Favorite movies: DEFENDING YOUR LIFE (and its spiritual prequel, LOST IN AMERICA), BROADCAST NEWS (which is not an Albert Brooks film, although he carried it, alongside Holly Hunter), CHINATOWN (Awkward segue? Not when Jack Nicholson is the link), THE SPANISH PRISONER, GLENN GARRY GLENN ROSS (obviously, most any David Mamet), most of the STAR WARS sextology, CASABLANCA, THE MALTESE FALCON, THE JERK, THE PRINCESS BRIDE (and most of the Spinal Tap "series," if you will, i.e., WAITNG FOR GUFFMAN, BEST IN SHOW and A MIGHTY WIND), WEST SIDE STORY, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, YELLOW SUBMARINE, A FEW GOOD MEN (back to Rob Reiner, who's turned into an incredibly good director, so I'll also mention WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, believe it or not, plus AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT and A FEW GOOD MEN, both Aaron Sorkin-written, in case ya didn't know, the former being essentially the pre-pilot to THE WEST WING, America's greatest TV drama, right up there with HILL STREET BLUES, both of which raised the bar and changed the medium forever), THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, RAIN MAN, THE 39 STEPS (Hitchock's original version, of course), NORTH BY NORTHWEST, HIS GIRL FRIDAY, CITIZEN KANE (most folks don't know what a pounding Orson Welles absorbed, at the hands of Wm. Randolph Hearst, and how he never really made as much money as he should have, for the rest of his life....which lasted about 40 years after KANE's release), quite a few Woody Allen flicks (most notably BROADWAY DANNY ROSE, ZELIG, BANANAS, RADIO DAYS, of course ANNIE HALL and MANHATTAN), BRAZIL (Terry Gilliam has been horribly overlooked, as a director, which is criminal), ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN, of course MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (far-and-away their best feature film).........let's see....some of Tim Burton's work (the first two BATMAN films, and PEE-WEE's BIG ADVENTURE), and a few of Tom Hanks' films, especially NOTHING IN COMMON (a brilliant "little" film, also Jackie Gleason's last, in which he portrays Hanks' dad ---- mom played by that amazing looker Eva St. Marie, from NORTH BY NORTHWEST ---- and their obviously strained relationship takes an amazing dramatic twist, bonding Gleason and Hanks in a way that only real life can), FORREST GUMP (a truly miraculous performance, and film), BIG (double-ditto), and THE GREEN MILE (triple/quadruple ditto). Also, Hanks' buddy Spielberg (especially CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, without a doubt), and also, the other kid, Francis Ford Coppola (the first two GODFATHERs, THE CONVERSATION, his piece of the NEW YORK STORIES trilogy ---- along with Woody Allen's, with Martin Scorcese's dead last, although, "nice try" at a romantic comedy, Martin ---- and Scorcese's terribly maligned and overlooked THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST. And GOODFELLAS. I also dimly recall Luis Bunuel's flicks.........brilliant, disturbing stuff. Also, BLAZING SADDLES, possibly the funniest movie of all time. Couldn't make it now. No way. Thank God (on this level only) for the Seventies. Finally, I believe that Clint Eastwood has evolved into one of our best directors: UNFORGIVEN, he definitely deserved the Oscar for....he got screwed in the votes for whatever beat MYSTIC RIVER, because that film was completely on-key. An amazingly accurate, and subtle portrayal of shocking dysfunctionality gone awry, and unpunished. MILLION-DOLLAR BABY was a consolation prize.

Favorite TV shows: In addition to the above-mentioned HILL STREET BLUES (and its rougher sequel, NYPD BLUE), THE WEST WING (and SPORTSNIGHT, the tremendously overlooked come-drama also written and produced by the impeccably gifted Aaron Sorkin), I feel compelled to mention certain other TV series, most especially the British comedies (FAWLTY TOWERS, ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS and the original version of THE OFFICE), along with ALL IN THE FAMILY, SEINFELD, LEAVE IT TO BEAVER (the VERY first show "about nothing," if you stop and think about it), THE MANY LOVES OF DOBIE GILLIS, YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH (...the insanely funny-to-this-day Phil Silvers "Sgt. Bilko" series by Nat Hiken, who also created CAR 54: WHERE ARE YOU?, inevitably doomed to die a swift ratings death from having to compete with THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW, and too bad, because it digressed into THE MUNSTERS, starring Fred Gwynne --- aka Patrolman Francis Muldoon ---- and Al Lewis ---- who played Patrolman Leo Schnauzer, in CAR 54 and anyway, I'll take THE ADDAMS FAMILY, any day...) and, without a doubt, THE SIMPSONS. Funniest show ever. On the Drama side, I'd have to say THE TWILIGHT ZONE and ALFRED HITCHOCK PRESENTS, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION (with all due respect to the original, TNG was vastly superior...not just in the F/X, which are a given and which make for an unfair comparison, but the writing and acting were superb. Of course, as Dizzy Gillespie replied, when asked what influence the just-deceased Louis Armstrong had on his career, Diz uttered the classic line "No him, no me."), THE UNTOUCHABLES (an amazing array of actors, check it out some time), THE FUGITIVE (could ANYONE other than David Janssen have played that part?? With that amazing, "always guilty" look on his face?? Come ON....!!!), THE INVADERS (a short-lived sci-fi series starring Roy Thinnes that totally paved the way for THE X-FILES, 20 years later), COMMANDO CODY - SKY MARSHAL OF THE UNIVERSE (okay, I'm reaching back, but this was a BIG gig, and he DID have a rocket pack), THE LONE RANGER, THE CISCO KID (both on overnight reruns, here in Chgo, these days), CAGNEY & LACEY (ditto, and don't laugh), and....................whew........well, that's mostly it. EXCEPT FOR THIS: I've decided that the worst show in the history of television. Even given all the horrible Aaron Spelling ---- sorry, Torrey, and btw, I know you'll be out-of-work forever now but it's been downhill for you, talent-wise, ever since your short stint on SAVED BY THE BELL, so try and settle up with what's-her-name ---- bar-lowering shows (CHARLIE'S ANGELS, STARSKY & HUTCH, and all the rest of the mindless pap he created), and the other mean-spirited crap (ROSANNE, MARRIED WITH CHILDREN, THE FAMILY GUY), I name EIGHT IS ENOUGH "worst show ever." No point of view, not really funny, not really dramatic, not really anything. Ever.

Favorite books: Uh-oh...........now, you've got me busted. I think it's my Achilles Heel. Or maybe my "PC Eyeballs" syndrome. Or maybe I just need bi-focals. But I haven't read a novel since.....mmmmmmmmmmm..............????????!!!!!!!! I'm pretty sure it was THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY. No kidding. Nothing holds my interest, fiction-wise, and I get all the non-fiction I can stand (with the exception of the White House press reports), every day, sitting here, dealing with the media (and typing my little fingers to the bone, writing) as a PR flack, and keeping up with all the industry crap. Sorry.

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