Retroality.TV's kitschin' news blog

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

2012-02-01T03:33:00.000-08:00

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-

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

2012-01-25T13:31:00.000-08:00

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

"Shameless" plug

2012-01-09T12:55:00.000-08:00

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"

2012-01-02T13:41:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-18T18:14:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-08T13:27:00.000-08:00

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

In case you were wondering ...

2011-12-06T23:15:00.001-08:00

And I'm a fan o' Dianne!

2011-12-04T19:28:00.000-08:00

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 '

Still an angel: my new interview with Cheryl Ladd

2011-12-04T01:44:00.001-08:00

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"!

2011-12-01T14:17:00.001-08:00

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

Finally. The wait is over.

2011-11-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

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

Must. Read. Now.

2011-11-17T22:56:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-11-15T14:30:00.001-08:00

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

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

2011-11-11T17:13:00.001-08:00

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

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"

2011-10-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

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

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

2011-10-06T12:38:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-03T15:12:00.000-07:00

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 "

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

2011-09-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

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

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

2011-09-23T16:53:00.000-07:00

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

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

2011-09-23T01:56:00.000-07:00

Returning fall faves -- 'cuz May 2011 is sooooo retro

2011-09-04T17:50:00.000-07:00

Pleased to share my new TV Find feature in the Sept. issue of delight! magazine.

Bethenny Frankel gets real about health

2011-09-04T14:12:00.000-07:00

Check out my new Wellbella cover-story interview with reality star Bethenny Frankel.From New York “housewife” to entrepreneur, this popular author and TV personality opens up about balancing her hectic lifestyle with healthy choices that are possible for all of us. She’s single-handedly redefined not only the shrewd TV-housewife but the “reality star” at large, one skinny-minded business

Defamation? Delusion? Damaging despicableness? ............................................................ Part 2: Without foundation? O'Nealian accusations, securing Farrah's image and "rebranding the truth"

2011-08-06T05:52:00.000-07:00

Montage illustration by Chris Mann/Retroality.TV By Chris Mann As the ever-beloved Farrah Fawcett is yet again immortalized in likeness—this time as a wholesomely sexy Barbie doll commemorating her iconic 1976 swimsuit poster and benefiting an Alana Stewart-helmed cancer foundation in her name—the late TV angel’s embattled lover, Ryan O’Neal, keeps fighting to hold onto her multimillion dollar

Move over, Cunninghams! Seventies sitcom icon David Cassidy demands his share of 40 years of "Patridge Family" merchandising from Goliath Sony

2011-08-04T05:49:00.000-07:00

"I don't want to shame and embarrass and humiliate them, but I will if I have to," Cassidy told CNN. "You owe me a fortune -- you want to go to trial, big bad Sony against David Cassidy, go ahead."

Suzanne Somers on renaissance man James Franco's "Three's Company" revival, adopting (?) Chrissy Snow's "moral code"

2011-07-31T18:15:00.000-07:00

Suzanne Somers, like co-star Joyce DeWitt, says she was invited to see James Franco's Three's Company Sundance project in January, but declined due to a scheduling conflict. Too bad. Imagine the photo op of her posing with Franco and his Chrissy Snow wig at the after party. (Surely she could've squeezed a Thigh/Butt/Facemaster in the shot, too.) Also in this recent clip from Access Hollywood

Defamation? Delusion? Damaging despicableness? Part two coming next week

2011-07-27T01:55:00.000-07:00

Due in part to last-minute travel plans, part two of this story will be posted next week. Stay tuned!

Remake Schemake! Wonder Woman Lynda Carter, other '70s superwomen still kicking ass at 60-plus

2011-07-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

Today TV's Wonder Woman, actress-singer Lynda Carter, blows out 60 candles. That's right, she's 60! (Take that, Sally O'Malley!) This year Princess Diana would've turned 50. But the TV people's first princess, Diana Prince, was taking the world by storm a good ten years earlier. In fact, this Arizona-born beauty won the Miss World USA pageant in 1972. Three years later, a certain superheroine in

Defamation? Delusion? Damaging despicableness? ............................................................ From Ryan O'Neal's $30M Warhol docu-drama to CBS Corp.'s retro sitcom jackpot, celebrity image is everything in David-vs.-Goliath legal battles

2011-07-21T01:24:00.000-07:00

Montage illustration by Chris Mann/Retroality.TV Part one in a two-part story TV angel Farrah Fawcett sadly left us in June 2009, and Happy Days went to rerun heaven more than a quarter-century ago. But that's not stopping costly and increasingly nasty legal wars over the use—or alleged misuse—of the multimillion-dollar likenesses these cultural icons left behind. Fawcett's posthumous drama

Found! The "other" Far(r)ah Warhol

2011-07-16T23:00:00.000-07:00

University of Texas, will you settle for a Shahbanou Farah? We're pretty sure this one isn't hanging over Ryan O'Neal's bed. A little heavy on the blue eyeshadow, but, hey, it was the late '70s.

Sitcoms Online gets Janet on the phone (eat your heart out, Chrissy)! An excellent interview with "Three's Company" star Joyce DeWitt

2011-07-14T17:20:00.000-07:00

Joyce DeWitt and Maurico Perez in a scene from the off-Broadway play Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage. Photo by Jeremy Daniel Our friend Pavan Patel has done it again! The Sitcoms Online news director and blogger extraordinaire has snagged another exclusive interview with a Three's Company star. This time he offers up Seven Questions with TV's Janet Wood, actress Joyce DeWitt

"Teen Wolf" TV reboot's Holland Roden shares her health and beauty tips

2011-07-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

Read my new interview with Holland Roden.

Warhol, Warhol on the wall ... is the federal court the fairest of all?

2011-07-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2011/07/ryan-oneal-sued-over-missing-andy-warhol-portrait-farrah-fawcett The University of Texas has sued Ryan O'Neal over his possession of a pricey Warhol portrait of Farrah Fawcett that they claim is theirs per Fawcett's living trust. The only two of these portraits in existence hung in Farrah's Westwood home in her final years. O'Neal was omitted from

Casey Anthony: Best Actress in a Daytime Drama?

2011-07-08T00:29:00.000-07:00

Despite her recent prison storyline, Susan Lucci loses the Daytime Emmy yet again to a younger, bitchier, more prison-worthy actress.

Hello, Larry! SitcomsOnline interviews classic "Three's Company" star and stage vet Richard Kline ... and offers chance to win tickets to Joyce DeWitt's off-Broadway debut

2011-07-07T16:03:00.000-07:00

Our friend at Sitcoms Online, news director and blogger extraordinaire Pavan Patel, just published his new Q&A with Three's Company actor Richard Kline. In this fun and informative interview, TV's Larry Dallas offers his take on today's sitcoms, dishes on his secret game-show past and tells if he would do Dancing with the Stars or consider filming a Three's Company reunion with his surviving

Undercover Angel: Justice in UCLA patient privacy case years after Farrah sets up sting

2011-07-07T14:33:00.000-07:00

From a report today in the Los Angeles Times:UCLA Health System has agreed to pay $865,500 as part of a settlement with federal regulators Wednesday after two celebrity patients alleged hospital employees broke the law and reviewed their medical records without authorization. Federal and hospital officials declined to identify the celebrities involved. The complaints cover 2005 to 2009, a time

With liberty and justice for all ...

2011-07-04T17:12:00.000-07:00

Remembering the Bicentennial (and the libidinous late '70s in general)

2011-07-04T02:05:00.000-07:00

Who knew bicentennials could launch so many sexual innuendos? No matter what your race, creed, religion or Wessonality, we are all Florence Henderson's children. God bless America. You want fireworks? Gabe Kaplan will give you fireworks!

Recovery and reinvention: Look out Regis Philbin! Dr. Drew's "Loveline" co-star and addiction survivor "Psycho" Mike Catherwood is all cleaned up and fit to shimmy in the spotlight

2011-07-03T14:08:00.000-07:00

Check out my new cover-story interview with the humble shock jock in the July issue of Muscle & Body magazine. From my intro: Every soft-bellied, hard-living morning-show deejay propping yourself up on coffee, donuts, cigarettes and Jack Daniels: Meet your antithesis. Mike Catherwood, who co-hosts the popular, nationally syndicated call-in radio series "Loveline," isn't just the most

Finding Farrah: OWN star O'Neal says he owns Fawcett's missing $30M Warhol

2011-06-27T14:32:00.000-07:00

Ryan O'Neal is ready to defend himself in the case of the missing $30M Warhol, according to a new report on Radar Online. A rep for the star of the OWN cable network's The O'Neals -- which airs Sundays after the Duchess of York's docu-reality series Finding Sarah -- tells the website: “Ryan will clear his name. The University Of Texas is fully aware of the whereabouts of the painting. If he had

"Eight is Enough" star winning war against cancer

2011-06-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

As the world mourns the two-year anniversary today of Farrah Fawcett's death to anal cancer, we have some good news to share about another '70s TV blonde who is beating another form of the deadly disease. Dianne Kay, who played Fawcett friend Dick Van Patten's daughter Nancy on the 1977-81 ABC family dramedy, recently announced she has conquered kidney cancer and is staging a career comeback.

Alana Stewart defends Ryan O'Neal in Warhol controversy

2011-06-25T02:00:00.000-07:00

Farrah's friend Alana Stewart gives her take on Ryan O'Neal's controversial cancer comments as well as his possession of one of Fawcett's Warhol portraits (estimated at $30M). Stewart serves as president of The Farrah Fawcett Foundation and was a producer on Farrah's Story. She also is the author of the 2009 book My Journey with Farrah and recently received acclaim for her role in the independent

CBS to "Happy Days" cast members seeking their (fair?) share in merchandising jackpot: Sit on it!

2011-06-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

CBS has struck back at Happy Days cast members who've sued for money they say they're owed for series merchandising, including (oh, the irony) a recent slew of slot machines depicting their images. Here's an interesting CNN report from April: From CNN: "'Hollywood Hustle,' a story about celebrity merchandising controversies, will be part of a CNN Presents hour on August 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT."

Sharon Osbourne rips Ryan O'Neal a new one

2011-06-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

Ryan's Hope: Can Oprah's "soaprah" rescue Ryan O'Neal from his made-for-TV dramas? Or will allegedly violating Farrah Fawcett's "last will and testament" forever tarnish his "Love Story" legacy?

2011-06-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/missing-andy-warhol-portrait-farrah-fawcett-found-ryan-oneal-13911372 Outgoing daytime doyenne Oprah Winfrey's unwillingness to save Agnes Nixon's ABC soap institutions All My Children and One Life to Live took on multiple levels of irony this month with the arrival of her cable network's heavily-touted serialized docu-drama The O'Neals. This eight-episode "

Retroality Reimagined

2011-06-17T14:15:00.000-07:00

Long time, no blog! We at Retroality are happy to report we're back after a lengthy sabbatical, and just in time to celebrate our third anniversary this month. We've been rethinking, recharging, retooling, recreating -- oh, heck let's just say it, reimagining -- and we hope you'll like the relaunch surprises we plan to roll out this summer and fall. We begin anew next week with a detailed

Don't hi-at-us for going on hiatus!

2011-01-02T20:30:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011! We here at Retroality.TV are taking a break to work on some exciting new projects, including planning a third anniversary revamp of this site. We'll be back this spring (with lots of fun and surprises!), so please STAY TUNED ...

Fans to raise funds for awards campaign for "Welcome to the Rileys"

2010-11-29T15:55:00.000-08:00

Poster by graphic and video game designer Kol Crosbie. Guest Blog by Heather Willis Twitter: @twidictedteach “And the nominees are….” Movie studios spend millions of dollars to hear their films, actors and directors announced as nominees for Golden Globes and Academy Awards. For one movie, it is the fans who are planning a campaign for award consideration. The independent film Welcome to

Best. Cover. Ever.

2010-10-29T01:44:00.000-07:00

The proposed cover of Carrie Fisher's next book, out in June 2011.

Exclusive Q&A: TV and movie memorabilia go-to guy Joe Maddalena on hunting and finding studio-dispersed "Hollywood Treasure"

2010-10-27T03:44:00.000-07:00

In this exclusive chat with Retroality.TV, Profiles in History owner Joe Maddalena gives us the studio backlot back story behind his work as the entertainment industry's foremost TV and movie memorabilia auctioneer--all of which led to his starring role in the reality series Hollywood Treasure, premiering tonight on the SyFy network. In your estimation as the go-to guy for Hollywood

Sad Days: Tom Bosley doesn't live here anymore : (

2010-10-19T15:36:00.000-07:00

Tom Bosley with Linda Lavin and Jennifer Lopez in 2010's The Back-up Plan. Another day when Facebook welcomes you to the world with a big fat (though well-intentioned) beeyotchslap. Mr. Cunningham, I just the other night watched you offer counsel to Richie and Potsie after they dressed in drag. Now who will they turn to? RIP, Tom Bosley ... And if you see TV's other Bosley, David Doyle, on

Suzanne Somers turns free "Sex and the City 2" publicity into a "Breakthrough" cinematic event ... here's hoping she pays tribute to her "Three's Company" cast and crew mates felled by cancer

2010-10-16T04:02:00.000-07:00

UPI story link Happy birthday to Suzanne Somers, who celebrates her premiere on planet earth today by announcing a "cinema event" on Nov. 4 and 9 called The Suzanne Somers Breakthrough Tour. This after receiving free and invaluable publicity a few months ago for her 2008 book Breakthrough in the Sex and the City 2 film. Whatever you think of Suzanne's controversial views on cancer treatment

"Too Close for Comfort" actress Deborah Van Valkenburgh rocked last night's "The Event"--check out her 2009 reunion with lovely Lydia Cornell

2010-10-12T15:31:00.000-07:00

See Deborah at 21:30

I'm now writing for the same type of women's magazine that as a kid I hid under dog food at the grocery store (damn you, Connie Selleca!)

2010-10-06T21:46:00.001-07:00

My new Wellbella cover-story interview with Khloe Kardashian and Kris Jenner. I know what you're thinking: I've seen enough of the Kardashians at the grocery store. I'd hide their magazines under dog food, too. If only my preteen dilemma were that simple.As I look at Khloe Kardashian's sexy cover image (on the October issue of Wellbella, available at GNC stores nationwide, in case your

"TJ Hooker" back on cable TV! Finally, we get to see in Universal High Definition all of the Shat's hazardous exploits in L.A. law enforcement!

2010-10-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

Did somebody say "hooker"? Somebody's packing heat. From the episode (I'm not kidding) "Exercise in Murder." Time for a pat-down! Reimagined "Hooker" with sweaty aerobics and Sarah Palin! Yo, Adrian!

Exclusive preview! Goldberg at WrestleMania 27? "I'll wrestle anybody if they give me a six-month period of time to get ready," he tells Muscle & Body magazine's October issue

2010-10-01T01:15:00.000-07:00

Vince McMahon, listen up: Now's the time to nab Bill Goldberg for April's Wrestlemania 27. In my exclusive interview with the WWE icon-turned-reality TV staple (see NBC's Celebrity Apprentice, the Speed channel's Bullrun and DIY's Garage Mahal), Goldberg tells Muscle & Body magazine why he'd entertain a final encore in a business he left years ago--and what he'd need to do in the next six

That Girl is soooo Retroality: Marlo Thomas fuses her childhood story with the story of today's most popular comedians

2010-09-28T16:05:00.000-07:00

Check out the '70s icon's interview on today's Today Show--and her innovative, hip new web site, http://marlothomas.aol.com/.

Jason Ritter promises we won't get "Lost" in trying to figure out "The Event"

2010-09-27T13:31:00.000-07:00

Audra Lindley would so be giving Betty White a run for her money at age 92!

2010-09-24T03:10:00.000-07:00

Born 92 years ago today: the beautiful Audra Lindley. Decades before she rocked a red wig and a muu-muu as Three's Company's sex-starved landlady Helen Roper, she turned heads as a stand-in and a stuntwoman. And as an actress, this marvelous woman was a chameleon. Her body of work on stage, film and TV is as stunning as she was laugh-out-loud funny as Mrs. Roper. I'll never forget the time I got

Here's "The Situation" from a reality TV survivor: Give me a non-beetle-butt-munching Fonzie over a foul-mouthed, civilization-downfall-causing Snooki any day, says guest blogger

2010-09-22T01:34:00.000-07:00

Snooki and The Situation: I'd tell them to "Sit on it!" but they probably already have. Guest Shot blog by James DuBuc I want to meet the individual who created the modern-day boob-tube genre we call "reality television." I would love to sit with this person and hear the tale of how he or she came up with the idea of a show with no script, no paid actors, just cameras and regular folk like me

More kick-ass TV women: Olympic gold medalist (and "Law & Order" lover) Lindsey Vonn and "Unmatched" tennis icon Chris Evert in Get Active!

2010-09-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

We've brought you exclusive Q&As with TV's new butt-whoopin', retro-influenced tough chicks, The CW's reimagined Nikita star Maggie Q and Chase star Kelli Giddish (and Chase creator Jennifer Johnson, who credits Charlie's Angels and Kate Jackson for inspiring her as a young girl). Now here's a sneak peak at the kick-ass fall cover of Get Active! magazine featuring my cover-story interview with

Exclusive! Extras from my LA Times interview with ass-whoopin' "Chase" star Kelli Giddish

2010-09-20T19:16:00.000-07:00

If Angelina Jolie gives a new kick-ass name to Salt, then Chase star Kelli Giddish adds a sexy roundhouse kick to the phrase "salt of the earth." As U.S. Marshal Annie Frost, Giddish tackles the big, bad guys and the big, bad reality that her father--a long-on-the-run fugitive--is one of them. Here are outtakes from my interview with Kelli for my recent story about TV's Tough Chicks in the the

"Chase" executive producer Jennifer Johnson: How Kate Jackson inspired me as a girl, and how I hope Kelli Giddish inspires my young daughter

2010-09-20T17:37:00.000-07:00

In these outtakes from her interview for my Los Angeles Times fall preview story on TV's Tough Chicks, Chase creator and executive producer Jennifer Johnson tells how Charlie's Angels' Kate Jackson inspired her as a girl who loved to climb trees and chase--and be chased by--her brother. "I grew up watching Charlie's Angels and always wanted to be Kate Jackson because she was the smart one,"

More Angelina Jolie's Salt and less Angie Dickinson's Pepper: "These Women Like to Kick Some Tail"

2010-09-19T01:34:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to share my story in today's Los Angeles Times' Fall TV Preview section about TV's new ass-kicking chicks--namely Chase star Kelli Giddish and TV's reimagined Nikita, Maggie Q. Almost as exciting: that they left in my references to Police Woman and Charlie's Angels:And the 1976-81 series "Charlie's Angels" may return to ABC next spring, reimagined by "Smallville" creators Miles

Jason Ritter: Like father, like son

2010-09-17T02:04:00.000-07:00

The late, great John Ritter and his son Jason have more than talent, good humor and all-American appeal in common. In these clips, almost exactly 25 years apart, they both talk about Jason's appearance in Three's Company's opening credits! John (seen here in 1985 with Johnny Carson) is no doubt looking down and smiling big today--on (what would've been) his 62nd birthday. Jason's new series,

"I didn’t pop out of my mom’s womb and land in a karate school": Maggie Q, TV's reimagined "Nikita," talks "Asianness," ass-kicking and exhaustion in these Los Angeles Times interview outtakes

2010-09-15T00:47:00.000-07:00

Ben Mark Holzberg/The CW CW's re-imagined Nikita just kicked some serious ass--in the Nielsen ratings. The premiere last Thursday drew about 3.6 million viewers--around 200,000 more lookie-loos than caught its hit lead-in, The Vampire Diaries. Nikita also attracted enough 18-34-year-old women to rival the young network's all-time record in that demo for original programming in its primetime

America, vote for Prince Poppycock!

2010-09-14T02:39:00.000-07:00

Save Betty White! She's frickin' 88 years old!

2010-09-13T15:17:00.001-07:00

In loving memory of John Ritter--the man, the magic, the master!

2010-09-11T02:23:00.000-07:00

"Brady Brady Brady": Here's the story of an oft-old story ... never told with quite this much authority

2010-09-10T01:24:00.000-07:00

Guest Shot blog By Jude Cormier When I first heard that a book called Brady, Brady, Brady was coming out, my first thought was, "What? Another book on The Brady Bunch? Hasn't that subject been covered to death?" And I say that as a die-hard fan. Then I saw who the authors were to be: Sherwood Schwartz and his son, Lloyd J. Schwartz, the two guiding hands behind the Brady family throughout

"Baywatch" babe Nicole Eggert: kicking depression, FunnyOrDie.com and loving her older, wiser self

2010-09-07T21:27:00.000-07:00

Check out my new interview with Nicole Eggert in the September issue of Wellbella magazine: "I can't get out of a bikini now to save my life," says former "Baywatch" babe Nicole Eggert, now 38. It's a most ironic statement from the '90s blonde bombshell who last year ended her two-year public seclusion by letting it all hang out in a gutsy Funny orDie.com video spoofing a not-so-svelte figure

Just in case you were thinking of wearing white shoes after today ...

2010-09-06T15:07:00.000-07:00

Also, here's a longer version with Kathleen Turner's kick-ass line "SUZANNE SOMERS, this is my BAD SIDE!"

Remembering Tulsa's late Admiral Twin Drive-In: The not-always-happy daze and eerily liberating nights of an Oklahoma outsider

2010-09-04T23:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday one of my generation's favorite spooky-sexy-kitschy childhood haunts, made famous in Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 film The Outsiders, sadly went up in flames ... hours before showing The Final Exorcism. (Hello!) But though Tulsa's (and Route 66's) historic Admiral Twin Drive-In has died at age 60--generous donations may rebuild the eight-story edifice by next May--its celluloid-worthy

"Alice" waitress Jolene chokes at a restaurant ... you'd think working at Mel's Diner would've turned her off on eating out

2010-08-25T02:18:00.000-07:00

Celia Weston gets a lump in her throat. Could it be Mel's greasy spoon? The wonderful, terrific, amazing Celia Weston is pure comedic perfection playing Jason Lee's momma Paula in TNT's summer dramedy Memphis Beat. Paula sells cosmetics door-to-door while dispensing motherly advice in her trademark Southern drawl. In this scene from the Aug. 17 episode "Don't Be So Cruel," the former Alice star-

Bitten by a vampire ... addiction

2010-08-24T04:04:00.000-07:00

Guest blog by Heather Willis Twitter: @twidictedteach My two favorite Twilight books, Vampire Diaries bag and my Team Damon pillow made from a T-shirt It all began with a choice. Maybe it wasn’t a choice, exactly, but was actually fated to be. For years, I had heard my high school students talk about the Twilight series. I never had the urge to read the books, even after my newspaper students

Saturday night dead: Why the Bionic Woman, Shirley Partridge and a onetime-"Alice" waitress are still the boob tube's most dramatic storytellers

2010-08-23T01:13:00.000-07:00