Category Archives: Actors/Actresses

July 23, 1984: Vanessa Williams resigns as Miss America

The following is from the History Channel:

On this day in 1984, 21-year-old Vanessa Williams gives up her Miss America title, the first resignation in the pageant’s history, after Penthouse magazine announces plans to publish nude photos of the beauty queen in its September issue. Williams originally made history on September 17, 1983, when she became the first black woman to win the Miss America crown. Miss New Jersey, Suzette Charles, the first runner-up and also an African American, assumed Williams’ tiara for the two months that remained of her reign.

Vanessa Lynn Williams was born March 18, 1963, in Millwood, New York, to music teacher parents. She attended Syracuse University and studied musical theater. In 1982, while working a summer job as a receptionist at a modeling agency in Mt. Kisco, New York, photographer Thomas Chiapel took the nude pictures of Williams, telling her they’d be shot in silhouette and that she wouldn’t be recognizable. After Williams became Miss America, the photographer sold the pictures to Penthouse without her knowledge. Williams later dropped lawsuits against the magazine and photographer after it was learned that she had signed a model release form at the time the photos were taken.

The Miss America pageant, which prides itself on projecting a wholesome, positive image of women, began in 1921 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, as a stunt developed by local businessmen to extend the summer tourist season. In 1945, the Miss America Organization handed out its first scholarship. Today, it provides over $45 million each year in cash and tuition assistance to contestants on the national, state and local levels. In 1954, the competition was broadcast live for the first time. Beginning in the 1980s, contestants were required to have a social platform, such as drunk-driving prevention or AIDS awareness, and Miss America winners now travel an estimated 20,000 miles a month for speaking engagements and public appearances. In 2006, following a decline in TV ratings, the pageant moved from Atlantic City for the first time in its history and took place in Las Vegas, where a new Miss America was crowned in January instead of September.

Vanessa Williams rebounded from the Miss America scandal and went on to a successful entertainment career as an actress and recording artist, performing on Broadway as well as in movies and television and releasing a number of popular albums.


I don’t know about anybody else, but Vanessa Williams is the only Miss America that I can remember. It reminds me of the line from the Styx hit “Miss America”:

In your cage at the human zoo, they all stop to look at you
Next year, what will you do when you have been forgotten

But despite the scandal, Williams went on to a successful career. In 1988, she had success with the album and the song “The Right Stuff”:

As far as her music goes, her biggest success came in 1992 with the number 1 smash hit, “Save the Best for Last”:

I had actually bought that one on cassette single. Remember those? And more recently Williams had success on the hit show Ugly Betty, which just finished its last season.

Mr. T beats up on the new A-Team movie

After seeing a preview of the A-Team movie, Mr. T says that he’s shocked with how graphic it is. This may not be good news for the film, which opens this weekend.
Mr. T said, “People die in the film and there’s plenty of sex but when we did it, no one got hurt and it was all played for fun and family entertainment. These seem to be elements nobody is interested in anymore.”

“It was too graphic for me. I’ve no doubt it will do big business at the box office but it’s nothing like the show we turned out every week.”

Mr. T is a born-again Christian, and he represents good values, and has been a good influence on children. So, it’s not really surprising that he is bashing the movie. He did say that the movie will “do big business at the box office” but admitted that it was just too graphic for him.

The commercials that I have seen do seem more graphic than the television show. The movie just seems to be aiming to an older audience than the television show. This is not surprising either, since the people who watched the show when it aired are older.

The television show had a lot of action and explosions, but I don’t ever remember anybody being killed, or even hit by a bullet for that matter. So, it was unrealistic, but it was a lot of fun. It was one of my favorite shows growing up. I’ll hold my verdict on the movie until I see it, if I see it.

Gary Coleman Update

Two days before Gary Coleman died, he suffered a head injury from a fall, and his “wife”, Shannon Price made a 911 call, which has been released. In the call Price said she’s not sure whether Coleman had a seizure or whether he hit his head and fell. She said he had just gotten home and was going downstairs to make some food for her and that she then heard a “big bang.”

“Send someone quick because I don’t know if he’s like gonna be alive cause there’s a lot of blood on the floor,” Price said “I don’t even know what happened. …I looked at the back of his head and it’s all bloody and gross,” Price said, later reporting to the dispatcher, “He’s conscious but he’s not, like, with it.”

Santaquin Police Chief Dennis Hammond has said Coleman had a dialysis treatment on the day of the 911 call. It’s unclear whether that may have been related to Coleman’s fall. The dispatcher asks Price to get a towel for Coleman to apply pressure to the back of his head.

“I’m just panicked I don’t know what to do,” Price said. “When are they (emergency services) going to be here, do you know?”

Coleman was conscious at the hospital that day but slipped into unconsciousness Thursday and was taken off life support Friday.

Then it was learned that Coleman and Price were actually divorced in 2008. So there was controversy as to the legality of Price’s decision to remove Coleman from life support. But the hospital said, “Mr. Coleman had completed an Advanced Health Care Directive that granted Shannon Price permission to make medical decisions on his behalf if he was unable to do so.”

However, controversy does not end! Now Gary Coleman’s parents, Sue and Willie Coleman, are saying that they are the legal custodians of his body because Coleman was divorced from his wife. His parents have said they learned about his hospitalization and death from media reports and that they had wanted to reconcile with their son before his death.

In 1989, when Gary Coleman was 21, his mother filed a court request trying to gain control of her son’s $6 million fortune, saying he was incapable of handling his affairs. The move “obviously stems from her frustration at not being able to control my life,” he said.

But former “Diff’rent Strokes” co-star, Todd Bridges is speaking out about a secret will that Coleman had. He told “Entertainment Tonight” that he is in possession of a document containing his old friend’s final wishes.

“[A friend of mine and I] have paperwork, and we’ll bring it out soon, that will show what his wishes were and what he wanted,” Bridges said. “There’s a big fight going on with his parents and some other people involved, and after we bring this paperwork out, everybody’s going to shut up.”

This is so sad, but it should not be surprising that there would be so much controversy after Gary Coleman’s death.

R.I.P. Rue McClanahan: February 21, 1934 – June 3, 2010

This has been a horrible year for ’80s stars. Golden Girls star, Rue McClanahan has died at the age of 76. She passed away at 1 AM this morning from a massive stroke.

Rue McClanahan was born Eddi-Rue McClanahan in Healdton, Oklahoma. She began acting on Off-Broadway in New York City in 1957, and made it to Broadway in 1969.

She got her television break when she played Maude’s (Bea Arthur) best friend, Vivian Harmon in the show Maude, which aired from 1972-1978.
In 1983-1984 McClanahan played Fran Harper, who was Thelma’s (or Mama’s) younger uptight sister.
Then she played her most popular character, the man crazy Blanche Devereaux on The Golden Girls from 1985 until 1992 and in The Golden Palace for one year after. Devereaux was the owner of a house which was lived in by three other roommates: Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthur), Rose Nylund (Betty White), and Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty). She received an Emmy Award in 1987 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on The Golden Girls. When speaking about her character, she said that Blanche, “is in love with life and she loves men. I think she has an attitude toward women that’s competitive. She is friends with Dorothy and Rose, but if she has enough provocation she becomes competitive with them. I think basically she’s insecure. It’s the other side of the Don Juan syndrome.”

McClanahan was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 1997, from which she completely recovered.

On November 14, 2009, she was to be honored for her lifetime achievements at an event “Golden: A Gala Tribute To Rue McClanahan” at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, California. The event was postponed due to McClanahan’s hospitalization. She had triple bypass surgery on November 4. It was announced on January 14, 2010, by Entertainment Tonight that while recovering from surgery she had suffered a minor stroke. In March 2010, Betty White reported on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that McClanahan was doing well and that her speech had returned to normal.

McClanahan was married six times: Tom Bish, with whom she had a son, Mark Bish; actor Norman Hartweg; Peter D’Maio; Gus Fisher; and Tom Keel. She married husband Morrow Wilson on Christmas Day in 1997.

She called her 2007 memoir “My First Five Husbands … And the Ones Who Got Away.”

With Rue McClanahan’s death, Betty White is the last remaining “Golden Girl”

Here is a Blanche tribute video:

R.I.P. Gary Coleman: February 8, 1968 – May 28, 2010

Gary Coleman died today of a brain hemorrhage at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Utah. He was 42.

The following was reported by CNN:

“We are very sad to have to report Mr. Gary Coleman has passed away,” his spokesman, John Alcantar, said in a statement Friday afternoon. “He was removed from life support; soon thereafter, he passed quickly and peacefully. By Gary’s bedside were his wife and other close family members.”

Coleman was born on February 8, 1968, and raised in Zion, Illinois, near Chicago. He was adopted as an infant by Willie Coleman, a representative for a pharmaceutical company, and Sue Coleman, a nurse. By age 5, Coleman was modeling for retailer Montgomery Ward, a job that was followed by appearances in commercials for McDonald’s and Hallmark, according to a 1979 profile in People magazine.

Coleman was cast in the role of Arnold Jackson on Diff’rent Strokes from 1978 to 1986, portraying a child adopted by a wealthy widower.

Coleman became the icon of the show, most known by his character’s catchphrase “What’choo talkin’ ’bout, Willis?” At the height of his fame on Diff’rent Strokes, he earned as much as $100,000 per episode. It is estimated he was left with a quarter of the original amount after paying his parents, advisers, lawyers, and taxes. He later successfully sued his parents and his ex-advisers for misappropriation of his finances and was awarded $1.3 million. But then he had to file for bankruptcy six years later.

Coleman lives 55 miles south of Salt Lake City in Santaquin, and has lived in Utah since 2005. He went there to star in the movie Church Ball. He met Shannon Price on the movie set and married her in 2007.

Coleman has had a lot of financial and legal issues, as well as ill health. Most of his health issues stem from a kidney disease he suffered as a child, and has had at least 2 kidney transplants and has ongoing dialysis. Last fall, Coleman had heart surgery that was complicated by pneumonia.

In February, Coleman pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor criminal mischief charge related to an April 2009 domestic violence incident at his home.

I will do a tribute for Gary within the next week. But in the meantime, this is how I prefer to remember him:

Gary Coleman Hospitalized and is in Critical Condition

Gary Coleman is in critical condition near his Utah home with what his family calls a “serious medical problem.”

Utah Valley Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Janet Frank said Coleman, 42, was admitted to the Provo facility on Wednesday but she couldn’t release any other details.

Coleman’s wife, Shannon Price, said that the family does not want to release any additional details at this time. They don’t know the full extent of his condition right now, so they do not want to give out premature or incorrect information.

Price and her father released a statement Thursday to KUTV-TV saying Coleman was taken to the hospital with “a serious medical problem.” The statement asks for prayers, adding “we hope those prayers are answered and that Gary will be able to recover and return home soon.”

Coleman lives 55 miles south of Salt Lake City in Santaquin, and has lived in Utah since 2005. He went there to star in the movie Church Ball. He met Shannon Price on the movie set and married her in 2007.

Coleman has had a lot of financial and legal issues, as well as ill health. Most of his health issues stem from a kidney disease he suffered as a child, and has had at least 2 kidney transplants and has ongoing dialysis. Last fall, Coleman had heart surgery that was complicated by pneumonia.

In February, Coleman pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor criminal mischief charge related to an April 2009 domestic violence incident at his home. Due to recent health issues, several follow-up hearings have been delayed.

Get well, Gary! Our thoughts and prayers are with you!

Where Are They Now? – Soleil Moon Frye (Punky Brewster)

Soleil Moon Frye is best known for playing Punky Brewster, which ran from 1984-1988. Penelope “Punky” Brewster was abandoned by her mother after her father walked out on the family. Punky and her dog and loyal companion, Brandon found a vacant apartment in a local building. The building was managed by photographer Henry Warnimont (George Gaynes, who was also in the movie Police Academy), an old and grumpy widower. Henry found Punky in the apartment, and took her in after he heard her story. She also became good friends with a girl named Cherie Johnson, who lived with her grandmother, Betty Johnson, in the apartment above Henry’s.
Punky was forced by the state to stay at Fenster Hall, a shelter for orphaned and abandoned children, which made her realize all the more how close she had grown to Henry. Finally, their day arrived, and the court approved Henry to become Punky’s foster father.
Punky’s other friends are geeky Allen and snobby rich girl Margaux.
One other note about the show: Gary Portnoy, who wrote and performed the theme song, also wrote and performed the theme from Cheers.

In 1999, Soleil appeared on an episode of Friends. She played a girl Joey was dating, and liked to punch him around.

From 2000 to 2003, Frye portrayed the character of Roxie King in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.

She also did the voice of Zoey on the cartoon The Proud Family from 2001-2005.

After suffering from gigantomastia as a teen, Frye underwent a breast reduction three months before her 16th birthday.

Frye married Jason Goldberg, a television producer and actor, on October 25, 1998 in Los Angeles. Their first child, daughter Poet Sienna Rose Goldberg, was born on August 24, 2005, in Los Angeles. On March 17, 2008 she gave birth to her second daughter, Jagger Joseph Blue Goldberg.

Now, Frye, along with two friends, opened The Little Seed, an environmentally-conscious children’s specialty boutique in Los Angeles.

Corey Haim died of natural causes

20th Century Fox/Courtesy Everett Collection
Corey Haim’s autopsy has been completed, and drug abuse was not the cause of death.
Haim’s death began as a “suspected prescription medication overdose,” but toxicology tests “revealed no significant contributing factors” from drugs, the coroner reported.
Corey died from pneumonia. There was an extremely large amount” of swelling in Haim’s lungs.

Toxicology tests showed that Haim’s blood did have “low levels” of a list of drugs, including an antidepressant (Prozac), an antipsychotic (Olanzapine), diazepam (Valium), a muscle relaxer (Carisoprodol), a tranquilizer (meprobamate) and THC (a chemical in marijuana).

Haim also was taking a cough suppressant, antihistamine and ibuprofen.

“These medications are present in low levels and are non-contributory to death,” the autopsy report said.

Dead or Alive: Emmanuel Lewis

Emmanuel Lewis is — STILL ALIVE. Wouldn’t that have been sad if that cute little guy had already died? He was born in 1971, and is best known for playing Webster in the television show of the same name. The show ran from 1983-1987 on ABC. The show was set in Chicago, and revolved around Webster, whose parents were killed in a car accident. He was taken in by retired football star George Papadapolis (Alex Karras) and his wife Katherine (Susan Clark). Webster was often compared to Diff’rent Strokes. According to TV.com, After Webster, Lewis enrolled in Clark Atlanta University and earned his Bachelors of Arts degree in Theatre Arts. He also continued working in television throughout the ’90s, making guest appearances on various series including Family Matters, In the House, Moesha, Malcolm & Eddie and Good vs. Evil.
More recently, he was in VH1’s reality show, The Surreal Life in 2007.

R.I.P Merlin Olsen (September 15, 1940 – March 10, 2010)


Pro Football Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen has passed away today at the age of 69. According to the USA Today, Olsen, who was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2009, filed a lawsuit in December against numerous companies, including NBC, who he alleged exposed him negligently to asbestos.

Olsen played on the defensive line for the Los Angeles Rams from 1962 to 1976. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1962, and was elected to the All-Pro team 14 times. He was part of one of the best defensive lines in history alongside Deacon Jones, Rosey Grier, and Lamar Lundy. They were known as the Fearsome Foursome.
After he retired, he went on to be an NFL commentator alongside Dick Enberg on NBC throughout the 80’s. I thought he was an outstanding announcer.

He also became a successful actor. He played Michael Landon’s best friend, Jonathan Garvey on Little House on the Prairie. Then he starred in the television drama Father Murphy, which ran from 1981 to 1983.