tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post6754314919339522884..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: May Day (Malone)By Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-63881939083361648692016-05-03T11:02:16.006-07:002016-05-03T11:02:16.006-07:00Two things, 1) I hated Becker. Never could watch ...Two things, 1) I hated Becker. Never could watch it. 2) "dumbing" down of characters seems to be a common plot point. I saw it a lot in Frazier, Golden Girls, MTM, Seinfeld, and others. One episode Frazier would be acting like a goof, then the next episode he is a trained physiatrist, who is above it all. Same thing with the father. One episode he is a intelligent father figure, then next he is screaming about his cheese spread. <br /> Great great write up of Mr. Danson, wish you knew me better so you could write me up like that.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16880646894752760905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-63335691847500654132016-05-03T08:47:21.767-07:002016-05-03T08:47:21.767-07:00Friday question: Ken, since you've been writin...Friday question: Ken, since you've been writing a lot about Sam and Diane... Could you tell us more about Shelley Long's decision to leave the show? Was it primarily about beginning a movie career? And why do you think her career never measured up after Cheers, when she is clearly an incredible talent?Andrewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-91120418156920988942016-05-03T01:17:16.046-07:002016-05-03T01:17:16.046-07:00Ken,
I believe I heard that Ted would have appear...Ken,<br /><br />I believe I heard that Ted would have appeared in Frasier's "Cheerful Goodbyes" episode if it wasn't for his commitment to "Becker."<br /><br />Do you think he would have been amenable to appearing as Sam one last time?Garrettnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-62844090603662035772016-05-02T21:28:50.472-07:002016-05-02T21:28:50.472-07:00One thing that's always stuck in my mind is so...One thing that's always stuck in my mind is something Ted Danson said when he hosted a Paramount tribute to <i>Star Trek</i> on the occasion of some anniversary or other. There he was, center stage, explaining to the audience his connection to Trek and why he'd been chosen to host the special. There was an exquisitely timed pause, and then he said, "I'm here because my wife's ex-husband killed Captain Kirk."thirteennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-79356323282607797432016-05-02T20:28:04.061-07:002016-05-02T20:28:04.061-07:00In regards to Sam dumbing overtime and characters ...In regards to Sam dumbing overtime and characters evolving in general: Barry Kemp made an interesting observation in an interview. They asked him why left Taxi, and he said after three seasons, he felt there wasn't any deeper to go with the characters. The only place to go was to go more broad, which is esentially what happened and happens to a lot of shows.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-91414649665556455392016-05-02T16:55:15.056-07:002016-05-02T16:55:15.056-07:00Cat:
Although the context implies what is meant ...Cat: <br />Although the context implies what is meant more or less, I wondered what a real definition of "fangirling" would be, so I went to the Urban Dictionary and found this hilarious definition that I thought I would share:<br /> <br />FANGIRLING:<br />The art of obsessing over fandoms, the characters in the fandoms, the actors who play the character ( if the fandom is a film/show ) etc....... <br />Just saying something to do with a fangirls fandom will usually lead to them frantically crashing into the room youre in making high pitched sounds that to you might sound meaningless, but to other fangirls will make total sense<br />Person : Dean Winchest- <br />*loud crashing noises* <br />*sound of footsteps* <br />Fangirl: ASDFHIHEWCBEDIHBQQDIYCBFQEYULCQGEDTOUCEDQVTOQWDVUWVUTWSYVQDWGUVWXUK WHO THE HECKLES JENSEN ACKLES SAID THE NAME OF BABY!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! <br />Person: fangirling again? <br />Fangirl: *nods while spasming on the floor*<br />Diane D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-55885361798192086282016-05-02T16:14:14.489-07:002016-05-02T16:14:14.489-07:00I realize this may be a fairly stupid question, bu...I realize this may be a fairly stupid question, but why wasn't Ted allowed in the editing session? Is it a union thing? Or just a personal/show rule that you didn't want anyone involved in what you were editing to be present, so that he would't (consciously or subconsciously) affect what you were doing?Scottnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-13765523434485733972016-05-02T09:17:34.309-07:002016-05-02T09:17:34.309-07:00It seems Barry and I were fangirling Fargo at the ...It seems Barry and I were fangirling Fargo at the same time. Catnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-9439404014945815722016-05-02T07:47:50.425-07:002016-05-02T07:47:50.425-07:00Not to mention the fantastic "Fargo." Th...Not to mention the fantastic "Fargo." The entire cast was stellar, but my favorite was Ted, he was wonderful in it.Catnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-49521658587839513822016-05-02T03:20:07.336-07:002016-05-02T03:20:07.336-07:00I also think he was fantastic as Hank Larsson in t...I also think he was fantastic as Hank Larsson in the second season of FARGO.Barry Traylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14134880916215990198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-29525607903841612016-05-02T02:33:01.483-07:002016-05-02T02:33:01.483-07:00One thing I always felt happened to the character ...One thing I always felt happened to the character of Sam over time was that he became much more of a cad and a more relentless womanizer. It seemed to define his existence in the much later seasons, which I always kind of disliked (though not to the extent I thought the show was ruined by it or anything). The Sam Malone of the earlier Cheers seasons was the one I liked best: he was a womanizer for sure, maybe a little dumb, but he was also a guy that you really liked and certainly would've liked in the real world, much like all the Cheers characters. I think that - along with the phenomenal writing - was a huge secret to Cheers' success: the likeability of its characters. They were all people you could care for, you pulled for them when they were struggling and felt their pain when they were down. That is a rarity on tv, especially in a sitcom.<br /><br />I'm so glad they were wise enough to go with Ted and Shelley for the roles of Sam and Diane. I don't know if the show would've made it otherwise: they were magic together onscreen. Their chemistry was undeniable. Ted's acting really stuck out to me in the episode we just watched with his lucky bottle cap. His acting was so convincing, you really could believe he was a recovering alcoholic. And the fight between Sam and Diane in "Let Me Count The Ways" from Season 1 that we watched last night was brilliant. So funny and so well acted. Both of them could go from dramatic to hysterically funny in a split second. Cheers to Sam, and to Ted Danson. With him the show would never have been the same. He's great on Curb Your Enthusiasm, too, by the way!Johnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-2476673514282452112016-05-02T00:40:22.497-07:002016-05-02T00:40:22.497-07:00When I re-watch first season Cheers episodes I am ...When I re-watch first season Cheers episodes I am always struck by how Sam isn't just not-that-dumb, he's clearly very intelligent, based on his ability to quickly fire off witty responses and to read people. You really get why Dianne would fall for him, evn if she doesn't really understand it herself. And when she puts him down as some kind of dumb ape just because he doesn't have her level of education, you can really see how self-centred and narrow-minded she is in some ways.Stevenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-55582974921775137782016-05-01T22:37:58.590-07:002016-05-01T22:37:58.590-07:00More recently, Danson's comedic range as a mat...More recently, Danson's comedic range as a mature character was wonderfully shown in the HBO series "Bored to Death". Mark Cuttznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-74475154129576732912016-05-01T20:21:21.112-07:002016-05-01T20:21:21.112-07:00We need a Ken Levine review of the Washington Corr...We need a Ken Levine review of the Washington Correspondents' Dinner, please.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-2840772915508760262016-05-01T20:19:41.678-07:002016-05-01T20:19:41.678-07:00We need a Levine review of the Correspondents'...We need a Levine review of the Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday nightKLA 83https://www.blogger.com/profile/03619944718997068423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-39760755156687627312016-05-01T19:26:34.412-07:002016-05-01T19:26:34.412-07:00Fairly certain I've read this before, but it&#...Fairly certain I've read this before, but it's still a nice read. Earl Pomerantz says that the CHEERS cast were only second to TAXI in terms of how nice they were to work with. (How nice must THEY have been?) Clearly the Charles Brothers were good judges of character. Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-39638781302844788272016-05-01T17:15:37.969-07:002016-05-01T17:15:37.969-07:00For a gaudy 70's suit that looks ridiculous, c...For a gaudy 70's suit that looks ridiculous, check out the one worn by Jack Kelly in "The Becker Connection" episode of The Rockford Files. Jack Carter plays one of Kelly's minions and I always want him to make a wisecrack about it: "Hey, boss, did you whack a circus clown and steal his costume?"Kosmo13noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-59948599454816653942016-05-01T16:43:47.232-07:002016-05-01T16:43:47.232-07:00Ken --
You said that dumbing down Sam was a mista...Ken --<br /><br />You said that dumbing down Sam was a mistake, and that Ted rarely complained about the material, but when he did, it was an improvement. <br /><br />Was there ever an instance where he had a problem with Sam being portrayed as too dumb that caused the script to be changed? (I personally don't remember any episode where Sam's dumbness passed the line from allowable for story purposes to just plain annoying, but it may have helped that "Cheers" always had Coach or Woody to toss the easier dumb/clueless jokes to in the scripts). J Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15175515543694122729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-34453989915867749832016-05-01T15:37:40.460-07:002016-05-01T15:37:40.460-07:00Yo Ken. Friday question. If you could bring back t...Yo Ken. Friday question. If you could bring back to life three celebrities who died prematurely, who would you bring back and why? I don't mean celebrities who lived a full life and passed at a grand old age, I mean those who went before their time. I know Natalie Wood is a given, so what three OTHER celebrities? <br /><br />I find it difficult to just pick three, and they keep changing all the time, but my current three I'd bring back are Robin Williams, Heath Ledger and Dominique Dunne.Peternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-49990110543462657352016-05-01T15:13:00.911-07:002016-05-01T15:13:00.911-07:00To BA and John Hammes: It wasn't just a Carson...To BA and John Hammes: It wasn't just a Carson thing. Check video footage from any N.C. State basketball game in the '70s to see coach Norm Sloan, the king of plaid sportscoats. VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-39097876788918193012016-05-01T13:11:44.135-07:002016-05-01T13:11:44.135-07:00Watch any Tonight Show from the mid to late '7...Watch any Tonight Show from the mid to late '70s - from the guest's blazers to the sofa, there will be no shortage of bright plaid to reel from. Nobody was spared.John Hammesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-37939976921253593772016-05-01T11:32:02.693-07:002016-05-01T11:32:02.693-07:00Eric J: While you're missing her in movies, yo...Eric J: While you're missing her in movies, you could catch Steenburgen in THE LAST MAN ON EARTH.<br /><br />I loved BECKER, but really began to appreciate Danson's chops as an actor in DAMAGES.<br /><br />wgWendy M. Grossmanhttp://www.pelicancrossing.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-54387670424990785152016-05-01T10:07:12.997-07:002016-05-01T10:07:12.997-07:00Not so Off-Topic Kid with a Scully Checks In updat...Not so Off-Topic Kid with a Scully Checks In update:<br /><br />http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2016/05/01/175573710/vin-scully-talks-about-history-of-beards-during-dodgers-padres<br /><br /><br />And I'm thinkin' that no matter who is playing, we should start a movement for Scully to call some of this year's World Series. Let the Nation know what they'll be missing. ;^)DrBOPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07179469265158025584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73853986728093983842016-05-01T09:16:52.577-07:002016-05-01T09:16:52.577-07:00Recently saw Mary Steenburgen in the silly A Walk ...Recently saw Mary Steenburgen in the silly A Walk in the Woods. Nolte stole the show (petty larceny). I miss her in movies. Any time you can't find a Natalie Wood photo, you can use one of her.Eric Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10639837826294361383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-27195280595256541232016-05-01T09:16:14.004-07:002016-05-01T09:16:14.004-07:00Anyone else here still reeling from Bob Uecker'...Anyone else here still reeling from Bob Uecker's sports coat from last night's 1976 TONIGHT SHOW on AntennaTV?BAnoreply@blogger.com