Monday, February 1, 1999

Slobberknocking while wondering whatever happened to Laszlo Finnegan:

See that? Gotcha thinking, didn't it? If you don't know the name, you wonder who it is. If you do know it, you wonder why you haven't heard from that person in a while. Usually, when I pop a 'wonder what happened' at the top of a column, folks will respond with the necessary goods. Let's review, shall we?

Richard O' Brien

  • The creator of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, a coming-of-age ritual of the '70s and '80s that doesn't carry nearly the social significane it should anymore, didn't work too much since his walk-on role in "Flash Gordon." He has been more active in recent years, though... a bit role in the cinematic masterpiece that is "Spice World." His role as Mr. Hand in last year's "Dark City," though slightly more significant, was equally forgettable.
  • Tawny Kitaen

  • Took some hunting (because NO ONE knows just how to spell her name), but I finally found out that our favorite Jaguar hood ornament has been working steadily. Mythology revolutionists will know she played Deianeira, the mother of Hercules in the Kevin Sorbo swoonfest. She was also in the short-lived "New WKRP In Cincinnati" as nighttime jock Mona Loveland. Um, yeah. No roles since 1997's "Dead Tides, though. (Isn't there an opening for more Ticket Chicks?) Which leads us to...
  • Howard Hessmann

  • Probably the busiest of our subjects, Hesseman has a hefty portfolio since his fine work as my role model, Johnny Fever in the classic "WKRP in Cincinnati." (Hey, I, too, work better and have quicker reflexes after tossing a few adult beverages back.) TV producers love him... he's been in fifteen made-for-TV movies since WKRP went dark. Most notably, he was teacher Charlie Moore in "Head of the Class" and Captain Pete Lassard in "Police Academy 2." His fine work can be seen in the upcoming theatrical release "The Sky is Falling."
  • Rick Springfield

  • General Hospital hormone inducer turned '80s pop icon. I liked Springfield, and most of his music is listenable today, even sober. So, imagine my dismay when I found out he's bringing it again. His new album, "Karma," hits the streets in March. He is touring the country, and his website says a July date in Dallas is forthcoming. I'm hoping for a free West End or Sundance Square date. Stay tuned. (Thanks to reader Mark Robeson for the tip.)
  • Anthony Michael Hall

  • Everyone's favorite geekanerd from the '80s, post-pubescence hasn't been too kind to Tony. (Case in point: "Johnny Be Good," although he did get to mug down with a teenage Uma Thurman. Some guys get all the luck.) He was profiled on Comedy Central's Daily Show last week, where it was revealed that he's playing a young Bill Gates in the upcoming TNT flick "Pirates of Silicon Valley." C'mon, you can see it, can'tcha?
  • Lisa Whelchel

  • Our little priss Blair from "The Facts of Life," a native of the Town of the Cow, and she's not even a heroin addict! Shocking, I know, but she saw Nancy McKeon going that route and decided to take the other road. She hasn't worked in Hollywood since 1987 when "The Facts of Life Down Under" drew less viewers than Keith Olbermann's MSNBC "Big Show." She's doing the wife / mother / home-schooler thing in El Lay. Her grandmother runs her website. How sweet. (Thanks to reader Jim Kedslie for the tip.)
  • Still missing:

    • Stephen Bray
    • Tim Kazurinsky
    • The Great Kabuki
    • The winner of the Balls to the Wall contest

    So, now you know. And knowing is half the burnt segment.