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After the social-media blowback that greeted the “Good Times” trailer, Netflix opted to premiere the show without making it available to critics. But the animated series that dropped April 12 merely underscores the pitfalls of leveraging a familiar title without a clear reason for doing so, yielding an edgy comedy that likely would have come and gone with scant notice without the weight of that name. In addition to the late Norman Lear – who fared considerably better with a “One Day at a Time” reboot – the roster of producers here includes Seth MacFarlane (“Ted,” “Family Guy”) and...

Good Times · Chic (1979)

CNN’s anchor Chris Cuomo said, “I’m black on the inside,” during the handover segment with his colleague Don Lemon on Friday, as he cited the words of the theme song from the 1970s program “Good Times.” Partial transcript as follows: CUOMO: I had somebody hit me with something today that hurt. She said to me, you know, I don’t have to tell you about how I’m living with my family and how setback we are by this because there was a TV show that was all about it in the 70s and it is the reality for too many people...

Smile! Happy days WILL return! Music used in this mashup: Chic - Good Times Iron Maiden - Rime of the Ancient Mariner Link to Video

Ja'Net DuBois, one of the stars from the TV series "Good Times," has died. Police in Glendale, Calif., said they received a report about the DuBois' death late Monday. She appeared to have died of natural causes and no investigation is ongoing, police Sgt. Dan Stubbs said. No additional details, including her age, were immediately available. BernNadette Stanis, who played Thelma Evans Anderson on “Good Times,” said she learned of DuBois’ death Tuesday from the actress’ daughter. Stanis said DuBois appeared to be in good health and they had appeared at a signing event two weeks ago. She noted that...

Hillary Clinton has called Donald Trump to concede the 2016 presidential election, sources say. CNN's Dana Bash explains.

21 Years Ago Today, 'yours truly' stopped his lurking and joined the FReeRepublic Forum to join the fight for truth against the Klintoon Family abuse/misuse of the truth.

Here, I would like to relate a little about what it was like growing up as a boy in Pennsylvania. For, I am a native born American who lived through the 1960’s and through the 1970’s. I am pretty typical for my generation. The 1970’s was the decade of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. It ended on a whimper with Jimmy Carter at the helm. Here we talk about the 1960’s and 1970’s and what it was like growing up at that time. School I attended elementary school. First I attended a private Catholic school in Connecticut, and then when...

Norman Lear continues to defy convention about career longevity and age. The TV icon, who today celebrates his 96th birthday, and his Act III production company have signed a two-year first look deal with Sony Pictures TV. The pact includes the option to re-imagine titles from Lear’s extensive library including All In The Family, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Maude and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, among others. “I couldn’t be prouder and more excited about joining Sony Pictures Television, who has the guts to go with a kid,” Lear quipped. Sony Pictures TV, which owns the Norman Lear library, has been...

Let me make clear something that professor Wax's "Anglo-Protestant" comment implies: America's "bourgeois values" are superior because they are, essentially, Christian values. Thus, a bourgeois culture is superior because it is essentially a Christian culture, and that ultimately is why the left attacked Wax's and Alexander's piece. As The Miracle and Magnificence of America – and any other sound account of U.S. history – reveals, America was founded by Christians and upon Christian values and principles. The death, disease, and moral rot so prevalent in much of America today is there because many of us have abandoned these values and...

ohn Amos isn’t known for biting his tongue, and that has been well-documented, especially when his character James was killed off of Good Times. But now that the Roots remake is airing soon, the actor has voiced his opinion about the History Channel series and how he’s not sure that it’ll be as impactful as the original version was. SNIP “I guess it will be contingent upon how well it’s done, but I don’t think it’s gonna have the same impact for a number of reasons,” he said. “One, the circumstances that Roots was originally shown under was totally different...

Yeah, it is Hank, says it well.

Good Times actor Ben Powers has died, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 64. While a cause of death has yet to be revealed, an obituary created by his loved ones has surfaced that reveals the actor passed away April 6 in New Bedford, Mass. Powers was best known for his role as Keith Anderson on the '70s sitcom Good Times. His character was married to Thelma Evans played by BerNadette Stanis.

Albums are almost as old as recorded music. A hundred years ago when the most music a 78 RPM record could hold was four minutes, long pieces like operas or symphonies were broken up over multiple discs. Those discs were then sold in book-like packages that reminded many of photo albums. That’s how the record album got its name. The multiple disc problem was solved by Columbia in 1948 when in June of that year, they unveiled the 33 1/3 long-playing album. When RCA countered with the 7-inch 45 RPM single a year later, the LP became the domain of...

Last Saturday in Gouda, Holland, the police arrested as many as 90 people, the majority of whom were protesting against "Black Pete", part of a traditional pre-Christmas children's street party. We don’t normally associate a Santa Claus celebration with police arrests, so this requires a little explanation. Black Pete (Zwarte Piet in Dutch) is a blackface character in Dutch and Belgian folklore. He is the clownish helper of St Nicholas (Sinterklaas) in delivering presents to children.

Before the election results are in, and keeping in mind that there may be some unpleasant surprises for one party or the other — or both — it’s possible to assess how the Democratic Party has fared under the leadership of President Obama. To summarize the verdict: not so well. By one metric it has done very badly indeed. When Obama took the oath of office in January 2009, there were 257 Democrats in the House of Representatives. Going into this election there are 201 (including two vacant Democratic seats). ... The geographic clustering of blacks and gentry liberals in...

[Norman Lear wryly titled his memoir Even This I Get to Experience (out Oct. 14, Penguin) as a wink to his belief that even the bad times in his life were worthwhile because they made the living interesting. And over the course of 92 years, Lear has led as interesting a life as anyone in Hollywood. Born in 1922 in Connecticut, Lear lived with relatives for a time while his father spent three years in jail from 1931 to 1934 for a dodgy get-rich-quick scheme...] [All in the Family: Season 2 Carroll O'Connor's insecurities and fears drove him to great...

A little thirsty? No time for breakfast? Need a ticket to the big game? Come on out and see the women play. From free beer and bacon to in-demand ducats, women's basketball programs across the country are finding creative ways to attract bigger crowds this season.

<p>Thank you humble gunner for the graphic.</p> <p>TexasCowboy (aka COB1) was a true Texas gentleman, great friend, patriot, and a firm believer in the 2nd Amendment. It is truly an honor to continue a tradition he started many years ago, hosting shoots for FRiends around the great state of Texas.</p>

The anchor was "punched 10 times in the head," CNN producer Steve Brusk Tweeted. Anderson Cooper was attacked in Egypt Wednesday. CNN producer Steve Brusk Tweeted, "Anderson said he was punched 10 times in the head as pro-Mubarak mob surrounded him and his crew trying to cover demonstration."