Is the anniversary over yet?

For the rest of the country, maybe it is a good thing to be reminded what people down South have gone through during and after Katrina--especially if it reminds them that the devastation was not limited to New Orleans, bad enough as that was and is, and that thousands upon thousands of people across the region, their fellow Americans, are still struggling to get their lives back to some semblance of normalcy.

For those of us who lived through it, it is still too fresh in our minds, something we, our families, our friends and our neighbors still live with day to day. Even as one who was fortunate--whose home was left standing, still inhabitable and soon-repaired, whose losses were only things, whose dear ones survived--I find it hard to relive the details, to revisit the days already lived through. The TV, the radio, the newspaper have all been full of unrelenting retrospectives of what happened, what was lost, what we have yet to rebuild or replace as a community, a region. If I want a retrospective, all I have to do is get out of the house and walk down the street, or take a drive across town. Further than that is a bit of a problem; the bridge that used to cross the bay will take at least two years to rebuild. Just turning off the TV or laying aside the paper doesn't make it go away. Small wonder that some people are overwhelmed, that mental health problems have doubled, that suicides are up sharply from the statistical norm.

We would dearly love to be able to forget for a little while about Katrina. But we hope and pray that our fellow Americans remember.

VANISHED - Let's Hope Not

VANISHED (Mondays at 9/8c on FOX) premiered to mixed reviews from the TV critics. It's been called a cut and paste job, a hodge podge effort, this year's REUNION.

I'm here to tell you the critics are wrong.

Two episodes into the season and I am officially all in.

VANISHED looks to be a perfect companion piece to PRISON BREAK. It's as deliciously convoluted, twisting and surprising as its sophomore lead-in and it shows in the ratings. It's keeping a very healthy percentage of the PRISON BREAK audience.

It didn't take me long to accept John Allen Nelson as Senator Collins. I was afraid it might be tough for the actor to shed 24's Walt Cummings.

It's the lead FBI investigator I'm finding most enjoyable. He is a compelling mix of Nathon Fillion and Ashton Kutcher. Ming-Na is his touchstone of a partner, who is burdened with a good deal of exposition and technobabble - can't wait to see her kick some bad guy butt down the line.

VANISHED is not "IMPORTANT TELEVISION." It's not groundbreaking like 24 or LOST. But it is tasty escapist fare, like a big juicy hot dog at the ballpark.

If we're lucky, come January, VANISHED will still be appearing weekly.

Comedy, But Not As We Know It

I am now some 12 hours removed from watching Comedy Central's Roast of William Shatner and I still can't get the taste out of my mouth.

What a complete waste of time.

I suppose I'm showing my age, but I can recall a time when celebrities could gather together and poke each other with very sharp sticks - all while avoiding any need for their network to step and censor them.

I'm not a prude. Far from it, in fact. I LOVED The Aristocrats. Dirty jokes have their place. But when it comes to TV - even basic cable - I'd much rather the stick poking be in the form of wit instead of something that rhymes with it.

But I suppose you can't expect much from a C-list group of comedians. I mean, when Andy Dick is the most recognizable name among the jokesters, you're in trouble. Then again, I don't watch a lot of Comedy Central. It may be that our beloved enemy to Western Civilization - VERTICAL INTEGRATION - may be responsible for who was on the panel.

It took me a minute to undertand why Betty White was ionvolved - obviously I don't watch BOSTON LEGAL. I still haven't figured out what Farrah Fawcett was doing on the stage.

We were treated to a barrage of bleeped F-bombs and waaaay too much information on the personal life on George Takei. It actually made me feel pity for George. Sad that his sex life is all he has to trade on these days.

Amazingly, no one mentioned anything about Mr. Sulu dropping aft shields.

The joke of the night came from one of the stand up comedians - the short one, I have no idea what his name is. "George, when you came out of the closet, did it make that SWISSSH sound?"

No, seriously. That was as funny as it got.

I miss Dean, Sammy, Frank, Bob, Lucy and Milty. They could get down and dirty with the best. (OK, they WERE the best) But when it was time to be on TV, they somehow managed to clean it up - and keep the funny.

I wish someone could teach today's alleged comics that skill.

The Descent: The Big Squeeze

THE DESCENT is being billed as the scariest movie since ALIEN.

I'm not sure what's wrong with me, but I didn't find ALIEN particularly scary. Tense at times, perhaps, but scary? Not really.

THE BLAIR WITCH? Had me unnerved the entire ride. THE DESCENT let me off the hook early on.

Oh, don't get me wrong - there are enough 'jump' scenes in this movie to make parts of it fun, but ultimately, there's not a lot of 'there' there. Not much in terms of a moral lesson, character development, growth, or any of that rot - especially in comparison to the extended UK ending on YouTube. (Bookmark that link for AFTER you've seen the movie!)

After taking a peek at the way the film makers wanted THE DESCENT to end, you've got to wonder what in the world the American studio suits were thinking. Americans can't handle ambiguity? Do they honestly think their version is less ambiguous? More so, I say.

Kudos, though, for the sheer sense of claustrophobia the director managed to literally SQUEEZE into an early spelunking sequence. I haven't felt that unsettled in a movie theatre since Uma Thurman was buried alive in KILL BILL.

I am by no means claustrophobic - but this sequence had me wanting to go for a walk around the cinema lobby. At that point, I was actually wondering if I was going to be able to make it through the entire film. Unfortunately, there's not a lot that follows that's anywhere nearly as creative, compelling or original.

Ultimately, I suppose I have to give THE DESCENT a half-hearted recommendation. Six girls go in, one girl comes out. Did you expect it to work ANY other way?

Two and a half hands up.

Arkansas Sports Announcer Killed in Car Crash

Monday night, the state of Arkansas lost one of its finest ambassadors, sports announcer Paul Eels.

Mr. Eels' car crossed a median and hit an oncoming car head on. His death was instant.

Paul is being remembered as the voice of the Arkansas Razorbacks for the past umpteen years, a kind soul and a genuine human being.

I caught myself pausing to wonder what it must be like for his survivors to be struggling with their grief - that sort of overwhelming pain associated with an unexpected death. Paul Eels was not ill. He did not retire, he did not linger on a death bed for weeks or months. He simply didn't make it home for dinner Monday night.

On top of that, add an outpouring from complete strangers - strangers who all felt a personal relationship with the man they called husband and father. I hope it's reassuring.

I'll miss hearing his voice. Sometimes it made me a little less homesick to hear him call a game. But, I can't help but think most of have just lost a sports announcer. The family has lost so much more.

I hope they can wrap their minds around the genuine sorrow that is being felt by fans statewide, and by transplanted Arkansans all over the country and the world.

The family has requested memorials be made to the Paul Eells Memorial Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 10689, Conway, AR 72034.

MTV at 25: Idiots Killed the Video Star

Yesterday, MTV celebrated its 25th birthday - by ignoring it.

Instead of giving music fans a trip down memory lane - perhaps with a retrospective, interviews with VJs and bands of old, MTV spent the day at Laguna Beach. The retrospective was being held over at MTV's step sister channel, VH1 Classic.

Even the VH1 was a bit lackluster. The fete was billed as MTV Day One, but all we really got was some bimbo from the 21st century telling us what it was like back in the day and airing the crappy videos that were available back in 1981. Had those same crappy been offered up with a healthy dose of Martha Quinn, I'd be more forgiving.

I suppose it really shouldn't have come as a surprise, after all the Viacom Networks were the same cable channels that butchered coverage of Live Aid anniversary concert.

All in all, it's just another example of the cold hearted vertical integration that has taken over cable TV of late - the same mindset that allows wrestling on Sci-Fi, prevents music from being played on MTV.

Video may have killed the radio star, but it took a corporate behemoth with a brain the size of an acorn to kill a video channel.

"Who wants to watch a Superhero Wannabe?"

Who says this isn't The Marvel Age of. . . well, what exactly is it supposed to be
"The Marvel Age of -" this time? Reality TV? Lowered Expectations?
Cynically Snickering at Comix Fandom?

Biff! Bam! and Zowie! live again, despite decades of Damage Control
and Marvellous efforts to rid comics of the public perception of campy drivel.

Face front, Stan! True Believers probably cannot see one character in this lot
with even the potential shelf life of that Marvel classic, "Night Nurse". Nope.
Instead of the promise of possibly pulse-pounding pulp-paper page-turners to be?
Well, we get something that looks like escapees from "Let's Make a Deal" stuffed
into MTV's "Real World". (Wasn't there a cartoon on Comedy Central that did
something similar?) One cannot really imagine a Graphic Novel waiting in the
wings for any of these rookies.

Okay, so even the most classic of comic book icons have not-entirely-original
concepts. Superman gets compared to Doc Savage, and both of them owe a debt
to Philip Wylie's novel "Gladiator"--amongst other inspirations--while Batman
follows in the footsteps of Zorro, The Shadow and a bit o' Sherlock Holmes.
For that matter, Zorro cribs Robin Hood's old act. Whatever. Truly NEW ideas
are few and far between. In the end, there is inspiration from what has gone before
OR there is lack of originality which brings nothing new to the table.
Any guesses what we have in this show?

Meanwhile (as they say), it projects the overall image that comicdom's fan-base
is just what the non-comic-book-buying public has always suspected, a sad lot of
ForbushMan-wannabes. The sort of nebbish who, they imagine, still lives at home
with his parents at age thirty-five, has neither social skills nor a social life,
and still reads "that trash". Could be worse, I suppose.
He could be addicted to "Reality TV" . . .

When did "Excelsior!" become just another word for packaging fluff, Stan?
'Nuff said!

Lady in the Water: M. Night's NOT All Wet

I'm an M. Night fan. I really liked SIXTH SENSE. I enjoyed the ride of THE VILLAGE, and I thought UNBREAKABLE was brilliant.

I'm having a hard time understanding why the critics are coming after M. so hard with LADY IN THE WATER. Surely it's not just because the film includes a clueless film critic. (No, it's not and don't call me Shirley!)

The characters in LADY aren't too far removed from the characters of SIGNS. They're caught up in a situation that has important repercussions for the entire world. The genesis of that situation overlaps with their mundane little world and creates an extraordinary scenario of incredible things happening to ordinary people.

A couple of the supporting roles may be slightly miscast, but when Paul Giamatti's character is finally called upon to release himself to his destiny, the result is a moment of sheer vulnerability that is both heroic and moving.

It seems to me that the critics who are trashing this film are unable to separate the man from the movie. They've decided M. Night's personal bedtime story is pretentious, and they seem to be responding by striking out with a pretentiousness of their own.

I saw a story about a writer who was inspired to fulfill his destiny in a world where the critics are often very wrong.

In fact, this time they're all wet.

LADY gets 3 hands out of 4.

Boo!

This is the show open for THRILLER THEATRE STARRING MARGALI.

The song is called "Boo!" and was written by the brilliant Niels Erickson, as a parody of Madonna's "Vogue."

The video clips are primarily from various episodes across the years, including one shot from an episode that has never aired.

Margali's minions include her ever faithful hand servant, Hans, the never seen program announcer Wendel and her ten legged mutant spider, Freddie.



We'd love to hear what you think.

Motel 666

Here's a blast from the past:

Motel 666 was one of Margali's favorite sponsors back when she presented the midnight movie on WDBD-TV in Jackson, Mississippi. THRILLER THEATRE STARRING MARGALI aired from 1990-1993 and earned three awards from the Mississippi Association for Broadcasting during its run.

Part of the reason for this blog is to expose the world to the madness viewers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia were blessed to see.



Once you get past "What the hell is that?" let us know what you think!

More to come, couch pumpkins, more to come.

Emmy Noms: Weak Laughs, High Anxiety & Ennui

Quickly, let's run through the Emmy acting nods. Time is precious this week.

Lead Actor - Comedy - You know...there's just not a lot of Lead Acting by guys to go around this season. I'm sure the actors nominated have done well, but I've never seen any of these shows. Guess I'm just watching too many scripted dramas lately. So, no comment.

Lead Actress - Comedy - Kaczmarek is the only actress I've seen of late, and I think her character became a bit too one dimensional towards the end of MALCOLM to merit this nom. Other than that, I don't care.

Lead Actor - Drama - Now we're talking. Excuse me, academy, but where the hell is Hugh Laurie's nom? You DO realize he's a British actor playing an American jerk of a doctor, don't you? Somehow, I suspect the viewing tapes for HOUSE should have been labelled "That's not how he really talks" Cool to see Keifer get a nod, but I dont' think he'll win. Marting Sheen will probably score a very PC one-two win to go along with his son Charlie in the comedy category. Won't that be sweet?

Lead Actress - Drama - Don't watch any of these, can't say.

Supporting Actor - Comedy - Totally surprised to G.O.B. scoring a nomination here! But I'd much rather see the statue go to Cranston. Hal was the heart of MALCOLM. Cranston cranked out some incredibly brave performances along the run of the series. The man is simply fearless when it comes to what he is willing to subject himself to for a few laughs.

Supporting Actress - Comedy - Man, it's a weak year for comedy, ain't it?

Supporting Actor - Drama - Gregory Itzin's weasel of a prez deserves to win this hands down. The supporting cast of 24 was so strong this year!

Supporting Actress - Drama - Which leads us to Jean Smart. I so want to see this duo take home the trophies.

I'm surprised Omar Epps didn't get a nom. I'm not surprised the cast of GILMORE GIRLS was left out - what a crappy year for that show. But by far, the biggest omission is Hugh Laurie. The man is brilliant.

Agree? Disagree? Discuss!

It's Not TV. It's 24.

The Emmy nominations were announced earlier this week, and now that we've all had some time to digest the list I suppose it's time to put in my two cents.

My first reaction was to note that once again HBO dominates the other networks in total nominations with 95 - that's more nominations than NBC and CBS combined. But it's not really an apples to apples comparison, is it? After all, as they say, it's not TV. It's HBO.

The second thing I noticed, was that while ABC led the broadcast networks with 63 noms, for a second year FOX is has closed the gap with the more established nets, scoring 41 nominations compared to NBC's and CBS' 47.

That's significant.

The 'Big 3' nets each program 22 hours per week. FOX supplies 15 hours. So let's do some math, shall we?

ABC earned 2.86 nominations per hour programmed. NBC and CBS scored 2.14. FOX passed them by scoring a 2.73.

Last year, with ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT scoring multiple nominations, FOX scored 3.33.

What's my point? I suppose it's this - the network that has a reputation for shock and awe reality like WHEN ANIMALS ATTACK and WHO WANTS TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE? is actually proucing more quality programs per hour than the so called Tiffany network, CBS.

And the network that once derided FOX's early reliance on unscripted fare, NBC, has now succombed to the beast itself. THE APPRENTICE, LAST COMIC STANDING, THE BIGGEST LOSER, don't seem to be Must See TV in America's or the critcs' eyes.

Moving on to specifics, the show with the most nominations this year is 24. Huh? I mean, it's riveting television, but 12 nominations? Wow.

BEST DRAMA - HOUSE, 24, GREY'S ANATOMY, THE SOPRANOS and THE WEST WING.

THE SOPRANOS season was not its best, but I'm not going to argue the nom - but THE WEST WING? Really? Was it really better than the incredibly mystifying and addictive season two of LOST? Hardly.

BEST COMEDY - ARRESTD DEVELOPMENT, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, THE OFFICE, SCRUBS and TWO AND A HALF MEN

Another wow. Apparently, I'm not watching the best comedies on TV anymore. Apart from ARRESTED, I have never seen an episode of any of the nominated programs. And I watch a LOT of TV, people. A ridiculous amount of TV. It's like cocaine for me. How is it, I'm not watching any of these shows? Could it be that they're on opposite some of the best dramas on TV? Yep, that would be the reason! Oh well, that means I'll be pulling for ARRESTED to score a second win here. The finale was simply brilliant. Annyong!

Of note, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND didn't get a curtain call nod, but ARRESTED did. Hmm.

Later in the week, I'll ruminate a bit about the acting nominees and what might be a change in the tide in the Vareity/Music/Comedy category.

'Til then!

Superman & Lois Lane: Things We Forgot We Forgot

SPOILERS BELOW

Hansel and I are fresh from viewing SUPERMAN RETURNS last night and I've got a few things that need to be said.

First, this new guy wearing the tights - it took me a good thirty for forty-five minuites to stop comparing him to Christopher Reeve. It's amazing how definitive Chris was for this role. Every word that came out of Superman's mouth, every gesture, every bumble by Clark Kent brought comparison to the way Christopher did it before.

But then something happened. I don't know when, or why, but at some point, Bryan Singer's story emerged victorious over my struggle againt willful suspension of disbelief - and I started enjoying myself.

This is quite a decent film. I found myself surprised at the direction the story took several times. The script managed to supply the characters with a depth that was unexpected.

I loved the fact that Supes had to struggle against the physics of the real world when trying to save an airplane, that the metal of the craft buckled while he was trying to slow it down, that a wing gave way and snapped off whle he was trying to slow it's spinning out of control. It helped place Superman in the real world, illustrating that while the man inside the cape may be impervious to bullets, he can make mistakes.

And this Superman makes mistakes. It is his mistake in judgement that is blamed for Lex Luthor's freedom. This Superman is a jealous man, a hurt man, a very lonely man - and that helps make him Every Man.

There was one particular moment in the film that struck me as more than the an obligitory homage to the films that came before. During a crisis that requires him to fly out into the Atlantic Ocean for a rescue, Superman sees a giant trough opening up in the sea floor. When he realizes this rip in the sea floor is heading straight for Metropolis, you can actually SEE the character remember the earthquake in the first film that claimed Lois' life. Again he must decide between her and the fate of many more souls. Nicely done.

The visuals are great. Most of the modern CGI stuff looked really, really sharp, though there were a couple of instances in which an animated Supes looks just a bit too cartoony. And while the crystal island is awesome, I found myself wondering how in the world owning such craggily, crappy, unfarmable land would vault Lex Luthor to global domination.

My one nagging issue with the film really didn't bring itself to the forefront of my mind until an hour after coming home. At the end of Superman II, Supes wiped Lois Lane's memory of her love affair with him with a magical kiss. It was done to protect her, to relieve her of the pain of being in love with him, yet being unable to be with him. Cleary in Superman Returns, Lois has no memory of knowing Clark Kent's secret identity. Yet, when she delivers big news to Superman in the hospital, it's clear she remembers being with him. In fact, the memory of that relationship is central to a lot of conflict within Lois' relationship with her son's father.

So, if somebody can explain to me how Lois remembers only a bit of what transpired in Superman II (Lex clearly remembers EVERYTHING that happened in both films), I'd love to hear from you.

The film's a bit long, and drags a bit after the big climax. Was it necessary to go on for another 20 minutes after the story was finished? Perhaps the hospital visit, and the evnts that transpire therein, could have been worked into the middle of the movie, providing Supes with new motivation to save a world that thought it no longer needed him.

What do you think?

I'm going to give it three hands up out of four.

Britney's Dirty Laundry

Apparently, while shopping in a Vistoria's Secret, Britney's baby needed a fresh nappy, so she changed the kid's diaper - right then and there - on the floor in the middle of the store.

Just goes to show - you can take the trash out of the trailer, but you can't take the trailer out of the trash.

It needed to be said.

Identity Theft: Narrowcasters Getting Too Broad

What is the world coming to?

On May 4th, the Sci-Fi Network aired 4 episodes of LAW & ORDER:SVU back to back to back. Huh? Unless these episodes contained a mini-arc concerning an alien abduction or a detective getting lost in the Bermuda Triangle, someone over at NBC/Universal owes somebody an explanation. Makes as much sense as The Weather Channel showing HAWAII FIVE-O.

It's not just Sci-Fi you know. Cartoon Network recently added SAVED BY THE BELL to their lineup. That's a decision I may never, ever understand. SBTB? Bad idea. No one will ever be able to convince me that show belongs anywhere near that channel. Not gonna happen. You may as well try to convince me that FAMILY MATTERS belongs on Court TV - hey, it's got a cop in it doesn't it?

I'm finding it interesting to see how the business side of TV is nibbling away at the identities of cable network after cable network. There was a time not long ago when they bragged about not having to be 'broadcasters' like the Big 4. Bit by bit, they're changing their collective tune.

Bravo and A&E used to about 'art' - now their about gay designers and biographies. Ooh - wonder who'd get the rights to a biography about a gay designer?

Trio was supposed to about pop culture. Instead, it pooped out and has gone online.

Court TV was live trials, now it's becoming the police drama channel. But that's OK, we can't expect a trial of the century very day of the week.

And then there's the meandering life of TNN/Spike. The Nashville Network - how in the heck did that NOT make money? Well, it started branching out beyond music to become The National Network (a channel with no identity whatsoever) - and somewhere along the way became Spike. "TV's first channel for men" - completely ignoring the fact that ESPN beat them to the punch 20 years earlier.

And speaking of ESPN - there's a channel that knows what it is and is sticking with it. Sure, they throw in an occasional game show, sports movie or reality series, but it's still all about the sports. Are you listening MTV?

MTV. Hmph. Don't get me started. Used to be music TV. Now, it's what they call 'musical television.' Lame, guys. Really lame. And look how long it took to strip MTV2 of it's manhood. In just six months it's become a reality TV slum just like it's big brother.

Well, at least I still have Fuse.

Office pool time - how long before the NFL Network starts showing bowling?

Sopranos Finale: Peace on Earth

SPOILERS BELOW

The last ten minutes of the season finale of THE SOPRANOS were some of the most captivating, edge-of-my-seat moments since....well since Picard got all Borgified. I was a bundle of nerves, expecting the big whack to come any minute.

Every time Christopher was on screen, the pace of the episode slowed to a crawl but in a good way. An intense, 'holy crap they're about to whack Christopher' sort of crawl.

And then, nothing.

And then back to Chris and another long, gut-wrenching scene with undertones of promised violence so intense it distracted from the dialogue.

And still, nothing.

Then, the family gathers for a perfect little XMAS. Everyone's there (except for Adrianna) and again the moment was too happy, too perfect not to be destroyed by the threat of imminent violence about to be unleashed on this family. How could a peaceful moment be allowed to go unchallenged in this world? Holy cow, they're gonna blow up Tony's house with everyone in it! The tension is killing me!

And nothing.

There are a lot of fanboys out there who are thoroughly disgusted with this episode, and the entire season for that matter. I am not one of them. Just like LOST, I'm along for the ride. (That's another post entirely) I'm enjoying Tony's attempts to treat every day as a gift - and how his life is faighting back against that choice. In fact, at one point I thought Tony might be considering buying Tony Sack's interest in that New Orleans shipping concern just to relocate and get away from Jersey and all the baggage that comes with it.

But not so.

So what did we see last night? A happy ending that will be stretched into 8 more episodes? A series limping past it's prime? I don't think so. My guess is last night was Camelot. For one brief shining moment, happiness. A room filled with gifts - just like every day in the rest of Tony's life.

In January, the bills are going to come due and there's going to be hell to pay.

Da Vinci Code: Opie Gets an F

SPOILERS BELOW

It must have been hard to be Ron Howard growing up. At some point. A brilliant child actor becomes a two-time TV star, breaks into movie directing and makes some of the most brilliant films of the last ten years. A direct path to Hollywood immortality.

Unfortunately with "The Da Vinci Code" he has finally become an underachiever.

I think Ron made several key errors in attempting to remain too true to the runaway best selling novel by Dan Brown. What should have been an Indy Jones style thriller, became a very talky, fairly slow film with an extreme lack of suspense. Exposition, exposition, exposition! And after the exposition, the characters told us what was going on one more time just to make sure we got it! STOP!

Think back to the INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE. In it, Dr. Jones presents several key exposition points to his class very early in the film - like "X never, ever marks the spot." Later in the film when it does, we remember that line and are able to follow along without further comment.

In staying faithful to the book, Howard failed to make efficient use of Langdon's speech about ancient iconography. Had he mentioned the male and female triangles that are discussed later in the film, we would have been prepared for it in advance, and we would have been spared yet another lesson on symbology. As a result, Langdon's speech was useless in terms of exposition and ate up valuable screen time.

Then there's the climax at about the two hour mark, followed by 20 minutes of 'revelation' but absolutely no danger for the characters, no energy, no oomph. It read well in book form, but as a follow up to the previous 2 hours, the sequence just falls flat.

Sometimes one has to wander away from the source material a bit to make it more interesting in a different medium. Take "Jurassic Park," for instance. A great book. A great movie - but a movie that differs from the book in significant ways. Surely, SOMEONE could have tightened things up for us at the end of "Da Vinci." Wasn't there some way to continue the peril for the characters as we worked up to the 'big reveal?' Isn't that why they pay screenwriters the big bucks?

So, color me disappointed. There's nothing as tough as failing to live up to one's potential. Little Ronnie Howard may be mortal after all.