Latest news with #GetSmart
Buzz Feed
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Rainn Wilson: Making The Office After Carell A Struggle
At this point, the American remake of The Office is one of the most beloved TV sitcoms in the history of the medium. It's just a fact. A large part of what made the show work so well was Steve Carell's performance as Michael Scott. He effectively made the character iconic, and he even won a Golden Globe for his efforts in 2006. You probably also know that Steve left the show at the end of its seventh season, in 2011. The show would go on for two more seasons before closing out for good in 2013. Some believe that the show was never the same after Steve left, and it sounds like that includes Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight Schrute across all nine seasons of The Office. In a recent appearance on the Good Guys podcast, Rainn got real about how the cast tried to make it to the end without their effective lead anchor of a performance. 'When Steve left, then it was a little bit chaotic of trying to figure out the tone of the show and who's the lead and, how are we telling these stories without, you know, the comic engine of the show, which is Michael Scott, and without one of the greatest comic actors in American history at the center of our show," he said. "That was also a struggle.' Rainn also said that, for most of the show's cast, the writing had been on the wall about anticipating Steve's departure — and they were none too surprised when it took place. "We knew it was coming for a long time," he said, after noting that Steve was "such a big movie star at the time." 'He was doing, like, Burt Wonderstone and these big comedies," Rainn added. "I'm forgetting all the names of them at the time, but, Get Smart, you know? [Movies] that were in 2,000 theaters at the multiplex." 'So, of course, he's going to leave The Office when he can!' Fair enough! You can listen to the entire interview here.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Mel Brooks Turns 99: A Celebration Of An Extraordinary Career
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 21: Mel Brooks speaks onstage at the "Spaceballs" screening during the ... More 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 21, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo byfor TCM) Mark your calendars - one year from today, Mel Brooks will turn 100! And today we wish the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award (EGOT) winner a Happy 99th Birthday! The irony of Brooks reaching age 99 is the classic sitcom Get Smart, which he created with Buck Henry in 1965 and featured Barbara Feldon as Agent 99. Get Smart, which aired through 1971 and won seven Emmys and two Golden Globe Awards, is just one of the endless accomplishments of Mr. Brooks, who is still actively working. Fun factoid: Don Adams as Maxwell Smart (Agent 86) talking on the shoe phone has been parodied by many comedians over the years. Don Adams (1923 - 2005) as Maxwell Smart/Agent 86 and Barbara Feldon as Agent 99 in the television ... More series 'Get Smart', circa 1965. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/) Another fun factoid: Mel Brooks is one of only 21 entertainers to win the EGOT. Born Melvin Kaminsky on June 28, 1926, Mel Brooks began his lengthy career as a comic and a writer for the groundbreaking Sid Caeser variety show Your Show of Shows, which ran from 1950 to 1954. There he worked with eventual legends Neil Simon and Carl Reiner, whom he remained best friends with until Reiner's death in 2020 at age 98. Did you know?: Mel's last name, Brooks, is an adaptation of his mother's maiden name, Brookman. Promotional portrait of American comedians Sid Caesar (left) and Mel Brooks in 'The Sid Caesar, ... More Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, and Howard Morris Special,' which was originally broadcast on April 5, 1967. The special was a reunion of cast members from 'Your Show Of Shows.' (Photo by CBS) NEW YORK, NY - [August 18, 2016: The Writer's Room located at City Center 130 West 56th street, ... More where YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS came to life each week from February 25, 1950 until June 5, 1954. The writing staff included Sid Caeser, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Howard Morris, Mel Tolkin, Lucille Kallen, Tony Webster, Joe Stein, Danny Simon, Max Liebman and Woody Allen. It waslocated on the 6th floor. Photographed on August 18, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by) Sid Caesar then created sketch-comedy Caesar's Hour, which ran from 1954 to 1957 and included most of the same cast and writers, including Brooks and the arrivals of Woody Allen and Larry Gelbart (M*A*S*H). Then, after creating live act the '2000 Year Old Man' with Carl Reiner and appearing on The Steve Allen Show with it, the pair segued to three comedy albums, a 1975 animated TV special, and a reunion album in 1998. Trivia note: Brooks adapted the '2000 Year Old Man' character to create the '2500-Year-Old Brewmaster" for Ballantine Beer in the 1960s. 1974: Actors Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner pose for a publicity portrait for their program "2000 And ... More Thirteen Year Old Man" in 1974. (Photo by Michael) Brooks headed to Broadway with the creation of the musical All American in 1962. Then came Get Smart. And, for several years, Brooks explored the ideas of a musical comedy of the notorious Adolph Hitler, which turned into his first feature comedic film, The Producers, in 1968. Brooks won The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and his film career skyrocketed. 1968: Actors Gene Wilder, Zero Mostel and Lee Meredith perform scene in Mel Brooks classic movie ... More "The Producers". Winner of two Academy Awards. (Photo by Michael) Next was The Twelve Chairs in 1970, and two more collaborations with Gene Wilder: Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles, both in 1974. Fun factoid: the legendary actress Heddy Lamarr sued Brooks over the use of the name Hedley Lamarr in Blazing Saddles and settled out of court. Actors Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman and Teri Garr in a scene from the movie 'Young ... More Frankenstein', 1974. (Photo by Stanley Bielecki) Actor Mel Brooks (left) sits on the floor beside Harvey Korman as Cleavon Little kneels atop a desk, ... More in a still from the film, 'Blazing Saddles,' directed by Mel Brooks, 1974. (Photo by Warner Bros./Courtesy of Getty Images) Brooks undeniably struck a comedic chord with audiences. Young Frankenstein was the third-highest-grossing film domestically of 1974, just behind Blazing Saddles with a gross of $86 million. Heading back to television, Brooks created the 1975 sitcom When Things Were Rotten, a parody of Robin Hood. Despite only airing for 13 episodes, he resurrected dialogue from the comedy, and other Brooks films, for Robin Hood: Men in Tights on the big screen in 1993. Cary Elwes and Amy Yasbeck celebrate in a scene from the film 'Robin Hood: Men In Tights', 1993. ... More (Photo by 20th Century-Fox/Getty Images) Later Mel Brooks features include Silent Movie (1976), High Anxiety (1977) and, through his company Brooksfilms, Frances (1982), The Fly (1986), My Favorite Year (1982), History of the World Part I (1981), Spaceballs (1987), Life Stinks (1991), and Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995). There was also the one season TV sitcom The Nutt House with Cloris Leachman and Harvey Korman in 1989. And, in 2001, came the blockbuster Broadway musical The Producers, based on the earlier film. 388331 01: People stand in line outside the St. James Theatre in New York April 25, 2001 to purchase ... More tickets for the Broadway production of "The Producers". "The Producers," a $10 million stage version of Mel Brooks'' classic film comedy is Broadway's biggest hit since "The Lion King" with $100 ticket prices which are the highest on Broadway. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Newsmakers) Fun factoid: Brooks guest starred as Uncle Phil in four episodes of the Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt sitcom Mad About You from 1996 to 1999 and won the Emmy Award three times for Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. Not a bad gig! MAD ABOUT YOU — "The Penis" Episode 14 — Pictured: (l-r) Paul Reiser as Paul Buchman, Helen Hunt as ... More Jamie Stemple Buchman, Mel Brooks as Uncle Phil, Lawrence Mandley as Leon, unknown, Eric Allan Kramer as Skippy — Photo by: Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Comedian Mel Brooks points to his Emmy awardat the 50th Annual ... More Primetime Emmy Awards 13 Sept at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Brooks won his Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as Uncle Phil in "Mad About You". . AFP PHOTO Kim KULISH/mn (Photo credit should read KIM KULISH/AFP via Getty Images) In recent years, Brooks published his memoir All About Me in 2021. He wrote and produced History of the World Part II, a follow-up series on Hulu, also in 2021. And just this month he announced Spaceballs 2 is bring produced with a release date targeted for 2027. Oh, and now there is also Very Young Frankenstein, a television project, for FX, that Brooks is producing. The moral of this story: Staying active is the 'secret sauce' for longevity. And today we wish Mel Brooks a Happy 99th Birthday! American film director Mel Brooks, New York, New York, July 1976. (Photo by Jack Mitchell/Getty ... More Images)
Int'l Business Times
26-05-2025
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
No Business Is Too Small: GetSmart on Why Cyber Defense Must Be a Priority for Every SMB
"We're too small to be a target." This belief is a common refrain among small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Many assume that without millions in the bank or high-profile data, they have nothing of interest to cybercriminals. GetSmart Cyber Defense asserts that this mindset is misguided and dangerous. With a mission to help SMBs strengthen their operations against cybercrime, the consulting and services firm reminds enterprises that no matter their size, they hold valuable information that can be a treasure trove to the wrong people. GetSmart doesn't view digital security as an information technology (IT) checkbox. It regards it as a business imperative that needs to be holistic, adaptive, and embedded into a company's operations, not a mere afterthought. Hence, it shares a growing concern regarding the complex challenges in the current landscape for SMBs. According to GetSmart, many boards and executives underestimate their exposure and assume their basic IT practices suffice. Yet, it becomes clear how shallow those assumptions are when breaches occur. "Leadership teams focus on growth, profitability, and customer satisfaction, and that's a given," says Principal Ted Alben. "The problem is they usually neglect to ask whether their current practices protect the very assets that fuel those goals." Some companies offer superficial training or outsourcing IT responsibilities, attempting to check the boxes. The workforce often resents having to go through the process of having to go through these training exercises. "Many are required to change their passwords every 30, 60, 90 days. And for what purpose? Why should it be their responsibility, their burden?" GetSmart argues that this piecemeal approach doesn't stand up to the complex threat landscape. "We always say that cyber defense must be viewed through the lens of risk governance because it's more than just technology management," Alben states. Adding to the issue is that many small and medium-sized companies find themselves unprepared for the changing demands of digital risk management. This unpreparedness becomes highlighted when they try to scale. Larger contracts, especially with enterprise clients in sectors like healthcare, finance, or supply chain, come with stringent cyber defense requirements. This can include data encryption, access controls to mandatory attestations, and incident response planning. GetSmart engages the digital workforce in the frontline of cyber defense, bridging the gap between business strategy and security. First, GetSmart's process starts with defining the client's goals and objectives across each department in the context of preparing, defending, and responding to risk. This rigorous assessment incorporates recognized frameworks traditionally associated with cybersecurity, including: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). "What is unique about GetSmart is that we apply governance standards to the workforce, not just IT systems," says Alben. "Our meticulous process allows us to analyze gaps that identify vulnerabilities not just in systems but in people, processes, and partnerships," Principal Rob Yates, Process Management Expert, says. "What's also unique is that we actually author policies for our clients that may not have the experience or resources required to do so." While policies are often a great place to start, GetSmart's clientele is guided through the execution and validation of policy implementation to take ownership of these tenets. This is called an attestation, which demonstrates that the business leader fully understands how the organization is compliant rather than just providing "lip service". GetSmart provides ongoing support to businesses so they can stay ahead of threats and contract stipulations as they evolve in response to an ever-changing landscape. That means reviewing third-party agreements and facilitating compliance with cyber insurance requirements, market conditions, and new and emerging threats to shareholder value. GetSmart Principal, Ted Alben The impact of GetSmart's work is visible across industries, especially among SMBs embedded in larger ecosystems. These smaller firms usually discover too late that they must adhere to stringent defense protocols dictated by enterprise clients. They suddenly face multiple requirements, from endpoint protection to encrypted communications. To make things worse, they have no roadmap to compliance. "We step in as a translator, strategist, advocate, and partner. We can turn our clients' compliance burdens into structured plans. This is how we help them retain contracts and position themselves competitively in their markets," Yates remarks. Ultimately, the lesson for all organizations, especially SMBs, is to build a cyber defense strategy early. GetSmart warns that delaying this investment can cost more than lost data. It can mean lost opportunities, broken trust, and irreparable damage to a business's future. "When a business starts to view cyber defense as part of its strategy, as something that supports growth, reputation, and operational integrity, that means we did our job," Alben states. "Our goal has always been to help businesses feel secure knowing they can defend what they build."
San Francisco Chronicle
17-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
The old slang term '86' probably started as restaurant-worker jargon. Suddenly it's in the news
NEW YORK (AP) — The slang term at the center of a political brouhaha swirling around former FBI Director James Comey is an old one, likely originating as food-service-industry jargon before extending to other contexts. Some of that spread has given rise to accusations from Republicans that it was meant as a threat to President Donald Trump. In a since-deleted Instagram post, Comey wrote 'cool shell formation on my beach walk' to accompany a photo of shells displayed in the shapes of '86 47.' He said in a follow-up post that he took it only as a political message since Trump is the 47th president, and to '86' something can be to get rid of it, like a rowdy patron at a bar or something that is no longer wanted. But Trump and other Republicans took it more ominously. They say Comey, with whom Trump has had a contentious relationship, was advocating violence against the Republican president, given that the slang term has at times been used as a way to mean someone's killing. It probably started in restaurants nearly a century ago The slang origins of '86' go back to codes used in diners and restaurants as staff shorthand in the 1930s or so, said Jesse Sheidlower, adjunct assistant professor in Columbia University's writing program and formerly editor-at-large for the Oxford English Dictionary. It meant that something on the menu was no longer available. Over time, he said, related uses developed. 'The original sense is, we are out of an item. But there are a bunch of obvious metaphorical extensions for this,' he said. '86 is something that's not there, something that shouldn't be there like an undesirable customer. Then it's a verb, meaning to throw someone out. These are fairly obvious and clear semantic development from the idea of being out of something.' He said there have been uses of it as a euphemism for killing someone, as in certain fiction stories, but that usage is not nearly as widespread. More likely it means to jettison something that is no longer useful — a definition parodied in the popular 1960s TV show 'Get Smart,' whose lead character was known — wink, nudge — as Agent 86. That type of meaning is reflected in the entry for '86' from Merriam-Webster, the dictionary used by The Associated Press. That definition says the meaning is 'to throw out,' 'to get rid of' or 'to refuse service to.' While referencing that there have been uses of it to mean killing, the dictionary said, "We do not enter this sense, due to its relative recency and sparseness of use.' But Trump and his administration insist that was the intent of the usage in Comey's initial post Thursday. 'He knew exactly what that meant,' Trump said during a Fox News interview Friday. 'A child knows what that meant. If you're the FBI director and you don't know what that meant, that meant assassination. And it says it loud and clear.' The usage has prompted a federal investigation Comey said on social media: 'I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence." The relationship between the president and Comey has been strained for years. Trump fired Comey as FBI director in 2017, early in Trump's first term. In 2018, in a book, Comey said Trump was unethical and 'untethered to truth." That a slang reference can cause this kind of agita is not surprising, especially not at a time like the one we are living in, said Nicole Holliday, acting associate professor of linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley. 'I think that because we are in a hyperpartisan, polarized culture, everything is a Rorschach test,' she said. 'We're very sensitive about any indication that people are part of our in group or part of the out group.' Language can be a fraught subject because language and the meaning of words can be fluid based on context or culture or other factors. 'We're always kind of navigating this issue of, 'Well, I said this word and it meant X. But you heard this word and you thought it meant Y,'' she said. That navigation can be hard enough when it's person-to-person direct conversation. Taking it online the way much of our modern discourse is makes it even more so, she said. 'In real life, when you have a conversation with a human being, you are negotiating meaning. (But) when somebody posts ... There's no space. This is why people are always arguing themselves to death in the comments,' Holliday said.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The old slang term '86' probably started as restaurant-worker jargon. Suddenly it's in the news
NEW YORK (AP) — The slang term at the center of a political brouhaha swirling around former FBI Director James Comey is an old one, likely originating as food-service-industry jargon before extending to other contexts. Some of that spread has given rise to accusations from Republicans that it was meant as a threat to President Donald Trump. In a since-deleted Instagram post, Comey wrote 'cool shell formation on my beach walk' to accompany a photo of shells displayed in the shapes of '86 47.' He said in a follow-up post that he took it only as a political message since Trump is the 47th president, and to '86' something can be to get rid of it, like a rowdy patron at a bar or something that is no longer wanted. But Trump and other Republicans took it more ominously. They say Comey, with whom Trump has had a contentious relationship, was advocating violence against the Republican president, given that the slang term has at times been used as a way to mean someone's killing. It probably started in restaurants nearly a century ago The slang origins of '86' go back to codes used in diners and restaurants as staff shorthand in the 1930s or so, said Jesse Sheidlower, adjunct assistant professor in Columbia University's writing program and formerly editor-at-large for the Oxford English Dictionary. It meant that something on the menu was no longer available. Over time, he said, related uses developed. 'The original sense is, we are out of an item. But there are a bunch of obvious metaphorical extensions for this,' he said. '86 is something that's not there, something that shouldn't be there like an undesirable customer. Then it's a verb, meaning to throw someone out. These are fairly obvious and clear semantic development from the idea of being out of something.' He said there have been uses of it as a euphemism for killing someone, as in certain fiction stories, but that usage is not nearly as widespread. More likely it means to jettison something that is no longer useful — a definition parodied in the popular 1960s TV show 'Get Smart,' whose lead character was known — wink, nudge — as Agent 86. That type of meaning is reflected in the entry for '86' from Merriam-Webster, the dictionary used by The Associated Press. That definition says the meaning is 'to throw out,' 'to get rid of' or 'to refuse service to.' While referencing that there have been uses of it to mean killing, the dictionary said, "We do not enter this sense, due to its relative recency and sparseness of use.' But Trump and his administration insist that was the intent of the usage in Comey's initial post Thursday. 'He knew exactly what that meant,' Trump said during a Fox News interview Friday. 'A child knows what that meant. If you're the FBI director and you don't know what that meant, that meant assassination. And it says it loud and clear.' The usage has prompted a federal investigation Trump's administration is investigating. Comey said on social media: 'I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence." The relationship between the president and Comey has been strained for years. Trump fired Comey as FBI director in 2017, early in Trump's first term. In 2018, in a book, Comey said Trump was unethical and 'untethered to truth." That a slang reference can cause this kind of agita is not surprising, especially not at a time like the one we are living in, said Nicole Holliday, acting associate professor of linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley. 'I think that because we are in a hyperpartisan, polarized culture, everything is a Rorschach test,' she said. 'We're very sensitive about any indication that people are part of our in group or part of the out group.' Language can be a fraught subject because language and the meaning of words can be fluid based on context or culture or other factors. 'We're always kind of navigating this issue of, 'Well, I said this word and it meant X. But you heard this word and you thought it meant Y,'' she said. That navigation can be hard enough when it's person-to-person direct conversation. Taking it online the way much of our modern discourse is makes it even more so, she said. 'In real life, when you have a conversation with a human being, you are negotiating meaning. (But) when somebody posts ... There's no space. This is why people are always arguing themselves to death in the comments,' Holliday said. 'We're not meant to communicate like this about serious issues,' she said. 'Really, we're not.' ___ Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report. Deepti Hajela, The Associated Press
