Friday, May 30, 2008

Chris Mann Launches New Website and New Projects; Remembering Harvey Korman

Our good friend Chris Mann has launched a new website and once again is back in full gear with lots of new updates! Chris of course is best known to TV fans as the author of the 1998 TV tell-all book Come on Knock on Our Door, a wonderful Three's Company book. Chris then went on to do many TV interviews regarding the book and various Three's Company related interviews and projects such as E! True Hollywood Story: Three's Company and the NBC 2003 film Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Three's Company. Chris served as a consulting producer in that movie. Since then Chris has done some great work in writing for TV Guide, emmy, and many other magazines & publications.
Now Chris has launched a website! It is a new retro-reality web zine located at www.Retroality.TV. The premiere "issue" includes exclusive and revealing interviews with the ever-ass-kicking Wonder Woman herself, Lynda Carter, as well as The Brady Bunch's "youngest one in curls," Susan Olsen.
The site also links to his recent health magazine interviews with Mario Lopez, Hulk Hogan, Leeza Gibbons, reality star/actor/fitness cover model Greg Plitt and his Bob Barker/Barker's Beauties Radar.com exposé.
And he attempts tongue-in-cheek humor in the feature "Ascot Hot," which salutes the "man scarf" as seen on TV adorning Mr. Howell, Mr. Furley, Scooby Doo's Freddy and Daphne, Bea Arthur, Ellen DeGeneres, Conrad Bain and, most recently, American Idol's rockin' (and oh-so-robbed) Michael Johns.
Chris says, "Wonder Woman, Maude, Michael Johns and Conrad Bain--on the same web site! Really, is there any reason to surf the web now? Methinks not."
The site will be fully functional by July, so please bookmark it and check back in coming weeks for more retroality fun!
The site also announces that Chris Mann has a John Ritter book in the works! It will be about the late actor's brilliant life and legacy with interviews with many of his family members and colleagues. The book sounds great and Chris will find a lot of success with it, I'm sure. I personally can't wait for it! In addition, Chris also has a Price is Right book in the works. Chris is certainly keeping busy and we wish him the best! We will keep you up to date on his various projects. Once again the website is www.Retroality.TV ... check it out, it is great (and interesting!) right now and will be even better when it fully launches in July!
And you can listen to Chris promote the website on WGN Radio AM720 in Chicago this Sunday night at 11:05pm CT (12:05am ET/9:05pm PT) or you can listen online if you're not in Chicago at www.wgnradio.com. He will be on Nick Digilio's show, produced by Andy Hermann. Both Nick and Andy are also friends of ours and Chris'. Andy is a big Three's Company fan.

Harvey Korman, the tall, versatile comedian who won four Emmys for his outrageously funny contributions to the sketch comedy The Carol Burnett Show from 1967-1978 and played a conniving politician to hilarious effect in the 1974 movie Blazing Saddles, died yesterday. Korman died at UCLA Medical Center after suffering complications from the rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm four months ago, his family said. He had undergone several major operations.
Before The Carol Burnett Show, Korman had guest appearances on various series such as Hennesey, The Danny Kaye Show, The Red Skelton Show, Surfside 6, Perry Mason, Dennis the Menace, Hazel, Gidget, The Lucy Show, The Jack Benny Show, F Troop, and The Munsters. In 1965 he landed the role as the voice of The Great Gazoo on the last season or two of The Flintstones. He appeared in the 1966 big screen movie The Man Called Flintstone as well, voicing various characters. Then in 1967 he signed on with CBS for The Carol Burnett Show. Korman's claim to fame was playing the perfect straight man to the outrageous slapstick comedy of the other actors in the cast, but mainly Burnett and fellow cast member Tim Conway. They, and the fourth member of the variety show's core ensemble, Vicki Lawrence, spoofed a number of iconic films and television series throughout the show's run. During the show, in 1976 Harvey appeared on the very first Love Boat movie in 1976. Guest stars included Florence Henderson, Tom Boslet, Don Adams, Hal Linden, Gabe Kaplan, Dick Van Patten and Cloris Leachman.
After Carol Burnett ended, he had his own show called The Harvey Korman Show in 1978 on ABC opposite Christine Lahti. It didn't last long. He joined his former Carol Burnett star Tim Conway on his show The Tim Conway Show in 1980. That show was also short-lived. In 1982 he played Ed in the CBS TV movie Eunice opposite Carol Burnett and Vicki Lawrence, both from Carol Burnett Show. Eunice was the film which led to the series Mama's Family in 1983. Vicki Lawrence starred in the series and Carol Burnett and Harvey Korman made a handful of guest appearances as Eunice and Ed. His other guest appearances include The Love Boat (4 times from 1982-85), The Golden Palace, Garfield & Friends, Burke's Law, Ellen, Suddenly Susan, ER, and Diagnosis Murder. In 1986 he returned to series television in the short-lived CBS comedy Leo & Liz in Beverly Hills. His big screen work includes Blazing Saddles, Huckleberry Finn, Americathon, Trail of the Pink Panther, Curse of the Pink Panther, The Flintstones, Jingle All the Way, and Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas.
He will be deeply missed. Let's hope there is a Carol Burnett Show marathon somewhere on TV soon. We will let you know if there is one or any Korman tributes. Mr. Korman was 81.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Friday, March 29

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 25)

Friday, March 29

  • Michael Keaton (Report to Murphy/Working Stiffs/All's Fair) - Watch Michael on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Ramy Youssef (Ramy/See Dad Run) - Ramy appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Sarah Paulson (Leap of Faith) - Sarah is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Bowen Yang (Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens) - Bowen appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Lauren Lapkus (Crashing/Clipped/Are You There, Chelsea?) - Lauren is a guest on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Jim Parsons (Young Sheldon/The Big Bang Theory) - Jim talks about Mother Play on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
  • Frank Grillo (Battery Park) - Frank talks about his new film Lights Out on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local lisitngs.
  • Eugene Levy (Schitt's Creek/Greg the Bunny/Hiller and Diller) - Eugene is telling Drew about working with his two children on Schitt's Creek, joining season four of Only Murders in the Building and traveling around the world for his new show on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.


New on DVD/Blu-ray (November-March)

Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Father Knows Best - The Complete Series The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

11/07 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Sixth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/14 - Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/05 - Father Knows Best - The Complete Series
12/05 - The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/12 - The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Series
12/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
12/12 - That Girl - The Complete Series
12/15 - Letterkenny - Season 11
12/19 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series
12/22 - Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection (includes The Ropers and Three's a Crowd)
01/09 - South Park - Seasons 11-15 (Blu-ray)
01/16 - Ghosts (UK) - Season Five
02/13 - Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/27 - The Really Loud House - Season One
03/12 - Ghosts (UK) - The Complete Series
03/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
03/12 - Rick and Morty - Season 7 (Blu-ray Steelbook) (Blu-ray) (DVD)

That Girl - The Complete Series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

03/28 - Netflix's Good Times Animated Comedy Trailer; Too Close for Comfort and Check It Out! Complete Series on DVD
03/27 - The Upshaws Part 5 This April; Max Orders Noah Wyle Medical Drama
03/26 - Apple TV+ Orders Star-Studded Comedy; Elizabeth Banks Joins New Peacock Series
03/25 - Disney Channel Orders Wizards of Waverly Place Revival; Paramount+ Animated Comedy Ark: The Animated Series
03/24 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 25, 2024)
03/23 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Netflix Sets Premiere Date for Good Times Animated Reboot; NBC Renews Several Popular Series
03/22 - NBC Renews Nearly All Chicago and Law & Order Series; Goosebumps Season 2 Cast Update
03/21 - Hallmark Renews The Way Home; You Final Season Sets Cast
03/20 - Community Arrives on Peacock April 1, Movie Coming Soon; Hulu Premieres New Comedy Dinosaur April 5
03/19 - NBC Summer 2024 Schedule; Starz Drama Rounds Out All-Star Cast
03/18 - Shout! TV Celebrates 25 Years of Farscape; AMC Acquires Snowpiercer
03/17 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 18, 2024)
03/16 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Ty Burrell Sitcom in the Works at ABC; CBS Renews Ghosts
03/15 - Netflix Heads to the Arctic for Comedy Series; Neal Brennan's 3rd Comedy Special
03/14 - SNL Announces Second to Last 3 Episode Set of Season; Bill Maher Renewed for 2 More Seasons
03/13 - CBS Renews Ghosts and Fire Country; Apple TV+ Orders Owen Wilson Comedy
03/12 - Roseanne Couch Week on COZI TV; The CW Orders Leighton Meester Series for 2025
03/11 - Every Grey's Anatomy Episode Now on Hulu; You Season 5 Casting Update
03/10 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 11, 2024)
03/09 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Tim Allen Headlining ABC Comedy Pilot; NBC Developing Bewitched Inspired Sitcom
03/08 - Amazon Freevee Gets New Comedy Series; Apple TV+ Loot Returns April 3
03/07 - Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik Reprising Their Characters from Big Bang; Monsters at Work Returns for Season 2
03/06 - CBS Orders Multi-Camera Spin-off of Young Sheldon; FETV Acquires Highway Patrol
03/05 - Fox Summer 2024 Schedule, In-Season Finales; CBS Renews Tracker for Season 2
03/04 - Laff Acquires Matthew Perry and Will Arnett Sitcoms; Lisa Whelchel Returns for MeTV Series
03/03 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 4, 2024)
03/02 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Pluto TV Adds More Channels Including Universal Action; CBS Renews Young and the Restless for Four More Years
03/01 - Lopez vs Lopez Season 2 Brings Out the Stars; Prime Video's Música Drops April 4
02/29 - Season 3 of Hacks Adds Star Power; Remembering Richard Lewis
02/28 - BUZZR Celebrates Women's History Month in March; 10th Anniversary of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon