Hey, here's another interview with my pal Kliph Nesteroff and here's another link to order his new book, The Comedians. It's an edition of the podcast, Deep Dish Radio with your host Tim Powers and it's well worth an hour of your time…

I suppose by now you've heard plenty about the mass shooting out in San Bernardino this morning. I got hooked watching the news coverage even though I was well aware it was one of those stories where every hour you watch, you get about thirty seconds of new info which may or may not be true an hour later. Even now, twelve hours after the initial gunfire, a reporter on-the-scene could probably summarize everything that is actually known in under three minutes.

They're now saying the main shooter was a Muslim — a legal U.S. citizen who used at least one automatic weapon that was purchased legally. So each side gets something: The folks on the Left can use it as an example of why gun laws need to be increased and those on the Right can use it as an example of why Muslims need to be decreased. I don't expect either of those goals to be achieved. Then again, not so long ago, I didn't think we'd see Gay Marriage become legal and more accepted or that anyone would ever discuss Donald Trump as a real candidate. So the world is full of surprises.

I assume we're all on the same page that these tragedies are horrible, that this should not be the norm in this country, that our hearts go out to the victims and their families, etc. I assume we're not on the same page as to how to prevent them so I'll just write a little more about the news coverage.

I flipped channels all day and wherever I turned, I was constantly reminded of Jack Germond's line about how the trouble with news reporters is that they aren't paid to say "I don't know," even when they don't know. Most of today, they knew very little and we heard a lot of empty reportage — often wildly speculative and based on vapors — repeated over and over. And over and over and over because they had nothing to say. It's like when they're covering car chases and they're reduced to recycling clichés like "He's driving with no regard for the safety of others" and "The police know they need to end this soon."

Two things impressed me today. One was how professional and in-charge of the situation the law enforcement folks were before the cameras. They were calm and very good at deflecting questions that tried to draw them into speculating or saying more than they should have at any given moment.

The other person who impressed me was a fellow named Stu Mundel who is an "Aerial Journalist" for KCBS Channel 2 here in Los Angeles, which means he's usually on KCAL Channel 9 simultaneously, as they share a newsroom and newsfeed. Whenever anything happens in L.A., Stu Mundel always seems to be overhead in a helicopter or a plane or a hang glider or something…and while he can get a bit excitable covering a police pursuit or a tragedy of some sort, he also seems to always have something real to say about what he's showing us.

At least in L.A., the best reporters seem to be in the air. There's a guy named (I believe) Bill Thomas in a chopper for KABC Channel 7 who's also pretty good…again, able to ad-lib from on-high and to give out actual information. That's got to be the toughest job in local TV news and I often wish the anchors in the studio would just stay out of it and let the fellow who's actually above the scene talk.

Last March, I watched Mr. Mundel covering a police chase that went on and on and on…until finally, he was low of gas and had to abandon coverage. It was a surprisingly intimate telecast that moved from one TV channel to another and then onto the web…and finally, for the last hour or so, Mundel was broadcasting all alone with no anchors in the studio, speaking to us from high in the sky on the station's website.

It all made for very interesting reporting of a not-very-interesting news story…or the opposite of what we usually get. Whenever my knee heals to the point when I can begin driving again, I'm thinking of going on some sort of high-speed crime spree — but only if Stu Mundel covers me and doesn't say, "He's driving with no regard for the safety of others."

There's a bulletin up right now saying there's been a mass shooting at a building in San Bernardino. That's all it says.

I'm eager to find out if the shooter is a racial minority, in which case this will be an act of terrorism and we'll have to start passing laws and restricting freedoms to protect us from this kind of thing. Of course, if it's a white guy, it will just be one of those crazy people who do this kind of thing from time to time and there's no reason to pass any laws or change any policies to prevent it.

Stay tuned.

He has Jerry Beck on today. Jerry is, as we all know, just about the world class expert on animation and cartoon history and — of special interest to Stu's Show listeners — what's coming out soon on DVD of a cartoony nature. He'll be talking about all that stuff with Stu and answering e-mails that you send in and it'll all be enlightening and entertaining and — dare I say? — animated.

Stu's Show can be heard live (almost) every Wednesday at the Stu's Show website and you can listen for free there. Webcasts start at 4 PM Pacific Time, 7 PM Eastern and other times in other climes. They run a minimum of two hours and sometimes go to three or beyond.  Shortly after a show ends, it's available for downloading from the Archives on that site. Downloads are a paltry 99 cents each and you can get four for the price of three.  Plus, check out Stu's new V.I.P. Listener program for an even sweeter deal.

Liz Callaway is a terrific stage/cabaret performer who has been a fine interpreter of the works of Mr. S. Sondheim. So it both startled and delighted an audience recently when she bobbled the lyrics to one of his best tunes. Listen and hear what happens next…

Jonathan Chait writes about what it would be like if Donald Trump were to take the Republican nomination. Chait doesn't think that's likely but he thinks it's a bit more possible than it once seemed.

I think it's possible, not probable. I have a line I've used on this blog before and I think I even used it as dialogue in a comic book or two. Someone says to someone else, "Your problem is you think never admitting you're wrong is the same thing as always being right." I've encountered a lot of people in my lifetime who were emotionally and/or strategically incapable of saying, "I stand corrected." It usually gets them in more trouble…but once in a while, they get away with it so they keep trying.

Trump has apparently decided that the secret of his success so far is acting just like Donald Trump…and Donald Trump never apologizes about anything that matters, never says he erred. He just attacks anyone who says he did and there are people out there who admire that swagger and seeming invulnerability. Does anyone really believe he saw thousands and thousands of Muslims cheering the demise of the World Trade Center?

Of course not. Every frame of video shot on 9/11 was carefully preserved for history. I don't know if it's still up but a few years ago, there was a website that archived the complete broadcast footage for that day of ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and several New York stations and I downloaded every video on it, just to have it all. I'd go through every one looking for the scene Trump claims he saw on his TV but I'm sure he's already had people doing that, trying to find something he could pass off as what he insists he saw.

It ain't there. It exists on a reel somewhere with the footage Carly Fiorina swears she — and apparently, she alone saw in those Planned Parenthood sting videos. You'd have a better shot at locating a video of The Day the Clown Cried.

Trump's fans don't care. They're conditioned to not believe anything they don't want to believe. They're starting to remind me of the Ross Perot voters who were running around in 1992 not only insisting he would win the presidency but that it would be a clean sweep: He'd win every single state and all 538 electoral votes. This was at a point when there wasn't one poll anywhere showing him within ten points of winning even one of them.

Perot eventually got 19.7 million votes…but just find me anyone today who'll admit they voted for him. You might find one or two who'll say, "I knew he wouldn't win but that was my way of casting a protest vote." But you could probably fit all the ones who'd say "I'm proud of that vote" in a Scion xB and still have room for all the current Lindsey Graham supporters.

And I'm thinking that's how this whole Trump thing will end. He won't get knocked out of the race by the Republican elite hammering him. He won't be beaten by big commercial buys or attack ads. He won't be forced to get out by scandalous revelations or anything of the sort. His supporters will, a group of them at a time, reach their level of embarrassment. Being a Trump voter will increasingly require denial of reality and double-talking when others point out to you that he's triple-talking around every question because he has only vague answers to some and no answers to others. Ask him something substantive and watch Donald Duck.

Even the folks who still deep down think he'd make a great Chief Exec won't want to say that too freely…and they'll start to think he can't win, which is really the only thing most of them liked about him in the first place.

Am I sure this is what's going to happen? No. Of course not because I can be wrong. (See? That's not so hard to say…) So much that's happening in this election is unprecedented. That makes it hard for anyone to look at how our elections have worked in the past and to apply the old rules to the new contest.

But Ben Carson's chances seem to be plummeting because it's becoming awkward to support a guy with so many weird, factually-challenged statements out there. Maybe he's just the first in a series.

Joan Walsh on "How the Phony Planned Parenthood Videos Degraded the Abortion Debate."

I agree with everything in this article except for one thing, which is the title. I don't see any Abortion Debate in this country and I haven't seen one for a long time. Everyone I see on TV or in the mainstream press who's discussing the topic has long since made their minds up and really isn't interested in whether any aspect of their position is wrong or any aspect of the opposition's is right. Matter of fact, I sometimes get the feeling that some of the folks arguing about the topic aren't all that interested in the welfare of women or children; only in how the issue can be manipulated and massaged to win elections.

I don't know how long this will be online but KNX Radio in Los Angeles is airing a short tribute to Jimmy Weldon in their "Hero of the Week" department. Jimmy, as many of you may know, was a pioneer in kids' television, hosting shows in many cities…including Los Angeles where I watched him and his duck puppet, Webster Webfoot, on KCOP Channel 13 for years. The voice of Webster later went into the Hanna-Barbera character, Yakky Doodle, making for some very fun cartoons.

Jimmy is being honored for his "other" work. These days, well into his nineties, he's still an active public speaker and motivational coach. I really hope I have half his energy when I'm his age. I wouldn't mind having it now.

Here's a link that should let you hear the short radio segment on him which Tommy Donovan (Thanks, Tommy!) let me know about. Give it a listen and then I have a possible quibble with one line in it…

Okay, then: The radio segment identifies Jimmy as the last surviving member of the Yogi Bear Show cast. Is he? She wasn't a regular but Julie Bennett was on an awful lot of episodes, often giving voice to Yogi's girl friend — who seemed to be a different color every time they drew her — Cindy Bear. In fact, Julie was heard on an awful lot of cartoon shows in the late fifties and sixties. She had a very busy on-camera acting career but she found time to do cartoon voices for Warner Brothers, U.P.A., Jay Ward and all the rest.

Around 1991, I met Julie at a party and I hired her to do some voices on Garfield and Friends. A few years later, we lost touch and when I called the phone number I had for her, it turned out to have been disconnected. In 2000, she did the voice of Aunt May for one of many Spider-Man cartoon shows…and that's the last credit I know of for her. She does not seem to be listed with any of the acting agencies at the moment.

Does anyone reading this know if Julie's still around? I believe she was the third voice actor to ever work for Hanna-Barbera, following Daws Butler and Don Messick, both of whom have passed on. She was also real, real good — on-camera and off. (If you watch reruns of the sixties TV shows, especially Dragnet, you can't help but see her.)

Jonathan Chait on Climate Change Denial. It's getting harder and harder to pretend there are actual scientists who don't believe the world is getting warmer.

Sarah Larson summarizes some of the reasons some of us think John Oliver has the best show on television.

This is an entry to Mark Evanier's list of the twenty top voice actors in American animated cartoons between 1928 and 1968. For more on this list, read this. To see all the listings posted to date, click here.

Most Famous Role: Boris Badenov.

Other Notable Roles: Professor Ludwig Von Drake, Capt. Peter "Wrong Way" Peachfuzz, Inspector Fenwick, Squiddly Diddly, Toucan Sam, Poppin Fresh the Pillsbury Doughboy and hundreds of others.

What He Did Besides Cartoon Voices: Frees had occasional on-camera roles but was simply in too much demand for the off-camera ones (like the unseen philanthropist character in the TV series, The Millionaire.  He was a superstar of radio dramas, a frequent re-dubber of on-camera actors, a voice in thousands of commercials, a narrator, a recording artist and even a stand-by when someone hired Orson Welles to narrate something and needed to have someone impersonate Orson.  The most famous Frees voice job may be his voiceover as the "Ghost Host" in the Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland and he is still heard in other rides at the Disney theme parks.

Why He's On This List: Paul may have been the most versatile voice actor ever and his peers still marvel at some of his vocal feats.  In the Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoons, bad guy spy Boris Badenov often adopted disguises and fake dialects…so Frees was called on to do a Russian feigning a Texas accent.  And as producer/co-star Bill Scott once remarked, "We could never stump Paul with that kind of stuff.  He always got it in one take."

Fun Fact: There are hundreds of examples of Paul replacing the voices of other actors in movies and TV shows.  Near the beginning of the Academy Award-winning motion picture Gigi, star Louis Jordan walks into a mansion and has a conversation with three servants.  All three actors were redubbed by Paul Frees.

William Saletan on the danger Americans face from terrorists…from North Carolina.

I often mention my pal Steve Stoliar on this blog. Steve is an author and a TV writer and a voice actor and once upon a time, he was the personal assistant to the one, the only Groucho Marx. This week, he's the guest on Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast. A lot of it turned out to be Gilbert and Steve engaging in Dueling Obscure Impressions and it's very funny and well worth the hour and a half you will spend listening to it if you so much as start. Here's your very own link to listen to it and if you're motivated to buy Steve's book on Groucho because of it, here's a link to do that…

A number of websites are running with the meme that Stephen Colbert's ratings are plunging into the "disaster" category and that it's because his Liberal humor is turning off Conservatives. I doubt he's in that much trouble or that the stated reason is the whole cause of his descent to third place in his time slot. (One other big reason: For his first few weeks, he had Thursday Night Football as his lead-in once a week and now he doesn't.)

The thing I think some people don't get is that late night is a marathon, not a sprint. CBS is committed to Colbert for the long haul. The guy has a history of winning and they're not going to chuck him out until he has ample opportuity to refine his show, make the format his own and maybe start winning. His show is cheaper than Letterman's was and it's owned by CBS (not the host) and it attracts younger demos — so even in third place, it's probably more profitable than what it replaced. They can afford to stick with him for a long while.

Most of us recall how Jay Leno's Tonight Show was headed for cancellation (sayeth certain "experts") when Mr. Letterman went on CBS opposite him and began getting much higher ratings. Insofar as I can tell, no one at NBC even began discussing possible replacements for Leno. They stuck with him, he rebuilt his show and went on to win the time slot for the rest of his run. I doubt Colbert will ever dominate the way Leno dominated but he'll have the same opportunity.

I wouldn't be so certain the political content is harming him. Most of it has amounted to trashing Donald Trump and the sheer size of the Republican field. Insofar as I can tell, most Republicans are unhappy with Trump and the number of candidates even if they differ as to which ones they'd like to see drop out. A friend of mine suggests in an e-mail that the right-wingers who don't like Colbert are merely feeling betrayed because they're just now realizing he was never one of theirs.

I think his show is very smart. That may be the problem with it for some people. But I'll also admit that he hasn't done enough yet to differentiate himself from what came before — and yes, I know that on some forums, former Letterman fans are griping that he isn't offering a close replica of Dave's show but they just need to accept that that's over. I can't think of a thing Stephen's done yet that really breaks the talk show mold. He does a bit of a monologue, he does desk pieces, he talks with guests and he introduces a musical act most of us don't watch at the end.

I still like the program a lot and I'll stand by my prediction that he'll succeed big over time…though that amount of time may be longer than I think. The guy was so innovative on Comedy Central that I figure he has to eventually turn his format inside-out or upside-down or in some new direction. Until he does though, I'm happy to watch what still strikes me as the best late night show since early Conan…or maybe even early Dave.

A famous moment from the 1974 Academy Awards ceremony. The camera angle and the "ad-lib" by presenter David Niven made some people think it was a set-up but the "streaker" apparently crashed the proceedings on his own doing…and Niven later told interviewers that he thought there was a slight chance of that happening so he'd had a line prepared. Just in case…