Andy Richter

Andy Richter

A white fat pawn  in the game of corporate media.

Every white fat guy’s dream  is to sit on the couch at the Tonight Show making sound effects and saying one terrific one-liner a night, while the host of the show introduces you to the coolest people in Hollywood and supports your drinking problem.

Andy lived the dream for 7 months, filling the shoes left empty by Ed MacMahon (may he rest in peace) for 20 years. But that all ended when someone started whining and destroyed the Eden Regained because he came up with more questions to ask stupid people.

Fortunately for Andy, Conan O’Brien still thinks he is funny hopefully he will produce another sitcom for him, or at least give us the resolution to “Andy Richter Controls the Universe” with a full length movie.

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WFGH It reminds me of something that happen during Jean Shepherd’s childhood.

Before there was Lake Woebegone there was Hammond, Indiana.

Today we honor  Jean Shepard

Humorist, Radio racounter, Night person.

“Shep” hosted a late night radio program for over twenty years, this was back in a better day when the broadcast catered to the sleepless. Steve Allen suggested he replace him as host of the Tonight Show, but the network thought he was too unconventional for television so the job went to Jack Parr. (again this was a better day when people quit hosting The Tonight Show they moved on with their lives and stopped bothering people). He also wrote for Playboy magazine (You see mom,  I told you there were articles in it.) and eventually wrote a collection of stories entitled  “In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash”. Many of these stories were semi-autobiographical reflections on growing up in an Indiana Steel Town. These  stories lead to the classic movie “A Christmas Story” which he also narrated.

To celebrate this great artist buy someone you love a BB gun, and stay up til 4 am telling people almost true stories about your childhood.

For you Christmas Story Fans may I recommend :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK9cIxM4-SU&annotation_id=annotation_162304&feature=iv (there is a rather long introduction)

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April 2, 2010 : Christopher Hewett

Christopher “Brocktune” Hewett
The Guy who played Mr. Belvedere

Now I could go on a long rant about how Mr. Belvedere is the singular greatest accomplishment of mankind in the past 50 years, but the I would be preaching to the choir now wouldn’t I? Or explain at length how the most treasured of my few possessions my very own lamp like Mr. Belvedere had, but I will spare you that as well.

Today, we will discuss a far more important matter: how 1968’s The Producers was far better than 2005’s The Producers and the answer is simply Christopher Hewett. The role of Roger DeBris, the homosexual broadway producer, Hewett played DeBris perfectly, while in the modern version Gary Beach was over-the-top, and this is an understatement. The 2005 version itself is over-the-top in general and I am well aware that stage-to-screen transitions are rarely smooth. The original was quirky and played like a very well told joke building to a great punchline, The 2005 version showed its hand too quickly and much of the humor is more easily reached if you watched the original, because in many was Mel Brooks has just become a parody of himself. So, if you have no idea what i am talking about please watch 1968’s The Producers starring White Fat Guy Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, then enjoy the modern version with Nathan Lane and Mr. Sara Jessica Parker, then you will understand not only what i am talking about, but also the universe as a whole.

Celebrate today by preparing a simple meal for Brocktune, not by cutting him and tearing the flesh and wearing the flesh, to be born into new worlds where his flesh becomes your key. And, visit your local library and return you library books ask the Librarian if the have any copies of old Mr. Belvedere episodes, if she says, “No”. Then reply ” maybe they are behind the counter” then wink twice and say “I’ll meet you out back.” and wink again.

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