Bob Newhart made me laugh so many times over the years, especially on his first hit TV sitcom, The Bob Newhart Show (1972-78). I’ll never forget, therefore, the one time I made him laugh. It was at a Television Critics Association Awards presentation, at least a dozen years ago. I believe our group were bestowing
Judas Priest. Not Lieutenant Hunter as well? The rash of former TV stars who have passed away in the last few days is alarming, especially considering another former reality show star came within a half inch or so of joining them. Passing away Friday, July 13 was James B. Sikking, part of the large and
What to make of Richard Simmons? Born in New Orleans in 1948, he was an overweight teen who shed pounds through diet and exercise. This led to his own weight loss clinic in Beverly Hills, Slimmons. The successful business was profiled on the TV show Real People and Simmons himself became something of a national
Welcome to a faster, higher, stronger podcast episode This week’s guest, Scott Russell, has medalled for years in Olympic Games coverage. He’s off to France for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, which runs July 26 through August 11. Russell will host the afternoon show, Bell Paris Prime, and he will remain host for CBC’s coverage
As a viewer, my first encounter with Shannen Doherty was on a gentle little NBC drama called Our House. The series aired 1986 to 1988 and starred Wilford Brimley, who specialized in playing grumpy old coots. In this series he played a grandfather who, after his son dies, takes the rest of his son’s family
Swiping left or right had a whole other meaning back when Dr. Ruth Westheimer was in her TV prime. The peppery, diminutive sex therapist, who hosted radio and television sex talk shows throughout the ‘80s and into the ‘90s, passed away July 12 in Manhattan. She was 96. To call Westheimer a survivor is an
After a career spanning everything from The Streets of San Francisco to “Fatal Attraction,” Wall Street” and the “Ant-Man” movies, Michael Douglas stars in the epic, eight-part limited series “Franklin,” now streaming on AppleTV+. If you don’t think Douglas looks like Benjamn Franklin, neither did the actor. He does an extraordinary job, however, dissappearing undet
Several recent pop culture documentaries have dug deep into the age-old boomer gold mine. There was yet another study of The Beach Boys as well as Jim Henson’s legacy with the Muppets. Steve Martin was shown to be not always such a wild and crazy guy. Even the original Beatles’ doc “Let it Be” has