Day Five, and some Pimpin’

Today was a very routine day working on a film, and the only really interesting thing that happened wasn’t even related to the movie!
There’s a great show on NPR called “Marketplace,” and one of the producers emailed me a few weeks ago, asking if I’d be interested in participating in a program about how child actors deal with the money and fame that comes with success.
I told her that I’d love to do it, and she asked me, quite charmingly, if I had heard of a program called “This American Life,” which she also produces.
Heh. No, really. She asked me that.
So I geeked out, and we scheduled the interview for the tuesday following the conclusion of the Avon 3 Day. Trouble was, I booked the job on the movie while I was gone, and I wasn’t going to be able to get into a studio. I thought that I was going to lose the opportunity, and we spent the last week or so emailing back and forth, trying to pull together some sort of plan…and we hit upon one over the weekend: she’d send an engineer out to the set with a DAT, and I’d call her. She’d sit in her own studio and record herself, I’d be recorded in my dressing room, and they’d put the two together later.
Isn’t technology cool?
So today I did my interview, and it was really great…it went on and on, for close to three hours, broken up by my calls to the set to do my scenes. The engineer, a really nice and patient guy called “Skott” was at the set for nearly 6 hours, and never complained once.
So what’s the cool thing, you ask? In the interview, I ended up telling her this story about my childhood…that she said has a very good chance of making it onto This American Life.
Holy.
Shit.
Talk about dreams coming true!!
Tomorrow I am in everything, so I’m off to learn pages of lines…but before I go, I want to pimp out my friend Sean.
Sean and his wife Caryn are opening a really amazing gallery in downtown Los Angeles this weekend, and I want to let everyone know about it. If you’re in LA, or know people who are into the art scene here in town, please come over and check it out this weekend. You can “read more” to get the address and times.
I hope to see some WWDN readers there!


The big week is finally here. Please join us this Saturday, November 2nd
from 7-10pm for the Glen E. Friedman exhibition reception and for the grand
opening of the new gallery! There will be nearly forty photographs on
display (including new additions) along with laminated proof pages, books
and much more. All of his books will be available and Glen will be in
attendance to sign them and answer your questions.
Glen E. Friedman “Fuck You All”
An exhibition of photos from 1976-1995
November 2 – November 30, 2002
Reception – Saturday, November 2nd from 7-10pm
sixspace
549 West 23rd Street in downtown Los Angeles (between Figueroa and Flower
Streets just south of the Staples Center and north of USC…for complete
directions visit our website). We have a free parking lot next to our
building in addition to plenty of street parking.

61 thoughts on “Day Five, and some Pimpin’”

  1. WHOO HOO!!! I’m on the top.
    Pretty soon we’re gonna have more Wheaton then we can take. Good to see you up and running again brother. Now we just need to bitch at the powers that be to put you back in Nemesis.
    I’ll be first in line to poke ’em with a spork.

  2. Good job on the interview, Wil. Can’t wait to see it air!
    May check out the gallery this December, when I next plan to be in L.A.

  4. Excellent, Wil. Let us know when it’ll be on the air!
    Boy, it never rains but it pours, eh? Here’s to the universe being unfair in your favor. 🙂

  6. remember a few short months ago…
    how everything just seemed to be getting crappier and crappier?…
    nice to be on the other side, eh wil?
    we always believed in you wil…
    and we’re all happy as hell to see things working out so well for ya!
    i’d say something like ‘happy nekkid otter but dance’….
    but i get the feeling someone else will probably say it soon…
    and i wouldn’t want to steal anyone’s cool tag line…
    tho…if i was the type to steal somthing like that…that would be the one i’d choose… 🙂

  7. So let me get this straight.
    The exhibit is called “Fuck You All”…and you hope to see some WWDNers there…
    How appropriate.
    :rolleyes:
    *me contemplates torching an arc of kindling*
    =(

  8. Maybe it’s the whole sense of “how cool to say ‘Fuck’ in my [something]” that goes out to the public thing.
    But, personally, if someone put on a show like that in Chicago, I’d say, “Fuck you, too” as I drove by toward the Mr. Beef.
    But, what I wonder is, truthfully, how many people see it for what it really is.
    Including the guy blogging.

  11. Wow…technology is cool. So, it’s going to be one of those things where the lady is shaking her head in the affirmative & having these weird expressions on her face & then a flash back to you. I hope they add a little canned laughter & fake applause too.
    Well, my friend sounds like your kicking ass in the creativity department.

  12. Ok…I’m retarded it’s an interview for NPR as in National Public Radio so there won’t be any expressions being broadcast over the radio. Sheesh…this time change thing sure makes a guy spacey.

  17. I am an NPR junkie, and have actually been known to postpone my Friday night activities until after “This American Life” is over.
    PLEASE let us know when your segment is going to air. I’ll be listening!
    Congrats!

  19. WAY cool, dude! Way To Go!! Keep us posted as to date and time and everything. Keep up the good work! DUDE!!

  20. What a busy bee you are, Wil.
    Success comes to those who wait, someone once said to me.
    OOhhh, someones knocking on my door.
    Well, hello there, Mr. Success.
    Ahhhh!!- It just stab me in the eye.

  22. You’re going to be on TAL!?!?!?! With Ira and everything! OH DEAR LORD – you have now lived my fantasy….mmmmm……..ira…. hehe – went to the congregation across the street, went to my college, but all shifted about 15 years from me – *sigh*
    he’s such a hottie.

  23. A little devil. How cute. Or is it a sunburned viking? No skates, so it can’t be the 3rd line left wing for the Devils. This modern art stuff confuses me.

  24. Eventually your life will become a movie of the week…prepare. Imagine: scandal, pressure, the “pigs in a blanket” incident. Wow!

  27. how rad is that? congrats! can’t wait to hear it.
    the tech you spoke of is what my pals and co-procucers over at NRP (not npr) call a “double-ender,” a very handy and often relied-upon tactic for getting better-than-phone-quality interviews from remote locations. especially when you’ve got multiple voices on a show already on phone (as was often the case with the shows i produced on prison issues). as fun as that was to do, i didn’t get to geek all the way out til i did the digital editing of audio that had come in from a remote studio over the ISDN router.
    i’ll send my LA pals to the showing for sure. go wil! oh by the way, did you know that your title tag for the archived page is pulling in your h tags? see what i mean at http://www.wilwheaton.net/mt/archives/001133.php#001133

  29. Not sure what TAL or that other program are, but congrats Wil. Keep those updates coming as it’s getting mightly slow here at work….seems we have all the computers up and running properly and us tech support guys have nothing to do 🙁
    Loyal monkey #24601

  30. Wil on NPR. For some reason it’s one of those things that JUST MAKE SENSE to me. Hell, boy, you should produce your own program on NPR, if not occasionally read your own essays there. I’m looking forward to seeing you on Saturday Night Live with those two dysfunctional and ultra-soft-spoken NPR ladies… Take care.

  32. Hey Wil,
    I sure hope your story for This American Life will be an upbeat thing. In general, I feel more like offing myself after that program than I do at any other time.
    “I’m Joel Glass, and you’re listeneing to ‘This American Life.’ This week, people who feel like killing themselves after our show. Act I…”
    rrrrrrr.
    Later.

  34. HOLY CRAP…NPR and TAL!! It gives you depth, a soul…soooo highbrow, all this from OUR Will Wheaton?????

  35. Heya Wil,
    Good to hear things are going well for you.
    I might be in LA in the next few weeks, if so, I’ll try to make it to your friends gallery. Being an artist and a photographer, it would be great to support another artist.
    Beau

  36. That’s too weird. I was just listening to an old This American Life episode when I read this post! I discovered the TAL a couple of weeks ago, so now I listen to one or more shows a day at work all the time. Can’t wait to hear yours.

  37. If Wil were to be on SNL’s NPR, what kind of food should he talk about on ‘Delicious Dish’? The thrilling world of breakfast burritos?

  38. Wil,
    So you love giving interviews. Some people in the business scamper away from the press for various reasons. You are really brave. Good luck with the rest of your film shooting.
    F.G.

  39. Odd. Being from Canada, I’ve never heard of TAL…so I decided to take a look at Wil’s link and get a feel for the kind of show this is. First thing I see: this week’s show is about LIARS. Compulsive liars. Talk about superimposing totally disparate thoughts…. Anyway, looks like an interesting show (needless to say, I don’t believe Wil’s segment will be this aired week…. =P). Too bad I can’t get it. (Seems we can’t get any of Wil’s recent stuff up here….)
    Here’s another congratulations to add to the ever-increasing pile, Wil. I’m glad things are finally looking up for you! =)
    Em

  40. I will be in LA this weekend (I currently live in DC)…but I’ll be at my high school reunion during the opening! What about Sunday?
    COME THEN!!!

  41. That will be cool that so many people will be able to make it out to the gallery, thanks so much! Thanks a ton wil for the plug.
    Sorry the gallery is CLOSED on sundays & mondays….

  43. That’s very cool Wil!!
    I wish I could hear the interview but I don’t get NPR, so tell people like a little about it, if you don’t mine
    Thanks and Congrads!

  44. So Wil, did I read it correctly?
    Are you going to be on both “Marketplace” AND “This American Life?”
    Can you PLEASE let us know when both segments are scheduled to air, if they let you know?

  45. wil: when the sun shines on you, it really shines…can an A & E biography be next!…congratulations on all the good stuff coming your way!.

  46. I’m a total NPR junkie. I think I’ve started more posts at my blog with “I was listening to NPR and they were talking about…” As everyone else has already said, you have to tell us when it’ll be on!
    And I have a request for someone out there in WWDN land. PAX isn’t available where I live so… can someone send me a tape of Uncle Willy’s movie when it airs? Thanx!

  47. Congratulations Wil!!
    I would really like to hear your story on the radio and see your new film but I live in Toronto and I don’t think my cable (or radio) will broadcast them. Does anyone have any suggestions??

  49. Hey Will,
    My name is Zander, and you actually met me once. I was a very little kid though, because I’m 15 now. Glad to hear your going to be in a movie soon. Let us know when it will be on. I thought you are in Nemisis or am I missing something here?
    I always loved you in STNG but of course you hear that all the time, but let me tell you, watching you got me through some really really bad times with my parents. Abusive kind of stuff that I won’t go into. So now I am living at a boarding HS and I demand that all STNG reruns are watched in the TV room. LOL, I can do this because I’m obnoxious enough. I also linked your blog in mine. So seeya around the net.
    Zander author of http://www.zanderkind.blogspot.com

  50. Hey Will,
    Thanks for the update. Check out my band, Gingerbread Nightmare, if you get a chance. We’ll be playing live at Cole’s Bar in Los Angeles soon. Hey, do you play bass? We’re looking for a bass player. Let me know.
    Good luck.

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