Bob Newhart

It's the 20th anniversary of "The Last Newhart." You know the episode where the entire Newhart series turns out to be (SPOILER ALERT) Bob Hartley's surreal Japanese-food-induced dream.
It was brilliant and truly set the bar for finales. But why did the twist in this finale work so well?
When St. elsewhere surprised its audience by revealing that the series was the product of an autistic boy's imagination, it got mixed reviews. And the Dallas "it-was-all-a-dream" twist is barely worth a mention - it "only" invalidated a season.
My theory is simple: the Bob Newhart brand. Bob, who is celebrating his 50th year in show business (the Television Academy is hosting an event on June 1 to commemorate the occasion), played essentially the same character in both shows. His stock-in-trade has been to function as the centered everyman, a master of understatement, responding to the insanity around him. Bob Hartley and Dick Loudon were soul mates in that department and it wasn't a great leap to see one character waking up in the other's bed.
Unlike today's media-saturated landscape, when The Bob Newhart Show originally aired on CBS, there were just three networks in the game and the show aired in arguably the best Saturday night lineup ever. There's a good chance that most of America had some familiarity with Bob and Emily - at least enough to be in on the joke. The collective gasp in the studio as the scene opened onto that 1970s Chicago bedroom set, spread to home audiences and instantly became a pop culture touchstone.
In her Archive of American Television interview, Suzanne Pleshette detailed the cloak-and-dagger secrecy involved in reprising her role as Emily Hartley. "We had a code name when I would call them back so it wouldn't be me. They wrote a fake ending where Bob goes up to heaven... They built a set in secret. They did not tell the cast until 20 minutes before we did it and they hid me in a trailer for 6 hours. With no phone. You don't do that to a woman like me. No shopping, no phone. What are you, kidding?"
Interestingly, the episode didn't win the Emmy that year, and I have a theory about that, too. Do you remember what happened before Bob flipped the light on in that final scene? Didn't think so. That scene, with some tweaking, could have capped almost any episode, and we'd still be celebrating it today.

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Cm Punk Bald

One of the big stories coming out of Sunday night's WWE Over the Limit Pay-Per-View results involves the Rey Mysterio vs CM Punk match. This match, known as the "SES Pledge vs Hair match" carried unique stipulations for both wrestlers involved. It would either result in Rey Mysterio becoming forced to join the Straight Edge Society, or the WWE Universe would see CM Punk bald after he got his head shaved by Mysterio.

Over the Limit full results!

So who won it? Rey Mysterio was tonight's big winner at Over the Limit, although he really had to fight to shave off Punk's hair. He had some help though. Luckily, Serena and Luke Gallows were banned from ringside for the match. Rey and Punk each put up a fight, but in the end Mysterio took it. After Rey won the match with a unique pinfall, that mysterious hooded figure came out once again to attack Rey. Luke Gallows and Serena also showed up to try to handcuff Rey to the ropes.

Coming to Mysterio's rescue was the Big Red Monster, Kane. Kane dispatched of the foes in the ring, before chokeslamming CM Punk down. From there, Rey handcuffed Punk to the ropes and shaved off his symbol of purity. That's right fans finally got to see CM Punk bald! Rey even produced a mirror so Punk could see himself minus the hair. After the celebration and the haircut, Punk's SES friends, Serena and the mystery man gave him a towel to hide himself with.

WWE.com has pictures from the Rey Mysterio vs CM Punk match, but have not revealed a photo of CM Punk bald. We'll have to wait until Smackdown to see that.

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Brandy Car Accident Photos

Brandy and Lorenzo Sereno were dropping off their baby boy at grandma's in Alum Rock on Saturday evening hoping to catch the remake of "Nightmare on Elm Street."

But in a real-life nightmare, a suspected drunken driver — whose brother later told police had downed "20 Tecates" beforehand — caused a chain-reaction accident that sent cars plowing into the Serenos and three children playing in the front yard. All five were injured, two of the children seriously.

"Everyone was screaming and crying. Everyone called 911," Brandy Sereno told the Mercury News on Tuesday.

Sereno was pinned between the driver's white Plymouth minivan and her Expedition. Her husband, Lorenzo Sereno, who works in law enforcement, rushed to rescue his wife.

"My father-in-law, a neighbor and my husband pulled me up by my armpits to get me out from being pinned against my car by the van," Brandy Sereno said.

The Serenos suffered minor injuries, and their 10-month-old son, Lorenzo Jr., was unharmed in his car seat.

San Jose police arrested 28-year-old Rholdan Cabana, who lives a mile away on Wonderama Drive, on felony drunken-driving charges and one misdemeanor count for driving with a suspended license. His brother, who was in the van, told police he thought the 135-pound Cabana had drunk 20 Tecate beers at a party earlier that day.

Police reports show that Cabana tried to run away, but the 20 or so neighbors wouldn't let him go.

Cabana's blood alcohol level was more than the legal limit of 0.08, records show, but the exact level wasn't made public.

Lorenzo Sereno's two young relatives and a neighbor's son were more seriously injured. They had been playing in the yard of Lorenzo Sereno's parents' house on Farringdon Drive when the Serenos arrived about 6 p.m.

His 4-year-old sister, Lila Bruno, suffered the most serious injury — a fractured skull. She underwent brain surgery and was transferred Tuesday from Valley Medical Center to Children's Hospital in Oakland.

"The doctors had to clean her brain from dirt," Brandy Sereno said. "They're not sure how half of her brain will recover."

Christopher Ramirez, a 10-year-old neighbor, remains at Valley Medical Center with a skull fracture, a broken clavicle, a major rip to his left ear that requires surgery and cuts all over his face and body. Sereno's 6-year-old cousin, Leslie Manzano, was released from the hospital with some leg bruises.

When Lorenzo went up to the van to confront driver, the driver couldn't open his eyes and said, "Yeah man, I'm drunk. I'm drunk," according to a police report.

Cabana has no prior criminal history in Santa Clara County. But he was convicted three times since 2007 for minor traffic violations, such as not obeying signals and once, driving with either marijuana or an open container in his car, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. He is scheduled to be arraigned today.

Calls to his parents' home were not immediately returned. He is in jail, and the number he provided police was not in service.

A police report says Cabana was driving at a "high rate of speed" when his minivan hit a black Chevy, which careened into a chain-link fence. The Chevy also struck Lila and the 6-year-old cousin. Cabana's van kept going, sideswiping a green Mercury Grand Marquis and a silver Ford Expedition, both parked on the street. And finally, it careened into Christopher.

The Serenos are thankful that their baby wasn't hurt. "It's really just a miracle," said Brandy Sereno, a student at San Jose City College who hopes to major in psychology.

The Serenos are praying for the two remaining hospitalized children to recover. They're trying not to be consumed by anger or grief but to turn the situation into something positive.

"My husband and I want to help out more in our community," Brandy Sereno said. "We put up fliers in the neighborhood saying we want speed bumps, or a sign that says, 'Kids at Play.' I made a call about joining MADD, too."

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Lost Forums

Tonight sees the finale of one of the highest rated shows on TV: Lost. The series surely owes some of its success to the web — but tonight Lost fans may have no choice but to log off completely.

Is this a mixed blessing provided by the web? While watching and commenting upon TV shows is easier than ever, unwanted information — the dreaded Lost spoiler — also zooms around the network at the speed of light.
Lost Online: On-Demand Creates Choice
The web has provided Lost aficionados with a wealth of options for consuming and connecting around each episode. Lost was among the very first series available on iTunes, giving the option to watch on-demand on your computer, iPod or iPhone. What’s more, these episodes are without commercial interruption, giving you the option to watch (or DVR) the TV version for free, or pay for a better experience.

In 2006, meanwhile, ABC tested a model whereby Lost was available free online with ads — a risky move considering that Internet (Internet) advertising typically yields lower rates than TV. At the time of writing, seasons 1-6 are available in HD, all for free (with ads) on the ABC website.

Unsurprisingly, the move proved popular: in late 2008 Nielsen named Lost the most popular TV show online. And don’t forget that in 2009, Lost also came to Hulu (Hulu), providing an even better user experience and yet more choice.

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Lost Twitter

While people on Twitter battle each other, Jack and Smokey-Locke style, over whether tonight's Lost finale was satisfying or a huge stinking disappointment, we'd just like to say that we were totally delighted by Target's Lost-themed ads for smoke detectors, barbecue sauce, and computer keyboards. Can we have more of these, please? How about one for Dramamine showing the crash of Flight 815? Or one for window guards with Locke being pushed out that high-rise his dad? We'll have lots more coverage of the finale in the morning, but for now, enjoy these commercials.

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Purgatory

Last night, “Lost’’ did not end its six-year run with intellectual resolution. We never got a concise, specific explanation of the island: where it was, when it was, what it was. And the question of why anyone — Hurley and Ben? — would need to take care of this island remained obscure.

‘LOST’
Series finale
Last night, ABC

Instead, the episode offered an abundance of emotional resolution and vague metaphor, some of which was compelling (Sawyer and Juliet’s reunion) and some of which was quite hokey (the cork?!).

We were left with a strong sense of the island as a kind of purgatory, a place where each character worked out his or her issues in the instant before letting go into death. The last moments of the finale mirrored the opening moments of the series, as Jack lay on his back looking up and then closed his eyes and died, now having come to terms with his issues. That the producers have said that the show was not about purgatory will, of course, be debated in the coming weeks, along with the rest of the finale.

The emotional moments came fast and furiously — and at times too automatically — for the entire 2 1/2 hours, punctuated by action sequences and commercials. We got the warm satisfaction of the “Lost’’ reunion tour, as Sayid and Shannon and Boone and Charlie and Charlotte — and Vincent! — and the rest of the gang got back together. The déjà vu revelations came on in the characters like a love drug, as Kate delivered Claire’s baby, as Sayid saw Shannon, as Sawyer and Juliet re-met cute by the hospital candy machine. When they all sat in a church at the end, ready to “move on,’’ it was like a flashforward to the sentimental “Lost’’ reunion show that will inevitably take place 10 years from now.

We got a full dose of cheesy “Lost’’ thrills, too, as Desmond and Jack were lowered into the golden water in a set that was pure Disney World. And we got the show’s trademark humor, as Kate said, “Christian Shephard? Seriously?’’ The wittiest moment, though? The Target ad for smoke alarms with the smoke monster. It was kind of brilliant and kind of gross.

Despite the irritating muddiness and unanswered questions of the finale, I still felt grateful for it. One of TV’s most compelling pieces of serial storytelling came to an end exactly when it should have, before the rigors of TV seasons stretched the narrative too far out of shape. Viewers and networks always want more of what they love, but the “Lost’’ producers resisted temptation. They picked an end date and stuck to it, and for that, as well as six years of great mystery, they deserve respect

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Lost Blog

The Lost finale has almost finished its first hour here on the West coast. Here is a recap of Part One of “The End”. This is the final episode of season 6 and of the series as a whole. I’ll fill you in on the details of what you my have missed.

The episode opens on LAX and an oceanic flight. Desmond picks up the coffin of Christian Sheppard. We get a grand montage of the main characters and their two selves. We pick up in Sideways world were everyone is gathering for the concert. Hurley in the island timeline in reference to Jacob gives one of my favorite lines, “He was worse than Yoda.” As Sawyer goes off to find Desmond I swear they play a variant of the Imperial Death March.

We learn that Locke is going to sink the island with Desmond’s help. Ben is taken aback because he did not take MIB seriously about destroying the island considering he told him he could have it. We hear the walkie talkie go off and wonder if Ben is about to do another double cross. We then flash to Richard and Miles still on their mission to destroy the plane. On the way to Hydra Island they rescue Lapidus! His plan, why blow up a plane when he can fly them out of this place!

Back in sideways flash world Juliet comes in to check on Sun and Jin. As they see their child they both remember the island. As fans we get the satisfaction of their reunion and Jin getting to see his child Ji Yeon. At this time it is also revealed that Juliet is Jack’s Wife and he mother of David.

At the end of what might be called the first act; Jack, MIB, and Desmond arrive at the heart of the island. Jack wants to kill Locke. Desmond wants to accomplish his task and be lowered into the golden light. Desmond tells Jack that if he does this task that they will be in another life that is happy; the Sideways Flash world.,p> In the last 15 minutes Sayid saves Shannon in the sideways world and remembers the island. Claire stops Miles and crew on the island present. Claire walks away saying she can’t leave with them. MIB remembers John’s life to connect with Jack. The last shot is MIB and Jack staring down the waterfall into the golden light.

That ends the first hour of the Lost Finale “The End”. Keep checking back for more Live Blog posts! Tell me what you think in the comments below.

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Lost series finale spoiler

The Lost Season 6 Finale is about to end tonight with two episodes named “The End”. Tons of people are searching the internet with the Lost Series Finale spoilers. Lost is an American live-action television series with a lot of suspense action. Tonight will be the end of the television series sensation of the Lost in its Season 6 Finale.

You can watch Lost Season 6 Finale on ABC at 9:00 PM. You can also watch Lost Series finale in the internet as there are so many websites offering free live stream. As we promised we will tell you some of the Lost Series Finale Spoilers.

* Jack becomes the new Jacob and the protector of the island.
* In order to make the parallel universe happen, Jack believes that he must kill John Locke and save the island.
* Desmond is reuniting all of the characters and is helping them remember the time they spent on the island.
* Desmond works for Charles Whitmore and connects with Penny through the charity concert that Whitmores are planning on.
* Jin and Sun are pregnant. Juliet is their doctor. As Jin and Sun look at the sonogram, they both remember.
* Jack gives John Locke a spinal surgery and it works, Locke remembers.
* The episode ends with Jack Dying of the knife wound in the bamboo forest on the island. He is joined by Walt’s dog, Vincent and he smiles as he watches the plane with Kate, Claire, Sawyer and the other survivors flying away and then he dies at the exact place where the show started.

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Lost Message Board

Throughout season six of Lost, fans had wondered about what they were seeing. Would our beloved characters end up in a seemingly random Sideways World, thereby negating all we'd watched for five years, rendering life on the island meaningless?

In the end, as Jack's four words above to Desmond sum up nicely: no. It mattered. What happened happened. We'd been told this many times and the final 10 minutes of this series finale explained why: everything we saw on the island was real. These were the real lives of real people with seriously real problems.

At some point, they died. We witnessed many of these deaths. Others occurred at later dates. But, in the end, the castaways could only move on to a light-filled world beyond this one if they tweaked Jack's season one advice: after-live together, or die alone.
The final message of Lost is an interesting one, a profound one and the mythology surrounding it will debated among viewers for as long as the series ran. But let's start with events on the island during these two-and-a-half hours - because they were a major clusterf%$k!

Producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have spent season six telling us the show is about characters, not jaw-dropping answers. We've been on board with this assessment. However, "The End" sacrificed logical, suspenseful storytelling in the name of delayed character development/resolution.

Every development on the island felt arbitrary, something cooked up by the writers as an after-thought just to get individuals in place for the series-concluding revelation. To wit:

Rose and Bernard pulled Desmond to safety?!? Jack and Locke met in a field, and the new Jacob had no actual plan? He was on board with simply hoisting Desmond down a cave and seeing what his actions produced?

We understand Jack is a man of faith now, but it wasn't clear what viewers were supposed to be waiting for as all this went down. In the past, each season's end game was clear: get into the hatch... get off the island... get back to the island... But this sort of focus was missing from this finale (heck, from the season) because Lost purposely kept us in the dark about the Sideways World.

MIB wanted to destroy the island, and we were told this was bad. Everyone would perish. But Sideways Desmond was around, enlightening folks left and right, causing on-island events to lack a sense of urgency.

Clearly, everyone was not going to die, no matter what MIB threatened or did. Almost as obviously, they'd all be awoken to their experiences on the island. The past few weeks were building to that. What would this mean in the battle of good vs. evil? Where would the characters go from there? Those were the questions on my mind during the finale, all of which were tackled in the final few minutes - but all of which also made the preceding two hours and twenty minutes feel anticlimactic.

I found myself almost bored, anxious to get everyone enlightened so we could get to the show's overarching resolution.

I was especially disappointed when Kate killed MIB. Really?!? After creating such a mysterious, indestructible force of evil, the show made him human again with the removal of a stone by Desmond, and then killed him off via a gun shot to the back? It wasn't the ending Smokey deserved.

It was also just hokey. The driving rainstorm. Jack's slow-motion jump/punch. Kate's line about saving one bullet for Locke. I expect such levels of cheese from bad action movies, not iconic TV shows.

Of course, these aren't the developments fans will be debating and discussing in the hours, weeks and months to come. Did everything on the island feel sloppy and arbitrary? Yes. But it was what we learned about the characters' off-island lives that will be lighting up our Comments section below (be opinionated there, but please be respectful of each other).

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Who Won Celebrity Apprentice 2010

Bret Michaels work with contestants for his show Sinbad, Rod Blagojevich, Michael Johnson, Selita Ebanks, and Cyndi Lauper to return for the live telecast. Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich thanked Donald Trump for allowing him to be on the show to help the charity.

He beat actress Holly Robinson Peete after the pair went head to head in a contest sponsored by soft drink giant Snapple.

Each had to invent a new flavour for the company. Michaels came up with a Trop-A-Rocka blend, while Peete invented a Compassionberry Tea.

Michaels, 47, won $250,000 for his charity of choice – the American Diabetes Association. He is a diabetes sufferer.

The singer, famous for his colorful bandannas and long blond hair, survived the brain hemorrhage and appeared on the road to recovery but was then readmitted to hospital after experiencing numbness on the left side of his body.

Celebrity Apprentice 3 FULL Cast: Met and Yankees star Darryl Strawberry, ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Sinbad and old pop star Cyndi Lauper, Sharon Osbourne (“America’s Got Talent“) and Bret Michaels (“Rock of Love“), actress Holly Robinson Peete, funny lady Carol Leifer, wrestlers Bill Goldberg and Maria Kanellis

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