Robert Prosky
Robert Prosky, best known to TV audiences as Sgt. Stan Jablonski on Hill Street Blues, has died. He was 77.
Prosky passed away Monday night in Washington, D.C. from complications following a heart procedure, his son Stefan Prosky told The Associated Press.
"He went gracefully last night, not in pain," Stefan Prosky said. "Everybody knows him as a fairly famous actor. My brothers and I know him as a marvelous father."
A veteran of not only television, but of stage and film as well, Prosky got his start in productions on the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., spending a total of ...
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Question: I keep hearing discussions about how good TV is these days with too many quality shows for any person to watch (Mad Men, Dexter, The Wire, Battlestar Galactica, and so on). But I remember the rave reviews and accolades past shows (like Hill Street Blues or St. Elsewhere, for example) got when they were initially airing. And I loved these shows when they originally aired. But recently I watched a few episodes of these programs that I found in a box of old videotapes and, well, disappointed sums up my feelings. I found the acting stiff, the pacing uneven, the writing tedious, the directing flat and the characterizations cartoonish. Neither run of episodes could hold a candle to any of the shows I watch these days. (I enjoyed the old commercials more!) People grow and tastes change, I know. But shouldn't "artistic" quality hold up longer? Are we spoiled by the supposed quality of today's television, or will I watch my Mad Men Season 1 DVDs 20 years from now and feel the same ...
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Bruce Weitz by Steve Granitz/WireImage.com
Jeez, will this guy please show up already! For the last several weeks, the characters on General Hospital have been talking nonstop about Anthony Zacchara, a mobster so scary his mere name makes Port Charles crime boss Sonny Corinthos (played by Maurice Benard) shiver like a Chihuahua. On Oct. 19 we'll finally put a face to the reputation when Zacchara hits the air, and he'll be looking just like Bruce Weitz!The actor, remembered for his terrific, Emmy-winning run as Det. Mick Belker on Hill Street Blues, tells me he said yes to GH "before we even discussed the money — the role is that good. Of course, after this incredibly big buildup, any actor is going to be a letdown, except maybe Marlon Brando!" Zacchara plans to take over Sonny's territory and he's sure to play dirty. "He's a homicidal maniac who goes way beyond Tony Soprano in craziness," Weitz says. "Zacchara is totally out of his mind." — Reporting by Michael Logan
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Question: Back in the early '80s, Hill Street Blues was moved from one night to another and sometimes went missing before it found an audience. Someone had faith in Blues. After Blues found success, it ushered in a period of quality drama and, with Bill Cosby's help, took NBC to the No. 1 position in the ratings. With quality programs on NBC like Studio 60 and Friday Night Lights getting critical acclaim but not finding an audience or a working time slot, what will it take for quality programs to find a champion to keep them on the air for more than a few episodes? NBC's ratings haven't been this low since its inception, and they're still dropping. They have nothing to lose by keeping these quality programs on the air, yet they put on reality programs like The Real Wedding Crashers, which drop the rating points even further. Quality programs are like fine wines: It takes time for them to mature, while garbage will always remain garbage. What will it take for NBC to take a stand on ...
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Its been a while since weve gotten an episode with a happy ending Of course the heartwarming end came after an hour sprinkled with evil so it was quite worth it Let me first say that I was surprised when Christian admitted to Kimber that he was just using her for sex The using Kimber for sex part was not what threw me it was that he was so cruel about it All this time Christians been wooing and romancing Michelle Ive been thinking that Kimber is who hes truly in love with deep down inside and that hed someday get back with her Yes he was drunk and upset with Michelle and thats what brought him to Kimbers place but still Maybe Im just too naive I felt bad for Kimber since she seemed so happy after they had sex but then she pulled a Christian on Matt and used Matt for sex Oh Kimber I dont think Matts going to be happy when he realizes Kimber used him to get back at Christian What will the Scientologists say What would Jesus do KiddingSean s
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Question: Where do you think Everwood ranks as far as TV's greatest dramas ever? I am an older viewer and I can honestly say that it is No. 1 for me. Compared with most "great" shows, it had a relatively short run, but it never lost its magic. Every episode gave the viewers something to think about, something to cherish, a quote to remember. I can't think of any other drama that has touched me and gotten inside of my head and heart the way Everwood has these last four years.
Answer: I'm glad you feel that way, and I hope you won't take it as a sign of disrespect when I do a little reality check here. I enjoyed Everwood as much, probably more, than the next person, but it's a show limited by its genre (young-adult soap), even if Everwood often transcended that genre. Much as I loved the characters, enjoyed the writing and acting, and was satisfied by the happy ending, it's still a show that was built around the contrivances and reversals of soap opera, where even characters I liked, such
...
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Battlestar GalacticaYou know, if you have any friends who still write off sci-fi as gimmicky crap (and it too often is), just have them watch the first segment of this episode. Hill Street Blues never did an intro better, and Hill Street Blues did 'em great. Not a laser gun fired — just cool, alt-blues mood music and a solid human interchange as Roslin and Adama exchange ideas on how to defeat a case of nerves, then a devastating ending as the chief freaks and beats poor Callie. Here we go.
I have to say that while the casting of so many sci-fi/fantasy alums (the original Galactica's Richard Hatch as Zarek, Xena's Lucy Lawless as D'Anna) could come off as gimmicky, it doesn't matter when they're as great as De
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Question: Your comments on the Night Court actors reminded me that I had a crush on the woman who played the court clerk before Mac. What was her name, and did she do anything else besides Night Court?Answer: That she did, and that she does, Bill. You're thinking of actress Karen Austin and her character, court clerk Lana Wagner, who was replaced on the comedy after a season by Charlie Robinson's Mac Robinson.
Austin did a lot of guest work on such series as Happy Days,
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The cast of Hill Street Blues
Question: I've been thinking of Hill Street Blues lately and it is driving me nuts that I can't remember the name of my favorite character. He was played by Bruce Weitz and I think his first name was Mick, but they always called him by his last name. He was a wonderfully eccentric policeman — scruffy and tough, with a heart of gold — and received frequent phone calls from his mother. Can you help me out? I know this will continue to bother me till I find out!
Answer: That would be Det. Mick Belker, who was quick with a growl, just as willing to bite a perp as book him, and, by the looks of him, not on friendly terms with showers or razors. I'd imagine Weitz would consider it a compliment that you remember his name rather than his character's, but he did memorable work on the series. During Hill Street's January 1981 to May 1987 run
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We are family: Dukes stars Schneider, Bach and Wopat
Question: Did John Schneider and Tom Wopat play Bo and Luke Duke the whole time The Dukes of Hazzard was on? I seem to remember other actors playing the roles, too. Thank you.
Answer: Not quite, Beth, though your memory of substitute stars is halfway there.
Schneider (Smallville) and Wopat played the Charger-drivin' Duke boys from the time CBS launched the show in January 1979 until the spring of 1982, when they bailed out after battling with the suits over merchandising money the actors said they were owed. Now before you go thinking they were just a couple of demanding, whiney stars, be aware there was serious money involved.
"[W]e picked up the newspaper and read that [Dukes producer] Warner Communications' annual financial report stated that the company had earned $190 million in 1981 from its
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