from Bruce
Anecdotes
Problem-Solving
• Carroll O’Connor, who played Archie Bunker on All in the Family, was a tough negotiator, but so was Norman Lear, who produced the series. According to rumor, whenever Mr. O’Connor didn’t want to do something on the series that Mr. Lear really wanted him to do, Mr. Lear would show him a special script titled “The Death of Archie Bunker.” Because Mr. O’Connor wanted to continue to do the series, he would agree to do what Mr. Lear wanted him to do.
• Nicholas Colasanto played the role of Ernie “Coach” Pantusso on Cheers. Because he was getting older, he had a hard time remembering his lines, but he found ways to cope. For example, he would write his lines on the stage walls and stage furniture. In fact, says Cheers co-creator Les Charles, “If you go into the storage room today and find the old set from Cheers, you can still see Nick’s handwriting on walls and chairs.”
• African-American comedian Jimmie Walker was drafted, but he didn’t want to fight in the Vietnam War. He was very thin, so he didn’t pass the physical, but he was told to gain weight and come back in a few weeks. For the next few weeks, Mr. Walker played basketball in the hot summer sun while wearing a sweatshirt. He then reported for another physical — and beat the draft.
• In the British tongue-in-cheek TV series The Avengers, John Steed, played by Patrick Macnee, was an expert in espionage and counter-espionage, although these activities were the domain of two separate government departments: M15 and M16. No problem. The producers of The Avengers simply made John Steed an employee of Department M15 and a half.
• Breaking into show business can be difficult, but Peter Sellers found an original way of getting a job with BBC Radio. He telephoned a senior BBC producer, then imitated a famous star named Kenneth Horne. The BBC producer heard what seemed to be the voice of Mr. Horne extravagantly praising the then-unknown comedian Peter Sellers.
Quiz Shows
• John Coveney was an artists’ relations manager, and he participated in the quiz segments of the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts. Mr. Coveney was known for his quick wit. For example, when he was asked what he most liked about the new house for the Met, he answered, “Not seating latecomers.” And when he was asked what he least liked about the Met, he answered, “Not being able to get to my seat when I’m late.”
• Ava Gardner once appeared on a TV quiz show while she was having problems in her marriage to Frank Sinatra. She was asked, “Are you married?” After answering this question, she was asked, “Are you glad?” This question was followed by a full minute of silence.
Rehearsals
• Audrey Meadows is famous as Alice Kramdon, wife of Ralph Kramdon, brought to life by Jackie Gleason on The Honeymooners. An actress of the theater, Ms. Meadows was used to many and long rehearsals — something Jackie hated because he felt comedic material ought not to be over-rehearsed. According to Jackie, more than one rehearsal was over-rehearsal. In a TV Guide article, quoted in Vince Waldron’s Classic Sitcoms, Ms. Meadows said, “I felt totally unprepared and desperate. Standing in the wings, ready to go on, I’d tell him, ‘You are a simply dreadful man.’”
• Early in his career, comedian Don Rickles guest-starred on The Andy Griffith Show. Of course, he was eager to do well alongside such established stars as Mr. Griffith and Don Knotts. They rehearsed for most of an afternoon, and finally Mr. Griffith said, “Well, I think we’ve rehearsed enough. Let’s go home.” Mr. Rickles pleaded, “No, let’s rehearse some more. You guys have millions of feet of film. All I’ve got are home movies of me and my cousin on a swing.”
Religion
• Actress Robia LaMorte, known for her role as Jenny Calendar on TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, became a born-again Christian after praying for a sign while driving her car on a freeway: “OK, God, you know I believe in You, but I don’t get the whole Jesus / born-again Christian thing. If Jesus really is the way, then you need to show me. If you make it clear to me in a way that I can relate to and understand, then I’ll check it out.” Immediately after she prayed, her car was surrounded by a group of bikers that at first made her think of the Hell’s Angels — until she noticed that the jackets the bikers were wearing had crosses on the back — along with the words “We Ride For Jesus.” She says that becoming a Christian is the best decision she has ever made.
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© Copyright Bruce D. Bruce; All Rights Reserved
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Presenting
Michael Egan
U.S.A. took the day off.
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
BRUCE'S RECOMMENDATION
BANDCAMP MUSIC
BRUCE'S RECOMMENDATION OF BANDCAMP MUSIC
Music: "Heart Shaped Feeling"
Album: SHINE ON SHINE BRIGHT
Artist: The Bar Dogs
Record Company: Aldora Britain Records
Record Company Location: Rothley, UK
Record Company: Button Up Records
Record Company Location: Scotland, UK
Info:
“Aldora Britain Records is an e-zine and record label that promotes the music and work of authentic independent or underground artists from all around the world. Originally established in 2013, they revamped themselves in 2018 with a brand new approach. Their first weekly compilation, aptly titled 'THE SECOND COMING,’ was released in late 2019. They now also release original singles, EPs and charity projects.”
“Button Up Records release albums by Button Up, Colonel Mustard & The Dijon 5, Connor Fyfe, Daniel Meade and The Bar Dogs.”
“I am extremely proud and excited to bring you the second compilation album released by the relaunched and revamped Aldora Britain Records. SHINE ON SHINE BRIGHT […] is another selection of some of the best up and coming artists from all around the world. The selection this time is centred around roots music, but there is still space for indie rock and roll, poetic punk crossed with funk, and even some traditional English folk … another eclectic mix!”
“A huge thank you also has to go out to Button Up Records who have contributed no less than six tracks to this selection. A truly great record label with a truly great roster. Thank you, Garry!”
Price: £0.50 GBP for 10-track album
Genre: Rock. Pop. Various.
Links:
Aldora Britain Records on Bandcamp
Aldora Britain Records on YouTube
Button Up Records
The Bar Dogs on YouTube
Other Links:
Bruce’s Music Recommendations: FREE pdfs
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
David Bruce's Smashwords Page
David Bruce's Blog #1
David Bruce's Blog #2
David Bruce's Blog #3
David Bruce's Apple iBookstore
David Bruce has over 140 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Stephen Suggests
The Bicycle Thief
New Venture
Michael Egan
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
Reader Comment
Current Events
Linda >^..^<
We are all only temporarily able bodied.
Thanks, Linda!
that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Extra foggy.
Negotiating to Sell Catalog
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen is in talks to sell the rights to his recorded music to Sony Music as well as his publishing catalog, three sources confirm to Variety. While the album catalog deal is nearly done, some sources say, the publishing catalog remains in play. The news was first reported by Billboard.
While Springsteen has been with Sony Music’s Columbia Records since he first signed with the label in 1972, he acquired the rights to his music as part of a contract renegotiation at some point in his career; such moves are rarely reported but become evident in the fine print on a release.
Selling the rights to their music is anathema to many artists, but as they reach or pass standard retirement age and begin estate planning, a sale is an attractive option — especially today, as song catalogs are hitting previously unimagined valuations and artists consider the realities of leaving their heirs with a valuable but cumbersome asset; song catalogs in particular require extensive management to optimize their value.
Sources tell Variety the talks have been going on for several months; reps for Springsteen, Sony Music and Sony Music Publishing declined or did not respond to requests for comment.
Bruce Springsteen
“A Fistful of Dollars,”
“Béeso Dah Yiníljaa’”
Manuelito Wheeler isn’t sure exactly why Navajo elders admire Western films.
It could be that many of them were treated to the films in boarding schools off the reservation decades ago. Or, like his father, they told stories of gathering around a television growing up to watch gunslingers in a battle against good and evil on familiar-looking landscapes.
Whatever the reason, Navajo elders have been asking Wheeler to dub a Western in the Navajo language ever since “Star Wars IV: A New Hope” was translated into Navajo and released in 2013.
The result? “Béeso Dah Yiníljaa’” or “A Fistful of Dollars,” an iconic Western starring Clint Eastwood who plays a stranger — known as “The Man With No Name” — entering a Mexican village among a power struggle between families. The 1964 flick is the first in a trilogy of spaghetti Westerns produced and directed by Italians.
Unlike many other Westerns produced in the U.S., it has no Native Americans in it. That appealed to Wheeler, the director of the Navajo Nation Museum.
“Béeso Dah Yiníljaa’”
Class Of 2021
Toy Hall of Fame
American Girl dolls and the strategy board game Risk were inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame on Thursday in recognition of their influence on the toy industry. Sand, which the group called perhaps the most universal and oldest toy in the world, was also inducted.
All three were honored during a ceremony at the hall after winning over a panel of experts who voted for them from a group of 12 finalists.
Also in the running this year were four other competitive games: Battleship, The Settlers of Catan, Mahjong and billiards, as well as Cabbage Patch Kids, Masters of the Universe, Fisher-Price Corn Popper, the toy fire engine and the piñata.
Risk, based on the French game Le Conquete du Monde, was first published in the United States in 1959 and continues to influence other board games, hall officials said. It challenges players to control armies and conquer the world on a game board that is a map of continents.
The class of 2021 joins 74 previous honorees.
Toy Hall of Fame
Middle East Issues
'Eternals'
One the eve of its release in American theaters, Marvel Studios's latest blockbuster, Eternals, has reportedly been banned from a number of Gulf nations, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the star-studded film — which features Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie making their Marvel Cinematic Universe debuts — no longer appears on websites in those countries, where it was set to start playing on Nov. 11.
Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao, Eternals is a millennia-spanning tale that follows a group of immortal aliens living amongst humankind and tasked with secretly fighting demons known as Deviants. The film also boasts Marvel's most diverse cast of superheroes yet, including its first deaf character (played by Lauren Ridloff), its first South Asian character (Kumail Nanjiani) and its first openly gay character (Bryan Tyree Henry).
Henry tech-savvy Eternal, Phastos, marks another first for the studio: He and his onscreen husband Ben (played by Dubai-born actor, Haaz Sleiman) share Marvel's first same-sex kiss midway through the film. Sleiman described Ben and Phatos's relationship as "life-saving" in a recent interview with Variety. "Can you imagine how many lives this is going to be saving — kids, young queer folk, who are being bullied, committing suicide, and not seeing themselves being represented?" the actor continued. "And now they get to see this — it’s above and beyond."
The Hollywood Reporter's sources suggest that the film's inclusion of a same-sex couple is one of the elements that led to it being blocked from movie theaters in at least three Gulf countries, where homosexual conduct is still illegal. THR also reports that local censors had a list of edit requests that Disney declined to make. Meanwhile, Deadline reports that Kuwait and Qatar censors additionally objected to a cinematic depiction of gods, which is considered blasphemous.
According to Deadline, Eternals is still set to screen in the United Arab Emirates — Sleiman's native country — as well as Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt. But audiences in those countries will reportedly see an altered version that removes scenes featuring both heterosexual and homosexual intimacy. Last year, the Disney/Pixar animated film Onward was banned in multiple Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, for featuring the studio's first LGBTQ character, voiced by Lena Waithe.
'Eternals'
Silenced Professors
Florida
A decision by the University of Florida to bar three professors from testifying in a lawsuit against the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Lumpy Lite) has ballooned into a political and public relations firestorm, one that could grow as other professors consider whether to step forward with stories of university pressure.
Since Friday, when the university’s decision was disclosed in a federal court filing, five more professors have offered accounts of being barred from testifying or ordered to omit mention of their university positions in court statements.
The body that accredits the university has opened an inquiry into whether its orders violate long-established principles of academic freedom or involve “undue political influence.” On Monday, the university’s president and provost ordered a review of its policy on conflicts of interest, the stated rationale for the decisions to silence the professors.
“The University of Florida stands firmly behind its commitment to uphold our most sacred right as Americans, the right to free speech, and to faculty members’ right to academic freedom,” they said in a statement. “Nothing is more fundamental to our existence as an institution.”
Academic freedom and free speech experts said the distinction between paid and unpaid statements was legally irrelevant, noting that professors nationwide have long been paid for expert testimony, even in lawsuits opposing state interests.
Florida
Ice Age Plot
Siberia
In one of the planet's coldest places, 130 km south of Russia's Arctic coast, scientist Sergey Zimov can find no sign of permafrost as global warming permeates Siberia's soil.
As everything from mammoth bones to ancient vegetation frozen inside it for millennia thaws and decomposes, it now threatens to release vast amounts of greenhouse gases.
Zimov, who has studied permafrost from his scientific base in the diamond-producing Yakutia region for decades, is seeing the effects of climate change in real time.
Permafrost covers 65% of Russia's landmass and about a quarter of the northern landmass. Scientists say that greenhouse gas emissions from its thaw could eventually match or even exceed the European Union's industrial emissions due to the sheer volume of decaying organic matter.
Zimov, with his white beard and cigarette, ignored orders to leave the Arctic when the Soviet Union collapsed and instead found funding to keep the Northeast Science Station near the part-abandoned town of Chersky operating.
Siberia
New Zealand Potato
Doug
Colin and Donna Craig-Brown were weeding their garden in New Zealand when Colin’s hoe struck something huge just beneath the soil’s surface.
As the couple knelt down and began digging around the object, Colin wondered if it was some kind of strange fungal growth, a giant puffball. After Colin pried it out with his garden fork, he scratched away a bit of the skin and tasted it.
A potato.
But it’s quite possibly the largest potato on record. When the couple lugged it into their garage and put it on their old set of scales, it weighed in at a remarkable 7.9 kilograms (17.4 pounds). That’s equal to a couple of sacks of regular potatoes, or one small dog.
In the weeks since their unusual find on Aug. 30, the couple’s potato has become something of a celebrity around their small farm near Hamilton. They’ve named the potato Doug, after the way it was unearthed, and Colin even built a small cart to tow Doug around.
Doug
'Bird of the Year'
New Zealand
When is a bird not a bird? When it's a bat, according to a New Zealand contest that just named a highly endangered bat "Bird of the Year."
Pekapeka-tou-roa, or New Zealand's long-tailed bat (Chalinolobus tuberculatus), weighs about 0.4 ounces (11 grams) and a fully grown adult is about the length of a human thumb. This species of pekapeka — the Maori word for bat — was once common in New Zealand but is now exceptionally rare, representatives with Forest and Bird, a New Zealand conservation group and organizers of the contest, said in a statement.
For two weeks, nearly 57,000 voters weighed in on selections for New Zealand's top bird; this year, for the first time in the contest's 16-year history, their choices included a mammal. Contest organizers added the long-tailed bat to the lineup to raise awareness about the species' endangered status, and it quickly flew to the top of the list with 7,031 votes, Reuters reported. Trailing behind in second place with 4,072 votes was the kakapo (Strigops habroptilus), a tubby, flightless bird that's also known as an owl parrot.
"The campaign to raise awareness and support for this little flying furball has captured the nation," Bird of the Year spokesperson Laura Keown said in a statement. "A vote for bats is also a vote for predator control, habitat restoration, and climate action to protect our bats and their feathered neighbours," she said.
Long-tailed bats now join other Bird of the Year winners — all birds — that are also iconic animal ambassadors for New Zealand. They include the kakapo; the yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes); and a colorful pigeon called the kereru (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae), to name just a few, according to the contest website.
New Zealand
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