Friday Funday Trivia: TV Shows Based On Movies

Below is a montage containing cast photos of TV shows based on movies. You have to correctly identify the TV show. The top row is photos 1-5 and the bottom row is photos 6-10. To enlarge the montage, click on it.If you are a Friday Funday Trivia virgin about to be touched for the very first time, please read the following rules before playing:* The game is pub style so looking up the answers

Farewell To A Grass Root and Gilligan's Creator

On successive days this week, we lost two people who played a role in shaping the world of pop culture of the 60s and the 70s: Rob Grill of The Grass Roots and TV producer Sherwood Schwartz. Rob died on Monday in an Orlando, FL hospital at the age of 67. He had been in a coma since sustaining a head injury several weeks earlier when he fell after suffering a stroke in California. On Tuesday,

New Cast Members of Law & Order: SVU Announced

On June 27th, it was announced that Danny Pino (Cold Case) and Kelli Giddish (Chase) will be joining the cast of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for its 13th season. Pino and Giddish will be replacing Christopher Meloni (who decided to leave the series after the 12th season) and Mariska Hargitay (who is only scheduled to appear in the first 13 episodes of the upcoming season). Through reruns

Confessions of a Dead Beat Blog Dad/Zooey Deschanel

As of late when it comes to Pop Culture Dish, I've been the proverbial neglectful parent. Due to various other interests which have taken up my time (including writing for a second blog, Diversity Ink), I've paid less and less attention to my first born over the past year and a half. I plan on making a conscious effort to change my ways by devoting more time here at PCD. Although I won't

Pop Culture Trivia: The "Please Stand By" Edition

The next 15 questions deal with commercials of the past and present.  If you are a Pop Culture Trivia virgin and are about to be touched for the very first time, please read all the rules before taking the quiz:* Along with the Internet, the use of books, magazines, notes, data stored on a computer, etc. to help you come up with the answers is not allowed.* Please read the questions carefully.

SNL Spoofs Michele Bachmann

We knew it was coming didn't we?!  SNL must love Michele Bachmann.  This skit practically wrote itself.

Remembering Some of the Celebs We Lost In 2010

Along with preparing to say hello to a new year, it's also time to pay tribute to those we lost in the world of entertainment this year. Below is a tribute assembled by TCM of film industry people who we said goodbye to in 2010. The montage is set to the tune "Headlights" by Sophie Hunger.

Valerie Brown of Josie & the Pussycats Makes Saturday Morning Cartoon History

On September 12, 1970, Josie & the Pussycats made its transition from comic book to CBS Saturday morning cartoon.  One of the characters making the transition (Valerie) is significant because she became the first female African-American cast member on a regular Saturday-morning cartoon.Valerie almost didn't make her historic appearance on Josie & the Pussycats.  In preparation for the cartoon,

Final Results of the Recent "Lost" Poll

In the recent poll in which I asked readers if they would be watching the series finale of Lost, almost 60% of you said "no". Although my viewership (or lack thereof) of Lost since 2004 has been documented here previously, I still watched the series finale. The two-hour retrospective leading up the finale did help fill in a lot of holes for me. As for the finale itself, I felt it was satisfying.

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the Current "Lost" Poll, Thank You

The answers to all the questions surrounding that wacky gang stranded on some mysterious island are scheduled to be revealed on Sunday May 23rd as the ABC series Lost comes to a close after 6 seasons. As some of you may know, I was a fan of the show for the first 1/4 of a season. Unfortunately, I got a few episodes behind and became... well, you know.In preparation for the series finale,

Law & Order, 1990-2010

Earlier today, it was announced that NBC has canceled the original Law & Order after a 20-year run. The final original episode of L&O will air on Monday, May 24th. Because L&O had survived numerous cast and time slot changes over the years, the announcement that it was getting the ax caught me off guard. It was like the 60 Minutes of TV dramas, I just expected it to be there.A lot has

Lena Horne, 1917-2010

One of the true legends of entertainment, Lena Horne, died Sunday at a New York City hospital at the age of 92. Because Lena was highly successful for such a long period, she had a string of noteworthy appearances in the movies and on TV that stretched across generations:Performing her signature tune "Stormy Weather" in the 1943 movie of the same name:Singing the ABC's with The Muppets on Sesame

Ernie Harwell: 1918-2010

On Tuesday May 4th, sports broadcaster Ernie Harwell passed away at his home in Novi, MI after a nearly year-long battle with incurable cancer. He was 92. Although Ernie previously had served as the announcer for The Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, and Baltimore Orioles, he is best known for the 40-plus years (1960-1991, 1993-2002) he spent calling games for The Detroit Tigers. In fact,

Some Tax Day Music From the Fab Four

Since it's April 15, here is a clip from part 1 of an episode of The Beatles' 1960s Saturday morning cartoon in which they perform "Taxman". The clip also includes a sing-along segment to another popular tune by The Fab Four... enjoy!

Dixie Carter, 1939-2010

This past weekend, actress Dixie Carter passed away due to complications of endometrial cancer at the age of 70. Without a doubt, her best known role was as Julia Sugarbaker on the sitcom Designing Women (1986-1993). One of the highlights of many Designing Women episodes was when the outspoken, liberal Julia would go on a rant that would leave her adversary literally speechless. The scene

Peter Graves, 1926-2010: Oveur and Out

On Sunday afternoon, actor Peter Graves died of an apparent heart attack at the age of 83. Because of he had a long and varied career in the biz, one's age probably dictates what role you associate with Peter. To some, he is Jim Phelps, the 2nd leader of the IMF on the original version of Mission: Impossible (a role he played from 1967-1973). Peter also assumed the role of Phelps for 1988-

Josh Andrew Koenig, 1968-2010

After being missing since February 14, actor/writer/director Josh Andrew Koenig was found dead on Thursday afternoon in Vancouver at the age of 41. The cause of death was suicide. Best known for his role as Mike Seaver's pal Richard "Boner" Stabone on the sitcom Growing Pains, Josh had reportedly been suffering from clinical depression at the time of disappearance. Josh is survived by his

Final Results of the A.I. Poll

By a very slim margin, "The Rocket Man" received the most votes in the poll asking who should fill Simon Cowell's seat once he splits from American Idol. My choice would be either him or Cher. Both are outspoken and have the credibility necessary to take Simon's place. Ironically, the man (Ryan Seacrest) rumored by some as a possible replacement for Simon tied with Diddy and Madonna for the

The WIRE: Week In REview, #3

After a month-plus hiatus due to my hectic schedule procrastination, the WIRE (my weekly recap of pop culture news) has returned! Here are some of the items that caught my eye:Note to Rip Torn: This ain't Bonnie & Clyde &%$@*$#!On January 29th, actor Rip Torn (The Larry Sanders Show, 30 Rock, etc.) was arrested after breaking into a closed Litchfield Bancorp branch office in Salisbury, CT (the

Thursday Thirteen #78: I'd Like To Solve the Puzzle

In honor of the 35th anniversary of the debut of Wheel of Fortune (which premiered on January 6, 1975), this week's T13 pays tribute to TV's iconic version of Hangman. Below are 13 unsolved puzzles, all with a pop culture angle. You can go here if you'd like to make your own puzzles.How many of these do you know? Feel free to put your answers in the comments section (which is where I will post