Friday, March 5, 2021

"(Shonda) Rhimes has her reasons"/ "Self-study courses aren't suitable for everyone"

In honor of Mar. 8 being International Women's Day, I'm posting this article that profiles a female TV writer and producer:


Apr. 26, 2017 "Rhimes has her reasons": Today I found this article by Lynn Elber in the Edmonton Journal:



Shonda Rhimes, the TV mastermind whose hits include Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, keeps a lid on plot twists.

But she’s giving aspiring screenwriters a behind-the-scenes look at how to succeed in her craft.

In six hours of online classes, Rhimes offers lessons on writing scripts, pitching pilots, and how series’ writers work together to create stories and screenplays. Scripts from Scandal and the “story bible” that laid out the characters and structure of Grey’s Anatomy are part of her masterclass.com course. So why spill?

“I love the idea that for $90, somebody who couldn’t afford to go to film school would get to take this class,” Rhimes said. “No matter where you are, what you were doing, where you were in life, you could stop for a little bit of time and take this class and get this education.”
“It felt like an equalizer to me, and that was great,” she said of the project from San Francisco-based company Master Class, adding, “I’m also the child of professors, so it seems to be the way to go: You teach things.”

The so-called second golden age of television with its expanded number of outlets, including streaming platforms, has created new but not unlimited opportunities. Breaking into the competitive field requires creative thinking on and off the page, Rhimes suggested.

She went the “film school route,” she said, but there are other ways to get started.

“I would suggest getting a job as a PA (production assistant), anywhere, because it is a way in and lot of this is about knowing people,” Rhimes said. 

 Entering — and winning — the many available writing contests is another path, she said.

Keep in mind the advantage of writing over other entertainment industry occupations, Rhimes said.

“For young TV writers trying to get in, writing is the only job you can do in this business when no one is hiring you to do it,” she said. “You can sit at your computer or your legal pad and write a script ... and have a calling card.”

And there are jobs to be had, she assures the hopeful. That includes I love the idea that for $90, somebody who couldn’t afford to go to film school would get to take this class.” 

 Shonda Rhimes at Shondaland, her production company that also is behind How to Get Away with Murder.

 “We’re always looking for people not from here (the industry), because they have new and fresh voices,” Rhimes said.

Grey’s fades to black

With the season 13 finale of Grey’s Anatomy hurtling toward its May 18 airdate, hints about what to expect on the ABC/CTV medical drama are leaking out like mysterious fluids in an IV bag.

“There’s actually two events going on at the same time that are pretty big that affect the entire hospital community,” executive producer Debbie Allen told TVLine, teasing that many relationships will be affected.

“You should be worried. There’s cause for worry. There’s an amazing cliffhanger that will have everybody thinking, ‘Wow, where is this going?!’ ”

Descendants sequel pushed

The Disney Channel is giving a big push to its sequel for the Descendants movie in July, premiering it simultaneously on five television networks and online.

Disney said Tuesday Descendants 2 will air July 21 on ABC, the Disney Channel, Lifetime, Freeform and Disney XD, as well as on those networks’ apps. The original Descendants, about the teenage sons and daughters of some famed Disney villains, ranked as the fifth most-watched cable TV movie when it came out two years ago.

Disney executive Gary Marsh said the passion for the movie is unlike anything they’ve seen since High School Musical. It has inspired spin-off books, a music video and other merchandise.

The movie stars Dove Cameron, Cameron Boyce, Mitchell Hope, Sofia Carson, Booboo Stewart and Mitchell Hope.

 https://www.pressreader.com/canada/the-london-free-press/20170426/281878708263299

Oct. 30, 2017: Today I saw this ad for Samuel L. Jackson teaches acting.  Then I found this.  Then I see that I already did read about Shonda Rhimes teaching writing for TV.
https://www.masterclass.com/classes/shonda-rhimes-teaches-writing-for-television

 Dec. 29, 2019 My opinion: I'm rereading this article.  I have seen a few eps of Grey's Anatomy when it came out and stopped because I wasn't really into medical dramas.  I saw the How to Get Away with Murder pilot and thought it was average, and never watched it again.

 It's good that anyone who is interested in screenwriting can take that class.  There are lots of online classes about writing too.  

 I learned Professional Communication and graduated with a 2 yr diploma at MacEwan University.  When I started pitching my script from 2008-2012 to TV production companies (TV producers, writers, and readers) and Writer's in Residences at the Edmonton Public Library, I got a lot of feedback.

 I was actively watching TV and writing and learning.  When I got feedback on my scripts and writing, I learned a lot more.
Oct. 24, 2019 "Self-study courses aren't suitable for everyone": Today I found this article by Uzma Jalaluddin in the Star Metro:
I was generously gifted a year’s subscription to the popular Masterclass online virtual classes, and my initial excitement has turned wildly mixed.

If you are in the market for online self-study, Masterclass is impressive. Want to learn basketball from Steph Curry? How about cooking from Wolfgang Puck, or photography from Annie Leibovitz? I felt a definite thrill viewing the Masterclass rock star lineup of writers: Malcolm Gladwell, Judy Blume and Neil Gaiman, among others. 

 My husband, who has a lifelong passion for film scores, was excited when I told him that even Hans Zimmer did a Masterclass.

But the actual experience of taking a Masterclass course has, so far, been disappointing  should be planned out and taught, how to do this concisely, and with better visual aids.

Yet despite allowing for this shortcoming, every time I hit “play” on a lesson, my mind began to wander.

I could blame social media and smartphones for my lack of concentration, but I am capable of deeply immersive work. Case in point: I routinely mark class sets of essays. Written by teenagers. I’ve also written a novel, or three.

So far, watching experts I admire talk about things they are brilliant at hasn’t been very enlightening, and I think I know why: It is very difficult for people to talk about how they achieved their expertise.

Sure, they have a story to tell. Yes, they can point to habits they’ve picked up, and impart impressive anecdotes. 

 But it is quite difficult to reverse engineer your own success, beyond the unhelpful but-true advice of: work hard, accept critiques, fail.


Long time, and sometimes it doesn’t come naturally to me, either. a complicated top take has the nitrogen cycle, to write an Academy Award winning movie, and it down into a “how-to”  is not easy. If it were,  my students would perfect on my tests, and one would win an Oscar. Popular TED talks attempt part 15-minute wisdom ll.

Known Crashcourse series of Youtube videos, in my classroom. In my experience, they are effective introductions to certain concepts, but their effectiveness lags after repeated views.

  At the start of the semester, when I trot out a short video clip, my class is usually appreciative of the break from a lesson. By the 10th clip, they are bored and barely paying attention.

Attention span is a tricky thing. Humans are easily entertained, and just as easily
distracted. 

 Even while writing this column, I confess I stopped to check my text messages, read a thread on twitter and watch another Masterclass video, before returning to this sentence, and sentiment. Now, where was I?

In classrooms, teachers are encouraged to use an arsenal of strategies to engage different types of learners, who are broadly categorized as visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, reading/writing.   Most people are some combination of all four.

My inability to concentrate on videos might be because I am largely a reading/writing learner, with some auditory thrown in. Or it might be because the nature of self-education — pretaped, spoken to an audience of perhaps millions — is too generic to land with any force.

It is difficult to get around the fact that classrooms, with an effective and engaged live facilitator, remain the best way to learn, particularly for formative concepts. 

 Which, on a side note, makes the Ontario Ford government’s insistence that every student earn four high school credits via online courses even more mystifying.

While self-directed online classes might be enough to, say, help gain a surface understanding of cognitive dissonance theory (the last video I watched in its entirety), it certainly isn’t enough to gain any level of mastery over craft or art.

Here’s the bottom line: self-education services such as Masterclass, TED talks, or Crashcourse can be useful and inspiring, so long as you keep them in the “infotainment” portion of your personal learning curve.

Authentic, immersive education, on the other hand, requires the type of self-sacrifice, hands-on training, and persistent effort that simply can’t be found at the push of a button.

Mar. 15, 2020 Work from home job: The above is about online classes.

When I was going into a work from home job, there is an online training class that needs to be taken, and then you have to pass the test.  After you pass, then you can start working.



This week's theme is about women in the entertainment industry:

"The feminine mystique of Underworld and Resident Evil"/ "Dear Angelica moves viewers to tears"



"Lilly Tube" (Lilly Singh)




My week: 

Feb. 27, 2021  "Muslim woman targeted in racist attack says call to Edmonton police left her doubly traumatized": Today I found this article on Yahoo.  Here are some excerpts:

A Black Muslim woman who was threatened and subjected to racial slurs at a south Edmonton LRT station says she has been doubly traumatized — by her assailant and city police.

The woman, a student in her 20s who wears a hijab, says she remains terrified after the racially-motivated attack earlier this month.

She said a member of the Edmonton Police Service discouraged her from filing an official report on the attack, a rejection she feels was motivated by her race and religion.

"I'm dealing with two sets of trauma," the woman said Thursday in an interview with CBC News. "I'm dealing with the trauma of the attack and I'm dealing with the trauma of that EPS officer that day that I called, that kindly rejected me."

Due to the woman's concerns for her safety, CBC News has agreed to keep her identity confidential and will only identify her as M.W.

She was waiting for a bus at the Century Park LRT Station on the morning of Feb. 17 when she was approached by a stranger who was flailing his arms. He made a fist and swore at her, threatening to physically assault and kill her, she said.

"I've never, ever seen that type of violence. I was scared for my life," she said. "I had nowhere to run to. I couldn't run away from this person. I couldn't move."

The EPS Hate Crimes and Extremism Unit is investigating. An EPS spokesperson said city police have repeatedly condemned violent racism and are investigating the possible "customer service issues."

Two hours after the assault — upset, confused and seeking advice — she called the non-emergency EPS line.

She said an officer told her there would be "no point" in filing a report and, as the conversation came to an end, laughed at her.

"He told me in that phone call that I should be satisfied with what the peace officers did. And he didn't want to help me.

"I am just trying to do the right thing and be of the service to the city and report it. You know, that's what we're supposed to do if we can do it. And he laughed at me."

The woman said peace offers at the LRT station told her police would likely investigate her attack as harassment.

She wanted to put her account of the incident on record.

"He did not allow me to file a report," she said of the EPS member she spoke to on the complaint line. "He discouraged me.

"I told him that I wasn't satisfied with just the harassment charge that the peace officers could file," she said. "I told him it was more than harassment. Threats were uttered to me. My safety was put in jeopardy. And that's not OK."

The woman said she finally received the support she needed after emailing her city councillor's ward office.

The mayor's office then put her in touch with an EPS official who helped her file a report on Feb. 19. She has since been in contact with investigators and feels her case is being taken seriously.

"I do have compassion for my attacker, but I still want to stand up for myself and I want to stand up for the other women that have gone through this."

Muslim woman targeted in racist attack says call to Edmonton police left her doubly traumatized (yahoo.com)

My opinion: Yeah, well at least the woman got help and filed a report even though it was a little bit later.

"2 Vancouver police officers caught on video posing with dead man on Third Beach": If you think the above news story was a bad example of policing, then here's another:

Two Vancouver police officers who were videoed posing in front of and taking photos of a dead man lying on Third Beach in Stanley Park are now facing a Police Act investigation.

Const. Tania Visintin, media relations officer for the Vancouver Police Department, said the video has been sent to the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC) and that the status of the officers is also under review.

"I can tell you that the VPD does not condone and strictly prohibits officers taking photographs without an authorized purpose," she said. 

Visintin said the man's death is not suspicious and that the officers were assigned to secure the site until the coroner arrived.

Videographer Zachary Ratcliffe came upon the scene while walking toward Third Beach around 10 a.m. PT Wednesday.

"I heard some laughing and looked over and saw some police officers on the rocks ... and the body," he said. "I recorded ... the police officers looking at photos and kind of laughing and posing and continuing to show each other photos.

"I can't really explain why these officers were doing this, but to see them laughing and clearly not understanding the gravity of the situation, and not providing the dignity and respect a deceased person would deserve, it struck me as an insensitive act," said Ratcliffe.

2 Vancouver police officers caught on video posing with dead man on Third Beach | CBC News

Here's the videos:

Vancouver man films police posing for photos with dead body on beach (citynews1130.com)

Conduct of VPD members under investigation after actions caught on camera by bystander | Watch News Videos Online (globalnews.ca)

My opinion: Now, wait just a minute.  I would have to see the photo taken.  Was the cop standing in front of the ocean and the dead body is not in the photo at all?

However, I guess that would seem unprofessional that they're taking pictures of themselves at the beach while guarding a body.

I don't have a problem with the police in general: If you're in real and present danger, then call them.  If you want to report a crime, then call them.

"Gorilla loses appetite, lions develop cough after catching COVID-19 at Prague Zoo":


PRAGUE (Reuters) - A gorilla and two lions have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Prague Zoo, which is closed amid lockdown restrictions in the country.

"Lions Jamvan and Suchi and male gorilla Richard tested positive today. Their symptoms have been mild so far. The lions have a cold and cough. Richard is tired and lost his appetite," Director Miroslav Bobek said on his Facebook account.

The animals were mostly likely infected by staff and other animals will be tested, Bobek said. Prague Zoo was in touch with other zoos that have seen COVID-19 cases.

In January, a troop of gorillas at the San Diego Zoo's Safari Park suffered from an outbreak of COVID-19 that sickened several of the group's eight members.

The Czech Republic has faced a renewed surge in COVID-19 cases that has pushed its infection rate among the highest in the world on a per capita basis. (Graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/34pvUyi)

(Reporting by Robert Muller; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

Gorilla loses appetite, lions develop cough after catching COVID-19 at Prague Zoo (yahoo.com)


Feb. 22, 2021 "Woman loses $340K in wire transfer scam — alleges 4 banks did little to stop it": Today I found this article by Erica Johnson on CBC news.  Here are some excerpts.  I will post the whole article and write more later:

Vivien Zheng says she will never forget the phone call that led to losing her family's entire life savings — $340,000.

Vivien Zheng says she will never forget the phone call that led to losing her family's entire life savings — $340,000.

"I had suicidal plans," she confided, explaining that the May 2018 crime affected her so badly she is only now able to speak publicly about it.

It's a crime, Zheng argues, that could have been prevented if the banks had better systems in place to protect customers — and financial fraud expert Vanessa Iafolla agrees.

"They're [banks] the last line of defence," said Iafolla, an assistant professor of criminology at Saint Mary's University in Halifax. "A secondary check … would go a long way to protecting people."

The supposed consulate employee told Zheng she was transferring the call to a Hong Kong police investigator, who was also in on the scam and accused her of selling her bank account information to criminals.

The "investigator" told Zheng she would be arrested, sent to Hong Kong and thrown in jail indefinitely if she didn't co-operate. He texted her a fake arrest warrant, that included the photo from her driver's licence.

"I totally believed these are international Chinese police calling me," said Zheng, adding that the call appeared to be coming from 110, an emergency number in China similar to 911. "So I trust everything is true." 

Woman loses $340K in wire transfer scam — alleges 4 banks did little to stop it | CBC News

My opinion: I feel really sorry for this woman.  However, at least she's going public and forewarning everybody on what happened and how to avoid this kind of scam.

Maybe she can put start a GoFundMe campaign.

Restaurants that closed down: I was looking up these restaurants.

V Sandwiches on Rice Howard Way

Swiss Chalet on 109 St.

Chix Shack Thai Chicken on 109 St.

Smoothies Basic on Jasper Ave

Mar. 1, 2021 "Ontario family forced to pay $3,458 hotel quarantine bill for one night stay after returning to Canada from father's funeral": I found this news on Facebook from CTV.  This is by Sean Davidson:

An Ontario woman who went overseas to attend her father's funeral says she feels gouged by the government's "ill-conceived" hotel quarantine plan that cost her $3,458 for a one-night stay.

Teixeira arrived back in Canada, along with her brother and daughter, on Feb. 27 after spending about a week in Portugal.

She said it was impossible to get any answers about the hotel quarantine program while overseas and wasn't able to book a room until she landed in Toronto.

Teixeria asked officials in Toronto if her family could be exempt from the hotel program for compassionate reasons but her request was denied. She said she was told to call the nearby Crowne Plaza Hotel to book a room.

"We told the Crowne Plaza the situation and that we needed to book a hotel," Teixeria said. "The guy said the rate would be $369 per night and you have to book a minimum of three nights."

Teixeria said they booked a room with two queen beds and waited more than a hour for a shuttle to arrive. When it didn't arrive, they were eventually told to take a taxi to the hotel.

"When we got there to check-in all of a sudden our price went up from $369 per night to $769 per night plus tax," she said. "They knew there were three off us. They didn’t give us the right information."

With all taxes and additional fees included, Teixeria's credit card was charged $3,458 to stay in the hotel between Feb. 27 and March 1, which is slightly lower than the $3,945 they were quoted when they first arrived at the hotel.



My opinion: That's price gauging.  This is from my Counselor #1: "If something gets you angry, then what is the lesson here?"

Don't go traveling/ flying out of the country unless you absolutely have to like a funeral.  If you fly back home, there is going to be really expensive to stay at a hotel.

At least this family is telling everybody about what they went through and we can learn from this.

I want to Las Vegas, but I was like: "How is that like?"  I will wait when the pandemic is over.  I can still have fun in Edmonton.

Here's an article: 


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