The LuLac Edition #2275, November 24th, 2012

The Luzerne County Courthouse. 

LET ME IN!!!! 

News came this week from the Luzerne County Sheriff that there will only be on entrance to the Courthouse. If you need to go there for Jury Duty, to pay a bill, get a license, whatever, you and thousands of others will have to use the back door. The last I stopped in it was like a mine field in the back parking lot to even get there. And if you are disabled, despite the lift in the back, you are going to have a challenging visit. Starting on December third, the south lawn entrance will be closed until 430pm. After that, it will be open for meetings to the public because they won’t need a security guard there at night. Get that puzzled look off your face, and quit shaking your head, I’m trying to figure that one out too.

Hagman as Governor Fred Picker in "Primary Colors".  

LARRY HAGMAN 

 Sometimes it’s not the talent or desire in the actor that makes them a pop icon but rather the role they get to play. Larry Hagman got the opportunity to play J.R. Ewing on the hit TV series “Dallas”. If Mary Tyler Moore made it acceptable for single women in the 70s to stay home and not feel like losers, then the 9PM Friday night start time of “Dallas” was mandatory for families that wanted to get a fictional glimpse of how the other half lived. The Ewings were just as dysfunctional as anyone a TV viewer could imagine and J.R. was the villain in chief. Watching that show made you grateful for the family you landed in. Hagman was 81 when he passed away, but I was struck by the bullet points I saw on line announcing his death. They were: 
Son of actress Mary Martin. 
Played J.R. Ewing on “Dallas”. 
Created a ratings frenzy when his character was shot in one of the first TV series cliffhangers. Drank four bottles of champagne a day before he decided to enter rehab. 
That last part was sad and amusing at the same time. If you are going to be a drunk, be one with expensive tastes at least. Hagman also played a role in one of the most talked about political movies of the 90s, “Primary Colors”. Written by “anonymous” (that later turned out to be Time Magazine’s Joe Klein) Hagman played former Florida Governor Fred Picker who enters the Presidential race late in hopes of wresting the nomination from the character (Jack Stanton) played by John Travolta. It was a role that gave audiences a glimpse into Hagman’s acting range. He also played roles in “Nixon”, “Failsafe” But he will always be remembered as J.R. Ewing, that Texas icon that you loved to hate. He played businessman Jack Jones in the movie "Nixon", here's that clip.