Book Review: Starstruck by Leonard Maltin

Film critic Leonard Maltin has written several books about his love of cinema. His latest book is an autobiography about his life as a movie maven who worked for Entertainment Tonight for many years. He tells of his upbringing in New Jersey and eventually moving to California to dedicate himself to covering the world of film. Besides Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, Maltin has been the best known movie critic for decades. I enjoyed his stories about teaching film classes at USC, the nation's premiere film school. Being in Los Angeles, he could screen films in class and get the stars or directors to show up to talk to students about their work. I think it would have been fascinating to attend his classes. Jerry Lewis also taught film at USC and two of his students were Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. In the book, Maltin mentioned the incredible experience of interviewing Lucas at Skywalker Ranch. Maltin talks about his adventures in podcasting, working for Turner Classic Movies, and attending film festivals around the world. My main issue with the book is that there was too much focus on classic films and their stars. Maltin talked a lot about films of the 1940s and before. I would have appreciated more discussion of contemporary films and stars. The book wrapped up with a chapter where Maltin revealed his health challenges since being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease a few years ago. Overall I enjoyed this tale of a man's dedication to what he loves...the world of Hollywood, film and celebrities.

Facebook Groups Have Kept Me Busy

I have not blogged in three years since I use my Facebook groups for posting my thoughts on entertainment. I created the groups Memories of The Rat Pack, 40+ Years of Saturday Night Live and Comedy in America. I am co-administrator for The Johnny Carson Fan Club and David Letterman fans. I really enjoy those groups and find that I learn so much from the posts of others. The Rat Pack group has grown at the fastest pace. The Carson group is my favorite. I am proud that among our members are many people who worked on the show, including a producer, a writer, a publicist, a stage manager and an audio engineer.

A New Era for Conan O'Brien

2019 marks a year of changes for 55-year-old late night host Conan O'Brien. He is now the "old man" of late night TV, working in the genre since 1993. 2019 will be his 26th year in late night. So, just another 4 years and he ties Johnny Carson's run, and with 7 more years he ties David Letterman. Starting on Tuesday, January 22, 2019, Conan's TBS late night show will be trimmed from 60 minutes down to 30 minutes. This change means that his "Basic Cable Band" will no longer be a part of the show. Conan now has a podcast, and he has been touring doing some live comedy shows with other comics. His "Conan without Borders" shows are on Netflix. These are remote segments from his shows where he has visited other countries. Conan is often at his comedic best when he is outside the confines of the studio. Six episodes are on Netflix and he visits Cuba, Korea, Italy, Israel, Mexico and Haiti. So, the enterprise that is Conan is revamping itself, taking a step in a new direction. “Since I inherited my Late Night show in 1993, TV has changed exponentially. I’d like to think I have evolved with many of these changes, but now it’s time to take the next leap. A half-hour show will give me the time to do a higher percentage of the comedy in, and out, of the studio that I love and that seems to resonate in this new digital world,” O’Brien said in a statement announcing the changes. “It’s still going to be me hosting a very silly show, but I want segments on my half-hour program to link to digital content, deepening the experience for my younger fans, and confusing my older ones.” Podcasts and online videos from You Tube have experienced a surge in popularity. So, Conan is changing with the times.

*Some information from https://celebrityaccess.com/2018/05/03/conan-obrien-trims-show-to-30-minutes-shifts-focus-to-live-comedy/

Book Review: Willing to be Lucky: Adventures in Life and Television by Andy Friendly

I had high hopes for this book after hearing Andy Friendly's interview on the Carson Podcast which you can listen to here.

The author of the book is the son of legendary CBS News executive Fred Friendly, who worked with Edward R. Murrow. Andy Friendly followed in his father's footsteps, also working behind-the-scenes in television. His book has anecdotes involving some of the biggest names in entertainment, such as Tom Snyder, Johnny Carson, Richard Pryor, Dick Cavett, Oprah Winfrey, Roseanne and others. Friendly has worked for King World Productions, CNBC and CBS. He helped to develop the program Entertainment Tonight. Being a big fan of Tom Snyder, I enjoyed his stories about working with him.

The book seemed disjointed, covering an odd assortment of topics, such as the author's favorite movies, musical artists and jokes. The book seemed a bit too self congratulatory, quoting memos and speeches where people had praised the author. The book is not bad, but not great either. I'd recommend the podcast over the book, especially for those who are fans of Tom Snyder since he had good insights into the legendary late night host.

"Traditional" Radio is in Big Trouble

Thanks to the internet and other technology, there are so many free and low cost options for audio entertainment these days. I look at how popular terrestrial radio used to be. These days, I wonder how many people listen to traditional radio. The numbers must be very low. There are countless free podcasts out there. Personally, I enjoy the Adam Carolla Podcast, Joe Rogan's Podcast and the Carson Podcast. The final one that I mentioned has interviews with people who appeared on Johnny Carson's show, or people who worked on the show. Johnny's show has been off for a generation, 1992 was his final show. But still, podcast host Mark Malkoff finds many people who were associated with the iconic late night show. The Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from NPR is a free, entertaining option. Another option for audio entertainment is audible.com. One can find endless audio books through this site. It has a monthly charge, but it is a convenient service since it is portable since one can listen to books via phone. Sirius/XM radio is another excellent source of audio entertainment with music of every genre plus countless talk shows. Some radio stations are operating the right way, offering unique content with local talent rather than depending on syndicated, generic feeds for their programming. But, traditional radio will never have the power and influence that it used to.