by jennifer on July 29, 2007
The New York Times is roughly six months late to review the "Get Smart: The Complete Collection" dvd box set? The write up really doesn’t do the show much justice — barely mentioning the genius of Buck Henry or Mel Brooks. Not to mention some of the series’ brilliant writers, my stepfather, Mike Marmer, included along with his longtime writing partner, Stan Burns.
Nonetheless, very happy to see the coverage. Hopefully the dvd’s, erratic showings on TV Land and semi-continuous syndication on the international circuit, will help keep the spirit of my step-father’s work alive for current and future generations. Must keep the kids laughing!
In honor of the occasion and in pursuit of archiving some of Michael’s (and his peers’) work of the era, I’ve branched out from collecting pure video of shows and documentaries, into the collection of related comedy albums.
Today I found the following (in original vinyl):
- The Ernie Kovacs Album
- The Flip Wilson Show with Special Guest David Frost
- Flip Wilson: You Devil You
- Flip Wilson: Flippin’
- The Golden Age of Comedy, volume one (incl. Red Skelton, Ernie Kovacs, Sid Caesar, Milton Berle, etc.)
Along with my stepfather’s passing, I continue to witness his buddies from the biz also passing on. It’s hard to believe an entire generation of writers, producers, and entertainers is or has gradually slipped away from our world.
Would you believe the world could ever forget such comedy? Never
by jennifer on July 22, 2007
It’s not bad enough as Americans, we are continually losing our civil rights (Patriot Act, illegal wiretapping, etc.). Now Bush & Co, via the Dept. of Homeland Security, are to begin profiling European visitors to the US. The information gathered is to include:
"personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions,
religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, and data
concerning the health or sex life of individuals".
DHS will be allowed to use this data in "exceptional cases" and permitted to store this info for 15 years.
You may want to read "Alarm at US right to highly personal data" sitting down. And if you’re in the EU planning a trip to the US, might be time to reconsider. If you’re in the US, you might want to make sure your passport is up to date.
by jennifer on July 11, 2007
by jennifer on July 11, 2007
by jennifer on July 3, 2007
I kind of thought death as a theme was gone from my life for a little while. Just a short breather between more passings. So foolish am I! Because, I am deceased.
During a work meeting today, I received a call on my mobile phone. Expecting an important personal call from an unknown number, I answered the phone. The voice on the other end asked: "Is this Jennifer Crakow? You went to art school in Chicago?
To my amazement it was an old mate from school, Arnold. We hadn’t talked in a few years (even that was email) and I haven’t seen him in over 15 years. At the time of his call, however, I was in a meeting and told him I’d give him a ring in 5-10 minutes. From hearing his voice I immediately picked up that something was very strange.
My meeting wrapped up and I immediately had the urge to call Arnold back right away. Could this be work related? Is he back in SF? Is something going on with our mutual friend, Tanya, from way back? I was completely enveloped in this curiosity.
After our quick hello’s and greetings, Arnold tells me he had just received correspondence in the postal mail from the schools’ alumni program. In the list of our class’ graduates he saw my name. Next
to my name was the word "deceased". Arnold said he had felt his stomach sink and could not believe his eyes. He did a quick Google search on me. Thanks to the interwebs, Arnold found me and called my mobile within minutes (if not seconds).
It makes me wonder. I called the alum office at school. Sure enough 2 asterisks attached to my name in the db. 2 asterisks means deceased.
Who killed me? When, exactly, did I die? And perhaps, most important, why wasn’t the IRS informed?
