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
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!
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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
Friday, May 27
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 23)
Friday, May 27
- Josh Charles (Sports Night) - Watch Josh on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) - Miley appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Jenna Fischer (The Office/Splitting Up Together) and Angela Kinsey (The Office/The Hotwives of Orlando) - Jenna and Angela talk about their new book, The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There, on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- David Arquette (In Case of Emergency/Double Rush/Parenthood) - David appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Queen Latifah (Living Single) - Queen Latifah chats with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Courteney Cox (Shining Vale/Cougar Town/Friends/Family Ties) - Courteney is a guest on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
- Sherri Shepherd (Mr. Iglesias/Trial & Error/Sherri/Less Than Perfect/Suddenly Susan) - Sherri guest hosts The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
- Mayim Bialik (Call Me Kat/The Big Bang Theory/Blossom/Molloy) - Mayim appears on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
- Cedric the Entertainer (The Neighborhood/The Last O.G./The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric is a guest on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Jennifer Grey (Red Oaks/It's Like, You Know...) - Jennifer talks about her new memoir, Out of the Corner: A Memoir, on a repeat of Access Daily, so check your local listings.
- Glen Powell (Scream Queens) - Glen talks about Top Gun: Maverick on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (February-May)
02/08 - Last Man Standing - The Complete Ninth Season
02/22 - Everybody Hates Chris - The Complete Series (2022 Release)
02/22 - Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (2022 Release)
03/08 - Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Season Eight
03/08 - Brooklyn Nine-Nine - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
03/15 - Head of the Class - The Complete Fourth Season
03/15 - The Proud Family - The Complete Original Series - Anniversary Collection
03/22 - The Honeymooners Specials - The Complete Collection
03/29 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-5 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
03/29 - Young Rock - Season One
04/05 - Up All Night - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
04/26 - The Danny Thomas Show (aka Make Room for Daddy) - The Complete Fourth Season
04/26 - Jackie Gleason TV Treasures - 70th Anniversary Collection (including Honeymooners Rarities)
05/03 - No Activity - Season Three
05/31 - Becker - The Complete Series (2022 Release)
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