Past Headlines in the "What's New" section on the main page. Headlines before May of 2002 have been lost. Please note that links may be/have been outdated and broken. Also, most of the Site Updates will not be listed here because the site is constantly updated, only 'Facts of Life News' will be posted.
Sunday, August 5th, 2018 Costars and celebrities pay tribute to ‘incredible force of a woman’ Charlotte Rae
The Facts of Life Site: We were saddened to hear of Charlotte's passing. She was the anchor that started 'The Facts of Life.' Thank you for the wisdom and guidance you taught us all through the show. Mrs. Garrett was one in a million! Charlotte was born on April 22, 1926 and died August 5, 2018. She was the first cast member of the series to die.
By Mike Miller August 05, 2018 at 11:20 PM EDT; EW;
Charlotte Rae’s death has sparked an outpouring of condolences from celebrities and fans.
The actress, best known as wise and lovable house mother Mrs. Garrett on The Facts of Life, died Sunday at her home in Los Angeles, representatives for the actress confirmed. She was 92.
Kim Fields, who portrayed Dorothy “Tootie” Ramsey on the hit sitcom, was one of the first to express her grief, writing on Twitter, “You all already know my heart is heavy yet…. sorry, no words at the moment just love and tears… and yeah, smiles…. #charlotterae #ripcharlotterae.”
Todd Bridges, who famously played young Willis Jackson along Rae’s Mrs. Garrett on Diff’rent Strokes, paid tribute to all of his late costars: “RIP IN PEACE ALL OF MY CAST MATES. I MISS YOU ALL.”
Mindy Cohn, who played Natalie Green on The Facts of Life, wrote a tribute to the late actress on Instagram. “It’s with a heavy heart & tears (but a smile as i think of her) that I now move through the world without this incredible force of a woman being it. she was my champion, a teacher, a proud example of the tenacity and perseverance needed to live as a creative, along with your talent and gifts. i love you char. as I send sympathies to Larry and the rest of the family, I wish you the happiest of homecomings,” she wrote.
Comedian Larry Wilmore also shared his thoughts on social media, where he posted a video of himself playing a cop on an old episode of The Facts of Life.
Rae revealed she’d been diagnosed with bone cancer at the end of April 2017. “Last Monday, I found out I have bone cancer,” she said in a statement. “About seven years ago, I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer — which is a miracle that they found it because usually, it’s too late. My mother, sister, and my uncle died of pancreatic cancer. After six months of chemotherapy, I was cancer-free. I lost my hair, but I had beautiful wigs. Nobody ever knew. So now, at the age of 91, I have to make up my mind. I’m not in any pain right now. I’m feeling so terrific and so glad to be above ground. Now I have to figure out whether I want to go have treatment again or opt for life. I love life,” she continued. “I’ve had a wonderful one already. I have this decision to make.”
Rae played the kooky but kind housekeeper Edna Garrett (unmissable thanks to that mound of bright orange hair) on Diff’rent Strokes, and when she became a popular breakout character, Rae herself proposed a spin-off. That spin-off became The Facts of Life, a sitcom about a girls’ boarding school and their (once again) kooky and kind house mother. Rae’s Mrs. Garrett (or Mrs. G, as Nancy McKeon’s Jo liked to call her) helped guide the girls through every very special episode theme imaginable, from depression to dating, AIDS to alcohol. Rae left the show in 1986 for health reasons, and though Cloris Leachman stepped in as Mrs. Garrett’s sister, the show was canceled two years later.
The actress went on to guest star on TV shows like ER, Pretty Little Liars, Sisters, and The King of Queens, and appeared in movies such as Don’t Mess with the Zohan and Tom and Jerry: The Movie. Her final regular gig was voicing “Nanny” in the animated 101 Dalmations: The Series, which aired from 1997-98.
Rae shared many of her Hollywood experiences — including 44 years of sobriety and discovering that her husband, John Strauss, was bisexual — in her memoir, The Facts of My Life, released in 2015.
In her April 2017 statement, Rae also said, “At 91, every day is a birthday. [In my book] I want to tell everybody to celebrate every day, to savor the day and be good to yourself, love yourself, and then you can be good to others and be of service to others.”
Thursday, August 27th, 2015 The Facts of Life Coming To TV Land
"Tootie!" Yep, Mrs. Garrett and the girls from Eastland are going to spend Labor Day with you all. The Facts of Life is coming to TV Land and will launch with a Labor Day marathon on Monday, Sept. 7 from 9am-8pm! But wait, there's more! The Facts of Life will also air regularly on TV Land every weekday from 6-8pm following Gilligan's Island at 5. No other schedule changes will be made, except Gilligan's evening slot moves to 5-6pm instead of 6-8pm, cutting Bonanza by an airing. The Facts of Life has been airing on Viacom for some months now on sister network Logo, where it has done pretty well...and it will continue to also air on Logo as well. So it's double the fun for The Facts of Life!
Wednesday, July 15th, 2015 George Clooney Joins the Facts of Life in The Complete Seventh Season
Garrett's girls are back! Join Blair, Natalie, Tootie, Jo, and Mrs. G for 24 Fact-astic episodes of laughs and life lessons in The Facts of Life: Season Seven. Every Facts fan knows that big changes are always in store for our heroines, but Season Seven knocks the girls for a loop when they return home from summer vacation and find that Edna's Edibles has been destroyed in a fire!
Employing the services of hunky contractor George Burnett (Academy Award winner George Clooney {2005: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Syriana; 2013: Best Picture (Producer): Argo} in an early role), they set out on a bold new business model, and from the ashes of Edna's Edibles rises the gift shop, Over Our Heads! Featuring Charlotte Rae, Lisa Whelchel, Mindy Cohn, Kim Fields and Nancy McKeon, The Facts of Life: Season Seven delivers all the heart and hilarity fans have come to expect from a sitcom classic that became a cultural touchstone for any young adult of the eighties.In a season full of guest stars - including Armin Shimerman (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Jason Bernard (Herman's Head), singer El DeBarge (as himself), singer Charo (as herself), Elizabeth Kerr (Mork & Mindy), Tonight Show with Johnny Carson producer Jim McCawley (as himself), Nehemiah Persoff (Yentl, An American Tail), and Alex Rocco (The Godfather), among others - no star shone brighter than a new recurring cast member: a pre-A-list George Clooney!
Clooney joined Charlotte Rae, Lisa Whelchel, Kim Fields, Mindy Cohn, Nancy McKeon, and Mackenzie Astin in a role as "George Burnett," a character who would appear in 13 of the 24 episodes this season, and then in 4 more episodes during Season 8. This was in 1985-87, before Clooney appeared on Roseanne (1988-91) or Sisters (1993-94), and before his breakout role in 1994 as "Dr. Doug Ross" in ER.
On October 20th, Shout! Factory will release The Facts of Life - The Complete 7th Season on DVD as an individual season set (it's already available as part of The Complete Series). This 3-disc package will cost $29.93 SRP, and includes closed captioning.
Saturday, July 18th, 2015 Alex Rocco, dead at the age of 79.
Alex Rocco (2/29/1936 - 7/18/2015), a longtime character actor, has died at the age of 79, according to the examiner.com. Alex Rocco was born Alexander Federico Petricone in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He moved to California and started out working as a bartender, and began taking acting classes with such teachers as Leonard Nimoy and noted acting teacher Jeff Corey. One of his best-known roles would be as casino owner Moe Greene in “The Godfather,” who had the famous line, "Do you know who I am?" The New York Times reported that Rocco died of cancer.
He appeared in many films including “Freebie and the Bean, “Cannonball Run II” and “Dream a Little Dream” (1989), which was directed by his son Marc Rocco, who preceded his father in death, in 2009. He also appeared in such popular movies as “Get Shorty” in 1995 and in “That Thing You Do” in 1996.
Rocco also had a prolific career on television. He appeared on numerous shows, including as Jo’s father on “The Facts of Life” and as the executive who produced the classic Itchy and Scratchy cartoons on “The Simpsons.” Rocco’s most recent appearances were on the TV shows “Episodes” last year and “Maron” earlier this year. At the time of his death, he was scheduled to appear in the horror movie “The Other.”
Rocco is survived by his wife, actress Shannon Wilcox, his daughter, Jennifer, sons Lucien and Marc Rocco, and a grandson. His death was first reported by his daughter on her Facebook page.
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2015 The Sixth Season to be released on DVD
A classic sitcom - and that's a Fact! Mrs. Garrett and her girls - Blair, Natalie, Tootie and Jo - are back with another batch of freshly baked episodes filled with humor and heart in the sixth season of The Facts of Life. Featuring Charlotte Rae, Lisa Whelchel, Mindy Cohn, Kim Fields and Nancy McKeon, The Facts of Life: Season Six is another terrific outing from one of America's most adored situation comedies, and a must-have for fans.
Season Six finds the girls dividing their time between working at Mrs. Garrett's gourmet food shop, Edna's Edibles, and exploring an ever-expanding world and all the challenges that lie ahead as they launch themselves into young adulthood. Through it all - from a hurricane-battered spring break in Fort Lauderdale to a memorable night of cruising in Peekskill - Mrs. Garrett's four young charges learn that the one thing you can always count on is friendship and sisterhood.Sony put out the first three seasons in 2006, then Shout! took up the rights to the 4th and 5th seasons for DVD release in 2010. Two months ago, Shout! Factory delivered all 9 seasons of the show on DVD with their 27-disc set of The Complete Series. But what about fans who prefer to continue getting it in individual season sets? No worries, and that's a FACT. Because on June 9th Shout! will release The Facts of Life - The Complete 6th Season.
This 3-DVD set is priced at $29.93 SRP, and includes closed captioning for the hearing impaired. Guest stars include John Astin (The Addams Family), Steve Susskind (Monsters, Inc.), Mackenzie Astin (son of the previously-mentioned John Astin, and also in later seasons a regular cast member for Facts), Timothy Stack (Son of the Beach), Dick O'Neill (Cagney & Lacey), Ryan Cassidy (in a recurring role), Moon Unit Zappa (daughter of Frank Zappa and vocalist on his song "Valley Girl"), and Peter DeLuise (21 Jump Street).
Wednesday, December 3, 2014 OFFICIAL SERIES DVD PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
You Take the Good, You Take the Bad...
The Facts of Life: The Complete Series
Available on DVD
January 13, 2015
You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have: The Facts of Life: The Complete Series! On January 13th, 2015, Mrs. Garrett and her girls are ready to make you laugh - and make you think - all over again with Shout! Factory's release of the beloved sitcom as a complete series DVD set for the first time! The Facts of Life: The Complete Series contains all 201 episodes of this quintessential 80s show as originally aired, as well as a disc of bonus features including the new-to-DVD 2014 Paley Center cast reunion event!
Fans who order the 26-DVD set through ShoutFactory.com will receive free shipping, as well as early delivery of their sets by December 16th, 2014.
Join Blair (Lisa Whelchel), Tootie (Kim Fields), Natalie (Mindy Cohn), and Jo (Nancy McKeon) at their exclusive girls school as they experience the highs and lows that we all experience on the road to adulthood. With the ever-developing friendship of our four young heroines, the gentle wisdom of Mrs. Garrett (Charlotte Rae), and enough "Very Special Episodes" to make viewers blush, The Facts of Life remains a favorite for countless fans to this day. From Eastland School for Girls to Edna's Edibles...from hilarious Cousin Geri (Geri Jewell) to hunky George Burnett (George Clooney), who says "the world never seems to be living up to your dreams?"
Spinning off from the hit show Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life debuted in August of 1979 and aired on NBC for nine seasons. Featuring guest stars including George Clooney, Cloris Leachman, Mayim Bialik, Seth Green and Juliette Lewis, the Primetime Emmy nominated series went on to becomes one of the longest running sitcoms of all time and is firmly entrenched in 80's pop culture.
The Facts of Life: The Complete Series Bonus Features
•"The Girls School" - Diff'rent Strokes episode debuting Mrs. Garrett and the girls of Eastlake Academy
•The Facts of Life Goes To Paris - TV Movie
•The Facts of Life Down Under - TV Movie
•Remembering The Facts of Life - Featurette
•After The Facts - Featurette
•Know The Facts: Trivia Game
•Commemorative Booklet
•Cast Reunion At The Paley Center (September 2014 event)
Music Clearance Statement from Shout Factory!:
Since we first announced the release of the The Facts of Life: The Complete Series on DVD, we have had several inquiries as to whether or not we would be able to clear music throughout the series. We are happy to confirm today that we have been successful in clearing almost all of the tracks that played throughout the 9 seasons which includes rare performances from some artists such as Michael Damian, El DeBarge and Stacey Q (who made two appearances on the show and sang her dance hits "Two of Hearts" and "We Connect").
Unfortunately, there was one song we could not clear that appeared in the Season 7 Episode "Tootie's Graduation" aka "The Graduate" which resulted in two minor edits but do not take away from the tone or integrity of the episode. Being fans of the show ourselves, we felt it was important to communicate all "the facts" to the fans of this iconic 80s TV Show.
About Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory, LLC is a diversified multi-platform media company devoted to producing, uncovering, preserving and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their entire careers sharing their music, television and film favorites with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory's DVD and Blu-Ray offerings serve up feature films, classic and contemporary TV series, animation, live music and comedy specials in lavish packages crammed with extras. Shout's audio division boasts GRAMMY®-nominated box sets, Broadway cast albums, new releases from storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable "best of" compilations. In addition, Shout! Factory maintains a vast digital distribution network which delivers video and audio content to all the leading digital service providers in North America. Shout! Factory also owns and operates Timeless Media Group, Biograph Records, Majordomo Records, HighTone Records and Video Time Machine. These riches are the result of a creative acquisition mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in Santa Monica, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com
Sunday, August 24, 2014 35TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
The Paley Center for Media PaleyFest Fall TV Previews presents a very special event during their annual fall flashback: The Facts of Life 35th Anniversary Reunion. Doors open at 6:00 pm, the program starts at 7:00pm. Scheduled to appear are: Charlotte Rae, “Edna Garrett”;
Mindy Cohn, “Natalie Green”;
Nancy McKeon, “Jo Polniaczek”;
Lisa Whelchel, “Blair Warner” and
additional members of the cast & creative team to be announced!
Friday, August 1, 2014 THE COMPLETE SERIES ON DVD COMING SOON
Announced at the San Diego Comic Conference in 2014 during a tweet, Shout! Factory has confirmed that they will be releasing The Facts of Life: The Complete Series on DVD in 2015. Sony owns the rights of the 1979-1988 80's sitcom; however, they have negotiated a deal with Shout! for home video distribution rights. So expect all nine, 209 aired episodes to be released sometime in 2015.
Since 2006, there have only been the first five seasons released; with Mill Creek re-releasing the two seasons earlier this year. Many fans are wondering what bonus features will be included in the 2015 complete set so just for fun, we are predicting what could likely, possibly, or unlikely be included in the anticipated release of the series. Here are our predictions:
Likely:The Facts of Life Goes to Paris and The Facts of Life Down Under Movies: This earns a likely because its a part of the regular syndication package and we saw the Paris movie released un-cut by Shout! in the 2010 release of the 4th season. Sony owns the rights, and typically the 2 two-hour movies are considered 8 episodes of the series entire run.
Possibly:The Facts of Life Reunion Movie: While Sony owns the rights to the tv-series, ABC/Walt Disney Co. owns the rights to the movie. Hopefully Shout! strikes a deal with ABC to include this much wanted bonus on the set. We will keep our fingers crossed.
Possibly:The Facts of Life 35th Anniversary Celebration: This event is happening this fall (September 2014). The Golden Girls DVD set used their Paley Center interviews in the DVD release.
Unlikely: Behind the Scenes Footage/Bloopers: If the footage exists this is a rarity. ET owns some clips of interviews of the cast while rehearsing episodes. Dick Clark showed one quick clip of bloopers during a televised special years ago. It is unknown if a whole blooper reel and cast wrap-up party even existed.
Unlikely:Truth Behind The Sitcoms; E! True Hollywood Story; A&E Biography; Cast Confessions; USA Network's 16th Anniversary Special: While these would be a great bonus to add as there is a lot of interview footage, stories and information about the show; Shout! typically doesn't add bonus features on their complete sets from past televised specials.
Likely: Cast Commentary/Interviews: We all know how supportive Lisa Whelchel has been of her Facts of Life past. If Shout! would contact Ms. Whelchel, we are sure she would record some commentary, or better yet do video commentary on various episodes of the show. The cast is all alive and well and as a matter of fact, The Facts of Life is the oldest television show with all the cast members still alive. Let's bring in Charlotte Rae, Cloris Leachman, Geri Jewell, Nancy McKeon, Mindy Cohn, Kim Fields in for some commentaries and new interviews. There has to be untold stories about the show. Maybe some first season girls could do commentaries, or recurring guest stars, or the production staff. The possibilities are endless.
Likely: Featurette's: Best of Blair, Best of Season X, Best of Eastland, Best of Over Our Heads. Shout! could put together some nice stuff. Sony recorded for the 1st and 2nd seasons a feature titled Remembering The Facts of Life.... heck throw that in there too.
Likely: Commemorative Booklet: All of Shout!'s complete box set releases include a 20-40 something page booklet and essays written. Look for this definitely to come with the set. They should title it: The Facts of Life Yearbook!
Unlikely: NBC Promo's: Boy don't we wish, but NBC owns these and a lot of shows were lumped together during the last part of the 1980's.... rights would probably be hard to clear.
Possibly: Garrett's Girls Episode (originally aired as the pilot, Season One episode of Diff'rent Strokes: We all know the show spun off the successful Diff'rent Strokes. Sony owns this series as well, and there wouldn't be any music licensing rights for this episode. Let's just hope they don't forget about this gem. Shout! is known for releasing pilots, and spin-off stuff on their complete season sets.
Possibly: Music Licensing Rights: Songs like You Wear It Well, Two of Hearts, We Connect, You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling, Dancing Queen, Freeway of Love, Cherish, and many more were a part of the latter seasons. It's likely to see the two Stacy Q songs, Debarge, and You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling as part of the set because of the content of the episodes. The other songs, eh.... no big deal if they can't license.... as the episodes just featured the music and the plot didn't revolve around them. There are two Michael Damian songs they would need to include as well from the sixth and seventh seasons. Total songs needed to license would be 6, the others could be replaced.
Unlikely: Episode Introductions: On the Here's Lucy DVD sets, cast members and guest stars gave fun interesting facts about each episode before it was played. These are very fun, but I doubt Shout! would put this much effort into the set.
Unlikely: 2011 TVLand Pop Culture Icon Award Presentation: The entire cast reunited for the first time since the series ended in 1988. The speeches were great, as well as the presentation; hopefully we are wrong on this prediction.
There you have it. Until the official press release, we will have to wait and see what predictions we were accurate on. In the meantime, save up to buy the future release of this set.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012 'THE FACTS OF LIFE' WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
(Source: YAHOO!) You've probably heard the news this week that Lisa Whelchel, who played Blair on "The Facts of Life" in the '70s and '80s, is going to try and keep her torch lit longer than 17 other castaways on "Survivor: Philippines." The former actress told Yahoo! TV that although she's not a fan of reality shows, she considers this more of an adventure. It got us thinking about the rest of the "Facts of Life" cast and what they've been up to.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012 Blair from ‘Facts of Life,’ a.k.a Lisa Whelchel, will compete on ‘Survivor: Philippines’
(Source: Washington Post; Jen Chaney) Lisa Whelchel — who spent many years outwitting and outlasting Jo and Mrs. Garrett on the NBC sitcom “The Facts of Life” — will compete on the next iteration of “Survivor,” “Survivor: Philippines.”
The roster of immunity necklace seekers was revealed Monday and includes two names previously known outside of the “Survivor” world: former Major League Baseball player Jeff Kent and Whelchel, who made a name for herself in the ‘80s by showing off her flowing blond locks and snobby attitude as Blair Warner on “The Facts of Life.”
Many may have responded to this news by asking the obvious question: “How come they didn’t pick Tootie? That girl can roller skate.” The answer, according to Entertainment Weekly, is that Whelchel, 49, campaigned via Twitter to be chosen for this, the reality show’s 25th (!!) season.
“I’ve watched it from the very first episode, and had ‘Survivor’ parties with my family,” she tells the magazine.
Well, there’s the answer to the question I ask myself on a regular basis: Who still watches “Survivor”? Clearly based on its ratings and the fact that CBS continues cranking out new seasons, people do. I just don’t know any of them.
Now it’s obvious what the problem is: I have not been spending enough time talking TV with Whelchel and her family.
Whelchel’s inclusion in the cast is the rare instance of a celebrity competing on the Jeff Probst-hosted series. But before you think she’ll be way too coddled to last 39 days eating bugs on an isolated island, just watch this clip from “Facts of Life,” in which she argues that God is dead, takes a punch on the chin from Jo and just shakes it off.
No, people. Do not count out Blair Warner.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011 'FACTS OF LIFE' CAST GIVES EMOTIONAL SPEECHES
Tears rolled on stage and to the audience for the powerful and very emotional speeches from each cast member at the TV Land Awards.:
Charlotte Rae - : "I am so greatful because our show was a really beautiful show. I think the show was underrated but the popular people, they loved us. I am so proud of my girls."
Mindy Cohn - : "I just want to say on behalf of me and the girls, we knew it was kind of an guilty pleasure to love the show, and now our fans wear it as their badge of honor and supported us throughout all these years."
Kim Fields - : "I met these people when I was nine years old, and I will be 42 next month. To grow up in front of all of you and next to this group of people, and to be treated as an equal is spectacular. And I want to thank each one of you to be great examples of womanhood, motherhood and as I continue to grow. And It is an honor to call you my friends and my sisters. Charlotte, the integredy that you show because alot of people don't remember we were only there because of you and only you. And we have never forgotten that. We have never forgotten that. "
Geri Jewell - : "I just wanted to say that I am so greatful and so blessed to be here tonight. And you know when I was made fun of alot and ridiculed. My escape was television, and I live for television. I wanted to be an actress and I wanted to be a comedian, and they cast me in this wonderful show 'Facts of Life'. And it was the first time in my life that kids weren't afraid of me when they saw me, but they wanted my autograph. And I am so proud to be a part of that. Thank You."
Cloris Leachman - : The attitude from Cloris was outstanding, and for a television legend and all time record winning Academy and Emmy Award Winning Actress, she graceously accepted her award for her short two year term on the show and stated, "Thank You for my award!"
Nancy McKeon - : "When we were first contacted about coming, I think the thought that ran through all of us was what a great opportunity to say Thank You. I think every day we get all kinds of people coming up to us and saying nice things to us. They have enjoyed the show and said they enjoyed watching us sothank you so much for being so kind for so long.... And also the supreme honor and priviledge to work together as a cast for nine years but to be lead by our most graceious and amazing fearless leader, the amazing star of our show Charlotte Rae was just extrodinary. We love you Charlotte and we are here for YOU. You are amazing."
Lisa Whelchel - : "And it's all been said, I just want to thank TV Land for a place to have shows where we can raise our kids, and don't have to worry what they watch and still show excellent shows for our kids to grow up on."
Saturday, April 16, 2011 FACTS OF LIFE FULL CAST REUNION
Don't forget to check out the TV Land Awards, Sunday, April 17th. Below is a snippet of The Facts of Life cast on the red carpet.
Monday, April 11, 2011 FACTS OF LIFE ACTOR'S RED CARPET REUNION
Geri Jewell, Cloris Leachman, Nancy McKeon, Charlotte Rae, and Lisa Whelchel reunite for the first time in over 20 years at the 9th Annual TV Land Awards to accept the Pop Culture Award for "The Facts of Life," the wildly popular '80s sitcom that ran for nine seasons on NBC. Kim Fields, Eastland's resident roller-skating gossip Tootie, arrived at the awards show late and was rushed through the red carpet. And never fret, Mindy Cohn, who played the bubbly Natalie Green on "The Facts of Life," lights up the red carpet in bold polka dots at the 9th Annual TV Land Awards at the Javits Center on April 10, 2011 in New York City. The show is set to air Sunday, 4/17 at 9pm on TV Land. The cast simply looks outstanding and we hope to see more pictures with the whole group together.
Don't forget, the 9th annual TV Land Awards Show will air Sunday, April 17th at 9pm ET/PT.
Saturday, April 09, 2011 CAST REUNION ON GOOD MORNING AMERICA
Wake up to ABC Network's Good Morning America to see the 'Facts of Life' cast reunion on Tuesday, April 12 between 7 am and 9 am.
Goto Good Morning America's Website to also read this nifty WHERE ARE THEY NOW? article.
Saturday, April 09, 2011 TV Land Announces an All-Star Line Up of Presenters for the 2011 "TV Land Awards"
(Alex Goldberg 4/8/2011 TVLAND.COM)
Barbara Walters, Ben Stiller, Paul Reiser, Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick, Marlo Thomas and The Real Housewives of New York City to bestow honors upon John Travolta and The cast of Welcome Back, Kotter, Michael J. Fox and the cast of Family Ties, The Cosby Show, Regis Philbin, The Facts of Life and Daryl Hall and John Oates.
TV Land is proud to announce that some of television and film’s most iconic names will be presenters at the TV Land Awards 2011. Barbara Walters, Ben Stiller, Paul Reiser, Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick, and Marlo Thomas in addition to the cast of The Real Housewives of New York City – Cindy Barshop, Kelly Bensimon, LuAnn de Lesseps, Alex McCord, Sonja Morgan and Jill Zarin – will be on hand to salute some of television and music’s biggest stars at the annual award show. The TV Land Awards 2011 tapes on Sunday, April 10 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City and airs on TV Land on Sunday, April 17 at 9 pm ET/PT.
Now in its ninth year, the TV Land Awards 2011 pays tribute to classic and contemporary luminaries of television, music and movies. The ninety-minute telecast will feature exhilarating tributes to some of the most iconic television casts and musical performers.
Previously announced honorees include: Regis Philbin who will receive the Legend Award; the full cast of Family Ties, (Michael J. Fox, Meredith Baxter, Michael Gross, Justine Bateman, Tina Yothers, Marc Price, Tracy Pollan and Billy Vera) who will be honored with the Fan Favorite Award and The Cosby Show cast (Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Tempestt Bledsoe, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Sabrina LeBeauf and Raven Symone) who will be honored with the Impact Award. TV Land will also honor the entire cast of Welcome Back, Kotter (John Travolta, Gabe Kaplan, Ron Palillo, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Robert Hegyes, Marcia Strassman and Ellen Travolta) with the 35th Anniversary Award and the cast of The Facts of Life (Lisa Whelchel, Nancy McKeon, Kim Fields, Mindy Cohn, Charlotte Rae, Cloris Leachman and Geri Jewell) with the Pop Culture Award. Additionally, Daryl Hall and John Oates will receive the Music Icon Award and will perform some of their most popular hit songs.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 WHAT HAPPENED TO SEASON 6 ON DVD?
The Facts of Life saw life on DVD first in 2006 (1st through 3rd seasons released), and then dropped off the radar for nearly 4 years. Shout! Factory acquired rights from Sony Pictures and then released The Facts of Life: The Complete Fourth Season and The Facts of Life: The Complete Fifth Season on November 2, 2010.
Since then there seemed to be some lag time releasing the next season of the show on DVD, and fans worring that music licensing rights may be to blame for the delay of the sixth season as many hit cover songs were used such as: You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling, Dancing Queen, and Hot Stuff. We have found out; thankfully, this is not the case. Upon contacting Shout! Factory, here is their response:
Hi -
We would love to continue to release future seasons of The Facts of Life.
But as of this moment, we do not have licensing rights.
Please check back in a few months. Hopefully something will change.
And we will forward you title suggestions along to our Acquisitions Dept as well.
Sorry we had to bring not so good news.
Our site is re-launching in the coming months.
That may be a good time to check.
http://www.shoutfactory.com/
Thanks for the query and suggestions,
Shout! Factory
So There you have it; Shout! Factory does not have the rights from Sony Pictures to release further seasons and as they stated would 'love to continue' the series. Shout! we hope you work fast on making a deal with Sony to release further seasons of the show. Until then, let's keep our fingers crossed. This is better news than hearing the sets did not sell enough copies to warrant any further releases.
Thursday, March 17th, 2011 THE FACTS OF LIFE HONORED WITH POP CULTURE AWARD AT 2011 TV LAND AWARDS.
(SOURCE: TVLAND.COM)
The Cast of The Facts of Life joins other iconic starts at the TV Land Awards 2011. Gabe Kaplan And Robert Hegyes Join Welcome Back, Kotter cast For 35th Anniversary Award
More of television’s most beloved and iconic stars will be honored at the TV Land Awards 2011, it was announced today by TV Land. The wildly popular ‘80s comedy series The Facts of Life will receive the Pop Culture Award at the annual awards show which tapes for the very first time in New York City and airs on TV Land on Sunday, April 17, 2011 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Additionally, Mr. Kotter himself, Gabe Kaplan, and Robert Hegyes, “Sweathog” Juan Epstein, will join the rest of the cast of Welcome Back, Kotter as the show receives the 35th Anniversary Award.
Mindy Cohn, Kim Fields, Nancy McKeon, Lisa Whelchel and the beloved Mrs. Garrett, Charlotte Rae, will reunite for the first time in over 20 years to accept the Pop Culture Award for The Facts of Life, a coming-of-age sitcom that ran on NBC from 1979-1988. Set in Peekskill, NY, The Facts of Life ran for nine seasons and was a spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes featuring the Drummonds' housekeeper Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae) as she becomes a housemother at Eastland School, a prestigious all-female boarding school.
The house of live-in girls included the wealthy and beautiful Blair Warner (Lisa Whelchel), the gossipy roller-skating Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey (Kim Fields), innocent Natalie Green (Mindy Cohn) and streetwise Joanne “Jo” Polniaczek (Nancy McKeon). The friends share the ups and downs of growing up – from teenagers to young women – all while leaning on each other.
Later in the series, the girls go on to help Mrs. Garrett open her own dessert shop and are introduced to Garrett’s contractor George Burnett (George Clooney). After a devastating fire, the business is remodeled into a gift shop and ultimately Mrs. Garrett’s divorced sister Beverly Ann Stickle (Cloris Leachmen) moves in to look after the girls and eventually adopts a young man who works at the gift shop, Andy Moffet (Mackenzie Astin).
Welcome Back, Kotter co-creator Gabe Kaplan (who also starred in the comedy as Mr. Kotter) and Robert Hegyes (Juan Epstein) will join Golden Globe®-winner and two-time Academy Award®-nominee John Travolta when the cast is given the 35th Anniversary Award. Cast mates Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Ron Palillo and Marcia Strassman will also be on hand.
(SOURCE: THE FACTS OF LIFE SITE/TELEVISIONHITS.COM)
Can you believe it, TV Land almost had it right when they said 20 years ago!!!!! It was nearly 25 years ago today that The Facts of Life cast was all together. To clear up some confusion where you think we may have made an error in our calculations, lets take a look back when the cast was reunited. You may be thinking, what about that telefilm 'The Facts of Life Reunion Movie?' Well, there was a telefilm in 2001 on the ABC Network reuniting the cast for The Facts of Life Reunion Movie, but as you all remember, Nancy McKeon "Jo" was unable to attend due to her series The Division.
Still not convinced?? What about the E! True Hollywood Story, A & E Cast Confessions, A & E Biography, Entertainment Tonight Season One DVD Release, Truth Behind The Sitcoms???? This list can go on and on from these specials to talk show appearances. The full regular cast of Charlotte Rae, Lisa Whelchel, Mindy Cohn, Kim Fields, and Nancy McKeon have never all appeared together since 1986. As you remember, Kim Fields was supposed to appear at the Entertainment Tonight DVD segment, but travel plans made her unable to attend spliting the 4 girl reunion up.
You still may be thinking, the calculations are not right, The Facts of Life ended in 1988, it hasn't been 25 years! The Facts of Life's last episode aired on May 7th, 1988; but as you recall, Charlotte Rae (Edna Garrett) who had starred and started the series had made her last appearance on September 26th, 1986 as special guest star in the 1-hour episode "Out Of Peekskill."
This will be truly a remarkable event for all fans as the entire main cast (Rae, Whelchel, Cohn, Fields, and McKeon) will reunite on stage together for the FIRST TIME since September 26th, 1986 and be presented to accept the TV POP CULTURE ICON AWARD from TVLAND. Congratulations to all cast members, this is one award that is well deserved in TV pop culture history as it was such an icon and spoke to many people during the decade.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010 THE COMPLETE 5TH SEASON ON DVD!
The Facts of Life: The Complete Fifth Season was announced 7/28/2010 by Shout Factory! This installment is released on November 2, 2010.
You have to take a bite out of 25 deliciously 30 minute "Edible" episodes. The Fifth Season (1983-1984) was the second major transition for the series, the first being the second season axe and addition of Nancy McKeon to the cast. Mrs. Garrett being very frustrated by Mr. Parker, Eastland's Headmaster, decides to quit Eastland and open her own gourmet food shop in nearby Peekskill, New York in the Season Premiere Hour Long Episode "Brave New World."
Natalie and Tootie gain permission from their parents to move in with Mrs. Garrett, while Jo lost a scholarship and can not afford the dorm. Mrs. Garrett lends a hand to let her work in the shop in effort to remain in college. Blair rushes Gamma Gamma Gamma and later learns that sorority sister Boots St. Clair (Jami Gertz - Still Standing, Square Pegs) tricked her into sweating about the election, even though she is a legacy, and then decides moves into Mrs. Garrett's house.
Mrs. Garrett and the girls also experience vandalism of the shop by a trouble teen Kelly Affanto (Grease 2's Pamela Segall); visiting a male strip club where Blairs boyfriend is a dancer; illegal computer tampering with a competitive business; Mrs. Garrett learning she may be thrown on the street because her divorsing son's joint ownership, a very odd dream episode where the year is 2000, Mrs. Garrett being possessed and killing customers for much needed meat, Jo's sudden return of an old flame Eddie (Clark Brandon), and fights between the girls parents.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 THE FACTS OF LIFE: 2010
A fan of the show contacted us via email and told us about a remake theme they did for the show, and this one is worth mentioning. Mr. Calhoun, co-creator of Perfect Strangers: Seattle Intro Remake, put his crew together to re-make The Facts of Life Season Two introduction.
"Following Betty White's recent triumphant Mother's Day SNL episode, we thought it was time to showcase some local comic girl power of our own! Though its not technically a Seattle-centric remake like the Perfect Strangers remake, there are a few nods to its Seattle location (specifically, the school at the beginning is the Queen Anne High School Condos, and my wife, who plays Jo, wears a Mariners T-shirt," said Mr. Calhoun.
There ya have it. Head on over to YouTube to see two clips! It's very worthwhile, and thank you for sharing it with us.
Saturday, May 29, 2010 WHERE'S SEASON FIVE ON DVD?
(TVSHOWSONDVD.COM) Earlier this month Shout! Factory released The Facts of Life - The Complete 4th Season on DVD. It had been a looong wait for fans, who hadn't seen any home video sets come out since Sony had released the first three seasons in 2006. Naturally, these fans are wondering if there will be another very long wait for The Facts of Life - The Complete 5th Season!
One of our readers, "Dominik", asked Shout! Factory's customer service team about this, and he was kind enough to forward their reply to us (we appreciate it greatly!). He was told, "Thanks for being a fan! Yes, Season 5 is planned to be released in the late fall of this year. Sincerely, Shout Factory" We double-checked with our industry sources, naturally, and have been told that this is indeed the studio's plan right now.
Of course, plans and schedules can always move and change, so please only use pencil to mark it on your calendar, at least until Shout! makes their formal announcement. Stay tuned for that, and other specific information, as further developments occur!
Thursday, February 11, 2010 Cover Art Revealed: High Resolution
Our site is proud to bring you the high resolution cover art first on the web. Two weeks after the announcement of the series next installment on DVD. Shout has released the cover art for The Facts of Life: The Complete Fourth Season.
The cover art has a couple of mistakes (Season 5 photos for several cast members), but we are not complaining, we're just
so happy to see the series continue to release on DVD. Save the Date: May 4th, 2010. The set is running at a total of 690 minutes and will contain
the un-syndicated cut up version of The Facts of Life: Goes To Paris not seen since the original broadcast in 1982. Check it out on our Merchandise Page.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 IT'S FINALLY COMING: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON ON DVD
It has been nearly four years since Sony Pictures have released The Facts of Life: The Complete Third Season on DVD. Today, Shout! Factory has announced the next installment: The Facts of Life: The Complete Fourth Season to be released May 4th, 2010 on DVD. Not only does the 4 disc set contain all 23 full length episodes, but one of the special features will include The Facts of Life Goes To Paris 2 Hour Movie, which, was aired on NBC only days before the fourth season premiered in the fall of 1982.
This marks the last season of the show at Private School Eastland Academy, where the 1983-1984 season starts the beginning of a new era for the show: Edna's Edibles. But let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet. Guest Stars for the fourth season include Eve Plumb (Brady Bunch), Jimmy Baio, David Ackroyd, Gary Hudson, Geri Jewell, Chip Fields (Kim Fields 'Tooties' mother). Mrs. Garrett and the girls learn more about the Facts of Life during Blair and Jo's senior year at Eastland. The season finale featured a double-length episode where Blair and Jo graduate Eastland Academy only to enroll in Langley College in near Peekskill, New York.
The Box-Art is still pending and is coming soon. Stay Tuned! May 4th, 2010 is the date.
Sunday, May 17, 2009 WHERE ARE THEY NOW: YAHOO FEATURED!:
Our little Tootie (Kim Fields) turned 40 this week, and besides making us feel really, really old, this milestone got us wondering what the girls and the other personalities from Eastland Academy are up to these days. Here's the good and the bad on the cast from "The Facts Of Life."
Kim Fields: Then
Fields played Dorothy Ramsey, better known as Tootie, Eastland's resident roller-skating gossip. Through her nine years on the show she dealt with racism, prostitution, and, worst of all, braces. As she so often said, "We are in trou-ble!"
Kim Fields: Now
Five years after "Facts" wrapped in 1988, Kim joined Queen Latifah and Kim Coles in the cast of another popular sitcom, "Living Single," FOX's African-American answer to "Friends." It ran from 1993 to 1998. Since then, Fields has participated in reunions for both shows and has made guest appearances on numerous series, including "The Cleaner" and "Miss Match."
Lisa Whelchel: Then
Although Whelchel herself was nothing like the character she portrayed, it's hard to imagine anyone else as the stuck-up, rich Blair Warner, who put up with the other "regular" girls despite her natural beauty and "perfect personality." In the series finale, Blair used daddy's money to buy Eastland and turn it into a co-ed school.
Lisa Whelchel: Now
After "Facts," ended, Lisa gave up acting. She did rejoin her castmates for the reunion special but now devotes her time to home-schooling her three children and meeting with members of her MomTime Ministries. She's also written 12 books, mostly on the subjects of parenting and Bible studies.
Mindy Cohn: Then
Mindy's role of Natalie Green could very easily have been a stereotype or the butt of easy sitcom jokes. But while many of Natalie's plot lines indeed revolved around the fact that she wasn't as thin as the other girls, she had a healthy self-image and for the most part scored all the dudes. She was even the first to sleep with her boyfriend, in a very controversial episode.
Mindy Cohn: Now
These days Mindy's best known as the Emmy-nominated voice of Velma Dinkley on the cartoon "What's New Scooby-Doo?" Last year she appeared on screen as Trixie, an assistant to Simon Baker's fast-food-chain executive Roderick Blank, in "Sex and Death 101," the latest Daniel Waters ("Heathers") film.
Nancy McKeon: Then
Joanne "Jo" Polniaczek was Eastland's resident tomboy and troublemaker. She often got her classmates in hot water by encouraging them to drink or steal the school van. Naturally, she had an adversarial relationship with the spoiled Blair, but the two eventually became best friends by the last season.
Nancy McKeon: Now
Nancy continued acting after Eastland closed its TV doors. Among her credits are three short-lived series: "Can't Hurry Love" (with a pre-"Law & Order: SVU" Mariska Hargitay), "Style & Substance" (with Jean Smart), and "The Division," which ran for four seasons and prevented her from appearing on 2001's "Facts" reunion. Most recently she starred in a Lifetime movie, "Comfort and Joy," and has a recurring role on the Disney Channel's "Sonny with a Chance".
Charlotte Rae: Then
Edna Garrett started as the Drummonds' housekeeper on "Diff'rent Strokes," but when she took a job at Kimberly Drummond's school, Eastland Academy, she left Park Avenue for her own show, "The Facts of Life." In season one Mrs. Garrett ruled the roost in the dorm and by year two she was running the cafeteria, doling out not only nutritional advice but important life lessons.
Charlotte Rae: Now
As much as she loved her girls, Mrs. Garrett left the school and the series in 1986. Rae was already a long-seasoned film and TV vet by the time "Facts" aired, and she continues working consistently to this day. In recent years she provided the voice of Nanny in "101 Dalmatians: The Series" and guest-starred on "The King of Queens" and "ER." But her most notable role of late was as one of Adam Sandler's love interests in 2008's "You Don't Mess with the Zohan."
Cloris Leachman: Then
Mrs. Garrett may have left the academy for a life in the Peace Corps., but she would never leave her charges unsupervised. Enter Cloris Leachman as Beverly Ann Stickle, her divorced sister. Even though the girls were now all grown, Beverly was charged with looking after them, as well as the malt shop and house Mrs. Garrett left behind. After realizing they didn't need a den mother, Beverly adopted Andy Moffett, a foster kid played by Mackenzie Astin.
Cloris Leachman: Now At the age of 82, Cloris proved she could swing with the best of 'em by joining the 2008 cast of "Dancing with the Stars." But that's just the beginning, really. Cloris is always working. There was a guest spot on NBC's "The Office," a Hallmark Channel made-for-TV movie "Love Takes Wing," and three more films slated for release this year, including the star-studded "New York, I Love You," an anthology of 11 mini-movies featuring Shia LaBeouf, Natalie Portman, Olando Bloom, Robin Wright Penn, Hayden Christensen, Christina Ricci, Ethan Hawke, Andy Garcia, and James Caan — just to name just a few.
Mackenzie Astin: Then
The 12-year-old son of actors John Astin and Patty Duke (and younger brother of Sean) arrived in the seventh season of "Facts" as Andy Moffett, the "jump the shark" foster kid recruited to add a touch of cute, now that all the girls had blossomed into full-on adulthood.
Mackenzie Astin: Now
Although Mackenzie hasn't seen his brother Sean's (who starred in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy) mainstream success, he's enjoyed a fulfilling career, with guest spots on "Lost," "Psych," and "My Name Is Earl." His most recent movie role in "The Four Children of Tander Welch" united him for the first time onscreen with his real-life mother, Patty Duke.
George Clooney: Then
In 1985 the unknown George Clooney was hired to play handyman George Burnett. He was contracted to rebuild Mrs. Garrett's shop and breathe new life into the series, but he only stuck around for one year, leaving to roadie for pop sensation Cinnamon (real-life pop sensation Stacey Q).
George Clooney: Now
We doubt anyone's unaware of George's post-"Facts" trajectory. But for those of you thinking, "This can't be THAT George Clooney," we assure you it is. It was a slow climb from "Facts" to "Roseanne" to "ER" and superstardom. He's since achieved leading-man status in such major motion pictures as the "Ocean's Eleven" trilogy, "Michael Clayton," and "Syriana." He's also made his mark as a director with "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" and the acclaimed Edward R. Murrow biopic, "Good Night, and Good Luck." Most recently he joined forces with the Coen Brothers (with whom he worked in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?") in "Burn After Reading." Personally, we're looking forward to seeing him in the upcoming "Up in the Air," directed by Jason Reitman ("Juno" and "Thank You for Smoking").
Molly Ringwald: Then
Ringwald's first two acting gigs (from 1979-1980) were on "Diff'rent Strokes" and "The Facts of Life" as Eastland student Molly Parker. In fact, the first year of "Facts" focused on seven girls, including Molly. In what might have been a case of bad judgment by producers, four of those girls, including Molly, were written out of the show in Season Two.
Molly Ringwald: Now
Four years after leaving Eastland for good, Molly burst onto the big screen in "Sixteen Candles," becoming the decade's poster child for teen angst. Her reign lasted through the end of the '80s, when she disappeared as quickly as she came, moving to France and concentrating on theater. Although she's made numerous film and TV appearances over the years, we're hoping she's back for good as the mother of an angst-ridden high school girl in "The Secret Life of the American Teenager."
Tuesday, December 16, 2008 RUMORS STIR UP QUESTIONS ABOUT SEASONS FOUR AND FIVE ON DVD!:
It has been nearly three years since we first heard about the show coming to DVD (Seasons One and Two), and time really flies - - - - slow, when Sony has not released anything after the third season (October 2006). Sony is terribly slow about putting out releases of any show on DVD unless the sets make major sales for the company and/or the show seems to be only one season, and might I add that there is a reason that certain shows only lasted one season (mainly because it is crap). Yes, The Facts of Life is not a classic like Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, and Seinfeld (all of which are also owned by Sony), but this show deserves to be completed on DVD. Sony has released a ton of short-lived shows on DVD, but just does not seem to want to release their best, and most pop-culture influenced material including Maude, The Jeffersons, All In The Family and of course The Facts of Life.
Rumors have been circulating on a fan-site message board about seasons four and five on DVD. The fans have claimed to call Sony at 1-800-860-2878 and talk with a representative about Seasons Four and Five on DVD - three different people of which have heard from a representative that yes, indeed, The Facts of Life: Season Four and Season Five DVD's are, and we quote "in the works, and no official release date has been given." We decided to call Sony and see what was going on, a very friendly representative put us on hold after asking this question and she said, "From what I see on the lists that go through January, I do not see a release for The Facts of Life: Season Four to be released, that does not mean it will never be released, just at this time we are not releasing it with the information I have."
So - two different answers, we then contacted TVSHOWSONDVD.COM and spoke with Gord Lacey, who said - "I have no information about these releases for The Facts of Life." TVSHOWSONDVD.COM are a great reliable source and usually get information before the press releases are officialy announced. One problem we have with fans word is that usually there is a formal press announcement and the public is not allowed to find out such information until it is officially released, and how they get this information, we do not know.
We all pray it will be released, but if you want to snoop in to this, call Sony at 1-800-860-2878 and ask for yourself! We do not know if these rumors are true and recieved a "NO" answer from Sony. If Sony does plan on releasing a 4th season, we should at this rate see the complete series on DVD by 2015. But let's keep our fingers crossed and if you hear something email us at webmaster@televisionhits.com, we would like to know what Sony said to you! - Facts of Life Site
Saturday, May 31, 2008 STALLED SERIES? THERE'S HOPE!:
(TV GUIDE)How many times have you started collecting a series on DVD only to find it's been "stalled" because sales of the previous sets weren't good enough? It's probably happened to you at least once, more if you're a fan of classic TV. While there are many issues that contribute to a stalled series, we're not going to focus on those today; this is an upbeat article.
Yes, I'm here to tell you there's hope for your favorite "stalled" series! We (meaning Dave and I at TVShowsOnDVD.com) have been told a number of the larger studios have been shopping around their catalog of shows, including some of the "stalled" shows. The major studios are recognizing they have properties that are still desired, even when they can't fiscally justify releasing the sets themselves. They've now "seen the light," and are willing to license shows to the independents. We've already seen this happen in the past, with BCI getting Wanted: Dead or Alive from New Line, Anchor Bay/Starz getting some of the VH1 titles (I Love New York and Flavor of Love), and, more recently, Shout! Factory picking up Sports Night (though that had been released in its entirety).
While I'm not able to list some of the titles that have been shopped around, I can tell you that many fans will have frowns turned into smiles in the next year. There's some great, great stuff coming out (unfortunately the 1966 Batman series isn't one of them). It's good to hold out hope for your favorite show because you never know what announcement will come tomorrow.
So, what are some of the "stalled" shows you hope to see resurrected by a smaller studio? ¡X Gord Lacey
We can only pray that Facts of Life will resurrect from the dead again! It's always the mid-later seasons of this show that get the shaft! I can't tell you how annoyed this becomes to only see full-length episodes of Seasons One - Three -- what about the last um -- 6!! - Facts of Life Site
Friday, December 07, 2008 ONE DECADE LATER: AN UNFORMAL BLOG/EDITORIAL/DEDICATION FROM THE WEBMASTER:
I'VE NEVER DONE ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE!
WOW!!! Imagine, just for a minute what it was like before YouTube, MP3 players, blogging, high speed internet, I phones, Windows Vista and XP, video clips, streaming video, TV on DVD, and high definition. What am I trying to get across??? The Facts of Life Site has been around since before all that. Well -- okay so they did have video clips on the internet back in 1998 but if you remember, we were all using dial up internet and it would take literally 1 hour for a minute clip that was 4'' by 4'' to load (actually it was probably a little smaller). My we have come a long way, and so has this site too. Take a look back at what it actually looked like 10 years ago on November 28th, 1998; the day this site was born. It's pretty amazing! In a world where internet websites come and go every second, it is a milestone that "The Facts of Life Site" has been here for over ten years.
Now a decade later, and after numerous updates and changes, I am still proud to say that there is still no other site quite as large as this one for The Facts of Life fans on the net. Ok, Todd Fuller of Sitcoms Online -- you gave me quite a scare back in 2000 when I first saw The Facts of Life Online, and I will admit that your site (The Facts of Life Online) does get more visitors than mine! That still makes me jealous to this day! ARGH! :)
It wasn't only till the creation of his website, and not knowing what or how big he was going to make it, I still wanted to be the number one website on the net for this show (after all, at that time I was only 16 years old) so I tried after that point so hard to be the biggest (I can't believe I just said that out loud - lol).
www.factsoflife.com was still in existence and was clearly not going any further with updates (I even, after it's demise, got an offer to buy www.factsoflife.com from some stranger). At first, my site was nothing other than a copy cat of all other Facts of Life sites out there. I was proud to say after a couple of years, I added content on my own (Facts of Life Episode Guide Pictures, Site Format, Site Collage/Logo, Video Clips, Audio Clips, Yearly Synopsis', and compiling information about the show and more).
Fast Forwarding to today, I will be the first to admit that I have been lazy on reading everyon's emails and updating the site recently (Guest Appearances Page under construction for about 2 years). It seems like The Facts of Life Site and The Facts of Life Online are the only two Facts of Life websites that still get updates (Beyond the Facts of Life not updated since '06 - and a great 80's Child Facts of Life Site vanished).
The only portion of the site that needs to be completed is the Guest Appearances Page (can I slit my wrists from the boredom and tedious work it takes to compile this massive list) and pictures for every episode in the Detailed Episode Guide pages (I have added a ton that weren¡¦t taken from factsoflife.com). Todd Fuller was smart when he made a Notable Guest Appearances Page. Why I was crazy and started working on compiling every single guest appearance actor/actress on a show that ran for nine long, LONG years, that -- I dunno.
All in all, I would like to thank every one of you for being a fan of my website and for visiting all these years -- without your hits I would have killed this site a very long time ago. Thanks Todd for the inspiration to keep me going -- I only wish we could collaborate our sites somehow! I promise I will try to keep the site updated and maintained more regularly so you all don't think it's a dead site. I have put way to many hours into creating this site that's for sure and it's not disappearing any time soon. I just wish I had more time to have everything completed. Make sure to check out the massive updates (see below) with tons more to follow. And shoot me an email - I promise I will respond! webmaster@televisionhits.com
Monday, August 14, 2006 SEASON THREE DVD COVER ART:
We now have more information including the cover art for The Facts of Life: The Complete Third Season new release. Sony has released the front cover art today, the back cover art will probably be shown at a later date. The set will include no special features and their standard Sony Bonus Previews will be on the set. All original broadcasted 24 episodes from the 1981-1982 season will be shown. The Facts of Life Goes To Paris will also not be included in this set (maybe season four???). Total run-time is 602 minutes, full screen ratio (1.33:1), and digitally remastered. Please visit our VHS/DVD Merchandise page for full view of the cover art. For more quick releases please be sure to order this set that releases October 24th, 2006.
Visit the Amazon DVD listing for The Facts of Life to order the third season set today!
Saturday, August 12, 2006 THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON COMING SOON:
Amazon has posted some information before the official press release by Sony. The Facts of Life: The Complete Third Season will be released on October 24th, 2006 with Bewitched: The Complete Fourth Season. High sales have pushed an earlier date. The special features are unknown, but we do suspect that The Facts of Life Goes To Paris Movie, which ran at the end of Season Three, will not be released with this set. Run time is 606 minutes, all episodes will be released in their un-cut, original broadcast versions. Sony may decide to release The Facts of Life Goes to Paris with the Season Four Set. Artwork and extras are unknown at this time. For more quick releases please be sure to order this set.
Visit the Amazon DVD listing for The Facts of Life to order the third season set today!
Saturday, August 12, 2006 DVD SETS ARE BIG SELLER:
The Complete First Season and Second Seasons sets were in surprising number sellers at Sony. The sales rank at Amazon reached an all time high ranking of #30, showing that Facts of Life still has a very large fan base after many years. Most older shows do not sell as well as today's shows because of media attention with the current day shows and stars. The Facts of Life set's sold in high numbers as comparable to the classic and beloved sitcoms Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. High sales numbers has made Sony decide to release The Complete Third Season very early, on October 24th, 2006 with Bewitched: The Complete Fourth Season. Sony is a production company that is known for releasing their TV DVD sets very slowly, high sales numbers has pushed Facts of Life for quicker releases.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006 NEW CAST REUNION:
The cast is going to reunite on NBC's Today, formerly known as The Today Show. In celebration of the complete first and second seasons on DVD, Nancy McKeon (Jo), Lisa Whelchel (Blair), Kim Fields (Tootie), and Mindy Cohn (Natalie) will all appear in promotion of the series on DVD. The cast will reunite Tuesday, May 9th, on NBC Today starting at 7:00am (central). Please check your local listings for exact times.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006 FIRST AND SECOND SEASONS TO DVD:
The Complete First and Second seasons of The Facts of Life will be released to DVD on May 9th, 2006. The set will include all original 29 episodes (13 from the first season, and 16 from the second). Bonus Features include previews and two exclusive featurettes. The DVD will be presented in full screen ratio (1.33:1), and digitally remastered. To see the full cover and more information (please note it may change) visit our merchandise page.
Visit the Amazon DVD listing for The Facts of Life to order the set today!
Wednesday, January 25, 2006 FACTS OF LIFE DVD RELEASE DATE:
We have some updated info about the first and second seasons on DVD for the Facts of Life. Sony has announced they WILL NOT release the set in June. But, will release around May 9th, 2006. We still have no definite information on the release date or whether the first two seasons will be packaged together. As more definite dates become announced we will bring more inforation about seasons included on the set, DVD specs, cover art, and special features.
Monday, February 27, 2006 OFFICIALLY COMING TO DVD:
It is now official. Sony has made the announcement the both The Complete First and Second seasons of The Facts of Life will be released to DVD on May 9th, 2006. The set will include all original 29 episodes (13 from the first season, and 16 from the second). Bonus Features include previews and an exclusive featurette. The DVD will be presented in full screen ratio (1.33:1) and will feature an English audio track in mono. To see the full cover visit our merchandise page.
Visit the Amazon DVD listing for The Facts of Life to order the set today!
Wednesday, January 25, 2006 FACTS OF LIFE DVD RELEASE DATE:
We have some updated info about the first and second seasons on DVD for the Facts of Life. Sony has announced they WILL NOT release the set in June. But, will release around May 9th, 2006. We still have no definite information on the release date or whether the first two seasons will be packaged together. As more definite dates become announced we will bring more inforation about seasons included on the set, DVD specs, cover art, and special features.
Saturday, January 21, 2006 FACTS OF LIFE'S ON DVD IN JUNE:
(Source: Sony) I work for Sony Entertainment, and just wanted to let you know that a release for Facts of Life on DVD is tentatively scheduled for June of this year. Right now, it's planned to be a combination of the first two seasons, with all 29 episodes from those first two years. Since the first season of 'Facts' is radically different from the successful later version of the show, they didn't want to release just the first season and risk lower sales. I'll keep you posted as I get information on an official release date. To the Facts of Life fans reading this, your voting at TVShowsOnDVD.com and the Sony on DVD has paid off, you have given Sony a reason to release The Facts of Life on DVD!
Thursday, December 15, 2005 FACTS OF LIFE'S FATE ON DVD:
As cast member Kim Fields once put it, "The Facts of Life get's passed over like it never existed." Many fans rejoiced when hearing the fantastic news about a Facts of Life Christmas episode to DVD. Unfortunately, the item (rights by Sony Corp.) was never released. Why? No one knows. www.tvshowsondvd.com was told by Sony that the September date was changed but "IS COMING." Now fans rather doubt that Sony will release this item after the holiday season is over, and all they can do is wish for a release in 2006.
If the Facts of Life does release a season one set in the future many wonder if all nine seasons will release. Season one was horrible (nielson ratings #74) and Sony is known for only keeping up with a series that sells very well after each season (Remember the Mad About You series, stopped off after season two and finishing with a best of set). The Facts of Life series ran for nine seasons and the series hit the top of it's heap during one of the most popular season's ever, season five (1983-1984). This was the best season in the ratings (tied with season three) at number number 24. But that's not all, most fans love the series during Season Seven (Charlotte Rae's last season), and a very hillarious Season Eight (episodes 62-Pick Up and Seven Little Indians). If Facts does release on DVD many fans pray all nine seasons will be released since the series evolved and changed so much throughout the years.
Sony has many series on DVD and start new sets all the time. Another question that ponders minds; If Sony releases Facts, will they release it in a good amount of time? Sony is slow about releasing their series. By the way what happened to the Who's the Boss series? (Diff'rent Strokes - 1.5 years between season 1 and 2, All in the Family and The Jefferson's - too long). At this rate, the show would take 14 years to release, clearly longer than the original run on NBC! Sony continues to release their short lived series like Action, Dilbert, Tick, and The Critic. The company has yet to release such classics including Maude, The Facts of Life, Benson, One Day at a Time, I Dream of Jeannie, and Silver Spoons.
Music rights to many series is a problem. The copyright's to certain songs cost corporations releasing television sets to pay out big bucks. They either loose money or raise the retail price for rights to music (or replace music). The seventh season featured many popular songs at the time such as Debarge (You Wear It Well), Paul Young (Everytime You Go Away), Aretha Franklin (Freeway of Love), Stacy Q (Two of Hearts, We Connect), and Kool 'n the Gang (Cherish). Music licensing may be an issue for the later seasons to be released on DVD.
The Facts of Life is clearly a show that could generate a lot of revenue for Sony (nine seasons). The fans for The Facts of Life at www.tvshowsondvd.com have a great voter turn out (Ranked in the top five for most wanted shows to be released on DVD). Bottom line: Will fans ever see a DVD release? Likely, yes! How many sets and release date? Unknown! Just remember, if short lived series have a place in the DVD world so do long running series like The Facts of Life.
Friday, October 14, 2005 EPISODE TO BE RELEASED ON DVD?:
Remember when we originally listed a DVD containing a Facts of Life episode back in July? Well, we still have no news about this item and the release date is still not set. The date should be posted soon if it is actually going to be released. If Thanksgiving goes by and still no word, it is highly likely this set is cancelled. DVDEmpire.com has announced a compilation Christmas release called Classic TV Christmas with Yuletide favorites from: Benson, Bewitched, Maude, Barney Miller, and The Facts of Life. Original retail cost is 19.99, but if you pre-order the dvd now it is marked down to 13.96. The release date was scheduled for September 13th, 2005.
We are uncertain of which and how many episodes will be released with each series, but we do know Charlotte Rae is included in the episode; therefore, the episode is from seasons 5, 6, or 7. Cloris Leachman and Mackenzie Astin are not listed with the credits, so it is safe to assume seasons 8 and 9 Christmas episodes will not be released with this set. Here is a description of each episode:
Season 5 "The Christmas Show" - Jo spends Christmas with Mrs. Garrett.
Season 6 "Christmas in the Big House" - The girls entertain a group of convicts.
Season 7 "Christmas Baby" - Blair's mother goes into labor on Christmas Eve.
Please remember Sony may cancel this item at anytime and the release date is not definite. We will list this item in our DVD merchandise section when we have a definite release date.
To pre-order this item today visit the DVD Empire Website!
Monday, July 18, 2005 EPISODE TO BE RELEASED ON DVD:
Remember you heard it here first! DVDEmpire.com has announced a compilation Christmas release called Classic TV Christmas with Yuletide favorites from: Benson, Bewitched, Maude, Barney Miller, and The Facts of Life. Original retail cost is 19.99, but if you pre-order the dvd now it is marked down to 13.96. The release date is scheduled for September 13th, 2005.
We are uncertain of which and how many episodes will be released with each series, but we do know Charlotte Rae is included in the episode; therefore, the episode is from seasons 5, 6, or 7. Cloris Leachman and Mackenzie Astin are not listed with the credits, so it is safe to assume seasons 8 and 9 Christmas episodes will not be released with this set. Here is a description of each episode:
Season 5 "The Christmas Show" - Jo spends Christmas with Mrs. Garrett.
Season 6 "Christmas in the Big House" - The girls entertain a group of convicts.
Season 7 "Christmas Baby" - Blair's mother goes into labor on Christmas Eve.
Please remember Sony may cancel this item at anytime and the release date is not definite. We will list this item in our DVD merchandise section when we have a definite release date.
To pre-order this item today visit the DVD Empire Website!
Thursday, July 07, 2005 NEW SONY POLL, VOTE FOR DVD:
It's once again here! Don't miss out on a chance to vote for The Facts of Life to be released on DVD. You may vote for only one show. When finished voting the results show how the placing of each series is doing. The Facts of Life is not currently in the top spot, so lets get more votes for a release. To vote for a Season One DVD release goto Sony's Website and click on the "TAKE THE SPHE TV ON DVD POLL" picture to cast your vote.
Thursday, July 07, 2005 Amazon.com DVD Listing:
The Facts of Life is now listed on Amazon for a DVD release. The studio is currently not producing this title on DVD, but to be notified when it is available, enter your e-mail address on Amazon. You'll also be voting for this release; we'll let the studio know how many customers are waiting for this title. to vote for a release!
Tuesday, June 01, 2005 Lisa Whelchel Article:
After leaving The Facts of Life in 1988, Lisa Whelchel devoted her time to getting married and raising a family. "Whelchel didn't do anything after 'Facts of Life,' which is why we still think of her as Blair, not Lisa Whelchel," wrote Gyneth Doland in the Weekly Alibi. In this article, Lisa sheds importance on her family, career, and more. To read the article, please click here!
Wednesday, June 01, 2005 TV Land Celebrates 20 Years of Nick:
TV Land will support the celebration of Nick-at-Nite’s 20th Anniversary with a weekend showcasing classic shows from the history of Nick-at-Nite, including “The Odd Couple”, “The Mary Tyler Moore”, “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”, “Gilligan’s Island” and more. Tune in for this special event scheduled to air all weekend-long, June 25th and 26th, and check out our TV Schedule page to see when and what Facts of Life Episode will air.
Saturday, April 09, 2005 Naniversary:
From Tuesday, June 21st, through Thursday, June 23rd, Nick-at-Nite will revisit the year that it was born – 1985 – by airing shows that were primetime hits that year. One episode of each of the following shows will be aired on Nick At Nite: Silver Spoons, The Facts of Life, Kate and Allie, Benson, Who’s the Boss, Growing Pains, The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers, and Night Court.
To get more information on what episode will be shown please visit the TV Schedule page.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005 George Clooney Interview:
After searching the Entertainment Tonight Website, I spotted a video clip of George Clooney dating way back to the year of 1985. This clip is one minute long and George talks about stepping into the "Facts of Life" sitcom family. He is very optimistic about the show and it's co-cast-members. I believe one can hear Mindy Cohn in the background as well. To view the video clip please click here and scroll down about half way and click on the video camera icon!
Wednesday, December 15, 2004 Top 10 Most Requested Shows:
I have been recieving a ton of emails on whether The Facts of Life is going to be put out on DVD, or how one may request for the show to be released; Well here's how.
Go to the TV Shows On DVD Website and vote for The Facts of Life on DVD. If there is an overwhelming response, Sony Television Pictures may release the show on DVD. The statistics of the show are now record breaking hitting the TOP TEN. This show was once ranked 122 out of thousands of television shows and is now at 10 (as of December 15, 2004) with over 2,150 votes. Registration is easy and free, if you haven't voted go vote now.
Tuesday, September 21, 2004 The Biography on VHS:
It's now available to purchase on VHS, A&E's The Facts of Life Biography! Featuring clips from the sitcom and interviews with Charlotte Rae, Lisa Whelchel (Blair Warner), Mindy Cohn (Natalie Green), former NBC Executive Warren Littlefield, BIOGRAPHY takes an inside look at The Facts of Life. This started going on sale in September 2004 for a retail cost of $19.99. To get more information on where you may purchase this item please visit our VHS & DVD Merchandise page.
Saturday, July 17, 2004 Reunion Movie To Re-Air:
Mrs. Garrett and the girls decide to reunite in Peekskill, New York for Thanksgiving. We find that Mrs. Garrett is a widow, Blair a business woman, Tootie a widow and mother, and Natalie is torn between two loves. The reunion movie will air on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 at 8:00 to 10:00 pm (Eastern Time Zone) on the ABC Family Channel. The reunion first aired on the ABC Network on the Wonderful World of Disney back in November 2001.
Wednesday, July 14, 2004 The Biography:
It's Coming to TV, A&E's Facts of Life Biography! After rumors of appearing in January earlier this year it is finally premiering on television two years after it has been made. A&E will air this special on Sunday, July 25th, 2004 at 10:00 am (Eastern Time Zone). Interviews with Charlotte Rae (Mrs. Garrett), Lisa Whelchel (Blair), and Mindy Cohn (Natalie) highlight this nostalgic look back at the popular 1980s sitcom set in an all-girls boarding school. It is unknown if this special will air in re-run's after this premiere date.
Wednesday, June 16, 2004 Diff'rent Strokes to DVD:
Video Business Magazine - Whatchoo talking about it's on DVD? It's true - for the first time, long-running sitcom Diff'rent Strokes will be available on DVD September 14 from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment.
Filling three discs, Diff'rent Strokes: The First Season will showcase the adventures of two adopted kids from Harlem, as played by Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges, living with a rich, white family.
The true lives of the cast, including drug-troubled Bridges, were just as interesting as the show's plotlines. And many return for fresh interviews for the DVD, including Bridges, Conrad Bain and Charlotte Rae. Other DVD special features include a featurette on Coleman and audio commentary with show scribe Fred Rubin.
Premiering in 1978, Diff'rent Strokes ran for eight seasons, first on NBC and later on ABC. Pre-orders for the DVD package are due Aug. 12. The set is priced at $29.95.
As the TV Shows On DVD Website stated, "No word about the popular spin-off, The Facts of Life, just yet. We'll keep an eye out for that, though. In the meantime, we'll be back with more information about Diff'rent Strokes in approximately three weeks, when the studio officially announces this title." Go to the TV Shows On DVD Website and vote for The Facts of Life on DVD. If there is an overwhelming response, Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment may release the show on DVD. The statistics on ranking of the show once ranked 122 out of thousands of television shows and is now at 48 (as of June 16, 2004).
Wednesday, March 31, 2004 VOTE NOW, DVD POLL:
The DVD Poll on the Sony Pictures TV Poll Website has now started again. The Facts of Life is on the list of competing shows to DVD. This is not the first poll by Sony. The last poll started in February of 2003 and ended in August. Unfortunately, The Facts of Life did not get enough votes to come to DVD. So here's another chance. Go and vote now!
You may also goto the TV Shows On DVD Website and vote for The Facts of Life on DVD. If there is an overwhelming response, Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment may release the show on DVD. The statistics on ranking of the show and the show once ranked 122 out of thousands of television shows and is now at 52 (as of March 31st, 2003). Help the shows' rank get to number 1 by voting for what you would like to see released, Season Sets, Best of, and/or Individual Episodes.
Monday, March 08, 2004 3 'Facts' Stars visit TV Land Awards:
The 2nd Annual TV Land Awards was held March 7th, 2004. The ceremony had 70 actresses and actors of classic television attend, 3 of which were Facts of Life stars. Cloris Leachman won the Groundbreaking Award as well as the rest of the cast for The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Charlotte Rae and Lisa Whelchel sang the theme song to 'Facts'. And Lastly Charlotte Rae, Bea Arthur, Sally Struthers, and Katherine Helmond were involved in a parody skit of Sex And The City. The 2nd Annual TV Land Awards will air March 17th on TV Land and Nick At Nite at 9 to 11pm (ET/PT)!
Friday, February 27, 2004 Mindy Cohn in new series:
This irreverent comedy The Help will make its debut on The WB on Friday, March 5 from 9:30-10:00pm ET. The Help is an outrageous satire that centers on the class warfare between a group of servants and their employers, the wealthy Ridgeway family. As the unfortunate workers at the beck and call of the demented and dysfunctional family quickly discover, there's not only a class struggle between those who live upstairs and those who toil downstairs, there's also a war for survival of the fittest among "The Help." This new show stars Mindy Cohn, Camille Guaty, Brenda Strong, Keri Lynn Pratt, Al Santos, Graham Murdoch, Marika Domincyzek, Antonio Sabato Jr. and special guest stars Tori Spelling and David Faustino.
Visit The Help Website!
Saturday, January 31, 2004 Reunion Movie to Re-air:
The Facts of Life Reunion Movie will re-air on the ABC Family Channel once again on Saturday, February 7th from 6 to 8pm (Eastern Time Zone). To find the scheduling of all the movies/specials goto the menu page and click on TV Information/Schedule or click here!
Monday, December 01, 2003 Vote for the "Facts" on DVD:
The DVD Poll on the Sony Pictures TV Poll Website has ended sometime ago and The Facts of Life has not yet been announced to DVD. Goto the TV Shows On DVD Website and vote for The Facts of Life on DVD. If there is an overwhelming response, Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment may release the show on DVD. The statistics of the show was once 122, then on July 18, 2003 106 and is now at 69 (as of December 1st, 2003). Help the shows' rank get to number 1 by voting for what you would like to see released, Season Sets, Best of, and/or Individual Episodes.
Sunday, August 24, 2003 Happy Anniversary:
Happy Anniversary Facts of Life! The Facts of Life is now 24 years old. The debut of this hit 80's sitcom was on August 24th, 1979. Next year in 2004, the show will be celebrating it's 25th Anniversary. Since the show's end run/cancellation in 1988 it has been televised from 1993 to 1998 on USA Network, 2000-2002 on TV Land and Nick At Nite, and in 2002 on The Hallmark Channel. Unfortunately the series is not being aired anywhere in the United States.
Tuesday, August 05, 2003 High School Life:
The Museum of Television & Radio Presents, Blast from Your Past--What Generation X Watched: 1969-1985. They will be saluting generation-defining television, from Zoom to Oscar Mayer Bologna Commercials from June 6th to October 5th 2003. Blast from Your Past will screen in New York Tuesdays to Sundays at 12:30 and 3:00 p.m., and in Los Angeles Wednesdays to Sundays at 3:00 p.m. at both museums. Friday, August 8 to Sunday, August 17 their theme will be High School Life. The premiere episode of The Facts of Life (Rough Housing) will be aired.
Visit The Museum of Television & Radio for more details.
Friday, July 18, 2003 DVD Poll has ended:
The DVD Poll on the Sony Pictures TV Poll Website has ended recently. The Facts of Life has not yet been announced to DVD, but hope is not all lost. Goto the TV Shows On DVD Website and vote for The Facts of Life on DVD. If there is an overwhelming response, Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment may release the show on DVD. I have checked the statistics on ranking of the show and the show ranked 122 out of thousands of television shows at one point and is now at 106 (as of July 18th, 2003). The Facts of Life is ahead of other hits such as Growing Pains, Mama's Family, and even Family Matter's. Help the shows' rank get to number 1 by voting for what you would like to see released, Season Sets, Best of, and Individual Episodes.
Friday, July 04, 2003 Cloris Leachman:
This Intimate Portrait was rescheduled. Lifetime aired Katharine Hepburn's Intimate Portrait to honor her passing Sunday, July 29th, instead of Cloris Leachman's. Cloris Leachman's Intimate Portrait will now premeire on Monday, July 7th, 2003. Get upclose and personal with Cloris Leachman. The Lifetime television premiere of Cloris who has pursued her television and film career with incredible perseverance, earning an Oscar and eight Emmy Awards will air on Monday July 7th at 7:00pm EST/PST. Interviews from Cloris Leachman and Facts of Life co-star Mindy Cohn will be premeired.
Wednesday, June 25, 2003 Keep Voting for the DVD Release:
Although Columbia has announced its winners for the upcoming releases on dvd: The Tick, Newsradio, Dilbert, Designing Women and Soap; and the Facts of Life was not chosen, keep voting for the show to be released on DVD. The poll is not finished and the show may still have a chance to be released on DVD.
Vote on the Sony Pictures TV Poll!
Monday, February 10, 2003 Vote For The Facts of Life On DVD:
The Columbia TriStar Website is currently taking your vote to see which show, among the list, we would like to see on DVD. The Facts of Life is currently on the list among other favorites such as Diffrent Strokes, Bewitched, and I Dream of Jeannie. Vote at the Columbia TriStar Webpage for up to five series in either a "full season" or "best of" DVD set!
Sunday, November 03, 2002 Facts of Life Ringtone:
Would you to hear the Facts of Life theme song on your cell phone? Verizon Wireless now offers the Facts of Life and many other tv theme song ringtones. Goto the Verizon Website for more information.
Thursday, July 11, 2002 Shine Magazine:
The Facts of Life TV Star Lisa Whelchel: From the Facts of Life to the Abundant Life- Lisa shares on Parenting, God, and Getting Vulnerable. Click here to read the article.
Thursday, May 23, 2002 Oldest Facts of Life Website:
This site has been opened since November 1998, and since factsoflife.com is no longer available, this site is the oldest Facts of Life site on the net. www.factsoflife.com was open since 1996, and closed in early 2002.
Costars and celebrities pay tribute to ‘incredible force of a woman’ Charlotte Rae
The Facts of Life Coming To TV Land
George Clooney Joins the Facts of Life in The Complete Seventh Season
Alex Rocco, dead at the age of 79.
The Sixth Season to be released on DVD
OFFICIAL SERIES DVD PRESS RELEASE
Mindy Cohn, Kim Fields, Nancy McKeon, Lisa Whelchel and the beloved Mrs. Garrett, Charlotte Rae, will reunite for the first time in over 20 years to accept the Pop Culture Award for The Facts of Life, a coming-of-age sitcom that ran on NBC from 1979-1988. Set in Peekskill, NY, The Facts of Life ran for nine seasons and was a spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes featuring the Drummonds' housekeeper Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae) as she becomes a housemother at Eastland School, a prestigious all-female boarding school.
(SOURCE: THE FACTS OF LIFE SITE/TELEVISIONHITS.COM)
WHERE ARE THEY NOW: YAHOO FEATURED!: 
Kim Fields: Then 
Lisa Whelchel: Then 
Mindy Cohn: Then 
Nancy McKeon: Then 
Charlotte Rae: Then 
Cloris Leachman: Then
Mackenzie Astin: Then 
George Clooney: Then
Molly Ringwald: Then
www.factsoflife.com was still in existence and was clearly not going any further with updates (I even, after it's demise, got an offer to buy www.factsoflife.com from some stranger). At first, my site was nothing other than a copy cat of all other Facts of Life sites out there. I was proud to say after a couple of years, I added content on my own (Facts of Life Episode Guide Pictures, Site Format, Site Collage/Logo, Video Clips, Audio Clips, Yearly Synopsis', and compiling information about the show and more).
Fast Forwarding to today, I will be the first to admit that I have been lazy on reading everyon's emails and updating the site recently (Guest Appearances Page under construction for about 2 years). It seems like The Facts of Life Site and The Facts of Life Online are the only two Facts of Life websites that still get updates (Beyond the Facts of Life not updated since '06 - and a great 80's Child Facts of Life Site vanished).