So You Want to Make a TV Show- 2nd Period- Class #7

[fear_of_fish]

"I'm assuming no one had anything embarrassing happen to them this weekend," Dana greeted the class as she stood in front of her desk. "Disappointing. Anyway, it means we get to talk shop sooner. Aren't you all happy.

"Shows are different, depending on where you're working. Some of them have writers who will shove papers in front of you and you sit in front of a camera and read the news all pretty without having any idea what you're talking about," she went on. "The newscasters who actually have a clue and any real credibility write their own stuff. And absolutely no news ever- be it sports, political, entertainment, whatever- has the same news all the time. If you watch CNN, the coverage is different than it was this time even a month ago. That stupid Ryan Seacrest thing on E! has new stuff to talk about every day. You can be watching the local news and they'll interrupt for breaking news that just popped up right now. This is a good thing. You'd get bored watching the same thing all the time anyway.

"In sports, the news goes along with the seasons. With the Super Bowl, we've finished football and are moving on to baseball's spring training, and to basketball. As seasons end and approach, you start hearing about deals and trades that are being made on the teams. Last summer we had the Olympics, which took over everything. But there's always a good mix of stuff going on.

"What you're going to be doing today is writing your own story. I'm not asking for a huge long essay. No, all I want is a quick little headline, something you'd read on the news to summarize what happened. Like 'So and so was traded from this team to this team for the amount of two bazillion dollars', or 'The Pretentiously-Named-Team beat the Non-Pretentiously-Named-Team in basketball today by a score of 312 to 51.' Yes, I just made those up right now. If you want to quote someone, great. We like quotes. Just don't plagiarize the info you've given to work with. Do your best, present them at the end of class. Yes, kids, you're reading aloud today. Had to make up for going easy last week."

Comments

Present

[fear_of_fish]

Stand up and share your spoken word blurb news story!

[This can be handwaved at will. A "(your name here) gave their presentation" will work just fine if you want.]

Re: Present

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

Hannibal stood up and said, "In yesterday's NBA All Star game, the Western Conference All Stars, led by a rejuvenated Kobe Bryant, trounced the Eastern Conference All Stars by a score of 146-119. Despite all reports, the Eastern Conference All Stars did not cry after such a loss."

That last part might have been an ad lib that he couldn't resist adding.

Re: Present

[swipedthatfoot.livejournal.com]

Claire cleared her throat, mostly from nerves, before she stood up and said, "It's good news for Davidson College star guard Stephen Curry, whose injured left ankle was recently x-rayed. Doctors concluded it was not broken and the nation's top scorer may be back in action as soon as Wednesday."

Re: Present

[fabulous-secret.livejournal.com]

At her turn, Adora stood and spoke, her voice high and clear, "Rain ended the Daytona 500 early on Sunday, providing Matt Kenseth with a victory of damp emotions."

Re: Present

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah smiled brightly, and said, "Aston Villa was no roadblock on Everton's march to the Cup, as Goodison Park attendees witnessed another win in their now 13-1 string of victories."

Re: Present

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

With a tone and a smile expertly toned from radio and speeches, Turtle presented her blurb. "Many companies, in light of the current state of economic affairs, have been cautiously making cuts to help fight off a crippling downturn. NBA commissioner David Stern promises that the NBA will not be one of them, as he will strive to keep this favored American pasttime as strong and steady as always."

Re: Present

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

Jack stood up, holding his paper. "Pittsburgh Penguins set their head coach adrift on an iceberg today after losing a late 2-1 lead by 2-6. Dan Bylsma will replace Michel Therrien mid season in the hopes that the team won't be iced out of the Playoffs."