full house
Greatest TV Dads
Real-life dads are sometimes preoccupied with their careers and distracted by life's many complications. Happily, on TV, all dads have plenty of quality time to share with their kids, while dispensing encouraging words and occasional tough love. Maybe that's because TV dads never spend much time at work. (We're pretty sure everyone's fathers would sign up for that!) Step into the wonderful make-believe world where every day is Father's Day, and join us as we count down our 20 favorite TV dads.
'Full House' Cast: Where Are They Now?
Ratings for 'Full House,' which began its run in '87, were low at first, with critics panning the cheese factor of the San Francisco-set sitcom. For its second season, ABC moved the Tanners to the family-friendly TGIF lineup, and the show about a widower raising his three daughters with the help of his brother-in-law and best friend found its groove. (Cheese factor? What cheese factor?)Running eight seasons, 'Full House' became iconic pop candy for Generation X. Just a taste of what it gave us: eye-rolling references for later dorm-room talks, John Stamos' "bad guys just need a hug" lesson -- and the Olsen twins, adorable-little-Michelle-turned-billion-dollar-empire-controlling entertainment tycoons. Name another sitcom with a track record like that ... Exactly.
A handy guide to sitcom homes
Damn, I wish I had thought of this.Artist and writer Dan Meth has created a series of cool pop culture charts at his web site, and the one on the right is a handy guide to sitcom homes. Sense a pattern? The shows in the top half all have kitchens on the left and living rooms on the right (how we see them via the camera angle), and the ones on the bottom have the living room on the left and the kitchen on the right.
I guess there are only so many things you can do on a sitcom, especially if it's filmed in front of an audience as many of these were.
Four pairs of TV celebrities I always mix up

Sarah Palin and Tina Fey aren't the only celebrities that people sometimes mix up. These two look a lot alike (more so when Fey has her hair a certain way, less so when she doesn't), but I often confuse two celebrities that don't even look alike in the slightest. Sometimes it's because they have similar names or have similar roles or a combination of both. Sometimes it's just because I don't see them that often and when one pops up I say to myself, "hey wait, is that _____ or _____?" Here's my list of eight people I often mix up. This must happen to you too, right?
1. Dan Butler and Paul McCrane. Both bald, both on hit NBC shows. Butler was horndog Bull on Frasier and McCrane was jerky, killed-by-copter Dr. Romano on ER. They really do look alike.
Bob Saget + sex jokes about the Olsens = awkward
Bob Saget's Comedy Central roast was filmed Sunday night, and the typically raunchy affair may have crossed the line a little bit. Despite being a famously foul-mouthed comedian himself, Saget is best known for playing warm and fuzzy Danny Tanner on Full House. It was because of this famous role that most of the jokes centered on two of his diminutive co-stars: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.Whether it was Gilbert Gottfried suggesting that Saget seduced the twins with chocolate milkshakes or Uncle Jesse himself, John Stamos, saying things like, "The whole time Bob and I were doing Full House, he was also hosting America's Funniest Home Videos. His entire job consisted of saying 'Take a look at this' which is what he used to say to Mary Kate in her dressing room," the subject of inappropriate relations with children was apparently a high source of comedy.
Mary-Kate Olsen joins Samantha Who?
Fans of Full House mark your calendars! Famous twin Mary-Kate Olsen, who recently appeared in a few episodes of Showtime's Weeds, will guest star on ABC's hit sitcom Samantha Who?The 22-year-old actress will appear in one episode of the good-versus-evil series starring Christina Applegate this fall. Right now, there are no plans to have the actress return for more episodes.
Slight spoilers about Mary-Kate's role on SW? coming up!
Out of the Blogosphere
TV Guide's Matt Roush predicts the winners of tonight's Emmy Awards. - Speaking of the Emmys, Joan Rivers won't be on the red carpet this year...she's blogging instead!
- Jaime Weinman compares various seasons of several Miller-Boyett shows, including Perfect Strangers, Angie, and Full House.
- Did you know that Mike Nelson has a blog?
- Nikki Finke is still not a fan of Jon Stewart hosting the Oscars.
- Anthony Bourdain is blogging Top Chef.
- The Futon Critic lists the 10 things you need to know about the new season.
New TV on DVD releases this week
Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.
- 8 Simple Rules... - Season 1
- The Adventures of Jim Bowie - Complete Series
- Charlie Lola - Vol. 5
- Daniel Boone - Season 5
- Darkwing Duck - Vol. 2
- The Dresden Files - Season 1
- Full House - Season 7
- The Hills - Season 2
- Home Improvement - Season 7
- Inside The Actor's Studio - Barbra Streisand
- The Muppet Show - Season 2
- Rome - Season 2
- Roseanne - Season 8
- Saved By The Bell - Hawaiian Style and Wedding in Las Vegas movies
- The Simpsons - Season 10
- Soul Food - Season 2
- The Suite Life of Zack & Cody - Vol. 2
- Superfriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show - Complete Series
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season 5
- That Girl - Season 3
- The Tick - Season 2
If Bob Saget only had 24 hours to live
That's the topic of a post over on the Huffington Post by Bob Saget. The comedian, former Full House star and current host of 1 Vs. 100 ponders what he would do if he suddenly found out he only had 24 hours left in his life. Apparently, he'd spend a lot of time on a plane and laugh at his mother being injured in a surfing accident.
It's a funny piece, but my favorite was this comment, left by a poster named Crowhaul:
Bob, you don't need to be 'funny'. You've been there, done that. Why not hit us with some voice, instead. Need a subject? How about the tens of thousands of kids we've orphaned in Iraq? Dig deep, Bob. Get pissed.
The five greatest TV dads -- Part II
When I posted my list of the top 5 best TV dads last Father's Day many of you commented that I missed a few really good patriarchs. This included Keith Mars, Keith Mars, Keith Mars, and, oh yeah, Keith Mars. So, there was no doubt in my mind that a new list of TV dads needed to be compiled for this Father's Day. I mean, you dads out there need something else as a gift other than the glow-in-the-dark tie your kids purchased at the dollar store. So, without fanfare, here are five more of the greatest TV dads. And, guess who's first?
Keith Mars (Veronica Mars): Commenters have mentioned that Veronica's dad, Keith (played by Enrico Colantoni), was one of the most real and believable fathers on television. He was also very loving and supportive of Veronica in her side hobby of solving crimes, big and small. If the series had gone to a fourth season with (as rumors stated) Veronica leaving her friends and family in Neptune behind in order to become an FBI agent, the presence of Keith Mars would have been sorely missed.
Mary-Kate Olsen joins the cast of Weeds
Today, Showtime announced that Mary-Kate Olsen will be joining the cast of Weeds as a love interest for Nancy Botwin's (Mary Louise Parker) son, Silas. Normally, I don't find cast additions to be that interesting but this one is definitely news-worthy.
For a generation of TV viewers, the names Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have become synonymous with safe, children's entertainment. I know that my daughters still enjoy an Olsen twins DVD every now and then and I will never forget being the only adult male in the theatre when I took them to see New York Minute. As I watched them grow up over the years, I often wondered if there would ever come a time when they would try and be taken seriously as actresses (the Olsen twins, not my daughters).
Well, it seems that time has come. By joining the cast of Weeds, Mary-Kate has declared that she is ready to be taken seriously and, more importantly, ready to work without her sister. All things being equal, I have always thought the Olsen sisters had what it took to be stars beyond their chldhood. I guess we will find out soon enough.
New TV on DVD releases this week
Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.
- 7th Heaven - Season 4
- The Addams Family - Vol. 2
- Family Affair - Season 3
- The Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes - Vol. 1
- Full House - Season 6
- The Jeffersons - Season 6
- Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman - Vol. 1
- The New Adventures of He-Man - Vol. 2
- One Foot in the Grave - Seasons 1 and 2
- The Shield - Season 5
- Sonic The Hedgehog - Complete Series
- Touched by an Angel - Season 4, Vol. 2
- Whose Line Is It Anyway? - UK Version - Seasons 1 and 2
New TV on DVD releases today
The Andy Griffith Show - Season 8 - Dog The Bounty Hunter - The Wedding Special
- Full House - Season 5
- Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - Season 1
- Law and Order: CI - Season 2
- Masters of Horror - Fair-Haired Child
- Stacked - Complete Series
- Voltron: Defender of the Universe - Collection 2: Yellow Lion
John Stamos: The TV Squad Interview
When people who have met John Stamos say that he's a nice, charming, down-to-earth guy, they're not kidding. He's so damned charming that twice during my phone conversation with him last week, I told him that since he already had my number, he should call me to talk about TV off-the record. (Hey, the guy said to me both times that he enjoyed the conversation. And we talked about New Jersey -- he did a movie in Freehold once. So I caved.)It's that likability that has carried his career for the last twenty-five years, from General Hospital to Full House to ER. It's also what he hopes will draw people to Wedding Wars, an A&E original movie that will air Monday at 9 PM. In the comedy, he plays Shel, a gay party planner who sparks a national pro-gay-marriage movement when he goes on strike while planning the wedding of his brother Ben (Eric Dana).,The strike happens after he finds out Ben wrote an anti-gay marriage speech for his boss, the governor of Maine.
I spoke to Stamos about the movie for The New York Post, but while I had him on the phone, I couldn't resist asking him about ER, his Uncle Jesse mullet, and his friendship with Howard Stern. The interview is after the jump.
Do you know your sitcom homes?
I took this quiz over at Mental Floss and scored 100%. You have to match the sitcom with the house/setting they show in the opening credits.
By the way, I'm not bragging about that score, the test is just incredibly easy, especially since two of the pictures are very, very easy to identify, which means you can guess the others by process of elimination, if you don't know one or two of them. I mean, one of the shows is The Love Boat, so you know there's going to be a boat involved, right?
This might prove to be very satisfying, that you know you TV homes as much as you do your own. On the other hand, it might be kind of scary that somewhere in your mind you have actually memorized what sitcom family homes look like (and from shows that you probably haven't seen in a long time).
Also, just so you know, scroll down very slowly and stop when you get to the sitcom names. If you go any further you'll see the answers, and you don't want that to happen.
[via Pop Candy]
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