Thursday, August 10, 2006

In the Hot Seat with Bruno Amato

Bruno Amato is an actor and a Navy veteran. He is not as Conservative as most of our posters. Then again I am not as Conservative as the majority of our posters. One of the minor points is that contrary to the opinion of waterfowl I am far more well rounded then one generally assumes. I have seen almost onehundred Broadway shows and am a fan of classic art. I do not waste my time and money at Almodar films like the Duck. Interestingly Felis and Farmer John seem to have a working knowledge of many of these obscure films and often disagree with the Duck.

The first section is about acting in general.

1 Actors audition for hundreds of roles and most of us dread going on interviews. How does one deal with rejection that often accompanies the job? Does one develop a thick skin? Does the disappointment sting just as much today as when one was younger?
2 Certain actors seem to have a natural chemistry such as Mathau and Jack Lemmon or John Wayne and Ward Bond is this something that takes experience or is it just unexplainable that certain people just work well with others.
3 Does the snobery of Broadway and live theatre being the apex of the acting craft still exist? Historically those who have done live performances tended to view themselves as a cut above Movie actors and there was a general disdain towards commercials as the nadir of the acting trade. I can say I have seen Richard Dreyfus and Alec Baldwin on Broadway and they were clearly not as skilled as the rest of the cast. Most well known actors and actresses stink when they appear on Broadway. A notable exception was Fritz Weaver who is a genuine world class actor and has uncanny delivery and diction.

US Navy

4 My brother and sister in law are career US Naval Officers. I think Mr Beamish's brother is an Aircraft Carier man. One of the things people do not understand is that working on aircraft carriers is a dangerous occupation. On routine missions people do get swept of the flight deck. There are also plenty of routine vocational accidents on Naval ships. What should civilians understand about life in the Navy?
5 Did you get a chance to visit the Philipinnes? My brother is one of the few sailors who seemed to love Okinawa. What were your favorite ports of call?
6 My brother swears Navy food on a ship is better then advertised? Is this a misperception by the public.

Immigration

7 Should the United States shift the focus of future immigration from family ties to vocational skills?
8 Do you think people who serve in the US military should get accelerated immigration benefits. Currently, citizenship is reduced by half for servicemen.

Personal

9 Do you watch professional sports? Do you have a favorite team or athlete?
10 There are three restuants on the block you have a choice of Tex/Mex, Seafood or a classic NJ Diner where would you go. If you were with a date would you choose the same establishment. I am the first to admit I am guilty of changing culinary tastes for an easier date. Thus if I have the choice of classic Greek cuisine or Seafood and I am on a date I would stick with the sea food.
11 From your blog it is apparent that you are an animal lover. I am a fan of nature myself and spent hours and much travel to get a glimpse of Moose. Is there any animal that you particularly enjoy watching in the wild?

Real life and art

12 Long term readers know I was an eyewitness to 9-11 and a survivor of the 93 blast at the WTC. Do you feel uncomfortable watching things that you have experienced on film? I have no plans to see the Oliver Stone 9-11 movie as I still have flashbacks.
Yet I did enjoy the amazingly accurate depiction of Staten Islanders in Working Girl.
Do some movies hit too close to home?
13 What do you think about reality TV shows. I think they are too contrived and have run their course. If there ever was a show who would like to give Donald Trump a wedgie I would audition for that show.

The environment

14 Long term readers know I am a huge fan of natural beauty such as the White Mountains on New Hampshire and the Rivers of Vermont. Yet I understand the need for jobs in the timber industry in Maine and Northern Vermont. Is the notion of managed use of resources realistic?
15 Are certain parks just too groomed to be enjoyable. A coworker from Vermont went to Central Park and thought it was not natural enough. Central Park was created around the same time as the familiar French Renaisance period. It was modeled after European parks and as such heavily landscaped.
16 Pick one the beach or rugged mountains.

The future

17 What countries will be vital to the economic future of America?
18 Is there a divide between costal communities and flyover country? I see the divide as being between rural and urban populations becoming worse in the future?
19 Is the never ending price increases for higher educaton a threat to our future? Many of our economic rivals have subsidized higher education such as India.

Our vast country

20 One of the criticism is that Americans do not travel. However the Europeans who make that claim have zero idea of the vast distances in the USA? When I travel to NYC I am going 400 plus miles and if I went to Florida we may be talking three times as far. A similar trip in Europe would cross several borders. Is this European complain valid or just condescension.
21 I often point out that I can take a literal trip around the world and not leave the greater NYC area. Are we more diverse and cosmopolitan then our European critics presume.
22 As a NYC native I often take pleasure in helping tourists find locations. However, I do get annoyed when they proceed to give long winded diatribes about domestic politics. Excuse me I didn't elect your President nor do I lecture you about your leaders. Have you experienced this on the West Coast.

Random

23 Do you know how to shoot pool?
24 Have you driven a snow mobile?
25 Are people who send their pets to psychiatrist in need of some professional help themselves?

17 comments:

ACTORSITE said...

1. Rejection is almost a daily thing for me...Most of the tv, film or commercial auditions I go on, end with me not getting the job. The competition in LA is fierce, all you can do is your best, and hope "you" are what they're looking for.....2.When I think of chemistry more currently, the show "Friends" comes to mind, certain people or cast's just seem to work well together, I'm not sure why....3. I actually think actor's who do "theatre" are the real deal. On film you can sometimes do 20 takes before you get it perfect, when you're on stage there aren't any "do overs". Look what happened when Julia Roberts did Broadway, I heard it wasn't pretty....4. I served in the Navy from 1979-1983, I was a Torpedoman on 2 Submarine Tenders, which are basically supply ships for Submarines. It's obviously a lot easier being on a ship, than being in the field as a soldier. I give are Marines and Army guy's a lot of credit doing what they do every day....5 Never did make it to the Phillipines....6. As crazy as it sounds Navy food was great. I mean it wasn't mom's home cooking, but still...7. In my opinion there should be no immigration. Our country is overcrowded as it is. Letting in all these people is what caused September 11th, I am for shutting our borders completely until we can secure our borders properly. Terrorists can't hurt our country unless we let them IN our country. Fighting the war on terror belongs at home first....8. Now people who have already come into our country and our serving in the military may be the exception. If you were willing to fight to be an American, you should be able to become a citizen quicker.....9. I'm a Yankee fan and a Packers fan....10. Favorite food joint, definitelt the New Jersey Diner, unfortunately not many diners here in California.....11. My favorite animals are cats, either the big ones or the small ones. The lion is the king of the jungle for a reason....12.I can't watch those type of films either...13. I HATE reality tv!!!!...14. This is a tough one for me, I hate seeing beautiful land getting used up, maybe if our country wasn't so overcrowded???15. Man, I loved Central Park, and I think they did a good job on it, especially from what it's surrounded by...16. I'm lucky to be close to both, but I love the beach.....17. I'm hoping that we need the middle east countries less, except our one true friend out there...Israel....18.Yes...19.With all my taxes that go to education, college should be free....20. We are a pretty big country, I really don't care what Europeans complain about...21. You can be in certain sections of LA and think you're in Mexico, just like certain sections of Miami, you'll think you're in Cuba, and China Town in NYC, the list goes on, we sure are diverse....22. I haven't spoken to too many tourists out here, I'm stuck in my car too damn long....23. I can shoot pool, but it's been a while....24. Never driven a snowmobile, I don't like winter sports...25. If pet owners are trying to help their pet, it's all good. It's people who harm animals that we have to be worried about......Beak, thanks for putting me on the Hot Seat, it was fun!!! God Bless America, Israel and the UK!!!!!!!!

The Merry Widow said...

Ohhhh! This ought to be good! Looking forward to the answers! Looks like another home run Beaker!

tmw

beakerkin said...

Bruno it seems like you won another fan. We learned alot today
but in a few moments the Duck will be blasting Fritz Weaver. Fritz Weaver is an excellent actor with amazing elocution who starred in Holocaust the mini series and in one of my forgotten thrillers Black Sunday.

Warren said...

Good interview, Bruno.

I hope someday to be able to say, "Hey, I used to talk to that guy on the Internet when he was just a struggling actor!"

The closest I've came so far is that I once did a repo on John Ritter.

LOL!

I disagree on immigration. I believe that we should allow immigrants with marketable skills on a case by case basis. (I also disagree with you about pulling out of Iraq for a whole list of tactical and strategic reasons.)

beakerkin said...

Warren

He has had a bit role on Hunter with Fred Dryer. That was one of my favorite TV cop shows.

Warren said...

Which episode was it?

I don't really watch TV but my wife does and I think that one of the cable stations she watches has the reruns of "Hunter".

(Lately she's on a cowboy kick, Bonanza, Gun Smoke et al).

Did I ever tell you that Huang was an extra in Missing in ActionII. Chuck Noris killed him twice in the same movie! LOL

I guess if the Commies didn't do it, Chuck didn't stand a chance!

ACTORSITE said...

Beak, Don't forget Stephanie Kramer....Warren, I can see having a reduced force in Iraq, maybe 10,000 troops. The rest could be used back home at the borders and at the airports... Immigration, I totally disagree, we have plenty of Americans, to fill those jobs. Immigrants nowadays don't even want to learn our language....Fuggedaboutit!

beakerkin said...

Bruno

I did not forget Stephanie Kramer she was always pleasant to watch.

Warren

You will have to ask Bruno what episode of Hunter he was on?

nanc said...

isn't he a little old to be having bit roles? he needs a starring role! something to see him the rest of the way into his golden years - yeeehaw - i loved "hunter".

how on earth did you find us, amato?

beak - you must be becoming popular.

beakerkin said...

Nanc

I do not know where Bruno found us. However my hits are over 100 a day and this has become an international blog. We are getting hits from Israel, Germany, Italy and France on a regular basis.

nanc said...

so i should brush up on my schmoozing? dayam, i knew i should have paid better attention...

nanc said...

p.s. you forgot to mention arkansas.

beakerkin said...

Have you set up Arkasastan yet? I am fairly surprised to have regular readers in India.

I never thought of this site as anything more then a community hub.

The Merry Widow said...

Nice livingroom Beaker! As Nanc said, we like to schmooze.
Maranatha!

tmw

elmers brother said...

Navy food good? What did you eat before Bruno? 20 years in the Navy and all I got was high blood pressure, high cholesterol and kidnes stones. When I think of Navy food I often think of Monty Python's skit on spam. You can interject any food you want. Thanks for your service, my family and I owe you a debt.

elmers brother said...

I was also on a sub tender USS Proteus (AS-19) and I will tell you this. The submariners ate very well and when we had a chance we'd eat on one of them turds.

beakerkin said...

Elmer

One of these days I will remember that you are a Naval Veteran.