Matt Buckler: Channel 8's Bob Wilson covers sports gambling story in Manchester
Sep. 30—Local television has already been flooded with sports gambling commercials.
The commercial blitz, however, might be just the tip of the betting slip.
Expect more commercials starting today now that the state casinos — Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun — will start their sports gambling operations.
The state's four local stations covered the story in the front of the newscasts. WTNH-TV8's Bob Wilson went the extra mile.
There will be 10 other places where sports wagering can take place and one of them is Shea's Pizzeria and Sports Bar in Manchester.
Wilson was at Shea's Wednesday and showed viewers where the sports betting will be taking place.
He also talked to Shea's owner Jack Maloney, who was optimistic and said that the state will probably make more money on gambling than originally predicted.
He also expects to sell a lot of pizza.
WVIT-TV30 reporter Kristen Johnson, however, had information that no other local station reported Wednesday — that gamblers won't be able to bet on any state college sports teams unless they are involved in a tournament.
Which means if you want to wager on a state college team, you might have to wait until March Madness.
Disney's go-to guy
The first time I ever cried in a movie theater was watching "Old Yeller" get shot.
The person who pulled the trigger was Tommy Kirk, who was probably in more Walt Disney movies than any other actor.
His emotional performance not only made me cry, but millions around America cry.
Thoughts of watching "Old Yeller" resurfaced Wednesday when it was reported that Kirk died at the age of 79.
The first time I remember seeing Kirk perform was when he played Joe Hardy in a "Hardy Boys" serial on "The Mickey Mouse Club."
I couldn't watch the theme song because it scared the mouse ears off me, but I never missed an episode — even when the serial was repeated, which was quite often on "The Mickey Mouse Club."
He was in many other Disney movies, most of them in black-and-white such as "The Shaggy Dog," "Merlin Jones," and "The Monkey's Uncle," which I watched at the now deserted Farmington Drive-In. Most of his movies played in drive-ins.
Perhaps the best action film Disney ever made was "Swiss Family Robinson" and Kirk was in that film — and was outstanding in it.
The material for Kirk wasn't always the greatest — turning into a dog in "Shaggy Dog" isn't going to bring out the best in your acting, but Kirk made it believable. It wasn't a real Disney film without him in the cast.
Kirk's Disney career fizzled after he came out as being gay. He was no longer the go-to guy for Disney, which had a family reputation to uphold. The movie and TV industry did not treat him fairly.
If you were growing up in the '60s, however, Kirk played a big part of our childhood.
He could make us smile. And in one unforgettable movie, he made us cry. Not too many actors could do that.
Couric's poison pen
When Katie Couric was co-host of the "Today" show, she was one of TV's most popular personalities — at least as far as the viewers were concerned.
But apparently she had more than her share of enemies — and all of them are about to be lambasted in print when Couric's new book, "Going There" is released in two weeks.
According to the New York Post, Couric has a bad word to say bout everyone, including folks such as Larry King, Deborah Norville, Prince Harry, and Martha Stewart.
Since the book is supposed to be 500 pages long, she had an opportunity to set a publishing record for bad-mouthing people.
Couric has had an interesting career as morning anchor, network newscaster, and talk show host.
Apparently she kept motes. And when those notes are made public, it should be interesting reading.
Court back in session
When CBS dropped "All Rise" from its programming lineup in May, we thought the courtroom was closed.
As it turned out, however, it was only in recess.
According to the website TV Line, the OWN cable network has picked "All Rise" off the scrapheap and will start showing Season 3. The first two seasons also will be available on OWN.
Most of the show's stars, including Simone Missick, who plays an unorthodox judge, will be returning.
"All Rise" was a breath of fresh air during its first season but lost momentum for Season 2.
This long recess could help "All Rise" get it back again.
The show hasn't aired on OWN yet, but it should already be one of the network's most popular shows.
Follow Matt Buckler for more television, radio, and sports coverage on the JI's Twitter @journalinquirer, and see his articles on the Journal Inquirer Facebook page.
