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Creator of Cooley High Eric Monte says television producer Norman Lear is a racist who stole his idea for the 1970s hit television show, The Jeffersons. Monte worked as a writer on Good Times, which he co-created with Mike Evans. During an interview with Annette John-Hall of the Philadelphia Inquirer back in 2006, Monte called Lear a racist who wrote stereotypical dialogue and didn’t think he was racist. Monte recalled the cast of Good Times frequently having issues with the dialogue written by Lear.“I caught hell because Norman Lear was incredibly racist, but he didn’t think so. And everything they...

"All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons" are coming back to TV, live and for one night only. Woody Harrelson, Marisa Tomei, Jamie Foxx and Wanda Sykes will star in re-creations of episodes from the influential sitcoms born in the 1970s. Norman Lear, who created "All in the Family" and its spinoff "The Jeffersons," and Jimmy Kimmel are hosting the ABC prime-time special airing next month, the network said Thursday. Harrelson and Tomei will play Archie and Edith Bunker, with Foxx and Sykes as George and Louise Jefferson. Ellie Kemper, Justina Machado and Will Ferrell also will appear, ABC said,...

Sherman Hemsley, the actor who made the character George Jefferson famous in "The Jeffersons," has died, El Paso cops tell TMZ. Hemsley died at his home in El Paso, Texas. Sources tell us ... it appears Hemsley died from natural causes. Hemsley, who was 74, became famous during his appearances on "All in the Family." The spin-off, "The Jeffersons" was a monster hit. He also starred in the TV show, "Amen." He was also a professional singer and even released the single in 1989, "Ain't that A Kick in the Head."

BOSTON – Paul Benedict, the actor who played the English neighbor Harry Bentley on the sitcom "The Jeffersons," has died. He was 70. Benedict was found dead Monday on Martha's Vineyard and his brother, Charles, said authorities were still investigating the cause of death. Benedict began his acting career in the 1960s in the Theatre Company of Boston, alongside such future stars as Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino. Benedict went on to appear in a number of movies, including a role as the oddball director in "The Goodbye Girl" with Richard Dreyfuss. But he was mainly known...

Oh, my. Can you just imagine if Sarah Palin or John McCain made a crack like this and botched up their pop culture references to famous black comedy shows? Can you just imagine the high dudgeon from every minority lawmaker? WaPo and NYTimes columnist? Civil rights organization? The cries of RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACISM would shatter the political Richter scale. Can you just imagine: This is what happens when a candidates goes off script. Barack Obama, in Raleigh, N.C., was doing a riff attacking John McCain for supporting the idea of putting some mandatory retirement money into the stock market. “If Senator...

This could be worse than mixing metaphors. If Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama is going to ad lib in a speech about the economy by invoking black 1970s breakthrough TV, he could at least get it right. In his Oct. 29 speech in Raleigh, N.C., Obama railed against Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain on various issues about the economy, specifically including tax cuts and the privatization of Social Security. He proposed that had Social Security been invested in the stock market – it might cause a Fred Sanford-style reaction. “If Sen. McCain is elected, we’ll have another president...

TWENTYNINE PALMS, California (AP) -- Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has died. He was 57. Evans died of throat cancer December 14 at his mother's home in Twentynine Palms, said his niece, Chrystal Evans.

WASHINGTON — President Bush stepped into the Justice Department's constitutional confrontation with Congress on Thursday and ordered that documents seized in an FBI search of a congressman's office be sealed for 45 days. "The Department of Justice's search was part of an important investigation of alleged public corruption. At the same time, the bipartisan leadership of the House of Representatives believe the search violated the constitutional principle of separation of powers and the speech and debate clause of the Constitution," according to the president's statement.

Jefferson's CurseThe Nation Thu May 25, 11:58 AM ET AP - Mon May 15, 5:25 PM ET U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, speaks to the media at a news conference in New Orleans on Monday May 15, 2006. Congressman Jefferson declared his innocence in light of a federal bribery probe. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The Nation -- As John wrote a few days back, William Jefferson was one of the worst Democrats in the House even before he started hiding bribes in the freezer. Now he's a drag on his party and a disgrace to his district--which happens to represent...