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The Osbournes
*There were stories about how a producer of the MTV series, "Cribs" was so impressed with the uniqueness of the Osbournes' lifestyle that they came up with the idea for a reality show. Actually, Sharon Osbourne had been planning this TV show for several years. She couldn't find any network interest until the Osbournes' appearances "Cribs".
*Whether you like Sharon or not, you can't deny that she's one good businesswoman! For the first season of "The Osbornes", MTV was unsure about the show's potential so the entire family received only $20,000 per episode for 13 episodes. When the show turned into a hit, Sharon went into negotiator mode. In the second season, the family received $20 million for the season, plus MTV bought them a new home, and (the most "Osbourne" part of the contract) MTV also agreed to pay for their dog's psychotherapy. (No, that's not a joke!)
*Ozzy and Sharon's oldest child (daughter) is named Aimee and chose not to appear on the TV show. If you want to see her, she does appear on the Season 2 Uncensored Dvds. She can be seen briefly during episode #20, "My Big Fat Jewish Wedding", during the wedding vow renewal and she also makes a cameo appearance as a commentator on the last two shows on Disc 2 of the same Season 2 Dvds set.
NYPD Blue
*David Caruso left the series to pursue a movie career. It was greatly publicized and most assumed that he would become a huge star due to the overwhelming popularity of NYPD Blue. Many felt that NYPD Blue simply couldn't survive his loss but audiences soon grew equally fond of Jimmy Smits who replaced him. Then when Smits decided to leave in 1998, the same was said about him but the TV show went on just fine with his replacement ... Rick Schroder. Also, Jimmy Smits was offered Caruso's role first! When Smits turned down the role, it was offered to Caruso and the character's name was changed to "John Kelly".
*Jimmy Smits has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Brooklyn College and a Master of Fine Arts Degree from Cornell University. Jimmy wanted to become an actor before he graduated but when he told his parents of his desire, they said he should finish his degree so that he would be able to teach High School Drama.
*Dennis Franz served 11 months in Vietnam with the 82nd & 101st Airborne Divisions. He was a mailman before becoming an actor. He always takes his pet bird with him when he travels.
*The exterior of the 15th precinct on the NYPD Blue TV show was actually the 9th precinct in New York City. The 9th precinct's exterior was also used for the precinct house on the series, "Kojak".
*During the summer of 1998, Rick Schroder built his own log cabin! He's also that Hollywood rarity known as a "conservative". He spoke in honor of (Then) Governor George W. Bush at the Republican National Convention in 2000 and he's a member of the National Rifle Association.
*Producer Steven Bochco honors his father on NYPD Blue and most of his other productions. Right before the closing credits, you can see his father playing the violin. Actually, they used computer animation and his father's portrait to make it appear as though he's playing the instrument.
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