TVSquad

There is a marvelous article on CNN about the origins of the word "Frak", the replacement curse word used heavily in the series Battlestar Galactica. It seems that the word was invented in the original 70's version of the show by creator Glen A. Larson but it was seldom used.

It got me thinking about other replacement profanities used by scripted television to replace the normal curse words that the FCC bans from televised broadcasts. We have previously posted about made-up words on television (including the profanities "Smeg" from Red Dwarf and "Frell" from Farscape), but I have a few to add to that list:

Television has often been a benchmark of current popular culture. Whether it's clothes, cars or furniture, people have always looked to TV to help them decide how to look and how to live. Here are ten great examples of how TV characters have "helped" us look our best.

Daisy Duke's Daisy Dukes (The Dukes of Hazzard)
No one knew it at the time, but when Catherine Bach slipped on those ultra-short denims, she was making an impression on more than the teenage boys who were watching. Years later, a brand new and very different generation embraced the Daisy Dukes, much to the delight of those teenage boys who were now old enough to know better.

It feels like a sweeps moment -- a big name star guesting on a long-running show. But it's not set for sweeps. It is, however, a special occasion and a reason to do something festive. So, on April 29, Robin Williams will make a guest appearance on Law & Order: SVU in part to celebrate the 200th episode of the intense NBC crime drama.

The Oscar-winning actor (for Good Will Hunting) is no stranger to television, as we all know. Till the day he dies, he'll be Mork. Na-noo, na-noo. As an alien from the planet Ork, Robin Williams was catapulted from obscure comic actor to overnight sensation thanks to the Garry Marshall sitcom Mork & Mindy. It was the beginning of a stellar career.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• 60 Minutes - Here Come The Millenials
• Futurama - Bender's Big Score
• Happy Days - Season 3 and Seasons 1-3 set
• The Land Before Time - Good Times and Good Friends
• Laverne & Shirley - Season 3
• The Man From U.N.C.L.E. - Complete Series
• Mork & Mindy - Season 3
• Naruto - Vol. 18
• The O.C. - Complete Series
• Power Rangers - Operation Overdrive: Vol. 3, Blue Sapphire

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

• Bud Molin: He was a film editor who worked on several TV shows, including the Sheldon Leonard-produced The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Show, and I Spy, as well as projects with Carl Reiner, including the movies The Jerk, Oh, God, The Man With Two Brains, and Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid. He also worked on I Love Lucy. Molin died in Rancho Mirage, CA at age 81. (That's him on the left, with Desi Arnaz and Dann Cahn.)

Tom Poston, one of the classic veterans of TV comedy, died earlier today at his home in Los Angeles. He appeared on The Steve Allen Show in the 1950s and Newhart in the 1980s.

Poston played handyman George Utley on Newhart, and was also a regular on another Bob Newhart series, Bob. And to keep the connection to Newhart going, he played Cliff "The Peeper" Murdock on The Bob Newhart Show in the 70s. Poston also appeared on Grace Under Fire, Mork & Mindy, The Simpsons, Will & Grace, Home Improvement, Murphy Brown, Get Smart, Coach, The Love Boat, Studio One, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Just Shoot Me, That 70s Show, and dozens of other shows over the years.

Poston was married to actress Suzanne Pleshette, who played Newhart's wife Emily on The Bob Newhart Show.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• America's Funniest Home Videos - Motherhood Madness
• George Lopez - Season 1 and Season 2
• Ghostbusters - Complete Series
• Happy Days - Season 2
• Highlander - Best of the Best
• Larry King Live - Greatest Interviews
• The Larry Sanders Show - Not Just The Best of The Larry Sanders Show
• Laverne & Shirley - Season 2
• Masters of Horror - Family
• Mork & Mindy - Season 2
• Murder, She Wrote - Season 6
• SpongeBob SquarePants - Friend or Foe
• The Venture Bros. - Season 2

If there's any doubt that Robin Williams is no longer funny (really, do you need anymore evidence than any talk show appearance he has made in the last several years?), here's a clip from yesterday's episode of Ellen. Thrill! As Williams does an Irish accent. Marvel! At the Italian accent that's ten times for cliched than that Italian chef on The Simpsons. Wonder! Why Ellen DeGeneres would actually pick a game for Williams to play that actually highlights his most irritating quality. Isn't it about time that people realize that not only is he not funny, but these "impressions" are about as good as the kind your buddy does after three beers on a Friday night?

The audience seems to love it, but maybe it's only in that "yeah, it's kinda lame, but I'm on TV so I should laugh" kind of way. At least I'm hoping that's why they're laughing.

I took this quiz over at Mental Floss and scored 100%. You have to match the sitcom with the house/setting they show in the opening credits.

By the way, I'm not bragging about that score, the test is just incredibly easy, especially since two of the pictures are very, very easy to identify, which means you can guess the others by process of elimination, if you don't know one or two of them. I mean, one of the shows is The Love Boat, so you know there's going to be a boat involved, right?

This might prove to be very satisfying, that you know you TV homes as much as you do your own. On the other hand, it might be kind of scary that somewhere in your mind you have actually memorized what sitcom family homes look like (and from shows that you probably haven't seen in a long time).

Also, just so you know, scroll down very slowly and stop when you get to the sitcom names. If you go any further you'll see the answers, and you don't want that to happen.

[via Pop Candy]

Though he appeared in many memorable films, including Rio Bravo, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, Chisum, and Cool Hand Luke, character actor Robert Donner will probably be most remembered from his role as Exidor on Robin Williams late 70s/early 80s sitcom Mork and Mindy.

Donner appeared in, well, just about every TV show of the past 30 years, including The Waltons, MacGyver, Simon and Simon, Blue Thunder, Fame, Matlock, Charlie's Angels, SWAT, Gunsmoke, Adam-12, Columbo, and Kung Fu. His last role was in this year's family movie Hoot.

Donner died of a heart attack on in L.A. on June 8.