Saturday, March 31, 2007

Recommended Reading

A profile of "That Announcer Guy," Don La Fontaine. One thing these articles never mention is the amazing number of voiceover actors these days who have strived — some with considerable success — to develop a "Don La Fontaine read," meaning that they get hired by someone who wants something like Don La Fontaine but not Don La Fontaine. Sometimes but not always, there's work for these guys from ad agencies and producers who think that the real thing is too expensive. But often, it's a matter of just not wanting to hire Don because they think he's overexposed.

• Posted at 2:19 PM · LINK

Today's Political Thought

I don't know what to think of this scandal involving the firing of U.S. Attorneys. Well, I do know something: I know that all the principals are acting like mobsters who don't want to get caught giving their versions of what happened for fear that they'll get hung out to dry when others in the mob settle on their versions. There's either an old saying or there should be that mass lies only work when everyone gets together and lies in unison. That may even apply to situations where the lie isn't covering up a crime but is masking something that was technically legal but really, really slimy.

Wasn't it Michael Kinsley who once said that the real scandal of Washington was not what's illegal but what's legal? I sure get the feeling that each succeeding generation of elected officials in this country gets better and better at doing things that should be illegal but, thanks to loopholes and/or sleazy legislation, isn't.

• Posted at 9:56 AM · LINK

Today's Video Link

I miss my dear friend, Howard Morris. You all know Howie was a great comedic performer, most famously when he worked with Sid Caesar on his TV shows or as Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show. You may also know that he was a terrific cartoon voice actor and you may know that he directed TV shows and movies. You may not know (unless you read it on this site) that he directed an awful lot of the McDonald's commercials in the sixties and seventies, and he was also the voice of a couple of characters in McDonaldland.

Here we have a four minute mini-documentary on the making of one of those commercials. Much of it is an interview with Howie who looks a little uncomfortable and unhappy about it. He was usually a funny, natural presence in front of a camera or in my living room. Still, it's nice to see him again, even this way.

• Posted at 12:17 AM · LINK