[stylist] New Book, blindness on TV

Thu Feb 13 05:01:47 UTC 2014

There's another show called Covert Affairs, I think. Actually, not sure
if it's still on or not, I've never watched it, but it has a blind
character who is a computer tech working with spys, or something like
that.

Bridgit

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Applebutter Hill
Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2014 3:27 PM
To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [stylist] New Book, blindness on TV

Chris,
Thanks for posting this. I've heard the promos several times and had
heard a report on the upcoming series a couple of weeks ago. It will be
interesting to see how the general public deals with this -- if they can
get past the blindness angle. I hope they do a good job, but this is
Hollywood we're talking about. Donna

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Chris
Kuell
Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2014 8:50 AM
To: Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] New Book, blindness on TV

I don't know if anyone has been watching the Winter Olympics, or can
tell from the commercials, but NBC is plugging a new show called
'Growing up Fisher' that is about a family with a blind father. My wife
says the commercials show him riding a bike, cooking, and cutting down a
tree with a chainsaw. The show is based on the life of one of the
writers who grew up with a blind father. Maybe there's hope after all.

Here's what I found in USA today:

PASADENA, Calif. - NBC's Growing Up Fisher is another family comedy, but
there's a difference: the father, Mel Fisher (J.K. Simmons), is blind
(pictured). It's not arbitrary. Fisher, which premieres following
Olympics coverage on Feb. 23 (10:30 p.m. ET/PT), is based on the
childhood of series creator DJ Nash. It moves to its regular Tuesday
slot (9:30 p.m. ET/PT) on Feb. 25. "My dad went blind when he was 11 and
hid his blindness (to) pretty much everyone outside the family" until he
and his wife divorced and he got a guide dog, Nash said Sunday at the
Television Critics Association winter press tour. A scene where the
father cuts down a tree with a chainsaw is based on his own experiences.
Fisher's premise is not a gimmick, said executive producer Jason
Bateman, who provides the voiceover for Mel's son, Henry, looking back
on his youth. "It's his true story. Cynicism, be gone," he said.

The show, which is set in the present day, looks at the Fisher family
after Mel and his wife, Joyce (Jenna Elfman), decide to divorce. They
remain "amazing parents" to teenage daughter Katie (Ava Deluca-Verley)
and 11-year-old son Henry (Eli Baker).

There were challenges to the situation at the time, Nash said, but
"looking back, I wouldn't change a thing." Simmons, who is not blind,
said he had help from Nash, a visually impaired consultant and another
consultant in learning how to play a man who can't see.

"Your whole life is naturally fixed on picked-up movement, so it's a
simple case of throwing your eyes out of focus," he said. "The main
things I learned (were) all the other bits of behavior, how you handle
things, what you do with your hands, how you interact physically with
other people."

Although Mel's blindness may stand out initially, Nash said that's only
one aspect of the character's personality and one element of the
family's story.

Some viewers may "see the first thing about Mel is that he's blind. My
dad being blind is like the 17th thing wrong with him. He's stubborn. He
hugs too much. He's a lawyer. There's a lot of craziness going on over
there," he said. "I don't want this to be every visually impaired
person's story. ... We're trying to tell Henry's perspective of what
that was like and how it informs who he is as a father today."

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bridgit Pollpeter" <bpollpeter at hotmail.com>
To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, February 10, 2014 10:51 PM
Subject: Re: [stylist] My New Book

> It's very true. And most of us have come across literary characters 
> who are less than positive examples of blindness, so why not combat it

> by writing our own strong, independent blind characters? Writing in 
> any form is a potentially great tool for change. When you look at 
> history, it's not politicians or their legislation that has made the 
> most change, but it is the artistic community who have organized and 
> used their talents to create change. The Civil Rights movement, LBGT 
> issues, feminism... The deepest change has occurred through art, 
> theatre, music, dance and yes, writing. So why can't the disabled 
> community do the same?
>
> Bridgit
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of P. 
> Campbell
> Sent: Monday, February 10, 2014 6:39 AM
> To: newmanrl at cox.net; Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [stylist] My New Book
>
>
>    Thank you.  I feel that fiction, accurate fiction, is a good way to

> promote the blind.  People who will not read an article, no matter how

> well written, will read fiction.
>
> I feel that in some cases this is equally true where the blind 
> themselves are concerned.  This is especially true for young people, 
> who often feel
>
> that their problems are unique to them.  Reading about a character who

> may have the same problems is often inspiring.
>
> "Mrs. Campbell, I didn't know that happened to other people." or "Do 
> other people feel that way, too?"  are things I often hear from young 
> people who
> are blind.
>
> Phyllis
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site
> http://writers.nfb.org/
> stylist mailing list
> stylist at nfbnet.org 
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> stylist:
>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/bpollpeter%40hotmai
> l.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site
> http://writers.nfb.org/
> stylist mailing list
> stylist at nfbnet.org 
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> stylist: 
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/ckuell%40comcast.
> net

_______________________________________________
Writers Division web site
http://writers.nfb.org/
stylist mailing list
stylist at nfbnet.org http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
stylist:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/applebutterhill%40g
mail
.com

_______________________________________________
Writers Division web site
http://writers.nfb.org/
stylist mailing list
stylist at nfbnet.org http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
stylist:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/bpollpeter%40hotmai
l.com