Thursday, March 23, 2006

Alan Thicke Goes from Sitcom Dad to Cooking Host?; Live Action 'Simpsons' Opening; Name Your Baby After a 'Scrub'

NBC's Celebrity Cooking Showdown, from Reveille and Sean "Diddy" Combs, has revealed its celebrity participants in the week-long cooking competition series premiering April 17-21 (8-9 p.m. ET each night) and has announced the series will be hosted by television favorite Alan Thicke (Growing Pains) and celebrity cook/author Sandra Lee (Food Network's Semi Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee).
Celebrity participants facing off in the kitchen include: supermodel Naomi Campbell, Allison Sweeney (NBC's Days of our Lives), Big Kenny (country music's superstar duo, Big and Rich), comedic actor Tom Arnold, football star Tony Gonzales (Kansas City Chiefs), rapper/actor Ja Rule (Assault on Precinct 13), professional volleyball player/model Gabrielle Reese, musician/reality star Ashley Parker Angel (MTV's There and Back) and the reigning Miss USA 2005 Chelsea Cooley. The format of each night's show will evolve as the week progresses. On Monday-Wednesday (April 17-19), three different celebrities will compete each night. On Thursday, April 20, the three winners from each night will advance to don aprons for the final cook-off. Viewers will then have the chance to vote via phone and online based solely on presentation. Meanwhile, the in-studio judges (event planner Colin Cowie (Everyday Elegance) and New York magazine restaurant critic Gael Greene) will be responsible for matters of taste. On the week's final episode on Friday, April 21, the results will be in, the winner declared and the audience will get to see the professional chefs in action. Then the tables will be turned in the "Chef's Challenge," while choice unseen moments from the week's competition are revealed. Wow, I hope NBC thinks this is actually going to work because the celeb participants are so C rated. It might be a surprise hit maybe like Deal or No Deal, but we shall see.

Have you ever wondered what Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie would look like in real life? Find out when a live-action main title sequence is unveiled on The Simpsons Sunday, March 26 (8:00-8:30 p.m. ET/PT) on FOX.
The live-action show opening is an homage to television's longest-running sitcom. From the Simpsons parting through the clouds to the infamous Bart writing on the chalkboard, Homer pulling the nuclear rod out of his shirt, Maggie scanned at the supermarket and the always-anticipated "couch gag" conclusion, the live-action opening mirrors each element of the animated sequence. The greatest attention to detail was paid in this recreation by a British team, as conceived and commissioned by the UK network Sky One. From wardrobe to location settings to character mannerisms, it's all translated with uncanny accuracy via real, flesh-and-blood actors. The centerpiece of Sky One's new Simpsons campaign in the UK, the short will make its American debut in the all-new episode, "Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife," guest-starring yet another British import, Ricky Gervais. In the episode, Homer's obsession with Lenny's new plasma TV causes Marge to enter the family in a sweepstakes, where they win a prize to the Fox studio lot. Against Marge's judgment, Homer signs the family up for a Wife Swap/Trading Spouses-type show and is forced to take in a controlling wife, while Marge moves in with a beaten-down husband, Charlie (guest star Gervais), and his perfect son. Charlie quickly develops a crush on Marge, while she's just trying to give him the strength to stand up to his own wife.
[NOTE: The live-action opening will not air on Canadian broadcasts of the episode.]

To celebrate Turk (Donald Faison) and Carla’s (Judy Reyes) long-awaited discovery that she has conceived in a hilarious all-new episode, NBC.com will launch a special contest on the official Scrubs area of the site asking viewers to choose the name and sex of Turk and Carla’s baby for the show’s producers, on Tuesday, March 28. The off-kilter comedy Scrubs airs Tuesdays, 9-9:30 p.m. ET.
Viewers will be able to submit their suggested baby name online until the series’ May finale. Then, one winner will be randomly chosen to have a Scrubs character named after him or her. Plus, 10 randomly selected runners-up will receive surprise Scrubs items from the show. The winner and 10 runners-up, along with the baby’s name and sex, will be announced at a later date.
This special episode will air as follows (all times are ET/PT):

Tuesday, March 28
9:00-9:30 p.m. – “My Bright Idea” (all-new episode) -- Turk (Donald Faison) accidentally learns that Carla (Judy Reyes) is pregnant before she does, so J.D. (Zach Braff) convinces Turk to tell the entire hospital staff so they can all surprise Carla with the joyous news. But when Carla confides to Turk that she can’t wait for the day when she can personally share her baby news with the world, Turk and J.D. have to quickly figure out how to contain hospital gossip until Carla can make the discovery on her own. Meanwhile, J.D. tricks the Janitor (Neil Flynn) into swallowing a tiny GPS tacking device. Later, when Elliott (Sarah Chalke) puts Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) into an embarrassing situation, he decides to get even with Elliott through Keith (Travis Schuldt) and Carla.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Saturday, April 26

Animal Control - "Giraffes, Gorillas and Penguins" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The crew must contain a freak zoo break; Frank realizes that he needs to break up with Yasmin; Emily finds an unexpected benefactor in a celebrity businesswoman.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 21)

Friday, April 25

  • Kathy Bates (Disjointed) - Watch Kathy on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Tracee Ellis Ross (black-ish/Girlfriends) - Tracee appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Paul F. Tompkins (The Great North/BoJack Horseman/DAG) and Greta Titelman (Fantasmas/Search Party/Los Espookys) - Paul and Greta are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Yvonne Orji (Insecure) - Tamron Hall has a DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE with Yvonne who is now hosting Pop The Balloon Live on Netflix, so check your local listings.
  • Tiffany Haddish (The Last O.G./The Carmichael Show) - Tiffany co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Café Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Drew and Valerie are joined by Carla Hall in the kitchen to whip up some delicious cozy food on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Amy Schumer (Life & Beth), Jillian Bell (Bless the Harts/Idiotsitter/Eastbound & Down/Workaholics) and Brianne Howey (Dollface) - The cast of the new movie Kinda Pregnant join Drew to dish on their new film on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Joel Kim Booster (Loot/Shrill) - Joel talks about Bravo's Love Hotel on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Frasier (2023) - Season Two

11/05 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/12 - The King of Queens - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2024 Release)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
11/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 4 (Blu-ray)
12/03 - Angel (1960-1961) - The Complete Series, Volume 1
12/17 - Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (4K UHD)
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

04/26 - SitcomsOnline Digest: CBS Cancels Poppa's House; Final Season 50 Hosts for Saturday Night Live Set
04/25 - Classic TV's Biggest Auction; Remembering Will Hutchins and Wink Martindale
04/24 - Jerrod Carmichael's 4th HBO Comedy Special; HBO's Pee-wee as Himself Premieres May 23
04/23 - Apple TV+ Announces Comedy Series Prodigies; ABC Renews Unscripted Series Slate
04/22 - Hallmark Channel's May For Moms Month; Prime Video Gets Korean Comedy Action Series
04/21 - Peacock's Twisted Metal Returns July 31; Poker Face Lines Up Big Guests for Season 2
04/20 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of April 21, 2025)
04/19 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Clueless Reboot in the Works at Peacock; King of the Hill Cast Reunion and Revival Preview at ATX TV Festival Next Month
04/18 - 2025 TIME100 on ABC; Atsuko Okatsuka: Father Premieres June 13 on Hulu
04/17 - BET+ Orders Martin Spinoff Varnell Hill; It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Returns in July
04/16 - And Just Like That... Season 3 on Max This May; MGM+ Comedy Series Adds Big Stars
04/15 - HBO's Harry Potter Series; Classic TV Comes to Life in NYC
04/14 - TV Stars Lineup for Summer of 69 Hulu Film; Jessica Kirson Comedy Special
04/13 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of April 14, 2025)
04/12 - SitcomsOnline Digest: FX Sets Premiere Date for Adults; Netflix Picks Up Monopoly Themed Reality Competition Series
04/11 - Bounce TV Renews Mind Your Business; AMC Networks 2025 Upfront Highlights
04/10 - David Spade's Prime Video Comedy Special; Brett Goldstein's HBO Comedy Special Filmed in New Jersey
04/09 - Paramount+ Orders Season 3 of Colin from Accounts; FX's Adults Premieres May 28
04/08 - Prime Video's New Comedy Overcompensating; Nine Perfect Strangers Returns on Hulu in May
04/07 - NBC Celebrates Joan Rivers with Special; Remembering Jay North of Dennis the Menace
04/06 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of April 7, 2025)
04/05 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Fox Renews Three Animated Series and Brings Back a Fourth for Four More Seasons; ABC Renews Shifting Gears
04/04 - ABC 2025-26 Season Renewals for Scripted Series; New Season of Phineas and Ferb Returns June 5
04/03 - Fox Renews Animated Hits for 4 Additional Seasons and American Dad! Returns; South Park Season 27 Premieres July 9
04/02 - Rick and Morty Season 8 Premieres May 25; Netflix's Tires Returns June 5
04/01 - Disney Renews Wizards Beyond Waverly Place for Season 2; Prime Video Details Final Season of The Summer I Turned Pretty
03/31 - Prime Video's Dance-World Comedy Étoile; Netflix's Tom Segura Dark Comedy Bad Thoughts
03/30 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 31, 2025)
03/29 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Netflix Gives Pilot Order to A Different World Sequel; Malcolm in the Middle Reboot Recasts Role of Dewey
03/28 - Pat Sajak's Final Spin on Wheel and Return of Jeopardy! Masters; Remembering George Foreman and Wings Hauser
03/27 - IFC Renews SisterS for Season 2; Netflix Orders Live-Action Scooby-Doo Series
03/26 - Hulu Spring 2025 Slate; The Making of The Americas Special Narrated by Tom Hanks on NBC