Friday, December 05, 2008
Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna Show on TV Land Soon?; Remembering Paul Benedict (Mr. Bentley on The Jeffersons)
The network has ordered a pilot presentation of a project that would follow the lives of the husband-and-wife duo along with their two daughters. The project is executive produced by Jason Carbone. Both Hamlin and Rinna appeared on separate seasons of Dancing with the Stars as well.
Should TV Land go forward with the project, said to have generated interest from a few cable networks, it will go straight to a half-hour series pickup targeted for a 2009 debut.
While that series might not be picked-up yet, there is some hard news for the actual schedule. The weather outside may be frightful but TV Land is keeping viewers warm throughout the winter season with a hearty helping of touching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition episodes, exciting theatrical releases in Friday PRIME Movies, the second season premiere of the hit reality series High School Reunion and the spring premiere of the much-anticipated elimination dating series The Cougar during its TV Land PRIME programming block. Additionally, TV Land will air a hilarious New Year's Day marathon and ring in 2009 with Jan-centric episodes of The Brady Bunch.
We have mentioned all that, but just a reminder of some of the stuff to come!
Paul Benedict, the actor who played the wacky English neighbor Harry Bentley on the sitcom The Jeffersons, has died. But his death is pretty mysterious. Benedict was found dead Monday (December 1) on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts...his brother, Charles said authorities were still investigating the cause of death.
Benedict began his acting career in the 1960s in the Theatre Company of Boston, alongside such future stars as Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino.
Benedict went on to appear in a number of movies, including a role as the oddball director in The Goodbye Girl with Richard Dreyfuss.
But he was known primarily for his role as the crazy neighbor to George Jefferson on The Jeffersons from 1975-1985. The accented speech that he used even offstage led many to assume that Benedict was British, but in fact he was born Sept. 17, 1938, in Silver City, N.M. His other TV credits include guest roles on All in the Family (the backdoor pilot episode for The Jeffersons), Maude, Harry O, Kojak, Murder She Wrote, A Different World, Tales from the Crypt, Morton & Hayes, Seinfeld, Guiding Light, The Drew Carey Show, and a recurring role on Sesame Street as "The Mad Painter" in the early 1970s.
His other movie roles include After the Sunset, The Man with Two Brains, The Addams Family Movie, Cocktail, and Arthur 2. On Broadway he played opposite Al Pacino in the 2-man Broadway play Hughie (by Eugene O'Neill) in mid '90s and in 2000 he played Mayor Shinn in The Music Man.
We will certainly miss him. He was wonderful and hilarious on The Jeffersons, and let's hope TV Land does a tribute marathon for him. If they do, we will certainly let you know. If not, as a tribute to him, let someone walk on your back! Leave your memories of Paul Benedict on our message board. Mr. Benedict was 70.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Wednesday, January 28
Shifting Gears - "Uncle Sam" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Matt is thrilled to show off his military-hero son Sam, but a shift in Sam’s career could finally give Riley a chance to be the golden child. Meanwhile, Andy’s singing hits all the wrong notes for Riley. Jesse Williams and Luke Macfarlane guest star.
Abbott Elementary - "Picture Day" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When picture day catches the teachers at Abbott by surprise, chaos ensues.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 26)
Wednesday, January 28
- Katherine LaNasa (Three Sisters) - Watch Katherine on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. She also discusses The Pitt on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Denis Leary (Going Dutch/No Good Deed/Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll/The Job) - Denis is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Michael Urie (Shrinking/Krapopolis/Partners) - Michael appears on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Kevin James (The Crew/Kevin Can Wait/The King of Queens) - Kevin talks about Solo Mio on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Patrick Dempsey (Fast Times) - Patrick talks about Memory of a Killer on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Peyton List (Bunk'd/Jessie) - Peyton talks about School Spirits on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Laura Dern (F Is for Family/Enlightened) - NBC's Today catches up with Laura in the 9am hour.
- Chris Redd (Kenan/Disjointed) - Chris Redd drops into Sherri's Laugh Lounge, so check your local lisitngs.
- Jennifer Tilly (Out of Practice) - Jennifer talks about Paramount+'s School Spirits on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and 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)
09/30 - Touché Turtle and Dum Dum - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive
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