Anthony Alberts

Host

Robin Williams & The Emmy's

Aug 23, 2014·8 visitors

Robert Willis

Cohost

Stage· 57 messages

Aug 23, 2014

Tony and Robert tawk about this Monday's Emmy telecast and the legacy of Robin Williams on television as the industry prepares to salute one of its idols.

Robert Willis · 4:00 PM

testing?

Robert Willis · 4:01 PM

You there Tony?

Robert Willis · 4:01 PM

Sorry folks a little technical difficulties. Tony just texted me, he'll be right with us.

Robert Willis · 4:02 PM

While we wait for him, a little preview about what we'll be tawking about.

Robert Willis · 4:02 PM

Obviously the big news is the tragic death of Robin Williams and how that will affect the show.

Robert Willis · 4:03 PM

But also the oddity of the 66th Annual EMMY's being on a Monday in August, why that is and what the future holds.

Anthony Alberts · 4:03 PM

hello?

Robert Willis · 4:04 PM

Hey hey! Look who learned how to use his computer!!

Anthony Alberts · 4:04 PM

Sorry about that Bob. Apparently I didn't feed the hamsetr enough this morning. How are you today?

Robert Willis · 4:04 PM

hamsetr?

Anthony Alberts · 4:04 PM

GRRRR! Hamster! So excited I can't type straight.

Robert Willis · 4:05 PM

Excited about the Emmy awards are we?

Anthony Alberts · 4:05 PM

You bet I am, and I want to thank Netflix for that.

Robert Willis · 4:05 PM

Why is that?

Anthony Alberts · 4:06 PM

I hate to say it Bob, but I've always viewed the Emmy's as kind of the bastard stepchild of the award shows.

Robert Willis · 4:06 PM

There is a little something self serving about an industry celebrating itself.

Anthony Alberts · 4:07 PM

Not only that but for the longest time, even after cable had introduced us to more than just the Big 3, and later the Big 4, networks, the only shows that could win were network shows.

Robert Willis · 4:07 PM

Yeah, but if it wasn't for that, we never would have known the joy of the Cable ACE awards!

Anthony Alberts · 4:07 PM

Rest in peace, my old misshapen statuette.

Robert Willis · 4:08 PM

But I see what you mean. There really wasn't a lot of competition back then.

Anthony Alberts · 4:08 PM

Exactly. Most of the awards were a foregone conclusion.

Robert Willis · 4:08 PM

Now it is a much more wide open race.

Anthony Alberts · 4:09 PM

Yup. I do want to tawk more about that in a bit, but let's get to what the big story obviously is: Robin Williams.

Robert Willis · 4:09 PM

Such a tragic story.

Anthony Alberts · 4:09 PM

It is. The highlight, and I hate to call it that, bt it's true, will be seeing Billy Crystal.

Robert Willis · 4:10 PM

Billy Crystal has not said anything about Robin Williams except for one tweet; "No words."

Anthony Alberts · 4:10 PM

They have a long and rich history, going back to the Comic Relief benefit shows they did with Whoopi Goldberg.

Robert Willis · 4:11 PM

Those were some of my favorite shows towatch when I was a teenager. So many great comics presented every year.

Anthony Alberts · 4:11 PM

I think my favorite was watching Robert Wuhl (better known to most people at the time as the reporter from the Michael Keaton "Batman" movie) on the piano.

Robert Willis · 4:12 PM

I remember that! It was all about New Jersey wanting to make Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run" the state anthem, and why that was a bad idea!

Anthony Alberts · 4:13 PM

Comic brilliance! I have to say this though. There is something tragic in the fact that this memorial is happening during the Emmy's.

Robert Willis · 4:14 PM

Well, no matter what awards show was coming up, it would include a tribute to Robin Williams. His entertaining covered so many mediums.

Anthony Alberts · 4:15 PM

No doubt, however, his career, while started on television in a big way, was far more film based, and I wonder if that perception of him as a TV star, specifically "Mork", has haunted him all these years.

Robert Willis · 4:16 PM

I did see a clip of him recently from "The Tonight Show" after he won the Oscar for "Good Will Hunting" where he said that for two weeks people would mention that to him on the street, but then it went right back to "Hey it's Mork!"

Anthony Alberts · 4:16 PM

Exactly. One win and three other nominations, all for Oscars, but never any Emmy awards.

Robert Willis · 4:16 PM

The Comic Relief shows didn't win any?

Anthony Alberts · 4:16 PM

Not to my knowledge. That was back in the Cable ACE days.

Anthony Alberts · 4:17 PM

Think about it. The only hit television show he had was "Mork and MIndy." His latest show, "The Crazy Ones" only lasted one season.

Robert Willis · 4:17 PM

Robin Williams had another show, I think with Judd Hirsch maybe, that same thing, only lasted one season.

Anthony Alberts · 4:18 PM

And yet people still tie him back to that wild and manic comic and not the talented dramatic actor that he was.

Robert Willis · 4:18 PM

So do you think it's inappropriate that the 66th annual Emmys are doing a tribute?

Anthony Alberts · 4:19 PM

Not at all. It's like you said, his entertainment covered so much ground. I just hope the Oscars do something for him as well. That's truly where he shined.

Robert Willis · 4:20 PM

At least we know the Oscars will be on a Sunday. What's with this Monday night Emmy's telecast?

Anthony Alberts · 4:20 PM

Rare? yes. Unprecedented? No. You can thank football.

Robert Willis · 4:20 PM

Can't we always?

Anthony Alberts · 4:21 PM

The telecast switches between the Big 4 on a rotating basis. This year it's NBC's turn, but they spent waaaaaaaay too much on the NFL to preempt that and next Sunday is Labor Day weekend. Nobody watches television then.

Robert Willis · 4:21 PM

Why not a Monday in September then?

Anthony Alberts · 4:22 PM

What do you watch on Mondays in September?

Robert Willis · 4:22 PM

Football. Oh......got it.

Anthony Alberts · 4:22 PM

Ironically, the first nationally televised Emmy Awards was on a Monday, so like I said, not unprecedented.

Robert Willis · 4:22 PM

Unprecedented will be when it's not on one of the Big 4 networks.

Anthony Alberts · 4:23 PM

I think that's only a matter of time. A long time perhaps, but as people start moving away from traditional television formats and stations that are "broadcast" it will happen.

Robert Willis · 4:24 PM

The networks that have the most nominations are ones like HBO and AMC. Surely they deserve a chance to host the show as well.

Anthony Alberts · 4:24 PM

It'll happen. It makes me wonder for how much longer Super Bowl commercials will be seen as such an important item.

Robert Willis · 4:25 PM

That's a tawk for another time. Right now its all about the 66th Annual Emmys and Robin Williams.

Anthony Alberts · 4:25 PM

Oh, you know I'll be watching. Good tawking with you Bob.

Robert Willis · 4:25 PM

Same here Tony, tawk to you soon.