Red Green Show

The Red Green Show is a television comedy that aired on CBC Television in Canada and on PBS in the United States from 1991 until the series finale 7 April 2006 on CBC. Reruns currently air on CBC Television, CBC Country Canada, The Comedy Network, and various PBS stations. It was produced by S&S Productions, which is owned by Steve and Morag Smith, and directed by William G. Elliott.



The show
The Red Green Show is essentially a cross between a sitcom and a sketch comedy series, and is a parody of home improvement, do-it-yourself, fishing, and other outdoors shows (particularly The Red Fisher Show). The plot of a typical episode is expressed through a series of comedic sketches that are spread throughout the episode. These sketches draw from the same single set of characters and almost always take place inside Possum Lodge. Between the main plot sketches are an assortment of usually unrelated segments that touch on a variety of topics, from home improvement and marriage advice to slapstick comedy.


The title character, Red Green (Steve Smith), is a lazy handyman who generally tries to find shortcuts to most of his projects, trusting the vast majority of his work to duct tape (which he calls "the handyman's secret weapon" and the "universal adapter"). He is the president of the Possum Lodge, a fictional men's club in the small town of Possum Lake, Canada, near the also-fictional town of Port Asbestos. He and his fellow lodge members have their own TV show (which is more or less the show itself), in which they give humorous lessons and demonstrations in repair work and outdoor activities (such as fishing and camping), and advice for men on relating to women, among other things. The characters Bob & Doug McKenzie, from SCTV's Great White North sketch, are an obvious comparison and a likely inspiration (with Dave Thomas, who played Doug McKenzie, appearing on The Red Green Show along with his real life brother Ian Thomas, as Ben and Dougie Franklin).

The show's basic concept is that it is a cable TV show, taped in part on a hand-held camera by Red's nephew Harold. The show's structure has evolved over time and now includes several regular segments that appear in almost every show. These segments are interspersed with each episode's three main plot segments, and they include such staples as the "Possum Lodge Word Game", "Handyman Corner", and "Adventures with Bill" (a slapstick home movie-style sketch with a voiceover by Red).

In "Handyman Corner", Red attempts to demonstrate creative and often humorous ways to tackle relatively common tasks, such as taking out the trash or making use of derelict cars. Memorable examples include a paddlewheeler made out of a van on pallets and a revolving door, a jetpack made from two propane tanks, a hybrid car from recycled golf carts and satellite dishes, and a kiddie ride made from a bar stool attached to the agitator of a washing machine. Green often uses duct tape in these projects; in one episode, he even tried to duct tape the Ontario-Quebec border as a potential solution to Quebec separatism. The segment customarily concludes with the aphorism "If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy."

"Adventures with Bill" is a black-and-white segment in the form of a narrated home movie, in which Red and Bill attempt to accomplish a task or go on some adventure, invariably leading to slapstick comedy. (Later in the series, other characters would be featured, sometimes without Red or Bill.) Red narrates each Adventure as the action occurs.

Red also gives sage advice from behind his fly tying workbench, "North of Forty", usually talking to older men about married life or coping with changing society ("Let's face it," he quips in one episode, "these days, if you're not young, you're old.") This segment always concludes with "Remember, I'm pulling for you. We're all in this together." "Buddy System" involved Red and another character giving men advice on how to get out of a jam with their wives, although Red was usually replaced by another character in later seasons.

"The Possum Lodge Word Game" usually appears as the second or third segment of the show, immediately following the first plot segment. It is structured much like Password and Pyramid, in which the objective is to get a contestant to say a certain word in thirty seconds by giving them various clues. On this program, however, the contestant almost always gives either way off or odd answers through the segment, but finally says the correct word by accident, usually as part of a punch line.

In earlier episodes, Red often recites small bits of poetry in the woods, and the segments are named depending on the season and a humorous twist on a famous saying. For example, a winter segment is named "Winter of Our Discount Tent". In later seasons, the characters give brief biographical sketches (consisting of various odd historical photos accompanied by narration) of "famous" Possum Lake residents.

Other regular segments include "The Experts", where Red and another character answer alleged letters from viewers and always give ridiculous advice; Ranger Gord's "educational" safety cartoons (featuring anthropomorphic animals that look like Red and Harold); and occasional advice segments by Dalton Humphrey and Mike Hamar. Hap Shaughnessy appears in many segments and always tells outlandish stories about his life—among other things, he claims to have been an astronaut, to have invented television and basketball, and to have once advised Walt Disney on how many fingers to put on Mickey Mouse.

The show usually concludes with Red giving a message to his wife, Bernice (usually a double entendre), and delivering his signature piece of life advice in the form of a hockey metaphor: "Keep your stick on the ice." This is followed by a general meeting of the Possum Lodge membership, which begins with the ritual stating of the Lodge motto: "Quando omni flunkus moritati" (Pseudo-Latin for "When all else fails, play dead"). From season 6 onward, this is followed by the Man's Prayer: "I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to, I guess."


History of the show
Smith originally created the character of Red Green for his 1979–1985 sketch comedy series Smith & Smith. The sketch was a parody of the long-running Canadian outdoors show The Red Fisher Show (1968–1989), starring BH "Red" Fisher, in which Red and his friends would show silent films of their fishing trips with commentary at "Scuttlebutt Lodge". The character also appeared in Me & Max and The Comedy Mill before becoming the focus of his own series.

The Red Green Show was produced first by CHCH in Hamilton, Ontario, then by CFPL in London, then by the Global Television Network, before finally finding its permanent home at CBC Television for the 1997 season (its seventh) onward. The show was renamed The New Red Green Show upon its move to Global, and would keep this title until its second season at CBC.

The show ended April 7, 2006 after its 15th season with exactly 300 episodes. (This longevity inspired a joke in one episode, where Red says "The question is, can you do anything with crap? Obviously the answer is yes, we're in our fourteenth season.")

The last episode was filmed on November 5, 2005, at the Showline Studios Harbourside location. At the time the season began taping, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation was locked out, rendering the show's studios at the Canadian Broadcasting Centre unusable. The last episode concluded with the show breaking the fourth wall by thanking the audience and fans for their popularity. In addition, the Man's Prayer was changed to "I'm a man / but I changed / because I had to / Oh, well."

The low-budget movie Duct Tape Forever (2002), was based on The Red Green Show. It was screened in select American theaters, but did not receive a wide release. It has since appeared occasionally on PBS stations during pledge drives.

In previous years, the show would stage live mini-telethons (sometimes called "Red Green-a-thons") for public television stations in the United States. These usually coincided with national PBS fundraising drives, and featured contests between various PBS stations carrying the show.

Since 2000, Red Green has been the "Ambassador of Scotch® Duct Tape" for 3M.

Smith says he has no intentions of ever reprising his character, partially because he has found it more difficult to maintain the character's distinctive gravelly voice.[citation needed] However, there is a Red Green cartoon, Planet Harold, in development, said to be a prequel in which Harold is a teenager.


DVD release
There are six compilation DVDs, labelled as "Stuffed and Mounted" volumes 1 through 6. Each DVD contains episodes from various seasons of the show, up to Season 10 (the most current season at the time these DVDs were released) however Season 2 was for some reason not featured on any of these volumes. Also, each episode on the "Stuffed and Mounted" DVDs features a spoken word introduction by Steve Smith (out of character, as evidenced by his higher pitched voice).
In May 2006, the seventh season of the show was the first complete season to be released on DVD. The eighth season DVD set was released on 15 May 2007. The ninth (1999) season is to be released on DVD February 26th 2008. The studio plans to release all 15 seasons on DVD, but no word has surfaced on the release dates of the other 12 seasons.
The complete season sets are identified by year, not season number; thus the 7th season is labelled as "1997 Season", the 8th season is "1998 Season", and so on.

Main characters

Red Green
The title character of The Red Green Show, Red (Steve Smith) is the leader of Possum Lodge and a self-proclaimed handyman who is constantly extolling the virtues of duct tape ("the handyman's secret weapon"). He is married to Bernice Green and does not have any children.

According to Red's DVD biography, Red became the leader of Possum Lodge after gradually becoming more involved with it over time and becoming "the only guy nobody hated." At one point, he borrowed a large sum of money from his brother just before his brother lost his job. In repayment, Red employed his nephew Harold as the producer and director of The Red Green Show.

In addition to being a handyman, Red also has several main philosophies in life, some of which are passed on to the lodge as a whole. Chief among them is the phrase "Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati" (pseudo-Latin for "When all else fails, play dead"). He also concludes each of his Handyman Corner segments with the phrase, "If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy."

Red owns what is known as "the Possum Van", an early 80s model Dodge Ram cargo van, painted as a grey possum on a pale blue background, and with a license plate reading simply "POSSUM". It is one of Red's few vehicles that actually runs. It has played (and donated) many parts in Handyman's Corner projects.

Red's dry, often sarcastic wit is balanced by a strong sense of camaraderie with his fellow lodge members, partly because he directs most of his sarcasm toward Harold. Despite this, Harold and the rest of Possum Lodge seem to regard Red with a high level of respect, though occasionally some of the lodge members will challenge his authority in one way or another.


Harold Green
Harold (Patrick McKenna) is Red's nephew and the fictional producer and director of The Red Green Show. He is a nerd—he has a significant overbite, wears thick glasses, is very eager and sensitive, and is one of the most intelligent members of Possum Lodge. He is often appalled by the behavior of the other lodge members (and even Red himself), and he puts a lot of effort into trying to change everyone's behavior, usually with little to no success.

Harold's advanced knowledge of computers, television and technology originally landed him the job of producer and director of the TV show. Later in the show's history, he became employed at Multicorp and went to work in the neighboring town of Port Asbestos. He later became the publicity manager for Possum Lake, and eventually fell in love with Bonnie, a commercial truck driver who shares nearly all of his unusual mannerisms. The two were married in the final episode of the series.

Harold and Red spend much of their time on the show trading insults and poking fun at each other. While they have shown they can cooperate with one another at times, Harold is often very critical of Red's ideas and schemes, but usually ends up going along with them anyway.

In the movie Duct Tape Forever, Harold is not a member of the Possum Lodge. At the end, the brotherhood accept him and take him in.


Dalton Humphrey
Dalton (Bob Bainborough) is the owner of Humphrey's Everything Store and is one of Red's best friends. He is one of the few financially successful lodge members, most notably because he makes up fake history for the junk he sells in his store and fools gullible city people into thinking they're priceless antiques and paying a fortune for them. He is also a notorious cheapskate. In the meantime, he tries to conserve money as much as possible, shortchanging and cheating people if necessary. When he isn't complaining about the state of things at his store, he generally complains about his troubled marriage to Ann Marie and their daughter's spending habits. ("Thirty dollars for a pair of jeans! Can you believe it?!")

Dalton has been with the show since season 4 and takes part in the vast majority of the show's main storylines. He has a strong relationship with Red, joining him on his regular fishing trips and taking part in many aspects of the Possum Lodge operations. He also takes his fatherhood very seriously, often trying to pass on his ideas and wisdom to other people (most notably Harold). He generally tells people exactly what he thinks of them, even if it means offending them.

Ann Marie only appeared onscreen once, in the final episode where she and Dalton renewed their wedding vows (her face was obscured by her bridal veil), however she was sometimes seen in shadow in scenes set near their home (her voice was provided by Jennifer Irwin). Their daughter, Tabitha, appeared in the film Duct Tape Forever although there she goes by the name Mandy.


Mike Hamar
Mike (Wayne Robson) is a career criminal who joined Possum Lodge while on parole from federal prison. He has become another of Red's best friends and often tries to help out around the Lodge, though he is not very good at handyman tasks in general. He talks a lot about his troubled childhood—mostly about his mother (an exotic dancer) and many fathers. Mike suffers from low self-esteem and poor planning, usually causing those around him to try to cheer him up again. ("No, that's okay Mike. The wall looks good with the hole in it.") He is the only character who regularly refers to Red as "Mr. Green." As revealed in the final episode, Mike eventually becomes a police officer, causing the crime rate to plummet... since he now has a full-time job.


Winston Rothschild, III
Winston (Jeff Lumby) is the owner and sole employee of Rothschild's Sewage and Septic Sucking Services. Like Dalton and Mike, Winston is one of Red Green's friends and takes part in the day-to-day operations at Possum Lodge. He is always seen wearing a hard hat, a white button-down shirt, a bowtie, hip waders, and heavy boots. He is generally upbeat and has a positive outlook on life, and is usually able to look on the bright side of things even in the face of certain disaster. He is also a fan of self help speakers Anthony Anthony (whom he likes to quote) and Walter Mollusk.

A true entrepreneur, Winston describes sewage and septic sucking as his lifelong dream. He owns his own equipment and a septic truck—apparently his only means of transportation, even on his usually unsuccessful dates. Throughout the series, he appears in a wide variety of commercials advertising his septic sucking business, almost always with a humorous quip ("We're number one in the number two business"; "We'll take that smell off your hands"; etc.). In later episodes, his commercials tend to parody the advertising campaigns of numerous Canadian companies.


Secondary characters
The following characters appear frequently on the show, but almost never within the main story segments.


Bill Smith
Bill (Rick Green) is the star of the "Adventures with Bill" segment, in which he and at least one other character (usually Red) attempt to perform relatively simple tasks or try a sport or game in the clumsiest, most accident-prone way possible. (These segments are done in a silent home-movie format with a voiceover by Red, which, interestingly, seems to switch back and forth between past and present tense.) Bill rarely actually speaks, and has only appeared on the main set of the show in the second season (still silently) and in the series' final episode—these are also the only times Bill is ever seen in color, since the "Adventures" segments are shot in black & white. In some segments, Bill can be heard speaking in gibberish, but the explanation for not hearing him clearly is usually that the camera they use for these segments has a weak microphone. Later in the show's history, the "Adventures with Bill" segment was expanded to include more characters and not necessarily Bill himself.

In each "Adventures" segment in which Bill appears, he usually attempts to do something of an outdoors nature, such as backpacking, building something, chopping down a tree, or playing a sport. Each of his actions are basically slapstick comedy routines—for example, when he swings an axe, it flies out of his hands and smashes into another character or Red's Possum Van. In what has become a classic occurrence, Bill often manages to knock the side mirrors, or one of them, off the van. He can also store large tools and miscellaneous items in his overalls, and pull them out on demand. Many segments show Bill getting hurt somehow, but apparently not seriously or permanently. (One segment in particular ends with Bill's arms crushed and flattened in a grape press.) There is generally no continuity from one "Adventures" segment to the next, and Bill comes back in the following episode good as new.

Ranger Gord
Ranger Gord (Peter Keleghan) is the local forest ranger who spends almost all of his time alone in Fire Watch Tower 13, and, later in the series, Tower 3. His full name is Gordon Ranger, but he prefers not to be called "Ranger Ranger." He is always seen wearing his ranger outfit (which he apparently launders using only a blow dryer), and he finds various eccentric ways to pass his time, even while Red is visiting. For example, he has been seen making nature-sounds tapes by mimicking animal noises into a tape recorder, and he claims to use baked beans as his alarm clock. In one episode, he even is found by Red to be hibernating.

Gord has worked in his watch tower for more than fourteen years without a paycheck, and claims to have been a forest ranger his entire life. His apparent reason for becoming a ranger was that he thought Smokey the Bear was talking directly to him in one of his famous public service announcements ("Only you can prevent forest fires"). He frequently breaks out in tears during Red's visits as he talks about how lonely he is and/or how much of a sacrifice he makes at his job. During one visit, Gord claimed to have gotten so lonely that he ate the watch tower, then later moved on to another tower in season 7.

Later in the series (seasons 9 to 13, between 1999 and 2004), Ranger Gord made a series of 23 short "educational" cartoons about the environment. Written, animated, produced, directed and voiced by Gord himself, these films always feature an animated version of Gord as a muscle-bound super-hero type, and Red and Harold Green make appearances as a possum and beaver, respectively. The cartoons' subjects have included finding gold at the end of a rainbow, planting a cell phone to grow a telephone pole, and a fire fight against the Sun and its deadly ultraviolet rays. (The cartoons were actually written by staff writers, and were designed, directed and animated by Bryce Hallett of Frog Feet Productions.)

The original fire watch tower shown in seasons 1–2 appeared to be a simple treehouse. From seasons 3–6, it was filmed in an actual watch tower. By season 8, it was a set. (Gord appeared in the Lodge during season 7, after eating the front two legs of the tower and causing it to fall down). In the movie Duct Tape Forever, the tower had burned down and Ranger Gord was then in charge of a train station.


Edgar K. B. Montrose
Edgar Montrose (Graham Greene) is Possum Lodge's explosives enthusiast. He believes that any problem (including leaky roofs and invasive weeds) can be solved with explosives. He is usually seen wearing singed overalls, a cracked construction helmet and a pair of ear protectors, though he rarely covers his ears with them. According to himself, Edgar was born in Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, and he started using explosives at a young age. He later enlisted in the Army and was dishonorably discharged after only three weeks, when he blew up the main office ("turns out they were only thinking of building a new one").

Edgar's heavy use of explosives over the years has caused him to lose most of his hearing. As he says, "What doesn't kill you, makes you hard of hearing." This often leads to nonsensical responses to questions. (For example, Red asks him, "What have you brought for us today, Edgar?" and Edgar responds, "Oh, just fine, Red.") He is also missing a finger on his left hand, though the story of how he lost it changes each time he tells it. He claims not to have many friends, and according to his DVD biography, he "has yet to meet a woman that likes to spend a Saturday night watching him blow a fully grown Douglas Fir tree clean over the lake."

Edgar's middle initials, K.B., are rumored to stand for "Ka Boom!", his favorite catchphrase. His favorite movie, is The Bridge on the River Kwai, saying, "Did you see that baby go up at the end?"

After seeing the movie Dances With Wolves, Edgar thought that the "native guy" (Kicking Bird) should have received an Oscar for his role. (Graham Greene played both roles.)


Hap Shaughnessy
Hap Shaughnessy (Gordon Pinsent) is the water-taxi captain of Possum Lake, but he is much better known at Possum Lodge for his tall tales. In virtually every appearance he makes on the show, he makes a ridiculous claim to have been a significant person in history, or to have accomplished some incredible feat. Nobody else on the show believes him, but he will go to great lengths to tell his stories anyway. For example, he has claimed that he invented basketball while working undercover for the CIA, that he once filled in for Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, and that he even fought a whale for "ten, twenty months." In one episode, it is hinted that he lies about his past because he has a poor self-image.

Hap is always seen wearing a Royal Canadian Regiment baseball cap, which is a nod to Pinsent's own military service as a soldier in the Regiment during the early 1950s.


Ed Frid
Ed Frid (Jerry Schaefer) is the animal control officer of Possum Lake. Ironically, he is deathly afraid of almost all animals and believes they are out to get him. (He is most afraid of hamsters—"They're evil. E-vil.") He is featured on The Red Green Show in the "Talking Animals" segment, in which Red tries to get Ed to show the audience a small animal, such as a weasel or a leech. Invariably, something goes wrong and causes Ed to panic, usually bringing an abrupt and comedic end to the segment.

Red Green Show - A Handy Computer Desk


Red Green Show - Luxury Car


Red Green Show - Red's Hot Sauce


Red Green Show - Line Dancing

Mr. Bean

Mr. Bean is a British comedy television series of 14 half-hour episodes starring Rowan Atkinson as the title character. It was written by Rowan Atkinson, Robin Driscoll, Richard Curtis and Ben Elton. The self-titled first episode was broadcast on 1 January 1990, with the final episode, "Goodnight, Mr. Bean", on 31 October 1995.

The series followed the exploits of Mr. Bean, described by Atkinson as "a child in a grown man's body", in solving various problems presented by everyday tasks and often causing disruption in the process.

During its five year run the series gained large UK audience figures, including 18.74 million for the 1992 episode "The Trouble With Mr Bean", and was the recipient of a number of international awards, including the Rose d'Or. The show has been sold in over 200 territories worldwide, and has inspired two feature films and an animated cartoon spin-off.



Characters

Mr. Bean
The title character, played by Rowan Atkinson, is a slow-witted, sometimes ingenious, childishly selfish and generally likeable buffoon who brings various unusual schemes and connivances to everyday tasks. He lives alone in his small flat in Highbury, North London, and is almost always seen in his trademark tweed jacket and skinny red tie. Mr. Bean rarely speaks, and when he does it is generally only a few mumbled words. His first name (he names himself "Bean" to others) and profession, if any, are never mentioned, though he has been shown in the first episode to have a strong knowledge of trigonometry. (In the first film adaptation, on his passport "Mr." appears under the "first name" field and he is shown employed as a guard at London's National Gallery. In Mr. Bean's Holiday, "Rowan" is seen on his passport name field. In a Blind Date parody, when asked of his first name, he responds "Mr.")

Mr. Bean often seems unaware of basic aspects of the way the world works, and the programme usually features his attempts at what would normally be considered simple tasks, such as going swimming, redecorating or taking an exam. The humour largely comes from his original (and often absurd) solutions to any problems and his total disregard for others when solving them, his pettiness, and occasional malevolence.

At the beginning of episode two onwards, Mr. Bean falls from the sky in a beam of light, accompanied by a choir singing Ecce homo qui est faba - Behold the man who is a bean. These opening sequences were initially in black and white in episodes 2 and 3, and were intended by the producers to show his status as an "ordinary man cast into the spotlight". However, later episodes showed Mr. Bean dropping from the night sky in a deserted London street, against the backdrop of St. Paul's Cathedral; later, in the animated series, he was shown to be an alien. Atkinson himself has acknowledged that Bean "has a slightly alien aspect to him".



Teddy

Bean and teddyTeddy is Mr. Bean's teddy bear, generally regarded as Mr. Bean's best friend. Although inanimate, the bear is often privy to Mr. Bean's various schemes and doubles as a good dish cloth or paint brush in an emergency. The bear is a dark brown, knitted oddity with button eyes and sausage-shaped limbs, invariably ending up broken in half or in various other states of destruction. Occasionally, Bean pretends Teddy is animate. For example, when Mr. Bean hypnotizes Teddy, he snaps his fingers and the bear's head falls backwards as if it has fallen asleep instantly (Bean used his finger to prop Teddy's head up). Certainly, Bean behaves as if the bear is real, buying it a Christmas present or trying not to wake it in the mornings. Mr. Bean seems to have a supply of Teddy bears, as his bear was decapitated ("Mr. Bean in Room 426") and shrunken in the wash ("Tee Off, Mr. Bean"), and has been revived in later episodes.



Mr. Bean's Mini
Mr. Bean's car, a late 1970s MK IV British Leyland Mini 1000, developed a character of sorts. At first, an orange 1969 Morris Mini MK II (registration RNT 996H, although the body of the car was actually from an MK1 car of 1963/64) was Mr. Bean's vehicle of choice, but this was destroyed in a crash at the end of the first episode. From then on, the car was a 1977 model (registration SLW 287R), luminous lime green in colour with a black bonnet. It made its first appearance in "The Curse of Mr. Bean".


Mr. Bean's Mini.The Mini was central to several antics, such as Mr. Bean getting dressed in it while driving or steering it while sitting in an armchair strapped to the roof. It also had a number of innovative security measures; Mr. Bean fitted the door with a bolt-latch and padlock, rather than use the lock fitted on the car, and he always removed the steering wheel instead of the key, which formed a running joke in several episodes, at one point deterring a car thief. In Mr. Bean Rides Again, he also hid the ignition key under the car bonnet, the key for the bonnet was kept in the boot, the key for the boot was attached to the sun visor above the driver's seat. The key to the car door was the only key Bean kept with him. The car, confused with another demonstration car of the exact same model (registration ACW 497V), was crushed by a tank in "Back to School, Mr. Bean", but returned in later episodes, perhaps having actually been the identical demonstration car from that point on.

The Mini is often seen in conflict with a light blue Reliant Regal Supervan III, (registration GRA 26K), which will usually get tipped over, crashed into, bumped out of its parking space and so forth. This conflict originated in the first episode, when the three-wheeler held his Mini up on the way to a mathematics exam, and subsequently became a running joke throughout the series.

One of the original Mr. Bean Minis is on display at the Cars of the Stars Motor Museum in Keswick, northern England. Both the Mini and the Reliant re-appeared as characters in the animated Mr. Bean cartoons, and in the film Mr. Bean's Holiday yet another Mini appears – a lighter yellow/green than the original, registration YGL 572T. Also seen is a French version of his Mini, owned by the character Sabine which wears a Paris registration and is left hand drive. In the animated series his Mini's registration plate number is STE 952R.



Irma Gobb

Matilda Ziegler's last appearance as Irma Globb in Merry Christmas, Mr. BeanMr. Bean's "girlfriend" Irma Gobb, played by Matilda Ziegler, appeared in a number of episodes. She is treated relatively inconsiderately by Bean, who appears to regard her more as a friend and companion than a love interest. However, he does become jealous when she dances with another man at a disco in "Mr. Bean Goes to Town", and she certainly expects him to propose to her on Christmas Day in "Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean", with his failure to do so resulting in her leaving him for good (she does not appear in any subsequent episodes). The character later appeared in the animated series. The spin-off book Mr. Bean's Diary (1993) states that Mr. Bean met Irma Gobb at a local library.

Although Mr. Bean is the only significant human character in the programme, other characters appear, usually as foils for his various antics. Other than his girlfriend, Mr. Bean's only friends appear to be Hubert and Rupert, who appear as Bean's New Years party guests in the episode "Do-it-Yourself, Mr. Bean" (although they altered his living room clock and fled to the party in the flat opposite, gaining real friends in the process). However, several notable British actors and comedians appear alongside Atkinson in sketches as various one-off supporting characters, including Richard Briers, Angus Deayton, Nick Hancock, Caroline Quentin, Danny La Rue, David Schneider and Richard Wilson.



Origins and influences
The character of Mr. Bean was first developed when Rowan Atkinson was studying for his MSc at Oxford University. A sketch featuring the character was being performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in the early 1980s.[5] A similar character called Robert Box, played by Atkinson, appeared in the one-off 1979 ITV sitcom Canned Laughter. In 1987, one of Mr. Bean's earliest appearances occurred at the "Just For Laughs" comedy festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. When program co-ordinators were scheduling Atkinson into the festival program, Atkinson insisted that he perform on the French-speaking bill rather than the English-speaking program. Having no French dialogue in his act at all, program co-ordinators could not understand why Atkinson wanted to perform on the French bill. As it turned out, Atkinson's act at the festival was a test platform for the Mr. Bean character and Atkinson wanted to see how the silent character's physical comedy would fare on an international stage with a non-English speaking audience.

The name of the character was not decided after the first programme had been produced, with a number of other vegetable-influenced names, such as Mr. Cauliflower, being explored.[6] Rowan Atkinson has cited the earlier comedy character Monsieur Hulot, created by French comedian and director Jacques Tati, as an influence on the character of Mr. Bean.[7] Stylistically, Mr. Bean is also very similar to early silent films, relying purely upon physical comedy, with Mr. Bean speaking very little dialogue. This has allowed the series to be sold worldwide without any significant changes to dialogue.


Production and broadcast
The programme was produced by Tiger Television, later renamed Tiger Aspect, for the ITV network by Thames Television from 1990 to 1992 and then by Central from 1993 to 1995. After its original run it has been shown repeatedly on satellite channels such as Nickelodeon and Paramount Comedy 2, and internationally.

The record selling UK videos were withdrawn shortly before the release of the Bean movie and DVDs are being released on an annual basis as of 2004.


Music
Mr. Bean is unusual amongst comedy series in featuring a choral theme tune, written by Howard Goodall and performed by the Choir of Southwark Cathedral (later Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford). The words sung during the title sequences are in Latin:

Ecce homo qui est faba – "Behold the man who is a bean" (sung at beginning)
Finis partis primae – "End of part one" (sung before the commercial break)
Pars secunda – "Part two" (sung after the commercial break)
Vale homo qui est faba – "Farewell, man who is a bean" (sung at end)
The theme was later released on Goodall's album Choral Works. Goodall also wrote an accompanying music track for many episodes.

The first episode of Mr. Bean did not feature the choral theme tune, but instead an up-beat instrumental piece, also composed by Howard Goodall, which was more an incidental tune than a theme. It was used while Bean drove between locations intimidating the blue Reliant, and as such, was sometimes heard in later episodes whenever Bean's nemesis is seen.

In the episode "Tee Off, Mr. Bean" Howard Goodall's choral theme tune for another Richard Curtis comedy, The Vicar of Dibley, is heard playing on a car stereo. In Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean, while playing with Queen's Royal Guards figurines and the nativity set, he hums "The British Grenadiers", which was used as theme to Blackadder Goes Forth.

Mr. Bean appears in a music video made for the 1991 Comic Relief fund raising single by Hale and Pace called The Stonk. Mr. Bean also appeared in the music video for Boyzone's single Picture Of You in 1997. The song featured on the soundtrack to the first Bean movie.

Mr Bean also made a Comic relief record in 1992. This was (I want to be) Elected and was credited to "Mr Bean and Smear Campaign featuring Bruce Dickinson" This was a cover of an Alice Cooper song and reached number 9 in the UK singles chart.

Mr. Bean goes to the swimming pool


MR BEAN IN TOILET


Mr Bean rides the train


mr.bean going out with girlfriend


Mr. Bean - Goodnight Mr.Bean

Thats Incredible!

That's Incredible! was a reality television show that ran on the ABC television network from 1980 to 1984. In the tradition of Ripley's Believe It or Not! and Real People, the show featured people performing stunts and reenactments of allegedly paranormal events. The show was co-hosted by John Davidson, Fran Tarkenton and Cathy Lee Crosby, and was produced by Alan Landsburg Productions. Originally aired as an hour-long program, episodes were later re-edited into 30 minute segments for syndication.

That's Incredible! was revived in 1988, hosted by Davidson, Cristina Ferrare, and Tracey Gold and was renamed Incredible Sunday. It lasted only during the 1988–1989 season.

A number of the stunts performed were quite dangerous, including juggling knives, staying inside a small box for hours, and one involving a man catching a bullet between his teeth (at least seven people have lost their lives attempting that stunt). The dangerous nature of these stunts eventually prompted producers to augment the footage with the caption "Do Not Try This Yourself". Steve Baker also known as "Mr. Escape", was frequently featured on the show.


In popular culture
The program is mentioned in the song "TV Party" by the punk group Black Flag.
MAD Magazine produced a feature cartoon in 1981 titled That's Real Incredible, People, mocking the blurred distinction between That's Incredible and Real People.


That's Incredible! promo - TV24 WCGV Milwaukee (1984)


Soap Bubble Artist


That's Incredible!


James Hydrick on "That's Incredible"


Rodney Mullen That's Incredible

Bosom Buddies

Bosom Buddies is an American sitcom starring Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari created by Robert L. Boyett, Thomas L. Miller and Chris Thompson. It ran from 1980 to 1982 on ABC.

The series was originally conceived by Miller and Boyett as both a takeoff on the movie Some Like It Hot and a male counterpart to their hit farce show Laverne and Shirley. After the cast had been chosen, Miller and Boyett asked Chris Thompson, one of the writer-producers of Laverne and Shirley, to write the pilot and be the series showrunner. Thompson (who would go on to executive-produce such shows as The Larry Sanders Show), said later that he took the job purely for the money, but unexpectedly found it to be "my completely favorite experience in show business," because the network left him and his young cast free to experiment. "We were left alone," he recalled. "Nobody was paying attention to us. We were all really young, but it was like we had daddy's Porsche. We had $500,000 to play with every week." The show became known for its quirky humor and its frequent use of improvisation, especially between stars Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari. Though the show started out with good ratings, it failed to hold the public's interest and was canceled after two seasons.




Premise
After their own apartment is demolished, two men disguise themselves as women in order to live in the women-only Susan B. Anthony Hotel because of the dirt cheap rent. Kip Wilson (Tom Hanks) is originally skeptical of the plan, but after meeting knock-out resident model/dancer/nurse Sonny Lumet (Donna Dixon), he ends up convincing aspiring writer Henry Desmond (Peter Scolari) that the experience will make a great book. Their co-worker, Amy Cassidy, (Wendie Jo Sperber) is the only resident in on the plan because she's attracted to Henry. In the first season, Kip, Henry, and Amy work for Ruth Dunbar (Holland Taylor) at the advertising firm of Livingston, Gentry & Mishkin, where Kip is a graphic artist, Henry is a copy writer, and Amy is the receptionist. Ruth often takes credit for the boys' work when reporting to her (unseen) boss, Mr. Rubinowitz.

The boys' deception includes outwitting the hotel manager, Lily Sinclair (Lucille Benson), and fellow resident, Isabelle Hammond (Telma Hopkins), an aspiring singer.

In the second season opener, Kip, Henry and Amy leave Livingston, Gentry & Mishkin to start their own advertising firm, Sixty Seconds Street, with Ruth serving as a not-quite silent partner.

In the first episode of the second season, the male characters' ruse of living in drag is revealed, although they are allowed to continue living at the women-only hotel anyway. Sonny forgives Kip for the deception, and as the new hotel manager replacing Lily, Isabelle agrees to go along with the ruse rather than admit it to the other residents.



Cast
Tom Hanks - Kip Wilson/Buffy (when in drag)
Peter Scolari - Henry Desmond/Hildegarde "Hildy" (when in drag)
Wendie Jo Sperber- Amy Cassidy, their co-worker and friend who knows their secret
Holland Taylor - Ruth Dunbar, their boss
Donna Dixon - Sonny Lumet
Telma Hopkins - Isabelle Hammond
Lucille Benson - Lilly Sinclair (First season only.)


Trivia
Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

The theme song for the opening credits was "My Life" by Billy Joel, although Joel's version was not used on the air. (The Internet Movie Database notes the cast sang the theme song, although this has not been verified.) Some reruns shown in syndication and all home video and DVD releases use a vocal version of the show's back credit instrumental theme, performed by Stephanie Mills, used for the front credits, with "My Life" removed altogether.
Although the series was produced on videotape, the pilot episode was shot on film.
Kip and Henry were named after two popular bars in Berkeley, CA.
Edie Adams plays the hotel manager in the pilot, and when Kip and Henry name each other's alter egos, they say Buffy and Hildy are sisters. Lucille Benson is introduced as the new hotel manager in the series, and she is told that Kip and Henry are Buffy and Hildy's brothers, respectively. Buffy and Hildy are allegedly from Saskatchewan, but Kip and Henry somehow attended high school in Shaker Heights, Ohio.
Peter Scolari appeared in the Tom Hanks directed feature film That Thing You Do! as an Ed Sullivan-style announcer. He also appeared as astronaut Pete Conrad in an episode of the Tom Hanks produced HBO series From the Earth to the Moon and co-starred with Hanks in The Polar Express.
Bosom Buddies was taped on Stage 25 at Paramount Pictures. Stage 25 was also the home of The Lucy Show, Cheers, and Frasier.


Bosom Buddies Opening


Bosom Buddies Sawing


Bosom Buddies leotard scene

Baywatch

Baywatch is a popular American television series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the crowded beaches of Los Angeles County, California. The show ran from 1989 to 2001. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Baywatch is the most watched TV show in the world of all time, with over 1.1 billion viewers.


Gregory J. Bonann worked as a Los Angeles County lifeguard, and started up a motion picture project about lifeguards that eventually became Baywatch. Baywatch premiered on NBC in 1989, but was cancelled after only one season because of the high cost of producing it and low ratings. Feeling the series still had potential, David Hasselhoff revived it for the first-run syndication market in 1991, investing his own money and additionally functioning as executive producer. The show was hugely successful, especially internationally. The show led to a spin-off: Baywatch Nights and a reunion movie, Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding.

In 1999, an Australian version was planned and cast members travelled to Sydney for filming. The idea was to have the established stars appear in the pilot, interacting with a local life saving organisation, and thus help launch "Baywatch Downunder". A pilot was filmed but the series was stopped when residents of Avalon put forth strong objections, including potential damage to a fragile ecosystem. Avalon council permanently barred all future filming, and the pilot remained unbroadcast for over a year, only to be panned by critics and viewers.

In Season 10, the location of the show was changed to Hawaii and the show's name was changed to Baywatch Hawaii.



Plot
The show starred David Hasselhoff, of Knight Rider fame, as Mitch Buchannon, who was the only mainstay on the show, besides Michael Newman, for 10 of the 11 seasons. Baywatch was centered around the work of a team of lifeguards and their interpersonal relationships, with plots usually centering on dangers related to beach and other activities pertinent to the California (later Hawaii) beach lifestyle. Everything from earthquakes to shark attacks to serial killers, and even nuclear bombs, served as plot conflicts on the show. Saving people from drowning tended to be one of the most typical situations used in the shows. Thus a trademark of the show was slow motion shots of the attractive lifeguards running, most notably done by Pamela Anderson, Yasmine Bleeth, Alexandra Paul, and David Charvet along with Hasselhoff during the height of the show.

After the 1997-1998 season, many cast members decided to leave as the writing staff for Baywatch began to recycle storylines used in earlier seasons.




Casting
Many different actors and actresses were featured on the show over its long run with most appearing for only a few seasons. Some of the other stars who became famous were Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra, Traci Bingham, Donna D'Errico, Nicole Eggert, David Chokachi, Gena Lee Nolin, Jaason Simmons, and Kelly Slater, a pro surfer, among many others. Erin Gray, former star of Silver Spoons and Buck Rogers, was among the cast.

The eleven seasons of the series dealt with a crew of tanned, muscular male and mostly large-breasted female lifeguards. It was one of the first network TV shows that featured frequent close-up shots of the large breasts.

Baywatch was most notable—some might say 'notorious'—for most of its female cast members dropping their lifeguard swimsuits for Playboy. Most of the female stars appeared in Playboy at the height of their fame on Baywatch, while Pamela Anderson and Carmen Electra had already appeared before joining the show. Yasmine Bleeth, who played lifeguard Caroline Holden, was at least one Baywatch actress who was offered $750,000.00 in 1998 to pose nude, but refused, vowing that she never would.


Cast and characters

Baywatch 1989–1999
David Hasselhoff – Mitch Buchannon (seasons 1–9)
Parker Stevenson – Craig Pomeroy (season 1, recurring seasons 8–9)
Shawn Weatherly – Jill Riley (season 1)
Billy Warlock – Eddie Kramer (seasons 1–3)
Erika Eleniak – Shauni McClain (seasons 1–3)
Gregory Alan Williams – Garner Ellerbee (seasons 1–5)
Peter Phelps – Trevor Cole (season 1)
Brandon Call – Hobie Buchannon (season 1)
Monte Markham – Don Thorpe (seasons 1–2)
Holly Gagnier – Gina Pomeroy (season 1)
John Allen Nelson – John D. Cort (season 1, recurring seasons 2, 4–5)
Jeremy Jackson – Hobie Buchannon (seasons 2–9)
Tom McTigue – Harvey Miller (season 2)
Richard Jaeckel – Ben Edwards (season 2, recurring seasons 3–4)
Pamela Anderson – C.J. Parker (seasons 3–7)
Alexandra Paul – Stephanie Holden (seasons 3–7)
David Charvet – Matt Brody (seasons 3–5, recurring season 6)
Nicole Eggert – Summer Quinn (seasons 3–4)
Kelly Slater – Jimmy Slade (season 3, recurring season 4)
Yasmine Bleeth – Caroline Holden (seasons 5–7, recurring season 8)
Jaason Simmons – Logan Fowler (seasons 5–6, recurring season 7)
David Chokachi – Cody Madison (seasons 6–9)
Gena Lee Nolin – Neely Capshaw (seasons 6–8)
Michael Newman – Mike "Newmie" Newman (seasons 7–9, recurring seasons 1–6)
Nancy Valen – Samantha Thomas (season 7)
Jose Solano – Manny Gutierrez (seasons 7–8, recurring season 9)
Donna D'Errico – Donna Marco (seasons 7–8)
Traci Bingham – Jordan Tate (seasons 7–8)
Michael Bergin – J.D. Darius (seasons 8–9)
Carmen Electra – Lani McKenzie (season 8)
Kelly Packard – April Giminski (seasons 8–9)
Marliece Andrada – Skylar Bergman (season 8)
Angelica Bridges – Taylor Walsh (season 8)
Brooke Burns – Jessie Owens (season 9)
Mitzi Kapture – Alex Ryker (season 9)

Baywatch Hawaii 1999–2001

David Hasselhoff – Mitch Buchannon (season 1)
Brooke Burns – Jessie Owens (season 1)
Michael Bergin – J.D. Darius (seasons 1–2)
Jason Brooks – Sean Monroe (seasons 1–2)
Brandy Ledford – Dawn Masterson (season 1)
Simmone Jade Mackinnon – Allie Reese (season 1)
Jason Momoa – Jason Ioane (seasons 1–2)
Stacy Kamano – Kekoa Tanaka (seasons 1–2)
Krista Allen – Jenna Avid (season 2, recurring season 1)
Charlie Brumbly – Zach McEwan (season 2)
Brande Roderick – Leigh Dyer (season 2)

Theme song
The original NBC theme was "Save Me," performed by Peter Cetera, with Bonnie Raitt on guitar and Richard Sterban, bass singer for The Oak Ridge Boys, as one of the background vocalists.

For the syndicated series, a new theme, "I'll Be Ready" performed by Jimi Jamison (of Survivor) replaced "Save Me", although it is mistakenly attributed to the show's star David Hasselhoff.

When the NBC episodes started to air five times a week with all the other syndicated episodes, the opening theme was changed to a shorter version of "I'm Always Here," with some images of the original NBC opening retained.

In 2006, remixes of the official Baywatch theme, "I'll Be Ready," were released as singles by Naughty Boy and Sunblock. The Naughty Boy version "Phat Beach (I'll Be Ready)" reached #36 on the UK Charts, while Sunblock's version "I'll Be Ready" entered the UK charts at number four a week later.

Also a highly popular version of "I'm Always Here," by Andrew Spencer feat. Pit Bailay was released in 2005/2006.

On the DVD edition of the first season, the original main title theme is replaced by the song "Strong enough", performed by Evan Olson (from his album Audio).

An instrumental version of the song appears in the episode "Battles" of the UK television programme Spaced


Baywatch Intro


Young Pamela Anderson Baywatch Clip


Pamela Anderson and David Charvet Baywatch Moment


Direct TV- Baywatch HA!

Odyssey 5

Odyssey 5 is a Canadian science fiction series that first ran in 2002 on Showtime in the United States and on SPACE in Canada.

In the United States, the initial run of the series ran for 14 of the 20 episodes, leaving the six remaining episodes unaired for a period of roughly two years. (They aired in 2004 on Showtime as "missing" episodes, which ostensibly included the open-ended series finale.) The show was cancelled despite the fact that the series was one of Showtime's highest rated original series.

The series made a full run of all 20 episodes in the United Kingdom on Sky One and on SciFiUK and in Canada. In 2004, the series aired in Finland on Nelonen and thus could also be seen in Estonia; In 2005, it aired in the Netherlands on NET 5 after midnight. In addition, Odyssey 5 is being or has been aired on RTL Klub in Hungary, and premiered in Australia on the Sci Fi Channel in December 2006. Currently the series airs on Cadena 3 (channel 28) in Mexico, the Sci Fi Channel in the United States, SIC Radical in Portugal and extreme tv in Spain.

Odyssey 5 is the brainchild of Manny Coto, who served as a script-writer and executive producer during the series run. Through his website and in interviews, Coto has expressed his interest in returning to the series at some point, either continuing it or giving it a conclusion.

The series was produced in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.


Plot
The story revolves around a set of people on a routine spaceflight on August 7, 2007: three astronauts, a scientist, and a television news reporter. However, during the course of the flight, the Earth suddenly dissolves into a fiery ball, and explodes. The crew of the space shuttle Odyssey resign themselves to death, but a non-organic being called the Seeker rescues them. Fifty other worlds have been destroyed in the same way as Earth, but the seeker has always arrived too late to observe it or find survivors. However, this is the first time he has met survivors of such a tragedy. He offers to send them back in time 5 years (and therefore to present day, at the time of the series), so that they can prevent the disaster. In a twist, their consciousnesses are sent back and not their physical bodies, as physical time travel is impossible. They only know the name of the thing that did this: Leviathan.

The villain seems to be a race of artificial intelligences developed by humanity. They are trying to learn about humanity through surrogates, called "Synthetics." In the course of their "learning," they apparently destroy the Earth. Though during the series another group of synthetics are discovered to be from mars and that in the original timeline all the synthetics created by humanity are destroyed by a satellite designed for the purpose by a cabal within the US government. Whether this act of destruction is seen as a declaration of war by humanity's AIs or the martian synthetics are to blame for the Earth's destruction is never resolved.

While they deal with the search for the truth, the team must also deal with being back in the past, with memories of what is to come. A running plot through the series is reporter Sarah Forbes trying to save her 5-year old son, who died of cancer. However, her efforts to get him experimental help end up with her husband leaving her, taking the boy with him. Astronaut Angela Perry must deal with her Senator father's corruption that would destroy her family. Commander Chuck Taggert must try to keep his family together, while his son Neil, a computer whiz, deals with being back in his 17-year-old body when he was known as a screwup. The last member, pessimistic scientist Kurt Mendel, doubts they can change history at all and wants to live life as much as he can before the end.

The series is very different from most science fiction because it is set in the present day – in a fashion similar to Stargate SG-1 and Sliders – also because the team of five is not a group of friends who always get along; the humanity of the team is shown through arguments, jokes, and their attempts to maintain social lives and help the world with their limited knowledge of the future.

Many of the show's plotlines revolve around technologies like AI, nanotechnology and neuroimaging.

A recurring idea is that the actions of the group may end up speeding up the timetable to Earth's destruction. A character who was supposed to live until 2007 ends up dead in the first episode after helping the group out. This is a recurring theme of the series, of the group realizing that defeating history isn't as easy as it sounds. In one episode, Sarah and Angela, knowing a girl will be kidnapped, keep an eye on her to make sure it doesn't happen. However, the kidnapper simply takes another child. History in the show is malleable in smaller ways too, as Kurt makes a rather large bet on a football game to which he knows the outcome, but the knowledge and pressure of knowing has an adverse effect on the kicker who would have won the game.



Cast
Peter Weller — Chuck Taggart
Sebastian Roché — Kurt Mendel
Christopher Gorham — Neil Taggart
Leslie Silva — Sarah Forbes
Tamara Craig Thomas — Angela Perry


Odyssey 5 Pilot Ep Intro


Odyssey 5's "Time Out of Mind".

David Michael Hasselhoff -RETRO TV'S ACTOR OF THE WEEK

David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952 in Baltimore, Maryland), nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor who was best known for his lead roles on Knight Rider and Baywatch. He also crossed over to a successful music career, primarily in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.


Early acting career

Hasselhoff's first major role was portraying Dr. William "Snapper" Foster, Jr. on the soap opera The Young and the Restless from 1975-82. In 1979 he played the role of Simon in Starcrash. He later went on to star as Michael Gibbons in the Glen A. Larson-created series Knight Rider from 1982 to 1986 (a role he would reprise again in Knight Rider 2000 (1991) and cameo in 2008's Knight Rider TV film).



European popularity
While his german star rose, fell and rose again in the US, Hasselhoff remained rather popular in much of Europe. His music was more popular there than in the US. His European popularity was met with disbelief and friendly teasing in the United States, and later exaggerated for comedic effect. For example, Norm MacDonald was known for stating on numerous occasions that "Germans love David Hasselhoff" on Saturday Night Live, and the theme is alluded to in the film Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story where Hasselhoff is shown as the demanding coach of the German team.

In reality, Hasselhoff has had only one number-one hit in the German pop charts in 1989 ("Looking for Freedom") and two more top-ten hits in 1989 and 1993, respectively. Most other releases failed to enter the top forty. His chart record is slightly better in Austria and Switzerland, however.


Later career
In 1994, Hasselhoff was scheduled to perform a concert on pay-per-view from Atlantic City. The concert was expected to help reignite his singing career in the United States. On the night of his concert, O.J. Simpson was involved in a police chase in southern California. Viewership of the concert was significantly lower than expected, due to the live coverage of the chase. Since then, Hasselhoff has not attempted another concert.

In 1996, Hasselhoff was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1997, he did a duet with Asia's Songbird, Regine Velasquez. The song was used as the main theme for his 1998 movie "Legacy". In the film, he was joined by Filipina actresses, Donita Rose and Chin-chin Guttierez. The film was shot in the Philippines.

Hasselhoff made his Broadway debut in 2000 in the title role of Jekyll & Hyde. Beginning in July 16, 2004, he played the lead role in London performances of Chicago for three months.

Hasselhoff has made several self-parodic appearances in movies. He had a major appearance in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, released November 19, 2004, starring as himself (though very much in bygone Baywatch character) and meeting SpongeBob and Patrick. Hasselhoff also had another short appearance in the movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story as the dodgeball coach to the German national dodgeball team. Berating his team after being eliminated from a tournament, he shouts "Ihr seid alle Schweine!" (translated: "You are all pigs!", a common German insult) and smashes a photo of himself in his Baywatch attire. In 2004's Eurotrip, Hasselhoff appears in a fantasy sequence performing his early 90s hit single "Du". In a cameo as himself in John Waters' 2004 effort A Dirty Shame, Hasselhoff defecates in an airplane's washroom. The 2006 Adam Sandler film Click is the first film in which Hasselhoff plays a character, as Sandler's despicable boss.

In his music video for "Jump in My Car", Hasselhoff again demonstrates a penchant for self-parody, this time of his performance as Michael Knight in Knight Rider. The car in the video was a black Pontiac Trans Am with a pulsing LED and an interior nearly identical to that of K.I.T.T. (this video was shot in Sydney, Australia and used a right hand drive KITT replica), including an aptly-timed use of K.I.T.T.'s seat ejection system. The video plays to a skit where he asks one of three girls to "jump in his car" to take her home. The girl initially refuses but then gets in so long as he behaves politely. She suggests that he should drive quickly, because she lives down south, "about 84 miles". When she insists she is not joking, he asks her to leave the vehicle, but she refuses, so he resorts to using the ejector seat to cause her to exit.

Hasselhoff presented a musical award with Gretel Killeen for the Australian Recording Industry Association on Sunday October 23, 2005 in Sydney. He was recently signed to Pepsi appearing in a massive outdoor campaign in January 2006. He was scheduled to tour Australia with his band mid-2006.[citation needed]

Hasselhoff has also become something of an Internet phenomenon, mostly as a subject of fun. Numerous websites have appeared and there is currently a campaign to get him a number one single in the UK.

In May 2006, Hasselhoff returned to the spotlight after he was mentioned in an interview of Dirk Nowitzki, an NBA star playing for the Dallas Mavericks and a native of Germany. Nowitzki was asked what he does to concentrate when shooting foul shots. Dirk replied that he sings "Looking for Freedom" to himself. He meant this as a joke but it was thought to be a serious answer. Shortly thereafter, Hasselhoff attended the May 26, 2006 Mavericks home playoff game where they faced the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Western Conference Finals. Interviewed by Craig Sager, Hasselhoff stated he was as much a fan of Nowitzki as Nowitzki was a fan of him. In The 2006 NBA Finals, fans of the Miami Heat in the American Airlines Arena held up facial photos of Hasselhoff and chanted his name when Nowitzki went to the foul line.

Late 2006, a musical based on his life called David Hasselhoff: The Musical will open in Australia before moving to the United States. Hasselhoff describes it as "totally campy".

On August 2, 2006, Hasselhoff proclaimed himself king of the internet in a tongue-in-cheek advertisement commercial for Pipex.

In September 2006 he appeared in a radio interview with Gerard Gilroy on The Breakfast Show on Dublin's Newstalk 106, pushed his book on The Tubridy Tonight Show on RTE1, and sang and spoke to Grant Lauchlan of STV, where he revealed that he would like to play a concert in the future at Scotland's Edinburgh Castle.

In November 2006, Mel Brooks announced Hasselhoff would portray Roger DeBris, the director of the Nazi musical Springtime for Hitler, in the Las Vegas production of The Producers.

Throughout the summer of 2006, Hasselhoff, along with Grammy-winning singer/actress Brandy Norwood and British media icon Piers Morgan was a co-judge on NBC's America's Got Talent, a program that showcased America's best amateur entertainers. He is currently appearing in the second season of America's Got Talent along side Sharon Osbourne and Piers Morgan. On the 2007 season finale, Hasselhoff sang "This is the Moment."

In 2007, it was announced that Hasselhoff is starring in a television series pilot for E! called Tales from the Hoff. Executive produced by American Idol host Ryan Seacrest, the comedy follows an aging international star trying to navigate Hollywood life and re-energize his professional and personal life. Although Hasselhoff is portraying a fictional character, elements of the show's concept parallel Hasselhoff's real life.

In November 2007, it was announced that Hasselhoff is currently in a recording studio working on an Oasis covers album to be released in Germany.

Personal life
After moving from Atlanta, where he attended Marist High School, Hasselhoff attended and graduated high school at Lyons Township High School in La Grange, Illinois. He then studied at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.

Hasselhoff was married to actress Catherine Hickland from March 24, 1984 to March 1, 1989. Their marriage was recreated in Knight Rider Season 4 (Episode The Scent of Roses which first aired on January 3, 1986). Before his divorce from Hickland, while they were separated, Hasselhoff dated Linda Butsnik, now Linda Morris, of Carrollton, Georgia.

Hasselhoff married actress Pamela Bach on December 9, 1989, and the couple had two daughters, Taylor Ann Hasselhoff (born May 5, 1990), who is considering going to California Lutheran University or Arizona State University, and Hayley Amber Hasselhoff (born August 26, 1992). Although Hasselhoff was raised Roman Catholic, he and his family attended non-denominational church services.

On January 13, 2006, Hasselhoff announced that he was filing for divorce from Bach after 16 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. His publicist stated that the couple has agreed to an amicable settlement. However, on March 9, 2006, Bach accused Hasselhoff of violent behavior towards her.[3] Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mark A. Juhas signed the order March 6, 2006 ordering the former Baywatch star to stay at least 100 yards (91 m) from Bach except for "peaceful contacts related to court ordered visitation" of their children. Pamela is seeking sole custody of their two daughters.

Hasselhoff's autobiography Making Waves was released in the United Kingdom in September 2006. In an interview in April 2006, he promised that the book would present the "last chapter" regarding controversial elements of his personal life.


Alcohol problems

Following media attention in 2002 for drinking problems, Hasselhoff attended a rehabilitation clinic. His problems with alcohol abuse apparently continued, as he was arrested on June 5, 2004, on suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence. Hasselhoff received bail of $15,000 and the arraignment was postponed to October 28, 2004. On that court day, his lawyer entered a no contest plea while he was absent from the court hearing. Due to California's "Alcohol Abuse Education and Prevention Assessment" law he was fined $390, and along with other fees, paid a total assumed to be more than $1400. He was sentenced to self-supervised probation for three years, ordered to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings twice a week for six months, spend six months in a DUI program (several hundred more dollars), and to perform 200 hours of community service. While his driver's license was restricted for the next 90 days, he could drive only to his work, to take his children to school, and to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

In 2006, Hasselhoff was allegedly thrown out of a Wimbledon, London court-bar for drinking and rioting. However, Katie Rowley who runs the Wimbledon Championship, denies this.

In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Hasselhoff also denied being ejected by The All England Club. "The tabloids make so much stuff up," he said. "I was at Wimbledon, and they said I was escorted out drunk. ... Absolutely not. I don't drink anymore."

On July 26, 2006, tabloids reported that Hasselhoff was publicly drunk at Heathrow Airport and was denied boarding a plane by British Airways. The airline only stated that a male passenger had been refused travel after being deemed unfit. The following day Hasselhoff's publicist denied the allegation of Hasselhoff being drunk saying antibiotics had made him sick and that he voluntarily chose not to board the plane.


Home video
On May 3, 2007, a home video surfaced of Hasselhoff apparently in mid-stupor.[7] The video showed him shirtless, lying on the floor, drunkenly trying to focus on a Wendy's hamburger in a Las Vegas hotel room. His daughter Taylor Ann, who shot the video, can be heard saying, "Tell me you are going to stop, tell me you are going to stop." The daughter also warned her father that he could be jeopardizing his spot in the Las Vegas production of The Producers.[8] In the wake of the leaked video Hasselhoff issued a statement saying that it was released deliberately. Hasselhoff claimed that it was filmed by Taylor Ann so that he could see how he appeared and acted when intoxicated.

Hasselhoff's visitation rights with his two daughters were suspended on May 7, 2007 because of the video for two weeks, at which point the video's authenticity and distributor was determined.[10] On May 14, 2007, a news report headlined "Pipex in a pickle: David Hasselhoff drunken antics last straw for $1 billion sale of UK ISP", questioned whether the video had impacted negatively on the sale of Pipex, a UK broadband and web hosting company. A major TV and newspaper advertising campaign in the UK for Pipex Communications Plc featured Hasselhoff as "The King of the Internet". On June 15th, 2007 his attorney Melvin Goldsman, stated that Hasselhoff was awarded primary physical custody and full legal custody of the two girls.[11]


"Get Hasselhoff to Number 1"
On April 21, 2006 fans of David Hasselhoff launched a tongue-in-cheek website "Get Hasselhoff to Number 1"[3] in an attempt to generate the momentum required to send the 1989 hit "Looking for Freedom" to the top of the UK music charts based on Internet downloads of the single. The campaign is ongoing and has attracted attention on British radio and television broadcasts, the British national press [4] [5] and on the Internet [6] [7] [8]. Over 40,000 people have signed up so far. When the total number of sign-ups on the site reaches 75,000 the owners of the site will send the "Hoff Alert" email to all those who have registered alerting them that the time has come to purchase the single. The intention is that the surge in sales generated will propel the former hit to the top spot in the British chart ensuring radio plays and television appearances for Hasselhoff.

"Jump in My Car" in the UK, the "Get Hasselhoff to Number 1" website switched the single it was promoting from "Looking for Freedom" to "Jump in My Car". BBC Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills has now lent his support to the campaign [9], to get "Jump In My Car" to number one. Since this announcement, Scott Mills has played the record again, whilst describing the accompanying tongue-in-cheek music video.

On October 3, 2006 the Hoff Alert was mailed out to over 40,000 subscribers, instructing them to buy the song in hopes that it would top the UK Singles Chart. Although this did not happen, Hasselhoff promptly gained his highest ever UK chart entry (#3) on October 8, 2006.


Hasselhoff candid interview
On 1 September 2006, Hasselhoff gave a candid interview to The Guardian. The interviewer wrote "To spend an hour or so in the company of 'The Hoff' is to feel as if one is inadvertently playing a bit-part in a daytime television soap opera. It is unclear whether this has more to do with the cliched dialogue – 'Life is something that happens when you're making plans', for example – or the way the lines are delivered with either brow-furrowed gravitas or uproarious laughter."

Hasselhoff spoke of his religious beliefs – "Amid all the adversity, whenever I had problems, God always said 'Here's Chicago, here's a book, here's the No. 1 TV show, here's the No. 1 movie, here's a recording deal, here's two million downloads. I'm gonna make you the biggest star in the world, David, and I'm going to give you responsibility with that, and you can either take it or you can fuck it up.' I fucked it up, I've taken it."

On why his fans warmed to his shows, Hasselhoff stated "Because I believe the camera photographs your aura, and it also photographs your heart. And I cast Baywatch that way. If you look at Baywatch, just about everybody on that show — even Pamela Anderson — has got a great heart."

On Knight Rider he stated that it was more than a TV show, "It's a phenomenon. It's bigger than Baywatch ever was." On its success — "It's because it was about saving lives, not taking lives, and it was how one man can make a difference. And we had a blast making it, and we made sure nobody died on the show. We made sure nobody ever drowned on Baywatch."

He describes the acting he has done as "a little more difficult than if you had a regularly well-written script – like, if I was going to be in, say, Reservoir Dogs, or The Godfather, or Dances with Wolves or Lawrence of Arabia or ER. I had to talk to a car."


Filmography
Meg TBA
Anaconda 3: The Offspring (2008)
Kickin' It Old Skool (2007)
Click (2006)
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004)
A Dirty Shame (2004)
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
Fugitives Run (2003)
The New Guy (2002)
Layover (2001)
Welcome to Hollywood (2000)
The Target Shoots First (2000)
The Big Tease (1999)
Legacy (1998)
Dear God (1996)
Neon City (1992)
The Final Alliance (1990)
Bail Out (1989)
Witchery (1988)
Three Crazy Jerks II (1988)
Strong Times (1988)
Starcrash (1979)
Revenge of the Cheerleaders (1976)
The Lion Roars Again (1975) (short subject)

Stage work
Chicago (as Billy Flynn) (London)
Jekyll & Hyde (as Dr. Jekyll/Hyde) (Broadway)
Grease (as Danny Zucco)
Jesus Christ Superstar (as Judas Iscariot)
The Producers (as Roger DeBris) (Las Vegas)
The Rocky Horror Show (as Doctor Frank N. Furter) (Los Angeles)

Television work
Knight Rider (2008)
America's Got Talent (2006-present)
Still Standing (2006)
Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding (2003)
Shaka Zulu: The Citadel (2001)
Jekyll & Hyde (2001)
One True Love (2000)
Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (1998)
Night Man (1997) (pilot for series)
Gridlock (1996)
Baywatch Nights (1995-1997)
Avalanche (1994)
Ring of the Musketeers (1992)
The Bulkin Trail (1992)
Knight Rider 2000 (1991)
Baywatch (cast member from 1989-2000)
Fire and Rain (1989)
Perry Mason: The Case of the Lady in the Lake (1988)
Bridge Across Time (1985)
The Cartier Affair (1984)
Knight Rider (1982-1986)
Semi-Tough (1980) (unsold pilot)
Pleasure Cove (1979) (unsold pilot)
Griffin and Phoenix: A Love Story (1976)
The Young and the Restless (cast member from 1975-1982)

Discography
Albums released include:

(2005) David Hasselhoff Sings America Gold Edition
(2004) The Night Before Christmas
(2004) David Hasselhoff Sings America - Germany #27, Austria #11
(2000) Magic Collection
(1997) Hooked on a Feeling - Switzerland #41
(1995) David Hasselhoff - US Billboard New Artists #2
(1995) Looking for … the Best
(1994) Du - Germany #43, Switzerland #41
(1993) You are Everything - Germany #20, Switzerland #27
(1992) Everybody Sunshine - Germany #21, Switzerland #17
(1991) David - Germany #12, Switzerland #7
(1990) Crazy for You - Switzerland #1
(1989) Looking for Freedom - Germany #1, Switzerland #3
(1989) Knight Lover - Switzerland #17
(1985) Night Rocker
Singles released include:

(2006) Jump in My Car - Australia #50, UK #3
(1993) If I Could Only Say Goodbye - UK #35
(1993) Wir zwei allein (Duet with Gwen) - Germany #9, Switzerland #10
(1992) Everybody Sunshine - Switzerland #27
(1991) Do the Limbo Dance - Germany #12, Switzerland #19
(1990) Crazy for You - Germany #18, Switzerland #21
(1989) Is Everybody Happy? - Germany #14, Switzerland #8
(1989) Our First Night Together - Switzerland #14
(1989) Looking for Freedom - Germany #1, Switzerland #1, Austria #1, Netherlands #22
Additionally, the single "More Than Words Can Say", a duet with Regine Velasquez, was released in the Philippines