The next time you choose to eschew alcohol, think of how the namesake of the signature teetotaler drink may have really needed one. Way before Drew Barrymore ever froze at the sight of a snowy television screen, back when her relatives John, Lionel and Ethel commanded Hollywood, Shirley Temple was America’s sweetheart. Per Wikipedia, Shirley … Read more
It was somehow both fitting and sobering that on the anniversaries of both the day and the day of the week that Johnny Carson took over THE TONIGHT SHOW 61 years ago and forever changed the viewing habits and the way a majority of people learn about the news that the STRIKE FORCE FIVE all … Read more
Long before the Dodgers, let alone yours truly, migrated to the West Coast from points East, the nascent film industry had done the same. As a frustrated Mets fan staring into the abyss of yet another loooooong off-season sans a championship, that point is driven home aggressively on days like this. But it wasn’t just … Read more
When a rare case of a completely new show actually gets a chance to be seen on a widely viewed network, that’s cause for celebration. When one of the key creatives connected with it just happens to be a good friend, well, that’s cause to devote an entire musing to it. So while the public … Read more
I’m not and never have been a parent, but I’ve learned enough from a generation of students, relatives and eye-rolling colleagues that dredging up what I might perceive to be the good old days isn’t always the best ice-breaker. To them, it’s the stone age, and hopelessly irrelevant. At least, that’s what they say when … Read more
When you’re in the middle of a pandemic and going through tremendous life changes at the same time you’re more vulnerable to making mistakes with who you might connect with as a lifeline. I made the mistake of connecting with someone who it turned out had a lot of points of view even more disturbing … Read more
2023 has unquestionably been a year of losses for my most recent full-time employer, Sony Pictures TV. They bid goodbye to two veteran scripted series, THE GOLDBERGS and THE BLACKLIST, the last link to the three-headed presidency that I had the honor of working for, and plenty of my respected one-time colleagues that somehow seemed … Read more
I was all set to offer up a few musings on the circus of name-calling, posturing, futile public castigations and pleas for America’s votes that took place on the WEAKEST LINK-type set that was set up in the shadow of Ronald Reagan’s jet and legacy last night in Simi Valley. Once they all but ignored … Read more
With the WGA strike that fell mere days short of an all-time record now thankfully in the rearview mirror, with a 150-minute season premiere of DANCING WITH THE STARS mercifully going off on time without disruption, with Bill Maher already announcing that he will be back in his studio Friday night with an original episode … Read more
Look, I freely admit I am hardly in the demographic wheelhouse to be a Swiftie. I don’t have children who are, either, and, honestly, if I passed Taylor Swift in a hallway, I wouldn’t know who she was save for what I am certain would be paparazzi and swooning fans that would accompany her every … Read more