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DALLAS' Linda Gray On J.R's Funeral Episode, Missing Larry Hagman & What Happens To Sue Ellen!

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

Monday night, television will say goodbye to one of its most iconic characters and the best villain of all-time, J.R Ewing on a very special episode of TNT’s Dallas (9EST/8CST).  In doing so, the cast and the viewing public, will also be saying our farewells and remembering legend, Larry Hagman (J.R.), who died of complications from cancer back in November of last year.

Look for a wake, a funeral, and some twists and turns apparently engineered by J.R. from beyond the grave during the episode entitled “J.R.’s Masterpiece”.  From what the producers and writers of Dallas have put together to honor Hagman, this episode may just be the masterpiece of the reboot of the series and for any long time Dallas fan.

Today at The Paley Center for Media’s annual PaleyFest in Beverly Hills,  the cast of Dallas was on hand for a seminar talking about the inner workings of the series, previewing what is to come, and much more. On-Air On-Soaps was there and caught up with fan favorite Linda Gray (Sue Ellen) to find out what she thought of the funeral episode, how is she doing after the passing of her dear friend, Larry Hagman, and what can we expect from Sue Ellen, post-J.R’s passing.  Here is what Linda had to say!

We heard that tomorrow night’s episode “J.R’s Masterpiece” (the funeral episode) was shown to the cast and crew at Southfork on Friday night.  Were you there … and what did you think of it?

LINDA: I did not want to see the episode with anybody else.  I watched it and it was great.  It was what it was supposed to be and I wanted to see it by myself.  I did not want to hear anybody say, “Oh, it was great. Oh, I cried.”  I did not want that.  I wanted to have it be my own experience, and then I will see it Monday night with everybody else.  But at least I have seen it, and I know what was edited out and what made it in, so I’ll know.  I was very happy with.

Courtesy/TNTZadeRosenthal

How are you feeling now several months after Larry Hagman’s passing?  I know how close you were with him.

LINDA: I think the same things I would tell anybody, and as Larry would say, “The show must go on! Stop crying and get out there.  Put that make-up on and those high heels and go do it and be the best Sue Ellen you can.”  And I would go, “OK I got it. Alright, let’s go.”

In tomorrow night’s episode there have been some preview scenes where it looks like Sue Ellen has taken a drink and fallen off the wagon! What can preview about that?

LINDA: It’s very difficult for her with J.R.’s passing. She may have a little dip and come back up.

How do you think Sue Ellen will behave now that J.R is gone? Can we expect a good Sue Ellen, or a more villainess version?

LINDA:  I think a lot of her decisions will be based off her mother/son relationship with John Ross, and what thinking about, what would J.R do?  All sorts of things come to her mind now that she wasn’t forced to check out before for 20 years.  We all in our lives have changed over 20 years, so you can’t expect Sue Ellen to be the same as she was 20 years ago, either. We hope she has looked at her life and sort of wrestled with her demons, and come out the other side a better person, or a more cleaned up version of who she was before.

So Dallas fans, are you ready to watch the emotional episode?  What do you think of Linda’s Gray comments on honoring her friend Larry Hagman?  How do you think J.R.’s death will impact Sue Ellen?  Weigh-in!

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I bet that Episode is going to be Good! Sue Ellen was a great character!

This is going to be great but sad Larry is gone. I love that the actor is back that took some time off for Y&R is back on Dallas!

i will definitely be watching – i also have my dvr set to record it!

Maybe there will be a Sue Ellen and a Gary Ewing hook up?

I can’t wait to see it. Loving the show overall!

This will be a sad one to watch tonight, Dallas will never be the same without JR Ewing, But it will survive, Sue Ellen will make out ok, She is a strong character drunk or sober.

It’s going to be heartbreaking for many reasons especially for John Ross and Sue Ellen. Mother & son are headed towards a downward spiral after his passing for a spell. When their done having their pity party, they’ll raise up STRONG & do JR’s legacy PROUD. Gone but not forgotten. RIP JR.

Looking forward to tonight’s episode. Love Linda Gray and hope to see more of Sue Ellen and John Ross conspiring!

Dallas

Lifetime’s ‘Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas’ Brings Epic Food Fight and “Slapfest Coup de Grâce”

Get ready for the feuding soap opera divas, when five actresses known for their signature primetime and daytime roles are brought together in Lifetime’s new holiday film, Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas.

Saturday night, December 2nd on Lifetime (8pm ET/7PM CT) marks the highly-anticipated holiday movie premiere featuring: Donna Mills (ex-Knots Landing), Nicolette Sheridan (ex-Knots Landing), Morgan Fairchild (ex-Falcon Crest et al), Linda Gray (ex-Dallas) and Loni Anderson (ex-WKRP in Cincinnati).

Here’s what we do know! In story, five alums from the long-running soap, The Great Lakes reunite for a live Christmas finale. Uh-oh!  Now take a look at the backstory of the colorful cast of characters (pay special attention to the clever twists on the actresses names!)

Photo: Lifetime

LAUREN EWING (Linda Gray) “Everyone thinks I’m so damn good all the time,” confesses the junk food-loving Lauren of her second act as a lifestyle guru. “I don’t know how Gwenyth Paltrow does it!”

DANA CUNNINGHAM (Donna Mills) Now a sitcom mom, she’s yet to make amends to ex-bestie Juliette after abruptly leaving the soap back in the day. Not that she hasn’t tried: “When I thought the world was going to end in Y2K,” Dana says, “I reached out to her, and she never called me back.”

LILY MARLOWE (Loni Anderson) After replacing Dana on ‘Great Lakes’, Lily never again found a role to win her acclaim. “What do I have to show for (my career)? An arc on  For the People – Shonda Rhimes’ only flop!”

JULIETTE MATHESON (Nicollette Sheridan) “She left me for L.A.,” the party girl turned fashion mogul recalls of Dana’s betrayal. Will their feud derail the entire event?

MARGEAUX ROBERTS (Morgan Fairchild) “Fasten your face-lifts, ladies, it’s gonna be a bumpy weekend!” The sassy grande dame of ‘Great Lakes’ sees the Juliette-Dana beef as the perfect escape from her own domestic drama.

Photo: Lifetime

Now, making this all the more hysterical is the director of The Great Lakes reunion special, which makes the five women live under the same roof, is its former child star Alex, who has gotten his ex-girlfriend, Nell to direct the finale. Meanwhile, in the subplot. the ‘Ladies of the ’80s’ come up with a plan to get Alex and Nell back together.

As with any good soap opera, there is a major food fight. Linda Gray shared with USA Today ,”The food fight was one take. And it was fabulous.” And of course, their is a bitch-fest slap-fest. Morgan Fairchild revealed, “Oh honey, we all got ours in. Mine was a simple, ‘How dare you?’ with a slap. But I was hoping for a punch.”

Photo: Lauren Dukoff/Lifetime

The movie’s EP, Larry Thompson, who is a Hollywood manager and has Donna Mills as a client, said that the entire scene peaks with the”slapfest coup de grâce.” What is that exactly? That is when Donna Mills pushes Nicollette Sheridan into a pool in a nod to Dynasty’s Lily bond battle between Dynasty’s Alexis (Joan Collins) and Krystle (Linda Evans).

In case you missed it previously, check out the trailer for Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas below, also starring Patrika Darbo, Alec Mapa, Mills real-life daughter, Chloe Mills, and Christopher Atkins with theme song by Tiffany.

Now let us know, will you be tuning in to the movie for a premise that should delight many a longtime soap fan? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

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Dallas

Morgan Fairchild, Nicollette Sheridan & Donna Mills Visit ‘Tamron Hall’ to Talk ‘Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas’

UPDATED: Monday November 27th, soap opera favorites, Morgan Fairchild (GH, ex-DAYS, DFT, The City, Dallas, Falcon Crest et al), Nicollette Sheridan (ex-Knots Landing) and Donna Mills (ex-Knots Landing) visit with Tamron Hall on her syndicated talk show. (find times in your area here).

The trio is set to give some inside intel to Tamron on their highly-anticipating holiday film, Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas, set to premiere on Lifetime on Saturday, December 2nd (8pm ET/7Pm CT) and streams next day.

As previously reported, Ladies of the 80’s: A Divas Christmas also stars Linda Gray (Dallas) and Loni Anderson (WKRP in Cincinnati) and in story, five glamorous ‘80s soap opera stars reunite to share the spotlight to shoot the final Christmas episode of their long-running soap opera.

The producer, Alex (Travis Burns) and director Nell (Taylor Ann Thompson), old college friends, do their best to keep things on the rails but as the ladies come together, old rivalries resurface that threaten to tear the whole production apart. With the show nearly canceled before it even begins due to the ladies’ famous diva behavior, they reluctantly agree to set aside their differences and past secrets to “act” as if they all still love each other.  When old sparks reignite between Alex and Nell, the ladies become eager to play cupid and conspire to bring the couple together. Along the way, the divas also discover that the love between them all is still very strong too.

Photo: Lifetime

Ladies of the ‘80s: A Divas Christmas also stars Christopher Atkins, Patrika Darbo (ex-DAYS, B&B, The Bay), Alec Mapa, and Mills’s daughter, Chloe Mills. In addition, the holiday film features a theme song performed by none other than ’80s pop star Tiffany.

Check out the official trailer for ‘Ladies of the ’80s’ starring Donna, Nicollette, Linda, Morgan and Loni below, followed by the Tamron Hall Show segment.

Now let us know, are you looking forward to watching Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

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Breaking News

Donna Mills, Linda Gray, Nicollette Sheridan, Morgan Fairchild, Loni Anderson to Appear in Lifetime’s 80s and Soap-Themed Holiday Movie

Wowza! Now here’s a line-up of soap opera and primetime favorites all in one movie! Coming up for the holidays, Lifetime has revealed they have an 80s and soap-themed film starring: Donna Mills (ex-Knots Landing, General Hospital), Linda Gray (ex-Dallas), Nicollette Sheridan (ex-Knots Landing and Dynasty), Morgan Fairchild (ex-Falcon Crest, SFT, DAYS et al) and Loni Anderson (ex-WKRP in Cincinnati).

Filmed earlier in 2023, Ladies of the 80’s is said to follow five soap opera divas (how fun and perfect!), as they reunite to shoot the final Christmas episode of their long-running soap opera!

In story, the producer, Alex (Travis Burns) and director Nell (Taylor Ann Thompson), who happen to be old college friends, do their best to keep things on the rails but as the ladies come together, old rivalries resurface that threaten to tear the production apart. With the show nearly canceled before it even begins due to the ladies’ famous diva behavior, they reluctantly agree to set aside their differences and past secrets to “act” as if they all still love each other.  When old sparks reignite between Alex and Nell, the ladies become eager to play cupid and conspire to bring the couple together.  

But wait, there’s more! In addition to the five leading ladies, the cast also includes: Days of our Lives favorite Patrika Darbo (ex-Nancy), Alec Mapa, and Donna Mills’ real-life daughter, Chloe Mills, plus 80s heartthrob, Christopher Atkins.

Photo: TiffanyX

There is even a Ladies of the 80’s theme song, performed by none other than 80’s pop star, Tiffany!

In a statement on the project, the movie’s EP Larry A. Thompson shared: “The opportunity to bring together Donna, Morgan, Loni, Linda and Nicollette, five powerhouse women into one holiday movie, has been like finding the perfect gift under the Christmas tree.”

The official airdate of the holiday movie will be revealed shortly in the networks’s A Wonderful Lifetime Holiday movie schedule. Deadline first shared the news.

What do you think of this upcoming soap opera-themed movie featuring Donna, Linda, Nicollette, Morgan and Loni? Comment below.

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