“Honey, Our Pizza Is Here! Don’t Forget To Tip The Robot!”
That’s right: Domino’s Pizza is taking the next great step forward in food delivery – this amazing “Pizza Delivery Robot” is testing right now in the UK!
Yes, in China, robots are now making noodles! These amazing robot chefs are being put into restaurants as fast as they come off the manufacturing line!
Recognize this man? Marc Lawrence was one of the more popular character Actors of the 60’s and 70’s, including this role as a mobster in the James Bond 007 film “Diamonds Are Forever”…
More on Lawrence’s role in the 007 movie in a moment, but first, time to look at Lawrence’s passion project – the 70’s drive-in classic horror film “Pigs!”
Veteran character Actor Marc Lawrence put everything on the line – INCLUDING HIS HOUSE! – to make his horror opus – starring killer pigs!
First, let’s get into the horror that is “Pigs!” Here is the plot, as explained by the great website Mondo-Digital.com:
“Lawrence plays Zambrini, a farmer and cafe owner first seen having a nocturnal chat with a recently exhumed dead body he’s about to feed to his pigs, whom he explains aloud have developed a taste for human flesh after snacking on another poor sap who passed out drunk in their vicinity. A nearby pile of shoes indicates this is hardly the pigs have also been well fed for quite a while!”
I love the story behind “Pigs!” Thanks to the terrific home video company Vinegar Syndrome, we now know the full story! Marc Lawrence was once a blacklisted character actor in the 50’s, and he was so passionate about “Pigs” that he mortgaged his own house to fund the movie! Lawrence wrote, directed, and starred in “Pigs”, which had a tortuous release in the 70’s under a variety of titles!
Here’s what the great website “dvddrive-in.com” says:
“Released by distributor Classic Films as PIGS, the distributors – as explained in the intertitles for the poster gallery – eventually bought out Lawrence’s interest in the film and recruited him to shoot a new opening with an exorcism for which they then released the film again in 1974 throughout the 1970s under variations of THE STRANGE EXORCISM OF LYNN HART, LOVE EXORCIST, and BLOOD PEN!”
Yes, “Pigs” was released in a number of different formats, under a whole slew of different names!
Marc Lawrence died in 2005, but Vinegar Syndrome has gone all out to keep his legacy alive! His daughter Toni shares her memories of him and the project – she starred in the film! The blu-ray release includes a special 14-minute featurette called “Back on the Menu.”
There is also a 13-minute “Somewhere Down the Road” feature, with composer Charles Bernstein recalling how he made this film in his early days – taking the job in exchange for a Lawrence painting intended for Fellini!
Thanks to the great website “DVD Drive-In” for the use of their review – which is full of great trivia about the film as well – you can read the entire review here:
In this Bond film, a group of mobsters barge in on 007 while he’s in a Vegas hotel room with a woman. The thugs throw the woman out the window, and when Bond sees her land in the swimming pool, he compliments Marc on his aim. Lawrence has the classic line in response:
Thanks as well to Mondo Digital for their review of “Pigs” – this website always has the latest cult films reviewed, so you need to bookmark it – you can see their review here:
One picture. One iconic name: Honey Ryder. The FIRST Bond Girl! As she said at the time:
“This bikini made me into a success. As a result of starring in Dr. No as the first Bond girl, I was given the freedom to take my pick of future roles and to become financially independent.”
Here is some great trivia: Ursula’s Swiss accent was so strong that her dialogue was dubbed – that’s not even her voice in the film! Still, it didn’t keep her from stardom. As Andress said:
“This bikini made me into a success. As a result of starring in Dr. No as the first Bond girl, I was given the freedom to take my pick of future roles and to become financially independent.”
And so she did, moving on to a series of big hit films with Hollywood’s biggest stars!
Address appeared nude in a number of her movie roles, and posed for many pictorials, including one where she re-enacted her “Dr. No” pose – minus some wardrobe…
Her film and TV work slowed down as she got older, but in 2006, on the occasion of the inauguration of the Swiss Consulate General in Scotland, Andress celebrated her 70th birthday on board the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh in the company of an international crowd of celebrities.
Of course, Andress was just the first of many Bond girls – some who actually helped the movie plots, many of whom were wasted window dressing…some feel that this was the most beautiful Bond girl of all time!
Paul McCartney and Wings rocked “Live And Let Die” to new Bond heights…but what is your favorite? Click here to vote – just don’t click “yes” for Madonna!
Here is some “colorful” news from the world of fast food. Burger King is looking to get your attention with this fiery red “Whopper!” Here is how Burgerbusiness.com describes what comes on top of your double patty burger:
“The burger is topped with thick-cut bacon, American cheese, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, crispy onion petals, jalapeños, mayo and spicy Angry Sauce. The Angriest Whopper is priced at $5.49 alone or $7.49 in a drink/side combo.”
Thirty years ago, filmmakers John Heyn and Jeff Krulik filmed Judas Priest
fans in a concert arena parking lot in suburban Maryland. Thirty years later,ﾠ Heavy Metal Parking Lot is hailed as one the greatest rock documentaries ever.
What a fascinating short film – a time capsule of a very specific time: spandex, big hair, denim, mullets, muscle cars, and beer – lots and lots of beer!
This 17-minute film “Heavy Metal Parking Lot” has led toﾠsequels, screenings, concerts, a reality-TV series, and fan-generated films – and now, 30 years later, the film offers even more!
I love documentaries about music – as well as documentary films that capture a “moment in time” – as “HMPL” certainly does…if you are interested in this type of film, check this out!
The seminal punk band The Clash played themselves in a fictional film called “Rude Boy!” It was the story of a Roadie who worked for the band and wanted fame for himself…
What made the film so great is that the band was filmed while on an actual Clash tour – and they put the fictional Roadie on stage to film scenes! So what you see in “Rude Boy” is an actual Clash tour – at the height of the punk rock movement!
Bite Into A Tater Tot Chop With Coca Cola Ketchup!
Play ball! As baseball season gets underway, the Chicago Tribune did an amazing story on all of the new – and WILD – food that will be sold this season!
Yes, that is a Tater Top “Chop” with Coca-Cola Ketchup! The Atlanta Braves are leading the league in wild food – more on them in a moment, but first – yes, more food on a stick!
I saw the band in 2013 as they performed their great “History Of The Eagles” tour, but with Frey’s untimely death, the band is no more. During a recent interview in London, Don Henley said goodbye to the Eagles.
Henley called the band’s mid-February Grammy appearance “the final farewell.”
“I don’t think you’ll see us performing again,” he added. “I think that was probably it. I think it was an appropriate farewell.”
The Eagles performed their first big hit, “Take It Easy”, on the 2016 Grammy Awards show in honor of Frey, with the song’s writer, Jackson Browne, taking the lead. Original Eagle Bernie Leadon performed as well.
Surprisingly, there isn’t an official Grammy release of this performance, all I could find is one recorded off the screen by a fan:
The only other Eagles songs released between that time were the four original tracks on 1994’s live “Hell Freezes Over” album…the title of course a play on what Frey said would happen before the band ever performed together again!
As you can see from the track listing, the first four songs were new, then the rest were live performances…the band also released two other songs – “Hole in the World” in 2003 and “One Day At A Time” in 2005.
In 2007, Eagles fans were excited to have a double album of new material, which produced two singles on the Hot Country Songs charts as well as five straight hits on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts. Let’s look at the highlights of “Long Road Out Of Eden!”
“No More Walks in the Wood” is the first song, a beautiful ode to nature, with perfect Eagles harmonies…then, it’s right into the album’s first hit single, the raucous “How Long”:
“How Long,” was written by the band’s good friend J.D. Souther – who had previously worked with the Eagles co-writing some of their biggest hits including “Best of My Love,” “Victim of Love,” “Heartache Tonight” and “New Kid in Town”. The band performed the song as part of their live sets in the early to mid-1970s, but did not put it on an Eagles album because J.D. Souther wanted it on his first solo album!
The next song is one of Don Henley’s best. No music video was made for this song, so a fan did a beautiful job of taking Eagles imagery and putting it to this gorgeous song…which the band wisely let play out over seven minutes….
“No More Cloudy Days” and “Fast Company” are next, then a beautiful and political call to action followed – “Do Something”!
Don Henley told Billboard magazine in 2007 that “‘Do Something’ is an interesting song because it starts out like a love song, a boy/girl song, but then it takes on larger implications. And that line (“How did we get on this road we are traveling?”) could pertain to a relationship between a man and a woman or it could be a statement about the country as a whole.”
Glenn Frey ends side one with his song “You Are Not Alone”…
Here are some of the lyrics to this ten minute song:
Back home i was so certain
The path was very clear
But now i have to wonder: “what are we doing here?”
I’m not counting on tomorrow
And i can’t tell wrong from right
But i’d give anything to be there in your arms tonight
Weaving down the american highway
Through the litter and the wreckage and the cultural junk
Bloated with entitlement, loaded on propaganda
And now we’re driving dazed and drunk
Been down the road to damascus,
The road to mandalay
Met the ghost of caesar on the appian way
He said, “it’s hard to stop this bingeing, once you get a taste.”
“but the road to empire is a bloody stupid waste.”
Behold the bitten apple – the power of the tools
But all the knowledge in the world is of no use to fools
And it’s a long road out of eden….
What immediately followed is “I Dreamed There Was No War”, written by Glenn Frey, and the instrumental won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance:
“Somebody” and “Frail Grasp on the Big Picture” were next, followed by one of my favorite Joe Walsh songs, “Last Good Time in Town”…
“I Love to Watch a Woman Dance”, “Business as Usual” and “Center of the Universe” follow before the album ends with the prescient “It’s Your World Now” …
At the time of the album’s release, there was a bit of controversy since the band made an exclusive deal with Wal-Mart to sell it…but the double album was only $10, which was an amazing value for fans!
The album debuted at #1 in the U.S. and won the band two Grammy awards for “How Long” and the instrumental “I Dreamed There Was No War”. The album became the band’s sixth #1 album and was the highest selling album of the year!
I love live TV. I love bloopers. Therefore, when the “perfect storm” of live television mistakes happen, I always know that someone will be there to save them for history to enjoy!
It’s not only TV news that contributes to blooper mania…talk shows and game shows do as well, thanks in part to one of the best TV Game Show Hosts of all time, Steve Harvey!
A 36-Year Celebration Of Utopia’s Classic – And Controversial – “Deface The Music!”
Time to look at one of the most inventive pop albums ever released – and the album that many feel derailed Utopia’s drive to the top of the music charts!
That’s how Todd Rundgren described “Deface The Music”, one of Utopia’s most polarizing albums – and an album that deserves a re-discovery by music lovers!
Todd has always been a Beatles fan – and included covers of “Rain” and “Strawberry Fields Forever” on his solo album “Faithful.”
Here is a live version of “Strawberry Fields” – Todd performs with the Bella Electric Strings at his Rock n Roll Fantasy Camp in November 2013:
Special thanks to John Meanor for posting this on YouTube….
Todd’s love of the Fab Four manifested itself in 1980 with an entire Utopia album of “Beatle-infused” songs that actually created a lot of tension within the band.
The story of “Deface The Music” is ultimately about a lot more than just music. The album marks a pivotal time in Utopia’s history, a time of great success and ongoing frustration.
Most fans of Todd know about the two biographies that are available that offer an in-depth look at all aspects of Todd’s life.
“A Dream Goes On Forever” by Billy James, with research by Tony Rogers, does a great job telling the story of Todd’s solo music, while his “Vol. 2” focuses on the Utopia years.
Fans of the group know that Todd’s record label was never supportive of the group’s musical efforts, and the books document that in some detail.
That’s what intrigued me about the band, and their relationship as musicians. I was taken with the adversity the band endured – some self-inflicted, but much caused by a record label that didn’t support their music.
We can all recite a laundry list of Utopia songs that should have been hits, beginning with “The Wheel” and “Love Is The Answer”, and leading to some of the last songs released by the group such as “Cry Baby”, “Mated”, “Secret Society” and “If I Didn’t Try.”
“Vol. 2” of the Billy James biographies delve into the struggles the band had in getting record label support from the very beginning, and one album stands out as the most divisive in group’s career.
36 years ago, Todd Rundgren and Utopia released “Deface The Music”, an upbeat and energetic celebration of The Beatles. It certainly had a sense of humor, as evidenced by the “Outstanding In Their Field” photo on the back cover!
However, it was the timing of the album’s release that has divided Utopia fans since 1980.
The Billy James book gives an inside look at the making of the album as well as the dissension that the album caused within the band. The book is surprisingly honest and raw, as Utopia band members Willie Wilcox, Roger Powell and Kasim Sulton discuss what it was like to be in Todd’s shadow, especially when it came to the “Deface” project.
“I thought it was the biggest mistake we could have ever made” is how Kasim Sultan described the album years later.
Willie Wilcox was even more vocal. “It was a really stupid thing to do,” he said flatly.
These Utopia band members discuss how happy they were with the success of “Adventures In Utopia” – their biggest selling album ever. The album was a huge critical and commercial success for the group, making it all the way to #32 on the Billboard charts!
Here is the band performing their hit single “Set Me Free”:
For Utopia fans, the hit single “Set Me Free” and the collection of great songs suggested that more great Utopia music was on the way.
It was at that time, however, that Todd decided to use Utopia to make a Beatles tribute album next…and the resulting album, “Deface The Music” brought the band’s momentum to a crashing halt.
“‘Deface The Music'” was something we did as a reaction to a response that one of our songs got”, Todd revealed years after the album was released.
Todd was referring to a song he wrote for the Alice Cooper / Meatloaf film “Roadie”. That song was “I Just Want To Touch You”, which ultimately opens the “Deface The Music” album. Todd wrote it as a fun, catchy single for the movie, but the film’s Producers decided not to put in the movie!
The reason seems shocking today, but they feared The Beatles would sue them because of the similarities to the Beatles hit “I Wanna Hold Your Hand”.
Todd was inspired by the song’s sound and decided to pay homage to The Beatles – writing songs that evoked the Fab Four’s tunes throughout various stages of their career.
The “Vol. 2” book spends a fair amount of time discussing how Todd’s decision wasn’t popular with the other band members, and how the poor reception for “Deface The Music” was a “career killer” for the group. And while there was a lot of great Utopia music still to come, as a band they never regained their “Adventures” momentum – and the book captures the resentment that caused among the band.
The biography also has interviews with record execs who freely admit they never wanted Utopia’s music, and tried to convince Todd to just release more Todd solo albums! Clearly, the odds were stacked against the band.
There is also another terrific book about Todd and his music. “A Wizard A True Star: Todd Rundgren In The Studio” by Paul Myers is an in-depth look at Rundgren’s work in the studio, both on his own music as well as the work of other artists such as Meatloaf, Patti Smith and more. This outstanding work also digs into the recording of the “Deface The Music” album.
As Myers writes, the band was “shocked” when Todd revealed his idea for the album.
The rest of the band wanted to record more songs in the style of “Adventures In Utopia” to capitalize on that album’s success, but Todd wanted to try something different, and the band reluctantly went along.
As I pointed out before, both Sultan and Wilcox thought the album was a big mistake for the band,
Willie Wilcox, however, also noted how good the album was, as he is quoted in the book as admitting:
“From a business or a fan base perspective, going to a Beatle album was very confusing. I have to say, though, from a musicians perspective you only care that the band’s making good music and there are some great songs on “Deface The Music.”
Todd’s entire career has been one of experimentation, with little regard for the commercial realities of the music business.
Fans have always accepted this part of his career, and fans of Utopia also saw that side of Todd. But what ultimately matters is the music, and that is where the band shines.
The thirteen songs on “Deface” are some of the best power pop the band ever produced.
“I Just Want To Touch You” – beginning with a screaming harmonica, Utopia announces their love of “Beatlemania” with the song Todd wrote originally for “Roadie.”
Here is the single, infused with every ounce of “Beatlemania” they had!
It’s got the energy and enthusiasm of “Beatlemania” at its peak, but it’s presented through Todd’s unique creative filter, and it’s a terrific way to begin the album.
“Crystal Ball” – the raucous, “shake your head” vibe of this song fits perfectly in The Beatles early career, almost an “Eight Days A Week” style that also evokes Todd’s “Wolfman Jack” song from “Something/Anything?”
“Where Does The World Go To Hide” – this song actually feels like a Beatles B-side, the kind of catchy tune that the band wrote with ease. In this case, it feels like another great Todd song that he wrote with ease as well.
Here is a live version I found on YouTube – just audio with images to cover:
As you can hear, the band is having fun performing these songs!
“Silly Boy” – This sounds a lot like early Ringo, one of the songs that McCartney and Lennon would routinely write for the drummer.
“Alone” – here is one of the album’s “single that should have been” – it’s a gorgeous, up tempo ballad with a hint of “a twist” – this feels like an outtake from “Rubber Soul”
“That’s Not Right” – Another “Eight Days A Week” vibe, after The Beatles were confident songwriters, knocking out catchy hit singles with seemingly no effort.
“Take It Home” – In the 80’s, Utopia mastered the musical genre of pure power pop. Perhaps if this song had been released on a different album, it would have charted as well, as it’s a slice of pop nirvana.
The song has a clear “Day Tripper” vibe running through it , like a song you love immediately because it feels like you’ve already heard it.
“Hoi Poloi” – this is Utopia’s fun parody of the 60’s “sound”….and could easily have fit on “Sgt. Peppers”…and you can see that the songs pay homage to the sound of The Beatles, but also have a distinct sound on their own as well.
There was only one video from the album, but here is the audio of the next song, “Life Goes On”:
“Life Goes On” – this could also be off of “Sgt. Pepper”, with the strings evoking “Eleanor Rigby” , with a story being told in evocative lyrics
“She was the pride of her dad
But she harbored a secret in her bureau drawer
And when the news was too bad
She would get into trouble with the boy next door
Life goes on whether or not there’s a reason
Life goes on, enter another season
Life goes on, the world keeps turning and life goes on
Life goes on, the world keeps turning and life goes on”
“Feels Too Good” – One of the most upbeat songs on “Sgt. Pepper” was “Getting Better” – and here is that vibe channeled clearly through the Todd filter:
“Feel too good to go to work today
I need a little more time so I can stay this way.
Let’s go for a ride on the Circle Line?
Couldn’t you use a day in the sunshine…
Feel too good
Can’t let the little things bother me
Because I feel too good…”
“All Smiles” – here’s a straightforward pop song that is short and sweet, and could have been written for “Magical Mystery Tour”
“Always Late” – this song feels like Paul McCartney’s sequel to “Fool On The Hill”, driven simply by a piano
The album ends on the most intricate song, Todd’s clear homage to the song he covered on “Faithful”:
“Everybody Else I Wrong” – here is “Strawberry Fields Forever” through Todd’s creative filter, the minor chords of John Lennon’s songwriting put through Todd’s imagination:
“At the edge of the world
The sun pouring down
We must be heading home
I completely agree
I’ve just been waiting for the right words to come along
Everybody else is wrong
Doesn’t everyone concur, oh no
Thank you for the vote of confidence
I feel so much surer now that
Everybody else is wrong”
The thirteen tracks on the album were full of great hooks, gorgeous melodies and Utopia’s tight musicianship. Ultimately, no one can say whether Utopia would have achieved more fame had the band done an obvious sequel to “Adventures In Utopia”, but 35 years later, the album is still one of Utopia’s best!
Even with the controversy within the band, and some confusion on the part of fans, the reviews were good for “Deface The Music”:
Cream magazine called the album “the band’s best album ever – it’s one of the best pop albums of the year, something few critics bothered to mention while pulling Beatle quotes out of it like silly school kids.”
“Allmusic.com” called it “a swift, brutally funny and insanely catchy send-up of the Fab Four’s entire career… it feels more like a burst of cynical joy that is damn near impossible to resist.”
And Wilson&Alroy’s Record Reviews called it “a weird footnote in a great band’s career.”
Give it another spin and re-live a quirky yet important album on the “road to Utopia!”
Clint Eastwood stars as Corporal John McBurney, a wounded Civil War soldier nursed back to health by a boarding school full of women! This erotic thriller includes conversations like this:
Martha Farnsworth: If the pain gets too great, I’ll ask Hallie to bring you some (wine).
Cpl. John McBurney: Well, this does seem like a good occasion, and I would love some wine.
Martha Farnsworth: It was offered for your pain, not for your pleasure!
Cpl. John McBurney: To be sure, ma’am. It’s just that sometimes the two go together.
As you can imagine, the erotic tension builds scene after scene, as Eastwood “heals”, and begins to woo the “love-starved” and “man eager” women…
Sophia Coppola, who directed Bill Murray in “Lost In Translation”, has announced that she is remaking the film, and here is her cast: Nicole Kidman, Elle Fanning, and longtime collaborator Kirsten Dunst will star in her remake. Fanning will play a student, Dunst will play one of the teachers, and Kidman will play the headmistress.
No word yet on who will play Clint’s role, and no doubt that Coppola will add a unique feminine perspective to the material…whoever stars in the film will have a big pair of shoes to fill!
Of course, Coppola made one of the best films about Tokyo EVER:
Siegel’s most famous film with Eastwood is no doubt “Dirty Harry”, the classic action thriller about a deadly sniper being tracked through San Francisco by “Dirty” Harry Callahan…
Eastwood’s directorial debut in 1971 was the classic thriller “Play Misty For Me” – Clint plays a radio DJ who has an obsessive fan – and yes, there are plenty of similarities between it and the 1987 classic “Fatal Attraction!”
Here is a scene with Don Siegel playing a bartender, who Clint hangs out with – and that’s Jessica Harper as the fan who stalks Eastwood…it’s an interesting film, one of my favorites from the 70’s…see more here!
As you can see from this movie still, they use what is called a “hivemaker” – you can only imagine the scientific research that went into the making of this classic!
“Invasion of the Bee Girls” is a classic example of a “drive-in movie”. These softcore, “R”-rated films were shown mostly in drive-in movie theaters across America in the 70’s – movies that offered a bit of nudity, mostly hinted at sexual situations and lots of goofy, campy horror…and dialogue like this!
Dr. Susan Harris: Well, I must admit that since the curfew, Peckham has been more boring than usual.
A book by that name was a huge bestseller in the late 60’s, hinting at the wild sex lives of Stewardesses – so of course movies jumped on the bandwagon as well!
This terrific documentary looks at the past, present and future of the drive-in, as many groups have banded together to save the last remaining one from extinction! You can see that effort here:
“You have to understand,” Ed McMahon once explained. “Every day, no matter what else is going on in his life, he has to come out there and be Johnny Carson.”
Imagine meeting the biggest name in late night TV, Johnny Carson – and meeting him like this!
“What was I doing here? I was a graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School! I had sworn an oath to uphold the law, not violate it, and breaking and entering in the state of New York was a felony. As if sensing my panic, Johnny looked over at me.
“Don’t worry, kid”, he said reassuringly. “Nothing’s going to happen to you. Trust me.”
And with that, young Lawyer Henry Bushkin goes along as Johnny Carson breaks into his wife’s secret love nest, surrounded by men who are carrying guns.
Johnny Carson was one of America’s most beloved Talents, and he ruled the late night airwaves for decades…and Bushkin was right there with him.
First, the excerpt from the book above is amazing: Bushkin is with Carson as Johnny and his “friends” enter his wife’s love nest! A great story in a book full of them!
Bushkin relates a hilarious story about Johnny’s pursuit of Joyce DeWitt, the star of “Three’s Company” – and yes, Johnny was married at the time!
Pushkin became famous when Carson began to refer to him on-air as his Attorney “Bombastic Bushkin”, who advised him to get into such “sure fire” money-making ventures as “Orson Welles Designer Jeans”, “Crazy Glue Toothpaste” and “Club Med Beirut”!
NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 14: Henry Bushkin visits SiriusXM Studios on October 14, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/Getty Images)
The Battle For Johnny’s Oscar Seat!
Bushkin had to handle all of the details for every Carson appearance, such as when the Host acted as Emcee at the Inauguration of Ronald Reagan in 1980, and getting Carson’s then-wife Joanna to the Oscars on time – Johnny hosted the Academy Awards many times and was considered the best Host of all time.
One year, Johnny’s wife Joanna was running late, and when they finally arrived at the show – just moments before the live event was to begin, there was trouble!
“Suddenly, there was a problem. There were people in our seats. Kids – Jane Fonda’s kids! She was an Oscar winner and was attending the event to see her father, Henry Fonda, receive an honorary Oscar. She only had two tickets, but she didn’t want her kids to miss this, so she planted them in our seats.
“I’m sorry, but these are our seats” I said, brandishing our tickets. “You have to move them!’
“I’m not moving anybody now!” she replied with all the tenacity of a Hollywood princess who had grown into an award-winning excercise=company millionaire and Hollywood-family diva’ “The shows’ starting! Go sit down before you embarrass yourself on national TV!”
I loved the book, and felt that Bushkin was honest, candid and willing to take the blame for many personal mistakes he made during the years with Carson as well…that said, there has been backlash to the book:
“The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” host Johnny Carson (C) poses with band leader Doc Severinsen (L)and sidekick Ed McMahon, in an undated photo. REUTERS/NBC/Handout
Longtime “Tonight Show” Bandleader Doc Severinsen was asked about the controversial tell-all book on Carson, and he didn’t hold back.
“I know Henry Bushkin and I knew Johnny Carson,” Severinsen said this week, choosing his words carefully and making what appear to be his first public remarks about the book. “And the idea that anybody would ask any single person to write a book about Johnny Carson and have it be Bushkin is beyond disgusting.”
If you want to only remember the best parts of “TV Johnny”, then this is for you:
There are number of ways to enjoy classic Johnny, but this huge box set on Amazon is one of the best!
This Definitive DVD Collection includes the following: 1. Timeless Moments: Capturing Johnny at his best, these 6 DVDs include classic Carson characters, The Mighty Carson Art Players, guest stars, favorite comedians and more. Timeless Moments was previously only available to Carson Club members and is now only available through the Heeere’s Johnny collection. 2. The Original Ultimate Collection: The 3 DVD collection that started it all! From the 60 s to the 90 s, this best selling collection features 7 hours of Johnny s favorite moments from three decades of The Tonight Show. 3. Stand-Up Comedians: Featuring a virtual who s-who of the funniest comedians ever to appear on The Tonight Show. Laugh along with Johnny and enjoy 20 classic stand-up routines. 4. Carson Country: Great music, hilarious tall tales and homespun humor on this one-of-a-kind collection of country legends.
And if all of this whets your appetite for late night talk show stories, there is no better one than the intrigue that surrounded Johnny’s replacement!
This huge bestseller by Bill Carter chronicled the behind-the-scenes corporate battle surrounding Johnny Carson’s 1992 retirement as host of The Tonight Show. The book detailed the power struggle between David Letterman and Jay Leno to succeed Carson as the “King of Late Night”…with the infamous scene when Jay Leno hid in a closet to listen in on the NBC debate over who would get the coveted job!
HBO made a great film based on the book as well…it was one of the most fascinating behind-the-scenes battles for late night of all…well, until THIS happened!
Bill Carter followed up with another incredible book about the late night wars! “The War for Late Night: When Leno Went Early and Television Went Crazy” is his 2010 non-fiction book that chronicles the conflict surrounding the American late-night talk show The Tonight Show involving Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno.
Jay didn’t want to get pushed out, so he got pushed into prime time – but soon Conan was pushed out altogether! A fascinating look at the debacle surrounding The Tonight Show…where is Johnny when we need him?
Let me know what you think of America’s true “King Of Late Night!”
The entertainment industry was shocked by the sudden death of Comedian Garry Shandling. It caused an outpouring of grief among some of the biggest names in the business, but for those who aren’t as familiar with Shandling’s impact on entertainment and comedy, here are some highlights from his career I wanted to share.
Shandling made his standup debut on “The Tonight Show”, and he wowed Johnny, leading to incredible success. Here is an appearance on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson in 1981:
As you can see, Shandling had impeccable timing, and hilarious jokes. Johnny loved him, and Shandling was for a time considered the leading contender to replace Carson!
In 1986, he created “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” for Showtime. This was a time when cable offered very few original shows, and Shandling’s unique approach to comedy was hilarious.
The show was a huge critical success, and was nominated for four Emmy Awards. Among the many groundbreaking aspects of the show was that Garry routinely broke the “fourth wall” and spoke directly to the audience during the show!
In 1992, Shandling turned his eye toward hosting his own late night talk show…not as a Host, but as the creator and star of “The Larry Sanders Show” – where he played a fictional late night talk show host!
One of the most iconic lines in television has become “Hey Now!”, the catchphrase used by Larry’s on-air sidekick, Hank Kingsley…that part was brilliant played by Jeffrey Tambor…here is a great clip from the show when Larry asks Hank about the origin of the phrase!
Hank Kingsley is a “spot on” parody of Johnny Carson’s sidekick Ed McMahon – taken to it extreme. In fact, on one episode, Ed dropped in and the two sidekicks did a “Hey Now!” and “Hey-oooooh!” duet that was classic.
Here are some of Hank’s best moments from the show:
Rip Torn, Jeremy Piven and Janeane Garofalo were also members of the ensemble. Shandling was nominated for 18 Emmy Awards for the show and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 1998, along with Peter Tolan, for writing the series finale.
Big name stars loved to come on the “fake” talk show, because they could show you what it was like behind-the-scenes. Here is a classic moment from season one when Robin Williams was a guest…in this scene, his guest appearance is marred by an off-screen fight between Larry and Hank:
“I Saw Your Balls”!
Legendary Comedian Carol Burnett also had a hysterical cameo…the set up was simple: she was appearing as a Guest, and came in early to shoot a skit…it didn’t go well – you see, Larry was playing Tarzan, and his outfit was a bit TOO revealing, as Carol reveals to Larry during a commercial break:
Shandling produced a “best of” DVD set that included a ton of great new material, and told candid stories about the show…it’s a terrific series that is worth seeking out!
During his 3-decade career, Shandling was nominated for 19 Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, along with many other awards and nominations. He also served as host of the Grammy Awards four times and as host of the Emmy Awards three times.
I love this picture: Carson with his two “heir apparents”, Jay Leno and David Letterman, with a fictional late night Host between them! “Larry Sanders” was an insightful and hilarious look at the cut=throat world of late night talk…
In real life, it was even MORE ruthless! If you want to read more about the battle to succeed Johnny Carson as the “King Of Late Night”, click here:
The Actress has had many big hits in her career, and a series of personal setbacks as well – but her body of work deserves some credit, so let’s get to it!
Kidder began her career in the 1960s, working in TV and film, and modeling as well…
Kidder was terrific as the caustic friend who helps Olivia Hussey search for a missing sorority sister. You can read all about this horror classic here:
Kidder’s quick wit and “tough as nails” demeanor were the perfect foil for Reeve, and the chemistry between the two stars was perfect for the material…
The first two “Superman” films in the 80’s are considered by many to be the best superhero films ever made…and much of that credit goes to Kidder’s feisty performance…
According to wikipedia, the Actress has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which led to a widely publicized manic episode in April 1996. She disappeared for four days, and was found in a back yard by a homeowner and was taken by Los Angeles police to Olive View Medical Center in a distressed state. She was later placed in psychiatric care. In 2007, Kidder said that she had not had a manic episode in 11 years.
This 70’s star of such films as “Big Wednesday” and “The Mechanic” is now struggling, and had one leg partially amputated – you can read this story here:
“Something/Anything?” was only Todd’s third solo release, but it was stuffed to the gills with music! “S/A?” was recorded in late 1971 in Los Angeles, New York City and Bearsville Studios in Woodstock. Three quarters of the album was recorded in the studio with Rundgren playing all instruments and singing all vocals!
Rolling Stone voted it one of the 500 greatest albums ever released – a double album that stands alongside Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and Led Zeppelin’s “Physical Graffiti” as the best double albums of the 70’s…
There are many fascinating stories surround the “Something / Anything” album. As Todd told Paul Myers for the terrific book “A Wizard A True Star: Todd Rundgren In The Studio”:
“By the time I had got to ‘Something/Anything’, my songwriting process had become almost two second nature. I was writing songs formulaically, almost without thinking, knocking out a song, reflexively, in about twenty minutes.”
This book is a must for Todd fans, and it dives deep into every album Todd worked on in the studio…let’s take a listen to the majesty of “S/A!”
Side one begins with “I Saw the Light”, which Todd told Myers:
“Songs like ‘I Saw The Light’…just came out of me in one piece a very short time.”
The first side of the album is the most perfectly realized collection of power pop ever released: beginning with the hit single “I Saw The Light”, followed by another hit, the soulful “It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference.”
Here is “I Saw The Light” performed by Todd on his latest solo tour, in Beverly Hills in January 2016…
More than 40 years on, Todd’s voice is flawless.
To see my entire review of this incredible show, click on my story here:
The next song is Todd’s brilliant “It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference”, one of his most beautiful ballads…here is a great live performance from 1997:
Next, Todd unveils the pure power pop of “Wolfman Jack” – the song is jagged, raw, feisty and fun – and well ahead of the power pop phenomenon that would take hold in the late 70’s and early 80’s…
“Cold Morning Light”, “It Takes Two to Tango (This Is for the Girls)” and “Sweeter Memories” round out side one – all perfectly formed pop hits…which leads into Todd having a bit of fun to begin side two:
Side two has the funny “Intro” – where Todd gives you an audio tour of the studio and of common producing mistakes, then right into an instrumental, “Breathless”, and then the beautiful, haunting ballad “The Night the Carousel Burnt Down”.
Here is a music video created by a fan:
Special thanks to “qwerty2009ful” for posting this on YouTube!
That’s a picture of the double album’s interior – the many facets of Todd on this album…”Saving Grace”, “Marlene”, “Song of the Viking” and “I Went to the Mirror” close out side two, “Mirror” having very much an icy, “Nine Inch Nails” vibe…
Side three begins with one of Todd’s best rockers, with a screaming guitar solo: “Black Maria” – here is Todd performing the song on his most recent tour, when I saw him in Beverly Hills:
“One More Day (No Word)” is a gentle calypso-infused song, and another of Todd’s classic power pop rockers is next:
The final side of “Something / Anything?” is fascinating: the songs are performed live in a studio without any overdubs! Among the Musicians sitting in with Todd are fellow Utopian Moogy Klingman, Guitarist Rick Derringer sits in for a song, Trumpeter Randy Brecker – a founding member of Blood, Sweat & Tears also played on the Record Plant sessions…an eclectic mix of musicians for what is an eclectic mix of songs!
Side four begins with “Overture–My Roots: Money (That’s What I Want)/Messin’ With The Kid”, then goes into a song that Klingman wrote – “Dust in the Wind”: here is a great live version that Todd and Utopia performed in 2011 to help raise money for Klingman:
It’s arguably his best-known song, and one of the greatest songs ever written: “Hello, It’s Me” was also Todd’s biggest hit single, reaching #5 on the Billboard charts!
Todd is clearly having a blast in the studio, as he leaves a bit of chatter and warm-up as part of the song…
He has performed “Hello It’s Me” many times over the years, including with backing from Hall & Oates and Stevie Nicks on his “Back To The Bars” double live album…and here he is playing it again flawlessly on his most recent tour:
“Some Folks Is Even Whiter Than Me” and his ode to the danger of groupies, “You Left Me Sore” are next, before “S /A” closes with “Slut.” That last song, by the way, was actually recorded at a different session with original Utopians Tony and Hunt Sales.
“Something / Anything?” was released in February of 1972, peaking at number 29 on the Billboard charts and was Todd’s first gold record, and still his best-selling album of all time!
“demonstrates his command of the studio, unfurling his falsetto over a kaleidoscope of rock genres”.
The critical acclaim of “Something / Anything?” has only grown over the years! In 2003, the album was ranked number 173 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time!
This great interview clip was uploaded on Sep 2, 2010 – it’s Part 3 of Rundgren’s Timothy and Sharon Ubben Lecture at DePauw University, in Greencastle, Indiana.
I love listening to Todd sharing his creative process. Of course we all know that “S/A?” was also something of a curse:
Next up of course would be “A Wizard A True Star”, but the record company forced Todd to hold it so they could continue to release hit singles from “Something / Anything?”
The reaction to “AWATS” was very mixed at the time, but now, it is considered a masterpiece as well…you can read all about it here:
John Wayne, aka “The Duke” was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars…and I made him angry with a story I wrote that looked at the changing face of Hollywood westerns…
If you aren’t familiar with the terrific site “Actionagogo.com”, it’s chock full of great movie stuff: all the latest news, reviews, previews and analysis of film, plus a big section for commentary and perspective as well….including mine!
The Editors at “Actionagogo.com” asked me if I wanted to share any stories about movies, and of course I said yes!
I had been thinking about how the classic Hollywood western had changed – and when it changed…I found my answer with two classic films – one an Oscar winner, the other the most violent film ever released by a major movie studio:
John Wayne won an Academy Award as Best Actor for “True Grit” – and THIS film was originally rated “X” when it was reviewed by the motion picture board:
“While it is true that a descending chromatic four-chord progression is a common convention that abounds in the music industry, the similarities here transcend this core structure”
With those words, a Judge is taking Led Zeppelin to court! That’s right, rock’s most famous song, “Stairway To Heaven”, has a date in a courtroom due to a long-standing lawsuit over charges that the band stole the song!
As the Judge states above, there are enough similarities in the two songs to send this case to a jury!
Lawyers for Led Zeppelin tried to throw the case out, but the Judge ruled otherwise. Here’s how it all began:
“Stairway To Heave” sounds a lot like the song “Taurus” — by a band called Spirit who – allegedly performed it while touring with a young Led Zeppelin in the late 1960s.
As the Judge noted:
“For example, the descending bass line in both Taurus and Stairway to Heaven appears at the beginning of both songs, arguably the most recognizable and important segments. … Additionally, the descending bass line is played at the same pitch, repeated twice, and separated by a short bridge in both songs.”
“Michael Skidmore v. Led Zeppelin et al. was brought by Michael Skidmore, a trustee for Randy Wolfe of Spirit, who died in 1997. Wolfe, a.k.a. Randy California, wrote “Taurus” in 1967, the suit said; the two sides can’t agree on whether Page and Plant, before they wrote “Stairway,” heard Spirit play “Taurus” while playing at music festivals in the late 1960s.”
It is, without a doubt, one of the greatest songs in rock history….
Led Zeppelin is considered the great hard rock band of all time, and the album that “Stairway To Heaven” is on, “IV” ( Or “Zoso”, you call!) is widely considered a masterpiece…
This story really is amazing: three people were rescued from a deserted island when they spelled out “HELP” in palm fronds on the beach! According to CNN, “the trio became stranded on Monday after a wave swamped their 19-foot skiff, which had set out from the Micronesian island of Pulap. They then swam to the uninhabited Fanadik Island, about 2,600 miles southwest of Honolulu!”
Luckily, they had life vests, and made it to the deserted island, where they were spotted by the Coast Guard thanks to their smart decision to put an SOS on the beach! Read the whole story here:
Now, some people WANT to escape to paradise, and one South Seas island is looking for those folks! However, before you head to the legendary Pitcairn island, the real “Mutiny On The Bounty” island, you need to know a few things:
This is the fascinating story of the Author’s move to paradise – Pitcairn Island, the real-life location for “Mutiny On The Bounty.” But what she found was FAR FROM PARADISE….
Here is the genesis of her idea to escape to paradise, from the Author’s website:
“I was sitting in the darkened cinema at the Elephant and Castle, central London, watching the film The Bounty, starring Anthony Hopkins as Captain William Bligh and Mel Gibson as mutineer Fletcher Christian. It was drizzling outside; my mood was as dreary. The story of youthful rebellion unfolded before me on the screen. Fletcher Christian led his cast of mutineers against the authoritarian Captain Bligh, casting him over the side of the ship. Ten months later, Christian and his mutinous crew, together with a handful of Tahitian men and, most importantly, women, landed on Pitcairn Island to found a new Utopia.”
“As the credits for the film rolled, the words came up on screen, ‘ . . . his descendants live on Pitcairn Island to this day.’ When I emerged into the dark street and it was still drizzling, I resolved to leave for Pitcairn Island.”
Of course, getting to paradise can be an arduous experience:
“Pitcairn has no airstrip, and the only way to reach it is to hitch a lift on a cargo vessel working the route from Panama Canal across the South Pacific. It took two years of planning and persuasion to eventually land on this uttermost end of the earth. And what I found was not a living Paradise, but an outcrop of Hell. Serpent in Paradise is the story of that slow revelation.”
Birkett’s story is an amazing adventure – and a tropubling look at paradise – one that shuns outsiders, and has some very dark secrets…after the book was published, half the men of the island were convicted of sexual abuse against children. Mayor Steve Christian was found guilty of five counts of rape against minors. Vanity Fair had a chilling article about this, and Birkett has written about it as well…this is a terrific memoir.
This is a shocking story, and there are other accounts of the trial in print elsewhere…you would think this story, and Pitcairn’s isolation, would make the idea of visiting almost impossible to imagine.
Believe it or not, they now WANT you to move there!
The island is serious about this, so I’m sure there are people who will take a gamble and make the move! You can see more about the process of making this your new home by checking out the official government website here:
I’ve written many stories about Lucy Irvine’s life, including her year on a tropical island in the south seas…”Faraway” tells an incredible true story of a family that lived in the middle of nowhere…read about it here:
I love exploitation movies, and one of the more outrageous entries in the film genre known as “blaxploitation” is getting a loving blu-ray restoration!
How can you NOT love a film with this instantly iconic dialogue?
Rudy Ray Moore is “Dolemite”, an ex-con out to settle some scores…Moore was known as the “King Of The Party Records” for his profane albums in the 60’s and 70’s…here is just one example of his raunchy X-rated catalog:
With a huge fanbase due to this comedy records, Moore decided to become a movie star, and his character “Dolemite” was immediately revered as one of the more outrageous entries in the “blaxploitation” category…
Bravo once again to the cult home video company Vinegar Syndrome for offering a beautifully remaster copy of this blaxploitation classic, restored in 2k from a newly discovered 35mm negative!
The new blu-ray comes with a ton of other great extras as well!
Here is the best option: this new blu-ray includes two framing options for the film: the intended 1.85:1 widescreen version and an alternate full frame ‘boom mic’ version. What does that mean?
That’s right, you can watch the original film which includes all of the camera crew equipment accidentally seen in the shot, like this boom much overhead!
While “Dolemite” might not be technically perfect, it is a classic slice of “blaxploitation”, a genre of film that needs to be appreciated!
Also on the new blu-ray release:
• “I, Dolemite” making-of documentary.
• “Lady Reed Uncut” featurette.
• “Locations: Then & Now” featurette.
• Historical commentary track by Rudy Ray Moore’s biographer, Mark Jason Murray.
• DOLEMITE – theatrical trailer.
• THE HUMAN TORNADO – theatrical trailer.
That’s right, they include the trailer for Moore’s sequel, “The Human Tornado!”
As always, the Mondo Digital website has a terrific review of this new blu-ray, which includes complete information on ALL of the bonus extras that come with the movie:
“One Of These Nights!” The Eagles Hit #1 – And Then Meltdown!
You know the lyrics – EVERYONE knows these lyrics!
One of these nights
One of these crazy old nights
We’re gonna find out
Pretty mama
What turns on your lights
The full moon is calling
The fever is high
And the wicked wind whispers
And moans
You got your demons
You got desires
Well, I got a few of my own
One of rock’s catchiest songs…and “demons” and “desires” were tearing at the band!
The Meltdown Around The #1 Eagles Album “One Of These Nights!”
Coming off their first #1 hit single the previous year, The Eagles were poised to soar…they did, but that didn’t keep the band from melting down anyway! Here is the behind-the-scenes story of their brilliant, fractured album “One Of These Nights!”
See the image above? Those were The Eagles after the release of “On The Border”, which included their first ever #1 single “Best Of My Love”…blue jeans and laid back…now look at this image:
Perhaps this portrait shows how the band had dramatically changed…this is the back cover of their next album, “One Of These Nights” – they went from slackers to a band that was polished, refined, dressed sharp for success…it was bound to bring the fractured relationship behind the scenes to a head…let’s take a look!
“One of These Nights” was the band’s fourth album, released in 1975. The record’s title song became the group’s second No. 1 single – The Eagles were on a roll.
The band was coming off their first #1 single – “Best Of My Love” from the breakout album, “On The Border” – an upbeat, aggressive and sometimes caustic album full of great songs….you can see more here:
Don Felder had joined the group during the recording of “Border” to add more aggressive guitar to the band’s sound. Coming off that album’s success, the group put together another collection of hit singles, including the title track – which quickly became their next #1 hit!
Let’s celebrate with a live version of “One Of These Nights”, a song that captures everything that made the band so great: catchy hooks, incredible harmonies, and terrific lyrics.
Here is a live version from 1977:
The title track includes one of the best falsetto sections with Randy Meisner, who performs similar duties on “Take It To The Limit”. But as Glenn Frey and Don Henley state on the excellent Eagles documentary “The History Of The Eagles”, Meisner began to push back on performing some of these songs, and it alienated him from the powerful duo.
Glenn Frey and Don Henley wrote four of the nine songs by themselves, and they also collaborated with other members of the band on three other songs. Most of these were written while Frey and Henley were sharing a house in Beverly Hills, including “One of These Nights”, “Lyin’ Eyes”, “Take It To The Limit” and “After The Thrill Is Gone” – all big smash hits for the band – the duo were on a creative tear!
Discussing the album with Writer Cameron Crowe at the time, Don Henley called the album their “satanic country-rock period” because:
“It was a dark time, both politically and musically” in America. Henley was referencing the Watergate scandal AND disco! He added:
“We thought, “Well, how can we write something with that flavor, with that kind of beat, and still have the dangerous guitars?” We wanted to capture the spirit of the times.”
Bernie Leadon also alienated himself from them with his two songs: the psychelic “Flight Of The Sorcerer” and his love song, written with Patti Davis, the daughter of Ronald and Nancy Reagan.
As you can see from the image on the album’s back cover, this was a more polished Eagles band…and side two led off with one of the band’s greatest stories ever…
“Lyin’ Eyes” was another big hit for the band, and a classic slice of Eagles storytelling…a young woman married to a rich older man – and the illicit affair that Henley and Frey saw at a restaurant!
There is a great story about how the duo wrote the song after imagining that a beautiful young woman in a bar where they were eating had “Lyin’ Eyes”…you can read the whole story here:
They weren’t the only band members with a caustic pen…
“I wish you peace when the cold winds blow “
Bernie Leadon may have been writing the same thing, and his ballad “I Wish You Peace” wasn’t written with Henley or Frey – he wrote it with Patti Davis, the daughter of Republican then-Governor of California Ronald Reagan!
Here is the audio of the song, which is much more beautiful than the other band members were willing to give it credit for:
According to wikipedia, Frey said that “One Of These Nights was the most fluid and “painless” album [they] ever made”. He may have been referencing his work with Henley, which was superlative.
However, Leadon wrote three of the nine songs on the album, and none of them were hit singles. He was openly unhappy with the direction the band was taking. Leadon’s country-influenced music didn’t fit the more rock-focused direction of Henley and Frey…
Even with Leadon unhappy about the band’s direction, the album was a smash hit! There were three Top 10 singles, and the album was the band’s first #1 album!
“One Of These Nights” was nominated for Album of the Year, “Lyin’ Eyes” was nominated for Record of the Year, and the band won for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals!
“Life’s Been Good” for Joe Walsh, whose manic personality and on-stage electricity brought even more energy to the band, and what lay ahead would change rock music forever – but that’s the next chapter in the story…
Image may be NSFW.
