From Laugh-In producer George Schlatter comes The Great American Laugh-Off, taped in San Francisco. The lineup includes Laugh-In cast members Wayland Flowers & Madame, Lenny Schultz, Ben Powers, Bill Rafferty, and Robin Williams, but Nancy Bleiweiss was close to stealing the show. Whatever happened to her, anyway......
WROW morning host Ben Patten has been flying solo since co-host/traffic reporter Monica Velez left the station nearly 2 years ago. That's about to change.
On January 6, Patten is finally getting a new on-air partner, but now, his workload between 5-10 am (ET) is about to be cut in half. Albany Broadcasting, WROW's parent, signed veteran DJ Jaime Roberts, who had been cut by WTRY's parent, iHeart Radio, a few weeks back. Roberts will take over as host of Magic in The Morning, while Patten continues to read the news, sports, and lottery results. JAMZ 96.3 personality Miles Reed and Albany Street host/weekend DJ Bill Williams are sharing duties with the traffic reports after Flounder left a couple of weeks back. Flounder had also been a DJ at Alt 104.9, which has undergone another format change in recent months.
The headlines this morning were dominated by news of the passing of former President Jimmy Carter at 100.
Carter served in the Navy, spent some time in the 518 studying sciences in the 50's, served two terms as a State Senator in his native Georgia before moving to the Governor's mansion there, and, finally, winning a tight election over Gerald Ford to become President in 1976.
It can be argued that the Iran hostage crisis and the Russian invastion of Afghanistan in 1979-80 played roles in Carter losing his re-election bid to former California Governor Ronald Reagan in 1980, but Carter, who earned a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his humanitarian work, also fashioned the Camp David Accords with Israel Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar El-Sadat in 1978. Post-Presidency, Carter continued to work in Georgia, and worked with Habitat For Humanity in building homes in the Peach State.
Even president-elect Donald Trump offered his condolences, while Texas Governor Greg Abbott fouled up, and accidentally offered condolences to Carter's wife, Rosalynn, who'd passed away 13 months ago, before correcting his gaffe.
Earlier in the weekend, veteran CBS sportscaster and anchor Greg Gumbel passed away. Gumbel called NCAA basketball and NFL football for the network for several years. A few years ago, CBS thought enough of Gumbel to give him a shot as a game show host, with an unsold pilot for a revival of The $64,000 Question, produced by Dick Clark's production company.
Earlier this morning came news that actress-singer Linda Lavin had also passed.
Lavin starred on Broadway and on television in the 70's. She made 5 appearances during the first 2 seasons of Barney Miller before leaving to take the title role in Alice, a small screen version of the movie, "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore".
In this excerpt from the series, 50's icon Desi Arnaz stops by.....
Elton John indulges himself, with help from director Russell Mulcahy, with 1985's "Wrap Her Up", the 2nd single off "Ice on Fire".
The video is loaded with archival footage of Brigitte Bardot, Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, Joan Collins, and even Ronald & Nancy Reagan and Elvis & Priscilla Presley, with Elton inserted into the footage, usually as a fan or photographer. Kiki Dee pops up on backing vocals, and so does Wham! frontman George Michael.
Poor Kiki. 9 years after "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", Elton hits her with a pie in the face at the end. Michael name-checks Samantha Fox, who'd make her chart debut in the US 2 years later.
The Odd Couple wasn't the only adaptation of a Neil Simon play to hit television in 1970.
ABC also picked up Barefoot in The Park from Paramount and the same production team of Garry Marshall & Jerry Belson. The difference? Barefoot was cancelled after 1 season. Why? I'd have to guess it was because someone decided to make this built around an African-American cast. Tracy Reed came over from Love, American Style, paired with Scoey Mitchlll. Nipsey Russell (ex-Car 54, Where Are You?) co-starred.
Let's check a sample episode.
It seems that Donald Trump is tired of reading and hearing that he doesn't go to church.
So, in order to silence the doubters, he's decided he'll attend a service somewhere next month, right around the time of his inauguration, which, oh, by the way, is also Martin Luther King Day, but, there's a catch.
If you want to sit with the incoming president and wife Melania, it's going to cost you.
Farron Cousins explains this latest scam.
Diamond Comic Distributors (DCD) has infuriated retailers and customers for years with their lack of priorities with comics releases.
It's more evident now as independent publishers such as Mad Cave are seeing books arriving at selected retailers 1-2 weeks or more late. Oh, but DCD will get their monthly Previews catalog out virtually on time, or no more than a week late, every month without fail.
The latest crisis has to do with DCD closing a distribution center in Plattsburgh in an effort to consolidate operations. Unfortunately, it seems DCD's business model was designed, apparently, by someone with a low IQ, which explains all their problems.
For example, ye scribe is waiting on the conclusion of Mad Cave's Gatchaman: Galactor miniseries, which was due earlier this month. A trade paperback collecting Gatchaman 0-5 (0 being the Free Comic Book Day issue) finally arrived yesterday, three weeks late.
Eminem got into some hot water over "Just Lose It", the first single from 2004's "Encore". Seems Eminem ruffled the feathers of one Michael Jackson, one of the stars he impersonates in the video, along with MC Hammer and Pee-Wee Herman, making mockery of Jackson's legal troubles and the infamous Pepsi commercial shoot 20 years earlier.
Dr. Dre, Paris Hilton, and Erik Estrada are among the guest stars.
From season 2 of The Monkees:
The guys go a capella for a reading of the Spanish song, "Riu Riu Chiu" (the official title), at the end of their Christmas episode.
Imagine if Merlin, the court magician of Camelot, existed in the 20th century.
Such was the premise behind Mr. Merlin, which lasted one season for CBS (1981-2), with Barnard Hughes in the title role. In the 20th century, Merlin adopts the guise of mechanic Max Merlin, who takes on an apprentice (Clark Brandon), but also needs assistance from a fellow magician (Elaine Joyce).
This was the year where Mork & Mindy was on its final lap, a sign that this era of fantasy-coms was coming to an end, but it really wouldn't until NBC's Jennifer Slept Here several months later.
In this sampler, apprentice Zack (Brandon) learns to how "clone" money. Directed by Bill Bixby (The Incredible Hulk).
Andy Williams had fallen victim to the networks' "rural purge" in the 1970-1 season, with his show cancelled before the season was over, replaced by Emergency!.
The final Christmas show of his 1969-71 run is, as per normal, a family affair, with three generations of the Williams family, including Andy's then-wife, singer-actress Claudine Longet, appearing with Charlie Callas, John Astin (ex-The Addams Family), and Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo). Astin & Keeshan figure into a lengthy fantasy sequence narrated by Longet.
Mind the bar on the left side of the screen, placed there by the poster to block a time stamp.
It was a tradition for decades at NBC, with Bob Hope hosting a Christmas special, and staying as contemporary as possible.
Take, for example, this 1985 entry. Bob is joined by William "The Refrigerator" Perry, then a rookie with the eventual Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears, Emmanuel Lewis (Webster), Barbara Eden, Brooke Shields, and the AP All-American football team, featuring a few future NFL stars, including Bo Jackson.
This show comes complete with commercials, including Joan Collins (Dynasty) shilling for Canada Dry. John Harlan is our announcer, while Danny Dark leads us in.
SheDAISY's 3 part harmonies put a new spin on a holiday traditional. Here's "Deck The Halls":
If you thought the Jests had already hit rock bottom this season, eliminated from the playoffs even after dismissing coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas, it's even worse.
Owner Woody Johnson, it is being reported, is getting bad advice at home from his teenage sons, who suggested that dear old dad not trade for receiver Jerry Jeudy, just because of some stats from a Madden football video game.
Like, seriously?
At least Dallas' Jerry Jones has his adult sons on his front office staff. The younger Johnsons are still in school----we think-----and they have their dad's ear on personnel decisions they have no business getting involved in.
One of the kids made a potty-mouthed proclamation after giving receiver Garrett Wilson a game ball recently, then posted it on his social media account. Kids today.
Richie Rich could probably do a better job running the Jests. It couldn't be any worse.
Broadway star Sandy Duncan made her TV series debut with 1971's Funny Face. While reviews were mixed, the network had enough faith in Duncan, such that when the series ended prematurely due to Duncan needing eye surgery, the show was brought back as The Sandy Duncan Show a year later.
In Funny Face, Sandy is a student teacher doing some acting on the side. The latter gig gets her a role on Mission: Impossible in the episode, "A Star is Born on a Stretcher". Mission star Peter Graves guest stars, along with Avery Schreiber.
The Killers released "The Cowboys' Christmas Ball" as a digital single for charity in 2011. It's based on an early 20th century poem, with new lyrics added.
The song was also recorded by country singer Michael Martin Murphey around the same time.
Some of those actors in this video look kinda familiar, though......
If you're a programmer at NBC, you convince producer Glen A. Larson to bring in Dean Martin to appear on the premiere of The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo.
Andy Williams actually had two variety series on NBC. The one I remember was the 2nd one, ending in 1970-1.
The first series was about a decade prior, and, as demonstrated in this Christmas episode from 1962, was one of the first series to be produced by the late Norman Lear and his business partner, Bud Yorkin. Andy is joined by the New Christy Minstrels, Bette Davis, and the Osmond Brothers (Alan, Wayne, Merrill, & Jay), and series regulars R. G. Brown & Marian Mercer.
Texize, for those that don't know, was the original manufacturer of products like Spray & Wash and Jaiitor in a Drum.
Back in 1973, the company introduced Prolong, a Christmas tree preserver. Bionic Disco offers this ad:
Veteran comedy writers Dick Clair & Jenna McMahon, who'd been working on The Carol Burnett Show, among other things, created a whimsical adaptation of Clement Moore's 'Twas The Night Before Christmas, which, informally, was also The Paul Lynde Christmas Special, the last of two primetime specials from Lynde (Hollywood Squares, ex-Bewitched, who was recurring on Donny & Marie at the time).
Our cast also includes Alice Ghostley, Howard Morris, Anne Meara, George Gobel, Anson Williams (Happy Days), and Foster Brooks.
We've previously reviewed both TV iterations of Irving Brecher's The Life of Riley, so it's way past time to visit the radio series that started it all.
Film star William Bendix had the lead as Chester Riley, family man. Riley lasted a few years, shuttling between networks, leading to a feature film spin-off, followed by the first TV series with Jackie Gleason filling in for Bendix, who returned four years later.
Let's take a look at a Christmas Eve episode from season 1 in 1944. Bendix breaks character to address the audience at the end of the show.
Narcissism isn't a disease that spreads. Most of the time.
However, today's GOP is more than willing to follow the lead of the Oldest Narcissist, Donald Trump.
Take, for example, Nancy Mace.
You've probably heard by now that the veteran lawmaker fabricated an assault to get attention, as if she's trying to usurp Georgia's Marjorie Taylor Greene's role as the Queen of Narcissism. A mere handshake from a foster care activist leads to a wrist injury and the activist's arrest?
Farron Cousins breaks it down:
Vince McMahon's national expansion of the then-World Wrestling Federation had hit some bumps in the road.
His brazen usurping of WTBS' coveted Saturday night wrestling program was met with apathy from NWA fans, and in general, after Wrestlemania was in the books at the end of March 1985, two things happened.
First, McMahon gave up the TBS berth. Then, he, with help from NBC, launched Saturday Night's Main Event, which would fill Saturday Night Live's berth a few times a year. In its initial run, the series aired on NBC from 1985-91, then moved to Fox for 2 episodes in 1992. NBC brought it back in 2006 for a series of specials until 2009.
Ahead of the series' 2nd revival on Saturday, we'll take you back to October 1985 and a literal theatre of the absurd, overseen by McMahon & Jesse Ventura.
From season 4 of Webster:
George (Alex Karras) has his heart set on playing Santa at a local department store, but plans change.
Bill Belichick's television career is going on hold after football season is over.
That's because Belichick has agreed to his first collegiate coaching job.
Time to get personal.
After last year's Victorian Stroll was, for the most part, a washout because of rain killing the vibe, it was back to the streets on Sunday.
As was the case in 2022, the first stop was St. Paul's Church on 3rd Street, where we were treated to some carolers, and we even sang along in some cases. "We" being ye scribe and a pair of classmates from Troy High, whom you'll see in a bit.
Juan Soto is staying in New York. He's simply changing boroughs.
Today, the Mets signed Soto to a 15 year contract worth $765 million, but with an opt-out after 5 years (because Scott Boras Badenov can't help himself), something the Mets can negate by adding some extra money per year past the 5th season.
Soto with Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, and possibly a returning Pete Alonso? Scary.
If Archie Comics is so serious about making Amber Nightstone a nemesis for Sabrina, why not give the teenage witch her own series again?
As we've previously discussed, 5 page stories in one-shots, such as the Josie & The Pussycats Halloween Spectacular, released last month, and the just released Sabrina Holiday Spectacular, just won't cut it. Writer Ian Flynn spent many years writing Sonic The Hedgehog for Archie, and can do a book-length story, but Archie has gone el-scrimpo in recent years, hence these 1-offs with 5 pages of original story, and backed by reprints.
In the new book, Amber is taken aback by a show of compassion from Sabrina. What happens next will be a surprise.
Meanwhile, Archie's knuckleheads have decided to showcase Archie Andrews himself in the 4 part Archie is Mr. Justice, somehow giving the red-headed teen the abilities of the hero whose history goes as far back as Archie's own history, back to the Golden Age. Tim Seeley, another writer who should know better, has already told readers in this first issue that each issue will have different points of view. Where is Sabrina when you really need her?
Archie is Mr. Justice shouldn't stop at 4 issues. It should be 12, so that each POV is given room to breathe. Just like those 5 page shorties.
Rating:
Archie is Mr. Justice: B--.
Sabrina Holiday Spectacular: B.
In 1967, artist Alex Toth blessed Hanna-Barbera & CBS with The Herculoids, the tale of a bizarre team of heroes tasked with defending their homeworld. The original series had 1 season of episodes, but the open was changed the following year for reruns due to the meddling of media nanny Peggy Charren.
The series returned in 1981 as part of NBC's short-lived Space Stars, which also ran for 1 season.
Come February, Dynamite is taking readers to Amzot, or, Quasar, as it was known in 1981.
Tom Snegoski, a fan whose resume includes writing a number of diverse books, including Vampirella, is teaming with artist Craig Rousseau for the new series.
As a refresher, here's 1981's "The Firebird":
This Christmas episode of E. R. finds the staff having to work through a blizzard. Dr. Sheinfeld (Elliott Gould) learns that his daughter (Pamela Seagall) wants to move in with him instead of with her mom and a prospective stepdad.
George Clooney (ex-The Facts of Life) debuts as a new doctor, who's a bit of a ladies man. MTV doll Martha Quinn appears as herself, nursing an injury. Turns out Jenny (Seagall) is a huge fan. Jason Alexander appears briefly.
Unfortunately, while the full episode is available, it is in poor quality, so this excerpt will have to do.
From The Ed Sullivan Show:
Julius LaRosa made a number of appearances in 1953 alone on the program, and for the holidays, he serves up this rendition of "Jingle Bells":
Lucas Tanner (David Hartman) has an unexpected meeting with his former father-in-law (guest star Barry Sullivan) as the holidays approach, reminding Tanner of the family tragedy he had suffered. Here's "Merry Gentlemen":
Two brothers share a loft, and chaos ensues, especially when their mother gets involved.
Everything's Relative didn't even finish its lone season in 1987. Had it done so, and had it been a hit, then Jerry Seinfeld would've been looking for someone else to play George, since Jason Alexander wouldn't have been available.
Alexander toplines as Julian, the elder of the two brothers, and divorced. Our cast also includes Anne Jackson and Gina Hecht (ex-Mork & Mindy). Let's take a look at a sample episode.
From season 1 of ALF:
ALF (voice of Paul Fusco) is in the Tanner doghouse for cutting down the family Christmas tree for firewood, and that's just for starters.......
We start our annual Countdown to Christmas with the Tractors and 1995's "Santa Claus Boogie":
The folks behind those ads that tell us, "Jesus gets us" found this next song to use in their latest ad, which is in heavy rotation.
Now, meet the man behind the song. Rag'n'Bone Man released "Human" back in 2016, as he reminds that we are "only human after all".
Filmmaker Amy Heckerling had a huge hit with "Look Who's Talking" in theatres, such that she wanted to adapt the film for television with a few tweaks.
However, to say that Baby Talk was a troubled production would actually be overstating the case.
Connie Sellecca (ex-Hotel) was originally tabbed for the lead as Maggie, a single mom. However, she wasn't satisfied with her performance, and left the project. Julia Duffy (ex-Newhart) stepped in, but left after the first season, moving to Designing Women, resulting in Mary Page Keller taking her place.
Amidst it all, Tony Danza (ex-Who's The Boss, Taxi) voiced baby Mickey, in much the same way Bruce Willis had done in "Talking". George Clooney (ex-The Facts of Life) was a recurring player in the first season, but left, along with Duffy, taking producer Ed. Weinberger (Amen) with them. Saul Turtletaub & Bernie Orenstein were tabbed by Columbia to take over as showrunners in season 2. Turtletaub & Orenstein had little success outside of What's Happening!, and their entree proved to be a jump the shark moment.
Scott Baio (ex-Charles in Charge, Happy Days) joined the show in season 2, but the ratings began sliding, and the show was cancelled more than a year after its debut.
Following is a sample episode.
Edit, 12/19/24: Had to change the video. Here's an excerpt from the pilot with Julia Duffy:
The Jack Benny Program, aka The Lucky Strike Program, hits the road for a show at Corona Naval Hospital. Dennis Day had left by this point, succeeded by Larry Stevens.
This episode is built around an argument between Jack and announcer Don Wilson over famous statements.
Dumb Donald is at it again.
President-elect Donald Trump announced Monday that he plans on signing an executive order on his first day back in the White House to impose tariffs on Mexico & Canada. He also used the screed on Truthless Social to continue the exaggerated narrative about "criminals" crossing the border from Mexico into the US, devoid, as usual, of evidence to back up his claims.
But what we're concerned with is the tariffs. Trump ran on the voter frustration over inflation when he won three weeks ago, but he doesn't realize that these tariffs won't hurt Mexico or Canada, not in the slightest bit. They hurt American consumers, instead, because this leads to further inflation.
Brian Tyler Cohen explains:
It's a variation on the traditional game of 20 questions, now in its 2nd season, while its host is adding to her workload.
Said host is actress Melissa Peterman, and the game is Person, Place, or Thing, which, on the surface, looks like an easy game to play, but in front of cameras and overhead lights, not so much.
Peterman (ex-Reba, Bet on Your Baby, Young Sheldon) is back in primetime this season in NBC's Happy's Place, which reunites her with Reba McEntire. I'm willing to bet that if Happy's, which just picked up a full-season order from NBC, is renewed for a 2nd season, Person might not make it to a 3rd.
Here's a sampler from last season:
Goldie Hawn headlined her first special, but not for NBC, in 1978. Instead, it aired on ABC. Goldie reunited Hawn with Laugh-In producer George Schlatter, and if you didn't already know this was on ABC, the guest list included John Ritter (Three's Company) and Shaun Cassidy (The Hardy Boys). George Burns and the Harlem Globetrotters round out the guests.
Highlights include Goldie covering "We're All Alone", which had been a hit for Rita Coolidge, and Cassidy with a solo cover of the Lovin' Spoonful's "Do You Believe in Magic".
We've all seen it.
A bitter, homeless man, ranting & raving just for the sake of venting. He thinks the rest of us are looking down on him, but how could we? We don't know you, fella, we don't know your story.
This might not have been what Joe South had in mind when he wrote "Walk a Mile in My Shoes", released in 1970, but it certainly fits today.
This Head & Shoulders ad began airing last year. It was re-edited this year, and the new version is in heavy rotation.
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes plays a hairdresser schooling a customer on dandruff, with help from a "tiny" version of former Pittsburgh Steelers star Troy Polamalu. "Big" Troy appears at the end of this ad, but was edited out of this year's version. A line used by his "Tiny" persona was also edited.
This ad was recorded off a camera phone.
Marjorie Taylor Greene makes it too easy.
The Georgia Misrepresentative is again calling for a "national divorce", despite the fact that she has nary a clue about how that's supposed to happen. As Farron Cousins asserts, she thinks the Democrats are causing trouble, just by following the Constitution.........
To think this all started with a pilot produced for CBS by Merrill Heatter & Bob Quigley in 1965.
In 2025, Hollywood Squares is coming home.
The series' latest revival begins in January, in primetime, and, following the current trend, in a hour-long format that the franchise hasn't used since the ill-fated Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (1983-4) for NBC. Actress-turned-talk show host Drew Barrymore will occupy the center square, with former NFL player-turned-sportscaster Nate Burleson (CBS Mornings, The NFL Today) as moderator.
Burleson, it seems, is obsessed with copying the career trajectory of Michael Strahan (Fox NFL Sunday, Good Morning America, The $100,000 Pyramid), the only difference being that Burleson has no acting credits----yet (Strahan fronted a short-lived Fox sitcom).
CBS-Paramount is hoping this sticks, after the flop that was Nashville Squares in 2019 for CMT, and 2 iterations of Hip Hop Squares between 2012 and 2019.
Stay tuned.
Smashing Pumpkins collected a few MTV Video Music Awards in 1996 for the innovative homage to the silent film era, "Tonight, Tonight", the first single off 1995's "Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness". Actor Tom Kenny (ex-The Edge), who, along with wife Jill Talley, who also appears here, was a regular on HBO's Mr. Show at the time, stars in this period piece.
Ah, CareFree gum. The product that skewered history with a cheeky series of ads in the 70's, like this one, with Sir Isaac Newton....
Status Quo had just one hit here in the US, and here it is, "Pictures of Matchstick Men". The clip comes from England's Top of The Pops:
Before we discuss the current TV iteration of Trivial Pursuit, we have to go back at the earlier versions, and we'll start with the syndicated 2008 series, Trivial Pursuit: America Plays.
It had been 15 years since game show legend Wink Martindale had first adapted the board game for television, with the help of some business partners. Debmar-Mercury, which currently distributes Family Feud for Fremantle Media, handled America Plays, and tapped actor Christopher Knight (ex-The Brady Bunch) as host.
America Plays lasted just 1 season, as it didn't get cleared in a lot of cities. A fair number of stations were just unwilling to challenge the 1-2 punch of Wheel of Fortune & Jeopardy!, which are still around, 16 years later.
Let's take a look at a sample episode.
All Donald Trump wants to do the 2nd time around is disrupt the establishment even further by nominating people who either don't have the necessary experience to do the job, or are there so MAGA can troll and "own the libs".
There are rumors, of course, that Trump wants to close down the Department of Education, which is stupid on its face. I'd seen something the other day where former WWE CEO Linda McMahon, who'd served two years as head of the Small Business Administration during Trump's 1st term, was being talked about as Secretary of Commerce. The McMahon & Trump families have been friends for decades, and it was never really explained why McMahon left the SBA after 2 years. We reported previously that NY Misrepresentative Elise Stefanik is being pointed toward being UN Ambassador, the same post Nikki Haley held during the first Trump administration.
And, then, there are some head scratchers.
Pete Hegseth of Fox No News, an Army vet who served in Iraq & Afghanistan, was nominated as Secretary of Defense. His military background gets him the nod, but, otherwise, he hasn't had any experience running anything.
Trump campaign co-chairperson Susie Wiles was named Chief of Staff. The first woman to hold that distinction, so there's a little history, but, given Trump's mercurial personality, how long will she last?
Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who betrayed the Democrats to go MAGA, is being nominated for something called "director of national intelligence". Apparently, the acronym CIA is bitter for Trump.
Florida Senator Marco "Polo" Rubio is being tapped for Secretary of State. He's had a history of putting his foot in his mouth when interviewed, so that's questionable.
Florida Misrepresentative Matt "Rusty" Gaetz, who managed to avoid being charged with sex trafficking, would succeed Merrick Garland as Attorney General. Yes, Gaetz is a lawyer, but his public legal troubles raise a red flag. Like Trump, Gaetz can make all of his legal problems go away, but he's never struck this desk as being smart.
From Laugh-In producers George Schlatter & Ed Friendly comes Soul, one of the first specials to feature an all-African-American cast. Headlined by Lou Rawls, Joe Tex, Martha & The Vandellas, and featuring Slappy White, Redd Foxx, George Kirby, and Nipsey Russell, who doubles as announcer.
For what it's worth, Chelsea Brown would later join the cast of Laugh-In. The bit with Nipsey as a DJ is priceless.
More than a decade ago, Jaleel White got his feet wet as a game show host with SyFy's Total BlackOut, which lasted two seasons.
White is now hoping Flip Side lasts longer than that.
Flip Side bowed in syndication and on Game Show Network in September (GSN's production arm co-produces the show with Paramount), and it's a trip. Two teams of two compete for a $10,000 grand prize by answering survey questions, a la Family Feud, but with a twist, and that's where the show's title kicks in.
Following is a trailer from GSN.
NY Misrepresentative Elise Stefanik may not be serving another term in Congress after all.
While Stefanik was quietly re-elected last week, she ended the week accepting an appointment from President-Elect Donald Trump to be an ambassador to the United Nations, the same post that Nikki Haley had. Haley's sin, of course, in the eyes of the deranged Trump, was challenging him in the primaries, because he felt entitled to the nomination this year in the first place. I've read reports that the narcissist in Trump passed up the debates during primary season because he didn't want them to happen to start with.
Please. Stefanik, 40, sabotaged her reputation in New York by hitching her wagon to Trump to advance her career. I think she'd be well served to cram some learning of languages in the next two months.
Night Ranger had a relatively brief run on the charts in the early to mid 80's, and it started with 1982's "Don't Tell Me You Love Me".
Ford, in order to better promote its 1969 model line to a wider audience, assembled a pop group, which headlined a namesake special, The Going Thing, in the winter of 1969. What isn't actually sure is what network this aired on. Ford sponsored The F. B. I. on ABC, and Arte Johnson brought one of his Laugh-In alter-egos, Tyrone, for a rare solo gig. The Going Thing singers were largely unknown, except for Janis Hansen, who was also with Sergio Mendes' group at the time. Tom & John Bahler were the musical directors.
Producer-director Bob Henry would serve in that same capacity for Flip Wilson's NBC variety hour the next year.
The success of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In prompted NBC to commission some additional entries from producers George Schlatter & Ed Friendly.
Like Hep, billed as a special, could, for all intents & purposes, have been a pilot for a potential series. Headlined by Dinah Shore, Like Hep was paced similarly to Laugh-In, with quick skits interspersed with musical numbers. Lucille Ball (Here's Lucy) and Diana Ross are the featured guests, with Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, and announcer Gary Owens crossing over from Laugh-In. Look quick for a cameo by Lorne Greene (Bonanza).
40 years ago, Australian producer Reg Grundy adapted Scrabble for television, specifically for NBC. That same year, young Raven-Symone was cast in The Cosby Show as the youngest daughter of Dr. Cliff Huxtable (Cosby). Scrabble lasted five years. Cosby ran nearly twice as long.
You don't see The Cosby Show in a lot of places anymore because of the scandal surrounding Cosby. Raven-Symone, meanwhile, has become a regular presence on television in her adult years. That's So Raven and its sequel, Raven's Home. A stint on The View. Now, she's hosting Scrabble.
Hasbro, following the lead of other game show revivals, is packing two half hour games in a one hour format (think ABC's revivals of Match Game and The S100,000 Pyramid), sold the new Scrabble to the CW as part of a two hour Thursday block with the similarly reformatted Trivial Pursuit, which we'll look at another day.
The game is basically the same as before, and it marks Hasbro's first inroad into broadcast television, as their previous series were produced for cable, including a previous iteration of Scrabble.
A Raven-Symone fan channel uploaded this excerpt.
Louisiana native John Fred Gourrier, the leader of John Fred & His Playboy Band, had just 1 Top 40 hit. "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" hit the top of the charts in January 1968, bumping the Beatles out of the top slot. Ironically, "Judy in Disguise" was a play on words after a sort of "Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds", another Beatles single.
We have seen women become heads of state in England, India, Israel, Germany, and, most recently, Mexico.
Unfortunately, here in the US, a vast majority of voters decided to overlook the bigotry, misogyny, and, most importantly, 34 felony convictions, and decided to send Donald Trump back to the White House. They fell for the relentless attack ads manipulated to make Vice President Kamala Harris look bad that were in heavy rotation the last month of the campaign.
Trump ran to avoid full accountability for his crimes, and those convictions, handed down in May, will almost certainly be vacated, and his remaining criminal and civil trials will be cancelled. The voters bought into the lies about Harris being a "border czar", which wasn't true. To Harris' credit, she crammed 12-18 months worth of campaigning into 3 1/2 months, and we thought she had momentum on her side, including an appearance on Saturday Night Live alongside Maya Rudolph last weekend. NBC gave Trump a 90 second spot that aired Sunday, filled with the usual rhetoric.
In the end, America decided to again go with a familiar name, despite a younger, energetic opponent. Voters were willing to put aside the clown show 10 days ago at Madison Square Garden, filled with racist "jokes" and speeches. They gave in to fear. Some, we can argue, offered sympathy after a bullet grazed Trump's ear in a rally in Pennsylvania 4 months ago.
Eight years ago, Trump supporters chanted, "Lock her up!", in reference to Hillary Clinton, who never saw a second in jail after all. The fear the media has now is that Trump will surround himself with sycophants willing to do what he wants without question. It's been rumored that Trump's pet judge in Florida, Aileen Cannon, could be Attorney General, replacing Merrick Garland, as a reward for her bias in one of his cases. Cannon isn't even qualified to be a law clerk.
More than a century ago, Grover Cleveland was re-elected after losing his first bid for a second term. Today, he has some rather dubious company in Trump.
To the voters who finally gave Trump the popular vote, which he lost in 2016 & 2020, on his 3rd & final try, pray that the worst doesn't come to pass after all. But, due to your collective ignorance of facts & common sense, plus the fact that Trump was the worst president ever the first time around, you deserve this:
You know his iconic themes from Ironside and Sanford & Son. You know the hits he produced for George Benson ("Give Me The Night"), Michael Jackson ("Thriller"), USA For Africa ("We Are The World"), as well as Lesley Gore, Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, and much, much more. To his friends and fans, he was simply "Q".
On Sunday, Quincy Jones passed away at 91. The Chicago native was one of a select group to win entertainment's Grand Slam (Emmy, Oscar, Grammy, Tony) in the course of his career. Jones also composed the music for the Roots miniseries, and his 1962 composition, "Soul Bossa Nova", became the theme of Mike Myers' "Austin Powers" movies (1997-2002).
"Soul Bossa Nova" was released on Mercury. Jones then released "The Streetbeater" (the Sanford theme) on A & M in 1973. His final run on the charts came in 1989 when his album, "Back on The Block", produced the hit single, "I'll Be Good To You", sung by Ray Charles & Chaka Khan.
I thought about using a more recent rendition of "Soul Bossa Nova" from The Late Show With David Letterman, but opted for the 1962 recording.....
News, Views, & Interviews is the longest running public affairs program on local commercial radio, launching sometime in the 50's, and hosted by Art Mitchell. Today, Aaron Mair is the solo host, working without a moderator, and, as we've documented in this space previously, the half hour show is reduced to 20 minutes or so when it airs Sunday mornings on WROW, which edits out the commercials.
Mair records the show in mid-week, and although he's been flying solo as host for 2 years now, Mair is still a wee bit nervous in the studio, even though he's the one conducting the interviews, not the interviewee.
Local activist Nell Stokes has not only been a guest in recent years, but, during the 90's, she hosted the show. Veteran DJ Joe Condon was the moderator until his retirement in 2022, but Albany/Pamal Broadcasting is too cheap to find a new moderator to help Mair along. Conversely, weekend DJ Bill Williams has taken over Albany Street after Brian Cady was bounced in February, and is rolling along nicely.
Ms. Stokes has her own YouTube channel, from which we get this 1995 episode, clocking in at 46 minutes, and, based on Condon's intro, aired at night. The guest is then-WNYT anchor Elaine Houston, who retired in December 2023.
Hot stove league season has begun, with three prominent pitchers entering free agency.
The Mets' Sean Manaea opted out of his contract. So did Blake Snell in San Francisco, and Gerrit Cole with the Yankees.
The common thread, of course, is that all three pitchers are represented by reprehensible con man Scott Boras Badenov, who wants his myriad of clients to chase the money in free agency. He's the one to blame for the opt out clause in a lot of contracts. All this grifter is interested in is fattening his wallet even more than it already is.
The Mets, quite honestly, need Manaea back, but Boras instructed him to opt out after the season he had in Flushing. Snell wasn't exactly a Cy Young winner in San Francisco, so what make him & Boras think he'll make more money elsewhere? Cole, if he decides not to return to the Bronx, didn't endear himself to Yankee fans in the World Series with his "traffic cop" gaffe Wednesday night, but it was a sign that his best days are behind him, too.
