Report Card----"Timeless"

This is the first time I've attempted to do a Report Card on a TV show.
I had never felt the need, or enthusiasm about a TV show, as I do about "Timeless".
And there are a lot of shows that I like.
There are a lot of NEW shows that I like.
"This is Us",  "Designated Survivor",  "Man With a Plan".
I don't feel the need to write about any of those.
And there are a handful of older shows that I like.
"Better Call Saul",  "Breaking Bad", "The Blacklist", "Ray Donovan", any Chuck Lorre show.
But none of those have needed my help.
I don't know that "Timeless" needs my help either.
But I'm offering it up anyway because that's how taken I am with it.
Jackie Gleason used to say that 'being a TV critic is roughly akin to describing an accident to an
eyewitness".
At the time, he was right.
Of course, that was in the days when there was no more than seven choices of what you can watch.
And there was no way to go back and see what you missed by watching something else.
Now, we have Tivo, and On Demand, leading to all sorts of binge-watching.
Some guidance can be helpful.
I've seen the first four episodes of "Timeless", in sequence, which is the way to do it, as each episode reveals something about the characters that you must know before proceeding on to the next one.
It starts out great, and gets greater every week.
It's essentially science-fiction about time-travel.
But it's very layered.
Legitimate moral dilemmas are explored every episode.
It goes to very interesting places.
The Hindenburg Landing,  The Vegas Rat Pack in 1962, Ford's Theater in 1865,  Nazi Germany in 1944.
The overriding goal is to not change history, which turns out to be at least somewhat impossible.
This is not a spoiler alert.
If they always totally succeeded, ya got nothin'.

On to the scoring:

Is it entertaining?

Constantly.
A+.

Is it controversial?

Totally.  The question "Should they even be doing this?" comes up a lot.
A+.

Is it a story worth telling?

It's captivating. And wildly imaginative.
A+

Is it good storytelling?

Tremendous
A+.

Is it well written?

Very.  There is a "Blacklist" dynamic at work here.  They always try to keep you guessing about who the good guys and the bad guys are.
A+.

Is it well cast?  Well played?

I didn't know any of these people, and I love them all.
A+.

Well shot?

Very.  It looks like a very expensive show to make, and that you can see every dollar up there on the screen.  It's much better if you can watch it on a large flat screen.
A+

Did the director put such a personal stamp on it so that no one else could have made it?

The show has it's own stamp.  I don't know if it's the director's doing.
No grade.

How long does it take to establish the film's locale and time period?

Very soon.  First the present, then where they are going in the past.
A.

Is it too long? Too short?.

It always seems a little short, which is a tribute to how riveting it is.
A+.

Is it believable? Do you care about the characters?

Incredibly and totally.
A+.

Is it predictable? Does it surprise you?

I didn't see anything coming, and there are many surprises.
A+.

Do you think about it after you've seen it?

Often.  And how I can't wait to see the next one.
A+.

Is it funny?

When it needs to be.  More ironic than funny.
A.

Would it have been worth the thirteen bucks it would have cost to see it in the movies?

I'd fork over the dough.
A+.

Is it impressive?

Incredibly
A+.

Overall grade: A+.

"Timeless" is now a major event in our house. 
My wife feels exactly the same way.
There are very few shows that we agree about.
And we agree totally.
So far, every week, it has been a ripping yarn.

P.S.---"The Last Hurrah", perhaps John Ford's greatest movie, or at least his greatest non-western, is on Turner Classic Movies tonight.  Tivo it if you can, or if you don't care about the baseball, just watch it.  You'll thank me.

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My books, "Show Runner" and it's sequel, "Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
They are all compilations of blog entries that have since been removed from the blog.
So this is the only way you can find them.
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not e-books.
But they are available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@comcast.net

And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne and Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.

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Report Card: "Mascots"

The DVDs are not coming as fast as I'd like them to, so I'm exploring Netflix to do Report Cards.
"Mascots" is  another Chris Guest bashing of bad show business in the tradition of "Best In Show"
"A Mighty Wind"and "Waiting For Guffman" 
I loved those.
Whatever you felt about those, you'll probably feel about "Mascots"

On to the scoring:

Is it entertaining?

Almost always.
A.

Is it controversial?

Not really.
B.

Is it a story worth telling?

It sure is imaginative.  I don't know if there really is a Mascots competition, but if there is, they really captured the best of what it would be like, while satirizing it at the same time.
A+

Is it good storytelling?

Totally.
A+.

Is it well written?

Very.
A+.

Is it well cast?  Well played?

The usual Chris Guest stock company is on hand: Bob Balaban, Jane Lynch, Ed Begley, Chris Guest himself, Fred Willard, and a whole bunch of other wonderfully cast people.
A+.

Well shot?

Very.
A+

Did the director put such a personal stamp on it so that no one else could have made it?

It smells like every Chris Guest movie.  I mean that in a good way.
A+.

How long does it take to establish the film's locale and time period?

Immediately.
A+.

Is it too long? Too short?

Just about right.
A.

Is it believable? Do you care about the characters?

Guest makes it believable.  And he makes you care about these pathetic creatures.
A+.

Is it predictable? Does it surprise you?

I didn't see anything coming, and there are many surprises.
A+.

Do you think about it after you've seen it?

Only about how I felt I had already seen this movie with "Guffman" "A Mighty Wind", and "Best In Show".
It is rather formulaic.  But he's found a very good formula.
B.

Is it funny?

Extremely.
A+.

Would it have been worth the thirteen bucks it would have cost to see it in the movies?

Not really.
C+.

Is it impressive?

Very.
A.

Overall grade: A-.

Glad I saw it, but felt like it was nothing new.

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My books, "Show Runner" and it's sequel, "Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
They are all compilations of blog entries that have since been removed from the blog.
So this is the only way you can find them.
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not e-books.
But they are available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@comcast.net

And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne and Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.

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Report Card And Obituary: "Cheers Live On Stage"

This past Saturday, I went to see the production of "Cheers, Live On Stage".
It was very much what you might expect.
I thought at first that it might be a musical adaptation, otherwise why bother.
I quickly learned that it was simply a straight version of the original pilot, and the first few episodes,
cobbled together.
I learned this because I knew someone in the cast:
A terrific actor named Barry Pearl.
He played the Coach.
This is why I attended.
If a friend of mine is in town doing a play, I go.
The first tryout was in Boston.
Then they came here to Chicago.
So I went.
It was the only reason I went.
I was a huge fan of "Cheers" when it first came on.
But after a couple of years, I felt the desperation of the actors to have to get a laugh every eleven seconds.
But the material that they used for cobbling was the show at it's best, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

On to the scoring:

Is it interesting?

Always.  And they recreated the original set perfectly.  And I didn't remember any of the material.
A+.

Compelling even?

Not really, but it didn't need to be.  You knew what you were getting, and you could just relax and luxuriate in it.
A.

Is it controversial?

Only in that this kind of thing hadn't been tried before this well.  Unless you count "The Jeffersons". 
I'm not. 
Quickly, my attitude became "Why shouldn't they do something like this?
A.

Is it a story worth telling?

It was originally, it is now.
A+.

Is it good storytelling?

It always was.
A+.

Is it well written?

Very.
A+.

Is it well cast?  Well played?

Here's what puts it over the top.  Neither Shelley Long nor Rhea Perlman were in it.
The mere presence of Rhea Perlman made me ill, right from the get-go.
It took a while for Shelley Long to become unbearable to me.
When I was doing my series at Paramount,  "Cheers" was shot right next door to me.
We were always hearing what it how it was on the set.  Apparently, Shelley Long was really like that.
The current replacements were much more appealing, and of course much younger, and were assets.
My friend Barry was sensational.  Easily the best timing of anyone.  He's a few years younger than me and has grown into the right age bracket for the Coach.
Well cast, up and down the line.
A+

Well staged?

Perfectly.
A+

Did the director put such a personal stamp on it so that no one else could have made it?

No, but it didn't need one.  There were no mistakes made.
A+

How long does it take to establish the show's locale and time period?

It wasn't even addressed.  It transcends time.
A+.

Is it too long? Too short?

At about two hours  with an intermission, it was perfect.
A+.

Is it believable? Do you care about the characters?

If you ever did, you still will.
A+.

Is it predictable? Does it surprise you?

Vaguely predictable, but it mattered not at all.
A+.

Do you think about it after you've seen it?

Only about how much I enjoyed it.
A+.

Is it funny?

Hilarious.
A+.

Was it  worth the twenty-five bucks it cost to see it?

Easily.
A+

Is it impressive?

Utterly.  Anything done that well is wildly impressive.
A+.

Overall grade: A+.

That's the good news.  Barry accompanied my wife and I to a late lunch after we saw the matinee,
and informed me that he was just told that they are closing the show after tomorrow's matinee.
There were about three hundred people in a house that held about five hundred.
They just couldn't sell enough tickets.
They were booked to play like nine more cities, like St. Louis and Pittsburgh, but now he was already packing his bags to check out the next morning and head back to L.A. where he lived.
He hid it well, but he was practically in tears.
It certainly took much of the joy out of the day.
This really deserved a better fate.

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My books, "Show Runner" and it's sequel, "Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
They are all compilations of blog entries that have since been removed from the blog.
So this is the only way you can find them.
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, If and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not e-books.
But they are available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@comcast.net

And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne and Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.

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I Will Be On The Internet Air On Wednesday Night.

I have a friend who has a very popular regular Wednesday Night Live podcast.
His name is Stu Shostak..
He has invited me to be his guest this Wednesday Night.
It is live, and runs from 7pm to about 10pm Eastern Time.
6pm to 9pm Central Time..
5pm to 8pm Mountain Time .
An 4pm to 7pm Pacific Time.
We will be covering my early career.
A lot of Odd Couple, some Happy Days.
If you want to hear it from the horses mouth, that's where it will be.
If you are a regular reader, you'll hear stories you've heard before.
But you'll also hear stories you've never heard.


This is from Stu:

OK, I've cut together an opening from that Odd Couple episode (funny
stuff) for us for next week and you are now advertised on the
www.stusshow.com web site, so take a look. I've also put up a post
on Facebook that is getting numerous "likes".

If you want to link to the show from your blog, use the above URL and
tell your readers to look for the boombox icon and click the PLAY
button at the appropriate time next week to hear us live...and to
send e-mails, they should use comments@stusshow.com.

You can Google Stu's Show to get to his website.
If you want to watch the Giants vs. the Mets, just turn off the sound and multi-task.
That's what I'd do.

I think it will be fun.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My books, "Show Runner" and it's sequel, "Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
They are all compilations of blog entries that have since been removed from the blog.
So this is the only way you can find them.
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not e-books.
But they are available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@comcast.net

And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne and Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.

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