tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post3957326086139976722..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Did Shelley Long try to get Kelsey Grammer fired? By Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-28750021832141918502017-08-27T21:12:49.852-07:002017-08-27T21:12:49.852-07:00I wish all the best for Cheers and I'm happy t...I wish all the best for Cheers and I'm happy that it is considered the most successful TV series of all time. Still, I cannot stand Kirstie Alley's character Rebecca Howe. She was such a whiner and just not very likable. There was no chemistry between Sam and Rebecca, she was just somebody that Sam was trying to screw. And, quite honestly, between Sam being as shallow as he is and as unlikable as Rebecca was, Sam's relentless pursuit just made no sense. A guy that young with his looks, he could be out on the town getting more ass than a toilet seat, which should suit Sam Malone just fine. I really feel like the 2nd half of the series rode the coattails of the 1st half. The Kirstie Alley era just wasn't very good, at all.<br /><br />In all fairness, Shelley Long is an extremely tough act to follow. Still, going from the complex character that Diane Chambers is to Rebecca Howe is like going from a new high-end BMW to your sister's dented Aries K car that she drove in high school. When Cheers reruns come on, if they have Kirstie Alley, I just move along.<br /><br />Another thing about Shelley Long: the media always like to hold her up as a great failure for leaving the most successful series ever and going into a movie career that pretty much flopped. They say things like, "Shelley Long's exit of Cheers is the gold standard of how not to run a Hollywood career." Well screw them. If she had been in all these great movies and got an Academy Award or two, she would be touted as a genius today. The fact is, everything in life is a risk and you never know what will happen. Shelley Long is a fantastic actress, it's Hollywood's fault for not putting that awesome talent to good use. They're the problem, not Shelley.Nuke89to94https://www.blogger.com/profile/05423011233378606077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-41063213838278648582017-08-27T20:54:30.477-07:002017-08-27T20:54:30.477-07:00To make Diane Chambers loveable and funny while st...<i>To make Diane Chambers loveable and funny while still maintaining her haughty attitude took a very special actress. It would be so easy to just hate Diane. Shelley did an extraordinary job. I can't think of a single actress who could have done the role better... or even as well. So if it took her longer to find the moments and just the right shading then tough. The results were on the screen. </i><br /><br />Couldn't agree more. I never gave it much thought until I read this. I've seen a few <i>Cheers</i> reruns lately and the statement above is completely spot on. I've tried to not like Diane a few times and just could never bring myself to do it, that's the kind of character Diane was and the amazing actress that Shelley Long is. Nuke89to94https://www.blogger.com/profile/05423011233378606077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-60705336215961005652016-12-23T11:02:38.116-08:002016-12-23T11:02:38.116-08:00Cheers is still one my favourite sitcoms but when ...Cheers is still one my favourite sitcoms but when Shelley Long left, they should have ended the series. Her character was great and the chemistry between her character and Sam was awesome. The Rebecca Howe character was just awful and to be honest, I can hardly watch any of the post Diane Chambers episodes. Not that Kirstie Alley is a bad actor, her whining, simpering Rebecca Howe is just horrible and really annoying. The stories got really stupid during the last half of the series' run as well.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12883161382145604791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-12643810553520056712016-08-10T18:42:45.543-07:002016-08-10T18:42:45.543-07:00So I'm late to this party, but I felt compelle...So I'm late to this party, but I felt compelled to participate, as I just re-discovered the wonderful, early seasons of Cheers on Netflix. <br /><br />Shelley Long seems to be a sort of punching bag for Hollywood career trajectory experts, and Cheers sourpusses who love to portray her as a bitchy diva. Thank you for shedding some light on this matter. 'Seems to me that she fulfilled her contract, and I can't seem to find any disparaging things she's said about anyone from Cheers, but maybe I've not dug deep enough. Talented, classy and discreet is how I see Shelley Long.<br /><br />I was in middle school when Cheers premiered in the fall of '82. My college-aged sister introduced me to the show, and I loved it.<br /><br />As a teen girl growing up with Madonna/Christie Brinkley-saturated 80s media, I found Diane Chambers to be a refreshing break in Bimbo-land. For me, Diane Chambers illustrated how a woman could be smart, strong, kind, sexy, flawed, and funny all at the same time. Shelley Long's portrayal is masterful. It's hard to imagine any other actress effectively playing the part. She's lovely, yet flawed... 'Such a treasure!<br /><br />So Mr. Levine, Ms. Long, Glen and Les Charles et al, I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU for Ms. Chambers and Cheers. Kind thanks from a non-bimbo growing up in 80's Bimboland.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />SM:"I've never met an intelligent woman I'd want to date!" DC:"On behalf of the intelligent women around the world, may I just say, 'WHEW!'"<br /><br />DC: "You are the last person to be giving dating advice.... Not with the coterie of Betty Boops you squander your time, money and hormones on."<br /><br />DC: "Sam, if you will admit that you're carrying a little torch for me, I'll admit I'm carrying a little torch for you." SM: "I AM carrying a little torch for you." DC: "Well... I'm not carrying one for you."<br /><br />SM: "I'd like to bounce you off every wall in this office!" DC: "Try it and you'll be walking funny tomorrow... Or should I say, FUNNIER..."<br /><br />DC: "Is that "Brandy", with a "Y" or two "E's"?<br /><br />DC: "Do you know what bothers me most? There there are women upon whom this works, and they're allowed to vote... and drive cars."Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17444375100026659533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-29756775181493446242016-02-16T13:59:13.090-08:002016-02-16T13:59:13.090-08:00Kelsey grammer + cheers = great showKelsey grammer + cheers = great showAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-52230682288677490852015-01-28T06:23:45.509-08:002015-01-28T06:23:45.509-08:00I am working on balancing my affection for this bl...I am working on balancing my affection for this blog with not commenting too often. (Working on it). I wanted to mention one of my favorite episodes on Cheers. It's "Everyone Imitates Art', where Diane gets a rejection letter from a poetry magazine and Sam has a great laugh by submitting one of Diane's own poems and getting it published.<br /><br />Shelley was magnificent in all the shows she did but this one is so delightful to watch. Her range and ability to express different emotions so effectively continues to amaze. Shelley's humanity was so evident on Cheers. Maybe that is what made a complex character lovable and empathetic to go with all the rest. <br /><br />The often hateful shots taken at Shelley are just offensive.<br />"Consider the source" is a good bylaw to keep in mind. She could tell stories of her own but she is too classy for that.Tim Nortonhttp://nortonsnest.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3664869789482025672015-01-04T10:38:03.996-08:002015-01-04T10:38:03.996-08:00I can't help but applying Diane's psycholo...I can't help but applying Diane's psychology - or cocktail-party psychology per Frasier - "Hate is not the opposite of love. Indifference is.", Kelsey's feelings of antagonism toward Shelley masked his love of Diane.<br /><br />He was disappointed that Diane-Frasier was never meant to be, and he was more hurt by the fact that Shelley was all for Sam and Diane and never really cared about Diane-Frasier relationship.<br /><br />He might pick up rumors somewhere, and he held them as truth for so long.zhiyinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-85446559988924645922014-12-02T14:00:52.472-08:002014-12-02T14:00:52.472-08:00Mr. Levine,
As a big fan of Cheers, Frasier, Shel...Mr. Levine,<br /><br />As a big fan of Cheers, Frasier, Shelley Long and Kelsey Grammar, thank you for offering your very qualified opinion on this matter. Fans should know how much goes in to great shows and thank you for your many contributions as well. <br /><br />Shelley Long made Diane Chambers one of the great TV characters. She should be appreciated more and she has had a great career on Cheers and otherwise. Thanks again for offering your great insight.<br /><br />Even if Kelsey Grammar's contentions may have been true, why trash anyone in print? The best people rise above that kind of thing and Kelsey went on to a great series of his own, regardless.nortonsnest.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-26398296737071505272014-11-21T05:23:08.145-08:002014-11-21T05:23:08.145-08:00"Speaking of frustration, I was very disappoi..."Speaking of frustration, I was very disappointed with the way the series ended - not with Sam staying in Boston at Cheers, but with the series not bringing Diane back to Boston to stay."<br /><br />I've always had it in my mind that Diane did stay in Boston. That phone call during the smoke session that went unanswered; that that was Diane from her hotel having left the airport. She and Sam couldn't be married but then they couldn't be apart from each other either. And so the following day she'd be back at Cheers with the wheel having turned full circle.<br /><br />Ah, such romantics!Geoffreynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-65661763631914265582014-10-13T18:38:29.784-07:002014-10-13T18:38:29.784-07:00The five Cheers seasons with Shelley Long are easi...The five Cheers seasons with Shelley Long are easily my favorite. If Long was particular about how she portrayed Diane - i.e., not as a mere caricature, but as a character with real heart and emotion - then much credit has to be handed to her. Her portrayal of Diane was instrumental in helping make the show so successful in its early years. It would be understandable if Long became frustrated with way the Sam and Diane relationship kept going around in circles. And it seemed that Diane was taking far too much of the criticism and blame from the other characters, while Sam, who could be incredibly heartless and hurtful to Diane at times, was constantly treated as a hero and patted on the back by the bar gang. I can see where adding in Frasier's frequent ribbings and rantings about Diane only made Long's character seem even more unfairly outnumbered. If Long felt that Sam and Diane ultimately belonged together (and I agree), then I could understand her frustration. <br /><br />Speaking of frustration, I was very disappointed with the way the series ended - not with Sam staying in Boston at Cheers, but with the series not bringing Diane back to Boston to stay. Sam and Diane's future could easily have been left an open question. It would have been so appropriate, would have payed homage to a wonderfully original character, and it would have brought the series full circle. <br /><br />dolittlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14918644216099319518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-81581406882282185332014-08-06T15:30:40.832-07:002014-08-06T15:30:40.832-07:00l have always thought shelley was a kind caring pe...l have always thought shelley was a kind caring person who put everything into any part she playedBRIANnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-9737061839267249352014-07-26T02:33:36.184-07:002014-07-26T02:33:36.184-07:00D. McEwan it's sad that people like you are tu...D. McEwan it's sad that people like you are turning the Democrat party into the party of hate. The propaganda you perpetuate is about the only reason anyone seems to become a Democrat today. You're training people to hate other human beings, in this case to hate Republicans. It's pathetic that you don't have a positive message to defend your party with. All you can do is spew and spread hate, turning the country and its politics into an uglier, more divisive and unpleasant place.<br /><br />Your propaganda is what's spreading ignorance and lies. Barack Obama is doing more to bankrupt the country than any president before him by driving us into incredible debt, including with a health care entitlement that has ballooned in cost every time the CBO recalculates the numbers. The Democrats also caused the financial meltdown of 2008 by refusing to allow Bush, McCain and other Republicans to reform Fannie and Freddie. Instead they told them they, just like you, spun lies out of the issue and said the Republicans were "haters" who hated the poor, or some such nonsense. And the Democrat party continued its unending pattern of giving people who didn't earn it money that we don't have no matter what the consequences.<br /><br />I call it bigotry when schools and employers are allowed to use racial quotas to accept people or not. How many, for example, Asian women have been denied college admission because the schools decided someone of a different ethnicity was more desirable, despite them having lower test scores? Some Asians are waking up to this unfairness and fighting against affirmative action.<br /><br />Barack Obama is responsible for countless murders because of pulling our troops out of Iraq, now that the country is being taken over by bands of murdering thugs who will kill more people in proportion to how much power they can get. By Obama's logic, we should pull our troops out of South Korea and let the North overrun them. Such humanitarians, these Democrats.<br /><br />The real greed in this country comes from people who feel they are entitled to other people's money that they did nothing to earn. A flat tax is a fair tax. Our current tax system that punishes job creators, wealth creators and productive people is an act of institutional greed by politicians and unproductive people.<br /><br />BTW, huge Cheers fan here. I love the show, love Shelley, and love the writers. It was an absolute gift and joy to have this show on the air growing up in the '80s. And it's so great to go back and watch the show on DVD now and catch all the jokes and references that went over my head as a kid.JediJoneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15611535741499844326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-25126102775340844902014-02-21T01:05:11.040-08:002014-02-21T01:05:11.040-08:00I had never watched Cheers back in the day, too bu...I had never watched Cheers back in the day, too busy working and bringing up kids. But I've been catching up with it on Brit TV the last few months and had no idea of the personalities of the actors and relationships with each other. However, when 'Diane' was on it, increasingly I had less sympathy with her character and got to finding her irritating and had decided not to watch it any more. And it seemed at that moment she was suddenly gone and Kirstie Alley took over one of three female leads. So reading the blurb on the show purely by chance today to get information on one of the characters, discovered the antipathy that may have existed between Shelley Long and Kelsey Grammer. So now I've wondered whether I picked up on the negative vibes that may have been in the production of the show in my lack of empathy for the character Diane and perhaps the reality that she had to go as the character and her manipulation had become less comedic and irritating to the viewer?Peacewomannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-91066497784272395472013-09-28T21:26:31.180-07:002013-09-28T21:26:31.180-07:00BTW, re: "The Original Blacklisters": So...BTW, re: "The Original Blacklisters": So which is it, the slave traders or the communists who ran Hollywood? Make up whatever it is you use for a mind. If I were you, which I am so glad I'm not, I'd go with the slave traders, as they have an advantage over the communists who used to run Hollywood in that they actually existed.D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-54578036476445810202013-09-28T21:22:30.930-07:002013-09-28T21:22:30.930-07:00I certainly won't watch Heaton in anything.
S...I certainly won't watch Heaton in anything.<br /><br />Still lacking the balls to identify yourself, Coward. But then, given that you're unable to spell my name correctly even when it's on the screen right in front of your face (I assume you have a face), you probably have no idea of how to spell your own name. You've certainly proved that you're quite stupid as well as delusional. (Or are you Patricia Heaton?)<br /><br /><i>"And no the original blacklisters in Hollywood were the Communists when they had the power to do so."</i><br /><br />When was that? Answer: Never. Utterly absurd paranoid insane right-wing nonsense. The only people who ever believed such utter bilge were - yes - McCarthy and H.U.A.C. and the blacklisters. Hollywood has <i><b>ALWAYS</b></i> been run by capitalists. <br /><br />Your insanity is showing. No wonder you're too big a chickenshit to sign your attacks; you're afraid that after reading crap like that, they'll come lock you away in a rubber room in a jacket with really, really long sleeves, and you may well be right about that, though it's the only thing you're right about.D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-11759395486673120262013-09-28T16:25:40.558-07:002013-09-28T16:25:40.558-07:00D McKewan you've previously posted that you wo...D McKewan you've previously posted that you wouldn't cast Patricia Heaton because of her politics.<br /><br />And no the original blacklisters in Hollywood were the Communists when they had the power to do so. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-4206487244593107802013-09-28T14:27:43.254-07:002013-09-28T14:27:43.254-07:00He can read it if he goes slowly and sounds out th...He can read it if he goes slowly and sounds out the words.D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-79184938349475633482013-09-28T05:19:51.803-07:002013-09-28T05:19:51.803-07:00@Anonymous: I don't understand your hostility....@Anonymous: I don't understand your hostility. Boehner <i>can</i> read <i>Hop on Pop</i>, can't he?Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06248182899977033579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-32135065342956094792013-09-27T17:59:17.383-07:002013-09-27T17:59:17.383-07:00Oops. Hit the wrong button. I wrote the immediatel...Oops. Hit the wrong button. <i><b>I</b></i> wrote the immediately previous commentD. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-71723295229071154072013-09-27T17:58:09.212-07:002013-09-27T17:58:09.212-07:00Ah, Anonymous, still a big mouth, still wrong, and...Ah, Anonymous, still a big mouth, still wrong, and still a craven little cowardly piece of shit, terrified to attach his, hers or its name to your stupid libels. <br /><br />The "Blacklist" had nothing to do with slavery, nor would slavery have anything to do with the Conservatives' love of refusing people employment for their politcal beliefs. I assume that's your overwhelmingly lame attempt at a "joke." Your only real joke is your politics.<br /><br />In any event, the slave trade predates the Democratic party, predates the republic, and represents Conservatism at its purest and most venal. Profits over humanity, that's slavery's core, and The Republican Party's Platform.<br /><br />Shouldn't you be out taking food stamps away from poor children so your wealthy overlords can have more tax cuts? Or are you unable to take your tongue out of the Koch Brother's anuses long enough to do more than type anonymously.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-89328519890049786112013-09-27T13:30:43.585-07:002013-09-27T13:30:43.585-07:00Mike:
"I'm hoping that John Boehner'...Mike:<br /><br />"I'm hoping that John Boehner'll read Hop On Pop to me from the floor of the House. That book's always been one of my favourites."<br /><br />It was also the number one favorite of Monica Lewinsky. She recited it by heart to Kenneth Starr.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1105958720544507702013-09-27T13:27:16.052-07:002013-09-27T13:27:16.052-07:00D McEwan:
BTW, which party was it that were "...D McEwan:<br /><br />BTW, which party was it that were "The Original Blacklisters"? Oh yes, the Republicans.<br /><br />The Original Blacklisters would be the organized slave traders. Sorry, Davey. That would be the Democrats, as usual.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-35809956957953345472013-09-27T06:34:23.945-07:002013-09-27T06:34:23.945-07:00I've written for cracked and they demand every...I've written for cracked and they demand everything be sourced from a book or a reputable source. The funny thing is they don't allow blogs or even firsthand interviews as sources so Ken Levine's personal writings might not have been enough to correct the recordsophomorecritichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14320637485303592977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-12534304520911174802013-09-27T01:37:29.843-07:002013-09-27T01:37:29.843-07:00@D McEwan: Aw, c'mon. The Republicans read Gre...@D McEwan: Aw, c'mon. The Republicans read <i>Green Eggs & Ham</i> to us from the floor of the Senate. It's been decades since anyone's read that book to me. I'm hoping that John Boehner'll read <i>Hop On Pop</i> to me from the floor of the House. That book's always been one of my favourites.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06248182899977033579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-84071885673262776932013-09-27T00:41:47.668-07:002013-09-27T00:41:47.668-07:00Oh, my giddy aunt. Somebody just got read like the...Oh, my giddy aunt. Somebody just got read like the Sunday paper. <br /><br />Cheers, thanks a lot,<br /><br />StormStormnoreply@blogger.com