Fifty years! It’s a historic rock ’n’roll high school reunion between Brian Wilson & Chris Montez on PleaseKillMe.com!

Hey! I’ve posted more times in the past few weeks than I have in the year I was released -- err,  checked out -- of Her Majesty’s guest lodging, all because my pals are keeping more busy than ever, what with books, stories and film offerings.  The latest is the reunion, after fifty years, of a couple of high school buddies: Beach Boys superstar Brian Wilson and rock ’n’ roll legend Chris Montez.  

The video and story come from my former boss, colleague, competitor-- whatever you wanna call him, I call him “pally” --  Burt Kearns.  He shot the scene for his movie, El Viaje Musical de Ezekiel Montanez: The Chris Montez Story, the documentary that was previewed at Beatles fan conventions and film festivals a few years back and is still in the works.

The story and exclusive video are posted on PleaseKillMe.com, that website based on his old pal Legs McNeil’s  (with the statuesque Gillian McCain) punk rock history book.  (Back in March, Burt and Jeff Abraham wrote a tee-rific piece on my old drinking galpal, Rusty Warren, she of the bawdy tunes and comedy elpees of the Sixties).

You can click here to see the video and read the story on the Please Kill Me site.

Nevard Tellalian kills with her killer new book, Musical Road Kills!

Attention, pals: Nevard Tellalian, the veteran red hot blues and rock ’n’ roll singer, has unleashed a different kind of music this week:  her memoir!  

Musical Road Kills: And Other Tales. Some with Morals, Some Without is a rollicking read that includes tales of touring, lessons from her illustrious career  instructions on how to survive the musical life, portraits of some of the legends she’s rubbed shoulders and shared stages with -- and some good old “names have been changed to protect the guilty” items  that should lead to some fun guesswork.  
(I thought I learned all I need about “the rules of the road” from my buddy, Buddy Greco. Our gal showed me otherwise!

But the heart of the book is based on two relationships in her life, two loves who were lost to the cruelties of cancer.  One of them was a legendary punk rocker; another wasn't a celebrity, but definitely made a powerful impact in his time here on this ole planet.

Nevard & Jeremy Dennis

Nevard has announced that "all proceeds from the book are going to two cancer foundations: The Lymphoma Research Foundation in honor of Jeff Ross Hyman (Joey Ramone) and to Dr. Robert Nagourney at The Nagourney Institute ...in honor of Jeremy Dennis.”  And that tells you something about Nevard Tellalian, too.

You go, girl!  And hey, a blurb from our pal Burt Kearns is on the back cover!  Another reason pallys, to  buy the book now!

And I'll see you on the town! You’ll recognize me:  I’m the one reading Musical Road Kills!

Sex! Knockers! Laffs! And Saucy Songs! You’ve got to read the Rusty Warren story on PleaseKillMe.com!

 

Ya can't beat it when a couple of your pals pals of two generations come together, hit it off, and make some kinda history together.  And that’s exactly what happened when my old gal pal and comedy legend Rusty Warren arrived in southern California from her home in Hawaii, met up with my man (he's been my client and he's been my boss) Burt Kearns and came away with some kind of history.

Read ‘Retro Icon Rusty Warren: The Knockers Up Gal!'

Kearnsey and his pal and co-author (on a show business book that I will be the first to tell you about before it hits shelves in 2019) Jeff Abraham had a long lunch and conversation with the famed Knockers Up Gal of party records fame that happened to be timed perfectly with the release of the book, Rusty Warren: The Knockers Up Gal (My Life Volume 1).

That conversation became a feature story and now it's been posted on PleaseKillMe.com, the rock, pop culture and literary website based on Please Kill Me, the punk rock history book penned by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain.

Burt wrote Tabloid Baby. Jeff is Hollywood’s leading comedy historian. Their piece on Rusty introduces a new generation to a lively, hilarious and important comedy and sexual pioneer.  Sex and comedy!  Can't beat that!  I’ll take my knockers... up!  See ya on the town!

Read all about it by clicking here.

Read ‘Retro Icon Rusty Warren: The Knockers Up Gal!’

Ray Richmond’s TRANSITION named one of the Top Ten Los Angeles Theatrical Productions of 2017!

Bulletin! Stop the presses!  The Huffington Post has announced its list of 2017’s Top Ten Los Angeles Theatrical Productions, and high among them is TRANSITION, Ray Richmond’s hilarious tragicomedy about the first Oval Office meeting between President Barack Obama and his successor!

Sez The HuffPost:

"Using the headline 'Democracy is a terrible thing to waste,' Ray Richmond’s hilarious reimagining of Obama turning over the White House to Trump in a private meeting is uproarious. Harry Murphy has an easy target in an orange-haired despot but it is Joshua Wolf Coleman who completely nails Obama’s speech patterns, authority and his patience.The audience delightedly finally gets to see the latter blown out of the water.”

Now how’s that for a New Year’s Eve treat?  A way to head into 2018?  And reason for me to leap off my lounge chair and sprint to the teletype in the middle of my round-the-world winter cruise?!  TRANSITION, which sprang from the mind of renowned journalist and critic Richmond and was staged on a relative shoestring in a small theatre in Hollywood, stands alongside -- and above --  multi-million dollar productions at the Ahmanson Theatre (three of them!) and Geffen Playhouse!

TRANSITION was the world’s first theatrical response to the new Trump era.  Featuring masterfully nuanced performances by Harry S. Murphy as Donnie Trump and Joshua Wolf Coleman as Obama,  the play had a successful run in March and April at The Lounge Theatre in Hollywood, then returned in June as a hit of the Hollywood Fringe Festival.  

Along with our own on-the-aisle review (“The political play of the year! An A+ theatrical experience!  B-O-F-F-O!”), TRANSITION and playwright Richmond won plaudits like these:

“Brimming with raw, visceral energy.” -Discover Hollywood

“‘Transition’ is ingenious and as close to perfection as one can get…A small gem and a delightful night of theatre.” -Joe Straw

“The performances aren’t just Vegas impressions but get to the crux of these two men.” -L.A. Daily News

“A brilliant piece that’s well-researched, plausible and incredibly funny.” -Arts Beat L.A.

“A delicious comedy, well-paced and briskly directed.” -Theatre Notes

With TRANSITION ready to roll out in cities across the country, this latest honor is one great introduction to the future!

(And in the meantime, the show carries on as a viral sensation in the new YouTube series, The Obama Monologues.)

God bless Chris Bearde

Our pal Chris Bearde, one of the greatest comedic talents in television history with a rapier-sharp wit and young man’s rage against injustice, died yesterday.

Chris had many credits, from creating The Gong Show to producing The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.  Most impressively, he wrote the television special Elvis, also known as the 68 Comeback.

A toast to Chris Bearde!

TRANSITION is the political play of the year! Catch it while you can!

Pals and gals, it's a bit of a walk from the Alto Nido to the Lounge Theatre on Theatre Row in Hollywood, but let me tell you I’m glad I took the stroll (with a stop or two along the way -- thank you Lost Property Bar, thank you Sassafras Saloon, oh heck, thank you Hungry Cat!) because there is a theatrical experience happening there on weekends that is well worth taking in.

Ray Richmond’s TRANSITION is a two-man play (with able assistance from a third) about what might have gone on in the first Oval Office meeting between President Barack Obama and newly-elected replacement Donald Trump. No one know exactly went down in that meeting on November 10, 2016, but Ray Richmond’s theatrical imagining draws out the truths.  

To quote President Woodrow Wilson admiring a very different cinematic work more than 100 years ago (the first film to be shown at the White House and one Mr. Trump and his pal Bannon probably watch on weekends),  TRANSITION "is like history written with lightning, and my only regret is that it is all so terribly true.”

And to quote the reviews that came in after this weekend’s premiere...

“A delicious comedy! Splendid performers! Well-paced and briskly directed!”

“A small gem!” “A delightful night of theatre!”  “Ingenious!”  “As close to perfection, especially for a new work of art, as one can get!"

How do you spell BOFFO?!   Sam spells it T-R-A-N-S-I-T-I-O-N!

Ray slammed this thing out with a fury after Trump’s surprise victory, a play in which two actors portray two of the most well-known men on the planet -- and pull it off spectacularly!   

This is no farce or impersonation-fest.  Harry S. Murphy as Donald Trump wears the red necktie that extends past his flies, but transcends Alec Baldwin’s lampoon (nothing against the bloviating B brother, but I’m sorry, his Trump reminds me of more of my old pal Shecky Greene than Agent Orange).  Murphy’s Trump is a characterization, not an impression, which makes it all the more frustratingly real -- and scary, pals.  Joshua Wolf Coleman has a less showy role as the cool, principled President Obama, but he’s no less impressive.  With a few twists to the speech pattern, he gets the essence of the man.  Within minutes, we are no longer in a theatre but the Oval Office.

No doubt about it, TRANSITION is the political play of the year.  It’s got elements of comedy, real drama, and a few moments that bring the theatre to a stunned silence.  

And after the bows... well, let me tell ya, more than a few of the oldsters -- yeah, folks my age, what the heck -- in the audience,  feared the Lounge Theatre had been invaded by the ruffians on Santa Monica Boulevard.  It was the rapper Dylan, who within a few lines of his rap, The Divide, had all of us listening intently.  It’s the perfect capper on the evening, and sends the audience out into the night with lots to think about.

Folks, take it from your man Sam, TRANSITION is an A+ theatrical experience, you won’t regret it, they sell wine in the lobby and I ain't saying it because I’m helping promote it

There are still a few weekends left in what should be the first of many productions of this theatrical work that’s perfect for actors of all stripes... in all cities...  to give their takes.  Find tickets at Plays411.

Sam sez: Don’t miss KARDASHIAN: THE MAN WHO SAVED OJ SIMPSON! Monday June 13 on Reelz!

He was the first Kardashian, the original, the one who got the name out there more than a decade before a... excuse the expression... “sex tape”... and reality television series turned it into a brand!  Robert Kardashian became a household name after his pal OJ Simpson was charged in a double murder, and a television special is about to expose what he really did to save OJ!

Kardashian: The Man Who Saved OJ Simpson, which premieres Monday, June 13 at 9 pm ET/PT on Reelz, is the latest headline-grabbing television event from our pals at P&L Media, the folks who brought you El Chapo & Sean Penn: Bungle In The Jungle, the one that Oliver Stone is still tearing out his hair over.

Included are interviews with victim Ron Goldman's sister Kim, Jeffrey Felix, a former correctional officer who befriended O.J. Simpson when he worked in the prison where Simpson is behind bars, Associated Press reporter Michael Fleeman, who covered the trial, and attorney Carl Douglas, a member of the Simpson “Dream Team” defense team under Johnnie Cochran, and many more.

And even more explosively, this show tells how tells the story behind the footage of Robert Kardashian handling and slipping away with the infamous Louis Vuitton garment bag in plain sight of TV news crews and investigators --  and the person telling it is the news producer who caught him!

Burt Kearns, who’s an executive producer of the show along with P&L’s Peter Brennan and Lisa Lew, told us the story in his book, Tabloid Baby, and now, for the first time ever, takes us step-by-step through the video and tells how he broke the story four weeks after the murders.

Compelling stuff!  Kearns, Brennan and Lew were all on the same news team all those years ago, leading Simpson case coverage with the show Premier Story.  And a lot of the adventures of the Premier Story gang, headed by host Alison Holloway, are resurrected, including the work of “Hi-8 Joe” Guidry, who with his home video camera literally revolutionized the way news is covered on television.  Marcia Clark, Johnnie Cochran-- even Tupac Shakur and TMZ’s Harvey Levin show up in his viewfinder.

And you won’t believe where Joe Guidry wound up years later!

This is a winner, pals.  It’s not one of those big cinematic HBO or Netflix epics that take years to make.  This is fast-breaking, up-to-the-minute, butt-kicking nonfiction news! 

Take it from me, Sam Peters (whose subsidiary, in the interest of full disclosure, is helping with the publicity): Don’t miss it! 

Set your DVR!

You’ll find yourself asking: “Where’s The Bag, Mr, Kardashian?”

And I’ll see you after the show... on the town!