May 2013 be for you what 2012 was for...

Adele, Jade Jones, Ben Affleck, Usain Bolt, Lena Dunham, the San Francisco Giants, the New York Giants, Claire Danes, Barack Obama, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Nicholls, Michael Phelps, Jermaine Paul, Aaron Paul, E.L. James, Octavia Spencer, Bon Iver, RANGO, Judy Kaye, Alabama Crimson Tide, THE ARTIST, Meryl Streep, Jon Cryer, Jon Stewart, Mike Trout, Umami burgers, MODERN FAMILY, Dario Franchitti ,

LA is a great town when there's nobody here

The best week of the year in Los Angeles is always this one, the final seven days of the year. More property taxes and obligations are on tap for me in January, but here in the waning days of December I can bask in the glory of the city that Zorro once called home.

First of all, the town is practically empty. Most people from the industry are gone, terrorizing the help in Hawaii and Aspen

Stuff they don't buy on SHARK TANK

SHARK TANK has become a guilty pleasure.  Enterprising people trying to interest billionaires into investing in their new miracle products or inventions.  Most are ridiculous.  You think -- they can't be serious.  Who would buy this crap?  But then I get on an airplane and open the SKY MALL magazine.  That's who buys it.  And the prices are goofier than the items.   Here are some of the

The road to Hana

Here are some great photos on the road to Hana and other assorted Maui locales taken by my son Matt.  He has the kind of camera that's just a camera and you can't make phone calls on it.  I didn't know they still made those.  Anyway, take a look.  And check out his website for more and even better photos.  

HOMELAND for the holidays

Last Friday Questions of the year.  I hope I do them justice.

Brian starts us off:

Ken - what do you think of Homeland and The Last Resort? I heard that Homeland was renewed up for another season, but that Last Resort was cancelled.

I love HOMELAND. Absolutely riveting television. And Claire Danes & Damian Lewis are extraordinary together. That’s not a surprise. What is is Mandy

Engineers in paradise

Here's Part 2 of my recent Maui travelogue.  Part 1 was yesterday.

After a week of exploring the wonders of the island and exchanging rental cars, daughter Annie and her friend Jon arrived followed shortly by son Matt and his wife Kim. Suddenly our little condo became the stateroom scene in NIGHT AT THE OPERA. So Debby and I took exile at the Grand Wailea resort.

There was a swimming pool

the house of sand and vog

Hope you had a great Christmas.  As my longtime readers know, whenever I venture out of town I return with a travelogue and rental car horror stories.  Here's my latest:

Aloha! Back from another three weeks in paradise – our annual jaunt to the magic island of Maui to pay tribute to the Gods and apologize for Walmarts. My wife and I again rented a condo and the various kids/significant

My favorite funny foto of the year

Those who know me and my affection for the '60s and Bob's Big Boy will especially appreciate this alternate version of the classic reveal in the original PLANET OF THE APES. 

A Mommy Dearest Christmas

May your family have as wonderful a Christmas as Joan Crawford's.


MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

My Christmas card next year

R.I.P. Jack Klugman

Sorry to hear of the passing of Jack Klugman.  He was 90.  You may remember him as either Oscar Madison or Quincy M.E.  For years before that he was a character actor.  My favorite role of his was as the father in the movie GOODBYE COLUMBUS.  He had the rare ability to be hilariously funny one minute and then heartbreaking the next.  And he was always real.  Lines never felt "written" when he

All about (Christmas) Eve

You would think that being Jewish on Christmas Eve I would feel left out. Actually I love Christmas Eve. Here are two reasons why:

The first is an excerpt from my book, THE ME GENERATION… BY ME (GROWING UP IN THE ‘60s) – the perfect last minute gift.



On Christmas Eve, (my brother) Corey and I went to Disneyland. This is a secret only Jews know: Disneyland is empty on Christmas Eve.

Full confession

I have a good friend who, back in the ‘90s, used to work for SPORTS ILLUSTRATED. Every holiday season he would send me an SI holiday gift box. Inside would be handsome coffee table books of golf tournaments and classic World Series and also an engagement calendar. This is a handsome desk calendar broken down into weeks with photos of swimsuit models accompanying each week.

So I began

Dear Santa: All I want is a Fizz-Nik

What’s
the dumbest holiday gift you’ve ever received? Mine was a Fizz-nik.
And understand, I really WANTED this thing. In my dumb kid-ness I
thought this was the coolest invention EVER.It was a plastic
straw with a big bubble in the middle. This was actually two half
spheres that twisted together with straws on either end. You put a
scoop of ice cream in the bubble and twisted it

A Christmas show by Matthew Weiner & me

Here's a BECKER Christmas episode, written by Matthew Weiner (creator of MAD MEN) and directed by me.  I wonder -- whatever happened to Matt?  For that matter, whatever happened to me?

Merry Christmas

Judge Judy, NFL stars, and other actors

Back in LA, ready with Friday Questions.

Cap'n Bob begins:

Do non-actors like Judge Judy need to be in an actor's union? How about non-actors who make one-shot appearances on TV shows?

You can be Taft-Hartley’ed if you just do one, but anything more you need to join SAG.

Interestingly, when I had to join SAG about twenty-five years ago, I had to go right down to their office, fill out the

The scam of the century... or at least bicentennial

Yesterday I talked about about my days teaching radio at the KIIS Broadcasting Workshop. This was during that period where my writing partner, David Isaacs and I were churning out spec scripts and getting rejected by RHODA every other week.

The school was somewhat shady. I mean, what is there to teach really? This is how you announce the time? Seven ways to turn off your mic? But I did

Before I was a writer...

So when I got fired from KSEA a week before Christmas (see yesterday's post), that's when I decided to give up radio and pursue writing. 

Like all starving writers, when I was banging out specs trying to break in I had a crummy job. All I cared about were the hours. I had to be free at night to work with my partner, David Isaacs on our scripts. As long as I made enough money to pay the

The Christmas I got fired

One
of the many reasons I became a writer is that I got tired of being
fired as a disc jockey. Today marks the 38th anniversary of the last
time I signed off my show with “see you tomorrow” and was never heard from again.   This is a blog tradition:  the anniversary of the Christmas I was fired. 
1974, I’m Beaver Cleaver on KSEA, San Diego, playing “The Night Chicago
Died” and “Billy

Okay, so who REALLY REALLY created BEWITCHED

Lots of comments Friday about my post on who created BEWITCHED. A number of you suggested real credit should go to the screenwriters of the 1942 movie I MARRIED A WITCH. With all due respect to those writers – Robert Pirosh, Marc Connelly, Norman Matson, Rene Clair, Andre Rigaud, Dalton Trumbo and Thorne Smith (whose story the movie was based on) – they may have tread on similar territory

My Xmas movies recommendations

A CHRISTMAS STORY is my all-time favorite holiday movie.
I’ve seen it probably fifty times, but I don’t think I’ve ever
actually watched it from the beginning to end in one sitting. Like most
people, I catch the annual 24-hour marathon on TNT or TBS or one of
those networks with a “T” and see various segments at a time. Usually,
by the end of 24-hours I’ve pretty much seen the whole

A personal plea from Batman

Hi kids, this is Batman, the old Caped Crusader.  Y'know, the '60s was a glorious era.  I could still fit into my suit, Robin and I could hang out together without those rumors spreading, and even though the Batmobile got two miles a gallon, gas was still cheap enough that I could still afford Alfred.



I'm here today to tell you fans of a great new book about the '60s I just discovered -- THE

When not to take down your Xmas decorations

This
is my friend Kevin’s house in the residential San Fernando Valley.
He’s Jewish but loves to celebrate the colors and lights of the season.
This tradition began (as most things do) because his girlfriend at the
time really loved Christmas decorations.

There’s not another house on his block even remotely as elaborate. I bet you can see Kevin's house from space.

Now
the question

Who really created BEWITCHED?

Aloha from Hawaii where the tradewinds are whispering Friday Questions:

Derrick starts us off:

How is it decided who gets credit for creating a series? I was reading a piece about the old sitcom Bewitched awhile back, and while a gentleman named Sol Saks is credited in every episode as creator of the series, I got the impression from the article that nearly half of the guys associated

Another one of my rants

Hollywood motion pictures are designed for young audiences. 18-34 is the only demographic the industry believes still goes to the movies. So they churn out big budget comic book films, franchises, raunchy comedies, animation, and adaptations of board games. Any movie targeted for someone older than the Mario Brothers is banished to an art theater. There it plays alongside HITLER VS. STALIN

The best book on improv comedy

... is now available.  IMPROV COMEDY by Andy Goldberg is once again in print.  You can get the paperback version here. 

Of all the books on improv comedy, this is the best.  I recommend it for all actors interested in comedy and writers who want to develop or sharpen their comedic skills. 

Improvisational comedy is a terrific tool, a great deal of fun, and since SNL will probably be around

My Kim Basinger metaphor

Ever see the Bruce Willis movie BLIND DATE? It’s from so long ago he still had hair. In this very funny film (written by Dale Laudner) Bruce accepts a blind date with Kim Bassinger. But she comes with a warning: if she gets drunk she becomes bat shit crazy. Still, it’s the 1987 Kim Basinger so warning be damned! What happens of course is that she does get plastered and hilarity ensues.

The worst agent sales pitch EVER

Here’s another Hollywood agent story. I told one recently, and they are always crowd pleasers.   This is one of my personal favorites. 

It’s 1982. My writing partner, David and I are at William Morris. Several years prior we signed on with a young agent at a small tenpercentery (I love that expression), and as she moved on to bigger and better agencies we followed her. She and we were

Do rewrites always make shows better?

As kind of a fun experiment, Earl Pomerantz, over on his fine blog, and I are both going to write today on the same topic – whether rewrites really improve a project. In our particular field – a half-hour sitcom.

The first script my partner, David Isaacs and I ever sold was for THE JEFFERSONS. We were told going in that the staff routinely did a lot of rewriting. We didn’t care. We were

Decoding Hollywoodspeak

Most
of the real creativity in Hollywood goes into positive spin. Here are
some industry expressions and what they really mean:

“Hospitalized because the actor was simply feeling dizzy due to a medication he was taking for an ear infection” – drunk

“Hiatus” – cancelled

“Good Exit Numbers” – DOA at the boxoffice

“Highly qualified” – knows somebody

“They’re still good friends” – the ugly

A handy writing tip

Just saw one of my favorite DICK VAN DYKE SHOW episodes, “100 Terrible Hours”. It’s the one where Rob was a disc jockey and had to stay on the air for 100 straight hours just before interviewing with Alan Brady for a writing job. I love that episode for many reasons but first and foremost is the structure. I imagine Carl Reiner and the staff thought it would be fun to see Rob’s initial

Happy Hanukah bitches

Tonight is the first night. Thought I'd show you something traditional to get you in the mood.

R.I.P. Reinhold Weege

So sorry to hear of the passing of Reinhold Weege.  He wrote for BARNEY MILLER, MASH, and created NIGHT COURT.  Very funny writer and lovely guy.  He was only 63.  Because he's been retired for some time (back then you made big money for creating a hit show) he's not as well-known as he should be.   But trust me, among writers of my generation, he was greatly admired.   The world of comedy is a

Friday Questions

It’s always extra poignant being in Hawaii during Pearl Harbor Day. As the “Day of Infamy” gets further into the mist, take a moment to remember and give thanks. 

Now then – Friday Questions.

Stephen asks:

Joss Whedon tells writers, "Cut what you love", the idea being that when a story runs into trouble, be willing to remove your favorite scene for the good of the piece as a whole. Do you

KILLER KARAOKE -- amusing or the Apocalypse?

As you know I like to surf my channel guide in search of the worst, cheesiest, most appalling reality shows on television. The more insipid, the more ill-conceived, the more Hugh Hefner the better. From PREGNANT IN HEELS hosted by Rosie, a woman who can’t talk to Paris Hilton & Nicole Richie giving enemas to participants of a fat camp – I scour the globe hunting down these atrocities.

Casting against type

But first a word from our sponsor -- me.  For the holidays I have just reduced the price of my book, THE ME GENERATION... BY ME.   Paperback was $14.99, now just $12.10.  Kindle version was $6.99, now only $4.99.   



It's the perfect gift, especially for someone who's a baby boomer (like your parents)or can read, and it's a great way to support this blog.  Also, put it on your wish list and

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK: My review

David O. Russell is one of those filmmakers who is capable of making an extraordinary movie or a giant piece of shit. You wonder how the same guy could make FLIRTING WITH DISASTER, THE FIGHTER, and also I HEART HUCKABEES. He’s one of those artistes who thinks a lot of himself. I saw him at a Q & A at the DGA after HUCKABEES screened and let’s just say Orson Welles was more humble. (

Oscar campaigns

We have officially entered Oscar season. This is the time of year Harvey Weinstein, Steven Spielberg, and Will Smith live for. Studios will spend big bucks on campaigns – all designed to cop those coveted Oscar nominations. You'll see posters, full-page ads, DVD’s, private screenings, and appearances. Hell, if you’re an Academy member Steven Spielberg will come to your house personally and

How to recognize a bad sitcom

Charlie Hauck is a terrific comedy writer (FRASIER, MAUDE, etc.) and a hilarious author. His
comic novel about a writing team launching a sitcom starring the diva
from hell is both hilarious and all-too-real. The book is called
ARTISTIC DIFFERENCES and well worth reading.

On one page he explains how you can tell a bad sitcom. Simple rules, worth repeating here.

1. Any show in which any

The CHEERS script that could have ruined us

Happily, there's no writers strike this year (it being leap year).  One
byproduct of a writers strike is that studios may shoot existing
scripts but may not change them. So jokes can’t be fixed, lines can’t
be tailored to actors, locations can’t be changed (too bad if an
exterior gets rained out – you can’t move inside to a new location), and
special effects have to be executed just as

Friday Questions

Aloha from Wailea, Maui.  If you have any restaurant suggestions, please pass 'em along.  Mahlo, y'all.   Even in paradise I never stand down from my Friday Question watch. What’s yours?

Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Kveller (what a name) starts us off:

The mention of the awful series finale for Mad About You brings me to a Friday question - series finales. How does a good show go bad

My review of LINCOLN

Director Steven Spielberg was very disappointed in the outcome of his movie last year, WAR HORSE. Not because it bombed at the boxoffice but because it didn’t win any awards. When a Steven Spielberg movie comes out in the Fall it’s all about Oscars. And if millions of theatergoers happen to like it, well that’s just a plus. When he wants big boxoffice numbers he goes off and makes

Angus T. Jones -- holy shit!

So Angus T. Jones has found religion and publicly told America to not watch his show, TWO AND A HALF MEN, because it’s “filth.”

Just so I have this straight – he was fine doing the show all the previous years? The subject matter of the show was not a surprise to him? It’s not like he signed up for one thing but it became something else? He’s made a ton of money over this period? He’s

#LizAndDick: My review

Oh my fucking God!

I only hope that when they do the Lindsay Lohan TV biopic – and they will – that it’s as jaw droppingly atrocious as LIZ AND DICK. They will need to find the worst actress in America to play Lindsay, if only to do the same justice to her as she did to Ms. Taylor. Although I don’t know if a worse actress can be found. Lindsay might have to play herself – assuming she’

If I ran NBC

Here’s a question from reader Jim that set my mind a'wanderin':

What would you do to turn around NBC's fortunes?

Let's say you've been tapped to be the network's head programmer. What would you change? What would you keep? What would you do that the other networks aren't doing that would set your network apart?

First off, be it duly noted that NBC just won the November sweeps for the first

A Black Friday shopper lives to tell about it

Thanks to everyone for your nice comments on yesterday's post.  They're always greatly appreciated.  And now...

In the spirit of those brave war correspondents who put themselves in harm way to report while bombs explode only a few yards away, my courageous daughter Annie risked life and limb and entered that demilitarized zone called Black Friday.   Here is her heroic report, with additional

My 7th anniversary

Monday marks the 7th anniversary of this blog. Who can even remember 2005? It was an experiment – stretching exercises for a writer. I thought it would be nice break from writing scripts. No format. No notes. Writing actual prose. The whole notion seemed so liberating.

Only two hitches. What the hell do I write about? And how the hell do I get anybody to read it?

A blogger

Chevy Chase has left COMMUNITY

Wow! Knock me over with a feather!

Chase is leaving the show immediately. They still have a few more episodes to shoot to complete their series order of thirteen. Since they’re filming them out of order and already completed the last episode it remains to be seen whether they will take him out of that one, explain his absence from shows he’s not it, or (my vote) ignore it. He just isn’t

(Black) Friday Questions

Here are some Black Friday Questions to read on your smart phone as you stand in line at Kohl’s.

Johnny Walker has one about writing spec scripts:

I was watching an episode of MODERN FAMILY the other day, the Emmy winning "Caught in the Act". It's a very enjoyable and farcical episode, but I was struck by how simplistic the plot was. In particular, the initial misunderstanding was not

Happy sitcom Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving.
I look forward to the holiday, never writing about it. Every sitcom
I’ve ever worked on, we’ve had the obligatory Thanksgiving episode. How
many variations can you have on the big family dinner going awry? I
think I’ve written the “turkey gets burned”, “relatives clash”, “nutty
friends invited”, “can’t find a restaurant”, “kids break something”,
“Guess who’s Coming to Dinner

Some last minute Thanksgiving thoughts

I bet Ann Curry is thrilled she doesn’t have to get up and host the Macy’s Parade.

To all the people who have been in line at Best Buy since Tuesday waiting for Black Friday. Even if you save $500 you are still an idiot.

Thanksgiving marathons used to be a big treat but now there are marathons on TV channels every day. Is there really that much demand to see SISTER SISTER repeats?

THE

What I'm thankful for...

Besides my family, here are some of the things I’m thankful for this year.

Claire Danes
Vin Scully
The Good Wife
Felix Hernandez
Hostess Cup Cakes (the ones that are left)
Jon Stewart
Richbroradio.com
My daughter is not dating a vampire
Ohio
Jennifer Lawrence
THE BOOK OF MORMON
Raylen Givens
People who bought my book


@JennyJohnsonHi5
Don Draper
Harold & Belle's
Australia
Stove Top

A Hollywood tradition -- my Thanksgiving travel tips

The
Thanksgiving holiday is the peak travel weekend of the year (in
America. The rest of the world could give a rat’s ass about
Thanksgiving.) So as a public service, here again -- and with a few
additions -- are some travel tips:

Leave for the airport NOW.

Bring no luggage. Wearing the same clothes for a week is a small price
to pay. Plus, the airlines now charge you for

Great innovator or menace to society?

There has been much debate about whether the Manhattan Project – that created the first nuclear bomb – was ultimately a positive thing because it effectively ended a World War and perhaps staved off future ones, or was a ghastly thing because of all the fatalities it caused and the threat to world annihilation. We'll leave that to Chelsea Handler and her guests to decide. 

But that debate

Claudine's back in jail again

As a perfect follow-up to my post today about Claudine Longet killing her boyfriend, here's a song by the Rolling Stones about the incident.  Thanks to reader LouOCNY for the heads-up.

The perfect holiday gift for this year

I know it sounds like just another plug for my book but hear me out. This one’s legit! With the holidays just hours away, THE ME GENERATION… BY ME (GROWING UP IN THE ‘60s) would make the perfect gift for friends and family members who fondly remember that magic era when the surf was up, gas prices were down, music was psychedelic, and we kids didn't have a care in the world except Viet Nam and

When Annie met Sandy

Readers of this blog know that I file travelogues whenever I return home from trips.  I even compiled the funniest of them in a book, WHERE THE HELL AM I?  TRIPS I HAVE SURVIVED, which you could (and should) order here.   But these travelogues have now become a Levine family tradition.  I haven't been anywhere in awhile, but my lovely daughter Annie spent last weekend in New York.  And she

In network cancellation news...

A number of shows have been cancelled over the last few days. None of them are a surprise. CBS axed PARTNERS (the blatant rip off of the 1995 series, PARTNERS). This series comes from the same writer/producers who created WILL & GRACE. So which was a fluke? W&G or PARTNERS?

Other series produced by this team: $#*! MY DAD SAYS, FOUR KINGS, TWINS, THE STONES, GOOD MORNING MIAMI, and

Who pays for stunt casting?

Last Friday Questions before Thanksgiving.

Derek (in Calgary) starts us off:

My question relates to stunt-casting and the fee paid to the stunt-casted actors.

Suppose you are running Modern Family and for whatever reason you decide to offer a small one-episode cameo role to (say) a well-known baseball player. How is it determined how much the baseball player is paid? Is it the same rate as

My most surprising role model

I was at lunch recently with a writer friend and we got onto the topic of role models. We each had writers, parents, other individuals we admired, and then another name occurred to me – one he found surprising. And I imagine you will too.

Those of you who have even heard of this person.

Okay. Ready? One of my role models was Shari Lewis.

So who’s Shari Lewis? Younger readers

Audience research is bullshit

A perennial topic on this blog is research. In my interview last week with former NBC President, Warren Littlefield he discussed it and the flaws in the system as he saw them. I received an interesting Friday Question though, right after the election, supporting the notion of research and seeking my response.  (I'm also trying to answer a few more of these questions and catch up a little.)  

Why are some shows cancelled so soon?

It's the Fall Season.  Some new shows have already been given the quick hook (sorry MADE IN JERSEY).  I Got a Friday Question about that that has turned into its own post/rant. 

Joseph Scarbrough posed it:

In the old days, a network would wait until the end of the inaugural run of a new series to determine its ratings, and whether or not the series would be renewed (in other words, if a

R.I.P. Lucille Bliss

Lucille Bliss, the first voice of Crusader Rabbit passed away this week.  She was 96.  She had a long career, did many cartoon voices including several for the Smurfs.  But for me as an impressionable dorky kid growing up, Crusader Rabbit was my favorite -- I suppose because of all the clever puns and wordplay.  So the voice was as important as the picture.  I never met Miss Bliss, but I

Sitcom Room 6

SITCOM ROOM 6 was held this weekend at the birthplace of comedy -- the Custom Hotel in Marina Del Rey (just a mile from LAX where Denzel Washington lands planes upside down). For two days twenty attendees experienced what it’s like to be on staff of a sitcom. As you read this they're still sleeping.  

Two came from Australia and two came from Alabama.  They all had the same accent.  

Social Network Rejection

Hello from the SITCOM ROOM where everyone is having way more fun than in Robert McKee's class.

Meanwhile, I've been subjected lately to the heartache and horror of “Social Network Rejection”.
You might suffer this too. I’ll check my Twitter page and see two or
three people have unsubscribed. And I wonder – hey, what did I do?
Did saying something nice about Patty Heaton cause you to

How to be a good showrunner

Natalie Wood

Hello from the Custom Hotel where I am holding my annual SITCOM ROOM seminar this weekend.  Wish you could be here.  This is the type of stuff we discuss: 

The WGA recently held a seminar on “How to be a Good Showrunner”.  The answer: stay within budget, even if the budget is smaller than Napoleon Dynamite’s clothing allowance. You may think “shouldn’t the course be more about

More stuff you wanted to know

Here are some Friday Questions as I prepare for this year’s SITCOM ROOM seminar, which begins tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you lucky attendees and causing you sleep deprivation for the next two days. But on to the business at hand. The answer to this one is the shortest I’ve ever given to any Friday Question.

It comes from Steve Murray:

When writing a script, how do you best

My review of FLIGHT

Paramount Pictures is making a big Oscar push for FLIGHT. It did very well at the boxoffice on its opening weekend and Paramount is crowing that at industry screenings the crowds are just going wild.

Really? What movie are they watching?

I saw FLIGHT at a DGA screening. The theater was packed because director Robert Zemeckis was supposed to be there for a Q & A after (he cancelled).

The 2012 Election Re-Cap

I have found that it’s difficult to talk politics on this blog. Even political satire (and this is essentially a humor blog). But it is such a hot topic that even if I mention a celebrity who happens to have strong political leanings I get a blizzard of hate comments. Don’t believe me? I think Patricia Heaton is a nice person and a fine actress. Just watch.

In years past I would

My talk with Warren Littlefield: Part Two

Happy Election Day. Get out there and vote. This is part two of my interview with former President of Entertainment for NBC, Warren Littlefield. Part one was yesterday. Warren has a great book about his years at NBC and all the classic shows he oversaw. It's called TOP OF THE ROCK: THE RISE AND FALL OF "MUST SEE TV" and it's available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other venues.

Over

My talk with Warren Littlefield

Warren Littlefield was the NBC President of Entertainment during the '90s and was Brandon Tartikoff's key lieutenant in the '80s.  Under his watch NBC enjoyed unprecedented success.  He wrote a terrific book about his days there called TOP OF THE ROCK: INSIDE THE RISE AND FALL OF MUST SEE TV.  You can get it here on Amazon and here at Barnes & Noble. 

I worked with Warren for over twenty

For all you foodies -- here's a restaurant review!!

L.A. has no shortage of chic, trendy, super hip restaurants.  I mean, Justine Timberlake, Simon Cowell, and Ann Coulter have to eat.  These places are, as a rule, ridiculously expensive but the cuisine is unique and there's always the possibility you could perform the Heimlich Maneuver on Heidi Klum.   Recently my daughter Annie and her writing partner, Jon Emerson went with a group of friends

the Sunshine Boys

I posted this on Facebook and it got a bunch of "likes" so I'm posting it here.  My partner David Isaacs and I at my book signing.   Still talking to each other after all these years.  The last time we looked this happy was when we got a foreign residual for our TORTELLIS episode. 

The value of re-inventing yourself

I’m a BIG believer of re-inventing yourself. It keeps you young, you learn new things, and in this economy and marketplace it just provides you with more options.

The entertainment world, in particular, is changing every minute. This is partly because technology is changing every thirty seconds and the industry is desperately trying to keep up even though they have no idea what they’re

Friday Questions

Okay, here they are.  Today's Friday Questions. 

ScottUSF leads off:

What does it mean in Deadline|Hollywood when they mention a pilot/show has been sold "with Penalty"...penalty to who?

Penalty to the network. Usually in the form of a bonus payment to the writer/producer or studio. But generally the network rolls that over for a future commitment instead. Studios tend not to really

30 years ago today

Friday Questions follow later this morning, but first I wanted to take a few minutes to wish my son, Matt a happy 30th birthday.  He's still a great kid even if he's now at the age where he can longer be trusted.  Matt Levine has always been a good luck charm.  How much of a good luck charm? Matt was the first CHEERS baby born. The evening he came into the world I arrived home to find a

UP ALL NIGHT switches to multi-camera format

NBC announced this week that UP ALL NIGHT was changing formats and going from a single-camera show to a multi-camera show. Single-camera means it’s shot like a movie. Multi-camera means it’s shot like a play with four cameras in front of a studio audience. To give you some idea – MODERN FAMILY is shot single-camera; THE BIG BANG THEORY is shot multi-camera.



To flip from single to

Get well George Wendt

George Wendt is having a medical procedure done in Chicago and is expected to make a full recovery.  If you would like to send George a "get well soon" note, you can leave it in the comments section and I will make sure he receives it.    Thanks much. 

The night the Hell's Angels went trick or treating

Here's a Halloween story from my sordid disc jockey past. 

1971 and I was doing weeekends at KERN in Bakersfield. I was five at the time. (All TV writers older than twenty who hope to work lie about their age.)  The station was this shack out in the middle of nowhere. And since Bakersfield itself is in the middle of nowhere, the station was really REALLY in the middle of nowhere.

It

Any post in the storm

My heart goes out to everyone on the east coast getting battered by this vicious storm. I’ve never been in a hurricane per se, but I was in a cyclone earlier this year (which I’m told is just like a hurricane but in a different hemisphere). So imagine 100 mile-an-hour winds and 40 foot waves and being in a boat. The midnight buffet came to you.

Here in LA we don’t worry about hurricanes.

Thanks to everyone...

photo by Sharon Weisz

for coming out to my book signing Monday night at the Grove for THE ME GENERATION.. BY ME (GROWING UP IN THE '60s).  Lots of friends, readers of the blog, and a few people waiting for Caroline Kennedy's appearance in two weeks who just wanted to get a good seat.  Signed a lot of books and one guy actually had me sign the back of his Kindle.   Hope you all had as much fun

My book signing is tonight!!!

Tonight’s the night of my book signing at the Barnes & Noble at the Grove in West Los Angeles. It’ll be from 7-9, I’ll be reading a section of my book, THE ME GENERATION… BY ME (GROWING UP IN THE ‘60s), answering questions, and signing my name a lot. If you’re in LA, please come by. Say you heard about it in my blog and receive as a free bonus my thanks.

But if you can’t make it (let's

My idea for a really cool slasher movie

Yes, I posted this a couple of years ago but no one optioned my brilliant idea so I'm trying again.

I
must admit I never got into those slasher movies. Seems to me they’re
all the same story. The popular kids who were too good to ever go out
with you in high school all frolic off to a cabin for some holiday and
some disfigured skeesix in a goalie’s mask terrorizes and one-by-one
graphically

R.I.P. Alan Kirschenbaum

So sorry to hear of the death of comedy writer Alan Kirschenbaum.  He was only 51.  Alan co-created YES, DEAR and was involved in any number of series.  I worked with him briefly on STARK RAVING MAD.  And we punched up a lot of pilots together.  Well... he did.  I sat back and laughed.   Alan was a wonderful guy.   He had a great wit and a gentle soul.   And was sooo much fun to be in a room