This week on brioux.tv: the podcast — Dave Thomas pays tribute to his late, great writer-producer-performer friend, Joe Flaherty. Thomas and Flaherty produced SCTV in its second season, taking their cue from original (sort of) showrunner Harold Ramis and putting more of a spotlight on the cast’s ability to morph into famous celebrities. They also
One day, the date I cannot remember, I was scanning my cable TV listings when I came upon an unfamiliar station. It was called Turner Classic Movies, and it played nothing but movies, movies and more movies. And, blessedly, they were commercial-free. Well, I thought I had died and gone to movie heaven. I’ve added
When you heard that Michael Douglas was cast in the role of Benjamin Franklin, be honest. Your first thought was, Whaat? Michael Douglas?? Maybe Paul Giamatti, but Michael Douglas does not look like the guy on the US hundred dollar bill. Yet, about four minutes into Franklin, AppleTV+’s epic, eight-part historical series about the founding
Just yesterday, I was watching one of my 16mm film prints of CBS sports reels used to promote seasonal programming back in the ’60s and ’70s. Some early ones featured OJ Simpson back when he was a star running back, first in college at USC and later as a member of the Buffalo Bills. Simpson
Terry Fox dipped his toe into the Atlantic off the coast of St. John’s, Newfoundland, on April 12, 1980. This marked the launch of his historic crusade against cancer, the Marathon of Hope.Sinc then, nearly a billion dollars has been raised to help other people with cancer around the world in Terry’s name. On this
Yes, Virgina, way back in time, the Toronto Maple Leafs did actually win thre Stanley Cup. They won it 11 times, actually, including four championships in the 1960s alone. As we head into another Stanley Cup playoff tournament (the regular season ends April 18), chants of “Sixty-seven!” mock the fact that it has been 57
The late great NBC programming boss, Brandon Tartikoff, once called TV ratings “the box score of the ‘90s.” That was back when shows such as Cheers, Frasier and Friends competed to see who was the most “Must See” of the week. Those were the B.S. years – Before Streaming. Viewers haven’t been stuck with broadcast
Just yesterday, I was watching one of my 16mm film prints of CBS sports reels used to promote seasonal programming back in the ’60s and ’70s. Some early ones featured OJ Simpson back when he was a star running back, first in college at USC and later as a member of the Buffalo Bills. Simpson
Those of us who grew up with SCTV have it deep inside our nervous systems. To this day, if Joe Flaherty and John Candy show up on Instagram, as they did for me yesterday, in a sketch as the two hopeless lads from “Goin’ Down the Road,” we watch it all again and love every
Carol Burnett, who turns 91 next month, says she had no hesitation in joining Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Ricky Martin and others as a recurring star in the new dramedy Palm Royale. The series is streaming now at AppleTV+. “All I had to do is hear who was going to be in it,” she told
Maureen Donaldson would tell such outrageous stories you’d swear she was making it all up. Who packs all this into one life: a May-September affair with Cary Grant? A parrot that once belonged to Muhammad Ali? A first job with The Beatles? Word came via a Facebook posting this week from mutual friend Ray Bennett
In 1982, I was invited to a private dinner with Norman Jewison. Memories of that encounter flooded back on the news this week that the dean of Canadian film directors had passed away Saturday at 97. Forty-two years ago, he had accepted an invitation to be a guest lecturer at the University of Toronto. The
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour had a profound effect on this 10 to 12-year-old. You watched TV as a family back then, in front of the one screen in the house, in our case, a 25-inch Clairtone. “From Television City in Hollywood,” said announcer Roger Carroll. “Ladies and gentlemen, The Smothers Brothers.” Shot from above,
