On the eve of his retirement in 2001, the former CEO of G.E. spoke with Lesley Stahl about turning his company around, embracing the internet, and the reputation that earned him the nickname “Neutron Jack.” Welch died Monday, March 2, 2020.
Category Archives: Television
Music Nostalgia: Singer David Byrne – 40 Years After First “Saturday Night Live” In 1980 (Video)
SNL musical guest David Byrne reflects on returning to the show 40 years after his first appearance with Talking Heads.
Interviews: 56-Year Old Comedian, TV Host Conan O’Brien (Oxford Union)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcjHq7E0mGw
Conan O’Brien is an American comedian and television personality, best known for hosting his own eponymous late-night talk show, Conan. A former writer for SNL and The Simpsons, and a graduate of Harvard University, he is celebrated for his awkward, self-deprecating comedic style, and has over 25 years’ experience as a late-night host.
Conan Christopher O’Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, podcaster, and producer. He is best known for writing in Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons and hosting Late-night talk shows like Late Night with Conan O’Brien , The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien and Conan. Since 2010, he has been hosting Conan on the cable channel TBS.
Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, O’Brien was raised in an Irish Catholic family. He served as president of The Harvard Lampoon while attending Harvard University, and was a writer for the sketch comedy series Not Necessarily the News. After writing for several comedy shows in Los Angeles, he joined the writing staff of Saturday Night Live. O’Brien was a writer and producer for The Simpsons for two seasons until he was commissioned by NBC to take over David Letterman’s position as host of Late Night in 1993. A virtual unknown to the public, O’Brien’s initial Late Night tenure received unfavorable reviews and remained on a multi-week renewal cycle during its early years. The show generally improved over time and was highly regarded by the time of his departure in 2009. Afterwards, O’Brien relocated from New York to Los Angeles to host his own incarnation of The Tonight Show for seven months until network politics prompted a host change in 2010.
(From Wikipedia)
ABOUT THE OXFORD UNION SOCIETY: The Oxford Union is the world’s most prestigious debating society, with an unparalleled reputation for bringing international guests and speakers to Oxford. Since 1823, the Union has been promoting debate and discussion not just in Oxford University, but across the globe.
Interviews: 57-Year Old Actor Bob Odenkirk On Aging, Getting “Nicer”
From a Wall Street Journal online article (Feb 21, 2020):
“I don’t have this precious career as an actor that I had to preserve. I’m an older guy, I’ve had a career, and the most personal thing I’ve ever done was Mr. Show, so, in a way I’ve said my piece, so I just don’t have all that much to lose really compared to somebody who’s an actor for a living and dreaming of their own show. My daughter asked me this question. This was a kid who grew up in Hollywood. She said, “If it’s bad, how bad would it be?” And I thought, Well, it’s Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. The worst thing it would be, would be an experiment that just didn’t pan out, but an interesting one at the very least.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLbdg4WM8qc
It’s fair to say that in 1998, no one who saw Bob Odenkirk perform a Mr. Show sketch buck naked on the stage of Radio City Music Hall for Comic Relief VIII—a cupped hand his only nod to decency—would have predicted his turn to drama. Odenkirk is now critically celebrated for his portrayal of greasy lawyer Saul Goodman in AMC’s Better Call Saul.
The 57 year-old stars on the fifth and penultimate season of the show, which premieres this weekend and has moved far away from its first season branding as “a Breaking Bad spinoff.”
Tributes: Actor Robert Conrad Of “The Wild, Wild West” Dies At 84 (1935 -2020)
Robert Conrad, the actor best known for his role in the television show The Wild Wild West, died today in Malibu, Calif. of heart failure. He was 84 and his death was announced by a family spokesman. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Conrad moved to Los Angeles in 1958 and found almost instant success, booking a recurring role on the TV show Hawaiian Eye in 1959.
Robert Conrad (born Conrad Robert Falk; March 1, 1935 – died February 8, 2020) was an American film and television actor, singer, and stuntman. He is best known for his role in the 1965–69 television series The Wild Wild West, playing the sophisticated Secret Service agent James T. West. He portrayed World War II ace Pappy Boyington in the television series Baa Baa Black Sheep (later syndicated as Black Sheep Squadron). In addition to acting, he was a singer, and recorded several pop/rock songs in the late 1950s and early 1960s as Bob Conrad. He hosted a weekly two-hour national radio show (The PM Show with Robert Conrad) on CRN Digital Talk Radio since 2008.
From Wikipedia
Top 2020 Super Bowl Ad: “Jeep – Groundhog Day” Featuring 69-Year Old Actor Bill Murray (Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnhzGUcENWo
It’s “Groundhog Day” all over again as Jeep brand debuts a Big Game spot starring Bill Murray (in his first-ever national television commercial). But this time reliving the same day over and over again is always a new adventure when you’re driving the 2020 Jeep Gladiator. Jeep. There’s only one.
From AdWeek:
It is fortuitous that the Super Bowl falls on Groundhog Day. Yet it seems as though only one brand, Jeep, has taken advantage of that fact so far, with Bill Murray reprising his role as Phil Connors, the Pittsburgh weather reporter who relives the same day over and over in Punxsutawney, Pa.
The 60-second Super Bowl ad, done by Chicago-based agency Highdive, reprises the classic 1993 film Groundhog Day. And while a younger generation may not necessarily know the movie, it’s an easy gag to understand. Of course, Murray is an outsized cultural icon, and the fact that the brand is using real characters from the film (Brian Doyle-Murray and Stephen Tobolowsky also appear in their original roles) makes the spot very strong.
Video Interviews: 55-Year Old Actor Mike Wolfe Of “American Pickers” (CBS)
An archaeologist of antiques, Mike Wolfe has taken viewers on a nationwide scavenger hunt for historic finds via his History Channel series, “American Pickers.”
But he’s not just about buying up the past; he’s also helping preserve it, by restoring old Main Street buildings in Le Claire, Iowa, and elsewhere. Lee Cowan talked with Wolfe about his passion for relics of history.
2020 Super Bowl: Amazon Releases Very Funny “Before Alexa” Ad (Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF9t2rFmTVE
What did we do #BeforeAlexa? Watch now and vote for your favorite ad on Ad Meter!
Super Bowl Ads: Hilarious “Avocados From Mexico Shopping Network” (2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4QYhAAKja8
Healthy, delicious, always in season- it may seem like Avocados From Mexico have it all. But they don’t have a luxury yurt. Or a Tortilla Chip Floatie. Luckily, Molly Ringwald and the Avocados From Mexico Shopping Network has everything you need to give your avocado everything it deserves.
New Documentaries: “Ali & Cavett: The Tale Of The Tapes” On HBO (Trailer)
Eye-opening documentary explores the life of boxing legend Muhammad Ali through the lens of his many appearances on Dick Cavett’s iconic, long-running talk show. Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes premieres Feb. 11 at 9pm on HBO.
Boomers Daily 