tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post5167730593879945183..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Friday QuestionsBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-83068913378649605172012-12-07T12:21:49.603-08:002012-12-07T12:21:49.603-08:00All in the Family deserved better from CBS, they j...All in the Family deserved better from CBS, they just let it peter out with a tepid episode about Edith working so hard to put on a St. Patrick's Day party she made herself ill. They really deserved a good finale. (Nobody loves that show more than I, but with hindsight, they should have pulled it on the last shot after Mike & Gloria left. They go out the door, Archie sobs, Edith doesn't want him to know she saw him so loudly announces she's coming in with a beer, does so, and Archie says, 'All right, Edith, leave it there.' Now THAT would have been a way to go out faithfully.)mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-9979893016473011562012-12-07T11:11:52.131-08:002012-12-07T11:11:52.131-08:00I knew it was a long shot, but I figured it couldn...I knew it was a long shot, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask.<br /><br />I actually already gave him your compilation for another gift-giving occasion, but I gave him the Kindle version. Though since I haven't heard any rave reviews on that one, I can only assume he hasn't figured out his Kindle yet. Maybe I'll get him the hard copy. And I'll settle for a good-condition copy of your first book. Gotta round out the trio!<br /><br />Thanks again!Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00014801366189335712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-579825325405326102012-12-06T19:21:41.641-08:002012-12-06T19:21:41.641-08:00Armstrong,
Thanks so much. Please tell your frie...Armstrong,<br /><br />Thanks so much. Please tell your friends and have them buy copies for their parents. <br /><br />I don't know if there are new copies of IT'S GONE... NO WAIT A MINUTE. It's a 20 year old book.<br /><br />But you can order new copies of my compilation of travelogues. I'm sure your dad would enjoy those too. It's called WHERE THE HELL AM I? TRIPS I HAVE SURVIVED and you can get the paperback version here.<br /><br />http://www.amazon.com/Where-Hell-Am-Trips-Survived/dp/1460979230/ref=la_B001KDZ1PU_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1354850434&sr=1-2<br /><br />Thanks so much.<br /><br />Ken<br />By Ken Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-84537687066818133152012-12-06T11:24:21.041-08:002012-12-06T11:24:21.041-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00014801366189335712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-68283506353858858162012-12-06T11:23:41.163-08:002012-12-06T11:23:41.163-08:00Not really a typical Friday question, but not sure...Not really a typical Friday question, but not sure where else to ask, so here I go...<br /><br />I bought your book (The Me Generation...by Me) for my dad for...I can't remember, but it was either father's day or his birthday (they're within a month of each other so it's really a wash anyway). He grew up in the '60s, and loves baseball, television, and, well, the '60s. <br /><br />He LOVED it. I mean, I was blown away by how much he liked it. I'm pretty sure if I ever give him a grandchild, his reaction to this book will still be the best response to a gift ever. <br /><br />So I think he'd really enjoy your book "It's Gone...No, Wait a Minute." Is there anywhere in existence where I can still pick up a NEW copy? Or should I just settle for the Used In Good Condition types on Amazon?<br /><br />Been following your blog for awhile and really enjoy reading. Also grateful for the LA restaurant reviews (because they're typically for normal people with normal people budgets).Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00014801366189335712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-80470997160806465372012-12-04T16:11:47.190-08:002012-12-04T16:11:47.190-08:00It's been awhile since I've watched the Re...It's been awhile since I've watched the Rebecca years in full (by "awhile" I mean like two months, which actually is awhile for me because I watch Cheers compulsively!) -- but I never really thought that Sam got dumber as the show went on. He definitely became more pathetic as he came to terms with his aging, and maybe more of a caricature... But the thing I liked about Sam's character is that he always WAS kind of a caricature, or at least wanted to exist as one. Diane was the same, and I saw their whole relationship as a kind of violent dismantling of the personas they concocted to mask their insecurities (Sam as a Lothario figure, Diane as an intellectual). That's also why I really liked them together and think that despite all their bullshit, they really were a good match: they couldn't lie to themselves as easily when they were together. But anyway -- I thought it made sense that as Sam aged and progressively realized how unsatisfied he was with his life, he would cling more to that caricature version of himself. Maybe this is reading too much into it, but that's how I like to interpret the shifts in his character. If he did get dumber, it definitely wasn't in an over-the-top way like Joey on Friends, where he went from being lovably dumb to borderline incompetent. <br /><br />I also have a question for you, Ken. I'm curious about the names of sitcom characters -- how they're chosen and how much thought goes into it. Do writers ever pay attention to name origins/meanings, or just go with something that sounds good and fits with the character's backstory/heritage?Sarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18292380491615330283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10238431298698667922012-12-04T10:55:20.145-08:002012-12-04T10:55:20.145-08:00Ken -
You've mentioned the time "Cheers&...Ken -<br /><br />You've mentioned the time "Cheers" tried shooting on tape and the results were disastrous.<br /><br />I've just read an interview with "M*A*S*H" producer Gene Reynolds that seems to have taken place around Year 5 of the show, and he mentions that they were just about to try shooting it on VT.<br /><br />Do you know, did this experiment take place and if so, did you see the results?<br /><br />Thanks.Denehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01131240310718954037noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-62365423378776738892012-12-03T17:32:02.170-08:002012-12-03T17:32:02.170-08:00My three favorite last episodes:
"M*A*S*H&q...My three favorite last episodes: <br /><br />"M*A*S*H" -- felt like I was saying goodbye to members of my own family. <br /><br />"The Fugitive" -- "The day the running stopped." <br /><br /><br />"Newhart" -- Didn't see the end joke coming...thought it was brilliant. <br /><br />Bubbling under: <br /><br />"Mary Tyler Moore" -- "Ted, you're staying." Jake Mabehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01908036270824377919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-80130435642643337932012-12-03T10:53:36.416-08:002012-12-03T10:53:36.416-08:001. I recently saw that Office cast member Jenna Fi...1. I recently saw that Office cast member Jenna Fischer was listed as producer of the last episode in opening credits but I don't believe she usually has that credit. I also heard Alonso Ribiero from Fresh Prince of Bel Air mention in an interview that he got behind-the-camera experience by producing a couple of the show's episodes.<br /><br />You said that with the exception of the showrunner, a producer is essentially someone who has veto power and interferes with the creative process. Does this mean that for selected episodes in those show's runs, Jenna Fischer and Alonso Ribiero are just given the opportunity to go into the writer's room and nag the writing staff? Isn't that awkward?<br /><br />2. Among producers and the people who greenlight shows, is there a lot of open talk about race? It appears that some shows are clearly designed to appeal to an African-American audience and some shows with primarily white casts might use a token black character to get that crossover demographic. The average viewer is aware of this, but how much discussion is there about it on set and is this openly discussed with African-American actors guesting on a show or being on a cast?<br /><br />sophomorecritichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14320637485303592977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-27159108887314784122012-12-01T18:34:44.082-08:002012-12-01T18:34:44.082-08:00I don't know how good Bev Gannon's restaur...I don't know how good Bev Gannon's <a href="http://www.gannonsrestaurant.com/" rel="nofollow">restaurant</a> in Wailea is these days, but she was one of the group of ten or twelve Hawaiian fusion chefs who put that cuisine on the map back a decade or so ago.Linkmeisterhttp://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-79216360197560994282012-12-01T13:36:41.660-08:002012-12-01T13:36:41.660-08:00no better way to listen to a baseball game than un...no better way to listen to a baseball game than under you pillow. <br />On AM I could listen to at least half the baseball teams east of the Missippi including St.Louis. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42232271569647543572012-12-01T13:09:32.331-08:002012-12-01T13:09:32.331-08:00Da kitchen in Kehei.Da kitchen in Kehei.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16928349750047902651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-85594411310350352552012-12-01T12:09:14.897-08:002012-12-01T12:09:14.897-08:00Though uneven, I thought the final MASH was OK, an...Though uneven, I thought the final MASH was OK, and I say this as one who's often criticized the last three seasons for not being funny enough. I guess I just remember what little comedy there was in the finale as being pretty edgy and not simply "relief", as was too often the case the last few years. I know some dislike how the Charles storyline ended (the death of the Korean musicians) but it just showed you how comedy can turn to tragedy at the turn of a dime.<br /><br />It also helped to have stuck with the series for the whole run. For me, the funniest, and maybe the most touching, moment in the series finale was Hawkeye's and Margaret's long kiss, as Potter, BJ, and Charles awkardly look on (or pretend not to look)Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-36106866951481220662012-12-01T10:07:50.167-08:002012-12-01T10:07:50.167-08:00Re Jennifer Aniston: She has her own production co...Re Jennifer Aniston: She has her own production company. There's nothing to prevent her from developing projects in which she can play whatever kind of character she likes. The fact that she <i>chooses</i> to play "leading man's girl friend" and Type-A bitches over and over again as an actor-for-hire speaks volumes.cadavranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-71560287790936041282012-12-01T09:39:29.009-08:002012-12-01T09:39:29.009-08:00No one remembers the short-lived James Garner vehi...No one remembers the short-lived James Garner vehicle NICHOLS, but it had a remarkable final episode, that managed to simultaneously bring the series to a definite end AND suggest two distinct ways of continuing it.<br /><br />Garner played Nichols, the pacifistic, motorcycle-riding sheriff of a small Western town (also named Nichols) circa 1914. In the opening minutes of the last episode, he is killed by a drunken hoodlum. The funeral brings in his heretofore-never-mentioned twin brother, a more combative sort. Everyone expects him to assume the job of sheriff, but he keeps insisting that he does not want it--but he does eventually bring his brother's murderer to justice. At the end, he gets on his brother's motorcycle and rides out of town. The final shot is of a sign reading "You are now leaving Nichols."<br /><br />So: an unambiguous conclusion, that says goodbye both to Nichols the man and the town. However, if NBC had changed its mind about cancelling the show, there would have been at least two ways of bringing it back--the twin decides to return to town and take the sheriff's job after all, or he keeps on riding and the series focuses on his travels. <br /><br />It was an interesting series, but I am not really sorry that it was cancelled, as it left Garner free to do THE ROCKFORD FILES.1251 Thepurponoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-8341875217811966582012-12-01T09:35:24.659-08:002012-12-01T09:35:24.659-08:00The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Newhart, St. Elsewhere ...The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Newhart, St. Elsewhere -- no company put together better TV series finales than MTM Enterprises.AndrewJnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-79973792081789278492012-12-01T06:28:34.224-08:002012-12-01T06:28:34.224-08:00It seemed to us that, in the last few seasons of E...It seemed to us that, in the last few seasons of Everybody Loves Raymond, that Ray became "dumber" and more annoying as Debra became snarkier and more annoying, where the show had really been resonant at first.<br /><br />On Will and Grace, perhaps the popularity of Jack and Karen had something to do with the way Will and Grace often became shallow and self-centered, at least as compared to how the seemed in the first two years.<br /><br />When my kids were little, it was touching when they waved goodbye to Steve on "Blue's Clues" as he went off to college. Maybe it was also touching because it was another moment in which our kids were growing up.<br /><br />When I was a kid, the episode in which Emma Peel was replaced by Tara (boom-de-ay) King on "The Avengers" was a bit of a finale. When Mrs. Peel met Ms. King on the steps, one leaving and one arriving, Mrs. Peel advised that "Steed likes his tea stirred anti-clockwise."Greg Ehrbarhttp://www.mousetracksonline.com/blog.phpnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-53879411910427569702012-12-01T05:09:53.722-08:002012-12-01T05:09:53.722-08:00I have to get one hundred percent behind DwWashbur...I have to get one hundred percent behind DwWashburn's opinion. I've lost count of the number of series I've stopped watching (Friends and The Office come immediately to mind) because the characters become caricatures of themselves. I don't know that I'd call it laziness on the part of writers. It's more about greed on the part of the network, I think; the desire to keep the show going long after anyone on it has anything to say, until every possible dime has been squeezed out of it. I often wonder if the writers of these shows realize that they have become unwatchable, or do they just ignore the opinions and keep grinding away until the plug is pulled?RCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-15835935058951731002012-12-01T05:02:21.520-08:002012-12-01T05:02:21.520-08:00I always thought the way Barney Miller did it was ...I always thought the way Barney Miller did it was great: a three show arc about the closing of the precinct - this way you still had the needed constraints of half hour shows, while still wrapping things up. <br /><br />Speaking of Barney: You once mentioned that you and David were offered the show runner job, but turned it down - mostly to preserve your relative sanity. Have you ever thought about you might have done with the show? I believe this was just after Sheehan and Weege had left, no? Just curiousLouOCNYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16151395857835632917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-66843249532751437102012-12-01T01:25:00.484-08:002012-12-01T01:25:00.484-08:00On the subject of characters "getting dumber&...On the subject of characters "getting dumber" as the series progresses, I believe that this is true of almost all sitcoms if you subsitute the word "dumber" for "caricatured". <br /><br />We've seen it in the Simpsons where the main characters haven't had depth since the ninth season (Homer dumb as a rock and compulsive eater, Lisa a nerd, etc), Will and Grace after season 4 (Jack became flaming, Karen completely self absorbed), Friends (Joey was made so stupid it's a wonder his brain could produce enough power to move his legs) and countless other sitcoms.<br /><br />I think that this is just a product of the writers getting lazy and the networks saying "It a little is good then a lot is better".<br /><br />In the case of all three sitcoms above, I stopped watching them long before they left the airwaves because the one dimensional caricatures of the characters made the plots predictable and the shows unwatchable.DwWashburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03057278992504418291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-31025183673371133522012-11-30T23:07:57.593-08:002012-11-30T23:07:57.593-08:00By the way, unless time clouds my judgement, Frazi...By the way, unless time clouds my judgement, Frazier had a good closing show. So did Friends. <br />Unfortunately, Seinfeld, about the same time had a bummer of a close.Mike Barerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14447874605833321732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-53053422536669822662012-11-30T23:04:07.113-08:002012-11-30T23:04:07.113-08:00Gilligan's Island never did a final show durin...Gilligan's Island never did a final show during it's season and I think that it worked for the best.<br />I know that they did a special where the castaways got rescued, but who watched it?Mike Barerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14447874605833321732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-67089897837686136742012-11-30T22:29:15.805-08:002012-11-30T22:29:15.805-08:00One of the best lines ever on "30 Rock" ...One of the best lines ever on "30 Rock" is Alan Alda's "A grown man crying about babies and chickens? I thought this was a comedy show."Scott Y.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10731529261953401362012-11-30T21:55:54.002-08:002012-11-30T21:55:54.002-08:00You've missed it this trip, but next time, you...You've missed it this trip, but next time, you GOTTA make it over for lunch at the Class Act restaurant at the Maui Culinary Academy in the Maui College. Beautiful room, rocking food, inexpensive, BYO -- the BEST (and most under rated) dining experience on Maui.<br /><br />http://mauiculinary-campusdining.com/dining/classact.htmlRyderDAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00980791636129598607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42597315424110559602012-11-30T21:29:48.948-08:002012-11-30T21:29:48.948-08:00Remembering the bizarre finale for "Dinosaurs...Remembering the bizarre finale for "Dinosaurs". The very broad message / joke was always front and center: Dinos are now extinct because they were just like us, especially vis a vis the environment. <br /><br />In the final episode, self-inflicted ecological disasters result in something like nuclear winter, and we leave our lovable dino family quietly waiting to die. Close on exterior of dino house, with snow falling and no music.<br /><br />This on a sitcom marketed with toys, comic books, and costume characters at Disney World.DBensonnoreply@blogger.com