MUSINGS ...REFLECTIONS...
It was the Punchline on Battery, late on a Thursday night. Williams was a regular --a regular pop-in many times. Not just the Punchline, but the Holy City Zoo on Clement and the old Cobb's Comedy Club.
In the same time period I was a regular judge for the yearly SF Stand-Up Comedy Competition. That was when comedy was hot and many of the clubs were thriving. Williams was front and center in the city's comic zeitgeist and the owners were thrilled. It all sort of jelled together.
*Bob Sarlatte, Jim Giovanni, Will Durst, Bobby Slayton, Larry "Bubbles" Brown, Dana Carvey, Mark Pitta, just some of the comics in the city that knew Robin, knew him well. Must not leave out John and Ann Fox, producers and founders of the Comedy Competition.
MEDIA COVERAGE...
Didn't see a lot --had prior dinner commitments. Michael Zwerling, the owner of KSCO Radio, called me on the phone a little after 4 yesterday afternoon to tell me the news...Switched immediately over to CNN where Don Lemon broke the story at 4: 08...Locally, KTVU had the story first, which is appropriate given it was the TV station in "Mrs. Doubtfire." ...2 also broke the story that Williams hung himself. I don't know if that was necessary to report so early on but whatever, I just hope for KTVU's sake, they got it right...EARLY reaction was the abundance of news choppers over Williams Tiburon home. I'm not going to hit both KPIX and KGO-TV hard for chopper saturation because every station in almost every other market is guilty. It's become a sad byproduct of celebrity death--had Williams died in LA, they'd have probably had to close LAX because of helicopter activity...KPIX took a lot of heat on Twitter for reporting that "a guy in AA saw Williams in rehab only weeks earlier." Whatever, I've heard worse...PIX too interviewed their own employee about Williams. Everyone needs a storyline, including PIX...Good work, KRON, which pretty much stuck by the basic handbook: respectable live shots, interviews and honest reporting from the anchor desk...It was inevitable everyone in town immediately had to send a crew to Broadway and Steiner, the 'Doubtfire house...Dear KGO and KCBS: could we hold off a day for interviews with therapists describing the "demons" that caused Williams depression. Truth is, we ALL don't know a damn thing yet. Yeah, he was depressed and he was probably back on the bottle and pills too but let's hold off on early diagnosis.
Much more to say later...
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415 Media
Robin Williams
The Culture
Celebrity Death
UPDATE: 8: 15 AM PT:
From a KPIX5 staffer: "We interviewed a guy who was in AA with Robin, (Sharon Chin did the story)...it's on our Facebook page and people are outraged. We, (PIX), should have respected the AA code of honor--AA means Anonymous!!--Ugh."
UPDATE 2: 9: 52 AM PT:
Ed Cavagnaro, News Director, from KCBS just told me via e-mail that KCBS has stopped running the Williams-AA meeting story. Note: The "guy" KPIX and KCBS interviewed in the story turns out to be a PIX cameraman. Ouch.
UPDATE: 8: 15 AM PT:
From a KPIX5 staffer: "We interviewed a guy who was in AA with Robin, (Sharon Chin did the story)...it's on our Facebook page and people are outraged. We, (PIX), should have respected the AA code of honor--AA means Anonymous!!--Ugh."
UPDATE 2: 9: 52 AM PT:
Ed Cavagnaro, News Director, from KCBS just told me via e-mail that KCBS has stopped running the Williams-AA meeting story. Note: The "guy" KPIX and KCBS interviewed in the story turns out to be a PIX cameraman. Ouch.
CNN broke the story at 4:08pm? They were late. Tom Leykis broke it at around 2:45pm and posted the Marin County press release on his web site soon thereafter. Not that it is a big deal, just surprised it took more than one hour and fifteen minutes longer for CNN to report it. Per Leykis he mentioned Robin being financially crushed after two previous divorces and the cancellation of his tv show (which apparently Robin didn't want to do but had to for $$$$). Sad.
ReplyDeleteYeah, and if CNN had broken it right away and it had turned out to be a hoax, like so many celebrity death reports have been, you'd be saying "Why did CNN have to jump the gun like that? Couldn't they have WAITED for confirmation? Why is the news media always in a rush these days????"
DeleteA bit easier for a talk show host to say something and be wrong than a news outlet. And talk show hosts, especially those on KSFO, continually make inaccurate predictions but don't seem to call themselves on it.
DeleteSo while the story was in the twitter-verse pretty quickly, an actual news outlet needs to be sure.
As for Rich bashing news outlets, no surprise there. He also has no idea how to run an actual news outlet, or what it entails, so it's easy for him to make the comments he does.
Allow me to fill you in, Rich, on why they'd have a psychologist on, or any number of people. When a story breaks you look for every angle, knowing full well you're going to have people turning in all day. You have to fill the space, and just because a single individual never turns off a channel or station, we're responsible for providing constant content. it's not a 2 hour program on repeat, as much as you think it might be.
For a guy who pretends to know it all you sure as heck have a lot of learning to do.
So precious, so fragile. Life is like a gem tucked deeply into a velvet cushion of a jewelry box. Disguised with a polished veneer of flesh and bone.
ReplyDeleteSorrow, pain, joy, happiness the glitter of the stone left cloistered in the safety of darkness only to be captured by the eye in glimpses and flashes.
Hold tight; hold firm, this was what was given for it was not meant to be taken. Grace comes upon thee and cannot be earned. Bless each other with the one thing that can save us all, grace. Grant it freely to others and most of all to yourself.
CNN doing the "missing plane" crap again. Going all Robin all the time last night blowing out everything else. Actually it worked, bet the numbers went up. Robin Wlliams was the best entertainer of our lifetime and never got the deserved "Jack Nicholson" type status from the Oscar crowd. Remember, CBS just blew out his series I think he was having cash flow issues too. He will be missed! Mattress Man numbers should really spike this morning.
ReplyDelete"2 also broke the story that Williams hung himself. I don't know if that was necessary to report so early on but whatever, I just hope for KTVU's sake, they got it right.."
ReplyDeleteNever too early for Lieberman to start second-guessing WHATEVER it is that channel 2 does or doesn't do.
KPIX is just the worst. What a disgrace these a holes are. HAVE YOU NO SHAME??????? Sharon Chin AND Dean Kendrick should be shunned by the entire community. There HAS to be some decency left in this business. Anybody know which blood sucking producer / ep were involved. In 20+ years this is the lowest thing I have ever seen in the news business.
ReplyDeleteWell said 9:33.
DeleteSad how local TV has turned into a circus.
As Rich's title speaks "overhead shots of his PRIVATE residence".
TV news producers = garbage collectors.
This is not about local TV. It is how news stories such as this are covered these days by local and national media.
DeleteThe constant complaining about media coverage of news events on this blog is repetitive and tiresome. Lieberman can't wait to complain about whatever the media does or doesn't do.
Lieberman acts as if he's the only who knows exactly what the appropriate manner of coverage is.
11:10 I completely disagree. Rich is the ONLY one standing between the outrageous unethical moronic behavior of the vultures at KPIX and the rest of the world. There is no one else there to keep this business in check. Proof of his necessity is that KCBS completely scrubbed the story and now PIX has "edited" the story and dropped the reference to AA. Of course the damage has already been done. I sincerely hope they fire the people responsible and really hope that Sharon Chin and Dean Kendrick are treated as the pariah that they are. It's unbelievable to think they could stoop so low. We still need to know who the producer, EP and writer was on this story. Name names people!!!!!!!!!
DeleteThe KPIX story was in such incredibly poor taste. People deserve their anonymity whether alive or dead, and anyone who actually goes to AA meetings KNOWS this. Either this person does not really attend meetings or is just desperate to make himself important or further his career at someone else's expense. Anyone else at CBS involved in allowing that shameful piece to air should have known better as well. KPIX can do their re-edit but we all know what we saw. They ought to publicly apologize for this shameful attempt at 'journalism."
DeleteRadar on-line actually posted a picture of Robin in an AA meeting. So ridiculous. Who takes pictures at an AA meeting?
ReplyDeleteAnyone with a cell phone and a room temperature IQ.
DeleteHe did a L'Wren Scott..
ReplyDeleteThe Marin Coroner just finished a press conference and stated Williams was being treated for depression. This is the first documented evidence I know of that he was being treated. I wonder what was driving his depression? Usually there is some incident or struggle that triggers deep depression. I know his sitcom was canceled and that he put one of his homes up for sale him saying he could not afford it any longer. I also know he has been working steadily for years. I wonder what triggered his suicide?
ReplyDeleteClinical depression is a known side effect of invasive cardiac surgery. That combined with financial problems linked to his divorces, having his show canceled (just heard about that today) and long history of substance abuse...I think it was too much for him.
Delete> This is the first documented evidence I know of that he was being
Delete> treated.
Really? Wow, how's it been in that igloo on the South Pole?
It is sad. Many of the most creative people in the world tend to be some of the loneliest and for whatever reason, most depressed. They share their world with us and make us laugh or awe us with their incredible artistic talent. But even as we marvel at what they do, their world is a dark nothingness where success and praise from others just isn't enough. In success they can find failure.
ReplyDeleteAs for the AA matter. That is despicable. Violating the main principle of AA. It is SUPPOSED to be anonymous. I understand the need to report the story and maybe give insight or perspective but that's not the way to do it. Have some respect for people for crying out loud. I am sure the rationale was "oh he's dead, so what, we can at least figure out how screwed up he was." That doesn't make it right. No honor. No respect.
Irony - Not publicized. Take a look at the May 10, 2014 "Variety". There, you will find a story that CBS had cancelled just that day William's latest TVer due to low ratings and bad reviews. The series was done after one season. Three months to the day later, Williams retired to a room in his home at 10:30 pm. He never woke up I think the cncellation of the show, coupled with the expectations and pressure of Williams return to weekly television may have been a trigger to the end. He had been in rehab for a "sobriety tweaking" just last month. A great loss. More came out of this morning's press conference than ever expected, in my opinion. The media and the "who can do it first" about the AA is uncouth, brazen and without honor or respect. Shameful. RIP Mr. Williams.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking of a different AA.
DeleteStill sounds to me like he was going to auto-erotic jerk himself, slipped, panicked, and tried to cut the belt of but screwed up. At least in my head that's less depressing than him sitting at home with his wife, waiting till she goes to bed and then spontaneously kill himself with whatever was first at hand.
He committed suicide 3 months to the day after his CBS show was canceled, SO WHAT?. That's supposed to be "irony"? What an incredibly stupid comment!
ReplyDelete1:30. You pompous a-hole. Do your homework before giving your "right" to an uninformed opinion. You have a right to an an opinion like everyone has an asshole. Look up the facts on depression. You might learn something.
DeleteYeah, maybe, 1:30. That anger of yours, ironically, is going to kill you. Depression over failure can be endured for so long in some people and I'm sure he had some failures along the way. After awhile, that depression over the fact can affect someone severely depressed. It was ironic that this sad event happened three months after he was cancelled on returning to TV. The opposite of what would be expected to happen to most people who don't kill themselves.
DeleteAnon at 1:30 and 6:20, you need to learn the meaning of the word "ironic."
DeleteVery sad Robin decided to take his life. On the other hand glad it occurred on a Monday when we don't have to hear Karel talk about it. Can you imagine Karel talk about this through his "entertainer" perspective?
ReplyDelete"Us entertainers who walk the red carpet carry tremendous angst. We entertain YOU to get through our sadness which at times is overwhelming. Edibles anyone?".
So, 2:01 -- good point - but, how optimistic of you to think that by this coming Saturday, he will have forgotten this sad event, and / or will miss his great (perceived) opportunity to spew his garbage.... mark my words - it will happen (unless through a miracle, he is fired by then - or, has been overcome by his own edibles).......
ReplyDeleteSpeculation about depression and suicide is ....? Speculation. I suppose if the speculation helps prevent someone else's suicide by increased awareness, then some good can come out of it. Unless that happens, it is just so much gossip. How the media have fallen in America. Now, even AA is not anonymous. That is really low. Thank you for calling it out, Rich and all the others who did. Unbelievable. 2:01, your comment is inappropriate. You feign regard for Robin Williams, and then use it as a platform to launch an attack. That is just so disrespectful of the person you are supposedly sad for. Save it for another day. Oh, wait. You already said it. Anonymously, of course. Figures.
ReplyDelete1:38 Not confirmed but they asked the Coroner at the PC if there was a note and I'll paraphrase, he said "the note, uh, at this time we have no comment on any note" Which I construe as kind of a slip up by the Coroner on info but there was a note left..
ReplyDeleteI took it as there was no note. Stating that there was no note could have led some to believe that the suicide was accidental.
DeleteEd Cavagnaro is as big an ass clown as any other news director. He just happens to run the ship at the best news radio station in Northern California.
ReplyDeletehttp://leavingaa.com/robin-williams-dead-at-63-hazelton-an-aa-rehab-failed-him-miserably/
ReplyDelete