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| This is a
collection of old news and obituaries from the Morty's TV
News page. Dates, where shown, represent the date the
story was originally posted on the web site. Because
these are old stories, links within the stories may no
longer be active. For current news and schedules, click
here. |
You Can Browse Old
News By Month...
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Mary
Tyler Moore & Dick Van Dyke |
 |
|
"The Gin
Game" airs Sunday, May 4th on PBS. Check your
local listings for time and channel. Click
Here for details on this production.
|
[April 30, 2003, By LYNN ELBER AP television
writer LOS ANGELES - ] Dick Van Dyke is holding
Mary Tyler Moore easily in his arms as they move to the
strains of a waltz.
Rehearsing a scene for "The Gin Game," a PBS
production that has reunited the stars of "The Dick
Van Dyke Show" as acting partners after 37 years,
they're recapturing the magic they shared.
"It's like nothing has changed," said Moore.
"I don't know where the time went," echoed Van Dyke.
Then giddiness takes over and he veers into a skillful bit of
tap dancing and an impromptu concert watched by an amused
Moore. 
Full Details |
|
'Taxi'
Co-Star Conaway Sues Mandalay Bay |
 [April
30, 2003, Associated Press] Jeff Conaway, former
co-star of TV's "Taxi," has sued the owners
of Mandalay Bay, claiming security guards broke his arm at the
Las Vegas casino last summer.
The suit, which seeks unspecified damages, alleges the
52-year-old actor was manhandled on June 3, 2002, after he'd
spent some time drinking and playing blackjack. The suit
alleges assault, battery, infliction of emotional distress,
negligence and loss of wages.
Full Details
And... While classic TV stars are going to
court. Tough-guy actor Mr. T sued Best Buy Co. Inc.,
claiming the nation's largest electronics store did not have
permission to use his likeness in a print ad.
Full Details
|
|
Dick
Van Dyke, The Golden Girls and More... |
| [April 30,
2003] Dick Van Dyke & Mary Tyler Moore will
appear together on Larry King Live, Friday, May 2nd and
9:00PM, with a repeat at 2:00AM. Dick and Mary will discuss
their upcoming teleplay, "The Gin Game,"
which will air on PBS stations Sunday, May 4th. Larry King's
show is on CNN.
Lifetime, Television for women who hate men (just kidding),
will air "The Golden Girls Retrospective"
Monday, June 30, from 8:00PM Bea Arthur, Betty White,
and Rue McClanahan will be on hand. 79 year old Estelle
Getty is too sick to be there, as she is battling Parkinson's
Disease. The "girls" will reminisce about
their favorite scenes from the 180 episodes of the sitcom,
including the agonies of sagging skin, wobbly thighs, and sex
for the over-60 set. Also part of the special is
never-before-seen footage provided by the series'
creators, Paul Witt and Tony Thomas. A "Designing
Women" reunion is also in the works for
Lifetime, set to air in the fall.
Please note the listings for VH1 in the Viewer's Guide, in
addition to repeats of "I Love the '80's" on
Monday, May 12th, there are also repeats "Truth
Behind the Rumors," on "Charlie's
Angels."
All these shows are listed in
the viewers guide, be sure to check
it often so you don't miss a thing. |
|
So
Let's Review: |
| [April 26,
2003] The new June TV Land schedule has been
posted. It's pretty complete, I don't think there will
be many changes before June. Highlights include the
return of "Bewitched," "I Dream of
Jeannie," and "The Munsters."
The specials and boxed sets are posted, and look pretty
complete. I've posted the schedule for the "I
Dream of Jeannie" marathon, and the first day of the "Bewitched"
marathon. I didn't get tired of typing, I just don't
have the details for the second week, but they're
coming. And as always, thanks go to Pavan for the
info, and the proofreading that makes my shabby work ready for
primetime.
In the Viewer's Guide for May,
you'll find repeats of VH1's "I Love the '80's"
series (lots of fun and memories), and "Where Are They
Now," which catches up on child stars. I've
included as many season finales as I could find, which
has been a pain because the networks keep changing the
schedules. There's a bunch of network specials for the
May sweeps too.
When TNN becomes Spike TV in June, they implied they'll be
running some old action adventure series as filler around
their new original programming. These shows will be
listed on the TV Finder Index
page, but as Spike TV isn't really a classic TV channel, I
will not be doing a page for them. |
|
Former
Flying Nun Co-Star Charged With Theft |
 [April
26, 2003] The Smoking Gun reports that Shelley
Morrison who played Sister Sixto on "The Flying
Nun," and currently plays the wise-cracking
maid Rosario Salazar on "Will and Grace,"
is facing a felony theft charge following her arrest Wednesday
afternoon for allegedly shoplifting $446 worth of costume
jewelry at a Los Angeles department store. The Smoking
Gun reports that the 66 year old actress was arrested by
Los Angeles cops after she was allegedly caught stealing items
at the Robinsons-May store in the Westside Pavillon Mall.
Morrison, who was originally facing a potential felony
theft charge because the value of the hot goods was over $400
(the amount required to make it a felony). But on Tuesday the
Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office refused to file
a felony charge, pointing out that the merchandise in question
was just above the $400 cutoff for felony filings and that the
actress had no prior criminal record. They turned the matter
over to the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, who pressed
the misdemeanor charge.
Morrison was booked into the Van Nuys jail, where she was
held for about 90 minutes before making bail, which was set at
$20,000, according to the below L.A. County Sheriff's
Department record. Morrison is scheduled for a May 14
appearance in Superior Court. Born Rachel Mitrani, the actress
is married to Walter Dominguez, and was booked under the name
Rachel Dominguez.
Full Details |
|
Network
Executives Know What They're Doing. . . |
|
You
Can Bet on It. |
| [April 23,
2003] Or maybe they don't know what they're
doing, but you can still bet on it. Now that
the TV season is coming to a close, there are some shows whose
fate hasn't been decided. BetWWTS.com today became the
first bookmaker to accept wagers on the fate of the shows
rumored to be considered for the axe this Spring.
A popular series on ABC for a number of years, "The
Practice" heads the list of potential network
cancellations. A leading offshore gaming company for over 10
years, BetWWTS.com has listed the likelihood of "The
Practice" returning a "guilty verdict" and
not being brought back for the fall at 5/8 odds (i.e., win $5
for every $8 bet), while the chances that the courtroom drama
will return "on probation" for another season are
listed at 13/10 odds (i.e., win $13 for every $10 bet).
Another likely candidate for cancellation by ABC is "Lost
at Home," which BetWWTS.com lists at 1/2 to be
cancelled and 8/5 to be renewed.
BetWWTS.com has also listed odds on two CBS and one FOX
series returning for another season. The company lists the
chances of "Hack" surviving this round of
network cuts at 5/6 odds while the odds of the show being
eliminated from the network's schedule are 10/11. However, the
odds aren't in favor of "The Agency"
returning for another round of shows on CBS -- BetWWTS.com
lists the show at 5/8 to be cancelled and 13/10 to be renewed.
FOX's comedy "Cedric the Entertainer Presents"
looks like it may return to entertain fans again this fall
(5/7), but there's still a chance the comedian's show could be
pulled (11/10).
All odds listed above can be found at BetWWTS.com.
In addition, players wishing to wager on a complete list of 18
television shows still being considered for renewal by the
networks can visit the company's managed property BetP2P.com
and wager against other fans on the series' fates. I
know this isn't really a classic TV news, but I thought it was
fun. |
|
Almosts... |
| [April 22,
2003] Marketing departments like to give facts a
bit of a twist to help make the sale, here's three examples:
ABC will Celebrate its 50th Anniversary ABC
started by broadcasting radio (I don't know the year), it was
1948 when they started broadcasting television, so that's 55
years in just TV, not 50. They claim to be the third
network, but CBS, NBC, and Dumont were on the air first.
The big clip show is on May 19th, and I think it'll be one of
the better clip fests this year, which is 2003, not
1998. Leading up the the big show are a series of
Blooper shows, they're listed in the Viewer's
Guide.
Viacom's Comedy Central For years, the
Viacom corporate website has listed Comedy Central as one of
their properties. The truth is, they were only part
owner, AOL-Time-Warner-Turner owned a chunk of it too.
Now it seems the AOL group is looking to raise some cash, so
they're having a yard sale. Up for sale is their book
division, probably for about $350 million, its sports
teams, including the Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Hawks,
which are expected to sell for a total of more than $700
million, and its music division's CD and DVD manufacturing
business, perhaps for as much as $1 billion. Comedy
Central has been bought by Viacom, who won't need to
change their letterhead, since they always, almost, owned it.
Fox's Beverly Hills 90210 Reunion The
cast of "Beverly Hills, 90210," Fox's longest
running drama series, will reunite for a special, almost.
Can you really call it a cast reunion without Tori Spelling,
who played good girl Donna Martin? Also missing
are Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green. The
one hour special will feature interviews with Jason Priestley
(Brandon Walsh), Luke Perry (Dylan McKay), Jennie Garth (Kelly
Taylor), Shannen Doherty (Brenda Walsh), and Gabrielle
Carteris (Andrea Zuckerman), whose characters graduated from
Beverly Hills High School in 1993. The program will also
feature interviews with James Eckhouse and Carol Potter,
who portrayed Brandon and Brenda's parents on the series. "Beverly
Hills, 90210: 10-Year High School Reunion" (working
title) will be taped this Friday, and it's possible Tori could
find the time to tape a little message before it airs on
Sunday, May 11 9:00PM on FOX. |
|
Graham
P. Jarvis Played on Mary Hartman... |
 [April
21, 2003] Graham P. Jarvis, a familiar character
actor died Wednesday of multiple myeloma at his home in
Pacific Palisades. He was 72.
Perhaps best remembered for his role as Charlie Haggers in the
1970s series "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,"
Jarvis more recently turned up playing Charles Jackson on "7th
Heaven" and Bobo on "Six Feet Under." In
classic TV, he appeared on "Maude,"
"M*A*S*H," "The Odd Couple,"
"All in the Family," and a few dozen more.
His theater career included roles in productions as
wide-ranging as "The Best Man," "Much
Ado About Nothing" and "The Rocky Horror
Show."
He is survived by his wife, JoAnna Rader; two children,
Matthew and Alex; and a sister, Kitty Blair. |
|
Passings |
 |
|
Kathie Browne with
husband Darren McGavin. |
[April 19, 2003] Kathie Browne,
actress died at age 63. Brown who appeared in more than
100 TV episodes on shows like “Gunsmoke”, “Bonanza”,
“Rockford Files”, “Get Smart”, “Star Trek” and
many more, died of breast cancer on April 10 in Beverly
Hills. Browne, who first appeared on TV in 1957 on
"Gunsmoke" (her first name was misspelled as
"Cathy" in the credits), was the wife of
well-known actor Darren McGavin. Her last appearance
before turning her attentions to writing and producing was in
1980 on "The Love Boat."
 Sydney
Lassick, character actor died April 12 at age 79.
Lassik is best known for his role as Charlie Cheswick, a
mental hospital patient in the film “One Flew Over The
Cuckoo’s Nest”, but whose career includes many
memorable supporting roles in movies like “Carrie”
and “History of the World Part I.” His TV
roles included shows like “Barney Miller”, “Hawaii
Five-0” and “Night Court”, of diabetes
related problems in Los Angeles
 David
Schall, actor died suddenly at age 53 on April 11. Schall,
primarily a stage actor had a limited career on TV in
shows like “L.A. Law”, “Murder She Wrote”
and “Cheers.” Schall founded the Actor’s
Co-Op in Hollywood, died of a heart attack on April 11
in Hollywood just before the opening night curtain of the play
“Uncle Vanya.” His last TV role on “ER”
will be broadcast May 1.
 Christiane
Schmidtmer, actress died March 30 in Heidelberg, Germany
at age 63. Schmidtmer appeared in films like “The
Giant Spider Invasion”, “Boeing Boeing,” with Tony
Curtis and Jerry Lewis, “Women In Cages” and as the
nymphomaniac piano teacher in 1981’s “Hot Bubblegum”,
as well as films from her native Germany like "Unser
Doktor ist der Beste" and "Verspätung
in Marienborn" Schmidtmer also appeared in sexy
roles on TV shows like “Wild, Wild West”, “Wonder
Woman” and “Hogan’s Heros.”
Schmidtmer died of natural causes following an accident. |
|
Another
Lucy Documentary |
 [April
19, 2003] On Tuesday, April 29 at 10:00PM, the
Travel Channel presents the world premiere special "Lucy!
TV's Comedy Queen," an intimate portrait of the
world's most beloved redhead, comedienne Lucille Ball. The
comic legend that launched the modern sitcom, Lucille Ball
began her career as a teen model in NYC. Between 1933 and
1942, Ball appeared in over 50 films including "Roman
Scandals," "Stage Door," "Room
Service," "The Big Street" and "Too
Many Girls," where she met her co-star and future
husband Desi Arnaz.
 Although
true Lucy fans will note a couple inaccuracies, viewers
will find interviews with many of Ball's closest friends and
business associates particularly compelling. These discussions
shed unusual insight into the dynamic and often tumultuous
relationship between Ball and Arnaz. Among those interviewed
are: Gregg Oppenheimer, the son of "I Love Lucy"
creator Jess Oppenheimer; Bob Schiller, writer for "I
Love Lucy;" Bernie Weitzman, former Business Affairs
Vice President, Desilu Productions; screen and television
writer Hal Kanter; Tom Gilbert, co-author, "Desilu";
Ed Holly, Sr. Vice President, Desilu Productions; and Ball
hairstylist Irma Kusely.
Desiring stability and a family life with her husband, Lucy
eventually sought to work on television. This led to the birth
of "I Love Lucy." The show, a hit from the
outset, was a landmark series in both technical innovation and
subject matter. The series employed a number of technical
firsts, including the use of flat lighting and multiple
cameras. Because Arnaz and Ball were so passionately in
love, many of their romantic moments on TV were particularly
poignant.
As a businessman, Desi Arnaz was a force -- his sharp
business acumen allowed him to build Desilu Productions into
one of the most successful business ventures in Hollywood. The
company went on to produce such landmark series as "The
Untouchables" and "The Twilight Zone."
It also provided him with the ability to purchase RKO Studios.
The stress of running Desilu, along with Arnaz's excessive
drinking and extramarital affairs eventually led to the demise
of his marriage to Lucille Ball. Though the two remained
friendly and Arnaz continued to advise Ball on her business
affairs until his death, the marriage ended after 20 years. At
age 49, Ball went on to marry comedian Gary Morton. The Arnaz-Ball
romance, however, remains legendary. Even after their divorce,
Arnaz continued to send Lucille flowers on their wedding
anniversary until the day he died. |
|
More
Hillbilly Protests |
 [April
17, 2003] Protests have been popping up ever
since August 30, 2002, when CBS announced plans for a reality
series called "The Real Beverly Hillbillies."
CBS started a nationwide search for
"hillbillies" and the concept has offended
many rural groups. The latest are Appalachian coal
miners who will go to New York to protest unless plans
for the show are canceled.
Cecil E. Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of
America, said his members intend to show up at the May 21
shareholders meeting of Viacom, CBS' parent company.
Viacom spokesman Carl Folta said mine workers would be welcome
only if they're shareholders.
Last month, 43 members of the U.S. House of Representatives
representing states from Florida to Texas asked that plans for
the show be scuttled.
In a joint letter to CBS President Leslie Moonves, the
congressmen expressed outrage over the proposed program. U.S.
Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., called the planned show "trash
that should have no place on the public airwaves."
The Center for Rural Strategies, an advocacy group, has placed
ads in some of the country's largest newspapers, criticizing
the proposed series as demeaning to rural people.
Tim Marema, the group's vice president, said he hopes the coal
miners' union, with 100,000 members, can help to derail the
show.
A hotline has opened allowing potential families to
audition for the show: 323-993-7104 |
|
Multi-Millionaire
Olsen Twins to Produce for ABC |
 |
|
Business powerhouse
twins are two of Hollywood's most important players. |
[April 16, 2003] Mary-Kate and
Ashley Olsen are branching out into careers behind the camera
as producers of TV series and movies aimed at the tween and
young-adult demos.
The 16-year-old twins, now in their junior year of high
school, have struck a deal with ABC Family Channel to
executive produce a TV movie that will serve as a backdoor
pilot for a series. The Olsens will also host and executive
produce a series of four hour-long fashion specials for ABC
Family through their Dualstar Prods. banner. According to an
article in Fortune magazine last June, Dualstar Entertainment
has generated well more than one billion dollars in revenue in
the past two years.
 |
|
Someday I'll be calling
the shots...
|
The Olsens are also close to finalizing a deal with another,
unspecified Disney-owned cable outlet under which they will
executive produce a series of original movies aimed at an
older female audience and dealing with adult issues.
The Olsens plan to spend their summer vacation shooting their
first major-studio feature, "New York Minute."
Dennie Gordon ("What A Girl Wants") has
signed on to direct the action-adventure comedy for Warner
Bros. Pictures. |
|
More
New Old Stuff on Trio |
 [April
16, 2003] Trio will devote much of June to the theme of
"Uncensored Comedy." That's also the title of a
documentary featuring a number of comics talking about
where they draw the line and "Sick Humor,"
examines where jokes that exploit current events come from and
how they spread so fast. Both wil debut on June 8th.
Janeane Garofalo will host the special: "Outlaw Comic:
The Censoring of Bill Hicks" which looks at the
comedian who rarely shied away from any taboo
subject. The special includes footage from Hicks'
final appearance on "The Late Show with David
Letterman," which was cut from the broadcast because
of its content. "Outlaw Comic: The
Censoring of Bill Hicks" will air June 15
Other events scheduled for the month include the TV premiere
of "The Lenny Bruce Performance Film," a
filmed record of one of Bruce's final nightclub performances;
episodes of UPN's notorious series "The Secret Diary
of Desmond Pfeiffer"; and documentaries about "Amos
'n' Andy" and humorist Mort Sahl.
Trio is also planning a week of programming devoted to country
music in July and will make "Brilliant, But
Cancelled" a regular part of its prime-time lineup in
the fall. Each week will feature episodes of a cancelled
series. |
|
In
Lieu of Good Programs, Change the Name |
 |
|
Kelsey Grammer will
provide the voice of "Gary the Rat,"
a new animated series coming to Spike TV |
[April 15, 2003] So that was a
little rude, but think about it: It used to be "The
Nashville Network," the new owners wanted to get away
from the country roots, so they changed it to "The
National Network." But they wanted you to know even
newer than that, so they renamed it "The New TNN."
 The
New TNN has been trying to brand itself as "the first
network for men," in that Lifetime is "television
for women." I guess we weren't listening, so
they're changing the name to "Spike TV." The
new logo, maybe something phallic so you don't forget again,
will be unveiled on May 6.
OK, so to be fair there will programming changes which
included partnerships with Men's Health magazine, CBS
MarketWatch, as well as a schedule of new series and specials
geared to appealing to "the wide range of men's
entertainment interests." They promise a slate of
new series and specials, from reality shows to travel and
sports-themed programs; and more than 40 pilots currently in
development. Some new shows expected to debut in the
fall are: "Zero to 60," for car fans; "A
Guy and His Stuff," gadgets and technology for
guys; "Ride With Funkmaster Flex," cars
meets cribs with DJ host Funkmaster Flex; "Top
10 Things Every Guy Should Experience" (working
title), follows men as they personally experience
once-in-a-lifetime sporting events; "The
Scene," explores men's fascination with
entrepreneurial endeavors; "The
Eight-Minute Workout Challenge," "Crash
Test," "Ultimate Vacation
Sweepstakes," and specials and more. |
|
Guest
Stars on Street Smarts |
 [April
14, 2003] "Street Smarts" has two fun weeks
of special guests ready to air. "Street Smarts
Reality TV Week" airs April 28th-May 2nd, and pits former
reality show rivals and teammates against each other as
contestants playing for charity. The week includes the
following pairings:
* April 28th: Bob vs. Jamie ("The Bachelorette")
* April 29th: Rudy vs. Susan ("Survivor: Pulau Tiga")
* April 30th: Chicken George ("Big Brother")
vs. Monica ("Big Brother 2")
* May 1st: Rachel vs. Mohammed ("The Real World: San
Francisco")
* May 2nd: Kevin vs. Drew ("The Amazing Race")
"Street Smarts Reunion Week" airs May 12th-16th with
a bonus episode airing May 19th. The week-plus reunites
co-stars from everyone's favorite classic TV shows and classic
eras as they compete for charity, and includes the following
pairings:
* May 12th: Alison Arngrim vs. Karen Grassle ("Little
House on the Prairie")
* May 13th: Johnny Whitaker vs. Kathy Garver ("Family
Affair")
* May 14th: Tiffany (80s icon) vs. Jeremy Miller ("Growing
Pains") -- 80s reunion!
* May 15th: Bernie Kopell vs. Jill Whelan ("Love
Boat")
* May 16th: James Avery vs. Joseph Marcel ("The Fresh
Prince of Bel-Air")
* May 19th: Gary Owens vs. Phyllis Diller ("Laugh-In") |
|
Programming
and Schedule Changes |
| [April 11,
2003] Many of our favorite channels are tinkering with
their schedules, let me see if I can summarize this:
As you might have read, I called the Nick @ Nite changes
"major." Don't get excited, no new
shows... The aspect of the schedule that I consider
"major" is that "Wings,"
which only debuted on April 1, has already been dropped back
to one show a night at 1:00AM. "Kids Say the
Darndest Things," has also been trimmed to one show a
day at 5:30AM. Fans of "Three's Company" will
be pleased to see it's now on at during the prestigious
11:00PM to midnight block, with repeat airings at 3:00 and
3:30AM.
Future programming on Nick @ Nite includes: "Roseanne"
starting in September, "Full House," starting
in October, and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"
in the Fall of 2004.
On TV Land, the big news is what's coming
back. Let me give you a hint: He's
seven feet tall, green, lantern jaw, a dimple on his forehead
that's shaped like a lightning bolt. Well, if you
can't guess, you probably don't care that he's expected back
this summer. Summer will also see the return of "Bewitched"
(yes, both the B/W and color episodes), and "I
Dream of Jeannie." "Mr Ed" returns in
September.
On The Hallmark Channel, they're adding "Wagon
Train," "The Equalizer," and "Alfred
Hitchock Hour." There will also be more "Kojak"
movies, "McCloud," and "McMillian
& Wife."
On Oxygen, "A Different World" joined
their line-up which already includes: "Kate &
Allie," "Cybill," and "I've
Got A Secret."
"Caroline in the City" is heading to
Lifetime. Weekdays at 8:00AM starting Tuesday, April 15, when
the pilot episode will air.
Over at the Starz Encore group, WAM!, the 24-hour,
commercial-free tween channel, got exclusive U.S. rights to "Young
Hercules," and "Weird Science,"
and the Westerns channel got the exclusive rights to the early
'70s television series "Alias Smith and Jones,"
starring Pete Duel and Ben Murphy." No
mention on when these series will start airing.
Hunter sent me some info on a new channel in Canada.
Global TV has launched a number of digital stations. One
called "Dejaview" sounds really good, they're
running "Adam 12," "Hogan's Heroes,"
"The Saint," and "Three's Company."
In the fall they're getting "Bewitched"
and "Petticoat Junction." I'd also like
to note, that in Canada they run the full length episodes,
because Canadians won't stand for editing the way Americans
do. More
info here. |
|
Starsky
& Hutch Movie Cast Changes |
 [April
9, 2003] There have been some cast changes in the "Starsky
& Hutch" feature that will star Ben
Stiller, who is also producing the film. Stiller
will play Detective Dave Starsky, Owen Wilson replaces David
Duchovny as Detective Ken 'Hutch' Hutchinson and Snoop
Dogg replaces Chris Rock in the Huggy Bear
role. Today, The Hollywood Reporter
announced that Carmen Electra is in negotiations to join the
cast of Warner Bros. Pictures' film as Hutch's
girlfriend.
|
|
Passings |
 [April
9, 2003] Anthony Caruso, stage, film and TV
actor died April 4 at age 86. His career spanned five
decades and covered film, stage and television. Caruso
got his first break as a gangster in the 1940 film "Johnny
Apollo." He often played gangsters, desperados
and other bad guys and played an Indian chief in "Cattle
Queen of Montana", with Barbara Stanwyck, and
appeared in "Zebra Force," "The
Oklahoman," "Never Steal Anything Small,"
"Across the Pacific," and in several Bob Hope
and Abbott & Costello comedies.
Caruso made over a hundred appearances on the television shows
including "Gunsmoke," and "Bonanza."
He guest-starred on "Get Smart" and "Star
Trek" and “Have Gun Will Travel.”
The veteran character actor died Friday in his Brentwood
home after a long illness.
David Greene, four-time Emmy-winning director died
April 7, he was 82. Greene directed such memorable
television miniseries as "Rich Man, Poor Man"
and the first episode of "Roots," and
earned Emmys for the television movies "The People
Next Door" and "Friendly Fire,"
and was nominated for directing the 1984 miniseries "Fatal
Vision."
Among his other biopics for television were "The Betty
Ford Story" for ABC in 1987, the Liberace segment of "Behind
the Music" for CBS in 1998, and several movies or
miniseries drawn from actual events, such as "The
Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald" in 1977 and "Willing
to Kill: The Texas Cheerleader Story" in 1992. Greene
directed episodes of such popular television series as the
original "The Twilight Zone," "The
Persuaders!" and "Ellery Queen."
Among his motion picture credits are the 1973 "Godspell,"
which he wrote and directed, earning a Writers Guild
nomination for the screenplay. He also directed "Sebastian"
in 1968 and "Gray Lady Down" in 1978, among
others.
Greene died Monday in Ojai of pancreatic cancer. |
|
More
Cosby Coming to Nick at Nite |
 [April
7, 2003] Nick at Nite announced today that it will
produce its first ever original animated series, 'Fatherhood,'
based on the best selling book by Bill Cosby. David Alan
Grier ("Life With Bonnie," "DAG")
has been signed to the starring role of "Dr.
Bindlebeep," a high school teacher, loving husband and
father of three.
Cosby will executive produce the series for Nick at Nite
along with Charles Kipps ("Little Bill,"
"Cosby Mysteries," "Law & Order")
and David Brokaw ("Little Bill"). The
announcement was made by Larry W. Jones, EVP & GM, TV Land
and Nick at Nite. "It's great to work for a dynamic
company like Nick at Nite," said Cosby. "I hope the
audience will enjoy the art of New Yorker cartoonist George
Booth that inspired the look of these characters."
"We are thrilled and honored to join forces with
America's most beloved and creative funnyman for the network's
first original project," said Jones. "We've been
looking for an original property much like 'The Cosby
Show,' that truly fits the Nick at Nite family viewing
brand. What better way to launch our first original series
than with an original Cosby gem."
This project marks the third installment of Cosby's animation
"trilogy" which includes "Little Bill"
for Nickelodeon, "Fat Albert" and now "Fatherhood"
for Nick at Nite.
Since its launch on Nick at Nite (March 2002), "The
Cosby Show" is the #1 program on the network. Every
week, over 16 million people tune in to one of television's
biggest and most influential hits of the modern area. |
|
Dick
Van Dyke Reunion Update |
 [April
7, 2003] [Zap2it, TV News, by Jay Bobbin
April 1, 2003] "Ohhh Rob..." It's
a good bet Mary Tyler Moore will get to wail that classic line
again as Laura Petrie in the "Dick Van Dyke Show"
reunion special being written by series creator-producer Carl
Reiner. Almost a month after Reiner made the idea public at
the inaugural TV Land Awards, where the 1961-66 sitcom was
honored with the Legend Award, Moore confirms the update of
Rob (Van Dyke) and Laura's lives is still a
"go."
Full Details |
|
New
Stuff for Nickelodeon |
[April 6,
2003] Nickelodeon announced it will add five new series
to its schedule. The network unveiled three new prime
time animated series, including "All Growed Up,"
a "Rugrats" spinoff that imagines the
characters as adolescents; "My Life as a Teenage
Robot," which chronicles the title character's
attempts to balance saving the planet with high school; and "Danny
Phantom," about a boy who turns into a half ghost,
unbeknownst to his ghost-hunting dad.
 |
| Master P and Lil' Romeo |
Master P and Lil' Romeo will team up for 20 episodes of "Romeo!"
loosely based on their own lives as a family juggling their
home life with musical careers. Also cast is Victoria Jackson
("Saturday Night Live") as a
nanny. Also on the live-action front, is "Drake
and Josh," a tale of mismatched stepbrothers,
starring Drake Bell and Josh Peck, former stars of the Nick
series "The Amanda Show."
Nick Jr., a programming block targeting preschoolers, will
get two additional animated series "The Backyardigans"
and "Rubbadubbers." While Whoopi
Goldberg will star in and co-executive-produce a series of
three half-hour specials titled "Whoopi's Littleburg."
She will be joined by puppets and occasional guest stars,
including Sandra Bernhard and Rosie Perez. Another animated
special, "Miss Spider and the Sunny Patch Kids,"
will feature the voices of Brooke Shields and Rick Moranis.
Nick is also running a nationwide talent search beginning this
month to find a new cast member for the sketch comedy series "All
That." In May, the Sunday night block "TEENick"
will be moved to the Hard Rock Cafe in Los Angeles, where a
live studio audience will interact with celebrity guests. "Sabrina,
the Teenage Witch" joins the block in the fall. |
|
New
CBS Lucy Movie |
 |
|
Rachel York plays
Lucille Ball and Danny Pino portrays Desi Arnaz in a
Lucy TV movie. |
[April 1, 2003] On May 4, CBS will unveil "Lucy,"
a three-hour Sunday Movie depicting Lucille Ball's life and
career up to the end of the "I Love Lucy"
series and marriage to Desi Arnaz. The movie will star
Madeline Zima who played Grace Sheffield on "The
Nanny" as young Lucy, Broadway and screen actress
Rachel York as Lucy from her early 20s on and Daniel Pino of "The
Shield" as Desi. The movie is being produced
and overseen by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the duo that
brought us the Oscar-winning "Chicago."
In telling the Lucy story, they will incorporate
real-life vignettes and people, from Lucy's comedy mentors
such as Red Skelton and Buster Keaton to her close friend
Carole Lombard, as well as re-creating some of the classic "I
Love Lucy" moments. The movie will also focus
on the life of Desi, the man that created the sit-com (as we
know it now) and the rerun. "Lucy" will air
at 8:00PM, Sunday May 4th. |
|
Happy
Birthday General Hospital! |
 |
| "General
Hospital" is really the USC Medical Center located
at 1200 N. State Street in East L.A |
[April 1, 2003] On April 1, 1963 "General
Hospital" premiered on ABC. "General
Hospital" was created by Frank and Doris Hursley and
centered around the people working in a New York
hospital.
 |
|
Nurse Jesse Brewer with
her husband, intern Phil Brewer. |
Over it's forty year run attention has shifted to the
people in Port Charles business community, most
notably the Webber, Spencer and Quartermaine
families. However, on this date in 1963, the curtain
went up on a drama about Dr. Steve Hardy (John Beradino) and
Nurse Jessie Brewer (Emily McLaughlin). Since
then, big plots have included international intrigue
involving former agents of the WSB (World Security
Bureau), Luke and Laura's wedding and Mikkos Cassadine's
evil weather machine. Until 1977, Port Charles
didn't exist. The show never specified its setting. When the
writers finally decided the show needed a geographic setting,
the fictional locale of Port Charles in upstate New York was
created.
With over 10,250 episodes, "GH" is
the longest-running Daytime drama produced on the West Coast ("The
Guiding Light" is the longest running daytime drama,
premiering on June 30, 1952 and aired on radio previous to
that). On Wednesday, ABC will honor the series
with two episodes, starting at 1:00PM and 3:00PM.
|
|
Emmy
Honored Michael Jeter Dies at 50 |
 [April
1, 2003] Michael Jeter, TV and film actor, was found dead on
March 30 apparently of natural causes. Jeter is
best-known for his Emmy-winning (Outstanding Supporting Actor
in a Comedy Series) role as Herman Stiles, the
diminutive assistant football coach on “Evening Shade.”
He was later was nominated twice more for
Emmys for guest roles on the series "Picket
Fences" and "Chicago Hope." In
1998, Jeter found a ready audience among children when he
joined lovable Elmo on "Sesame Street" as Mr.
Noodle, who couldn't seem to do anything right. He appeared in
feature films like “The Green Mile,” in which
he played a hapless, mouse-loving condemned murderer, “Jurassic
Park III”, “Patch Adams” and the upcoming “The
Polar Express”, On Broadway, he earned
a Tony and an Outer Critics Circle Award for his
work in "Grand Hotel,"
Jeter was found dead Sunday in his Hollywood home by his
life partner, Sean Blue. Jeter was HIV positive and had
been ill, but the cause of death has not been
determined. In addition to Blue, Jeter is survived by
his parents, Dr. William and Virginia Jeter; a brother,
William; and four sisters, Virginia Anne Barham, Emily Jeter,
Amanda Parsons and Laurie Wicker. |
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