Question: Last night the dinner discussion was Pee-wee's Playhouse and we were trying to recall who was who on the show. We remembered that Samuel L. Jackson was the cowboy, but was he also the King of Cartoons? Phil Hartman was the Genie, but who made up the rest of the cast? Also, wasn't the show cancelled after Paul Reubens's arrest in Florida? It was a great show (except the cartoons were rather dumb, in our opinion). Thanks. — Laura F., St. Louis, Mo.
Televisionary: One can only hope your food was better than your memory, Laura, for your facts are just slightly off (though I commend you on your taste — the show was indeed great and I'm betting you folks make for an entertaining dining experience).
Since there were way too many characters and cast members for my fingers (and your eyes) to cover in this column, I'll just hit the most recognizable players. First off, you've fallen victim to the same phenomenon that, according to re
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In I Am Sam — in limited release Dec. 28 — Michelle Pfeiffer plays a gorgeous, no-nonsense lawyer who pulls out all the stops to help a mentally-challenged man (Sean Penn) retain custody of his seven-year-old daughter. Problem is, she can't seem to balance her own career and family. Naturally, this begs the question: How does Pfeiffer handle such a juggling act in real life?
"Oh, perfectly," she jests to TV Guide Online. Really? Is it that difficult to ensure that Claudia Rose, nine, and John Henry, seven — her kids with TV producer David E. Kelley — are properly clothed, fed and schooled? "You know, you have 'bad mommy' d
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When it comes to uncovering the bare facts, the Naked News beats the pants off the competition — literally. The saucy Toronto-based program — which claims to have an audience of over six million viewers — features an all-nude team of male and female newscasters who report on entertainment, sports, weather and, of course, international affairs.
Launched in December 1999 as an Internet news delivery service, the show is now streaking its way to American television via In Demand's pay-per-view network. Says Kathy Pinckert, director of public relations for Naked News: "It's the news like you've never seen it before." She's not kidding.
Each edition of Naked News begins with lead anchor Devon Caldwell slowly undressing as she reads current events. Caldwell was a college student who had taken time off to "build a nest egg to cover tuition costs" when she joined the Naked News team. "I was working full-time in a
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To find Oscar-winner Martin Landau and goofball Jim Carrey in the same movie is a surprise, indeed! But Hollywood is a surprisingly small town, where the unlikeliest souls cross paths every day — and one such random meeting led to these two actors playing father and son in the patriotic heartwarmer, The Majestic (opening Dec. 21).
"Way back," Landau recalls, "I went to the premiere of The Mask and there was a party at the old Chasen's afterwards. I sat with Jim for awhile that night, and along the way, he said, 'I can't be doing this until I'm 60.' And I said, 'A lot of people can't do what you do.'"
By that evening's end, Landau was left very imp
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From the David Bowie fantasy Labyrinth to The Rocketeer, actress Jennifer Connelly has starred in her share of superheroic yarns. Come March, she'll begin filming The Hulk — due out in summer 2003 — in which she plays the green meanie's brainy ex-girlfriend. Fans can expect the movie to resemble the Marvel comics more than Bill Bixby's melodramatic 1970s series. "I saw that show all the time," Connelly tells TV Guide Online, "but I was like eight then, so I just remember Lou Ferrigno was really big!
"I want to do it not because of a particular leaning toward comic books," she continues, "but because of [director] Ang Lee. I think he's enormously talented. When
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If there is one thing that folks probably expect less from The Learning Channel than a series that creates buzz, it could only be a personality who generates heat. But both have been delivered in a big way by Trading Spaces, the undeniably addictive little reality program that showcases resident carpenter Ty Pennington's handsome mug and hacksaw-sharp wit.
Is the Atlanta, Ga., businessman ready to become the thinking couch potato's sex symbol? And how. "I'm going to be [TLC's] Schneider [the womanizing handyman of One Day at a Time]," he tells TV Guide Online with a laugh. "It's funny — I'm just being the same sarcastic idiot that I've
always been, only now I get to share it with a lot more people.
"I've always been a ham and I've always made things with my hands," he adds, "so this is really a perfect gig for me."
TLC will say. Largely due to Pennington's popularity, Trading Spaces — in which neighbors team up with
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Undoubtedly, Law & Order alum Benjamin Bratt is best known for his very public romance and breakup with superstar Julia Roberts. Nowadays, the single 37-year-old actor is refocusing on the main reason he exited NBC's New York-based crime drama nearly two years ago: to be closer to his closeknit West Coast brood.
"For me, my priority is the family, [and] my relationships," says Bratt. "An event like September 11th, and certainly the tone of what's going on in the world today, echoes that feeling day after day."
And while the 6'2" looker is content with life in San Francisco — the city he calls his "spiritual home base" — he very much wants to settle down and have kids of his own. "I've always found security in the peace and the balance that comes from bein
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Los Angeles has gone crazy for Shawn Christian. The Michigan native has been out West less than five years, and already he has racked up a longer list of credits than many an actor will in a lifetime. Besides scoring a recurring role on Crossing Jordan, the former model has guest-starred on Ellen, CSI and more Aaron Spelling series than even the producer's daughter, Tori. This month alone, he adds appearances on Spin City and Friends to his resume. Plus, he's just won the male lead in Face/Off director read more
Will Smith didn't pull any punches in his portrayal of Muhammad Ali in Ali (opening Christmas Day). Beyond the challenge of capturing the man and the myth, Smith had to look convincing in the ring.
"I was sparring with former heavyweight champ Michael Bent and I told him not to be afraid to hit me," he recalls to TV Guide Online. "So he landed a punch right in the middle of my head and it sort of compressed down into my shoulders. I felt an electric shock from the base of my neck to the back of both elbows. But I didn't fall down. And that's when something almost animalistic took over, like a catharsis. You think, 'I can do this.'
"That's the day I felt like a fighter," he adds, "because I could take it and give it back.
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Imagine that! After dragging her significant other to a tropical paradise populated with nubile babes who believe that a woman is never fully dressed without a thong, Genevieve Deittrick began having second thoughts. So, in last week's episode of Temptation Island 2 — the guiltiest of the tube's guilty pleasures — she sent beau Tony Schmitt a videotaped message asking him to call the whole thing off and marry her ASAP. Now the reunited couple are happily back home in Michigan, and closer than ever. What was the prickly talent manager thinking, giving a sweetheart like Tony a chance to break free? In a recent telephone interview, TV Guide Online endeavored to find out.
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