Carl Reiner

Entertainment and comedy giant Rob Reiner has passed aged 98.

Alan Sepinwall - Carl Reiner: Exit Laughing

Ken Levine on Carl Reiner

The Hollywood Reporter on a life of accomplishment lived with humor and humility

Gene Wilder

The passing of Gene Wilder was announced via a very touching letter from his nephew.

My introduction to Wilder was as a kid seeing Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Later in life I learned that the name of the movie was changed from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the name of the book by Roald Dahl) to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory because the producers were afraid that movie goers would think the movie had something to do with the Vietnam War (seriously - the movie was released in 1971). Every time I think of why they changed the name I chuckle. "Charlie loves the smell of chocolate in the morning!"

You've probably read about how Wilder created Wonka's entrance in that movie by now.

Ken Levine has a nice remembrance of Wilder from a friend and collaborator of Gene's.

Drew McWeeny at HitFlix also has a very nice appreciation of Wilder.

Wilder was an American genius whose film credits match up against any 20th century actor - any actor! I hope people appreciate just how great Gene Wilder was and how big a gift his performances were to the world.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- RIP Doris Roberts - Ken Levine has a nice remembrance

- Philip Roth on how to take a nap

- You learn something new every day - the Battles of Lexington and Concord were mainly fought in Arlington?

- Heh heh - Florida man changes name to Bruce Jenner to preserve name's heterosexual roots

- Heh heh - wait what?

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Does Amy Schumer steal material? Ken Levine makes me re-think my position.

- Heh heh

- Is a secret sniper killing off ISIS' top command in Libya?

- Getting an Irish Coffee here is now on my bucket list

- Another example of Bobby Orr being one of the classiest humans on the planet

- Mitch Harris is by far now my favorite Cardinal player

Robin Williams

Some tributes and remembrances of Robin Williams that I wanted to share.

- Robin's now poignant appearance on Louie

- Slightly NSFW bloopers from the first season of Mork & Mindy. Williams at his manic peak.

- Norm MacDonald's very personal tribute

- Ken Levine's thoughts on the passing of Williams

- David Simon's brief encounter and how Williams changed his life. It may not be a stretch to say without Williams' sacrifice in trying to help a friend's struggling show there may not have ever been The Wire

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Watched the Pacquiao-Marquez fight while at a poker game. Everyone who had money on the fight (including me) thought Marquez was going to win this time... On this day in history in 1941 - Bob Feller becomes the first major league baseball player to enlist after Pearl Harbor. More than anything that he did on the field - it was this act that Ted Williams always associated most with Feller (and perhaps the thing he was most jealous of)... Interesting look back at The Sopranos by Alan Sepinwall. Put me in the camp who is more curious about what happened to the Russian that whether Tony lived or died at the end... When Marquez knocked out Pacquiao some at the poker table thought he might be dead. Seriously... Ken Levine decodes Hollywood-speak... Hipsters may think they invented snark but that was the name of author Jack London's sailboat over a hundred years ago...Oyster Pirates would be a good name for a band...

Top 10 Comedy Screenplays

Ken Levine got me thinking with his post of what he considers the 10 best comedy screenplays of all time. I like Ken's list but my taste in humor must be very different because I came up with completely different choices. In order to stop thinking about the subject I decided to jot down my top 10. Here they are in no particular order:

The Thin Man
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Caddyshack
Groundhog Day
Fletch
Blazing Saddles
Catch 22
The Princess Bride
Airplane!
Being There

And for my 11th choice - Used Cars. Just missing the list My Man Godfrey, The Naked Gun, This Is Spinal Tap, and My Favorite Year. These lists are completely subjective but I think my list would stand up to anyone's.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- NFL donations favor Republicans 3-1. I wonder if you broke it down by those who are self-made millionaires versus owners who inherited wealth if it would still be about 3-1?

- I laughed way too much at this (yes sometimes I'm still a 12-year old)

- Ken Levine comments on the epic GQ oral history of Cheers. I must say that I have a much higher opinion of Shelley Long after reading that.

- Was this the worst Red Sox rotation ever? Interesting article. Scary to think that most of the pitchers who made up the potential "worst rotation ever" will be back. Are Red Sox fans delusional to think most will rebound with big years in 2013? I feel a little delusional.

- John Elway endorses Mitt Romney. This could make a difference in Colorado. Seriously.

Ken Levine Remember the Night Cheers First Aired

Ken Levine reminisces about the night Cheers first aired - 30-years ago today.

Ken and his writing partner were responsible of 40 Cheers scrips over a 9-year period. You really should bookmark his blog or follow him on Twitter.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

I hope this idea works. Dad tries to get son a job by offering free beer incentive.

Glenn Beck made $80 million last year while Keith Olbermann can't find a job. That's certainly one way to look at it.

Heh heh - If Aaron Sorkin wrote for The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Ken Levine is one funny guy.

Ken Tremendous has a good appreciation of Kevin Youkilis' time in Boston.

Joe Posnanski also has a good take on Youk.

One final take on Kevin Youkilis. I agree 100% that the Red Sox got much more out of Youkilis than he got out of them.

Wow - as Chris Lindsay points out Coke makes so many products that if you drank one every day it would take over 9 years to try them all.

Hemingway and Gellhorn Take Two

In an earlier post I described how Ed Wood bad the HBO production Hemingway and Gellhorn was.

I was pleased and amused that Ken Levine reached pretty much the same conclusion.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I can see watching the first round of the NFL draft. Lots of big name players and this is the round that has the biggest impact on your team's future. I can even see watching the second day of drafting but if you are still tuned into the draft today - then you should do some re-evaluation about what's important in your life... Interesting little story from Ken Levine that bridges minor league baseball with popular culture... Perhaps the best use possible for $5 is the purchase of a box of 100 freeze pops. I consider freeze pops one of the most under-rated of man's inventions... I know I'm not the first to point this out but the initials for the new Coors Light Iced Tea product spells out CLIT. "Hey guys let's go out and grab some CLIT!"...  During some of the NFL draft I laid on the couch with my eyes closed and I would have sworn they had Sylvester the cat explaining some of the picks. Turns out it was just Mike Mayock... Very cool - a glass floor bathroom built over a 15-story elevator shaft... Pretty sure that the Romney people are thinking that Rick Santorum can shove his endorsement up his ass... Heh heh...