What we do and what we don't do!

I just read an article on how a 15 year old (intern) detailed the habits of teens in the tech heavy world of today and how the media should take notice. He went on to report:
1. Teens don't Twitter. It is a waste of texting.
2. Teens don't read newspapers.
3. Banner ads don't work on teens.
4. Teens do not BUY music when there is music to share or stream.
5. Teens want unlimited texting - Free!

These are all interesting points, but who have thought otherwise?

I love how the tech world is growing by leaps and bounds.. and adults are diluting forums and programs that were aimed at the young set.

Myspace, Facebook and Twitter were created so teens and college kids could socialize quickly and effectively. Parents and businesses caught on and took over the operation. Myspace went corporate with Facebook soon to follow. When TV talk show hosts are "pimping" Twitter on their shows, you know it is on its way out in terms of hipness.

Here is what the new generation wants... Madison Ave. cringe and take notice:
1. Free music.
2. Free internet
3. Their own Youtube TV channel (with cash generated by ads sent directly to them!).
3. Free texting.
4. Cheap, but powerful cellphones.
5. Free video game sharing.
6. Better soft drink game prizes.
7. Less lame Reality shows... more Family Guy & Robot Chicken.
8. More comic book movies with heavy CGI.
9. No curfew.
10. Bigger allowance.
Easy as that!

Well! Shit Heads! Now here is what you get when you are not being coddled by some divorced parent looking to pay you off as a way of deeming themselves a credible adult role model:

1. A bike. Get out of the house and go to the park!
2. A baseball mitt.
3. A library card. You want FREE? it's all there, Baby!
4. A job. Grass looks great and smells great when it is mowed.
5. A list of home chores.
6. Paper, pens and envelopes to write relatives. Real communication.
7. A musical instrument.
8. A slingshot or BB Gun.
9. A fishing pole
10. Money for the collection plate on Sunday!

Mean? Nah! These are nothing! Just life lessons.

Turn off the TV for a week. Unplug all the electronics. Go invisible. You want to be a cool rebel?.. People will want you more after you've gone missing. Just a note!

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CREATIVE TALENT WORKSHOP FAQ PAGE

CREATIVE TALENT WORKSHOP FAQ PAGE
(Frequently Asked Questions)

As an acting coach and talent counselor, I have heard my share of drama, heartache and success stories from clients, students and colleagues. I have enjoyed every minute of this career by being available to lend and ear and/or help center talent in the midst of angst or when they have questions.

So I decided to put a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) on this page to help alleviate and answer any uncertainties of what services I offer professional talent.

1. Who are your clients?
Actors, models and entertainers interested in marketing their professional careers. All ages. All across the US. I have contact to over 600 agents in the US and can work with talent via the web, by phone or in person.

2. What kind of marketing is needed for talent?
If a talent does not have an agent, I help pinpoint one. I will also help show you how to (correctly) approach, sign and establish a working relationship with your chosen agent.

3. How else do you help talent?
Acting classes, workshops and seminars. I also do guest speaking on careers in the field of entertainment for groups, schools, colleges & universities.

4. Are there a lot of paying jobs for talent out there?
I ask you this question, when was the last time you turned on the TV, radio, opened a newspaper or magazine and did NOT see an ad? There are plenty of jobs. It's how to get the audition, that separates you from them.

5. If I want to get a personal one on one consultation, how do I go about it?
I work out of the Midwest, but communicate by telephone through www.keen.com/mjfprod online. There is a nominal charge for the consultation, but the advice is well worth the price.

6. What if I am not that good and I am wasting your time?
If you are not that good, you would have NOT come to me in the first place. I live by the spiritual adage that when you are ready to learn, the teacher appears.
People don't join my program to fail. The enthusiasm and intensity of the program keep talent working, referring others and coming back for advice.

7. My husband and I are not creative or talented but our child is and wants to get into entertainment, what do we do?
You enroll them in my Creative Kids Talent Workshop classes, or art class, or dance or any program that lets them grow creatively. No one throws a child into entertainment without doing their homework. You are not going to make your child a working talent without taking calculated steps. I have been counseling parents and adults since 1990. I have been a working talent for over 40 years. I know the industry. I take great pains to keep up with all of it. When you have questions come to me.

8. Is there a place where we can read about the business?
There is our Message Board : CLICK HERE
And Helium.com CLICK HERE

9. My parents don't want me acting or can't afford classes, what do I do?
Study the industry. Amazingly enough, the harder you focus on something, the quicker opportunities come to you.

10. Are you as fun as you seem?
The reason it looks like I am having fun is because I am so enthusiastic about what I do. I could act, direct, teach and counsel 24/7. This is a fun life because my heart is in it 100%.

NOW LIVE YOUR DREAM!!!

FOR ARTICLES BY MJ FERRUZZA CLICK HERE

God, Game Shows & Peyton Manning's Knee

I received a phone call at my office from an actor friend who wanted to know how would one go about starting a Christian game show? The game show he had envisioned would be much like Jeopardy or Who Wants To Be a Millionaire except that all the questions would come from the Bible. He also wanted to know just where did these game shows come up with the millions of dollars paid out to winning contestants. In truth, I believe he saw himself as a TV host for this program and wanted someone else to take his idea and run with it by doing all the leg work to produce it. I had to explain some of the problems with such an idea.

#1 Christian TV viewers may have a hard time watching a Christian TV game show. If they have donated money to that station to continue on its good works, they may not be so pleased to see it being handed away to contestants appearing only for the money. They may see the appearance apparently tied to some level of greed. (IE.. I know the Bible so as to get paid to answer a few questions!)

#2 The millions of dollars that contestants win on shows like Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Deal or No Deal come from sponsors to the show or through an insurance company. These shows know that only a minuscule percentage of contestants will win the big money, so they pay high insurance premiums to cover themselves. The same insurance premiums that protect companies from half time wins of fans making full court baskets, or throwing a football through some hole for big money.

#3 Are people tuning in to glorify God, hear the Word of the Lord being spread to otherwise non believing TV game show fans, or just to watch people make money?

#4 Are games shows akin to gambling?

These were all questions he had to ponder before deciding if he had a really good idea or just wanted to find another niche way to get on TV as a TV personality. He obviously is a very strong believer. But I have long learned that there are believers, pretenders,the apathetic and the deniers. Though the show had merit in my eyes, maybe on a smaller scale than handing out millions (maybe a trophy or a medallion), I would believe that the TV pitch was a good explanation of the fine line between worshiping in good faith and worship the golden idol.

I have many friends who worship money and possessions. They scoff my faith, which I rarely hammer to express any point. I have also seen possessions disappear in an instant. A divorce, old age, even a bad debt can take away any and all a person may own. Worshiping money and wealth leads to shallow faith in my opinion.

Trying to explain worship is even harder. I will give an example of how convoluted it can become.

After a NFL football game, while the players are shaking hands and giving interviews, some players (from both teams) meet at the 50 yard line to pray. It is somewhat inspiring if you, as a believer, get the chance to see it. Men from different walks of life, playing in the same sport, meeting after the heat of (sports) battle, taking a knee all to praise God. Unfortunately, the NFL would never televise it for any period of time. Why? They don't want to disrupt their presentation by making players look pious, alienate non believing viewers or promoting religion. There's no money in it for their sponsors.

But let's say that I wanted to produce a TV show using a series of clips from these prayer meetings. After getting past the NFL, would some hometown fans show animosity to it all because their team's sports hero wasn't taking part in it or, better yet, was?

IE.. 'Hey! The after game prayer this week is featuring the Colts and Ravens. It is being led by Ray Lewis! Hey, wait! Where's Peyton Manning? Oh, he must be hurt, or doing an interview, or his knee is still bothering him or (1 million other excuses), etc...

Maybe Peyton Manning is such a devout man he doesn't need show it on this new TV show. Gatorade (who pays him millions, wants him immediately afterward at a press conference wearing their hat, or jacket, or logo. As you can see. It becomes convoluted.

We all worship in our own way. Our devotion sometimes is only as big as our heart, but unfortunately most of the time, it's only as big as our most dire need.

I am all for the idea of spreading the Word, if a game show is the way, so be it! It's just that as a test of faith I ask, who would be served by this kind of worship... God or money?

FOR MORE ARTICLES BY MJ FERRUZZA CLICK HERE

Michael Jackson: Side by Side

First off... Michael Jackson and I are the same age. I remember every moment of his career and popularity as Jackson 5 front man. I remember the girls in my class having his posters and playing his 45s over and over at our middle school parties.
I followed their success through TV appearances, radio play lists and even Tiger Beat magazines. I knew that Jackie wanted to be the break out star of the group and then Jermaine. (Tito was just a recognizable cog in the Jackson family marketing machine.) But it was always Michael. On Ed Sullivan, it was Michael. Tonight Show..again Michael. Merv Griffin... Michael. Michael was the popular, cute and talented front man to the group. Other performers wanted to be or aspired to be Michael.. including Donny Osmond (the Pat Boone version of Michael). But Michael was Michael.
Michael found independence from the Jackson grind with the popularity of Ben. The theme love song from A movie about a rat. The song was better than the film. Michael knew he could probably make it on his own, even if the networks gave the group a cartoon show... and later a Sonny & Cher type TV variety program. Michael fully knew his popularity after playing the Scarecrow character in the film The Wiz starring his friend and career mentor Diana Ross.
The Disco era arrived and Michael made one last concert go with his brothers ushering in the Dancing Machine Michael. Michael could dance and people would pay to see him electrify the stage.
Quincy Jones appeared and took Michael to the stratosphere. His album Off the Wall was his solo launching point, laying the ground work for the coming Thriller avalanche of success.
The Perfect Storm. Three things coming together at the right time. MTV needed a popular hook and personality for the music/TV format. Michael needed to find a new audience. Quincy Jones provided the beat. Michael was old school... Moms and Dads knew who he was.. he was a safe album to buy for their kids. Michael was good looking... young girls fawned over his doe-y eyes and lean, dancing body. Marketers loved the glove, the jacket, the parodies and the groups they could promote using his coattails. No Michael... no Prince. No Michael.. maybe, no Madonna. No Michael... no Weird Al? No Boy groups, etc... Michael was not just the King of Pop... he was the master of his own domain!
Unfortunately, a career crumble is always bound to happen after reaching a successful summit. How do you follow up the greatest selling album of all time? You change your image and become.. Bad? Michael's album Bad was good.. but it wasn't Thriller. But no album was going to be Thriller. Lightning does not strike twice in the same place. Michael just outdid Off the Wall with Thriller. Michael did not want to usurp Thriller with Bad... just keep selling his music.
Michael reunited with his brothers to let them share in his personal success and went on a Victory Tour (promoted by Jimmy Osmond, no less). His sense of family career duty and responsibility was all but finished. Except for his promotion of sister Janet and an awkwardness in dealing with sister LaToya's public eccentricities.
But Hollywood called... and Michael had to play the part.. public Michael. Be seen with celebrities. Have celebrity friends. Live the celebrity lifestyle. Michael was magical (so said the press) he better live like it... Neverland ranch came into being. A wonderland. Disney without Mickey... just Michael. But as opposed to Disney... a corporation that churns out, packages and repackages product.... Michael was only a man. Or was he? He was painted as a Peter Pan. The boy who never grew up. Neverland was supposedly the childhood he never had. He could play with kids. He could be a kid. And when he wanted more friends.. he had his own kids. All through a sham marriage or 2.
Now was he a pedophile? Two schools of thought. One... he did pay off a child $20+ million dollars to keep quiet about some personal issue. And then he was accused by another child of molestation... charges were proved false in court. Second school of thought.. He had sleep overs with young children. What type of parent allows their kids to sleep over with a 40 y/o man? Too weird.
The plastic surgery. Michael denied most of it... but if you ask 90% of Hollywood (Joan Rivers excluded)... they will deny it, too. But the rumor that Michael wanted to look like Diana Ross may have been somewhat true... as he did look like her with nose #3 out of 6. Chemical peel or skin disease? I'll guess, the peel. Hair straightener... definitely!
So bills mounted for Michael because living in a magical world is expensive. Lawyer bills are, too.
So he planned to head off he for a new tour. (Probably culminating in a long $$$$$$$$$ stay in some Las Vegas venue.) Had he shaken off all the bad press in the US to sell tickets? He was to start his tour in London. Safe enough and still some fanatical fans across the great pond.. Jacko and all. But Michael was 50.. he was not in his teens, 20s or even his 30s. Tours are grueling and grinding.. especially when your show has you dancing 75% of it! The drugs appeared. Was it the drugs that ended it all?
I have lived my own 50 years side by side with Michael. I am not sad or shocked by his demise. He death to me was like Elvis.. like John Belushi...even John Lennon. He was just another star who surprisingly went too soon.. but will live larger than life as legendary dead icon. Add Michael to that diner picture with James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis. His music will live long past his lifestyle. Death erases a lot of things... well, at least it did for Socrates. Rest in Peace, Gloved one!

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Gaga Over a Radio Shuffle

The Police were a popular rock group of the early 80s. It seems every year they released a new and killer album to their growing fan base. But one year they held off... and what happened? Men at Work (the Aussie band) appeared and filled the void. Short lived but popular.
Bruce Springsteen launched a juggernaut with his Born in the USA CD. (The first CD ever released BTW!) The music was popular and mainstream.. and MTV certified. But then there was a void between The Boss albums... in comes old school Greg Allman with "I'm No Angel" and he is hip to a brand new audience.. an MTV audience.
The Spin Doctors spawned The Georgia "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" Satellites and Tom "Love is a Highway" Cochran
The timely untimely retirement of The Grateful Dead roadshow spawned Phish and even Dave Matthews' nomadic legions.

But this is about Lady Gaga. Is she the next Christina Aguillera? The next Gwen Stefani? Fergie? Or is she just filling their void. Fergie jumped back on tour with the Black Eyed Peas. (Maybe looking to regain some street cred?) Gwen back on a No Doubt rock it tour. Tough financial times asking for bigger music act to fill venues brought the ladies back?
Brit is delivering some decent receipts with her Circus lip sync tour. Madonna still wows them abroad. Lady Gaga owns their void. She gets more radio play than Amy Winehouse and is more MTV quirkier (marketable) than Katy Perry. She has grabbed the spotlight. Can she hold it?
I believe she is a fake. Not a fake talent... but faking her talent. She seems a phenomenal singer (in the vain of Christina Aguillera), but can't rely on sweet ballads to keep her on top of the all girl cheerleader/jump rope rock heap. Christina can sing.. Fergie can sing... Britney needs studio magic. Who knows if Jessica Simpson's musical roots are being retouched (like her hair)? And Madonna is still an event (now in her 50s).

Which direction will Lady Gaga go? Commercial? Mainstream? Or locked in the pop and lock.. come and go world of girl cheerleader/jump rope 15 minute of famers? Maybe when she doffs the quirky techno imagery of the 80s/90s divas she will prove that she is the real deal. Not just a void replacement. We can all go gaga after that.

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The Steroid Era in Baseball

What has happened with sports and the steroid era explosion is that players and salaries have climbed aboard a treacherous see-saw. The steroids, while considered dangerous, illegal and unfair, have always been performance enhancing. They build and repair broken, tired and torn muscles faster than any rest or rehab. The faster an athlete can rebuild or condition their body, the faster they can achieve a higher rate of success in their prospective sport. Once they excel in the sporting world, the player contracts and the advertisers come calling with big money in hand.

Unfair? Sure! If a million dollar athlete can excel by use of illegal substances, they can be rewarded 10 fold. Unfortunately, other athletes not playing by breaking or bending the rules lose out on such rewards, accolades and records. Steroids have not only diluted the integrity of the game, but all the records that have been broken by their use.

Ben Johnson loses Olympic Gold and the title of World's Fastest Human. Drug test later, he is an embarrassment to Track & Field and the whole country of Canada. Media darling and track star Marion Jones chokes on her words as she confesses the truth, her records were tarnished by drugs!
Floyd Landis loses Tour de France glory by dope testing. Which fuels more speculation on Lance Armstrong's record previous run and doping accusations.
Roger Clemens says he didn't, though others say he did. this includes pitcher/friend Andy Pettite who announced he was a user, too. And the focal point of this falls on Barry Bonds who broke two of sports history's most coveted records (most home runs in a season and all time) while being trained by convicted the Steroid Supplier to the Stars!
NFL Football players, MLB Baseball players, even WWE wrestlers have been caught using the needle.

What do we care? Isn't everybody doing it? No! Everyone is not doing it. And by using drugs and getting rewarded, most player careers and broken records can just be considered tarnished and worthless. It is not just the sub-human steroid-less sports records, it's the rewards and honors for doing so.

Alex Rodriguez, baseball's squeaky clean poster boy and new age image is the next in a long line of record breaking, secret steroid using assailants. Why care about Alex Rodriguez? He was paid the largest sports contract ever for his prowess which only proves the point. For big money, pro stars will do what they have to do. Records or not.

Barry Bonds has enjoyed his status as the greatest home run hitter of all time, but the accolades and self-promoting were all short lived as he must face charges of lying in front of a Congressional committee. Now the greatest slugger in a generation or two can't find a team to play for and we can ask the question, "Was it worth it, Barry?"

At some point the sports record books will include a huge asterisk section. It is then all these athletes who were paid multi-millions of dollars to entertain us with dunks, home runs, touchdowns and world record times will have their egos appeased. Sports purists will only look at that section and reminisce about the days when you players really played the game and not played us, the fans!

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Palin Lawyer Threatens Lawsuits for Pie Throwing

In the court of public opinion, when it comes to dissing Sarah Palin, you may just end up in court. Sarah Palin resigned as governor of Alaska, the Friday before the Fourth of July weekend, more than a year before her term was to end. She expressed later online that she had a "higher calling". Her plans? To bring conservatives back together again and rebuild the Republican party. Well! Good luck with that!

The real fun was the announcement that any blogger who trashes the losing Veep candidate of the 2008 election was going to face a defamation lawsuit. Palin attorney Thomas Van Flein on Saturday warned legal action may be taken against bloggers and publications that reprint what he calls fraudulent claims.

It appears no one knows the real reason the woman, who could not recall any magazines she read to Katie Curic, stepped down from office and away from the responsibilities to her constituents. So do not try to speculate... or you will be sued.

Political pundits beware! Say it... Pay it!!!!

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