10 Bizarre Facts About the Oscars

The Academy Awards is the granddaddy of all awards shows -- the oldest of its kind, dating way back to 1929. As we get set for the 87th annual ceremony, here are 10 unusual facts about Hollywood's most prestigious awards show.

1. A classic TV witch was the first female host of the ceremony. Yes, long before she starred as witchy troublemaker Endora on the 1960s sitcom "Bewitched," Agnes Moorehead was a busy movie actress, appearing in more than 70 films and garnering four Oscar nominations. In 1948, she and Dick Powell hosted the Oscars, making her the first female co-host of the ceremony.

2. Speaking of Oscar hosts, there have been some doozies. In 2011, the odd pairing of James Franco and Annd Hathaway was slammed by critcis, but the strangest Oscar co-host of all time has to be Donald Duck. In 1958, the animated icon teamed up with Bob Hope, Jack Lemmon, David Niven, Rosalind Russell, and James Stewart to co-host the 30th Academy Awards.

3. In the early 1970s, both George C. Scott and Marlon Brando "refused" their Oscar Awards. Scott didn't want any part of the "two-hour meat parade" and Brando had so many criticisms of the entertainment industry's mistreatment of Native Americans that  he sent a 26-year-old Indian activist, Sacheen Littlefeather, to the 1973 ceremony to refuse the Oscar for him.

4. One of the most notorious Oscar moments came at the 46th Academy Awards in 1974, when David Nivens' Best Picture intro was interrupted by a streaker. As the audience erupted with laughter as the naked man sprinted across the stage, Nivens came up with this quick ad-lib: "Isn't it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?"  Five years later the streaker, Robert Opel, was murdered during an attempted robbery.

5. Cher’s 1988 Best Actress Oscar win wasn't a total shocker (although she beat out some stiff competition, including Meryl Streep and Glenn Close), but  the 'Moonstruc" actress's outfit for the stuffy awards show certainly was. Designer Bob Mackie outdid himself -- or should we say underdid?

6. Oscar attire ranges from the beautiful (think Berry) to the bizarre (think Bjork). But the most unusual Oscar dress of all time goes to 1995 Best Costume Design nominee Lizzy Gardiner. According to Yahoo! Movies, Gardiner's gown was made up of nearly 300 American Express credit cards embossed with her name on them. Check it out here:

7. There have been a couple of specially made Oscar statuettes. According to Parade, ventriloquist Edgar Bergen's 1938 honorary Oscar was made of wood, in a nod to his puppet Charlie McCarthy. And Walt Disney's 1939 honorary Oscar for "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" included one full-size statuette and seven mini ones.

8. "Midnight Cowboy" is the only X-rated film to ever win the Oscar for Best Picture. In 1969, the Motion Picture Association of America gave the Jon Voight/Dustin Hoffman movie the ominous mature-audience rating, but the movie was re-rated R in 1971.

9. Alfred Hitchcock delivered the shortest Oscar speech on record. Upon receiving the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award at the 40th Academy Awards in 1968, the legendary filmmaker simply said, "Thank you." (He added "very much indeed" as he walked away.) You can see Hitchcock's quickie speech here:

10. 2013 marked a name tweak. The phrase "Academy Awards" quietly began to be  phased out, and there wasn’t a big brouhaha about that year’s number (85), either. Instead, the ceremony was simply called "The Oscars" and all posters and press releases reflected that. Of course, most of us have been calling it the Oscars all along.

The Top Rock and Roll Moments at the Oscars

Rock and roll and The Oscars don't usually go hand in hand, but over the years we've seen quite a few iconic rock and roll moments on the annual awards show. Example: At  the 83^rd Academy Awards in 2011, Nine Inch Nails front man Trent Reznor nabbed the Oscar for Best Original Score for his work on "The Social Network" soundtrack. Sure, "The Downward Spiral" may have changed your life, but still, who'd have thunk it?

Here are four more classic rock and roll moments from the Oscar Awards.

Jon Bon Jovi Performs at The Oscars (1991)

 It may have been in during his heyday as the permed lead singer for rock band Bon Jovi, but lead singer Jon Bon Jovi proved he could make it on his own when he penned an Oscar-nominated song. Still, for the 1991 Oscar performance for his song "Blaze of Glory" he brought his Bon Jovi band mates along for the ride -- and it goes down as one of the most rock and roll moments ever on the show. Jon Bon Jovi was nominated for Best Original Song (movie: "Young Guns II") and even though he didn't win, his fans sure did that night.

Bruce Springsteen’s Song Is Snubbed (2009)

He famously performed his nominated song "Streets of Philadelphia" at the 1994 Oscars (movie: "Philadelphia), but the bigger Oscar moment for Bruuuuuuuce wasn't even part of the awards show. His Best Song snub at the 2009 Oscars for his song "The Wrestler" had fans and music critics downright irate.

"Almost Famous" Wins Best Screenplay (2000).\

 In 2000, rockin' screenwriter Cameron Crowe (and then-hubby of Heart hottie, Nancy Wilson) scored the Oscar gold for his screenplay about a teen journalist who writes for Rolling Stone magazine. What makes this even more rock and roll is that Crowe's "Almost Famous" screenplay was semi-autobiographical. As a teen he wrote for the iconic rock ‘n roll mag while hobnobbing with big name artists of the day like Eric Clapton, David Bowie, Neil Young and Led Zeppelin. Sometimes truth is greater than fiction!

Eminem's Oscar Night Diss (2003)

Alright, so he may be a rapper and not a rocker, but either way Eminem showed the Academy that he's still too school for Oscar school. In 2003 he won the Oscar for Best Original Song (the song? "Lose Yourself" from the soundtrack to his movie, "8 Mile") and he could have received his award from presenter, the legendary Barbra Streisand, but instead Em skipped the stuffy shindig and hung out back home in Detroit that night. Dissing the most prestigious night in Hollywood? It doesn't get any more rock and roll than that.

‘Dancing With the Stars’ Eyes the Oscars: Could It Could Happen?

They had an All-Stars edition, so why not an Oscars edition? That’s the buzz regarding an upcoming season of ABC’s "Dancing with the Stars,"  as producers scramble to come up with new ways to recharge the long-running reality show.

According to Radar Online, “DWTS” producers once considered a themed season of the show, featuring Academy Award winners --  and actress Renee Zellweger (“Cold Mountain”) was at the top of their wish list. A “DWTS” source told Radar: “The producers are fixated on Renee, in part because she hasn’t done much dancing at all since ‘Chicago’ more than ten years ago and there’s this real mystery about her and what she’s up to.”

The "all Oscar-winners series" would certainly cost ABC megabucks, and a star of Zellweger’s caliber would also bring in mega ratings for that quest for the mirrorball trophy. The plan, should it ever come to fruition, would be “to include former Academy Award winners from all eras,” according to the insider.

Academy Award winners Tatum O'Neal, Marlee Matlin and Cloris Leachman have all competed on “Dancing With the Stars” in the past (in seasons 2, 6, and 7, respectively), but a themed season has never been attempted before. Instead, the show usually boasts a mix of athletes, reality stars, musicians and actors, with the occasional wild card -- Bristol Palin, anyone? -- thrown in for good measure.

But actual Oscar owners may be harder to sign. Zellweger’s peeps told Gossip Cop  the actress would not be signing on to the show. And here’s what some other Academy Award winners have said about the TV dancing competition:

Jon Voight may have won an Oscar for his performance in the 1979 film “The Champ,” but the actor doesn’t plan to add a mirrorball trophy to his awards collection. In 2011, Voight told  CNN he previosuly turned down the ABC dancing show due to his age:  "They asked me to do 'Dancing With the Stars,' and you know it would probably be fun for people to watch me dance, but I'm an old fella now,” he said.

Academy Award winner Cher (“Moonstruck,”1988) took a turn at the “DWTS” judges’ table last season, but she won’t be taking any turns on the dance floor. The legendary entertainer was recently asked if she’d ever consider competing on the show, and she told reporters: “I think I wouldn’t do it because I would be too frightened.”

And before she was a co-host on “The View,” Whoopi Goldberg was an Oscar winner. But don’t count on seeing the actress -- who won the Best Supporting Actress category in 1990 for her role in “Ghost”--  as a future mirrorball contender. In 2010, a frustrated Goldberg slammed the show’s voting system after Florence Henderson was cut from the competition: “You know, I don't usually get worked up over stuff, especially 'Dancing with the Stars,’” she said. “Every now and then, I hit my limit, like all of you. But this is beyond everything … 'Dancing with the Damned Stars!’”

Jared Leto’s Kitchen Oscar: More Unusual Places Stars Keep Their Awards

Jared Leto may have won his very first Academy Award last year, but to hear him talk you'd think it's an everyday occurrence. "The Oscar is sitting in my kitchen guarded by some vegan butter and a bag of popcorn," the 42-year-old "Dallas Buyers Club" star told Entertainment Tonight Canada. "That is the first place I go when I go home, you put your keys down, you take off your jacket and you put your Oscar in your kitchen."

While we're pretty sure Leto will move his award out of his pantry one of these days, other stars have found even more bizarre spots to house their coveted awards.

Susan Sarandon once revealed on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that she houses her awards show loot in a guest bathroom: "There's a bathroom that has a number of statuettes, not just the Oscar, but all the different things," the actress said. "The kids always called it the famous bathroom."

Ditto for Grammy award winner Questlove. The Roots drummer told Vulture he keeps his collection of gramophone-shaped trophies on top of the john: "I keep all my Grammys on the toilet," he said. "I mean, megapeople have, like, awards rooms or whatever. The Kanyes of the world, I'm sure he has enshrined himself. But all mine are in the bathroom. And one of them is broken. I dropped it on the floor. I gave it to my mom; she didn't want it. So I just sat it on the toilet. And then when I got the second and third one, I just gave it company."

Of course, Qlove and Susan may want to take some advice from Jodie Foster. The two-time Academy Award winner told In Style she had to move her awards out of her bathroom, and for a very good reason: "I used to keep them in the bathroom because they looked good with the faucets." Foster said. "But when they started getting corroded on the bottom, I had to move them to a trophy case in my den."

Foo Fighters lead singer Dave Grohl also moved his awards out of the bathroom, but it wasn't due to corrosion. Yet. The rocker joked that he had to move his Video Music Award away from the toilet because he accidentally peed on his Moonman. He joked to MTV, "You know that little flag at the top? You can fit a toilet paper roll on that, so I had that going for a while."

Grohl later relocated his awards to an office, but he delegated one to do double duty. "One of my Grammys -- my bedroom door won't stay open for some reason, so I keep it open with my Grammy," he said. "I think it's kind of kickass that I have a Grammy holding up my bedroom door. Every night I walk my lady into the room, she knows what's going down."

Perhaps he got the idea from Cher. Back in the day, the Oscar winner put her prestigious award to work. The 1988 Best Actress Winner (for "Moonstruck") told People she used her Academy Award as a doorstop in her Malibu home: "My cats have to run in and out, and it's the perfect weight," she dished. "Some people think it's disrespectful, but I don't really mean it that way. It works."

Valentine’s Day: 10 Ways to Celebrate Like The Stars

Love is in the air, Valentine’s Day is near—and your favorite celebs know a thing or two about how to celebrate! When Cupid strikes, check out these tips on how to do Valentine’s Day like the stars!

Perfect presents

Not sure what to buy for your sweetie this Valentine’s day? Former “Laguna Beach” star Lauren Conrad posted a list of “Valentine’s Day Gifts for Him” on her website. The lifestyle queen’s must-get list includes a bottle of your favorite cologne, red velvet brownies and Steve McQueen-style sunglasses. Meanwhile, Cuba Gooding Jr. told the New York Daily News: "As a father of three who's happily married, I've learned to just buy her sleepwear. Then you work on getting her out of it!"

Romantic eats!

 Talk show foodie Rachael Ray swears by her "You Won't Be Single for Long” Vodka Cream Pasta  recipe, which is chock full of crushed tomatoes, heavy cream and her trademark EVOO. Ray says it’s her most romantic meal! And for dessert, check out celeb chef Ina Garten’s recipe for Chocolate Dipped Strawberries.

Love songs

What songs do celebs love for Valentine’s Day? According to O Magazine, pop superstar Mariah Carey’s three favorite love songs for her iPod playlist include Donny Hathaway’s "A Song For You," Minnie Riperton’s "Lovin' You" and Stevie Wonder’s "Overjoyed," And singer Gavin DeGraw gave Seventeen his romantic songs list, which includes Billy Joel’s  “She’s Always a Woman” and “Burning Love” by Elvis Presley.

Flower power

R&B singer Jason Derulo told Popeater that in high school he decorated his girlfriend’s car with flowers as a Valentine’s Day surprise. “I put a bunch of rose petals all over the car and all inside the car, and when she came out there was a flowered car waiting for her. That was pretty memorable,” he said. And model Bar Refaeli also likes flowers for Valentine’s Day, but doesn’t need a big ol’ bouquet: “Maybe just one flower that you picked out on the street." she said. "Just write a card - no gifts, no dinner. I like simple things." Talk about a cheap date!

Mushy movies

Starpulse rounded up come of your favorite celebrities’ favorite romantic movies. Mark Wahlberg’s pick? “The Notebook.”  Wahlberg said, “It's one of those rare romantic movies that you can watch again and again. Plus, my wife liked that one, so that basically moves it to the top no matter what."  Meanwhile, actress Rachel Bilson's favorite is “Sleepless in Seattle.”

Cupid’s crafts

Feeling crafty? Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart has a slew of Valentine’s Day craft ideas on her website. Ideas include lacy votive holders, glittered roses and heart-shaped soap.

Sweets for your sweet

Sure, you can buy those candy conversation hearts at the grocery store, but if you really want to get people talking how about whipping up some homemade gourmet chocolate truffles, courtesy of famed chocolateir Jacques Torre? You can find the Food Network star’s decadent recipe  here.

Love stories

If you’re not experiencing a love connection this Valentine’s Day but want to read about one in a book, why not take a page from Oprah Winfrey’s book? Her talk show book club may be no more, but O still delivers a monthly list of reads via Oprah.com. Oprah’s romantic book picks include everything from Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina” to Elizabeth Berg’s “Open House.”

Romantic dates

OK, so you may not be able to pull off anything like Justin Bieber’s romantic “Titanic” date (the teen idol  rented out the Staples Center for an intimate dinner and a private showing of the movie with then-girlfriend Selena Gomez), but surely you can swing this low rent version from Party Times, the online mag edited by Pippa Middleton: “Instead of going out to the cinema, why not recreate a movie theatre at home with a romantic film and snuggle up together in your very own back row, complete with cartons of popcorn."

Love notes

If you’re looking for some inspiring prose to add to that Hallmark card, why not quote John Lennon: “Love is a promise, love is a souvenir, once given never forgotten, never let it disappear." Or Maya Angelou: “Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.”) Although you may want to stop short of using this Johnny Depp gem: “The only creatures that are evolved enough to convey pure love are dogs and infants.”

Oprah Winfrey’s Talk Show Posse: Where Are They Now?

Twenty five seasons of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” brought us 25 seasons of tears, joy … and Oprah’s pals. We all know that longtime friends Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz and Nate Berkus went on to star in talk shows of their own, but what about the rest of Oprah’s pals?

 Here’s an update on her former talk show posse:

Rosie Daley

She was Oprah’s personal chef for five years—and she shared the wealth of her recipes via a 1994 bestselling cookbook called “In the Kitchen With Rosie: Oprah’s favorite Recipes.” In a 1998 interview with Vogue, Oprah said of the cookbook’s success, “Rosie didn’t know what hit her. Made her rich. It is the fastest-selling book in the history of publishing.” Daley’s “Oprah” cookbook and subsequent book team-up with Dr. Andrew Weil made her rich enough that today she no longer has to cook for a living.

Art Smith

Another chef introduced to us by Oprah, Art Smith worked as her personal chef for years and made frequent appearances on her talk show. But these days Smith is teaming up with Lady Gaga’s dad, Joe Germanotta, to open an Upper West side restaurant called Joanne’s.

Dr. Robin Smith

You knew O had a guest in crisis when Dr. Robin appeared on the show. The psychologist/author/ordained minister/motivational speaker turned up regularly to give relationship advice on Oprah’s talk show. These days Dr. Robin continues to spread her positive message via radio broadcasts and personal appearances. Dr. Robin penned the New York Times bestseller, “Lies at the Altar: the Truth About Great Marriages," a swell as the book, “Hungry,"  which is about humanity’s quest for authentic, honest lives.

Gayle King

We loved Gayle’s road trips with Oprah –  all must as much as her taste tests to find the country’s greatest hamburger. But the end of Oprah’s talk show didn’t mean less TV face time for her BFF. Six months after “Oprah” went off the air, the O -Magazine editor-at-large signed a deal to co-anchor “CBS This Morning.” King’s stint on the morning news show began in January, 2012.

Bob Greene

He was Oprah’s one time personal trainer, who taught us to live our best lives. But without Oprah’s talk show forum, what is Bob Green up to these days? He’s still dispensing health and fitness advice on his Best Life website and is a regular contributor to O Magazine.

Andre Walker

He was the hairstylist with the mostess, creating Oprah’s million dollar hair looks for the entire 25-season run of her talk show. But as a parting gift to fans, Oprah and Andre decided to share the wealth. During her final “Favorite Things” show, Oprah gave viewers the scoop on Walker's hair care line, claiming his are the only products she uses on her hair.  In addition to peddling his primo products, these days the hair guru pens a column for Ebony Magazine.

Unhappy Valentine’s Day: 5 Really Bad TV Dates

Love is in the air, but how about the airwaves? Just about every television sitcom has featured a dating dilemma at one time or another, often with hilarious results. From a frog-topped pizza to a mega wardrobe malfunction, welcome to sitcom love, American style. In honor of Valentine's Day, check out these TV dates that went awry.

"The Brady Bunch" - "Greg Gets Grounded" (1973)

Poor Greg Brady. He has a date with the grooviest chick at school, but, thanks to a bad bet, he's stuck taking his kid brother to a frog jumping contest. Luckily Greg's date, Rachel, is a good sport and agrees to go to a drive-in movie with him after the contest. Too bad Greg goes to the snack bar to grab a snack and finds that his little bro left the frogs in the back seat of his car. Can you say a large pizza with pepperoni and frog legs? Talk about an unappetizing date!

"Friends" - "The One With All the Resolutions" (1999)

On "Friends," Ross Gellar wants to look cool for his hot date with Elizabeth, so he buys some leather pants. But when the leather gets too hot an on his legs, his date stops cold. Ross rushes for a bathroom break to try to cool down, but the sweaty pants get stuck on his legs and he can't get them back on. Add a frantic phone call to Joey and the bad advice to try slapping talcum powder and lotion on his legs and you've got a recipe for pasty pants!

"The Mary Tyler Moore Show" - "Lou Dates Mary" (1977)

On "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," Minnesota's resident single lady dated a variety of interesting men, with one of her strangest dates being with an older gentleman who turned out to be her pal Murray's dad! But Mary Richards' date with her newsroom boss, Mr. Grant, took the cake. Thankfully they decided to stay friends without benefits and the series ended one episode later or this could have turned into major shark-jumping. Besides, would we really ever want to witness a love scene between Mare and Mr. Grant?

"The King of Queens" - "Meet By Product" (2000)

When they first met, Doug Heffernan was a beefy club bouncer and Carrie Spooner was a vampy vixen. They ended up on a default date after their BFFs hooked up, but it wasn't love at first sight. Doug and Carrie's first date night featured an SAT quiz (the only book Doug owned), a retro black light show, and gin-spiked beers. And although the night culminated with their first fight, in the end these opposites attracted.

"Sex and the City" - "An American Girl in Paris Part Deux" (2004)

New York single lady Carrie Bradshaw had plenty of bad dates on HBO’s “Sex and the City”  -- from a frat boy who didn't keep toilet paper in his house to an insecure writer who broke up with her via a Post-It note. But one of her worst dates occurred on the series finale, when she accompanied then-boyfriend Aleksandr Petrovsky to his museum opening. Petrovsky accidentally slapped her, broke her beloved "Carrie" necklace and ditched her to mingle with his artsy friends. Carrie took the first flight out of Paris with her knight in shining armor, Mr. Big. Hey, maybe that wasn't such a bad date after all…

My Funny Valentine: The Top TV Sitcom Episodes About Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is one of the most celebrated holidays on television, and Cupid especially likes to strike the characters on TV sitcoms. Forget love in the afternoon --  this is love in primetime. Here are some of the most beloved TV sitcom episodes about Valentine's Day.

Happy Days - "Be My Valentine" (1978). This episode of the classic 1970s sitcom features musical numbers and nostalgic looks back as the gang (played by Ron Howard, Marion Ross, Tom Bosley, Anson Williams, Donny Most, Erin Moran and Henry Winkler) reminisce on Valentine's Day. It’s a cute roundup, although true “Happy Days” aficionados may single out Joanie’s crush on Potsie (“They Call It Potsie Love”) as the show’s best look at love.

The Jeffersons - "I Buy The Songs" (1981). George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) doesn't hold a candle to his neighbor Tim Willis (Franklin Cover) when it comes to romantic gifts for his wife. So when he forgets all about a gift for Weezy (Isabel Sanford) on Valentine's Day, George writes her a song instead. Let’s just say he should stick to dry cleaning.

Full House - "Joey's Funny Valentine" (1994). This syrupy sitcom routinely featured more sugar than a box of candy hearts, and Valentine's Day was no exception. In this episode, Joey (Dave Coulier) has a new lady love. Until she makes fun of his friends during her comedy club act, that is.

Friends - "The One With the Candy Hearts" (1995). This early episode of the NBC sitcom featured Ross (David Schwimmer) going out on a Valentine's Day dinner date, and  running into his ex- wife and her new girlfriend at the same restaurant.  As for the girls, Monica (Courtney Cox), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) threw a Valentine's day bonfire to rid themselves of their ex-boyfriends' stuff.

King of Queens - "Animal Attraction" (2003). This episode had everyone's favorite IPS parcel deliveryman (Kevin James) explaining to his wife Carrie (Leah Remini) that he couldn’t celebrate Valentine's Day with her because he had to transport penguins to a zoo. Carrie went on a girl's night out instead!

George Lopez - "Valentine's Day Massacre" (2003). Comedian George Lopez gave his wife Angie (Constance Marie) a lame Valentine's Day gift in this episode, which prompted her to remember back to the 1980s when he gave her a much more special gift.

The Office - "Valentine's Day" (2006). At a corporate Valentine's Day meeting, Michael (Steve Carell) kisses and tells about a co-worker (Melora Hardin). Meanwhile some of the other office mates exchange Valentine's gifts.

The Simpsons -"Love, Springfieldian Style" (2008). This Valentine's Day episode, which is reminiscent of the 1970's TV show Love, American Style, featured three love themed vignettes that parodied the films Lady and the Tramp, Bonnie and Clyde and Sid and Nancy.

30 Rock- "St. Valentine's Day" (2009) Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) had a disastrous first date -- on Valentine's Day, no less -- with her neighbor, Dr. Drew (John Hamm).

And remember these? Check out these TV sitcom episodes that weren’t about Valentine's Day per se, but Cupid's arrow definitely struck in these love-themed episodes:

The Munsters - "Happy 100^thAnniversary" (1965). Herman and Lily (Fred Gwynne, Yvonne DeCarlo) secretly moonlight as welders to earn extra money for anniversary gifts for each other. Disguised under their welder's masks, they unwittingly flirt with each other.

Bewitched - "Once in a Vial" (1968). Endora (Agnes Morehead) drinks a love potion meant for Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) and gets all giddy and googly eyed over one of Darrin's clients.

The Brady Bunch - "Cyrano de Brady" (1972). Peter Brady (Christopher Knight) has the hots for a new girl at school. But when his studly older brother Greg (Barry Williams) tries to help him get the girl, she thinks Greg is the one who likes her.

Happy Days - "They Call It Potsie Love" (1975). Joanie Cunningham (Erin Moran) falls for the nerdy Potsie (Anson Williams) after he serenades her with a love song during a band rehearsal at Arnold's. When she starts sending him anonymous love notes, he wonders who his secret admirer is.

The Cosby Show-  "Isn't It Romantic" (1990). The Huxtable men make a bet on which of them can buy the most romantic gift for their wives -- for under $25.

Friends - "The One With the Proposal" (2000). This two- part episode details Chandler's (Matthew Perry) long awaited marriage proposal to Monica (Courtney Cox Arquette). For a sitcom, there's not a dry eye in the house.

‘Roseanne’ 25th Anniversary: Tidbits About TV’s Favorite Blue Collar Clan

It’s hard to believe it’s been more than 25 years since we first met the Conners. On October 18, 1988, the working class fam from the ABC sitcom "Roseanne": Dan (played by John Goodman), Roseanne (Roseanne Barr),  and kids Becky, Darlene, and DJ (Lecy Goranson, Sara Gilbert and Michael Fishman) – invited us into their home on the corner of Third Ave. and Delaware Street in the fictional town of Lanford, Illinois. And we were the guests who never left.

Two and a half decades later, television’s original domestic goddess owns a 50-acre macadamia nut farm in Hawaii, the show’s child stars are all grown up with kids of their own, and the series lives on in infamy…or TV Land.

As we celebrate 25 years of “Roseanne,” check out these tidbits about TV’s favorite blue collar clan.

The Conner house wasn’t really in Illinois (or even California)

That telltale yellow house featured on the show’s exterior shots is located in…Indiana? According to Realtor.com, the show was filmed on a studio lot, but establishing shots were of a home in in Evansville, Indiana.  (Ditto for Roseanne’s hangout, the Lobo Lounge.) These days the four-bedroom home, built in 1925,  is worth about $129,000.

There were two DJs

Even super fans of the show might think that child star Michael Fishman originated the role of the youngest Conner child, but in the pilot episode a different kid played the tot. According to Mentalfloss, the character of the youngest Conner son was originally played by Sal Barone, but the 1988 Writers Guild strike and the long hiatus that followed wreaked havoc on Barone’s height—as in he had a major growth spurt. That, coupled with some backstage sibling rivalry (Sara Gilbert, we’re looking at you!), resulted in Barone’s departure from the show, and lookalike Fishman was hired.

Check out by Sal Barone as the original DJ Conner in this clip from the pilot:

But…DJ could have been a blonde

According to Entertainment Weekly, producers originally considered “Home Alone' star Macaulay Culkin for the part of the Conner son. But Barr said, “I wanted Michael Fishman because he looked like my family and he was a little Russian boy. He was so not like all the other little Hollywood bastards.”

The Conners were mad for maize

Got corn? “Roseanne” sure did. True fans of the show know that the series is totally corny. That’s because the word “corn” and various corn sightings can be found in nearly every episode of the first season.

Check out an example of the “corn” reference in the episode “Life and Stuff” starting at the 7:25 mark here:

The show was the first big break for these big names:

George Clooney was a regular on the show’s first season, playing factory supervisor Booker Brooks, but the aspiring actor quit the show after just 11 episodes. Clooney’s dad told Time he tried to convince his son to extend his contract on the show:  “He was offered a stupendous amount of money to continue to do ‘Roseanne,’” Nick Clooney said. “I was thinking he could build a little nest egg and maybe acting would pay off after all. He said, 'No, I'll be in a cul-de-sac. I'll be that guy, and that's all I'll be.'"

See George Cooney on “Roseanne” here.

And Joss Whedon was a writer on the show in the early days of his career. The future "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator told Entertainment Weekly, “People would say, 'So you're writing on ‘Roseanne?' I was 24 at the time. 'Do you write Darlene's lines?' I said, 'Yes, I write Darlene's lines, I leave a space, then I write a rebuttal.' They assumed I wrote the young person.''

See a clip from one of Whedon’s most memorable “Roseanne” episodes, “Brain Dead Poet’s Society":

The show’s controversial final season (you know, the one where they won the lottery and Dan died and it was all just a dream) is a forgettable one for some of the show’s stars. Literally.

In a 2013 interview with HuffPost Live, Lecy Goranson (the original Becky, who left the show in 1996) revealed that she had no idea that family patriarch Dan (played by John Goodman) died from a heart attack. “I'm embarrassed," Goranson said when she heard the news. "I'm like, 'He passed away? Oh God, that's horrible!” The actress admitted she had “moved on” and skipped watching the final season of the show. And Sara Gilbert said she doesn’t remember the last season of “Roseanne.”

“For me it’s almost a blur,” the actress said in a HuffPost Live interview. “I go ‘Like what do we do that last season? Oh, it was all a dream and then she won the lottery and she was a writer and Dan died.’  I was so busy finishing college that year. I remember the earlier years much better than the later, the final."

Still, the Domestic Goddess herself listed a finale season episode as one of her Top 5 favorites of all time. Roseanne told Entertainment Weekly that Season 9’s “Hoi Polloi Meets Hoiti Toiti” (an episode that had Rosie hobnobbing with the rich in Martha’s Vineyard) is ''the edgiest political material ever on an American TV sitcom.''

Of course, the show may have been too edgy.  During its nine-season run, “Roseanne” was never nominated for best comedy series at the Emmy Awards. The envelope-pushing sitcom was simply too far ahead of its time.

That '80s Show: Is 'The Goldbergs' the New 'Wonder Years'?

Ah, nostalgia! In 1988, a TV series that told the story of an American boy in the late 1960s and early 1970s became one of the most beloved coming-of-age comedies of all time. ABC's “The Wonder Years” won its first Emmy Award just six episodes into its six-season run, and nabbed 13-year-old Fred Savage a history-making nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

The show, which depicted the life of suburban teen Kevin Arnold (played by Savage) from 1968 to 1973, starred Dan Lauria, Alley Mills, Olivia d'Abo, Jason Hervey, Josh Saviano, and Danica McKellar. It dealt with everything from the Vietnam War to the 1972 presidential election. (Kevin and his girl-next-door crush, Winnie Cooper, were Team McGovern!) The series was narrated by an adult Kevin Arnold, voiced by Daniel Stern, and it featured Joe Cocker's "With a Little Help From My Friends" as its theme song.

Watch scenes from "The Wonder Years" pilot:

Twenty-five years later, ABC's "The Goldbergs" has that same '70s show feel -- except it's set in the '80s. The sitcom -- a semi-autobiographical look at exec producer Adam F. Goldberg's childhood -- is narrated by “King of Queens” alum Patton Oswalt and stars Jeff Garlin, Wendi McLendon-Covey, George Segal, and Sean Giambrone as a loud (literally, their voices and their '80s outfits!) Philadelphia family whose lives are taped courtesy of the youngest son's video camera.

The opening lines of the pilot says it all about the '80s: "The age of E.T., Mr. T, and MTV," Oswalt says in a voiceover. "Back then, the world was still small: no cell phones or Internet or Twitter. Your friends lived on your street, and your family were the people at your dinner table."

Cue up the J. Geils Band, because "Centerfold" is in the house. And everything from Rubik's Cube to REO Speedwagon has a cameo, too.

But don't expect a timestamp on the show. Goldberg told TV Guide, "What we realized in the [writers'] room telling these stories is that we have no idea when these things actually happened in the '80s. Our title sequence is popping in a video tape. It's basically you pop in a videotape, and this is a memory. I just say every episode is set in 1980-something. To me, it's like, you don't remember that exact date; you just know it's the general time of the '80s when you were growing up. So we're not doing “Mad Men,’where it's like, 'We are in 1985 now.'"

Still, what's the deal with exploring a decade 20-something years after the fact? In 1974, “Happy Days” went back to the mid-1950s, and "The Wonder Years" followed suit in 1988 with its look back at 1968.

"The Goldbergs" executive producer Doug Robinson told The Hollywood Reporter: "Enough time has gone by that you look back fondly on it. What's old becomes new again; themes become relevant. Every 25 years, people are ready to look back."

Maybe so, but let's keep the passion for '80s fashion to a minimum, because some trends needs to stay decades away!

Speaking of fashion, McLendon-Covey told Entertainment Weekly that she's sometimes thrown through a loop by the big hair and ugly sweaters she has to wear for the show: "I try to keep it realistic -- like, this is what a woman of that age in that era would've worn, and sometimes, the jumpsuits are a little bedazzled. I forget when I'm on the Sony lot that I'm dressed like that, and I go walking around in my wig and my jumpsuit … and people look at me like, 'What is your problem?' And I think, 'Oh, I forgot, I should've probably thrown a robe on or something.'"

Time will tell if ABC can strike gold again for a third time with a retro coming-of-age comedy, but if it's anything like the network's past sitcoms in this category, Emmy nominations may be part of "The Goldbergs" future.