The last person on my fall TV hair update list that qualifies for a full review is "Felicity"'s KERI RUSSELL.  And does she ever.  When Keri first started "Felicity", I reported that she had trimmed her waist-length blonde curls to a few inches below her shoulders and returned to her natural brown color.  If you cringed at the results of that cut, then you probably ought to sit down (like you're reading this standing up) if you haven't heard about this yet. 

According to Keri in an interview with "Access Hollywood", it all started when she decided to play a small prank on her producers this summer.  She sent them a picture of her wearing a short boy wig along with a note saying not to panic, but she decided to "do something crazy with the hair".  Ha, ha, thought Keri...until the producers called her bluff and asked her if she'd be willing to cut her hair.  After getting over her initial surprise, she thought about it, agreed, and it was worked into the show's plot.  When they shot the episode, the cut began on camera (with the actor/stylist dramatically lopping of a few large hunks of hair), but was completed in the salon with her boyfriend and one of the producers present.  Once the stylist lopped of her braid (which Keri kept) to the gasps of those present, she glanced at the producer and correctly noted, "Can't change the storyline now!"  End result?  You can see it in the three pictures below.  A head hugging curly pixie that ranges in length from just 2-3 inches all over; a loss of a good foot or so of hair.

Before
 

After

FLEA'S CALL:   Depending on your preferences, you may think the end of that last sentence should read "a loss of a foot or so of good hair".  And I would be inclined to agree with you.   But first, rather than continue to rant about what a horrific and tragic mistake this is, I'll try to look at this very objectively; trying to decide how I'd view the look if I had never seen Keri with her mass of curls.  Given that set of parameters, I would regard the style (in a phrase that will never pass Spellchecker) as eyecatchingly cute.  Possibly a bit too short and not the best choice with her face shape, but still attractive enough that coupled with her personality it could very well start a trend.

However, we aren't living in that parallel universe, now are we?

Let's get back to the real world and how this will probably be the least popular celebrity haircut since Julia Roberts lopped off her mane and went blonde for the first time back in the early 90s.  Julia recovered, but how long did THAT take?  Most of Keri's fans that know about the shearing already hate it.  She's even managed to tick off the editors of Jane magazine, who have Keri with her formerly flowing tresses on next month's cover (which now dates the heck out of their article).  I, myself think that Keri has greatly underestimated the value of what many considered her most unique, if not her best, feature.  Doesn't she have a manager or agent that should prevent her from making this sort of phenomenally bad and potentially disastrous decision?  It will be interesting to see the reaction of the rest of Keri's and "Felicity's"  fan base as word spreads and the new season begins.  I'm willing to bet the style won't still be this short when the series wraps next May.  Any takers?

And finally, we get to the last newly bald celebrity this month, JUDITH LIGHT.  Yup, as many of you may already know, the former "Who's The Boss?" star has been completely shorn of her blonde locks; all the more surprising because I don't recall a time I've seen her with hair above her shoulders.  Heck, I can't think of a time I've seen Judith without bangs.  According to what she told Entertainment Weekly, she did it in stages since it was "easier than doing it in one fell swoop". Anyway, the reason for the drastic cut is that Judith has assumed the lead role in the Broadway play "W;t" (Wit), the story of a college professor undergoing treatment for cancer.  She took over the role from Kathleen Chalfant, who had also shaved her head for the role.
 

Before	After

FLEA'S CALL:   Even more so than the case of Virginia Hey mentioned above, this is an instance where the sacrifice is far outweighed by the potential reward.  Judith is taking the lead in a popular, long-running, and Pulitzer Prize winning play.  Not only does that provide her with the closest thing to a sure bet in theater, it has the potential to become a tremendous career boost for her.  So, kids, if you are at home considering shaving your head for a role, THIS is the way to do it.

I have a just a few more bits and pieces on hair changes for the fall TV season for which I either couldn't find pictures or they weren't worthy of a full blown review.  So, let's start with "Frasier"'s JANE LEEVES, who has grown out the just below chin-length shag/bob she wore all last season.  It's now back to her shoulders after a couple of seasons of wearing the shorter style.  Personally, I liked it before when it was longer and so my positive opinion on this style should come as no surprise.  I hope Jane keeps it at least this long this season, if not longer v  Next we have that recent fugitive from my "Best Hair on TV" list, JENNA ELFMAN.  Over the summer, Jenna lived up to her promise and did indeed let her hair grow out.  It's now in a bob with long layers that falls just above her shoulders.  She is styling into a flip and the result is very cute.  Not quite as good as the style that put her on the top of last year's list, but still better than last season's 'do.  And on top of that, she's even let her eyebrows grow back thicker again after a couple years of the horrid pencil thin look.  That alone will get her some slack on her hair as she continues to grow it out v Speaking of eyebrows, ALYSSA MILANO and DREW BARRYMORE have also mended their ways, making their way out of the Wilderness of the Overplucked and returning to the Land of the Naturally Shaped Brow.  Ok, that's a painfully overwrought metaphor, but you get my meaning.  Could this be the start of a trend?  Could I get that lucky?  Do you care?

KRISTEN JOHNSON, who is the alien Sally on "Third Rock From The Sun", has snipped her long blonde hair up to about her shoulders.  Not a drastic change, but a loss of about 4-6 inches coupled with the fact that she's 6 feet tall produces a noticable change.  In the long run, given her height, I think she'd be better served to grow it back out 

 Remember when I reported in my very first column that MARLA MAPLES had her tresses clipped into a pixie so short that it would have passed freshman inspection for female Citadel cadets?  In my blurb on it, I also said that she should start letting it grow out ASAP.  Looks like she not only took my advice (humor me), but returned to her life as a blonde as well.  Much better, in my humble opinion 

As long as I'm talking about going blonde, how about JULIA ROBERTS?  She arrived at the premiere of "Runaway Bride" awash with blonde highlights.  Looked fantastic on her.  Don't know if it's the hair, that her movies are doing well, she's in love, or she just has a positive outlook on life, but Julia looks, well, for lack of a better word, radiant every time I've seen her lately

One last tidbit on NATALIE IMBRUGLIA. When you see her in her new music video for the song "Identify" from the "Stigmata" soundtrack, don't think she's discovered some hair growth miracle.  The extra length is courtesy of the hair extensions that she had put in for the video shoot.  Underneath, Natalie still sports the short, piecey style she's had for a while.

Keri Russell pictures courtesy Vanity Fair and Access Hollywood,   Judith Light pictures courtesy The National Enquirer and The Globe, Jane Leeves picture courtesy Fashion Dish, Kristen Johnson picture courtesy Star Magazine, Marla Maples and Julia Roberts pictures courtesy Entertainment Tonight" / Netscape, Natalie Imbruglia picture courtesy Entertainment Asylum

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