BOTNS Top 10 #15

1) Mama from That's My Mama: We have lots of choices to honor on Mother's Day, but how about someone who's right there in the title of her show: MAMA! Yes, we salute you, Eloise, and TV and real moms everywhere.




2) Maureen McCormick: Good for the former Marcia Brady for calling out anti-vaxxers who were using an old Brady Bunch episode as inspiration. I don't get medical advice from that show. Dating advice, career advice, sliced meats advice--yes. But not medical advice.

3) Pat Sajak: Was recognized by Guinness for being the game show host with the longest run hosting the same show. There seems to be no previous recordholder, meaning they just DECIDED this. How powerful IS Pat Sajak, anyway, that people just want to create records for him?

4) Telma Hopkins: The irrepressible Telma Hopkins (doesn't it feel like she would be called that?) has returned to TV in Netflix's Dead Like Me.

5) Jim Fowler: Speaking of which (sorry), R.I.P. to the longtime Wild Kingdom host and late-night guest, who passed away last week. How's this for a clip: No biggie, just Jim diving out of a helicopter:




6) Jacques Cousteau: The producers of Free Solo will make a documentary about the legendary oceanographer for National Geographic. Cousteau was an accomplished man...but did he ever dive out of a helicopter?

7) Leonard Nimoy: A nice tribute here on MeTV's website contains a lot of cool pics.

8) Marie Osmond: She is taking over on...uh, some daytime gabfest, replacing...uh, someone.

9) Bruce Boxleitner: The actor was born on this day in 1950. Anyone remember this show?



Bruce, Lacey from Caddyshack, Superfly, and Wong from Dr. Strange!


10 (tie): Kim Fields/McKenzie Astin: Both stars of Facts of Life celebrate birthdays today, though one was, well, a little more instrumental to the series' success than the other.

But I'm not embedding a video of her:

Happy birthday, Martha Quinn!

One of the original MTV VJs, Martha Quinn, was born May 11, 1959. Here's Quinn sharing some music trivia on the channel in 1983. Stick around for the vintage Clearasil ad!

Happy birthday, Pat Summerall!

The former NFL player and longtime voice of the NFC on CBS (then FOX) was born May 10, 1930. It's hard to imagine football in the 1980s without him, but he was also linked to a certain iconic CBS entertainment series. Check out this great clip from A Football Life:

This Day in TV History: Farewell, Golden Girls

May 9, 1992, NBC broadcast The Golden Girls season finale after 7 seasons and pretty darned close to 200 episodes:





This scene makes me almost as emotional as when Mike and I played Golden Girls Mad Libs in a bonus episode.

Click here for the full episode we did about the series!

BOTNS Top Ten #14

1) Ann B. Davis: The late actress was born this day in 1926. Let's take a look at this rare Brady Bunch/Battle of the Network Stars crossover:




2) Alyssa Milano: Is launching a new podcast designed to show everyone how socially conscious she is--I mean, to explore issues related to social consciousness. I can't make fun of Eva Savealot.

3) Cops: Celebrating its 30th anniversary, and obviously the nation's declining crime rates are directly correlated with this landmark series.

4) Shannen Doherty: I don't know if she did it in purpose, but she kinda looks like the biggest star by being the last one to commit to the 90210 revival.

5) Press Your Luck: The upcoming ABC reboot landed Elizabeth Banks as its host.

6) David Hartman: All this talk of turmoil behind the scenes at CBS' morning show makes me flash back to a kinder, gentler time and network:




7) Yogi Bear: Boomerang's SVOD service added a bunch of Yogi-related content, including Yogi's Space Race, this weekend.

8) The Star Wars Holiday Special: Not a single person invited me to their May 4 viewing party. Or do you mean to tell me people are actually celebrating "May the Fourth Be With You" without watching this television classic?

9) The Friar's Club Roasts: Get TV, which I really wish I GOT, announced it is showing two of these old (pre-Dean Martin's Celebrity Roasts) specials this month.

10) Tina Yothers: The former Family Ties star, who was at least the third-most popular Keaton child, was born on this day in 1973.

Happy World Password Day

It's World Password Day, and you know what? We don't care if it is intended to raise awareness of digital security. We're using this as an excuse to post a Bert Convy clip:

Happy birthday, Max Robinson!

The late newsman Max Robinson made history by becoming the first African-American to anchor a national newscast in 1978 when ABC World News Tonight unveiled a 3-anchor format in the wake of the failed Harry Reasoner/Barbara Walters pairing. Robinson was in Chicago, with Frank Reynolds in D.C. and Peter Jennings in London.

Sadly, Robinson had a troubled tenure at ABC and died at 49 from AIDS. Let's check him out in his prime, talking election coverage, the Ford Pinto, and more in this 1978 News Brief (Plus a mid-break appearance by Norm Crosby pitching Natural Light):