BW Manilowe

From Variety: Jay Hernandez Cast as Thomas Magnum in Peter Lenkov's Magnum, P.I. Reboot Pilot for CBS

From Variety: Jay Hernandez has been cast as Thomas Magnum in Peter Lenkov's Magnum, P.I. reboot pilot for CBS

That's for sure. When we were at the previous discussion site, I remember it seemed the spelling, on episode descriptions & other official stuff from FX, used 1 L 1 week; 2 L's the next, & went back & forth. For a long time, I used the 2 L's as I thought that was right. Then I gradually went to 1 L because other posters said that was the correct spelling after all. (Shrugs)

I'm hoping I'm not about 5 seasons late in bringing this up but, while I was posting in the thread about the pending Royal Weddings--of Prince Harry & Meghan Markle & Harry's Cousin, Princess Eugenie & John Brooksbank--& Royal Scandals, it suddenly dawned on me (when I mentioned Queen Elizabeth &Prince Phillip while posting) that our protagonists' American first names are also those of the British monarch & her husband. Do you think that was on purpose--Would the Russians do something like that in naming their operatIves?--or was it just an interesting coincidence?

Never mind. I found the original version of the post that was here.

OK... I guess my vote for worst finale (at least that I remember watching) was the finale of Las Vegas, for the reasons I said in the "Biggest Blunders by TV Execs" thread (the name may be paraphrased). I'm trying to figure out which finale(s) I thought were the best. I have more than 1, for sure. I can say 1 of them was the M*A*S*H TV movie length finale where the Korean War finally ended & (mostly) everybody went home; another was the The West Wing finale, where the Bartlet Administration became the Santos Administration; the other 1 I can think of that I really liked was the finale of Starsky & Hutch, where Starsky was almost assassinated by henchmen for a megalomaniacal (I think that's the word I want; the usual "corrupt", etc., don't seem to fit) businessman who'd run afoul of the boys in earlier episodes. Having said all that, when it comes to finales, do you like better the ones that somehow acknowledge this is the last time (until any possible reunions, revivals, [maybe] reboots, that is) the audience, fans, etc., will be seeing these people/characters in this setting, or do you like better the ones where, when the ep ends, it seems like life will just go on for those people/characters even though we won't get to see that, until/unless there's some kind of reunion, revival, or (maybe) reboot?

Allison Janney's another step closer to being able to be introduced as, among other things, "Oscar & Emmy winner Allison Janney." From USA Today: Allison won the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in I, Tonya. Though presented by the British Academy of Film & Television, this is another of the awards in the entertainment industry which is considered a good predictor of who will win in the corresponding categories at the Oscars. The Academy Awards (Oscars) air March 4th on ABC.

Regarding lobsters as sources of human food, this article from Newsweek (& other sources) says it's now illegal in Switzerland to kill lobsters by the traditional "plunge into boiling water" method. This is because there's supposedly mounting evidence that lobsters/crustaceans do feel pain when being put to death, & boiling them alive is thought to be rather cruel, & a painful way to die if you're aware it's happening. Chefs & others who want to cook lobsters in Switzerland are now being advised/encouraged to stun the animal with electricity or take a knife to its brain, to destroy it, or to use some other method that renders it unconscious/unable to feel pain before plunging it into their pot full of boiling water. According to the same article, lawmakers/government ministers in at least the United Kingdom are also apparently drafting a measure to present through the proper channels which, if made law, would also make it illegal in the UK to kill lobsters for consumption via dropping them in pots of boiling water without using a more humane method--such as exposing them to electricity or plunging a knife into their brain, stunning them so they can't fight their impending doom prior to exposure to the boiling water.

The other thing about the Las Vegas last episode cliffhanger blunder was that the hotel's private jet, which was carrying the hotel's owner (Tom Selleck) & a pilot on a trip somewhere crashed in Colorado & 1 person was reported dead. It turned out Selleck's character was alive; the plane's pilot died. Selleck's character showed up, alive & well, back at the show's casino resort before the end of the show. Maybe even before Delinda had her pregnancy complications. That was the only cliffhanger they ended up resolving. And, basically, the way I heard it was the show apparently still had reasonable ratings (although they only did 16 eps in the last season, instead of 20-something like most shows do), but the show was airing on Friday nights then &, supposedly, the Commissioner of the NFL (or somebody connected to the league) didn't want the NBC Sunday Night Football games, or any NFL-related stuff mentioned during Las Vegas, because of the whole gambling thing, even though the show was a fictionalized account of the people who work at, or are otherwise involved with, a Las Vegas casino resort. If you ask me, there was an easier way to avoid mentioning the real NFL games during the show than by canceling it--just don't show any commercials for NBC's Sunday Night NFL games during the hour the show was scheduled. It's not necessarily like NBC had to plug the damn games during every commercial break on (especially) Friday & Saturday nights. And, after wanting promotion of the NFL games to be kept off of Las Vegas, because of the whole gambling/sports & other betting thing that happens in the real city, though the show was fictional, the irony is Las Vegas is getting an NFL franchise, next season, I guess(?), when the current Oakland Raiders come to town (& both the NHL & WNBA have seen fit to locate franchises in Vegas since late last year; the NHL team, the Vegas Golden Knights, is breaking all sorts of records for a first-year team).

Technically, I don't think of the Santos Administration as being entirely new--at least not if you're splitting hairs/talking semantics here. After all, Josh was named as his Chief of Staff; Sam (though we hadn't seen him for about 3 years since Rob Lowe left the show) was going to be Deputy Chief of Staff (as Josh put it when he went to recruit Sam, "You're me, to my Leo."); Annabeth (I think) was supposed to have been, like, FLOTUS' Press Secretary; Donna was FLOTUS' Chief of Staff (Josh's counterpart in the East Wing); Senator Arnie Vinick (while he wasn't a Bartlet staffer, he was a sitting US Senator from California during at least 1 of Bartlet's terms, if not both--& that counts for the purposes of my answer &, if John Spencer had lived, Leo was supposed to be Santos' VPOTUS. Though we didn't see if it actually happened, or not, once Leo died I think Santos was preparing to name Senator Baker (I think from Pennsylvania, & a sitting Senator during at least some of the Bartlet; so, again, he counts for my purposes). In my book, the Santos Administration wasn't entirely new because a number of people from the previous, Bartlet, Administration were retained for the same, or a different, position in the Santos Administration (& rightfully so, in my book, for what they knew about working at the White House/running the country vs. what Santos & a good number of his team didn't know before going in). I would've watched that, too, even if they had to get someone else to play Sam or they had to say there was some reason Sam had to suddenly resign from his position, & a whole new character ended up as Josh's Deputy after all, because Rob Lowe had another commitment or whatever.

I think this is a blunder... It's more general than specific, really. Maybe it's just a pet peeve... I'm not sure. Anyway... Whenever TPTB at a show decide to write a (mostly major) season-ending cliffhanger (mostly in what proves to be the later seasons of a show, anyway, but still... ) without knowing whether or not they'll actually be back to resolve it the next season. Networks which cancel a show knowing the last episode was a (mostly major) season-ending cliffhanger that nobody will ever find out the resolution of, because the show involved probably won't even be allowed a "1-off" wrap up episode, & that they pissed off (likely) a lot of people by canceling it. I don't know who's responsible for the biggest blunder in that case--the network, or TPTB with the show who decided it would be a good idea to write a story which may get the audience really interested, & then it ends up not getting the payoff because of an unexpected cancellation. My example is the show Las Vegas. In what proved to be the (unexpected) final episode, there were 2 couples left hanging at the altar. 1 of them was expectant parents Delinda & Danny. She begins to experience pregnancy complications &, as I remember, they were still waiting for the ambulance to the hospital as they faded to black; so we never found out if they got married, or if the baby was OK. Then there's the matter of Sam & her ex-brother-in-law, Vic. They were the other couple at the altar who never got married because of the sudden cancellation. As a viewer at the time, I really wanted to know if they--either couple/both couples got married & how the baby was.

From Variety: Harry Connick Jr's Talk Show Canceled After Two Seasons The show will continue to tape through September.

It's called World's Gone Crazy by Mary J. Blige. Even after looking at the lyrics on the linked page, I'm still not sure how it goes.

As far as I know, Mary Carillo's absence was probably, solely, due to the scheduling conflict between this year's WKC Dog Show & the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang though her Wikipedia page says she's a Sportscaster with NBC Sports and NBC Olympics. I'd swear they showed some story she did on the overnight Olympics coverage that ran starting after the late local news on Tuesday night & going almost to the pre-dawn local news on Wednesday. Also as far as I know, Mary's other contracts are/were more like by the individual event (Wimbledon, French Open, US Open, Australian Open--she does the 4 major, "grand slam" tennis championships each year--plus the Olympics when they're held, & other things I don't remember). She, like, freelances/freelanced. She's hosted/done analysis for different sports on different networks--cable & commercial TV alike (though she seems to stick with tennis tournaments & the Olympics). There is this, though: David Frei hosted the WKC Dog Show from 1990-2016; with Mary Carillo in 2009, then again from 2011-2016. Frei also was Director of Communications for the WKC/the Dog Show from 2003-2015. Frei & Carillo also do analysis & commentary on the National Dog Show, hosted by actor/TV personality/author John O'Hurley, put on by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia & sponsored by Purina; which airs on NBC on Thanksgiving, after the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Frei has been doing that show since it started in 2002; Carillo joined the broadcast team in 2010. The 2016 WKC Dog Show was Frei's last as commentator. That year was the last USA Network/NBC-Universal had the rights to the television broadcast; they didn't just arbitrarily "take a pass" on covering the show, as you commented. And USA did go back to airing the Monday Night Wrestling after a few years of it being on what was then TNN. People bitched about the pre-emption of the Monday Night WWE Raw programming for the WKC Dog Show's first night of group judging; when the WWE broadcast rights ended, for USA, during this period, what was then TNN got the TV rights by promising not to pre-empt WWE for anything. The WWE TV rights later went back to USA, with them agreeing not to pre-empt WWE Raw for anything (see last comment on the linked page). When USA got the WWE rights back, the Monday night WKC coverage ONLY was moved to CNBC, to fulfill USA's no pre-emption promise with the WWE. When NBC Universal's broadcast rights ended in 2016, Fox Sports 1 then picked up the TV broadcast rights for 10 years, starting with the 2017 WKC Dog Show (last year's show). They air preliminary judging (Best in Breed competitions) on NatGeo WILD, & the group & Best in Show competition on Fox Sports 1. I think there's also a related "agility" competition, from before the main WKC Show, on Fox Sports 1. When the WKC Dog Show broadcasts moved from USA Network to the Fox Sports 1 Network, The WKC Dog Show management apparently decided it didn't want Frei doing both the WKC Dog Show & the National Dog Show. That was actually weird because, up until that point, he had been doing both shows since the National Dog Show started in 2002 with no problem--but maybe the 2016/2017 change of heart was because, before 2017, both dog shows had been telecast on networks that were part of the NBC Universal corporate family; but they wouldn't be after 2016, which was probably what turned Frei into "competition" in the WKC's eyes & had him "retired" from the WKC Dog Show. So maybe, given that Frei & Carillo also both do the National Dog Show, If the Winter Olympics hadn't perhaps intervened this year, Mary may not have been on the WKC Dog Show this year either, for the same reason as David Frei was apparently replaced: the shows air on networks with different corporate owners & they decided they didn't wanna share host talent all of a sudden. (Shrugs) Guess we'll have to see if Mary shows up on the WKC Show next year or not. If she doesn't, maybe we can surmise that she was "retired" from the show because they didn't let David Frei continue doing WKC & the National Dog Show simultaneously, so they couldn't let her either. And if she's back on the WKC Show next year, then there's a big, fat double standard going on if they kept her, despite her also doing the National Dog Show, & they let David Frei go because he was doing both shows. Long answer is long. Sorry, but I felt the wordiness was needed to explain properly. And the Yorkshire Terrier, as usual, was robbed.

From HawaiiFive0CBS (the show's Twitter account): You could win a trip to visit the set and have lunch with the H50 cast. Benefits Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. The video with Alex & Meghan is kinda cute.

Guarnaschelli. Alex (Alexandra) Guarnaschelli. She is/has been a staple, pretty much, on the Food Network & is an Iron Chef.

Interesting fact: Diahann Carroll always called Vic Damone by his last name when they were involved/married. Here is an example of that from a 1989 Los Angeles Times Interview. She wouldn't use his first name because it reminded her of someone she dislikes. She mentions that here, in the 5th paragraph if I counted right.

I would assume so, or Mr. Nordlum's widow. I don't think they've really used the car for awhile, except we see it in Steve's garage every once in awhile. The car got stolen, & stripped, by that teenager Nahele who Steve had taken under his wing (he's a recurring character). And among the conditions Steve set to not send Nahele was that Nahele come over & help Steve rebuild the car. Since it was, like, a 1974 car, maybe Steve couldn't easily get the parts he needed to finish it again & that's Steve's excuse for not driving it right now. I mean, back in S1 Danny loved being able to rib Steve for ordering a part he needed from eBay & then getting a different part from the seller, whether it was on purpose or accidentally. Steve had saved a copy of the item listing, or his order, & he read it to Danny. The part in the box when Steve opened it didn't fit the description. So maybe Steve's supposed to be having that kind of problem. Anyway... I think someone posted to Peter Lenkov on Twitter, or other social media outlets, about the man's passing. If he says anything relevant to the continued use of the original McGarrett's Mercury Marquis in the show, now that the last owner has died, I'll pass that along.

From Hawaii News Now: John Nordlum, Jack Lord's Stunt Double and Stand In in the Original Hawaii Five-O, Dead at 81 Nordlum apparently died of Parkinson's Disease. Over the years, Jack Lord & John Nordlum became friends. At the end of the original Hawaii Five-O, Jack Lord gave Nordlum the (1974?) Mercury Marquis car that Lord's version of Steve McGarrett drove in the series. He also lent the car for use in the pilot episode (& other episodes, as well) of the current Hawaii Five-0. In the reboot, it was owned by Steve's murdered father, John; he bought it so he & Steve could have something to do together (restoring the car) & hopefully bond over whenever Steve was home from his Naval duties. Also after the original Five-O ended, Nordlum went on to stand in/stunt double for Tom Selleck in Magnum, P.I. &--as they apparently really did resemble each other (presumably more than Nordlum & Lord)--Nordlum also traveled the world with Selleck & was his stand in/stunt double in Selleck's theatrical films.

From what we know of Scott's relationship with his Dad while growing up, & what John Rubinstein seems like, yeah, I'd probably guess he & his apparent friend, Michael Weston, had different experiences growing up with their actor fathers. Of course, I've never seen or heard Michael say anything about his relationship with his father, so my guess could be a load of crap. LOL. Back while they were still married, I remember Jane & John came to town & did a performance/reading of the play Love Letters as a benefit for I'm not sure what (& so far I'm not pairing the right search terms to see if I can find info on it). I didn't get to go, but I always thought it was cool somebody I actually knew became that famous & married somebody famous, & then they came back here at least once (but probably more, privately, since she has family here).

From USA Today: David Kernell, Who, As a University of Tennessee-Knoxville Student, Hacked Former Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin's Email in 2008, Dead of Complications of Progressive Multiple Sclerosis at Age 30

I'm not sure I think the Meghan actress is all that great; yeah, she's close, but there might've been/might be someone closer. And the Harry actor needs his hair color changed; too much brown, not enough reddish, I think. I'm a big fan of Hawaii Five-0. Right before filming started for this season, they had to cast 2 new actors, to replace Grace Park & Daniel Dae Kim who chose to leave after each had a contract dispute with CBS involving the current season. Anyway, to replace Grace Park (& her Kono Kalakaua character), they hired a young actress named Meaghan Rath to play new Five-0 member Tani Rey. Before H50, Meaghan is probably best known for a role in Being Human. Ever since I've been watching H50 this season, I've liked Meaghan. And ever since we've seen Meghan Markle, I'd swear there's some vague resemblance. Meaghan (Rath) also has the same first name, but with an extra A in it, as the soon to be British Royal. And she's also mixed race, like Prince Harry's fiancée. But Ms. Rath is Southern Indian (as in being from the subcontinent of India, not as in being a "cowboys & Indians" player), Austrian & Jewish. Here's her photo.

From The New York Daily News: Actor John Mahoney's Cause(s) of Death Revealed According to this (1 of the most credible sources I could find), John Mahoney died from multiple causes. He died of brain disease (not sure if that means "dementia", or what), lung cancer, & seizures; he's also said to have had kidney disease & diabetes. Another source I forgot to note the name of said he died of complications of throat cancer.

I had almost forgotten Michael Weston was on that ep. I don't think they shared any scenes either. But when another of Scott's friends & collaborators, Val Lauren (he was in No Way Around But Through the summer or 2 before the play with Weston), was on H50, he was in the S1 Finale & actually in a scene with Scott (& Alex). Val was the guy who worked in the military surplus store who told Steve & Danny that Steve (someone who looked like him/used his name, anyway) bought the Claymore mine that blew up in the car of Governor Jameson's Public Safety Liaison, Laura Hills, & killed her. For his trouble, among other things, Val's character got pepper sprayed in the eyes--I think by Scott's character, in fact--then he was killed, either by Governor Jameson ordering it, somehow, or by Wo Fat taking care of it, when the police escort taking him to court/jail/prison was ambushed. I actually have a (less than) "6 Degrees of Separation" between me & Michael Weston. A (now) woman named Jane Lanier, who was almost a year older than me, I think in Brownies &/or Junior Girl Scouts with me, & about a year ahead of me in high school, went on to an acting/dancing/choreography career (I think she left high school a year early to pursue her career; I don't remember her being there beyond when I was in 10th grade & she was in 11th--we had Biology together that year, as long as she was still in school, so between that & other stuff from earlier we actually were friends for awhile). She was even nominated for the Best Featured Actress in a Musical Tony Award, in 1989/the 43rd Annual Tony Awards, for her role in Jerome Robbins' Broadway (unfortunately she lost--I think to another actress from the same show). Anyway, from 1992-2002, Jane was married to actor/musician/director John Rubinstein, son of the great concert pianist, Artur Rubinstein; he also co-starred in TV shows like Family & Crazy Like a Fox, among others. It was her first marriage & his second. They had 2 sons together. It turns out that Michael Weston is John Rubinstein's son from his first marriage. He was born "Michael Rubinstein" to John Rubinstein & his first wife, actress Judi West, in 1973. But he had to change his name--he chose Michael Weston--in 2000, because there was already a "Michael Rubinstein" in the Screen Actors Guild & there aren't supposed to be 2 SAG (SAG-AFTRA) members with the same name in the union at the same time. And my former classmate, scout troop mate, & friend, Jane Lanier, was Michael Weston's stepmother/his father's wife from when Michael was approximately 19 to 29 years old.

It appears Maggie may be in the process of getting a divorce. Her (estranged?) husband's Wikipedia page has the same entry.