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A school reunion for Albert Brooks and Rob Reiner
Sixty years ago Rob Reiner and Albert Brooks met at Beverly Hills High School in a drama class. Recently they returned. “This is the first time both of us have been back since we graduated,” said Reiner.
“Over a certain age, it’s against the law,” added Brooks, who riffed on memory and reunions: “When you have to confront the actual people you were with [back then] – ‘Oh my God, who are you? You’re my grandmother?’ ‘No, you were in love with me.’ Oh my God!”
“You liked older women,” Reiner explained.
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They haven’t been back, but they’ve remained close friends for six decades, as Reiner went from playing Meathead in Norman Lear’s “All in the Family” to a career as a top-tier movie director: “A Few Good Men,” “Misery,” “When Harry Met Sally.” Rob’s father, legendary comedian and writer Carl Reiner, knew funny as well as anyone, and during an appearance on “The Tonight Show” in 1963, singled out his teenaged son’s teenaged friend, referring to 16-year-old Albert Einstein (Brooks’ birth name) as the funniest person he knew.
Brooks changed his name at the start of his career because of the other guy named Albert Einstein. His parents, Harry Einstein, a famous radio comic known, and his wife, Thelma, never owned up to why they burdened their son with the name of the world’s most famous physicist: “I asked. Believe me, I asked,” he said. “And all I got was, ‘Ask your dad.’ ‘Ask your mom.’ Nobody would tell me.”
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Albert Brooks went on to become the funniest comedian of his generation, relativity speaking. Reiner said, “He can’t split the atom, but he can create energy through laughter.”
Brooks’ originality was on display as soon as he found an audience, mostly on variety shows in the late 1960s and ’70s. Rather than tell jokes, he performed extended bits and created characters, like the world’s least-talented ventriloquist:
Albert Brooks on “The Flip Wilson Show” in 1972:
Brooks said, “It was like an elixir. I mean, it could make dead people laugh. It made everyone laugh. So, I kept getting jobs because of it.”
As Brooks kept working, Reiner kept pestering with a request: let me make a movie about your life.
Reiner’s documentary, “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life,” is currently streaming on Max. Why now? “Because he wouldn’t do it when I wanted to do it!” Reiner said.
Brooks (whose credits include the voice of Marlin in “Finding Nemo”) said, “There’s a lot of young people who, if they know me at all, they know me as a fish. You just would like to say, ‘You know, there’s more to it.’ And you can’t [say it] yourself on a street corner, ’cause that’s mental illness: ‘Well, wait a minute, I’m not just a fish. Do you know that in 1975 –’ ‘Look, I gotta, my car is here.'”
And Reiner helped out: “I knew all the things that Albert had done. I knew how brilliant he was. I wanted them to know.”
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There’s a lot to know. In 1971, Brooks wrote a piece for Esquire Magazine about the Albert Brooks Famous School for Comedians. It didn’t exist, but some didn’t get the joke. He got 2,000 applicants. “I had a two-page ‘talent test,’ the silliest test you ever saw,” Brooks said.
Soon after came a short film about the non-existent school, a pioneering example of the mockumentary:
Then came what might have been his big break. In 1974, Lorne Michaels was preparing a sketch comedy show for NBC that would become “Saturday Night Live.” He asked Brooks to be the permanent host; Brooks turned him down. “Can you imagine – 50 years, you’re doing that?” laughed Reiner.
Instead, Brooks made short films for “SNL”‘s first season, which led to his true calling: writing, directing and starring in some of the funniest – and most deliberately uncomfortable – movies of their time: “Real Life,” “Modern Romance,” “Lost in America,” “Defending Your Life,” and the semi-autobiographical “Mother” costarring Debbie Reynolds.
All of this in addition to his work as an actor, most memorably schvitzing his way to screen immortality in “Broadcast News.”
When he is described as “The Marx Brothers meet Richard Pryor,” Brooks said, “Well, that’s the greatest thing I ever heard. Because that’s four people!“
Back at their old high school, the two old pals found themselves at the Wall of Fame – friends still making each other laugh.
Though don’t expect a duet: Reiner went solo serenading us with the school hymn, where memory allowed: “Oh Beverly, we love you, our loyalty we sing. To thee all faith, all honor, our praises we sing. Our custom, traditions bring glory to thee … We love you, the, the, Beverly …’ and then there’s the end.”
“We need help!” Brooks cried out.
To watch a trailer for “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life” click on the video player below:
For more info:
Story produced by Gabriel Falcon. Editor: George Pozderec.
Some residents east of Atlanta were evacuated while others were told to shelter in place to avoid contact with a chemical plume after a fire at a chemical plant.
Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel told reporters that a sprinkler head malfunctioned around 5 a.m. Sunday at the BioLab plant in Conyers. That caused water to mix with a water-reactive chemical, which produced a plume of chemicals. The chief said she wasn’t sure what chemicals were included.
A small roof fire was initially contained, but reignited Sunday afternoon, Sheriff Eric Levett said in a video posted on Facebook as gray smoke billowed into the sky behind him. He said authorities were trying to get the fire under control and urged people to stay away from the area.
People in the northern part of Rockdale County were ordered to evacuate and others were told to shelter in place with windows and doors closed. Sheriff’s office spokesperson Christine Nesbitt did not know the number of people evacuated.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division were both on site, county Emergency Management Director Sharon Webb said. The agencies are monitoring the air “to give us more of an idea of what the plume consists of.”
McDaniel said crews were working on removing the chemical from the building, away from the water source. Once the product is contained, the situation will be assessed and officials will let residents know whether it is safe to return to their homes, she said.
An evacuation center was opened at Wolverine Gym in Covington.
Washington — Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will face off on Tuesday in the first and only vice presidential debate of the cycle, as the two candidates look to prop up the Republican and Democratic tickets with fewer than 40 days until Election Day.
The debate, hosted by CBS News at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City, will be moderated by “CBS Evening News” anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell and “Face the Nation” moderator and CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan.
Here’s what to know about how the candidates are preparing for the debate:
How JD Vance is preparing for the VP debate
The Ohio Republican has been preparing for the debate for more than a month, a source directly involved told CBS News, including with “murder board” sessions with a small team that includes Vance’s wife and his advisers, along with senior Trump adviser Jason Miller.
Among Vance’s main focuses during the preparation has been studying Walz’ debate style and policy record, the source said, noting that Vance will attempt to highlight what he sees as the Minnesota governor’s left-wing views during the debate.
Vance told reporters last week that his plan is to break down what the Trump-Vance administration would do to make “life better” and connect that to policy.
“So, we’re studying up as much as we can on the issues that matter to the American people, and I’m looking forward to it,” Vance said.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a Minnesota Republican, is standing in for Walz during Vance’s debate prep, four sources familiar with the preparations told CBS News. Emmer and Walz have deep roots in Minnesota and are close in age.
Emmer told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that he’s known Walz for decades and has spent the last month working to “get his phrases down, his mannerisms.”
“My job was to be able to play Tim Walz so JD Vance knows what he’s going to see,” Emmer said.
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How Tim Walz is preparing for the VP debate
Walz has been preparing for the debate with a close team of advisers, a source familiar with the preparations told CBS News. Some of the people involved also helped Vice President Kamala Harris take on former President Donald Trump, among others, like a long-time aid to Walz who worked with him during his bids for governor.
For Walz, whose name recognition was until recently limited outside of Minnesota, the focus is on continuing to introduce himself to the American people, according to the source. He’ll also work to highlight Harris’ vision for the nation’s path forward.
“You’ll hear me talk like I have about things that impact Americans, making sure they have the opportunity to thrive, making sure that we’re being factual in how we talk about that,” Walz told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow of the debate earlier this month. “And so I’m looking forward to it. I’ll work hard, that’s what I do.”
During debate prep, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is standing in for Vance, a campaign official familiar with the preparation told CBS News. The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, also assisted Harris during her debate prep in 2020, and is close in age to Vance.
When and how to watch the presidential debate
Debate coverage on CBS News 24/7 begins at 4 p.m. ET, with the debate getting underway at 9 p.m. ET on Oct. 1.
The 90-minute debate will be streamed on CBS News 24/7 and Paramount+ across all available platforms and CBSNews.com. The debate will also be simulcast across other broadcast and cable networks.
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Actor John Ashton, best known for his role as the by-the-book detective in the “Beverly Hills Cop” franchise, has died, his publicist Alan Somers confirmed to CBS News on Sunday. He was 79.
Ashton died Thursday in Ft. Collins, Colorado, after a battle with cancer.
“John was a loving husband, brother, father, and grandfather who will be deeply missed by all who knew him,” a statement said.
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Ashton was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on Feb. 22, 1948, and raised in Enfield, Connecticut. He received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Southern California.
Throughout his 50-year career in show business, Ashton appeared in nearly 100 movies after making his debut in 1973’s “The Psychopath.”
He was probably best known for his role as Det. Sgt. John Taggart in the first two installments of the “Beverly Hills Cop” series alongside Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold. He reprised his role in 2024’s “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.”
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Other film credits include “Some Kind of Wonderful,” “She’s Having a Baby,” “Midnight Run,” “Little Big League” and “Gone Baby Gone.”
On television, he played Willie Joe Garr on several episodes of “Dallas” and made an appearance on such shows like “Columbo,” “Police Squad!” “Hardball” and others.
“John devoted his career to honing his craft and bringing characters to life on the screen. His presence will be greatly missed,” Somers said.
Ashton is survived by his wife Robin Hoye, three children, three step-children and a grandson. He also leaves behind two sisters and a brother.
“John leaves behind a legacy of love, dedication, and service. His memory will forever be treasured by his wife, children, grandchildren, as well as his brother, sisters, his extended family and all who loved him,” Somers said. “John’s impact on the world will be remembered and celebrated for generations to come.”
The family requests any donations in Ashton’s memory be made to Pathways Hospice Care
Residents in Georgia ordered to evacuate or shelter in place after fire at chemical plant
Israeli airstrikes kill dozens across Lebanon as Hezbollah confirms a 7th top commander was killed
Residents told to evacuate or take shelter after Georgia chemical plant fire