Filling in the Holes - Part 1B

Hi Alex,

Today is that most Dutch of Bank Holidays, King's Day. Basically, we're celebrating the King's Birthday and everybody gets a day off. On top of that, there are plenty of festivals and the are Free Markets. Now, the Free doesn't mean that you don't have to pay for stuff, but.... 

Normally you need a permit to sell at a market. Not on King's Day. All you need is a sheet/rug, a chair and stuff to sell. Entire neighborhoods and town centers essentially turn into giant yard sales. 

Family in the States

I know I was a bit vague about my family in the States, but this was deliberately. After all, I'm also putting these letters on the internet and that is full with all sort of creeps and weirdos. So I'm playing it safe. What I will say is that I have three sisters, each with three sprouts and a husband. One of my sisters and her family has moved to States. And that's all I have for you.

I also know that my grandmother on my mother's side had a brothers and sisters, some of whom moved to Canada in the early 20th century. So I figure that by now, there's probably a whole branch of the family we know nothing about out there.

What We Did When

We flew to the US on 16th, which was this weird travel day because of the time difference. Fortunately, we had the 17th to celebrate the birthday of one of my brothers-in-law and settle in a bit. The weekend - 18 and 19 - was NYC time. 

And 20/3 was lunch with Rick and more family time. Finally, 21/3 was our trip to the MoMA and the trip back home. Fortunately, I had three more days off and a weekend before going back to my day job.

And that's all I have for today,

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)

Filling in the Holes - Part 1A

Hi Alex,

Okay, so yesterday, my head wasn't exactly in a writing mood. With the result being that my post was on the short side. I decided to make my previous letter Part 1 and take another stab at it today. (Besides, I'm also trying to dust off my Twitter account and I figured that having two posts to share couldn't hurt.) So, here's today's....well, let's call it an addendum to Part 1...

Lunch

That lunch with my friend was with my fellow Trekkie Rick Clogston. Rick visited the Netherlands back in September, so it was full to see him again. Besides being a Trekkie, Rick is also an excellent singer. He leads the Red Hat Band, which he drags all over to play gigs. 

Rick gave me his band's CD and T-Shirt with their logo. I haven't worn the T-shirt yet - the weather hasn't been good enough - but I do have the CD playing while I'm writing this. It's good. Also, I'm trying to lure Rick into another trip to the lowlands this September. But only time will tell if I'm successful. 

New York Sights

Yeah, the list of New York sights we saw, was far from complete. But even if I had listed all we had seen, it would be far from all of the New York sights. Because we were there for two days and only scratched the surface. NYC is simply too big. You'd need at least a week to get a good look at that city. 

One funny thing....I've seen the Late Show with Jimmy Fallon. It always opens with Fallon walking into the studio building and then onto the stage. I also figured that this was some green screen/computer construct. The thing is, we walked past the studio and it actually DOES look like that.

Okay, I think that's enough. Maybe I'll write another addendum tomorrow. Maybe not. You'll just have to wait and see. :) 

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)

Filling In The Holes - Part 1

Hi Alex,

It's been quite a while since I've posted, so I'm dusting the old girl off and filling in some of the holes. Now, without further ado...

New York

Back in 2020, I got together with my brothers-in-law and discussed going to New York. And then Covid19 happened. So for two years, our plans were frozen solid. But 2022 saw things thaw at last. We got back to planning and set the date for March 2023.

The flight out was on 16/3 and the flight back home was on 21/3. And between that, it was great. We spend two days in NYC and saw a lot of great things. Including Brooklyn Bridge, One Vanderbilt and the Museum of Modern Art. 

As for the rest of the trip, I spent some first rate quality time with friends and family who life in the US of A. We had lunch, celebrated a birthday, went to see places and did plenty of other stuff. It was a fascinating glimpse into what life in America is really like.

And that's all for today, folks,  

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)

NCIS is showing that CBS is in trouble

My Case

Okay, to begin with, I am no insider. But I have eyes and I have a brain. So these are observations that I have made. Some over the years, some recently. Anyway, here we go...

Back when Hawaii Five-0 was still on the air, I figure these were the best paid actors in the Lenkov/NCIS-verse...

1. Alex O'Loughlin
2. Scott Caan
3. Scott Bakula
4. LL Cool J
5. Chris O'
   Donnell
6. Daniella Ruah
   
7. Mark Harmon

The Fat Trimming Starts...

...with the cancellation of Hawaii Five-0. Strike O'Loughlin and Caan off the list. This also freed up Katrina Law. Let's put a pin in that. And it freed half of the Hawaiian facilities, opening the door for NCIS: New Orleans to be cancelled and replaced by the cheaper NCIS: Hawaii. Why is it cheaper ? Because A) It allows them to shut down a studio and B) It strikes Scott Bakula off the list. 

Now, as I understand it, actors working for a CBS show get a 7-year contract and each year they get paid more. And when the contract ends, union rules demand that the company renegotiates. This is also why NCIS: Los Angeles is not getting a Season 15. CBS doesn't want to renegotiate. 

Instead, they are taking the opportunity to strike to LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell off to the list. In fact, they are replacing the whole show with the cheaper to make NCIS: Sydney. But how can NCIS: Sydney be cheaper, if it's setting is halfway around the world ? 

Well, to begin with, CBS' Australian branch/partners are footing half the bill. And all the actors in it are paid Tier 1, versus the LL Cool J and O'Connell who are both Tier 14. And so is Daniella Ruah. Almost forgot she had been around since season 1 as well. So that makes three Tier 14 actor gone. 

And NCIS: LA has already been subject of trimming as well. The convenient replacing of Linda Hunt - who was getting up there in Tiers as well - by Gerald McRaney. And the departures of Barrett Foa and Renee Felice Smith. Which was pretty convenient for the show's budget department. But I'm digressing, let's move on to....

The Lenkov-Verse Shows

Which at this point are down to two: MacGyver and Magnum PI. MacGyver ended up getting cancelled altogether. As for Magnum PI....first it became a joined production with Universal and then CBS tried to cancel it as well. Fortunately, NBC rode in to safe the day. But I think it's safe bet that CBS is somehow getting some residuals out of this situation. That, while no longer having to pay for production of the show. Next, lets take about....

The Last Man/Show Standing

Because the original NCIS is not above this situation as well. For example, let's get back to our pin. Emily Wickersham was on Tier 8 and was replaced by Katrina Law. Even if her contract from Five-0 was not cancelled, Law is only Tier 2. 

And she was not the only cut to be made. Other examples:

1. David McCallum's screen-time has been greatly reduced, 
2. After Jimmy Palmer's promotion no replacement assistant ME was hired. Sure, there was an episode where Jimmy interviewed candidates, but nobody was hired in the end. (This was CBS throwing the fans a bone to make them shut up about this issue.)
3. Maria Bello's Jack Sloane left. Another convenient departure for the budget people...
4. ....Where we can also file Pauley Perette's replacement by Diona Reasonover. 
   
5. Agent Quinn lasted only one season (and was not replaced by a new character).
   

But we all know what the big cut was...replacing Mark Harmon - who was on Tier 19 - by Gary Cole. Even if Cole asked for a lot of money per episode, there's a fair chance that he is cheaper the Harmon. 

And it's very possible that there is another big cut waiting in wings. In episode 5 ("Guardian") of Season 20 (the current one), Timothy McGee temporarily takes over from Vance. And at the end of the episode, McGee says that he is liking it. 

This sounds to me like they are laying the groundwork for McGee to succeed Vance as director. Doing so would allow them to remove Rocky Carroll's paycheck from the budget altogether, while dialing back Sean Murray's screen time considerably.

The Big Question

Why is CBS doing all this trimming ? In my opinion, the answer is simple: Money. They already rebranded their streaming service once and now it's merging with Showtime. But I think that all of the above shows that they have been in trouble for a long time.

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)

Why I think the quality of Picard S3 doesn't matter....

 ....If It's Good Or Bad

After all the visceral that Picard Season One and Two took, making Season Three was not a glorious job. Essentially, it was a house on fire. So Alex Kurtzman and Akiva Goldsman bolted, leaving Terry Matalas to deal with the ruins. 

If It's Bad...

From what I've seen of them so far, Kurtzman and Goldsman will throw Matalas under the bus. All the  show's flaws - including those in season 1 and 2 -  will magically all be his fault.

If It's Good

Kurtzman has a giant ego. There is no way he is going to let Matalas beat the odds and run off with the glory. (Which he was never supposed to have.) He'll find a way to stab both Matalas and the fandom in the back. 

My guess is that he'll either make sure that Matalas' next project is non-Trek. Or he'll put his in charge of the already deeply loathed Section 31 show, with the Discovery Writers' Room conveniently reassigned there.

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)

Bit and Pieces Vol. 12

 Hi Alex,

Operation Salvage continues...

My house wasn't very Christmas-like, but now the lights are now in place. I've also taken care of the grocery shopping. Sure, I might have to get some (fresh) things later in the week, but no need to do bulk buying. 

So with a bit of luck and planning, I'll be able to avoid the stores during the Christmas weekend. Also, I've bought (yesterday) and posted (today) my Christmas cards, so this they have a fighting chance of making it in time.

Speaking of (electronic) mail...I also cleaned my inbox and dealt with (most of the) bills. The last bill should get the chop tomorrow. Other then that, all I need to get a haircut and I am good to go. 

(Well, that and I need to keep my Blog/Twitter from sliding back into being forgotten/gathering dust. But this letter is taking care of that.)

That's all I have for today,

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (Commander Nash)

Bits and Pieces Vol. 11

 Hi Alex, 

It's that time of year that you read your previous blog entries and wonder..."What happened to all those plans I announced in my previous entries ?" 

Well, in the case it's that old saying "Life is what happens while your making other plans." Several of my family members moved to the United States (of America) and it was quite the whirlwind. 

It is all the "Working Out in the End" phase now, but it took a while to get there. That, and the phase will take a couple of weeks to complete. Moving on to...

My Buddy Rick Clogston

In my 10 September blog, I said that my buddy Rick was coming. He came by in the last week of September. We chatted - the old-fashioned way - had lunch and he sang some songs. He also recorded a video, which I am sure is floating around the Internet somewhere. Alas, for thus of you wanting to see yours truly on the web, I successfully dodged the camera. 

The thing is, Rick is threatening to visit again in 2023, and this time he would not allow any camera dodging. (Poor viewers, my voice sounds like a male Fran Drescher and when I sing it gets even worse.) And that brings me to...

Picking up the Pieces

So, it's the nearly the end of the year. So Operation "Salvage What You Can." is in full swing. Which is why I am dusting off my blog and Twitter. What is next ? Time will tell. But this is what I have for today.

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (Commander Nash)