Holly and Chris Plan a Date - Scene of the Week

 

Holly and Chris Plan a Date 

Quote of the Week - Debbie Allen

 

A Place To Belong Promo

 

A Place To Belong Promo

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Identity Crisis - Fame Annual Story

 

Ebay of the Week

 This week a Cynthia Gibb slide

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Leroy and the Kid Official Photos

 

Happy Birthday Loretta Chandler for Sunday 8th March

 Happy Birthday Loretta Chandler for Sunday 8th March

Washington Post - 1st April 1985 - A Taste of Fame

 

By Megan Rosenfeld

"Hey kids, a little slower on 'better day,' " shouted Valerie Landsburg, who plays Doris on the television show "Fame." "Think of slowing down on make -- we'll make a better day . . . let's run that last tag one more time."

 Arrayed before her yesterday in Constitution Hall were 96 aspiring talents, dressed in artistically ragged sweat pants and denims, from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Washington's counterpart to the performing arts school that is the setting for "Fame." The TV show, like the movie that inspired it, is in part a show business fantasy that speaks to teen-agers' desire to be stars.

 So what was going on here?

 It seems that some cast members of "Fame" have a Bible study group and wanted to do something to help the famine victims in Ethiopia. So they contacted a Christian relief organization called World Vision, which organized a concert last night in Constitution Hall. By late afternoon, more than 2,300 of the hall's 3,746 seats had been sold, and there was a line at the box office.

 The kids from Duke Ellington were invited to participate in the concert, aimed partly at raising money and partly at enlisting volunteers for a 40-hour fast at the end of this month. A spokesman for World Vision said the charity hopes to raise $1 million for relief efforts through the fast.

 "It's like 4,000 people a day dying," said Carlo Imperato, 21, of the Bronx, who plays Danny on the show. "That could wipe out the U.S. That's worse than the plague."

Imperato, a singer and actor, is a member of the Bible study group, which meets weekly at his house. His girlfriend, Leanne Gerrish, a dancer on the show, was the prime organizer of the benefit, he said. They persuaded other cast members to take part, including Nia Peeples (who plays Nicole), Gene Anthony Ray (who plays Leroy) and Landsburg. All were motivated, Imperato said, "by the catastrophe that's happening."

 A skinny boy in dancers' sweat pants approached tentatively.

"Hi," he said boldly. "I'm Terrence."

 "Hey," said Imperato. "I'm Carlo."

Terrence scampered off. The Duke Ellington kids reacted to the entry of the "Fame" kids with studied cool. The show isn't realistic, several said, but they still wouldn't mind being on television.

 "Is Debbie Allen here? That's the one I wanted to see," said Rhoda Lawrence, 16, a voice major at Duke Ellington.

No, Debbie Allen, the former Washingtonian (and teacher at Duke Ellington's predecessor, Workshop for Careers in the Arts) was not there. Allen, who plays a dance teacher on "Fame," is making a movie with Richard Pryor.

 "Move or you'll all be expelled," growled Ken Swofford, who plays Principal Morloch on "Fame," as he elbowed his way to the stage through a crowd of students. They giggled gleefully as they recognized him. Just like on TV.

 "They're getting paid to pretend they are us," said Lawrence, an aspiring singer.

World Vision operates 10 feeding centers and 35 development projects in Ethiopia, said spokesman Brian Bird. "We feed 67,000 people a day directly and 150,000 indirectly," he added. "Plus we have two aircraft that make seven flights a day each to take food upcountry."

 The fasting project, called "Get Hungry," has already signed on 21,000 fasters, he said, and it hopes for 35,000 by April 26. Participants will earn money for famine relief by signing up sponsors for each hour of their fast.

"We have a very sophisticated machinery set up for tracking the success of the project," Bird said. "It will all be on a computer. If it's a success in this area we'll try it elsewhere."

 Meanwhile, the gang on stage was rehearsing the finale, "We Are the World," the hit song that has become the pop music industry's anthem for the Ethiopian famine victims. Peeples was singing a verse into a microphone -- and, at the moment, singing flat. "Oh dear," said one onlooker.

"We need more people singing 'There's a choice we're making,' " Peeples said to the assembled performers.

"One more time," said Landsburg, helping to conduct the choir. "Then all you Ellington kids go and eat dinner."

Caryn Ward

 

Caryn Ward was born on 15th August 1980 in Los Angeles and was 5 years old when she got the part of Tina Johnson on "Fame". In 1985 and 1986 She appeared in 4 episodes in the 5th and 6th Seasons playing Leroy's Niece.

Caryn also appeared in Webster, Paradise and Family Matters. From 1990 to 1991, she co-starred in the short-lived CBS sitcom You Take the Kids.

Studying at Howard University Caryn has a degree in Psychology. She also studied dance with the Alvin Ainley American dance theater in New York.

Having taken a break from acting for most of the 90s Caryn began appearing in episodes of Friends, Strong Medicine, The Shield, and Lincoln Heights. In 2004, she made her movie debut appearing in an supporting role in the thriller Motives.

Other featuring films, including Boss'n Up (2005), Traci Townsend (2006), and N-Secure (2009). From 2006 to 2015, she had a recurring role in the comedy series, The Game.

Caryn starred in and produced films The Affair (2014) and Zodiac Sign (2015). She starred in the short-lived  TV sitcom Grown Folks in 2017.

In 2018, she received Indie Series Awards nomination for her performance in the Victoria Rowell comedy series The Rich and the Ruthless. She also created alongside her husband Craig Ross Jr the drama series Monogamy.

She now goes by the name of Caryn Ward Ross and currently stars in the TV series Mind Your Business.

Nia Peeples Discussing Working On Fame

 

Nia Peeples Discussing Working On Fame

Lou Mackie Remembers Nicole - Scene of the Week

 

Lou Mackie Remembers Nicole

Quote of the Week - Carlo Imperato

 

Fame News March 2026

 

In March Kids From Fame Media posts will be Celebrating:

Episode of the Month: "Leroy and the Kid" from Season 5

Song of the Month: It's Gonna Be A Long Night

Dancer of the Month: Derrick Brice 

Fame Timeline from March 1983

More Scenes of the Week, 

More Fame Annual Stories, 

Newspaper Article of the Month, and

Publicity Material of the Month.

Our Interview clips are:

-  Nia Peeples Discussing Working on Fame

-  Debbie Allen Discussing Figuring Out How To Do Things on Fame   

-  Carol Mayo Jenkins Discussing Tutoring Gene Anthony Ray, &

-  Erica Gimpel Discussing Singing to Coco's Grandmother.

Debbie Allen recalls her life in the Theatre for Playbill.

Debbie will also be directing Joe Turner's "Come and Gone" which is running 30th March to 12th July at the Apollo Theatre Broadway. 

More Information and Tickers

Janet Jackson has announced concert dates in Japan:

9th June Kobe

13th June Yokohama

14th June Yokohama

17th June Nagoya

More information and tickets at www.Jackson.com 

Nia Peeples posted to say she would be attending The Hollywood Show in May. Nia said:

"I’m so excited to announce that I’ll be signing autographs and taking photos at The Hollywood Show in Burbank, CA at the Marriott on:

🌟 May 29th — 3PM to 8PM

🌟 May 30th — 10AM to 5PM

I’ll be signing autographs, taking photos, and meeting you all!

Also… there may be a surprise for my fans 👀 If you come see me at the show and grab an autograph or photo, you’ll be the first to hear about it. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this.

Can’t wait to see your faces!" 

More Information and Tickets

Jesse Borrego was recently interview on Hispanic Hollywood PVT Podcast.

Valerie Landsburg Interview with Timmy Alexis Carrington Ward from Go Explore Radio 

The Latest Billy Hufsey Podcast

Have a great Month,

Mark

Fame TV Series Promo

 Fame TV Series Promo

Lori Singer Interview on Law and Order

Lori Singer Interview discussing her role in Law and Order SVU.

Ebay of the Week

 

This week a Signed Lee Curreri photo taken during the filming of the Series Pilot in 1980

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Better Days - Melissa Manchester

Melissa Manchester performs and acapella version of "Better Days" in the season 3 episode  "Home Again". Written by Melissa Manchester and Carole Bayer Sager.

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Download Album MP3

Fame Calendar March 2026