Fun Friday: "Let It Go," 80s-TV Style

Sometimes I wonder who has time on their hands to find clips and edit them into such things, but then I remember the kinds of things I did when I was 14-15. Granted, the internet was much younger then, but I spent hours upon hours building fan pages for Gummi Bears, Labyrinth, and other popular culture topics I can't even remember anymore. Of course, this was all on one of those AOL Hometown pages that bit the dust back in 2008, but, alongside SimTower, it was what I did for fun, backed up on 3.5" disks.

Digression aside, Jim Cliff has posted a video on YouTube with 60+ clips of 80s television shows spliced together to make out the lyrics to Frozen's "Let it Go." (a song which will, apparently, never actually go away.) It's done pretty well, and I laughed at multiple points, so thought you might get a kick out of it, too.
I'm not going to list all of the series I noticed, but keep an eye out for some greatness like Three's Company, Saved by the Bell, Cheers, ALF, Perfect Strangers, the original Beauty and the Beast, Knight Rider, Who's the Boss, The Cosby Show, The Wonder Years, DuckTales, M*A*S*H, Roseanne, and Dallas. Do you have favorite parts in this mash-up?

Instant Mom: Mothers Help Each Other Out

I'm very curious as to how the guest stars [Meredith Baxter (Family Ties), Jackee Harry (Sister, Sister), Florence Henderson (The Brady Bunch), Marion Ross (Happy Days), Tempestt Bledsoe (The Cosby Show)] were selected for this episode... did the producers see who was available and then have the writers craft the jokes from there? I mean, Jackee Harry is perfect for this, but Meredith Baxter and Marion Ross in particular are very interchangeable with the dozens of other sitcom mothers over the years. Tempestt Bledsoe seemed like a fill-in... like maybe Phylicia Rashad was supposed to be there but then they re-wrote it for whichever Cosby kid they could manage, and Tempestt is the most sitcom-oriented these days? Regardless, I loved the catchphrases ("jump the shark"!!) and jokes (haha, younger, cuter kids), particularly Tempestt's about how perfect Cliff and Clair were as parents... a doctor and a lawyer with unlimited time to teach their children lessons in the most creative ways! This series is gonna be fine... and might even pick up a larger audience now that Trophy Wife has been cancelled! 

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Instant Mom "Not Your Mother's Day" (S01E22): Stephanie expects the full Mother's Day treatment from the kids, but they didn't really get anything for her, so they cover by claiming that Stepmother's Day is the following Sunday. [I looked it up... apparently it's not really a thing.] She takes her own mother to a day at a spa to celebrate the day but they wind up arguing over who is a better mother, but Maggie's anger is actually stemming from the fact that Stephanie didn't write a mushy message in her card. [I'm doing my "not impressed" face over Maggie's issue here.] Stephanie gets some advice from other mothers (the guest stars), but she and Maggie still wind up slinging mud at one another. All is made well again when Stephanie says something that would be sweet in a card, and Maggie forgives her. [is Maggie really the type of mother who will read a card over and over?] 

Meanwhile, back at the house, Charlie and the kids put together a hodgepodge Mother's Day for Stephanie, including someone else's cake, off-holiday balloons, a solution of various perfumes, and a poorly constructed poem. [you win some, you lose some.]

Switched at Birth: Is the Drama Getting Out of Hand?

It's been tough on me to write about this show lately. I am still absolutely addicted to the characters and their relationships, but I can't say that I've been loving the directions each is taking right now. From Kathryn and John's blow-up to Emmett being strung along by an evil bully to Daphne choosing between Jorge and Campbell, I've just not been agreeing with a lot of the decisions that are happening on the show. I actually feel like the level of drama is getting up there in the Beverly Hills, 90210 range, and that's really saying something, as a teen series where almost every character deals with some sort of addiction, and serious subjects like drive-by shootings, date rape, and stalkers. While I also loved that show, I kinda hope that Switched at Birth remains slightly more wholesome!

Switched at Birth "Memory is Your Image of Perfection" (S03E07): It's the day after Kathryn and John's big fight, and Bay tells Emmett, who shares that the beginning of his parents' divorce came from his dad kissing a coworker. This pushes Bay to bring her parents back together, so she conspires with Toby to get the four of them together for a family night. Bay pushes things too far, though, and John and Kathryn start picking at old faults. [that's always rough.] However, when Bay stops being able to move her fingers (her hand-wrap was recently removed), the Kennishes come together to explore the situation, which means surgery to repair the tendons. [yikes!] Recovery will take a while, but Kathryn still doesn't want John at the house, and Daphne learns about the situation as well.

Emmett and Travis interview for Gallaudet, but Travis doesn't take it seriously, despite Melody's repeated efforts. Marybeth theorizes that Travis doesn't want to leave the first real "home" he has ever had. [ouch, that's rough!]

Gabe shows up at Carlton for career week, promoting audiological sciences. [I would have liked to see more about the career week at Carlton!] Turns out, he had texted Melody for a date, but she didn't respond. She makes up some excuses, but later decides to give a date a try.

Sharee missed school because CPS visited, and more "surprise visits" are in her future. She yells at Daphne for interfering, even after Daphne shares that Regina is an alcoholic. Sharee's mom then shows up at school when the athlete doesn't make her bed, and Sharee must leave school against her wishes. [oh, crazy moms!]

Wes shows his designs for the East Riverside project, and Adriana surprises the crowd by speaking up about rents raising and inching out the folks who have been there for generations. [good point, though!] Wes tells Regina to get her mother under control, but she's torn, as Adriana thinks Regina is more focused on business than friends and family.  [haha, "you got everything, or you need some help carrying in your soapbox?"] Regina thinks that making East Riverside a better place is good, but Adriana points out that Wes may be using Regina for the color of her skin, prompting Regina to quit, even if it'll be a breach of contract. [interesting use of "entiendes" without the translation!]

Daphne is told to stop flirting at work, but her bigger issue is talking to her boss about Sharee's mother's issues. He offers to get a psychologist to come to the clinic after-hours to diagnose the woman, and Sharee pretends she needs a flu shot to get her there. However, the guy is late and Sharee's mom catches on, stabbing the doctor with a pair of scissors. [omg!] Daphne texts 911, then tries to help the doctor. [I didn't realize you could text 911!] But, she struggles to bring herself to insert a needle into his lung to keep him breathing. She manages, and he is alive and breathing when the paramedics arrive. Sharee's mother is arrested, leaving a lot of unknowns.

Switched at Birth "Dance Me to the End of Love" (S03E08): John buys Kathryn a 14kt gold diamond bracelet, but he's actually given her that exact gift before, plus she wants space to figure out what she needs to be happy. She wants adventure, not repetition, but John blames Renzo for Kathryn's changes. [eh, something has to be the spark!] He then sees ballroom dancing on television and decides to have a family meal, but has everyone doing percussion at the table and go into a dance with signing and memories. [this is Huxtable stuff right here!]

Daphne and Regina talk to Melody about Daphne's future, and she's considering applying to pre-med programs, in which Gallaudet does not specialize. Daphne decides to see if there is more she can learn at the clinic, and Jorge offers her regular work. [Daphne has more makeup on than usual. you can hardly see her freckles!] But, her interest is shaken when she doesn't hear a patient go into a seizure, and the kid's mother freaks out. Dr. J reassures her, though, as when he started medical school, there were nine black students in a class of 140, and only two finished.

Travis wants to beat up the guy who tried to humiliate MaryBeth, but she stops him. They then decide to go to the campus formal together, so Travis turns to Toby for help dancing, as he's beginning to panic that Marybeth will leave him for someone with whom she can do more things. [awww!] Toby gets Angelo to teach the waltz, and with Melody doing it too, Travis believes he can learn to do it. But, he's not good, and confesses to MaryBeth. [random storyline with Tank also trying to learn dancing, albeit line-dance for a pledge task.]

Bay doesn't do well on an art assignment, and the teacher tells her to think more outside the box, so Emmett takes her to see a miniature Vegas Strip that a guy built for his wife with dementia. [that was crazy cool!] She decides to create a zoeatrope to show that powerful memories aren't linear, but she feels bad over how much Emmett helped.

Switched at Birth "The Past (Forgotten-Swallowed)" (S03E09): Dr. J. encourages Daphne to pursue a summer pre-pre-med program, but at a clinic fundraiser where Daphne could network about the opportunity, she's stuck helping Angelo, who decided to use the crowd to test potential menus for his restaurant. [I can't believe he brought Abby! also, Jorge and Campbell vying for Daphne is kinda strange. they're not 15 years old!]

Marybeth is upset that Bay is still seeing Tank, so Bay tries to get them to relax around each other more. [Bay needs to work on her fake-outs.] Angry, MaryBeth tells Bay that Ty lied about cheating on her so she wouldn't be upset if something happened to him overseas. Bay goes to Emmett with the situation, then tells Tank, who doesn't buy it. [Bay turns to those two guys way too often, IMO.] Then, in front of a fraternity brother, Bay lets it slip that she knows about the dog party. This will force him to go before the board and might be black-balled.[haha, again, thank you, Beverly Hills, 90210 for explaining that to me!]

There's only one more game left in the field hockey season, and Sharee needs a 90% on a physics test to stay eligible to play, so Toby tutors her up to an 84%, but with a seven-point curve, it works out! [as much as everyone is rooting for a Sharee-Toby relationship, I kinda don't want that.] Toby also Skypes with Nikki, who wishes he was there ministering with her. [kinda random.]

John makes dinner for Kathryn, and she asks him for more book ideas. [really? that's not awkward?] There's one team player still in town, so she wants to have him over for dinner. Unfortunately, he's gone new-age with yoga and is sober, though he has also become a swinger. [haha! surprise!] John and Kathryn work hard to kill the mood, but wind up coming clean about not being interested in such things. Then, it's revealed that John "pulled a triple" in Cleveland during his first year, but all Kathryn cares about it getting the story for her book. [oh! that's awkward!] He doesn't want to hear about her past encounters, though. [loved Kathryn's dress.]

Switched at Birth "The Ambush" (S03E10): Carlton gets vandalized over the field hockey rivalry, and Toby promises the school won't retaliate, while also learning that there are scholarships in field hockey. [he didn't think all sports get those?] Toby bluffs left and right to get a scout to come see Sharee play, which might brighten her future after all. [Sharee is doing a little signing!] Bay and Tank proceed to really mess up a statue over at Buckner, though, and Bay has to leave behind some paints when they're nearly caught. [but the issue doesn't come up again?] Tank makes a move on her, but she stops him without giving a reason, though later she tells Regina that she wants to wait until she learns what it means to her. Tank tells Bay she can call the shots on "moving to the next level."

Meanwhile, Jorge invites Daphne rock-climbing, but Kathryn helps her realize that she prefers Campbell. However, when she's out with him, she sees the obstacles that wheelchair-bound people face. [ugly outfit on Daphne with the yellow flowery belt!]

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Nikki visits Toby, but she has the angle of inviting him to go to Africa with her on another project. [what is with this girl?!?] She tells him that she wants to be out helping people, but he says that he can't see himself going with her. They question if they should stay married, crushing Toby. [:(] 

Matthew's suspension is over, and he tells Emmett that there are no hard feelings. Emmet, however, is more focused on a birthday present for Mandy, and Bay winds up helping get a photograph printed and framed. But, it turns out that the picture is copyrighted - it's not the girl's.

Wes gives Regina a new car, and then sends her on errands to try getting businesses to sell their properties for the project. While he's happy that she was able to do so, he also blows up at her for not having some mock-ups done yet and keeps her from going to the field hockey game. [he's pretty unstable, huh?] Regina then asks John about the buy-outs and learns that Wes has been lying about the appraised value to the shop owners. [eep!]

Switched at Birth "Love Seduces Innocence, Pleasure Entraps, and Remorse Follows" (S03E10): Bay is concerned that Mandy may be lying about more than just her photo, so she and Tank do a reverse-image search on her profile photo, and find a girl who goes to a nearby high school. She stalks the cheerleader and learns that she is a cousin of Matthew, so Bay worries that Emmett is being pranked. [shoot!] She tries to call him, but Melody took away his phone and keys for repeatedly skipping classes, and he had hot-wired his bike to go meet "Mandy" at a park. Fortunately, he told Travis of the plans, so Bay is able to find Emmett, but not before Matthew beats him up on camera and humiliates him through the "catfish" scheme. [awww. poor Emmet. :(]  Meanwhile, Tank doesn't get black-balled from his fraternity, but he does de-pledge. [Bay is about to be in a love triangle!] 

Toby is too depressed to go to work and intends to go after Nikki in Peru. John asks Toby to move home, as they "will get [him] out of this lease," but Kathryn tells her son that he shouldn't go after Nikki for the rest of his life because he might wind up resenting her. [money talks - average people can't just go around breaking leases left and right...] Though Toby already booked his trip on a non-refundable fare, he is able to change the location, and promptly takes off solo for Iceland. [that'll be interesting!]

Kathryn's first draft of her book has been leaked, and she worries that it was Renzo who did it. It turns out, Lydia leaked it for publicity. [kinda weird that she didn't tell Kathryn, no?]

Regina's window gets smashed with a brick featuring the message "stay out of East Riverside." [wow!] She begins to stand up for herself and goes back to design work, but also casually tells people (like a manicurist) in East Riverside to get second opinions on the appraised values of their businesses and properties. [interesting to play that card.] This makes Wes decide to fire and sue her. [uh oh!]

The guy who robbed Daphne's food truck goes to the clinic for care, and she freaks out, especially after Jorge tells her that they have to treat everyone and cannot refuse to help him. Her probation officer insists that she finish out her hours, but she decides that the medical profession might not be for her after all, and she asks Angelo for a job when his restaurant opens. [I can see that as being a viable reason not to choose that occupation.] When the creep returns to the clinic, withdrawing from heroin, she winds up helping him.

Fun Friday: The Freebie Newspaper

Years ago, as an eight-year-old on vacation to Florida, I flipped through the "newspaper" that my grandparents received in their little retirement community by the beach. I found it interesting that it was free to put a short advertisement. Most people put in things like "fish tank for sale" or "seeking helper for yard work," but it was the entertainment-related inquiries that I found most fascinating. "Can someone tell me what happened on the 5/17 episode of Highlander?" and "did anyone tape last week's Cosby Show and want to share?" were the type of blurbs that I remember to this day. I've said before that I became obsessed with chronologically watching television as soon as I realized that episode order can make a difference, and posting public requests for assistance in keeping up with the latest was great. People helping people, what could be better? Of course, I knew how to program our household VCR to record shows when I was ten or so, and I actually used a VCR in college to keep up with ER and 7th Heaven, even though they were quickly fading out. 

Nowadays, there's a large internet piracy circle that helps people keep up with latest television episodes, plus wikipedia and dozens of other television-recapping websites (including this one). And, between Netflix, Amazon, and iTunes, you can pay to catch-up on old episodes as well. Some networks even make them available for free on their websites. Not to mention the constant option of utilizing social media to ask anyone in the world about events that transpired or predict whether lovers will part ways! Yahoo Answers might be the closest thing to the entertainment requests posted in the paper 20+ years ago, actually...

Does anyone miss the old-school method of crowd-sourcing strangers via a newspaper, hoping someone would respond and fill you in? Probably not, but they're worth remembering. Do you recall these ads in the freebie paper?

Fun Friday: Drinking on The Cosby Show

The Cosby Show was about as wholesome as it could get in the 1980s. I mean, they sometimes went whole episodes without actually having any conflict. But, when they decided to feature a big concern, they went all out. Sure, teaching Theo the value of a dollar with Monopoly money (pilot) or by having him pay for rent and food (years later) made an impact, but when Vanessa comes home hungover, Cliff and Clair took serious action.

To convince Vanessa to be more responsible, the Huxtable parents stage a drinking game with Vanessa and Rudy. (you know, yet another example making you wonder how in the world a doctor and a lawyer had the spare time to create such elaborate life lessons for their children!) If you're not clear on which daughter is Rudy, she's the youngest, therefore also under the minimum drinking age. After learning the classic game of rhythmically naming alphabetical things in a given category, the family begins. It's not super-effective, however, until young Rudy misses and Cliff pours her a shot. Vanessa believes it to be gin, but in reality it's just tea. Still, Rudy plays along well, acting as if it's terrible and not wanting to drink more than a drop. Vanessa is shocked that her parents would force her younger sibling to down liquor, though she soon learns the truth herself when she's the fourth person to "miss" and is about to embark on four shotglasses of the "vile" liquid.
 

I had completely forgotten about this silly episode until recently, as "Vanessa" memories have been flooding back to me as I watch Guys with Kids. Remember this episode? What was your favorite lesson enactment in the Huxtable household?

Throwback: Where are the Huxtables?

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

With ABCFamily's State of Georgia as the newest thing on Wednesday nights, and the fact that A Different World is airing on weekday afternoons over on BET, I've been thinking about the actors from The Cosby Show. Some of them have been on the news in the past year, but others I haven't heard about... well... since they were Huxtables! So, I thought I would do a throwback of sorts today by looking at the actors from The Cosby Show and filling you in on what they've been up to since the show ended in 1992.

Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby):  After The Cosby Show (which came after Fat Albert, by the way), he did The Cosby Mysteries and Cosby, plus a few TV movies. He hasn't been incredibly active on-screen over the past ten years, and he did turn 74 just a few days ago. However, he is now up to ten published books. In 2002 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 2003 he received the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award. Oh, and if you didn't know, his doctorate is real. He has a bunch of honorary degrees, but he did complete coursework and dissertation at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in 1976.

Clair Huxtable (Phylicia Rashad):  She's done a bunch of TV movies, plus a few small roles on television series. She starred as Bill Cosby's wife for another 4 years, in Cosby. Most notable is her 2004 Tony win for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play, as she was the first African-American to receive that honor. Four years later, she resumed that role in the film of A Raisin in the Sun. Her theatrical work also brought her to Broadway five other times since The Cosby Show, and she has even tried her hand at directing for the stage in 2007, with August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean for Seattle Rep.

Sondra Huxtable Tibideaux (Sabrina Le Beauf):  Her best-known work post-Cosby Show is voicing Norma Bindlebeep on Fatherhood. Le Beauf has her own interior design business and frequently works with the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC. She's also done performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford, The Goodman Theatre in Chicago, and at the Eugene O'Neill Playwrights Conference.

Denise Huxtable Kendall (Lisa Bonet):  It's commonly known that Bonet did A Different World in the middle of her Cosby Show appearances. She's acted in a handful of movies, including Enemy of the State and High Fidelity, and played a detective on Life on Mars for six episodes just a couple years ago.

Theo Huxtable (Malcolm-Jamal Warner):  Immediately following his success with The Cosby Show, Warner played AJ in the show Here and Now. He voiced The Producer in 43 episodes of The Magic School Bus, starred as Malcolm in Malcolm & Eddie for four years, was Kurdy in Jeremiah, played Bernie in Listen Up, and has recently done a few episodes as Andre in Community. Warner has also done a bunch of movies, both for-tv and wide releases. He also has done some directing (starting with five episodes of The Cosby Show), and is a performance poet. Pretty impressive for a relatively unknown guy pre-Cosby! 

Vanessa Huxtable (Tempestt Bledsoe):  Bledsoe didn't appear in anything immediately after finishing The Cosby Show, and has done mainly one-time appearances on television episodes and several tv-movies. She did have her own talk show for the 1995-1996 season, but it didn't last due to lack of viewership. In 2008, she began doing voicework on The Replacements, which she continued for 21 episodes. 

Rudy Huxtable (Keisha Knight Pulliam):  Pulliam also didn't do on-screen work immediately following The Cosby Show, choosing to finish high school and go to Spelman College, where she graduated in 2001. She has since starred in several films, including Beauty Shop and Madea Goes to Jail. She's currently on House of Payne as Miranda, a character that she has been playing since 2007.

Grandpa Russell Huxtable (Earle Hyman):  Now 84 years old, Hyman has had a few small roles on television series such as All My Children and Twice in a Lifetime, and has done a couple tv-movies, including Hijacked: Flight 285 and The Moving of Sophia Myles. Hyman also acted for the stage prior to and during his Cosby years, with his final Broadway production being The Master Builder in 1992.

Grandma Anna Huxtable (Clarice Taylor):  Taylor passed away in May, at the age of 93. When The Cosby Show ended, she was already in her mid-70s, so it's not too surprising that her work afterward is a short list. (Not everyone is Betty White!) Post-Cosby, she appeared in the films Sommersby and Smoke, and did an episode of Due South in 1995.

Elvin Tibideaux (Geoffrey Owens):  Owens has been around, playing Robert Watkins in Built to Last in the late 90s, and having small roles on series like Law & Order (both the original and Special Victims Unit), That's So Raven, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Boston Legal, Las Vegas, Medium, I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant, Without a Trace, FlashForward, and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. He has also done several films.

Nelson Tibideaux (Gary LeRoi Gray as preschooler Nelson): Gray grew up to do a lot of acting. He did a few episodes of Living Single, played Little G on Family Matters, spent 7 episodes as Bobby on The Weird Al Show, and appeared on Party of Five, 7th Heaven, Even Stevens, and Rocket Power. He also played young Tiger Woods in a tv movie, voiced AJ in The Fairly OddParents, and has recently done small roles on House and CSI:Miami. He's also currently attending UCLA. Jessica Ann Vaughn, who played his twin sister, preschooler Winnie Tibideaux, did not go on to do any other on-screen work. 

Martin Kendall (Joseph C. Phillips):  Another busy actor, Phillips did small roles on Martin, Living Single, General Hospital, Any Day Now, City of Angels, Popular, The Parkers, The King of Queens, and Judging Amy before landing more regular roles on The District, Vanished, and Without a Trace. He's also been in several tv movies and a couple wide-release films, and most recently did two episodes of The Event in 2010. Off-screen he has written an autobiography and writes a weekly syndicated column promoting conservative viewpoints. 

Olivia Kendall (Raven-Symone):  I might argue that, along with Malcolm-Jamal Warner, she has had the steadiest work after The Cosby Show. She immediately transitioned to playing Nicole on Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, doing Little Rascals during the run of that show. Then, she did Doctor Doolittle (and the sequel), two of the Zenon tv movies, The Cheetah Girls, and some voicework. She appeared on many other Disney Channel shows and movies as well, including Kim Possible, Disney 411, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, That's So Raven, and Sonny with a Chance. She's also released four record albums and a fifth is in the works. She's continued with her voicework as well, and is currently providing the voice of Iridessa in the Tinker Bell films. Her newest venture is State of Georgia, which began airing only a few weeks ago. [post about Raven-Symone's thoughts on the show]

Kenny/Bud (Deon Richmond):  Shortly after the end of The Cosby Show, Richmond played Darren Dixon on Getting By before several years of small roles here and there. He was a regular on Sister, Sister, playing Jordan for 20 episodes in the late 90s. After that, he did a few movies, including Scream 3, Not Another Teen Movie, and Van Wilder. In 2006 he played Calvin on Teachers, and has mostly done largely unknown works since then.

Pam Tucker (Erika Alexander): She played Cheryl on Going to the Extremes just after The Cosby Show, then Maxine on Living Single. She's also done a recurring role on Judging Amy, a regular role on Street Time, and several episodes of In Plain Sight. She has a long list of one-time appearances as well, including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, 7th Heaven, ER, CSI, Numb3rs, CSI:Miami, Criminal Minds, and House.

My List of the Top 10 Spin-Offs

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

First, an apology to those who got this post early. I upgraded some things last night and wasn't used to some new shortcuts when I began this post this morning. 

This is an area where I have a lot of interest. I'm not really sure where it started, but I've always been curious about spin-offs. The idea that certain characters from a main show become popular enough that they get their own storylines without a crutch is just cool. And, over the years, there have been tons and tons of spin-offs. And, as per my usual, I'm pretty sure that some of my selections will shock readers. I tend to like things that are a bit off, and tend to loathe things that others adore (you will notice that Animaniacs did not make my list, for instance).

10. A Different World, from The Cosby Show. I actually like this show quite a bit, and it did great. But it was created to be a vehicle for Denise Huxtable, who only lasted a single season on the show, which is why I gave it the #10 spot. In case you've never seen it, it's about college kids at (mostly black) fictional school Hillman, and the troubles they deal with.

9. The Simpsons, from The Tracy Ullman Show. This one fell low on the list because a lot of people don't know that The Simpsons is a spin-off. And, I must add that I've never seen The Tracy Ullman Show, aside from the clips of the original Simpsons family that have come up over the past twenty years. Still, the show about an overweight guy and his somewhat average family is certainly a household name! 

8. Quack Pack, from DuckTales. As a child who was in her early elementary years during the height of The Disney Afternoon, I loved DuckTales as much as anyone. And, while I was partial to Webby storylines, Huey, Dewey, and Louie were great characters. So, when I found Quack Pack in middle school, I was delighted to see the threesome appear as teenagers. Only 39 episodes exist, but I think that the essence of the characters continued from childhood into adolescence, making for a very believable show.    

7. Melrose Place, from Beverly Hills, 90210. I didn't know that Melrose Place was a spin-off when I began watching in 1996. It was one of the only shows that my mom ever watched in original run, so that was my draw to it. In fact, I didn't know it was a spin-off until I was in graduate school and working my way through 90210 for the first time. The connection took place in the second season, as Kelly was interested in a guy named Jake, who lived in the eponymous apartment complex. On the whole, Melrose Place was way too mature for a young teenager, but I watched the final few seasons anyway... though it didn't entice me enough to ever go back and catch up on the entire series!    

6. Joey, from Friends. Yes, it failed miserably. People couldn't stand it, and nobody understood why Joey didn't talk about his friends... plus, no guest appearances in 46 episodes! Now, if you're a long-time reader, you may remember that I had a love-hate relationship with Friends until I was almost done with college. I ended up seeing the entire series and enjoying it, and worked my way through Joey in less than a week. I found the show to be amusing, though it was full of issues as the writers struggled to find an audience.

5. All Grown Up, from Rugrats. Rugrats was such a captivating show, as I believe that I have mentioned a few times. It's one show that I can say both of my siblings and I enjoyed together (which was a problem when we got the Playstation game - it was only 1 player!). All Grown Up ran for 55 episodes, and featured the kids aged ten years from the original show. This is another case where I think that the characters were very believable - the traits and personalities really matched what you might think the kids would grow up into. The show didn't really end with any closure, but was a good addition to the Rugrats franchise.

4. The Jeffersons, from All in the Family. A true classic spun from another well-loved show. The Jeffersons is downright hilarious, and my brother and I have many great memories of watching it together on Nick at Nite. Although George wasn't on All in the Family until it had been on a while (Sherman Hemsley was on Broadway at the time), his family was an interesting dynamic on the show, which took place in working-class Queens. The family later moved to a luxury high-rise in Manhattan, during one of the greatest lead-ins in television history - one week you move from the characters on one show, the next you move into a new place on a new show!

3. Daria, from Beavis & Butthead. I LOVED Daria. I thought that it was such a good, funny, clever show. Daria was a recurring character on Beavis & Butthead, a show which I am proud to say I've never seen. But, for a recurring character to go on to have a five-season success and two tv-movies says something. Daria's witty and pessimistic outlook on life amused me to no end, and I just thought that Quinn was the cutest thing ever. I've been waiting for the complete series to go on sale again, because I really must have it!

2. Family Matters, from Perfect Strangers. I loved Perfect Strangers when it ran originally.  I wasn't allowed to watch a lot of night-time television, but I vaguely remember catching it my grandparents' house or something a few times. I can't say that I remembered Harriet Winslow from that show, and therefore wasn't aware that Family Matters was a spin-off when it began (which I did watch by the third season or so). One might argue that Family Matters was far more popular (and much longer-running) than Perfect Strangers, though they were both very different shows. Harriet's character was clearly the same as it was in Perfect Strangers, and Family Matters became a memorable sitcom across the country.

1. Frasier, from Cheers. One of my favorite shows since I began watching it, Frasier is a very long-running show spun from a long-running show. I've seen several dozen episodes of Cheers, and the overall feel of the show is vastly different from that of Frasier. And, although some people gripe about how different Frasier's character is between the two shows, I think that it was addressed throughout Frasier, and the Cheers characters still got along with Frasier for the most part. The storylines in Frasier were also very different (and many ran much longer) from those in Cheers, but both shows' successes certainly define the greatness that Kelsey Grammer embodied.

To end this post, I though I might point out to one of the craziest chains of spin-offs that I've ever come across... Sabrina's Secret Life was a spin-off of Sabrina, the Animated Series, which was a spin-off of the 1996 version of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch which was a spin-off of Sabrina and the Groovie Goolies which was a spin-off of The Archie Comedy Hour which was a sequel to The Archie Show. ...yeah.

Teen Wolf Coming; Grey's Anatomy App

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Well, at this point it's not a spoiler that Dana from Delaware won Cake Boss: The Next Great Baker, but it is news that the show was renewed, and will do another season! I'm excited.

I have not seen MTV's Skins, but enough people have that at least NINE advertisers have pulled their support for the show, including Subway, Orbit, Extra, Foot Locker, and L'oreal.

I find it amusing that, apparently, rich people (defined as household making more than $100,000/year) are more likely to watch major sporting events.

In case you missed it being all over every media outlet, Oprah has been reunited with her long-lost sister, that was born 9 years after Oprah.

It's possible that FOX's Lie to Me was not properly credited... aka the idea was stolen. I wonder if this story will continue to make headlines... since that show isn't doing too well...

Another bit that was all over the media... NBC is doing a pilot in the fall backed by Steven Spielberg. The big deal is that it is to be a competitor for Glee. The story revolves around the mounting of a Broadway musical, and will be titled, Smash.

Lifetime has been jumping on getting the ball rolling on their movie about William & Kate's courtship and royal wedding. The role of Kate has already been cast!

Jennifer Aniston has stated that she hated "The Rachel" haircut that was so famous, and Luke Perry admitted that he loved Dylan's pompadour-of-sorts on Beverly Hills, 90210.

The Kennedys may finally have found a place... Tribune Broadcasting might pick up the eight-part miniseries.

New to Netflix Steaming for February: all of The Cosby Show, Roseanne, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and That '70s Show.

The Burn Notice prequel tv-movie has now been cast, and will air on USA this Spring.

Starting with tonight's Grey's Anatomy, there will be opportunities to interact with the show through the iPhone/iPad app.

Sal Picinich, of Cake Boss, passed away from cancer on January 30th. TLC added a small note to the new episode that aired on the 31st. Sad.

Charlie Sheen has been all over the news lately, from asking a porn star to babysit his kids to being rushed to the hospital. Last week, rumors went wild over whether or not he entered rehab, and CBS has had its hands full dealing with the change in production schedule for Sheen's hit show, Two and a Half Men. Well, the latest is that he's having rehab come to his house, LoL.

Beavis & Butthead will return to MTV. Not sure when, but apparently the tv series of Teen Wolf will premiere on June 5th.

Favorite Episodes: The Cosby Show

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Most of my friends don't understand my love for The Cosby Show. I remember being about seven years old and watching little Olivia playing the cutest little preschooler that ever was. There were years when I didn't see the show, but it was played plenty during Nick-at-Nite when I was in college (and, let's not lie, many a college student watches his/her share of Nick-at-Nite), so I got to catch up. And it's a good thing I did, because I never knew about the Pam character in my childhood. And I didn't know that Theo became a good student. And I didn't know that Rudy eventually hit puberty and had to deal with all of the drama that goes along with that. There are tons of good episodes of The Cosby Show, but there are a few really boring ones, too. Today, we explore my favorites from each of the eight seasons. My favorite was season 6, where I was between about five episodes (not even considering the holiday-themed ones!) to pick my favorite!

Season 1: "Independence Day" (S01E14) The pilot is fabulous. But, as a rule, I try not to choose pilots. Instead, I go with the episode where Theo gets his ear pierced. Cliff leaves his own father to deal with it, and we hear a bunch of stories of Huxtable men doing crazy things to impress girls.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Season 2: "Denise's Decision" (S02E23) Denise can't decide where she wants to go to college. She has had several acceptances, and everyone in the family has an opinion. She has it narrowed down to two, and at dinner announces she has chosen the alma mater of quite a few family members: Hillman. No clip.

Season 3: "The March" (S03E06) Theo is working on a paper for school, but does poorly. He goes to rewrite it, and gets first-hand experiences from his grandparents and parents about the March on Washington. I think the reason that I like it so much is because of the passion portrayed in the re-tellings of that day.
Part 1 Part 2

Season 4: "Where's Rudy" (S04E09) Clair is entering a squash contest at the mall. The whole family is there, but Theo and Vanessa lose Rudy. She hangs out with a friend while Vanessa and Theo go crazy looking for her. Theo and Clair get wind of what's going on and use it to teach the older kids a lesson. I always love the way the Huxtables learn lessons!
Part 1 Part 2

Season 5: "Together Again and Again" (S05E01) So much takes place in this episode! Theo starts college and realizes not everything will be done for him... like finding housing. Sondra and Elvin announce that they are expecting (even though they still live in that small apartment). Denise officially drops out of college, and everyone is shocked.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Season 6: "The Birthday Party" (S06E14) Olivia wants a tricycle for her birthday, and enlists the help of her friends to find it. Denise is having trouble doing everything for the party, and makes a cake that has no sugar (or anything else yummy). It's a good thing Cliff helps out!
Part 1 Part 2

Season 7: "Bird in the Hand" (S07E02) Denise isn't done with a term paper that's due the same day she is supposed to volunteer at Olivia's preschool. So, Cliff fills in for Denise. The only problem is that he was supposed to go to an auction that day, so he has to bid over the phone.
Part 1 Part 2

Season 8: "Theo's Future" (S08E14) I wanted to pick the finale. I so, so did. But I think that's because I'm nostalgic. The only truly funny part about it is Cliff trying to invite 8 million people to an event that Theo only has x tickets for. Instead, I pick the episode where Theo starts thinking about his future after college. He can go to graduate school, or he can move to San Francisco for a job.
Part 1 Part 2

Start out with these 5 Thanksgiving Episodes

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Continuing with the holiday theme, here are five Thanksgiving-themed episodes to get you started on thinking about the Turkey holiday. No particular order here, and stay tuned next Monday for more suggestions!

The Cosby Show: ''Cliff's Wet Adventure". It's a downright hilarious episode. It's later in the series, and as the family is preparing the Thanksgiving meal, they keep sending Cliff out to the store in the pouring rain. He forgets items and keeps having to go back out. Meanwhile, Denise invites Martin's ex-wife to dinner, in a kind gesture that ends up filling her in on why the marriage ended. Here's a clip of just the Cliff scenes:


The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: "Talking Turkey." This season one holiday episode features Will's mom coming out to visit, and the boys' professor coming for dinner. When Will's mom sees that the children do no work around the house, she gives all of the help time off, and forces the children to come up with a way to cook the holiday meal. Well, obviously this is not ideal, so it gets funny to the point of ridiculousness. (couldn't find a clip of this episode)

Home Improvement: "Thanksgiving." (even Wilson and Willow are going out of town!) while Tim schemes about how to ask if they can spend it elsewhere. When he finally asks, Jill is really happy that she can sleep in and not cook, so the Taylors go to see the Lions game in a box seat for Thanksgiving. While Tim manages to black out all the lights, the rest of the family has a good time hanging out with Rodney Dangerfield and a few other random celebrities.


Roseanne: "Home is Where the Afghan Is." There's a lot of funny jokes in this one... the final season's Thanksgiving. THe house has been redone, caterers are doing the dinner, and Bev comes out of the closet. Merriment continues as the Connor family realizes that money isn't everything and they donate a lot of food to the needy people of Lanford. Here's the opening:

Frasier: "A Lilith Thanksgiving." The Cranes go to visit Lilith and Frederick for Thanksgiving. Not a bad premise, until Lilith and Frasier go to meet the dean of a prestigious school (so Frederick can get the best education). They continue trying to make a good impression while making fools of themselves time and again. Meanwhile, Martin is playing with Frederick and he keeps getting hurt. And, Niles is making the turkey... hahahahaha. The whole thing always gets me rolling. The clip included begins with Frasier and Lilith's THIRD trip to see the Dean, and keeps going until the end of the episode (I truly believe you should watch the entire thing tho, it's so good. Part 1 and Part 2):

Top Ten Television Houses

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Today's list will feature my favorite television show homes.

10. Family Ties: The Keaton Home. It was actually unique in comparison to many of the other two-story homes of the 80s sitcoms. You could come in through the front door and have a couple steps (like a miniature balcony) and go upstairs from the living room. Or, you could come in through a hallway into the kitchen (and I loved their kitchen), then into the living room.
Video for this one, shows a lot of the house:

9. The Torkelsons: The Torkelson Home. It was SO BIG when you consider how little the family made. I loved the antiquey look, and Dorothy Jane had such a beautiful room and a great oriel window. The furniture was old and some was even repossessed in the first season of the show. Of course, the entire house was only in the first season... the second season took place in Seattle, not Pyramid Corners, Oklahoma. And it was also changed to Almost Home... but that's a different story.

8. The Cosby Show: The Huxtable Brownstone. Talk about a huge living room. And tons of rooms upstairs. And a basement from the kitchen and another from the back hallway towards the front of the house, where Heathcliff did his office appointments. And a nice yard with a privacy fence out back. There were a lot of neat props throughout the house, and I always loved the multiple fireplaces. Plus, the artwork that Claire had was nice, and even changed a bit over the years. Additionally, the idea of I found a great floorplan of the place, but it was only available in Italian and Spanish, so here you go. It's done really well... a lot of detail went into the furniture placement and such.




7. Friends: Monica's Apartment. While the apartment itself isn't all that great (I hated their bathroom setup, and both bedrooms were rather tiny), they did seem to have a great location within the City (I think they were in the West Village?), and always having people surrounding you is nice. I found this great artsy drawing that's purchasable in poster format.

6. Full House: The Tanner Home. While the backyard is unrealistically large for the home, it's nice. I love the stairs that have a balcony at the top (which served the purpose of DJ's egg-twinkie experiment AND the great TV-fall of trying to watch two programs at once), and the attic apartment is rather amazing. Plus, have you ever seen an alcove that well utilized before?? Let's not forget the garage, which became a bedroom, which became a studio. All that AND four bedrooms. There were several makeovers of various rooms throughout the series, most notably the remodeling that Vicki's mother did for Stephanie and Michelle.


5. 7th Heaven: The Camden Home. While the exterior doesn't match the interior (no balconies in any of the bedrooms, yet the facade indicated that there should be two), the place is LARGE. I especially enjoy the dining room AND the large kitchen table, the "garage apartment" that we never see the downstairs to, the multitude of rooms yet rarely is there only one person in each, and the gigantic attic situation which they really should have always had. And let's not forget Ruthie's Hello Kitty decor.

4. Home Improvement: The Taylors. First, two points for not being a standard set-up. You enter the front door and have the choice to go upstairs or through a faux-hallway which leads by the dining area to either the living room or kitchen (which are completely unseparated which is unusual). You can go out into the side yard through three different glass doors. And with all of Tim's household improvements (intercom system, central vac, etc.), tons of extras!

3. Beverly Hills, 90210: The Walsh House. There were a ton of sets for this show, dear God. Res Hall rooms, apartments, parents' houses, parents' offices, schools, stores, beaches, workplaces, it's really and truly ridiculous. Please point out another show that utilizes as many different spaces! But the Walsh House remained in use even after Brenda, Jim, Cindy, Brandon (and even Valerie) are gone. I loved the arched door. The kitchen was cozy. The twins had large rooms. Heck, they hosted multiple weddings there, so obviously it was spacious!

2. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: The Banks Mansion. First of all, who has a poolhouse that large? While there are some structural discrepancies through the years, the place was still rockin'. Nobody had to "bunk in" with a sibling when company came, plus Geoffrey had his own room, too... so that's AT LEAST six bedrooms, easy. And while we never see the garage (to my knowledge), unless they frequently bought new cars, they had at least six of those floating around someplace! And then there's closet space... at one point Hillary lists her purse/coat/hat/shoe wardrobe, and it seems large enough to warrant a few closets alone!

1. Boy Meets World: The Matthews Place. Another house that doesn't even remotely match its facade (this might be one of the worst ones out there, actually). Still, I loved their staircase (I've always been a fan of the twisty ones). And I always thought it was nice that they had some sort of "office area" behind the living room, that allowed for two entrances into the kitchen. Let's not neglect their cool treehouse (which was accessible from Cory & Eric's bedroom), AND the fact that the neighbor was Mr. Feeny. This is a darned funny episode. The first clip shows the living room and Cory's room, while the second shows the backyard and the kitchen.