Great news: All 309 folks aboard that jet that crashed at the airport in Toronto escaped with their lives. I sure didn't think that would be the case when I watched about a half-hour of news coverage this afternoon, dancing between CNN, MSNBC and Fox. The folks covering the accident obviously thought the opposite had […]
I am told that the Lena Horne episode of What's My Line? aired this morning (I'm behind on watching what's on my TiVo) so that would mean the one with Lieber and Stoller is on tonight. […]
Michael Kinsley points out that our Iraq policy seems to be based on continually changing our minds about who the Bad Guys are or why we don't like them. […]
For reasons that defy all concepts of wisdom, logic and human understanding, the vintage game shows run on GSN in the wee, small hours of the morning are no longer identified by TiVo as What's My Line?, To Tell the Truth and so on. Perhaps this is temporary but if you want to record these […]
Every so often on this site, I abandon what little dignity I can sometimes muster and ask you to donate cash so I can feed the neighborhood raccoons, pay the costs incurred in maintaining this site, or just buy something silly off eBay. Many of you respond each time, and I am grateful. But the […]
Over at IGN (a fine site, well worth browsing every day), the eminent scribe and historian Peter Sanderson reports on the Jack Kirby Tribute Panel at this year's Comic-Con International. I need to correct/clarify one thing about the upcoming Marvel book reprinting Fantastic Four #1 in a deluxe, coffee table format. Peter quotes me as […]
Remember my recent problems with PayPal? I received a number of e-mailed apologies from the company and then my postings here got picked up over on Harry McCracken's PC World blog. That prompted someone from PayPal to phone me to apologize…which I suppose is nice but really, apologies from total strangers are pretty worthless. I […]
Hey, I liked his music, too. But is it really a good idea to name a post office after a blind guy? […]
Some of you may recall that two years ago, I had an ugly encounter with a predatory tow truck driver. I wrote about it in three parts, the last of which is here and this has prompted perhaps a hundred people, angry at similar incidents and scanning the web in search of remedies, to write […]
That's Pat McCormick towering over his friend and occasional partner, Paul Williams, in one of the Smokey and the Bandit movies. I think of him mainly as a writer but Pat did an awful lot of on-camera performing, in part because people just liked having him around. Among his many attributes was that he always […]
Interested in game shows? Then you may want to attend Game Show Congress 4, a convention which is being held in Glendale, California on August 19-21. They'll have panels and screenings and games and they're presenting lifetime achievement awards to Monty Hall, Tom Kennedy and Jack Narz. Basically, it's a gathering of folks who love […]
Many of you know Don LaFontaine as the husky, haunting voice of about ten million commercials and movie trailers. Alan Light (thanks, Alan) calls my attention to this funny video clip of Don and several other men who do what he does. One of the gentlemen there is Mark Elliot, who is often referred to […]
Some of the best moments at the Comic-Con International this year came with the appearance of broadcasting legend Gary Owens on a couple of panels, including a spotlight conducted by Earl Kress and me. And Gary was quite a trouper to do all those things on Saturday because, as some of you may have heard, […]
I miss Tom Snyder on TV and will soon be missing him on the Internet. He's shutting down his website on August 1, he says. Before he goes, you might want to visit and read the recent commentary posts that are still up there. [Thanks to Jay Huber for letting me know. I hadn't been […]
I am almost happy to report that a brilliant, funny man named Pat McCormick has finally died. For the last seven years, his sad and hopeless condition has broken the hearts of so many of us who loved and admired what was once one of the greatest minds in comedy. Here is the story, and […]