Mona Robinson: A Class Act

JONATHAN  Let's invite Sarah Brightman to come over in a "Cats" costume (Spadaro!) and share some memories. What about the things you remember that really don't deserve a place in your memory banks? I'm talking about old phone numbers or useless trivia or, probably most fun of all, random scraps of sitcom plots and moments. For example, I have this crystal clear memory of an episode of "Who's The Boss?" where Mona was annoyed about something (maybe Tony-related?) but then Angela reminded her that Tony was going to get her a Christmas present (or something like that). In wonderfully cheesy sitcom fashion, Mona switches on a dime from being angry to singing a Christmas carol, "Noel, Nooooooeeeellll." I don't remember the episode or any other details, just that one moment so incredibly vividly. As a child, I thought it was one of the most hilarious things I had ever seen. Why?!?! Is there any chance YOU remember that five-second bit?

BETHANY  Sadly, I do not remember this bit from WTB, and that is surprising, because I remember every moment of the episode featuring Tony's appendectomy.  Then, who doesn't?!?  But not this episode.  I do remember Herman Stiles singing "Through The Years" in lounge lizard fashion on "Evening Shade".  That is the most vivid, random thing that popped in my mind.  That leads me to my question for YOU.  Tell me, which are some of the greatest television single episodes of all time, non-finale?  The one that comes instantly to mind for me is the avalanche/ski lodge episode of "Designing Women".

JONATHAN  I don't remember that episode of "Designing Women" but I do have a random memory of seventh grade science class when the teacher was killing time for some reason and was letting us flip through the channels on the TV (on a rolling cart, LOLM). For some reason the kids stopped on an episode of DW that was set on New Year's Eve, maybe 1989 or something? And I remember the whole class was just kind of sitting there feeling the passage of time, like, how weird that it seemed so old but it was only a few years ago. Sometimes the things you learn in school aren't what the teachers are teaching you! Tell me more about the avalanche/ski lodge episode? Was it as memorable as Mary Jo singing "Behind Closed Doors" in a weird anti-redneck episode where they went to a country bar? Was it the same episode? :) 

BETHANY  How can you not remember that episode?  At least in my home, it was legendary!  :-)  Remember, it was the one where the ladies went skiing with their men (at that time, Hal Holbrook, Gerald McRaney, the cute little southern guy Mary Jo dated, and Bill, Charlene's pilot boyfriend who, as I recall, was very boring) and there was an avalanche and they were all stuck in their cabin the whole time?  And it became this big men vs.. women thing, with Julia doing her Dixie Carter feminism thing, and Hal Holbrook going toe-to-toe with her.  And everyone was fighting, and then they all got out to the little lodge restaurant or something and Charlene and Bill started dancing, and then very slowly they all begrudgingly started dancing.  And then by the end everyone was in love again!  REMEMBER??



He's no Joe Hackett.


JONATHAN  Charlene's boyfriend Bill WAS boring! Handsome but bland. Very Bill Pullman in the worst way. I'd really like to see that episode now that you have described. Do you remember a random moment on Roseanne when the power went out (I think they hadn't paid the bill) and so Roseanne was telling a story to her kids and was like, "Once upon a time there were four princesses who never did any work but just talked all day. After a few years, two of them left and the replacement princesses weren't any good." and then Darlene was like, "That's 'Designing Women,' mom." I do vividly remember the one where Julia kept crashing her car into the newsstand because it was selling adult magazines and every time the cop would ask her for her name, she would spell "Sugarbaker" in the perfect Dixie Carter fired-up way. Whatever happened to Noelle, Suzanne's pig?!

BETHANY  Living with Anthony at...wait a minute!  Whatever happened to Anthony?  I can't remember!  But I just had a funny thought of, tying back in to the first thing you said, Mona calling for Suzanne's pig.  Not really all that funny, actually.  Never mind.  You know what show I have been wanting to watch?  Murphy Brown.  But then I decide not to, because I fear the disappointment of it not being as great as I remember it.  There are a lot of shows that I feel that way about.  But I'm glad you mentioned Bill Pullman.  (That's all...just glad you mentioned him.  He hasn't been mentioned nearly enough in this blog.)

The good old days of Pullman.

JONATHAN  I loved the one where Anthony dressed as Consuela and took the citizenship test. Maybe Anthony, Suzanne, Noelle and Consuela are all living together in Atlanta, making sure to catch every new episode of FYI with their favorite newscasters? At the time, I thought Murphy Brown was the height of sophistication and grown-up humor. There was one joke where the punchline was something about Stone Phillips and I remember as a child being like, "BRILLIANT! Over my head, but BRILLIANT!" Did you ever see Diane English's remake of "The Women"? I would love to hear your opinion on that. And feel free to discuss more Bill Pullman! Apparently Mr. Wrong is available in all its parts on YouTube and I have re-watched WAAAAAY too many scenes online. Why didn't that lovely Ellen DeGeneres get to play any more romantic comedy leads? I was really rooting for her and Bill Pullman to get together!

BETHANY  He loved her enough to break his own finger for her!  HOW did that relationship not work out?!?

Manoff takes all the Maraschinos

This time...Bethany's asking the questions!

1. Move the Hacketts to Forks or the Cullens to Nantucket?Either way, comedy gold! Imagine one of the Cheers regulars looking out on the wing and seeing a Cullen! I'd have to say that I'd rather see the Cullens in Nantucket since it would be so strange to see them hanging out glamorously at Helen's lunch counter. 

2. More awkward: The Talented Mr. Ripley or How The Grinch Stole Christmas?First of all: LOLM. Second of all: definitely The Grinch but only because of that terribly awkward Rosie O'Donnell/Molly Shannon interview we both remember that featured the clip, "It needs something else...quick, get the light out of our fridge!"

3. Firthy as Darcy or Firthy as a penguin?Jim Carrey as Lizzie!

4. Better Background Vocals: Janna and Bethany on RESPECT, or Pam Tillis on Islands In The Stream?I'd give it to Pam ONLY because she was singing them while driving away in a van and mouthing to her driver, "Get me the HELL out of here!"

5. Regatta pier or the Titanic Room?Although the reports of young couples reenacting the "Jack, I'm flying!" scene have tripled every year since Titanic came out at the Regatta pier, my heart will go on to the Titanic Room because it only exists in our hearts (of the ocean) now. Why didn't we take pictures?!

6. Shania Twain or Anne Murray?Man! That's a hard decision! But it's Shania by a bare midriff! Let's go, girls!

7. "I carried a watermelon." or "You're wild!!!" ICAW is more classic and needs to be the name of a band or blog now, but I'll root for the underdog and say that the combination of the weird kicking-stake sound effect, the beginning of "Overload" and La Grey's line delivery seals the deal for YW for me!

8. Best excuse: "Her stepmother died." or "I was kicked out of Equity for being in your little play!"They both deserve Regional Wyoming Local Tony Awards (those exist, right?) for their brilliance, but in honor of the much beloved Stepmother Noni Rose, I'd give it to the latter. The situation of a wildly talented actor being kicked out of Equity for deigning to appear in little productions so far beneath them has happened too many times, and I for one applaud anyone brave enough to speak out against it!

9. Dinah Manoff or Lorna Luft?Empty Nests aside, I can't even joke: Manoff takes all the Maraschinos in my eyes!

10. "Pray for Vanna." or "Meg Ryan: Gladiator will dump you!"?At least we know where Gladiator stands on circumcision, so I will say it has always been wonderful advice to pray for Vanna. Especially since she inspired THIS piece of art, which will be one of my solo numbers in our lounge act.

Parfum de Hohete

JONATHAN  That was fun yesterday getting to spotlight some of our readers! Here's a totally random exercise, inspired in great part by me just re-watching the "These have always brought me luck," Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds commercial. Let's pretend that you have your own perfume. What would it be called? What would it smell like? And what would the commercial be like?

BETHANY  I think it would be called Eau de Sandpiper.  It would smell like a combination of the delicious scents wafting from Helen's lunch counter and the scent of burning rubber as a plane touches down on a runway.  The commercial would be Rebecca Schull in an evening gown, leaning over mysteriously, holding a bottle of Eau de Sandpiper and then simply whispering, "Consider..."  How about you?  Same question.

JONATHAN  "3 am"...featuring hints of matchboxes, evening rain, and Monopoly money flying into the night sky. The kind of cologne your mother would kick out of the house. The commercial would open on a broken promise, then the tears of a woman named Hohete, then a mysterious and judgmental blonde named Anna coolly glaring into the camera. Then, footsteps on the basement stairs, and a single disapproving syllable spoken by an unseen middle-aged figure.

BETHANY  Wow.  I got chills.  That's the kind of cologne the world needs.  It's full of disappointment and broken dreams.  I think the background music should be Janis Joplin's Mercedes Benz.  

JONATHAN  Yes! That would be perfect. And the bottle: the color of freshly bruised arms. Maybe C.D. Cat Lover can get some for her father's birthday?

CONSIDER...

BETHANY  So, Jonathan, I received a letter from one of our loyal readers.  Oprah W. from Chicago (last name concealed to protect reader's identity) asks, "You two are really funny, and you have awesome takes on pop culture and all things Wings, but where do all the jokes come from?"  Good question, Oprah!  I think we should address that today.  Jonathan, we've been friends a long time.  Do you remember if we have always been like this?  Has it developed over the years?  Honestly, it is difficult for me to remember a time when every other word we said to each other wasn't somehow part of an inside joke!

JONATHAN  Although our friendship wasn't immediately filled with inside jokes, I do think they happened pretty fast. As you well know, the first time we met, I was struck by how polite you were while playing cards. When we reconnected in college, I think we made that an inside joke (as well as Naila H. giving us a ride) pretty quickly. I think all these inside jokes come from us having such similar senses of humor and minds so that we pick up on the same things. Either that or it was when the radioactive inside joke spiders bit us. Yes, that was it. While we're rooting around in the mailbag, why don't we answer a few more letters? Here's one from someone named A. DiPesto...but it's all in rhymes...well, the gist is, "What do you have against Cybill Shepherd?"

BETHANY  Thanks for your question, Ms. DiPesto.  Where to even begin...Speaking only for myself, I find Cybill to be just a little less fantastic than she thinks she is.  That's not to say she isn't fantastic because is she ever!  She was so kind to autograph my 1st Edition of Cybill Disobedience, though.  So she does get points for that.  Next letter!  "HOW DID YOU GET THIS NUMBER?!?!  Sincerely, Lexington's Favorite DJ"  I'm not sure I understand.

JONATHAN  Let's hope that Lexington's taste has improved significantly since then! Which brings us to the next one, "I really think we're going to make it. I can't wait to meet your friends! Love, Lisa." Any clue what that's about?

BETHANY  Hmm...no idea.  But she sounds like a sweet girl.  And she sure seems keen on you!  I'd love to know more about her, and I'm sure I'll meet her soon!  Now, moving on to a really nice letter from a girl named C. D. Cat Lover: "Dear Jonathan and Bethany, Tomorrow is my dad's birthday and I have no idea what to get him.  HELP!"

JONATHAN  That's a tricky one! There two schools of thought on this one. You could try some fancy French perfume, a fondue pot, maybe a state-of-the-art CD player, or just settle for a fake seagull glued to a piece of driftwood. But I think you could do better, C.D. Cat Lover. In fact, I don't think you should stop looking until you find the ultimate gift! It might help to take a nice long walk around the building to gather your thoughts, and don't worry how long it takes or how hot it gets--every step brings you closer! Good luck! It feels so wonderful to help someone, doesn't it? Here's one addressed to you: "Dear Bethany, I have a really big soccer game against the rival village this morning. I haven't gotten out of bed yet or tried to move, but I have a great feeling it's going to be an unforgettable day! Any advice? Love, P. Trawick." Any thoughts, friend?

BETHANY  Wow, P.!  Sounds like it is going to be a great day!  I'm sure you will do great in the soccer game.  I'm reminded of the legend of La Llorona.  Have you ever heard of that, P.?  Oh, but what am I doing?  You have a big game to get to!  Jump out of bed and go get 'em, tiger!  And be sure to send us a follow-up, so we know how it went.  Wasn't that nice?  It's going to be a truly special day for that guy.  Okay, Jonathan, see if you can make heads or tails of this one.  It just says "Why?" and is signed The River: Karaoke In The Style of Garth Brooks.

JONATHAN  Hmm...that one is truly a mystery. Let's just file it away in this 10th grade World Civ textbook and forget it ever existed! Oh! Look at this one, in the shiny gold envelope that looks awfully familiar! I feel so official opening it, like my name is Sacheen Littlefeather! Let's see what it says. That's strange. It just says "You're welcome, world. M. Leo." What could that mean?

BETHANY  I'm not sure, but the world DOES feel a little bright now!  Consider... 
Now, THIS one is powerful.  You take this one.  It says, "Dear Ruby Bloggers, I was drawn to your blog because Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town has very special meaning for me.  But I need some advice.  My best friend, his girlfriend Lisa, and I went to an out-of-town Kenny Rogers concert, and on the way home, I was so worried that my friend was going to fall asleep while driving (it was so very late) that I sang Ruby for the entire car ride.  Well, I pulled my mission off successfully and kept him awake (and we're all alive today to show for it!), but for some perplexing reason, he was annoyed by my life-saving techniques!  Can you imagine?  How can I make him see that without my selfless devotion, he and Lisa wouldn't be alive to be the happy family they are today, along with their beautiful little girl, Bob?  Thanks... Sincerely, World's Greatest Friend"  Well, I for one am inspired by the care and concern that obviously exists in this friendship.  How awful to think of what could have happened!

JONATHAN  What a heartwarming and not-in-the-least-ear-splitting story! Let's hope that "World's Greatest Friend" is appreciated for being just that. And if not, maybe someone should buy them a rose! I'm really proud we can help people share their stories and answer their questions. Here's another one: "I've just escaped my bowling trophy! See you both soon! Love, U.I." Do you think we should wait around or go ahead to the all-night mall bowling alley like we planned?

BETHANY  Well, that letter was just silly!  And of course we should still go to the all-night mall bowling alley!  I have a feeling P. Trawick isn't the only one who is going to have a special day!  See you there soon, friend!

Show your work, where applicable!

Here it is folks...what you have all been waiting for!  We got tired of all the e-mails and phone calls begging for a list, so we finally decided to oblige.  (Happy now, Katie Couric??)  So, it's Jonathan's turn to ask Bethany the questions that the world must know the answers to.  As always, Jonathan is blue and Bethany is purple. 

Bethany's Picks

1. Gimme a Break! or A New Brain?  Well, sorry Nell but A New Brain.  Maybe they should combine the two!  Malcolm Gets and Nell Carter belting out, "Gimme a brain, I sure deserve it!"

2. 1984 or 1994?  I'll have to say 1994.  1994 was a big year.  That is the year my family moved to Lexington (which is, of course, where you and I met) and also the year we adopted Sombra the cat who died this past March.  On the other hand...I don't remember a whole lot about 1984.  I mean, I KNOW 1984 but I don't remember it.  They just don't make 'em like the 90's anymore.

3. Chocolate bunnies or Marshmallow Peeps?  Chocolate bunnies.  Peeps make me a littlie uncomfortable.  "Peep.  Peep."  Is that the sound they make as you bite off their head?

4. Coyote Ugly or Dirty Dancing?  While I love Coyote Ugly (if not for the movie itself, for the really forced and awkward Rimes cameo at the end, along with John Goodman/Maria Bello goodness), Dirty Dancing is among my first loves.  In fact, I think we should go to Kellerman's for the summer!  (cue Big Girls Don't Cry) 

5. Gwyneth Paltrow or Blythe Danner?  Gwyneth WHO??

6. Polka music or salamanders?   What I want is salamanders dancing to polka music!  MAKE THAT HAPPEN!

7. Sally Jessy Raphael's glasses or George Washington's wig?  I combine the two in my head and I see Lady Gaga.  I can't possibly choose. 

8. Arbor Day or Sweetest Day?  I don't know about you, but I'm never been given chocolate on Arbor Day.  The prosecution rests.

9. Benji or Free Willy?  Free Willy.  You know what a big fan I am of Helena Bonham Carter's work.

10. Markie Post or Sabrina, The Teenage Witch?  Markie.  Just because I feel good seeing her name on our blog.  Our new assignment...Markie Post's name must be mentioned in every blog entry.  Markie will be Trending soon!

Carbon AND Monoxide?!?!?

JONATHAN  If you could slap any celebrity or famous person with no repercussions, who would you smack, and what would you say right before you did it?

BETHANY  Well, first of all, I love the idea of a world in which that could take place!  You know, I have a serious one that I could throw out there...a disgraced former politician (ha! was that vague enough?).  But I don't know that I want to go all political (although, my reason for wanting to slap this person doesn't have anything to do with their politics).  So I think, instead, I will choose to slap Hall & Oates.  I do realize that they are two people, but if I just slapped Oates, Hall would feel left out.  So, I would slap them both.  And what would I say?  Hmm...  I think I would just simply say, "Hall and Oates?  No can do."  How about you?





What does he mean??



JONATHAN  What do you have against Hall and Oates? Inquiring minds want to know! And wouldn't you be tempted to say, "I can't go for that!"? And when you say "disgraced former politician," the list is only getting longer every day. Although I have enjoyed her more often than not as Aunt Jackie on Roseanne, I would want to smack Laurie Metcalf right after I demanded she never make a goofy face again. Or maybe Candy Spelling. Just because.

BETHANY  As similar as you and I usually are on things like this, in this matter I beg to differ.   If I had to slap a Spelling, I would most definitely choose Randy.  As for Hall and Oates, I was a big "Maneater" fan back in the day.  But pretty much everything else...ugh.  Any artist who writes/performs the lyric "let the carbon and monoxide choke my thoughts away"...no thanks.  It's not the sentiment behind it or anything, I just don't like the word "monoxide" on my radio.  Not very singable.  I think I would say "I can't go for that!" and slap Hall, and then slap Oates.  Then I would start to walk away slowly and dramatically, and then at the last moment turn and look back at them over my shoulder and very deliberately say "No.  Can.  Do." then saunter (yes, saunter!) away as just instrumental of "She's Gone" crescendos in the background.  (FINIS)

I just kept hoping Jonathan
would come close enough
for me to smack him!

JONATHAN  Whoa-oh here she comes!! The Hall and Oates Slapper! Okay, so turn the tables now. What celebrity do you think would want the chance to slap YOU? I would say that if she were still able, Gloria Stuart should smack me a few times for forging her signature in your copy of the autobiography and for mocking her mercilessly even while I kind of liked her.

BETHANY  That is a phenomenal and extremely thought-provoking question!  Come to think of it, you have forged many a celebrity signature, so you may have raw cheeks by the time they are all done with you!  Melanie Griffith probably deserves her chance to slap me.  I've spent an inordinate amount of time badly impersonating her.  And she probably still owes me (and you for that matter!) a slap for the time we climbed over her fence and stole her freshly-delivered milk.  Oh wait, we stole James Spader's milk.  We just walked on Melanie's lawn, right? 

JONATHAN  Ha! Actually, I think Melanie might be entitled to slap you a few times and maybe throw in some pro wrestling moves. How were we supposed to know Melanie was the neighborhood watch in charge of keeping starstruck trespassers off of celebrities' lawns? I think Fran Drescher has earned the opportunity to at least push you down a flight of stairs, and George Clooney probably has the legal right to hit me over the head with a mallet. And, of course, what of "Manic" Mandy Patinkin?!

BETHANY  I owe Mandy NOTHING!  He owes me!  He has done nothing but ignore me for years while I've made him a star.  A star, I tell ya'!

JONATHAN  Then does Rosie O get to pelt you with Koosh balls for at least 30 minutes?

BETHANY  Again?!?

Julia Duffy Dreams

Meredith?  Oprah?  What about me?

BETHANY  So, as you can tell from the look on Helena Bonham Carter's face, we went a little long yesterday!  I would like to be able to guarantee that we won't go that long again, but let's face it...we probably will.  I have to tell you, I am pretty exhausted today.  Why, you may ask?  I was up WAY too late (reading a book? packing lunches for my children? cleaning my house? NO!) watching highlights of Meredith Vieira's tenure on The Today Show.  And that got me thinking about how I have always loved television "events".  I like Meredith, but I haven't watched more than an hour of her on Today (before last night, that is).  So why did I tune in?  Because it was her last show.  It's a little snippet of television history.  I love watching the series finale of a show, even if I have never watched an episode before.  I love the excitement of the event.  (Not NBC's "The Event" - from what I understand, there wasn't a lot of excitement to be had there.)  So, our opening topic for today, my dear friend...talk to me about some of the television events that have stayed with you.



Welcome to television
history, Meredith Vieira.

 JONATHAN  I am choosing not to mention REAL events that were broadcast, but instead to focus on truly important things, like Bob Newhart waking up after his Julia Duffy dreams. Did you watch Meredith's farewell "Don't Stop Believin'" lip dub video? (Sidebar: why do they say lip dub and not lip synch now?) I got a little teary watching it although I never really liked her. What I do like (besides Rusty Martin's Vegas Tours) are "historical" television events! Neither one of us was ever an Oprah watcher, but I was tempted to check out the final episode to see how she'd end it. I think there's something really special about a series finale, when everyone involved has the opportunity to choose how we get to say goodbye, but it's really difficult to get it right. When they do, it can be really emotional. When you just dip into a random rerun, there's little at stake, but the endings make you really think about the passage of time. Goofy but true story: recently I saw the episode of "The Facts of Life" where Jo and Blair graduated. Although the series went on for several years afterward with the same cast, it was surprisingly intense to re-watch it. Despite the dated jokes (While talking about the movie of their lives, they decide Candice Bergen should play Blair and Charles Bronson should play Jo.) it was pretty poignant seeing them graduate and be scared about the future while also being reminded of just how far in the past this event really was. What about you, friend? Have you ever been the same since the town of Evening Shade blew up in the finale?

There's a snake in my coffee!

BETHANY  For the record, I had tears literally streaming down my cheeks as Matt, Al, Ann, and Natalie basically told the world "We loved Meredith in a way we could never have loved Katie!"  No reason for it, and I was crying huge crocodile tears.  This is why you and I are friends.  You know exactly what I mean!  We would be huge failures if we didn't mention the Wings finale.  Remember, Joe and Brian's dad had left them a huge (which I don't think would be much of anything now, $100,000 or something, but then it was going to be enough to buy a new airplane, and a retire to a private island, and buy Helen her own symphony or something) amount of money, and it all came full circle so beautifully.  The money was even upstairs in the same airport locker (that is interesting...considering their dad was dead before the pilot, and presumably was still dead for the finale!) that the canned snakes or whatever had been in during the pilot episode (wasn't every episode of Wings a pilot episode, really?) when Brian and Joe had been brought back together to find out what their dad had left them.  But in that pilot episode, after a scavenger hunt all over New England, they ended up with a photo of the two of them when they were kids (with Helen in the water swimming in the background...mistaken by Brian as a whale!) and on the back their dad had written "You're rich." meaning of course, they had each other.  And they had each other for the next 8 seasons, until the finale, when the very same thing almost drove them apart!!  Remember?  Anyone?  REMEMBER?!?

Why not?!

JONATHAN  That mini Wings recap was very moving too, although as touching as it was, it didn't have the same power of Meredith awkwardly dancing with Abe Vigoda. (WHY?) Of course, I will always love the fact that "Viera" was the perfect password clue. When I was driving in to work today, Ryan Seacrest was interviewing Ann Curry and she was talking about how getting the anchor spot meant so much to her because she knew her recently dead parents would have been proud, and it made me like her more. What do you think happened to Joe after the finale? Helen was undoubtedly an enormous success as the new cello superstar, but what did he do now that he wasn't going to be a pilot anymore? Do you think Casey and Brian eventually left the airport, too? That brings up an interesting subject: what do you think happened AFTER the finales for some of your fave movies/TV etc.?

BETHANY  Well, we know (if you had been paying attention!) that Joe and Helen only went to Vienna ("The one in Germany?" Gotta love that Roy!) for one year.  After that...hmm.  Well, one thing I have always had an issue with: if Helen got a great job with some symphony is Boston or New York or whatever, why would that really be so tough?  Couldn't she commute?  They live in Nantucket and her husband is a pilot with his own airplane.  So I think she got all trained up in Vienna and then when they came back she met Lilith Crane on the flight (wasn't Lilith a musician?) and Lilith got her connected and Helen joined a symphony in Boston.  All problems solved!  And Brian was so tired of Casey by that time (I know I would be!) that he stuffed her in the locker upstairs, which was a great hiding place, because apparently it is only rented by dead people.  I think we should go ahead and talk about the 800 lb. young Helen Chappell in the room...the worst finale of all time...Caroline In The City.

Merry Christmas, From The Minnelli/Luft Family

JONATHAN  I was too busy booking a room at White Christmas HOTEL to notice all the details, like major plot points! And while I fully admit that Casey was most definitely a character they just sort of shoehorned into the series, Amy Yasbeck is delightful and deserves better than being stuffed in the upstairs locker! Although realistically, I have a feeling she was pretty careless about running the lunch counter and probably accidentally killed a string of people with food poisoning before they hauled her off to jail. What about Alex the helicopter pilot? Shouldn't they have mentioned her again? Or do you think she was piloting Ron Silver's helicopter that went into the volcano on Veronica's Closet? What do you mean Caroline in the City had the worst finale ever? I, for one, was shocked when the man at the altar with Caroline was revealed to be Pat Morita's video store clerk. "Unexpected romantic comedy twist...very funny movie!" And the way that Cathy Guisewite swept in and stole Richard right from under Caroline's nose, along with her comic strip? Dazzling! Oh, and who  was plumper: young Helen Chappell or young Monica Gellar?

BETHANY  Best finale of all time?  In all seriousness I would say Newhart.  Dallas was pretty creepy.  Remember Joel Grey as the devil?  Jennifer Grey should have been on that episode, and gone up to everyone and said, "Oh, that other Sue Ellen?  No, you were just dreaming!  I'M Sue Ellen!  What's that?  Pam?  Nope.  No Pam.  ALL a dream!  Charlene Tilton??  NIGHTMARE!"