Martini Shot

On today’s Martini Shot Rob talk about two kinds of people: the ones who like conflict and the ones who avoid it. Guess which group is richer?

On today’s Martini Shot, Rob tries to limit himself to saying things that fit the following criteria: Is it true, is it kind, and is it necessary. It’s a very short Martini Shot.

Rob helps out a writer friend with a new script by giving him totally contradictory advice. In other words, he acts like an agent.

A wry take on real life in Hollywood.

A writer Rob knows fires his assistant without telling him.  But it has a happy ending.  Well, not for the writer...

Rob gets all dressed up, because maybe a t-shirt and sneakers sends the wrong message.  Why dress business casual for a business that isn't, really?

Rob takes his dog to the beach and watches her retrieves a tennis ball. And when someone compliments her, he takes credit for it. In other words, he acts like a producer.

Rob appears in all sorts of media, both video and audio, but no matter where he appears, it’s always the same: he looks tired and fat.

Rob flies through the air like a superhero. Actually, he just jumps over a puddle. But it feels the same.

Rob wrote this Martini Shot on a conference call. He also bought a ticket to New York. He does a lot of things when he's on a conference call. Except pay attention.

Rob becomes a director. One who occasionally forgets to say, "Cut." And "Action." Turns out, directing is hard work. Who knew?

Rob's punished for texting while driving, by being rear-ended by someone who was texting while driving. It's a morality tale...

A few weeks ago, the Writers Guild of America, West -- or whatever it's called right now -- I can't pretend to keep up with the baffling series of Writers Guild of America, East versus Writers Guild of America West conflicts.   Especially since they all seem to involve a lot of angry, ad hominem exchanges, expensive legal fees, plentiful mentions of the blacklist, and lots of petitions signed by writers who were really big in the 1970's. Really, at a certain point, your mind just goes "click" and you tune the whole thing out...

In the television business, this is pitching season.  This is the time when writers file into network offices, sit down on waiting-room sofas, flip through that day's trades, get asked "Can I get you guys anything?" and are then led into a large office with a bunch of young executives and a guy named Josh who has a yellow legal pad on his lap, make some small talk, chuckle appreciatively, endure a small, expectant silence, and then go into the pitch....

This is going to sound crazy, but the truth is, I don't really know any celebrities. I mean, I know a few well-known people, I guess, and I've worked with famous people, but I don't really know anybody famous. You know, like, friends of mine. I don't know what it's like to be out to dinner with someone and get interrupted by autograph seekers, or to walk through a fourth of July of flashbulbs...

Rob redefines a hit TV show.  It's anything that could possible have its own Kickstarter.

Everything can work, there’s nothing that audiences won’t like.  As long as it’s good...

Rob gets some bad news about a project and, like all writers, he can only think about one thing: where is he going to eat?

We have a very good creative dialogue in which only one person gets to talk. In other words, we get notes on our script.

A new app Rob thinks everyone in Hollywood – or at least everyone in his address book – should have. It's called Secret and it's a way to...