Friday, June 10, 2011

Remembering Leonard Stern; Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 13, 2011)

Leonard Stern

Legendary TV producer, director and writer Leonard Stern has died. Stern was a writer and producer for such classic sitcoms such as The Honeymooners, The Phil Silvers Show and Get Smart. While working on The Honeymooners, he helped co-create the classic word game Mad Libs with his partner Roger Price. He died of heart failure on June 7, 2011, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 87.

Stern worked on a number of other sitcoms during his many years in the business. He was the creator of I'm Dickens, He's Fenster (1962-63), Run, Buddy, Run (1966-67), He & She (1967-68) and The Governor and J.J. (1969-70). Stern wrote, directed and produced other sitcoms such as Holmes & Yo-Yo, The Good Guys and Operation Petticoat. His work on TV detective dramas included McMillan and Wife and The Snoop Sisters. He was nominated for five Emmy Awards and won two for "Best Comedy Writing - Variety or Situation Comedy" for The Phil Silvers Show and "Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy" for Get Smart with Buck Henry. In addition, he won three Writers Guild of America Awards and a Peabody Award. Earlier in his career, he was a writer on The Steve Allen Show and Steve Allen's The Tonight Show. His film screenplays included Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion, Lost in Alaska, The Jazz Singer, Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town, Three for the Money, Just You and Me, Kid (also directed), Missing Pieces (also directed) and Target.

Our friends at Just My Show did a podcast interview with him back in 2006. You can also watch several video interviews with him at The Archive of American Television. Mr. Stern is survived by his wife of 55 years, actress Gloria Stroock, as well as a son, daughter, two grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter. We thank him for all the laughs he brought us over the years. He will be missed.

It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars (but we won't cover movie stars like Tom Hanks or John Travolta, since they won't be talking about their past sitcoms likely), so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of June 13-17, 2011, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, June 13, 2011
  • Betty White (Hot in Cleveland/The Golden Girls/The Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Betty appears on Good Morning America on ABC between 7-9am and later presents a Top Ten List on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Tina Fey (30 Rock) - Watch Tina on an April repeat of the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Jada Pinkett Smith (A Different World) - Catch Jada on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT, on The Joy Behar Show at 10pm on HLN, on Chelsea Lately on E! at 11pm and finally on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
  • Betty White (Hot in Cleveland/The Golden Girls/The Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Betty drops by LIVE! with Regis & Kelly, so check your listings and later visits Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
  • Fran Drescher (Happily Divorced/The Nanny) - Fran stops by Good Morning America on ABC between 7-9am, then chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT and finally on The Joy Behar Show at 10pm on HLN. Happily Divorced premieres on TV Land on June 15.
  • John Krasinski (The Office) - Watch John on a May repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
  • Jada Pinkett Smith (A Different World) - Jada is a guest on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
  • Persia White (Girlfriends) - Persia drops by The Mo'nique Show at 11pm on BET.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
  • Jada Pinkett Smith (A Different World) - Jada continues to make the rounds on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Valerie Bertinelli, Janes Leeves and Wendie Malick - The lovely ladies of Hot in Cleveland visit Good Morning America on ABC between 7-9am and then The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Kirstie Alley (Cheers/Veronica's Closet) - Watch Kirstie and her Dancing with the Stars partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy on a May repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
  • Coby Bell (The Game) - Coby appears on The Mo'nique Show at 11pm on BET.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
  • Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm) - Catch Larry on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Cedric the Entertainer (The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric is a guest on all-new Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
  • Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory/8 Simple Rules) - Watch the lovely Kaley on a March repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
  • Tiffani Thiessen (Saved by the Bell) - Tiffani stops by The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Friday, June 17, 2011
  • Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place) - Selena performs live in New York City's Central Park as part of Good Morning America's summer concert series on ABC between 7-9am.
  • Christian Slater (Breaking In) - Watch Christian on a March repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
  • Fran Drescher (Happily Divorced/The Nanny) - Fran visits The Gayle King Show at 10am on OWN.
  • Chris Rock (Everybody Hates Chris) - Catch Chris on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Leave us comments on our message board or Tweet/Facebook us to let us know what you think of this Friday feature! We do listen!


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, March 30

The Neighorhood - "Welcome to the Things We Do for Love" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Marty meets Courtney’s intimidating father to ask for his blessing, but Clancy’s (Anthony Anderson) cryptic response sends Calvin and Tina digging for answers. Meanwhile, Gemma and Dave are stunned by Grover’s tattoo.

DMV - "Gilbert" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Colette and Gregg convince Vic to foster a dog and help him clean up his act to meet the dog rescuer Howie’s (Thomas Lennon) high standards. Meanwhile, Ceci tries to repay Barb by boosting Noa’s processing time, mainly by toning down his hotness.

St. Denis Medical - "Here a Righteous Woman Comes" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Joyce hosts a ribbon-cutting for the birthing center; Matt and Serena take on an awkward assignment; Ron tries to knock out a quick physical before his fishing trip.

The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins - "The World Is Full of Beaks" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Tobin tries to keep his personal life separate from the documentary, but Reggie doesn't make it easy for him; Monica helps Brina with her music career.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 30)

Monday, March 30