News

10.27.06 - Bryan Cranston now has a recurring role on CBS's How I Met Your Mother as Ted's boss.

9.27.06 - Jane Kaczmarek will be on Celebrity Jeopardy the week of November 8th.

9.26.06 - Bryan Cranston will guest star on the October 23rd episode of How I Met Your Mother on CBS playing Ted's mean boss Druthers.

8.28.06 - Pictures from the Emmys! Jane Kaczmarek and another of Jane Kaczmarek on Zap2It.com. Jane Kaczmarek and Bradley Whitford on the red carpet. Cloris Leachman on the red carpet. Leslie Jordan and Cloris Leachman.

8.21.06 - At Saturday night's Creative Arts Emmy Awards, Cloris Leachman won her record eighth Emmy (for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series).

7.6.06 - Malcolm in the Middle got 4 Emmy nominations. (If anyone has any advice on how to make the below HTML look better, I'm open to suggestions.)

Outstanding Choreography for Bomb Shelter (Fred Tallaksen, Choreographer)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Jane Kaczmarek as Lois)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Bryan Cranston as Hal)
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (Cloris Leachman as Ida)

6.28.06 - Zap2It.com: Dimension Gets 'Guidance' to Muniz Sex Romp The Brothers Weinstein want viewers to see Frankie Muniz in a raunchy comedy. Do viewers want to see Frankie Muniz in a raunchy comedy? More...

5.16.06 - Sorry to be reporting this so late, but Fox is auctioning off memorabilia from That '70s Show and Malcolm in the Middle on eBay. The auction ends tomorrow, May 17th!

Frank Muniz by
Carin Baer/Fox

5.12.06 - TVGuide.com - Malcolm: The Beginning, Middle and End

by Matt Webb Mitovich

This Sunday at 8:30 pm/ET, television bids farewell to the, um... er... what was the name of that family on Fox's Malcolm in the Middle? Whether or not it was, as lore has it, the Wilkersons, the clan was tirelessly overseen by Hal and Lois and populated by sons Francis, Reese, Malcolm, Dewey and Jamie. Has it really been six and a half years and 150 episodes since viewers first met the... bunch? Yep. And to think that a Fox rival took a pass on the promising series!

"UPN bought it," Malcolm creator Linwood Boomer recalls, "and it was over there about four months, where it went through the standard development process, which Larry Gelbart has likened to being pecked to death by ducks.

"No one knows what's going to be good or not, but it certainly didn't fit UPN's target demographic, so rather than try to force the show into being something it's not, they let it go." In short measure, Fox snatched up the comedy. "It was exactly what Doug Herzog, the new guy running the network, was looking for."

Frankie Muniz was barely a teen when he first filled the title character's forever-caught-in-the-middle shoes. "The fact that I was going to do a pilot was the coolest thing in the world," the actor remembers. "When it got picked up, we did the first 12 or 13 episodes before the show even aired, and we had an amazing time. And it just got better and better. The fact that we did go for seven years was just insane. Every actor dreams of having that."

Why did America relate to Malcolm the way that it did? Six-time Emmy nominee Jane Kaczmarek, who plays mom to the brood, has her theory. Though the series was ostensibly set in the present, she says, "It harkened back to a different time that I think people found comforting, a time when there were rules and you had to be really clever and work hard to get away with anything. Children now, they get away with too much. Lois said 'no,' which I find sorely lacking in mothers today."

Malcolm also forewent the typically sitcomy, glossy look at family life that was so prevalent at its premiere time. "It was about people with five children, doing minimum-wage jobs with no health care, and no housekeeper, no baby-sitter," Kaczmarek notes. "Yet Lois loved her family with a fierce, huge love. I think that Jane Kaczmarek might be pretty darn close to Lois Nolastname if I were in those circumstances."

Though one might remember Malcolm as an edgy look at adolescent tomfoolery whose content must have at times rankled the network and/or standards and practices, that wasn't the case at all. "We were always able to do pretty much whatever we wanted," Boomer says. "Creatively, we were never interfered with; that was sort of established right away."

Besides, he notes with a chuckle, "The thing about working in comedy is that the arguments you have with the network are never over anything you're terribly proud of. Like, we got to say 'butt wad' instead of 'butt munch.' Nothing you really go home and brag to your kids about!"

Talking up the final episode, Kaczmarek gets choked up just thinking about the script's first read-through. "It was so emotional," she shares. "I think it was just the finality of knowing that this was the last script we'd be getting, and the last time we'd be doing a read-through. Every day of it was excruciating."

Luckily the cast found support in crew and production-office members who, Boomer (the episode's director) says, "started gravitating onto the soundstage. By the time we were shooting our last scene, we had about 150 people standing around watching. It was like having a studio audience for the first time."

In a memorable juxtaposition of moods, the circumstances of one of Malcolm's final scenes put the goo in the cast's goodbyes. "There was this explosion of garbage," says Kaczmarek. "I don't know how to describe it, but we were literally covered in brown gunk while saying all these very emotional things to each other. That made it even more absurd and even more dear and just pure Malcolm."

What's next for everyone? Muniz, as you may have read, is trading shrieking siblings for screeching tires, as a professional racer for Jensen Motor Sports. "I'm trying to focus on that a little bit," he says, "and see how it goes." (His TV mom, still in protective mode, must quip, "He's planning on dying in a fiery crash. He's making all of us insane.")

Kaczmarek herself has been embracing the peace and quiet at home — although things could get a bit heated Sunday night as both her and her husband's (The West Wing star Bradley Whitford) series air their final episodes. "We have one television in our house, so we have the dilemma of which do you watch, and which do you TiVo," she says. "We've been leaning towards, of course, watching Malcolm and TiVoing The West Wing" — although the actress says she is torn about not having both shows digitally archived for posterity and repeat viewings.

Advised that TiVo does make a unit that records two shows at once, she remarks, incredulously and intrigued, "You're kidding?! Maybe I can get one before the 14th!"

5.9.06 - Frankie Muniz is joining Jamie Kennedy, Matthew Lillard and Andy Milonakis in the teen-sex sketch-comedy indie "Parental Guidance Suggested."

5.8.06 - From the May 8th issue of TV Guide: Malcolm Moves On What's next for the wacky sitcom's cast?

Ever since its 2000 debut, Malcolm in the Middle has turned the family sitcom on its head—then given it a wedgie. Now, in the twilight of its final season, the surreal slapstick farce that put the fun in dysfunctional is signing off.

Two days before the Malcolm set is broken down, stars Jane Kaczmarek, Bryan Cranston, Frankie Muniz, Justin Berfield, Chris Masterson and Erik Per Sullivan are desperately trying to keep it together. "Jane keeps weeping," says Cranston, who plays Kaczmarek's lovable-doofus husband, Hal. "I'll probably wake up Monday and go, 'Why didn't I get a call sheet?'"

Luckily, Cranston will have plenty to keep him busy after he cashes his last paycheck. He'll work behind the scenes as the prop master for his daughter's seventh-grade play.

Kaczmarek will also spend time with her kids. "My children are little—8, 6 and 3—so they really need me," says the Emmy nominee, who's married to The West Wing's Bradley Whitford in real life. She'll also guest star as Ted Danson' estranged wife in his fall TV pilot, Help Me Help You.

Muniz, who began playing Malcolm at 13, is forging full-speed ahead—away from the Hollywood scene. The 20-year-old, who drove circles around Patrick Dempsey in the 2005 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race, will join the Jensen MotorSport team as a professional driver. "People still don't think it's for real!" says Muniz. He's been planning his getaway for years. In 2002, he told TV Guide, "When I'm 20, I'll retire."

Meanwhile, Masterson, 25, will try his hand at directing; Berfield, 20, will get his production company off the ground; and Sullivan, 14, will head back to the East Coast for his sophomore year of high school.

Today, though, the cast is making the most of their final moments together. They're on their best behavior as they film a scene at the family dinner table—at least until the director calls cut. Then all mayhem breaks loose. "I love these boys," says Cranston. "I'd adopt them all! But I'd hire someone to raise them!" —Additional reporting by Laura Moore

4.27.06 - Our intrepid Malcolm lover, Petch, reports that at least four Malcolm performers have already secured work on new television projects. All info originates from www.thefutoncritic.com.

HELP ME HELP YOU (ABC) - Jane Kaczmarek (Lois) has reportedly joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about a group of crazy, self-obsessed strangers who attend the same therapy group. It's understood that she'll take over for Lolita Davidovich in the role of Anne, the wife of Ted Danson's character. No reason for the change was given. Charlie Finn, Darlene Hunt, Jere Burns, Jim Rash and Suzy Nakamura also star.

UNTITLED CHRIS SHERIDAN PROJECT (NBC) - Cloris Leachman (Grandma Ida) is set to play mom to Eddie McClintock and Craig Bierko in the comedy pilot, about two brothers on opposite sides of the law who live next door to each other.

BEYOND (FOX) - Merrin Dungey (Kitty Kenarban) has landed a role in the drama pilot, about the scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She'll play Debbie in the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour, whose cast also includes Adrian Lester, Jonah Lotan, Rachael Stirling, Rachel Perry and Seth Gabel. David Self is behind the project, which Breck Eisner is directing. Brian Grazer and David Nevins of Imagine Television also serve as executive producers.

THE GUYS (ABC) - David Anthony Higgins (Craig Feldspar), Bumper Robinson and Stephen Tobolowsky are the first to be cast in the comedy pilot, about a group of dads who become friends through their kids' playgroup. Craig Doyle is behind the Warner Bros. Television-based half-hour, which Rob Schiller is directing with Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum also serving as executive producers.

Petch also notes that Higgins's co-star in this last pilot, character actor Stephen Tobolowsky, played the Lucky Aide store manager in the third season episode, "Lois' Makeover."

Tara Lipinski courtesy Tara Lipinski

4.14.06 - TVGuide.com - Malcolm's Reese Woos a Golden Girl

by Matt Webb Mitovich

Olympic gold-medalist Tara Lipinski expands her TV repertoire even further when she throws Malcolm's brother Reese for a (toe) loop on this weekend's Malcolm in the Middle (Sundays at 7 pm/ET). TVGuide.com talked to the 24-year-old cutie about her latest small-screen venture, the racy film role she bailed on and how she almost went Skating with Celebrities.

TVGuide.com: Tell me about your Malcolm in the Middle role. Who are you playing, what's she about...?
Tara Lipinski: I play Carrie, who's this quirky and earthy antifur, antimeat vegetarian type. It was a really fun to play her, so different than anything I've done before. On the show, I think Reese (Justin Berfield) is all about my beliefs and is really into it, when the whole time he's really working at a meatpacking place. So you can kind of guess what happens!

TVGuide.com: Reese lying to get a girl? I'm shocked.
Lipinski: You think? [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: In real life, are you a vegetarian or anything remotely like that?
Lipinski: Not anything remotely like that.

TVGuide.com: You like a good burger?
Lipinski: I love a good burger!

TVGuide.com: How was Justin and the rest of the Malcolm gang?
Lipinski: They were so relaxed, very laid-back. It was a lot of fun.

TVGuide.com: Is everyone more at ease because the show is concluding its run?
Lipinski: Yes and no. They still want to make every episode great, and the director was amazing.... It was just a fun vibe. One day we were on location on like the coldest day in L.A., but it was all good!

TVGuide.com: Plus, you're not playing an ice-skater.
Lipinski: Oh, yeah, I haven't played an ice-skater in, like, six years.

TVGuide.com: What was your first nonskater acting role?
Lipinski: That was The Young and the Restless, in 1999. I played the recurring role of Marnie, a first-year college student. That's when I really started to love acting. When I first tried acting, I didn't think I was going to get into it and become an actress — I was still skating and touring, doing my own specials — and then they put me on Touched by an Angel. Then after I did Y&R, I was like, "Oh my god, I love it!"

TVGuide.com: What's the thing where you played an alien...?
Lipinski: On Nickelodeon's Are You Afraid of the Dark?. I played a flesh-eating alien. [Chuckles]

TVGuide.com: Awesome. Definitely not a vegetarian.
Lipinski: Definitely not a vegetarian. That was one of my favorite roles because I was a high-school student who everyone thought was normal, but really I was an alien.

TVGuide.com: Which TV show would you love, love, love to be on, but haven't yet?
Lipinski: That '70s Show. The producers and I would always talk about it, but it was just never right. The last role I went in for was as a stripper, and it just wasn't right.

TVGuide.com: Damn, if you did Malcolm and That '70s Show, you'd be like Fox's going-away-party hostess.
Lipinski: Wouldn't that be funny? That '70s Show is one of my favorites. It's just the best.

TVGuide.com: Your first on-screen kiss didn't come until a year ago, on Still Standing. How'd that go for you? Nervous?
Lipinski: I really don't get nervous when I'm acting. I don't know if it's from all my experience skating....

TVGuide.com: "I do skating moves where if I fall, I can crack my skull open. A kiss is nothing."
Lipinski: Yeah. I'm used to performing in front of so many people with only one chance to do it, and I'd make a fool of myself if I really messed up, whereas now it's not that big a deal to do it over — and not in front of a sold-out Staples Center!

TVGuide.com: Do you get pitched reality-TV stuff? Like Skating with Celebrities?
Lipinski: Skating with Celebrities [talked to me], but I never did it. That's not my sort of thing. I'm passionate about acting now.

TVGuide.com: Did I read that you have a role in Bruce Willis' upcoming Alpha Dog?
Lipinski: I actually was offered a part in that but... I declined because it involved nudity, and I didn't want to do nudity at that time. [Mere minutes after finishing with Lipinski, this reporter learned that Amber Heard had taken the role instead.]

TVGuide.com: What about Will Ferrell's figure-skating comedy, Blades of Glory?
Lipinski: I read the script for that and while the idea of working with Will Ferrell was so amazing, I didn't want to [do a movie about skating]. But the script is hilarious, I tell you. I could not stop laughing. I was like, "Darn, why couldn't they be gymnasts?!"

TVGuide.com: Tough call you made there.
Lipinski: Yeah, it's hard, but I hope that people will respect that [acting] is something that I've given up a lot for, and I'm not just taking whatever I can just to take it. At this time, I really want to have more diversity and show other sides of me.

TVGuide.com: Are you open to a series-regular TV gig?
Lipinski: Totally! I'd be open to anything. I'd love to do more TV. When they asked me to walk in Fashion Week... I watch America's Next Top Model all the time, so I was like, "Are you kidding me? This will be so much fun!" America's Next Top Model is my most favorite show ever.

TVGuide.com: Who's your early pick to win this season? Lipinski: I like Sara.... You know who else I like? Brooke, the brown-haired one with the really big lips. I love her, and with her new makeover I think she's so cool.

Chris Masterson, Danny Masterson and Laura Prepon

Chris Masterson, Laura Prepon and Danny Masterson
by Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.com

1.24.06 - TV Guide Online Caught in the Act - No full house: Soon-to-be-unemployed stars Chris Masterson (Malcolm in the Middle), Danny Masterson and Laura Prepon (That '70s Show) are all hoping their luck will last long after this celebrity poker tournament at the Sundance Film Festival.

Malcolm in the Middle
by Michael Larsen/FOX

1.23.06 - TV Guide Online: Malcolm Cast Preps for Middle's End

by Michael Maloney

Friday, Jan. 13, turned out to be a truly bad-luck day for Malcolm in the Middle. That's when the cast members learned that the Fox sitcom, now in its seventh season, had gotten the ax.

"There was some sadness," Bryan Cranston, aka Malcolm's bumbling dad, Hal, tells TVGuide.com, adding that he and his TV wife, Jane Kaczmarek, shared an embrace and a few tears upon learning their fate. "We realized it's about how much fun you have along the way," philosophizes the actor, who felt that Malcolm could have easily gone on creatively for another year. "But I can't complain. We'll have done 151 episodes. It's been fantastic. It's going to be good to see what else we can do."

Kaczmarek will remember Malcolm as the show that allowed her to break out of the serious lawyer roles that she'd been cast in for so many years. "I couldn't even get auditions for comedies," says the former Yale University School of Drama student. "I played very unfunny people."

Frankie Muniz, as the show's title character, took the news a bit better than his TV parents did. "I wasn't upset," he muses. "I was sad, of course. But we knew it would eventually be coming to an end."

The Agent Cody Banks star says that Malcolm is set to wrap production in mid-March, which will give cast and crew time to bond and commiserate before they officially part ways. "We didn't find out three days before [our] last day," notes Muniz. "That would have sucked!

"I've had such an amazing, lucky life," the grateful actor continues. "I'm ready for a transition. Life is about starting new chapters. This is definitely one of them for me."

Thanks to her popularity as one of the sitcom genre's more memorable moms — will somebody just hand this woman her Emmy already? — Kaczmarek and her real-life husband, Bradley Whitford (The West Wing), successfully established in 2002 Clothes Off Our Back, a charitable organization that unites designer duds from award-winning actors with fans who buy them.

"Mike Farrell [M*A*S*H] told me that you have a certain 'currency' when you become a celebrity and that it's up to you as to how you're going to spend it," Kaczmarek explains. "The first year, we sold Jennifer Aniston's [Emmy] dress for $50,000, which allowed 50,000 children to be immunized against measles. It's opened so many doors for me to say to people, 'Hello, can I have your shoes and your dress?'"

What might not end up on eBay is a purple jewelry box you may have spied in Lois and Hal's bedroom. "I might take that," hints Kaczmarek. "I've often thought that it must have been a pretty box before it ended up on Malcolm. I'll put it next to Brad's artificial Nobel Prize [from The West Wing]."

Cast members are already making future plans. For one, Cranston is directing a Christopher Titus pilot for Comedy Central, and has "a few ideas" he wants to pitch to HBO, too. While Cranston's glad to be available for pilot season, he's not going to grab the first Bob Patterson that comes along. "I'm very fortunate," he says. "Having the 'thank you, anyway' money [because of Malcolm] means I can be choosy."

Muniz is completing postproduction on his role as Swink Sylvania in the thriller Stay Alive (costarring One Tree Hill's Sophia Bush and The O.C.'s Samaire Armstrong, and due for a Mar. 26 release), and next year he is set to associate-produce the movie Choose Conner. Kaczmarek, meanwhile, wouldn't mind getting a call from pal J.J. Abrams for her next gig. "I love Lost!" raves the actress, adding that she was the first performer whom Abrams directed on the series Felicity.

And what about someday doing a Malcolm reunion? (After all, series creator Linwood Boomer, who played Adam on Little House on the Prairie, is no stranger to those!) "Oh, sure," says Kaczmarek. "I love these people."

In announcing Malcolm's fate, Fox said that the comedy's swan song will air May 14. Will the dysfunctional clan go out with a bang? "I think a mass explosion would be great," chuckles Cranston. Adds Kaczmarek, "We were just talking about that. Linwood would like to see an episode with absolutely no conflict. Everybody would be nice. We'd all be having a nice day." The actress laughs. "How scary would that be?"

Muniz hopes that his TV family's surname — only hinted at once, in the pilot, where Francis' school uniform bears the tag "Wilkerson" — is not at last confirmed in the series' final episodes. "That's something that's always been really cool about the show," he says of Malcolm's many mysteries. "Nobody knew how old the boys really were or where they lived. It made the audience think that they could be in any town." (A genuinely frightening thought.)

While a pink slip is nothing to be happy about, Cranston is grateful that Fox is handing Malcolm in the Middle one bit of good news. "They're giving us our original time slot for our finale — Sunday at 8:30, after The Simpsons," reports the actor. "We're really happy that we're going to end the show that way."

1.17.06 - FOX has announced that this will be the last season for Malcolm in the Middle. The show's 150th episode will be it's final one, airing on May 14th.

1.16.06 - FOX has decided to move Malcolm in the Middle back to Sundays. Starting January 29th, Malcolm in the Middle will air on Sundays at 7pm ET. Yep, that means that the second part of last Friday's episode won't air until Sunday, January 29th. Good timing, FOX!

1.11.06 - Justin Berfield has purchased the Calabasas, California home (as featured on Newlyweds) of the soon-to-be-divorced Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey.

12.15.05 - The episode "Motivational Speaker," written by Rob Ulin, was nominated for a Writers Guild award. The 2006 Writers Guild Awards will be given out on Februrary 4th.

Hass MS&L
Swiffer CarpetFlick/FOX

11.15.05 - FOX had a fall premieres party sponsored by Swiffer CarpetFlick, and one of the attendees was Bryan Cranston. -->

11.11.05 - The November 11th issue of Entertainment Weekly reports that Justin Berfield is so keen to produce a Jerry Garcia biopic, he's optioned the rights to two Garcia biographies. Wait, weren't you only 9 when the Grateful Dead frontman died in 1995? "Well, I am kinda young, but I'm a fan. And my dad is a huuuge fan. He's the one who turned me on to it."

10.25.05 - Kristin at E!Online says that the word is that Frankie Muniz may pop up on FOX's new show, Kitchen Confidential, later this season, but there's nothing official yet.

Jane Kaczmarek and Geena Davis
by Steve Granitz/WireImage.com

9.23.05 - TV Guide Caught in the Act - No politics in Hollywood: New Commander In Chief Geena Davis and Jane Kaczmarek (who happens to be married to West Wing's Bradley Whitford) have no hard feelings at the post-Emmy Governor's Ball. -->

Frankie Muniz and fiancee Jamie
by John Shearer/WireImage.com

9.20.05 - TV Guide Caught in the Act - TV Guide and Inside TV's 2005 Emmy after party Malcolm's growing up: Before you know it Frankie Muniz, who's with his fiancée Jamie Gandy here, is going to start making us call him "Frank." -->

7.14.05 - Emmy nominations are out, and Jane Kaczmarek was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, while Cloris Leachman was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. The 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards show will be broadcast on Sunday, September 18th on CBS.

5.20.05 - Malcolm in the Middle will be changing time slots in the fall to air on Fridays at 8:30pm ET after The Bernie Mac Show.

5.2.05 - Regency TV and 20th have signed producer/writer Alex Reid to a two year development deal. Reid will continue as executive producer of Malcolm in the Middle while creating new projects beginning this summer.

4.1.05 - Fox has ordered another season of Malcolm in the Middle. That will be the show's 7th season, and according to Linwood Boomer, creator/exec prod., it will also likely be its last.

2.24.05 - Malcolm in the Middle tied with Arrested Development for the award for best television comedy at last Saturday's 57th Annual Writers Guild Awards.

12.18.04 - Michael Ausiello at TV Guide reports that Jane Kaczmarek and Bryan Cranston are going to the opera for sweeps. For more info, see the previews page.

12.18.04 - TV Guide gives Jeers to Fox for squeezing out Malcolm in the Middle. In the Eastern time zone, original episodes of the Emmy-winning sitcom have been joined in progress because the network allowed its NFL postgame show to run long. Fans shouldn't be forced to start watching Malcolm in the middle.

9.15.04 - Bid on a visit to the set of Malcolm in the Middle, donated by the producers of the show to benefit the ACLU of Southern California. The auction includes a script of the pilot episode signed by Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, Jane Kaczmarek, Christopher Kennedy Masterson, Justin Berfield, and Erik Per Sullivan. It also includes a hooded navy blue zipped sweatshirt of "Life is Unfair" on the left chest (size: medium). Last I checked, the starting bid was $1,500 and the auction is over the morning of September 21st. Go to eBay

8.23.04 - Christopher Masterson will be starring in two indie features. The first is called "Intellectual Property" and is set during the Cold War era. It centers on a young inventer (Masterson) who is protective of his innovative creations. Masterson will also produce. In the second, "Waterborne," Masterson plays Zach, a laid-back Venice Beach guy who keeps a level head while terrorists target Los Angeles's water supply.

8.5.04 - Ted at E!Online reports that Frankie Muniz was seen hopping in line for guilt-happy treats to accompany a Sunday-evening flick at the Laemmle Sunset 5 Theaters. West Hollywood. A very cute gal was by Frankie-poo's side. (F.P., by the by, was dressed not to impress in a blue jacket and jeans. He needs to give up the ratty-outerwear thing pronto.)

7.15.04 - Malcolm in the Middle received 3 Emmy nominations: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Jane Kaczmarek), Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (Cloris Leachman) and Outstanding Choreography ("Dewey's Special Class"). The awards ceremony will air live on ABC on Sunday, September 19th, from the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium, and will be hosted by Garry Shandling.

5.21.04 - Malcolm in the Middle will continue to air on Sundays next fall, but will move to a slightly earlier time slot. As I understand it, Malcolm reruns will continue to air at 9pm ET until October when new episodes start. From October to January, Malcolm will be found at 7:30pm ET, and then from January to June, Malcolm will air at 8:30pm ET.

4.26.04 - Eighteen-year-old Justin Berfield (Reese) has purchased a five-bedroom Hollywood Hills home for slightly more than $1.2 million, the Los Angeles Times reports.

4.22.04 - Malcolm in the Middle has officially been renewed by FOX for a sixth season.

3.1.04 - Zap2It.com: Muniz Loves Doing Stunts for 'Cody 2' - How is Frankie Muniz like his secret agent character Cody Banks? Well, he's doing stunts that his mom may not like. Cody drives like a seasoned pro, jump kicks like a black belt and knows how to use mechanical gizmos that can do some serious damage. And while away in London, during the shoot of "Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London," he's doing a lot more of his own stunts....

2.19.04 - HollywoodReporter.com: 'Malcolm in the Middle' 100th episode One hundred episodes in, most sitcoms are showing significant wear and tear -- if they even survive that long. But Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle," which celebrates the century mark Sunday (9 p.m. ET/PT), is a considerable exception. For more than four years, it has been taking risks -- the introduction of baby Jamie this season, a potential "jump the shark" moment, has blended admirably -- but continues to retain its idiosyncratic wigginess and glorious archness of tone. That's a major relief for a network that, this season, has struggled to find popular footing again....

2.18.04 - Kristin at E!Online reports that Fox threw a big bowling party over the weekend for the cast and crew to celebrate the 100th episode--let's bowl, let's bowl, let's rock 'n' roll. The 100th ep airs Feb. 22 on Fox, and it looks really fantastic. Now, the most disturbing bit of info I learned while there: Frankie Muniz is now an adult. He's 18! Don't know why that's so shocking to me, but I remember just yesterday, when that short little kid was daring Erik Per Sullivan to stick his tongue on the ice sculpture at their first Fox party.

Cloris Leachman
courtesy Fox

2.6.04 - From TV Guide Online: Cloris Back on Malcolm

Cloris Leachman is certifiable. Um, certifiably funny, that is! On Sunday at 9 pm/ET, she's back as Grandma Ida on Malcolm in the Middle. The 78-year-old actress adores playing Jane Kaczmarek's mama — it's a role that's earned her three Emmy nods, including one win in 2002. Here, TV Guide Online attempts a phone interview with the zany Leachman, which is no mean feat, as you'll see!

TV Guide Online: Good afternoon?
Leachman: Daniel? It's Leachman here. Let's keep this short. I want to go meet my daughter at the dog park.

TVGO: Sure! Tell us what Ida's doing on Malcolm this time.
Leachman: This is one of the funniest episodes, if not the funniest one, I've done. It's about Grandma Ida's boyfriend. He's an unlikely person. It's a Chinese man! Oh, the dialogue is just rare. [Giggles]

TVGO: Is the funny part that he's Chinese? Interracial dating isn't so shocking anymore.
Leachman: No, no, it's not about that. It's how I got the boyfriend! We'll let the rest be a surprise.

TVGO: Definitely. So tell me about...
Leachman: Wait a second. [We're interrupted by call waiting, but she keeps saying "Hello? Hello?!" to TV Guide Online, never actually connecting with the other party.]

TVGO: It's still me.
Leachman: I'm left-handed and right-brained, and I'm not good at these things. Well, screw them is what I say!

TVGO: So tell me about your movie, Mrs. Harris, which costars Ben Kingsley, Annette Bening and Ellen Burstyn. Great cast!
Leachman: Oh! I suffer from overthrill and this has really kicked me up. I can't wait to start work on it. Mrs. Jean Harris murdered the doctor who wrote the famous Scarsdale Diet book. There was a big scandal and a trial, and I play Ben's sister. I'm either going to call him Mister Sir or Sir Mister.

TVGO: Oh, yes, he's a knight. Well, how have you addressed him so far?
Leachman: I haven't met him yet! I'll let you know after we have dinner this week. There's a little party at the director's house. I might call him Sir Mister Sir or Mister Sir Sir. Er, which do you like better?

TVGO: Hmmm... I think you'd better consult Emily Post on that one.
Leachman: Alright, you're no help. She's dead.

TVGO: But her relatives are still writing the etiquette books under her name!
Leachman: [Laughs] Alright, thank you for your suggestion.

TVGO: What else are you working on?
Leachman: There's an independent feature called The Californians, which will come out sometime this year. It's based on The Bostonians, but it's called The Californians. It's about real estate developers versus environmentalists. I'm [the latter]. There's wonderful, funny stuff in it.

TVGO: Do fans who know you from Malcolm realize you're also a dramatic actress?
Leachman: If anybody is old enough to have seen The Last Picture Show, I won an Academy Award for that! [Laughs] I love doing both comedy and drama very much. They just asked me today to do another Malcolm episode. We'll try to schedule it around my movie.

1.20.04 - Malcolm in the Middle was nominated for two Writers Guild of America Awards for the episodes "Day Care" (written by Gary Murphy and Neil Thompson) and "Malcolm Films Reese" (written by Dan Kopelman). The awards will be handed out on February 21st.

1.15.04 - Frankie Muniz is executive producing a new show for MTV with David Franzke. The premise is that they will help high-school students live out a fantasy, with Muniz as a tour guide/facilitator.

1.6.04 - Malcolm in the Middle has been nominated by The Producers Guild of America as one of the best comedies on TV. Winners will be announced on January 17th.

12.24.03 - On Monday, December 29th, FOX will be showing a mini-marathon of Malcolm episodes starting at 8pm ET. The four episodes will be the pilot, "Traffic Jam," "Dewey's Dog," and "Zoo."

12.5.03 - Don't miss the article that starts on page 82 of the December 5th issue of Entertainment Weekly entitled "'Middle' Ages: Malcolm is still clever even as it contends with growing pains."

10.31.03 - TV Guide Online: Seven Silly Questions for David Cassidy

He doesn't wear his hair quite as long and funky as he did on The Partridge Family, but David Cassidy still is a heckuva lot of fun. On Sunday, the actor, crooner and '70s heartthrob appears on Malcolm in the Middle (9 pm/ET on Fox) as Boon Vincent, the obnoxious teen idol of Jane Kaczmarek's Lois. Asked to submit himself to seven silly questions, he said yes. We said: "We think we love you, Mr. Cassidy!" Although maybe he didn't love some of the questions...

TV Guide Online: Your Malcolm character's called Boon. Is he a boon to the show?
Cassidy: (Chuckles) You know you're doing something right when you're making castmembers laugh who've been there for four years. I drew from my experiences meeting the most egotistical, egocentric human beings who have ever dawned on a stage. Boon is so truly full of himself. He's the epitome of really bad taste, in a Vegas kinda way, but he thinks he's very hip and cool.

TVGO: So... Did you wake up in love this morning?
Cassidy: Wow. (Groans) Yes, I wake up in love every morning. 'Cause I went to sleep with you on my mind.

TVGO: Well, thanks! Did you beat up your brother, Shaun, when he was little? Is that why he never casts you on any of the series he produces?
Cassidy: Actually, he did cast me last year in The Agency. It's been a big issue for us over the years. He actually was beating up on his younger brother, Patrick, and I was the guy that would come in and save Patrick. Maybe that's the reason he didn't cast me until last year.

TVGO: Since Shaun was one of The Hardy Boys back in the '70s, we wondered why you weren't one, too?
Cassidy: They actually offered it to me first, and then they went to my brother. I had just finished five years touring around the world and had the largest fan club in history, and all the rest of that stuff. It was pretty wild. I definitely didn't want to do another TV series. I needed a break.

TVGO: Would you ever face off with Danny Bonaduce on Celebrity Boxing?
Cassidy: Um, yeah, if I were sad and desperate and extraordinarily tragic.

TVGO: Who's the hotter Partridge Family babe: Susan Dey or Shirley Jones?
Cassidy: I gotta go with Shirley. She still has it.

TVGO: As a former child star...
Cassidy: (Interrupts) No, I'm not! Never was, never will be. I didn't start working [in show business] until I was 19. I was actually out of high school and living by myself in Manhattan, so I wouldn't call that a child star.

TVGO: Understandable. I was just gonna ask if you were approached to do David Spade's movie, Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star?
Cassidy: No, I wish I had been! It's a sad genre, I can tell you that. In the truest sense, it's not funny. Four or five years after he was out of The Partridge Family and graduated high school, Danny Bonaduce was living in a Motel 6. It's really not funny. Rusty Hamer from Make Room for Daddy put a bullet in his head. When their moment as a kid is over, they're no longer seen as a viable commodity by film and TV in Hollywood. "How come you're not cute anymore?" I can't imagine what it must feel like when your career is finished and over at 16. Imagine trying to face the rest of your life, with people going, "Hey, didn't you used to be that kid that was on...?" I think a lot of them have a right to be bitter. Having said that, I don't know what that experience was like. I was finished doing The Partridge Family at 24, so I was not a child star by any stretch of the imagination.

9.18.03 - Jennifer Aniston (Friends) will auction off the gown that she wears to this Sunday's Emmys ceremony to benefit the Cure Autism Now Foundation and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Jane Kaczmarek and her husband, Bradley Whitford (The West Wing), are spearheading the "Clothes Off Our Back" fundraiser, and more than 30 other celebs will participate, including Bryan Cranston and Frankie Muniz.

9.15.03 - The Creative Arts Emmys were awarded this past weekend. The creative arts awards recognize more than 60 technical and other achievements for the 2002-03 season, and are a precursor to the main Emmy event later this month. Mark Scheib and Steve Welch won an Emmy for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series for the episode "If Boys Were Girls." The rest of the Emmys will be awarded in a ceremony on September 21st which will air live on FOX.

9.12.03 - Zap2It.com: MTV Roars in with Musical 'Wuthering Heights' - The word "wuthering" refers to turbulent weather and roaring winds. That meaning certainly applies to Emily Bronte's 1847 novel "Wuthering Heights," an intense, violently passionate romantic tragedy set on Britain's blustery moors....

9.10.03 - Ted at E!Online reports that Frankie Muniz was recently seen showing off the perks of celebrity to a few of his teenaged pals. Standing outside The House of Blues on the Sunset Strip, the Malcolm in the Middle guy was assuring his pimple-faced friends that they would definitely be allowed in the 21-and-over Foundation Room: "Yeah, it's no prob," insisted the child-to-club-man stah. Of course, the threesome waltzed right in. And no worries, Mom, F. stuck to bevs of the nonalcoholic kind.

9.9.03 - Don't miss Chris Masterson in the MTV movie "Wuthering Heights," a modern version of Emily Brontë's classic novel. It airs on Sunday, September 14th at 8pm ET.

9.3.03 - From TV Guide: David Cassidy will play a cheesy lounge performer in Malcolm in the Middle's Las Vegas-set season premiere on Nov. 2. Word is the role fit the Partridge Family vet like a pair of tight bell-bottoms.

8.28.03 - Zap2It.com: 'Will & Grace,' 'Malcolm' Pairs to Present Emmys - Comedy connects the multiple emcees of this year's Emmy Awards, and a theme is emerging among presenters as well: Everyone confirmed so far is part of a TV couple....

7.29.03 - FOX has scheduled the season premiere of Malcolm in the Middle for Sunday, November 2nd.

7.17.03 - Malcolm in the Middle got 4 Emmy nominations this morning, including Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series ("If Boys Were Girls"). Jane Kaczmarek was nominated as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Bryan Cranston was nominated as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Cloris Leachman was nominated as Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. The Emmy Awards will be presented live on Fox from the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium on Sunday, September 21st.

7.2.03 - The Shield's Michael Chiklis and Malcolm in the Middle's Jane Kaczmarek will announce the nominees for the 55th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards live July 17 at 5:30 am/ET on E!

6.18.03 - Malcolm in the Middle has received three Teen Choice Award nominations. Frankie Muniz was nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, Erik Per Sullivan was nominated for Best Sidekick, and Malcolm in the Middle itself has been nominated for Best Comedy Series. The awards are scheduled to air Wednesday, Aug. 6 on FOX. Teens can vote on several categories at TeenPeople.com (a subscription is required).

6.15.03 - Zap2It.com: Cranston, Reinhold Cooking up TBS Holiday Comedy - Bryan Cranston, Judge Reinhold and Penelope Ann Miller will topline "National Lampoon's Thanksgiving Family Reunion," the first original comedy telefilm from TBS Superstation. The film will, naturally, air this November....

6.2.03 - IGN.com: An interview with Bryan Cranston - Malcolm in the Middle's Hal discusses his career....

5.28.03 - Michael Borkow (co-executive producer of Malcolm in the Middle) has been tapped as the new showrunner on The Bernie Mac Show. He replaces Larry Wilmore, who left the comedy in March.

5.19.03 - Bryan Cranston's independent film, "Last Chance," will be out on DVD in June. Cranston wrote, produced and directed it, and he stars in it with his wife, actress Robin Dearden.

5.19.03 - Bryan Cranston and the MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE crew took a week out of their Fall hiatus to make an educational/instructional program. Entitled "KidSmartz," the half-hour program shows parents how to discuss the difficult issue of child abduction prevention with their children, in a way that doesn't frighten or disturb them.

Bryan served as executive producer and on-camera host of "KidSmartz." The program was made with donations of Time, Talent and other resources. MALCOLM assistant cameraman Chris Haifley directed.

The release of "KidSmartz" will be launched on May 20th, at the Hope Awards gala fund raiser to benefit the National Center For Missing & Exploited Children in Washington DC. Bryan is emceeing the event, with John Walsh of AMERICA'S MOST WANTED giving the keynote address.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of "KidSmartz" videos and DVDs will be donated to the National Center. To find out where copies of "KidSmartz" may be purchased, go to www.bryancranston.com.

5.15.03 - No big surprise. Malcolm in the Middle has been renewed for another season by FOX and, come fall, will continue to air in the Sunday 9pm ET time slot.

4.11.03 - Eric Nenninger (Francis's friend Eric) has been cast in the FOX sitcom pilot The Pool at Maddy Breakers.

4.9.03 - Fox has officially picked up Malcolm in the Middle for a fifth season.

4.4.03 - From TV Guide: CHEERS to an old idea, nicely updated. MTV's new Punk'd, developed by and starring Ashton Kutcher, won't seem groundbreaking to anyone who's seen Candid Camera, but the new hidden-camera series has a twist: Celebrities are the ones getting caught (or "punk'd"). If we're going to watch a practical joke, we're glad the butt is a teenage kid (Malcolm in the Middle's Frankie Muniz) getting his $250,000 Porsche "stolen."

3.14.03 - TV Guide Online: Malcolm Star's Baby Scoop - According to Frankie Muniz, Malcolm in the Middle will end its fourth season with a frustrating cliffhanger. "We just filmed the episode where Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) has the baby," he tells TV Guide Online. "They still haven't decided whether it's going to be a boy or a girl, but they've named it Jamie. They're going to leave you hanging until next season to find out!..."

3.12.03 - Some news from Bill Timoney, associate producer of "Last Chance."

Bryan Cranston directed the episode of MALCOLM that airs this Sunday. But it's not the first time he's directed something.....

Cranston directed, produced, wrote and co-starred in the independent feature film LAST CHANCE, a romantic drama about a truck-stop waitress in the California desert. Bryan wrote the screenplay as a project for his wife, actress Robin Dearden. Co-starring with the couple are Tim Thomerson, Jay Thomas, and Amy Hathaway.

LAST CHANCE won several awards at regional film festivals throughout the USA, including "Best Drama" at the Breckenridge (Colorado) FilmFest, "Audience Award - Best Film" at Knoxville's ValleyFest, and "Best Actress" and "Best Director" from the prestigious MethodFest in Pasadena, CA.

Bryan has just struck a deal for the Video and DVD release of LAST CHANCE. The film will be available at Blockbuster and other video stores in June.

3.3.03 - There is a petition to get Malcolm in the Middle DVDs released in Europe. While it's not particularly well-written, it's certainly heartfelt.

2.26.03 - Happy Birthday to Bryan Cranston who will be 47 on Friday, March 7th.

1.28.03 - Jane Kaczmarek received a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series. The Screen Actors Guild Awards will be presented on Sunday, March 9, 2003 from the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center and televised live nationally on TNT (Turner Network Television) at 8 PM (ET/PT), 7 PM (Central), 6 PM (Mountain).

1.23.03 - ET Online: Hapless Hal Gets His Due...Date! - The arrival of baby number five will definitely put "Malcolm in the Middle," with two older one younger brothers, and one sex TBA....

1.21.03 - In talking about funny things said and done during the Golden Globe Awards, TV Guide Online mentions Bryan Cranston, on E!, ad-libbing a crack about "Malcolm Forbes," a "closet" and "women's clothing."

1.20.03 - Zap2It.com: 'Malcolm' Dispenses with Last Name - Here's a piece of trivia: what's the last name of the main family on FOX's "Malcolm in the Middle"?...

1.19.03 - Zap2It.com: Kaczmarek Spends Sunday with Both Husbands - When she attends the Golden Globe Awards ceremony on Sunday (Jan. 19) night, "Malcolm in the Middle" mom Jane Kaczmarek will be kept busy table hopping. Kaczmarek's real-life husband of 10 years, "The West Wing's' Bradley Whitford, and her TV spouse, Bryan Cranston, are both nominated in the bizarre catch-all category of best supporting role in a series, mini-series or made-for-TV movie....

12.19.02 - Malcolm in the Middle has received two Golden Globe Award nominations: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy (for Jane Kaczmarek) and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television (for Bryan Cranston). The 59th Annual Golden Globe Awards will be aired live on NBC on Sunday, January 20th.

11.26.02 - On November 25, Jane Kaczmarek gave birth to Mary Louisa, her third child with husband Bradley Whitford of The West Wing.

11.21.02 - Variety reports FX has picked up the cable syndication rights to 20th's Malcolm in the Middle for a reported $600,000 per ep (88 episodes at the end of this season), as well as give back a minute and a half per episode in barter, a practice very common to broadcasters but not so common on the cable side. Fox begins its five year deal, potentially to be expanded as more seasons are produced for Fox, in 2007. (Broadcast syndication deals for Malcolm begin in 2004.)

10.24.02 - TV Guide Online: Cloris vs. Mary: The Emmy Race! - Cloris Leachman is one happy lady. As of last month's Emmys – where she won for her guest role on Malcolm in the Middle – the TV comedienne caught up to former co-star Mary Tyler Moore, who previously held the record for female with the most Emmy noms. Both women have been nominated exactly 14 times and won six times in their careers....

9.29.02 - TVography info from Petch: The September 23 edition of the Biography Channel's "TVography" program centered on "Malcolm in the Middle."

The hour-long show featured some interesting backstory into how MITM was conceived by Linwood Boomer, onto the written page, meticulously cast, and then almost *never* okayed for a pilot broadcast. On-camera commentary from Boomer plus performers Jane Kaczmarek, Bryan Cranston, Frankie Muniz, Chris Masterson, Justin Berfield and Erik Per Sullivan, as well as Regency exec Gale Berman and director Todd Holland, provide much of the entertaining narrative.

Perks of the series which are further examined include the inception of the award-winning "Bowling" episode, as well as landing top celebrities such as Susan Sarandon and Christina Ricci for the recent Super Bowl opus "Company Picnic." On a curious note, although the program somehow skips over the issue of how the last name of Malcolm's family has never been declared onscreen, Biography host Harry Smith casually alludes to them as "The Wilkersons" once during the last segment of the show. I wonder if that was the product of poor research or a smart-assed nod to Boomer's original draft of the pilot episode, in which Wilkerson was the listed surname. As we all know, once the series became a go, Boomer decided to leave their last name to mystery just for fun, as well as such rudimentary details as what city they live in and what Hal actually does for a living.

9.23.02 - Emmy update from Petch: First, the show won only one award this time, for Best Guest Actress in a Comedy (Cloris Leachman, "Christmas"). Second, during a brief interview during the "Live From The Red Carpet" pre-show segment with Joan Rivers, a very pregnant Jane Kaczmarek confirmed that "Malcolm will have a new sibling this year."

7.25.02 - The producers have decided to incorporate Jane Kaczmarek's real-life pregnancy into the show. "The plan is to do some episodes [with Lois] not pregnant, and then some pregnant," Kaczmarek told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Responds a Fox rep: "I cannot confirm or deny upcoming storylines."

7.25.02 - Malcolm in the Middle is getting ready for a Fall 2004 syndication launch and 20th has already cleared ten Fox O&O stations: WNYW and WWOR/NY; KTTV and KCOP/LA; WFLD/Chicago; WTXF/Philly; WFXT/Boston; KDFW and KDFI/Dallas; WTTG and WDCA/Washington; WAGA/Atlanta; KRIV and KTXH/Houston and KDVR/Denver. The initial term is for four years with an additional year for each season of Malcolm beyond 2004-05; the deal also calls for one and a half minutes of barter. 20th certainly isn't revealing any financial numbers, but guesstimates put the New York clearances weekly license fee between $100,000 and $120,000.

7.22.02 - The new season starts Sunday, November 3rd, at 9pm ET.

7.19.02 - TV Guide Online: Seven Silly Questions for an Emmy Nominee - Emmy really shook things up this year, suddenly ignoring Malcolm in the Middle's child star Frankie Muniz, but nominating the long-neglected Bryan Cranston, who plays his TV dad...

7.18.02 - Malcolm in the Middle was nominated for six Emmy Awards: Jane Kaczmarek for Oustanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Bryan Cranston as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Jeff Melman for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series ("Christmas" episode), Susan Sarandon for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series ("Company Picnic" episode), Cloris Leachman as Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series ("Christmas" episode), and Bobby Porter for Outstanding Stunt Coordination. The Emmy Awards will air live on NBC on September 22nd, 2002.

7.15.02 - 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment will be releasing the first season of Malcolm in the Middle on October 29th, according to Video Business Magazine. The three-disc set will feature an extended pilot, deleted scenes, bloopers and commentary on selected episodes. It will retail for $39.98.

6.6.02 - Jane Kaczmarek was spotted last night on 3rd Avenue in the NYC's East Village in a bright print dress looking very healthy and slightly pregnant.

5.30.02 - Jane Kaczmarek and her husband Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) expect their third child this fall.

5.29.02 - Frankie Muniz will star in an upcoming comedy feature called "Agent Cody Banks." Also starring are Angie Harmon (Law & Order) and Hilary Duff ("Lizzie McGuire").

5.20.02 - The May 24th issue of Entertainment Weekly addresses 10 ways to fix TV. Among their suggestions is to put Linwood Boomer to work. The first season of Malcolm, creator-producer Boomer's writing credits were all over the episodes–you sensed he was using Frankie Muniz's character to exorcise childhood demons, getting back at dumb adults while creating screwed-up-but-loveable parental units. This past season, Malcolm needed a few more laughs–it's become a little shrill and unfocused. It needs Boomer's guiding intelligence to bring Malcolm back into the middle of the show's heart.

5.16.02 - FOX unveiled its official fall schedule today, and as suspected, Malcolm in the Middle will be moving to Sundays at 9 pm ET.

5.15.02 - Fox doesn't unveil its fall schedule until Thursday, but Variety reports that Malcolm in the Middle will be moving to Sundays at 9 pm ET.

5.8.02 - Frankie Muniz has signed up with the United Talent Agency. Several firms had been jockeying to land Muniz, who had been handled by Abrams Artists. The decision to sign with UTA comes amid buzz that Muniz soon will be looking to renegotiate his deal for "Malcolm," which begins its fourth season this fall. He is locked in for next season, but so is "Malcolm" mom Jane Kaczmarek -- and that hasn't stopped her from seeking a big pay boost. While hardly the only agency to negotiate big salary hikes for clients, UTA has been behind some of the more high-profile renegotiations in recent years -- including those for Kelsey Grammer, Drew Carey, Anthony Edwards and Patricia Heaton.

4.19.02 - From the TV Guide Hollywood Grapevine: True flu or blue flu? When Jane Kaczmarek, the tough mom on Fox's Malcolm in the Middle, came down with what her reps called migraine headaches, it forced the show to work around her. Sources tell TV Guide that while Kaczmarek was gone, her people hit producers up for a raise. But her publicist denies any "connection between her health issues and any contractual matters." In any case, Kaczmarek finally returned to work and made up for lost time. "She'll be in all the episodes," a show source tells us. No word on whether Mom got more cash.

3.16.02 - Don't miss the great cover article on Malcolm in the Middle in the March 16th issue of TV Guide.

3.11.02 - Frankie Muniz is in talks to star as a James Bond-esque teen in the big-screen adventure "Agent Cody Bank." According to Variety, the 16-year-old actor would be paid $2 million for his work on the film, making him the highest paid child movie star since Macaulay Culkin was left Home Alone again. The plot of Cody centers on a teen (Muniz) drafted by the U.S. government for covert missions.

3.9.02 - Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek are named one of TV's MVP dynamic duos in the March 9th issue of TV Guide. Sex is no problem for Bryan Cranston, 45, and Jane Kaczmarek, 46, whose opposites-attract magnetism as randy Hal and Lois on Fox's Malcolm in the Middle landed them on our MVP list last year, too. Cranston says low-key Hal balances high-strung Lois: "She could use some sensitivity and some calm and quiet." Says Kaczmarek: "Bryan would be a great kindergarten teacher or a president of the United States. He's good at little things, like cut and paste, and he's good at huge, diplomatic things."

3.9.02 - Linwood Boomer is named one of TV's MVP producers in the March 9th issue of TV Guide. A former actor (Little House on the Prairie), Linwood Boomer, 45, brings a performer's energy to contriving the wild family antics of Fox's Malcolm in the Middle. "He sits by the monitor and intensely acts out what the actors are doing in front of the camera," says director Todd Holland. "He knows how it [should be] funny."

3.8.02 - Jane Kaczmarek, who has been a no-show around the set of Malcolm in the Middle since early February, returned to work Thursday. The 46-year-old actress, who plays manic Lois, had been suffering from intense migraine headaches. Sources, however, tell TV Guide Online that her reps had been negotiating with the show's producers for a big pay raise. Her publicist denies any connection between her health and salary talks, but similar rumors about a "sick out" circulated in September during another of Kaczmarek's absences. (Her husband, actor Bradley Whitford, was among four members of The West Wing cast that threatened to walk out last summer over a pay dispute.) Kaczmarek's MIA status forced producers to eliminate two episodes -- there will be only 22 Malcolms this season, instead of 24.

3.7.02 - From the March 2nd issue of TV Guide: As fans of Fox's Malcolm in the Middle know, Jane Kaczmarek plays Lois, one of the funniest, strictest and most exasperated moms in TV history. She's constantly having to punish her four squabbling sons. But imagine this: What if she had had daughters instead? Wonder no more. Producers are hunting for four young girls to play "female versions" of the brothers for a special fantasy scene.

2.28.02 - "Boss of Me," the theme song for Malcolm in the Middle performed by They Might Be Giants, won a Grammy award last night for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.

2.27.02 - Zap2It.com: 'Malcolm' Hamster Keeps on Rolling - Sharp-eyed viewers of "Malcolm in the Middle" may have noticed an orange plastic ball rolling by in the background in a couple of recent episodes. But if you ask someone who works on the show, he or she might deny it's there....

2.25.02 - Zap2It.com: Kaczmarek MIA from 'Malcolm' - Jane Kaczmarek hasn't been on the set of "Malcolm in the Middle" recently. The reason for her absence is less clear....

2.20.02 - TV Guide Online: That Shocking '70s Split - Are That '70s Show sweethearts Kelso and Jackie headed for permanent splitsville? Yes... at least if Malcolm in the Middle's Chris Masterson has anything to say about it....

2.8.02 - From the February 8th issue of Entertainment Weekly: WHEELS OF FORTUNE. Remember your first car? Well, if you'd been on a hit TV show, like Malcolm in the Middle's 16-year-old Frankie Muniz, it would have been cooler. The actor, who got his driver's license last year, paid Scott Centra, the famed car customizer who worked on last summer's nitro-charged The Fast and the Furious, nearly $100,000 for the souped up white 1995 Volkswagen Jetta from the movie. "The car came like crazy," boasts Muniz, "loaded with stuff in it. I don't even know what half of it does." Besides its hot-rod engine and high-tech navigational system, the Jetta is equipped with a PlayStation 2, a DVD player, and a VCR. But Muniz learned that some amenities aren't what they're cracked up to be when his mom busted him for speeding. "I have a video camera in my car," he laments, "so she could see the speedometer." (As punishment, he says he was downgraded to pedestrian status for a week.) -Mari Cartel

2.4.02 - TV Guide Online Caught in the Act: The Fat and the potentially furious: Malcolm in the Middle actor Frankie Muniz wants to know who's responsible for Paul Giamatti's prominent placement on the Big Fat Liar promotional poster.

2.1.02 - TV Guide Online: Malcolm Star's Super (Bowl) Stunt - Sunday's star-studded, post-Super Bowl edition of Malcolm in the Middle promises to answer the age-old question...

1.19.02 - Zap2It.com: Muniz, Welling Get Designer Duds for Golden Globes - It's not just the girls who get to borrow something pretty for award shows...

1.15.02 - Malcolm in the Middle has received two Writers Guild of America award nominations for the episodes "Bowling" written by Alex Reid and "Grandparents" written by Gary Murphy and Neil Thompson.

1.7.02 - "Boss of Me," the theme song for Malcolm in the Middle performed by They Might Be Giants, has been nominated for a Grammy award. Malcolm is the only TV show to receive a nomination in the category of Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. CBS will broadcast the Grammy Awards live at 8pm ET Wednesday, February 27th.

12.20.01 - Jane Kaczmarek was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy, and Frankie Muniz was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy. The Golden Globes will be broadcast on NBC at 8pm ET Sunday, January 20th.

12.18.01 - Malcolm in the Middle has been nominated for an American Film Institute Award for AFI Comedy Series of the Year and Jane Kaczmarek has received a nomination for AFI Female Actor of the Year in a series. The awards ceremony will be broadcast on CBS on Saturday, January 5th, at 8pm ET.

11.12.01 - Fox has awarded the coveted post-Super Bowl time period this year to Malcolm in the Middle. A one hour edition of the show will air following Super Bowl XXXVI on February 3rd.

11.4.01 - Todd Holland won the Emmy for Outstanding Director of a Comedy Series. Alex Reid won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. Frankie Muniz presented the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series to Doris Roberts for Everybody Loves Raymond. Jane Kaczmarek, along with husband and 2001 Emmy winner Bradley Whitford (The West Wing), presented the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or Movie to Loring Mandell ("Conspiracy").

10.17.01 - "Jenifer," starring Jane Kaczmarek and Laura San Giacomo, will air on CBS on Sunday, October 21st.

9.5.01 - TV Guide Online: Is Jane Kaczmarek pulling a Tyne Daly, or has the Emmy nominee really fallen ill? That's a question execs at Fox are no doubt asking themselves. Since early last week, Kaczmarek has been MIA on the Malcolm set as a result of migraine headaches. But The Hollywood Reporter speculates that her sick-out might just be a ploy to jumpstart her contract renegotiations. Stay tuned...

9.1.01 - From the September 1st issue of TV Guide: Sometimes being rock stars is too much. Tired of touring to promote their CDs, They Might Be Giants took a break in 1996 to make music for TV and movies. "It was a good way to stay home for a while," says John Linell. Since then, the Brooklyn, New York, duo have done the Malcolm in the Middle theme and written songs for "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me." TMBG even reworked the Daily Show theme to mock the overly serious tone of nightly news programs. "We were [told] to cook up the most bombastic news music ever," says Linell. These gigs have gained them more reocgnition than before: A small but loyal following can hum such goofball classics as "Minimum Wage," but what TV viewer doesn't know the Malcolm theme song? ("You're not the boss of me now/You're not the boss of me now/And you're not so big!") Now they've gotten so big in Hollywood that promoting their new CD, Mink Car, may be the vacation they've needed all along.

8.29.01 - TV Guide Online: Malcolm's Muniz Handicaps Emmys - Malcolm in the Middle's pint-sized star Frankie Muniz is holding out little hope that he'll parlay his lead actor in a comedy Emmy nomination into an actual gold statue next month...

8.10.01 - Malcolm in the Middle won a Family Television Award for favorite comedy and Jane Kaczmarek won for favorite actress (tying with Lauren Graham from Gilmore Girls).

8.10.01 - Chris Masterson and Laura Prepon are featured in the "Young Hollywood in Love" article in the August 11 issue of TV Guide.

7.22.01 - Malcolm in the Middle was awarded favorite comedy by the Television Critics Association, while Jane Kaczmarek won for best actress.

7.13.01 - TV Guide Online: Malcolm's Emmy Upset - This year's Emmy noms held few surprises, with repeated nods going to all of 2000's five drama nominees and four out of the five comedies...

7.12.01 - Malcolm in the Middle received 9 Emmy nominations including Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Jeff Melman for "Bowling" and Charles McDougall for "Flashback"), Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Frankie Muniz), Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Jane Kaczmarek), Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (Robert Loggia as Grandpa Victor), Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (Cloris Leachman as Grandma Ida), Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Multi-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series or a Special ("Bowling"), and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (Alex Reid for "Bowling").

6.12.01 - Cable network AMC has signed Frankie Muniz to host their presentation of the classic strip, The Little Rascals (Hall Roach studios/King World Prods). AMC has scheduled the M-F strip to air starting Monday, August 6th at 6:30pm, with Muniz doing the intros and wrap-arounds.

5.17.01 - In Fox's official 2001 Fall Schedule, which was unveiled earlier today, they have scheduled a "FOX Family Comedy Wheel," where repeat episodes of selected sitcoms will air. Malcolm, The Simpsons and That '70s Show will all be part of the "Wheel," which airs Wednesdays at 8pm ET, leading into the returning comedy Grounded for Life. While the possibility of moving Malcolm to the night was discussed, FOX Chariman Sandy Grushow told reporters the net's Sunday night line-up, which remains untouched, provided some stability going into the fall.

5.15.01 - Although the official announcement won't be until Thursday, May 17th, it looks like Malcolm in the Middle may be moving to the Wednesday 8pm ET time slot next season.

5.9.01 - TV Guide Online: Malcolm's Driven Young Star - Los Angelenos are used to seeing just about anything on the freeway, but when Frankie Muniz gets behind the wheel, he draws some strange looks. "People look at me like, 'He's too young to be driving,'" says the 15-year-old, who just got his learner's permit...

5.8.01 - Jane Kaczmarek will star in the CBS telefilm "The Jenifer Estess Story" along with Laura San Giacomo (Just Shoot Me) and Annabella Sciorra according to The Hollywood Reporter. The two-hour film from Alliance Atlantis is based on the true story of New York theater producer Jenifer Estess (Giacomo) and her two sisters Valerie (Kaczmarek) and Meredith (Sciorra). In 1997, Estess was diagnosed with ALS, an incurable motor neurological disease. When told she only had two to five years to live, she and her sisters launched Project ALS, an effort to boost research for the little known disease. The project has raised close to $1 million so far and has helped to develop a scientific technique that eradicates ALS in mice.

4.23.01 - Jane Kaczmarek won an American Comedy Award for Funniest Female Performer in a Television Series and Bea Arthur won for Funniest Female Guest Appearance in a Television Series. The awards ceremony will air on Wednesday, April 25th, at 8pm ET on Comedy Central.

3.29.01 - Malcolm in the Middle has been given a Peabody Award by the University of Georgia's Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. The awards will be presented at a May 21 luncheon at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. The Peabodys differ from other broadcast and cable awards because they are given solely on the basis of merit, rather than within designated categories. Judging is done by a 15-person national advisory board whose members include TV critics, broadcast and cable industry executives, scholars and experts in culture and fine arts.

3.26.01 - Jane Kaczmarek has been nominated for an American Comedy Award for Funniest Female Performer in a Television Series (Leading Role). Bea Arthur was nominated for Funniest Female Guest Appearance in a Television Series. The 15th Annual American Comedy Awards will be held on Sunday, April 22nd and will air on Comedy Central Wednesday, April 25th at 8pm.

3.8.01 - At the TV Guide Awards, which aired on Fox last night, Jane Kaczmarek, along with her husband, Bradley Whitford ("The West Wing"), presented the Supporting Actor of the Year in a Comedy to Sean Hayes ("Will & Grace").

3.8.01 - TV Guide Online: Malcolm Star Remembers Dale Earnhardt - Frankie Muniz had the eerily fateful opportunity to meet Dale Earnhardt on the same day of the legendary racer's fatal crash....

3.5.01 - At the annual Paley Festival at L.A.'s Directors Guild of America, Linwood Boomer announced that there was a possibility of a "Malcolm in the Middle" movie being released. The plan is to work on a script, see if it's good, and then decide.

2.13.01 - WB Promo: "My Dog Skip," starring Frankie Muniz, was a winner at the 52nd annual Christopher Awards on Feb. 6. Christopher Awards are presented to the producers, directors and writers of books, television, and motion pictures which affirm the highest values of the human spirit.

2.10.01 - Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek were named MVP actors of TV in the February 10th issue of TV Guide.

2.10.01 - The February 10th issue of TV Guide gives Cheers to "Malcolm in the Middle" due to its reference material. The January 21st episode had dad Hal hoping to befriend new neighbors before the other neighbors got the chance to "poison" the newcomers against his clan: "We definitely need to get to them before the Whitfords." That wouldn't be a sly reference to Malcolm mom Jane Kaczmarek and her husband, West Wing actor Bradley Whitford, would it?

2.8.01 - Todd Holland has received a nomination for a Directors Guild of America Award for his work on the pilot.

2.6.01 - Sunday night belonged to Fox with a demo win with A18-49. Highlights included an 8.9/21 demo rating for Simpsons, Malcolm earned an 8.7/20 and X Files an 8.2/18. Futurama at 7pm averaged a 3.8/11 and King of the Hill a 5.4/14 in the demo. The competition didn't do quite as well - NBC's 90-minute Dateline a 3.5/8; Touched by an Angel a 3.5/8; Millionaire a 5.6/13; AFC/NFC Pro Bowl 2.9/7. Overall for the night, Fox averaged a 7.2/17 demo rating, ABC 4.5/11; NBC 4.2/10 and CBS 3.7/9. In total viewers the win goes to CBS with 14.4 million, followed closely by Fox with 14.3 million, ABC 13.1 million and NBC 10.8 million.

2.4.01 - Fox reports that Frankie Muniz will be a future guest voice on "The Simpsons." He will play a child genius on whom Lisa Simpsons develops a crush.

1.30.01 - Jane Kaczmarek was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series. This year's awards will be presented on Sunday, March 11th, 2001 at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center and televised nationally on TNT at 8pm ET.

1.2.01 - "Malcolm in the Middle" was voted one of the top shows of TV critics across the country, beat out only by "The West Wing" for the top slot in Electronic Media's biannual critics poll. More...

12.29.00 - "Malcolm in the Middle" has been nominated for five TV Guide Awards: Comedy Series of the Year, Actor of the Year in a Comedy Series (Frankie Muniz), Actress of the Year in a Comedy Series (Jane Kaczmarek), and Breakout Star of the Year (Frankie Muniz and Erik Per Sullivan).

12.21.00 - "Malcolm in the Middle" was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy, Jane Kaczmarek was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy and Frankie Muniz was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy. Congratulations!

12.21.00 - Amy Amatangelo at dish this says that "Malcolm in the Middle" is her number seven show of the ten best shows of the year.

12.20.00 - Time magazine has declared "Malcolm in the Middle" the best TV comedy of the year.

12.19.00 - "Malcolm in the Middle" was ranked #5 out of TV Guide's Top 10 Shows of 2000.

12.11.00 - 20th Century Fox and New Regency Prods., will produce a big screen version of "Malcolm in the Middle." The film will be written by Linwood Boomer along with Jill Condon and Amy Toomin ("Friends"). Though no deal is signed yet, it is intended the television cast will follow to the big screen.

11.29.00 - TV Guide Online: Sibling Rivalry Overtakes Malcolm Set - Christopher Masterson tells TV Guide Online that there are two major hazards working on the set of "Malcolm in the Middle..."

11.6.00 - Zap2It.com: Kaczmarek Ponders Success of "Malcolm"

9.11.00 - "Malcolm in the Middle" Emmy Award Wins! (2)
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Todd Holland for the "Pilot")
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (Linwood Boomer for the "Pilot")

8.1.00 - Frankie Muniz has been nominated for a Teen Choice Award as Choice Actor for his role in "Malcolm in the Middle." "Malcolm in the Middle" has been nominated for a Teen Choice Award as Choice Breakout Show. The awards ceremony will air on Fox on Tuesday, August 22nd.

7.21.00 - TV Guide Online: Emmy's Comedy Surprises

7.20.00 - "Malcolm in the Middle" has been nominated for five Emmys for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Pilot), Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Jane Kaczmarek), Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (Bea Arthur), and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (Pilot). The Emmy Awards will be presented on September 10th and broadcast live on ABC.

7.18.00 - The "Back in Black" anthology movie will premiere on VH1 in December, with four spooky, music-related shorts starring Marla Sokoloff ("The Practice"), Danny Masterson ("That '70's Show"), Chris Masterson, Erik Palladino ("ER"), Holland Taylor ("The Practice"), John Taylor (Duran Duran), Eric Roberts, and Judd Nelson. If successful, BLACK will spin off into a weekly half-hour series.

7.17.00 - "Malcolm in the Middle" won two awards at the 16th annual Television Critics Association Awards: Best Comedy and an Individual Comedy award for Jane Kaczmarek.

7.10.00 - In a semi-annual poll, held by Electronic Media, of television critics from 57 daily U.S. newspapers, "Malcolm in the Middle" was voted the third favorite show of TV critics across the country ("The Sopranos" and "The West Wing" were first and second).

7.10.00 - "My Dog Skip," starring Frankie Muniz, will be out on video July 11th.

7.10.00 - There is a short blurb on Craig Lamar Traylor and his role as Stevie Kenarban on "Malcom in the Middle" on page 6 of the July 8th issue of TV Guide.

6.29.00 - Linwood Boomer has been named the "It 'Middle' Child" by the June 30th issue of Entertainment Weekly.

6.6.00 - "Malcolm in the Middle" has received four nominations for Television Critics Association Awards, including best comedy series and best new program. Frankie Muniz and Jane Kaczmarek were also singled out for individual comedy achievement honors. The winners will be announced Saturday, July 15th during a ceremony hosted by Ben Stein.

5.9.00 - Jane Kaczmarek recently lent her support to the fifth annual KFC All-Star Salute to Mothers. It's a competition for fourth through sixth graders to make the best Mother's Day card.

4.24.00 - Frankie Muniz is joining the cast of an ensemble movie called "Deuces Wild." It's a '50s-er film, currently in production in Los Angeles, starring Matt Dillon, Deborah Harry, Stephen Dorff, Brad Renfro, and Fairuza Balk.

4.24.00 - Fox has ordered a second season of "Malcolm in the Middle."

3.31.00 - Frankie Muniz will co-host Nickelodeon's 13th Annual Kids Choice Awards with LL Cool J, David Arquette, and singer Mandy Moore. The show will air April 15th.

3.27.00 - The March 31st issue of Entertainment Weekly reports that "Malcolm" is still a ratings force to be reckoned with: the comedy eked into the top 10 this week, with 16.3 million viewers, nudging out such grown-up fare as "60 Minutes" and "NYPD Blue."

2.28.00 - Frankie Muniz has received a nomination for a Kids Choice Award from Nickelodeon. Votes can be cast at Burger Kings nationwide until March 12th. From March 13th through 27, votes can be cast at http://www.nick.com.

2.22.00 - Don't miss Frankie Muniz in the upcoming movie, "My Dog Skip," opening everywhere Friday, March 3rd.

2.16.00 - Check out the article on page 10 of the February 18th issue of Entertainment Weekly on how "Malcolm in the Middle" might save Fox.

2.5.00 - Check out the great article on Frankie Muniz starting on page 44 of the February 5th issue of TV Guide.

2.2.00 - TV Guide Online: Wonder Years Star Wrestles with Malcolm

1.13.00 - "Malcolm in the Middle" attracted the largest audience (22.4 million viewers) of any Fox premiere since "The Simpsons" debuted a decade ago. Taking the No. 6 slot, this new comedy edged such stalwarts as NBC's "Friends" (No. 7), CBS' "60 Minutes," (No. 8) and ABC's "The Practice" (No. 10).

1.10.00 - Article on "Malcolm" by Chris Holland at Stomp Tokyo

1.6.00 - Review of "Malcolm in the Middle" in Variety Online.