Justine Bateman tries her hand at sitcom writing
Give Justine Bateman credit: She could have been typecast after playing the dippy, fashion-obsessed Mallory Keaton on Family Ties, but she’s been able to build a nice career for herself over the last twenty years by playing interesting supporting roles in movies like The TV Set and series like Desperate Housewives. But she’s also been — just like 75% of the people in Hollywood — an aspiring writer, struggling to get her scripts produced (and you think having connections helps … she knows Michael J. Fox and her brother is Jason Bateman, and she still couldn’t get her scripts produced).
But now she can add “sitcom writer” to her credits; she just wrote an episode of The Disney Channel’s hit Wizards of Waverly Place, according to the New York Daily News. Apparently, she’s a friend of executive producer Peter Murrieta, and she got to know some of the show’s writers during the writers’ strike. So, when the strike ended, she was invited to write an episode for the show.
The most interesting part of the article is Bateman’s analysis of the paltry sitcom market these days: “Television used to have an awful lot of sitcoms. It’s interesting to see Disney is really a place where there are sitcoms,” she said. “Going back 15 years, there were a fair amount of sitcoms families could watch. I absolutely love 30 Rock and The Office, but I don’t know how many 13-year-olds are watching that stuff.”
She’s right; the big “hit” sitcoms are ones like Wizards and Hanna Montana, which are written by adults for teens and pre-teens. Maybe the networks should take note of that; another “TGIF” lineup might end up making more money than an entire season of The Office.
No Laugh-In Matter: Dick Martin Passes
Funnyman Dick Martin, best known as the cohost of the 1960s television hit Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, died Saturday in Santa Monica from respiratory complications. He was 86.
“He had had some pretty severe respiratory problems for many years, and he had pretty much stopped breathing a week ago,” said Martin family spokesman Barry Greenberg.
On the pioneering sketch show Laugh-In, which mined humor out of hippie culture and other topical issues of the late 1960s, goofball Martin and his straight-man other half, Dan Rowan, helped launch the careers of, among others, Lily Tomlin and Goldie Hawn.
Martin also starred as Lucille Ball’s neighbor and love interest in her comeback sitcom The Lucy Show and, after Laugh-In’s run ended in 1973, went on to direct several television shows, including Newhart and Family Ties. He also appeared on The Love Boat and Diagnosis Murder.
He is survived by his wife, Dolly Read, and sons Cary and Richard. Rowan died in 1987.
Sopranos Mastermind Sees the Big Picture
David Chase woke up this morning and got himself a movie deal.
The Emmy-winning Sopranos creator has inked a deal with Paramount Pictures to write, direct and produce his first big-screen original drama, the studio announced Thursday.
Unfortunately, for all you Jersey-mob loversor obscure-finale hatersout there, there's no indication that the film will be a continuation of the Soprano family saga.
But that doesn't mean Chase, who directed the very first and, eight years later, the very last, episode of the pioneering HBO series, didn't take his Family ties into consideration.
The TV visionary partly attributes his long and fruitful partnership with Sopranos coproducerand Paramount chairmanBrad Grey for the upcoming step in his career.
"Brad has always been adventurous as a producer and looked for different ways of doing things," Chase said. "I look forward to once again working with him, and now his team. For years, Brad has been a great partner, who helped enable me to do what I need to creatively."
"In truth, David has been creating cinematic-quality filmed drama for more than a decadespanning nine seasons and 86 episodes of The Sopranos,” Grey added. "Having worked with David as a producer, I'm delighted to be with him again and to bring his unique vision to the big screen."
Chase's writing, producing and directing credits also include the small-screen dramas I'll Fly Away, The Rockford Files and Northern Exposure and the TV movie Off the Minnesota Stripall Emmy winners and/or nominees.
Tina Yothers Welcomes a Baby Boy
Former Family Ties star and Celebrity Fit Club winner Tina Yothers, 34, gave birth to a baby boy Monday morning, PEOPLE has confirmed.
She and husband Robert Kaiser welcomed Jake Kaiser, weighing in at 8.8 lbs., at 6:08 a.m. at an Orange County hospital. This is the fourth child for the growing brood whose last addition, Lilly, turns two next month (Kaiser has two sons from a previous marriage).
Even at five months pregnant, Yothers was slimmer than before her Fit Club 4 appearance: “I was triple this size when I was pregnant with Lilly since I only worked out my hand and mouth,” she told PEOPLE in April. Her tip for weight-loss success? “Find a cookie you don’t like.”
After reaching a bikini-ready body last October Yothers confessed to PEOPLE in April, “If you’ve ever struggled with weight, you feel like gaining it back is right around the corner.” Still, she has managed to keep on track this time around by sticking to a modified NutriSystem diet and working out three days a week.