Martini Shot

An actor fires his agent for telling the truth, and another fires his agent for lying. In other words, we do the impossible: we sympathize with agents.

Rob Long wears a thing on his wrist that tells him how much exercise he's gotten and how long his career might last. It syncs to his phone.

Everyone in Hollywood hires lawyers to protect against the disaster that happens when something is successful. It's perverse, which is why only the lawyers understand it.

Rob Long loves improvisational comedy -- especially when they write it down and rehearse it first.

Fashion and style tips for the working writer. Tip One: remove the tag before the meeting.

Rob Longs talks about a writer who discovered that being accurate and truthful is a fast trip to the remainder bin. The only way to get rich is to make it all up.

Rob Long talks about the most famous maxim of show business – Nobody knows anything – and why it's true and why the opposite – Everybody knows everything – is also true.

On today’s Martini Shot, I start with Game of Thrones. Spoiler Alert: I like it. But by episode 7, I was ready to start with the zombie show.

On today’s Martini Shot I go public with my New Year’s resolution, which is to be a little bit smarter than a tiny baby.

Rob gains weight and then lies about it.  It’s a nice way to start 2013.

Rob give some cheap advice to network and studio executives. Tell him how much you love the script and give him as many notes as you like…but in that order.

Rob demands Christmas presents, cheats at Secret Santa, and asks you for money in this holiday "Martini Shot."

Rob hangs out at an old Hollywood restaurant, watches an anchorman smoke, and identifies a promising young network executive...

I used to live near a coffee place that had a fun tradition of choosing someone from their long line of customers and dubbing that person, Customer of the Week. They’d take your picture and post it next to the register and you’d get free coffee for that week and you’d bask in the approval of the pierced young people behind the counter, and pretend not to notice the other patrons noticing you, your celebrity, and the modest way you carried yourself during your special week.

Rob eats dinner with some friends and they stack up their cell phones on the table. First person to peek at his or her phone picks up the check...

Rob Long gets a free trip to a former Soviet republic and somehow applies that to show business.  It's complicated.

Something most people in Hollywood would rather not do: make the script better. By listening to executive notes.

Rob dives into an old controversy about women comedy writers, aggressive joke pitching, and the transgendered...

Rob Long on one of the stupidest things he's said – not ever, just in the past 48 hours – and how you can sometimes be both stupid and smart.  Or at least he can...

The only reason anyone is nice to anyone else in the entertainment business: because friends are your retirement plan.