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-

Terror In the Skies on TCM Friday Night!

Fasten your seatbelts and turn off all electronic devices because Turner Classic Movies is taking to the skies for a airplane disaster flick triple feature! First up is the 1960 film The Crowded Sky starring Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., and Anne Francis. Although I don't know much about The Crowded Sky, the following quote has me looking forward to it:I should be in the

Soupy Sales Dead At 83

The Grim Reaper takes yet another pop culture icon. Comedian and children's TV pioneer Soupy Sales died Thursday at the age of 83. Sales, who had been in declining health for several years, passed away at the hospice in the Bronx that he entered last weekBest known for his children's TV programs (which originally aired on WXYZ in Detroit and later moved on to other markets), Soupy helped raise

Tracy Morgan Delivers A Verbal Smackdown To Two Former SNL Colleagues

In his upcoming autobiography "I Am the New Black", 30 Rock star gets candid about his time on SNL. Apparently, all was not well at Studio 8H between Tracy and fellow cast members Chris Kattan and Cheri Oteri. Tracy's days on the sketch comedy series weren't all bad because he did have good things to say about some of his other co-workers.In the clip below from the talk show "The Young Turks",

The Sesame Street Gang Is Political... Who Knew?!

Earlier this week, First Lady Michelle Obama made an appearance on Sesame Street. She showed up to extol the virtues of gardening and healthy eating when out of nowhere, Big Bird comes on the scene and asks her some pointed questions about President Barack Obama. I had no idea that Big Bird was auditioning for a spot on Fox. Does this mean that the "C" in CTW (The Children's Television Workshop)

The #1 Pick Delivers the Top Ten

On April 25th, the Detroit Lions selected Georgia QB Matthew Stafford as the #1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. On Monday, Stafford appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman to deliver the "Top Ten Thoughts That Went Through Matthew Stafford's Mind On Draft Day". When you are expected by many to be the savior for a franchise that tossed up an 0fer in the win column during the 2008

Bea Arthur: 1922-2009

When I first saw the headline on Yahoo's home page that Bea Arthur had died at the age of 86, my reaction was, "Aw man!" Not only because I've been a fan of her work since I was a kid, but I didn't know she was ill with cancer.Performers are lucky if they get a chance to star in one successful series; Bea had the good fortune to have appeared in two. On Maude, she played the title character (an

Thursday Thirteen #71: Some of My Favorite M*A*S*H Quotes

Ever since I was a kid, I've been a fan of the series M*A*S*H (1972-1983). I've always enjoyed how the series mixed hijinks with the horrors of war. Although M*A*S*H tended to get preachy towards the end of its 11 year run, when it was at the top of its game, you'd have to look hard to find a better written and acted series on TV. In honor of the reunion of the surviving cast members of M*A*S*

CTFD: The Prez Meets the Chin, Controversy Ensues

History was made Thursday night when President Barack Obama became the first sitting president to appear on The Tonight Show. For the most part, it wasn't the typical chatter that you hear on these types of shows. Some of the topics discussed during the president's interview with Jay Leno were the bonuses paid out to AIG employees, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, and changing the "blame

Mount Rushmore: Stand Up Comics

ESPN is currently running a feature that allows fans to pick the Mount Rushmore of sports figures for their respective states. Knowing a good idea when I see it, I figured I'd steal adapt this and put a pop culture spin on it for a series of posts.For the kick-off post of this series, I'm selecting the Mount Rushmore of stand-up comedy. IMO, this funny foursome was/is the best at taking the

Scrubs Comes To ABC

After 7 seasons on NBC, the hospital sitcom Scrubs made its debut on ABC Tuesday night. Although I tuned in regularly for the first 5 years or so, my viewing had fallen way off in 2006 due to a variety of reasons (NBC jerking it around the schedule, life, blah blah blah). On the rare occasions when I did watch Scrubs as it was winding down its run on NBC, I was a bit disappointed. Although

Thursday Thirteen #65: Richard Pryor Quotes

Thirteen Quotes by Richard PryorDecember 1st marked what would have been Richard Pryor's 68th birthday. As a belated commemoration, I've listed 13 quotes by the man that many (including me) call the greatest stand-up comedian of all-time.1. Upon traveling to Zimbabwe: I know how white people feel in America now, relaxed. Because when I hear the police siren, I knew they wasn't comin' after me.2.

Bernie Mac Dies At the Age of 50

Actor and comedian Bernie Mac, perhaps best known for starring in his self-titled sitcom and for his appearances in the Ocean's Eleven films, died early Saturday morning at the age of 50. According to his publicist, he succumbed due to complications from pneumonia in a Chicago-area hospital. Mac had suffered from sarcoidosis, a tissue inflammation disease, but it was believed to have gone in

The Golden Girls' Estelle Getty Dies At Age 84

I am sad to write that Emmy-winner Estelle Getty, best known for her role as Sophia Petrillo on The Golden Girls, died earlier this morning at the age of 84. According to one of her sons, Getty, who suffered from advanced dementia, died at about 5:30 a.m. at her Hollywood Boulevard home.A classic example of perserverance paying off, Getty struggled in showbiz for over 40 years before landing the