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Television
NBC sitcom “Teacher’s Only,” starring Norman Fell and Lynn Redgrave, opened in 1982. It aired for two seasons. Jean Smart was added to the cast in the second season, which was her first role in a regularly scheduled series…Eddie Murphy exited “Saturday Night Live” in 1984…Variety-themed “The Jim Henson Hour” debuted on NBC in 1989. At the beginning of each episode, Jim Henson would enter an oddly-decorated set (alongside the Thought Lion puppet from his series “The Storyteller“) and introduce the evening’s show. Twelve episodes aired…“Married With Children” spin-off “Top of the Heap,” starring Joseph Bologna and Matt LeBlanc (pre-“Friends”) opened in 1991. It ran for just seven episodes, but continued in the form of spin-off “Vinnie and Bobby,” also featuring Matt LeBlanc. That failed comedy also aired for seven episodes…“Mad About You” star Paul Reiser attempted a sitcom comeback with “The Paul Reiser Show” on NBC in 2011. But the semi-autobiographical half-hour lasted only 2 episodes…Six other short-lived series launched: 1) CBS miniseries “James A. Michener’s Space” in 1985 starring James Garner, Beau Bridges and Blair Brown; 2) Julian Fellowes’ limited series take on “Titanic” on ABC in 2012; 3) “Bam’s Bad Ass Game Show” on TBS in 2014; 4) John Cena-hosted reality competition “American Grit” on Fox in 2016; 5) CMT reality-comedy “The Dude Perfect Show” in 2016; 6) Netflix revival of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” in 2017…Morning news program “¡Despierta América!” (translated to “Wake Up America!”) debuted on Univision in 1997. It is currently hosted by Raúl González, Maity Interiano, Karla Martínez, Alan Tacher, Francisca Lachapel, and Satcha Pretto…Several short-lived series concluded: 1) ABC sci-fi drama “Probe” in 1988; 2) NBC forensic drama “Unsub” in 1989; 3) ABC family-centric drama “Relativity” in 1997; 4) CBS drama “Kate Brasher” in 2001 starring Mary Stuart Masterson; 5) NBC’s Andy Richter detective comedy “Andy Barker P.I.” in 2007; 6) Fox detective drama “New Amsterdam” in 2008; 7) EMT comedy “Sirens” on USA in 2015; 8) Daniel Tosh‘s animated comedy “Brickleberry” on Comedy Central in 2015…Fox comedy “The Bernie Mac Show” concluded its five-season run in 2006. The series was the recipient of several prestigious awards in its first season, including an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series” and a Peabody…“Ugly Betty”, the ABC comedy-drama based on a Colombian telenovela, concluded its four-season run in 2010. It starred America Ferrera, Christopher Gorham, Vanessa Williams, Judith Light, and Ana Ortiz. Languishing in the development stages in the early 2000’s, it was actress Salma Hayek and her production company who helped finally bring it to air in the U.S…The 200th episode of animated “South Park” aired on Comedy Central in 2010. Its plot involved many of the celebrities the series had previously mocked banding together to sue the town…In 2011, ABC made an announcement that devastated many daytime drama fans: “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” would both conclude within the following year. They were replaced by lifestyle programs “The Chew” and “The Revolution”, and both returned briefly on digital…Travel and food series “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” debuted on CNN in 2013. It was a follow-up to his similarly-themed “No Reservations” that aired on the Travel Channel from 2005-12. It ran for 104 episodes across five years, having increased CNN’s Sunday night viewership throughout…FX western crime drama “Justified”, starring Timothy Olyphant, concluded its six-season 78-episode run in 2015. “Justified” was originally supposed to be titled “Lawman“, but it was changed to avoid being confused with A&E reality series “Steven Seagal: Lawman”…In 2016, USA Network retired its 11-year slogan “Characters Welcome” in favor of its revamped branding labeled “We The Bold”…“Deadliest Catch” spin-off docuseries “Deadliest Catch: Bloodline”, following fisherman Josh Harris’ Hawaiian quest to learn about the time his late father spent fishing there decades ago, launched in 2020…“Sesame Street: Elmo’s Play Date”, the children’s television special to help families deal with the COVID-19 crisis, aired in 2020 on several networks including HBO, TNT, TBS, truTV, Cartoon Network, Boomerang and PBS Kids.
Movies:
The first public showing of Thomas Edison’s kinetoscope (moving pictures) was in 1894…The first ever tie for Best Actress at the Academy Awards came in 1969 when Katharine Hepburn (“The Lion in Winter”) and Barbra Streisand (“Funny Girl”) each took home a statuette. Musical “Oliver!” was named Best Picture and Cliff Robertson was named Best Actor for “Charly”… Turner Classic Movies, a Mr. TV favorite channel, debuted in 1994…“The Fate of the Furious” starring Vin Diesel and The Rock opened worldwide in 2017. It scored the highest-grossing weekend at $532 million in the box office.
Music:
The Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012…Kendrick Lamar released his fourth studio album “Damn” in 2017. It won Pulitzer Prize for Music.
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Broadway:
“Guys & Dolls” opened at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 1143 performances in 1992
News:
President Abraham Lincoln was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theater in Washington in 1865. He died one day later…Ship The Titanic hit an iceberg at 11.40 p.m. off Newfoundland in 1912.
Books and Magazines
The first detective story, Edgar Allan Poe’s “Murders in Rue Morgue”, was published in 1841…Ellen DeGeneres was featured on the cover of Time magazine in 1997 with the words…”Yup, I’m Gay”…John Steinbeck novel “The Grapes of Wrath” was published in 1939.
Sports:
CBS began its four-year deal with Major League Baseball in 1990, with an afternoon doubleheader: Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates followed by Los Angeles Dodgers at Houston Astros. The first game had the network’s main broadcast team of Jack Buck and Tim McCarver; the latter game featured their “B” duo, Dick Stockton and Jim Kaat…In 2012, the Fox broadcast network began its Saturday night sports programming lineup that included live NASCAR races, Major League Baseball games, Pac-12 college football and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bouts, which spanned 28 weeks out of a 32-week period that year.
Celebrity Birthdays:
Actress Julie Christie is 84; baseball legend Pete Rose is 83; actor John Shea (“Lois & Clark”) is 75; actor Peter Capaldi (“Doctor Who”) is 66; “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Brad Garrett is 64; former “Partridge Family” child actor Brian Forster is also 64; actor Robert Carlyle (“Once Upon A Time”) is 63; actor Anthony Michael Hall (“The Breakfast Club”) is 56; Oscar winner Adrien Brody (“The Pianist”) is 51; rapper Shawntae Harris aka Da Brat is 50; “Buffy, the Vampire” star Sarah Michelle Gellar is 47; actor Rob McElhenney (“It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia”) is also 47; Abigail Breslin (“Little Miss Sunshine”) is 28.
Did You Know?:
Paul Reiser’s first sitcom was “My Two Dads,” which aired on NBC from 1987 to 1990…In 1988, Adrien Brody, then 15, was featured on short-lived Mary Tyler Moore sitcom “Annie McGuire” as Lenny McGuire. The series followed newlyweds Annie and Nick McGuire (Denis Arndt), who both had kids from previous marriages…Brad Garrett’s first comedy was NBC sitcom “The Pursuit of Happiness” in 1995. It ran for seven episodes. Thirteen episodes were produced, but only seven aired.
