bill tush.com

JFK

You might have noticed this week has been all JFK all the time. Every broadcast network and almost all Cable Channels seem to be doing something to mark the 40th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. There was a time when you asked the question, "Where were you when Kennedy died?" people flashed back to 1963. With the death of JFK Jr., now more than one generation has a Kennedy reference point. My personal flashback is to being a 10th grade student. On that particular day, we were all in the auditorium watching the movie "Masters of the Universe" starring Vincent Price. Suddenly, the projector was shut off, the lights came on and one of the teachers announced, "President Kennedy has been shot in Dallas, Texas." My blood ran cold, and I mean that in all seriousness. Never again did I have that feeling. For the next three days, it seemed the world went silent. All we did, all anyone could do, was watch the continuous stream of tragedy on television. More assassinations and disasters would follow, but none has ever shocked me more. After Kennedy was killed, it was a different world.

I bought the above postcard of Dealey Plaza in the little souvenir shop next door to the school book depository about four months after the assassination. Today, Dealey Plaza, like most tourist spots in the US, has been Disneyfied, so to speak. The old railroad yards behind the depository are now filled with restaurants, bars and stores. The School Book Depository itself has been turned into a museum that offers tours. You can even look out the window from which Oswald supposedly shot Kennedy, the area has restored to look just as it did on that fateful day in 1963.

Review

Master and Commander;The Far Side of the World
Starring Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany
PG-13

I'm not a big fan of action pictures, especially those set at sea. But since my job is to see movies, I saw "Master and Commander." I was blown away. Director Peter Weir has to be congratulated for taking on what must have been an almost impossible task; adapting the work of a beloved writer whose subject matter consist of the life and times of sailors during the Napoleonic Wars. No better actor could have been found to play Captain Jack Aubrey than Russell Crowe. He captures not only the heroic, but human side of Aubrey, something you don't often see in films of this genre. My guess is this film will spawn a string of similar movies, if only because it leaves filmgoers wanting more. However, I doubt anyone will be able to top this one.

Guarding Tess

Publicists are very important. If you don’t believe it, just ask them.

At the gym the other morning, I glanced up at the TV monitor and noticed "Guarding Tess" on TBS. The 1994 film stars Shirley MacLaine as a widowed former first lady who is at odds with her Secret Service Detail, headed by Nicholas Cage. As luck would have it, the scene I caught was "Tess" on the golf course. I was there the day that scene was shot and was to interview her for my "ShowBiz This Week" program on CNN.

The publicist on duty kept telling me to be patient. When Ms. MacLaine was ready to do the interview, she (the publicist), would come get me. This went on for close to an hour. "No, you can't talk to Ms MacLaine until I set it up", she insisted. Suddenly, I look behind me and there is the Oscar winning actress herself. She turns to me and says, "Hi Bill, how are you?” “Fine”, I answered, “Do you want to get this thing over with?" Shirley answers, "Yea sure." We did the whole interview in five minutes. I don't know where the publicist went, but she certainly wasn't with Shirley MacLaine and myself.

If you’ve never seen "Guarding Tess", from Director/Writer Hugh Wilson, you should. In my opinion, it was underrated at the time of release, but holds up better than many films from the time. TBS will air it again soon I'm sure, as it seems they only have six films in their library. Thirty years ago when Ted Turner was just getting his local Atlanta channel up and running, due to a lack of cash, the same film would air at least twice a day. Ted said then, "When we start making money I'm going to buy enough films so we won't have to repeat them." That channel became SuperStationTBS, and many years and billions of dollars later, they still run the same films over and over again.

Kicker

• It is a sure bet that the Siegfried & Roy show in Vegas is now history since the lion attack on Roy. That of course won't stop the money machine from cranking. Three "Seigfried & Roy" shows are now available on DVD.

• Of course the first season of "Friends" or "King of Queens" is available on DVD, but did you know the entire season, yes every single episode of "My Big Fat Greek Life" is now available? Imagine having all three shows at your fingertips. Just in case you, along with most of America missed the CBS bomb version of the hit film. What a deal.

•Had a great time visiting with old friends at WMLB Radio in Atlanta last Friday. It was their morning man, and my buddy, Bob Neil’s birthday. Bob is a great guy and an Atlanta broadcast legend. Check out the photos of our visit.

Who Shot JR?

Fans of the original nighttime soap opera "Dallas" have been enjoying repeats airing every night at 6:00 pm eastern on SoapNet. The big treat though will be tonight (Friday, November 14th at 7:00pm), when the famous Who Shot J.R..? episode will air once again. This episode was the most watched in television history with more than 350 million viewers tuning in around the world.

I recently came across a marvelous book on TV history titled Stay Tuned-Television's Unforgettable Moments by Joe Garner. In the "Dallas" section I found these fun facts: When it came time to film the shooting of J.R. Ewing (the man everyone loved to hate, played by Larry Hagman), the entire cast and crew got a chance. Mary Crosby who played J.R.’s mistress is quoted as saying, "The hairdressers got to shoot him, the makeup artist got to shoot him, the writers, and the producers. Larry got to shoot himself. It was just done by everybody and their cousin. And it was really fun." Did she shoot him?

"Stay Tuned" also tell this tale, "Hagman was also causing a stir, threatening to leave the show if he wasn't paid what he considered a fair wage for being the star of a prime-time hit. Reports circulated that producers began considering actor Robert Culp as a replacement for Hagman. They were prepared to say that J.R. had been shot in the face and would have explained his new look as the result of plastic surgery."

Well, he came back and the rest has become TV history, as they say.

Bob Newhart

As I’ve written, Elf starring Will Ferrell is a total delight and is destined to become a holiday classic. Some of the credit for the movie’s success has to be given to Bob Newhart as Papa Elf, the adoptive father of "Buddy" (the human who thinks he is one of Santa's helpers, played by Farrell). Newhart is a television legend and at the age of 74 seems to be working harder than ever. In a recent interview Bob, as the world knows him, told Scripps Howard that it is his wife Virginia (who he has been married to for almost 40 years), keeps him humble. As he tells it, "On Wednesdays in Los Angeles, we have to separate the recyclables from the non-recyclables, so last Tuesday, she's saying it's time to take out the recyclables. I say to her, "Do you think Joanne Woodward tells Paul Newman to take out the recyclables?" "Her response was, "if you were Paul Newman I wouldn't ask you to take out the recyclables either."

Tough Interviews

Me, Billy Barty and Sybil Danning.

This week I had the chance to see an advance screening of Ron Howard’s latest, The Missing. It’s a fabulous, edge of the seat thriller starring Kate Blanchet and Tommy Lee Jones. The film, which takes place in 1885, opens November 26th. I’ll post a full review closer to opening day, but wanted to share a bit about Tommy Lee Jones with you. Over thirty years, I’ve interviewed just about everyone in the entertainment business (big and small), and have found no one more difficult to interview than Jones. This isn’t just my opinion, all my fellow interviewers feel the same way. Everyone finds him surly and reticent. His answers are never more than one or two words, and one year at the Oscars, he almost bit my head off. I mean how upset can you get when someone asks how it feels to be going home with the Academy Award?

But there’s another side to Jones that reporters don’t often see. When Batman Forever was released in 1995 (in which he played Two-Face), we did an interview. As usual, I was desperately trying to get him to tell me something, anything, about his role in the movie. My son John was with me at the time and wanted Mr. Jone's autograph. I told him ahead of time it was very unlikely he would get it. Well, at the end of our one sided conversation, I thought “what the heck” and asked if he would sign a picture for my son. At that point, Tommy Lee Jones broke into a big smile, called him over and said, "Sure, what's your name?” They shook hands and he couldn't have been any nicer. I guess his character in "Batman Forever" could not have been better named.

Finally...

A happy belated Veterans Day to my fellow veterans. I tried on my thirty-five uniform for the occasion and all that fit was the tie...Hey! I got a million of em'.

Is it Christmas already?

The best family movie bet this weekend looks like "Elf". Saturday Night Live alum Will Ferrell stars as an elf in a very large human’s body, who seems completely oblivious to the fact that he’s a lot taller than all the other elves in Santa’s workshop. Santa, played by Ed Asner, is reminiscent of Asner's most famous character, Lou Grant in his happier moments. In another perfect casting touch, TV icon Bob Newhart steps in as papa elf. What begins as a Christmas movie turns into a buddy film, when “the Elf” sets out for New York on foot to search for his real Dad, played by James Caan. Overall, there’s just enough borderline humor to keep Elf from becoming another sappy Christmas release, but like most movies spun off from SNL skits, it plays a little thin in spots. That said, this movie is adorable. It's the first time, in a long time, I can remember an audience cheering at the end of a movie.

Next up this month, "Bad Santa" starring Billy Bob Thornton in the role of the bearded one. It seems the studio is having problems with a release date on this one. Stay tuned...

Short Takes

• Speaking of problem productions, the folks at Disney have put a hold on releasing "The Alamo" in time for Oscar™ consideration. Disney flaks deny there are any problems and claim the project just needs more time. Yea, like we’ve never heard that story before. Let's think about it. Davy Crockett and his buddies all died defending the Texas landmark. In the early 60s, John Wayne almost suffered the same fate after pouring his personal fortune into a film that stayed in theaters for less time than it took to fight the actual battle. So who at Disney thought it would be a good idea to tackle this story yet again? No offense to our Texas friends, but maybe it’s time we forget the Alamo, at least film wise.

• "Righteous Brother" Bobby Hatfield died Wednesday in Michigan. Together with his partner Bill Medly, the duo cranked out a string of "Blue Eyed Soul" hits in the sixties. That phrase, coined by disc jockeys of the era, was used to describe white guys who sang with feeling, of which there were few. The duo’s last hit song in 1974 was Rock and Roll Heaven. Here’s hoping Hatfield’s found a place there.

There is one thing that's always bugged me about the Righteous Brothers’ biggest hit, "You've Lost That Lovin’ Feeling". The words go, "You never close your eyes when I kiss your lips". Now doesn't that mean he's not closing his eyes either? OK, moving on now…

• "Eight Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter" had its best ratings ever with the special one hour tribute on ABC Tuesday. It was the first show to deal with the death of lead character John Ritter, but producers now admit they don't know where the show will go from here. My guess is that without Ritter, the show will simply fade away.