Recommended Reading

Harold Meyerson, who doesn't like George W. Bush very much, still thinks impeachment is a bad idea. Click and he'll tell you why.

Also, here's Mark Schmitt on why John McCain ain't all that different from the Republicans some of us thought were worse than him.

Belated Birthday

I was remiss in my blogging duties to not note the recent 85th birthday of MAD Magazine's Al Jaffee. He was born 3/13/21 but is still producing the monthly MAD Fold-In feature, which he's been doing for the magazine since 1964 with only the occasional month off.

Jaffee, according to the definitive book on people who've drawn for that silly publication, began his comic book career in 1941 at Quality Comics. He later became a writer-editor and occasional artist for Timely Comics and soon segued into a close relationship with Harvey Kurtzman, which led to him participating in some of Kurtzman's last issues of MAD as well as several post-MAD projects. It also led to him working for Kurtzman's successor at MAD, Al Feldstein, and becoming a mainstay of the magazine, first as a writer and later as a writer-artist. Along with the fold-in, he created the recurring feature, "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions," which David Letterman has (actually) cited as a fine summation of all he does for a living.

Al is also a wonderful gentleman who loves to talk about comics and Mad and just about anything else. He is much loved by his colleagues and, of course, his readers too. And probably other people, as well, now that I think of it. It's hard not to like Al Jaffee, which is why no one's ever tried it.

Fortunately, though I forgot the guy's birthday, Stephen Colbert didn't. He did a nice little tribute to Al at the end of Monday night's The Colbert Report. He even displayed a cake decorated to read "Al…you have repeatedly shown artistry & care of great credit to your field. Love, Stephen Colbert."

Of course, when you remove the center section and push the left and right pieces together, it says something else.

The Kingfish Lives!

A black theater group in New York has mounted a play called Kingfish, Amos and Andy that resurrects the characters from the old Amos and Andy TV show. One of these days, someone's going to put those old programs back on the air and everyone will wonder why they were ever taken off.

Site News

I've removed a section of this website…the one called Mark's Las Vegas Guide. I decided that since I haven't been to that town for a few years, its advice and reviews were way too far outta-date. I'll bring it back someday if I ever feel it's properly updated.

Recommended Reading

There's a new report from the White House explaining our foreign policy and goals. Fred Kaplan reads it so you don't have to.

Today's Video Link

This is from last December. Nathan Lane appeared on Late Show With David Letterman and performed scenes from a forthcoming musical based on Brokeback Mountain. If Richard Rodgers hadn't died in 1979, this would have killed him…

VIDEO MISSING

Recommended Viewing

Last week, the C-Span show Q & A had an hour-long interview with Keith Olbermann. I found it quite interesting. Whatever you think of Olbermann (and obviously, I like him a lot), he's been a pretty persistent and outspoken competitor in the businesses of sports and news broadcasting. I can't link directly to the video — and wouldn't, since it's an hour long — but if you want to watch it, it's viewable on this page. There's also a transcript there if you don't want to go the video route.

Today's Political Rant

I think George W. Bush has been a disaster as a president but I also don't think much of moves to impeach or even censure him. Why? Well, censure seems like an excuse for not doing one's duty. If you think the guy really broke the law, you impeach. If he didn't break the law, you don't. Make up your mind, people. Which is it? If I'm accused of robbing a bank, I either go to prison or I don't. The judge is not going to split the difference and censure me.

But impeachment isn't much of an option, either…and it's interesting that most of the online articles that advocate this do not mention one unavoidable fact. It's that this guy Cheney is next in line. No one who wants to impeach Bush thinks Cheney would be an improvement so they just sidestep that little problem with their dream.

The problem the Democrats have, as I keep saying here, is that you can't beat something with nothing. Bush is at somewhere between 33% and 41% approval. I bet that number would drop at least ten points if his current supporters could see a viable alternative on the horizon. The trouble is that even most folks who think Bush is a terrible Chief Exec have trouble completing the sentence, "I would feel so much more confident with ______ in the White House" with a proper name. "Anyone else" is not a proper name. And even if we had a likely candidate, we have to wait until January of 2009 to inaugurate anyone who isn't currently in the presidential line of succession.

Face facts: We're stuck with Bush. Democrats should be running on the platform of "You need an opposition Congress to stop this guy." And they shouldn't be pretending that censure resolutions and talk of impeachments that aren't going to happen are the kind of opposition they're ready to supply.

Last Warning

Today is the last day to sign up for the TiVo lifetime subscription on any machine you own.

Happy Jerry Lewis Day!

Eighty years ago today, Joseph Levitch was born in Newark, New Jersey. He grew up — to the extent he grew up at all — to become one of the world's most beloved comedians, Jerry Lewis.

But he's a controversial beloved comedian. I know people who love him, people who hate him and people who feel some of both at the same time. It's not just the wide range of quality to his films or the way in one interview, he can ping-pong back and forth between humility and arrogance. There's just something electric about the man…something that makes him fascinating to watch.

In 1995, Jerry made his Broadway debut playing the devil in a revival production of Damn Yankees. My friend Paul Dini and I snagged tickets for his opening night and it was well worth the time 'n' trouble. The audience, packed with Lewis fans, gave him a huge ovation when he made his first appearance, popping up on an elevator from a hole in the stage. They gave him an even bigger ovation at the end when he took his bow, which he followed with a lovely, modest curtain speech. In between, they cheered and laughed at everything, but especially when he did something that just screamed, "JERRY LEWIS!!!" — a move, a reaction, even one "Hey, laydeeee" that somehow made its way into the dialogue. The star power was incandescent and I doubt anyone who was there will ever forget that evening.

As mentioned here, I saw Mr. Lewis speak recently. He looked in remarkably good shape, not only for a man his age but for one who's been through a chilling array of medical problems. To add to the list of things that make him special, you have the way he's defied all odds and the calendar. Throughout his life and career, he always told people he was six years old and it seems to be working.

By the way: Every history of Mr. Lewis, including those he authored, gives his birth name as Joseph. A few years ago, a devout Lewis fan checked the 1930 census data and found that it listed the son of Daniel and Rachael Levitch as Jerome. Could have been a mistake or it could have been his real moniker…who knows? I just think he's always been Jerry Lewis and always will be. It's nice to have one around.

Today's Video Link

A few weeks ago here — here, in fact — we were talking here about how the Monty Python TV series made its way onto American television. Here's a relevant relic: A videotape from a pledge break on the PBS station in Dallas. It's from 1975 and it's not complete but it's a rare interview from that era with Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin and Graham Chapman. As you'll see, it ends abruptly as Terry Jones is about to explain about "Owl Stretching Time," which was an early but rejected name for the series but you might enjoy what comes before…

VIDEO MISSING

Update

The appearance of Neal Adams on Coast to Coast appears to have been moved to tomorrow night.

Neal on the Radio

Ever listen to George Noory's radio program, Coast to Coast? That's the one that always seems to have someone on who's convinced that robots are stealing their luggage or that shifting glaciers will soon be running us all down on the freeways. On tonight's broadcast, a featured guest will be comic book legend Neal Adams, who will (I assume) be discussing his theories about the construction of our universe. You can see some of them presented with impressive graphics at Neal's website.

I've got to run out to a recording session of my own (they're doing commentary tracks and special features for the forthcoming release of the Dungeons and Dragons cartoons on DVD) so I haven't the time to research this better. But I think you can either listen live to the radio show at this website or hear it archived there after the fact. You can also probably turn on your radio but that's the low-tech way to do it. Thanks to Todd Bowland for the Head's Up on this.

Stacks of Wax

Ladies…are you tired of cleaning corners? Or being cornered by some lecherous acquaintance? Then maybe you need to live in a round building.

And soon, that may be possible. The historic Capitol Records building, located not far from Hollywood and Vine in Hollywood, California is up for sale and the interested parties are all talking Condo Conversion. Designed by Wilson Becket and built in 1956 as the home of the most powerful record company on the west coast, it was intended to resemble a stack of records…reportedly, a suggestion made by Nat King Cole, who recorded for the label. For a long time there, you either recorded for Capitol or you just quite weren't in the music business.

The 13-story building always kind of said "Hollywood." In fact, there's a red light atop the building that blinks on and off all night, spelling out "Hollywood" in Morse Code — a fact known only to any very old telegraph operators who happen to wander by. It's a structure that has been much photographed and of course, whenever anyone makes a movie about a disaster in Los Angeles, it's one of the first things we see destroyed.

I guess I'm glad no one is proposing its implosion. There are precious few things in Hollywood worth snapping a picture of, and tourists are always disappointed that the physical area is so lacking in glamorous sights. I don't think I ever walked through the intersection of Hollywood and Vine without noticing some outta-towners with cameras standing there and muttering, "This is it?" I used to think the Chamber of Commerce should hire a good Marilyn Monroe impersonator and have her stand there over a grate with air blowing up her skirt…just to give shutterbugs something to shoot. But at least the Capitol Records building was just up the street, and it looks like it'll remain that way. So the tourists will have something to take pictures of, and all they'll have to do is explain to their children what a "record" was.

Recommended Reading

Paul Krugman makes the case that John McCain, the Republican that even Democrats like, is not much different from the Republicans that Democrats don't like.