Archive for July, 2008

Montana in Manhattan

Saturday, July 26th, 2008

I got to stand less than an arm’s length away from teen sensation Miley Cyrus Friday morning. The young star, known to millions of little girls as “Hannah Montana,” was in Manhattan to do interviews. While in town, she stopped by Central Park for an event to promote her work in an upcoming Disney feature. I was asked to host the scripted and often rehearsed (with a Miley stand-in) Disney event that involved a 9-foot plastic ball, a dog, a man inside the ball and a soundtrack. The show lasted only fifteen minutes.

The event was held at the Central Park Bandshell. Miley showed up to do interviews within the hour of showtime. Backstage, as she was being shown a run-through of the presentation with a middle-aged man acting out her part, I could have introduced myself and shaken her hand. But it was way more festive to just watch her reaction. After wrapping TV press interviews, in tight white pants with a rock ‘n’ roll blouse, pop jewelry, boots and a cascading hairstyle that an older woman (I guess, her stylist) kept touching and patting, she walked over to our section to see a run-through with the same body language and facial expression that Patty Duke had on her face for most of “Valley of the Dolls.” Her unmistakable teen scowl tickled the hell out of me as she watched a tall, grown man hold a script and animatedly perform her role saying “Hey, kids, I’m Miley! Let’s get this party started!” As he proceeded with his performance, she kept flatly saying “I got it. I got it. I got it.”

Her well-dressed, well-groomed, “I’m camera-ready for any style show on Bravo” manager stood by her side smiling. He was totally unaware that she shot him a look that seemed to say, “I just want to crack your head open with a stick.”

Come event time, she got onstage and delivered like a pro. Ms. Cyrus turned on the “perky.” Every line in her script came out of her mouth. Backstage, I did not dare ask her for a pic or an autograph. I did not want her to shoot one of those looks at me. Miley’s voiceover work in Disney’s Bolt comes out at Thanksgiving time.
www.disney.com/bolt

Posted in Entertainment | 2 Comments »

we knew this was coming

Friday, July 25th, 2008

“Divorce challenges gay couples”

That’s the line above an article in the Los Angeles Times that documents how breaking up can be so very much harder to do than getting married for same-sex couples.

So now we may find married gay men in California staying together just for the sake of the pool boy. And so it goes. Have a good weekend.

www.latimes.com

Posted in Socially Speaking | No Comments »

Sinatra Songs

Thursday, July 24th, 2008

Robin and the Seven Hoods was a great Saturday afternoon movie matinee pastime for me when I was a kid. This was back in the day the when a typical movie ticket was one (then) low price for a double feature. That’s right, y’all. We got TWO movies for the price of ONE ticket. Plus a short subject and/or cartoons.

I remember wanting to sit through that Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack musical twice. Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr — and Bing Crosby. Well, that musical is being staged and coming to Broadway. The movie wasn’t a great musical like The Band Wagon, Singin’ in the Rain, Meet Me in St. Louis, West Side Story, or The King and I but it sure was entertaining. Trying to find actors today comparable to those four talents will be tough. Although, considering that Frank Sinatra had one of his biggest record hits with a tune he introduced in that movie, “My Kind of Town,” I’d open the play in that fabulous town he was singing about — Chicago. But that’s just me. Frank and his buddies play 1920s gangsters in Chicago who rob from the rich and give to the poor. There’s a “killer” comedy performance from Peter Falk as a rival hood. He has a musical number too. Robbing from the rich and giving to the poor could be the only way many of us can afford a Broadway ticket nowadays, come to think of it. The prices are outrageous.

One of the best nights of my life was spent in Chicago seeing Frank Sinatra sing that song. I won tickets on a WGN radio show by answering a trivia question. The prize was two tickets to see him in concert at the Arie Crown Theatre. I was living in Milwaukee at the time. I called a friend of mine who was a also a 20something hardcore Frank fan. She and I couldn’t get to Chicago fast enough. When we got to the theatre, we almost started squealing like teen girls. We were in the absolute first row, smack dab in the middle. We were also probably the two youngest people in the house. Sinatra was not on his A game. He was on his A+ game. He even did about 10 minutes of impromptu stand-up comedy which broke up the tuxedo clad men in the orchestra. Of course, there was an encore and wild, thunderous applause. During his bows, Sinatra pointed to me and motioned me to come over and shake his hand. For this Black Catholic, I don’t think I could have been more excited had I been in Vatican City shaking hands with the Pope. What a night to remember.

Loved Sinatra. Love Chicago. My kind of town.

Posted in Entertainment, My Life | No Comments »

A Starr Is Born

Monday, July 21st, 2008

Today is the birthday of Ken Starr. Now a dean at a Southern California law school, Starr was the Special Prosecutor who went after President Bill Clinton for his extra-marital affair with Monica Lewinski like he was a hungry terrier and Clinton was a chuck roast.

Look at where America is today — no weapons of mass destruction were found, our exhausted armed forces are fighting an unnecessary and expensive war for us in the Middle East, thousands of homeless citizens were ignored by the government in the immediate wake of Hurricane Katrina, thousands of American homeowners are facing foreclosure, we’re finding it hard to afford gas and food, unemployment is on the rise, some banks have closed and we’re in the grips of an economic recession. But Starr started the ball rolling for Clinton’s impeachment because of an extra-marital affair.

I’m sorry, but — to borrow a line from the movie Good Morning, Vietnam — was there ever a white man in more dire need of a blow job than Ken Starr? I’m just sayin’. The former Special Prosecutor is 62.

Posted in Politics, Socially Speaking | No Comments »

the painter writes

Friday, July 18th, 2008

From Vincent Van Gogh in a letter to his brother, Theo:

“A just or unjustly ruined reputation, poverty, fatal circumstances, adversity, that is what makes men prisoners…Do you know what frees one from this captivity? It is very deep, serious affection. Being friends, being brothers, love, that is what opens the prison by supreme power, by some magic force. But without this one remains in prison.
“…And the prison is also called prejudice, misunderstanding, fatal ignorance of one thing or another, distrust, false shame…”

Posted in Friends & Family | 1 Comment »

TV or not TV

Thursday, July 17th, 2008

That is the question. Unlike actor Kevin Spacey, the Emmy Award nominations came out this morning. I admit it. One day, I’d like to hear my name read as a nominee for Best Host. Due to all the reality television shows on nowadays, there’s a new category of “Best Host of a Reality Series.”

The nominees are –

Tom Bergeron for “Dancing with the Stars”
Heidi Klum for “Project Runway”
Howie Mandel for “Deal or No Deal”
Jeff Probst for “Survivor”
Ryan Seacrest for “American Idol.”

OK. Let’s get right to it. Tim Gunn on “Project Runway” is way more personable, hip, fabulous and creative than Bergeron. Why isn’t he in that category? The same goes for muscleman Mike Rowe on the Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs. That is one of the coolest reality shows around. Also, in a major oversight, Katie Couric for the CBS Evening News. She must be heartbroken.

Discuss.

Posted in TV | 3 Comments »

Retro Bobbo

Friday, July 11th, 2008

I’m so vain. I’m going to drag you kicking and screaming down memory lane once again to see me in TV action. (That’s TV for “television,” not “transvestite.”)

I posted more of my vintage VH1 clips on a networking website. Click on to the link. When you get to it, scroll down a couple of inches in the Profile section. You’ll see a video clip box. At the bottom of that box is a *menu* button. When you click on that button, you’ll see a selection of my retro talk show stuff.

As I told my dear, dear friend Dominic in San Francisco, “There was a time when VH1 booked bright, literate and celebrated guests who spoke in complete sentences. Now it books anyone who served a complete sentence.” When you view the clips, be my guest to leave comments in their section and vote on how much you liked them. Hopefully, you’ll like them.
www.myspace.com/bobbyriverstv

Have a terrific weekend.

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Posted in Entertainment, My Life, Work | 1 Comment »

my idea of heaven

Saturday, July 5th, 2008

The late Sen. Jesse Helms is waiting to meet God for his life-review to determine his place in Heaven. However, it’s a long wait. Longer than a DMV in Texas or California. Helms is in a waiting room with Blacks, Hispanics and Jews. The walls are decorated with framed photographs taken by Robert Mapplethorpe. The only available reading material is back issues of Essence, Spanish language newspapers, two biographies of Barbra Streisand, three on Rock Hudson, books on modern art, O magazine and copies of the short story Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx.

The receptionist will be Wayland Flowers and Madam. To me, that would be divine karma.

Posted in Politics, Socially Speaking | 1 Comment »

I Love the ’80s: Me on VH1

Tuesday, July 1st, 2008

To look at the network now, you would never know that VH1 once booked famous and infamous folks to come on and have some snappy conversation. Norman Mailer, Joan Baez, Debbie Reynolds and her daughter, Carrie Fisher, and even The Mayflower Madam were my guests on VH1’s The Celebrity Hour. That was the first talk show I hosted for the network.

I found the promotional reel that execs sent out to advertise the show. Be prepared for some very late 1980s fashion statements from yours truly. Watch for the current TV hunk who talked about a gay experience for a job onstage. Do you think I paved the way for Flavor Flav? Enjoy.

Posted in TV | 1 Comment »