tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post3269967175414857943..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: On the next: Levine RantBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70464776821401403282014-06-27T10:21:35.750-07:002014-06-27T10:21:35.750-07:00More Ernie Anderson facts:
*He was once part of a...More Ernie Anderson facts:<br /><br />*He was once part of a comedy team with Tim Conway. They made a few TV appearances, and recorded two albums. I suspect that at one point they were a more or less equal team (a couple of their bits show a definite Bob & Ray influence), but eventually they fell in a routine in which Anderson would be an interviewer whose lines were all of the "So tell us about your new invention, professor" sort, and Conway had all the jokes. It is thus not surprising which one became the star.<br /><br />*Drew Carey often wore a Ghoulardi t-shirt on his sitcom.<br /><br />*One of Anderson's last jobs was the pilot for the cartoon series "Powerpuff Girls." He narrated and played the mayor. He died before the series began production, and these roles were taken by Tom Kenny.Touch-and-go Bulletheadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45570800608009859052014-06-24T16:31:29.961-07:002014-06-24T16:31:29.961-07:00There was a network that promo'ed first-run pr...There was a network that promo'ed first-run programs "Tonight on a fresh episode of ..." Do they still do that?<br /><br />That made the program sound like a feminine hygiene product instead of something I'd want to watch for an hour.Kosmo13noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-12178044481330551242014-06-24T10:35:53.922-07:002014-06-24T10:35:53.922-07:00Some thoughts:
NBC promos used to say “Tonight, D...Some thoughts:<br /><br />NBC promos used to say “Tonight, Dave laughs it up with [name].” It was one of the things Letterman would rant about on his show.<br /><br />Ernie Anderson also used to growl, “Vayy-gess” for “Vegas.”<br /><br />“Are promo departments also to blame for those cheesy group cast shots that often show the cast in poses they would NEVER create in their show, and that are occasionally totally incompatible with the characters?”<br /><br />I can’t stand those MacCauley Culkin poses that they make sitcom stars do for the promo photos. They look like Jerry Lewis or Joe E. Brown. But these modern day people are supposedly more sophisticated performers who normally wouldn’t pose this way unless it was an SNL skit.<br /><br />“The thing that gets me are the movie promotions: ‘From the director of 'Xxxx Xxx Xxxx'" or "From the producer of 'Yyyyy Yyyy’”<br /><br />ABC started doing this a LOT in the ‘70s when they became No. 1.Greg Ehrbarhttp://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/popeye-on-golden-records/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1405854919720637432014-06-24T02:35:39.609-07:002014-06-24T02:35:39.609-07:00We would parody those intros: "From the Key ...We would parody those intros: "From the Key Grip on Star Wars Episode 1 and the Gaffer on American Beauty." Breadbakernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70945766128495284412014-06-23T23:19:40.762-07:002014-06-23T23:19:40.762-07:00The thing that gets me are the movie promotions: &...The thing that gets me are the movie promotions: "From the director of 'Xxxx Xxx Xxxx'" or "From the producer of 'Yyyyy Yyyy'"; why the hell can't they just give us his name? (For "A Million Ways To Die In The West," the <i>very</i> poor man's "Blazing Saddles," the line was "From the guys who gave you 'Ted.'" Now I can understand Seth Macfarlane not wanting to put his name all over the place -- as you recall, he allegedly acted in it, too -- but the sophomoric frat-boy crowd who was the core audience for this movie probably already was aware who was behind the production.) At least Spike Lee and Woody Allen put their names behind their films.VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1702807952948893082014-06-23T22:15:56.849-07:002014-06-23T22:15:56.849-07:00On the next "Ken"
I think HIMYM was the...On the next "Ken"<br /><br />I think HIMYM was the robot on "Get Smart."JoeyHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12710864245535772665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-995804258288575552014-06-23T20:36:25.072-07:002014-06-23T20:36:25.072-07:00After reading Ken's rant, I long for a deep-vo...After reading Ken's rant, I long for a deep-voiced announcer promo that opens with "<i>On the next who the fuck is that...</i>" even if you can't get that daytime show title into a one-word name.Johnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-82037824995567321602014-06-23T19:57:06.438-07:002014-06-23T19:57:06.438-07:00@Todd Everett
"Wait a minute -- Hulu+ runs c...@Todd Everett<br /><br />"Wait a minute -- Hulu+ runs commercials?"<br /><br />What rock have you been living under? Hulu's had commercials since it's inception! For years, we had that deep voice saying, "The following video is brought to you with limited (blatant lie) commercial 'inter-option' by _______." I did a parody of that once.Joseph Scarbroughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06851086150240380366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-63978827725424402014-06-23T18:56:16.272-07:002014-06-23T18:56:16.272-07:00Yes, those little promos at the bottom of the scre...Yes, those little promos at the bottom of the screen. Who remembers that they started in 1999 to promote the Stephen King mini-series Storm of the Century? Because they were brand new they were even more annoying because you'd be watching a show and suddenly at the bottom of the screen it said STORM WARNING! and then it revealed how many days left until the mini-series would air. Terrible. The thing is, the mini-series didn't have great ratings (it was rerun 6 months later on the Sci-Fi Channel instead of the network which first aired it), but everyone picked up on the idea of intrusive promos, sometimes making them so large they'd cover up characters on the screen who were speaking. The cable channels seem to be the worst at doing this, and Lord help us if they have a major movie coming up because then they'll put a countdown up on the screen. It really does alienate viewers, but they keep doing it anyway.James Van Hisenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-87288882953946115522014-06-23T18:42:05.852-07:002014-06-23T18:42:05.852-07:00Weird how all of this post relates to the "dy...Weird how all of this post relates to the "dying" medium of radio. First, Ernie Anderson not only was the voice of ABC but he was a voice used on Z100 in New York and Kiss FM in LA back in the 80's and early 90's. <br /><br />Second that annoying habit of dropping the first word or two from movie or TV titles can be credited to...America's favorite homespun radio news reader Paul Harvey. It used to make me cringe everytime ol' Paul would refer to the number one movie in the country as "Shawshank" or "Beauty"<br /><br />I guess he thought thats how Middle America talked. Or at least old people. Since he was about 100 for most of the 90's...<br /><br />To be fair, I liked listening to Harvey. His ads woven into the news headlines was a throwback to a different time in broadcasting. And his "proper" pronunciations of "Pro-tee-en" make me chuckle to this day.<br /><br />He would have called it "Idol" "Dance" and "Mother" as well. God rest his soul.Craig Russellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-40506810209281685752014-06-23T18:41:32.543-07:002014-06-23T18:41:32.543-07:00Bravo drove me away from thinking I could ever wat...Bravo drove me away from thinking I could ever watch a theatrical release movie on commercial TV again. During 'The Exorcist', in the big exorcism scene...one of the most brilliant scenes ever filmed...Bravo's Kathy Griffin popped up strutting across the bottom of the screen in the promo for her 'all new special'. (And programming thinks that the sales department whore out their product?)Steve McLeannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50744559321405846752014-06-23T18:07:45.165-07:002014-06-23T18:07:45.165-07:00Steve B...the phrase "This is TODAY on NBC&qu...Steve B...the phrase "This is TODAY on NBC" is actually a signal for affiliates to cue up local advertisements.Paul Ducanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-80568313290604394202014-06-23T16:25:00.889-07:002014-06-23T16:25:00.889-07:00For decades, I've cringed whenever anchors on ...For decades, I've cringed whenever anchors on The Today Show have tossed to commercial by saying, "But first, this is Today on NBC." But first what? What kind of a toss is that? What the hell does it even mean?Steve B.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24228591667991199822014-06-23T16:11:48.567-07:002014-06-23T16:11:48.567-07:00I have a book that reproduces a letter from W.C. F...<i>I have a book that reproduces a letter from W.C. Fields to the management of Universal, asking them to come up with new gags for his latest picture to replace the ones they killed by highlighting them in the trailer.</i><br /><br />I don't doubt that. Fields' grandson edited a collection of his Grandfather's papers and letters, and they're interesting to read, just to witness Fields' devotion to his films. They were revelatory in light of how an older generation of biographers used to insist that Fields' "scripts" were just a few impossible-to-film scenes scribbled on the backs of used envelopes, and that Fields used to just improvise his way through his movies. His papers and letters reveal, though, the degree to which Fields sweated blood over those movies, slaving over the scripts and fighting with studios over the way they were cut. (He had no say in final edits, but made his opinion known, anyway.) <br /><br />I suppose it made for a better story to claim that Fields paid no attention to writing scripts and just went out and made it all up as he went along. There's a long history of claims about comedians who supposedly had no use for writers, but just made it all up as they went along. Like a documentary I saw once that discussed the series <i>You Bet Your Life</i> that had some talking head saying the show was just Groucho relying on his "inborn wit." Not to deny Groucho his wit and his abilty to ad-lib, but Groucho also had writers, who supplied him with material that was written out on index cards for him to use as he chose.<br /><br />That, I suppose, is my pet peeve. That the writers on him comedians depend are so quick to be overlooked, ignored and dismissed so the illusion can be maintained that the comic is just making it all up as he goes along.Liznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24533390065157577432014-06-23T16:09:34.033-07:002014-06-23T16:09:34.033-07:00LCD...lowest common denominator. LCD...lowest common denominator. Ralph C.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12488657064245017543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-36879873586478443382014-06-23T15:27:16.513-07:002014-06-23T15:27:16.513-07:00When those pop-up ads have characters wandering in...When those pop-up ads have characters wandering into the bottom of the screen, it's so disconcerting. "Hey, when did this show get leprechauns?"jbryantnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-12034563740157878602014-06-23T15:05:11.477-07:002014-06-23T15:05:11.477-07:00Andy Ihnatko said...
...And because Hulu tends to...<b>Andy Ihnatko said...</b><br /><br /><i>...And because Hulu tends to use the same ads over and over again, I get to see it two or three times while watching a half-hour show.</i><br /><br />Wait a minute -- Hulu+ runs commercials? If I wanted to see commercials, I'd watch the Sundance Channel, the Disney Channel, and AMC!Todd Everetthttp://toddeverett.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-12967509007334633322014-06-23T14:16:57.206-07:002014-06-23T14:16:57.206-07:00Cable and satellite streaming services like Dish A...Cable and satellite streaming services like Dish Anywhere seem to be scrambling for ads to put in their shows... but the strangest thing is when they repeatedly insert promos for the show you're actually watching while you're watching it. <br /><br />The other funny thing was when Dish Anywhere repeated the same commercial about seven times in one show... and it was an ad for Time Warner Cable.BigTednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-54520980692938069792014-06-23T13:04:19.483-07:002014-06-23T13:04:19.483-07:00We do watch "So You Think You Can Dance"...We do watch "So You Think You Can Dance" and it's not a bad show, but in the spirit of every such show having a snooty Brit as a judge, I like to refer to it (In a snooty British accent) as "So You Baggage Think You Can Dance, Do You"Gerryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12361836428885324631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-61446262621439914252014-06-23T12:52:17.979-07:002014-06-23T12:52:17.979-07:00Ken- THANK YOU for saying something about those an...Ken- THANK YOU for saying something about those annoying popups at the bottom of the screen. In fact, saying "bottom" doesn't do them justice: they are constantly trying to creep higher and higher on the screen, with whole bits being mimed, or someone shooting or puking, and I've even seen them cover something onscreen that's key to the actual show I'm watching. I do make a mental note not to watch those shows simply because the popups are so intrusive.Gerryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12361836428885324631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-71714737340139618072014-06-23T12:48:57.353-07:002014-06-23T12:48:57.353-07:00Here's a "very special" Wikipedia pa...Here's a "very special" Wikipedia page...<br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very_special_episode<br />Tim Dunleavyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01881671137563687203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-65950945100801669272014-06-23T12:40:17.913-07:002014-06-23T12:40:17.913-07:00Doesn't matter if it's valid or not. Gripi...Doesn't matter if it's valid or not. Griping replaced baseball as the national pasttime many years ago.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1275128424900462892014-06-23T12:40:06.351-07:002014-06-23T12:40:06.351-07:00Fox promos used to drive me crazy during the run o...Fox promos used to drive me crazy during the run of X-Files. "Tonight, on an all-new The X-Files," they would say. "Just say X-Files," I would yell at the TV. "Everyone just calls it X-files!"Matt Tauberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00336379337777188738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-41042695032896648202014-06-23T12:32:20.456-07:002014-06-23T12:32:20.456-07:00I'm particularly sick of ABC branding everythi...I'm particularly sick of ABC branding everything as "ABC's...whatever." Do they think people sit down with their remote and ask themselves, "What's on ABC tonight?"<br /><br />To me it also devalues the efforts of the cast and crew of a particular show, because it sounds as if ABC is just churning shows out like they're widgets.<br /><br />Yes, I know that might be a legitimate complaint in some cases.Dave Creekhttp://www.davecreek.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70410939587851155872014-06-23T12:24:45.487-07:002014-06-23T12:24:45.487-07:00I suppose it's always been this way. I have a ...I suppose it's always been this way. I have a book that reproduces a letter from W.C. Fields to the management of Universal, asking them to come up with new gags for his latest picture to replace the ones they killed by highlighting them in the trailer.Scottnoreply@blogger.com