Friday, March 24, 2006

TiVo News

My TiVos were upgraded early this morn with the latest software. The big new feature is a "recently deleted" folder which enables you to reclaim a show you deleted by accident. We like this a lot. Matter of fact, a show I deleted two weeks ago was still in there and I thought, "Hey, I'd like another look at that" and — ZAP! — it's back. I don't know why they didn't do this years ago.

I am informed that the TiVo website no longer sells the lifetime service option but that it is still available by phone — meaning, you call the TiVo company — until April 15. A friend of mine speculates that TiVo is getting rid of it because they plan on slowly raising the cost of monthly service in the future. If so, it will make lifetime service an even bigger bargain than it already is.

• Posted at 4:42 PM · LINK

Today's Political Comment

Here's the latest out of the White House...

When President Bush signed the reauthorization of the USA Patriot Act this month, he included an addendum saying that he did not feel obliged to obey requirements that he inform Congress about how the FBI was using the act's expanded police powers.

And it goes on to say that as with other laws Congress has passed, he feels he can disregard the portions he doesn't like, especially those that say what he can and cannot do.

I've read an awful lot of articles about this interpretation Bush has of presidential powers. I have yet to read one that made what I thought was a reasonable case on his behalf. In fact, I have yet to read a defense written by anyone I thought wouldn't demand the impeachment of any Democratic president who even toyed with this concept.

• Posted at 11:46 AM · LINK

Further Recommended Reading

Molly Ivins on what's happening to the press in this country. I especially like her opening sentence...

I don't so much mind that newspapers are dying — it's watching them commit suicide that pisses me off.

• Posted at 11:15 AM · LINK

Another Interesting Statistic

On June 7 of last year, I posted the following item on this weblog...

George W. Bush's approval rating is now a full twenty points lower than Bill Clinton's was on the day he was impeached.

The correct number is now thirty. And according to some polls, more than that.

• Posted at 2:55 AM · LINK

Today's Video Link(s)

We're waiting for the results in our survey about embedded vs. non-embedded video links. So far, I've received more than 40 votes and it's unanimous for...well, I don't want to influence the vote. But I sense an early trend here. (On the other hand, I am using Diebold machines to count...)

In the meantime, we're going to offer one embedded video link and one non-embedded one. The embedded one is an intermission trailer for 7-Up that was inspired by an earlier and more famous trailer. It was also, one suspects, inspired by the cartooning skills of Robert Crumb. And yes, I think that's the late, great Paul Frees supplying the voiceover. Here's that video clip...

And now, over on a site that isn't set up to allow the embedding of video links, here's the original intermission trailer. And isn't it odd in this day of product placements in the movies and TV shows themselves to see what's basically a commercial with no product placement?

• Posted at 2:14 AM · LINK

Happy Joe Barbera Day!

If we believe his official bio, cartoon mogul-director Joe Barbera is 95 years old today. There are animation historian people who claim Mr. B is a year or two older than that, and that decades ago he fudged a bit on the topic. Either way, March 24 does seem to be his birthday and that's good enough for us.

I had the pleasure of working for Mr. Barbera for several years. Even when we disagreed — and I'm not proud to say that was often — I respected him and found him charming. Ultimately, it was probably a more pleasurable experience to fight with Joe Barbera than it was to get along with some of the other cartoon producers who hired me. I found him brilliant and clever and ruthless and compassionate and...well, I'll tell you what. In honor of his birthday, I'll tell a quick Joe Barbera story...

I had an office on the west side of the Hanna-Barbera building — the side that faced Cahuenga Boulevard. Outside my window was a small forest-like area and sometimes, one might espy sexual activity occurring in those bushes. There was a prostitute who sometimes worked out on Cahuenga — we called her the Hanna-Barbera Hooker and talked about getting her a Wilma suit — and she was known to service her clients without travelling far. Eventually, she got tired of the security guards shooing her away and/or calling the police but for about a month there, she sometimes conducted business not far from my window.

Neither Mr. Barbera nor his partner stood on a lot of ceremony and they both worked long hours and with incredible energy. If something had to be discussed, they often wouldn't stand on the ceremony of summoning you to their offices. Bill Hanna would come to my office to complain that a script I'd written had too many scenes or so much action that it would go way over budget. Joe Barbera would come to my office to say that he loved the script I'd written and he only had a few tiny suggestions which would only mean rewriting every word of it.

One day, Joe walked in to talk about an outline I'd prepared for a proposed series. "It needs a bigger finish," he said.

Just then, I noticed shrubs rustling outside and knew what it was. I motioned to the window and said, "How about something like that?"

J.B. walked over, peeked out the window and said, "I like it but Bill will say, 'It'll cost too much to animate.'"

• Posted at 12:28 AM · LINK

March 25, 2006 • Current • March 23, 2006