Happy Birthday, Pam Dawber
Oct. 18, 2008 — Pam Dawber, who played Mindy McConnell on “Mork & Mindy” (1978-82 on ABC), turns 57 today.
Her most recent TV role was as the voice of Perdy in “101 Dalmatians: The Series” (1997-98 on Toon Disney).
His first acting role was as Tracy Farrell in the 1978 movie “A Wedding.” She was 37.
Best wishes to Pam and everybody who shares this special day with her.
–Penny TV
(Pictured at right: Pam Dawber walking the red carpet at a recent Big Brothers of Greater Los Angeles and the Inland Empire event.)
“48 Hours Mystery” has Oklahoma connection
Saturday’s episode of “48 Hours Mystery” (9 p.m. Oct. 18 on CBS) will feature a cold case that was reopened due to the persistence of an Oklahoma City resident.
The installment titled “Into Thin Air” profiles the case of Jean Zapata, a flight instructor from Madison, Wisc., who vanished 30 years ago. The case closed three weeks after her disappearance.
But because of the tireless efforts of her best friend, Peggy Weekly of Oklahoma City, authorities reopened the case.
Weekly’s work with Madison detective Marianne Flynn Statz helped uncover answers in the case, some of which involved sexually explicit photos, hidden documents, a safety deposit box and a secret that would tear the family apart.
–Penny TV
TV Preview Podcast: ‘Stylista’ and ‘Frank TV’
"Stylista" cast (The CW Photo)
Each week, The Oklahoman TV Editor Penny Soldan hosts an audio podcast discussing an upcoming TV premiere.
This week’s discussion focuses on the premiere of The CW’s “Stylista” and Season 2 of TBS’s “Frank TV.”
To hear her discussion with Don P. Brown, features copy editor for The Oklahoman, click here.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Happy Birthday, George Wendt
Oct. 17, 2008 — George Robert Wendt, who played Norm Peterson on “Cheers” (1982-93 on NBC), turns 60 today.
His most recent TV role was as Cliff Cooper in the British comedy series “The Green Green Grass” (2007 episode titled “The Special Relationship”).
His first acting role was as a student in the 1980 movie “Somewhere in Time.” He was 32.
Best wishes to George and everybody who shares this special day with him.
–Penny TV
(Pictured at right: George Wendt as Norman on “Cheers”)
Jeopardy! question: “What is “Mad Men”
Five answers on Friday’s (Oct. 17) episode of “Jeopardy!” will feature cast members from “Mad Men” delivering clues about the Emmy-winning AMC drama.
The episode airs at 4 p.m. on KFOR-4 in Oklahoma City.
That is one way fans can brush up on their “Mad Men” trivia. Another way is by playing an exclusive online game stylized with 1960s categories and clues that is available at www.jeopardy.com/madmen/.
The Season 2 finale of “Mad Men” airs at 8 p.m. Oct. 26 on AMC. The show, which debuted in July 2007, has already been honored with six Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes and a Peabody Award.
How many Emmys has “Jeopardy!” won since its debut in 1984″ The answer is 28, which is the most awards won by a TV game show according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
–Penny TV
Program Planner: Oct. 19-25
Sunday’s Oklahoman, which includes TV Week, hits the newsstands in the Oklahoma City area on Saturday afternoon. And it arrives at the doorstep (or hopefully nearby) early Sunday morning.
But for those who can’t wait to begin planning the upcoming week around the best TV has to offer, here is a sneak peek at programs worth watching the week of Oct. 19:
SUNDAY, OCT. 19
◊“Futurama” (7 p.m. on Comedy Central): The Emmy Award winning animated series begins a new four-part adventure titled “Beast With a Billion Backs.” Philip J. Fry and
the crew at Planet Express discover a giant hole in the universe and a one-eyed tentacular alien on the other side.
◊“Pulling” (8 p.m. on Sundance): This six-episode British series has been added to the network’s lineup. It follows a bride-to-be who realizes that getting married to her long–term boyfriend isn’t the best of ideas.
◊“Storm Chasers” (9 p.m. on Discovery): Reed Timmer, a PhD candidate in Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma, joins noted research meteorologist Dr. Joshua Wurman and filmmaker Sean Casey for the show’s second season. They provide a first-hand look at tornadoes demonstrate how research is helping improve early warning systems.
MONDAY, OCT. 20
◊“American Experience” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): ‘‘Beautiful Texas/My Fellow Americans,” Part 1 of the two-parter ‘‘LBJ,” paints an intricate portrait of President Lyndon B. Johnson via family movies, rare photos and interviews.
◊“Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations” (9 p.m. on Travel Channel): For Season 4, Anthony Bourdain spans the far reaches of the globe to bring viewers a diverse selection of sights, smells, sounds and tastes.
◊“Boston Legal” (9:01 p.m. on ABC): Annie Potts (“Designing Women”) guest stars as Jerry Espenson’s sister who needs his help to find out the identity of the father of her son.
◊“Chuck” (7 p.m. on NBC): Chuck learns more about Sarah’s past when they run into her old high school nemesis, Heather Chandler (Nicole Richie, “The Simple Life”). Ben Savage (“Boy Meets World”) guest stars as Heather’s nerdy husband.
◊“El Rostro de Analia” (8 p.m. on KTUZ-30): This new series, which translates to “The Face of Analia,” follows a woman whose face is reconstucted in the image of her murderer, and she returns from the dead to re-claim what is hers.
◊“How I Met Your Mother” (7:30 p.m. on CBS): After Stella and Ted make the spontaneous decision to get married in three days, the presence of their exes destroys what was to be the happiest day of their lives. Sarah Chalke (“Scrubs”) and Jason Jones (“The Daily Show With Jon Stewart”) guest star.
◊“Jose Canseco: Last Shot” (9 p.m. on A&E): This new special focuses on Jose Canseco, the Cuban-born baseball player who admitted to using steroids and named other players who did in his 2005 autobiography. Now in his 40s, he’s still taking the drugs and wants to get clean.
◊“Real Chance of Love” (8 p.m. on VH1): Bachelor brothers Real and Chance, who were not lucky in love on “I Love New York,” get a second chance in this new reality series. They are the ones in countrol this time as 17 women move into their ranch house to fight for their hearts.
◊“Rita Rocks” (7:30 p.m. on Lifetime): This new sitcom stars Nicole Sullivan (‘‘MADtv”) as the title character, who’s suffering from a case of ‘‘having it all syndrome.” Oklahoma City-born actress Tisha Campbell-Martin (‘‘My Wife and Kids”) co-stars.
◊“Scream Queens” (9 p.m. on VH1): This new series follows 10 unknown actresses in search of their big break as they compete for a role in the upcoming movie “Saw VI.”
◊“Ski Patrol” (7 p.m. on truTV): This new series spotlights an elite group of patrollers from Crystal Mountain, Wash., and Blue Mountain, Pa., who keep the ski slopes safe. Their special training makes them part mountain recuers, part medical technicians and part cops.
TUESDAY, OCT. 21
◊“Eli Stone” (9:01 p.m. on ABC): Katie Holmes (“Batman Begins”) guest stars as an attorney whose mysterious fate leads her to Eli.
◊“Frank TV” (10 p.m. on TBS): Comedian and impressionist Frank Caliendo’s late-night series returns with new episodes and two new regulars: fellow impressionists Mike MacRae and Freddy Lockhart.
◊“The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency” (9 p.m. on Oxygen): The models hit the runway for a green fashion show in the season finale. A “Reunion” show follows and features some never-before-seen spy camp footage.
◊“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (9 p.m. on NBC): Detectives Stabler and Benson investigate the case of a baby infected with AIDS. Martin Mull (“Mrs. Doubtfire”) guest stars as a homeopathic doctor who goes on trial for the death of a young girl with AIDS.
◊“Living With the Wolfman” (9 p.m. on Animal Planet): This new series chronicles the adventures of Shaun, a wolf expert who’s spent the past several years raising a wild pack of the beasts in an English wildlife park.
◊“Nova” (7 p.m. on OETA-13): In the new episode ‘‘Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives,” Mark Oliver Everett (E of the band the EELS) travels across American to learn about the father he never knew — Hugh Everett III, one of America’s top quantum physicists who, in 1957 came up with a revolutionary theory that predicted the existence of parallel universes.
◊“Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film” (7 p.m. on TCM): Alec Baldwin (“30 Rock”) narrates this new documentary that traces the growth of the crime movie genre.
◊“Rookies” (9 p.m. on A&E): This new series follows a new class of cadets as they graduate from the police academy in Tampa, Fla., and begin 12 weeks of street patrol in a city where the crime rate is sky-high.
◊“Scream 2008″ (8 p.m. on SPIKE): This awards show honors the best in horror, science fiction, fantasy and comics. Leading the way for the third annual event is the summer blockbuster ‘‘The Dark Knight” with 21 nominations.
◊“Without a Trace” (9 p.m. on CBS): The team investitages when the teenage son of a Secret Service agent disappears. Steven Weber (“Brothers & Sisters”) returns as Clark Medina, the new head of the Missing Persons Squad.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 22
◊“Criminal Minds” (8 p.m. on CBS): The Behavioral Analysis Unit team hunts for a serial killer who stages car accidents to hide the true nature of his crimes. William Mapother (“Lost”) and Wil Wheaton (“Stand By Me”) guest star.
◊“CSI: NY” (9 p.m. on CBS): The murder of a corporate fixer takes the investigators into the disparate worlds of political corruption, personal betrayal and silicone dolls. Mykelti Williamson (“Forrest Gump”) guest stars as chief od detectives Brigham Sinclair.
◊“Dirty Sexy Money” (9:01 p.m. on ABC): Former CBS news anchor Dan Rather modorates a debate bwteen senatorial candidate Patrick Darling and his opponent.
◊“Independent Lens” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): The new season opens with “Chicago 10,” which combines animated segments with archival footage to revisit the infamous trial of eight men accused of incitement to riot at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
◊“Pushing Daisies” (7 p.m. on ABC): When the most popular escort at a rent-a-friend agency turns up dead, the team investigates who killed him, including the guy’s antisocial taxidermy-loving roommate (David Arquette, “Scream”).
THURSDAY, OCT 23
◊The Third Annual BET Hip Hop Awards (7 p.m. on BET): Katt Williams (“Norbit”) hosts the event that pays homage to urban music and culture. Lil’ Wayne received 12 nominations, followed by Kanye West with eight and Jay Z with six.
◊“Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew” (9 p.m. on VH1): Celebrity patients joining Dr. Drew Pinsky in his show’s second season include Sean Stewart (“Sons of Hollywood”), Tawny Kitaen (“The New WKRP in Cincinnati”) and Steven Adler (Guns n Roses). Gary Busey (“Into the West”), who is 13 years sober from his cocaine addiction, will share his experiences with the others.
◊“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (8 p.m. on CBS): The CSI team investigates a series of victims found frozen in place after death. Lauren Lee Smith (“The L Word”) joins the cast as CSI Riley Adams.
◊“Grey’s Anatomy” (8 p.m. on ABC): Bailey spearheads a domino surgery in which each procedure depends on the success of the one before it. Kevin McKidd (“Rome”) and Carl Lumbly (“Alias”) guest star.
High School Football: Norman vs. Westmoore at 7:30 p.m. on KSBI-52; Tulsa Edison vs. Tulsa Central at 7:30 p.m. on Cox.
◊“Iconoclasts” (9 p.m. on Sundance): This installment of the series that pairs together two leading innovators from different fields features fashion designer Stella McCartney (daughter of Paul McCartney) and artist Edward Ruscha (born in Nebraska and raised in Oklahoma City).
◊“Johny Cash’s America” (8 p.m. on Bio Channel): Chris Cooper (“American Beauty”) narrates this two-hour documentary that sheds new light on the life and times of the “man in black.” Included are interviews with Cash’s family, Al Gore, Sheryl Crow and more.
◊“Ugly Betty” (7 p.m. on ABC): Lindsay Lohan (“Mean Girls”) returns as Kimmie Keegan, who asks for Betty’s help in finding a job.
FRIDAY, OCT. 24
◊High School Football: Putnam North vs. Mustang at 7:30 p.m. on KSBI-52; Midwest City vs. Putnam City at 7:30 p.m. on Cox.
◊“True Hollywood Story: Heidi Klum” (8 p.m. on E!): Heidi Klum, a supermodel whose list of accomplishments also includes designer, producer and mother, is profiled.
SATURDAY, OCT. 25
◊“America’s Toughest Job” (7 p.m. on NBC): The final four contestants revisit the most challenging jobs of the season — logging, oil rigging and crab fishing — to decide who takes home the cash prize. The winner gets the combined first-year salary of all the jobs completed this season.
◊“Generation Gap” (8 p.m. on Hallmark)(Pictured above in Hallmark Channel Photo): Ed Asner (“Lou Grant”) stars as a crusty veteran taking care of his rebellious grandson (Alex Black) for the summer. Oklahoma native Rue McClanahan (“The Golden Girls”) plays a waitress who pursues Asner’s character and Ralph Waite (“The Waltons”) plays his war buddy.
◊“Giada at Home” (noon on Food Network): Chef Diada De Laurentiis shares her recipes for Halloween spice cake with orange butter cream and chocolate-dipped nougat with dried apricots.
◊“Paula’s Party” (7 p.m. on Food Network): Chef Paula Deen makes baked pumpkin ziti with fitness guru Richard Simmons, pumpkins cakes with Anna Gasteyer (“Saturday Night Live”) and a spicy vampire dip with Kyle Massey (“Cory in the House”).
◊“Rocco Gets Real” (noon on A&E): This new series follows celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito as he travels the country to help those who are clueless in the kitchen through everyday cooking dilemmas.
◊“Saturday Night Live” (10:29 p.m. on NBC): Today’s host is Jon Hamm, who won a Golden Globe and received SAG and Emmy nominations for his role on “Mad Men.” Coldplay is the
musical guest.
◊“The World’s Ugliest Dog Competition” (9 p.m. on Animal Planet): Beth Ostrosky (“Filter”) hosts this special that follows contestants as they prepare for the annual event in Petaluma, Calif.
–Penny TV
Happy Birthday, Kellie Martin
Oct. 16, 2008 — Kellie Noelle Martin, who played Becca Thacher on “Life Goes On” (1989-93 on ABC), turns 33 today.
Her most recent TV role is as Samantha Kinsey in the Hallmark Channel original mystery franchise series “Mystery Woman.”
Her first acting role was as Flossie in an episode of the “NBC series Father Murphy” (1982 episode titled “Sweet Sixteen”). She was 7.
Best wishes to Kellie and everybody who shares this special day with her.
–Penny TV
(Pictured at right: Hallmark Channel Photo featuring Kellie Martin in “Mystery Woman”)
Ex Day is Thursday
This time of year needs another holiday, don’t you think? The CBS Marketing Group thought so. That’s why they teamed up with 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. to create “Ex Day.”
The new holiday on Oct. 16 was created to “let love bloom again” and bring new life to past relationships through a special “Ex Day” bouquet.
That makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is why CBS didn’t pick Oct. 17 to celebrate Ex Day. Friday is, after all, the day the new CBS series “The Ex List” airs. And the holiday was inspired by the series starring Elizabeth Reaser as a flower shop owner who is told by a psychic that she has already dated the man she is destined to marry.
In any case, the Ex Day bouquet is available through 1-800-FLOWERS.COM and its network of professional BloomNet florists nationwide. It is crafted from fresh carnations, Gerbera daisies, Asiatic lilies, daisy poms and button poms.
–Penny TV
And the awards go to … (could be Oklahoma artists)
‘Tis the season for awards shows, and artists with Oklahoma ties are in the running.
On Tuesday (Oct. 14), ABC announced nominees for the 2008 American Music Awards that will air live Nov. 23. Carrie Underwood from Checotah received two nominations, as did Rascal Flatts (featuring Joe Don Rooney from Picher). Also getting nods were Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire and Brooks & Dunn.
Here is a list of upcoming awards shows, and additional info will be added when nominees are announced. So stay tuned.
◊Oct. 21: Scream 2008 (8 p.m. on SPIKE) — Third annual event honoring the best in horor, science fiction, fantasy and comics. Top nominee is “The Dark Knight” (21).
◊Oct 23: Third Annual BET Hip Hop Awards (7 p.m. on BET) — Katt Williams hosts. Top nominees are Lil’ Wayne (12), Kanye West (8), Jay Z (6).
◊Nov. 12: The 42nd Annual CMA Awards (7 p.m. on ABC) — Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley co-host. Top nominees are Kenny Chesney (7), Jennifer Nettles (6) George Strait (5), Sugarland (5). Nominees with Oklahoma ties are Miranda Lambert (female vocalist of the year, single of the year), Carrie Underwood (female vocalist of the year, album of the year), Rascal Flatts (vocal group of the year), Brooks & Dunn (vocal due of the year, album of the year), Trisha Yearwood (musical event of the year).
◊Nov. 13: The 9th Annual Latin Grammy Awards (7 p.m. on Univision) — Top nominees are Cafe Tacvba (6), Juanes and Gustavo Santaolalla (5).
◊Nov. 23: 2008 American Music Awards (7 p.m. on ABC) — Jimmy Kimmel hosts. Top nominees are Alicia Keys (5), Coldplay (4), The Eagles (4). Nominees with Oklahoma ties are Garth Brooks (favorite male artist, favorite album), Reba McEntire (favorite female artist), Carrie Underwood (favorite female artist, favorite album), Brooks & Dunn (favorite band, duo or group), Rascal Flatts (favorite band, duo or group, favorite album).
◊Jan. 7: The 35th Annual People’s Choice Awards (8 p.m. on CBS) — Nominees announced Nov. 10.
◊Jan. 11: The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards (7 p.m. on NBC) — Nominees announced Dec. 11.
◊Jan. 25: The 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (live on TNT and TBS) — Nominees announced Dec. 18.
◊Feb. 8: The 51st Annual Grammy Awards (7 p.m. on CBS) — Nominees announced Dec. 4.
◊Feb. 11: 2009 Orange British Academy Film Awards (usually broadcast on BBC America) — Nominees announced Jan. 15.
◊Feb. 21: The 24th Annual Independent Spirit Awards (live on IFC) – Nominees announced in November.
◊Feb. 22: The 81st Annual Academy Awards (7 p.m. on ABC) — Nominees announced Jan. 22.
–Penny TV
Happy Birthday, Penny Marshall
Oct. 15, 2008 — Carole Penny Marshall, who played Laverne DeFazio on “Laverne & Shirley” (1976-83 on ABC), turns 65 today.
Her most recent role was as Bolo Executive in the 2007 movie “Blonde Ambition.”
Her first acting role was as Tina in the 1968 movie “The Savage Seven.” She was 25.
Best wishes to Penny and everybody who shares this special day with her.
–Penny TV
(Pictured at right: Penny Marshall poses for photographers during arrivals at the “Oceana Partners Awards” dinner where Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, producer Brian Grazer and director Ron Howard were to be honored, at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2003. (AP Photo/Ann Johansson)
