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Archive for the ‘celebrity’ Category

Where are you going on your next romantic getaway? Well, if you listen to talk-radio on the AM dial, the answer to that question is probably Tahiti Village, in the most exciting city on earth, Las Vegas! At least, that’s where Tanya Roberts wants you to go. According to the never-ending commercials featuring Roberts promoting Tahiti Village, you get three days and two nights in Las Vegas, and you don’t pay a dime for it! Oh - and if you call right now, they’ll throw in two tickets to a hot show right on the Strip - can you say “high-roller treatment, baby?”

Gah. If memory serves, these commercials have been running for at least two - maybe three - years. The words never change (except the phone # to call); it’s always a reference to the NEWEST Las Vegas resort. Um…after three years, I don’t know if it qualifies as “newest.” Unless no other resorts have been opened in Vegas since then. Depends on your definition of “resort,” then. And I think I’ve heard Roseanne Barr (!) promoting Tahiti Village on the radio, and seen a few TV spots featuring Alan Thicke.

One of the most annoying parts of the commercial is when breathless Tanya oozes, “You know you deserve it…you know you want it!” Um…you know what? Some people DON’T deserve it. Even if the offer was legit, not everyone “deserves” a nice vacation to a luxury resort. Shameless pandering, nothing more.

Anyway. Listening to the commercials - which, if you listen to talk-radio for more than a few weeks, you can recite along with Tanya - you might think that Tahiti Village is a fancy hotel, right? Nope. According to the extensive research that I did a few minutes (ie, Googling), Tahiti Village is actually a time-share, not merely a resort hotel. Either way, it sounds scammy. Any enterprise that has to rely on the same commercial using has-been (or nearly-has-been) celebrities for nearly three years is either (a) a scam, or (b) too stupid to earn my money.

It somehow just doesn’t seem true: Patrick Swayze is dying. It’s being reported that he has been diagnosed with what is probably the scariest and deadliest form of cancer: pancreatic. And that he only has weeks to live. Look, I’m not a huge Swayze fan - only seen a few of his movies. But one of them is “Road House,” and despite being the butt of many jokes, that is a damn fine movie, and his Zen-like character - the bouncer Dalton - was pretty damn cool. And besides that, it just seems weird: Swayze is supposed to be one of the guys that doesn’t really age, and therefore shouldn’t die. He really doesn’t look too much different than he did 20 years ago; like only a few famous people, he seemed invincible. And this news comes, sadly, just days after Jeff Healey - the famous blues/jazz/pop guitarist who led the band in “Road House” - passed away at the way-too young age of 41.

What the hell is going on? Was there a curse on the set of “Road House?”

It’s a pop-culture Epic Moment: Cha-ka + Khan = Chaka Khan!

Good grief - it never even occurred to me that Roy Scheider was mortal - or 75 years old. Sadly, he passed away today. The best tribute that I’ve seen so far comes from Sheila, and she’s included a great scene from Scheider’s best performance (All That Jazz). “Show Time!”

First they came for Vampira. Then they came for Brad Renfro. And, as noted a few entries down, Suzanne Pleshette and Allan Melvin. And today they came for Heath Ledger.

I know Vampira, Renfro, and Ledger by reputation only; don’t recall ever seeing any of them in any feature, although of course I know of Vampira via “Ed Wood.” And Ledger, as most people know by now, will appear in what most people consider the most widely-anticipated film of 2008, “The Dark Knight.”

Jerry Orbach is dead. Damn. EDIT: See what other folks are saying about Jerry Orbach…and there’s plenty of links to trivia, filmographies, the now-famous L&O coloring book, and much more.

One of the best Saturday Night Live skits ever aired was the one with Phil Hartman (RIP) as Frank Sinatra, and other regulars (plus guest host Sting) as other performers. It was modeled after The McLaughlin Group, but much, much funnier. Among Sinatra’s “guest” were Billy Idol, Sinead O’Connor, and Luther Campbell (2 Live Crew frontman). This was classic SNL. Heh…when Sinatra referred to O’Connor as “Uncle Fester” and “Cue Ball” — and the sneer on “Billy Idol’s” face (Sting) — and Steve & Eydie sucking up to Frankie…good stuff. Do you remember this skit?