Henry Winkler by Amy Graves/WireImage.com
It was a "happy day" in Milwaukee, as the city unveiled a statue of Arthur Fonzarelli before an invite-only crowd that included most of the Happy Days gang.According to E!, the bronze Fonz commemorates the 10-year run of the sitcom and its iconic character, as well as the city that served as the series' setting. Henry Winkler, the actor under Fonzie's leather jacket, was joined by creator Garry Marshall and costars Anson Williams, Don Most, Marion Ross, Tom Bosley and Erin Moran. Ron Howard was on location and unable to attend.Winkler gave his likeness an enthusiastic two thumbs up that even the Fonz would appreciate. "I hope that this statue really represents in the way that this city deserves," he said.Thankfully, there were no bronze sharks involved. — Adam Bryant
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Reaper by Michael Courtney/The CW
New releases announced today, August 5:Happy Days - The Complete 4th Season will be coming out December 9 Reaper - Season 1 will be coming out November 4 Visit TVShowsOnDVD.com for the complete stories on these and other news items.
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Henry Winkler and Ron Howard by Michael Tran/FilmMagic
A bevy of balloons and children arrived for the premiere of A Plumm Summer, held Sunday at the Mann Bruin Theatre in Westwood, Calif. In homage to one of the film's icons — a true-life marionette named Froggy Doo who appeared alongside "Happy Herb McAllister" on Montana television for 22 years starting in the '60s —the carpet rolled out for celebs was green. Beyond the real Froggy Doo, other icons hit the carpet, including Henry Winkler, who plays "Happy Herb," and Ron Howard, there to support his Happy Days pal as well as his brother Clint, who has a cameo in the film. Also making an appearance were actors from the movie including Billy Baldwin (Dirty Sexy Money) and Brenda Strong (Desperate Housewives). Delivering news about another ABC fave was Jasmine Jessica Anthony, who will soon be seen on Ugly Betty as Gio's younger sister, Antonella. "I don't like Betty," Anthony says of her character. "I'm kind of rude to her and say in one of my scenes, 'You're a little old to w...
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Dallas courtesy Warner Home Video
Here at TV Guide, we’re all about our shows returning from that g-d strike. The nightmare is over and things may finally get back to normal for the next few months. Plus, with the goodies like House and Gossip Girl coming back, we’re spared the flood of midseason nightmares that usually crop up every year about now. Sure, there’s Lipstick Jungle, but so far, we’ve seen nothing as hateful as Quintuplets. Or god forbid that craptastic Kingdom Hospital.That said, not all TV late-comers are created equal. Hell, some of the best ones available on DVD right now don’t even have equals! So let’s give it up for….Dallas — Like it’s Denver doppelganger Dynasty, which bowed in January 1981, the original trash classic kicked off at midseason, too. The Ewings started Southforking one another in April of ’78, and they were so far from glam, it’s amazing anyone stuck around. But season 8 just came out and lemme tell ya, 1985 was a HOT year down...
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Question: Just so you know, this is going to be part question, part rant. I'm getting really tired of people talking about so-called "jump the shark" moments on television series. Every time I turn around, I hear/read somebody decrying that this show or that show has jumped the shark when they apparently don't know what the term actually means. I thought the real meaning was the point at which a show has lost its creativity and resorts to cheap stunts to boost ratings. That is the definition, correct? Instead of trying to understand the term, I hear many people use the term every time a show disappoints them in any way. Some say that Alias jumped the shark in Season 2. Are they high? The show remained creative long past that point, dipping only a bit in Season 3 with the whole Mrs. Vaughn thing. But I digress. I just wish some people would shut up about things they don't fully understand. Well, thanks for listening to my little rant!
Answer: And thanks for giving me something to close
...
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And if it's constructed with the right kind of base, you can even sit on it, Malph. Visit Milwaukee, a nonprofit tourism commission, is leading an effort to raise $85,000 to get a life-size bronze statue made of Happy Days' iconic Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli character, to be located in the plaza near the Chase office tower. Thus far, the group has $45K toward its goal. "It's an honor," portrayer Henry Winkler tells the Journal Sentinel. "But it is so bizarre to think there should be a statue. I wasn't sure it was something that could happen to me."Jenny Piccolo is already planning to do bad things to the statue at night.
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For example: Richie being "spooked" by Bag and the Demons at a haunted house party on Happy Days.Or, there's "two-headed" Michael Scott on The Office. Perhaps the Diwali episode even counts. (Remember how Michael's then-girlfriend dressed as a cheerleader?)Of course, The Simpsons has formed a cottage industry out of their "Treehouse of Horror" annuals. Does one entry stick out for you?Any other memorable Halloween-themed episodes of your favorite TV series come to mind? Share them here!
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Ron Palillo (second from left) in Welcome Back, Kotter
From Mr. Peepers to Mr. Cooper, classrooms and comedy comprise a favorite TV pairing, but no show combined the two with its era better than Welcome Back, Kotter. From floppy hats and bell-bottoms to the slightly stoned-out look on the students' faces, Kotter became the 1970s for most kids. Products such as lunch boxes, board games and dolls (including a perfectly coifed John Travolta) solidified the iconic stature of the series and its cast. Ron Palillo, who played lovable schnook Horshack, took some time to raise his hand (with a quick, "Ooh-ooh-ooh!") and answer a few questions about Kotter's new Season 1 DVD (available now;
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When it comes to supporting characters, a little bit really does go a long way. A quick scene here, a subtle look there... Suddenly, we can't get enough of them.Be careful what you wish for. When these quirky cast members become featured players, that's when it's time to worry.It all goes back to Happy Days (what doesn't?). Arthur Fonzarelli was a minor character when the show began. The creators realized what they had in The Fonz and he natureally became more prominent in the series which initially was, uh, cool.The next thing you knew, full story arcs revolved around The Fonz and a guy we couldn't get enough of became the guy you couldn't get rid of.That was then. Let's talk about now.30 Rock — Alec Baldwin deserved the supporting actor award for his performance, but every story line now seems to focus on Jack Donaghy. He's much more effective randomly popping in and out during an episode. The same goes for the geeky page Kenneth, and Tina Fey's cleavage.Heroes — Hiro i...
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No matter how many inn reservations Luke Danes made, no matter how much cool stuff he packed for a romantic honeymoon, no matter how long he stood there with those puppy-dog eyes begging for forgiveness, nothing called off his quickie wedding plans faster than Lorelai?s one line: ?I slept with Christopher.? Even I was equally blindsided by her flat, emotionless admission. But that?s probably because I was watching the entire episode on the edge of my couch, judging every line, analyzing every shot, hoping our girls would be handled with care by new show-runner David Rosenthal. But when the screen went dark, and the credits flashed, my eyes immediately welled up. (Yeah, yeah, I?m a big softie. You guys knew that already.) But you know what? Those tears were really, really good news. The show is going to be OK. Actually, it?s going to be way, way better than OK. David got it down right out of the gate! The real Lorelai never minced words when she was hurting, so of course she was goin...
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