Mel Brooks Strikes Back - Exclusive Preview!

From the groundbreaking TV series “Your Show of Shows” to landmark films like “Blazing Saddles” and “Young Frankenstein,” Mel Brooks has been one of the most influential voices in comedy. Now, this entertainment legend looks back on his remarkable career in MEL BROOKS STRIKES BACK!, debuting MONDAY, DEC. 10 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates: Dec. 13 (noon, 8:00 p.m.), 15 (3:00 p.m.), 18 (2:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m.), 21 (5:00 p.m.), 23 (noon) and 25 (5:30 a.m.)

HBO2 playdate: Dec. 27 (noon, 8:00 p.m.)

Appearing onstage with Alan Yentob, creative director for the BBC, at the Geffen Theater in Westwood, Cal. before a live audience, Brooks reviews his career as a writer, director, actor, producer, composer, failed ballet dancer and comedian. The special looks at the Brooklyn native’s early life, show-business influences, early career and ascension as one of Hollywood’s most successful writers and directors.

MEL BROOKS STRIKES BACK! also features clips from some of his classic movies and TV work, including “Your Show of Shows,” featuring Sid Caesar and Carl Reiner, one of Brooks and Reiner’s “2000 Year Old Man” routines and the movies “The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles” and “High Anxiety.” Brooks also takes questions from the audience, discussing his experiences in World War II and the origins of the song “Retreat,” which he performs in a clip with longtime collaborator Ronny Graham.

MEL BROOKS STRIKES BACK! marks his second appearance on HBO in recent years, following 2011’s Emmy®-nominated special “Mel Brooks and Dick Cavett Together Again.”

Among Brooks’ other classic comedy films as director, writer, producer and/or actor are “History of the World Part 1,” “Silent Movie,” “Spaceballs” and “Robin Hood: Men in Tights.” “Blazing Saddles,” “The Producers” and “Young Frankenstein” all appear on the AFI’s list of Funniest American Films. He also produced the Oscar®-nominated drama “The Elephant Man,” as well as “My Favorite Year” and “The Fly,” among other Brooksfilms movies, and co-created, with Buck Henry, the hit TV series “Get Smart.”

Mel Brooks is one of the few artists who have received an Oscar®, a Grammy, an Emmy® and a Tony. He won an Oscar® for writing the 1968 film “The Producers,” a Grammy for Best Spoken Comedy Album in 1999 for “The 2000 Year Old Man in the Year 2000” and two other Grammys in 2002, for Best Musical Show Album for the Soundtrack of “The Producers” and Best Long Form Music Video for the DVD “Recording the Producers – A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks.” Brooks has won four Emmys®, one for Outstanding Writing Achievement for a Sid Caesar special and three consecutive awards for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for “Mad About You.” He won three Tony Awards for the 2001 musical “The Producers,” for Best Musical, Best Original Musical Score and Best Book of a Musical. Overall, the show received 12 Tony Awards, a record for a musical.

On Nov. 13, the DVD/CD box set “The Incredible Mel Brooks: An Irresistible Collection of Unhinged Comedy” was released by Shout! Factory. The set is a veritable treasure trove of all things Brooksian, a laugh-filled celebration of his illustrious career that includes special tributes, memorable performances and rare archival TV footage.

MEL BROOKS STRIKES BACK! is a Brooksfilms Production; produced by Steve Haberman and Rudy DeLuca.

Kathleen Wilkinson Leads Philadelphia Bar Association

Our congratulations are extended today to Kathleen D. Wilkinson who is saluted at the Philadelphia Bar Association's Annual Meeting as the 2013 Chancellor of the Association, the nation's oldest, chartered bar association.
Kathleen is a wonderful person and she and her husband, Tom are a certified Pennsylvania Power Couple. She now leads the Philadelphia Bar Association while he leads the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Apparently, this is the first time this has ever happened.
As incoming Chancellor Wilkinson believes that evoking professionalism in one's daily work is an inherent responsibility for all attorneys.
"Philadelphia lawyers are the caretakers of our profession," says Wilkinson. "As keepers of the legacy of Andrew Hamilton, we, as Philadelphia lawyers, proudly represent the legal profession to the world."
Wilkinson will be the Association's 86th Chancellor and only the sixth woman to serve in this capacity in its 210-year history. Her term begins on Jan. 1, 2013. In an address on Dec. 4 at the Hyatt at The Bellevue, she will discuss her plans - including her commitment to making the Association more inclusive - and reinforce her personal philosophy that one can be soft-spoken, courteous and respectful while remaining a highly effective advocate.
Wilkinson will also highlight "where we have been, and where we are going" as a bar association. Her vision for the future includes the creation of new initiatives focusing on generational transition and leadership opportunities for women, attorneys of diverse backgrounds and young lawyers new to the profession.
Wilkinson completed her undergraduate studies in political science and education at Kean College in two-and-a-half years. She attended Villanova University School of Law where, on her very first day on campus, she met Tom Wilkinson, her future husband of 27 years. A member of the Commercial Litigation Department at Cozen O'Connor, he currently serves as president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. While the Wilkinsons did not plan on overlapping terms as leaders of the state's two largest bar associations, they share a common passion for advancing the interests of the legal profession.
Wilkinson joined the Philadelphia office of Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP in 1984, where she steadily excelled to become one of the early women equity partners in a law firm that employs 800 lawyers around the country.
A litigator with more than 30 years of experience, Wilkinson built her practice and earned her reputation defending complex cases involving construction, insurance, professional liability, medical devices and pharmaceuticals, and a variety of other products. She has also served as a judge pro tem and discovery master, earning the respect of the bench and bar.
Among her leadership roles at the Bar Association, Wilkinson has served as co-chair of the Women in the Profession Committee and chair of the State Civil Litigation Section. She was elected as a member of the Board of Governors, then assistant secretary and later secretary of the Association. Wilkinson was elected Vice Chancellor in 2010 and served as Chancellor-Elect last year.
Wilkinson serves on numerous pro bono and civic boards, and is a founding member of Villanova Law's J. Willard O'Brien American Inn of Court and served as the Inn's first woman president. In 2008, she received the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Anne X. Alpern Award - the highest award given to a Pennsylvania woman attorney.
Kathleen and Tom Wilkinson have three children: Lindsey, a first-year student at Villanova Law; Lauren, a junior at Franklin & Marshall College presently studying in France; and Michael, an eighth grader at Episcopal Academy.
Residents of Haverford, Pa., the Wilkinsons can also be found enjoying their beloved Cape May, N.J., where they are active in several community organizations.

Obama: Somehow, It's ALWAYS All About Him

To honor the 57th anniversary of the day Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus, President Obama paid homage on the White House website with a picture of himself.

In truth, Obama wasn't even alive then.

Hat tip: Lucianne.com 

Streep To Play Hillary In New Biopic? First Photos

Is Meryl Streep prepping to play Hillary Clinton in the movies?
That's what it looks like.
This is a photo of La Streep at a State Department Gala prior to Kennedy Center Honors. 
Streep gets a photo of herself with Grand Madame Hillary who some say will soon be named as a Supreme Court nominee.

How Bob Costas Made a Classic Blunder

The following commentary by Matt Rooney is cross-posted from the Save Jersey blog.

Rahm Emanuel’s once advised his fellow liberals to “never let a serious crisis go to waste.” And they sure haven’t for the last four years! That includes exploiting tragedies induced by mentally-ill individuals to advance their war on the Second Amendment.
Inexplicably, Bob Costas ran with the Left’s anti-gun football during last night’s weekly broadcast of Sunday Night Football on NBC. The veteran sports broadcaster should know better, but he nevertheless proceeded to read, on open air, from a controversial op-ed whose author placed the blame for Kansas City Chiefs Linebacker Jovan Belcher’s apparent murder-sucide over the weekend on “our current gun culture.”
We suffered through similarly absurd arguments after this July’s Batman movie massacre in Aurora, Colorado, and I did my best to debunk them in kind. Costas’s emotional reaction badly misses the mark for similar reasons, Save Jerseyans, having confused the actual and proximate causes of the Belcher tragedy.
Yes, the actual cause of both Belcher and his girlfriend’s death was a gun. Yet it wasn’t the proximate cause. This 6’2”, 228 lbs. linebacker could’ve easily done the grisly deed with a baseball bat, kitchen knife or his bare hands. There’s no indication that he was influenced by a gun-glorifying movie or song track of any sort. The problem here is indeed “cultural” in nature. Nevertheless, early public accounts of Belcher’s troubled personal life suggest his problems ran much deeper than the availability of firearms. We’re certain to learn more in the coming days.
Then it will be time to get “real” concerning an urban/popular/sports culture that collectively prizes “keeping it real” over traditional American values like respecting the mother of your child(ren). Just don’t expect Mr. Costas and his fellow talking heads to constructively join the conversation. It’s a lot easier to blame guns than delve into the painful, complicated, and politically incorrect catalysts for Belcher’s meltdown. America can’t hope for a substantive solution until we’re willing to do so.

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Christmas In New York - The Season's Joy!

New York City and Christmas were simply made for each other.

The entire city comes alive at this time of year in a panoply of color, festivity and spectacle.

And nowhere is this more evident than in midtown Manhattan.

Even with the terrible storms and floods that New York has experienced this fall, this year is no exception -- Christmas goes on as always. The store windows dazzle with lavish displays and tempt you with sumptuous gifts. 

So, these exclusive photos fresh from Gotham are our Christmas gift to you -- to remind you that Christmas is meant to be big, bold, excessive and all-pervasive. 

But remember that it's also simple: the wonder in a child's eyes, a heartfelt gift to the needy, the scent of fresh pine or balsam, your silent prayer at the manger, the extra greenbacks that you drop into that Salvation Army red kettle, the card that you send to a member of our armed forces defending our nation, a cup of hot chocolate by the fireplace, the wondrous joy of Christmas morning and your own thanks that you can once again share it all with those you love.

Keep Christmas -- keep it quietly in your heart and share it openly, confidently, proudly and generously with the whole world!

The super kids, Nick and Alex at the Penn Station Christmas tree.

Two photos above: Macy's windows tell the story of Christmas at Macy's

 Six photos above: Our favorite windows this year - Keeping Christmas Traditions at Lord & Taylor.

Three photos above: The model train display at the Railroad Museum in Grand Central Station.

Two photos above and one below: The grand Christmas tree and wreath at the Met Life Building.

Three photos above: Saks windows.

Two photos above: the huge, inspiring manger at St. Patrick's Cathedral and carolers outside St. Pat's.

The Tree at Rockefeller Center.

The spectacular entrance to Henri Bendel.

Harry Winston's Rare Jewels of the World.

Bulgari Jewels.

Five photos above: The lavish window displays at Bergdorf Goodman.

Three photos above: Inside Tiffany's, including the incredible (and priceless) Tiffany diamond.

Two photos above: The Christmas tree at Trump Tower and Mr. Trump's pointsettias.

The oversized set of Christmas lights on Sixth Avenue.

Two photos above: Times Square at night and the Empire State Building.

All photos copyright 2012 by Dan Cirucci.

Video - Chris Matthews Has On-Air 'Gas Attack'

NewsBusters is out with a clip of Chris Matthews having a "gas attack" while commentating on his "Hardball" (aka "Screwball) program on MessNBC. Was Matthews lubicated? Just askin, here.
BTW: Have you voted in our "Most Disgusting Personality of the Year" poll? Matthews is one of the nominees for this dubious honor. You can vote at thew top right corner of this page. Do it now!

How To Understand Obama's Budget Proposal

Congressman Runyan Honored For Leadership

Jon Runyan Honored with Big 10 Ford-Kinnick Leadership Award

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DEC

Jon Runyan: “I am humbled to receive this honor named after two fine college athletes but, more importantly, men who served our country with distinction. I want to thank the Big Ten Conference for their recognition of my efforts after football.”

The award, which recognizes a Big Ten football player who has achieved success in the area of leadership after his college career has ended, is named for Michigan’s Gerald Ford and Iowa’s Nile [Kinnick].

Our sincere congratulations to Congressman Jon Runyan on this important honor.

We're so proud to count ourselves among Congressman Runyan's earlier supporters -- but we're even more proud of the job he's doing for all of us in Congress. South Jersey is so lucky to benefit from the insight and dedication of this fine public servant!