Retro TV

I know that I was suppose to talk about Home Improvement but before the month ended I wanted to write about some great African American Actors and Actresses in television shows of the past. I’m sorry this is so short, February 2009 I plan to write about an actor or actress every day of the month.

Nichelle Nichols
A little birdie told me that this African American actress was thinking about quitting the show when she received inspiration from Martin Luther King Jr. I remember Nichelle Nichols from the Star Trek series. She looked amazing on the Star Trek set as not only a female in television but also an African American woman on television.

Nichelle Nichols has had some great roles since her start as an actress in 1959. Though her start was a bit part in a film called Porgy and Bess, Nichelle Nichols has been going strong since.

In the past year she has done five episodes of Heroes as Nana Dawson. She returned to Star Trek as the role of Captain Nyota Uhura for 2007 Star Trek: Of Gods and Men.

Currently she is working on a filmed call This Bitter Earth. Nichell Nichols takes on the role of Clara Watkins in the film. If interested you can watch for it in theaters in 2009.

Debbie Allen
This is another favorite African American actress of mine. I’m sure everyone can remember her as Lydia Grant from Fame. I loved watching her on television. She portrayed Teacher Lydia Grant as a strong woman.

She was in over 100 episodes of the 1980’s television version and has been a television queen ever since. In the past year, Debbie Allen has been on several episodes of “All of Us”, “Everybody Hates Raymond” and “Girlfriends”.

Of course Nichelle Nichols and Debbie Allen are only two actors of the many that have graced our television sets and lives.

If your interested to learn more about the lives of African Americans in television check out Inside TV Land: African Americans In Television. It’s a look at the impact of African Americans both off and on the set of television.

There are interviews with Bill Cosby, Will Smith, Flip Wilson, Nell Carter, and many more favorites.

Television after 11 p.m. has been a little boring. I find myself watching shows that I grew up with a lot. A major one features Tim “Tool Time” Taylor. I confess, I’ve been watching repeats of Tool Time. The worst thing about it is that the shows are not even in the late 1990’s.

Since Bradly, Mark, and Randy are all grown up now after sixteen years. I have to wonder what the cast of Home Improvement has been up to and if paparazzi have caught them on film?

Tim Allen
We all know him as the always-joking Tim Taylor on Home Improvement. Here he is again looking great and a full smile at the 16 th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscar Party. Hopefully Tim Allen wrote a big check at the Pacific Design Center for the foundation.

Patricia Richardson
Patricia played Jill Taylor on Home Improvement from 1991 – 1999. She seems to have escaped the prying eyes of the paparazzi but I found her looking pretty in silver. She was just arriving to the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2006. Doesn’t she lovely in silver?

Richard Karn
Poor Al Borland, the man that Tim Taylor was always picking on. It looks like Richard hasn’t changed a bit since his days on Home Improvement. O.K. I admit it, it does look like he’s loss the baby face that he use to have.

It also looks like Richard Karn has become a major Golf fan. Last November he was found at the Golf Digest’s Celebrity Invitational. This was held at the lovely Lakeside Golf Club in Burbank, California.

I haven’t forgotten about the rest of the cast. Tomorrow I’ll be checking out Taran Smith, Zachery Bryan, Jonathan Thomas, and Earl Hindman. Plus I’ll be back to talk about the projects and companies they are working on now.

Out of all the cast members I have to say that my favorite is Patricia Richardson. She just portrayed the Mom that everyone wanted to have as a mom. Of course this is my own choice, so what’s yours?

The mysterious agency of Blackstorm is after the workings of Charles Graiman’s workings and will go through anything to get them. That includes killing Dr. Graiman and abducting Sarah Graiman.

The men from Blackstorm make an attempt to abduct Sarah at Stanford University but fail due to the actions of a mysterious call from KITT warning her that her father is in danger and the same men are after her.

KITT is programmed to track down Mike Tracer, a 23-year-old ex-Army Ranger, whom Sarah hasn’t seen since he left home at 18. Mike obviously is skeptical but is willing to help Sarah find out who is attempting to acquire KITT.

FBI Agent Carrie Rivai comes into play when Sarah and Mike find out that Dr. Charles Graiman is still alive. Her long-standing friendship with Charles brings her into the mix.

Viewers definitely get a flash from the past when we find that the original Michael is Mike Tracer’s father. David Hasslehoff does a walk on role for the show to tie up lose ends. I wonder if we will be seeing more of the original Michael Knight?

With credits like Dave Bartis from “Heist” and Doug Liman from “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” as executive producers I was just expecting a better storyline.

I have to admit that I’m still deciding if Knight Rider should have stayed in the 1980’s as an nostalgia remembrance. We’ll just have to wait and see if the show is actually picked up by NBC as a weekly show.

I’m sure that others will agree that the car is cool. Of course it’s nothing like the original Trans Am of the 1980’s but anything that gets 197 miles per gallon and has nano-technology is cool with me.