Alaina Reed

This weekend, while the world was shocked by the untimely death of one of Hollywood s most sweetly admired starlets, another celebrity death rocked us to our emotional childhood core. Alaina Reed Hall, an actress whose face you have seen in dozens of shows but whose name never become household, passed away at the all too young age of 63 from breast cancer. Today, we take a look back at Alaina s life-altering career, in a list we had no choice but to call 5 Things That Made Alaina Reed Hall Awesome. 5. She Was Mary s Sassy BFF Rose on 227. 227 might be one of the funniest, most underrated shows from the 1980s, specifically one that centered around a stoop. And Alaina was at the center of the neighborhood drama, as Mary s best friend Rose. Her work was unforgettable, and as this 227 minisode proves, hilarious. Take 5 minutes to watch as Maaaaary tries to set Rose up with her brother, only to have Soooondra steal him away. 4. She Was Married to Predator. It takes a pretty awesome woman to be in love to the Predator, played by the 7 2 Kevin Peter Hall. He was also Harry in Harry and the Henderson s, natch. 3. She Nearly Hosted The Greatest Cooking Show of Our Time. It appears as though this show never fully came to fruition. But let it be known that if some genius had had the sense to produce and develop A Whole Lotta Soul, Alaina s soul food cooking show, we would have gladly watched and, as a result, gained roughly 50 pounds. Notable moments include 1:20 s Girrrl! and 2:01 s notable *Grunt*. (more )

227. Along with Amen and Punky Brewster, perhaps the favorite television show from my childhood. The stoop stylings of Maaaary, Pearl, Rose, and, of course, Soooondra created the African-American family I always wished I was a part of. And this week, The Today Show finally did it: They reunited the cast of 227. There they are! Regina King, looking amazing! Marla Gibbs, the best woman in the world! Lester (Hal Williams) hasn t changed! And, of course, Jackee Harry, perhaps the most fabulous woman who has ever lived, and certainly one of the finest comedic actresses ever. Can you name a single person today who lives up to Jackee s legend? You can t, because they don t exist. Someone, please, make Jackee famous again. You ll notice this reunion feels a little empty. Missing are Alaina Reed-Hall, who played Rose, passed away last December from breast cancer, and Helen Martin, who played nosey neighbor Pearl. Still, the cast, along with the nosiest neighbor of all, Al Roker, manage to convey the love and chemistry that made this show a staple of our own childhoods. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Ahead, the cast answers fan questions! Apparently, Pee Wee Herman was on the show. Someone find me footage of this immediately. (more )