Monday, October 3, 2005

Nipsey Russell, R.I.P.

Damn...another obit. This one's for the "Poet Laureate of Television," Nipsey Russell, who was probably best known for his countless game show appearances. I met him only once — backstage at the game show called Rhyme and Reason that was more or less invented to have him on its panel. He was cheery, he was funny, he was happy to meet everyone. If being around a guy for fifteen minutes makes you qualified to have an opinion about him, then I'd say Nipsey Russell was a hardworking guy who was very happy to have that work, and that he earned every bit of fame and success he enjoyed.

He sure was around for a long time. I don't know much more about him than is mentioned in the obits now appearing (like this one) although they don't seem to be noting all the decades he spent working dives and clubs, many in the so-called "Negro Circuit," before joining the thin ranks of performers who broke out of that show business ghetto. He was among the regulars on the 1961 sitcom, Car 54, Where Are You?, and even before that, an occasional performer on Ed Sullivan's popular variety hour. He played Vegas often — one time, doing Pseudolus in a production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. I wish I could have seen that or, even better, his regular act. Because he always made me laugh.

• Posted at 2:54 PM · LINK

Today's Political Rant

For what it's worth, I'm surprised by George W. Bush's selection of Harriet Miers as a Supreme Court nominee. Point One: She has no judicial experience and while that may not be a disqualifier in and of itself, you'd think this would not be the time Bush would want to have the accusation that he's appointing an inexperienced crony to a position of great responsibility. Point Two: She's sixty years old. There's been a lot of talk that Bush (and Karl Rove) wanted to reshape the government their way for as close to "forever" as they could manage. That would have suggested a nominee in his or her forties.

Point Three: She's not the slam dunk Roe-reversing, pull-the-court-to-the-right vote that many Bush supporters were craving and which some even felt was owed to them. She may turn out to be that but an awful lot of Conservative voices are outraged now, at a time when Bush seems to need their support more than ever. Over at the Liberal blog, Eschaton, the legendary Atrios makes the following point which I think is correct, especially the part about how we really don't know how she'll impact the court...

I have no idea what kind of judge Miers will be and nor probably does anyone else in the commentariat. We probably won't know for a few years either way (assuming for the moment that she's confirmed) unless the nice people in the press do some digging to try to find out. All we do know is she's a reliable Bush fixer.

Wingnuttia is rather angry at the choice. I don't think this is because they're really concerned that she's not conservative enough for their tastes, although that's part of it. They're angry because this was supposed to be their nomination. This is was their moment. They didn't just want a stealth victory, they wanted parades and fireworks. They wanted Bush to find the wingnuttiest wingnut on the planet, fully clothed and accessorized in all the latest wingnut fashions, not just to give them their desired Court rulings, but also to publicly validate their influence and power. They didn't just want substantive results, what they wanted even more were symbolic ones. They wanted Bush to extend a giant middle finger to everyone to the left of John Ashcroft. They wanted to watch Democrats howl and scream and then ultimately lose a nasty confirmation battle. They wanted this to be their "WE RUN THE COUNTRY AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT" moment.

Whatever kind of judge she would be, she doesn't provide them with that.

I think it's kinda nice when the extreme right doesn't get what they want, especially with regard to something as important and lasting as a Supreme Court appointment. It will be nice the next time the extreme left is disappointed in some Democratic nomination, as well. I guess my idea of the ideal Supreme Court would be nine potential swing votes, none of them as unashamedly predictable as some have been. This will never happen but it's still nice to imagine.

• Posted at 1:54 PM · LINK

Hamilton Camp, R.I.P.

Another talented, wonderful performer has left us. Hamilton Camp (aka Bob Camp and Hamid Hamilton Camp) died yesterday from a heart attack. He was 70.

He was probably best known for his role as the handyman, Andrew Hummell, on the short-lived 1967 sitcom, He and She, which starred Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss, but he appeared in hundreds of TV shows, including guest roles on all the major programs. He was also a regular on two other series which, he almost bragged, were two of the quickest cancellations in TV history — Turn-On (1969) and Co-Ed Fever (1979), each cancelled after only one episode aired. His extensive list of motion picture credits started when he was a child and later included Dick Tracy, Heaven Can Wait, S.O.B., Eating Raoul, Bird and Under Fire. He was much-admired in the field of improv comedy, having worked with both Second City and The Committee back when all the great practitioners of the art were in one or the other.

He was also a giant in the world of folk singing, commencing in 1961 with the album, Gibson and Camp at the Gate of Horn, done back when he was Bob Camp and teamed with Bob Gibson. He recorded at least seven albums. The title song from his 1967 Here's To You was a modest hit and it's a tune I included on a little CD of favorite records that I play in my car all the time. (You can learn more about his career over at his website.)

In addition to all that, he was a much sought-after performer in commercials and voiceovers, and I was pleased to work with him several times on cartoon shows. He was a lovely man and the news today comes as a shocker to all of us who knew him. Here's to you, Hamilton.

• Posted at 1:17 PM · LINK

Recommended Reading

Here's a website that has posted this past weekend's Frank Rich column.

• Posted at 2:23 AM · LINK