Haven’t done this in awhile but it’s kind of fun. This is my 600th post since starting this folly a year and a half ago. (I know. Big deal. That’s like McDonalds selling their 600th hamburger.) My goal is to post something every day (whether it has any redeeming value or not). So far I’ve been able to manage that without having to resort to stories about my colonoscopy.What I’ve done a couple of times before upon reaching benchmark posts is to ask you guys to write back to me. Especially you newer folks. I’d love to know where you’re from, how you stumbled upon this nonsense, and any suggestions for topics you’d like to see in this blog, and any thoughts on the topics I have discussed. You’re welcome to criticize but only if you leave your name.
But I warn you, don’t say cut out the Goddamn travelogues. My recent Goddamn Hawaii travelogue is just around the corner.
And to show that I really do listen to what my readers have to say, I will no longer recap AMERICAN IDOL until next January, the earliest.
Part of the fun of this endeavor is that I’ve met some great people along the way. Now I’m looking to meet you.
Thanks so much for finding this site. Hopefully I’ll keep you coming back.
Ken
I've been coming here from the beginning. Happy anniversary! I love the script excerpts. From your work, from Arthur, from anything you've got. Keep 'em coming.
ReplyDeleteOk, cut out the GODDAMN...delays in between blog entries. I tell you, it's a genuinely suspenseful wait to see what you're delivering next from your brain. ;)
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, keep doing as you're doing. That's the reason I visit your blog every day.
Hello Ken. My name is Arne and I am from Norway. I can't quite remeber how I stumbled across yout blog but no matter, I read it it everyday and enjoy all of it. So keep up the good work, Ken. It's very appreciated.
ReplyDeleteMr Kevine, you've been a source of information as well as inspiration. I'm a Finnish freelance journalist / screewriter-in-the-making, and constantly amazed by the sheer amount of your wit. Not to mention the quality. As a card-carrying member of the Old Continent, some stuff like the baseball stories go flying over my head, but please don't stop writing them. For blogging is like sex with yourself – it's free, supposed to feel good and no holds barred.
ReplyDelete(Did I just write that aloud?)
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ReplyDeleteHi Ken, I can't recall how I found your blog but I'm mighty glad I did.
ReplyDeleteI tune in every day, all the way from Australia.
I agree with the previous comments, keep up the good work!
Ken-
ReplyDeleteI've been a reader for a long time now and have enjoyed each and every post; especially love the behind the scenes war stories.
The Idol stuff...maybe not so much...LOL.
Have a great weekend.
Congratulations! Just keep it the way it is: superb.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Spain.
Hi Ken,
ReplyDeleteI'm from the UK and I barely understand anything you write because, being British, I don't 'get' most of the references you make.
Regardless, the quality of your writing comes through, and I still find it enjoyable... which is probably a bit crazy but hey :-)
Lorenzo
Hi Ken, I found you through John August I think. I read you everyday here in Ireland and you never fail to disappoint with your great humour. Here's to the next 600.
ReplyDeleteI started reading when another blogger (Walcott, I think) linked to your entries on the casting of Cheers.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading for a few months.
ReplyDeleteI think I found you through Mo Ryan, The Watcher. So glad I did because you're quite entertaining :)
I especially enjoy reading the behind the scenes posts. {most recently, "Wings"}
Congrats on your 600 post!
Hey, Ken. Like Missy, I'm from Australia and read your blog everyday. Keep it up. :)
ReplyDeleteDear Kenball,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog through a series of coincidences involving three old socks, a monkey, and a russian whore.
It was the happiest day of my life.
Since then, I've had happier - but I continue to visit your blog on a daily basis.
Regards,
- Crash
I love the travelogues, and I love the insider stuff. I don't give a rat's ass about American Idol. (And I love Volunteers, especially the time-is-money riff.)
ReplyDeleteMy father introduced me to your blog.
ReplyDelete"Canadian Idol" premieres June 5th. You could really drive people crazy with that one.
ReplyDeletehi ken, i am from singapore and i just love reading your blog, especiallyyour stories about yoru times in cheers and mash. have you ever thought of writing a book about your sitcom writing experience? a how-to book? i just read ellen sandler's book on tv writing. interesting and insightful. i am sure many fans would look forward to yur book.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to reading your blog the way I used to look forward to reading a favorite newspaper column. Occasionally you stray onto subjects that don't do much for me (I'm not a huge sports fan) but that's okay - it's a pleasure to laugh out loud while reading (a rarity these days). Of course, being from Los Angeles, I don't always understand your cultural references...
ReplyDeleteKen,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your 600th! (and no rumors about you taking performance-enhancing drugs up to this point)....BTW, any interesting stories about your colonoscopy?....
My girlfriend out me onto your blog about a month ago. I've been a fan since you did Orioles games with Jon Miller, when the only reason to turn on the radio was to listen to you guys.
ReplyDeleteLet's not be too disrespectful toward colonoscopies as comedic material. I recently posted about mine and it was a big hit. Probably because my "friends" liked the idea of me in that position.
Athens, Georgia here. I believe it was a Wolcott link to a Lance
ReplyDeleteMannion link to a Ken Levine link. Love the Cheers and Frasier stories and the Dancin' Homer excerpt made me smile. I have never watched an episode of American Idol, but I am hopelessly addicted to Lost. You are a must read everyday.
Thanks.
Your blog is one of my favorite stops in the blogosphere. I discovered you thanks to my friend, Beth Ciotta. (Lucky woman is on your blog roll) I write romantic comedy novels so your tales of sitcom writing are as instructive as they are hilarious and I love it when you show more by posting excerpts from scripts.
ReplyDeleteThere isn't really anything you talk about that I don't enjoy since I'm also a baseball fan and an AI re-capper.
Please recap America's Got Talent when it starts up again. January's too long to wait for recaps.
Thanks, Ken. Happy 600th!
I'm in far away, exotic Sacramento. Love the blog but can't seem to remember how I got to it. Don't worry. There's lots of other stuff I can't remember. Anyway, keep it up! Don't change a thing. What's that word verification thing? Trying to keep the drunks and dislexics out?
ReplyDeleteI don't know how I got here but I'm sure glad I did so thanks for all the laughs Ken and hope there are many more to come and you never have to resort to doing crap colonoscopy gags.
ReplyDelete600 cheers from New Zealand
Willy
Reader from Atlanta here. I found you through the TVSquad blog...and I'm glad I did.
ReplyDeleteI especially love the "inside" stories. You don't seem to ever pull any punches. I guess you're either too old or too successful to care who you offend.
Hi Ken,
ReplyDeleteAndrea, originally from Baltimore, now of Pennsylvania. A fairly new reader who came here via nancynall.com to read the American Idol recaps. But I also love all of the shows you have worked on (Almost Perfect was one of my favorites) and I'm a big O's fan. W(Will you be in Cooperstown this year for Cal Ripken's induction?)
I'd love to see a post with your thoughts on laugh tracks. I recently caught an episode of MASH (the one where Hawkeye and Trapper try to get an incubator for the hospital) and the laugh track was so loud and overwhelming, it was distracting and drowned out a lot of the dialogue. And then you have sitcoms such as "Sports Night" and the short-lived "Help Me Help You" that give it a try without a laugh track. I would love to hear your insights. Thanks!
I've been reading your blog for about a year now. After the first read, I ended up Bookmarking your site in my favorites list. I love TV blogs and found you thru one of the writers on TV Squad (another one of my favorite sites).
ReplyDeleteYour sense of humor is great. I often laugh out loud at your sarcasm. I especially like the insight to some of your work history in TV. Frasier remains one of my all time favorite sitcoms and I enjoyed reading the posts about how the cast came to be. I am always amazed at how the industry says the sitcom is dead, yet there continues to be some good ones out there and they are always high on my season pass with Tivo.
I would love to hear more about your experience with Wings.
Hi Ken,
ReplyDeleteI'm Simon from Canada and I've been reading your blog for about 6 months, it was linked from somewhere and it has been added to the feed reader since then.
I love pretty much everything you write on this thing, especially all the behind the scenes and how the shows are created. I love your humour and how you approach your writing. Please keep it up
Simon
Hello Mister Len Kevine,
ReplyDeleteI am Spito, a yak herder from Tibet. I find you site being tell by other herders while drinking goat wine at local masonic lodge. I access your story webs via my digital donkey http://worsethanfailure.com/Articles/Virtudyne_0x3a__The_Digital_Donkey.aspx
She buck at first when Mr. Kevine's blashpemy come up but settle right down when I finish on pages www.tijuanadonkeygirls.com
Uggh, I can't even finish this rap. Borat has ruined all good "backwards foreigner" bits for all time. He's the king. comedy central should not even be allowed to roll SNL repeats of the "wild and crazy guys" because he has blown them out.
I came here linked from the kung fu monkey because I do whatever John Rogers tells me to do. That explains this giant pile of comic books on my living room floor. I can believe every super power in comics but not the anatomy of one single drawn female in them...
You should read the virtudyne link above...the digital donkey is very real...
Live in Boston and am a lifelong Cincinnati Reds fan. I am very lonely, obviously...
David Parks
ahh, it cut off the link...trying again.
ReplyDeletehttp://worsethanfailure.com/Articles/Virtudyne_
0x3a__The_Digital_Donkey.aspx
Ken, I've been a regular reader for maybe six months. Your commitment to offer new daily content is one I appreciate very much--thought I'd better say that in case you wonder if it's worth the effort. I think I tracked you down following a trail that led through Jane Espenson's blog.
ReplyDeleteI like your show biz stories and wish you'd write more about the nuts and bolts of being a writer: developing characters, breaking stories, how you recognize when you've come up with something good--interesting topics not just for TV writers but all writers. I get a lot out of that.
Humor is always good, too. I don't know if anyone's ever told you, but you're a funny guy.
Ken-
ReplyDeleteI greet you from Doylestown, Pa., the hometown of Justin Guarini and Pink, and we're so proud....
I found you on TV Squad a few months ago and have been reading ever since. And being a transplanted New Yorker, I have been a Yankee fan since the days of Horace Clarke and Jerry Kenny.
I have spent time as a photojournalist and still write a litte, but I spend much of my sapre time with my 6 year old daughter at my volunteer fire company.
Thanks for keeping me laughing.
Larry Browne
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI found you through artful writer and have been reading for months. I love the script excerpts and the inside stories about being a writer. I'm about to write my first tv script (a spec 2 and 1/2 men which is a show I think you said you can't stand). But mainly I just love the fact that you post everyday.
Keep up the good work.
Ken,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog after searching the internet in hopes of finding your social security number and stealing your identity.
Also, a friend and co-worker told me he'd met you and that you are a swell guy.
I like baseball and radio and writing and comedy and sitcoms, so I check it out almost every day. Love the script excerpts and travelogues and random thought posts.
Thanks and keep up the great work,
JCD
Great work, Ken. Thanks for not phoning the stuff in. Many of your blogs are just inspired. Your accounts of Cheers and Arthur and baseball play-by-play are insightful and often hilarious.
ReplyDeleteIt's my refrain, but write a book for writers. It will no doubt be very funny and very practical.
Hi Ken,
ReplyDeleteI have been reading your blog regularly for a few months. I think someone linked to it on the Cheers thread on the Television Without Pity forums, and I just started reading from there. I really enjoy your posts, even the apparently dreaded American Idol posts. You watch it closely so I don't have to!
I'm in grad school, spending my days in front of a computer screen so it is a nice break everyday to be able to read a funny post. Keep up the good work!
Ken -- I arrived via Martini Shot. I love the war stories as well. Would maybe think about Idol 1x week vs. 2x. Would love to see more TV criticism though understand that might be difficult personally/professionally. Thanks for the effort!
ReplyDeletei stumbled here from dodgerthoughts/screenjam and was super happy to see the "perfect" blog that combines both baseball AND screen writing (my two main interests at the moment). As far as suggestions, all I can say is more baseball and more screenwriting tips (its been uncanny how many times ive gotten stuck in my script, hopped onto this site and had my answer waiting for me).
ReplyDeletegreat stuff and the fact you DO consistently update (with quality, might I add), is awesome.
thanks for a wonderful blog!
I don't remember how I found you, but it doesn't matter. I linked you so that other people can find you. I read everyday, more often more than one time too. I'll miss the sarcasm from the AI posts.
ReplyDeleteYour the Shiz, Ken, THE SHIZ.
Ken,
ReplyDeleteStarting coming here after a referral from Mark Evanier, I think. I'm a former broadcaster, now professor, so I enjoy the radio references. Yours is one of my "must reads" every day. Thanks!
JoeyH
Your blog is one of the few ones worth reading on a regular basis. I'm from Denmark, by the way, and I originally came to your blog via the Phantom Professor.
ReplyDeleteI'm an Astronomy professor from Texas, and I found your blog through that Wolcott link several months ago, I'm pretty sure. I've been a fan of yours since listening to you on Mariner broadcasts (was it just one season?) when I was in grad school in the early 90's.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed your book about that experience, though I've still never eaten at Atchafalaya, despite your strong recommendation. I'm more of a Pappadeaux guy, though my favorite is any good Mongolian grill (hard to find among all of the bad ones).
Anyway, I would love to read more stories from your TV background, what was going on during specific episodes, etc. Same with your baseball background.
I imagine we're all familiar with the Seinfeld episodes surrounding him trying to get his show on the air. I'd love to see you go through the highlights of that story and compare it to your experiences.
I've even been inspired to start Tivo'ing Frasier reruns, so I'd love to hear stories on that. How the heck did David Hyde Pierce become one of the top five sitcom characters of all time (imho)?
Hi, I'm Aaron White, an office drone and community theatre enthusiast in Birmingham, Alabama. I think Mark Evanier led me to your blog. I saw that you sometimes wrote about topics that were of no inherent interest for me (Like American Idol) and made it laugh-out-loud funny. You're on my list of links, although that's not the most august company.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading for some time now... because this is probably the third (?) time I've responded to one of these "tell us where you're from" posts.
ReplyDeleteNow that you don't have American Idol to occupy you anymore, how about more baseball stories?
From Chicago (home of the White Sox and some other team whose name I can never remember),
Curmudgeon
You've probably told this story before; but, for those of us who have joined this blog in progress, how did you go from baseball announcer to writer? Or even, how did you become a baseball announcer in the first place?
ReplyDeleteI'm a TV writer boy in Montreal. Got my foot in the door, and some good jobs. Trying to make the most of it. Not a lot like me here, so I'm on the net trying to see how a writer works and not make too many mistakes.
ReplyDeleteWhere's the "more sexy" button on my printer?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteKen, much obliged for the daily entertainment, which I stumbled across from Sepinwall's blog.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, if you'd do more Simpsons stories (either in terms of the scripts you wrote or the people who worked on the show) that'd be pretty fantastic.
A hearty ola from Venezuela. Don't remember how I got here, but enjoy it daily. Last time i was in the states I passed on your prediction that McCarver would call Albert Pujols Ellen Pompeo about forty times.
ReplyDeleteLess American Idol, more baseball, more travelogue, more Open All Night.
I'm 23 years old and in LA. I found your blog after Bean (from KROQ's Kevin and Bean show) recommended it on his now dead blog. Your blog has become another stop on the internet before delving into yet another boring day of work at an animation company. Thanks for making the days a bit easier to get through. =)
ReplyDeleteP.S. Frasier is one of my all time favorite shows.
Hi, Ken,
ReplyDeleteReferred to your blog by a friend and you've survived the initial "do I really want to keep reading this" trial period I give new blogs. Great stuff on sitcoms and movie scripts--I'm a writer myself and am working on mostly prose works and developing a screenplay. Love the insights into Hollywood and the movie reviews as well.
Thanks for the great content!
Hi Ken,
ReplyDeleteNancy from L.A. here. I was sent here by a co-worker about a year ago, and have been visiting regularly ever since. I love your posts and I enjoy reading the comments just as much. You have some funny/intelligent readers, which is a reflection on your exceptional writing abilities. The Captain made me a little self conscience last time I posted a comment, but it's all in good fun.
nc
Hello from Houston!
ReplyDeleteI don't remember how your blog ended up on my reading list, but I'm glad it did! I particularly enjoy the behind-the-scenes stuff. I never watched Frasier but I'm a big fan of MASH, which I discovered a couple of years ago(why didn't anybody tell me about it before?!)
Congrats on 600!
~Victoria
I don't remember how I found this blog the first time... but I'm addicted now.
ReplyDeleteHowever, not being an American Idol fan, I tend to skip those entries. But I love reading your scripts and Hollywood craziness stories. :) Keep up the good work!
Hi Ken, long time reader, first time poster. I found you through TV Squad. I love your American Idol recaps (among other things). Congrats on the big 600!
ReplyDeleteHi, Ken--
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Chicago. I found your blog well over a year ago, probably from John August or Alex Epstein's Complications Ensue, and I don't think I've missed a post yet other than when I've been traveling. I especially like your inside stories and warts-and-all accounts of people you've worked with.
Hi from Bucks County, PA and Happy Anniversary! (Very cool to see how "global" your reach is; after reading the first bunch of comments, I was beginning to think I was the only person reading State-side!)
ReplyDeleteI live just east of the poster from Doylestown. I'm a mid-40s woman trying to constantly keep a lot of "plates" spinning: wife/parent/worker-bee. I'm fortunate enough to have a work from home gig for a multinational company; I'm in management, and my "base office" is in NYC. My work entails a LOT of writing (though of a much different nature than your own) and I really appreciate having the opportunity to hang here and read some *excellent* stuff.
I spend a good portion of my day staring at the computer monitor (and sometimes it's even turned on!), and your blog is my version of a coffee break, I guess. I visit this site daily, and I'm always amazed: Achieving both quality AND quantity is extremely difficult, but your posts are onsistently entertaining and interesting. (Okay, I could do with a bit less baseball, but I even read those posts - a sure indicator that I'm hooked on this blog!) I really enjoy the AI entries, and I LOVE the entries that talk about behind-the-scenes stuff in the media, particularly tv.
I think I found your site via a link posted on a Television Without Pity forum ... most likely the one devoted to Cheers. If you ever have the opportunity and the inclination, I'm sure that those who post there would LOVE to hear from you. I've been here for awhile now (long enough to not be able to recall my exact point of entry), and have read through just about all of your archives at this point.
Keep the fires burning, Ken! Again, congrats on reaching 600, and thanks for daily "opening your brain" for all of us so candidly, humorously, and entertainingly.
COngrats Ken. I found you by way of John Rogers over at Kung Fu Monkey as it happens.
ReplyDeleteSince then I have visited you at least 3 times a week and am almost always pleasantly surprised. WHile I can't speak for everyone here, I would love to hear more about your experiences as a play-by-play guy for all those years. Life on the road alone tends to give us plenty of absurd moments.
Thanks so much for keeping up the tempo! It's appreciated.
Congrats, Ken, on reaching 600!
ReplyDeleteKen and I are childhood friends and have reconnected through his blog. My name is Bonnie, and my father, Stan Burns, was sort of one of Ken's inspirations for getting into writing. My Dad was a great TV comedy writer (starting on the original Steve Allen shows). I check it everyday. I love the diversity of topics, and never know what's coming next. Keep up the great work! I keep spreading the word, too!
Hi, Ken--
ReplyDeleteI think I found your site through John August. But your voice keeps me coming back every day, checking for new posts.
I'm a crime novelist from Philly, and the father of two young children. So I don't mind the travelogues at all. Vicarious living, and all that.
Congrats on 600! Here's to 600,000 more...
Hi, Ken. I am a housefrau named Kathleen. I'm also in the City of Angels, so we are practically neighbors. But I currently exist in the smoggy haze of having two young children, while you live a rich and exciting life (i.e., you actually get out of the house and travel).
ReplyDeleteI became a regular reader this Idol season because I (apparently along with every other red-blooded American) was doing Idol recaps for friends and they recommended your blog. I subsequently realized that someone had sent me your Aaron Sorkin baseball bit awhile ago. It -- and almost everything else you write -- are hilarious.
Mahalo. And keep up the good work!
My name is Donna, and I'm a transplanted Angeleno now living in southern Maryland, where the population consists of three types: Amish, "normal", and those who still think the war between the states is still being waged. I found you through a baseball-related link, but hell if I can remember what it was now. I enjoy nearly all of your posts and also appreciate the frequency of posts. When you spoke about your mother, I was especially touched because it was a lovely sentiment for someone who sounded like a lovely woman.
ReplyDeleteI'm Doug from Dallas, and I'm a big 'Cheers' fan. I stumbled onto your blog about four months ago, and reading it has become part of my morning routine, right up there with drinking coffee and pretending to work. I especailly enjoy your insights into the process of writing for television. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteHi Ken,
ReplyDeleteI post every now and then. I grew up on Cheers, it (along with NBC's Late Night with David Letterman) were the shows that made me decide that writing for television would be cool. I came out to LA for graduate school (Brandon Tartikoff spoke at my grad ceremony - I took that as a good sign). And now I vacillate between trying to continue to break into TV or securing a position as a cashier at Ralph's. They seem to require same skill set. I just can't decide.
As an 'actively retired' senior citizen, I found your blog through a friend from DC (lawyer who works for the EPA) who had been invited to post on my daughter's (lawyer who is in Admissions at the University of Oregon School of Law) blog. These law types actually have other interests! I've been reading your blog sporadically for almost a year. I don't have the energy to read anyone's blog on a daily basis, but I love to check in with you from time to time just so I can laugh out loud. Your wit knocks me out, Ken. When I was a kid, my father took me to the "old" Forbes Field in Pittsburgh to watch the great Roberto Clemente play ball. We would sit in the bleachers behind right field. More than once, Roberto literally climbed the cyclone fencing atop the wooden fence to catch a fly ball. He defied gravity right before my eyes. I haven't loved baseball as much since those days, but here in Seattle, I do love to watch Ichiro's wizardry. If only he were surrounded by an equally talented team. Sigh. I enjoy reading your blog regardless of topic choice. I would even enjoy your colonoscopy comments. You must be tickled pink that Studio 60 got the axe. Keep writing. I'll keep reading. Sign me ~Blaker Girl (yeah, I know, OLD Blaker Girl)
ReplyDeleteHi Ken. Kurt in San Francisco here; been reading you daily for six or eight months. Might have heard about you from Mark Evanier's blog; not sure. I love your stories from the shows you worked on.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, am I the only one who noticed that Blarneyman wrote above that "you never fail to disappoint with your great humour"? Hilarious!
Ken -
ReplyDeleteGreetings from just a little down Beverly Blvd. I started your blog six months ago - it took me a couple of weeks to catch up. Funniest of them all is your list of rock band names - I couldn't catch my breath and had to be rushed to Cedars. Also, "Elvis has left the building!- no wait a minute" was hysterical, and don't worry - your travelogues also have me on the floor.
Topics or questions: Is the Writers Room easier on a single-camera show because there's no "opening night" audience to give last minute response to jokes?
The original movie of MASH has a slightly different feel than the TV show, although for years I thought the show was better. Did you ever dig out the old movie and play it for inspiration, or ideas?
I grew up in the 1950's with top 40 AM radio in San Francisco - KEWB and KYA. Love your blogs about the old days.
Keep being funny - you brighten my mornings.
I think I discovered you through a link from one of the great, under-appreciated (judging by the paucity of comments) Blogs of Our Times, Something Old, Nothing New.
ReplyDeleteAnd I been lovin' every minute of it, ya big lug.
Oh, and I'm from Tacoma ("It may not be the end of the world, but you can see it from there"), WA.
Hi Ken-
ReplyDeleteI'm Tracy from Stamford, CT. I came to you via Sepinwall's blog, and his via the gang over at Throwing Things. Though I now reside in the east, it was only 2 years, 7 months and 11 days ago that I left LA, but who's counting. Your LA references provide a connection back to the days of 72 degrees and sunny skies. I miss LA, but CT and NY have proven to be pretty great, too. Congratulations on the blog-iversary!
Tracy
I forgot to concur with 45 is the new 30 about TelevisionWithoutPity.com. I've been posting there for years and the members' comments are really insightful. Be warned, however, that Sorkin and one of the creators of Rescue Me have had their egos bruised by angry fans there. The site moderators are good at keeping the tone civil, but I've noticed that the more erudite the angry post, the more stinging it can be.
ReplyDeleteMazel Tov Ken, on your 600th post.
ReplyDeleteI hail from Framingham, Massachusetts and have been reading your blog ever since the LA Times referred to it when you allegedly "bashed" Studio 60. I like that show, so I won't hold it against you.
I have read all your posts, and am a faithful everyday reader. Got my own blog, and won't bore you with the link, since I am a mere Lillipudlian amongst the Gullivers that post here.
Love the MASH stuff, and enjoy your inside jokes and Hollywood references.
Keep it up.
Eric W.
I'm an LA brat also, and I found your blog through LARadio.com and Don Barrett.
ReplyDeletePeople keep asking you for more "Inside" stories. What more "Inside" story could there be than a colonoscopy?
Credit Mark Evanier for sending me here.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger I knew more people who could and would get off good one-liners in conversation. Now I live around a bunch of Scandihoovians and Native Americans. The humor is not the same, believe it.
So it's always fun to read someone who likes to be funny. Who knew.
I've read every single post... I need a life.
ReplyDeleteMazel Tov Boychik!
I'm pretty sure I found you via a link on John August's website.
ReplyDeleteI love the Cheers anecdotes.
And, of course, the "inside baseball" stories about life as a professional screenwriter.
Ken,
ReplyDeleteI spent 15 years trying to make it in the theater world until finally, eventually, I had to make some money, so, of course, I'm into the inside baseball stuff. I think I ran into your blog via Kung Fu Monkey or Jane Espenson.
Here's something: you and I have only three degrees of separation -- a fellow director in my graduate school class at the University of Texas was in the undergraduate theater studies program with Crystal Bernard at Baylor.
And I agree absolutely with brian fies above. Thanks for your daily effort and take care.
Ken
Hi there- I'm an almost 40-year-old working mother of 3-year-old twins from Atlanta. I think I found your site through Alan Sipenwell's tv blog. I went through a phase finding screenwriter/hollywood insider type blogs. Yours stuck. Now I see other blogs linking to you all the time. A kajillion blogs but still a small world. Been reading for almost a year or so. Love the behind the scenes of the tv shows you've worked on. I watch Frasier reruns every night before bed and always look to see if you wrote it. Thanks for writing.
ReplyDeleteGood grief. So I'm comment 78. Wow. :-)
ReplyDeleteKen, I discovered you a couple of years ago through Lee Goldberg's blog. I read you everyday and everyday I learn something about writing... humor... writing humor... and compassion. Keep on keepin' on. We'll take whatever you've got.
:) Beth
I'm a Canadian based in Hong Kong who is producing/writing a 3D animated kids show. A friend recommended your blog to me.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy reading all your experiences working in the biz, especially on sit-coms. Plus, I always check your IDOL updates and enjoy the running commentaries.
Thanks!
dear ken, i found your blog via a friend in london, and have a link to it on my own so i check it out most every day. i read it for entertainment, rather than most of the others that i read for news and politics. as for colonoscopy stories, there are many things that happen to us medically that can be quite amusing in retrospect, assuming one survives them :-) anyway, having just heard the cbs radio calling of another yankees loss, here i am, trying to cheer myself up! shabbat shalom.
ReplyDeleteKen:
ReplyDeleteStumbled on this through TV Squad, which occasionally posts links to your blog. As a fan of pretty much every show you've ever worked on, I particularly enjoy your stories about specific episodes and even scripts of scenes that didn't make the cut, etc.
Ken,
ReplyDeleteCongrats on 600 posts! I think I've added my snarky two cents to at least half of them. Thanks for letting me tag along!
I'm glad you got to 600 before Bonds got to 756. I'll assume most of your jacks were all-natural.
I think I stumbled upon your site via TV Squad a couple of years ago.
I enjoy your sense of humor, and your honest opinions from all of your years as a comedy writer.
I look forward to the next 600
Mazel Tov and Ari Gold
Will T.
Congrats on 600!
ReplyDeleteI've been reading for a few months now. Sadly, I can't remember exactly how I got here. I read a variety of blogs by TV writers and there are several who link here. I was exploring links one day, found you, and have been here ever since. I initially checked your blog out because I'm a big fan of your work and interested in the TV industry. However, even when you're not talking about TV, your posts are always entertaining so I'm officially hooked.
Hi, Ken.
ReplyDelete600 posts is a lot of (old school)stamps and you've certainly got my stamp of approval and respect.
Whilst I quite enjoy writing, how the hell you pump out the quality & quantity every week is, well, obviously a God given gift + an incredible love of communicating.
Here in South Australia, I first discovered your Beaver Cleaver radio work via Uncle Ricky's reelradio.com and your writings via Claude Hall's weekly blog. Looking forward to your future involvement with Ron Jacobs in Hawaii !
Regards, IAN in Oz.
Hi Ken,
ReplyDeleteI'm Ben from Melbourne, Australia. Like others here, can't quite recall how I found you, but I'm glad I did, and read your blog everyday.
Frasier is one of my all time favourite shows, and I almost feel like an 'insider' now when I watch it. Especially when your name comes up in the credits. Please keep up the behind-the-scene tidbits, if only to further my illusion of belonging.
Question: on dvd, Frasier has only gone up to series 7 (naturally I own them all). What's with that? Don't you guys like making more money for yourselves? Or is this strictly a network issue?
Thanks for the laughs.
Ben.
Hi, Ken--
ReplyDeleteI found you through Defamer and I particularly love the behind the scenes TV stuff from back in the day. Love how you're not afraid to name names!
Thanks for all the entertainment throughout the years.
Neil from Seattle. I remember listening to you when you were broadcasting for the Mariners and I thought you were great. I still quote Levine's Law during any baseball discussion. I googled you about 6 months ago after you were mentioned on USSMariner and have been reading your blog ever since. Great work, keep it up!
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame no one responded.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great blog. I found this through Lee Goldberg about 3 months ago. You shouldn't change a thing, except maybe to blog twice a day or more.
ReplyDeleteHey, Wesley from England here. Just checking in to say I found the blog through a link to one of your Frasier-themed posts at the FrasierOnline.co.uk website, and I've been checking the blog daily since. Frankly, it's perfect as it is - don't change a thing!
ReplyDeleteHi Ken,
ReplyDeleteI'm Peter, a Swedish TV executive and comedy affcionado.
Been following the blog for over a year and read it a couple of times a week.
Love the war stories from the good old sitcom days, and the excerpts from scripts.
Not a big fan of the Idol worshipping.
Take care and best of luck with the next 600 entries.
Peter
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi, I think I first found you during the Studio 60 excitement. And now I check out your post every day. I LOVE your travelogs. They're fun and informative. (I know for sure that I will never go to the Four Seasons in Maui during Christmas). I'm recently back from London and I can't believe how much it's like Boston or New York. For me, living in the Boston area, it's either six hours to LA or six hours to the UK. Over the past few years, I've noticed the US influence is stronger and stronger. Good or Bad.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you would comment on the Jericho fan campaign to save the show. As a veteran of the TV wars, I think you must have some great insight about this. Don't you think that the networks will pay closer attention to i-tunes and on-demand hits in the future?
Keep up the good work. I feel like I know you. Thanks for being on my computer every morning!
What a great day it was when I happened to find your blogspot. I let out a "Wow!" when I saw the name Lloyd Thaxton that probably woke up the guy next door in my NYC apartment building. I grew up with Thaxton, Engineer Bill, Sheriff John, watching George Putnam before he was morphed into Ted Baxter, early Bryant Gumble, hearing radio gods like Robert W. Morgan -- and all of this from a little home in the riot-torn area of South Central L.A. I was a kid during the Watts riots.
ReplyDeleteYour blog takes me home and makes sense. You write great war stories.
As someone for whom sitcoms and baseball are among my chief passions (and as a Nationals fan, sometimes you get to combine both!), always enjoy reading this blog. Congratulations on the milestone, and if you ever run into Peter Mehlman of "Seinfeld" fame, tell him Vincent from the Diamondback (the University of Maryland student newspaper, not the Arizona MLB team) wishes him well and that I enjoyed "...it's like, you know..." (he'd probably be pleased to know someone actually remembers it).
ReplyDeleteOh, and for people who love vintage Top 40 radio, a reminder -- not only will WABC run its annual "Rewound" on Memorial Day, celebrating its rocking heyday with vintage airchecks, apparently WLS in Chicago will honor its Top 40 heritage in similar manner. Enjoy!
Congratulations on hitting the magic 600 mark Ken. Hopefully, no reports of performance-enhancing drugs linked to achieving that level of posting success will ever surface (can you get Bud Selig to attend your 756th post when that finally happens?)
ReplyDeleteAlong with Mark Evanier's blog, your's is my favorite when it comes to various TV-related things. Plus you lasted in Syracuse longer than Aaron Sorkin did (due to performance-enhancing recreational drugs, I believe).
And I will be digitally recording WABC Rewound on Monday, even if they are a little top-heavy on the 1970s segments this year.
Hi Ken, Congrats! I found your blog about a year ago by googling "frasier scripts" I think. Anyway, I now jump here from the Artful Writer every week or two.
ReplyDeleteI'm a wannabe part-time screenwriter and I particularly enjoy the script extracts, the behind-the-scenes goings-on, and the general humour. I'm from South Africa so baseball and AI don't really concern me, but it's always rewarding paying your site a visit.
Martin
"George Putnam before he was morphed into Ted Baxter."
ReplyDeleteWhen was that? I've lived in Los Angeles for 57 years, and I don't remember a time BEFORE Putnam morphed into Ted Baxter. There have always been only two differences bewteen Putnam and Baxter: Ted was apolitical, while Putnam has always been to the right of Attila the Hun (I picture Dick Cheney saying, "Putnam? He's a little extreme, isn't he?"), and of course Ted is fictional.
Notice that both of those differences are in Ted Baxter's favor.
Hi, Ken. I'm a 57 year old grandmother in Cincinnati who found you via Waltott a few months back and I've been hooked ever since. You are a must read because you write so well and I'm very jealous. Frasier and MASH were two of my favorite shows and I enjoy the musings of the genius who contributed to their greatness. Also, it's such a pleasure to read good writing. In addition, I'm a broadcast brat - my father worked for Jim Hawthorne during his Crowell-Collier years (short stint at KFWB in Hollywood then KDWB in St. Paul) so I've been working your radio links as well. BTW - I've shared your comment from your Super Bowl entry about the media interviewing everyone, even the one Cincinnati Bengal who wasn't in jail, with all of my little football loving friends here in Cincinnati and they all cracked up. Thanks, and continued success.
ReplyDeleteKen,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Wayne, I'm from Scarborough, Maine (Wayne from Maine).
I stumbled upon your blog searching for "Beaver Cleaver" airchecks.A fellow "checker" steered me to this. I did not know you did any writing other than MASH, I've found out otherwise reading your blog. I have found it to be very funny and insightful, and somewhat addictive. And because of this have once again become a fan. I grew up in Portland, Maine in the mid to late 70s. I interned at WJBQ planning to become a jock. But for reasons out of my control I went on to other work. While working there I heard a tape of you doing a 1 nighter at WXLO (99X) and have been a fan from then on. Keep this up, I look forward to it everyday.
Wayne
P.S. please let us know when you will be doing another shift at KRTH!!!
Happy 600th! I confess that I can't remember how and when I found this blog -- probably through a link posted sometime on some thread at Salon's Table Talk forums. Whatever post I first read struck me positively enough that I subscribed through Bloglines and have been reading since. It's enjoyable, funny, and a lovely window into some of my favorite shows on TV. Thanks for writing it!
ReplyDeleteI forget exactly where I found a link to your site, but I know it was a link to one of your beatdowns of Studio 60. To which I was favorably predisposed, since I had been doing the same thing at my blog.
ReplyDeleteI only discovered your site a few months ago, but I was instantly hooked. I mean, in what I think is the most commented-on post at my blog ever, a rundown of my top ten sitcoms, I declared M*A*S*H and Cheers to be in a virtual tie at the top. So yeah, I was pretty interested in a blog from one of the writers behind both those shows.
I haven't left many comments here -- in fact, there's only one I recall. Maybe that's because I think of this as a "big-time" blog. I read a lot of blogs that are hugely popular, or written by industry insiders, or both, and comments left on those kinds of blogs are generally ignored. And since a lot of the fun of the "blogosphere" (if you will forgive me for using that nauseating term) is building a dialogue between yourself and interesting strangers who share, or differ with, your opinions in interesting ways -- what then is the point of commenting on a blog where you know you won't get a response?
In all fairness, you actually DID respond to what may have been my only comment (on your post on the two M*A*S*H episodes about unnecessarily removing an appendix). Honestly, I was immensely pleased that you responded -- but it still didn't convince me it would be worthwhile to leave further comments. He's too big-time to reply to comments, I thought.
Another rewarding reason for being a part of the (ugh) blogosphere is getting bloggers you enjoy to check out, and comment on, your own blog. Again, this is practically pointless with "big-time" blogs. And yes, I admit, that's a petty and selfish way of thinking. Welp, that's me, then, I guess.
So, I tell you: I really enjoy this blog, and I plan on visiting here frequently in the future, no matter what. But, selfishly, I also leave you yet another link to my blog (838 posts over nearly three years -- quite a bit off your pace, but I'm trying). And I say: it would be damn fine if you would look it over in a spare moment. I actually think you might enjoy it, especially the recent stuff about the Fall 2007 TV season.
And if you don't click, or don't comment, or just plain don't like it, well -- I'll still read your site and enjoy it, because that's just the way it works with big-time blogs.
Congratulations, I think. Can't wait to see your next show, of course, and I hate to think this chatter distracts you from that, but I'm just being selfish.
ReplyDeleteHeard about you from John August's blog, probably. Stayed a reader because of your take on current shows, pilots, movies - always entertaining. And as a striving screen- and tv writer, I love hearing your stories of the business of writing Out There. The travelogues and your fascination with reality competition shows? Everybody has a couple dirty secrets and a blog really is the perfect place to fly that flag.
Congratulations, I think. Can't wait to see your next show, of course, and I hate to think this chatter distracts you from that, but I'm just being selfish.
ReplyDeleteHeard about you from John August's blog, probably. Stayed a reader because of your take on current shows, pilots, movies - always entertaining. And as a striving screen- and tv writer, I love hearing your stories of the business of writing Out There. The travelogues and your fascination with reality competition shows? Everybody has a couple dirty secrets and a blog really is the perfect place to fly that flag.
Hey Ken,
ReplyDeleteI'm from this teeny tine country in South East Asia called Indonesia, hence call me Babz ;)
Stumbled across your blog 'cause it was mentioned in this blog:
http://www.dionnegalace.com/wordpress/?c=books
And boy I'm glad I did. I did stumble because of your American Idol reviews *ducks under table* but I'm lovin' everything else.
Stay cool.
Love& Faith
Babz
Babz,
ReplyDeleteAer you telling us that someone in Indonesia, where American Idol isn't even broadcast, isn't hanging on every single word written here about American Idol? You stretch my credulity! How else will you keep current on The Sanjaya Wars?
Next you'll be trying to make us think your whole does not revolve around reports of every minute escapade in the lives of Paris Hilton and Britany Spears!
Catch up woman!
That should be "Your whole life does not" rather than "Your whole does not"
ReplyDeleteSorry for the inadvertant single entendre.
I'm a TV comedy writer/ performer in London, and I found your link on the Writers' Guild Of Great Britain's website... you're a hero here, not to mention our favourite work displacement activity. We regard you as the Voice of Sanity (oh dear oh dear.) The way we do series is often miles apart. We do have team written shows now, but many comedies are still often written, six or so eps at a time, by their creator(s) which gives a very personal vision; ie: Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Anytime you come to London, let the WGGB welcome you and we'll put on a special event for you. I'll also see what the Queen can do about a title.
ReplyDeleteWow seymour,
ReplyDeleteif you think American Idol isn't broadcast in Indonesia, then you don't know squat about Indonesia do you? Thank you for the impication that Indonesians don't have lives. What's your problem?
I missed commenting on this the other day: Congratulations on your 600th! Way to procrastinate, dude! Seriously, thanks for your generosity and humor! And I haven't been to L.A. for a few years, but if you'll post your address, I'll drop in with a six-pack sometime…
ReplyDeleteHey Ken-
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the blog. Came in via Alan Sepinwall's blog when he linked to your Sorkin directing a baseball game parody. That was dead on!
Then, I realized who you were. I grew up in Baltimore and remember your season announcing the Orioles. Good stuff. I got your book at a used book sale a few years back, but have yet to crack it open. Enjoying your blog in the meantime!
Hey Ken, long time no talk. Still, I've been around, reading and all that. You found ME -- emailing various blogs when you started up. So, I've been around awhile. ;-)
ReplyDeleteKen,
ReplyDeleteYour blog is one that I really look forward to reading each day. I found it thru Raymond Chen's blog.
It took me a couple days to answer mostly because I couldn't remember how I found your site : a long time ago I saved it in my bookmarks.
ReplyDeleteI like American Idol and have seen every single episode over the past 6 years, so I enjoy those posts.
I cannot say the same for baseball (I'm a football freak), but I read them, also, because you are so funny, you can make even baseball enjoyable.
I like the 24 and Lost posts. I don't watch 24 as much as my husband does, and I've only seen the first year of Lost but that's enough to get the jokes.
I like your previews of up-coming shows or movies.
And I especially like the posts about your job and the industry.
But I don't like the cursing, though. F*ck doesn't bother me, but gd does. I jump over those words while I read, and sometimes there's just too much.
Except for that one thing, you've got an excellent blog that I look forward to reading.
I'm from the Chicago suburbs. I found you on the Firedoglake.com blogroll.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the thoroughly entertaining posts.
Hi Ken,
ReplyDeleteI think I found your blog through M.Ryan's blog on Chicago Tribune. I've been reading it for about 4 or 5 months now. I do watch AI, and I love your posts about television - it's nice to read about it from a writer's perspective. I live in Chicago, and am about to move to Evanston - so I especially loved your log about that trip, and I thought your daughter's comments on Whole Foods were 1) hilarious and 2) right on the money. :-) You guys are great!