Elisberg Industries
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Products
    • Books
    • Movies
  • About Elisberg Industries
    • Our Corporate Board
    • Information Overstock
    • Elisberg Industries Entertainment Information
    • Elisberg Statistical Center of American Research
    • Consultancy Service
  • Contact
    • How to Find Us
  • Kudos
  • Good Things to Know
    • The BOB Page
    • Sites You Might Actually Like
Decent Quality Since 1847

Just One Song Again

6/8/2022

1 Comment

 
I think the first time I brought up the Jim Henson memorial service, that took place in 1990 was when I posted a video of the Muppeteers singing a deeply-moving version of the song “Just One Person,” which I posted here.
 
That same performance also showed up here the other day when I posted a long medley of favorite Henson songs at that memorial, which ended with that performance of “Just One Person.”
 
What I noted in that original post back in 2013 was that while most people probably think that “Just One Person” is a Muppet song, written for them – when in fact it’s from the stage musical Snoopy!!!!” with a score by Larry Grossman and Hal Hackady.
 
I had mentioned this the other day when I sent the memorial video to my friend Carla Winnie who I got to know a little over three years when she was my realtor.  Why I sent the video specifically to Carla is that (as I’ve noted here) it turns out that earlier in her career, Carla was an actress in musicals and was actually in that original production of Snoopy!!! and can be heard on the original cast album.  To be great surprise, when she watched the video (and loved it), she had absolutely no idea that “Just One Person” was no associated with The Muppets.  But was thrilled to know that the song had been given such a wonderful afterlife.  I liked, too, what she said, as well –
 
“That is my favorite song from Snoopy. I just love that song, and taught it to my son's class when he was in the 5th grade. Thank you so much for thinking of me. I had not realized the Muppets adopted it. How perfect. I know that Charles Schultz loved that song.”
 
And what a wonderful coda to know how much Charles Schultz loved the song, from its original incarnation.
 
The Muppets first sang it on The Muppet Show when Bernadette Peters was the host that week.  And perhaps other times, as well, I can’t recall offhand.  I bring all that up because for all the other performances they’ve done of the song, I have a feeling that this video below may be what solidified the song with The Muppets for them and in the public’s mind. 

It requires a bit of an explanation for the full impact.  After he died, The Muppets did a tribute special on Jim Henson.  The premise of the special was that The Muppets had heard about this guy Jim Henson who seemed pretty great, and so they wanted to honor him – though to the viewers it’s clear they’re unaware he’s passed away.  Also, for some reason that The Muppets can’t understand during this broadcast, Kermit is not there backstage with them to help put the tribute together.  In fact, he’s not there for the entire show.  The subtext, of course, for the TV audience is the question:  without Kermit’s voice will the Muppets be able to go on without him? 

This clip is from the end of the tribute special – it’s very good, but all the more impactful when you understand, to reiterate, that there’s been no Kermit for the full hour.  Not a word from him, no sight of him.  Only all the other Muppets.  So…what will they do?  Note, too, that at the very end, they bring in Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, Elmo and some others from Sesame Street – I think it’s the first time characters from Sesame Street (other than Kermit) were on TV with those from The Muppet Show.  So, it sort of unites all the Muppets together without Kermit, and the question of how they can go on not just without Kermit, but importantly, without Kermit’s voice.
 
Which brings us to this clip --

​
And a bonus comment to this all --

I don’t know if this was intentional (I suspect not, though it could have been), but the Muppet character who was so sad about being ignored and then Bernadette Peters sings "Just One Person" to in the aforementioned first performance of this song The Muppet Show is Kermit’s nephew Robin.  And in that Jim Henson tribute video above, I noticed that the Muppet character who cheers up Fozzie Bear and starts to sing “Just One Person” is…Kermit’s nephew Robin!  If that was intentional, it was very clever.  And if it was just chance, what a fascinating bit of kismet.
1 Comment

"Those Who Do Not Learn from History are Doomed to Repeat It"

5/27/2022

0 Comments

 
At his press conference on Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott wanted the public to know that Texas has allowed 18-year-olds to buy rifles for 60 years.  What he conveniently left out was that only four years later (on August 1, 1966) was when the nation's first school shooting took place -- at the University of Texas.  And with a rifle.  Far more than that, it was a high-powered, semi-automatic weapon and overloaded with ammunition.  There were 14 people killed.  And 47 casualties overall.

To be clear, there may be no direct cause-and-effect between the then-new Texas law and shooting -- or was -- but it was a Really Horrible Example for Abbott to use.

Further, not totally dissimilar from this week's school shooting, the murderer Charles Whitman killed his mother and wife the night before he headed to the tower on the college campus for his killing spree.

An acclaimed 1975 TV movie was made about the ghastly tragedy with Kurt Russell, called The Deadly Tower.  It also starred Ned Beatty, John Forsythe and Pernell Roberts.  And the actor Richard Yniquez played the heroic Hispanic police officer who is able to end the rampage.  The film is gripping -- methodical, underplayed and wonderfully done.  From the taut build-up until the attack begins through the long and horrifying shooting. Highly recommended.  It's available for streaming on Amazon Prime here for $3.99.

You can read more about it on its iMDB page.

Here's a five-minute clip.  It's just a movie, not news footage, but it's fact-based, understated, showing what happened during that heart-sickening gun massacre, four years after Gov. Abbott proudly pointed to the then-new Texas law opening up the purchase of rifles. 

There are a few odd, jump-edits by the person who posted this, but overall it's straightforward from the film.  One note: at one point, we see a young woman on the phone, but it cuts away mid-sentence.  That's the wife of the police officer who eventually makes it into the tower.


0 Comments

TCM Screws Up from A to Y

5/13/2022

0 Comments

 
On Tuesday, I posted a Media Alert for the great movie "Z" which was airing on TCM.  I noted that it was the first foreign-language movie to ever get nominated for Best Picture.  And said that viewers should stick around to the very end of the closing crawl when it explains what the title, "Z," means.

I recorded the film, and watched it -- and waited to the very end, but that final moment is extremely dramatic and moving.  Fortunately, I'd seen the movie before.

That's because, to my amazement, the film cut it off, mid-crawl, just before the explanation of why the movie is titled, "Z"!!!  And it went directly to a promo for the next movie!!  This means that , a person could have watched the entire, gripping movie... and Not Know What the Title "Z" means!! 

I have no idea what on earth went wrong.  This was utterly bizarre and, I'm sure they would acknowledge, inexcusable.  I hope they make sure you fix this print so that it never happens again.   I sent a comment to TCM to let them know this.

I don't want to give away the explanation here, but if anyone watched the movie the other day and therefore missed the end of the closing crawl and wants to know what "Z" means and why it's the title of the movie, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the "Contact Us" link.

​Ack.  How awful and sloppy.
0 Comments

Open Mike Night

5/5/2022

2 Comments

 
Over on his website, my pal Mark Evanier was pondering who might replace James Corden when he quit his Late, Late Show in a year.  And Mark’s conclusion is that while we can sometimes guess who’ll be hosting a new talk show in the “early” late night spot, the later “after-show” tends to go to someone lesser known – or unknown here – who maybe the network is trying to develop.  So, the answer is “Who knows?  Make a guess.”
 
Okay, I’ll make a guess.  And it’s nothing more than just a guess. 

Mike Birbiglia.
 
I first became aware of Mike Birbiglia about 6-7 years ago from the inveterate Chris Dunn who had been a big fan of him for years.  He convinced me to see one of Birbiglia’s stage shows – at maybe the Amundsen Theatre of the Los Angeles Music Center, I think – and he was wonderful.  And I’ve enjoyed his work since.  I don’t seek him out as does Chris (who, as I said has been a big fan for years, but I wanted to repeat that because he’s a really big fan and deserves big points for his taste and prescience), but I’ve always enjoyed it when I watch.
 
On Sunday, I sent Chris a Media Alert heads-up because I saw that Birbiglia was scheduled to be a guest on Tuesday on Jimmy Kimmel Live!  And then the news broke that Kimmel had tested positive for COVID.  And then the show said that guest Mike Birbiglia – who probably many of the show’s fans didn’t know (even though he’s been a guest several times) – would be hosting.  And not just hosting that night he was scheduled to be on…but the whole week.
 
I’ve tuned in, and think he’s been wonderful.  And from his humorous, self-effacing monologues, it seems the TV audience has been liking him, albeit in a bewildered.  (The tweets that Birbiglia has been showing have been begrudgingly semi-positive, but unsure what he’s doing there.  Like, “He’s not horrible and better than I thought.”  And “He’s okay, but I’ll have to Google him tomorrow to find out who he is.”  And “He isn’t terrible, but why didn’t they get The Rock?”)  The even better bit was the first night when they showed clips of local TV news anchors announcing the Kimmel COVID story and mangling how to pronounce “Birbiglia.”
 
What I think has worked well for him is that he has a very low-key, charming, wistful, ingratiating, personable style.  And as a stand-up, he’s used to talking to a live audience.  And being quick on his feet.  That doesn’t mean, though, that a stand-up would be good at interviewing someone or show real curiosity, that’s a separate skill.  And thus far, Birbiglia has seemed very comfortable interviewing others. (On Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee streaming series, several of his comedian guests have pointed out that he should get a talk show because he’s so good at interviewing them.  And Seinfeld always responds that NO, he loves talking to comedians but would be bored talking to other celebrities and guests.  Birbiglia seems at ease.)
 
If you don’t know Mike Birbiglia’s work – by the way, it’s pronounced “Burr-big-lee-uh”), it’s sort of in the vein of John Mulaney (who’s hosted SNL quite a few times) or Seth Meyers or perhaps Ellen Degeneres.
 
Earlier yesterday, before reading Mark’s piece and deciding to write this, I wrote to Chris about how good his fave comedian was doing and how pleased he must be, having him hosting all week.  And I added that I suspected his agent's phone has been ringing. After all, as I noted, this is a major platform for a guy who was quite a bit under the wire -- hosting a major talk show all week. And coming across SO funny and likeable. And I thought (especially since they’ve been addressing all week that he was only supposed to be a guest) that audiences also recognized that it was done with zero preparation. Yet he comes across like this is his regular job and has been for years.
 
I think it helped, too, last night when Ewan McGregor was the first guest, there to talk about his new Disney+ series, recreating his Star Wars portrayal of Obi Wan Kenobe – and almost the first thing McGregor wanted to talk about was what a huge fan his oldest daughter is of Birbiglia and that she has all his albums, and that when he and his daughter were driving on a road trip, they were listening to him, and McGregor said he was laughing so hard he had to pull off to the side of the road and stop.  Birbiglia seemed truly flabbergasted and touched.
 
My point to Chris was not that Birbiglia would become a major superstar from this – but it’s very high profile for a full week, not an eight-minute standalone guest spot that most lesser-know comedians have, and he’s succeeded wonderfully.  So, maybe he’ll get to host SNL next year.  Or perhaps a director or producer thought, gee, this guy would be perfect in a particular role in their upcoming movie.  Or Netflix would want him to do yet another comedy special for them.  That sort of thing, that pushes one’s career forward.  I thought he’d be terrific hosting a talk show, but there weren’t any openings.
 
And then when I read Mark’s discussion about James Corden leaving in a year.  And man, if I was CBS, I’d at the very least have Mike Birbiglia name on my “To discuss” list at the next staff meeting for Who Do We Get to Replace James?
 
I’m not saying they will hire him.  Or that Birbiglia even wants to host a talk show.  (Though he certainly alluded to how much a good time he’s having, suggesting to Jimmy that he wasn’t looking great and might have long COVID because “I like long hosting.”)  I’m just saying that if the answer to who will replace James Corden is, “Who knows?  Make a guess” – that’s the only guess I can make right now.
 
Here's his first night monologue, so you can get a sense of what I mean.  It’s just the first part, since they then go into a long bit with the sidekick Guillermo, but it’s still 10 minutes.  (And yes, the show began with Birbiglia's selfie video, that's not an add-on.)

And what the heck, as a bonus, just to show how he handled interviewing, here’s his interview with Ewan McGregor.  Keep in mind that he’s not a professional interview, and he was just thrown into this the night before.  At the very least, watch the first 90 seconds.  You’ll understand why –

​By the way I have a theory here.  Notice that at around the 1:30 mark, Ewan McGregor sort of looks up quickly, slightly to his left, and says, “Oh, the albums…” and then tells Birbiglia about how his daughter “told me to tell you” that she has all his albums.  My theory is that his daughter is right there with her dad, just off camera, because she’s a Big Fan of Mike Birbiglia.  And when he looks up and says, “Oh, the albums…” it’s because his daughter realizes her dad forgot to tell her favorite comedian that she has all his albums and so she said, “
His albums.”  Which is why he raises his head and says, “Oh, the albums…” and makes clear, “She told me to tell you…”  I could be wrong, it’s possible that he simply remembered he was supposed to tell Birbiglia.  But it would be odd phrasing, “Oh, the albums…” if he wasn’t prompted, so that’s my theory.  Go watch it again, and I think I make a good case.
2 Comments

Today's Random Thought

4/16/2022

0 Comments

 
Yesterday, President Zelenskyy said he felt like Bill Murray in “Groundhog Day," having to answer the same question over and over every day.  If "Saturday Night Live" can pull it off, they should ask Bill Murray to come in to do a sketch as Zelenskyy.
0 Comments

It's Easy Being This Green

4/3/2022

0 Comments

 
I loved the sitcom Green Acres, which ran from 1965-1971, and even still watch it on occasion.  It was really smart, significantly-smarter than it appears on the surface as just a low-brow hick comedy.  Weird, subversive in its humor, clever and continually breaking the fourth wall, referencing the audience (especially when having fun with the opening and end credits, but much more). 

This ran on Nick at Nite, with Marc Summers serving as host.  He does an okay job, though far too often cuts off the guest answering.  And oddly, he doesn’t bring Eddie Albert into the conversation much.  However, Eva Gabor and Pat Buttram are wonderful.  Also included are two other of show's smaller, but fun regulars, there Alvy Moore and Sid Melton.  Because this is Nick at Nite, it’s sort of required to be a bit sillier than one would wish for such a fun gathering, but it all fits well enough. 


As a bonus, this is the full TV reunion movie they refer to.  Made in 1990, it’s actually pretty enjoyable, which is impressive for a show that went off the air 20 years earlier.  I think I posted it a long while back, but it fits here again.
 
0 Comments
<<Previous
    Picture
    Picture
    Elisberg Industries gets a commission if you click here before shopping on Amazon.
    Picture
    Follow @relisberg

    Author

    Robert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. 

    Elisberg is a two-time recipient of the Lucille Ball Award for comedy screenwriting. He's written for film, TV, the stage, and two best-selling novels, is a regular columnist for the Writers Guild of America and was for
    the Huffington Post.  Among his other writing, he has a long-time column on technology (which he sometimes understands), and co-wrote a book on world travel.  As a lyricist, he is a member of ASCAP, and has contributed to numerous publications.



    Picture
           Feedspot Badge of Honor

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Categories

    All
    Animals
    Audio
    Audio Land
    Books
    Business
    Chicago
    Consumer Product
    Education
    Email Interview
    Entertainment
    Environment
    Fine Art
    Food
    From The Management
    Health
    History
    Huffery
    Humor
    Internet
    Journalism
    Law
    Los Angeles
    Media
    Morning News Round Up
    Movies
    Music
    Musical
    Personal
    Photograph
    Piano Puzzler
    Politics
    Popular Culture
    Profiles
    Quote Of The Day
    Radio
    Religion
    Restaurants
    Science
    Sports
    Technology
    Tech Tip
    Theater
    The Writers Workbench
    Tidbits
    Travel
    Tv
    Twitter
    Video
    Videology
    Well Worth Reading
    Words-o-wisdom
    Writing

    RSS Feed

© Copyright Robert J. Elisberg 2022
Contact Us    About EI    Chicago Cubs
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Products
    • Books
    • Movies
  • About Elisberg Industries
    • Our Corporate Board
    • Information Overstock
    • Elisberg Industries Entertainment Information
    • Elisberg Statistical Center of American Research
    • Consultancy Service
  • Contact
    • How to Find Us
  • Kudos
  • Good Things to Know
    • The BOB Page
    • Sites You Might Actually Like