In rerun heaven, she'll always turn the world on with her smile

Cast members of The Mary Tyler Moore Show,
reunited in 2013 on TV Land's Hot in Cleveland.
l-r, Valerie Harper, Cloris Leachman, Mary Tyler Moore,
Betty White, Georgia Engel

She could turn the world on with her smile, and she will continue to do so for decades and generations to come.  TV icon Mary Tyler Moore died today at age 80, after years of declining health due to her lifelong fight with diabetes.

It was actually through the fight against diabetes that I first met Mary, at a Juvenile Diabetes Walk in New York City, a cause to which she was incredibly dedicated.  An animal lover, Mary also co-hosted with Bernadette Peters the "Broadway Barks" benefit each year, a beautiful event celebrating and adopting out animals in Manhattan's Shubert Alley.

But it was my husband Frank DeCaro's encounter with Mary that I'll always remember.  In 1997, Mary had appeared on Rosie O'Donnell's talk show, and talked about her desire to reunite with Valerie Harper in a new show, to be called "Mary & Rhoda."  At the time, Frank was writing a style column for the New York Times, and so, while searching for a topic for his next piece, he decided to write about what Mary Richards and Rhoda Morgenstern's lives would look like in the late '90s, twenty years after we'd last seen them on our screens.

The day after the column ran, Frank's home office phone rang; the voice on the other end said simply, "Please hold for Mary Tyler Moore."  A few seconds later, he heard, "Hello, Fraaaank?" in that famous quaver.

Valerie Harper and Mary Tyler Moore
attend the taping of NBC's 90th Birthday
Tribute to Betty White, January 2012.

Mary invited Frank to lunch, and of course he eagerly agreed.  But on the appointed date and time, all hell broke loose.  A storm raged in Manhattan, and bricks were falling off a building on Madison Avenue.  President Clinton was in town, causing a giant case of gridlock.  And despite trying to get from Chelsea to the Upper East Side restaurant by both subway and cab and then on foot, Frank arrived over an hour late. (Remember, this was JUST before we all had cell phones in our pockets.) Would a TV icon be furious with him -- or would she be gone?

To Frank's delight, Mary had had company for the hourlong wait -- surprise lunch guest Valerie Harper.  I first met Frank by reading his memoir, A Boy Named Phyllis, about growing up in surburban New Jersey and, yes, adopting the nickname Phyllis, after Elton John's supposed sobriquet for Rod Stewart.  The ladies understood his lateness, and they all three -- Mary, Rhoda and Phyllis -- proceeded to have a lovely lunch while brainstorming what the show could be.

Mary & Rhoda ended up going through several sitcom script iterations before being reconceived as a TV movie for ABC -- which scored high ratings.  Mary and Valerie never did reunite again on their own, although they both did join their former Mary Tyler Moore Show castmates Betty White, Cloris Leachman and Georgia Engel in a 2013 episode of Betty's TV Land sitcom, Hot in Cleveland.

Mary leaves behind an incredible showbiz legacy, from her iconic roles on landmark sitcoms The Dick Van Dyke Show and her own self-titled, groundbreaking '70s hit to amazing performances in films such as 1980's Ordinary People and one of my own silly favorites, 1967's Thoroughly Modern Millie.

The Television Academy's Archive of American Television project is an amazing resource, interviewing our TV legends about the span of their lives and careers.  Here, a link to Mary's full two-hour interview with the Archive, conducted by Diane Werts in New York City in 1997.  At the end, she discusses just how she'd like to be remembered.

Flaming Screens Meets GI Joe

Here, a la his old "Out at the Movies" reviews on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, is Frank DeCaro's latest "Flaming Screens" take on the latest potential blockbuster, GI Joe: Retaliation.

Hey, fans of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart!  Believe it or not, it's been 10 years since Frank DeCaro was last "Out at the Movies," reviewing the weekend's hottest films.  Now, Frank is back at the multiplex with his own new web series, "Flaming Screens."

Here is Frank's first foray, his review of this weekend's big box office hit, Oz the Great and Powerful:

Sue Sylvester Working to Save the Community

This morning, at the New York offices of Sirius XM Satellite Radio, my hubby Frank DeCaro sat down with Glee and American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy for an hourlong chat for the OutQ station's fab new interview series, "Iconography."

You'll have to tune in to OutQ to hear the juicy interview in its entirety. But there is one thing I can share with you now -- it's not exactly a "spoiler," because the engineers at Sirius had to wrap the recording right before I asked Ryan the final question of the day from my spot in the audience (where I sat next to his fiance, David.)

I asked Ryan how he felt about other shows parodying Glee -- flattered? Annoyed? A little of both? "I realize that that is obviously flattering," he answered -- but added that he's careful not to watch any such parodies, so that he can be sure never to end up copying them in writing Glee, accidentally "doing a parody of their parody."

When I mentioned that last week's episode of Community took some seemingly loving shots at Glee, Ryan seemed intrigued. "Do you guys like that show?" he polled the in-studio audience, getting nods to the affirmative. He must like it, too, because he then revealed a possible spoiler: with Community now on the endangered list at NBC, he at one point was thinking of having Sue Sylvester head a campaign to save it.

It's ironic: NBC's Community shows some on-screen love for ABC's seemingly endangered Cougar Town, only to be itself bumped off the midseason schedule -- and then given a possible shout-out by Fox's Glee. It's nice to see such cross-network love. Now if only more viewers would show up in support.

CBS Watch January/February 2010 issue on Newsstands... NOW!

Now on newsstands and in your mailboxes: the January/February 2010 issue of CBS Watch!

Check out Jennifer Goddard's cover story on Harrison Ford, whose newest movie, Extraordinary Measures co-starring Brendan Fraser and Keri Russell, comes out in theaters from CBS Films on January 22. Other pieces include my travel piece about the Rome Cavalieri hotel -- aka the hotel the Drapers stayed in last season on Mad Men; my roundup of the "Tough Broads" in CBS' history; my "Now Hiring" job application to become a Hollywood agent, and Frank DeCaro's reminiscence of a CBS classic, The Lucy Show.

Watch! can be found on newsstands in stores like Target, Barnes & Noble, and Hudson News -- and you can subscribe for free! Just go to www.cbswatchmagazine.com and sign up for your free subscription -- no strings attached!

Meredith Baxter, the Frank DeCaro Show Interview

For those of you who missed Meredith Baxter in her radio exclusive interview on The Frank DeCaro Show this morning, here are a few clips from the interview:

One Big Gay and Happy

Tune in tomorrow to The Frank DeCaro Show, when in the first hour, Frank will host a beloved TV icon who has an important announcement to make!

That's The Frank DeCaro Show,
Wednesday, December 2
11AM-12PM Eastern, 8-9 AM Pacific
OutQ
Sirius 109 / XM 98

CBS Watch November/December issue on newsstands NOW!

Now on newsstands and in your mailboxes: the November/December 2009 issue of CBS Watch! Check out my cover story on NCIS: Los Angeles and its stars LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell, as well as other pieces like my experience at Neil Patrick Harris' L.A. theater show, Accomplice Hollywood, and Frank DeCaro's reminiscence of a CBS classic, Designing Women.

Watch! can be found on newsstands in stores like Target, Barnes & Noble, and Hudson News -- and you can subscribe for free! Just go to www.cbswatchmagazine.com and sign up for your free subscription -- no strings attached!

The Munchkins Take Manhattan

During these past few days in New York City, I've felt like I'm a witness to history.

Last night, at Central Park's historic restaurant Tavern on the Green (itself on the endangered list as it is undoubtedly due for an overhaul on 1/1/10 when it will no longer be run by the LeRoy family, the descendants of the film's producer, Mervyn), Warner Brothers and its home video department gave a big bash to celebrate the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz -- and a new blu-ray DVD box set coming out this coming Tuesday, 9/29.

In the restaurant's parking lot, a hot air balloon, much like the one belonging to the Great Oz, hovered, bearing the likenesses of the iconic film's stars. Later, inside, Oz star Judy Garland's daughter Lorna Luft performed a medley of songs from the film. As she explained in her intro to the medley, she had always resisted singing Oz songs, but had put together this arrangement just for last night's party. But as she elaborated this morning on "The Frank DeCaro Show" on OutQ (Sirius 109, XM 98), the songs she sang last night -- including "If I Only Had a Brain," "Optimistic Voices" and even the number cut from the film, "Jitterbug" -- were all deliberately chosen because they were songs Judy didn't sing in the film.

Following Lorna came Ashanti, who recently starred in The Wiz on Broadway. She deftly belted

out a loving rendition of "Over the Rainbow," and followed with another catchy song, from her new album.

But here's the part about being a witness to history: posing in front of the balloon, with stand-ins of Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and Lion, were five of the six surviving Munchkins. As John Fricke, who has authored three books about the film, explained in his intro, 124 little people worked on The Wizard of Oz. Today, six remain, the youngest, Margaret Pellegrini, at age 86.

They are the only people who remain from the cast of this iconic film. And as five of them gathered in one room, both last night and today on Frank's show on Sirius, I couldn't help but feel like I was witnessing the last of a great era. 70 years later, these performers, who came to Hollywood practically as kids, hearing of a rare big break for Little People, are still with us; and if the reaction of everyone gushing around them in these past few days is an indication, they're getting their due as living American treasures. I was happy to hear, for example, that back in November 2007, the then 8 surviving Munchkins got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Pictured below are at left, author John Fricke (holding the sign), and at right, Lorna Luft.

And in between, Meinhardt Raabe (in wheelchair), the Munchkin coroner. He is the last remaining cast member who had actual solo lines in the film. And at age 94, he performed them today on the air. We'll all always remember:

As coroner, I must aver

I thoroughly examined her.

And she's not only merely dead

She's really most sincerely dead.

Next to Raabe, with the lollipop, is 89-year-old Jerry Maren, the center member of the Lollipop Guild. After Oz, Maren went on to do quite a bit of work in Hollywood, including the "Yada Yada" episode of Seinfeld, and has two films slated for release later in 2009-10. All together now:

We represent the Lollipop Guild

The Lollipop Guild, The Lollipop Guild

And in the name of the Lollipop Guild

We'd like to welcome you to Munchkinland.

Next to Maren is Ruth Duccini, 91. She met her husband on the set of the film, and was married for a little over 50 years. She has 2 children, 4 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren -- and got a laugh on Frank's show today when she said the family doesn't really care too much about her iconic status.

In the flowerpot hat, that's Margaret Pellegrini, 86. At only 15, she took a train, by herself, from Mississippi to Hollywood for a role in the film. Make that two roles. Not only will you see her in the film in that flower pot hat, but she's also one of the "Sleepy Heads."

And at right, in the tie, that's Karl Slover, who just turned 91 on September 21. Slover says he's the smallest cast member, at 4'4". "I couldn't reach the doorknobs," he says with a laugh. Slover had the talent, though, to be cast as 4 different Munchkins -- including one in drag. Catch him as the First Trumpeter, a Munchkin soldier, the sole Sleepy Head boy, and a singer urging Dorothy to Follow the Yellow Brick Road.

As author Fricke mentioned last night, some of these people had had some rough experiences in their lives before the film. But now, they're beloved by generations well into the future, well past their time, and undoubtedly mine. That's why I feel lucky I was able to express my gratitude (and perhaps drooling fandom) in person, to be able to thank them for their roles in creating a work of art that has inspired the imaginations of many millions.

(And P.S. -- if you missed the Munchkins and Luft on this morning's "Frank DeCaro Show," catch them again tonight on the rebroadcast. They're right at the top of the show, which means 10 PM Eastern / 7 PM Pacific.)

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Here's a goodie from today's broadcast of The Frank DeCaro Show that's headed straight for our collective pop culture archives: original Munchkin Karl Slover sings "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Check it out!

The Frank DeCaro Show
Monday to Friday, 11AM - 2PM Eastern, 8-11AM Pacific
Sirius OutQ
Sirius 109 / XM 98

Can you say "Hard Cheese" on Television?

For those fans missing my partner Frank DeCaro's hilarious movie "reviews" during the first 6 1/2 years of The Daily Show (with and without Jon Stewart), here's Happy Chop. Before shooting the infomercial for this competitor to the infamous Vince Shlomi and his Slap Chop, Frank punched up the script to add his trademark double entendres. So... can you say "hard cheese" on television?

Thank you, Bill, for digitizing and uploading the spot!

Catch Frank DeCaro in Stand-Up 360: Inside Out

In the past few days, a new infomercial has been running, so I've been told, on Planet Green network, on Logo, and perhaps elsewhere as well. Once you get a look at that cute salesman in the green suit, a certain Mr. Frank DeCaro, you're going to want a "Happy Chop" of your own.

I'll post the link to that infomercial as soon as I can find it online. In the meanwhile, though, to get your Frank fix, check out this new film in which he appears, Stand-Up 360: Inside Out, this August at a theater near you! (Click here for more info, theaters and showtimes.)

Come laugh your [blank] off!

If you're a fan of Match Game -- well, you must be OLD, like me! Either that, our you spend too much of what might be otherwise productive time watching reruns on GSN.

Either way, come out and see Ben Lerman's amazing stage production of the game show classic, live on stage at the Bowery Poetry Club in New York on Sunday, June 28. With panelists like Judy Gold, Michael Musto, Becky Donahue and my own favorite, Frank DeCaro, you'll laugh your [blank] off!

Introducing... The Confirmed Bachelors

Introducing... Frank DeCaro of Sirius XM Radio and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in...

The Confirmed Bachelors!

Long Live the Queen!

This past Saturday night, just as HBO was unspooling her hilarious new comedy special Long Live the Queen, the self-proclaimed "lovable Queen of Mean" Lisa Lampanelli (in truth one of the nicest people in showbiz) was hosting a premiere party of her own, filled with friends and family, at New York's Friars' Club.

Frank and I were so happy to be invited to watch the special live, along with Lisa's mother, father, equally loud and funny sister Nancy, her brother and assorted other Lampanellii and Lampanelliites.

The special -- taped before a live audience in December in Santa Rosa, CA -- airs again on HBO on Feb. 3, 6, 9, 12, 16 and 18.

Click here to check HBO's web site for more info on Lisa and the special, as well as watch an outrageous clip.

NEW -- "Follow" Must-Hear TV!

As those of you familiar with RSS and Blogger undoubtedly already know, now there are quite a few ways you can keep getting daily helpings of Must-Hear TV dinners, delivered directly to your screen.

1) Near the upper right hand corner of the Must-Hear TV blog, you'll find a box titled Followers of Must-Hear TV. If you're a Blogger member, just click on the "Follow" link, and new posts from Must-Hear TV will be automatically mixed in to the news you receive on Blogger and/or Google Reader.

2) Directly under the Followers box is another way to subscribe to Must-Hear TV. In the box titled Get Blog Feed Subscription, simply click to subscribe to RSS feeds. The cool thing here is, you can also click to have post Comments mixed in to your news as well.

3) And if you'd prefer to receive your Must-Hear TV delivered via email (usually just after midnight), there's a box titled Get Email Subscription to Must-Hear TV where you can type in your email address. You'll be asked to verify a word image, and then will receive an email containing an activation link.

Join me for some daily fun, and let's talk... Must-Hear TV!

The Women take Manhattan

As she introduced The Women last night at its New York premiere screening at the AMC Loews Theater at 19th St. & Broadway, the film's writer/director Diane English revealed that the film we were about to see had been 14 years in the making. That means that English first launched her dream project back in 1994, while in the midst of running her iconic sitcom, CBS' Murphy Brown.

The Women reunites English with Murphy star Candice Bergen -- and stars, as did the 1939 original film, a cadre of the hottest actresses of its day. Last night at the premiere -- which Frank and I attended courtesy of another hot woman with a meteoric career, comic Lisa Lampanelli -- we spotted many of the film's stars, including Meg Ryan, Eva Mendes, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Ana Gasteyer and Debi Mazar.

Later, at the after party on the rooftop of the ultra-hip Gramercy Park hotel, we overheard Mazar talking about how she had first auditioned for the film over 8 years ago. And those fun lines she spouts as gossipy Saks Fifth Avenue salon manicurist Tanya, about encountering Madonna during her past life in Queens, come, at her suggestion to English, straight from Mazar's own life.

In fact, the film is full of fun touches -- including a scene stolen by Bette Midler as an updated version of the original film's "Countess" character; a winking reference to 1930s movies; and other fun moments with so many of my favorite stars like Cloris Leachman, Carrie Fisher and Debra Messing. And this is the most I've ever enjoyed both Annette Bening and Meg Ryan post-When Harry Met Sally. In fact, in moments during The Women, I felt like I could catch a glimpse of Sally again, which works perfectly here for Ryan's character of the wronged wife Mary Haines.

At some point last night, I learned that the critics had not been kind, which might be why Diane English seemed rather low-key. (Or, it could be that she preferred to talk to the likes of the film's producer Mick Jagger over me -- and who could blame her!) Personally, I really enjoyed the film. It differs in some major ways from the original -- and it may be sacrilege for a gay man to say this, but in most cases, I found the changes modern and refreshing.

Oh, and by the way, yes, I did just name drop Mick Jagger. This was one A-List event, which should say something about the film's status. At the screening, moguls like Clive Davis and designers Valentino and Dennis Basso sat among actors like Julia Stiles and Ben Shenkman and journalists Barbara Walters and Cindy Adams. At the party, Bette Midler turned up with daughter Sophie von Haselberg, Frank and I got to hang out with hilarious Jersey girl Karen Duffy aka "Duff," and Ms. Lampanelli got some much welcomed fan worship from Ms. Stiles, and from her two new apparent best friends, Crossing Jordan's Jill Hennessy and Law & Order's S. Epatha Merkerson.

The shnorrer that I am, I wondered why there were no gift bags on the way out -- especially because apparently last night's party sponsor, the makeup brand Nars, has re-created manicurist Tanya's favorite shade, "Jungle Red" -- in conjunction with the film. Oh well -- you can't have it all. Well you can, but maybe you shouldn't want it all -- at least that's what Meg's Mary Haines says in the end.

The Women

Opens today, September 12

Whatever, Martha!

Last night, on the suitably glamorous rooftop of the Hotel Empire, overlooking Manhattan's Lincoln Center, Martha Stewart unveiled yet another venture in her own ever-growing empire. But this new show for the Fine Living Network is not your mother's Martha show. Well, that is unless you're Martha's beautiful daughter, Alexis.

The co-host, with Jennifer Koppelman Hutt, of "Whatever" (Monday-Friday 5-7 PM Eastern) on Martha's Sirius satellite radio channel 112, Alexis has always had a dry sense of humor when it comes to her famous, and famously perfect, mom. Now, as Martha took to the stage on the Empire's rooftop, she showed she has that same sense of humor about herself, too.

An avowed fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (who knew?!), Martha says she watched one episode, where the MST crew took on a flick filled with tin-can robots, just last week. (Which makes me wonder, how does this woman have time to watch TV? At the very least, she must have been multi-tasking, and turned out half a dozen pies in the space of the program, while I merely probably ate as many.) The show gave her, Alexis and Jennifer an idea -- why not give the same irreverent treatment to some of Martha's old clips?

The result is Fine Living Network's Whatever, Martha, debuting this coming Tuesday, September 16 at 9 PM Eastern/Pacific. And it promises to be fascinating. Because as Martha herself pointed out tonight, whereas MST snarked out on silly movies, Martha has allowed -- and yes, I specifically noted that she used the word "allowed" -- Alexis and Jennifer to have at it with her own real self, and with each clip's guests as well. And given that Martha has been a crafting powerhouse for decades now, there are plenty of '80s styles (bad hair, acid washed jeans) to make great comedy fodder.


Scene: Kids in chef hats are using pastry bags to decorate cupcakes.
Martha: You're doing dots, you're doing dashes, and you're doing squiggles!
Jennifer: You're doing crap.
Alexis: Martha would like them to just stop, and get out of her kitchen.

In Tuesday's premiere episode, the girls watch a recent Martha clip in which she welcomes a guest who's a little too into twine. (The shapes of the spools, the roughness of the texture -- it borders on the sexual.) Alexis and Jennifer say out loud just what we're thinking about this rather odd man. And in the process, they create a new genre that's incredibly fun to watch.

Let's call it "Must Ridicule TV."

(Photos: My hubby, Sirius host Frank DeCaro, with three of his co-workers: Jennifer Koppelman Hutt; Alexis Stewart; and at bottom, of course Martha Stewart herself.)

Whatever, Martha

The Fine Living Network

premieres Tuesday, September 16

9 PM Eastern/Pacific

Welcome to Must-Hear TV!

Hey, everyone --

Welcome to my entertainment blog, "Must Hear TV," the companion to my on-air weekly spot on "The Frank DeCaro Show" on Sirius OutQ radio (Channel 109, Wednesdays 1-2 PM.)

As an introduction to this blog, here's a bit more about me:

Jim Colucci is a freelance entertainment writer whose work has appeared in such publications as TV Guide, Inside TV, Quick & Simple, InTouch, Rosie, The Advocate, Next and CBS' Watch magazine, where he serves as a contributing editor.

In addition to writing about the subject, Jim also delivers a weekly on-air report, “Must Hear TV,” as a correspondent for “The Frank DeCaro Show” on Sirius satellite radio.

In the fall of 2004, Time Inc. released Jim’s official, authorized companion book to one of NBC’s biggest comedy hits, entitled Will & Grace: Fabulously Uncensored. His second TV book, The Q Guide to The Golden Girls, was released by Alyson Books in September, 2006.

In television, Jim co-created an original animated pilot for the Disney Channel, and contributed comic material to four annual Oscar-themed comedy specials airing on Comedy Central, hosted by his partner, Frank DeCaro of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.

Jim has written for entertainment media since his days as the Film Editor for The Daily Pennsylvanian, the college newspaper at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated with a degree in marketing from the Wharton School of Business. Originally from Wayne, New Jersey, he now lives in New York City with Frank and their mischievous Boston terrier, Herman.

Please also do visit me at http://www.jimcolucci.com/ for TV-related clips, photos and other goodies -- the likes of which will soon appear here.