Mr. Granata is My Dad
Posted on | August 4, 2008 | 5 Comments
A very serious-sounding article about the CTDB just popped up on Chicago Metblogs, penned by Chicago actor and stage combatant Chris Walsh (who was Hutch to my Starsky – or vice versa – in Chalk last fall).
Chris shot me an email a few weeks ago asking if I wanted to say anything about the project for an article he was writing. I said, “Sure, give me a call and we’ll chat.” That chat ended up being about an hour and a half of me breathlessly describing in excruciating detail how the project came to be and all my hopes and dreams for the thing. I’m a little self-conscious about how me-centric the article is – and how little Nick is featured, since he’s actually more important to the database these days than I am, but I’m glad for the publicity for the project. Chris is a really great guy, and I more-or-less consider this article a personal favor, even if he doesn’t see it that way.
I swear to God I’ll start talking about something other than the CTDB again soon (I do have a show opening in a few days, after all) – but it’s rather consuming right now. Look for some updates on the Datablog later this week, reflecting the early returns from the survey (the response from companies big and small has been almost overwhelming), and what came out of mine and Nick’s first face-to-face meeting in weeks.
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5 Responses to “Mr. Granata is My Dad”
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August 4th, 2008 @ 6:21 pm
Was it overly serious? I certainly didn’t mean for it to be. My bad.
August 4th, 2008 @ 7:23 pm
It was a good article but I’ll admit I giggled at the “I feel bad we burn out so many young actors” part. I pictured a child actor with tears streaming down his face shouting “How could you do this to me Dan! How could you!”
August 5th, 2008 @ 8:16 am
Chris -
I’m just kidding! It was mainly the journalistic convention “Mr. Granata” that tickled me.
Thanks again for plugging the project – it really is the support and enthusiasm from the community that keeps Nick and I going.
August 5th, 2008 @ 8:23 am
Paul -
That quote was taken completely out of context. I was referring, of course, to the traditional “Sacrifice of the Initiates” ceremony held at the start of each season, when 50 fresh faced actors are placed on a pyre containing a true piece of the set from Grapes of Wrath and lit by the flaming skull of Del Close, while sections of Glengarry Glen Ross are shouted over the grating.
August 5th, 2008 @ 8:56 am
Boy will I be glad when we don’t have to do that ceremony anymore. Do you know how hard it is to yell Mamet rhythms? And I keep getting stuck as Shelly Levine. Why can’t I read Ricky Roma for a change? But no, “Mr. Granata” here gets to pick first every time.
It’s a good thing burning actor smells so damn good.
(Did I say that out loud?)