Mel Brooks.

Back in the ’50s, I actually had a job offer from Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows, and I could have worked with the comedy icons who were pioneers during the creative beginnings of live television. But I didn’t do it, mainly because I just moved to Hollywood, and I didn’t want to go to back to New York. So all the comedy geniuses who gathered in Caesar’s writing room got along without me, and I took a different path.

But every once in a while I think about what could have been. And I’ll be doing that when I watch American Masters Mel Brooks: Make a Noise premiering Monday, May 20, on PBS.

Mel Brooks was part of Sid Caesar’s team in the writers’ room and on the comedy classic which showed off his brilliant flair for original comedy. It was on Your Show of Shows that he teamed with Carl Reiner and created The 2000 Year Old Man routine.

The American Masters profile journeys through Brooks’ early years working with Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner, and many more TV pioneers. The PBS show covers Brooks’ 60-plus years in show business. Over that time it seems Mel has earned more major awards than any other living entertainer. He is one of the rare performers who has become an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winner. Yet the Brooklyn native has avoided making a documentary, even issuing an informal gag order on his friends, until now.

Brooks agreed to throw himself into the American Masters documentary about his impressive career, giving exclusive interviews and complete access to his film and photo archives. “There are a few singular voices of genius in film comedy. Mel Brooks joins the ranks of Chaplin, Keaton, and Woody Allen, creating a genre unto himself,” said Susan Lacy, creator and executive producer of American Masters, now in its 27th season. “This project has been a joy. Mel can make anything funny. He even had me in stitches during a conference call about distribution contracts. His humor is truly instinctive and constant!”

“Hello, I’m not such a comedy giant — I’m five-foot-six,” the 86-year-old Brooks started kidding when he sat down with Lacy at the PBS interview session. There we learned that the show will feature new interviews with Brooks, his friends and colleagues, including Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Cloris Leachman, Joan Rivers, Tracey Ullman, and his close friend Carl Reiner.

It will cover the film genres he so successfully satirized in Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety, and Spaceballs. Brooks said he likes doing parodies because “a genre gives you a lot of clichés that you can lean on, have fun with, and satirize. You can have fun with a western, or a sci-fi movie. And Hitchcock is an entire genre.”

More recently he’s proud having entered the Broadway musical field with the smash version of his first film, The Producers, and the Young Frankenstein musical that followed. The documentary also delves into his professional and personal ups and downs — his childhood, his first wife, and subsequent 41-year marriage to the late Anne Bancroft. Talking about her is still very emotional for him. “I have great children, and I have a good life, but it is very difficult every day to go on without her.”

Kidding around Brooks said, “When they called me to say I had been chosen as the next ‘American Master,’ I thought they said I was chosen to be the next Dutch Master. So I figured what the hell, at least I’ll get a box of cigars. When I realized my mistake I was both elated and a little disappointed at losing the cigars.” Also upcoming for Brooks, he’ll be honored with the 41st AFI Life Achievement Award this June.

Summing up his experience making the film about Brooks, director-producer-writer Robert Trachtenberg said, “I asked him deep, probing questions for four months, and he got to keep the shirt we bought for him. So I think we both made out pretty well.”

Artwork by Mary Lou Krewson.

It’s not just on the Fourth of July. Think about what we do during the seventh inning stretch of a baseball game. We all stand up and sing “God Bless America,” although that is not our national anthem. And when we attend a parade, some of us (mostly veterans) will stand at attention and even salute to show respect when the flag passes by.

Patriotism is pounded into us from childhood. We are proud to be Americans when we visit foreign shores, and have the opportunity to see how much better off we are than the people in most other nations. Yet here at home we are not so much Americans as party members, defining ourselves as either red or blue states, Republican or Democrats. And our ancestry defines us even more. Even if our families have been in the U.S. for generations, we are Irish, German, Italian, Russian, Polish, Armenian, Hispanic, ad infinitum. There are the often ignored Native Americans, but only overseas are we all known as Americans.

So as Americans I believe we should all show some recognition for our flag. Only a precious few of us display it properly on the prescribed holidays, and I’d like to urge more to fly their flags proudly.

There is a flag code, a way to hang the flag correctly. When keeping it up all night, a light should always be shining on it. It should be folded in a certain manner, as properly shown when military personnel fold the flag at funerals of fallen comrades.

Most people are completely ignorant about the days when the flag should be officially displayed. This year they are May 8, which is VE Day commemorating victory in Europe at the end of World War II; Armed Forces Day, May 19; Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, this month it’s May 27; D Day, June 6; Flag Day, June 14; National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, July 27; of course July 4; VJ Day, victory over Japan Aug. 13; Labor Day, Sept. 2; Patriot Day, Sept. 11; POW/MIA Recognition Day, Sept. 21; Veterans Day, Nov. 11; and Pearl Harbor Day, Dec. 7. This information comes from various veterans’ groups who are proud to fly Old Glory’s red, white and blue.

“The Voice” producer Mark Burnett and Frank Barron.

Emmy winning producer Mark Burnett has created thousands of hours of television programming airing in more than 70 countries worldwide. He is one of the very few producers to have a renewed series on each of the four major networks. Adding to his list of impressive career credits, this spring he and his actress wife Roma Downey produced the 10-hour History Channel miniseries The Bible to critical acclaim and colossal ratings.

Burnett and I had a long personal chat recently at the NBC Summer Press Day gathering at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena. He was there to promote the network’s ratings juggernaut The Voice, but there was a lot more to talk about.

Airing Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC, The Voice is a talent show that has four stages of competition. The first begins with blind auditions, with the spotlight on the strongest vocalists from across the country competing to be selected by the panel of judges based solely on their voice. The second stage features the battle rounds; the third stage has eliminations; and finally, the exciting live performance shows. In the end, one talented performer will be named “The Voice” and will receive the grand prize of a recording contract.

Burnett has had success with other contest/reality shows. His current network series include The Celebrity Apprentice on NBC, Survivor on CBS, and Shark Tank on ABC. It’s a stellar stable of successful competition shows.

Easily the king of the genre, Burnett admitted, “In the end, it doesn’t matter whether it’s scripted or unscripted, drama or comedy. It just matters it’s good. That’s the truth about television. People can tell the difference between TV that’s good and TV that’s average, and if it’s really bad. All I’m trying to do is being focused on things that I like, and I love this show. We’ve all become good friends, and it’s good fun. We just have a lot of fun doing this.”

All that was evident when watching Burnett with his judges/ coaches from The Voice: Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Usher, and Shakira, along with host Carson Daly and social media correspondent Christina Milian. During the interview session with the panel there was so much joking and teasing going on, it seemed like the bunch of friends were kindergarten kids having a party. That plain old fun atmosphere we saw when the cameras aren’t rolling is the same genuine camaraderie they have when doing the show.

“It’s authentic. It’s real. They are having fun, and that’s what comes through on the screen,” Burnett said proudly, adding that you can’t fake that kind of chemistry. “It’s a feel-good show, and if you look at The Voice, you see it has clearly been claimed by young America. It’s young America’s show. It’s fresh. The music is current. The coaches are all current superstars. So this is not their day job. Their day job is touring, making music. Everybody knows it’s fresh, it’s now, and people just love it. Whether I’m traveling around and I’m in an airport or at a hotel or wherever, people come up to me off the street all the time and say, ‘I just love The Voice. I just love watching it.’ It’s a feel-good feeling for someone who has been at work all day and comes home and puts the show on. And people watch this in real time.”

The London-born Burnett served in the British Army, and when he emigrated to the U.S. he got jobs as a chauffeur and a nanny. After participating in an adventure competition, he launched his production career with the cable show Eco-Challenge, a grueling cross-terrain race under the most unforgiving conditions. The rest is TV history.

We talked about his past, but mostly traded stories about his wonderful wife, The Touched by an Angel star, who came to my assistance the last time I saw her. “That’s who she really is, as a person,” he praised Roma.

Burnett has been inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, and has his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has numerous awards and is destined to add to them with his future projects. That’s sure to include more competition and awards shows (he has produced the Emmys and People’s Choice Awards), plus a follow up related to the Bible.

NBC’s “Chicago Fire” team Jesse Spencer, producer Dick Wolf, and Taylor Kinney.

Interviewing Emmy-winning executive producer Dick Wolf for more than a quarter of a century now, I’ve gotten to hear about his many projects over the years and what has made them so great. The force behind the Law & Order franchise, Wolf is now boasting about his latest acclaimed drama Chicago Fire, which debuted this fall on NBC.

“It shines a light on the human condition, which is what I try to do with all of my productions,” Wolf told me. “I also hope to entertain.” Chicago Fire certainly does both.

The freshman drama follows the firefighters, rescue squad, and paramedics of Chicago Firehouse 51. It seems there are no ordinary days in the Windy City for the everyday heroes committed to their high-octane profession. No occupation is so rewarding and exhilarating, although filled with stress and danger. And it’s a great backdrop for exploring the firehouse relationships.

Explaining the heart of the drama, Wolf (who is executive producer along with the show’s creators Michael Brandt and Derek Haas) emphasized that it’s not about “the fire-of-the-week,” which is thanks to the writers on the show. “It’s a character study about people who do things that you can’t pay people to do. You can’t pay people to run into burning buildings. So it is a canvas for good writing and writing that you haven’t seen for a while on network television. This is a big, full broadcast show with multi-characters and multi-storylines going on. And the writers’ room could be put in a book about screenwriting, because to carry all these characters’ stories forward is a monumental task. So unless you have an incredibly talented writing staff, you end up doing a ‘fire-of-the-week,’ because that’s really easy. I mean, it’s not easy but it’s understandable. What we’re trying to do here is a very, very classic, adult, NBC platinum drama.”

The show also has a stellar ensemble cast with Jesse Spencer (of House fame), Taylor Kinney, Monica Raymund, Lauren German, David Eigenberg, Charlie Barnett, Terri Reeves, and Eamonn Walker, who plays Chief Wallace Boden. Walker described his character as “the patriarch of this very dysfunctional firehouse family that comes together when they need to come together, to fight whatever situation that they’re in. He’s a good man, and he cares.”

Kinney (Zero Dark Thirty) plays Lt. Kelly Severide who is fighting his own demons beneath his brash veneer. To prepare for his role, Kinney said he went on ride-alongs with the firefighters. “The experience is invaluable when you spend a 24 hour shift with these people. David Eigenberg would call it a sleepover. It’s not a sleepover, it’s a full shift. It was a way to bond. It’s a brotherhood, it’s the camaraderie, and you see the way these people interact and then how jovial things can be at the firehouse. And then when they go out, when the bell rings, they flip a switch and do their jobs.”

Obviously this is a very physically challenging show for the actors, and Kinney reported that some of the actors did some drills with real firefighters at their training academy. Gushing his respect for the real heroes, Kinney said, “They had us gear up with full gear with air, mask, hat, gloves, boots, everything. It’s maybe 60, 65 pounds. Then you go through a simulated exercise where you’re in an environment where there’s smoke and fire in a house, and you’re clearing a room looking for victims. And we, for the most part, had it blocked out where we could do this in a room with our gear on without the elements. And then you walk into a smoke filled room that’s over 200 degrees, and it’s a shock to the senses. You really can’t see four feet in front of you. So even with the little training that we had, we realized how amazing you have to be to do what these guys are trained to do.”

Producer Wolf again praised the production team on the series for making it “a very uplifting, creative experience, because the writers are writing about people that you admire. They are not making stuff up. The bulk of their stories come out of their relationship with the fire department, seeing what these guys do and what they go through.” Chicago Fire, according to Wolf, is about “the people who protect you when you sleep.” Tune in NBC.

Pete Hammond, host of KCET’s Cinema Series.

Throughout its 48-year history, KCET has been proud of the important role it has played in the cultural and educational enrichment of all of Southern California. Over the years our local very independent public television outlet has presented a wide range of award-winning programming, as well as some of the finest shows from around the world.

It is a donor-supported institution, and among the entertaining ways it raises funds is with the quarterly KCET Cinema Series screenings, held in the spring and the fall at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in North Hollywood. The series hosted by the renowned film expert Pete Hammond, who is one of the best interviewers in the business, previews eight major new films prior to their first run local release. An extra treat is the screening of a classic James Coburn film, because the James and Paula Coburn Foundation is the main sponsor of the series, along with the E. Hofert Dailey Trust.

Hammond thrilled everyone at the beginning of the current NoHo KCET Cinema Series when he announced that on Tuesday, April 9, at 7 p.m. the “James Coburn Classic Night” would feature the 40th anniversary screening of The Last of Sheila. Film fans know this cinematic gem. It is a star-studded murder mystery from Warner Bros. Pictures, directed by Herbert Ross. But the surprising credit is that The Last of Sheila is the first and only screenplay by Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim.

The story set in the ’70s centers around an intricate game of murder among wealthy vacationers orchestrated after the death of gossip columnist Shelia Green. Sheila’s widower, a movie producer played by the great James Coburn, assembles a group of friends aboard his yacht named Shelia. The cast of characters is classic. They include a washed up director (James Mason), a self-absorbed agent (Dyan Cannon), a beautiful movie star (Raquel Welch), her untrustworthy husband (Ian McShane), a struggling writer (Richard Benjamin), and his heiress wife (Joan Hackett).

A discussion about the film will follow the screening, along with a Q&A with co-stars Dyan Cannon and Richard Benjamin, plus others connected with the movie are expected to attend. Even if you don’t have a season pass to the Cinema Series, call (747) 201-5800 for information and reservations. Tickets are available for the special James Coburn Classic Night on April 9, and the last two screenings: April 16 for The Reluctant Fundamentalist followed by a Q&A with the director Mira Nair; and the April 23 screening will be announced soon. It’s always a great night out at the movies with Pete Hammond and KCET.

KCET’s award-winning SoCal Connected, the hard-hitting prime-time nightly news program that examines the issues of Southern California that matter most in our daily lives, has a scheduling change. Starting the week of April 1, the show goes on its annual hiatus and has new times – Fridays at 9:30 p.m. and repeating on Sundays at 6:30 p.m.

“SoCal Connected is going on hiatus as Season Five ends this week, although we will continue to be on the air twice a week with some original programming and the best of the season,” said Bret Marcus, executive producer, SoCal Connected and senior vice president, News and Factual Programming, KCETLink. “As happens every year, there are questions about the show’s future. And the answer is always the same, SoCal Connected depends on public funding and we don’t know at this time what that funding will be. We are very proud of what we have accomplished this year, and hope the show will be back for Season Six.”

“During our fifth season we initiated more changes than ever before,” said Marcus. “SoCal Connected moved from airing one night to five nights a week. Radio personality, Madeleine Brand, joined host Val Zavala on a nightly basis as a special contributor.”

This season so far, SoCal Connected has received the most prestigious award in broadcasting, the duPont-Columbia University Award for Investigative Journalism, as well as two Golden Mike Awards. It is a show worthy of our support.

In other news at the studio, it was announced that KCET has won the 2012 Broadcast Engineering Excellence Award for the station’s new state of the art broadcast facility. Last April KCET relocated from its historic Sunset lot to The Pointe in Burbank, a new LEED GOLD certified building across from NBC. Now KCET’s studios are equipped with the latest technologies, all new equipment, and resources for optimal broadcast transmission and production efficiency. “This was a fantastic opportunity to conceive, design and build a media facility from the ground up,” said Gordon Bell, KCET’s Senior Vice President of Engineering and Operations. “It was a privilege to head up a team of so many talented individuals and work with some of the most respected companies in the broadcast technology industry.” They are proud to be part of our community.

NBC’s “Revolution.”

The NBC series Revolution takes place in the not-too-distant future and follows a family struggling to reunite when every piece of technology in the U.S. has mysteriously been turned off. The power has gone out for lights, phones, cars, computers, TV, etc. That may be hell for some, but others (like me) might actually picture that simpler world as utopia, for a while anyway.

The action-packed show throws in a powerful militia trying to take over the country in the wake of the blackout. But a band of survivalists explore the mystery of why the power failed, and if it can ever be restored. Among the stars of the show are Billy Burke, Tracy Spiridakos, Elizabeth Mitchell, David Lyons, and Giancarlo Esposito.

Surprisingly, the post-apocalyptic doomsday family drama comes from creator Eric Kripke (Supernatural creator), who is executive producer along with J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk (Lost, Star Trek). They are guys who embrace technology and infuse their productions with lots of CGI and special effects.

So the question we posed to Kripke and Abrams is — How does technology help their creative process? Kripke said, “Primarily for me, the technology I use in my process almost starts and ends with the Internet, because of the unbelievable amount of information that is at your fingertips. I’m definitely dating myself, but I still remember having to bury myself in the library to research a project, and then photocopy all the research that I needed. Now, at any given moment at any given point of writing a script, I say, you know what, I need to know what this process is. I need to know how this person works. And I can immediately search, find it, get the information, and put it right into a script. I think that’s pretty invaluable. I don’t know if I would be as good a writer without that.”

J.J. Abrams has done movies and TV shows that are considered very high-tech, such as the rebooted Star Trek franchise, and the sci-fi series Fringe and Lost. But when asked if he could be as creative as he is without today’s ground-breaking technology, he explained, “Everything that Eric said is so true in terms of research. And obviously I love what technology allows in terms of visual effects, and in terms of just efficiency, whether it’s getting something quickly, reading something, looking at artwork, composition, or anything. Right now I’m doing visual effects for Star Trek, and it doesn’t matter where I am, I can look at the latest version of a visual effects shot and give notes.”

Abrams added, “While that’s all true, what it all comes down to, and what matters most of all is the idea, and the writing and the execution of that idea. And for that, I usually write it out in longhand first. There’s something about it, the tactile, tangible nature of writing that just feels like I’m feeling the stuff more than I am. You know, when there’s a deadline and it’s crazy, of course, the MacBook Pro is the key. But it’s something that I think ultimately just comes down to — what is that idea you’re scribbling with that pencil?”

Sometimes productions can influence its performers, and that is the case with many of the Revolution actors who have gone with the “un-plugged” theme of the show. Billy Burke revealed that he picks up his guitar and plays when on location in Wilmington, North Carolina. Elizabeth Mitchell said she and her seven-year-old son have “no electronics day.” And Giancarlo Esposito reported he and his family “put down our technology when we went on vacation. We walked and talked, and that came directly from the inspiration of what this show has done in my life.”

Tune in Revolution when it returns to the NBC schedule, Monday, March 25, at 10 p.m.

“The Bible” producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett.

Holy smoke! The Bible series, a landmark television event on A&E Networks’ History Channel, had over 27 million cumulative viewers tuned in to all or part of the premiere a week ago. It was the #1 show for the night, beating out all the networks (yes, including ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.) Episodes will air on Sundays culminating on Easter, March 31.

Leave it to Mark Burnett to pull off this huge miracle in the broadcasting world, but the mega-producer is no stranger to success. “We have many series currently on TV, but this is the most important,” says Burnett, one of the most productive producers in television history. His current shows include Survivor, The Voice, Celebrity Apprentice, and Shark Tank. All are top-rated shows but Burnett says, “Over the next decade, more people will view our Bible series than all of our other TV series combined.” That is a source of pride for the man who was named one of Time magazine’s “World’s Most Influential People,” and TV Guide’s “Most Valuable Player.” His series have been nominated for 67 Emmys, and he has personally won four, along with four People’s Choice Awards.

The Bible production was a labor of love for Burnett and his wife, actress Roma Downey. “Our prayer has always been that the dramatization of these stories will drive viewers to go to the Bible itself and drink in the actual text, because it is a book that changes lives,” says Downey, who co-executive produced the History series with her husband, and also plays the role of Jesus’ mother Mary. Of course everyone remembers the Irish-born Downey from her role as the tender-hearted angel on the long-running show Touched by an Angel on CBS.

“We could not be more thrilled with this out-of-the-gate success of The Bible on History,” Downey reports. “The world is watching right now and we are incredibly humbled by the reaction to the series. We’ve been working on this project for the past four years now, and are deeply honored to breathe new visual life into the Bible’s profound stories.”

Burnett says he was inspired by his family, trying to create a production his teenagers would watch. “If they wouldn’t like it, then it wouldn’t be worth doing,” he reports. So he set out to combine one of the greatest collections of stories ever assembled with the live action and state-of-the-art CGI. It is narrated by the award-winning Keith David, and features a musical score by composer Hans Zimmer. There’s a great international cast too. In addition to Downey, Portuguese TV star Diogo Morgado plays Jesus.

Burnett explains it’s more than the greatest story ever told, “It is the greatest adventure.” From Genesis to Revelation, the History Channel series is re-telling the stories revealing new insights to the iconic characters in the context of the Bible: from Noah’s Ark, and the Exodus, to Daniel in the Lion’s Den, to the life of Jesus.

Some time ago when Burnett and I got together to discuss the broadcast business, he told me, “Every show should be an event, and you have to learn to do it in different ways. I’m focused on new and different distribution systems for my future projects, and making them special. There isn’t much difference between my story-telling and a major feature film. Even with my reality shows, I try to make every episode like we’re making a hundred million dollar film.” That same effort can be found in the quality of his Bible series.

The epic ten-hour, five-part Bible docudrama airs Sunday nights at 8 p.m. on History.

Universal’s Ron Meyer and legend Kirk Douglas.

It’s publicity that has made Hollywood world famous. And publicists work hard to shine the spotlight on their movie and TV projects, or other clients. But once a year the public relations and marketing professionals get a chance to enjoy some of the limelight at their annual awards ceremony.

A couple of days before the Oscars the 50th Annual Publicists Awards luncheon was presented by their guild, Cinematographers IATSE Local 600, at the Beverly Hilton. In addition to honoring their own, the packed ballroom was filled with publicists, producers, studio chiefs, network executives, celebrities, and press who came to see Kirk Douglas, 96, receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. Sally Field and Robert Downey Jr. were also there as surprise guests making presentations and telling funny stories.

But the highlight of the event was Ron Meyer, president and COO of Universal Studios, paying tribute to the iconic star, going through a litany of Kirk Douglas’ film credits — a total of 87, and almost everyone a classic. Equally impressive was hearing about the Douglas Foundation and the worthwhile causes it has helped. Kirk reported, “You don’t know how to live until you know how to give.”

Kirk told everyone about his great affection for publicists because that’s how he met his wife Anne on the set of a movie he was shooting in Germany, “and we’ve been married 60 years.” Kirk also gave a shout-out to legendary publicist Julian Myers who was celebrating his 95th birthday at the luncheon. Kirk said, “Ah, to be 95 again.”

Also noteworthy was Steven Poster, the president of the International Cinematographers Guild, praising Henri Bollinger, head of the awards committee, and pointing out that Henri has attended every Publicists Awards for all 50 years. There was thunderous applause for Bollinger, a cornerstone of the Publicists organization. Poster also welcomed IATSE president Matt Loeb who flew in for the special occasion.

Awards to the publicists were well deserved. The coveted Les Mason Award went to Heidi Schaeffer, who was praised by her longtime client Sally Field, an Oscar nominee for Lincoln. Sally joked that she was thrilled to present the award and give a speech “because I’ve written a lot of speeches lately but haven’t had the chance to give them.” Heidi gave a moving speech of her own, commenting on how working with the press has changed and how her clients have become her friends.

Robert Downey Jr. surprised everyone when he walked on stage to present the Motion Picture Showman of the Year Award to Kevin Feige. The president of production at Marvel Studios, Feige was praised for making The Avengers last year co-starring Downey, and the other superhero films from Marvel, including Ironman, also with Downey. No wonder Downey said he started Feige’s fan club. Revealing his successful game plan for the studio, Feige revealed that he asks himself “What does the audience want?”

The Television Showmanship Award went to the co-presidents of USA Network, Chris McCumber and Jeff Wachtel, presented to them by Matt Bomer of Covert Affairs and Piper Perabo of White Collar, both successful shows for the network.

The Maxwell Weinberg Award for Best Publicity Campaign for a Motion Picture went to the publicity team from Warner Bros. for Argo. Accepting the award for her team, Warner Bros.’ Juli Goodwin joked that Argo’s publicity campaign lasted longer than the Iranian hostage crisis. The honor was presented by Chi McBride, from the new CBS series Golden Boy. McBride also handed out the Maxwell Weinberg Television Campaign Award to the publicists working on Showtime’s Homeland. Robert Knepper, from the CW series Cult, presented the Television Still Photography Award to Suzanne Tenner Excellence, and Jaimie Trueblood was honored for Motion Picture Still Photography.

In recognition of service to others the Bob Yeager Award went to Linda Weitzler who belongs to the Volunteer League. She helps needy children, the Fulfillment Fund, and is part of a choir that performs at nursing homes, among her other nonprofit efforts.

Comic Theo Von, from Yahoo’s Prime Time in No Time, was the emcee for the luncheon. And always a great guy, Corbin Bernsen, of L.A. Law fame and USA’s current hit Psych, gave the Press Award to Deadline Hollywood’s Pete Hammond, who thanked everyone for giving him an award “for writing about awards.”

Michael Chiklis on the set of CBS’ “Vegas.”

Walking around the set of the CBS series Vegas, filmed in Santa Clarita, it was a treat to observe the detail that has gone into recreating vintage Las Vegas. From the neon lights, one-arm bandits (aka slot machines), to the costumes for the showgirls, the authenticity is impressive. Classic cars are even lined up outside the Savoy Casino on Fremont Street, one of the main settings for the hit drama set in 1961.

The stars of the show were there for interviews the day I came during the television critics press tour. Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis, Jason O’Mara, Carrie Anne Moss, Taylor Handley, and Sarah Jones, were on hand along with the executive producers Greg Walker, Nicolas Pileggi, Cathy Konrad, and Arthur Sarkissian. All expressed a fondness for embracing the era, especially Chiklis, who plays one of the most interesting characters, a mob-connected casino operator in charge of the Savoy.

Chiklis has played cops before, the good guy titled role on The Commish, and after that the rogue police detective “Vic Mackey” on the FX series The Shield. Now he’s definitely on the other side of the law as Vincent Savino, a replanted Chicago gangster at odds with the local Sheriff Ralph Lamb (Quaid).

It would be easy for Chiklis to play his mob guy role in a stereotypical way, but instead he says, “We want this to be entertainment, but we also want it to be impactful, and to tell really great stories. So that’s what our focus is on. We are not interested in overblown clichés and playing cartoons. We want to ground all these characters in reality. It’s very easy to get into clichéd archetypes, but we are keenly aware of that, and so are the writers. I know for my part, we’ve all been really focused on playing it for the real and different situations.”

He says his Savino character was bound to clash with Dennis’ Sheriff, but there is some admiration between them as well. “I remember the scene in the pilot when I’m coming out of the plane and I see him for the first time. And you can imagine what a guy from Chicago is thinking when he comes off the plane and sees someone like Roy Rogers. There’s that sort of grudging admiration for each other.”

Vegas gives depths and layers to the characters that inhabited the early days of the gambling oasis in the Nevada desert. Chiklis notes that it was a great time of growth, “when the town really exploded. It went from a relatively small town, and over the course of the next 20 years, I think by ’81, there were three and a half million people there. I think we’re going to need a bigger set as we go on.”

Having classic cars around to invoke the era is a treat for everyone. Chiklis says, “I can’t claim that I was a car aficionado, but I love vintage cars. There are certain cars I really respond to. I remember my dad had an old Cadillac convertible with the wing tips. That was my favorite car of my childhood, because we didn’t bother with seat belts back then, and my brother and I used to rumble in the back seat.”

Chiklis explains, “I was born in ’63, so when I think of this period, I think of my earliest memories and I look at these cars, and there are certain tactile memories that come along with it of my grandfather and grandmother, and certain smells that just make me reminisce about some of the people I love the most in my life.”

Chiklis, 49, directed an episode of Vegas, as he did several times with The Shield. He’s also a classically trained actor, who earned his Equity card at age 13 appearing in off-Broadway theater productions. He attended Boston University’s School of Performing Arts, and after graduating he auditioned for the role of John Belushi in the controversial film Wired. Afterward, Chiklis guest starred on a variety of series, from LA Law to Seinfeld. Along came The Commish, which ran from 1991 to 1996. Chiklis also starred on Broadway in the one-man show Defending the Caveman. Some of his film credits include the Fantastic Four film franchise, The Tax Man, Do Not Disturb, and Soldier. He also starred in the No Ordinary Family series, and had fun playing “Curly” in the ABC movie The Three Stooges.

Bruce Willis.

To celebrate the opening of the new film A Good Day to Die Hard, a huge mural was unveiled at 20th Century Fox Studios showing Bruce Willis as a larger-than-life action star. It’s the 25th anniversary of the Die Hard film franchise which has made more than $1.1 billion worldwide over the years, “but who’s counting? Actually, we are,” the chairman of Fox studios, Jim Gianopulos said with a smile. The head of the studio called it a cornerstone and “a wonderful legacy” for Fox. He also described the appeal of Willis’ John McClane character as an “everyman who has the uncanny ability to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but who never ever says die.”

Gianopulos noted that the mural covers the outside wall of historic Stage 8 which once hosted the productions Drums Along the Mohawk and The Sound of Music, and so many other great films. There was a big grin on Willis’ face when the mural was revealed with a very young likeness of the actor taken from the first Die Hard blockbuster in 1988.

At a press conference, Willis, 57, reflected on his journey in the role of McClane, who has been married and divorced, has had trouble with alcohol, kids, and so much more. It has been quite a ride according to Willis. “It’s a big stretch of time, hard to compress it into a few sentences. But I remember every film, and I remember everything we did and the way we were, and how playing that role for 25 years has turned into a life in itself. I have very great memories and I’ll always have a warm place in my heart for making these crazy films.” What’s different about doing the first Die Hard and the new one? Willis noted, “I get up a little slower from the ground after I’ve fallen into something. It’s okay. I’m doing alright. I’m here today.”

Bruce Willis in front of the “Die Hard” mural.

A Good Day to Die Hard is the fifth in the film series which has featured Willis as a hard-hitting, two-fisted tough guy who saves the day. His Die Hard films have cemented his big screen stardom, which came on the heels of his television career, starring opposite Cybill Shepherd in Moonlighting from 1985 to 1989.

Willis said audiences keep coming back to see him as Die Hard’s John McClane “because I think that over the past 25 years there’s been a certain amount of good will that builds up, and people want to see you and root for you, because you know someone like me. You know somebody who thinks he’s too smart and has everything figured out, when in fact he doesn’t really have anything figured out.”

He thinks the appeal of the Die Hard movies is the same as “going to an amusement park and going on a roller coaster. You really know you’re not going to fall off the roller coaster but it sure seems like you’re going to go flying out of the car. And these films are kinda like big entertainment roller coasters. That’s my goal anyway. And director John Moore and his team have made it so harrowing, with the car chases, stunts, and the other things we did.”

The “complicated process” of getting the Die Hard films made, Willis said, is just “coming up with a good story, that’s the thing that triggers another film. This latest film was much more germane to the Die Hard franchise and that has to do with family conflict. In this case, I’m fighting with my son, played by Jai Courtney.”

Talking about his signature line — “Yippee-ki-yay!” — Willis revealed it was an adlib in the first Die Hard movie. “The bad guy was picking on me and I just happen to let that line slip out, and it became part of the fabric of the film. It always comes at a moment of high danger. It’s just amazing that the line has lasted this long. Kids say it to me on the street, and grandmas. Sometimes it’s a little awkward, but I’m still happy that they say it.”