My Weird On Again/Off Again Relationship With Netflix

I ignored Netflix for the longest time. When Netflix first launched their services in India, I took the 30 day trial a few times but didn’t feel like I have to go full on and commit to a long subscription. Once in a while I would borrow someone’s account and try to watch a newly released movie or maybe a tv show but I would not commit. On the few times that I felt that I needed to subscribe as they had a couple of movies and/or a season of a series that I wanted to watch, I would immediately cancel my subscription in a month or 2 at the most and then I would wait for a long time before subscribing again.

One of the reasons I did start liking Netflix was back in 2019 when, just before my birthday, I broke my toe on one foot and sprained the ankle as well as tore the ligaments on my other foot. Don’t ask! Having busted them, I was told by the doctor to rest for 8 days and then come and see him again. During those 8 days I was to lay down in bed as much as possible and keep my legs raised on a pillow. Hence after I wake up, coffee and have breakfast, take a shower and perhaps a shave, I would sit at my desk till 11 am, then lie down till lunch time. Post lunch I would lie down till 5 pm, have coffee and snacks and then be at my desk & laptop till 8:30 pm. I’d have dinner and then go and lie down until sleep caught up with me.

That was the perfect time for me to sign up for Netflix and I did. I watched a sitcom or I should say rewatched a sitcom – Full House – and then I watched a couple of movies in between and then I started watching Fuller House, which is the sequel to it. It continued for a few weeks until both shows were done. Then I didn’t sign up until November of this year. I wanted to watch Fuller House again. I already had Full House on dvd but I needed the sequel show. Having watched that show one Sunday before I was about to cancel the subscription, I started rewatching The Big Bang Theory again and then in January I rewatched the first season of Friends. And now I have started watching Star Trek Voyager. And I have more stuff lined up. I think this time, the Netflix subscription has hooked it’s claws into me and it’s gonna be around for good.

Star Trek : Voyager Turns 30 Years Old!

Star Trek : Voyager turned 30 years old as the double episode pilot Caretaker was aired back in January 16, 1995. Since the pilot aired, we have had 172 (syndicated) episodes over the show’s seven seasons, ending with another double episode in Endgame which aired as the 171 and 172 in the overall series on May 23, 2001. Pictured here are the original cast members clockwise : Ethan Phillips as Neelix, Gareth Wang as Ensign Harry Kim, Jennier Lien as Kes, Robert Duncan McNeil as Lt. Tom Paris, Robert Picardo as the ships EMH The Doctor, Roxann Dawson as Lt. B’Elanna Torres, Tim Russ as Lt. Commander Tuvok, Kate Mugrew as Captain Katheryn Janeway and Robert Beltran as Command Chakotay. Missing from the cast pic is ofcourse Jeri Ryan who portrayed 7 of 9 from the 4th season onwards.

The fifth series in the Star Trek franchise, it served as the fourth live action series after Star Trek: The Original Series. Set in the 24th century, when Earth is part of a United Federation of Planets, it follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager as it attempts to return home to the Alpha Quadrant after being stranded in the Delta Quadrant on the far side of the galaxy. After Janeway destroys the Caretaker’s array, stranding her ship 70,000 light years from home, in order to keep it from falling into the hands of the villainous Kazons, she recruits the Maquis members to join the crew as they try to make their way back to Federation space and Earth. After the initial distrust and classes, the crew becomes more or less like a family.

Voyager was the first Star Trek series to use computer-generated imagery (CGI), rather than models, for exterior space shots. Voyager was the only show in the Roddenberry/Berman era not to open with a scene featuring the Captain. The series was restricted by union rules to only use locations within a radius of 37 miles from Paramount studios which was why Vasquez Rocks was a popular filming location.  In an incredibly rare example of Star Trek successfully navigating something across all 3 of its 90s shows, the seeds of the Maquis were planted purely for the benefit of a show that hadn’t even made it to TV yet. despite their prominence on Deep Space Nine, and originally being mentioned both on that show and The Next Generation before Voyager had even premiered, they were written and conceived entirely for the upcoming adventures in the Delta Quadrant. The show is comfort food for Trek fans and is beloved as such.

RIP David Lynch

David Lynch, the American filmmaker whose works include the surrealist cult classics Mulholland Drive and Twin Peaks, has died aged 78. Known for his surrealist films, he developed his own unique cinematic style which has been dubbed “Lynchian” and is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound design. Lynch’s death was announced on his official Facebook page by his family. Lynch revealed in August last year he was battling emphysema, a chronic lung disease, from “many years of smoking”. Considered by many a maverick filmmaker, he received three best director Oscar nominations throughout his career for his work on Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man and Mulholland Drive.

Lynch’s first project was the 1967 short Six Men Getting Sick (Six Times), an animated film which blended elements of sculpture and painting into its animation. His first feature-length project, 1977’s Eraserhead, became a cult film and launched his commercial career. Lynch’s other feature films include the critically successful The Elephant Man (1980), Blue Velvet (1986) and Mulholland Drive (2001), all of which went on to earn Academy Award nominations, and the then commercial flop but which became a cult favourite Dune. Lynch also branched out into television, and later, internet-based series. His first foray into the medium was the cult hit Twin Peaks, a joint venture with Mark Frost.

He won the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes film festival for Wild at Heart in 1990. His last major project was Twin Peaks: The Return, which was broadcast in 2017, and continued the TV series that ran for two seasons in the early 1990s.

Some Fun Facts About Mind Your Language

Mind Your Language is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1977 to 1979, with a brief revival in 1985. The show is set in an adult education college in London and focuses on the class in English as a Foreign Language taught by Mr. Jeremy Brown, who teaches a group of enrolled foreigners.

Here are some interesting facts about the show:

  • Inspiration: The series was inspired by the 1937 book “The Education of HYMAN KAPLA*N” by Leo Rosten, which is set in a New York night class for English learners.
  • Cancellation: Michael Grade, then Director of Programmes at London Weekend Television, commissioned the show but later canceled it after three series, believing it had exhausted its comedic potential.
  • Revival: The show was briefly revived in 1985 (or 1986 in most ITV regions) with six of the original cast members.
  • International Popularity: Despite criticisms of racial stereotyping in the UK, “Mind Your Language” found significant success abroad and continues to be rerun in countries like India.
  • Cast Diversity: The show featured a diverse ensemble cast portraying students from various countries, each bringing their unique cultural backgrounds to the classroom setting.

Mind Your Language” remains a notable example of 1970s British television, reflecting both the era’s comedic tastes and its evolving perspectives on cultural representation.

RIP TONY TODD

Tony Todd, the popular Hollywood actor, passed away on November 6 at the age of 69. He took his last breath at his California residence in Marina Del Rey. The news of his demise was confirmed by a representation. The reason for his death has not been disclosed yet. The late actor made his acting debut in 1986 and starred in several memorable roles throughout his career. His breakthrough role was the horror movie ‘Night Of The Living Dead’ in 1990, where he played the role of Ben. He is probably most known for his role as Candyman in the horror film franchise ‘Candyman’ an is well known for his multiple roles in Star Trek.

Todd’s films include Platoon (1986), Night of the Living Dead (1990), The Crow (1994), The Rock (1996),  Wishmaster (1997), HatchetMinotaur (both 2006), The Man from Earth (2007), Frankenstein (2015), Death House (2017), and Hell Fest (2018). He is a favourite in the horror film universe with roles in Night of the Living Dead and in his iconic portrayal of Daniel Robittaile/The Candyman in the 1992 film Candyman which is a cult favourite. He followed up his role with the 2 sequels Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh & Candyman: Day of the Dead as well as a cameo in the 2021 Candyman movie. He is also known for his supporting role in the horror franchise Final Destination and his final role in the movie series will be release posthumously in 2025 with the film Final Destination: Bloodlines.

He has portrayed several characters in the Star Trek universe: Worf’s brother Kurn in Star Trek: The Next Generation  (1990–1991) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1996), an adult Jake Sisko in the episode “The Visitor” in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and an Alpha Hirogen in the episode “Prey” in Star Trek: Voyager. In 2017, Todd returned to the world of Star Trek as General Rodek in the MMORPG game Star Trek Online; Rodek was the persona taken on by Kurn after he lost the memories of his past life as Worf’s brother in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Sons of Mogh”. He also portrayed Admiral Marcus Ramirez in the Star Trek fan film Axanar.

Todd was a prolific voice actor, notably voicing The Fallen in Michael Bay’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Zoom in The Flash (2015–2023), Darkseid in the DC Animated Movie Universe (2015–2020), and Venom in the video game Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (2023). The lattermost earned him a British Academy Games Award nomination. One of his best roles was as Dan in the highly rated indie science fiction drama film The Man From Earth.

TV Shows That I Am Currently Watching And Re-watching

What shows are you watching lately? Make a top 10 list (shows on Netflix, Thanksgiving movies, classic TV shows to re-watch, etc).

Well I am trying to watch a lot of shows at the moment. Now that I am back to working from home I have a little more time to watch more movies & tv shows. But we are talking about tv shows so here goes:

First it’s the current shows:

  • Frasier (2023, season 2)
  • Star Trek Lower Decks (5th & final season)
  • FBI (season 7)
  • FBI : Most Wanted  (season 6)
  • FBI : International (season 4)
  • and I am trying to get into High Potential which is a new show

And I am currently re-watching two sitcoms shows:

  • Little Mosque On The Prairie : I’m almost done with season 3.
  • Fuller House : I’m almost done with season 3

Prompt from NOVEMBER BLOG PROMPTS {12 MONTHS OF WRITING IDEAS} #BLOGPROMPTS at Food Fun Family

RIP Teri Garr

Teri Garr, the quirky comedy actor who rose from background dancer in Elvis Presley movies to co-star of such favorites as “Young Frankenstein” and “Tootsie,” has died. She was 79. Known for her comedic roles in film and television she received nominations for an Academy Award, and a British Academy Film Award. Garr died Tuesday of multiple sclerosis surrounded by family and friends. She battled other health problems in recent years and underwent an operation in January 2007 to repair an aneurysm.

Garr was raised primarily in North Hollywood, California. She was the third child of a comedic-actor father and a studio costumer mother. In her youth, Garr trained in ballet and other forms of dance. She began her career as a teenager with small roles in television and film in the early 1960s, including appearances as a dancer in six Elvis Presley musicals. She studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York City. She had her big break appearing in an episode of Star Trek, “Assignment Earth”. Garr was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her comedic role as an acting student in  Tootsie (1982).

She is known for her roles in Francis Ford Coppola’s thriller The Conversation  (1974) and One from the Heart (1982), Mel Brooks’s comedy Young Frankenstein (1974), Steven Spielberg’s science fiction film Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and Martin Scorsese’s black comedy After Hours (1985). She also acted in the comedy films Oh, God! (1977), Mr. Mom (1983), Dumb and Dumber  (1994), Michael (1996) and Ghost World (2001). Garr was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her comedic role as an acting student in Tootsie (1982). She is known for her roles in Francis Ford Coppola’s thriller The Conversation (1974) and One from the Heart (1982), Mel Brooks’s comedy Young Frankenstein (1974), Steven Spielberg’s science fiction film Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and Martin Scorsese’s black comedy After Hours (1985). She also acted in the comedy films Oh, God! (1977), Mr. Mom (1983), Dumb and Dumber (1994), Michael (1996) and Ghost World (2001).

In the late 1990s, Garr landed a role as recurring character Phoebe Abbott in Friends, the estranged birth mother of Phoebe Buffay. She retired from acting in 2011. In 2006, Garr published an autobiography,  Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood, which details her career and health struggles after her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. In the early 1980s, Garr was in a seven-year relationship with film executive Roger Birnbaum, followe y a 7 year relationship with physician John O’Neil. Garr married  building contractor John O’Neil, and that same year, in November, they were present when their adopted daughter Molly O’Neil was born. The couple divorced in 1996.

What The Frasier Gang Would Be Doing In My Futuristic Universe?

So you should know by now that I am big Star Trek fan and I love science fiction. I love the cast of Frasier so much and I also love Star Trek and futuristic science fiction a lot. And in my mind, I can imagine a futurtic world in which humans travel the galaxy in spaceships an interact with alien species and even settle or spend a lot of time on alien planets. While traveling in luxury and safety as we are very advanced and have shields that are impenetrable.

So we have, in this futuristic universe Frasier and his friends from the reboot show. If you haven’t seen it yet, Frasier is now a professor at Harvard along with his friend from Camridge Alan. The chair of the psychology department at the university is Olivia and she is fast friends with them. He, Olivia and Alan want to for a series of psychiatric lectures and discussions on a distant space station. To get there is a long journey that will last 2 weeks traveling 7 times at the speed of light. So Frasier speaks to his son Freddy to check about options. Freddy checks with his former colleagues and friends at the Starfleet like organization and is able to arrange for small spaceship that can take them to the space station and beyond, if needed.

Freddy informs his dad that he has got them a spaceship and then asks Eve to be his navigator for the flight. Frasier and Freddy also get David to join them and be at the ops console for them. Excited Fraser meets with Alan & Olivia and they fix a day for the travel. As Roz is also nearby with her daughter Alice, Frasier invites her along as well. So on the appointed day, Frasier, Alan, Olivia meet up with Roz & Alice and join the three who are going to run the ship – Freddy as the pilot with David at Ops and Eve at navigation. Along the way they enjoy the trip with some drinks and good food.

As they reach the station Frasier tells everyone that he has a surprise waiting for them. Freddy docks the ship at the huge station after they get permission and they beam aboard the station and see the surprise   – it’s Niles & Daphne who had reached there a couple of days ago and booked suites for everyone. They say their pleasantries ad then head to their suites which are next to each other. Their suites all surround and open up to a small hall and common area and waiting for them is Ronnie and a still alive Marty!! They then gather in the small hall to have a big meal and catch up! I know it’s silly but I enjoy makin up these kind of stories. Forgive me.

RIP Kris Kristofferson

Kris Kristofferson, the renowned award winning actor and country singer-songwriter, has died. He was 88. He was surrounded by family when he died “peacefully” at his home in Maui on Saturday, Sept. 28. Kristoffer Kristofferson was born in Brownsville, Texas, to Mary Ann (née Ashbrook) and Lars Henry Kristofferson, a U.S. Army Air Corps officer (later a U.S. Air Force major general). Although his father tried to push Kris into the military, Kristofferson attended Pomona College and experienced his first national exposure in 1958, appearing in the March 31 issue of Sports Illustrated for his achievements in collegiate rugby union, American football, and track and field. In 1960, Kristofferson graduated with a B.Phil. degree in English literature from Oxford.

Though he wanted to be a writer under pressure from his family, joined the U.S. Army and was commissioned as a second lieutenant, attaining the rank of captain. He became a helicopter pilot after receiving flight training. During the early 1960s, he was stationed in West Germany as a member of the 8th Infantry Division. During this time, he resumed his music career and formed a band. After leaving the army in 1965, Kristofferson moved to Nashville. Struggling for success in music, he worked at odd jobs in the meantime while burdened with medical expenses resulting from his son’s defective esophagus. He and his wife divorced in 1968.

Among his songwriting credits are “Me and Bobby McGee”, “For the Good Times”, “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”, and “Help Me Make It Through the Night”, all of which were hits for other artists. He release 21 solo albums and won several Grammy’s. In 1985, Kristofferson joined fellow country artists Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash in the country music supergroup the Highwaymen, which was a key creative force in the outlaw country music movement that eschewed the traditional Nashville country music machine in favor of independent songwriting and producing.

As an actor, Kristofferson was known for his roles in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), Blume in Love (1973), Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), A Star Is Born (1976) (which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor), Convoy (1978), Heaven’s Gate (1980), Stagecoach (1986), Millenium (1989), Lone Star (1996), and the Blade film trilogy (1998–2004). Kristofferson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004 and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. Following the release of his final studio album, The Cedar Creek Sessions, in 2016, the country icon formally announced his retirement from music in 2021 and shared that Morris Higham Management was representing his estate.

Married 3 times, he also dated Janis Joplin for a while. His second marriage was to singer Rita Coolidge in 1973, ending in divorce by 1980. Kristofferson married Lisa Meyers in 1983. Kristofferson and Meyers owned a home in Las Flores Canyon in Malibu, California,[31] and maintained a residence in Hana, Hawaii, on the island of Maui. Kristofferson had eight children from his three marriages: two from his first marriage to Fran Beer; one from his second marriage to Rita Coolidge and five from his marriage to his third wife, Lisa (née Meyers) Kristofferson.

RIP James Earl Jones

Veteran American actor James Earl Jones, best known for being the voice of the Star Wars villain Darth Vader, has died aged 93. He died early on Monday morning surrounded by his family, agent Barry McPherson said. Jones starred in dozens of films including Field of Dreams, Coming To America, Conan the Barbarian and The Lion King. He was best known for giving the Star Wars supervillain Darth Vader his distinctive, gravelly voice.

During his career, Jones won three Tony awards including two Emmys and a Grammy, as well as an honorary Oscar in 2011 for lifetime achievement. In 1971, he became only the second Black man nominated for an Academy Award for best actor, after Sidney Poitier. Star Trek actor LeVar Burton was among the first to pay tribute to Jones, saying “there will never be another of his particular combinations of graces”. Also paying tribute, US actor Colman Domingo wrote: “Thank you dear James Earl Jones for everything. A master of our craft. We stand on your shoulders. Rest now. You gave us your best.”

Born in Mississippi in January 1931, Jones said he was unable to speak for most of his childhood because of a stammer. He explained he had developed his famous voice while working on how to deal with the stammer. Jones was best known for voicing Darth Vader in the original Star Wars film, which came out in 1977, and sequels The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. He reprised the role in later film releases such as the first instalment of the Star Wars anthology series, Rogue One, and the third instalment of the sequel trilogy, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – both released in the later 2010s. A different actor always donned the Darth Vader costume and provided the movement for the famous villain, including the late David Prowse, with Jones lending his deep and instantly recognisable voice.

He has also been called “one of the greatest actors in American history”. He was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1985. He was honoured with the National Medal of Arts in 1992, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2002, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2009, and the Honorary Academy Award in 2011.  Jones made his Broadway debut in 1957 in Sunrise at Campobello (1957). He gained prominence for acting in numerous productions with Shakespeare in the Park including Othello, Hamlet, Coriolanus, and King Lear. Jones worked steadily in theatre, winning the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as a boxer in The Great White Hope (1968), which he reprised in the 1970 film adaptation, earning him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations.

In 1968, Jones married actress and singer Julienne Marie, whom he met while performing as Othello in 1964. They had no children and divorced in 1972. In 1982, he married actress Cecilia Hart, with whom he had a son, Flynn. Hart died from ovarian cancer on October 16, 2016.

Full House Fans Have A Fun Podcast They Can Enjoy

Cut it out! You got it, dude! Fans of the hugely popular 80s-90s sitcom Full House will recognize these very memorable catch phrases from the show. It is sweet, it is funny, at times very cheesy & corny but in the end it is a beloved show that will touch your heart at times and make you smile and laugh. So if you are a fan of the show, you should know about the podcast called Full House Rewind, hosted by Dave Coulier who has guests from the cast and crew and people connected with it on for interviews and some fun quizzes.

Dave as you may know was 1/3rd of the main male adult cast. The show was about Danny Tanner, a father of 3 young girls – 10 year old DJ, 5 year old Stephanie and baby Michelle – who has recently lost his wife. To help raise the girls, his best friend Joey and brother-in-law Jesse move in to the house and hence you get Full House. From season 2 you have Rebecca who joins the main cast and marries Jesse by season 4. They have twin sons, increasing the household even more. Add in next door neighbour Kimmy, a recurring character who joins the main castfrom season 5 and DJ’s boyfriend Steve who becomes a main caster for season 6 & 7.

The show lasted 192 episodes over 8 seasons before ending and the series was consistently in the Nielsen Top 30 (from season two onward) and continues to gain even more popularity in syndicated reruns, and is also aired internationally. Join beloved Director, Actor, Comedian and Television Host Dave Coulier (“Joey Gladstone”) as he reminisces on what it was like to grow up with your favorite TV family. From Uncle Jesse’s hair to Michelle’s attitude, relive some of the most hilarious and heartfelt moments with exclusive behind-the-scenes stories and interviews from VERY special guests. Full House Rewind will have a variety show feel with recurring segments and bits that along the way explore different family dynamics and relationships and how deeply the show impacted their own. Whether you’ve been a fan since the beginning or you’re watching “Full House” for the first time, there’s room for you in our home!

I’ve been enjoying watching an episode every few days along with rewatching the show on my tv. It’s been fun & nostalgic. You can listen to the podcast on Spotify or watch it on Youtube.

RIP Phil Donahue

Retired veteran US talk show host Phil Donahue has died at the age of 88, his family has confirmed to the US media. He was a media personality, writer, film producer and the creator, and host of The Phil Donahue Show. The television program, later known simply as Donahue, was the first popular talk show to feature a format that included audience participation and ran for 29 seasons, starting in Dayton, Ohio in 1967 and ending in NYC in 1996. The presenter died at his home on Sunday after a long illness and surrounded by family.

Born into a middle class, Irish Catholic family in Cleveland, Ohio he graduated from the University of Notre Dame, with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1957. Donahue began his media career in the late 1950s in talk radio and television, launching his eponymous talk show in 1967. Donahue is considered a trailblazer in the daytime television landscape. His TV show was the first to include many elements familiar to viewers today, including participation from the studio audience. He hosted more than 6,000 editions of his talk show between 1967 and 1996.

The show got into its groove soon after Donahue began involving the studio audience in discussions and the programme more widely. Donahue married his second wife, actress Marlo Thomas, in 1980 after the two first met three years earlier when she was a guest on his talk show. For its last decade on air, the show was hosted from New York City. The final episode was broadcast in September 1996. Donahue was credited with changing the face of daytime television and challenging assumptions about what female audiences in particular wanted from talk shows. Over his career, Donahue interviewed well-known figures including Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Sammy Davis Jr, Sir Elton John, Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, Dolly Parton and Michael J Fox.

He won 20 Emmy Awards across his career, 10 of which were for outstanding host and 10 for the talk show itself. Earlier this year, he was awarded the medal of freedom, the highest civilian honour in the US, by President Joe Biden. Donahue is survived by Thomas and four children from his first marriage.

RIP Patti Yasutake

Patti Yasutake, who was a regular on “Beef” and played Nurse Alyssa Ogawa on “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” died Aug. 5 in Santa Monica of cancer. She was 70. On Netflix’s “Beef,” Yasutake played George’s mother Fumi Nakai. She is most famous for her “Star Trek” role as Nurse Alyssa Ogawa in the tv series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the movie Star Trek Generations and Star Trek : First Contact.

She started her career working with Mako at East West Players theater company. She also worked with the other companies including Los Angeles Theatre Center, South Coast Repertory, the Westwood Playhouse. Her television acting career began in 1985 with an appearance on the show T. J. Hooker. Yasutake’s major feature debut came in Ron Howard’s 1986 comedy “Gung Ho,” and she went on to star in the TV series adaptation as Umeki, a Japanese wife trying to become more Americanized. Her other TV guest appearances included “The Closer,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Bones,” and films including “Drop Dead Gorgeous,” “Blind Spot” and “The Road to Galveston.”

More recently, she appeared on Boston Legal. She resided in Hollywood, California. She was married. She was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female in 1988 for her role in The Wash. She also directed for the theater, staging premieres including “Doughball” at East West Players and “Father, I Must Have Rice” at the Ensemble Studio Theater, along with a reprise of “Tea” at the Odyssey Theater. Overall she played Nurse Ogawa in 16 episode of TNG. she auditioned for the part of an unnamed conn officer on The Next Generation but wasn’t cast. After she first appeared as Nurse Alyssa Ogawa in the fourth season episode “Future Imperfect” in 1990 she wasn’t convinced to be called back and play this part again. Yasutake was also a contender for the role of Keiko O’Brien, introduced in the same season, but the role was cast with actress Rosalind Chao.

In 2001 she provided additional voices for the video game Star Trek: Armada II. In 1993, Yastutake also portrayed Alyssa Ogawa in a Hallmark television commercial in North America where she is seen questioning the shipboard computer about the features of the USS Enterprise-D “Keepsake” ornament. She has had movie roles in Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot, Dangerous Intentions, Drop Dead Gorgeous and The Coverup. Born in Los Angeles, she was raised in Gardena and Inglewood and graduated UCLA with Honors in Theater. She is survived by siblings Linda Hayashi and Steve Yasutake.

RIP JAMES B. SIKKING

James B. Sikking, the American actor who played two great characters in Steven Bochco created series in the no-nonsense Lt. Howard Hunter on Hill Street Blues and the good-hearted doctor dad on Doogie Howser, M.D., has died. He was 90. Sikking died Saturday at his Los Angeles home of complications from dementia, publicist Cynthia Snyder announced. 

Although best known for his TV work, Sikking did have notable turns on the big screen as a mocking hitman in John Boorman’s Point Blank (1967), as the stuffy Captain Styles in Leonard Nimoy‘s Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) and as the director of the FBI in Alan J. Pakula’s The Pelican Brief (1993). After spending the better part of two decades showing up on such shows as The Outer LimitsHoney WestThe FugitiveHogan’s Heroes and Mannix, Sikking was cast as the pipe-smoking Hunter, leader of the SWAT-like Emergency Action Team, on NBC’s Hill Street Blues.

One of five kids, James Barrie (named for the Peter Pan author) Sikking was born in Los Angeles on March 5, 1934. His mother, Sue, founded the Unity by the Sea Church in Santa Monica in gratitude after she recovered from a nearly fatal automobile accident. His father, Art, followed his wife into the ministry. After military service, graduated from UCLA in 1959 with a theater degree. He then appeared on episodes of Perry Mason and Assignment: Underwater in 1961 and later in films including The Carpetbaggers  (1964), Von Ryan’s Express (1965) and In Like Flint (1967). From 1971-76, Sikking played Jim Hobart, a surgeon with a drinking problem, on the ABC soap General Hospital, and he was the distant father of Jim Carrey in the acclaimed 1992 Fox telefilm Doing Time on Maple Drive.

Sikking appeared on 144 episodes across all seven seasons (1981-87) of the acclaimed drama and received an Emmy nomination in 1984. Bochco turned to Sikking again for Doogie Howser, and he played Vietnam veteran turned family practitioner David Howser, husband of Belinda Montgomery’s Katherine and dad of Doogie (Neil Patrick Harris), on all four seasons (1989-93) of that ABC show. He then portrayed a cop again for Bochco on Brooklyn South, which lasted one season (1997-98) on CBS.  He got hired for his one-day gig on The Search for Spock through an offer from producer Harve Bennett, his onetime UCLA classmate. He was a good friend of the film’s director and co-star, Leonard Nimoy, with whom he worked a number of times.

Survivors include his second wife, Florine, an author whom he met at UCLA and married in September 1962; children Emily and Andrew; and grandchildren Lola, Gemma, Hugh and Madeline.

RIP SHANNEN DOHERTY

American actress Shannen Doherty, known for her roles on the wildly popular series “Beverly Hills, 90210” and on the witchcraft fantasy “Charmed,”, has died after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. She was 53. Her death was announced by her publicist. Shannen was famous for her bad girl reputation in Hollywood. Doherty rose to fame in 1990 as the fresh-faced brunette Brenda Walsh on Fox’s “Beverly Hills, 90210.” Along with her twin brother Brandon, played by Jason Priestly, the Walshes were the classic fish-out-of-water family that had recently moved from Minnesota to Beverly Hills and were constantly amazed at the antics of the L.A. rich kids.

Born in in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in her mother’s Southern Baptist faith she was of Irish and Native American descent. In 1982, Doherty had guest spots on TV series including  Voyagers!  and Father Murphy, The same year, 11-year-old Doherty won the recurring role of Jenny Wilder on Little House on the Prairie, and also appeared in episodes of Magnum P.I & Airwolf. In 1985, she starred as Maggie Malene in the teen movie comedy Girls Just Want to Have Fun alongside actresses Helen Hunt and Sarah Jessica Parker. Doherty was cast as the oldest Witherspoon sibling, Kris, on the family drama Our House, which ran from 1986 to 1988, a role which garnered her several Young Artist Award nominations.

Doherty’s first major motion picture role was in the dark comedy Heathers, which premiered in 1988. She garnered worldwide attention and fame for her breakout role as Brenda Walsh in the Aaron Spelling-produced TV series Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1990. In 1991 and 1992, her portrayal of Brenda earned her a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series. Doherty left the show after the fourth season in 1994. She appeared nude in Playboy magazine, first in December 1993, followed by a spread in March 1994. She posed for the magazine again in December 2003 and was featured in a 10-page pictorial.

Doherty’s career afterward consisted primarily of made-for-TV movies, though she also had a lead role in Kevin Smith’s 1995 film Mallrats and later cameoed in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. In 1998, Spelling again cast her in another of his television series, Charmed, in which she played one of the lead characters, Prue Halliwell, the oldest of three sisters who are witches. Doherty also directed a few episodes for the series during the second and third seasons. Doherty left the show in 2001 at the end of the third season, resulting in her character’s death. Reportedly, her departure was caused by on-set and off-set tensions between Doherty and co-star Alyssa Milano.

In 2003, Doherty hosted the Sci Fi Channel candid-camera show Scare Tactics during its initial season. From 2004 to 2005, in a return to her prime-time soap roots, Doherty starred as a regular on the short-lived TV series North Shore, where she starred as Alexandra Hudson. Later in 2005, she was in the pilot for a comedy, Love Inc. In 2006, Doherty produced and starred in her own reality show, Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty, which premiered on the Oxygen channel. In 2008, 14 years since her last television appearance as Brenda Walsh, Doherty joined the cast of the Beverly Hills, 90210 spin off for The CW Television Network for a reported $40,000–50,000 an episode. She returned as a guest star in the new series, reprising her old role of Brenda in four of the initial six episodes. On July 21, 2011, WE tv announced that Doherty would star in a one-hour reality series that would follow her and her fiancé, Kurt Iswarienko, as they planned their wedding in the show, Shannen Says. Doherty and her former Charmed co-star Holly Marie Combs would star in their own road-trip reality show called Off the Map with Shannen & Holly, which premiered on Great American Country on January 2, 2015.

In November 2016, Doherty joined the cast of a Heathers television series,playing mother to one of the characters. Doherty once more reprised her role of Brenda Walsh for the six-episode sequel BH90210, which debuted August 7, 2019, on FOX. In 2021, she was in the movie Fortress starring Jesse Metcalfe, Bruce Willis, which was released to select theatres. In early 1993, Doherty was briefly engaged to Max Factor heir Dean Jay Factor before he filed for a restraining order on May 25, 1993. On October 11, 1993, Doherty married Ashley Hamilton, the son of actors George Hamilton and Alana Collins. They filed for divorce in April 1994.

In 2002, Doherty married Rick Salomon, but the marriage was annulled after nine months.On October 15, 2011, Doherty married photographer Kurt Iswarienko in Malibu, California.In April 2023, Doherty announced that she had filed for divorce from Iswarienko.

RIP Donald Sutherland

Canadian actor Donald Sutherland , whose career spanned over 6 decades, dies on 20th June at the age of 88. His son Kiefer Sutherland, the actor, announced the death on social media. CAA, the talent agency that represented Mr. Sutherland, said he had died in a hospital after an unspecified “long illness.” He had a home in Miami. Starting in the early 1960s, he appeared in nearly 200 films and television shows — some years he was in as many as half a dozen movies. Sutherland’s chameleon like ability to be endearing in one role, menacing in another and just plain odd in yet a third appealed to directors, among them Federico Fellini, Robert Altman, Bernardo Bertolucci and Oliver Stone. Sutherland received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards as well as a BAFTA Award nomination. He is considered one of the best actors never nominated for an Academy Award. He was given the Academy Honorary Award in 2017.

Donald McNichol Sutherland was born on 17 July 1935 at the Saint John General Hospital in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. He was of Scottish, German, and English ancestry. He graduated in 1958 from Victoria University with a dual degree in engineering and drama. He changed his mind about becoming an engineer, and left Canada for Britain in 1957, studying at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. While at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), Sutherland began appearing in West End productions. In the early-to-mid-1960s, Sutherland began to gain small roles in British films and TV (such as a hotel receptionist in The Sentimental Agent episode “A Very Desirable Plot” (1963). He was featured alongside Christopher Lee in horror films such as Castle of the Living Dead (1964) and the anthology film Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (1965). He also had a supporting role in the Hammer Films production Die! Die! My Darling! (1965), with Tallulah Bankhead and Stefanie Powers

Sutherland rose to fame after starring in films such as The Dirty Dozen (1967), M*A*S*H (1970), and Kelly’s Heroes (1970). He subsequently starred in many films both in leading and supporting roles, including  Klute (1971), Don’t Look Now (1973), The Day of the Locust (1975), Fellini’s Casanova  (1976), 1900 (1976),  Animal House (1978), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Ordinary People (1980), Eye of the Needle (1981), A Dry White Season (1989), Backdraft (1991), JFK (1991), Six Degrees of Separation (1993),  Without Limits (1998), Space Cowboys (2000), The Italian Job (2003), and Pride & Prejudice (2005). He played the role of physician-hero Norman Bethune in Bethune (1977) and Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1990). Sutherland also portrayed President Snow in The Hunger Games franchise (2012–2015). On television, Sutherland’s performance in the HBO film Citizen X (1995) earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. He also portrayed Clark Clifford in the HBO film Path to War (2002), earning the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.

Sutherland was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on 22 December 1978, and was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada in 2019. He was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in March 2000. He had maintained a residence in Georgeville, a village in Quebec, since 1977. Hehad additional houses in other places, including Paris, France and Miami, Florida. Sutherland married three times. His first marriage, to Lois May Hardwick, a head school teacher, lasted from 1959 to 1966. His second marriage, which lasted from 1966 to 1970, was to Shirley Douglas, daughter of former premier of Saskatchewan Tommy Douglas. Sutherland and Douglas had two children, twins Kiefer and Rachel. From 1970 to 1972, he had an affair with Klute co-star Jane Fonda, with whom he had participated in anti-Vietnam war activism. Sutherland married French Canadian actress Francine Racette in 1972, after meeting her on the set of the Canadian pioneer drama Alien Thunder. They had three sons – Rossif Sutherland, Angus Redford Sutherland, and Roeg Sutherland.