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Seven Years Later & I’m Still Looking to the Storytelling Horizon
After logging into WordPress this morning, I had a new — yet expected — notification:
Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com!You registered on WordPress.com 7 years ago.Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging.
Seven years ago today, I attended a WordPress conference here in Columbus, OH inside the Ohio Union on the campus of THE Ohio State University. My interest in blogging, which I had dabbled with a bit in the past, took on a whole new dimension and meaning by discovering the online publishing platform WordPress. After listening to a few panel discussions, I immediately went up to the open-aired, impromptu customer service lounge on the third floor of the Ohio Union and sat next to an expert (I knew this person wasn’t a genius because I wasn’t in an Apple store) and asked him to help me set up my blog that would be called Jimmy’s Daily Planet.
One of my first blog posts published here — of which there were two I wrote on July 13, 2012 — was titled ‘Eight Years Later & We Look to the Horizon’ that focused on what would be the next societal game-changer. Hence part of the inspiration for today’s title. The other half of the title will be revealed in the second half of this blog post.
FYI – I explained the name of my blog in a post four years ago today. Here’s that summary.
Paying homage to the greatest (albeit fictional) newspaper of all-time, The Daily Planet, this blog was founded on my love of my favorite superhero and disguised human of all-time: Superman and Clark Kent. The scene from Richard Donner’s 1978 classic ‘Superman’ that showed us Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent walk through the bullpen of The Daily Planet for the first time was the moment I knew I wanted to be a journalist. The chaos, palpable energy, and big city, skyscraper setting flew from the screen and landed directly into my impressionable imagination.
These few minutes showing reporters preparing to get the scoop, watching exciting individual and group dynamics (papers scattered, people typing, talking and moving) and hearing creative storytelling pitches is arguably my favorite journalistic hook.
Plus, my name is Jimmy.
And here’s that aforementioned scene.
This ‘Superman’ clip resonates as much today as it did when I saw it for the first time as a kid.
Breaking News: I’m going to step away from publishing new blog posts on Jimmy’s Daily Planet. While Jimmy’s Daily Planet and all of the blog posts — written about a wide range of topics and current events — will remain available online in its exact current form with this same web address, there are other pressing writing projects that I am excited about that I need to commit more time and energy towards. As a matter of fact, it’s been my self-imposed Monday-Friday schedule of having to come up with and write new content on this blog for so many years that has given me the time management skills and confidence to now apply to new storytelling projects.
I wish I had the time to keep writing my daily blog — I really do — but the inspiration for my future projects will be rooted in and connected, in some way, to my writing style, experience, and association with my favorite headline/title I’ve ever come up with: Jimmy’s Daily Planet.
Here’s TV producer, writer, and storyteller extraordinaire Chuck Lorre with the right words at the right time.
I’ve loved writing Jimmy’s Daily Planet. I’ve had so much fun. And now everything that’s been put into this creative storytelling venture throughout the past seven years will be used to tell new, exciting stories that I hope people will connect with and like as much as I do.
Dr. Ian Malcolm, the fictional chaos theorist in ‘Jurassic Park,’ famously said that perfect turn of phrase — by way of the late author Michael Crichton — “life finds a way.”
I’m hoping that brilliant literary and cinematic adage can be amended to “writing finds a way.”
Thank you to everyone who read Jimmy’s Daily Planet and supported me along the way!
The Origin of ‘The Big Bang Theory’
‘The Big Bang Theory’ ended its popular 12-season run last month. While the CBS primetime hit could have continued for at least another season, show co-creator Chuck Lorre was probably right not to force it forward by strong-arming Jim Parsons.
At least we still have ‘Young Sheldon’ with Jim Parsons narrating on CBS for the foreseeable future.
Speaking of Mr. Lorre — the veritable sitcom (though he hates the word sitcom) king of the modern era — I thought I’d throw it back to an interview he gave about seven years ago in which he described how ‘The Big Bang Theory’ came to be for its TV premiere in 2007.
For 12 years, ‘The Big Bang Theory’ was — to quote a memorable expression of optimism by Leonard in the pilot involving his crush on beautiful new neighbor Penny — smart and beautiful…
and, thankfully, not imaginary.
An Elevator Pitch Lifted the Co-Creator of the ‘The Big Bang Theory’
Continuing this week’s dedicated blog posts leading up to the series finale of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ this Thursday night on CBS, it’s time to learn about the man behind the outcast science nerds.
Chuck Lorre, TV’s 66-year-old mega-producer of popular sitcoms half-hour comedies, including ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ did not have a traditional route to his current position. In actuality, his long and winding path to the executive producer, show creator and showrunner that everyone wants today pivoted on the spur of the moment with a succinct determination that translated into one of the best elevator pitches.
It was an elevator pitch that, unlike a broken elevator in a certain Pasadena apartment complex, worked to help him move on up to the successful side of life.
Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Melissa Rauch, and Mayim Bialik will be missed as a cast. Together, they delivered in so many ways — comedically as well as with those rare sweet moments like the napkin signed by Leonard Nimoy — that made them and ‘The Big Bang Theory’ must-see TV for 12 years. But we must also give credit to the men and women behind the scenes and cameras on set for creating the fictional world within Pasadena’s science community that millions of people around the world relate to and enjoy.
Chuck Lorre is one of these people.
And his personal story from a struggling musician to a prime time storyteller is not theoretical. It evolved his way, according to the script he was unknowingly writing for himself more than three decades ago.
It’s Monday…
Today is one of those days. It (as a wise woman once told me) inhales profusely. We’ve all had them, we’ve all become stressed because of them and we’ve all just wanted them to end.
Except me and except for today.
I want to remember this feeling equally comprised of anger, depression, hopelessness and, oddly enough, reassurance. If you’re doing something and/or are around someone who is constantly making you feel under-appreciated, unwelcome and miserable, then a change, however painful, is necessary for basic human happiness.
Life is too damn short.
And while I am not in the mood for levity at the moment, Chuck Lorre may be the only person who just might get me to achieve this impossible feat today. Not out loud, but inside, where the fire burns. And, apparently, that place deep down where the fire burns is precisely where Chuck Lorre “amateur comedy writer” slowly evolved into Chuck Lorre “sitcom king.”
From feelings of upchucking to Chuck lifting me up a little in a single bound interview.
That’s a super story of winning made for TV.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 