You're a wonder, Wonder Woman.

Congratulations to Lynda Carter, the Queen of the 80's Crush Tournament. Blondes may have more fun, but this brunette garnered the most admirers by nearly a two to one margin.

The Championship title couldn't have gone to a classier lady. Once when asked about the popularity of her Wonder Woman character she said "I'd like to think I had something to do with it, but it's a phenomenon unto itself. And it's not too bad to be a sort of pop icon, you know? It's not too tough to handle."

A pop icon indeed. And one who ushered in the era of puberty for many a young lad in the late seventies. As I mentioned in her first post, a crush on Lynda Carter transcended the seventies and carried over well in the eighties.

But what exactly is it about her that puts her at the head of the line? Lynda combines the perfect combination of sexy and sweet - the goddess and the girl next door.

It's a shame she didn't have more media exposure over the last twenty years. Lynda has the enduring kind of classic beauty that many associate with such screen legends as Rita Hayworth, who Lynda portrayed in a TV biopic.

I'll let you guys in on a bit of little-known trivia. In 1976, Lynda appeared in a relatively unknown film called "Bobby Jo And The Outlaw". In the film she did some topless scenes where she was skinny-dipping. There are screen captures out there if you want to do a Google image search.

Thanks to all who participated. To view the final Tournament bracket, click HERE.

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Sorry, guys. No 80's Crush contestant this week.

March Madness may be winding down but the "80's Crush" post-March Madness Tournament is kicking off today!

So far, there have been twelve 80's Crushes - all my picks. Now it's time for you to vote. Here's how it works: Each gal will face off in a match-up of my choosing. Those women I rated a "10 out of 10" and the highest ranked number "9 out of 10" get first round byes.

The remaining eight have been grouped accordingly:

- The "Melrose Place" Division - Both Daphne Zuniga and Courtney Thorne-Smith starred on the TV show "Melrose Place" (they're the first match-up)

- The "Friends" Division - Both Lea Thompson and Kathleen Turner had guest spots on the popular comedy "Friends"

- The Pacific Division - Molly Ringwald is from California and Erin Gray is from Hawaii

- The Vicki Vale Division - Sean Young was the first actress cast to play this role in the 1989 film "Batman" but an on-set injury led to Kim Basinger being hired as her replacement.

View the 80's Crush Bracket HERE.

Each poll - located in the sidebar to the left - will be open for 48-72 hours, depending on my schedule. The first poll is live. Voting closes Monday at noon.

Go HERE to see the entire 80's Crush Vault

In the meantime, go find out who Sadie's male 80's Crush is.

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This week's 80's Crush is: Molly Ringwald

Birth Name: Same
Birth Date: 2/18/68
Age Today: 38
Birthplace: Roseville, CA

80's Crush Because: What would an 80's Crush feature be without Molly Ringwald, the Queen of the Brat Pack?. She was the forgotten sweet sixteen Samantha Baker in "Sixteen Candles", the archtypical "princess" Claire Standish in John Hughes ensemble, "The Breakfast Club" and Andie Walsh, the girl from the other side of the tracks in "Pretty In Pink" - three films that should be in every thirty-something's DVD library.

Other Notable Roles: Molly's first break was on the first season of "The Facts Of Life", before they pared the cast down to four girls. She continued in a string of hits that included "The Pick-Up Artist" with Robert Downey, Jr., "For Keeps?" and "Betsy's Wedding". In the nineties, fame kind of waned for Molly and, other than a starring role in the miniseries "Stephen King's The Stand", her appearances have since been mostly relegated to made-for-TV movies.

Most Recent Media Appearance: In late 2004, she starred in the play Modern Orthodox on Broadway, opposite Jason Biggs and Craig Bierko.

Distinguishing features: Fire-red hair.

Career Moment She'd Probably Like To Forget: Molly turned down three roles that could very well have revitalized her career. She opted not to be Amanda Jones in "Some Kind Of Wonderful" (which was played by fellow 80's Crush Lea Thompson) or Molly Jensen in "Ghost" (played by Demi Moore). And had she accepted the role of Vivian Ward in "Pretty Woman", who knows if we would have ever heard of Julia Roberts?

Interesting Factoids: Molly is also fluent in French and she rank #1 on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Teen Stars". She dated fellow Brat Packer Anthony Michael Hall in the mid-80's (who is a lot hunkier these days, if not a little more scary looking). In 1986, she made the cover of Time Magazine.

Still Crushin'?: Not Crushin', but Molly deserves a bust in the 80's Crush Hall of Fame.

Crush Meter: 8 out of 10

Ladies, don't forget to check out AgentBedhead for her male 80's crush up just for you.

Posted by: Gary at 07:57 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 Gosh, that first line just made me realize I'm "thirty-something." I always thought the people on that TV show were so...old. But being thirty-something doesn't feel so bad. In fact, it's pretty darn good. But when I hit 40, like you, Gary, I'll probably start to feel a little old. "Twisted Evil," that one is called. Mwah ha ha ha ha...

Posted by: Georgia Girl at March 25, 2006 05:18 PM (EvFfn)

2 Unfortunately, she's thrown the US over for France! She lives there. I feel old because she's younger than me!

Posted by: Anna at March 25, 2006 10:26 PM (8yIz7)

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This week's 80's Crush is: Sean Young

Birth Name: Mary Sean Young
Birth Date: 11/20/59
Age Today: 46
Birthplace: Louisville, KY

80's Crush Because: Male fans of the classic Bill Murray comedy "Stripes" can be broken down into two groups: you either had a crush on P.J. Soles or Sean Young. You can count me in the latter group. Sean Young has that nice mix of sexy and fun that made her the perfect mistress. And she played that part to the hilt in the 1987 thriller "No Way Out" with Kevin Costner.

Other Notable Roles: Sean played the very lifelike android "Rachael" in the sci-fi favorite "Bladerunner" and appeared as twins Dorothy and Ellen Carson in the 1991 mystery "A Kiss Before Dying" with Matt Dillon.

Most Recent Media Appearance: Sean played "Isadora Duncan" in the TV mini-series "Esenin".

Distinguishing features: Big brown eyes and full kissable lips.

Career Moment She'd Probably Like To Forget: Sean played a woman who was once a man in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and a woman who was transformed from a man in Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde. Take your pick.

Interesting Factoids: Sean had a reputation as a bit of a whack-job thanks to stalking rumors started by former boyfriend, actor James Woods. She was cast as Vicki Vale in the 1989 "Batman" but had to be replaced by fellow 80's Crush Kim Basinger. She hurt her wrist in a horseback riding accident in preparation for a scene in the film that was eventually written out of the script. But not to be deterred, Sean pursued an opportunity in the sequel "Batman Returns" to star as Catwoman but Director Tim Burton wasn't interested. She also screen tested for the role of Marion Ravenwood in "Raiders of the Lost Ark".

Still Crushin'?: Not really. This is a true "80's crush. I haven't thought about Sean until recently. But she still rates as a hot actress for her age.

Crush Meter: 8 out of 10

Ladies, don't forget to check out AgentBedhead for her male 80's crush up just for you.

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This week's 80's Crush is: Courtney Thorne-Smith

Birth Name: Same
Birth Date: 11/8/67
Age Today: 38
Birthplace: San Francisco, CA

80's Crush Because: Okay, I know you're saying "She's not an Eighties chick! She's a Nineties chick!". Not so fast there bub. Before she hit the big time playing Allison Parker on "Melrose Place", Courtney caught my eye in 1987 as the surfer girl Pam in "Summer School" and the love interest of chief nerd Lewis Skolnick (Robert Carradine) in "Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds In Paradise", a decent but still inferior sequel to the original film.

Other Notable Roles: Courtney played Georgia Thomas on "Ally McBeal" from 1997-2000, a thankless role playing a lawyer who was perpetually cranky because her husband still pined for the anorexic title character (Calista Flockhart).

Most Recent Media Appearance: She is currently starring in the sitcom "According To Jim" with Jim Belushi and, in 2005, provided the voice of Catwoman in the animated "Batman: New Times".

First Real Acting Gig: She appeared as the character Stacy Hamilton on the TV version of the hit comedy "Fast Times At Ridgemont High". The show's title was shortened to just "Fast Times" and, thankfully, the show's run was shortened to less than one season.

Career Moment She'd Probably Like To Forget: In 1995, she did an awful made-for-TV movie called "Beauty's Revenge" about an obsessive small town beauty queen who goes to great lengths to keep the love of her life from reconciling with his ex-girlfriend.

Interesting Factoids: From birth, Courtney used the last name of her mother, therapist Lora Thorne-Smith. Her on-screen romance with Andrew Shue on "Melrose Place" took place off-screen as well but it only lasted a year. If it seems the Courtney's breasts have gotten smaller over the years, you're not losing your mind. She once measured a 32DD (queue Glenn Quagmire: "Heh, heh. Oooooh, Yeah!") but is now a C cup, which she attributes to a redistribution of her body fat through her yoga regimen.

Still Crushin'?: Yes. Her current stint on "According To Jim" gives me false hope that a hottie like this could end up with an average-Joe shlub like me.

Crush Meter: 9 out of 10

And guess what ladies? Sadie at AgentBedhead has her own 80's crush up just for you.

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This week's 80's Crush is: Lea Thompson

Birth Name: Lea Katherine Thompson
Birth Date: 5/31/61
Age Today: 44
Birthplace: Rochester, MN

80's Crush Because: When you look up the word "sweet" in the dictionary, there's a picture of Lea Thompson. Perfecting the all-American girl thing, Lea's break-out roll was as Lorraine Baines McFly "Back To The Future" and its subsequent sequels. To this day, when I see her in a love scene on film I can't help thinking to myself "Hey you, get your damn hands off of her!".

Other Notable Roles: Most of Lea's most famous roles came in such films of the 80's as "All The Right Moves", "Red Dawn", "Some Kind Of Wonderful" and "Casual Sex?". From 1995-1999, she charmed audiences all over again on the small screen as "Caroline In The City".

Most Recent Media Appearance: Last year, Lea appeared in a series of films on the Hallmark Channel that focused on a character named "Jane Doe", an ex-secret agent turned housewife who helps the government solve mysteries.

First Real Acting Gig: She appeared in Jaws 3-D, as a water ski performer, although she couldn't swim or ski.

Career Moment She'd Probably Like To Forget: Three words: "Howard The Duck".

Interesting Factoids: It took approximately four hours to apply the makeup that would make her appear middle-aged in "Back To The Future". In early drafts of script for that film, the character's name was Mary Ellen and then Eileen before the writer's finally settled on Lorraine. Early in her career, Lea was a ballet dancer who danced in more than forty-five performances with the American Ballet Theater. She turned to acting when famous ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov told her she was a beautiful dancer, but "too stocky". Like past 80's Crush, Elisabeth Shue, she appeared in several Burger King commercials.

Still Crushin'?: Yes. She's as much the "girl-next-store" today as she ever was.

Crush Meter: 9 out of 10

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This week's 80's Crush is: Lynda Carter

Birth Name: Linda Jean Cordova Carter
Birth Date: 7/24/51
Age Today: 54
Birthplace: Phoenix, AZ

80's Crush Because: This one is a stretch as an "80's Crush" because the TV show that made me fall for her, "Wonder Woman", ended in 1979. But simply put, she is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen and the fact that she also starred in a short-lived TV series with blonde hottie, Loni Anderson, called "Partners In Crime" helps make her "80's-certifiable".

Other Notable Roles: Lynda starred as Rita Hayworth in a TV bio-pic about the classic actress which was subtitled "The Love Goddess". She spent the rest of the 80's and the 1990's doing other made-for-TV movies as well as some guest spots on various TV shows.

Most Recent Media Appearance: This past year, Lynda appeared on an episode of "Law & Order" and adorned the big screen in "The Dukes Of Hazzard" and "Sky High". In this last film, she had a funny line: "There is absolutely nothing more I can do for you. I'm not Wonder Woman you know."

Distinguishing Feature: Aside from the obvious, Lynda has dreamy light blue eyes. As a spokeswoman for Lens Express, she appeared in commericals for the contact lens manufacturer from 1992-2000 with the tagline "I wouldn't trust these baby blues to just anyone."

Career Moment She'd Probably Like To Forget: While appearing on "Battle of the Network Stars" in 1976, she poured champagne over the head of host Howard Cosell after her team won the tug of war contest not knowing he had a hairpiece. Cosell wasn't very happy about it.

Interesting Factoids: Lynda won the Miss World USA beauty contest in 1972 and she performed most of her own stunts as Wonder Woman. She once auditioned for the role of Capt. Kathryn Janeway in "Star Trek: Voyager". Lynda is also a singer and released an album in 1978 entitled "Portrait".

Still Crushin'?: I don't think I'll ever stop.

Crush Meter: 10 out of 10

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This week's 80's Crush is: Kim Basinger

Birth Name: Kimila Ann Basinger
Birth Date: 12/8/53
Age Today: 52
Birthplace: Athens, GA

80's Crush Because: Kim first caught my eye in the 1983 non-franchise James Bond film, "Never Say Never Again" with Sean Connery. The film was a re-make of the 1965 film "Thunderball" and she played the role of Domino, which was played by French actress Claudine Auger in the original. She went on to sizzle the screen in the erotic "9 1/2 Weeks" and her "breakout" role came in 1989 when she starred in the first "Batman" film. She was hired at the last minute to replace Sean Young for the role of Vicki Vale.

Other Notable Roles: Kim won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1998 for her role in "L.A. Confidential", a part she almost didn't take because she was tired of playing prostitutes. In fact, the award makes her the first woman to win an Oscar after having posed in "Playboy" magazine.

Most Recent Media Appearance: The 2004 film, Cellular. She played a kidnapped woman who manages to contact an unsuspecting stranger via her cell phone with a dying battery. The catch? She has no idea where she is being held.

First Real Acting Gig: Kim did a guest starring role in a episode from the first season of "Charlie's Angels" where the angels find themselves in an all-woman prison. I'd love to go back and watch that one on DVD!

Career Moment She'd Probably Like To Forget: The not-so-funny 1988 Dan Aykroyd comedy "My Stepmother Is An Alien". Guess who she played?.

Interesting Factoids: Kim suffers from agoraphobia (the fear of wide-open spaces), is a vegetarian and, in addition to her German, Swedish and Irish ancestry, is 1/8th Cherokee Indian by way of her grandmother. And, for the record, it's pronounced BAY-sing -ger with a hard "g" (like in "schwing").

Still Crushin'?: Yes, even at 52 Kim still projects the youthful radiance and winning smile that made me wish I was Batman.

Crush Meter: 9 out of 10

Posted by: Gary at 08:40 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 Too bad she still has to deal with Alec Baldwin...

Posted by: GroovyVic at February 18, 2006 10:42 AM (X8Pk1)

2 Three cheers for another Georgia Girl! Yayyyy!

Posted by: Georgia Girl at February 18, 2006 08:10 PM (EvFfn)

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This week's 80's Crush is: Daphne Zuniga

Birth Name: Daphne Eurydice Zuniga
Birth Date: 10/28/62
Age Today: 43
Birthplace: Berkeley, CA

80's Crush Because: In 1985, she was the obsessive-compulsive but endearingly sweet Alison Bradbury in "The Sure Thing", which I would call the ultimate date movie. And two years later, she earned her comedic chops in Mel Brooks' laugh-out-loud Star Wars parody "Space Balls" as Vespa, the Druish Princess. And the schwartz was with her.

Other Notable Roles: Starred on the Spelling-soap "Melrose Place" from 1992-1996. Fortunately, she left the show before it started to get really bizarre. She also did a couple of guest spots on "Family Ties" as Rachel Miller. I particularly remember that because of her resemblence to Justine Bateman. Whenever I saw the two actresses in the same scene I had to do a double-take.

Most Recent Media Appearance: Daphne is currently on the TV show "Beautiful People" on the ABC Family network.

Distinguishing Feature: Film critic Leonard Maltin describes her as an "appealing brunette whose distinctive face conveys maturity and youthful sultriness equally well." She definitely has that smoldering, sexy look covered, but I adore that peevish "you're an a-hole!" facial expression that she perfected as early as "The Sure Thing".

Career Moment She'd Probably Like To Forget: Here first feature-film. A 1982 slasher flick called "The Dorm That Dripped Blood". The tagline for that one was "When The Kidding StopsÂ…The Killing Starts!" Ugh.

Interesting Factoids: She once shared a house with Meg Ryan when they were both struggling actresses. Daphne was once a victim of mercury poisoning that required her to eat fish on a daily basis. She also rides a Harley and has a navel piercing (see below).

Still Crushin'?: Yes, sir. And I find it ironic that when she was younger she looked older than her real age but now that she is older, she looks young for her age.

Crush Meter: 8 out of 10

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This week's 80's Crush is: Kathleen Turner

Birth Name: Mary Kathleen Turner
Birth Date: 6/19/54
Age Today: 51
Birthplace: Springfield, MO

80's Crush Because: She stole my heart as naive but sexy romance writer Joan Wilder opposite Michael Douglas in the Indiana Jones-inspired "Romancing the Stone". But her torrid role in "Body Heat" as Matty Walker made me thank God for cable TV. Kathleen oozed sex and once said in an interview with Empire magazine: "on a night when I feel really good about myself, I can walk into a room, and if a man doesn't look at me he's probably gay". Amen.

Other Notable Roles: In addition to reprising her Joan Wilder character in "Jewel of the Nile", Kathleen earned an Academy Award nomination for her role in "Peggy Sue Got Married" and starred in "Prizzi's Honor", "The Accidental Tourist" and re-teamed with Michael Douglas for the black comedy "The War of the Roses". In the Nineties, most of her appearances were in less successful films and she even made a few infamous guest appearances on popular TV shows. Who can forget her as Chandler's hot "dad" on "Friends"?

Most Recent Media Appearance: She is currently starring in a production of "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?" in London.

Distinguishing Feature: Deep, sultry voice. The reason I have to admit being aroused by Jessica Rabbit. She also had a striking resemblence to classic film actress Lauren Bacall.

Interesting Factoids: A daughter of diplomat Richard Turner, Kathleen spent her youth living in Cuba, Venzuela and England and is fluent is spanish. She was fired from the soap opera "The Doctors" in 1978 because the producers thought she wasn't sexy enough. Brilliant move there.

Still Crushin'?: Unfortunately no. Life has been a little rough for Kathleen. She has suffered from rheumatoid arthritis since 1992. In 1999, she went into rehab for alcohol treatment. The hard livin' and the steroids to treat her arthritis have taken a toll.

Crush Meter: 8 out of 10

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This week's 80's Crush is: Morgan Fairchild

Birth Name: Patsy Ann McClenny
Birth Date: 2/3/50
Age Today: 55
Birthplace: Dallas, TX

80's Crush Because: Long before Jon Lovitz's famous "Liar" character Tommy Flanagan ("Yeah, that's the ticket") used to say that she was his wife, I has her leopard-skin bathing suit poster (see below) on my wall. She played bitch-goddess Constance Carlyle on the prime-time soap "Flamingo Road" (1981-1982), which I will admit was a "guilty pleasure" for me at the time. Oh, the shame.

Other Notable Roles: Her first feature film was "The Seduction", a 1982 movie so bad that it was only her two semi-nude scenes that made it barely watchable. I saw it several times. The bulk of Morgan's career is comprised of lesser known movies and guest spots on several popular TV shows. Who can forget her as Chandler's hot mom on "Friends"? She's also appeared in several recent ads for Old Navy.

Most Recent Media Appearance: A VH1 celebrity-oriented reality show called "But Can They Sing?"

Distinguishing Feature: Perfect radiant skin. Sharp, well-defined nose. Gravity-defying breasts, shaped like torpedos (yes, she got implants in 1981).

First Professional Acting Gig: Morgan was Faye Dunaway's stand-in during the location shots for the movie "Bonnie & Clyde".

Interesting Factoids: Once dated Sen. John Kerry (ugh). However, according to Wikipedia, she has been know to have "conservative viewpoints" although she "generally leans more libertarian in actual practice.".

Still Crushin'?: Absolutely. Somehow, somewhere the woman has discovered the fountain of youth. She's never looked hotter.

Crush Meter: 10 out of 10

Posted by: Gary at 08:35 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 Don't forget her stint on Rosanne as Sandra Bernhard's lesbian lover. Morgan = hot lesbian. Sandra = ick.

Posted by: GroovyVic at January 28, 2006 09:56 AM (86jiq)

2 Should I mention seeing her perform au natural as Mrs Robinson?

Posted by: Graves at January 28, 2006 02:35 PM (P5aMt)

3 My fave Morgan moment came from Spy magazine in a piece about celebrity intellectual wannabes. Morgan testified before Congress about some obscure bit of Middle Eastern politics. Her qualifications? "As a child, I dreamed of becoming an archeologist. That didn't happen, BUT..."

Posted by: beautifulatrocities at January 28, 2006 04:08 PM (j6hXo)

4 "That didn't happen, BUT...I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night..."

Posted by: Georgia Girl at January 28, 2006 10:06 PM (M2L+3)

5 Morgan Fairchild is smokin hot. Too bad you can't get "The Seduction" on DVD. I could watch her with the sound off.

Posted by: barry at January 30, 2006 06:20 AM (kKjaJ)

6 So what are the odds of Shelley Long from Cheers making it onto the list? Confess that you could feel the tension in those scenes with Sam Malone. CONFESS, I say!

Posted by: Nobody You Know at January 31, 2006 06:09 PM (IkTb7)

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This week's 80's Crush is: Elisabeth Shue

Nickname: Lisa
Birth Date: 10/6/63
Age Today: 42
Birthplace: Wilmington, DE

80's Crush Because: In 1984, Lisa played the beautiful blonde love interest of Ralph Macchio in "The Karate Kid". She was definitely a girl worth getting your ass kicked over. Four years later, she was the one bright spot in the Tom Cruise stink-bomb "Cocktail". To this day, every time I hear the Beach Boys song "Kokomo" the image of her walking along a Jamaican beach in a sarong pops into my head.

Other Notable Roles: Lisa played Marty McFly's girlfriend/future wife in the "Back To The Future" sequels, replacing actress Claudia Wells who was unable to reprise the role due to unspecified health problems. In 1995, her performance as a down-on-her-luck hooker opposite a suicidal alcoholic played by Nicolas Cage in "Leaving Las Vegas" earned her a Best Actress nomination.

Most Recent Media Appearance: She played the mother of Dakota Fanning's character in the Dreamworks film, "Dreamer", about a family who nurses an injured race horse back to health.

Distinguishing Feature: That All-American Girl-Next-Door Look

Career Moment She'd Probably Like To Forget: In 1986, she played an animal research assistant terrorized by an Orangutan gone wild in the movie "Link".

Interesting Factoids: Lisa got her start in acting doing commercials for Burger King, DeBeers diamonds and Hellman's mayonnaise. Transferring from Wellesley College, she attended Harvard University but dropped out in 1985 to pursue her acting career - one course shy of graduating. In June of 2000 she went back to Harvard and earned her undergraduate degree in Government.

Still Crushin'?: Enough so that I would see a movie she was in that I otherwise wouldn't.

Crush Meter: 9 out of 10

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This week's 80's Crush is: Jaclyn Smith

Birth Name: Ellen Jaclyn Smith
Birth Date: 10/26/47
Age Today: 58
Birthplace: Houston, TX

80's Crush Because: From the moment I first saw her in the opening credits of "Charlie's Angels" - taking off that motorcycle helmet and throwing back her hair "Rita Hayworth" style - I was hooked. Playing my favorite "angel" Kelly Garrett (the "classy" one), she was the only actress who stayed on the show through its final season in 1981. Long after the show jumped the shark (and despite some awful personnel decisions on the part of Aaron Spelling, the show's creator), she kept we watching until the series finale.

Other Notable Roles: Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, in the 1981 biopic of the same name. In that movie, JFK was played by James Franciscus, who sci-fi fans will remember as Col. Brent in "Beneath The Planet Of The Apes".

Most Recent Media Appearance/Career Moment She'd Probably Like To Forget: Cameo role in the God-awful theatrical film "Charlies Angels: Full Throttle" as...Kelly Garrett, of course.

Distinguishing Feature: The hair. That luscious, thick, brown, past-the-shoulders, parted-in-the-middle, feathered-on-the-sides hair.

Interesting Factoids: Jaclyn is currently on husband number four, surgeon Brad Allen (since 1997). She has also successfully battled breast cancer.

Still Crushin'?: Definitely. Jaclyn Smith looks better today than many women half her age.

Crush Meter: 10 out of 10

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Our innaugural 80's crush is Erin Gray.

Birth Name: Same
Birth Date: 1/7/50
Age Today: 56 (Happy Birthday!)
Birthplace: Honolulu, HI

80's Crush because: She was "out of this world" from 1979-1981 as sexy satin flight-suit wearing space pilot Col. Wilma Deering in the TV show "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century". Boy, did I want to settle into her cockpit.

Other notable roles: Kate Stratton in "Silver Spoons" which, ironically, I never watched because I couldn't stand that little bastard Ricky Schroder.

Most recent media appearance: Some film called "Meat Pie". Hmmm.

Distinguishing Feature: Killer Smile - with dimples.

Interesting Factoid: Erin started her career as a model featured in commercials for Breck, Clairol and Camay Soap.

Career moment she'd probably like to forget: Being the victim of an "energy vampire" in one of the cheesiest episodes of "Buck Rogers" ever.

Crush Meter: 8 out of 10

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1 Yeah, what about Diane? I was getting used to her. We decided to do a Dog of the Week (since this is the Chinese Year of the Dog), but you have us beat by a country mile.

Posted by: bird dog at January 07, 2006 09:23 AM (ywZa8)

2 Buck Rogers ... now there was a quality sci-fi series! What was that midget robot's name, Blinky or something like that?

Posted by: rightwingprof at January 07, 2006 01:35 PM (hj1Wx)

3 Erin's most recent media appearance might be the recent "I Love the 80's: 3D" series on VH1. She was one of the comment people in the 1987 or 1988 show. She still looked quite good. Although not as good as Linda Carter of Wonder Woman fame. I'm waiting for that one, Gary!

Posted by: .....Dan at January 07, 2006 06:36 PM (1RIcI)

4 Good choice for starting off the new year, blogfather! :wink: Erin Gray as Wilma Deering....I remember the fantasizing, like...it was 25 years ago! Uh oh...geek moment coming up: "Far beyond the world I've known, Far beyond my time What am I, who am I, what will I be? Where am I going, and what will I see? Searching my mind for some truth to reveal What parts are fantasy, what memories real? Long before this life of mine, Long before this time What was there, who cared to make it begin? Is it forever, or will it all end? Searching my past for things that I've seen Is it my life, or something I've dreamed? Far beyond this world I've known, Far beyond my time What kind of world am I going to find? Will it be real, or just all in my mind? What am I, who am I, what will I be? Where am I going, and what will I see?"

Posted by: Wordsmith at January 08, 2006 12:16 AM (nrGCx)

5 Erin Grey as Deering was OK, but Pamela Hensley as Ardala was the most memorable "crush" from the late 70s/early 80s for me.

Posted by: JohnL at January 10, 2006 12:33 AM (dYzx6)

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With a new year, we wistfully say goodbye to the Diane Lane Photo of the Week. Starting tomorrow, I'll be having a new Saturday feature - the "80's Crush of the Week".

The eighties were formative years for me, spanning across my high school and college years. And in those years I, like so many other guys, came of age amid raging hormones and cheesy fantasies about whatever female celebrity was the femme du jour. Sometimes it even seemed like there was a new one every week.

So every Saturday, I'm going to set the way-back machine to the Reagan years (occasionally dipping slightly back into 1979 or ahead to 1990) to relive some adolescent memories. Some of these gals will be very familiar. And you can probably expect a few surprises throughout the year as I come up with new candidates for the Crush Meter.

Posted by: Gary at 01:26 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 No more Diane Lane? That's like saying goodbye to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches... :-(

Posted by: agent bedhead at January 07, 2006 12:01 AM (xV63t)

2 Sorry, dude. I ran out of decent pictures and wasn't going to post lousy ones. Plus the feature got stale. At least this one will be like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're going to get.

Posted by: Gary at January 07, 2006 08:45 AM (bWmW8)

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