Starting this month, we're launching Wartime Mondays. Medical programming moves to a new night soon.
First up, from season 1 of 12 O'Clock High: Andrew Prine guest stars in "Follow The Leader". Judy Carne provides some eye candy, 3 1/2 years before Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.
Long before "Three Men & a Baby", CBS thought there might be a market for a sitcom about three bachelors with an orphaned little girl.
Missy's Men put Jack Sheldon (ex-Run, Buddy, Run), Dan Travanty (better known later as Daniel J. Travanti), and Dwayne Hickman (ex-Dobie Gillis) together as the would-be adoptive fathers to Missy (Tracey Lee). David Lewis (ex-Batman, later of General Hospital) co-stars.
Inner Circle's follow-up to the Cops theme, "Bad Boys", was "Sweat (A La La La La Long)", which peaked at #16 on the Hot 100. With Spring Break right around the corner for college students (high schoolers get Spring break after Easter next month), here's a head start.....
This episode of Insight starts with what would really be the ending, as a man dressed in a homemade Superman costume is found dead in a refrigerator. Flashbacks explain how he got there.
Our cast includes Allan Lurie, Lane Bradbury, Frank Maxwell (ex-The Second Hundred Years), Lurene Tuttle (ex-Julia), and Arlene Golonka (ex-Mayberry RFD).
Ottawa Senators star Brady Tkachuk is not a happy camper as far as the White House is concerned.
After President Junk Food fed the men's Olympic hockey team McDonald's double cheeseburgers on Tuesday, some anonymous jobroni on TikTok used some AI to perpetuate a scam pretending that Tkachuk was cutting down the Canadian people, even though, as mentioned above, he plays for a Canadian-based team in the NHL, which resumed regular season play on Wednesday.
All we know was that this was shared on the White House's official TikTok account, while the source of the video remains unknown. Understandably, US players on their NHL teams are going to get mixed reactions the rest of the season, and this MAGA moron, whomever it is, is only adding fuel to the fire to get clicks & likes.
If they thought Donnie Diapers was really a good sport, they should've known better. While we don't know if Dumb Donald knows about the AI-generated video, he should find it within himself, as far as he can go, to force the Weasel of the Week to delete the video. But, you know he won't.
In hindsight, maybe the men should've followed the women's lead, and accepted an invite from 80's rap icon Flavor Flav (Public Enemy) to party with other Olympic champions. At least Flav's heart is in the right place.......
It was assumed at the time that Sammy Davis, Jr. was cast against type in this season 4 episode of The Rifleman.
Tip Corey (Davis) returns to North Fork to avenge the death of his father, reputedly in the town years earlier, and, allegedly, at the hands of Micah Torrance (Paul Fix)........
First, it was House Mis-Speaker Mike Johnson. Now, alleged "border czar" Tom Homan thinks he knows more about the Catholic faith than Pope Leo XIV.
The MSN article also reiterates the fact that Homan, before accepting his post with Team Pampers, had accepted a bribe to the tune of $50,000 from undercover FBI agents. Homan, though, decided to tell the Pope to stay out of his business.
Listen, doofus, it's a matter of public record that you broke the law. If the Pope wants to comment on that in rebuttal to your fool's folly, so be it. Three months ago, the Pope told reporters,
“Jesus says very clearly at the end of the world, we’re going to be asked, you know, how did you receive the foreigner? Did you receive him and welcome him or not? And I think that there’s a deep reflection that needs to be made in terms of what’s happening.”
Apparently, that's too complex for Homan to comprehend, hence his whining and feeling the need to show the Pope he knows more about the Catholic faith, which he clearly does not.
Well, you know what he's getting:
From The Ed Sullivan Show:
"Damn Yankees" had been on Broadway, and became a movie with Tab Hunter. Ed brought in Broadway cast members Charlotte Rae, Dick Shawn, James Komack, and chart topper Teresa Brewer to perform "You Gotta Have Heart".
After appearing on Iron Horse, Gerald Mohr guest starred on Pistols & Petticoats as a card sharp. Moving to cartoons the next year, though saved him from typecasting.
Here's "The Gun Runners":
Roughly a year after "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory", Sammy Davis, Jr. recorded his version of "The Candy Man", which went all the way to #1 for 3 weeks in the summer of 1972.
Unfortunately, all the performance videos are of Sammy on his own, without the Mike Curb Congregation, acting as his backup singers. So, we'll go with the audio, and a shot of an album cover.....
Cliff Richard hit #1 on the UK pop charts, and peaked at #7 on the Hot 100 with 1979's "We Don't Talk Anymore", which, in reality, was a reintroduction to American audiences, as he had last charted over here with "Devil Woman" three years earlier.
Two weeks ago, President Pampers (Donald Trump) was making demands regarding the Gordie Howe Bridge, which is one of the links between the US & Canada, and falsely (of course) claimed that China would "terminate" hockey in Canada.
As usual, the Joe Isuzu of politics didn't know what he was talking about.
On Sunday, Trump cancelled plans to attend the men's hockey final at the Olympics between the US & Canada, and instead sent FBI Misdirector "Counterfeit" Kash Patel as a proxy. Mirroring the women's gold medal victory three days earlier, the Americans won their first men's gold medal since the "Miracle on Ice" team coached by Herb Brooks won it all in Lake Placid 46 years ago. Patel partied with the men's team after the game, which, of course, led to much resentment back at home, since he was traveling on taxpayer dollars.
Unfortunately, not everyone in the misadministration was happy with the result.
White House Propaganda Minister Steven Cheung whined when Canada's Connor McDavid was named men's tournament MVP. Apparently, Cheung didn't pay much attention to the actual games, or doesn't understand hockey at all. Cheung made the accusation that the MVP vote was, well, fixed. No, it wasn't. McDavid, a star player for the NHL's Edmonton Oilers, earned the honor. They do give such awards to players on losing teams every now and then.
Meanwhile, Dumb Donald is calling on Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos to remove Susan Rice, a former adviser to former President Barack Obama, from the streamer's board of directors. Loopy Laura Loomer got Trump bent out of shape with lies about Rice. If Loomer would stop sticking her nose where it doesn't belong (and this applies to anyone in Trump's orbit, including Trump himself), she wouldn't feed the Archduke of Affluenza's need for attention. Sarandos addressed the issue while at the BAFTA Awards in England, stating that the planned merger between Netflix & Warner Bros. Discovery is a business deal, not political, though Donnie Diapers is pushing his friends, the Ellisons, the dorks in charge of Paramount-Skydance, to acquire WBD away from Netflix.
Do us all a favor, President Pampers. Do the job you're supposed to, and leave everything else alone, left for more responsible people to address. We do need mature adults in Washington, after all...........
A rancher (Ernest Borgnine, ex-McHale's Navy) needs help locating his daughter, supposedly abducted by Apaches. A deputy marshal (Sammy Davis, Jr.) joins him as "The Trackers" in an ABC Movie of The Week, which Davis co-produced with Aaron Spelling. Julie Adams, Jim Davis (ex-Stories of The Century) and Norman Alden (ex-Rango) co-star.
Later this morning, the US & Canada will play for the gold medal in men's hockey, three days after the US women went to overtime to defeat Canada to claim gold. The American men have not won gold at the Olympics since the "Miracle on Ice" team 46 years ago in Lake Placid.
And as for how the women completed an undefeated tournament......
MGM originally produced this service comedy pilot, The McGonigle, for NBC in 1958, but the network sat on it for 3 years before it finally hit the air on Westinghouse Preview Theatre in 1961. Mickey Shaughnessy has the title role as a scheming sailor with a merry band, a la Phil Silvers' Sgt. Bilko. Paul Picerni came over from The Untouchables to play Bottleneck, another sailor.
We'll look at Westinghouse Preview Theatre another time, but now, it's time to sail off with The McGonigle.
Texas Attorney General Ken-L Ration Paxton lost a court case in his home state when a judge ruled that he has 0 jurisdiction over Bexar County's immigrant legal defense fund, which will expire next week.
After falsely claiming figure skater Alysa Liu was "woke", House Republicans posted on X a congratulatory note after Liu won a gold medal earlier this week. Nothing like getting shamed into eating virtual humble pie, y'know?
Hmmm, something tells me a certain NY Democrat might've shamed them into it.......
Back in the day, television stations would start & end their broadcast day with a playing of "The Star Spangled Banner". This was slowly phased out, as stations began expanding to their present 24/7 model, over the last 40-odd years.
FCC chairman Brendan "Used" Carr wants to change all that.
As a means of marking the USA's 250th birthday with a year-long celebration, Carr, according to Yahoo!, is demanding that stations return to playing the national anthem, plus a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. It's clear this jingoistic idea sprang from the fevered brain of Trump, but no one's so far given the egotistical president credit. In Trump's case, it'd be the height of his hypocrisy, since the last I checked, private schools still recite the Pledge on a daily basis before the start of the school day. Asking adults to see this on TV 7 days a week is nutz. And we know Trump won't set foot in a church unless he finds a way to enrich himself in doing so.
Carr should keep his mouth shut, and let things progress as normal. But you know he won't.
"Dumb Donald is really dumb!!"--Gene Rayburn, Match Game, 1973-84.
We say that because the president thinks the Supreme Court works for him. They don't. They never did. Just because he appointed 1/3 of the current justices during his first term doesn't mean they are loyal to him.
Proof of this came today when Chief Justice John Roberts issued a ruling stating that the tariffs that Trump had imposed on other countries since returning to office 13 months ago are, in fact, illegal. Those tariffs are a big reason why our economy is in shambles right now, contrary to the misadministration's constant lies to the contrary.
Following is a report from MS Now:
When Kim Wilde released her solo cover of the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On" in the late 80's, people forgot that she wasn't the first one to do a cover that climbed the charts.
No, that distinction belonged to Vanilla Fudge some 20 years earlier. A harder sound, a different arrangement, and it landed the band on The Ed Sullivan Show.....
Benson, a spin-off from Soap that actually outlasted its parent series, had a completely different look when this first pilot went to air.
David Hedison (ex-Voyage to The Bottom of The Sea) appears here, but then, the pilot was later reshot with 2nd generation actor Lewis Stadlen replacing Hedison. Stadlen didn't last long himself, before his departure from the series.
Governor Gene Gatling (James Noble) thought he was just getting a domestic assistant from his cousin, Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond). Nuh-uh. Benson was more than that. Much more. As time wore on, Benson moved up in the ranks until he became lieutenant governor.
Now, let's check the pilot, and the comedy stylings of David Hedison....
Joni Mitchell wrote "Woodstock", reflecting about her experience at the legendary 1969 festival. Matthew's Southern Comfort hit #1 on the UK chart in 1970, but most oldies channels prefer Crosby, Stills, & Nash's cover, which came out a year later.
Here's Matthew's Southern Comfort:
For years, Ajax laundry detergent's slogan was that the product was "stronger than dirt".
In 1963, Colgate-Palmolive introduced a live-action mascot for Ajax, a white knight on a matching white horse, whose lance represents the cleaning power of the product.
80's icon Nicholas Colasanto, who was mostly a director during the 60's before Cheers made him a folk hero, appears here. Dick Tufeld is the announcer.
The Three Stooges are a trio of veterinarians entrusted with a valuable dog whose owner has anxiety issues, especially since the dog gets kidnapped right out from under the boys' noses.
Portions of "Calling All Curs" were later used in "Stop, Look, & Laugh", and in Jump 'n' The Saddle's "Curly Shuffle":
It wasn't enough that ABC had expanded General Hospital & One Life to Live to 45 minutes. By the winter of 1978, both joined All My Children in a hour-long format that would remain to the present, even though General is the only one left.
Ernie Anderson narrates this promo.
This is how bad the paranoia is within the GOP.
They wanted Bad Bunny investigated for possible violations of language and content in his Spanish language concert last week at the Super Bowl.
Turning Point USA stages a counter-concert with has-been rap-rocker Kid Rock, gets about 5 million views on YouTube in 24 hours, nowhere near the 128 million that tuned in for Bad Bunny. TPUSA would think that Donnie Diapers turned on them, but then, they should know by now that the Vicar of Vanity needs something to complain about.
Digression over. The FCC ruled late in the week that, nope, Bad Bunny did nothing wrong. Not even the corrupt chairman, Brendan Carr, could see things the GOP's way, and pursue the case. Game over.
Emboldened by the 5 million+ views on YouTube, TPUSA is planning another show for next year. So which has-been will headline this time? Ted Nugent? Lee Greenwood?
Reality will soon set in. The meltdown, as usual, will be fun to watch.
We're closing out our Valentine's Day celebration with this offering from I've Got a Secret:
Legendary Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey Circus clown Emmett Kelly is getting married, and the panel (Bill Cullen, Jayne Meadows, Henry Morgan, & Faye Emerson) have to guess the identity of his bride-to-be. Plus, special guest George Gobel plays a running gag throughout the show.
Every now and again, the Three Stooges would be given romantic interests. In 1941's "In The Sweet Pie & Pie", however, the boys are manipulated into a triple wedding by a conniving lawyer (an uncredited Richard Fiske) to help three socialites collect an inheritance. The boys have been accused of crimes they apparently didn't commit, and are subject to be hanged, but, oh, is that shyster about to find out the truth.......
From season 1 of I Dream of Jeannie:
On impulse, Jeannie (Barbara Eden) transports Tony (Larry Hagman) to ancient Persia. Chaos erupts, of course. Richard Kiel & Henry Corden guest star, with the latter as Jeannie's father.
Just a week after being booed during the opening ceremonies at the Olympics, Vice President Just Dumb Vance issued a rebuke to American athletes who have already raised concerns with the Trump administration.
Vance is trying to present himself as a more mature version of his boss, but the vibe ain't there. Athletes aren't robots, devoid of emotion, guy, so STFU!!
Steve Allen wrote "I'll Show Them All" for his Broadway bio of Sophie Tucker. In 1982, George Kirby covered it at the Jerry Lewis MDA telethon. Intro by Sammy Davis, Jr..
Her boss behaves like a brat virtually 24/7 on Truthless Social because he's easily offended by just about everything that opposes him. So should it surprise anyone that on Wednesday, US Attorney General Pam Bondi went before the House Judiciary Committe, and started behaving like an entitled nepo brat herself? California Rep. Ted Lieu even went so far as to imply that Bondi was committing perjury right then & there with some of her remarks.
Bondi ignored the presence of some of the survivors of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and that was part of the focus of a discussion on The View.....
Ben Calhoun (Dale Robertson) must accept the aid of a con artist (guest star Gerald Mohr) to expose "The Golden Web":
Those of us in the 518 who watched the Super Bowl were treated to a pair of local ads
One of the region's top law firms, Harding Mazzotti, joined forces with the Empire State Youth Orchestra for a very clever bit that had Paul Harding directing the band with a gavel instead of a baton
And, then, WNYT, which carried the game, joined with the Menands PD for this bit with meteorologist Paul Caiano.....
More than 36 hours later, the whining from conservative morons continues over Bad Bunny's Super Bowl 60 halftime show on Sunday.
Tennessee Misrepresentative Andy Ogles is calling for an inquiry into the Puerto Rican performer's set, which Ogles contends contained material not suitable for children. Oh, sure, go back to that tired defense. Check what Ogles whined about on X, and see if he's too far gone, considering he's up for reelection in November.....
Seems to me that these two dimbulbs forgot about Turning Point USA's show, headlined by has been Kid Rock, so they contributed to TPUSA's failure.....!
Back at home, Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin has decided, per the Albany Times-Union, that his misadministration doesn't need to attend meetings, where lawmakers make inquiries about funding and policy issues.
Had read that McLaughlin was angling to be Bruce Blakeman's running mate, as Blakeman, the Nassau County nitwit, is running for governor. Not happening. Now, McLaughlin and friends have decided to be lazy and avoid conflict from those same lawmakers unhappy with the direction of county government. Press hack Richard Crist claims they want transparency. Yeah, right, and they're not buying stock in Scotch tape, either.
Blakeman wanted Fulton County Sheriff Richard Giardino as Lieutenant Governor, but Giardino declined. Madison County Todd Hood is "considering" the prospect. This Keystone Kops approach to naming a running mate is likely to doom Blakeman's chances well before November. Don't say I didn't warn ya.
We're doing our part to honor Black History Month here at The Land of Whatever. Tonight, with help from the folks at Clown Jewels, we present a 1990 special that marked Sammy Davis, Jr.'s 60th anniversary in show business, airing just a few months before his passing in May of that year.
This was a show where Hollywood really stepped out, with guests including Clint Eastwood, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Stevie Wonder, Ed McMahon, and, via satellite, Frank Sinatra, who was on tour. Eddie Murphy is your host. Charlie O'Donnell, at the time the announcer on Wheel of Fortune, has that assignment here.
I'm happy to be wrong this morning.
I honestly thought the New England Patriots had come all the way back to being an elite team in the AFC. It took the Seattle Seahawks all of a quarter to prove, nope, not yet.
2nd year QB Drake Maye continued his postseason hibernation until the 4th quarter when he tried to bring New England back, but the Seattle defense had his number. 3 turnovers, including a fatal pick 6 in the 4th quarter. 7 sacks. No, these Patriots looked like the deer-in-the-headlights Pats who were blown out 40 years ago by Chicago. Maybe the motivation in the 4th quarter for New England didn't come from coach Mike Vrabel, but, rather, rookie receiver Kyle Williams, who helped security take down a thrill seeking fan......
For New England, there's always next year.
Reports estimate that Bad Bunny's halftime show, with special surprise guests Ricky Martin and Lady GaGa, drew anywhere between 125-135 million viewers. Compare that to Turning Point USA's alternative show, headlined by has-been rap-rocker Kid Rock, which got more than 4 million views on Turning Point's YouTube channel. Chump change by comparison. President Pampers (Donald Trump) rage watched, and whined about Bad Bunny, and couldn't be bothered to watch the TPUSA show.
And, then, there were the commercials, of course.
Kellogg's called on ageless wonder William Shatner, now past 90, to plug Raisin Bran.
Kellogg's, remember, acquired Pringles from Procter & Gamble a few years back, and signed singer Sabrina Carpenter to do a pretty funny bit with some CGI bringing to life a sentient can of the chips in human form.
Ben Affleck likely produced & directed another star-laden spot for Dunkin', joined this time by Jaleel White (Flip Side, ex-Family Matters), Jason Alexander (ex-Seinfeld), Alfonso Ribiero (America's Funniest Home Videos, ex-Silver Spoons, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), Ted Danson, looking like he did in his Cheers days, likely via AI or CGI, Tom Brady (showing again he can't act), Matt Damon, and reunited Friends Jennifer Aniston & Matt LeBlanc. Apparently, LeBlanc also went to the hair dye. Jasmine Guy (ex-A Different World) rounded out the ensemble...
After Blossom had ended its run, Joey Lawrence moved on to another NBC sitcom, designed largely for him and his brothers, Matthew & Andrew, Brotherly Love, from the same studios, Witt-Thomas Productions & Touchstone Television.
However, the series lasted just two seasons, one each on NBC & WB, before resurfacing on cable on the Disney Channel. Joey sang the theme song, and directed one episode. Matthew, fresh from the ABC Saturday morning bomb, Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad, and Andrew were getting wider exposure.
The plot: The boys' father had died after he'd remarried, and Joe meets his new half-brothers, and his stepmom (Melinda Culea, ex-The A-Team).
Bryan Cranston, pre-Malcolm in The Middle, guests in this sample episode.
Former NFL defensive lineman Chris Long (Inside The NFL) offered a piece of last minute advice to Grammy winner Bad Bunny ahead of tonight's Super Bowl halftime show.
Long, son of Fox analyst and Skechers pitchman Howie Long, suggested that Bad Bunny have no less than The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, open with "Born in The USA", Springsteen's seminal 1984 anthem. The idea here is that opening with such an iconic 80's track would get the audience on Bad Bunny's side, opposite the conservative screwballs who have their collective briefs in a twist. Speaking of.........
Boxer and YouTube "star" Jake Paul took offense to some remarks made by singer Billie Eilish at the Grammys, saying he wished that Eilish had her house broken into, but that Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) wouldn't be able to help her, after she slammed ICE. Apparently, Paul is getting ICE and local police mixed up, which prompted Yahoo! commenters to crack that Paul, 29, may have already contracted CTE after getting destroyed by Anthony Joshua last month.
Paul currently is in Italy at the Olympics, cheering on his fiancee, Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam, and was photographed alongside VP Just Dumb Vance at the hockey game between the US Women's team and Finland, which Team USA won, 5-0. When Vance left the venue, he left to boos for the 2nd day in a row after he'd been jeered during Friday's opening ceremonies.
Jake Paul, meanwhile, will have a Dunce Cap waiting for him when he comes home, due to his ignorant remarks.
Speaking of Dunces, that brings us to a punk named Jack Doherty. If you don't know who he is, he's a 22 year old livestreaming prankster, who thinks what he does allows him to avoid accountability. It doesn't.
On Friday, Doherty was ejected from the PGA's Waste Management-Phoenix Open after paying a fan $100 to try to distract one of the golfers.
What that gets you from this desk, bub, is a set of Weasel ears.
Former WWE announcer Craig Minervini (fka Craig DeGeorge in the late 80's), who last worked for WWE during the original XFL's run in 2001, resurfaced on MLB Network this week, calling the Caribbean Series, which closes out the winter baseball season. I'd think he's looking to audition for a MLB job this season, unless he already has one......!
The underlying question in this year's Super Bowl is this. Redemption or revenge?
For more than 2 decades, the New England Patriots were football's Evil Empire. None of their wins were really without controversy for a variety of reasons, absent the scandals that emerged. Some felt that the Patriots were getting preferential treatment from officials due to owner Robert Kraft being on some influential committees. The ineptitude of opposing coaches (Atlanta, Seattle) was something New England benefited from.
Now, Seattle stands in a prime position to avenge their loss.
Everyone remembers how Pete Carroll botched it in the 4th quarter, leading to a game saving interception by Malcolm Butler, who, rightfully, should've been named MVP, but that honor----of course---went to diva QB Tom Brady, now with Fox and a shill for Pizza Hut. Butler ended up in Bill Belichick's doghouse the very next season, and disappeared.
Today, Russell Wilson is on the back 9 of his career after flopping with the Giants. Sam Darnold, who caddied Brock Purdy a couple of years ago in San Francisco, gets the start for the Seahawks, despite the fact that he has never beaten New England, dating back to his days with the Jests. Marshawn Lynch does the occasional commercial, not much else. Seattle's defense isn't exactly on the same level as the Legion of Boom a decade ago, but it's still formidable.
Mike Vrabel came back to New England with some past postseason coaching experience in Tennessee. He would've been back sooner had Kraft not decided on Jerod Mayo as head coach in 2024. Mayo bombed and was let go, opening up the reunion with Vrabel, a past Super Bowl hero. 2nd year QB Drake Maye hasn't been playing his best ball in the playoffs, bailed out by an opportunistic, swarming, ballhawking defense. Aside from journeyman receiver Stefon Diggs, the Patriots don't have any real stars, operating more as a team than in the Brady years.
And, then, there are other factors that could motivate New England, specifically the fact that Kraft & Belichick were both denied induction into the Hall of Fame for a number of reasons, including lingering suspicion of foul play during the Brady-Belichick era. If Vrabel adopts an "Us against the World" mentality, in addition to flashing his own rings, that may be the last piece of the puzzle.
One other upside. One of Kraft's closest friends, president Trump, won't be at the game, polluting the air with his presence. He bailed out last year at halftime as Philadelphia dominated Kansas City. Trump's increasing unpopularity would be another distraction that the NFL doesn't need.
If the pre-game marathons on NBC & ESPN don't thrill you, there's always the Olympics on USA and the Puppy Bowl on TBS. Kraft wants to prove he can win a Super Bowl without Belichick & Brady, who delivered six tainted titles. Brady's record at the Big Game was 6-3 as a Patriot, losing to the Eagles and Giants, the latter twice. New England has otherwise fallen to Chicago & Green Bay for an overall total of 6-5.
Vrabel & Maye are making believers out of former haters, and they'll need plenty of those to thwart a bid for revenge from Seattle.
The pick: New England in a shootout.
Of course, I could be wrong.
Disney and Dynamite Entertainment must've bought into the Reese's Theory, that two great tastes would look great together.
Darkwing Duck and Gargoyles, two hit series from the 90's, are joined together in a miniseries that, in all honesty, may leave a black mark on the resumes of Gargoyles creator Greg Weisman, and on Tad Stones, who shepherded Disney's comedy-adventure toons like Darkwing and DuckTales. Stones plotted the story, with Weisman scripting, and Ciro Cangialosi drawing.
The plot? Demona, fresh off her own miniseries, abducts Morgana Macawber, a sorceress who is also Darkwing's girlfriend, conscripting Morgana to help her steal some ancient tome.
Now, remember that Darkwing was created as a parody of Batman, a year before the Dark Knight's seminal animated series hit the air. Dynamite has gotten plenty of mileage out of Darkwing in the last couple of years, but the coupling of Darkwing, with daughter Gosalyn, with the Gargoyles, contrary to what Dynamite hoped, comes across like someone preparing a sandwich of peanut butter and relish. Not good. While Gargoyles has its share of comedy relief, I don't think fans will want to sit through 5 issues. There was a reason, after all, that I'd passed on a similar pairing of the Powerpuff Girls and the ThunderCats a few months back. The aesthetic is all wrong.
Rating: C.
Dynamite also made readers wait a month for the launch of Thundarr the Barbarian, which actually is a continuation of a sort of the 1980-2 animated series created by comics legends Jack Kirby & Steve Gerber for Ruby-Spears & ABC.
We are reintroduced to Thundarr's rogues gallery, as the hero goes undercover, returning to his past as a slave. While cover artist Michael Cho captures the aesthetic of the cartoon, right down to the Kirby-esque illustrations (and an Easter egg homage to Kirby), interior artist Kewber Baal is going for more of a Silver Age look, as opposed to the Bronze Age from whence Thundarr sprang. Writer Jason Aaron, better known for his work at Marvel (i.e. Thor), did his homework, Baal's art shifts from one style to another, and that isn't good. We saw what happened with the attempt at an Alex Toth homage with the Herculoids last year, as Craig Brousseau's artwork deteriorated over the course of the series. That can't happen here.
You tell yourself, it will get better. Because it needs to.
Rating: A-.
Mad Cave continues its Gatchaman one-shots, the final one focusing on Jinpei. While Tommy Lee Edwards' script is just fine, artist Daniel Hansen was the wrong choice. He, too, is going for a Silver Age aesthetic that doesn't belong.
To think that in the first American translation of the franchise, Jinpei was repackaged as an android. He's treated better in this series, and deservedly so.
Rating: C.
Marvel has released Planet of The Apes vs. Fantastic Four, or, another five issues of reader torture.
Writer Josh Trujillo (Who? Exactly.) must've cut his teeth on Image's style, because he drops us right in the middle of things, with the FF already prisoners in Ape City, stripped of their powers after being sent through a portal during a battle with old foe Red Ghost. Thor must figure into the plot somehow, or his appearance on the cover is misleading.
Rating: C.
Quick hits: Dynamite is ending the current ThunderCats monthly with issue 25, out in March, while launching an epic crossover with the Silverhawks, which will get underway, complete with attendant miniseries, in April. The event ties into the just concluded ThunderCats: Lost miniseries. Can you say, jump the shark?.........Writer David Pepose is using the 1981 Space Stars revival of Space Ghost as source material for volume 2 of the series. First, he reintroduced fans to Eclipse Woman in issue 3, reposited, as previously discussed, as an old flame of Space Ghost's. Space Spectre, in volume 1, was rebooted as a future version of Jace. Don't ask. To that point, Jan & Jace's grandfather, a scientist, is transformed into the Anti-Matter Man in issue 7, out now. In between, we had a follow up to a 1981 short about space vampires in issue 6.......Mad Cave will resume the Dick Tracy monthly in April, after a St. Patrick's Day Special in March, instead of a 2nd annual Valentine's Day number. Maybe they'll do Easter next year?.....Dynamite has the rights to Slave Labor's ill-fated run of Gargoyles, but the trades, like the books were originally, are in black & white, and more expensive than the normal Dynamite trade. Hmmmm.
In a rare instance of The Ed Sullivan Show going on the road, the 5th Dimension perform "Up, Up, & Away" live in Las Vegas in 1968.
Missouri Senator Josh "Hee" Hawley put his foot in his mouth again when Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos met with a Senate committee, ostensibly to discuss the still-pending merger of the streaming giant with Warner Bros Discovery. Hawley steered the discussion toward a discourse on how Netflix offends his supposed values with LGTBQ+ content, making it all about him (sound familiar?).
Farron Cousins explains.
Nearly three years after Dark Horse & Universal adapted the former's Timecop into a feature film with Jean Claude Van Damme, a TV version was sold to ABC, meant as a lead-in to Monday Night Football. However, with only one character returning from the movie, and that nearly three year time lag between movie and TV, Timecop flopped, and was gone before Christmas.
Don Stark, later of That 70's Show, took over the role originated by Bruce McGill in the movie. The only other familiar names include Kurt Fuller ("No Holds Barred", "Ghostbusters") and, in the series finale, Bruce Campbell.
Donald Trump won't let go of 2020, specifically, his election loss to Joe Biden.
A normal person would've just accepted what happened, and moved on. Because of how he was mentored by his late father, Fred, and the late attorney, Roy Cohn, Trump is incapable of this. Instead, it eats at him, even though he's back in the White House. He just doesn't know how to put it behind him.
Consider, then, a recent raid in Fulton County, Georgia, supervised by the head of the office of national incompetence, Tulsi Gabbard. Five-plus years later, Trump still wants proof that doesn't exist that he was somehow screwed in 2020. You can't make him understand that the more he complains publicly about it, the worse it's going to be for him in the public eye.
As Farron Cousins explains, the chances of any vindictive prosecution coming out of this are just like the proof he seeks. Mythical.
A rare nighttime scene on the set of Sesame Street is the backdrop for James Taylor's solo cover of the Drifters' "Up On The Roof":
Going back to Three Dog Night's 1972 appearance on The David Frost Show for a performance of "Joy To The World".
Donald Trump, man & boy, needs to stop rage watching.
In addition to filing frivolous lawsuits against the IRS, to distract from an info dump of the Epstein files the other day, President Onions is threatening one against comic Trevor Noah (ex-The Daily Show), who emceed the Grammys last night in Los Angeles. All because of one joke that encompassed Trump's obsession with Greenland and his alleged association with Epstein in one fell swoop.
Brian Tyler Cohen & Glenn Kirschner break it down on The Legal Breakdown.
You know the story. A widowed millionaire (Conrad Bain, fresh from Maude) adopts two African American boys, whose deceased mom worked for him.
Diff'rent Strokes spent 8 seasons total between NBC (1978-85) and ABC (1985-6), and, as with many of Norman Lear's series, dealt with real world issues such as racism and kidnapping over the course of the run.
Halfway through season 2, Charlotte Rae's character of housekeeper Edna Garrett was spun off into The Facts of Life, which bowed the following summer. Nedra Volz spent some time as Adelaide before leaving for a recurring role on The Dukes of Hazzard. Mary Jo Catlett took over the housekeeper's role for the rest of the run. Gary Coleman had been tried out in an attempt to revive Our Gang with an inner-city spin that didn't sell, but became an icon with this series, which led to one of his movies, "The Kid With The Broken Halo", spinning off a self-titled animated series in 1982 that lased just 1 season. Todd Bridges came over from Fish to be the big brother.
Following is the series opener, "Movin' In". The theme song was co-written & sung by Alan Thicke.
"Principal's Office" was the follow-up to Young MC's breakthrough debut, "Bust a Move", off "Stone Cold Rhymin'". The video takes Young MC back to high school, and, as we've already seen, it became common for music videos to feature "high schoolers" dancing on campus to the beat......
"Just Before Eve" is a 3-person teleplay set in the Garden of Eden before the creation of Eve. Yeah, they are stretching things a tad with God (Flip Wilson), Adam (Martin Sheen), & Eve (Darleen Carr, ex-Sugar Time!, Streets of San Francisco) in modern clothing, but, well, it is a family show.......
With Valentine's Day two weeks away, let's get the ball rolling with 10cc & "The Things We Do For Love":
We've received reports of two incidents of local residents being detained by ICE without any real cause or warrants. One in Albany, one in Clifton Park. The recklessness of these masked agents amounts to legalized racial profiling. They're not following protocols or laws, just following orders not so much from embattled Homeland Insecurity secretary Kristi Gnoem, but from White House deputy chief of staff and head troll Stephen Miller, whose raging xenophobia fuels this.
Plain & simple, the masks have to come off. No more hiding. Accountability is required. Now.
Meanwhile, two journalists were arrested for simply covering anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis last week.
One, Georgia Fort, was arrested in Minneapolis. The other, ex-CNN anchor Don Lemon, was in Los Angeles covering the Grammy Awards, which take place Sunday, when he was picked up. The Department of Injustice, ignorant of the fact that the videos recorded by witnesses of the murders of Renee Good & Alex Pretti, as well as the protests at a Minneapolis church, bear far more weight than their attempts at rewriting history, have no basis for either arrest.
In Los Angeles, actress & activist Jane Fonda spoke out in support of Lemon.
Video from Forbes' YouTube channel:
From season 4 of The Big Valley:
Heath (Lee Majors) saves a gunman, only to learn that the man was sent to avenge a self-defense murder. Robert Loggia (ex-T. H. E. Cat) guest stars.
Up until The Love Boat came along, Aaron Spelling had a poor track record with comedies, dating back to his days at Four Star. For example, the unsold Bette Davis pilot, The Decorator, and Gertrude Berg's attempt at a sitcom comeback were both on his watch. So was the Smothers Brothers' 1st series.
Defiant, Spelling tried to unite Westerns and comedy with 1967's Rango, with Tim Conway, Spelling's 1st collaboration with Danny Thomas. That was a bomb.
Five years later, having established himself as one of ABC's primary producers of their Movie of The Week, Spelling went mining for 10 gallon laughs again, this time with "The Daughters of Joshua Cabe", which would be the first in a trilogy of TV-movies produced over a 4 year period (1972-6), with three different actors as Cabe, and three sets of "Daughters".
"Cabe" was to reunite Spelling with Walter Brennan (ex-The Guns of Will Sonnett, The Real McCoys), who'd been in the two "Over The Hill Gang" TV-movies. Brennan wasn't available, but Buddy Ebsen, a year removed from The Beverly Hillbillies, was.
The plot: Cabe has to fend off a neighboring rival (Leif Erickson, himself fresh from The High Chaparral), but his adult daughters can't reach him in time. Needing help, in addition to his best friend, Bitterroot (Jack Elam), Cabe recruits a trio of ne'er do wells in a hooker, a pickpocket, and a petty thief, to pose as his daughters. Spelling went for the downs with the casting, calling on two past "Gidgets", Sandra Dee and Room 222's Karen Valentine, and a past "Cinderella" (Lesley Ann Warren, billed as simply Lesley Warren).
The supporting cast also includes Don Stroud and Michael Anderson, Jr. (ex-The Monroes).
In addition to reports of possibly having dementia, Alzheimer's disease, or both, we can assume that President Pampers (Donald Trump) has an incurable case of foot-in-mouth disease.
On Tuesday, Dumb Donald was in Iowa for a speech before an audience of marks. Meanwhile, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar was in Minneapolis to address the concerns of her constituents. Trump, as per usual, smeared Omar with the same baseless claims that have been reported. Trump's rally was in the daytime, apparently, while Omar had a town hall at night.
Anthony Kazmierczak, 55, a Trump supporter from Minnesota, went after Omar with a syringe filled with some unknown liquid. He was quickly subdued, and arrested on charges of 3rd degree assault.
Unfortunately, Trump tried to deny the incident actually took place, having not seen the video that has surfaced, claiming instead that Omar staged the incident, again showing little or no respect to the Somalian emigre, who arrived in the US with her family in 1995.
Kazmierczak, apparently, was triggered by remarks Omar made about the abolishment of the current ICE unit, corrupted by the Trump administration, and called for the resignation or dismissal of Homeland Insecurity Secretary Kristi Gnoem.
Given the unrest caused by ICE agents the last couple of weeks in Minneapolis, Republican Reps Mike Lawler (NY), Mark Alford (Missouri), and Nancy Mace (South Carolina) condemned the incident. Trump, continuing to play up the image that he is an unrepentant racist jackass, told ABC that he thinks Omar is a "fraud".
No, she isn't. You are, and you always have been as a politician. Do yourself a favor, watch the video, then walk back your latest bout of stupidity, if you can. Which I doubt.
These days, at last check, Dean Cain is the host of CW's Masters of Illusion. Still, a headline about the actor references his most famous role, that, of course, of Superman in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993-7), but he's hardly a role model for today's kids.
Having been made an honorary ICE officer last year, Cain is, of course, going to side with the corrupted agency as it relates to the murder Saturday of VA nurse Alex Pretti.
Obviously, being fired from a supporting role on Supergirl a few years back left Cain embittered, though the Illusion gig is still intact. He doesn't even look like Clark Kent anymore, but, rather, a supporting character from the comics that doesn't get much TV time. Bibbo.
Joking aside, Cain gets a Dunce Cap for going public with his stupidity. We won't even waste jokes on red Kryptonite or even Mr. Mxyzptlk..........
From season 2 of Trapper John, MD:
Bear in mind that this was a full decade before Doogie Howser, MD was even a thought in a writer's mind. Michael J. Fox, about 18 months before Family Ties, guests as a teen doctor, whose knowledge astonishes the staff........! Michael Constantine (ex-Room 222, Sirota's Court) also appears.
Yes, that's right, not just the past week, but the entire month of January, especially insofar as the state of Minnesota is concerned. US Attorney General Pam Bondi is demanding sensitive information from state government in the Gopher State in exchange for removing ICE from the state.
To me, that's blackmail, or even extortion.
And, if you haven't been following all of this, why is Minnesota being targeted? One reason would be because Gov. Tim Walz ran for Vice President 14 months ago, and to President Pampers, the actions of ICE in Minnesota falls under political retaliation just because Walz and Kamala Harris dared to challenge Fraud Fauntleroy in 2024. This is the part unspoken so far.
Two innocent people are dead, and the Department of Injustice insists on misbranding them as domestic terrorists. Well, guess what, Dumb Bondi? ICE, under the misdirection of Greg Bovino, are the terrorists here. This mission of theirs is founded on lies from Ryan Shirley, which we've discussed before.
Brian Tyler Cohen & Marc Elias break down the discourse following the murder of Alex Pretti last week:
From season 1:
A star football player is being aggressively recruited by a college, whose famous alumni raises some red flags for Pete (Lloyd Haynes) & Principal Kaufman (Michael Constantine). Paul Winfield & Larry Linville guest star.
We're learning that, to the surprise of no one, the Department of Injustice has filed an appeal of the disqualification of attorney John Sarcone here in New York, after he'd been penalized for being improperly appointed as US Attorney for the sole purpose of prosecuting NY AG Letitia James.
Dumb Bondi doesn't get it, and likely, never will. Protocols have to be followed if you want your designated ambulance chasers on these cases. Lindsey Halligan did everyone a favor by bailing out in Virginia, tired of all the drama she was facing there.
Something else that Bondi doesn't get is trying to gaslight the public after another innocent citizen was murdered in cold blood in Minneapolis.
Alex Pretti, 37, a male nurse who worked for the VA, didn't have a gun, contrary to AI-manipulated video issued by the Department of Injustice. He had a cell phone. Bondi knows, as does ICE captain in Minneapolis Greg Bovino, that they're wrong, but of course, they don't want to admit it.
With much of the country in the grip of a massive winter storm, the likes of which we haven't seen in years, Dumb Donald thinks global warming is a hoax. Yeah, sure, Donnie, remind us again how you forgot everything you ever learned in school, dating back to kindergarten. Your best subject was, well, lunch.
Closer to home, Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello announced that a post-storm snow emergency will go into effect Tuesday morning at 8 am. Which means that crews will be clearing nearly 2 feet of snow, based on current estimates. I would think that with a storm of this magnitude, you'd issue the emergency, than have citizens clear their cars off the sidewalks before the storm hits, for safety's sake. But what do I know?
Warner Bros. had a line of Westerns in the late 50's that were among some of the most popular. Maverick. Cheyenne. Sugarfoot. Bronco. Lawman.
In hindsight, Colt .45, based on the 1950 movie of the same name, was the black sheep of the family. Why? Because halfway through season 2, series star Wayde Preston quit the show, upset that he was performing dangerous stunts without a stuntman to cover for him. ABC & WB had to use repeats to fill out the season after 13 episodes had aired. When the series resumed first run production for the 3rd & final season, Donald May took over as Sam Colt, Jr., cousin to Christopher Colt (Preston). Preston would return, but was given 2nd billing as, ah, punishment for his decision to quit.
May would move on to The Roaring Twenties, then a lengthy run on As The World Turns. Preston would never headline a series again.
Following is the opener, "Judgment Day", with Peter Brown and Andrew Duggan.
It comes down to tomorrow.
Two teams will punch their tickets to the Super Bowl on February 8. The oddsmakers seem to think they know, but do they, really?
In the AFC, top seeded Denver hosts #2 New England. However, the Broncos are depleted on offense, with running back J. K. Dobbins injured, and 2nd year QB Bo Nix out for the season after breaking his ankle vs. Buffalo. Former Patriot Jarrett Stidham hasn't thrown a pass since 2023, and will be asked to direct the Denver offense against the team that drafted him a few years ago. That would be a recipe for disaster, and coach Sean Payton has been playing hype man for Stidham.
Mike Vrabel, in returning to New England, has the Patriots a game away from returning to the Super Bowl. That, of course, begs to ask why his former teammate, Jerod Mayo, couldn't get it done last season in his lone year as head coach. Vrabel cut his coaching teeth in Tennessee, and, by all rights, could've landed the Patriot gig in 2024, which I'm pretty sure talk radio in Boston was chirping about, when owner Robert Kraft chose Mayo instead. 2nd year QB Drake Maye didn't play his best game last week vs. Houston, as the defense bailed him out.
All that being said, Denver has to get out to a fast start in order to have a chance. They can, however, count themselves thankful they're the home team, but regardless, I wouldn't mind CBS' Jim Nantz dusting off an old Al Michaels line about "Ice Station Zebra" at the start of the broadcast.
Pick: New England.
Seattle QB Sam Darnold is making Minnesota wish they never let him go after the 2024 season, and making Seahawks fans forget his predecessor, Geno Smith (Las Vegas). Two years ago, Darnold was Brock Purdy's caddy in San Francisco. Now, though, he's a game away from starting the "Big Game" himself.
However, Seattle has damaged goods as well, with running back Zach Charbonnet out for the season with an injury. The Rams are a more experienced group in the postseason, and that could make all the difference at the end of the night.
Seems the oddsmakers may actually be right for a change, as neither #1 seed will reach the Super Bowl.
Pick: Los Angeles.
Of course, I could be wrong.
"Dumb Donald is really dumb!!"---Gene Rayburn, Match Game, 1973-84.
"How do I know you're not sick? You could be some deranged lunatic!"--Will "Fresh Prince" Smith, 1987.
So now, we're finding out that California Governor Gavin Newsom was barred, at the last minute, from speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this week. Why? Because Donald Trump, after bombing in his speech, didn't want Newsom on stage upstaging him, which, in hindsight, is really easy to do.
Farron Cousins explains.
