Not The Mama

Dinosaurs debuted 20 years ago today.

The sitcom lasted for four seasons and 65 episodes (58 episodes aired during the first run; the remaining aired in syndication) before ultimately ending with the extinction of dinosaurs. (Inevitable, we suppose.) While 'Dinosaurs' was a sitcom, the show broke the mold by not having a studio audience or a laugh track. Brought to life by a cast of experienced Henson puppeteers and seasoned voice actors, 'Dinosaurs' is heralded as one of the most ambitious sitcoms ever.

Talk about a guilty pleasure.

Glee Spoiler: Born This Way

Stay out of the comments if you haven't seen tonight's episode. Otherwise dive in and dish.

NBC Universal - It Gets Better

AbFab To Return, Sweetie

After months of speculation, confirmation arrives today that the cast of Absolutely Fabulous will reunite for three new episodes.

Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley will reprise their roles as Patsy and Edina in three new episodes of the sitcom expected to begin filming later this year. The BBC said it was "putting the finishing touches to the deal" and is expected to confirm it imminently. Lumley is reported to have told Hello! magazine that shooting will begin in the summer, but she said Saunders had not yet started on the script. "In late August I start filming on three episodes of Absolutely Fabulous, which we are all ecstatic about," added Lumley. "Miss Saunders has been so busy writing Uptown Downstairs Abbey for Comic Relief and also Spice Girls: The Musical, I don't think she's started [the script]."

The last new episode of AbFab aired in 2005.

The Office Says Goodbye To Michael

With a showtune. Oddly touching.

Pogo - Living Island

Australia's aural whiz kid takes on H.R.Pufnstuf.

Glee Spoiler: A Night Of Neglect

Stay out of the comments if you've not yet seen last night's episode. Otherwise, dive in and dish.

SNEAK: True Blood Season 4

The metaphor of vampires as gays continues.

China Bans Time Travel

TV Guide reports that China has banned the depiction of time travel on television and in movies because that "disrespects history."

In a statement on March 31, China's State Administration for Radio, Film & Television said that fictional time-traveling in programs "casually make up myths, have monstrous and weird plots, use absurd tactics, and even promote feudalism, superstition, fatalism and reincarnation." Time-traveling Chinese shows have been prevalent as of late, featuring protagonists going back to ancient times and writers taking liberties with events. "Producers and writers are treating serious history in a frivolous way, which should by no means be encouraged anymore," SARFT said.

ABC Cancels Long-Running Soaps

ABC today announced the cancellations of two of television's longest-running soap operas, All My Children and One Life To Live.

The network announced Thursday that the two soap operas would end, with "All My Children" going off the air in September and "One Life to Live" going off the air in January. In their place, a Mario Batali-hosted food show called "The Chew" will premiere in September, and a health/lifestyle transformation show tentatively called "The Revolution" will premiere in January.

That leaves The Bold & The Beautiful, General Hospital, The Young & The Restless, and Days Of Our Lives still running on daytime network television. Only four? Is that right? That's a far cry from what seems like dozens of soaps during my childhood. But I still miss Dark Shadows and Peyton Place.

UPDATE: Susan Lucci reacts to the end of her 41 year run as Erika Kane. "It’s been a fantastic journey. I’ve loved playing Erica Kane and working with Agnes Nixon and all the incredible people involved with All My Children. I’m looking forward to all kinds of new and exciting opportunities."

Helen Mirren's Magical Bosom

Orlando Loses PBS Station

This morning my mom tips me to the news that Orlando's PBS station has been sold to a religious broadcaster. If the deal is approved by the FCC, Orlando will now have four local Christian television stations. Cable customers will continue to get the PBS station out of Daytona Beach. Television industry blog TVB reports:

The Public Broadcasting Service has lost its second large-market member station since the year began. WMFE-TV in Orlando, Fla., has been sold to Dallas-based Christian broadcaster Daystar Television for $5 million, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Community Communications Inc., the nonprofit that runs WMFE’s TV and radio operations, said increasing financial pressure led to the sale of the television station. [snip] Orlando is the 19th largest TV market in the United States, with 1.45 million television homes. Earlier this year, PBS lost its main member station in the nation’s No. 2 market, Los Angeles, when KCET-TV dropped its affiliation. KCET went independent Jan. 1, 2011, after being the main PBS affiliate in Southern California for four decades, citing financial pressure brought on by a 40 percent fee hike from PBS.

As I've mentioned here before, my first real post-college jobby-job was at WMFE, where I was a lowly news assistant. It was a generally terrible gig, but I did get to work the first space shuttle launches at Cape Canaveral. I was also out at work, as was my boss and half of the news department. I'm guessing that the GOP's recent attacks on PBS has something to do with WMFE throwing in the towel.

forgus beylan

Wow. Just wow.