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Contact the David Cassidy Fan Club
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Thanks to all the people of David Cassidy's management, the Las
Vegas Review Journal, the Las Vegas Sun, Kidscharities.org, Just David
Fan Club, Friends of the Cassidys, and to those on the David
and Shaun Cassidy chatlists on Egroups for keeping this Newsletter updated
at any time.
(C) July 2000 by Erik Drilen.
From US Weekly:
|
|
IMPORTANT NEWS FOR FANS:
David will be doing a two night appearance at Harrah's Casino in Atlantic
City, New Jersey on September 8th and 9th!
You can call the Harrah's box office at (area
code for USA) 609-441-5165 to reserve tickets. The ticket price is
$49.00. It is general admission and unfortunately Harrah's will not be
able to arrange priority seats to fan club members as their policy is to
get casino high rollers into those seats. The show is a headliner one,
which ususally means a concert.
There is no further information available
at this time, but we will keep you updated. Thanks to the Just David Fan
Club for this information.
For all fans in the UK:
David Cassidy will be hosting 'I Love the Seventies' on BBC2 on Saturday
5 August. The program will be dedicated to the year 1972. For further
information, check the August TV Guide by clicking on "Next month's issue"
to the left on this page. Thanks to Donna and Alice from the David Cassidy
chatlist for the information.
Partridge Family albums rereleased on CD:
The following four albums will be rereleased on CD on August 8: The
Partridge Family Album, Up To Date, Sound Magazine and Notebook.
Help Sue's Kids Charities with the Carebar
We have received the following information from DavidCassidy.Com:
Hello all David Cassidy Fans!
We are excited to announce a new fundraising tool for Sue Cassidy's
KidsCharities.org. It's called the "Carebar." It's a free application that
you can download that helps you find everything you need on the internet.
Once you download, you enter your zip code
and can instantly find local shops, restaurants, movies. etc. Get up to
the minute news, sports, weather and finance info! Search the web and find
whatever you need.
It's free and using the Carebar helps raise
money for charities that help children all around the world. It's such
a simple thing to use and it generates money for the charity based on the
amount of time it's open and running.
Go to www.carebar.org (Discontinued
as from February 2001)
Go to the left side of the page and enter our Carebar Organization
ID code CC1196 and click on "Start Download".
That will take you to a screen that will say
"Choose a Nonprofit" with our information underneath. Click on the "start
download" button and it will take you through the rest of the process.
Just by doing this you will be helping KidsCharities.org
raise money!! Thanks from David, Sue and everyone at McCartney Multimedia.
How to find David Cassidy on the internet:
You are new to the internet, or you have just discovered David Cassidy,
and would like to find out as much as possible about your favorite singer.
We would like to help you on your way. The first place to check out would
naturally be www.davidcassidy.com,
but you have most likely been there already. To find the numerous fansites
out there, you would most likely be using a search engine, but that will
take a lot of time, and the search engine doesn't always find all the sites.
Therefore a good place to start would be the Cassidy
Family Ring. Most Cassidy websites of importance will be found there.
If you have your own Cassidy website, you should also register there for
others to find your site. A lot of the sites have old and new photos of
David Cassidy, you'll find out what's been going on in his life since you
last heard about him, discographies, sound files, wallpapers and screen
savers, and message boards where you can communicate with other fans. Top
Cassidy/Partridge Sites List is another good place to start.
Most fansites are American. Unfortunately
there are only two that are not, the Downunder David Cassidy Fan Site (New
Zealand) and the David Cassidy Fan Site of Norway.
A lot of you want to buy David Cassidy's music
(we don't blame you), and it will take some time for new people on the
internet to find the right places. I know it did for some of us. Some of
David's CDs are still available at most internet CD stores, like CDNow
(link to the left of this page). They also have videos available. More
CDs with the music of the Partridge Family and David Cassidy will be released
soon.
However, most of David Cassidy's music is
no longer available in your local record store. Most of his solo albums
have never been released on CD. There are various sites on the internet
that can offer second hand records, and some even still sealed items.
The best place to find this is the auction site Ebay (link to the left
of this page). They have about 500 David Cassidy related items up for auction
at any time. Make sure to check sellers' feedback. Personally I have never
had any trouble, but better be safe than sorry.
One drawback bidding on Ebay, though, is that
a lot of times you will be bidding against other fans, and you sometimes
end up spending more than you intended. Therefore, before bidding you should
check out GEMM (link at the bottom of this page). They have just as many
Cassidy related items at any time as Ebay, and there's a fixed price. No
bidding. This will most likely save you for a lot of money. But you'll
never know, sometimes you might get some good deals even on Ebay. Also
remember to check sellers' feedback on GEMM.
This Newsletter will try to keep fans updated
all over the world, but as most information we receive comes from the USA,
it will be hard to keep the rest of the world updated. We will be very
thankful if fans from everywhere will inform us if they find news about
anyone of the Cassidy family. This includes the TV Guide at the bottom
of each month's newsletter. If someone informed us that the Partridge Family
would be back on TV in Spain or Japan, we'd let other people in Spain and
Japan know as well.
The
DC Journal
July 01, 2000: The Las Vegas
Sun writes:
That's entertainment
By Lisa Ferguson
How do you cover entertainment in the entertainment
capital of the world?
If you're the Las Vegas Sun, you do it without
missing a beat -- or, for that matter, an opening-night performance, a
world-premiere event or the latest show-business news.
The past half-century has been an exciting
time on the local entertainment scene, punctuated by big names, big shows
and big changes. The Sun has reported on the hallmark events that helped
Las Vegas earn its star-studded reputation.
From the early years, when hotel lounges were
the places to see and be seen with celebrities, through the '90s, when
people packed sidewalks to be dazzled by pirate-ship battles, fireworks-filled
hotel openings and building implosions, the Sun was there in force.
The Sun remains a force on the entertainment
scene and will remain so in the future, with the up-to-the-minute entertainment
coverage capabilities of the Internet.
Early days
Those early days were legendary times, regarded
as the birth of Las Vegas' famed lounge era, when groups such as the Mary
Kaye Trio and jazz greats Louis Prima, Keely Smith and Sam Butera defined
the sound at the Sahara hotel-casino lounge.
Showgirls, the glamorous stars of production
shows, became a staple on stages around town, including the French import,
"Lido de Paris," which settled in for a decadeslong run at the Stardust
in 1957. "Minsky Goes to Paris," one of the first shows to feature topless
showgirls, opened at the Dunes in January 1957. It was followed by "Folies
Bergere" at the Tropicana in December 1959.
A photo caption that appeared that month in
the Sun read: "In a fabulous and sensational opening of Mons. Paul Derval's
Folies Bergere at the Hotel Tropicana, a bundle of Parisian personality,
Maria Lopez, was one of the outstanding features of the show."
The late '50s and early '60s brought the "Rat
Pack" years when a group of martini-swilling, tuxedo-clad guys ruled the
Strip nightly from their raucous roost at the Sands.
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr.,
Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford were the epitome of Vegas cool and continue
to inspire the current generation of hep cats. (Their legacy lives on in
"The Rat Pack Is Back," a production show playing at the Sahara.)
"The Sun grew up in an era where there were
superstars," Myram Borders, chief of the Las Vegas News Bureau, says. Not
only did celebrities entertain here, "they were making news here. They
were getting married, they were getting divorced, they were cavorting."
And it was great fodder for the Sun's entertainment
pages.
Hank's touch
Borders points to the "strong character" of
Sun founder Hank Greenspun. Because of "the contacts that he had both on
the Strip and involving entertainment, (the Sun was) usually on top of
it all.
"I remember when Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow
got married here at the Sands hotel (in 1966), who was the only media@the
ceremony? Hank Greenspun. He just had phenomenal contacts with the people
who owned the hotels, and as a result, I think the Sun coverage was very
outstanding."
And, oftentimes, witty. When the Beatles visited
Las Vegas for a pair of 1964 performances, the Sun reported:
Honestly, you would have thought Khrushchev
was coming to town. At least there was an iron curtain of silence at McCarran
Field befitting an expected visit from the Soviet dictator when they sneaked
The Beatles into town yesterday morning. ... The silent ones were deputy
sheriffs, airport employees and public relations men who answered with
negative shakes of their head all queries about The Beatles."
Another event -- the opening night of Elvis
Presley's "Vegas Years" at the International Hotel (now the Las Vegas Hilton)
-- forced Sun columnist Ralph Pearl to eat crow.
In July 1969 Pearl recalled an earlier column
criticizing producer Bill Miller for hiring the King of rock 'n' roll,
"a lad whose singing style is no longer popular."
"We also told Bill that Presley 'will never
draw,' " Pearl recalled. "Luckily Miller wasn't discouraged by our 'astute'
observations and signed Elvis to a long-term contract."
Joe's world
The Sun's coverage of such historical events
has included columns by Joe Delaney, who has written for the newspaper
for 34 years. He continues to write his "Joe's World" column twice weekly,
in addition to reviewing local entertainment acts for the "Out & About"
page that appears in the entertainment-intensive Accent section on Fridays.
"The Sun, over all those years, has always
maintained the consistency of an entertainment columnist who sometimes
got in fights with some entertainers, but that was OK," Borders says. "Delaney
... maintained a reputation through the years as being a fairly straight
reviewer."
Segregation
But entertainment coverage isn't always fun
and games. In 1955 segregation was rampant in Las Vegas, and local hotels
were not spared from its grips. Black entertainers could perform in Strip
showrooms but had to find lodging elsewhere.
Enter the Moulin Rouge, the city's first integrated
hotel-casino, which opened on West Bonanza Road in May of that year. The
place attracted such stars as Sinatra, Davis Jr. and Harry Belafonte. Its
opening was heralded in the Sun:
"To assure the finest in entertainment Clarence
Robinson, producer-director, and Benny Carter, musical director, have been
contracted by the Moulin Rouge. Robinson has 35 years experience in show
business and as a matter of coincidence directed the shows at the original
Moulin Rouge in Paris, France. ... (Carter) plays saxophone, clarinet,
trumpet and piano; well deserving his title of America's most versatile
bandleader."
The Moulin Rouge closed six months after opening
its doors. But the place wasn't done making entertainment history: In March
1960 it was the site where an agreement that abolished Strip segregation
policies was signed.
Family fare
Las Vegas' entertainment climate has changed
dramatically in recent decades, offering more family-friendly fare. Themed
megaresorts and restaurants, sky-scraping roller coasters and white tigers
are as much the norm as slot machines in this gambling mecca.
It's hardly a trick to find a multimillion-dollar
magic act in town. Or a comedy club. There has been a proliferation of
both in recent years. High-profile boxing matches are as much entertainment
happenings as they are sporting events, often with a slew of celebrities
seated ringside.
These days some of the world's biggest rock
stars -- U2, Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney among them -- now include
Las Vegas on their tour stops. (So do nostalgia acts of the '70s and '80s
such as REO Speedwagon and Pat Benatar.) Meanwhile longtime favorites,
such as Tony Bennett, continue to grace Strip showroom stages.
Continued growth
As Las Vegas' population has grown, so has
its cultural arts scene. Community-born dance, music and theater events
are also covered in the Sun alongside top-name celebrity acts.
"The Las Vegas entertainment culture today
is more diverse and multigenerational in its appeal than it ever has been,"
Features Editor Steve Bornfeld explains. The challenge for the Sun's feature
section, Accent, he says, "is to do justice to every aspect of it. ...
We have to be just as diverse to meet that challenge."
Among Accent's regular features is the Showguide
page, which includes extensive entertainment listings; the Out & About
page; and Weekend Arts and Datebook, both devoted to community arts and
events. Bornfeld credits Delaney for keeping "a sharp eye on Strip developments"
and music columnist Geoff Carter for being "right on top of the contemporary
music scene" in his weekly "Sound Check" column. Gossip columnist Kate
Maddox, he adds, "breaks a lot of entertainment news for us," while the
features staff writers "sprinkle our slate of stories of community interest
with interviews with the hottest acts coming through town."
Entertainment as big business is also tackled
in the Accent section. In 1999 Las Vegas icon Wayne Newton signed a reported
10-year, $25 million-a-year contract to perform at the Stardust. The deal
proved to be the biggest in the city's history.
Following the announcement in October, Newton
told the Sun: "If you know anything about Wayne Newton, it is that Wayne
Newton will never do the same show twice. ... Let's face it, the wonderful
thing about the Wayne Newton Theatre (at the Stardust) is that it's practically
the only nightclub left in town."
Without a doubt, entertainment will continue
to be a force driving Las Vegas into the future. While the in-depth Sun
coverage of related events and issues won't change, it will certainly evolve
to meet the demands of its readers.
Bornfeld says: "We're planning on expanding
our coverage even further in the months ahead as we anticipate Las Vegas
entertainment expanding at a rapid rate. Our commitment to that is absolute."
On the Web
Breaking entertainment news is already just
mouse clicks away on the Sun's website, www.lasvegassun.com. (The website
links to www.vegas.com, which features online versions of Sun sister publications
Las Vegas Life, Las Vegas Weekly, Showbiz Weekly and Vegas Golfer magazines.)
Bryan Allison, director of content for the
website, points out that the site features "everything from (entertainment)
calendars to (show) reviews to archived photos" culled from the various
publications and generated by the Vegas.com staff.
Since its 1996 launch the site has been used
to cover live events such as New Year's Eve festivities and resort openings
-- including New York-New York, Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, the Venetian and
Paris Las Vegas -- as well as U2's "Popmart" tour, which kicked off in
Las Vegas in 1997.
"We had somebody with a cell phone at the
show ... calling back (with) the song lists," Allison explains. "We taped
him and put him on the website and we got a lot of (Internet) traffic because
people were interested" in the show. "It was an international event."
Plans are under way to make entertainment
news coverage on Vegas.com "more interactive, more in-depth," Allison says.
"With downloadable music and those (types
of) technologies becoming more adopted, we're going to be able to provide
a richer environment for people when they visit the site," he says. "So,
they may be able to listen to some of ('70s teen idol and Las Vegas headliner)
David Cassidy's music and not just read about it or look at pictures.
"In Las Vegas, there are so many great things
that happen here that are of interest to people all around the world. We'll
just keep bringing information from all of the great content that we get
from all of our different publications."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 4 - July 10, 2000:
Dark days at the Rio. David Cassidy will not perform this week.
July 06, 2000: The Las Vegas Review-Journal
writes:
'Rat Pack' is back out on the street
By Mike Weatherford
Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack once had the run of
the Strip. But a tribute show called "The Rat Pack is Back" will be homeless
for a second time after it closes at the Sahara Aug. 13.
Sahara officials said Wednesday the show co-produced
by entertainer David Cassidy will leave so it won't compete with an upcoming
production starring magician Steve Wyrick, in which the Sahara has a larger
financial interest. Both shows are priced in the $35 to $40 range, noted
John McManus, the hotel's executive vice president and general counsel.
"We want to focus on Wyrick and building his
show," McManus said.
The Congo Room inhabited by "Rat Pack" will
house a "value-oriented" afternoon or evening revue, with a low ticket
price to generate foot traffic, McManus said.
Cassidy is on vacation this week. His publicist,
JoAnn Geffen, said the entertainer and co-producer Don Reo are already
in discussions with other hotels about a new home for the five-member cast
and 12-piece band.
"The Rat Pack is Back" first played at the
Desert Inn from July to early December 1999, during which time it came
under legal fire from Sinatra's heirs in a trademark infringement suit
that's still pending.
The show reopened March 25 at the Sahara.
Though the Sahara venue is called the Congo Room, it's actually a retrofitted
banquet room far removed from casino traffic. The original Congo Room was
demolished in hotel renovations.
"The room was wrong and the hotel was wrong,
but even in a bad place it did business," "Rat Pack" music director Lon
Bronson said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 07, 2000: The Las Vegas Sun
writes that "Insiders are speculating that the closing of "The Rat Pack
is Back" at the Sahara hotel-casino won't be the final curtain for the
tribute show. Although co-producer David Cassidy is on vacation this week,
sources say that at least three major Strip properties are interested in
bringing back "The Rat Pack" for its third incarnation.
Sources are also saying that cast members
very much want to hang in there until the show finds a new home. The trouble
wasn't ticket sales or lack of popularity. The trouble was magician Steve
Wyrick.
Wyrick, whose scheduled show for the Sahara
was originally slated to open back in February, has been the source of
a couple of headaches for the hotel. Opening dates have had to be significantly
postponed as special considerations for Wyrick's multimillion-dollar production
were repeatedly being reworked. As things finally came to fruition -- an
opening date has now been announced for sometime "in the next 60 days"
-- ticket prices for the magic show landed in the very same ballpark as
those of "The Rat Pack is Back." Loyal to Wyrick, who was drawing capacity
crowds at the Lady Luck for two years, the Sahara had to cut something
-- and the tribute show got the ax."
July 09, 2000: The Las Vegas Review-Journal
writes:
COLUMN: NORM!
The Scene and Heard: David Cassidy didn't make any friends in high
places on The Strip last week with that self-destructive comment about
the closing of "The Rat Pack is Back!" at the Sahara.
"There's an imbalance here that I'm uncomfortable with. The people
in charge of developing entertainment are not entertainment people per
se. That's why I'm successful. I know this business. For an executive to
tell me how to run a show," he said, "is like me telling him how to run
a hotel." ...
July 11, 2000: The Las Vegas Sun
writes that "David Cassidy, who along with partner Don Reo produces the
recently canceled "The Rat Pack is Back" show at the Sahara, returned from
vacation this week optimistic about the future of the tribute show. Seems
that offers are coming in from Strip hotels and one "major player property"
in Atlantic City, as well as from overseas.
"People are flying in from all over to see
it," said the star of the Rio's "At The Copa" with Sheena Easton. "We're
looking at a lot of different options right now."
Cassidy, who would like to see the show keep
its current cast, is willing to entertain offers from anyone who can promise
the "Rat Pack" a long-term commitment and keep the small-room intimacy
that the show needs to work its charm.
Cassidy also said that the split with the
Sahara was something he and the cast knew was coming for quite some time
and it wasn't because of lack of popularity. "The fact is," Cassidy said,
"despite the clientele at the Sahara, the show was still pulling in $15,000
to $20,000 in profits each week."
July 11, 2000: Gaming Today writes:
EFX looking for new hero
By Don Usherson
Six months ago, when it looked like Tommy Tune
might not hang around for another contract extension to remain the star
of MGM Grand’s "EFX," I reported that Donny Osmond and Rick Springfield
were two of the candidates in the running. That was until Springfield all
but took himself out of the running for awhile, apparently, only temporarily.
Now that sources close to Tune say there’s
a great chance he will not be around past December — if he stays that long
— the name game is being played again.
And once again, the two front-running names
are those of Donny Osmond and Rick Springfield, according to a Strip Scoop
snoop.
Osmond, of course, is known mostly as a TV
and bubble gum recording star. Springfield made his claims to fame as a
TV soap star and a musical artist.
A third name, I cannot disclose yet, belongs
to a very unlikely choice, but a great one, I think. It’s that of a rock
star, who performs fairly regularly on the Strip with his own group.
Biting The Hand
GamingToday’s review of "The Rat Pack is Back"
in its then-new venue the Sahara, said the Congo Room (albeit a terrific
theater) as well as the location in the hotel (next to the buffet instead
of the casino) may be wrong for this excellent little tribute to Vegas’
Golden Era of Entertainment. The room is a little large for this type offering
and the theater-style seating doesn’t fit the look and feel of the ’60s
(an original intent of this show, according to its producer David Cassidy).
The Desert Inn’s smaller, more intimate, cocktail-table
room, in the middle of the casino, was more true to the Rat Pack era.
Well, I heard loud and clear from Cassidy’s
camp, the cast and some in the Sahara (who, themselves, may no longer be
employed at the hotel) that I was all wet.
But, now that the show has been given the
heave-ho, there, in black and white in the local daily, is a quote from
the show’s musical director that the "room was wrong and the hotel was
wrong, but even in a bad place it did business."
Geesh, what was Lon Bronson (who happens to
be a guy whose talents as a musician and director, I admire) thinking with
that quote?
It does go to show that David and his people
knew the room wasn’t really right for the show all along, but calling the
hotel a bad place hits a sour note.
Cracks that burn bridges or bite the hand
that supplies the showroom, is not smart. Not many other venues are going
to give "Rat Pack" a home, if they know that when it’s time to move on,
folks connected with it are going to rag on the hotel to the media.
Not being able to market the show using Cassidy’s
name or any of the Rat Packers’ images might have been an insurmountable
obstacle.
If anything, the Sahara should be applauded
for giving this quality little offering a stage, despite the potential
(though improbable) legal ramifications and the marketing handicaps. (www.gamingtoday.com)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 20, 2000: The Las Vegas Review-Journal
writes:
Diminished Rio results hurt Harrah's in second quarter
Lower Rio hold percentage drops Harrah's profits by almost 2 percent.
By Dave Berns
Good luck for Rio table games players
meant a tough second-quarter for the trendy off-Strip hotel-casino, which
decreased the quarterly earnings of parent company Harrah's Entertainment
by as much as 9 cents per share.
The numbers were further deflated by
the loss of singer-impressionist Danny Gans, who left the Rio late last
year for a new deal at The Mirage, according to figures released Wednesday
by Harrah's Entertainment.
"At the Rio we have a continued streak
of bad luck," said Harrah's Entertainment Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer Phil Satre. "I will be the first to admit that the extended duration
of the low hold we are experiencing at the Rio is abnormal."
Despite a 17 percent rise in revenue
to $879.2 million, Harrah's Entertainment reported a nearly 2 percent decline
in profits for the quarter.
Plagued by a relatively low 8.4 percent
hold percentage on table games at the company's Rio hotel-casino, Harrah's
Entertainment reported second-quarter profits of $47.2 million, or 40 cents
a share.
That compared with second-quarter 1999
profits of $47.9 million, or 37 cents a share.
A survey of gaming industry analysts
by First Call/Thomson Financial had forecast earnings of 44 cents a share.
Harrah's shares were down 81 cents Wednesday
to close at $22 on the New York Stock Exchange.
Strong results were generated by the
majority of the company's gaming properties including nearly all of its
Western region properties, its Midwest riverboats and Harrah's Atlantic
City.
"I think you would agree that our business
is very strong," Satre said. "We have built a big, diversified company
with systems, technology and marketing capabilities that provide a unique
and sustainable competitive advantage."
Along with its $766 million deal last
year to buy the Rio, Harrah's Entertainment has purchased the Showboat
brand and recently completed a $425 million transaction to buy Player's
International and its casinos in Illinois, Louisiana and Missouri.
The Rio's hold percentage, which measures
the amount of money won by a casino for every dollar wagered on table games,
was well below the gaming property's 20.5 percent average hold percentage
of the past three years.
If that 20.5 percent figure had been
achieved, the Rio's second-quarter gaming revenues would've totalled $58
million, not the $38 million that was actually reported, decreasing the
company's second-quarter results by 9 cents a share, Satre said.
The Rio has reported seven consecutive
months of a lower-than-average hold percentage, prompting Harrah's Entertainment
to consider whether it should lower the maximum bet it allows on such high
roller favorites as blackjack and baccarat. The Rio currently accepts wagers
as high as $150,000 a hand, one Wall Street analyst estimated.
"It is a volatile business, lately more
volatile than I would like, but ultimately a good and profitable business,"
Satre said.
The amount of money wagered at Rio table
games rose 11 percent to a record level for the second quarter, while the
amount of money flowing through the property's slot machines was up 10
percent, also a second-quarter record.
The growth in Rio table games volume,
especially at the high end of play, left at least one observer wondering
if the Rio and Harrah's Entertainment aren't struggling with something
more fundamental than the uncertainties of luck.
"There are things that a property can
do that would stimulate volume that wouldn't necessarily be profitable,"
said Paine Webber gaming analyst Robin Farley.
Among those things: Returning a percentage
of losses sustained by whales who carry credit lines of $100,000 and higher.
In recent years, Strip operators have returned, or discounted, about 10
percent of a high roller's losses, with The Venetian recently going as
high as 20 percent.
Rio executives declined to discuss specifics
of their loss-return policies.
"It certainly leads one to question
what it is that the Rio is doing that attracts so much more volume," Farley
reflected. "Is there an issue of discounting players' losses?"
Meantime, last year's departure of Gans
to The Mirage has cut into the Rio's entertainment revenues.
"A year ago at the Rio we had lightning
in a bottle, the Danny Gans show under a very favorable contractual circumstance,"
said Gary, Harrah's Entertainment's chief operating officer. "This year
we don't. The consequence of that difference is a several million dollar
adverse result in entertainment."
Gans' eight-year deal at The Mirage
has been estimated to be as much as $10 million annually, or about four
times his Rio contract. Early 1970s teen heartthrob David Cassidy replaced
Gans as the Rio's headliner.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 23, 2000: In an interview with
the Las Vegas Sun, entertainer Clint Holmes, star of "Takin' It
Uptown" at Harrah's hotel-casino, was asked: "Do you see yourself competing
with Wayne Newton, Danny Gans and David Cassidy?" His reply was:
"I don't like to look at it as competing, but realistically, sure, we compete
for people to come see us. I respect all of those guys for what they do.
I certainly respect Wayne for his history and Danny for coming here and
staying here for years and becoming who he has become in this town. That's
kind of what I did in Atlantic City. And David for going from "EFX" to
producing a show ("The Rat Pack is Back") to starring in a show ("At the
Copa"). I'd like to think there's an audience for all of us.
July 26, 2000: The Las Vegas Sun
writes that Sheena Easton, Grammy-winning recording artist and star with
David Cassidy in "At the Copa" at the Rio, will make an appearance at Canyon
Ranch Living Essentials Boutique on Thursday at 1 p.m. Easton will autograph
her Angel Collection of porcelain dolls and figurines.
Easton's enchanting collection reflects her
Scottish heritage and love of make-believe and nature. A portion of the
proceeds from the sale of Easton's dolls will benefit Child Haven. The
facility is Clark County's only temporary care shelter for abused, neglected
and abandoned children, ages 3-18.
Canyon Ranch's Living Essentials Boutique
is in the Venetian's Grand Canal Shoppes.
July 27, 2000: The Las Vegas Review-Journal
writes:
Rat Pack tribute extended at Sahara
Frank and the gang will continue to pal
around the Sahara. "The Rat Pack is Back" has been extended at the hotel,
and will stay at least through Oct. 29.
Sahara officials on Wednesday reversed
a decision earlier this month to end their landlord-tenant relationship
with the Sinatra tribute show, which is produced by entertainer David Cassidy
and his partner Don Reo.
"We had really an outcry of public support
for the show," said John McManus, the hotel's executive vice president
and general counsel, of the show that was to close Aug. 13.
The main reason for evicting the show
still applies: The Sahara has a larger vested interest in a new production
starring magician Steve Wyrick that's scheduled to open by the end of summer.
"Once Wyrick launches, our focus will
be on him," McManus said. "We're really kind of married to Wyrick" in an
eight-year deal.
July 28, 2000: The Las Vegas Sun
writes: The folks at the Sahara entertainment department may have pledged
their loyalties to yet-to-appear magician Steve Wyrick, but they've saved
some room to allow "The Rat Pack is Back" back into the family.
The David Cassidy/Don Reo-produced tribute
show has regained its red-headed stepchild status and will close on Oct.
29 instead of Aug. 13, which was the done-date proposed a couple of weeks
ago. Some Strip watchers were surprised to learn about the extension, citing
the not-so-kind remarks made by Cassidy, directed at the Sahara, after
his show was initially dumped.
Although the "Rat Pack" producers knew that
the show would get its walking papers once Wyrick (finally) got his production
together, Cassidy still managed to sock the Sahara with a punch or two
after the "Rat Pack" dismissal. He publicly complained that the Sahara
entertainment execs were directionless in their decision-making and talked
about the hotel's "less sophisticated" clientele.
Most of those remarks, however, were littered
between praise for the success of the show and the amicable separation
from the Sahara. Whatever, that's all bygones now, at least through October.
And whether Cassidy pleaded for an extension, as some are speculating,
or brought the show back after the hotel got an earful from the public,
he's now at least got some time to get his ducks in a row. There are three
venues vying for "The Rat Pack is Back" and negotiations are ongoing --
with a little more breathing room this time.
CASSIDYS IN BRIEF:
Go to the Biography website (http://www.biography.com/tv/listings/sjones.html)
and they have a RealPlayer clip with the promo. It is great, if you get
a clear view. There's a small clip with Shaun and one with Patrick. Thanks
to Carol on the Shaun Cassidy Chat list for the info.
Just wanted to let you know that Shaun is in the new People magazine,
its the collectors edition salute to the 70's . It is on the newstands
now, he is on page 110 ... a small to medium size picture and a paragraph
or so describing his career as a teen idol. Thanks to Tammy from the Shaun
Cassidy Chat list for the info.
David will sing the National Anthem at the NY Yankees baseball game,
playing the The Oakland A's at Yankees Stadium on Tuesday, August 8th.
Game will be televised in NY and LA, so fans can check their TV stations
and radio stations. In NY the game will be televised on MSG (Madison Square
Garden) Cable station and on the radio it will be on WABC-FM 770, which
has a live internet feed at their website. www.yankees.com
and www.oaklandathletics.com
may also help with live feed of the game on the net. (Thanks to Barbara
from the Just David Fan Club for the info).
David will be one of the celebrities to appear on the Second annual
Family Television Awards live on August 3rd at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
The show will be telecast on the CBS network on August 10th. Check
local listings for time. Again, thanks to Barbara for the info.
We've heard that Rick Springfield is not interested in playing in EFX.
A question was asked him on a Live Chat on www.rickspringfield.com: Is
there any truth to the rumor you'll be in the EFX show in 2001 in Vegas?
His reply was "No. They were interested, but it wasn't right for me to
do it."
ON THE SHAUNSIDE:
"Cover Me" Moves To Utah
Fri, Jun 30, 2000 03:20 PM PDT
LOS ANGELES (Zap2It.com) - The USA Network drama ``Cover Me: Based on
the True Life of an FBI Family,'' which currently airs Sunday nights at
9 p.m. (Eastern), hops to a new time slot on July 26 at 9 p.m., right before
the premiere of the new drama, ``The Huntress.''
Zap2it.com has also learned that the show,
created by ``Roar'' and ``American Gothic'' producer Shaun Cassidy, is
moving production to Utah. Next week, the series leaves San Diego - where
it has been shooting next door to the Sci Fi Channel series ``The Invisible
Man,'' and sets up shop in Salt Lake City, Utah, currently the home base
of CBS' ``Touched by an Angel.''
As it did with San Diego, ``Cover Me'' will
be using Salt Lake as itself, instead of having it double for another location.
Since the show centers around an undercover
FBI agent, played by Peter Dobson, and his family, producers likely felt
the change in venue was necessary to freshen the storylines and maintain
believability. The Salt Lake City episodes are expected to begin airing
Aug. 16.
--------------------------------------
Friday July 07 05:48 PM EDT
'True Life' FBI Show Pure Fiction, Says Bureau
WASHINGTON (APBnews.com) -- The USA network television drama Cover Me
purports to be based on the true-life adventures of an FBI family -- but
the real FBI doesn't want you to believe it.
FBI officials have wired a boilerplate "letter
to the editor" to its 56 field offices that slams the TV show for suggesting
that FBI agents and employees put the lives of their families in harm's
way, as depicted on the program.
Included in the title of every show is the
tagline "Based on the true life of an FBI family," and its promotional
Web site claims the tales of the Arno family are "based on a true story."
Viewing public curious
In one episode, undercover FBI operative
Danny Arno enlists his brother on a dangerous story case. In another, Arno's
teenage children need witness protection after going undercover to
baby-sit the children of a San Diego city councilman who is then murdered.
FBI spokesman Steve Berry in Washington told APBnews.com the bureau had
to respond to public inquiries over its practices as a result of the broadcasts.
"Some of the field offices were getting calls
from the public saying 'I didn't know the FBI would put kids in danger,'"
he said. "We were continually responding from Omaha to L.A. to New York
that the show is not based on any accepted FBI procedures whatsoever."
Berry said the show's producers took great
creative license in portraying the lifestyles of FBI families.
Setting 'the record straight'
The "Dear Editor-in-Chief" letter sent to the
field offices, provided to APBnews.com by the FBI, states that the bureau
is seeking to "set the record straight" regarding the show, which airs
Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET on the USA cable network.
It reads, in part: "The program professes
to be the true life story of an FBI family. It is not, however, based on
the life of any employee of the FBI, past or present, despite the impression
given to the general public by the show's title."
The letter also stated that fictional agent
Danny Arno's practice of using his family in his work -- repeatedly placing
them in "careless, dangerous and illegal situations" -- is something the
FBI would never stand for.
The bureau does not employ any such procedures,
Berry said.
Shaun Cassidy executive producer
Officials from Studios USA in Los Angeles said
the show is loosely based on the life of Kenneth Brown, a now-deceased
former law enforcement informant whose family sold the rights to their
story to producer Matt Rader.
Rader, in turn, collaborated with former teen
idol and Hardy Boys TV star Shaun Cassidy to turn the Brown family story
into a television drama that fictionalized elements of their experience,
USA
officials said.
Cassidy now serves as executive producer
for Cover Me, and Rader is a consultant to the show, officials said.
USA officials did not respond to repeated
requests for comment on the FBI action today, despite indicating they would.
David Percelay, president of APB Television,
a division of APB Online Inc., acquired the rights in the early 1990s to
the Brown family story and sold it to a unit of Universal Studios Television.
That project was later developed by CBS as a script, but subsequently
dropped by the network. Percelay said he has no creative involvement in
the current show at Studios USA and USA Network.
By James Gordon Meek, an APBnews.com editor.
Shaun Cassidy
being interviewed by Cindy Rhodes on Sidewalks TV (Shaun Cassidy 2000)
(www.swetv.com).
In the 70's, Shaun Cassidy was a breakout
singer and actor. He had a top 10 hit with "Da Doo Ron Ron" and a hit TV
show called The Hardy Boys Mysteries. In the 90's, he became a well respected
TV producer with several acclaimed series such as American Gothic and Roar.
In this March 2000 interview, he talked about being a teen idol, working
on The Hardy Boys, and his current project as the creator and producer
of USA Network's Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family, which
can be seen on Sunday nights at 8pm (EST).
From the TV Guide in July: Danny Arno (Peter Dobson), a cocky undercover
fed who enlists and ensnares his entire family in his stings, will never
win a dad-of-the-year award. But Cover Me (USA Network,
Wednesdays 9PM/ET) returning July 26 with new capers, easily qualifies
as one of the most original and engaging series of the year, blending suspense,
humor and sentiment in a uniqueliy entertaining hybrid of family and crime
drama. The first new episode is a tense thriller pitting Danny and wife
Barbara (Melora Hardin) against an enemy they took down in their more reckless
prefamily days. Do yourself a favor: Discover Cover Me.
ON TV IN JULY:
USA:
DAVID CASSIDY:
Biography: Shirley Jones (120 minutes- (CC), N)
The life of actress Shirley Jones, whose career took off with ``Oklahoma''
and continued with the success of ``The Partridge Family.''.
Sun Jul 16 08:00P A&E- Arts & Entertainment
Sun Jul 16 10:00P A&E- Arts & Entertainment
Mon Jul 17 12:00A A&E- Arts & Entertainment
Mon Jul 17 02:00A A&E- Arts & Entertainment
Partridge Family (30 minutes- In Stereo)
Mon Jun 26 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Tue Jun 27 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Wed Jun 28 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Thu Jun 29 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Fri Jun 30 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Mon Jul 3 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Tue Jul 4 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Wed Jul 5 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Thu Jul 6 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Fri Jul 7 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Mon Jul 10 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Tue Jul 11 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Wed Jul 12 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Thu Jul 13 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Fri Jul 14 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Mon Jul 17 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Tue Jul 18 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Wed Jul 19 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Thu Jul 20 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Fri Jul 21 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Mon Jul 24 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Tue Jul 25 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Wed Jul 26 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Thu Jul 27 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Fri Jul 28 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Mon Jul 31 06:00P FAME- The Family Channel
Profiles: David Cassidy (60 minutes)
The career of former teen idol David Cassidy is explored, including
interviews with his ``Partridge Family'' co-stars.
Fri Jul 14 06:00A BRAVO- Bravo
Fri Jul 14 11:00A BRAVO- Bravo
Mon 3 6:00 PM Before They Were Rock Stars 335 VH1
SHAUN CASSIDY:
Cover Me moves to Wednesday nights on
USA Network.
Tue 4 3:00 PM Where Are They Now? 335 VH1
Wed 5 12:00 AM Where Are They Now? 335 VH1
On Sunday, July 9 at 6:00PM (ET), TV Land's "Before They Were Casts"
Box Set will feature Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew episode 48706 - The Mystery
of the Hollywood Phantom - Part II.
PATRICK CASSIDY:
Mon 3 8:00 AM Lois & Clark: on TNT
Tue 4 8:00 AM Lois & Clark: Shadow of a Doubt 245 TNT
Wed 5 8:00 AM Lois & Clark: Voice From the Past 245 TNT
SHIRLEY JONES:
FROM A & E CABLE LISTINGS:
07/16/2000
8:00 Biography. Shirley Jones. "Oklahoma" made her a star and
"The Partridge Family" made her TV mom to a generation. Here's the life
of the actress with an angelic singing voice who wowed Rodgers and Hammerstein
at 18, married actor Jack Cassidy, stepmothered teen idol David Cassidy,
and wed comedian Marty Ingels against family wishes. (cc) [TV G]
10:00 Biography. Shirley Jones.
Fans in the US will find out when David's gonna
be on by going to www.tv-now.com/stars/dcassidy.html
,
Shaun
on
www.tv-now.com/stars/shauncas.html,
and Jack on www.tv-now.com/stars/jackcass.html
You can also visit www.tvguide.entertainment.aol.com/
For Norwegian and Scandinavian listings, go to
www.sol.no/tv/,
www.nettavisen.no/tvguide/index.htm
or www.dagenstv.com/no/ntb/
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