A year or so ago, I was working on a project for a cable television network. The project was what we in the entertainment industry call “troubled”, because for many reasons – some of them, I have to confess, were my fault – the creative direction of the television series and the process of writing and developing more scripts were unclear.
The paragraph above is composed almost entirely with euphemisms and niceties. The project weren’t “troubled” so much as doomed. And the “creative direction” and “process of writing and developing more scripts” wasn’t unclear – it was clearly headed to the dustbin. I wanted to take the series in a certain direction; the network wanted something slightly different; the star wanted something greatly different (ie, more of him and less of every other character); and one of the other producers insisted on being the go-between among all of the parties, which guaranteed that no one ever knew what anyone else was thinking.
So I did the last thing anyone really wants to do in Hollywood, and that’s to take action. I called the network executive directly to ask her what, exactly, she was thinking and to tell her what, exactly, I was thinking in the frankest way that minimally-acceptable politeness standards would allow.
She never called me back, which for a good 24-hour period convinced me that I was about to be given the sack. Unfortunately for me, it was she who was given the sack – her boss blamed her for the confusing factionalism of the production, rather than the true culprit who was the rogue producer – and I was left to struggle with a meddling know-nothing producer and a clinically insane star for the next several months, until the enthusiasm (and the money) for the project dwindled away.
Show business, as a wise Woody Allen tells us, is not a dog-eat-dog business. It’s worse. It’s a “dog-doesn’t-return-other-dog’s-phone-calls business”. The best way to show contempt for your underlings or a haughty disdain for your colleagues is to let their phone calls go unreturned. Silence, as we all know, is the most effective and cutting way to raise your voice.
And sometimes, not returning a phone call is a deeply moral and heroic act.
For instance, when the Swedish Academy decided last week to award the Nobel Prize for Literature to folk singer and cultural icon Bob Dylan, a lot of us scratched our heads. It was a bold choice, to be sure. "Literature", up until that point, had seemed to adhere to a more narrow definition of written work. Past winners have included poets and novelists – most of whom, it must be said, were more highbrow than popular – but Dylan is known for his plaintive and politically progressive lyrics and his nasal-heavy and barely intelligible singing voice, not his published written work. There was some sniffing from the high culture mandarins and some absurdly over-the-top cheering from the ancient hippies who still warble out The Times They Are a-Changin, but for most of us there was a quizzical, baffled reaction.
So in 30 years, I asked myself, will they be giving the award to Beyoncé? Or Britney Spears? Or – and this thought really chilled me – Kanye West? (Kanye West would probably be the one person on Earth who truly wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Kanye West had won the Nobel Prize for Literature.)
All of those misgivings melted away, though, when I learnt that throughout the entire process – from the moment that the Swedish Academy decided to honour Bob Dylan, to the public announcement of the award, and up to the moment that I write these words – Bob Dylan has remained silent and utterly unreachable.
He hasn’t returned the phone calls or emails from the academy, either before or after the award was handed out. He hasn’t spoken publicly, either to deliver tearful thanks or any reaction at all. The academy members called him – they apparently are well-connected enough to have finagled his mobile number – but he has yet to return their phone call. They’ve left voicemail messages and emails and have tried to get to him through various channels to zero effect. Dylan, it seems, just has nothing to say.
There is something heroic and – yes, I’ll say it – deeply moral about Dylan’s refusal to participate. He’s not taking this moment of attention to remind everyone about Darfur or climate change or the plight of the female scientist. Not that those aren’t important issues – I mean, sure they are – but Dylan is clearly indicating that if you want to know what he thinks, listen to what he sings. Those words – not the ones that come with a fancy acceptance speech delivered in a white-tie-and-tails ceremony – are the only ones he’s going to offer. In a world in which everyone seems to be talking at once, and where no one ever misses the opportunity to climb up on a soapbox and make a speech, Bob Dylan has delivered a powerful lesson: it’s a good thing to know when to shut up.
And there’s also the delicious sting of show business upmanship. The Swedish Academy called and Bob Dylan, superstar folk singer and world famous celebrity, just didn’t call them back. This is the ultimate power move. After all, Bob Dylan has sold more than 100 million albums. How many has the Swedish Academy sold?
Rob Long is a writer and producer in Los Angeles
On Twitter: @rcbl
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Indoor Cricket World Cup
Venue Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE squad Saqib Nazir (captain), Aaqib Malik, Fahad Al Hashmi, Isuru Umesh, Nadir Hussain, Sachin Talwar, Nashwan Nasir, Prashath Kumara, Ramveer Rai, Sameer Nayyak, Umar Shah, Vikrant Shetty
The%20Color%20Purple
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBlitz%20Bazawule%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFantasia%20Barrino%2C%20Taraji%20P%20Henson%2C%20Danielle%20Brooks%2C%20Colman%20Domingo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
The National selections
Al Ain
5pm: Bolereau
5.30pm: Rich And Famous
6pm: Duc De Faust
6.30pm: Al Thoura
7pm: AF Arrab
7.30pm: Al Jazi
8pm: Futoon
Jebel Ali
1.45pm: AF Kal Noor
2.15pm: Galaxy Road
2.45pm: Dark Thunder
3.15pm: Inverleigh
3.45pm: Bawaasil
4.15pm: Initial
4.45pm: Tafaakhor
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Specs%3A%202024%20McLaren%20Artura%20Spider
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V6%20and%20electric%20motor%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20power%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20700hp%20at%207%2C500rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20torque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20720Nm%20at%202%2C250rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eight-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E0-100km%2Fh%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.0sec%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETop%20speed%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E330kph%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh1.14%20million%20(%24311%2C000)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
SQUADS
South Africa:
JP Duminy (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, Robbie Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wkt), Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi
Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed
Fixtures
Oct 26: Bloemfontein
Oct 29: Potchefstroom
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
%3Cp%3ECory%20Sandhagen%20v%20Umar%20Nurmagomedov%0D%3Cbr%3ENick%20Diaz%20v%20Vicente%20Luque%0D%3Cbr%3EMichael%20Chiesa%20v%20Tony%20Ferguson%0D%3Cbr%3EDeiveson%20Figueiredo%20v%20Marlon%20Vera%0D%3Cbr%3EMackenzie%20Dern%20v%20Loopy%20Godinez%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETickets%20for%20the%20August%203%20Fight%20Night%2C%20held%20in%20partnership%20with%20the%20Department%20of%20Culture%20and%20Tourism%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20went%20on%20sale%20earlier%20this%20month%2C%20through%20www.etihadarena.ae%20and%20www.ticketmaster.ae.%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Ford F-150
Price, base / as tested: Dh173,250 / Dh178,500
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 395hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 555Nm @ 2,750rpm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 12.4L / 100km
Managing the separation process
- Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
- Relax – and hopefully your child will follow suit
- Inform the staff in advance of your child’s likes and dislikes.
- If you need some extra time to talk to the teachers, make an appointment a few days in advance, rather than attempting to chat on your child’s first day
- The longer you stay, the more upset your child will become. As difficult as it is, walk away. Say a proper goodbye and reassure your child that you will be back
- Be patient. Your child might love it one day and hate it the next
- Stick at it. Don’t give up after the first day or week. It takes time for children to settle into a new routine.And, finally, don’t feel guilty.