Category: TV

Al Hirschfeld, Sly Stallone and the Stars!

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Earlier this week I watched The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story, a documentary on arguably the great world’s greatest caricaturist.  I wondered if Mr. Hirschfeld had ever drawn Sly Stallone.  As it turns out, Hirschfeld did at least twice.  Below are the images I found with Sylvester Stallone.  If you’d like to see more art, signed books, lithographs and more, click over to the Al Hirschfeld Foundation Shop.

Marlon Brando, Cybill Shepherd, Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Dolly Parton, Dustin Hoffman, Sally Field, Richard Pryor, Sean Connery and Gene Wilder.

Christie Brinkley, Billy Joel, Cher, Claus von Bülow, Don Johnson, John Irving, Hulk Hogan, Princess Diana, Sly Stallone,  Grace Jones, Ronald Reagan and Madonna. 1985

RIP: Sidney Poitier

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Sidney Poitier, actor, director, and writer died last night at the age of 94. 

Mr. Poitier was the first Black to win an Academy Award for Best Actor.  In 1967, had a year most actors only dream about; he starred in three hits (To Sir, with Love; In the Heat of the Night and Guess Who is Coming to Dinner)!  In 1972 he directed his first feature film (Buck and the Preacher).  In 1977, after a career that saw him with over 40 acting and/or directing credits in 30 years, Sidney Poitier took a break that lasted eleven years!  When Sidney Poitier returned he alternated between acting in feature films and television movies. 

In 2001, Mr. Poitier retired from acting/directing.  He wrote a well-received memoir The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography.  In 2009, Mr. Poitier was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

My favorite Sidney Poitier film is In the Heat of the Night. It’s because the character he played was a calm man of intelligence and dignity… and he resonated “cool”.  Cool, not as in hip, but cool as in control of himself and every situation.  I was always impressed when I heard Sidney Poitier in interviews.  We’ve lost a legend.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sidney Poitier’s family, friends and fans.

  

RIP: Peter Bogdanovich

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Peter Bogdanovich died today at the age of 82 from natural causes.  Mr. Bogdanovich immersed his life in the world of cinema where he excelled as a writer, director, actor, producer and more.  

Like so many others, Peter Bogdanovich’s career began working for Roger Corman.  A few years later Corman produced Targets, written/directed by Peter Bogdanovich with Boris Karloff in the starring role.  While Targets gave some attention to Mr. Bogdanovich’s talents, it was The Last Picture Show that made him a household name.

The Last Picture Show featured an all-star cast (many before they became well known actors/actresses) directed by Peter Bogdanovich in a story that he co-wrote with Larry McMurtry.   The film was a hit with critics, the public and earned multiple nominations and awards from The Academy Awards, The Golden Globes, The Directors’ Guild and more.

After The Last Picture Show, Peter Bogdanovich would go on to write, act, and direct projects that interested him.  Some of the films he directed include: What’s Up, Doc?, Paper Moon, and Mask.  He also wrote and directed a well-received documentary The Great Buster about silent film star Buster Keaton.  Last year Peter Bogdanovich along with TCM host Ben Mankiewicz, began a documentary podcast about Bogdanovich’s life in Hollywood. Mr. Bogdanovich was a hit on talk shows because of his extensive knowledge of film history and his friendships with top Hollywood celebrities.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Peter Bogdanovich’s family, friends and fans. 

Craig’s 2021 Best Movies, Books, and Posts Lists!

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End of the Year lists are fun and so I decided to compile a few of my own. I hope you enjoy them. Below is my Best Of list for 2021…

Movies and Limited Series

In 2021, I watched 372 movies. Most were streamed. The only film I saw in a theater was Rocky vs Drago, Sly Stallone’s Director’s Cut of Rocky IV. Although the total movies watched was less than last year, it was still nearly double of what I saw prior to retiring.  My favorite films and limited series released in 2021 included:

  • Army of the Dead
  • Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali
  • No Sudden Move
  • Rocky IV: Rocky vs Drago Director’s Cut
  • Midnight Mass
  • Who Killed Malcolm X?

Books

In 2021, I read 39 books (5 more than last year). Prior to retiring I usually read about 20 – 24 per year so the increase is a good sign that I’ll some day make it through my book cases of “to be read” books.  My favorites from this year included:

  • The Revelators by Ace Atkins
  • Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
  • Two in the Head by Eric Beetner
  • She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper
  • Paradise Sky by Joe Lansdale
  • Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby
  • Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
  • The Heathens by Ace Atkins
  • The Driver by Hart Hanson
  • My Darkest Prayer by S.A. Cosby

My Most Popular Posts of the Year

I continue to find some surprises in what became my most popular posts each year. Here are the top ten for 2021 and some thoughts for each…

10. Michael Biehn Talks “Tombstone” – broke into the top ten. I’m not surprised due to the continuing popularity of Tombstone.

09. Jack Benny in “Casablanca” – dropped from the 7th spot to the 9th. I love that Jack Benny is still popular enough to make the top ten for the year since I consider him very under-rated.

08. Gadot & The Rock Strike a Pose – Two of the most popular movie stars in the world together? Yep and that’s why they came in at #8.

07. Top 10 Most Iconic Horror Movie Villains – dropped from #5 to #7 for the year. Horror movie posts remain popular but maybe a bit less this year than last year.

06. The Girl Who Didn’t “Flinch” Trailer is Here! – This one surprised me more than any other post. A crime film from a director and cast I didn’t know and it not only made the top ten most popular posts of the year but also nearly made the top 5.

05. Rare “Batman” Screen Tests: Lyle Waggoner & Peter Deyell and Adam West & Burt Ward – I love that this one got a lot of love this year.

04. Dracula Through the Ages – was our 4th most popular post last year. Horror movies always get love and Dracula counts (see what I did there) as horror.

03. Louis Meyers: Evidence He was the Zodiac Killer – came in the #2 spot last year. Real life horror trumps fictional this time.

02. Schwarzenegger in “King Lear” & Robin Williams in “Jack and the Beanstalk” – was our most popular post last year and clocks in at #2 this year.

01. The TWILIGHT ZONE New Year’s Eve Marathon is Coming and the Full Schedule is Out! – was the most popular post of the year and surprised me almost as much as The Girl Who Didn’t “Flinch” Trailer is Here!

My All-Time Most Popular Posts

There weren’t many changes on the All-Time Most Popular Posts list. One post managed to break through while the others mostly stayed in their same spots. Let’s see how things shook out…

10. Dracula Through the Ages – made it into the top ten!

09. Gadot & The Rock Strike a Pose – was in the 9th spot last year and remained there this year.

08. Real Clown or Horror Movie Clown? – was in the 7th spot last year and dropped to 8.

07. Joel Osteen in Jacksonville – dropped one spot from 6th to 7th.

06. TOP 10 MOST ICONIC HORROR MOVIE VILLAINS! – moved up 2 spots from 8 to 6 this year.

05. Steve Reeves as Superman – was the #5 all-time most popular post last year and continues to be this year.

04. New Billy the Kid Photo Discovered – was the #4 all-time most popular post last year and continues to be this year.

03. Zodiac Killer Code Cracked? – was the #3 all-time most popular post last year and continues to be this year.

02. Louis Meyers: Evidence He Was the Zodiac Killer – was the #2 all-time most popular post last year and continues to be this year.

01. Schwarzenegger in “King Lear” & Robin Williams in “Jack and the Beanstalk” – was #1 last year and continues to be our most popular post of all-time.

It’s always interesting to see which topics resonate with fans and continue to be popular long after their initial post.

RIP: Betty White

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Betty White, the beloved comedian, actress and author died today from natural causes at the age of 99.  Betty White’s career began in radio in the 1940s.  She transitioned to television working on local stations in 1949.  From 1952 to 1955, Betty White starred in (and also co-created and co-produced) Life with Elizabeth which was syndicated nationally.  Following Life with Elizabeth, Ms. White would go on to appear in television series, game and talk shows and the occasional feature film.

Betty White’s breakout role came in 1973 when she joined The Mary Tyler Moore Show playing Sue Ann Nivens, a woman in her 50s who was always on the prowl for a man.  She was a hit with critics and fans. Betty White won two (of her 5) Emmys for her efforts as Sue Ann Nivens.  When The Mary Tyler Moore Show ended Ms. White continued to stay busy with her own show (The Betty White Show, 1977-78) as well as guest appearances on television programs and tv movies.  She was so popular she ended up with recurring roles on The Love Boat, Mama’s Family and Empty Nest.

At the age of 63 (when many folks are considering retirement), Betty White landed the role of Rose Nyland on The Golden Girls.  The series ran for seven seasons and Ms. White returned as Rose for the sequel series The Golden Palace (which ran for one season).  Betty White’s portrayal of Rose Nyland won her another Emmy and she was nominated every year of The Golden Girls run!  

Betty White continued to make guest appearances (often in recurring roles) for the remainder of her career.  Her popularity continued to grow with each passing year.  Betty White’s 100 birthday was less than three weeks from today.  A big celebration that was to be filmed to mark the occasion will go on as planned and is tentatively titled “Betty White: 100 Years Young — A Birthday Celebration.“

Although she was 99 years old, Betty White’s passing came as a surprise. I loved how her popularity grew as she got older.  It was always a pleasure to see her guest appearances and who didn’t love her as Sue Ann Nivens or Rose Nyland?  From all accounts Betty White was as wonderful a human being as she appeared to be. The world is a little less fun now that she is gone.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Betty White’s family, friends and fans.

 

Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer (2021) / Z-View

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Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer (2021) Director: Joe Berlinger The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer has at it’s core the story of a serial murderer who tortured, sexually abused and butchered school-age girls and prostitutes.  How the police came to understand that they were dealing with a serial killer (he reportedly killed between 80-100 women) in a time when police departments from different cities didn’t coordinate information, didn’t have access to the internet or DNA makes for an interesting documentary.

Sadly that is not the focus of Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer.

Unfortunately more time is given to the pornography in Times Square aspect.  The pornography tie-in to the case is that several of the serial killer’s victims were prostitutes who worked Times Square.  So we learn how Times Square in the 70s and 80s morphed from movie houses to porn shops and peep shows.  We hear from folks in the porn industry who have no direct ties to the murders.  Short shrift is given to how police captured the killer, the trial or events that led to learning there were many other unsolved murders that he committed.

As I said, Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer has at it’s core an interesting story of the capture of a serial killer, there’s just too much filler you have to go through to get there.

RIP: John Madden

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John Madden, the Super Bowl winning NFL coach (who never had a losing season), the 12-time Emmy Award winner for sports broadcasting, and the namesake for one of the all-time best-selling video games died unexpectedly yesterday at the age of 85.  No cause of death was given.

John Madden was an all-conference college football (offensive tackle) and baseball (catcher) player.  Although he suffered a knee injury during his senior year, John Madden was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1958.  A second knee injury during training camp ended his pro career before he ever played a game.  From 1960 – 1966, Madden excelled as a college football coach which brought him to the attention of Al Davis, the owner of the Oakland Raiders.  Davis hired Madden as a Linebacker Coach in 1967.  In 1969, John Madden was named the Head Coach of the Raiders (making him the youngest Head Coach in the NFL).  Mr. Madden served as the Raiders Head Coach for ten years, winning one Super Bowl, never finishing below 2nd place in their division and never having a losing season.

After retiring as Head Coach of the Raiders, John Madden turned to television where he quickly became one of the most popular and respected sports broadcasters of all time.  John Madden’s popularity was so great he was sought after for commercials as well as television & movie appearances and the ever-popular Madden video game from EA Sports.

Watching John Madden’s Raiders was always fun, but watching a John Madden sports broadcast was even better.  John Madden knew the game and made his analysis fun.  Mr. Madden came off like the guy you’d like to hang out with at the family bar-b-que.  You knew he’d have great stories to share, and would enjoy the food, talk and fellowship. 

Our thoughts and prayers go out to John Madden’s family, friends and fans. 

The 100 Best TV Series of the 21st Century!

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Recently BBC.com came up with the 100 Best TV Series of the 21st Century.  To get their rankings they polled…

206 TV experts – critics, journalists, academics and industry figures – who came from 43 countries, from Albania to Uruguay. Of these voters, 100 were women, 104 were men, and two were non-binary. Each voter listed their 10 favourite TV series of the 21st Century, which we scored and ranked to produce the top 100…

Before you click over, here are my top ten (in alphabetical order) using just their list…

  • 24 (2001-2010)
  • Better Call Saul (2015-2022)
  • Big Bang Theory (2007-2019)
  • Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
  • Deadwood (2004-2006)
  • Fargo (2014-)
  • Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
  • Mindhunter (2017-2019)
  • Office, The (US) (2005-2013)
  • Shield, The (2002-2008)

And I have to ask… how did Justified not make the top 100???  It would have been in my top ten for sure.

The TWILIGHT ZONE New Year’s Eve Marathon is Coming and the Full Schedule is Out!

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The Twilight Zone New Year’s Eve Marathon has been one of our family traditions for decades.  Sometimes we binge watch. Other times we just check in on favorite episodes.  Shadow & Substance (an excellent Rod Serling fan site) has this year’s full schedule.  Before you click over to check it out, let me suggest some favorite Twilight Zone episodes…

Friday, December 31, 2021
7:40pm – Time Enough At Last
8:55pm – The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
11:00pm – Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?
11:25pm – The Shelter

Saturday, January 1, 2022
8:30am – Third From the Sun
8:45pm – The Howling Man
9:10pm – Eye of the Beholder
11:00pm – The Midnight Sun

Sunday, January 2, 2022
12:00am – To Serve Man
1:30am – Nightmare at 20,000 Feet

The Twilight Zone and quite a few other folks will be live-Tweeting during the marathon.   If you watch, please join in!

“I Love Lucy” Trivia

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Blake Hawkins at CBR.com came up with what he calls I Love Lucy: 7 Shocking Facts About the Classic Sitcom.  While I wouldn’t call them shocking, Hawkins did come up with interesting trivia for one of America’s most beloved and groundbreaking sitcoms.  Before you click over, here are my favorites from Hawkins’ list and some additional thoughts…

I Love Lucy Made Reruns Possible.  (This fact alone should make I Love Lucy famous.  Despite the additional cost using 35mm film allowed the episodes to be replayed making re-runs possible! – Craig)

Fred And Ethel Couldn’t Stand Each Other Offscreen.  (I learned this years ago and was shocked.  You’d never know this from just watching the show.  I guess that’s why they call it acting. – Craig)

William Frawley Skipped Two Episodes For His Yankees.  (This is new to me.  It’s funny sometimes the things actors put into their contracts.  It payed off for Frawley though. – Craig)

Desi-Lu Productions (Lucy and Desi’s company) were responsible for I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, The Untouchables, Mission: Impossible and Star Trek!

My favorite I Love Lucy episode involves Lucy getting stuck on an upper story ledge in the rain dressed as tv’s Superman for Little Ricky’s birthday.  George Reeves guest stars.

“The Silent Sea” – New Poster and Trailer #2 are Here!

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On November 26th we took a look at the first poster and trailer for The Silent Sea.  I didn’t care for the poster but the trailer had me interested.  Today’s poster is a bit of an improvement and I like the trailer even better!

During a perilous 24-hour mission on the moon, space explorers try to retrieve samples from an abandoned research facility steeped in classified secrets.

A deadly mission will uncover the darkest secrets of the moon

With a 10% survival rate, will the crew survive?

Let the mystery behind the abandoned lunar base unfold

Winter 2021, an intense sci-fi mystery thriller

The Silent Sea | December 24, only on Netflix

RIP: Michael Nesmith

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Michael Nesmith died today from heart failure at the age of 78. Nesmith was a singer, song writer, actor, producer and novelist!  He was best known for his role as a member of The Monkees.

The Monkees [Mike, as he was called then, along with Davy Jones, Mickey Dolenz, and Peter Tork] took the world by storm in 1966.  The group was hand-picked by Screen Gems in an effort to create a tv show about a group of young musicians.  Lightning struck and the group not only had a hit tv series but became one of the biggest selling bands of the 60’s.  In 1967, The Monkees sold more albums than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined.  The Monkees even appeared in a feature film called Head that was co-written by Jack Nicholson!

I was a huge Monkees fan like many kids my age [7].  I collected their albums, trading cards, comic books and magazines.  I had a model of The Monkeemobile.  I even followed The Monkees after Peter, then later Mike, quit the band.  Sadly, I never got to see them perform live when they reunited for several reunion tours.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Michael Nesmith’s family, friends and fans.