Tl;Dr:
Bobby Hart wrote many songs for both The Monkees and The Partridge Family. Hart explained how he got a job writing for The Partridge Family. The Partridge Family only had one No. 1 single in the United States. The Partridge Family | Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer
One of The Monkees‘ songwriters wrote songs for The Partridge Family. Subsequently, he explained how another songwriter helped him get a job writing for The Partridge Family. Notably, The Partridge Family beat one of The Monkees’ records.
2 of The Monkees’ songwriters left the band’s production company
Bobby Hart co-wrote many Monkees songs with Tommy Boyce, such as “Last Train to Clarksville,” “I Wanna Be Free,” and “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone.” In his 2015 book Psychedelic Bubble Gum: Boyce & Hart, The Monkees, and Turning Mayhem Into Miracles, Hart discussed fellow songwriter Wes Farrell.
“Wes Farrell had recently moved to L.A. to produce...
Bobby Hart wrote many songs for both The Monkees and The Partridge Family. Hart explained how he got a job writing for The Partridge Family. The Partridge Family only had one No. 1 single in the United States. The Partridge Family | Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer
One of The Monkees‘ songwriters wrote songs for The Partridge Family. Subsequently, he explained how another songwriter helped him get a job writing for The Partridge Family. Notably, The Partridge Family beat one of The Monkees’ records.
2 of The Monkees’ songwriters left the band’s production company
Bobby Hart co-wrote many Monkees songs with Tommy Boyce, such as “Last Train to Clarksville,” “I Wanna Be Free,” and “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone.” In his 2015 book Psychedelic Bubble Gum: Boyce & Hart, The Monkees, and Turning Mayhem Into Miracles, Hart discussed fellow songwriter Wes Farrell.
“Wes Farrell had recently moved to L.A. to produce...
- 4/13/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The Brady Bunch premiered on September 26th, 1969, just a little over a month after the Manson murders sent shockwaves of terror across Los Angeles. It went off the air on March 8th, 1974, right as the Watergate scandal was cresting. The run of the show happened to coincide with five of the most tumultuous years in 20th-century America, marked by the Vietnam War, the Weather Underground, Kent State, and the entire presidency of Richard Nixon.
Needless to say, none of this was happening in the world of the Bradys. If you take out the haircuts,...
Needless to say, none of this was happening in the world of the Bradys. If you take out the haircuts,...
- 1/3/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
This Is Us co-showrunner Isaac Aptaker is the master of understatement.
“Randall had a big year last year,” he says, referring to the hit NBC drama’s first season, in which Sterling K. Brown’s character found his biological father, learned that the older man was dying, invited him into his home, realized that his adoptive mother had been lying to him for most of his life, buried his biological father and then quit his job. Most of the decisions involved in those developments, the Ep reminds TVLine, were made by Randall alone — with wife Beth gamely going along for the ride.
“Randall had a big year last year,” he says, referring to the hit NBC drama’s first season, in which Sterling K. Brown’s character found his biological father, learned that the older man was dying, invited him into his home, realized that his adoptive mother had been lying to him for most of his life, buried his biological father and then quit his job. Most of the decisions involved in those developments, the Ep reminds TVLine, were made by Randall alone — with wife Beth gamely going along for the ride.
- 9/26/2017
- TVLine.com
Is there anything that Emma Stone can’t do? She acts, she dances, and yes, she sings.
But even though everyone fell in love with her charming (and Golden Globe-nominated!) performance in La La Land, Stone has been showing off her musical chops for years, starting with her secret reality show past, to her stint on Broadway, to her performance as a Gaga-esque pop star in Popstar.
Warning: This may make you fall even more in love with her.
Easy A
Stone’s breakthrough leading role gave us a one-two punch of amazing musical performances: First, the hilariously goofy ode...
But even though everyone fell in love with her charming (and Golden Globe-nominated!) performance in La La Land, Stone has been showing off her musical chops for years, starting with her secret reality show past, to her stint on Broadway, to her performance as a Gaga-esque pop star in Popstar.
Warning: This may make you fall even more in love with her.
Easy A
Stone’s breakthrough leading role gave us a one-two punch of amazing musical performances: First, the hilariously goofy ode...
- 1/7/2017
- by Julia Emmanuele
- PEOPLE.com
What do Kate Hudson, Penélope Cruz and Sarah Hyland have in common (besides being actresses)? The trio, along with a slew of other celebs, are surprisingly gifted singers.
Keep scrolling to see what other celebs should seriously consider a singing career.
Sarah Hyland
Hyland should have no issue jumpstarting a singing career after blowing fans away with her and band Boyce Avenue’s acoustic cover of The Chainsmokers’ smash hit, “Closer.” “Dream come true singing with these guys!” wrote the Modern Family star, tweeting out a link to the dreamy rendition.
Kate Hudson
She showed off her musical chops in 2009’s Nine,...
Keep scrolling to see what other celebs should seriously consider a singing career.
Sarah Hyland
Hyland should have no issue jumpstarting a singing career after blowing fans away with her and band Boyce Avenue’s acoustic cover of The Chainsmokers’ smash hit, “Closer.” “Dream come true singing with these guys!” wrote the Modern Family star, tweeting out a link to the dreamy rendition.
Kate Hudson
She showed off her musical chops in 2009’s Nine,...
- 11/15/2016
- by Grace Gavilanes
- PEOPLE.com
Mary is really struggling with her new world.
Supernatural Season 12 Episode 3 certainly made that clear, especially with the final scene.
But while there was the classic ghost hunt with some family drama, the hour also provided fans with a Castiel and Crowley team-up. Hello, Agent Beyonce and Agent Z!
So join TV Fanatic staff writers Sean McKenna and Christine Laskodi and The Winchester Family Business’ Alice and Nightsky as they discuss “The Foundry.”
What was your favorite scene or quote?
Christine: I mean, that last scene was So good. It might go down as one of my favorite scenes of the series. Mary leaving this time felt like a betrayal, which is worse than death. That look on Dean's face was utterly heartbreaking. But I'll also throw out the scene where Mary uses The Partridge Family agent names. That got a laugh out of me.
Alice: I know I should say the final scene,...
Supernatural Season 12 Episode 3 certainly made that clear, especially with the final scene.
But while there was the classic ghost hunt with some family drama, the hour also provided fans with a Castiel and Crowley team-up. Hello, Agent Beyonce and Agent Z!
So join TV Fanatic staff writers Sean McKenna and Christine Laskodi and The Winchester Family Business’ Alice and Nightsky as they discuss “The Foundry.”
What was your favorite scene or quote?
Christine: I mean, that last scene was So good. It might go down as one of my favorite scenes of the series. Mary leaving this time felt like a betrayal, which is worse than death. That look on Dean's face was utterly heartbreaking. But I'll also throw out the scene where Mary uses The Partridge Family agent names. That got a laugh out of me.
Alice: I know I should say the final scene,...
- 10/31/2016
- by Sean McKenna
- TVfanatic
After delivering some of the weirdest, the most tense, and the most topical moments on TV this summer, BrainDead’s first season has come to a close. The series that came from the minds behind The Good Wife and put space bugs into the minds of politicians aired its season finale on CBS tonight. Creators Michelle and Robert King chatted with HitFix to look back at their wacky political satire and break down what we saw in those concluding two hours tonight. Warning: Spoilers Ahead For Braindead’S Season 1 Finale So our ragtag team has defeated the bugs, and things have gone back to normal in D.C.: There’s a lot of stupidity on Capitol Hill but no longer any extraterrestrial-born insanity. “All the heads explosions notwithstanding, mostly everything turned out alright,” the show’s musical recapper, Jonathan Coulton, sings as he wraps up some loose ends. The...
- 9/12/2016
- by Emily Rome
- Hitfix
With such big guns talent behind it (Scorcese! Jagger!), "Vinyl" is poised to reinvent the music business drama, and do it with lots and lots of rayon and a good dollop of early punk rock. Here's a look at some highs and lows (if each one was a note, they'd be a song!) in the music-tv genre. Some of them are great, some of them are soapy (and, in the case of "Empire," both) and some are... well, surely some of you have very fond memories of "The Partridge Family" for some reason. ...
- 2/12/2016
- by Liane Bonin Starr
- Hitfix
During the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s cars played a major role on the small screen. If a viewer caught a glimpse of a certain vehicle they would quickly be able to associate what television series it belonged to. Sometimes the vehicle was used to portray social class (think The Beverly Hillbillies’ 1921 Oldsmobile), while other times the car became the lead character (K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider). Take a trip down memory lane and see the most popular cars on TV. 13. The Partridge Family Bus, The Partridge Family When the Partridge family decided to become a musical group, they needed some transportation when it came
The 13 Most Popular Cars from TV Shows...
The 13 Most Popular Cars from TV Shows...
- 2/7/2016
- by Tim Gerstenberger
- TVovermind.com
It's Halloween week on Strictly Come Dancing, with scary make-up and spooky props aplenty.
But who brought a bit of magic to the dance floor, and who had a monstrous night? Find out with our round-up of the scores and comments from judges Craig Revel Horwood, Darcey Bussell, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli - and you can relive every dance below:
1. Katie Derham & Anton Du Beke dancing the paso doble to 'Phantom of the Opera' by Steve Harley and Sarah Brightman: 4+6+6+5=21
Len: "The problem is you're like an English rose and the paso is a cactus, sharp aggressive and spiky. It doesn't really suit your personality. I got the willies at one time when I thought you would use the wrong foot. It wasn't great, Kate - I wish it was."
Darcey: "You look the part – absolutely stunning. To help strengthen your performance use those beautiful eyes.
But who brought a bit of magic to the dance floor, and who had a monstrous night? Find out with our round-up of the scores and comments from judges Craig Revel Horwood, Darcey Bussell, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli - and you can relive every dance below:
1. Katie Derham & Anton Du Beke dancing the paso doble to 'Phantom of the Opera' by Steve Harley and Sarah Brightman: 4+6+6+5=21
Len: "The problem is you're like an English rose and the paso is a cactus, sharp aggressive and spiky. It doesn't really suit your personality. I got the willies at one time when I thought you would use the wrong foot. It wasn't great, Kate - I wish it was."
Darcey: "You look the part – absolutely stunning. To help strengthen your performance use those beautiful eyes.
- 10/31/2015
- Digital Spy
Strictly Come Dancing star Carol Kirkwood has received the backing of a former contestant - Carol Vorderman.
Vorderman took part in the show in 2004 and told the Daily Express that she loves watching her namesake.
"She's doing brilliantly, isn't she?" she said. "Also with Carol, she hasn't been trained in a stage school and is such a lovely lady. I think it's unfair that you have stage school graduates... there should be some handicap somewhere.
"You just can't compare! It's like having someone that has swum for their county and another who hasn't swum before and telling them to have a race."
And while Kirkwood hasn't quite managed to win over the judges yet, Vorderman added: "She's very gracious when it comes to criticism. She shouldn't be criticised though - people should be encouraged."
Kirkwood will be attempting to pick up high scores with her rumba to The Partridge Family...
Vorderman took part in the show in 2004 and told the Daily Express that she loves watching her namesake.
"She's doing brilliantly, isn't she?" she said. "Also with Carol, she hasn't been trained in a stage school and is such a lovely lady. I think it's unfair that you have stage school graduates... there should be some handicap somewhere.
"You just can't compare! It's like having someone that has swum for their county and another who hasn't swum before and telling them to have a race."
And while Kirkwood hasn't quite managed to win over the judges yet, Vorderman added: "She's very gracious when it comes to criticism. She shouldn't be criticised though - people should be encouraged."
Kirkwood will be attempting to pick up high scores with her rumba to The Partridge Family...
- 10/28/2015
- Digital Spy
Strictly Come Dancing: From Michael Jackson to Rocky Horror, see Week 6's spooky song and dance list
It's Halloween, so that means Strictly Come Dancing gets spooky. Fangs replace fake tans, and ghouls, phantoms and zombies take over the dancefloor. Check out week 6's song and dance list below:
1. Anita Rani & Gleb Savchenko
Song: 'Once Upon A Dream' by Lana Del Rey
Dance: Waltz
2. Carol Kirkwood & Pasha Kovalev
Song: 'I Think I Love You' by The Partridge Family
Dance: Rumba
3. Georgia May Foote & Giovanni Pernice
Song: 'Ghostbusters' by Ray Parker Junior
Dance: Tango
4. Helen George & Aljaz Skorjanec
Song: 'Take Your Mama' by Scissor Sisters
Dance: Samba
5. Jamelia & Tristan MacManus
Song: 'The Time Warp' from the Rocky Horror Picture Show
Dance: Jive
6. Jay McGuiness & Aliona Vilani
Song: 'Lil Red Riding Hood' by Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs
Dance: American Smooth
7. Jeremy Vine & Karen Clifton
Song: 'Thriller' by Michael Jackson
Dance: Salsa
8. Katie Derham & Anton Du Beke
Song: 'Phantom Of The Opera' by Steve Harley and...
1. Anita Rani & Gleb Savchenko
Song: 'Once Upon A Dream' by Lana Del Rey
Dance: Waltz
2. Carol Kirkwood & Pasha Kovalev
Song: 'I Think I Love You' by The Partridge Family
Dance: Rumba
3. Georgia May Foote & Giovanni Pernice
Song: 'Ghostbusters' by Ray Parker Junior
Dance: Tango
4. Helen George & Aljaz Skorjanec
Song: 'Take Your Mama' by Scissor Sisters
Dance: Samba
5. Jamelia & Tristan MacManus
Song: 'The Time Warp' from the Rocky Horror Picture Show
Dance: Jive
6. Jay McGuiness & Aliona Vilani
Song: 'Lil Red Riding Hood' by Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs
Dance: American Smooth
7. Jeremy Vine & Karen Clifton
Song: 'Thriller' by Michael Jackson
Dance: Salsa
8. Katie Derham & Anton Du Beke
Song: 'Phantom Of The Opera' by Steve Harley and...
- 10/27/2015
- Digital Spy
From “The Real World” to “American Idol,” reality TV is famous (and infamous!) for featuring some of today’s biggest stars. Although many reality show contestants are satisfied with 15 minutes of fame, many have moved on to pursue careers in scripted entertainment. Everyone knows Jennifer Hudson got her start on “American Idol,” but do you know who else has appeared on reality TV? Jon Hamm Now an Emmy winner for his portrayal of the ever-confident Don Draper on AMC’s “Mad Men,” Hamm was once a very awkward 25-year-old that was rejected on USA’s dating show “The Big Date.” Big mistake, Mary. Big mistake. Emma Stone Remember the VH1 show “In Search of the Partridge Family”? Most people probably don’t. However, the show gave birth to the career of one very memorable actor. In 2004, Stone won the role of Laurie Partridge on the reality show, which chronicled the...
- 10/20/2015
- backstage.com
Kurt Cobain created a mixtape in the late 80s that’s been rediscovered on the Internet with fans stating that it gives a deeper look into the Nirvana frontman’s psyche.
Kurt Cobain 'Montage Of Heck'
Cobain's "Montage of Heck" has found some new life online over the past few days. It contains snippets from his personal record collection and the radio, band demos that wound up on Nirvana albums as well as sounds Cobain recorded and/or created – including urinating into a toilet and the toilet's flush. It also includes bits of dialogue from vintage TV shows and movies, as well as from conversations with his friends.
There's an 8-minute mono version of the mixtape, as well as a 36-minute full-length version.
Kurt Cobain's "Montage Of Heck" from SpaceEcho on Vimeo.
Tracy Marander On The Mixtape
While most reports claim that Cobain created the mixtape in 1988 on a 4-track cassette recorder,...
Kurt Cobain 'Montage Of Heck'
Cobain's "Montage of Heck" has found some new life online over the past few days. It contains snippets from his personal record collection and the radio, band demos that wound up on Nirvana albums as well as sounds Cobain recorded and/or created – including urinating into a toilet and the toilet's flush. It also includes bits of dialogue from vintage TV shows and movies, as well as from conversations with his friends.
There's an 8-minute mono version of the mixtape, as well as a 36-minute full-length version.
Kurt Cobain's "Montage Of Heck" from SpaceEcho on Vimeo.
Tracy Marander On The Mixtape
While most reports claim that Cobain created the mixtape in 1988 on a 4-track cassette recorder,...
- 11/4/2014
- Uinterview
"Mad Men" aired its spectacular Season 7 mid-season finale on Sunday, making the show's 2015 end date even more real and even more of a bummer. What will life be like without Don Draper and company?
And now dreams of a possible spinoff have been pretty much dashed, too. In an interview with Deadline, creator and writer Matthew Weiner revealed that he's not working on any follow-up to the beloved AMC drama.
"I am not planning a sequel and I do not have my foot deep in anything else," he explained. "I love that people are trying to project and guess what the storytelling is. I'm writing the finale today as I was yesterday and it's set in stone."
But we can pretend, right? Maybe he'll see this, get inspired, and reconsider?
Here are 5 "Mad Men" spin-offs we would like to see go down after its series finale:
1. Sally: On My Own Terms
Picture this.
And now dreams of a possible spinoff have been pretty much dashed, too. In an interview with Deadline, creator and writer Matthew Weiner revealed that he's not working on any follow-up to the beloved AMC drama.
"I am not planning a sequel and I do not have my foot deep in anything else," he explained. "I love that people are trying to project and guess what the storytelling is. I'm writing the finale today as I was yesterday and it's set in stone."
But we can pretend, right? Maybe he'll see this, get inspired, and reconsider?
Here are 5 "Mad Men" spin-offs we would like to see go down after its series finale:
1. Sally: On My Own Terms
Picture this.
- 5/27/2014
- by Alana Altmann
- Moviefone
The eighties are noteworthy for so many reasons. I may be biased, as I grew up during that decade, but I think it's the most radical decade ever. The eighties were so colorful, so excessive... so tubular. Back then, the attitude seemed to be "Anything goes." The eighties brought us Jem and The Holograms, Leon Neon, Pogo Balls, the Mad Scientist Monster Lab, the slasher boom, bangle bracelets, MadBalls, and Pee-Wee Herman. The eighties are also responsible for a variety of somewhat regrettable hairstyles that, while fun at the time, should never be worn again. Just like disco, bellbottoms, and The Partridge family from the '70s, some things are best left behind in the decade in which they were popularized... but that doesn’t mean that we can’t glance back at them from time to time. To be clear, we aren’t attacking the hairstyles of the eighties...
- 8/19/2013
- by Tyler Doupe
- FEARnet
Volkswagen debuted its new Super Bowl ad on CNN ahead of Sunday's big game and it's already drumming up plenty of controversy. The ad ("Get In. Get Happy.") features a white office worker who helps his colleagues deal with a downer Monday by channeling an easy-going Jamaican vibe as reggae star Jimmy Cliff covers The Partridge Family theme song in the background.
- 1/29/2013
- by Matt Wilstein
- Mediaite - TV
Emmy-winning set decorator Leslie Frankenheimer has died. Also the wife of entertainment attorney John Frankenhemer, she died January 22 after a long battle against leukemia, according to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Her age was not disclosed. During her more than 30 year career, Frankenheimer won 4 Emmys — for the ABC series Max Headroom in 1987, CBS’ Buddy Faro in 1999, the TNT movie James Dean in 2002 and the HBO series Carnivàle in 2004. She was also nominated in 2002 for the NBC series Emeril. Frankenheimer joined the TV Academy in 1995 and began serving on its Art Directors/Set Decorators Peer Group Exec Committee in 2002. She was elected governor of her peer group in 2011 and was recently re-elected to a second two-year term. Frankenheimer’s numerous other TV credits included Scarecrow And Mrs. King, L.A. Law, SeaQuest 2032, Star Trek: Voyager, Come on, Get Happy: The Partridge Family Story, Karen Sisco, The Closer, Kitchen Confidential,...
- 1/26/2013
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
It's not just any filmmaker who can make snappy pop culture references into veritable art, and Quentin Tarantino is simply the undisputed champ of right-on/bizarre/ridiculous pop culture references in film. I can't say I liked Django Unchained, but I can appreciate the eternal gifts of the man whose first dent in cinema was a monologue about "Like a Virgin."
In this video from College Humor, check out the majestic chronology of Tarantino's references. He moves from Doris Day to The Partridge Family to Burt Reynolds to Angelina Jolie with extreme ease, and I personally find it comforting and exhilarating to watch and re-watch the whole thing. Did I mention that this man once dated Margaret Cho? Because he sure did, mortals.
So Nsfw!
Here are some of my other favorite movies that teem with pop culture references: Clueless ("Total Baldwin!") Juno ("Bleeker's mom was possibly attractive once, but...
In this video from College Humor, check out the majestic chronology of Tarantino's references. He moves from Doris Day to The Partridge Family to Burt Reynolds to Angelina Jolie with extreme ease, and I personally find it comforting and exhilarating to watch and re-watch the whole thing. Did I mention that this man once dated Margaret Cho? Because he sure did, mortals.
So Nsfw!
Here are some of my other favorite movies that teem with pop culture references: Clueless ("Total Baldwin!") Juno ("Bleeker's mom was possibly attractive once, but...
- 1/3/2013
- by virtel
- The Backlot
I'm a sucker for tradition, and there are probably worse ideas than ABC reviving the "Tgif" concept of family-friendly sitcoms on Friday night. Depending on your generation, you may find yourself thinking nostalgically of watching The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family with the babysitter, or growing up with the Full House-Family Matters-Boy Meets World-Perfect Strangers brand of ABC comedy. Hold on to those memories, because unfortunately, there are few shows this season worse or more grating than tonight's Malibu Country (8:31/7:31c), where the beachfront corn grows awfully and annoyingly high.
Read More >...
Read More >...
- 11/2/2012
- by Matt Roush
- TVGuide - Breaking News
The Amazing Race 21 contestants
(photo courtesy CBS)
The Amazing Race 21, the 21st racearoundtheworld for One! Million! Dollars! or maybe Two! Million! Dollars! has begun! Teams are on a bus that would shame The Partridge Family, zooming up the California coast to Pasadena, and Phil!
Each of the teams has a pre-existing relationship, and the teams this season are:
Natalie & Nadiya, twins
Josh & Brent, “life partners,” two-thirds of Team Gay and part of this season's stunt casting, having appeared in their own reality series The Fabulous Beekman Boys
Rob & Kelley, married professional monster truck drivers
Trey & Lexi, dating; alumni of the University of Texas at Austin
James & Abba, friends and also partial stunt casting, James being formerly a member of heavy metal bands White Lion and Megadeth
Abbie & Ryan, dating divorcees
Jaymes & James, friends and Chippendales performers, also accounts for the final third of Team Gay (Jaymes)
Rob & Sheila, engaged; he's...
(photo courtesy CBS)
The Amazing Race 21, the 21st racearoundtheworld for One! Million! Dollars! or maybe Two! Million! Dollars! has begun! Teams are on a bus that would shame The Partridge Family, zooming up the California coast to Pasadena, and Phil!
Each of the teams has a pre-existing relationship, and the teams this season are:
Natalie & Nadiya, twins
Josh & Brent, “life partners,” two-thirds of Team Gay and part of this season's stunt casting, having appeared in their own reality series The Fabulous Beekman Boys
Rob & Kelley, married professional monster truck drivers
Trey & Lexi, dating; alumni of the University of Texas at Austin
James & Abba, friends and also partial stunt casting, James being formerly a member of heavy metal bands White Lion and Megadeth
Abbie & Ryan, dating divorcees
Jaymes & James, friends and Chippendales performers, also accounts for the final third of Team Gay (Jaymes)
Rob & Sheila, engaged; he's...
- 10/1/2012
- by fakename
- The Backlot
Happy Mother's Day, TV Fanatics!
In honor of this important occasion (did you send flowers?), what question could we have our staff answer for our latest Round Table discussion except: Who is the greatest television mom in history?
Read our responses and them chime in with your selection below...
-------------------------------------------
Matt Richenthal: Debbie Wilson from 90210. She took in a troubled youth, was beautiful and had the smarts to get the heck off this before it really fell apart.
Jim Garner: Annie Camden. She was the glue for the Camden family on 7th Heaven.
Arlene Gonzalez: Mrs. C from Happy Days. She put up with a Howdy-Doody-looking son; a fat, loudmouth husband; a freckle-faced, slightly-dykey daughter and The Fonz. And all without the assistance of either an anti-depressant or shot of whiskey.
Miranda Wicker: Lorelei Gilmore from Gilmore Girls. She wasn't perfect and she didn't try to be. She just did...
In honor of this important occasion (did you send flowers?), what question could we have our staff answer for our latest Round Table discussion except: Who is the greatest television mom in history?
Read our responses and them chime in with your selection below...
-------------------------------------------
Matt Richenthal: Debbie Wilson from 90210. She took in a troubled youth, was beautiful and had the smarts to get the heck off this before it really fell apart.
Jim Garner: Annie Camden. She was the glue for the Camden family on 7th Heaven.
Arlene Gonzalez: Mrs. C from Happy Days. She put up with a Howdy-Doody-looking son; a fat, loudmouth husband; a freckle-faced, slightly-dykey daughter and The Fonz. And all without the assistance of either an anti-depressant or shot of whiskey.
Miranda Wicker: Lorelei Gilmore from Gilmore Girls. She wasn't perfect and she didn't try to be. She just did...
- 5/13/2012
- by matt@tvfanatic.com (TV Fanatic Staff)
- TVfanatic
Chicago – HBO’s under-appreciated original movie recalls the moment when entertainment-seeking Americans averted their eyes from actors to their neighbors over the fence. Voyeurism had a new name, “cinema verite,” and one-time producer Craig Gilbert was determined to take it from art houses to small screens in homes across the country.
His target was the Loud family—a large and popular clan headed by the philandering Phil and the strong-willed Pat. Their son Lance was openly gay and his flamboyant exuberance was celebrated within the walls of his home but proved to alarm conservative viewers once it was broadcast on TV. The show resulted in the dissolution of Pat and Bill’s marriage, which was already ailing but wasn’t at all aided by Gilbert’s manipulative strategies to intensify their domestic conflict.
Blu-ray Rating: 3.5/5.0
The enormous timeliness of the subject matter makes “Cinema Verite” a fitting entry in HBO’s ever-impressive filmography.
His target was the Loud family—a large and popular clan headed by the philandering Phil and the strong-willed Pat. Their son Lance was openly gay and his flamboyant exuberance was celebrated within the walls of his home but proved to alarm conservative viewers once it was broadcast on TV. The show resulted in the dissolution of Pat and Bill’s marriage, which was already ailing but wasn’t at all aided by Gilbert’s manipulative strategies to intensify their domestic conflict.
Blu-ray Rating: 3.5/5.0
The enormous timeliness of the subject matter makes “Cinema Verite” a fitting entry in HBO’s ever-impressive filmography.
- 4/26/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
After Glee‘s tremendous success, many may have predicted a wave of musical TV series entering production as various networks tried to capitalize on Fox’s good fortune. None came. This week, Smash premiered on NBC to strong ratings, bringing the tally of network musicals up to two. Given the tremendous potential for gain, both in terms of ratings and music sales, isn’t it unusual for the networks to be so hesitant? After some investigation, it appears not- as much as Americans love a good musical, they rarely commit to those on TV. Below is a brief chronology of musical TV series from the 1960s on.
>1960: CBS and the DuMont network each take a crack at a musical series with original songs in the pop/Broadway style, but neither series, Inside U.S.A. with Chevrolet (1949-50) or Once Upon a Tune (1951), takes off.
1960s: The popularization of...
>1960: CBS and the DuMont network each take a crack at a musical series with original songs in the pop/Broadway style, but neither series, Inside U.S.A. with Chevrolet (1949-50) or Once Upon a Tune (1951), takes off.
1960s: The popularization of...
- 2/11/2012
- by Kate Kulzick
- SoundOnSight
Our national obsession with oversized TV families isn’t a recent reality-show phenomenon. Forty years ago, The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family, and The Waltons were each prime-time hits, and eight members of the cast from the latter visited with Matt Lauer this morning on Today. For youngins who scrunched their nose when Today ran video clips of the show, which ran for nine seasons beginning in 1971, The Waltons was an extremely earnest drama about a western Virginian family struggling through the Great Depression and World War II. Is it dated? “It was dated when we did it!” interjected one of the cast,...
- 12/2/2011
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW.com - PopWatch
Teen Wolf star Colton Haynes says that we should prepare to see his character in a lot less clothing next season. Swim team instead of lacrosse perhaps? And just how much of the production costs is Logo picking up now?
Oklahoma nutjob Sally Kern has a book to promote, so on the eve of 9/11 she goes on the radio to say again that gays are responsible for more deaths than terrorists. She seems terribly worried that with gays around, we'll no longer be a virtuous nation. Sally, you know what else hurts our virtuous nature? Lying, opportunistic bigots.
I really do enjoy Let's Be Friends Again, and it takes a dip into gay humor every few weeks. Now they're taking on Orson Scott Card's rewrite of Hamlet.
I don't watch Big Brother, but even I heard about the homophobic rant that housemate Jeff Schroeder went off on about Hogwarts...
Oklahoma nutjob Sally Kern has a book to promote, so on the eve of 9/11 she goes on the radio to say again that gays are responsible for more deaths than terrorists. She seems terribly worried that with gays around, we'll no longer be a virtuous nation. Sally, you know what else hurts our virtuous nature? Lying, opportunistic bigots.
I really do enjoy Let's Be Friends Again, and it takes a dip into gay humor every few weeks. Now they're taking on Orson Scott Card's rewrite of Hamlet.
I don't watch Big Brother, but even I heard about the homophobic rant that housemate Jeff Schroeder went off on about Hogwarts...
- 9/12/2011
- by Ed Kennedy
- The Backlot
Family Band-style.
Don’t Knock The Rock, the music documentary series/festival co-founded by Allison Anders, has been running strong these last 6 weeks and it finally comes to a conclusion this Thursday night, with Family Band: The Cowsills Story. It should prove to be awesome:
With their first Top 40 hit “The Rain, The Park And Other Things”, The Cowsills may well have been the first Sunshine Pop band. They are the real-life inspiration behind TV’s The Partridge Family, but The Cowsills’ lives were no sitcom. Darkness lurks beneath the lilting harmonies and optimistic, innocent melodies; their story is raw, honest, tragic, beautiful — and the music, sublime. What’s perhaps most incredible about their story is the way the band members have processed their highly unique experience: being in a band with their mom and managed by their dad at the height of their pop stardom, at a time when such stardom really meant something.
Don’t Knock The Rock, the music documentary series/festival co-founded by Allison Anders, has been running strong these last 6 weeks and it finally comes to a conclusion this Thursday night, with Family Band: The Cowsills Story. It should prove to be awesome:
With their first Top 40 hit “The Rain, The Park And Other Things”, The Cowsills may well have been the first Sunshine Pop band. They are the real-life inspiration behind TV’s The Partridge Family, but The Cowsills’ lives were no sitcom. Darkness lurks beneath the lilting harmonies and optimistic, innocent melodies; their story is raw, honest, tragic, beautiful — and the music, sublime. What’s perhaps most incredible about their story is the way the band members have processed their highly unique experience: being in a band with their mom and managed by their dad at the height of their pop stardom, at a time when such stardom really meant something.
- 8/22/2011
- by Danny
- Trailers from Hell
Chicago – Emma Stone has had a meteoric rise in her film career in four short years. From impressing with her 2007 film debut in “Superbad,” she has moved rapidly through “Zombieland,” “Easy A” and is coming up as Skeeter Phelan in “The Help.”
Born Emily Jean Stone in Scottsdale, Arizona, she famously convinced her parents to attempt an acting career by showing them a power point presentation. The newly crowned Emma Stone made her first appearance in 2005 as Laurie Partridge in a short-lived reboot of “The Partridge Family,” and made a splash through appearances in popular films like “The House Bunny.” The last month has seen three films featuring her performances, with a cameo in “Friends with Benefits,” a meatier role in “Crazy, Stupid, Love” and her lead in The Help.
Emma Stone Makes the Right Call as Skeeter in ‘The Help’
Photo credit: Dale Robinette for DreamWorks Pictures
HollywoodChicago interviewed...
Born Emily Jean Stone in Scottsdale, Arizona, she famously convinced her parents to attempt an acting career by showing them a power point presentation. The newly crowned Emma Stone made her first appearance in 2005 as Laurie Partridge in a short-lived reboot of “The Partridge Family,” and made a splash through appearances in popular films like “The House Bunny.” The last month has seen three films featuring her performances, with a cameo in “Friends with Benefits,” a meatier role in “Crazy, Stupid, Love” and her lead in The Help.
Emma Stone Makes the Right Call as Skeeter in ‘The Help’
Photo credit: Dale Robinette for DreamWorks Pictures
HollywoodChicago interviewed...
- 8/8/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Elmer Gantry is an all-American boy. He’s interested in money, sex, and religion. This barn-burner of a drama was directed by Richard Brooks and stars Burt Lancaster in a role that won him his only Oscar. It’s the story of a con man who realizes that shouting loudly about the Lord is the best con he can possibly pull (and it might just get him into the habit of Sister Sharon (played by Jean Simmons)). In perhaps the only time in film history until Fight Club, the author of the novel, Sinclair Lewis, actually told Brooks to take the criticisms of the book and use them to make the movie better. Maybe that’s why they denounced the author by name in one of Gantry’s signature sermons. Plus, the mother from The Partridge Family plays a woman of ill repute. How can you beat that? Let the film marketers of the past sell you...
- 4/28/2011
- by Cole Abaius
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
It's here! The moment has arrived! Finally we are going to see the "American Idol" contestants perform (pretty much) live and we get to start voting. Who ya got?
J.Lo is looking very chic for her first live show. Steven looks like he just stepped out of an Aerosmith concert next door and popped over to judge. Randy is the Man in Black.
There is a sign in the audience that says "Tourette's Rocks." If that sign-maker had really been thinking, the sign would read "Tourette's [expletive, expletive] Rocks."
Ryan kind of clears things up about the process at this point by saying that after tonight and tomorrow, the Top 5 guys and Top 5 girls advance, then the judges get to choose Wild Cards - presumably a couple of each gender? Since we are 11 or 12 weeks from the finale? Start with 14 finalists, that gets you through 12 weeks leaving two standing at the end.
J.Lo is looking very chic for her first live show. Steven looks like he just stepped out of an Aerosmith concert next door and popped over to judge. Randy is the Man in Black.
There is a sign in the audience that says "Tourette's Rocks." If that sign-maker had really been thinking, the sign would read "Tourette's [expletive, expletive] Rocks."
Ryan kind of clears things up about the process at this point by saying that after tonight and tomorrow, the Top 5 guys and Top 5 girls advance, then the judges get to choose Wild Cards - presumably a couple of each gender? Since we are 11 or 12 weeks from the finale? Start with 14 finalists, that gets you through 12 weeks leaving two standing at the end.
- 3/2/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
A masterful work of the cinematic arts or a self-indulgent day-in-our-lives concept movie?
Sharply dividing critics, Oscar hopeful "Magnolia" starts promisingly and continues to surprise throughout an inexcusably long running time, but it's a noble endeavor undone by the glaring shortcomings in filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson's ambitious vision of the here and now.
The New Line release has a strong Tom Cruise performance to fuel interest, along with the freaky climactic storm sequence, but too many other factors indicate a tepid boxoffice performance. Draining, but not in the unforgettably relevant and moving way intended, "Magnolia" asks a lot of an audience -- to witness the pain and frustration of dying parents, shattered children and other universally recognizable unfortunates.
For three hours, Anderson ("Boogie Nights") and an elephantine cast furiously -- almost belligerently -- tear apart a dozen major characters during one odd day and night in the baleful San Fernando Valley. Anderson's often potent skills as a filmmaker -- how he composes sequences and always seems firmly in control of the roving camera -- are undermined by his uneven accomplishments as a dramatist.
The film is strongest in the first half, before the various story lines all reach the crisis point seemingly at the same time, with Anderson unleashing the performers in an admittedly unique crescendo of communal misery and climatic redemption. The ending's a heck of a thing to behold, for sure. Similarly, "Magnolia"'s memorable prologue sets up the theme of weird coincidence in everyday life that helps explain the one-of-a-kind climax with its incredible deluge of frogs.
But before the bittersweetly upbeat closing song -- the film's most daring moment, with the diverse characters all joining in -- there is much drama to work through, starting with dying Earl Partridge (Jason Robards), his devastated young wife, Linda (Julianne Moore) and sloppy male nurse Phil Philip Seymour Hoffman). Earl's fervent wish is to see his estranged son one last time. Frank Mackey (Cruise), a burningly macho giver of seminars on how to seduce women, is that son. It becomes Phil's self-appointed mission to track him down, while Linda suffers a self-imposed living damnation when she realizes she truly loves Earl.
Successful game show producer and host Jimmy Gator Philip Baker Hall) is another bad father whose days are numbered, and his past misdeeds come back to almost destroy him. His wife, Rose (Melinda Dillon), is committed to standing by him, but their daughter Claudia (Melora Walters) is a wispy coke addict who screams at Jimmy when he confronts her with the news of his terminal illness. A lost soul if there ever was one, Rose is later gently approached romantically by upright policeman Jim Kurring (John C. Reilly) when he's summoned by neighbors because her stereo is playing too loud.
Jimmy Gator's long-running hit show is called "What Do Kids Know?" and another major plot line follows the taping of what could be his last appearance. Pitting brainy kids against adults in teams, the star performer this day is young Stanley Spector (Jeremy Blackman), whose actor father Rick (Michael Bowen) has pushed him hard. Headed for an unusually cruel form of public humiliation, which not even his father comforts him over, Stanley is in danger of becoming another Donnie Smith (William H. Macy), a former quiz show star who steadily unravels over the course of the movie.
Using several original songs by Aimee Mann, Anderson weaves a complex group portrait that becomes so singularly downbeat that only a magical-but-real plot device like the earthquake in "Short Cuts" can jar things back into place, emotionally as well as intellectually. Meanwhile, practically every character is carried to the edge of the proverbial waterfall and then goes over, resulting in a mosaic of actors trying to bare their souls in confessional monologues and hair-raising epiphanies of many varieties.
Not all the characters or situations are believable, but Anderson's biggest misstep is the redundant approach of the material. Just The Partridge Family story would have made a dandy movie. Viewers who get into the film's groove do have many showstopping scenes by Cruise, Robards, newcomer Blackman and Moore to savor. April Grace, as a polite but persistent news reporter, is an excellent foil for Cruise in their many charged scenes together.
MAGNOLIA
New Line Cinema
A Joanne Sellar/Ghoulardi Film Co. production
Writer-director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Producer: Joanne Sellar
Executive producers: Michael De Luca, Lynn Harris
Director of photography: Robert Elswit
Production designers: William Arnold, Mark Bridges
Editor: Dylan Tichenor
Costume designer: Mark Bridges
Music: Jon Brion
Casting: Cassandra Kulukundis
Color/stereo
Cast:
Earl Partridge: Jason Robards
Linda Partridge: Julianne Moore
Frank Mackey: Tom Cruise
Stanley Spector: Jeremy Blackman
Rick Spector: Michael Bowen
Donnie Smith: William.H. Macy
Jimmy Gator: Philip Baker Hall
Rose Gator: Melinda Dillon
Claudia Wilson Gator: Melora Walters
Officer Jim Kurring: John C. Reilly
Phil Parma: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Gwenovier: April Grace
Running time -- 188 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Sharply dividing critics, Oscar hopeful "Magnolia" starts promisingly and continues to surprise throughout an inexcusably long running time, but it's a noble endeavor undone by the glaring shortcomings in filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson's ambitious vision of the here and now.
The New Line release has a strong Tom Cruise performance to fuel interest, along with the freaky climactic storm sequence, but too many other factors indicate a tepid boxoffice performance. Draining, but not in the unforgettably relevant and moving way intended, "Magnolia" asks a lot of an audience -- to witness the pain and frustration of dying parents, shattered children and other universally recognizable unfortunates.
For three hours, Anderson ("Boogie Nights") and an elephantine cast furiously -- almost belligerently -- tear apart a dozen major characters during one odd day and night in the baleful San Fernando Valley. Anderson's often potent skills as a filmmaker -- how he composes sequences and always seems firmly in control of the roving camera -- are undermined by his uneven accomplishments as a dramatist.
The film is strongest in the first half, before the various story lines all reach the crisis point seemingly at the same time, with Anderson unleashing the performers in an admittedly unique crescendo of communal misery and climatic redemption. The ending's a heck of a thing to behold, for sure. Similarly, "Magnolia"'s memorable prologue sets up the theme of weird coincidence in everyday life that helps explain the one-of-a-kind climax with its incredible deluge of frogs.
But before the bittersweetly upbeat closing song -- the film's most daring moment, with the diverse characters all joining in -- there is much drama to work through, starting with dying Earl Partridge (Jason Robards), his devastated young wife, Linda (Julianne Moore) and sloppy male nurse Phil Philip Seymour Hoffman). Earl's fervent wish is to see his estranged son one last time. Frank Mackey (Cruise), a burningly macho giver of seminars on how to seduce women, is that son. It becomes Phil's self-appointed mission to track him down, while Linda suffers a self-imposed living damnation when she realizes she truly loves Earl.
Successful game show producer and host Jimmy Gator Philip Baker Hall) is another bad father whose days are numbered, and his past misdeeds come back to almost destroy him. His wife, Rose (Melinda Dillon), is committed to standing by him, but their daughter Claudia (Melora Walters) is a wispy coke addict who screams at Jimmy when he confronts her with the news of his terminal illness. A lost soul if there ever was one, Rose is later gently approached romantically by upright policeman Jim Kurring (John C. Reilly) when he's summoned by neighbors because her stereo is playing too loud.
Jimmy Gator's long-running hit show is called "What Do Kids Know?" and another major plot line follows the taping of what could be his last appearance. Pitting brainy kids against adults in teams, the star performer this day is young Stanley Spector (Jeremy Blackman), whose actor father Rick (Michael Bowen) has pushed him hard. Headed for an unusually cruel form of public humiliation, which not even his father comforts him over, Stanley is in danger of becoming another Donnie Smith (William H. Macy), a former quiz show star who steadily unravels over the course of the movie.
Using several original songs by Aimee Mann, Anderson weaves a complex group portrait that becomes so singularly downbeat that only a magical-but-real plot device like the earthquake in "Short Cuts" can jar things back into place, emotionally as well as intellectually. Meanwhile, practically every character is carried to the edge of the proverbial waterfall and then goes over, resulting in a mosaic of actors trying to bare their souls in confessional monologues and hair-raising epiphanies of many varieties.
Not all the characters or situations are believable, but Anderson's biggest misstep is the redundant approach of the material. Just The Partridge Family story would have made a dandy movie. Viewers who get into the film's groove do have many showstopping scenes by Cruise, Robards, newcomer Blackman and Moore to savor. April Grace, as a polite but persistent news reporter, is an excellent foil for Cruise in their many charged scenes together.
MAGNOLIA
New Line Cinema
A Joanne Sellar/Ghoulardi Film Co. production
Writer-director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Producer: Joanne Sellar
Executive producers: Michael De Luca, Lynn Harris
Director of photography: Robert Elswit
Production designers: William Arnold, Mark Bridges
Editor: Dylan Tichenor
Costume designer: Mark Bridges
Music: Jon Brion
Casting: Cassandra Kulukundis
Color/stereo
Cast:
Earl Partridge: Jason Robards
Linda Partridge: Julianne Moore
Frank Mackey: Tom Cruise
Stanley Spector: Jeremy Blackman
Rick Spector: Michael Bowen
Donnie Smith: William.H. Macy
Jimmy Gator: Philip Baker Hall
Rose Gator: Melinda Dillon
Claudia Wilson Gator: Melora Walters
Officer Jim Kurring: John C. Reilly
Phil Parma: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Gwenovier: April Grace
Running time -- 188 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 12/10/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.