The Top 20 Behind-The-Scenes Scandals Of Television

[JamesG]

Before YouTube, camera phones and celebreality-TV, the best Hollywood catfights, feuds and fracases happened behind the scenes. Some of the most salacious scandals were never caught on camera, but their fallout is the stuff of legend. We dig deep -- from before the advent of the Internet and since -- to name our picks for TV's top 20 off-screen scandals of all time. -- By Marilyn Beck, Stacy Jenel Smith, Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster




20. Shannon Doherty Is Fired, Then Quits

The Beverly Hills, 90210 cast and crew were ready to move to a new ZIP code before Doherty's co-star conflicts and perpetual lateness reportedly prompted her firing in 1994. Four years later, she played a witch both on screen and off in Charmed, eventually quitting the show due to an alleged feud with co-star Alyssa Milano.




19. Bob Barker Faces Harrassment Charges

When Barker's Beauty Dian Parkinson filed an $8 million sexual harassment suit against the Price Is Right host in 1993, it turned a family-friendly game show into a steamy behind-the-scenes soap. Although she ultimately dropped her lawsuit, others followed as various employees alleged a variety of grievances. Barker went on to host the popular show till his '07 retirement.




18. Delta Burke vs. Designing Women

The backstage feud between Designing Women star Burke and the show's producers went public after the actress vented to Barbara Walters on camera, claiming that producer Harry Thomason "screamed and yelled" and "threw things." Burke was voted off the show in '91 via an on-the-set poll of castmates and crew.




17. Jessica Biel's Racy Photo Spread

Fans of 7th Heaven prayed for her soul -- and for the show to continue -- after 17-year-old Biel posed for racy photos in Gear magazine in the hope of getting out of her contract. Although she achieved her goal in 2000, she soon expressed regret and returned to the flock for the WB show's next season.




16. Brett Butler Mistreats Cast And Crew

Butler's tyranny included verbal abuse and sexual harassment, according to creator-producer Chuck Lorre's suit over the sitcom's profits. The Grace Under Fire star's legendary nastiness led staff to dub the series "the gulag." Butler eventually admitted to a painkiller addiction and tried rehab, but the network put the Fire out in 1998 anyway.




15. Miley Cyrus' Inappropriate Photos x2

Teen celeb Cyrus was not smiley when racy web pics surfaced in 2007. No sooner had the Disney star smoothed over that little indiscretion when new trouble brewed via a provocative '08 Annie Leibowitz Vanity Fair photo shoot featuring Cyrus bare-backed in bed. She apologized AGAIN and pleaded youthful naiveté, and the fans forgave her AGAIN.




14. Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis' Backstage Squabbles

The only "did they or didn't they?" behind the scenes of Moonlighting(1985-'89) would've been: Did Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis come to blows? They didn't, but he's on record saying there were days he didn't want to speak to her, and she says she went into therapy because of the show. But their on-screen sizzle was awesome, wasn't it?




13. Burt Reynolds Melts Down

1994 was a bad year for Burt: As the details of his acrimonious divorce from Loni Anderson were rehashed in the press, stress took its toll on the set of his hit sitcom Evening Shade, with Reynolds reportedly throwing megaton tantrums. Worse, the tabloid tales turned viewers off, and the series was canceled that same year.




12. Paris Hilton Sex Tape and Jail

Hilton "treated" everyone with an Internet connection to One Night in Paris, a sex tape of her and ex Rick Salomon that surfaced in 2003. Four years later, the celebutante cemented her place in the Hall of Lame with a 45-day jail sentence following DUI and multiple traffic violations.




11. Desperate Housewives Stars In Power Struggle

Tales of Desperate Housewives tiffs include salary squabbles, Eva Longoria's Emmy envy, Teri Hatcher hatred, and reports of Marcia Cross storming off the set because she didn't get first choice of wardrobe for the cast's Vanity Fair cover and Hatcher demanding up-front placement at that same shoot. These gals aren't desperate; they're divas.




10. Roseanne Barr Mangles National Anthem

America wanted Barr thrown out of the ballgame in 1990 after her ear-piercing rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner, which culminated in her spitting and grabbing her crotch. Unapologetic to the end, the outrageous sitcom star satirized the incident on both her show and Saturday Night Live.




9. Valerie Harper Loses Sitcom Amidst Legal Battle

Harper, beloved to TV fans as Rhoda Morganstern, was apparently not so lovable on her eponymous 1986 sitcom, Valerie. She and producers engaged in legal battle, alleging "hysteria," "combativeness," "paranoia," "conspiracy" -- among other things. End result: Her character was killed off, and the show continued as The Hogan Family.




8. Pat O' Brien's Lewd Voicemail Leaked

"I just want to make you @#!* crazy ... let's just @#!* have sex and fun and drugs and go crazy!" Not dialogue in a soft-core video, but actual voicemail left by Access Hollywood and The Insider anchor O'Brien in '05. The sound bites became fuel for late-night comics and Howard Stern, and prompted O'Brien to go into rehab.




7. Paula Abdul In Alleged Idol Affair

Abdul insisted season 2 contestant Corey Clark wasn't being 'Straight Up' when he alleged in 2005 she had not only coached him, but had an affair with him. The American Idol judge denied everything and insufficient evidence was found to support his claims that she was Fox's hound.




6. 21: The Fix Is In

Immortalized in Robert Redford's 1994 Oscar-nominated pic Quiz Show, the 1958 rigging of the immensely popular series 21 scandalized the nation (which was a lot less cynical back in the '50s) and resulted in a federal law prohibiting the fixing of TV game shows.




5. Suzanne Somers Storms Out Of Three's Company

Behind-the-scenes tales from the Three's Company (1977-'84) set were so dishy a TV-movie was made about them. Somers walked out over outrageous salary demands in '81, subsequently "phoning in" her lines (literally). Chrissie Snow, demanding and difficult -- who knew?




4. Vanessa Hudgen's Naked Pics Online

Hudgens' image went from sweet to scandalous when nude photos of her popped up on the Internet in 2007. The High School Musical cutie apologized for the pics, which had been "taken in private and were never meant for public view," and Disney backed its star -- her High School career continued.




3. Sonny and Cher Split

Sonny and Cher's 1970s variety show stopped taping midseason due to their rancorous marital split. When they tried a comeback show later as a divorced couple, their sniping cracks were a little too real for viewers -- especially with Cher pregnant by estranged rebound husband Gregg Allman.




2. Pam and Tommy Lee Get Intimate For Millions

A stolen video of a honeymooning Anderson and Lee surfaced on the Internet, leaving nothing to the imagination as the pair indulged in various sexual acrobatics. Although the video hadn't been meant for public consumption, the couple did profit by winning $1.5 mil from the company that distributed it. And so began the digital age of celeb sex tapes.




1. Isaiah Washington: Gay Slur Redux

A scuffle between Grey's Anatomy cast members Patrick Dempsey and Washington after the latter used a homophobic word was nothing compared to the massive public outcry that followed. Washington apologized -- then fanned the flames by repeating the slur at the Golden Globes. The next "f" word Washington heard? Fired.


http://television.aol.com/insidetv/2...s-tv-scandals/

[McGillicuddy]

What? no Farrah Fawcett Majors breaking her contract and quitting Charlie's Angels after its first season?