Warning: I'm feeling snarky today

So here are some random topics... Now that the MODERN FAMILY adults have gotten a pay raise, the kids want to negotiate pay hikes as well.  ...

Receiving a Television Critics Award

Just as swallows return to San Juan Capistrano every March, television critics flock to Los Angeles every July for their bi-annual conventio...

More Olympic Controversy

As the stories begin emerging, it is more and more apparent that we Star Spangled Americans were treated to a distorted view of the Opening...

THE DARK KNIGHT review RETURNS

Yes, this is a re-post.  It's my review of the DARK KNIGHT from August, 2008.  Like I said earlier, I thought the latest one was okay bu...

The Olympics Opening Ceremony: Review

First, some disclaimers. I have no idea what I would have done had I been given the assignment to create the Opening Ceremonies. Danny Boyle...

The MODERN FAMILY cast holdout

This is a Friday Question I've received so often this week that I want to devote the entire post to it. Among those asking was Rock Golf...

Because you asked for it

Since Friday Questions are so popular I thought I’d sneak in a bonus day. So here are Thursday Friday Questions. Stephen starts us off: W...

The REAL Newsroom

This has been a fun week. I’ve been making the rounds promoting my book. This morning I was on KRTH 101 radio with Gary Bryan in Los Ang...

Batman

Saw the new Batman movie.  Loved the last one with Heath Ledger.  This one was okay but disappointing.  Sorry fanboys.  The villain wasn'...

Warning: I will be on TV today

I'll be appearing on the Channel 9 2:00 News today in Los Angeles to talk about my book, THE ME GENERATION... BY ME (GROWING UP IN THE &...

My thoughts on the Ichiro trade

... since I've gotten like fifty emails and texts.  It’s always tough to say goodbye to a Hall-of-Famer but I think today’s trade of Ich...

The Ringo Starr Concert: 50 Greys In Shades

Hey, those old guys can still play!  Was fortunate enough to see the Ringo Starr All-Starr Band’s final concert Saturday night at the Gree...

My favorite Disneyland story

Here's another excerpt from my book, THE ME GENERATION... BY ME (GROWING UP IN THE '60s).   Check out my website.  It's loaded w...

My thoughts on yesterday

It’s obviously impossible to write anything humorous today in the wake of the Aurora, Colorado shootings yesterday. My heart goes out to a...

One of my proudest achievements on CHEERS

It’s Friday Question Day (a feature you guys still seem to like).  I'll try to sneak in a few extra question days in the next few weeks....

My reaction to todays Emmy nominations

The 2012 Emmy nominations are out! Here are the Best Comedy nominees: MODERN FAMILY, 30 ROCK, BIG BANG THEORY, GIRLS, VEEP, CURB YOUR ENTH...

Should Pole Dancing be an Olympic sport?

In anticipation of the Olympics (or perhaps upstaging them), this evening in London the two-night World Pole Sport Championships begins. O...

Thanks!!!

Thanks so much to everyone who answered yesterday's post.  If you haven't yet, please do.  When I started this blog I never dreamed ...

Who's out there???

I haven’t done this in close to a year. But today I want to hear from YOU. It’s nice for me to know who is out there and what you like or...

"New Choice!"

There was another great exercise for comedy writers in Andy Goldberg’s improv class last Wednesday. This one was called “New Choice!” Two...

Review: To Rome With Love

How many movies does a writer/director have to make before he no longer has to follow any rules of logic or good storytelling? How many mo...

Check out my new website!

The website for my book, THE ME GENERATION... BY ME has been revised and really spiffed up!   There's now a sample chapter and a whole p...

Writing problem: what to do if you get stuck

This happens often as you write your script or novel. You come to a point where you think you’ve written yourself into a corner. A plot ...

"Life Without Dick" and other LIFETIME movies

I found a website that lists all of the movies shown on LIFETIME. I imagine most of these are Movies of the Week made specifically for LIF...

Standing up to the star

Egads! It’s Friday the 13th. But answering a question of yours is considered good luck, so here are a few. John starts with a question t...

Radio Daze

Here’s another tale from my colorful yet brief radio career. There may be a book in these stories (assuming I sell more of my current one....

Everything you ever needed to know about comedy

Dan O'Shannon is one of the executive producers of MODERN FAMILY.  He was a showrunner of FRASIER and an executive producer of CHEERS.  ...

Fun with flops

Readers have asked why I continue to bring up AfterMASH and my involvement in it? Well, number one – it was a legendary failure. In only ...

Handicapping the Best Comedy Emmy

I’ll be very curious to see what shows get nominated in the Best Comedy category for the Emmys. There seems to be two very distinct camps t...

Ernest Borgnine 1917-2012

Wow. It’s been a bad week for sitcoms icons. First Andy Griffith, and now Ernest Borgnine has passed away at 95. He remained robust and ...

How many of you contestants are from out of town?

The life of an aspiring stand up comedian is a grueling one. Years of knocking around, working crappy comedy clubs, first on open mic nigh...

Coroner changes the cause of Natalie Wood's death

As many of my longtime blog readers know, I am obsessed with the Natalie Wood drowning case.   I don't believe her death was "accid...

The history of Rock & Roll... in twelve minutes

This is totally great.  Chicago guitar salesman Alex Chadwick strums out 100 R&R riffs in twelve minutes.  The man can pick it!   Hot li...

Check out this very weird photo.

It looks like the girl is sitting and the guy is hugging her neck, right?   Look again.  It's the other way around.  He's sitting, s...

Did Robin William really ad lib all those great Mork lines?

Thank God it’s Friday (Question Day). What’s yours? Nick gets us started: Is there much room for ad libbing on the set of sitcoms? I know i...

Before I blogged I drew

In my book, THE ME GENERATION... BY ME (GROWING UP IN THE '60s), which you should buy already, I talk a lot of cartooning and doing cari...

What to do in Hawaii

If you’re in Hawaii on July 29th here’s something really cool to do! Ron Jacobs, local personality known as Whodaguy and the architect of th...

Andy Griffith 1926-2012

So sorry to hear of the passing of Andy Griffith. I never worked with him, only met him once. It was at a memorial service for one of his ...

Bill Cosby: mentor?

This post is along the lines of Sunday's. I’ve always been a big fan of Bill Cosby. Loved his comedy albums as a kid, took my wife to L...

Ann Curry was weak on cooking segments. KILL HER!

Ann Curry was weak on cooking segments! That’s the horsehit explanation Steve Capus, the idiot president of NBC News gave for why they had t...

Actors: How to give notes to writers

Actors, here are some tips on how to convey your script concerns to writers in a way that might result in them addressing your problems wi...