If you listen to pollsters and politicians, or consume heavy doses of social media and cable-TV news, you might come away thinking the nation is in a collective bad mood. We’re said to be irritable, even hostile.

My nephews and I were holed up at the TWA Hotel in New York on a rainy Sunday a few weeks ago, waiting to attend an evening wedding.

Friday nights on CBS, Suzanne Somers always held my hand when we walked on stage.

NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” hasn’t cracked a Joe Biden joke since April 15, when cast member Michael Che quipped, “President Biden has tried to downplay the recent leak of classified U.S. documents that were posted on social media, because when you’re over 80 a couple of leaks are nothing to be embarrassed about.”

NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” hasn’t cracked a Joe Biden joke since April 15, when cast member Michael Che quipped, “President Biden has tried to downplay the recent leak of classified U.S. documents that were posted on social media, because when you’re over 80 a couple of leaks are nothing to be embarrassed about.”

No matter how you look at it, Babe Ruth swung a big stick.

If TV writers had been on strike during the run up to the 1976 election, it’s possible that Gerald Ford wouldn’t have lost to Jimmy Carter.

Give Donald Trump credit for one thing: The man knows how to make lemonade.

At the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Carlsbad, California, guests were piling trash and dirty towels in the hallway, and by the looks of things you’d think the staff had gone on strike.

In a much anticipated chess match in February, 1996, the world champion Garry Kasparov faced IBM’s Deep Blue, the most advanced chess-playing machine.

I spend the first half hour of my day reading — or, to be more accurate, deleting — emails.

Newton Minow will always be remembered for a 1961 speech in which he described television as a “vast wasteland.” However, late in life he became less concerned about TV’s wastefulness and more troubled by its very vastness.

When Stew Leonard opened what he dubbed a “dairy store” in Norwalk, Conn., in 1969, it was a wonder of marketing, with a petting zoo, animated Disney-style characters and an on-site bottling plant.

Even baseball purists like myself, who still aren’t comfortable with designated hitters and restrictions on where fielders may be positioned, find themselves overwhelmingly in favor of the new pitch clock.

In the delightful 1986 film “The Money Pit,” a novice homeowner, played by Tom Hanks, carves a heart in a tree as a gesture to his girlfriend (Shelley Long), only to watch in horror as it falls over. He informs her sadly, “We have weak trees.”

When the Academy Awards are handed out March 12, one of Hollywood’s most confounding contradictions will be on display. The Oscar for Best Documentary will go to a film that few Americans have seen or even heard of.

It’s hard to tell what’s changing faster, the weather or words used to describe it.

Barbara Walters might never have become a powerful force in broadcast journalism had she lacked the chutzpah to extract a promise from her bosses at NBC News in 1973.

I grew up believing that you judge a man by the size of his Christmas tree.

When it comes to sappy holiday movies, you either scorn them as you would another pair of reindeer-themed socks, or you eagerly binge on offerings such as “My Southern Family Christmas,” produced by Hallmark.

A sheriff’s deputy roared into our driveway the other morning, rang the bell, and asked my wife if she knew my whereabouts.

An unsolicited solicitation package from Boys Town arrived by mail the other day, earlier and bulkier than usual.

Democrats are wasting time by kicking the can down the campaign trail before deciding which states will go first in 2024’s presidential primaries.

For just one day this summer — and if you’re planning a vacation, it’s Thursday, August 4 — entrance fees are waived at the 110 national parks that normally charge admission.

I knew I was in trouble when the dollars needed to water my grass each month exceeded the square footage of my lawn. For me, in Central California, that number is 1,400.

We’re living in gray times, bobbing in a sea of information where there is no longer much black or white.

Dear President Biden: Many of us feel helpless — overwhelmed, actually — about the catastrophe in Ukraine, wishing we could do more ...

Five years ago a sports injury forced me to wear a light brace on my knee.

Nine years ago this month Netflix changed how we watch television.

Joe Biden’s promise two years ago during a debate in South Carolina about a future pick for the Supreme Court will create undue pressure, at least temporarily, on his nominee to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.

“How cute. What’s his name?” I get that several times a day while walking our female Shih Tzu, Abigail.

The pastiche of new state laws taking effect as the New Year begins underscores how different we are — at least in the eyes of legislators — on matters small and large.

All eyes were on Steph Curry the other night as he stepped behind the arc and lofted a shot that made him the NBA’s all-time leader in 3-point baskets.

In an interview promoting his new movie “Being the Ricardos,” about the beloved sitcom “I Love Lucy,” writer-director Aaron Sorkin referred to Lucy’s “Friday audience taping.” I suppose even a media maven like Sorkin should be forgiven for bollixing terminology about motion pictures. We all do it.

The traffic light on Winkler Avenue was green, yet the Camaro in front of me hit the brakes.

Slick Willie Sutton, the 1930’s bandit who favored elaborate disguises, was once asked why he robbed banks. He famously replied, “Because that’s where the money is.”

In the national obsession known as fantasy football, the most valuable position this season is not the quarterback or wide receiver, it’s the handcuff.

Whatever problems the real Joe Biden faces with polls and policies, they pale in comparison to what fake Joe Biden characters are suffering on “Saturday Night Live.”

Dear Jeff Bezos: Here’s what Amazon emailed me after a relatively small matter developed into a giant headache: “Your feedback is helping us build Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company.”

When society seeks to influence behavior, is it better to pay people to act a certain way, or to penalize them if they don’t?

The thwack of a baseball colliding with a bat and the thump of a folded newspaper landing on a porch are sounds I cherish. They’re rewinding for me this month while watching the Little League World Series.

It was 73 years ago this month that my dad, Allen Funt, brought “Candid Camera” to television.

We’ve often heard that time is money, but in these stressed-out days it’s more than that. Time is increasingly a key to well-being, creatively and emotionally.

Now that Joe Biden doesn’t have to wear a mask in public, I’m back to staring at his teeth.

I figured that nine months after the pandemic began, sheltered and cooped up Americans would be creating a baby boom. It never happened.

With Joe Biden’s presidency nearing the six-month mark, the Republican National Committee sent out a “Biden Report Card”—a poll in which Biden’s performance is graded from A to F.

Lost in the press of recent world events was news from Washington state about a dramatic jury trial resulting in the conviction of a 77-year-old Ilwaco woman, who now faces a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000.

It’s normal these days to applaud the return to normality.

NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” returns with a new episode on March 27 and it remains a mystery whether the show will have someone portray President Biden. A bigger question: Will SNL dare give Biden the same treatment it gave Gerald Ford?

Irwin Fox died the other day. If you missed it because you were engrossed in obits about Hank Aaron, Larry King and Cloris Leachman, that’s understandable. Besides, at 95, Mr. Fox had outlived many of his fans.

To paraphrase Rudyard Kipling: A good cigar is a smoke, but a cigar box filled with trading cards is a treasure.

Donald Trump is trying to win the election with every court challenge and tweet he can muster, but he doesn’t really care how many votes he and Joe Biden wind up getting.

Hollywood must deal with the burden of producing TV programs during a pandemic and at a time of social and political upheaval in our country.

Ever since FCC chief Newton Minow famously branded it a “vast wasteland” six decades ago, television has tried to polish its image.

“How was your vacation?” used to be the standard query at Labor Day. Not this year.

More than 16 hours of political conventions over two weeks boiled down to a single word: fear.

As the joke has it, nine months from the start of the pandemic – right around January 2021 – we’ll experience a baby boom. After all, some activities are better suited to sheltered lifestyles than others

In a presidential campaign that has twisted at every turn, it’s no surprise that the latest issue up for debate concerns debates. Surprisingly, the campaign for President Donald Trump now favors more debates, while some liberal pundits are suggesting that there should be fewer — maybe none.

President Trump’s remarks to the nation today, as recorded by Fox News: In a few hours I will temporarily leave office, but I will never give up our fight to make America great again.

For the virus-plagued season, Major League Baseball has come up with special rules that players will find even more challenging than a sharp slider in the dirt. No showering at the ballpark. No sunflower seeds. No high-fives. In all, the pandemic protocol runs 120 pages.

The New York Times made a quiet disclosure recently that speaks loudly about the state of news media today

If a tree falls in the forest – or, as the case may be, if Joe Biden conducts a virtual town hall – and there’s no one to hear it, does it make any noise?

“Enough!” President Donald Trump admonished CNN’s Kaitlan Collins as she pressed for answers during Monday's contentious coronavirus briefing.

Walking my dog Dorothy a few months ago I didn’t recognize the fellow waving from the white car until he stopped to say hello. Turns out it was Ed, a casual acquaintance, whose wave I hadn’t acknowledged because I couldn’t see him through the tinted glass.

Two or three times a year, falling trees knock out power at my home, in a heavily wooded section of Central California. When outages stretch over several days’ food in our refrigerator goes bad, cell phones run down, and flashlight batteries fail. Sometimes roads are impassible and my wife and I are stuck in our chilly, candlelit house.

“Where are you from? Russia?” the middle-aged woman asked matter-of-factly, as she walked toward her polling place in Seaside, Calif. on Super Tuesday.

A worsening coronavirus outbreak could injure President Trump’s re-election prospects, although no reasonable American would hope for a medical crisis to tip an election.

Do political endorsements by newspapers have much impact? It was debatable even back in the 1980s, when daily circulation stood at about 63 million nationwide.

Amy Klobuchar’s results in Nevada, Feb. 22, and South Carolina, Feb. 29, will likely be more modest than her surprisingly strong finishes in New Hampshire and Iowa.

The New York Times provided lessons in both journalism and television Sunday night, by way of bad examples.

Here are 10 things Democratic presidential candidates should avoid saying Jan. 14 in the year’s first debate.

From the start, Democrats seemed to be fielding candidates who might govern well as a committee.

During the Holiday Season, it’s nearly impossible to turn on the radio or walk through a shopping mall without hearing the rich, mellifluous voice of Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives

The latest Democratic presidential debate was disappointing.

We interrupt this impeachment hearing to bring you a message from Donald Trump: “Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad.”

After 49 years, Bill Lee is pitching again in the World Series.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, father of four young children, has signed a landmark bill that should serve as a wake-up call for educators and lawmakers across the nation.

In its season opener “Saturday Night Live” did a fine job of skewering political figures who dominated headlines during the show’s summer hiatus. The Trump stuff was funny, but even with new Ukrainian fodder it was routine. The Democratic parodies, however, were fresh and so spot-on that they exposed the frustrating frailties of the 2020 field.

Lawmakers in California have littered their desks with measures designed to eliminate plastic products, such as bags and even straws. But in failing to provide an adequate system for recycling these items - along with glass, metal and paper — they have created an environmental mess and a socioeconomic dilemma.

Here are my five favorite things about this sentence: (1) It grabs your attention, (2) It keeps you guessing, (3) It’s not overly wordy, (4) It’s something you might forward to friends, (5) It’s part of the list-making trend that just keeps growing.

Back when I was a rookie editor in ABC’s Manhattan newsroom we used to place bets - actual cash wagers - on how the New York Times would design the next day’s front page.

Thoughts and prayers, we are often reminded, only go so far. And politicians’ attention spans are alarmingly short.

Here’s the weather summary, as printed the other day on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle: “Hot and sunny. Highs from 65 to 105.”

There was a clear message in Robert Mueller’s testimony last week before two House committees, but it wasn’t just about the danger Russia poses to our elections. It was the risk that aging presents for our public servants.

His portfolio of editorial cartoons in hand, Burris Jenkins Jr. arrived for a job interview at The New York American one day in 1931 and mistakenly got off the elevator at the wrong floor. He found himself in the sports department of the rival Evening Journal, where he was hired on the spot as a sports cartoonist.

Silly me. I thought one advantage of having a 76-year-old Democrat running for president is that his campaign would be refreshingly old school: a few lawn signs, a bus trip across Iowa and an occasional postcard to supporters through the U.S. Mail.

Is the bulging field of Democrats seeking the 2020 presidential nomination a sign of strength? Or is it a troubling indication that wresting the presidency from Donald Trump won’t be as easy as it ought to be.

Modern politics can be summed up this way: Republicans frequently refer to Ronald Reagan, while Democrats prefer to conjure memories of Franklin Roosevelt.

I wrote a column recently about lawmakers in East Tennessee voting to make Blount County a “Second Amendment Sanctuary.” They established a haven for gun owners seeking asylum from bothersome restrictions on firearms.

Lawmakers in this rural corner of Tennessee near Knoxville passed an interesting resolution the other night, making Blount County a sanctuary.

Bill O’Reilly, once the most powerful voice on cable-TV, has been largely absent from public view for two years following revelations that he paid some $50 million to settle sexual harassment lawsuits.

Bill O’Reilly, once the most powerful voice on cable-TV, has been largely absent from public view for two years following revelations that he paid some $50 million to settle sexual harassment lawsuits.

With a luxury of riches in the crowded presidential field, Democrats find themselves in a quandary: How far should they go in probing differences among the candidates without damaging their overarching goal of winning in 2020?

Emma Lazarus, whose words appear on a plaque at the Statue of Liberty, did not write, “Give me your skilled, your educated, your elite few yearning to become wealthy.”

Nancy Pelosi, the only Democrat Donald Trump seems to truly fear, is a branch of reason in our thickly overgrown political forest.

Every step of the way, Donald Trump has played voters and media with catch phrases of the type favored by Madison Avenue and reality TV, starting with “Make America Great Again” - as if such a task should be left to a New York realtor with a checkered past.

As a social experiment I once asked random people on the street what they would do if they won $10 million....

Television’s most elegant and articulate anchor, who shepherds what is arguably the nation’s most informative nightly news program, continues to toil in relative obscurity.

Democrats are moving quickly to address problems faced by both parties in the last presidential campaign concerning early-stage debates.

The snide old saw in college used to be: If you can’t make it in business, teach it. In media today, it’s become: If you can’t make it in politics, preach it.

There are many metrics for what makes a good president, but being able to deliver a speech in falling snow and mid-teen temperatures without hat or gloves for nearly a half hour isn’t one of them.

CNN’s “Town Hall” Monday night, featuring fast-rising Sen. Kamala Harris, was moderately helpful in assessing the California freshman’s presidential candidacy, but far more useful in evaluating what television must do in the critically important 2020 race.

Owners of the Giants baseball team have never struck me as stupid — greedy, perhaps, since they shamelessly sell a bottle of Bud for eight times what it’s worth, but not stupid.

It seems this year’s Academy Awards will be conducted using a no-host format, now that Kevin Hart and his dossier of homophobic wisecracks have been officially ruled out.

In 2019 I resolve to cut back on bingeing. Not at the dinner table — although that would be wise — but at the TV.

Millions of anxious fans are now watching their fortunes rise or fall in the annual fantasy football playoffs.

In the emergency room and on the battlefield it’s easy to appreciate the wisdom of a triage system: Those with the greatest need are helped first.

Stuck in a hotel room watching CNN the other day, I happened to catch live coverage of Donald Trump’s short speech about the “First Step Act,” concerning criminal justice reforms.

Amid the brouhaha over Senate and gubernatorial voting, there was clarity here in the Sunshine State about one thing: Floridians are fed up with the cruel practice of organized dog racing.

It seems that in the age of abbreviated communication, where “r u ok?” passes for a sentence, and KFC is a place that used to be called Kentucky Fried Chicken, the name Dunkin’ Donuts is simply too big a mouthful.

Social media and digital tools have changed the way we live and, to some extent, the way we die. Increasingly, loved ones and notables are honored through what could be called pre-mourning.

“Things are seldom what they seem,” the playful lyric in Gilbert & Sullivan’s “H.M.S. Pinafore,” could well be an anthem for the Trump White House.

In a recent discussion with a Major League pitching coach about scouting opposing hitters, I thought I was being flippant when I asked: “Do you also chart umpires?” His answer surprised me. “Yes.”

As thousands of tourists crowded into the center of town in search of hearty laughs, I walked over to Lake View Cemetery for a look at Lucy’s grave.

“Ninety percent of media coverage of my Administration is negative, despite the tremendously positive results we are achieving.”