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

Thursday, September 11

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Some New York Nonsense" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Georgie struggles to balance life, work and family; Mandy worries for Georgie’s wellbeing; and Missy (Raegan Revord) gets into trouble at school.

Ghosts - "I Know What You Did Thirty-Seven Summers Ago" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Sam and Jay host a fundraiser for the mayor to earn a favor for Jay’s restaurant, they learn of his bizarre connection to one of Woodstone’s ghosts. Odessa Adlon returns as Stephanie, the ghost who died on her prom night.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 8)

Thursday, September 11

  • America Ferrera (Superstore) - Catch America on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She also talks about The Bus on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Melissa Rauch (Night Court/The Big Bang Theory), Jessica St. Clair (Avenue 5/Playing House/Best Friends Forever/In the Motherhood) and Nico Santos (Superstore) - Melissa, Jessica and Nico are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Rainn Wilson (The Office) - Rainn appears on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Meagan Good (Cousin Skeeter/Raising Dad) - Meagan and Jonathan Majors talk about their much-talked-about romance, wedding, and the story behind their new fitness brand on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
  • Zosia Mamet (Laid/Girls) - Zosia talks about Does This Make Me Funny? on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
  • Karen Pittman (And Just Like That...) - Karen talks about The Morning Show on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour.
  • Patti LaBelle (Out All Night) - Patti talks about The Queens Tour on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
  • Dylan Sprouse (The Suite Life on Deck/The Suite Life of Zack & Cody/Grace Under Fire) - Dylan discusses his film Under Fire on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)

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

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09/08 - The Paper Renewed for Season 2, NYC Event on Tuesday; Final Season of Bel-Air
09/07 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 8, 2025)
09/06 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Shifting Gears Picked Up for Three Additional Episodes; The Paper Renewed for Season Two
09/05 - Crutch Premieres November 3 on Paramount+; Trailer for Season 2 of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place
09/04 - Freeform's 31 Nights of Halloween 2025 Schedule; Dancing with the Stars Season 34 Cast
09/03 - Live Staged Reading of Three's Company Episode; Freeform Acquires According to Jim for October
09/02 - Hulu's Chad Powers Trailer; BET's The Hospital Premieres September 10
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08/29 - HBO's Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television; Adult Swim Slates Two Series for October
08/28 - NBC's Password Renewed for Season 3 for 2026; Pluto TV Streaming CBS Shows Ahead of Fall Season
08/27 - Hulu's Deli Boys Renewed for Season 2 with Fred Armisen; HBO's I Love LA Premieres November 2
08/26 - English Teacher Returns on FX for Season 2; Jesse Williams Prime Video Series Trailer
08/25 - Doc Season 2 Trailer for Fox; Remembering David Ketchum and Jerry Adler
08/24 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of August 25, 2025)
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08/22 - Hulu's Futurama Season 13 Trailer; A Man on the Inside Returns November 20 on Netflix
08/21 - George Lopez Coming to COZI TV; The Morning Show Season 4 Trailer
08/20 - Welcome Back, Kotter 50th Anniversary Marathon on Rewind TV; Apple TV+ Palm Royale Season 2 Premieres November 12
08/19 - Antenna TV's Archie Bunker's Place Labor Day Marathon; Larry the Cable Guy Prime Video Special
08/18 - Nobody Wants This Season 2 Premieres October 23; HGTV and Retta Continue Partnership
08/17 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of August 18, 2025)
08/16 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Paramount Plans Retool of Cable Networks; King of the Hill Revival Scores Big Ratings
08/15 - Catchy Comedy Acquires Hot in Cleveland; Netflix's Animated Comedy Strip Law Premieres in 2026
08/14 - Dan Levy's Netflix Comedy Series Cast; Betty la Fea: La Historia ContinĂșa Season 2 Premieres Friday
08/13 - Remembering Danielle Spencer of What's Happening!!; Trailer for Season 5 of Only Murders in the Building
08/12 - Netflix's Comedy Kiss or Die Premieres September 9; Lori Harvey Joins Reasonable Doubt
08/11 - Roku Originals Books a Return Trip with Season 2 Renewal of Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross; Netflix's Fixed Trailer