Whatever happened to...

This thread can be used for bands, singers, actors, fads, or items you've wondered about. Stuff you used to see or use but that disappeared.

Paula Cole had a hit song sometime in the late 1990s, Where Have All The Cowboys Gone, and then I never heard anything about her again. She does have a web site, hosted by her record company.

Billie Myers (sang Kiss The Rain).

Jimmy Ray (Who Wants to Know About Me a.k.a. Are You Jimmy Ray?)

Haven't heard any other songs by these people.

Paul Hogan - Crocodile Dundee. He was fairly big in the 1980s. What happened?

I don't miss him - I found him annoying - but whatever happened to the Energizer Bunny?

He used to be all over the place, like Spuds McKenzie, and the Dominos Pizza Noid ("Avoid the Noid!").

I've not seen the Cavity Creeps in any Crest commericals ("We make holes in teeth, we make holes in teeth!").

Are Tab cola and Jiffy Pop popcorn still around?

I think you can get Pop Rocks now, but from specialty candy stores.

I hope the Country Crock (margarine) commericals are dead and buried. Those were the ones where a married couple would bicker in a friendly way, but all you ever saw were their hands and the product, a tub of Country Crock.

All those stupid coffee commercials - like the one where the lady drank a cup of French Vanilla coffee and instantly was transported to France where she met some waiter. I haven't seen those in a long time.

Re: Jan Michael Vincent

I just saw him on TV, being interviewed. I remember him from the TV show Air Wolf.

He's 63 now. Oh my gosh. He has totally fallen apart. He looks very, very, very, very, very haggard and "out of it."

(I mean, being 63 years old is fine, but he looks like he's a million years old and has been through a lot.)

He seems to be the male equivalent to Britney Spears - train wreck of a life.

Recluse Jan-Michael Vincent in Shocking New TV Expose

Fallen Hollywood pin-up Jan-Michel Vincent has gone public about his alcoholism and health struggles in a shocking new TV expose.

The former "Airwolf" heartthrob, who has suffered a series of legal and medical setbacks since his career heyday two decades ago, has taped a rare interview for the news show "The Insider," which will air next week.

Struggling to speak after one of his vocal chords was shattered in an emergency medical procedure following a car crash in 1996, which left him with a broken neck, the now-grizzled star admits alcohol robbed him of his career and memories.

Asked to recall the car accident that almost killed him 11 years ago, the dazed actor slurs, "Y'know, I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't remember being in an accident." He goes on to admit he's an alcoholic.

Check this site out,

did you watch this when you were a kid?

(Way better then mandonna anyday!)

http://www.speedracer.com/

This post has been edited by anshirk on Dec 3 2007, 06:44 AM

The Speed Racer cartoon show? Yes, I watched it quite a bit when I was a kid.

I remember Racer X, Trixie, and Chim Chim (or whatever his name was).

I vaguely remember the song lyrics; they went something like...

Here he comes, here comes Speed Racer
He's a demon on wheels
He's gaining on you in his powerful Mach 5
he's coming at you so you better look alive
And when the odds are against him
and there's dangerous work to do
you bet your life Speed Racer
gonna see it through
Go Speed Racer
Go Speed Racer
Go Speed Racer go!

According to a lyrics site, the lyrics were

Yeah i couldn't catch all the words of the song back then. only,
go speed racer 3 times.

Along with this cartoon show, also came those Japanese shows with real live godzilla etc.
i can't remember the names.
the kid in the show would have this hand controlled mechanism to communicate with.

This post has been edited by anshirk on Dec 4 2007, 06:52 AM

I know I've seen the show you're talking about, but I can't remember what it's called.

It also reminds me of another show I used to watch when I was a kid...

It was a show about a guy in a silver and red costume, and it was a live action show (with real actors; it was not a cartoon show).

I can't remember if the red and silver guy was a robot, or if he was a Japanese guy who dressed up like that (like Clark Kent dressed up like Superman).

Other shows I used to watch when I was a kid (from age 4 to about age 10) were Johnny Quest, The Jetsons, Batman (the TV series with Adam West), Planet of the Apes, Bugs Bunny, Bullwinkle and Rocky, and Scooby Doo.

When I was a about 12 years old, I used to watch the cartoon show He-Man and the Masters of the Universe only because there was nothing else on at that time, when I got home from school. I hated that show, but there just wasn't anything else on at the time.

Around age 10/11, I watched Smurf cartoons.

As for 'regular' shows on TV after school, I watched re-runs of The Brady Bunch, The Beverly Hillbillies, I Dream of Jeannie, Petticoat Junction, F-Troop, and Bewitched.

see if its this,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je9o_ahMxMQ&feature=related

yeah the kid was japanese he had a costume

i did some searching, the beginning looks familiar,
or maybe a spin off of this serial.
another was,
Ultraman , Goldar, Space giants


Looks like its this one im sure definitely,
its this--MIKO , rocket boy , Gam etc.

Very nice to see it again AFTER SO MANY YEARS thanks to youtube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG7YPtHymh0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EfUiUkk9PE&feature=related

This post has been edited by anshirk on Dec 6 2007, 03:05 AM

Jane Child

Don't Wanna Fall In Love




direct link


direct link


direct link


direct link


direct link

I wonder what ever happened to that actor who played the nerdy kid Steve Urkel on the TV sit com Family Matters?

I remember the Urkel character had a crush on the girl next door, he was brainy, and he loved cheese.

Where Are They Now? They’re A Website!

Posted Mon Nov 10, 2008 3:43pm PST
by Rob O'Connor
in List Of The Day

The Internet has changed everything. Once upon a time a musician whose career had cooled went on to own a car dealership, work in land development, or studied economics to figure out where all the money went, but these days you can rest assured that they're still out there touring somewhere and have a website with stuff to sell and concert dates to announce. It's almost like being immortal.

In my never ending quest (and I do mean, dear reader, never ending) to provide you with the enlightenment you need to survive yet another day and realize your true potential, I offer you an update on these five fine performers who once ruled the music charts of the 1980s and have since been sent into exile, banished from the very mainstream they once so dominated.

Is it a conspiracy? Heck, everything's a conspiracy. It just depends which side of the conspiracy you're on. When you're on the side that's getting paid, you call it good fortune and a fair assessment of your talents. Otherwise, it's their fault.

So, let's check in with a few folks.

Kim Carnes-- "Bette Davis' Eyes": "Bette Davis' Eyes" spent nine weeks at number on the U.S. singles chart in 1981 and earned both "Record of the Year" and "Song of the Year" at the 1982 Grammys.

The song, written in 1974 by Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss, was initially declined. Despite having a voice that Rod Stewart might consider suing, Carnes never achieved the same level of popular success.

However, she has done well on the country charts with her own songs, including a number one duet with Kenny Rogers, "Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer," as well as authoring "The Heart Won't Lie" for Reba McEntire and Vince Gill and "Make No Mistake, She's Mine" for Kenny Rogers and Ronnie Milsap.

She continues to co-write in Nashville and can be heard singing backup vocals on Tim McGraw's A Place in the Sun album, to which she also wrote the song "You Don't Love Me Anymore." She can be found--where else but--at http://www.kimcarnes.com/.

Rick Astley-- "Never Gonna Give You Up": Richard Paul Astley has sold more than 40 million copies of his music worldwide and is best known for his 1987 hit "Never Gonna Give You Up," an inspirational anthem for Dennis Reynolds on It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

If the website is to be believed, Astley will be performing at this year's 82nd Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which coincidentally will happen on Thanksgiving, November 27, 2008. This is provided he survives performing in Denmark earlier in the month.

But Rick's greatest claim to recent fame has been "Rickrolling," where in 2007 Internet viewed was tricked into watching Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" video when clicking on the names of other videos.

YouTube got in the game on April 1, 2008 and made every single video featured on its front page a Rickroll. Now that's a scam! And here's the website: http://www.rickastley.co.uk/.

Debbie Gibson --"Foolish Beat": Well, she's now Deborah Gibson and while she virtually defined the clean-living teen star of the 1980s, she was sure to throw that away too with a nude pictorial in the March 2005 issue of Playboy--that also had a lot of great articles--to help promote her single "Naked" (get it?).

The song peaked at #35 on the Billboard Charts and she has since appeared on something called Skating With Celebrities (if this turns out to be wrong, I for once didn't make it up, someone else did).

She's the founder of Camp Electric Youth, a children's camp where kids learn how to--uh?--be more like Debbie Gibson?

And she has appeared on that hot girls with suitcase show Deal Or No Deal.

She continues to play casinos and Gay Pride Parades and is apparently not married, which of course means she's available! I'm sending in my resume! (Someone help me with my photos. Can I look any worse? Don't answer that.)

Amazingly, she can't be found at deborahgibson.com or debbiegibson.com but there is a myspace page that claims to be official and the official site link leads to something "under construction." www.myspace.com/officialdeborahgibson

Tiffany--"I Think We're Alone Now": Another great shopping mall rocker from the 1980s, Tiffany hasn't given up and gone into home décor, but continues to record music that people in this day and age of the free download still apparently buy.

In 2007 she appeared on Celebrity Fit Club and even made a cameo on How I Met Your Mother, a television show this blog has not actually seen but has now read about quite often.

She re-recorded her Tommy James and the Shondells hit "I Think We're Alone Now" and has had success with dance singles such as "Higher" and "Just Another Day." http://www.myspace.com/tiffanymusic.

Belinda Carlisle --The Go-Go's and solo "Heaven is A Place On Earth": A founding member and singer of the Go-Go's ("We Got the Beat," "Our Lips Are Sealed") and then a successful solo artist ("Heaven Is A Place On Earth"), Belinda Carlisle turned 50 this year!

Which doesn't seem possible to those of us who believe in eternal youth. She was a judge on the MTV Reality Show (there's an oxymoron!) Rock the Cradle and even appeared on Celebrity Duets.

She continues to tour with other acts from the 1980s to prove that they are still alive and able to sing. For some reason, she recorded her latest album in FRENCH!!

As someone who was born in Hollywood with a name destined for celebrity, Ms. Carlisle was not about to take up professional dog grooming or house sitting as a new career.

Her agent is better than that! She can be found on the Internet here: http://www.belindacarlisle.tv/.

Paul Young "every time you go away" Singer

He's still there, poor guy!


Paul Young: I've lost everything - but I'm not bitter...
His marriage fell apart, his career self-destructed and he lost his fortune in a disastrous property deal. Now singer PAUL YOUNG works in his ex-wife's restaurant... and he couldn't be happier

Paul Young, the man who famously sang 'Wherever I lay my hat, that's my home' looks surprisingly ill at ease at our chosen venue.

His anxiety, it turns out, is not thanks to the location - Shoreditch House, a trendy private members' club in east London - but the fact that his 12-year-old son, Grady, is having a sports day and Paul is unable to attend as he has already agreed to do this interview. 'I feel really bad about missing out, so please be kind to me,' he implores.

Paul Young, 52, now works in his ex-wife's restaurant. 'She was my mate when we got married, so why shouldn't she be my mate now?'

Family matters are very much at the forefront of Young's mind since the breakdown of his 20-year marriage to former model Stacey. The couple split in 2006, after Stacey admitted to having an affair with Israeli businessman Ilan Slazenger.

Stacey, 43, and Slazenger now have an 18-month-old son, Jude, and Paul has moved out of the £1.5 million family home in Barnet, Hertfordshire. He now lives in Winchmore Hill, just 15 minutes away from his three children - Grady and daughters Levi, 21, and Layla, 14.

After the split, Paul, who met Stacey while filming the video to his 1983 hit Come Back And Stay, refused to apportion blame. 'It's not easy,' he said at the time.

'But she was my mate when we got married, so why shouldn't she be my mate now?'

And today, though clearly bruised by the break-up, he is still very much the gentleman. 'It's been a hard last couple of years,' he admits. 'But it got to New Year and I just said to myself, "New year, new attitude. Good things don't come unless you have the right attitude and I'm very happy now.'

The couple had always had a volatile relationship, separating for a period in the early 1980s when Stacey went on to date stuntman Eddie Kidd. She and Paul eventually reconciled and married in 1987.

Maybe I'll remarry and have kids, I never say never

He whips out his mobile phone to show me a photo of his family and can barely conceal his pride. Although he's been through plenty of heartache over the past two years, he now appears pragmatic. 'I think Stacey and I went about things the right way,' he says.

'The kids are very well-adjusted. Levi's had the same boyfriend since school. She did a bit of modelling when she was younger, but she's not into that any more, and she is very happy in herself. But,' he adds with a hint of mischief, 'she's learnt all the tricks from her mother on how to keep a man by being a little bit unattainable - Stacey's taught her well.'

There are no plans for him and Stacey to divorce and the split, it appears, has not disillusioned him about future relationships. 'Maybe I'll marry again and have kids - you can never say never,' he says.

For a while after the split, he was rumoured to be dating former model Marie Helvin, and has been seeing a mystery woman for about a year but refuses to discuss any details. 'She hates publicity,' he says.

The trademark hair is greying at the temples, but at 52, Young looks remarkably fresh-faced

Young, at 52, looks remarkably fresh-faced. His signature dark hair is still lush, if greying slightly at the temples, and, for a man who has spent the better portion of his life in the music business, his face is unravaged. Dressed in jeans and cowboy boots, he looks extremely trim.

While personally he's had a tough time, professionally he appears to be on a high. He has just re-released his multi-platinum-selling 1983 debut album No Parlez, which produced hit singles such as Love Of The Common People, Come Back And Stay and, of course, the Marvin Gaye cover Wherever I Lay My Hat. The album turned Paul into a star and put him firmly at the forefront of the white soul movement.

'I still can't believe it was 25 years ago,' he says. 'I mean, 25 years is half my life. I look at my kids and I don't think they believe I was even in my 20s once. They probably think we rode around on horseback in those days.

'When it came to re-releasing the album, we got all the master tapes out and they were falling to bits. But it was interesting going back over the songs. So much of a person's success depends on fate. You can have talent, but unless you're in the right place at the right time, then it isn't going to happen for you. I was very lucky.'

Born in 1956 in Luton to Doris and Tony, Paul was a shy child with a terrible stutter but he displayed musical talent at an early age. 'A large part of me becoming a performer was a make-or-break way of getting over that stutter,' he says.

'I sometimes wonder if, subliminally, that was part of the reason I got into the business, and the more I became a performer and grew in confidence, the less pronounced the stutter became.

Singing cured me of my stutter

'My mum said I used to sing on the bus. I was about five and would simply sit, staring out of the window, singing to myself. When I got to the end of the song and everyone gave me a round of applause, it scared me because I was in my own little world, but I obviously loved singing even then.

But every time I mentioned music to my careers officers, they'd just smirk and gently push me in another direction.'

In the end, Paul followed his father into the car business and served an apprenticeship at Vauxhall Motors in Luton, but continued to play in a number of bands in his spare time.

In the late 1970s, he joined a group called Streetband, who had a Top 20 hit with the novelty track Toast, and soon afterwards, he joined the Q-Tips.

It was, he says, a tremendously happy time. 'We were far from being the kind of band that threw TVs out of hotel windows. In fact, we carried our own toolbox with us so that if anything got broken, we could nail it back together and not be charged for it,' he smiles.

'If we could find a room with cotton sheets for £10 a night, we thought we'd arrived. One time we nearly got killed when we were driving back from a gig and stopped to take a leak at the side of the road. We got back into our minibus but the road crew behind didn't see us and drove straight into the bus, writing it off.

'Things like that make for great memories. It makes me feel sad for people who win shows such as The X Factor. They're halfway up the ladder already.

They don't have to go through the whole slog of doing the circuit and they miss out on all the fun. It's like being thrust into your life without having to go through your childhood, school, adolescence - everything that makes you who you are.'

'I never had a way with the ladies'

With his soulful eyes and husky voice, Paul was rumoured to have a way with the ladies in his pre-marital heyday, but he blushes furiously when I mention it. 'I don't think that was ever really the case.

I was quite shy and it took a lot to conquer that,' he mumbles. 'Even when I was in the Q-Tips, one of the other band members was always much better than me at all that and I'd think to myself, "How come he gets the women? I'm the lead singer!"'

After a string of hits, he quit the music business in 1988. 'By the time I did my third album, I needed two security guards,' he says. 'We'd make it look as though I'd got in a car and that would leave first. Then I'd sneak on the bus with the band. It was fun at first, but got to be a pain in the a*** in the end, which is why I got out. My life just wasn't my own.'

But he admits he found life outside the pop idol bubble a huge culture shock. 'I used to stamp my foot and throw little tantrums because I was so used to having everything done for me, but when I left the business, I realised I could not do anything myself,' he says.
Paul Young and wife Stacey before the divorce

Paul Young with his ex-wife Stacey. The couple were married for 20 years and split in 2006 after Stacey had an affair with Israeli businessman Ilan Slazenger

'I wanted to go on holiday, but didn't have the first clue about how to book a flight because all that stuff used to get done for me. So, yes, I did end up being a little spoilt. But I'm a grown-up now and I've learned to book my own flights.'

Rather more worrying was the fact that the financial security he had banked on vanished when a few investments fell through.

'It was the tail end of the 1980s and I put a £250,000 investment into a property scheme where I lost out. I'm calm about it now. I just think life is all about readjusting and, in the end, you just have to get on with things.'

However, it meant that, instead of being able to live off his royalties, Paul found himself, in his 50s, having to work hard to support his family. 'Getting to 30 and even 40 was fine, but turning 50 was a little bit of a shock,' he says.

'I thought I'd be retired in some Ian Fleming-type retreat in the Maldives and maybe I'd have a tiny midlife crisis. But none of that happened.

'Pessimism is very easy to get into and very hard to get out of, and, although things have happened in the past couple of years to make me go down a bit, I decided a good attitude was the most important thing to have.'

And, after years of steering clear of the whole 1980s revival-tour phenomenon, he finally succumbed and now tours regularly with the likes of fellow 1980s cohorts Rick Astley, Bananarama and ABC. He also performs with his Tex-Mex band, Los Pacaminos, and has started a download site for unsigned music acts (www.etopiamusic.com).

'I didn't think the revival touring would be fun,' he shrugs. 'I didn't want to get stuck in the whole 1980s thing, but I was wrong. Everybody's always very nice. But, then, I've generally found that English pop stars tend not to have massive egos.

When we did Live Aid in 1985, I remember hearing nightmare stories about stars arguing about the running order on the American stage, but with the British lot it was, "Are we on next? Great." We had to get out of the dressing room to make way for Queen, and [lead guitarist] Brian May was saying, "Don't worry on account of us." It was all so polite and civil.

If Gordon Ramsay or Marco Pierre White came to the restaurant 'I'd c**p myself!'

'I was having dinner with Tony Hadley [Spandau Ballet] and Peter Cox [Go West] recently and we discussed going on the road together next year, doing a kind of modern-day version of the Three Tenors or something along the Rat Pack theme, where we all sing each other's songs, which might be quite good fun.'

He also mixes music with his other passion - food. After appearances on Celebrity Master-Chef two years ago and Hell's Kitchen with Marco Pierre White in 2007, he's discovered a flair for all things culinary. So much so that he spends his entire Tuesday working in the restaurant that Stacey and her lover own in Whetstone, north London.

Paul even heads out on to the floor and chats with some of the (no doubt bemused) customers. Doesn't he find working for his ex and her lover a little awkward? Apparently not.

'Stacey knows I love to cook, and they needed someone to help out in the kitchen, so it was really nice of her,' he explains. 'The children benefit from seeing us all together and getting along - so we all benefit. Things are fine between Stacey and me because we've worked at making it fine, especially for the kids' sakes.

'It also means I don't lose the skills I learned on the shows,' he says. 'Marco was so mesmerising and so inspiring that we all just pulled our fingers out and did as he asked. I enjoyed doing the show greatly, though I'd c**p myself if either Marco or Gordon Ramsay came to the restaurant,' he laughs.

So, does he still get groupies, albeit of a certain age, in the restaurant or the revival tours? 'Well, I don't know if you could call them groupies as such,' he chuckles. 'These days, once they get your autograph, they just go home.

You do still get the same faces you've seen for the past 20 years, and some of them we know as well as our own families. A few of their daughters get dragged along, too, but they're all so harmless they end up staying at the same

Words of a man truly living in the love of the common people.

* No Parlez: 25th Anniversary Edition is out now.

"Everytime You Go Away" Video

I remember Paul Young! I liked his music back in the '80s.

He wasn't one of the huge, huge names to emerge from the 80s, but he was the kind of guy, who, if you were around at the time, you heard his songs on the radio and were kind of familiar with him.

I remember when Val Kilmer used to be cute. Sadly, he's cute no more, as recent photos of him attest, including the one in this photo slide show.

Photo slide show:
'Top Gun': Where are they now?

A few excerpts (please visit page to see entries):

Tom Cruise.
It's been 22 years since Tom Cruise took our breath away in 'Top Gun' as Lt. Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell. In the time since, however, not everyone involved kept flying high. Cruise, now 46, has remained a Hollywood A-lister, partly due to his gossip-headline-grabbing marriage to actress Katie Holmes, despite a spotty record over his last few films. He's in a different military uniform for his latest, 'Valkyrie,' in which he plays a Nazi officer planning to kill Hitler.

---

Kelly McGuinness
In the mid-'80s, Kelly McGuinness scored starring roles in 'Witness' and 'Top Gun' (as Charlie, the saucy civilian instructor at the Navy's flight school) and she's kept working steadily in the business ever since - taking some time off in the early '90s to be with her daughters. McGillis, now 51, completed a well-received guest-starring role on Showtime's lesbian drama, 'The L Word,' earlier this year.

---

Val Kilmer
Already a star from "Real Genius" and "Top Secret!" actor Val Kilmer shined as the aptly named 'Iceman,' the main flyboy rival to 'Maverick.' One of the hardest working business, it often seems like Kilmer, 49, never says no to a role since - he was most recently the voice of K.I.T.T. in NBC's short-lived remake of "Knight Rider."

Val Kilmer then and now:

I used to read "Dear Abby" and "Ann Landers" (Esther "Eppie" Pauline Friedman Lederer) on a regular basis, for many years.

I know one or the other died, and I think her daughter took over (I think it was Ann Landers), but I thought the daughter was still running the "Ann Landers" column?

When I moved, I noticed that the local paper was running something called "Ask Amy."

I saw a blurb somewhere that said that Ann Landers stopped around 2002 and was replaced by "Ask Amy."

I don't remember hearing about Landers' death in 2002. Or maybe I did but forgot about it.

I didn't agree with some of her positions, but I usually enjoyed reading her column.

Ann Landers, Advice Giver To the Millions, Is Dead at 83

June 23, 2002

Eppie Lederer, who as the syndicated columnist Ann Landers was widely considered responsible for bringing the advice column into the modern era, died yesterday at her home in Chicago. She was 83.

The cause was multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow, her family said.

Mrs. Lederer, who became Ann Landers in 1955, avoided the quavering prose and Victorian euphemism of an earlier generation of newspaper sob sisters in favor of hard-nosed, often witty, discussion of contemporary woes that, as she liked to say, ''would twirl your turban.''

.... Although those problems would progress from Saturday-night dating woes to late-20th-century ills like domestic violence and crack, Mrs. Lederer was sometimes astonished to discover the everyday things that could inflame the passions of her readers.

She once threw her column open to a discussion of whether toilet paper should be hung with the free end coming over or under the roll; 15,000 letters later, Mrs. Lederer (herself in the ''under'' camp) had to call a moratorium on further debate.

....Mrs. Lederer, who owned the rights to the Ann Landers name, often said she did not expect anyone to replace her after her death. There would be no newspaper contest, no tales of disputed walnuts. ''There will never be another Ann Landers,'' she told The New Yorker. ''When I go, the column goes with me.''

Ann Landers' Daughter and Rival in Dispute Over Mom's Name

Feb 06 2009

The daughter of legendary advice columnist Ann Landers has criticized another advice columnist for purportedly referring to herself as the "new Ann Landers."

But the rival columnist, Amy Dickinson (photo left) -- who pens "Ask Amy" for Tribune Media -- claims she never referred to herself in that way and says she understands why Landers' daughter is upset.

"I cringe when I hear someone say Ann Landers' name in conjunction with mine," Dickinson told E&P Thursday. "Ann Landers was an icon, I have no desire to be linked to her in anyway."

The dust-up began late Wednesday when Margo Howard, Landers' daughter and herself a columnist at Creators Syndicate under the title "Dear Margo," posted a letter to Dickinson on the Creator's site.

"Dear Amy: I have a problem. My distress has actually been going on since 2002, the year my mother died. As many people know, my mother was Ann Landers, and she was Ann Landers for 47 years. That's a long time to build a brand … and build a brand she did," the letter begins.

Later, Howard states: "Most recently you did some television promotion on 'Good Morning, America,' 'The View' and God knows where else. You allowed people, if not encouraged them, to consider you 'the new Ann Landers.'Well, you are not the 'new' Ann Landers because there is no 'new' Ann Landers. It is a copyrighted name and trademark, and what that means is that no one else can use it -- not to write under, and not to promote themselves."

Howard's entire letter is below.

Dickinson told E&P that during appearances on the shows Howard cites, she was introduced as the "new Ann Landers," by others and never used the phrase herself. "I have written an advice column for five and a half years and I have done a good job of building up my brand," she says. "When they introduced the segment, they called me 'the new Ann Landers' I cringed. I can’t correct the lead-in."

She adds, "it is very embarrassing to me, you can't correct someone when you start an interview."

Dickinson said Howard never contacted her prior to her public letter, and she says she will not seek to respond directly. "Margo Howard is her daughter and has every right to protect her mother," she added. "This has to do with a daughter being very loyal and the very competitive nature of syndicted columnists."

Howard's entire letter is below:
[snip letter] - which was quite catty

where are those '80s artists now?

This year marks the end of a decade. Not the ’00s but the ’80s. It was nearly 20 years ago that the ’80s ended. That’s right, ENDED. Not began. The ’80s are officially old. Our kids see that decade as we saw our parents’ decade, the ’60s. The ’80s are now our ’60s. Live Aid, Flock of Seagulls, shoulder pads, and “Footloose” are all now a part of our collective geezer fairytale.

So as you purchase your tickets for that “Totally ’80s” package concert and listen to your “Oh My God, It’s the ’80s” radio all weekend, here are some tales of ’80s icons who are still alive and kicking. (If you get that pun, you're from the ’80s.)

COREY HART

Then: The Canadian singer had a Top 10 hit in 1984 with “Sunglasses at Night.” He followed it with ten more charting singles before getting the ’90s boot from a new generation of artists who didn’t wear sunglasses or gel their hair.

Now: Hart did a 2002 remix of “Sunglasses at Night” with Canadian electronic group Original 3. Sadly, it didn't bring back his ’80s glory. Hart now lives in the sunnier Bahamas with his family and writes for other artists, including fellow Canadian Celine Dion.

BELINDA CARLISLE

Then: As lead singer for the Go-Go’s, Carlisle was the darling of early MTV with iconic videos like “Vacation” and “We Got the Beat.” Of her bandmates she’s had the most successful career, which included the ’87 #1 solo single “Heaven is a Place on Earth.”

Now: The Go-Go’s have joined the ’80s oldies circuit and Carlisle is a self-proclaimed Buddhist. Having struggled with her weight most of her public life, she's now a spokesperson for NutriSystem. She's also in the studio working on a new record — maybe with Valerie Bertinelli, but I can't confirm that.

BANANARAMA

Then: Friends since childhood, Bananarama broke into the ’80s with the help of former Sex Pistols Steve Jones and Paul Cook. The trio was the thinking-man’s ’80s version of the Spice Girls. They were also the love of gay men everywhere thanks their “Venus” video, which was populated with a bunch of half-naked, sweaty dudes.

Now: The three ’ramas are now two. Siobhan Fahey left the group in ’88, married Eurythmics mastermind Dave Stewart (they split in ’96), and started the group Shakespears Sister. One of the remaining girls, Keren Woodward is shacked up with fellow ’80s veteran Andrew Ridgeley (Wham!). Now, that’s a reality show waiting to be produced.

HUEY LEWIS

Then: With his band, the News, Lewis ruled the middle of the road in the ’80s with songs like “Heart of Rock & Roll,” “Workin’ for a Livin’,” and “I Want a New Drug.” Lewis later sued Ray Parker Jr. over “Ghostbusters” for its similarities to that last song. The two settled out of court (are you reading this, Coldplay?).

Now: Always a ham in his music videos, Lewis is now a full-fledged actor with parts in the film “Duets” (with Mrs. Coldplay, Gwyneth Paltrow), the TV show “Just Shoot Me!,” and the Broadway play “Chicago.” And, of course, he brings out the News for the occasional show so they can pay their rent.

GARY NUMAN

Then: Electronic music and keytar pioneer Gary Numan had a #1 U.K. hit (#9 in U.S.) with “Cars.” Ironically, the song, which was notable for its complete absence of emotion, was inspired by a road-rage incident. Numan was the victim not the culprit.

Now: Numan has become a revered figure among a new generation of musicians - ranging from Dave Grohl to Trent Reznor - who profess their love of his ’80s work. It’s helped Numan find a new audience - and meet the ladies. He married a member of his own fan club. Numan is also a trained pilot. Cars...planes...it’s all the same.

THOMAS DOLBY

Then: Another ’80s electronic music pioneer, Dolby had his biggest hit with the 1982 single “She Blinded Me with Science.” The video virtually defined MTV’s early playlist.

Now: After his MTV fame dried up, Dolby became an in-demand session player to everyone from Def Leppard to Belinda Carlisle to George Clinton to Joni Mitchell. He’s also heavily involved in the tech world. His various companies have created ringtones, audio file formats, and scores for video games. Since 2001, Dolby has been the musical director for the uber-hip tech conference TED.

SUZANNE VEGA

Then: Her songs “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner” were late-’80s staples. She made it safe for every super-sensitive, coffeehouse, liberal-arts girl to not feel alone anymore. The Lemonheads’ 1989 cover of “Luka” more than made up for all of those super-sensitive coffeehouse performers’ versions.

Now: Criminally, Vega is without a record deal, so she’s taken to the Internet, releasing her songs directly from her Web site, suzannevega.com. She also has a funny blog about meeting Flight of the Conchords. Apparently they’re fans. Maybe a “Luka” number in Season 3?

TONI BASIL

Then: Toni’s recording career was merely a brief diversion from an established career as a choreographer (she directed David Byrne’s moves in the “Once in a Lifetime” video, among countless other credits). She only made two albums. But her 1982 single “Mickey” cemented her place as an ’80s icon and made cheerleading cool again.

Now: Basil’s career has now come full circle. She’s still an in-demand choreographer; recent credits include Tina Turner’s latest tour. She also was a judge on the Fox show “So You Think You Can Dance.” No, she didn't wear the cheerleader outfit, but at age 65 she says she’s not above putting it on.

RICK SPRINGFIELD

Then: Springfield was an Australian teen-pop-star-turned-American-daytime-TV heartthrob. “Jessie’s Girl” put him on the U.S. charts in 1981. He left his “General Hospital” job two years later and put on his skinny tie for screaming girls at stadiums around the country.

Now: After successfully fighting depression but failing to make a musical comeback, Springfield returned to “General Hospital” in 2005. But then lightning did strike twice and Rick had a 2008 hit with his album "Venus in Overdrive." Now he gets to play “Jessie’s Girl” to screaming housewives around the country.

PAUL YOUNG

Then: The British singer had a 1985 hit with Daryl Hall’s “Everytime You Go Away.” Like Hall, Young gained a reputation for being a blue-eyed soul man. He played Live Aid and contributed vocals to the charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?.”

Now: Young is a father of three and spends a lot of time in kitchens. At least on TV. He was on the BBC’s “Celebrity MasterChef” and the U.K. version of “Hell’s Kitchen.” No word if his beef stew is as soulful as his songs.

The Facts of Life [TV show] Cast - Where are they now?

The Stars of Terminator Films: Where are they now?

Excerpts:

Michael Biehn: Then
Kyle Reese in The Terminator

Michael Biehn had been steadily climbing the Hollywood ladder for seven years, with appearances on "James at 15" and "Family" and film work in "The Fan" and "The Lords of Discipline." But he got his big break in '84 as the hero in the mega-action flick, "The Terminator."

He would surely be the breakout star. After all, he was the handsome good guy, and the other dude, who played the villain, was some bodybuilder/cult-movie actor with an unpronounceable name and only 17 lines of dialogue. And yet 25 years later we had to struggle to remember Michael Biehn's name. And Arnold -- well, he doesn't even need that unpronounceable surname any more.

Michael Biehn: Now

Biehn followed "Terminator" with roles in James Cameron's "Aliens" and "The Abyss" and a few more movies before turning to TV. There he seemed to land one short-lived series after another, including "The Magnificent Seven," "Adventure Inc.," and "Hawaii." All the while he never quite found that next big role. We're not sure if any of his upcoming films will help him break back into the mainstream, but with parts like Policeman in "Young Americans" and Detective Marling in "Psych 9," we have our doubts.

Robert Patrick: Then
T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Unless you were a big fan of "Warlords of Hell," "Killer Instinct," or "Future Hunters," you probably hadn't heard of Robert Patrick before "Terminator 2." But he'll go down in movie history as the first guy to really morph before our very eyes (OK, we know the first morphing was done in "Willow" and that Cameron used the effect in "The Abyss"; settle down, visual effects fans), back and forth between a lock-jawed cop and a shiny silver snake. He didn't say much. He didn't need to. His steely stare was chilling.

Robert Patrick: Now

Robert's appeared in two or three movies a year since his "T2" breakthrough, including "Rosewood" and "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle." He was also a regular on the TV series "The X Files" and "The Unit." Busy guy. This year will be no different: he's got four movies slated for release, including "The Men Who Stare at Goats" and "Freedom for Joe."

Nick Stahl: Then
John Connor in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

The 24-year-old Stahl was already a veteran actor when he was cast as John Connor in "Terminator 3." From his first gig in the TV movie "Stranger at My Door" at age 12 to his first acclaimed performance, alongside Mel Gibson, in "The Man Without a Face," to his Screen Actors Guild nomination (Best Ensemble Performance) for "In the Bedroom," Stahl was without a doubt a promising young actor. So it's not surprising that he beat out more high-profile young stars like Shane West for "T3."

Nick Stahl: Now

Stahl followed his "T3" turn as a series regular on HBO's cult-classic series "Carnivale." He went on to a string of movies, including "Sin City" and "My One and Only," and has six films due in 2009: "In NorthWood," "Kalamity," "Burning Palms," "The Speed of Thought," "Everything Will Happen Before You Die," and "The Chameleon."

Whatever happened to Rick Astley is what I want to know

He had some fine, fine pop songs in the 1980s, and then he was resurrected a few years ago by the folks at 4chan. I think they called it "rick rolled."

Rickrolling for Beginners: When Rick Astley Attacks

By Geoffrey A. Fowler

Some readers of Friday’s Journal story about an Internet posse that struck back at a company they suspect of making unsolicited telemarketing calls may have been puzzled about the technique used by one participant. He filled the company’s voice-mail with a recording of Rick Astley’s 1987 hit “Never Gonna Give You Up.”

That style of spoofing is called “Rickrolling” and is one of the most popular jokes on the Internet. It’s an old-fashioned bait and switch. You direct another Internet user to a link that would appear to be relevant — but in fact, it’s a music video for one of the most, um, memorable songs of the ’80s from Mr. Astley, an English pop singer.

It has been done so many times that this YouTube version of “Never Gonna Give You Up” alone has been viewed more than 16 million times. (Go ahead and click — you know you want to.) Wikipedia asserts that various forms of the video have been watched more than 36 million times.

Legend has it that the practice began with jokesters on Web site 4chan.com, and went mainstream during April Fools’ Day last year.

In an interview last year with the Los Angeles Times, Mr. Astley said he didn’t mind the attention. “I think it’s just one of those odd things where something gets picked up and people run with it,” he said. “But that’s what’s brilliant about the Internet.”

Three's Company Third Wheel Joyce DeWitt Busted for DUI

Page has photo of her mug shot:
Joyce Dewitt's mug shot taken after her DUI arrest

Three's Company star, Joyce Dewitt arrested for a DUI on July 4th. Mug shot taken (above) by El Segundo, Calif., Police Department.

Police say Joyce DeWitt was pulled over on July 4th when she drove past a barricade near a park in El Segundo.

An officer said Joyce DeWitt showed signs of intoxication and was given a field sobriety test.

DeWitt was taken to the police department, booked then released on her own recognizance, the AP reported.

Many fans were surprised when they saw Joyce DeWitt's mug shot. She no longer looks like the Janet they remember from Three's Company.

Since Three's Company DeWitt has starred in a few television and movie roles. According to DeWitt's official website, she has been in many theatrical productions. Dewitt starred in the 2000 Pulitzer prize winning play "Dinner with friends" when it premiered in Canada. She also starred in and Alfred Uhry's Tony award winning play "The last night of Ballyhoo"

Re:

Many fans were surprised when they saw Joyce DeWitt's mug shot. She no longer looks like the Janet they remember from Three's Company.

Well yeah, Duh. She was on that show in the 1970s, she was probably in her 30s when it filmed, and it's over 30 years later.

Said one guy in the reader comments on that page:

They got her leaving the Regal Beagle.

Page has photos of what the kid looks like now:

The Force Is Not With Him: Anakin Skywalker 10 Years Later

The plucky kid with the pod racer from "Star Wars: Episode I" is not a kid anymore. And Jake Lloyd wants you to know that having a major role in a George Lucas film really put a damper on things when he was growing up.

OK, fine: The guy doesn't really deserve our pity, but think of it from his point of view.

Ten years old, getting blamed for ruining the Star Wars series. (Well, that was mainly the fault of George Lucas, but the kid was there, wasn't he?) And people just won't let it go. The Sci-Fi Australia blog caught up with the glum "Star Wars" alum Down Under, who sounds more Eeyore than "Episode One."

While every word drips with sarcasm (he is 20, after all) the Anakin actor also can still speak geek. On college: "You'll never find more intelligent, charming people than the drunk students of the college world." 'Nuff said.

Hey, Jake, don't worry: We know how you feel. Jar Jar Binks pretty much ruined the whole Star Wars thing for us, too.

Here's the video of the interview.

[snip video]