BrainCan - to be filed

home run!

final night,I bravely attended a performance of my friend Ken Levine's new play, Going, or...

we need a vaccine for anti vaxxers

Someplace back on this blog,there may be a genuine venerable (respected because of age,...

happy june foray day!

It's not polite to tell a lady's age but when the lady in question is the First Lady of...

conventional thinking

Well,it's feeling like it's approximately time for another one of these silly periodic...

what i did last wednesday night

As steady readers of this blog know,I bear a lot of fabulous friends. This is planned misdirection:...

elevator musing

I've only been in three different hotels around Comic-Con but in all three,someone thought a...

second chance

Folks keep asking me when I will total and release my big,exhaustive, long-promised biography of...

back in my computer chair…

I'm home and nearly unpacked and decompressed. There is something very enjoyable approximately...

free shows (maybe?)

Hey,conclude you know about this Ticketmaster thing? As I understand it, Ticketmaster got sued for...

my funny, funny fone calls

generally,I don't retort calls with no Caller I.D. than I recognize but the last few days,...

lady be good

Last June,Amber and I went back to New York and one of the things we saw there was the new...

a new rule

I enjoy a novel rule to propose and I'll get to it in a moment. This is about last night's...

sylvia the cat, r.i.p.

No matter how well I treated her,no matter how regularly I fed her, I could never fairly earn the...

meltdown comics, r.i.p.

Sorry to hear that Meltdown Comics up on Sunset Boulevard is going away. It was a comic book shop...

tales from the dmv

Every few hundred years,the California Department of Motor Vehicles refuses to resume my...

todays political rant

The other day,comic Kathy Griffin was photographed holding up a severed head of Donald Trump. Why...

set the tivo!

On Monday,Turner Classic Movies has quite the buffet for lovers of obscure, early talking pictures,...

comic con calendar

I should have mentioned this when I was writing about why I mediate comedian-Con International...

high steaks

Walt Hickey attempts to draw some conclusions approximately how people feel approximately taking...

weak end at bernies?

So after reading all sort of posts and articles approximately what's on the intellect of Bernie...

the kitten khronicles

I can't place the date precisely but around June of 2007,a tiny multi-colored kitten began...

vegas diary - part 5

I think this is the final fragment of this series. I noticed a couple of engaging things on my...

conventional stuff

The Democratic National conference to select their next presidential nominee will take station July...

carol channing, r.i.p.

I was in the same room with Carol Channing three times. One was when she was doing a "farewell tour"...

dick measuring

Writer Donald Liebenson ranks every episode of The Dick Van Dyke demonstrate, best to worst. None of...

prince valiant

I really enjoyed Harold Prince: A Director's Life,a new PBS special approximately the great...

little shop of memories

nowadays's post is about a long-gone trade establishment on Santa Monica Boulevard in West...

only twelve shopping days til comic con!

That's just: And they've posted the Friday schedule of events and panels! whether...

chuck

Hey,let's all deem superb thoughts about one of the most talented, lovely men I've ever...

sex in the city of metropolis

Here's a little excerpt from Bill Schelly's book which I plugged earlier here. It's...

back from wondercon

Just got an e-mail from someone asking if something was improper since I haven't yet posted my...

everybodys got one

You'd think that whether we all learned nothing else from the Internet,we'd get that...

attention again, angelenos!

I have raved here in the past approximately Puppet Up!,a live demonstrate produced from time to time...

trump trumps time…maybe

Donald Trump has long struck me as a guy who plays checkers,not chess — a man who doesn't...

thursday in manhattan

Thursday,the novel York comedian-Con opened. I maintain not been to one of these in quite a while...

a word a day

Just got approximately four e-mails nearly simultaneously from readers of this site asking what I...

a horrifying comic book

I like darn near everyone in the comedian book commerce and I really like Sid Jacobson and Ernie...

fest report

That's me interviewing Disney Legend Floyd Norman on Saturday at the San Diego Comic Festa...

dinner for none

One fine thing Donald Trump may effect for America is that he may destroy one institution that could...

the reclusive mr. ditko

I get asked a lot approximately Steve Ditko,the great comedian book artist who is perhaps best-known...

the big story

In all this talk about that Trump guy, we lost sight of the most important thing being decided in...

a waste o time

All this chatter approximately abolishing the Electoral College is going to disappear nowhere....

picking your feet at the academy

final night,the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had a screening of the 1971 film The...

skittle pool

Have you heard approximately this Skittles thing? Donald Trump Jr.,who certain takes after the old...

todays political posting

Several folks possess written in to quiz approximately tracking the Electoral College,which is (I...

comic con is drawing nearer

whether you're heading for comedian-Con International in San Diego,do yourself a favor. Do a...

how i spent last evening

I spent final evening out in Pasadena at Vroman's Bookstore,which is a business of a kind that...

todays political comment

With the not-insignificant caution that June polls can be way,way erroneous about November, we note...

marks 93 khj 1972 mixtape 3

In 1967,The Turtles followed up their first hit — "elated (full of high-spirited delight)...

mad is not dead

A reporter who called asked me,"whether you had to summarize in one sentence why crazy is going...

79 days to go

That's right: It's like 79 days until the start of the 2019 comedian-Con International in...

bad cop not quite as bad cop

As Kevin Drum points out,the current Trump modus operandi seems to be this: His people will propose...

happy 97, alan brady carl reiner!

Can't let the day recede by without wishing a happy 97th birthday to one of my heroes,Carl...

very early wednesday morning

So I've been lying awake thinking about this great job that I'm doubtlessly about to be...

john boni, r.i.p.

Another unhappy bit of news. John Boni was a very fine writer,producer, stand-up comedian and even...

les is more creepy

I wish I could search for away from the still-unfolding record in the Les Moonves matter but it...

from beautiful downtown burbank

I posted earlier today that the customary NBC Studios in Burbank were largely empty,at least the...

home shopping network

I just read a couple of online posts approximately the possibility that CBS Television City may be...

outta left field

A lot of my friends these days are discussing precisely how Trump is going to choose the big fall....

from comic con nation

Hello,hello, hello. If you saw my schedule, and you'd be amazed that I maintain time to read...

deal or no deal? world or no world?

In a few hours,Donald Trump will announce what, whether anything, and he's going to effect...

still wednesday morning

Two other things. My mailbox is jammed with messages from folks who want to know if I've heard...

the source

Bazillions of people have written to interrogate whether I've heard the announcement that Ava...

roses age

I'm not certain we're ever going to bag a definitive answer on this but Rose Marie's...

go west, young neuman!

The magazine known as MAD started at about the same time I did. possibly that's why I've...

gilbert

Friday evening,I attended a screening of the new documentary, Gilbert, and which is all about the...

feeding feral felines

It's been fairly a while since I wrote approximately the feral (Savage; wild) cats in my...

lovely

Hey,whether you're anywhere near Philadelphia, grab a train, or car,Uber, rickshaw, and...

later sunday afternoon

I posted earlier that I expected Alex Jones would denounce the whole tragedy in Charlottesville a...

not wonderful woman

No,I have not seen the Wonder Woman film, which some friends recount me is spectacular and others...

foodie fest

Last night,I went to see Alton Brown's latest live point to, which is called Eat Your...

drivers license

Okay…I just drove approximately four miles behind a Toyota Corolla convertible with the license...

a dip into the past

We're astronomical fans of Philippe the Original,a downtown L.A. restaurant that claims to...

another opning, another ken levine show…

My pal Ken Levine has this crazy,misguided goal of doing every possible job in note business. He...

jerry being jerry

nowadays's Hollywood Reporter has an essay on folks in show business who remain active even...

the best answer

So…with Hillary and Bill already deciding what to wear to her Inaugural Ball,some of us are...

broadway news

When Jersey Boys vacates the August Wilson Theater in original York next year,it will be followed...

the unblackening

Sorry to hear Comedy Central has canceled The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore,effective this week....

todays bonus trump is a monster post

Donald Trump made a major economic address nowadays. There are many places on the 'net where...

remembering stan

Stan Freberg died a year ago final April. If he hadn't,he would acquire been 90 years old...

the great rochester hunt

My readers are nothing if not persistent. Someone who signs his e-mails "Smiler Grogan" (probably...

more comic con stuff

Forgot to mention: If you're going to comedian-Con International this week in San Diego,two...

tonight in pasadena!

My friend Paul Dini will be discussing and signing his unique graphic novel,Dark Night: A genuine...

second appeal

I posted this last week and didn't score much response,which is odd for this blog. So, one more...

office clown

Ricky Gervais,a comedian I usually find brilliantly comic, wrote this piece approximately people...

todays video link

Never intellect the election. Let's pick up down to the considerable topics…like how conclude...

dispatches from the fortress - day 368

Several of you have written to inform me that nowadays's New York Times crossword puzzle is...

foto files

Hey,whether you're interested in the history of the theater — especially musical theater —...

tom williams, r.i.p.

That's a photo of my friend Tom Williams…and whether you didn't know him,it's your...

something specials

John Swansburg makes the case that the original lively special of the Dr. Seuss classic How the...

penny marshall, r.i.p.

Penny Marshall starred in or directed many,many things that were very, very successful and made a...

practically perfect

I'm back from a screening of the long-awaited sequel to the 1964 classic film. Mary Poppins...

the crooked vice president

Forgive me,dear friends, but I'm approximately to propose you devote four hours of your life to...

this coming wednesday…

This coming Wednesday,November 7, will ticket two anniversaries: 55 years since the Cinerama Dome...

keep sakes

I just saw one of these Internet Quiz Thingies that went like this… You can only sustain three…...

russ heath, r.i.p.

Russ Heath was one of the great comedian book illustrators of the field. Because he veered away from...

the magic in the music in the movie

final night,I went to the L.A. premiere of my buddy Lee Aronsohn's superb documentary, The...

another harlan ellison story

One time in the seventies,I was at his house with, as I recall, and the writer Mike Friedrich. Mike...

five…five…five…

One of the things I don't judge some people "find" approximately Comic-Con is that it's...

seven days!

comedian-Con International convenes a week from today in San Diego. Preview Night used to be a...

greased enlightening

Hey,you hippies and hipsters! whether you're in or around Culver City this Saturday night, my...

inn suspense

Okay,so this year's WonderCon is history and it's time to turn our attention to this...

stan the man

I've received a number of e-mails from folks asking me approximately reports (particularly this...

this reminder…

As Kevin Drum points out… Under the new Republican tax law,gargantuan corporations will obtain a...

todays video link (not counting the one i posted...

Back here,I raved about a local production of Young Frankenstein that I saw final Saturday night....

briefly noted…

As I said back here,I consider Jimmy Fallon's rating decline is not precisely, as some...

hef, r.i.p.

Given the self-parody (humorous or ridiculous imitation) he became in his last few decades,it may be...

len wein, r.i.p.

Comic book writer-editor Len Wein died this morning and it feels so odd to type those words even...

fast times in development hell - part one of two

As famous here,it's been thirty-five years since the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High came...

p.s. on pivot

I often notice when people are using a word in different ways. In the comedian book field,some use...

comic con news

It's coming,coming! And if you're going, going, or you're going to need a means of...

hollywood labor news

Hey,remember not so long ago when the Writers Guild of America couldn't fabricate (to make up,...

it only takes 53 minutes and 14 seconds

I'm in no powerful run to see the new Broadway revival of Hello,Dolly! with Bette Midler. Next...

authorize while the iron is hot

I couldn't gain it to the Writers Guild information assembly tonight but I've read enough...

john calnan, r.i.p.

We recently found out that veteran comedian book artist John Calnan passed away at the terminate of...

finger fotos

The other day here,I mentioned how few photos exist of the late Bill Finger, the...

debbie reynolds, r.i.p.

Well,that's a kick in the gut. As you've probably heard, a day after her daughter Carrie...

more on jerrygate

Folks on the 'net are still talking approximately that Jerry Lewis interview and taking sides....

welcome back, groucho

Here's something I never expected to see. October 26,1976 was my moment day as a fable Editor...

12 08

12/08/80 was the day John Lennon was murdered outside his New York apartment. There are a lot of...

obama cares

For the record,I think Barack Obama has been a pretty good president. Like all of them, his record...

coming attractions

Tomorrow on this page: Another installment of my "Rejection" series,telling writers what runt...

happy rose marie day!

Today is the birthday of the powerful entertainer and comedienne,Rose Marie. It's one of the...

could somebody please explain..?

So why does someone design the shower in a luxury hotel and execute it lovely and stylish with...

was rochester in new york?

Still on the topic of that National Urban Coalition commercial: Half a dozen different people gain...

coming all too soon…

Comic-Con International starts in San Diego sixteen days from now. I used to post long lists of tips...

those were the days…

I have only the vaguest memory of The Garden of Allah,an overdecorated hotel at the corner of Sunset...

yet another thing i dont understand

MGM Resorts International owns the MGM Grand,New York-New York, Monte Carlo, and Bellagio,Aria,...

rejection, part 10

That's accurate,kids! It's your ol' pal Mark with another episode in his series about...

the disposable penn

Back in August of 2010,we wrote here approximately how the venerable (respected because of age,...

dispatches from the fortress - day 383

Several friends acquire written to bid me about other comic book conventions that acquire been held...

myrtis butler, r.i.p.

Two of the nicest,most wonderful people it was ever my privilege to know were Daws and Myrtis...

a cranky, rambling rant - part three

section One was here. It was approximately how some people get really upset whether you don't...

tom k. ryan, r.i.p.

Cartoonist Tom K. Ryan,who gave us the syndicated strip Tumbleweeds has passed at the age of...

let me see if i have this right… 6

So it comes out that an frail school yearbook of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has in it a photo...

bargain city

genuine estate developer Hackman Capital Partners has purchased CBS Television City in Hollywood for...

11 22 63

Here's a post that I put up here every five years or so… nowadays's the day when,I...

the little saint nick

It's proving to be difficult to say goodbye to Nick Meglin,who worked for close to half a...

john rogers, r.i.p.

John Rogers,who served as president of Comic-Con International since 1986, died nowadays, or...

a prediction about tuesday

I was at a political event final night which I'll order you approximately later. An oft-heard...

punishing yourself

Back in the eighties and early nineties,I spent an dreadful lot of time in Las Vegas. It seemed...

unreasonable facsimile

My lovely friend Amber is crazy about the chicken fried rice they originate at Benihana Steakhouses....

mr. hanks neighborhood

A film is coming out shortly in which Tom Hanks plays the approved kid present host, Fred Rogers. I...

the face of fear

I bought Bob Woodward's book panic but may not own time to read it for a while. Here's an...

a fine way to spend an afternoon

Bored? Stressed? Looking for something involving and calming to enact in your life? I've got...

not draining the swamp

Amazon is listing October 9 as the official release date for Volume 5 of Pogo – The total...

carole shelley, r.i.p.

I never met the lady but I feel a real sense of loss at the passing of Carole Shelley. She had a...

yet another harlan ellison story

Over in a comment thread on the 13th Dimension site,a fellow named Scott Rogers posted the following...

manana

I'm going to be busy (understandably,I trust) nowadays and probably for the next few days with...

the voice of labor

We may be about to see a strike by members of SAG-AFTRA who provide voices for animated projects for...

ten days to comic con

Yesterday while I waited for my power to near back on,the good folks at comedian-Con posted the...

thirteen days until comic con!

…and they've posted the programming schedules for Preview Night and for Thursday. I propose...

two weeks!

Two weeks from tonight is Preview Night at the 2018 Comic-Con International in San Diego. This will...

the sdconcast

I think I'm embedding tonight's podcast from The San Diego Comic-Con Unofficial Blog with...

funny femmes

Nell Scovell writes about the lack of female writers on David Letterman's TV shows....

horn of plenty

You know what nowadays is? That's honest: It's Unicorn Wednesday. Every Wednesday from...

remembering don

Nice obit for our friend Don Pitts in Variety. I meant what I said in it: "Before the voice...

wondercon wrap up

I've been meaning to write the moment part of my WonderCon Report but it's been a busy...

this should not be

Here's a sad yarn about the current financial condition of a very favorable guy,William...

tales of my mother 22

My mother passed absent in October of 2012 at the age of 91,a sterling example of the former line,...

little lydia

I fear the worst. It's been several days since I've seen Lydia and she's never been...

vindication for mr. nutterbutter

Hey,remember how final June, John Oliver did a segment on final Week Tonight approximately coal and...

cover story

Years ago here,I place up a section called Incessantly Asked Questions in which I attempted to...

todays post about yesterdays mass shooting

After a mass shooting is an emotional time, even for those of us who didn't know anyone...

todays political theory

Here's another of my silly theories approximately politics. Give this as much or as cramped...

funnybook memories

I'm going to date myself here: When I started collecting comic books,there was absolutely no...

youre a good rerun, charlie brown

Todd VanDerWerff writes approximately why A Charlie Brown Christmas continues to be one of the most...

rejection, part 21

This is a series of articles I've written approximately writing,specifically approximately the...

post 25,000

Bill Jodele sent me the question I thought was most worthy of being the 25,000th post on this blog....

saturday night in miami

'Twas a unique day getting here. Remind me when I contain time to tell you approximately the...

this story again

The Usual Gang of Idiots over at crazy offer their Do-It-Yourself Constantly-Reoccuring Mass...

some candy is dandy…

Here's another list of the most current Halloween sweet treats. A lot of them contain peanuts...

fast times in development hell - part two of two

As I mentioned in the first share of this article some time ago,the film hastily Times at Ridgemont...

under investigation forever

Republicans savor Democratic scandals,particularly Democratic scandals that involve Hillary Clinton....

let me see if i have this right… 1

Bill O'Reilly,formerly the titanic star on Fox News, never sexually harassed or behaved...

your quickie weekend trump dump

He has a fresh plan to sabotage Obamacare. This is like whether I predicted you'd wind up...

the king lives!

There's a comic book conference in San Francisco this weekend. I don't know a thing about...

shelley berman, r.i.p.

Shelley Berman was a remarkable comedian. He usually did what he did seated on a stool but he was...

mystery message

Earlier today,I found an odd message on my iPhone. I maintain blurred most of the phone number but...

jerry lewis, r.i.p.

A top comedy writer just e-mailed me the following message: "When I saw the headline,I actually...

joseph bologna, r.i.p.

What a fine actor that man was…great in everything he ever did. I'm talking about Joe...

stupid retiree tricks

David Letterman has a fresh TV series that will run at least six episodes on Netflix. The...

day three, continued

You know,I'd forgotten how my body needs to sleep much of the day after I catch home from...

last night at the tony awards

As invariably happens the morning after a big award show,you maintain folks all over the Internet...

squirrel girl

The First Lady of Cartoon Voices,June Foray, will turn 100 years old on September 18. She deserves...

your wednesday evening trump dump

I maintain nothing particularly snarky to say so… Nate Silver parses the polls and tell us...

for southern californians only…

Let's say you followed my advice in the preceding post and ordered tickets to see Misty...

your tuesday morning trump dump

As we zero in on Trump's 100th day,we see that his rep as The remarkable Deal Maker is in...

lodging: an attack

The race to secure hotel rooms for this year's comedian-Con International commences this...

three things…

You might want to set your TiVo or similar device for next Monday. That's when Independent...

a cautionary note

If you browse auction sites and art dealers,you will find an awful lot of phony cartoonist drawings....

rejection, part 20

This is a series of articles I've written about writing,specifically about the problems faced...

milestone

Once I keep up this post,a little counter that I can see but you can't will say that there are...

what does it mean to write a comic book? - part 1

I'm not certain how many parts this is going to run but I deem this is necessary and way...

what are you doing new years eve?

Well,if you're doing anything less exciting than going to Hef's in your jammies, you can...

i dreamed a genie

Do you remember this film from the early nineties? The comedian Sinbad starred as a genie named...

last night

According to this morn's ratings reports,The Dick Van Dyke present – Now in Living Color! did...

good thing going (backwards)

Last night,I went to see a unique production of Merrily We Roll Along at the Wallis Theater in...

my two new political pet peeves

I'm certain I'll have more before long but these will do for now… People who hated...

rejection, part 17