Rumor has it that tonight's episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver will be 45 minutes long instead of 30. If this is so, I have no idea what this does to the rest of the HBO schedule each time the show airs this week.

People in Celoron, New York are objecting to a statue that was erected there to honor a famous person. They say it's ugly and looks nothing like this famous person. Here's an article about this but before you click and read it, see if you can guess who the famous person is. I couldn't.

You'll like this. It's an excerpt from an Art Carney special that aired on December 4, 1959. It was written by Sheldon Keller and Larry Gelbart and directed by Burt Shevelove. Not long after, the last two of those men would co-author the play, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

The mystery guest in this spoof of What's My Line? is, of course, Dick Van Dyke. Playing Arlene Francis is Betty Garrett. Playing Bennett Cerf is David Doyle. Playing Dorothy Kilgallen is Gloria Vanderbilt, who was then a prominent actress and socialite, and who is now best known because her names are on a lot of pants. The other actor who doesn't get to say anything is William Pierson, who was in Stalag 17 and many other films, and who years later would have a recurring role on Three's Company. It's a nice little sketch they're in…

I received a couple of e-mails on the subject of the Indiana pizza restaurant which said pretty much the same thing. I went eenie-meenie-minie-moe and picked this one from reader Bill Mulligan to run here…

I hate it when the side of an argument I agree with argues it badly.

[He then quoted much of my posting which you can read by scrolling down.]

Yeah, you kind of left out a few parts to the story, like almost all of it. One could quibble with whether or not they "announced" their ban on gay marriage pizza catering or just answered a hypothetical posed by a reporter who apparently could not find any actual example of how the new law would impact gay people. Since I think such examples actually do exist I'll chalk that up to laziness. Still, I would hope you would not want to give the impression that this was something the pizza purveyors "announced" on their own initiative.

This was followed by a torrent of activity by people who agree with me on gay marriage and decided to advocate for it in the worst way possible; engage in the usual 2 minute internet hatefest. Some of it was harmless — snarky facebook posts (guilty). Some less so — I object to using review sites to lower the rating of businesses and individuals over political differences. That's not what they are for. And some went so far as to issue threats. I do not doubt for a minute that you agree with me that this is both stupidly counter productive and illegal.

It was the reaction to those threats that fueled the gofundme counter protest (which is what it really was). Leaving that out seems dishonest.  Even if you think that they over exaggerated the extent and seriousness of those threats, it seems to me it is very disingenuous to say that the money was sent as a simple reward for their anti gay stance regarding pizza catering.

You can check out [this article] if you doubt me. They mention the threats in the very first line and expand on it later: "The ensuing firestorm, including threats to burn down and rob the place, sent the O'Connors into hiding."

Again, one can certainly speculate on whether or not they overreacted. Frankly, I think it's become a bit ridiculous how every anonymous internet bully gets elevated to the level of Sirhan Sirhan. I don't run to the fainting couch every time someone named Riotgrrrl81 gets a case of the sadz over something I wrote and wishes me ill. But it's a big part of the story and I expect better of you than to leave it out.

Frankly, the story annoys the hell out of me. My side won the day, scored the winning basket with a slam dunk and somehow fouled out. Way. To. Go. Now these toothless goobers, with what I suspect is probably sub-par pizza, look like the victims. The rich victims.

You had me until your last paragraph, Bill. I wouldn't call anyone a "goober" and I certainly wouldn't call them a "toothless goober" without a dental examination. I wouldn't even assume the worst about their pizza without tasting it. (I've had good pizza in Indiana, though I've never been to their establishment or even their city.)

But the part before is right: I did read a number of stories about the pizza place but apparently not the right ones. The people didn't "announce" it and certainly didn't deserve the grief and threats. No one does even if they'd said a lot worse than they did and said it more deliberately…so I'm running this to correct that part of the record.

Still, I stand by what I said about the bigger picture here. There's money in verbal gay-bashing and most of the money donated was probably from folks cheering on anyone who seems to be on their side. The writer and website that launched the fund-raiser are of that ilk, constantly trying to extract money from people by telling them their lives and rights are in danger. You can make a very good living that way and maybe even get elected. Look at all the people who believe that Gay Marriage will mean the end of Straight Marriage but can't explain why. That's a line widely spread by those profiting from that fear.

I appreciate the correction, Bill. There was more to this story than I realized.

I don't pretend to know if and when the Supreme Court will rule that there is a constitutional right to Gay Marriage but here's an interview with a scholar who thinks they ought to.

In other news: You probably heard about the Indiana pizza parlor that announced it would never deliver pizzas to a gay wedding. This is a great example to serve my theory that so much of our political rancor in this country can be explaining by following the money.

There's no evidence that prior to their announcement, this restaurant ever received even one phone call from someone who said, "Hi. Two same-gender homosexuals are getting married here and we'd like you to send over a couple of large pies with pepperoni, mushrooms and extra cheese." Still, to reward them for their "courageous" stand, opponents of Same-Sex Wedlock are donating cash to the pizzeria, so far to the tune of $750,000.

And that's why most politicians and pundits who oppose it oppose it: Because it's an issue that riles some people up to the point where they'll donate cash…and probably even campaign for the person they think will stop it. If people would donate cash to wipe out cole slaw the way they will over Gay Marriage, Ted Cruz and Glenn Beck would be leading the charge against my least favorite side dish.

Sergio and I drove down here Thursday evening. He drove, I navigated. As an experiment, I used an iPhone app called Waze that folks say is the best Global Positioning Route out there today. It's one that's constantly updating and refiguring your route to avoid accidents or police incidents or a moose in the road or whatever. It performed flawlessly up to a point and then suddenly, it seemed to want to send us to San Diego for Comic-Con instead of Anaheim for WonderCon and I overruled "her" — the female voice telling us where to turn, when to stay to the left, etc. — and got us here more directly.

These things are fine if you have some idea where you're going. Follow them blindly and they'll have you in Ethiopia before you know it.

We could have used some guidance in selecting a place to stop for dinner. We picked a place called the Overland Grill not far from the convention center. Sergio ordered a Prime Rib Dip and I ordered the BBQ Chicken, and though the joint was nearly empty, it took a full hour for entrees to appear before us. Near the end of that hour as we waited impatiently, the waiter began telling us, "Your meals will be right out. The chicken takes a long time." Gee, thanks for telling us that 52 minutes after I ordered it. I'll bet it doesn't take that long when the restaurant is full.

Finally, chow arrived. Sergio thought his was pretty good. I thought mine had been lingering in the kitchen since the previous WonderCon.

The con yesterday was quite enjoyable…full of folks but not packed wall-to-wall. I suspect in about an hour, it will be packed wall-to-wall. Due to my knee problems, I haven't been walking the length and breadth of the hall but dealers seemed to be doing a brisk business and attendees seemed to be very happy to be there. I did two panels which went well and seemed to be appreciated in the right way.

Outside the con as usual, there were these folks with big yellow signs telling us to accept Jesus Christ into our lives. A year or two ago, I had to laugh: One of the fellows holding one was telling everyone who passed him, "We are not the Westboro Baptists! We are not the Westboro Baptists!" Yesterday, because my knee needed a rest and my right shoe needing tying, I sat on a bench not far from the outdoor festivities and one gent with a Jesus sign sat down next to me to rest his feet for a moment. He turned to me and this is approximately how the exchange went…

HIM: Have you recognized Jesus Christ as your personal saviour?

ME: No. Have you recognized that not one single human being has ever been affected by one of those signs? The only thing you change is the route some people take into the convention so they can avoid you.

HIM: (A deep sigh, then…) I know. I just feel I have to do something.

ME: Heed the words of Jesus. Sell all that you own and give to the poor and the needy.

That's my new answer to all who preach the word of Christ. But at least that fellow with the sign could be easily ignored. As I write this in my hotel room, I can hear the annoyingly-amplified voice of someone outside the convention center, yelling at attendees that they are nerds who must accept Jesus Christ or spend all eternity in Hell. That's not the kind of thing that has ever concerned me…although last night, I did fear I would spend all eternity waiting for BBQ Chicken.

At the moment, the guy with the portable loudspeaker seems to be directing most of his wrath at the folks in costume, telling the they will feel like fools if they show up at the feet of God dressed as they are. Apparently, if you die while dressed up as a Storm Trooper, your armor carries over into your next life and God, who isn't usually depicted wearing a three-piece suit and tie, is very judgmental about your attire.

The state legislature in North Dakota just voted down a bill that would have protected LGBT folks from discrimination. A newspaper in that state took up its front page to post photos of all those who'd voted.

Here's that front page. See if you can guess which one of them will soon get arrested in a lavatory soliciting others of the same gender or will otherwise be exposed as a closeted gay person. I see one or two very likely ones in there. Extra points if you can predict how many will find out that they have a gay son or daughter.

And all of these upstanding Americans will eventually be in the same position as the many lawmakers who voted for racial segregation time and again, only to later have to deny they'd done that or work up convoluted explanations of how, well, those weren't really votes for segregation…

Here's David Letterman and a guy who will never be one-tenth the host David Letterman is…

Fred Kaplan thinks the pending deal to strip Iran of its nuclear capabilities looks like a real good one. Somehow, I have the feeling that anyone seeking political office as a Republican (or a paycheck at Fox News) will think it's a terrible deal, that Obama gave away the store, that we were sold out, etc.

WonderCon Anaheim kicks off tomorrow at the Anaheim Convention Center. There are a few badges left for Friday and Sunday but, I hear, not many. I will be there the entire time. I do not have a table there because I'm not selling anything but I will be wandering about, rarely straying far from my amigo Sergio Aragonés, with whom I have a panel tomorrow. Sergio is selling things including books and original art and you'll want to drop by table A-39 and see him…and while you're there, stop by A-40 and make fun of Len Wein's pants.

Otherwise, you'll want to spend your time either at my panels or lining up for my panels to make sure you get a good seat. Here once again is the schedule of what I'm doing. Note that we have happily added the lovely Kathy Garver to the Cartoon Voices panel on Saturday. The entire programming schedule can be read here but these are the ones you really want to attend…

Friday, April 3 – 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM in Room 208
THE SERGIO & MARK SHOW
For years now, a Sergio & Mark panel has consisted of them promising that the new Groo would be out soon; but now there is new Groo out! It's the new limited series, Groo: Friends and Foes, starring the stupidest barbarian ever, plus a lot of folks who want to kill him. The panel will talk about it, what's coming next, and forthcoming Sergio & Mark projects. Join Sergio Aragonés, Mark Evanier, Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo), and maybe, if he can be pried away from the computer, Tom Luth!

Friday, April 3 – 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM in Room 300DE
WRITING FOR ANIMATION
Mark Evanier has been writing cartoons since they were actually drawn on paper. He has worked on many shows including, The Garfield Show, Garfield & Friends, Dungeons & Dragons, Mother Goose and Grimm, Scooby Doo, Thundarr the Barbarian, Richie Rich, Yogi Bear, Superman: The Animated Series, The Wuzzles, CBS Storybook, ABC Weekend Special, Plastic Man, and many more! If you've ever wanted to write for animation, Mark is the guy to tell you how to do it, and maybe even how to sell it.

Saturday, April 4 – 4:45 PM to 5:45 PM in Room 300DE
CARTOON VOICES
Your host, Mark Evanier, gathers together some of the best actors in the animation field to tell you how they do what they do, and demonstrate their amazing skills right before your ears. This time, the dais features Sumalee Montano (Transformers Prime, Justice League: Throne of Atlantis), Bob Joles (Spongebob Squarepants, Planet Sheen), John Mariano (Animaniacs, Hey Arnold!), Julie Nathanson (Final Fantasy XIII, Skylanders), Gregg Berger (Garfield, Spider-Man), and Kathy Garver (Spider-Man, 1954 Alcatraz).

Sunday, April 5 – NOON to 1:00 PM in Room 207
COVER STORY: THE ART OF THE COVER
Covers. Every comic book has at least one. What does it take to design a great cover for a comic book? Five folks who have done it come together to discuss the secrets with moderator Mark Evanier. You will hear from Kris Anka (Uncanny X-Men, Ms. Marvel), Aaron Kuder (Action Comics, Batman), Ken Lashley (Secret Six, Superman: Doomed), Kevin Wada (She-Hulk, Adventure Time), and Kevin Maguire (Justice League International, Guardians of the Galaxy). Come and learn about this vital but under discussed art form.

Sunday, April 5 – 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM in Room 208
SPOTLIGHT ON LEN WEIN
At one time or another, Len Wein has written almost all the major characters for most major publishers. He launched Swamp Thing, The New X-Men, Wolverine and so many more. here is your chance to hear one of comics' most prolific creative talents discuss his career and work, all while being grilled by longtime friend, Mark Evanier. Sizzling revelations are promised.

Sunday, April 5 – 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM in Room 209
JACK KIRBY TRIBUTE
Time to salute and talk about the man some in comics call "The King." The life, times and influence of Jack Kirby will be discussed by Neal Adams, Darwyn Cooke, Fred Van Lente, Crystal Skillman, Len Wein, Paul S. Levine (attorney for the Rosalind Kirby Trust), and Kirby biographer and former assistant, Mark Evanier.

As always, participants, times and anti-gay laws in Indiana are subject to change at any moment.

Tommy Donovan, a devout follower of this site, called this to my attention. It's a clip from a recent The Price is Right and I think it may be an off-air moment during one of the commercial breaks…

You know who that man in the audience is? That's Jimmy Weldon. Jimmy was a kid show host in Los Angeles in the sixties (and elsewhere, before) working with his puppet friend, Webster Webfoot. He supplied pretty much the same voice for the Hanna-Barbera duckling Yakky Doodle and did other voices on H-B shows. More recently, he's been a motivational speaker and he's quite a character himself. Too bad he didn't get selected as a contestant. It would have been great to hear Yakky bidding on a new Lexus.

Dahlia Lithwick on how the arguments for "religious freedom" are at odds with the arguments the same folks are making against Gay Marriage. Most intriguing is when Ms. Lithwick, a devout Supreme Court watcher, suggests that what's going on in Indiana may just sway the notoriously-swingable vote of Justice Kennedy towards legalizing Gay Marriage. Which is not to say I ever believe anyone's predictions on how the High Court will rule.

I get the feeling the Internet has just about exhausted itself over Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act. One thing I hadn't seen 'til now though is an annotated copy of the law itself, presented in a non-partisan atmosphere.

A bit more partisan — though apparently accurate — is this piece that debunks the claim that Indiana's version of "religious freedom" act is really no different from many others out there. On the other hand, I'm not sure there's anyone out there who objects to the Indiana law but is in favor of the others.

Reading various discussions and tirades, I see a lot of people who are angry at those who say the Indiana law makes discrimination against gays legal. Well, I think it does…but they ought to direct some of their ire at Governor Mike Pence. He goes on TV. Again and again, he's asked if this law makes discrimination against gays legal. Again and again, he obviously refuses to answer. What else are people going to think?

The late Don DeFore was one of those actors who was in absolutely everything, in part because he made the difficult transition from being a leading man to being a good comic actor. I knew him first as the latter, starring in the popular sitcom of the sixties, Hazel. Before that, he was a regular on Ozzie and Harriet and before that, he racked up an impressive list of film credits including The Human Comedy, A Guy Named Joe, Thirty Seconds over Tokyo, It Happened on 5th Avenue, My Friend Irma and even She's Working Her Way Through College. Today on Stu's Show, your enthusiastic host Stu Shostak welcomes two of Don DeFore's children, Ron DeFore and Dawn DeFore Burdine to talk about their illustrious father.

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 way, way longer. Whenever a show ends, it's available soon after for downloading from the Archives on that site. Downloads are a measly 99 cents each and you can get four shows for the price of three. And that's no April Fool's Day joke.

Header cartoon aside, there will be no April Fool's Day jokes on this blog today.

I just fixed the link on the previous item. It now actually takes you to the article mentioned, which I thought would be a nice touch.

Looks like RadioShack has received a last minute reprieve from the governor…or actually from a judge in bankruptcy court. Perhaps the new owners can morph the stores into something more successful. I hope it will occur to them to try hiring employees who know something and paying them well enough that they'll stick around.

I'm thinking this whole mess over "religious rights" in Indiana shows us how far we've come in terms of L.G.B.T. rights in this country. Few if any of the politicians who ever want to get elected or re-elected and who are defending the law are saying, "Yeah, it discriminates against gays and we think that's good." Governor Pence instead has had to come out and say he wants legislation "…that makes it clear that this law does not give businesses a right to deny services to anyone."

He won't go so far as to come out for statewide anti-discrimination protections for L.G.B.T. Hoosiers. After all, he still wants the Republican nomination for president. But not all that long ago, the argument would have been that businesses should be able to kick out gay couples who want to buy wedding cakes…and now the folks who believe that have pretty much been driven into the closet.

This morning, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson who was expected to sign a bill similar to Indiana's, has said he wants modifications in it. Here's how I think that roughly translates…

Listen, I need to sign an anti-gay bill because my base will be furious with me if I don't. But too many people will be pissed at me if I sign an anti-gay bill so I need an anti-gay bill that I can argue isn't one.

This kind of thing may work but not for much longer.