SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

The Paley Center for Media announced the full lineup of special guest panelists scheduled to appear for the upcoming 30th annual ultimate TV fan festival, PaleyFest: The William S. Paley Television Festival, which takes place at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, March 1-15, 2013. And many sitcoms will be a part of this! The annual celebration of great television will honor members of the Casts and Creative Teams of The Walking Dead, which will serve as the opening night presentation for PaleyFest, Revolution, Once Upon A Time, The Newsroom, Community, whose cast will present a live table read at their unprecedented fourth appearance at the festival; The New Normal, Parenthood, The Mindy Project, Nashville, Arrow, Dallas, New Girl, The Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls, and American Horror Story: Asylum, which will close out the 15-day Festival.

PaleyFest (The William S. Paley Television Festival) is a cavalcade of interactive panel sessions and premiere screenings that connects the worldwide community of television fans and industry insiders alike with the casts and creators of their favorite TV series, and the icons that are changing the face of media. Over the past thirty years, PaleyFest has become a destination event for the worldwide community of television fans who gather each year to connect with the talent, from the stars to the creative teams of the shows, during interactive panel sessions and premiere screenings.
Hulu will expand its relationship with the Festival as the Premier Sponsor for PaleyFest 2013 and will stream full-length panel content and short form clips, exclusively on-demand from each PaleyFest panel on the free ad-supported Hulu, and the Hulu Plus subscription service at www.hulu.com. If you want to go in person, tickets can be purchased at the festival's official website www.paleyfest.org and via its ticket provider www.ticketweb.com.

Here are the sitcom dates: Tuesday, March 5: Community (7:00 pm) Moderator: Michael Schneider, LA Bureau Chief, TV Guide Magazine; Wednesday, March 6: The New Normal (7:00 pm) Moderator: TBA; Friday, March 8: The Mindy Project (7:00 pm) Moderator: Rob Moynihan, LA Correspondent, TV Guide Magazine; Monday, March 11: New Girl (7:00 pm) Moderator: TBA; Wednesday, March 13: The Big Bang Theory (7:00 pm) Moderator: TBA; and Thursday, March 14: 2 Broke Girls (7:00 pm) Moderator: TBA.

We leave you today with some sad news. Paul Ainsley, best known to sitcom fans for playing Jim the Bartender on the hit sitcom Three's Company, has passed away. Paul had a multi-season guest role on the series from seasons 1-5, playing the main bartender at the Regal Beagle, before being replaced by Brad Blaisdell (who played Mike the Bartender) for the rest of the series' run. He was also a fixture in the theater world. He created the role of King Herod in the original Broadway production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Paul passed away on January 19 in Los Angeles from heart-related complications. He was 67.

Among his other guest appearances on TV series were Wings, Babylon 5, and Weird Science. His other select theater career highlights include: originating Thenardier in the first national company of Les Miserables; essaying Mr. Darling/Captain Hook to Cathy Rigby's Peter Pan; succeeding Barry Bostwick and Jim Belushi as the Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance and playing Herbie to Karen Morrow's Rose in Gypsy. Back in 2007, Paul spoke to our friend Eric of JustMyShow.com for an episode of his popular podcast. Another one of our friends, Chris Mann, mentioned there was a memorial for Paul Ainsley on Feb. 3 and Joyce DeWitt wrote a very nice note for the Ainsley family. Paul will be deeply missed, especially fans of Three's Company and the theater community.