josie and the pussycats

On a cursory glance at the 1970-71 Saturday morning schedule, one would think it was another year of classic children's fare. Yet, on closer examination, one would notice something else about the schedule. It was a bit dull. Oh, there were certainly some classics that premiered during this time -- many of them remembered to this day -- but the rest of the shows were somewhat forgettable.

It was almost like the networks and production studios had run out of steam when it came to Saturday mornings and weren't sure what to do. Understandable, since strict network standards as well as lobby groups like Action for Children's Television (ACT) put a stranglehold on what could and could not be shown. The result was a mix of animated spin-offs and live-action series that were a bit on the bland side. It would be a trend that continued through the first few years of the 1970s.

So, if you have your bowl of Cap'n Crunch on-hand, let's journey back to 1970.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• Ballykissangel - Season 6 and The Complete Collection
• Blade: The Series - House of Chthon
• Boston Legal - Season 3
• Brothers & Sisters - Season 1
• The Bullwinkle Show - The Best of Rocky & Bullwinkle, Vol. 2
• Casper - Vol. 1
• Corner Gas - Season 4
• Everybody Loves Raymond - Season 9
• Family Guy - Vol. 5
• Ghost Whisperer - Season 2
• The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy - Season 1
• Jekyll - Jekyll
• The Johnny Cash Show - The Best Of The Johnny Cash Show (Deluxe)
• Josie and the Pussycats - Complete Series
• Married... with Children - Season 7
• Masters of Horror - Sounds Like and The Washingtonians
• Smallville - Season 6
• Stargate: Atlantis - Season 3
• Superman (Animated) - Doomsday
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season 1, Vol. 2
• Upright Citizens Brigade - Season 2

Okay, now that we've covered the best bands on television, it's time to put our focus on those bands that, while maybe not "real," still had us tapping our feet, shaking our hips, and waving our hands in the air, almost, dare I say, as if we didn't care. Below are five that spring to mind, but I'm sure you guys can come up with a ton of others. Let's strike up the band, shall we?

Dr. Teeth and the The Electric Mayhem: Okay, let me see if I got this right. Floyd Pepper was the bass player, Janice was the guitarist, Zoot played saxophone, Animal played drums, and Dr. Teeth sang and played piano. I think that was the lineup of this insane band that "played" the opening and closing music on The Muppet Show, not to mention all their great performances during the show. I wonder how many current drummers got into it because of Animal? I'll bet quite a few.