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17 December 2008

I am posting this story about Jeremy Piven quitting "Speed the Plow" because→[More:]of this line:

Playwright Mamet told Daily Variety, "I talked to Jeremy on the phone and he told me that he discovered that he had a very high level of mercury. So my understanding is that he is leaving show business to pursue a career as a thermometer."


God bless fucking Mamet.
post by: ThePinkSuperhero at: 23:39 | 24 comments
I LOL'd at that too.
posted by jonathanstrange 18 December | 00:13
Where is the story?
posted by arse_hat 18 December | 00:40
???

I do not get this.
posted by Eideteker 18 December | 03:56
Oh dear, did I leave out the link? Can't fix on the iPod, but the story is on Playbill.com.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 18 December | 04:55
turtlegirl is a Mamet fan too.

You should have said something. Mamet lives up the road. We could have, at least, taken you to his favourite restaurant in Plainfield.
posted by terrapin 18 December | 07:32
OK I added the link for you.
posted by arse_hat 18 December | 09:23
Oh thank you! And I'm pleased to see they added Norbert Leo Butz in his place. I love him. I may need to get out to see this show yet!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 18 December | 10:42
After my grandfather died, I found about a quart of liquid mercury in his basement lab. Being kids we found all kinds of fun things to do with it. One was, if you leaned out a fourth story window and dropped about a tablespoon of it, when it hit the ground it would flash out into a circular shape and you could briefly see your reflection in it.

Apparently, elemental mercury is not too poisonous, unless you breathe the fumes.

The only person I know to have mercury poisoning ate swordfish as their only protein, 3 times a day, for 5 years.
posted by StickyCarpet 18 December | 10:55
I hope that Mamet has some concern for the guy. And that he just could not pass on such a great line.
posted by danf 18 December | 13:55
Okay, I still don't get it. I also don't know anything about Mamet except that he's a name (like Sedaris) that the NPR crowd like to name-drop.
posted by Eideteker 18 December | 16:32
Well then why don't you look him up instead of implying that the people participating in this thread are part of a group you find obnoxious?
posted by mudpuppie 18 December | 17:30
Mamet is a writer, playright, and director. I'm sure you've heard of his Oscar-nominated film Wag the Dog Glengarry Glen Ross was a play he wrote that he later turned into a famous and influential movie. I know that GGR the movie is popular amongst people who don't listen to NPR because my father-in-law likes that movie.

Other movies Mamet wrote or directed that are famous amongst people who don't listen to NPR:
* The Untouchables
* Ronin
* Hannibal (this was just an adaptation)

David Sedaris is an essayist. My mom likes his essays, even though she is a middle-aged, poor, blue-state Republican and he is a young, gay man who lives in France. My mom likes to listen to Dr. Laura and Rush Limbaugh, not NPR.
posted by muddgirl 18 December | 17:41
Hmm, I just realized that maybe it's elitist to notice and track the people that write and direct movies, rather than the people who star in them. In which case, my dad the one-eyed machinist is pretty damned elitist.
posted by muddgirl 18 December | 17:42
he is a young, gay man who lives in France

Sit down, muddgirl, because this is going to blow your mind.

David Sedaris is 52!!!

I only learned this recently and it shocked the pants off me. He'll always sound like a little boy, I guess.
posted by mudpuppie 18 December | 17:44
What???? My mind is totally blown (It's not just the voice, cause I read his essays before I heard him speak. Maybe it's some prejudice I have that unmarried men are younger than "regular people"? Or that people I like are around the same age as me? I should work on that.)
posted by muddgirl 18 December | 17:50
Wait, does that mean Amy Sedaris is almost 50? Wow.
posted by muddgirl 18 December | 17:52
(PS, I don't believe that Hugh Hamrick is a completely real person)
posted by muddgirl 18 December | 17:53
I hope that Mamet has some concern for the guy.

I think word around town is that Piven's real issue is more of a Hollywood nature, because apparently despite being "sick", he still goes out partying every night. I think Mamet's comment probably reflects some of the frustration of having to smooth over a less-than-ideal situation.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 18 December | 18:04
I hate David Sedaris. I love David Mamet. That's all.
posted by desjardins 18 December | 18:55
Glengarry Glen Ross is right up there with The Big Lebowski as the most rewatchable and quotable films of all times.
posted by StickyCarpet 18 December | 20:38
I think word around town is that Piven's real issue is more of a Hollywood nature, because apparently despite being "sick", he still goes out partying every night. I think Mamet's comment probably reflects some of the frustration of having to smooth over a less-than-ideal situation.

Ok, this makes sense. I don't follow "the trades" enough to know that he's out partying every night, but in that light, I get it. Thanks!
posted by Eideteker 19 December | 08:31
Well then why don't you look him up

Because a wikipedia article on someone may tell you what someone's done, but very often, this does nothing to explain why you "should know" someone. For example, David Sedaris' wikipedia article lists tons of works, none of which I've ever read or heard of. I just know I heard him one time when I was in my "listening to NPR to figure out why people like it so much" phase, and he was totally annoying. Same for his appearance on the Daily Show. So, by doing this thing people call "talking," I attempt to glean more subtle information than what would be normally found by fucking googling it.

You should enjoy my new book, "Who the Fuck is This Pauline Kael Chick Anyway?"
posted by Eideteker 19 December | 08:40
Theatre gossip columnist Michael Riedel brings some more details- I particularly like the part about Piven calling casting directors personally to ask them to look for a replacement.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 19 December | 12:30
Amy Sedaris is 47. And still definitely a PMAILF.
posted by stilicho 19 December | 23:11
← I gave in || In the space of 15 minutes, →

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