SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

NBC Celebrates Carol Burnett's 90th Birthday in April; Fox Renews The Simpsons, Family Guy and Bob's Burgers for 2 Seasons Each; Remembering Yoshio Yoda of McHale's Navy and Carole Cook of The Lucy Show

Paying tribute to a beloved national icon for her birthday, NBC will celebrate Carol Burnett's illustrious career with Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love. The two-hour special will air Wednesday, April 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT and will also stream next day on Peacock. The special will be filmed at Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles. The star-studded event will feature an A-list lineup of musical performances and special guests who will come together to share their love for one of the most cherished comediennes in television history.

The evening will include musical performances from Bernadette Peters, Billy Porter, Jane Lynch, Katy Perry, Kristin Chenoweth and more. The musical tributes will pay homage to Carol's renowned career performances, including: "Old Friends," dedicated to Carol's 60-year friendship with Julie Andrews; "Only an Octave Apart," which Carol sang alongside Beverly Sills in the 1976 television special "Sills and Burnett at the Met"; Carol's memorable songs from the hit film "Annie"; and a tribute to her classic theme song, "I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together" from The Carol Burnett Show. Special guests attending this once-in-a-lifetime party include Aileen Quinn, Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Bob Mackie, Cher, Ellen DeGeneres, Julie Andrews, Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Lily Tomlin, Marisa Tomei, Sofia Vergara, Steve Carell, Susan Lucci, Tracee Ellis Ross, Vicki Lawrence, and many more. The special will share some of the funniest and most memorable moments of Burnett's legendary career. From her Broadway debut in Once Upon a Mattress, her early appearances on The Garry Moore Show, her hit films The Four Seasons, A Wedding, Pete 'n' Tillie, her iconic role as Miss Hannigan in Annie, to her acclaimed sketch comedy series The Carol Burnett Show, which ran for 11 seasons on CBS and played an instrumental role in the evolution of comedy. Burnett's variety show co-star Vicki Lawrence will be in attendance, along with costume designer Bob Mackie. The Carol Burnett Show continues to make people laugh more than 40 years later with its incredibly funny sketches, including, most notably, the hysterical Gone with the Wind satire.

Fox Entertainment has ordered early renewals for hit 20th Television Animation series The Simpsons, Family Guy and Bob's Burgers. The three FOX Animation Domination fan-favorite series -- all produced by Disney Television Studios' 20th Television Animation -- have each received two additional seasons, continuing their long-time runs on Fox through the 2024-25 broadcast cycle. The renewals guarantee Seasons 14 and 15 for Bob's Burgers, the 22nd and 23rd Seasons of Family Guy and the record-setting 35th and 36th Seasons for The Simpsons, extending its standing as the longest-running scripted series in television history.

Japanese-born American actor and businessman Yoshio Yoda, who starred as Fuji Kobiaji on McHale's Navy, has died. He died in Fullerton, California, on January 13. Mr. Yoda was 88.

Yoda starred as Fuji Kobiaji on the 1962-1966 ABC sitcom McHale's Navy. Seaman 3rd Class Fujiwara "Fuji" Takeo Kobiaji is the lovable, boyish, Japanese prisoner of war and deserter from the Imperial Japanese Navy whom the PT-73 crew takes on as a de facto comrade and keeps hidden from Capt. Wallace (Wally) B. Binghamton (Joe Flynn) and almost everyone outside of McHale's gang.

The cast included Ernest Borgnine, Joe Flynn, Tim Conway, Bob Hastings, Carl Ballantine, Gary Vinson, Billy Sands, Edson Stroll, Jane Dulo (1962-1964), Gavin MacLeod (1962-1964), John Wright (1964-1966), Henry Beckman (1965-1966), Simon Scott (1965-1966), Dick Wilson (1965-1966), Jay Novello (1965-1966) and Peggy Mondo (1965-1966).

He starred as Sgt. Roy Tada in the 1962 film The Horizontal Liutenant. He played Fuji Kobiaji in the 1964 film McHale's Navy. He starred as Takeo "Fuji" Fugiwara in the 1965 film McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force.

His final acting credit was as Mr. Tenaka in the 1969 segment of Love, American Style titled "Love and the Letter." He was an associate producer for the 1970 film The Walking Major, which was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1971.

He was the assistant vice president of inventory and senior division manager for Toyota in Hawaii. From 2012 until his death, he lived in Fullerton, California.

Mr. Yoda was a fine comic performer on McHale's Navy. We thank him for the laughs and entertainment that he brought us on the series. He will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our McHale's Navy message board. View photos in our galleries.

Actress Carole Cook, who guest starred on The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy, has died. She died from heart failure in Beverly Hills, California, on January 11. Ms. Cook was 98.

Cook guest starred as Thelma Green in five episodes of The Lucy Show from 1963 to 1964. She played various characters in 13 other episodes from 1963 to 1968.

She played various characters in five episodes of Here's Lucy from 1969 to 1974. Some of her other sitcom guest appearances included The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The New Phil Silvers Show (2 episodes), My World and Welcome to It, That Girl, Maude, Chico and the Man, Laverne & Shirley, The Love Boat, A Family for Joe and Strip Mall.

Some of her other television guest appearances included U.S. Marshal (2 episodes), Kentucky Jones, Daniel Boone, Sarge, McMillan & Wife (4 episodes), Baretta, Ellery Queen, Emergency!, Bronk, Starsky & Hutch, Charlie's Angels (2 episodes), Kojak, Darkroom, Strike Force, Trapper John, M.D. (1982), Knight Rider, Hart to Hart, Quincy, M.E. (2 episodes), The A-Team, Magnum, P.I. (1986), Dynasty (4 episodes), Cagney & Lacey (5 episodes), Murder, She Wrote (2 episodes) and Grey's Anatomy.

She played Grandma Helen in Sixteen Candles (1984). Some of her other film credits included Palm Springs Weekend (1963), The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964), American Gigolo (1980), Summer Lovers (1982) and Grandview, U.S.A. (1984).

Ms. Cook was a talented and funny actress. She was a long-time friend and protégée of Lucille Ball. We thank her for her work on television and in films. She will be deeply missed.

Share your memories on our The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy message boards. View photos in our galleries.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest

Labels: Bob's Burgers, Carol Burnett, Family Guy, Fox, Here's Lucy, Lucy Show, McHale's Navy, NBC, Obits, The Carol Burnett Show, The Simpsons