Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Mad About You (1992)
 
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Mad About You was a sitcom that ran from 1992 to 1999. Are you familiar with the show? Were you a fan? I watched it every now and again. Mostly I remember it for the scene-stealing dog they had. Murray went from shelter rescue to star!

 2) The show was rebooted in 2019/2020 on the Spectrum streaming service. Do you have any streaming services? If so, which ones? I have three: Amazon Prime, Netflix (which was a gift from a friend) and Disney+. I got Disney+ in July to watch Hamilton and forgot to cancel it. I'm getting rid of it at the end of this month, honest I am, after I watch 101 Dalmations and Tangled (the last being an enthusiastic recommendation from my niece, who loves her animated Disney).

3) The series revolved around Manhattan newlyweds Paul and Jamie Buchman. They met at a newsstand, where they were both purchasing The New York Times. With so many publications online, newsstands are now uncommon. When you want to purchase a printed newspaper or magazine, where do you go? There's an independent bookseller nearby that I try to toss business to, so I'd go there.

4) Paul is played by Paul Reiser. He created the series because he believes marriage is a tough but satisfying adventure. He and real-life wife Paula have been married for more than 30 years. They met when she was a waitress at the comedy club where he was performing. Have you ever waited tables? Nope.

5) Helen Hunt won four Emmy Awards as Jamie. Over 10 million people watch the Emmys each year. She also won an Oscar, which has an annual viewership of twice that. Therefore huge audiences witnessed Helen's acceptance speeches. Are you comfortable speaking in public? Yes. One thing that has always shown up in my employee reviews is that when I present to clients, they like and trust me. I'm proud of that. (I also firmly believe that it's my credibility with my clients that accounts for that paycheck being deposited in my account every two weeks; otherwise, I think my agency would have axed me long ago.)

6) During the opening credits, Paul and Jamie are sharing an ice cream bar. When did you most recently have ice cream? Friday evening. Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Chunks are my official indulgence of the pandemic.

7) Paul and Jamie's best friends were another couple, Fran and Mark. Eventually Fran and Mark divorced, and Paul and Jamie worked at being friends with both of them. Have you been friends with a couple who split? Did you manage to stay friends with both of them? Yes. And in both cases I lost track of him and stayed friends with her.

8) In 1992, when Paul and Jamie were playing New Yorkers, real New Yorkers were following the trial of mobster John Gotti. Mr. Gotti acquired many nicknames, including The Teflon Don, The Dapper Don and Black John. Is there anyone in your life that you call by a pet name or nickname? Yes.

9) Random question  -- What subject do you wish you knew more about? I wish I stayed with my Spanish lessons of a decade ago. I let myself get distracted by a health scare, and then, after surgery, I didn't pick it up again.