George Carlin dead at 71
Wow. I just got in from a very, very late flight from Denver, and the early-morning newscasts hit me with this wallop: my favorite comedian, George Carlin, passed away last night. On Sunday, he admitted himself into a local Santa Monica hospital, complaining of chest pains, and ended up dying that evening of heart failure. He was 71.
Carlin, of course, is most famous for the 1970s comedy routine “Seven Words You Can Never Say on TV.” It was a bit which not only got radio stations that played it in trouble with the FCC, leading to landmark First Amendment and decency rulings by the Supreme Court, but he was also arrested in Milwaukee on indecency charges after doing the routine on stage there.
During a long and varied career, Carlin went from doing goofy, straight-arrow comedy bits like “The Hippy-Dippy Weatherman” on The Ed Sullivan Show to being the ultimate counterculture spokesman, giving his observations — big and small — about the world on stage and TV. He was one of the first comedians to do hour-long specials on HBO, and his last one, It’s Bad for Ya, was well-received when it aired earlier this year. He also had a self-titled FOX series for a couple of years in the Nineties. So his tie to TV is quite strong.
Sigh. I’m sure Carlin’s fans will have more to say later today and this week. He’ll be sorely missed.
Here’s more behind the scenes footage of Katie Couric - VIDEO
I’ve always liked Harry Shearer and the behind the scenes video and audio he has collected over the years. But I have to be honest and say I’m not quite sure what we’re supposed to get from these videos of Katie Couric before and after her newscasts. I think we’re supposed to giggle at how she acts or be surprised at the “real” Katie or maybe think less of her or something?
I actually think more of her after viewing these, because she seems real, she’s funny, and she seems to get along well with her coworkers, something that people said she didn’t do. So, I think they work more for Katie than against her, though she probably wouldn’t want her mom watching her say “Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit.”
After the jump, the latest video, from CBS News coverage of the NH Primary (and here’s part one if you missed it.)