Tv Shows

Everybody could use some laughter in their lives, especially now. And what better way to deliver some laughs than show off some hilarious Betty White bloopers? There probably isn’t a better way at the moment. All of the bloopers come from TV Land’s first ever original series, Hot in Cleveland, where White starred alongside Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, and Wendie Malick. The three women had some pretty great chemistry on and off the screen, which is evident in these outtakes. In addition, we’ve provided some of White’s Elka Ostrovsky character’s best moments.

Betty White played Elka Ostrovsky on Hot in Cleveland for six seasons between 2010 and 2015. While being TV Land’s first original series, it also holds the record for being highest rated, mostly thanks to White’s often dark and vulgar humor. Ostrovsky is an elderly Polish caretaker who often alludes to a storied life, including escaping from the Nazis, an active sex life, heavy drinking, and potential marijuana use. In other words, this is really the stuff people should be watching for a laugh at the moment.

Hot in Cleveland has often been compared to Betty White’s hit Golden Girls series. That’s pretty heavy praise since the show is one of the best the 1980s has to offer. White received two Screen Actors Guild Awards for her performance as Elka Ostrovsky and the series ended up taking home two Primetime Emmy nominations with a total of five nominations throughout its 6 seasons. Fans were not excited to hear that the show was coming to an end, but they were treated to a one-hour series finale.

In case anyone was wondering, Betty White is practicing social distancing at the moment like the rest of the world. The 98-year old actress is safe at home and reportedly having someone else take care of her essential shopping needs, which is the way it should be. According to sources, the actress is having a good time in her house, avoiding large crowds while more than likely enjoying a lot of TV like the rest of us. But what does Betty White watch while social distancing? Is she watching the news, or is she busying herself with some comedy.

It appears that the majority of people staying at home and practicing social distancing are watching comedies. Comedy movies, specials, and sitcoms. This sounds like the most logical thing for everybody to do, especially since we don’t know exactly when this will all be over. For now, it looks like we’re going to be indoors for a lot longer, so it’s time to search for some more comedy. Perhaps some Hot in Cleveland reruns will be in order for those who haven’t seen it yet. You can check out the Betty White Bloopers videos above, thanks to the TV Land YouTube channel. You can check out some of Elka Ostrovsky’s best moments below.

Sad news for dog lovers is coming in today as it’s now being reported that another beloved television animal has passed away. Odin the Northern Inuit, the dog seen by millions of Game of Thrones fans across the world when he played Bran Stark’s pet direwolf Summer in the very first episode of the hit HBO series, died this week after battling mouth cancer for the past several months. According to his owners, Odin had spent his final days with his family taking walks on the beach and dining on his favorite foods, dying at the age of ten this week when his health took a turn for the worse.

In a social media post confirming Odin’s passing, his owners state they adopted the Inuit when he was just a 7-week-old puppy, spending the next ten years with the television dog as a very important part of the family. “Odin’s passing marks the end of a decade and the end of an era as he taught our friends and family a lot of lessons about life for one dog he has more stories to tell than some people would,” they explain on Instagram. Adding that we can all “take great comfort in knowing that he is forever immortalised” on Game of Thrones, the owners also note: “It’s an incredible piece of luck to have a pet you love so well become world famous and touch so many people’s hearts.”

RELATED: Game of Thrones Star Kristofer Hivju Tests Positive for Coronavirus in Norway

Longtime Game of Thrones fans might remember when Ned Stark (Sean Bean) adopted orphaned direwolf puppies for each of his five children: Grey Wind for Robb (Richard Madden), Lady for Sansa (Sophie Turner), Nymeria for Arya (Maisie Williams), Summer for Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright), and Shaggydog for Rickon (Art Parkinson). Ned’s illegitimate son Jon Snow (Kit Harington) adopted another direwolf puppy named Ghost for himself as well. Following the appearances of the direwolves as puppies in season one, CGI would later be used to create the larger adult versions of the animals in later seasons.

Recently, we lost another famous television dog as well, as Modern Family’s bulldog Stellapassed away just days after the series wrapped filming its final episode. Last year also saw the deaths of the animal actors who played the beloved pet dogs on the comedy shows Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Fuller House. Needless to say, it’s been a bit rough lately for dog lovers, so let’s hope our other favorite pets from television stay safe with no new casualties for a long, long time.

Following Odin’s cancer diagnosis, HBO also did their part in caring for the Game of Thrones star by helping to raise funds to pay for his ongoing medical treatment; Odin’s family says the leftover funds after paying for the vet bill will be donated to animal charities. Though the dog was unfortunately unable to be saved, his top-notch medical treatment and the quality care from his owners went a long way in making his final days on Earth as comfortable and happy as they could possibly be for the world-famous pet. Rest in peace, sweet Odin – you were a very good boy. This news comes to us from got_direwolves on Instagram.

Topics: Game of Thrones

The BBC are airing a series of new PSAs to encourage the public to stay inside, using scenes from some of their most iconic sitcoms.

The new campaign aims to encourage self-isolation amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and the company is using some of its most well-known stars from past and present to get the message across.

Scenes from The Thick Of It, I’m Alan Partridge, The Mighty Boosh and more are all being shown periodically across BBC TV channels.

The most appropriate clip comes from Armando Iannucci’s The Thick Of It, in which Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi) orders an office lockdown.

“Right, people. Listen up! It’s a fucking lockdown right now!” Tucker shouts in the clip. “We are in a prison drama. This is the fucking Shawshank Redemption, right? But with more tunnelling through shit and no fucking redemption.” The clip ends with a message from the BBC: “Seriously, stay at home. Please help stop the spread.”

The BBC is now running this as a public information film between some of its programmes. pic.twitter.com/L92EuU17nk

— Jim Waterson (@jimwaterson) March 26, 2020

In a separate PSA, an iconic scene from Steve Coogan’s I’m Alan Partridge is used, in which Partridge is detailing the James Bond marathon he’s about to spend his day watching. “Set a routine to get through staying in” is the closing message.

Set a routine, to get through staying in. 😂 pic.twitter.com/oSpbIoWRL5

— BBC (@BBC) March 27, 2020

Also used is The Mighty Boosh‘s all-too-appropriate song, ‘The Isolation Song’. Listen to that below.

“Acting on heath advice will save lives,” says BBC director-general Tony Hall of the new series of PSAs.

“Using our stars is a good way of getting the message out far and wide. Even if it makes just a small difference, it will be worth it.”

Earlier this week, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the UK were to adopt strict coronavirus lockdown measures.

In a TV address from inside 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister said UK citizens must stay at home except to shop for food and medicine, for only one form of exercise per day, and to travel to and from essential workplaces.

Earlier today (March 27), Johnson himself revealed that he’s tested positive for Covid-19 after developing symptoms in the last 24 hours.

“I am now self-isolating, but I will continue to lead the government’s response via video-conference as we fight this virus,” the Prime Minister said in a tweet.

As the chaos caused by coronavirus continues, we now have confirmation that the 2020 Summer Olympic Games has been postponed. The Olympic Games will now likely take place next year in 2021. Of course, this decision comes in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has negatively impacted various industries and mass events across the globe.

With the Olympics opening ceremonies scheduled to begin on July 24, 2020, in Tokyo, the upcoming Olympic Games were, as usual, set to feature some of the greatest athletes from around the world competing in dozens of athletic events.

In a joint statement from the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, it was decided that due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the global event must be postponed in the name of public health and safety.

“In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community.”

The statement also looked to the future, standing as a reminder of the importance of the Olympic Games and how they could very well be the exact thing the world needs once we have emerged on the other side of this current global crisis.

“The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present. Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.”

As COVID-19 began to spread around the world earlier this year, the International Olympic Committee insisted that the event would go on as planned and that the committee would not consider postponing or canceling the event. The committee received much criticism for this decision, with several countries insisting that amid the concerns over coronavirus that the Games must be postponed. Eventually, the IOC buckled, stating that postponement was a possibility and that a decision would be made in the coming weeks. Canada then stated that they would be sending any athletes to the Games unless the event was moved to a later date.

The news that the Olympic Games will be postponed follows several announcements regarding a variety of other large-scale events, including major music and cultural events, all of which have been pushed back to ensure that social distancing and self-isolation are adhered to. Hollywood meanwhile remains on pause doe to the coronavirus outbreak, with various high-profile releases being delayed, whilst production and filming for ongoing projects have all but ceased. This comes to us from The official website of the Olympic Games.

Topics: Olympics Summer 2020

One of the major pieces of The Office lore is, of course, the questions surrounding why in the world Jim’s hair looks so terrible in Season 3. John Krasinski’s shaggy hair became a staple of the fan-favorite Office character, but for one season there, something is a bit… off. It doesn’t look quite right. Well, that’s because in Season 3 of The Office, John Krasinski is wearing a wig.

Indeed, many Office fans did some digging and discovered that Krasinski was shooting a major role in the George Clooney-directed film Leatherheads during Season 3 of the show, and if you’ve seen Leatherheads you know that Krasinski does not have Jim’s trademark hair.

Image via NBC

But the true story behind how Krasinski got approval to cut his hair and wear a wig for a season of The Office is a fascinating and kind of hilarious look behind the scenes of life on a hit broadcast TV show.

As recounted in Andy Greene’s book The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s, Krasinski was absolutely thrilled to land a starring role in Leatherheads. Just one problem: The Office creator and showrunner Greg Daniels did not want the actor to cut his hair. The show’s hairstylist Kim Ferry explained that Daniels was convinced fans would be able to tell Krasinski was wearing a wig:

“It would have meant cutting his hair into a 1920s hairstyle. But continuity-wise and contractually-wise, actors are obligated to keep their hair how it is for a series unless they get producer approval, of course. But it would have been cutting his hair super short, which would mean getting rid of the wings on the side and his long hair. He came to me and said, ‘Could we do a wig?’ He went to talk to them and said, ‘I really want to do this project.’ And they were like, ‘I think it would be obvious that it was a wig.’ Greg really felt like it won’t look like him.”

Image via Universal Pictures

Krasinski would not be able to take the role in Leatherheads without getting a haircut, so he took a massive risk—he had Ferry make a wig in secret, and wore it while shooting a scene without telling anyone:

“Hiring a wig maker is not inexpensive. We did the fitting in his trailer and when it was done it looked amazing. It looked exactly like him. We were shooting him playing basketball at David Wallace’s house [“Cocktails”] and no one knows that I have this wig hidden in my side of the trailer now. He comes in. I put the wig on him, glue it down, take care of everything. And I go, ‘Okay, let’s do this, right?’ And he’s like, ‘Let’s do this.’”

Originally, Krasinski’s plan was to go to the producers and say, “See, I was wearing a wig and you couldn’t tell.” But the plan shifted—Krasinski actually wore the wig to go and talk to Daniels. Ferry recounted the story:

“John just vanished when the scene finished filming and I heard he drove back to the set. I jump in my car and I’m like, ‘Oh my God. Oh my God. What’s he gonna do?’ So I run over and I remember running up the stairs because the writers’ office was up on the top level. I walk down the hallway and my heart is pounding. I’m like, ‘Oh my God. What is happening?’ I walk in the room and Greg Daniels is sitting at his desk. I look at John and the wig is off. It’s sitting on Greg’s desk.”

Image via NBC

As it turns out, Krasinski carried on a full conversation with his boss while wearing the wig, just to prove it could work:

“John told me later that Greg said to him, ‘John, I’ll know if it’s a wig. You can’t fake that kind of thing.’ As he’s staring at him with the wig on. And then John’s like, ‘Really? I don’t think you would,’ and he takes it off right in front of him.’ And then Greg said, ‘You win, I give you full permission to wear the wig.’ When I came in [Greg] said to me, ‘You guys have a lot of balls.’ For a minute I really thought I was going to get fired.”

So yeah, Krasinski and the show’s hairstylist took a pretty massive leap of faith to try and convince Daniels—and it’s a good thing it worked. Although the fact that fans have noticed Jim’s wig over the years is proof that it wasn’t an entirely seamless transition, and it’s kind of refreshing in the Season 3 finale when Jim gets a haircut for the corporate job interview and he finally gets to take the wig off.

For more on The Office, find out why Steve Carell left the show and how the writers originally planned to split up Jim and Pam in Season 9. All of these stories and more can be found in Greene’s book, which is available now.