tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post8949397475885908176..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: The ultimate "too soon"By Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-84177013005483099112014-09-07T10:03:00.256-07:002014-09-07T10:03:00.256-07:00One of the ads in the first commercial break I saw...One of the ads in the first commercial break I saw on TV after 9/11 was for flexible eyeglass frames. It featured a skyscraper bending out of the way of an oncoming airplaneHershele Ostropolerhttp://essaressellwye.tumblr.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-5642597412497465652014-09-07T02:52:04.876-07:002014-09-07T02:52:04.876-07:00The Simpsons writers were remarkably unapologetic ...The Simpsons writers were remarkably unapologetic about the "Siegfried & Roy" tiger-attack gag on the DVD Commentary- someone commented on it and how it's coincidental, and another writer just went on a diatribe about how that was inevitable when you take animals from the while and force them to perform tricks.<br /><br />-GrantJabronivillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07318218102203693195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-60769681016778399422014-09-04T10:59:10.853-07:002014-09-04T10:59:10.853-07:00An early episode of the Simpsons, around 1992 or s...An early episode of the Simpsons, around 1992 or so, has Siegfried and Roy, and sure enough the tiger attacks.<br /><br />MikeNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-26516146244062613022014-09-03T16:31:48.642-07:002014-09-03T16:31:48.642-07:00I like the episode of Seinfeld where Elaine is dat...I like the episode of Seinfeld where Elaine is dating a guy named Joel Rifkin. She wants him to change his name, since he has the same name as a serial killler. She gives him several suggestions that he doesn't like. Finally she says I know what you should change your name to...O.J.<br />This is of course before the Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman murders.<br /><br />DavidDavidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-32515262263901187772014-09-03T08:41:20.246-07:002014-09-03T08:41:20.246-07:00That's why they're called situation comedi...That's why they're called situation comedies. There's more than enough material in the actions of people.<br /><br />Steven R.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-47459663553575362702014-09-03T06:36:05.162-07:002014-09-03T06:36:05.162-07:00Oh, as for whether "Longmire" will be pi...Oh, as for whether "Longmire" will be picked up by another channel: Obviously, I know nothing about that, and can make no meaningful predictions, but it does not seem entirely impossible. There are, at least, places for the producers to go. As others have noted, the series would make an apt double feature with "Hell on Wheels" on AMC, and it would be a reasonable fit in USA's line of detective shows. Also, it is available for streaming on both Amazon and Netflix; if the numbers have been good there, one of those might be interested in producing more. Touch-and-go Bulletheadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-81828757962133951652014-09-03T06:25:05.921-07:002014-09-03T06:25:05.921-07:00chas: I have seen three reasons given for the can...chas: I have seen three reasons given for the cancellation of "Longmire." I have no idea if these came from people who actually knew something about the matter, or if they are mere speculation. On the Internet, that boundary gets blurred quickly.<br /><br />Reason #1: Though it was the network's second highest rated show, after "Duck Dynasty," there was a significant drop in the ratings during the third season. Well, I can see why that would worry A & E.<br /><br />Reason #2: A & E has recommitted itself to so-called "reality" shows, and is getting out of the scripted show business altogether (as if those "reality" shows are not scripted). This is no way to win my viewership, but at least there is logic to it.<br /><br />Reason #3: The audience for "Longmire" was large, but it was too old to attract the high paying advertisers. We have seen this before, and should not be surprised by it, but it does seem really unfair in this case. Walt Longmire is in his fifties; he is the sheriff in a mostly rural county in Wyoming; among his defining traits are a dislike of change and resistance to modern technology (his refusal to buy a cell phone is a running joke)--who did A & E expect to watch this but the middle aged and elderly? It almost seems as if the show was set up to fail.Touch-and-go Bulletheadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73087457011546701672014-09-03T05:50:11.386-07:002014-09-03T05:50:11.386-07:00When we were writing our own radio comedy service,...When we were writing our own radio comedy service, the deadline was 5 a.m., then it went out to morning shows, which pretty well eliminated most unpleasant surprises. Then we signed to write for Cumulus Media, and our deadline was moved up to 7 a.m. of the DAY BEFORE! Now, I have to watch the news constantly and call in any edits and revisions ASAP. Just had to deal with one last night, based on the story of Michael Sam getting no NFL offers. Then he suddenly got a last minute offer from the Cowboys, and I had to scramble to get it rewritten and rerecorded. But then, as a Dallas resident, I've grown used to Jerry Jones making my life miserable in one way or another. Pat Reedernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69482077086867564782014-09-02T23:34:50.627-07:002014-09-02T23:34:50.627-07:009/11 made images of the New York skyline problemat...9/11 made images of the New York skyline problematic in an entertainment show, regardless of context or whether before or after.DBensonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70004684894862986632014-09-02T21:31:43.749-07:002014-09-02T21:31:43.749-07:00It's good to keep topical references out of si...It's good to keep topical references out of sitcoms. But surely you can't be faulted for one in a daily blog.<br /><br />The ultimate sitcom ignoring a tragic event of the day: The final day of shooting the pilot for Gilligan's Island was November 22, 1963!Waynenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-85462659222699759032014-09-02T19:44:25.049-07:002014-09-02T19:44:25.049-07:00So many anecdotes, so why not one more? For the w...So many anecdotes, so why not one more? For the week of the Los Angeles riots in 1992, The Simpsons was a rerun against the final Cosby Show. But on that Simpsons, Bart plays a video game where he plays the part of a looter. D'oh!AAllenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04994241172130699272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-15359467235978001682014-09-02T18:51:20.429-07:002014-09-02T18:51:20.429-07:00It's a variation of the old Harry Golden Rule,...It's a variation of the old Harry Golden Rule, i.e., that satirists are always at risk of being outpaced by reality (early in the civil rights movement, Golden wrote that segregated libraries could get out of blacks and whites sitting together by removing the chairs. A week later, some library did exactly that). <br />Maybe there's now the Isaacs/Levine Karma Curse. Lairbohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12023261658374519848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-28900124688479795132014-09-02T17:05:20.770-07:002014-09-02T17:05:20.770-07:00Don't worry too much, it wasn't nearly as ...Don't worry too much, it wasn't nearly as bad as this: <a href="http://jimromenesko.com/2014/09/02/you-cant-apologize-enough-for-this-promotion/" rel="nofollow">'Sleepy Hollow' marketer apologizes for sending out a 'National Beheading Day' promos</a>Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18351452512636422112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-57567926475546738072014-09-02T17:03:52.757-07:002014-09-02T17:03:52.757-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18351452512636422112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-35348670761253711162014-09-02T15:42:37.091-07:002014-09-02T15:42:37.091-07:00My father was a writer on the Dean Martin Summer S...My father was a writer on the Dean Martin Summer Show with Vic Damone in 1967. When Jayne Mansfield was killed in an auto accident, I remember him calling the producer to make sure to take a Jayne Mansfield joke out of a taped-but-not-yet-shown episode.brucehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04867539918269604287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-39489652452802705912014-09-02T13:44:57.682-07:002014-09-02T13:44:57.682-07:00A few weeks ago, Murder in the First concluded its...A few weeks ago, <i>Murder in the First</i> concluded its summer-long story line with the suicide of the villain, the final shot of the series being a track in on the dead man's face in his home-made sheet-noose in his cell, going for a close-up of the dead despair in his eyes.<br /><br />It aired less than six hours after Robin Williams's suicide-by-self-hanging was announced. For many of us seeking escape from the horror of Robin's death, we suddenly saw his despairing final act pushed in our noses. It was horrifying, but of course, utterly unintentional.D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3055680415402392482014-09-02T13:04:31.241-07:002014-09-02T13:04:31.241-07:00Did you hear about Justin Verlander's photos g...Did you hear about Justin Verlander's photos getting hacked and now there are naked pictures of him circulating on the internet? I feel badly for him, but honestly, if I wanted to see his junk, I'd just go back and watch his Pittsburgh start.<br /><br />Hiyo!Charles H. Bryannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-36240557450198000932014-09-02T12:25:01.993-07:002014-09-02T12:25:01.993-07:00willieb: And then there's the legend of Steve ...willieb: And then there's the legend of Steve Dahl getting fired from (maybe?) WDAI for playing BS&T's "Spinning Wheel" after reporting that some guy was killed in a ferris wheel accident.Scooter Schechtmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-67997850576994844592014-09-02T12:04:34.855-07:002014-09-02T12:04:34.855-07:00Cultural reference jokes are usually the easiest t...Cultural reference jokes are usually the easiest to write.<br /><br />They are not timeless. I was told by someone that Bea Arthur, when given a Donna Rice joke to do on Golden Girls, said, "In 20 years people won't know Donna Rice from Minute Rice".<br /><br />True. They may not remember Minute Rice, either.Candanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-25153586492997459372014-09-02T11:59:29.561-07:002014-09-02T11:59:29.561-07:00Here's a Friday question for you:
A&E has ...Here's a Friday question for you:<br />A&E has announced that it has cancelled Longmire. It is the highest rated scripted show on the network and has a large audience for a cable drama. Why would A&E do that? It's not like there are actors demanding a million per episode. The producers have announced that they are shopping the show to other outlets. What are the chances of the show being picked up by another network?chasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-32100121384013879072014-09-02T11:39:30.203-07:002014-09-02T11:39:30.203-07:00A classic recent example at the movies was 22 JUMP...A classic recent example at the movies was 22 JUMP STREET, which had gags about recently-injured Tracy Morgan and recently-dead Maya Angelou, not to mention dialogue from Jonah Hill decrying gay slurs after he had made the news by using a gay slur on a pushy paparazzo. Obviously didn't hurt the box office though. Maybe even dumb people realize that a movie wasn't filmed the week of its release.jbryantnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-31096296165640594902014-09-02T10:35:47.330-07:002014-09-02T10:35:47.330-07:00Back in the late 70s, during my radio days, I came...Back in the late 70s, during my radio days, I came up with a bit about the ultimate pain reliever: "Cyanide. It cures all your major symptoms, and your minor ones, too." Of course, a week later, a story broke about somebody lacing Tylenol with cyanide at drug stores in the midwest.williebnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-89860481896790325582014-09-02T10:29:42.495-07:002014-09-02T10:29:42.495-07:00When John Belushi died, after telling us they woul...When John Belushi died, after telling us they would have 'more after this', They play "Another One Bites the Dust" before going to commercial. It was the only time I ever called a TV station to complain. They, of course told me it was all programmed beforehand, and they were very sorry. I told them that's a song they should never include. It's a newscast! Of course it's going to be a problem!tbnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-36934162241909608302014-09-02T10:16:04.208-07:002014-09-02T10:16:04.208-07:00A very recent example - last night, WLNY-TV in NY ...A very recent example - last night, WLNY-TV in NY ran a MORK AND MINDY marathon honoring Robin Williams. Had they screened the episodes beforehand, they might have eliminated the episode in which he has a noose around his neck and another involving cutting his wrists. Small pieces of the whole episode, but made me wince. There are enough episodes to choose from.Bob Leszczakhttp://www.bobobrien.tvnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7612060001915802172014-09-02T09:51:51.861-07:002014-09-02T09:51:51.861-07:00Not sure if Doctor Demento ever had a circumstance...Not sure if Doctor Demento ever had a circumstance like this but there were occasions when he sidelined some popular but edgy records for a while:<br /><br />Julie Brown's "The Homecoming Queen's Got A Gun" was embargoed for several months after the Columbine shootings.<br /><br />Weird Al Yankovic's "Christmas At Ground Zero" (released in the late 1980's) was off the show for a few years after 9/11.Stoneynoreply@blogger.com