GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

This weekend a TV Mogul died and a legendary director also passed away. Both had a huge impact on my trashy life.

Aaron Spelling, the creator of Dynasty, Hart to Hart, The Colbys, Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, Models Inc, Hotel, Charlie's Angels, Pacific Palisades and Titans died at his sumptuous Holmby Hills mansion. Joan Collins said last night that it was Aaron Spelling who was responsible for making Joan the biggest female TV star of the eighties and Emma Samms who was Fallon Number 2 in Dynasty wrote an article saluting Aaron and the quality of his work. He may have been the high priest of trash TV but it looked great on screen. Never before or since, has $250,000 been spent on a single episode's wardrobe as in Dynasty and I for one am eternally grateful. Emma mentioned in her article that Aaron insisted the best quality flowers be on show in the infamous Carrington mansion and two sets were always ordered by Jurgens as in a twelve hour shooting day, he didn't want the flowers to wilt!

Excess was his specialty and many believed his own life mirrored that of his outrageous characters as he owned the house that was the talk of Los Angeles.....
In the mid eighties at the height of his success, Aaron Spelling bought the old Bing Crosby estate in swish Holmby Hills. The rich live in Beverly Hills, the mega rich stay in Holmby Hills. He tore down Bing's house built himself a house that would have even made the Carrington's blush with envy. 123 rooms, a nuclear bunker, bowling alley, huge gardens, gift wrapping rooms for his wife Candy and possibly a different time zone aswell. I was fortunate enough to see the house or at least part of it when I visited LA a few years ago. Interestingly enough, Aaron's neighbour is none other than Hugh Hefner and the Playboy mansion!

Aaron Spelling was the last of the great moguls who created magic for me and millions of other every week with his unbelievable series!

Also last week, the human lizard aka Vincent Sherman also died. Vincent directed Bette Davis in Old Acquaintance and Mr Skeffington and also Joan Crawford in The Damned Don't Cry and Harriet Craig. Renowned for being a "woman's director" he steered those movies to critical and commercial success. It's also good to see him in interviews reminiscing and commenting on his masterpieces. The juicy titbits of his dealings with Bette and Joan make it excellent viewing!

Gone but not forgotten - there won't be anymore like them.