DVD Box Set Stuff (or Close Encounters of the 4th, 5th, and 6th kind)

I know it has been a long, long time since my last gripe. But I'm trying to adjust to the Christmas music that's now flooding our airwaves. After all, this is the holiday season, right?

Well, here's my gripe, and last one for this week. The day after Thanksgiving, I was tempted to purchase the new "30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition" of Steven Spielberg's 1977 sci-fi classic "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into Disc One, which contains, as far as I'm concerned, the definitive cut of the movie. This was the version I remember seeing at the old Sacramento Inn Cinema in Sacramento, CA in 1977, the 135-minute version as originally released. Without repeating what other people have said in certain reviews of this new box set, it also contains the inferior 1980 "Special Edition" (with the otherwise spectacular "Mothership Finale"), and the 1998 "Collector's Edition" (what Spielberg now calls his "Director's Cut", which itself features the best material from the latter two versions).

In a new interview feature on Disc Three, Spielberg mentions "there will be no fourth version". Well, he is wrong. There was a fourth version...as well as a fifth, and a sixth. Why were there so many versions of CE3K? Simple...it seems that Spielberg was never satisfied with a "final cut" he could call his own. The 1977 release, as Spielberg mentions in a previous Criterion Collection LaserDisc, was "a work-in-progress that had never been finished". Here's where the confusion begins...in the Criterion disc, Spielberg says he wanted to release CE3K in mid-December 1977 while Columbia wanted the film released a month earlier in November. But in the 1998 "Collector's Edition" documentary, he states he wanted to release CE3K the following summer of 1978, but was pressed into releasing it in November owing to Columbia's financial problems at the time. Whatever the case, he was not originally allowed to really fine-tune the film as he wanted. He wanted to take out scenes while filming new ones. So it was really his fault that what fans eventually got was a smorgasboard of different versions released to television and video.

By 1983 the "Special Edition" had been on everyone's minds, and for many years was the most commonly seen version. Of course, "E.T." had become the most popular film of all time at that time, so ABC capitalized on that success by creating a version of CE3K using all the footage that was available at the time, save for the theatrical introduction of the Nearly family that was replaced by the longer version seen in the SE. ABC's version ran 143 minutes and was repeated twice over the next decade.

But fans wanted very much to see the original 1977 cut, the one they remembered seeing in the cinemas. When the Criterion Collection slated CE3K for LaserDisc release, what they prepared was...ta-da, the original version...well, not quite. It was a box set that contained two versions of the film. One was an almost-restoration of the original cut, but minus 30 seconds of brief trims Spielberg requested be taken out of film context and placed in uncredited chapters at the end of the appropriate side. Those 30 seconds were replaced by one five-second shot of the UFO shadow as seen in the SE. This, by the way, was the same version that Columbia/TriStar prepared for television syndication.

The second Criterion version was the 1980 Special Edition...well, not quite. It was kind-of-a-do-it-yourself version of CE3K using all the footage that was available in film context, minus the 1977 OV trims, and for obvious reasons I'll explain in a moment, the 1977 theatrical introduction to the Nearys, but otherwise including all the SE scenes (the Cotopaxi scene, Mothership Finale, etc.). Now how could you have created that version? Well, you had to use a LaserDisc player that was capable of programming chapters to play in a certain order (you had to do that to every side...this was, of course, before the "seamless branching" features of DVD). You could probably count this as a sixth variant since it pretty much resembles the ABC cut of the film except in subtle places.

Of course, today with home computer technology and a little know-how which I'll leave you to figure out for yourself, you can create your own "complete edition" using all footage, regular and outtakes. I did, and it was very interesting to say the least.

But all these versions of CE3K are no substitute for what was originally released in 1977, and the one audiences and film critics made into a blockbuster film, the one that saved Columbia from financial ruin. In short, you can't mess with the original. I'm happy that the true 1977 edit is now available on video.

You could say the same about the new "Blade Runner" box set, but that's another story for another time.

Watch the skies, and see ya Monday!!!

Hollywood Strike-Out

I never would imagine that even in the days of Internet, digital, DVD, etc. that Hollywood would again go on strike. Yes, on Monday the writers created their picket lines once again, and right off the bat it's hitting your favorite TV shows. No sooner than the late-night talk shows became affected, then the sitcoms were next in line (aside from the drama "Desperate Housewives"). It's really a shame to have your television habits affected, isn't it? Of course, the network that's really gonna lose in all this is NBC, the lowest rated network amongsted the big four. I don't think anyone cares at this point. You know what? It doesn't bother me one bit since my relatives (whom I'm staying with) don't have cable right now. At least we still have the NFL and the NBA to bring us some drama. If a complete wipe-out of our entire season happens, I won't be surprised. It's all about one thing...money. The more time passes, the more dough they ask. But you got to have some sympathy for the writers...they make things work in the first place...that is, for shows that manage to survive. Just one thing I ask of them...don't picket for too long or Hollywood will really lose its cool.

NEXT TIME: DVD Box Set Stuff

Football's Answer to "Last Man Standing", Part II

It can only get tougher for football. After the end of this past weekend, only three undefeated teams remain in College Football, while in the NFL there's only one (the New England Patriots). But the few that remain can only display their faith in themselves, and faith that they will make it through that championship game. Whatever know-how they have, they are tough as nails. I will be surprised if any undefeated team makes it to that championship. I guess that's the short of it as I was not surprised to hear about the latest Hollywood strike involving the writers...but that's another gripe for tomorrow.

Friday Gripe (or "Dawn's Early Night")

To close out another week of gripes, I've chosen as my subject a great entertainer who passed away this past week, singer-actor Robert Goulet.

Goulet had a unique musical voice. His talented career spanned film, stage, television, and radio. Goulet was a remarkable performer. But, sometimes he had a few blunders.

I remember years back watching blooper shows (they drew a lot of ratings back in the 1980s). One show I remember seeing had a black-and-white film of Goulet back in the 1960s performing (or at least trying to) the National Anthem. Right off the bat, he flubbed the opening line. "Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early night". NIGHT? Well, that was a day done quick, didn't it? Needless to say, the audience booed and booed. Anyway, that was some ultimate insult to Francis Scott Key's patriotic composition, wasn't it? Yes...at least until Roseanne ruined it even further decades later. By the way, the opening line should go, "...by the dawn's early LIGHT".

I didn't know until news of Goulet's death hit that I learned where that footage came from...a 1965 boxing match that featured Muhammad Ali (still "The Greatest Athlete" in my book).

Another blunder Goulet committed that I saw on the blooper shows was (I believe) from the old "Mike Douglas Show" (I think...or was it another daily pre-Oprah talk show?) Anyway, here was Goulet picking a lovely girl from the audience to sing to. The song was called "The Nearness Of you". Boy, how he serenaded and kissed her on the forehead. "Her", that is, until "her" was revealed to be a man in drag!!! (calling Dustin "Tootsie" Hoffman.) Boy, was Goulet embarrassed! Yes, entertainers are entitled to a few mistakes. But all-in-all, he was a great artist to the end. He will be sorely missed.

Have a great weekend...back next week! And don't forget to set your clocks back on Saturday night for the return of Standard Time (Hooray! Longer nights are back!!! I love it when it gets dark early.)

NEXT TIME: Football's Version Of "Last Man Standing"--Take II

If You Don't Have A TV...

TV or not TV...that is the question. It used to be in case you missed a favorite show you'd use the good ol' VCR. All you have to do is time-shift (program it so you can see it at a later time). So, if you had no time to watch, say, "General Hospital", while you're at work or shopping, the VCR would take care of it for you. Push a few buttons, then when you get home, rewind the tape and see it after dinner.

Boy, have we come far from it. Digital has taken over. Now you have such things as Tivo, DVR, and yes, disc recording from your own home.

But when it comes to the Internet...hmmm. Somehow the networks found a way to make their first-run shows available there too. Miss that episode of "CSI" or "Lost", and don't have any recorder or TV at all? Now there's a scenario to think about. All of a sudden, your PC has become a television! I once tried this kind of thing with the second episode of NBC's newest remake of "Bionic Woman" on a certain website. And you know what? It's kind of cool. Not that I'm fond of a network languishing in fourth place right now. I've been a little bit hesitant to try it with stuff from the other networks, but I suppose I will catch on if I try.

Oh, can we forget those that have iPods that can store new and classic TV shows too with a little know-how?

You know, when those Southern California fires hit and we had no cable TV to watch the coverage, obviously we used the Internet to access one of the local news channels and our PC became our television in a sense. We had it going non-stop.

Gee, I didn't know a PC could replace a television. But I suppose if we're too lazy to catch this
season's crop of shows or current news events on regular TV, it seems like a pretty good alternative. Now, I wonder if I can log on to my favorite game show...

NEXT TIME: Friday Gripe (or "Dawn's Early Night").

Baseball Postseason Postmortum

Out with the old baseball legends and in with the new. Well, now that the 2007 Major League Baseball season is over, we have to wonder why there hasn't been a repeat World Champion since 2000's New York Yankees, and why in four of the last five years the home team has not won the deciding game of a World Series. It's rather a sorry sight to see the opponents jump for joy on another's baseball diamond with no sound of jubilee. I kind of saw this coming, which is why I did not see even one minute of the Fox Network's 2007 World Series coverage.

In any event, there is one single, logical answer to the two questions I posed...the youth of the world. The days of Willie Mays, Reggie Jackson, and so on have gone into the sunset, and new faces too numerous to mention in today's gripe are coming in, all wanting to emulate those legends of the past. Of course, they are all far from being, say, a Babe Ruth or Jackie Robinson, but these are just guys fulfilling dreams of making it in the big leagues. The problem is, with every World Series champion since 2000, they find it hard to keep the chemistry going within the team to help defend their title.

Then again, making it in the big leagues also isn't easy. It takes time. Look at how hard Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants got to be the home run king with 762 biggies, surpassing Hank Aaron's previous record of 755. As we all know, that landmark was wasted as the Giants finished last in the National League Western Division.

The key to any success in any one team, and something the youth is lacking, is discipline. This is what they will need to carry on into the postseason. After all, the goal of every major league team is to touch that World Series Commissioner's Trophy. If every member of a World Series champion can apply this, maybe, just maybe, the Boston Red Sox (this year's World Champion) will have no problem defending their crown next season. It's all in the mind and heart. Will we see some future legend out of the Red Sox many years from now that the youth of tomorrow will talk about? For the answer, stay tuned to the next postseason.

NEXT TIME: If you don't have a TV...

A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Effort

Before today's gripe, I want to thank you for your indulgence as we worked our way through the recent fires in Southern California. I'm sure it threw everyone off in terms of scheduling, but one cannot help but feel for those who lost everything, even loved ones, so my hearts go out to them.

Now, then...

An update on yesterday's piece on the Stanley Kramer classic "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World". I did actually hear from film preservationist Robert Harris, and at his request, we're taking yesterday's gripe down until there is something to report about the 1963 classic. While I do thank Mr. Harris for pointing out there were some errors in my gripe which I apologize for (I did mention to Mr. Harris that if there is something in the article I wanted to correct I invited him to do so, and for that I thank him), these facts are true...the film was cut down from roadshow release, and yes, there was an extended version for video in the 1990s. That we do know.

So I will leave it at that and continue to hope there will be some "light at the end of the tunnel", as they say.

For now, at least...

TO BE CONTINUED

A great tragedy...

Well, I guess I've got to give all of you some excuse for not putting up the gripe I promised you about Stanley Kramer's classic comedy "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World". As I am reporting to you from Southern California, I feel as bad as some of you do about the recent wildfires in San Diego County, and the lives that have been lost because of it. Damages are all over the hills of the county, and I cannot help but feel for those who have lost properties and even loved ones to this latest calamity.

So as soon as I feel more up to it, my gripes will resume. So please pray for the families who have been affected by this tragedy. Thanks.

Friday Final Gripe for the Week

For my final gripe of the week I will try and be as reader-friendly as possible given the subject matter of today's entry.

One day this past week I was looking around at a local thrift store, a sort-of-heaven for unwanted or used items that can still be used. They had a little section for VHS tapes (VHS pretty much now going the way of the do-do bird). Pretty interesting titles, mostly Disney or other children's features. But one tape did catch my eye...a VHS tape of a 1978 television special called "Amos N' Andy: Anatomy of a Controversy". I tempted myself to buy it (it only would cost me all of 2 bucks). Maybe today I will.

I mention this because about three years ago "Amos N' Andy" did make a triumphant comeback of sorts on the now-defunct Trio cable network. They devoted an entire prime-time schedule to this seemingly forgotten-but-well-remembered franchise. First, they aired the documentary, covering a brief history of the series, and including a complete episode of the old 1950s CBS series. This was followed by the 1930 "Amos N' Andy" movie, "Check And Double Check", produced by RKO Radio Pictures.

Now I have to say that for me, it was a joy to see A & A back on the television screens, if not for only one night. After this one look, I can truly say this was one television show that richly deserved to be back on TV, despite the fact that certain powers-that-be drove CBS to pull A & A from circulation in 1966.

A & A sure has had an interesting, legendary history. Long story short...A & A was originally a radio series that ran from the late 1920s to the 1950s in different formats and incarnations. The show about two African-Americans making their way in the world was created by two caucasian actors, Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll. Right from the start, there was controversy about its many stereotypes and African-American depictions, through newspapers and other media of the time (remember, back in the old days there was no Internet for people to speak their minds).

Then came the 1930 movie, with Gosden and Correll, in make-up that transformed them into African-Americans.

Surviving the protests thus far, A & A made its transition to television in 1951. Running two seasons worth of 78 episodes, the series version featured a cast consisting entirely of African-Americans to make A & A even more authentic. Though obviously not as popular as CBS' later "I Love Lucy", audiences tuned in every week. But as quickly as A & A came on the air, more certain forces protested the show, and the series was eventually cancelled in 1953.

But CBS continued to distribute the show in rerun syndication, where it found its biggest audience of the times, much the way the original "Star Trek" found its audience after its cancellation in 1969. Finally, the same certain forces caused CBS to withdraw the series completely in 1966.

Fast forward to today, where bootleg videos of the series continue to circulate. But here's where the bright spot comes to light...if it weren't for the faith of the fans, if it weren't for the fact that
forward-thinking people saw the A & A series for what it really is, a series that was ahead of its time, and holds a place in television history, Trio would not have saw fit to air the A & A festival.

Trio really went through a lot of trouble to show us A & A in 2004. It was clear that all the negative stuff that has been said about this great series over the decades should and must take a back seat to those people who appreciate a legendary piece of television. It is this piece that paved the way for popular African-American shows of the 1970s (like "Sanford and Son" and "The Jeffersons"), the 1980s (with "The Cosby Show"), and even present-day shows (such as "My Wife and Kids" and "Everybody Hates Chris").

Most important, Trio's rebroadcast taught us that televison history, for better or worse, must not be forgotten. I am happy that "Amos N' Andy" was introduced (for at least one night) to 21st Century viewers.

It should be noted that all the trademarks and copyrights on "Amos N' Andy" are held by CBS. It is my hope that Paramount Home Video/CBS DVD will see fit to officially release this great series sometime in the future.

With that, have a great weekend, and be sure who to pray for in church this weekend. Talk to you Monday!

NEXT TIME: A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Effort

More Than Meets The Eye (in more ways than one)

Children's television has made toys very, very profitable. Once a kid sees a commercial, he/she is just eager to have that figure or car, or whatever stirs their imagination.

A lot of toy companies have made a lot of dough. Hasbro, for example. Remember in the '80s, there were all those cartoon shows that were basically "commercials" for toys? Two such shows I remember are "My Little Pony & Friends" and "Transformers". I loved "Pony" the best. It was a daily anthology series showcasing adventures based on their toy line. My favorite feature was "Moondreamers". However poky or feminine it was, it was every bit imaginable with characters and situations depicting just how we dream at night while we're asleep.

"Transformers", however, were more of the action-packed kind. It was one of two series about interchangable robots trying to save the universe (the other was "Voltron", produced by another company). Kids were really into interchangable toys back in the '80s. "Transformers" contained effects and complicated storylines that only could be brought alive by animation.

So, a couple of years back, when Steven Spielberg announced he was going to produce a big-screen live-action remake of "Transformers" (which by the way, has just been released to video/DVD this week), I was dumbfounded. I mean, no one could possibly pull off such a feat. Doing a big-budget version of "Transformers" was, to me, totally impossible, given the most current motion picture CGI technology.

But, alas, nowadays with the digital age, ANYTHING is possible. I decided to check it all out for myself once Speilberg's "Transformers" finally hit the big screen this summer. What it all turned out to be was a movie with the Michael Bay touch (Bay directed the Dreamworks movie, by the way). It had all the impact of Bay's previous film, "Armegeddon". The only flaw with this film is with all those interchangable CGI robots, I could not tell the good guys from the bad. They all looked the same. I couldn't tell who they were fighting with. But at least the ending was satisfactory.

I hear there is talk of a sequel, but who needs it? I don't think we really need a "Transformers Part II". The story should end just the way it is, just as Spielberg himself wisely didn't need to film an "E.T. II".

For me, there really was more than meets the eye with the latest incarnation of "Transformers". But, if that is your thing, by all means check out the DVD like I've been trying to do this week.

Now, when is Hasbro going to green-light a live-action "Moondreamers" film?

NEXT TIME: The Friday Final Gripe

Stairway To Digital (or ...And It Makes Me Wonder...)

The way we listen to music has surely evolved within the last 100 years, hasn't it? It's been sort of like the evolution from ape to human (if you believe in that stuff). Let's see...the cylinder (you know, those can-shaped things with a groove you listened through a grammaphone), the vinyl record (first 78s, then 33s, and the 45s), magnetic tape (the cassette, reel-to-reel, 8-track, DAT tape)...then we went digital with the compact disc, the mini-disc...and finally, a more compact way to store our music, the MP3.

After that, with the advent of the Internet, we found a way to share our music with anyone...this kind of evolved into the original Napster. Finally, we had a chance to throw away our old LPs, tapes, etc. and get all the music we wanted, or perhaps grab a hold of those songs we remember from AM radio (let's not forget that, either).

Then along came the authorities, the FBI, the RIAA...all found a way to crack down on illegal music sharing sites (oh, how ugly that got, and continues to be that ugly). Thank goodness someone came up with more legal music services like the revised Napster, iTunes, Rhaspody, etc.

Once those "official" guys went up, you knew it would be easy to get great artists to appear on them, right? Wrong. Oh, yes, we found new ways of getting to hear The Beach Boys, Elvis, Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, and even current artists like P. Diddy, Alicia Keys, etc. But up to now it has been hard to get the biggest acts to agree to put their music officially online, Who are they, you say? Try Garth Brooks, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and (1, 2, 3), The Beatles.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out it all has to do with a combination of factors...music
licensing issues, royalties, corporate hang-ups, and the willingness of the artists themselves, although I have seen one music-on-demand site out of France (which I won't name as I don't want to end up doing needless advertising for them) that does offer Zeppelin and those Fab Foursome. They say it's legal under some French licensing agency, so for now I'll just have to take their word for it.

But, as time continues to pass and digital technology gets even more innovative, we have found from recent news reports that things are just now getting easier and easier, and the door is slowly opening for digital dreams to come true. Within the last few months, we have finally seen the Beatles' solo output put online via iTunes, Napster, etc. I personally have heard one McCartney solo track with his group Wings, "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five" (the final track off of "Band On The Run"), and the sound is second-to-none, crisper and clearer than any vinyl or previous CD release. You would probably think you were actually there in the studio as McCartney and co. recorded it. George Harrison's backlog was just issued this week via iTunes, in addition to the John Lennon and Ringo Starr solo stuff that has been up for a while.

On Monday, Led Zeppelin founder Jimmy Page announced his group is finally set to release their entire output digitally via iTunes, etc. in November. Hey, doesn't every fan want to buy a 99-cent MP3 of "Stairway to Heaven"? Why wouldn't he/she, seeing that this is the greatest and most requested Classic Rock song of all time! After listening to it in the back of my mind, it still holds up almost 40 years after it was originally recorded. The song (originally from the "ZOSO/Led Zeppelin IV/Untitled/Whatever" LP) has become synomymous with the band. Led Zep's musical style led the way for other classic rock artists like Queen, AC/DC, and even today's alternative rock artists such as Smashing Pumpkins and Soundgarden.

And we're hearing from the camps of EMI and Paul McCartney that the Fab Four's backlog is being prepped for digital distribution as soon as next year.

I guess that only proves that patience (and a little bit of the easing up of the "rules") can sometimes pay off. In the end, any Led Zep or Beatles song that finally comes out officially in a digital format will be worth all the wait, however long we had to endure. Maybe then the people behind KaZaa, LimeWire, etc. will finally put down their dukes and realize that the public wants the "real thing".

Hmmm...and it still makes all of us wonder.

NEXT TIME: More Than Meets The Eye (in more ways than one).

Football's Version of "Last Man Standing"

The game of football is one of the most popular in all sports. Whether it be NFL or college, it always brings top ratings to any network that covers it. I guess you could say that's where all the money is in terms of sports. Good excuse for beer companies to promote their product, right?

In any event, going an entire season undefeated (from the first regular game to post-season championship) is just as challenging as a horse trying to win a Triple Crown. Those teams in college football (at least in Division I Bowl Subdivision, or simply Division I-A) have it easy, right? Well, let's just say it is less of a challenge than the NFL. After all, it is a common rule these days that you can't afford to lose even one game in the regular season. One loss, and you can count yourself out of the National Championship picture.

So far this season, we are finding out the hard way. Last week alone, two top ranked teams, LSU and California, got tanked. And the week before that...OK, I guess you guys who follow college football will understand why 2007 will probably go down in the books as an "upset season". We're already over halfway through the college football regular season, and the first Bowl Championship Series rankings are out.

Still, plenty of undefeated teams remain, namely Ohio State (this week's BCS No. 1), South Florida (BCS No. 2), Boston College, Arizona State, Kansas, and Hawaii. If things swing "the other way" with the upsets, then pretty soon we'll end up with no undefeated teams and BCS will probably stand for...no, let's not pass judgement on this yet. Let's see how interesting the rest of the college football regular season gets.

On the other side of the coin, there's the NFL. Now here's a level that's tougher than the college one. How tough, you may ask? Well, let's see...let's go back to those 1972 Miami Dolphins, who made it all the way from game one to the Super Bowl. There's your definition of pride, integrity and pure guts. As they say, others have tried. Every team that has tried to duplicate the Dolphins' amazing feat ought to learn from them. I can name one team that didn't, yet became the greatest powerhouse of the 1980s, the San Francisco 49ers. Joe Montana and the guys...now that's a Super Bowl team for all time (taking home five trophies, in 1981, 1986,
1988, 1989, and 1994). At least they had as much pride, integrity and guts as the '72 Dolphins.

Going into Week 7 of the NFL season, two undefeated teams remain, the Indianapolis Colts (the defending World Champions) and the New England Patriots. Assuming they are still undefeated prior to November 4, we could have the makings of the game of the year when these two teams meet. But just in case, the Dolphins should have their wine bottles and corks ready...hail, hail??? Back to you upstairs, Al...

NEXT TIME: Stairway To Digital (or ...And It Makes Me Wonder...)

Live from New York...Where's Celine???

Now, I could have chosen my first gripe to be about my favorite comic book movie, "Superman". But instead I chose to do something about one of the greatest music artists of our generation...Celine Dion (isn't it ironic she once did a song about Superman?)

I admit to you I am sort-of-a-fan of Celine. I'm sure if you ever attended one of her shows, especially her latest gig in Las Vegas, you're a fan too! My favorite Celine hits are some of her earliest, such as "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" and "Beauty and the Beast". And I need not go into her entire career as she has had such a memorable one over the past one-and-a-half decades.

Most of you probably know her new album, "Taking Chances", is set to be released November 13, her first studio album in many years. Now, you may think such a popular artist like Celine might end up on the most popular variety show on television (in fact, the only one of its kind left on TV), NBC's "Saturday Night Live". Well, not so. You see, Celine has never appeared on the series, now in its 33rd season. And why?

That's a question I'll try to answer in today's gripe. I'll start by mentioning we have seen some sort of pattern when a new Celine album is about to be released, and I have followed this pattern over the Internet during the last ten years. So let's start by mentioning these key points as to why Celine has yet to appear on SNL...

1. Usually, one of the first U.S. promotional appearances for a Celine album is either on "The Today Show" or "The Tonight Show". That's a clear indication that Celine is having enough appearances on NBC, so the chances of being on "SNL" are...nil. In this case, at least so far and as of this writing, the only NBC appearance she's booked for to promote "Taking Chances" is on the "Today Show" for November 14.
2. She's been mocked so much on SNL. During the period of 1996-2002, Ana Gasteyer endlessly and relentelessly mocked Celine on SNL via her "Celine Dion Show" sketches. The real Celine, as I mentioned earlier, never appeared on the show to provide a punchline.
3. She's been on CBS more than other networks. With the exception of her most recent special on ABC Family, all her music specials have been on CBS. She's also been on more CBS specials than NBC, not to mention her cameo appearance on "The Nanny", which was a CBS show. And why? Which brings us to...
4. Celine has been on shows that are most watched and on networks that are more worthy to convey her message. Why wouldn't she?
Well, here's what I believe why...good old NBC, a network that pioneered broadcasting, and who once boasted "Must See TV" with Cosby, Seinfeld, "E.R.", etc. Yes, a network that's languishing in fourth place and lost a great deal of its luster to...you guessed it, CBS. The Peacock's ratings have continued to plummet in recent years. Even the 2006 Winter Olympics and NFL football can't help.

Current viewers of SNL have noticed a pattern of its own over recent months. If you noticed throughout last season, a great deal of its hosts were either former cast members or from NBC shows! My deduction is that with NBC's current troubles I guess it was cheaper to get these kinds of hosts rather than spend bucks getting big name stars (as I understand, the next live show on November 3 will have NBC's own anchor person, Brian Williams, as host!!!), not to mention sometimes getting no-name musical acts.

But shouldn't Lorne Michaels (the creator and executive producer of SNL) know that getting a big name star, especially for the November TV sweeps period, will almost certainly bring big ratings? This would be the perfect opportunity for Michaels to get Celine to host (or at least be a musical guest on) SNL. If he doesn't, it won't be the first big mistake he has made. Back on April 24, 1976 (during SNL's first season), he made that famous $3,000 offer for The Beatles to appear on the show with three songs. Tragically, it would not be once Mark David Chapman murdered John Lennon in 1980 . So could it be that Celine doesn't consider SNL to be the perfect show to appear on?

You probably may have figured out that Celine could be the key to saving not only a show who's quality is suffering (or so I've heard people say), but saving a network's failing ratings.

Of course, let us remember there was a time when SNL was one show to watch during late night, when the biggest acts would appear. Steve Martin, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel...well, if you don't get my drift, go get the first season of SNL on DVD (or perhaps dig right into your video archives for reruns of the first five seasons) and you'll see what a great show SNL once was.

Celine, SNL needs you!!!

NEXT TIME: Football's version of Last Man Standing.

Former Superman Web Central master has returned!!!

Welcome, everyone. You guys remember the old Superman Web Central site? Or perhaps you remember my web page on the extended versions of DUNE? Well, I was behind them all. They have since vanished from the web, but I still found time to contribute to the wonderful SUPERMAN CINEMA site. Well, guess what? I am back on the web with a brand-new web site called, you guessed it, "The Daily Gripe".
Now, why did I call my new web site this? Well, Bill Williams (one of my collegues on Superman Web Central) used to get E-mails from me called "The Daily Gripe". It was daily commentary on entertainment issues, such as DVD releases, and occasional news events. Now, I am bringing it to you, the people at large.

I hope you will enjoy my commentaries, and a few reviews as well. It will be neat, and not over-the-hill, I promise you.

So first off, a little bit about myself, very briefly. Many years ago, I initiated a campaign to get "Superman: The Movie" back to theatres in a fully restored version. Through numerous Internet campaigns, awareness was raised, and thanks to many fans who supported my cause, "Superman" can once again be seen in its full glory. I also contributed to numerous Superman web sites, and also initiated fan sites devoted to "Dune" and "Little House on the Prairie". Well, 'nuff said!!

Hope you enjoy my gripes, the first of which I hope to have up later today. Blast off!!!