Aaron Spelling

If ever a match was made in TV heaven, it was the pairing of producer Aaron Spelling with fashion designer Nolan Miller. The two have collaborated as far back as the late '50s on "Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater," graduated to "The Mod Squad," "Charlie's Angels" and "Love Boat," and perhaps peaked with the dizzy fashions of "Dynasty" and "The Colbys." The two will be honored this weekend at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel by the Costume Designers Guild for their contributions to the industry.

Viacom Inc. offered Friday to buy the rest of Spelling Entertainment Group Inc., just months after saying it might sell its majority stake in the producer of "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Melrose Place." Viacom--the owner of Paramount Pictures, MTV and Nickelodeon--said it would pay $162 million, or $9 a share, for the 20% of Spelling it doesn't already own. That's a 33% premium over the stock's closing price on Thursday. The offer sent Los Angeles-based Spelling up $2.

In a groundbreaking challenge to Hollywood's power to dictate how an actress must look, a Los Angeles jury found Monday that the producers of the television show "Melrose Place" were wrong to fire Hunter Tylo because she was pregnant and ordered them to pay her nearly $5 million in damages. The 10-woman, two-man jury gave Tylo nearly double the $2.5 million that she had sought.

It was one of those quintessential L.A. moments: A hush fell over the crowded courtroom as the famous blond witness testified about having a baby while playing a babe on a prime time television soap opera. Heather Locklear, wearing skin-tight black pants, four-inch heels and a cropped black T-shirt that revealed just a glimpse of taut, post-pregnancy midriff, was asked Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court to describe how she played the role of a scheming super-vixen, even as a mother-to-be.

Lying, cheating, cleavage, cat fights and sexual blackmail have always worked better for Aaron Spelling than sweetness and love. Case in point: "7th Heaven." The weekly series on the fledgling WB network about a minister, his homemaking wife and their five children is one of the loveliest, most moral shows on the air. It's also one of the least watched, ranking 160th out of 168 prime-time network series in the season that ended last May.

The leaky roof on Aaron and Candy Spelling's $48-million mansion was not their contractor's fault, a Superior Court jury found Friday, clearing a Studio City construction firm of liability. The Spellings had sought to recoup the cost of a replacement roof along with punitive damages. The nationally publicized trial cast a rare glimpse into the lavish tastes of the renowned producer responsible for "Melrose Place," "Dynasty" and a host of other prime-time soap operas.

Prolific producer Aaron Spelling might be an expert on what sells on television--witness the jiggle and soap of "Charlie's Angels," "Dynasty" and "Melrose Place"--but he told a jury Monday that he's clueless about construction. The white-haired multimillionaire explained to jurors in Los Angeles Superior Court that when he built his $48-million dream house on five prime acres in Holmby Hills, he placed his faith in his wife, Candy, and his contractor, Bob LaMar.

Television producer Aaron Spelling and his wife, Candy, sued a subcontractor Tuesday, claiming he "inadequately" installed the pool at their Holmby Hills mansion and broke a contract to fix the tile work. The Superior Court suit filed on behalf of the Spellings names Donald Babcock and Babcock Pools, and alleges breach of contract and negligence.