Mary Tyler Moore

Stan Daniels, a co-creator of "Taxi" and a writer-producer of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," two television series that earned him eight Emmy awards, has died. He was 72. Daniels, who had suffered from frontotemporal dementia for about five years, died of heart failure Friday at his longtime home in Encino, his family announced. "I've never met anyone like him in comedy. He was really funny, great on structure and a thoughtful person," James L.

THE Watergate tapes were America's obsession during the brilliant run of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." The Alec Baldwin tape was what America was obsessing over late last week, in the midst of the brilliant run of NBC's freshman sitcom "30 Rock." Baldwin's voicemail tirade at his daughter (he called her a "rude little pig" and seemed confused about whether she was 11 or 12) was presumably leaked to the celebrity website TMZ.com as a vindictive strike in the actor's divorce from Kim Basinger.

Aaaaaaay! The Fonz will be returning to Milwaukee later this year -- permanently, and in bronze. A statue of Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli, the leather-jacketed biker from "Happy Days," will be erected in the city where the TV sitcom was set, now that local groups have raised the $85,000 needed to do it, civic leaders said Friday. Henry Winkler, who played Fonzie during the show's run from 1974 to 1984, called the "Bronze the Fonz" project "a phenomenal compliment." Two booster groups, VISIT Milwaukee and Spirit Milwaukee, spearheaded the fundraising.

The youngest Jonas brother spent Tuesday lobbying Washington's power brokers on behalf of diabetes research -- starting with the big guy, President Obama. Nick Jonas, 16, stopped by the White House for a photo with the president and children who are living with diabetes. Then he headed off to Capitol Hill for a private meeting at the office of Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.). Jonas publicly revealed that he has Type 1 diabetes while performing at a Diabetes Research Institute fundraiser in 2007.

June may be the month of brides, but this is the month of television finales. Even as fans continue to debate the merits of last week's final episode of NBC's "Friends" and Thursday night's last episode of NBC's "Frasier," the next few days will bring the end of the WB's "Angel" and ABC's "The Practice."

Mary Tyler Moore has withdrawn from "Rose's Dilemma," the new Neil Simon play, scheduled to open off-Broadway in two weeks. Moore missed both the matinee and evening performances Wednesday, and her understudy, Patricia Hodges, went on, said Jim Byk, a spokesman for Manhattan Theatre Club. Hodges will continue in the role. Mara Buxbaum, a spokeswoman for Moore, did not return phone calls, and Simon declined to comment on the situation, spokesman Bill Evans said.

"The Love Boat" soon will be making another run. And welcome--or rather, welcome back--to "Fantasy Island." The '70s--already upon us, again, at the movie theater, in the clothing store and on the radio dial--are soon to be upon us, again, on television screens everywhere.