Vale Erin Moran

The indignity of dying away from the spotlight.

This week, the world lost Erin Moran. Erin was best known as Joanie from Happy Days, and then Joanie Loves Chachi.

A lot of my friends simply knew her as Erin, a fellow former child star, and good friend.

I never got to meet Erin personally, as like me, she didn’t live in LA. She had stepped away from the spotlight, and moved to Indiana. She did keep in touch with all of her friends in LA though. Many of them knew she had cancer, as Erin had told them, but asked them not to share it with the world.

Erin, like many of us, went through some rough patches. ALL of us have had shitty moments, or bad times. The difference when you’re famous is, is that the whole world knows about it. There’s something about being a child star that the tabloids are just drawn to when it comes to having a bad moment. I think some editors find it orgasmic to show a Disney star looking drunk, or being sloppy. They expect us to have drug problems, DUI’s and bad relationships. If you’re one of the many child stars who move on and go about life quietly, there’s almost a sheer disdain for how boring you are. Places like TMZ would have you believe that every child actor is a train wreck, but in reality, there are hundreds that end up just fine. You just don’t hear about them. But if you’re a kid star that fucks up even once, the public is going to hear about it forever. That one night that most people can hide and move on from will come back and haunt you constantly. People will bring it up over and over. In Erin’s case, even when she died.

Erin died of cancer. She knew she had it. Her friends knew she had it. The public didn’t though, and neither did the tabloids. So when she died, the media immediately brought up her past, and speculated that she died broke and penniless and from a drug overdose. These days, it’s not about getting the story right, it’s about being first. Fuck the memory of the person you’re covering, and screw the feelings of her friends and family.

Its tragic that as a child star, you can’t even die with dignity.

Its sad for Erin. It’s also a sobering moment for all the other child actors out there. Watching the speculation over Erin, I imagine every other child actor having that moment of “when I die, will they bring up every bad moment of my past?”

Child actors are people too. We have feelings. We have souls. We have good days and bad days, just like regular people. (Cause we ARE people, we just had jobs as kids)

Just because someone no longer works in Hollywood doesn’t mean they can’t work anymore. Many actually choose to leave, and they also choose not to share every moment of their lives with the world. We should respect that. We should also respect that when someone dies, we say nice things about them, like we do all the other people you know, and not assume they bottomed out and died disgracefully.

Don’t be like Scott Baio and put your foot in your mouth when a former co-worker dies. Even if they DID once have a problem, you can still be polite. It’s hard when someone sticks a microphone in your face before you know the facts, but maybe take a deep breath, say something kind, and sit back and wait for the truth. You don’t need to be the asshole.

It’s only April, and I’m sure there will be more celebrity deaths this year. Maybe we can all honor Erin’s memory by learning from the coverage of her death, and be a little nicer to the next person who goes.

RIP Erin. May all your future days be happy.

June 13, 2016

Dealing with Celebrity Sex Offenders

When a celebrity is a sex offender, the victim doesn’t have the option of simply avoiding them.

I turned on the TV this morning, and as I was flicking through channels, Robert’s face popped up.

After leaving Hey Dad..! he mainly did voice over work, but he had a tiny part in a C grade movie called Race The Sun. It was about a group of Hawaiian kids who built a solar car. Anyway, since it’s an American movie that was filmed in Australia, they play it here, and it means that when I am randomly flicking through channels, I am subjected to hearing his voice, and seeing his face. Even though I no longer live in Australia, there’s still the potential of me having to see him, when I least expect it.

Thankfully, I’m pretty good at dealing with it. It’s not really a huge trigger for me anymore. (Well, today was ok) But it got me thinking about all the other people out there who are unable to avoid their perps, and how there’s always debate about celebrity sex offenders, and whether they should be allowed to continue to work.

It’s a tough question. I think it’s a shame for an entire body of work to be wiped from history simply because one person in the production was a terrible human being. Should all the cast from 7th Heaven never receive royalty cheques again because the dad molested a few girls? Should Hey Dad be wiped from TV because of Robert? What about the Cosby Show? Can we no longer listen to Six White Boomers at Xmas because of Rolf Harris? Should we avoid all movies directed by Roman Polanski, Woody Allan, Victor Salva and Bryan Singer?

I think each person has to decide for themselves. I thought 7th Heaven was cheesey, I never watched myself on Hey Dad, and Cosby always gave me the shits. However, millions of other people loved these shows. But, what about the other cast members. Is it their fault that the male stars here thought they were above the law, and didn’t keep their perverted sexual desires in check? Are we punishing an entire production by boycotting a show because of one person? Sometimes I feel like it’s not fair to the other people associated with a show. I think it’s not fair to Simone Buchanan and Ben Oxenbould that they can’t proudly display Hey Dad clips on their resumes because of something that Robert Hughes did. I feel bad for 7th Heaven cast members who rely on that residual income. I feel sorry for The Cosby kids who have to answer questions about Cosby when they’re trying to do interviews about something completely unrelated.

Then, Robert pops up on my TV.

racethesun

My brain goes from trying to be the impartial person, right back to seeing it from the view of anyone who has dealt with a celebrity sex offender. Even when I move overseas, I may still be subjected to seeing that trigger. Anyone who has dealt with a celebrity sex offender could be subjected to their attacker at any point. Even if they avoid their movies, or make a point not to turn on the TV when their show is on, at any point, while flicking through channels, that person could pop up. It might be on E! News, or a TV commercial, or on a random talk show. The only thing the person can do, besides refusing to watch any form of media, is to learn to deal with the trigger. Some people can, and some can’t. Some people need more time, and some don’t have access to the resources that will help them heal from that trauma.

So what’s the answer? I’m not really sure. Maybe there’s a balance. I think that while old stuff, pre-knowledge of sexual offending might be OK to keep showing, for the sake of other actors/crew, and let the public decide if they want to watch, I think that going forward, the offender should be barred from more public work. If you’re a celebrity sex offender, you shouldn’t get to keep putting your name out there. You shouldn’t be able to keep putting your face on TV, or work in movies. You shouldn’t be allowed to be glamorized, and continue to work in the industry. You shouldn’t be rewarded, while your victims have to keep seeing your face, or your name, or hear your voice, over and over, forever and ever.

It’s not just for the victims of these celebrities, but for anyone who was a victim of anyone. Seeing someone convicted of a sex crime be rewarded with work, or strutting down a red carpet sends a horrible message to victims everywhere. While the victim lives with the act forever, and has to learn to heal, the perp is out and about, living a glamorous life, being glorified, and everyone forgiving them. It doesn’t inspire victims to speak up, or try to do anything about their molester. Why bother going through the drama of police investigation, court, etc if the person if just going to go straight back to normal life afterwards? As much as I hate that we all look to Hollywood for life inspiration, we do. If people see that celebrity sex offenders aren’t punished, people will wonder what chance they have of their own perps getting punished, celebrity or not.

Even if I was still working in the industry, I would choose not to work with a sex offender. I would never make a film with Roman Polanski or Woody Allan, or even alleged sex offender Bryan Singer. That’s something that each person still working in the industry has to decide for themselves, but I know where I stand.

What about you? Do you think there’s an answer? How would you deal with it? Let them keep working, boycott all their work? Would you work with a celebrity sex offender on a production? Is art more important? Or are victims the priority? Is there a balance?

May 31, 2016

Could Roman Polanski finally face justice?

The Polish Government is looking to overturn extradition hearings for Roman Polanski.

Well, it certainly seems to be the year that Celebrity Sex Offenders are getting hit with the spotlight. I woke up to news this morning that questions are once again being raised about Roman Polanski, and the hope that he might finally have to pay for raping and sodomizing a 13 year old girl back in 1977.

Roman Polanski drugged and raped a young actress/model at Jack Nicholson’s house after inviting her over for a fashion shoot. He gave her alcohol and drugs, and then sexually assaulted her, while she cried and told him no. She told her mother what happened, and Polanksi was arrested. He initially denied it, but then pleaded guilty, in exchange for a plea bargain. After undergoing court ordered psychiatric tests, he fled the US, fearing he would get serious jail time. He went to France, where he was also a citizen.

The US courts sought to extradite Polanski, but France refused to extradite him.

Now, even though he admitted raping a 13 year old child, he continued to make movies, and big stars continued to work with him. Because, we all know by now that Hollywood types don’t give a fuck about kids getting hurt, as long as they get a fabulous role, and keep making money.

Fast forward many years, and people forget that Polanski fled the country to avoid doing time after he admitted raping a child, and everyone is still fawning over him. Because, you know, he’s an artiste, and that’s way more important than the girl getting some form of justice. The poor guy even had to miss the Oscars in 2003 when he won for “The Pianist”. There was a huge pity party for him, and everyone thought it was unfair he couldn’t be there. Hollywood took the side of the rapist once again. Don’t worry about the victim. “It was a long time ago and we should all just move along”

In 2009, Polanski went to a film festival in Switzerland, and was arrested. The US was still trying to extradite him. The extradition request was denied, and Polanski was safe once again. By 2010, the victim, Geimer, asks the court to drop the request, due to health problems surrounding the constant publicity of the case. She was probably sick of hearing people like Whoopi Goldberg declare that it wasn’t “rape, rape” and she should get over it. Everyone had an opinion on it, and I can’t imagine how badly it must have affected her. I only had to deal with listening to a few millions Aussie’s have an opinion on whether Robert did it or not, and whether I should care so many years later. Geimer had the US and Europe discussing her case, for decades. I think at some point you’d go bat shit crazy and ask to have it dropped too.

Fast forward, and after a couple more extradition attempts, and Hollywood still praising Polanski, and today, someone in Poland, who probably has a conscience, has decided to look at overturning the denial of the extradition order.

What gets me is that it’s not 38 years since he committed the act of raping and sodomising a young girl. As lenient as courts are to famous people, and the fact he took a plea deal, he wouldn’t have gotten a slap on the wrist. He would have served a very minimal amount of time, been released, and allowed to carry on with his life. He’d be back out directing, and nobody would give a shit. (Just look at other Hollywood people who get jailed for child sex offences, like the Director of Jeepers Creepers, who is out and working with kids again) However, by constantly avoiding doing the right thing, he’s now spent 38 years on the run. 38 years of fleeing, and having to work overseas. Not being able to go to certain countries or face arrest and possible extradition.

Now, if he does get extradited, he won’t just face the original time for rape, he’ll also get done for fleeing and avoiding justice.

Hopefully, this time the extradition sticks. Maybe he’ll finally face prison time, and be not rape raped in prison….

I’m sure when he gets out, everyone will rally around him and help him get back to work as quickly as possible. Because, Hollywood.

May 28, 2016

Mark Salling indicted on kiddie porn charges

Mark Salling, an actor best known as Noah “Puck” Puckerman from “Glee” has been indicted on Child Pornography charges.

Salling was the subject of a Los Angeles Police Department investigation in December of 2015. He was arrested on state charges in connection with possessing child pornography. He was released on $20,000 bail. He had thousands of images and videos depicting child pornography. The 33-year-old was named in a two-count indictment, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles. He is expected to surrender and be arraigned on the charges on June 3, 2016.

It’s been a busy week covering Hollywood abuse. Last week, Elijah Wood discussed that Hollywood had a major pedophilia problem, and once again Corey Feldman was asked about his experiences, and how he and Corey Haim were both molested by Hollywood moguls. Only a week before, Woody Allen was again being questioned by Ronan and the press over the allegations he molested his daughter Dylan and his now wife Soon Yi. Bill Cosby is also finally seeing the inside of a courtroom after more than 40 women spoke of being drugged and raped by him.

What surprises me is that every time the news covers Hollywood sexual perversions, it’s written about like it’s the first time that anyone has said anything about it. I don’t know how many times people need to speak up before it’s understood that Hollywood does indeed have a problem with sexual predators. Pedophiles are everywhere, there’s no reason Hollywood would be immune. In fact, Hollywood is the dream location of many sexual deviants. It’s a hot bed of beautiful young people who are easily manipulated while trying to fulfill a dream. Producers, Directors, casting agents, etc are all in high power positions to groom and take advantage of young actors and models who are naive and hungry.

Maybe with so many cases in the press these last two weeks, people will finally understand that the entertainment industry isn’t just immune from sexual assault, but is actually a breeding ground for it. Hopefully people don’t act surprised when a celebrity is accused of sexual indecency. Maybe people will actually start to listen to victims when they come forward, instead of just dismissing them as being money grubbers, looking for fame and fortune.

While I think it’s sad that all these cases are coming up, because it means there’s so many victims, I’m also thrilled that we’re seeing so many cases, because it means that people are finally feeling like they’re able to speak up. Abusers use silence. They cultivate it, and demand it from their victims. It’s how they get away with it, and how they get more victims. If we all start speaking up, they can no longer hide. We need to tell kids that it’s OK to speak up, and maybe these pedo’s will think twice before they abuse someone, knowing they might not get away with it.

Pedophilia in Hollywood is a problem. Pretending it doesn’t happen isn’t going to make it go away. Victim blaming isn’t going to help either. We need to start empowering kids. We can also help by letting Hollywood know we won’t support Hollywood pedophiles, by choosing not to watch movies or films that these predators make. If enough of us stand up and say No! they might have to finally listen. If you really want to help, we can try to change laws by getting rid of the statute of limitations. Then if people find their voice, even if it is 10-20 years later, their abusers can still be held accountable, instead of silencing their victims once again with threats of suing for slander or defamation of character.

Hopefully this is the beginning of the end for sexual abuse in the entertainment industry.

May 23, 2016

Elijah Wood says Hollywood has a child sex problem

Yesterday, someone posted a link to my FB page with an article about Elijah Wood. A couple hours later, I got a text message from another friend, linking to an Elijah Wood article. I then saw a radio station with an idiotic link to the same article, with a “I can’t believe it!” caption. Which made me wonder, Why can’t you believe it? What I can’t believe, is how many people recently have spoken up about predators in the entertainment industry, and each time, the public acts as if it’s the first time they’ve heard it. Maybe because I’m so vocal about it, and I was successful in sending one of those predators to prison, maybe that’s why when I woke up this morning I had another half dozen people alerting me about Elijah Wood speaking up. I think it’s great that someone else, someone still working, someone who people might actually listen to is speaking up. People like Barbara Walters won’t be able to belittle Elijah like she did to Corey Feldman when he spoke up about being passed around, implying that Corey was a druggie and shouldn’t be believed, before declaring that he was “destroying an entire industry”. Unfortunately, most of the people who have spoken up so far have been the ones who have been damaged by the industry they’re talking about, and the elites simply run a smear campaign, and it goes away very quickly. But even if one of those elite is found to be guilty, like Jeepers Creepers director Victor Salva, they do a miniscule amount of time, and then go right back to working in the industry, embraced by their fellow predators in the industry, and given a green light to work with kids again.

I can’t believe people are shocked every time this subject comes up. I’m amazed at how quickly people forget about the last dozen people who have spoken up and said the exact same thing. I don’t understand how people can possible think that Hollywood is exempt from this kind of thing, when it’s so prevalent in regular society. Why would Hollywood be missing out? People accept the casting couch with pretty young girls is common, why is old men preying on young boys unbelievable?

I hope that now that Elijah Wood has spoken up, people finally start listening. Maybe other high profile actors will also start speaking up, and finally, people will start believing those that have been affected. Maybe we can finally start changing laws, and making the industry a safer place for children to work. Everyone at A Minor Consideration knows there’s a huge problem in the industry, and are trying their best to not only change laws, but provide help to those kids that were directly impacted by it.

If you haven’t seen the movie An Open Secret, it’s available on YouTube. Read Corey Feldman’s biography, Coreography, do a google search on hollywood convicted sex offenders, or read about my own story, which took place in Australia, not LaLa Land. Abuse of power is truly universal…

Most importantly, stop acting shocked everytime someone speaks up about abuse by powerful people. When you act shocked, and think it can’t be true, someone who you know in real life may think twice about speaking up about their own abuse. If you don’t believe someone like Corey Feldman, why would you believe them?

May 17, 2016

Faux Intellectualism

Also known as the Emperor’s New Clothes.

Actress Blake Lively, left, director Woody Allen and actress Kristen Stewart arrive on the red carpet for the screening of the film Cafe Society and the Opening Ceremony at the 69th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 11, 2016. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

With all the media hype this week surrounding Woody Allen, what with his movie opening the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, and his (maybe) son, Ronan Farrow writing another thought piece about how entertainment types like to continue to praise Allen and ignore the allegations of abuse, or the fact that he married a child who was raised as his own daughter, I wondered why people choose to overlook his indiscretions.

For the most part, people seem to ignore Allen’s creeper factor because, like Polanski, who raped a child and people kept working with, it’s because he’s an “artiste”. I’ve never liked Allen’s movies, and I stopped bothering to watch them a long time ago. Maybe it’s because after coming home from a year in Honduras and seeing Allen’s movie “Bananas” and thinking the guy had no clue, I was jaded by his later offerings. Most of his stuff has the same premise, much like his real life. Old guy, young girl, pseudo intellectualism, yadda, yadda, yadda. I’ve asked other people, and they tell me it’s supposed to be intelligent humor, and if you don’t get it, it’s cause you’re not smart. However, I think most of his stuff is simply seen as intellectual, and so people pretend they like it and understand it, because they don’t want to be seen as not getting it. It’s the whole emperor’s new clothes thing. Nobody wants to point out that it’s stupid, for fear of being the one pointed as being stupid. I guess actors work with Allen because of the same reason. There’s some kind of street cred in having been in an Allen movie. Then again, Hollywood is a place where everyone only uses mac’s because everyone else uses Mac’s, and they don’t want to be seen using something different, incase people think they’re inferior. Same reason they all tout the same political beliefs, or even use the same stylists. They’re all desperate to fit in, and don’t want to rock the boat.

I don’t care how much people like to pretend he’s a creative genius. The fact is, a child said he molested her. He used his influence and popularity, as well as wealth to afford a team of legal and publicity people to smear the child and the mother. He then went on to take nude photos of another child that was raised as his own, (yes, I know she’s not biologically his child, or that Farrow and Allen lived together, but he still raised her like his own) and then he married her. His latest interview about how he has given her opportunities she didn’t have in Korea is especially uncomfortable, because he really does speak about Soon Yi the way a father would about a child, not like a man talks about his wife. “She had a very, very difficult upbringing in Korea: She was an orphan on the streets, living out of trash cans and starving as a 6-year-old. And she was picked up and put in an orphanage. And so I’ve been able to really make her life better. I provided her with enormous opportunities, and she has sparked to them. She’s educated herself and has tons of friends and children and got a college degree and went to graduate school, and she has traveled all over with me now. She’s very sophisticated and has been to all the great capitals of Europe. She has just become a different person. So the contributions I’ve made to her life have given me more pleasure than all my films.” Another interview points out he didn’t intend to marry her, he was just cheating on Farrow with her, and then it developed into an actual thing. “I started the relationship with [wife Soon-Yi Previn] and I thought it would just be a fling,” Allen tells Sam Fragoso about Mia Farrow’s adopted daughter, whom the filmmaker started dating while still in a relationship with Farrow.” Ugh.

Whether you like Allen’s films or not, or think he’s an exceptional artist or not, it shouldn’t stop people from asking the hard questions. Being a director doesn’t mean you can get away with things a plumber couldn’t. If you wouldn’t refrain from questioning the local brickie who was accused of kiddly fiddling, you shouldn’t stand idly by while a Hollywood person is accused of the same thing. Being famous isn’t an automatic hall pass to incestuous relationships, police interviews, or even jail.

I applaud Ronan Farrow for once again speaking up. I say fuck you to all the anonymous internet trolls who rear their twitter egg heads whenever someone speaks up against abuse and types the same boring lines. “They’re after money, or fame”. “Why did they wait so long” etc.

Watch Allen’s movies if you like, but don’t try to justify his actions simply because he can make a movie. Separate the man from the job. Don’t say that the press trail isn’t the place to ask questions. It may be the only place he has to answer them. Don’t be a part of the cycle of silence. Don’t point the finger in outrage at the guy who opened the show in Cannes with a rape joke. He didn’t rape anyone, he just pointed out that certain Americans directors did. (and continued to work)

I’m not saying you have to hang and quarter Allen, or judge him as guilty, but I am asking you to at least consider the possibility that he did was Dylan said he did. Have a little sympathy/empathy, whatever, and don’t just sweep the allegations aside because you like his shitty movies.

July 8, 2015July 8, 2015

Kids on reality TV

The Child Labor Reality

I’ve gotten into heated discussions with people over whether kids working in the entertainment industry is comparable to child labour. The way I see it, if you’re working, you’re considered labour, so any kid working is child labour. Others try to say I’m insulting the child labourers of third world countries, because their PC definition of child labour is restricted to kids working in factories in places like Bangladesh or Honduras. Sure, kids working in third world countries have it rough, but if you think that kids working on TV are all living a life of luxury, and making a huge amount of cash for later in life, you’re sadly mistaken.

Some places like California have laws set up for kids, many places don’t. So while your ten year old can’t go work at a store, or even on the family farm, you can send them off to work on a movie set, where contrary to popular perception, the work is much less than glamorous. Filming can be long, hard, and tedious, and sometimes even dangerous. You might be working outside in snow in winter, or in the heat of summer, with no AC, or even shade. You might end up working with a sex offender, and good luck getting anyone to do anything about that. Animals normally have a handler, and laws to protect them, making sure they get breaks for water, and to rest. Kids in most states do not even have that.

Now, there’s a huge crop of reality shows based around kids. These ones have even less protections. Most reality shows are scripted, and it’s not just cameras following kids around. Jon from Jon & Kate talked about how they would do retakes if the shot wasn’t right, and they might have the kids up at 2am, outside in the snow, trying to film. He got tired of it, and wanted to protect the kids. Kate didn’t care, she was making money, and getting famous. Even better, the kids were exempt from their own contracts in the beginning, so all the money was going to the adults.

I could argue the child labour issue of kids in the media till I’m blue in the face, but it’s probably just easier to let Paul Petersen do it. He’s my personal hero, and he’s been fighting for kids in the industry for years. Paul started A Minor Consideration, and here he is on CBC radio, discussing the laws. It’s about 12 minutes long, but very worth your time.

Listen here: http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/ID/2671225973/

A Minor Consideration is there for all current and former kids in the industry. If you’re a product of the industry and need help, contact AMC. If you want to help out, you can make a tax deductible donation, or attend our first ever Gala event in August. All money raised goes to helping fight for the rights of the innocents of the industry.

www.aminorconsideration.org

June 16, 2015

Wild Horses Movie Review

Wild Horses

Have you ever seen a movie so horrifically bad, you feel compelled to warn others not to waste two hours of their lives?

This movie, Wild Horses, stars Robert Duvall. He’s an American legend. Usually, his stuff is amazing. Somehow though, in between writing, directing, and starring in this movie, he completely failed. His biggest fail was casting his wife as one of the main characters. Luciana Pedraza, aka Luciana Duvall, plays a Texas Ranger so wooden, Pinocchio looks real by comparison. The only other movie she has been in was another Robert Duvall movie. Look Robert, I get you love your wife, but that doesn’t mean she can, or should, act in your movie.

I wanted to turn the movie off after the first 10 minutes, but I held out for James Franco and Josh Harnett. (Also, there’s a Tropical Storm happening, so I can’t go play outside) Even these two couldn’t save the film. The scenes involving them were slightly better, but I just felt sorry for them being in this movie, and trying to act off the rest of the cast. Franco acted his ass off 127 Hours, and he didn’t have anyone to act with in the majority of that movie. I guess that’s easier than trying to act off people who are just terrible actors. The casting director of this film should be thrown out of the Casting Directors association. Did he even have these people read their lines before giving them their jobs? The other “Rangers” and cast members seems to have taking acting lessons from William Shatner, but forgot to use facial expressions.

The movie wasn’t helped along by my other pet peeve in movies; filming locations that aren’t remotely like the place that they’re set. I know the Texas Film Commission fucked up a few years ago by taking away film incentives, so now all these movies that are set in Texas go film somewhere else, but seriously, how do you make a movie that is supposed to be set on the Rio Grande in Texas, in Utah? Sure, Texas and Utah might both have some rocky regions, but I can assure you that nowhere along the Mexican border does it look like the Mountains of Utah. There’s no mormon tabernacles, and I laughed my ass off when the fictional LaBelle County Sheriff car was parked, and they forgot to take the Utah license plate off of it. Also, why do people think that every movie set in Texas needs to be all about cowboys wearing wranglers and Stetsons. I was so confused when I moved to Texas and there wasn’t cowboys everywhere. Every Hollywood movie made me think there was nothing but horses and oil rigs in this huge state. Sure, there are cowboys, but that’s not all there is. It’s such a cliche.

So, save yourself the time, and the frustration, and probably your voice as you start screaming at the screen. Find something else to watch. Pretty much anything that Duvall, Franco or Harnett are in. Anything would be better than this. I guess at least Matt was amused, but I think he was watching me watch the film…. Let’s just say, I got more animated than anyone paid to be in this film.

June 10, 2015

Residuals

Can actors live off residuals forever?

There seems to be a perception that an actor can live off residual cheques forever. It’s a common misperception. Yes, there are a few actors who do live quite well with the added residual income cheques, but there are very few who can live off just that income. Especially if you’re from an older show that had a contract written before new technology.

Another child actor friend of mine had started a discussion today within our group asking about residuals. I always love hearing from my US counterparts, because the laws are set up so differently here. Or at least I thought. Seems a lot of them with older contracts also got screwed out of money. Sometimes they post up pics of the cheques they do get, so we can all have a laugh and commiserate together. Some people get an actual cheque for $0.10 or less. It’s not even worth the paper it was written on.

After seeing the discussion today, it got me thinking about the last time the Hey Dad cast got a cheque. It was before I turned 21, and I bought a watch with it, which I still have. It was a Tag Heuer, and it was on a crazy sale for under $500. I had been eyeing it for months, and when I got that cheque, I cashed it, and got me that watch. I think that cheque was for $800, so I spent the rest on something responsible like rent and groceries.

Our contracts were from the 1970’s. There was no electronic media back then. Nobody knew what a DVD was. Cable wasn’t in Australia yet. They had it written in that we would get a few rounds of residuals from overseas sales, and repeats. A lot of older US contracts were updated to reflect that shows are now run constantly on cable, and are also being put into box sets. Some even reflect digital usage.

Somehow, that never happened in Australia. We thought maybe since it had been shown on Comedy Classics channel on cable, there might be something owed there, but apparently, we were all shit out of luck. Nothing from all the local channels that played it for years either. All the foreign residuals were also out of contract it seemed. I wasn’t even really aware that we had a box DVD set until Gary Reilly sent me an email, asking for a current address, as there may have been money owed to us. My next trip to Australia, I took my brother to the store with me to show him, because he didn’t believe me, and Matt bought a set, so I know they sold at least one DVD set.

Then, I didn’t hear anything for a long time, so I contacted Gary again, making sure things didn’t get lost in the international post. Gary said there had “been an error” and that even though there was now two box sets in Australia, and Germany released four different box sets, we wouldn’t be getting any money. When we got together for that episode of Where Are They Know, we had a discussion at dinner, to see if anybody have ever received anything. None of us had. Worse than that, Chris Truswell got excited because he had money sent to from the union, and then they said there had been an error, and it belonged to someone else. We wondered how it was that even with old contracts, the show could be sold over and over again, and us actors were getting nothing for it. I’m glad to know it’s way more common than just Australian shows getting fucked. (I had heard the cast of Prisoner also kicked up a stink about not getting anything when they were sold off on DVD)

Of course, nobody is going to buy these DVD sets now. (I think I sealed that deal 😉 ) Although there are a couple of sets available on Amazon in the US and the UK. (Do they even know what the show was?) I’m not bitter about it, because it was probably only pennies we would have gotten anyway. It’s just an observation that I made today that actors make a lot less money than people think they do. Shit, I made more in the military per week than I ever did on Hey Dad..! I’m guessing Gary made a pretty penny as the producer though. If I ever go back to the industry, I’m going to be a producer. They’ve got the money and the power.

So next time you see an actor out and about, especially if they’re working a second job, be nice to them. Understand that they probably don’t just blow through all their money on booze and drugs. Some of them just never got that money in the first place to start the party with. Not everyone makes Charlie Sheen money.

Of course, if anyone from the media union in Oz is reading this, I’m sure the rest of the cast would appreciate it if you looked into where their residual money is.

June 3, 2015

A Minor Consideration Gala

AMC is having a fundraiser!

As some of you know, I’m involved with a group in the US called A Minor Consideration. It was started by Paul Peterson back in 1991, to help current and former child actors. When I was going through all the shit with the investigation and court case in Australia, I found Paul, and he welcomed me into the fold. AMC has the most amazing group of people, who truly understand what it is to be a child actor, and the stuff that we go through. They’re not just a support group, they actively work to change laws, and make the industry a safer place for kids to work in. It’s not just about actors either, AMC helps to create child labour laws for kids in reality TV, who are often not covered at all in some states. A lot of people don’t know that each state has its own laws regarding child labour. Some States simply contract the parents, and all the kids work for free. They’re not covered by any kind of child protection laws, and can be worked all kinds of crazy hours, in any kind of weather, and don’t even have any right to the money their supposedly making.

A Minor Consideration is actively working with the government to protect child performers, but they can’t do it for free. It’s expensive to travel to DC to meet with the legislators. It costs money to help former child actors who need help. So for the first time ever, A Minor Consideration is having a fundraising event, and it’s going to be awesome.

If you’re in the LA area, or need a good excuse to go there, the Gala in going to be on August 30, 2015 at the Hollywood Lucky Strike.

There’s going to be a tonne of celebrities, a huge auction of memorabilia, and most importantly, a good time while we help raise money for AMC.

So spread the word, but your tickets, or just make a donation. I plan on being there, and I hope to see y’all there too.

Click the picture above, and it will take you to the AMC Gala page where you can buy tickets to the event, or just make a donation to this worthy cause.