Retroality's "Reimagine That!" podcast, episode 4! ............................................................ Chris Mann's special guest, actress-writer Dianne Kay, on her in-the-works TV comedy "Seconds" and her life-saving psychic vision ALSO: Chris pleads to Oprah/Gayle: reimagine Agnes Nixon's "soaprahs"!

Retro pop meets forward thought as ebullient and enlightening "Eight is Enough" star Dianne Kay -- in part two of her exclusive, in-depth interview -- opens her heart about loving her TV siblings (including her "secret marriage" with Adam "Munch" Rich), working with Steven Spielberg on the set of his feature "1941" (and auditioning at her apartment with Mickey Rourke!!!), dealing with her garage sale addiction (hey, who stole her "8 is Enough" jigsaw puzzle?!?), being mistaken for a faux Betty Crocker, being overwhelmed by ugly reality TV (editor's note: "Kate Plus Eight is Enough!"), raising a teenage son in a hormonal household and developing her new half-hour, one-camera comedy series, "Seconds." In addition, Dianne shares with us her psychic vision that alerted her to her kidney cancer last fall and, in doing so, saved her life.

ALSO: Chris discusses changing media and changing times -- and beseeches Oprah to reimagine the "soaprah" and infuse her O brand of "retroality" drama and personal empowerment in half-hour versions of ABC's sadly-dumped "All My Children" and "One Life to Live." Fellow daytime icon/pioneer Agnes Nixon needs your help, Oprah -- please save all her children!

Chris also talks about the rapidly evolving book publishing world, the rules of which are shifting thanks to Amazon.com Inc. signing deals to publish high-dollar tomes with high-profile celebs ranging from "Laverne & Shirley" star (and fellow cancer survivor) Penny Marshall to New Age guru Deepak Chopra. Then Chris shares his short-lived book "negotiations" with late, legendary Hollywood press agent-business manager Jay Bernstein, who this fall celebrates the posthumous publication of his memoir, "Starmaker."

Offering insight about his "Come and Knock on Our" tell-all and his equally long-in-the-works "Price is Right" tell-all, Chris explains how journalistic, in-depth, "unofficial"/"unauthorized" TV books have become far and few between as the publishing industry, since the late '90s, has moved toward studio/network-commissioned, licensed (and therefore often "fluff-piece") TV books while television has taken over telling these boob-tube biographies. Hmmmm ... can you say, "multimedia e-book"?

Also: the return of Facebook's controversial group "Farrah Fawcett: We Want the Truth 2," a few parting thoughts about ABC's reimagined "Charlie's Angels" turducken, er, turkey, and what '80s TV icon ABC will likely "retool" next. (Goodbye, "Hot Bosley" ... hello, "Hot Belvedere"?)

Finally, in the fourth installment of a recurring "dream weaver" segment, dream interpreter/intuitive life coach Yvonne Ryba (http://YvonneRyba.com) shares two of her compelling, prophetic "death dreams" while encouraging listeners to reimagine their own reality by understanding the creative power of the mind.

For more on Dianne Kay, check out her new web site: http://DianneKayProductions.com and see Chris's site, http://Retroality.TV

Host: Chris Mann

Announcer/"Lassie" whistler: Linda Kay

Created by: Chris Mann

Producers: Linda Kay, Chris Mann

Copyright 2011 by Chris Mann/Retroality.TV (http://Retroality.TV)

Sitcoms Online blog breaks upfront news , Retroality.TV "Rockford Files" exclusive

Our hard-working buddy Pavan Patel over at Sitcoms Online's excellent news blog has been crazy busy covering all the latest news from the network upfront presentations this week. And yet, despite working overtime to bring us pilot pickup and series cancellation and renewal news, he's kindly managed to give Retroality.TV some generous coverage this month.

Monday, he blogged about my exclusive L.A. Times interview with Stephen J. Cannell, who shared his thoughts recently about David Shore's pilot script for NBC's now-ditched Rockford Files re-imagining. Last Friday, I shared many of his unpublished comments from the Times interview in a blog posting below.

And earlier this month he blogged, Pavan brought his blog's ever-growing audience up to date on Retroality's May cover story (an exclusive Q&A with V creator Kenneth Johnson) and related features (including my upcoming Wellbella magazine cover story interview with Hot in Cleveland's fantastic Wendie Malick). In fact, Mr. Patel has always been a loyal friend to Retroality.TV (and to me!), and we thank him tremendously! He and his exhaustive news blog are inspirations to us here!

For more info, check out and subscribe to http://blog.sitcomsonline.com

Which TV reboots will be picked up, renewed, retooled or killed?

Vulture Exclusive: Details on What Went Wrong with NBC's Rockford Files Reboot -- Vulture

It looks like NBC's re-imagined Rockford Files pilot will be put on hold and revamped—or killed altogether. I'm betting the former, given NBC's nearly year-long investment in the project and the fact that CBS's Hawaii Five-0 and CW's Nikita appear to be a go for fall. (Does the Peacock want to be the only network that failed to produce a potentially winning retro remake—especially with its legacy of Bionic Woman and Knight Rider-style reboot crash-and-burns?)

Perhaps we'll see Rockford and ABC's Charlie's Angels redo midseason. I'm also betting ABC holds on to V for another batch of "pod" episodes this fall—at least till it sees how Five-O and (to a lesser extent) Nikita perform. Hot "private eye/spy" remakes and the continuing decline of highly serialized network dramas could spell the end of V and the return of T&A, er, Charlie's Angels.

I'd love to see a re-envisioned Rockford move forward. Dermot Mulroney, as I wrote in my recent LA Times piece, has big gumshoes to fill in replacing Jim Garner. But the 40ish film actor is a crooked-grinned charmer and—with the proper script and direction—seems up to the challenge of reinventing the quirky-cool Rockford.

If all else fails, NBC could give Mulroney's Rockford a crazy-hot love interest. Betty White in da house!

Re-"V"isiting a Cult Classic: An exclusive interview with "V" creator Kenneth Johnson

Retroality.TV: Where Reality Meets Wessonality