Blergh

OK, here's one. As much as I like Candice Bergen as a person and have, overall, admired her work as a performer; I've not quite forgiven her for having agreed to co-star on Boston Legal. Why? Because I hated the show, the premise and disliked the way it grew out of The Practice essentially letting James Spader and his despicable character turn all the other performers into wallpaper on what was originally an ensemble show and refused to watch the 'spin off'. In summation, I always thought if only Miss Bergen hadn't participated in this show, there was a possibility it would have IMO deservedly sunk into obscure derision but since she did participate, it got enough 'cred' to draw in the viewers. Oh, and does anyone think we'd be having Shatner as the Priceline Negotiator if this show had died of bombitus ASAP? I rest my case.

I liked Mr. Goldwyn's episode with his maternal 3rd great-grandparents Nathaniel and Mary Coe. I wasn't the least bit upset on his behalf [and I don't think HE was either] over being told to go to this spot and that spot- primarily because Albany, New York and Salem, Oregon seem like very pleasant places to visit. Moreover, I think it was refreshing that he gave full credit and thanks to the researchers instead of acting as though he was entitled and/or somehow HE had done ALL this work solo. As for the Coes? OK, I think the idea of protecting vulnerable single women from the consequences of premarital sexual encounters was well-intended and a noble gesture. HOWEVER; going so far as to even attempt to outlaw consentual encounters not only seemed a bit infantilizing but also may have backfired on a few young women [e.g. by being misused by parents who hated their choice in perspective husband to frame the man to get him out of the picture]. Somewhat like temprance, a noble idea with good intentions to protect against very serious consequences that may have wound up punishing their original intended benefactors. Anyway, I liked how detailed the journey from New York State to Oregon via Panama were via that Mrs. Coe's letter [and I think it should have been noted that it wasn't JUST riding in canoes and burros to cross the Isthmus that wasn't so pleasant but the entire time travellers had to worry about being bitten by ONE wrong mosquito that would give them a lifetime of malaria]. Also, nice that they made their corner of Oregon into a thriving, bountiful community [even crediting Mrs. Coe for the namechange to Hood River]. Good, for Mr. Goldwyn to consider that despite their otherwise noble objectives, the Coes DID have rather condescending if not dehumanizing ideas re Native Americans [not surprising since, like many other settlers, they didn't want to have to consider themselves thieves or exploiters]. I wonder if the Coes might have also looked with disdain upon their own great-great-granddaughter's marriage to Mr. Goldwyn's father of Jewish heritage? Regardless, I thought it was an intriguing segment and I'm glad he got to read the detailed accounts and SEE where they wound up.

I have to admit that this episode was more awkward than most in that the subject [sean Hayes] claimed to want to learn about and try to understand his paternal line yet categorically had no interest in reconnecting with his actual father. I'm not saying Mr. Hayes was wrong to feel that way but his father evidently is still living and I'm wondering how he felt about not only his estrangement from his famous son being spelled out for the world but also seeing his own ancestry plotted by that very son and the son trying to claim a bond with their ancestral homeland. It would have been one thing if the elder Mr. Hayes was known to be deceased but he's still alive so I'm wondering if the producers had to get any permission to get him to sign off for the search to be done on camera. On a similar note, it's interesting that Patrick, Jr. was not only estranged from his own criminal father but also evidently had had nothing to do with his destitute son William for sometime before William's death- nor attempted to stop his own grandchildren from being put in an orphanage after his daughter-in-law broke both hips [How? Where was her husband when this happened? These questions never were answered].

Well, if UYI's story is true, then I guess that could mean that somehow they made up for the very bad 1st impression.

ByaNose, the whole irony of it is that, were it not for that lame ghost sheet deal at the end[which I think even Cindy could have seen through had she not been a 'ghost'] the entire 'haunting' was on the verge of being believed by their parents as being legit! Is it just me or did the kids always sabotage themselves when they were on the verge of getting away with stuff?

Egads! You're right! Still, it was a bit off that Albert fessing to her while that music box played was all it took to 'snap' Mary out of her severe delusional melancholia.

Episode was okay [though I could have done without Cam's onstage Cats fight] but one thing I think should have been addressed was Phil and Luke's trampolining solo without any spotters. Yeah, I know it's a sitcom, fictional characters, blah blah blah but one false landing on of those devises could permanently injure, cripple or even kill a person. I would have thought Claire would have freaked out seeing Luke doing it solo and told Phil to go back out there to spot him but she didn't [and I thought Luke would have been likely injured on the trampoline than by the stray guitar string]. And if TV characters always wear helmets when riding cycles , what would stop them from trampolining without spotters and how would that have spoiled the action? All that said, if it was Nolan Gould himself [and not a stunt double], he did some rather impressive [albeit extra risky] trampoline moves.

I don't things were that . . .tepid for the Godseys. Considering that there was an episode about a year or so after they were married in which Corabeth first believed she was pregnant (even going so far as to wear maternity garb) then discovered it had been a phantom pregnancy and was also told she could never bear any children which prompted her to temporarily run away from Ike since she thought he'd have no use for a 'barren' woman. I mean, for her to have believed she was pregnant, that means that they'd have had to have at least some intimacy. Now, whether Corabeth was truly unsatisfied with Ike or just was looking for excuses to throw herself a pity party because the new minister didn't get all hot and bothered over her is debatable.

I agree- and I should add that Mary Beth McDonough revealed that it was Will Geer himself who insisted they break into Miss Corby's home when the normally punctual performer failed to show up for the work after the stroke- and they found her and were able to take her to the hospital to save her life. Oddly, after her stroke happened, the show didn't quite know how to handle with them at first writing around her then there was an episode which focussed on Grandpa's reaction to it and hospital rules, then they vaguely inferred Grandma died offstage before they finally brought her back for the final episode of that season. Miss Corby and Mr. Geer hadn't always gotten along smoothly but, no doubt, Miss Corby knew she literally owed him her life so her near nonverbal reactions to Grandpa's passing were quite poignant indeed. Yes, she was brave to return. However; considering how she had no family left and how much it must have cost for the hospitalization, therapies and ongoing everyday costs, no doubt she urgently needed the income.

I agree- and even though IMO, Harvey Korman did the least believable job re the Southern US dialect, he did a good job as the hapless Ed whom the audience could both dislike and feel sorry for- often at the very same time!

Good points, ChaseMCP! I totally agree. Her willingness to share may be one reason why such diverse talents such as Lucy and Julie Andrews became fast and lifelong friends with her!

I think it may have been in Season One but I can't remember the episode but nothing epitomized why I disliked Kristina's righteousness so much as when one of Max's classmates intended to throw a party and not invite him- and Kristina actually went up to the little girl in class and did her best to guilt trip her to invite Max. Then when the girl's mother tried to confront Kristina, Kristina guilt tripped her into coughing up an invite. How I wish the girl's mother had told Kristina that if Kristina ever attempted to approach her daughter on school grounds without the mother's express permission, the other mother would do everything she could to have Kristina banned from setting foot on the campus for non-essential purposes. Of course, the girl and her mother were one-shots we never heard of again but I really wish Kristina had been called on that stunt!

Pardon me for dissenting but I actually liked the Angie Harmon episode. I would have liked to have learned exactly why Michael Harman [with an 'a]] left Germany to become an indentured servant in Philadelphia? Was it just a case of not having any land or was he an orphan with no family ties left or could he possibly have been a petty criminal who was sentenced to be exiled to the New World [less likely than the other cases since the German states weren't part of the British domain]? Oh, and unlike Chris O'Donnell's pitiful ignorance of the National Anthem, I think she'd had some vague knowledge of Valley Forge but hadn't given it much thought since having learned it in school so many years before. In any case, she DID appreciate not only what Michael likely had to endure but ALSO how vital Valley Forge's survival was to the embryonic nation's existence. I'd have liked to have learned what led Michael to strike out for the Kentucky wilderness in the 1790s and had he met his wife before then or did he meet her there? And how much English did he learn to speak even if he never learned to write it? Regardless, I thought it was absolutely amazing that not only did Miss Harmon get to bring her children to their 6-times great-grandfather's plot of land in Kentucky but that it was still a working farm AND still owned by the Harman Family by a descendent named Michael! Since the Revolutionary Veteran didn't mention leaving any slaves to his wife or any of their [surviving]seven children, there's a possibility that he himself was not a slave holder. However; that grand house definitely looked as though it was antebellum AND therefore it's somewhat likely in the 50 years between Michael's evident death and the Civil War the family DID have slaves. I wonder how much Cousin Michael knew about their common ancestor beyond him having established the family farm? Also, the show failed to mention that none other than Abraham Lincoln himself had been born in Harrodsburg, Kentucky in 1809 so if Revolutionary Vet Michael lived to that year, maybe he might have crossed paths with the infant 16th President in addition to having fought under the 1st US President.

True- but it also makes me wonder why the producers/researchers went to all that trouble on Lauren Graham's behalf before they had any guarantees on her end.

Even though the producers may not have thought it interesting [and, perhaps Mr. Groban didn't], I think there are enough folks who may be interested to see that Johan Jacob's widow Maria Margaretha Schaal Zimmerman DID leave records showing HOW she made her way after arriving in Pennsylvania: http://hatcherfamilyassn.com/getperson.php?personID=I491&tree=MILLERetal It appears from this website that not only did she NOT remarry but she'd live to about 81 in 1723 before making her will disposing 70 acress in her OWN name to her surviving three children , though the record of her death date appears to be lost, the will appears to have been probated two years later in 1725. It seems that not only did she appearantly receive 25 acres due her as Johann's widow but even expanded her holdings thereafter. Also,from this website, several of her surviving children were grown when she left Germany- and the youngest was ten and she herself was about 51 when Johann died in 1693. Most notably, there was a firstborn son who STAYED in Germany [and would die there four years later]. Now whether he himself had disagreements with one or both his parents and decided to make his own way or whether he was in the army or some other compulsory organization that prevented him joining the family but,for whatever reasons, he did not join the others in Pennsylvania.

I had had no real interest in Mr. Groban's career,etc. but I found his ancestors' story interesting. One thing that barely got touched upon was the fact that his maternal grandfather appears to have changed his surname from 'Johnson' to 'Johnston' and there was no speculation as to why. I had an ancestor who did took an unpronounced 'e' out of their surname -evidently due to him starting a business but not wanting his clients to mistake him for his father who had the same first name. As for Johan Jacob Zimmerman? He sounds quite fascinating- if for no other reason than he was able to get a very thorough education in a time and place where folks born into a laboring [even 'skilled'] families were somewhat discouraged. How did he get into the University? How was the education funded? Even if these questions' answers have been lost to historical record, the fact that he did get educated was quite impressive. Also, after all the literal tossing about that happened re his 'revelations' after Halley's Comet, how was his widow and children able to make the transatlantic voyage to Pennsylvania and did the widow have no family left of her own to help her out in Germany? From the marriage license, it appears her father was already deceased at the time of the marriage to Johan but what about other relatives? And did she somehow provide for her fatherless offspring on her own in the newly settled Pennsylvania colony or did she eventually remarry another settler? Ironic ending to Johan dying the same year he predicted the Apocalypse. I'm not sure Mr. Groban's interested but the late Ethel Merman's original surname was Zimmerman so perhaps they may have been distant cousins.

magicdog, Well, good for your acquaintances for having had better luck re Mr. Heston's friendship than Edward G. Robinson appears to have had. If Mr. Heston was 'broken up' over Mr. Robinson's death, it's possible that it may have been some guilt over his needless rudeness.

I recall the year when Charlton Heston died, during the 'In Memoriam' part of the Oscars broadcast, there was scant,tepid applause for him. While some speculated that this was due to his outspoken political views, I think it was somewhat likely that he truly was not someone who'd been very likable to at least some of his fellow performers. Case in point, when he and the legendary Edward G. Robinson were starting work on "Solyent Green", they were sitting in chairs ready for closeups and Mr. Robinson thought to break the ice by saying 'You know, I just can't sit next to someone for a half hour without talking with them.' to which Mr. Heston coldly responded, ' Well, I can!' If he needlessly snubbed a film legend who wanted to see if a friendship was possible, it's hard to imagine he was any more pleasant to those he didn't consider his peers.

Actually, I LIKED these sketches because the humor came from the situations rather than the dialogue and the folks didn't seem too unfamiliar to me. Yes, I admit that Mama was a nasty witch but thats how many older women got perceived by their families back then AND there were times when Eunice actually put one over on her.

Someone should mention what an incredible mimic she was on this show. In the 'Broad' spoof [which spoofed 'Maude'], not only did she get Bea Arthur's tone of voice [if not pitch] but also her pauses and breathing perfectly. Also, who could forget 'Mary, Mary Quite Contrary' [which spoofed 'Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'] in which she got Louise Lasser's tone and onscreen habits perfectly! The only problem now with watching her spoofs is that it's not always easy to remember what she was supposed to be spoofing back in the 70's and 80's [especially true of commercials- and her parody of what ads for doctors and lawyers would be proved quite accurate].

The irony is that both Garland and the originator Janet Gaynor were on the last legs of their movie careers when playing the title ingenue. Yes, they'd perform in other venues for sometime thereafter but their movie careers were just about done. As long as we're doing classic movies here. One thing that shocked me even considering the times was how in "Casablanca" they had Ingrid Bergman's character Ilsa be needlessly racist IMO ! Why do I say that? Because when she introduced the piano player Sam to her husband Victor Laslo, she pointed him out as 'that boy' -despite him being decades her senior and the fact that she otherwise had been perfectly amenable to him before and after her encounter with him at Rick's Place. Now, I know it was somewhat commonplace for folks to call African-American men over 18 'boys' in those days. However; I asked my father [who has close relatives in 'the Old Country' not too far from where Ilsa was supposed to be from] and he said that even back then Europeans of that particular area weren't always above using other unfair terms for non-Europeans but they would have NOT termed older African- American men as 'boys' . Ilsa was supposed to have been a sympathetic character so I'm wondering if the writers threw that in to appease the Southern U S market or if they [the writers themselves] simply couldn't imagine another non African- American NOT referring to an African- American older man as 'boy'. Yes, I admit that it took quite a few viewings of this otherwise amazing movie for me to pick this up but it somewhat soured the movie for me.

Actually, I liked her in 'Seinfeld' and even think the Old Navy ads are refreshing. IM [somewhat unpopular]O, her character in 'The Veep,' is a shrill, crude one-note, unwatchable stereotype [and I've detailed why in a previous post].

Can I just say that, even as close friends as Mr. Nimoy was supposed to have been with Shatner, it wouldn't surprise me if Mr. Nimoy hadn't reached the conclusion that [like Theodore Roosevelt re being the 'baby at every Christening, the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral' he attended], Shatner would have likely done his derndest to make his attending the funeral all about him. Thus, between the Nimoy family being able to mourn for him at his funeral on their own without having to accomodate Shatner [and not having it crashed by those Westboro snots],all-in-all, I believe Mr. Nimoy got the funeral he truly deserved and likely would have wanted.

I'm not surprised at Rosie O'Donnell's [latest] "View"exit.Could doing the same action with a history of disaster and getting disappointed that the most recent attempt wasn't succesful be a definition of insanity or could it be the enjoyment of hearing oneself complain [and I ask this of Rosie as well as whoever greenlighted this latest attempt]?

The collegiant rape case they profiled featured them actually airing footage of the crime that was supposed to be sealed with only attorney access and now everyone's trying to pin down who leaked it to them[and I hope they find and throw the book at whoever did this). However; I'd like to ask what was stopping "20/20" from not airing it AND telling whoever pitched it to them to take a flying leap [and blow the whistle on them]. Sorry, IMO, this wasn't as though these events enacted on the footage had been previously unknown or unreported. A new low even for them and they need to be called on it.