You don't have to be a baseball fan to find this HILARIOUS. Here's what happened during a rain delay of a college game.
Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2005: Ed Harris in A History of Violence
Ed Harris did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Carl Fogarty in A History of Violence.Ed Harris portrays the Philadelphia gangster who comes looking for diner owner Tom Stall who recently killed two men trying to rob his diner..
Best Supporting Actor 2011: Nick Nolte in Warrior
Nick Nolte received his third Oscar nomination for portraying Paddy Conlon in Warrior.Warrior details a winner take all mixed martial art tournament whose two main combatants are estranged brothers (Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton) fighting for their own difficult reasons.
Alternate Best Actor 2011
And the Nominees Were Not:Ryan Gosling in DriveRobert Wieckiewicz in In DarknessMichael Fassbender in ShameMichael Shannon in Take ShelterBrendan Gleeson in The Guard..
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
James Burrows
It’s Friday questions day but I’m only getting to one because my answer is so long. Next week I’ll blast through a bunch. And as always, feel free to ask yours in the comments section.This week’s query comes from Stephen.What is it about James Burrows that makes him such a popular director? Obviously at this point he has a great track-record with directing popular shows but in your experience
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
My one-nighter
One of my favorite radio legends, Dale Dorman read my recent piece on playing the same records as the competition at the same time, and reminded me of another chestnut from my checkered radio career.For years (decades really) WLS Chicago was a monster Top 40 radio station. Clear channel from Chicago (that meant no other stations on that frequency), you could hear WLS at night almost
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
How Michael Douglas helped us stick it to 20th
Everyone in Hollywood has great Hollywood stories. Thought today as I sit in Cincinnati I’d share one of mine.My partner David Isaacs and I were hired by Michael Douglas to do a rewrite on JEWEL OF THE NILE, the sequel to the hugely successful ROMANCING THE STONE. One of the great movie star perks, especially when you’re hot, is being able to wield a little power. Michael did that on our
Monday, April 26, 2010
Summer Movie Preview 2
Here's the conclusion of my annual Summer Movie Preview.GROWN UPS – a movie not intended for people who are.MARMADUKE – when they’re down to making this comic strip into a movie the only one left is Bazooka Joe .KILLERS – Katherine Heigl as a Kathleen Turner ROMANCING THE STONE-like character. Yeah, but we LIKED Kathleen Turner.INCEPTION – A Christopher Nolan movie starring Leo DiCaprio. They’
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Summer Movie Preview
Hello from New York. It’s time once again for the Summer Movie Preview, a look at all the explosions, sequels, prequels, and spinoffs Hollywood will be offering to get your last entertainment dollar.SALT – Action adventure developed for Tom Cruise now starring Angelina Jolie because they wanted someone more masculine.ROBIN HOOD – Russell Crowe adding extra dimension to the legendary character.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Leif Garrett
Leif Garrett is a former singer and child star who achieved tremendous success as a teenager before turning to drugs and becoming a pathetic excuse for a human being. Garrett's birth name is Leif Per Nervik. He was born on November 8, 1961 in Hollywood, CA. Garret broke into acting at a young age and had an uncredited role in the 1969 swingers film, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. He also had
Even I can't get an agent
As I head into New York from Washington D.C. with the Dodgers I'm reminded of this delightful NY rejection from my storied past.The difficulty in securing an agent is not confined to those writers just starting out. I tried to get a theatrical agent when I wrote my play a few years ago and hit a brick wall, even with my resume. And I didn’t list AfterMASH so I know it’s not that.The Hollywood
Vin Scully as Darrin Stephens
What a bizarre clip this is. I see Vin Scully everyday at the ballpark. I didn't know he once co-hosted the Rose Parade with Elizabeth Montgomery. Here is a rare promo for it featuring Vin Scully in BEWITCHED. Thanks to blog reader Michael for the tip.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Washington DC -- home of two of our failed pilots
Hello from Washington D.C. My partner David Isaacs and I once wrote a pilot set in this town (well, actually two pilots but the same theme). It was set in D.C., we spent several days in Washington doing research only to learn that all of the great dynamics we thought were in the premise did not in real life exist. Plus, ABC was nervous that the subject matter might be too controversial. So
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Actors should never eat
Hello from our nation’s capital. I guess they don’t answer questions here; they have “press briefings”. So here is your Friday “press briefing”. Hands please.Yes, you sir. l.a.guy.Do you still actively look for episodic work or did you make a conscious decision to focus your energies on other projects?I’m having way too much fun hosting Dodger Talk on 790KABC and that’s a seven-to-eight
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
A tribute to WINGS on its 20th anniversary
Hard to believe but it’s been 20 years since WINGS premiered on NBC. I was with that show for most of its run as a one-night-a-week creative consultant (“We need a Fay joke, hotshot!”). My partner David and I also wrote six or eight episodes (including the one where Frasier and Lilith come to Nantucket), and I got my first directing assignment on WINGS as well.WINGS was created by Peter Casey,
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
How we plotted stories on MASH
MASH episodes tend to be complicated and I’m often asked how we plotted out stories. So here’s how we did it.First off, we chose the best stories we could find – the most emotional, the most interesting the best possibilities for comedy. Plotting is worthless if you have a bad story. Chekov would pull out his hair trying to make “B.J.’s Depression” work. (Side note: stories where your lead
Monday, April 19, 2010
In appreciation of Elizabeth Montgomery
Last week I tweeted that Elizabeth Montgomery would have been 75. This is the type of vital stuff you only get if you follow me on Twitter. But some have wondered how I knew that factoid. It’s because I have had a crush on Elizabeth Montgomery for &^%# years (gee, something must have gone wrong. The number didn’t print.) Let’s just say since BEWITCHED. There were a lot of TV actresses who
Sunday, April 18, 2010
When you read this I may be over your house
I’m hitting the road with the Dodgers. Will be going to Cincinnati on Monday (Yes, I will give Skyline Chili another chance), Washington D.C. (let’s see if Senator Franken remembers me), and Gotham. I’ll be doing my Dodger Talk shows from those venues. One tiny complication – this pesky viral infection I have in one eye that has rendered it almost blind temporarily. Slowly it’s improving and
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Back in the days when radio was fun
The best career choice I ever made was getting out of radio and into television writing. Well... actually it was all the radio stations that fired me that helped nudge me in that direction. But in between my long stretches of unemployment and pleading for all-night shifts in Fresno I did have a lot of fun... and compiled a lot of stories.Like...There once was a time when Clear Channel didn’t own
Friday, April 16, 2010
Dodger Talk for Lovers
Usually I don’t mind long baseball games. Especially if I’m there. It’s like I’m getting more for my money. No one bitches that Springsteen concerts last four hours (well maybe Mrs. Springsteen who doesn’t want to look at his cheating ass for four hours but you get the idea).And yet, every so often…Ugh!!!!Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium was one of those Ugh!!! nights. 11 innings. FIVE
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Writing for THE SIMPSONS
Friday questions anybody??James gets us started.How was it writing for The Simpons vs. live action shows? I take it you didn't have to deal with stars asking for rewrites, and you could write a story about Homer having a pet hippo in his back yard if you wanted to. Was it better, worse, or just a different circle of Hell?There certainly is more freedom when you write animation. It costs just the
AMERICAN IDOL results show
America got it right this week on AMERICAN IDOL, never a slam dunk. They didn’t vote off Crystal, Lee, Siobham, or the African-American just because his, uh… size is different from all the others.Two were sent packing this week since Big Mike was saved by the judges last week, who recognized that he had the talent to be there and shouldn’t be penalized because of his, uh… size.Andrew Garcia
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
For all you millions of OPEN ALL NIGHT fans...
Here's a portion of one of the scripts my partner David Isaacs and I wrote for OPEN ALL NIGHT. Wish I had the video to post but this will give you some idea of the short-lived ABC series that has become a cult classic. Or... at least a few people still remember it. I recently posted some examples including the theme song.OPEN ALL NIGHT was set in a 24 hour convenience store and was very edgy
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
AMERICAN IDOL -- Elvis Week
Look, you can’t blame them? It’s the 9th season. It’s hard to keep any show fresh for nine seasons. See how much you love GLEE when those kids have already graduated high school and college, gotten nowhere on Broadway, and wind up back home working at Jiffy Lube and developing drinking problems.AMERICAN IDOL seems to be flailing this season. Out of 181 kids flown to Hollywood they clearly
Opening Day photos
Thanks to Howard Hoffman for the pix. Here's a brief photo essay of opening day at Dodger Stadium..I'm on the air on 790 KABC with Peter Tilden (left) and John Phillips. We're debating the coal mine safety reforms and Supreme Court candidates. On Pre-game Dodger Talk I predicted this guy would hit a home run and he actually did. The fact that he's hit 546 of them already notwithstanding, it
Monday, April 12, 2010
My short-lived fling with Ann Jillian
Here's another brief installment from the book I'm writing about growing up in LA in the 60s. It's 1963/4. I'm in Junior High in the San Fernando Valley. I have a huge crush on classmate Ann Jillian (who already was a child star).That entire freshman year I was on a cloud. We even went bowling once!From time to time she would be away for a month or so filming an episode of WAGON TRAIN or the
Sunday, April 11, 2010
The 2010 AVN Adult industry awards -- my review
Is there anything more deliciously absurd than the AVN awards Juxtapose class and elegance with the porn industry and you have the most hilarious television event of the year!WARNING and SPOILER ALERT: What follows contains graphic language, sexual content, and winners of many major categories like “Best Anal” are revealed.The evening started gloriously with the red carpet show. Co-hosted by
Saturday, April 10, 2010
What's the best night to film?
That's a question I'm asked almost as much as why wasn't there a MANNEQUIN 3?Multi-camera shows that film before live studio audiences (like BIG BANG THEORY and TWO AND A HALF MEN) generally shoot on Tuesday or Friday nights. That way two shows can share one camera crew (back in the day when there were that many shows). I’ve been asked which of those nights I prefer and why? My answer is Tuesday
The best laughs are the ones you never see
This is the time of year when most multi-camera sitcoms wrap for the season. The final shoot is usually followed by the wrap party and the gag reel. This has become a time-honored tradition. Multi-camera gag reels are always funnier because they're in front of a live audience. Here's an example from FRIENDS. I'm guessing this is just part of the reel. On CHEERS and other shows I've worked
Friday, April 9, 2010
Sirius-XM seriously sucks
Boy, who didn’t see this coming? Since XM satellite radio merged with Sirius and Mel Karmazin assumed control of both, XM has just gone to hell. While trying to justify the colossal blunder of Sirius giving Howard Stern half a billion dollars only to see the King of All Media But One leave at the end of this year after essentially fleecing the company, Karmazin has resorted to old tricks of
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Why cable doesn't save your favorite shows
Time to blast through some Friday questions. What’s yours?sophomorecritic starts us off:i asked this before but i hate watching good shows get cancelled. why doesn't cable tv just pick up the good cancelled shows that have decent ratings but not good enough for cable readings.tbs almost picked up my name is earl but greg garcia said that not enough money was being offered for a quality tv show?
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
The imperfect use of perfect
I’m not in the food service or customer service business so I never got this memo, but who decreed that every waiter, hotel desk clerk, and department store salesman respond to everything you say with “Perfect!”? I find it annoying and not the least bit condescending.The dictionary on my computer (so it must be the ultimate authority) defines “perfect” as “without errors, flaws, or faults”, “
AMERICAN IDOL: John, Paul, Crystal, and Siobhan
It was Lennon & McCartney night and not only did the kids pretty much rise to the occasion, no one sang “Imagine”! How many times have we heard that song trampled? I am a little disappointed no one did “ Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey” and “I Am the Walrus” (I would have loved hearing Kara scold Katie Stevens for not making the lyric “yellow matter custard/dripping
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Expanding on Tweets. I sometimes need more than 140 words.
When I mentioned that Bruce Springsteen had an affair with a woman who looked just like his wife, my daughter Annie said if his wife ever caught him he could just say, “But honey, I thought it was you.”That wouldn’t work for Jesse James. Hard to confuse America’s sweetheart, Sandra Bullock with Bombshell McGhee.I love 24 but this season it has gone off the tracks crazy. First off, I can’t
Our NEW vanity card
Thanks to friend of the blog Kevin Gershan who saw my piece on vanity cards and made us a new one that combines the best of all. It's worth getting another show on just for this. Thanks, Kev.
Monday, April 5, 2010
"That's some bad hat, Harry"
Ever notice at the end of shows there are those cards that fill the screen with names of bizarre production companies, sometimes animated and sometimes with sound (“That’s some bad hat, Harry.”)? Those are called vanity cards. When writer/creators form their own production company (and they all do) they’re entitled to a vanity card.The question is: what to do with it? When my partner David
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Netflix pick of the month: ROMY AND MICHELE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION
Okay, I’m a little biased because it was written by my ALMOST PERFECT co-creator Robin Schiff, but ROMY AND MICHELE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION is (as Romy or Michele might say) “a good movie… a really good movie!”One reason why is that Robin was the only writer on the film. It didn’t get passed around from screenwriter to screenwriter like Marilyn Monroe at a Kennedy family weekend. The voices and
My predictions for the 2010 baseball season
It’s time to play ball! The first pitch will be thrown in anger tonight as the 2010 major league baseball season begins.For years the tradition was to have the Cincinnati Reds play the first game (since they were supposedly the first team). But now that television runs the sport that tradition has been obliterated in favor of the Yankees playing the Red Sox. Christ! I’m already sick of the
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Scenes from OPEN ALL NIGHT
Here's all I could find on YouTube. The opening, which is a CLASSIC, and then the David Letterman cameo. If anyone out there has OPEN ALL NIGHT footage, lemme know.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Open All Night
I’m amazed and delighted that some of you actually remember OPEN ALL NIGHT. David Letterman did make a cameo in one episode. So did Joe Montagne, Elvira, David Paymer, and me and my writing partner, David Isaacs (playing two swinging lawyers trying to pick up female mud wrestlers at a mace class).For the other 99.9% that don’t recall the show, it starred George Dzundza and Susan Tyrell as owners
My new Twitter policy
A number of you have complained I don't Tweet enough. Others think I'm a toxic unfunny leftist tool. The tweets I can do something about. So as a reward for those who follow me on Twitter I've begun tweeting more -- snide comments, pithy observations, updates on my cholesterol. etc. Recent tweets have dealt with John Forsythe, Charlie Sheen, wax chocolate Easter bunnies, Kobe Bryant, the
Thursday, April 1, 2010
My daughter tortured the warm-up guy
Here are some terrific Friday questions from "Ruth". They're directed to my kids. So my daughter Annie has graciously agreed to respond. Thanks, Annie! Just wondering if either of your kids ever visited on any of the sets of the shows with which you were associated in their younger days; if so, do either of them have any specific "stand-out" memories of those visits that they'd care to share?
