Happy Halloween from the Freditor

YouTube - Happy Halloween from The Freditor

Hope you have a Great Day!!!

The Freditor

Evel Knievel returns to Chiller Convention

YouTube - Evel Knievel returns to Chiller Convention

The Freditor had a great time at this year's Chiller Sci-Fi and Horror Convention and especially at the costume party that followed. Here are a few of his thoughts.

The Freditor

What's up with Fred's Face?

YouTube - The Freditor discusses the History of his Facial Hair


The Freditor

Half a Story with Howard Stern

YouTube - Howard Stern and Me--Half a Story




The Freditor

Fred wishes you a Happy Oktoberfest

Due to my computer acting up like a petulant child, this seemingly simple 1 minute video took almost 3 hours to make. And even now it is not perfect, but I refused to work on it anymore.

I hope you enjoy the way it came out.

YouTube - Der Freditor wishes everyone a Happy Oktoberfest

Der Freditor

Amazing--Obama gave a stranger $103 in 1988 to help her get to Norway

Oct 05, 2008

The Norwegian newspaper VG has reported a truly amazing story about a newly-wed trying to get to Norway to be with her husband, and the stranger who helped pay an unexpected luggage surcharge. The blog "Leisha's Random Thoughts" has translated the story.

It was 1988, and Mary Andersen was at the Miami airport checking in for a long flight to Norway to be with her husband when the airline representative informed her that she wouldn't be able to check her luggage without paying a 100 surcharge:When it was finally Mary’s turn, she got the message that would crush her bubbling feeling of happiness.-You’ll have to pay a 103 dollar surcharge if you want to bring both those suitcases to Norway, the man behind the counter said.

Mary had no money.

Her new husband had travelled ahead of her to Norway, and she had no one else to call.-I was completely desperate and tried to think which of my things I could manage without. But I had already made such a careful selection of my most prized possessions, says Mary.As tears streamed down her face, she heard a "gentle and friendly voice" behind her saying, "That's okay, I'll pay for her."Mary turned around to see a tall man whom she had never seen before.-He had a gentle and kind voice that was still firm and decisive.

The first thing I thought was, Who is this man?Although this happened 20 years ago, Mary still remembers the authority that radiated from the man.-He was nicely dressed, fashionably dressed with brown leather shoes, a cotton shirt open at the throat and khaki pants, says Mary.She was thrilled to be able to bring both her suitcases to Norway and assured the stranger that he would get his money back.

The man wrote his name and address on a piece of paper that he gave to Mary. She thanked him repeatedly. When she finally walked off towards the security checkpoint, he waved goodbye to her.Who was the man?Barack Obama.Twenty years later, she is thrilled that the friendly stranger at the airport may be the next President and has voted for him already and donated 100 dollars to his campaign:-He was my knight in shining armor, says Mary, smiling.

She paid the 103 dollars back to Obama the day after she arrived in Norway. At that time he had just finished his job as a poorly paid community worker* in Chicago, and had started his law studies at prestigious Harvard university.Mary even convinced her parents to vote for him:In the spring of 2006 Mary’s parents had heard that Obama was considering a run for president, but that he had still not decided.

They chose to write a letter in which they told him that he would receive their votes. At the same time, they thanked Obama for helping their daughter 18 years earlier.And Obama replied:In a letter to Mary’s parents dated May 4th, 2006 and stamped ‘United States Senate, Washington DC’, Barack Obama writes:‘I want to thank you for the lovely things you wrote about me and for reminding me of what happened at Miami airport. I’m happy I could help back then, and I’m delighted to hear that your daughter is happy in Norway. Please send her my best wishes. Sincerely, Barack Obama, United States Senator’.

The parents sent the letter on to Mary.Mary says that when her friends and associates talk about the election, especially when race relations is the heated subject, she relates the story of the kind man who helped out a stranger-in-need over twenty years ago, years before he had even thought about running for high office.

Please Vote For My Friend--John Casey, for Queens Supreme Court Justice

I've know this man for over 10 years, back when he was a parole officer and have to say from hearing stories about him and talking to the man, that he is one tough guy when it comes to criminal cases. I can't think of a better person for the job.

The Freditor

Justice, New York Supreme Court; District 11 Election Information November 4, 2008 Election

I think these t-shirts are very funny

Click here: funny shirts - T-shirt Bordello:

The Freditor

Inglorious Bastards: Original is Right up Quentin Tarantino's alley

* * * 1/2 (out of 5)

Inglorious Bastards is a 1978 Italian World War II movie that steals liberally from at least five classic WWII films, but for total fun. Buford Pusser himself, Bo Swenson, stars as the leader of a band of escaped American prisoners about to be shipped off to Leavenworth or worse. When their convoy is attacked by German planes somewhere in France, the prisoners are left to fend for themselves. Their plan, to get to neutral Switzerland and hide out until the war is over, takes a million detours. 160 Miles never seemed so far.

The only two real Americans in this "wild bunch" are Swenson and Blaxploitation legend and former football great Fred Williamson (Spearchucker Jones in the movie MASH). The movie was made in 1978 and I guess neither actor was paid enough to sport a 1940s haircut, but you look past that for the sheer amount of action that takes place. I always thought that action movies before Raiders of the Lost Ark had too much drama and not enough "good stuff" and that Indy changed all that with nothing but the good stuff, but apparently foreign filmmakers were ahead of the curve on this. Because IG is nothing but action from beginning to end.

Of course, the machine guns never run out of bullets. The Germans never turn around to see who is shooting them in the back and our anti-heroes never get a scratch on them until the third act, but other than that, it is totally believable. What is also fun is trying to pick out the various "influences" that come up throughout the movie. The motorcycle jumping of The Great Escape, the bridge blowing of River Kwai, the prisoner theme of Dirty Dozen, the trains of both Von Ryan's Express and The Train. If they made this movie in America the filmmakers could have been sued for plagiarism.

Next year, Tarantino is supposed to release a remake of this film with his own twist to it. For kicks he's made Brad Pitt and Mike Myers the stars. And from what I've read the script is supposed to be better than Pulp Fiction. With Tarantino I always have a wait and see attitude, but I love the idea so far.

The Freditor

See My new Classmates and Facebook pages

Classmates

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The 100 Best-Looking Men in Television History

Here in New York City, Channel 11 is celebrating their 60th Anniversary of broadcasting and I thought this would be a good time to coincide this milestone with a listing of what I believe to be the 100 Best-Looking Men in the history of American Television. This list took a few hours to come up with and I'd say it's pretty thorough. I have stars in it that stretch back to the '50s. I eliminated all reality stars and news reporters, as well as Game Show hosts. The only men on here are actors who appeared for several episodes on a given show. While they may have many listings, I only credited them for the shows I remember them from or that I enjoyed the best. You may have complaints, suggestions, or praise. I look forward to all of them. If you are not sure what some of these men look like, you can always look them up in IMDB. Oh, and they are in no particular order.

The Freditor

Pierce Brosnan (Remington Steele)
Tom Selleck (Magnum PI)
Burt Reynolds (Gunsmoke, Evening Shade)
Clint Eastwood (Rawhide)
Robert Urich (Vegas)

James Garner (Rockford Files)
Robert Wagner (Switch)
Eddie Albert (Switch)
Henry Winkler (Happy Days)
David Hasselhoff (Knightrider)

Shaun Cassidy (Hardy Boys)
David Cassidy (Partridge Family)
Richard Hatch (Battlestar Gallactica)
James Brolin (Marcus Welby)
Jack Lord (Hawaii 5-0)

Dirk Benedict (Battlestar Gallactica, A-Team)
Robert Young (Marcus Welby)
Mike Connors (Mannix)
Greg Morris ((Mission Impossible)
Peter Lupus (Mission Impossible)

James Franciscus (Longstreet)
Desi Arnaz (I Love Lucy)
Desi Arnaz Jr. (Here's Lucy)
Adrian Zmed (TJ Hooker)
Wiliam Shatner (Boston Legal)

Eddie Murphy (Saturday Night Live)
Rock Hudson (MacMillan and Wife)
Matt LeBlanc (Friends)
Damon Wayans (In Living Color)
Brian Keith (Family Affair)

Bill Bixby (Incredible Hulk)
George Reeves (Superman)
John Forsythe (Dynasty)
James Spader (Boston Legal)
Ivan Dixon (Hogan's Heroes)

Max Baer Jr. (Beverly Hillbillies)
Donny Osmond (Donny and Marie)
Phil Hartman (News Radio)
Tim Daly (Wings)
Bruce Lee (Green Hornet and Kato)

John Travolta (Welcome Back Kotter)
Ted Danson (Cheers)
Ken Wahl (Wiseguy)
Mark Valley (Keen Eddie)
Morgan Freeman (Electric Company)

Alan Alda (MASH)
George Peppard (A-Team)
Mr. T (A-Team)
Billy Dee Williams (Dynasty)
Luke Perry (90210)

Bill Cosby (Cosby Show)
Michael J. Fox (Family Ties)
Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men)
Martin Sheen (West Wing)
Andy Griffith (Salvage 1)

George Clooney (Roseanne)
Will Smith (Fresh Prince)
Bruce Willis (Moonlighting)
Don Johnson (Miami Vice)
Philip Michael Thomas (Miami Vice)

Patrick Duffy (Man From Atlantis)
William Devane (Knots Landing)
Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek)
Eric Braeden (Rat Patrol)
Erik Estrada (CHIPs)

Michael Douglas (Streets of San Francisco)
Lee Majors (Six Million Dollar Man)
Randolph Mantooth (Emergency)
Kiefer Sutherland (24)
Greg Evigan (BJ and the Bear)

James Naughton (Planet of the Apes)
Michael Landon (Bonanza)
Telly Savalas (Kojak)
Robert Guillaume (Soap)
Denzel Washington (St. Elsewhere)

Kyle Chandler (Homefront)
Kent McCord (Adam-12)
John Slattery (Homefront)
David Janssen (The Fugitive)
Tom Welling (Smallville)

Jay Silverheels (The Lone Ranger)
Jason Priestly (90210)
Ricardo Montalbon (Fantasy Island)
Rob Lowe (West Wing)
Eriq La Salle (ER)

John Schneider (Dukes of Hazzard)
Ted McGinley (Married with Children)
Jeff Conaway (Taxi)
Daniel Sunjata (Rescue Me)
Carlos Bernard (24)

Ricardo Chavira (Desperate Housewives)
Avery Brooks (Spencer For Hire)
Richard Dean Anderson (MacGuyver)
Jameson Parker (Simon and Simon)
Freddie Prinze Sr. (Chico and the Man)

Tony Orlando (Tony Orlando and Dawn)
Richard Dawson (Hogan's Heroes)
John Ritter (Three's Company)
Danny Thomas (Make Room For Daddy)
James MacArthur (Hawaii Five-O)

Is Caddyshack the Last Great Marx Brothers Movie?

* * * * * (out of 5)


Caddyshack (1980)

A few months ago, I was watching Harold Ramis, the director of Caddyshack, discussing this movie and he said it was basically a modern day Marx Brothers movie. I didn't totally understand what he meant at the time, but I was watching Bill Murray be interviewed last night about his influences and he made me realize what Ramis was saying. Murray said that he was a huge Marx Brothers fan and probably subconsciously took some of their physicality and made it part of his acting style.

You have to feel totally comfortable in your own body to be a great visual comedian. Groucho would infiltrate someone's personal space and that would throw off their sense of balance and make him look bigger in the movie viewer's eye. Murray definitely tries to incorporate that into his style of acting. The way he swoops in on women in his movies or goes right after a potential domineering personality by trying to outmaneuver him. In Groundhog Day, "Ned, Ned Ryerson" and thrust his hand into Ned's hand for an unwelcome handshake.

So I started doing the mental math of Ramis' statement about Caddyshack. Rodney is definitely Groucho with all his bullshit and fast talk. Is Ted Knight Zeppo? But that doesn't really work, because Zeppo wasn't the bad guy. Zeppo would be Michael O'Keefe, the straight man who always looked to get the girl. No Knight was one of those nameless stooges that the Marx Brothers always laid waste to. Bill Murray has to be Harpo here. He's not silent of course, but his verbal skills are hurt by his time in Vietnam. And Chevy Chase is Chico. Which kills me to say it, but he is a secondary flimflam man to Rodney's Groucho. Filled with great one-liners of his own. Judge Smails: You know, you should play with Dr. Beeper and myself. I mean, he's been club champion for three years running and I'm no slouch myself. Ty Webb: Don't sell yourself short Judge, you're a tremendous slouch. That's a perfect fit for "Aw, you can't fool me. I know there's no such thing as Sanity Claus." And what makes the comparison even more perfect, while the Marx Bros. made movies about war and football and horse racing, I don't think they ever had a golf movie, which is the perfect sacred cow target for their anarchic ways.

I always liked Caddyshack when I was a younger, but as it has grown in stature in people's minds over the years, it has in mine as well. Of the 4 great Bill Murray movies of that era, Meatballs, Caddy, Stripes and Ghostbusters, it has moved up from third to second in my estimation. G,C,S,M. If Ramis and co-writer Brian Doyle Murray (Bill's brother) were consciously trying to make a new Marx Brothers film, then it rises even higher for me.

The Freditor

Charlton Heston, one of my all-time favorite actors, dies at the age of 84

1st Photo-Fred grabs a shot of Chuck at 2001's Planet of the Ape Premiere in NYC. Two shoulders up front look like an angel's wings.

2nd Photo-Charlton Heston stands with Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte after MLK's March on Washington.

July 23, 2001--The legendary Ziegfield Movie Theatre in New York City, my friend Bob and I were standing along the ropes of the red carpet for the premiere of the remake of Planet of the Apes. We took photos and watched as stars like Mark Wahlberg, Paul Giamatti and Helena Bonham Carter passed by, but we were both psyched to see a cast member who had a small role in the new film--Charlton Heston. Heston was 77 then and a little shaky, but he looked happy there with his wife of 60+ years and college sweetheart, Lydia.

A year later we would find out he had Alzheimer's, but that night was something special for Heston and especially for Bob and I. That was the only time either of us would ever see the man. We grew up watching and loving the Planet of the Apes (POTA) series and became Huge fans of its original star Heston. In the film he was as comfortable giving dense speeches as written by Twilight Zone's Rod Serling, as performing the half-naked stunts and showing anger, fear, tenderness and unyielding strength. I can't imagine another actor having the skills to fulfill the role of Taylor.

Because of that part and that film, until I was about 20 years old, Charlton Heston was my favorite actor. I caught as many movies as I could of the man in that pre-video era. Nearly 7 years later, Bob calls me and tells me that the Ziegfield will be holding a retrospective in honor POTA's 40th Anniversary. On March 29th, we go to see POTA on a big screen for the first time in our adult lives. We were surrounded by about 100 die-hard Ape fans and we chatted with them for about 20 minutes before the show started. We discussed several different things, but one subject that came up was Heston's failing health. Why do so many great minds fall to Alzheimer's? We put those thoughts away as we enjoyed the majesty of the film. It was my 2nd time seeing POTA in a theatre, Bob's 3rd.

But just one week later, on the morning of April 6th, Bob calls to tell me that Charlton Heston had died. Very sad, but it had to be a relief to him and his family. You can't live a fuller life than he did. My second favorite Heston film is The Ten Commandments. I've seen it only a few times less than POTA. The physical transformation that he goes through in that film is similar to the one he goes through in POTA, until the burning bush and his white mane come along.

As a youngster, I never thought about the fact that this tall, blond WASP would play the leader of the Jews. He seemed perfectly cast for the part and I have yet to see another Moses who is as regal. Some of his roles were great, like in Ben-Hur, The Big Country, as John the Baptist in The Greatest Story Ever Told, Soylent Green and Major Dundee. Some were just so-so like in: The Greatest Show on Earth, Touch of Evil, Earthquake, Midway and Airport 1975. But he was never boring. However, when I turned 20 in 1986 I had become a serious movie fan and when I watched other actors I found Heston to be a bit hammy. But his hamminess was part of that old-school approach to acting that started to disappear a few years after Heston had established himself.

Though only 1 year older than Marlon Brando, their acting styles were generations apart. Heston was brought up in the theatrical tradition of acting that had dominated film for its first 50 years. The overacting and precise diction that bore little resemblance to real life. Brando was from the new school of method actors that paused and slurred their words to bring more realism to the screen. While Brando's style became the dominant form for the next 50 years of filmmaking, there was obviously still a strong call for Heston's style because he was the Top Box Office star of the '50s, '60s and early '70s.

By the time he made Planet of the Apes in 1967, he was king in the cinema world. Already an Oscar winner for Best Actor for Ben Hur and star of two Best Picture winners. For such a big star and serious actor to take part in a science fiction film was unheard of at the time. It was a risk, but one that paid off handsomely. From what I hear, Heston had such faith in the film's success that he took less money up front for a bigger percentage of the film's profits. It made $33 Million in just the US in 1968, an incredible amount for the time. Along with 2001-A Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes ushered in a new era of serious science fiction filmmaking which would eventually culminate in Close Encounters and Star Wars nine years later. His role in the new POTA in 2001 was a throwaway part that was more camp than serious acting. The whole movie was a big letdown after 30 years of praying for a new film by its legions of fans.

Actually, my favorite acting jobs by Heston in the last 15 years were in True Lies as Arnold Schwarzenegger's angry boss and his hosting of Saturday Night Live in 1993. The writers that week pulled out all the stops and made one of the funniest shows of the last two decades.

I'm sure many Heston fans like myself never realized how funny the man could be. Back then Phil Hartman, Chris Farley, Norm MacDonald, Mike Myers and Adam Sandler were all on the show and had memorable moments with Heston. Other than the obvious Apes skits, my favorite was called Bag Man. In it Heston plays an elderly stock boy working in a supermarket. When manager Phil Hartman attempts to fire him, Heston starts describing these horrific things that a man "could" do if he were pushed. All the while menacingly holding a box cutter, by the end of the skit, a very anxious Hartman is offering him a raise.

But the thing that most amazes me about Heston is his early political beliefs. While he later became a cause celebre for the right wing, from the '50s to the early '70s he was a noted liberal democrat with a strong belief in the civil rights of black people. In fact, after making The Ten Commandments and Ben-Hur he became quite caught up in the whole freedom movement.

When Martin Luther King had his march on Washington and later gave the I Have a Dream speech, Heston was right by his side. Unfortunately, he is cut out of most of the pictures you see. But for a white man of his stature to stand with Dr. King that day was a very brave thing to do. Despite the hullabaloo you hear nowadays, most of America hated King and what he stood for back then. Anyone attached to that cause put themselves at great risk, if not physically, at least monetarily.

I don't care about Heston's love of guns and ascendancy to the head of the NRA. I attribute some of his later political beliefs to his eventual delirium. He was a tall, statuesque man who played parts that were larger than life and indeed lived a life that was larger than most. I'm glad he's getting such a loud sendoff.

The Freditor

An Excellent Visual of What Happens when People Panic with their Money

Please watch Fred's video, then watch the Wonderful Life video. Thanks.

---The Freditor

Fred's YouTube - Like George Bailey says:Don't Panic!! Hold on to Your Shares

Click here: YouTube - It's A Wonderful Life bank run (full version)

Paul Newman--Great Man, Great Actor, Great Loss

Fred's YouTube - Paul Newman Obituary

The Freditor

Welcome to My Latest and Greatest Blog of All

From now on, all my Blog entries will be going on this one page and you will be able to read everything from New Movie Reviews to Classic Movie Reviews.

From TV reviews to my twisted take on the World.Consider it one stop-shopping for all things Freditor.

A virtual Super Wal-Mart of Nutty Writing and Tasteful Criticism.

Thanks for all your Continued Support.

The Freditor

I don't care if you are either for Obama or McCain, but how can you be undecided?

I mean what more do you need to know about either candidate, or their running mates at this point?

What is it about decision making that is so hard for people?

You take the necessary information, roll it over a couple of times and boom a decision pops out.

My friend Harry has an expression for the kinds of people who over think things. He says, "they can't get out of their own way."

I can only see it, if there is a tremendous similarity, like my current problem of picking a new cell phone.
But Obama and McCain?

As my gym teacher said about my brother and me, "they are as different as Chalk and Cheese."

The Freditor

"We are Experiencing the New Golden Era of Television, Enjoy It"

That was a quote from a winner at this year's Emmy Awards and I would have to agree with him.

Television has risen to the top again for the first time in 50 years because of one thing---WRITING. The writing has been fantastic. The writer is the architect in the building of any show or movie. Without good writing, at best you have a great spectacle, but little to remember it by. We cling to words in our collective memory.

People have always loved to use quotes in regular speech. Sometimes it makes them feel smarter, but mostly it helps the listener share the experience with them. In the old days they quoted from great scholars or poets or playwrights. The Bible and novels were always popular. But over the last 50 years we are more likely to quote from song lyrics, movies and TV. But song lyrics are becoming harder to quote from because no one listens to the same music anymore. And not to sound old fashioned, but how much modern music is worth quoting? "The Thong Song?"

Movies?? I see as many movies as anyone, but the writing is becoming more mediocre every year. Forget about quoting from any movie released in the last two years, just staying awake sometimes is an achievement. What movies are most quoted from in the last decade? I can name only two--Shrek and Office Space.

But TV has entered an era where the writer is king. A time when all the good writers seem to be gravitating toward it. Sure they have 22 hours a year (if they are lucky) to flesh out a character and make them come alive for the audience, while a movie writer has only 2 hours to make us like the character, root for him and at best want to be like him. But movies used to be able to do that, why can't they anymore? When I was a kid, I wanted to be Billy Jack or Taylor from Planet of the Apes. Is there any movie character a kid wants to be now?

What's funny is that TV has been doing the movies' job even better. Has there been a better action movie made in this millennium than the action on 24? Has there been a better cop movie than what we see weekly on The Shield? TV takes a million chances that movies are afraid to take. And not just the kind of chances that will get them in trouble with the FCC, but with the Christian Right and Scientologists and the White House.

My friend asked me a while back if I ever get that feeling coming out of a movie of being on a dopamine high? The feeling I got when I walked out of Raiders of the Lost Ark for the first time? I said to be honest it's been a few years. But I get it from time to time while watching certain TV shows. A feeling of giddiness, where I turn off the lights and go to bed feeling so good, so pumped up that it's hard to get to sleep.

Here are the shows that I've become quite fond of over the last year(s).

24---Two of my favorite characters in the fictional world Flash Gordon and Jack Ryan (from the Tom Clancy novels like Hunt for Red October) are married here and have given birth to Jack Bauer. He gets into impossible situations every week and uses his guts and smarts to get out of them, all the while saving the world from some major catastrophe. I wish they'd lose the love interest angles, because they generally slow the show down and are the least real elements. Plus Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) is always paired up with the most manly shemales in Hollywood. Thankfully, his daughter is off the show, because she was really starting to strain credibility, as well. Season 5 might have been the best since Season 1.

The Shield---Better than 24? Hard to say. 24 has the bigger budget and 24 episodes to fill out, while The Shield only has 13. 24 has to stay within the FCC's strict controls, while The Shield can run amuck. I'll give them a tie. Like all my favorite shows from the past, I'm not interested in them beating out Gunsmoke for longest running show. I'd like to see them go out while they are still on top. Seinfeld and Everybody Loves Raymond went on 2 years too long, I hope The Shield and 24's creators pull the plug before that happens.

Boston Legal---Great fun. Probably the most fun dramatic show in the history of television. It takes on big and small problems in society on a weekly basis and finds the humor in so many of them. Sometimes not. Like when they asked a retarded man on death row to scream bloody murder to show that capital punishment is both cruel and inhuman. (I don't agree with their stance against capital punishment, but I don't have to agree for these writers to make a compelling argument.) James Spader plays his character to the hilt, but the cream of this dessert is the reawakening of William Shatner. His character is supposed to be the biggest ham in the legal world and who better to play it than the biggest ham in the acting world. Perfect match.

Grey's Anatomy---The creator of this show is a 36 year old black female doctor. Yet, although its lead characters are mostly women, it's hardly a girly show. It has soap opera elements but virtually every show on television now has soap opera elements because they are almost all serialized in nature. ER might have been better when I originally watched back in '94, but I stopped watching it because it became way too depressing and serious. Life is not like that and neither is medicine. If everyone died going to a hospital, no one would ever go.

The Office---Started off well in Season 1, took off like gangbusters in Season 2. Loved the British original, but this American version has become its own animal. It got rid of the things that didn't work in Season 1 (that were so successful in Britain), like the loooong, embarrassing pauses. American TV is snap snap snap. Pregnant pauses are fine when there are only 4 channels to pick from, but in a world of 300 channels they are competitive suicide.

Rescue Me---Came to the party late on this one, like so many other shows, discovered it on DVD and love it. Usually hate Dennis Leary, but he's very convincing here as a hero to the world and a lot less to his own family. His costars are all great. Wonderful, salty dialogue. Real New York Irishness with all the good and bad that comes with that.

Real Time With Bill Maher---Does Maher hate Bush--Yeah. Does he hate America--Hardly. He has a bit of an agenda, but if you can skip past his anti-religious stance, you can hear some of the most potent thoughts on America today. Great antidote to the milquetoast, rah-rah, don't want to upset the Republicans newscasters. Maher gives great leeway to his conservative guests unless they get too crazy with their spinning nonsense. You might enjoy The Daily Show more, but that show doesn't go far enough for me. Maher is pure vinegar to the DS's dry wine.

Weeds---Cool, funny show about a pot-dealing soccer Mom. Pushes the envelope for even cable TV. I can see people getting very offended by this show, which I'm sure helps me enjoy it. Actually, the least interesting character is the star Mary Louise Parker, it's the surrounding players that make it sing. Specifically her ne'er-do-well brother in law, Andy, played by the hilarious Justin Kirk. What happened to him last week was very wrong and very funny. "Does it have to be black?"

Desperate Housewives---Season 1 was fantastic. But they started killing off too many great characters and like The Sopranos the ones they replaced them with were just not as interesting. Hopefully, Season 3 makes a big turnaround, but it looks like we'll be waiting for the DVD release to find out, as we are turning back to an old Sunday night favorite, Family Guy.

My Name is Earl---Started off with a bang last year, but somewhere in the homestretch lost its sense of humor. Jamie Pressley's queen of white trash, Joy, is a comedy treasure to behold. Possibly the funniest woman on TV. Hopefully, Season 2 gets back on track.

Curb Your Enthusiasm---Seinfeld's cynicism without the chewy center. Very funny, but loses me a little when Larry becomes too Archie Bunkerish. Works when the reality is overwhelming. When it's not it becomes shtickish. No one at his station in life and with his liberal background could be that clueless, especially when it comes to black/white issues.

Commander in Chief---Started off great, but started losing its grip when they fired its creator, Rod Lurie (The Contender) halfway through the season. Never had a chance because for some reason people genuinely dislike Geena Davis. A very good actress who bombs in the movies and now has had two shows canceled before they ended their first seasons. Good cast, good writing. Good fun for people who didn't care for the piousness of The West Wing.

The 4400---Season 1 was fantastic, Season 2 drooped a little, but made up for it in the second half of the season. Waiting for Season 3 on DVD. A lot of these new shows have great build-up to these unbelievable finales, but they rarely materialize. I don't watch Lost, but I have a feeling that that will be a big letdown. I'm hoping The 4400 is not like that, but I'm guessing it will be.

Family Guy---Yes, it's lost something off its fastball, but it still has other pitches to keep the audience off balance. Last night, Peter getting paid by the Park Ranger to shiv Yogi Bear in front of a shocked Boo Boo was almost too wrong to laugh at. But as always it still has those kind of water cooler moments.

The Sopranos---Does anyone care anymore? Season 1 (1999) made me watch television again. Season 2 was just as good, but since then it has gotten progressively worse. Rather than enjoying it, I feel like I'm rooting for it to make a big comeback like George Foreman. But I think the creators are flushed out of ideas. Every season they are good for maybe 3 good shows out of 12 and then a big letdown. Season 6 will be either a bottom of the ninth game-winning Grand Slam or Mike Piazza popping out to Bernie Williams. Unfortunately, I'm betting on Piazza.

Saturday Night Live---What a big comeback this show made this year. I was the only person who saw it from talking to my friends, but it was their loss. I think I saw every episode on Tivo and while there were some stinkers there were some gems. Among the guest hosts, returning vets like Tom Hanks, Jack Black and Steve Martin had so-so shows, while Alec Baldwin and Lindsay Lohan had very good ones. Women really did well this year. Eva Longoria, Catherine Zeta Jones and especially Natalie Portman had great episodes, while Scarlett Johanssen was blahh. I had never heard of comedian Dane Cook before, but his show was so good, I became a fan. The cast had some good newcomers, especially Kristin Wiig, who did some of the best impressions this side of Phil Hartman, including Judy Garland, Megan Mullaly, Felicity Huffman and Katherine Hepburn. Tina Fey held it together as head writer, but it all might go south now that she has left to star and produce her own sitcom called 30 Rock. At 32 YEARS OLD, this show is the post-nuclear cockroach, nothing will kill it because no show has ever challenged its dominance. Mad-TV is on the air 10 years and few people can name one cast member from that entire period.

The Boondocks---Based on the tough, black comic strip. This show is not that great, but it is very memorable. My biggest problem with it, is that it sometimes is misguided. It needs maybe a less dark view of the world. It is definitely the darkest show on TV that I watch. Possibly the most disconcerting thing about the show is its use of Peanuts-style background music. That lilting piano prepares you for Snoopy dancing or Charlie Brown staring up at the clouds, not shooting BBs at and stealing toys from a department store Santa. The kids in the show, Huey Freeman and his brother Riley, are living in a very nice suburban community, but are ungrateful to their grandfather or the surroundings they are growing up in. It is almost impossible to feel sorry for them or root for them. Although creator Adam MacGruder hit it on the head when he brought Martin Luther King back to life in modern day black society. That episode was very perceptive.

Bernie Mac---This show started off well. With Bernie's brand of parenting drawing big laughs from me. But then it dissolved into the Cosby Show and I lost interest. America, I stopped watching.

The Freditor

Obama: a president who will put Barney Smith Before Smith Barney

* * * * * (out of 5)



Obama is Kenyan for "Living the Dream!" Of course that's not true, but wouldn't it be cool if it was? If he wins and is a success it may mean that in English. Obama = Living the Dream or a Person Who Lives the Dream. "Hey kid you're really good on that guitar, what do you plan to do with it?" "I plan on being an Obama." One day in the future, all little kids, no matter their color will want to be an Obama. Well for some of us who have been waiting for a gale of fresh air to blow through Washington and our nation, we're being Obamas, living our dreams. It's 1:AM Sunday morning and I just finished watching the last night of the Democratic Convention on Tivo. I saw that all three networks were only covering the last hour, but I wanted to experience the whole night so I taped the PBS version which was all three hours, and I'm glad I did. What a show. It started out with some lower level Democrats making speeches, going up the line to a rising star, Gov. Tim Kaine out of Virginia and then the always spirited Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico. Discussing John McCain's change in so many policies, Richardson said, "John McCain may pay hundreds of dollars for his shoes, but if he becomes president, this nation will pay for his flip flops." Stevie Wonder sang one forgettable song (the only part of the night that I fast forwarded) and then did "Signed Sealed Delivered (I'm Yours)", which lit the crowd up. What happened to Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen? Weren't they supposed to come on and sing a song for Obama? Didn't matter, but how cool would it have been for the two of them to just come out and introduce him to the crowd, instead of the senior senator from Illinois. Al Gore came out and gave a funny and pointed speech and really revved the crowd up with his global warming section. If this man could have shown this much personality back in 2000, he would have been president, hanging chads or not. Then a brilliant move was to introduce a group of 5 ordinary citizens from across the country who have been hurt some way by the policies of Bush and Cheney. Two of them were former Republicans who even voted for the current member of the White House. The second person was a lady from I believe Kansas who quoted Einstein as saying, "Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results." Well since McCain plans on continuing Bush's current policies, "a vote for McCain is insane." But the best of the group was a guy named Barney Smith from Indiana. He lost his job after 31 years at the local plant, where the company outsourced it to another country. A former Republican, he says “I want a president who will put Barney Smith Before Smith Barney.” What a shockingly great line. It floored the convention's football stadium and got me to clapping and laughing hard. Then came Obama's speech which despite its 47 minute running time was actually concise and had a rhythm and flow of its own. Like a great guitar solo you could sense its beginning, middle and end. He touched on every major topic of the last 8 years and the demise of our country, but gave specifics on how he intends to bring us back up on top. Spending more, way more to encourage good people to become teachers, was one nice touch, another was a promise of a college education for any young person who commits to doing some national service for the country whether in the military or some other capacity. Looking 10 years into the future ala JFK with the moon landing, to say we will end our dependence on foreign oil. When his speech ended, I had laughed a little, and cried a little, especially when he spoke about the people in this country who don't understand Obama's popularity, "What the nay-sayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. It's been about you." And that's basically true. I didn't turn to Obama because he said something new and refreshing. I liked him because he was saying what I was feeling for several years. When the speech was over and the fireworks and confetti were being blown off, Barack's wife and daughters stood on the stage watching the festivities and I thought, what a beautiful young family. Very Kennedyesque. One black female educator was on Imus in the Morning the other day and she said that it would be wonderful if Michelle Obama got pregnant after they took over the White House. Like John John, perhaps a young Barack born at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Learned one thing about the Kennedy election in 1960, from one of the 5 expert panelists on PBS. The man said that JFK also had a big outdoor event for the final night of his convention at the Los Angeles Coliseum. But he was having trouble finishing up his speech before the television cameras went off the air, so he was told to speed it up and rush through it. He did this in the face of some strong winds that night and looked less than ordinary for the TV audience. When Nixon saw this performance, he didn't know the aspects behind it and attributed all of it to JFK's oratory skills. Based on this, he thought he could take JFK in a televised debate and announced he wanted to challenge Kennedy. As we all know, Nixon came across very badly on TV during those debates and lost the election because of it. Well, whatever your political leanings, this was one night of political TV that was the opposite of boring, in fact it felt like a great rock concert, one you almost didn't want to end.



The Freditor

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? More heart, tougher questions than in Regis' day

* * * *1/2 (out of 5)

In 1999, my wife Barbara played darts for a local bar team. I'd go to hang out and cheer her on, but when she wasn't playing I'd watch one of the TVs. Tired of sports I'd turn to one of the other TVs. Not much for game shows, I was surprised when I came to love the new primetime sensation, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? It was especially fun to watch in a bar, because you didn't need the sound up. You had the questions and multiple choice answers written in front of you and not only was it fun knowing the answers, but also beating the contestants to the answer. Being a huge trivia buff, I could not believe how easy the questions were, especially when compared with Jeopardy. And the fact that the money was so much bigger than on Jeopardy and that you only competed against yourself, with no time limits was a slam dunk. But ABC/Disney knowing they had a ratings bonanza did the unthinkable and started to run the show every night of the week. Capitalizing on its early success, but also burning it out for the people at home. The early round questions remained easy, but the later round questions were so incredibly hard that few did well on the show thus killing its purpose, to make ordinary people millionaires. By the time the first guy became a millionaire I had already stopped watching the show. When I heard last summer that there was going to be a week devoted to movie trivia I attempted to become a contestant on the show, but failed to pass their exam. But Barbara, our friend Paul and I did get to be audience members for two shows and they will be broadcast on January 24th and 25th. Since that time I have watched the show every day via my Digital Video Recorder. I think it is a better show now without host Regis Philbin. For those who didn't realize it was still on, ABC airs Millionaire at 12:30 PM on weekdays here in New York City and syndicates it throughout the country. The host for the last 6 years has been The Today Show's Meredith Vieira. She used to be one of the original hosts of The View. Never having seen The View, I knew very little about her, but after nearly six months of watching her on Millionaire, she has become one of my favorite television personalities. She's genuine which is something you can never accuse Regis of being. Vieira's the Rhode Island daughter of Portuguese immigrants and despite having wealth now, she wears her humble, New England upbringing like a badge of honor. And she doesn't have a great poker face. When she likes the contestant it shows and when she doesn't it shows. A Boston fireman was on the show and Meredith was a little flirty in that safe, middle-aged married way. When a struggling Queens barmaid/actress was overacting between answers, Meredith looked relieved when she finally lost and left the set. When people come on the show, sometimes they are there to make money for a cruise or something less serious like that. Sometimes they are desperate and down to their last few bucks. When those people are on, Meredith doesn't give them clues, but subtly hints in which direction they should go. Meaning, if they are not sure of an answer and seem willing to bet the ranch on a guess, she might coax them to take their winnings and go before they leave with nothing. It's a great gesture and fortunately most are smart enough to pick up on her cautiousness. Sometimes they don't and when they lose, you can see the pain in her face for them. Her show might be funded by Capital One, but she never let's her job get in the way of her humanity. On the other hand, when the Boston fireman was trying to win enough for a Corvette he hesitated on a question and said, "Well, I guess this is where they separate the boys from the men." To which she replied, "Well, which one are you?" Which drew unusually loud boos from the crowd. Usually the crowd loves her, so she laughed at how quickly they turned on her, but she explained herself with a Cheshire smile: "It depends on what you think a man would do. A man might see he's reached his limit and be able to walk away with what he's already made. And a boy might be too aggressive." But we knew she didn't mean that. LOL My favorite moment on the show was with a young, Oklahoma mother. She had graduated college recently, but already had a one-year-old at home and was looking to marry her live-in fiancee. They had a two-room apartment with two mismatched twin beds sitting side by side. They were scraping by without a couch, with his old dinosaur curtains on the windows and other signs of a poor, young couple starting out. Despite TV-quality good looks, she had a sweetness and innocence that could only come from the Midwest. She wasn't on the show for fun, like others, but to change her family's life. Every answer she got right she would cheer with a whoop and raised fists. Despite the notorious "hot seat", as the show's producers call it, the girl showed her smarts by knocking down the answers with ease, never using a lifeline. Now the structure of the show goes that you answer five questions to get to the $1000 milestone, from there you cannot win less than a $1000. You answer five more to reach the $25,000 milestone, again you can't leave with less than 25 grand. Now you have five more to a Million. In six months, I've only seen one person get to see the Million dollar question, most others win at or below $25,000. Very few win more than that. When this contestant won her $25,000 she started crying tears of relieved joy. That's when she explained what the money meant to her, which was pretty cool. Because when you fill out the audition form, your reasons for wanting to be on the show are supposed to be on there, so Meredith can have something to talk to you about. The fact that this girl kept this part of her life to herself meant she didn't use a sob story to get on TV. Meredith was as surprised as the audience at what this girl's life was like and she broke down with her. The girl finally left with that 25 Grand and Meredith gave her one of the biggest hugs and wished her well on her new life. Maybe this same scenario would have played out with Regis there, but somehow I think it would have come off less sincere.

The Freditor

PBS shows A Lot of R-E-S-P-E-C-T to Soul Music Pioneers Stax Records

* * * * (out of 5)

The term soul gets thrown around a lot, but what are its origins? Well soul music was the blending of the "devil's" rhythm and blues with "Jesus' " gospel music. In the early 1950s, Ray Charles might have been the first, biggest name in soul music history. But no company put out better, grittier soul music than the small Memphis record company called Stax. Named after its two white founders brother Jim Stewart (ST) and sister Estelle Axton (AX), Stax was a breeding ground for white hot, R&B talent from the late '50s through the early 1970s.

Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story is a PBS documentary that tells how this converted movie theatre and record store became such a huge part of music history.

In its early days, sometimes the names weren't big, but the songs always were, including classics like: Try A Little Tenderness, the Theme Song to Shaft, Soul Man, and Knock on Wood. Soul Man was written in response to the various race-based riots that were taking place around the country during the civil rights struggles. According to composer Isaac Hayes (Chef from South Park), any shopkeeper that wrote "soul" on his storefront was not burned down at the time. It was similar to when the Jews painted lamb's blood over the doors so the angel of death would pass over their homes.

That's quite a strong genesis for a song, one that we associate more with two silly white guys from Saturday Night Live. Whether it's appropriate for white people to be singing soul music, at least The Blues Brothers had the good taste to sing songs by writers who were struggling for money. Isaac Hayes, for one, suffered through that kind of thing because he did stupid things like blowing his money on custom-made Cadillacs.

I'd say most of The Blues Brothers catalog consists of Stax Records, as was the soundtrack for the great Irish musical, The Commitments. In fact, two of the members of the Blues Brothers band were Stax Records' bandmates, Steve Cropper and Donald 'Duck' Dunn.

But bigger than Soul Man's Sam and Dave and bigger than even the best "house Band" in history the half black/half white Booker T. and the MGs (which stands for simply Memphis Group), the biggest star has to be Otis Redding. A driver and roadie for a smaller band that tried out for Stax, Redding the driver begged the owners to give him a tryout. To shut him up they did and the rest is history. His hits included: I've Been Loving You Too Long, Dock of the Bay and the rougher, tougher, original version of Respect.

This documentary is now available on DVD Amazon.com: Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story: DVD: Various Artists and is told through oral history with many of the main protagonists still alive. Like how they competed against Detroit's Motown, which was known as Hitsville USA. One foolish, former Motown exec actually laughs at the notion that Otis Redding could have ever worked for Motown. When you see and hear Motown, the phrase, "are they black enough?" comes to mind. Down in Memphis, they called themselves Soulsville USA and they were plenty black. Black enough that different groups worked to put them out of business. Among them, their longtime distributor Atlantic Records. And eventually, the government and the banks. Who's to blame, is never made clear, but no one went to jail, so you have to believe that Stax was partly innocent.

The first hour flies by with all the filmed recordings of these classic groups playing live, but as the music becomes less interesting in the second hour, so does the program. If the show does nothing else, it shows rare footage of the live Otis Redding which is such a treat. Merely 26 when he died crashing his own plane, I'd only seen him in the movie Monterey Pop before this, but his live version of Respect just kills.

The Freditor