This will only take a minute. If you're at all a fan of watching actual court matters on YouTube, you've probably seen the Honorable J. Cedric Simpson, a judge who currently presides over the 14A-1 District Court located at the Washtenaw County Service Center in Washtenaw, Michgan. A lot of Judge Simpson's trials are online and he's always struck me as eminently fair and wise.

Recently and amazingly, this happened…

Randall B. wrote to ask…

You have been fortunate to meet and even work with a lot of people whose work you enjoyed when you were younger. I heard you say one time that only a few of them had disappointed you as people. I can understand why you might not want to name them (tho I wouldn't mind) but could you tell how some of them disappointed you? Also, could you name five people who didn't disappoint you in any way?

I could probably name more than fifty who in no way disappointed me but since you asked for five, you get five: Daws Butler, Jack Kirby, Charles Schulz, Dick Van Dyke and Sergio Aragonés.

And you're right that I don't want to name folks who disappointed me but I'll say this: It has usually been a matter of seeing a side of them that I never got to see watching them on TV or reading their comic books or whatever. Some of them might have been on the Non-Disappointment List if I'd spent less time with them. The more contact you have with someone, the more you learn about them and the more you learn about them, the greater the chance of seeing or hearing something you can't unsee or unhear.

Thinking back over some disappointments — there were a few comedians and at least one writer-producer who I'd thought were marvelously funny and inventive. I came to feel that their main skills were in getting credit for the work of others and/or knifing those who stood in the way of their success. A couple of men turned out to be of the "Dirty old…" variety, maybe not quite at Cosby levels but enough to lower my opinions of them. A few just plain did not treat others well, especially others who couldn't fight back.

The list might be even longer than it is but I'd like to think that at some point in my life, I learned to recognize Early Warning Signs. That's when I felt it was time to leave some distance between myself and a person I had reason to admire before it became impossible to overlook the reasons not to. It took a while to develop my personal radar in that area and it still doesn't work all the time.

In solidarity with the jury in the Trump Hush Money Trial, I have decided to spend today deliberating all by myself. So far, it's not looking good for Donald.

Here's a pretty interesting article — well, it was interesting to me, at least — about how PBS goes about capturing a stage performance for airing and home viewing. It's mainly about David Horn, a producer and director for Great Performances over more than four decades.

One of the shows he and his crew recorded was the Broadway version of Victor/Victoria starring Julie Andrews. My friend, the lovely Brinke Stevens, and I were in the audience at a performance that was shot with a number of robotic cameras on cranes over our heads. I believe they did this for several performances and then edited them together. This was in the first week of December of 1995, just a few weeks after the show had opened –and I forget how I learned this but it was not going to be shown in this country soon, if ever.

Someone did a lot of swift editing because it debuted on Japanese television just a few weeks later — on 12/23. Bootlegs made their way into this country and then it was finally shown on PBS and released on DVD much, much later. I wish everything on Broadway would get recorded like this.

Mr. Horn's team is still recording shows, including the recently-debuted concert, Audra McDonald at the London Palladium. You can view it on your local PBS station or on this website or directly below this paragraph. Everything this woman does is worth watching and/or hearing.

I'm watching the Closing Arguments in the Donald Trump Hush Money Trial…only I'm not. What I'm really watching is the CNN coverage which consists of someone who's actually in the courtoom texting (I guess) summaries of what's being said and a few selected quotes to the CNN newsroom. Then reporters report and analysts analyze based on those summaries and selected quotes. So we're hearing how things are going in the courtroom from people who are not actually in the courtroom.

I don't have time to follow it all today because I have too much to do. There also won't be too much here today.

I have a number of e-mails asking me (a) if I had anything to do with the new Garfield movie, (b) if I've seen the new Garfield movie, (c) if I'm upset about not having anything to do with the new Garfield movie and (d) if I'm happy that it's getting not-great reviews and not-great reports that people are not flocking to see it. The answers to those questions are, in this order: (a) no, (b) no, (c) no and (d) no.

One thing I learned long ago about writing comic books and cartoons is that you should never get possessive about characters you don't own. I have friends who have made this mistake; who forgot that they were baby-sitters and not the actual parents. They wrote Marblehead Man for many years and perhaps did great work that brought Marblehead Man to new heights and new popularity. They may even have had people tell them, "You did the definitive Marblehead Man stories!"

But in a legal sense, Marblehead Man belongs to others and one day, someone else is writing Marblehead Man. The company that owns it is sold or it has a new CEO or…well, it really doesn't matter why. One content-creator is out and another is in and the old one no longer has the income or bragging rights. The new guy or gal might be following his or her template — in which case, the ousted creative person feels someone else is reaping the benefits of his or her hard work. Or the new guy or gal might be changing everything — in which case, the ousted person feels his or her hard, acclaimed work is being disrespected or ruined.

Either way, there is reason to suffer if they made that mistake of forgetting they were baby-sitting. I watched one friend go through some genuine pains when he was no longer The Writer of Superman.

I had a great time writing Jim Davis's great character on and off for about twenty-five years but I was careful to remember it was Jim Davis's character and Jim was still in charge, still doing the insanely-popular newspaper strip, still supervising everything done with his cat. He has since deeded some of that over to others and that's his right.

I have no idea if I'll be involved with the lasagna-eater again. If I am, great. If not, I'm delighted to have had such a long run as the baby-sitter.

In 1997, a music historian interviewed Stephen Sondheim at length about his work for the Library of Congress. I've linked you to dozens of Sondheim interviews on this blog but this one is kinda different. For one thing, he didn't tell all the same stories he told in those other interviews. For another, he goes over his manuscripts with the interviewer and discusses in depth why he did what he did. And for another, this interview runs over six hours.

Let me say that last thing again and put it in all caps, boldface and italics and underline it for emphasis: THIS INTERVIEW RUNS OVER SIX HOURS!!!!!!! And I also put in seven exclamation point. Don't say I didn't warn you.

If you want to watch it — and I can understand how you might not — you have two choices. The embed below is of the entire interview which, in case you've forgotten since the paragraph before last, RUNS OVER SIX HOURS!!!!!!!

Or you can go to this playlist and watch it in thirteen segments. If you do that, be aware that the playlist is for fourteen videos, the last of which is the entire interview which, as you may recall, RUNS OVER SIX HOURS!!!!!!! Again, don't say I didn't warn you. Here's the whole thing…

Memorial Day is meant to honor those who have died in the military service of the United States. That seems to get blurred by some into a general "thank you" to anyone who has ever served, including those who didn't die but that's okay. It wouldn't be so horrible if we just had two Veterans Days a year. It wouldn't even be a bad thing if we thought about those folks and honored them year-round so we didn't need a holiday to remind us of what we owe them.

I suppose in some ways, Memorial Day is also for the surviving friends and loved ones of those who died in uniform. The friends and loved ones especially had to cope with those deaths. A woman I know lost her husband in the Iraq War and suffered greatly. She's still suffering so don't tell me we don't owe her too.

I don't have anything that eloquent to say here except that I think the best way to honor those who have died or suffered because of military service is to create fewer of them in the future. There is a mindset out there that does not seem to put that high a value on the lives of American servicemen and servicewomen when there's talk of sending them into combat.

The most powerful piece I've read about this topic is this article by retired U.S. Army Major Danny Sjursen and I urge you to experience it. If you don't have time to read the whole thing, at least read this paragraph…

Do me a favor this year: question the foundation and purpose of America's wars for the Greater Middle East. Weigh the tangible costs in blood and treasure against any benefits to the nation or the world — if there are any! Ask how this country's political system morphed in such a way that Congress no longer declares, and presidents turned emperors unilaterally wage endless wars in distant locales. Ask yourself how much of this combat and death is connected — if at all — to the 9/11 attacks; why the over-adulated U.S. military mainly fights groups that didn't even exist in 2001.

Not much I can add to that. Like many of you, I did not serve in the military but like all of you (I hope) I am awfully appreciative of those that have…and those that do.

2024 Note to Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Samuel Anthony Alito Jr., as if he would ever read this blog: The above photo shows the flag you should be flying on your many flagpoles and the correct orientation of that flag.

John Oliver is off tonight so here's the first show of his second season. And if you enjoy watching it, you should know that they've posted the entirety of his second season to YouTube just as they posted the entirety of his first season here. I'll post a link to a playlist for all of Season 2 later but for now, here's Show 1 of that year…

[P.S. ADDED LATER: And here's the link to watch all of Season 2 of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.)

When I started this post, the subject line said "Saturday Afternoon" but then I had to write obits. I do not like doing this. Let's see if we can tie up some loose ends before Fate requires me to write more…

Bill Mullins identified that clip of Billy Joel and Marlee Matlin on Sesame Street as being from Christmas of 1988. Galen Fott writes in to tell me that the Muppet Wiki says that segment first appeared on episode 2533 of Sesame Street, which first aired on January 18, 1989. Bill's source which he sent me was a newspaper clipping from the previous November saying that the segment had been taped for a Christmas episode. Obviously, it was taped to air around Christmas but got postponed. So Bill wasn't really wrong.

Brent Seguine, who knows an awful lot of Stooge stuff, tells me that the cartoon from that unsold pilot, Three Stooges Scrapbook, is still around for theatrical exhibition, usually paired with the feature flick, The Three Stooges in Orbit. He also tells me it will be included in the forthcoming Three Stooges Blu-ray collection. I think he means this one and I'm puzzled about it. The Amazon listing to which I just linked says it includes among other goodies, "100 treasured Stooges shorts, celebrating 100 years of Columbia Pictures!"

Okay, great…but the Stooges made 190 short subjects for Columbia. This set is currently priced at $230.99 and it's got a lot of other stuff on it but don't let the pricetag lead you to think you're getting all their shorts. (I have a DVD set which has 'em all and I think I paid forty bucks for it. It's outta print now but it does turn up on eBay and in other places for reasonable prices. I don't think I really need to see Shemp in the highest-possible def right now.)

I don't think I'll be writing about the Trump Trial until it reconvenes and maybe not even then. But if you're really curious about what the case is really about in a strict legal sense, I refer you to this article by Dennis Aftergut. He's a former federal prosecutor and he wrote out what he would tell the jury in a summation.

I'll be curious to see what the real closing statement by the prosecution will be…and also what the defense will say besides that everyone whose testimony was damaging to Donald was lying. As I understand it, New York courts are not like most courts elsewhere. Elsewhere, the prosecution presents its closing summary, then it's the defense's turn and then the prosecution gets to rebut. In New York, the defense goes first, then the prosecution speaks and then it goes to the jury. We'll probably hear complaints about that.

If I'd posted this yesterday, I would have reminded you that Comic-Con International convenes in San Diego in two months. Now, I'm reminding you it opens in two months from yesterday. My busted ankle gets less and less busted each day so I plan to be there and host my usual zillion-and-a-half panels. At the moment, my partner Sergio Aragonés is not planning on attending.

Sergio Aragonés issued the following statement this afternoon…

Today, I received the news of Tom Luth's passing. Tom was not only a good friend but also a valued colleague of more than 40 years. While Tom's exceptional skills as a colorist were widely recognized, it may come as a surprise to some to learn of his quiet and unassuming nature. He had a deep love for his work, music, friends, and his beloved little chihuahuas. I will miss Tom.

I second all of that.

I guess I don't need to write a lot about Richard Sherman and about how though we've lost the man, the music he and his brother Robert wrote will last forever. Everyone will be saying that and everyone will be right. And there are already plenty of obits up like this one which tell of his amazing career, filled with dozens of achievements, any one of which would qualify him as an important part of American music.

So I'll just say it was just a delight and privilege to know this man, to talk with this man, to be in a room where he was performing a song you knew so well and that was so much an underscore (at least) to your life. He was so nice to everyone who wanted to meet him and so encouraging to anyone who tried to venture anywhere near the field in which he made his mark.

And he was so approachable and friendly. I remember being at a party one time and a lady — I have no idea who she was — had brought along her ukulele because she heard he'd be there and she wanted to accompany herself and perform the song "Pineapple Princess," which the Sherman Brothers had written for Annette Funicello. I can neither play nor sing but even if I was a master at both, I don't think I'd have had the nerve to perform a song for its composer.

But she did and I remember the absolute delight on Richard's face. He felt so happy and so honored. The lady was pretty good but you could tell that even if she'd been…well, as lousy as me, he would still have loved every moment of it. Because the lady had cared about it enough to learn it.

You all know his more famous songs, especially the ones in Mary Poppins and the ones scattered around Disneyland. But here's a performance of "Pineapple Princess" that I'm sure Richard would have loved. And if it were my song and ASCAP money was not a factor, I think I'd rather see it done like this than sung by Streisand…

And here's one of my favorite Sherman concoctions played and sung by Richard, joined by his brother Robert and some other guy. I'll let my friend Leonard introduce it…

Tom Luth, hailed by many as "The Hardest-Working Man in Comics," was found dead in his apartment last Thursday. He earned that title for the Herculean task of coloring the work of Sergio Aragonés — for Groo the Wanderer and other publications — for around forty years. It kept him busy but not so busy that he couldn't squeeze in work for others who admired his handiwork and wanted Tom Luth coloring on their comics.

I first met Tom through Alfredo Alcala, from whom he was receiving some mentoring and occasional assistant work, and through cartoonist Phil Yeh, who was a close friend of Tom's. It was Phil and his wife Linda who found Tom last Thursday, struck down by an apparent heart attack. Tom had suffered an attack last year and was scheduled for surgery in the not-too-distant future. He had not been answering his phone for several days and had missed an online music lesson last Monday. The Yehs, being good not-too-distant neighbors, went over to check on their friend and found what they found.  He was 70 years old.

Tom largely retired from the coloring business a few years ago, opting to spend most of his time composing music. He was very good at it. Still, when Sergio and I agreed to contribute a Groo story for the recent Comics for Ukraine benefit book, Tom practically demanded to color it as his contribution to the cause. The last thing he colored for Sergio — and I suspect for anyone — was the cover to a forthcoming collection of our 2000 mini-series, Space Circus. Tom colored the original series back then and he colored a wonderful wrap-around cover that you'll see on the book when it's released later this year.

I think there's still time for me to write something more about him for the book before it goes to press. I won't have to write about how good his work always was. You'll be able to see that for yourself in that volume and in any of the hundreds of comic books to which he lent his great talents. What I will write about is how nice, professional and dedicated he was. There would not have been 120 issues of Groo the Wanderer in 120 months from Marvel's Epic line if Tom hadn't done the impossible over and over and over, month after month, often meeting impossible deadlines. His work was always good and he was a helluva nice man. We're all real shaken-up over this news.

In a recent post here, I mentioned Norman Maurer, a fascinating gent I had the honor of working with. Norman was a very fine comic book artist who among other work, wrote and drew the Three Stooges comic books for St. John's, a small but important publisher. He later went on to become a TV and movie producer…and most but not all of what he produced featured The Three Stooges. He also managed the trio and that connection makes a little more sense when you know that in 1947, he married Moe's daughter Joan.

Norman was responsible for the Stooges' later works. In 1960, he produced a TV pilot called Three Stooges Scrapbook which was a half-hour of them stooging around in both live-action material and an animated sequence. The pilot never sold but in '65, he exec-produced a syndicated show, The New Three Stooges which featured the Old Three Stooges. Well, "Curly" Joe DeRita was kinda new, having joined the troupe in late 1958 but Moe and Larry sure weren't new.

The 1965 series consisted of animated Stooge cartoons, wrapped-around by live-action intros and outros. The animation was done by Cambria Studios whereas the animated cartoon in Three Stooges Scrapbook was produced by a company called TV Spots. We'll get to them.

Three Stooges Scrapbook is one of those films that Stooges fans long to see. I have no idea if it's possible to view the entire show anywhere but the cartoon segment and its live-action intro and outro have surfaced…and no, I'm not going to embed it so you can watch it here. I'm instead posting this link to where you can watch it on YouTube.

It was put there by a YouTuber named Curly's Grandson who is apparently Curly's Grandson. Since he apparently spent good money to preserve and transfer the film, I want to give him every possible chance to monetize its presence on YouTube…ergo, a link but no embed here.

TV Spots was an animation studio that mainly did commercials. It was founded by Bob Wickersham, who among his many credits directed the first Fox & Crow cartoons for Columbia and also wrote and drew comic books — of the Fox and Crow for DC and some other creations for other companies. At some point, he was squeezed out of the company he started but before TV Spots closed down in (I think) the late sixties, it was involved in a number of TV shows you may have heard of including Crusader Rabbit, King Leonardo, Calvin and the Colonel and some occasional sub-contracting work for Jay Ward.

If you go watch the Stooges cartoon, you'll see Moe Howard, Larry Fine and "Curly" Joe DeRita intro it and provide their voices for the animation. I'm pretty sure the announcer in the cartoon was Don Lamond and all the other voices were done by Mel Blanc. The credits at the end are for the entire half-hour show.

I don't know what year this is from but it was a long time ago. Billy Joel and Marlee Matlin visit Sesame Street…

P.S. ADDED LATER: Bill Mullins, a follower of this site, identifies the clip as from Christmas of 1988. Thanks, Bill.

There is zero chance of me buying a bag of Rudy Giuliani's new coffee. I don't like Rudy Giuliani and I don't like coffee…and even if I did like one or both, I would see no reason to presume that Rudy knows anything — I mean anything! — about coffee. Maybe if he were endorsing a line of guaranteed-to-fail legal maneuvers and I needed some guaranteed-to-fail legal maneuvers…

I know, I know: You don't care about this man and in some ways, neither do I. I just have this strange fascination with people who seem determined to destroy their lives and careers by doing wrong thing after wrong thing.

It's like when you read that some entertainer who once had $30 million bucks is now broke and declaring bankruptcy. If you ran through $30 million smackers, it means that one day, you were suddenly worth $29 million and a little later, you were worth $28 million and still later, you were worth $27 million and so on. Around about the time you hit the $15 million mark, I would think you'd pause and think, "Hmmm…maybe I'm doing something wrong here" and change Business Managers or strategies or something. But in most of those stories, the former thirty-millionaire waited until he got down to chicken feed before he tried to stanch the bleeding.

I'm going to guess that the man it says on the coffee bag is "America's Mayor" never had any thoughts about being in the coffee business before someone who was in that biz approached him. It was probably someone who shared Rudy's politics who thought, "There are a lot of people out there like me and they'll buy this coffee to show their support for him." After all, Trump hasn't done badly selling sneakers and over-priced, badly-printed Bibles…and it's not like there's any reason to think Trump knows anything about sneakers or God.

And Rudy, of course, is in no position to turn down anything that'll put money in his pocket. He'd probably dress up in drag like he always has enjoyed doing, and make a kinky film with Stormy Daniels if someone offered cash in advance. And it would probably sell way better than coffee with his face on it.