Monthly Archives: December 2015

My pal Kliph Nesteroff hand-delivered my copy of his new book, The Comedians, to my home to give me something to read while my knee was getting better. I love what I've read of it but I haven't finished it because I keep spending time to listening to great radio interviews he's giving. He was on recently with another pal, Paul Harris, for a 44-minute chat that you won't want to miss if you're anywhere near as interested in the history of comedy (especially stand-up comedy) as I am. Here's where you can hear it.

Jonathan Chait discusses how the arguments of the Climate Change deniers have had to change. It used to be they insisted the climate was not changing. Now, they kinda have to argue that it is changing but nothing human beings can do can stop it.

Here's my question: If nothing can be done to stop it, shouldn't we now be spending tons o' dough to relocate homes, build dams and levees, install new drain systems, etc.? Hurricane Katrina caused over $100 billion in damages. If you'd known it was coming, might it not have been prudent to prepare better for it?

A few loose ends before I disappear for the rest of the day. Yes, I have heard from many folks that George Lucas gets a credit or two on the new Star Wars movie. The point I hope I made clear is that Mr. Lucas negotiated his deal and the sale of his property and that he did so with what I assume is a real, vetted-by-lawyers contract. Someone like Bill Finger back in the early days of comics had a "deal" forced on him — a deal that was not set down on paper and which had its terms dictated by one side. There's a big difference there.

PBS is debuting a special on composer Richard Sherman later today and it reruns a few times over the next few days. I haven't seen it but I'd be very surprised if it wasn't well worth watching.

In a gesture of fairness, I didn't watch the Democratic debate either. What I saw in clips made me think Hillary Clinton has stopped running against Bernie Sanders and is now campaigning against whoever the Republican nominee will be. I still don't think it'll be Trump but I have a hard time imagining it being any of those other folks on stage.

Some of the G.O.P. contenders are trying to rally some support with promises to outlaw Gay Marriage…or at the very least to protect the "religious rights" of those who want to shun same-sex couples or not service them in stores or such. The folks saying they can ban it might just as well be vowing to single-handedly strangle every member of ISIS or abolish all taxes. As conservative pundit Rod Dreher writes, "As a socially conservative Christian, I may not like it, but same-sex marriage is here to stay. Our side lost this battle in the culture war." The latter goal — freeing folks to act on anti-gay sentiments — might be possible but it probably won't rally voters to support a Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio so G.O.P. leaders have little interest in it.

Thanks to all of you who took the occasion of this blog's 15th birthday to donate money to it. We don't do this for the loot (since there isn't much of it) but it's always nice to feel appreciated that way. Barring late-breaking news, I'll be back here tomorrow posting at the usual pace.

Here's the video of that Live From Lincoln Center special I mentioned in the previous message. Its full title is Sinatra: Voice for a Century, which is an odd name considering that I don't think Frank's voice is heard anywhere in it. But it has some nice musical numbers in it and yes, I won my bet. They do sing "New York, New York" in it — as a duet by Seth MacFarlane and Christina Aguilera. Give it a peek…

…and by the way, does anyone know how many Bernadette Peterses there have been? I figured out long ago that as soon as one of them starts showing signs of age, they quietly retire her and bring in a new one who's twenty years younger, but I've lost track of the number of times they've done this. The one in this show must be #4 or #5 at least…

You may have heard about the data breach of Democratic voter records and a lot of accusations between the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Bernie Sanders campaign. It seems to have all been resolved and Sanders apologized in last night's debate and reportedly fired one or more someones. If you want to know what actually happened, pay no attention to all the folks who didn't have a clue but wrote about it anyway. The one guy on the 'net who seems to understand it is David Atkins.

I'm watching a Live at Lincoln Center concert right now on my TiVo, recorded last night off PBS. It's called Sinatra and it's a tribute to the man on the 100th anniversary of his birth.

Now, they're telling a lot of stories about Sinatra's life and that's fine but most of the show is folks like Bernadette Peters, Sting, Sutton Foster and host Seth MacFarlane singing songs that Sinatra recorded. Seth, for example, just sang "I've Got the World on a String."

Am I the only person who's ever bothered by this kind of thing? It's like someone said, "Hey, let's pay tribute to Frank by having other people sing all his big hits!" Frank didn't write any of these songs so it's more like a showcase for the genius of Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn, as well as others who composed these tunes. There's little to no trace of Ol' Blue Eyes in any of these performances.

Imagine if you went to see something billed as "A Tribute to Rex Harrison" and the show consisted of doing My Fair Lady with someone else playing Henry Higgins in a different style. What a monument to the talent of Rex Harrison that would be.

Now, Sting is singing "Witchcraft," which was written by Carolyn Leigh and Cy Coleman. I guess you could argue that Frank gets credit for making the song famous in the first place. You could also argue that these songs endure quite well without Sinatra's participation so maybe he was just the lucky guy who got to sing them first. (Oh, wait. Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby recorded "I've Got the World on a String" before Sinatra did. And I've got twenty bucks that says somebody sings "New York, New York," which Frank also didn't introduce, before this show is over.)

I'm probably overthinking this. It's a fine show and the little stories about Sinatra between numbers speak of his contributions to the world. But it just seems odd to me that you honor a man like Sinatra by gathering up a bunch of songs he was once known for…and removing all the Sinatra from them.

Richard B. wrote to ask…

Thank you for reposting the Mel Tormé Xmas story. I enjoyed it very much and shared it with many friends. I can well believe it is the most popular thing you have posted on your blog but I have a question. What do you think has been the second-most popular thing you have posted on your blog?

Probably my story about Larry Hagman. Also, I got an unbelievable number of hits on several of the pieces I posted about Johnny Carson upon his death but that was because several huge news sites linked to them.

But I don't track this kind of thing very closely so I can't give you any sort of real breakdown. I think I'd rather not know that a given post was or was not very popular. That's another of the many reasons I don't take paid advertising. If you do, you have to pay attention to that sort of thing.

Daniel Larison explains how the Republican presidential candidates are woefully ignorant about foreign policy, criticizing Obama for things that were beyond his reach or which Bush did. There is much to criticize about the current administration's handling of some matters but instead of doing that, the candidates are making stuff up to fit the narrative of Obama as weak and blind to the dangers of jihadism.

In other news, Jeb Bush just said, "Donald Trump is a jerk!" But Bush is apparently still pledged to support Trump if the "jerk" wins the nomination. Okay. Bush also keeps saying that Trump can't "insult his way to the presidency." I'm waiting for him to add, "But I can!"

Dick Van Dyke was making the rounds last week celebrating his 90th birthday. I was going to say, "I hope I'm in half as good shape as that man when I'm 90" but I think I'd settle for being 50% as spry by this Christmas. Anyway, he was on with Conan O'Brien the other night and he brought along his singing group, The Vantastix, to perform this number along with Conan. Here it is as posted on YouTube…

Later in the show, there was a nice moment: The Brian Setzer Orchestra was on and in tribute to Dick, they played a nice "big band" rendition of the theme from The Dick Van Dyke Show. I originally embedded it in this spot but it was only available as a link to Conan's own site, which means it was loaded with advertising and didn't stop after that number but went on to play the rest of the show. Those embeds play havoc with some browsers so I took it out. If you want to see it, you can view it here.

I find most of the political articles over at Salon to be worth reading and generally on the mark. Even when I disagree with them, I at least feel the person writing the piece understands how politics works in general. This is not so with most of the pieces there about television, especially late night television.

Here's an exception. It's Sarah Burris writing about Stephen Colbert's disappointing ratings. She makes a number of sound points including the fact that while people say his liberal politics are alienating some viewers, equally-liberal politics aren't crashing some other shows. Me, I think Colbert's problem is that he hasn't yet figured out a way to make his show different enough.

It's kind of the same problem Leno had when he first took over The Tonight Show and it was like he was still guest-hosting for Johnny instead of doing his own program. It doesn't feel like Colbert's doing David Letterman's show but it also doesn't feel quite like he's doing his own yet.

That said, I still like his show — even some interviews with folks who'd be of no interest to me if someone else was interviewing them. I'm quite willing to wait until he finds himself and from what I'm hearing, so is CBS.

In the last few days, I've received a couple of versions of this question. This version is from Matthew Wecksell…

In light of your blog's coverage of Bill Finger's lack of credit for Batman, what does newsfromme think about the advertisements and posters for the new Star Wars not crediting George Lucas? There is no "Based on characters created by…" Or "Based on Star Wars created by" to be seen.

Perhaps the film itself will have a credit. Perhaps a billion dollars means you no longer need to get an on-screen credit.

Well, I only met Bill Finger for about five minutes but I have a feeling he would gladly have accepted a billion dollars or a fraction of that in lieu of a proper credit. As it happened, he got neither. Mr. Lucas received both. If he's being overlooked on the posters and ads — and has he indicated that he cares? — that would be a function of him not negotiating that credit when he sold his property.

I don't see the two situations as remotely similar. Lucas got his credit on the films and became world famous. Does anyone not know George Lucas is the man who gave us Star Wars? His name was on the movies, whereas I don't believe Bill Finger ever saw his name on a Batman comic book he authored.

The difference? Lucas negotiated to sell his rights from a position of strength (with lawyers and advisors aplenty, no doubt) in a mature industry. Finger didn't have the chance to negotiate. He was swept into an industry — take it or leave it — that then didn't treat most of its creators that well. I'm real, real happy to see Finger now receiving credit and I assume/hope his granddaughter is receving a little of the money he should have earned in his lifetime.

As for George Lucas, I know I've quoted my Uncle Aaron before here on situations like this. He once said, "Never feel sorry for anyone who makes more than a million dollars a year."

On a related topic, people keep asking me if I've seen the new Star Wars film yet and if so, what did I think of it. I think I haven't seen it and that there's no rush to go and stand in line for eleven hours because when I do get around to seeing it, it will be the exact same film and I'll probably get a better seat then.

Since today is this blog's birthday, I thought I'd repost what may be my favorite of all the videos to which I've linked. This is the great man of the stage, George S. Irving, re-creating a number he performed in a 1976 Broadway show that, alas, closed rapidly. It was called So Long, 174th Street but in hindsight, people took to calling it Enter Laughing, which was the name of the novel by Carl Reiner upon which it was based.

All you need to know is the show (and novel and movie) concerned David Kolowitz, a young man in 1938 who dreams of becoming a huge star in Hollywood. Robert Morse played the role on the stage. Mr. Irving played his butler in a fantasy sequence, imagining what that stardom might be like…

Here's a story that should please any decent American — especially Jon Stewart, who devoted a lot of time to fighting for this…

WASHINGTON — Lifetime health benefits for sickened 9/11 first responders won overwhelming approval Friday from Congress after a long and contentious battle. The House and the Senate both voted to extend the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, giving coverage to those afflicted with Ground Zero-related health woes for the next 75 years. "It's a very good day," said Joseph Zadroga, whose firefighter son James died in January 2006 from health issues caused by his time in toxic Lower Manhattan after the World Trade Center attack.

I think I understand why this wasn't passed unanimously the first time it was mentioned. We have a toxic, divided atmosphere in Congress and no one wants to give up anything without seeing if they can't get something in return. Still, you'd think there should be a few things that are beyond that consideration. You'd also think there are things a Congressperson could vote for or against that would cause even his or her supporters to decide the Congressperson was scum who should be turned out of office for sheer inhumanity. But I guess that doesn't happen.

Hey, I have a question and I read a number of online articles and couldn't find an answer to this. Everyone said this bill applied to "first responders" who took ill from being around the World Trade Center rubble. But didn't a lot of second responders and third responders and workers who began there a week or two after 9/11 suffer the same problems? That was a massive, nasty clean-up job. Has "first responders" become a term for all who worked there? Doesn't this bill cover people who weren't actually on duty on 9/11 but still did a lot of dirty, unsafe work to dig bodies out of the debris there and mop up after the tragedy?

This is the most popular thing I've ever posted on this weblog. In fact, it's so popular that proprietors of other sites have thought nothing of just copying the whole thing and posting it on their pages, often with no mention of me and with the implication that they are the "I" in this tale. Please don't do that — to me or anyone. By all means, post a link to it but don't just appropriate it and especially don't let people think it's your work. This is the season for giving, not taking.

Yes, it's true…and I was very happy to learn from two of Mel Tormé's kids that their father had happily told them of the incident. Hearing that was my present…

I want to tell you a story…

The scene is Farmers Market — the famed tourist mecca of Los Angeles. It's located but yards from the facility they call, "CBS Television City in Hollywood"…which, of course, is not in Hollywood but at least is very close.

Farmers Market is a quaint collection of bungalow stores, produce stalls and little stands where one can buy darn near anything edible one wishes to devour. You buy your pizza slice or sandwich or Chinese food or whatever at one of umpteen counters, then carry it on a tray to an open-air table for consumption.

During the Summer or on weekends, the place is full of families and tourists and Japanese tour groups. But this was a winter weekday, not long before Christmas, and the crowd was mostly older folks, dawdling over coffee and danish. For most of them, it's a good place to get a donut or a taco, to sit and read the paper.

For me, it's a good place to get out of the house and grab something to eat. I arrived, headed for my favorite barbecue stand and, en route, noticed that Mel Tormé was seated at one of the tables.

Mel Tormé. My favorite singer. Just sitting there, sipping a cup of coffee, munching on an English Muffin, reading The New York Times. Mel Tormé.

I had never met Mel Tormé. Alas, I still haven't and now I never will. He looked like he was engrossed in the paper that day so I didn't stop and say, "Excuse me, I just wanted to tell you how much I've enjoyed all your records." I wish I had.

Instead, I continued over to the BBQ place, got myself a chicken sandwich and settled down at a table to consume it. I was about halfway through when four Christmas carolers strolled by, singing "Let It Snow," a cappella.

They were young adults with strong, fine voices and they were all clad in splendid Victorian garb. The Market had hired them (I assume) to stroll about and sing for the diners — a little touch of the holidays.

"Let It Snow" concluded not far from me to polite applause from all within earshot. I waved the leader of the chorale over and directed his attention to Mr. Tormé, seated about twenty yards from me.

"That's Mel Tormé down there. Do you know who he is?"

The singer was about 25 so it didn't horrify me that he said, "No."

I asked, "Do you know 'The Christmas Song?'"

Again, a "No."

I said, "That's the one that starts, 'Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…'"

"Oh, yes," the caroler chirped. "Is that what it's called? 'The Christmas Song?'"

"That's the name," I explained. "And that man wrote it." The singer thanked me, returned to his group for a brief huddle…and then they strolled down towards Mel Tormé. I ditched the rest of my sandwich and followed, a few steps behind. As they reached their quarry, they began singing, "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…" directly to him.

A big smile formed on Mel Tormé's face — and it wasn't the only one around. Most of those sitting at nearby tables knew who he was and many seemed aware of the significance of singing that song to him. For those who didn't, there was a sudden flurry of whispers: "That's Mel Tormé…he wrote that…"

As the choir reached the last chorus or two of the song, Mel got to his feet and made a little gesture that meant, "Let me sing one chorus solo." The carolers — all still apparently unaware they were in the presence of one of the world's great singers — looked a bit uncomfortable. I'd bet at least a couple were thinking, "Oh, no…the little fat guy wants to sing."

But they stopped and the little fat guy started to sing…and, of course, out came this beautiful, melodic, perfectly-on-pitch voice. The look on the face of the singer I'd briefed was amazed at first…then properly impressed.

On Mr. Tormé's signal, they all joined in on the final lines: "Although it's been said, many times, many ways…Merry Christmas to you…" Big smiles all around.

And not just from them. I looked and at all the tables surrounding the impromptu performance, I saw huge grins of delight…which segued, as the song ended, into a huge burst of applause. The whole tune only lasted about two minutes but I doubt anyone who was there will ever forget it.

I have witnessed a number of thrilling "show business" moments — those incidents, far and few between, where all the little hairs on your epidermis snap to attention and tingle with joy. Usually, these occur on a screen or stage. I hadn't expected to experience one next to a falafel stand — but I did.

Tormé thanked the harmonizers for the serenade and one of the women said, "You really wrote that?"

He nodded. "A wonderful songwriter named Bob Wells and I wrote that…and, get this — we did it on the hottest day of the year in July. It was a way to cool down."

Then the gent I'd briefed said, "You know, you're not a bad singer." He actually said that to Mel Tormé.

Mel chuckled. He realized that these four young folks hadn't the velvet-foggiest notion who he was, above and beyond the fact that he'd worked on that classic carol. "Well," he said. "I've actually made a few records in my day…"

"Really?" the other man asked. "How many?"

Tormé smiled and said, "Ninety."

I probably own about half of them on vinyl and/or CD. For some reason, they sound better on vinyl. (My favorite was the album he made with Buddy Rich. Go ahead. Find me a better parlay of singer and drummer. I'll wait.)

Today, as I'm reading obits, I'm reminded of that moment. And I'm impressed to remember that Mel Tormé was also an accomplished author and actor. Mostly though, I'm recalling that pre-Christmas afternoon.

I love people who do something so well that you can't conceive of it being done better. Doesn't even have to be something important: Singing, dancing, plate-spinning, mooning your neighbor's cat, whatever. There is a certain beauty to doing almost anything to perfection.

No recording exists of that chorus that Mel Tormé sang for the other diners at Farmers Market but if you never believe another word I write, trust me on this. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

When I started posting items every day on my website, there wasn't much in the way of software to make that easy. I had to just do it all by hand in HTML, which now feels like trying to wash your laundry by beating it on a rock in a river. Now, I have been known to post from my iPhone while far from my home computer. That doesn't change things much from where you are but it sure feels different from my end.

The current software tells me that once I post this, there will be exactly 22,500 posts on this site. Less than 4,000 of them did not plug Frank Ferrante, infuriate my right-wing friend Roger or urge the abolition of cole slaw.

This would be a good time to thank all of you who've sent kind words and/or submitted interesting links or corrections and/or made donations. I do this mainly for my own sanity — what little I may still have — because it's fun to "sketch" and to do something that's all mine with no collaborator or employer to say, "How about if we change this?" But it's more fun when I'm reminded that there are people out there who actually read the thing and recommend it to others. So thanks for that. I do not accept advertising and I rarely plug what I have out that you can purchase…so your response is my main reward.

Later today, I'll re-post the most popular story I've ever put up here in fifteen years, plus I'll find some other goodies before the day is out. Just my way of showing my appreciation.