Inside story on the CHEERS "Jeopardy" episode

Sometimes a Friday question requires its own post. And someone other than me answering it. Dan O'Shannon and his partner Tom Anderson wrote the Jeopardy episode of CHEERS. When a blog reader asked about it I sought out Dan for the answer.

Dan O'Shannon became a show runner on CHEERS, FRASIER, and currently is executive producing MODERN FAMILY. Many thanks to Dan for writing back and writing the episode in the first place. If he ever writes a blog and someone asks a question about MANNEQUIN 2 I'm happy to return the favor.

From Ed:

I loved the Cliff blows the Jeopardy show ep. I'm curious as to how much back and forth there may have been amongst all y'all in deciding categories and what questions would be asked - and most especially, the Final Jeopardy question. Any anecdotes would be much appreciated.

The idea of Cliff trying out for Jeopardy started with Tom Anderson. It was the B story in our spec script, which eventually got us on the show. (Cheers, not Jeopardy). Once it was decided to use the story in an episode, we needed to expand what we had.

As we pitched on it in the room, I came up with the notion to fill the board with Cliff's dream categories. I'd scribbled down four or five possible examples, like "bar trivia" and ending with "celibacy." Once the idea was pitched, we batted categories around the room, which was great fun. I remember us all shouting out ideas and laughing like crazy.

The final Jeopardy question came from something I'd observed back when I was doing stand-up. Anyone could win all the money on Jeopardy every night if they wanted, because for each answer given on the show, there are an infinite number of technically correct questions. The final exchange (the names of the three celebrities, and "who are three people who have never been in my kitchen") came directly from that.

PS -- I like to think that a young Ken Jennings caught my act in Warren, Ohio in 1983 and now owes me -- at the very least -- a big thank you.

Dan

Rory Markas

Many of you never heard of him. But you would have liked him.

He loved people but lived alone.

He was a performer but very shy.

He worked in Anaheim but lived 100 miles away in Palmdale.

For years he was a Los Angeles TV news anchor and Milwaukee Brewers baseball announcer – at the same time.

He was a remarkable person.

Rory Markas, only 54, passed away this morning of an apparent heart attack. Those of us who knew him are still in shock.

He was also loved by many people he never met.

For the last nine seasons Rory was the lead play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim along with the voice of USC men’s basketball. He brought a passion and flair to his broadcasts and was a treat to listen to. Hey, for me to tune in to even one minute of USC basketball you know he had to be a great announcer. But all of that is beside the point. Rory Markas was a dear friend.

I used to give him a hard time about living in Palmdale. I said, either move closer to Angel Stadium or get a wife and kids for godsakes. But he loved it out there. He also didn’t mind the four to five hour daily commute. I used to say, “So when you’re on the road in Kansas City do you stay in a hotel in St. Louis and drive back and forth just to feel at home?” It was always worth needling him just to hear his loud infectious laugh.

In late 2008 he had a brain aneurysm. It almost took his life then. Miraculously he recovered fully. He said last year felt like a reprieve and he learned to appreciate life so much more. He was also touched by how many friends he had, how many people wrote him and reached out in his time of need. We don’t contact our friends enough. It’s sad but we often need “reasons” like this to reconnect with people we care about.

So at least the little time he had left he savored. It’s just that he deserved more time. Much more time.

Rory will be greatly missed. May he always be the voice of the Angels – Los Angeles or otherwise.

Random Rants

New Year's Day leftover rants.

Do we say two-thousand-and-ten? Or twenty-ten? Or hell plus one?

Shouldn’t we be living the life of the Jetsons by now? Where’s my flying car that folds up into a suitcase?

CRAZY HEART is worth seeing for Jeff Bridges but it's THE WRESTLER with country music.

What will last longer? My grow light plant or the Jay Leno Show?

Hey Rush Limbaugh, just imagine if you didn’t have health coverage.

Kevin update: He kept his lights on this year so the neighbor's New Year's Eve party was not ruined. Kevin of course was not invited.

I took some heat a couple of years ago for suggesting the NBA had a certain, uh… gangster mentality. On Christmas Eve two Washington Wizard teammates, Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittention drew guns at each other in the locker room. “Hey, that’s my Ben-Gay, motherfucker!”

TV shows are back into production. Would love to have been at the TWO AND A HALF MEN table reading. “Hey, Charlie, what did you do during the break?”

Meanwhile, ratings for TWO AND A HALF MEN held steady last week despite his arrest. It’s just a good thing Charlie and Brooke aren’t members of the Washington Wizards.

Stupid.com’s year end poll concluded that Tiger Woods was only the second stupidest celebrity of the year. Congratulations, Sarah Palin.

It’s become a new sick American tradition – watching New Year’s Rockin’ Eve to see if Dick Clark is back. Cringe in the New Year with ABC. It’s horrifying but you watched, didn’t you? I’m surprised ABC isn’t hinting Dick might appear on UGLY BETTY to help that show’s ratings.

Dick, please, we love you and think you’re courageous but it’s time, buddy.

UGLY BETTY will move to Wednesday night at 10. When a network puts a comedy at 10 it is DEAD. Even up against Leno.

HuffingtonPost Headline that is its own punchline: Pirate Ransom Money May Explain Kenya Property Boom

What are the chances you’ll see Charlie Sheen guest on THE VIEW?

Is there a worse sportscaster than Brent Musberger? To describe him I shall borrow a line he himself used on the Rose Bowl telecast. “To be blunt – the man is a load.”

Other than the BCS Championship, why are there still bowl games left to play? After three weeks of watching meaningless bowl games, who the fuck cares anymore? This is like Fox burning off episodes of TIL DEATH.

This week's Chutzpah Award goes to the TV producer accused of extorting David Letterman. He’s using Tiger Woods as his defense. In court papers filed recently, Robert "Joe" Halderman's lawyer cited published reports that Woods paid an alleged mistress millions of dollars to stay silent. Attorney Gerald Shargel suggested that since the woman hasn't been charged with a crime, Halderman shouldn't be, either. Good luck with that one.

I was loving GREAT BIG RADIO’S week long salute to 1972 until they played “Amazing Grace” on bagpipes. Then I wanted to stand between Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittention and yell “Fire!”

Strangest game in baseball last year. (Thanks to ESPN’s Jayson Stark for the tip.) The Astros and Nationals began the game on May 5 in Washington. It was suspended and resumed July 9 in Houston. The game counted as a May 5th game. But it set up some wacky occurrences. The Astros lost the game on a walk-off hit in their own ballpark. Nyger Morgan scored the winning run for the Nationals supposedly on the same day he got a single for the Pirates. The Nats used eight players that were no longer on the team by the end of the game. It was the highest scoring game in National Park history even though the final run was scored in Houston. And at no time did any player on either team pull a gun.

Fox and Time-Warner settled their retransmission negotiations that held subscribers hostage. Who were you rooting for? It’s like having a favorite in the Iraq-Iran Civil War.

At some point congress is going to get into this and the business model that cable companies fear more than God – ala carte viewing (paying only for the channels you want) may come into being. No more paying for channels you never watch. You can see why the cable giants are opposed to this. As is the Military Channel.

Am I a bad Facebook friend because I don’t join 99% of the groups I’m invited to join? I’m sorry. I don’t want to “Support Carrie Prejean”. And I don’t want to become a fan of “THE CONVEYOR BELT OF LOVE”.

Is TV comedy dead? Last week 6 of the top 10 shows were sitcoms. THE BIG BANG THEORY was the number one show of the week. You'd think they'd get even one Golden Globe or WGA nomination.

Is Gwyneth Paltrow still acting or is she spending all her time blogging and recommending enema treatments?

Tomorrow: a real treat for CHEERS fans.

Did Warren Beatty really sleep with 13,000 women?

Here are some thoughts on Warren Beatty’s claim in his new book that he slept with 13,000 women. I better not hear any of these on Leno and Letterman Monday night. (Conan I don’t care. Nobody watches.) For you gag writer hopefuls this is what we call the mother lode. Weigh in with some of your own.

I find it hard to believe that he has actually slept with 13,000 women. Wilt Chamberlain said he slept with 20,000 women but that you can believe -- he was in the NBA.

Tiger Woods, you've got some ground to make up.

So who hates Warren Beatty more now? Men or women?

He can sleep with 13,000 women. Still, if we find out he's slept with one guy he's gay.

Warren did not however sleep with MacKenzie Phillips.

I don’t think all the members of the The Pacific Coast Obstetrical and Gynecological Society combined have seen 13,000 vaginas.

Warren Beatty is 72, by the way. Or, by his own calculations: 7,639.

Charlie Sheen has slept with fewer women than Warren Beatty but he has been arrested more.

Warren should play David Duchuvny’s father on CALIFORNICATION.

Author Peter Biskind calculates Warren bedded "12,775 women, give or take, a figure that does not include daytime quickies, drive-bys, casual gropings, stolen kisses and so on." Drive-bys??? What the hell is a drive-by?

Among his conquests are Jane Fonda, Joan Collins (whom he exhausted…according to HIM), Carly Simon (for whom she wrote “You’re so Vain”), Faye Dunaway (ugh!). Leslie Caron, Candace Bergan, Isabelle Adjani, Julie Christie, Brigitte Bardot, Diane Keaton, Madonna (who hasn’t?), Natalie Wood, Annette Bening (although that one hasn’t been confirmed), and I guess the girl from the In & Out Takeout window.

When Joan Collins was asked if she really had sex with Beatty seven times a day, she replied, "Maybe he did, but I just lay there."

I’m reminded of the great Woody Allen line. “When I die I want to come back as Warren Beatty’s finger.”

13,000. Let's see, that's probably three or four a day for three or four decades, time out to do ISHTAR, LOVE AFFAIR and TOWN AND COUNTRY -- nah, he's lying.

On the other hand, even if he slept with only 10,000 or 9,000 even – that’s more than me.

Product Placement 50s style

Product placement is hardly new. Back in the 50s sponsors were incorporating their products into shows on a regular basis. Here's an example from MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY starring Danny Thomas. Notice how artfully they work in the commercial. If you weren't paying strict attention, why, you'd never know.



And speaking of shameless plugs, join me on 790KABC today from 5-8 Pacific.

The Taco Bell Drano Ken Levine Blog

Madison Avenue has a big problem. People don’t watch commercials. They’ve had fifty years to solve this problem (and judging by the Progressive Insurance commercials they’ve learned nothing) but now with Tivo, DVR's, and DVD's audiences can eliminate them completely. Advertisers must find new ways to convey the vital message that Lamisil targets toenail fungus where it lives.

Subliminal messages have been tried and outlawed. They can’t slip in the Pepsi logo for one frame in a movie, Mel Gibson can’t throw up a one second title card that says the Holocaust never existed into APOCOLYPTO. But if a character in a movie drinks a Pepsi, that’s okay. And if she should happen to say, “Mmmmmmm, that’s not only good, it’s the voice of a new generation!”, all the better. Product placement has become the new answer. Production companies are thrilled because it’s found money for them. If Mitch and Cam are going to go to the hardware store anyway, why not make it a Home Depot? And that’s fine until…what happens when the writers decide they don’t need that scene? Or they come up with a better one that’s set somewhere else? Will storytelling have to be compromised to accommodate the sponsor? We all know the answer to that question.

An interactive variation of this is SeenOn.com. Now you can watch GREY’S ANATOMY, like the outfit that Ellen Pompeo is wearing and order it on line. You can also buy Ugly Betty’s stool (I hope they’re referring to furniture). In theory this too is a good idea but I want to be there the day they tell Teri Hatcher what dress she has to wear.

One way around all these pesky “creative” issues is to digitally add products to scenes after the fact. Now Columbo can have a can of Glade in his car, Lucy can clean her clothes with Tide, and the Miller Lite delivery guy can be inserted into the Zapruder film.

Sponsors are happy these days if they can just get the name of their damn product in front of your face or in your ear. This has led to corporate sponsorship and it’s not going away. It’s bad enough that the Houston Astros must play in Minute Maid Park, and there was such a thing as the Weed Whacker Bowl. I foresee the day when we’ll all be paying our respects at the Wendy’s Arlington National Cemetery. Thomas A. Steitz and Ada E. Yonath will be awarded the prestigious Depends Nobel Prize in Chemistry. And we’ll all be living in the United States of Google.

At this point I must sheepishly admit that I too have succumbed to this trend. I’m not proud of myself but since it’s available and we are in a bit of a recession, I have accepted a generous offer from a leading manufacturer. And so from now until 2014 (when I have the option to renegotiate) my daughter, Annie will be known as Dow Chemical Levine.

What a windfall! And just think, all this extra income because people no longer want to see the Geiko gecko. God bless, Janitor In A Drum’s America!

The Hippie REVOLT

In doing research for my book on the 60s I came across this absurd trailer for a 1967 movie called SOMETHING'S HAPPENING about the Hippie "revolt". Thank God we had movies like this to put things in perspective and show us the REAL way.