Utterly Meaningless

You’re absolutely correct the author is clueless. Who could learn from interacting with all those people on the set all while making a living. I guess because they’re not the same age you’re not learning anything. And managing money, naaa, no one needs to learn that. This coupled with guided homeschooling would be wonderful.

“A young performer becomes outstanding not just because he’s learned how to sing, dance and act well, but also because he’s become an interesting, empathetic person. No workshop can teach you to do that, only learning and living can.”

That’s nice sentiment but WRONG! An outstanding performer becomes outstanding by becoming so good at the craft that he, or in this case she, can take it in a direction that will be memorable. Unfortunately, the industry’s fetish for fresh young talent makes it difficult for people to get to that point. It seems as though every time a feature starts to sag on a pop starlet, she’s out the door and the next one is hauled in.

While we’re at it, look at somebody like Stan Getz. Musicially, he was a genius. People still know and love his music, 50 years later. Personally, he was an @$$hole. He wasn’t a warm, empathetic person, he was a cold, self-centered SOB. But he was a talented musician.

And, just to beat a very dead horse (on this website, anyway), since when is attending school the key to raising an insightful, empathetic person?

My kids have been in show business for 6 years. One thing that is quite noticible on set is that the usual psychobable, pecking order stuff, that goes on at school rarely happens on set. I have seen it only once in 6 six years. A girl who had never “worked” before decided she would try a little schoolyard power play. She wound up just embarrasing herself and stopped; we haven’t seen her since on set, or on tv.

The kids are all liked, and treated well by each other. Hence all the silly smiling kids on set.

Gene

Yeah- several of my cousins work in Hollywood. The little interaction I had with them growing up was positive. They’re smart and articulate despite growing up on set. I don’t think they missed school for a minute.