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TV Tunes Online News
TV Tunes Online News Archive
Old Shows New Again 06/10/10 “The A-Team” is ready for action. But this one isn’t comprised of George Peppard, Dwight Schultz, Dirk Benedict and Mr. T, but rather boasts a retooled roster featuring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The original “A-Team” kicked its first butt in 1983. With the release of the June 11 big-screen movie, a new audience is being introduced to the gang. Hollywood keeps doing it. It was recently announced that “Gilligan’s Island,” which ended its run on CBS in 1967, will eventually come to a theater near you. There are currently plans to turn ‘Battleship,’ ‘Stretch Armstrong,’ ‘ViewMaster’ and ‘Magic 8 Ball’ into films. “While any number of TV show adaptations have failed, quite a few have been successful, including, ‘Sex and the City,’ ‘Get Smart,’ ‘Mission: Impossible’ and ‘Star Trek.’ For every “Car 54, Where Are You?” (released in 1994; $1.2 million total domestic gross) and “McHale’s Navy” (1997; $4.5 million), there seem to be plenty of examples like “S.W.A.T.” (2003; $116 million), “Wild, Wild West” (1999; $113 million) and “Maverick” (1994; $101 million) that turned cheesy reruns into cinematic gold.
‘Golden Girls’ Star Rue McClanahan Dies at 76 06/04/10 Rue McClanahan, the Emmy-winning actress who brought the sexually liberated Southern belle Blanche Devereaux to life on the hit TV series "The Golden Girls," has died. She was 76. McClanahan had a stroke on Monday, and died with her son, sister and nephew at her side. McClanahan had an active career in off-Broadway and regional stages in the 1960s before she was tapped for TV in the 1970s for the key best-friend character on the hit series "Maude," starring Beatrice Arthur. After that series ended in 1978, McClanahan landed the role as Aunt Fran on "Mama's Family" in 1983. But her most loved role came in 1985 when she co-starred with Arthur, Betty White and Estelle Getty in "The Golden Girls," a runaway hit that broke the sitcom mold by focusing on the foibles of four aging and eccentric women living together in Miami. Fellow "Golden Girl" Betty White called McClanahan a close and dear friend. McClanahan snagged an Emmy for her work on the show in 1987. After "The Golden Girls" was canceled in 1992, McClanahan, White and Getty reprised their roles in a short-lived spinoff, "Golden Palace." McClanahan was married six times: Tom Bish, with whom she had a son, Mark Bish; actor Norman Hartweg; Peter D'Maio; Gus Fisher; and Tom Keel. She married husband Morrow Wilson on Christmas Day in 1997. She called her 2007 memoir "My First Five Husbands ... And the Ones Who Got Away."
Homer Simpson Named Greatest TV Character 06/01/10 Beer-swilling, doughnut-lover Homer Simpson has been named the greatest character created for television and film in the past 20 years. The star character of long-running U.S. cartoon series "The Simpsons" beat schoolboy wizard Harry Potter and vampire slayer Buffy to take top place in the survey for U.S. entertainment magazine Entertainment Weekly. Simpson's creator Matt Groening said millions of people were able to identify with Homer with his catchphrase "D'oh." "The Simpsons," broadcast in more than 90 countries, is the longest-running U.S. TV series in prime time, now in its 21st season. The list of top 100 characters was released on Monday to mark the 20th anniversary of Entertainment Weekly.
'Easy Rider' Actor Dennis Hopper Dies 05/29/10 Dennis Hopper, who portrayed such indelible characters as "Easy Rider's" biker Billy, "Blue Velvet's" huffing villain Frank Booth and "Hoosiers' " forlorn Shooter Flatch, died of prostate cancer Saturday morning at his home in Venice, California. He was 74. Over almost six decades as a performer and director, his career spanned a range of Hollywood trends: TV's live "Golden Age," films about disillusioned teenagers, a variety of Westerns, anti-establishment dramas, offbeat indie films, action blockbusters and edgy cable series. He often played villains, occasionally lost souls, almost all with a force and empathy. Dennis Lee Hopper was born in Dodge City, Kansas, on May 17, 1936. He grew up in San Diego, California, and established an early reputation for stage work. Hopper was married five times and had four children, ranging in age from 47 to 6. But it's his films for which he'll be remembered -- and there was something for everybody.
'Diff'rent Strokes' Actor Gary Coleman Dies at 42 05/28/10 Former child star Gary Coleman, who rose to fame as the wisecracking youngster Arnold Jackson on the TV sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes" but grew up to grapple with a troubled adulthood, has died. He was 42. Coleman died of a brain hemorrhage at a Provo, Utah, hospital, Friday afternoon. The actor fell ill at his Santaquin, Utah, home Wednesday evening and was rushed by ambulance to a hospital. He was then taken to another hospital -- Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo -- later Wednesday night. In the late '70s and early '80s, Coleman was one of television's brightest stars, the personality around which NBC's "Strokes" -- the story of two inner-city children who are taken in by a wealthy businessman, his daughter and their housekeeper -- was built. His natural charm and way with a line -- the frequently uttered "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?", directed at his older brother (played by Todd Bridges), became a catchphrase -- helped make the show a breakout hit, a mainstay of the NBC schedule from 1978 to 1985 (and on ABC for a year afterward). But in later years Coleman's name became a punch line. He was denigrated because of his short stature -- he never grew taller than 4 feet 8 inches because of nephritis, a kidney condition. He sued his parents over mismanagement of his finances; though he won a $1.3 million settlement in 1993, he had to file for bankruptcy six years later. He was occasionally in the news for scuffles. He appeared on TV court shows and had a brief run for governor of California. Even the bright spots had dark shadows: He married 22-year-old Shannon Price in 2007, but the marriage hit the rocks before they had celebrated their first anniversary. At the time of his death, Coleman was seeking a divorce.
TV Tunes Online News Archive