Tag: Lily Tomlin

Jon Stewart On The Oscars

My friend Farrell has already written me four or five times on this subject. The last time, attaching an article, he wrote the single word, “Ouch!”

Jon Stewart was a major disappointment at the Oscars.

I guess the good news is, he was a disappointment because he’s normally so good. The bad news is, for many people, this is their introduction – and possibly their final impression.

Tom Shales was brutal in today’s Washington Post – but Shales specializes in being brutal&#185.

It’s hard to believe that professional entertainers could have put together a show less entertaining than this year’s Oscars, hosted with a smug humorlessness by comic Jon Stewart, a sad and pale shadow of great hosts gone by.

I wonder what’s going through Stewart’s mind today? Is he having second thoughts about he approached the broadcast? Has he just tossed it off and moved back to his ‘real’ life?

&#185 – After I put this online, Farrell called and questioned my characterization of Shales.

Shales does not specialize in being brutal. He writes better than anyone on the subject of television period. He’s honest, frank. Likes TV and when he sees something good, he praises it. When he sees something bad, he’ll write and say so. And you can quote me, WeatherBoy&#153!

Continue reading “Jon Stewart On The Oscars”

Now, it’s anger

As we approach 48 hours, there’s still no phone service here.

What could possibly take so long to repair? You would think a ‘widespread’ outage (their characterization to Helaine) would demand round-the-clock attention. I sense that’s not happening (though how would I really know).

I hear Tommy Lee Jones’ voice on TV. I see repairmen in the mud and rain in the commercials. It’s puffery, isn’t it?

Lily Tomlin used to perform routines as Ernestine, the telephone company employee. Her basic premise was, having the only game in town made the phone company brazen.

Nothing has changed.

My cell service expires 10-26. Unless I can find out that Cingular has imminent plans to plant a cell site in my neighborhood, I’m gone. It has become perfectly clear that cell service is no longer an optional item for home.