Whatever happened to...THE GREAT SPACE COASTER?!
With my birthday coming up (it's tomorrow, and I turn 31...JOY), I took some time to reflect on my long and (admittedly) well-lived life.
And I realize there are a few things from the 80's (a decade of which I was a child in, when TVs came with dials and only a rare few had cable -- my family was one of them, which brought our channel total to 36! -- and we played round things called records when we wanted to listen to music...), to wit, the show above...THE GREAT SPACE COASTER.
The astute amongst you will notice that there's a Dora the Explorer tag in this post. We'll get to why in a minute.
The show is about three young singers (Francine, Danny, and Roy) who are brought to a habitable asteroid in space by a puppet clown character named Baxter who pilots the "space coaster", a rollercoaster-like spaceship. The asteroid is populated by strange-looking, wise-cracking puppet characters like Goriddle Gorilla, Knock-Knock the bird, Edison the Elephant and Gary Gnu, who hosts the "The Gary Gnu Show". Baxter is forever on the run from M.T. Promises, a nefarious circus owner (played by a large, top-hatted puppet) who plans to re-capture Baxter and return him to the circus he worked at before he escaped. Each episode ends with a different life lesson, and various celebrity guest stars (such as Mark Hamill -- imagine me, at four years old, watching Star Wars AND The Great Space Coaster all in one. Hello, Heaven! -- and Marvin Hamlisch) occasionally dropped by.
In each episode, Roy shows a short film on his portable, fold-up TV, often featuring segments from La Linea, an Italian animated series about a little man who is drawn (using a single line) at the beginning of the segment and then springs to life, communicating with his animator through high-pitched Italian mixed with gibberish. Francine, Roy, and Danny sing a song together in each episode (sometimes originals like "Wacky Talk", sometimes older songs like "Be a Clown" or covers of '60s and '70s hits), and the various puppet characters often sing songs as well. A few years into the show's run the MTV-like "Rockin' with Rory" segment began, where a DJ puppet would introduce "Danny and the Spacecoasters" performing cover tunes. While the action was mostly videotaped on the space set, it wasn't unusual for the characters to venture down to Earth for filmed musical numbers.
The Great Space Coaster was fairly popular in its day, and was merchandised with Goriddle Gorilla and Gary Gnu plush dolls, among other toys. But ratings began to slip a few years in, and the producers tried to correct this by bringing in new characters like the Huggles and Rory. The show is no longer seen in reruns and isn't available on DVD (some episodes were released on VHS -- yes, kids, VHS! -- although these are becoming increasingly rare), giving it a somewhat legendary status among those who grew up in the '80s. The show was quite innovative for its time, and is still occasionally referenced in pop culture today, as in the 2006 episode of Family Guy, "I Take Thee Quagmire", which included a parody of the the show's wild opening title sequence.
The show ran from 1981 through 1986. The series was directed by Dick Feldman, and distributed by Sunbow Productions.
And as for the Dora the Explorer reference...Chris Gifford, who played Danny on The Great Space Coaster, went on to become a writer and executive producer at Nickelodeon, where he co-created the Peabody award winning children's series "Dora The Explorer" and the successful spin-off "Go Diego Go." My nephews adore both series, and it's kinda cool that we have that strange connection to each other's shows.
Happy Birthday Will Ferrell!

They’ll play two spoiled middle aged sons who become competitive step brothers after their parents marry each other. The movie comes out July 25th!
Today's Celebrity Birthdays 7/14
Harry Dean Stanton - age 82 - American actor whose films include "Alien," "Red Dawn," "Pretty in Pink" and "The Green Mile"
Polly Bergen - age 78 - Emmy-winning American actress and singer whose films include 1962's "Cape Fear" and ABC's "The Winds of War"
Vincent Pastore - age 62 - American actor best known as Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on HBO's "The Sopranos"
Kyle Gass - age 48 - American actor and guitarist for the satirical rock band Tenacious D
Jackie Earle Haley - age 47 - American actor best known as Kelly Leak in "The Bad News Bears" films and Ronnie in "Little Children"
Tonya Donelly - age 42 - American singer and guitarist for the alternative rock band Belly
Matthew Fox - age 42 - American actor best known as Jack Shephard in ABC's "Lost" and Charlie Salinger in Fox's "Party of Five"
Ellen Reid - age 42 - Canadian keyboardist for the folk-rock group Crash Test Dummies
Missy Gold - age 38 - American child actress best known as Katie in ABC's "Benson"
Tameka Cottle - age 33 - American singer-songwriter for the female R&B quartet Xscape
Taboo - age 33 - American rapper for the Grammy-winning hip-hop and pop group Black Eyed Peas
Today's Celebrity Birthdays 7/13
Robert Forster - age 67 - American actor best known as John Cassellis in "Medium Cool" and the title character in NBC's "Banyon"
Harrison Ford - age 66 - American actor best known as Han Solo in the "Star Wars" films and the title character in the "Indiana Jones" movies
Roger McGuinn - age 66 - American singer-songwriter and guitarist for the folk-rock group The Byrds, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991
Cheech Marin - age 62 - American actor and comedian who was part of the Cheech & Chong comedy act and star of NBC's "Nash Bridges"
Didi Conn - age 57 - American actress best known as Frenchy in the "Grease" films and Denise on ABC's "Benson"
Louise Mandrell - age 54 - American country music singer, musician and entertainer
Cameron Crowe - age 51 - Oscar-winning American writer and director whose films include "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," "Jerry Maguire" and "Almost Famous"
Michael Jace - age 43 - American actor best known as LAPD Officer Julien Lowe in FX's "The Shield"
Neil Thrasher - age 43 - American singer-songwriter and guitarist for the country music duo Thrasher Shriver
Deborah Cox - age 34 - Canadian R&B singer-songwriter and actress who was in "Aida" on Broadway
Ashley Scott - age 31 - American actress best known as Asha Barlow in Fox's "Dark Angel" and Emily Sullivan in CBS's "Jericho"
Will Champion - age 30 - British drummer for the Grammy-winning alternative rock band Coldplay
Today's Celebrity Birthdays 7/12
Bill Cosby - age 71 - Emmy-, Daytime Emmy- and Grammy-winning American comedian, actor, producer and activist best known for NBC's "I Spy" and "The Cosby Show" and CBS's "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids"
Christine McVie - age 65 - British singer-songwriter and keyboardist for the Grammy-winning rock band Fleetwood Mac, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998
Denise Nicholas - age 64 - American actress best known for ABC's "Room 222" and NBC/CBS's "In the Heat of the Night"
Walter Egan - age 60 - American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist
Richard Simmons - age 60 - Daytime Emmy-winning American fitness personality and host of the syndicated "The Richard Simmons Show"
Jay Thomas - age 60 - Emmy-winning American actor and DJ whose work includes "Mr. Holland's Opus" and ABC's "Married People"
Mel Harris - age 52 - American actress best known as Hope Murdoch Steadman in ABC's "thirtysomething"
Cheryl Ladd - age 57 - American actress and singer best known as Kris Munroe in ABC's "Charlie's Angels"
Jamey Sheridan - age 57 - American actor whose work includes NBC's "Shannon's Deal" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" and CBS's "Chicago Hope"
Sandi Patty - age 52 - Grammy-winning American Contemporary Christian music singer
Dan Murphy - age 46 - American guitarist for the Grammy-winning alternative rock band Soul Asylum
Robin Wilson - age 43 - American guitarist for the alternative rock band Gin Blossoms
Lisa Nicole Carson - age 39 - American actress best known as Renee Raddick in Fox's "Ally McBeal"
Kristi Yamaguchi - Olympic gold medal-winning American figure skater who was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2005; winner of Season Six of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars"
Shannon Lawson - age 35 - American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist
Magoo - age 35 - American rapper and one-half of the hip-hop duo Timbaland & Magoo
Anna Friel - age 32 - British actress who currently plays Charlotte 'Chuck' Charles on ABC's "Pushing Daisies"
Tracie Spencer - age 32 - American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, actress and model
Steve Howey - age 31 - American actor best known as Van Montgomery on The WB/The CW's "Reba"
Topher Grace - age 30 - American actor best known as Eric Forman on Fox's "That '70s Show" and Eddie Brock, Jr./Venom in "Spider-Man 3"
Michelle Rodriguez - age 30 - American actress best known for "Girlfight," "The Fast and the Furious" and ABC's "Lost" as Ana Lucia Cortez
Erik Per Sullivan - age 17 - American actor best known as Dewey on Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle"
Today's Celebrity Birthdays 7/11
Jeff Hanna - age 61 - American singer and guitarist for the Grammy-winning country and folk-rock band Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Jay Johnson - age 59 - Tony-winning American ventriloquist best known as Chuck Campbell and Bob in ABC's "Soap"
Bruce McGill - age 58 - American actor best known as 'D-Day' in "Animal House"
Bonnie Pointer - age 58 - American singer for the Grammy-winning pop and R&B sibling groups The Pointer Sisters
Stephen Lang - age 56 - American actor whose films include "Manhunter," "Tombstone" and "Gods and Generals"
Mindy Sterling - age 55 - American actress best known as Frau Farbissina in the "Austin Powers" films
Sela Ward - age 52 - American actress best known as Teddy Reed on NBC's "Sisters" and Lily Manning on ABC's "Once and Again"
Peter Murphy - age 51 - British singer for the rock band Bauhaus
Michael Rose - age 51 - Jamaican singer-songwriter for the Grammy-winning reggae band Black Uhuru
Mark Lester - age 50 - British child actor best known as the title character in "Oliver!"
Richie Sambora - age 49 - American guitarist, producer and singer-songwriter for the Grammy-winning hard rock band Bon Jovi
Suzanne Vega - age 49 - Grammy-winning American alternative rock and folk singer-songwriter and guitarist
Lisa Rinna - age 45 - American actress best known for NBC's "Days of Our Lives" and Fox's "Melrose Place"
Scott Shriner - age 43 - American bassist for the alternative rock band Weezer
Debbe Dunning - age 42 - American actress best known as Heidi Keppert on ABC's "Home Improvement"
Greg Grunberg - age 42 - American actor best known for The WB's "Felicity," ABC's "Alias" and NBC's "Heroes"
Justin Chambers - age 38 - American actor and model who currently plays Dr. Alex Karev on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy"
Michael Rosenbaum - age 36 - American actor best known as Lex Luthor on The WB/The CW's "Smallville"
Lil Kim - age 33 - Grammy-winning American rapper and singer-songwriter
Ben Gibbard - age 32 - American singer-songwriter and musician for the indie rock bands Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service
Lil' Zane - age 26 - American rap artist
Today's Celebrity Birthdays 7/10
Mavis Staples - age 69 - American singer for the Grammy-winning R&B and gospel group The Staple Singers, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999
Mills Watson - age 68 - American actor known as Dep. Perkins in NBC's "B.J. and the Bear" and "Lobo" and Uncle Buster in "Harper Valley PTA"
Ronnie James Dio - age 66 - American singer-songwriter and musician for the heavy metal bands Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Dio
Jerry Miller - age 65 - American singer-songwriter and guitarist for the folk-rock band Moby Grape
Ron Glass - age 63 - American actor best known as Det. Ron Harris in ABC's "Barney Miller" and Derrial Book in Fox's "Firefly"
Sue Lyon - age 62 - American actress whose films include "Lolita," "The Night of the Iguana" and "7 Women"
Arlo Guthrie - age 61 - American folk singer-songwriter and musician
Dave Smalley - age 59 - American bassist for the power-pop band The Raspberries and the hardcore punk band Dag Nasty
Neil Tennant - age 54 - British singer-songwriter and musician for the electronic music duo Pet Shop Boys
Béla Fleck Fleck - age 50 - Grammy-winning American musician, songwriter and composer for the jam band Béla Fleck and the Flecktones
Fiona Shaw - age 50 - Irish actress best known as Aunt Petunia in the "Harry Potter" films
Shaw Wilson - age 48 - American drummer for the country music band BR549
Peter DiStefano - age 43 - American guitarist for the alternative rock band Porno for Pyros
Jonathan Gilbert - age 40 - American actor who played Willie Oleson in NBC's "Little House on the Prairie"
Gale Harold - age 39 - American actor best known as Brian Kinney on Showtime's "Queer as Folk" and Graham Kelton on Fox's "Vanished"
Gary LeVox - age 38 - American singer-songwriter and musician for the Grammy-winning country music trio Rascal Flatts
Adrian Grenier - age 32 - American actor, director and musician best known as Vincent Chase in HBO's "Entourage"
Thomas Ian Nicholas - age 28 - American actor best known for "Rookie of the Year," "A Kid in King Arthur's Court" and the "American Pie" films
Jessica Simpson - age 28 - American pop singer and actress who starred in MTV's "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica"
Today's Celebrity Birthdays 7/9
Brian Dennehy - age 70 - Tony-winning American actor whose films include "First Blood," "Silverado," "Best Seller" and "Tommy Boy"
Richard Roundtree - age 66 - American actor best known as the title character in the "Shaft" films
Chris Cooper - age 57 - Oscar-winning American actor whose films include "American Beauty," "Adaptation," "Capote" and "Syriana"
John Tesh - age 56 - American new age and contemporary Christian music pianist and composer; former TV host and reporter
David Ball - age 55 - American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist
Debbie Sledge - age 54 - American vocalist for the sibling disco group Sister Sledge
Jimmy Smits - - age 53 - American actor best known for NBC's "L.A. Law" and "The West Wing," ABC's "NYPD Blue" and CBS's "Cane"
Tom Hanks - age 52 - Oscar-winning American actor, director, writer and producer whose films include "Big," "A League of Their Own," "Philadelphia," "Forrest Gump," "Saving Private Ryan" and "Road to Perdition"
Marc Almond - age 51 - British singer-songwriter for the New Wave duo Soft Cell
Kelly McGillis - age 51 - American actress whose films include "Witness," "Top Gun" and "The Accused"
Jim Kerr - age 49 - Scottish singer-songwriter for the rock band Simple Minds
Courtney Love - age 44 - American singer-songwriter and producer for the alternative rock band Hole.
Frank Bello - age 43 - American bassist for the heavy metal band Anthrax
David O'Hara - age 43 - Scottish actor best known for "Braveheart," CBS's "The District," "The Departed" and "Wanted"
Xavier Muriel - age 40 - American drummer for the hard rock band Buckcherry
Scott Grimes - age 37 - American actor and musician best known for Fox's "Party of Five," NBC's "ER" and HBO's "Band of Brothers"
Dan Estrin - age 32 - American guitarist for the alternative rock band Hoobastank
Fred Savage - age 32 - American actor and director best known as Kevin Arnold in ABC's "The Wonder Years"
Kiely Williams - age 22 - American singer, actress and dancer for the hip-hop and R&B girl group 3LW and the pop girl group The Cheetah Girls
Georgie Henley - age 13 - British actress who plays Lucy Pevensie in the "The Chronicles of Narnia" films
Today's Celebrity Birthdays 7/8
Steve Lawrence - age 73 - Grammy- and Emmy-winning American singer for the husband-wife pop duo Steve and Eydie
Jeffrey Tambor - age 64 - American actor best known for Fox's "Arrested Development" and HBO's "The Larry Sanders Show"
Kim Darby - age 61 - American actress whose films include "True Grit," "Better Off Dead" and "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers"
Raffi - age 60 - Canadian children's singer, entertainer and author
Anjelica Huston - age 57 - Oscar-winning American actress whose films includes "Prizzi's Honor," "The Grifters" and "The Addams Family"
Kevin Bacon - age 50 - American actor whose films include "Footloose," "Animal House," "Wild Things" and "Apollo 13"
Andy Fletcher - age 47 - British co-founder and keyboardist for the electronic band Depeche Mode
Graham Jones - age 47 - British guitarist for the pop-rock band Haircut 100
Toby Keith - age 47 - American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist
Joan Osborne - age 46 - American folk-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist
Lee Torgesen - age 43 - American actor best known as Tobias Beecher in HBO's "Oz" and Terry in the "Wayne's World" films
Billy Crudup - age 40 - Tony-winning American actor best known as Russell Hammond in "Almost Famous"
Michael Weatherly - age 40 - American actor known as Special Agent Tony DiNozzo in CBS's "NCIS" and 'Eyes Only' in Fox's "Dark Angel"
Beck - age 38 - Grammy-winning American alternative rock singer-songwriter and musician
Drew Womack - age 38 - American vocalist for the country music band Sons of the Desert
Amanda Peterson - age 37 - American actress best known as Cindi Mancini in "Can't Buy Me Love"
Kathleen Robertson - age 35 - Canadian actress best known as Clare Arnold in Fox's "Beverly Hills, 90210"
Stephen Mason - age 33 - American guitarist for the Grammy-winning Christian rock band Jars of Clay
Milo Ventimiglia - age 31 - American actor best known as Peter Petrelli in NBC's "Heroes" and Jess in The WB/The CW's "Gilmore Girls"
Tavis Werts - age 31 - American trumpeter for ska-punk band Reel Big Fish
Ben Jelen - age 29 - Scottish pop-rock singer-songwriter and musician
Sophia Bush - age 26 - American actress best known as Brooke Davis in The WB/The CW's "One Tree Hill"
Jamie Cook - age 23 - British guitarist for the indie-rock band Arctic Monkeys
Jaden Smith - age 10 - American actor who played Christopher Gardner, Jr. in "The Pursuit of Happyness"
Today's Celebrity Birthdays 7/7
Charlie Louvin - age 81 - American singer-songwriter for the country music brother duo the Louvin Brothers
Doc Severinsen - age 81 - Grammy-winning American pop and jazz trumpeter and bandleader for NBC Orchestra on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson"
Ringo Starr - age 68 - Grammy- and Oscar-winning British singer-songwriter, musician and actor best known as drummer for the Grammy-winning pop-rock group The Beatles, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988
Warren Entner - age 64 - American singer and guitarist for the pop-rock band the Grass Roots
Joe Spano - age 62 - American actor best known as Lt. Henry Goldblume in NBC's "Hill Street Blues" and FBI Agent Tobias Fornell in CBS's "NCIS"
David Hodo - age 61 - American singer who is the 'construction worker' in the disco group the Village People
Linda Williams - age 61 - American singer-songwriter and musician for the folk and country music husband-wife duo Robin and Linda Williams
Shelley Duvall - age 59 - American actress whose films include "Nashville," "Annie Hall," "The Shining" and "Popeye"
Roz Ryan - age 57 - American actress and comedian best known as Amelia Hetebrink in NBC's "Amen"
Billy Campbell - age 49 - American actor best known as Rick Sammler on ABC's "Once and Again"
Mark White - age 46 - American bassist for the alternative rock band the Spin Doctors
Jorja Fox - age 40 - American actress best known as Sara Sidle on CBS's "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"
Cree Summer - age 39 - American actress and singer best known as Freddie Brooks on NBC's "A Different World"
Troy Garity - age 35 - American actor best known as Isaac Rosenberg in the "Barbershop" films
Michelle Kwan - age 28 - Olympic-medal-winning American figure skater who won nine U.S. championships and five World championships
Today's Celebrity Birthdays 7/6
Della Reese - age 77 - American gospel and jazz singer and actress who played Tess on ABC's "Touched by an Angel"; currently a minister
Gene Chandler - age 71 - American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, producer and record company executive
Ned Beatty - age 71 - American actor whose work includes "Deliverance," "Nashville," "Superman" and NBC's "Homicide: Life on the Street" as Det. Stanley Bolander
Jeannie Seely - age 68 - Grammy-winning American country music singer-songwriter
Burt Ward - age 63 - American actor best known as Robin in ABC's "Batman"
George W. Bush - age 62 - American politician and current President of the United States of America
Fred Dryer - age 62 - American actor and former professional football player who starred in ABC's "Hunter"
Sylvester Stallone - age 62 - American actor, producer, director and screenwriter best known for the "Rocky" and "Rambo" films
Geoffrey Rush - age 57 - Oscar- and Emmy-winning Australian actor whose films include "Elizabeth," "Shakespeare in Love" and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy
Grant Goodeve - age 56 - American actor and television host best known as David on ABC's "Eight is Enough"
Shelley Hack - age 56 - American actress and model who played Tiffany Welles in ABC's "Charlie's Angels"
Nanci Griffith - age 55 - Grammy-winning American country music and folk singer-songwriter and guitarist
Allyce Beasley - age 54 - American actress best known as Agnes DiPesto in ABC's "Moonlighting"
Brian Posehn - age 42 - American actor and comedian whose work includes NBC's "Just Shoot Me" and Comedy Central's "The Sarah Silverman Program"
Brian Van Holt - age 39 - American actor best known as David Milch on ABC's "John from Cincinnati" and Sean Cavennaugh in CBS's "Threshold"
Inspectah Deck - age 38 - American rapper and producer who is part of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan
William Lee Scott - age 35 - American actor best known as Stanley "Bullethead" Kuznocki in The WB's "The Steve Harvey Show"
50 Cent - age 32 - American rapper and actor whose films include "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" and "Home of the Brave"
Tia and Tamera Mowry - age 30 - American actresses best known for ABC/The WB's "Sister, Sister"
Gregory Smith - age 25 - Canadian-American actor best known as Ephram Brown in The WB's "Everwood"
Jeremy Suarez - age 18 - American actor best known as Jordan Thomkins in Fox's "The Bernie Mac Show"
Today's Celebrity Birthdays 7/5
Shirley Knight - age 72 - Emmy- and Tony-winning American actress whose films include "Sweet Bird of Youth" and "As Good As It Gets"
Robbie Robertson - age 65 - Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist for the Grammy-wnning rock group The Band, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994
Huey Lewis - age 58 - American singer-songwriter and harmonica player for the Grammy-winning rock band Huey Lewis & The News
Charles Ventre - age 56 - American keyboardist and vocalist for the country music band River Road
Marc Cohn - age 49 - Grammy-winning American pop singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist
Edie Falco - age 45 - Emmy-winning American actress best known as Carmela on HBO's "The Sopranos"
Kathryn Erbe - age 43 - American actress best known as Det. Alexandra Eames on NBC's "Law and Order: Criminal Intent"
RZA - age 39 - American rapper and producer for the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan
Joe - age 35 - American R&B singer-songwriter and record producer
Bengt Lagerberg - age 35 - Swedish drummer for the rock band The Cardigans
Bizarre - age 32 - American rapper with the hip-hop group D12; contestant on VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club"
Shane Filan - age 29 - Irish singer-songwriter for the opp band Westlife
Eva Green - age 28 - French actress and model whose films include "Kingdom of Heaven" and "Casino Royale"
Jason Wade - age 28 - American singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist for the alternative rock band Lifehouse
Dave Haywood - age 26 - American guitarist and vocalist for the country music group Lady Antebellum
Nick O'Malley - age 23 - British bassist for the indie rock band Arctic Monkeys
Jason Dolley - age 17 - American actor who currently plays Newt Livingston on Disney's "Cory in the House"
Today's Celebrity Birthdays 7/4
Mitch Miller - age 97 - Grammy-winning American traditional pop singer, musician, conductor, producer and record company executive
Pauline Phillips (Abigail Van Buren) - age 90 - American writer of the syndicated Dear Abby advice column
Eva Marie Saint - age 84 - Oscar- and Emmy-winning American actress whose films include "On the Waterfront," "North by Northwest" and "Exodus"
Gina Lollobrigida - age 81 - Italian actress whose films include "Beat the Devil," "Trapeze" and "Come September
Neil Simon - age 81 - Pultizer Prize- and Tony-winning American screenwriter and playwright whose plays includes "The Odd Couple," "Barefoot in the Park" and "Eugene Trilogy"
Bill Withers - age 70 - Grammy-winning American R&B singer-songwriter and musician who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005
Karolyn Grimes - age 68 - American actress best known as Zuzu in "It's A Wonderful Life"
Geraldo Rivera - age 65 - Emmy-winning American reporter and talk show host of the syndicated "Geraldo"
Ralph Johnson - age 57 - American percussionist for the Grammy-winning R&B and soul band Earth, Wind and Fire, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000
Domingo Ortiz - age 56 - American percussionist for the southern jam band Widespread Panic
John Waite - age 53 - British singer and guitarist for the rock bands The Babys and Bad English
Kirk Pengilly - age 50 - Australian guitarist, saxophonist and vocalist for the New Wave rock band INXS
Teddy Carr - age 48 - American steel guitarist for the country music band Ricochet
Matt Malley - age 45 - American bassist and songwriter for the alternative rock band Counting Crows
Andy Creeggan - age 37 - Canadian keyboardist and percussionist for the alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies
Stephen "Ste" McNally - age 30 - British singer-songwriter and guitarist best known for the pop group BBMak
Becki Newton - age 30 - American actress who currently plays Amanda Tanen on ABC's "Ugly Betty"
Today's Celebrity Birthdays 7/3
Fontella Bass - age 68 - American R&B and soul singer
Kurtwood Smith - age 65 - American actor who was in "Robocop," "Dead Poets Society" and Fox's "That '70s Show," as Red Forman
Michael Cole - age 63 - American actor best known as Pete Cochran on ABC's "The Mod Squad"
Dave Barry - age 61 - Pulitzer Prize-winning, bestselling American author and humorist
Betty Buckley - age 61 - American actress and singer who was in ABC's "Eight is Enough," "Carrie," "Frantic" and HBO's "Oz"
Paul Barrere - age 60 - American guitarist and vocalist country-rock band Little Feat
Jan Smithers - age 59 - American actress best known as Bailey Quarters in CBS's "WKRP In Cincinnati"
Montel Williams - age 52 - Daytime Emmy-winning American talk show host for the syndicated " The Montel Williams Show"
Aaron Tippin - age 50 - American country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer
Vince Clarke - age 48 - British synthpop musician, songwriter and DJ for Erasure and Depeche Mode
Tom Cruise - age 46 - American actor and producer whose films include "Top Gun," "Jerry Maguire" and the "Mission: Impossible" trilogy
Thomas Gibson - age 46 - American actor whose work includes ABC's "Dharma and Greg" and CBS's "Chicago Hope" and "Criminal Minds"
Hunter Tylo - age 46 - American actress best known as Taylor Forrester on CBS's "The Bold and the Beautiful"
Connie Nielsen - age 44 - Danish actress whose films include "The Devil's Advocate," "Rushmore" and "Gladiator"
Yeardley Smith - age 44 - Emmy-winning American actress best known as the voice of Lisa on Fox's "The Simpsons"
Tommy Flanagan - age 43 - Scottish actor whose films include "Braveheart," "Gladiator" and "Sin City"
Kevin Hearn - age 39 - Canadian keyboardist and guitarist for the alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies
Audra McDonald - age 38 - Tony-winning American actress and singer who currently plays Dr. Naomi Bennett on ABC's"Private Practice"
Shawnee Smith - age 38 - American actress best known as Amanda Young in the "Saw" trilogy and Linda in CBS's "Becker"
Patrick Wilson - age 35 - American actor and singer whose films include "The Phantom of the Opera," "Little Children" and "Evening"
Andrea Barber - age 32 - American actress best known as Kimmy Gibbler on ABC's "Full House"
Tonia Tash - age 29 - American singer for the R&B girl group Divine
Grant Rosenmeyer - age 17 - American actor best known as the title character in Fox's "Oliver Beene"
Today's Celebrity Birthdays 7/2
Polly Holliday - age 71 - American actress best known as Flo in CBS's "Alice"; films include "All the President's Men" and "Gremlins"
Ron Silver - age 62 - American actor, director and producer who was Bruno Gianelli in NBC's "The West Wing" and Alec Bilson in "Veronica's Closet"
Larry David - age 61 - Emmy-winning American actor, writer, comedian, director and producer best known for NBC's "Seinfeld" and HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
Saul Rubinek - age 60 - Canadian actor whose films include "Against All Odds," "The Bonfire of the Vanities" and "Unforgiven"
Roy Bittan - age 59 - Grammy-winning American musician and keyboardist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band
Johnny Colla - age 56 - American guitarist and saxophonist for the Grammy-winning rock band Huey Lewis & The News
Wendy Schaal - age 54 - American actress best known as the voice of Francine on Fox's "American Dad!"
Jerry Hall - age 52 - American supermodel-turned-actress who was in the film "Batman" and Broadway's "The Graduate"
Julia Montgomery - age 48 American actress best known as Betty Childs in the "Revenge of the Nerds" films
Jimmy McNichol - age 47 - American child actor and singer who was in "Blinded By the Light" and ABC's "General Hospital," as Josh Clayton
Dave Parsons - age 43 - British bassist for the post-grunge band Bush
Yancy Butler - age 38 - American actress best known as Sara Pezzini in TNT's "Witchblade"
Michelle Branch - age 25 - Grammy-winning American pop-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist; also in the country-pop duo The Wreckers
Vanessa Lee Chester - age 24 - American actress best known as Kelly in "The Lost World: Jurassic Park"
Ashley Tisdale - age 23 - American actress and singer known for Disney's "High School Musical" franchise and "The Suite Life of Zach & Cody"
Lindsay Lohan - age 22 - American actress and singer whose films include "The Parent Trap," "Freaky Friday" and "Mean Girls"
Today's Celebrity Birthdays 7/1
Olivia de Havilland - age 92 - Oscar-winning American actress whose films include "The Adventures of Robinhood" and "Gone with the Wind"
Leslie Caron - age 77 - Emmy-winning French actress and dancer whose films include "An American in Paris," "Gigi," "The L-Shaped Room" and "Chocolat"
Jamie Farr - age 74 - American actor best known as Maxwell Klinger on CBS's "M*A*S*H"
Jean Marsh - age 74 - British actress and writer who co-created and starred in ITV's "Upstairs, Downstairs"
James Cotton - age 73 - Grammy-winning American blues singer-songwriter and harmonica player for the James Cotton Blues Band
Karen Black - age 69 - American actress, screenwriter and singer-songwriter whose films include "Easy Rider," "The Great Gatsby" and "Firecracker"
Delaney Bramlett - age 69 - American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer for the rock and soul revue Delaney & Bonnie and Friends
Twyla Tharp - age 67 - Emmy- and Tony-winning American dancer and choreographer whose work includes "Hair," "Cutting Up" and "Movin' Out"
Geneviève Bujold - age 66 - Canadian actress whose films include NBC's "Joan of Arc," "Anne of the Thousand Days" and "Obsession"
Andraé Crouch - age 66 - Grammy-winning American gospel singer-songwriter, musician, record producer and arranger
Deborah Harry - age 63 - Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter and actress for the New Wave band Blondie, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006
Daryl Anderson - age 57 - American actor best known as Dennis 'Animal' Price in CBS's "Lou Grant"
Trevor Eve - age 57 - British actor best known as the title character in the BBC's "Shoestring" and Det. Superintendent Peter Boyd in BBC One's "Waking the Dead"
Fred Schneider - age 57 - American singer-songwriter for the New Wave rock band The B-52's
Dan Aykroyd - age 56 - Emmy-winning Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter and musician best known for NBC's "Saturday Night Live," "Ghostbusters" and the soul revivalist band The Blues Brothers
Alan Ruck - age 52 - American actor best known as Cameron Frye in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and Stuart Bondek in ABC's "Spin City"
Evelyn "Champagne" King - age 48 - American R&B and disco singer
Michelle Wright - age 47 - Canadian country music singer-songwriter and guitarist
Andre Braugher - age 46 - Emmy-winning American actor best known as Det. Frank Pembleton in NBC's "Homicide: Life on the Street"
Pamela Anderson - age 41 - Canadian-American actress, producer, TV personality and author whose work includes NBC's "Baywatch"
Henry Simmons - age 38 - American actor best known as Det. Baldwin Jones in ABC's "NYPD Blue"
Missy Elliott - age 37 - Grammy-winning American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer
Julianne Nicholson - age 37 - American actress whose roles include Jenny Shaw in Fox's "Ally McBeal" and Det. Megan Wheeler in "Law and Order: Criminal Intent"
Claire Forlani - age 36 - British actress whose work includes "Mallrats," "Meet Joe Black" and CBS's "CSI: New York" as Dr. Peyton Driscoll
Liv Tyler - age 31 - American actress and model whose films include "Armageddon," "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "The Incredible Hulk"
Hilarie Burton - age 26 - American actress and former MTV "Total Request Live" host who plays Peyton Sawyer on The WB/The CW's "One Tree Hill"
Today's Celebrity Birthdays 6/30
Nancy Dussault - age 72 - American singer and actress who was the first anchor of ABC's "Good Morning America"
Tony Musante - age 72 - American actor who was in ABC's "Toma" and HBO's "Oz," among others
Glenn Shorrock - age 64 - Australian singer-songwriter for the pop group The Twilights and the rock band Little River Band
Stanley Clarke - age 57 - American bassist and composer whose film scores include "Little Big League" and "Romeo Must Die"
David Garrison - age 56 - American actor best known as Steve Rhoades on Fox's "Married...with Children"
Hal Lindes - age 55 - British-American guitarist and composer for the Grammy-winning rock band Dire Straits
David Alan Grier - age 53 - American actor and comedian best known for Fox's sketch comedy "In Living Color"
Vincent D'Onofrio - age 49 - American actor and producer who plays Det. Robert Goren on NBC's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent"
Deirdre Lovejoy - age 46 - American actress who played Rhonda Pearlman on HBO's "The Wire"
Rupert Graves - age 45 - British actor whose films include "A Room with a View," "Maurice" and "Intimate Relations"
Daniel Bigel - age 43 - American producer for the films "Loverboy," "Empire" and "Harvard Man"
Tom Drummond - age 39 - American bassist for the alternative rock band Better Than Ezra
Brian Bloom - age 38 - Daytime Emmy-winning American actor who was in "Once Upon a Time in America" and CBS's "As the World Turns"
Monica Potter - age 37 - American actress who was in "Con Air," "Patch Adams," "Along Came a Spider" and ABC's "Boston Legal"
Rick Gonzalez - age 29 - American actor whose films include "Coach Carter," "Biker Boyz" and "Pulse"
Lizzy Caplan - age 26 - American actress best known for "Mean Girls," CBS's "The Class" and "Cloverfield"
Fantasia Barrino - age 24 - American R&B and soul singer and actress who won Season 3 of Fox's "American Idol"
Today's Celebrity Birthdays 6/29
Gary Busey - age 64 - American actor whose films include "The Buddy Holly Story," "Lethal Weapon" and "The Firm"
Richard Lewis - age 61 - American comedian and actor who starred in ABC's "Anything But Love" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights"
Fred Grandy - age 60 - American actor who played Burl "Gopher" Smith on ABC's "The Love Boat"; congressman-turned-radio talk show host
Ian Paice - age 60 - British drummer for the hard rock band Deep Purple
Don Dokken - age 55 - American singer for the heavy metal band Dokken
Colin Hay - age 55 - Scottish vocalist and guitarist for the Grammy-winning New Wave band Men At Work
María Conchita Alonso - age 51 - Latina pop and hip-hop singer and actress whose work includes "Moscow on the Hudson"
Sharon Lawrence - age 47 - American actress who played Sylvia Costas in ABC's "NYPD Blue" and Gwen in ABC's "Fired Up"
Amanda Donohoe - age 46 - British actress who was in "Castaway," "The Rainbow," and NBC's "L.A. Law"
Stedman Pearson - age 44 - British singer for the pop and R&B family group Five Star
Melora Hardin - age 41 - American actress best known as Jan Levinson on NBC's "The Office" and Trudy on USA Network's "Monk"
DJ Shadow - age 36 - American hip-hop producer, DJ and songwriter
Will Kemp - age 31 - British actor, dancer and model who was in "Van Helsing" and "Step Up 2 the Streets"
Todd Sansom - age 30 - American singer and guitarist for the country music boy band Marshall Dyllon
Nicole Scherzinger - age 30 - American singer-songwriter and dancer for the R&B and pop group the Pussycat Dolls
Today's Celebrity Birthdays 6/28
Dave Knights - age 63 - British bassist for the rock band Procol Harum
Bruce Davison - age 62 - American actor and filmmaker who was in "Longtime Companion," "Runaway Jury" and the "X-Men" movies
Kathy Bates - age 60 - Oscar-winning American actress and director whose films include "Misery," "Fried Green Tomatoes" and "About Schmidt"
Alice Krige - age 54 - South African actress who was in "Chariots of Fire," "Star Trek: First Contact" as Borg Queen and "Sleepwalkers"
John Elway - age 48 - American College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback who was also the Super Bowl XXXIII MVP
Saul Davies - age 43 - British guitarist and violinist for the alternative rock band James
Jessica Hecht - age 43 - American actress best known as Susan Bunch in NBC's "Friends" and for NBC's "The Single Guy"
John Cusack - age 42 - American actor whose films include "Sixteen Candles," "Say Anything," "Con Air" and "High Fidelity"
Mary Stuart Masterson - age 42 - American actress whose films include "Some Kind of Wonderful" and "Fried Green Tomatoes"
Gil Bellows - age 41 - Canadian actor best known as Tommy in "The Shawshank Redemption" and Billy Thomas in Fox's "Ally McBeal"
Danielle Brisebois - age 39 - American songwriter, producer and actress who played Stephanie Mills on CBS's "All in the Family"
Steve Burton - age 38 - American actor best known as Jason Morgan on ABC's "General Hospital"
Tichina Arnold - age 37 - American actress best known for Fox's "Martin" and UPN/The CW's "Everybody Hates Chris"
Aileen Quinn - age 37 - American actress who played the title role in the film "Annie"
Alessandro Nivola - age 36 - American actor whose films include "Face/Off," "Laurel Canyon" and "Junebug"
Tim Nordwind - age 32 - American bassist and vocalist for the Grammy-winning alternative rock band OK Go
Mark Stoermer - age 31 - American bassist for the alternative rock band The Killers
Kellie Pickler - age 22 - American pop-country music singer and contestant on Season 5 of Fox's "American Idol"
Today's Celebrity Birthdays 6/27
Vera Wang - age 59 - American fashion designer who also has fragrance, jewelry, eyewear and houseware collections
Julia Duffy - age 57 - American actress best known for her roles on CBS's "Newhart" and "Designing Women"
Isabelle Adjani - age 53 - French actress and singer whose films include "La Gifle," "Quartet," "Possession" and "Queen Margot"
Lorrie Morgan - age 49 - American country music singer
Michael Ball - age 46 - British actor and singer who has been in the musicals "Les Misérables" and "Hairspray," among others
J.J. Abrams - age 42 - Emmy-winning American writer, director and producer whose work includes ABC's "Lost" and "Alias"
Robi Rosa - age 39 - Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, musician, artist and actor best known as part of the 80's pop-rock boy band Menudo
Yancey Arias - age 37 - American actor best known as Miguel Cadena on CBS's "Kingpin" and Gabriel Williams on FX's "Thief"
Christian Kane - American actor and singer-songwriter best known as Lindsey McDonald on The WB's "Angel"
Tobey Maguire - age 33 - American actor whose films include "The Cider House Rules," "Seabiscuit" and the "Spider-Man" trilogy
Leigh Nash - age 32 - American singer-songwriter for the Christian pop-rock band Sixpence None The Richer
Drake Bell - age 22 - American actor, comedian, singer-songwriter and guitarist best known for Nickelodeon's "Drake and Josh"
Ed Westwick - age 21 - British actor best known as Chuck Bass on The CW's "Gossip Girl"
Matthew Lewis - British actor best known as Neville Longbottom in the "Harry Potter" films
Madylin Sweeten - age 17 - American actress best known as Ally Barone on CBS's "Everybody Loves Raymond"