tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post7442287704681173521..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Friday QuestionsBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-39457663285390615742021-09-09T09:37:25.338-07:002021-09-09T09:37:25.338-07:00FQ:
Been watching a lot of ISpy with Robert Culp ...FQ:<br /><br />Been watching a lot of ISpy with Robert Culp and Bill Cosby on Youtube lately. I never seen the show before this year but wow I'm impressed with what a great, smart, compelling and funny show that was and how the writing, acting, directing, cinematography, storylines and use of locations put most crime shows today to shame. <br /><br />My question is, do you think you could even get a show like I Spy on today? We're not talking about Cosby and his heinous actions, here, we're talking about the fact that the show never commented on Scottie's race and represented him as an intelligent, skilled and equal partner to Culp who happened to be black. Today everything on tv and movies seems to have to address the race(or gender, sexuality etc.) of the characters to death to where I wonder could you have a show where you just show a black character as cool, sharp and a great representation without having to do the obligatory references to his being black or without the corny and preachy "racism episode" where he'd get pulled over by a cop and get shot or something like that?Kendall Rivershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16401646799797849078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-34742958121359244742021-09-06T18:42:35.803-07:002021-09-06T18:42:35.803-07:00Playing on the question about you auditioning to h...Playing on the question about you auditioning to host Jeopardy!, if you think your name isn't recognizable, why not go with your 1970s radio persona "Beaver Cleaver". I'm sure that would get some eyeballs. But seriously, why not at least audition? You were a sitcom writer who made it to the Major Leagues calling baseball games. Not sure why you don't think you couldn't pull this off. Maybe you get on for a week with topics including they heyday of FM radio, baseball, TV sitcoms, and poorly received movie sequels.DyHrdMEThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07621011643939597497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-78148439098369205332021-09-06T18:37:09.371-07:002021-09-06T18:37:09.371-07:00You asked about COVID in current shows - THE CONNE...You asked about COVID in current shows - THE CONNERS has it as a subplot (sometimes it's just there, sometimes it's part of the episode's story). That feels like the right way to handle it for them given their overall theme is struggle. Another one (I think it was your daughter's show) that ABC had kept mentioning "during quarantine" but they were past it (while we weren't) and it didn't seem genuine. Other shows ignored it. I almost wish THE BIG BANG THEORY was still on the air and included COVID just to see how Sheldon would handle it, but even that would wear thin after a few episodes. I think some dramas have incorporated it too, but I only know them from the commercials I don't fast forward.DyHrdMEThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07621011643939597497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-65532564733334303232021-09-06T15:49:52.010-07:002021-09-06T15:49:52.010-07:00"Lou," given his newspaper background, r..."Lou," given his newspaper background, really was the only MTM character who could credibly make the transition to a gritty drama. Some of the others--especially "Ted" and "Sue Ann"-- were too cartoonish to be believable in such a situation.Kevin FitzMauricenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-25199865456578591082021-09-05T08:23:37.229-07:002021-09-05T08:23:37.229-07:00On the subject of Covid-19, but off the subject of...On the subject of Covid-19, but off the subject of TV shows and movies...<br /><br />The Plague by Camus is fascinating reading, under the present circumstances.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00466932184113943306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-31632871065383404122021-09-05T04:42:47.168-07:002021-09-05T04:42:47.168-07:00No, they, and only they, are the problem. Nobody n...No, they, and only they, are the problem. Nobody need to accommodate anti-vaxxers tender widdle feewings, as Tweety Bird would put it. Also, putting stuff in bold type doesn't make a statement more convincing, just more desperate-seeming.lawwolfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16664248936187738562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-57977863159652680782021-09-04T16:59:11.498-07:002021-09-04T16:59:11.498-07:00IDIOTS don't get vaccinated. Period.IDIOTS don't get vaccinated. Period.Leightonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-46541405957920414272021-09-04T16:57:57.484-07:002021-09-04T16:57:57.484-07:00When the LIVING HELL did the word "died"...When the LIVING HELL did the word "died" become a bad thing? I am SO sick of reading "passed" and "passing." Did they FART?????Leightonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-21334992045057350682021-09-04T11:31:32.685-07:002021-09-04T11:31:32.685-07:00Regarding shows that deal with COVID-19:
A coupla...Regarding shows that deal with COVID-19:<br /><br />A coupla years ago, I started watching "All Rise", an absolutely lame show (I stopped watching it too) that was a walking engraved invitation for an IMDb "Goofs" column (e.g., the glass ceiling-shattering Black female judge gets called on the carpet regularly by her white, blonde, severe, middle-aged "boss" at the court. As if).<br /><br />Well, the production company of this seemingly woke show underwent internal "Me Too" and/or diversity issues, their management team blew up... and then pandemic hit. And the show went on hiatus. Amazingly, it eventually came back.<br /><br />When it did, the wise judge (you know... the main character?) was confined to her bench behind a giant plexiglass shield and she and everybody else was wearing industrial strength masks throughout each episode.<br /><br />Understand that when film and TV production resumed in 2020, the industry was hell-bent on getting back in gear and making money fast, so the most stringent requirements of any industry I can think of were put in place for both actors and crew.<br /><br />This meant that everyone tested twice before shooting day; you have apps which keep digital records for everyone going to work on a set; and masks were worn, at least initially, right up to the exact moment the A.D. called "ACTION!" (speaking of goofs, look for masks sticking out of pockets on your fave TV shows! :-)<br /><br />So safety on the sets was not the problem. This SHOW apparently decided to make a statement about The Times We Live In.<br /><br />As the Former Guy would say, it was a disastuh. It quickly became apparent on "All Rise" that if a television viewer was tuning in to be entertained, seeing an entire show where all the characters performed their normal activities in shields and masks would be a distraction akin, say, to watching a show taped in Israel during a rocket attack, where the normal storyline was being acted-out by performers in gas masks.<br /><br />My much sought-after professional advice to the film industry: your viewers are watching this junk to escape their horrible, mundane, modern day existence. Don't feed it right back in their faces. It doesn't work.Russ DiBellohttp://russdibello.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-77988054440624554262021-09-04T10:21:50.784-07:002021-09-04T10:21:50.784-07:00"This Is Us" in (I think) a 2019 episode..."This Is Us" in (I think) a 2019 episode had a flash-forward scene to the fall of 2020 in which Rebecca went into a restaurant after going on a walk from the family cabin. When the opening of the fall 2020 season caught up with that moment, they were stuck with the setup of that earlier scene, and had to build the rest of the sequence around a restaurant that had NO customer restrictions and NO staff or diners inside wearing facemasks. Otherwise, we've seen all the characters living life like the rest of the viewers during 2020 and 2021<br /><br />I've always felt the "M*A*S*H" episode "A War For All Seasons" (which starts on Dec. 31, 1950, and ends on Dec. 31, 1951) works if you think Mike Farrell is playing Trapper for the first part of that episode, Harry Morgan is playing Henry Blake for the first part of that episode, and David Ogden Stiers is playing Frank Burns for probably most of that episode.David G.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14087274901751774722021-09-04T08:45:07.755-07:002021-09-04T08:45:07.755-07:00• A more niche anachronism in M*A*S*H* is once or ...• A more niche anachronism in <i>M*A*S*H*</i> is once or twice we get a quick glimpse of Radar reading his comic books. The issues shown were current 1970's titles. Obviously some props flunky was sent down to the corner store to grab a handful off the rack and no more thought was given to it.<br /><br />• <i>Coroner</i>, <i>Law & Order: Organized Crime</i>, and a couple of other shows had the characters wearing masks and following most of the Pandemic Rules. Only <i>Coroner</i> (having the medical slant) actually mentioned the pandemic in a major way. The other shows just had people wearing masks and no reason was offered as to "Why". The irritating factor was the characters would take off masks and generally ignore all the bubble rules and guidelines willy-nilly.<br /><br />There. I had to get those trivia tidbits out of my system.Big Murrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03311467081145732439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-19533644765207549182021-09-04T05:44:45.119-07:002021-09-04T05:44:45.119-07:00FQ: You mentioned a later episode of MASH that was...FQ: You mentioned a later episode of MASH that was inconsistent with the show's established timeline, and that the episode was made after you had left. When you leave a series, is it hard to leave it behind? I'm sure that your focus is always on the new project, but I imagine it must be tempting to watch the old series to see how it's being handled. I also imagine that it could be frustrating if you don't agree with the creative choices made by the new team, and that it might be better to make a clean break.Philly Cinephilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03882199549298409881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45168684371839682042021-09-04T05:36:18.222-07:002021-09-04T05:36:18.222-07:00I've gone back to watching some Lou Grant epis...I've gone back to watching some Lou Grant episodes after hearing of Ed Asner's passing, and they're holding up well. (Edward Winter just popped up in one, as he apparently did in several.) I don't see you or David with credits on the show, but it's a lot of the old MTM/MASH gang, so maybe you have a thought:<br /><br />That show assiduously avoided any crossovers from Lou's past- except for the occasional reference to the colder climate at his last job, and one "old flame" who came back for an episode. But Murray never pulled into port, Ted never stopped by to drop off a cartoon cow, and Mare of Minneapolis was never mentioned, much less seen.<br /><br />Any inside info on this decision? Especially toward the end when ratings fell and network suits might have wanted a Very Special Reunion to get a boost.Rayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07999541621680032978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-60509138888300066252021-09-04T04:30:32.976-07:002021-09-04T04:30:32.976-07:00YouTube is basically a video-sharing website where...YouTube is basically a video-sharing website where any internet user can visit, upload, watch and share videos. There are huge numbers of videos available on YouTube on various topics and categories.<br />========================================<br /><a href="https://www.klantenservicenummer.co/youtube-nederland/" rel="nofollow">Youtube Telefoonnummer</a>Elinathomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17169692998380075272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-27478809816220045142021-09-04T01:19:10.074-07:002021-09-04T01:19:10.074-07:00Hi, Ken!
I have a really nerdy question. The last...Hi, Ken!<br /><br />I have a really nerdy question. The last few years, CHEERS, SEINFELD, M*A*S*H, FRIENDS etc. have been upgraded to high definition (HD). Sadly, FRASIER is still not available in HD (except the final two seasons). I’ve read that FRASIER was originally mastered onto video, thus making it impossible to transfer those masters to HD. So, apparently, Paramount will have to re-edit all the episodes from the original negatives.<br /><br />So here’s the question: Have you heard any news or rumors or hints that Paramount are/will be upgrading FRASIER to HD some time in the future?<br /><br />It’s really a shame that such an outstanding series (one of the absolute best ever, in my opinion) should suffer when it comes to sound and picture quality. I know it’s all about money, but I am still hoping that great art will survive ruthless capitalism.<br /><br />(By the way: I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s so I am more than used to watching SD. It’s just that I prefer HD.)<br /><br />All the best,<br />Tore from Norway.Tore from Norwaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-82933847360132877592021-09-03T21:48:07.165-07:002021-09-03T21:48:07.165-07:00Both NCIS and NCIS NEW ORLEANS both featured chara...Both NCIS and NCIS NEW ORLEANS both featured characters wearing masks on camera in their most recent seasons.<br /><br />And Jimmy Palmer, a character on NCIS, lost his wife to COVID-19.<br /><br />BLUE BLOODS, dealt with it early on but -- not taking anti-vaxxers into consideration -- quickly segued to a "post-COVID" world...Janethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16136856533329478197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-35518180506055327712021-09-03T18:36:17.378-07:002021-09-03T18:36:17.378-07:00Actually, the fighting in Korea lasted three years...Actually, the fighting in Korea lasted three years, June 1950-July 1953. Most real-life doctors served one-year tours.Kevin FitzMauricenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70706492236268960582021-09-03T17:00:41.052-07:002021-09-03T17:00:41.052-07:00I never did pay attention to the MASH timeline cru...I never did pay attention to the MASH timeline crunch. I thought canon in the different Star Trek universes was tricky... Forget the 4077th!<br /><br />The only thing I mull over are the what-ifs of the different casts: Trapper interacting with Colonel Potter or Winchester dealing with Henry Blake. Would love to see *those* episodes in the parallel MASH universe.Saburohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00075733019914312218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-4887696904419750562021-09-03T14:29:44.483-07:002021-09-03T14:29:44.483-07:00BTW, I always took the approach that all the episo...BTW, I always took the approach that all the episodes of MASH together just took place over the two years of the war. I'm sure at the end of the day all those episodes together would still exceed 2 years, but it would be an interesting exercise (for someone) to actually build out a timeline based on all those episodes, especially since some took place over more than a few days if not more, and see how many days/years it actually covered.Randy @ WCG Comicshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08105266129029859540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42306462543255467282021-09-03T14:26:42.807-07:002021-09-03T14:26:42.807-07:00"I think they’re looking for someone a little... <br />"I think they’re looking for someone a little younger and someone who has an actual name that people know."<br />D. McEwan said...<br />“Then why did they hire Mike Richards?”<br /><br />Sony’s upper management was told it was the other Mike Richards, and they were impressed with his crowd workFredhttps://www.nitrateville.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-16177188197300337082021-09-03T14:20:47.070-07:002021-09-03T14:20:47.070-07:00Someone mentioned it already, but Mythic Quest did...Someone mentioned it already, but Mythic Quest did do what I thought was a well done episode -- the series is a workplace comedy set at a role playing gaming company, so doing a whole episode with everyone on Zoom was a natural, and they did a brilliant job. It was an episode that dropped right before the start of the their newest season. F. Murray Abraham is in the cast and continued to appear remotely in the new season via a talking head on an iPad screen in the office -- I heard that due to his age/health reasons, he needed to remain isolated when they started shooting the new season, but they ran with it and made it a funny running gag, often placing the iPad on top of a sitting mannequin. Randy @ WCG Comicshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08105266129029859540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-8265925198712325482021-09-03T12:51:34.034-07:002021-09-03T12:51:34.034-07:00"when the idiots finally get vaccinated...&qu...<i>"when the idiots finally get vaccinated..."</i><br /><br />Has calling someone an idiot ever been a particularly effective way winning them to your side? And if the goal is to get these people vaxxed, and you're doing nothing but making them really dig their heels into their anti-vax position, because that's what happens you resort to name-calling, then <b>you're as much a part of the problem as they are, Ken.</b>Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-72455970778357394402021-09-03T12:48:12.394-07:002021-09-03T12:48:12.394-07:00Maybe I'm just a plebe, but I don't watch ...Maybe I'm just a plebe, but I don't watch tee-wee and look for mistakes, anachronisms, and other shit like that. It's an escape from the ghastly real world. So I didn't give a flyin' handshake when "Ann-Margrock" appeared on THE FLINTSTONES.maxdebrynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04011731115062645854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-48868283714226944612021-09-03T12:48:00.213-07:002021-09-03T12:48:00.213-07:00Filming throughout the decade of the '70s, MAS...Filming throughout the decade of the '70s, <i>MASH</i> was one nonstop anachronism - from the men's haircuts (or lack thereof) on down.<br />Alan Alda's cut of that time looked more like a combover - which the Alda of 2021 would likely welcome ...<br /> ... and don't even talk about sideburns ...<br /><br />But the fun things to spot on your digital flat/widescreens are Wrong Props!<br />One example to serve for many:<br />Paperback books in the early '50s looked nothing like their '70s counterparts: they were a third smaller in size, and nowhere nearly as colorful.<br /><br />I remember when Winchester had to read <i>I, The Jury</i> to Klinger - from a Signet paperback from the '70s.<br />By the bye, you guys missed a real bet by not using <i>Vengeance Is Mine</i> - which <i>did</i> surprise-end on the very last page (as almost every mystery novel of that era <i>did not</i>).<br />The way I would have done it: Charles would have gotten caught up in Spillane's writing (as many snobs of the '50s did), and when he got to the Missing Last Page - <i>he</i> would have gone berserk, even more than Max would have ...<br />That might have been fun, no?Mike Doranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14427528138598549103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-47198686396996304682021-09-03T12:47:29.206-07:002021-09-03T12:47:29.206-07:00I would love to see you guest host Jeopardy.I would love to see you guest host Jeopardy.Mike Barerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14447874605833321732noreply@blogger.com