Did you know Sammy Davis Jr. could not land a special on a U.S. network TV schedule in the late ’50s — so he made one in Canada instead? That’s just one of the things I learned Monday from my pal Stan Taffel, 16mm film collector extraordinaire. Taffel is the president of Cinecon, an annual Los
PASADENA, Calif.–“No matter how smart of well-educated you are, you can be deceived.” That’s the message delivered by James “The Amazing” Randi in The Independent Lens production “An Honest Liar.” The entertaining and surprising doc airs March 28 on PBS. At 87, Randi looks more like Jasper Beardly on The Simpsons than Harry Houdini. His
This week, CHML’s Scott Thompson wanted to know how the heck a slob like me gets invited to cool stuff like the Canadian Film Centre TIFF BBQ. Connections, I tell him, specifically my old pal Slawko Klymkiw, the CFC’s Mr. Everything. I give the CFC’s TV program a good plug, mainly because it is an
I was speaking with Late Night host Seth Meyers Wednesday about several things, including his upcoming Toronto appearances at JFL42 as well as his animated series, The Awesomes. We were wrapping up, and I thought I’d better bring up one more subject: Joan Rivers. The latest report suggested she was “resting comfortably.” In Rivers-speak, that was code
It was thirty years ago, my first time in Hollywood. I was at the offices of TV Guide Los Angeles, at the time located on a top floor of a tower on Sunset Boulevard. I step into the elevator, and there’s Jay Leno. This was well before he became host of The Tonight Show. Despite
Fallon with Mariah Carey: ready for his Tonight Show coronation? On this week’s scintillating podcast, CHML’s Scott Thompson wants my take on rumours that NBC are dying to shove Jay Leno aside so Jimmy Fallon can take over the Tonight Show.It does seem as though Leno’s days on Tonight are numbered. He still wins in
Was up north painting the unplugged cottage and a bit behind on posting, so missed this milestone from Sunday: the 50th anniversary of the first Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. Carson’s official debut on Oct. 1, 1962 only survives on a short audio clip. As has been noted here before, the first 10 years of
As pointed out on TV Worth Watching and a few other places, it was 20 years ago today that Johnny Carson took his final bow on The Tonight Show. Twenty years already?! You are correct, sir. That excellent PBS American Masters‘ retrospective of Carson’s career, which premiered earlier this month, is still up at PBS.com.