methodwriter85

Chapter 15 -When Will contemplates things against the backdrop of the New York City skyline. "Alone in Kyoto" by Air (Lost In Translation Soundtrack) -When the family gets drunk in a bar in New York City. "Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffet

I think the inherent difficulty with you writing JJ is that he's really not anything like you- most of your lead characters have something about you in them, or they remind you of people you know. JJ is not really like anybody you've met before, or anybody that we've had in the story, and he's got this aloofness to him that makes him harder to understand and get into the mind of. The other thing about JJ is that he's not a generous person, the way your usual CAP protagonists are. The story often gets driven by the fact that the CAP protagonists want to do what they can to help other people, while JJ is generally too self-absorbed to do that. Carullo is a step in the right direction, but it wasn't his idea to help the guy in the first place. This might be the first time I've seen JJ do something for somebody that didn't serve his own self-interests. I think there are reasons why JJ has been a limited character until recent books...the biggest off all, I think, is that JJ's general tendency is to isolate himself. He might focus on one person, and then he shuts everybody else out. While that might work well for an indie drama film about an intense relationship that spirals out of control, that's not really something that can work for a soap opera like CAP. What I think has been interesting is that Mark has essentially written JJ on a three-year character arc, if you really think about. JJ in Millennium started out as a 14-year old diva, happy to be in his little skating bubble with Tiffany and Jeanine and the ice as his entire world. If JJ didn't like something, he could stomp off and hide away at the ice rink. I think the last three CAP years, Mark's basically stripped away all of that- JJ doesn't really have a safe little bubble he can hide in anymore. He can't even stomp off to the ice rink. Also, as JJ put it, he's pretty "boring" in the general CAP sense. Not into casual sex, not into drugs, not into partying, etc etc. While that's a great thing he leads such a healthy lifestyle, again- it doesn't really jibe with the hedonistic fun vibe that CAP often gets. I do get the feeling that Mark's having JJ work a little bit out of his whole Disney self-image...I can't see him EVER doing some of the shit that Will has done (namely performing a solo porn routine on an Italian club stage), but I do think Mark is getting JJ to be just a little bit less prissy. Because as Blue once said, a Disney guy just isn't going to cut it long-term as a CAP protagonist. I do like JJ's conflicts about wanting to jump Carullo's bones, while at the same time, not wanting to date him and thinking that's wrong because of that. He spent 5 years of his life in the world of figure skating...he had to have taken on some of their values internally.

Go with "The Ghost in You", then.

Chapter 14 -When Brad hallucinates seeing Robbie, who has stern words for him. "Every Breath You Take" by The Police OR "Ghost In You" by the Psychedelic Furs I really couldn't decide. -When Brad wakes up after a very long sleep. "Fallen" by Sarah McLachlan I totally gave a fist of triumph when I realized that this song is indeed period. I associate it more with 2005, but it's a 2003 song. Whew. You don't know how much it pisses me off when I have a song that's perfect for the moment...but it's from a year or two ahead of the story. -When Wade and MaryEllen talk about the fallout of JJ's molestation claim. "Maggie May" by Rod Stewart Every time I hear the song, I realize that Rod is basically calling Maggie May an old, ugly hag who destroyed his young school boy life. Which I can basically see JJ doing to MaryEllen. -When Will tries to rally the troops, much to JP's dismay. "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes -When Will, Carullo, and Zach get ready to go off and have a threesome, much to JJ's dismay. (Who still wants to imagine it.) "Ignition" by R. Kelly I don't think it was possible to be in my age group and not have heard this in a college party or college bar, at least once. R. Kelly very wisely gave this a kind of "classic R and B" feel to it- it's had a long life as a result.

I'm pretty sure Elizabeth's reaction was somewhere along the lines, "Well, you sure fucked up THAT plan, MaryEllen. Oh, well. Good luck on getting him to drop those charges, sweetie! I'm off to Cape Cod for the week to visit some of my college friends. Bye!"

Pretty much. And even if/when JJ drops the charges, MaryEllen is always going to have that label of "pedo" on her. Good luck navigating her new social scene with THAT label! Again, this was just so brilliant on so many levels.

Chapter 13 -When JJ's revenge plot is revealed. "Mrs. Robinson" by The Lemonheads

And the thing is, JJ has built this squeaky-clean image of himself. Who are they going to believe- the oversexed slutty Senator's daughter, or the squeaky-clean Disney Friendly figure innocent-looking boy? And it feeds into the double standard- men can't help but be tempted into having sex with the femme fatale. JJ's just an innocent young boy who got seduced by a knowing, older female.

The threesome in Virginia happened during Thanksgiving weekend...JJ was a week or so short of his 17th birthday. In any event, it doesn't really matter, because ME stupidly had sex with him in one of the few states where the Age of Consent is 18, the only exception being if you are over 15 and your partner is within three years of your age. (ME being 21 when it happened, she doesn't fall within the exception.) Interestingly, I can have sex with a 16-year old until my 30th birthday in December in Delaware. (Not that I would...ewww.) Recently, there was an attorney who got into trouble for having a threesome with a 16-year and a 24-year old...the 24-year old recruited the 16-year old, because the attorney wanted to have sex with a guy in high school. The attorney was in his early/mid-30's- if he had basically been just a few years younger, it would have been legal. 16 and 17-year olds in DE can have sex with someone over 18 and under 30. But it's interesting how these laws vary. Personally, I really think the Age of Consent law should be 16, because really...we can trust a 16-year old to drive a car, but we can't trust them to make decisions about sex? Seriously? I remember Dan Savage went on this diatribe one time, about how skewed American society is about this...on one hand, we turn then-teenagers like Britney Spears or pretend teenagers like Katie Holmes into major sex symbols, but on the other hand, we shriek and shout about "protect the child!" whenever a 16-year old girl has sex with her 20-year old boyfriend. In any event, it's brilliant because MaryEllen basically did to herself- she never thought at any time that pissing off an underage guy that you had sex with could lead to some consequences, and she can't really retaliate because she needs to have JJ drop the charges. And ME's reputation is basically toast- just the accusation of being a statutory rapist can permanently damage a rep. If she ever had any political aspirations she's screwed.

Another catch I hope people got- did anyone else realize that Mark just introduced camera phones into CAP-world when they showed the picture of John with an earring? In 2003, camera cell phones basically exploded...the technology had been there since the late 1990's, but it wasn't mainstream tech until 2003 and everybody suddenly had one. IPods should be next- they were around since 2001, but no one really got them until late 2003 when ITunes and Ipod Nanos came around. The really funny thing is that if Mary Ellen had been 19 instead of 21 in late 2002, it all would have been perfectly legal in Virginia. The rule in Virginia is that if you are under 18 but over 15, you can consent to having sex with somebody within 3 years of your age.

Because they're a bunch of a snotty, judgmental teenagers making fun of someone for kind of sucking at something even though they're all into it? It's very high school. Like, I had a buddy in high school on the track team...he was a MUCH better runner than a lacrosse player, and people made of him because he got a lacrosse tattoo. To be fair, that was in 11th grade, and the next year he pretty much dropped lacrosse when he realized that he was better at running. Also, keep in mind that Will is a guy who was considered someone that could've gone pro at surfing at 13, and Zach has probably had buzz around him as a football player since middle school. JJ at 17 is the youngest U.S. Figure Skating champ since the 1960's or something. They're all phenoms in some way, which is why a regular teenager in some regular lame band is going to get some laughs.

Maybe JP has an evil split personality, and said split personality is the one doing all this.

I really don't think the "widow" is literal.

What beef would Tony's mother possibly have with the family? She pretty much knew that Sam was using her as his beard, and the Cramptons/Schluters helped her get on great financial ground after Sam died. Tony and his sister had an affluent upbringing because of that family. It'd be interesting if this was somebody who went way back. Like Classic CAP- CAP, 1968, The Land Whore- back.

To take another "tack", check out "Jude" and "Connor" at 2015 L.A. Gay Pride: God, it really awesome to see two straight young boys who are comfortable enough with themselves to do a gay storyline in a way that feels really authentic. As opposed to Kerr Smith, who was in his late 20's playing a 17-year old gay boy that made him a star and then gave an interview about how straight he is and how he hates having to kiss dudes (but accepts that he only has to do it once a year) and how two guys kissing isn't really something young teenagers need to see.

So Will is officially setting his foot down about Zach and football. I pretty much thought he would never be able to lead a closeted life with Zach, ala Aaron Rodgers and his "roommate." As for JJ, I find it fascinating that he's pretty much the only CAP narrator we've ever had who actually DOESN'T want to get his slut on. I like that. Keeps him different. I do get the feeling that Mark is easing JJ out of his whole "nearly virginal Disney princess" vibe, though. JJ probably won't ever really become a total slut, but he might find a balance between prude and slut.

Chapter 12 -When Wade gets angry, and gets Trevor to admit that La Danfield is behind all of this. "Season of the Witch" by Donovan -When Will makes the decision to break up with Zach for good, at least for the next few years, but still remain friends with him. "All Kinds of Time" by Fountains of Wayne -When JJ tries to talk himself out of his crush on Carullo. "Miss Independent" by Kelly Clarkson

Mark, the Olson twins were 17-year old girls who owned a multi-millionaire business media conglomerate. You can't get much higher up than that without being old-money blue bloods, which neither of them are. JJ would probably consider them about equals, but disdain the fact that their fashion stuff is mainly Wal-Mart stuff. He'd probably like their Boho fashion sense in any event. But I'll concede your point that he's a social climber who would try and get in with the truly elite crowd. Still, I don't think he'd stick his nose up at them, especially when you factor in that he "grew up with them" by watching Full House. There might be some residual goodwill on his part towards them for being Michelle Tanner. I'm trying to decide whether or not JJ would be horrified by the hipster look, or join in on it. He IS going to live in New York City, and he'll be going to school in Brooklyn. It might rub off on him.

This is way ahead in the future, but Mark, did you read the New York Times article about the Amazon workplace? I wrote a blog about it, and I really wanted your thoughts on it, as a guy who left corporate America big money to be a professor instead. My feeling reading the article was that it was a lot like The Wolf of Wall Street, but minus the drugs and the depravity. Like a clean-cut version of business-obsessed sociopaths. Anyway, the recent explosion of Amazon has been interesting. It's always been there, but it hasn't really become so pervasive until recent years. I kind of wish they were in Philly- they could use those jobs! All we are getting around this area are the warehouse jobs.

Hey guys, I thought I'd point you guys to this rather fascinating expose I read by the New York Times about the corporate culture of the Amazon Workplace. Amazon: Wrestling Ideas in a Bruising Workplace It paints a picture of Amazon as this "every man for themselves" environment, where workers are encouraged to work well over 40 hours a week (try more like 80), sabotage each other in secret feedback to their bosses, and hold themselves to unreasonably high standards. People who go through thing like miscarriages or cancer are "managed out" instead of getting sympathy, and all in all it sounds like one big crazy jungle. So my question is...have you guys ever worked in jobs with bosses who had completely unreasonable expectations? Did you work in a job where you went way beyond the job description? Did you find the experience rewarding, or did it just burn you out? Does the "Amazon Way", as they put it, ring a bell with you in your own experiences? I just thought this was just such a crazy read, and I want Alan Sorkin/David Fincher to make a movie out of this as soon as possible.

Twizzlers pull and peel. Nuff said. Anyway, Tim, I've always kind of seen you as a guy who would rock the hell out of that preppy man look- boat shoes, some chino shorts, and Vineyard Vines pastel polo shirts.

Also, have Zach, Will, Marie, and JJ thrown into a large, expansive arena where they must fight to the death with other teenagers until a lone victor remains. Seriously though, I'm looking forward to re-living the Twilight era. My god, that was hilarious. I told this guy at a party once that his peat coat made him look like Robert Pattinson and he went on a 10-minute rant. It was then that I realized that RPatz had officially replaced Zac Efron as the Teen Idol Du Jour. I just wonder if Will is going to be Team Jacob, or Team Edward. What were you, Blue?

You're welcome, boss. Hope you have some great weekend plans!

I wonder if JJ will meet Lena Dunham? She's supposed to be in the same class at St. Ann's. I can't see JJ ever actually LIKING Lena Dunham (a weird quirky not-conventionally pretty girl with a hipster flair), but he might run into her. I can totally see JJ hanging out with the Olsen twins, though. They're the same age, they have a grumpy New Yorker attitude, and the twins are fashion moguls. All in all, I really like how you're shaping up JJ's year away from being a skater. What a great place for him to finish school.

Well, technically, that's another 10 days form now. Katrina hit on August 29th.