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The horror and sci-fi genres are home to some of the most memorable characters in cinematic history, and sometimes, they never have to show the actor's face. "The Last Starfighter" director Nick Castle became a horror legend when he first donned the white mask of Michael Myers in John Carpenter's "Halloween," and stuntman Kane Hodder became synonymous with Jason Voorhees after playing the hockey-mask wearing slasher in four "Friday the 13th" films. Chances are, if an actor is the first or most storied performer of an iconic monster, they are beloved by generations as new audiences are introduced to their work. This month saw the release of "Prey," with the prequel film becoming the seventh feature film in the "Predator" franchise. The film debuted 35 years after the debut installment, which took an action-packed approach to sci-fi horror and introduced one of the greatest creature characters in cinematic history.

The...

227: The Lost Episodes, a live comedy show at Second City Hollywood, is giving a makeover to one of the 1980s' beloved sitcoms. In the entirely improvised stage shows, the cast creates "all-new" episodes featuring neighbors Mary, Rose, Sandra and Pearl, who routinely gather to gossip on a DC apartment stoop. The cast includes improv actors Holly Walker, Inda Craig-Galvan, Robin Thede, and Daniele Gaither. Mary's husband Lester also appears, played by a flat top wig-wearing Thomas Fowler. The original 227 aired on NBC from 1985 to 1990 and starred Marla Gibbs, Alaina Reed Hall, Helen Martin, Jackee Harry, and Hal Williams. The Lost Episodes prides itself on...

227: The Lost Episodes, a live comedy show at Second City Hollywood, is giving a makeover to one of the 1980s' beloved sitcoms. In the entirely improvised stage shows, the cast creates "all-new" episodes featuring neighbors Mary, Rose, Sandra and Pearl, who routinely gather to gossip on a DC apartment stoop. The cast includes improv actors Holly Walker, Inda Craig-Galvan, Robin Thede, and Daniele Gaither. Mary's husband Lester also appears, played by a flat top wig-wearing Thomas Fowler. The original 227 aired on NBC from 1985 to 1990 and starred Marla Gibbs, Alaina Reed Hall, Helen Martin, Jackee Harry, and Hal Williams. The Lost Episodes prides itself on...

A-b-c. Always Be Closing. Alec Baldwin’s cold-blooded Glengarry Glen Ross character would never be called in to rip these characters a new one. The Geico Gecko? Kid can sell. Aunt Jemima? She’s been moving pancakes for over a century. They are the best of the best. That’s why this month, they’re included in EW’s Big Shill bracket game, which celebrates the country’s finest advertising icons — and pits them head-to-head in a battle for supremacy. In our first round, Auntie J draws Mrs. Butterworth in a showdown that promises to be sticky, while old-school Mr. Clean...

"Ray" actress Regina King has blasted bosses of the Emmy Awards for leaving significant African-Americans off their 2010 shortlist, insisting officials are snubbing non-white stars every year. King has written an open letter questioning the selection process for the ceremonies, and pointing out that late Broadway star and children's TV presenter Alaina Reed Hall was left off the Emmys' memoriam honors.

In the message, published in The Huffington Post, she asks why only 53 non-white performers have been nominated in the awards' history "out of nearly 1,000 possible nominations in the top four acting categories for drama and comedy". She adds, "I've worked in television nearly all of my professional life, and that statistic is quite sobering to me."

In reference to Reed Hall, who died from breast cancer in December, King writes: "She was on Sesame Street for 12 years, a show that is an American institution. People of all ages and generations...

Ray actress Regina King has blasted bosses of the Emmy Awards for leaving significant African-Americans off their 2010 shortlist, insisting officials are snubbing non-white stars every year.

King has written an open letter questioning the selection process for the ceremonies, and pointing out that late Broadway star and children's TV presenter Alaina Reed Hall was left off the Emmys' memoriam honours.

In the message, published in The Huffington Post, she asks why only 53 non-white performers have been nominated in the awards' history "out of nearly 1,000 possible nominations in the top four acting categories for drama and comedy".

She adds, "I've worked in television nearly all of my professional life, and that statistic is quite sobering to me."

In reference to Reed Hall, who died from breast cancer in December, King writes: "She was on Sesame Street for 12 years, a show that is an American institution. People of all ages and generations have seen and enjoyed this highly influential television show. You have to admit, to not recognize (sic) her contribution to television baffles the mind.

"Mistakes happen, right? Well after a few 'mistakes' of how people of color are portrayed in the Hollywood media, I decided it was important to say something about how things go down in Hollywood."...

Actress Regina King ("Southland") is taking a stand on the under-representation of minorities at the Emmys.

In "The Emmys: As White As Ever" on the HuffintonPost.com, she wrote that "it is impossible for me to ignore the published statistics regarding the number of people of color mentioned, celebrated or honored in the history of the televised Emmys."

Up to and including this year, there have been only 53 non-white actors nominated for Emmys out of nearly 1,000 possible nominations in the top four acting categories. "I've worked in television nearly all of my professional life, and that statistic is quite sobering to me," King wrote. "And to add injury to my already sensitive nerve endings a picture of Rutina Wesley from 'True Blood,' who attended this year's Emmys, had a caption that read: "Regina King enters the 62nd Emmys"." King wasn't at the ceremony.

The actress also lamented that Alaina Reed Hall,...

Debuting on NBC in 1985, the 227 sitcom revolves around a group of middle-class people living in a Washington, DC apartment building. The series was designed as a vehicle for The Jeffersons' Marla Gibbs and also stars Alaina Reed Hall, Jackee Harry, Helen Martin, Hal Williams, Regina King, Curtis Baldwin, Countess Vaughn, Toukie Smith, Barry Sobel, Stoney Jackson, Kevin Peter Hall and Paul Winfield.

The 227 show lasted for five seasons and came to a close after 116 episodes in 1990. The final episode revolves around the plight of the homeless, a story co-written by Gibbs.

This morning, NBC's Today Show hosted a reunion of the cast of 227 and it was the first time that they'd been seen onscreen together in 20 years.

Taking part in the tribute were Gibbs, Williams, Harry, King, and Baldwin. Martin passed away back...

You may recall that, a few days ago, we reported that NBC's Today Show was hosting some classic TV show cast reunions. Well, we have some good news and some bad news...

First, here's the good. Members of the cast of 227, the 1980s NBC sitcom, will be reuniting next Thursday, March 4th Wednesday, March 3rd. Tune in to see Marla Gibbs, Jackee Harry, Regina King, Hal Williams, and Curtis Baldwin back together after 20 years. No doubt they'll talk about the recent loss of costar Alaina Reed Hall.

Tomorrow, the castmembers of Eight Is Enough are still coming together. On Tuesday, March 2nd, The Partridge Family are reuniting. Unfortunately, Shirley Jones dropped out but Suzanne Crough will now be filling her spot.

Finally, on to the bad news. Florence Henderson had to drop out of the Brady Bunch reunion but...

Welcome to the 216th Edition of my series. This is my first installment on the new year. This week I pay tribute to the late Alaina Reed Hall and Arnold Stang. I also have a selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection process and next week will have none. In this new year I have decided to introduce the DVD review where I will pick one movie featured here and check out the special...

"Avatar" may be the most hilariously divisive movie of the holiday season, if not 2009. In the last 24 hours, for instance, G. Willow Wilson has been excited about seeing it, Laurenn McCubbin has been thoroughly dissatisfied with it and Mike Choi has come to the movie's defense with some serious words for its critics.

In other tweets, Dennis Calero spoke up for everyone who grew up with "Sesame Street" actress Alaina Reed Amini. The actress who played Olivia on the show passed away last week. Check out those messages after the jump along with Brian Michael Bendis' shock over "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," Bill Willingham's birthday announcement (which we congratulate him on!) and Jimmy Palmiotti's thoughts on "Brothers."

They're all in the Twitter Report for December 23, 2009.

@DennisCalero goodbye olivia, thank you for making sesame street such a happy place

-Dennis Calero, Artist ("X-Factor," "Legion of Super-...

A kind face from so many of our childhood memories, actress Alaina Reed Hall, Olivia on 'Sesame Street' who later starred on '227,' has died. Alaina fought a lengthy battle with breast cancer, the Springfield News-Sun reported. She passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 63. Hall began her run as Olivia the photographer on "Sesame Street" in 1976 until the late 1980s. In 1985, Hall co-stared as Rose with Jackée Harry on '227.' The series last five seasons. She had guest appearances on cult favorite 'Blossom' and then was cast as the lead on the sitcom 'Cleghorne!' in 1995. She also appeared on Broadway in shows "Hair" and "Chicago."...

Alaina Reed Hall, who portrayed Olivia Robinson on Sesame Street for 12 years, has died.

Reed Hall was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and succumbed Thursday at a Santa Monica, Calif., hospital, her husband, Tamim Amini, told the Los Angeles Times.

Sesame Street and Big Bird feel 40 years young

The actress, who turned 63 last month, also starred on Broadway and was one of the original cast members in the off-Broadway production of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on the Road. She also appeared in...

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I’m sure you’ve all already heard the sad news by now.

Alaina Reed Hall, star of stage and screen, the singer and actress who played Olivia Robinson on Sesame Street for a dozen years, from the mid-1970s, and later played Rose Holloway on the situation comedy 227, has died. She was just 63 years old.

Reed Hall, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, died last week Thursday at Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA.

She’s survived by her husband, Tamim Amini.

Somewhere, behind a building, Big Bird is weeping. He may be 40 now and have long since learned the meaning of death, but that doesn't make the passing of his Sesame Street pal Alaina Reed Hall any easier. The actress, who starred as Olivia for 12 years on the PBS show, died of breast cancer on Dec. 17 in Los Angeles, reports Springfield, Ohio's Whio Radio. She was 63 years old. In addition to working with Muppets, Hall starred on the sitcom 227. She also graced the Great White Way as Matron Mama Morton in the original production of Chicago and the 1977 revival of Hair.

Another celebrity death has hit the world of the small screen.

Actress Alaina Reed Hall, probably best remembered for playing Rose on the sitcom 227 and Olivia on Sesame Street from the late 70s to the late 80s, passed away last week after a long battle with breast cancer. She was 63

Of course, her career stretches far beyond those two shows with parts on just about every major show in the last few decades including Friends, ER and Ally McBeal, but she was always Olivia to me. She was on the show and even the big screen spinoff Follow That Bird during my formative years, so her sweet and endearing demeanor performance as Olivia pretty much stuck her with the role.

I'm sure if I met her in person, I would accidentally call her Olivia at least four times and something tells me she would not have minded a bit.

 

Filed under: Celebrities,...

Sesame Street star Alaina Reed Hall has died, aged 63.

The actress passed away on Thursday. The official cause of death has not yet been confirmed, but Hall battled breast cancer for several years.

Hall began her career in Broadway and off-Broadway productions, including Chicago and Hair, before being cast as Olivia on classic kid's show Sesame Street in 1976.

She also starred in popular U.S. sitcom 227, and began a romance with her co-star Kevin Peter Hall, who she later married both on and off-screen.

The actor died from pneumonia in 1991.

"Sesame Street" fans all over the world are mourning the death of star Alaina Reed Hall. The actress passed away on Thursday at the age of 63. Hall battled breast cancer for the past several years, but her official cause of death has not yet been released.

Hall began her career starring in several Broadway and off-Broadway productions such as "Hair" and "Chicago." Starting in 1976, she spent several years playing Olivia, the younger sister of Gordon on "Sesame Street." She left the children's show in 1988. Hall also starred as Rose on the NBC sitcom "227."

Hall's big screen credits include "Death Becomes Her" alongside Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep and 1999's "Cruel Intentions" with Sarah Michelle Geller. She was married to Tamim Amini at the time of her death.