Retroality's "Reimagine That!" podcast, episode 5! ............................................................ Chris Mann's special guest, "Three's Company" star Richard "Larry" Kline, on John Ritter, James Franco ... and his & Chris's exclusive takes on this week's historic Joyce DeWitt/Suzanne Somers reunion

Episode 5: "The Impossible Dream"

On the eve of pop culture's historic Joyce DeWitt-Suzanne Somers peace summit, er, YouTube reunion following their legendary 31-year estrangement, "Three's Company" co-star Richard Kline -- TV's lovably libidinous Larry Dallas -- breaks his silence about their reconciliation and offers his insights into Suzanne's contentiou$ 1981 exit from their hit 1977-84 sitcom. The accomplished stage and screen actor/director/acting coach also reveals how he's coped with the loss of his dear friend,"Company" star John Ritter, who tragically passed away in 2003. As the breakthrough sitcom reaches its 35th anniversary this spring, Kline reveals his previous plans for a stage version of the wacky roommate farce and describes his experience as James Franco's special guest last year during the Oscar-nominated actor's bizzare Sundance presentation "Three's Company: The Drama." Finally, find out the hysterical comment Richard made to aPerezHilton.com story quoting Suzanne as saying that "everybody's gone from that show."

Also, host and "Three's Company" tell-all author Chris Mann offers an exclusive, in-depth historical analysis of Suzanne and Joyce's separation -- including Joyce's repeated efforts to reconcile in the last 15 years -- as well as failed attempts at/missed opportunities for "Three's Company" reunions from the mid-'90s onward. You won't get this detailed backstory anywhere else, folks!

Finally, our resident dream weaver Yvonne Ryba shares fascinating insights about inspirational dreams.

Host: Chris Mann

Announcer/"Kumbaya" singer: Linda Kay

Created by: Chris Mann

Producers: Linda Kay, Chris Mann

Copyright 2012 by Chris Mann/Retroality.TV (http://Retroality.TV)

Retroality.TV is Sitcoms Online's Click of the Week! (Chris Mann and Mannix ... together at last!!!)

A shout out to my friend Pavan, news & reviews director at SitcomsOnline, and his Digital Digest writer Skees, who kindly made my site Retroality.TV with Chris Mann their "Click of the Week"! 

Pavan's worked so hard to make Sitcoms Online and its news blog a big success, and I'm honored to have his support, particularly in a Kardashian-glutted, Bieber-ized, celebrity sound-bite-obsessed online media community that is not always supportive of growing enterprises trying to do something fun and different, let alone in-depth and informative. 

He broke the story about Suzanne Somers and Joyce's DeWitt's upcoming YouTube reunion days before other outlets rehashed Access Hollywood's PR-spun account. So please go to Sitcoms Online's site, subscribe to Pavan's blog, "like" Sitcoms Online's FB page, follow their/Pavan's tweets and otherwise support their endeavors! Thank you, Pavan!

"Shameless" plug

Check out my new delight! magazine TV Find piece on Showtime's Shameless. The Brady Bunch and Eight is Enough it ain't ... but I like it nonetheless ; ).

"Ally McBeal" star and "Two and a Half Men" vet Courtney Thorne-Smith's new fitness/"fooditude"

Check out my new cover story interview with the According to Jim star in the January issue of Wellbella magazine, available nationally through GNC stores.

The reality of doing good ... my new TV Find story in the December issue of delight! magazine

Read it here: http://online.delightmag.com/issue/48441/13

Fran Drescher on surviving cancer, returning to TV; Shemar Moore on surviving a near-fatal accident; Danica Patrick on staying fit and fighting COPD

http://basicmedia.imirus.com/Mpowered/book/vwb11/i10/p1

http://basicmedia.imirus.com/Mpowered/book/vmb11/i05/

http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1ty6g/Fall2011GetActiveMag

Launching a new podcast while juggling several other projects (some big, some small!) has its ups and downs. The ups: A new podcast and several other projects! The downs: Little sleep and totally forgetting to blog about some of my noteworthy celebrity health and fitness covers in the last six months or so!

With that said, enjoy the above stories on some of TV's favorite survivors and thrivers!

In case you were wondering ...

And I'm a fan o' Dianne!

There's a reason Dianne Kay was the sweetheart of a generation (or two ... or three, if you ask Dick Van Patten)! The ever-sparkling Eight is Enough star kindly gave us another shout-out on her fun and informative blog, which you can find on her groovy new web site, DianneKayProductions.com.

And she coined a fun new word, "Mannie" (hahaha! love it!) -- which makes me feel sorta-kinda '70s-Mike-Connors-cool. Which, by the way, is a first for me. I was anything but "Mannix" cool growing up in the '70s and '80s. In fact, trying to be so just made me "Mannix"-depressive.

But this fan-o'-Dianne is only happy and grateful today. Thanks a million, Dianne, and we look forward to hearing the latest and greatest about your in-the-works TV comedy Seconds and your other projects and musings in 2012!

Still an angel: my new interview with Cheryl Ladd

So pleased to share my new cover story on Charlie's Angels star Cheryl Ladd -- who, at age 60 (!), continues to shine as an actress, health advocate and now kickboxing grandma! -- in the December issue of Wellbella. This monthly magazine is available nationally at GNC stores and can also be read in its entirety here.

Retroality's "Reimagine That!" podcast, episode 4! ............................................................ Chris Mann's special guest, actress-writer Dianne Kay, on her in-the-works TV comedy "Seconds" and her life-saving psychic vision ALSO: Chris pleads to Oprah/Gayle: reimagine Agnes Nixon's "soaprahs"!

Retro pop meets forward thought as ebullient and enlightening "Eight is Enough" star Dianne Kay -- in part two of her exclusive, in-depth interview -- opens her heart about loving her TV siblings (including her "secret marriage" with Adam "Munch" Rich), working with Steven Spielberg on the set of his feature "1941" (and auditioning at her apartment with Mickey Rourke!!!), dealing with her garage sale addiction (hey, who stole her "8 is Enough" jigsaw puzzle?!?), being mistaken for a faux Betty Crocker, being overwhelmed by ugly reality TV (editor's note: "Kate Plus Eight is Enough!"), raising a teenage son in a hormonal household and developing her new half-hour, one-camera comedy series, "Seconds." In addition, Dianne shares with us her psychic vision that alerted her to her kidney cancer last fall and, in doing so, saved her life.

ALSO: Chris discusses changing media and changing times -- and beseeches Oprah to reimagine the "soaprah" and infuse her O brand of "retroality" drama and personal empowerment in half-hour versions of ABC's sadly-dumped "All My Children" and "One Life to Live." Fellow daytime icon/pioneer Agnes Nixon needs your help, Oprah -- please save all her children!

Chris also talks about the rapidly evolving book publishing world, the rules of which are shifting thanks to Amazon.com Inc. signing deals to publish high-dollar tomes with high-profile celebs ranging from "Laverne & Shirley" star (and fellow cancer survivor) Penny Marshall to New Age guru Deepak Chopra. Then Chris shares his short-lived book "negotiations" with late, legendary Hollywood press agent-business manager Jay Bernstein, who this fall celebrates the posthumous publication of his memoir, "Starmaker."

Offering insight about his "Come and Knock on Our" tell-all and his equally long-in-the-works "Price is Right" tell-all, Chris explains how journalistic, in-depth, "unofficial"/"unauthorized" TV books have become far and few between as the publishing industry, since the late '90s, has moved toward studio/network-commissioned, licensed (and therefore often "fluff-piece") TV books while television has taken over telling these boob-tube biographies. Hmmmm ... can you say, "multimedia e-book"?

Also: the return of Facebook's controversial group "Farrah Fawcett: We Want the Truth 2," a few parting thoughts about ABC's reimagined "Charlie's Angels" turducken, er, turkey, and what '80s TV icon ABC will likely "retool" next. (Goodbye, "Hot Bosley" ... hello, "Hot Belvedere"?)

Finally, in the fourth installment of a recurring "dream weaver" segment, dream interpreter/intuitive life coach Yvonne Ryba (http://YvonneRyba.com) shares two of her compelling, prophetic "death dreams" while encouraging listeners to reimagine their own reality by understanding the creative power of the mind.

For more on Dianne Kay, check out her new web site: http://DianneKayProductions.com and see Chris's site, http://Retroality.TV

Host: Chris Mann

Announcer/"Lassie" whistler: Linda Kay

Created by: Chris Mann

Producers: Linda Kay, Chris Mann

Copyright 2011 by Chris Mann/Retroality.TV (http://Retroality.TV)

Finally. The wait is over.

America's sexiest, most ageless love triangle is back.

Must. Read. Now.

The ever-delicious Carrie Fisher: Electroshock therapy caused memory loss. That, and 70-lb. cinnamon buns weighing down her hemispheres.

A shout out from (and to) Dianne Kay!

A big thank-you to the delightful Dianne Kay for giving me a kind shout-out on her fun and informative blog on her new, official website, www.diannekayproductions.com! 

It was my pleasure to interview Dianne for the new episode of my behind-the-scenes pop culture podcast, "Reimagine That!" Dianne is so easygoing and warm -- and her sense of humor and knack for storytelling made her the perfect guest for our new Retroality.TV audio show. Check out part 1 of Dianne's two-part interview in the YouTube file she's kindly embedded on her blog here, then peruse the rest of her site -- just like Ms. Kay, it's a real gem!

On that note, thanks to my podcast announcer/producer, Linda Kay (no relation -- it's a small world, indeed), for her stellar job in helping execute "Reimagine That!" Linda received a wonderful interview from Dianne in August for Linda's cool website, The C.A.P.E.R. Project, devoted to the cult '70s kids show The Kids from C.A.P.E.R. Dianne tells Linda all about working with the C.A.P.E.R. "kids" (they were grown men!) during her very first TV job: http://www.kidsfromcaper.com/actorsdiannekay.htm

Stay tuned for part 2 of Dianne's "Reimagine That!" interview, which will post within episode four of the podcast in late November.

Gratefully,

Chris Mann

P.S.: Here's a closer-up look at Dianne's kind words ...

Retroality's "Reimagine That!" podcast, episode 3! ............................................................ Chris Mann's special guest, actress-writer Dianne Kay, remembers "Eight is Enough" joy and tragedy ALSO: Nasty Nellie and Erin Walton go tête-à-tête, & Chris shares his "Family Feud" home game strife

Retro pop meets forward thought as "Eight is Enough" star Dianne Kay -- in part one of her exclusive, in-depth interview -- opens her heart about her TV dramedy co-stars, including Dick Van Patten, Susan Richardson, Adam Rich, Grant Goodeve, Betty Buckley, Connie Needham-Newton and the late Lani O'Grady and Diana Hyland. The upbeat and funny blonde beauty also talks about surviving kidney cancer last year as well as surviving the pitfalls of Hollywood. And for the first time ever, she talks about being suspended from an episode of "Eight is Enough" after standing her ground when show writers decided to make her character, Nancy, pose nude for an art gallery and then receive self-esteem talk from the Bradfords after they see the exhibit. (One word: Ewwww!)

ALSO: Chris discusses the upcoming literary event (tour?!?) titled "Good Girl vs. Bad Gir: Mary McDonough in conversation with Alison Arngrim," in which the respective authors of "Lessons from the Mountain: What I Learned from Erin Walton" and "Confessions of a Prairie Bitch" offer behind-the-scenes dish while discussing the events and issues that shaped them as women and as advocates.

Chris also reveals how the "Family Feud" home game brought strife to his house in the late '70s/early '80s, shares his cinammon bun-enhanced fascination with actress-author Carrie Fisher (who once followed him on Twitter -- come back, Carrie, come back!), talks about Showtime's hit new dramedy "Shameless," exposes his true feeling about having bowl-resistant hair in the Adam-Rich-bowl-a-riffic '70s, and previews his plans for an updated edition of his book "Come and Knock on Door" for the 35th anniversary of "Three's Company" in 2012. (James Franco, can we borrow your "Chrissy" wig?)

Finally, in the third installment of a recurring "dream weaver" segment, Chris encourages listeners reimagine their own reality with dream interpreter Yvonne Ryba (http://YvonneRyba.com).

Host: Chris Mann 

Announcer: Linda Kay 

Created by: Chris Mann 

Producers: Linda Kay, Chris Mann 

Copyright 2011 by Chris Mann/Retroality.TV (http://Retroality.TV)

Retroality's "Reimagine That!" podcast, episode 2! ............................................................ with Chris Mann's special guest star, Joyce DeWitt ALSO: why ABC's "Charlie's Angels" reboot got the boot and how under-fire Alana Stewart shut down Facebook's "Farrah Fawcett: We Want the Truth"

Retro pop meets forward thought as Three's Company star Joyce DeWitt, in the conclusion of her in-depth two-part interview, shares her spiritual insights, reveals her "All You Need Is Love"-inspired connection to Beatles-loving John Ritter and tells why she hasn't spoken to co-star Suzanne Somers in 30-plus years -- despite Joyce's repeated efforts to extend an olive branch. She also tells Retroality.TV editor, author and host Chris Mann her fond memories of co-stars Don Knotts, Norman Fell, Audra Lindley, Richard Kline, Priscilla Barnes, Jenilee Harrison and Ann Wedgeworth. And Joyce bares all about still being recognized for having a great pair of L'eggs.

ALSO: Chris dissects the cancellation of ABC's reimagined Charlie's Angels and previews his upcoming Wellbella cover story interview with original Angel Cheryl Ladd. And Chris breaks news about Alana Stewart and her attorneys shutting down the Facebook group "Farrah Fawcett: We Want the Truth" -- the same group that orchestrated a letter-writing campaign this summer that apparently led the California State Attorney General's office to open a reported investigation into the Stewart-helmed charitable organization The Farrah Fawcett Foundation. Finally, in the second installment of a recurring "dream weaver" segment, Chris encourages listeners reimagine their own reality with dream interpreter Yvonne Ryba (http://YvonneRyba.com).

Host: Chris Mann

Announcer: Linda Kay

Created by: Chris Mann

Producers: Linda Kay, Chris Mann

Copyright 2011 by Chris Mann/Retroality.TV (http://Retroality.TV)

EW- and GMA-Reunited ... and it feels so good

http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/10/06/this-weeks-cover-the-reunions-issue/

For more with these casts and 6 other TV and movie reunions -- including Aliens, Office Space, and Growing Pains -- pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, on stands Friday, October 7.

Retroality.TV's NEW podcast, "Reimagine That!" ............................................................ with Chris Mann's special guest star, Joyce DeWitt, dream weaver Yvonne Ryba and Retroality's story behind the Farrah Fawcett Foundation controversy

Retro pop meets forward thought as Retroality.TV editor, author and host Chris Mann interviews "Three's Company" star Joyce DeWitt about the late, great John Ritter, Priscilla Barnes, Suzanne Somers' and Charlie Sheen's acrimonious series exits, James Franco, Richard Kline, late "Three's Company" executive Don Taffner Sr. and more. Joyce gives her candid views on Hollywood's obse$ion with "reimagining" TV and movie hits, offers her light-hearted take on her current off-Broadway play "Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage" and tells how she reimagined her own life at age 35 when she embarked on a transformative spiritual odyssey when "Three's Company" ended.

ALSO: Retroality's story behind the story of controversy surrounding The Farrah Fawcett Foundation and its president, Alana Stewart. And, in the first of a recurring "dream weaver" segment, reimagine your own reality with dream interpreter Yvonne Ryba (http://YvonneRyba.com).


Host: Chris Mann

Announcer: Linda Kay

Created by: Chris Mann

Producers: Linda Kay, Chris Mann

Copyright 2011 by Chris Mann/Retroality.TV

http://reimaginethat.libsyn.com/

Stewart strikes back at ABC News, "disgruntled ex-employees" and "a--holes," says attorney general merely auditing Farrah Fawcett Foundation

http://www.showbiz411.com/2011/09/26/alana-stewart-responds-to-critics-of-farrah-fawcett-foundation

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/angel_share_8Fsa5N9rptqtN6HKpsxq3O

Alana Stewart says she is "looking into" legal action against ABC News for reporting the Farrah Fawcett Foundation -- which she helms -- is under investigation for fraud and other financial wrongdoing. She lashes back at Fawcett's "ex-employees" and "assholes" who she says have banded together on Facebook to malign her and the foundation. More on this developing story to come ...

ABC News: Farrah Fawcett Foundation under fire for potential money mismanagement and fraud (Retroality readers saw this coming months ago!)

ABC's reimagined Charlie's Angels isn't the only media-savvy enterprise relying -- and, for now, flying -- on the feathered wings of an iconic Hollywood original.

The network's news division is reporting that the Farrah Fawcett Foundation is under investigation by the California Attorney General's Office of Charitable Trust "for potential mismanagement of funds, diversion of assets, and fraud." ABC News also reports that the foundation and the Farrah Fawcett Living Trust, which finances the foundation, were given 60 days to turn over their estate planning documents and financial records to authorities. The deadline to do so is apparently sometime this month.

This news breaks just ten days after foundation president Alana Stewart -- who in media appearances is often billed as Farrah's best friend -- co-hosted with Fawcett's Angels co-star Jaclyn Smith the "Give Back Hollywood's Farrah Fawcett Foundation Pre-Emmy Cancer Benefit." 

From the Farrah Fawcett Foundation Facebook news page

That red-carpet affair, originally titled "Friends of Farrah," touted Ryan O'Neal, Raquel Welch, Cheryl Tiegs and Stewart's adult children with rocker Rod Stewart and George Hamilton as its celebrity guests.

Also there: Barbie designer Bill Greening, who signed copies of the new Black Label Collector Edition Farrah Fawcett Barbie Doll. An undisclosed percentage of proceeds from sales of the popular doll go to the Farrah Fawcett Foundation. According to a press release for the event, the foundation's mission "is to provide funding for alternative methods of cancer research, clinical trials, prevention and awareness with an emphasis on anal and pediatric cancers."

But Retroality reported in June that an impassioned group of Fawcett fans, led by Cathy Swango, organized a letter-writing campaign requesting that California's attorney general open an investigation into the Farrah Fawcett Foundation and her estate. 

We've also reported here that Farrah's Story producer Craig Nevius has previously pushed for the attorney general "to investigate the 'Farrah Fawcett Foundation' and interview a handful of Farrah's trusted friends and associates with respect to Farrah's knowledge and intent regarding this so-called 'charity.'" In court papers filed in March 2010, Nevius alleged that Fawcett "was not aware" of the existence of the foundation, which is "funded by Ms. Fawcett's assets" and with which O'Neal "recently announced he would be 'working.'"

http://retroalitytv.blogspot.com/2011/08/defamation-delusion-damaging.html

ABC reports Fawcett's college boyfriend and longtime friend Greg Lott "says the California Attorney General's office has been quietly interviewing friends, business associates and several beneficiaries of Fawcett since early July."

The network also reports that Stewart calls the investigation "outrageous." Stewart says the foundation -- which became active following Fawcett's tragic death from anal cancer in June 2009 -- is operating based on Fawcett's wishes. 

Also, according to the story

Richard B. Francis, the trustee of the estate and chairman of the foundation, as well as Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal's former business manager, calls the investigation a witch hunt and says the foundation has done nothing wrong. Nevertheless, he says the foundation is cooperating fully with the investigation.

 Witch hunt or "Angel" intervention? Stay tuned ...

From the Facebook group "Farrah Fawcett: We Want the Truth"

Thank you, La Lucci, for always going for the gold