You'd Better Watch Out . . .

You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch

Boris Karloff performed the voice-over work and Thurl(Tony the Tiger)Ravenscroft sings the signature song from "How The Grinch Stole Christmas."

Beaker performs Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 & The Blue Danube Waltz conducted by Gonzo

Eartha Kitt, dies at 81

Eartha Kitt died Thursday of colon cancer after recently being treated at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York. Go here, here or here for more information.

A Christmas Story- The Trailer

This is the original theatrical trailer for the 1983 holiday classic, a film I saw with my friend, John Clark. It's as funny and touching today as it was a quarter of a century ago.

Majel Barrett Roddenberry Memorial. 1932-2008

Born Majel Lee Hudec on Feb. 23, 1932, in Cleveland, Ohio, Roddenberry died of complications from leukemia early Thursday morning at her home in Bel-Air. She was 76

Happy Holidays!

Best Wishes of the season, Happy Holidays, and may we all enjoy a safe and prosperous New Year in 2009!

James Sallis Speaks

I first became aware of James Sallis in March of 1999. Jim was introduced to the Glendale Community College audience by Harlan Ellison at a talk Ellison was giving in Arizona.

I read and enjoyed Sallis's series of mysteries about Lew Griffin, a New Orleans private detective. In the Fall of 2004, I attended a short story class Sallis was conducting at Phoenix Community College and I've attended his classes each semester since that time. I credit Jim with any improvement I've made in my writing ability and hold him blameless for any mediocre writing on my part.

Below is an interview Barbara Peters of Poisoned Pen Press and Bookstore, in Scottsdale, Arizona conducted with James Sallis. Each part is approximately 10 minutes in length.

You Got Brian Wilson In My Weird Al! No, You Got Weird Al In My Brian Wilson!

I hold a great fondness for both Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys and for Mr. Alfred Yankovic so I invite you to give a listen to "Pancreas."

Pancreas - "Weird Al" Yankovic
Style parody of Brian Wilson
Album - Straight Outta Lynwood



Lyrics
Oooh oooh oooh ee-oooh oooh oooh
Ahh ahh ahh ahh ahh ahh-oooh oooh
Oooooh

I'm always thinkin' 'bout it
I don't know what I'd do without it
I love, I really love
My pancreas

My spleen just doesn't matter
Don't really care about my bladder
But I don't leave home without
My pancreas

My pancreas is always
There for me
Ahh-oooh

Secreting those enzymes (bap bap bap)
Secreting those hormones too
Metabolizing carbohydrates
Just for me

Ba-ba ba ba-ba ba ba ba-ba ba ba
My pancreas
Ba-ba ba ba-ba ba ba ba-ba ba
My pancreas
Ba-ba ba ba-ba ba ba ba-ba ba ba
My pancreas
Ba-ba ba ba-ba ba ba ba-ba ba
My pancreas

Ba-ba ba ba-ba ba ba ba-ba ba ba
My pancreas
Ba-ba ba ba-ba ba ba ba-ba ba
My pancreas
Ooooooh

My pancreas attracts every other
Pancreas in the universe
With a force proportional
To the product of their masses
And inversely proportional
To the distance between them

Woo woo woo woo

Don'tcha you know you gotta
Flow, flow, flow, pancreatic juice
Flow, flow, into the deuodenum

Won'tcha
Flow, flow, flow, pancreatic juice
Flow, flow, into the deuodenum

Insulin, glucagon
(Won'tcha flow, flow, flow, pancreatic juice)
Comin' from the islets of Langerhans...
(Flow flow, into the deuodenum)

Insulin, glucagon
(Won'tcha flow flow flow, pancreatic juice)
Comin' from the islets of Langerhans...
(Flow flow, into the deuodenum)

Lipase, amylase, and tripsin
(Insulin, glucagon)
(Won'tcha flow, flow flow, pancreatic juice)
They gonna help with our digestion
(Comin' from the islets of Langerhans...)
(Flow flow, into the deuodenium)

Lipase, amylase, and tripsin
(Insulin, glucagon)
(Won'tcha flow flow flow, pancreatic juice)
They gonna help with our digestion
(Comin' from the islets of Langerhans...)
(Flow flow, into the deuodenum)

Can't you see I love my pancreas
{Lipase, amylase, and tripsin}
(Insulin, glucagon)
(Won'tcha flow flow flow, pancreatic juice)
Golly-gee I love my pancreas
{They gonna help with our digestion}
(Comin' from the islets of Langerhans...)
(Flow flow, into the deuodenum)

Can't you see I love my pancreas
{Lipase, amylase, and tripsin}
(Insulin, glucagon)
(Won'tcha flow flow flow, pancreatic juice)
Golly-gee I love my pancreas
{They gonna help with our digestion}
(Comin' from the islets of Langerhans...)
(Flow flow, into the deuodenum)

Can't you see I love my pancreas
{Lipase, amylase, and tripsin}
(Insulin, glucagon)
(Won'tcha flow flow flow, pancreatic juice)
Golly-gee I love my pancreas
{They gonna help with our digestion}
(Comin' from the islets of Langerhans...)
(Flow flow, into the deuodenum)

Can't you see I love my pancreas

In Living Color parodies Star Trek: TOS & ST: VII

Jim Carrey and the cast of "In Living Color" parodies STAR TREK: The Original Series and the movie series in these two clips.

Carol Burnett Show parodies Star Trek: TOS

Laughs from the Carol Burnett Show

The Carol Burnette Show was rarely dull, often very funny, and more then occasionally hilarious. Here are three examples:



Mark Evanier posted this at his blog,"News From Me," and it's one of my favorites. I'm sure you'll enjoy

I Need Your Help, Barry Manilow- A parody sung by Ray Stevens

Ray Stevens - I Need Your Help, Barry Manilow

My account is overdrawn, my car slid down the hill
I'm givin' up, I've got no more to give
My beagle bit the vet, and my daughter's on the pill
And my ficus plant has lost it's will to live

I owe Mastercharge my life, I've got adolescent skin
My doctor says I can't use any salt
My waist is getting thick, but my hair is getting thin
And my house is on the San Andreas fault...

I need your help, Barry Manilow
I'm miserable and I don't know what to do
Sing me a song, sing it sad and low
No one knows how to suffer quite like you

My shrink is out of town, my love life is a joke
My ex-wife sold my diary to Rona
All my ashtrays are overflowed, and I don't even smoke
And my sinuses came back from Arizona...

(Spoken) "Hello, Mandy? It's me. I'm here at the Copa. You know, the Copacabana. I know I don't write the songs that make the whole world sing but I do know one thing, Mandy... I can't smile without you.... Forget Lola.... Remember that weekend in New England? I thought then that this could be the magic at last... Now here I am... Tryin' to get the feelin' again!"

I need your help, Barry Manilow
I'm all alone and sitting on a shelf
Sing me a song, sing it sad and low
I feel like feeling sorry for myself

I need your help, Barry Manilow
Your songs can really comfort the unlucky
Sing me a song, sing it sad and low
I wish I didn't have to feel so yucky...
I wish I didn't have to feel...

So yucky!!!

At The Star Wars, Star Wars Cantina!

This parody of Barry Manilow's "Copacabana" is sung by lounge singer, Richard Cheese. Below are two versions, the first a slide show and the second uses the lyrics in the style of the opening credits of Star Wars.

Wandering Attention!: Get a Laugh!

Wandering Attention!: Get a Laugh!

Get a Laugh!

The funny thing is, I haven't owned a Mac since the days of the Power PC. However, I do love the ads. Enjoy!

Upcoming Movies

Leo Laporte, the "Hef" of Tech

Leo Laporte is my go-to-guy when it comes to all things technical. It just so happens he is also pretty funny, as this video from ChannelFlip.Com demonstrates.


Leo Laporte, Suave Tech Guy

Science Fiction vs. Sci Fi

On this 1997 segment of the SciFi Channel show, SF Vortex, Harlan Ellison, Joe Straczynski, Herb Solow, and Yvonne Fern Solow discuss Ellison's article for Newsweek, "Strangers in a Strange Land," which dealt with the difference between science fiction, "sci-fi," and the Rancho Santa Fe Comet Cultists.

Star Trek: Back to the Future

The buzz grows louder as the Star Trek Universe prepares for the reset of the movie series. Go here for the Entertainment Weekly article on what J.J. Abrams has in store for movie goers.

Here is what William Shatner had to say about his appearance (or lack there of) in the new film:

The Comedy Stylings Of Seinfeld & Gates

Are these ads by Microsoft thought provoking examinations of our capitalistic society or are they the product of a wonky perspective? You decide, I've got other things to do.

Roy Zimmerman, Political Comic Guitarist

Tom Snyder and Bonnie Hunt, and Bonnie Hunt, and Bonnie Hunt . . .

Bonnie Hunt will begin her talk show soon and I found this example of her interaction with the Late, Great, Tom Snyder on the last "The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder" on March 26, 1999. If she can maintain this level of comedy, wit, and spontaneity, "The Bonnie Hunt Show" will run forever.








Here's Bonnie interviewed by a guy named Hooman.




The following are a series of vignettes developed to promote the syndicated talk show hosted by Bonnie Hunt premiering September 8th, 2008.
































And finally, here is a link to an interview about her voice-over work in "Cars."

This Looks Like A Job For Superman Peanut Butter!

Presented for your approval, two Superman commercials. The first is an animation in the style of Neal Adams, the second is a live-action commercial. They are written in a style straight out of . . .the Twilight Zone.

Mark Evanier Does It Again!

Over at his website, NewsFromMe,Com, Mark Evanier linked to a Google site named Authors@Google and the related Candidates@ Google. Mark linked to an interview with Marvel Comics Legend, Stan Lee, as have I:



Here are a few others I've discovered:

Wally Wingert's AckerMansion and More

Over at his excellent blog, News From Me, Mark Evanier embedded a YouTube video of voice actor, Wally Wingert, posted by a woman who calls herself GloZell. After a bit of investigation, I discovered that GloZell shot three videos of Wingert in his home showing off his collection of memorabilia.

Notice:
I want to apologize for her chaotic and uninformed comments as well as her poor camera work, but Wingert's collection is interesting enough to make the videos worth watching.













Uncle Davver, the horror host with the most . . .the most . . .err . . .well, YOU figure it out!

To learn more about Wally (No relation to "Wall-E") Wingert's voice acting, go to IMDB, Wikipedia, or Voice Chasers.

Randy Pausch - Update as of July 25th, 2008

Cyd Charisse - March 8, 1922 – June 17, 2008

George Carlin - May 12th, 1937 - June 22, 2008

CAUTION: Language is not for children or the narrow minded!

William M. Gaines: What, Me Gone?

William M. Gaines

On June 5th, 1992, a memorial service was held for William M. Gaines, the larger-than-life publisher of MAD Magazine. If you go here you can read a transcript of the service which includes a few funny stories about Gaines from some of his closest companions. If you go here you will find a memorial page Dick DeBartolo (MAD's maddest writer) has set up.

Carl Barks, Donald Duck, and others

I think it's time for something on the lighter side dealing with ducks.

Robert Justman, "Star Trek" Producer, dead at 81

Robert Harris Justman (July 13, 1926 – May 28, 2008), who served as Gene Roddenberry's right hand man during the production of the original Star Trek series and was involved with the production of Mission: Impossible, The Adventures of Superman, Search, Then Came Bronson and Star Trek: The Next Generation, died from complications of Parkinson's disease. He was 81. Go here for a BBC interview.

Below are a series of recorded interviews I located on YouTube:


















Robert H. Justman

Producer, Robert Justman, was born in New York City on July 13, 1926. His job titles in the film industry included production assistant, assistant director, associate producer, co-producer, supervising producer, production manager, and he acted in The Outer Limits episode “A Feasibility Study” as the “Elder of Luminos.” His film credits include Joe Palooka in the Squared Circle (1950), Kiss Me Deadly (1955), and Mutiny on the Bounty (1962.) The television series on which he worked include The Adventures of Superman (1953-1958), The Outer Limits (1963-1965), Star Trek (1966-1969) Mission: Impossible (1966 Pilot), Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1988.) Justman and Herbert Solow co-wrote Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, published by Pocket Books in 1996.

At the time Justman was casting for Star Trek: The Next Generation, he saw Patrick Stewart on stage, turned to his wife and said, “I think I’ve found our new captain.” Arranging a meeting between Gene Roddenberry and Stewart, Justman felt that the conversation had gone well when Roddenberry was bidding Stewart goodbye, closed the door, turned to Justman and said, “I won’t have him.” When questioned, Roddenberry would not say why he felt Stewart was wrong for the part, but Justman had his suspicions: Roddenberry had conceived of Jean-Luc Picard as a masculine, virile Frenchman with a lot of hair. “And Patrick didn't fit that at all. Patrick was not so handsome, he was distinctive, and he was quite bald. Quite bald,” said Justman. He would not give up on Stewart, so Justman continued to badger Roddenberry and Roddenberry continued to say no. A new producer, Rick Berman, came on the scene, saw some film of Stewart, and fell in love with the actors work. Roddenberry still resisted, and eventually Justman realized he needed to approach the problem from a different angle. One day in a meeting, Justman announced that he never wanted to hear the name Patrick Stewart ever again. Whenever someone mentioned Stewart’s name, Justman would fain anger, state it was over with Stewart and to move on. One day, the final candidate for the role of Picard came to audition, did his reading, spoke to Roddenberry and Justman, and then left. The room was deadly silent. Roddenberry heaved a great sigh and said, “All right, I’ll go with Patrick.”
Justman died on May 28th, 2008 in Los Angeles, California from complications of Parkinson’s disease.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Justman

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/01/local/me-justman1

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0433226/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/st/clips/clip27.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/st/interviews/justman/page6.shtml

http://trekmovie.com/2008/05/31/tos-tng-producer-robert-justman-has-passed-away/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/st/interviews/justman/index.shtml

http://www.memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Robert_Justman

http://trekmovie.com/2007/03/18/bob-justman-talks-tos-and-tos-r-with-trekmoviecom/

http://www.trektoday.com/news/010608_01.shtml

A Day in the Life: Weird Al

Joseph Pevney, noted "Star Trek Director dies at 96

Joseph Pevney, a film and television director who directed 14 of the most popular episodes of the original "Star Trek" TV series including "The City on the Edge of Forever," "Amok Time," "The Trouble With Tribbles" and "Journey to Babel.", has died at the age of 96. You can learn more
here.



Joseph Pevney

Director, Joseph Pevney, was born on September 15th, 1911 in New York, New York. Pevney began his career as a boy soprano in 1924, growing into acting roles on stage and screen. In 1950, he began his career as a film director with Shakedown and Undercover Girl. In 1959, Pevney began his television career with the unsold pilot, Destination Space.

While his television directing ranged from Adam-12 to Wagon Train, from Bewitched to Little House on the Prairie, from a CBS Schoolbreak Special to Trapper John, Md, Pevney is best remembered for his work on the series, Star Trek. Pevney directed fourteen episodes, tying with Marc Daniels. Among the fan favorites are Arena, The Devil in the Dark, The City on the Edge of Forever, Amok Time, Journey to Babel, The Deadly Years, Wolf in the Fold, and The Trouble with Tribbles. Joseph Pevney died in Palm Desert, California on May 18th, 2008 at the age of 96.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Pevney

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0678928/

http://www.memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Joseph_Pevney

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/joseph-pevney-director-of-journeyman-versatility-858292.html

http://wcbstv.com/entertainment/star.trek.Joseph.2.735877.html

http://trekmovie.com/2008/05/25/tos-director-joseph-pevney-dies-at-96/

"Star Trek" composer, Alexander Courage, dead at the age of 88

On May 15th, Star Trek composer Alexander Courage died at the age of 88. He had been in declining health since 2005
See more here.

Below is series of documentary clips including Alexander Courage and John Williams.




Alexander Courage Pt. 2 of 4


Alexander Courage Pt. 3 of 4


Alexander Courage Pt. 4 of 4

Alexander Mair Courage Jr.

Composer, Alexander Courage, was born on December 10th, 1919 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After graduating from the Eastman School of Music in 1941, Courage served as an Army Air Forces bandleader during World War II. Courage began his 54-year career as a composer in 1946 for CBS Radio, moving to MGM as an arranger and orchestrator in 1948. He worked on or orchestrated a string of musicals over the next twelve years including Annie Get Your Gun, The Band Wagon, Doctor Dolittle, Fiddler on the Roof, Gigi, Hello, Dolly!, My Fair Lady, Show Boat, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. In the ‘60s, Courage brought his prodigious talents to 20th Century Fox, and it was in 1959 when he began his work on what would turn out to be over 350 television episodes.

Courage orchestrated films scored by Adolph Deutsch (Some Like It Hot), Jerry Goldsmith (Mulan), Andre Previn (My Fair Lady), and John Williams (Superman.) Courage later continued his collaboration during John Williams tenure with the Boston Pops Orchestra.
Despite his work on such films and television series as Superman, Lost in Space, and Star Trek, Courage was not a fan of fantasy and science fiction, telling one interviewer, “I think it’s just marvelous malarkey,” he said. “So you write some marvelous malarkey music that goes with it.”

Best known to the public-at-large for writing the Star Trek theme, Courage felt ill used by the series creator, Gene Roddenberry. Courage looked to the song “Beyond the Blue Horizon” as a jumping-off-point, working the fast, train-like pulsating rhythm under the soaring melody. He envisioned using a soprano singer (Loulie Jean Norman), an organ, a flute, and even a vibraphone. Roddenberry wanted to increase the importance of the female voice and the finished product sounded more like a soprano solo. Roddenberry’s “help” did not end there. In order to share in the royalties, Roddenberry wrote lyrics that begin: “Beyond the rim of the star-light/My love is wand’ring in star flight.” The only known commercial recording is by Nichelle “Uhura” Nichols and it appears on her 1991 album, “Out of This World.”

On May 15, 2008 at the age of 88, Alexander “Sandy” Courage died in the Sunrise Assisted Living facility in Pacific Palisades, California from complications following a stroke.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Courage

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006021/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/30/AR2008053003013.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/31/arts/television/31courage-1.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vH0aSwFKacw

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-courage30-2008may30,0,5756996.story

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/alexander-courage-composer-of-the-star-trek-theme-837440.html

http://www.filmmusicsociety.org/news_events/features/2008/052808.html#

http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/trek.asp

http://www.daisyplanet.com/st/info/Nic_Out.html

Classic Star Trek, Off Kilter

Nancy Freeman and Larry Warner told me that these fan produced recreations of Classic Star Trek episodes existed on YouTube. I believe these are Turkish, but I'm not sure.

Muppets - Mah Na Mah Na (do do dah do do)

Randy Pausch - The Last Lecture - "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"

On September 18, 2007, Professor Randy Pausch, a virtual reality pioneer and human-computer interaction researcher, of Carnegie Mellon University gave his last lecture at the university before a packed audience in McConomy Auditorium. This was noteworthy because Pausch had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, given three-to-six months of good health, and this was to be his very last lecture, ever. Family, friends, and colleagues came from all over the world to share that moment in the life of Randy Pausch.

Pausch spoke about lessons he has learned throughout his life, goals he set, brick walls he has broken through, and advice he has for others to achieve their own dreams. The lecture was well received and Pausch went about the business of living out the time he had left with his family. Then something happened. A video recording of the lecture had been made available on the Internet and viewings now number over six million. On September 20th, 2008, Jeffrey Zaslow of the Wall Street Journal wrote a column about Pausch. A few months later, Pausch was approached by publishers, asking that he turn his experiences and his "Last Lecture" into a book. Pausch contacted Zaslow and they co-authored "The Last Lecture" for Hyperion Press, a publishing division of Disney. The book was released on April 8th, 2008. The next day, Diane Sawyer's interview with Professor Pausch aired on ABC (owned by Disney) and has generated a nationwide out pouring of concern and empathy for his inspirational story.

To find out more about Randy Pausch, including his current condition, go to his home page.





Randy Pausch Lecture: Time Management


Randy Pausch's other projects:

The Legacy of Randy Pausch

Alice is an free, innovative 3D programming environment provided by Carnegie Mellon University that makes it easy to create an animation for telling a story, playing an interactive game, or a video to share on the web.

The Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) at Carnegie Mellon University offers a two-year Masters of Entertainment Technology degree, jointly conferred by Carnegie Mellon University's College of Fine Arts and School of Computer Science.

Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (December 16, 1917 – March 19, 2008)

Popular Science visits with Arthur C. Clark

Attention Must Be Paid: Harlan Ellison

Harlan Ellison and director, Erik Nelson, at South by South West speaking about the documentary, "Dreams With Sharp Teeth."


Harlan Ellison & Erik Nelson at SXSW - March 9th, 2008


Erik Nelson, director of "Dreams With Sharp Teeth", at SXSW - March 11th, 2008

Veronica Belmont at WonderCon 2008