The show goes on, even after 50

EARLIER this month, Carrie Fisher went out to New York for the upfronts -- that’s when the TV networks trot out their new programs. Unfortunately, she brought along a flu she got from her daughter, 14. She serves as a judge on Fox’s reality series “The Lot,” a boot camp/competition for aspiring filmmakers. She’s also written a number of books, the latest of which, “The Best Awful,” will allegedly be an HBO miniseries starring Meg Ryan.

What did you learn at the upfronts?

That people are essentially good. No. I learned that Arby’s has a budget of $150 million to spend per year, but that the pharmaceutical and car companies have two to three times that. And that one commercial on “American Idol” costs half a million dollars. That’s what I learned.

Ah, the real business of TV.

That was the most interesting conversation I had. Before I disintegrated into symptoms.

What have you seen of New York? Have things changed?

I lived here for about 15 years. It changes a lot, but a lot of things stay the same. I like it here. The city’s easier if you’re young. But if you have your little niche, then it’s manageable. It’s much better than L.A. in the sense that you’re always hooked up to this vitality. And in L.A. you have to really negotiate that. You have to organize that for yourself. Here you have to just go outside.

And what is Los Angeles like now -- pretend you’re telling an alien.

Los Angeles is a company town. It’s a showbiz town. So that’s its massive downside. You know, it supports the show business industry. Its kind of upside is that it’s got really good weather. But you know, if that’s your upside, I don’t know if that’s good. But here’s the thing with any place: The place is wherever your friends are. So you’ve gotta make sure you carve out a little tribe for yourself.

As the mommy of a youngster, how do the tribes work?

You know, I think you have to battle certain, um, principles .... The thing that’s sort of everywhere is the clothes and the kids, their emphasis is on what designer they like, or what kid has the biggest house, or pool -- well, not that anymore. But they certainly [care] who’s dressing the best. Now that could happen anywhere. Maybe it happens a little more there. And the worst thing, I think, that the West Coast came up with is “like.” You know it’s, like, you know, it’s like ...

For those of us who grew up in and around the Valley, it’s a permanent affliction.

It’s everywhere. It’s been imported all over America, it seems. Lazy talk. It’s particularly damaging for young women and how they present themselves. It does a disservice. I’ve seen completely intelligent women do it. I do it sometimes. It’s devastating.

Explain the wild world of script doctoring. Do secret meetings happen? Is it dead-of-night stuff?

I don’t do it as much as I used to. You come in -- the fantasy is that you wear medical clothing and it’s an emergency situation -- but you know a lot of times, people bring in many, many people to rewrite a script before it’s made. But you work with the director and you’ll be brought in to do, depends: page 1 rewrite or punch up the dialogue and punch up the man’s part, punch up the love scenes.

Last year you had a big birthday. So what happens after that?

Well, I dunno! I’m not one that believes that age is just a number. The larger the number, the closer you are marched toward, well, let’s just say death. The higher the number goes, the bigger the nosebleed. So, I dunno. You can look better longer now. Not that I do necessarily, but people can. I don’t know that 50 is the new 30 or anything like that.

You’re working on a miniseries adaptation, you’re reworking your one-woman show, you’re on reality TV. How do you work in all those forms?

I certainly start out in each of those forms not being able to do it. But I do it until I can. There are probably those that would argue that I don’t do them well. I just don’t want to do a bunch of things to have done a bunch of things.

One wants these things to add up to ... things.

Yeah. And by the way? It’s so not easy, and it’s so frustrating.

The work one does alone?

But you don’t do any of it alone. You’re working for someone who’s saying, “We need another rewrite.” Or “You don’t get paid for this one.” There’s a lot of that.

You sound like a person at the beginning of her career.

You know, you’re doing it sort of split between love and money. I’ll complain about the thing where I don’t get paid and do it anyway. I have to go to the doctor now. But I’m rewriting my one-woman show! That’s the thing I’m writing where I don’t get paid. But it’s a prestigious blah blah. So there you have it. So I’m officially working for the love and the beauty and the love of the art and world peace.