Dean Martin's son Ricci is coming to Las Vegas to perform the tribute to his father you might expect. 

Pardon my indescretion, but I'm more curious about the show he didn't do. 

The 48-year-old Woodland, Utah, resident has enjoyed a high profile this year, working the promotional circuit for his book "That's Amore -- A Son Remembers Dean Martin." 

Ricci is a performer himself. His then-Beach Boy brother-in-law Carl Wilson produced Martin's 1977 album, "Beached." 

More recently, he's stepped into the shoes of late brother Dean Paul to carry on the '60s pop legacy of Dino, Desi & Billy with Desi Arnaz Jr. and Billy Hinsche. 

But Martin says Arnaz prefers staying home in Boulder City to working state fairs and casinos. Martin and Hinsche like to be busier. Hence, the Dean Martin tribute show, opening Friday at the Riviera. 

Martin will share stories, show slides and yes, croon some of his late father's standards such as "Volare" and "Memories Are Made of This." 

He had held off doing the latter until a high-roller's party at Sunset Station in June. The crowd went wild, and because Martin turns 49 on Sept. 20, "I'm more at ease with the idea of singing the standards." 

He had resisted because "no one can do Dad, for crying out loud. No one can be Dad, and I'm not trying to do it." 

Then why, oh why, was he preparing to join the cast of "The Rat Pack Is Back" last spring? 

The Sahara show ended up closing, but not before reports that Martin was preparing to play some guy named Dean. 

It's hard enough for most of us to imagine having a famous dad. It's beyond the realm of sane thought to imagine someone putting on a costume and wig and pretending to be your dad. 

But "Rat Pack" producer (and former teen idol) David Cassidy was a friend since childhood. "If anyone else had asked me to do this I would not even have considered it for a minute," Martin says. 

Moreover, the "Rat Pack" show was "more of a theatrical play than it was an impersonation." 

But Martin is sympathetic even to guys such as Tom Stevens, who does wear the wig and puffs on fake cigarettes in a Suncoast revue. 

"It keeps my father alive," he says. "There is something about (the legend) that is so real and true that people find it attractive. 

"You can have someone do Dad horribly. The point is that people are still willing to buy into Dad no matter who does it. That's something that speaks very highly of my father. As corny or as great as someone is doing him, it's still an amazing compliment to my father in a huge way." 

The younger Martin is willing to settle for a genetic resemblance. "My mom (Jeanne) has always said, `You are your father.' " 

He's just trying not to take that compliment too literally. (Mike Weatherford's entertainment column) 
 

No, Donny Osmond will not be replacing Rick Springfield in "EFX Alive" at MGM Grand.

Osmond told Sun pop-culture Buddah Kirk Baird for an upcoming story, "That was just a rumor.

"I went to see the show and thought it was great." He saw Michael Crawford, David Cassidy and Tommy Tune in the show.

The show is closing early next year and a new Cirque du Soleil production will take over the space in early 2004.

Osmond, prepping for the debut of the new game show "Pyramid" (based on the classic Dick Clark-hosted "$25,000 Pyramid"), added that he hopes to return to Las Vegas.

"I'd love to get back to Vegas soon. It is where I really started my career."
 

The inside of a Holden sedan boot is among the the most vivid memories David Cassidy has of his Australian tour almost 28 years ago.

The tour was dubbed World War III at the time, as security and ambulance services were overwhelmed by a mass of screaming fans trying to get close to the chart-topping heart-throb of the '70s hit TV show The Partridge Family.

Cassidy, who is set to make his concert return to Australia in November, was shuttled between hotels and venues in car boots as security men in limousines ran decoy from the fans.

It's not a scene that Cassidy, now 52 and still a boyish looking performer, expects will be repeated when he plays again to Australian audiences.

The hysteria may have subsided, but the loyalty of fans has remained as solid as his 25 million record sales.

Many thought Cassidy's surprise retirement from concert touring at just 24, soon after the 1974 Australian leg, was because of burn-out.

But Cassidy reveals he made the choice so he could grow personally and develop professionally into more than just a "one mill" act to ensure his longevity in the business.

"I don't miss those days - it was madness and chaos all the time - but I have very fond feelings about what I was able to accomplish," he says.

"It was important for me to walk away when I was at the top. I needed to devote more time to myself - I was five years emotionally inferior to other people my age because all I was doing was working. 

"I knew I had to distance myself in order to create. I wanted different work, different arenas, and it has since made my life a lot richer because it was a long struggle to get over me."

It was a huge risk to take.

Almostas soon as the Partridge Family was aired in 1970, Cassidy became a superstar, with the show producing his first world-wide hit, I Think I Love You, by the end of the season.

But after his retirement from touring, Cassidy spent almost a decade in relative obscurity - until he took on a role in the Broadway show Blood Brothers during the early 1990s.

He then took other stage roles on Broadway, in London's West End and Las Vegas,where he has spent the past five years writing, producing and starring in three of the Strip's biggest shows.

This success spurred Cassidy to release his 20th album in 2000, putting him back in the charts and sparking a sold-out tour of the US and Britain. 

The Australian leg had to wait for Cassidy, his singer wife, Sue Shifrin, and their son, Beau, 10, to tie up loose ends in Las Vegas and build a house in Florida.

"Every time I was asked to tour Australia I was busy but, at long last, the planets are aligned," Cassidy says. "It's going to be really interesting to see how it has changed.

"But I do know Australians are the best in the world at enjoying themselves, and I think the shows will be a real celebration of the positive impact I have had on generations of people there and the impact fans have had on me."

Cassidy says he keeps in contact with only two former Partridge Family members - his TV mum, Shirley Jones, who was also his real-life stepmother, and TV brother Danny Bonaduce.

David Cassidy plays in Wollongong on November 7; Newcastle, November 13; and Sydney, November 16.
 

September 15, 2002: Sun Herald (Sydney, Australia)

At best it seems hopelessly optimistic and at worst borderline delusional, but when David Cassidy brings his travelling roadshow to Australia in November he is booked to play the Sydney Entertainment Centre, a venue with an 11,000-seat capacity. 

It's a decision that's had some in the music business archly raising an eyebrow, for 32 years have passed since Cassidy took the role of Keith Partridge in TV show The Partridge Family and 17 years since a Cassidy single entered the Australian Top 60 (The Last Kiss). His last locally released album, Didn't You Used To Be (1992), didn't even register a blip on the ARIA Top 100 chart.

As for the man himself, there's no sense the tour is an ambitious undertaking - rather, Cassidy views such arenas as more of a natural downsizing from his teen idol days in the 1970s when songs such as I Think I Love You ruled the airwaves.

"I wouldn't want toplay anything bigger than 10,000 again," hesaid. "I think it's too much and you lose touch. I played to 70,000 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground [infact, MCG records show the concert, in March1974, attracted a crowd of 21,085]. Let me tell you, 10,000 is an intimate room. Believe me. I want to be able to connect to everybody in the room and you can't with a venue any bigger than that."

At 52, David Cassidy has not only survived but prospered in a way few could have imagined when punk's gnarly sound emerged about 1976 and appeared to snuff out his chance of fashioning a long-term career.

The spunk who once adorned all space on teenaged girls' walls had quickly become a human punchline. For a period the whole experience did his head in. Coming out the other side, though, Cassidy had learnt to laugh at himself and the cult of David Cassidy (who once had the biggest fanclub in history of pop) and his alter ego, Keith Partridge.

Indeed, when George Michael - who recorded uncredited backing vocals on a Cassidy single in 1985 - was publicly humiliated after being arrested in a BeverlyHills public toilet in 1998, Cassidy phoned to offer support. 

"I called him just to say all of us had gone through a certain amount of adversity, and it's unfortunate when you're a famous person and it gets flogged around and you become a joke," he said. "But he's a very deep, caring and really good person."

Like a musical Zelig, David Cassidy's life has seen him in the same room, venue or recording studio as acts such as The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, the Beach Boys, Paul McCartney, DEVO, legendary session players Hal Blaine, Louie Shelton and Larry Carlton and,well, Sheena Easton and Hear'say. Former page three pin-up/pop star Samantha Fox also came into Cassidy's orbit in 1985, posing nude with the singer. "I had nothing to do with that image," Cassidy protested  lamely. "[We] took some photographs and the next thing it's all over the papers and on a picture disc [for the single Romance]. I have to tell you, there was a lot of weight inmy hands that day. I actually haven't addressed  this in about 15 years, but nice of you to bring up that memory."

In a long and strange career there's been B-grade movies (for example, Spirit of '76 in 1990 alongside Rob Reiner, Olivia D'Abo and Leif Garrett - US gross $52,000), three marriages, dud albums and regular interest fromWhere Are They Now?-type programs. 

However, Cassidy came good in the mid-1990s. He starred on Broadway and in the West End (alongside Sir Laurence Olivier), produced two shows in Las Vegas and replaced Michael Crawford in the Vegas spectacular EFX, racking up more than 1,500 performances.

Through the fallow times Cassidy found solace in words spoken almost 30 years ago by his father, the late Jack Cassidy, an actor who enjoyed a formidable television career.

"[He told me] one very specific thing," Cassidy said. "When I was playing stadiums he came and saw me once at Wembley in London. He was backstage and he took me aside, and he almost never did that.

"He said: 'Some day when you walk away from this and try and create something else, it's going to become very difficult for you. I want you to remember this: talent will survive. And you've got it. You have the thing that everybody wants to have, and that's a gift. I have it and you have it'."

In 2001, after years of shying away from performing his greatest hits, David Cassidy began touring again and has since played about 75 concerts.

"It's the most incredible thing I've done," he said. "I can't describe it to you - the outpouring of love and energy. Not having gone out and flogged this material night after night, year after year, it's like I've opened up a chest of drawers and found all these jewels."

Cassidy admitted his audience had aged and no longer threw beads and shells on to the stage as they did in the 1970s.

"Now they throw lingerie, bras and underwear," he said. "It's seriously slammin'." 

David Cassidy's latest album Then And Now is available through Universal. He plays the Sydney Entertainment Centre on November 16. Bookings through Ticketek 02 9266 4800.
 

IT'S become his theme song and, 32 years after it was released, David Cassidy says he still never gets tired of singing "I think I love you".

"Unlike a lot of artists who come through year after year after year, I have not been around flogging these songs, I've been doing lots of other different work," said Cassidy in Sydney yesterday.

He has resurrected favourites such as Cherish and One of Those Nights, which have done time in the record collections of most women aged between 38 and 45, and he's taking them back out on tour.

He also has redone them – with the original musicians in the original recording studio of 30 years ago – for a new album, Then and Now.

Cassidy is in the middle of his first US tour for 10 years and has done two tours of Britain, his first for 15 years.

Now he's in Australia to promote his November tour, his first here in 28 years. This time he is riding up the front of the car instead of locked in the boot for his own safety, as he was in 1974 in the middle of those crazy years when he was the biggest star in the world, with a fan club bigger than Elvis and The Beatles.

The fans are still there but they are much more sedate, he says. Don't believe it. He may be 52 but the power of his appeal has not waned.

Rock historian Glenn A. Baker said that unlike other teen idols, Cassidy had stood the test of time because he had survived "on his own terms".

After a period in the wilderness, when he distanced himself from the bubblegum Partridge Family days, Cassidy came back in the late 80s with a series of stage roles.

He worked hard to prove his early success was not a fluke, he said. 

"I tried not to compete with my fame or my image but to do work I wanted to do."
 

CONFIDENTIAL might be jumping the gun, but we doubt it.

Smarmy David Cassidy looks like the surefire taker for 2002's Least Friendly Visiting Celebrity.

During his Tuesday press conference, Cassidy didn't impress anyone with his arrogant, evasive and condescending tone.

When asked if he wishes he handled fame differently 30 years ago, he said: "No, I wouldn't have... the title of my life story is C'mon Get Happy and trust me I am.

"There are only five other guys [who were around then] that have managed to have to have a successful career.

"It's the good stuff and the talent that survives."

He also didn't win any fans with the lewd comments he made about the women seated beside him - whom he later revealed to be his back-up singers.

(Although as far as Confidential could ascertain, they were just there to laugh at his jokes, lame as those jokes were).

Later Cassidy panicked when Daily Telegraph photographer Jeff Darmanin asked him to move towards a sheltered verandah at the Hotel Inter-Continental.

"Just one photo," he snapped angrily.

Confidential also received a few calls from readers unimpressed with his profanity-filled appearance on Hey Hey It's Rove.

"Cassidy couldn't remember where he had played here before or where he would play this time," a caller said.

"Surely he could learn his schedule [if] he's trying to flog $90 tickets."

"It's been 28 years since he last graced us with his presence. One can only hope for at least another 28 before he considers returning."

Then there was the interview with Network Ten's Angela Bishop, in which Cassidy appeared uninterested when she mentioned his daughter had recorded I Think I Love You, his signature Partridge Family tune.

"Yes, it's true as far as I know... but I only met her once," Cassidy replied.
 
 

A GENEROUS fan of '70s pin-up David Cassidy has learnt a valuable lesson – in the post-September 11 security crackdown, it's probably best not to give a visiting American star a wrapped parcel, especially when it's ticking. 

Melbourne man Michael Valiante was among a small group of older fans waiting at Melbourne airport for their idol, who arrived with back-up singers Lisa Mayer and Candace Davis-Martin, on Tuesday night. 

Michael approached Cassidy bearing a gift-wrapped present for the former Partridge Family star. 

Thanks, but no thanks, was the firm response from Cassidy, who said security issues meant he would not accept the gift. 

But the singer did ask Valiante if he would open the gift – a metal clock in the shape of Australia – for him, and promptly signed it as a memento for his fan. 

Cassidy's promo visit is his first to Melbourne in 27 years – the last one was at the height of his pop fame. 

His next trip here won't take quite as long – he's heading back to Melbourne to play at the Vodafone Arena on November 11 as part of his Aussie tour. 

We hear he'll be squeezing in some spring racing fun, with the VRC inviting him to be a VIP guest at the Melbourne Cup after his comments on Monday night's episode of The Fat, where he said he would love to attend the renowned race day. 
 

Partridge Family heart throb David Cassidy admits he had some strange memories of Australia. 

Like the way it felt being thrown and huddled into the boot of a car. 

It was a popular way for Cassidy to be transported between venues and media conferences as crazed fans flocked to his car. 

Then there was the time Cassidy awoke to black smoke in his hotel after an air conditioning unit caught fire. 

But Cassidy said this was not the reason for his 28-year absence from the country where he broke box office records in the 70s. 

"They described it as World War III," Cassidy remembered the time he played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. 

"The fans were just extraordinary and the shows were unbelievable. 

Cassidy, who now lives in Las Vegas with his wife and son, shot to fame as a teenager in The Partridge Family in 1970, and became the highest paid solo artist by age 21. 

But unlike other teenage stars, the 52-year-old survived the attention and fame he acquired so quickly. One of his main motivations to go on tour 32 years after his musical debut was to prove his success and fame was no fluke. 

"In the end the good stuff survives. It's talent that survives," Cassidy told reporters today. 

"I can't say that there wasn't a sense of relief saying `see I told you'." 

Cassidy is now back in Australia after a quarter of a century to promote his Then and Now album concert tour which starts in November. 

Then and Now, released earlier this month, is a re-recording of all Cassidy's original hits like I love You and C'mon Get Happy. 

"For me it's like opening up a chest and you find all these beautiful jewels, these songs, great songs," Cassidy said. 

And while times have changed since his first performances, his fans still had the same spirit, Cassidy said. 

"Their voices may have dropped an octave but they still scream shout and sweat ... it's the same energy and it's powerful and fantastic," Cassidy said. 

Cassidy plays his first concert in Wollongong on November 7, then performances will follow in Brisbane, Melbourne, Newcastle, Sydney, Adelaide and winds up in Perth on November 21. 

AAP
 

David Cassidy's daughter does it without dads help 

Katie Cassidy, the 15 years old daughter of David Cassidy has started in showbiz and is doing it without the advice of her father. What's even stranger … her first single is a cover of her dad's Partridge Family hit 'I Think I Love You'.

David told Undercover News the news of his daughters showbiz debut was never discussed with him first. "I was never consulted " he told Undercover. "She never lived with me. I only met her 5 years ago. Her family unit lives in Los Angeles and she is a wonderful girl. She is a sweetheart. If they had consulted me I would probably have said what I saw to everyone. "Don't do it now. Stay in school, graduate college and then develop your craft". I wish her well. She is a beautiful girl."

Cassidy's own family unit is however working alongside in the music biz. His wife Sue is a songwriter and his son is also musically inclined. "My son has lived with from the moment he was born and is with me every day" David says. "He truly is a very gifted boy. He is 11 and knows what it is about. He wants to go to Julliard. His mother is a fabulous writer and singer and comes from a musical background from her side. From my side, there is my father and my mother and my grandparents. He comes by genuinely on both sides. I know what his destiny is. It is set on doing it right. I hope the best for both of them of course and I will help them where I can. It is difficult. I spend most of my day working on my career. My brothers and I have always respected each others careers. We don't have the same managers. We don't do TV shows together. We have our own lives, families and careers. I don't talk about their lives, families and careers. It is not my job, it is their job".

David Cassidy will tour Australia in November starting November 7 at the Wollongong Entertainment Centre. He also plays Brisbane November 9, Melbourne November 11, Newcastle November 13, Sydney November 16, Adelaide November 18 and Perth November 21
 

By Paul Cashmere
 

Think real-life politics are hard to follow? Just try keeping track of the comings and goings of the CIA operatives that keep the revolving door spinning on CBS's sophomore series The Agency. Luckily, TV Guide Online wouldn't dream of letting you turn on the Sept. 28 season premiere without first updating your scorecards — and neither would the show's executive producer, '70s teen idol-turned-Joss Whedon wannabe Shaun Cassidy. Here, the former pop star reveals the changes in personnel — and direction — that he hopes will make sure the sleeper still rocks 'n' rolls for us. — Charlie Mason

Good-bye, Gil Bellows. "[It's] no reflection on Gil," says Cassidy of the Ally McBeal casualty who played Matt Callan. "Gil's terrific. But it's sort of like a basketball team. You have to kind of look at the whole and where do you need the strength and where do you need to beef things up. He did a very good job, but we needed somebody else more like this sort of character." Who's that, you say?

Hello, Jason O'Mara. Playing brawny A.B. Stiles among the brainiacs is the Irish hottie you probably saw in HBO's Band of Brothers. "He had a lot of faith in us," relates Cassidy, "because he really signed on based on a couple of conversations — the character didn't exist yet." Now that Stiles isn't just a gleam in the writer's eye, what can Cassidy tell us about the new guy? He'll be "a much more visceral character... than existed in the previous ensemble. We have very few people who serve more on action than words. That's what he's going to do."

See you soon, Gloria Reuben? The ER alumna may return to her recurring role of Lisa Fabrizzi. "It's possible she could come back in some capacity," Cassidy reveals. "But she's got a lot going on in her life and in her work. We'll see." In the meantime, Lolita Davidovich joins the cast as a special agent.

Welcome, Jennifer Garner. Okay, no, the Alias spy chick isn't coming aboard. But Cassidy muse Paige Turco (with whom he also worked on American Gothic) will get out from behind Terri Lowell's desk a lot more. "We love to see Paige kicking," jokes Cassidy, adding that it's not straining credulity to let a character like hers wield weapons that are deadlier than her computer keyboard. "Working in Officer Technical Services is where they began, but they are specifically trained to go out in the field and support case officers. You need to bug a room? You can't have [Stiles] doing that. You have people in OTS doing it."