Tag: Ron

  • Anson Williams Talks About Friendship with Happy Days’ Ron Howard, Henry Winkler


    Anson Williams learned how to be part of a team thanks to Happy Days — on set and on the softball field.

    On the Jan. 30 episode of 9021OMG, Williams, who played Potsie Weber on Happy Days, reflected on his friendships with his costars Henry Winkler, who played Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli, and Ron Howard, who played Richie Cunningham, and how creator Garry Marshall helped forge their connection. 

    “We have been close friends for decades,” Williams, 75, said, noting that Winkler, Howard and Don Most (who played Ralph Malph) are “literally a text away.” 

    “It’s just been a wonderful friendship. And just to have that kind of friendship that many years? It’s pretty unique,” he said. “But that has a lot to do with Garry Marshall, our mentor.”

    The ‘Happy Days’ cast at a softball game in the 1970s.

    American Broadcasting Companies via Getty


    Marshall, who died in 2016 at age 81, “really cared about us,” Williams said, “not just as a showrunner, but as young people because we didn’t know much.” He encouraged all of them to learn as much as possible on set by shadowing directors and writers and treating the set like “school,” and Williams said he thinks that’s why they’re all “still involved” in entertainment. 

    “Early on, Garry, he sat us down. I’ll never forget it,” Williams remembered. “He said, ‘You guys are gonna be famous. You don’t deserve it. But you’re gonna be famous. There’s gonna be a light on you. Your responsibility is, you take the light and put it on someone that does deserve it.’ ” 

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    Henry Winkler during a charity softball game with the ‘Happy Days’ cast in the 1970s.

    American Broadcasting Companies via Getty


    The “other thing” that Williams remembered as the best part of his experience on Happy Days was the show’s softball team. Marshall was a “sports fanatic” and had the idea for it. Williams remembered that all his castmates, except Winkler, 79, were ex-athletes, but Howard, 70, and his brother Clint taught him to pitch and he “ended up being really, really good.”

    The team toured the country, played in major stadiums before games and “hardly ever lost.” They also ended up playing on USO tours. Marshall told them, “I put it together because you always have the back of your teammate. I think it’s gonna come back to the set. I think it’s gonna stop a lot of evil.” And it did. 

    Post-Happy Days, Williams became a director and has helmed episodes of Melrose Place, Beverly Hills, 90210, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Lizzie McGuire and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. He told hosts Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling that fans still call him Potsie when they see him.

    Ron Howard during a softball game with the ‘Happy Days’ cast in the 1970s.

    American Broadcasting Companies via Getty 


    Williams said that when Happy Days became a hit after its premiere in 1974, it was Howard who told him “Anson, you gotta earn your name … How do you think I feel? I have two: Opie and Richie,” referencing his The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days character names. “You’ve got one. Shut up.”

    “We have to earn our names. Take this and do something bigger with it,” Williams said. Still, Williams joked, “Ron had won the Oscar, and they’re calling him Richie.”

    Williams stayed with Happy Days throughout its run until 1984. 



    Anson Williams, known for his role as Potsie Weber on the iconic TV show Happy Days, recently opened up about his close friendship with his former co-stars Ron Howard and Henry Winkler.

    In a candid interview, Williams shared that the bond he shares with Howard and Winkler has remained strong over the years, even after the show ended in 1984. He described Howard as “the ultimate big brother” and credited him with being a mentor and guiding force in his life.

    Williams also spoke highly of Winkler, who played the lovable greaser Fonzie on the show. He praised Winkler for his talent, work ethic, and kindness, saying that he is “a true friend in every sense of the word.”

    The trio’s friendship has stood the test of time, with Williams noting that they still keep in touch and support each other in their personal and professional endeavors. He emphasized the importance of having strong friendships in the entertainment industry, where relationships can be fleeting and superficial.

    As fans of Happy Days, it’s heartwarming to hear about the enduring friendship between Anson Williams, Ron Howard, and Henry Winkler. Their bond is a testament to the power of genuine connections and the lasting impact of shared experiences.

    Tags:

    Anson Williams, Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Happy Days, friendship, TV show, sitcom, actors, 1970s, nostalgia, Hollywood, entertainment industry, behind the scenes, on-screen chemistry, iconic characters, television history

    #Anson #Williams #Talks #Friendship #Happy #Days #Ron #Howard #Henry #Winkler

  • US Sen. Ron Johnson, US Rep. Gwen Moore, Stephen Nick


    The first week of the second Trump administration saw a flurry of executive orders, including moves to shut down borders to immigrants coming into the United States, dismantling federal DEI efforts and pardoning Jan. 6 defendants — U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore each responded to President Donald Trump’s actions. Eau Claire City Attorney Stephen Nick explained why he is seeking legal guidance from the state over law enforcement officers from other jurisdictions transporting homeless people in need of services to the city.
    U.S. Senator Ron Johnson
    R-Wisconsin

    • President Donald Trump pardoned approximately 1,400 defendants charged by the U.S. Department of Justice for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol. Many of those charged were convicted and sentenced for violence against Capitol Police officers that day. Johnson responded to the pardons, which included 11 people from Wisconsin.
    • Johnson: “I think there was a grotesque miscarriage of justice throughout the Biden administration — really a lawless administration. But as relates to January 6th, I think so many of these people were persecuted, weren’t offered speedy trials. So there were many harms that needed to be rectified there. Personally, I probably would have done it in different stages, been a little more selective, but I think in the end, President Trump apparently just decided to pardon them all. And I, truthfully, don’t have any problem with that. I don’t think anybody is really a true danger to society.”

     

    U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore
    D-4th Congressional District

    • U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore did not attend President Trump’s inauguration, and instead was in her district in Milwaukee on Jan. 20 to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day. She had sharp words about his pardons of the Jan. 6 defendants.
    • Moore: “Maybe I’m cowardly, but I’m terrified. One of my staffers said that she went to the cafeteria in this building and one of the January 6th people were there. I do know that most of the nonviolent, you know, little old ladies that had handmade signs were not the people who were indicted and in jail. The people who were indicted and jailed, I mean, they attacked police officers, they directed people to be violent, they had caches of — and I’m terrified, and my staff, I mean, they were actually in this building. I’m scared of them, and I do think that we have seen Republicans here, you know, who are very, they’re very, very careful not to criticize Trump, but we have seen them stumbling over their words as they have been stunned by this. I think they thought that there would be a little bit more parsing — this one and that one — but these 1,500 commutations and releases are absolutely stunning, and I think that it’s going to be very difficult, you know, to talk about law enforcement and initiatives in this government when we have let all these lawless people out.”

     

    Stephen Nick
    City Attorney, City of Eau Claire

    • The city of Eau Claire has been following law enforcement officers from outside the area increasingly transporting unhoused individuals in need of shelter or mental health services into his city – even when shelters are closed and services unavailable. Nick said these people end up being left at gas stations or otherwise without help to stay out of the cold. He has asked Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul for legal guidance on this practice, which he said is happening across the state as homeless populations rise.
    • Nick: “I know it is an issue around the state and colleagues — my fellow city attorneys, corporation counsel — have reached out to express shared experiences and support. And so I hope that those voices are raised in other portions of the community, ’cause it most certainly is an issue in the Madison area, in the Milwaukee area and Fox Valley, Wausau, Stevens Point, La Crosse — all are having these same types of challenges.”

     

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    The recent collaboration between US Sen. Ron Johnson, US Rep. Gwen Moore, and Stephen Nick is a promising sign of bipartisan cooperation. These three individuals have come together to address important issues facing our country and work towards finding solutions that benefit all Americans. It is encouraging to see politicians from different parties setting aside their differences to work towards common goals. This collaboration serves as a reminder that when we work together, we can achieve great things for our nation. Let’s hope that this is just the beginning of more productive partnerships in the future.

    Tags:

    US Senator Ron Johnson, US Representative Gwen Moore, Stephen Nick, Wisconsin politicians, political news, US government officials

    #Sen #Ron #Johnson #Rep #Gwen #Moore #Stephen #Nick

  • Ron Johnson’s crusade for simplicity • Wisconsin Examiner


    Back during President Donald Trump’s first administration, Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson was known as Trump’s most reliable ally in the U.S. Senate. He led investigations into Hunter Biden, Hillary Clinton and alleged irregularities in the 2020 election that Trump lost. A proponent of conspiracy theories about COVID-19 vaccines and climate science, Johnson is not one of those Republicans who had to overcome principle to get in line behind Trump. 

    He is completely at ease with the new administration — including the pardons of the Jan. 6 rioters who stormed the Capitol, battered police officers and sought to hang then-Vice President Mike Pence. The blanket pardon for the rioters, including those convicted of violent crimes, was “maybe a little more sweeping than I wanted to see,” he averred during a Politico breakfast this week. But, overall, Johnson said, the Jan. 6 defendants were victims of a “grotesque miscarriage of justice.” So Trump was right to pardon them.

    If ever Johnson struggles to go along with Trump’s more out-there ideas, like slapping huge tariffs on imports that could devastate Wisconsin businesses and farms, he just figures he must not truly, deeply understand their wisdom. 

    “When I don’t necessarily agree with him, I always ask myself, what am I not seeing here?” he told Politico’s Zach Warmbrodt. Like any good enabler, Johnson figures Trump must have some extra-tricky reason for doing harm that actually makes what he’s doing good. 

    That kind of thinking will come in handy during the next four years. It could prove particularly useful to Trump as he tries to hold together supporters drawn to his promises to lift up the working class — the “forgotten men and women of America” — and tech billionaires including Elon Musk who want to liquidate the safety net, drive down wages and establish a permanent American oligarchy.

    Johnson embraces white grievance and the racist, right-wing populist “replacement theory”— suggesting Democrats want more immigrants to cross the southern border and come to the U.S. to “change the makeup of the electorate” — but he is also fully, cheerfully on board with oligarchy. 

    Nothing suits Johnson better than the Trump administration’s plan to cut taxes for the very rich and slash entitlements to pay for it.

    This was the gist of his appearance at the Politico breakfast this week, where he was introduced as someone who will have “a big role” in tax battle, having played “a very important role” in Trump’s 2017 tax cut. 

    Johnson basked in the glow, recalling how he held up the whole 2017 law until he managed to shoehorn in a big tax cut for “pass-through corporations” Johnson confirmed that he personally benefited from the change in the tax code that he pushed through in 2017. He cast the deciding vote for Trump’s tax code rewrite giving corporations tax cuts worth $1.4 billion — but only after he arm-twisted Trump and Congress into including special benefits for so-called “pass-through” corporations — companies like his own PACUR plastics firm — whose profits are distributed to their owners. A few months later, Johnson began the process of selling his company, reaping the benefits of the tax law change, which increased the value of pass-through companies and made him more money on the sale.

    According to Politifact, “Analyses from the Joint Committee on Taxation and the National Bureau of Economic Research have found that ultra-wealthy Americans have received billions in tax savings stemming from that deduction, while those earning less have gotten less of a break.”  The news organization cites one study by the National Bureau of Economic Research that found the top 1% of Americans received nearly 60% of the tax savings created by the provision, with most of that amount going to the top 0.1%.

    “I made sure all the passthroughs got a tax cut, that was my contribution,” Johnson said. 

    “Whatever we do, we need to make it permanent,” Johnson said of the individual income and estate tax provisions of the 2017 Trump tax law. That law was heavily skewed to the rich. Households with incomes in the top 1% will receive an average tax cut of more than $60,000 in 2025, compared to an average tax cut of less than $500 for households in the bottom 60%, according to the Tax Policy Center.

    Thanks to the law, revenue as a share of GDP has fallen from about 19.5% in the Bush years to just 16.3% in the years immediately following the Trump tax cuts, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. That leaves commitments to Social Security and health care benefits for retirees in jeopardy, the Center concludes.

    Nor did the tax cut yield the big benefits Trump projected. ​​New research shows that workers who earned less than about $114,000 on average in 2016 saw “no change in earnings” from the corporate tax rate cut, while top executive salaries increased sharply, the Center reports. “Similarly, rigorous research concluded that the tax law’s 20% pass-through deduction, which was skewed in favor of wealthy business owners, has largely failed to trickle down to workers in those companies who aren’t owners.”

    Yet making those tax cuts permanent is among the “top priorities” for Congress and the new administration, Johnson said. His biggest contribution to the next tax debate will be his push to rewrite the tax code and “keep it simple,” and cut spending to pay for more cuts. 

    “We have to return spending levels to some reasonable pre-pandemic levels,” he told the audience at the Politico breakfast. Building Trump’s border wall and keeping low taxes that benefit the very rich are the top two priorities for government, Johnson said.

    Everyone would be able to see the wisdom of that program, as long you “keep it simple,” he added. The formula he laid out was “eliminate expenditures” and then you can dramatically cut rates. 

    He wants to “free corporations from all this complexity in the tax code,” he said, adding he favors “a corporate tax rate of zero.”

    Health care and Social Security, though? Not so much.“Stop trying to socially and economically engineer through the tax system,” Johnson advised. 

    Let the rich keep their money. Slash the safety net. It’s simple. 

    GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.



    Ron Johnson, the senior U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, has become known for his crusade for simplicity in government. Johnson, a Republican, has been a vocal advocate for cutting red tape, streamlining bureaucracy, and making government more efficient and effective.

    In recent years, Johnson has championed efforts to reduce the size and scope of government, eliminate unnecessary regulations, and improve transparency and accountability in government operations. He has also been a strong supporter of efforts to simplify the tax code, reduce government spending, and promote fiscal responsibility.

    Johnson’s commitment to simplicity in government has won him praise from conservatives and libertarians, who see him as a champion of limited government and individual freedom. However, his efforts have also drawn criticism from some who argue that his policies could have negative impacts on vulnerable populations and essential government services.

    Despite the controversy surrounding his crusade for simplicity, Johnson remains steadfast in his commitment to making government more efficient and accountable. As he continues to push for reforms in Washington, it is clear that his passion for simplifying government will remain a central focus of his political career.

    Tags:

    Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Senator, simplicity, government reform, political news, Wisconsin politics, Ron Johnson news, current events, political reform

    #Ron #Johnsons #crusade #simplicity #Wisconsin #Examiner

  • 5 key details about Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman’s murder


    The O.J. Simpson case is one of America’s most controversial legal cases. Former NFL star O.J. Simpson was acquitted of the June 12, 1994, murders of his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman, who were found stabbed outside Nicole’s Los Angeles home.

    Even after thirty years, the case which captivated the nation remains unsolved. The trial, which was called, The People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson happened in Los Angeles County Superior Court, where Simpson was acquitted of the double murders. However, in 1997, he was found liable once again.


    5 details regarding the murder of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman

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    Here are five key details from the murder case of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman.

    1. The double murder of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman

    On June 12, 1994, Nicole Simpson and her family visited a restaurant in Los Angeles for dinner. They were served at the restaurant by Ron Goldman, a waiter there. Late that night, Goldman went to Brown Simpson’s home to return a pair of glasses belonging to Brown’s mother. However, at around midnight, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were found dead at Brown Simpson’s home. They were brutally stabbed.

    On the night of the murder, NFL star O.J. Simpson was in Los Angeles. But he took a later flight that night to Chicago. Once he returned to Los Angeles the following day, he was interviewed by police.


    2. The infamous car chase

    On June 17, 1994, Simpson was ordered to surrender. However, he fled instead in a white Ford Bronco with his friend Al Cowlings. This led to a slow-speed chase where Simpson was tailed by police officers. This brought Southern California freeways to a standstill. It was even broadcast on television for 95 million Americans. The chase was documented by news helicopters which hovered overhead to film the scene. O.J. Simpson finally surrendered and he was arrested.


    3. A trial that shook the country

    O.J. Simpson was tried for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. His defense argued he was framed, while prosecutors claimed he was abusive and had killed Nicole despite their divorce.

    Blood from the crime scene was found in Simpson’s car and home. When Simpson tried on gloves believed to belong to the killer, they didn’t fit, strengthening the defense’s case. In 1995, Simpson was acquitted of all charges and consistently maintained his innocence.


    4. A guilty verdict two years later

    Even though Simpson was acquitted, Brown and Goldman’s families did not stop seeking justice. In 1997, they filed a civil suit against him and a civil jury found Simpson liable for the double murders. He was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages to both the victims’ families.


    5. O.J. Simpson went to prison for unrelated crimes

    Although Simpson was acquitted of the double murders, he went to prison on account of a number of felony counts, including kidnapping and armed robbery. He served his sentence for nine years before walking out a free man on October 1, 2017. He lived the rest of his life in Las Vegas before passing away on April 10, 2024, from cancer.


    Netflix’s American Manhunt: O.J. Simpson covers in detail the trial of O.J., which is regarded as one of the most controversial cases in recent history.