One of my most important jobs as a TV news talent coach is working with morning news teams for local stations across the US. It's a giant money pot for the stations. While the late news audience is shrinking, the morning TV news audience is growing. People who still have jobs get up earlier because they may face longer commutes and are doing more with less, while trying to get the kids off to school and make it to work on time. The TV set is on in the background of all this activity, and it's often the working parent's only connection to the weather, traffic and news in the world outside until they get to the office and can log in on the computer. They want to know what happened in the world while they were asleep, what to expect from local weather and traffic, and be smart about the topics their friends and co-workers will be discussing at the water cooler. This creates a huge challenge for the people who deliver the morning news, beginning as early as 4:30 am in some markets. No matter how sleep-deprived they are, the anchors have to bring their best game to the screen from the first minute of the program; weather and traffic have to be packed with credible information, but also fun to watch. The whole cast must function as the family that the viewers want to wake up with.
Which brings me to "Morning Glory," the latest Hollywood take on what goes on behind the scenes of a morning TV news program. After watching the trailer, the performances of Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford seem entertaining, if not terribly realistic. In the real world, there aren't many people in front of the camera who are over 50, but it's worth the price of admission to hear Harrison growl, "I won't say the word fluffy."
Their new producer, played by Rachel McAdams, seems way too perky in the trailer to be typical of the "understaffed, overworked" people who toil on the overnights. And she has the time and energy to have a boyfriend! While I respect the work of J.J. Abrams on suspenseful action flicks, the teaser for this movie comes across as a fluffier version of the classic "Broadcast News."
I recently completed an assignment to coach an actor for a starring role a reporter and I have played a reporter or anchor in several feature films and network TV series. Anyone interested in this topic of how journalists are portrayed on the big screen should visit Joe Saltzman's excellent database on The Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture at http://www.ijpc.org/.
For more information on coaching packages for your morning news talent or for an actor playing a reporter role, visit my website at http://www.terryanzur.com/.
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