Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York & Los Angeles

Barbara Walters versus Star Jones Reynolds? Old news. How about Morgan Fairchild going up against Bo Derek? This one's fiction, of course. My Network TV said Friday that Fairchild, 56, is joining the cast of its telenovela "Fashion House," which debuts on the new network in September. Fairchild will play Sophia Blakely, the arch-nemesis of Derek's character, Maria Gianni, in the fashion business. "This has been fun," Fairchild, who's already shot some scenes with Derek, told sources on Friday. "She's very game," she said. "We're having a very good time doing our knockdown, drag-out ... fights. It's always fun to do it with someone who gets into it."

Fairchild said she likes to stay on the industry's cutting edge and was intrigued by My Network, which is launching in September on channels displaced by UPN's closing. My Network TV is showing a prime-time lineup of soap operas that air five nights a week, modeled after the telenovela format that is popular worldwide. "I'm always trying to find new ways to catch my audience off-guard," she said.