Los Angeles actor/writer, Tim Coyne, interviews actor James Bulliard, who went from the lead in an ABC primetime drama to a depressed, bankrupt and out-of-work actor. This is part two of his story. Running time 55:08
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Hollywood Podcast #36 – OVERNIGHT SUCCESS PT.2 – “THIS IS NOW”
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tim, i agree with you and thought his situation was both sad and funny. sad in how it’s turned out so far and funny thinking about where he goes from here and what his real prospects are. been meaning to read gladwell’s the tipping point and thanks for the reference. it’s an interesting concept of how character is defined and certainly worth thinking about some more. i think we can probably all agree now that james’ character as displayed on the podcast is that of a dirt bag or douche bag and whether he’ll always be like that has really been such an incredibly fun speculation to engage in – outside of liz’s crazed rantings. if we have been too hard core, tim, apologies all around.
andrew, no. i meant creepy, like weird stalker creepy, not creepy like you were anywhere near target. in erica’s parlance to liz, i don’t think you have the first clue about my life but thanks for playing anyway.
How curious Erica: it was Tim who talked about creepy, not you. And my reply was clearly to him too. I just did a search for ‘creepy’ and you’ve not used the word once before. And you refer to Erica in the third person too.
So… are you actually Tim? Or has the website screwed up your posts somehow?
Can I take a wild stab in the dark and guess that you’ve been posting under two names to make it look like more than one person holds your opinion. It would explain why both of you write in the same ‘no caps’ format, and why you’ll say preface your remarks with phrases like ‘as Erica has already pointed out’.
So, posing online as both genders… and you said that I was creepy.
in the interest of full disclosure, i’m erica’s sister’s husband and i’m using her computer to post. the computer automatically fills in the name for us. we’ve all been discussing the whole james controversy for the last few weeks seem to be pretty much in agreement about it so we’re more or less interchangeable as far how we stand from here on out. sorry to cause you any confusion andrew.
-tim
Yeah, I figured you’d say something like that.
so, andrew. which term do you prefer? dirt bag or douche bag? i think the hypothetical idea of him pouring coffee on the floor after having an intern get it for him would qualify him as a douche bag and, on the other hand, the shoplifting and leaving paths of destruction behind him would probably be more along the lines of dirt bag? so, maybe both terms work. thoughts?
and liz, in reading back over your posts i stand corrected and apologize for calling them rants and for putting down your opinions which are certainly as valid as my own. i was out of line.
i also second what erica said above: “I think it says a lot about your character that you’re still with us and fighting for what you believe in.”
Tim:
Considering what has been revealed in your last few posts here, I’m starting to think you suffer from some kind of dissociative identity disorder. Either that, or you’re just a complete bullshitter.
(Also, FYI: it is completely possible to change the name you post under here. If you’ll notice, directly under “Leave a Reply”, it says, “Welcome back ____” (Change). If you click on “Change”, you are able to fill in your own details. So if you are, indeed, Erica’s “brother in law”, it would have been perfectly easy to change your details every single time you posted) I commend you on trying to cover your tracks, but it was a piss-poor attempt nonetheless. Just admit that you made up two different identities (or HAVE two different identities), because at this point you’re busted and we all know the difference anyway.
I will agree with one thing you have said: Yes, you have been WAY out of line in regards to your comments to me. You have turned nearly every one of your comments into a personal attack against me, rather than using logic and intelligence to defend your opinions. YOU, my friend, were the one who appared to be doing the “ranting”, not me. And just for the record? Your apology is most definitely NOT accepted, because the only reason you are even bothering is because you know your little “double identity” ruse has been discovered and you’re trying to backpedal as furiously as you can. For God’s sake, I can practically hear it from here.
Also: How DARE you comment on my character so soon after saying (and I quote): ” i also just have to say that it is a very concrete vote of confidence in a person’s character by having an ex-heroin addict, such as you are, as the only real defender of one’s worthiness… ” You didn’t “have to say that” — you said it simply to be an asshole, and you succeeded admirably. So don’t you dare try to save yourself now by pretending that all of a sudden you’ve “seen the light” and have changed the error of your ways. That doesn’t fly with me, Tim (or Erica or whoever the hell you are.)
Why doesn’t someone else here land a pilot in less than a month after arriving in L.A., get dropped, and then tell us on the show how it goes for them after that whirlwind experience?
Andrew was correct, the human mind is not fully developed until much later in life, around age 18 or even later. That’s why there are so many smart college students who do stupid things like commit rape, binge drink, fake their own kidnapping, etc.
Well said, Jesus. Well said.
so, landing a pilot and then getting dropped leads one to become akin to white trash? so interesting, Jesus, and would love to see the not-so-obvious connection there. Have there been studies that show this kind of thing happens on a regular basis?
also, i’ve never read of any of the connections between brain development and acting like an idiot. i always thought acting like an idiot was more an indication of character and emotional maturity as oppose to brain development but am more than ready to be proved wrong.
liz, glad to see you’ve calmed down from that last bizarre rant. i did mean what i said and there’s really no back-tracking going on here. to quote something you said which i actually agree with wholeheartedly: “i may not agree with what you say, but i’ll defend to the death your right to say it”… and although i may not use the same proper punctuation that you do, i don’t mean it any less….
Ah, Tim/Erica, I see you’ve joined us once again. Settled on an identity, have we? I must say, it’s really too bad you decided to let “Tim” have control of the body; “Erica” grated on the nerves less!
In any case, I’ll leave you to your delusions about your backtracking; obviously you believe that by throwing out a half-hearted attempt to apologize, I’ll simply forget all of the insults you hurled in my direction. As for my “bizarre” rant, well, I notice you didn’t bother to address any of the questions I posed to you therein. I guess that’s what happens when you’re busted, eh? Right on.
tim/erica:
don’t you think it’s rude to call someone “white trash” when you don’t know them personally? and what does that mean, anyway? i’m not even sure of what you’re trying to prove here other than you think you are superior to mr. bulliard (for whatever reason).
regarding the development of the human brain see this article:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985854-9,00.html
again, i’m not sure what you are trying to prove, you seem to be argumentative just for the sake of it. either that or you have inferiority issues and you are selecting an unknowing target that you don’t personally know and make value judgments against him and his support network (e.g. his family – have you stopped to consider that he might have a close and supportive family who love him for who he is?).
the bottom line is this guy made some life decisions that you don’t agree with but to defame his (or anyone else’s) character is uncalled for. the term idiot is objective and open to interpretation, as is maturity. you know the saying, “walk a mile in my shoes…”
Jesus:
What you said about support networks is right on. Who is “Tim”/”Erica” (or anyone else, for that matter) to judge whether James is “mooching” off of his mother? I mean, for God’s sake. If you can’t turn to your family in times of need, who CAN you turn to? I’d venture a guess that his family aren’t as judgmental or harsh as some of the people on this thread have been.
As for your assessment of some of the people on this thread: Yes, I do think that the term “white trash” is tossed around way too lightly, and terms like “sleazebag”, “dirtbag”, and “loser” have been used much too liberally in this thread (especially considering the fact that no one here has met him save Tim Coyne.) We don’t know this guy; and therefore have no right to judge him. We haven’t lived his life or experienced the same kind of fall he has. I myself cannot imagine how difficult it would be to experience the kind of, well, “overnight success” he did, only to be followed by such a downward spiral. It’s amazing, really.
What’s even more amazing, though, is the apparent tendency so many people have to kick someone while they’re down, and to feel they have the right to judge someone based on a two-hour podcast on the internet. It’s almost enough to make you lose your faith in humanity.
In any case, you’ve put forth your points eloquently and I thank you for it!
Alright. It’s time for a group hug – TIM & ERICA absolutely included. Let’s come together people!!!
Tim
tim, i’m not quite ready for a group hug with liz or jesus. since you’ve shown me the respect that erica and i both feel we deserve of course you can have a hug.
liz and jesus, i just thought the whole thing was beyond hilarious – especially speculating on where he goes from here. it was much too funny to NOT post. liz, i think you are so incredibly in need of a sense of humor and jesus, you may just be the greatest outside of your whining about people being too judgmental… that article that was 10 yrs old about the brain was simply priceless. oh, and just so you know, i actually have both superiority and inferiority issues but that’s probably for another blog.
as far as not being able to pass judgment?!? i don’t feel i would be doing my duty as one fellow human being to another to NOT say something. i mean the guy has no education, is one step shy of homeless and is walking around l.a. shoplifting – which according to him isn’t even the “nadir”. people!!! the guy needs some tough love if he’s going to ever survive in the world and folks like liz, jesus and apparently his “support system” just don’t seem to be helping things by trying to justify the status quo. the “it’s broke and don’t fix it” attitude seems to simply be enabling a truly disgusting and offensive person. seems to me people, and he, need to just stop feeling sorry for him because he’s not the big star anymore that he never really was and start expecting him to begin putting some kind of a life together. whether that begins at community college, burger king, an adult bookstore or some used car dealership only he can really answer that question.
finally, liz, you’re right. i’ve said things to you that i’m not proud of in retrospect and i don’t expect you to forgive me despite my sincere apology. that’s entirely your choice. you’ve made it clear where your loyalties lie and apparently for anybody to try to want to make it better or, god forbid, want to laugh good naturedly at how messed up we all actually are is an act of war. i think it’s sort of sad but so be it. you just keep holding on to all that anger and we’ll see how that works out for you…
Tim/Erica:
Actually, I have a sense of humour; it’s one you probably wouldn’t appreciate, but yes, I assure you I do have one.
As for accepting your “sincere” apology — well, I hope you’ll pardon me if I doubt the “sincerity” of it. I really doubt that you realize just how out of context and ridiculous your insults toward me were — but I also doubt that you know any better, and frankly I think you’re to be pitied more than anything else, so for that reason alone I forgive you for the things you’ve said.
It’s interesting to me, though, how in one breath you make reference to your “sincere apology” and in the next continue making insulting remarks about me. It really speaks to the actual sincerity of your words. But since I have no desire whatsoever to read anything further from you, I’ll simply accept your “apology” in the hopes that said apology will sever any further contact with you.
tim/erica – i am amused. this will be my last comment, you may have the last word if you so desire, whatever your inferiority complex requires or desires is fine, we’re all human beings, incapable of perfection and obviously we don’t know your whole life story (just as we don’t know mr. bulliard’s complete life story, which obviously would help shed more light on decisions, thoughts, and paths taken).
*the article regarding the human brain was intended to add some levity to the conversation, i am glad you found it amusing. i do hope you realize however that despite it’s age the contents are still valid, the human brain has not changed much in the past 10 years nor has research progressed significantly.
Interestingly enough I read another article just this week that stated exactly the same thing regarding the human brain. In fact it said that our brains don’t finish developing ‘physically’ until the age of 25. Of course that’s not to say we don’t keep developing and learning after that, but until then we’re not quite ‘ready yet’. Which backs up Jesus and my original point.
well, liz. since i too had no desire to read anything further from you i didn’t actually read your last post. at the same time my guess would be that you wrote something questioning the sincerity of my apology. not sure you even know what “sincerity” is and since you’d already rejected my previous apology i didn’t offer one in my last post – so not really sure what it is that you’d be “accepting” since the apology was rescinded. at the end of the day i suspect that your “empathy” for jams is both superficial and self-serving and that you’re so full of b.s. that it would be too difficult to even know where to begin in order to have a meaningful discussion with you.
jesus, it was fun while it lasted and sorry to see you go – and i agree with your point about us all being incapable of perfection. also, do let me know if you see any more “recent” articles proving the connection between brain development and skeaziness. finally, my inferiority issues demand that i sincerely offer a hug to you in parting.
Well Tim, I just said that I saw one this week. Is that recent enough for you? Google “brain development” with “Teenagers” and loads of articles on the subject come up.
“A National Institutes of Health study suggests that the region of the brain that inhibits risky behavior is not fully formed until age 25, a finding with implications for a host of policies, including the nation’s driving laws.”
oh, i’m sorry andrew. were you trying to say something?
Is this another of your insincere apologies?
good to see there’s another authority on sincerity on the thread.
Pardon? Were you trying to say something? It sounded like a man pretending to be a woman, pretending to be man.
are you trying to say you’re actually a woman?! truly shocking stuff.
Come on fellas!
Hug and make up.
Tim
Wow!! Talk about peple lacking a sense of humor! All I have to say after reading through this thread is that, by god, I hope someone will help a friend out and have mercy on liz. I have never, ever in my life seen someone in a more dire need of getting laid….
amen to that, brian. i think you’re absolutely spot on. want a hug?
I’ll take a hug.
Tim
If I do a group hug with two other guys and like it would that make me gay?
No, Brian. You’d have to do something really gay like put together a mix CD for a guy you barely know before you’d have anything to worry about. Let’s all have a hug.
Or of course leave posts as both a man and a woman. That’s probably pretty gay.
Oh, and it’s funny that Tim twice posts so soon after Brian, this guy that comes from nowhere to agree with him, and also has a wacky web page linked to his name. Another relative of ‘Erica’ perhaps?
Now Andrew, does your mommy know you’re on the computer again?
You’re a bit predictable Tim, and hopeless at hiding your fake identities. So now you’re talking about hugging yourself as another man, and throwing in agreements with yourself along the way. Always nice to have back-up, eh?
“Brian’s” observation that Liz needed a shag was far too crass to have come from anyone but you. It reminds me of the observation that those who tell others they are in need of sex are really saying they need it themselves. In your case I’d add a dose of psychotherapy to untangle your various personalities.
andrew, you have a sense of humor that could only match that of liz and i can assure you that brian and i are in fact entirely separate people. i think brian’s original comment about liz might have to go double for you, though.
now, the three of us were just trying to have a little group hug over here. but no. you had to come along like a fun nazi and always go and ruin everything. good work there dr. andrew but this is really not the place for your psychobabble nonsense and crazy delusions about people’s identities. please take them and your boorish, no-fun attitude over to wherever liz has gone off to and for god’s sake try to show a little more respect for the hollywood podcaster’s blog the next time you grace our presence. thanks.
now where we?
We were going to hug.
Yeah.
We were trying to hug over here and now we’re fighting again.
Tim
Ok Brian/Tim (once again posting within minutes of each other) I’ll leave you to hug yourself.
“You’d have to do something really gay like put together a mix CD for a guy you barely know before you’d have anything to worry about.”
Yeah, that’s really showing lots of respect for Tim Coyne – slagging off his interviewees…
No disrespect to you, Mr Coyne.
The people who are giving James a hard time for hitting rock bottom have never been through a dark period. If you did, you’d have some compassion. Admitting failure takes a hell of a lot of guts. Fearing failure prevents 99% of the population from going after their dreams. James went for it, flew sky high and fucking crashed – that’s the risk. James if you’re reading: This crises you experienced is humbling and will make you kinder & stronger in the long run. I wish you all the best wherever you are.
Ahhhh. Some compassion and love. Thanks Eva!
Tim
Eva: “The people who are giving James a hard time”
To be fair, it was pretty obviously one person posting under a variety of names giving him a hard time.
I still can’t see where James went wrong – it wasn’t his fault the show got cancelled. What’s scary is the fact that he was in that position and was unable to capitalise on it. Most of us dream of getting to where he was, and the idea that even when you get there things can go horribly wrong is quite depressing!
Tim, did you ever heard what James thought of the podcast? If he doesn’t know about this feedback thread, don’t depress him further by drawing his attention to it!
I should be seeing James soon, for lunch. Not sure if he’s seen the thread but I’ll warn him if he hasn’t. Ugh!
Tim
Anony- Maybe it got cxled after he pissed off the head of the studio by complaining about the slot on Friday nite in addition to having crappy ratings? Dunno,but not that it really matters at this point. We all make decisions and get to live with the consequences I guess.
or maybe he’s just white trash? hmm. after listening to the show that sounds about right to me…..