Warning: I'm feeling snarky today

So here are some random topics... Now that the MODERN FAMILY adults have gotten a pay raise, the kids want to negotiate pay hikes as well.  I'm not making this up.  Did they not see how hard it was to replace Lilly? Have they not noticed that on MAD MEN every year there’s a different Bobby Draper? Ray & Debra Barone had kids too. How often did you see them? If Haley is shipped off to college she’s back to doing Olive Garden...

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Receiving a Television Critics Award

Just as swallows return to San Juan Capistrano every March, television critics flock to Los Angeles every July for their bi-annual convention. For several weeks they’re trapped in the Beverly Hilton Hotel as networks parade out their newest shows, stars, and showrunners for panel discussions. Last year the producers of HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN went on for an hour about how great their show was. I can only imagine the balloon juice at the WHITNEY...

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More Olympic Controversy

As the stories begin emerging, it is more and more apparent that we Star Spangled Americans were treated to a distorted view of the Opening Ceremonies. Based on your comments, it seems the rest of the world didn’t have Paula Abdul babbling throughout the spectacle like we did thanks to NBC. And the rest of the world didn’t see a selectively edited version. Word now surfaces that there was a section devoted to people who had died, and not only...

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THE DARK KNIGHT review RETURNS

Yes, this is a re-post.  It's my review of the DARK KNIGHT from August, 2008.  Like I said earlier, I thought the latest one was okay but not as much fun as the previous two.   But the second film inspired me to write this:  Why would anyone live in Gotham City? Jesus! You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting six mob bosses. And then there’s the town’s super psycho villain – they couldn’t find someone a little more...

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The Olympics Opening Ceremony: Review

First, some disclaimers.I have no idea what I would have done had I been given the assignment to create the Opening Ceremonies.Danny Boyle, who did have that herculean task, is one of my favorite film directors.   The logistics must have been an unbelievable nightmare. Just coordinating all the dancers, costumes, sets, molten steel, LED screens, special effects, etc. was a miraculous feat in itself. The TV coverage was amazing. A gazillion...

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The MODERN FAMILY cast holdout

This is a Friday Question I've received so often this week that I want to devote the entire post to it.Among those asking was Rock Golf.It sounds like the cast (at least the adults) on Modern Family are working together (well, actually NOT working together) in an effort to renegotiate their contracts (and did I use enough parentheses in this sentence?). What are your thoughts? As a showrunner, what effect does this have on planning? Do they get support...

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Because you asked for it

Since Friday Questions are so popular I thought I’d sneak in a bonus day. So here are Thursday Friday Questions. Stephen starts us off: What do you do with live studio audiences for new shows? I don't mean the pilot, but those first 4 or 5 (or more if it's debuting at midseason) episodes before the show premieres. How do you get them up to speed so that they understand the character humor? For example, was the live studio audience for episode...

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The REAL Newsroom

This has been a fun week. I’ve been making the rounds promoting my book. This morning I was on KRTH 101 radio with Gary Bryan in Los Angeles and 12 other radio stations around the country. A list is provided at the end of this post. But part of the fun of this marketing blitz is sharing the behind-the-scenes shenanigans of these personal appearances. And it’s good stuff to know when you go out to sell your book. Yesterday I made my first...

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Batman

Saw the new Batman movie.  Loved the last one with Heath Ledger.  This one was okay but disappointing.  Sorry fanboys.  The villain wasn't fun and you couldn't understand him. Batman may save the day, but for my money, Anne Hathaway saved the movie.  She was a treat.But instead of doing a long review (I'm sure there are now thousands of them on line), I thought I'd do a Batman post with a different spin -- why I've always...

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Warning: I will be on TV today

I'll be appearing on the Channel 9 2:00 News today in Los Angeles to talk about my book, THE ME GENERATION... BY ME (GROWING UP IN THE '60s).  The last time I was on Channel 9 it was KHJ-TV and I appeared on the Ninth Street West dance show.   Unlike that appearance, I will not be wearing my Bar Mitzvah suit this afternoon.  But I know a lot of you have held off buying the book until you see me on television so there goes that...

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My thoughts on the Ichiro trade

... since I've gotten like fifty emails and texts.  It’s always tough to say goodbye to a Hall-of-Famer but I think today’s trade of Ichiro to the Yankees for two young prospects is a deal that benefits both clubs. That short rightfield porch in Yankee Stadium beckons and Ichiro is definitely an upgrade over what the Pinstripes had. And for the Mariners, youth must be served. They have a number of good young players like Casper Wells, Michael...

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The Ringo Starr Concert: 50 Greys In Shades

Hey, those old guys can still play!  Was fortunate enough to see the Ringo Starr All-Starr Band’s final concert Saturday night at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.Ringo, looking trim in his sunglasses, was surrounded by some mainstays of classic rock radio – Steve Lukathier of Toto, Gregg Rolie of Santana and Journey, Todd Rundgren (also in sunglasses), Richard Page of Mister Mister (also also in sunglasses), Mark Rivera (Billy Joel’s sideman...

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My favorite Disneyland story

Here's another excerpt from my book, THE ME GENERATION... BY ME (GROWING UP IN THE '60s).   Check out my website.  It's loaded with photos and videos, and here's the best part -- If you want to buy the book, you can!   Seriously!  It's for sale!  But for now it's 1964.  We take a family trip to the Magic Kingdom.  My other grandmother, Nana Pearl, surprised me later that summer by saying, “Fuck!” You don’t expect...

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My thoughts on yesterday

It’s obviously impossible to write anything humorous today in the wake of the Aurora, Colorado shootings yesterday. My heart goes out to all the friends and families of the victims. When I was in Denver earlier this year I met a young man who was a student of Columbine and there that fateful day. He recounted the whole ghastly tale. It’s one thing to watch the news coverage and its snippets of people who were on the scene, and it’s another...

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One of my proudest achievements on CHEERS

It’s Friday Question Day (a feature you guys still seem to like).  I'll try to sneak in a few extra question days in the next few weeks.  Mike asks:Has a crew member ever suggesting a plot is horrible?No, but they never had to. They had the actors for that. We had a writers assistant who we dearly loved named Lana. The way David and I wrote was that we dictated the script to Lana. There were times we’d pitch something and she’d say,...

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My reaction to todays Emmy nominations

The 2012 Emmy nominations are out! Here are the Best Comedy nominees:MODERN FAMILY, 30 ROCK, BIG BANG THEORY, GIRLS, VEEP, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM.Notably absent: COMMUNITY, LOUIE, THE OFFICE, PARKS AND RECREATION. Thoughts: When the Academy isn’t crazy about a show that gets a lot of buzz they toss it a bone or two (acting noms, writing noms, best lighting noms). Such is the case with LOUIE. Louis C.K. got an acting and directing nomination and...

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Should Pole Dancing be an Olympic sport?

In anticipation of the Olympics (or perhaps upstaging them), this evening in London the two-night World Pole Sport Championships begins. Organizers and aficionados of this most impressive athletic skill are SERIOUSLY trying to get Pole Dancing included as an Olympic event. And I say it’s about time! Whenever I’ve been in a strip club (dragged there by friends of course), I watch these young ladies flying around these poles and think: why isn’t...

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Thanks!!!

Thanks so much to everyone who answered yesterday's post.  If you haven't yet, please do.  When I started this blog I never dreamed I'd have readers from all over the world.  I figured my zip code and maybe one adjacent.   But I'm thrilled you're here and hope the level of content will keep you here.Next up is actually meeting you all, and I'm working on that.   Thanks again.  And a special thanks to those who bought my book.  It really is my passion project so I greatly appreciate your support. ...

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Who's out there???

I haven’t done this in close to a year. But today I want to hear from YOU. It’s nice for me to know who is out there and what you like or don’t like. So I’m asking you – especially you new readers and lurkers – if you wouldn’t mind going to the comments section, telling me where you’re from, how long you’ve been here, how you found it, and any thoughts on the content, yay or nay. Which topics do you enjoy? Which turn you off? Based on your...

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"New Choice!"

There was another great exercise for comedy writers in Andy Goldberg’s improv class last Wednesday. This one was called “New Choice!” Two people would do a scene and periodically someone would say something and Andy would interrupt with “New Choice!” The performer then had to devise an alternate line. If Andy wasn’t satisfied he’d again bark “New Choice!” Sometimes it would take two or three lines before the scene was allowed to proceed....

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Review: To Rome With Love

How many movies does a writer/director have to make before he no longer has to follow any rules of logic or good storytelling? How many movies until he’s allowed to just recycle elements from his other movies and no one cares? Whatever that number is Woody Allen obviously has passed it. And that’s fine, for what it is. But not fine when he’s still considered a genius and if he should through sheer volume turn out something even halfway decent...

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