TVSquad

What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• So how did Jesse L. Martin leave Law and Order the other night?
• I reviewed the Stingray DVD recently, and Jaime Weinman has some interesting facts about the show.
• Former NBC reporter Arthur Kent is suing Universal Pictures and the makers of Charlie Wilson's War.
• Cablevision might be buying The Sundance Channel.
• PBS' Jim Lehrer is recovering from heart surgery.
• Gary Coleman is going to appear on another daytime court show, this time with his wife.
• What were the best seasons of ER?

Yeah, I know, that headline seems like it doesn't even make any sense. I could have written something in Klingon or just strung other words together and it would make just as much sense: "Fight crayons with Patrick Dempsey on Labor Day," or something similar.

If you're wondering what Gary Coleman is up to these days, besides being secretly married or selling his pants on eBay, here's the scoop: he's hosting trivia games at NowYouKnowBetter.com, which is from the folks who bring us I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! (which makes me wonder why it's not called NowYouKnowButter, not Better). The games start today at 4pm Eastern, and there's a new game every 10 or 15 minutes or so.

I don't know if the game involves butter and butter substitute trivia or other kinds of trivia, but if you're not into the game you can also get recipes and coupons at the site.

I'm not sure if I should make a joke here about this or just let it go because there's actually a serious reason why this is happening.

Former Diff'rent Strokes star Gary Coleman is selling his pants on eBay. He needs the money for his regular dialysis treatments. They're Gap athletic pants, khaki colored, with blue, green, and white stripes and Coleman has signed it. So far the bidding is up to a whopping ... um ... $51.00, which I don't think is what he was looking for. The bidding ends on January 7.

Sometimes I wonder about stars that were on popular shows decades ago but now find themselves looking for work. Can't they find something else to do in entertainment (if they don't want to or can't get something in another field)? It always makes me feel uneasy when stars resort to stuff like this.

[via TV Tattle]

Here's what's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• WNBC (and others) named the ballplayers involved in the steroid scandal before the Mitchell Report was even released. But it was the wrong list. Whoops.
• A judge has thrown out that lawsuit against the creators of Heroes.
• But now Conan O'Brien is now getting sued.
• Goodbye Grey's, hello Lost.
• Anderson Cooper sits in for Regis and does a funny standup routine.
• Big shock: Marie Osmond is going to have her own talk show next year.
• Gary Coleman is trying to sell his Saturn.
• Remember that story about writers disrupting a taping of Last Call with Carson Daly? Here's the audio (supposedly - it keeps crashing my browser).

• Oops! Rumor is, Larry Birkhead got all excited to be named one of the year's most fascinating people.
  
• Gary Coleman couldn't even sell his car on Ebay.
  
• Someone calling Tyra Banks fat? Didn't we just go through this? Ugh.
  

As reported last week, production on new episodes of Family Guy didn't stop when it's creator Seth MacFarlane, who also voices the three main male characters Peter, Stewie and Brian, stopped working to support the Writers Guild of America strike, and refused to come back to work. While MacFarlane officially gave his blessing for the studio to continue production of the series without him, according to EW.com he expressed that he hoped they wouldn't, and that doing so would be damaging to his relationship with the network, adding that "it would just be a colossal dick move if they did."

The last pre-strike produced episode aired last Sunday which left the studio with the option to continue without MacFarlane and the writing staff, or go immediately into reruns. With November Sweeps upon us and most of their live action compatriots being forced into repeats soon, network brass decided that the hopes of one creator; who you might recall they've already fired once so they could certainly do it again; paled in comparison to the hopes and dreams of beating Desperate Housewives during sweeps month and being able to jack up ad rates to Super Bowl levels (I know these are the kinds of things TV Execs dream of because I watch 30 Rock). And so, tonight will mark the premiere of the first episode ever completed without its creator's blessing.

Gary, Gary, Gary. What are we going to do with you? Your television brother, Todd Bridges, has managed to keep himself out of trouble (for now, that is) so why can't you?

Did you really have to get into a heated dispute with your 'female companion' in a parked car in the middle of Provo, Utah? Maybe if you had driven out into one of the more desolate parts of the state passers-by wouldn't have called the authorities. Then, you wouldn't have been charged with disorderly conduct. Now, you'll have to pay a $750 fine and spend up to three months in jail.

Come on, Gary! You're 39-years-old now. Isn't it time to stop acting out? Maybe it's time you moved away from the spotlight, just as former child starts like Brittney, Lindsay, and the Olsen Twins have done. I mean, you barely hear anything about them anymore!

The other day I was searching around my Tivo for shows and stumbled upon a listing for The Gary Coleman Show. 'Does Gary have a new show?' I wondered. Surely they weren't talking about his old cartoon from the early 80s where he played an angel? Well, yes, as it turns out, that's exactly what it is. The show only lasted for thirteen episodes, and they're currently being played in the wee hours of the morning on Cartoon Network. Personally, I'd rather watch that old Punky Brewster cartoon, but that's just me.