For your Halloween water cooler chatter: Here is Forbes Magazine’s list of 10 highest grossing dead celebrities:
1) Yves Saint Laurent, $350 million
2) Rodgers & Hammerstein, $235 million
3) Michael Jackson, $90 million
4) Elvis Presley, $55 million
5) JRR Tolkien, $50 million
6) Charles Schulz, $35 million
7) John Lennon, $15 million
8) Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss), $15 million
9) Albert Einstein, $10 million
10) Michael Crichton, $9 million
Regis Philbin dressed as Count Dracula today, and Kelly Rippa looked like a Swiss Miss. What will Matt Lauer, Al Roker and Meredith wear tomorrow?
Tyra Banks, above, has a Halloween-themed show Friday. She will participate in three costume changes, transforming herself into three real-life TV personalities. Tyra channels Kim Kardashian and uses life-size cutouts of Khloe and Kourtney to round out her Kardashian clan costume.
And here is a favorite Regis and Kelly photo from the past, when they dressed as Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson:
Last year, the “Today” show gang went with fairy-tale characters:
Matt Lauer was Humpty Dumpty, Al Roker was the Gingerbread Man, Meredith Vieira was Pinocchio, and Ann Curry was a self-described “ethnic J-Lo Cinderella.”
NBC’s hottest series this fall is the weight-loss reality series “The Biggest Loser,” and on Tuesday’s episode the nine remaining contestants head to Washington, D.C., for a two-hour adventure that will take them from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to the White House kitchen garden.
Competing as individuals rather than in teams, their first challenge is to race around the National Mall and bring as many people as possible back to the Washington Monument for a public workout with trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels.
While in D.C., the trainers and contestants also meet with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (New York) and Senator Robert Casey (Pennsylvania) to talk about the need for better health and nutrition education, especially for children.
Then the players engage in a wild four-part competition involving D.C. landmarks and visit to the White House. There, along with assistant White House chef Sam Kass, they pick vegetables from the White House kitchen garden and head inside to join White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford in preparing a healthy and delicious salad.
At week’s end, the contestants weigh in by the steps of the Lincoln Memorial before another elimination round sends a contestant home for an emotional reunion with his or her family.
WWE has announced the main event for “Monday Night RAW” taking place at the St. Pete Times Forum at 8 p.m. Dec. 21.
The Raw 6-Man Tag Match will feature Randy Orton, Chris Jericho and Big Show vs. John Cena and DX’s Triple H and Shawn Michaels.
Also scheduled to appear are superstars including Kofi Kingston, MVP, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, Mark Henry, Evan Bourne, Melina and many more.
The event will be broadcast live on the USA Network. For information on Monday Night RAW, visit http://www.wwe.com.
Tickets for this event are on sale now at the box office at the Forum and all Ticketmaster outlets. To order tickets by phone, call Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000. Tickets are priced at $20, $30, $40, $50, and $70. Prices do not include service charges.
Our favorite agent, Jack Bauer, is coming back with a new season of “24,” and this time he is a grandfather.
Fox started promoting the eighth season during Game 1 of the World Series.
The new season begins with a two-hour episode Jan. 17.
Paul Newman: The Tribute Collection
Genre: Drama/Western/Action
Directed by: Multiple
Rating: Unrated
Format: DVD
The Lowdown: When Paul Newman passed away in September 2008, the world lost a true icon – one of its most loved and well-regarded actors and a man who managed to sidestep the trappings of fame to live a mostly quiet life with his family, helping others through his charity and giving entertainment to the masses with some of the best movies ever made.
The 17-disc “Tribute Collection,” which includes 13 of Newman’s most well-known and well-received films, is a testament to his lasting legacy, covering a career that stretched nearly five decades.
From early dramas like “Exodus” and “The Long Hot Summer” to classics like “The Hustler” and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” to Grade-A genre fare like “The Towering Inferno” and, my personal Newman favorite, “The Verdict,” this wonderful set doesn’t encompass all of Newman’s best work. But it definitely provides a taste of what made him such a legend.
The collection includes:
Disc 1: The Long Hot Summer
Disc 2: Rally ‘Round the Flag Boys
Disc 3: From the Terrace
Disc 4: Exodus
Disc 5: The Hustler - Collector’s Edition Disc 1
Disc 6: The Hustler - Collector’s Edition Disc 2
Disc 7: Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man
Disc 8: What a Way To Go!
Disc 9: Hombre
Disc 10: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - Collector’sl Edition Disc 1
Disc 11: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - Collector’s Edition Disc 2
Disc 12: Towering Inferno - Special Edition Disc 1
Disc 13: Towering Inferno - Special Edition Disc 2
Disc 14: Buffalo Bill and the Indians
Disc 15: Quintet
Disc 16: The Verdict - Collector’s Edition Disc 1
Disc 17: The Verdict - Collector’s Edition Disc 2
In addition, there is a beautiful 136-page soft-cover book that traces Newman’s entire career with dozens of photos, many never seen before.
The Stuff You Care About:
Hot chicks – Yes.
Nudity – No.
Gore – No.
Drug use – No.
Bad Guys/Killers – No.
Buy/Rent – Buy it.
Release Date – Sept. 22, 2009
R. Sikoryak, bless his twisted head, is some sort of genius. His “Masterpiece Comics” — some of which are reprinted here in a beautiful coffee table book — offer example after example of how he has seamlessly mashed up famous comic characters with classic literature.
The book features a half dozen short comics, in which Sikoryak gives a well-known comic character the lead role in a work of classic literature. He also manages to mimic the art style of those who created the comics, from Charles Schultz (of “Peanuts” fame) to Bob Kane (“Batman”). In short, dude has mad drawing skills, mixed with a twisted sense of humor and great taste in books.
For those who know the literature, it’s hilarious. If you’ve never read the classics, these comics actually give you a quick glimpse at the some of the novel’s key points.
Russian literature lovers, I dare you not to smile at Dostoyevsky Comics, in which Batman is cast in the role of Raskolnikov from “Crime and Punishment,” a man who struggles with his conscious after committing a senseless murder. His companion is a transvestite who looks quite a bit like Robin and the woman he murders comes back to haunt him, laughing at his anguish, Joker-style.
Or there’s Action Camus, in which a, ah, super man goes all existential, playing the role of Meursault in Albert Camus’ “The Stranger.” Sikoryak puts Camus’ famous line from “The Stranger” in Superman’s mouth. When a woman (Lois Lane?) asks, “Do you love me?”, he responds: “Well, it’s a meaningless question, but I suppose not.”
Sikoryak doesn’t save his mash ups for just costumed superheroes. He uses Blonde and Dagwood to tell the story of Adam and Eve, and uses Charlie Brown and the “Peanuts” gang for Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” in ways I even won’t attempt to describe.
It’s original, daring and breathes life into both comics and classics. How could a book lover not love Sikoryak for that?
The top prize for Halloween costumes at the Freaker’s Ball on Friday at Skipper’s Smokehouse went to these guys:
Reko Rivera, left, and John Savio, right, have the best Apple iPhone costumes in the country. Their YouTube video is a huge hit. And they won at Skipper’s.
They are wearing working 42-inch LCD TVs. The costumes each have iPhones mounted on top and weigh 85 pounds each because there’s a car battery required to power the display. The iPhone can be manipulated by the person wearing the costume—the interactions show up in real time on the TV.
PBS station WEDU, Channel 3, has been nominated for 11 Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards including 10 nominations for “A Gulf Coast Journal with Jack Perkins” and one for the WEDU series “Smart Health.”
“I’m extremely proud of the WEDU employees who work tirelessly to produce educational and entertaining community stories to life through our local programming, ” says WEDU president Richard Lobo. “In these unsettling times, it’s more important than ever that WEDU continue to focus on issues and people that matter most to us in our everyday lives – those in our own communities.”
Now in its seventh season, “A Gulf Coast Journal with Jack Perkins” highlights the people and places that make Sarasota and west central Florida a richly varied community.
“Smart Health” is an ongoing WEDU special program initiative dedicated to sharing advances in medical science and introducing the inspiring and courageous people behind them. It is hosted by Angie Moreschi and produced by Ellen McVay.
The winners of the 2009 regional Emmy Awards will be announced Dec. 5 at the Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences annual ceremony taking place at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando.
Taking a middle-of-the-road, just-the-facts-ma’am approach obviously isn’t working for CNN.
The granddaddy of cable news networks slipped to fourth place in primetime at 7, 8 and 10 p.m. among cable news networks in the key sales demographic (ages 25 to 54) for October, according to Nielsen Media Research data.
Last year, during the presidential election, CNN was riding high. But this year, CNN has slipped more than rivals Fox News and MSNBC have. CNN is down 78 percent compared with October 2008.
It should be noted that all the cable news networks are down from October 2008 when the election was hot and heavy and the economy was beginning to take a tumble. MSNBC is down 63 percent in the primetime demo (25-to-54) while Fox News Channel is off 36 percent in 25-to-54 and HLN and CNBC are each down 29 percent.
Fox has positioned itself as the network of choice for conservatives, and MSNBC has become the favorite of liberals.
Fox News remains dominant across all day-parts. In primetime (Mon-Sun, 8-11 p.m.), Fox News averaged 2.1 million viewers with 560,000 in the key demo. MSNBC was second with 699,000 viewers, 234,000 in the demo, followed by CNN and HLN.
Fox News apparently has benefited from the flap with the White House over President Obama’s strategy to ignore the network. The administration’s battle with Fox News got heavy coverage on Fox last week. The network is up 9 percent in total viewers and up 14 percent in the demo since the feud started three weeks ago.
Fox News also has all 10 of the top 10 shows in cable news in both the demo and total viewers, led by “The O’Reilly Factor” (3.3 million viewers, 875,000 in the demo), Glenn Beck (2.7 million viewers, 712,000 in the demo), Hannity (2.3 million, 659,000 in the demo) and “On the Record” with Greta Van Susteren (1.9 million, 533,000 in the demo).
MSNBC notched second place finishes in most of the key week-night prime-time hours. At 7 p.m., “Hardball” with Chris Matthews was second in the time slot averaging 649,000 viewers with 182,000 in the demo. HLN’s “Issues” with Jane Velez-Mitchell out-rated CNN’s “Lou Dobbs Tonight” in the demo (168,000 to 163,000) while Dobbs prevailed among total viewers (631,000 to 462,000).
“Fox Report” with Shepard Smith was the most-watched program at 7 p.m., with 1.9 million viewers and 463,000 in the demo.
At 8 p.m., MSNBC’s “Countdown” with Keith Olbermann bested HLN’s Nancy Grace, among total viewers (1 million to 830,000) and the demo (294,000 to 269,000), while CNN’s Campbell Brown was stuck in fourth among total viewers (648,000) and the demo (161,000).
“The O’Reilly Factor” was the top-rated cable news program in the 8 p.m. hour for the 107th consecutive month.
At 9 p.m., MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” bested CNN’s “Larry King Live” in total viewers (880,000 to 842,000) and the demo (246,000 to 224,000). That was enough for a third-place finish for LKL against HLN’s newest entry, “The Joy Behar Show,” which averaged 535,000 total viewers and 183,000 in the demo. Fox News’ Hannity had the top-rated program for the hour.
At 10 p.m., “Anderson Cooper 360” dropped to fourth in the demo (210,000) against reruns of Nancy Grace (222,000) and “Countdown” (218,000).
I know, I know—this has nothing to do with “staying in.” In fact, just the opposite. But I have difficulty with rules. Also, I just thought this was cool and wanted to share.
Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater’s performing arts center, ranked seventh among venues with 5,000 seats or less *in the world” in terms of gross ticket sales between Aug. 15 and Sept. 15 of this year. It also ranked first in that category for venues in the southeastern United States. The study was conducted by Venues Today, an entertainment industry magazine.
So, good for them but so what, right? Well, not so fast. Places like Ruth Eckerd, Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg and The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center face a challenging environment. Outside of perhaps Michigan, no state has been harder hit by the recession than Florida, and these art venues compete for a dwindling amount of disposal income among Tampa Bay’s residents.
So yeah, I think it’s cool that this area—which doesn’t exactly have a reputation for being big on the arts—continues to support places like Ruth Eckerd Hall, even better than the support they are getting in places like Boston, Orlando and San Diego.
When Anthony Daniels looks out over an audience of light saber-waving “Star Wars” fans that have come to hear a concert based on music from the epic movie series, it warms his heart.
“I see people ages 12 to 94, some of them coming to a musical concert for the first time, and the reactions are amazing,” says the man who had played android C-3PO in all six “Star Wars” films as well as the animated Cartoon Network “Clone Wars” series.
“If we get one young person at each concert to appreciate orchestral music, well, then it’s worth it,” says Daniels, who is touring the country in “Star Wars: In Concert.”
Featuring an 86-piece orchestra, a chorus of 80 singers and selections from the six film scores the Academy Award-winning composer John Williams wrote for the “Star Wars” movies, this sci-fi musical event also includes scenes from the films, a laser light show and Daniels narrating the saga.
The event also includes an exhibit of “Star Wars” props, production artwork, behind-the-scenes videos and and costumes, including C-3PO’s. The exhibit features many classic fan favorite artifacts, as well as several new and never-before-seen items, including blasters and helmets from Coruscant, Tatooine and other iconic Star Wars locations.
There is a complete Darth Vader outfit and the horn-like headdress Natalie Portman wore as Princess Amidala, as well as Chewbacca, Yoda and Boba Fett costumes.
“Star Wars: In Concert” plays at the St. Pete Times Forum at 4 p.m. Sunday. And yes, a lot of “Star Wars” fans come in costume.
“I tell the story from beginning to end in a linear fashion so it explains everything. And for me, it’s a chance to step out from behind C-3PO and be myself,” Daniels said in a recent telephone interview.
Daniels, a classically trained actor who was never a sci-fi buff, owns his career to an endearing, shiny, fussy robot.
“People love C-3PO because they identify with his plight,” says Daniels. “He was programmed to be in the diplomatic service and he keeps getting in these action adventures that are over his head.”
As C-3PO, he has the first line in the first “Star Wars” (1977) and the last line in the last film,“Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith” (2005).
“The concert adds a new appreciation for the films and the music,” Daniels adds. He says composer Williams “is creating the classical music for our lifetimes,” comparing him to a modern-day Richard Wagner.
George Lucas, creator of the “Star Wars” saga, has said the concert combines “key themes from the music and key images from the films that fit with each theme.”
I made my way out to the newly named Morean Arts Center to check out the Visual Unity show last week.
Here is a quick explainer of the show pulled from the Arts Centers site.
Continuing the theme of highlighting work from our local artists, Curator Rocky Bridges brings together 18 artists from the central Florida region to create 36 new pieces of art to share with our community. Each artist will work with at least one other artists from the group to forge new territory in their bodies of work. A true celebration of artistic unity, this exhibition will showcase the work of regional talent, and will also stretch the participating artists as they work with artists who may create in methods and themes completely opposite of their own.
Participating artists:
Tony Eitharong
Rebecca Sexton Larson
Richard Currier
Catherine Bergmann
Tony Savoie
Susan Livingston
Rocky Bridges
Susan Gott
Bruce Gilbert
Leslie Neumann
Clayton Swartz
Margaret Steward
Duncan McClellan
Anna Tomczak
Arnolkis Turro
Lynn Whipple
Here are some of shots of a few of my favorite pieces in the show.
Catherine Bergmann and Rebecca Sexton Larson
Might I Go Free—-Soon?
Cardboard, plastic, tinfoil, natural materials, collage, graphite, Sharpie and gesso
Margaret Steward and Lucia Taxdal
Lunaris 2009
Oil monotype
Kim Michelle and Arnolkis Turro
Deeper for Sunlight Penetration
Acrylic
Anna Tomczak and Lynn Whipple
Kevin Put Catsup On Fathers Good Suede Vest
Mixed Media
Close Ups
Lyn Whipple
Snow Day
Mixed Media
If you plan to make a stop at the show just know that there is now an 8 dollar charge to visit the Artist Center.
TLC may have put “Kate Plus 8” on hiatus, but the cable network is still milking the controversy over their break-up with a new special “Kate: Her Story.”
Newly single mom Kate Gosselin of “Jon & Kate Plus 8” will give, what TLC says, is “her most intimate interview to date” to Natalie Morales of NBC’s “Today.”
The hourlong program is set to debut at 9 p.m. Monday on TLC. The special is produced by NBC’s Peacock Productions so look for a “Today” show plug.
This follows another TLC special that aired on Monday (Oct. 26) “Kate Answers Your Questions” during which the 34-year-old future divorcée sat in an armchair and quipped her way through a Q&A session with fans.
But wait, there’s more: Jon and Kate Gosselin may be divorcing, but TLC has more specials planned for the November sweeps:
Nov. 9: “Jon & Kate Plus 8: Top Moments,” 9 to 10 p.m., looks back over better times.
Nov. 16: “Jon & Kate Plus 8: Gymnastics and Baseball,” at 9 p.m. and “Jon & Kate Plus 8: Never Before Seen,” at 9:30 p.m. Both feature clips from the past.
Nov. 23: “Jon & Kate Plus 8: It’s a Crazy Life, But It’s Our Life,” from 9 to 10 p.m., may be more looking back than viewers can stand.
The Feelies weren’t exactly prolific. The band, a big influence on later alternative music stars such as R.E.M., released only four albums in its 15 years together.
The biggest gap came between the first two, 1980’s “Crazy Rhythms,” and 1986’s “The Good Earth.”
The two albums have been remastered and were reissued in September on the Bar/None label. The reissues coincide with a flurry of Feelies-related activity, including a show at September’s Flaming Lips-curated All Tomorrow Parties in New York City.
Now there’s talk of a short tour, new songs and maybe even a new album.
Don’t hold your breath. This band moves at its own pace and always has.
One reason was “We didn’t live in New York,” guitarist-vocalist Glenn Mercer says by telephone from his home in New Jersey.
“The problem for most bands that weren’t from New York is that had to relocate from pretty far away,” Mercer says. “We had the advantage of living close enough to come and go as we please.
“It allowed us to work at a different pace,” Mercer continues. “If you have a lot of bills and high rent, you have to play more often. There’s not as much time to work on a song and a sound.”
The Feelies’ sound, Mercer says, “is defined more by what we leave out.” The band mates, Mercer says, share a distaste for “filling up al the space with reverb and big crashing drums.”
Those qualities are consistent across their catalog, but “Crazy Rhythms” stands out for its jittery, caffeinated pace.
Mercer attributes that to the city they didn’t live in but in which then spent much of their time.
“In general that period of time was New York City oriented,” Mercer says. “That’s where we did the majority of our playing. I sort of look at that record as more city oriented.”
“The Good Earth,” in contrast, feels more relaxed and spacious, if still capable of intensity.
“Just prior to that [recording “The Good Earth”] we’d done our first cross-country tour and we had the influence of a lot of small towns and college towns,” Mercer says.
A lineup change might have had some impact as well. The “Crazy Rhythms” rhythm section of bassist Keith Clayton and drummer Anton Fier left, replaced by drummer Stanley Demeski, percussionist Dave Weckerman and bassist Brenda Sauter. Mercer and fellow singer-guitarist Bill Million have been the sole constants in the lineup.
The album was produced by Feelies fan Peter Buck of R.E.M.
The band signed to A&M for two more albums, 1988’s “Only Life” and 1991’s “Time For a Witness” before Million abruptly left the band to move to Florida and start a family.
Various members of the Feelies played together in different band over they years, but the five didn’t play together again until last year when Sonic Youth invited them to open a couple of shows.
Now there’s talk, tentative, of course, of a more permanent reunion.
“That’s our hope,” Mercer says. “It’s one of the things we discussed prior to the reunion gigs, doing it on a permanent basis.”
Don’t try to rush them, though.
“We always go on our own pace by our own schedule,” Mercer says.
And don’t start camping out for Feelies reunion tour tickets just yet.
“Oh boy, that’s hard to say,” Mercer says when asked about the possibility of hitting the road. “We’ve had to turn down a lot of stuff. It’s hard to jump back in the van.”
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