Struck Down by the Man

It has happened again. About six months ago my web log was crippled when my YouTube account was permanently disabled. A little daunted, but still resilient, I brought my videos back via a site called Veoh.com. Now my Veoh account has been deleted following similar complaints of copyright infringement. I'm not going to rehash my reasoning behind why I think the copyright holders should rejoice in people like me. Instead I will slowly start to rebuild my online video collection. Eventually I hope to bring them all back to this web log again. Regulars to my site will be able to watch the "My Videos" label climb its way back up list on the right as I rework the web log entries with videos.

Entertainer of the Month: John Ratzenberger

A new feature being launched here at Entertainment News is Entertainer of the Month. Last week I left some clues about this month's honoree and today I can reveal that John Ratzenberger is March's Entertainer of the Month. As I mentioned before, he appeared in Superman and Superman II as "Controller #1," The Empire Strikes Back as Major Derlin and Ghandi as "American Lt., driver for Bourke-White." However, Ratzenberger is best known as know-it-all postal carrier Cliff Claven on Cheers, a character he has played on a total of 6 shows*. One of the Cliff's greatest and, at the same time, worst moments was when he appeared on Jeopardy! (seen belows, 4:51). More recently, Ratzenberger competed on Dancing with the Stars. He also hosted the Travel Channel's John Ratzenberger's Made in America in which he spotlighted various domestic manufacturing firms. And of course what John Ratzenberger feature would be complete without mentioning his voice work with Pixar. His voice talents have appeared in all eight Pixar animated features from Toy Story to Ratatouille. Here's to hoping John Ratzenberger continues to have a flourishing career. * Cheers, St. Elsewhere, The Tortellis, Wings, Frasier and The Simpsons

Sneak Peak

Coming next week in a new item called Entertainer of the Month, Entertainment News will pay tribute to an American screen legend whose film and television career has spanned more than three decades. He has appeared in such Hollywood blockbusters as Superman, Superman II, The Empire Stikes Back and Ghandi. He starred in one television's most successful sitcoms. This writer/director/producer has also lent his voice talents to Pixar's Toy Story and Toy Story II. His celebrity was cemented when this multi-talented entertainer appeared on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Who is it? You'll have to check back in a few days. That's what we in the business call a teaser.