So You Want to be a Movie Star?

So you want to be a movie star? Be careful what you wish for. That unlisted phone number and home security system is no longer optional. Celebrity may guarantee you a dinner reservation but if you want to dine in peace order in. Think twice about what you put in your trash. Don't go out in public without your body guard. You think your union dues are bad? Hire a good agent; then an accountant to keep track of what he's charging you; and a lawyer to look over those contracts. Are you sure you know who your friends are? Think being on a movie set is all about craft service and smoke breaks? Every aspiring actor should be required to read Matthew Modine's Full Metal Jacket Diary. Don't know as I think anybody's worth $ 20,000 a picture but I sure wouldn't want to put up with exploding squibs; overheated, polluted sets; dictatorial directors; and endless retakes. On stage rehearsal my suck but at least the production plays in sequence. On a movie set the first scene shot may be the last one and the next may be mid-movie. The final cut is made by the film editor in consultation with the director. Your finest work may end up on the cutting floor and never be seen. Just some more thoughts on Full Metal Jacket Diary.

Finishing a book leads one to the delicious task of deciding what one will read next and when you library contains a thousand books that task can be over-whelming. Will it be John Jakes, Michael Ondaatje, Alice Munro or Maureen McTeer. In the end I decided to stay with the war theme and read about the Russian Front in World War II as told by Vasily Grossman, a correspondent for the Red Star.