CHILD OF TELEVISION

The 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:17:00 PDT

This is not TV History... It is History captured on TV.

The first manned spacecraft landing on the Moon was at 3:17 p.m. EST on July 20, 1969, when the Apollo 11 Lunar Module, the Eagle, landed in Mare Tranquillitatis, located at 0°4'5"N latitude, 23°42'28"E longitude. The Eagle landed approximately 50 kilometers from the closest highland material and approximately 400 meters west of a sharp-rimmed blocky crater about 180 meters in diameter.

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Tony Figueroa

Walter Cronkite

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:58:35 PDT

I represent the first generation whom, when we were born, the television was now a permanent fixture in our homes. When I was born people had breakfast with Barbara Walters, dinner with Walter Cronkite, and slept with Johnny Carson.

Tony Figueroa

He broke the news of the Kennedy assassination, reported extensively on Vietnam and Civil Rights and Watergate, and seemed to be the very embodiment of TV journalism.

At one time, his audience was so large, and his image so credible, that a 1972 poll determined he was "the most trusted man in America" - surpassing even the president, vice president, members of Congress and all other journalists. In a time of turmoil and mistrust, after Vietnam and Watergate, the title was a rare feat - and the label stuck.

Walter Leland Cronkite was born in St. Joseph, Missouri on November 4, 1916. One day, he read an article in "Boys Life" magazine about the adventures of reporters working around the world - and young Cronkite was hooked. He began working on his high school newspaper and yearbook and, in 1933, he entered the University of Texas at Austin to study political science, economic and journalism. He never graduated. He took a part time job at the Houston Post, left college to do what he loved: report. After working as a general assignment reporter for the Post and a sportscaster in Oklahoma City, Cronkite got a job in 1939 working for United Press. He went to Europe to cover World War II as part of the "Writing 69th," a group of reporters who found themselves covering some of the most important developments in the war, including the D-Day invasion, bombing missions over Germany, and later, the Nuremburg war trials.

While working for the UP, Cronkite was offered a job at CBS by Edward R. Murrow - and he turned it down. He finally accepted a second offer in 1950, and stepped into the new medium of television. Walter Cronkite was host of "You Are There" in which key moments of history were recreated by actors. Cronkite was depicted on camera interviewing "Joan of Arc" or "Sigmund Freud." But somehow, he managed to make it believable. Cronkite was also named host of "The Morning Show" on CBS, where he was paired with a partner: a puppet named Charlemagne. In 1961, CBS named him the anchor of the "CBS Evening News" - a 15 minute news summary anchored for several years by Douglas Edwards. And it came at a significant time. In September of 1963, Cronkite launched the expanded program with an extended interview with President John F. Kennedy. Two months later, it was Cronkite who broke into the soap opera "As The World Turns" to announce that the president had been shot - and later to declare that he had been killed. It was a defining moment for Cronkite, and for the country. His presence - in shirtsleeves, slowly removing his glasses to check the time and blink back tears - captured both the sense of shock, and the struggle for composure, that would consume America and the world over the next four days.

In 1968, Cronkite returned from visiting Vietnam and declared on television:"It seems now more certain than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is a stalemate." President Lyndon Johnson, on hearing that, reportedly said, "If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost America." Not long after, Johnson declared his intention not to run for re-election. That same year saw the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy - two more shocking moments that bound the country together through the medium of television. Once again, as he had five years earlier, Cronkite was the steadying force during a time of national sorrow. "It's a kind of chemistry," former Johnson aide and CBS News commentator Bill Moyers once said. "The camera either sees you as part of the environment or it rejects you as an alien body, and Walter had 'it,' whatever 'it' was."

One of Cronkite’s enthusiasms was the space race. And in 1969, when America sent a man to the moon, he couldn't’t contain himself. "Go baby, go!," he said, as Apollo XI took off. He ended up performing what critics described as"Walter to Walter" coverage of the mission - staying on the air for 27 of the 30 hours that Apollo XI took to complete its mission. Cronkite even managed to have a surprising influence on world affairs. In 1977, he interviewed Egyptian President Anwar El-Sadat, who told Cronkite that, if invited, he’d go to Jerusalem to meet with Prime Minister Menachem Begin. The move was unprecedented. The next day, Begin invited Sadat to Jerusalem for talks that eventually led to the Camp David accords and the Israeli-Egyptian treaty. In 1981, Cronkite announced he would retire at the age of 65, to make way for a new anchor in the chair, Dan Rather. A commentator in the New Republic said it was like "George Washington leaving the dollar bill." There were so many requests for interviews, eventually all of them were turned down. In retirement, Cronkite kept busy with other projects - a short-lived magazine program on CBS called "Walter Cronkite's Universe," a few documentaries, plus a seat on the CBS board of directors. He spent a considerable amount of time at his summer home in Martha’s Vineyard, sailing the boat he named for his wife, "The Betsy." And he wrote his autobiography, "A Reporter’s Life," published in 1996. In 2005, Cronkite’s wife Betsy died after a battle with cancer.

To Quote Mr. Cronkite on March 6, 1981, concluding his final broadcast as anchorman, "Old anchormen, you see, don't fade away, they just keep coming back for more. And that's the way it is."

Good night Mr. Cronkite

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

Your Mental Sorbet: Walter Cronkite And The Lunar Landing

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:00:05 PDT

Here is another "Mental Sorbet" that we could use to momentarily forget about those things that leave a bad taste in our mouths.

Walter Cronkite reflects on what it was like to be on the air while watching the first man reach the moon.

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

Emmy Nominees: 2009

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:25:09 PDT

DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE 2009 NOMINATIONS LIST HERE. . . HTML PDF WORD
Download the 2009 Primetime Emmy® Nomination Summary . . . PDF WORD
Download the 2008-2009 Primetime Emmy® Facts & Figures . . . PDF WORD
Download the 2008-2009 Primetime Emmy® Supplemental Info . . . PDF WORD

BEST DRAMA SERIES
'Big Love'
'Breaking Bad'
'Damages'
'Dexter'
'House'
'Lost'
'Mad Men'

BEST COMEDY SERIES
'Entourage'
'Family Guy'
'Flight Of The Conchords'
'How I Met Your Mother'
'The Office'
'30 Rock'
'Weeds'

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES
Bryan Cranston, 'Breaking Bad'
Michael C. Hall, 'Dexter'
Hugh Laurie, 'House'
Gabriel Byrne, 'In Treatment'
Jon Hamm, 'Mad Men'
Simon Baker, 'The Mentalist'

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES
Sally Field, 'Brothers and Sisters'
Kyra Sedgwick, 'The Closer'
Glenn Close, 'Damages'
Mariska Hargitay, 'Law & Order: SVU'
Elisabeth Moss, 'Mad Men'
Holly Hunter, 'Saving Grace'

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES
Jim Parsons, 'The Big Bang Theory'
Jemaine Clement, 'Flight Of The Conchords'
Tony Shalhoub, 'Monk'
Steve Carell, 'The Office'
Alec Baldwin, '30 Rock'
Charlie Sheen, 'Two And A Half Men'

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 'The New Adventures Of Old Christine'
Christina Applegate, 'Samantha Who?'
Sarah Silverman, 'The Sarah Silverman Show'
Tina Fey, '30 Rock'
Toni Collette, 'United States Of Tara'
Mary-Louise Parker, 'Weeds'

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES
William Shatner, 'Boston Legal'
Christian Clemenson, 'Boston Legal'
Aaron Paul, 'Breaking Bad'
William Hurt, 'Damages'
Michael Emerson, 'Lost'
John Slattery, 'Mad Men'

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES
Rose Byrne, 'Damages'
Sandra Oh, 'Grey's Anatomy'
Chandra Wilson, 'Grey's Anatomy'
Dianne Wiest, 'In Treatment'
Hope Davis, 'In Treatment'
Cherry Jones, '24'

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES
Kevin Dillon, 'Entourage'
Neil Patrick Harris, 'How I Met Your Mother'
Rainn Wilson, 'The Office'
Tracy Morgan, '30 Rock'
Jack McBrayer, '30 Rock'
Jon Cryer, 'Two And A Half Men'

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES
Kristin Chenoweth, 'Pushing Daisies'
Amy Poehler, 'Saturday Night Live'
Kristin Wiig, 'Saturday Night Live'
Jane Krakowski, '30 Rock'
Vanessa Williams, 'Ugly Betty'
Elizabeth Perkins, 'Weeds'

BEST VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SPECIAL
'The Colbert Report'
'The Daily Show'
'The Late Show With David Letterman'
'Real Time With Bill Maher'
'Saturday Night Live'

BEST REALITY COMPETITION
'The Amazing Race'
'American Idol'
'Dancing With the Stars'
'Project Runway'
'Top Chef'

BEST REALITY SHOW HOST
Phil Keoghan, 'The Amazing Race'
Ryan Seacrest, 'American Idol'
Tom Bergeron, 'Dancing With The Stars' '
Heidi Klum, 'Project Runway'
Jeff Probst, 'Survivor'
Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio, 'Top Chef'

BEST MINISERIES
'Generation Kill'
'Little Dorrit'

BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Kevin Kline, 'Cyrano de Bergerac'
Brendan Gleeson, 'Into The Storm'
Sir Ian McKellen, 'King Lear'
Kevin Bacon, 'Taking Chance'
Kiefer Sutherland, '24: Redemption'
Kenneth Branagh, 'Wallander: One Step Behind'

BEST ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Chandra Wilson, 'Accidental Friendship'
Shirley MacLaine, 'Coco Chanel'
Drew Barrymore, 'Grey Gardens'
Jessica Lange, 'Grey Gardens'
Sigourney Weaver, 'Prayers For Bobby'

BEST GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Edward Asner, 'CSI: NY'
Ted Danson, 'Damages'
Jimmy Smits, 'Dexter'
Ernest Borgnine, 'ER'
Michael J. Fox, 'Rescue Me'

BEST GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Sharon Lawrence, 'Grey's Anatomy'
Ellen Burstyn, 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'
Brenda Blethyn, 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'
Carol Burnett, 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'
CCH Pounder, 'The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency'

BEST GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Beau Bridges, 'Desperate Housewives'
Justin Timberlake, 'Saturday Night Live'
Steve Martin, '30 Rock'
Jon Hamm, '30 Rock'
Alan Alda, '30 Rock'

BEST GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christine Baranski, 'The Big Bang Theory'
Gena Rowlands, 'Monk'
Betty White, 'My Name Is Earl'
Tina Fey, 'Saturday Night Live'
Jennifer Aniston, '30 Rock'
Elaine Stritch, '30 Rock'

This week in Television History: July 09 PART I

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:03:20 PDT

Listen to me on TV CONFIDENTIAL with Ed Robertson and Frankie Montiforte Broadcast LIVE everyevery other Monday at 10pm ET, 7pm PT on Shokus Internet Radio. The program will then be repeated Tuesday thru Sunday at the same time (10pm ET, 7pm PT) on Shokus Radio for the next two weeks, and then will be posted onlineat our archives page at TVConfidential.net.

As always, the further we go back in Hollywood history, the more that fact and legend become intertwined. It's hard to say where the truth really lies.

July 1, 1941
NBC broadcasts the first TV commercial to be sanctioned by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC began licensing commercial television stations in May 1941, granting the first license to NBC. During a Dodgers-Phillies game that was broadcast July 1, NBC ran its first commercial. The advertiser was Bulova and they paid $9.00 to advertise their watches on the air.
Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, (born July 1, 1952) is an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning Canadian-American comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers (with John Belushi) and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.

July 2, 1955
The long-running musical-variety program The Lawrence Welk Show debuts on ABC. Welk, a bandleader from North Dakota known for light dance music, had launched his own show in 1951 on KTLA in Los Angeles. The show remained a network hit for some 16 years, then became a syndicated series. Welk retired in 1982 and died in 1992.

Lawrence "Larry" Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American actor, writer, comedian, producer, and film director. David is the co-creator and producer of two successful television comedies, Seinfeld (1989-1998) and Curb Your Enthusiasm (1999-present).
In 1989, he teamed up with Jerry Seinfeld to co-create the television series Seinfeld, where he also acted as head writer and executive producer. David's work won him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1993. In 1999, he created the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, a mostly improvised sitcom in which he stars as a fictionalized version of himself.
Formerly a standup comedian, David went into television comedy, writing and starring in ABC's Fridays, as well as writing briefly for Saturday Night Live.

July 3, 1950
TV game show Pantomime Quiz Show debuts as a network series on CBS. The program, a variation of charades, ran for 13 years, although it changed networks several times. The show began as a local program in Los Angeles in 1947. In 1949, the show was one of TV's first programs to win an Emmy, first awarded by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences that year.

Mervyn "Merv" Edward Griffin, Jr. (July 6, 1925 – August 12, 2007) was an American television host and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway. During the 1960s, Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show, and created the game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. A billionaire at his death, he is considered an entertainment business magnate.

Patrick “Pat” Layton Paulsen (July 6, 1927 – April 24, 1997) was an American comedian and satirist notable for his roles on several of the Smothers Brothers TV shows, and for his campaigns for President of the United States in 1968, 1972, 1980, 1988, 1992, and 1996, which had primarily comedic rather than political objectives, although his campaigns generated some protest votes for him.

Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American pop and jazz trumpeter. He is best known for leading the NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Severinsen was born in Arlington, Oregon, the son of Minnie Mae and Carl Severinsen, who was a dentist. He was nicknamed "Little Doc" after his father, and had originally wanted to play the trombone. But the senior Severinsen, a gifted amateur violinist, urged him to study the violin. The younger Severinsen insisted on the trombone, but had to settle for the only horn available in Arlington's small music store a trumpet. A week later, with the help of his father and a manual of instructions, the seven-year-old was so good that he was invited to join the high school band.

July 12, 1990
TV series Northern Exposure airs its first episode. The offbeat show, about a Manhattan doctor contractually forced to work in the fictional of town Cicely, Alaska for four years to repay a student loan from the state. Rob Morrow stared as Dr. Joel Fleischman. Most of Northern Exposure's story arcs are character-driven, with the plots revolving around the eccentricities of the Cicely citizens. The show consistently ranked in the Top 20 most-watched TV shows until it was canceled in 1995.

William "Bill" Henry Cosby, Jr. (born July 12, 1937) is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a vanguard role in the 1960s action show I Spy. He later starred in his own series, The Bill Cosby Show, in 1969. He was one of the major characters on the children's television show The Electric Company for its first two seasons, and created the humorous educational cartoon series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, about a group of young friends growing up in the city. Cosby also acted in numerous films. Cosby's net worth is estimated at over $300 million.

Milton Berle (July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an Emmy-winning American comedian and actor. As the manic host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater (1948–55), he was the first major star of television and as such became known as Uncle Miltie and Mr. Television to millions during TV's golden age.

July 13, 1938
Massachusetts Television Institute opens a "television theater" in Boston on this day in 1938, the first theater of its kind. The Institute charged 25 cents for admission. Some 200 people attended the first show, which broadcast singers, musicians, and dancers who were performing in a studio above the auditorium.
In the theater below, the audience viewed a black-and-white image on a 9-by-12-inch screen. Such experimental uses of television persisted throughout the 1930s, and televisions did not become common household appliances until after World War II.

July 13, 1985
Live Aid, a massive concert for African famine relief, takes place simultaneously in Philadelphia and London. In addition to 162,000 fans that attended the all-day event were 1.5 billion viewers worldwide who watched the show on MTV or other television stations. An estimated 75 percent of all radio stations around the world broadcast at least part of the concert.
Irish musician Bob Geldof, of the Boomtown Rats, organized the event. Among the participants were Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, the Beach Boys, Carlos Santana, Madonna, Sting, and Tina Turner. Several disbanded groups came together again for the day, including Crosby, Stills and Nash; The Who; and surviving members of Led Zeppelin, including Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones. All performers worked for free, as did many other concert workers. The production, which ordinarily would have cost $20 million to stage, cost only $4 million and raised more than $70 million for famine relief.

Despite the number of acts, the show ran surprisingly smoothly. Rotating stages allowed bands to set up and dismantle their equipment while other bands were onstage. Acts from one stadium were telecast across the Atlantic to the other. Such organization, however, did not characterize the group's later charitable efforts: Live Aid was later criticized for its disorganized and slow efforts to channel aid to Africa.

To quote the Bicentennial Minute, "And that's the way it was".

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

Tim and Tom, Sinatra and More: This Week on TV CONFIDENTIAL

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 20:34:18 PDT

Author, speaker and stand-up comic Tom Dreesen will be our special guest this week on the season premiere of TV CONFIDENTIAL (Monday, July 13, 10pm ET, 7pm PT on Shokus Internet Radio; Tuesday, July 14, 10pm ET, 7pm PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org).

Most of us know Tom Dreesen for his many appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and The Late Show with David Letterman, as well as his many years as the opening act for Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and other show business legends. Less known, however, is the story of his partnership with comic/actor Tim Reid (WKRP in Cincinnati) in the late 1960s as America’s first, and only, interracial comedy team. At a time of racial unrest, riots and assassination, Dreesen and Reid worked nightclubs across the country, facing racist heckling, threats and even violence. And while they would never enjoy the success as a team that they would later have in their solo careers, their individual triumphs would not have been possible were it not for the struggles they went through together. It’s a remarkable story of passion, perseverance and a 40-year friendship that will appeal to anyone, no matter what field you work in. Tom Dreesen will join us live in our second hour.

In our first hour, Tony Figueroa and David Krell will join us as we take a look at the world of television during the first half of 2009. From the changing of the guard on NBC late night television to the Letterman/Palin controversy, from notable series finales (E/R) to shows that were perhaps canceled before their time (Life on Mars), from the inauguration of Barack Obama to the death of Michael Jackson and a whole lot more.

If you want to be part of our conversation, if you have questions for Tom Dreesen or comments about the year in television so far, we invite you to join us for our live broadcast this Monday, July 13, at 10pm ET, 7pm PT on Shokus Internet Radio. Our email address, as always, is talk@tvconfidential.net. But our phone number is brand new... (888) 746-5875 (or 888 SHOKUS-5).

NOTE. If you should miss the live broadcast, you can catch an encore presentation Tuesday, July 14 at 10pm ET, 7pm PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org, as well every night at 10pm ET, 7pm ET on Shokus Internet Radio through July 26. The July 13 show will be then archived at http://www.tvconfidential.net/ beginning July 27.

Story Salon Podcast "Planes, Trains & Automobiles"

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:46:24 PDT

"Planes, Trains & Automobiles" CLICK HERE to listen to podcast
Stories of travel featuring Tony Figueroa.
"Home On The Range" performed by Beverly Mickins with an arrangement and guitar by John O'Kennedy...

"Tony's Journal" shot by Dan Farren with his iPhone.44:58 / 41.3 MB / Rated PG-13 (Some Adult Content)

Your Mental Sorbet: Tim and Tom

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:00:07 PDT

Here is another "Mental Sorbet" that we could use to momentarily forget about those things that leave a bad taste in our mouths.

The following clips are in honor of Tom Dreesen who will be our guest Monday on TV CONFIDENTIAL with Ed Robertson and Frankie Montiforte.

Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen the first (and only) interracial comedy team. Tim & Tom started in Chicago nightclubs then went on the road for five years. They worked all over America at a time of racial unrest, riots and assassinations. They faced racist heckling, threats, and even violence (Tim had a cigarette put out in his face). As a team they never had the success that they would later have in their solo careers. They were just ahead of their time.

Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen are later reunited when Tom as a guest stars in a 1982 episode of WKRP in Cincinnati.

Tim and Tom appeared on Late Show with David Letterman in September 2008. They talked about their new book, Tim & Tom: An American Comedy in Black and White.

Tom joins us Monday, July 13, 10pm ET, 7pm PT on Shokus Internet Radio.

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

Your Mental Sorbet: Andy Discovers America

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:28 PDT

Here is another "Mental Sorbet" that we could use to momentarily forget about those things that leave a bad taste in our mouths.

The Andy Griffith Show: Andy Discovers America
Have a Happy 4th of July

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

Karl Malden

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:12:34 PDT

Karl Malden (born Mladen George Sekulovich, March 22, 1912) was an Academy Award winning American actor featured in the Marlon Brando films such A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront and One-Eyed Jacks. He was also featured as General Omar Bradley in Patton. On TV his best-known role was as Lt. Mike Stone on the 1970s crime drama, The Streets of San Francisco and as spokesmen in commercials for American Express Travelers Cheques "Don't leave home without it!"

He changed his name from Mladen Sekulovich to Karl Malden at age 22. Since he was proud of his heritage, when he starred in a movie or on TV, he insisted that a character carry his family name: In On the Waterfront, Fred Gwynne's character was named "Sekulovich".

In 1988 he was elected President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a position he held for five years. Following that he published his memoir entitled, "When Do I Start?: A Memoir."

To Quote Karl Malden, "People have told me that I came to this industry at its Golden Age. But when I was there, it was just an age."

Good Night Sekulovich

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

This week in Television History: June 09 Part III

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:22 PDT

Listen to me on TV CONFIDENTIAL with Ed Robertson and Frankie Montiforte Broadcast LIVE every other Tuesday at 10pm ET, 7pm PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org

As always, the further we go back in Hollywood history, the more that fact and legend become intertwined. It's hard to say where the truth really lies.

June 27, 1945
FCC allocates TV channels
On this day in 1945, the FCC allocates airwaves for 13 TV stations. Before World War II, a few experimental TV shows had been broadcast in New York, but the war postponed the development of commercial television. With the allocation of airwaves, commercial TV began to spread. The first regularly scheduled network series appeared in 1946, and many Americans viewed television for the first time in 1947, when NBC broadcast the World Series. Since privately owned television sets were still rare, most of the series' estimated 3.9 million viewers watched the games from a bar.

June 27, 1975
Sonny and Cher divorce
In 1971 Sonny and Cher starred in their first television special, The Nitty Gritty Hour. A mixture of slapstick comedy, skits and live music, the appearance was a critical success, which led to numerous guest spots on other television shows. Sonny and Cher caught the eye of CBS head of programming Fred Silverman who offered the duo their own variety show.

The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour debuted in 1971 as a summer replacement series.

The show returned to prime time later that year and was an immediate hit, quickly reaching the Top 10. The show received 15 Emmy Award nominations during its run, winning one for direction, throughout its initial four seasons on CBS. Sonny and Cher's dialogues were patterned after the successful nightclub routines of Louis Prima and Keely Smith: the happy-go-lucky husband squelched by a tart remark from the unamused wife. The show featured a stock company of zany comedians, including Freeman King, Ted Ziegler, and Murray Langston (later The Unknown Comic on The Gong Show). By the third season of The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, the marriage of Sonny and Cher was falling apart; the duo separated later that year. The show imploded, while still in the top 10 of the ratings. What followed was a nasty, very public divorce. Cher won a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy for The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour in 1974.
Bono launched his own show, The Sonny Bono Comedy Revue, in the fall of 1974, retaining the "Sonny and Cher" troupe of comedians and writers. Cher also announced plans to star in a new variety series of her own. Critics, surprisingly, predicted that Bono would be the big winner with a solo comedy vehicle, and didn't hold much hope for Cher's more musical showcase. After only six weeks, however, Bono's show was abruptly cancelled. The Cher show debuted as an elaborate, all-star television special on February 16, 1975 featuring Flip Wilson, Bette Midler and special guest Elton John. The first season ranked in the Top 25 of the year-end ratings.
As a result of the divorce, Sonny and Cher went their separate ways until Cher attended the opening of one of Bono's restaurants in something of a reconciliation. The Sonny & Cher Show returned in 1976, even though they were no longer married (the duo "reunited" with a humorous handshake). After struggling with low ratings through 1977, Sonny and Cher finally parted ways for good. Sonny & Cher reunited for a performance on Late Night with David Letterman on November 13th of 1987.

Cher went on to a successful film career, winning the Best Actress Oscar for Moonstruck (1987). Sonny Bono later became a politician, serving as mayor of Palm Springs and as a U.S. congressman. He was killed in a skiing accident in 1998.

June 28, 1975
Rod Serling dies at age 50 after open-heart surgery. Born in 1924 in Syracuse, New York, Serling became one of early television's most successful writers, best known for the anthology series The Twilight Zone, which he created, wrote, and hosted.

In 1959, CBS aired the first episode of The Twilight Zone. Serling fought hard for creative control, hiring writers he respected (such as Richard Matheson and Charles Beaumont) and launched himself into weekly television. He stated in an interview that the science fiction format would not be controversial and would escape censorship unlike the earlier Playhouse 90. In reality the show gave him the opportunity to communicate social messages in a more veiled context.
Serling drew on his own experiences for many episodes, with frequent stories about boxing, military life and aircraft pilots, which integrated his firsthand knowledge. The series also incorporated Serling's progressive social views on racial relations and the like, which were somewhat veiled by the science fiction and fantasy elements of the shows. Occasionally, however, Serling could be quite blunt, as in the episode I Am The Night — Color Me Black, where racism and hatred causes a dark cloud to form in the American South before eventually spreading elsewhere. Serling was also progressive on matters of gender, with many stories featuring quick-thinking, resilient women, although he also wrote stories featuring shrewish, nagging wives.
The show lasted five seasons (four using a half-hour format, with one half-season using an hour-long format), winning awards and critical acclaim for Serling and his staff. While having a loyal fan base, the program never had huge ratings and was twice canceled, only to be revived. After five years and 156 episodes, 92 of them written by Serling himself, he wearied of the show. In 1964, he decided to let the third cancellation be final.
Serling sold his rights to the series to CBS. His wife later claimed that he did this partly because he believed the studio would never recoup the cost of the show, which frequently went over budget.
In 1969, NBC aired a Serling-penned pilot for a new series, Night Gallery. Set in a dimly lit museum which was open after hours, the pilot film featured Serling (as on-camera host) playing the part of curator introducing three tales of the macabre, unveiling canvases that would appear in the subsequent story segments (its brief first season rotated as one spoke of a four-series programming wheel titled Four in One), focused more on gothic horror and the occult than did The Twilight Zone. Serling, no longer wanting the burden of an executive position, sidestepped an offer to retain creative control of content—a decision he would come to regret. Although discontented with some of producer Jack Laird's script and creative choices, Serling maintained a stream of creative submissions and ultimately wrote over a third of the series' scripts. By season three however, Serling began to see many of his script contributions rejected. With his complaints ignored, the disgruntled host dismissed the show as Mannix in a cemetery. Night Gallery lasted until 1973.
Subsequent to The Twilight Zone, Serling moved onto cinema screens and continued to write for television. In 1964, he scripted Carol for Another Christmas, a television adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. It was telecast only once, December 28, 1964, on ABC.
On May 25, 1962, Serling guest starred in the episode The Celebrity of the CBS sitcom Ichabod and Me with Robert Sterling and George Chandler.
He wrote a number of screenplays with a political focus, including Seven Days in May (1964) about an attempted military coup against the President of the United States; Planet of the Apes (1968); and The Man (1972) about the first African American President.

To quote the Bicentennial Minute, "And that's the way it was".

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

Your Mental Sorbet: Ed McMahon tipsy.

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:36 PDT

Here is another "Mental Sorbet" that we could use to momentarily forget about those things that leave a bad taste in our mouths.

Johnny explains this clip on an anniversary show.

Ed was a regular guy, a class act and was able to laugh at himself.
I am sure in heaven Ed will have a desk.

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Tony Figueroa

Michael Jackson

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:08:25 PDT

Wow, twice in one day.
The blog is called CHILD OF TELEVISION, as a child my mother worked for Motown during it's golden age and there were many larger than life figures that were part of my day to day life. The Jackson 5ive were a part of that time. Forgive me dear readers for being at a loss for words right now. While everyone on the News is covering current developments, I want to reflect on that simpler time.

Let us not forget appointment viewing on Saturday morning.

Good Night Michael

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Tony Figueroa

Farrah Fawcett 1947 – 2009

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:26:14 PDT

There comes a time in a young man's life when you hang your first poster of a pretty girl. My first was was Farrah Fawcett. I had the T-Shirt too.

God gave women intuition and femininity. Used properly, the combination easily jumbles the brain of any man I've ever met.

Farrah Fawcett

Farrah Fawcett died this morning at approximately 9:30 a.m. in the intensive care unit of Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, with Ryan O'Neal and her friend Alana Stewart by her side. She was 62 years old. A lot has been said lately about Farrah's illness and her fighting spirit. Her true legacy has yet to be determined. I'd like to take a little time to look back at the life of my first pin-up girl.

She was born Mary Farrah Leni Fawcett in Corpus Christi, Texas. She said that the name Farrah was made up by her mother because it went well with her last name. From 1966–1969, Farrah attended the University of Texas at Austin and became a sister of Delta Delta Delta Sorority. She appeared in a photo of the "Ten Most Beautiful Coeds" from the university, which ran in Cashbox magazine. A Hollywood publicist saw the photo, called Farrah and urged her to move to Los Angeles, which she did in 1969, leaving after her junior year with her parents' permission to "try her luck" in Hollywood.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Farrah appeared in TV commercials for Noxema shaving cream, Ultra Brite toothpaste, Wella Balsam shampoo, and the 1975 Mercury Cougar (Later in 1978, after achieving TV stardom, she appeared in a series of commercials for her own brand of shampoo, marketed by Fabergé).

Fawcett's first appearance on a TV show was a guest spot on I Dream of Jeannie, this was followed by guest appearances in Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law. She later appeared in The Six Million Dollar Man with Lee Majors, The Dating Game, and several episodes of Harry O alongside the late David Janssen.

Farrah rose to international fame in 1976 when she played private investigator Jill Munroe in the TV series Charlie's Angels (then billed as Farrah Fawcett-Majors) along side Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith and John Forsythe as the voice of Charlie. Farrah emerged as a fan favorite in the show, and the actress won a People's Choice Award for Favorite Performer in a New TV Program. Farrah was also a pop culture figure whose hairstyle was emulated by millions of young women and whose poster and T-Shirt sales (See Above) broke records, making her an international sex symbol in the 1970s and 1980s. Farrah left the show after only one season, and as settlement to a lawsuit stemming from her early departure, she appeared three more times as a guest star in each of seasons three and four. Cheryl Ladd replaced her on the show, portraying Jill's younger sister Kris Munroe and Farrah later went on to become a critically acclaimed actress, appearing in highly rated television movies like The Burning Bed, Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story and Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story.

Farrah, who had resisted appearing nude in films or magazines throughout the 1970s and 1980s, caused a major stir by posing nude in the December 1995 issue of Playboy Magazine, which became the best-selling issue of the 1990s, with over four million copies sold worldwide. At the age of 50, she returned to the pages of Playboy with a pictorial for the July 1997 issue, which also became a top seller. That same year, Fawcett was chosen by Robert Duvall to play his wife in an independent feature film he was producing, The Apostle. Farrah received an Independent Spirit Award nomination as Best Actress for the film. Farrah continued to work in television during the period, with well-regarded appearances on popular television series including Ally McBeal and four episodes each of Spin City and The Guardian, her work on the latter show earning her a third Emmy nomination in 2004.

In a 1977 interview with TV Guide, she said: "When the show was number three, I thought it was our acting. When we got to be number one, I decided it could only be because none of us wears a bra".

Good Night Angel

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

Ed McMahon More than just a Sidekick.

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:00:29 PDT

At a time when most men begin their retirement, Ed McMahon was still on The Tonight Show staring Johnny Carson, Hosting TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes (with Dick Clark), Hosting Star Search, appearing with Jerry Lewis for his annual Muscular Dystrophy Association telethons working as a commercial spokesman and an actor. Even with that resume most people still refer to him as Johnny Carson’s Sidekick. Yes he sat on the couch and would say the occasional, “YES!” and “You are correct sir”. But Ed McMahon was more than just a sidekick, he was The Tonight Show’s announcer, a very specialized skill, but the hardest job Ed had was being Johnny Carson’s straight man. Any authority on comedy will tell you that being the straight man is a harder job than being the comic relief. Although Ed had trouble holding back his laughter sometimes, handing Carnac the Magnificent his envelopes was not as easy as it looked. Ed had a great sense of humor and was able to take a joke at the expense of his weight, drinking and big laugh.

Mr. McMahon's publicist, Howard Bragman, said he died at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Bragman did not give a cause of death, saying that McMahon had a "multitude of health problems the last few months." After WWII, Ed McMahon made a long career on what he called his "whiskey baritone". Mr. McMahon started his carrer as a carnival barker and road show bingo caller. He also was a salesman on the Atlantic City boardwalk before entering television during its infancy in the late 1940s.

There is only one quote that we think of when we hear the name Ed McMahon, but just reading it does not do it justice, "Heeeeeeeere's Johnny!".

Good Night Mr. McMahon. Say, "Hi" or is it " "Hi-ooooo!" to Johnny.

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

Your Mental Sorbet: Barney Miller "Jack Soo Retrospective"

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:23:49 PDT

Here is another "Mental Sorbet" that we could use to momentarily forget about those things that leave a bad taste in our mouths.

This was a celebration of the life of Jack Soo.

Jack Soo, a Retrospective (Season 5, Episode 24 - Original Air Date—17 May 1979) The death of Jack Soo in 1979 marked the passing of both a fine comedy actor and one of TV's most memorable characters: Nick Yemana, the deadpan detective known for his dry wit and wretched coffee. This tribute to Soo features reminiscences by the series regulars as well as some notable Yemana vignettes.

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Tony Figueroa

This week in Television History:June 09 PART II

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:00:10 PDT

Forgive me Trekkers I did not include June 3, 1969 when the final episode of Star Trek aired
Turnabout Intruder is a third season, as well as the final first-run episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. It is episode #79, production #79, written by Arthur H. Singer, based on a story by Gene Roddenberry, and directed by Herb Wallerstein. This was the last original episode of Star Trek to air on NBC.
Originally scheduled to air at 10pm on Friday, March 28, 1969, the network pre-empted it at the last minute with a special report on former president Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had died earlier that day. On June 3, 1969, after an absence of 2 months, Star Trek was brought back on a new night and time: Tuesdays at 7:30pm EDT. "Turnabout Intruder" was the first episode to be shown in this new time slot.
Overview: Kirk becomes trapped in the body of a woman bent on killing him and taking over his command under his guise.

As always, the further we go back in Hollywood history, the more that fact and legend become intertwined. It's hard to say where the truth really lies.

June 20, 1948
Toast of the Town premiered. Ed Sullivan's long-running variety show premieres. Although later known simply as The Ed Sullivan Show, the series debuts as Toast of the Town.

Among the many performers who made their TV debuts on the show were Bob Hope, Lena Horne, the Beatles, and Walt Disney. Elvis Presley also made several high-profile performances on the show, in 1956 and 1957. The show ran until 1971.

June 24, 1987
Jackie Gleason died. Raised by a single mother who worked at a subway token booth in New York, Gleason dropped out of high school and began performing on the vaudeville circuit in his teens. Signed to a movie contract by the time he was 24 years old, Gleason played character roles in a handful of movies in 1941 and 1942, but found much more success in television. He became one of TV's most popular stars in a number of shows, including The Jackie Gleason Show, which ran throughout most of the 1950s and '60s.

On the show, he created the character of Ralph Kramden, a bus driver who became the beloved star of the spin-off television show The Honeymooners.

June 25, 1993
Late Night with David Letterman airs its last episode. Offbeat comic Letterman, passed over by NBC for the host seat on The Tonight Show after Johnny Carson's retirement, left the network to launch a rival show on CBS.
David Letterman was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1947. From an early age, he aspired to host his own talk show. He became a stand-up comic and a wacky weatherman on a local TV station. After years on the stand-up comedy circuit, he made his first appearance on The Tonight Show in 1978 and served as the program's guest host 50 times. In 1980, Letterman had a short-lived morning variety show, The David Letterman Show, which won two Emmys.

He launched his popular late-night TV show in 1982. His offbeat humor and goofy stunts spoofed traditional talk shows. Antics like wearing a Velcro suit and throwing himself at a wall or tossing eggs into a giant electric fan, Letterman gained a large following, especially among college students. Regular features included his "Top Ten List," "Stupid Pet Tricks," and tours of the neighborhood. He also frequently wandered with his camera into other NBC shows in progress. Over more than 11 years, the show won five Emmys and 35 nominations.
When Carson announced his retirement in 1992, Letterman and rival comic Jay Leno engaged in a heated battle for the coveted host slot. When Letterman was passed over, he left NBC for CBS, where his new program, Late Show, outperformed Leno's show almost every week in its first year. However, Leno pulled ahead the following year and maintained a strong lead.

To quote the Bicentennial Minute, "And that's the way it was".

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

Your Mental Sorbet: The Bob Newhart Show-P-I-L-O-T

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:00:15 PDT

Here is another "Mental Sorbet" that we could use to momentarily forget about those things that leave a bad taste in our mouths.

In honor of the fact that I am in Chicago this week, I present The Bob Newhart Show-PILOT

Bob and Emily have been trying to have a child. They attend a party where an expectant mother is chatting away and they feel so left out, they decide to adopt. They’re quite nervous when interviewed, but they qualify.

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Tony Figueroa

Your Mental Sorbet: Conan O'Brien playing 1860s baseball

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:00:16 PDT

Here is another "Mental Sorbet" that we could use to momentarily forget about those things that leave a bad taste in our mouths.

Conan's all-time favorite Late Night clip: playing 1860s baseball... Mine too.

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

David Carradine

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:20:57 PDT

David Carradine best known for his work on the TV Series Kung Fu and more recently in the movie Kill Bill was found dead in his room at the Park Nai Lert Hotel in Junfan Mulay, Bangkok, Thailand. The initial police investigation indicated that Carradine had Hanged himself using a cord of the type which is used with curtains. Circumstances suggested that the death was a Suicide. David Carradine's manager Chuck Binder, said he believed Carradine's death was from natural causes, and not from a suicide as reported in the Thai press.

Carradine was born John Arthur Carradine in Hollywood, California the son of Ardanelle Abigail (née McCool) and noted American actor John Carradine. He was the brother of Bruce Carradine and half-brother of Keith and Robert Carradine, as well as the uncle of Ever Carradine and Martha Plimpton. Carradine studied drama at San Francisco State University before working as an actor on stage as well as in television and cinema. He changed his given name to David after starting his career.

Carradine was known for his roles as Kwai Chang Caine in the 1970s television series Kung Fu (as well as the sequels in the 1980s and 1990s), as well as 'Big' Bill Shelly in Martin Scorsese's Boxcar Bertha (1972), folksinger Woody Guthrie in Bound for Glory (1976), Abel Rosenberg in Ingmar Bergman's The Serpent's Egg (1977), and as Bill in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, Vols. 1 & 2 (2003, 2004, respectively). Other notable roles included the lead in Shane (the 1966 television series based upon the 1949 novel of the same name) and a gunslinger in Taggart, a 1964 western film based on a novel by Louis L'Amour. He also starred in the Broadway version of the play The Royal Hunt of the Sun in 1965. More recently, he portrayed Tempus, a powerful demon with the ability to manipulate time, on the hit television series Charmed, as well as Conrad in the television series Alias. Carradine appeared in an episode of Lizzie McGuire, and also provided his voice for the King of the Hill episode, Returning Japanese, in which he voiced the character of Hank's Japanese half-brother. He provided the voice for Lo Pei, the ancient warrior who was responsible for Shendu's petrification in the animated series: Jackie Chan Adventures.
Carradine was also known for producing and starring in several exercise videos teaching the martial arts of Tai chi and Qi Gong. Carradine actually had no knowledge of martial arts prior to starring in the series Kung Fu, but developed an interest in it after this experience and became an avid practitioner. Carradine also appeared as the host of Wild West Tech on the History Channel, taking over the duties from his brother Keith. He narrated the PBS anthropology series Faces of Culture.

To Quote David Carradine, "I don't need to convince anybody that I know kung fu, but maybe somebody needs to know that I really can act, without doing a Chinese accent or a funny walk".

Good Night Grasshopper

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

This week in Television History: June PART I

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:02:07 PDT

Listen to me on TV CONFIDENTIAL with Ed Robertson and Frankie Montiforte Broadcast LIVE every other Tuesday at 10pm ET, 7pm PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org

As always, the further we go back in Hollywood history, the more that fact and legend become intertwined. It's hard to say where the truth really lies.

June 5, 1954
Your Show of Shows final episode

The comic variety show featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca launched in 1950. Other featured performers were Carl Reiner, Howard Morris, Nanette Fabray, Bill Hayes, Judy Johnson, The Hamilton Trio and the soprano Marguerite Piazza. The show was created by Sylvester Weaver and directed by Max Liebman. Writers for the show included Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Danny Simon, Larry Gelbart, Mel Tolkin, and Carl Reiner. For three of its four years, it ranked as one of the Top 20 most highly rated shows. In 1952, the program won the Best Show Emmy Award.

June 7, 1955
The $64,000 Question premieres

The show was a spin-off of radio game show The $64 Question and spun off The $64,000 Challenge. The show started with contestants answering a question worth $64, with each subsequent question worth double the amount of the previous one. The show was an instant hit, knocking I Love Lucy out of first place in the ratings. Rumors of rigging plagued this and other big-money game shows in the mid-1950s causing The $64,000 Question and The $64,000 Challenge to be yanked off the air within three months of the quiz show scandal's eruption. Challenge went first, in September 1958, with Question was killed in November, 1958.

June 15, 1969
First Hee Haw episode

Hee Haw started on CBS as a summer 1969 replacement for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Although the program ran for only two years, it was a hit with audiences and was in the Top 20 when CBS dropped it, deciding the show's hick country focus wasn't appropriate for the network's image. Hosted by country singers Roy Clark and Buck Owens, the program featured top country musicians and wacky stunts, jokes, and hijinks. The show went into syndication after the network dropped it, becoming highly successful and running until 1992. The show was inspired by Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, the major difference being that Hee Haw was far less topical, and was centered around country music. The show was equally well-known for its voluptuous, scantily-clad women in stereotypical farmer's daughter outfits.

To quote the Bicentennial Minute, "And that's the way it was".

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

Your Mental Sorbet: William Shatner singing Rocket Man

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Fri, 29 May 2009 00:00:07 PDT

Here is another "Mental Sorbet" that we could use to momentarily forget about those things that leave a bad taste in our mouths.

William Shatner sings rocketman at 1978 Sci-Fi Awards show.

Stewie is setting up a random flashback of when he was being "cool"

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

Your Mental Sorbet: Carson's next-to-last night

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:00:11 PDT

Here is another "Mental Sorbet" that we could use to momentarily forget about those things that leave a bad taste in our mouths.

As his retirement approached, Johnny Carson tried to avoid too much sentimentality, but would periodically show clips of some of his favorite moments and revisit with some of his favorite guests. However, no one was quite prepared for Carson's next-to-last night, where his final guests his guests were Robin Williams and Bette Midler.

“And so it has come to this: I, uh... am one of the lucky people in the world; I found something I always wanted to do and I have enjoyed every single minute of it. I want to thank the gentlemen who've shared this stage with me for thirty years. Mr. Ed McMahon, Mr. Doc Severinsen, and you people watching. I can only tell you that it has been an honor and a privilege to come into your homes all these years and entertain you. And I hope when I find something that I want to do and I think you would like and come back that you'll be as gracious in inviting me into your home as you have been. I bid you a very heartfelt good night”.

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

This week in Television History: Funny Men

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 20:55:58 PDT

As always, the further we go back in Hollywood history, the more that fact and legend become intertwined. It's hard to say where the truth really lies.

May 14, 1998
Last episode of Seinfeld aired. The show starred comedian Jerry Seinfeld and was created by Seinfeld and Larry David. Though Seinfeld originally intended the show to be about how a comedian gathers material for his show, it was later better known as the “show about nothing” that was able to draw comedic absurdity from ordinary day-to-day events. Originally, each show began and ended with clips of Seinfeld performing stand-up that related to that episode’s plot.
Seinfeld's ensemble cast included Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss), George Constanza (Jason Alexander) and Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards), all the main characters in the show were based on Seinfeld’s or David’s real-life friends and acquaintances. When the pilot (Originally titled The Seinfeld Chronicles) aired on July 5, 1989, reception was luke warm. The show was picked up by NBC and attracted a loyell following. Each episode's story line would be discussed at the water-cooler the folowing morning (One sparked a lawsuit).
The show also introduced new catch phrases into the national lexicon, including “yada yada yada,” “shrinkage,” “man hands” and “spongeworthy.”
The much-anticipated final episode was watched by an estimated 76 million viewers. Advertisers paid the then-record sum of $1.7 million for a 30-second spot in the show.
The 180 episodes of Seinfeld continue to air in syndication around the world.

May 22, 1992
Johnny Carson's last Tonight Show. As his retirement approached, Johnny Carson tried to avoid too much sentimentality, but would periodically show clips of some of his favorite moments and revisit with some of his favorite guests.
However, no one was quite prepared for Carson's next-to-last night, where his final guests his guests were Robin Williams and Bette Midler. Midler found the emotional vein of the farewell. After the topic of their conversation turned to Johnny's favorite songs ("I'll Be Seeing You" and "Here's That Rainy Day"), Midler mentioned she knew a chorus of the latter. She began singing the song, and after the first line, Carson joined in and turned it into a touching impromptu duet. Midler finished her appearance when, from center stage, she slowly sang the pop standard "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)." This penultimate show was immediately recognized as a television classic, and Midler would win an Emmy Award for her role in it.

Bette Midler - One For My Baby @ Yahoo! Video

Carson did not have guests on his final episode of The Tonight Show. An estimated 50 million people watched this retrospective show, which ended with him sitting on a stool alone on the stage, curiously similar to Jack Paar's last show. He gave these final words of goodbye,

“And so it has come to this: I, uh... am one of the lucky people in the world; I found something I always wanted to do and I have enjoyed every single minute of it. I want to thank the gentlemen who've shared this stage with me for thirty years. Mr. Ed McMahon, Mr. Doc Severinsen, and you people watching. I can only tell you that it has been an honor and a privilege to come into your homes all these years and entertain you. And I hope when I find something that I want to do and I think you would like and come back that you'll be as gracious in inviting me into your home as you have been. I bid you a very heartfelt good night”.

During his final speech, Carson told the audience that he hoped to return to television with another project and that hopefully "will meet with your approval". A few weeks after the final show aired, it was announced that NBC and Carson had struck a deal to develop a new series, but ultimately he chose never to return to television with another show of his own.
Johnny Carson died of complications from emphysema on January 23, 2005 at age 79.

May 25, 1992
Jay Leno's first Tonight Show. When Carson announced his retirement in 1992, Jay Leno succeeded him as host (Jay Leno, who became "permanent guest host" in 1987.), much to the outrage of David Letterman, host of Late Night, which ran after Tonight. The following year, Letterman accepted CBS's $42 million offer for his own show and launched the Late Show in 1993, running against Leno's time slot. Letterman beat Leno every week for the show's first year.
NBC announced in 2004 that Leno would leave The Tonight Show at the end of May 2009, and passing the torch to Conan O'Brien. However, following rumors of Leno being interested in moving elsewhere to launch a competing program, NBC signed Leno to a new deal for a nightly talk show in the 10:00 p.m. ET timeslot. The primetime series, tentatively titled The Jay Leno Show, will debut in fall 2009, following a similar format to the Leno incarnation of Tonight.
On September 22, 2006, Variety reported that The Tonight Show led in ratings for the 11th consecutive season, with a nightly average of 5.7 million viewers – 31% of the total audience in that time slot – compared to 4.2 million viewers for the Late Show with David Letterman, 3.4 million for Nightline and 1.6 million for Jimmy Kimmel Live. When the Leno show initially directly faced Letterman's show, Letterman initially led in ratings, however the turning episode is generally marked when Hugh Grant appeared on Leno (July 10, 1995). Leno famously asked Grant "What the hell were you thinking?" referring to Grant's arrest for seeing a prostitute.

Notable episodes
In September 2000, with California in an energy crisis that forced power outages, Jay Leno did an episode in the dark using only candles and flashlights known as "The Tonight Show Unplugged" in response to California's power crisis.

Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, The Tonight Show was off the air for about a week, as were most similar programs. The first post-9/11 episode began with a still image of an American flag and a subdued opening without the usual opening credits. Leno's monologue paid tribute to those who lost their lives and to firefighters, police and rescue workers across the US. Leno had questioned whether a show that regularly poked fun at the government could continue after the attacks, but in his monologue, he explained that he saw the show as a respite from the grim news of the world, akin to a cookie or glass of lemonade handed to a firefighter. Senator John McCain and the musical group Crosby, Stills, and Nash were featured guests. For an extended period after the attack, a short clip of a large American flag waving was shown in between the announcement of the musical guest and Leno's introduction during the opening montage.

On August 6, 2003, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared on The Tonight Show and confirmed he would be running against California Governor Gray Davis for the California recall election. Schwarzenegger won the election on October 7.

On January 24, 2005, Leno had an episode that paid tribute to Tonight Show predecessor Johnny Carson, who had died the day before. There were no opening credits, and the monologue simply gave condolence to Carson. There were no segments used, however, Leno played clips from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson before commercials. All the guests were people who had worked with Carson or had been on his show, including Ed McMahon, Drew Carey, Don Rickles, and Bob Newhart.

On July 20, 2006, as Colin Farrell was being interviewed by Leno, Farrell's stalker, Dessarae Bradford, evaded security, walked on stage as cameras were rolling, confronted Farrell, and threw her book on Leno's desk. In front of a silent, stunned audience, Farrell escorted her off the stage himself, told the camera crew to stop filming, and handed her over to security. As Bradford was led out of the studio, she shouted, "I'll see you in court!" Farrell's response was a smooth, "Darling, you're insane!" Outside the studio, NBC security handed her off to Burbank police, who eventually released her. While waiting to begin filming again, a shocked Leno sarcastically called for "a round of applause for NBC security" from the audience. After Farrell apologized to the audience, describing Bradford as, "my first stalker," the show then continued filming and the incident was edited out of the broadcast aired that night. Farrell later requested a restraining order in court against Bradford.

On January 2, 2008, The Tonight Show (along with Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Late Night with Conan O'Brien) returned to air without writers, with the WGA still on strike. This was in response to the deal by David Letterman's production company Worldwide Pants with the WGA to allow Late Show with David Letterman and Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson to return with writers. Leno's guest that night, Republican Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, was criticized for crossing the WGA picket line to appear on the show. Huckabee would go on to win the Iowa caucuses the next day.

On March 19, 2009, President Barack Obama appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. This marked the first time that a sitting President of the United States appeared on a late night talk show. President Barack Obama came under fire for a remark made about the Special Olympics, in which he made in reference to Leno's congratulations to Obama's low bowling score.

May 30, 1908
Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and countless other Warner Bros. cartoon characters, was born on this day in San Francisco. His parents, who ran a women's clothing business, moved with their son to Portland, Oregon, when Blanc was a child. Blanc began performing as a musician and singer on local radio programs in Portland before he was 20. In the late 1920s, he and his wife, Estelle, created a daily radio show called "Cobwebs and Nuts," which became a hit. Blanc made many other radio appearances and became a regular on Jack Benny's hit radio show, providing the sounds of Benny's ancient car (The Maxwell) and playing several other characters.

In 1937, Blanc made his debut with Warner Bros., providing the voice for a drunken bull in a short cartoon called Picador Porky. Another actor provided the pig's voice, but Blanc later replaced him. In 1940, Bugs Bunny debuted in a short called A Wild Hare. Blanc said he wanted the rabbit to sound tough and streetwise, so he created a comic combination of Bronx and Brooklyn accents. Other characters Blanc created for Warner Bros. included the Road Runner, Sylvester, and Tweety Bird. He performed in some 850 cartoons for Warner Bros. during his 50-year career. For other studios, he provided the voices of Barney Rubble and Dino the dinosaur in The Flintstones, Mr. Spacely for The Jetsons, and Woody Woodpecker's laugh.
In his 1988 autobiography, That's Not All Folks, Blanc described a nearly fatal traffic accident that left him in a coma. Unable to rouse him by using his real name, a doctor finally said, "How are you, Bugs Bunny?" and Mel replied, in Bugs' voice, "Ehh, just fine, doc. How are you?"
Blanc continued to provide voices until the late 1980s, most memorably voicing Daffy Duck dueling with Donald Duck in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988). After Mel Blanc died of complications from heart disease, his son Noel, trained by his father, provided the voices for the characters the elder Blanc had helped bring to life.

To quote the Bicentennial Minute, "And that's the way it was".

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

Your Mental Sorbet:"Newhart" - Series Finale

TDFig@aol.com (Tony Figueroa) — Fri, 15 May 2009 00:00:06 PDT

Here is another "Mental Sorbet" that we could use to momentarily forget about those things that leave a bad taste in our mouths.

This is the final scenes from Newhart,

Bob Newhart discusses the final episode of "Newhart".

First Darryl, Second Darryl: QUIET!
Dick Loudon: Your- your brothers can speak? Why didn't they say anything up 'till now?
Larry: I guess they've never been this P.O.'ed before.

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa