willie aames

'Today' is doing a special series of reunion shows, getting some famous TV families together again. First up: the cast of 'Eight Is Enough,' who appeared on the show this morning (video after the jump) to talk about their time on the show, what went on behind the scenes, what the dinner scenes were like, and how the show compares to what is on TV today.

Note: Meredith Vieira's intro to the interview is over the top. I really don't think that the end of the Vietnam War played such a crucial part in the show's success. And did they actually have to introduce each cast member separately and have them walk on stage to their chairs?

The cast members who appeared were Dick Van Patten, Betty Buckley, Grant Goodeve, Dianne Kay, Laurie Walters, Willie Aames, and Connie Needham.

Where is the cast of 'Eight Is Enough' now?

Long before there were Octomoms and reality TV shows featuring dozens of children there were the Bradfords of ABC's 'Eight Is Enough.' The sitcom was based on the life and book of syndicated newspaper columnist Thomas Braden and his real-life eight children. 'Eight Is Enough' aired for five seasons from 1977-1981. The cast reunited on 'The Today Show' March 1, prompting our trip down memory lane.

You tacked their photos to your wall, faithfully watched their TV shows and bought their records --and you might have even written some of them a mash note or two ('fess up!). These are the AOL TV picks for the top 50 teen idols of all time; the 50 young gents who made us swoon, pledge our undying devotion and join more than one sappy fan club.

Our list includes a pair of real-life brothers, several fellas who played brothers on TV and more than a few double-threat actor/singers (what can we say -- they're double the pleasure). But did your favorite Teen Beat cover boy make the cut? Only one way to find out ...

Willie Aames has had it tough as of recent. After his time as a celebrity (including high-profile roles on Eight is Enough, Charles in Charge and the voice of Hank in the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon), he then spent some time as BibleMan (and if you ever saw BibleMan, you'd understand why that was a bad thing), had an argument with his trainer on Celebrity Fit Club, and tried to commit suicide after his wife left him. Now he's apparently selling some of his possessions in a garage sale in suburban Kansas City.

Why do I have the feeling that this is going to lead to him being on another reality television show like his Charles in Charge co-star, Scott Baio? They say there is no such thing as bad publicity, but I have to wonder.

The article lists some of the items he's selling, but it neglects to specifically mention the autographed picture of Scott Baio, the magic bow that shoots fire-arrows and the magic Bible.

This week I got a great letter that brought back some fond memories.

Curtis Smith writes:
"I'm sure you hear this all the time, but for the last couple of years i have been trying to remember a short lived TV show that I saw in the mid to late 80's. It was about a kid who's dad was a secret agent and the kid some how got involved with the government. the only episode i can sort of remember is him trying to hide an attractive spy from his mom. Any help you have would be great. "

Yet another artifact from my childhood is coming out on DVD. I figure eventually I'll actually be able to live out the latter half of my life as a kind of rerun of the first part. This, my friends, is my dream. Anyway, one of my favorite cartoons from my youth is coming out on DVD in November, Dungeons and Dragons. The series ran for twenty-seven episodes from 1983 to 1986 and featured the voice talents of Happy Day's Donny Most and Willie Aames of Eight is Enough and Charles in Charge (you know, before he became Bible Man). Actually, maybe Aames left the show because all the sword and sorcery nonsense didn't fit with his Christian viewpoints. That's absolutely not true, but we should try spreading that rumor around anyway. The set comes out November 7 and will retail for $49.98, which isn't too bad for a full series.