Monthly Archives: August 2017

Most of the news out of the White House this weekend seems to be about stopping leaks, prosecuting those who leak, forcing reporters to divulge who the leakers are, etc. I'm not seeing the word "untrue" or any synonym in there very often. They're not saying, "We will prosecute those who leak these untrue stories."

When the full story of the Trump Administration is written, the main "good guys" may turn out to be the leakers — men and women who stayed on to work in a chaotic, hostile environment to serve their country and to warn that country of what's really going on in there. You don't leak some of the things they've leaked unless you think the nation does need to be warned.

I just don't get why Trump and his minions aren't denying the stories more forcefully. Or why they aren't trying to make the case that certain leaks have compromised U.S. security. They say that puts us at risk and then most of us look at the leaks and all we see are tales of Donald Trump not knowing what he's doing or saying things that aren't true. That's the kind of thing that's fine with everyone when it isn't their guy looking like a boob.

This post is mainly for folks who live in the Southern California area. Here, we have a company called 3-D Theatricals that stages revivals of great musicals in two venues. They mount a show and put it on for a brief time at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center and then move it for a while to the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts — or maybe sometimes they start in Cerritos and finish in Redondo Beach, I don't know. All I know is their shows are pretty good.

Last night, we went to see Spamalot in Redondo Beach. That's not an easy show to put on because it requires a ton of costumes and some pretty costly sets. Fortunately, they got both from some other production…probably a touring company. They sure didn't build all that stuff for nine performances in one place and nine more in another.

It looked really good and the performers were really good, especially Martin Kildare as King Arthur, Chelle Denton as The Lady of the Lake, Marc Ginsburg as Sir Lancelot (and others), Jeff Skowron as Sir Robin (and others) and Erik Scott Romney as Patsy (and other). The direction and choreography — which closely recreate what transpired on Broadway — were by Carol Bentley. My curiosity is aroused by the fact that the program book credits Casey Nicholaw with the original choreography but I could find no mention of Mike Nichols, who directed the original production.

What 3-D Theatricals gave us was a very, very faithful production. They've tossed in a few new lines — there was one about Mitch McConnell, one about buying tickets on Goldstar and one about James Blackman, who is the gent who used to stage musicals at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center before his company got evicted for financial problems. The laugh at the mention of his name suggested that 3-D has inherited a lot of his former subscribers. Anyway, we had a very good time.

If you're local and you want to catch it, there's a matinee today — probably too late for you to get there — and four performances next weekend. These are all in Redondo Beach in a great theater that's only about ten minutes south of LAX. Then there are nine more between August 18 and August 27 in Cerritos. Not-very-expensive tickets can be ordered here and they're even cheaper on Goldstar. If you can afford the full-price ones, order those because I'd like to see this company thrive. They're doing Young Frankenstein in October.

A tip: I love the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center. It's a full-size, fully-functional Broadway-quality theater with seats that have actual legroom. Parking is a breeze and the place is located about a six minute non-freeway drive from a section of Rosecrans Avenue in El Segundo that is loaded with good places to eat before. We went to McCormick & Schmick's but there's also a Houston's, a Fleming's, a P.F. Chang's, a Marmalade Cafe, a Johnny Rocket's, a Chipotle, an Il Fornaio, a California Fish Grill, a Grimaldi's Pizza and many more.

It's one of the easiest venues where I ever go to see a show and the staff at the P.A.C. is delightful. There was an older usher lady who volunteered to show us to our seats and I said, "Thanks but I'll bet I can find them." She replied, "Hey, you're an amateur at that and I'm a trained professional!" I decided she was right so I let her at least show us which row we were in. (The theater is a little too big so do spring for seats closer to the stage.)

Otters chasing a butterfly. Submitted by Tam Laniado…

Been kinda busy the last few days with work and with folks contacting me about the June Foray Celebration. Everything should be under control now. Details on how to attend the event for June will be announced shortly. The theater seats 1,010 and we are expecting a full house.

I'll try to get through the weekend without posting a Trump Dump…but if I did, it would certainly include an essay by Jonathan Chait entitled "Trump's Fledgling Presidency Has Already Collapsed." I don't know that I agree with his conclusion but I have a hard time arguing with any of Chait's evidence.

Also, I might link you to Kevin Drum pointing out that Republicans are not, as they claim, interested in Tax Reform for all. They're just interested in Tax Reduction for the rich.

We continue to close in on 25,000 posts on this blog. This one is #24,601.

As I've mentioned, I will be a guest at the Baltimore Comic-Con which is September 22-24. It's looking like I'll also be at the New York Comic Con, which is October 5-8.

To those in the L.A. area, we recommend The Black Version, the fine improv troupe I've written about before…like here, for instance. Their next show is this coming Friday evening and I'll be there. If you want to be there, there may still be tickets. Go here and find out.

It's been my pleasure/honor/thrill (pick one) to know and work with a grand lady of show business, Rose Marie. Her role on my favorite program, The Dick Van Dyke Show, alone would make that so but it only represented a small fraction of the longest career anyone has ever had in the field of entertainment.

She began performing around the age of three (some say four) and soon was world famous the child star, Baby Rose Marie. And unlike a lot of child stars, she remained a star when no longer a child. It's an amazing story and it is well-told in a documentary I saw Thursday Evening. It's called Wait For Your Laugh and at the moment, it has no distribution deal, no scheduled release date. But that will change because it's magnificent and when it does come out, rush to see it.

Don't want to take my word for it? The screening was followed by a panel discussion with Rose, filmmaker Jason Wise, Carl Reiner, Dick Van Dyke and Peter Marshall. Carl, Dick and Peter are in the film, though the first two had not seen it before we all did the other night. The first thing out of Carl's mouth when the panel convened — before moderator Alison Martino even had the chance to ask anyone a question — was that it was the finest documentary he'd ever seen…and Dick concurred. Carl even went so far as to pledge he'd work the phones, calling important folks in the film business he knows. He wants to get the doc out there so it can be seen by all and win, doubtlessly, many awards.

Now, granted: Mr. Wise had a great subject. Rose's story is one of romance and heartbreak, success and failure…but most of all, persistence. She never went away because she has always stubbornly refused to go away. Wise was also helped because Rose hoarded memorabilia of her life and even had home movies taken on the set of many of the shows she did. The audience Thursday night was stunned to see color silent footage of rehearsals of The Dick Van Dyke Show, among others. Beyond all that though, it's really a well-made film that sets a new "high bar" for documentaries about people like Rose Marie.

This is not to suggest there is or has ever been someone else like Rose Marie. And there sure never will be again.

I don't want to get you all hot and bothered to see this film because you can't…not right now, probably not in the next few months. But when you can, do. It's a wonderful movie about a wonderful lady. I loved seeing it and I especially loved seeing Rose, being cheered with standing ovation after standing ovation, having what may have been the best night of her very long life.

Elvis Costello and Tony Bennett — together again for the first time…

After 5:30 AM, everything you write seems brilliant. It may stink after a good night's sleep but right now, it's brilliant so I'm going to bed. We'll see if it's any good when I awaken. Good night, Internet.

Several of you. starting with Anthony Tollin, have sent me a link to this article by Cullen Murphy, who is the son of John Cullen Murphy, the artist who did (among other newspaper strips), Big Ben Bolt and after Hal Foster retired, Prince Valiant. The younger Murphy writes of an extraordinary county at an extraordinary time, when countless comic strips were written and drawn there. There is no comparable community today. There's camaraderie at groups like the National Cartoonists Society but it's not the same as when so many talented folks lived ten minutes apart.

I often notice when people are using a word in different ways. In the comic book field, some use the word "hack" to denote a writer or artist who turns in shoddy work, knocked-out as fast as possible, just to get a paycheck. And some use it to denote a writer or artist who reliably turns out decent work at an amazing volume. Those are not the same thing and sometimes, I read a piece where someone says "So-and-So is a hack" and I honestly don't know if the person writing that piece intends it as an insult or not.

In much the same way lately, folks talk about a politician "pivoting." Some mean that the person is changing position, doing a turnabout to support that which he or she formerly opposed or vice-versa. It's like how we keep hearing that Donald Trump will "pivot" and become more presidential. I suspect we'll still be hearing that on his last day in office.

And some talk about "pivoting" as changing the subject so as to avoid answering a hard or dangerous question. The other night, Al Franken was on with Stephen Colbert and they talked a lot about "pivoting" using the latter definition.

I have no major point here; just that we should be aware that, to paraphrase Inigo Montoya, some words don't mean what some people think they mean.

A recurring theme in politics these days is how Trump supporters let him get away with stuff that they would have said was disqualifying and proof of lying and low moral fibre if done by a Democrat. Imagine if Clinton or Obama had bragged about receiving phone calls of support…and then the White House had to admit that those calls never took place. I have friends who used to cite Clinton's "I didn't inhale" quote as inarguable evidence that the man was a congenital liar and shouldn't be believed to tell you what day of the week it was.

We keep reading articles that say Trump will "pivot" and start being more presidential in the classic tradition. As Nate Silver notes, this never happens. Silver also notes that Trump's disapproval rating is getting so large and intense that it might not do Trump much good to "pivot." Personally, I wonder how many of those who say they do approve of Trump really do. Some of them have to be seething that he's been so ineffectual, that he's reversed himself on so many campaign pledges and that he's done so many things that make them squirm (like the Boy Scout thing) when their Trump-bashing friends point them as evidence that their boy is a liar and/or moron.

In the same vein, Frank Rich says all the attempts to re-staff and course-correct the White House will fail because the problem isn't the people Trump hires. It's the guy doing the hiring.

Trump is about to embark on what will probably be a long and costly (to taxpayers) vacation. This is the same man who used to bash Obama for taking shorter, cheaper vacations.

Kevin Drum explains why Single-Payer Health Insurance ain't as easy to set up as some people think it is. It could take a long time to get it up and running.

There will be a public tribute to June Foray on Tuesday, September 19 in the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in the headquarters of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This is the building located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California. The event will be in the evening and that's darn near all I can tell you about it right now. This is just a "save the date" message. Watch this blog for information on how to get seats for this sure-to-be-jammed celebration of the very talented and much-loved Ms. Foray.

And yes, September 19 is one day after the date that would have been June's 100th birthday. We couldn't get the theater for Monday night because it was already booked for something else.

My buddy Richard Turner shows you why you can't win at Three Card Monte — not even if you're playing against a blind guy…

Jeffrey Toobin re-reads The Final Days by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein and finds much in it that parallels the Trump/Russia story…and much that Trump and his team could stand to learn.

Matt Taibbi — who won the pool on how many days before Anthony Scaramucci would be canned — says that there's really no way to work for this president. It's a lose/lose job no matter what you do.

Noah Millman elaborates on the kind of thing Taibbi's talking about. On the campaign trail, Trump used to say of some problem facing this country, "I alone can fix it." It's looking like he may have to fix these things alone.

What can Trump do about the situation with North Korea? Alex Ward runs down the options and they don't seem very promising. One does get the feeling that Trump supporters want him to be "really, really tough" but that they (and Trump) don't have any ideas about any courses of action other than to give tough-sounding speeches.

Daniel McCarthy, an editor at the American Conservative, explains why Trump fans stick with Trump. Says he, it's because they ain't going back to the days of George W. Bush so they have nowhere else to turn.

And Jonathan Chait thinks that Trump "has fully erased the boundary between legitimate conservatism and the most disreputable paranoid discourse on the far right." To support this president, you kind of have to buy into all sorts of looney beliefs and wear a chapeau made of Reynolds Wrap.

I'm going to be back in New York later this year for the first time in a long while. I hope Bette Midler is still doing Hello, Dolly! when I am and I hope my friend who brags about being able to get me good seats to "anything on Broadway" cheap is able to make good on this, Hamilton and a few others.

Here's some neat footage of a curtain call from Ms. Midler's show, shot by someone who apparently had front row seats. It's up close and personal, as they say, and Bette even shakes the hand of the person with the cameraphone…

John Oliver is, as you darn well know, being sued by a coal baron and that coal baron's company for defamation. The American Civil Liberties Union has filed an amicus curae brief in the matter and it's well worth a peek. It's a pretty good summary of why this case doesn't have much chance of success.