grease
Jeff Conaway's Death Ruled Accidental
It's been reported that the Los Angeles County coroner has ruled Jeff Conway's death accidental and caused by major internal infection.The 60-year old star of TV series 'Taxi' and 'Babylon 5' and the movie 'Grease,' died back in May after he was hospitalized with pneumonia and sepsis.
Although Conaway had struggled with chronic substance abuse for years, Los Angeles County coroner Craig Harvey told the AP that coroners did not conduct a toxicology test -- Conaway had been hospitalized for weeks prior to his death, so his blood would have come back clean.
Jeff Conaway, TV and Film Star, Dies at 60

Actor Jeff Conaway, best known for his television and movie roles in 'Taxi,' 'Babylon 5' and 'Grease,' died Friday at age 60, RadarOnline.com reports and The Hollywood Reporter confirms. The news comes just a day after reports that the star would be taken off life support.
Radar calls it "the end a long, sad road of addiction that made him one of Hollywood's cautionary tales." Conaway, known for his roles as Bobby Wheeler on 'Taxi' and T-Bird Kenickie in 'Grease,' was a New York native whose brutal battles with substance abuse came to define the latter decades of his fame.
Conaway was checked into an LA hospital on May 11. As of May 26, he was reported to have been experiencing no brain activity. A source told Radar that Conaway's feeding tube had been removed as of Thursday afternoon and that "Jeff is in no pain whatsoever."
'Taxi' and 'Babylon 5' Star Jeff Conaway 'Critical' After Possible Overdose
Actor Jeff Conaway, who first made his name in the movie 'Grease,' is reportedly in critical condition in hospital, after a possible overdose of painkillers.Conaway's substance abuse problems and shambolic life was made painfully public during a 2008 stint on 'Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew.'
His manager, Phil Brock, says the 60-year old was found unconscious on May 11, and was admitted to Encino Hospital Medical Center, Calif. He is said to be in critical condition, with his chances of recovery uncertain.
"He is in a coma and unresponsive at this time," Brock told E! Online. "He turned his head two days ago, but nothing since."
Olivia Newton-John on 'Glee' (VIDEO)
First, 'Glee' (Tue., 9PM ET on Fox) had an entirely Madonna-based episode. Now, 'Grease' star Olivia Newton-John appears on the show. It all makes sense, we promise you. Although even if it didn't make sense, seeing Newton-John on 'Glee' would still be pretty cool.Sue (Jane Lynch) has her "jazzercise" exercise video accidentally released for the entire world to see. Shockingly, the somewhat terrifying image of her dancing to the song 'Physical' becomes an unexpected hit. Then, singer Newton-John sees this remake of her song, and decides to help Sue make a new version of the video. Which is really something that you need to see for yourself.
The weirdest thing you'll see all day: Eva Longoria and Tony Parker do Grease
I ran across this video while perusing Gawker, and I honestly have no idea what it is. Well, that's not true: I know what it is, it's a shot-by-shot remake of the songs "Summer Lovin'" from Grease, starring Desperate Housewives' Eva Longoria-Parker and her husband, NBA player, Tony Parker. What I don't have an answer for, is why.Other than Tony talking in the beginning, the video is completely lip-synced, so neither one is trying to show off their vocal talents. Her wig looks like she scalped a parcel of barbies, and his looks like he's trying to honor a beloved, yet dead family pet by gently nestling it on his cranium for the rest of eternity, so "looking good" can't be much of a motive either.
Movies on TV: May 31-June 6
To help celebrate the release of 'Up!,' Pixar fans may want to revisit 'WALL-E,' one of the studio's most celebrated ventures to date. The Oscar-winning feature mixes action, adventure and comedy, and is the perfect movie for both parents and children to watch.
Also airing this week: A classic '70s musical, along with Jimmy Stewart in arguably his best-ever big screen performance.
See more of this week's must-see flicks after the jump.
Movies on TV: May 10-16
Don't miss Tobey Maguire and Denzel Washington in two of this week's must-see flicks ...Fans of 'The Dark Knight' and 'X-Men: Origins' may want to pay homage to 'Spider-Man,' airing this afternoon on TV. The film jump-started the comic book revival by wowing critics, smashing all box office records and virtually everything else a spider can.
Also airing this week: A classic Steve Martin remake, the re-teaming of Denzel Washington and Spike Lee and one of the most popular movie musicals of the '70s.
See more of this week's flick picks after the jump.
What was Frankie Avalon doing on American Idol?
I don't know about you, but I was surprised -- floored! -- to see Frankie Avalon on American Idol the other night. Granted, they always have to stretch to fill the one-hour results show, which could truly be done in five minutes, but how odd was it for Flo Rida, Kellie Pickler and Frankie Avalon to be on the same show? And Frankie kicked off the show! The Idol producers dug up a 1959 video of Frankie Avalon singing "Venus," which of course, lead to the real Frankie appearing on stage to finish the number. With the exception of the dream sequence in Grease (1978) singing "Beauty School Dropout," has Frankie done anything relevant to warrant such major exposure?
Taylor Hicks headed for Broadway
With Clay Aiken having wrapped up his run as Sir Robin in Spamalot, the Idol quotient on Broadway was down. Fortunately for theatergoers, it's Taylor Hicks to the rescue. Kind of. He's a bit of a step down from Clay Aiken, isn't he? I mean, Clay's new album debuted at number four, and Taylor was dropped from his label.
Whichever way you see it, Hicks will be joining the cast of Grease to take on the role of Teen Angel. Should you be in the area, you can head over to the Brooks Atkinson Theater and hear his version of "Beauty School Dropout." An interesting TV side-note, this production of Grease stars Laura Osnes and Max Crumm. You may remember them as being the winners of the ill-fated NBC show, You're The One That I Want.
What's On Tonight: 60 Minutes, Family Guy, Dresden Files, Rome finale
At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, followed by new episodes of The Amazing Race, Cold Case, and Without A Trace. - ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos at 7, then a new Extreme Makeover.
- There's a new Dateline on NBC at 7, then the finale of Grease: You're The One That I Want.
- At 7:30, FOX has a new War At Home, then new episodes of The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Family Guy, and American Dad.
- At 8, Lifetime has the new movie Abducted.
- At 9, Sci-Fi has a new Dresden Files, then a new Battlestar Galactica.
- HBO has the series finale of Rome at 9.
- At 10, NBC has a new episode of The Apprentice.
- MSNBC repeats this morning's Meet The Press at 10, if you missed it.
- Also at 10: Showtime has a new ep of The L Word.
Check your local TV listings for more.
What's On Tonight: 60 Minutes, Slings & Arrows, Dresden Files, Rome
At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, followed by new episodes of The Amazing Race, Cold Case, and Without A Trace. - NBC has a new Dateline at 7, then a new Grease: You're The One That I Want.
- At 7:30, FOX has a new War At Home.
- At 8, AMC has The Quick and the Dead, with Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Russell Crowe.
- Sundance has a new Slings & Arrows at 8.
- At 8:30, FOX has a new episode of The Winner (another new episode airs at 9:30).
- At 9, HGTV announces the winner of the Dream Home Giveaway 2007.
- Sci-Fi has a new Dresden Files at 9, then a new Battlestar Galactica.
- Also at 9: HBO has a new Rome.
- At 10, NBC has a new episode of The Apprentice.
Check your local TV listings for more.
NBC shuffles again: Deal to Sundays, Crossing Jordan to Wednesdays
NBC just can't let a sleeping schedule lie, can they? They've decided to shuffle things around once again, stacking the deck with an all-reality Sunday lineup and an all-drama Wednesday lineup.According to The Hollywood Reporter, the three main moves are this: the Wednesday Deal or No Deal moves to Sundays at 9, and The Apprentice shifts to 10 to make room. Crossing Jordan move s from Sundays at 10 to Wednesdays at 9. All of this will take place starting on March 4.
So, as I said, Sundays will be all-reality, with Dateline, Grease, Deal, and The Apprentice. Wednesdays will start with Friday Night Lights, to be followed by Jordan and Medium. When you look at it, the schedule actually makes sense, though I'm not sure if fans of Jordan are going to be happy with its switch out of its longtime Sunday slot.
TV Squad Daily with Brigitte - VIDEO
Today on TV Squad Daily:
- You're the One that I Want, the reality-TV competition to star in the new production of Grease, isn't really letting America pick the ones that we want.
- You'd think they'd guard their secrets a little closer than this: the cast and crew of Lost had to re-shoot a whole day's worth of film after an airport x-ray mixup.
- American Idol's Hollywood round is faster than ever this season, probably because no one really cares about this part.
The video's embedded below, or you can download the file directly (Quicktime required). You can also subscribe to this vodcast via our feed. (Now works in iTunes!)
NBC overturns America's vote for Grease finalists
What is wrong with NBC? And don't say "Jeff Zucker", because that's too easy.The network is currently airing You're the One That I Want, which is a contest to choose the new 'Danny' and 'Sandy' for Grease on Broadway. The show keeps proclaiming that America will choose the winners, but on Sunday night, the judges on the show nullified America's votes. Instead, they kept the bottom vote-getters and tossed the second-to-bottom vote getters off the program. NBC is proudly calling it a "twist" but it sounds more like a "sham" to me.
I'm sure Americans would be super pissed off about this incident if anyone was actually watching the show. If this happened on American Idol, there would be rioting in the streets by now.
What's On Tonight: 60 Minutes, Simpsons, Rome, Extras, Grammy Awards
At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, followed by the Grammy Awards (featuring a Police reunion to open the show). - ABC has a new two hour Extreme Makeover at 7, followed by new episodes of Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters.
- NBC has a new, two hour Grease: You're The One That I Want at 7, then new episodes of The Apprentice and Crossing Jordan.
- There's a new Reba on The CW at 7:30.
- At 8, FOX has a new Simpsons, then new eps of King of the Hill, Family Guy, and American Dad.
- PBS has a new Nature at 8, then a new Masterpiece Theater.
- TBS has Ocean's Eleven at 8.
- Also at 8: Food Network has a new Emeril Live, followed by new episodes of Iron Chef America and Challenge.
- At 9, HBO has a new Rome and then a new Extras.
- Valentine's Day is one of the worst "holidays," but Lifetime has the new movie A Valentine Carol at 9.
- At 10, Showtime has a new episode of The L Word.
Check your local TV listings for more.
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