Saturday, December 2, 2006

Plugs for Pals

Gary Brown, who's been covering the comic book scene for something like 40 years, is now doing a column about comics for The Palm Beach Post. Here's a link to one that just went up and I'll try and link to more in the future. Gary is a great guy and a great writer and this should be a column to watch.

Jim Brochu and his partner (on stage and in life) Steve Schalchlin just opened their play, The Big Voice: God or Merman? at a theater in New York. They got a very good notice from the Times (read it here) and we couldn't be happier for them.

• Posted at 11:22 PM · LINK

Today's Bonus Video Link

In 1979, a new production of the musical version of Peter Pan appeared on Broadway with Sandy Duncan in the title role. It later toured and I recall seeing it at the Pantages in Hollywood with Christopher Hewett as her Captain Hook. (George Rose played the part in New York.) I thought she was wonderful — better even than Mary Martin. Alas, no cast album of the Duncan version was ever recorded, apparently due to some legal complexity involving rights. They sold the album of the Mary Martin version in the lobby of the Pantages, where I heard the person manning the booth explain to folks that he couldn't sell them a record of the Sandy Duncan version because there wasn't one.

Fortunately, snippets of Ms. Duncan's performance were preserved. The TV series, Omnibus, taped the the "I'm Flying" number and that's our video clip for tonight, kids. Now, think lovely thoughts and click the link...

• Posted at 11:02 PM · LINK

Sid in the Times

The New York Times has a nice article about my occasional employer, Sid Krofft, and his newest business venture. Sid is a fascinating and wonderful gentleman — and by the way, if you're baffled by the locale of that photo of him, that was taken in his home. Sid's mansion is one of the most imaginative and stunning residences on this or any other planet. I suspect his new nightclub will be in the same category. (If that link doesn't work, by the way, try this one. I try to configure my New York Times links so they'll work if you're not registered there but it isn't always easy.)

• Posted at 6:01 PM · LINK

More on Michael R.

I'm hoping this will be the last posting here about the Michael Richards matter. It probably won't be but I am hoping. A couple of messages I received seemed to belong here. This first one is from Anita Kilgore...

According to this video, what started it was that the group came in late after Michael Richards' act had started. One of the guys admitted that they were loudly getting to their seats and giving drink orders. This appeared to annoy Michael Richards who said something like "Here come the stupid Blacks and Hispanics." This prompted the response heard on the cell phone video of "You're not funny," at which point Michael Richards had his thorough meltdown.

I, too, think that getting money from Michael Richards for the incident is a bit classless. Not something I would have done. I would have accepted an apology and encouraged the man to stick with therapy. He obviously needs it. I think that Jessie Jackson's initial take on the situation was more appropriate in that he sought to turn this negative incident into something positive that opened dialog about real issues of racial disharmony in the U.S.

However, according to the above video and to other reports I've read online from patrons and comedians that were there, Michael Richards made statements about how rich he was and how he could use his money and position to have the men arrested. This was in addition to the other hateful things he said. Therefore, it could be that the request for money is an attempt to take him down a peg or to hurt him in a place he obviously values enough to flaunt (his wallet).

It's very painful having to endure racial insults. Earlier in life, I was on the receiving end more times than I care to remember — even to the point of being spit on and having dogs sic'd on me. It hurts and is demeaning in ways that I am not sure people who never experienced the same can understand. It can leave you feeling helpless and it is difficult figuring out how to respond. You want to do something about it, but what can you do that will change things or be meaningful or show the person/group the error of their ways?

Like I said, I wouldn't have asked for money. No amount of money can erase the words. A face-to-face apology and a sincere desire to change would be more meaningful. But that rarely happens. I can understand the desire of these men for.something. The "something" they seek may seem inappropriate or an attempt to capitalize on a bad situation. Just as hard as it may be for you to put yourself into the shoes of the men who were verbally assaulted, it is that hard — even harder — to endure it. And to know how to respond.

I agree about trying to turn something negative into something positive. One of the reasons it's dismaying to hear that the "victims" are expecting cash and that Richards might pay it is that it turns their hurt into something else. There'll be a lot of people who'll be saying, "They just feigned outrage to position themselves to extort money from Richards." And there will be members of minority groups who'll be thinking, "Gee, I wish some wealthy star would throw racial slurs at me so I could get that kind of loot."

The positive thing that I would hope would come out of the incident is what seems to be happening: Michael Richards is being humiliated and an awful lot of the public now thinks he's a bigot and/or unstable. He won't be doing that kind of thing again and a lot of other celebrities will be watching their racial language, as well. I'm not sure though that they aren't taking this to a damaging extreme. According to this article in The New York Times, we now have comedy clubs banning the use of the "n" word. I think I side with Dick Gregory who sees something insulting to blacks in such a ban.

I also have this message from Phillip Fried that I wanted to post...

If I started heckling Nathan Lane during a performance of The Producers, I'd get tossed on my can. The same thing would happen if I ragged on a musician or any other performer.

Where does it say that it's okay to heckle stand-up comedians? Unless the comic specifically asks you (or the audience) a question, then your response is to either laugh or not at the routine. The people who started all this are entitled to an apology and nothing else. No money should change hands. Richard's punishment is the loss of respect, work, and income that comes from his actions on stage that night. And he'll never recover from it careerwise. He might as well take up a hobby, because he's going to have a lot of time for it.

Believe it or not, there are comedians who welcome and even encourage hecklers...or at the very least, talk to the audience in a way that makes it okay for them to respond. Depends on the comic and the act. Andy Kaufman had some bits that were intended to provoke hostile audience response. (When Richards began his apology on David Letterman's show and the studio audience laughed, it was probably because they thought it was a bit in the style of some of Kaufman's old stunts.)

Ms. Kilgore above relates how the exchange started. The late arrivers were in the wrong to disrupt the show by talking loudly...but that's a "crime" committed by someone in every comedy club in America most nights. Frankly, I think they owe Richards a small apology for interfering with his act, he owes them a larger one (but no money) for how he responded, and both sides owe the other members of the audience a pretty good-sized apology for ruining the evening. My guess though is that it won't come out like that. Richards will write a large check...and soon, hoping to get this thing off the newspapers and weblogs...and the moral of the story will be that if a public figure throws a racist crack at you, call a lawyer and make some money off the incident.

• Posted at 4:38 PM · LINK

Response to Public Appeal

Last night before going to bed, I asked here if anyone could tell me where to find Mylar envelopes that measure 16" by 24". I'd like to thank the 44 people who wrote and told me where I could find Mylar envelopes that measure 18" by 24" or 18½" by 24½".

Now, does anyone know where I can find Mylar envelopes that measure 16" by 24"?

(I don't mean to sound as ungrateful as that probably does. I really do appreciate the instant response that I get when I ask a question here. Guess I should have made it clearer that I need a certain size.)

• Posted at 7:04 AM · LINK

Public Appeal

We must have some collectors of original comic book art reading this weblog. Where can I find Mylar envelopes that measure 16" wide and 24" long?

• Posted at 12:24 AM · LINK

Today's Video Link

You may or may not want to watch this clip, which consists of the last nine minutes of Skidoo, a completely unbelievable movie made in 1968 by director Otto Preminger. It was the kind of film that had audiences coming out of the theater muttering, "I did not see what I just saw." A few of those people even stayed to the end — and if they did, they got to see the best thing in the picture...the closing credits. They were all sung aloud by Harry Nilsson, and those credits are in this clip, right after Carol Channing performs the film's uncatchy title song.

Skidoo was covered in more detail in this post, which included a link to its trailer but that link's no longer operative. Later that same day, we wrote more about the film in this post. Basically, it's Preminger trying to latch onto the "hippie" scene of that time period and to explore/exploit it with a cast that included Groucho Marx, Jackie Gleason, Peter Lawford, Mickey Rooney and everyone who'd played a villain on the Batman TV show. The result was a movie that probably caused a lot of filmgoers to take up drugs.

I hesitated a bit about linking to the end of a movie. We don't like people who give away endings. But in this case, you won't have any idea what's going on with the plot. In fact, you could have seen the film, start to finish, ten times and not had any idea what was going on with the plot.

I should caution those with delicate sensibilities that there is a tiny bit of nudity in this clip. Also, you get to see Groucho smoking marijuana in what turned out to be his final scene in his final motion picture. That and Nilsson singing the credits are probably worth nine minutes of your life. It certainly beats watching the whole movie.

• Posted at 12:13 AM · LINK