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Dana Plato had a nice singing voice

I was surprised. Someone needs to tell Janbot.

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by Anonymousreply 44August 26, 2018 6:48 AM

Wasn't that whole episode about them fighting over replacing Kimberly with Charlene?

And yeah, Dana Plato could sing much better than Jackson.

by Anonymousreply 1September 21, 2014 8:11 AM

She also sings in this Walt Disney World special from 1981. Ricky Schroder plays her little brother, and though I had a crush on him as a little one, boy is he ever a lousy singer.

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by Anonymousreply 2September 21, 2014 8:25 AM

She did. Thanks for that.

by Anonymousreply 3September 21, 2014 4:50 PM

Wow. They actually performed live in OP's clip. I'm impressed.

by Anonymousreply 4September 21, 2014 5:16 PM

Ricky grabs Dana's ass at 48:49 in r2's clip. Also, John Schneider was hot as hell back then.

by Anonymousreply 5September 21, 2014 5:23 PM

...but not well enough to get her own show.

by Anonymousreply 6September 21, 2014 8:15 PM

That's the pot calling the kettle black, R6.

by Anonymousreply 7September 21, 2014 8:20 PM

No surprise: any vocal coaches will tell you that relaxation is crucial in this respect.

by Anonymousreply 8September 21, 2014 8:27 PM

She was pretty in a wholesome way as a teen. Never would have suspected her later troubles.

How did she and Kim Richards get along? Richards was in Hello Larry, which started as a backdoor spinoff of DS.

by Anonymousreply 9September 21, 2014 9:36 PM

[quote]How did she and Kim Richards get along? Richards was in Hello Larry, which started as a backdoor spinoff of DS.

I don't know about Dana and Kim, but I thought that [italic]Hello, Larry[/italic] was not technically a spin-off the way [italic]The Facts of Life[/italic] was. I always assumed it was more like a spin-on; it started in mid-season and went nowhere, so the producers had the Alders visit the Drummonds and invented the backstory about Larry and Mr. Drummond being army buddies. Was this the plan all along?

I'll never get over the irony of Dana's death in relation to all that Just Say No business. She just said yes to legal prescription drugs and died.

by Anonymousreply 10September 21, 2014 9:45 PM

R10 - That's why I said backdoor spinoff.

by Anonymousreply 11September 21, 2014 9:48 PM

Her son, Tyler Lambert, committed suicide by shotgun at age 25 in 2010. Very tragic family.

by Anonymousreply 12September 21, 2014 11:48 PM

Linda Blair cured Dana of autism.

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by Anonymousreply 13September 22, 2014 12:08 AM

Why did she leave DS?

by Anonymousreply 14September 22, 2014 2:51 AM

Dana got pregnant and left the show, though I believe later on she came back in a recurring role a season or so later.

I was surprised she had such a pretty voice. She did look like the quintessential girl next door (very cute and pretty in an ordinary sort of way) I could see why she got cast a lot as a child/teen actor. Still, her acting skills were pretty non-existent, which along with a scorching addiction problem put the lid on any sort of adult career in the business.

by Anonymousreply 15September 22, 2014 2:56 AM

Thanks R15

by Anonymousreply 16September 22, 2014 3:04 AM

Janet, Todd and Dana singing EBONY AND IVORY...

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by Anonymousreply 17September 22, 2014 3:09 AM

R17 - young Janet was stunning! Dana is tiny.

by Anonymousreply 18September 22, 2014 3:16 AM

R15 I think she was fired, didn't quit.

As far as I know, she made only one post appearance, when she was visiting from Paris and was supposed to be bulimic. That may have been the first "bulimic" thing I ever saw on TV. Mary Ann Mobley had taken over for Dixie Carter.

It's hard to say definitively what her acting skills were, because it's not as if she ever had any opportunities to show them. It's not, like, say a Mischa Barton situation, who had scenes where she could have really shown her stuff but instead ended up embarrassing herself.

I mean, most likely you're right, but it's not like we really know for sure. Did she ever have any big moments that she totally blew? Not sarcastic genuinely asking (I don't know ALL the eps by heart).

by Anonymousreply 19September 22, 2014 3:21 AM

her voice was incredible, she should have focused on that, she could sing rings around Miss Janet but she didn't have the right people around her.

Why didn't Janet Jackson step in and try to help those troubled souls she grew up with? She could have been a good influence on Dana who just threw away her life over drugs.

by Anonymousreply 20September 22, 2014 3:47 AM

R20, you do realize that Janet got pregnant and abandoned her own child, don't you? Is that the good influence you wanted?

by Anonymousreply 21September 22, 2014 4:06 AM

R21 - just not true

by Anonymousreply 22September 22, 2014 4:10 AM

[quote]I mean, most likely you're right, but it's not like we really know for sure. Did she ever have any big moments that she totally blew? Not sarcastic genuinely asking (I don't know ALL the eps by heart).

Of the episodes I've seen from the four seasons that are on DVD as of now, she's the one I'm the least impressed with. She can handle light comedy okay, but the dramatic parts are another matter.

by Anonymousreply 23September 22, 2014 4:36 AM

R18 most child/teen stars are really short. Then as an adult they want the women to be tall. Just one of many reasons it's hard to transition.

I watched those DS clips God I forgot how fucking annoying Gary Coleman was. I think maybe for the first season did he get away with being legitimately cute. After that...unbearable.

Unbelievable that he got 150K/an episode. Even today that would be a crazy amount for someone that age, but back in the Carter era? I mean, shit.

And Dana I read got about 22k an ep - I don't think hers was a case of parents misappropriating so it must have all gone up her nose.

by Anonymousreply 24September 22, 2014 4:58 AM

Not just short R24 Dana was tiny, small boned and skinny, even compared with other teen stars of her era.

by Anonymousreply 25September 22, 2014 5:01 AM

[quote]I think maybe for the first season did he get away with being legitimately cute. After that...unbearable.

You can really see the anger on his face with every "whatchoo talkin' 'bout Willis" starting in season 4. There was a point towards the end but before the move to ABC where he refused to do the line anymore. The last time he did it was when he was on [italic]The Simpsons[/italic].

by Anonymousreply 26September 22, 2014 5:08 AM

R25 not really, IMO - I mean, compared to who? Tina Yothers? I mean if I were like 7 inches shorter (yes I'm a female posting here) I would probably be even smaller. And I'm of a generation where women grew and devoted earlier, etc.

For her generation, especially, she was thin of course but I would never say skinny.

by Anonymousreply 27September 22, 2014 5:09 AM

Uh, "developed." Duh.

by Anonymousreply 28September 22, 2014 5:11 AM

Her singing voice is good. The jeans were tragic. As was the laugh track when they showed Arnold looking on.

by Anonymousreply 29September 22, 2014 5:18 AM

She was in quite a few commercials as a kid and a teenager. I think the drug issues started before she was fired from the show. had she stayed clean she could have made a nice living with TV guest spots and movies and musical theater.

by Anonymousreply 30September 22, 2014 5:30 AM

R30: She was a major stoner off the set. She introduced Todd Bridges to weed and even had sex with him.

[quote]Her singing voice is good. The jeans were tragic. As was the laugh track when they showed Arnold looking on.

Arnold looked like he was jerking off.

by Anonymousreply 31September 22, 2014 6:02 AM

Janet invented and championed the fried chicken and waffle flavored headset way before Madonna patented the penis flavored headset.

by Anonymousreply 32September 22, 2014 6:06 AM

Do I even need to say it, R32?

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by Anonymousreply 33September 22, 2014 1:21 PM

Roger Smith killed Dana Plato.

by Anonymousreply 34September 22, 2014 1:25 PM

Janet's voice was never her strong point. Even her record company realized that. That is why they made her music videos full of dancing.

There was no way Janet was going to compete vocally with the likes of Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey or even the Pointer Sisters. Her dancing was her hook.

by Anonymousreply 35September 22, 2014 2:07 PM

Dana was basically fired from Diff'rent Strokes when she got pregnant. It was seen as a big scandal for a teen actress to have a baby back then.

by Anonymousreply 36September 22, 2014 2:11 PM

I remember Janet having a strong voice on Fame.

by Anonymousreply 37September 23, 2014 4:52 AM

My God, you must be ancient, R37

by Anonymousreply 38September 23, 2014 4:53 AM

Dana was a terrific little actress. Such a shame.

by Anonymousreply 39September 23, 2014 4:57 AM

I recall seeing one of those Hollywood True Story type shows after Dana's death. They interviewed her aunt or close friend of her mother's who said she thought Dana actually preferred women but only got involved with men as they could support her financially and she could manipulate them sexually and emotionally giving her more control. I think this part came up after the show discussed Dana's role in a porn film where she had some sexual contact with a woman. I also believe the aunt/friend of the family knew of a woman (or women) that Dana was close to and later realized she might have been involved with.

Also, IIRC Dana was raised by a single mother who had a serious illness that she died of when Dana was in her late teens or early twenties. A tragic life indeed.

by Anonymousreply 40September 23, 2014 5:08 AM

I'm young by DL standards R39 younger than Janet.

by Anonymousreply 41September 23, 2014 5:08 AM

She could ice skate too.

by Anonymousreply 42August 26, 2018 6:19 AM

She couldn't act her way out of a paper bag.

by Anonymousreply 43August 26, 2018 6:28 AM

R37 - Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam (the guys from The Time sans Morris Day) are the main reason Janet Jackson is a thing. If they hadn't come along to write and produce the Control album, Janet would have fallen somewhere in the spectrum between Rebbie and LaToya.

Her beauty and genuinely charming naiveté helped, too. And as someone said above, focusing on her dancing was a brilliant strategy.

by Anonymousreply 44August 26, 2018 6:48 AM
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