The Remote Island : Gilligan's Island

Michael Cera will be Gilligan in "Gilligan's Island" Movie

Jake Kalish — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:18:00 GMT

Michael Cera has reportedly agreed to play Gilligan in the Gilligan's Island remake - and Gilligan creator Sherwood Schwartz is trying to land Beyonce for the role of Ginger.

We like Cera as Gilligan - amazing how his career has taken off, to the point where he's now the key to the Arrested Development movie. You go, Paulie Bleeker.

Video Weekend: Four More Time-Travel Shows

Ben Kallen — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:33:00 GMT

Okay, Journeyman is one thing, but what about all the other time-travel series out there? Television loves time travel -- it can be fun and inventive, but doesn't necessarily require the fancy special effects of, say, going to outer space. Plus, no one cares if it's actually impossible! (Shhhh!) Take a look at these four shows, as we embark on our own journey to various points in recent TV history.

It's About Time. This zany '60s comedy was about astronauts who go back to a prehistoric time and end up living with a family of cavemen. It was created by genius schlockmeister Sherwood Schwartz, and borrowed sets, props and even music from his equally cheesy other show, Gilligan's Island. How is it possible that this one didn't last more than a season, despite the presence of Golden Age TV comedy legend Imogene Coca? You figure it out.

Land of the Lost. Plenty of grown-ups fondly remember this '70s kiddie show from Sid and Marty Krofft, in which a family is sent through a "dimensional portal" to a land of dinosaurs, cavemen and weird creatures known as the Sleestak. (A big-screen version with Will Ferrell is currently in production.) The old-style special effects look pretty cool, and some well-known science fiction writers created suprisingly sophisticated plots. The opening credits say it all.

Voyagers! Jon-Erik Hexum and his young Adrian Zmed-haired sidekick travel back to the past to fix mistakes in history throughout this "educational" '80s drama. In this episode (compressed by a fan), they help Alexander Graham Bell invent the telephone -- until Hexum falls in love with Bell's future wife. Ruh-roh!

Quantum Leap. Of course, everyone knows this late-'80s/early-'90s adventure drama, in which a high-tech gizmo forces Scott Bakula's Sam to become different people in the past so he can change their lives for the better. Here's the end of the last show, in which Sam finally meets someone who knows a little about what's happening to him... and can help him decide if he really wants to go home, or if he'll help buddy Al instead.

Previously:
Video Weekend: Classic Olympic Comedy

Video Weekend: Eight Great Standup Comics

Journeyman: Do You Call 'Em Spoilers if the Show's Gone Forever?

S.S. Minnow Going Back on Tour

Ben Kallen — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:55:00 GMT

Yep, that's apparently the actual boat that caused all the trouble on Gilligan's Island. It was purchased by a Canadian grocery-chain owner from someone who had spent $150,000 to have it meticulously restored. He, in turn, had bought it from someone who didn't know its famous history and had actually been piloting it around Vancouver -- until it, um, capsized in a storm. We hate it when that happens!

The new owner plans to send the boat on a promotional tour, possibly with the help of now-geriatric castaways Dawn "Mary Ann" Wells and Russell "The Professor" Johnson. We'd love to take a ride in it ourselves -- though not without a GPS-enabled coconut radio, just in case.

Photo: Canwest News Service

Previously:
TV Land Awards Thank the Golden Girls for Being Our Friends
Lost? It's Complicated