Free Republic

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...

Archaeologists have uncovered the 250-year-old kitchen of Thomas Jefferson's enslaved chef, James Hemings, who introduced mac and cheese and meringues into US culture. Hemings became the property of Thomas Jefferson in January of 1774 when he was just nine years old. His younger sister is Sally Hemings, who had six children believed to have been fathered by Jefferson after the death of his wife Martha Jefferson. Growing up, Hemings was one of Jefferson's favorite servants and even accompanied him to Paris, France, in 1784. In France, Hemings learned the art of French cookery and upon their return to America, he...

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."

EL PASO, Texas, -- Police say Sherman Hemsley, the actor who made the character George Jefferson famous in "The Jeffersons," has died. He was 74. Hemsley first became famous during his appearances on the hit show "All in the Family" in the early 1970's. Two years later, Hemsley got his own spin-off series, "The Jeffersons." The Jeffersons was hugely successful, enjoying a run of 11 seasons through 1985. After its cancellation, Helmsley joined the cast of the TV show, "Amen."

Mike Evans, 57, an actor best known for his role as Lionel Jefferson in the TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," died of throat cancer Dec. 14 at his mother's home in Twentynine Palms, his niece Dr. Chrystal Evans said. With writing partner Eric Monte, Evans went on to create and write for "Good Times," one of the first TV sitcoms that featured a primarily African American cast. Michael Jonas Evans was born Nov. 3, 1949, in Salisbury, N.C., to a dentist father, Theodore Evans Sr., and his schoolteacher wife, Annie Sue Evans. The family moved to...