Craig's Corner

This week Warner Brothers & CBS cancelled the remaining four episodes of the season for their #1 show “Two and a Half Men” due to some difficulties with Charlie Sheen. They are currently contemplating what to do with the show next year where they have already contracted Sheen for a reported $1.8 million per episode or a $43+ million commitment. Always wanting to be helpful, I have two and a half ideas for them: ONE: Do a spin-off. Let’s call it “Alan’s Place” – a nice throw-back to the "All in the Family" spinoff “Archie’s Place” – and set it in Alan’s (Jon Cryer) Chiropractic Office. Berta (Conchata Ferrell) can become the receptionist instead of the maid. The kid, ex-wife and others can still be around.  Charlie, still under contract, can pop up every now and again as the show veers off into a work-place gig. TWO: Recast the role of Charlie Harper. The producers have previously said this was not ever going to happen, but I’m not sure that they have come up wit...

Sunday is the Oscars! Streets have been closed all week. Hairdressers have been working overtime. The paparazzi are in position. Excitement is in the air. 41 million viewers in the U.S. watched last year – with a global audience nearly of 1 billion. We watch not only to learn who the approx. 5,500 Academy members have chosen as “Best” in a range of film categories, but also to see the stars in their finery. It’s royalty American style . The red carpet has its historical reference in 483 BC in the play Agamemnon and became the modern status for the elite in 1902 when The New York Central Railroad used plush crimson carpets to direct people as they boarded their 20th Century Limited passenger train. Movies are about 6% of U.S. exports. 308 movies were released  in 2010 that generated $31.8 billion globally . I saw 42 of them (or about 14%). 6.3 billion people go to the movies worldwide  with India having the largest attendance – double the U.S. These statistics don’t inc...

March 8, 2011 is Election Day in Los Angeles County. There are no “major” offices being elected – a number of school boards and colleges will elect representatives as will all even City Council districts. There are also a number of Ballot Measures in Los Angeles and West Hollywood. Many have inquired my thinking on some of these items – either to concur or to make sure they vote the exact opposite! Here is my thinking. Please do vote…democracy works only when we all participate. LOS ANGELES City Council District #2 – If I lived here I would vote for Paul Krekorian , the incumbent. He courageously voted against the 4.5% DWP rate increase sought by the Mayor last year. City Council District #4 – There isn’t a clear candidate to choose from here with the incumbent Tom LaBonge having served the city for decades. If I lived here I would vote for Stephen Box as he has put forward a budget plan for the city that recognizes the different economy that now exists. City Council Distric...

I tend to be a home body when I'm in town but I enjoy traveling and have been fortunate to have done so extensively. In 2009 I visited Cairo. In an event filled day we hit the pyramids, a mosque and a papryrus factory (which was really more of a shopping opportunity). The cruise ship tour bus navigated the streets of Cairo pushing, honking and going headlong into a maze that is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. (The photo to the left is an actual photo of rush hour.)  When former President Hosni Mubarak warned that the streets would turn to chaos it was clear that he hadn’t been amongst his people in some time as chaos is the order of the day in the streets! The protests that captured the foreign policy narrative for much of the past month showed tens of thousands demanding democracy and change in this ancient land. There may even have been a few million protesters when considering all of the major cities where demonstrations were held. Even if there were 2 ...

Love makes the world go around. In that case I better look into membership with the Flat Earth Society !  Kidding aside, I know how to fall in love. [I do so several times a day.] Distinguishing between love and fantasy is particularly important as we celebrate Valentine’s Day. Named after St. Valentine in 500 AD the Catholic Church then rescinded the Feast Day during the Second Vatican Council in 1969 and the day is now largely a secular celebration of love, affection, and romance between intimate companions. $15.7 billion will be spent , including $681 million on gifts for pets. I love my doggies, but buying them gifts for Valentine’s Day isn’t in the cards. My friends and I have spent the last 20 some odd years having a singles dinner. Happily for some they’ve graduated to coupledom – but we have some stalwart members. We have outgrown going to a fancy romantic restaurant as a large group to mock the couples cooing at each other. Bitter didn’t quite suit us as the ...

Sunday is the big day. It’s the Toilet Bowl! (DIY’s annual counter-programming to the Super Bowl.) I may watch a little but I largely have given up on following sports after having my heart broken in 1986. (Think Boston Red Sox, Bill Buckner and a ball going through his legs.) The Big Game is much more than a sports contest between the Packards and the Steelers. The Super Bowl will be watched by over 100 million Americans – nearly 1 in 3. With that much attention The Game has become the premier event for advertisers to launch new products. Companies spend more than $3 million per 30-second ad with Pepsi taking 6 ads. Consumers can even vote for their favorite ads online. Advertising and television have a comingled history. In the late 1940’s there were just 180,000 sets manufactured. After the May 7 1947 inaugural “The Kraft Television Theatre” one 60 second ad ran . “McLaren’s Imperial Cheese, not advertised in any other medium except ‘Kraft Television Theatre,’ is enjoy...