March 31st

"The Most Trusted Newsman in America" retires from the CBS Evening News - 1981

Walter Cronkite

March 30th

Anniversary of attempted assasination of President Reagan - 1981

James Brady

Timoth McCarthy

March 29th

1973 - US involvement in Vietnam War ends

Senator John McCain

Senator Max Cleland

R. Lee Ermey

March 28th

The "DaVinci Code" debuts in paperback

Dan Brown

March 27th

A special "Simpsons" episode written by the creator of the hit BBC series "The Office" aired tonight.

Ricky Gervais

March 26th

Russian Preidential elections in 2000, Putin takes office

Vladmir Putin

March 25th

31st Anniversary of fight that inspired "Rocky"

Chuck Wepner

Sylvester Stallone

March 24th

Automobile debuts

Bill Ford

Lee Iacocca

March 23rd

The movie "Annie" debuts - 1982

Aileen Quinn

Albert Finney

Tim Curry

Bernadette Peters

March 22nd

Thomas Jefferson becomes 1st US Secretary of State -1790

Condoleeza Rice

Madeline Albright

Dr. Henry Kissinger

Colin Powell

Warren Christopher

James Baker

George Shultz

Alexander Haig

March 21st

"Who Shot JR?" episode airs - 1980

Larry Hagman

A non-reply reply!

Joe Gibbs

Reference date: February 5th




According to the rules of my project, all I ask for when I send my letters out into the world is for some sort of reply. Ideally, I'd like the person writing back to answer some of the questions posed, but any reply will do. (It's such an exciting thrill when I drop letters in the mailbox knowing that these people will be reading my correspondence and starting a conversation by mail with me. Naturally, that thrill leads to disappointment when months go by without a reply. I know by statistical laws that 80% of the letters I send will go unanswered, but it's still a bummer.) Anyway, I was happy to find an envelope in my mailbox from the Washington Redskins, knowing that it would contain a letter from Coach Joe Gibbs, who is an inspiration to me. It was a bit of a letdown to see that the reply was a general form letter, which also contained a small pamphlet about Coach Gibbs' relationship with Jesus, and how my life would be better if I committed to Christ. Not quite what I expected, but someone in the Redskins office did take the time to write back, so I got that much.

Here is the text of the form letter:

To The Greatest Fans in football:

Thank you for taking the time to write to me.

While I do try to see the majority of mail that comes in to my office, I apologize in advance that I am unable to personally respond to each and every letter.

With that said, I still want you to know that your letter is important and I value your comments and suggestions. I continue to say that our fans are the best fans in the NFL. This team is "your" team and it is a great encouragement to know our fans support us and want the team to do well.

We are more determined than ever to return the Redskins to winning form. Our goal is to build on last season's successes and take our team as far as we can. The coaches and players know we have the greatest fans in professional football and our desire is to give our infamous" 12th Man" a winning season.

I am enclosing a copy of my tract for you and, again, we greatly appreciate your continued support of the Washington Redskins!

Go Skins!!

Joe Gibbs

A reply straight from Broadway!

Tom Galantich

Reference date: January 1st


One of the first letters I wrote this year was to Tom Galantich, an actor who is currently understudying the lead role in the smash hit Broadway show "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." (Which, by the way, is one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. If you happen to be in NYC, you have to go see it.) The first time I saw "Scoundrels" it was announced that John Lithgow, the star of the show, was going to miss the performance, and his role would be played by Tom Galantich. Naturally, I was disappointed, until I saw his performance. It was amazing! Mr. Galantich brought a debonair, Kevin Kline sort of feeling to the role, which was absolutely perfect for the way it was written. I saw the show three times more, twice with Lithgow, and once with another understudy. None were as good as Tom Galantich. As someone who would like to be doing what he does (I've been on Broadway, but never in a musical) I sent him a note complimenting him, and asking for advice. This was his kind reply: (Written on stationery from the fictional French hotel that is featured in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" - a nice touch.)

Dear Chris,

So sorry for my late (late, late) reply to your kind letter. I'm thrilled we have a fan of the show, and appreciate you recommending us to your friends and family.

I'm even more thrilled you caught one of my performances (and didn't ask for a refund). We do have a lot of fun out there.

As far as our business is concerned, there is no one thing or course of action that seems to pay off. As I'm sure you've heard, luck plays a big part in our being seen and given opportunities. If I had one piece of advice, I'd say, be as versatile as possible. Make yourself as good as possible in as many aspects of our crazy business as you can. And watch every actor you work with. Study the ones you like, figure out why, and emulate that. The same with the bad ones, except don't copy them - learn what not to do.

Finally, if you don't absolutely love it, find other interests. It's a tough game with lots of rejection. It's a roller coaster! Your family and responsibilities will help you decide if it's all worth it.

Good luck, Chris, keep doing good work, and enjoy your family. If you come to the show again, please stop by the stage door - I'd be happy to say hello.

Regards -

Tom Galantich

I sent him a thank you note a few days later.

March 20th

I spent the morning in court today (nothing serious, just a little civil case) and I got to see the judicial system up close. I realized it's just as fascinating (or even more so) than it appears on TV. Most of my judicial exposure comes from TV, so I thought I'd drop a line to a few of my favorite judges, one from TV, one who was just named to the Supreme Court, and - just for fun - an actor with the first name Judge.

Judge Marilyn Milian

Judge Samuel Alito

Judge Reinhold

March 19th

"V for Vendetta" was the number one movie at the box office this weekend. When I saw the preview a few months ago, I had no interest in the film, but as I read more, I became intrigued. I saw the film today and was blown away! It has echoes of "1984" and other grim visions of the future, but also has elements of "Phantom of the Opera", "Beauty and the Beast" and "Batman." The most amazing part is that the lead actor, Hugo Weaving, spent the entire movie behind a mask, and yet still created a fully fleshed out portrayal. I'm writing to Mr. Weaving and two of his co-stars to congratulate them on the success of the film.

Hugo Weaving

Stephen Rea

John Hurt

March 18th

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to work with a legendary director, Sidney Lumet, on a controversial HBO film called "Strip Search." (I played a plumber, and had two scenes with Academy Award winner Estelle Parsons and Emmy nominated actor Oliver Platt, which were subsequently deleted.) We shot the film in Bayonne, NJ, not too far away from where I grew up. Towards the end of the shoot, there was talk of a new movie to be shot there, also directed by Lumet, starring action star Vin Diesel. That movie, "Find Me Guilty" opened yesterday. I saw it, and was quite surprised by Diesel's performance. It's a courtroom drama about the mob in New Jersey, and Diesel plays against type as a balding, overweight, sad sack defendant. He does an outstanding job, and Lumet is in his element with a judicial setting. What really makes the movie hum is the ensemble acting of a rather large cast. They all deserve letters of congratulations, but I'm sending to a select few, starting with Deisel and Lumet.

Vin Diesel

Sidney Lumet

Ron Silver

Linus Roache

Peter Dinklage

Alex Rocco

Paul Borghese

March 17th

St. Patrick's Day

Senator Edward Kennedy

Dennis Leary

Frank McCourt

March 16th

My son watched "The Muppet Movie" for the first time.

Paul Williams

James Frawley

Charles Durning

Austin Pendleton

March 15th

The Ides of March. Julius Caesar killed. Writing to two actors who played him, and to the CEO of Little Caesars.

William Sadler

Peter Weller

Michael Ilitch

March 13th

One of my favorte humorists is in the hospital. I'm sending him a get well note

Art Buchwald

March 14th

"Pi" day

Darren Aranofsky

Kate Bush

Mike McKee

March 12th

Season six of "The Sopranos" debuts on HBO

James Gandolfini

Michael Imperioli

Edie Falco

March 11th

Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" first published

Franco Zefferelli

Olivia Hussey

Michael York

March 10th

My father's wedding day at Yankee Stadium. Thank you letters to the Yankee owner that paid for the wedding and to the famous actress/director that attended.

George M. Steinbrenner

Penny Marshall

March 9th

Took my son to see the circus today

Kenneth Feld - Ringling Bros. CEO

Beau Bridges - played P.T. Barnum in a biopic

March 8th

Goodyear Blimp debuts - 1925

Robert J. Keegan - Goodyear CEO

March 7th

1534 - Church of England founded

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams

March 6th

100th anniversary of comedian Lou Costello's birth. I'm writing to three big Abbot and Costello fans

Floyd "Uncle Floyd" Vivino

Jerry Seinfeld

Larry David

March 5th

Sunday March 5th

This is my favorite day of the year, Oscar day! This evening, the 78th Annual Academy Awards will be held at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. One of my goals in life is to win an Oscar (heck, who am I kidding, just to be nominated and attend the ceremony would be the thrill of a lifetime.) I’ve been watching the Oscars with great interest since I was a little kid. In the last few years, my friend Andy and I have been conducting a friendly wager to see who can guess the most winners. (He usually beats me.) This year is the first year in a long time where I saw all five nominees for Best Picture before they were announced. To honor this momentous night, I’m writing to this year’s rookie host, and one of the nominees. In addition, I’m going to send a letter to the CEO of one of the big movie chains that I frequent, as well as the President of the academy, and two of my favorite former Oscar winners. (One of whom is the biggest movie star in the world.)

Jon Stewart

A New Jersey native like me, Jon Stewart is considered one of America's top social and comedic voices. Since taking over as the anchorman of "The Daily Show" in January 1999, Stewart's presence has seen higher ratings and awareness for himself and Comedy Central. Prior to that, Stewart's most recent television work was on HBO's critically acclaimed series-within-a-series, "The Larry Sanders Show," playing himself. On the feature film front, Stewart starred with Adam Sandler in one of 1999's biggest hits "Big Daddy." He also starred in the romantic drama "Playing by Heart" opposite Gillian Anderson which marked a departure for Stewart in that he was allowed to show more of a dramatic side of himself. He was chosen to host the 2006 Oscars earlier this year. (He’s hosted the Grammys before.)

George Clooney

George Clooney got his start in Los Angeles, a young college dropout from Kentucky who spent most of his "struggling actor" years riding to auditions on a bicycle. His first major role was in a short-lived television medical comedy/drama, E/R. Additionally, he played a handyman on the series The Facts of Life. His first significant break was a semi-regular supporting role in the sitcom Roseanne, playing Roseanne Barr's overbearing boss Booker Brooks. Clooney would achieve stardom when he was selected to play Dr. Doug Ross on the NBC hit drama ER. He has since starred in movies such as "From Dusk Till Dawn", "One Fine Day", "Batman & Robin", "Three Kings", "The Perfect Storm", and "Ocean's Eleven". He made his debut as a film director in the 2002 feature "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind". This year, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director for "Good Night,and Good Luck" and Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role for "Syriana", as well as Original Screenplay for "Good Night, and Good Luck". He became the first person in Oscar history to be nominated for directing one movie and acting in another in the same year. He has a great show business pedigree. His Aunt is legendary crooner Rosemary Clooney, and his uncle is Academy Award winner Jose Ferrer. His cousin Miguel is also a notable actor.


Peter C. Brown

Sid Ganis

Ernest Borgnine

Tom Hanks

March 4th

Saturday March 4th

One of my all time favorite TV shows, “Saturday Night Live” returned tonight after a month off due to the Winter Olympic coverage on NBC. I’m glad to see them back, especially to see two of my favorite cast members. One of them has been with the show for a few years and is the current go-to guy for impersonations, and the other is one of the newest cast members who also kills with his spot on portrayals of famous people. I’m sending a note to both of them to let them know how much I appreciate their work.

Darrell Hammond

Darrell Hammond has been a cast member of Saturday Night Live since 1995. Midway between the 2005 season, Hammond set the record for the longest tenure of any SNL cast member in the show's history. Hammond also holds SNL records for most impressions by a single cast-member, and most times saying the legendary catch-phrase "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" to start the show. Although he does many impressions, he is best known for his segments impersonating Bill Clinton, and more recently Donald Trump. When veteran announcer Don Pardo is unavailable, Hammond fills in to introduce the cast, with a spot-on Pardo impersonation.

Bill Hader

Bill Hader is currently a featured player on Saturday Night Live, appearing for the first time on October 1, 2005. Hader is an impressionist, most memorably in a recurring role as Vincent Price, in which he hosts a variety show that never goes right. Hader came to SNL via Second City Los Angeles. While in Los Angeles, Hader was also a member of the sketch comedy group "Animals from the Future," where he was discovered by actress Megan Mull ally (“Will and Grace“), who personally recommended him to Lorne Michaels.

March 3rd

Friday March 3rd

Today I put my “actor’ hat back on, and shot two days worth of scenes for the long running CBS soap opera, “As The World Turns.” The episodes will air in April, so I can’t reveal much about them, only to say that my scenes were with six ladies who have collectively spent over 225 years working on daytime soaps. “Television Royalty”, as my wife put it. Tow of the nicest women I worked with were the ones who play the characters of “Barbara” and “Lucinda.” One Emmy winner, and one who has been nominated numerous times. It was quite an honor to work with them, and I’m writing to thank them for their generosity in putting a guy like me, who has little experience in soaps, at ease.

Colleen Zenk Pinter

Colleen Zenk Pinter is best known for her role as the beleaguered fashionista turned crazy criminal Barbara Ryan, a role she started playing on the show in 1978. For most of her time on the show, her character, Barbara, has been harassed by her criminal ex-husband. For much of the time, Barbara was a beleaguered heroine who faced one trial and tribulation after another. However, in 2000, the writers took the character in a drastically different direction after the character suffered burns in a fire (as well as deceit by then-husband Craig Montgomery). As a result, the character became a villianess. Viewers were impressed that Pinter, who so consistently played the heroine, was so believable as a villianess, and so were critics; she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 2002.

Elizabeth Hubbard

Elizabeth Hubbard has portrayed the character of Lucinda Walsh since 1984.
She previously played Dr. Althea Davis on The Doctors from 1964 to 1982. In 1974, Hubbard earned a Daytime Emmy Award for her work on The Doctors.

March 2nd

Thursday March 2nd

In 1933, Hollywood history was made on this date when daredevil filmmaker Merrian C. Cooper unleashed his unique creation upon the world. Billed as the 8th wonder of the world, Cooper’s film “King Kong” broke box office records. The iconic image of the film remains the final scenes where the giant ape, brought in captivity to New York City from his island home of Skull Island, scales the Empire State Building with Fay Wray in his hands, and battles an aerial assault until he is shot down and falls dead to the street on 5th Avenue.

I must have seen the film over a hundred times on local TV in New York (the coolest part was that I could see the Empire State Building from my window as the movie was playing, and always imagined seeing King Kong up there.) In 1976, a remake of the film came out where King Kong climbed the World Trade Center towers instead. It was a flop at the box office. In March of 1983, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the original, the Empire State Building attached a giant balloon of King Kong to the top of the building. Unfortunately, the winds of March caused punctures in the balloon and it deflated midway through the exhibition. It was impressive when it was up, and a nice try on their part.

Just last year, an updated CGI version of “King Kong” was released. It was stunning, and brought attention to the great ape (and the Empire State Building, which was depicted in its 1933 form) again. To commemorate this anniversary, I’m writing to the director of the new version, the producer of the 1976 version, and the current owner/operator of the Empire State Building.

Peter Jackson

Peter Jackson is a New Zealand-born filmmaker best-known as the director of the epic trilogy “The Lord of the Rings“, which he adapted from the novel by J. R. R. Tolkien. Jackson first gained attention with his horror comedies, and came to prominence with his movie “Heavenly Creatures“, for which he shared an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay. He first saw “King Kong” on TV when he was 9, and it inspired him to be a director.

Dino DeLaurentiis

Dino De Laurentiis, is an Italian movie producer. Since his first movie, “L'ultimo Combattimento“, he has produced nearly 150 movies, including the Fellini classics “La Strada” and “Nights of Cabiria“. In the 1970’s, Dino de Laurentiis relocated to the USA where he set up studios. During this period he made a number of successful films, but he also made a great many flops. It is for his most ambitious productions that De Laurentiis's name has become known - the legendary King Kong remake, as well as “Orca” “Flash Gordon” and “Dune.” During the 1980’s DeLaurentiis also produced the original Hannibal Lecter film “Manhunter”. He passed on adapting Thomas Harris's sequel, “The Silence of the Lambs“, but produced the two followups, “Hannibal” and “Red Dragon”, a remake of “Manhunter.” In 2001 he received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Peter L. Malkin

Peter L. Malkin is Chairman of W&M Properties, Wien & Malkin LLP, and their affiliates, which own and manage many notable landmarks, including the Empire State Building. He was associated with the late Lawrence A. Wien (his father-in-law) for 30 years in the acquisition, ownership, and operation of real estate. He has interests in more than 100 property investments throughout the United States and is general partner or manager in investment entities that own and operate approximately 12,000,000 square feet of office, showroom and retail space and 3,500 apartment units. Mr. Malkin is the Founding Chairman and currently a Director of the Grand Central Partnership and The 34th Street Partnership, and a Director of the Fashion Business Improvement District, together, the largest business improvement districts in the United States. Mr. Malkin is a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, amongst other business, civic and charitable organizations. Mr. Malkin received his B.A. Degree summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Harvard College in 1955 and his Law Degree magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1958.

March 1st

Wednesday March 1st

My wife and I have a bunch of television shows that we watch on a weekly basis (“Lost”, “The Apprentice”, “American Idol”, “Survivor”, etc.) so I swore that I wouldn’t get hooked into another one. (Who has time for it when you‘re writing all these letters?) Tonight, however, she put a new NBC game show on called “Deal or No Deal.” Despite my protests, I became a fan of the show, which is clever in its simplicity.

Contestants choose briefcases which contain amounts ranging from one penny to millions of dollars. As the cases are opened and numbers are revealed, a banker phones the host and offers money for the contestants to walk away. The contestant can either take the money, or continue playing, risking it all on an unknown briefcase. (Tonight’s show featured a woman who turned down an offer of $250,000 to continue playing, and walked away with a grand total of $5. Ouch!)

This naked display of greed might not be as entertaining without a host that strikes the right tone of sympathy and enthusiasm. NBC found the perfect man in stand-up comic/actor Howie Mandel, a favorite of mine since the 1980‘s.. I’m letting howie know how much he’s influenced me, and how I’m enjoying his new show.

Howie Mandel

Howie Mandel is a Canadian-born comedian and actor who came to national attention in the United States during a six-year stint on the Emmy winning NBC drama St. Elsewhere. He was also the creator and executive producer of the Emmy-nominated children's animated series, Bobby's World, which ran for eight seasons on Fox. More recently, he is known for his frequent appearances as a stand-up comedian and for his hidden camera segments on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In April 2004, he was selected as number 82 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest stand-ups of all time. In October 2005, he was named to be the host of the U.S. version of Deal or No Deal, which debuted on December 19, 2005, on NBC.

February Totals

February Totals:

95 letters sent (3.3 letters a day)

1 reply (almost 1% response rate - not so good)

Categories:

Theater - 1 letter
Television - 15 letters
Movies - 19 letters
Business - 16 letters
Politics/Government - 12 letters
Sports - 15 letters
Publishing - 8 letters
Military - 0 letters
Science/Medicine - 2 letters
Music - 7 letters

Reply from a Canadian legend

Lynn Johnston

Sent - January 24th

Replied - February 21st

This reply comes from the legendary Canadian artist, Lynn Johnston, whose syndicated comic strip "For Better or For Worse" follows the lives of the Patterson family, and appears in over 2,000 newspapers around the world.

Unlike most comics, "For Better or For Worse" develops in real time, with the characters aging and even some dying. I've always loved Ms. Johnston's work, and the characters have felt like family, so I wrote to her asking for advice on the world of show business and entertainment.

In addition to advice directly from her, Ms. Johnston shared some words of wisdom from two of her closest friends, award winning Canadian comedian Don Harron, and the late Charles Schulz, creator of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the whole "Peanuts" gang. It was an amazing letter, handwritten on stationery featuring the Pattersons.

Dear Chris,

Thanks for your letter - you write so well!

Words of wisdom?? Hooo - I’m not so sure I can wrap up “experience” in a nutshell! You and I are in the entertainment industry. What we create is for the enjoyment of others. I have always tried to please my audience - it’s a challenge that pleases me! Success is a beautiful stallion - impossible to ride! It’s easy to try and live up to the image people impose on you - which makes you more of a puppet than a person. Always remember there are others out there who are better than you.

Don Harron once told me that fame meant you had to behave yourself, be kind and generous and courteous, because you owe it to people who admire you to set a good example. He’s right. I try not to trash my hotel rooms.

Charles Schulz said “do your very best every single day - even when your very best doesn’t feel good enough. The next day you can do it over.” He was right. Doing your best pays off. I’m proud of what I do.

A friend in L.A. who’s a comedy writer calls the world of showbiz “the ladder of slime.” He’s right. I’ve met some horrible toads - but there are good guys out there as well. They just take time to find.

Most of all - I learned that my job could not take me away from my family. Interviews, book tours, publicity, possessions, all come crashing between you. There’s a choice to be made between being adored by strangers and being loved by your family. The fame thing is addictive and destructive. I’ve been lucky to live in the north with a man who thinks I’m worth the effort it takes to hold onto this marriage.

I’m older and wiser now. I’m a very different person than the one who had a syndicated strip launched in 1979. The old adage of “I wish I knew then what I know now” comes to mind! Still - I’m OK. My family’s OK & I’ll die with a clear conscience.

Humility is a good thing. Keep some around - always.

Good Luck!

- Lynn Johnston



I sent her a thank you card the next day.