NYT Link re Nickelodeon

NYT talks about Nickelodeon and the state of kids' programming.

Link: Spook-Be-Gone Article

In England, there's help for the homeowner plagued by the deceased. (Artwork: eldaram3)

Link to Broke MGM Story

Troubles at the studio that brought you the Merry Old Land of Oz.

Good as the New Looney Toons?

Superman gets a make-over as a brooding, hoodie-wearing pc fellow, courtesy of more "re-envisoning" in the Time-Warner empire. "Re-envision" is often a euphemism for "new stink."
via Hot Air

U.N. Me Orgins

The picture that inspired the song: U.N. Me, that is. And this photo didn't inspire the song, but the United Nations gift shop did. Here are Paul Rugg, myself and Tom Minton outside that august world body during our 1994 Peabody Award trip. This is yet one more photo from the Hastings Archives forwarded to me via Paul Rugg. I can't remember if Peter went with us to the Empire State Building—which was next that day. But if Paul sends me another photo, the answer will be 'yes.'

Norm Abram, Paul Rugg and Chums

Wood You Look At That? The real Norm Abram along with Paul Rugg, Peter Hastings, myself and Jean MacCurdy at some private dining room in Pasadena circa 1996. Norm talked dowels and we talked animation. The result was Normadeus. (Peter Hastings found this in his voluminous photo archives.)

Ruegger and I Smoke Up NYC

Ala Mad Men, there was a time you could actually smoke in the Big Apple. This was taken by Peter Hastings in 1994, when Jean MacCurdy took the Animaniacs writing staff to New York for the Peabody Awards. We got to meet Time-Warner president Gerald Levin, a small man who wore large cushioned shoes and worked in an office hotter than the planet Mercury. This led to speculation that he was from a distant world sent to earth for business reasons.

At the Peabody award luncheon, we sat at a table next to Paul Harvey. Paul Rugg would not stop imitating him and we ended up laughing into our napkins a great deal. There's nothing like a fun, memorable trip paid for by the company.