I don't know that I've ever quoted this in more than two decades of doing this blog but at least once a week, I find myself thinking about and/or quoting a line that was uttered by the great playwright/director Moss Hart. Here it is…

I have had many successes in my life and many failures. Each time I had a success, it was for a different reason. Each time I failed, it was for the same reason. I said yes when I meant no.

That's the quote. See if you can retain it in the most-easily accessed part of your brain. And see how often you find yourself using it.

This Sunday night — 9 PM on my set — CNN is at long last beginning The Story of Late Night, a "six-part docuseries that will take viewers on a journey through late-night television's most memorable moments. Spanning a more than 60-year history of engaging with, adapting to and influencing our rapidly changing society, late-night television has grown into a thriving entertainment phenomenon and vitally important cultural institution." That's from the press release.

This has been in the works for quite some time and I think they announced and reneged on a couple of start dates…but it looks like it's debuting for real. I will be TiVoing and watching and we'll probably discuss it on this blog.

I see a lot of folks online today presuming Rudy Giuliani is about to be cuffed and hauled off to the slammer. Well, maybe. What we know about the case would lead us in that direction…but I remember all the times when right-wingers were dead-certain Hillary C. was about to be incarcerated for obvious, undeniable crimes. Maybe we oughta wait until someone is arrested before we celebrate their arrest.

Podcaster Joe Rogan is walking back comments he made on his show that young people don't need to be vaccinated. Joe Rogan is not a doctor, he's a fucking moron…and that's not what I'm saying about him, that's what he's saying about him, adding "I'm not a respected source of information, even for me." Too many people who have a microphone and an audience think those equate to a diploma from an accredited medical school.

Don't get your medical advice from the Joe Rogans of the world or the Tucker Carlsons or politicians or even me. Here's my medical advice: Find a real, honest-to-Hippocrates, licensed doctor that you trust and listen to them. They may not be infallible but they'll be right a lot more often than you are.

Why won't some people get the two doses of Pfizer or Moderna or even the one dose of Johnson & Johnson? William Saletan, a columnist often quoted on this blog, crunches some polling numbers to tell us why.

And last week here, I linked you to author John Green discussing "vaccine hesitancy." Here, John's brother Hank tackles the same issue in a somewhat different manner…

This was posted to the web one year ago yesterday but for some odd reason, I never saw it until today. It's a lot of folks involved with the musical Wicked celebrating and thanking people who extended themselves with great heroism during the COVID crisis…and it's every bit as timely, if not more so, today…

• Hey, isn't this the first time a president has ever addressed a joint session of Congress with two women seated behind him?

Another rendition of the "Meet the Flintstones" theme. This one is from The Notebenders…

Paul Krugman just posted this on Twitter about Rudy Giuliani, whose Manhattan apartment was raided this morning by Federal Investigators in connection with a criminal investigation into Mr. Giuliani's dealings in Ukraine…

Does Rudy Giuliani ever think about how easy and pleasant his life could have been? He could have spent the last 20 years giving lucrative speeches about Leadership, consisting of a few nouns, a few verbs, and 9/11.

It's one of those things I don't expect to ever understand. There was a time when the then-Mayor of New York was the most respected, beloved figure in this country. Now, Democrats hate him because of his advocacy for Trump, Republicans hate him because of his failures for Trump and it doesn't look like Trump is even that fond of him these days. What a way to squander good will.

Keeping with the theme of things I don't expect to ever understand…

Unlike way too many people in this country, I think the folks at the CDC know more about disease prevention than I could ever possibly know. Yesterday, I took a long walk sans mask to my bank and then to a restaurant. I donned the mask before entering the bank and just forgot that I had it on so it stayed on until I got back home.

It's such a simple, innocuous thing to do, wearing a mask. When I hear Tucker Carlson say that making your children wear one is a form of child abuse that should be reported to the police…well, I get why he says such things. It's his job to say whatever he thinks his viewers want to hear, no matter how stupid it is. I just don't get why so many people want to be fed such foolish, usually demonstrably-untrue items.

It's like there's a list they circulate at Fox News of things that Americans hold dear and feel they cannot live without…things like their homes, their cars, their TV, chocolate, football, Walmart, etc. And every day when an on-air Fox News employee reports to work, they're expected to pick one from the list then go on camera and claim that Liberals are plotting to take it away from everyone. The other day, Larry Kudlow — the "economic adviser" who as far as I can tell has never been right about anything — chose "hamburgers." Next week, it'll probably be Biden planning to outlaw clean socks.

My chum Charlie Frye is The Rubberband Man…

…because no matter how bad things may seem at times, they could be worse. You could be working for Scott Rudin.

That's the unspoken message in this article about the various ways in which the TV/movie/Broadway producer allegedly abused those in his employ. Interestingly, there's no sex scandal in there. It sounds more like a desperate need for Anger Management. I have worked for people who screamed and fired and threw things but not like this.

And one of the unwritten morals of this story is that if you're important in show business — and maybe certain other fields as well — no matter how bad you are, there will always be someone willing to work for you.

Another rendition of the "Meet the Flintstones" theme. This one is from the Metropole Orchestra and features the great jazz trumpeter Clark Terry, who played with everyone including Count Basie, Duke Ellington and even the Tonight Show band for a long time. Like all jazz renditions of this song, it starts as the Flintstones theme we all know and then wanders off in other, delightful directions…

"A 412? What's a 412???"

If you don't get the reference, just ignore it. Here's this morning's most interesting news item…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased its guidelines Tuesday on the wearing of masks outdoors, saying fully vaccinated Americans don't need to cover their faces anymore unless they are in a big crowd of strangers. And those who are unvaccinated can go outside without masks in some cases, too.

That's nice in some ways but it's a special boon to those who think mask-wearing has always been unnecessary for them and maybe for everybody. It means people won't yell at them on the street for going around without one…and the rest of us will wonder if that person not wearing a mask really is fully-vaccinated. A high percentage of Americans are not.

It was announced this morning that the prolific TV-movie producer Charles "Chuck" Fries died last Thursday at the age of 92. I awoke this morning to a message from a reader of this site saying, "After reading an obit in today's Los Angeles Times, I thought I'd go over to newsfromme to search for articles about him. Except for a TeeVee Talk, the others were about potatoes…"

This reminded me that I need to seem to periodically remind folks that this blog is not devoted to writing about everyone in show business or comics, nor is it about posting obituaries for all of them. I post about people in those arenas whose deaths do not seem to me to be getting enough respectful attention and I also have to think that I have something worth saying about them — a special observation, a personal encounter, etc.

The fact that I don't write about someone doesn't mean I hold a grudge against them or think they weren't important or anything of the sort. I just had nothing to say. I occasionally get an angry e-mail that says "Why didn't you write about So-and-so? Did you hate them or something?" No. I hate no one. I just had nothing to add…and sometimes, I just never heard of them.

I dunno if the guy who wrote to me this morning knew I'd worked briefly for Chuck Fries' company. He might have but not known that even though I was paid by his firm, I never met Mr. Fries. I know nothing about him you can't find out by reading obits like this one or this one. I simply have nothing to contribute.

Another rendition of the "Meet the Flintstones" theme. This one is an a cappella version by Kartiv2 and of course, it features monkeys from Hampi in India…

My phone number must have gotten on a new list that's sold to scammers because the number of such calls has increased a lot the last week…

• Three robocalls that claim to be from Social Security telling me my number's been suspended…
• One call telling me that the MAC computer I don't own is hopelessly infected with viruses that are spreading my credit card info around the globe…
• A call from an agency that says there's a lien on my home and I'll be evicted within 48 hours but of course, they can help me…
• An agency that wants some data from me so they can ship me the new, life-saving back brace that they say my doctor ordered for me (although they don't know his name) and I say he didn't…

…and then there's this call that came in about an hour ago,  A youngish-sounding lady who said she was named Linda (so I assume she is not named Linda) ascertained that I was Mark and then — well, here. I'll let you listen in…

NOT LINDA: This is Linda with the Health and Wellness Center calling to do this year's evaluation…

ME: What in the name of Dr. Oz is the Health and Wellness Center?

NOT LINDA: We're an agency that works with your physician to evaluate your health and wellness and to connect you with supplies you need. According to my records here, I spoke to you last year on April 26.

ME: According to my memory here, you didn't speak to me last year — or ever, unless you were the lady who tried to get me to extend the expired warranty on a car I never owned.

NOT LINDA: Oh no, we definitely spoke last year. I have the complete record of our evaluation in front of me.

ME: Really? What was wrong with me then?

NOT LINDA: This is confidential material. We do not disclose the medical information that we collect.

ME: You're keeping that information secret from the person who told it to you?

NOT LINDA: I don't make the policies here, sir. Now, if you'll just answer a few questions…

ME: You said you work with my physician. I changed physicians last year. Which one are you working with?

NOT LINDA: Again, we don't give out that information.

ME: You can't tell me who my doctor is? Let's try it this way. Is it Doctor Geisel?

NOT LINDA: Yes, yes, Doctor Geisel. I have his name along with all your other doctors right here.

ME: You know, Linda, I know we have a long relationship dating all the way back to last year when you didn't call me but I'm beginning to think you're lying to me.

NOT LINDA: Sir, I assure you I am not.

ME: But that's okay because I just lied to you. I didn't change physicians last year and my doctor's name is not Doctor Geisel. But tell me…do you enjoy doing this all day? I mean, calling up strangers and lying to them?

NOT LINDA: Listen, I'm just trying to make a living.

ME: That's what I said when I held up that liquor store and shot the manager. And yes, I'm lying to you again. It was a 24 hour Subway sandwich place.

And that was where she hung up on me. I can't stop these calls from coming in and I'd vote for Donald Trump if he could. But at least I can have a little fun with them. And generate some content for this blog.

Meet Rollie, a southern three-banded armadillo. And thank Eric Gjovaag for telling me about Rollie, the southern three-banded armadillo…