Today, we're talking about Reginald VelJohnson, veteran actor and go-to guy when you want a friendly cop in your movie or TV show. There's plenty of tough, no-nonsense cops on TV, and they come in two flavors: deadpan (CSI) and trigger-happy (NCIS). As Carl Winslow, Reginald was the happy, not-quite-bumbling (at least, compared to Urkel) policeman that was more than his badge. He was a decent cop with good values (because Family Matters, y'know?...) And the dude could dance...
No wonder his walk-on character from Perfect Strangers became the anchor of a TV series that lasted 215 episodes.
Before he patrolled the streets of the TGIF lineup, he was most famous as the cop on the other end of John McClaine's walkie-talkie in the original Die Hard. He also played a cop in Turner & Hooch (playing neither, just a colleague). Heck, he played a jailer in Ghostbusters.
That was a short film produced for the reality series for moviemakers, "On the Lot." After ten years 'on the force', he concentrated on the stage, which allowed him more diverse roles, as well as the chance to write and develop his own material. However, he didn't disappear from TV screens, making guest appearences on everything from Crossing Jordan and CSI to Will & Grace. In 2010, he returned to series television, accepting a role on the Disney sitcom I'm in the Band, as a different type of authority figure: a high school principal.
This last clip is to make the point that although the subjects in this Birthday Blog may be unappreciated in a general sense, it doesn't mean that they're not somebody's hero:
Today, we feature Jim Dale: an actor/songwriter that's a near icon in his native Great Britain, but might seem comparatively invisible in the US. But even if you haven't heard of him, you've probably heard him. As a singer/songwriter under the guidance of Beatles producer George Martin, he made several trips up the UK charts in the late 50's.
His biggest songwriting success, the theme to 1966's "Georgy Girl", went to #2 in the US for the Seekers; as for himself, he was nominated for an Academy Award.
During the 60's, he appeared in 11 films of the "Carry On..." series, a series of bawdy satirical comedies. The 70's brought him to the US, most prominently to Broadway (receiving his first of five Tony nominations in 1974, and winning a Best Actor in 1980.) He also played some hissably funny villains in such Disney comedies as Hot Lead Cold Feet and Pete's Dragon
In the last decade, Jim Dale's voice has gained a magical quality for millions of listeners. He is the narrator of all seven US releases of the Harry Potter book series, as well as for the Harry Potter video games. His work for the Harry Potter won him two Grammys, got him an MBE from Queen Elizabeth II, and earned him a spot in the Guiness Book of World Records (for voicing 146 characters for the Deathly Hallows recordings.) His voice also narrated such fairytale worlds as those "Perfect" Walgreens commercials and the cult TV series Pushing Dasies...
Of all the good things and great actors I associate with that show, I've gotta say that Jim Dale's narration's the best thing about it...
Happy Birthday to veteran actor David Rasche, the That Guy that found, for a moment and a half, the perfect leading role.
He first made his reputation on the Chicago stage; he's particulary received acclaim for his Mamet performances. He also developed his comedic chops in Chicago, assuming John Belushi's spot when Belushi was called up to Saturday Night Live. Perhaps it was the same combination of machismo and buffoonery that made Sledge Hammer such a perfect role.
Sledge Hammer!, a parody of Dirty Harry and NBC's "Hunter" series, lasted two seasons.
"Sledge Hammer" was only one high point of a long TV and movie career. (His longest running series, by five episodes, was the NBC sitcom "Nurses.") He tends to play bunglers or smarmy weasels of the corporate (LA Law, Ugly Betty) or political (West Wing, In the Loop, Burn After Reading.)
But he's so under the radar that he was the most recognizable face in the movie United 93, a movie they wanted to film without any actors that would take the audience out of the story.
Still there are plenty of fans who would recognize him in any role, even if they only see him in one. And they're all going to be in one building!
Here's a birthday wish to Bobbie Gentry, who may be one of the most mysterious entries that I'll write about in this blog. Let me employ a contemporary reference: she's the Lauryn Hill of country music. First, let's listen to the song that defined her career: the Southern Gothic tune "Ode to Billy Joe".
The mystery of what happened on the Tallahassee Bridge was a phenomenon in 1967; it was #1 on the Pop chart, a top 10 hit on the Adult and R&B charts (but not country!) The album knocked 'Sgt Pepper' off the top spot. The song managed 8 Grammy nominations, of which Bobbie won 3 - including Best New Artist. (If you pay attention to the Grammys, you might know where this is going...) Her second album, "The Delta Sweete" was a semi-autobiographical concept album, continuing her swampwater songbird sound. It didn't sell as well as the other 3 albums she put out in 1968, mostly covers and duets.
After "Billy Joe", her next composition that achieved some resonance was "Fancy"; the song and album were released in 1970.
The song's become a Reba McEntire standard, and, in its way, a feminist anthem. For Bobbie Gentry, it was her last Grammy nomination, her last hit single. The album "Fancy" was one of three Bobbie Gentry albums released in 1970. In all, she had recorded nine albums in four years.
The 70's were her cashing in period. There would be no more new songs. She toured Europe, then managed a big payday for a Vegas revue, where she had complete creative control. In the summer of 1974, she had her TV Variety show, the Bobbie Gentry Happiness Hour. In 1976, "Ode to Billy Joe" became a feature film starring Robbie Benson and Glynnis O'Connor.
The film promised to answer the long-debated questions of why Billy Joe jumped off the bridge and what the girl knew. By 1980, she was retired from performing altogether.
My biggest question is, were there any more songs? She certainly had the artistic ambitions; although Kelly Gordon received producer credit for "Billy Joe" and several other albums, Bobbie revealed that she produced most of her songs (and had to list an established producer at the label's insistence.) She resorted to covering pop and country standards to retain some measure of "Billy Joe" success, while the creative follow-ups - songs like "Casket Vignette" and "Apartment 21" - were ignored by the masses. So, she did retire to enjoy motherhood and her spoils? Was she frustrated or heartbroken with the business? Did she just leave while the leaving was good? She was a mysterious woman from the first; no use expecting answers now...
We'll let her say goodbye with her buddies Bing Crosby and Tiny Tim:
I'm featuring Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls today, because I'm something of a fan. I don't have any albums, but there's a few songs of theirs I've learned by heart and can strum them on guitar. I don't know what they call male Indigo Girls fans (besides naive, I guess), but I've liked their music since high school. And it turns out Emily's the one I prefer. She tends to sing the higher parts in the harmonies. Also, she sings the vocals for my two favorite songs, which means she wrote the lyrics to my two favorite songs:
Arguably, Emily's highest charting hit isn't with the Indigo Girls, but in a duet with Vonda Shepherd, from one of the Ally McBeal albums:
Anyway, the Girls are in Lexington tonight, so if there's any tickets available, snatch them up and enjoy the show. Tell her Happy Birthday if you see her...
Nam June Paik was a Korean-born artist who began using television as his media in the early 60's. Not as a mass media, though- as the world's first recognized video artist, he used televisions as his canvas and paints.
This artwork is called 'Something Pacific'. The outdoor version, on the University of California San Diego campus, was his first public installation.
Growing up, Paik went to Germany to study at a music conservatory. While there, he befriended John Cage and several artists in the Fluxus movement, which wanted to destroy the definitions of what makes art in the name of returning art to everyday experience. He started experimenting with televisions.
His TV sculptures and art pieces (particularly his collaborations with cellist Charlotte Moorman) hit a nerve in the art world. His work also predates MTV and the post-millenial media saturated way of life we know today. Although he died in 2006, several of his works are on permanent display around the world, including 'Electronic Superhighway' in the Smithsonian's collection. (Incidentally, he coined the phrase 'electronic superhighway' in 1974, to describe what we call 'information superhighway' today.) Whether he was using TV to build giant robots or build bras, Paik used television to show us ourselves and what we could be.
Here's a discovery: Dame Evelyn Glennie, professional solo percussionist.
Before her, a percussionist (drummer, xylophonist, etc.) would be part of an ensemble, band or orchestra. Growing up loving the drums, she noticed there were no solo percussionists in the way there are solo pianists or guitarists. So she created the job. Her musical skills allowed her to advance to the Royal Academy of Music. From there, she focused on a solo career: searching for solo pieces to perform, commissioning performance pieces, until she became the world-traveling, Grammy-winning artist that she is today.
To explain just how much of a unicorn she is, perhaps I should add that she has been profoundly deaf since the age of 12. (No, she didn't read Oscar's lips.) She's learned to use the rest of her body to listen to her environment, so she hears her music, among other things, in a very different way. In 2010, she received an honorary Doctorate of Music from Cambridge University, and she continues her worldwide crusade to move the percussionist's place from the back of the orchestra. Here's a collaboration with Bjork, called "My Spine":
When a character actor's built a good career, they become a storytelling device just by showing up. Case in point: Margo Martindale
She's one of the supporting cast members in 2010's "Secretariat" movie. Which one? You'll recognize her. Two words: 'best friend'.
She has that southern drawl and pert smile that says "Middle America".
Here's a short list of some of her higher profile roles: *the mom in Million Dollar Baby *the mom in Wedding Daze *the mom in Walk Hard *the mom in Management *the grandma in Hanna Montana: The Movie She's also played her share of nurses, nuns, and nosey neighbors. Over two decades, she's became a familiar face, a comfort to the audience, shorthand for her character's identity and value to the story. Sh's the epitome of a That Guy.
Presently, the closest thing she has to a cult character is Camilla Figg, from the TV show Dexter. Another minor character role, she had a memorable send-off in the third season:
Once in a while, she might find a stretch, like her role in the Alexander Payne segment of "Paris, Je T'aime". Margo's resume will very likely continue to fill with matronly and grandmatronly roles; considering how exceptional and distinct she makes them, that's not a bad thing. She's as American as apple pie:
Don't know if I've written about a That Girl yet, but here's one: Pamela Segall/Adlon. The slash is there because she actually has three or four name permutations she's been credited with. She started her acting career in the 80's, most notably on the Facts of Life for a season and a half. She played Kelly the shoplifter, and the girl who could out-Jo Jo:
While she continued appearing on TV shows (Wiseguy, Redd Foxx) and movies (Say Anything, Ford Fairlane), Segall was really hitting her stride in voice work. She could hit that tough-cute vocal tone that says 'scrappy kid hero', so she found work on several cartoons, including Recess, Rugrats, Teacher's Pet, and King of the Hill, for which she won an Emmy.
Married in the 2K's, she now gets credited as Pamela Adlon. As of this writing, she can be seen on the TV series 'Californication' and she can be heard in those direct-to-video Tinkerbell movies. But here's a funny scene from the overlooked series Lucky Louie:
Happy Birthday to Jerry Mathers, one of TV's first child superstars. Jerry was the star of "Leave It to Beaver," a sitcom that's become synonymous with a decade and a way of life.
By now, the child star life trajectory's become a cliche, and you're probably expecting the same story about Jerry - that's not the case. Maybe it's because his father was a school principal, maybe it was a more naive time, maybe it was because at his audition, he said he'd rather be with his Cub Scout troop... But it seems that he never lost perspective about his career in relation to his life. "Leave it to Beaver" ran from 1957-1963; after the show ended, he essentially retired from acting to concentrate on school, and used his merchandising residuals to financing a successful career as a real estate developer and banker. He returned to star in a TV-movie sequel, "Still the Beaver", which turned into another "Beaver" series that lasted six years. Besides "Beaver", his most significant role might be in the Alfred Hitchcock film "The Trouble with Harry" (which he did two years earlier):
Jerry still acts occassionally (including a turn on Broadway's Hairspray production), but he's certainly not the True Hollywood Story cliche we've come to expect. To me, it's because he made two important decisions through his life: 1)he built a life outside of his show business career; 2) he didn't declare war on his iconic role. It seems that the cast of "Beaver" became a second family as well, and that had to help. (The guy that played Lumpy, his best friend? He's Jerry's investment manager. The guy that played Eddie Haskell, the troublemaker? He's a retired LA cop...) Jerry's lived the "hip to be square" life to the hilt, and that's not so bad. The most 'rock n' roll' thing I could find was something from his brief music career: he fronted a garage band, "Beaver and the Trappers". They recorded a few singles on the Arista label, but mostly played sock hops in California, and... yeah, that's as rebellious as I can find.
Here's to Colin Hay, a trobadour who didn't let a bit of good luck near the beginning of his career be the end of it. Colin was the lead vocalist and primary songwriter for the Australian band Men at Work, an essential ingredient to any 80's New Wave party.
Eventually, the tide went out on New Wave, and Men at Work called it a day. Hay got a few solo albums out by the end of the decade, but no chart traction. That would be it for most people, but he kept recording and releasing his own material. Chad Fisher, a musician that worked outside the music industry with his band Lazlo Bane, recruited Hay for a cover of Men at Work's "Overkill"; Fisher records and tours with Hay to this day.
One of Lazlo Bane's fans, actor Zach Braff, persuaded the producers of Scrubs to use Hay's songs in the show; Hay even appeared on the show several times. His most recent album, American Sunshine, came out in 2009; several of his solo albums have also been re-released. All indicators suggest that his best work's yet to come... Here's a promotional performance of "Waiting for My Life to Begin", alongside his wife and frequent singing partner, Cecilia Noel:
Now that the Karate Kid has been successfully re-invented for another generation, it's a good time to remember Pat Morita. After all, it was his Oscar-nominated performance that elevated a teen movie into a signpost for a decade, and cemented his title as the most popular Japanese-American actor in history. He managed quite a few firsts in his career. Morita was the Arnold that ran Arnold's on "Happy Days". He became the first Asian-American sitcom lead in "Mr T and Tina"; the cancellation of that show and "Blansky's Beauties" would make him one of the few actors to lose two shows in one season. In the wake of "Karate Kid", he got his own cop show, "Ohara":
Yup, that's Catherine Kenner,from "Being John Malkovich", as a junior detective. "Ohara", the first drama with an Asian-American lead, didn't do much better in the ratings; it lasted two seasons. Morita's enthnicity was a double-edged sword, but he used it adeptly through the decades. He played at least as many roles in his native California drawl as he did laying on his Migayi-think accent. He was just as comfortable lampooning his iconic sensai character as he was reprising or ripping it off. Whether he was earning an Emmy nod (for the Kirk Douglas TV-movie Amos) or starring in a buddy cop movie with Jay Leno:
[Take THAT, Prince Humperdink!] Morita schooled us all. Happy Birthday, Sensai...
Today's birthday girl is a request: Duffy, part of the wave of 21st century blue-eyed soul girls, was inspired to sing from watching Sister Act, starring Whoopi Goldberg. Her 2008 debut was 2008's biggest album in the UK. She made her inroads in the rest of the world, too, although I don't understand why they used the song "Mercy" to hype the American Gladiators show when it was on; oh, well. She Here's another of her tunes, a fave of a friend of mine, "Rain on Your Parade." She's performing on Jools Holland's stage, which is where she made her breakthrough:
In 2010, she's recorded album number 2, aiming to release it before year's end...
Tress MacNeille is one of the most prolific character actors today, having been in more than 200 TV shows over 30 years. You know her voice: Babs Bunny [Tiny Toons], Agnes Skinner [Simpsons], Chip [when he was a Rescue Ranger], Mom [Futurama], Daisy Duck [since 1999...] every other cranky woman in an English dub of a Studio Ghibli film... One of her most popular characters is Dot Warner, one of the Animaniacs. It's a good starting point, if you want to figure out what characters she's done in your favorite cartoons. I know it's probably the least wacky scene Animaniacs ever did, but it's a good spotlight.
Voice-over artists tend to be invisible to the audience, so let's rectify that. Here she is, in a Designing Women parody (sorry it's more clever than funny.) She's the one in the glasses, for people who don't know the show.
Of course, if there's any kind of Weird Al connection, I'll exploit it. So here's Tress MacNeille's assist on Weird Al's "Ricky":
Happy Birthday, Ms MacNeille. Can't wait to hear what's next...
Here's to honorary doppelganger Elaine "Spanky" Macfarlane. In the 60's, one of her bandmates said she looked like Spanky from the Little Rascals; just like that, the band became "Spanky and Our Gang". I guess they're doppelgangers times two, because their songs and performances tend to get lumped in with the Mamas and the Papas. But let's be clear: "Lazy Day" belongs to them. "Sunday Morning" and "Give a Damn"- the Gang. And their biggest hit, "Sunday Will Never Be the Same":
Before their third album, the band guitarist died, and the band essentially dissolved by decade's end, although they would reunite several times. In fact, the band got back together a few years ago, to record an americana-style album. Here's a performance from the Smothers Brothers show. It's not one of their chart climbers, but it's just too much fun.
Happy Birthday to the perennially underestimated Wayne Brady. Dude has more skills than he knows what to do with. That's probably why he first got the world's attention on "Whose Line is it Anyway?" It could change from episode to episode whether Ryan Styles or Colin Mochrie was funnier, but nobody could keep up with Wayne Brady on on sheer talent.
Since the show ended, he's been everywhere, seeing what sticks. The powers that be tried to give him his own show, which started as a variety show (like all those 70's celebrity specials) then became a Regis-style talk show. He kept winning Emmys, but the show got cancelled, anyway. He's started and stopped enough projects for a dozen stars. He's had his share of TV pilots, TV movies, and guest appearances in practically every genre on TV. He's recorded several albums, plus a weekly Vegas show. He's on his third (or fourth, I've lost count) game show hosting gig, doing the relaunch of "Let's Make a Deal." One I didn't know was him: he wrote and song the theme to one of the better cartoons of the last few years, "the Weekenders."
So why isn't Wayne Brady taking over the world? Is it because everybody's expecting him to sing, dance, and be funny every time they see him? Or is he so cool to everybody that it's not cool to like him? Does he just seem too, well, nice? Maybe he's holding back...
Big-name music acts don't come to my town that offer (especially the ones that don't wear cowboy hats.) Apparently, it's a big deal that Brandi Carlile is coming to town. She's a new name to me, but the last time this singer-songwriter came around, tickets to her show were gone as soon as the word got out. Guess there's a lot of "Grey's Anatomy" fans in the area; four songs from her first two album have been used by the show. "The Story", her second album's title track, was used as a 3rd season recap, and became an iPod darling shortly thereafter. She's got a new album this year, and her new tour's brought her back to my neck of the woods. (Two weeks, Grumpy, if you haven't got your tickets already!) Rick Rubin produced her latest, so I might give the album a try. Meanwhile, here's Brandi's biggest song so far...
Happy Birthday, Patricia Quinn, Lady Stephens... her proper name, from her knighted husband. In Great Britain, she's been a TV regular for decades, guest starring on such BBC mainstays as "I, Claudius," "Minder," and "Dr Who". She's stayed just as active on the West End stage, with a career just shy of 40 years. Her second most memorable performance might be as Mrs Williams, the Sex Ed Instructor's wife in "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life."
As to the first... First, let me mention that Lady Patricia is a former Playboy Bunny; not one of the magazine models, but a former floppy-ears-and-corset wearing employee of the Playboy Clubs, back when they were world-wide and top of the line. Even today, she's a stunner of a redhead; she looks like Susan Sarandon, but with well-rested eyes. And then, there are the lips... Lady Patricia's lips are among the most celebrated and adulated in cinematic history (sorry, Angelina.) Let's clear up about "Science Fiction Double Feature": the movie opening has Richard O'Brien's voice, but it's Lady Patricia's lips mouthing them, drawing the audience in. She actually sang the opening in the original stage production, but the movie producers preferred O'Brien's less vampy version. Since I never turn down an opportunity to share some Rocky Horror:
I've wrote about the Iron Chef program before; today is the birthday of my favorite Iron Chef, Masaharu Morimoto. More than anyone, he embodies the spirit of ingenuity and adventure that Iron Chef purports to be. He first became adept at Keiseki cuisine and sushi preparation, with his own restaurant by age 30. He sold his restaurant to travel to the US, cooking in exclusive restaurants like New York's Nobu, while developing his fusion style. And it was that style that was a game changer for Iron Chef. The show was sold to audiences as an Olympic-style cooking competition, where French cuisine would take on Chinese style, or Italian would clash with Japanese; the styles were in competition, with the chefs as conduits. But Morimoto's style was so exciting and unpredictable that his competitions inevitably became chef versus chef, particularly when conservative Japanese chefs would challenge Morimoto for the honor of Japanese cuisine. He's a cast member with the Iron Chef America series, as well as owner of several Morimoto restaurants around the world. Dinner at Morimoto is something on my personal bucket list, somewhere between driving a motorcycle and riding into space. Here's a demo that the once and future Iron Chef Japanese did at Google:
Never mind Raymond; it seems everybody loves Mitch Albom. As a sportswriter, he's been the Associated Press's sports columnist of the year a record 13 times; nobody else has won it more than once. As a novelist, he wrote Oprah favorite "Tuesdays with Morrie", the most printed memoir of all time. He was Ted Koppel's choice as the final guest on Nightline. He founded several charities for the Detroit area, targeting illiteracy, homelessness, and the deterioration of Detroit's neighborhoods. And I'm writing about him because of a song about hockey. He wrote "Hit Somebody(The Hockey Song)" with Warren Zevon, for Zevon's 2002 album, "My Ride's Here". It's an ode to one of those rarified creatures, the hockey goon, and it's a bittersweet and hilarious song, even without David Letterman's contribution. Of course, the song's getting turned into a movie, and Kevin Smith's going to direct. Smith and Albom are writing the script together, so it's already shaping up to be Kevin Smith's best movie ever. For this reason alone, I want to wish Mitch Albom a happy birthday and a thank you. I think you'll feel the same after you listen to this song:
(I'm not even a hockey fan. Have to admit, tho, it's the Flyers' year...)
For decades (and under several names), this man has written in a variety of media, on a panoply of subjects, in an attempt to demarcate the cacophany of the universe. Despite the failure of several ventures, and the gravitational pull of reality, this man is unable to refrain from writing. Seriously, the dude has a problem. An intervention seems inevitable.
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