Just fill the goddamn cup with water, you losers!

There is nothing that pisses me off more than watching TV or a movie and the characters have a "cup of coffee" that is obviously an empty cup. Holding an empty disposable to-go cup from Starbucks looks a lot different than holding a to-go cup of actual hot coffee.

How hard is it for the props department to at least put some water in their friggin' cups? As soon as I see this act of laziness, I get ticked off and stop paying attention to the story. Hey, actors! If the props people won't fill your cup, at least think back to acting school and try to create realism. You are supposed to be acting with all your senses - and we all know that you can't gesture wildly without your dark roast flying around and those little cardboard coffee collars do not insulate your hand from the scalding beverage that was boiled on the surface of the sun. So at least try to act like you have something in the cup - and as an actor, you should know what imaginary beverage you have in the cup without it being mentioned in the script. Sheesh.

Empty Cup Syndrome runs rampant in Hollywood. When you start looking for it, you'll see it everywhere. Oh, and in live theatre as well.

Plus, Empty Cup Syndrome leads to an even worse condition called The Fake Swallow, which sounds dirty, but get your minds out of the gutter, people! I don't care if you are Meryl Streep, Robert DeNiro, or some hack in community theatre - no one can pull off The Fake Swallow.

Actors, please see this lesson on "Sense Memory" from Acting with James Franco.

Acting With James Franco Episode 1: "Sense Memory" from James Franco