Vin Scully is a National Treasure

Vin Scully is in his 63rd season of calling Dodger baseball. The probation period is almost up. But seriously, he is the Mozart of baseball...

Oh no! Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are getting divorced

There is no joy today in Hollywood.   The relationship the town thought would last forever..  or at least six years, is apparently ending.  ...

Getting tickets to see TV shows

Wrapping up the week and month with Friday Questions. Unknown starts us off. At least he’s not Anonymous. I have a friend who is taking hi...

Best known for something else

Lots of people have heard of the Tommy John Surgery. Done primarily on baseball pitchers, it’s a procedure where they take a tendon from y...

More advice for young writers

There was a great exercise in Andy Goldberg's improv class recently. Yes, I still take an improv class. (You'd think I'd be b...

If Aaron Sorkin wrote THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW

Aaron Sorkin is back!  I loved THE NEWSROOM.  It's the perfect vehicle for his whip-smart dialogue.  (It was also nice to see the wonder...

What ever became of Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly?

Here's another reader question where I can go to the source itself.  From Bradley: Do you know what became of Jackie Swanson after Cheer...

My commencement speech to the Class of '12

It's the same one that I gave last year's graduates but wisdom is worth re-posting. June is the graduation time of year. I guess a...

The Teenage Fair

Here's another excerpt from my new book, THE ME GENERATION... BY ME (GROWING UP IN THE '60s).   You can get yours in Kindle or paper...

Friday Questions

As I head down to San Diego for a weekend of broadcasting Mariners games on 710 ESPN Seattle, MLB.COM, and the Mariners Radio Network, here ...

All you ever wanted to know about Extras (people not the show)

Here’s an EXTRA Friday Question: It’s from RichD. So the recent mention of WINGS here inspired me to revisit the series on Netflix. While...

Adam Carolla is a moron!

Adam Carolla’s comments in the NEW YORK POST this week are so unbelievably stupid they almost don’t dignify a response. Here’s a portion o...

Random rants

Otherwise known as "Short attention-span blogging"… There’s something terribly wrong when the animated episode of COMMUNITY is el...

Welcome to the Hotel Zico California

Spent the weekend in Northern California. Attended the graduation ceremonies at Stanford. My daughter-in-law, Kim received her doctorate i...

My Next Life by Woody Allen

On this Father’s Day (the most sacred holiday of the year) I’d like to wish a happy one to my dad, who also happens to be my hero, mentor, ...

The Best of Batman

I imagine people are already getting in line for the opening of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, the new Batman movie that opens July 12th. As a way t...

Is it worth it to go to film school?

Here are this week’s Friday Questions. What’s yours? Gareth Wilson asks: Actual working screenwriters seem very skeptical about the releva...

MAD MEN season 5 review

Okay, I gave you a few days to catch up on the MAD MEN finale. If you still haven’t seen it, then SPOILER ALERT. But if you have, or don’...

I will be on a podcast

Today at 7 PM EDT/4 PM PDT I'll be Stu Shostak guest on his weekly podcast.  We'll be talking MASH, television, and my new book THE ...

Advice for young writers

A question I’m always asked is: If I’m writing a spec script for an existing sitcom, should it be in a two-act or three-act format. Some bac...

What was HBO thinking???

HEMINGWAY & GELLHORN is so bad that if Hemingway were still alive this would have killed him. It’s hard to believe HBO could miss so b...

My 2012 Tony Awards Show Review

Time once again to review the lowest rated Awards show in America – the Tonys. I have more Twitter followers than Tony Awards Show viewers...

My new book is now available in paperback

Okay, all of you who said you'd wait for the paperback when the Kindle came out, now's your chance to make good. Please go here to o...

Should announcers say there's a no-hitter going on?

YES!! This topic always crops up whenever there’s a no-hitter in progress. The latest example was last night in Seattle where six Mariner p...

Speaking farce-y

One writing question I'm often asked is how are farces constructed? I’m sure fifty different comedy writers would give you fifty d...

Who doesn't love a pie in the face?

Here are some more of your Friday Questions... brought to you by -- my new book. Click here or on the cover and relive the '60s whether...

Another one of my rants

Interesting article in USA TODAY this week (they’re more than just pie charts y’know) about all the hidden travel expenses that hotels, airl...

For your Emmy consideration: Not the usual suspects

Got my Emmy ballot. Can’t say that I’ve watched all the shows or seen all the Emmy screeners. ( In some cases, are you kidding? "For...

How accurate are Nielsen ratings?

No one really knows. There are statistical models to support their validity. They’ve been doing it a long time and have revised and improve...

The scene I'd like to see

INT. HOTEL SUITE -- Day A CANDIDATE IS HAVING A SCOTCH.   HIS CAMPAIGN ADVISER ENTERS. ADVISER: I’ve prepared your speech for tonight's...

Throwing Neil Young out of the store

Here's another excerpt from my new book, THE ME GENERATION... BY ME (GROWING UP IN THE '60s), available for Kindle users.  Just go h...

Now this is what I call a wedding proposal

I predict this will be copied in seven new romcoms within the next year alone.

Friday Questions. It is Friday, right?

Here are this Friday’s Friday Questions. Leave yours in the comments section. I’ll be doing some bonus Question days because they’re start...