Turner Classic Movies will pay tribute to the late Jane Wyman on Friday with telecasts of seven of her films, including Johnny Belinda and The Lost Weekend. The marathon starts at 6 am/ET.... Lisa Rinna invites gals to show "their girls" some love by logging onto PlaytexFits.com, a "virtual playground for bras and boobs".... Barbara Walters premieres a weekly Sirius Satellite Radio call-in show Monday at 6 pm (Channel 102).... This year's Kennedy Center Honors, airing Dec. 26 on CBS, will salute the careers of Steve Martin, Diana Ross, Martin Scorsese, Brian Wilson and pianist Leon Fleisher.... DVD releases have been set for Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Oct. 2) and Monty Python's Life of Brian (pushed back to Nov. 20).
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Question: I'm sure you heard about Jane Wyman's death. Like you, I loved Falcon Crest and I loved (and hated) Angela Channing even more.
Answer: It's a total bummer. As cheesy as it sounds, I feel like I lost a piece of my childhood with her passing. Friday nights wouldn't have been nearly as fun without Jane/Angela. The second I learned of her death I e-mailed Jeff Freilich, who as executive producer of Falcon Crest from 1986-88 worked with Wyman during the show's creative peak, and asked him if there were any memories he'd like to share. Here's what he wrote back: "Jane Wyman was a little girl hiding inside a matriarch's body — fun-seeking and adventurous. I never met anybody more excited to be on a film set nor worked with an actor who commanded such respect without bluster or selfish demands. She was among the last of a dying breed of true Hollywood stars. To her, acting was a pleasure... a calling. Being a mother, on t
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Oscar-winning actress Jane Wyman, President Ronald Reagan's first wife and star of the long-running (1981-90) Lorimar prime-time soap Falcon Crest, died Monday morning at her home in Palm Springs. She was 93."Janie was a wonderful, professional lady and working with her was like going to a picnic. She comes beautifully on time, she knows her lines, and she was prepared and I loved to direct her," Falcon Crest director Reza Badiyi tells TV Guide. "I did 47 episodes with her and every one of them was a pleasure for me to do. She was so nice to others, [including] the newcomers and other actors who hadn't done television. She would put them at ease and was very generous as an actress, and I'm [going to miss] her. She was very, very loyal, too." After a lonely childhood and rough start, the Missouri-born Wyman began a film career in the 1930s, perfecting the role of brassy, quick-talkingdames. She won an Oscar in 1948 for her performance in Johnny Belinda, playing a deaf-mute rape victi...
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