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Garry Shandling's 1986 Pizza Hut Commercial

In 1986, at the height of his career (as It's Garry Shandling's Show was starting), comedian Garry Shandling did a Pizza Hut ad. Here it is: It appears to be part of a major campaign, also featuring standup comedian Roseanne Barr (whose show Roseanne didn't start until 1988), actor Pat Morita (whose turn in The Karate Kid was in 1984 -- I suspect this video is from 1986 despite the YouTube description), and actress Rita Moreno. If celebrity endorsements aren't your thing, here's a strangely... READ ON

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The X-Files X-Posed

Television is a powerful medium. For example, a single word – "Flukeman" – can send a chill down the collective spines of an entire generation. If you just shivered, you must be one of the millions who followed the paranoid adventures of Agents Mulder and Scully as they investigated everything from mutant monsters to psychic killers to a global government conspiracy concealing the existence of extraterrestrials. Come along – if you dare – as we delve deeper into the mysteries behind The X-Files,... READ ON

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The First Time a TV Show Addressed the Death of a Character

Tonight, the popular TV series Two and a Half Men will deal with the death of the show's lead character, Charlie Harper, played by Charlie Sheen (as if you didn't know). The notorious but irrepressible Sheen made headlines a few months ago by not only jumping ship on the show, but by also making a few "ill-advised" remarks about the show, and especially about the show's creator, Chuck Lorre. It's a safe bet that Two and a Half Men will garner big ratings from those curious about Charlie's "passing" and... READ ON

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The Starship Enterprise is Made of Poplar

Last week marked the 45th anniversary of Star Trek's debut on TV. As part of the anniversary-related festivities, the Smithsonian is highlighting the original Enterprise model used on the show, which is part of the museum's permanent collection. (We're talking about the NCC-1701, naturally.) The model is 11 feet long and weighs 200 pounds. Surprise: it's partly made of wood -- poplar, to be precise. And the nacelle grills are brass! Who knew? Here's a bit from the collection notes: Materials:... READ ON

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Golden Girls Bloopers

On September 14, 1985, The Golden Girls premiered on NBC. Twenty-six years later, we have lost all of the show's stars except America's sweetheart, Betty White. I managed to dig up some bloopers for your enjoyment; because the show was filmed in front of a classic "live studio audience," the laughter is real. For our readers who are too young to remember the show, there are some regular show clips after the jump; stick around for Rose's story around... READ ON

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mental_floss Gets Curbed

If you're a fan of Curb Your Enthusiasm and you watched the season finale this past sunday night, you might have noticed a mental_floss cameo appearance. Larry sat down to wait for his date, who was running a few minutes late, and looked over the coffee table where a bunch of magazines were sitting, including our "Real Americans" issue. In true Larry David style, he paused for a long moment to consider the magazines and then picked one up and began flipping through it. Did he pick ours or another? Find out... READ ON

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10 Actors' Dramatic Departures from Popular Shows

As the season premiere of Two and a Half Men edges closer, many fans are alternately waiting to see how the addition of Ashton Kutcher to the cast will change the show while simultaneously shaking their heads over an actor (we're looking at you, Charlie Sheen) who was unwilling to rein in his self-destructive behavior just a tad during production season in exchange for almost two million dollars per episode...! Mr. Sheen's isn't the first major character to be axed from a hit show, and there are others who... READ ON

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MythBusters Bloopers and Outtakes

UPDATE (September 8, 2011): apparently all of the videos below have been taken down due to copyright claims. What a shame. I guess you'll have to search for MythBusters bloopers yourselves. So you enjoyed those Star Trek bloopers? How about a bunch of MythBloopers? BLOOP ON, FELLOW NERDS! Blooper/Outtake Reel Warning: a brief NSFW moment when we fleetingly see, no kidding, Adam's derrière. Drunkenness and Joking Adam and Kari swap jokes. Becomes progressively more and more... READ ON

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Star Trek Bloopers

I love bloopers, and I love Star Trek. Below, I've collected some classic and more recent Trek bloopers. Prepare to board the Starship Enterbloop! (Blooperprise? Enterbloop, for sure.) The Original Series Lots of walking into doors, makeup problems, and cracking up. See also: this collection of clips lacking audio. The Next Generation/Deep Space 9/Voyager A lot of TNG Season 1 stuff, including some salty language, then a smattering of DS9 and Voyager bits (including the most... READ ON

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The Man Who Pressed His Luck...and Won

In 1984, ice cream truck driver Michael Larson set a record by winning $110,237 (a combined total of cash and non-cash prizes) in one appearance on the game show Press Your Luck -- and he did it by gaming the system. He had noticed that the Luck board did not rely on luck at all, but was actually running in five predictable patterns -- which he memorized over the course of six weeks, with the help of a VCR. By the time the show's taping was completed, everyone from the host to the contestants were... READ ON