Live from Minneapolis, on this week’s ‘Not My Job’ segment of the NPR quiz show Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, the guest contestant is Minnesota-native Nate Berkus. Her conversation with host Peter Sagal is lively and fun, particularly when talking about growing up and developing his interest in interior design, including being allowed to design his bedroom. This is the full Wait, Wait… broadcast, but you can jump directly to the “Not My Job” segment, it starts around the 18:45 mark.
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Hosts Phil Rosenthal and David Wild write that “Laughter is the main course for many of Phil & David's favorite episodes. Here's Part One of some of their greatest conversations yet with some of their funniest friends who happen to be comedy icons from a few generations.” It features highlights from conversations from comedians Ray Romano, Brad Garrett, Paul Reiser, Patton Oswald and Judy Gold.
I've written in the past about my friend Treva Silverman (also known as The Lovely Treva) who was not only the first female writer hired for the staff of legendary TV series The Mary Tyler Moore Show, but was the first writer hired, period. And has won two Emmy Awards, as well. On top of all her other credits. (Like writing on the series, The Monkees and...well, you get the idea). And I've been writing about her a lot recently, since the winds seem to be blowing in a way where she's been a "talking had" on several TV documentaries lately and featured in articles -- notably an HBO documentary on Mary Tyler Show, an episode of the MSNBC series My Generation, and a Los Angeles Times feature piece. Well, we can add one more -- the other day, People Magazine did a story on her. All this, and she doesn't even have a publicist... Which saves a lot of money when you get the publicity all for free. The interesting thing about the headline is that far more impressive than being "the first female writer" hired -- Treva was (as I mentioned) the first writer hired! Though leaving out “female” from the headline wouldn’t make it as attention grabbing for reasons. And at least it gets mentioned within the article. The weird thing about the article is that it is so People. They really didn’t do much work, and left the heavy lifting to MSNBC. All they seemed to do is watch the My Generation episode and then described a little bit of what they watched that MSNBC did. In fact, the photo they used was one on TV. (Which is A Good Thing, since it’s a very nice photo.) To be clear, this isn’t a complaint about the article at all – I’m very they did it, no matter how much they took the easy way out. If you're interested (especially if you didn't see MSNBC's My Generation, you can read the brief article here. And the Treva Watch continues... Today's Naked Lunch episode is a repeat, but a reasonably timely one, since the guest is the late night host who Trump seems most bothered by, and in getting upset keeps providing monologue material for Jimmy Kimmel. As host Phil Rosenthal and David Wild write – “Unlike the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post – we want to make a big endorsement: we endorse whatever Jimmy Kimmel says. And so here with a brand new introduction, is the Naked Lunch episode that went viral and made headlines around the world. Yes, Jimmy talks Trump, but so much more in a funny, emotional and Italian food-filled conversation well worth revisiting before Election Day 2024.
Thanks to Halloween, I pushed back posting Sunday's "Last Week Tonight" with John Oliver until today. And it's a bit different from usual. If you didn't see the broadcast, they actually did two "Main Stories". One was more traditional, but they posted the other one -- which is odd, but wonderfully fun. It's about Lee Greenwood, the country music singer who most-famously wrote one big hit, "God Bless the USA," which Republicans and Trump especially have taken to heart, even "partnering" with Greenwood on his "Trump Bible." But the story takes a closer look at Greenwood and his career and the song. And...well, it's interesting and a lot of fun. This is the Halloween broadcast of Kukla, Fran & Ollie I mentioned the other day that aired 75 years ago tonight, on October 31, 1949. It follows up on the episode a few nights earlier, when Beulah Witch was preparing for her fellow alums and teachers from Witch Normal college coming to town for a Halloween convention – but a small crisis comes up that she has to avert. As things develop, the other Kuklapolitans excitedly prepare for trick-or-treating, and sing a bunch of songs along the way – my favorite being Beulah Witch’s rendition of “That Old Black Magic.” The episode also shows off Burr Tillstrom’s artistry well – though it’s subtle because he does it with such ease. The first subtle example is the opening of the show when music director Jack Fascianato plays the KF&O theme “Here We Are Again,” and he’s joined by two Kuklapolitans accompanying him on toy pianos. It’s amusing and generally just plunking on the keys, except if you listen closely Burr Tillstrom actually is getting some of the theme music correct. (And made all the better because one of the two is my fave, the lunatic Cecil Bill.) And the other comes later in the episode when Kukla, Fran and Ollie sing a trio – with Tillstrom going back and forth with the two voices. As I said, it’s comes across with such natural ease, but it’s no small trick singing a duet with yourself. By the way, I noticed a bit of information posted with this video. Over 700 episodes of the show were transferred to digital thanks to funding from the Burr Tillstrom Copyright Trust and fans of the show – as well as, most interestingly, the Jane Henson Foundation. As I’ve written in the past, Jim Henson always said that Burr Tillstrom and Kukla, Fran and Ollie were one of his big inspirations to get into puppetry and ultimately create The Muppets. And his wife’s helping to fund this clearly supports that. Special thanks were given, as well, to the Chicago History Museum for its invaluable help in the process. And now – trick or treat! |
AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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