name.  For example the name might be that of an animal and a State.  Scene A would then become Aardvark Arizona (although that entry would not pass muster with this creative crew).  So it goes and the one who comes up with the best name, given the rules, wins.  Other than bragging rights I don't think there is a prize, but in television bragging rights are a valued commodity.
It is the last show of the season and everyone is giddy. Sandi is on the set when she hears someone yelling MY name.  Finally after hearing Jay Johnson and Johnson several times associated with a giggle she got curious. Here is what she discovered: It seems that the naming theme this week is "a comedian and a body part".  When they got to scene J one of the cameramen yelled out "Jay Johnson's Johnson".  He was awarded triple points for a theme with in a theme. 
As they say in Hollywood... any publicity is good publicity. I'd like to thank the academy.
As you were,
Jay Johnson and my Johnson

1 comment:

Roomie said...

R,
Love this blog...love you and Sandi and LOVE "The Big Bang Theory!!!!" I think that they should cast you and me on the show next season....WOW, what a "tour de force" we would be, and what an addition to the craziness that makes this show such a HIT and HOOT!!!!....
Carry on,
TB&tb