Cool News
"Homicide" & "News Radio" canceled / "B5" timeslot confirmed / "Thumb Wars" site on-line / hear "Episode I" score on-line !!!
Glen here...
Star Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars, Star
Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars, Star
Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars,Star Wars, Star
Wars....etc.
Before anyone gets on me for the anemic updating over the last week (if you blast me on
Talkbacks I'll just delete it), things have been insane here at AICN. Many cool Star
Wars adventures to be told - more on this in the near future.
Star Wars, Star Wars,Star Wars,Star Wars,Star
Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars, Star
Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars, Star
Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars,Star Wars, Star Wars!
Anyway - here are few brief bits of information, in no particular order:
Allan Higgins (a writer on News Radio) has publicly stated that the show...floundering
since Phil Hartman's death...has now been cancelled.
Various venues...including the Associated Press...have released articles indicating
Homicide has been canceled.
I know this will piss off a great many viewers and readers of this page - as it's a great &
much-loved show. But this has been coming for a long time now, and in some ways, we should be
thankful it went on for as long as it did.
Much more information about the various Homicide cancellation articles can be found by
CLICKING HERE!
And all of those who jumped on me for previously indicating the show's fate looked grim should
take note of this moment...
Last week, Coaxial announced Babylon 5's new timeslot would be 7-9am Eatsern Time
on Saturday mornings.
TNT has now confirmed this timeslot as being accurate :-(
The Official Tumb Wars web site is now online, available through HREF="http://www.thumbtv.com/">this link.
Said site features information, pictures, and footage / trailers from the forthcoming Star
Wars parody starring a bunch of thumbs. I had originally intended to spew out an unending
stream of derogatory statements regarding the prospect of this thumb-based parody, but shortly
before I started typing my thumb was violently sliced open on a can of Tomato with Rice soup.
As such, I can only conclude that a thumb-based parody is a brilliant idea...not to mention the
cat's meow...and you should jump to the site linked above immediately.
Finally, this week's installment of Ford A. Thaxton's SOUNDTRACK CINEMA is featuring
John William's score for Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The on-line
broadcast can be accessed by CLICKING HERE.
To hear the broadcast, you will need Real Audio, which you can access by HREF="http://www.real.com">CLICKING HERE!
Glen
Or call:
(512) 347-1992
Mail can be sent to:
Glen Oliver
P.O. BOX 160812
Austin, TX 78716-0812
USA
P.O. BOX 160812
Austin, TX 78716-0812
USA
Austin, TX 78716-0812
USA
USA
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Well, at least the other shoe has finally dropped on all of this. Homicide will be missed by many. and with such a rank time slot, B5 is sure to be missed by many as well.
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ah damn...the last ep was pretty bad, so I was hoping that the normally excellant show could pull another season out of its hat, but...ah damn
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All well that's Shit. That was the most consistenly funny show on television. I don't know why the corerate dipshit's At NBC Decided To ax the best show they have.
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I know the cancelation of Homicide was pretty certain for the past couple of months, but it still sucks. This last season was strange but still excellent. It was the best written show on TV and it will be missed by everyone who values intelligence on TV. Now, I just need to get cable so I can watch the reruns on CourtTV.
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Oh man I can see it now! This is going to be great! See it's just like Star Wars... ONLY WITH THUMBS! Yeah man! And the ships are pretty much the same... BUT THEY ALL LOOK LIKE HANDS AND FINGERS AND STUFF!!! Jesus, why wasn't this made years ago? Man this is going to be brilliant! I mean there will be Luke... BUT HES A THUMB... and he will go with Ben... WHO IS ALSO A THUMB... and meet Han... WHO AGAIN IS A THUMB AND NAMED HAND, HAHAHA... then they will save the princess... THUMB!!!... from Vader... THUMMMMBBBBB!!!... and then blow up the THUMB STAR!!!! HHAHAHAHAHA, Man I can't wait to see this! I mean Star Wars with thumbs? C'mon it's the best idea ever!!! It's not like they came up with one joke (if you can even call it that) and are now going to run it into the ground for a half hour to capitalize on the new Star Wars film. C'mon people, this is UPN here! Where else could you find such class, such quality, such wonderful entertainment? Plus it's from the guy who wrote Ace Ventura 2!! Geez if this doesn't just scream outstanding comedy then I don't know what comedy is (and apparently neither does UPN)!!!
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So, is this gonna' be like Hardware Wars? Now that was good fun.-------As for Newsradio, you will be missed, but not as much as Phil Hartman. Thank God for reruns!!!
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Don't get me wrong, I like sarcasm, but Megatron was really understating how moronic Thumb Wars is - I mean - this thing looks dumber than a sequel to Showgirls. I mean JESUS, I looked at the site expecting to see little thumbs with little faces drawn on them with a Sharpie, but instead they actually have eyes and mouths slapped onto the thumbs - WHAT'S WITH THAT? They also have arms and whatever, where's the joke gone??? I mean, with "real" eyes and mouths on the thumbs (and hair, too!) you can barely tell that they're thumbs at all!! Then it just becomes a throwback to Clutch Cargo!! Never heard of Clutch Cargo? THERE'S A REASON!!! IT SUCKED!! And so will this. Anyone see Steve (Thumb Wars "Creator") Oedekerk's NBC special a couple of years back? (steveoedekirk.com) It was HORRIBLE. I mean, the only jokes that were funny were jokes he RIPPED OFF from Mystery Science Theater 3000 The Movie! Jeez, please, everybody boycott this porker (he's not fat, he's just BAD) - let's show the world that the best SW parody (and the ONLY one in my eyes) is HARDWARE WARS!! HEY STEVE, I GOT A PLACE FOR YOU TO STICK YER THUMBS, BUDDY! -peteski@spinninghead.com
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Maybe certain things in life we are not able to appreciate until they are gone. I hate being overdramatic, but when you watch Newsradio in syndication (and I encourage you to do so) you will see that it is a pretty impressive ensamble sitcom. The fact that Phil Hartman's death probably couldn't be overcome is sadly ironic, since the sitcom thrived by never becoming a Phil Hartman vanity piece. Perhaps a greater tragedy than the fact that Phil had to wait until death to get noticed by Emmy voters is the fact that Stephen Root has never even been spoken about for such awards. Jimmy James is my favorite sitcom character of all time, never missing a beat in a single scene over his tenure.
Newsradio is reminisce of some of the ensamble sitcoms of the 70's like Taxi, and Newsradio's kin: WKRP in Cincinnati. Strangely, while never being ratings darlings, IMHO, these two sitcoms have aged pretty well.
Little schtick, no catchphrases, just sharp writing and interesting (and quirky) characters. Salute, Newsradio. Here's to John and Jane Middle America turning on the television at 12:00 am on some future night and, finally, laughing their asses off. Coach Bob. -
You thumbwars naysayers need to realize that you must find your inner child and view the show from the point of view of an 8 year old ....well,maybe a 4 year old.
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You thumbwars naysayers need to realize that you must find your inner child and view the show from the point of view of an 8 year old ....well,maybe a 4 year old.
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At least NBC had the decency to cancel "Caroline in the City." If "Newsradio" had received the support given to "Veronica's Closet" or "Suddenly Susan", NBC would have had a surefire hit. How many timeslot changes were there, 8? What's left on that network anyway? A very tired looking "E.R." and "Frasier." Must see T.V. my ass!
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As was said elsewhere on the 'Net, "Say it ain't so!" I worked on the show and am so proud that I was able to be there. So many good craftspeople will now be out of work, but that's show biz, I guess. This cancellation feels like somebody (who's very special) has died. Yeah, I know that there are those who will say that it's just a TV show. Well, to those naysayers...Phantom Menace is just a movie!
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I didn't catch Homicide until after I returned to the States several years ago. By then, it was a well developed show with characters that defied the stale ensemble characters from ER, Chicago Hope, or LA Law.
Homicide, like Law and Order and NYPD Blue, has the ability to suck you in, make you part of the play, and make you care about the principles. The acting has been terrific, the writing was doubly so. This is a show that I will watch in reruns.
News Radio. Good show. But, it's time has come. I believe in the British model for most sitcoms. Limited run and move on. Home Improvement could have gone down maybe two seasons ago. But, News Radio's demise was hastened by the the death of Phil Hartman, or was it the introduction of Lovitz? Maybe they had an extra season in them if Phil were still with us.
Thumb Wars. As soon as I heard about it, I thought back to Hardware Wars. Anyone remember that short? One of the most awarded short films of the time. -
If NBC had treated NewsRadio right from the beginning, giving it all the support of the extremely bad Veronica's Closet and Suddenly Susan, and not moved its time slot so many times, this show would probably be consistently in the top 20. NBC won't come up with anything better than NewsRadio, even in its weakened post-Hartman state, that will be nearly as good. The same with Homicide: I'm really going to miss those Homicide/Law & Order crossover episodes, as well as seeing Benjamin Bratt on L&O.
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I can't say anything about NewsRadio.. I saw an episode here and there, and it seemed ok. But I wish I could say I was sadder about the passing of Homicide. It was time.. The acting this season, as always, was excellent, but it lacked momentum, and on more then one occasion you could tell they did only a hasty retrofit on scripts to make a Pembleton scene on Giardello the Younger scene.
Would I rather they have comitted to one more season? Of course, since one more season of mediocre Homicide is better then 95% of whats on the air. NYPD Bluemovie
with it's extremely ambiguous precinct never qutie got me, and while The Practice has grown on me, it is never, ever subtle.
So, at least we don't have to see Homicide mercy killed mid-season. And who knows, since the show started with a mini-series, maybe we will see a couple more limited glimpses into the mean streets of Baltimore? -
Man, NBC totally screwed News Radio by not allowing them to have a real series finale... The Nanny got one, Melrose Place got one, Caroline got one, which were all horrible (well i dont know about the Nanny never saw it.) I mean did what happened to the gang, did Dave give in and move to the country, did the rest of guys come back one by one all at once or was it an extreme way to get a new cast? arghh this pisse me off. well at least i've got a great late night comedy block, 11:30 MASH followed by News Radio
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What is TNT trying to make B5 fail or what? They cancel Crusade then they move B5 to a gimp timeslot like 7-9 Saturday morning. Who does TNT's scheduleing? An ape? Where are they going to pick the series up at? I've been trying to tape so that TNT couldn't mess me up but all this rearranging garbage has made me miss Season 5 tice now. Maybe I'll get it this time. Good luck B5 I don't think you'll last much longer like this. -
if there is a place to go and petition for Newsradio to be picked up by another network? God, I hate to see it go. The idea they had for a next season sounded great. The whole crew eventally leaves NY for the small town AM station. You don't know what you got till it's gone.
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I heard that the city of Baltimore and the state of Maryland is offering Drew Carey a quarter million dollars, a free, custom-built studio that he pays no rent on and gets all revenue from, jobs for his adopted cokehead children, and all kinds of other perks if he moves to Baltimore and shoots eight episodes a year there. Oh, wait - I'm thinking of a different Clevelander...
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From what I understand, the basic story premise for a 6th season opener of Newsradio would have had Dave meeting WNYX's new owner and getting a new crew. Unlike his former co-workers, every person would be a hard worker, courteous, efficient and, thus, boring. Of course, he doesn't like this so he and Matthew high-tail it to New Hampshire to join the other characters already there. As for the new Newsradio set, the production had in mind making it an old farmhouse that the AM station and local paper (edited by Lisa) share. Also, for once a month, their "office" would be rented out to the community's square-dance social! Basically, the premise for the new Newsradio would have been an inversion on the "fish outta water" concept: Dave, who was the original fish outta water during the 1st season of the series, would be right at home in New Hampshire, while all the other characters would be the sassy city folk trying to adjust to country/small-town life in their wacky, funny ways. Finally, the writers wanted to expand into political satire with the upcoming 2000 elections and the opening Presidential primaries in New Hampshire.
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Jon, for me was the end of NewsRadio, and except for one character he's done, I'd say he sucks! Also, over the past yr. or so., I've found myself catching the syndicated reruns more often than the actual current show. Many have said Phil carried the show, but they're many excellant supporting cast members in NewsRadio, and best of luck to them all.
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I have to admit I've only been able to watch both these shows mainly in syndication. I've found them both to be excellent though obviously underappreciated. I like both of them for different reasons... "Homicide" was one of the few shows that featured intelligent drama and Black actors. "Newsradio" I loved because of it's cast was cool... though I haven't seen it with Lovitz on. I know that the cast needed Phil Hartman... in fact I can't imagine the show with any of the original cast members. I also like "NewsRadio" because of Khandi Alexander (whatever happened to her)? "NewsRadio" is one of the few smart comedies that had a major African American character... so I appreciated it for that also. Anyway I hope that something else comes down like both of these shows soon. By the way what happened to "Brimstone"?
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And now a reading from 'Jimmy James: Macho Business Donkey Wrestler'
"Many days no business comes to my hut. But does Jimmy have fear? A thousand times No!"
and
"Jimmy has big plans and pants to match"
I love Phil Hartman and it was certainly a fine ensemble but Stephen Root's contributions were undervalued.
Newsradio will be missed. Donkey-donkey -
Selections fro Jimmy James' Secrets of Management:#1-Measure twice, cut once.
#2-No shirt, no shoes, no service.
#3-Don't do today what you can put off 'til tomorrow.
#434-The boss is never wrong.
#435-When in doubt, see secret #434.
#437-It's hard to fly with the eagles when you're surrounded by turkeys.
#597-Whoomp! There it is!
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This show was the result of a perfect alliance of talent: The creators, writers, directors, and cast. Phil Hartman was the icing. Everytime I see him on this show, or hear him on the Simpsons, I curse his derranged wife. Newsradio was consistantly funny, and never insulting to its audience's intelligence (How many current sitcoms can we say that about). And although the show never fully recovered from the loss of Phil, it remained better than almost anything else offered in primetime. Should NBC have given the show more of a chance, or did it fail simply because it went over too many viewers heads? It seems as if the goofs representing our ratings vote are more interested in watching "Worlds greatest bloodbaths,' or " White trash transvestite cousins battle over their stepmon's dwarf boyfriend on Sally Jesse."...All I know is that EVERYONE who was involved in the making Newsradio will have a great future no matter what they do. As for the rest of us who cannot go to sleep until 12:30 (or occasionally 1:00am.), we better make sure to tape as many of the reruns as possible.
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Call me crazy, but Jon L. put the show over the top. IMHO he was far funnier than Phil. Jon made me a regular viewer.
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I never really listened to all the talk about how TV was heading down the tubes. I still had great show's to watch whenever I got the chance, and now one of them has died. Newsradio, you will be missed! Let's just say my bedtime got pushed back until 1am.
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This is a sad set of announcements I've read today. First off, Babylon 5 deserves a much better time slot. I've watched L.A. Heat and really cannot get into it.(Although Rene Tennison is damn fine!) This should not be replacing B5 in the rerun time slot. Then again, considering TNT's handling of Crusade and JMS, I suppose this isn't totally unexpected. Still with it's well-written (and sometimes ballsy)storylines, memorable dialougue, and fine acting (Andreas Katsulas and Peter Jurasik in particular deserved Emmy nominations) it has earned a place as one of my three favorite television series of the decade.
My second favorite is Homicide. Ever since I saw the episode where Pembelton knowingly made an innocent man confess to murder, I was hooked. Instead of the adventures of two cops and their background buddies who we could care less about, Homicide showed the lives of every member of the unit, bit by bit, with some damn fine acting (Pembelton's stroke scene still fucks with me to this day), writing, character depth, and fresh directing. I wish we could have had more time to see the development of some of the newer characters of the past two seasons (Keep in mind that Kellerman's character needed time to gain steam before hitting a hellified stride). Instead, I'm left with unanswered questions. Will Bayliss ever stop being mentally screwed up? Will Munch ever stop being a loser (although a likeable one)? Will Lewis and Stivers ever get it on or what? And will Yaphet Kotto keep a decent haircut for the rest of his life? (Sorry man...) Anyway, I have a thought to propose to Tom Fontanna and Barry Levinson. Since you've already put a helluva good drama on HBO called Oz, would you consider showing Homicide there? Just a thought. Thanks.
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By the way, for those keeping score, my third favorite t.v. series is the animated Batman/ Superman adventures. More good storylines, (voice) acting and high quality animation. Will Marvel ever learn?
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Every episode of NewsRadio this season has been disappointing, except for the opener tribute to Phil. Just as he was on SNL, Phil Hartman was the glue that held the entire NewsRadio cast together. How many times would a bizarre series of plots be brought together by Bill's egocentric tirades? Ever since Jon Lovitz joined the cast, I've found myself missing the strong presence of Phil. Even after Khandi Alexander left (she didn't think she was getting enough screen time), Phil propelled the entire show. He never missed a beat. As for NBC, they can take their sorry-ass schedule with its "Veronica's Closet," its "Suddenly Susan," and its "50 fucking Datelines a week" and shove them up their ass. I'm sick of their "half-truths and gorilla dust." How prophetic was Phil Hartman's last episode aboard a sinking ship? Damn.
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You just can't win, can you (since Batman/Superman is on hiatus at least for this year at least). Anywho, I just wonder about all the good shows vanishing. I never watched Homicide though I've heard all the good things said about it and think that a show of that caliber should remain on TV. Similarly, Newsradio (which I have watched - every ep of it) stands out in the comedy world. Throughout all 5 seasons, it remained creative and original without ever resorting to the pointless 'shocking' episodes other supposedly great sitcoms have resorted to get their viewers to come back. It was a great statement on how sitcoms could be if the writers decided they'd rather care about their characters than merely sell poll-driven garbage like their competitors. Excelsior, Newsradio! Yopu shall be greatly missed...
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You just can't win, can you (since Batman/Superman is on hiatus at least for this year at least). Anywho, I just wonder about all the good shows vanishing. I never watched Homicide though I've heard all the good things said about it and think that a show of that caliber should remain on TV. Similarly, Newsradio (which I have watched - every ep of it) stands out in the comedy world. Throughout all 5 seasons, it remained creative and original without ever resorting to the pointless 'shocking' episodes other supposedly great sitcoms have resorted to get their viewers to come back. It was a great statement on how sitcoms could be if the writers decided they'd rather care about their characters than merely sell poll-driven garbage like their competitors. Excelsior, Newsradio! Yopu shall be greatly missed...
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Hello
I am offering $50,000 or best offer to the person who can get me the battledroid game piece.
-Rokur Gepta
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KC, my Monkey Skills are better than yours. RIP, Newsradio. Easily one of the best comedies on TV, ever. What an amazing ensemble, of which of course Phil Hartman (aka God) was such an important part. Even bad Newsradio kicked butt on just about any other comedy's best. Dang. It would be swell if they could do one last hour-long episode or something - normally a show that gets axed does so after a season or two; ones that last long enough to go into reruns usually get the benefit and dignity of a farewell ep! But NBC (delightfully falling from grace like a concrete angel) has never given NR the respect it deserved....
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Is there a chance that NewsRadio could be chosen by another tv station? I LOVE this show and i can't imagine living without the cast. I wanted to see Dave and Lisa get back together, they are so funny together. Who runs NBC anyway? My grandma could do it better and she's in a coma. Damn you NBC and damn Veronica's Weight Problem!
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Yahoo!News(5/17/1999) is quoting Barry Levinson as saying that he would like to shop Homicide around to another network and "blamed the cancellation of the critically-acclaimed show on a lack of promotion by NBC".
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As much as I loved "NewsRadio," it was never the same in the post-Hartman era. (There were maybe--and I'm being generous here--half a dozen truly funny episodes this season.) It may be like watching an animal put to sleep, but it's truly for the best. We have the reruns, and they're in syndication, so we'll have the high points--like the "Rashomon"-inspired episode depicting Catherine's departure--to savor in fringe syndication timeslots for years to come. But make no mistake--beyond "Seinfeld," "NewsRadio" was THE sitcom of the '90s.
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I am extremely disappointed with the cancellation of Homicide: Life on the Street. It is a
sad day when a program of this caliber is given up on.
A few years ago there was a movement in television for higher quality programing.
Programing that brought actors, writers. producers, directors and others to the creative
table. These artisans as well as the executives exclaimed that TV was worth watching. I
guess broadcast television has given up the fight to compete with cable. Sorry to see that
NBC has given up so easily.
I am in mourning for this series - a series in which I looked forward to- a series with brilliant
producers and exceptional writers and talented actors. The cancellation of this series should
be deemed a red ball. For I will miss my window to Baltimore. I will miss the telephone
ringing. I will miss Lt. Jasper's cameos. I will miss the box. I will miss the board and most
of all I will miss this story of good verses evil and of the stories of the men and women that
are working for god.
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I am probably the biggest NewsRadio fan there is and what bothers me the most is that we'll never ger to see the real finale. So i thought you guys might have some ideas about what it was going to be like. I think Dave was eventually going to move to New Hampshire and him and Lisa would get back together. Also i think that Beth would find the perfect guy there and Joe would find a girl. Ok so my imagination sucks but that's the best i could come up with. So tell us how you think NewsRadio would've ended!
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That really sucks about news radio. Next season could have been good i read somewhere that the setting would be changed to new hampshire where jimmy james would buy another station and the show would take place there. It could have been great a change was needed sinces phil hartmans death.
Oh well the good die young
damn -
It's been over a year since this bit was posted, but I've been sifting thru old ones just for fun... I really, really, really miss Phil Hartman. I really miss him. Sometimes it makes me want to cry. I never appreciated the guy until he was gone. ::sigh:: I hope they put all the News Radio Eps. to DVD so I can collect them. Man, he shone.
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Pretty sad his bitch of a wife had to kill him because she was jealous of him. She took away a major talent and even 13 years later I still wish he was around. Sad I can't even remember her name, but I know others do, and she will always be remembered as the crazy woman who killed Phil Hartman. Nothing more.
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