The McDreamy Post-It Wedding -- if only life could be so simple.

I think a lot more women could get their men to agree to some sort of commitment if they proposed to write vows on Post-It notes and you're done. It would be a heck of a lot cheaper too and a lot less divorces.

At least that's how it was done on T.V.s Grey's Anatomy.

The season premiere proved Patrick Dempsey, aka Dr. Derek Shepherd "McDreamy," right when he said during an interview in July for the Daytona Beach News-Journal that his character's vows to Meredith Grey on Post-It notes was their wedding.

He said it was unlikely viewers would see a traditional-style wedding this season.That was made clear Thursday night. Besides an emotional-packed two-hour premiere where character Dr. George O'Malley played by T.R. Knight died, viewers heard Shepherd and Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo, are so-called hitched.

Shepherd says on the show, "We're married now" as others questioned whether the Post-It was "for real." He even tells one of the characters who had an actual wedding basically not to "judge my Post-It."

Some female fans, at least, may be disappointed not to be able to see McDreamy in a tuxedo saying those vows. We'll see if things change and just how much adhesive is on those Post-Its to keep the "marriage" intact throughout the season.

         Josh and Reva together again.
          The power couple from Guiding Light drove off together to live happily ever after as the light went off on the 72-year-old longest running television drama.
          The show on CBS ended Friday for good with writers trying to wrap up all the loose ends in one hour, including a look ahead a year. Couples got back together. There were weddings, hugs and kisses and kids went off to college. Josh Lewis and Reva Shayne O'Neill, played by Robert Newman and Kim Zimmer, got back together after being married several times.

          Josh told Reva he loved her -- "always have, always will." "Every part of me is designed to be with you," he told her.
          He asked her to meet him in one year at the lighthouse when they both are more ready to be together. Viewers later are fast forwarded to the following year and she shows up with her son at the lighthouse and they are reunited.
         "If you still want to be together, then I'm in," Reva tells him.
         Later other couples are also together at a ball field playing with their children and kissing one another to the song, "Together" by Michelle Branch which includes saying "we belong together."
        "I had tears in my eyes," said Anne Sihler, 66, of Port Orange, who has watched the show since she was little. "Everybody came back at the end of the show."
        Jerry Conley, 52, who watched the show with his wife, Penny, in Port Orange,and watched it as a tribute to his late mother, who loved the show, said "it was a heck of a show."
       "They made it so you feel good that they are going to have good lives," Conley said about the characters. "
        But others weren't too happy with the ending saying writers left unanswered questions, including what happened with Reva's husband, Jeffrey, whom she thought was dead but viewers knew was alive.
       Ruth Bennett, of Ormond Beach, who would only say she's a senior citizen, said she called CBS and complained Friday about how the show ended.
       "I was very disappointed," Bennett said. "They should have done it a different way."
       While Virginia Belmont, 92, of Daytona Beach, a long-time fan, said she liked that Reva and Josh got back together, she thought everything was rushed together in the finale.
       "I guess they had no other way to do it," Belmont said. "It really wasn't realistic how they brought it together."

They did it. They sucked me in. The makers of the new "Melrose Place," which premiered Tuesday night, got my attention. Yes you heard me right -- "Melrose Place," the show from the 90s, made a comeback on The CW, which has also been showing a new "90210" last season.

I resisted getting reeled into that one again after being a fan of the original show, but the previews for Melrose and at least two main characters coming back intrigued me. I've been skeptical with remakes which seem to be spurring up; even my favorite old television show "Fame" is coming out this month on the big screen.

But the producers of "Melrose Place" had me simultaneously on the edge of my seat and ready to sign off completely when less than 10 minutes into the show they killed off Sydney, played by Laura Leighton. She's one of the original bad girls who brought a spark to the old show and, despite her dark side, somehow made viewers sympathize with her at times. It was a bold move, killing her off even though throughout the show she was in scenes where characters or possible murder suspects were thinking back about their last interactions with her.

But the show kept me wondering, "Who did it?" as I learned about all the new residents of Melrose Place and Dr. Michael Mancini, who was in the show in the 90s and is still played by Thomas Calabro, also a suspect, who back in the old show was married to Sydney's sister and then had a relationship with Sydney herself. Now she was sleeping with him and his son while he was married again. The scenes and sounds were similar, straight down to the screaming tenant finding Sydney's body in the pool surrounded by blood. I recall similar injuries in the pool in the old show.

The old show was known for its action, such as explosions, deaths, betrayal, cheating couples and of course, fighting, including women slapping each other. The new Melrose packed in just as much in the first show -- murder, sex, marriage proposal, cheating movie mogul making out with his daughter's best friend and bribery.

About half way into the show, I decided I was seriously liking it despite my resistance to getting hooked on something else on top of several daytime soaps and prime time shows coming back such as "Grey's Anatomy" premiering Sept. 24 and "Private Practice" premiering Oct. 1 on ABC.

Commercials in between showed actors at the premiere party and gave a glimpse into some others from the old show that will be returning, including Josie Bissett who played Jane, Sydney's sister. We'll see if big names return like Heather Locklear and Jack Wagner, who is on "The Bold and the Beautiful" and who I used to watch on General Hospital and saw live in concert in Orlando in the late 80s. (He also sings.) To me that would bring back skeptical former fans. Another former day time star, Erica Kane's son from All My Children, actor Colin Egglesfield, plays a chef on the show and could possibly be a murder suspect. The cast also includes actress/singer Ashlee Simpson-Wentz.

As the saying goes, you can't get too much of a good thing. We'll see if that holds true for the new Melrose Place. So far, so good. But lets see how long they can keep up the momentum.

Don't be surprised if you're at a Mainland High School basketball game and you see Orlando Magic player Vince Carter in the bleachers.

Carter, a Mainland High graduate and player, said at a press conference Monday that now that he's back in Orlando he plans to attend as many games as he can.

He said he's never seen a game in the Vince Carter Athletic Center that bears his name though he's held summer basketball camps there.

But since being traded to the Magic in June from the New Jersey Nets, he said, "I'll get to be here more and pop up."

He'll be popping up at his new restaurant opening in January on LPGA and I-95 and at the Vince Carter Sanctuary, a substance abuse treatment center in Bunnell, which donations from him and his mother helped build and was dedicated Monday.

"Just to be around the sanctuary and the high school, things I touched and had my hand in -- I'm excited about that," Carter said.

He also said he has a couple of other projects "in the works" that will help people, but he's not ready to reveal them at this time. He said his mind is always thinking of new ideas.

He encourages other people, young and old, to get involved and give to the community no matter if it's just $1.

"It doesn't really matter the amount. It's all in your heart," he said. "Each dollar helps."

Grey's Anatomy fans hoping to see Derek and Meredith actually walk down the aisle, may be out of luck. That's what actor Patrick Dempsey, aka "Dr. McDreamy" said during an interview while in Daytona Beach to compete in a Grand-Am Rolex Sports Series race.

Technically and to the head writer it is clear that they're already married, Dempsey said. Since the characters signed a paper with some vows written on it committing to one another in the last season, the head writer considers "that was their marriage," he said.

"I think that is the wedding," he said referring to the signed paper. "They are married (though) I think a lot of people don't think they are."

He said there likely won't be a lot of back and forth about that in the upcoming season and Derek and Meredith will just go about their lives together and their careers.

The interview was one of three with celebrities within three days - Dempsey; NBA star Vince Carter; and 2009 Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth. - I think I'm on celebrity overload.

That's on top of seeing and taking photos of NASCAR legend Richard Petty.

 

Dempsey whisked into The Shores Resort and Spa Friday night for a party with one of his sponsors - El Grado Spirits of Texas and their new product, El Grado Tequila. Dempsey, 43, owner of Dempsey Racing, was here to race in the Brumos Porsche 500.

People of all ages, including children and teens, snapped photos with cameras and cell phones and posed with him for photos as he also signed autographs. Guests from the hotel were invited to the party along with sponsor and team officials.

It was similar to a scene earlier in the day where Kenseth was swarmed by fans outside the Daytona 500 Experience as he left a question and answer session. He could barely move as fans tried getting photos and autographs, including one man who got his right arm signed.

At Friday's party, Dempsey also talked about racing and how he and his team, including fellow driver Joe Foster, are gaining more credibility after landing five top 10 finishes in a row this year. He's also thinks the credibility is evident by more men coming to watch the races instead of just coming because their girlfriends told them too.

Foster said Dempsey is also getting better as a driver and others are starting to take him more seriously. But he said the team does have to work around Dempsey's schedule. "We can't mess with his day job," Foster said.

To read more about the El Grado party, go to Daytona Beach News-Journal story.

This is the month of Vince Carter and "a dream come true" Carter says about being traded to the Orlando Magic.
 

The NBA star and Mainland High grad was not only recently in the news for announcing his trade to the Orlando Magic, but he'll be honored Wednesday, July 1, by the Stewart-Marchman-Act Foundation for his contributions in the community, including giving $1 million toward the new Vince Carter Sanctuary substance abuse treatment center opening soon in Bunnell. He also will will serve as the honorary Pace Car driver for the 51st annual Coke Zero 400 Powered Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on Saturday.

I talked to him this week and here is what he said about being honored and going to the magic.

He said "it's amazing" to be honored though he added he gives back because he wants to and not for the recognition.He said enjoys "helping people have a better life."

"If I can do that through the opportunities I've been given, I'm going to try to do so," Carter said  .

As far as the Magic, he grew up watching the team and always hoped one day he'd be wearing the jersey.

"This is big," Carter said in a phone interview Monday. "It's a dream come true. It was a wonderful opportunity."

Carter, 32, was acquired by the Magic last week from the New Jersey Nets. He said he was a big fan growing up and is good friends with Nick Anderson and Dwight Howard and would watch Shaquille O'Neal, Magic General Manager Otis Smith, when he played on the team, and Penny Hardaway.  

Carter was doing a basketball camp for high school kids for Nike when he got the call.

"I got that call and it was so surreal. I couldn't believe it," he said. "I'm excited. I'm thrilled. I always said if the opportunity presented itself, it would be great to play at home. I knew nothing about the possibility. I was surprised and shocked like everybody else."

Playing at home and now playing for a "very good basketball team" that played in the playoffs, is an added bonus, he said. He thinks Orlando has the opportunity to play in the championships again.

He's already here in Orlando and his work will start next week. He plans to watch Ryan Anderson play in the summer league next week and will begin meeting with the coaching staff and Smith. He plans to start working out with the other players in August.

He said it will be nice to be in the area year-round to work more on his Embassy of Hope Foundation, a new restaurant on LPGA Boulevard and the Vince Carter Sanctuary.
His mom, Michelle Carter-Scott, who also donated to the Vince Carter Sanctuary and has a building on the site in her name, said "it's great he's going to be right down the street (playing with the Magic.) I won't have to fly to so many games."  

She also recalled the end of his junior year in high school how he was in a dunk contest at the Orlando Magic half-time show. She said they choose the "best dunker" from Seminole, Orange and Volusia counties and "Vince won it in a landslide."

Even the guards at the White House want to know.

Popular soap star, Victoria Rowell, known best for her former role as Drucilla Winters, on the CBS soap, "The Young and the Restless", can't escape the questions -- Will she be returning to the daytime show? She hints that it's possible...

I caught up with Rowell in Washington, D.C. It seems celebrities keep falling in my lap. She was one of the speakers at a round-table seminar I attended last week about foster care.

Rowell, who grew up in foster care in Maine, has been the national spokesperson for 10 years for Casey Family Services, one of the sponsors of the seminar.  
    
She spoke with other former foster youth about some of her experiences, which are also highlighted in her book, "The Women Who Raised Me," based on a tribute to her foster mothers, teachers and other women who helped shape her life.  She announced HBO has decided to make a series inspired by her book and she will be a co-executive producer.
      
But what about returning to Y&R? She told me after the conference that  the White House guards asked her the same question. She said that no matter where she is or if she is speaking about something as serious as foster care, people still want to know whether she will return.

She told me she is open to it and has said that publicly for some time.

"Never say never," she said she tells her fans. 

She joked that any day a rope could be thrown over the cliff and Drucilla could be hoisted up. Her character accidentally fell off a cliff and is presumed dead though the body was not found.

"We'll see what happens," she said though adding she "can't say at this moment" whether CBS has asked her to come back. CBS officials also would not comment.

She said the network has been inundated with pressure from fans for a return. Rowell first joined the cast in 1991.

She said Drucilla is an integral part of the show and the character's name has been brought up lately in storylines.

Rowell said she's had more coverage in the past two years on the cover of soap magazines than she had the entire time on the show with the perpetual speculation about whether she will return.

She said she's busy right now and has been on the road with her writing and a speaking tour the past two years, that has taken her to India. She's also written a children's book and will have a new book out in June 2010 called "Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva."

"It's been an amazing journey," she said. "A lot of writing. I love it."

Her passion for foster care issues is evident. During the seminar that focused on new legislation that passed at the end of last year to improve conditions for foster children and programs for families, she posed for photos with former foster youth. She also went around the table summarizing what she learned from each of them and making sure to thank them for sharing their stories and praising them for their accomplishments.

Rowell, who spent 18 years in foster care after she and her siblings were removed from her mother soon after she was born, sympathized that "it is very emotional when we share our stories." She also related to one of the youth who spoke about how difficult it is to accept love. But she said "love can be had" adding she is getting married and she's almost 50 years old. She also told the youth "some of us aren't meant to be loved by one mother, but many."

Rowell, who has played in big screen movies, spent eight seasons as a medical examiner on "Diagnosis Murder" with Dick Van Dyke and was an accomplished ballet dancer. She encourages foster children to value the struggles they go through adding it will be "the cornerstone of their strength" and "they will see that as they get older."

Unfortunately, she said, the bar is so low when it comes to the perception of how successful a former foster youth can be. She said foster youth should "persevere and be diligent" to reach their goals. One of her foster mothers taught her "all children are teachable and lovable."

In 1990, she also founded the Rowell Foster Children's Positive Plan, which helps foster children with arts, athletics and job opportunities.

UPDATE:

I received an email from Rowell's personal assistant. Rowell got married on June 27 to Radcliffe Bailey, a mixed-media artist in Atlanta. The audience included many of the women who raised her and are featured in her book. Her assistant also said she is on track to have her next book out in June next year, "Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva."

   

 

 A Holly Hill 19-year-old wooed casting directors with his personality and "Florida look" and will appear as an extra on the CBS daytime soap opera,  "Guiding Light."
 Chris Via is in background scenes in the Wednesday show that airs on Channel 6 at 9 a.m. with two of the main characters, Bill and Lizzie, played by Daniel Cosgrove and Marcy Rylan.  

       The episode was filmed at Universal Studios in Orlando. Via and 19 others were picked as extras at an open casting call last month out of 350 people, according to Alan Locher, show publicist. Via's blond-hair, surfer-type, Florida look stood out, Locher said.
 For Via, son of Holly Hill mayor, Roland Via, he said the best part was that his mom, Julie, has been a big fan since she was in high school.   "It was cool to get to see her come on set. When we were in the make-up room, she got to talk to all the stars," said Via, who is a singer and has acted in short films and a television pilot, SunSet Valley, expected to come out this summer. 
 Julie Via, 49, said "it was one of the best experiences of my life." She met eight of the actors, including some she had been watching for more than 10 years. She can't wait to see her son actually on the television. A teacher at Osceola Elementary in Ormond Beach, she said she may have to take a break from her classroom on Wednesday to see her son on television. She's not sure she can wait to watch the taped version when she gets home. 

She said the actors were "so personable and so outgoing and so nice." "I was just in my glory," she said.
 "Guiding Light" recently announced it would be going off the air in September, but Locher said the show is trying to find another "home" or network.  "There is hope it will live on," Locher said. 
  In Wednesday's show, Chris Via has a pretend girlfriend in the scene, which involves Bill and Lizzie getting back together. 
 "It was awesome. It was such a fun learning experience and cool to be around such amazing actors," Via said.
 He's currently working on two other feature films, called Explanation and Off the Hook. 
 His passion though is singing. He's been singing "my whole life" and writing lyrics since he was 8. He also recently finished a pop-rock CD and will perform at the Florida Music Festival in Orlando on May 16th. He has a YouTube video he did in February about Taylor Swift, called "Hey Taylor." He said the teen singer has "a lyrical ability that is unlike any other person her age." He hopes the video will help him meet her one day or "hopefully I'll get to tour with her." 

 
 The "Guiding Light" experience has the whole family watching more of the show. Via said he has seen some of the episodes with his mom since he knows more about the characters now. His father also admits he'll watch certain scenes. He said he has to since his wife tapes it every day and he's usually nearby at his computer. 
 
Photos provided by Via family and Guiding Light.

Rise and Fall of Spring Break How MTV made Daytona Beach the Spring Break capital of the world, and why the city booted the channel. Today's Spring Break is a shadow of the monster event of 20 years ago. 1989 Spring Break: A look back at the year that left Daytona Beach reeling

The sun beamed down as hundreds of Spring Breakers in bikinis crammed in front of the Bandshell to hear Mr. Mister and Starship.

It was 1986. Daytona Beach was hopping with MTV broadcasting from the beach.

There I stood with my friends in the second row. We not only skipped our college classes from the then Daytona Beach Community College, but we got there early to get a premier seat.

The four or five of us held a sign that stretched across reading "Hey, Mr. Mister."

My friends resisted, but I wanted lead singer, Richard Page, to see us.

Click Here to see gallery

Jeff Burton stepped out of his comfort zone of a race car recently into uncharted waters for a cameo appearance on a popular daytime soap.

But NASCAR fans don't have to worry about him switching careers after briefly acting on ABC's "General Hospital" that will air Wednesday. He said he "doesn't see being an actor in his future," but he would do it again. 

"It was cool. It was a neat experience," Burton said in a recent phone interview. "I didn't have to play anybody else -- thank God. I had a hard time playing myself much less anybody else."

Burton appears in a scene as a patron of a bar, Jake's. He has lines with bartender, Coleman, played by Blake Gibbons, and Dr. Patrick Drake, played by Jason Thompson. The Dr. Drake character is an avid NASCAR fan, but doesn't recognize Burton and some comedy follows, according to ABC officials.