Category Archives: Uncategorized

It is now possible to pre-order copies of the Allan Sherman set, My Son, the Box. What's more, you can go to this page on the Rhino Handmade site and see a complete track listing and hear audio samples.

If you're going to order: The Rhino Handmade site will sell it to you for $119.98 plus tax and maybe postage. (They have a free shipping option but I suspect it means they put it on the back of a tortoise pointed vaguely in the direction of your mailbox.) The whole thing will run about $139 by the time you're done. The Amazon listing, which I've been keeping my eye on, has changed prices three times in the last week and has also (now) decided the item is available for "free super saver shipping." It's (now) $139 without getting into tax. If you'd still rather order from Amazon, here's that link. Otherwise, go to the above-linked Rhino Handmade site and get yours there.

The list of what's included seems very complete, including a few things I can't believe the lawyers were able to clear. The folks who now control the Lerner and Loewe catalog have always been pretty fierce about not allowing parody lyrics to their songs, especially from My Fair Lady. Back when Mr. Sherman was trying to get started, he recorded his highly-Jewish version of that score and was adamantly denied permission to release it so it's been available since only in eighth-generation bootlegs. Yet here it is, about to get a real, professional, above-ground release.

I haven't yet had the time to study the list and see if any notable Sherman gems have been omitted. We seem to have the full contents of all his WB albums. (His one RCA album is out as a separate CD. You can order it here.) We have lots of pieces and extras, plus the two records he did for private advertising concerns — one for Dixie Cups, one for Encron Carpets. I'll try to figure out what's not in this set and post a report shortly. Even as it is, this is a joyous gift to fans of Allan Sherman. It's almost as good as indictments.

I remember when Doonesbury first hit newsprint, 35 years ago today. A friend of mine — an aspiring cartoonist — reacted in utter horror. "G.B. Trudeau," whoever he or she was, had to be the offspring of some powerful syndication exec who had decided to put his kid's inept doodles into print. And that exec must have had powerful blackmail evidence against the editor of the Los Angeles Times because that paper could not possibly have bought the thing on its merits. In later years, I would hear other cartoonists rail against the injustice of a coveted slot going to someone who, any fool could plainly see, was not a "real" cartoonist.

It turned out, of course, that Doonesbury became a smashing success — in my view, the most important strip of its era. It took a while for Trudeau's drawing to come close to catching up with his writing, but it was always worth reading. I even liked it when its politics stood in stark contrast to my own. (Those who think Trudeau only skewers the right haven't read him very closely.) As I wrote in this article, it always struck me as not only a funny strip but also a very courageous one.

Here's a link to a speech by Mr. Trudeau and one to a press release by his syndicate. Here's a little interview, as well. I hope it's around for 35 more.

CNN is now saying "no indictments expected today." Stop toying with my emotions, CNN.

Actually, all the news sources I just scanned are saying, in effect, "Indictments are not expected today unless Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald decides to release them. He's expected to announce them tomorrow unless he chooses not to, because the Grand Jury expires on Friday unless he decides to extend it — and oh, by the way, he could also take his case to a new Grand Jury." It all reminds me of a weatherman we once had on Los Angeles TV who'd practically say, "No rain is expected unless, of course, clouds roll in and water starts falling from the sky."

Newsman Jack Germond once said, approximately, "The trouble with news coverage is that we're not paid to say 'I don't know,' so we have to say we know even when we don't."

Even worse than the lack of any indictments — and remember, I'll settle for the indictment of anyone of any political stripe — is that we've hit 2,001 military deaths in Iraq. It's chilling because that number says so much and yet says so little. There's no measure in it of how many soldiers have been maimed or scarred for life, no measure of how many deaths have occurred in Iraq of both insurgents and totally innocent people. There are estimates out there but they vary wildly.

Of course, it's silly to place much emphasis on round numbers in something like this. Death #2000 was only worse than Death #1999 because it was one more. #2002 will be worse than #2001 in the same way. And to the people who knew and loved the fallen soldier, it won't be Death #2002. It'll be the death of Fred or Mike or Bob or whoever it is. That's another way in which the raw number is insufficient. It makes you forget those are people, not objects to be tallied and counted.

If we believe this poll, 53% of all Americans now believe the invasion of Iraq was a mistake as opposed to only 34% who believe it was the right move. I wonder if the folks in the 34% would have voted for this war if we'd all been able to vote and if we'd known how long it would last and how many deaths it would mean.

Keith Olbermann gets all the top newsmakers on his show. (Actual, unmodified screen grab)

Elmo, that lovable Muppet from Sesame Street, has been arrested for begging on Hollywood Boulevard.

Here's a nice little display of all the covers of MAD Magazine in an unusual way. Thanks to Mike Everleth for calling it to my attention.

Everyone's promising me indictments tomorrow but some are cautioning they may be secret indictments. Okay, fine. I'll settle for secret indictments just so long as we know all about them. I almost can't wait to wake up and find out not only who's been indicted but which side will be calling Patrick Fitzgerald an irresponsible partisan.

Sure looks like it. A lot of you have written me to say, "Be not disheartened. Wednesday looks like it'll bring indictments. Or maybe Thursday." Yeah, yeah. That's how it always is. Tomorrow. And then tomorrow, it'll be tomorrow.

Some of you have also written that the indictments, when they come, will be explosive and worth the wait. I think you're missing the point here. I don't care who's indicted or how close they are to Dick Cheney. I just want someone indicted, preferably many someones. The more, the merrier.

I'm giving them until the end of the week. If I don't see some indictments by Friday, I start indicting. In fact, I'll start by indicting all the people who were supposed to issue indictments and let me down. Then I'll go after people I've mentioned on this website. Nathan Lane? I'll indict him. Charles Lane? Indicted. In fact, I may just indict everyone in the country named Lane. Allan Sherman? So what if he's dead? I can still indict him. I'll also be indicting everyone who has never clicked on one of my "give money to the website" banners like this one…

That's right…I can be bribed. And if you think that's wrong, what are you going to do about it? Indict me? Ha!

Nice to know the folks at the White House don't have anything more important to deal with than this.

Here's another photo of Charles Lane, this time playing a gym coach in the 1965 movie, Billie. In the film, Patty Duke played a high school girl who tried out for the boys' track team and put all the males to shame. Her secret? A little rock 'n' roll mantra she called "The Beat." I know it's hard to believe, given that plot summary, but it was not a great movie. If you want to order a copy of it on DVD, here's a link but I don't particularly recommend it. The film's main redeeming feature is that it was filled with good character actors including Jim Backus (seen at right above), Ted Bessell, Billy DeWolfe, Richard Deacon and, of course, Mr. Lane. Remember when you could cast people like that and make unwatchable material watchable?

But I didn't post the above photo to make that point. One of my oldest friends is a devout reader of this weblog, Bruce Reznick, and this is for him. Hey, Bruce! Recognize that track in the background? You and I used to run around it back when we both could run. That's University High School in West Los Angeles, our alma mater…though I don't remember us having any gym coaches like Charles Lane. Ours were much meaner.

Anything? Anything?

Aw, shucks. Doesn't look like there are any yet.

Oh, well. The week is young.

Here we have a photo of artist Bill Watterson and in this article, about as much info about the creator of Calvin and Hobbes as we're likely to get from a reporter.

I am told that copies of the newly-released Complete Calvin and Hobbes have been flying off the tables at Costco, and are presumably being snatched up at other stores, as well. A friend of mine who's a huge fan of the strip told me he was hoping the book would sell poorly. His logic was that the more money Watterson makes off it, the less likely he is to ever come back and do it or something else again. My impression of Watterson, based on the one phone call we had years ago and on a long chat with an exec at his syndicate, is that he's not out to see how much cash he can make in this world. So you can probably buy this new collection without fear that you're depriving yourself of future Watterson work.

(P.S. If you want to buy this book from Amazon, here's a link and it's one of those that will pay me a slight commission. They have it for $94.50 plus postage. If you're a member of Costco, their website sells it a bit cheaper but I don't make anything off it. My friend Gordon Kent told me that it was eighty bucks plus tax at his local Costco. It's probably about the same at a Sam's Club.)

Here's a shot from the 1962 movie of The Music Man. The guy at far right is Charles Lane. If you don't know who Charles Lane is, go read this posting and then read this one and then, once you know who Charles Lane is, come back here and read the rest of this posting. We'll wait for you.

Now then. One of the eight million movies in which Charles Lane played a mean old man was, obviously, The Music Man. This afternoon, the American Cinematheque group ran it out at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica. The guest of honor, interviewed on stage before the film began, was Charles Lane.

The place was packed with film buffs, all of whom chuckled at the marquee which along with the name of the movie included big letters that said CHARLES LANE LIVE. If I were closing in on my 101st birthday, I think I'd enjoy seeing that in lights. Mr. Lane's appearance was preceded by a fifteen minute sampler of a documentary on his life and career that's currently being produced. (In fact, cameras at the event were getting footage to be included in it.) Much of the fifteen minutes consisted of clips from different films and TV shows in which he appeared and it was staggering. We all know how much he'd done but still, we sat there, amazed to see scenes in rapid-fire. There's Charles Lane with Groucho. There's Charles Lane with Barrymore. There's Charles Lane with Lucy. There's Charles Lane in It's a Wonderful Life and State of the Union and 42nd Street and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and before long, we were all going, "My God, this man's been in everything!" The funny part is that he was playing an old man seventy years ago.

The interview was delightful. Mr. Lane can't recall much of his fabulous career but he's still rather sharp. Asked about the secret of his longevity, he said he had no idea and that for fifty years, he smoked two packs of cigarettes a day. (His friend, actor Robert Donner, was in the audience and he corrected Lane. Apparently, it was three packs a day.) He loved everyone he ever worked with but singled out Lucy and Desi, as well as director Frank Capra, and seemed very moved at the several standing ovations he received. He also managed to spit out a few lines in perfect keeping with this grouchy screen character. It was a very touching presentation.

So was the movie that followed. I keep forgetting how much I enjoy a certain kind of movie when it's on a big screen and I'm watching it in the dark with other people. There is much that is sappy in The Music Man and the plot has more holes than an old colander but I don't care. It always gets to me, especially at the end when Professor Harold Hill says, "I always think there's a band" — for me, one of the great moments in cinema history. Robert Preston is wonderful, Shirley Jones is wonderful, Paul Ford and Hermione Gingold are wonderful, the whole thing is wonderful. I'd be very happy if the American Cinematheque people would show this every year or two. Especially if they can get Charles Lane to show up each time.

All of those New York Times columns for which I'm paying fifty bucks a year to read are now turning up for free on the website of a group called Truthout. I don't know why the Times hasn't shut it down but maybe the folks there have more important things to worry about these days.

Since it's there, you might want to read this weekend's Frank Rich column, which lays out a timeline for why certain "stories" seem to have spread by the White House. I'd also suggest a glance at a piece by Nicholas P. Kristof, which is about how a Bush administration decision is causing people in Niger to die, many of them pregnant women. One of the problems I have with the "pro-life" movement is how arbitrary and selective it seems to be about which lives are sacred and must be protected at all costs.

It was kind of peaceful this morning…to wake up and not have to race to the computer to see if there had been any indictments of anyone. Nobody indicts on Sunday.

The official-sounding sources seem to suggest that we won't see indictments from Patrick Fitzgerald before Wednesday…if then. But I'm to the point where I'll take indictments from anyone about anything. I may even start indicting people myself before the week is out.

On the Sunday morn newschat programs today, several prominent Republicans were making the following case: You know, just because you can find some technical contradiction of fact in someone's sworn testimony, that doesn't mean it's proper to charge them with perjury. Uh-huh. Right. But of course.

That would ordinarily make me think they know that some high official in the Bush administration is about to be slapped with a perjury rap. But if you look over everything that's being said about this case by folks who might be in a position to know, you realize that at least 80% of it has to be faulty. So believe it at your own risk.