ANOTHER OBSTACLE
‘American Ninja Warrior’ moved after the end of NBCSN
You have questions. I have some answers — after a long visit to the entertainment vault.
Q: I am wondering about “American Ninja Warrior.” It used to be on an NBC Sports channel and suddenly the channel and show disappeared.
A: NBCUniversal shut down its sport channel NBCSN at the end of last year and has moved its programming to other services including USA Network and to the companion streaming service Peacock. When the decision to drop NBCSN was announced a little over a year ago, the Wall Street Journal noted that the sports channel had struggled competitively against other sports operations. USA was also losing audience, so “by putting popular sports on the USA channel, NBCUniversal is hoping it can increase its value of USA Network to distributors. Having more sports on USA will also make it a more viable competitor to … TBS and TNT … which also carry a mix of entertainment and sports,” the paper said.
As for “American Ninja Warrior,” that was being shown in repeats on NBCSN with episodes airing first on the NBC broadcast network. A new season, the show’s 14th, is in the works. And there are repeats out there, including on Peacock and the Bally Sports channels.
Q: On Christmas Day a few years back, I heard Elvis Presley sing a holiday song with the chorus of “Why can’t every day be like Christmas?” I have looked on iTunes, Googled it, etc., but cannot find this song. Do you have any ideas?
A: Let me dig deep in my own Elvis collection and … there’s “If Every Day Was Like Christmas,” written by Elvis’s friend Red West. First released in 1966, it has appeared on several Elvis Christmas collections over the years.
Q: What is the name of the actor who played the dentist in the “MASH” movie and is he still alive?
A: That’s John Schuck, now 82 years old and still with us. For some folks, he is best known for performances in various “Star Trek” productions. Others will recall him as Enright on the old “McMillan & Wife” series.
Q: A good number of years ago we saw a movie with John Belushi called “Continental Divide.” We would love to see it again. Where should I look?
A: “Continental Divide,” from 1981, was an attempt to make Belushi a romanticcomedy star, in this case opposite Blair Brown. It was Belushi’s next-to-last screen role, followed only by “Neighbors” later in the same year. Online rental sites with the film include Amazon Prime Video and VUDU. It has also been released on DVD and Blu-ray.
Do you have a question or comment about entertainment past, present and future? Write to Rich Heldenfels, P.O. Box 417, Mogadore, OH 44260, or brenfels@gmail.com. Letters may be edited. Individual replies are not guaranteed.