Whether you're old enough to remember the animated stick figures dancing around the cigarette pack or just young enough to know only the big swooshing lettering written on the satin heart, you probably have seen an episode of "I Love Lucy" at some point in your life. This is truly a TV series for all time, all seasons, all generations and all age groups. There were been many reasons "Lucy" quickly rose to the top and stayed there for the better part of the 1950's...not the least of which was the skillful portrayal of Lucy Ricardo by Lucille Ball. Lucy got her own TV show constructed around her skills as a comedic actress after her radio series "My Favorite Husband" was successful. Before that, she spent the prior 17 years as a chorine and B-movie actress with 68 films to her credit.

The historical perspective is important when you consider how quickly and how far Amanda Bynes, the actress who has been hailed as "the next Lucy", has progressed in her career. To this point Amanda has starred or been featured in three television series, made dozens of guest appearances, and  won three awards conferred to her from her loving fans. Amanda Bynes is now 16 years old. When Lucille Ball, who started "I Love Lucy" in 1951 at age 40, was 16, she had just flunked out of drama school and was taking jobs as a waitress and a print advertising model. Lucy was huge, but can you imagine how much more huge she would have been had she had the kind of head start Amanda did? 

There are many new teenage actresses this TV season competing for your favor, including Brittany Snow and Vanessa Lengies of "American Dreams", Kaley Cuoco of "8 Simple Rules...", Emily Van Camp of "Everwood", and Caitlin Wachs of "Family Affair". When you add Amanda Bynes into that mix, all bets are off. She is the total package. Nobody her age possesses as deep -- or Lucy-like, if you will -- a skill set as she does. She can do standup. Funny voices. Characters. Improv. Broad physical comedy. Subtle farce. Serious acting. Even romantic scenes. Although the attack and the mix varies from project to project, there's one constant running throughout: Amanda's truly incredible physical beauty. Like Jennifer Love Hewitt and Drew Barrymore before her, Amanda has gone from little TV tyke to wow-inducing bombshell-in-waiting almost overnight.

Is it any wonder, then, that young actress' #1 role model, as described at left, is the woman she's been unanimously compared to in her role as Holly Tyler on "What I Like About You"? Yes, Lucille Ball. Amanda has said that she's not consciously trying to imitate Lucy's behavior to the letter, but Amanda adds enough of her own zest and zing to the role of Holly that it seems more like an upgrade rather than a note-for-note copy. In fact, Amanda's already copied Lucy...on "All That", in episodes 470 and 481, she played Lucy Ricardo in sendups called "I Luv Lucy" and "I Luv Repairman". The first was a pretty straightforward replication with Lucy and Ethel (Lori Beth Denberg) getting the better of an intruder in the apartment, but the second veered off into "All That" territory with the inclusion of Kel Mitchell's Repairman character. Both were kept afloat by Amanda Bynes' remarkable take on Lucy, with all her mannerisms and foibles intact, and loving nods to some of the series' more memorable moments. Imitating anyone is tough, but Amanda got every little detail of Lucy's attitude absolutely correct -- and at age 12, this has to be considered as one of "All That"'s greatest comedic performances ever.

Lucille Ball revolutionized television. She broke so many barriers and made us laugh so hard doing it. Now, 50 years later, we finally have an actress truly worthy of the title "the new Lucy". And when all is said and done regarding what will almost certainly be a brilliant career for Amanda Bynes, the possibility is there for a body of work that may eclipse Lucy's in every way imaginable.