It was the Thanksgiving show for Bill Maher Real time, usually his last show of the fall season before a hiatus. However, due to the Writers Guild strikes, the show will continue until December.
That is reason enough to be thankful. But Maher had another reason for grace on Friday’s show: He had comedic geniuses Rob Reiner and Albert Brooks, whose masterful storytelling and energy gave Maher the privilege of sitting back and simply basking in their glory.
The duo supported their new HBO documentary. Albert Brooks: Defending My Life. But they really didn’t need the pretense of a project to move things along. Since we have been friends since high school, the conversation about their long working relationship flowed smoothly and without prompting.
Brooks recalled their first meeting. To impress, Brooks blurted out that he knew Carl Reiner. Of course, Rob Reiner said, he did. “This is my father.” And Brooks recalled, “And I’m a stupid son of a bitch.”
Rob Reiner recalled how young Brooks could make even comedy legends laugh by coming into Reiner’s house and saying things like, “I’m the world’s greatest escape artist.”
The conversation centered on their time at a house in Benedict Canyon, where a parade of young women seemed to be passing by.
“Every time I brought a girl, we had fun,” Reiner recalls. “And when we finished, the phone rang. It would be Albert and he would say, “Are you ready yet?” Would you like something to eat?
Brooks said Reiner is “like the atomic clock in Boulder, Colorado” in terms of accuracy. “It lasted exactly 40 seconds.”
The rest of her time was also filled with anecdotes about girls, Steven Spielberg and how Brooks turned down the permanent hosting gig Saturday Night Live.
This week’s panel discussion was hosted by Professor Donna Brazile and Emmy from Georgetown University and Peabody Award-winning media contributor for ABC News, USA Today, And The cup; and Adam Kinzinger, former Republican congressman from Illinois and author of Renegade: Defending Democracy and Freedom in Our Divided Country.
Brazile dominated the chat and had the rare ability to get Maher back on his feet with cheeky comments. Conversations ranged from Trump to young voters to the TikTok of its time.
Maher’s editorial, “New Rules,” urged people not to bark opinions about issues they don’t understand. It was the perfect message for those facing such a confrontation at the Thanksgiving table next Thursday.
Source: Deadline
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
