Who is your favorite pop culture dad?

On-screen dads we grew up with. (AP Photo Illustration/Jenni Sohn)

By CARYN ROUSSEAU
Associated Press (ASAP)

They might not be our own dads, but at times it sure seems like it.

Can't you just find yourself wishing Mike Brady wouldn't ground you? Hoping Ozzy Osbourne could take you along on summer tour? Or imagining what it would be like to have a light saber battle with Darth Vader?

The fathers of film and television each have their own way of dealing with their children, which got us wondering whether those ways are really all that different from real-life dads.

With Father's Day this Sunday, asap called Karen Sternheimer, a sociologist at the University of Southern California and author of ''It's Not the Media: The Truth About Pop Culture's Influence on Children,'' and asked her to evaluate the parenting of a few of Hollywood's favorite fathers.

___

DAD: Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable

APPEARED IN: ''The Cosby Show''

PARENTING SITUATION: His son, Theo, decides he doesn't want to go to college. Dr. Huxtable uses fake board-game dollars to teach Theo about his budget -- and that he'll need an education if he wants to be financially secure.

STERNHEIMER SAYS: ''What's interesting and why he certainly resonated in that scene and it's so famous... I think that especially for a lot of middle-class parents, they really struggle with wanting to make (their children) happy and on the other hand trying to teach them about money. I think that's a struggle that parents have in our consumer-oriented culture. I think one of the reasons that he was so effective was because he not only used humor, he was very blunt. He kind of vocalized what a lot of parents were afraid to say.''

___

DAD: Mike Brady

APPEARED IN: ''The Brady Bunch''

PARENTING SITUATION: Brady's oldest son Greg decides he needs his own room to get some privacy. The father lets Greg turn the den into a swinging 1970s bachelor pad.

STERNHEIMER SAYS: ''Here's a blended family. They don't have a lot of space. They've got six kids and they're living in a three-bedroom. I think before the middle of the 20th century there never would have been a thought, 'Oh, we need to get this kid his own space.' It reflects big economic changes of the time. It kind of reflects this idea, especially for boys, that they needed a little bit more independence. I just don't see 20 years before that time parents really putting that much effort into kids' sense of freedom, independence and happiness. So I think Mike Brady is a father of his times.''

___

DAD: Darth Vader

APPEARED IN: The ''Star Wars'' trilogy

PARENTING SITUATION: Darth Vader is absent from Luke Skywalker's life. After a fierce battle, Vader tells the young Jedi that Luke and Princess Leia are his son and daughter.

STERNHEIMER SAYS: ''He's kind of the ultimate absentee dad, huh? The interesting thing in the whole Darth Vader situation -- being his dad -- is he's his enemy. That in itself says a lot about fatherhood, where your arch enemy is your dad and you don't really know who he is and he's behind some scary costume. You don't know who he is. You just know scary exterior. There's this really big theme about an epic struggle between fathers and sons.''

___

DAD: Homer Simpson

APPEARED IN: ''The Simpsons''

PARENTING SITUATION: Lisa asks Homer if he will buy her a saxophone reed for her recital. Homer stops off at the bar on the way and doesn't get the reed for Lisa. In an effort to win Lisa's affection, Homer buys her a pony and takes on extra jobs to pay for the pony.

STERNHEIMER SAYS: ''He kind of represents the antithesis of 'Father Knows Best.' He's father knows least. I think he represents the struggles of a lot of people who aren't Super Dad. They have their flaws and they wear them proudly. He's kind of the lovable loser dad. He loves his kids, but he screws up regularly. He puts himself and his alcohol consumption first, quite often before his family. He doesn't work hard, but somehow he always gets by. I think people identify with him because he does have a good heart.''

___

DAD: Ozzy Osbourne

APPEARED IN: ''The Osbournes''

PARENTING SITUATION: Ozzy offers life lectures. In early episodes he talks to Kelly about getting a tattoo. He also tells Kelly and Jack: ''Don't drink,'' he says. ''Don't take drugs. If you have sex, wear a condom.''

STERNHEIMER SAYS: ''That was the big debate over the Osbournes. Here are these people who obviously haven't lived a straight-laced life. At the same time, I think people really responded that he really loved his kids. They were really authentic about who they were. I think they were really open about their beliefs. They're open about it in a way most people aren't. I think it made for good television. I think most parents aren't as open about their pasts or their experiences. People are really often anxious about talking about what they did with sex or drug or alcohol use.''

___

DAD: Clark Griswold

APPEARED IN: National Lampoon's ''Vacation''

PARENTING SITUATION: The Griswold family station wagon goes flying and crashes on the way to Walley World. Clark Griswold deals with the incident by sharing a beer with son, Rusty, who promptly chugs it down.

STERNHEIMER SAYS: ''There's always been this blurry line about alcohol, especially because so many religious traditions involve wine. This is, I think, a big issue that a lot of parents face now -- especially I think baby boomer dads who felt distance from their own dads -- to try to be more buddies with their kids or more friends with their kids than they were with their own dads. This whole idea of your kids are your equals or at least they're your buddies.''

Caryn Rousseau is an asap reporter based in Chicago