Posted on April 2, 2016 at 3:06 pm
Mental Floss has a great round-up of early appearances by stars from Ben Affleck to Sarah Jessica Parker, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Keaton as they made their first screen appearances on PBS shows for kids.
Posted on March 24, 2016 at 7:29 pm
We mourn the loss of actor/writer/comedian Garry Shandling, who died today at age 66. He created two of the most innovative and influential television shows of all time, both smart self-aware, : Showtime’s It’s Garry Shandling’s Show (1986–1990) and HBO’s The Larry Sanders Show (1992–1998). Both had a meta overlay with him mocking himself and us and show business all at the same time. And both used show business as a metaphor to illuminate all of our illusions, fears, and our most superficial dreams of validation and success.
Matt Zoller Seitz wrote insightfully about him for New York Magazine’s Vulture blog:
His comic persona, honed over 30 years onstage and in TV and film, fused Jack Benny’s unctuous neediness, Charles Grodin’s dour certitude, Albert Brooks’s self-lacerating intellectual discomfort, and Warren Beatty’s dashing Hollywood satyr act, and added shadings from Shandling’s own personality, plus a great playwright’s keen understanding of the lies that we tell ourselves about ourselves, and how these self-deceptions become plain whenever we try to manipulate others to attain what we think of as happiness.
And Nell Scovell’s tribute in Vanity Fair is very touching. He was one of the first to support her work.
Looking back, I think I connected to Garry’s stand-up because, in a way, he was a female comic. When Joan Rivers was tossing out insults, Garry was talking about his feelings. He fretted about his hair and getting fat. He talked about his shrink and his feeble love life. So much of Garry’s comedy came from being vulnerable and insecure and uncomfortable.
May his memory be a blessing.
Posted on February 26, 2016 at 3:48 pm
You love British television but can’t tell Derbyshire from Yorkshire, or Bath from Bristol? Here’s a map that shows you exactly where all your favorite characters are. Look for “Downton Abbey,” “The Office,” “Poldark,” “Call the Midwife,” and, of course, “Dr. Who.”
Posted on February 13, 2016 at 3:26 pm
Take a look at this gorgeous collection of matte paintings used for backgrounds on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” They are the last of their kind; everything is CGI now.
Posted on January 26, 2016 at 3:40 pm
He was in his 50’s when he played Tessio in “The Godfather.” Look how much he brought to this scene, the understanding of what is happening to him, and why, and what has brought him to this moment. He is sad, but not angry. He auditioned for the part at an open call and was selected over 500 other actors. In the last few years, he provided a voice for the “Godfather” video games.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d30Y0n1nDH4His deadpan delivery was one of the highlights of the terrific television series “Barney Miller.” When the series ended, his character had a brief spin-off called “Fish.”
We will miss him. May his memory be a blessing.
