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Thelma filmmaker Josh Margolin pointed the film’s 95-year-old leading lady June Squibb to the same source of inspiration that sparked the movie itself: his grandmother, who shares the name of the title character.

“Josh gave me some little films that he’d made, like of Thelma going to the store or Thelma celebrating her birthday, just to get an idea of who she was and what she was like,” Squibb explained during a panel with Margolin at the Deadline Contenders Film event on Saturday.

“She’d always just been a huge figure in my life and sort of an inspiration to me and someone I always looked up to,” Margolin said of the real-life Thelma Post. “I had been making these little documentaries about my grandma when she was living alone in her nineties for the first time ever,” recalled Margolin. “And it was just an interesting time because...

Lo, the enduring miracle of the film awards year. Just when things begin to look hopeless—and it was looking pretty bleak a month ago—intriguing, maybe even watchable, prospects suddenly sprout. The movies are like Osiris, that old Egyptian resurrection god: You just can’t keep ‘em down.

As August arrives, more than a few adult viewers, unattuned to the ongoing fantasy-and-animation boom, are now peeking around the corner at Saturday Night, Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night Live origins story. The film was scheduled last week by Columbia Pictures for release on Oct. 11—the 49th anniversary of NBC’s first SNL broadcast, back in 1975.

As historical moments go, that may or may not impress the film Academy’s growing body of foreign-based Oscar voters. But for the domestic crowd, especially those in upper age brackets, the birth of an American comedy phenomenon, still alive some five decades later, is compelling.

For this month’s installment of “TV Terrors” we revisit the short-lived animated series “Gravedale High” (aka “Rick Moranis in Gravedale High“), which aired on NBC in 1990.

During the era of Saturday Morning Cartoons, there was always this idea by studios to build on a big star’s name by giving them an animated vehicle. We saw it with Mr. T, Chuck Norris, Macaulay Culkin, and Gary Coleman, as well as comedians like Louie Anderson and Howie Mandel. John Candy got (the still celebrated) “Camp Candy,” while his Sctv colleague Rick Moranis headlined his own animated horror comedy series for kids: “Gravedale High.”

Rick Moranis garnered immense fame and cult status in the eighties and nineties with an iconic comedy career that carried over into big films like Ghostbusters and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. As a means of marketing off his momentum, an animated series was developed by NBC...

For my money, the Monkees are way, way more interesting than the Beatles. 

According to Andrew Sandoval's thorough and invaluable book "The Monkees: The Day-By-Day Story of the '60s TV Pop Sensation," an ad was put in Variety and the Hollywood Reporter on September 8, 1965, looking for "four insane boys" to be the members of a new pre-fabricated pop band. The band would also star in a TV series -- deliberately meant to evoke Richard Lester's 1964 Beatles film "A Hard Day's Night" -- that would use their real names, but present their lives as a fictional merry-go-round of kooky shenanigans. 

The producers zeroed in on former child actor Micky Dolenz, a friend of musician Stephen Stills named Peter Tork, a British, boyish heartthrob named Davy Jones, and heir to the Liquid Paper fortune, Mike Nesmith. Their TV series debuted on September 12, 1966, the week after "Star Trek" debuted, and...

Fans are mourning the loss of Bob Barker after the longtime host of “The Price Is Right” died Saturday at age 99.

Upon news of Barker’s death, celebrities began taking to social media to pay tribute.

Read More: Bob Barker, Longtime Host Of ‘The Price Is Right’, Dead At 99

Current “Price Is Right” host Drew Carey, who took over the show after Barker’s retirement in 2007, honoured his predecessor via Twitter.

Very sad day for the Price Is Right family, and animal lovers all over the world. There hasn’t been a day on set that I didn’t think of Bob Barker and thank him. I will carry his memory in my heart forever.#RIPBobBarker

We love you

— ʎǝɹɐƆ ʍǝɹᗡ (@DrewFromTV) August 26, 2023

Adam Sandler, whose character was famously punched out by Barker in “Happy Gilmore”, also took to Twitter to describe him as “The man. The myth. The best.

Welcome to this week’s Aew: Dynamite, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we’re here with Carol Burnett to take part in one of her Q&As. Carol Burnett: Thanks pork-pie. Okay, you right there. Amanda: Did Harvey Korman really bite Ruth Buzzi? Carol: Uh huh! By accident, of course. He thought she was beef jerky. You over there. Carl: Hi. Carol: Hi. What’s your name, handsome? Carl: Carl. Carol: Carl. Boy, you’re a hunk. What’s your question? Carl: Who’d win in a fight…you or Lucille Ball? Carol: Lucille would Desi Arnez my ass, unless she made a crack about my teeth…then she’d fly to the f–kin’ moon! I’ve got a question for you. Are you single? No? Hmm. Is your wife allergic to poison? Yeah? Tell me more later. Okay. You, right over there. David Schultz: Shut up,...

Hello, dear readers! We’re back with more new home media releases this week, which includes one of this writer’s favorite films of 2021 - Adam Wingard’s Godzilla vs. Kong, which is not only headed to various formats (Blu-ray/DVD/4K Utra HD and even 3D Blu-ray), but is also being included in a Kong and Godzilla triple feature as well.

Other releases headed to Blu-ray and DVD on June 15th include Anything for Jackson, Jackie Kong’s The Being, The Awakening featuring Charlton Heston, H.P. Lovecraft’s The Deep Ones, Last Action Hero 4K, and Gattaca 4K.

Anything for Jackson

After losing their only grandson in a car accident, grief stricken Audrey and Henry, a doctor, kidnap his pregnant patient with the intentions of performing a "Reverse Exorcism," by putting Jackson inside her unborn child.

The Awakening

Two-time Academy Award winner Charlton Heston stars as an archaeologist driven...

One of the great things about horror is the variety, which can go hand and hand with longevity; as fans we never get tired of the genre because there are so many rabbit holes to dive down, to drown in weird worlds of ghosts, dismemberment, and monsters. And even when a sub-genre isn’t in fashion, it’s nice to see a touch of the old in the current; case in point: The Being (1983), writer/director Jackie Kong’s (Blood Diner) feature debut and a breezy update of ‘50s sci-fi shenanigans.

Released by Best Film & Video in November, The Being was originally shot in 1980 under the title Easter Sunday; no takers were to be found until ‘83. The film did not light up the box office, nor did it receive any lofty notices. It did, however, signal the arrival of a fun new voice on the horror scene in the guise of Kong.

Arte Johnson, who won an Emmy for his memorable work on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In and worked in TV and film for nearly half a century, died early Wednesday at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, his family said announced. He was 90 and had battled bladder and prostate cancer for the past three years.

Johnson earned three consecutive Emmy noms for Laugh-In from 1969-71, winning the first year. He was part of the politically tinged NBC sketch series’ main cast from its launch in January 1968 until 1971, playing myriad characters in the show that launched the careers of such stars as Lily Tomlin, Goldie Hawn, Eileen Brennan, Henry Gibson, Jo Anne Worley and many others.

Among his most popular characters was Wolfgang, a cigarette-smoking German soldier who believed that World War II was still ongoing, as he scouted the show while hidden behind bushes. He would then invariably comment on the preceding sketch...

Lee Hale, whose love of 20th century music enhanced The Dean Martin Show and its spin-off, The Golddiggers, has died. He was 96 and passed at his home in Beverly Hills on May 10.

Hale was a six-time Emmy nominee who became the musical director for The Dean Martin Show and later helmed the popular celebrity roast specials hosted by Martin. He joined the program in 1965 and remained on board until it ended in 1974. He was recruited by show director Greg Garrison to step up the show’s music, and Hale contributed with original songs, jingles and other works drawn from his knowledge of 20th century popular music. Irving Berlin gave him the rare honor of allowing his songs to be used in the show, something he rarely granted to others.

Hale was born March 25, 1923 in Tacoma, Washington. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war, he...

Refresh for updates… Carol Burnett and Vicki Lawrence are remembering their friend and The Carol Burnett Show co-star Tim Conway today. “I’m heartbroken,” Burnett said in a statement. “He was one in a million, not only as a brilliant comedian but as a loving human being. I cherish the times we had together both on the screen and off. He’ll be in my heart forever.”

Lawrence posted her remembrance on Instagram: “Hysterical, crazy, bold, fearless, humble, kind, adorable…all synonyms for Tim Conway. I am so lucky to ever have shared a stage with him. Harvey and Tim are together again. The angels are laughing out loud tonight.”

Conway joined the cast of The Carol Burnett Show in 1975 but had already been making frequent – and fan favorite – guest appearances on the variety sketch show for eight seasons. He won Emmy Awards in 1973, 1977 and 1978.

Burnett and Lawrence were...

When “Laugh-In” debuted on NBC in 1967, creator George Schlatter could have very well gotten away with murder. The network didn’t often understand what the producer was trying to accomplish with his quick comedic snippets, his fresh-faced cast who often stumbled over their lines (which were sometimes purposely transposed on the teleprompter), or his ragtag group of oddball writers, which included a political science professor, a 16-year-old, and a young Lorne Michaels. But the Peacock was willing to experiment in order to sock it to CBS juggernaut “I Love Lucy” in the competing timeslot.

A year and a Richard Nixon appearance later, and “Laugh-In” became the place that every star and aspiring comedic yearned to be. From Orson Welles, Michael Cain and Kirk Douglas, to Cher and Flip Wilson, a wide-range of personalities popped up in various capacities, including in the famed Cocktail Parties or on the larger-than-life Joke Wall.

“Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” aired at a time when the entire country was changing. For five years between 1968 and 1973, the sketch show brought a subversive kind of comedy to the NBC primetime lineup.

Now, half a century later, with the help of some former members of the show’s greater ensemble, Netflix is bringing a fresh look at the show’s legacy. “Still Laugh-In: The Stars Celebrate” looks to pay tribute to the show while indulging in some of the show’s lasting iconography.

The hour-long special will dive into the history of the series, from its notorious drop-ins to its greater cultural relevance. As a way to try to capture some of that late ’60s/early ’70s spirit, the special brings together figures from the intervening decades of comedy and puts them right into the same paneled wall that revealed guest performers like Ruth Buzzi and Richard Dawson back in the day.

Get ready to laugh. Netflix's Still Laugh-In: The Stars Celebrate pays homage to the iconic series, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, and it's assembled an A-list cast of stars to honor the beloved show. In addition to featuring original cast member Lily Tomlin, who will revive her classic Edith Ann and Ernestine characters, the special features original cast member Ruth Buzzi, Billy Crystal, Snoop Dogg, Tiffany Haddish, Chelsea Handler, Neil Patrick Harris, Taye Diggs, Michael Douglas, Jay Leno, Rita Moreno, Rita Wilson, original cast member JoAnne Worley, Maria Bamford, Margaret Cho, Ron Funches, Nikki Glaser, Lisa Ann Walter, Mary McCormack, Bobby Moynihan, Cheri Oteri, Rob Riggle, Jeff Ross, J.B. Smoove, Tony...

Betsy Brandt has found a new TV hubby in the Windy City: The Breaking Bad vet will recur in USA Network’s upcoming Suits spinoff series Pearson as the wife of Chicago’s mayor, TVLine has learned exclusively.

The offshoot follows Jessica Pearson (played once again by Suits alum Gina Torres) as she enters the dirty world of politics and becomes the right-hand fixer for Mayor Bobby Novak (Homeland‘s Morgan Spector). Brandt’s Stephanie Novak is a former lawyer, who is now a full-time mother and a loyal behind-the-scenes spouse.

Brandt currently stars in the CBS comedy Life in Pieces.

When looking back at TV history, and the evolving role of women in it, there seems to be this jump from June Cleaver on a show like Leave It To Beaver (the woman of the house who vacuums in a dress) to Mary Richards on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. And Mary, of course, leads to things like Ally McBeal and Murphy Brown. Yet somehow often left out of the discussion is That Girl, the show starring Marlo Thomas, which is actually an important stepping stone in terms of female characters who broke the mold of traditional television sitcoms in the 1960s. (Photo Credit: Getty Images) Marlo plays Ann Marie, an aspiring actress who moves from her hometown of Brewster, New York to Manhattan, where she works in a variety of temp jobs. Playing her boyfriend is Ted Bessell as Newsview Magazine writer Donald Hollinger; with Lew Parker and Rosemary DeCamp...

For George Schlatter, the creator of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, there was a key moment when the Classic TV comedy sketch series had gone from an oddity to cultural phenomenon: Sammy Davis, Jr., an old friend, was making a guest appearance on the show. They were joking around with comedy bits involving a judge, when, according to George, Sammy came up with the phrase, "Here come da judge!", which would lead into a sketch about the banter between a defendant and a judge dressed in black robe and oversized wig (becoming a national catchphrase in the process). "We taped 'Here Come Da Judge' at two in the morning," says George exclusively. "It was so funny that we put it on the next show. Suddenly people were walking down the hall saying, 'Here come da judge.' The show went on that Monday night, and Tuesday or Wedneday morning when the Supreme Court came into the courtroom,...

Brad Pitt 'Glory Days' costar Nicholas Kallsen Brad Pitt 'Glory Days' costar Nicholas Kallsen dead at 48 Nicholas Kallsen, who was featured opposite Brad Pitt in the short-lived television series Glory Days, has died at age 48 in Thailand according to online reports. Their source is one of Rupert Murdoch's rags, citing a Facebook posting by one of the actor's friends. The cause of death was purportedly – no specific source was provided – a drug overdose.* Aired on Fox in July 1990, Glory Days told the story of four high-school friends whose paths take different directions after graduation. Besides Nicholas Kallsen and Brad Pitt, the show also featured Spike Alexander and Evan Mirand. Glory Days lasted a mere six episodes – two of which directed by former Happy Days actor Anson Williams – before its cancellation. Roommates Nicholas Kallsen and Brad Pitt vying for same 'Thelma & Louise' role? The Murdoch tabloid also...

There's great news for Dean Martin fans and lovers of classic comedy. Star Vista Entertainment/Time Life have released the entire broadcast collection of Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts. These shows were "must-sees" in their original telecasts in the 1970s, as an astonishing array of Hollywood and political legends came together on stage to roast the man or woman being "honored". Taking on the format of a Friar's Roast (without the obscenities), the shows became extraordinarily popular as off-shoots of Dean Martin's long-running variety hour on NBC. Each roast was held before a large live audience in Las Vegas and no "honoree" emerged unscathed. The packaging warns that in today's politically correct society, much of the racially-charged humor might seem shocking but keep in mind, this was the norm in the day with comedians, both black and white, taking good-natured pot-shots at each other. Additionally, people who were arch political...

Matt Smith speaks onstage at BBC America’s Doctor Who 50th Anniversary panel during Comic-Con

Birthday shoutouts go to Ruth Buzzi, who is 77, Kristin Chenoweth is 45, Jennifer Lopez is 44, Anna Paquin is 31, and Lynda Carter is 62.

Alec Baldwin went after Anderson Cooper for calling him out on his twitter rant: “Anderson Cooper has a job to do. And that job is to try to reinforce his credibility in the gay community after the fact that you couldn’t get him out of the closet for 10 years with a canister of tear gas. Now he’s the sheriff. Now he’s running around writing everybody a ticket!”

Palace: Royal Baby Named George Alexander Louis.

Ryan Murphy talks to E!online about Cory‘s death, and how he almost pulled the plug on the entire show rather than go on without him.

New cable channel pivot.tv will premiere the Australian series...

We rejoiced when Boston model/actor Rob Wilson was announced as the The Price is Right's first male model. Hooray for bare chests adorned with price-tag stickers! Wilson will begin straddling jetskis and wielding Plinko chips for a one-week stint beginning October 15, and hopefully he'll do well enough that men become a permanent addition to the modeling staff. In the meantime, we have a few decades of game show brawn to remember:

$ale of the Century's beaming hunks Gregorio Gaviati and David Gibbs want to strike a deal with you.

$ale of the Century: It's the thinking man's Let's Make a Deal! When contestants correctly answered enough questions on this Jim Perry-hosted jam, they became eligible to win prizes for giving up points. If you're shocked to find this 1980s U.S. game show featured male models, consider that $ale of the Century's main gimmick is tempting contestants into buying personal luxury gifts,...

It's almost time for another big award show, and you know what that means: I feel alive again. The Emmys are this Sunday, which gives us a nice opportunity to elevate one deserving nominee to the high, feathered echelons of gay iconography. I'm going with Amy Poehler, the fab star of Parks and Recreation who's both goofy and deadpan, and always, always, always smart. Here are five reasons her mural should hang in every WeHo Starbucks.

1. She was absolutely hilarious as a Trevor Live emcee.

Just last year, Poehler hosted Trevor Live, the Trevor Project's annual fundraiser, and riveted the crowd with her running commentary. She told presenters Zachary Quinto and Amber Heard, "God would have sex with both of you." Following Jc Chasez's rendition of "True Colors," she remarked, "God just cried. God isn't made of wood, people." Like all great comedians, Poehler recognizes the seriousness of tough issues like bullying and Lgbt discrimination,...

Stephen Guarino, Adam Pally and Zachary Knighton at the Outfest Panel for ABC's Happy Endings

Birthday shoutouts go to Ruth Buzzi , who is 76, Gus Van Sant is 60, Summer Glau is 31, Anna Paquin is 30, Pam Tillis is 55, Kristin Chenoweth is 44, and Lynda Carter is 61. Below you can see "Could It Be Magic" from one of her faboo 70's specials.

I blame Lily. Updated: It's getting ugly.The plan to save Smash. Expect to get a lot more Sugar on this season of Glee. CaTuesday! What does a kitty like to eat for breakfast? .....Mice Krispies!NBC responds to that one group's protest of The New Normal.

Adam Lambert performs during the 2012 Endfest in Sacramento

James Duke Mason asks, "Have Older Gay Films Lost Their Relevance?"You can view the entire AIDS Memorial Quilt here.Did The Muppets have a gay cow?Michelangelo Signorile: Sally Ride, American Hero: This Is What a Lesbian Looks Like.

July 22: Actor Orson Bean ("Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman") is 84. Actress Louise Fletcher is 78. Singer Chuck Jackson is 75. Actor Terence Stamp is 74. Game show host Alex Trebek is 72. Singer George Clinton is 71. Singer-actor Bobby Sherman is 69. Actor Danny Glover is 66. Writer-director Paul Schrader is 66. Singer Don Henley is 65. Actor-comedian-director Albert Brooks is 65. Composer Alan Menken ("Little Mermaid," "Little Shop of Horrors") is 63. Musician Al Di Meola is 58. Actor Willem Dafoe is 57. Singer Keith Sweat is 51. Singer Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls is 49. Actor-comedian David Spade is 48. Actor John Leguizamo is 48. Bassist Pat Badger of Extreme is 45. Actor Rhys Ifans is 45. Musician Daniel Jones (Savage Garden) is 39. Singer Rufus Wainwright is 39. Actress Franka Potente ("The Bourne Identity") is 38. Actress Selena Gomez is 20.

July 23: Actress Gloria DeHaven is 87. Radio personality Don Imus is 72. Country singer Tony Joe White is 69. Actor Larry Manetti ("Magnum, P.I.") is 65. Singer David Essex is 65. Singer...

NBC’s 30 Rock went live this Thursday night, and the product was decidedly Saturday Night Live-lier than the sitcom’s first time flying without a net.

The framework for this live outing had Jack, Liz and 10 other characters locked in Tracy’s dressing room to (ostensibly) debate, 12 Angry Men-style, the pros and cons of Tgs no longer broadcasting live. But it was mainly Kenneth doing the talking, as he harkened back to the network’s golden age of live programs such as The Lovebirds (aka a Honeymooners rip-off), a Dean Martin-esque variety hour and a ’60s-era romp not unlike Laugh-In.

Have you noticed yourself fast-forwarding through Adam Levine's critiques on The Voice and waiting patiently for Christina Aguilera to speak? Have you noticed that's an absolutely insane scenario? Because I'm doing it too. And I'm scared.

Christina Aguilera has become the show's least sympathetic and/or sentimental panelist. She's thoroughly genuine, and even if she doesn't reach the caliber of my favorite 10 reality judges, she's exactly what The Voice needs: unflinching truth-telling. I hope she keeps it up in the weeks to come. Not just because it's entertaining (How about when she smacked Down her former Mousketeer buddy Tony Lucca?), but because it heightens the show's stakes. Fear this dirrty, caterwauling diva, contestants.

The Voice's second week of live rounds proved to be a mixed bag ranging from towering renditions of rock classics to meek attempts at dated pop songs. Let's invade and grade 'em all.

Katrina Parker,...

Los Angeles — Alan Sues, who brought his flamboyant and over-the-top comic persona to the hit television show "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" in the 1960s and 1970s, has died, a close friend said Sunday night.

Sues died of cardiac arrest on Thursday at his home in West Hollywood, Michael Gregg Michaud, a friend since 1975, told The Associated Press.

"He was sitting in a recliner watching TV with his dachshund Doris who he loved in his lap," Michaud said.

Sues had various health problems in the last several years, but the death came as a shock to friends, Michaud said. He was 85.

A native Californian who moved to New York in 1952, Sues began his career as a serious actor and in 1953 appeared in director Elia Kazan's "Tea and Sympathy" on Broadway.

But he would be remembered for his wild comic characters.

They included "Big Al," an effeminate sportscaster, and "Uncle Al the Kiddies Pal,...

Hanna-Barbera was clearly running out of steam in the later 1980s as their style of animation and storytelling was no longer in synch with its young viewers. As a result, they did an awful lot of recycling of concepts including the two season-long Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 which took Yogi Bear, the Flintstones and the Jetsons and told longer, and not necessarily better, stories in ten stories. The ten telefilms ran during the 1987-1989 seasons and since then have been in rotation on cable’s Boomerang channel with Warner Archive slowly releasing them to eager fans who can’t get enough of these properties. Their last release from this series was The Flintstones Meet the Jetsons.

This week, from Warner Archive, comes the release of Rockin’ with Judy Jetson, a Jetsons’ film that puts the focus squarely on the teen daughter, who is usually overshadowed by the rest of the cast. That...

Mark Bessenger Hey horror fans. Remember how we've all been complaining about an array of lifeless horror film remakes and bland horror film concepts? So when something comes along that tries to give us something different, something edgy, we should be out there supporting it, right? ....Well Bite Marks starring Windham Beacham, Benjamin Lutz, David Alanson and Stephen Geoffreys, is that film! Bite Marks deals with a truck driver and a gay couple who must fight off a pack of blood thirsty vampires after their truck breaks down in the middle of a lumber yard and it turns out their cargo is a coffin carrying vamps. What makes Bite Marks different is its humor, the way that its characters develop, the merger of horror/comedy/gay indie film, etc. You're probably saying to yourself though "but that's the gay vampire film?". Gay, straight, black, white, low budget, big budget -...

Chicago – The Hollywood Celebrities & Memorabilia Show is an opportunity for Chicago area film and television fans to interact with their favorite stars twice a year. The last show, on September 25th, 2010, featured celebrities from all eras and varieties of the entertainment spectrum.

HollywoodChicago.com’s Joe Arce was there, taking photos of the participants, including a “Family Ties” reunion with three principal cast members of that beloved sitcom.

Click “Next” and “Previous to scan through the slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All images © Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com.

Celebrities1: Ruth Buzzi, from the original cast of ‘Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.’

Celebrities2: Meredith Baxter, mother Elyse from ‘Family Ties.’ Celebrities3: Chicago native Michael Gross, father Steven from ‘Family Ties.’ Celebrities4: Marc Price, ‘Skippy’ Handelman from ‘Family Ties.’ Celebrities5: ‘Family Ties’ reunion featuring Michael Gross, Meredith Baxter and Marc Price.

It's a Walker Birthday, so odds are it's a rum cake.

Sarah celebrates her 40th birthday ... again, and someone meets one of those hot TV plumbers. And there's a rumor that we may actually have a ... Saul sighting!

Join us for the fun and refresh for updates!

10:05Pm Est:Sara is frantic. It's her birthday, and she told Luc that she's turning 40. Which she's not. Okay, so how old is she turning? Rachel Griffiths is 42, but doesn't look it, so even if Sarah is a couple of years past 40, what's the big deal? She should just tell Luc the truth and blame it on his English comprehension.

Meanwhile, Kevin is trying to remove his eyeball with a staple remover. He must be watching The A List: New York.

And Kitty is having her lines fed to her through an earpiece. Oh, my bad, It just seems that way.

Nora...

This is a Recap of Boardwalk Empire Episode 2, “The Ivory Tower”, originally airing September 26, 2010. If you thought the first episode was Olde Timey Gangstery, then hoo boy, you were correct in that evaluation. Episode 2 of the ‘Walks picks up with Nucky getting a visit from the resident prohibition agent, the joyless, no-nonsense, no-sympathies, yes-hat Agent Van Alden: Live-Action Rex Banner isn’t buying Nucky’s explanation that Hans Schroder, the baker’s assistant with one minor arrest 10 years ago, mastermined the previous week’s gangster mass-murder, and shrugs off Nucky’s shady offer to speak with the sheriff, Brother McIncahoots. We find out later that the agent isn’t just mad at Nucky but also generally joyless, evidenced when he writes this unromantic letter to his wife: Van Alden returns to his supervisor with the series-establishing line that compared to Arnold Rothstein, Nucky Thompson is the “much bigger fish.” Congratulations – you watched the opening credits.

American comedian-turned-director Dick Martin has passed away at the age of 86.

He died early Saturday evening surrounded by family and friends, after suffering from respiratory complications at a hospital in Santa Monica, California, according to the star's spokesperson Barry Greenberg.

Martin enjoyed a career spanning 40 years, but was perhaps best known for his role as co-host of the hit 1960s TV series Rowan And Martin's Laugh-In.

The variety show debuted in January 1968, winning over both audiences and critics and topping the Nielsen TV ratings charts for two years. The show, which featured song-and-dance segments and stand-up banter between Rowan and Martin, helped launch the careers of several young actors and comedians, including Goldie Hawn, Lily Tomlin, Ruth Buzzi, Arte Johnson, Henry Gibson and Jo Anne Worley.

Hollywood stars John Wayne and Kirk Douglas, as well as then-presidential hopeful Richard Nixon, also made brief appearances on the show before it was cancelled in 1973.

Martin later moved on to directing, following the advice of fellow comic and actor Bob Newhart. He quickly established himself as one of Hollywood's most hard-working TV directors, working on episodes of Newhart, In The Heat Of The Night, Archie Bunker's Place and Family Ties.

Martin is survived by his wife Dolly Read and two sons from his first marriage to Peggy Connelly: actor Richard Martin and Cary Martin. At his request, there will be no funeral.