I don't think any of the 16 Amazing Mandy Patinkin Quotes That Will Change Your Life will actually change your life. But one or two of them might make you think about interesting things.

Pat Barrett calls out The New Yorker for reprinting a Jack Kirby drawing and giving the art credit as "Marvel Entertainment." He's right. They're wrong. They won't change.

Alex Seitz-Wald writes about Conspiracy Entrepreneur Alex Jones. The latter Alex is making a heap o' money catering to paranoids across America who stand ready, even eager to hear that their government is out to enslave them. As I've written here before, I think we underestimate how much of the "nutcase" end of our political discourse exists simply because it's so lucrative.

Years ago when I briefly delved into the surreal land of "Who Really Killed J.F.K.?," I laid eyes on an entire industry. There were folks who professed to be after the truth and were willing to entertain and even promote any theory of how President Kennedy died…any one except the one about Lee Harvey Oswald being a lone nut. There was no money in that theory. It also wouldn't advance anyone's political agenda but the real reason it was written-off in some circles was because it didn't sell books, didn't bring in donations, etc. I met people whose income and reputations were built on the premise that Oswald couldn't have acted alone and were not about to abandon their livelihoods.

It's like Deep Throat said not in that parking garage but in William Goldman's screenplay for All the President's Men: "Follow the money!"

Another Allan Sherman song you probably never heard…

Ross Douthat on the problem Republicans have with health care.

Here's a little notice that Jason Alexander has had to put out about people who converge on him with stuff to get signed. Like most famous folks, he has to differentiate between people who want one autograph as a treasured momento and people who have a whole pile o' stuff they want signed so they can sell it on eBay. Whenever you hear that a celeb is bitchy or rude about signing autographs, make sure you know which kind they're talking about. The seekers in the latter category can be very intrusive, very demanding and sometimes even a menace to public safety.

I've met Jason on a number of occasions and for whatever my reporting is worth, he seems to be one of the nicest, most approachable stars around. He's especially good if you have something more to say to him than, "I've always enjoyed your work." Not that he'd probably mind just that.

One night, we were both at a one-performance-only performance of a musical out in Glendale. Being a one-time event, everyone on stage had most of their friends and family there…and most of these performers were young and new at this. After the show, there was an informal party out in the parking lot by the stage door. There, much of the audience mingled with the actors, congratulating them and heaping deserved (in most cases) praise on them. Jason was mingling too and I noticed and was impressed by two things he did.

One was that he approached each and every actor and made a point of giving them some non-gushy, sincere compliments and gentle advice. I didn't exactly eavesdrop on the conversations but I heard enough to know he was finding something positive and encouraging to say to each performer and none of what I heard sounded phony. It took him a while to make the rounds and make sure he didn't miss any…and that alone was a fine gesture. But I figured out something else he was doing…

He was making a point of approaching each actor when they were with their friends and family.

There were moments when an actor was alone and Jason could have laid his compliments on the guy and split. That would have been nice enough. But he always waited until the actor was with loved ones. I can't tell you how perceptive and caring I thought that was.

Imagine this for a sec: You're a young actor, darn near making your stage debut. You have your parents there and other family members. You have friends and supporters there. And this is maybe the first time they've seen you in anything on a big stage in a real musical…

…and then up comes that guy on Seinfeld. A real star. A real actor. A person your friends and folks have all heard of. A guy who's made millions at the profession into which you're now wading. A guy with a Tony Award and a couple of Emmys and some others…

And he makes a special point of seeking you out to tell you you were good.

I spied on this because I thought it was so wonderful. I can still see the expression on some parents' faces and it just made me remember another place I saw that expression.

When Ray Bradbury passed away, I ran this obit and memory piece about him. Writing the above, I got to thinking about something I left out when I recounted my first encounter with Mr. Bradbury. A bunch of us teenagers had been to his office and spent a lot more time than we'd expected we'd get with him. Much of the conversation was taped so it could run in a fanzine published by one of us.

That evening, my parents asked me eagerly about the visit and I explained how nice Ray Bradbury was and how encouraging. They were thrilled that he'd invited me to come back on my own for some one-on-one advice about writing. I quoted a number of things he'd said, including something I no longer recall verbatim about how I could have a great career in writing.

My father's face lit up. "He said that? Ray Bradbury said that?" He had the expression I'm talking about here. "Do you have that on tape? Could I hear that?"

I told my father that my friend Craig had recorded it…but there was no need to get the tape. I was quite certain I'd quoted it accurately. I also didn't think it was that big a deal. Bradbury hadn't read anything I'd written and then said that. He'd just told a kid of unknown talent that it was possible to have a great career in writing. Why was that news? Nevertheless, my father insisted he had to hear it for himself so I borrowed the tape from Craig and played him that part and a few others…and that's when I really saw that expression.

I think I was around sixteen at the time. That I was going to be pursuing a career as a professional writer was already decided. Hell, it had been decided — by me if not by anyone else — ten years earlier. And while my father had great confidence in me and an even greater desire that I find an occupation that I would love as much as he hated his, he was worried. My father was a great worrier. A world-class worrier. And he was stuck in this profession he hated, toiling away for the Internal Revenue Service…so he'd met a lot of writers who weren't able to make a living writing.

It meant a lot to him to hear the actual voice of the actual Ray Bradbury say the actual words, "You could have a great career in writing." A lot.

Just as I'm sure it meant a lot to all those young actors' parents and friends to hear Jason Alexander, a guy who'd actually done it, say things like, "You're going to go far in this business." And it meant a lot to those actors to have their parents and friends hear him say that. Jason also posed for photos with the ones who wanted photos…which was, I think, all of them.

This may all strike you as me making a big deal out of very little. So Jason Alexander stuck around for a half-hour or 45 minutes to offer some encouragement to beginning thespians. So what? You could look at it that way. I just thought it was a very decent, kind use of his celebrity.

The piece of his I linked to above was him defending himself against some criticism somewhere that he won't sign autographs for the eBay mob. Good for him. It might be easier to just sign than to not sign but that just encourages them…and justifies what they do. If he signed for them then the next star who refuses is going to be hit with, "Hey, Jason Alexander signed for us." Ah, but if he doesn't sign for them, that just frees up his time and space for the kind of celebrity/fan encounters where he can use his awesome powers for good. I like that better.

Watch this short film by Willie Witte. It was done, he says, without any computer effects. I'd love to know how…

This is from Jim Haberman who started this whole discussion. He headed this message, "Absolutely my final words on this pointless mess. No, really." Here it is…

Dear Mark, aka Mr. Switzerland,

Anytime now someone's inevitably going to chime in swearing that was a brilliantly-disguised Rich Little instead of Woody Allen being interviewed. Someone else will counter with David Frye.

So what have we learned? Seems to me the grand take-aways from all this heatedly obscure conjecture are:

• Clearly, nobody knows anything.
• Except Woody Allen himself, who probably either doesn't remember, or doesn't even care to remember.
• If the interviewer had been Peter Cook, maybe 500 people in North America would care about it. And most of those are probably Canadians.
• As we've gradually unearthed a dozen or so names utterly unheard of in the U.S., we're down to 6 or less who care, all of whom have gotten in touch with you. (Multiply that number by 10 for the U.K. if you're prone to exaggeration.)
• Keeping one's opinion to oneself is very wise. Not even having an opinion is priceless.
• To quote the immortal Groucho: "Well, I'm sorry the matter ever came up. All I know is it's a viaduct."

Perhaps at the very least we can all agree that Woody Allen gave a number of terrifically quick, inventive and very funny comebacks in this piece. Or perhaps we can't even agree on that. If that was in fact Woody Allen.

But I know we can all agree I should never write to you again with some cockamamie theory about a person no one's even heard of. Now, if only I could agree about that…

P.S. Come on, it's definitely Barry Took.

Thanks, Jim. And I still have no opinion on this.

When is your Half Birthday? If you don't know, use the Half Birthday Calculator over on the Betty Crocker website.

If you're a fan of The Dick Van Dyke Show, you'll want to get a look at this photo. Thanks, Pete.

In the above photo, the gentleman on the left is the great (sadly, late) Carl Ballantine. Carl was one of the funniest men who ever strolled this planet — a regular on McHale's Navy, a comic actor in so many TV shows and movies, and the performer of a comedy magic act where none of the tricks worked but every one of the jokes was a masterpiece. I have never laughed more in my life than when I was around Carl.

The lady at right is his daughter, Saratoga Ballantine. Carl showed his love for betting on the horses by naming each of his children after racetracks. Sara is an actress of grand ability who started as a child in TV sitcoms and is now heard voiceovering in many commercials, cartoon shows and videogames. We love her, too. And among the many things we love her for is the loving, diligent way she took care of her father in his final years. Having lost my remaining parent not long after, I really respect someone who handled that delicate matter as well as she did.

Sara will be talking about his career, her career and taking care of an aging Jew comedian tomorrow. Where will she be doing this? Why, on Stu's Show, of course.

You know the drill by now: Stu Shostak interviews great guests from the world of entertainment on his weekly Internet Radio program each Wednesday. The show starts at 4 PM Pacific Time (he does it live) which is 7 PM Eastern and other times in other zones. When it ends is a good question but it's always at least two hours. It has been known to run three.

The best way to hear it is to listen live when they do it. That's free. Shortly after it ends — like a half-hour or so — you can purchase it as a podcast from the Stu's Show website. That's also where you go to hear it live. Single shows can be downloaded for a most-reasonable 99 cents each…but get a bargain. Pay for three and you get one free. There are hundreds there to choose from, some of which don't even have me as the guest.

Stu's a great host. Sara will be a great guest. She has wonderful stories of her wonderful career and wonderful father and you'll have a wonderful time. That's tomorrow (Wednesday) on Stu's Show.

Newt Gingrich says that a deal is close that would have him starring on the right-wing wing of a revival of Crossfire on CNN. Of course, Newt Gingrich once claimed he'd all but won the 2012 Republican nomination for president so take that with a grain of sodium chloride. Then he also says of the period when the hosts of Crossfire were Tom Braden and Pat Buchanan…

People forget but for the first 10 years it was a very serious program. I remember doing it as a junior member. It was a real workout. It was a destination for people to hear both sides discuss serious issues in an entertaining way.

I remember it not unlike a rowdy pro wrestling match where half the time you couldn't hear what one person was yelling because the other person was yelling louder. I suppose there were moments like Mr. Gingrich recalls but the show wasn't about them. There was a period when Michael Kinsley represented the left and his gentle nature seemed to dial down the fire-exhalation a bit. Or maybe it wasn't his manner so much as the fact that he wasn't that liberal. He was slightly left of center and didn't disagree that much with most of his opposition. I don't recall the show having too many liberals who were as liberal as its conservatives were conservative.

I do recall a lot of hosts who were fierce about their side "winning" to the stage of intellectual dishonesty. Among those who deal in opinion journalism and punditry, there's a kind of person who strikes me as being an advocate for a position they truly and deeply hold. There's also a kind who seems to have discovered that there's money and fame in spouting a certain viewpoint…so spout that viewpoint they do — incessantly and giving no ground lest it diminish their careers. Crossfire, to me, had too many of the latter kind.

Anyway, knowing full well no one from CNN reads this site and that if they did, they'd dismiss the following suggestion as unlikely to draw ratings, I would like to present an idea. The idea is to revive Crossfire not with Newt Gingrich or his left-wing equivalent, but with two people who won't nuke their future careers if they occasionally admit the other guy has a point there. The Newts of the world have too much to lose if they're viewed as squishy by the rabid elements of their base. At times, the old Crossfire seemed like you had opposing versions of the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail squabbling, each denying he'd just had a limb severed. The goal wasn't even to win so much as to act like you'd won.

Furthermore, I would add to the mix a third individual — a good, non-partisan Fact Checker who, when one combatant claimed GDP was up and the other insisted it was down, could weigh in and settle the dispute. If I were CNN, promoting myself as the most trusted name in news, I'd be concerned about a show on my network throwing off so many unsupported, misleading "facts." Whenever I see a not-on-Fox-News interview of Brit Hume or Chris Wallace — two men who purport to be newsmen first and advocates second — I feel the squirming over things said during the "opinion" hours of their network. It's like a station with the word "news" in its name isn't responsible for outright disinformation on certain of its shows. On my version of Crossfire, the debaters could offer hard evidence that the Fact Checker was in error but would agree to accept his or her final rulings the way lawyers in a courtroom must provisionally accept the judge's.

No one will ever put such a show on the air. There might not be enough shouting on it to qualify for the current definition of Good Television, measured as it is by tune-ins of people aged 18-49. But I've had political discussions that ended with one side admitting the other side was right about something…or of both finding areas of agreement and common ground. I just can't recall seeing too many of them on television, particularly on a show with the name, "Crossfire."

Jonathan Sloman takes to Facebook today to weigh in…

I put forward the theory that the interviewer is producer and one time Head of Light Entertainment at Granada, Johnnie Hamp. Not only was he producing Cinema at the time, but he had also past dealings with Woody Allen, convincing him to perform an excellent stand-up special for Granada in 1965, which Hamp also produced.

Jonathan goes on to offer the video on this page as a sample of Mr. Hamp's voice which he believes is a match. Remember that I have no opinion on this matter.

Meanwhile, Stephen Saunders disagrees with the theory that the interviewer is Barry Took…

Sorry I couldn't let it go. In 1971 Barry Took was Head of Light Entertainment at London Weekend Television, a competing company to Granada, the producers of Cinema. So, unlikely. He was a writer on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In in 1970 though, which has nothing to do with it, but something I didn't know. Thank you for your time and understanding. I need a life.

Please continue to remember that I have no opinion on this matter. What I do have is a message from Nigel Parkinson…

Sorry I haven't checked your blog until today, or I could have told you that it is indeed Barry Took doing the interview. You may remember he was Marty Feldman's comedy writing partner in the 1960s and was a stand-up comic before then. He was also instrumental in getting Monty Python together, as well as other UK comedy shows. A very significant figure. And, he doesn't sound anything like Peter Cook! I met Barry Took in the 90s and he was an extremely jovial and entertaining man, much missed.

So there you are: More disagreements. Feel free to form your own opinion…as long as you remember that I don't have one.

Since 1970 when he first took to the radio in his secret identity, Barry Hansen has been a champion of funny records. He has made many careers by promoting the music of new, up-and-coming performers and he has introduced veteran performers like Stan Freberg, Spike Jones and Tom Lehrer to a new generation or two. Wearing the top hat of Dr. Demento, he has been a fixture of radio and its Internet equivalents and done oh so much to preserve old recordings.

Some folks are fixin' to do a documentary about the guy and to fund it via Kickstarter. As of this moment, they've had $64,774 pledged but their goal is $100,000 and they have only three days to get to it. I urge you to go to their Kickstarter page, browse about and consider joining me by pledging some dough. It seems like a most worthy cause to me.

Meet 11 People Who Bring the Muppets to Life, including my pal Dave Goelz.