SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Day 57: WGA's Strike; New Year's Eve/Day Marathons; According to Jim Returns Tuesday

Today is indeed day 57 of the strike. Late on Friday the WGA struck an independent deal with Worldwide Pants to bring writers back for CBS' The Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson starting January 2. Here is the statement the WGA released:
"The Writers Guild has reached a binding independent agreement today with Worldwide Pants that will allow Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson to return to the air with their full writing staffs. This is a comprehensive agreement that addresses the issues important to writers, particularly New Media. Worldwide Pants has accepted the very same proposals that the Guild was prepared to present to the media conglomerates when they walked out of negotiations on December 7.
Today's agreement dramatically illustrates that the Writers Guild wants to put people back to work, and that when a company comes to the table prepared to negotiate seriously a fair and reasonable deal can be reached quickly.
It's time for NBC-Universal to step up to the plate and negotiate a company-wide deal that will put Jay Leno, who has supported our cause from the beginning, back on the air with his writers."

New Year's Eve and Day gets a lot of marathons every year and this year is no different. We mentioned WPIX in New York will air a Honeymooners marathon tonight starting at midnight...in Boston WSBK will air a Three Stooges marathon. As for nationwide, we also mentioned The Drew Carey Show launches on ION Television tonight at 7/6 central with a marathon until 11pm ET. TV Land will re-launch The Beverly Hillbillies with a marathon starting tonight and lasting all day tomorrow.
As for other marathon, Sci-Fi Channel will do its annual The Twilight Zone marathon which has already started today at 8am and it will last until 10pm tomorrow, then again from 11pm-6am late on Tuesday. The entire first season of 10 Items or Less will air tonight on TBS and five episodes of South Park on Comedy Central to ring in the new year tonight. TNT has a Law & Order marathon which has started today at noon and will last until 10pm Tuesday. A Law & Order: Criminal Intent marathon has started today on USA Network and on New Year's Day a Monk marathon will start at 6am...a 21-episode run of the defective detective, including run-ins with a psychic and Dale the Whale, and trips to the circus, a ballgame and Mexico. Bravo has a Project Runway marathon today and a Biggest Loser marathon tomorrow with a 10-show block opens with the contestants facing the challenge of navigating up and down the aisle of a moving railroad car. Spike TV will have a 14 episode marathon today of CSI. On SOAPnet it is the Serial Bowl V: One Tree Hill Marathon...13 hours of the teen drama starting at 11am. VH1 will have an America's Next Top Model-thon starting tonight at 10pm. On GSN, we will have a marathon of the 100,000 Pyramid with host Dick Clark, and of course we will all ring in the new year with Dick Clark on ABC tonight at 11:35pm with Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.

We have gotten a lot of searches on this, so I will indeed mention it. According to Jim will be back in 2008 on ABC with new episodes starting January 1, 2008. We got searches on "According to Jim's new season, "According to Jim 2008, "According to Jim winter 2008, "According to Jim mid-season 2008," etc. It will air Tuesdays at 9 on ABC. On January 1, two back-to-back new episodes will air starting at 9/8 central, including a spoof on Bruce Almighty, titled "Jim Almighty," with Lee Majors as God!

In Memoriam: Sitcom Actor Deaths in 2007

Today we pay tribute to the sitcom actors, producers, writers and composers who passed away in 2007. We've lost stars from Barney Miller, Bewitched, Charles in Charge, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, The Joey Bishop Show, The Munsters, Newhart, and many more that are greatly missed. They are listed in alphabetical order. The links go to their Internet Movie Database entry where you can view a full list of their credits. Joey Bishop - Joey Bishop was the stone-faced comedian who found success in nightclubs, television and movies but became most famous as a member of Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack. He was the group's last surviving member. On television he had his own sitcom in the '60s titled The Joey Bishop Show that ran from 1961-1965 on NBC then ABC. He had a talk show by the same name, which was more popular, that aired on ABC and the announcer was Regis Philbin! Regis had this to day about Mr. Bishop: "It was the thrill of my life to be chosen by Joey as the announcer for his talk show on ABC back in the '60s. It was my introduction to the highly competitive late night show world. It was also an introduction to a show business I had never known: the Rat Pack era, the amazing talents of those performers who I probably never would have befriended without Joey. We walked every day before the show up Vine Street to Hollywood Boulevard and back to our studio for nearly three years. I learned a lot about the business of making people laugh. He was a master comedian and a great teacher and I will never forget those days or him." Bishop guest starred on TV series such as Chico and the Man, Get Smart, Trapper John M.D., and Murder, She Wrote. He also filled-in many times for Johnny Carson as guest host on The Tonight Show. Mr. Bishop passed away on October 17, 2007, at the age of 89. Roscoe Lee Browne - Character actor Roscoe Lee Browne was an Emmy & Tony Award Winning Actor who is best probably known for his sitcom work. He guest starred on series like Barney Miller and The Cosby Show, both of which he earned Emmy nominations (in fact he won for The Cosby Show). Audiences probably remember him most for his regular role as Saunders (the butler who replaced Benson) on the last two seasons of Soap. He also guest starred on an episode of Benson, but not as Saunders. Or they might remember his role with Archie Bunker in the elevator on an episode of All in the Family. He also guest starred as the original teacher, the one who substitute Mr. Moore (Howard Hesseman) replaced on Head of the Class. Mr. Browne died of cancer on April 11, 2007, at the age of 81. James T. Callahan - James T. Callahan was best known for playing Walter Powell on the sitcom Charles in Charge. On the show, Callahan played Walter Powell, a retired Navy man he referred to as the "blustery old grandfather" in a 2000 People magazine interview. When CBS canceled Charles in Charge after one season in 1985, Callahan joined the cast for the syndicated version, which ran from 1987 to 1990. The role was a favorite that brought him wide recognition. Between 1959 and 2007, Callahan appeared in more than 120 films and television shows. He got his start in guest starring stints on westerns such as The Californians, Two Faces West, and Have Gun Will Travel. His first sitcom appearance was in 1960 on an episode of Dennis the Menace. He co-starred in two short lived sitcoms Wendy and Me in 1964 and The Governor & J.J. in 1969. His long list of TV guest shots include Perry Mason, Combat!, The Twilight Zone, Dr. Kildare, Ben Casey, My Favorite Martian, The Fugitive, The FBI, Adam-12, Marcus Welby MD, M*A*S*H, Love American Style, Barnaby Jones, Cannon, Police Story, The Rockford Files, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Dallas, The Ropers, Bosom Buddies, Lou Grant, Benson, Alice, Simon & Simon, Quincy ME, Remington Steele, Little House on the Prairie, The A-Team, Knight Rider, Newhart, Growing Pains, Doogie Howser MD, Highway to Heaven, The Golden Girls, Nurses, Harry and the Hendersons, Picket Fences, Hope & Gloria, Caroline in the City, Cybill, The Practice, 7th Heaven, ER and Medium. Wow...what a list and that is just a partial one! Mr. Callahan died at the age of 76 on August 3, 2007. Ron Carey - Ron Carey, the short and puckish comedic actor, was best known for his role as Officer Carl Levitt on the hit sitcom Barney Miller. He was also a member of Mel Brooks' troupe in films such as High Anxiety and Silent Movie. The 5-foot-7 Carey became a semi-regular on ABC's Barney Miller in 1976, the second year of the sitcom that starred Hal Linden, and remained with the show until it ended in 1982. The Newark, NJ native also co-starred in the series Lucky Luke in 1993. He also had a role in the short-lived ABC sitcom produced by John Ritter called Have Faith in 1989. He also was on two short lived sitcoms in the '70s--The Montefuscos (1975) for NBC and The Corner Bar (1972-73) for ABC. He guest starred on sitcoms such as Benson, Alice, New Love American Style. Carey, probably not known by many by his name, certainly will be remembered by his role on Barney Miller by sitcom fans. Mr. Carey died of a stroke on January 16, 2007, at the age of 71. Bob Carroll, Jr. - Sometimes credited as Bob Carroll, he wrote on all of Lucille Ball's sitcoms: I Love Lucy, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy, and Life with Lucy. He also wrote for classic sitcoms such as Alice, The Mothers-in-Law, The Paul Lynde Show, and the short-lived sitcom Dorothy. Mr. Carroll died at the age of 88 on January 27, 2007, in Los Angeles after a brief illness. Stan Daniels - Stan Daniels was an Emmy-winning TV writer and producer who worked on two of the most acclaimed comedies of the 1970s, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Taxi. Daniels won eight Emmys during his long television career, including three as co-creator and executive producer of Taxi and three as a writer on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He directed episodes of the 80s comedy Dear John as well. Mr. Daniels died of heart failure April 6, 2007, at the age of 72. Yvonne De Carlo - Yvonne De Carlo was best known for the role of wife Lily Munster on the hit '60s sitcom The Munsters. She was also quite known for her role as Charlton Heston's wife in the movie epic The Ten Commandments. She also played Lily Munster in the 1966 movie Munster, Go Home; The Munsters' Revenge in 1981; and in a cameo appearance in the 1995 TV movie revival Here Come the Munsters. De Carlo was an actress who acted in the 1940s even in various movies. Her other TV credits include guest spots on Bonanza, Fantasy Island, Murder She Wrote, Dream On, and Death Valley Days. She even had a small role in the highest rated mini-series of all time, Roots, playing a slave owner's wife. Ms. De Carlo passed away of natural causes at the age 84 on January 8, 2007. Alice Ghostley - She was of course most remembered for her roles on Bewitched and Designing Women. On Bewitched she played Esmeralda and on Designing Women she played Bernice (which she earned an Emmy nomination in 1992). Ghostley had lots of film work too, including major movies such as To Kill a Mockingbird, The Graduate, Gator and Grease. But it was television where she made her mark, especially sitcoms. She co-starred in the sitcoms Captain Nice, Small Wonder and Mayberry R.F.D. (as Cousin Alice). She guest starred on many sitcoms such as playing the ditzy social worker Mrs. Dodds on Good Times and playing Mama's boss Mrs. Turner on What's Happening!! Her other guest starring sitcom credits include Car 54 Where Are You?, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, Get Smart, He & She, The Farmer's Daughter, The Mothers-in-Law, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, The Odd Couple, Hogan's Heroes, Temperature Rising, Here We Go Again, Love American Style, The New Gidget, Big Eddie, Maude, One Day at a Time, Chico and the Man, Gimme a Break!, Stir Crazy, What's Happening Now!!, Punky Brewster, The Golden Girls, Daddy Dearest, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Dharma & Greg, and a recurring role on Evening Shade. Ms. Ghostley passed away at the age of 81 after a long battle with colon cancer and a series of strokes on September 21, 2007. George Greeley - George Greeley was a pianist, conductor, composer, and arranger who wrote the theme music for television's My Favorite Martian. He wrote the musical themes and underscores for My Favorite Martian, starring Ray Walston and Bill Bixby, and My Living Doll, starring Robert Cummings and Julie Newmar. He also wrote background music for The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and Nanny and the Professor. La-La Land Records recently released an excellent My Favorite Martian soundtrack cd. Mr. Greeley passed away on May 26, 2007, at the age of 89. Dabbs Greer - Dabbs Greer was an American character actor who performed many diverse supporting roles in film and television for about 50 years. Greer had a prominent continuing role in the NBC TV series Little House on the Prairie as Reverend Alden from 1974 to 1983. Often cast as a minister, he performed the marriages of Rob and Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show and of Mike and Carol Brady on The Brady Bunch, and he tended to the spiritual needs of the townfolk in fictional Rome, Wisconsin, as Reverend Henry Novotny in Picket Fences. Mr. Greer died at the age of 90 on April 28, 2007, after a battle with kidney and heart disease. Merv Griffin - Merv Griffin was known for his talk show The Merv Griffin Show that ran from 1962-1986 and for creating the hit game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. Merv appeared as himself on several sitcoms like Sanford & Son, The Golden Girls, Hope & Gloria, and Newhart. He also produced the new Lifetime series Lisa Williams: Life Among the Dead. He was recently seen on TV Land Moguls as the host, appeared on TV Land's ALF's Hit Talk Show, and appeared on Fat Actress. Mr. Griffin died of prostate cancer at the age of 82 on August 12, 2007. Richard Jeni - He was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Jeni first received recognition through a series of Showtime stand-up specials and frequent appearances on The Tonight Show. The show was well-received and Jeni would return for two more shows, going on to receive a CableACE Award for one of his HBO specials. Jeni would also star on the short-lived UPN sitcom Platypus Man and appeared in the Jim Carrey film The Mask. In 2004, Jeni was ranked #57 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time. Mr. Jeni died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on March 10, 2007, at the age of 49. Jillian Kessner-Graver - She was an American actress and historian who worked with her late husband, Gary Graver, to preserve the work and legacy of director Orson Welles. She was best known as an actress for playing Fonzie's girlfriend, Lorraine, on Happy Days. She also appeared on a number of television shows, including Three's Company, The Rockford Files, The Ropers and Mork & Mindy. Ms. Kessner-Graver died on December 5, 2007, at the age of 58 of a staph infection. Charles Lane - He was a prolific character actor whose bespectacled face and crotchety persona made him instantly recognizable to generations of movie-goers. Lane, whose career spanned more than 60 years, appeared in such film classics as It's a Wonderful Life, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and Twentieth Century. He also had a recurring role as the scheming railroad man, Homer Bedloe, on the 1960s TV sitcom Petticoat Junction and appeared often on television's I Love Lucy. He was especially fond of his role in the I Love Lucy episode in which Lucy Ricardo gave birth to her son, Little Ricky. Papa Ricky (Ball's real-life husband, Desi Arnaz) was all nerves while Lane, as a fellow expectant father, was the picture of calm. "This old guy was expecting his 10th child or something, and this nervous young man was expecting his first," Lane recalled in 2005. "It was a marvelous scene, and Desi was a fine actor." His many other sitcom appearances included Topper, Dear Phoebe, The Real McCoys, Bachelor Father, Dennis the Menace, The Lucy Show, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Beverly Hillbillies and Bewitched. Mr. Lane passed away at the age of 102 on July 9, 2007. Tom Poston - The Emmy Award Winning actor is best remembered for his roles on The Bob Newhart Show, Mork & Mindy and Newhart. In his early career he guest starred on sitcoms such as The Phil Silvers Show before winning the Emmy in 1959 for his role on The Steve Allen Show. After that he guest starred on series such as Get Smart and The Good Guys before landing the role of Cliff "The Peeper" Murdock on The Bob Newhart Show. After his run on that show he guest starred on series such as Alice, CHiPs and was a regular on two short lived sitcoms On the Rocks & We've Got Each Other. In 1979 he got the role of Franklin Delano Bickley on the hit sitcom Mork & Mindy, starring Robin Williams. His next big role was of George Utley in the sitcom Newhart, reuniting him once again with Bob Newhart. Mr. Poston would reunite one more time with Bob in the sitcom Bob for a few episodes. He was also a regular in the Fox sitcom Good Grief in 1990 and more recently on NBC's short lived sitcom Committed. He guest starred in many many sitcoms in the 80s, 90s and 2000s. He had recurring roles on the ABC sitcoms Grace Under Fire and Coach. He also had a few memorable guest appearances as Mr. Looney (that's Loon-ay!) on the ABC sitcom Family Matters. The man was everything, more sitcom guest credits include Becker, Cosby, 8 Simple Rules, Dharma & Greg, Dream On, George & Leo, Home Improvement, Just Shoot Me, Malcolm & Eddie, Murphy Brown, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, That '70s Show, The Love Boat, The Simpsons, Will & Grace and reunited with his wife Suzanne Pleshette in the NBC sitcom Good Morning, Miami. He was last seen in late 2006 on an episode of the Disney Channel sitcom, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Mr. Poston passed away after a brief illness on April 30, 2007, at the age of 85. Charles Nelson Reilly - Reilly was famous for being one of the celebrity panelists on the '70s game show Match Game. He also appeared on The Tonight Show many times. He wore his trademark giant glasses and colorful suits with ascots on Match Game and Hollywood Squares. The actor appeared on many sitcoms as well. He appeared on The Ghost and Mrs. Muir from 1968-70. He guest starred on The Patty Duke Show, Car 54 Where Are You?, The Farmer's Daughter, Nanny and the Professor, Here's Lucy, Arnie, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Love American Style, Charles in Charge, Evening Shade, The New WKRP in Cincinnati, Family Matters and The Drew Carey Show. He had done a lot of TV voice work such as SpongeBob SquarePants. Mr. Reilly died from complications from pneumonia at the age of 76 on May 25, 2007. Will Schaefer - He was an American composer nominated for both an Emmy Awards and a Pulitzer Prize for his work. He wrote background music for a number of popular television shows and composed over 700 commercials. Schaefer returned to composing themes for television after the Korean War with Gunsmoke and The Phil Silvers Show. In following decades, he would compose background music for many popular television programs including I Dream of Jeannie, The Flintstones, The Flying Nun, Hogan's Heroes, The Jetsons and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Mr. Schaefer passed away from cancer on June 30, 2007, at the age of 78. Sidney Sheldon - He was an American writer who won awards in three careers—a Broadway playwright, a Hollywood TV and movie screenwriter, and a best-selling novelist. His TV works spanned a 20-year period during which he created I Dream of Jeannie (1965-70), Hart to Hart (1979-84), and The Patty Duke Show (1963-66), but it was not until after he turned 50 and began writing best-selling novels such as Master of the Game (1982), The Other Side of Midnight (1973) and Rage of Angels (1980) that he became most famous. Mr. Sheldon died from complications arising from pneumonia at the age of 89 on January 30, 2007. Brett Somers - She was the popular Match Game panelist. Over the years she guest starred on many classic TV shows such as The Love Boat, Barney Miller, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Odd Couple, Love American Style and more. Ms. Somers passed away from stomach and colon cancer at the age of 83 on September 15, 2007. Miyoshi Umeki - Miyoshi Umeki won an Oscar for her performance (first Asian to ever win one) as the doomed wife of an American serviceman in Sayonara and later starred in the Broadway musical Flower Drum Song. Umeki also portrayed Mrs. Livingston, the housekeeper, in the ABC sitcom, The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1969-1972), which starred Bill Bixby and Brandon Cruz. In a 1969 Washington Post interview, Bixby called her "the best actress I've ever worked with." Her other TV credits include guest shots on sitcoms Mister Ed and The Donna Reed Show. Ms. Umeki died of cancer complications at the age of 78 on August 28, 2007. Sigrid Valdis - Sigrid Valdis played Col. Klink's sexy blond secretary on Hogan's Heroes and married the show's star, Bob Crane. Valdis played Hilda for five seasons on Hogan's Heroes, the 1965-71 CBS situation comedy about Allied prisoners in a World War II German POW camp. She and Crane were married on the TV show's set in 1970. She didn't have many other credits, but she did guest star on Wild Wild West and Kraft Suspense Theatre. Ms. Valdis died from lung cancer at the age of 72 on October 14, 2007. Dick Wilson - Dick Wilson was known to millions as the long-time Charmin bath tissue pitchman. Wilson portrayed grocer Mr. Whipple and made "Please don't squeeze the Charmin" a household phrase. Wilson appeared as Mr. Whipple in more than 500 spots for Charmin from 1964 through 1985 (click here to view one of them). After a 14-year hiatus, Wilson reprised the role in 1999 to introduce a new version of Charmin. In 2001, Procter & Gamble, maker of Charmin, presented Wilson with a lifetime achievement award to commemorate his contribution to the brand. Wilson's television credits include Captain Gruber on Hogan's Heroes, Assistant Mayor Dino Boroni on McHale's Navy, a popular recurring character on Bewitched as a drunk, and other roles in Alice, The Bob Newhart Show, Adam-12, Love American Style, Get Smart, I Dream of Jeannie, The Flying Nun, Gidget, My Favorite Martian, Perry Mason, The Hero, That Girl, The Don Rickles Show, The Rifleman, Fantasy Island, Quincy M.E., The Rockford Files, Arrest & Trial, Petticoat Junction, Maude, The Partridge Family on the Bewitched spin-off Tabitha, and many more. Wilson is survived by his wife Meg, three children (which includes Perfect Strangers co-star Melanie Wilson) and three grandchildren -- all located in the Los Angeles area. Mr. Wilson passed away at the age of 91 on November 19, 2007.

Mini-DVD Review: The Bronx is Burning: World Championship Limited Edition; Solomon's Weekly Rant: Drew Carey Show, Celebrity Apprentice, Bryant Gumbel

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up of course is the mini-DVD review. This week we take a look at ESPN Home Entertainment's The Bronx is Burning. Yes, we did a review on this a few months ago, but now just in time for the holidays ESPN is releasing a World Championship Limited Edition set that has two extra discs filled with extras! The Bronx is Burning is the eight episode mini-series that aired on ESPN this summer focusing on the 1977 season of the Yankees and what was going on at that time that summer. This show is well acted and got better with each episode. See my mini-DVD review of The Bronx is Burning:

The Bronx is Burning: World Championship Limited Edition (ESPN, $59.95) brings the mini-series on DVD once again, but with more extras and cool stuff! Bronx is Burning in a nutshell...New York City was in a crisis that summer of '77, they were paralyzed by a blackout, political strife, and the Son of Sam killing spree, so the Big Apple was burning. Rising out of this, came the New York Yankees...they signed Reggie Jackson and the trouble and turmoil started, but in the end they won a world championship. This is a true story of how the New York Yankees single-handedly helped to raise the spirits of a city in a time of darkness and uncertainty. Based on the best-selling novel by Jonathan Mahler, this historic 8-part dramatic mini-series captures the summer of 1977 like never before. John Turturro stars as Yankees Manager Billy Martin, Oliver Platt as demanding owner of the Yankees George Steinbrenner, and Daniel Sanjata plays the slugger Reggie Jackson.
This set is nearly the same as original set that came out in September, except for the huge box, two discs worth of extras, 1977 championship photo, and a 1977 championship cap! So we won't cover anything that was covered before, so please refer to our past review for our review on the first three discs and the original packaging.
Packaging on this limited edition set has a huge outer box that holds the digipak case and the cap inside. In the original packaging we had an outer box but it was thin and similar to the case...and the case a snap case rather than digipak. The 1977 cap inside the box is very cool...it has the Yankee logo with 1977 Champions in red. Also the ESPN logo is on one of the sides. When we open the digipak, we see an insert for other ESPN products and also a very thin 1977 World Series Championship photo of the Yankee team. It isn't really anything major and it like a piece of paper, rather than a high quality photograph. Oh well, better than nothing. As for the digipak, it has three sections...the first section all the way on the left holds disc one, discs two & three are in the middle section, and discs four & five are on the right section. Same artwork for the first three discs are used from the original set...same contents of course, too. Discs four and five are new and both have artwork of pinstripes and a white color scheme.
I will only talk about discs four and five. The menu screen design and navigation is the same as the first three discs, which is very high class and cool. Now if you all remember, on the original set we already had a lot of extras...now we get two full discs more of them!
On disc four we have something sports fans will love...actual highlights and a game from the past. We get highlights for each game of the 1977 World Series. All 6 games feature long highlights from the original ABC broadcast featuring Keith Jackson, Howard Cossell, and Tom Seaver. In addition, we get to relive the entire original game 6 broadcast from ABC which the Yankees clinched the 1977 championship as Reggie Jackson hit 3 home runs! 2 great hours worth of a classic game!
Finally, on disc five we get more interviews and back stories. First up is "The Bronx is Burning Anecdotes," these are 38:47 worth of interviews from the actual people from that era. ESPN interviewed stars like Reggie Jackson, George Steinbrenner, Lou Piniella, Willie Randolph, Graig Nettles, Fran Healy and more! These are in like 33 short interview clips each last like 1-2 minutes each. Next up we have classic news features titled, "Archival News Features." The first one is about Reggie Jackson Signing with the Yankees...that runs 1:35. The next one is about the Reggie Jackson Handshake Controversy...that runs 2:56. The final one is a sad one, the Therman Munson Tragedy...that runs 10:42. The final piece of extras are under the "More Stories of '77" title. We had some of these on disc three, but now we get more! The stories features are: Mr. October (6:25), Son of Sam (15:37), The Mayoral Race (6:56), and The Blackout (6:12).
I highly recommend this mini-series and DVD. If you have the original set, then you might want to get this one, too...for the extras and cap. If you're a Yankee fan, then this is a must, otherwise you can just keep the original set. If you have not bought the original set, then try and get this one, as it has more goodies. The Yankees overcame a lot in '77 and so did the city of New York. While this is entertaining, it was also a true story. I urge you all to watch this, especially if you are a fan of sports. Reg-gie! Reg-gie! Reg-gie!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)

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Related links:
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Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, December 29, 2007
"Special Treatment for Drew Carey on ION; Celebrity Apprentice?; Terrible Bryant Gumbel"
By Solomon Davis

The Drew Carey Show has been added to ION Television for 2008 and for some reason it will get very special treatment on December 31. It will get treatment that other shows like Alice and Who's the Boss? never received which is confusing because I thought all shows added to the schedule would get the same treatment. Instead, ION will air a marathon of The Drew Carey Show on New Year's Eve and they never did this in 2007 for Alice or Who's the Boss. So I guess those programmers at ION are HUGE fans of The Drew Carey Show. But it is really not surprising at all that the "Incredibly Odd Network" would end the year of 2007 on such an "odd note."

NBC has completely destroyed The Apprentice this season with this new celebrity crap. Why change it into a Celebrity Apprentice when the appeal of the show was seeing young professionals working hard to get hired by Mr. Trump? So what will be the fun part of The Apprentice now since it's all celebrities? If Trump fires a celebrity it won't be the same because that person will still be famous. So what is NBC trying to accomplish with this stupid idea? I will tell you that the one thing they accomplished was losing me as a fan because I no longer have the desire to watch this new garbage NBC has thrown together. NBC has put the nail on the coffin for this series. The show would have just been better off in the same pile with the other 2007 TV show failures.

Bryant Gumbel's style of play-by-play announcing on the NFL Network sounds like he is reading from a script. He is extra dry, dull, and doesn't have a excitable bone in his body. He should only be allowed to do play by play if PBS started airing NFL games next season. I am going to barf tonight when he announces the Patriots/Giants game, in which the Pats will go for the 16-0 record. Please Gumbel go back to morning TV shows like The Early Show and leave sports announcing to the real professionals...even your brother Greg Gumbel is better.

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Day 54: WGA's Strike; Honeymooners 2008 New Year's Marathon on WPIX; RTN Comes to Providence, RI

Well today is day 54 of the strike. 54...wow...but this is not fun like Studio 54. Unfortunately there is no end in sight right now for this strike. Fox's late night talk show on Saturdays, Talk Show with Spike Feresten, will now also return on the air with new episodes without writers starting Saturday, Jan. 12. I know what you're all thinking...Fox has a late night talk show on Saturdays? Still no word yet if Letterman or Ferguson will return on the air next week. I doubt the independent deal to get writers for those shows will be done in time and they will be on the air next week I bet without writers. Leno, O'Brien and Kimmel return on-air this Wednesday without writers.


2008 starts next week and we all know what WPIX (CW11, formerly known as WB11) in New York will do to celebrate it! Yes, the annual Honeymooners New Year's Marathon!
Ring in the New Year with Ralphie Boy! A holiday tradition, the CW11/WPIX will air a marathon of 30 classic Honeymooners episodes (mix of the classic 39 and lost episodes!) beginning Monday, December 31 at midnight...just as we enter 2008. The CW11/WPIX will air 15-hours of hamana-hamana-hamana hijinks with Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason), Ed Norton (Art Carney), Alice Kramden (Audrey Meadows) and Trixie Norton (Joyce Randolph). The WPIX Honeymooners Marathon runs from midnight to 5am on New Year's Eve night (with a break for the CW11 Morning News from 5-9am) and returns at 9am on New Year's Day all the way until 7pm! For the complete schedule of episodes and to discuss this news, click HERE!
CW11/WPIX-TV is your home for The Honeymooners, with the marathon tradition beginning in 1976, and airing on New Year's Eve annually since 1996.

Retro Television Network (RTN) announced that it will partner with Media General to bring RTN programming to Providence, RI. The new affiliate, which is the 5th Media General station to sign with RTN, will launch early next year on a digital stream of WJAR, the NBC affiliate in Providence.
Among the shows they will see are Ron Howard and Henry Winkler in Happy Days, James Garner in Rockford Files, Peter Graves in Mission: Impossible, Jack Lord in Hawaii 5-0, Clint Eastwood in Rawhide, David Janssen in The Fugitive, Lorne Greene and Michael Landon in Gunsmoke and Raymond Burr in Perry Mason and Ironside.

Day 53: WGA's Strike; TV Land February Highlights; George Lopez Marathon on Nick at Nite Friday

Today is day 53 of the writers' strike. Nothing new to report at all, as of now. The days after Christmas are always so slow. News will probably pick-up starting Jan. 2.

Well we wanted to give you TV Land February 2008 highlights last week, but we decided to hold it because one stunt still has a lot of TBD (to be determined) slots. I'll get to that in a bit. As we know Just Shoot Me launches on TV Land with a weekend marathon on Jan. 26-27 from 9pm-6am on both nights. The TV Land February schedule will start Jan. 28 with the addition of Just Shoot Me. The show will air weekday mornings at 8:30am, every night at 12 & 12:30am, and in the Thursday four in a row marathons from 9-11pm. Other changes include All in the Family being removed, an additional Three's Company being added to weekdays at 11am, The Munsters, Green Acres, and Addams Family are off of weekdays and only on weekends now. Brady Bunch will only be 4:30am now every morning.
Friday movies for the month include The Breakfast Club, Flashdance and Moonstruck.
TV Land is celebrating Valentine's Day with a "Ricky Loves Lucy Valentine's Day Event." Watch four episodes of I Love Lucy on Feb. 10 and again on Feb. 14 as Lucy and Ricky as they experience their happiest times together. Witness their vow renewal, celebrate the announcement and birth of their baby and toast them as they celebrate their wedding anniversary.
Now the stunt I have a lot of TBD slots is the "Big '80s Weekend." We still have a lot of TBD slots, but I decided to post this today anyway. This will air the weekend of President's Day--Saturday, Feb. 16, Sunday, Feb. 17 and Monday, Feb. 18. Right now only movies have been slated, but there could be some '80s series in there as well, along with some '80s retrospectives maybe. As soon as we know, we'll let you know! As of now slated are '80s movies such as National Lampoon's Class Reunion, Flashdance, The Breakfast Club, The Jerk, and Sixteen Candles. Three's Company and Designing Women are also slated for Monday, Feb. 18 to start off that day's block. Don't be surprised if we see series such as Knight Rider, The A-Team, and Miami Vice pop-up in here or '80s retrospectives. It is going to be a totally radical '80s weekend! We will confirm as soon as we know the TBD slots...check out the link below for the schedule SO FAR.
TV Land will have another Movie Week, the week of Feb. 25! Showtime is every night at 8p, starting with Monday's showing of Steve Martin as the lovably naive Navin Johnson in The Jerk. Tuesday, Gary Busey stars as the rock pioneer in The Buddy Holly Story. Wednesday, Molly, Emilio, Ally, and the rest of the Brat Pack star as a diverse group of teens stuck in Saturday morning detention in The Breakfast Club. Thursday, Clint Eastwood stars as a conflicted secret service agent in In the Line of Fire. Rounding out the week is Sixteen Candles starring Molly Ringwald as she deals with forgotten birthdays and secret crushes.
For COMPLETE February details, click HERE!

Nick at Nite will preempt its regular programming on Friday (December 28) to bring a marathon of one of its newest and highest rated sitcoms...George Lopez! This will be the first marathon for the show. The series launched in September and has been airing every night from 10-11pm. The series is doing excellent for the network and is doing much better in its slot against what aired last year. The show is also one of cable's top performers in 18-49 in primetime, not to mention total viewers. George Lopez marathon starts 10pm on Friday and will run until 5am (Fresh Prince will close the night from 5-6am). The marathon will have no repeats, so you can stay up all-night to watch new episodes all-night long!
Marathon episodes are:
10:00PM #73 "George Buys a Vow"
10:30PM #4 "Max's Big Adventure"
11:00PM #104 "George's House Has Two Empty Wombs" (Stacy Keibler guest-stars)
11:30PM #105 "George Nieces Needs a Media Room"
12:00AM #107 "Sabes Gay, It's George's Fantasy Episode"
12:30AM #108 "George Thinks Vic's Fiance Is Lion About Being A Cheetah" (Stacy Keibler guest-stars)
1:00AM #109 "George Helps Angie's Wha-Positive Self Image"
1:30AM #110 "George's Grave Mistake Sends Him To a Funeral, Holmes"
2:00AM #111 "George Joins the Neighborhood Wha-tcha and Raises the Vigilante"
2:30AM #112 "George Is Maid To Be Ruth-Less" (Barbara Eden guest-stars)
3:00AM #113 "George Is Lie-able for Benny's Unhappiness" (Jerry Springer guest-stars)
3:30AM #29 "Dubya, Dad, and Dating, Part 1" (Jimmie Walker guest-stars)
4:00AM #30 "Dubya, Dad, and Dating, Part 2" (Jimmie Walker guest-stars)
4:30AM #33 "Carmen's Dating"

Day 52: WGA's Strike, TV4U.com Adds More Classic TV

Yeah our writers' strike counter has returned after 5 days off. We are on day 52 of the strike and in the eighth week of the strike now. If you all recall, David Letterman's production company Worldwide Pants was set to meet with the WGA on Friday to negotiate an independent deal so that both his late night show on CBS and Craig Ferguson's late night CBS show could return with writers. No deal was made yet, but it seems both shows could be back on the air next Wednesday (Jan. 2) with or without writers. No new date has been set for the WGA and Worldwide Pants to resume talks. The WGA released this statement:
"Representatives from Worldwide Pants and the Writers Guild of America, West and the Writers Guild of America, East met today. A lively exchange of information took place. The WGAW and WGAE will not comment further."

TV4U.Com, the 42 channel free internet TV broadband network, is now offering 2,000 classic TV shows from the past 60 years. Recent additions of Stoney Burke, Assignment Underwater, Your Hit Parade, Jimmy Durante Show, Paul Winchell Show, and The Alan Young Show have helped to reach this milestone.
TV4U.Com offers 42 channels of free internet TV in categories such as comedy, drama, variety, westerns, sports, and action. The Henderson, Nevada based company owns a library of more than 10,000 classic TV shows.
TV4U.Com presents TV shows from the first 60 years of commercial television, from the Dumont Network of the 1940's to programming produced today. Shows are ad supported and can be watched free - and on demand - by viewers.
Other new shows recently added to TV4U.Com includes Joe Pyne, Who Do You Trust?, Meet Corliss Archer, Our Miss Brooks, Life of Riley, Lights Out!, Captain David Grrief, and The Morey Amsterdam Show. Many of these shows have not been seen on TV for decades.
In 2008, TV4U.Com plans to add an additional 3,000 shows, which would bring the fledgling broadband network to 5,000 offerings for TV viewers.

Merry Christmas from SitcomsOnline; New Pre-Strike Episodes Left for All Series

It is Christmas Day and we would like to wish all of our readers a Merry Christmas from all of here at SitcomOnline! Thanks for taking the time out to visit us today. As usual, there are tons of marathons out there such as TV Land's Merrython, TBS' A Christmas Story marathon, ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas programming continues, and many more holiday movies on other networks such as Lifetime.

As we all know there is a writers' strike going on and it is affecting all scripted programming on television. We have compiled a list for you, so you know how many episodes are left for your favorite shows...our Christmas present to you! So in case anyone is asking, "how many Grey's Anatomy episodes are remaining," now you can tell them!

Here is a list of new episodes remaining before repeats fully take over (unless the strike ends soon). All of these episodes will air starting in 2008 (meaning, the earliest Jan. 1). In parenthesis I have the date when the first new one airs in 2008:

ABC
According to Jim - at least 7 episodes (Jan. 1)
Big Shots - 5 episodes (Jan. 10)
Boston Legal - 4 episodes (Jan. 1)
Brothers & Sisters - 3 episodes (Jan. 13)
Carpoolers - 7 episodes (Jan. 8)
Cashmere Mafia - 7 episodes (Jan. 6)
Cavemen - 7 episodes (not scheduled yet)
Desperate Housewives - 1 episode (Jan. 6)
Dirty Sexy Money - 3 episodes (not scheduled yet)
Eli Stone - 13 episodes (Jan. 31)
Grey's Anatomy - 1 episode (Jan. 10)
Lost - 8 episodes (Jan. 31)
MEN IN TREES - 11 episodes (Feb. 27)
Notes from the Underbelly - at least 6 episodes (Jan. 14)
October Road - 8 episodes (Jan. 7)
Private Practice - 0 or 1 episode (not scheduled yet)
Pushing Daisies - 0 episodes
Samantha Who? - 3 episodes (Feb. 4)
Ugly Betty - 3 episodes (Jan. 10)
Women's Murder Club - 1 episode (Jan. 4)
- Unscripted series such as America's Funniest Home Videos, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Wife Swap, Supernanny, Dance War, Dancing with the Stars, Just for Laughs, Oprah's Big Give, 20/20 and The Bachelor will have full seasons.

CBS
The Big Bang Theory - 0 episodes
Cane - 0 episodes
Cold Case - 2 episodes (Jan. 6)
Criminal Minds - at least 1 episode (not scheduled yet)
CSI - 1 episode (Jan. 10)
CSI: Miami - at least 1 episode (not scheduled yet)
CSI: NY - 3 episodes (not scheduled yet)
Ghost Whisperer - at least 1 episode (Jan. 11)
How I Met Your Mother - 0 episodes
Jericho - 7 episodes (Feb. 12)
Moonlight - 1 episode (Jan. 11)
NCIS - at least 1 episode (not scheduled yet)
New Adventures of Old Christine - at least 8 episodes (Feb. 4)
NUMB3RS - 2 episodes (not scheduled yet)
Rules of Engagement - 0 episodes
Shark - 1 episode (not scheduled yet)
Two and a Half Men - 0 episodes
The Unit - 0 episodes
Welcome to the Captain - 6 episodes (Feb. 4)
Without a Trace - 2 episodes (Jan. 10)
- Unscripted series such as 48 Hours Mystery, 60 Minutes, Amazing Race, Big Brother, Survivor, and The Power of 10 will have full seasons.

NBC
30 Rock - 1 episode (Jan. 10)
Bionic Woman - 0 episodes
Chuck - 2 episodes (not scheduled yet)
ER - 3 episodes (Jan. 3)
Friday Night Lights - 6 episodes (Jan. 4)
Heroes - 0 episodes
Journeyman - 0 episodes
Las Vegas - 8 episodes (Jan. 4)
Law & Order - TBD episodes (Jan. 2)
Law & Order: SVU - 4 episodes (Jan. 1)
Life - 0 episodes
Lipstick Jungle - at least 7 episodes (Feb. 7)
Medium - 9 episodes (Jan. 7)
My Name is Earl - 1 episode (Jan. 10)
The Office - 0 episodes
Quarterlife - 6 episodes (Feb. 18)
Scrubs - 4 or 5 episodes (Jan. 24)
- Unscripted series such as 1 vs. 100, American Gladiators, Deal or No Deal, Celebrity Apprentice, The Biggest Loser, and Dateline will have full seasons.

Fox
24 - 8 episodes (not scheduled yet)
American Dad - likely a full season (Jan. 6)
Back to You - 2 episodes (March 12)
Bones - 3 episodes (Feb. 22)
Canterbury's Law - at least 6 episodes (April 11)
Family Guy - likely a full season (Jan. 13)
House - 3 episodes (Feb. 3)
King of the Hill - likely a full season (Jan. 6)
K-Ville - 1 episode (not scheduled yet, if ever)
New Amsterdam - 7 episodes (Feb. 22)
Prison Break - 5 episodes (Jan. 14)
Return of Jezebel James - 7 episodes (March 7)
The Simpsons - likely a full season (Jan. 6)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - at least 9 episodes (Jan. 13)
'Til Death - 3 episodes (March 7)
Unhitched - 7 episodes (March 2)
- Unscripted series such as American Idol, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, America's Most Wanted, Cops, Don't Forget the Lyrics!, Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, Moment of Truth, and When Women Rules the World will have full seasons.

The CW
Aliens in America - 3-7 episodes (not scheduled yet; only 13 were ordered, 10 have aired, but reports are 17 episodes will be produced)
Everybody Hates Chris - 12 episodes (not scheduled yet)
The Game - 0 episodes
Girlfriends - 0 episodes
Gossip Girl - 2 episodes (Jan. 2)
Life is Wild - 3 episodes (Jan. 6)
One Tree Hill - 12 episodes (Jan. 8)
Reaper - 2 episodes (not scheduled yet)
Smallville - 6 episodes (not scheduled yet)
Supernatural - 4 episodes (not scheduled yet)
- Unscripted series such as America's Next Top Model, Beauty and the Geek, Crowned, CW Now, Pussycat Dolls, and WWE Smackdown will have full seasons.

Christmas Eve Greeting; RTN Comes to Augusta, GA and Jackson, MS

Thanks for taking the time out on this Christmas Eve 2007 to come join us for some sitcom news. We will continue to bring you news every single day during the holiday and through the New Year, so if you can, please join us. Then you can get back to your families the rest of the day! Don't forget to leave out the milk and cookies for Santa tonight!

Retro Television Network (RTN) recently announced that it has entered into agreements with Media General to bring RTN programming to Augusta, GA and Jackson, MS. The new affiliates will launch early next year on a digital stream of WJBF, the ABC affiliate in Augusta, and WJTV, the CBS affiliate in Jackson.
Viewers in Jackson and Augusta, as part of RTN's 'Primetime All the Time' lineup, will enjoy watching James Garner in The Rockford Files, Bob Crane in Hogan's Heroes, Raymond Burr in Ironside, Robert Young in Marcus Welby, M.D. and Michael Douglas in Streets of San Francisco, as well as many more hit shows!
Media General currently airs RTN on its NBC affiliate in Savannah, GA (WSAV) and its CBS affiliate in Myrtle Beach/Florence, SC (WBTW).

Have a Merry Christmas and don't forget to join us tomorrow, if you can.

Week 13 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did

Week 13 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):

Households: CBS: 6.6/10.9; NBC: 5.1/8.3; Fox: 4.2/6.8; ABC: 3.9/6.4; The CW: 1.2/2.9; MNT: 0.8/1.3
Total Viewers: CBS: 10.12 million; NBC: 7.73 million; Fox: 6.61 million; ABC: 5.92 million; The CW: 1.65 million; MNT: 1.18 million.
Adults 18-49: CBS: 2.7/7.7; NBC: 2.6/7.3; Fox: 2.2/6.3; ABC: 1.9/5.2; The CW: 0.7/2.0; MNT: 0.5/1.3.

Analysis: Week 13 so far is the lowest rated week of the season, we have tons of repeats and of course Christmas is near. Through Thursday, CBS had new episodes of CSI: Miami, The Unit, Cane. NBC aired a week-long stunt called Clash of the Choirs, which has done modestly. They also had the finale of Biggest Loser 4 and the final two airings of the low rated Journeyman. ABC also had a week-long stunt called Duel, with the finale coming up tonight at 8. The only other thing new was Notes from the Underbelly, October Road, and Boston Legal, but all three were lower than normal. While Fox had new showing of its Thursday reality shows and the terrible K-Ville. Last week CBS won the top spot in all categories: HH, viewers, and 18-49. NBC was second in HH, viewers, and 18-49. With Fox third and ABC fourth.
Through the first four days of this week, CBS has a lead in all categories in week 13 with NBC second, Fox in third and ABC again uncharacteristically in fourth. Repeats of course don't do as good as new episodes, most of ABC's shows are serialized, and they do even worse in repeats.
The day by day analysis will return when the holiday season is over and we are sort of back to more new than repeats.
As for the week, CBS will win in HH, viewers and likely in 18-49, NBC will be second, with a close finish for first place in 18-49...it could be NBC or CBS. ABC will be in the fourth spot unless their Sunday does pretty good, which is likely with The Santa Clause 2. As for this week...Merry Christmas...repeats ahoy!

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of December 10-16)

• Aliens in America (The CW) - A repeat did just 860,000 viewers, up 30k from the previous week.
• The Simpsons (Fox) - A new episode did 9.54 million and an impressive 4.5 18-49 rating.
  
• King of the Hill (Fox) - 7.42 million for a new episode.
  
• Family Guy (Fox) - A repeat did 8.27 million and a 4.1/10 18-49 rating...good stuff for a repeat, and up from previous week.
  
• American Dad (Fox) - 6.96 million for a new episode, up from previous week a bit.
  

Monday Sitcoms

• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 6.44 million for a repeat...previous week was a new one.
  
• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 6.65 million for a repeat...built from lead-in's repeat.
  
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) 2 episodes - 11.1 million tuned in for a repeat at 9, slightly down from previous week....and at 9:30 another repeat did 11.28 million, more than what Rules does obviously.
• Notes from the Underbelly (ABC) - Terrible 3.19 million for a new episode...it was preempted in some markets like Chicago for the NFL game, though.
  
• CW Monday Comedies: Chris, Aliens in America, Girlfriends, The Game. All were repeats ... Chris led the block with 1.86 million, Aliens did 1.42 million, Girlfriends did the lowest with 1.38 million, and The Game only did 1.41 million.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• According to Jim (ABC) - A repeat at 9:30 did 4.36 million, down from previous week at 9:30.
  

Wednesday Sitcoms

• Back to You (Fox) - 4.63 million for a repeat, a bit up from previous week.
  
• Til Death (Fox) - A repeat did 5.09 million, up a million from previous week...and built from the lead-in...wow.
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• The Office (NBC) - An encore from 10-11pm did 4.59 million.
  

Friday Sitcoms

• None.

Saturday Sitcoms

• None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) is a repeat of Aliens in America on The CW at 7:30, and Fox's animated comedies are preempted, but one Simpsons will air at 7.

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men was impressive for the week (and they were two repeats!). Everything else was OK (such as How I Met Your Mother repeat, The Big Bang Theory repeat) or just plain old terrible (According to Jim repeat, Notes from the Underbelly).

Mini-DVD Review: C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation - The Seventh Season; Solomon's Weekly Rant: Flavor of Love, Christmas Story, Bowl Games

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD reviews. Today we head out west to Las Vegas for C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation: - The Seventh Season. C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation stars William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger, Gary Dourdan, George Eads, Jorja Fox, Paul Guilfoyle, Eric Szmanda and Robert David Hall.



C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation - The Seventh Season (Paramount Home Video/CBS DVD, $89.99)

Follow the evidence... again and again. Winner of the People's Choice Award for "Favorite Television Drama" three years in a row. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation comes to DVD in this special collection that contains all 24 episodes from Season Seven - including Grissom's hunt for the notorious Miniature Killer.

This 7-disc set contains all 24 episodes from the seventh (2006-07) season and a number of audio commentaries and special features. The episodes are presented in Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) enhanced for 16:9 tvs with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround audio. It has a total running time of 17 hours, 25 minutes. The attractive packaging features parts of William Petersen's and Marg Helgenberger's faces. At the top of the box, there is an embossed CSI logo. Las Vegas' skyline is in the center in a hologram type effect. The inside case is in a book fromat that you can flip through to get to the discs. There is a photo of Helgenberger, Szmanda, Guilfoyle and Doyle on the cover and Eads, Fox, Petersen and Hall on the back. I'm not sure why William Petersen is barefoot. They are walking across a street. A content locator lists the episodes by disc and the special features. Each disc features a different photo of one of the cast members and the show logo.

The menus are very slick looking and easy to navigate. They have a montage of video clips, with some instrumental music playing in the background. Options are available for Episode Selection, Set Up, Previews (only on Disc 1), and Special Features (only on Disc 7). On the Set Up menu, you can choose either Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround or Spanish 2.0 Surround. Closed captioning is available for all of the episodes. As you would expect from such a recent show, the video and audio quality is outstanding. The show looks stunning. This is the first time that the show has lacked "Complete" in the title. The episodes have running times of 41-44 minutes in length. There is nothing on the packaging to indicate that any of the music has been changed. While the episodes are numbered by their production order, they are presented in the order of their original airdates.

An impressive amount and variety of special features are included. There are 7 audio commentaries available on 5 of the discs. Producers, Writers, Directors and supporting cast members provide some behind the scenes details and trivia on the episodes. Executive Produer/Writer Naren Shankar and Co-Executive Producer/Director Ken Fink provide commentary on "Built To Kill, Part 1." It's a bit unusual there is no commentary on the second part of the episode. Director Richard Lewis and Writer Dustin Lee Abraham comment on "Fannysmackin." Director Martha Coolidge and Make-Up Effects Artist Matthew Mungle discuss "Living Legend." Executive Producer/Writer Naren Shankar and Co-Executive Producer/Writer do the commentary on "Sweet Jane." Director Richard Lewis, Writer/Techinical Advisor Richard Catalani and Producer Carol Mendeloshn provide their insights on "Law of Gravity." "Lab Rats (aka "While the Cat's Away") features Director Brad Tanenbaum, Writer Sarah Goldfinger, Wallace Langham (David Hodges), Jon Wellner (Henry Andrews), Liz Vassey (Wendy Simms), Sheri Rappaport (Mandy Webster) and Archie Kao (Archie Johnson). This was a fun one with so many people on it. Executive Producer/Writer Naren Shankar and Co-Executive Producer/Director Ken Fink do their third commentary on "Living Doll."

Disc 7 has the 6 featurettes. These add up to over 90 minutes of bonus material. There is a "Play All" button or you can watch these individually. Here is the breakdown:

Inside "Built To Kill" (9:02) - This featurette focuses on the Cirque du Soleil show that was featured in the season premiere. It includes interviews with Supervising Producer Ken Fink, "KA" Company Manager Calum Pearson. Writer David Rambo, "KA" Production Manager Ray Forton, "KA" Stage Performer Sarah Harding, "KA" Stage Manager Stacey A. Myers, Marg Helgenberger, "KA" Performer Daniel Power and Louise Lombard. They talk about how they got the idea for the episode and how the "KA" members didn't want to be portrayed as, the storyline and how it was shot. There is some behind the scenes footage and they show various parts of the stage. The Cirque du Soleil show looks very cool. I'd like to see one of their performances someday.

Miniature Murders (13:48) - This featurette focuses on the miniature serial killer, which was a story arc that stretched the entire season and even into the current season. Executive Producer Carol Mendelsohn, Co-Executive Producer Doug Petrie, Executive Producer Naren Shankar, Marg Helgenberger, William Petersen, Supervising Producer Sarah Goldfinger, Production Designer Daniel Novotny, Set Designer Rob Sissman, Miniature Supervisor Craig Currie, Prop Supervisor James Schexnaydre, Director Ken Fink, Co-Producer David Rambo, Graphic Artist Daphne San Jose, 2nd Unit Director Brad Tanenbaum and Director Jeffrey Hunt. They talk about the evolution of the idea and the history involved with a woman who created some, how this was the first time they had a season long story arc for the first time, how the miniatures were built and lit, why they made 2 versions of each miniature, how they used different camera angles and the casting of Natalie. The miniatures were so incredibly detailed. They did some amazing work.

Who Are You? Inside "Living Legend" (14:45) - This focuses on the episode of the same name. Interviews include Co-Executive Producer Doug Petrie, Executive Producer Naren Shankar, Executive Producer Carol Mendelsohn, Roger Daltrey, Director Martha Coolidge and Special F/X Make-up Artist Matthew Mungle. They talk about the original idea for the story, how twist after twist was written into the episode, guest star Roger Daltrey, the theme song by The Who and how they always wanted to get Daltrey as a guest star since the beginning of the series, and how they did the disguises and prosethic make-up for the 4-5 roles that Daltrey played.

Las Vegas: The Real Crime Solvers (18:25) - All of the recent C.S.I. DVD releases have had similar segments like this one. In this featurette, Robert David Hall (Dr. Robbins) visits the Clark County Crime Lab in Las Vegas. He interviews Captain David O'Leary, Kimberly Brockman, Mark P. Burry, Thomas Melville, Kellie McGauthier, Julie Marschner, Frances E. Beaudette, Dinnah Caluag, Alice Maceo and Dr. Gary Telgenhoff. Various topics are covered as he visits the different departments, including toxicology, controlled substances, DNA, firearms, latent finger prints and autopsy. The segment closes with Robert David Hall talking to some real crime scene investigators: Randy McLaughlin, Yolanda McCleary, Jeff Smink and Kristin Gammas. He asks some good questions throughout this segment. It is interesting to hear their opinions of the show. The coroner is a lot like the Dr. Robbins character. He has the same sense of humor.

The Evolution of C.S.I. Season 7 (25:47) - This is the longest and most in-depth featurette on the set. Interviews include Executive Producer Carol Mendelsohn, Executive Producer Naren Shankar, William Petersen, Paul Guilfoyle, Jorja Fox, Robert David Hall, Marg Helgenberger, George Eads, Liev Schreiber, Louise Lombard and Eric Szmanda. They talk about how the show has evolved, how they've tried new things every season, the look of the show, visual effects, William Petersen's sabbatical to do a play, Grissom and Sara's relationship, the casting of Liev Schreiber and the show's unpredictability. I found the Keppler storyline and his character very interesting. You would never know that Jorja Fox would be leaving the show early in the current season.

Smoke & Mirrors: Directing Feature Television (16:31) - This featurette looks at the direction on the show. Interviews are included with the following directors: Ken Fink, Richard Lewis, Jeffrey Hunt, Brad Tanenbaum, Alec Smight, Michael Slovi and Martha Coolidge. They talk about their directorial styles, how they try to challenge themselves, how they try to create the look of feature films, how the show has evolved over the years, the look of the show and the shooting schedules. A typical episode takes 8 1/2 to 9 days to film.

A playable demo for the CSI: Hard Evidence PC game is also included.

Final Comments: It was a season of firsts for C.S.I. They had never done a story arc that stretched across an entire season. It was a bit disappointing that the miniature killer storyline wasn't concluded until the current season, but the whole idea was unique and entertaining. I think part of the show's success is because they are continually evolving it and coming up with fresh ideas. While this set is a bit on a pricey side, there are 7 audio commentaries and over 90 minutes of special features. The original C.S.I. is definitely the most popular in the C.S.I. franchise, so I guess it makes sense that they get the best treatment on DVD.

-- Reviewed by Todd Fuller
(4.5/5 stars)

To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation CBS.com Official Site
C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation TV.com Page



Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, December 22, 2007
"Yet Another Flavor of Love Marathon; Too Many Christmas Story Airings; Bowl Games on NFL Network?"
By Solomon Davis

Both seasons of Flavor of Love have been seen several times on VH1 and now another marathon is scheduled for Sunday, December 30? How much of Flavor Flav do we really need to see on VH1 in one year? I thought Flavor of Love was a thing of the past since the spin-off I Love NY has already completed 2 seasons. Why is VH1 going backward and airing Flavor of Love all over again? I can see airing a Flavor of Love 3 but to see more airings of the first two seasons again after the 30th will just make me wanna puke.

Why in the world is TBS airing the same Christmas movie back to back on Christmas Eve and on Christmas? A Christmas Story is airing at 8pm and 10pm on Christmas Eve (and all day on Christmas, which I won't rant about since who watches TV on Christmas Day?) and I just can't figure why they would not air a different movie at 10pm, since the same movie will air all day on Christmas Day anyway. They should premiere the movie on Christmas Eve at 8pm, then air other holiday movies the rest of the night and their Christmas Story marathon on Christmas Day from like 10am-8pm instead of this 24 hour airings thing. There are tons of Christmas Movies they can air on Christmas Eve but they want to show the same holiday movie all evening and all day on Christmas Day? This seems like something TV Land would do and I have to say I'm very surprised at such a stupid programming decision by TBS. TBS should get holiday programming tips from Hallmark since that channel is airing All I Want for Christmas at 8pm and A Grandpa for Christmas at 10pm on Christmas Eve.

Why is college football's Texas Bowl being aired on the NFL Network on Friday, December 28? It is not Houston Texans vs. Dallas Cowboys, which is the real "Texas Bowl," so this does not belong on this network. When I purchased the NFL Network through Comcast I was told it is the 24-hour NFL Network. So why would a College Football Bowl Game be seen if it is supposed to be 24-hour NFL programming?? No wonder everyone is complaining about this channel. They make you buy it for an extra price and not many people have it and the stupid NFL schedules games on here on Thursday and Saturday nights late in the season. This Bowl Game is what you call misleading customers who they think are purchasing a NFL network and then realized they purchased the "All-Football Network" instead. Change your name already! Maybe they will air local high school football championship games next.

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Day 47: WGA's Strike; SitcomsOnline.com Interactive: Your Top Sitcom Christmas Episodes; Nick at Nite's Family Initiative

We are in day 47 of the strike. Two more late night talk shows will go back in production without writers now. This time Comedy Central's The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. "We would like to return to work with our writers. If we cannot, we would like to express our ambivalence, but without our writers we are unable to express something as nuanced as ambivalence. We continue to hold out hope for a swift resolution to the current stalemate that will enable the shows to be complete again," the network said in a statement.
They will go on without writers on Monday, Jan. 7. The WGA was not pleased by the decision: "Comedy Central forcing Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert back on the air will not give the viewers the quality shows they've come to expect. The only way to get the writing staffs back on the job is for the AMPTP companies to come back to the table prepared to negotiate a fair deal with the Writers Guild."
In scheduling news, ABC has indeed moved the last new pre-strike episode of Grey's Anatomy to Thursday, Jan. 10. Literally within minutes of that move, NBC moved Celebrity Apprentice's premiere back to Jan. 3 to avoid Grey's. What a cat and mouse game! NBC is so scared. I hope ABC doesn't move Grey's back to Jan. 3 now. The Donald is dead anyway just as his hair has been dead for years.

After a long lay-off our special feature SitcomsOnline.com Interactive is back! In the past we have asked for similar sitcom plot episodes and what sitcoms you would want to see on ION Television. Since we are very close to Christmas, we will ask you sitcom fans to list your top sitcom Christmas episodes. It could be just two, or 5 or even as high as 10. Make sure you name the show and episode title. If you don't know the episode title, please describe what happened in the episode. For example: Three's Company: "Three's Christmas," Perfect Strangers: the one where Larry can't go home for Christmas, and Diff'rent Strokes: "Santa's Helper."
We are trying to see which holiday episode is the most liked. So, let's get your favorite Christmas episodes ready and post them HERE!
We'll start this now and end it by next Friday, and we'll post the most liked ones here next week!

Just in time to make those New Year's resolutions, Nick at Nite announces the launch of "Kick One, Pick One" (KOPO), the network's new pro-social campaign to encourage families to eat smarter, get fit and spend more time together. Bowing Jan. 1, KOPO is an on-air, online and grassroots initiative campaign that continues Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group's legacy of empowering its audiences with information and tools to help better their lifestyles and communities.
The campaign launches on-air Jan. 1 with funny and fact-filled PSAs and time-anchored lower thirds (graphics at the bottom of the TV screen) communicating KOPO's goals for the New Year: activity, nutrition and togetherness. Additional spots, focusing on breaking a bad habit in 21 days, are scheduled to debut on-air and online throughout 2008. The campaign will run into the fall of 2008, leading up to Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group's annual Worldwide Day of Play celebration. Worldwide Day of Play is a global celebration of kids' and families' KOPO accomplishments for the year.
for complete details, click HERE!

Day 46: WGA's Strike; SAG Awards Nominations; TV Land's New Year's Marathon

Well it is day 46 of the strike, and we have a lot of news to report...no nothing on the strike ending unfortunately. First, CBS has announced that the 34th Annual People's Choice Awards "will go on" on Tuesday, January 8, 2008, but it will NOT be live, instead it will be taped. Winners will make their thank-you speeches and then answer questions from fans in pre-shot segments. Queen Latifah, who already was on board to host, will be a part of the new format.
David Letterman's Worldwide Pants production company said it will have a meeting Friday with the WGA to pursue a side deal that would allow his company's two late-night CBS shows, The Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, to return to the air Jan. 2 WITH writers. Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel's shows will return on the air Jan. 2 but WITHOUT writers. More to come on Letterman, I'm sure.
Yesterday NBC announced they have moved the premiere of Celebrity Apprentice to Jan. 10, now ABC has counteracted. ABC will move to series premiere of Cashmere Mafia out of the Thursday, Jan. 3 10pm slot to Sunday, January 6 at 10pm following the last pre-strike episode of Desperate Housewives, in which we will find out the outcome of the tragic tornado. The all-new Brothers & Sisters originally slated for this night will be moved to Jan. 13...and after that only two new pre-strike episodes will remain, and they will likely air Jan. 20 and Jan. 27 all following special two-hour episodes of reality hit Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. After its special Sunday premiere, Mafia will then still move to its regular night of Wednesdays at 10 starting Jan. 9. As for Jan. 3, ABC still has the last new pre-strike episode of Grey's Anatomy scheduled, but they could move it to Jan. 10 instead. ABC has already pulled a new episode of Ugly Betty for Jan. 3 in favor of a repeat and also have put a Desperate Housewives repeat that night at 10pm...which will be the tornado episode, so viewers can get ready for the conclusion on Sunday. The new Ugly Betty previously planned for Jan. 3 will air Jan. 10 now. After that airing only two pre-strike episodes will be left for Betty, and will likely air Jan. 17 and 24 because on Jan. 31 ABC has slotted a Lost clip show leading into the season premiere of Lost at 9pm on Jan. 31. Also, ABC has announced the last Women's Murder Club pre-strike episode will air Friday, Jan. 4 at 9pm, instead of the previously announced Cashmere Mafia pilot encore. Desperate Housewives encores looks like will air for the rest of the month on Fridays at 9, following Grey's Anatomy repeats at 8.

The 14th Annual Screen Actor Guild Awards (SAG) nominees were announced today. Leading the pack were The Sopranos, Ugly Betty and 30 Rock with 3 nominations each. Among the networks, ABC lead with 11 nominations. The awards will air Sunday, Jan. 27, on TNT and TBS at 8 PM ET/PT.
Here are the main TV nominees:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
JAMES GANDOLFINI / Tony Soprano – The Sopranos (HBO)
MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan – Dexter (Showtime)
JON HAMM / Don Draper – Mad Men (AMC)
HUGH LAURIE / Dr. Gregory House – House (FOX)
JAMES SPADER / Alan Shore – Boston Legal (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
GLENN CLOSE / Patty Hewes – Damages (FX)
EDIE FALCO / Carmela Soprano – The Sopranos (HBO)
SALLY FIELD / Nora Walker – Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
HOLLY HUNTER / Grace Hanadarko – Saving Grace (TNT)
KYRA SEDGWICK / Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson – The Closer (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy – 30 Rock (NBC)
STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott – The Office (NBC)
RICKY GERVAIS / Andy Millman – Extras (HBO)
JEREMY PIVEN / Ari Gold – Entourage (HBO)
TONY SHALHOUB / Adrian Monk – Monk (USA)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE / Samantha Newly – Samantha Who? (ABC)
AMERICA FERRERA / Betty Suarez – Ugly Betty (ABC)
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon – 30 Rock (NBC)
MARY-LOUISE PARKER / Nancy Botwin – Weeds (Showtime)
VANESSA WILLIAMS / Wilhelmina Slater – Ugly Betty (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Boston Legal, ABC
The Closer, TNT
Grey's Anatomy, ABC
Mad Men, AMC
The Sopranos, HBO

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
30 Rock, NBC
Desperate Housewives, ABC
Entourage, HBO
The Office, NBC
Ugly Betty, ABC

For the complete TV portion nominees and to discuss the nominees, click HERE!

TV Land has formally announced The Beverly Hillbillies' Best Dang New Year's Marathon. TV Land rings in 2008 with 27 hours of non-stop Clampett wackiness and Granny's unforgettable colloquialisms during "The Beverly Hillbillies Best Dang New Year's Marathon" beginning Monday, December 31, at 6:00PM (all times ET/PT). Viewers will be "happier than a cat at a fish fry" with episodes like "Jethro Goes to School" in which Max Baer, Jr. (Jethro) also plays Jethro's twin sister, Jethrine, in drag, and an appearance by the late Sharon Tate in "Possum Day" as Miss Hathaway's dark- headed assistant at the Commerce Bank.
As part of this celebration, TVLand.com will stream full episodes starting December 31, with weekly updates. The website will feature character bios, a comprehensive episode guide, and photo gallery.
TVLand.com visitors will also be able to test their 'hill-folk' knowledge with The Beverly Hillbillies trivia game. Schedule can be found here.
We will post TV Land February shortly, we are just awaiting some details on a President's Day Weekend event that looks like will be pretty good...it will be called "Big '80s Weekend" and it looks like will have '80s TV Shows and '80s Movies! Details hopefully by tomorrow. Come on back.

Day 45: WGA's Strike; ION Drew Carey Show Contest; RTN's 40th Affiliate: Phoenix

Today is day 45 of the writers' strike. The Los Angeles City Council's Housing, Community, and Economic Development Committee will conduct a hearing on the economic impact of the Writers Guild of America strike on the local and regional economy. Issues discussed will include the history of bargaining and the issues at stake in this strike. It was slated today Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 7:30 AM PT.
Rejected for a Writers Guild of America waiver, the Golden Globes now are scheduled to be picketed by the WGA, assuming the guild is still on strike by the time of the telecast on Jan. 13. Dick Clark Productions, producer of the Globes telecast, fears many actors won't cross the picket line to attend the event. The Oscars could also be impacted on Feb. 24, if the strike lasts that long.
In schedule news, NBC will move the premiere of The Celebrity Apprentice from Jan. 3 to Jan. 10, so it doesn't have to go head-to-head vs. ABC's Grey's Anatomy. Like that will work...The Donald is so over already. Meanwhile, NBC will give viewers an expanded season finale of new live competition show Clash of the Choirs from one-hour to two hours on Thursday, December 20 from 8-10 p.m. ET.

ION Television today announced that it is celebrating the launch of The Drew Carey Show on ION Television with a "Bring in the Drew Year With a Smile" promotion, sponsored by Crest Whitestrips. The contest will be promoted beginning New Year's Eve, and will officially begin on January 1, 2008. Viewers will get to vote for their favorite smiles from members of The Drew Carey Show cast, and enter for a chance to win a trip for four anywhere in the US that will "make you smile."
To enter the contest, viewers will need to watch The Drew Carey Show on ION Television during the first few weeks of 2008, and vote for their favorite smile from Drew, Mimi or Lewis on ION's Web site (www.ionline.tv). The grand prize package includes roundtrip airfare, deluxe hotel accommodations and spending money.
The contest will be heavily promoted during a special "Drew Year's Eve" marathon of back-to-back shows, which will launch The Drew Carey Show from 7-11 pm (ET) on New Year's Eve. On New Year's Day, the series will join ION Television’s primetime lineup, with episodes airing Mondays through Thursdays at 9 and 9:30 pm (ET).

Retro Television Network (RTN) announced today that it will partner with Londen Media Group to bring RTN programming to Phoenix, the nation's 12th largest television market. The new affiliate will launch next year on KAZT-DT, bringing the network's total number of affiliates to 40. Phoenix viewers will enjoy RTN's 'Primetime All The Time' lineup of hit shows, including Get Smart, Hogan's Heroes, Hawaii 5-0, A-Team, Mission: Impossible and the original Knight Rider!