COVINGTON - Donna Salyers didn't grow up wearing furs - neither faux, nor
real. She did, however, grow up with a grandmother who could whip a mighty stitch, and under her tutelage Salyers learned
to do the same.
"I was just one of those little kids who like to sew," Salyers said. "I loved pretty clothes and I
was from a poor family, and if I was going to have them, I thought, I'll learn to sew, and I'll make them."
She not only made her own clothes, but became an expert on how others
might do the same.
In 1974, Salyers, who grew up in Northern Kentucky and graduated from Dixie Heights High School
in Crestview Hills, wrote a letter to the editor of the local paper saying that publication's sewing column wasn't up to par.
"I
said the column in your paper is so bad even I could write a better column," Salyers said. "They called me and said, 'We wish
you would.' I wrote six samples, and I remember thinking I've never written anything but a letter to the editor."
But
lack of experience didn't matter and for the next 17 years Salyers wrote a weekly sewing column, "Sewing, Etc.," for Gannett
newspapers. She also made guest appearances on sewing segments for a cable television show that was taped in New York City.
"I would go to New York to do these shows and I
thought everybody in the whole town had a fur coat but me," Salyers said.
So, Salyers made her own fur coat.
Because
she had been writing the column for so long, she had some good contacts in the textile business. As a result, she was able
to get her hands on good quality faux fur.
"People would just marvel at that coat," Salyers
said. "After about four or five years I'd worn that coat so many times and so many people had tried it on, and I thought I'm
getting rid of it and I'm buying a fur coat today."
But, as it turned out, Salyers plan changed with the turn of a
radio dial.
Salyers was listening to radio commentator Paul Harvey talk about a toy manufacturer in London who took
litters of kittens, skinned them, then used their fur to make teddy bears.
"I thought, I don't want a fur coat," Salyers
said. But she wanted the look of fur, and she thought others might, too.
Salyers bought an ad in a sewing publication
and sold sewing kits for her fur coat. In 1989, her first year of business, she earned $300,000. This year, Fabulous Furs
will earn more than $10 million.
Celebrity List
"Do you know who Ice T is?" asked Salyers.
"I didn't."
But Salyers soon found out, when the rap star became a customer. As it turns out, Ice T and his wife Coco
purchased three custom bed throws from Fabulous Furs for their home which was featured on MTV's "Cribs," a television program
that gives viewers a glimpse into celebrities' far-from-humble abodes.
Fabulous Furs established celebrity appeal early
on. Actress Loretta Swit of the sitcom M*A*S*H contacted Salyers after reading about her in an article in the San Francisco
Chronicle.
"She read about us in the Chronicle and said, 'I want one of your coats, but I don't know how to sew,'"
Salyers recalled. "I told her I'd turn it over to the ready-to-wear department. So, of course I'm in my kitchen making it
that night."
Swit showed the coat to her friend, actress Stefanie Powers,
who contacted Salyers and asked her to bring some of her coats backstage while she was in town performing "Love Letters."
. . .
Los Angeles Times January 22, 2006 By Jube Shiver, Jr
Celebrities Capitalize on Star Power in D.C. More performers are lobbying about issues unrelated to their day jobs.
The famous get their egos stroked, while their causes receive publicity.
WASHINGTON — In four decades as a guitarist with such iconic rock bands as the Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash &
Young, David Crosby played in front of millions of fans at such venues as Woodstock, the Fillmore East, the Hollywood Bowl
and London's Wembley Stadium.
Lately, one of his regular gigs has been at one of the nation's most elite clubs: the U.S. Senate.
Last year, the shaggy-haired, 64-year-old musician donned a suit in lieu of his usual bluejeans to lobby the Senate Committee
on Indian Affairs, seeking to thwart plans to expand Chumash casinos and commercial developments near his home in the tranquil
Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County. On another occasion, Crosby opined to lawmakers on campaign finance reform.
"Being a celebrity cuts both ways in Washington," Crosby said. "In some ways it gets you access. But in other ways it makes
people dismiss you. You have to be insanely careful about what you say."
Crosby is part of a growing parade of celebrities trekking up Capitol Hill to talk to the nation's lawmakers about issues
that rarely have anything to do with their day jobs. Trying to get attention for pet causes easily lost in the clutter of
public policy debates, stars hope their cachet can make the difference in opening doors, getting media attention and scoring
face time on C-SPAN.
During the last year, Washington's show has starred actress Salma Hayek testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee
on domestic violence about how she became familiar with the issue researching a movie role. Jazz musician and New Orleans
native Wynton Marsalis told the House Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management how
important it was to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.
Actress and AIDS activist Ashley Judd spoke to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the need to develop an HIV vaccine
for Africa. Actor Don Cheadle, who starred in the movie "Hotel Rwanda" set in that country's 1994 civil war, joined five members
of Congress on a fact-finding mission to learn about refugees in Sudan.
When it comes to hobnobbing with lawmakers, U2 frontman Bono ranks as Washington's reigning celebrity lobbyist. House Minority
Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) is a frequent guest at the band's concerts. In October, Bono lunched for 90 minutes
with President Bush at the White House, where the two discussed debt relief, AIDS, malaria and world trade, White House Press
Secretary Scott McClellan said.
"More and more celebrities are lobbying for particular causes," said Darrell West, a professor of political science at
Brown University and author of the book "Celebrity Politics." "They attract the TV cameras, and celebrities are great fundraisers."
For celebrities, testifying and lobbying in the nation's capital offers the ego stroke of being taken seriously on important
issues, and a chance to make headlines for something other than their latest loves or public mishaps.
In an e-mail to the Los Angeles Times, actress Mary Tyler Moore said her lobbying on behalf of the Diabetes Research Foundation
stemmed from her own experiences as a diabetic. Having the disease "has fueled my desire to help … find a cure," Moore
said.
After actor Michael J. Fox testified on Capitol Hill in 1999 about his battles with Parkinson's disease, lawmakers urged
the National Institutes of Health to intensify the government's search for better treatments. Since then research grants for
Parkinson's have jumped more than tenfold from $25 million to as much as $300 million this year, said Robin Elliott, executive
director of the Parkinson's Disease Foundation.
"In a television culture, celebrity has become crucial to advancing all kinds of causes," Elliott said.
But it also can often backfire when it appears a celebrity is simply fronting for an issue in which he or she has no special
expertise.
In 2002, Sen. George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio) walked out of a Senate subcommittee hearing on the environmental effect of mountain
mining when Kevin Richardson, a Kentucky native and member of the Backstreet Boys singing group, was called as a witness.
Voinovich told reporters the proceedings had turned into "a joke."
Lou Diamond Phillips, star of such films as "La Bamba" and "Young Guns," said it was unfair to assume celebrities were
unqualified to testify. Phillips said he met resistance when he testified in 2002 about extending veterans benefits to Filipinos
who had fought in World War II. Phillips is part Filipino and the son of a war veteran.
"It upsets me that people don't think we have the right to speak out," Phillips said in an interview. "We are citizens
like everybody else. I made it certain to the senators that I was no carpetbagger."
When Crosby testified last summer on the tribal development plans, Connecticut blogger Edward Janusz questioned his qualifications.
"Mr. Crosby seems like an intelligent person," Janusz said in an interview. "But I'm more inclined to listen to people
who are personally involved and have some expertise."
Congressional hearings for decades were mostly dominated by nondescript government, industry and academic experts. Stars
called to testify typically were asked about issues directly related to the entertainment industry, such as when the House
Un-American Activities Committee in the 1940s investigated alleged Communist infiltration of Hollywood.
Credit former top Hollywood lobbyist Jack Valenti and Washington lawyer Michael Gardner with helping demonstrate during
the 1980s the clout celebrities could have on Capitol Hill. They mobilized some of Hollywood's biggest names to counter government
efforts to end financial syndication rules that forbade broadcasters from owning any of the TV programs they aired.
Valenti squired Warren Beatty,
Stefanie Powers, Charlton Heston and Kirk Douglas to Washington to testify, lobby and pose for snapshots with star-struck lawmakers.
Gardner took Mary Tyler Moore, Alan Alda and Jean Stapleton to make the rounds of federal regulators who were siding with
the TV networks in favor of the rule change.
In the end, the beleaguered television networks were outmatched by Hollywood's star power.
Financial syndication rules were preserved for nearly a decade before a judicial ruling ended them in the early 1990s.
Valenti, who retired in 2004 as head of the Motion Picture Assn. of America after 38 years, has a relatively simple explanation
for why celebrity testimony can be so effective: Congressional hearings are dreadfully dull.
"Most people come in and duck their heads and read their testimony and leave no lasting impression," he said.
But by virtue of their star power and training, Valenti said, "actors can give Oscar-winning performances."
The Desert Sun February 7, 2006 Kimberly Nichols
A record number of 1,650 guests, including emcee Debbie Reynolds and celebrity presenters Shirley MacLaine
and Angela Lansbury, turned out for the Desert AIDS Project's 12th annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards Saturday at the
Palm Springs Convention Center.
Jazz and Broadway singing stars Ann Hampton Callaway and her sister Liz Callaway were flown in from
New York at the last minute to perform their classy show, "Sibling Revelry."
They provided seamless companionship to the already star-studded roster of HIV/AIDS supporters.
It was MacLaine's second appearance in Palm Springs in 40 years after breaking the drought as an honoree
at last month's Palm Springs International Film Festival. Besides coming from her home near Santa Fe, N.M., to support a good
cause, she said she was well treated on her last visit.
"I've had contour wraps and massages in places I didn't know I had," MacLaine said.
A simple and elegant cabaret themed room of black, white and red décor provided a sense of intimacy.
A sea of black and white tuxes and flashy ball gowns lent a touch of New York to the highly-anticipated annual event that
raises money for people in the Coachella Valley living with HIV/AIDS.
"The best part of this evening is the fact that every penny, for everything from staples to stamps,
was underwritten by generous people," said co-chair Bill Jones, owner of Carousel Catering. "We will raise an unprecedented
$700,000 tonight, all going directly to DAP client services. We live in a community that has the most incredibly generous
people I have ever seen in my life. They give of themselves and their money and their time unlike I have ever seen. Without
them, this evening would never happen."
These underwriters include Wells Fargo, Earl Greenburg and David Peet, Private Bank of North America,
Harold Matzner, Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Tom Bombardier and John Fowler, Walgreens, John Bowab, Tim Hanlon
and Anthony Klatt, Jim and Jackie Lee Houston, Bill Jones, Bob Jones of Davey's Hideaway, Virginia Milanovich, Joseph Roman
and Mark Wilson, and Union Bank of California.
Co-chair Tim Hanlon, who is the president of Wells Fargo Foundation, said "We at Wells Fargo wanted
to cement our relationship with DAP and build on our already successful partnership with the organization that houses the
Wells Fargo HIV Health Center."
The fundraising didn't stop. At two points in the evening, surprises were announced. Susan Unger, a
DAP board member, announced the inception of DAP's 100 Women donor club, which is made up of women leaders across the valley
that include Peggy Cravens, Dr. Wendy Roberts, Edra Blixseth and Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia. A check was presented to roaring
applause as members of the 100 Women Founders Circle stood throughout the room.
Reynolds set the jovial tone for the evening when she appeared to welcome guests while they dined on
bleu cheese salad wedges. As she introduced co-chairs Bill Jones and Hanlon, photos of the two men flashed on the screen,
only Hanlon's was a photo of his drag queen alter ego Summer. "Oops," said the voice of god from the wings. This set the tone
for the night, which was all about a diverse community of gay and straight gathering together in hopes to combat the chronic
disease of HIV/AIDS with humor, dedication and companionship.
Lansbury presented the Arts & Activism Award to Tom Viola of New York's Broadway Cares. Russ Russell,
DAP board president, gave the award to Partners For Life honoree Dr. Burt Fogelman who volunteers daily at the organization.
Bill Jones introduced the Warner Engdahl Community Service Award to Marv and Carol Sholl, saying, "Marv is the kindest, gentlest
man I know married to the classiest broad I have ever met in my life."
The Sholls, whose son Barry died from complications from HIV/AIDS, have been involved with DAP as volunteers
and donors for more than a decade.
A dinner of Asian braised short ribs was followed by a performance by Erasure. At a VIP cocktail party
the night before the Chase at the Palm Springs Art Museum, Erasure lead singer Andy Bell mentioned that he had watched AIDS
devastate his close community of friends, and that he was thrilled to be in Palm Springs donating his time for the organization's
efforts.
"Andy and Paul (Hickey) and Vince came all the way from London for free to be here tonight," said Bill
Jones. The band performed their best-loved hits "Chains of Love," "Savannah Song" and "Respect" to a cheering crowd. MacLaine
then took the stage to award Dr. Mathilde Krim with the Science and Medicine Award. Krim is a founder of amFAR, the American
Foundation for AIDS Research. The Callaway Sisters topped off the gala with a performance as guests mingled and drank coffee
before heading home.
Also in attendance were Michael Childers, Mayor Ron Oden, EQCA Executive Director Geoffrey Kors, Patrick
Mundt and Mike Hutchison of Contempo Homes, Denise Brown, Jaime Kabler, Arlene Rosenthal, comedian Bruce Vilanch, actors Stefanie Powers and Tippi Hedren and Palm Springs Art Museum Executive Director Janice Lyle.
February 15,
2006
ROCKFORD
FILES, THE – SWING INTO SUMMER WITH MORE ROCKFORD!
Posted by
David Lambert
The Rockford
Files – Season 2 is coming to DVD on June 13th.Suggest Retail
Price is 39.98 for a 3-DVD set with 22 episodes from 1975-76 presented in the original full screen video.James Garner starred in this Stephen J. Cannell series, and the second season had gobs of guests like Ken
Swofford, Linda Evans, Gerald McRaney, Joe E. Tata, Robert Hays, Dana Elcar, Boble Willingham, Bruce Kirby,
Stefanie Powers, Joan Van Ark, Charles Napier, Stacy Keach Sr., Isaac Hays, Dick Butkus, Rob Reiner, John
Saxon, Michael Ansara, William Daniels, Ron Silver, Louis Gossett Jr., Jayne Kennedy, Veronica Hamel and Gordon Jump.
We’ll
be back in the not-too-distant future with more details and cover art, just as soon as Universal provides them.Stay tuned!
Feb 15, 2006 Court TV QUINTANA'S LITIGIOUS PAST UNDER FIRE
PARIS HILTON is not the first celebrity BRIAN QUINTANA has accused of harassment, in the 1990s he hit HART TO HART star
STEPHANIE POWERS will similar legal action - but he denies making a habit of lawsuits.
The celebrity socialite was slapped with a restraining order at Los Angeles Superior Court last week (07FEB06), after complaints
from promoter Quintana that she'd branded him a "lazy Mexican" and was ruining his business.
In 1995 Quintana sought a similar judgement against Powers when he worked for a charity linked to the flame-haired actress,
insisting she would get him drunk and force him to get into bed with her.
Just as Quintana claimed Hilton made threatening calls warning him to stay away from her boyfriend STAVROS NIARCHOS, the
party organiser said he began to receive threats from Powers' entourage.
He told US tabloid the Globe in 1995, "The calls said, 'Watch your back.' He warned, 'You should be - you're a dead man.
You sure messed with the wrong woman.'"
Quintana is adamant he takes no pleasure from filing lawsuits against celebrities.
He tells the New York Daily News, "That's ridiculous. It advances my business in no way, and it actually hurts it.
"Look at how litigious Paris is and how many criminal investigations there are involving her. You know, this is the MO
(modus operandi) of numerous celebrities who think they're above the law and the little guys who should just go away."
Quintana's case against Powers was dropped when Powers submitted legal documents proving she was overseas for most of the
period Quintana claimed the abuse took place.
New York Daily News
February 15, 2006
by Rush & Molloy
Here's why a fight with Paris invokes separation of Powers
Hold the phone! The messages Brian Quintana claims Paris Hilton left seem similar to ones he says he got 10 years ago.
Los Angeles party promoter Brian Quintana claimed victory last week when a judge granted him a restraining order against
Paris Hilton. But for Hollywood scenesters with long memories, the whole situation seemed somewhat … familiar.
Ten years ago, Quintana sought a restraining order against Stephanie Powers, claiming the "Hart to Hart"
star groped and battered him and forced him to have sex.
At the time, Quintana was working loosely with a charity headed by the actress, and said she would ply him with booze and
force him into bed with her. Then he said he started getting threatening phone calls, similar to those he claims to have had
from Hilton and her pals recently.
"The calls said, 'Watch your back,'" Quintana told the Globe about Powers in 1995. "He warned, 'You should be — you're
a dead man. You sure messed with the wrong woman.'"
Some insiders have snarked that Quintana gets a kick out of filing claims against people more famous than he is.
"That's ridiculous," Quintana retorted. "It advances my business in no way, and it actually hurts it. Look at how litigious
Paris is and how many criminal investigations there are involving her. You know, this is the M.O. of numerous celebrities
who think they're above the law and the little guys who should just go away."
Powers produced affidavits proving she was out of the country during most of the period Quintana alleged the abuse, and
the restraining order was dropped soon after.
In 1998, Quintana clashed with the family of the late Pedro Zamora, a "Real World" cast member who died of AIDS in 1994.
Quintana claimed to have befriended Pedro and joined the board of directors of his AIDS charity, but soon after Zamora's death,
his friends and family said Quintana was running the charity against their wishes and siphoning off money. The Zamora family
was also displeased with a sexual assault investigation involving Quintana. A gay acquaintance of Quintana's claims Quintana
"placed his hand inside me" when he refused him sex.
But the party promoter asserts, "I have never been convicted of anything sexual in behavior."
He does admit that he was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon after trying to mow down his landlord and two friends
with his car during a rental dispute.
"I've made some mistakes and I've done my penance," he says.
Paris' attorney Howard Weitzman advised her not to appear in court so "she wouldn't lend credibility to Quintana, and to
avoid a media circus," says a source.
Real royalty? Who's countin'?
Saturday, March 11, 2006 Courier-Journal (KY) Double the fun By David Inman
Dear David: Several years ago I saw a movie with Stefanie Powers playing a dual role as twin sisters who switched identities.
In one scene she danced to the song "I'm So Excited." Can you please tell me the title and if this movie is available on VHS
or DVD? -- Mary Jo, by e-mail
Dear Mary Jo And what could be more exciting than Stefanie Powers dancing to the music of The Pointer Sisters?
That's the 1985 TV movie "Deceptions," with Powers as Sabrina Longworth. Oh, and also as Stephanie Roberts! Oooooooh! The
cast also includes Jeremy Brett and Barry Bostwick. It's on DVD.
ic coventry.co.uk
North Warwickshire
March 24, 2006
NewsNorth Warwickshire Article
Stefanie's
Hart to Hart with giraffes
By SiБN
Powell
INTERNATIONAL
movie star Stefanie Powers brought a little Hollywood glamour to Twycross Zoo as she launched a new Conservation Welfare Fund.
The £1million
fund has been set up by the zoo to champion wildlife projects which look after the health and welfare of animals both in captivity
and in the wild.
Ms Powers,
the star of TV's much loved Hart to Hart, has been involved in wildlife conservation as president of the William Holden Wildlife
Foundation and a supporter of the Jaguar Conservation Trust set up by Jaguar Cars.
Zoo director
Suzanne Boardman said: "Twycross Zoo has a strong history of supporting projects that relieve suffering of wild animals as
well as supporting the conservation of species.
"We feel
we must support animals in their wild habitats.
"Some projects
we can, and do, support through providing expertise, others by giving good PR but yet others need money to be able to achieve
their goals.
"To increase
the level of support we are able to give we have decided to set aside £1 million as a fund."
Each year
the interest on that £1million will support projects and each year it will be added to by charitable profits.
Mrs Boardman
added: "We want to see the fund grow and to be able to help projects vital to species conservation and welfare to achieve
their aims.
"Most important
we wish to help animals recover their numbers in the wild and to help protect their habitats."
Money will
be targeted at projects which support primate species and the zoo hopes that by 2020 the fund will have helped secure the
future of no fewer than five endangered primate species in the wild.
Those projects
could encompass areas such as animal management, veterinary care, support for rehabilitation and reintroduction programmes
and support for projects dealing with large-scale wildlife welfare problems
Saga, UK Health News April 13, 2006
Move into Pilates
A gentle form of exercise that anyone can enjoy: pilates promotes muscular strength, balance and flexibility.
"If I could do only one exercise programme it would be pilates," says actress Stefanie Powers. "It's
as if you're building something from the inside out. You don't just get out of a chair, you spring out of a chair, you have
this tremendous support."
There are around 500 different movements in total although few people learn all of them. Pilates shares
some of the principles of yoga, being a fusion of eastern and western ideas and designed to stretch and lengthen muscles in
a way that's entirely non-competitive. You learn at your own pace, gradually building up your stamina, strength and suppleness.
As well as correct breathing technique, pilates involves developing balance, physical co-ordination, body positioning and
spatial awareness while improving strength and flexibility. Each movement should flow into the next and practising the sequences
on a regular basis will soon have a noticeable effect on your stamina and cardiovascular fitness. It will also tone your body,
improving your shape without giving you bulging muscles.
While anyone can benefit from learning pilates, it is especially good for people who have not been
used to physical activity or who may have had problems with back or joint injuries in the past. Although most classes and
teaching videos concentrate on fitness pilates, some teachers also specialise in rehabilitation pilates, designed specifically
to help those with joint or other musculo-skeletal problems.
If you are learning pilates at home, you will be doing 'floor mat' exercises, at least to begin with.
These involve bending and stretching in a slow, controlled way with your body in the correct alignment and utilising the muscles
deep within the abdomen. Should you find that you really enjoy pilates, you may later want to buy one of the special pieces
of equipment often used by professional teachers or join a class where these are available. One of those most widely used
is the 'reformer,' a kind of sliding carriage which is used for pushing and pulling movements, incorporating foot bars and
leg and arm pulleys. Either way, the aim is to exercise the whole body, with emphasis on coordinating the muscles in the abdominals
and back while integrating overall trunk, pelvic and scapular stabilisation. As well as its clear physical benefits, pilates
promotes mental and physical relaxation and can help to resolve minor injuries. To get the maximum benefit from the exercises,
you should aim to practise about three times a week and, even if you're not normally keen on exercising, you may well find
this is something you really enjoy.
For further information, contact: The Body Control Pilates Association, 14 Neal's Yard, Covent
Garden, London WC2H 9DP
Tel: 020 7379 3734 Fax: 020 7379 7551 For more information, click here to visit the bodycontrol website.
USA TODAY April 17, 2007
Hollywood Hero Award Honors a Los Angeles Area Entertainment Personality Who Has Made Remarkable Contributions of Time
and Energy to Help Those Less Fortunate
Actress, dancer, choreographer Zina Bethune will be honored May 17 as the first recipient of The USA TODAY Hollywood Hero
Award. The award recognizes her outstanding contributions to the community through Infinite Dreams, a program of the multimedia
Bethune Theatredanse company.
Bethune and Infinite Dreams will be feted at an award gala on the evening of May 17 at The Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly
Hills, Calif. Grammy(R)- nominated and Jazzweek Vocalist of the Year, The Tierney Sutton Band, will perform at the Gala. Guests
include: Martin Landau, Edward James Olmos, Tippi Hedren, Esai Morales, Ray Bradbury, Tara Lipinski, Roscoe Lee Browne, Julie
Newmar, Reni Santoni, STEFANIE POWERS, Veronique Peck, Alison Angrim, Tracy Newman, and James 'Gypsy' Haake.
In an effort to raise funds for the Infinite Dreams program, net proceeds from the event will be donated to Infinite Dreams.
Funds will be obtained through ticket sales and silent auction of valuable merchandise.
Infinite Dreams, a dance and drama outreach program, is an acclaimed education and performance program that provides children
and teens with disabilities an opportunity to affirm their capabilities by participating in the world of movement and dance.
It is the only program of its kind under the auspices of a professional dance company.
"By participating in the arts these student challenge themselves and achieve amazing success," said USA TODAY President
and Publisher Craig Moon. "The Infinite Dreams program helps its students develop confidence, which in turn instills in them
an affirmation of their own unique capabilities and enriches their quality of life. Zina Bethune and Infinite Dreams embody
the spirit of The USA TODAY Hollywood Hero Award."
Infinite Dreams, which launched in 1983, serves more than 1,000 children from the ages of 4 to 16 at nine sites in Southern
California. The program has graduated more than 6,200 students.
"The art of dance can really transcend all the physical and stereotypical limitations," said Bethune, artistic director
of Bethune Theatredanse and Infinite Dreams. "After all, the spirit isn't disabled. Dance is not how far a child can reach
their legs or arms. It is the creation, the sharing, and the partaking that is the beauty. We don't ask, 'How much can you
move?' We say, 'Come dance with us.'"
Infinite Dreams has been cited as an exemplary organization by the National Endowment for the Arts and is a recipient of
commendations from Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton; L.A. Mayors Tom Bradley, Richard Riordan and
James Hahn; and a recipient of the U.N.'s "Medaille d'Excellence."
In what will become a USA TODAY signature event, the USA TODAY Hollywood Hero Award will be presented annually to an entertainment
personality who has made remarkable contributions of time and energies with a non-profit organization, and has truly enriched
the quality of life of others. The USA TODAY Hollywood Hero Award recipient will be unique in that his or her efforts extend
far beyond a charitable contribution or simply lending one's celebrity to enhance a cause or concern.
May 8, 2006 Star Telegram by Ed Brice A little 'Hart to Hart' talk about couple on TV commercial
Q: Who is the woman in the Sierra
RX commercial (for Medicare prescription drugs)? It generally comes on during Wheel of Fortune. We think the man is
Robert Wagner.
-- W.Y., Bedford
A: That is Robert Wagner, and that
woman would be Wagner's ex-partner in solving crime: Stefanie Powers, who co-starred with him in the popular 1970s and '80s
TV series Hart to Hart. The series' first season was released on DVD last fall. Couldn't find a word about the second
season, so don't write and ask. Please.
Hey, I'd almost forgotten the two reunited in the '90s
for a series of made-for-TV movies, movies with seriously bad puns in their names: Home Is Where the Hart Is, Crimes of
the Hart and Till Death Do Us Hart. People get paid to write this stuff? Of course. I mean, I get paid. How wild
is that?
eMediaWire May 8, 2006
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles' “Uncork
A Wish” Wine Tasting and Auction at the Pacific Design Center features celebrities, fine wine, top restaurants, and
amazing auction items. Presented by The Wine House and Charter Communications, the 13th annual "Uncork A Wish" Wine Tasting
and Auction is one of the largest wine tasting and auction events in Los Angeles County. Benefiting the wish fulfillment efforts
of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles for children in Los Angeles with life-threatening illnesses, the night
will unfold on Saturday, May 13, 2005 inside Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood beginning at 6:30 p.m., with the live
auction slated for 9 p.m.
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) May 8, 2006 -- Presented by
The Wine House and Charter Communications, the 13th annual "Uncork A Wish" Wine Tasting and Auction is one of the largest
wine tasting and auction events in Los Angeles County. Benefiting the wish fulfillment efforts of the Make-A-Wish Foundation
of Greater Los Angeles for children in Los Angeles with life-threatening medical conditions.
The night will unfold
on Saturday, May 13, 2005 inside Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood beginning at 6:30 p.m., with the live auction slated
for 9 p.m.
Celebrities currently scheduled to participate in this year’s event include: Teri Hatcher, Penny Marshall,
Macy Gray, Micky Dolenz, Steven Cojocaru, Matt Gallant (American Inventor), Gregory Itzin (24), Ashley Jones (The Bold and
the Beautiful), Kathy Joosten (Desperate Housewives), Kate Linder (Y&R), Roma Maffia (Nip/Tuck), Marianne Muellerleile
(Passions/Thank you for Smoking), Stefanie Powers, Constance Ramos (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition), Christopher Rich (Reba),
Emmanuelle Vaugier (Two and a Half Men), and Constance Zimmer (In Justice).
"Everyone is very excited at all the wonderful
aspects of the event that have been brought together this year," said Cheri Lauterbach, director of development for the Make-A-Wish
Foundation of Greater Los Angeles. "From our celebrity guests to the delectable assortment of food and wine being served to
the wide array of exciting auction items, we have something that will appeal to our guests' range of tastes and interests."
The
Wine House has brought together more than 80 participating wineries including: Boony Doon, Campion Winery, Charlone, Cobblestone,
Domaine Carneros, Fife Vineyards, Honig Vineyard, Longoria, Marengo Moscato, Patz & Hall Wine Co., Piper-Heidsick, Saddlerock
Vineyards, Torre Oria, and Trefethen Vineyards.
Adding to the night's festivities, Carving Ice will once again create
a one-of-a-kind ice sculpture masterpiece that will serve as the martini bar, featuring celebrity bartenders and Belvedere
Vodka supplied by Pacific Wine and Spirits. Guests who arrive during the first hour of the event will be offered a glass of
Veuve Clicquot Rosé Champagne and Glen Morangie Scotch Whisky will also be available for tasting throughout the evening. New
this year will be a sponsor's lounge with an array of European beers supplied by the INBEV Corporation.
Top Los Angeles
restaurants serving sumptuous tastes of their finest cuisine include: BOA Steakhouse, Sushi Roku, Crustacean, Water Grill,
Locanda del Lago, Arnie Morton's of Chicago, Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, Noe, San Gennaro, Mr. Cecil's Ribs, and Pink's
Famous Hotdogs.
During the live and silent auctions, guests can bid on hundreds of fantastic items including:
A
trip for two to a private Mexican villa for seven nights including round-trip airfare.
A three night trip to New York
for two that includes round-trip airfare, hotel and two tickets to a taping of Saturday Night Live.
A trip for six
to Napa Valley in a private jet for a winery tour and dinner at the French Laundry.
A fashion-tastic trip to New York
including airfare, three nights at a Hilton Hotel and four tickets to the season three fashion show FINALE of Bravo's "Project
Runway" hosted by Heidi Klum.
Fabulous artwork including a painting that will be created live by noted artist Thom
Bierdz.
Special behind-the-scenes access at Disney Imagineering Tickets to American Idol including a meet and greet
with Ryan Seacrest.
A fully stocked, 48 bottle wine refrigerator.
A shopping experience with Steven Cojocaru,
Entertainment Tonight and The Insider correspondent and fashion guru.
A flight in a World War II biplane.
A
birthday party for six at American Girl Place at The Grove.
Presenting sponsors, Charter Communications and The Wine
House are joined by sponsors Northrop Grumman, Cars 4 Causes, TMC, Hilton Hotels, Wells Fargo, Rollz Royce Limousine Service,
The Walt Disney Company, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte and Touche, Capital Source, Pelican Products, City Art, GES Exposition
Services, LA Magazine, Carving Ice, INBEV, and Fuji Water.
Members of the honorary committee for the 13th annual Uncork
A Wish Wine Tasting and Auction are: Giovanni Agnelli, Antonio Banderas, Catherine Bell, Halle Berry, Kobe Bryant, Ted Danson,
Tony Danza, Matt Gallant, Brad Garrett, Macy Gray, Melanie Griffith, Steven Grossman, Lisa Wade Grossman, Ed Harris, Mark
Itkin, Renee Jones, Kathy Kinney, Andie MacDowell, William Petersen, Kelly Preston, Luc Robitaille, Pantera Sarah, Jessica
Simpson, Sharon Stone, Kiefer Sutherland, Naomi Watts, Bradley Whitford, and Noah Wyle.
Conceived as a Valentine's
Day celebration at the Santa Monica Airport's Museum of Flying in 1993, the wine tasting and auction fundraiser quickly outgrew
that location and was moved into the Airport's Barker Hangar four years later, where it remained until the decision was made
to move to the more centrally located Pacific Design Center this year. Attended by approximately 1,500 people annually, the
funds raised have been used to fulfill hundreds of wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions.
The
Pacific Design Center is located at 8687 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, California 90069-5701. General Admission tickets
are $125 in advance and $150 at the door. Wine and food tasting is included in the price of admission. Guests must be 21 or
older to be admitted into the event. For more information, visit http://www.wishla.org or call 310-899-9191.
About the Make-A-Wish Foundation
of Greater Los Angeles
Established in 1983, the Greater Los Angeles chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes
to children throughout Los Angeles County who are battling life-threatening medical conditions. Working out of an office in
West Los Angeles, the chapter has granted over 5,500 wishes to children countywide. For more information about the Make-A-Wish
Foundation of Greater Los Angeles go to http://www.wishla.org or call 310-788-9474.
May 10, 2006 Star Telegram by Ed Brice
Stefanie and Jill, you are red-headed strangers
to me
Q: You're going to get about a million
letters on this, but I can't resist being 1,000,001.
The woman in the Sierra RX commercials is Robert Wagner's
wife, Jill St. John. Call me irrational, but I like you better for occasionally screwing up.
-- G. J., Fort Worth
A: Ya know, I can always tell when
it's you, Mom.
G.J.? Honestly. And you don't live anywhere near Fort
Worth anymore.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got it so wrong in Monday's column.
It's Jill St. John, Robert Wagner's real-life wife working with him in the Sierra RX commercial, not Stefanie Powers, his
Hart to Hart wife.
So to the dozens of funny, supportive, irate, snotty
and pleading responses to my goof, I submit the following: Yeah, Jill St. John was a Bond girl. Yeah, she married Bob in May
1990. Yeah, she came to Fort Worth with Bob to perform Love Letters at Casa Mañana a couple of years ago. Yeah, she
reportedly once had an IQ of 162.
No, I don't want to tell the world what my IQ is, Mom.
I always knew you loved Bubba more than me.
May. 12, 2006
Star-Telegram
by Ed Brice
'Fastest' questions can be the quickest route to disaster
Q: I was told the fastest train in the world goes
more than 300 mph. Is that true? R.K., North Richland Hills
A: You know, when you've been at this answer game
as long as I have, certain words just make your teeth hurt. Words like "longest," "strongest," "tallest" and "Stefanie Powers."
I keep special painkillers on hand for the phrase "fastest (fill in your favorite noun here)." And for the name "Jill St.
John." Man, I really hate that one.
What I can tell you is that China reportedly operates
the world's first commercial high-speed maglev train, and has for more than two years. That's "magnetic levitation." I was
never a big fan of The Jetsons, so I really don't understand the technology involved here. Something about train cars riding
on cushions of air, using magnets instead of wheels and costing gazillions of dollars (or yen, in this case).
According to a report in the online newspaper Guardian
Unlimited, the Shanghai maglev can hit a top speed of 430 kilometers -- that's 267 miles -- per hour in under two minutes.
That's with people and luggage and such. Maglevs have broken 500 kph (310 mph) in test runs. Last month, Japan unveiled the
Fastech 360Z, sort of the "next generation" of its celebrated Shinkansen bullet trains.
According to physorg.com, its developer, the East
Japan Railway Co., hopes the Fastech will run at 360 kph (224 mph) during a normal trip. Why? Because that would break the
record set by the world's fastest wheeled train, France's TGV, which runs at everyday speeds of about 300 kph (186 mph). The
Fastech and the TGV are not maglevs, but Japan is working on one.
Willamette Week Online May 31, 2006 CASTING COUCH
The re-opening of the Hotel deLuxe (formerly the Mallory Hotel) was the place to be last Wednesday night, as Portland's
movers and shakers lined up to throw back free booze while rubbing elbows with Ted "Still the Governor" Kulongoski, and actors
Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers (because Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn are dead).
The biggest changes to the 93-year-old hotel? Owners Aspen Hotel Group, which also owns Portland's Hotel Lucia, added a
new silver-screen theme and—it looks like—went on a major cleaning binge. And yes, as promised, the management
has also reopened the hotel's beloved Rat Pack-style bar, the Driftwood Room.
June 2, 2006 The Oregonian by Melanie Conner
Mallory sweats, Wagner chills
Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers Sign autographs for Steven Steinbock; Todd Widme watches from behind. Robert Wagner has
the meet-and-greet down: the upper arm squeeze, the mid-arm pat, the mid-back pat, the elbow grip, the shoulder pat with a
flat hand and, if you're really lucky, the handshake and hold.
It's last week's grand opening celebration at the Hotel deLuxe (nee Mallory Hotel), and Wagner is here with Stefanie Powers
to grace the place with a bit of swank. He is wearing a crisp black suit with a royal blue handkerchief in the breast pocket,
and every hair on his head has been arranged just so. Nearby, Gov. Ted Kulongoski is chatting up Powers.
"She's Polish!" he announces delightedly to the crush of partygoers. It's so packed and hot that people's upper lips glitter
with a fine glaze of sweat. Except for Wagner. He's not sweaty at all. Maybe it's the ice water he's been nursing.
The lobby is old scrumptious Hollywood. Mirrored tables, quilted walls, a decadent arrangement of orchids, at least one
man in an ascot. In The Screening Room, Fred and Ginger dance in black-and-white grandeur, the aspect ratio of the film a
setting off, so that they are just a smidgen shorter and fatter than they should be. A mirrored wall in the lobby reflects
the crowd, fractured images of glittery sandals, flat-ironed hair, suits, camera flashes, sweaty necks and Robert Wagner.
Shoulder pat. Arm squeeze.
A woman's lens cap gets caught in my hair as she tries to get a picture of him. "I'm sorry," she says, and she lifts her
camera higher over my head.
On a flat screen image behind us, Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart lean in toward one another. It's the flashback scene
from "Casablanca." Paris. The Nazis wore gray. You wore blue. Stefanie Powers wore black.
In the Driftwood Lounge, the Mallory's beloved dive bar, little has changed. Except now, everyone is drinking chardonnay.
Monday, June 12 MovieWeb HOLLYWOOD BEAT: Makin'
Magical Music Marci Weiner
Zina Bethune has realized a remarkable career as a dancer, actress, director and choreographer, while faced with serious
physical disabilities. For 25 years, Bethune Theatredance, program for disabled children has performed for international audiences
at the White House, a PBS Special, NBC, Kennedy Center, and tours to Japan, Switzerland, Italy and Chin. More than 6,000 graduates
have participated in their programs, which enable children with disabilities to participate in the world of movement and dance.
Appropriately, Zina was selected as the first honoree of the USA Today Hollywood Hero Award at the Beverly Hilton. Special
guests included Stefanie Powers, Tara Lipinski and James "Gypsy" Haake who jetted in from to emcee the show.
Stefanie with Zina Bethune
June 18, 2006 ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH By Amanda St. Amand
A star shines on monument where honored have to pay
Movie buffs delight when they spot one of the 1,000-plus names carved
in the gray granite slabs of the Veterans' Monument in O'Fallon. On the 37th line of the slab carved with the word "sacrifice"
is the name William F. Holden.
The Oscar-winning actor who died 25 years ago earned the right to
be listed on the monument by virtue of two facts: He served honorably in the military, and he once lived in O'Fallon. (He
was born there in 1918.) Those are the requirements for names to be listed. Along with payment of $100.
Few, if any, veterans have complained about the charge, said Betty
Osborne, who led the four-year effort to have the monument built.
Original plans for the star-shaped monument did not include having
names carved on the pillars. So many of the veterans and relatives involved in the planning lobbied for adding names, that
the committee changed signals. If 500 veterans came forward and were willing to pay $75, the monument would include names.
The charge has since increased from $75 to $100 because it costs more to have the pillars engraved after they've been placed
on the"It didn't take us very long to get to 500. We knew then the veterans wanted their names on those pillars," Osborne
said.
A few families of veterans have complained that the city of O'Fallon
should cover the costs of having veterans' names inscribed. The city donated the tract of land where the monument is located,
in a subdivision called the Estates of Prairie Crossing. City employees maintain the site, too, said Pamala Funk, assistant
city administrator.
Final numbers aren't in yet on the monument's cost, but Osborne
expects it to be around $360,000. Volunteer labor defrayed some of the expense; the engraving fees raised more than $90,000;
and individual donors gave an additional $70,000 for the monument. There is no rhyme, reason, chronological or alphabetical
order to how the 1,128 names appear on the angled granite pillars. As the applications came in, names got added.
By an overwhelming margin, most of the names are men. Only five
of the 15 pillars have any names at all, which means thousands more can be added in coming years. Bald spots near the concrete
benches show the need for more grass seed. Since the monument was dedicated last month, Osborne has visited the site to make
sure everything is in order. Several times, she's come across visitors sitting silently on the benches, lost in thought.
As for asking a veteran to pay to have his or her name included,
a spokesman for the American Legion at its national headquarters in Indianapolis said similar efforts in other cities have
operated the same way. One of the Legion's main objectives is to memorialize veterans, said Joe March, the spokesman. "When
a town decides to build a memorial or a monument, that's good news to us," he said.
While he understands an occasional veteran may feel slighted by
paying to be included, he cited the Legion's fundraising effort for the World War II Memorial in Washington. The Legion raised
more than $4 million for that effort, and March said "every bit of it came out of our members' pockets."
The main pillar at the entrance is inscribed as "a continuing tribute
to all veterans from the O'Fallon area who, in time of war and peace, honorably served this great country." The monument honors
all veterans, Osborne said, regardless of whether their name is carved in stone.
Marilyn Spilseth is the widow of a veteran and the sister of two.
She gladly paid to have her husband's and brothers' names carved on the monument, and even paid for one extra. William Holden.
"The young girls today who don't know him, I say do you know John
Wayne? He was right up there with him, only better," Spilseth said. She served on the planning committee, which contacted
Holden's family and onetime girlfriend Stefanie Powers to see if they wanted to sponsor Holden's name on the monument.
Neither his family nor Powers replied, so Spilseth stepped in. "I
agreed to give him up if Stefanie Powers wanted him, but we didn't hear from her. So he's all mine."
June 18, 2006 The Post-Standard Syracuse, NY By
Joan E. Vadeboncoeur
Wednesday marks 3 openings
A mystery, a farce and a beloved musical from the
team of Rodgers and Hammerstein - take your pick. All three arrive on the summer theater season this week.
'Sleuth'
What starts as a friendly gin game between a mystery
novelist and his wife's lover is placid. But that doesn't last long in Anthony Shaffer's "Sleuth," which premieres Wednesday
at Ithaca's Hangar Theater.
The British import hit Broadway like a ton of bricks.
It racked up 1,200 performances and won a Tony Award for best play.
The curtain rises on what is perceived as a friendly
game of gin rummy.
Soon the twists and turns begin.
'It Runs in the Family'
Cortland Repertory Theater offers "It Runs in the
Family," starting Wednesday. It comes from the prolific pen of Ray Cooney, who was writing madcap mayhem plays into his 90s.
The comedy begins when a doctor is practicing his
speech for an international neurologists' convention and is propelled by the discovery from a former girlfriend that he has
fathered a son.
The British farce also boasts a befuddled fellow physician
and his status-seeking wife, a snippy head nurse, the hospital's chairman of the board and loony members of the hospital staff.
The central role of Dr. David Mortimore is played
by Michael Schaefer. One of the other ensemble members is Syracuse-based actor Andrew Godwin.
'The King and I'
"We Kiss in the Shadow," "Shall We Dance?," "Hello,
Young Lovers" and "I Whistle a Happy Tune" will fill Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Auburn when it launches "The King and I"
Wednesday.
The Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes flesh out the story
of widow Anna Leonowens and her son trying to make their way in the Siam court of the title tyrant.
Ron Banks comes east from his California base to reprise
the role of the arrogant ruler.
Anna is played by Eileen Ward, who
understudied movie star Stefanie Powers for her national tour of the musical.
MovieHole, Australia
Aaron Spelling (1923 - 2006)
Posted by Clint Morris on June 24,
2006
A sad day in TV land, my fellow tube watchers. Aaron
Spelling, considered to be one of the most prolific television producers of our times, has died, aged 83.
Spelling died at his mansion in Los Angeles after suffering
a stroke on June 18, according to publicist Kevin Sasaki, says The Hollywood Reporter.
In the 1980s, Spelling reigned as one of the kings of
television. In 1984, his seven series on ABC accounted for one-third of the network's prime time schedule, causing some to
refer to ABC as Aaron's Broadcasting Company.
While he won two Emmy Awards -- one for outstanding
drama in 1989 for "Day One," a TV movie about the Manhattan Project, and one for outstanding TV movie in 1993 for "And the
Band Played On," an account of the early years of the AIDS epidemic -- Spelling was best known for his glossy, escapist TV
series which ranged from "The Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island" to "Dynasty" and "Melrose Place" with occasional forays into
more reality-based shows like "Family."
The Spelling touch was also seen in such popular series
as "Charlie's Angels," which featured three, sexy female detectives, propelling Farrah Fawcett-Majors to stardom; "Starsky
and Hutch," which paired Paul Michael Glazer and David Soul as two streetwise cops; "Hart to Hart," which focused on a glamorous
married couple played by Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers, who also solved mysteries; and "Beverly Hills, 90210," which famously
featured his daughter Tori as one of a group of privileged high school students...
Spelling: The king of jiggle, a genius of TV Sunday, June 25, 2006 Star-Ledger
Aaron Spelling rarely suffered for his art. But then, he rarely made art -- which was fine by him and by the
millions of people who devoured low-nutrition hits like "Charlie's Angels," "Dynasty" and "Melrose Place."
The most prolific, successful producer in television history, who died Friday at 83 from complications from
a stroke, did not build his infamous Los Angeles mansion -- 123 rooms, including a bowling alley and an ice rink -- on the
backs of weighty dramas or sophisticated comedies. He amassed his huge fortune with an uncanny knack for giving the people
what they wanted, whether it was sex, violence, glitz or all three. His first big hit, 1963's "Burke's Law," cast Gene
Barry as a playboy LA cop who also happened to be a millionaire with his own Rolls-Royce. His last hit, "Charmed," dealt with
three beautiful sisters who battled evil, in constricting wardrobes.
In between, Spelling tried every iteration of his Rich, Pretty People With Problems formula.
Spelling's golden age occurred between 1975 and 1989, when he routinely programmed so much of ABC's schedule
that the network was nicknamed "Aaron's Broadcasting Company."
The run began with "Starsky & Hutch," a cop drama that even 30 years later seems shockingly violent. He
followed that with "Charlie's Angels," a detective series about three gorgeous, usually bra-less, private eyes who solved
crimes while working for an unseen millionaire named Charlie.
Critics decried it as the end of civilization as we knew it -- neither the first nor the last time Spelling
would be hit with that charge -- but audiences went nuts for episodes like "Angels in Chains," where Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn
Smith and Kate Jackson went undercover in a women's prison with skintight uniforms. (How much of Spelling's success did he
owe to his wardrobe people always going a size or three too small?)
Next came "The Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island," two anthologies about people looking for romance and dreams
in exotic locales. In the days before the networks focused exclusively on younger demographics, "Love Boat" rigidly stuck
to a three story per episode format that would feature one young couple, one middle-age couple and one older couple to give
every segment of the audience someone to identify with.
After a few more sexy detective shows -- Robert Urich in half-buttoned shirts on "Vega$," Robert Wagner and
Stefanie Powers as champagne-swilling spouses on "Hart to Hart" -- Spelling introduced his signature series: "Dynasty."
BACKSTAGE
June 26, 2006
By Cynthia Littleton & Duane Byrge
Aaron Spelling Dies at 83
In his prime, Aaron Spelling defined the concept of the television superproducer. In his life,
Spelling's rags-to-riches success story was the embodiment of the American dream.
The prolific
writer-producer, whose roots in television stretched from 1950s Westerns to the upcoming season with "7th Heaven," died Friday
at his Holmby Hills mansion near Beverly Hills of complications from a stroke he suffered June 18. He was 83.
Of his extraordinary run with more than 50 television series and 140 television movies, friends and colleagues
often said that what was most striking about Spelling was his insatiable appetite for more. Long after he earned his entry
in the Guinness Book of World Records for logging the most television producing credits, he never stopped getting excited
when he sold a pilot to a network, found a good script from a young writer or discovered a future star in a cattle-call casting
session. Into his final months, the impish, pipe-smoking producer still loved the game.
"He just
loves television, and he loves what he does. He never looks down on the medium or the people who watch it," Leonard Goldberg,
a longtime Spelling friend and former producing partner, said of Spelling in 2003. "Aaron will call me up and say, 'I just
got a development deal at NBC,' and you'd think he needed it to pay his rent."
In the 1970s and
'80s, Spelling's industry clout rivaled that of the three broadcast networks that bought his shows. He perfected an oeuvre
of light action-fantasy dramas with sexy stars and glossy production techniques that made his shows stand out as Spelling
productions, including "The Mod Squad," "S.W.A.T.," "The Rookies," "Charlie's Angels," "Vegas," "Starsky and Hutch," "The
Love Boat," "Fantasy Island," "T.J. Hooker," "Hart to Hart," "Dynasty" and others. In the early '80s, he produced nearly a
third of ABC's primetime schedule, earning it the sobriquet "Aaron's Broadcasting Company." His television movies ranged from
such issue-oriented fare as 1976's "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble" and 1981's "The Best Little Girl in the World" to romps
like 1982's "The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch." He ventured into film production on and off, scoring with 1983's "Mr. Mom,"
1986's " 'Night, Mother" and 1991's "Soapdish."
"Aaron was a groundbreaking producer whose shows are
more than entertainment. They have become part of the fabric of popular culture," said Lee Gabler, co-chairman of CAA, which
represented Spelling for more than 25 years. "He was also a close friend and a wonderful mentor."
By
the mid-'80s, the man born of modest means to Jewish immigrants in Dallas had become a fabulously successful Hollywood mogul
with a fortune estimated at $300 million by Forbes magazine. His Aaron Spelling Prods. became a publicly traded entity in
1986, and during its rocky run as an independent the company attempted to diversify into a broad-based media concern. But
television series produced by the company's founder was always the company's bread and butter. By the end of the '80s, when
his string of ABC hits inevitably dried up, Spelling mounted a comeback with buzzworthy serials "Beverly Hills, 90210" and
"Melrose Place" on the still-young Fox network.
Spelling often told the story of how devastated
he was after the cancellation of "Dynasty" in 1989, when he found himself without a single show in primetime for the first
time since 1960. He feared he'd lost his touch. Out of the blue he got a call from Barry Diller, an old friend from the early-'70s
ABC days who was then chairman of the upstart Fox Broadcasting Co. Diller asked him to do a show about a group of high school
kids. He was dubious until Diller reminded him that he had two teenagers of his own, Spelling said. In fact, the older of
Spelling's two children, daughter Tori, co-starred on "90210" through its entire 1990-2000 run. His son, Randy, is also an
actor, and has appeared in Spelling productions like the '90s NBC daytime serial "Sunset Beach."
In
1996, Spelling extended his reign to yet another new network, WB Network, with wholesome family drama "7th Heaven," followed
two years later by the fantasy-themed "Charmed." "Heaven" would rank as the highest-rated show in WB's 11-year history and
is poised in the fall to help launch WB's successor network, the CW.
Although Spelling took his
lumps from writers who accused him of claiming too much credit for shows they created, there was no discounting his track
record or the distinct Spelling stamp his shows carried. As a producer, he was known for his attention to detail, particularly
wardrobe, and for his strength in spotting holes in scripts or character problems.
"He was incredibly
hands-on, loved his work, and told me once he'd never retire," said "Heaven" star Stephen Collins. Added "Heaven" creator/executive
producer Brenda Hampton: "He was a genius. I loved working for him."
Spelling deeply resented
the broad brush that television critics and other pundits often used to describe his shows. He hated the derogatory labels
"jiggle TV" and "schlock TV" that some applied. He earned Emmys as a producer for the 1989 CBS television movie "Day One,"
about the Manhattan Project, and for "And the Band Played On," HBO's sweeping 1993 miniseries about the AIDS crisis. He was
proud of the earthy, Emmy-nominated '70s drama series "Family," co-produced with Mike Nichols; and he was proud of the occasional
efforts undertaken by "90210" to educate its youthful audience about social issues ranging from the importance of safe sex
to the dangers of drunk driving.
But while he craved the kudos and prestige of winning awards,
Spelling never apologized for being a crowd pleaser with escapist potboilers infused with glamour and an ever-present affluence
among its characters and settings. Spelling delighted in occasionally strolling outside and talking to the people on the celebrity
sightseeing tour buses that drove past his famously opulent, 56,500-square-foot, 123-room French chateau in the Holmby Hills
enclave that he built, amid much public scrutiny, on a six-acre estate formerly owned by Bing Crosby. He would tell the gawking
tourists, "You are the reason we have this house."
Born April 22, 1923, in Dallas, Spelling was
the fourth of five children in a family that lived "on the wrong side of the tracks," Spelling recalled in his 1996 autobiography,
"A Prime Time Life." His father, David, worked as a tailor for Sears. As the lone Jew in his school, Spelling frequently was
taunted and harassed by other students. He spent a year in bed at the age of eight after suffering a nervous breakdown from
the constant pressure. The experience shaped his personality and spurred in him the creative storytelling impulse. He was
eager to leave his hometown after graduating from high school and joining the Army Air Corps in 1942. He earned his Greatest
Generation stripes with a three-year hitch during World War II that left him with a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and a mangled
finger on his left hand from a sniper's bullet.
After his discharge, Spelling returned to Dallas
to study journalism on the G.I. Bill at Southern Methodist University, where he served as the school's head cheerleader. He
earned some acclaim with one-act plays that he wrote and directed, a move that was in and of itself a controversial act amid
the pervasive anti-Semitism of the era. Whether apocryphal or not, Spelling often recounted in interviews how his rising profile
in Dallas eventually cost his father his job, and that his sister Becky convinced Sears to reinstate him in exchange for her
brother agreeing to leave town.
Spelling bounced around New York for a while looking for work
as an actor and playwright. He landed in Los Angeles in 1953, virtually flat broke. He became active in the local theater
scene and landed bit character parts in movies and TV series including "I Love Lucy," "Dragnet" and "Gunsmoke." During this
period he married actress Carolyn Jones, later of "The Addams Family" fame. He also sought to sell scripts to various Westerns
and other shows of the day. He eventually was taken under wing by Dick Powell, the former matinee idol-turned-television producer.
Spelling worked round the clock for Powell's Four Star Television production banner producing such shows as CBS' "Zane Grey
Theater" and "The Lloyd Bridges Show," NBC's "The Dick Powell Show" and ABC's "Burke's Law" and "Honey West." The first of
Spelling's long list of TV series created-by credits was the 1959-60 CBS Western "Johnny Ringo," starring Don Durant as a
reformed gunfighter trying to settle a lawless town in Arizona.
By the late '60s, Spelling was
established enough to form his own production partnership with Danny Thomas, the hugely successful comedian and producer.
The Thomas-Spelling production partnership yielded the youthful police drama "The Mod Squad," "The Guns of Will Sonnet" and
"The Danny Thomas Hour." Goldberg, a former head of programming at ABC, partnered with Spelling in the early '70s for the
era of such hits as "Starsky and Hutch," "Charlie's Angels," "The Rookies" and "Hart to Hart," starring Robert Wagner and
Stefanie Powers in a romantic light detective vehicle. During this period, Spelling worked under a lucrative, exclusive production
pact with ABC. Spelling and Goldberg sold their television library to Columbia Pictures in the early '80s.
Spelling's longtime friendship with Lucille Ball led to one of the few half-hour comedies he ever attempted, the
short-lived sitcom "Life With Lucy," which proved to be Ball's last series. The show was a high-profile flop for ABC in the
fall of 1986. Spelling once said he knew the show would not make it during the first day of shooting for the pilot, when audience
members gasped as Ball, then in her mid-70s, struggled to pull off the physical comedy that had been her trademark.
Spelling's business acumen was never as strong as his storytelling skills. He went solo with his Aaron Spelling
Prods. banner in the late '70s. Spelling Communications, as it was renamed after its initial public offering in 1986, sought
to expand beyond the volatile business of series production in 1988 with the acquisition of program distributor Worldvision
Enterprises. In 1993, Spelling launched the 24-hour Latin American entertainment channel TeleUNO. The company made a big push
into first-run syndication in the mid-'90s with short-lived dramas including "Robin's Hoods" and "University Hospital." Spelling
Communications also launched a subsidiary production unit, Big Ticket Television, that fielded such hits as the syndicated
court show "Judge Judy" and the UPN comedies "Moesha" and "The Parkers."
In 1993, home video
retailer Blockbuster acquired nearly half the company and gradually increased its stake. When Blockbuster became part of a
three-way merger deal between Sumner Redstone's Viacom and Paramount Communications in early 1994, Spelling moved with Blockbuster
under the Viacom fold. Redstone put Viacom's stake in Spelling on the auction block more than once in the mid- to late-'90s.
When no buyer emerged at the $750 million price tag Viacom sought, Redstone opted to buy up the remainder of Spelling in 1999.
The friendship that blossomed between Redstone and Aaron Spelling during this period helped ensure a measure of autonomy for
Spelling and his company within the Paramount Television banner in his final years.
"For a person
of such fame, you would marvel at how unassuming, kind and gentle he was," said Redstone, now chairman of Viacom and CBS Corp.,
in the Los Angeles Times' Saturday edition.
Spelling was honored in 2000 by the Producers Guild
of America with its Golden Laurel Award for Lifetime Achievement in Television. He also was recognized with six NAACP Image
Awards during the course of his career. He was named Man of the Year by the Publicists Guild of America in 1971, among many
other industry and philanthropic honors.
Spelling's marriage to Jones ended in 1965. In 1968,
he married Candy, an interior designer. Their first child, Victoria (Tori), was born in 1973, followed five years later by
Randy.
Funeral services will be private. Longtime Spelling publicist Kevin Sasaki said a memorial
service is being planned for next month. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Vista Del Mar Child
and Family Services, 3200 Motor Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90034.
The Star Online July
2, 2006
Spelling out the
course of popular TV
Though he occasionally earned himself monikers
like the Sultan of Schlock and The Abominable Showman, television’s most prolific producer, the late Aaron Spelling,
left behind a legacy which generations of couch potatoes deem close to heaven. S. INDRAMALAR takes a walk down TV lane.
IT is really not hard to see why Aaron Spelling
(April 22, 1923 – June 23, 2006) is regarded as America’s most successful and inexhaustible television producer
with close to 5,000 hours of programming to his credit since 1956 (it’s even in the Guinness Book of World Records!).
In his career spanning almost 50 years in showbiz, Spelling worked on more than 200 productions (TV series and movies –
as writer, producer, and other job functions), many of which became cult classics among viewers the world over.
Whether you grew up in the 1970s, 80s, or
90s, chances are your TV diet would have included many Aaron Spelling classics.
Starsky & Hutch (1975, executive
producer), Dynasty (yes, the soap opera throughout the 1980s which popularised shoulder pads and really bad
hairstyles), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990s teen soap opera that probably set the stage for current hits One Tree Hill
and The OC) and many, many more kept viewers of all ages glued to their boob tubes.
In the 1970s, Spelling had so many shows
on America’s ABC network
that those in the business joked that ABC stood for “Aaron’s Broadcasting Company”! At one point he produced
a third of ABC’s 21 weekly hours of TV.
Born in Dallas,
Texas, Spelling began his career in New York
as an actor in 1945 (he played a gas station attendant in an episode of I Love Lucy) after graduating with a degree
in journalism from Southern Methodist University in his home state.
After marrying his first wife, actress Carolyn
Jones (Morticia Addams in The Addams Family) in 1953 (when she proposed to him), the couple moved to California
where Spelling had his break as a writer, selling his first script to the Jane Wyman Theater.
Unfortunately, his marriage to Jones started
to suffer just as his career began to pick up and in 1964, the two divorced, amicably. He got married again in 1968 –
to interior designer Carol Jean Marer, commonly known as Candy Spelling, mother to actress Tori Spelling, 33, and Randy Spelling,
27.
From writing, Spelling branched out into
producing shows at Four Star Television, where he worked with Dick Powell, churning out episodes of ZaneGreyTheatreand
The Dick Powell Show. Though he produced and wrote for movies (Guns of Timberland, 1960) and One Foot in
Hell (also 1960), Spelling found his forte in television. One of his earliest successes as a producer was the TV series
Daniel Boone (1964-70) and The Mod Squad (1968-73).
Even then, Spelling was recognised for having
a “canny interest in programming for younger audiences” and a “genuine gift for responding to the television
tastes of America”, according to entertainment website
Hollywood.com.
In the 1970s, Spelling signed an exclusive
contract with ABC, and former ABC programming chief Leonard Goldberg joined him as a producing partner in 1972. It was in
this year that Spelling created Aaron Spelling Productions (which later went public as Spelling Entertainment).
The duo produced an abundance of TV films
(more than 100 including The Boy in the Plastic Bubble with John Travolta) and hit TV series such as S.W.A.T.,
Starsky & Hutch and The Rookies as well as the acclaimed drama Family.
Other hit TV shows were The Love Boat
(bet most of us can still hum the theme song) and Fantasy Island (who can forget the vertically-challenged Tattoo
and his famous “da plane, da plane” cry), Charlie’s Angels (the show that launched the careers of
Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson), Hart to Hart (Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers were the most glamorous
and good-looking crime-busters on TV at the time), Hotel (the Connie Sellecca-James Brolin combo was hot!) and more.
Spelling truly hit the gold mine with Dynasty
(1981-89) – the drama surrounding the Carringtons, the wealthy oil family from Denver
– which challenged the then popular soap Dallasand was for
one season the No.1 show in America.
He won a Golden Globe for Best Television
Series (Drama) for Dynasty in 1983.
In fact, Spelling’s 123-room mansion
in Los Angeles was dubbed “the house that Dynasty built” –
it boasted a bowling alley, a swimming pool, gymnasium, tennis court, screening room and four two-car garages!
The end of Dynasty did not spell
the end of his career, though. He bounced back with teen soap Beverly Hills,
90210 (1990-2000, which starred his daughter Tori), Melrose Place (1992-99) and 7th Heaven (1996-present),
a show about the Camdens, a Christian family in California who faces the challenges
of trying to live a moral life in a material world.
Even though his shows were said to be “mind
candy” and were defined by their “gloss, glitz and glamour”, Spelling regarded 7th Heaven as being
one of the “most satisfying programmes” he had ever produced. He was also quoted as once saying that working on
the wholesome family drama Family was the happiest time of his life.
His most recent TV successes were Charmed
(which he created, 1998-present) and Summerland (2004).
Since 2000, Spelling had reduced his public
appearances and interviews given and the control of Spelling Television company was largely steered by his business partner,
E. Duke Vincent, and the company’s president, Jonathan Levin.
He was diagnosed with oral cancer in 2001 and on June
18 this year suffered a severe stroke and was hospitalised briefly. He died, aged 83, on June 23 due to complications from
the stroke.
TV Shows
on DVD
July 10,
2006
Hart to
Hart – Jonathan & Jennifer Hart Return to DVD for their 2nd Season
Posted by
David Lambert
Sony has
announced the second season of the popular whodunit series HART TO HART starring Robert Wagner and stefanie Powers!The millionaire couple continues their hobby as amateur sleuths.They seem to always be finding themselves on the brink – or right in the middle – of danger. This season
the couple and their loyal sidekick, Max (Lionel Stander) investigate 20 hour-long episodes on 5 DVD’s, with guest stars
such as Roger C. Carmel, Dolph Sweet, George Wendt, Joanna Cassidy, Amy Madigan, Shari Belafonte, Lois Chiles, Joe Pantoliano,
Jared Martin, Bebi Besch, and Jerry Stiller.Running time is 987 minutes and
cost is $49.95 SRP.There are no extras (other than “bonus previews”).When you meet this package on September 19th, it’ll be murder!
Hart to
Hart - Season 2 Announcement posted by Jeff Hodges - 07/12/2006
The world's most glamorous amateur
sleuths are back for more mystery, fun and danger in the second sensational season of HART TO HART, starring Robert Wagner
and Stephanie Powers. In 20 captivating cases, ranging from kidnapping and robbery to industrial espionage and murder, romantic
jetsetters Jonathan and Jennifer Hart risk life, limb and lifestyle to solve the most unsolvable of crimes. Featuring Lionel
Stander as their faithful sidekick, Max, and a first class line-up of suspects and victims, HART TO HART: THE COMPLETE SECOND
SEASON is a rich and sexy blend of adventure, intrigue and excitement.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced,
that Hart to Hart - The Complete Second Season will be coming to DVD on September 19th, 2006.
The 5-disc set will feature all 20 episodes from Season Two for a total runtime of 987 minutes.
Hart to Hart - The Complete
Second Season will be presented in Full Screen (1.33:1) and will have audio tracks in English (Mono), with subtitles
in Portuguese. Hart to Hart - The Complete Second Season will carry a SRP of $49.95, but you can pre-order it from Amazon for only $34.99.
DIVA TALK: A Backwards Glance—the
1986 Tony Awards PLUS McDonald and Evita Recordings
News, views and reviews about the multi-talented women
of the musical theatre and the concert/cabaret stage.
THE 1986 TONY AWARDS
This week I've chosen to view (and write about) the
1986 Tony Awards, which celebrated the 40th anniversary of the theatre’s highest honor. The two-hour broadcast was chock-full
of musical moments and concentrated more on past shows than the musicals that were nominated that season, which included Big
Deal, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Song & Dance and Tango Argentino.
Following the swirling “CBS Special Presentation”
logo, the TV screen provided a tight shot of Nell Carter, standing centerstage in a sparkly purple gown. The Tony winner opened
her mouth and sang, “I love rock and roll. I love country, pop and soul — love the rhythms of today.” Then,
the camera switched to Tony Randall, who added, “But when I’m tired of that beat, and I long for something sweet,
I go back to old Broadway.” Jack Lemmon and Stefanie Powers continued singing “Wanna Sing a Showtune” as
the announcer bellowed, “Live from the Minskoff Theatre in New York City, the 40th Anniversary Tony Awards.”
All of the evening’s guest stars — who joined
in on “Wanna Sing a Showtune” — proceeded to walk down one of the two giant staircases that framed the stage.
George Rose, one of the evening’s nominees for his performance in Drood, then introduced a list of other actors
who would be part of the special anniversary telecast.
A cocktail party was the setting for the 1986 Tony Awards
broadcast, and Lee Remick and former Mayor John V. Lindsay each descended from opposite sides of the stage to start the salute
to the (mostly) Tony-winning musicals that had graced Broadway from 1947 through 1986. David Wayne kicked off the musical
salute by offering a selection from Finian’s Rainbow, the 1947 that cast the late actor as leprechaun Og.
The year-by-year musical tribute continued with performances
by Lee Roy Reams and Susan Anton (“Papa, Won’t You Dance With Me” from 1948’s High Button Shoes),
Tom Wopat and Karen Morrow (“So in Love” from 1949’s Kiss Me, Kate), Dorothy Loudon (“Wonderful
Guy” from 1950’s South Pacific), Rex Smith (“I’ve Never Been in Love Before” from 1951’s
Guys and Dolls), Cleo Laine (“Hello, Young Lovers” from 1952’s The King and I), John Rubinstein
(“It’s Love” from 1953’s Wonderful Town), Stefanie Powers and Hal Linden (a duet from 1954’s
Kismet), Ann Reinking, Juliet Prowse and Sandy Duncan (“Steam Heat” from 1955’s Pajama Game)
and Bea Arthur (“Heart” from Damn Yankees). All of the performers joined Arthur for the rousing Damn
Yankees tune, which concluded the first of several musical tributes.
Hal Linden then presented the first award of the evening
— Best Score of a Musical — to Broadway newcomer Rupert Holmes for his Edwin Drood songs. Holmes made special
mention of his ten-year-old daughter Wendy as well as producer Joe Papp, “who makes Drood possible, [and] who
made theatre in New York exciting.” Holmes would quickly return to the stage to accept his second Tony Award —
for Best Book of a Musical — from presenter Susan Anton. Holmes quipped, “God, I hope my home video tape recorder
is working right now!”
The second year-by-year musical section continued with
Stefanie Powers, who sang a snippet of “I Could’ve Danced All Night” from 1957’s My Fair Lady.
Duncan, Prowse and Reinking returned to offer a bit of “America” from 1958’s West Side Story, and
Leslie Uggams belted out “Love, Look Away” from 1959’s Flower Drum Song. Since Fiorello! and
The Sound of Music tied for Best Musical in 1960, songs from both shows were offered, and then Lee Remick stated, “That
was an extraordinary year in any event because we also had Gypsy.” At that moment Bernadette Peters, who was
then starring in Song & Dance, took centerstage to offer an exciting portion of Gypsy’s “Some
People,” perhaps the first time the future Momma Rose would sing that song before a live audience.
The Best Choreography Tony Award was presented to Bob
Fosse for the all dancing Big Deal. Fosse’s brief speech made special note of three of the show’s stars,
Cleavant Derricks, Alan Weeks “and the wonderful Loretta Devine.” Tony Randall presented the Best Scenic Design
award to Tony Walton for his work on The House of Blue Leaves, and Leslie Uggams announced that the winner of the Best
Lighting Design Tony was I’m Not Rappaport’s Pat Collins, who was working in London and therefore unable
to attend the ceremony. Before Nell Carter presented the Best Costume Design Tony, the sassy actress joked, “Whoever
wins must make me a dress — or don’t come up here!” Patricia Zipprodt, who won that award for her work on
the Sweet Charity revival, said, “I’m so glad I won. If I had lost one more time I think I would have been
eligible for ‘The Guinness Book of World Records.’”
Bea Arthur introduced the selection from the first of
the year’s Tony nominated musicals, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Onstage George Rose began singing a portion of
“There You Are,” and then he was joined by several members of the cast — Cleo Laine, Betty Buckley, Howard
McGillin and Patti Cohenour — who made their way to the stage via the audience. “There You Are” segued into
a portion of “Don’t Quit While You’re Ahead,” which featured brief solos from co-stars Laine, Buckley,
Cohenour and McGillin.
More awards followed: Lily Tomlin presented Robert Brustein,
Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theatre, with the Regional Theatre Tony Award, and Sandy Duncan awarded Jerry
Zaks with the Best Director of a Play for his work on House of Blue Leaves. In his speech, Zaks joked, “Perhaps
my mother will [now] give up the idea of medical school.” Wilford Leach then received the Best Director of a Musical
Tony for Drood.
The musical salute continued with 1961’s Tony-winning
musical Bye, Bye Birdie. Chita Rivera, who had been injured earlier in the season, was wheeled out on a prop cart and
sang “Put on a Happy Face” while showing off the new cast on her leg, which drew a large applause from the audience.
The segment also featured Tom Wopat singing Camelot’s “If Ever I Would Leave You,” also from 1961;
Karen Morrow performing “I Believe in You” from 1962’s How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying;
Tony Randall, Jose Ferrer and Jack Gilford insisting “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid” from 1963’s A Funny
Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum; and Randall, Ferrer and Gilford saying “Hello, Dolly!” from the 1964
musical of the same name. The Dolly! tribute also featured Susan Anton, who sang a bit of the lovely ballad “It
Only Takes a Moment.”
Alfonso Ribeiro, Lee Roy Reams, Ben Vereen and Hal Linden
joined forces for “Tradition” from 1965’s Fiddler on the Roof, and then several tunes from 1966 were
presented: John Rubinstein’s “Dulcinea” from Man of La Mancha, Stefanie Powers’ “That’s
How Young I Feel” from Mame, and Dorothy Loudon’s “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” from
the musical of the same name. Loudon then noted that 1966 also brought Sweet Charity, which was back on Broadway that
season. The introduction preceded Debbie Allen, who performed a minute’s worth of “I’m a Brass Band.”
Lee Remick sang a portion of the title song from 1967’s
Cabaret; Leslie Uggams, who won a Tony Award for her performance in Hallelujah, Baby!, reprised a moment from
that 1968 musical; and Nell Carter belted out the anthem from 1969’s Hair, “Aquarius.”
After a commercial break, Susan Anton introduced the
second nominated musical of the evening, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Song & Dance. Video clips were shown of the
Dance portion, and then the camera focused on Bernadette Peters, sitting alone onstage dressed in jeans and a Nebraska
sweatshirt. Peters delivered a beautiful version of “Unexpected Song” that built to a belty ending and the song’s
ethereal final note. Enthusiastic applause followed.
The Featured Actress and Actor in a Musical Awards were
then presented. Bebe Neuwirth, who was co-starring in the Sweet Charity revival, was presented her award by Ben Vereen.
In her speech Neuwirth admitted, “It’s hard not to do work that you’re very proud of when you’re
around Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon . . . . It’s the most fun I’ve had maybe all my life.” Her Charity
co-star, Michael Rupert, picked up the Featured Actor in a Musical Tony, which was presented to him by Ann Reinking. A thrilled
Rupert exclaimed, “Are you sure?! . . . This is great!!”
William Hurt and Isabelle Stevenson spoke about the
American Theatre Wing on a pretaped segment, and then Tom Wopat introduced the third nominated musical Big Deal. The
cast offered the show’s spirited first-act finale, “Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar.”
Sweet Charity may have nabbed the
Best Featured Actor/Actress in a Musical awards, but it was The House of Blue Leaves that took both Featured Actor/Actress
in a Play prizes. Sam Waterston presented Swoosie Kurtz with the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance
as Bananas in Blue Leaves, and Stefanie Powers presented John Mahoney with his Tony. In her speech Kurtz remarked about
the miracles in her life, including Blue Leaves playwright John Guare, director Jerry Zaks, her castmates and Bernie
Gersten and Greg Mosher “for being so unproducerlike.” The actress also thanked the theatre “for teaching
me all about madness and Bananas, who will live in my heart forever.”
A nearly 15-minute segment devoted to 40 years of Tony
Award-winning plays followed, perhaps the greatest tribute the Tony broadcast has ever dedicated to non musicals. The set-up
was simple: A Playbill cover featuring the year’s Tony-winning Best Play was shown on screen, followed by an actor dressed
in black reciting a few lines from that show. Jose Ferrer began the Best Play tribute with a section from 1947’s Cyrano
de Bergerac. The complete list of plays and actors follows:
1948: Mister Roberts, David Wayne 1949: Death
of a Salesman, Bea Arthur 1950: The Cocktail Party, Stefanie Powers 1951: Rose Tattoo, Maureen Stapleton 1952:
The Fourposter, Jessica Tandy 1953: The Crucible, Lee Remick 1954: The Teahouse of the August Moon,
David Wayne 1955: The Desperate Hours, Hal Linden 1956: The Diary of Anne Frank, Sandy Duncan 1957:
Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Jack Lemmon 1958: Sunrise at Campobello, Tony Randall 1959: JB,
Hume Cronyn 1960: The Miracle Worker, Colleen Dewhurst 1961: Becket, Richard Kiley and Tony Randall 1962:
A Man for All Seasons, Hume Cronyn 1963: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Marlo Thomas 1964: Luther,
Sam Waterston 1965: The Subject Was Roses, Leslie Uggams 1966: Marat/Sade, Rene Auberjonois 1967: The
Homecoming, Stacy Keach 1968: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, John Rubinstein 1969: The Great White
Hope, Ben Vereen 1970: Borstal Boy, Jack Lemmon 1971: Sleuth, Gene Barry 1972: Sticks and Bones,
Rex Smith 1973: That Championship Season, Charles Durning 1974: The River Niger, Cleavon Little 1975:
Equus, Anthony Perkins 1976: Travesties, Frank Langella 1977: The Shadow Box, Lee Roy Reams 1978:
Da, Jack Gilford 1979: The Elephant Man, Philip Anglim 1980: Children of a Lesser God, John Rubinstein
and Phyllis Frelich 1981: Amadeus, David Birney 1982: Nicholas Nickleby, Susan Anton, Sandy Duncan, Dorothy
Loudon and Tom Wopat 1983: Torch Song Trilogy, Ron Silver 1984: The Real Thing, Ann Reinking 1985:
Biloxi Blues, Matthew Broderick
A standing ovation followed the Best Play tribute, and
then Bea Arthur presented the 1986 Tony Award for Best Play to playwright Herb Gardner for I’m Not Rappaport.
Gardner, to the delight of the audience, said, “This is ample evidence that there is life after [New York Times critic]
Frank Rich.” Dorothy Loudon presented the Best Revival of a Play or Musical to producer Jerome Minskoff for Sweet
Charity. Minskoff said he was especially proud to receive the award on the stage of the Minskoff Theatre and made special
mention of Joe Harris, Gwen Verdon and “the genius of Bob Fosse.”
Another musical tribute followed: the evening’s
performers sang the title number from 1970’s Applause; Ann Reinking, Juliet Prowse and Sandy Duncan offered “You
Could Drive a Person Crazy” from 1971’s Company; and the segment concluded with selections from 1972’s
Two Gentlemen of Verona and Follies. The latter featured Nell Carter, Dorothy Loudon, Leslie Uggams and Karen
Morrow all lamenting the life of a “Broadway Baby.”
The Best Actor and Best Actress in a Play Tony Awards
were presented to, respectively, Judd Hirsch (for I’m Not Rappaport) and Lily Tomlin (for The Search for Signs
of Intelligent Life in the Universe). Hirsch brought co-star Cleavon Little onto the stage during his somewhat overlong
speech, and Tomlin managed to thank just about everyone who worked on her show — from the head usher to playwright Jane
Wagner.
The final musical segment featured Tony-winning musicals
from 1973-1985, including songs from A Little Night Music, Pippin and Gigi as well as Alfonso Ribeiro’s
“Ease on Down the Road” from 1975’s “The Wiz,” Rex Smith’s “Who Am I Anyway?”
from 1976’s A Chorus Line, Dorothy Loudon’s “Easy Street” from 1977’s Annie, Nell
Carter’s “Ain’t Misbehavin’” from the 1978 musical of the same name, Bea Arthur’s “Not
While I’m Around” from 1979’s Sweeney Todd, Karen Morrow’s “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”
from 1980’s Evita, Lee Roy Reams’ “We’re in the Money” from 1981’s 42nd Street,
Duncan, Prowse and Reinking’s “Folies Bergeres” from 1982’s Nine, Nell Carter’s “Memory”
from 1983’s Cats, and the entire company singing La Cage aux Folles’s “The Best of Times”
(1984) and Big River’s “Muddy Water” (1985), which flowed back into the evening’s opener “Wanna
Sing a Showtune.”
Karen Morrow introduced a brief video clip of Tango
Argentino, the final nominated musical, and Lee Remick presented the Best Actor in a Musical prize to The Mystery of
Edwin Drood’s George Rose, who said, “Sometimes a show comes along that makes you really glad you became an
actor.”
John Rubinstein then took the stage to announce the
winner of the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. This year marked Bernadette Peters’ first win in that category
for her remarkable performance in Song & Dance, which cast her as Emma, a British hat designer newly arrived in
New York. A visibly thrilled Peters made this acceptance speech: “Thank you. Thank you very much. I’m overwhelmed.
I appreciate this so much. I want to thank my mother for insisting I had talent and continuing with my lessons. I want to
thank my father and my sister and my brother for their loving support. And I have to thank a person for whom I wouldn’t
be standing here today getting this, my manager and dear friend Tom Hammond. And I have more! I want to thank my acting teacher
David LeGrand and my singing teacher Adrienne Angel because I couldn’t have sung eight shows a week and I can’t
sing eight shows a week without her. The dancers — the dancers in the show are so talented and so committed and so uplifting.
They uplift the show and they uplift me every night. I want to thank my standby, Maureen Moore. And Richard Maltby —
this show wouldn’t have happened on this side of the Atlantic without Richard Maltby, our director, and Don Black, who
I adore, rewrote the lyrics with Richard, and Andrew Lloyd Webber for his gorgeous music. And Bernie Jacobs and Gerry Schoenfeld
— my second great experience with them. And Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Company and the FWM Producing Group.
And, that’s it. I’m out of cards. [Laughs.] I want to thank the audience because they’re so warm, and thank
you for coming, the audience, to the show. And thank you for this very, very much.
The final award of the evening, Best Musical of the
Year, was awarded to The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Joseph Papp, producer of the musical, accepted the prize and remarked,
“I’m very proud tonight. I’m proud for all of us here: my colleagues in the theatre — those who have
won prizes and those that did not. It’s a great thing to be in the American theatre. I’m particularly pleased
that the Broadway community has seen fit to choose a newcomer in our midst — an extraordinary, talented composer and
writer, who I think will be on the boards once again next season. I’m talking about Rupert Holmes. Thank you all for
a good night.”
Credits rolled as the entire company sang “Give
My Regards to Broadway.”
Jul 28, 2006
Monsters & Critics
Hart
to Hart: The Complete Second Season comes to DVD in September
By Patrick
Luce
America’s most glamorous and adventurous
pair of amateur sleuths are back in fine form when Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers return on DVD September 19th for Hart
to Hart: The Complete Second Season from Sony Pictures. The five-disc boxed set features all 20 episodes from the series, which in its sophomore season was nominated
for three Emmy Awards in 1981, including Powers as Best Actress. The set will be available for the suggested retail price
of $49.95.
Created by best-selling author Sidney Sheldon, Hart to Hart chronicles the globe-trotting adventures of husband and wife detective team Jonathan and Jennifer Hart. As a self-made
millionaire and head of Hart Industries, Jonathan (Wagner) has it all. He and his beautiful wife Jennifer (Powers),
a former freelance journalist, are able to live a life of luxury; however, their curiosity and love for hard work keep the
Harts active and busy as amateur sleuths who always end up on the brink – or right in the middle – of danger.
Lionel Stander also stars as the Hart’s loyal butler and trusty sidekick, Max.
Executive produced by TV powerhouses Aaron Spelling (TV’s “Charlie’s Angels,” “Melrose Place”)
and Leonard Goldberg (TV’s “Family,” “Starsky and Hutch”), Hart to Hart premiered on ABC August
25, 1979, and became an instant hit with audiences who adored the Nick and Nora Charles aspect of the series and the engaging
chemistry of its charismatic leads. During its successful six-season run, Hart to Hart was nominated for six Emmys
and 14 Golden Globes, winning one for Best Supporting Actor (Lionel Stander).
Familiar faces appearing in the second season include
Jerry Stiller (TV’s “King of Queens,” “Seinfeld”), Amy Madigan (TV’s “Carnivale”),
George Wendt (TV’s “Cheers”), John Gavin (Imitation of Life, Thoroughly Modern Millie), Jane Withers (Giant),
John Ireland (Red River, All the King’s Men), Millie Perkins (Diary of Anne Frank), Dana Wynter (Invasion of the Body
Snatchers), Ron Moody (Oliver!), Cynthia Sikes (TV’s “St. Elsewhere”), Joanna Cassidy (TV’s “Boston
Legal”), Don Stroud (TV’s “Mike Hammer”), Lois Chiles (The Way We Were), Shari Belafonte (Murder by
Numbers) and Elaine Joyce (TV’s “Matchgame”).
DVD Special Features Include: Digitally Mastered
Audio and Video Full Screen Presentations Audio: English, Portuguese Subtitles: Portuguese Bonus Previews Closed
Captioned
Hart to Hart: The Complete Second Season episodes include:
Murder,
Murder on the Wall What Murder? This Lady Is Murder Murder Is a Man's Best Friend Tis the Season to Be Murdered Murder
Wrap Murder in Paradise Ex-Wives Can Be Murder Murder Is a Drag The Hart Shaped Murders Slow Boat to Murder Murder
in the Saddle Homemade Murder A Solid Gold Murder Getting Aweigh With Murder The Murder of Jonathan Hart The
Latest in High Fashion Murder Operation Murder Murder Takes a Bow The Blue Chip Murders
Hart to Hart: The Complete Second is now available for
pre-order at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit
the DVD database for more information.
Queens Gazette
August 9, 2006
. . . Playing at the movies were "Ben Hur", starring Charlton Heston; "That Touch of Mink", starring Cary Grant and Doris
Day; "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman, and "The Interns", starring Cliff Robertson and Stefanie
Powers.
That's the way it was in August 1962.
MovieWeb August 7, 2006 >HOLLYWOOD BEAT: Gringo Wedding & Tennis
Anyone? by Marci Weiner
A star was born in the fantastic form of Ana Lucia Dominguez, who plays the lead in Gringo Wedding. Already well known
in Latin America (she starred in the very popular Mexican telenovela Amores Cruzados), Ms.Dominguex portrays a Columbian beauty
looking for Mr.Right via a dating agency, "Agencia Del Amor." The problem is she does find him, in the formidable form of
Justin Kane, but they don't speak the same language. But not to worry folks, Sebastian Boscan, as their flamboyant translator,
tries to bridge their differences in religion, culture as well as their language problems, and the result is hilarious and
touching.
Tas Salini, who functions as writer, producer and director of Gringo Wedding, managed to bring in the film for less than
$5 million dollars, and crated a romantic comedy that spans all nationalities. Sixty percent of the dialogue in the film is
in Spanish, while the other forty percent is English (don't worry there are subtitles), and the result is Spanglish (a language
everyone can understand). After all, love is certainly the universal language for us all.
We attended the premiere with super agent and manager Mark Levin, who has represented numerous glamorous actress such as
Gena Rowlands, Sally Field, and Stefanie Powers, as well as the greatest beauty of them all, Hedy Lamarr. Mark is currently
developing a film project based on her extraordinary life. After seeing Ana as the bride in Gringo Wedding, he signed her
to an exclusive management contract and says "She has the beauty, talent and charisma that make a star" And we agree!
Courier-Journal
August 20, 2006
A theatrical life Family ties
steered Leslie K. Broecker into marketing Broadway shows; know-how and passion help her thrive By Judith Egerton
Leslie K. Broecker says she "drew the lucky stick" when she was born to Louisville arts leader Brad Broecker and Carla
Sue Broecker, social columnist for the St. Matthews Voice-Tribune.
As a child, she visited the White House and sat on the lap of singer Pearl Bailey. As a young woman just out of Spring
Hill College in Mobile, Ala., she spent a summer in New York and Nice, France, working for the JVC Jazz Festival. Her duties
included taking hot tea with honey to Mel Torme before his Carnegie Hall concerts and pampering jazz greats Miles Davis and
Sarah Vaughan.
In various jobs with the Broadway Series for the past 20 years, Broecker has met and befriended a multitude of stars. She
picnicked in Cave Hill Cemetery with Joel Grey, watched horse races with Stefanie Powers and shared
a Christmas holiday with Julie Harris. When she won an award for Outstanding Achievement in Road Marketing from the League
of American Theatres and Producers, it was handed to her by her favorite Broadway legend: "Hello, Dolly!" star Carol Channing.
But Broecker's fortunate birth to a couple with deep roots in Louisville's arts community is not the primary reason for
her successful career in the entertainment business (although it hasn't hurt). Her admirers here and elsewhere say it's Broecker's
passion, integrity, hard work and knowledge of the Broadway industry that earned her the new title president of Broadway Across
America, Midwest Region...
Jason Alexander, Carol Channing, Tyne Daly, Nanette Fabray, Peter Gallagher,
and Robert Morse are just a few of the stars who will appear in Everything's Coming Up Roses: The Jule Styne Centennial,
a special benefit concert for The Actors' Fund to be held at 8pm on Saturday, November 11 at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex
in Los Angeles.
The event will be directed by David Galligan, with musical direction
by John McDaniel. Other stars scheduled to appear include Obba Babatunde, Patrick Cassidy, Carole Cook, Nancy Dussault, Ilene
Graff, Randy Graff, Sam Harris, Steve Kirwan, Dale Kristien, Vicki Lewis, Rod McKuen, Karen Morrow, Michael Nouri, Stefanie
Powers, Cathy Rigby, Alice Ripley, Andrew Samansky, Sally Struthers, Bruce Vilanch, Lillias White, Jane Withers, and
Jo Anne Worley.
Styne was the award-winning composer of such musicals as Gentlemen
Prefer Blondes, Peter Pan, Bells Are Ringing, Gypsy, and Funny Girl. He also received the
Academy Award for Three Coins in the Fountain.
Tickets are $40-$250 and are available by calling 323-933-9266 x35.
By ALESSANDRA STANLEY
On “Bones” the sexual tension between the crime
solvers is unconsummated and unspoken. Now Fox is experimenting with postcoital tension: the F.B.I partners on “Standoff”
have already slept together but really should stop to continue working together as hostage negotiators.
“I’m wondering if the last time we had sex is going to be the last time we had sex,”
Matt Flannery (Ron Livingston) says to Emily Lehman (Rosemarie DeWitt) after their secret is exposed.
Hostages had better hope that mystery doesn’t distract him from his day job.
In the past, plenty of successful crime shows have relied on the love-hate chemistry of the leads.
“Moonlighting,” with Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis was one. Another was “Remington Steele,” with
Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist. Couples who keep their relationships lighthearted have also held their own, from the
“Thin Man” movies to Stefanie Powers and Robert Wagner on “Hart to Hart,” or Rock Hudson and Susan
St. James on “McMillan and Wife.” Stifled operating room romances are the lifeblood of medical shows, from “ER”
to “Grey’s Anatomy,” and even, up to a misanthropic point, on “House,” another Fox show that
has its season premiere tonight.
And while “Standoff,” is not exactly a playful romp, it tries not to take itself too seriously.
It serves almost as a comic version of “The Nine,” ABC’s new drama about nine people taken hostage in a
bank.
The negotiators’ passion for nonviolent resolution is scoffed at by Frank Rogers (Michael Cudlitz),
the tough-as-nails leader of the F.B.I.’s hostage-rescue team, who prefers sniper resolution. And it is hard not to
side with Frank in most of these crises. When Emily demands to know why he wants to shoot a demented television star who is
holding his two sons hostage at gunpoint in his S.U.V., Frank replies, “Have you seen him act?” Even the funky
70’s music — whackita-whackita — that swells at tense moments harks back to the days of “S.W.A.T.”
and “T. J. Hooker.”
But chemistry is supposed to be the binding element of “Standoff,” and the two leads, while
appealing in their own right, seem neither well matched nor sufficiently mismatched. Mr. Livingston, who played one of Carrie
Bradshaw’s lovers in “Sex and the City,” has a boyish smirk that he cannot quite suppress even in life-and-death
situations. (When the television actor whines on about his problems over the cellphone, Matt rolls his eyes.)
When Ms. DeWitt is onscreen, she seems to be acting in a different show: a tense psychological thriller
or a production of “Medea.” This actress, who has an elegant nose that seems to have been spared the plastic surgeon’s
knife, is an arresting beauty, but more by foreign-film standards than prime-time television’s. In love scenes the two
look as if they were reaching out for their real mates, accidentally stumbled and wound up in the wrong arms.
If there is any chemistry at all, it is between the F.B.I. negotiators and the deranged hostage takers
they must verbally seduce to disarm. Off the job the real romance is elsewhere: if there is a spark, it is most easily detected
in the enmity between Emily and Frank, who makes fun of her to her face but has hidden admiration for her skill. In one scene,
while observing her through his rifle scope, he nods appreciatively at the way she talks down the crazed son of a congressman.
One problem with choosing hostage takers as a dramatic pivot is that they are all by definition disturbed,
so from episode to episode, variety is mostly found in the hostage takers’ choice of location, and those tend to be
fairly predictable: banks, schools and coffee shops. And maybe post offices.
But it is nice to know that even men who are trained in the art of communication have trouble expressing
their feelings when girlfriends are involved. In the premiere Emily is understandably enraged when Matt, in the course of
trying to connect with a disturbed hostage taker, reveals their clandestine affair to everyone listening, including their
boss.
The next day she confronts him. “You can share your deepest hopes and fears with a heavily armed
psychopath for hours on end,“ she says, complaining angrily that he nevertheless won’t open up to her.
He has a better idea. “Let’s talk about this later,” he says.
Evening Standard September 18, 2006 Rabbit causes
a buzz in film world By Tom Teodorczuk
Take one Rampant Rabbit, the world's most popular sex toy. Add a first-time director and writer and sprinkle in cameos
from London's great and good. Mix well.
That's the remarkable recipe for the new "mockumentary"
Rabbit Fever, which is set to become the unlikeliest British film smash of the year when it is released on Friday.
Among the stars appearing in the film are Emily Mortimer,
Sienna Guillory, Tom Conti, Germaine Greer, Lisa B, Stefanie Powers, William Boyd and Richard Branson.
In the picture, which was filmed across the capital,
the stars deliver their verdict on the Rampant Rabbit either as themselves or as fictional characters.
Stephen Raphael, writer and producer of Rabbit Fever,
got the idea for the film when he overheard some female gossip at the dinner table.
He said: "It all started in early 2004 when I went to
a dinner party and there were a group of women there who had a bit to drink and started to talk about the Rampant Rabbit.
"I was amused and surprised by this. But then a friend
told me he knew about this girl in his office who was always coming in late because of it and I thought, 'I have to write
a film about women's addiction to the Rampant Rabbit'."
After recruiting first-time director Ian Denyer, Raphael
then raised funds for the film by persuading 25 friends, ranging from writers to financiers, to stump up the cash.
He added: "Just so that there was never any doubt in
anyone's mind, we brought a Rabbit vibrator along to the investors' meeting and plonked it in the middle of the table. The
Rabbit disappeared and I never got it back."
Perhaps Raphael's most inspired move was hiring the
well-connected Dixie Chassay as casting director. Chassay is the former girfriend of James Blunt, the subject of his number
one smash You're Beautiful, and the daughter of Groucho Club founder Tchaik Chassay.
Raphael says: "Dixie was amazing. Ninety-nine per cent
of the stars in the film we got through her."
These included her actor boyfriend Tom Hollander, who
plays a marketing executive cashing in on the sex toy's popularity, and Evening Standard writer Toby Young as a Labour MP
who faces calls for the Rabbit to be banned.
Oscar-winning screenwriter Frederic Raphael - Stephen's
father - also appears as a sleazy Hollywood producer.
Raphael Jnr said: "It's truly an independent film. Our
production office was my parents' flat in Chelsea. Not receiving any money from the Government or the Lottery meant I had
total control of the film. If you can do it this way, you don't want anyone else on board."
www.rabbitfeverthemovie.com
Hart to Hart: Complete Second Season
September 19, 2006
This is my boss, Jonathan Hart, a self made millionaire.
He's quite a guy. This is Mrs. H. She's gorgeous. She's one lady who knows how to take care of herself. By the way, my name
is Max. I take care of both of them, which ain't easy. 'Cause when they met, it was murder.
Hart to Hart: Season Two is a silly,
classy, splashy bit of fluff about a wealthy, married, crime-solving couple that audiences in the early 80's ate up, and it's
not surprising to see why. From the beginning title sequence, which plays like a cool TV version of a Bondian opener, to the
final fade-out (which usually has the Harts in bed, ready for....you know what I mean), each little episode has a certain
panache to the proceedings that speak to the talent involved behind the series.
Created by trash novelist Sidney Sheldon, Hart to
Hart: Season Two had all the ingredients of one his delirious, glamorous potboilers: murder, sex, money, mystery, humor,
and romance. To ensure the necessary camp values, along with the latest technology in TV glitz, executive producers Leonard
Goldberg and Aaron Spelling (Charlie's Angels) were aboard to lend their populist-pleasing talents. Creative Consultant
Tom Mankiewicz, responsible for several Bond scripts in the 70's, and son of famed filmmaker Joseph L. Mankiewicz, also tried
his hand at scripting and directing several episodes in this particular season. Promoted this season (from supervising story
editor during the first season) to series Producer, Mart Crowley (The Boys in the Band playwright) keeps things light
and sophisticated, with an emphasis on giving the audience an entertaining, vicarious peek at this modern Thin Man
couple. And what a couple they are for TV (particularly seen against today's TV couples).
You really don't see Robert Wagner or Stefanie Powers
types on TV today. Perhaps the definition of what is "fun" and "sophisticated" has changed radically since the Harts debuted
(I've recently seen both of those labels applied to Desperate Housewives -- hmmm......no.). But they bring a real movie-star
wattage chemistry to their scenes, and most importantly, you can tell they're having fun together. And why shouldn't they?
They were both rich, confident, charming actors who weren't asked to be much more than that right here. This is total fantasy,
with a multimillionaire head of a giant corporation, who never has to show up at the office, and a world famous journalist,
who never writes a word. Both jet (in their own jet) around the country, getting into trouble -- and into bed -- without so
much as an arched eyebrow cocked in our direction from dapper Robert Wagner. Stefanie Powers, who has numerous costume changes
per episode, is the perfect kind of star for television; she's beautiful and well spoken, and yet low-key enough for us to
welcome her into our homes, and feel comfortable about it.
And that, essentially, was the role of entertainment
TV back during the Harts' run: comfort. Hart to Hart had a shaky start when it premiered in 1979, but when it moved
from Saturday nights (the graveyard of network programming) to its permanent Tuesday night home on ABC, it fit in nicely with
that network's night of fluffy, no-brainer entertainment (ending the season at 23rd, which, in those still halcyon days of
network dominance, was still considered a sizable hit). The evening started off at 8 o'clock with family fun for both the
kids and parents with Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley. Then, when the little tykes were scooted off to bed,
Mom and Dad (and maybe an older teen who snuck in occasionally) would enjoy the slightly naughty humor/slapstick of Three's
Company and Ted Knight's Too Close for Comfort in the 9 o'clock hour (Come on -- you know your old man was
checking out Suzanne Somers). And then, with everybody asleep and Mom and Dad getting ready for bed, they could ease into
dreamland with a little classy Hart to Hart action at 10 (to counter the beer drinking rambunctiousness of that Milwaukee
crowd at 8). Is it any wonder that the episodes usually begin and end with the Harts safely tucked into their own bed at home?
That's probably where most of their audience was watching the show.
Sure, there were critics then who said the show was
vapid and shallow, with inane mystery plots lifted from virtually every other mystery story known to man (the mysteries fall
way short of Columbo, but are miles above a typical T. J. Hooker). But honestly, who cares? Some shows are designed
to entertain -- period. Which Hart to Hart admirably does. Yes, it's campy and coincidental, but it's also done by
professionals who know their job, and as any pro in the business will tell you -- chemistry and charm are the most elusive
ingredients to get over to an audience. Heavy drama is, by comparison, easy.
Here are the episodes featured in Hart to Hart: Season
Two.
DISC ONE:
Murder, Murder on the Wall A bank
robber's death unleashes a search for the five-million dollars he stole from his accomplices.
John Ryan (It's Alive!)! Sid Haig
(tons of horror and exploitation films)! Don Gordon (the other cop in Bullitt that no one remembers because Steve McQueen was a huge star)! Bergdorf Goodman gift boxes. Tiffany
& Co. gift boxes. A huge not-so mobile phone, tethered to the inside of the car. The most expensive wallpaper known to
man. John Gavin (Psycho)! Tavern on the Green lunch of death. Dune buggy of death. Motorcycle of death.
What Murder? After losing his
memory in an accident, Jonathan recalls witnessing a murder. Some Rear Window action. Moped of death. TV's most
common aliment: amnesia. No big stars. Very little Max. Pool fight of death.
This Lady is Murder A case of
mistaken identity results in Jennifer being kidnapped and held for ransom.
Powers plays two roles! Star Wars
joke. Jimmy Carter and peanuts joke. Runaway bicycle of death. Junk yard shoot out. Forklift of death. Wacky split-screen
shot. Luke Askew (Easy Rider), Andy Robinson (Dirty Harry), and Richard Romanus (TV's Night Terror where
he was that creepy guy who couldn't talk, who terrorized Valerie Harper on the highway): a maniac smorgasbord!
Murder is Man's Best Friend Freeway's
role in a commercial uncovers a plan to sell pets and their owners on a highly-addictive dog food.
Mad dog of death. Tofu is introduced to
unsuspecting Americans. Francis Ford Coppola/Marlon Brando joke. Robert Denison as a funny commercial director. Wagner wears
a scarf knotted like Freddy on Scooby Doo. He will continue to do so throughout the season. Dog food pate of death.
Kenneth Mars and Martine Beswick=high camp. Best line: Does Fellini put up with this kind of abuse?
DISC TWO:
'Tis the Season to Be Murdered The
Harts go undercover at their toy company to expose a costly security leak. Christmas with the Harts! Gucci, Cartier, Neiman
Marcus and more places you and I will never have enough money to shop in. Drive-in of death. Mr. Carlson from The Bob Newhart
Show! Toy snake of death. Toy plane attack of death. Shredding machine of death. Elaine Joyce. Wagner and Powers as Vern
and Edna Swandumper. Obscure (to your parents when they were watching back in 1980) reference to New Wave music. Powers as
hot elf with cleavage. Max quote: It's my karma; I vibrate in symphony with the universe. Good line: What do I get
if I win? A false sense of pride.
Murder Wrap Jennifer's resemblance
to an ancient Egyptian princes threatens to have her entombed forever.
Egyptian mummy of death. Entombment of death.
Max as Frankenstein. Sexy Fiona Lewis (Stunts). Best line: Like every good mummy, he's gonna live to take the rap.
Murder in Paradise At a Hawaiian
croquet tournament, Jonathan and Jennifer stumble into a nest of spies competing for a list of Russian agents.
Croquet game of death. Max hulas. Some minor
Blow Up action. Dolph Sweet. Wisecrackin' parrot. Warehouse fire of death. Kung fu fight of death. Croquet mallet whomping
to the head. Noel Harrison (Windmills of Your Mind). Terrible line: Since when does the CIA go around accosting
women? I don't know whether to report you to your superior or your mother.
Ex-Wives Can Be Murder Max's ex-wife
makes and unexpected appearance that draws him and the Harts into a battle for a stolen necklace.
Dana Wynter reduced to a Hart to Hart
episode. Should be best Max episode ever -- but it's not. Insurance investigator assault of death. Chick fight of death. Allyn
Ann Mclerie as Pearl. Icky line: We were like fire and wind, Maxie. We burned fast and hot, and then one day, there wasn't
anything left to burn. Thank god.
DISC THREE:
Murder is a Drag Jonathan is mistaken
for a hit man and is hired to carry out a contract killing of the District Attorney.
Jennifer counting in German. Jonathan on
Gotterdamerung: It's hard to believe this turkey was ever a hit. Exploding car of death. George Wendt (Hi,
Norm!) Wagner and Powers as Rhett and Scarlett. Funky disco costume party of death. Gay Batman and Robin joke. Max in
drag, looking like the female Tasmanian Devil. Charlie Callas! Best line: Where'd you come from? I came out of the closet.
The Hart-Shaped Murders The Harts
discover that a Valentine's Day gift to some friends is being used to transport secrets by an international spy ring.
Valentine's Day, ladies! Valentine nougat
of death. Jogging. Cult actor Dick Davlos, overacting and overeating, with a Mommy complex. Teeny tiny Nedra Volz as Mommy.
Multimillionaire Jonathan Hart, not allowed to eat what he wants -- wife says, "No." Playground brouhaha. Best line: That's
Mrs. Bittersweet's son. He's the chocolate maker. He looks like the chief taster to me.
Slow Boat to Murder In order to
protect an illegal card game, a Hart Industries employee is framed for murder.
Disco club of death. Yacht party of death.
Thin Man clip. Sensational, gorgeous Joanna Cassidy, with low cut shirt, given absolutely nothing to do. Amy Madigan
looking kind of glam, too. A Mount St. Helens joke. Powers dressed like Olivia Newton-John in Grease. Wagner dressed
like the gayest rough trade this side of West Hollywood. A wayward urban cowboy. Speed boat of death. Jet ski of death (the
old kind from the 80's, with no seat). Upsetting line, when Wagner suggests a new kind of mixed drink to Powers: An Earthquake?
Oh, that sounds stimulating. How do you make one of those? A dash of undulation, shake well, and uh.... The earth moves?
Um.....I'll stick to Scotch, kids.
Murder in the Saddle At their
ranch, the Harts stumble upon a plan to make local ranchers believe their land is being contaminated by a chemical company's
toxic waste. The season's first poor person! Jane Withers! Max sings Willie Nelson. John Ireland! River of death. Rock
slide of death. Love Canal joke. Three Mile Island joke. Stock footage from the old War of the Worlds. OPEC slam. Ghost
town of death. Behorned Cadillac of death. Cute doggie and horsy trick (Jesus.). Paul Koslo as dummy psycho. Gene Evans (no
face moisturizer in years).
DISC FOUR:
Homemade Murder Posing as Jonathan,
a murderer takes refuge in the Hart mansion as he searches for incriminating evidence that could send him to prison for life.
Millie Perkins getting knifed in the back!
Knife throwing albino Don Stroud in a blonde Doris Day wig. Wagner as a samurai. Vito Scotti making pizzas. Canadian Mountie
without the cool uniform. Squeaky dog toy of death. Max as gay interior decorator. Pompeii Pizza: You'll Leave our Pies in
Ruins! Powers in geisha garb. A Bo Derek 10 reference.
A Solid Gold Murder The theft
of a seemingly innocuous barbell leads Jonathan to a legendary gold thief.
Extremely obscure Hathaway Shirt Man joke
that only your parents would have gotten in 1980. Cesare Danova (the Mayor in Animal House)! Barbell freaks. Disturbing
MTV moment, complete with Macho Man music track behind greasy shots of Frank Zane. Goldfinger theme referenced.
Sauna of death. Barbell of death.
Getting Away with Murder The Harts
and Max go undercover on a gambling cruise to expose a counterfeiting ring.
Hey, The Love Boat set! Unfortunately,
no Love Boat cast members. Cruise ship of death. Ron Moody (Fagin in Oliver!)! Peter Haskell (lots of TV shows)! Power's bad Russian accent.
A genuine hot foot (ask your grandfather). Max's phoney heart attack. Raymond St. Jacques!
The Murder of Jonathan Hart Jonathan
fakes his own murder in order to find out who has been trying to kill him. Golf cart of death. Sculpture of death. Jonathan's
assassination. Obscure Frank Westmore reference. Ice bucket of death. Fiery car over the cliff death plunge. Disturbing line:
I always wondered what it would be like to be in bed with Groucho Marx.
DISC FIVE:
The Latest Fashion in Murder After
agreeing to model for a high fashion magazine, Jennifer becomes a deranged killer's next target.
Lois Chiles in a dual role! STYX on the
soundtrack. Photo shoot of death. Max hitting on Shari Belafonte-Harper. Caged disco dancers of death. Fuzzy cocaine joke.
The Hollywood Palladium. Kinky shower peeping. Kinky robe sniffing. Max as Fred Astaire. Joe Pantoliano! A totally bizarre
Sandor Naszody.
Operation Murder Jennifer cannot
convince anyone that she witnessed a murder during a brief hospital stay.
Kite flight of death. Park garbage can of
death. Hospital of death. Dusty, the cowboy from Dallas, in drag. Powder room of death. Hospital parking lot of death.
Weird hospital sex between consenting married couple.
Murder Takes a Bow Jennifer is
the only obstacle to a community theater director's plans to make the work of a murdered playwright his own.
Anthony Newley (Doctor Dolittle)! Jerry
Stiller! Bel Air Community Players of death. Alleyway of death. The Harts charleston. Fake ape suit of death. Banana of death.
Houseplant homicide. Bibi Besch. Gino Conforti! Worst line you don't want associated with you if your agent happens to land
you in a Hart to Hart episode: I didn't know you could be shot for a bad performance.
The Blue Chip Murders Millions
of dollars in bonds hidden by their home's previous owner make the Harts the target of a greedy stockbroker.
Home invasion of death. Most unrealistic
dialogue supposedly coming from multi-multimillionaires who never do a thing for themselves: Darling, did we pay the phone
company? A secret passage way! Secret passageway of death. Wagner and Powers eating a couple of dirty water hotdogs. Hidden
vault of death. Wishing well of death. Grease inspired drag race in the storm drains of L. A.. Worse line: Me Tarzan.
But you; you're bananas.
The DVD:
The Video:
Hart to Hart: Season Two looks fantastic.
The blasted-out lighting of 80's TV is crisply represented on this full-frame DVD presentation.
The Audio:
The Dolby Digital Mono presentation is straightforward
and clear, with no distortion. Every quip is heard clearly.
The Extras:
Unfortunately, there are no extras. There is, oddly,
an offering of an alternate audio track in Portuguese, with subtitles available only in Portuguese. Were the Harts huge in
Portugal?
Final Thoughts
Hart to Hart: Season Two has all
the pleasures of audience-pleasing 80's network TV. From the driving, kaleidoscopic theme music, to the movie quality introduction
of the stars (I love that shot of Mrs. H behind the wheel of her car, complete with sexy smile -- what a naughty kitty!),
to the jet-setting feel of the campy mysteries, Hart to Hart: Season Two delivers the goods for guilt-free, sophisticated
TV fantasy. Highly recommended.
The Independent
September 20, 2006
Anxiety; buttocks; discipline;
birdsong in the morning; equipment; foursomes; posture; response to partner's needs; sixty-nine; swinging: these are all entries
in the index of Dr Alex Comfort's classic 1972 text The Joy of Sex.
The Joy of Golf
There'll be no headbutts,
no drugs scandals, no dodgy back-room deals. But then the Ryder Cup is not like other sporting showcases. This, after all,
is golf. So how is it that a pursuit so pure, traditional and apparently sedate is such a turn-on? Brian Viner gets to grips
with the irresistible attraction of swinging
But had Dr Comfort written
a companion volume called The Joy of Golf, the index would have looked remarkably similar. The anxiety before driving off
the first tee in front of a gaggle of spectators; the lovely birdsong around a dew-covered first green; the need to stick
out the buttocks when addressing the ball; the discipline required on a tight, tree-lined par-five; the importance of decent
equipment; the pleasure of foursomes; the significance of posture; the encouragement one should always give one's partner;
the final-round 69 that Phil Mickelson scored to win this year's US Masters; and, of course, the mechanics of the swing. Clearly,
golf is the new sex.
There are other,
more direct associations between these two popular leisure activities. Some years ago I played a round near Mâcon in France
on a course inspired by the body of the course architect's lover, and owned by a businessman called Patrick de la Chesnais,
himself the former husband of the sexy Hollywood actress Stefanie Powers.
The adjacent 15th and 17th fairways were conspicuously shaped like a woman's legs, with the greens as gently-rounded buttocks,
guarded - I'm not kidding - by a vaguely triangular water hazard full of wavy bullrushes. . . .
The Chronicle Herald Halifax, Nova Scotia
September 20, 2006
Hart to Hart: The Complete Second Season (Sony) — Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers are husband-and-wife sleuths
in the mystery series created by Sydney Sheldon. A five-disc set has year two’s 20 episodes.
Daily Mail by CAROL SARLER 21st September 2006
An orgasm coach on TV and a film about sex toys - if that's progress I'm Queen Victoria
Channel 4, scraping the bottom of its favourite barrel
in an effort to titillate its jaded viewers, has come up with a wheeze that makes the rest of reality television look like
high culture.
It is preparing to screen a programme called Masturbation
For Girls that features — I kid you not — an 'orgasm coach' who teaches three ladies all her tricks, which they
will demonstrate, live, to camera.
Should you seek to escape for a night out at the pictures
instead, you may find you fare little better. The eagerly anticipated high point of the up-coming London Film Festival is
Shortbus, a movie that has astounded many by getting a standard 18 certificate in the first place, and which has as its central
character a female sex therapist who is in pursuit of achieving climax for herself.
Perhaps she has never heard of the Rampant Rabbit —
although if she hasn't, she soon will; this shocking-pink plastic contraption is also to make its film debut this week.
For the uninitiated, the RR is a vibrator that lays
claim to being 'the world's favourite sex toy' following a starring role in TV's Sex And The City.
And now we have Rabbit Fever, a film which is devoted
entirely to the dubious appeal of the wretched rabbit, and which is being advertised heavily with the tagline 'Can you feel
the buzz?'
Bizarrely, its (first time) writer and director have
somehow persuaded our good and great to take cameo parts, among them Emily Mortimer, Germaine Greer and Stefanie Powers.
Their collective effort might well prove to be —
as Mail film critic Chris Tookey informs me — one of the worst films of all time; nevertheless, it conspires with C4
and Shortbus to place female masturbation as quite the fancy of the moment.
There is, of course, nothing new about the activity
— nor would anybody suggest it to be unhealthy, either. Whispers of ruination, infertility and going blind went out
(at least one has to hope) with the Dark Ages.
What is new, unhealthy and, I would argue, retrograde
is for it to be made this public, dished up for the entertainment of the mass market with a defiance which proclaims that
to do so is, in some way, a mark of women's progress and of liberation, when in fact it's nothing of the kind. It's just cheap.
Mark Twain famously dismissed the act as an overrated
pastime: 'As an amusement it is too fleeting. As an occupation it is too wearing.
And it is unsuited to the drawing room.' Note, please,
the last point.
THE unforgettable scene where Meg Ryan faked an orgasm
in When Harry Met Sally was funny precisely because of the incongruity of its public location; had she been in the privacy
of a bedroom, it would have been just another sex scene in just another film. In a café filled with ogling strangers, it became
hilarious by dint of its toe-curling embarrassment.
No such bashfulness for the ladies lining up to appear
in the Rampant Rabbit film or to strut their intimate stuff for a million strangers tuned to Channel 4. (One wonders whether
they would have been quite so enthusiastic about taking part in a film devoted entirely to blow-up dolls, or other such demeaning
male sex 'toys'? I rather doubt it.)
There is an excuse, mind. There always is. Sometimes
it is justified as being in the interests of science or education. Or failing that, there is that great old standby of describing
prurient tosh as 'art' that challenges 'bourgeois sensibilities'.
Whichever the excuse, it just doesn't wash. Because
however high-minded your justification for exposing your private parts to public scrutiny, you still wouldn't be doing it
unless either you enjoyed it or you were paid for it.
So call it anything you like, but that makes the women
complicit in
these latest offerings at heart no different from either
exhibitionists or porn stars. Or both.
And if they thought for a moment that their antics make
them liberated women — the product and achievement of the years during which many of us fought for newer, brighter freedoms
— then, my deluded little darlings, you can take it from me: it doesn't.
What women fought for was to become the equals of men,
not to become exactly like them — which is just what this current vogue appears to invite them to try to be.
Take, for instance, the sales pitch for our friend the
Rampant Rabbit: it promises, much in the manner of a Boys' Own guide to sports cars, 'zero-to-orgasm in 60 seconds'. Perfectly
suited to the sexuality of Neanderthal men, perhaps, but not — surely not? — the sexuality of most women.
Male and female sexuality are inherently different,
for all sorts of biological and sociological reasons.
Boasting, showing-off and notches on the bedpost have
always been the province of the male, and in particular a certain type of oaf who will go to great lengths to lie about bedding
wenches while dismissing as trollops any wench whose promiscuity is rumoured to match his own.
This may well, I grant you, be an inequality that deserves
to be
challenged — but apeing the swaggering male strut
is not the way to go about it. The right we seek is not the right to be like men but the right to be like women. And respected
for it.
Female sexuality, left to itself, is altogether a more
personal, nurturing thing. Few women feel arousal in the abstract; it's not like a hunger or a thirst which they pop out to
assuage with whoever is handy.
FEW women seek sex with strangers, and where they do
— for example, at swingers' parties or within this ghastly practice they call 'dogging' — it is widely observed
that the instigators are usually their male partners.
Which is why this latest rash of explicit offerings
on the TV and cinema screen fills me with such a profound sense of disappointment and unease.
For when misguided dollies are persuaded to prove their
'liberation' by letting it all hang out in the most public of arenas, who do we think they are appealing to? Not other women,
that's for sure.
No. All they have done is turned themselves into sex
objects, there for the salacious pleasure of priapic men, to be exploited and gawped at and belittled by those who get their
kicks from peeping at women's naughty bits.
They can call it science, education or art if they like.
All they've really done is got their kit off for the dirty mac brigade.
If that's progress, I'm Queen Victoria. And I'm not
amused.
Oct 1, 2006 DVD Review: Hart to Hart - The Complete
Second Season Monsters and Critics Glasgow,UK
Opening narration voice-over: Max: This is my boss, Jonathan Hart - a self-made millionaire. He's quite a guy. This
is Mrs. H. She's gorgeous. She's one lady who knows how to take care of herself. By the way, my name is Max. I take care of
both of them, which ain't easy; 'cause when they met... it was murder!
Thus began one of the Aaron Spelling legacies from the early 1980's, under his Spelling-Goldberg
banner, created by Sidney Sheldon.
Season two of Hart to Hart was a high production value American television series on ABC that aired 1980-1981, starring Robert Wagner as
Jonathan Hart and beautiful brunette, doe eyed Stefanie Powers as his wife Jennifer, who lived in a wealthy section of Los Angeles. The show was a huge hit for ABC and immensely popular, hitting its stride in this second season.
The premise of Hart to Hart involved murder, mayhem and mystery that always found it's way
to CEO Jonathan Hart of Hart Industries, a global conglomerate and his gorgeous wife Jennifer, a freelance journalist, putting
them into crazy situations that required sleuthing and cocktails at five o'clock.
Notable performances dot the episodes throughout and include appearances by such excellent actors as Richard Romanus, Amy Madigan, Jerry Stiller,
Anthony Newley, Joanna Kennedy, Lois Chiles and Joe Pantoliano.
Delightful dangerous doings, watching this show as a young student made me appreciate the benefits
a butler makes in one's life. Always making sure the olives are stocked, mail and dry cleaning picked up and the dog is fed.
The Harts spent all their down time acting as amateur detectives, and in every episode
they were written into highly implausible, yet still fun to watch scenarios of international smuggling, theft and espionage
capers.
They also were the happiest couple on earth, being so filthy rich combined with looking like Powers
and Wagner, who wouldn't? These two actually looked like a real couple, and had great on-screen chemistry to boot. Even
the dog "Freeway" worked in the story.
Lionel Stander as Max the butler was an excellent cast member, and added juiciness to the Hart's urbane,
fabulous world. In 1983 he won a Golden Globe for his "Max" in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a
Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV honors.
This being a Spelling produced show meant real money was spent on costuming, kick ass locations,
superb art design, meticulous set decoration and top notch hair and makeup. The crafts people who worked behind the
scenes outdid themselves.
Costumers Grady Hunt and Nolan Miller had the whole cast looking perfect in the eighties designer
duds, and kudos to makeup supervisor Frank Westmore and artist Jane Aull, as well as hairstylist Ed Butterworth, Ramon Gow
and Eddie Knight. Stefanie Powers hair was awesome! Her makeup flawlessly earth toned and glossed to perfection.
Makeup and hair were a big deal in the eighties, as everybody who watched these shows emulated the Spelling protagonists to
the letter.
The episode "Murder" cheat sheet:
Disc One episode 23: “Murder, Murder on the Wall” - When a bridegroom disappears abruptly
and leaves his wife, who is an acquaintance of Jennifer's, to face a couple of thugs by herself, the Harts step in to help
her. Tom Mankiewicz directed. Episode 24: “What Murder?” - Jonathan witnesses a murder. In his rush
to approach the scene of the crime, he is hit by someone on a moped. The blow to his head causes temporary amnesia and the
killer must get rid of Jonathan before his memory returns. The late John Patterson directed. Episode 25: “This Lady
is Murder” - Jennifer is mistaken for her look-alike, Dominique, and is kidnapped by ruthless killers. With the help
of an unscrupulous columnist, the police, and the real Dominique, Jonathan devises his plan to save Jennifer. The late Earl
Bellamy directed (died in 2003), Notable performance by Richard Romanus guest starred as Marty Benton. Episode 26: “Murder
is Man's Best Friend” - Normally finicky, Freeway is quite fond of a new dog food and ends up in a dog food commercial.
When the Harts have a party, some of Freeway's new food is mistakenly ingested by some guests who then behave as if drugged.
Jennifer and Jonathan are in danger when they attempt to find out its secret formula. Tom Mankiewicz directed.
Disc Two episode 27: “'Tis the Season To Be Murdered” - Industrial espionage is a
problem at Hart toy company. When the investigator Jonathan has hired is murdered, the Harts go undercover in an attempt to
foil the crooks and save the company from financial destruction. The late Earl Bellamy directed. Episode 28: “Murder
Wrap” - During an Opening Night party for a new Egyptian exhibit at the museum, the man who discovered the tomb is murdered.
The Harts become involved in the investigation when Jennifer sees a mummy at their home. Michael Hiatt directed. Episode
29: “Murder In Paradise” - At a croquet game in Hawaii, a player is stabbed and dies at Jonathan's feet, muttering something about a key. Two of the
spectators suddenly become interested in the Harts. Tom Mankiewicz directed. Episode 30: “Ex-Wives Can Be Murder”
- Max's ex-wife, presumed dead for over 10 years, arrives in Los
Angeles. Her friend is murdered, so she calls Max for help.
When two thugs try to grab her at the park, she is injured and Max is kidnapped. Demands are made for a necklace about which
the Harts know nothing. The late Alex March directed.
Disc Three episode 31: “Murder is a Drag” - At the opera, Jonathan is mistaken for
a hit man and is given an envelope containing $100,000 for the job. When the messenger is murdered, Jonathan poses as the
hit man in an attempt to save the victims life. The late Leo Penn directed, Penn was Sean, Chris and Michael Penn's father.
Episode 32: “Hart-Shaped Murder” - Jennifer orders three chocolate valentines. Someone makes a mistake and delivers
the wrong heart for the Harts. One contains a smuggled object that the thieves want at any cost. Harry Mastrogeorge directed.
Episode 33: “Slow Boat to Murder” - Chief accountant of Hart Industries, Stanley Friesen, is set up to take a
murder wrap after an evening on the town. In an attempt to clear him, the Harts retrace his steps and discover a gambling
ring using the Nightlife as a cover. Leo Penn directed. Notable performances by Joanna Cassidy as Belle, and a young
Amy Madigan as Adele. Episode 34: “Murder in the Saddle” - To strip mine the entire area, a ruthless mining tycoon
is driving cattle ranchers out of business by poisoning the livestock via the stream that waters the properties. The Harts
get involved when Jennifer's colt is poisoned. Earl Bellamy directed.
Disc Four episode 35: “Homemade Murder” - An employee delivers some papers to Jonathan,
along with evidence of a murder. She hides the clue in Freeway's toy and the Harts are held hostage by the murderer. Tom Mankiewicz
directed. Episode 36: “Solid Gold Murder” - Vince, a friend of Max's, arrives in USA to open a chain
of health clubs. International criminals smuggle a solid gold barbell into the country with Vince's entourage. Earl Bellamy
directed. Episode 37: “Getting Aweigh with Murder” - Jonathan and Jennifer set sail, incognito, on a gambling
ship in an attempt to crack a counterfeiting ring. Harry Mastrogeorge directed. Episode 38: “The Murder of Jonathan
Hart” - The Harts' unscrupulous lawyer hires an assassin to eliminate Jonathan with plans to court and marry Jennifer
and thus gain control of the sizeable estate. Earl Bellamy directed.
Disc Five episode 39: “The Latest In High Fashion Murder” - Jennifer's article on the
world of high fashion leads to Jonathan and Jennifer modeling for a famous photographer while trying to determine who is murdering
beautiful models. Tom Mankiewicz directed Notable performances were by Joe Pantoliano as Nate Volkman, Shari Belafonte
as Cleo, and Lois Chiles as Scottie/Mary Scott. Episode 40: “Operation Murder” - Jennifer, flying a kite in the
park, falls and hits her head. She's hospitalized with a slight concussion. While in hospital, she witnesses the murder of
another patient and tries to convince Jonathan of the strange crime is being covered up. John Patterson directed. Episode
41: “Murder Takes A Bow” - Jennifer's death scene in an amateur production could become the real thing when the
director realizes she can identify him as a murderer of a young playwright. Harry Winer directed. Notable performances
by Jerry Stiller as Myron Finkle, hysterical! and Anthony Newley as Tony Vacarro. Episode 42: “Blue Chip Murder”
- The Harts return home and find their house ransacked. During the clean-up, they discover a hidden hallway and vault. The
Harts and their friend Ida are sealed in the vault when the crooks return to claim the muni bonds hidden in the vault.
Dennis Donnelly directed.
Hart to Hart: Complete Second Season is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there
is not a release date for the UK.
October 2, 2006 Los Angeles, CA
Ever Wanted to Party at the Playboy Mansion? Rare Opportunity for the Public
to Meet Celebrities at an Oct. 14 Benefit Hosted by The Wildlife WayStation
Hugh Hefner only rarely opens the gates of the fabled Playboy Mansion estate above Beverly Hills, California, to the general
public. One exception he is making is going to occur on Saturday, October 14, at a celebrity-crowning benefit event that will
be attended by Nicholette Sheridan of "Desperate Housewives," comedian Bill Maher, music maestro Quincy Jones, Sean Astin,
Dyan Cannon, Lou Ferrigno, Mick Fleetwood, Dennis Hopper, Stefanie Powers, Mickey Rooney, Gene Simmons, Loretta Swit, and
Betty White. Los Angeles entrepreneur Robert "Bob" Lorsch is inviting everyone across America to an afternoon of great food,
music by Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr., an auction of one-of-a-kind items, and a chance to meet not only celebrities,
but wild tigers, chimpanzees, and other creatures from The Wildlife WayStation. All money raised at this benefit will go to
the WayStation, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary as the world's largest rescue sanctuary for injured and abused wild
animals.
For further information or to buy tickets: 310/278-3886.
Mimi
Hines, Charlotte Rae, Cathy Rigby, Jane Russell, and Leslie Uggams have been added to the lineup for Everything's Coming
Up Roses: The Jule Styne Centennial, a special benefit concert for The Actors' Fund to be held at 8pm on Saturday, November 11 at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex in Los Angeles.
The
event will be directed by David Galligan, with musical direction by John McDaniel. Other stars scheduled to appear include
Jason Alexander, Carol Channing, Tyne Daly, Nanette Fabray, Peter Gallagher, and Robert Morse, as well as Obba Babatunde,
Patrick Cassidy, Carole Cook, Nancy Dussault, Ilene Graff, Randy Graff, Sam Harris, Bill Hutton, Steve Kirwan, Dale Kristien,
Vicki Lewis, Rod McKuen, Karen Morrow, Michael Nouri, Stefanie Powers, Cathy Rigby, Alice Ripley, Andrew Samonsky, Sally Struthers,
Bruce Vilanch, Lillias White, Jane Withers, and Jo Anne Worley.
Styne
was the award-winning composer of such musicals as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Peter Pan, Bells Are Ringing,
Gypsy, and Funny Girl. He also won an Academy Award for "Three Coins in the Fountain," which he wrote for the
film of the same title.
Tickets
for the November 11 concert range in price from $40 to $250 and are available by calling 323-933-9266, ext. 35.
Los Angeles Daily News - Los Angeles,CA,USA
October 12, 2006
Charitably 'desperate'
By Joel Stratte-McClure and Jenny
Peters
"Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry, comedian Jay
Mohr, "Housewives" co-star Andrea Bowen and "American Idol" contestant Ace Young were among the youngsters at the Thalians'
51st Anniversary Ball lastSaturday night.
"If you're wondering why it's so cold in here, it's
to keep most of you alive!" Mohr joked to the mostly elderly members of the entertainment industry's leading nonprofit organization
dedicated to the treatment of mental health.
Doris Roberts presented Cherry with the Mr. Wonderful
Award at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel before a crowd that included Debbie Reynolds, Connie Stevens, Stefanie Powers,
Barbara Eden, Mitzi Gaynor, Mamie Van Doren, Valerie Harper, Dick Van Patten, Hugh O'Brian, Jack LaLanne, Jayne Meadows, Jack
Klugman, Ruta Lee and Jane Russell.
Cherry got the award for his efforts to focus on the
need for mental health on both the screen and in life.
"What do I know about shaky mental health?" Cherry asked
during the evening that raised more than $400,000 for the Thalians Mental Health Center at Cedars-Sinai. "Well, I work with
four actresses over 40! You do the math!"
The Ms. Wonderful Award went to actress/entrepreneur
Stevens and her actress daughters Joely Fisher and
Tricia
Leigh Fisher. The family trio — as well as Bowen, Young and Reynolds — all sang during the evening, while Cherry
playfully dissed his "Housewives."
"It's a man-eater," Cherry chortled when he bid $3,000
to name a tiger cub.
"So I'm calling it Eva Longoria!"
The Almanac
October 24, 2006
Thursday, Nov. 2, the 306th day of 2006 with 59 to
follow.
The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Saturn and Mars. The evening stars are Jupiter, Mercury, Pluto, Venus,
Uranus and Neptune.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Scorpio. They include frontiersman Daniel Boone in
1734; Marie Antoinette, queen of France, in 1755; U.S. President James Polk in 1795; U.S. President Warren G. Harding in 1865;
astronomer Harlow Shapley, a pioneer in studies of the Milky Way, in 1885; trumpeter Bunny Berigan in 1908; actors Burt Lancaster
in 1913 and Ray Walston in 1914; Australian tennis player Ken Rosewall in 1934 (age 72); columnist, commentator and presidential
candidate Pat Buchanan in 1938 (age 68); author Shere Hite and actress Stefanie Powers, both in 1942 (age 64); actress Alfre
Woodard in 1953 (age 53); and singer k.d. lang in 1961 (age 45).
Press Telegraph
October 29, 2006
Stellar night for observatory
L.A.: Luminaries mark attraction's
reopening this Friday.
By Dana Bartholomew, Staff writer
Stars gazed upon stars Sunday at
a Galactic Gala at Griffith Observatory to honor this week's re-opening of Los Angeles' No. 1 landmark.
Hollywood stars, city officials and supporters of the
$93 million makeover sailed across a heavenly blue carpet to hail the observatory's Friday public launch.
"We've been waiting five years and are really excited
to be here tonight," said Leonard Nimoy, who played "Spock" on the epic "Star Trek" series and who has donated $1 million
toward a 200-seat theater built in his name.
VIPs - from Buzz Aldrin, the second human to set foot
on the Moon, to actress Angela Bassett - were awed by the observatory that shone atop Mt. Hollywood.
Built in 1935 as a gift to Los Angeles by Griffith J.
Griffith, the art deco observatory has become one of the city's most cherished icons.
Now, after four years of meticulous restoration, what
has been dubbed "the hood ornament of Los Angeles" will re-open its doors to the public on Friday.
"To all the people of Los Angeles: One of the greatest
buildings in the world is coming online," said Councilman Tom LaBonge, an observatory booster. "This is the greatest spot
in the whole universe."
Outside, the historic
observatory gleamed in ivory, its bronze solar and planetary telescopes guarding its green rotunda and
copper planetarium dome.
A terrace now surrounds the movie icon and home to 2
million visitors a year, for the best views of Los Angeles. An outdoor transit marks the seasonal path of the sun.
Inside, the 40,000-square-foot observatory is now twice
its former size with a new planetarium, theater, cafe, classroom, bookstore and more than 60 exhibits.
But with less than 200 parking spaces and a crush of
expected visitors, the observatory will allow no drive-in access in the first months after re-opening.
Instead, visitors must make advance timed reservations
to shuttle up the hill for a fee. Hikers and cyclists can visit free with a 48-hour advance reservation.
At Sunday's gala, guests walked toward the bust of James
Dean, with views of the Hollywood sign and a glorious sunset over the Pacific Ocean. The party, which was hosted by Friends
of the Observatory and organized by the Los Angeles Sports Entertainment Commission, included such local celebrities as James
Spader, Courtney B. Vance, Lucy Lawless, Art Linkletter and Stefanie Powers.
"I adore this place," said Powers, who visited the observatory
as a child. "It has all the grace and elegance of the age in which it was constructed - it was the Golden Age of Hollywood."
But it was Aldrin who commanded the galactic celebration.
"We've been coming to the Griffith Observatory
for 35 years" the astronaut said, gazing at the moon above the planetary dome. "This is the place to come for L.A. night life."
Nov 28, 2006 Shortening those Polisczyh Names
My column today is about a 16-year-old kid who recently took back the complex Polish name (Mikolajczyk) his parents rejected,
when he was 4, for one that would be easier for them and their kids (Michaels.)
We can all agree that's a rare thing, to choose complexity over ease. Here's a partial list of well-known Polish (or partly
Polish) people who did the opposite:
Actress Stefanie Powers (star of "The Girl from U.N.C.L.E."), born Stefania Federkiewicz.
Writer Joseph Conrad, born Teodor Josef Konrad Korzeniowski.
Actor Ted Knight (who played Ted Baxter on the "Mary Tyler Moore" show), born Tadeusz Wladyslaw Konopka.
Boston Red Sox player Carl Yastrzemski, born Carl Jastrzebski.
Pianist Lee Liberace, born Wladziu Valento Liberace.
Actress Carrol Baker, born Karolina Piekarski.
Politician and Presidential candidate Ed Muskie, born Edmund Sixtus Marciszewski.
Meanwhile, and just FYI, I have kept my birth name, but know that the family name was changed to Ager in the 1930s from
the Polish "Jajo," which means "egg" and is pronounced YAH-yo. I have plenty of trouble with Ager, having to spell it all
the time, and and correct its pronunciation . (It rhymes only with "vaguer," or NBC News Correspondent Bob Hager.)
For many families, having extra money to donate to charitable
causes during the holiday is impossible. But one group of givers has found a way to raise money for their favorite cause just
by doing their holiday shopping online. Fans of Stefanie Powers best known for her work on the television show Hart to Hart,
have been raising money for Powers’ non-profit organization, The William Holden Wildlife Foundation by shopping online.
Supporters of the foundation are able to shop for everything from arts and crafts to yoga and Pilates products, and everything
in between including books, DVD's, gardening items, jewelry and toys. Each time someone shops through the specially designed
website, the retail establishment pays a referral fee or commission that goes to the Foundation.
The Foundation has been instrumental in carrying out
the late actor's work in animal conservation in Kenya, Africa. The goals of the Foundation include education on the important
role animals play in the balance of nature, and to research and implement strategies that protect and grow endangered animal
populations. The Foundation has been successful in re-introducing the nearly extinct bongo back to its native Kenya 35 years
after Holden began the work of preserving and breeding the bongo in U.S. zoos.
Nancy Dugan, a long time fan and friend of Ms. Powers,
runs the fan-based fundraising effort that has included a variety of events including auctions of memorabilia, spare change
drives, and shopping through the stefaniepowers.org website. Since organizing fundraising efforts for the Foundation in 2003,
Ms. Dugan and the fans of Stefanie Powers have raised nearly $70,000 for the William Holden Wildlife Foundation.
You can help continue William Holden's work in wildlife
conservation by shopping now and all year-round at Saving The Earth's Future
