I don't know if anyone saw this, but there was a Family Ties segment on Entertainment Tonight this weekend. They talked about MJF - his Parkinson's disease and meeting and marrying Tracy Pollan. They talked about how NBC originally wanted the show to find a new Alex. They also showed an old interview of Justine Bateman talking about how she was perfect for the part of Mallory because she didn't know much about TV and didn't know what a pilot was. Meredith Baxter in an old interview talked about how FT was a good place to go to get away from troubles at home. They had some old interviews with Tina Yothers and Michael Gross as well.

Here's what ET has on their website:
FAMILY TIES" - As one of the decade's most successful sitcoms, "Family Ties" also helped launch the career of MICHAEL J. FOX. He would go on to star in movies and another sitcom, but then in 1998 he shocked the nation with the news that he was suffering from Parkinson's Disease. We go the to the vault for some old interviews with cast members and inlcude the latest on Michael's condition.

Originally posted by Jen1989
That's cool. Thanks for sharing. I'm sorry I missed that. It sounds interesting. Sounds kind of like the ET special, "The Real Family Ties".

When was that?

I saw the segment tonight at 11PM(Central Time) Here's the transcript if anyone missed it. I typed it, so I hope there aren't any typos.

Transcript:
Narrator: The Reagan's invited Michael J. Fox to a dinner at the White House in 1985.
Michael J. Fox: I think it may have had something to do with Alex P. Keaton being the world's biggest Ronald Reagan fan.
Narrator: In fact, the Reagan's weren't the only ones to take notice of Michael or of Family Ties, and a few years back, he and wife Tracy Pollan invited me into their New York home to reminise about the show. Michael revealed that he couldn't have landed the part at a more crucial time.
MJF: By the time I got Family Ties, it was really it. It was the end of the line for me. I owed taxes. I owed months of back rent. I had no phone. I had no furniture. I had a section of my couch that I was selling. They were taking it section by section to another actor that lived in my apartment. I was down to the last section.
Narrator: Originally, Matthew Broderick was wanted for the role, but he didn't want to leave New York. But, creator Gary David Goldberg found Michael he knew he had his Alex.
Gary David Goldberg: NBC said we are picking up a show we love we just have one note. We want to replace Michael Fox.
MJF: They didn't like me. They didn't like me at all.
Gary David Goldberg: They said replace him and I said no this is the guy, and then they said ok, if you really feel that strong about it, lets go with him.
MJF: After the fact, Gary told me this thing was going on, I'm glad I didn't know, because it would have shattered this confidence that was building that allowed me to do the work that I was doing.
Narrator: The concept was unique. Two parents, both former sixties flower children, raising 1980's children, who can't fathom their parent's liberal views. New York stage actor Michael Gross had never done a tv series when cast as the idealistic father.
Michael Gross: They were a week away from filming their pilot, and they had nobody. The producer Gary Goldberg used to tell me that it was his daughter that picked me out. He had some of these audition tapes he took home with him and his daughter just sort of perked up when I came on the screen and went, oh I like that one.
Narrator: Meredith Baxter had already achieved fame on the show Family, and was the first actor cast for the show. But, away from the set, her own family ties were falling apart. Her fifteen year marriage to actor David Birney was heading toward divorce, and her busy sitcom schedule eased the pain.
Meredith Baxter: It was a Godsend. It was a place to be. God I'm going to cry. It was a place I could come where I knew I could be whole. Because when I left there, I didn't know. Everything was so shaky. So it was a wonderful boost.
Narrator: Justine Bateman had practically no acting experience when cast as the dim-witted Mallory.
Justine Bateman: I was in this business four months and I had two commericals and the pilot for Family Ties, very lucky I know. But, the funny thing is I knew nothing about the business. I didn't know what a pilot was, so I suppose when I walked in they were looking for Mallory, couldn't find her, I didn't know what a pilot was, I was Mallory, because I didn't know what I was doing.
Narrator: But, Tina Yothers, who today, barely resembles what she looked like as a child, was just eight years old when she was cast as Jennifer.
Tina Yothers: The very first day of work, I had the stomach flu, and I was constantly throwing up, and I thought that if they found out that I was going to be fired, so I would like run to the bathroom every five minutes, in complete terror and fright that I was going to be fired from this job.
Narrator: Guest stars on the show ranged from Courteney Cox, to Tom Hanks, to Geena Davis. But the most pivitol piece of casting came when Tracy Pollan signed up to do two episodes as Michael's girlfriend.
Narrator: Were there feelings there?
Tracy Pollan: Probably now, looking back there were. You know what I mean? But, it wasn't anything acted upon or spoken about or even
Narrator: Right
Tracy Pollan: you know sort of
Narrator: Wow
Tracy Pollan: acknowledged
Narrator: It wasn't acknowledged because at the time Tracy was living at the time with boyfriend Kevin Bacon in a two bedroom apartment in New York and would even fly home to him the second filming shut down. Michael was dating Nancy McKeon.
MJF: Tracy was in a serious relationship, I was in a kwazy serious relationship, and I was also completely out of my mind. You know, I was a busy boy honestly.
Tracy Pollan: He just sort of you know
MJF: I was twenty five years old and I had like a number one movie, a number two movie in the country and a number two television show and a Ferrari, and an apartment. I had no time to be involved in anything it was crazy.
Narrator: After a fourteen month courtship, the former co-stars wed on July 16, 1988. Children followed and life was good for the couple until the day Michael received some life changing news from his doctor. He recalled the moment when he addressed the graduating class of the UCLA school of medicine.
MJF: The air was stuck in my lungs, my left arm shook clear over my shoulder. My only clear memory was of why the hell are you doing this to me? What was happening, what was I going to tell my wife?
Narrator: While Michael's condition was only known to a very few. He signed on to do Spin City with old friend Gary David Goldberg.
Gary David Goldberg: I was aware for quite awhile and certainly and completely aware before we started Spin City.
Narrator: In 1998, two years into the show, Michael went public with his condition, and in early 2000 he left the sitcom. But, it's what he's done since that's been the real measure of the man.
MJF: I can expect in my forties to face challenges that most won't expect until their seventies or eighties if ever.
Narrator: Michael has become an outspoken activist for Parkinson's research, and in 2001 shared his experiences on Capitol Hill.
MJF: Too little medicine causes tremors and stiffness, and too much medicine produces uncontrollable movement and slurring.
Narrator: That same year Michael spoke with Mary Heart.
Mary Heart: Do you look toward the future with any trepadation?
MJF: No, no. When I look toward the future, I look at the future with excitement and a lot of great things are happening. Once you get to the fact that you continue to breath on a regular pattern, beyond that, it's great. I've been, very, very fortunate. You know as long as you are utilizing and learning from life, and you're enjoying life, and even during the challenges, but just focus on what you can handle what you love you know, focus on what you know and focus on what's good in your life, and there is so much and so many that I love and so much that's good in my life, and I'm still having a great ride.

Thanks for the transcript!