There’s a terrific article on the lack of qualified show runners on vice.com. A number of you have asked my thoughts. I will devote my entire podcast to this subject, dropping the middle of next week. Stay tuned.
Back from New York where the traffic is even worse. Enough people are concerned about taking public transportation in the pandemic that more cars than ever are clogging the streets, tunnels, and expressways. Meanwhile, I braved it and took the E train at 2:30 in the afternoon and it was practically empty.
Usually I record shows and watch them while fast forwarding through the commercials. Last week, in New York, I had to watch BETTER CALL SAUL live. My God! How does anybody put up with these commercials? There was one break that had to be close to ten minutes. By the time they returned to the show I had forgotten what the story was about. And once you get to the last twenty minutes it seems there is more commercial time than program time. I don’t understand why an advertiser would pay to be the ninth commercial in a spot break. No one is watching. Especially now. I got out my computer. I’m sure there were viewers who knew they had enough time to mow the lawn or test drive a car before they had to get back. It’s insane.
If you’re anywhere near Englewood, New Jersey tonight come see a reading of my new play WHAT IS ‘MURDER’? It’s a fun comedy/mystery with a terrific cast. Here’s where you go for info.
Apple +’s coverage of Major League Baseball is just awful. They’ve opted for gimmicks instead of solid coverage. One of their analysts, Katie Nolan, just stopped talking after the fifth inning of her first game. Why? She made the mistake of reading tweets and freaked out. She was afraid she was going to get fired after just one game. The truth is, there are probably two hundred baseball analysts who know more and have more experience but don’t have the job.
Compare that to NBC/Peacock’s Sunday morning Major League game of the week. They went out and hired the best young sportscaster in the business today — Jason Benetti, and each week will team him with the TV analyst from each competing team. Sunday’s inaugural broadcast came off smooth as silk. Benetti, Steve Stone, and Kevin Youkilis sounded like it was their 200th broadcast together, not their first. But it’s what you’d expect from a national telecast. Nolan said she hopes to learn new things each week. Hey, this is a global broadcast, not on the job training. That’s what the minors are for.
The Tony nominations were announced yesterday. Is this the first you’re hearing about it? Usually if you’re a Hollywood star slumming on Broadway you can always get at least a nomination. Not this year. Snubbed were Daniel Craig, Debra Messing, Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jane Lynch, Patrick J. Adams (SUITS) along with Beanie Feldstein and everything FUNNY GIRL. A STRANGE LOOP led the pack with the most noms and will doubtless clean up in the ceremony that will air… I don’t know where this year.
And here’s the most interesting and telling thing about current Broadway: Neil Simon’s PLAZA SUITE got terrible reviews — the show is old, musty, out of date, etc. And yet, it’s packing ‘em in. The run has been extended. PEOPLE WANT TO LAUGH. MR. SATURDAY NIGHT with Billy Crystal is doing well. It’s supposedly very funny. PEOPLE WANT TO LAUGH. Meanwhile, a revival of a very well respected but super heavy play was supposed to run through August 14th. It closes May 22. What do people want to do? LAUGH!
from By Ken Levine
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