The Facts of Sexual Harassment in Hollywood: #NotThisShow

The floodgates have opened and women and children in Hollywood have finally been coming forward and being believed about the abuse they suffered at the hands of powerful grown men. Notably, Facts alumna Molly Ringwald wrote a powerful account in the New Yorker about her own experience as a young actress.

When I was thirteen, a fifty-year-old crew member told me that he would teach me to dance, and then proceeded to push against me with an erection. When I was fourteen, a married film director stuck his tongue in my mouth on set. At a time when I was trying to figure out what it meant to become a sexually viable young woman, at every turn some older guy tried to help speed up the process. And all this went on despite my having very protective parents who did their best to shield me. I shudder to think of what would have happened had I not had them.

When I read this, the first thing I did was the math. Could any of this have happened on the Facts of Life set?

Hallmark Attacks: A half-assed reunion on Monday

Check this out:

That's from the Hallmark Channel's Home and Family show. This isn't Lisa Whelchel and Kim Fields's first go at a Hallmark Channel thing, and that thing doesn't give me much hope for this thing.

It's funny, though, that just over a year ago when EW did their epic series of Facts interviews, Kim Fields (and Mindy Cohn) declined to participate because they wanted to movHe forward rather than backward and put Facts behind them. Mindy is obviously sticking to her guns, but between this and The Real Housewives of Atlanta, I wonder if she's hurting for money. Poor Kim. Maybe I should ask her if I can interview her.

Anyway, it looks painful, but I'm going to watch it anyway. I'll let you know how it goes.

More news and guest star sightings

As most of you know, I'm in the process of graduating from law school. Today was the last day of exams, and I finished my last exam early this afternoon (and then promptly fell asleep for four hours). I still have one paper to turn in. The last couple of weeks I have only been able to check in briefly with bits of news and points of interest for anyone who loves The Facts of Life like I do. Luckily, there's lots of it. It's coming back! And if I didn't cause it, at least I'm on the early wave.

Apparently a like-minded soul whom I clearly must meet posthaste penned a script called The Facts of Life: The Lost Episode in 2008. Here is a review of an April, 2015 run of it in San Diego. Did you see that that said April, 2015? That was last month. Maybe it will be revived for a tour. Spread the word. Bring it to your area. Help me figure out how to make this happen.

It's Back on TV!

Greetings all. I really shouldn't be making this post at all, since I have a final tomorrow that I am studying for right now. But it's Thursday, and I just discovered that there's a Facts of Life Facebook group, so once they approve me for membership I'm going to send them here. And I wanted to say hello. But here's the thing! There's actual news!

THE FACTS OF LIFE IS BACK ON TV!

It's true. I ran across it the other night while channel-flipping. It's on Logo, which comes with most premium cable packages I've seen (I don't know about basic), and was reminded of it again on said Facts of Live Facebook page. Logo is the LGBT-friendly channel. It fits; indeed, I've written about how it's often argued that Jo/Nancy McKeon inspired a generation of lesbians. But who cares why or where? It's on.

Yes, I know I have the whole series on DVD. But isn't it more fun to be surprised sometimes?

On another note, since I expect to have a bunch of new readers soon: I know that my blog needs some major cosmetic work, like indexing and categorization and tags and that sort of thing. I intend to get to it, really! After I finish school, and pass the bar, and find a job...

It's the interview of my dreams! Except EW did it, not me

Many thanks to a Kiwi friend living in Australia, who pointed me to this Entertainment Weekly interview with many important Facts of Life personalities. Everyone from Blair to Mr. Bradley to Assad freaking Kelada talking behind-the-scenes and secret stories? Yes, please. And thank heavens they did it while Charlotte Rae is still alive. Sister be pushing 90. That's one death I should probably start preparing for.

The interview didn't provide too much in the way of factual information that I didn't already know, but that's not really what a thing like this is about. It's much more fun to hear the reflections of those involved, that is, the things that aren't objectively factual but which communicate so much more to a fan, or at least, to a graduate-level Facts fan like me.

Wrong recollection interlude
Alan Thicke is wrong when he asserts in the interview that you don't ever hear the entire song in the show. In the first season, the entire song was indeed sung over the opening credits (with Charlotte Rae singing some key lines), and in some subsequent seasons, the lyrics that are cut in the opening credits are sung over the closing credits. Take THAT, Thicke! (P.S. Your son is a creep.)

News for the New Year

I don't know how the hell I missed this, but apparently back in September, the Facts of Life cast reunited for a 35th anniversary dish.

It seems to have been a Today Show thing - read about it here.

Also, IN THE MOST EXCITING NEWS OF THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD, the entire series is being released on January 13. Pre-order it now from Amazon. I have not yet ordered it. My birthday is Wednesday...

Complete series forthcoming?!? Don't tease me so!

Today, I checked an old e-mail address of mine that I don't really use anymore and haven't checked in a while, and I found an e-mail from last Monday that led me to this:

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT NEWS

Or, if you don't want to click: some outfit called "Shout" announced at San Diego ComiCon that it has secured the rights to the show and plans to release the complete series on DVD in 2015. 

Oh, for the love of all that anyone might find holy or otherwise worthy of respect and veneration, please let this come through. I have been waiting for this for so long, and the timing couldn't be better.

In honor of possibly having the whole series at our fingertips, I'm going to put up my first recap, of the very first episode of the very first series, in short order, most likely later tonight. Watch this space...