MIKE ON KCRW: Diversity, "Downton Abbey," James Corden, Trevor Noah

On this Monday's edition of The Business, Kim Masters and I bantered about several topics including:

- It's TV pilot season, and a piece in Deadline about diversity in casting and whether or not its gone "too far" has caused quite a reaction within the industry.

- James Corden charms audiences and secures strong ratings as the new host of The Late Late Show on CBS.

- The sun will set on the game-changing historical soap-opera Downton Abbey after six seasons on PBS, but there could still be a Downton movie some time after the TV show wraps.

Listen by clicking below:





On last Thursday's Hollywood Breakdown, Kim Masters and I talked all about the end of "Downton Abbey" and the rise of James Corden:

The drama that changed the game for PBS, historical soap opera Downton Abbey, will end the series after an upcoming sixth and final season, but the impact of the show will be felt long after the Crawley family says goodbye. With its shorter contracts for actors and limited seasons, Downton Abbey changed the way television is produced, and opened the door for more international productions to find a place on American TV screens. And as Downton sees its final days, another Brit, James Corden is just getting acquainted with Americans as the new host of The Late Late Show on CBS. His debut week has seen strong ratings and brings a more British style of talk show to US shores. The show also introduces the musical and comedic stylings of Reggie Watts to a more mainstream audience.

Listen below:





On Monday's Press Play with Madeleine Brand, Grantland's Andy Greenwald and I discussed:

Comedy Central announced that South African comic Trevor Noah will replace Jon Stewart as host of the Daily Show when Stewart steps down later this year. Also, a controversial article wonders: Do actors of color have it too easy in Hollywood?

Listen below:

Rate-A-Restaurant #340: Poke N Roll

Restaurant: Poke N Roll

Location: 413 S Central Ave. (Glendale)

Type of restaurant: Sushi Bowls


We stipulated: Lunch time in Glendale and we've been thinking about trying out Poke N Roll for awhile via news coverage and reviews we've seen elsewhere. I love getting Poke back in Hawai'i, and although I knew this wouldn't be the same, I was hoping it might be close.



They stipulated: This is deconstructed sushi, assembled much in the Chipotle style: Pick a rice, 2 fish, 3 toppings (such as jalapeno, seaweed salad, avocado, cucumber, etc.) and a sauce.


What we ordered: Maria and I both chose the tuna and salmon (and crabmeat also comes with it). For sides, I chose seaweed salad, avocado and jalapeno. Maria put asparagus on hers. I also chose spicy sauce and brown rice on the bottom; Maria got white rice and a spicy mayo. It's a hearty meal, for $9.17.



High point:  There's quite a bit of food here, plus I like the variety of sauces available.



Low point:  My brown rice was crunchy. Nothing worse that crunchy rice. But it was still edible.



Overall impression: This is not the Hawaiian-style poke bowl you're hoping for. But move past that, and enjoy it for what it is: Deconstructed sushi. I made mine extra spicy and enjoyed it.



Will we return: Yes.

MIKE ON KCRW: Discussing Empire, James Corden and SXSW on "Press Play"

On Monday's Press Play with Madeleine Brand, NPR's Linda Holmes and I discussed the "Empire" finale and more:

Empire has wrapped up its first season. Were fans satisfied with the finale, and can the show keep it fresh for season two? Also, pasty English comedian James Corden will host his first episode of The Late Late Show tonight, taking over from Craig Ferguson. We talk about that and more in our weekly television roundup.

Listen below:



On the March 16 edition of Press Play with Madeleine Brand, I called in from SXSW to talk about TV at the Austin festival and more:

The Jinx is obviously the biggest topic in TV today, but there’s a lot more going on in the land of the small screen. There are new shows premiering this week on television and at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, including the new season of Community in its new home on Yahoo. The interactive part of South by Southwest kicked off Friday -- and these days “interactive” includes online content and streaming as well as TV. We catch up on it all in our weekly television roundup.

Listen below:

Scenes from a Valley Cic-LA-Via

Back in November The Great Los Angeles Walk took on the Valley, walking Ventura east from Topanga Canyon all the way up Lankershim to North Hollywood. On Sunday, Cic-LA-via followed the tail end of that course, picking up from Coldwater Canyon. I brought along the Blogger Kid, and together we biked the entire route, 6 miles each way. As usual, it was a blast, and we had a chance to revisit some of the things we spied on foot back on the Walk. Some pics from the day:



The Cic-LA-via bus


A brass band joins in


Even E.T. and Elliott joined in!


Free books from the LA Public Library on this book bike (bookcycle?).


The Blogger Kid and I discussed the merits of this NoHo sign. I still find it gaudy, but he points out it's at least not boring.


No cars were being washed on Sunday!

RIP, "Dr. George" Fischbeck, L.A.'s Colorful Weatherman

Rough year for local L.A. TV legends. First KTLA's Stan Chambers passed away, and now famed weatherman "Dr. George" Fischbeck, seen on KABC-Channel 7 for years, has died at 92.
Dr. George was such a household name in Southern California that, as you see above, by 1987 KABC wasn't even including his last name in his identification. In 2008, the L.A. Times caught up with Fischbeck, and he was still going strong as a docent at the L.A. Zoo and in other volunteer work. (Read it here.)

More from the L.A. Times:

George Fischbeck, a science teacher turned weatherman who joined KABC-TV in 1972 and spent nearly two decades exuberantly delivering the local forecast, has died. He was 92.

Fischbeck, who was known as "Dr. George," died of natural causes early Wednesday morning at the Motion Picture & Television Fund retirement home in Woodland Hills, his daughter, Nancy Fischbeck, said.

A trained meteorologist, George Fischbeck was so enthusiastic about his subject that he sometimes forgot to talk about the next day's weather.

"I must begin with an apology," Fischbeck said on a 1978 broadcast. "Last Friday we got carried away again and we got everything in but the forecast."

When the rare inclement weather threatened Los Angeles, his newscast's ratings went up as viewers tuned in to see a seemingly real-life Mr. Wizard — complete with thick black-rimmed glasses, animated mustache and signature bow tie — race around the set.

Some people considered Fischbeck's weathercasts "madcap performances," according to a 1978 Times profile with the headline "Blue Skies for Dr. George." The "doctor" referred to an honorary degree from the University of Albuquerque.

"I'm Channel 7's father image," Fischbeck said in 1978 while insisting that he was not its comedian because he refused to do jokes. "I am not a phony. I am not manufactured or contrived."

He did, however, once call attention to the beginning of March by hauling a lion and a lamb into the TV studio.

The cult of personality that prevailed on local television in the 1970s "seemed to have reached a zenith" at KABC by 1979 when Fischbeck began receiving even wider play on the local news to exploit his huge following, former TV columnist Howard Rosenberg wrote in The Times.

In a 1981 report, People magazine compared Fischbeck to "a caged lion" who "stalks the weather map, prowls the sound stage ... and explodes into a frenzy of animation while delivering his forecasts. He candidly admits that cameramen should get hazard pay for trying to keep up with him."

Watch a Fischbeck weathercast here:



And check out this five-part feature from Dr. George and KABC on how the TV news is made:

From the Archives of TV Guide Magazine: The 1995 Launch of "The Late Late Show"

For TV Guide Magazine I recently spoke with James Corden, the new host of CBS' "The Late Late Show." We had a fun chat in his Television City office, and of course, his charm offensive worked beautifully. Self-effacing, quick-witted and a seemingly nice bloke, you can't help but root for the guy. Read my Q&A with him at TV Insider here.

Meanwhile, from the pages of TV Guide Magazine, here's how we covered the January 9, 1995 launch of the original "The Late Late Show," hosted by Tom Snyder:

MIKE ON KCRW: Interviewing Author Michael Connelly for "The Business"

On last week's episode of KCRW's The Business, I interviewed author Michael Connelly, whose book series about L.A. homicide detective Harry Bosch has been turned into the Amazon series "Bosch." Amazon just ordered season 2:

Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch first started solving crimes for the LAPD Hollywood Division in the 1992 novel The Black Echo.

Twenty three years later, author Michael Connelly is still dispatching Bosch to LA's darkest corners. He's working on his 18th Harry Bosch novel as we speak.

In all that time, there's never been a Bosch movie. Connelly sold the rights to Paramount in 1995, and while several scripts were written, the film ultimately never got made.

Two other Connelly novels, Blood Work and The Lincoln Lawyer, were made into movies, but Connelly didn't have much involvement with those adaptations.

But now, Connelly has his rights back and the detective finally has his on-screen debut with the new Amazon series Bosch. The show draws on storylines from three of the novels in the series and has the busy, tormented detective tracking down a serial killer while dealing with a lawsuit against him for killing a suspect in another case.

Connelly is very involved with the show. He's an executive producer who's hands-on and on set. He was even the one who suggested Titus Welliver play the title role. Connelly sat down with TV Guide's Michael Schneider, host of KCRW's The Spin-off, to talk about how his most famous character finally found a home at Amazon, the blessing and curse of not knowing ratings, and the awkward moment of making a show with a company that is also feuding with your book publisher.

Listen by clicking below!

Scenes from Austin and SXSW: Kwik-E-Mart, Roaming Squirrels, "Angie Tribeca," Reggie Watts, "Community" and BBQ

Another year at SXSW! It was a quick trip, and this year my main focus was moderating a panel for the premiere of TBS' quirky new comedy "Angie Tribeca," plus attending a celebration for the launch of "Community" on Yahoo. But the other exciting element: Maria and I took our first trip sans kids since the days pre-kids. Above, on our way to Austin, via the Long Beach Airport. ("Are we really doing this? We're doing this!")


Mobile Kwik-E-Mart, in honor of The Simpsons' convenience store's 25th anniversary. We tried a Squishy -- "sweet" is an understatement. "Coma-inducing," maybe better. Details:

This weekend, the first ever “Kwik-E-Truck” was unveiled during SXSW Interactive to celebrate the Kwik-E-Mart’s inaugural appearance on THE SIMPSONS 25 years ago. Throughout the weekend, the “Kwik-E-Truck” served over 3,400 free iconic Kwik-E-Mart Squishees to hot festival goers at a rate of 2.6 Squishees per minute! With flavors including SO VERY CHERRY and GIVE ‘EM THE RAZZ, people were seen carrying the must-have frozen beverage all throughout Austin.

In addition to Squishees, the truck offered branded iPads with the all-new “Simpsons World” digital platform featuring every THE SIMPSONS episode ever, a sneak peek at THE SIMPSONS Kwik-E-Mart LEGO® set, interactive photo experiences and more. The #KwikETruck hashtag was trending in Austin throughout the weekend as fans waited in the baking Texas heat to get their very own taste of Springfield!

El Barto's tag on the Kwik_E-Mart truck.


With Squishy in hand, Maria gives Apu his voice.


The much-anticipated Lego Kwik-E-Mart (retail $199) on display.


Inside the Lego Kwik-E-Mart.


Overhead view of the Lego Kwik-E-Mart.


With Cookie Monster at PBS' lounge at the Austin Convention Center


I moderated a panel for TBS' "Angie Tribeca"; here I am with stars Rashida Jones and Hayes MacArthur.


These squirrels are definitely Keeping Austin Weird.


BBQ sauce at Lambert's. Sad story. I've been dreaming about Lambert's sliced brisket sandwich since last year. I'd been talking up the sandwich for days with Maria. I couldn't wait for her to try what I'd been thinking about all year. We got to Lambert's... and it wasn't on the menu. Devastated. It took me hours to get out of a funk after that. Luckily, had a delicious sliced brisket sandwich from Black's BBQ later that evening.


Instead, I had the chopped brisket sandwich. Which just wasn't the same. You broke my heart, Lambert's!


An elaborate re-creation of Bates Motel, complete with working plumbing!


The Bates Motel shower works! Don't mind the blood stain.


Oh, why not, let's check in.


The Hootsuite Owl, also making Austin weird.


Reggie Watts, of "Comedy! Bang! Bang!" fame, and now the bandleader for "The Late Late Show with James Corden," performs at a party for Jash.


Outside Austin's Driskell Hotel.


Austin's downtown streets start to fill up.


The Texas capitol building


This stuffed wolf looks lost.


At the premiere party for "Community" at the Yahoo! space.


On the convention floor. Not sure what a "Talkable Vegetable" does.


Dinosaur podcast!


Dan Harmon moderates a "Community" panel with Joel McHale, Alison Brie and Gillian Jacobs.


The entire cast joins in (except Danny Pudi).


I imagine the cabs of Austin have to enforce the $100 policy quite a bit on the weekends. Yuck.


One final taste of BBQ, at the airport outpost of The Salt Lick. Until next time, Austin!