I read a book this weekend that got me thinking about spin-offs. Particularly, those spin-offs which take a beloved character from a popular sitcom and plant that character in a new place and situation. The book I read was “Art Carney: A Biography” by Michael Starr. I’m saving Art Carney, and his legendary characterization of … Continue reading Spin-Offs On Parade
I have not been a big fan of AI. It gives me the creeps. In most cases, whether it’s a picture or video or whatever, there’s just enough of it that’s unsettling. The AI I do like is for purely stupid purposes. For example, somebody (or bodys) has been making a series of hilarious and … Continue reading Here’s Artificially Intelligent Johnny!
There are Christmas specials and there are Christmas episodes. This is about the latter. I have selected my ten favorite Christmas episodes from sitcom past. I limit this to sitcoms because…well, I like sitcoms. (This stuff isn’t complicated.) Happy Days: Guess Who’s Coming To Christmas In my “Happy Days Epics” series I have noted that … Continue reading Wenty’s 10 Favorite Christmas Sitcom Episodes
I am a voracious reader. It’s not anything to be proud of because a lot of what I read is nonsense. Comic books, magazines, website articles, and so forth. But I read actual books too. A lot of them! Here are five of my recent favorites: Frank Sinatra Has A Cold by Gay Talese and … Continue reading Five Books I Would Want For Christmas If I Hadn’t Already Bought Them
It’s been a while since I did some decent reading. (Comic books don’t count.) But here are some books that I have enjoyed. They’re all in my areas of interest, which is…well, TV, radio, cartoons…all those sophisticated subjects. “We’re Live In 5” By Jeff Margolis Jeff Margolis is a television producer and director. He was … Continue reading On Wenty’s Bookshelf
My friend Pat is having an awful lot of fun with Meta AI or some similar app. You enter what you want it to show you, and bingo! there it is. Here is what Pat wanted me to see today: The fellow on the right is Dick Van Dyke. I know this because Pat concocted … Continue reading Dick Van Dyke and Big Bird: An Imagined Encounter
You know, everything has to be sold. Someone has to sell you that their specific hamburger is the juiciest, or their bathroom tissue is preferred by bears, or their morning radio program is reasonably entertaining. *cough*. In this life you are a seller and someone being sold. You might be sold by a girl scout, … Continue reading Selling Charlie Chan (And Other Broadcasting Pitches)
The third hour-long Lucy story is set in Las Vegas, Nevada and the surrounding desert. The Ricardos and the Mertzes are on a train en route to Sin City where Ricky’s band has a gig at the Sands Hotel. From the first moments on the train Lucy is fiddling with a geiger counter, excited about … Continue reading The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hours: “Lucy Hunts Uranium”
I chose this 1982 CBS special for two reasons: One, I find Danny Kaye extraordinarily entertaining. He’s my favorite part of my favorite holiday film, “White Christmas”. His 60’s vairety show was delightful (I have it on DVD) and “Hans Christian Anderson” is a sheer delight. Oh, and this. Just this: The other reason I … Continue reading W/O/C: “EPCOT Center: The Opening Celebration”
The second 60-minute adventure of the Ricardos and the Mertzes is loaded with southern comfort and paint. Lots and lots of paint. The celebrity in the show’s title is Tallulah Bankhead. For those who are familiar with “I Love Lucy”, but not familiar with Tallulah Bankhead, Wikipedia sez: Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December … Continue reading The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hours: “The Celebrity Next Door”
