I was and am a big fan of a musical that came out a few years ago called Something Rotten. I never got to see it on Broadway but I saw two different national companies of it — one in Los Angeles and one in San Jose — and I enjoyed it a lot both times.

The best number in it by far was "A Musical," a slightly-cut version of which was performed as the opening of the Tony Awards in 2015. Here's a video of that number as performed by a touring company that was, at the time this video was made, in Korea. Don't worry. It's in English. But if you know Korean, you can sing along with the subtitles.

I don't know who anyone is in this clip and it could have benefited a lot from being recorded in front of a live audience, which would have loved it as every audience loves it. This is the actual staging from the U.S. version and it's probably the same sets and costumes from one of those touring companies…

• I wonder how many people who have been insisting they will never get vaccinated would go do it if those of us who got vaccinated right away would all promise not to say, "Told you so, told you so!"

Did you know that Arby's got rid of their potato cakes? They were a menu option for as long as I've been going (occasionally) to Arby's, which is maybe twice per non-Pandemic year. I assume it was not my lack of patronage that caused them to ditch this long-standing menu item. We live in a world where almost everyone loves french fries and if you ask them if they'd prefer an order of potato cakes with their roast beef sandwich, most would tell you, "I don't know what the hell potato cakes are but they couldn't possibly be better than french fries!"

And you know something? They weren't. But as I recall back in the Pleistocene Epoch when I began going to Arby's, they didn't have french fries. They had potato cakes so I ordered potato cakes. Later on, they offered your choice of potato cakes, seasoned curly fries or regular french fries and I kinda went eenie-meenie-minie-mo and then got the seasoned curly fries. But sometimes I'd opt for the potato cakes, which tasted a lot like what some other fast food places serve at Breakfast and call "hash browns."

Apart from when Scott Shaw! and I produced some giveaway comics for Burger King, I've never been employed by a fast food restaurant…although I did work for Hanna-Barbera for a number of years. If I was ever in charge of the menu at one of those chains, I think I'd pay me a lot of money and acquire my mother's recipe for potato latkes. They might turn out to be too labor-intensive for the industry…although that industry did manage to dumb-down Eggs Benedict into the Egg McMuffin. But if you could find a way to mass produce Mom's Potato Pancakes in a drive-thru environment and price them modestly, no one would ever order fries or hash browns ever again. And certainly not potato cakes…the side dish no one will ever miss.

A lady named Marina Coates does something interesting with architectural renderings on her computer. She watches old TV shows and attempts to map out the floorplans of the homes in which those shows were set. This involves great detective work and a certain amount of speculation about what was on those "fourth walls" that weren't there so there'd be a place to put the cameras.

This video is of 148 Bonnie Meadow Road in New Rochelle, New York — home of Rob and Laura Petrie and their son Ritchie. The rooms, as reconstructed by Ms. Coates, feel bigger to me on her video tour but it feels like she got just about everything in the right place. One of many details to note: Remember the episode where the British singing sensations The Redcoats (Chad & Jeremy) stayed in the Petries' guest room? Well, apparently they had to share a bathroom with Ritchie.

As you may know, I attended one filming of The Dick Van Dyke Show. It was a flashback to before they moved into the house we saw most weeks in the series. In fact, it was the episode in which the Petries bought that house but the only part of it in that episode was the infamous basement with the rock in it. Because of the rock, Rob said, he wouldn't have room for a pool table down there.

But then in another episode, as you'll see, we are in the basement again and it now has a pool table and no rock. This is the kind of continuity error that would have brought tons of angry mail if it had been made in a post-1961 Marvel Comic. Ignore that kind of thing and enjoy the tour…

• I wonder where some of those anti-vaxx crusaders are getting their "science." My policy is I don't listen to medical advice from anyone I wouldn't trust to take out my appendix.

Scott Marinoff is the fifth or sixth person to send me some version of this question…

We're both old enough to remember the original You Bet Your Life with Groucho Marx, as well as at least two re-boots, with Buddy Hackett and Bill Cosby. Neither of those fared well, as I recall. I think there may have also been one (or possibly two) additional planned or piloted versions somewhere along the way.

So, do you have any thoughts about this latest You Bet Your Life or predictions about how well it might do?

You know, as much a fan as I was of Groucho, it was never because of the game show. I thought Groucho was wonderful when he was able to show irreverence to some authority figure…but as the host of that program, he was the authority figure. And he was also an authority figure who had a staff of writers coming up with his ad-libs…and an editing crew that cut the show to make him funnier.

I didn't care for the Cosby or Hackett versions but I don't think they did much or any of that. The working premise of those revivals seemed to involve relying on the host's ability to improvise…and the contestants won what little they won because they were willing to come on and be compliant stooges for the star's banter. It was honest but not particularly interesting.

I think the format is stale. Game shows today have to feel important…like there's Life-Changing Money riding on the outcome. If you're offering that kind of dough, you kind of have to have tough questions. That means screening contestants to find ones who were smart enough or good enough game players that they had a real shot at winning. But on past incarnations of You Bet Your Life, including Groucho's, they were always more interested in booking contestants who'd give the host lots of opportunities to be funny.

I generally like Jay Leno but I didn't like when he used to do those Jaywalking segments where he showed you how clueless the Man (or Woman) on the Street could be when you shoved a microphone in their face and were expecting/hoping for dumb answers.

Then again: I haven't seen the show. I'm not sure anyone has. Do we know if they've even recorded any? The show's website doesn't say when it debuts or where and a lot of the online images say "Available Fall 2021," which is what you say when you're trying to find a station that will buy your program. Has anyone yet? I'm as clueless about this as a Jaywalking contestant.

I don't like judging a show before I've seen it. I don't even see the point of forming an opinion based on how you think it might be so I won't say if it'll be good or bad. At this point, I'm not even sure if it will be. I just think it's going to take a lot to make that show work today with any host.

The Criterion Company, which puts out quality DVDs and Blu Rays of great movies — and a few not-so-great ones — lets certain privileged people go in and help themselves to freebees from a big closet in their office. Back here, we saw what Nathan Lane took. Here's what Barry Levinson selected…

We were speaking of public places that will not admit you unless you have proof of vaccination or (maybe) proof of a recent negative test for you-know-what. I suddenly have a flurry of e-mails asking me if comic (and similar) conventions are requiring that or will require it…and how about that convention the San Diego Comic-Con people have announced for Thanksgiving Weekend. Here is my reply…

I don't know anything about any conventions. I would guess some are requiring such proofs or will. I would imagine a lot of advertised guests — especially the kind that people come to shake hands with or get a picture with — won't show if that isn't required. But on this as with so many other matters, my speculation is worth no more and perhaps no less than your speculation.

As for Comic-Con Special Edition, my answer (again) is I Don't Know. That's an absolutely correct answer to most questions you could ask me these days. Very little is known about that event other than it seems to still be planned for either November 26 and 27 or November 26-28 or maybe November 27 and 28, depending on which source you consult. I would imagine the convention planners are still having trouble determining things like how much of the convention center will be available to them, how many hotels and restaurants in the area will be open, what kind of transit problems they'll have, what labor problems they'll face doing it on that weekend, etc.

Sections of the convention center were modified to house homeless folks and various groups of stranded immigrants. How many of those modifications are being unmodified?

That said, it is worth noting that even as I post this, the San Diego Convention Center is hosting its first convention since March of 2020. Approximately 150 events of various sizes were canceled or postponed and now a lot of them are being rescheduled. Someone told me that's why Comic-Con got stuck with Thanksgiving Weekend — because of many other, smaller conventions that had claims on portions of the building for other dates.

Today is the last day there of a convention for SPIE Optics + Photonics, a society of engineers, scientists, and academics in the field of photonics, lasers, optics, cameras. I can't understand why they didn't ask me there to run a rousing game of Quick Draw!

According to this article, "…masks are required for all unvaccinated attendees at convention center events and recommended for those fully vaccinated. For mega-events with 5,000 people or more, attendees must show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test." We don't yet know the expected size of the Comic-Con Special Edition but it will surely be many times that number. 5,000 is the average number of people at any comic convention who are dressed as Batman.

Those appear to be the convention center's rules, not the convention's. What will the rules be like there for the weekend after Thanksgiving? I'm going to fall back on my simple, always-accurate-about-stuff-I-don't-know-and-there's-a-lot-of-it answer: I Don't Know.

Gotta get back to that script but I thought I'd let you know I haven't forgotten that my primary purpose in life is to put stuff on this blog…

My pal Paul Harris cares a lot more about who hosts Jeopardy! than I do. He is dismayed by reports that it's going to be Mike Richards, the executive producer of the show. I doubt Mr. Richards had the final word on selecting himself but from what I've seen, the difference between the best auditioner and the worst didn't make the game any more or less fun. And I still think Alton Brown would have been the best if he'd had the chance.

I didn't mean to suggest that Simone Biles coming back and winning bronze was not also a thrilling moment at The Olympics. I continue to believe that those who were faulting her for "quitting" had/have no idea what she's going through and probably don't care. Sometimes, people dump on someone just because they want to dump on someone. For one thing, it's always good clickbait.

Not paying much attention to Donald Trump is working out rather well for me. I'm not saying it's good for the country but right now, it's good for me.

And I'm getting the feeling that next year at this time, Mike Lindell will still be saying that we will soon see incontrovertible proof that Trump won in 2020 and Mr. Lindell still won't understand what The Constitution says about The Line of Succession. Nowhere in it is Donald mentioned.

I dunno if it's made the papers yet but the famed Magic Castle, of which I am a member, has announced that no one will be admitted to its premises without vaxx-proof or a recent test. That kind of rule is spreading as fast as…well, as fast as The Delta Variant. And some of the folks who are objecting to it do not seem to grasp that this is private enterprise dictating it. It is not Your Government being Nazis.

It is also not the same thing as discriminating against someone because they're black or gay or female…or anything else that really is not a choice. In this case, it's more like the rule the Castle has that I can't go there in the evenings without a jacket and tie. And yes, I know gender is becoming a bit more of a choice but it's still a lot less arbitrary than putting on a tie.

And now, this is me going back to a script. I hope by the time I get to the end, it has an ending.

I haven't seen much of the Olympics — I rarely do — but I happened to catch one moment that I thought was pretty wonderful. I'd embed the video here but NBC Sports is not allowing it to be shared that way. If you want to see it, you'll have to watch it over on YouTube via this link. It runs a bit over five minutes and it involves the men's high jump competition.

For the rest of today and maybe some of tomorrow, I'm hunkering down to finish a script. I probably won't post here. If you write to me or call, I probably won't respond. In life, there are some things a man's just gotta do and I just gotta finish this script.

When my pal Frank Ferrante is not touring the globe with his tribute to a certain Marx Brother, he can often be found in the guise of Caesar, the somewhat self-absorbed (but always entertaining) host of certain productions of Teatro ZinZanni pictured above.

Now, I can hear some of you wondering: What the heck is Teatro ZinZanni?

It's a dinner show. It's a full evening of entertainment. It's comedy, jugglers, acrobats, singers, dancers and audience participation. You could wind up in the show along with the many talented folks who entertain and feed you in lush, magnificent surroundings. Here's a thirty second promo reel that will give you just a taste…

These are scenes from the Chicago production of Teatro ZinZanni. There's one in Seattle but it closed for Pandemic Reasons and has yet to announce a reopening date. There was one in San Francisco but it closed in 2011 for Real Estate Reasons and its new location is currently being built. Its opening is planned for next year or maybe the year after or the year after. Hopefully, it will occur some time this century…

Chicago opened in 2019 and closed when the world closed for those same Pandemic Reasons. But it's recently reopened to glorious reviews with Caesar presiding over the festivities. That's what Caesar does when he's onstage: He presides. He is an expert presider. And yes, you have to show proof of vaccination to go be part of those festivities over which he presides.

In 2010, I took a lady friend to the one in San Francisco and we had a great, great time. From our arrival to departure, it was close to four hours but we still both said, "You mean it's over?" and wished there was more. My main memory is of how happy everyone was. The wait staff was happy, the performers were happy, the guests were happy. The lady with me lived in San Francisco and she told me she'd always wanted to visit Teatro ZinZanni and it didn't disappoint in the slightest. Frank was, of course, wonderful…but so was everyone else.

I have no financial interest in this enterprise. I just want everyone to know it's there and that I wish I could jump on a plane and go see this but I've decided not to get on airplanes for a while…for Pandemic Reasons. But if I was there, I'd go see it and it you're there (or close), here's more info. Tell Caesar I said, "Hail!"

A recurring theme in posts here is my amazement at the lack of common sense from people who really oughta know better. The other day, I said I didn't understand why people are willing to risk getting COVID-19 but not risk vaccinations which almost all doctors recommend and which have been administered to millions without much apparent problem. So now we turn to someone like New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who usually struck me as a pretty smart guy and savvy politician.

I don't think even the people who don't want him in office thought he was a dummy. Most of those who dislike his politics were the opposite. They wanted him out because he was too skilled at making things happen that they didn't want to have happen. But now it looks like his political career is kaput because of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.

The number one reason to not do those kinds of things to women is sheer decency as a human being. But a close second is that if you get caught, you're going down hard. I've never robbed a bank because I'm not dishonest…but a perfectly fine reason also to not rob banks is that if you get caught, you go to prison. It's a stupid thing to do.

If Cuomo's alleged affronts were all many years ago — as some of them were — that might make a little sense. Careers weren't ending twenty years ago because powerful men treated women inappropriately. But some of the charges against the soon-to-be ex-governor are since the "Me Too" movement became as powerful as it's become. And he just should've known better…known it would hurt him, known it would hurt others, known it would hurt everyone, even his own brother, the newsman.

Assuming the gov can't prove all the charges are false — and it would sure be surprising if he could — he oughta be out of office for being a boor and a molester. But, not to trivialize those reasons, I'd also throw "fool" in there too. We need and deserve smarter people than that in our government.

Hey, here's another rendition of "The Rhythm of Life." This one's from the students at Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts in Toronto. I really like these ZOOM performances, though I can imagine how much coordination and editing goes into them. I hope that after The Pandemic is history, people will still do them. And yes, I am optimistic that The Pandemic will be history one of these days…

More and more businesses and theatres and public places are announcing that they will admit no one who is unable to show proof of vaccination. Some will accept proof of a recent negative test or some form of medical excuse. Some will not.

If you ain't been jabbed, you ain't getting into a lot of places you might want to go. For all the attempts by state and local governments to encourage or bribe people into getting vaccinated, this may be the thing that motivates a lot — maybe the majority of the hesitant — to comply.

On a couple of websites this morning, I read some interesting debates — one or two that were even calm and rational — about this. I can't link you to the most compelling one because it was on a "members only" forum but basically, one guy was saying that if you'd had COVID, you didn't need a shot because you now had "natural immunity." And another participant — an actual, for-real doctor — took that assertion apart, explaining that whatever antibodies you built up that way were less predictable and less enduring than what you got from vaccines.

He linked to this article and this article to which I can link you. Note that neither is from an anonymous "expert" or someone who may not have a whole lot of medical training and expertise. I'm getting quite tired of anti-vaxxers who say "I've researched this" when all they've done is found some clown on the Internet who thinks he knows a lot about medicine and who shares their fears.

I understand the folks who are leery because the vaccines are new and haven't been "approved" to quite the same levels as vaccines that have been around longer. I don't understand — and I may never understand — being afraid to gamble on them but being willing to gamble on not getting SARS-CoV-2. A friend of mine recently said, with regard to a "vaccine-hesitant" acquaintance we both know, "My God, he finally found a drug he's not willing to put in his body, sight-unseen."