Charlotte Rae v. Joan Collins

Lesley called to tell me that Charlotte Rae, who played Mrs. Edna Garrett on "The Facts of Life," has gone on the attack against Joan Collins. Attending the premiere of Collins' play "Legends," Rae strangely told "The Insider" that Collins is "a bitch. Everyone says she's an extremely difficult person." It's a blunt chastisement delivered with her character's trademark tough love - she might just as easily been addressing one of Natalie and Tootie's many failings. Collins evidently responded by calling Rae a "cow." No one seems sure why Rae, who is from Wisconsin, went after Collins, but perhaps it was a combination of old age and trying to be funny. Will George Clooney come to Rae's defense?

BTW - I always got a lesbian vibe from Jo on "The Facts of Life." And remember how Natalie was the first of the girls to lose her virginity? And who could forget the girls' trip to Australia?

Speaking of Charlotte Rae, I'll never forgot a voice mail message I received last year from Lesley telling me that she just drove past the West Side Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles and the marquee read, "Charlotte Ray starring in Driving Miss Daisy." You can't make this stuff up. I was laughing out loud for quite while. Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction.