Sara Gilbert

University physicists Leonard and Sheldon know whether to use an integral or a differential to solve the area under a curve. But they don't have a clue about girls. So when a pretty blonde named Penny moves in the apartment across the hall, the guys decide to get an education outside of the classroom.

Penny Marshall directed this serio-comic story, based on the memoir by Beverly Donofrio, about a young woman who finds her life radically altered by an event from her teen years. Born in 1950, Beverly (Drew Barrymore) grew up bright and ambitious in a working-class neighborhood in Connecticut; her father (James Woods) was a tough but good-hearted cop with an understanding ear for his daughter's problems, and her mother (Lorraine Bracco) was a nervous woman eager to imagine the worst. From an early age, Beverly displays a keen intelligence and an interest in literature, and she dreams of going to college in New York and becoming a writer. However, she also develops a precocious interest in boys, and at 15 finds herself madly in love with a boy from her high school. However, an attempt to get his attention leads to an embarassing incident at a party, and Ray Hasek (Steve Zahn), a sweet but thick-headed 18-year-old, steps forward to defend her. Beverly and Ray end up making out, and after one thing leads to another, Beverly discovers she's pregnant. Telling Ray is only marginally less difficult than informing her parents, and at 16, Beverly is a wife and mother. Against the odds, Beverly is determined to still finish high school and go on to college, but that goal becomes more difficult with time, especially after Beverly's marriage begins to fall apart; while Ray tries to do the right thing, he has trouble holding a job, and circumstances become all the more difficult when Beverly learns her husband is addicted to heroin. Riding in Cars With Boys also stars Brittany Murphy as Beverly's best friend Fay; Beverly's son Jason is played, at various points in his life, by Adam Garcia (age 20), Logan Lerman (age eight), Cody Arens (age six), and Logan Arens (age three). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Noted R&B artist and producer Kenneth (Babyface) Edmonds served as executive producer for this tough urban drama. After a shooting incident in a neglected inner-city school leaves a police officer wounded, a group of students holds the cop hostage, in a desperate effort to force improvements to their school. The cast includes another R&B hitmaker, Usher, as well as Forest Whitaker, Vanessa L. Williams, and Rosario Dawson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Morgan J. Freeman directed this comedy-drama that takes place in the desert town of Baxter Beach, California, where the locals, lookers, visitors and slackers include dreamer Blue (Brendan Sexton III), pipe-bomb babe Ely (Christina Ricci), all-terrain-vehicle champ Pete (Casey Affleck), nerdy Sandy (Sara Gilbert), TV star Skye (Kate Hudson), and chubby Cale (Ethan Suplee). Blue's dad, who had hoped to bring water to the town, died mysteriously in a hotel fire, leaving an abandoned water slide, and Blue hopes to fulfill his father's dream by completing the water slide attraction. Actress Skye is just passing through with her father, a pop-culture prof. (John Heard), but they're forced to stay in town after a truck-spill leads to a quarantine and the presence of both an FBI agent (Michael Ironside) and an EPA agent (Aunjanue Ellis). Skye gets caught up in local fun and games (orange baseball, potato cannon salvos), while her dad reminisces about the '60s with UFO fanatic Caroline (Lucinda Jenney). Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Season seven opens with Roseanne announcing her pregnancy, which later becomes medically complicated. Darlene and David break up and Roseanne tells Darlene she can't go back to school. Meanwhile, David still lives in the Conner family house, causing increasing tensions between him and Mark, which leads to an even bigger fight between Darlene and Becky. Eventually, Mark and Becky move out of the house and into a trailer. Darlene gets a new boyfriend (Danny Masterson), and David shows an interest in a couple of girls (Lisa Rieffel, Traci Lords). However, they get back together toward the end of the season when Darlene reluctantly confesses her true feelings to him on the front porch. This season contains two really memorable episodes: "All About Rosey" is the hour-long clip show featuring classic sitcom moms and the season finale, "Sherwood Schwartz," is a hilarious tribute to the legendary television writer/producer and his magical creation Gilligan's Island. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

This 1994 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Sara Gilbert and features musical guest Counting Crows. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide

In season six of Roseanne, Darlene moves away to art school in Chicago leaving David (Johnny Galecki) behind. However, David and Darlene try secretly living together for a few episodes, but Dan and Roseanne eventually find out and it causes a big uproar. The biggest change this season is actress Lecy Goranson leaving the series to attend college, and Sarah Chalke taking over as the new Becky in the episode "Homecoming." In keeping with this kind of soap opera tradition, a few of this season's guest stars played their characters from the soaps One Life to Live and General Hospital. This season features two of the most memorable episodes of the series: "A Stash From the Past," where Dan and Roseanne find an old bag of pot, and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," where Roseanne goes out to the gay bar and gets kissed by Mariel Hemingway. Also, Jackie gets pregnant with Fred's (Michael O'Keefe) baby, goes into labor, and then accepts his marriage proposal for the season finale. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Season five of Roseanne contains some of the best-remembered episodes of the show, and marked the first of many Emmy awards (Laurie Metcalf won for Best Supporting Actress in a comedy series in 1992). The season started in the usual dire financial straits, with the bike shop out of business and Roseanne out of work. Her mother, Bev (Estelle Parsons) moves into a retirement home in Lanford and helps to finance the sandwich shop, the Lanford Lunch Box. In the two-part season opener, Mark (Glenn Quinn) and Becky (Lecy Goranson) elope and move to Minneapolis. Right after they leave, Darlene turns 16 and quickly advances her relationship with David (Johnny Galecki), who ends up moving in with the Conners. Darlene dyes her hair black, stages an animal rights protest at the Lanford Lunch Box, and goes to the Daisy Chainsaw concert with new next-door neighbor Molly Tilden (Danielle Harris).This season contained some pretty heavy episodes, like when Roseanne and Jackie's father died or the two-part episode where Jackie left her abusive boyfriend, Fisher (Matt Roth). Also significant is the episode where Nancy (Sandra Bernhard) reveals that she's gay and introduces her lover, Marla (Morgan Fairchild). Other guest stars that appeared this season include Joan Collins, Loretta Lynn, Ed Begley Jr., and Red Buttons. The season ends when a business opportunity gets messed up by shady partner Roger (Tim Curry), and Darlene has to decide between staying with David in Lanford or going to art school in Chicago. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Season four of Roseanne starts with the opening up of Lanford Custom Cycle, Dan's (John Goodman) new bike shop, while Roseanne gets a job as a waitress at Rodbell's diner, with co-worker Bonnie (Bonnie Sheridan) and boss Leon (Martin Mull). Becky (Lecy Goranson) has an on-again/off-again relationship with greaser guy Mark (Glenn Quinn), much to her parents' disapproval. However, Roseanne lets her go on birth control, and Dan lets Mark work as a mechanic at his bike shop. Darlene (Sara Gilbert) starts dressing in black and meets Mark's brother, the low-key David (Johnny Galecki), who is her perfect foil. D.J. gets upset when his next-door neighbor friend, Todd Bowman (Troy Davidson), moves away, but at least he does well in school. In Jackie's (Laurie Metcalf) life, she starts seeing a therapist, accidentally sleeps with Arnie (Tom Arnold), and runs into Booker (George Clooney) for the last time. She also makes friends with Nancy (Sandra Bernhard), who is introduced in the two-part Las Vegas episode. The first of many pregnancies to come on the show kicks off with the birth of Crystal's (Natalie West) child. By the season finale, the Conners are back in financial instability when Rodbell's diner closes and the bike shop goes out of business. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Based on Sara Flanigan Carter's semi-autobiographical novel, the made-for-cable Sudie and Simpson is about a White 12-year-old girl called Sudie who becomes friends with a shy, lonely Black adult named Simpson who has been ostracized from their rural Georgia town. Eventually, the small community becomes enraged about their friendship, and Simpson is unjustly accused of child molestation. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

This animated adventure tells of Ralph the talking and motorcycle riding mouse. Episodes include "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" and "Runaway Ralph." ~ All Movie Guide