An oral history of Industrial Light & Magic:
DYKSTRA: The warehouse was probably 1,300 square feet and smelled like a gym locker. It was hotter than hell. If you lit a model with 6,000 watts, you could get to 130 degrees.
LORNE PETERSON (MODEL MAKER, MODEL SHOP SUPERVISOR): Somebody found a big water tank, and we filled it with cold water. We’d dip in during break time.
The guy who sexually harrassed Joan on Mad Men (pardon me, ONE of the guys) proceeded to behave inappropriately while being interviewed by Buzzfeed:
Then, in the middle of the shoot — for which we asked Johansson to act out reactions to so-called dicks in the workplace — the actor made another comment, one we did capture on camera. “I’m not shy,” he said to my colleagues and me under the hot fluorescent lights inside the studio. I laughed at his improvisation, which admittedly was pretty funny. Then he said, a little too casually, “I’m sweating like a rapist,” wiping his forehead and the sides of his face, seemingly not paying attention to the camera that was recording those very words.
This interview with Mad Men‘s Stan, however, reveals him to be the sort of lovely person one would hope.
Rachel Kramer Bussel’s grandpa is a hero:
PTSD is not particularly associated with WWII vets, partly because the term didn’t emerge until after the war in Vietnam, and partly because we downplayed its effects. We’re “the greatest generation,” the ones that lived through the Depression and returned home as heroes. But war is war. When my father returned home with his Army unit after they defeated the Germans in World War I, veterans with psychological problems were termed “shell-shocked.” My generation’s issues, described as “battle fatigue,” were famously dismissed by Gen. George Patton. The rate of PTSD among WWII vets is difficult to ascertain, but one study put the number at 26-33 percent.
There is nothing I enjoy more than a scathing restaurant review in the New York Times, and basically every word of this is a pure delight:
One night, the bar made me a Paloma in a pint glass, while a woman at my table got her Paloma in a much smaller glass. Everybody knows women drink less than men, so we appreciated the thoughtfulness. To avoid making her self-conscious, I suppose, the restaurant even charged us both the same amount, $13.
My natural instinct is to ask, “What do you guys think we should do? Okay, here’s what we should do.” As I’ve gotten older, though, I’ve learned that I can be a lot more effective when I’m not the last word on everything. In your 20s, you want to get your way; in your 40s, you start to seek harmony. Kevin (McDonald) is a great guy to work with in that he is as willing or more willing to laugh at your joke than to fight for his own. He adds energy more than he takes away. And Dave (Foley) is quiet and he’ll say, “I think this is a pretty good idea,” but he won’t jump up and down about it. He is almost always right, so it’s in our best interest to pay attention. Working in a group and balancing those personalities can be tough, but it is also this amazing chemical thing where the room has a bigger spirit.
I didn’t think it was any big achievement, but this doctor’s note says I haven’t used my muscles in so long I’m getting a trophy!
— Avery Edison (@aedison) May 19, 2015
