Ok, so you read the tabloids, the Internet reports and watch shows like “Entertainment Tonight” and you’ve gotten the skinny on which celebrities have lost or gained weight, who has been arrested for drunk driving, or which ones aren’t wearing underwear on a given night. But how much do you know about the headliners that appear on the stages of Las Vegas? It’s our turn to chew the fat about some of the city’s heavyweights.
Did you know?:
Cher says the lights go on and off in her bedroom by themselves and that she believes it’s her late husband, Sonny, letting her know that he’s there.
Barry Manilow says that where his songwriting is concerned, the songs that come to him without thinking are the ones everybody likes while the ones he struggles with never make it because he believes that people can hear the struggle in them.
Engelbert Humperdinck has a new hobby – cooking – and he’s looking to create his own low-fat recipes. He’s one of the rare entertainers, by the way, who eats dinner before going on stage as opposed to after his show. He has recently lost nearly 40 pounds on NutriSystem, lightened his hair and has a whole new image.
Tom Jones is a night owl and has absolutely no daytime activities.
Tony Orlando, who recently lost 107 pounds on NutriSystem, grew up in a household with his grandmother, who had nine children. His mother was so young when she had him that he was like his mother’s brother and another child to his grandmother. Tony’s grandfather played trumpet with Desi Arnaz’s band.
Rita Rudner admits that it’s never been easy to write comedy, that it’s been a struggle from Day One. She likens it to walking a tightrope and she’s always saying, “I’d better get another foot on this tightrope or I’m going down.”
Marie Osmond calls herself “a guy chick” because, growing up with eight brothers, she can hang out with the guys and have a great time. She says she processes things the way a guy does -- she gets her angry moments over with and she’s done and happy that it’s over. From her brothers, she’s learned to just go with the flow.
David Brenner always finds the humor in everything, no matter what the situation. “I see a screen off to the right or left with funny scenes and lines,” he explains.
TV reporter Jim Moray, formerly of CNN and now of CBS’s “Inside Edition” is the son of singer/actor James Darren from a very short first marriage.
Rich Little judges his impressions by another unique talent he possesses -- being able to hear the true sound of his voice as he is speaking or singing, which he says most people cannot do.
Debbie Reynolds says that her first marriage to Eddie Fisher was a young and innocent love and her one love. Her second marriage, to Harry Karl, and her third marriage, to Richard Hamlet, were disasters and cost her about $60 million.
Carmen Electra likes to design clothes in her quiet moments and would like someday to have her own clothing line. Inspired by her live performances, she sketches things and sews them together.
Lesley Gore admits to being gay and says that she is still striving for happiness, which she finds elusive. She is a political person who worries about everything and is very involved in feminist politics. She’s beginning to write her memoirs.
John Davidson is striving to be a classic nightclub entertainer a la Clint Holmes, whom he greatly admires.
Clint Holmes gets depressed if he doesn’t sit down at his piano for a couple of hours each night and try to write a song or create something.
Ann-Margret says that as a person, she is still many times fragile and vulnerable, as her parents were. She notes that it does present challenges for her because she can be knocked over by a feather when she’s really down although when she’s on stage, it’s different
Back in 1994, when comedienne Vicki Lawrence lost her TV talk show and went into menopause, she went into a severe depression and lost her sense of humor for three years. She says her dog Hannah was the only thing that made her smile at the time and credits her with saving her life.
With all the shows she’s been in, Patti Lupone says that she doesn’t have a favorite song. She admits to being in awe of everything – of life, of the earth -- and that she has no favorite colors, food or anything else because it’s too limiting
Lance Burton is good friends with actor Bruce Willis.
Comedy magician Amazing Johnathan started out as a street performer in San Francisco and found himself getting arrested a lot for obstruction, after shop owners complained. He added comedy to his magic because every time he went to do a trick, something would inadvertently go wrong.
Mac King is a gourmet cook. The only job he ever had outside of show business was as a chef in a popular restaurant in Kentucky. His specialty is chicken with mushrooms and shallots in a wine cream sauce and he says he makes the best chocolate flourless cake in the whole world.
Frankie Scinta built his own computer and loves working on software – it’s like therapy for him –and he resolves all his family’s and friend’s computer problems. He has found a software program that allows him to log on to someone else’s computer and solve the problem without ever leaving his home.
Female impersonator Frank Marino may change clothes 17 times a night in his gig starring in “An Evening at La Cage” at the Riviera but there is not one trace of drag anywhere in his home – not an earring, an eyelash or even powder for his face.
Nathan Minor, with the Chippendales for 7 ½ years, is also an illustrator who does a lot of cartoons. He’s never sold one and says he never finishes anything because he loses patience. He did do a cast cartoon that we hear is hilarious.
Besides being a raw and uncensored hypnotist, Anthony Cools is also a musician, artist, photographer, pilot, show producer, and entrepreneur. He uses his own
Motivation and Positive Self Program that he came out with in 2002 to prioritize and manage his time.
One wouldn’t expect it about wise-cracking street guy Vinnie Favorito but his passion is playing chess. He also loves watching movies (especially in the true crime genre) and owns some 5,000 DVD’s and loves to play poker and played in the World Series of Poker last year.
Gordie Brown is the proud owner of the ring that Elvis Presley wore on his right pinky in the documentary about the King’s career called “That’s The Way It Is.” Designed in Nashville by jeweler Harry Levitz in 1965, Elvis wore the ring until 1974. Brown obtained it after three months of negotiating with a collector who had purchased it at a Christie’s auction in 1993.
Celine Dion never has expectations about anything because she doesn’t want to be disappointed or too surprised.
So there you have it -- and now, once again, Elvis has left the building.
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ADDITIONAL
ARTICLES
BY
BOBBIE KATZ
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