Wednesday, March 01, 2017

SitcomsOnline Book Club - There I Go Again: How I Came to Be Mr. Feeny, John Adams, Dr. Craig, KITT, and Many Others by William Daniels; Feud Gets 2nd Season on FX

There I Go Again: How I Came to Be Mr. Feeny, John Adams, Dr. Craig, KITT, and Many Others

SitcomsOnline Book Club Review - There I Go Again: How I Came to Be Mr. Feeny, John Adams, Dr. Craig, KITT, and Many Others

by Pavan

William Daniels is an actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. He won two Emmy Awards for his role as Dr. Mark Craig in St. Elsewhere and more recently reprised his role as Mr. Feeny in the Disney Channel sitcom Girl Meets World, the sequel series to Boy Meets World. There I Go Again is a celebrity memoir like no other, revealing the life of a man whose acting career has been so rich that millions of Americans know his face even while they might not recognize his name. William Daniels is an enigma -- a rare chameleon who has enjoyed massive success both in Hollywood and on Broadway and been embraced by fans of successive generations. Few of his peers inspire the fervor with which buffs celebrate his most iconic roles, among them George Feeny in Boy Meets World, the voice of KITT in Knight Rider, Dr. Mark Craig in St. Elsewhere, and John Adams in the play and film 1776. Daniels guides readers through some of Hollywood’s most cherished productions, offering recollections of entertainment legends including Lauren Bacall, Warren Beatty, Kirk Douglas, Michael Douglas, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Mike Nichols, Jason Robards, Barbra Streisand, and many more. Looking back on his seventy-five-plus-year career, Daniels realizes that although he never had the courage to say "no" to being an actor, he backed into stardom. With his wife, actress Bonnie Bartlett, by his side, he came to realize that he wound up exactly where he was supposed to be: on the screen and stage.

This book by the legendary William Daniels is basically a complete detailed synopsis of his great career and memories. It's an easy 207 page read with 17 thought-out chapters. There are also very rare illustrations in the book, along with acknowledgements. Some of the illustrations are from Mr. Daniels' own collection, so they are nice to see. Mr. Daniels goes into detail about his career, but also shares awesome stories from his time on shows like St. Elsewhere. He starts the book out with a story about going to the Emmy's in 1985 that will hook you to keep on reading. It is a clever way to begin the book indeed. Mr. Daniels also gives some personal insight from his life, such as his life with his mother, father and growing up in Brooklyn. He also goes into details about his decision process to attend Northwestern.

The book goes in a nice chronological order of events and has a good pace. Mr. Daniels also talks about his theater work in New York on off-Broadway. He later talks about one of his first big breaks, the film 1776. He then continues with some of his other roles like KITT on Knight Rider and sitcom fans will most remember him from the role of Mr. Feeny on the popular sitcom Boy Meets World. Without giving anything away, the fifteenth chapter ("Boy Oh Boy") is all about his time on that sitcom. A must read. The book ends with a great epilogue, and Mr. Daniels says it is the end of the book, not for his career, obviously. In the appendix, there is an awesome feature with Lin-Manuel Miranda. Feeny meets Hamilton!

Mr. Daniels is going to be turning 90 later this month. It is hard to believe that. In this book, he shows a vivid memory and lots of details on his life and career. Everybody has seen this man in something over the years, whether it is as Mr. Feeny, Dr. Craig or as the voice of KITT. Mr. Daniels mentions in the book that he is grateful to hear how they feel that Me. Feeny somehow had an influence on their education, but that is the truth as his characters were all so relatable to people. His favorite role was Dr. Craig though from St. Elsewhere, which is understandable since his portrayal was Emmy material (and he won twice). This book is one of the best written books by an actor I've seen. It's fun, informative and it makes you feel like you've known Mr. Daniels as a friend or family member. I truly recommend this book because it is written by such a fine man. Feeny for the win!

(4.5/5 stars)

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FX

Award-winning producer Ryan Murphy's highly anticipated new anthology limited series Feud: Bette and Joan does not premiere until this Sunday, March 5, but FX announced that is has already placed a 10-episode order for the second installment of the Feud franchise, Feud: Charles and Diana, which is scheduled to debut in 2018. Murphy and Jon Robin Baitz will write Feud: Charles and Diana and serve as Executive Producers. Dede Gardner, Plan B Entertainment and Alexis Martin Woodall are Executive Producers. The limited series is produced by Fox 21 Television Studios. Ryan Murphy is the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning writer, producer and director who pioneered the modern anthological limited series with award-winning hit American Horror Story, which is now heading into its seventh year and has been ordered through season nine. American Crime Story, his most recent anthology franchise, debuted in February of 2016 and its first installment, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, won the Emmy and Golden Globe award for best limited series and it was the highest-rated show in FX history. Previously, Murphy co-created of the award-winning hit musical comedy series Glee (FOX) and created the award-winning hit drama Nip/Tuck (FX).


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, May 12

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 12)

Monday, May 12

  • Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) - Watch Nick on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Sofia Vergara (Modern Family/The Knights of Prosperity/Hot Properties) - Sofia is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Michael McKean (Laverne & Shirley) - Michael appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Ryan Reynolds (Two Guys and a Girl) - Ryan stops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Adam Pally (Mr. Throwback/Indebted/Making History/The Mindy Project/Happy Endings) - Adam appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Jon Gabrus (Younger/The Hotwives of Las Vegas) - Jon drops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Patton Oswalt (A.P. Bio/The Goldbergs/The King of Queens), Ed Helms (Rutherford Falls/The Office) and Sasheer Zamata (Home Economics/Woke/Robbie) - Patton, Ed and Sasheer are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Rob Lowe (Unstable/The Grinder/Parks and Recreation/A New Kind of Family) and Jane Seymour (B Positive/Modern Men) - NBC's Today catches up with Rob and Jane in the 9am hour.
  • Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show/My Boys/The Ellen Show/Welcome to New York) - Jim will be on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
  • Chloe Fineman (Big Mouth/Search Party) - Chloe chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Benito Skinner (Overcompensating) - Benito is telling Drew all about the inspiration behind his hilarious new show Overcompensating with co-stars Mary Beth Barone and Wally Baram on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/08 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)

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