"To Introduce our Guest Star, that's What I'm Here to Do..." The Hensonverse Fan Contribution Thread

Here's another logo I made for PFNKids. It kinda sucks. :( The one I made for Cartoon TV is slightly better. Tried to do a Poker Gimmick, sort of a flip of CN's Chessboard.

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Pretty good, but I'm sure that Geekhis already described the logo for Cartoon City.
  1. Cartoon TV is now Cartoon City, and its logo is to quote him: "Their logo will become a series of stacked C’s that look like a skyscraper."
  2. I believe the logo here is stylised to look like "C(ar)T(oon)V" or something like it.
  3. Can I PM you on something?
 
Pretty good, but I'm sure that Geekhis already described the logo for Cartoon City.
  1. Cartoon TV is now Cartoon City, and its logo is to quote him: "Their logo will become a series of stacked C’s that look like a skyscraper."
  2. I believe the logo here is stylised to look like "C(ar)T(oon)V" or something like it.
  3. Can I PM you on something?
  1. My mistake, sorry.
  2. I can't visualise that. It probably looks better on paper.
  3. Sure.
 
Interesting! minor issues: PFN, not PNF and Cartoon City logo was described as a Skyscraper made of stacked C's.
Yreah, figured the 2nd one out too late. there's a lot you tend to forget when you have a bunch on your plate. My bad. Also, the first one is a stylistic choice. My idea was that in the regular PFN logo, the N would sit under the P and the F, forming a sort of upside-down letter pyramid. I figured the Kids Block logo would look the same but I couldn't find a way to make it work. All you need to know is that you go across from P to F and then down to N.
 
By the way, I'm guessing that PFN is a collaboration between Fox and Paramount, meaning that the kids block there is TTL's Fox Kids. Have to ask, @Geekhis Khan, do you think Saban has as much of a stake there as he did with Fox Kids? I can definitely see some of the shows he made for ABC, Masked Ryder included, airing on that block, specifically over here in Europe, where we don't get ABC and Fox Kids was a whole-ass Channel, which I'm guessing happened with PFN Kids as well.
 
I am brand new to the site, and am still in the reading Phase, so I am not ready to do my own sruff yet, but does anyone have ideas as to how Thomas the Tank Engine is doing? If I remember right, in our timeline, 1997 was when talks for what would turn into Magic Railroad started.
 
Beyond Halyx
Okay, here is another guest post, though this one isn't Marvel. Rather, it is a little look into the ITTL life of Lara Whitehall, or as you might be more familiar with her from OTL, Lora Mumsford/Lora Ranger from Halyx.

For this who don’t remember from this post back in the early start of Hippie in the House of Mouse, Disney’s Halyx band at Disneyland ended up becoming more famous and successful in the Hensonsverse than in our timeline. As a result, the band’s lead singer, Lora Mumsford (whose stage name with Halyx was Lora Ranger), was able to break out into a successful rock career and formed a new all girls band called the Sunset Strip, with a new stage name named Lara Whitehall.

Hence the reason she'll be called Lara Whitehall throughout much of the article is that that name is the one most people will be familiar with ITTL.

So yeah, enjoy this little interview on Lora’s life ITTL.

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Beyond Halyx: An Interview with Lara Whitehall
From Hollywood Entertainment Magazine, June 1995 Edition


Few female names in the world of Rock and Roll are as recognizable as that of Lara Whitehall, a woman whose voice has captivated fans the world over for almost twenty years.

Born on September 8th, 1954 in North Carolina as Lora Francine Mumsford, the singer first famously found her lucky break when she was selected by Disney to be the lead singer of their band Halyx, a sci-fi Star Wars inspired band which Lora would lead under the stage name of Lora Ranger. After leaving the band in 1984, she would go on to form the band Sunset Strip, in which she would serve as the lead singer, a role which she continues to serve to this very day.

Having won numerous Grammy’s over the course of her career and having likely secured a assured place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we are thus graciously honored to welcome Lara, who has agreed to talk with us today.


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Lora Mumsford, known commonly ITTL by her second stage name, Lara Whitehall. (Source: Finetuning.wordpress)


HE: Once again, thank you for being here to meet with us.

LW: Thank you for having me.

HE: Of course, of course. Now then, I suppose we should naturally start with your time at Disney as the lead singer of your first band, Halyx. How did that start and how did you get involved?

LW: Well, as for how the band itself started, I really wasn’t involved in any of that. Disney, or rather producers Bambi Moe and Mike Post, were the ones who were responsible for creating the band, to try to tap into all the whole big Star Wars hype that was going on at the time. As for how I came into the picture, I pretty much just auditioned and got the part.

HE: If I’m not mistaken, your then-husband also auditioned and was selected by Disney to join the band?

LW: Yes, Thom [Miller]. He was picked as the band’s robotic keyboardist.

HE: I imagine that made for some interesting experiences?

LW: (laughs) Oh yes, I can think of a couple of interesting moments that resulted from that.

HE: Such as?

LW: Well, let’s just say Thom and I had a bit of a bad habit of overtly flirting in the middle of band meetings. And well, we did a bit more than that, but I’d rather not get too much into that?

HE: Nothing bad?

LW: Nah. (chuckles) Let’s just say being as young as we were then and getting the opportunity to work with your husband often meant he and I frequently found a few places to have a bit of personal private time to ourselves. Can’t say working together was bad for our relationship then.

HE: I see. Well, I suppose that’s not too surprising. (clears throat) Now, if I’m not mistaken, Halyx first played at Tomorrowland at Disneyland before they broke out? How was that like?

LW: Oh, it was great! We got to play right in front of Space Mountain on this big stage, and sometimes after we’d even get to ride the ride itself.

HE: And did you ever go in costume?

LW: Ironically enough, yes. It was only one time mind you, during the Disney’s World of Magic special they played that showcased a few music videos of our band in the fall of ’81. For one of the music videos we did for the episode, which was basically a look at us playing at the park, some of us got to ride Space Mountain in our costumes. Otherwise, we usually had to change into some regular clothes, since Disney back then usually had a bit of policy towards cast members being allowed to go on any of the rides while being dressed up in costume. I’m not sure if they still do, but they definitely did then.

HE: And how did you go from singing on Stage at Disneyland to selling albums, touring different parks, and becoming a sensation in Japan?

LW: I’d like to say it was our sheer talent alone that got us there, but really it was mainly due to the fact we were lucky to have the boss's [Jim Henson] son John as one of our adoring fans. That got his dad’s attention to us, which got us bigger attention from Disney, which in turn helped us get much bigger. With their support, we went from a small band playing in Tomorrowland to becoming a sensation in Tokyo, selling out two albums, and even managed to briefly chart up the top ten in the US. I’ll always be grateful to them for their support, and I may not be here today if not for them.


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Lora Mumsford/Lara Whitehall, during her time as Lora Ranger in the band Halyx. (Source: thedailyfandom.org)


HE: So, in light of your success, why leave?

LW: A few reasons. For one, my marriage with Thom had started reaching a bit of a breaking point. For all the great benefits being bandmates together had given us in the beginning, whenever we fought over the future course of the band, those arguments could and did also affect our marriage. It didn’t help that while Thom was content with staying with the band in its current sci-fi theme, I knew there was more out there the others and I could do in a music career and, as much as I loved the band, I knew that we had reached the top limit we could reach and that if we stayed the way we were, we’d just decline and fade away. I knew there wasn’t any way we could reach higher, especially with the third Star Wars having come and gone and the whole sci-fi theme boost we got from those films beginning to fade.

HE: I take it Mr. Miller wasn’t happy about opinion?

LW: No, he wasn’t. That, combined with some issues we had that I’d rather not talk about [1], brought us further apart. Eventually we just kept getting into screaming matches in the middle of practice sessions and group meetings over seeming everything.

HE: So you left?

LW: So I left, yes. In the end, I knew I had the talent to go further but I figured if I stayed, I’d miss my chance to reach it. It took me months to get the courage to leave, but eventually I knew I couldn’t stay. So yes, I left.

HE: And how did they react?

LW: Almost all of them understood and supported me. The only one who didn’t was Thom. He…It’s pretty much a understatement to say he wasn’t happy. We had one last big argument, I asked him if he could at least support me. He refused and well, that was pretty much the last nail in our marriage. I left the band and Thom and I got divorced right after.

HE: Have you stayed in touch with any of the ones that decided to stay?

LW: I have with the others that stayed, yes. I’ve seen and talked with them over the years, most especially Bruce [Gowdy] and Roger [Freeland]. The former through his work for the bands World Trade and Unruly Child [2], while the later was due to me being the godfather of his first daughter. For Thom though, we never spoke for years after. It wasn’t until I saw him a few years back when I visited Roger’s home for a birthday party that I saw him again and spoke to him.

HE: I imagine that was awkward.

LW: (laughs) Oh you have no idea. Still, since then we’ve been getting a bit more in touch and have reconnected.

HE: I don’t suppose though you ever see yourselves working together again however?

LW: You know, funny enough, the others and I have discussed the idea of maybe getting together for a concert in 2001, for the 20th anniversary of Halyx. We’ll see how that goes though [3].

HE: Well, I hope that works out and we get to see you guys come together again one day. Now, I suppose this might be a good time to slide into the next part of your life, but how did Sunset Strip start?

LW: Well, after I left, I considered trying to go solo before eventually deciding to see about forming a female band of my own. I managed to convinced Jeanette Clinger, one of our original backup vocalists at Halyx from when we started, to join me. Bruce had taught her how to use the guitar when they briefly dated and she had gotten pretty great at it, but after they broke it off, she decided to leave the band in late 83’. After a bit of convincing, I got her to join me. After that we just needed an additional three band members to complete the band. That’s where Daphne Roane, Miyuki Koyama, and Natalie Newman came in. [4]

HE: And how did they come into the picture?

LW: Natalie I had actually met during auditions for Halyx a few years back, where she had tried to audition as a Drummer. She lost to Brian [Lucas], but she was really good and had gotten pretty close to getting it. When I started the band, it was just a matter of finding her. As for Miyuki, Jeanette and I had met her in Tokyo Disneyland. Tony [Coppola] had gotten sick when Halyx had visited Japan, and she had been brought in to temporarily replace him during our entire week tour there. It took me a while, but I was able to get her to leave Japan and come to the States. As for Daphne, we got introduced to her through Natalie, and not only did she have a excellent singing voice, but she was really good at the keyboard, so was an easy decision to sign her up as our keyboardist.

HE: And Anne Leslie [5], your Bassist?


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The members of Sunset Strip, otherwise nicknamed the Sunset Strippers, from left to right: Daphne Rose Roane, Natalie Jane Newman, Lara Whitehall, Miyuki Koyama, Jeanette Clinger, and Anne Sarah Leslie. (Source: Made with Artbreeder and Photoshop by @Nerdman3000)


LW: Yes… Anne. (sigh)

HE: I hope you don’t mind talking about her?

LW: No, no. It’s fine. (sigh) Honestly, it’s be goddamn two years since… (pause) Well anyways, if you’ll remember, Anne didn’t join the band until a few months after we first debuted together in August of 84’, literally less than a month after she turned 18. As for how she came into the picture, it was suggested by our manager, Henry Mason [6], that we add a Bassist to our band. Anne, being Daphne’s cousin, was suggested by her, and while we were initially hesitant about the possible nepotism surrounding the suggestion, Anne managed to blow us away with her talent. God was she talented. Not just as bassist, but as a singer, and I knew right after listening to her that she was the one.

HE: I can imagine. I can admit, I was certainly a fan of her myself. (clears throat) Now, to move on a much a lighter topic, now that you’ve told us how the band was created, I have to ask? Where’d the distinguishable outfits come in?

LW: Outfits? (small laugh) Let’s be honest, there was a reason we got called the Sunset Strippers by more than a few. As for how that came about, I blame Daphne. The revealing outfits we wore in the early days was entirely her idea.

HE: (chuckles) Now, your new band was signed up by Hyperion Music label, who had also previously signed Halyx. Were there any issues from them regarding you leaving Halyx and forming a new band?

LW: Nah. Like most of Halyx, Hyperion and Disney were pretty supportive. Sure, Sunset Strip was undoubtably less family friendly than Halyx had been, but there wasn’t any issue from Disney and Hyperion over it.

HE: I imagine it helped that your band proved to be a huge success and that your band’s first single, Jail Bait, ended up being a big hit that went on to reach #8 in the charts.

LW: (laughs) Yeah, that too.

HE: Now moving on, in 1985, you began dating your eventual second husband, Jimmy Page of the band Led Zeppelin. Would you mind if we went over that?

LW: Yeah, that’s fine. Trust me, if I can chat about my first husband, I can definitely talk about my second.

HE: Ah good. Now, how did the two of you meet?

LW: Hmmm… I if I remember correctly, we first technically met at a party in ’83 when I was still at Halyx. I’d like to say it was one Elton John was hosting? (small laugh) Sorry, it’s a bit weird, especially considering I later dated and married the man, but I can barely remember our first meeting. Doesn’t help I might been a little tipsy at the time when it happened.

HE: Well yes, most people do tend to drink a bit at parties, so I can imagine. (chuckles) So then, you knew him before you started dating?

LW: Barely. Like I said, I had a brief first meeting with him at a party, and I saw him again the following year at the Grammy’s. But as for how we started dating? Well, I gotta blame Daphne here again. Still don’t know how that happened, but in late December of ’84 she started dating Jeff Beck of the Honeydrippers.

HE: Who, if I’m not mistaken, she later married?

LW: That’s right. Anyways, through Jeff, I got to see Jimmy more, since at the time they were still both bandmates, and then well, you know how it goes. One thing led to another and I found myself dating one of the former members of Led Zepplin.

HE: I imagine that’s not something you expected to find yourself doing?

LW: (chuckle) No, can’t say I ever saw that happening when I joined Halyx.


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Lara Whitehall’s second husband, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. The two began dating in 1985 and married in 1987, before divorcing in 1989. They would have only one child, a daughter, Lily Anne Page, whom Lara would gain full custody over. (source: Ashworth-photos.com)


HE: Now, this leads me to enter a bit of a darker, controversial question, but if you’re okay with me asking, considering Mr. Page's known drug use, did that have any connection to the infamous 1987 drug scandal?

LW: (Winced) Ah, I was wondering if this was going to be brought up.

HE: Apologies if I may have made you a bit uncomfortable.

LW: Eh, it’s fine. Honestly though, I can’t that was one of my prouder moments, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find myself going through a period where I started abusing the stuff, which yeah, I got into through Jimmy. Never went into as he could go, thank God, and managed to avoided touching some of the really bad shit he did, especially after his relapse into taking heroin in ’87 [7]. The only one of us who did was…

HE: Anne Leslie?

LW: Yeah… Anne… (long pause) Jimmy… well as you and pretty much everyone has already figured out, Jimmy was the one who got Anne deep into that shit, which well... you know how that turned out.

HE: Was that what led to you filing for divorce in March 1989?

LW: (Nodding) It was more than that, but yes. The others and I were pissed at him for getting Anne into that shit, and it certainly led to plenty of arguments between us. Add in his uncomfortableness over the stint the band and I did on Playboy, his relapse into heroin, and his weird occult obsession [8], and you can understand why I ended up starting to feel as though I had had enough by ’89. When I caught him abusing heroin while he was sitting next to our three-month-old daughter, that was when I realized things had gone too far, so I left.

HE: And did Page’s discovered affair with Francisca Blum play a factor as well?

LW: No. I ironically didn’t find out about that until I had already decided to divorce him, when the news of their relationship and her pregnancy broke [9].

HE: I see. Have you spoken to him since the divorce or Ms. Leslie’s death?

LW: I haven’t spoken to him in two years, no. I have full custody of our daughter Lily, so I don’t have to worry about seeing him through him trying to visit her.

HE: Ok then. Now, you mentioned your stint on Playboy, so I suppose I should ask, how did that occur?

LW: Going for the jugular there, aren’t you? Alright then, well as you may remember, after the whole incident in early ’87 where the band and I got caught with that little piece of cocaine in our possession, the gossip mags went nuts and we got headlines like “Disney Diva Down with Drugs” or “Disney Girl Gone Bad”, and other nonsense like that. For all the controversy though, it did fantastic for our band and rock star image. As much as I love them, my association to them and the whole child friendly image they had had been a bit of a chain around my neck.

HE: A lot of people in the rock and roll community didn’t take you as seriously because of your former ties to Disney?

LW: Yeah, pretty much. So, getting caught doing something wrong did a lot to help some people take me, and thus our whole band, more seriously. Our following song, “Tell No Lies”, which debuted barely a few weeks after the scandal, managed to reach #4 in the charts, and from all evidence, the whole controversy at the very least played a part in that.

HE: And that led to you doing Playboy? The controversy?

LW: Basically. (laughs) Honestly, and I hate to sound like a tape recorder here doing a running gag, but once again, I have to blame Daphne for bringing up the idea. Not even trying to invoke some kind of feisty and wild redhead stereotype here, but Daph has honestly always been the most sexually liberated and free of us, the one most comfortable in her own skin. So she, of course, thought it’d be a bright idea for us, or more specifically me, to pose naked on Playboy, to you know, really sell the whole “I ain’t a Disney girl anymore” image [10].

HE: Why specifically you though?

LW: Well, the whole idea was to dispel any remaining skeptics on my “rock and roll” credentials. If I didn’t do it, and left only Daphne or one of the others to do it, it wouldn’t really add to anything. Sure, I’m willing to bet Daphne probably would have gladly done it with or without me, but I knew she was right that it wouldn’t be as impactful if I didn’t do it as well.

HE: So did you quickly agree, or was there hesitation on your part?

LW: Definitely hesitation. It’s one thing to understand the twisted logic of taking off my clothes and exposing myself before the whole world actually managing to boost the band’s popularity and my career, it’s a far different thing to actually go through with it. I did eventually agree, after some convincing by Daphne and Henry, but as your probably aware, not everyone was so easily convinced.


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The famous, or infamous (depending on who you ask) specially designed Playboy bunny Minnie Mouse ears worn by Lara Whitehall on the ITTL August 1987 cover of Playboy, which were designed to match and go along with her Halyx jacket. (Source: Made in Photoshop by @Nerdman3000)


HE: Jeanette and Natalie, yes?

LW: Yeah. Jean basically initially refused to appear, but we got her to at least agree to do photos that at least left her covered. Lingerie type stuff, you know. Natalie was similar, but she eventually was convinced by Daphne to be a little more risqué, though still covered.

HE: Was part of that why you were the only one to appear on the cover, but they simply only appear within the images present in the actual issue?

LW: Actually, funny enough, we actually did two covers. One with the group, and the one by myself that we eventually used. Playboy and Hugh Hefner though loved the one with me only that we went with. I think they did sell a few with the other cover included as a second page though.

HE: Well, speaking of the issues cover, you posed by yourself for the arguably now iconic cover, which featured yourself smirking with an upturned cigarette in your mouth, dressed in nothing but your old Halyx Lora Ranger jacket, left open to leave your chest completely exposed while donning a now iconic Playboy themed custom-made leather red Minnie Mouse ears headband. Was there any trouble from Disney for invoking their image here?

LW: A little yeah. We weren’t sure if Disney would give us the approval, but Hugh [Hefner] thought it was too bold and great to just not do. He promised to take the fall and talk it over with Disney after. The most they were aware beforehand is that I’d appear and there’d be some invocation of my Disney ties made. Thankfully though, they never sued, though I suspect Hugh managed to pay some sort of settlement.

HE: Considering it’s the best-selling issue of Playboy [11], I imagine Mr. Hefner thought it was worth it.

LW: Really? The best-selling?

HE: Indeed. Over 7 million copies have been sold, beating the previous 1972 record held by the cover featuring Lena Soderberg. You weren’t aware?

LW: No, not really. Wow… 7 million… Yeah that’s…wow…

HE: Is that surprising?

LW: Yeah… that’s… (pause) …a lot more that I expected. I’m not even sure whether to be embarrassed or flattered.

HE: (chuckles) Now, before we move on from the Playboy issue, I would like to ask, did that damage your relationship with Disney, and if so, have you ever reconciled with them?

LW: Yes, to both questions. Doing the issue while wearing my Halyx jacket and the mouse ears did leave some hard feelings and tension toward me for a bit, but we’ve mostly put it past us now. I doubt they’ll ever be completely happy with me over it, but I’d like to think they’ve forgiven me. If they didn’t, I doubt they would have hired me to sing “I’m Still Here” for last year’s Treasure Planet [12].

HE: I wasn’t aware you did a song for them, but then again, I never saw the movie in question. Now, following the Playboy issue, the birth of your daughter Lily, and your divorce from Mr. Page, you began dating Phil Collins in late 1989, is that right?

LW: Yes. I knew Phil for years, since he was bandmates with Jimmy and Jeff for a short time. His wife Jill was killed in a car accident in late ’88 [13], so he was still hurting from that, while I was hurting from my divorce with Jimmy. We sort of connected from that I guess, the heartache we were feeling respectively. One night we just shared drinks together and in mutually drowning our sorrows, we grew close. One thing led to another, and I found myself dating him. One year later, we’re married and I’m pregnant with my second of four kids, John.

HE: You’ve had three children with Mr. Collins, if I’m current?

LW: Yes, John, who I mentioned, was born in November 1990, Tyler was born in September 1991, and Pat, short for Patricia, was born in July 1993.


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The grownup children of Lara Whitehall ITTL in ITTL 2022, from left to right: Lily Anne Page, John Philip Collins, Tyler James Collins, and Patricia "Pat" Daphne Collins. (Source: Made with Artbreeder and Photoshop by @Nerdman3000)


HE: You didn't chose to name her for Ms Leslie?

LW: Well you can-

HE: (interrupts) Blame Daphne?

LW: (laughs) Yes indeed. (chuckles) Honestly though, I definitely would have named her for Anne, if Daphne hadn't decided to beat me to the birthing bed by two weeks. We were both basically pregnant at the same time, and when we realized we were both having girls, we kind of got into a bit of a race to see who could give birth first and name their daughter after Anne, who we lost a few months before. Daphne won, so she was the one who ended up naming her daughter, my goddaughter in fact, Annie Beck.

HE: Well you can't always win them?

LW: (laughs) No I suppose you can't.

HE: Now, Ms. Leslie’s death, who we just mentioned, resulted in the breakup of Sunset Strip. Do you think this is permanent, or do you see the remaining members of the band coming back together sometime in the future?

LW: (sigh) I don’t know. Honestly, right now there’s a part of me that finds it too painful, you know? I wasn’t the only one who felt that either. Without Anne, it simply feels incomplete, like there’s just something missing. Maybe one day we’ll come back together without it leaving me feeling cold and painful [14]. For now, though, I think I’m going to focus on a bit of a solo career and being a mother to my kids. If your unaware, I am in fact releasing a new solo album, Sex Sells, in a few weeks, so if you don’t mind me advertising here a bit?

HE: (laughs) Oh go right ahead, advertise away.

LW: (chuckles) Well, be on the look out for that. I’ll also be collaborating with Madonna and Alanis Morissette for one song in their respective upcoming albums releasing later this year, for those potentially interested. I’m also going to be involved in the soundtrack for an upcoming movie called Empire Records, which is releasing in September [15].

HE: Well, I wish you luck and success on those endeavors. Anyways, thank you for meeting with me today. It was an absolute pleasure and honor talking with you today.

LW: Same here and thank you for having me. Anytime you want me to come back for a follow-up, be sure to call. I’d love to do another one.

HE: I certainly will do that.

That was famous singer Lara Whitehall, whose upcoming album Sex Sells, releases later this month. Empire Records by Warner Bros releases in theaters this September 22nd, 1995.

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[1] – What Lora/Lara is leaving unsaid is that in 1983, she had a miscarriage after an argument between them resulted in her storming away, not paying attention, and falling down the stairs. While she survived the fall mostly injured, she had a miscarriage. This further divided them and left more anger/bitterness in their relationship.

Also, somewhat in Thom’s defense here, but the reason he’s so adamant against her leaving or reforming the band is that not only has get gotten attached to Halyx, but he’s afraid of her moving on and leaving from him, due to him potentially dragging her down. In fighting it or doing something to try to stop it, he eventually ironically makes the very thing he feared the most happen and come true, in a sort of Streisand/Putin Effect.

[2] – Bands Bruce would also join in OTL as well after the end of Halyx.

[3] – Which they would indeed eventually do.

[4] – All of the last three are original characters. Daphne would become the third most popular of the band, followed by Miyuki and Natalie. Miyuki in particular is extremely popular in Japan, where her popularity even somewhat exceeds that of Lora and the others.

[5] – Another original character. Anne, the youngest of the band, would go one to become the second most well-known and second most successful of the band after Lara herself. Known for her sheer talent ITTL, she is a example of a person who simply never got a chance at a lucky big break in OTL. Here, as a member of Sunset Strip, she goes on to have a successful career and becomes a well known star. However, tragically, she would be introduced to heroin through Lara’s second husband, Jimmy Page, which resulted in her dying of a heroin overdose in April 8th, 1993 at the young age of 26. She would be survived by one daughter, Jennifer Leslie, born in 1991.

[6] – Another original character.

[7] – In our timeline, Jimmy Page reportedly overcame his heroin habit in the early 1980s. ITTL, he manages to relapse in 1987, getting Anne Leslie addicted in the process. While he is able to overcome it by 1990, Anne is not. Her death, which is perceived as being due to Page, becomes a black mark on his reputation, one which severely damages his relationship/friendships with the rest of the Sunset Strip and former fellow bandmembers, like Jeff Beck (who married Sunset Strip member Daphne Roane), Phil Collins, and former Led Zeppelin member Robert Plant.

[8] – Real thing. Page has had a long-recorded history of occult obsession.

[9] – In ITTL August 1989, a woman named Francisca Blum would come forward and reveal she was pregnant with the child of Jimmy Page. Offering photographic proof of their relationship/affair, Blum revealed that the two had been having an affair for over a year. While they eventually broke things off, a pregnant Blum came forward to demand that Page acknowledge her and their unborn son.

Unknown at the time of the interview, this would not be the only affair Page had participated in, as serious accusation would surface in late 1998 from a former guest/Playmate at a 1988 party hosted by Hugh Hefner that Page and Anne Leslie had participated in, which accused Page of having taken advantage of and essentially raping a drugged-out Anne. While unable to be proven due to the death of Leslie, the accusation further damaged Page’s reputation and career, especially since it caused a resurge of interest in previous allegations of Page’s several years long sexual relationship with the then 13-14 year old ‘baby groupie’ Lori Mattix during the 1970’s, in which Page himself was in his 20’s.

And yeah, while the Francisca Blum and Anne stuff is not real (at least for OTL), that last part with Lori Mattix is an actual thing.

[10] – Somewhat similar to what ends up happening to a number of OTL former child Disney stars as they get older, where they sometimes try to shake the Disney star image dramatically by doing something dramatic to showcase the fact they aren’t a Disney child star anymore. Think Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus, Bella Thorne, etc. While not a child star, ITTL Lora/Lara suffered from a similar ‘sweet former Disney girl’ image among some in the ITTL rock and roll community, which caused some to take her less seriously. Hence, doing something as dramatic as posing on Playboy with her band.

[11] – In our timeline, the best-selling Playboy Issue was the March 1989 issue which featured La Toya Jackson that sold 8,000,000 copies. The reasons for this are believed to be in part not only due to the controversy of her being a member of the Jackson Family and older sister of Michael Jackson, but that she specifically resembled her brother Michael the most. Yeah, that’s right, it’s genuinely thought the issue sold out as well as it did because she looks just like her famous little brother. Overall, that issue is going to get butterflied away, partially as a result of Michael’s death and it suddenly being a bit uncomfortable.

In the case of the ITTL Lara Whitehall cover, the ‘Disney girl gone bad’ controversy will result in over 7,500,000 copies being sold. Less than the OTL La Toya Jackson cover, but still big.

[12] – Basically a version, though not 100% identical, of the OTL song, but sung by Lara/Lora and featuring in the credits of the movie rather than during it.

[13] – Collins was still married to Jill Tavelman in OTL 1990, whom he married in 1984 and would not divorce until 1996. ITTL however, Tavelman is killed in a car accident in 1988 due to butterflies, leaving Collins single in ITTL 1990.

[14] – The remaining members of Sunset Strip would come together for a reunion tour in ITTL 2004, touring together one and off for five years until Natalie Newman’s death in 2009 at age 53, a few months after the members of Sunset Strip were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. With Lora’s own death in 2011 (I've giving her the same death date as OTL, since I don't know what her OTL cause of death was), any chance of the group reuniting again afterwards in ITTL was closed.

[15] – In OTL, the film received negative reviews and flopped at the box office, though became a cult classic and helped further launch the careers of a number of its actors/actresses, such as Liv Tyler. ITTL, the reviews are slightly better and is not an outright flop, although it is not a major success either. Nonetheless, it manages to still help launch Liv Tyler and a number of other careers, while still becoming a cult classic. Lora’s musical contribution overall is however of slightly positive note and is what is often most remembered about the film ITTL and likely played a role in its bigger success ITTL compared to the flop it was in OTL.

----

And yeah, that is a wrap. Really hoping the dialogue here wasn't too stiff and awkward, since that's my weakest point in writing, due to being an area of writing where I've simply had the least experience in writing.

Anyways, as for the fate of the rest of the band members and Lora/Lara's children, I do hope to perhaps explore that one day, but that's for another time.
 
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Good interview there.

Good luck to Lara Whitehall with her kids and career- glad you kept this warts and all.

Seems highly unlikely there will be a Led Zeppelin reunion ITTL then!
 
OK, announcing my first Guest Writer Challenge: Shrek the Animated Series. 1995-??

@TheKennedyMachine. was kind enough ( :winkytongue: ) to remind us why my take on Shrek was mediocre and dull, but I had vague plans for a Shrek series and I recall some of you (@Nathanoraptor perhaps?) discussing just such an idea a while back. Well, here's your chance to give us the Disney/Amblin Shrek the Series that you envisioned.

Seriously, I'm curious to see your ideas. Just please don't rehash OTL Shrek with a new coat of paint or find/replace Eisner for Henson or Miller, give us something truly unique and interesting.

Any takers?
 
But only if there was a bit before the action began that stated in legalese that Lupin was based on a character created by LeBlanc.
Why legalese instead of just an "inspired by" or "based on"

Could better relations with the estate mean anything for the future, maybe do something with the original Lupin?
 
Why legalese instead of just an "inspired by" or "based on"

Could better relations with the estate mean anything for the future, maybe do something with the original Lupin?
Presumingly so that they could use the name.

When dealing with overzealous right holders it's better to not test their patience even if you are technically correct.
 

Deleted member 165942

Case in Point: The Conan Doyle Estate, everyone who uses Sherlock Holmes are being really careful to not test their patience even though it's only just the last few stories that aren't in public domain. And trust me those can be a pain to deal with because from what I've heard the Great Ace Attorney was prevented from getting an English release because the Conan Doyle Estate was reasoning that because the Sherlock Holmes of that game reference parts of the stories that still belongs to them, they still control over the game (of course the solution was using LeBlanc's name for Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, Herlock Sholmes and John Wilson).
 
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