Stop It With the Big Ads

A few months ago I noticed a distressing phenomenon on both IMDB and TV Guide. Both sites began featuring gigantic ads at the top of their pages. What is more, particularly in the case of TV Guide, these huge ads caused more problems than simply forcing the reader to scroll down to get the credits or listings.

Indeed, on TV Guide there are times the ads will actually cover the search bar. As a result, I have to reload the page. This isn't a problem on IMDB, but the ads do make both sites slower to load and sometimes even affect the performance of whatever browser I am using at the time. 

Now I suspect the reason for these gigantic ads is that they think they will draw the reader's attention more than an old-fashioned, modest banner ad would, but I do not think that is the case. Usually I am so irritated by the sheer size of these ads that I don't even notice what is being advertised. I might well notice whatever product is being advertised if they had used a simple banner ad.

Anyway, I am hoping this is something that other sites won't adopt and that TV Guide and IMDB will soon do away with them. The goal of advertising is to convince users to buy a product or use a service. That isn't accomplished if the ads irritate them to no end.

Godspeed Mariclare Costello

Mariclare Costello, best known for playing teacher Rosemary Hunter on the hit TV series The Waltons, died on April 17, 2026 at the age of 90.

Mariclare Costello was born on February 3, 1936, in Peoria, Illinois. Her father, Dallas, worked as a civil engineer for the Illinois Department of Transportation and her mother, Margaret, was a secretary to the Illinois Speaker of the House. Mariclare Costello went to St. Mark School and the Academy of Our Lady in Peoria. She then attended Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa. During her junior year, she spent time at the University of Vienna. She received a Master's degree in Theatre and Education from Catholic University in Washington.

She was one of the 30 actors selected from literally hundreds to be chosen for the original Lincoln Center Repertory Company. In 1964 she made her Broadway debut, originated the role of Louise in the Arthur Miller play After the Fall. In the Sixties, she appeared on Broadway in But for Whom Charlie, The Changeling, Tartuffe, Danton's Death, The Country Wife, Lovers and Other Strangers, and Harvey. She made her movie debut in The Tiger Makes Out in 1967. She appeared in the movie Pound (1970). She made her television debut in an episode of N.Y.P.D. in 1969. She also guest starred on Storefront Lawyers.

It was in 1972 that she began a five year run playing Miss Rosemary Hunter, the teacher at the school on Walton's Mountain, on The Waltons. In 1977 she left the show to play the matriarch Maggie Fitzpatrick on the short-lived drama The Fitzpatricks.She was a regular on the shot-lived Western Sara. She guest starred on the shows Ironside, Kojak, Amy Prentiss, Harry O, Sunshine, Barnaby Jones, This is the Life, The Incredible Hulk, Insight, NBC Special Treat, Visions, Lou Grant, and Little House on the Prairie. She appeared in such TV movies as The Execution of Private Slovik and After the Fall (based on the play and on which she reprised her role as Louise). She appeared in the movies Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971), Raid on Entebbee (1976), and Ordinary People (1980).

In the Eighties, she guest starred on Lou Grant; Fame; Murder, She Wrote; The Disney Sunday Movie; CBS Schoolbreak Special, CBS Summer Playhouse, In the Heat of the Night, and Santa Barbara. She appeared in the movie The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984). 

In the Nineties, Mariclare Costello appeared in the movie Indecent Proposal (1983). She guest starred on the shows High Tide, Chicago Hope, and Judging Amy. Her last guest appear on a TV show was on Providence in 2002.

Mariclare Costello taught acting at Loyola Marymount University, and headed the drama program at St. Paul the Apostle Elementary School in Westwood. She directed plays at Loyola High School. 

That Mariclare Costello was a talented actress can be seen in what may be two best known roles. As teacher Rosemary Hunter on The Waltons, she was both compassionate and strong-willed, always an advocate for her students. In Let's Scare Jessica to Death, she played a role as far from Rosemary Hunter as one can get, the rather menacing and vampiric Emily. In the Murder, She Wrote episode "Powder Keg" she played hotel owner Cassie Burns. On the Incredible Hulk episode "No Escape" she played the wife of a mental patient who escaped after David Banner hulked out in the van in which they were being transported. Mariclare Costello could play a variety of roles and play them all well. 

The Late Great Gerry Conway

Comic book writer and screenwriter Gerry Conway, who worked for both DC and Marvel and who created such characters as Firestorm, Jason Todd, Power Girl, Ms. Marvel, and The Punisher, died on April 27, 2026, at the age of 73. He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2022. Gerry Conway also wrote for such TV shows as Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. 

Gerry Conway was born on September 10, 1952, in Brooklyn, New York City. He was a fan of comic books from an early age and even had a letter published in the letter column of Fantastic Four no. 50 (May 1966). As a teenager, he would sneak into the DC Comics offices and talk with the editors. He was only 16 when his first comic book story, "Aaron Philips' Photo Finish," was published in House of Secrets no. 81 (September 1969). At DC Comics, he also had work published in  All-Star Western no. 1, Hoouse of Mystery, Super DC Giant,The Phantom Stranger, and The Witching Hour. During the same period, he wrote stories for Marvel's Chamber of Darkness and Tower of Shadows. During this period, he also wrote for the Warren titles Creepy and Eerie and Skywald's Nightmare.

It was Roy Thomas who offered Gerry Conway the chance to write superhero comic books at Marvel. He took Marvel's "writing test," and while Stan Lee was not impressed with his work, Roy Thomas was. He wrote a script for Ka-Zar for Astonishing Tales no. 3 (December 1970) and then began writing Daredevil with no. 72 (January 1971).  At Marvel, he went onto write for Adventure into Fear, Amazing Adventures, Astonishing Tales, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Creatures on the Loose, Deadly Hands of Kung Fu, Dracula Lives, Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Kull the Conqueror, Marvel Team-Up, Our Love Story, Savage Tales, Sub-Mariner, Thor, Werewolf By Night. The Defender, Ghost Rider, Haunt of Horror, Legion of Monsters, Ka-Zar.Planet of the Apes, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Tales of the Zombie, and other titles. His most notable work in the early Seventies at Marvel was on The Amazing Spider-Man. 

After leaving Marvel, Gerry Conway wrote for the short-lived Atlas/Seaboard line on such titles as Destructor, Targitt, and Tiger-Man. He then returned to DC comics, where he remained for the next decade. During this period he created such characters as Power Girl, Firestorm, Vixen, Jason Todd, and Killer Croc, and others. He wrote on such titles as Action Comics, All-Star Comics, All-Star Squadron, Arak, Batman. Batman Family, The Brave and the Bold, Challengers of the Unknown, DC Comics Presents, Doorway to Nightmare, Firestorm, The Flash, Freedom Fighters, The Fury of Firestorm, Hercules Unbound, House of Mystery, House of Secrets, Jonah Hex, Justice League of America, Kamandi, Kong the Untamed, Legion of Super-Heroes, Man-Bat, Metal Men, Mystery in Space, New Gods. Secret Society of Super Villains, Star-Spangled War Stories, Steel the Indestructible Man, Sun Devils, Super-Team Family, Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, Superman, The Superman Family, Swamp Thing. Sword Quest, Tarzan, The Unexpected. Weird Western Tales, The Witching Hour, Wonder Woman, World's Finest Comics, Young Love, and other titles. He also wrote the DC/Marvel crossover Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man. 

Gerry Conway also wrote comic books for Eclipse Comics' The Unknown Worlds of Frank Brunner, First Comcs' Hawkmoon: The Jewel in the Skull and Hawkmoon: The Mad God's Amulet, Topp Comics' Nightglider, and Disney Comics' Disney Adventures.

In addition to comics books, Gerry Conway also did substantial work in film and television. He co-wrote the screen play for the Ralph Bakshi animated feature Fire and Ice (1983) with fellow comic book writer Roy Thomas. They also wrote the story Conan the Destroyer (1984). In 1985, he broke into television with scripts for the animated series G.I. Joe. He wrote scripts for the animated television series Transformers, Centurions, My Little Pony 'n Friends, Spiral Zone, Dino-Saucers, and Dino-Riders. He broke into live-action television with a script for Monsters in 1990.

In the Nineties, he wrote for the TV shows Father Dowling Mysteries, Jake and the Fatman, Matlock, Batman: The Animated Series, Under Suspicion, Two, Pacific Blue, Baywatch Nights, Diagnosis Murder, Players, Silk Stalkings, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Law & Order, and The Huntress. He wrote some of the Perry Mason TV movies.

In the Naughts, Gerry Conway wrote for the show Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

In my humble opinion, Gerry Conway was one of the greatest comic book writers of all time. He created several characters who are still pertinent to this day, including Atomic Skull, Firestorm, Jason Todd, Killer Croc, Killer Frost, Man-Thing, Power Girl, and The Punisher, among others. And while I don't particularly like the story (Gwen Stacy is one of my favourite comic book characters, he wrote one of the most revolutionary comic book stories of all time, "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" from Amazing Spider-Man no. 121 (June 1973). While I am not fond of the story, I have to admit it was well-written and it certainly changed the industry forever. 

He was also an excellent television writer and wrote some of my favourite episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, including "Con-Text" and "Probability." For Batman: The Animated Series, he wrote "Appointment in Crime Alley." During his television career, he wrote stellar scripts for everything from Monsters to Matlock.

Above all else, I have to say Gerry Conway seemed like an incredibly nice guy. I followed him on Twitter when that was still a thing, and asked him a few questions about his television work. He always responded and did so politely and with a good deal of humour. He was a great writer and apparently a kind person as well. He will definitely be missed. 

"Dream Police" by Cheap Trick

It has already been a hectic week and I am preparing my eulogy for the late, great Gerry Conway, so I will leave you with one of my favourite songs of all time, "Dream Police" by Cheap Trick. 

Mary Beth Hurt Passes On

Mary Beth Hurt, who appeared in such films as Interiors (1978) and The World According to Garp (1982), died on March 28, 2026, at the age of 79. She had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2015.

Mary Beth Hurt was born Mary Beth Supinger on September 26, 1946, in Marshalltown, Iowa. As a child she was babysat by future film star Jean Seberg, who lived only a street over from her family. She graduated from Marshalltown High School and then enrolled in the University of Iowa to study drama. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, she continued post-graduate work at New York University's Tisch School. She met and married actor William Hurt during this period. They divorced in 1982. 

Mary Beth Hurt moved to Ealing, West London, where she became part of the theatre troupe The Questors. She made her Broadway debut in 1974 in Love for Love. In the Seventies, she appeared on Broadway in the productions The Rules of the Game, The Member of the Wedding, Trelawny of the "Wells",  Secret Service, and The Cherry Orchard. She made her television debut in the TV movie Ann in Blue in 1974. She guest starred on the shows Kojak, Great Performances, and Visions. She appeared in the mini-series 3 By Cheever. She made her movie debut in 1978 in Interiors. She appeared in the films Head Over Heels (1979) and A Change of Seasons (1980).

In the Eighties, Mary Beth Hurt appeared on Broadway in Twyla Tharp Dance, Crimes of the Heart, The Misanthrope, Benefactors, and The Secret Rapture. She appeared in the movies The World According to Garp (1982), D.A.R.Y.L. (1985), Compromising Positions (1985), Parents (1989), and Slaves of New York (1989). She was a regular on the shows Tattingers and Working It Out. She guest starred on Thirtysomething.

In the Nineties, she appeared on Broadway in A Delicate Balance. On television, she guest starred on Saturday Night Live, Monty, and The Beat. She appeared in the mini-series The Wild West. She appeared in the movies. She appeared in the movies Defenseless (1991), Light Sleeper (1992), My Boyfriend's Back (1993), The Age of Innocence (1993), Shimmer (1993), Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Affliction (1997), Bringing Out the Dead (1999), Autumn in New York (2000), and The Family Man (2000).

In the Naughts, Mary Beth Hurt appeared in Top Girls. She appeared in the movies Red Dragon (2002), The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), Perception (2005), The Dead Girl (2006), Lady in the Water (2006), The Walker (2006), Untraceable (2008), and Lebanon, Pa. (2010). She guest starred on the TV shows Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order. In the Teens, she appeared on Broadway in The House of Blue Leaves. She appeared in the movies Young Adult (2011), The Volunteer (2013), and Change in the Air (2018).

Mary Beth Hurt was extremely talented and very versatile, able to play a wide variety of roles. She displayed that talent in her film debut as Joey in Interiors, who is uncertain as to her career and takes her family's troubles to heart. Helen Holm in The World According to Garp is a strong, independent, and  brilliant English professor who provides some stability to her husband Garp's life. In The Age of Innocence, she played the somewhat passive Regina Beautfort, the wife of Julius Beautfort. Throughout her career she played a wide variety of roles, from a Massachusetts housewife with a dark secret to a doctor to judges, and she did all of them well. 

Patrick Muldoon Passes On

Patrick Muldoon, who played Richard Hart on the night time soap opera Melrose Place and was a regular on the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives, died on April 19, 2026, at the age of 57. The cause was a heart attack.

Patrick Muldoon was born on September 27, 1968. He went to Loyola High School in Los Angeles and then the University of Southern California. His major was English and communications, and he graduated in 1991. He played football in both high school and college. He did some modelling.

Patrick Muldoon was discovered by a talent agent, who got him a guest appearance on the sitcom Who's the Boss? in 1990. It was in 1992 that he began his run as Austin Reed on Days of Our Lives. In 1995, he was cast in the recurring role of Richard Hart on Melrose Place. He guest starred on the shows Saved by the Bell and Silk Stalkings. He also appeared in several TV movies. He appeared in the movies Rage and Honor II (1993), Starship Troopers (1997), Wicked (1998), The Second Arrival (1998), Stigmata (1999), Red Team (1999), and Chain of Command (2000).

In the Naughts, he appeared in the movies Blackwoods (2001), Bad Karma (2001), Whacked! (2002), Heart of America (2002), Military Intelligence and You! (2006), Broken Angel (2008), Japan (2009), The Steam Experiment (2009), and Repo (2010). He also appeared in several television movies.

In 2011, he returned to Days of Our Lives as Austin Reed. He appeared on the TV series The Bay and several more TV movies. He appeared in the movies Last Will (2011), Born to Ride (2011), Spiders 3D (2013), The Dog Who Saved Easter (2014), Patient Killer (2014), Christmas in Palm Springs (2014), Badge of Honor (2015), The Dog Who Saved Summer (2015), Robo-Dog (2015), The Wicked Within (2015), Little Dead Rotting Hood (2016), Fishes 'n' Loaves: Heaven Sent (2016), A Horse's Tail (2016), Robo-Dog: Airborne (2017), American Satan (2017), Saving Christmas (2017), A Dog & Pony Show (2016), Runnin' from My Roots (2018), Alpha Wolf (2018), Bernie the Dolphin (2018), My Adventures with Santa (2019), Bernie the Dolphin 2 (2019), The Comeback Trail (2020), and Timecrafters: The Treasure of Pirate's Cove (2020).

In the 2020s, he guest starred on the TV show Second Chances and appeared in the TV movie Double Scoop. He appeared in the movies Vanquish (2021), Magic in Mount Holly (2021), Deadlock (2021), Dakota (2022), The Junkyard Dogs (2022), Marlowe (2022), Kids Can (2023), The Quest for Tom Sawyer's Gold (2023), Pray for Me: Key To Freedom (2023), Murder at Hollow Creek (2024), and The Corner (2025).

"Wild Thing" by The Troggs

It was sixty years ago today that The Troggs hit no. 1 on the Billboard  Hot 100 with "Wild Thing." The song would become the band's signature tune, and would have a lasting impact on rock music. It is a prime example of proto-punk and I think a good argument could be made that it is outright punk. It would be covered by artists from The Jimi Hendrix Experience to The Runaways to Cheap Trick to X. 

Given the song is the signature song of The Troggs, it may surprise many that it was not written for them. The first band to record the song was The Wild Ones, who recorded it in 1965. The Wild Ones was the house band of the New York City nightclub Arthur, which was owned by socialite Sybil Christopher, who was the wife of Wild Ones lead singer Jordan Christopher. Sybil Christopher asked songwriter Chip Taylor to write a song for the band. Chip Taylor composed the song in only a few minutes. Their version of "Wild Thing" was released on November 1, 1965, but failed to chart. 

Precisely who suggested that The Troggs record "Wild Thing" is a matter of dispute. Larry Page who was The Troggs' manager at the time, always claimed that he was the one who suggested that they record "Wild Thing." Reg Presley claimed that Larry Page wanted them to record a cover of a Lovin' Spoonful tune instead. Regardless of whoever came up with the idea of The Troggs recording "Wild Thing," it turned out to be a great idea. "Wild Thing" not only reached no. 1 in the United States, but peaked at no. 2 in The Troggs' native Britain. It reached no.1 in Australia and no. 2 in Canada. Strangely enough, the song was released on two different labels in the United States due to a distribution dispute. It was released on both Fontana and Atco Records. A settlement would eventually be reached so that Fontana would have exclusive distribution rights to all Troggs records. 

A promotional clip for "Wild Thing" was filmed at the Odenplan Metro station in Stockholm, Sweden.