Pamelyn Ferdin born February 4, 1959 is an outspoken animal rights activist and former child actress. She is best remembered for her roles as Felix Unger's daughter, Edna, on the TV sitcom The Odd Couple, as well as in fantasy and science fiction movies and television series. These roles included Mary Janowski in the Star Trek episode "And the Children Shall Lead", Laura Gentry in Space Academy ^*, and Mary Constable in the supernatural thriller Daughter of the Mind. Ferdin also provided the voice of Lucy Van Pelt in the early Peanuts cartoon specials. She was nearly cast as Regan in The Exorcist, but producers wanted the role to go to a relative unknown, so Linda Blair was chosen.

Activism

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Ferdin left the acting world in the 1980s and became a registered nurse. She married surgeon and fellow animal-rights activist Jerry Vlasak in 1986. They have no children.

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NPR Topics: Arts & Culture

Magazines Brings New Voices To Multicultural Experience
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:00:00 -0400
The growing racial and ethnic diversity of America has encouraged publishers to start magazines that address a new, multicultural generation of readers. In this month's Magazine Mavens, the creative forces behind three such publications discuss their vision — Lori Robinson, of Vida AfroLatina; Christopher Windham, of Human Nature and Navdeep Kathuria, of ABCD Lady.
Legendary 'Mom' Phylicia Rashad On Life in the Arts
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:00:00 -0400
Acclaimed actress Phylicia Rashad is perhaps best known for her role as Clair Huxtable in the groundbreaking hit sitcom, "The Cosby Show." Now, she's up for an Emmy award for her performance in the television production of "A Raisin in the Sun." Rashad speaks about her legendary work on stage and screen, the influence of the arts on African-American communities and the significance of playing "Mom."
'All My Children' Seeks Iraq War Vet
Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:32:00 -0400
It's a move that might be inspired by the Oscar-winning movie The Best Years of Our Lives. The popular daytime soap opera All My Children is looking for an Iraq war veteran to play the role of a, well, Iraq war veteran.

NYT > Arts

Fun on the Farm Down Home in Long Island City
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:07:13 -0000
This year, instead of the usual urban beach-themed décor, the courtyard at P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center has been transformed into an urban farm.
Film: Sex (and Love and Death): Woody’s World Steams Up
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:01:00 -0000
The racing erotic pulse of “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” is a development that has seldom been seen in Woody Allen’s work.
Art Review: Indian Modernism via an Eclectic and Elusive Artist
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:18:00 -0000
“Rhythms of India: The Art of Nandalal Bose (1882-1966)" delivers a significant piece of news: that modernism wasn’t a purely Western product sent out to a hungry and waiting world.

Arts & Culture

Traffic
Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:00:00 -0000
On the face of it, traffic is a simple problem: too many cars occupy too little asphalt. But why does creating new roads induce more people to drive? Why does removing signs and markings seem to make roads safer? And why do countries with corrupt governments suffer more traffic fatalities . . .
The Theatre
Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:00:00 -0000
OPENINGS AND PREVIEWS Please call the phone number listed with the theatre for timetables and ticket information. FELA! Bill T. Jones directs and choreographs a new musical about the Nigerian composer, performer, and political activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti. With a book by Jim Lewis and Jones and additional lyrics by . . .
The Forbidden World
Joan Acocella Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:00:00 -0000
In 1600, Rome’s Campo de’ Fiori, now a nice plaza lined with cafés, was one of the city’s execution grounds, and on Ash Wednesday of that year Giordano Bruno, a philosopher and former priest accused of heresy by the Inquisition, was taken there and burned. The event was carefully timed . . .

Christian Science Monitor | Arts & Entertainment

Review: 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars'
Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:00:00 -0500
New series of animated 'Star Wars' adventures retraces old ground with the same leaden dialogue as the originals.
Review: 'Henry Poole Is Here'
Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:00:00 -0500
Some touching moments in this tale of a man who doesn't believe in miracles but desperately needs one.
Review: 'Tropic Thunder'
Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:00:00 -0500
Daring satire pushes buttons as it parodies the moviemaking business.

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