Lara Jill Miller Movies

Similar in tone to the Disney Channel's American Dragon: Jake Long, the half-hour animated series The Life and Times of Juniper Lee boasted a strong Asian-American female character in the leading role. A resident of Orchid Bay City, 11-year-old Juniper "June" Lee was typical in every respect save one. Because of her noble heritage and supernatural powers, June was expected to assume the mantle of Te Xuan Ze, and as such was required to protect the world from such paranormal predators as ghosts, demons, mummies, evil gnomes, nasty leprechauns, and other denizens of the Other Realm. Thing of it was, only June was able to see these antagonists, so she had quite a time explaining her periodic absences from her home and from school to those who weren't "in the know." Other characters included June's wise old grandmother Ah Mah, the former Te Xuan Ze; her parents Mr. and Mrs. Lee, who were a bit jealous that June's special skills had skipped a generation and bypassed them; her obnoxious kid brother Ray Ray, who aspired to be a demon fighter just like sis; her older brother Dennis, who, because he hadn't inherited June's magical powers was totally clueless as to her mission in life, and who spent all his waking hours indulging in L.A.R.P. (live action role-playing); June's cynical dog Monroe, who spoke in a Scottish burr; her friend Ophelia, a goth-girl wannabe and magician in training; Jodi, June's best friend; Marcus, the junior-high jock for whom June carried a torch; and Roger, the standard-issue class nerd and computer geek. Created by comic book writer Judd Winick, The Life and Times of Juniper Lee offset its bizarre trappings with down-to-earth sarcastic humor and sly inside jokes. The series made its Cartoon Network bow on May 30, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Casting a pall over the proceedings in season four of Gimme a Break is the serious illness of co-star Dolph Sweet, whose appearances as Glen Falls, CA police chief Carl Kanisky are for the most part limited to walk-ons, with very little dialogue. In the earliest episodes of the season, The Chief is conspicuous by his absence, resulting from Sweet's stomach surgery. When he finally returns to the cast, he seems wan and distracted, literally phoning in his performance on several occasions. Reportedly, the series' producers, aware of Sweet's condition, offered the actor the opportunity to retire from the series, but Sweet valiantly insisted upon sticking it out until season's end -- a few weeks after production closed down, the 65-year-old actor was dead of stomach cancer. On a brighter note, Telma Hopkins is now a full regular in the role of Dr. Addy Wilson, lifelong friend of The Chief's outspoken housekeeper Nell Harper (Nell Carter), thereby permitting both characters ample opportunity to show off their musical skills. Nell in particular in is in splendid voice this season, joining in duets with such guest stars as Sammy Davis Jr. and Ray Parker Jr. Meanwhile, The Chief's three daughters are growing apace. After briefly attending junior college, oldest daughter Katie (Kari Michaelsen) drops out to open a boutique; youngest daughter Sam (Lara Jill Miller) has long since passed the tomboy stage and is dating regularly; and middle daughter Julie (Lauri Hendler) has fallen in love with Jonathan (Jonathan Silverman), a young archeologist introduced in the episode "Jonathan's Lie." By the end of season four, Julie and Jonathan have run off to Las Vegas to get married -- on Julie's 18th birthday! Flashing back to the season opener, the two-part "New Orleans" finds Nell and the Kaniskys' foster son Joey (Joey Lawrence) visiting the titular metropolis during the 1984 World's Fair, where Joey is reunited with his father and Nell nearly marries a man whom she's only known for 24 hours. Later on, Addy is likewise reunited with her long-lost dad, but only after the aging roué has tried to make time with Nell! Still later, another two-parter, "Alabamy Bound," introduces Rosetta Le Noire as Nell's hyper-judgmental mother Maybelle. And on February 23, 1985, the episode "Cat Story" was telecast live in the Eastern and Central Time Zones -- a rare occurrence for prime time television of the period. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The second season of Gimme a Break finds versatile character actor John Hoyt becoming a full-fledged regular in the role of Grandpa Kanisky, the peppery father of grouchy suburban California police chief Carl Kanisky (Dolph Sweet). Jane Dulo is also seen on a recurring basis as Grandpa's wife, a role previously essayed in season one by Elvia Allman and Elizabeth Kerr. The season opens with Chief Kanisky's sassy housekeeper Nell (Nell Carter) being sent to jail for nonpayment of her phone bill -- a false charge, true, but one that causes no end of embarrassment for all concerned, especially The Chief. Kanisky will also experience troubles with his mortician brother Ed, who has fallen in love with an ex-hooker named Maxine (Arlene Golonka), and who later is in dire need of a kidney transplant (both Ed and Maxine disappear at the end of season two, never to be seen or heard from again) Elsewhere in the Kanisky household, youngest daughter Sam (Lara Jill Miller) causes a ruckus with the first of her several "imaginary friends"; middle daughter Julie (Lauri Hendler) experiments with cigarettes, oblivious to the fact that her mother died of lung cancer; and eldest daughter Katie (Kari Michaelsen) comes to the aid of her unwed-mother friend Valerie, in an episode famous for the fact that it was largely ad-libbed due to the unpredictable behavior of a baby "actor." Also, The Chief learns to tolerate homosexuals when a gay police officer saves his life; racist Aunt Blanche (Gretchen Wyler) sues The Chief for custody of his daughters; Nell and her bird-brained friend Angie (Alvernette Jimenez) try to get rich quick by peddling the "amazo-vac" door-to-door; and, of course, Nell once again gets to show off her musical skills, in an episode featuring the Pointer Sisters as a harmony group called the Doo-Wops. In other episodes worth noting, the two-part "The Centerfold" finds The Chief wrestling with a sexual-discrimination charge and a mad bomber simultaneously; and "Nell and the Kid" features Don Rickles in what was supposed to have been the pilot for a proposed Rickles series titled "Max." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Michael Keaton plays a famous Chicago-based hockey player who befriends trouble-prone teenager Ajay Naidu (after Naidu's gang has tried to mug him!) He also extends the hand of friendship to Naidu's mother Maria Conchita Alonso, a friendship that blossoms into a physical relationship. Too self-centered to make a commitment to Alonso, Keaton tries to break things off, but Naidu won't let him go so easily. This seemingly frivolous situation is underscored by the more serious efforts of Alonso to make a better life for herself and her son. The comic and dramatic elements of Touch and Go never quite jell, but the winning performances of the three main characters help gloss over the film's unevenness. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi