Quote of the day: From the film 'Rushmore'

(Speech to the students of Rushmore Academy): "You guys have it real easy. I never had it like this where I grew up. But I send my kids here because the fact is you go to one of the best schools in the country: Rushmore. Now, for some of you it doesn't matter. You were born rich and you're going to stay rich. But here's my advice to the rest of you: Take dead aim on the rich boys. Get them in the crosshairs and take them down. Just remember, they can buy anything but they can't buy backbone. Don't let them forget that. Thank you." – spoken by the character 'Herman Blume' as portrayed by Bill Murray in the film Rushmore.

Quote of the day

"What happened to me? Did I lose my talent? Am I ever gonna be good again?" -- spoken by 'Steve Zissou' as portrayed by Bill Murray in the film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.



We've all felt like that at some point.....haven't we?

Excellent book: 'Live from New York'

Recently, I was sifting through the stacks of books I have that are collecting dust, when I found a book that chronicles the history of "Saturday Night Live" from its beginning through 2002. Titled "Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live," it was written by Pulitzer Prize winning critic Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller.

Written as an oral history, the book includes interviews with nearly every significant actor, writer, producer, guest host, and musician to be connected with the program. As someone old enough to remember when the show started, my main interest was the history of the show's first five seasons. However, there is lots of good information about the ups and downs of the program after that.

In the last few years, the show's quality has dipped quite a bit (though I must admit that I don't watch it that much anymore). Maybe because of this, I really appreciate the top notch performers and writers that did the show.

For what it is worth, here are some opinions on folks connected to the show.

Bill Murray – As time has passed, I think we can all appreciate just how talented Murray is. He will always be best known for his work on the show, but in the last few years, he has blossomed into a first-rate actor ("Lost in Translation," "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," "Rushmore," etc.). If I had to pick somebody as the most talented person ever to work on the show, he would be it.

Chevy Chase – As Murray has aged gracefully, Chase really has not. When watching some of the early shows, his humor has not worn well, and it seems more smarmy than creative. What was all the fuss about?

Phil Hartman – Hartman is easily the most versatile performer in the show's history. He had a great ability to control the inflection in his voice that I believe most of us envy. He could plug a hole in any sketch whether he was doing Charlton Heston or Frankenstein. "SNL" is at its best when it has jack-of-all-trade performers who can do it all without wanting to be "the star."

Al Franken – Franken's political commentary in recent years has overshadowed that he once wielded a comedy blade that was both sharp and funny. The show's humor has always been at its best when it was borderline mean (or in the case of Franken's famous “Limo for a Lame-O” piece, flat-out mean). That may not necessarily be a good thing, but many times, it has made the show undeniably hilarious. However, as Franken's more recent work has shown, an approach that makes a person a successful comedy writer does not necessarily translate to the political arena.

John Belushi – It is impossible to think of Belushi without thinking about what could have been. He was versatile, and he had a ton of charisma. I'm not sure how to define 'stage presence,' but I believe he had it.