THE RATINGS GAME (1984) – Danny DeVito directed and starred in this telefilm – now being re-released under the vague-to-the-point-of-meaningless title The Mogul, which was produced by Showtime back when they and HBO Films were emerging as a genuine creative force in original content.
That era saw HBO Films churn out many made-for-cable movies that reflected studio-level production values and often adapted fictional and non-fictional properties that neither networks nor Hollywood felt like tackling at the time.
Telefilms like And The Band Played On, Barbarians at the Gate, Gotti, Kissinger and Nixon plus many, many others received critical acclaim AND proved commercially successful when released on video or in syndication to – ironically – network television.
The Ratings Game – written by Jim Mulholland and Michael Barrie – was a perfectly respectable satire on the network television ratings system but it has become unjustly forgotten. The change of title for its latest release seems like a desperate attempt to change the telefilm’s fortunes.
Personally I really like The Ratings Game. It definitely qualifies as one for my list of Aristophanes Now productions, in this case because it captures the feel of the Parathespian Comedies from Attic Old Comedy. (But let’s face it, it would probably have been written by Strattis instead of Aristophanes.)
Part of the reason for this telefilm’s obscurity may be the way it satirized the flaws in the network ratings system. This flick was released when Nielsen and similar ratings outfits still often used a mere 1,100-1,200 participating homes to extrapolate the ratings numbers on which television programs lived or died. Continue reading
LINDSEY WILSON COLLEGE BLUE RAIDERS 
NORTHWEST (IA) COLLEGE RED RAIDERS 
KEISER UNIVERSITY SEAHAWKS 
ARE THE PLANETS INHABITED? (1913) – Written by Edward Walter Maunder, this book began with ridicule of the outdated belief that the sun and moon might be inhabited, but it doesn’t exactly embody scientific accuracy itself. Therefore I’m classifying it as science fiction even though in 1913 it was considered to be a series of observations adhering to rigid scientific principles. 
Yes, the misleadingly named Antifa (really KLANtifa) continues to riot. Saturday night roughly one hundred members of the fascist hate group set fire to a federal building in Portland with employees still inside. (link below) In March, Antifa set fire AGAIN to the Federal Courthouse in Portland. 
Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats continue to pretend “Antifa is just an idea” – which is typical of their non-response to problems they are unable or unwilling to come to grips with. So America is now even more like a Third World country, complete with masked groups of violent predators striking at their targets on a regular basis. 
TUSSLE IN THE TOP ELEVEN – The number 10 team in the nation – the MARIAN UNIVERSITY KNIGHTS – traveled to take on the 11th ranked UNIVERSITY OF SAINT FRANCIS (IN) COUGARS. Though the Cougars led 3-0 to end the 1st Quarter, by Halftime the Knights were on top 20-3. That became a 27-11 advantage going into the 4th Quarter, in which Marian U had to survive a furious Saint Francis rally, holding on for a 41-34 victory. 
WHEN RANKED TEAMS CLASH – The 6th ranked COLLEGE OF IDAHO COYOTES found themselves on the road against the number 20 EASTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY MOUNTAINEERS. By the midpoint of this game between these two familiar Frontier Conference opponents the Mountaineers were leading the Coyotes 28-21. The 3rd Quarter ended with EOU clinging to a 31-28 edge before the College of Idaho came from behind to win it 49-38 in the 4th. 
DOUBLING UP ON THE COMPETITION – The (24) SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE MOUNDBUILDERS took it on the road against the OTTAWA UNIVERSITY (KS) BRAVES yesterday. A 7-7 1st Quarter tie remained unchanged by the Half. After the break, the Moundbuilders had an explosive 3rd Quarter, going on top by a score of 28-14. The defenses shut out both teams in the 4th Quarter, so 28-14 was the final tally as well. 
THE RAY 
LADY LUCK 
Wontkins sounded like Oscar the Grouch crossed with either Statler or Waldorf and came complete with a Bert-style nose and perpetual frown (and no wonder). Wilkins, on the other hand, looked like a phallic object with arms and a face. 
What started as a team of spokes-puppets for Wilkins Coffee morphed into greater things as surely as Barry Manilow’s old commercial jingles paved the way for his singing career! 
Here at Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog I always follow plenty of Democrat and Republican media outlets, so that’s why I’m able to point out the damage done by both parties. This is in stark contrast to close-minded people who only follow media outlets which pander to their political prejudices. Supporters of the corrupt, addle-minded Joe Biden like to pretend that everything is wonderful now and that the country is “tranquil” and “united” (LMAO). Uh, NO, Biden fascists, just because your biased news outlets don’t cover Joe’s disasters and his divisive, hate-filled policies does not mean that everything is okay.
PART FIFTY-FOUR – There was no February issue of James Larkin Pearson’s version of The Fool-Killer in 1912, so we resume with the March issue, put together with Pearson’s new printing machinery. The Fool Killer’s targets this time around included: 
Balladeer's Blog 