In the post I wrote yesterday about the Black Bart TV pilot, I erred. I knew it was Andrew Bergman who wrote the original script that morphed into Blazing Saddles but I typed the name of Norman Steinberg, who also worked on the final, Brooksified film. I have corrected the post and I hereby apologize to both men.
My former partner Dennis Palumbo was one of the writers of the wonderful movie, My Favorite Year. (The other was Norman Steinberg and I got it right this time) That film was, of course, inspired by the true-life antics of Errol Flynn and Sid Caesar, and Dennis has some thoughts about the passing of both Peter O'Toole (who played Flynn) and Sid.
Comic-Con International has announced another batch of Special Guests for this year and, lo and behold, I am among them. So is Sergio Aragonés so I guess that means we have to play Quick Draw! again on Saturday morning as we do every year. So I'll be hosting that along with hundreds of other panels. I already know what a few of them are likely to be and am excited…but I'm even more excited about the panels I'll be hosting at WonderCon in Anaheim this April. Details on both to come. And before anyone asks: I have no other conventions scheduled. Remind me one of these days to tell you why I turn down all other invites…and why I may never do another signing at a bookstore.
To answer a question I get daily in my e-mail: No, I still do not know when Cartoon Network is going to air the fourth season of The Garfield Show. It's run in every other country on this planet and C.N. has all twenty-six half-hours and can air them any time they like. I don't know why they haven't and I probably won't know when they will until my TiVo tells me they've been scheduled. You're going to be amazed at the animation on some of these.
I watched Mr. Fallon's second Tonight Show about halfway through and came close to canceling my TiVo Season Pass then and there. Nice guy…but I'm just uninterested in what he has to say. And it does occur to me that I can save a lot of time by not watching the show and then when anyone says "Hey, did you see that great bit Fallon did?," I can look just that segment up on YouTube. Anyway, his ratings were — as would be expected — down a bit from his first night but I don't think they matter much; not until The Olympics are over, Seth Meyers' show is in place and we have a few weeks of "normal" programming.