New Rita scans
July 25, 2004

Here are two new scans of Rita at the "Me, Myself & Irene" movie premiere in 2000:



She was quite stunning and looked very beautiful.

*Note: the Gallery should be back up within the next week and will feature all scans of Rita.

'Spider-Man' promo
June 28, 2004

Good news! Rita reports that she has done acting work on a "Spider-Man" promotional campaign! Here's the scoop from Rita herself:

"I'm happy to report that the week prior I actually had an acting gig! I played a news anchor for a Spiderman promotional campaign - and wouldn't you know - it's going to air every where internationally - just not the U.S. I'm just really happy to have gotten back in the saddle again. It was so much fun, a little comedy bit where I interview the editor of the Daily Bugle who is sarcastic and nasty. And thank God, the director said he was really happy with my work." - Rita

It's too bad it's not airing here, but it's really great to see Rita getting some acting work.

If you didn't already know, "Spider-Man 2" opens in theaters on Wednesday, June 30th.

'Fit To Defend' DVD
February 16, 2004

Rita has just finished her self-defense and fitness DVD project called "Fit To Defend." This four-hour 2 disc DVD set shows Rita learning various self-defense techniques from two of the best martial arts experts. Information on where to get these DVDs will be forthcoming. For now you can check out some video caps below from the DVD, and you can also check the Media page for more vidcaps and info. Some short video clips from it will be coming soon.

Rita fan having some fun
December 11, 2003

A fan of Rita has made some spoof images of Rita appearing in Star Wars and a James Bond movie. There's also an animated GIF image that shows Rita in a robot suit welcoming everyone to the site. Thanks go out to Mike W. for providing these images:

Star Wars

James Bond

Robot Rita

Rita on DVD
Monday, November 17, 2003

Rita will be appearing in a new martial arts self-defense DVD soon. Titled "Fit To Defend," Rita will be hosting and also participating on this DVD as she demonstrates how to defend yourself in case of being attacked. Keep tuned to the site as more information becomes available. Look for it on DVD in December.

It's been awhile
Friday, May 16, 2003

It seems like forever, doesn't it? I got the chance once again to talk with Rita last night and she let me know what's been going on in her life as of late. Rita informed me that she has been spending a lot of her time these days with her family. She got two new dogs last fall and she named them "Oscar" and "Sam." They're Bernese Mountain dogs, and she said they can get up to 110 lbs. Right now they're just puppies.

Rita mentioned that she's working on a martial arts DVD/tape, which is some kind of instructional training program. She told me she has taken classes but is not a black belt yet.

As for Rita's future, she remains positive about getting a job soon. As she has mentioned before, there is a pilot in the works for a TV show and we'll have to wait until fall to see if it gets picked up.

I asked Rita if she has seen any movies lately and she said she has watched "Catch Me If You Can," "Sweet Home Alabama," "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," and most recently "Blade Runner" (one I recommended to her). Of those movies she said she liked "Catch Me If You Can" and really enjoyed "Blade Runner."

Rita did mention that she will be sending me some more photos and some video tapes from "Friday Night." The "Friday Night" tapes are from the '96 and '97 seasons. I asked her if she had any current photos and she said she didn't. She hopes to have some new head shots once she gets back on TV.

Doggie Tales
Monday, September 16. 2002

So, what has Rita been up to lately? Well, her dogs have kept her very busy this summer...

As you may know, Rita owns a couple of dogs. Well, her dog, Herman, got really sick recently and died. :( Rita told me that he had bone cancer. She had been busy trying to nurse him back to health but it was just too late.

Her other dog, Lilly, got in a fight with two other dogs last week. Rita e-mailed me and gave me the scoop:

"...but Tuesday night while I was walking my other dog (she's kind of little, 35 lbs.) two big dogs on the loose attacked her, and while I tried to fight them off by kicking them etc . . . my dog got out of her collar, ran down the street and was chased by these other meanies for a good mile, got chewed up a bit on her backside, until some kids playing street hockey were able to shoo her attackers off with their sticks." - Rita

Job hunt continues for Rita
Wednesday, June 26, 2002

Rita recently e-mailed me to inform everyone that she has been auditioning for Fox Sports among other places. She also noted that she's been pitching her own projects, which is keeping her very busy on the job hunt. Good luck, Rita!

Rita currently taking acting classes
Thursday, April 25, 2002

I received an e-mail from Rita yesterday and she mentioned that she's currently doing "lots of acting class work."  She didn't go into any details on it, but it's good to know that she's doing something that she likes and that she's remaining very positive about it.  Now, with that said, I have no doubt she will be back on TV or on the big screen. Rita mentioned that she was willing to do a live chat sometime in the near future, so, if I hear anything more on that I'll be sure to post it on the front page of the site.

News and information on Rita
Wednesday, November 7, 2001

I recently spoke with Rita over the telephone and found out what she's been up to since the cancellation of NBC's "Friday Night." Before I go on any further, I would like to mention that Rita and I talked for almost an hour and it was really great getting to speak to her again. Rita is so easy to talk to and is very down to earth. She's also very perceptive and understands where you're coming from. We talked about a variety of things, including the web site, favorite movies, our careers, etc. I'm really glad she called because I was beginning to worry about the future of the web site--but, more importantly, her career. Well, enough of my babbling...

Now, I first asked her some questions on what she has been doing since "Friday Night," and I mentioned the "Extra" gig, in which she told me that the producer of the show was looking for someone with a more "serious" reporting tone (these weren't Rita's exact words, but it was something to that effect). I also asked her if she dyed her hair blonde for that gig and she said she did (she looked awesome). This was good to hear because it at least means that she's in demand and has the opportunity to get more noticed by TV viewers. From that point of the conversation she told me that she was actually more interested in doing movies instead of TV. She hinted on something that was possibly in the works for her but couldn't tell me anything more than that. I guess we will just have to wait to see what happens.

I had a list of personal questions for Rita that had been laying around since last December, and I fired off a few of them for her to answer. Some of the questions were from other fans that had wanted the information while others were my own. I first asked her about where she went to college and what she studied in. Some of you may already know that Rita went to San Jose State University, which is located in the San Francisco Bay area. Rita said she went there originally to study in aeronautics and said she wanted to become an airline pilot (cool). She eventually decided to take another route and took their Radio/Television/Drama course, where she spent 3 1/2 years learning all the ropes of the business. From there she landed a job NBC. She mentioned that a producer had spotted her at the college and offered her a job at NBC. Rita wound up doing a lot of behind the scenes work at NBC before landing the hosting gig on "Friday Night." Most of you are probably aware that she was a page at NBC and also a talent producer for "Friday Night." The rest is history, of course.

Here's a list of things you may or may not know about Rita: