ABC Movies

 

Everyone knows that there's nothing more adorable than kids and puppies, and now viewers in need of a little cute overload can get their fill in one hilarious package. Of course there are plenty of bumbling parents to keep the laughs flowing as well, and with Bob Saget there to introduce the lively parade of comic clips viewers are sure to stay doubled over with laughter. As an added bonus, the $100,000 1996 season finale is also included. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

For anyone who has ever busted a gut laughing at the guy who comes out of the bathroom with toilet paper dangling from his shoe, America's Funniest Videos offers a warm tribute to the bonehead that is bound to tickle a rib or two. These are the folks who just can't seem to get it right, but in getting it wrong, make us all realize that the most important thing in life is to have a sense of humor about ourselves. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Nothing makes folks laugh quite like cute kids and cuddly critters, and in this collection of clips from America's Funniest Home Videos home viewers get a heaping helping of both. After joining host Bob Saget for a look at what happens when the cuteness of kids comes together with the curiosity of the animal kingdom, Tom Bergeron takes viewers on a side-splitting trip through some of the show's greatest animal clips. As an added bonus, a two-hour special featuring guest hosts Coolio, Martin Mull, Kathy Griffin, and Picabo Street offers a look back at some of the funniest clips from the first twelve years of America's Funniest Home Videos. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the 1950's, HAPPY DAYS revolves around Richie Cunningham and his family and friends. A "wholesome" young man, Richie is a Jefferson High School student who would do anything to get a date and he spends plenty of time with his friends at Arnold's, the local burger joint. Contrasting with his wholesome nature is Arthur Fonzarelli, best known as Fonzie, a rough-around-the-edges motorcycle riding high school dropout famous for his slicked hair, leather jacket, and the catchphrase "aaayyyy!" Fonzie is a regular around the Cunningham house, with Mrs. Cunningham doting on him and Richie turning to him for advice on how to attract girls.

"Happy Days" was set in the 1950s in Milwaukee, the heart of middle-class America, and told the story of the Cunningham family. Mr. Cunningham (Tom Bosley) ran the local hardware store and Mrs. Cunningham (Marion Ross), like all good TV Moms, spent her time in the kitchen. Their son, Richie (Ron Howard), hung out at Arnold's Drive-In with his pals Ralph Malph (Donny Most) and Potsie (Anson Williams), trying to be as cool as the coolest greaser in town, the Fonz (Henry Winkler). Richie's sister, Joanie (Erin Moran), tagged along whenever she wasn't at her friend Jenny Piccolo's house. The Cunninghams also had an older son, Chuck, but he mysteriously disappeared after the first season.

An awful lot of awful things happen in the outwardly respectable neighborhood surrounding Wisteria Lane during the first season of Desperate Housewives, beginning with the suicide of Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong) -- who still manages to stick around in spectral form to serve as the series' narrator. Why did she do it -- and what exactly is her husband, Paul (Mark Moses), trying to cover up by throwing that old box he'd dug up from the backyard swimming pool into the river? Then there are Mary Alice's housewife friends Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher), Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman), Bree Van De Kamp (Marcia Cross), and Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria). Divorcée Susan starts dating handsome plumber Mike (James Denton), only to be undercut by the neighborhood's resident vamp, the much-married Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan). Lynette has given up a high-paying business career to take care of her family, only to be rewarded with the cutthroat competitiveness of husband Tom (Doug Savant), the miserable behavior of her children, and the open scorn of such obnoxious neighbors as Maisy Gibbons (Sharon Lawrence). Control freak Bree, described by the ABC publicity folks as "Martha Stewart on steroids," finds her life spiralling out of control when her husband, Rex (Steven Culp), divorces her and her sociopathic son, Andrew (Shawn Pyfrom), adopts a "so what" attitude after striking down an old woman with his car. And sexy ex-model Gabrielle is cheating on her moonstruck millionaire husband, Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira), with hunky 17-year-old gardener John (Jesse Metcalfe). And that's only a sample of what season one has to offer. Want more? Well, you asked for it! Susan accidentally burns down Edie's house and is blackmailed on that account by a Mrs. Martha Huber (Christine Estabrook) -- who is later killed by Paul Young, but it is Mike who is arrested for her murder. Later still, Susan is descended upon by her ex-husband, Karl (Richard Burgi), and her intrusive mother, Sophie Bremmer (Lesley Ann Warren). As for Lynette, she finds out that her husband's sainted father (Ryan O'Neal) is a serial philanderer. Also, after painfully adjusting to the breakup of her marriage, Bree starts going out with pharmacist George Williams (Roger Bart); Paul Young's son, Zach (Cody Kasch), inexplicably drops out of sight; and it is revealed that the oh-so-judgmental Maisy Gibbons has been sleeping with practically every man in the neighborhood -- including Bree's ex Rex! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Mel Gibson sat down for a lengthy interview with Diane Sawyer in order to help raise awareness of the film he was soon to release in theaters nationwide, The Passion of the Christ. During the course of the interview Gibson defends himself and his film from charges of anti-Semitism, explains his motivation for making the film, and occasionally lashes out at those who have chosen to take an adversarial stance toward the film. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi