Ramblings

The world is garbage, so you have to take your unexpected pleasures where you can find them. I've been watching reruns of The Hogan Family, and I came across an episode where David (Jason Bateman) tries both ventriloquism and magic! It's not the main plot; the A plot is about his twin brothers in a Cyrano situation, but David's story is fun.

In season 5's "The Go-Between", David volunteers to perform at a charity event for the homeless. He first tries a ventriloquist act with a redhead puppet named Clifford, but David's lips always move when Clifford speaks and his jokes are corny. (Shades of Gob!) Then David tries a magic act, wearing a cape and brandishing a sword. He calls himself Hoganini the Magnificent, puts on a top hat, and does his own music/sound effects. He even mentions the magician Doug Henning. (Shades of Tony Wonder!) So David tries to practice a trick where his aunt Sandy lies in a box while he stabs it with swords. He doesn't get very far until he breaks the key in the lock, and she gets stuck in the box when she has an important work meeting. A locksmith eventually gets her out, and later, David tries to do a card trick for the charity event, but he's bad at that too. (Shades of Gob again!) It's so cute, and I kind of want to screencap it, but I think I don't have the right software, and I don't remember my photobucket details if I even wanted to sign up for their new paid accounts.

Speaking of The Hogan Family, Jason Bateman lived through the upheaval with Valerie Harper getting fired, and he always had to speak diplomatically about it. But in his most recent Deadline interview, Bateman says he still has fond memories of the show. I've noticed that his old buddy Steve Witting (Burt Weems) has popped up in a lot of Bateman's movies and TV shows over the years, including AD, so Jason is obviously still friends with the guy. Though Valerie getting fired was an ugly incident, I still like the show overall because there are some genuinely great episodes after Valerie leaves. Also Mrs. Poole started out as just a wacky neighbor but she really blossoms into a goddamn delight, even getting flirty dialogue from men who genuinely find her attractive; she's not somebody's punchline.

As for Will Arnett, I didn't know or remember that in one episode of Up All Night, his character sings "Total Eclipse of the Heart" to his wife, played by Christina Applegate. I don't remember the context now, but I saw a video clip of it and was surprised. I love that song, but I do wonder why people don't get the slightly sinister nature of the lyrics. Jim Steinman called it a vampire love song, and the music video is very Gothic. It's why I used it as Gob's love ballad to Michael in "Dirty Little Secret", something desperate and needy about "making things right" and "your love is like a shadow on me all of the time." Well anyway, now I know what Will sounds like singing it. Love his voice.