In the wake of last Saturday’s fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, there have been repeated demands for the release of the name of the police officer who fatally shot the unarmed man. No investigation of the shooting
My dear friend, colleague, and fellow traveler Sandy Frank passed away on Friday after a long and valiant battle with brain cancer. Here are some memories of Sandy I’d like to share. I knew of Sandy Frank years before I
Here’s the feel-good story of the week: according to the Los Angeles Times, “students” in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) throw away at least $100,000 worth of food every day, mostly fruits and vegetables they’re required to place
In August of 2010 I was offered a staff writing job on a brand new E! show called Fashion Police. The salary offered was less than half of the Writer’s Guild of America minimum for TV writing, with no medical
Those Republicans are at it again. Here are just a few of the distortions, half-truths, and outright lies in the remarks actor Clint Eastwood made during the Republican National Convention last night. “I know what you are thinking. You are
With its 12 Oscar nominations, its stellar cast, and its glowing reviews, The King’s Speech sounded like a movie that would leave me…well, speechless. But when it comes to stuttering Englishmen I was, frankly, more moved by Roger Daltrey’s performance
Earlier this week an essay appeared on the Huffington Post which accused Heritage Action of plagiarism with regards to some Internet spots they are currently running starring Clint Howard. As the writer for the Heritage Action ads in question, let
For all the talk about how TV, not movies, is where you find the best writing these days, I sometimes think they’re starting to run out of ideas for TV shows, too. For example, as of this week there are
The cruel exploitation of the impoverished masses has been a staple of Hollywood storytelling since the earliest days of movie making. In fact, thanks to big-screen classics from The Grapes of Wrath to Slumdog Millionaire you might say that grinding
OBITUARY August 27, 2009 Ned Rice The whole world suffered a terrible loss yesterday with the passing from cancer of a great American icon who overcame unspeakable family tragedies and his own alcoholism to become a legendary advocate for justice.
For those of you who take it as an article of faith that Dan Quayle was the dumbest, most out-of-touch vice president who ever served this nation, I’m afraid I have some bad news for you. Yesterday, Independence Day, Vice
Because my hobby is surfing obscure website nobody cares about, this week I happened upon this recent offering by the Southern Poverty Law Center. If you’re not familiar, the S.P.L.C. is one of those groups who did good work in
Published today at Townhall Magazine: Hollywood A-list actress and longtime “Law & Order” star Angie Harmon caused a bit of a stir recently when she made the following comments about our new president: “If I have anything to say against
I have three words for the next person who tries to tell me there’s no liberal bias in the mainstream media. Or more precisely, three letters: N, P, and R, as in National Public Radio. This past Saturday’s “Morning Edition”
Dear Senator Feinstein/Senator Boxer/Rep. Jane Harmon, I am writing you today regarding President Obama’s recent proposal to charge U.S. combat veterans (through their insurance carriers) for treatment received as a result of injuries suffered on the battlefields of Iraq and
It all started with an innocent-looking email, this one from the collective bargaining entity which represents me as a network television writer. Along with the usual minutia there was a note requesting my support for the Employee Free Choice Act,
Like many of you, I was an enthusiastic supporter of President Obama’s economic stimulus plan before I had even read it. Come to think of it, so was he. Now I’m no economist, but when you’re faced with both soaring
Hugh Jackman’s opening number the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen on TV that didn’t involve Dr. Gene Scott. I can’t imagine how anybody watching could have enjoyed that. OK, maybe Rob Lowe. Give Anne Hathaway credit: her Nixon’s better than