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Saturday, August 28th, 1982, 11:14 A.M.
The executives over at CBS were all-in for the entire first season of The Go-Go’s, thereby relating that information to the producers, who, then, passed on that knowledge directly to the girls themselves. Jane and her bunch were happy to know this, but were certainly hoping for more success than just one, ill-fated season that might compromise their future as legitimate pop stars. Besides, cancellations were relatively rare through the first mid-season of any television production, so guaranteed survival of said time frame was not all that thrilling.
But, despite some slightly distressed emotions from all five of them in one form or another, the girls carried on in their usual, carefree manner, convinced that the show would greatly enhance their careers, and put them in the driver’s seat for decades to come.
Reruns have a tendency of doing that.
A slew of Top-Forty singles doesn’t hurt either.
Gina and Kathy seemed the most relaxed, probably because they were earmarked as the two wisecrackers, and also because their nature simply compelled them to act with such repose. Even without being given all the funny lines, their shenanigans around the studio would not have slackened any.
Gina was an absolute breeze. Within the first several weeks of shooting, she could be seen on a regular basis cruising about the set, coffee cup in hand, communicating and laughing eloquently with the crew, all the while trying to soak up as much of the ambiance as she could. Just like her popularity as the band’s drummer, she quickly became an audience favorite on the show, accumulating more fan-mail than anyone else.
Although her primary passion was music, Jane loved the idea of having her own T.V. show. Like many girls growing up, she admired the funny women on television, subsequently culminating in the weekly antics of Shirley Feeney and Laverne DiFazio. Now she was going to get her chance to show that she was equally as entertaining as them. Also, like George Harrison, who famously predicted The Beatles would “flop” soon after their meteoric rise to fame, Jane couldn’t guarantee to the public, nor to herself, that she and Charlotte could spit out catchy little pop songs for years to come. Therefore, she cherished the opportunity to do everything in the world of entertainment that would keep her gainfully employed.
She also really wanted to be on the cover of Cover Girl.
But one of the things that she and the rest of the girls did not anticipate, however, was how foolish acting made them feel and how often it occurred. Especially crying on cue. They talked about it at length, and within a relatively short period of time, Belinda and Charlotte would relate to each other in private how painful it was that they had to do this for years to come. Charlotte, luckily, had her sudden explosion into the world of finance to fall back on, as well as her role as producer on the show, while Belinda had to suffer in silence simply because her only true passion in life was to emulate her idol, Connie Francis. Relief came in the form of watching the finished product on tape and realizing that it was all just part of the process. Sacrifices had to be made; and complaining about them, even in private, was nothing more than a way of relieving stress and getting certain things off your chest.
It was all good in the long run.
But, beautifully buxom and bouncy Belinda, had other toys to play with on this gorgeous, Saturday afternoon. She and her new boyfriend, Steve Bozek, of the Los Angeles Kings, were headed over to Knotts Berry Farm to enjoy a day of sunshine, rides, and plenty of sweet consumables. The premier of The Go-Go’s sitcom was a mere two weeks away and much of the girls anxieties were now a thing of the past. It was now time to sit back, relax, and watch the avalanche of rapturous fame that would soon be coming their way.
Mr. Bozek was all part of the meticulously calculated schedule that Belinda had planned for her precious life of fame. At this point, a professional athlete was right on cue, and Steve was the toy that was sitting on the shelf for Belinda to pluck down. At first, she really wanted a dumb outfielder from The Dodgers, but Suffy’s alter-ego, Princess Hardee-Har-Har, convinced her that a hockey player would be the better choice because they had a more bad-ass image. Belinda took The Princesses’ advice and plunked herself down at some of The Kings home games until she scouted-out the right Neanderthal to choose for her new beau.
Mr. Bozek was one, lucky fella.