tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post1356416801390316174..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Friday QuestionsBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-87389444472032819412019-05-08T07:21:56.586-07:002019-05-08T07:21:56.586-07:00Hi Ken, would love to hear your thoughts on this ...Hi Ken, would love to hear your thoughts on this Vulture article about breaking into writing for TV. https://www.vulture.com/2019/05/tv-showrunners-advice-staffing-schur-khan-flahive-mensch.htmlBethnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-62116691163212856192019-05-06T15:55:22.443-07:002019-05-06T15:55:22.443-07:00To Tony V "Cheers’ Sam Malone Tested for AIDS...To Tony V "Cheers’ Sam Malone Tested for AIDS: In a proposed finale, Ted Dan-son’s sexual overachiever was going to find out that one of his girlfriends had tested positive for AIDS—leading him to question his sexual habits while awaiting the results of his AIDS test. Instead this season will end with the previously filmed conclusion of the romance between Kirstie Alley and Tom Skerritt." from https://people.com/archive/a-strike-may-turn-tv-into-a-vast-rerun-wasteland-vol-29-no-15/<br /><br />Ken, Josh Ritter's song Folk Bloodbath is a hoot. It pits Delia, Stagger Lee, and a couple other murder ballad protagonists against each other. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6s0ejQElUgGeoffnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-27818346165538379432019-05-06T09:32:58.239-07:002019-05-06T09:32:58.239-07:001. I believe the passenger in the cab at the end o...1. I believe the passenger in the cab at the end of "Airplane!" was none other than Howard Jarvis of Prop 13 infamy.<br /><br />2. Tom Jones recently performed at Stagecoach, the "country Coachella" at Indio. Says something about his wide stylistic terrain. (At the start of his career, many stations which played "It's Not Unusual" believed he was black.) VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-52557974989123914672019-05-06T08:21:45.156-07:002019-05-06T08:21:45.156-07:00Hi Ken,
I recently heard on a podcast that Cheers...Hi Ken,<br /><br />I recently heard on a podcast that Cheers had an episode in which Sam Malone waits for the results of an Aids test. The podcast claims it reached the stage were it was almost filmed and then was aborted. Is this real and if so, do you know the details of why it was even considered, how the writers tried to find humor in this situation, and who made the decision to kill it?TonyVnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-12328438169639333162019-05-05T22:45:44.048-07:002019-05-05T22:45:44.048-07:00Appreciate the gaff definition. Sometimes the OED ...Appreciate the gaff definition. Sometimes the OED isn't enough. I think "Best Boy" was a nautical term, but how it wound up as an official designation is still beyond me. All I could do was explain was what it means in movie credits. E. Yarbernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10711676383491811612019-05-05T17:18:37.433-07:002019-05-05T17:18:37.433-07:00@E. Yarber: When a minor adjustment needed to be m...@E. Yarber: When a minor adjustment needed to be made to a light hung from the ceiling grid, it would take time to set up a ladder, have a technician climb it, make the move, and then descend and stow the ladder. Sometimes to save time, they would instead use a long pole with a hook on the end that could grab on to the edge of the light and move it from the ground. It was based on a fishing tool called a "gaff hook." Hence, the person using the gaff hook was called a gaffer.Andy Rosenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-21281177268333278532019-05-04T10:52:16.402-07:002019-05-04T10:52:16.402-07:00A "Gaffer" is in charge of the lighting....A "Gaffer" is in charge of the lighting. His or her assistant is a "Best Boy" or "Best Girl" and oversees what the rest of their crew is doing while the Gaffer concentrates on the technical aspect of the job. I guess these terms are derived from some joke on the set that has long since been lost to time, like the idea that "MOS" silent shooting got its name from a German director asking to film "Mit Odt Sound."E. Yarbernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-37832004862186137952019-05-04T09:25:35.433-07:002019-05-04T09:25:35.433-07:00Speaking of credits, When I went to the one of the...Speaking of credits, When I went to the one of the first screenings of Rocky IV, the audience cheered and nearly gave a standing ovation when the word " Vancouver" flashed on the screen during the credit crawl. Now, it doesnt even register on our brains.Albert Giesbrechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17742338183833125104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-8229213890342767482019-05-04T08:49:28.739-07:002019-05-04T08:49:28.739-07:00To "Anonymous" above:
"Delilah&quo...To "Anonymous" above:<br /><br />"Delilah" was written by Les Reed and Barry Mason, not Cole Porter. The murder ballad Porter wrote is "Miss Otis Regrets," about a woman who murders her unfaithful lover and later is lynched by an angry mob. The song is sung by her butler (Miss Otis is a society lady), explaining why Miss Otis is unable to keep a luncheon appointment. ("And the moment before she died, she lifted up her lovely head and cried, Madame, 'Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today.'"Thomasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-84288468528461113122019-05-04T08:47:00.473-07:002019-05-04T08:47:00.473-07:00I just followed along on your Cheers commentary. ...I just followed along on your Cheers commentary. From watching Cheers, I get the sense that Ted Danson was/is the type of lead actor who isn’t bothered at all by other actors getting most of the attention in an episode. In fact, when other characters have problems and come to Sam for help, it served as a way to give the the character more depth instead of him just being the dumb jock. Are these perceptions correct? Jerrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-20200687346070830822019-05-04T08:23:21.144-07:002019-05-04T08:23:21.144-07:00For Loosehead:
Your mention of The List Of Adrian...For Loosehead:<br /><br />Your mention of <i>The List Of Adrian Messenger</i> got me to thinking.<br />Actually, the "whole cast" did get a shout-out of sorts in the opening credits.<br />Of course, it was revealed in more recent times that that "whole cast" was at least a semi-hoax - and that's <i>another</i> story …<br />(Details -with spoilers - on request.)Mike Doranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14427528138598549103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-85876024333885131522019-05-04T05:56:19.640-07:002019-05-04T05:56:19.640-07:00The Delilah song confused me when I was nine. Tom...The Delilah song confused me when I was nine. Tom Jones' odd pronunciation of the word 'hand' sounded like he was singing "I felt the knife in my head..." I thought Delilah had stabbed him in the head and they were coming to break down the door to take her away.<br /><br />When I listen to the song now, it sounds more like 'knife in my hen,' as though Tom had taken along his pet chicken.Kosmo13noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-74852758841464196962019-05-04T05:52:09.656-07:002019-05-04T05:52:09.656-07:00Friday question: There are so many shows on air th...Friday question: There are so many shows on air that have very low ratings but don’t get canceled. Just look at the comedy lineup on ABC. Even night time talk shows get low ratings. At what point does it make sense to pull these shows ?Jen from Jerseynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3340508613989256232019-05-04T00:23:29.706-07:002019-05-04T00:23:29.706-07:00Another song that MAY be about murder, though obli...Another song that MAY be about murder, though obliquely....."Timothy" by The Bouys. Written by Rupert Holmes, the man who gave us a catchy song about cheating, "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)".YEKIMIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01921751875397071034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-78887402795640829342019-05-03T22:51:32.355-07:002019-05-03T22:51:32.355-07:00Oh, and one of the recent Marvel movies, either In...Oh, and one of the recent Marvel movies, either Infinity War or Black Panther, slipped in "Disney Studio Receptionist" to the list of creative talents responsible for the movie. Too much?Looseheadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-54191375497509806962019-05-03T22:48:10.338-07:002019-05-03T22:48:10.338-07:00Regarding opening vs closing credits, how would yo...Regarding opening vs closing credits, how would you put the full cast of "The List of Adrian Messenger" at the beginning of the film?Looseheadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3648526764601622462019-05-03T22:11:20.492-07:002019-05-03T22:11:20.492-07:00@Stephen Marks (the third response to your post, i...@Stephen Marks (the third response to your post, indeed): Ken actually answers the question in his recent podcast containing a Cheers episode comedy, at least in respect of making comments on certain of Kirstie Allie's assets. Worth a listen.Breadbakernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64852188975291352412019-05-03T21:07:17.195-07:002019-05-03T21:07:17.195-07:00The Zuker Brothers movies always had the funniest ...The Zuker Brothers movies always had the funniest entries during their closing credits. But I think my favorite is from a Jerry Seinfeld HBO special from the 1980s. The credits was: Personal Assistant to Mr. Seinfeld: (Yeah, right!)Astroboynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-15775756595029041252019-05-03T21:03:36.920-07:002019-05-03T21:03:36.920-07:00Worth noting that Delilah was written by Cole Port...Worth noting that Delilah was written by Cole Porter. The Platters did it much earlier.<br /><br />Murder songs aren't some recent trend. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-15146876695178598012019-05-03T18:46:25.729-07:002019-05-03T18:46:25.729-07:00One of the worst movies of all time, yet worth see...One of the worst movies of all time, yet worth seeing just once for the "what were they thinking of it," is SKIDOO. The best part is when Harry Nilsson sings every word of the end credits. Few movies (especially this one) were so clever.<br /><br />That's "comedy mastermind" Otto Preminger you'll hear stopping the action (he already stopped the comedy).<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4IMX26xF9QGreg Ehrbarhttp://www.gregovision.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45749936912724696652019-05-03T18:25:01.900-07:002019-05-03T18:25:01.900-07:00Let's try this again. Dark Lady by Cher has a...Let's try this again. Dark Lady by Cher has almost the same theme (subject) as the Tom Jones standard, Delilah.Mike Barerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14447874605833321732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-82282812298346903552019-05-03T18:06:41.091-07:002019-05-03T18:06:41.091-07:00I'm a big fan of the New Orleans Jazz and Heri...I'm a big fan of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, which is celebrating a 50th anniversary this year. One of the surprises this year (besides the various geezer rockers who had to cancel due to health reasons) was the scheduling of Tom Jones at one of the closing stages in yesterday's line-up. Could the 78 year-old voice hold up? Would he turn the crowd off with a Vegas-style greatest hits show? A hearty Yes to the first, and no to the second. He didn't touch Vegas,but yes, he performed Delilah:<br /><br />https://www.nola.com/entertainment/2019/05/who-wouldnt-throw-underwear-at-to<br /><br />https://www.jazzfestforum.com/forum/main-category/jazz-fest-forum/839142-second-thursday-reviews<br /><br />And if you go to the 2nd page in that forum you'll see a pretty funny t-shirt referencing the Stones cancellation.DrBOPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07179469265158025584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-71817650373032951222019-05-03T17:59:40.628-07:002019-05-03T17:59:40.628-07:00Natalie Schafer, who played Mrs. Howell on GILLIGA...Natalie Schafer, who played Mrs. Howell on GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, later recalled that at one point early on, morale was pretty low on the set, based on almost uniformly bad reviews. She said what turned her attitude around was when fan mail started pouring in, much of it from children, who just loved the show. She said she couldn't not enjoy doing a show that was bringing so much pleasure to so many kids.Dannynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-12356578104090489562019-05-03T14:57:53.776-07:002019-05-03T14:57:53.776-07:00Have you been watching Brockmire at all? It's ...Have you been watching Brockmire at all? It's insane to think one of the wittiest, acerbic, and yet thoughtfully dark comedies on the air is about the life of a baseball announcer of all people. You yourself worked with Azaria on the Simpsons. How are you not writing for this show yet?Poochienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-77910084004054925122019-05-03T14:55:15.764-07:002019-05-03T14:55:15.764-07:00Hi zapatty, who is located about 4 slots below me,...Hi zapatty, who is located about 4 slots below me, thank you for the info re: "Losta Luck", I had no idea there was an attempt at an American remake of "On The Buses", I will check it out, thanks again.Stephen Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15382570443203706976noreply@blogger.com