{alltv} 2011 full of key anniversaries

HOLLYWOOD -- It may not be as sexy-sounding as a 2000 or as tidy or well-rounded as 2010, but the year 2011 still holds plenty of significance where pop culture anniversaries are concerned.

In fact, the next 12 months are chockfull of notable milestones, especially when it comes to movies and TV shows or music that burst upon the scene a full half-century ago.

The "11" part just makes it harder to do the math.

Among those motion pictures that will be celebrating the big 5-0:

The Misfits, the Marilyn Monroe-Clark Gable drama that would prove to be the last film for both; Paul Newman's pool-hall classic, The Hustler, the gripping Second World War epic, The Guns of Navarone; and Akira Kurosawa's influential Japanese "Western," Yojimbo.

Meanwhile, over on the small screen, TV viewers welcomed the arrival of such soon-to-be-classics as The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Avengers, plus the duelling medic shows, Dr. Kildare and Ben Casey.

Expect to hear a lot regarding the above over the course of the year, but maybe not so much about Mothra, Snow White and the Three Stooges and Car 54, Where Are You?, which are also celebrating their golden anniversaries.

Going back farther -- 75 years ago to be exact -- the silver screen was ushering in the William Powell-Carole Lombard screwball classic, My Man Godfrey; one of Fred and Ginger's finest, namely Swing Time, and Gary Cooper starring in Frank Capra's Mr. Deeds Goes to Town.

The year in question, 1936, also saw the first radio broadcast of The Green Hornet and the publication of Billboard Magazine's first hit parade.

Casey Kasem was all of four years old at the time.

Some 40 years ago, America heard the sound of its first flushed TV toilet (make that "terlit") thanks to Archie Bunker and All in the Family, which took the boob tube by storm in '71.

Also making a splash was Columbo and his rumpled raincoat; while the Brian Piccolo story had folks all choked up thanks to the TV movie, Brian's Song.

Over in movie theatres, Clint Eastwood took on the punks in the first of five hit Dirty Harry outings, while -- cue the wah-wah guitar -- Richard Roundtree's John Shaft was the "black private dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks."

It was three decades ago this year that Spielberg and Lucas updated the movie serial with a little something they liked to call Raiders of the Lost Ark, while audiences also flocked to see Cannonball Run, Stripes and Arthur.

Bad boy comedian Russell Brand, incidentally, puts his own unique, spin on the latter later this April.

On TV screens, viewers were glued to Dynasty and The Royal Wedding (Charles & Diana edition), while youngsters' attention spans would forever be altered due to the arrival of MTV.

Hard to believe, but it was 25 years ago that L.A. Law, Crime Story and Perfect Strangers were ruling prime time while Oprah Winfrey was about to change the face of daytime.

And at the movies, we were shovelling popcorn in our mouths, taking in Top Gun, Crocodile Dundee, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Platoon.

OK, now who's feeling old?

Anyone"¦? Anyone"¦? Bueller"¦?