Have They Aged Well? LINDA EVANS

Remember sweet-talking Alexis-fighting shoulderpads-wearing Blake-loving Carrington clan matriarch Krystle Carrington on ABC's #1 show in 1985 "Dynasty"? Actress Linda Evans, who portrayed her, was recently spotted on the streets of Toronto. Check out her latest candids and see for yourself whether she's aged gracefully or gone overboard with plastic surgery, after the jump.

VIDEO: Murphy Brown Cast Reunited

The cast of the classic CBS comedy "Murphy Brown" (1988-1998), including the principal star Candice Bergen ("Boston Legal"), who at one point during the show's run weathered Dan Quayle's potatoes, reunited last week on NBC's "Today" show.

Bergen revealed she had to fight for the role that the network originally offered to former "Dynasty" star Heather Locklear.

Brown was conceived as an investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional television newsmagazine as well as a recovering alcoholic who returns to work after a stay at the Betty Ford Clinic.


Vice President Dan Quayle criticized the comedy in a 1992 speech saying it ignored the importance of fathers.

The writers used the controversy in the September 1992 season premiere in which the FYI team responds to Quayle's remarks by making a special showcasing and celebrating the diversity of the modern American family.

The episode ended with a truckload of potatoes being dumped in front of Quayle's residence, as a prank arranged by Brown.


In the show's final season Bergen was presented an award from the American Cancer Society in honor of the season-long storyline in which Murphy Brown battles breast cancer.

93 people were cast in the show's running gag with Murphy Brown's incompetent secretaries, including celebrities like John F. Kennedy Jr., Bette Midler, Rosie O'Donnell, Sally Field, Paul Reubens, and many others.

The show's first season is available on DVD.

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VIDEO Flashback: "Moonlighting"

Here is now again last month's video post revealing how one of the prime-time shows in 1988 ended the season early acknowledging the very strike that shut its production down.

ABC's romantic drama "Moonlighting" (1985-1989) which launched the career of movie superstar Bruce Willis and made Cybill Shepherd a top TV star was often plagued by costly production delays and had never actually had a full 22-episode season although it lasted for over 4 years. In the spring of 1988 however, the show came to a halt for a different reason.

Possibly one of the first 'dramedies' on television, "Moonlighting" was known for its irreverent tone, format innovation and a practice of 'breaking the fourth wall', that is, talking to the audience and acknowledging being a TV show.

In the spring 1988, the show was about to conclude an underwhelming 4th season which disappointed the fans because the show stars Shepherd (who just gave birth to twins) and Willis (who just filmed "Die Hard" and was eager to begin a big movie career) were rarely seen although their characters consummated their relationship after three years of romantic tension at the end of season 3.

The lackluster penultimate season was however brought to an abrupt close when the writers' strike shut down production on a number of prime-time series. Here is how "Moonlighting" dealt with the strike in the final, 14th episode of the season (aired March 22, 1988).

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Televisionista Flashback: "Melrose Place" - When Mondays Were a Bitch

JULY 8, 2007: 15 years ago today FOX unveiled an Aaron Spelling-produced spin-off to "Beverly Hills, 90210" entitled "Melrose Place," a tedious twentysomething morality play that nobody watched. Little did we know that six months later Heather Locklear would spice things up and turn "Melrose" into one of TV's campiest, trashiest, guiltiest pleasures. Take a jump back to 4616, Melrose Place, where "Mondays Are a Bitch."


Mediocre ratings plagued the Darren Star-produced LA apartment complex-set feel-good drama and its denizens from the get-go.

Michael, an ambitious doctor and his wife Jane, a budding fashion designer, had been a loving and saccharine-sweet couple. Ad agency receptionist Alison and her roommate and struggling writer Billy, were too busy dealing with "burning issues" to realize they had hots for each other. And resident gay man and social worker Matt had no sex life whatsoever.



But the audience couldn't care less about the drama's early preaching tone. They wanted to see people making mistakes. As soon as the writers introduced continuing and soapier storylines as part of the mid-course correction, they realized they needed a bad apple, a minx, a cat amongst the pigeons to stir things up. Enter vixen Amanda Woodward.

The 11th hour addition of Heather Locklear, was originally supposed to last only 4 episodes. But then the love triangle between Alison, Billy and Amanda helped "Melrose Place" blossom into one of TV's most brazenly sexy and shameless soap opera and the ratings went up. "Special Guest Star" Heather Locklear never changed her status in the opening credits, but she de facto became the show's principal star.


In its sophomore season, 'Melrose' and its buffed and beautiful creatures with enviable physique found their winning blend of the lusty, deceitful, ridiculous intrigues, dark humor, shocking moments and high camp, all generously sprinkled with Amanda's catty one-liners and micro-skirts.

A sex kitten with an MBA who always gives sage business advice to other characters, Amanda literally buys the apartment complex where everyone lives and moves in. She sleeps with Billy, the moves on to Jake (Grant Show), while she humiliates and torpedoes the hapless Alison with a laser-death glare in between.


But there was suddenly a lot more to Melrose than Amanda. Jane caught her husband Michael sleeping with a beautiful doctor played by Desperate Housewife Marcia Cross. Next, her manipulative kid sister Sydney slept with Michael, who then proposed to his beautiful doc, that's right before he drove her into an early grave. Allegedly.

As the years went by, the storylines got nuttier and the guest stars got prettier. An entire battalion of supermodels marched through the infamous complex gate (Antonio Sabato Jr, Alyssa Milano, David Charvet and even ex-porn-star Traci Lords to name just a few) kept the temperature up.



Unfortunately for West Hollywood's trashiest apartment complex, by the show's sixth season in 1998, the drama had run out of steam and turned into a parody of its former self as more than half of the original cast members jumped the ship and the show jumped the shark. Ratings erosion ensued.

An attempt to revive the show in its final 7th season with the return of the original cast member Josie Bisset and a switch to a lighter tone in storytelling came too late. Aaron Spelling announced the cancellation of "Melrose Place" on February 1, 1999, saying the drama would get a send-off it deserves come May.



Late last year, "Melrose Place" finally arrived on DVD (along with its predecessor 90210) and the show's brilliant second season was released on May 1. Here are now several additional images from the show that redefined the term "guilty pleasure" and raised the bar in shock factor in the prime-time soap-opera genre. Also, check out a video preview of the second season and the two-part Mancini divorce storyline.

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"Ugly Betty's" Horta: Alexis Inspired Alexis

APRIL 23, 2007: What did I say when "Ugly Betty" unveiled Alexis Meade in January? I said the golden days of television were back because there was a bitch on a buzzworthy primetime soap called Alexis. Little did I know Rebecca Romijn's character was indeed based upon one of TV's greatest villains - Alexis Morrel Carrington Colby Dexter Rowan.


In the latest edition of "Out" magazine, "Ugly Betty" creator and executive producer Silvio Horta reveals that when he was a kid he watched ABC's "Dynasty" and although his mother believed he loved the character Alexis, Silvio quips: "I didn't want Alexis, I wanted to be Alexis!"



Now Silvio and his team of writers created Alexis Meade in homage to the classic TV character. Just like the original, Rebecca Romijn's character is gorgeous and vindictive. There is however an update - Alexis is the former son of the show's wealthy family that owns the Mode magazine.



Back in 1985, "Dynasty" was TV's #1 show eclipsing its predecessor "Dallas" in the Nielsens for one year only. Former socialite Alexis became a businesswoman after she married her ex-husband's billionaire friend on his deathbed. Alexis was played by the exquisite Joan Collins.

"Ugly Betty" airs Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.

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Morgan Fairchild to Guest Star on "Men in Trees"

I am still stuck in early season 1 and have a lot of catching up to do with this quirky ABC show, but I may want to hurry up now that 80s soap queen and former "Flamingo Road" star (remember that one?) Morgan Fairchild is making a special guest appearance in a February sweeps episode of "Men In Trees".

According to TV Guide, Fairchild will play herself as she shows up in Elmo and decides she wants to buy Marin's life rights. Fairchild recently starred in My Network's unwatchable dud "Fashion House." Now for the nostalgic ones among you here's "Flamingo Road" opening credits. All 37 episodes of the 80s soap are now out on DVD.

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Dynasty: Season 2 Arrives on DVD

The 2-year wait is finally over as the 2nd season of "Dynasty," the mother of all prime-time soaps, arrives on DVD. It was the year when "Dynasty" became fun to watch marked by the arrival of Joan Collins as one of TV's greatest villains, Alexis Morrell Carrington Colby Dexter Rowan.



Originally, when "Dynasty" premiered in January 1981 it was a somewhat tedious drama about class conflict that begins with the lavish wedding of Colorado multimillionaire oilman Blake Carrington and his poor secretary Krystle.

Krystle's entrance into Blake's opulent world was filled with drama as she struggled to gain acceptance of not only his children and friends, but also the help at his luxurious mansion.

Blake was depicted as a ruthless homophobic tyrant who raped his wife when he found her birth control pills, arranged a violent attack on his chauffeur who was sleeping with Blake's nymphomaniac daughter Fallon and accidentally murdered his son Steven's gay lover.

Despite all glitz and glamor, Dynasty lacked luster in the ratings. Nevertheless ABC decided no to pull the plug on the Aaron Spelling-produced series and went ahead with season 2.



The producers hired Joan Collins to portray Blake's ex-wife Alexis who returned home to cause trouble. They also made Blake a more likable character and gave the show an overall lighter tone, focusing on relationships and shenanigans within the mansion.

The changes were effective and "Dynasty" shot up in the ratings, ultimately becoming the #1 show in America by its 5th season, surpassing its predecessor "Dallas."

Some of the highlights of the second season include: Alexis causing Krystle to lose her unborn child with Blake, the introduction of Krystle's niece Sammy Jo played by Heather Locklear, and the studio catfight between Krystle and Alexis, the first of many to come.

"Dynasty: Season 2" is released on DVD on Tuesday, August 14.

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