More news and guest star sightings

As most of you know, I’m in the process of graduating from law school. Today was the last day of exams, and I finished my last exam early this afternoon (and then promptly fell asleep for four hours). I still have one paper to turn in. The last couple of weeks I have only been able to check in briefly with bits of news and points of interest for anyone who loves The Facts of Life like I do. Luckily, there’s lots of it. It’s coming back! And if I didn’t cause it, at least I’m on the early wave.

Apparently a like-minded soul whom I clearly must meet posthaste penned a script called The Facts of Life: The Lost Episode in 2008. Here is a review of an April, 2015 run of it in San Diego. Did you see that that said April, 2015? That was last month. Maybe it will be revived for a tour. Spread the word. Bring it to your area. Help me figure out how to make this happen.

In other news, I’ve had some sightings of a couple of Facts alumni on Seinfeld this week. The big Entertainment Weekly interview dug up some great regular-but-not-regular characters who had done some cool things. I would love to find out what any of our drop-ins think now about their experience then. Here are two that went on to be interesting, connected by the fact that I’ve been on a Seinfeld kick lately.

Jami Gertz

I’ve mentioned Jami Gertz before as a notable guest star, but I had forgotten at the time that Seinfeld is among her credits as well. Indeed, she was Jerry’s girlfriend Jane, the woman who couldn’t “spare a square” for Elaine in the episode “The Stall.” That was in 1995. Before that, in 1987, she had what I would call her breakout role as Star in The Lost Boys. That’s the first time I remember her, and boy do I remember her. I think all the girls my age either wanted her or wanted to be her (or conflicted, or both). Right after that she played a character named “Blair,” hilariously enough, in the very un-hilarious Less Than Zero. If she hadn’t already broken out, she sure did then.

But before all that, way back in 1983 in season five, Jami played Boots St. Clair/Claire (they spelled it both ways in the credits), president of the Gamma Gamma sorority.

Mark Tymchyshyn

Do you recognize the name “Mark Tymchyshyn”? Can you pronounce the name “Mark Tymchyshyn”? I’ve given it my most reasonable approximation but anyone has to admit that’s a mouthful. Nevertheless, he has been consistently working, picking up a bit part or two per year on big series since he started in the early 80s. One of his first roles was as Ben Rutledge, Ft. Lauderdale handyman turned Blair’s one-and-only for a couple of episodes in season six. 

This is the best picture I can find of him looking like he looked in both The Facts of Life and the Seinfeld episode I saw him in this week.

Despite this guy’s steady acting career, it is very difficult to find photos of him online. He seems to live his life as quietly as his Facts character did (he left Blair to go live in the jungle saving children or something like that). I’d screen cap you for him but I left my season six DVDs at home; I only have seasons 1-5 here at school.

Anyway, for now you’ll have to take my word for it that this enigma with no real vowels in his name was on The Facts of Life, and also on an episode of Seinfeld. On the episode “The Stand-In,” he played Jerry’s friend Phil Totola, who went out on a date with Elaine which was great until he “took it out.”

So there’s some fun stuff to think about while I write my last paper, graduate, move, and start prepping for the bar exam. No promises about regularity over the next few weeks, but you’ll see me.