The Means Read Online Free PDF

they’re assholes now.”
    â€œWhat do people say about UBS?”
    Ron laughs. “Not as bad as GBS but none of the networks has a reputation for kindness and goodwill. It’s a tough industry all the way around.” She’s seated now and he’s about to slide the door closed. “Try to find somebody who’s honest and not in the industry and make a deal with them to let you know if you’re ever becoming an asshole. So far, I can tell you you’re not.” He smiles and closes the door.
    The next morning Samantha is back outside the apartment building and ready for her live shot. She’s with a smaller team this time. A producer, one cameraman instead of two. She’s already been to the studio for the full hair and makeup treatment.
    The line producer from back in the studio says through her earpiece, “Thirty seconds!”
    Live TV is different from her childhood work. She’s about to go live on the biggest show in the country and she doesn’t know the names of the people around her. She misses her mother. An impossible feeling but she’s having it. Her mother always made sure her makeup was good and they did her hair in the right way, that the lighting and camera angle were how they should be, that she had rehearsed her lines. Her mother was her team, doing all the blocking and tackling. Whatever the dysfunction, Samantha used to have someone protecting her, telling her she had talent and just had to let it shine.
    Most child actors can’t transition to real actors because at some point they become conscious of what they’re doing. At seven years old an actor isn’t trying to make it work. He just goes out on the set and it either works or it doesn’t. It’s unconscious. Soon an actor needs to treat acting like a craft and hone his talent. Many discover they never had any talent, they were just great at being unconscious.
    She hears Mike Lord laugh at one of his own jokes then introduce the segment about the massive lottery winners in the Bronx. “Samantha Davis is in the Bronx this morning to tell us about it. Samantha?”
    She sees the red light on the camera. She’s live. On Sunrise America . Holy shit, don’t freak out. “Good morning, Mike. I’m outside the Bronx apartment of Ned and Frankie Prince. Ned, a retired Bronx mailman, and Frankie, his wife of forty-seven years, have big plans for this local community and their new fortune.”
    The program cuts to the pretape package. The cameraman signals they’re off. “You’re back in sixty seconds.”
    Samantha waits for red. It pops on and she hears Mike Lord, “Wow, one point two billion. My lord. Samantha, what would you do if one point two billion dollars landed in your lap today?”
    Without thinking she says, “Obviously, I would start with world peace, then I’d cure the common cold. If there’s anything left over, I’d buy a private island and a case of rum and you’d never see me again.”
    Mike laughs. It sounds like a real laugh that he’s trying to stop so he can say something else. They’re having a TV moment. It’s a mini one, but this is the kind of thing that makes highlight reels and careers. “Well, that sounds great. You better save a little for a bathing suit. I’m sure you’ll want that on your island.”
    â€œI said it’s a private island!”
    â€œWell, this is a family show, but even so, I’m going to say that sounds like my kind of place. Thank you, Samantha. Reporting from the Bronx.”
    The red light goes out. Wrap.
    Back in the studio, they cut to commercial and the executive producer explodes down the open mic, “That woman is dynamite!”
    This goes into Mike’s ear but he doesn’t respond other than to nod and say, “Book her on something tomorrow.”
    The female coanchor and female newsreader are both watching Mike. Neither