TVSquad

I suppose if you want to be cynical, you could say that Mayim Bialik is in the midst of a comeback, with several recent television roles, including guest stints on Bones, Secret Life of the American Teenager, and now, Saving Grace. However, it's not as though the erstwhile star of Blossom has spent the last fifteen years sitting around waiting for the phone to ring. After the series' end, she attended UCLA, got married, had two children, and even earned her PhD last year.

Ms. (er, Dr.) Bialik has indeed been busy, but she is now looking to make her way back into Hollywood. She's guest-starring on Saving Grace tonight as Esther, a Hasidic Jewish mother of seven, whose own mother is found murdered in a field full of dead cows. I spoke with Mayim about Saving Grace, the lasting legacy of Blossom, and how she hopes people see her today.

Okay, so it's not a legit crossover, but it's more fun if you think of it that way. Blossom star Mayim Bialik is getting a makeover on the season premiere of TLC's What Not To Wear (new episodes return May 29th). Post-sitcom-fame motherhood has left her a little frumpy and hiding behind shapeless hair, and her friends and family want her to do something about it. I'm sure whatever catty nonsense the hosts subject her to won't be as embarrassing as that time I was watching an episode and suddenly realized I was wearing the same thing as Clinton Kelly.

Should Blossom be considered classic sitcom? Mmmprobably not. But to many a 20-something, the NBC sitcom was an unlikely success that, through a blend of irreverence and quirkiness, lasted five seasons and proved culturally resonant in its approach to covering "realistic topics" relevant to teenagers of the nineties.

It's been 10 years since Cartoon Network introduced us to the most adorable super-heroines this world has ever seen? Apparently yes, since the network is celebrating the anniversary of The Powerpuff Girls in a few weeks. Course, this makes me feel older than I am and poses the question of who sped up time over the last few years. Whoever you are, I have extended a certain digit in your direction.

Back to the original premise of this post. Cartoon Network will be celebrating the tenth birthdays of Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup (who were born on November 18th, 1998) with a brandy-new special titled The Powerpuff Girls Rule!!! on January 19th at 8 pm. This will be the first new episode of the series since its original run ended on CN and it was moved to the ethereal Boomerang in 2008. Prior to this premiere, the network will run a 14-hour marathon featuring the favorite episodes of show creator Craig McCraken.

MediaBistro is reporting that E! True Hollywood Story may be going the way of a drug-addled former child star -- down the slow slide into oblivion.

E! is cutting 15 staff jobs and paring down the program -- having ordered only 21 episodes, less than half the typical order, for the year. I, of course, didn't realize that there were more than 50 original episodes of the show ordered every year. For some reason, I only catch the Blossom one.

While no one likes to see anyone lose their job, I'm sure E! will find a new way to edit together clips of pop culture detritus for our consumption.

This obituary doesn't go into Barnard Hughes' many years of television work, so I will.

Hughes starred in many TV shows over the years, including Blossom, The Cavanaughs, Mr. Merlin, Doc, As The World Turns, The Guiding Light, and had recurring roles on both All in the Family and The Bob Newhart Show. He guest starred in many shows since the 50s, including Hawaii Five-O, Lou Grant, The Love Boat, Cannon, Kraft Television Theater, Hotel, Tales From The Darkside, and Hotel. His most recent role, in 2000, was on Deadline. He also starred in the classic TV movie The UFO Incident.

Barnard's film roles included Tron, Oh, God!, Hamlet, Midnight Cowboy, First Monday in October, and The Lost Boys, and he was a critically-acclaimed theater actor as well, winning a Tony for Da and starring in Advise and Consent, A Majority of One, Hamlet, The Good Doctor, and many others. He died yesterday of natural causes. 

 

So you were an adorable kid on a couple of hit TV shows (Gimme A Break and Blossom), an underrated show (Brotherly Love) and endless other shows and TV movies. You want to get away from your kid actor days because you're an adult, so you drop the whole "Joey" thing and start going by the name "Joseph." You want to graduate to meatier roles, more mature roles.

So why do you agree to star in an Ice Breakers commercial with the Duff sisters and say your famous "whoa!" line? I can understand why some TV stars might want to cash in on an old catch phrase - how many times have we had to sit through Gary Coleman saying "whatchoo talkin 'bout Wills? when he got older? - but why you, Joey? (Sorry, Joseph). You're a talented guy who could probably do a lot of things, and while I'm all for self-deprecation and even some nostalgia, I think you're too young to be looking backward like that. So stop saying "whoa" and grab a meaty character role or co-star in a nice ensemble drama.