The Oscar-nominated former child star Jackie Cooper, died Tuesday at a nursing facility in Santa Monica, the Associated Press reports. The cause of death was old age. He was 88.

Cooper made history in 1931 when was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the film 'Skippy' at age 9. He still is the youngest person to be nominated for Best Actor.

In later life he became best-known for his role as Perry White in the Christopher Reeve 'Superman' movie franchise.

"He was a fascinating guy who really did everything, from all different aspects of the business," his other son, Russell Cooper, said. "You can't really say that about many people."

"He was a lovely man and I will miss him," his agent Ronnie Lief told PEOPLE.

It's almost time for the Super Bowl, and you know what that means: millions of disaffected television fans trying without success to find something other than football they can watch instead.

But while counter-programming options can sometimes be limited ('Lingerie Bowl?' Really, that's the best you can do?), you're in luck, because this week finds a whole new batch of DVD releases ready to save your weekend.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

Finally, a DVD release that I'm definitely, definitely going to buy: the new MST3K set! I'm also looking at the new Peanuts set because I don't have a complete collection of their holiday specials, but there have been a few of these collections released, so I'll have to figure out which one is the best one.

• Callan - Set 1
• Doctor Who - The Rescue/The Romans and Attack of the Cybermen
• Kath and Kim - Season 1

It may have been the Me Decade.

But in TV land, the sisters were doin' it for themselves and finally getting respect as cops, war nurses and working moms; iconic shows like 'Hill Street Blues,' 'St. Elsewhere' and 'L.A. Law' would forever change (for the better) cop, medical and legal dramas; and no idea was too high concept to fill a primetime spot (time-travelling physicist? check; housewife-turned-CIA op? check; New York City beauty in love with a subterranean monster? check).

The bottom line: They all add up to 10 years of fine channel surfing -- and our awesome list of the 40 best series of the 1980s.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

I didn't even realize that there was a newer version of Jonny Quest. Or maybe I did and put it out of my mind because I never saw it and didn't want it to interfere with my childhood memories of the original. The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest aired in the mid-90s and was voiced by such people as Robert Patrick, John DeLancie, and George Segal. Both DeLancie and Segal did the voice of Benton Quest in different episodes.

• The Beverly Hillbillies - Season 3
• Dead Like Me - Life After Death and The Complete Collection
• The F Word - Series 1 Uncensored
• High School Musical 3 - Regular Edition and Extended Edition
• Law and Order: SVU - Season 8
• Murder, She Wrote - Season 9
• The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest - Season 1, Vol. 1
• Sabrina, The Teenage Witch - Season 5

First Patrick McGoohan and now Ricardo Montalban.

Montalban died earlier today in Los Angeles. He was 88. He was best known for playing Mr. Roarke on the odd ABC show Fantasy Island. Actually, he was probably equally known for his role in Star Trek. He played Khan in a classic episode of the original series in the 60s, and later reprised the role in the big screen flick Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, arguably the best of the Trek movies. Though I also liked the one with the whales.

Montalban had a long career, appearing in such shows as The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Wild, Wild West, I Spy, Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-0, Here's Lucy, Dynasty, Murder, She Wrote (which seems to show up in every obit I write here), B.L. Stryker, Chicago Hope, and many more. He was in my favorite version of Wonder Woman. His last role was on an episode of Family Guy earlier this year. He also did a ton of movies, the first one being Five Were Chosen in 1942.

Coincidentally, like McGoohan, Montalban also played a killer on Columbo. He killed a guy with a bull.

• Hallmark Channel has a Murder, She Wrote marathon all night.
• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes.
• USA has more of the U.S. Open at 7.
  
• G4 has a new Hurl! at 7.
• At 8, CBS has a new Big Brother.
• TV Land has the series finale of M*A*S*H at 8.
• Also at 8: Cartoon Network has a new Ben 10 Action Force.
• At 9, various stations have The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon (check local listings).
• PBS has a new Masterpiece at 9.
• History Channel has a new Ice Road Truckers at 9.
• At 10, AMC has a new Mad Men.
• There's a new Skins on BBC America at 10.
• At 10:30, E! has a new Sunset Tan.
• At midnight, Cartoon Network has a new Metalocalypse.
• At 12:30am, Cartoon Network has a new Tim and Eric's Awesome Show, Great Job.

Check your local TV listings for more.

Labor Day marks the end of summer (yeah, don't tell me summer ends later in September, if it's Labor Day and the kids are back in school, summer is over), and you could spend the weekend at the beach, having a barbecue, or doing something athletic outside. Or, you could stay in all weekend on your couch and watch a TV marathon! Here's a list of some marathons you can see this Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

Saturday, August 30

• At 6am, TCM starts a marathon of Katharine Hepburn movies.
• At 7, History Channel has a marathon of Ax Men.
• At 9, USA has a Starter Wife marathon.
• Also at 9, Sci-Fi has a marathon of monster movies, including Carnosaur, Reptilian, Beneath Loch Ness, Eye of the Beast, King of the Lost World, and Black Swarm.
• At 10, Bravo has a Shear Genius marathon.
• At 11, History Channel has a bunch of Ice Road Truckers episodes.
• At 11:30, Discovery Kids has a marathon of Flight 29 Down episodes.
• At 2pm, Spike has a CSI marathon.

A roundup of TV people from in front of the camera and behind the scenes who have passed away.

• Evelyn Keyes: Although she was best known for her movie work, including The Seven Year Itch, Gone with the Wind, The Jolson Story, and Here Comes Mr. Jordan, she also guest starred on many TV shows, including The Love Boat, several episodes of Murder, She Wrote, Amazing Stories, and Climax! She was once married to jazz legend Artie Shaw and directors John Huston and Charles Vidor. She died in Montecito, CA at age 91.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• Alvin & The Chipmunks - Funny, We Shrunk The Adults
• Becker - Season 1
• Doctor Who - The Time Warrior and Timelash
• Father Knows Best - Season 1
• John From Cincinnati - Complete Series
• Law and Order: SVU - Season 6
• Martin - Season 4
• Murder, She Wrote - Season 8
• Stingray - Complete Series
• That 70's Show - Season 8
• Tomorrow - John, Paul, Tom, and Ringo

She's been a vamp, a vixen, a medicine woman, royalty and she's even tried Dancing with the Stars. Now she will solve crimes. The Hallmark Channel has greenlit Dear Prudence, a Jane Seymour crime-solving Martha Stewart-type celebrity. They're calling this a backdoor pilot because Hallmark doesn't do series TV; however, if the movie were to be successful, it could become one of a rotation of star-driven mystery movies that Hallmark currently presents.

Looks like the Hallmark Channel is making a bid to play with the bigger networks.

The cable network has gone on a Christmas shopping spree and bought several shows from CBS Television Distribution, including I Love Lucy, Cheers, 7th Heaven, 12 holiday movies, and more episodes of Touched By An Angel and Matlock. 7th Heaven starts in January, Cheers later next year, and then I Love Lucy will start in early 2009.

This is good news for fans who like the channel but are overdosing on reruns of Murder, She Wrote and those mystery movies that star John Larroquette and Lea Thompson.

A roundup of TV people from in front of the camera and behind the scenes who have passed away.

• Laraine Day: She was probably best known for starring in such movies as Foreign Correspondent, Mr. Lucky, The Locket, and several Dr. Kildare movies, but she also had a variety show of her own in the 1950s and was a panelist on I've Got A Secret. She later made appearances on such shows as Murder, She Wrote, Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Lou Grant, Medical Center, Airwolf, Hotel, and others. She was also known as "The First Lady Of Baseball" because of her marriage to Leo Durocher. She died in Utah at age 87.

A roundup of TV people from in front of the camera and behind the scenes who have passed away.

• Chef Tell (Paul Erhardt): He was better known to TV viewers as Chef Tell, who cooked on several shows over the years, including his PBS series In The Kitchen With Chef Tell, Regis & Kathie Lee, Evening Magazine, and Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. According to some, the "Swedish Chef" character on The Muppet Show was based on Erhardt. He died of heart failure at age 63.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Season 3
• CSI: NY - Season 3
• The Captain and Tennille - In Hawaii, In New Orleans, Songbook, and Christmas Show sets
• Creature Comforts - Season 1
• Degrassi Junior High - Complete Collection
• Everybody Hates Chris - Season 2
• Family Ties - Season 2
• Ghost Hunters - Season 3, Part 1 and Shining Hotel sets
• Girlfriends - Season 2
• Hannah Montana - Vol. 3
• Meerkat Manor - Season 1
• Michael Palin Pole To Pole
• Murder, She Wrote - Season 7
• Robin of Sherwood - Set 2
• Roots - Complete Collection
• Roots - The Next Generation
• Stargate: SG-1 - Complete Series
• The Vicar of Dibley - A Holy Wholly Happy Ending and The Immaculate Collection