1. Shazam! – This live action adaptation of the comic book hero was also known as The Shazam!/Isis Hour for 5 seasons. In a show that preceded cell phones by a full decade, one character, Mentor, was known to make phone calls from a mobile unit in his RV, with help of a mobile operator.
2. Space:1999  – The comlock device was a hand-held unit with a small television screen and camera which could provide computer access, open doors ans communicate as a mobile device. Sound familiar, anyone?
3. Knight Rider – An anthropomorphic car with interactive menus, GPS capability and high-tech security features. What a concept. Nice to see that some very positive developments came from a TV show we thought was kinda cheesy and far-fetched at the time.
4. Star Trek – Who could possibly miss the resemblance between those communicators and modern-day flip-phones? We think the Enterprise could have been sponsored by Motorola, and maybe could have even gotten a decent deal by signing up for their 5-year mission phone plan.
5. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea – The concept of a vessel that can both fly and swim is not the stuff of fantasy any longer. The FS-1 flying sub on this series has a real-world counterpart, or at least DARPA has funding to build one.
6. Get Smart – OK, so his shoe phone was rotary, but still, the fact that it was mobile and had the ability to ring at the worst possible times – just like in real life – tells us that someone was forward-thinking on that writing staff.
7. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. – Remember those pens the spies could talk into on this show? How totally cool was that? Of course, there are spy shops and websites now where you can buy these things, with cameras to boot.
8. Lost in Space – Robot technology has come a long way. Modern versions can be made to look and move like humans and without a lot of sarcastic backtalk. But the B9 robot was way ahead of its time as a defensive device, bomb diffuser, soil analyzer and all-around helpful domestic aid.

1. Birth of a Nation (1915) – The vicious and blatant racism toward blacks in this film is so strong that it is to this day used as a recruiting tool for the Ku Klux Klan. Considered a masterpiece of film-making, it was ranked #44 in the Top 100 American Films by the American Film Institute (AFI) in 1998.
2. Freaks (1932) – Banned in England! At least until the 60′s, anyway. This film was considered exploitative of its subject and made audiences squirm. The scene where the ‘freaks’, crawling through mud, close in on their intended victims is unforgettable.
3. The Outlaw (1943) – Apparently Howard Hughes had a big thing for Jane Russell’s big … things. He did everything he could to point that (and them) out in this movie, creating quite a stir among critics and audiences alike.
4. Baby Doll (1956) – An adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play, it simmered with taboo subtext. The story of a teen-age, thumb-sucking ‘baby’ doll, a husband drooling in anticipation of consummating the wedding, and a lecherous owner of a cotton gin, with an agenda of his own.
5. Lolita (1962) – Banned in Paris!(?) Well, the book at least, for 2 years. Sue Lyon, who played the title role of the seductive nymphet, was only 14 at the time of filming. The hotel room scene hinted at things- as was the case throughout the film- that caused another scene with viewers.
6. I Am Curious (Yellow) (1967) – Regarded as pornographic at the time, it didn’t actually portray any explicit sex; though it was a major stepping stone in the emergence of hard-core porn which followed soon afterward.
7. Rosemary’s Baby (1968) – Who’s your daddy!? This Roman Polanski thriller helped launch the horror film trend toward occult themes. The fact that Rosemary (Mia Farrow) conceives by the seed of Satan made this one a hot topic back then indeed.
8. Midnight Cowboy (1969) – Dealing with homosexuality and male prostitution among its subject matter, the film was initially given an ‘X’ rating, which was unprecedented for a non-pornographic mainstream film.
9. A Clockwork Orange (1971) – Only the second major motion picture released with an ‘X’ rating. Its stylized depictions of violence, particularly the rape scenes, earned it the scorn of religious groups and some critics; though overall it received great critical acclaim.
10. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) – A film adaptation of the 1955 novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, it explored a whole host of decidedly non-biblical possibilities in the life of Jesus – much to the outrage of religious groups everywhere. The ultimate sin, of course, was in Christ’s last temptation.

There were many more movies that had eyebrows and fists raised in their times. Just like today, film artists and actors are trying to raise the bar, in ways both shocking and eye-opening. What may be a shame today could become a film classic a few decades from now.

1. There’s Always A Love Interest (And She’s Always Out of His League) – From the blonde bombshell of Billy Madison to the threatening-yet-smoking-hot Fairuza Balk of The Waterboy, Adam Sandler movies all end with his character getting the girl, despite the fact that she’s completely and undeniably out of his league.
2. He Gets By With a Little Help From His Friends – Upon examination, it becomes apparent that the Sandler character is rarely the true hero of his films; in fact, the efforts of his rallied friends are usually the biggest factor in his ability to save the day. Without them it seems he would rarely succeed.
3. The Usual Suspects – The cadre of actors that appear in Adam Sandler films may grow, but the core members are invariably present. Friends like Peter Dante and Jonathan Loughran appear alongside other Sandler favorites such as Steve Buscemi, John Lovitz and fellow SNL alum Norm McDonald.
4. The Offensive Elderly Character/ Adorable Child Character – Another aspect of Adam Sandler films is the adorable kid or lovable curmudgeon that spouts off offensive phrases that the twenty-something stars could never get away with.
5. Inexplicable but Unmistakable Voice – Though it’s probably intended to be different for each character that he plays, there is an unmistakable voice that Adam Sandler uses in all of his films. Difficult to describe but easily recognized, this voice is mimicked in college bars around the country (see number ten).
6. The Inevitable Rob Schneider Cameo – Though the appearance of the Sandler clan can almost always be counted on to be present, there will never be an Adam Sandler comedy without at least a cameo from Sandler’s longtime pal Rob Schneider, who almost always returns the favor in his own starring-role flicks.
7. Slapstick Injuries – Part of an Adam Sandler film’s appeal is the outrageous, slapstick injuries and sight gags that he’s so well known for performing. Whether he’s punching Bob Barker or sending a slack-jawed Southern football player face-first into the turf, the violence is cartoonish, outlandish, and ever-present.
8. Sandler Stars As the Lovable Underdog – Adam Sandler characters are always the unlikely hero who can’t catch a break and is more than a little bit inept. His silly-but-endearing antics serve to paint him as the lovable underdog, which has almost invariably been his role in every film he’s ever made.
9. His Parents Just Don’t Understand – Whether it’s a deep-seated issue stemming from a real lack of parental approval or simply a well-crafted ploy to gain the admiration of adolescents everywhere, the parents of an Adam Sandler character will almost always be, at best, hard-nosed and, at worst, outright villains.
10. Frat Boys Love Them – As previously alluded to, the one thing that each and every comedy starring Adam Sandler has in common is the unswerving devotion from frat boys across the board. Stumbling onto a college campus with a fresh pitcher and a Sandler quote is a surefire way to end up with a troop of drinking buddies for the rest of the night.

1. The Homesteader (1919) – Written and directed by Oscar Micheaux, who was the first major African-American filmmaker. Using an all-black cast to retell his story, Micheaux pioneered movie-making specifically aimed at black audiences.
2. Broken Blossoms (1919) – This film earns some credit, despite itself, for breaking down racial stereotypes and prejudice. It tells the love story between a Chinese immigrant and a white nurse. Why despite itself, you ask? Because the role of the immigrant was played by a Caucasian.
3. Bataan (1943) – As we said, progress tends to come slowly; so the breakthrough in this film is based on the stature and prominence of an African-American character in its script. Kenneth Smith, in the role of a demolitions expert, is a major step up from the usual casting given to people of color up to that point.
4. Home of the Brave (1949) – James Edwards, in the role of  paralyzed Army private Peter Moss, is the central character of the film. As an educated and sensitive character, Edwards breaks the stereotypical mold of black men on screen.
5. Carmen Jones (1954) – Though the film itself did little if anything to change racial stereotypes, Dorothy Dandridge delivered a performance in it that won her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role, a first for an African-American actress.
6. The Defiant Ones (1958) – Two chain gang members from a Southern prison – one white and one black – escape while shackled together, and must rely upon one another to avoid capture. The movie chronicles the changes in their perspectives toward one another as they elude their pursuers.
7. A Raisin in the Sun (1961) – A poor black family in Chicago receives a large insurance payment, and strives with one another about how best to use it. Through their bickering, we discover the complexities and differing perspectives between generations, individual family members and race.
8. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) – A white lawyer defends a black man in the Deep South against false charges of rape. Racial prejudices themselves are put on trial in this film adaptation of the literary masterpiece by Harper Lee.
9. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) – An impending interracial marriage forces the couple’s parents to each examine their prejudices and intolerance. The dialogue is intelligent, genuine and even-handed.
10. Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971) – Melvin Van Peebles created an entire genre – the blaxploitation film – with this pioneering movie. Turning the establishment on its end, his assault on White America resonated with black audiences, the echoes of which can still be heard in the corporate offices of Hollywood.

1. Italian Job (2003) – Resident techie cohort Lyle (Seth Green) manages to wreak havoc across the entire downtown Los Angeles traffic signal grid, and all from the comfort of his laptop. Absolutely plausible, this happens all the time.
2. FearDotCom (2002) – This pile of crap would have us believe that a website is capable of killing people just by visiting it. Then again, there’s this, so maybe there’s something to the plot after all.
3. Untraceable (2008) – We sincerely hope we’re not wrong about this, but a movie that is based on a serial killer posting live streaming videos of his victims’ murders online just doesn’t ring true for me. Not just the premise itself, but also the technological mumbo-jumbo that’s meant to make it appear feasible to the average viewer, just doesn’t hold up.
4. AntiTrust (2001) – Another of those ‘let’s just agree that the internet is all-powerful and devise a thin plot around it taking over the entire universe’ movies. Sure, we could conceivably get to a point of technological sophistication wherein the movie’s plot could have some remote credibility. But at least humor us and take the time to describe how that might take place.
5. Tron (1982) – What can you say about this one? It’s a cult classic because of the dazzling (for its time) effects, and our fascination with all things futuristic. But really, a techie getting downsized? In the 1982 economy? We don’t think so.
6. Gamer (2009) – Perhaps it’s premature to think so, but the prospect of society being reduced to one big multi-player online game just seems so, um… Well on second thought …
7. The Net (1995) – It’s difficult to imagine that super-sensitive, top secret information could be encrypted into a web page that is accessible to web users at large, regardless of the combination of keystrokes needed to access it.
8. Johnny Mnemonic (1995) – If you can get past the fact that Keanu Reeves couldn’t manage to make the role of a replacement quarterback believable, let alone this role, you still have to somehow explain another major plot hole. Why would anyone use this ‘droid as a method of data transfer – even in 1995, much less the future, when so many other more reliable (and far better acting) alternatives exist?
9. War Games (1983) – Setting the basic premise aside, that a super-power like the United States could have its entire nuclear arsenal taken over by a teenager simply by dialing into a publicly accessible modem, this movie is just so very believable.
10. Enemy of the State (1998) – For the record, we love Gene Hackman and Will Smith both, and really liked the movie. The thing is this movie just gives far too much credit to Big Brother and all of his technological capabilities. If you’re willing to allow – or openly assume – that such capabilities exist, then the movie does a better than average job in selling its message – namely, that “the only privacy left is inside your head”.

1. I Am Legend – The Richard Matheson novella has long been a favorite of sci-fi and horror buffs; when the news broke that the masterpiece would be receiving the Hollywood treatment, reactions were mixed. True to the suspicions of naysayers, the beloved book has almost no bearing on the big-budget Will Smith vehicle released to theaters.
2. The Lord of the Rings – In J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, the female characters play a role that is almost completely negligible. While writing in stronger women increased the appeal of the epic saga for female moviegoers, devotees of the source material were less than pleased about the changes.
3. Memoirs of a Geisha – Eight years after its initial release, Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha hit the bestseller lists by riding the waves of a successful film adaptation. Those who had read and loved the novel prior to the Hollywood treatment found this attention to be distasteful and resented the major changes made to the plot in order to create a story that translated to film.
4. Jaws – A large part of Peter Benchley’s novel relied heavily on the less-than-exciting relationship drama and emotional subtext, which director Steven Spielburg axed during the making of the film. The biggest change, however, comes in the form of Spielberg’s over-the-top ending in which the shark is blown up; Benchley’s shark simply swam out into the sea to die of the wounds it received.
5. Planet of the Apes – Despite several films and a television series, there has yet to be a screen adaptation of Pierre Boulle’s Planet of the Apes that is true to the source material. Each ending is vastly different from that of the novel, and most have been panned by critics and moviegoers alike.
6. American Psycho – Bret Easton Ellis made his mark as the violent, disenfranchised voice of the 80′s greed generation with his novel American Psycho, which took years to find its way to film. When the movie version finally received a green light, it became a satirical view of Reagan-Era Wall Street, rather than the shockingly violent tale it was intended to be.
7. Gulliver’s Travels – Much like Planet of the Apes, there have been several adaptations of Jonathan Swift’s classic novel, all of which changed the plot of the tale to some degree. The most shocking change, however, comes in the form of a modernized “reboot,” starring comedian Jack Black.
8. The Poseidon Adventure – Paul Galicco’s The Poseidon Adventure is a beloved novel that received less-than-faithful treatment at the hands of director Irwin Allen. Later versions of the film are even further removed from the source material, with a capsized-ship premise being the only remaining nod to the great novel.
9. Flowers in the Attic – The V.C. Andrews bestseller Flowers in the Attic centered around the incestuous relationship that sprang up between siblings Christopher and Cathy after their imprisonment at the hands of their avaricious mother. Hesitant to bring such a controversial issue to the big screen, filmmakers stripped all references to incest from the film, creating a baffling and seemingly-directionless film.
10. I, Robot – Will Smith takes the wheel of yet another beloved sci-fi classic gone all wrong in the film adaptation of the great Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot. In hopes of creating yet another summer blockbuster, the subtlety and spirit of the original material is utterly lost in this film, much to the chagrin of devotees.

Despite the fact that the movies deviated from the books completely, some of the films still managed to become blockbusters. It makes you wonder, however, how much more successful they would have been if the producers had kept true to the original story.

Observing all that is written about him, one could go in either direction with the good, bad or ugly.  As in every man with few exceptions, his life contained all three.  He never knew poverty so his is not a rag to riches story.  His father was in the billboard business and proved to be very successful however when Ted the 3^rd was 24, his father committed suicide.  It was then that Ted Turner found himself in charge of his father business, and the rest could be history, except that his history is vast and interesting, and is not yet all told.

As with the move of your mouse, and a left click of the finger, anything you would want to know about Ted Turner III, can be found on the WWW.  He is an interesting man for sure, and until now I have known very little about him.

Of all his accomplishments which could take many thousand words to tell; with all the television endeavors of which he has been successful; even the fact he was owner of the Atlanta Braves; all his failed marriages; his childhood in private schools and anything else you might want to add, the one area that fascinates me about him is his MGM purchase.

It was after starting CNN the 24hour news broadcasting station in 1985, which added CNN radio, and CNN International, Ted Turner III became a billionaire.  His accomplishments did not stop there, as he was ever the enterprising soul that looked for opportunities in the world of television in which to get involved.

At the end of 1994 he was also crowned “Man of the Year” by Time magazine for his part in “on the scene reporting” the uprising among the youth in China at the Tiananmen Square.  Then again when Iraq headed by Saddam Hussein invaded and occupied their oil-rich neighbor Kuwait, the CNN cameras were in the war area reporting firsthand information, while other stations stayed in safe territory.  The 24 hour news station CNN had found its place in history.

In 1986, Turner purchased MGM Entertainment Company. To the business world’s astonishment, he quickly sold it back to the previous owner, retaining nothing but the studio’s film library. To many observers, it seemed like an utterly whimsical and wrong-headed move, one that immediately cost Turner $100 million, but within the year, his film library had earned $125 million.

Newly available home video technology had created an enormous market for films on videotape. The catalogue Turner had acquired from MGM included not only classic MGM films, but the libraries of United Artists, Warner Brothers and RKO, everything from classics like Gone With the Wind and Casablanca to forgotten B-pictures and short subjects from the ’20s through the ’60s. Turner employed a new process to add color to a number of old black-and-white film, a practice that outraged purists but boosted videotape sales of many of the films in the collection.

In 1992, after purchasing the animation studio Hanna-Barbera, with its catalogue of popular children’s programming, Turner launched the Cartoon Network, another cable offering that has brought him praise from parents all around the world.

The following year, he added the motion picture companies Castle Rock Entertainment and New Line Cinema to Turner Broadcasting’s portfolio, further expanding his library of films and adding motion picture production capability. Any hard feelings Turner may have spurred among film buffs with his colorization project were more than appeased in 1994, when Turner founded a new cable channel, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), to show old and new films, uncut, uninterrupted and commercial-free, 24 hours a day. All films are shown in their original format: black-and-white films in black-and-white, widescreen films in their original aspect ratio. TCM has also acquired a formidable reputation for original documentaries and for its film restoration and preservation efforts.  (Taken from the ACADEMY OF ACHIEVEMENT website)

I found a list of little known facts about Ted that give us a picture in a nutshell of the interesting man he is.

• Only one of a few people who have been on the cover of Sports Illustrated and Time magazine for different reasons.
• Currently holds 42 honorary degrees from such institutions as Brown University (Providence, R.I.), Morehouse College (Atlanta, Ga.), The Citadel (Charleston, S.C.) and Mississippi University for Women (Columbus, Miss.)
• Number of sailing trophies won: 176
• Favorite movie: Gone With the Wind
• Favorite meal: A bison cheeseburger from Ted’s Montana Grill with fries and an Arnold Palmer (half iced tea, half lemonade)
• Appeared on over 115 magazine/weekly publication covers
• Has a national debate named after him – The National Forensic League’s Ted Turner Public Forum Debate
• Largest individual landowner in the United States (owns approximately two million acres of personal and ranch land)
• Purchased his first bison in 1976; current bison herd is approximately 50,000 head, which is the largest private herd in the world
• Has visited all seven continents

Taken from the website below: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/features/callmeted/meetted.asp

One could find oneself envying the life of Ted Turner, but very few would want the tragedies and failures that have come his way.  We each have our own cross to bear, and how we carry our cross makes up our legacy.  We each have opportunities to be humanitarians and generous; the more we give the more comes back to us the good book says.  We can admire Ted Turner for his accomplishments; it is because of men like him we enjoy many things in this modern world.  And for me, it is TCM; Turner Classic Movies.

Now to meet the man Ted Turner III would be even greater. With my research and study I feel I know him better and understand him a little more.  A man who has found himself growing old without want of anything money could buy.  Having seen the world, and can afford to go back again to any of the seven continents without second thought.  The property he owns all over the world has afforded him a place to sleep wherever he chooses to go.

In the place of success in which he finds himself, he would quickly add it was not without cost and hard work.  It takes time, talent and money and friends to accomplish in his lifetime what he can lay claim to.  He is probably only one among many, but Ted Turner III, the individual,  is ONE among many.

1. Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix  This lyric has been sung wrong so often by so many that there’s even a website named after it. It’s among the all-time classics of misheard lyrics.
• Misheard lyric: ’Scuse me while I kiss this guy.
• Actual lyric: ‘Scuse me while I kiss the sky.
2. Get Back – The Beatles  I have to admit, as much of a Beatles fan as I am, this one had me stumped for years. Although, there’s a similar line in the song (re: Sweet Loretta Martin) which  would actually fit with this.
• Misheard lyric: Jo Jo was a man before he was a woman.
• Actual lyric: Jo Jo was a man who thought we was a loner.
3. Blinded by the Light – Manfred Mann’s Earth Band  A cover of a Bruce Springsteen song, whose original line “cut loose like a deuce” – referring to a deuce coupe cutting loose off the starting line – was changed in this version:
• Misheard lyric: Wrapped up like a douche.
• Actual lyric: Revved up like a deuce.
4. Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival   Also considered a classic; so much so that it’s reported to have actually been used in concert by CCR’s John Fogerty, complete with a gesture toward stage right:
• Misheard lyric: There’s a bathroom on the right.
• Actual lyric: There’s a bad moon on the rise.
5. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds – The Beatles  Of course, there are instances where the misheard lyrics seem to make about as much sense as the actual ones:
• Misheard lyric: The girl with colitis goes by.
• Actual lyric: The girl with kaleidoscope eyes.
6. Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin  On the other hand, how does one explain the presence of a drunk along the ethereal path to the hereafter? I guess we just never really thought this one through (or perhaps glimpsed ourselves?):
• Misheard lyric: And there’s a wino down the road …
• Actual lyric: And as we wind on down the road …
7. Living on a Prayer – Bon Jovi  Then again, what we hear could have something to do with what’s on our minds at the time. Just saying’:
• Misheard lyric: It doesn’t make a difference if we’re naked or not
• Actual Lyric: It doesn’t make a difference if we make it or not
8. Winter Wonderland – Various Artists  How many of us know all the words to every Christmas carol we’ve ever heard, no matter how often they’re played every season?
• Misheard lyric: Later on we’ll perspire, as we sit by the fire.
• Actual lyric: Later on we’ll conspire, as we sit by the fire.
9. Message in a Bottle – The Police   OK, I’ll be honest. I really did believe these were the actual lyrics for the longest time – right up until I wrote this ‘note’:
• Misheard lyric: A year has passed since I broke my nose.
• Actual lyric: A year has passed since I wrote my note.
10. Money for Nothing – Dire Straits   Well, they did, after all have their own vitamins; so why not an appliance line named after them too?
• Misheard lyric: We got the Flintstones microwave ovens
• Actual lyric: We got to install microwave ovens

1. Twin Peaks – On the eighth anniversary of fictional character Laura Palmer’s death, February 24, 1997, TwinPeaks.org was launched. With detailed information for each episode, timelines and fan theories, this is a treasure trove for any Twin Peaks fans.
2. Dark Shadows – Though an upcoming big-screen adaptation by spooky legend Tim Burton is in the works, there is still a die-hard fan base supporting the original Dark Shadows television show. Collinwood.net is the hub of this community, featuring cast biographies, breakdowns of the various plot lines and content contributed by fans of the supernatural soap.
3. Masters of the Universe – For the young at heart with a soft spot for the Masters of the Universe, CastleGrayskull.org is a must-see fansite. Dedicated to both He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and She-Ra: Princess of Power, the site includes trivia, videos and image galleries for the vintage superhero in us all.
4. Twilight Zone – TwilightZoneMuseum.com acts as an online clearinghouse for all things Twilight Zone, including a biography on creator and narrator Rod Serling, trivia and interesting facts about the show. Devotees of this vintage spookfest will be delighted with the wealth of information provided by the site.
5. Quantum Leap – Part of ProjectQuantumLeap.com‘s mission statement is the successfully campaign for a major motion picture based on the late 80′s to early 90′s hit television series Quantum Leap. The film has languished in the limbo of pre-production for years, causing the entire project to be shrouded by gossip and conjecture. Also providing up-to-date information about the careers of stars Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell, PQL is a “Leaper’s” paradise.
6. Veronica Mars – Though a bit younger than some of the others on this list, the three-season teen noir Veronica Mars is still a cult-following powerhouse. There are a wealth of dedicated sites, but MarsInvestigations.Net is the highlight. Special sections for newcomers to the defunct series provide a guide for newbies, while veteran fans can join the campaign for a Veronica Mars film that’s been rumored since the series’ 2007 demise.
7. Beauty and the Beast – When the CBS-supported Beauty and the Beast series made its 1987 debut, fans were swept up in the world of Catherine and Vincent, played respectively by Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman. Canceled after a three-season run, there’s still a thriving fandom surrounding the series, including a website at ClassicAlliance.net that hosts weekly live chats, fanfiction and an exhaustive database of poems, books and letters that were used in the show.
8. Monty Python’s Flying Circus – Despite the mere five-year run of Flying Circus, few comedy troupes can compete with the Monty Python boys when it comes to influence and devoted fanbases. At MontyPython.com, you’ll find biographies and listings of the films, books and albums released by Monty Python.
9. The Avengers – Reaching a record-breaking 120 countries in its heyday, the British series The Avengers comprised of 161 episodes during an almost decade-long run. TheAvengers.tv is the hub for the online fan community, comprised of several extensive and dedicated websites.
10. Star Trek – There are cult followings, and then there are Trekkies. A pop-culture phenom in their own right, the devotion of the Star Trek fandom gave rise to conventions and is regarded by many as the birth of fan fiction. Gene Roddenberry’s universe was first introduced to viewers in 1966, and has existed almost constantly in some form since; six separate series, eleven feature films and novels that number in the hundreds. StarTrek.com is the most popular destination for news, shopping and galleries related to the franchise on the internet.

1. All My Children. Known in the soap world as AMC, All My Children started in 1970. Susan Lucci has been on the show since its inception and made the show popular with her long awaited Emmy award for Outstanding Lead Actress; she was nominated 19 times before receiving the award. The show was originally written to be light hearted and to focus on social issues and young love.
2. The Young and the Restless. The show’s original focus was on one wealthy family and one poor family and has since been redesigned. In the early 1980’s all the original characters except for one were written out of the show.
3. General Hospital. Credited in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running American Soap Opera in production, General Hospital has had a loyal following since its inception in 1963. The show originally started out by focusing mainly on a doctor and nurse dedicated to healing the sick and has since expanded to include a multitude of families and story lines.
4. Days of Our Lives. The second longest running scripted television program after General Hospital, Days of Our Lives has been on the air since 1965. The focus of the show has always been on two core families, the Horton’s and the Brady’s but has brought on many others and weaved them into either one or both of the families. The show is most known for covering topics that the other soaps would not at the time, from artificial insemination in the 1970’s, to demonic possession in the 1990’s.
5. One Life to Live. Debuting in 1968 One Life to Live was the first daytime show to feature racially and socio-economically diverse characters and had a flare for scripting on current social issues. The main character Vicki has endured love and loss, being widowed, raped, divorced, a stroke, breast cancer and multiple personalities.
6. As the World Turns.  When soap operas began in the 1930’s as fifteen minute radio shows, there wasn’t much time for complicated storylines or multiple characters. As the World Turns is known as being one of the first thirty minute soap operas. With double the length of the regular radio show programs this show was able to introduce more characters and has focused on the personal and professional lives of doctors and lawyers.
7. Guiding Light. The first soap opera to make the transition from radio to TV, Guiding Light is also in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history. It even had a period of running on both. Spanning from 1937-2009 Guiding Light was based on personal experiences of its creator Irna Phillips.
8. Another World. This soap opera was created in 1964 and centered on the drama of families from different classes and philosophies. Known for being the first soap opera to mention abortion, a taboo topic in the 1960’s, it also featured a lot of firsts in the soap opera world. They were the first to have a cross over with another soap opera, the first to launch three spin-offs, and the first to have their theme song on the Billboard Hot 100.
9. Santa Barbara. This soap opera may have had a short run compared to others but captivated its audience, nonetheless. Running from 1984-1993 Santa Barbara centered on a murder that happened five years prior to the show beginning. Over the course of the show just about every major character was accused of the murder.
10. Peyton Place. The first prime time soap opera, Peyton Place ran from 1964-1969 and was the forerunner for prime time soaps including Dallas, Dynasty, Falcon Crest and Knots Landing. This show was based on a novel and preceded by a film adaptation. Criticized for its sexual themes the writers did swap out incest from the book to teen pregnancy in the show in an effort to make it less controversial.

Soap operas have become a dying breed with only a handful left on daytime TV and a few set to cancel this year. Whether you became a soap junkie by watching with your grandmother as a child or started later in life, the captivating storylines and characters are enough to get you hooked for life.