.....BUT HE GIVES YOU MORE!

    

The seems to be a very concerted effort by the broadcast networks to differentiate their late night hosts from each other.  Some of it feels organic and some of it feels so manufactured it's quite maddening.

     Stephen Colbert jumped on the 'clobber Trump' train early and rode that thing all the way to number one in the ratings.  Personally, I enjoyed his show the most during the first two years (you know, before Trump was elected).  Inside stories say Colbert was doing almost everything but cleaning up afterwards.  He was his own announcer.  He appeared in goofy sketches with his guests (remember the Big Furry Hat?)  He taped a segment where he went back to his old elementary school where one of his teachers was still working there.  He had a very moving discussion with Joe Biden about losing family members too young (both have gone through a great deal of loss).  To me, this was enough to differentiate himself from the Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central fame but CBS disagreed and made him fire many producers and writers who followed him over from the old show because they wanted it to be more 'BIG TIME!'.  It is now.  And I find myself often bored with the nightly Trump whippings (I'm not a fan but there is such a thing as overkill!).  What will happen if anyone else becomes president?  Jon Stewart is an Executive Producer and made several appearances early on but has also stepped back because of other causes and projects.

     Jimmy Fallon used to be the cool young rich kid on the block with the fun games and gadgets.  As an interviewer, I find him channeling Chris Farley often because he always starts a sentence with "Remember that time you were doing that show and (something)...…that was funny!"  He's high energy which the youngsters love.  He'll be around for a long time whether I like it or not.

     Jimmy Kimmel is the other Jimmy. He started out all over the place and most of his comedy partners were members of his own family.  Some are still there but he has phased them out (Where's Aunt Chippie?).  He's matured (look at the beard!) and has become the best interviewer of the three.

He is very emotional and his talks about his infant son's health issues were genuine whether people agreed with his politics or not.  He has also recently gotten rid of most of his opening titles and is already on stage when the camera points at the studio audience.  See, he's trying to cram as much content in his show as possible.  I miss his version of "The Generation Gap" quiz show which was a update of a short lived 1960s game show.  I understand Kimmel's production company is trying to turn it into a regular daily game show.  I would love it but shows like that are difficult to get on the air these days unless you have a big name host.  

     Let's face it; these are not even talk shows anymore.  They're comedy shows with some stars and musical guests thrown in.  Stand up comedians rarely appear anymore because they are so many other outlets for that content.  Podcasts are the new old-style talk shows.  The more things change...…..


UPDATE:3/6/2020-Jimmy Kimmel is getting shot at hosting a big time game show.  He will be leading an all-star version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" this April on ABC.  Like the other celebrity versions, the winnings will go to various charities.

THE MOURNING SHOW

 

I apologize.  This probably isn't going to be one of my more lighthearted entries.  It's just that the avalanche of human losses I've witnessed in the past few years has really given my heart and mind a bit of a jolt and right now I'm not sure if that's good or bad.  What doesn't kill you makes you stronger?  I'm I actually supposed to believe this gobbledygook?
     I'm close to 50 years old so this type of thing surely isn't uncommon.  I lost my last living grandparent almost a year ago.  In a strange way, it made me feel like my childhood officially ended even though that happened decades ago.  Grandparents are supposed to be the ones with the wisdom your parents don't have yet.  They're the ones who you sneak off with to get a banana split right after Mom and Dad say you've overdone it on the sweets.  They've got the knowledge you can't get in college.  Life sure does feel about four instruction manuals short now.
     I also lost a younger cousin a few years back.  I know how he died but I don't exactly know why.  It seems there's a lost chapter to the book of him that I didn't get to read.  He left behind a daughter and Grandson; and all before the age of 40.
     I lost an Uncle almost three years ago and now another one a month ago.  In my opinion, they both died much before their time.  They both were very intelligent in unique ways.  I got to work with one and play around with the other.  Both were highly informative.
     Many times when a loved one passes on, it can stimulate something inside of you that lets you know that life's rich pageant doesn't last forever and to not put off until tomorrow something that you can do today.  Strangely enough, however, I'm feeling a push forward and a pull back simultaneously and it's all becoming a bit disorienting.  I've never been one to do anything by the book.  I burned that book long ago in a fit of stupidity but maybe there's something unexpectedly healthy about that.  Any maybe there's something to that annoying green dot that just magically appeared on this page.  Time will tell.  Only, now there's just a little less of that.

MY REVIEW: THE PRACTICE (1976)

 

     Danny Thomas was a very successful comedian and actor.  He was an even more successful businessman and producer.  Some of his successful productions included "The Andy Griffith Show", "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "The Mod Squad".  He would probably tell you that the most successful creation was The St. Jude Children's Research Hospital which continues to help children and families to the present day.
     However, by 1975 Thomas really didn't have anything more to prove as an entertainer.  His classic "Make Room For Daddy" ran for 11 years and he was always a big draw as a nightclub act but came across a show his son, producer Tony Thomas, was putting together as a pilot for NBC.  The younger Thomas and his producing partner Paul Junger Witt had other people in mind for the lead role of Dr. Jules Bedford, a older cantankerous but caring doctor who worked out of a run down office in an older area of New York City  and still made house calls but the elder Thomas won the role after auditioning for the network.  The program would be called "The Practice" and was created by an up and coming comedy writer named Steve Gordon.
     The 1st season which consisted of 13 episodes premiered in January 1976 to decent reviews but mediocre ratings.  Series regulars included David Spielberg as Jules' son Dr. David Bedford, who practiced medicine at a fancy Park Avenue location; Shelley Fabares as David's wife Jenny; Didi Conn as Jules' ditzy receptionist Helen and Dena Dietrich as Jules' nurse Molly.  John Byner would also make intermittent appearances as Dr. Roland Caine, an associate of David who was far more interested in making money than actually treating his patients.
    The 2nd season which consisted of 14 episodes premiered in the Fall of 1976 and some changes to the format were made.   John Byner's character was no longer seen and Mike Evans, who played George Jefferson's son in "All In The Family" and "The Jeffersons" was now seen here as Lenny, a medical intern.  Personally, I thought Evans was a great comedic actor who seemed underused on those Norman Lear shows.  Unfortunately, he wasn't given much to do here either and was back playing Lionel Jefferson on the show a few years later.  Also, guest stars were featured to lure people to the show such as Lucille Ball and Danny's daughter Marlo Thomas.  Oh, and David and Jenny were now living in a different apartment.  Jules' living quarters were never mentioned or seen in either season.  In fact, he ended up crashing at his son's place in several episodes.
     The ratings for the 2nd season did not improve and NBC cancelled the show after just 12 episodes aired.  All 27 episodes (including 2 unaired episodes) are now available as part of Warner Archive Manufactured On Demand collection of the complete series. Why wasn't it available prior to 2019?  I'm not sure.  I've never heard considered as a 'cult classic.'  But who knows?  Steve Gordon created a few more TV shows and movies and had a big hit on his hands as the screenwriter and director of the 1981 comedy film "Arthur" starring Dudley Moore when he passed away of a heart attack at the early age of 44 in 1982.
     My Grade: B

I ALSO WONDER

     There is a strange phenomenon happening in the world of movies these days.....and, no, it has nothing to do with the controversy with Martin Scorcese's Netflix film "The Irishman" being funded by the streaming service, playing for a very limited time in theaters and the going back to Netflix for maximum streaming consumption (they hope, as the budget for the epic Mob drams is around $150 million and there isn't a DC or Marvel character in sight).

     I'm instead referring to several episodes of a 20 plus year old sitcom that will be playing in select theatres over the Thanksgiving holiday.  Yes, "Friends" will be clogging up some screens at your megaplex (I'm betting on theater 26 myself) very soon.  They're all Thanksgiving themed episodes so that's something, I guess.  No new content.  No restorations.  Nothing different that what you're streaming or shows up on your dusty DVD box sets.  I'm not much of a fan of the show but if my local theater was showing 6 episodes of one my favorite series (i.e. "Seinfeld") I wouldn't go out of my way to rush down to catch them at the cinema.  Why?  Because it's everywhere else....at little to no charge.  And, besides, Kramer looks spooky enough on my 42 inch TV.  I think I would have one of those Mary Hart induced seizures if he was as large as Godzilla trampling through Tokyo.

     I could blame this on millennials who supposedly breathed new life into this show and "The Office" but I think these shows are comfort food for people who think life is getting a little too dark these days.  Understood.  And  I will watching the box office totals for this Fathom Events stunt to see if this actually starts a new trend.  But I will not be watching a decades old sitcom on the big screen no matter how hilarious it is to hear Matt LeBlanc uttering the phrase 'How you doin.' 

I WONDER

"Immediately remove and wash clothes or linens that may be contaminated with vomit or poop."

This sentence comes from a government website.  They are using what is basically a slang term for feces or excrement.  What's next?  The Department of Housing and Urban Development telling us how to best inspect the 'crib' that our family deems acceptable?

MY REVIEW: PRESS YOUR LUCK (2019)

    

I must admit, I was a BIG fan of the original 1980's version of "Press Your Luck" and its host Peter Tomarken.  It was literally all bells, whistles and whammies all of the time.....and a few trivia questions thrown in to satisfy someone's need to justify watching such a razor-thin premise of a game show.  And for all of us who thought it was a giant hit show, it didn't fade away but rather burned out in a rather dull fashion after only three seasons on CBS daytime.
     Is all of this nostalgia enough to bring such a trifle of a show back?  Hell, yeah it is!  And of course now that it is a prime time beast, we have to super-size it; making the highs higher and the lows so much more sad and tear-jerking.  However, those nasty whammies just don't seem as nasty as they did when I was thirteen years old.  I guess real life will do that to you.  And the trivia questions seem even more dumbed down than before.
     And then there's the new host.  There are probably thousands of people more qualified to host this show ( both men AND women) but I suppose few women who look like they just walked off of a fashion shoot like Elizabeth Banks.  But I'm afraid her hosting skills leave a lot to be desired.  Her 'banter' sounds either rehearsed or wooden or both.  It's refreshing to see a non-comedian get the job but she acts like she studied at the Drew Carey school of game show hosting.
     Oh, and the contestants.  They seem to have been hooked up to a Red Bull I.V. before taking the stage.  No one can be that excited.  I know you're enthusiastic but take it down a notch or two, ok?
     The game board is what I really want to see but after a few episodes, I simply became bored.  All the bells, whistles and whammies just aren't that dazzling anymore.  This is an okay time waster but as a great game show it's only a mediocre one at best.
      My grade: C-

THE TIMES SURE-HAVE-A-CHANGED

    

Woodstock 50 is dead.  At least, in its dreamed-up-by-Michael Lang edition.  Why?  Because the rules have changed.
     The original 1969 was hatched on a handshake deal by Lang and a few others who wanted to hold a music and arts festival.  The place, bands, and size of the grounds constantly morphed during the seven months between conception and execution.  This type of 'ever changing scenario' would not be allowed in today's world.  Neither would a 'handshake' deal.  Hell, even Lang knew this at the start of his 50th anniversary idea because it was mostly and heavily backed by a Japanese financial conglomerate.  What kind of contracts and confidentiality agreements would poor old Max Yasgur have to sign if he were still alive today?
     Everything is a business now.  Air. Water.  Literally everything.  And how about these 'radius clauses'  (MEANING: a tour promoter stipulates that a performer, for a certain length of time prior to or following an appearance at a concert or festival, must not hold concerts at other locations within a certain radius of the city where they are to perform. In essence, it gives the promoter a form of territorial exclusivity, ensuring that the performer does not book concerts with competing promoters and venues in nearby areas, which can undermine ticket sales for their main event.)  This kind of thing forced several bands to drop out because of ties to companies like Live Nation who love this type of practice.
  Would legendary rock concert promoter Bill Graham have done that type of thing?  Hell no, man.  Live and let live, right?  When the original Woodstock ran out of tickets to sell, the promoters started to just let people in for free because they felt that if these people who came from everywhere, they shouldn't be denied entry because of their poor job at ticket selling.  Like, pretty heavy, huh?
     What would have happened if at the end of Jimi Hendrix's appearance at the 1969 event, he suddenly grabbed the mic and said 'I'm gonna be auctioning off this guitar I was playing right after the show and whoever gives me the most money or five football fields full of hash can have it?"  I believe the hippie dream would have gone up its own ass right then and there.
     Not everything needs a sequel.  Woodstock is just one of those things.  I'm sure Mr. Lang had good intentions (he was trying to raise money to promote voter participation) but these intentions are just going to have to stand on their own two feet as a separate entity.  Bummer.