Sunday, September 18, 2011

CBS Sunday Morning on September 18, 2011

Charles Osgood introduced the stories for September 18, 2011. Children are returning to class, which reminds us of proper penmanship (Tracy Smith gives cover story "Signing Off," which is a recycled story from January 23, 2011). "Rockin' the House" by Martha Teichner on Hugh Laurie. Third up was a piece on Susan Lucci by Mo Rocca, starting on Jan. 5, 1970 in her soap career. Bill Geist on "Team Players," on the Hudson Valley Renegades, a minor league team (sons of summer).

Headlines. White House proposal on deficit reduction includes increases in taxes for high bracket Americans. Iranian situation.
Death toll in Reno air crash of P-51 Mustang. Air show in West Virginia, pilot killed. Ted Kennedy's daughter died. Elinor Mondale also died (at age 51). Chuck Percy died.

Weather. Cool and crisp in east. Warm in west. Summer ends on Friday.

"Signing Off" on the art of penmanship started off with school children being taught penmanship. Christa Walter's kindergarten class in Ohio was shown. In the old days, there were professional penman. Roger Spencer created a primer on writing. The script used in the Coca Cola logo. A. N. Palmer was the penmanship emperor of the 20th century (fast, efficient writing). Graphology was the rage in the early 1900s. Before 1920's, students learned only cursive. Steve Graham at Vanderbilt University asserted that kids who work with word processors end up writing better. People form judgments about the credibility of your ideas based on your handwriting. Your handwriting peaks around fourth grade. Matter of Gordon Brown with spelling errors. Only 18% of those polled said their handwriting excellent. Calligrapher Margaret Shepard. A handwritten letter is just awesome. It's too soon to sign off on penmanship.

September 18, 1870. The day Henry D. Washburn found "Old Faithful" in Yellowstone. Within two years, Yellowstone became national park. Eruptions go up to 130 feet. Ansell Adams took photos 70 years ago. Obama came in 2009.

Hugh Laurie is the star of House, and is up for an Emmy (on Sept. 18). Martha Teichner does an interview, which includes Laurie doing St. James Infirmary. Album "Let Them Talk." Trespassing on the music of American South. A famous tv stars "vanity project." Laurie: to hell with it. Dr. John performed with Laurie on Laurie's album. Bessie Smith. Laurie: a great ocean of pleasure. With Steven Fry, a comedy duo. Silly foppish aristocrats. Sort of clowning was a defense against something. Disarming one's enemies by making them laugh. Laurie grew up in Oxford, England. Piano lessons with Mrs. Hair. Swanee River is on Laurie's album. Laurie: there's so much luck; the amount of luck is absolutely terrifying. House is starting his 8th season, now making $700,000 per episode. Laurie loves Hollywood. House has given Laurie a confidence as a performer. Hugh Laurie is now a man at home.

On Laurie, from a CBS story on 27 July 2011:

Laurie, who plays the acerbic pill-popping M.D. on the hit FOX show, has signed a deal with Warner Music Entertainment to record an album of New Orleans-inspired songs this summer.

"I am drunk with excitement at this opportunity," Laurie said in a statement Monday obtained by the Associated Press "I know the history of actors making music is a checkered one, but I promise no one will get hurt."

The Golden Globe-winner has sung and performed throughout his acting career. Even his TV alter ego, Dr. Gregory House, is
often seen playing the piano and guitar on the show.


Theater review. Brad Pitt as Redford's mini-me. Overacted like mad in "Twelve Monkeys." Underacted in Benjamin Button.
In Moneyball, Pitt has soared. Find players for the money we do have. Teams value and pay money for the wrong things.
Book by Michael Lewis. Thinking outside the batter's box. The Bad News Bears for MBAs. Pitt still channels Redford. His Billy Bean knows he is handsome.

Sunday Passage. Mayor Bloomberg talking about a carousel installed in Brooklyn. Jane Wallentis gave it as gift. She bought a carousel in 1984 for over $300,000. Spent over $15 million restoring it. The carousel ended up on Thursday in a park near the Brooklyn Bridge.

CBS on Mitch Daniels. Daniels is a rising star. Bush's director of OMB. Daniels fixed the economy of Indiana. We made government work well. Fewer state employees than in 1976. I love my family more. Wife: our family was concerned about the lack of privacy. One sentence: daddy, please don't. Caught between being a father, husband and pursuing higher office. You can't have everything in life. Another issue. Daniels: what happened is a happy ending. They divorced in 1993. Got re-married in 1997. Daniels has a motorcycle. Not running has advantages; speak his mind. What matters: acting while there is still time.
Book: Keeping the Republic. If we don't make changes, we will ruin the American project. Staggering debt. Decline always starts with the money: borrow themselves into a corner. Let free enterprise take over. Government should be there to do things we have to do together. Focus on the bottom line.

"Picture Perfect" on photos of dogs for adoption. Teresa Berg. Thousands of dogs are euthanized merely for reasons of bad marketing. Kathleen Coleman. A reference to the Nick Nolte mug shot. Pictures make a difference. If every photographer took in one rescue group.

Susan Lucci as Erica Kane on All My Children, interview by Mo Rocca. Pine Valley (1683). The show goes off the air this Friday [September 23, 2011] Lucci was raised in Garden City, Long Island. Lola wants, Lola gets. Graduated from college in 1968. Was told she was too ethnic looking. Debut: January 5, 1970. A 15 year old high school girl, collecting boys as trophies. Erica was married 10 times. Susan Lucci still lives in Garden City. The saga of the Emmy. She won on her 19th try. In April, ABC cancelled "All My Children." In July, the production company bought rights to it.

Opinion piece by Nancy Giles on the two Republican presidential debates. Applause at the number of people executed in Texas?
Am I my brother's keeper? I can't imagine applauding at the idea of death, either by lethal injection or by lack of health insurance. Nancy refers to recent Supreme Court decision on Texas inmate. Is Ron Paul following: First, do no harm. Or: Cancer, tough luck, come back for chemo when you can afford it. Can other people get "Seats at the GOP's table."

In baseball's minor leagues, fans are closer to the players. Wappingers Falls. Hudson Valley Renegades. Players are making food stamp money. The players live in the homes of 18 fans. The Stewarts (Jane and Al) in Poughkeepsie have no children but have hosted many players. Josh Hamilton, Longoria, Dempster were all with the Stewarts. Home atmosphere contributed to success.
The Stewarts have hosted as many as seven players at once. How much compensated? nothing. The Stewarts have been to the weddings of 20 players.

Judy Hold is retiring, after signing on as a secretary in 1962. In 1995, joined Sunday Morning. Hoover Dam; Gypsy Rose Lee; holiday food issue. Osgood showed a NYT clip on a tempest about CBS not allowing females to wear pants.

Next week: Mo Rocca interview of Roseanne Barr.

Moment of nature: Spiriva handihaler. Banks of Kazinga Channel in Uganda, with elephants and hippos.

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