THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, July 11, 1994 TAG: 9407090038
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By Larry Bonko, Television Writer
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
LOCAL TV TIDBITS to munch on while you wait for the pizza to be delivered:
There's nothing to it. You start with one word, then add another and another - Thomas Parham, a 30-year-old graduate student at Regent University in Virginia Beach, expected to accumulate a stack of rejection slips as high as Mount Trashmore before he sold a script to a real live television producer.
But it wasn't long after Parham, a graduate of I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth, began pitching ideas to TV producers that he connected with the people who do the sitcom ``Big Brother Jake'' for The Family Channel.
His script, ``The Perfect Match,'' was the basis of the adventures of Jake and his kid buddies seen last night on The Family Channel.
Parham won't say what The Family Channel paid for his ``Jake'' script, but figure it was less than the going rate in Hollywood, which is about $12,000 for a half-hour sitcom.
Say, didn't you used to be Becky Livas? - Today, your humble columnist begins a new feature in this space called ``Whatever Happened To?''
It's about catching up with people who used to be local TV personalities.
First up is Becky Livas. Remember her?
She once did a daytime talk show for Channel 3 when it was WTAR-TV. It was a challenge for Livas because she succeeded a living legend in local TV, Mildred Alexander. Livas smiled a lot on camera and talked in a soft voice.
Livas today wheels and deals locally in real estate with Goodman Segar Hogan, and sings for her supper on the weekends with the Hotel Paradise Roof Garden Orchestra. She'll be singing next on July 31, between 7 and 9 p.m. in an Ocean View Festevents gig.
Got any local TV types you've lost track of? Give me a call on Infoline (640-5555, press 2486). Maybe I'll be able to track them down.
And speaking of former local TV types who have moved on - I heard from ex-WAVY reporter and anchor LeAnne Rains, who gave up a safe, secure position at Channel 10 to travel around the world with her fiance. She's dying to be a foreign correspondent.
Rains has settled in Sant Abbondio, Italy, for the moment after reporting part time with CNN in Rome. ``I got a crash course in international journalism working with the world's best,'' she wrote. ``I learned more in a week here than I learned in a year in the States.''
Anything else, LeAnne?
``I'm doing a tremendous amount of eating.''
Eating what?
``Marvelous pizza and pasta.''
I think you call it the pray and praise format - New local TV show on the scene: ``Gospel Jamms.'' It's carried by Cox Cable on the Faith and Vision Network Mondays at 5 p.m. and Fridays at 11 p.m.
This is a half-hour of gospel videos hosted by Reginald Dickerson, or Reggie Dee, and his wife, Lisa. Edge of Paradise Productions in Chesapeake produces ``Jamms.''
Haven't seen the show yet, but I'll wager it's heaps more entertaining than some of the other local programming I've caught lately. The most tasteless moment on local TV belongs to the ``Vibes'' TV thing, seen weekends on WGNT.
They butchered a lobster on that show and laughed about it. WGNT says it isn't responsible for the content of ``Vibes.'' Well, you should be, WGNT.
There's another new show on the local scene. WAVY bumped up ``Entertainment Tonight'' to 7 p.m. from 7:30 to make room for the new series, ``Behind Bars,'' hosted by ex-cop tough guy Daryl Gates. It's a long hard look inside the U.S. prison system.
You're in the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition - When a college professor in Syracuse, N.Y., asked me to name my 10 favorite all-time TV series - he's doing a book about the second golden age of TV - I invited you to join in by casting your votes on Infoline.
The winner in Hampton Roads: ``The Twilight Zone.'' by CNB