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I want this… someone buy it for me.

In other excellent news, 24: Season 6 will be released on DVD this Tuesday, December 4th.

I am not much of a Star Wars nut, nor am I all that much into religion, yet this photo is pretty cool, interesting, and potentially controversial.

I don’t find it offensive in any way, but I’m sure there’s some people out there who won’t take kindly to one of the most famous religion-based images being re-created as a Star Wars-themed picture.

Click the image below to see the full sized version.

What happens on July 18th, 2008? Well, The Dark Knight will be released in theaters. The Dark Knight is the follow up to the incredible Batman Begins.

The Dark Knight is once again directed by the amazing Christopher Nolan (Memento), and stars Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Eric Roberts and Anthony Michael Hall.

Several new hi-res screen shots have been released, and they have got me anticipating the film even more. I am anxiously awaiting to see Ledger in his role as The Joker. I think he was perfectly cast, and I believe he along with Nolan will bring Joker to the screen the way he always should have been done (not to discredit Jack Nicholson, of course).

Here are some screen shots of Ledger as The Joker, as well as one of Bale returning in his role as Batman/Bruce Wayne.

> Click here for more hi-res production images

Optimash Prime is most definitely “more than meets the fry“.

This thing just cracks me up.

Click Here to view the Amazon (UK) page for this awesome lil’ spud.

My Dad and I never really watched any TV together when I was a kid, but the one show I do remember us enjoying was Home Improvement. It’s the typical “guy” show, yet fit into the family viewing category as well, which is probably what made it so popular for so long.

The show lasted from 1991-1999, which is a very impressive run. It centered on the lives of the Taylor family, which included Tim and Jill and their three trouble-making sons; Mark, Bradley and Randy.

One of the main focuses of the show, and one of it’s key story lines surrounded Tim’s popular “home improvement” television show, Tool Time.

Tim Taylor (Tim Allen)

Tim was, without a doubt, the main star of this show. Unlike many other sitcoms where it’s usually a ensemble cast, Tim was the character that was far and beyond the leading man. He was your typical “man’s man”. He likes everything a guy is supposed to like, and he (tried) to be the best handy man he could be. In addition to his handy-man television show, he also had a great interest in working on “hot rods”. One of the main sets of the show was in the family’s garage, where Tim was continually working on his car.

However, as much as Tim talked and acted like he was “Mr. Fix It”, he was actually quite incompetent when it came to actually fixing anything. He basically screwed up anything he tried to build or repair.

You all know who Tim Allen is, as he’s gone on to have a (questionably) successful film career. He’s starred in several films, both good and bad, but is still considering a pretty big comedic star.

While Home Improvement was still in production, Tim voiced the popular character Buzz Lightyear, in the highly successful animated film, Toy Story. He reprised his role in Toy Story 2 as well.

In 1994, he starred in the successful, yet critically-panned, Santa Clause.

When Home Improvement finished up in ‘99, time starred in the incredibly funny and surprising space move spoof, Galaxy Quest. It went on to gross $71 Million at the box office, which proved Allen could be more than just a TV star.

His next three films weren’t quite as successful. Who is Cletus Tout?, Joe Somebody and Big Trouble were all box office bombs. He was in need of a hit, so he signed on for a second Santa Clause. The sequel was a big box office success, grossing $139 Million.

In 2004, Allen once again turned to a successful genre of his, filming the Christmas comedy, Christmas with the Kranks, alongside Jamie Lee Curtis. It was a moderate success, grossing over $73 Million.

In 2006, Allen went back to starring in goofy comedies, and both of them were absolutely horrible. First came The Shaggy Dog, which was absolutely painful to watch. Then came Zoom, which was so awful, I couldn’t even bring myself to finish it. I wasn’t the only one who didn’t like it, as it was a massive failure with viewers, grossing only $11 Million.

What does Tim Allen do after having box office failures? Well, he turns to Christmas family films of course. Apparently two of them weren’t enough, so we were treated to Santa Clause 3 at the end of 2006. It barely managed to do half what the previous Clause movies did, so hopefully that’s the last we see of that horrid franchise.

In 2007, Allen hit gold with the comedy Wild Hogs. It was the highest grossing live action film of Allen’s career, coming in at $168 Million.

Wild Hogs may be enough to Allen’s career a little jump start. He has signed on to star in the David Mamet film, Redbelt. Mamet is a very talented writer, and usually focuses on thrillers or dramas, so I’m interested to see what comes out of this one. We haven’t really seen Allen in anything but comedies and family fluff, so if this film is in fact a drama, it’ll be one to keep an eye on.

Tim Allen is one of the rare TV stars who go on to have a successful film career without ever having to return to television. Even though his films may be nothing special, he has carved himself a pretty decent niche in Hollywood.

Jill Taylor (Patricia Richardson)

Jill Taylor was the mother of the family, and although her role wasn’t that deep, she did provide a good comic foil to Tim and served an important role on the show.

Patricia Richardson hit it big when she landed her role on Home Improvement. She was mainly stuck in one episode appearances on various TV shows, with the odd TV movie thrown in.

After Home Improvement went off the air, Jill landed a one episode guest role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Her next acting work wasn’t until 2001, when she appeared as Gladys Baker in the made-for-TV film Blonde, about the life of Marilyn Monroe. In 2001, she also had a role in the forgettable film, Viva Las Nowhere, which also starred James Caan and Daniel Stern.

She returned to TV in 2002, with a successful run on Strong Medicine. She played Dr. Andy Campbell, a doctor at a Women’s clinic. She appeared in 59 episodes from 2002-2005.

After Strong Medicine, she joined the cast of The West Wing, for a role that lasted nine episodes, going in 2006.

Richardson has recently completed the comedy, Out of Omaha, which looks to be a direct-to-DVD release. She has also recently finished filming a role in Lost Dream, which stars no one I’ve ever heard from.

It seems to be the trend that most “mothers” from popular sitcoms don’t go on to have much post-show success. She did however, have two successful runs in television, so for the most part, you’d have to say she’s had a pretty successful career.

Bradley Taylor (Zachery Ty Bryan)

Bradley was the oldest of the Taylor children, and was the one who got into the most trouble. He was arrested in one episode as well as got caught smoking marijuana. He was more of a jock than his other brothers and worked hard to achieve a career in soccer. He ended up receiving a college scholarship to play the sport.

During the run of Home Improvement, Bryan managed to land a few other roles. Mostly just TV movies and the odd TV appearance. He did appear on two episodes of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, as well as a role in the Sinbad comedy, First Kid. In 1997 he had a lead role opposite Kirsten Dunst in True Heart, a film about a brother and sister who’s plane crash lands.

I didn’t expect we’d see much of him once Home Improvement completed. He never seemed like he had much acting ability.

In 1999, he did land a small role in the awful, The Rage: Carrie 2. Zachery Ty Bryan has surprisingly managed to continue getting acting work, having appeared in many television shows over the past seven years.

Among the shows he’s appeared on (and most were in one episode roles) include Touched by an Angel, ER, Boston Public, The Outer Limits, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Smallville, Veronica Mars, Cold Case, Shark, among others.

He has also appeared in many TV movies and films that are not really worth mentioning. His most noteworthy post-Home Improvement film appearance was in Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift.

He is not currently filming any projects, yet I expect him to continue along the same career path. He actually did an alright job in F&TF, and there’s a chance he could build on that. Otherwise, it’s likely he’s stuck with guest appearances on various TV shows.

Randy Taylor (Jonathan Taylor Thomas)

Randy was the middle Taylor child, and was known for his quick wit and snarky remarks that always got Tim in trouble with Jill. He’s character evolved over the years, and eventually turned towards being an environmentalist, which landed him in Costa Rica for a year.

So, good ol’ JTT. I remember when he was on the cover of every preteen magazine there was. My sister had covered her walls with posters of him. He was the “it” teenage heartthrob of his time.

Like Zachery Ty Bryan, Thomas also had quite the busy schedule when he wasn’t filming Home Improvement. He had many roles during the span of the show.

The highlights include voicing the young Simba in the Lion King, starring in the Chevy Chase comedy Man of the House, as Tom Sawyer in Tom & Huck, in Wild America with fellow teen heartthrob Devon Sawa, and as the voice of Pinocchio in The Adventures of Pinocchio. He has also voiced the character, Scarecrow Jr., in many Oz-related cartoon projects.

His post-Improvement career hasn’t been quite as successful, but that was to be expected.

In 1999, he appeared in the films Speedway Junky and Walking Across Egypt. He has had a few roles in TV films, and has also appeared in an episode of Veronica Mars, two episodes of Smallville, and three of 8 Simple Rules. He also voiced a character in an episode of The Simpsons.

He hasn’t had any work since 2005, when he voiced a character in the little-known movie Thru the Moebius Strip. He has attended college, and it’s likely he’s going to enter a career in something other than acting.

Mark Taylor (Taran Noah Smith)

Mark was the youngest of the boys, so he also became the brunt of most of his older brothers’ jokes and pranks. He always seemed like a weakling to me, and the least likable of the children. He was always ratting on his brothers.

At one point, Mark had a goth phase, which thankfully didn’t last very long. He then became fond of music and cooking, and I think if the show had lasted longer, we would have seen Mark “come out of the closet”.

I’m wondering, what with all these kids have three named names? It’s annoying. Anyways, I don’t think anyone expected Smith to have much of a career after Home Improvement. He was never an important character on the show.

Well, if you expected him to disappear, you were right. His only job after 1999, was voicing a character in one episode of the animated show, Batman Beyond. I expected him to have a tough time getting work, but wow, not that hard of a time.

He has appeared as himself on shows such as E! True Hollywood Story, 20/20 and Child Star Confidential, but those are hardly acting gigs.

In 2001 he married Heidi Van Pelt, who is sixteen years older than him. They had a child together, but recently divorced in February of 2007. In 2005 they started a vegan restaurant called Playfood in California, and it’s likely that is what he spends his time on these days.

Al Borland (Richard Karn)

Al Borland was the popular chubby co-host on Tim’s Tool Time television show. He was also Tim’s best friend, yet Tim was constantly making jokes and playing pranks on Al. Al was always one of my favorite characters on the show, and at times, I hoped he would sucker punch the annoying Tim, square in the face. Never happened, unfortunately.

I always thought Richard Karn may be a surprise success and land some decent roles. He had good comic ability, and in a good role, could thrive. Unfortunately, he hasn’t had much of an acting career since Home Improvement ended.

His most notable appearances have been in MVP 2: Most Vertical Primate, Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch, Air Buddies, and in an episode of That 70’s Show.

He also hosted 4 episodes of The Family Feud, as well as appearing on E! True Hollywood Story and World Poker Tour.

Maybe he’s holding out for a Home Improvement movie? I’d watch it!

The Other Characters…

Wilson (Earl Hindman)

Wilson was Tim’s wise neighbour; the one Tim always went to for advice. Wilson was famous for the fact that you never actually saw his face, as it would always be partially blocked by a fence, scarf or various other items. It added a sense of mystery about this wise, well-traveled neighbour.

Hindman’s post-Improvement career includes one episode roles on Law & Order, Deadline and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

His last television appearance was in 2003 on Tim Allen’s A User’s Guide To Home Improvement.

Sadly, Earl Hindman passed away on December 29, 2003 of lung cancer.

Lisa (Pamela Anderson)

Pamela Anderson played Lisa, the first tool time girl on Home Improvement from 1991-1993. She made a couple appearances in 1995 as well as another in 1997. Interestingly, Ashley Judd actually won the role, but declined at the last minute, as her agents urged her to pursue a film career instead (smart decision!).

Pam appeared on 49 episodes of Home Improvement, which really surprised me as I don’t really recall watching any that she appeared in.

We all know how her career has turned out. She went on to star in the film Barbwire, and then quickly landed a lead role in Baywatch, where she stayed for five seasons appeared in over 100 episodes.

In 1998 she landed her own TV show, called V.I.P., which lasted four seasons. She has had two other TV shows since V.I.P., which include the animated series Stripperella and the bookstore comedy, Stacked.

She is arguably the biggest sex symbol of her time, and has been much more successful than anyone could have predicted. She is currently working in Las Vegas, as part of a magic show, which she says she absolutely loves. Just recently she announced she is retiring from acting, and wants to focus on “illusions”, as it is her new passion. Ok, good luck with that, Pam.

Heidi (Debbe Dunning)

Heidi was the second Tool Time girl, appearing on the show from 1992-1999. She appeared in three times the episodes that Pamela did; 147 in total.

Dunning’s career has been pretty much non-existent since Home Improvement came to an end eight years ago. Her only notable work was in an episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

She is currently with her husband of ten years, whom she has two children with. It’s likely she’s given up acting and is focusing on her family full time.

If anything, she should be happy to know she looks a helluva lot better now than Pam does!

Harry (Blake Clark)

Harry was the owner of Harry’s Hardware, a popular hangout for Tim. Clark appeared in 23 episodes during the show’s run.
He is an acclaimed character actor, and has appeared in several films and TV shows.

He mostly appears in Adam Sandler films, but has appeared in many others as well. Some of his credits include The Waterboy, Boy Meets World, Little Nicky, Joe Dirt, Corky Romano, Mr. Deeds, 50 First Dates, Click and I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry.

Home Improvement was a great comedy and a great family show during the 90’s. It lasted eight seasons, which is an accomplishment in itself.

Tim Allen has gone on to be a fairly successful comedic leading man, while the rest of the cast’s career have had a downward spiral, which is par for the course when it comes to successful sitcoms.

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to check out my previous Where Are They Now? articles.

Here’s the notable movies and TV shows released on DVD for this week:

The Number 23

Directed by Joel Schumacher (Batman Forever, 8MM, Phone Booth), and starring Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen. When I first saw a trailer for this film, I was extremely pumped to see it. I really enjoy Carrey’s non-comedy roles, and this one sounded very interesting. Unfortunately, it didn’t get the best reviews, and the overall opinion is that the film was a pretty big disappointment. Saying that, I will still rent it and come up with my own conclusion. The film is a thriller, about a man named Walter (Carrey) who becomes obsessed about a novel that he believes was written about him.

Zodiac

Directed by David Fincher (Se7en, The Game, Fight Club, Panic Room) and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. It’s based on the real life story of the serial killer nick named “Zodiac”. He terrorized San Fransisco during the 60’s and 70’s with seemingly random, unpredictable killings. It was a critically praised film, although failed to be a huge hit with audiences, earning only $33 million at the box office. It runs nearly 3 hours long, which was probably a deter ant to casual viewers. I’m still definitely going to check this one out, as serial killer films always fascinate me, and I’ve even read on a book on the famed Zodiac killer.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

A crime thriller starring Ben Whishaw and Francesc Albiol. The film is based on the best-selling novel from Patrick Suskind. It focuses on Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a man with a superior olfactory sense. He creates the world’s finest perfume, but things turn awry when his obsession to create the perfect scene consumes him. I saw the trailer for the film a long time ago, and even though it lacks any name cast members, it looks like a very interesting movie. I think it’ll be worth checking out.

The Contract

Even though it stars Morgan Freeman and John Cusack, this looks like a film that might be one to ignore. Even with big name actors, the film never received a box office release, and went straight to DVD. The film’s tag line reads, “the only thing standing between an assassin and his target is a father who must protect his son”. It may end up being a decent film, but even though it has a great cast, don’t expect much from this one.

Weeds: Season 2

I have yet to see the first season, as I was waiting for the second season to be released first. I have heard great things about this show, and I cannot wait to start it. It’s a comedy about a suburban mother that turns to selling marijuana. Seems original, and I look forward to starting it soon.

This was a pretty good week for new DVD releases, and it looks like the can’t miss one for this week would be Season 2 of Weeds. Zodiac looks to be the best movie release of the week.

Is it just me, or do Geri Halliwell (Left) of the Spice Girls and Marg Helgenberger (Right) from C.S.I. look like they were separated at birth? They look exactly alike.

I’m sure Marg would be happy to hear this, as she’s 14 years older than Geri.

Black Snake MoanThis film stars Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci and Justin Timberlake. Jackson is one of my favorite actors, so I was looking forward to this one even before I saw any previews. Well, once I saw the trailer, I knew this one was going to be great. It’s about a God-fearing black man and his relationship with a wild and crazy young white woman. This is a movie I’m sure you don’t want to pass up on.

Shooter

I went to order this (as well as Black Snake Moan) on HD-DVD today, only to find out the HD version of Shooter won’t be released until late July. So I guess I may have to wait a while extra to see this, but for those of you who want to see it now… the standard DVD was released today. This one stars Mark Wahlberg, Michael Pena and Danny Glover. Bob Lee Swagger (Wahlberg), a former marksman, gets lured out of retirement when he hears of a plot to kill the president. This looks like your typical, high-action thriller, and I’m veyr excited to see it. I love great dramas, but I love pure exciting blockbusters just as much.

Peaceful Warrior

Peace Warrior stars Nick Nolte, Amy Smart and with Scott Mechlowicz in the lead role (from Eurotrip and Mean Creek). Seeing as Mean Creek is one of my favorite movies, I’ve always been interesting in seeing anything that comes from the stars of that film. This film is about two strangers who meet, and of course this greatly effects the lives of both. It’s a sports drama, that focuses on a gymnist, but it’s not exactly like it sounds.

Gray Matters

The tagline for this film is, “a romantic comedy about a brother, a sister and the girl of their dreams.” Sounds… potentially weird. It’s really not as weird as it could be, as the film is about a guy and his wife, and when his wife meets his sister, the two women fall in love. The film’s a comedy, so there’s sure to be some awkward and funny moments. After originally seeing the trailer, I was looking forward to the film, but it’s nothing but bad reviews, so my interest has declined quite a bit. It stars Heather Graham, Thomas Cavanagh, Bridget Moynahan and Molly Shannon.

I really enjoyed Knocked Up, which you would have already known if you had read my Review about a week back.Writer/Director Judd Apatow is quickly becoming a favorite of mine, and I’m anxiously awaiting his next project.

I have been a huge fan of Katherine Heigl for a while now, but surprisingly Knocked Up was the first movie I had ever seen her in. I had, of course, watched the first two seasons of Grey’s Anatomy so I was familiar with her work before seeing Knocked Up.

Seth Rogan is absolutely hilarious, and I think he could be one of the biggest up-and-coming young comedy stars around. He fits the “lovable loser” role to a tee.

However, saying all of that, one of the people that was the biggest scene stealer for me was Leslie Mann. She played “Debbie”, Heigl’s sister in the film. She was absolutely perfect in her role as the somewhat psychotic, but loving mother and wife in the midst of a mid-life crisis.

If anyone can play the perfect late-30’s nut job, it’s Leslie Mann.

You may also recognize her from some of her previous comedy roles in films such as The Cable Guy, She’s the One, George of the Jungle, Big Daddy, Orange County, Stealing Harvard and The 40 Year Old Virgin.

A note of interest is that her husband is Knocked Up Director Judd Apatow, and her two real life children played her kids in the film.

You can see her next in Drillbit Taylor, a film co-written by her Knocked Up co-star, Seth Rogan. It’s about two kids who hire a low-budget bodyguard to protect them from bully’s on the playground. The film also stars Owen Wilson.

I hope we see her in more films in the future. I find her absolutely hilarious, and I hope she starts to get the credit (and roles) she deserves.

Over at the MovieReviewReport.com, I take a look at this week’s new DVD releases and which ones, if any, I’m going to check out.

> Read the post by clicking here.

Will Smith’s newest film since last year’s “Pursuit of Happyness” is on it’s way. Unfortunately it’s still about 6 months from hitting theaters. “I Am Legend”, will be released December 14, 2007.

Click here to head on over to my movie blog to read the post.

Or, you can click here to check out the trailer on YouTube.

I was recently hired to blog for a movie website, and have just posted my first article there. I take a look at the five new films I’m looking forward to seeing this summer. Now that Shrek 3, Spider-Man 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean 3 have come and gone, what’s the next best in line?

> Check it out by clicking here

The Fresh Prince of Belair was one of my favorite shows as a kid. I’m sure I’ve seen each episode at least three times. It was funny, had great characters, and is easily one of the best sitcoms of all time.

When asking “where are they now?”, there’s one character we obviously already know the answer to. Will Smith has gone from TV sitcom star to arguably the biggest movie star on the planet. Nearly every movie he’s been in has been a huge box office hit. Lately, he’s come out with some incredible acting performances as well, in films like Ali and Pursuit of Happyness.

The rest of the characters, from Uncle Phil to Carlton hold a special place in my childhood memories as well. Let’s see what the cast are all up to these days…

Will Smith (“Will Smith”)

Will Smith’s first break in TV was as the lead role in Fresh Prince, playing the title character. The show was immediately a hit, and within a few years his movie career started to blossom. The Fresh Prince ran from 1990-1996, and during that time, Smith filmed the low-budget Six Degree’s of Separation and the very successful Bad Boys, with Martin Lawrence.

His career exploded once he was finished with Fresh Prince. Over the next four years, Smith appeared in Independence Day, Men In Black, Enemy of the State, and his only real disappointment, Wild Wild West.

Since 2000, Will Smith has appeared in several more successful films, such as the sequel to Men In Black, Bad Boys II, I, Robot, Hitch, The Pursuit of Happyness, and even lending his voice to the enjoyable animated film, Shark Tale.

Smith has even managed to continue his music career, while still releasing albums, despite his busy schedule. In 1989 he won the Grammy for Best Rap Performance, for the song “Parents Just Don’t Understand”. He has also had several other hit songs, such as “Gettin’ Jiggy”, “Miami” and “Men In Black”.

For 2007, Will Smith has one movie being released, called “I Am Legend”. It sounds like it’ll be a pretty entertaining film. Here’s imdb’s plot outline: “Robert Neville is the last man alive. He busies himself with preparing for a nightly attack from the rest of the world – all of which have transformed into blood-thirsty vampires.”

Two other Will Smith films have also been announced for 2008. “Tonight, He Comes” and “Time Share”.

Will Smith is quite possibly the most successful sitcom to movie star of all time.

Alfonso Ribeiro (“Carlton Banks”)

As popular as Will Smith was on this show, Alfonso’s character “Carlton” came pretty close to being as popular. Everyone loved Carlton. He was the butt of all Will’s jokes, he was completely different than Will, he was as big of a nerd as you can get, yet you couldn’t help but love the guy. Everyone remembers the “Carlton dance”.

Alfonso Ribeiro’s career prior to Fresh Prince was nothing all that exciting, besides his two episode spot on Magnum, P.I. During the run of Fresh Prince, Ribeiro didn’t do a whole lot else. He appeared in a forgettable TV movie, one episode of A Different World, and one episode of freakin’ Bill Nye the Science Guy. Ok, that’s pretty cool.

His career post-Fresh Prince hasn’t been great, but most sitcom stars quickly fade into obscurity, while Ribeiro has managed to continue getting work.

After Fresh Prince, it appeared he may only be meant for voice acting, as he lent his voice to the animated shows Spider-Man and Extreme Ghostbusters.

He then landed a role on the LL Cool J sitcom, In the House. The role lasted for four years, and he appeared in 51 episodes. It’s rare to see a sitcom star land another successful sitcom role.

In the House ended in 1999, and since then, Ribeiro has appeared in the Amanda Bynes film, Lovewrecked, and had a few one-episode roles on various TV shows. He also hosted the talent show, Your Big Break in 1999.

He then managed to land a role on reality shows Celebrity Duets in 2006, and the incredibly popular Dancing with the Stars in 2007, which has put him back in the spotlight.

James Avery (“Uncle Phil”)

James Avery played the tough but loveable lawyer Philip Banks on Fresh Prince. He was a key member of the show, and I really enjoyed his work.

James Avery has had a pretty successful career since Fresh Prince ended. He has had an incredible amount of work over the past 15 years.

There’s one thing that made ‘Uncle Phil’ even that much more cooler to me. Something I didn’t know until now, is that James Avery voiced “Shredder” on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon! How cool is that? It appears he is quite regarded for his voice acting, as he has done quite a bit of it over the years.

Avery has lent his voice to other shows such as Gargoyles, Duckman, Spider-Man, Extreme Ghostbusters, The Wild Thornburry’s, The Prince of Egypt, among others.

He has also appeared on many TV shows. Among them, include Murder One, In the House, C.S.I., Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place, The Jamie Foxx Show, Strong Medicine, Dharma & Greg, Judging Amy, That 70’s Show, Crossing Jordan, Reba, Charmed, NYPD Blue, My Wife & Kids, The Closer and many, many more.

Among all the TV work, he has also had roles in several movies, although not many worth mentioning.

He is currently working on Steppin: The Movie, which may sound familiar, as it also stars several Family Matters cast members.

Karyn Parsons (“Hilary Banks”)

Karyn Parsons played Will’s attractive, but incredibly ditsy cousin, Hilary. She was stuck up, and was always shopping, and asking for more money from Phil. Hilary, who during one point during the show was an environmental activist, ending up getting her own day-time talk show, “Hilary!”. She fell in love with news anchor,”Trevor Newsworthy” (later known as Trevor Collins), who died in a bungee jumping accident while proposing to her.

Karyn Parsons’ career has been nothing to write home about (or rather, blog about?) since Fresh Prince ended. In 1995, just before Fresh Prince finished, she had a significant role in the film, Major Payne.

Besides a two-episode role on Melrose Place in 1999, and a bit part on the 2000 film Ladies Man, she hasn’t really done anything worth mentioning since Fresh Prince ended way back in 1996.

In 2002, she guest starred on the TV show, 13 Moons, where she met and fell in love with director Alexandre Rockwell. The two are now married with one child, and live in New York. She also has two other children with her previous husband, actor Randy Brooks (“Arthur Leeds” from The West Wing).

Tatyana Ali (“Ashley Banks”)

Tatyana Ali starred as the youngest of the Banks’ family, Ashley. Ashley and Will were always close, and Will was constantly looking out for her and making sure she stayed out of trouble. However, because of all the time she spends with Will, she becomes something of a “rebel” as she gets older.

Ashley at one point starts a singing career, and is a one-hit wonder. At the end of the show, she moves to New York with her sister Hilary, and they plan on living together.

Before Fresh Prince, Tatyana appeared in a few episodes of Sesame Street, in an episode of The Cosby Show, in the film Crocodile Dundee II, and even in a sketch on Eddie Murphy’s stand-up show, Raw.

Like Alfonso Ribeiro and James Avery, she also appeared in In the House, in a 1995 episode.

Since Fresh Prince has ended, she’s landed a few half-decent roles. She was in the Morgan Freeman/Ashley Judd hit, Kiss the Girls, playing Freeman’s daughter. She has also appeared in the films Nora’s Hair Salon, Nation Lampoon presents Dorm Daze, and Glory Road.

After showing off her singing abilities on Fresh Prince, she received a record deal, and released her album, “Kiss the Sky”, in 1998. One single from the album, “Daydreamin’” was certified Gold and even managed to land on Billboard Top 100 Singles, eventually peaking at sixth.

Tatyana Ali has a few films coming out over the next year. She’s completed work on the sequel, Nora’s Hair Salon 2, and has landed a role in two other films as well; Privileged and Hotel California.

Joseph Marcell (“Geoffrey Butler”)

Joseph Marcell played the incredibly dry, yet funny, “Geoffrey”, the Banks family’s British butler. The story of why he left England to become a butler is quite hilarious. According to Wikipedia, he “was an Olympic runner several years before being hired by the Banks family, but fled his home country in shame after cheating in a race and being slapped by the Queen of England. In the 1970s, he was a butler for the band Led Zeppelin.”

He was affectionately called “G” by Will, and in return, always called Will, “Master William”.

After Fresh Prince ended, Marcell has appeared in a few TV shows, such as Living Single, Brothers & Sisters, Jericho and like many other Fresh Prince characters, he also appeared in In the House.

In 2003, he landed a role in The Bold & The Beautiful, where he appeared in 12 episodes over two seasons. In 2006, he had a role on the UK hit EastEnders, where he appeared in 7 episodes.

Janet Hubert-Whitten (“Vivian Banks”, 1990-93)

Vivian Banks was played by two different actresses during the show’s run. From 1990-1993, she was played by Janet Hubert-Whitten.

Hubert-Whitten left the show because of contract issues, and it may also have had to do with the fact she was pregnant at the time.

After leaving Fresh Prince, she landed one-episode roles on television shows Coach, The Pretender, The Jamie Foxx Show, NYPD Blue, Gilmore Girls, and in a 2002 episode of Friends. She appeared in two episodes of The Bernie Mac Show, and most recently landed a four-episode role on One Life to Live in 2005.

Daphne Reid (“Vivian Banks”, 1993-96)

Daphne Reid took over the role of Vivian Banks in 1993. She appeared in 57 episodes during her run (compared to Hubert-Whitten’s 69 episodes).

Her career prior to Fresh Prince was filled with several acting jobs, but since it ended, her career has seemed to have slowed down. She has appeared in episodes of Sister, Sister, Crossing Jordan, and had a reoccurring role in Eve.

Most recently, she appeared in the TV movie, Polly & Marie.

Other Characters…

DJ Jazzy Jeff (“Jazz”)

DJ Jazzy Jeff played a version of himself on The Fresh Prince of Belair. He was “Jazz”, Will’s dim-witted friend. He had a long lasting crush on Hilary, and at one point she even falls for him, but he eventually married a prison inmate named Jewel, which he then quickly divorced.

The one thing you may remember most about Jazz, is the on-going gag of Uncle Phil throwing him out of the house. Something I don’t remember noticing at the time was that they actually used the same clip of him being thrown-out every episode.

DJ Jazzy Jeff hasn’t done anything else as far as acting is concerned, with Fresh Prince being his only acting work. He continues to work on his music career.

Ross Bagley (“Nicky Banks”)

Nicky Banks was Phil and Vivian’s third child, and was born during the 1993 season. Although the character began in 1993, Ross Bagley didn’t start playing the character until the 1994 season. He appeared in 25 episodes during his run.

In 1994, Bagley appeared in the film, The Little Rascalz, playing the popular “Buckwheat”. He also provided the voice of “Puppy” in the 1995 film, Babe.

After Fresh Prince, he landed a small role in Independence Day. He has also appeared in episodes of The Profiler, Providence, and The Wild Thornburry’s. His only work since 1999 has been in one episode of Judging Amy in 2004.

Nia Long (“Lisa Wilkes”)

Nia Long appeared in 16 episodes of The Fresh Prince, playing Will’s girlfriend Lisa. They became engaged and made it to the ceremonies twice, but never actually got married during the show’s run.

Nia Long has become a successful film actress appearing in films such as Soul Food, The Best Man, Stigmata, Boiler Room, Big Momma’s House, Are We There Yet?, Big Momma’s House 2, Premonition and Are We Done Yet?

There were several other reoccurring characters, such as Will’s Mom, Vy Smith (Vernee Watson-Johnson), Aunt Helen (Jenifer Lewis), Trevor Collins (Brian Stokes Mitchell), Judge Carl Robertson (Sherman Hemsley) and Fred Wilkes (John Amos).

An interesting trivia bit is that well-known model Tyra Banks appeared in 7 episodes as “Jackie Ames”, the object of Will’s desire during the fourth season.

So, we now know what the rest of the cast (if you didn’t know what Will Smith has been doing, you obviously were in a coma the past 10 years) are up to these days.

If you missed my past “Where are they now?” posts you can click the links below to check them out.

> Saved by the Bell … where are they now?

> Family Matters … where are they now?

After enjoying doing the Saved by the Bell… where are they now? post, I decided to do the same thing for another one of my favorite childhood TV shows, “Family Matters”.

While writing this article, I found out something I had never known. Family Matters was a spin-off of the television hit, “Perfect Strangers”.

Family Matters centered on the Winslow family and their annoying next door neighbor, Steve Urkel. Urkel eventually became the star of the show, even though it began with him as a small side character. He was incredibly annoying, but as a young kid, I always found him hilarious. I liked the rest of the family as well, especially the dad, Carl.

The show lasted nearly ten years (running from 1989-1998), which is almost unheard of for a sitcom.

Reginald Vel Johnson (Carl Winslow)

Carl Winslow was the head of the family, and I always enjoyed his character. He absolutely could not stand Urkel, and of course Urkel wanted to be around him as much as possible. Carl was a former police officer and tried to be strict and tough, but was always put into ridiculous situations.

Most former TV stars, especially those that play older characters, don’t usually do a whole lot once their show ends. The same goes for Reginald Vel Johnson, as he continued along the usual path by having one-episode roles in various TV shows. He appeared in The Hughleys, The Fugitive, C.S.I., Crossing Jordan, Will & Grace, Ghost Whisperer and Monk.

A year into his role as Carl Winslow, Johnson had a role as a police officer in Bruce Willis’ Die Hard 2. He also appeared in a few movies after finishing up with Family Matters, but the only one I have ever heard of is the Lil’ Bow Wow film, Like Mike. He is currently working on a film called “Steppin: The Movie”, which stars Anthony Anderson and Mo’Nique.

Jaleel White (Steve Urkel)

Far and above the most popular and memorable character of the show. He was the nerdy neighbor that was constantly over at the Winslow home. He adored Carl like a Father, and was in love with the Winslow daughter, Laura.

He also played seven other characters on Family Matters, all of them some sort of take on Urkel himself. Whether it be one of the Urkel cousins, a historical person such as Albert Einstein or of course his infamous alter ego, Stephan Urquelle.

Jaleel White was very successful as Urkel, but hasn’t managed to turn that success into much of an acting career.

Before working on Family Matters, White actually appeared in the early version of Saved by the Bell, called Good Morning Miss Bliss. He made an appearance in 1991 on Full House, playing the Steve Urkel character.

White voiced the character of Sonic on the Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon in the early 90’s. He also appeared on episodes of The Fresh Price of Bel-Air, Step-by-Step and Boston Legal.

He has landed roles in a few straight-to-video releases, and his most high-profile role was a talent booker in the hit film Dreamgirls, starring Beyonce Knowles and Eddie Murphy.

JoMarie Payton (Harriette Winslow)

JoMarie Payton played Carl’s wife, Harriette. She was always giving poor Carl a hard time. She was a strong-willed character, and was never afraid to be blunt and up-front with people.

After Family Matters, she had one-episode roles on The Jamie Foxx Show, 7th Heaven, The Hughleys, Reba and Judging Amy. She also landed a re-occurring role on Will & Grace, playing “Mrs. Freeman”.

More recently, she appeared in an episode of Desperate Housewives.

She is currently working on a film called “Let’s Ride” which lists such superstars as Ray J and the former Mrs. Federline, Shar Jackson as cast members. Family Matters was easily the highlight of her career, and I doubt that will change anytime soon.

Kellie Shanygne Williams (Laura Winslow)

The only real role of Laura Winslow, as far as I remember, was to play the love interest of Steve Urkel. I don’t remember a single moment of her character that didn’t somehow involve being pursued by the nerdy Urkel.

Her career has been basically non-existent since Family Matters came to an end. She has appeared in two episodes of Moesha, one episode of The Parkers, and three episodes of Eve. She was also a part of the “I Love the 90’s” TV special.

She is currently working with her former TV Dad, Reginald Vel Johnson, in the film Steppin: The Movie.

Darius McCrary (Eddie Winslow)

Eddie was the rebellious youngster of the Winslow clan. It seemed that he was getting grounded nearly every episode. He was good buddies with Urkel, which is not something you usually see of the “sports jock” type character.

It seems I could write the same thing for each one of the former cast members, as it seems they have all worked on the same shows after Family Matters ended. McCrary also appeared in an episode of Moesha and in two episodes of Eve.

He has had a little more success in films, with small roles in Park Day, 15 Minutes and Hostage. One of his bigger roles was playing “Muhammed Ali” in the TV movie, Don King: Only in America.

McCrary was a part of the TV specials, 101 Craziest TV Moments and 101 Even Bigger Celebrity Oops.

Along with several other former Family Matters co-stars, he is appearing in, as well as co-producing, the film Steppin: The Movie.

Rosetta LeNoire (Estelle “Mother” Winslow)

Estelle was Carl’s Mother, and moved into the family’s home in the first episode. This of course did not please Carl, and neither did her frequent dates and her love for men. She enjoyed the company of Steve Urkel, and during the show married part-time character Fletcher Thomas.

Most of LeNoire’s career happened prior to Family Matters, having only one role after Family Matters completed. She appeared as a nurse in one episode of “Cosby”.

One neat fact about her, is that she used to babysit James Earl Jones (the voice of Star Wars’ Darth Vader) when he was an infant.

Rosetta LeNoire died on March 17, 2002 at the age of 91.

Telma Hopkins (Rachel Crawford)

Rachel Crawford was Harriette’s sister, and along with her son Richie, moved into the Winslow home after her husband passed away. She was a budding singer, and also opened up a restaurant called “Rachel’s Place”, which was the local teenager hang-out. She appeared in various episodes throughout the shows span, missing only a few episodes here and there.

Telma Hopkins went on to appear in TV shows ER, Suddenly Susan, The Hughleys, and had a full-time role on Half & Half.

The Other Characters…

Jaimee Foxworth (Judy Winslow)

Judy was the youngest daughter of the Winslow’s. She started out as a regular character when the show began, but soon became nothing more than a background character, and by the fourth season, she was written out of the show entirely. As an inside joke later on in the show, someone asked where she was, and Harriette replied, “she is upstairs cleaning her room”. This is in reference to the fact she was last seen heading upstairs, and it’s joked that she’s never come back downstairs since. Jaimee Foxworth has gone on to appear in highly acclaimed films “Hot Girlz”, “More Black Dirty Debutantes 30″ and “My Baby Got Back 29″. They sound like porn movies? Well, that’s exactly what they are.

Bryton McClure (Richie Crawford)

Richie Crawford was the Winslow’s nephew, and Rachel’s son. He appeared in 54 episodes between 1990 and 1997. I could not stand this character, as he annoyed me to no end. McClure has gone on to star in The Young & The Restless as “Devon Hamilton”.

Shawn Harrison (Waldo Faldo)

Waldo Faldo was Eddie Winslow’s dim-witted best friend, and he was seen in 53 episodes from 1990-1996. Shawn Harrison had one-episode roles in Moesha and Eve, and has a leading role in the television show, Legion of Super-Heroes. He also has a re-occurring role in Girlfriends.

Cherie Johnson (Maxine)

Maxine was Laura Winslow’s best friend. She dated Eddie’s friend Waldo Faldo throughout the show’s run. Cherie Johnson’s uncle was David Duclon, a famous producer of many TV shows of the 70’s and 80’s. He created “Punky Brewster”, and in honor of his niece, created a character using her name. She insisted she wanted the role, and after several auditions, got it. She played “herself” for 86 episodes over four years. After Family Matters, she has appeared on a few TV shows and a few small films, none of which are worth mentioning.

So, after all that, we’ve found out where the cast of Family Matters are now. For all of the cast members, Family Matters has easily been the highlight of their respective careers. I’m not sure who has achieved the most success following the shows end, but you’d have to make the argument for Jaleel “Steve Urkel” White. Although the show lasted for nine seasons, he is probably the only character anyone remembers.

> Read “Saved by the Bell… where are they now?”

Saved by the Bell was one of my favorite shows as a kid. I swear I saw every episode at least five times. Every guy my age wanted to be Zack Morris (and have a kick-ass cell phone like him) and every guy wanted to date Kelly Kapowski.

As per the usual, once a hit teen TV show ends, most of the stars fade into oblivion, with one or maybe two becoming slightly successful.

I wanted to take a look at where all the stars from Saved by the Bell are now. Here’s what they’re up to.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zack Morris)

He was the star of the show. He was the most likely to become a star once Saved by the Bell ended its run. He, sadly, has probably been the most successful. He went on to star in the film, Dead Man on Campus which made a mere $15 million at the box office. Gosselaar then got a job on the short-lived TV show, Hyperion Bay, which only lasted 17 episodes.

He went on to star on a few TV movies, before getting his break as Detective John Clark on NYPD Blue, which he starred in for four seasons (and 65 episodes). When NYPD Blue ended, Gosselaar got a role on Geena Davis’ TV show Commander in Chief, which was quickly cancelled. He has since been in two made-for-TV movies.

Tiffany Thiessen (Kelly Kapowski)

The former Tiffani-Amber Thiessen was probably my first celebrity crush. She played the sweet and innocent Kelly Kapowski on Saved by the Bell for five seasons. After Bell, she appeared in the moderately successful Son In Law with Pauly Shore. Over the next several years she appeared in nothing but made-for-TV movies and a few bit parts in forgettable films.

In 2000 she had a role on Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place, which only lasted 9 episodes. Her most successful role since Saved by the Bell is a lead role in the TV show, Fastlane, which lasted an entire season. She currently has a small role on the TV show What about Brian?, which it appears may be cancelled.

She is currently married to actor Brady Smith who, well… has less work than she does.

Mario Lopez (A.C. Slater)

I hated Slater on Saved by the Bell. He was an idiot, and at the beginning, was always going after Zack’s girl, Kelly. He did end up dating Jesse Spano for the majority of the show, however. He was a moron, and annoyed me to no end.

Since Bell, he has appeared in a long list of junk, while getting a few part-time roles on TV shows The Bold and the Beautiful and Nip/Tuck. He did star in the made-for-TV film, “Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis story”, which was well received.

He’s also had work on reality/entertainment shows such as Dancing with the Stars, Entertainment Tonight and as the host of the 2007 Miss America Pageant.

By the way… he still looks exactly the same as he did 15 years ago. And yup, he still has that big douche bag smile.

Elizabeth Berkley (Jesse Spano)

I never really liked Jesse Spano. She was incredibly annoying, and my one main memory of her is the episode where she gets addicted to sleeping pills and has an absolute freak out. It was a pretty serious moment in the usually tame show. But it forever labeled her a psycho in my mind.

After Bell, Berkley got the lead role in what was supposed to be a blockbuster film; Showgirls. The squeaky clean actress wanted to change her image, and agreed to play the role of stripper/show girl Nomi Malone, in a role where she’d be basically nude the entire film. It was a complete disaster, and an absolute failure. Since then, however, it has become something of a cult-classic, in a “it’s sooo bad, it’s good” kind of way.

She then appeared in a few small films, while also getting a supporting role in the successful First Wives Club. She had a small role (also getting nude) in the Al Pacino film, Any Given Sunday.

Berkley has since had guest roles in several hit shows such as CSI, Law & Order, NYPD Blue and Without a Trace. Other than working on some stage plays, she isn’t really doing anything at the moment.

Dustin Diamond (Screech Powers)

Oh, the lovable Screech. He enjoyed his Saved by the Bell time so much that he’s attached his name to nearly anything to do with it since. Like the other members of the show, he also starred in Saved by the Bell: The College Years. He then continued on with Saved by the Bell: The New Class.

Other than that, he’s appeared in nothing but having bit parts in no-name films. He was, however, on a few reality shows like Celebrity Boxing 2, Celebrity Fit Club, The Weakest Link and Hollywood Squares. Anything for a buck eh, Dustin?

Last year, he actually tried to raise money by selling T-Shirts so he wouldn’t lose his house. Oh, and there’s that whole disturbing situation with the home-made porn film with him that was released. *Shudder*

Lark Voorhies (Lisa Turtle)

Lark played Lisa Turtle, Screech’s long-time obsession on the show. She was a pretty good character, and I always liked Lisa. She has, however, practically been invisible since the show’s end. Besides appearing in small roles on a few TV shows and movies here and there, she’s hasn’t really done anything.

She came back for a one episode spot in The New Class, and was in the mini-series “The Last Don” by Godfather writer Mario Puzo. Oh, and she has her own production company, and was once engaged to Martin Lawrence. That’s about it on Ms. Voorhies.

Dennis Haskins (Mr. Belding)

Mr. Belding always entertained me. His character was great in the supporting role it had. Dennis Haskins followed along the same path as Dustin Diamond (minus the porn tape and T-Shirt selling), by also continuing on with Saved by the Bell: The New Class.

Since that show’s end, he has had a few one episode roles in shows such as The Practice, The West Wing, 7th Heaven and JAG.

So, we’ve answered the question of “where are they now?”

Saved by the Bell is another hugely popular teen sitcom that ended with most of it’s stars fading away and rarely to be seen or heard from again. Mark-Paul Gosselaar is easily the most successful of the bunch, with his long tenure on the popular NYPD Blue.

They should try and put together a Saved by the Bell: Reunion movie. After seeing what they’re all up to these days, it shouldn’t be hard to convince them to return.

> Read my ‘Top 10 Childhood Heroes’ list

> Read my ‘Top 12 Childhood Movies’ list

Well, to no one’s surprise, Spider-Man 3 broke the record for the biggest opening weekend of all time, with $148 million. The previous record was held by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, with a total of $135.6 million.

That’s a pretty incredible number. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but plan on seeing it in theaters at some point. I just don’t feel like standing in line or sitting in a packed theater at this point. I enjoyed the previous two movies, and although I really like comic-to-film adaptations, I wasn’t extremely impressed with the first two.

I have purposely kept away from reading any reviews, as I don’t like to have my opinions influenced before I see the film. The third installment of the series interests me, as “Venom” was one of the my favorite comic book characters and he is the featured villain of the film. I’m hoping for a pretty good movie, and at best, I’m sure it will definitely be entertaining.

It looks like Spider-man 4, 5 and 6 will happen as well, and you have to wonder if those films will break the record of the latest film. Usually, when it comes to a series, after the third movie the interest tends to decline. I’m not sure when the next film to break this record will be. There are some possibles this summer with the third Pirates film or even Shrek 3.

I’d bet on Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World’s End to have the best chance at breaking it, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Spider-Man’s record stand for quite some time.