During the first season or two of Roseanne, Roseanne Barr was treated horribly by the producers, who wanted to get rid of her, even though she was the creative genius behind the show, which was based entirely on characters she had developed. She went with “success is the best revenge,” working extra hard to make sure the show hit the #1 spot, knowing at that point she could seize creative control. She hung out with the crew and supportive castmembers (including John Goodman, who flat refused to do the show without her), and put a list on her door. That list had the name of every single person who worked on the show. When they pissed her off, she’d cross off their name in red. Everyone in red was to be fired the second she was in charge. She took this policy from Machiavelli, and she made good on it. Her first move was to fire everyone who had tried to shut her down. She also promoted a number of women writers and fired a number of men writers for being sexist. So, this shirt is no lie.
If you buy the seasons on DVD (which I own the first 4 regardless if I’ve already seen all 228 episodes) they each come with like “special features” and they usually have two interviews on each one with a different actor or actress from the show. On the first seasons disc’s there’s an interview with Roseanne where she talks about how they would give her the script, and she’d pretty much end up chewing it up and spitting it back up with funnier jokes and more creative view points. But they wouldn’t want to go with what she wanted because of -insert BS reason here- so she pretty much had to become MEGA BITCH to get what she wanted.
But I love Roseanne, and I believe she portrays a great message to girls and women today.
If you want your shit done and you want it right, become the MEGA BITCH.^ Roseanne is why I often consider bitch a compliment.
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(via thenocturnalcouchpotato)
Take a trip in the Emmy Awards time machine. Some of our favorite Emmy wins!
http://www.buzzfeed.com/tvland/emmy-awards-time-machine-7697
How many of these favorite TV houses do you recognize?
http://www.buzzfeed.com/tvland/who-lived-here-can-you-match-the-house-to-the-tel-7697
If you’re a fan of classic TV, we found tons of crazy goodies for you on etsy!
http://www.buzzfeed.com/tvland/crazy-or-cool-satisfy-your-retro-tv-cravings-on-e-7697
The pics are just awesome!
Remember Roseanne? Remember how amazing it was?
How Rosie and Dan fought a lot, but they were also good friends and genuinely enjoyed each other’s company? How Roseanne was obviously the matriarch and the Boss of Everybody, and Dan was just totally okay with it? Because he loved her and that meant he loved all of her, and accepted her personality, and even though he did get frustrated a lot and fought with her about things, and felt belittled and emasculated and powerless, he still didn’t try to change who she was because he was just fundamentally a good husband.
And Jackie was a mess of neuroses and was kind of co-dependent with Rosie, but we got to see her strike out on her own and have a kid and a divorce and she remained fiercely independent and yes, still anxious and crazy.
How parenthood was portrayed as a lifetime of disappointment, stress, anger, and ridiculousness, but also the most important and central topic to the characters’ lives and the show itself. (Like remember that episode where Jackie and Fred are fighting and the baby wakes up and Jackie’s breasts start leaking milk? HAD THAT EVER HAPPENED ON TELEVISION BEFORE?!) And even though it was difficult for the parents, they still supported their kids no matter what, yelled at them because they wanted them not to be stupid, talked to them honestly about things like sex and marriage and having kids, and everything, basically.
And Darlene struggled the entire show with her femininity and how she never fit in with the community she was raised in, and how she always had this example of a “real girl” in her sister Becky, and how it made her so angry and bitter. But then we got to see her come to terms with herself and find a relationship that worked for her, have a child and finally find peace with who she is, and she and David were such a second generation Rosie and Dan, especially with how they completely inverted the traditional gender roles of a marriage.
Remember that episode where they argue over whether or not it’s the woman’s “job” to have children? And she basically was like, “fuck that, David, if you want babies then go out and have babies, my uterus is not your cornfield, Farmer Bob.” And David in the end was like, “okay well, if we do have kids I’ll stay home and raise them and you can go out and work,” and THEN THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED!
And how Becky fell in love with the wrong sort of person, and eloped and it just completely derailed her life, and even though she was smart as hell she gave up college to be with him, because that’s just how it happens sometimes, you get caught up and things don’t go as you plan. And when they moved back to Lanford we found out that Mark was actually a really good guy, he just wasn’t all that bright (not his fault) and he tried very hard to give Becky the life that she wanted, but he just didn’t have the ability to right away, and they went through that rough patch where Becky blamed him for it unfairly. But then once they got back on track we got to see how much they cared for each other, and even though Becky is kind of a brat and Mark is really dumb, it worked for them and in the end they were happy.
And how DJ was such a weird little kid, who struggled with his own identity issues like Darlene, and how Dan always made sure to encourage him, even when it pained him to do so like that episode where DJ is choosing which sport to participate in and he picks tap dancing. And even though he’s not the son Dan always dreamed of having, he still did his best to make sure DJ never felt like a disappointment.
And how they never had money, they always struggled to make ends meet and that sort of family had never been shown on television before! And how they all worked all these odd jobs and hated them but did it anyway, and most of the comedy on the show came from that place of “this is our life and it kind of sucks a lot, honestly, so what the hell, might as well have some fun with it!”
And they all backed each other up, 100%! They had fun together, and they always came to each other’s defense! They played pranks on each other (well, the adults did, because the grown ups had the most fun out of ANYONE) and they fought a lot but it didn’t matter because they were FAMILY and THAT was most important!
They confronted things like racism and sexism and birth control and unwanted pregnancy and drugs and underage sex head on and dealt with each issue with empathy, serious consideration and a sense of humor that didn’t belittle the gravity of what they were dealing with.
And they had gay characters! A real bisexual female character that was nuanced and funny and quirky and amazing! Who had relationships with men and women on the show! Whose identity wasn’t reduced to being queer! And they had a gay male character too! Who also had storylines not related to his sexual orientation!
And the last couple seasons of the show they changed the formula completely and it worked! And in the series finale it was revealed that it was all just meta, which was insane and awesome!
I’m so grateful I grew up with this show. Other sitcoms that were on when I was a kid, like Friends and Will & Grace, were all well and good, but they weren’t real, they were fantasies. Beautiful people with money who lived charmed lives compared to my reality, which was clipped coupons and cigarettes and a crappy, messy house that we couldn’t really afford and drugs/misery/poverty fucking everywhere I looked. Roseanne reflected so much of my own existence back at me, and made me laugh, and showed these strong, independent women dealing with these problems and not taking any shit and laughing at themselves and generally living their lives with strength, compassion and humor and I can’t even tell you how it made me feel. Like things weren’t so bad, like if they could rise above it, so could I.
(via thenocturnalcouchpotato)
Think you can do a better job of photoshopping Roseanne? Post your images on Tumblr, tag them with #RoseanneRoast, and if we like them, we might reblog them.
The Roast of Roseanne airs Sunday at 10/9c.
We’re so excited!!!
(via swcalise)
Roseanne to guest star on Glee? There’s a rumor going around anyway. What song would you want Roseanne to sing?
And for more Roseanne, don’t forget the Comedy Central Roast is this Sunday at 10PM/9C
http://hollywoodlife.com/2012/08/08/roseanne-barr-glee-guest-starring-interview/
(via weloveroseanne)
It’s always a great time at the TV Land Awards, but the big draw is the reunions, in which former castmates come together (sometimes after a span of decades) to reminisce about making the shows beloved by so many — including the stars themselves. Even actors like Tom Hanks and John Travolta have happily hit the stage to reunite with their small-screen families. Think of it like your high school reunion, except everyone’s well, famous and better looking. We look back at a decade’s worth of the TV Land Awards’ most star-studded cast reunions.
Tune in Sunday April 29 at 9PM/8C to see which casts reunite for the 10th Annual TV Land Awards!
2003: “The Dick Van Dyke Show”
The first TV Land Awards started its reunion tradition with a bang, bestowing the Legend Award to “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” In fact, series creator Carl Reiner was so inspired by the good vibes on stage that he suggested the cast get together again for a reunion episode — which later became the 2004 TV movie “The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited.”
2004: “The Andy Griffith Show”
The actors from “The Andy Griffith Show” (sans Ron Howard, though he’s a little busy these days) returned to Mayberry when the show received the Legend Award in 2004. Billy Bob Thornton, who presented the award to the cast of his “all-time favorite show,” reminisced, “‘The Andy Griffith Show’ got me through my childhood. Every time I was down, I would just dream I was in Mayberry.”
2005: “The Bob Newhart Show”
“Hi Bob!” One year after immortalizing Bob Newhart with a Chicago statue of his “Bob Newhart Show” character Robert Hartley, TV Land recognized the show’s iconic status — not with more statues, but with the easier-to-carry 2005 Icon Award. After all, what was Bob without his wife Emily (Suzanne Pleshette)?
2006: “Dallas”
Any show that had the entire country — the world, really — discussing “Who shot J.R.?” deserves the Pop Culture Award, which “Dallas” won in 2006. John Schneider and Tom Wopat, who can claim their own slice of pop cultural history as Bo and Luke Duke, presented the award to the reunited cast, though sadly, only Hagman wore a cowboy hat.
2007: “The Brady Bunch”
We knew it was much more than a hunch that this group called “The Brady Bunch” would someday win the Pop Culture Award. When the lovely ladies and the men named Brady met up at the 2007 show, Susan Olsen (Cindy) thanked “all of you who enjoyed my childhood — I enjoyed it, too”; and Barry Williams (Greg) explained, “Some people are blessed with one wonderful family, and some are blessed with two, like me.”
2008: “Roseanne”
A gaggle of Conners — including two different Beckys (Lecy Goranson and Sarah Chalke) — converged upon the 2008 TV Land Awards to accept the Innovator Award for their landmark show. Roseanne Barr, whom presenter Teri Hatcher deemed the original “desperate housewife,” expressed gratitude toward her TV family for giving her “the most fun you could ever hope to have in the world, for ten years.”
2009: “M*A*S*H”
Accepting the Impact Award at the 2009 TV Land Awards, the cast of “M*A*S*H” proved they still had chemistry when Alan Alda grabbed Loretta Swit to re-create the kind of lingering smooch their characters enjoyed three decades before. Who says you can’t still have hot lips in your 70s?
2009: “Married … With Children”
Dr. Phil presented the 2009 Innovator Award to the cast of “Married … With Children,” saying that the Bundys were “strongest argument I’ve ever seen for mandatory birth control … the Cosbys they were not.” Taking her turn at the microphone, proud Bundy daughter Christina Applegate said, “We don’t get to see each other all that often … Thank you for giving us the opportunity to hang out at a table and be dysfunctional together one more time.”
2010: “Bosom Buddies”
Once upon a time — way back in 1980 — a young actor named Tom Hanks landed the lead on a sitcom called “Bosom Buddies.” Hanks doesn’t dress up in drag anymore (that we know of), but the Oscar winner demonstrated his loyalty to the show that gave him his break by accepting the 30th Anniversary Award, alongside Peter Scolari and the rest of their “Bosom” castmates. “For 39 measly episodes,” Hanks recalled fondly of the show’s two-season run, “all we did was laugh.”
2011: “Welcome Back, Kotter”
Before “Saturday Night Fever,” before “Grease,” before “Wild Hogs,” John Travolta was just Vinnie Barbarino, a kid with awesome hair on “Welcome Back, Kotter.” Travolta proved you can go home again — or back to school, anyway — when he reunited with his fellow Sweathogs to accept the 35th Anniversary Award, saying, “After 35 years, I wondered what Barbarino would be doing, and he’s standing here tonight very proud to be here.” Up your nose with a rubber hose right back atcha, Vinnie.
