Bits and pieces from the entertainment world. …
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Video News. The documentary Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare comes to DVD (and digital download) on Feb. 26. You may recall when it ran at the Cedar Lee last year and that the medical experts in it include Dr. Steven Nissen, the cardiovascular medicine chair at the Cleveland Clinic, and Dr. Leslie Cho, one of the clinic’s cardiologists.
The film looks at the ways the health-care system has gone wrong.
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He’s Back. If you’re radio-grazing during your morning commute, don’t be surprised if you catch a familiar voice. Jeff Kinzbach is now hosting the morning show on WONE (97.5-FM) from 6 to 10 a.m. weekdays.
Kinzbach has put in decades in local radio, notably in tandem with Ed “Flash” Ferenc at WMMS (100.7-FM) and later on the old WWWE (1100-AM); more recently you could hear him on WNCX (98.5-FM).
According to his website, he has also done extensive voiceover work, including for WOIO (Channel 19); operated three nightclubs, was a major player in the drive to bring the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum to Cleveland and “helped raise millions of dollars with his support of many civic and charitable organizations.”
His site also says he is available to do your telephone system message: “Corporate, small business or your own personal phone. The cost is very reasonable and you get a quality voice.”
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You Mean We Just Listen to Music? Part of watching any awards show is analyzing the costumes. But a memo indicated that CBS wants to reduce some of the babble around Sunday’s Grammys Awards telecast.
The memo obtained by Deadline.com said, among other things, “Please be sure that buttocks and female breasts are adequately covered. … Thong type costumes are problematic” and “Please avoid sheer see-through clothing that could possibly expose female breast nipples. Please be sure the genital region is adequately covered.”
So no funny business, Black Keys!
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TV vs. Movies. The argument over whether TV is better than movies will probably never end. In fact, it has expanded with the growth of online offerings to make some fans wonder whether scripted web shows are better than other media. But the evidence on different sides continues to accumulate. Today’s exhibit: Former Clevelander Robert Patrick.
On the TV side, Patrick was recently part of the sadly short-lived series Last Resort. That was my favorite new show of the season, and Patrick had a meaty role as Chief of the Boat (COB) Prosser. On the other hand are two recent big-screen efforts including Patrick, Gangster Squad and the opening-today Identity Thief. He’s not bad in either, but the material doesn’t come close to Last Resort at its best.
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Smash-ed. You may have been all excited about the return of Smash to NBC this week. I saw it and was not thrilled. And many viewers simply tuned out. As EW.com noted, even with the much promoted presence of Jennifer Hudson, the two-hour premiere was the lowest-rated show on a major network on Tuesday night. Its 4.5 million viewers were not even close to what The Bachelor, NCIS: LA and Vegas drew opposite it.
But here’s the stat that probably gave NBC chills. The young-people-singing drama had a lower rating among 18-to-49-year-olds (the target audience for many advertisers) than the show preceding it: a special starring 91-year-old Betty White.
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Finally … Humorist and former Clevelander Andy Borowitz looked at the postal service changes and anticipated more on NewYorker.com: “Citing budgetary concerns, the United States announced today that it would discontinue regular Saturday drone strikes on U.S. citizens, beginning in 2014.
“In announcing the decision, the White House spokesman Jay Carney acknowledged that the cutback in drone service was ‘bound to be controversial.’. … Mr. Carney assured reporters that drones could ‘still get the job done’ Monday through Friday, and reminded U.S. citizens to update the government on any change of address so the drones would know where to reach them.”
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and Ohio.com, including the HeldenFiles Online blog, www.ohio.com/blogs/heldenfiles. He is also on Facebook and Twitter. You can contact him at 330-996-3582 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
