Triad Today

Much has been written about the controversies over late-night television, including the recent cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and the temporary suspension of Jimmy Kimmel last fall. Certainly, both instances were triggered by networks, corporations, and television station groups trying to curry favor with the White House. For example, Paramount Global and Skydance Media needing federal approval to move forward with their merger, and Nexstar’s pending deal to buy Tegna. Left unchecked, these kinds of political appeasements could very well lead to the demise of late-night, network TV talk shows as we now know them.  

No doubt Paramount and Nexstar couldn’t afford to alienate the FCC when they both had deals pending that would greatly benefit their stockholders. That’s why CBS had agreed to pay Trump $36 million dollars over the so-called “edited” 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. That’s why ABC paid Trump $15 million dollars after George Stephanopoulos mischaracterized candidate Trump’s role in the alleged rape of E. Jean Carroll. That’s why CBS/Paramount agreed to take Colbert off the air so that he would no longer have a national forum for nightly Trump-bashing. And that’s why Nexstar joined with ABC and Sinclair to call for dismissal of Kimmel over an ill-timed joke about Charlie Kirk. Yes, broadcasters need to make money, but when they give in to political pressure in order to facilitate their own expansive greed, then they have failed to serve their primary stockholder: the public who own the airwaves.

But if the talk genre should disappear from the television landscape, a lot of the blame will lie at the feet of the hosts themselves. That’s because the new breed of monologists haven’t adhered to the time-honored tradition of how humor should be disseminated on free TV.  Johnny Carson dominated late-night for 30 years because he knew how to appeal to a wide audience and do political humor without being political.  Letterman and Leno never veered too far from Carson’s example, but Kimmel, Colbert, Seth Meyers, and (to some extent) Jimmy Fallon have disregarded it, thus alienating half of their potential viewers in the process. The result is less ad revenue and higher production deficits for the networks.        

Don’t get me wrong. As a broadcast veteran of 56 years, I believe strongly in freedom of expression, and I abhor any form of censorship, whether it comes through intimidation or extortion. No one should lose their job for speaking truth to power, but they CAN lose their job if they lose sight of their primary mission. For hosts of network TV shows, that mission is to entertain and hold as many viewers as possible. It’s different for guys like Bill Maher, John Oliver, and Jon Stewart because they appear on pay cable and can be openly partisan with their smaller, niche audiences. Kimmel and Colbert can’t afford that luxury. Bill Maher learned that lesson when his original show was cancelled by ABC after he referred to 9/11 terrorists as heroes. His comment was taken out of context by advertisers and the Bush White House, but the handwriting was on the wall, and Bill packed his bags for HBO.

Sometimes you have to stand up to intimidation. Sometimes you have to take a stand against politics and avarice (and the politics of avarice). But if you host a network show which is broadcast over publicly owned airwaves, you need to learn how to entertain the masses without offending half of them, or else face the consequences. Colbert has just launched his own YouTube channel and will now be free to bash anyone and anything within tasteful bounds. My advice to Kimmel, Meyers, and Fallon is to either launder partisan politics from their monologues or else abandon network television before it abandons them.

Last week, a 10-year-old boy was bullied, not by another student online, but by an adult writing on official government stationery. The boy is Christian Mango, a fourth grader at Canterbury School in Greensboro. The bully is 82-year-old Virginia Foxx, an 11-term Congresswoman serving North Carolina’s fifth district, who represents some 750,000 people, including young master Mango.

Here’s how it all went down. Christian was given a school assignment in persuasive writing, so he elected to write his Congresswoman to persuade her to support a $5,000 tax rebate for anyone who purchases a new electric vehicle.

Instead of saying how impressed she was with his concern for the environment, Foxx criticized Christian’s teacher for spreading propaganda. Her malicious missive didn’t stop there. Wrote Foxx, “My guess is that your teachers will not give you a good educational experience and help you learn to think, as they are too interested in indoctrinating you.”  

What the f**k, Virginia?! We’re talking about a 10-year-old child, not someone at the EPA who just leaked government secrets to the Russians. This boy did nothing to disparage or attack you. He just wanted to engage you in a dialogue about a policy issue.

I don’t know Christian Mango, but it turns out that I do know about being 10 years old and writing something I thought was important. It was 1964, and my Cub Scout leader encouraged me to enter the Freedom Foundation’s annual essay competition. The theme of my paper was “Why I Love America.” Imagine my surprise when I received word that I had won. The award consisted of a bronze medallion with my name inscribed right under a profile of George Washington. I was on cloud nine because my parents, teachers, and scout leader all bragged on me. That’s how adults are supposed to act when a 10-year-old boy takes the initiative to write about his beliefs. Without that kind of positive reinforcement, a kid could become discouraged. Virginia Foxx should know that because she used to be a teacher.

Ms. Foxx appeared on my television show a number of times back when she was still new to the Washington scene. In those days, we got along quite well, so much so that in 2005, she presented a resolution to Congress that recognized Triad Today for our commitment to voter education. Interestingly enough, she also used that occasion to praise the news media for the crucial role it plays in society. It was a grand gesture from a woman who began her political career as a hard-working advocate for her constituents. Her tireless efforts in that regard harkened back to her youth when she worked part-time as a school janitor in order to help support her family. Somewhere along the way, though, Virginia morphed into a very angry person who is increasingly given to rude outbursts when anyone asks or says something that she doesn’t like.

Three years ago, I wrote a column titled “Time for Foxx to Retire”. In that article, I recounted how she had frightened senior citizens away from supporting the Affordable Care Act by telling them that Obama intended to establish “death camps” for older people. She once called the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard a hoax. She defended the actions of insurrectionists on Jan. 6 and, right afterward, threw a temper tantrum when asked to walk through metal detectors leading to the House Chamber. Two years ago, when fellow Republican colleague Byron Donalds was speaking with reporters, Foxx yelled at him, saying, “Get away from the damned elevator. Move!” And her bullying ways were also on display at an impromptu press conference for newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson. On that day, a reporter from ABC News asked Johnson about his role in trying to overturn the 2020 election. But before the affable Johnson could even respond, Foxx pushed her way in front of the gaggle and shouted to the reporter, “Shut up! Shut Up!” This from a woman who once praised the fourth estate as a “guardian of democracy.”

Obviously, my column back in 2023 did not persuade Ms. Foxx to retire, but perhaps widespread negative reaction to her exchange with Christian Mango will succeed where I had failed. In fact, last week, Michael Garrett, who represents Guilford County in the state legislature, called on Foxx to resign. Writing on Facebook, Garrett said, “You do not slam the door on a child reaching for democracy…a child wrote you a letter…and you called his teachers liars. That is not policy disagreement. That is a loss of soul. It is time to go.”

For what it’s worth, I second that sentiment. First, because I know what it feels like to be a 10-year-old boy seeking validation from adults, and second, because as Capt. Woodrow Call said in “Lonesome Dove,” “I can’t stand rude behavior.” Virginia, I don’t know why you have become so angry and so intolerant, but at this point, I really don’t care. To quote Debbie Harry, “Don’t go away mad, just go away.”

Over the past few decades, I’ve had to write far too many obituary columns. Most of them have paid tribute to celebrities whom I had become friends with and could write about from personal experience. In that regard, this column is decidedly different because I never knew, met, or spoke with Ted Turner. He did, however, send me some checks at a time in my life when I needed all the work I could get, so I guess that gives me the right to honor his passing. Ted Turner died last week at the age of 87.

Robert Edward Turner III was born on Nov. 19, 1938, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Florence Rooney and Robert Turner II.

Ted’s father owned Turner Advertising, a successful Atlanta-based billboard company, which his son would later leverage into a media empire. Ted’s early holdings included radio and television stations in the Southeast, one of which was WRET in Charlotte. Another was Atlanta’s WTBS, which he morphed into the nation’s first true superstation.

But Ted’s most lasting contribution to the broadcast industry was his founding of Cable News Network. CNN’s first broadcast was on June 1, 1980, and that’s where my connection to Ted Turner began.

When CNN first launched, it had its headquarters in Atlanta with bureaus in New York City and Washington, D.C. Earlier that same year, I had started a video production company that specialized in producing local community affairs TV programs and video news releases. The VNR’s were most often paid for by companies that hired me to report on one of their new products or public service projects, and then to distribute those stories to TV stations around the country. My relationship with CNN was a win/win for both of us because they needed content, and that gave me an international outlet for my VNRs. I also needed to pick up jobs wherever available, and CNN needed freelance reporters and video crews to augment their full-time staff.

Some of the hard news packages that I sent to CNN included a report on Life Sciences’ illegal dumping of toxic Kepone into the James River, which caused neurological disorders in humans and untold damage to the environs. Another story that I reported on was A.H. Robins’ Dalkon Shield, a birth control device that was later banned from use in the United States. Other stories were political in nature, including my coverage of Ronald Reagan’s 1980 run for the White House. And then there was the time that CNN producer Jane Maxwell hired my crew to follow Prince Charles during his historic visit to Williamsburg in 1981, just two months prior to his nuptials with Diana. I was shoulder to shoulder with Britain’s future king for an entire day, and though our video turned out spectacularly, I came away with no still photos for my personal collection because I had forgotten to reload film in my camera. I think Ted might have laughed at that.

In those early days, news crews from ABC, CBS, and NBC would make fun of me and my CNN microphone flag as I pushed my way through their sacred circle to ask a question of a national news figure. After all, the big three networks each spent about $300 million dollars per year just to produce a daily half-hour newscast, while Ted had cobbled together a mere $34 million dollars to create CNN. Broadcasters and critics alike didn’t consider Uncle Ted’s venture to be a legitimate news operation and didn’t think it would last. Boy, were they wrong. CNN was the world’s first global, 24-hour news service, and it changed the face of broadcast journalism forever, breaking the mold of once-daily half-hour newscasts and giving rise to a host of other round-the-clock cable news channels.

Ted would go on to create the Turner Classic Movies channel, where he could showcase his vast film library, and he purchased a number of sports franchises, including the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks. But Ted’s crowning achievement was CNN, which gave viewers better access to news, made them more informed about the world around them, and generated public discourse that would help to shape important public policy initiatives.

There are a number of men and women who helped to develop and shape the television industry. Names like Sarnoff, Paley, Berle, Ball, Warner, and Spelling come to mind. But if I were to select a Mount Rushmore of TV, there are two people who most certainly would have to be included. One is Philo Farnsworth, who invented television with the hope that it would be used to inform and educate people. The other is Ted Turner, who made Farnsworth’s dream come true on a global scale. We all owe Ted Turner a debt of gratitude, and I owe him for helping me pay off some debt. Thanks for the paychecks, Ted.

Last year, Patrick Duffy had a cameo role in the BET series The Family Business, and this year, he has a starring role in a real-life family business. The venture is called Duffy’s Dough, and together with partner Linda Purl, Patrick has resurrected an old family recipe, the sale of which is helping to fight hunger in America.

The saga of Duffy’s Dough dates back to the Alaska gold rush of the 1890’s when miners developed a starter culture used in the making of sourdough bread. Fast forward to 1952, when Patrick’s family moved to Alaska, and his mother Marie was gifted a batch of sourdough starter, which she used to bake the special bread and serve as part of their daily diet.

Marie’s recipe was passed down to Patrick, but the actor had little time for baking because of his non-stop career, which included starring roles in The Man From Atlantis, Dallas and Step by Step. However, during the pandemic, he and Linda used their free time to bake sourdough bread for friends, and the recipe was so well-received that the couple decided to share it with the public.

I first met Patrick in 2009 when I produced and moderated “A Salute to TV Dads” for the Television Academy. That night, Patrick was joined on stage by fellow TV fathers including Dick Van Dyke, Bryan Cranston, Michael Gross, Bill Paxton, Jon Cryer, Dick Van Patten, and Reggie Vel Johnson. It was a landmark event that resulted in lasting friendships between and among the participants. I caught up with Patrick recently to learn more about Duffy’s Dough.

JL: What was the impetus and mission for starting Duffy’s Dough?

PD: It was never in my mind to make a business out of my mom’s sourdough recipe. Linda and I began to think of what kind of legacy we could leave behind. We’ve been fortunate in our careers, and taking Newman’s Own as our example, we thought we could use the sourdough starter as a business if we could give away 100% of the profits to charities. Food security seemed like a natural goal for a bread-making business.

JL: How did you go about selling and distributing Duffy’s Dough?

PD: Doing the research, we narrowed down the possible companies and chose Kroger to be involved with because they make their own products and, most importantly, they have a “Zero Hunger, Zero Waste” mandate for their stores. They also have one of the most vigorous philanthropic arms of all the food companies. Therefore, they were the perfect company for us. We pitched our idea to Kroger’s Board, and it fit with their business model.

JL: Help me understand. Kroger isn’t baking and selling the sourdough bread itself, right?

PD: Right. Our product is the dough that you use to bake your own sourdough bread with, and it’s taken directly from my mother’s original sourdough starter. Kroger’s test kitchen came up with a variety of breads, and we narrowed it down to multigrain loaf, regular loaf, baguette, dinner rolls, and sandwich rolls.

JL: Is Duffy’s Dough exclusive to Kroger’s?

PD: Yes, you can only buy it at Kroger’s or its affiliates. We have a website where you can learn about Duffy’s Dough, but it is not sold online. So far this year, Linda and I have appeared at some of the stores that offer Duffy’s Dough, and the rollout will conclude in Alaska this June, the state where my mother got the original sourdough starter.

JL: It seems like everyone is on some sort of health kick these days. Is sourdough bread a good source of nutrition?

PD: Sourdough is healthier for you and has many advantages over plain breads. We get reports of people saying sourdough is easier for them to digest, and it’s growing in popularity. Recent data shows that the sourdough market is growing by about 12% each year.

And that rise in popularity is good news for food banks nationwide who will benefit from the sale of Duffy’s Dough.

The product is already available in nearly 20 states, including at Kroger stores in North Carolina, where food insecurity is a problem for one in six people and where one in five children don’t get enough food to thrive.

Duffy’s Dough is a labor of love for Patrick and Linda, both of whom are still acting, sometimes on the same stage in productions like “Love Letters”. Of course, you can also see them on various channels and streaming platforms (Linda in shows like Happy Days and Matlock), but now you can see an illustration of Patrick’s face on every package of Duffy’s Dough.

JL: Is your face the logo for Duffy’s Dough because you are still so disgustingly handsome?

PD: The logo is a compilation of headshots so that my age is timeless and not a representation of who I am at 77! I’ll be like Betty Crocker.

You can learn more about Duffy’s Dough at DuffysDough.com.

As a kid, I remember hearing Dave Plyler’s booming voice on radio and TV. He spoke clearly with nary a trace of any regional dialect, and he spoke with an air of authority. Knowing that I wanted someday to be a broadcaster like Dave, I sat for hours at a time practicing with my cassette recorder in order to articulate my words and remove my Southern twang. I never did manage to sound like Dave, no one ever could. But I did end up working with him and learning from him. More on that later.

During his 70-plus-year career in public life, Dave used his powerful voice for much more than just speaking into a microphone. He used it to advocate for better schools, higher pay for teachers, and better-funded law enforcement. He used it to push for economic development and regional transportation. And he used his voice to protect the rights and serve the needs of all people, regardless of their age, race, gender, or social standing. Dave always jokingly referred to himself as “Honest Dave Plyler,” and it was a moniker that fit him to a tee. On March 31, we lost that honest, powerful voice. Dave Plyler was 87. He was preceded in death by his wife, Nancy, and survived by two daughters, Amanda and Suzanne.   

Dave was born in Orange County, California, in 1938, but his father, a traveling salesman, grew homesick for his native Union County, so the family packed up and in 1948 traveled by train to settle in North Carolina. While moving from town to town in California, the Plylers had always lived in diverse neighborhoods, giving young Dave a sense of universal inclusion among the races, so it wasn’t surprising that his best friend upon relocating to North Carolina would be a little Black boy. But young Dave soon had a rude awakening, as he recalled in a 2020 podcast with Forsyth Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough.

“I was 11 years old, and my best friend was a Black kid. One morning he told me that he couldn’t play with me anymore, and I asked him why. ‘Because you’re white and my momma said I couldn’t play with you,’ he said. That’s when I learned about segregation.”

Dave’s first broadcasting job was as a disc jockey at Greensboro’s WCOG radio, where his 10 p.m. show (called Music for Lovers Only) was rated number one in the market for that time slot. He moved to WGBG in 1955, where he hosted a 5-hour afternoon program, then returned to WCOG to host both morning and afternoon drive time shows. That led him to a job with WSJS radio and WSJS television (later WXII) in 1960, where he got wind of a lunch counter sit-in by four A&T State University students and was responsible for getting national coverage for that historic event. A few months later, and just prior to being drafted, Dave enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where he specialized in military transport services and worked in Armed Forces Radio & TV.

After his discharge, Dave returned to his dual role at WSJS.

“My job was to protect our license by putting programs on the air that appealed to a broad spectrum of the public,” said Dave.

Those programs included Report to the People, Teen Talk, Shades of Ebony, Today at Home, and Camera 12, the latter of which sent Dave around to every town in Piedmont and Western N.C., where he asked residents the question, “What do you see as the major problem in your community?” Their responses were edited into a 3-minute segment that aired during weekend newscasts. It was a popular feature, so much so that over a thousand people showed up during one visit to Boone. Dave would later recount that it was his interaction with folks from all over the region and learning about their needs and concerns which later prepared him for a career in politics.

After leaving WXII in 1983, Dave became vice president and general manager of WTOB radio, then served as an executive for Salem Media until his retirement.

Dave first won election to the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners in 1994 and served until 2006. He regained his seat in 2008 and later served as chairman of the board until he announced his retirement from that body in 2024.

But after hearing from his constituents, Dave re-entered the race, only to drop out due to health considerations. Nevertheless, he still received enough votes to have won re-election had he decided to stay. That’s how well-loved Dave was.

During his tenure on the board, Dave helped to land a number of businesses and industries to the area, including Caterpillar, Novant Health Kernersville Medical Center, and the Veterans Administration hospital across from KMC.

He was also instrumental in developing the Field of Honor at Triad Park.

Throughout his career, Dave received numerous awards, including the Abe Lincoln Award, the Humanitarian Award from the N.C. Association of Black County Officials, and in 2003 was named Outstanding County Commissioner by the N.C. Association of County Commissioners. 

I had known Dave since we both worked at “Broadcast House” (the nickname for the WXII/WSJS building at 700 Coliseum Drive) in the early 1970s. I was a part-time announcer for WSJS-FM, and Dave was news director for WXII. Back then, his pet peeve was anyone who mispronounced our call letters. “It’s WSJS, not dubya SJS,” he would say. We reconnected years later when I created Triad Today, and where he appeared as a Roundtable panelist from 2006 until 2022. Dave was quick-witted and always in a good mood. Most importantly, he was a virtual repository of information about the people, places, and policies that had shaped our region during his lifetime.

I miss Dave. I miss his sense of humor, his steel-trap mind, and his passion for public service. And I miss that booming voice, which he used time and again to advocate for those who had no voice. Honest Dave Plyler had a lasting impact on quality of life in Forsyth County, and he was my friend.

I’ll never think about broadcasting and public service without thinking of Dave, and I’ll never, ever say “dubya SJS.”

According to PetRadar.com, every year, about 1.6 million dogs and 1.6 million cats are adopted into forever homes. That’s the good news. The bad news is that nearly 8 million dogs and cats are abandoned each year, which leaves 5 million pets to die from neglect or to await euthanasia in overcrowded animal shelters. Fortunately, here in the Triad, there is an organization dedicated to improving those odds for our four-legged friends.

The Animal and Adoption Rescue Foundation of Winston-Salem, commonly known as AARF, was founded in 1995 by a small group of people wanting to improve the lives of homeless cats and dogs while strengthening the human-animal bond. AARF is a no-kill, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that facilitates foster care, adoption, medical services, spaying and neutering, community outreach, and education.

“Whenever we encounter a lost, abandoned, neglected, or abused cat or dog, we feel it is our civic and humane duty to rescue and save that animal,” says Carly Cockerham, executive director of AARF.

AARF is headquartered in a 6,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility in Winston-Salem and relies on donations to sustain its mission. Toward that end, the organization hosts fundraising events such as the annual Party 4 Paws Gala, now in its 10th year. This year’s gala takes place on Friday, April 11, at the Millennium Center downtown.

“This event reflects the powerful community support that makes our life-saving work possible year after year,” said Cockerham.

The gala will include live and silent auctions, where partygoers can bid on such items as a seven-night stay at a luxurious oceanfront beach house. There will also be fine jewelry to bid on and plenty of sports memorabilia up for grabs. And, as always, there’ll be a dog fashion show.

The evening kicks off with a VIP reception at 6 p.m., one hour ahead of the main celebration. Tickets are on sale now, and seating is limited. For tickets, visit www.onecau.se/p4p2026.

For more information about AARF, its mission, and services, visit www.AARFws.org.

William Shatner has portrayed James T. Kirk, a fictional space traveler on television and in film since 1966, and five years ago he became the oldest real-life human to travel into outer space. Now his course is set for planet Tanger where on Wednesday, April 15, Astronaut Shatner will discuss his alter ego’s most famous screen villain.

Shatner was born into a Jewish Canadian family in 1931, and grew up in a province where he was bullied by anti-semitic youth on an almost daily basis. Young Shatner successfully defended himself in so many fist-fights that he was given the nickname, “Tuffy”.

Bill was drawn to acting at an early age, appearing in a number of stage productions and TV dramas in Canada before landing a role as Ranger Bob on the Canadian version of Howdy Doody, a popular children’s TV show. He played that character from 1954 to 1959. Broadway, television and film roles followed including an appearance on an iconic 1960 episode of The Twilight Zone in which his character is an airline passenger who believes an alien is tearing the plane apart. From that point forward, Shatner gained steady work as a guest star on television programs like Gunsmoke, Dr. Kildare, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. until landing the lead role in Star Trek which ran for three seasons on NBC. He would go on to star as the title character in TJ Hooker, the scene-stealing Denny Crane in Boston Legal, and would reprise his role as James T. Kirk in seven Star Trek films. His latest big screen triumph was in 2021’s Senior Moment, co-starring Jean Smart and Christopher Lloyd. Along the way, Shatner has authored 45 books including  William Shatner and You, which will be released later this year. Bill turned 95 on March 22, and has showed no signs of slowing down as he drives from city to city to regale audiences with stories from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

I first met Bill twenty years ago when my wife Pam and I visited the set of Boston Legal. We reconnected by phone last week to talk about his upcoming event at the Tanger Center in Greensboro.

JL:  Before we talk about your “Wrath of Khan” event, I want to pay you a compliment, but I’m not trying to suck up to you.

WS: You can suck up. There’s nothing wrong with sucking up to me. [laughs]

JL: I’ve been interviewing celebrities for 56 years and I’m only an expert in one things

WS: Sucking up! [laughter] You’re an expert in sucking up and it releases the tension [laughter].

JL: You’re crude.

WS: Sucking up is a lost art.

JL: Anyway, Shatner’s Raw Nerve, which you hosted from 2008 to 2011, was THE best interview program in the history of television, and you were the best interviewer. I mean that sincerely.

WS: Thank you so much. That may be the nicest compliment that I’ve ever had because I loved doing that show, and I love talking to people and opening them up, and you know what I mean by that. To hear the secret stories that people carry with them and are all too anxious to tell you about them given the right circumstances, was a joy of my life.

JL: You’ll be live on stage on April 15 here in Greensboro to show and discuss Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Why did you pick that film to present?

WS: Well, I went out with that a couple of times last year and it was a very successful film. It may be the most successful of all the films I was in, and it was a great piece of entertainment. And my memory of it is good.

JL: What can we expect that night?

WS: What we’ll do is play the film for people who paid admission, and it’s a terrific film with refurbished sound and color. And then I come out on stage and sit around and talk with the audience for an hour or more, taking questions. What I’m finding is like talking to you. By talking with an audience, it brings us to a connection, where somebody asks me a question, and I say, “Why did you ask me that question?”, then we get onto a whole other subject. It turns out to be a lovely evening’s entertainment. And I’ve enjoyed it and the audience seems to enjoy it.

JL: I agree that Khan is considered the best Star Trek film, but it was in Star Trek: Generations that fans loved seeing you riding your own horse, after all, you did cameos in a lot of TV westerns. So, tell me, once you achieved some clout in Hollywood, why didn’t you ever make a Bill Shatner western film?

WS: Well, I never felt I had the ability to do that, I mean look at someone like Robert Evans, and even though he had big hits like The Godfather and Love Story, he still had a terrible time trying to get films made. Now I love performing in front of the camera and making films, and I’ve had a great time, but I don’t think I ever had the clout to say, “I want to make a Western.” But as you said, I was in a lot of Westerns. In fact, I learned to ride horses from stuntmen. I mean I learned a lot of stuff by making films including how to roll off a horse. There’s a thing called the “Flying W” they used to do where you twist the horse’s head and that was the cue for him to fall to his side. Well, my leg was under him and I broke my leg. But the horse got up, I got up and I finished the take shaking with pain, and then they took me to the hospital.

JL: No wonder your childhood nickname was “Tuffy”.

WS: Yeah, I was fighting for my life in those days.

WS: I’ve already pre-ordered my copy of your new book, William Shatner and You. Let’s remind folks what it’s about.

WS: Josh Brandon had the idea and brought it to me, and it was “Why don’t we interview people who are interested in Star Trek?”  Instead of my interest in Star Trek, let’s get THEIR interest in Star Trek. So, I interviewed about 30 people. I came across the strangest, most interesting people that are part of this book, and I never expected it to be anything like it is. The people I’ve met are just extraordinary. They have that secret little germ of truth inside them that makes them fascinating, which is in everybody if you can get to the germ of truth.

JL: You have a birthday coming up, and as a fellow senior citizen, I went back the other day and watched Senior Moment which was a delightful film.

WS: Thank you.

JL: At one point in the film your character says to Lloyd’s character, “Why do you hang around with old people?” That put me in mind of something my dad kept saying even into his 90’s. He would say, “I hate old people”. So how old is old? How do you know when you’re old?

WS: You know that’s a great question. The answer to which for me is, you see these heads of studios appointing the creative people who are 25, 30 years old. I mean God, those are kids who’ve only made maybe one film. How do they know what films are going to be successful? And then it occurred to me that everywhere I go, kids who are 10 to 21 have now assumed a haircut that covers everything from their eyebrows back. I mean you can’t see their face [laughs]. All these kids have their hair brushed in front of their eyes, and it’s all the rage, and I, the old guy, I’m saying, “God that is stupefying. You can’t see their face”. But the young guys who are appointed by the heads of studios are saying, “Hey we hired that actor because his hair is in his face [laughs].” So, when you begin to mock somebody with a different haircut than you, you’re an old person. That and having to sit down all the time [both laugh]. That’s my instant analysis. 

William Shatner may be sitting down more these days, but he is the farthest thing from old. He’s like the Energizer Bunny who keeps going and going. His mind is quick, he is a brilliant conversationalist, and he is constantly curious about the human condition. I like to think Bill described himself best at the end of Star Trek II, as Captain Kirk ponders the loss of his best friend, whose body has just been jettisoned to the Genesis planet where life springs from lifelessness. Asked how he feels, a melancholy Kirk replies, “I feel young.”

For more info visit WilliamShatnerTour.com. For tickets to William Shatner Live on Stage, visit TicketMaster.com.

 
 

If you are easily triggered and offended, or if you believe that there’s no such thing as being too politically correct, then please do not read any further. That’s because this column is about political correctness turned upside down and gone amok.

Late last month, the annual British Academy of Film & Television Arts ceremony was broadcast by the BBC. BAFTA is similar to our Academy Awards, and often foreshadows who and what will win Oscars. Like most award shows, someone inevitably says something controversial during his or her acceptance speech, and then those remarks go viral.

But this year’s BAFTA event made global news for something controversial, which the Academy knew was going to happen, could have prevented, and ended up apologizing for in advance.

The hoopla was begat by the film I Swear,; a story about John Davidson and his struggles with Tourette’s syndrome. Davidson also produced the film and was up for an award, so naturally, he was expected to attend the ceremony. However, Davidson is a man on a mission and his reason for attending was the same as the mission of the film itself, which is to raise public awareness for Tourette’s.

The Centers for Disease Control defines Tourette’s as a condition of the nervous system that causes people to make sudden and repeated twitches, movements, or sounds, called “tics.” MayoClinic.org adds that such tics cannot be easily controlled. The disorder is also known for how it allegedly causes some people to blurt out offensive words, and that’s exactly what Mr. Davidson did several times during the BAFTA broadcast.

His disruptive outbursts included racial slurs directed at African American cast and crew members of the highly acclaimed film Sinners. Afterwards, Davidson and BAFTA were excoriated by the NAACP and by Black celebrities such as actor Jamie Foxx and journalist Jemele Hill. Foxx later posted, “He [Davidson] meant that sh*t…f*ck that. He knew what he was doing.” Hill was particularly critical of the idiots at BAFTA who tried to cover their asses in advance by making an announcement to the audience just prior to the start of the broadcast, saying “John is in the room and you may hear strong language, involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony…such tics are in no way a reflection of an individual’s beliefs and are not intentional.” Said Hill, “Black people are just supposed to be OK with being disrespected and dehumanized so that other people don’t feel bad.”

I agree with Ms. Hill for three reasons. First, BAFTA and the BBC thought they could get away with what amounted to selective political correctness, i.e., allowing one group to be offended while defending the actions of the offending party.

Second, no one at BAFTA is qualified to claim that Davidson’s outbursts were “not intentional.” And that brings me to the third reason. I have a problem with the popular belief that Tourette’s “causes” someone to blurt out offensive language. Author Brian Tracy writes, “Your subconscious mind makes everything you say and do fit a pattern consistent with your self-concept.” Simply put, there is no evidence that any disorder or medication forces someone to use language that is not in their vocabulary. (That was Foxx’s point). Davidson didn’t repeatedly shout foul curse words that could be written off as part of a common lexicon. He blurted out specific racial slurs at Black people. Davidson is a smart guy and a self-promoter, so don’t tell me that his selective blurts weren’t deliberate in an effort to get more attention for his film. Let’s be clear, hate speech is not a clinical tic.

This was supposed to be Sinners big night. It was supposed to be a historic recognition for a film made by and starring people of color. Instead, their celebration was marred by Davidson’s hurtful words and by BAFTA’s cowardly fence-sitting. So how should BAFTA and the BBC have handled the situation? Knowing the potential for a disaster to happen, they should have arranged for a VIP area where Davidson and his party could have viewed the proceedings in private. Problem averted.

If my questioning of Davidson’s motives proves to be unfounded, and if one day science proves that Tourette’s made him call Black people the “N” word, then I apologize in advance.

Hey, it worked for BAFTA.

 
 

Jesse Louis Jackson was born in Greenville, South Carolina, but folks in these parts claim him as a native son because he graduated from N.C. A&T State University. In fact, Jackson will tell you that he found himself at A&T, where he was a star football player, student body president, and leader of a movement to integrate public facilities and businesses in Greensboro.

Jackson went to work with Dr. Martin Luther King in 1965 and, in 1967, took over the Chicago-based “Operation Bread Basket,” where he was successful in persuading area companies to hire minorities. He became an ordained minister following Dr. King’s assassination, then founded Operation P.U.S.H. (People United to Serve Humanity) in 1971. He organized the Rainbow Coalition in 1984, and merged the two groups in 1996. Rev. Jackson ran for president in 1984 and again in 1988 (winning an astounding 13 primaries that year), and over the years, he has been instrumental in freeing scores of hostages from foreign adversaries.

For the better part of seven decades, Jackson used his voice to speak for underrepresented populations and to advocate for improved access to healthcare and employment. He also opened doors for people of color to run for and win elected office. Affected by the ravages of Parkinson’s over the past 10 years, Jackson’s voice grew softer, but there was still power in his words. Jesse Jackson passed away in the early morning of February 17. He was 84 years old.

In May of 2018, I had the honor and privilege to spend time with Rev. Jackson when he appeared on my Triad Today television show. He was in Greensboro to deliver the baccalaureate address at Bennett College, a contingent from which filled the ABC45 studio to watch our interview being recorded. On that day, Rev. Jackson was greeted like a rock star by a large, enthusiastic, and mostly female studio audience. He stopped to shake hands and have photos taken with everyone, and gave my wife Pam a big hug before ascending to the stage. I asked him, “What IS it with you and women?” “We have an understanding,” he replied with a smile.

Jackson was 76 years old then, and Parkinson’s had slowed his stride and softened his once booming voice, but his words were still filled with the fervor of a man on a mission of economic empowerment and racial unity. During our 25-minute conversation, Rev. Jackson talked about his early days at A&T, working with Dr. King, his two runs for the presidency, gun violence, racial profiling, social media, and Donald Trump. Here are some highlights.

JL: You played football, baseball, and basketball in high school. Which was your favorite?

JJ: Football ultimately because that’s how I got my scholarship.

JL: But which sport were you better at?

JJ: Maybe baseball, but football was my meal ticket.

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JL: Everyone knows about the Greensboro Four who staged the first lunch counter sit-in, but folks forget that it was you who organized “wade-ins” at all-white swimming pools, “watch-ins” at segregated movie theatres, and more.

JJ: The real deal was when the four brothers made that gallant step, but then the Bennett women sustained it. They showed the strength and courage to follow through.

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JL: Dr. King was sort of like a father to you. What did you learn from him?

JJ: Strong minds bring strong change. You have to study diligently and study every day, and pray fervently, and have the courage of your convictions.

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JL: You did well in the 1984 and 1988 primaries, but didn’t win the nomination. Why didn’t you run as an independent?

JJ: I was trying to honor the system. We wanted to expand the base of Democrats at that time. One of my concerns then and now is that people must run for change, not just run for themselves.

A special edition of Triad Today with the Rev. Jesse Jackson, airs this Sunday night at 8 o’clock, on MY48 (cable channel 15).

 
 

For the fourth time in the past 10 years, Greensboro is looking for a new police chief, and for the fourth time in a row, the city has hired the same company to help find a replacement. That company is Chapel Hill based Developmental Associates and their services in conducting a national talent search don’t come cheap. But here’s the rub. Every time Greensboro calls on Developmental Associates to search far and wide for a new police chief, the city ends up tapping someone from within the GPD’s own ranks to lead the department. Wayne Scott was chosen for the top spot in 2015, Brian James in 2020, and John Thompson in 2022, and all three were long-time GPD veterans. I happen to have agreed with those hiring decisions, but we didn’t need to pay a search firm to tell us what we already knew.

So here we go again. Chief John Thompson is retiring, and Developmental Associates is going to collect a huge fee for conducting a national search for his successor. That would be OK with me if Thompson had fostered an atmosphere of corruption or discontent within the GPD, necessitating that the city seek new leadership from the outside. But Thompson has been an exemplary chief who nurtured effective leadership skills in those under his command, including Stephanie Mardis.

Mardis joined the GPD 24 years ago and was promoted to assistant chief in 2023. I first met Stephanie when she appeared on my Triad Today show back in March 2024, and it only took me a few minutes to realize that she would one day make a fine chief of police. What follows are excerpts from our conversation.

JL: Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in law enforcement?

SM: My father was one of the first African American police officers in Tampa, Fla., and my mom was a nurse at the Hillsborough County jail. I originally wanted to pursue a career in medicine, so I was a biology/chemistry major at Bennett College. I think the foundation of growing up in a family of public servants was a good role model, so I knew I wanted to do something impactful once I graduated. That’s when I decided to apply to the Greensboro Police Department, and I’ve been here since 2002.

JL: Not long ago we went through civil unrest following the George Floyd tragedy, and police departments across the country saw a decline in folks wanting to go into law enforcement. How are things now?

SM: We have made progress with our recruiting and retention. We recently had 36 recruits attend our academy, and of those 36, 27% were female.

JL: Is that related to the “30 by 30” pledge?

SM: Yes. Law enforcement agencies across the nation are striving to have 30% of their force comprised of women by the year 2030. Right now, the Greensboro Police Department is above the national average, which is 12% female. We’re already at 20%.

JL: Why is that initiative so important?    

SM: Representation matters in every aspect of society, and it shows progress when you have a law enforcement agency that is a reflection of the community it serves. Greensboro is a vibrant culture with rich history, so it fosters trust and partnership when we have a police department that actually reflects the population.

As I said, Stephanie Mardis will make a great chief of police someday. As far as I’m concerned, that day has come.

There’s no doubt that our nation is ruled by elites, but then, it always has been. The founding fathers were all highly educated men with (pardon the expression) revolutionary ideals, but they also believed that only landowners should have the right to vote and hold office. Today, that way of thinking would disenfranchise tens of millions of people who pay rent instead of a mortgage. Still, there should be some criteria for being able to participate in the political process. As it stands now, there are only a few restrictions on voting privileges, among them: you must be registered, you must be a citizen, you must not be a felon, and you must have voted in a recent election. The problem is that these criteria have everything to do with procedure and nothing to do with competence.

To that point, Georgetown University professor Jason Brennan believes that most voters are ignorant, biased, and misinformed. His solution is for our democracy to operate as an “epistocracy” whereby the right to vote is conditional on knowledge. Brennan suggests we establish some type of national competency exam to determine whether an individual is capable of casting an informed vote. Under his proposal, we could either use the United States citizenship test, or develop something new, so long as it is drafted in a non-partisan manner and not based on the ideologies of any one political party or group. It’s a sound approach, and one that party hacks in Georgia should have heeded.

Not long ago, the Republican Party of Catoosa County, Georgia, required all potential GOP candidates to answer a series of ideological questions in order to get on the ballot under the party banner. However, candidates whose responses were rejected by party leaders and who were kept off the ballot as a result ended up suing the county. The rejected candidates prevailed, the GOP paid hefty fines, and their loyalty test was scrapped. Today, political parties require candidates to sign a loyalty oath, but that doesn’t ensure a competent slate of candidates, just as registering to vote doesn’t ensure a competent electorate, and that brings me back to the concept of a national voting license.

According to a survey by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, only one in three Americans would be able to pass the U.S. citizenship test, and according to goodparty.org, “Americans can’t even pass a standard civics test” adding, “Voter education is not just an accessory to the democratic process, but rather the cornerstone upon which a thriving democracy is built.”

Voter ignorance wasn’t much of a problem a hundred years ago because civics education was required at every grade level. The Heritage Foundation recalls a textbook from 1928, which stated that civics classes “strive to develop character in the student and produce an effective citizen.” Today, 30 states require only one semester of civics in order to graduate high school, while 11 states require no civics at all. Only nine states require a full year of civics in order to graduate. Clearly, we need to do a better job of teaching students how to understand and navigate our system of government, but until then, we shouldn’t be content to let millions of uninformed voters determine the outcome of local, State, and federal elections. That’s why every state should require its citizens to pass a basic knowledge exam before being issued a voting license, which, like DMV licenses, would have to be renewed periodically.

I don’t want to be on the highway next to someone who is unqualified to drive, and I don’t want to be at the polls next to someone who is too uninformed to vote. Both scenarios have dangerous consequences.