Thursday, May 03, 2007

Thanks for the memories

For you non-AMERICAN IDOL fans, here is what I was going to post today before being so moved by last night’s results show that I fast forwarded through.

Some quick miscellaneous blurbs….

This is the worst headline I’ve seen recently, after the Angels beat Kansas City on Monday night –

Royals To Get A Taste Of Angels' Colon

If you’re writing a 30 ROCK spec, still include Alec Baldwin whether he’s still on the show or not. Just don’t introduce the character of his daughter.

And finally, here’s my favorite Bob Hope story, told by one of his writers. Bob was once in Tel Aviv. It was a night off so he and his staff went to an Israeli comedy club. One comic, speaking only in Hebrew, was killing. Even Bob was laughing. One of his confused writers turned to him and said, “Bob, you speak Hebrew?” to which he replied, “Nah, but I trust these people.”

And for those measley 30,000,000 folks who do watch AMERICAN IDOL...

15 comments :

  1. Now -- which writer took credit for feeding Hope that line?

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  2. Ken, was curious if you ever met Hope. I did, twice. Both times for radio interviews. Once was at his house in Palm Spriomgs, once at a VIP lounge at LAX the day they dedicated a plane in his name. He was a major horndog each time. Any interest in me sharing my Hope stories?

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  3. I think Hope's public contributions made up for his private shortcomings, at least from what I have heard.
    Bill Cosby, I think is another matter.

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  4. Worst headline? You do mean best headline don't you?

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  5. Hi Ken-

    I used to love your blog. Then you shat on Mr.hot shot TV executive. Then he shat back on you and called you a has-been out of work blah blah blah....and ....he robbed us of Ken Levine.

    I don't know what happened but you became a husk of what you were. You are rarely funny anymore, often snide and slightly bitter, and all you do is blab on about American Idol or pull out old scenes from Cheers.

    Ken, we need you back. The real Ken. The funny and inventive and talented Ken.

    With Respect,

    Sam

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  6. "Any interest in me sharing my Hope stories?"

    You say that like we haven't heard them all already!

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  7. "Any interest in me sharing my Hope stories?"

    Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're writing under the name MR. Hollywood. You said one of the times you met him was in Palm Springs. AND you said he was a major horndog.

    Oh my God. Please tell me Hope wasn't gay. It'll crush Dolores.

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  8. Sleep in peace, Christopher, a more relentlessly heterosexual man than Bob Hope never drew breath, as the thousands of women he cheated on Delores with can attest. If she stood up to how he treated her when he was alive, I highly doubt an insane gay rumor about Hope would do other than make her grin now.

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  9. Judging from Colon's control he was suffering from irritable bowel syndrome. His velocity was good and the Angels won that game, so I'm happy.

    I still expect Colon's arm to fall off while he's on the mound at some point this season. I don't recall many other pitchers overcoming rotator cuff problems through physical therapy alone (although apparently Pedro Martinez did) but I'll keep my fingers crossed.

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  10. The Curmudgeon said...
    Now -- which writer took credit for feeding Hope that line?

    Hope would have you think he came up with it himself. Now had it been Jack Benny, who always acknowledged his writers, delivering the punchline...

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  11. I had heard about Hope's infidelities. It may be unfortunate that his image was squeeky clean. Some of that because of the fact that most of America's top comics were Jewish and sadly America warmed up more to Wasp Hope.
    I think the irony would be that Hope's writers were probably Jewish.

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  12. Mr Hollywood,

    I would like to hear more of your insider stories. I wish you would start a blog, but first make sure that you can use that name, as it may have been copyrighted by someone else.

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  13. If you want to learn the truth about the real Bob Hope, read "The Secret Life of Bob Hope" by Arthur Marx, but be prepared, because the truth about Hope is ugly indeed. Marx is the son of Groucho, and he co-wrote 4 movies for Hope, whom he knew most of his adult life, so he knows of what he writes.

    Of course, an ex-Hope writer is unlikely to write anything positive about him, unless they're still on the Hope Estate Payroll. He didn't get to be the richest man in show business by paying his army of writers adequately. But then no one who knew him well enough to write an informed book is likely to write anything nice about him, unless they're family.

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  14. Hi Sam --

    Signing your half-assed post "respectfully" does not magically make your attack on Ken's blog constructive criticism. You would have come across as far more clever had you written what was really on your mind instead of masking it in pseudo-sympathetic "insight."

    Seriously, what's up with the anti-Ken sentiment lately? If anyone's "snide" and "slightly bitter" it's the unwashed masses that constitute the naysayers of this site. It's not like you're paying Ken to write this blog. Go back to torturing kittens or whatever you people do in your spare time.

    Respectfully,
    Beverly

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  15. A possible Friday question; I just read the biography of Bob Hope and wondered if you were a fan. Did you like his movies, his work on the Oscar broadcasts and the television specials? Also, did Larry Gelbart ever share stories from the time he was one of Hope's writers?

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