Why I’ll never be an actor

I’ve always thought that if I ever made it as a top actor in Hollywood (laugh, anyone who knows me), I’d work enough to make a pile of cash, save my money and leave forever. When one hears of the astronomical amounts some mediocre actors are being paid, when writers, teachers, daycare workers are woefully underpaid in comparison, it really makes one think.

So obviously, acting is not a passion for me. I’d only be in it for the money. Doing something just for the money doesn’t feel right. Some actors are only in it for the fame. Any reality show star falls into this category. Some stay too long past the time when they’re relevant. No one really needed a Basic Instinct 2, Sharon Stone.

Bringing that into a business context, should you start a business just for money? Should you start one because you’re passionate about it, regardless of how much income it brings in? Is there an integrity to doing something you love? And, is starving while working at the business you love noble or just stupid?

This commercial has probably put me off eating Caramilk for life

I find this commercial for Caramilk weird and disturbing. Note the extreme form fitting outfits, the awkward wiggly dance moves, the fluty song, the appendages dangling from the dancers wrists, the colour of the body suits — is this supposed to make me savour the chocolate?

At this point I don’t care how the caramel gets into the chocolate – I’m too disgusted. Besides anyone could have figured it out by now: make a mould, cut it in half, put the caramel in, fuse the mould. What’s so mysterious about that?

I think Caramilk needs a new slogan, fast!

If you want to advertise chocolate, Caramilk, here’s how you do it. I’m not a fan of dark chocolate, but seeing the effect it has on the woman in this commercial, I’m willing to try it.

This is why I’m on Paula Abdul’s side

“If people can’t understand it’s not really about money it’s about equality and being fair then you’re an idiot. If someone you work with made 4 times more then you and you are the one who had more experience then them, for basically the same job you’d be p***d too.”
Comment from a People.com article on Paula Abdul

Yes, she was daffy and sometimes you didn’t understand her comments. Regardless, she was a judge on American Idol; one of the ultimate four responsible for taste and talent on the show. I’m not in the entertainment industry, so I’m not going to quibble about whose work is worth more. Is the job of a judge worth less than a host? Or is a host’s job worth more than a judge? I don’t know.

What I do question is, if Ryan Seacrest got paid a reported $45 million over three years ($15 million per year), why should Paula Abdul have been paid just $10 million?  The amount of money is not what’s under discussion, it’s the ratio and the principle behind who’s worth more. By paying Ryan Seacrest so much more,  American Idol sent Paula the message that her worth was much less than his. She didn’t agree. And so, she left.

Good luck Paula!

Business advice for Tori and Dean: Inn Love

In this show, Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott had an idea to open up a bed and breakfast (B&B) inn.  The business is now dead.  Welcoming guests into your home, feeding, cleaning and entertaining  might sound fun at first, but eventually, they realized that running an inn is neither glamorous, nor easy.

The background: Tori and Dean have to move from their house in Los Angeles because the lease is up.  With her $800,000 inheritance, Tori and Dean try to find a property to run as a B&B. They intend to live there and accept paying guests. Tori is about 8 months pregnant.

If I’d been advising Tori before she started the inn, these are the 10 questions I’d have asked:

1. How are you going to run an inn when you’re 8 months pregnant?
2. Are you intending to hire help? (they had to depend on friends for help)
3. Where are their salaries coming from? (the inn wasn’t making money)
4. The person who sold you this B&B– how much was she making from it to begin with? Why is she now selling?
5. What attracts tourists to Fallbrook? (it’s kind of around wine country, but not a really touristy centre)
6. You’re a famous person. Have you considered your safety? People with not so good intentions actually staying in your home? (vandals messed up their fountain, paparazzi came to visit)
7. Are there other businesses you could do that could run themselves while you care for your newborn?
8. How much do you intend to charge per night? (they were charging $150 per night. Pretty cheap!)
9. Are you sure this business can cover your family’s costs? (Tori was pursuing other businesses to make money)
10. Are you fully committed to this business? (Tori and Dean considered themselves to be actors first. They often had several other jobs which took them away from the B&B)

How would you have made the inn succeed?

Everything looks better in an Ikea kitchen

I love this commercial. It reminds me of way too many nights when I’d come home, frustrated from my job and howl about my boss.

Hmm…now I wonder if my husband was thinking other pleasant thoughts while listening to me rant.

On another point: how practical is a white kitchen?

Cake Boss – Crazy Customers

My mouth flew wide open during an episode of Cake Boss (TLC) when a bridezilla, unhappy with her cake, decided to improve upon Buddy Valastro’s work. When his back was turned, she grabbed several piping bags and squeezed mismatched colours over the cake, completely destroying it. She wanted him to make a new one and this was her way of getting what she wanted.

Kudos to Valastro for not leaping up and yelling at her! Maybe it was because the cameras were around, but he decided to be the bigger person and got his team to work overtime on a new cake.

Getting his team in the same frame of mind wasn’t so easy. One advised him to deliver the cake, just as it was. Buddy refused. His ultimate goal was to please his customer. She might have been a bridezilla,” he said, “but I want to make her happy.”

Watching Valastro persuade his team to work on a new cake is something leaders should take note of. He praised, encouraged and flattered, getting them on his side. Turning the other cheek was also a good business move. The bride’s mother, ashamed of what her daughter had done, was so pleased she definitely would have sung Buddy’s praises at the high society wedding, thus leading to more customers.

Buddy’s hard work didn’t impress the bride though. The unpleasant bridezilla refused to come out and see the new cake. She also had a few choice words for the cameras. Good luck to her husband!

ETA: there are online discussions wondering whether the episode was staged or not. Watch the video and discuss.

Fighting my toddler for the TV

I know it’s irrational, just like the fear of clowns, but I don’t like Thomas and his friends. It’s the trains with their grey faces that remind me of ghosts. It’s the immobile faces of the human characters. It’s the voices of the singing children with their accents that remind me of Children of the Corn.

As a whole I don’t like children’s television. But I have to admit that they know their customer. In my home it’s a delighted little boy.  Everything about children’s TV appeals so strongly, from such a young age. The wide grins, bright colours, frenetic activity, hearty, loud voices. It’s exactly what a toddler is like – constant movement, huge emotions and  loud voices.

What are your customers like? What do they like?  Visit their media, blogs and literature to get a sense of who they are. Peruse best seller lists, see what’s first in the movies, check what gets the most acclaim. And maybe, with time, you too can appeal to your customers as strongly as Thomas appeals to my son.