Ron Nasty performs for Lennon's 70th

Neil Innes, star of the award-winning musical bio The Seventh Python, joins fellow stars of the Fests for Beatles Fans in New York City Saturday night for a 70th birthday tribute to John Lennon, whom he parodied wickedly in The Rutles.

The October 9th benefit concert at the Society for Ethical Culture takes place six blocks from the Dakota building where John Lennon lived and was murdered on December 8, 1980. Proceeds go to Amnesty International.


Other performers include pals Innes made at various Beatle fan fests throughout the years, including Mark Hudson, Earl Slick and Glenn Burtnick (and compère Martin Lewis), and a number of performers with tenuous Lennon connections like Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton and Marshall Crenshaw. Headliners are The Quarrymen, which includes founding members of Lennon's original 1956 skiffle group that spawned the Beatles.

Click here for information and tickets.

70!

Postscript: Chris Montez at Beatlefest

The NY Metro Fest for Beatles Fans is history, but the buzz is only building after Sixties pop legend Chris Montez rewrote Beatles history in his festival debut. Chris, who headlined a UK tour in March 1963 just as the first wave of Beatlemania broke across England, was on hand to share his memories and to introduce a preview of the new nonfiction film, El Viaje Musical de Ezekiel Montanez: The Chris Montez Story, which demonstrated how he not only influenced the Beatles' choice in electric guitars but their taste in fashion as they copied the round, collarless jackets he wore on stage.

The film from our pals at Frozen Pictures played twice to enthusiastic audiences on Saturday and Sunday, filming continued at the Fest and Chris rocked the packed ballroom two nights in a row with his triple-threat combo of Call Me, The More I See You and Let's Dance.

Backstage with The Chris Montez Story producer
and director of photography JB Blunck

Rehearsal with topnotch Beatles band Liverpool

Montez was only one of a group of crowd-pleasing cultural legends on hand including Mark & Brett Hudson, Martin Lewis, Spencer Davis, Andrew Loog Oldham and Denny Laine and Denny Seiwell of Wings.

Panel discussion on The Chris Montez Story with the Frozen partners

Chris with former Rolling Stones manager & producer Andrew Loog Oldham
(a name we remember from those album covers)
and Chris' publicist on that Match 1963 tour with the Beatles

Legendary publicist Sam Peters (second from lower left,
at the hairline of the big head in the corner)
adds his bongo beats to the nonstop Beatles music celebration
in the lobby of the Crowne Plaza

Fest for Beatles Fans is on

The NY Metro Fest for Beatles Fans launched tonight with Sixties pop star Chris Montez (who headlined over the Beatles in a March 1963 tour of the UK) among the celebrity Beatles friends and colleagues including Denny Laine of Wings, Spencer Davis and Tabloid Baby pals Mark and Brett Hudson. A preview of the Montez biopic, El Viaje Musical de Ezekiel Montanez: The Chris Montez Story, from our pals at Frozen Pictures plays at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Money talks: Steven Tyler rejoins Aerosmith

Aerosmith announced on their website that after months hints that he'd quit, a stint in rehab and threats to replace him, Steven Tyler is back with the band and ready to tour.

The band is heading out with their "Cocked, Locked and Ready to Rock" European tour this summer.


Tyler's been acting strange since he fell off a stage and broke his leg back in August. For a time, he huddled with Tabloid Baby pal Mark Hudson to work on his autobiography before being convinced to clean up his act. He and Joe Perry, meanwhile, rarely spend time in the same room, and they managed to get four of the five members together for the reunion announcement video on the website.


Most striking in the video is the obvious toll throat cancer has taken on bassist Tom Hamilton, who's been replaced on tour periodically in recent years by longtime Aerosmith and Tabloid Baby pal David Hull.


He is, however, still rockin'.

Cool photos from The Fest for Beatles Fans

The Fest for Beatles Fans that roared into Chicago over the weekend was not only a great prelude to the 09.09.09 release of the remastered Beatles CD collection (and for the youngsters, the Beatles RockBand game). It also showcased the first preview of the new Chris Montez biopic (from our pals at Frozen Pictures), introduced Montez and his Beatles connections to the Beatlephile crowd and was witness to great rock 'n' roll performers like Ronnie Spector, Mark & Brett Hudson, Earl Slick and the ukulele-toting former Carsman Greg Hawkes.


YouTube and Facebook are full of videos and photos from the Fest. As we got back to business, we found an excellent set of pix from Fest star Sharon Paige, who was gracious enough to allow us to post them.

Photos © Sharon Paige

Ronnie Spector, Mark Hudson and Allan Tannenbaum close Fest for Beatles Fans

Exclusive! Hudson Brothers reunion movie announced at Chicago Fest for Beatles Fans

Friday's special The Seventh Python movie and music event is a 'best bet' for Chicago

The Seventh Python returns to Chicago!

Friday, August 14th, The Comedy Shrine
22 E. Chicago Avenue Naperville, Illinois 630.355.2844

So what is it with The Seventh Python and Chicago? The veddy-Anglocentric award-winning nonfiction feature about the veddy-British musical satirist, rock 'n' roll legend and Monty Python compatriot Neil Innes from our pals at Frozen Pictures returns to the Chicago area on Friday, August 14th, with a one-night-only screening and (two-thirds) Hudson Brothers performance at The Comedy Shrine.

The announcement is great news for comedy and Monty Python fans... but begs the question why, after entertaining audiences and winning standing ovations around the world-- from Perth, Australia to the New Jersey Meadowlands-- The Seventh Python keeps returning to the City of Big Shoulders in the American Heartland?

Since the film's premiere at the American Cinematheque's Mods & Rockers Film Festival in Hollywood, it's played at:

The Chicago Fest for Beatles Fans...

The Chicago International Movies & Music Festival...

The Wilmette Theatre...

and now..

The Comedy Shrine
22 E. Chicago Avenue
Naperville, Illinois
630.355.2844

So what's the secret to Chicago?


"The secret to Chicago is-- there is no secret," says Seventh Python director Burt Kearns. "Chicago is a comedy capital. They've got The Second City there, but also universities, where some of the finest comics and comedy writers were schooled. There are a lot of comedy legends in and around Chicago."

One of those legends is Dave Sinker. The longtime Hudson buddy, Emmy-winning writer and Second City veteran runs The Comedy Shrine, and came up with the idea of bringing back The Seventh Python for a return engagement.

The Friday evening show on Chicago Avenue in Naperville is set to begin with a screening of the hilarious film starring John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Aimee Mann, Matt Groening and many others, followed by a special performance by Brett and Mark Hudson (they'll arrive after they appear at The Fest for Beatles Fans at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare). Brett produced the film. Mark, the noted music producer and performer, was music supervisor.

Click here for tickets. Arrive early so you'll have some time to check out the extensive comedy memorabilia collection. They don't call it The Comedy Shrine for nothing.

Remembering Danny Gans

Word of the untimely passing of Danny Gans has, as would be expected, shocked Las Vegas and show business insiders who know the entertainer and musical impressionist-- whose recent move from his theatre at The Mirage to Steve Wynn's Encore across the Strip made possible Terry Fator's multimillion dollar leap from America's Got Talent-- as the best Vegas-only star since Wayne Newton.

"Danny Gans was a great guy, a real family man, and he gave a hundred percent onstage and in life," says Jerry Peluso, the Las Vegas-based film and television producer and tribute group impresario. "As you can imagine, it's all over the radio this morning. He was set to be onstage at the Encore tonight.

"I remember when I had the (Beatles tribute) Fab Four at the Hilton, Danny showed up with his family but the show was 21 and over, so they wouldn't let his kids in-- and they wouldn't make an exception even for a big star like Danny. So they comped Danny, the wife and kids to Benihana's across the hall. I went over and gave his family Fab Four t-shirts, and told Danny if he ever got a babysitter to come back to the show. He showed up the next night with his wife.

"Danny and I talked about producing a Beatles tribute show on the Strip-- but we were beaten to the punch-- by the Beatles themselves, with Love.

"And Danny really was a great baseball player. I produced a show called Las Vegas Celebrity Secrets for the Travel Channel and Danny told me how he was a ballplayer until someone stepped on his Achilles tendon in a game and ended his career as a baseball player. About two years, later I saw Danny at Cashman Field. It was a week before the season opened for the minor league team and Danny was taking batting practice. He hit about five balls out of the park. I was with Jason Giambi-- pre-steroids-- and Jason said, "Man, that guy really leaves an impression."


Mark Hudson, Tabloid Baby pal and famed rock producer and performer, also commented this morning:

"Danny Gans was one of the greatest performers I've known in my life. I'll miss him not only as an entertainer, but as a friend."

Hudson Brothers dazzle Beatles Fest

Followers of the inspiring and often harrowing Brett's Blog on The Klinik Movie website know that Seventies pop star turned TV and film producer Brett Hudson has been battling hard in a winning fight against throat cancer, and also would not be surprised to hear him warbling tonight before a packed house at the NY Metro Fest for Beatles Fans.

He and brother Mark kept the crowd laughing with anecdotes of their halcyon days as music and TV stars and pals of John Lennon before their version of a fave Beatles tune suddenly had a hushed house singing along.

Festival emcee and Beatles-connected pop culture everywhere man Martin Lewis stirred the pot of memories with his Frostlike interviewing style and after the set filled in for Bill in the Hudson Brothers reunion photo.

Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle DVD on sale today

The long wait is over. The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show: The Complete Series 3-DVD set is on sale today, in stores and online.

The set includes every episode from the classic Seventies Saturday morning show featuring the musical comedy team of Bill, Mark and Brett Hudsons, along with a bonus episode from the Hudsons' original CBS prime time summer replacement series.

Brett Hudson's basement-dwelling-kid character "Chucky" gets spotlighted in a bonus featurette "The Best of Chucky Margolis."


Order it here.