TVSquad

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

• Julius Carry: He was probably best known for his role as Lord Bowler on The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. Carry was also a regular on The District, Doctor, Doctor, and Do Over, and had recurring roles on Murphy Brown, Boy Meets World, and Two Guys, A Girl, and a Pizza Place. He also did guest spots on many other shows, including Columbo, Diagnosis Murder, Spin City, Caroline in the City, Earth 2, Grace Under Fire, Hill Street Blues, Empty Nest, Tales from the Crypt, Murder, She Wrote, Moonlighting, and many others. His last role was on an episode of The Unit. He also appeared in such movies as The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, Moving, The Last Dragon, and The Man with One Red Shoe. He died of pancreatic cancer at age 56.

Saturday mornings. For nearly thirty years this small window of time was considered paradise for millions of children across America. With the parents snug in their beds, and a big bowl of sugary cereal precariously placed on the carpet, it was the only time -- long before the invent of 24-hour cable networks -- that children's shows ruled the airwaves. No karate/ballet/piano/soccer lessons back then; parents were lucky to get their kids to go for bathroom breaks during that period of time.

For many it's a time of very fond memories. Some recall radio favorites like Sky King and The Lone Ranger going from their imagination to the small screen. Others remember their first introduction to Space Ghost or Scooby-Doo. Still others, like myself, recall the latter days of Saturday morning programming with shows like The Smurfs, Dungeons & Dragons and Saved by the Bell.

Gallery: Saturday Morning: 1960-64

On a cool Thanksgiving morning old (Underdog) and new (Stewie from Family Guy) parade balloons battle it out for a inflatable bottle of Coca-Cola. As they cross the skyline of New York City fists fly and heads are butted. But, in the end, neither is the one who claims the prize. That honor goes to the honorable Charlie Brown, who seems to have finally won something in his life.

This was a cute and gentle commercial by Cola-Cola, which rarely disappoints when it comes to Super Bowl ads. I never realized that the Underdog and Stewie Thanksgiving Day balloons had such angry looks on their faces. That was an advantage in this commercial as we saw the two balloons battling it out. I enjoyed when Underdog slammed Stewie against the building. Nice job overall.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• The Bronx is Burning - World Championship Edition
• The Mod Squad - Season 1, Vol. 1
• One Tree Hill - Season 4
• Rawhide - Season 2, Vol. 2
• The Simpsons Movie
• The Tarzan/Long Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour - Vol. 1
• Underdog - Ultimate Collection
• The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles - Vol. 2: The War Years

Here's some animation news from the past week or so:

First, don't forget that Frisky Dingo's second season kicks off on August 26 on Adult Swim at midnight. That's next Sunday.

In a younger vein, kids can look forward to brand new episodes of Danny Phantom starting tomorrow, August 20. New episodes will premiere throughout the week at 4:00 p.m. each day, ending with the hour-long TV movie Phantom Planet at 8:00 p.m. on Friday.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• Benson - Season 1
• A Bit of Fry and Laurie - Seasons 3 and 4
• The Crow: Stairway to Heaven - Complete Series
• Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law - Vol. 3
• Isis - Complete Series
• Land of the Giants - Giant Collection
• Philip Marlowe, Private Eye - Season 1
• The Pink Panther Show - Vol. 6
• The Real McCoys - Season 1
• Spenser: For Hire - A Savage Place and Judas Goat
• Star Trek - Captain's Log Fan Collective
• Stargate SG-1 - Season 10
• Suspense - Lost Episodes, Vol. 1
• Tales From The Crypt - Season 6
• Underdog - Vols. 1-3
• Weeds - Season 2
• Woody Woodpecker - Classic Cartoon Collection
• X-Games - Best Of

I was sitting around thinking, because I really had nothing better to do, and I wondered why you don't see cartoon characters acting as pitchmen for different products much anymore. If you're nostalgic for the days when 'toons weren't afraid to put their names behind different products, you might enjoy the following videos.

Here's some animation news from the past week:

We've been telling you about the Robot Chicken Star Wars special for some time now. If you're a fan, you've probably already seen the trailer, but if not, here it is.

Also, I found another Drinky Crow clip. It's at the end of this post. Based on the snippets I've seen of this series so far, I think they've really captured the weird, violent humor of Tony Millionaire's strip.

It's been awhile since I've heard anything about the new live-action movie based on Underdog, the rhyming, crime-fighting cartoon canine, but some more news has surfaced.

The movie, written and directed by Adam Rifkin (Detroit Rock City), will hit theaters on August 3. According to a report on MTV.com, Underdog will be portrayed by a real dog and a mix of animatronic and CGI effects. Rifkin claims he was a huge fan of Underdog as a kid, and told the studio they needed to make it a live-action flick. I don't quite follow Rifkin's logic, since I'm also a huge Underdog fan and would have either A) made it an animated movie, or B) not made the movie at all so at least one thing from my childhood wasn't tainted with an egregious modern adaptation.

Nevertheless, the movie is being made. Jason Lee will voice the super hero dog, along with Amy Adams as Sweet Polly Purebred and Peter Dinklage as Simon Bar Sinister. I'm going to not buy tickets right now so I be one of the first not to see it.

Man, I loved watching reruns of Underdog when I was a kid. The fights! The rhyming! Those Native American gopher dudes! Anyway, when I found out they were making a movie based on the beloved cartoon series, I was thrilled. Then I found out it would be done with live actors and not animated. Now I'm not so thrilled anymore. There is one glimmer of hope I have, and that's actor Peter Dinklage (he played Arthur Ramsey on Threshold), who will play the evil villain Simon Bar Sinister. If any actor is deserving of more exposure, I think it's him. His portrayal of a gay wedding planner in The Baxter was brilliant.

As far as Underdog himself, he'll be portrayed by a real dog with a CGI mouth. According to reports, bland flavor-of-the-month Dane Cook may voice the character. Well, if the guy can affect a decent Underdog voice, that's fine, but I'd rather see it go to someone like Billy West who's actually known and respected for his voice work. Sadly, they forgot to cryogenically freeze Wally Cox after his death, so we can't revive him to do this movie. Curse you, modern science.

The film, which is being produced by Disney, begins shooting this month.