Garry Marshall, Director of ‘Pretty Woman’ and Creator of ‘Happy Days’ and ‘Laverne & Shirley’ Dies at Age 81

GARRY MARSHALL, THE CREATOR OF SOME OF THE GREATEST SITCOMS EVER HAS PASSED AWAY …

Garry Marshall, the man who created such amazing and iconic sitcoms like “Happy Days,” “The Odd Couple,” “Laverne and Shirley” and “Mork and Mindy” has passed away at the age of 81. Marshall, who  also directed the hit movie “Pretty Woman” died Tuesday in Burbank, California of complications from pneumonia following a stroke. What a loss. Marshall also created the lesser known ABC sitcom “Angie” and Happy Days spinoff “Joanie Loves Chachi.” Marshall also directed such movies like “Beaches,” “Overboard,” “The Flamingo Kid,” among the too numerous to mention. What an amazing talent.

Garry Marshall, who created some of the 1970s’ most iconic sitcoms including “Happy Days,” “The Odd Couple,” “Laverne and Shirley” and “Mork and Mindy” and went on to direct hit movies including “Pretty Woman” and “The Princess Diaries,” died Tuesday in Burbank, Calif. of complications from pneumonia following a stroke. He was 81.

Marshall went from being TV writer to creating sitcoms that touched the funny bones of the 1970s generation and directing films that were watched over and over: “Happy Days” helped start a nostalgia craze that has arguably never abated, while “Mork and Mindy” had a psychedelically goofy quality that catapulted Robin Williams to fame and made rainbow suspenders an icon of their era. “Pretty Woman” likewise cemented Julia Roberts’ stardom, while “The Princess Diaries” made Anne Hathaway a teen favorite

Tribute to Television Great Garry Marshall (and the making of Happy Days)

Marshall had one of his first substantial hits when he developed and exec produced an adaptation of Neil Simon’s play “The Odd Couple” in 1970 for ABC. The show drew several Emmy nominations for outstanding comedy series and wins for stars Jack Klugman and Tony Randall over the course of its five-season run. (In 2015 Marshall served as a consultant on a CBS remake of the series that starred Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon.)

Marshall penned the 1971 pilot for “Happy Days,” which was recycled in 1972 as a segment of ABC’s comedy anthology series “Love, American Style” called “Love and the Happy Days.” George Lucas asked to view the pilot before deciding to cast Ron Howard, who starred in it, in “American Graffiti,” released in 1973. “Happy Days” debuted as a series on the network in 1974, riding high on the wave of 1950s nostalgia generated in part by the success of “American Graffiti.”

A star and one of the greatest sitcoms ever is born, how Happy Days became a reality.

Marshall penned the 1971 pilot for “Happy Days,” which was recycled in 1972 as a segment of ABC’s comedy anthology series “Love, American Style” called “Love and the Happy Days.” George Lucas asked to view the pilot before deciding to cast Ron Howard, who starred in it, in “American Graffiti,” released in 1973.

Daily Commentary – Thursday, April 28, 2016 – Not a Fan but There Seems to be Some Trouble Brewing on the Kelly & Michael Show

• Michael Strahan’s sudden announcement that he was leaving Kelly and moving to Good Morning America full time, took Kelly Rippa by surprise. She took a couple days to “think” then returned last Tuesday

Daily Commentary – Thursday, April 28, 2016 Download

MTV Plans a Major Return to Music … What a Novel Concept (VIDEO)

MTV plans to put the MUSIC back in MTV …

As reported at the LA Times, What’s old is new: MTV plots a major return to music. Wow, imagine that, MTV finally realizes after a terrible past 25 years of programming that the “M” in MTV actually stands for music. I have to admit and I am about to date myself, I remember the very first day and song that MTV hit TV. How can you forget the music video, Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles.  In 1981 it was a ground breaking event when a 24 hour music television was born. And yes, I had such a crush on Martha Quinn

Then MTV decided to go the way of the dodo and do everything and anything except music. They had an opportunity to ride the wave and they went the wrong direction. However, for MTV is probably too late and too much innovation has taken place since 1981, because just as Video killed the Radio star, the Internet and social media may have killed MTV.

MTV’s original show

For much of the modern era, the word music in the MTV acronym has been an afterthought, a vestige of an earlier time and identity.

That’s all about to change.

Under the guidance of new President Sean Atkins, the youth network is embarking on a redo that will put music at its center.

With ratings flat or down in a number of time periods, MTV is turning to songs as its savior. The network is prepping a new version of its classic “Unplugged”; a music competition show in the world of hip-hop produced by Mark Burnett; and an L.A.-set live-music series titled “Wonderland.” The last one is MTV’s first such program in about two decades.

Though much of the network’s success this century has come via nonscripted series with little connection to bands (“Jersey Shore,” “The Hills”)–and though original scripted programming remains the rage across much of the cable dial — MTV believes it will fare better by returning to its roots.

“The thing that kept coming back when I first started this job was, ‘Why doesn’t MTV do more music?” Atkins said in an interview. “Music is our muse, our spirit animal. And it’s a great muse to have. So we’re leaning into it.”

Buggles – Video killed the radio star

Chumlee of ‘Pawn Stars’ Arrested on Felony Weapons and Drug Charges

RUT-ROH, CHUMLEE ARRESTED …

33 year old Austin “Chumlee” Russell, better known as Chumlee of the hit TV show ‘Pawn Stars’ has been arrested on felony weapons and drug charges. The Las Vegas Metro Police were serving a search warrant on his Las Vegas Valley home in a sexual assault investigation when they discovered methamphetamine, marijuana and firearms. According to reports, Chumlee is facing 19 drug possession charges and one count of possession of a gun by a prohibited person. Russell has not yet been charged in the sexual assault case, but he finds himself in a world of trouble.  Chumlee was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on Wednesday and his bail was set at $62,000.

There is no word yet as to whether Chumlee had to pawn anything to make bail .

The man known to millions of cable TV viewers as Chumlee on the reality show “Pawn Stars” was being held late Wednesday in a Las Vegas jail following his arrest on felony weapon and drug charges.

Russell, 33, was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on Wednesday. His bail was set at $62,000.

He is facing 19 drug possession charges and one count of possession of a gun by a prohibited person, jail logs show.

Al Jazeera America Shutting Down … Flashback: Hillary Clinton, ‘Viewership Of Al Jazeera Is Going Up In The United States’

IMAGINE THAT, AL JAZEERA AMERICA FAILED IN AMERICA, GOING THE WAY OF THE DO DO …

The Al Jazeera America will be closing up shop by April 30, 2016. The channel launched in early 2o13 and hit the airwaves in August 2013 after the purchase of Al Gore’s Current TV. That was a story unto itself when Al “Mr. Global Warming” Gore sold True TV to Al Jazeera, a media entity which was funded mostly by the government of Qatar, which is of course gets most of its money from oil. No hypocrisy there now, is there? As stated at the Daily Caller, Al Jazeera America is shutting down after less than two-and-a-half years of operation, a victim of tanking oil prices that left its owners unable to finance the virtually-unwatched cable channel.Al Jazeera, which made a massive investment in covering the United States less than three years ago, is slamming the brakes on its American operation.

Al Jazeera America, a cable news channel that debuted in August 2013, is shutting down. Employees were informed of the decision during an all-hands staff meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

During the meeting, Al Jazeera America brass said the channel’s business model was “no longer sustainable.” It will shut down by April 30, an Al Jazeera America executive told staff, saying the decision was made by the channel’s board of directors and was not a reflection of the quality of their work.

Employees also were told that Al Jazeera will pursue a new global online strategy with content delivered from the U.S. later this year.

Remember when Hillary praised Al Jazeera News and Al “global warming” Gore Sold his news network to an oil producing country?

Remember when Hillary Clinton called it real news? As secretary of state in 2011 Hillary Clinton touted Al Jazeera as a “really effective” news network with viewership that was “going up in the United States.” More from the Politico on the death of Al Jazeera America.

The Qatar-based Arab-language broadcaster Al Jazeera created an American channel two-and-a-half years ago in a bid to bring its brand to U.S. audiences that were increasingly being exposed to global media.

Al Jazeera made a mission of doing in-depth, enterprising reportage that would eschew what it saw as the frenetic, soundbite-heavy character of U.S. cable news.

But the channel failed to build up a substantial viewership here, and was available only in about 60 million American homes, compared with roughly 100 million households that have cable TV. Its ratings, which approached 28,000 viewers in primetime in 2015 and 19,000 viewers in total day, according to Nielsen, were paltry compared to the big-three cable news channels.

Al Jazeera bought its way into the U.S. market for a reported $500 million in January 2013 when it acquired Current TV, the struggling news channel co-founded by Al Gore in 2005, and took over its slot on the cable dial.