I’ve been fortunate in many areas, but most of all I’ve been blessed with great kids. Last night was a real thrill, watching a show that my daughter co-wrote and I directed. It’s great when you can still do activities with your children. (My thanks as well to the terrific cast and crew of INSTANT MOM – I’d be happy to be related to them too.)
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to collaborate professionally with my son, Matt. He’s an engineer at Apple. He knew more about computers at nine than I’ll ever know. And even though he’s not in television per se, he still won an Emmy. He was part of the team that built Apple TV. For that they were awarded the same statue that Jackee received for Best Actress in a Comedy.
In any event, I couldn’t be more proud of either of them. Please excuse that today’s post is just a father kvelling. I’ll get back to dispensing nonsense tomorrow.
23 comments :
Now all you need is for Annie to win an Emmy for comedy writing...
Good Job Ken. Wish I could say the same.....
No offense, Ken, but nobody likes those original TV Land sitcoms. Nobody. The viewing public has spoken up loud and clear about that, and have been ever since they first came out with HOT IN CLEVELAND (even though, for some strange reason, the same people who bashed the show when it came out were the same people who cried with TV Land canceled it) - just looking at their Facebook page, almost all of the comments from other people are complaints about their original shows and requests for more of the classics that TV Land was created to preserve in the first place.
Interestingly enough, TBS seems to be competing with TV Land now in terms of late-night, raunchy, has-been vehicle, original sitcoms that nobody likes lately: granted, TBS has been creating their own original sitcoms for a lot longer than TV Land, but they've always been few and far between . . . until now, as it seems like they've stooped to TV Land's level by cranking out sausage factory sitcoms starring has-beens as the leads (remember, we were all just recently discussion their new show that stars Richard Dreyfus of all people)!
And the thing of it is, TV Land (not sure about TBS) is fully aware that the viewing public hates their sitcoms, but TV Land has flat-out said that don't get a rat's ass about people not liking them because they're making more money off their own show than they ever were just playing reruns of classic shows. I guess this is what TBS is going for too: more money, since I guess their near-perpetual reruns of THE BIG BANG THEORY isn't enough for them.
Joseph, are you complaining about all of TV Land's original series, or merely the multi-camera sitcoms? The channel seems to be moving in the direction of single-camera shows (e.g. "Younger"), and they look to be as lackluster as most of its multi-cams (aside from "Hot In Cleveland," which had plenty of old pros on hand, not just Betty White, and hung around long enough to get some sort of syndication deal). Simply trying to figure out just what you want.
Speak for yourself, Joseph. I like TV Land sitcoms.
And I can't quite tell if your Jackee reference was a compliment or a dig.
Yay!!!!
Well -- Ken, Father's Day is coming up.... you have to remind the kids somehow! But, I agree with Jerry -- you should crow about your kids. Somehow, in this world of crazy and hatefulness, you and your wife managed to raise two kids who, well -- aren't.
When my mom died 5 years ago, I had people "warning" me about the sibling onslaught to come. They went out of their way to gleefully expound on the woe their siblings dealt out over very little money...
Glad to say, not only did that NOT happen, I just went back home and had one of the best times with my sisters for a week. Laughter and love -- can't be beat.
Congratulations Ken. As a father of two young adult children who are just starting their careers, I completely understand the feeling you are having. It is great when our kids do us proud, even better when we can participate.
As for Joseph Scarbrough, sir you are clearly not a parent. Or if you are, not a good parent. When you mature you'll understand you don't always have to share whatever dumb ass thought passes through your limited brain cells.
Congratulations Ken and, if this is a saying, well kvelled.
Congrats, Ken. I caught a few episodes of INSTANT MOM. Not only where Annie and Jon's episodes funny, but the show itself was good, too! It moves at such a frantic pace, and has so many characters to serve, it strikes me as being very difficult to write for... but the staff there are pulling it off. A surprisingly entertaining show!
Why the hell would you post this?? Just because you CAN because of "free speech" doesn't mean you SHOULD because of common courtesy and decency.
So Annie's episode is your proudest moment directing?
I guess your two children Matt and Annie are your proudest moments producing.
Anyway, blessings on you all!
Congrats Ken to you and your colleague Ms Levine. I DVDrd it and look forward to watching it this weekend with my own kids.
Cut him some slack. Joseph woke up on the wrong side of decorum today.
Proud dads are allowed to Kvell, especially when their kids' accomplishments are kvell-worthy, as here. Congratulations all around.
Friday question, Ken. Big Bang and Modern Family seem to be the top sitcoms in syndication these days. I like them both but for different reasons.
Big Bang - I like the characters and the actors are first rate, but the jokes are predictable and the stories inconsequential, often just petering out when 20 minutes is up without real resolution. I think it's popular for the same reason as Chuck's Two and a Half Men was before it continued several years past its 'best by' date - it is a 7:00 pm sitcom Margarita.
Modern Family - Again, great characters and actors, but the writing is so clever and intricate. Often they juggle the three families stories in such a way that you can't conceive how they will come together. They do intertwine in the end and do so in a way that delights, leaves you admiring the writers and wondering how they pull it off week after week.
So Ken, which do you prefer in the hour leading up to prime time and what do you think the lifetime batting average is when clever bats against fluff?
This 2014 Deadline article about Instant Mom took me 10 seconds to find via Google:
"Season 1 posted double-digit year-to-year growth and drew 1.2 million total viewers. Additionally, the series launch of Instant Mom on the adult-targeted NickMom nighttime comedy block on the Nick Jr. channel was the block’s highest-rated premiere ever with women 18-49 and total viewers."
By way of comparison, a first-run episode of "Game of Thrones"--the most talked-about show in the country, shown on a much more widely available and marketed cable network--gets about 5 million total viewers.
Sure sounds like somebody likes the show.
Please excuse that today’s post is just a father kvelling.
No. It was one of your best posts ever.
Please excuse that today’s post is just a father kvelling.
OK, you're excused.
And congratulations, too. Wonderful, just wonderful.
For all those Huffington Post articles in which the writer laments, "why aren't there more black writers writing for black people in sit-coms?" I shall point them this way, after explaining what "kvelling" means, following up with "cognitive dissonance."
Some might refer to this as another liberal example of "rules for thee, but not for me," or "the truth bums people out," or "but I WANT it! I just... WANT it!"
-Fred Sanford Jr.
Congrats, Ken. That's great stuff.
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