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December 12 - 18, 2021 WHATS UP! T11 Advance Pest Control 2 x 2 TAKE 5 Solution on page T23 Use the clues above and beside the grid to fill in the squares Gibson Chiro 3 x 2 BY ADAM THOMLISON TV Media Q: Something has always bugged me about "Grem- lins": If water makes them multiply, why doesn't it hap- pen when they're out in the snow? Didn't the director think of that? A: It seems that Joe Dante (known for previously helming 1981's "The Howling") and writ- er Chris Columbus (who would go on to direct the first three Harry Potter movies) didn't no- tice this. In their defense, though, a mogwai is just about the most complicated and high- maintenance Christmas present in history, so there's a lot to keep track of. The adorable little pet given as a gift in the 1984 holiday-hor- ror classic "Gremlins" comes with a list of strict rules: Keep him out of the light, don't get him wet and don't feed him after midnight. The water thing is indeed a lit- tle problematic, but maybe not for the reason you point out. Yes, they do go traipsing about in the Upstate New York snow, but that's when they're in their ugly green gremlin form, not when they're cute little mog- wais. We don't know that the water rule applies to gremlins in the same way (even though the light rule definitely does). However, there are at least two spots when Gizmo, the orig- inal mogwai (voiced by latter- day game show host Howie Mandel), cries. There's no expla- nation for why his tears don't set off another multiplication fit. And it's worth noting that the other rules aren't exactly infalli- ble, either. The don't-feed-after-midnight thing is tricky. Midnight local time? The film suggests Gizmo was imported from China — at what point did his internal clock switch to New York time? And at what time does "after midnight" end? As for the other rule, how much light is too much? Like time, light is relative. Fortunately, it seems that we, as a culture, have been able to look past these flaws — "Grem- lins" is now a beloved campy horror classic, and for some a holiday institution. Q: Why can't I find the se- ries finale of "The Jeffersons" anywhere? A: Because there isn't one — not really, anyway. After 11 award-winning, groundbreaking seasons, CBS pulled the plug on "The Jeffer- sons" in 1985, reportedly due to low ratings, without even notify- ing the cast. Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford (who had previously debuted title characters George and Louise Jefferson on "All in the Family") heard about it through the newspaper, along with the rest of the coun- try. "I didn't realize [the show was canceled]," Sanford said in an in- terview with the Television Academy in 2002. "My cousin in New York is the one that called me and said, 'I understand 'The Jeffersons' has been cancelled.' I said, 'Who said so?' I hadn't heard. She said, 'It's in the tab- loids.' That's how I found out. They could at least have called us about it." That means, of course, they didn't get the chance to shoot an episode that would function as a real finale, and so the final epi- sode is a pretty unremarkable episode in which George be- comes the leader of a Girl Guides-esque youth group, the Red Robins. It's a pretty unceremonious way for such a landmark show to go out — it certainly rubbed Sanford the wrong way. "I thought we could have at least had, like, an hour closing show," Sanford said in the same interview. "You see, the other sitcoms, they had a closing show. 'Mary Tyler Moore,' 'M*A*S*H,' and the others that were playing along with us at the same time." Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Per- sonal replies will not be provided. Zach Galligan and Gizmo in "Gremlins" HOLLYWOOD Q&A Rogers 479-636-5590 • Springdale 479-756-1788 Eureka Springs 479-253-8967 www.advancepestcontrolnwa.com Family Owned, Competitively Priced, Quality Service Since 1981 PEST CONTROL | TERMITE FERTILIZATION | WEED CONTROL PRE-EMERGENTS 93 West Colt Square, Suite 3 Fayetteville, AR 72703 479-587-0227 www.thegibsoncenter.com Knee Pain, Instability & Potential Loss of Independence Is this concerning to you? $ 49 Special Includes consultation, evaluation & 1 knee rejuvenation session For new patients only This could be you! Is this you?