TGIF! presents....Deano and Frankie's "Marshmellow World"!

I miss them. Especially Dean Martin, my favorite all-around entertainer. Very few entertainers out there today that can hold a candle to them.

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"Dean & Me". A love story.

I'm a fan of biographies. You learn how not to fuck up. Mike Farrell, Frank McCourt, Malachy McCourt, Frank Lloyd Wright, Bruce Dern, Dean Martin, Elvis, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Kirk Douglas, Dennis Wilson, Brett Favre, Vince Lombardi, Richard Burton, Howard Stern, Abbie Hoffman, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams...and more to get to. Had I read Dean & Me (A Love Story), by Jerry Lewis, I would've finished it in a day (I took three days). Fast read. Funny read. Deano's my favorite all-around entertainer - and I loved these guys as a team and individually.

Hey look! It's me and the "original" Ricci Martin, Deano's 2nd son, at a gig in Pasadena. I got to know Ricci a bit through the Carl Wilson Cancer Foundation. Chip off the old block.

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Separated at Birth? Michael Gregory & Richard Devon.

Actors Richard Devon (top) and my friend, Michael Gregory.

Devon was an American character actor best known for his roles in television and episodic television and film, including The Rifleman, Lassie, and The Twilight Zone, and the films Machine Gun Kelly, The Comancheros and Kid Galahad. He passed away in February of this year at the age of 83.

Michael and I worked on the film Combustion a few years ago and have struck up a friendship since. He was the original "Dr. Rick Webber" in "General Hospital" for two years in the mid- to-late 1970's and has numerous film and television credits, including Matlock and McGyver. He even had a stint as Dean Martin's bodyguard for ten years. I'm a big Dino fan so Michael regales me with his DM stories. He's extremely busy in the voice-over market and works with a number of veterans' charities.

I caught the beginning of The Commancheros (featuring The Duke) and saw Richard Devon and thought, "is that Michael?". But Michael's almost 20 years younger, which is what led to this blog post. Above: Michael and I in West Hollywood in September 2009 right before I moved back to Wisconsin.

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Separated at Birth? Jennie Garth and Stella Stevens.

Virtual dead wringers, no? Yes. You recognize Garth from Beverly Hills 90210 (I walked by her one day - cute). Stella Stevens is an actress who rocked every man's world in the 60's and 70's, appearing in Playboy and on the cover (above) of Playboy, 50 years - The Photographs. She played opposite Dean Martin in The Silencers, The Nutty Professor with Jerry Lewis, Girls! Girls! Girls! with Elvis, The Poseiden Adventure (the original) and lots of televison.

I remembered that picture on the Playbook book cover but couldn't remember if that was Stevens. Finally emailed someone on Ebay to look inside the book they were selling and find the name. Now if we could only get Jennie to pose like STELLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Dean Martin's Amore reissue tops Billboard Pop Charts for 2nd straight week!

Thanks, Dino Martin Peters, for the heads up. Come on! Where's P-Diddy or Kanye or Jessica Simpson or MIA? Think their music will be this popular in 2048? Yeh. Boy - you just can't keep that Deano down, can ya?

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Congrats, Jerry, on your Oscar! And your detractors can bugger off!

Comedian, actor, producer, writer, director and humanitarian, Jerry Lewis received his first Oscar Sunday evening - the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. I've been a big fan of Jerry's - as part of Martin (Dean) and Lewis and as a solo act.

Two things you might not know about Lewis: 1) In 1968, he screened Steven Spielberg's early film, Amblin' and told his students, "That's what filmmaking is all about." 2) As a film innovator, Lewis is credited with inventing the video assist system. That's the monitor directors look into while a scene is being shot.

If you enjoy Jerry's work, take a look at this clip from The Ladies Man (1961). If you don't wanna watch the entire thing, watch the beginning to the 1:30 mark, than jump ahead to to the 3:30 mark - it's his famous "Fix My Hat" scene. It's hilarious.

Oh...that "detractor comment" in the post title above? I didn't wanna make this post too long for people who might not be Jerry Lewis fans. So...if you appreciate Jerry and don't wanna miss my rant on the disabled, click on READ MORE!

I wasn't surprised when I heard there were a handful of people outside the Kodak protesting Jerry getting this honor. It's old news that Lewis has received flack from those in the disabled community over his work with MD, a passion of his for over 40 years. The common gripe is that Jerry paints disabled people as "pitiable victims who want and need nothing more than a big charity to take care of or cure them."

Mike Ervin, of The Progressive Media Project, is a Chicago-based writer and disabled rights activist who is disabled himself. In his article, "Jerry Lewis didn't deserve a humanitarian award at the Oscars", Ervin refers to a 1993 Vanity Fair interview where Jerry commented about Ervin, "This one kid in Chicago would have passed through this life and never had the opportunity to be acknowledged by anybody, but he found out that by being a dissident he gets picked up in a limo by a television station."

Now I really don't think Jerry meant anything bad by the comment. I don't KNOW that, I just THINK that. And I honestly feel that if someone who has MD feels "pitied" or feels their persona is thwarted or shortchanged because of Jerry's methods of raising money for MD, then those people would feel pitied or thwarted whether Jerry was associated with MD or not. I have a cosmetic handicap that I cover up. And I have my moments - there are days when life is a sonofabitch and I'd rather be dead than wake up in the morning. But I get off my ass every day and try not to let it affect me. Jerry or no Jerry. I wrote Ervin and told him if he had a problem with Jerry and his work for MD, he should figure out a way to return the $2 billion+ that Jerry has helped raise for MD over that last 40 years.

I realize Jerry's made some off-the-cuff comments in the past. He's apologized for some. And many just fly out of his mouth for no particular reason and they're forgotten. If you have some sort of understanding about Jerry's personality (from things I've read, interviews I've watched and being a fan), you combat his detractor's digs by arguing that, yeh...Jerry's cocky, unabashedly irreverent and can be a dick sometimes. So can I - doesn't make me a bad person. First of all, the guy's a comedian and often times comedians let whatever flies out of their mouths because they don't censor themselves - they don't always have the opportunity to do that. They're irreverent. They're crude. Comedians have to be quick. You work on the fly. You have to deal with hecklers. You have to react in a SNAP! and that reaction can be in the form of a knee-jerk comment or one-liner you might not have said had you the opportunity to think about it first. Think Don Rickles. Second-guessing isn't always an option.

Dean Martin and Jerry (above). For instance, in February 2000, Lewis stunned an audience gathered to honor his work at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival by saying he doesn't like female comics. Lewis said, "I don't like any female comedians. A woman doing comedy doesn't offend me, but sets me back a bit. I, as a viewer, have trouble with it. I think of her as a producing machine that brings babies in the world."

Now I probably wouldn't have made the comment about "producing machine", but maybe he was just being funny and figured the audience would go along with it. You've heard of the Dean Martin Roasts, haven't you? That generation of comedians ripped you a new asshole when they had the chance. So what. And to be perfectly honest, I agree with Jerry 100% about female comedians. I can barely think of 2 or 3 who make me laugh. Don't like'em and never have. I think Lucille Ball was overrated.

Jerry ain't perfect. But if a guy is going to be the torch bearer, in a way, for a cause like muscular dystrophy and shoulder the responsibility of helping to raise money for research to fight that awful disease, ya gotta cut him some slack. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Besides, if Deano loved Jerry, they Jeff loves Jerry.

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Congrats, Dino, on your Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

At the Grammy's last Sunday, after announcing that Dean Martin was the recipient of a Grammy for Lifetime Achievement, Queen Latifah attempted ('cause I know SHE didn't write this) to tie Martin's award in to the next act, by introducing M.I.A. (never heard of her) and Kanye West (wish I hadn't heard of him), T.I. (the famous silent film director, Thomas Ince?), Jay Z and Lil Wayne, who performed "Swagga Like Us." The performance was in black and white, and the men were dressed in tuxes as a tribute to the Rat Pack. In my opinion, a pathetic and awkward segue from Martin's award.

The legendary Martin received a gold record in 2004 for his fastest-selling album ever, which also hit the iTunes Top 10. For the week ending December 23, 2006, the Dean Martin and Martina McBride duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" reached #7 on the R&R AC chart. It also went to #36 on the R&R Country chart.

Martin, who passed away in 1995, was at one time the highest paid entertainer in the world. First famous as part of the Martin & Lewis comedy team (Jerry Lewis, who's receiving an honorary Oscar this year), Deano went on to become an esteemed member of the Rat Pack and his movies, recording career and television shows made him one of the most beloved entertainers of all time. In the day, you were extremely lucky to either get a ticket to see Martin & Lewis perform, to see the Rat Pack kibitz or to see Deano perform in Vegas as a solo act.

The pinkie ring I wear, at times, I wear in tribute to this man.

(Incidentally, The Rat Pack was largely responsible for the integration of Las Vegas. Sinatra and Martin steadfastly refused to appear anywhere that barred Sammy Davis, Jr., forcing the casinos to open their doors to African-American entertainers and patrons, and to drop restrictive covenants against Jews.)

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Vacation: Part 18 - Nick & Ang's Retro 1965 Pad.

My buddy Nick and his wife Angela bought their first home (they were married last year) in Cedar Rapids - a 1965 retro ranch that I swear would make you feel like you were visiting Sinatra (or Deano) at his home in Palm Springs. Nick's a musician who's "slaying the beast" (his band is called Aerosol Halo), as I am slaying said beast in LA. He's written a few original pieces I'm using in my plays - sings, plays, writes - the whole enchilada.

That's not Nick - that's Tiki. Or Koshi. Kim. Something Japanese. I know - Kiko! That's it. Their newest pug. 8 months old. You'll meet the other one in a bit.

There's Nick. On the patio. Actually go put some Dean or Frankie on - it'll help bring these pictures to life. DO IT, BABY!

The media room. Hey if this is boring you, sorry. But I told Nick I'd give his home equal time since it wasn't chosen in the Cedar Rapids Parade of Homes Tour this year. But there's more, so click on Read More! for the rest of the tour.

The dining room set and overhead retro lights are new.

Everything in the house is vintage - pretty much. Ooooo, vintage panelled wood stereo center. Looks like Hillary is winning in Kentucky - and Nick is not happy.

This intercom system is vintage baby! There's one in all the main rooms and bedrooms. This is the master control panel.

Here's the older pug - Yoshi.

Me in the basement, complete with another media center, pool table and only vinyl is allowed for music - no CDs. I'm partaking. By the way, I sucked at pool. Haven't played in a while and it showed.

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Six Reasons Seattle Should Tremble...

There's probably more - but here's six to chew on.

Wisconsin's the Badger State, remember? The Badger. Fear the badger. That's Number 1. What the hell IS a seahawk anyway? Like...a tern? Some sort of egret? If it's mythical, it doesn't count. Touch my Badger. TOUCH IT!!!

Number 2: Favre. He's having one of the best years of his career. Enough said. He's like a badger - one tough sonofabitch. Touch him. TOUCH BRET FAVRE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Number 2: See that guy to Favre's left. That's Jason Spitz. He's playing Saturday and our entire ORIGINAL offensive line will be in tact. That means more protection for Favre to play QB - and more time to throw to...

...these guys. Number 3. Favre's Receiving Corp. Here you have Driver, Jennings and Martin. Add Jones, Donald Lee, Koren Robinson and Franks. Now you've got 7 threats to Seattle. 7 targets Brett can fling it to (8 if you count RB Ryan Grant as a potential receiver). These sonsabitches can't be touched - they led the league in YARDS AFTER CATCH - 2,131 yards (yards after the catch is an indicator of a quarterback's ability to throw quickly and with accuracy). Spread'm out 4 and 5 wide and Seattle's defense will have their fins full. And NONE of them bitches about wanting more catches. ALL of them are as gracious as can be - no Mosses, TO's, Javon Walkers or that dumb bastard at Cincinnati Shad Bonehead here, baby.

Number 4: Ryan Grant. For the first 8 games of the season we didn't have a running game per se. All the pundits cried, "you can't survive long without a running game!" The last 8 games of the season, Grant LED (did you hear me - LED) the league in yards.

Number 5: The Green Bay Packers Bikini Girls. I know - I mentioned them in the above post. But look at'm. Three sisters, from what I've gathered. Dad owns season tickets and they do this toward the end of the season (last year a cousin took the place of one of the sisters). How homegrown, Pollyanna is that? Since we're the only team in the NFL without cheerleaders (we have the local college pom pom squad), we deserve these bikini-clad babes, don't you agree?

The Bikini...oh, I covered them already. Well, one last look. That's it. I think that's "Dad" with the thumbs up.

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Happy Birthday, Deano!

Sorry, Deano...almost forgot about your b-day. The King of Cool - Dean Martin - was born on June 7. My favorite all-around entertainer. Women loved him and men wanted to be like him. Knocked the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night outta the #1 spot on the Billboard chart and at one time was the richest entertainer in the world. Loved to put butter on one piece of white bread, fold it over and eat it, saying, 'It don't get better than that, Pally'. I know his son Ricci - definately a chip off the old block. Where would the current Ocean's 11 franchise be (starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt) without Deano, Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack? I love his movies, his TV show, his music - but it was his demeanor that grabbed me the most. He performed because he WANTED to, not because he NEEDED to. He answered to no one - not even Sinatra.

I miss Deano. That's amore, baby.

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Namedropping

My best friend, Tom Kazar, lived in Long Beach for 8 years or so right after we graduated from college. When I moved to LA in 1998, he told me, “Irc, keep one thing in mind – you have everything you could ever want at your fingertips in Los Angeles. Enjoy it while you’re there”. So, ever since I moved here, people have asked me, “have you met anyone famous?”. Here’s the list – saves me the trouble of sitting there with a dumb look on my face when I’m being grilled. NOTE: These are folk I’ve actually met and had a meaningful discussion with. Don’t ask me about what.

Brian Wilson – The Beach Boys “genius”, Wendy Wilson, Carnie Wilson, Chynna Phillips, Marilyn Wilson – Brian Wilson’s ex, Barbara Wilson – Dennis Wilson’s ex, Justyn Wilson – Carl Wilson’s son, Jonah Wilson – Carl Wilson’s son, Ricci Martin – Dean Martin’s son, Jeanne Martin – Dean Martin’s ex, Carl B. Wilson – Dennis Wilson’s son, Michael Wilson – Dennis Wilson’s son, Billie Hinsche – former musician with the Beach Boys and now touring with Al Jardine of the Beach Boys, Anne Hinsche – Carl Wilson’s ex, Jeff Foskett – singer/musician with Brian Wilson, Jay – owner of Chez Jay’s - Dennis Wilson’s favorite hangout, Ed Figuero – former drummer for the Beach Boys, Desi Arnaz Jr., Karen Lamm – Dennis Wilson’s ex-wife, former model/actress, wonderful woman, Jon Stebbins – author of The Real Beach Boy, bio of Dennis Wilson, Alan Boyd – producer of Endless Harmony, Beach Boys bio on VH1, Ed Roach – photographer for the Beach Boys, Jerry Schilling – Memphis Mafia/Elvis’ former mgr., Carl Wilson’s former mgr., Steve Kalinich – co-writer with Dennis Wilson, The Honey’s – Brian Wilson’s girl surf band in the 60’s, Jan Berry & Dean Torrance – Jan & Dean, 60’s surf band pioneers, Earl Hamner Jr. – creator of The Walton’s, Michael Learned – mother in The Walton’s, Jon Walmsley – Jim-Bob in The Walton’s, Seymour Cassell – starred in a lot of John Cassavettes films, The Life Aquatic, Rob Reiner, Merv Griffin, Eugene Levy – SCTV, Waiting for Guffman, Carlos Alazraqui - the voice of the Taco Bell Chihuahua, Reno 911!, Bruce Boxleitner, Megan Gallagher – China Beach, Jack Klugman, Bruce Dern, Jeff Conaway, Dominic Monaghan, Cory Feldman, Mike Farrell – son of Mike Farrell from MASH, Dan Lauria – father from The Wonder Years, Alley Mills – mother from The Wonder Years, Richard Roxburgh – Van Helsing, Mission Impossible II, Tim Conway, Ernest Borgnine, Michelle Phillips – Mamas & the Papas, Doug McKeon - the boy in On Golden Pond, Dick Martin – from Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, Scott Bakula, Ashton Kutcher, Steven Lisberger – Screenwriter of Tron, Martinez, A. – The Cowboys, Port Charles, Santa Barbara, Don Cornelius – creator and host, Soul Train, Corbin Bernsen – LA Law, Major League, Joe Lando – Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman .

I think I'm tickled the most by the Beach Boys-related celebs as I've been a Beach Boy groupie since high school. Everyone was extremely laid back - like old friends, and I've met them all (as has my brother, Jason) on several occasions while involved with the Carl Wilson Cancer Foundation. Eugene Levy and I had a succinct conversation while standing at the bathroom urinals at Rob Reiner's production company in Beverly Hills. Earl Hamner is an avid fisherman and has a beautiful, trophy marlin on the wall in his office in Studio City. What a thrill it was meeting him! If you didn't already know, the TV series, The Waltons, was based on Earl's real life in Virginia, and Earl IS John-Boy, who was my inspiration to major in Journalism in college. John-Boy, that is. Well...Earl, too, I guess. Also, that was Earl's voice you heard narrating each episode. Ricci Martin, Dean Martin's son, is a wonderful man and a chip off the old block (I'll get to Deano in another blog). Karen Lamm - well I'm gonna keep most of that story to myself. Embodiment of the 70's Californian girl, she was a model/actress and graced billboards, television and magazine ads, while hanging out with Jack Nicholson and Elliott Gould, and she was married to Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys twice. I first met Karen at her apartment in West LA, and as she eyed me up and down, she said that if she had met me "back in the day" she woulda "went for me in a second"...which has to be one of the most flattering things anyone has ever shared with me. Her heart gave out in 2001 and most certainly was taken from this life much too early - she was 49. I went to her funeral and the reception that followed at her sister's house. Elliott Gould, Judd Nelson and Catherine Bach were in attendance. I'm thankful I got to know her that last year of her life...and I think of her often.

I probably missed a couple. There's a bunch I've seen from afar (Tom Cruise - 20 yards) or seen and just said "hi" to (Jack Lemmon, walking his poodle) - but I didn't bother to get into all that. You might have noticed Mel Gibson and Brett Favre are not on the list. Yet.

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