Farrah Fawcett planned Lee Majors reunion

Ryan O'Neal has claimed Farrah Fawcett in death, but had she survived, the icon actress would have reunited with her ex-husband Lee Majors.

Majors' manager Denny Bond says Farrah had been in secret talks about joining the former Six Million Dollar Man in a Las Vegas production of the play, Love Letters.


The pair, who split after six years of marriage in 1979, would have played ex-lovers who spend their entire lifetime trying to get back together.

Sez Bond: "We had many discussions with Lee and Farrah and we had planned on a Las Vegas opening and doing a Los Angeles charity performance for her soon-to-be established cancer foundation as the kick-off to the tour."


The show would have been produced by Craig Nevius, Farrah's television and documentary production partner who is a battle of lawsuits against O'Neal and company over his axing from Farrah's cancer documentary that became a tawdry (if Emmy-nominated) NBC News-affiliated special.

Sez Nevius: "Love Letters was the perfect stage play for the two of them. Lee would have played a conservative, no-nonsense politician who had been in love with his childhood sweetheart for decades.


"Farrah would have played his childhood sweetheart who grew up to be an eccentric, free-spirited artist. Farrah had a lot of ideas. She was excited about the whole thing. So was Lee."

Added one wag: "All that was left was to hire Greg Lott to run the souvenir stand in the lobby and the love would have been everywhere."


Farrah and Majors had been estranged for decades, but reconnected in the months before her death on June 25th.

Video: The Danny Gans of Des Moines shows he's ready for the Las Vegas Strip

We've had great response to our posts about the All-American musical impressionist Rick Ludwig, the Danny Gans of Des Moines, Iowa, who's out there most every night with his "i-man show" when he's not delivering singing telegrams, playing deejay and host at karaoke events or belting out his Two Men And A Tune duet show with Big Al Lauderdale.

The video above shows Rick in performance last month at the Prairie Meadows Casino in Altoona, highlighting his impressions of a Toby Keith & Willie Nelson duet, Elvis Presley, Elton John, Johnny Cash and John Denver. The show also included Rick as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, Garth Brooks, Joe Cocker, George Jones, Billy Idol and Ozzy Osbourne.

The video proves the man is a powerhouse performer: a strong singer, excellent impressionist, and family entertainer who should be trading off nights with Frank Caliendo on the Las Vegas Strip. Rick Ludwig is the Terry Fator in waiting!

Rick adds a note: "The camera adds an extra 5-10 pounds to this video. I did a good job of adding an extra 50 over the past 10 years myself!"

UPDATE: Rick Ludwig will be performing his i-man show-- and breaking out new impressions of Joe Cocker and Tiny Tim-- at Trophy's Sports Bar & Grill in Des Moines, from 8 to 10 pm this Wednesday, March 17th (St Patrick's Day!)

79

Rupert Murdoch is 79 today.

Send your birthday wishes to rmurdoch@newscorp.com.

Disneyland's D23 cut to every two years

The D23 Expo, Disneyland's answer to Comic-Con, was such a flop in its debut last September that it won't take place at all this year.

The Disney people announced today that the fan convention will take place August 19th to 21st, 2011 at the Anaheim Convention Center across the street from Disneyland, and continue as a biennial event.

Subbing this year will be a look back called "Destination D," September 24th and 25th, focusing on "Disneyland '55" and the park's opening 55 years ago.


The Disney people have way low expectations for Destination D. They'll stage it in the Grand Ballroom of the Disneyland Hotel. Panels and presentations are set to include "Disney Undiscovered," never-built projects and attractions, and "Weird Disney," showcasing little-known facts, people and places in Disneyland history.

Tickets for Destination D and next year's expo go on sale this summer.

Alana Stewart says Kate Jackson is "insane"

Well, Farrah Fawcett is certainly more controversial in death than she was in life. Amid the hubbub over the Academy Awards®' boneheaded decision to omit the beloved actress from its In Memorium segment Sunday night pipes up Farrah friend Alana Stewart to refute Kate Jackson's claim that she (Stewart) and Ryan O'Neal stopped Kate from visiting Farrah in the final months of her life.

Alana, who is billed as "Farrah's best friend," accompanied Farrah to Germany for her ultimately unsuccessful cancer treatments and held the camera for the verite footage of her fight to beat the disease. After Farrah sunk into the final stage of her illness, Stewart reportedly held up production of the NBC tabloid special based on her original film, demanding more money and a producer's credit, then was the first to cash in with a quickie book about her best friend.


Now she returns to the spotlight to say that Farrah's friend of four decades and Charlie's Angels costar is "insane."

"First of all, I spoke to Kate many, many times during Farrah's final months and explained to her that Farrah did not want to see people. It was not my choice, or Ryan's. Farrah wanted to keep some of her friends away.


"I would go to her and say, 'Honey, so and so has called, these people really want to see you.' Farrah would think about it for a moment and respond, 'Not now, I just don't feel like it.' I don't think Farrah wanted to emotionally deal with it. She didn't want people seeing her when she wasn't looking like herself."


As for the others who have hurled barbs at Stewart and O'Neal, she adds to RadarOnline:

"These people should just put a pin in it and honor her (Farrah’s) memory. They're angry, bitter, disgruntled or have an axe to grind. Farrah's legacy is far greater than any of these people could disparage. Let Farrah rest in peace."

Now what do you think about that?

Seen on the streets of New York

The new breed of documentary and television reality producer goes it alone.

Warren Beatty pressed to direct and star in his Howard Hughes dream project

One of the greatest books on Hollywood we've ever read has been making the rounds of the Tabloid Baby offices. Star, Peter Biskind's biography of Warren Beatty, is an example of sublime, edifying tabloid journalism that manages to combine the professional, political and pertinently personal sides of the legendary actor, director and producer and pull it all into the most entertaining and instructive Industry portraits in years. The book is full of wonders and wild colorful scenes, including one on page 357 that takes place in the desert with Dustin Hoffman and is as classic as any ever put to paper.

But the book and Beatty's greatest are summed up in a Beatty quote from the Bonnie & Clyde days that sums up the role of producer and the willfulness needed to succeed if it prevail.

From page 100:

“It is all detail, detail, detail. A hundred million, thousand, billion details. When it's raining and your girlfriend or your wife is saying, 'Why aren't you doing such and such?' and the person you are working with has to go home and return a call to his press agent, and lunch is being served, and the head of the union says, ‘Well, you have to stay out there for another 10 minutes because they have to have coffee,’ and then the camera breaks down, and there is noise, a plane flying over, and this wasn’t the location that you wanted... are you going to have the energy to devote to the detail of saying, ‘That license plate is the wrong year’? That’s where the stamina, the real fight comes in.”

Star judges Beatty as a talent who didn't live up to his potential because he let life-- as in chasing skirt, playing at politics, and settling into domesticity-- get in the way, and, because he would not direct a film he didn't star in (claiming he needed to pocket both paychecks), failed to carry on to old age greatness like directing contemporary Clint Eastwood, acting pal Jack Nicholson- or Sundance founder Robert Redford, but it holds out- and by its very weight, give news hope that Beatty, approaching 73, will direct and star in his dream project about the later years of Howard Hughes.

If only he were still bankable.

(The boss would like you know that Warren Beatty makes a cameo appearance on page 317 of Tabloid Baby.)

Farrah Fawcett Oscar® snub was deliberate

The man in charge of Sunday night's Academy Awards® In Memorium sequence has apologized for omitting actress Farrah Fawcett, yet says the decision was deliberate and insists he stands by it, comparing the show business icon to Gene Barry.

Bruce Davis, executive director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, responded to the outrage expressed on this website, saying: "There's nothing you can say to people, particularly to family members, within a day or two of the show that helps at all. They tend to be surprised and hurt, and we understand that and we're sorry for it."


Davis (above) claimed the academy considered adding Farrah t0 the tribute, but decided her "remarkable television work" made her more suitable for the Emmy Awards, making room for an unusual number of "extremely distinguished screenwriters" who'd died in the past year.

"Think of all the blogging
we would have gotten
if we had left
Michael Jackson out."

Davis said Michael Jackson was included because he'd recently appeared in a popular theatrical film. That would probably be This Is It, the posthumous documentary focused on Jacko's singing and dancing.

He added (and get a load of this!): "Think of all the blogging we would have gotten if we had left him out."


Farrah's survivors joined Tabloid Baby in protest of the Oscar omission. Tatum O'Neal, Oscar®-winning daughter of Farrah's on-off lover Ryan O'Neal, said in a statement following our postings:

“On behalf of myself, my father Ryan O’Neal and my entire family, we are deeply saddened that a truly beautiful and talented actress Farrah Fawcett was not included in the memorial montage during the 82nd Academy Awards®.

“We are bereft with this exclusion of such an international icon who inspired so many for so many reasons. Beautiful, talented Farrah will never be forgotten by her family and amazing fans.”

TMZ now says its stories accusing a star of TV's The Bachelor of appearing in a porn tape were wrong; two porn sites were promoted in TMZ posts

The corporate porn-pushing gossip site TMZ.com is at it again, living up to its reputation as the sleaze site that gets it wrong-- while leading readers to multiple pornography sites in the process. Only this time, the shaved bronzed midget frontman and his team are libeling a young woman in the process-- and continuing to do so, even after admitting their boner.

No pun intended, Harvey.

In this latest outrage, the victim was a contestant on a network television reality series. Beginning on February 25th, the pigs at TMZ began accusing the woman of "allegedly" staring in a "celebrity sex tape" it claimed was making the rounds of its pornographic partners. Lazy mainstream news media, protecting themselves with the usual disclaimers, spread the unconfirmed report:

"A new celebrity sex tape is being shopped around the porn community -- and the person peddling the tape says the star is Rozlyn Papa from 'The Bachelor.'

"TMZ has learned the tape is being shopped to a variety of XXX companies all over all over L.A. -- including Live******.com--"

TMZ, of course, did not redact the name of the porn website. It promoted it with the teasing story, and led its readers there.

This morning, there was a new porn website to promote, with another unconfirmed story:

"A sex tape starring 'Bachelor' reject Rozlyn Papa -- allegedly -- has made its way onto the Internet and it happens to end just like the 'Bachelor' finale ... with someone on their knees.

"The short tape -- which features a woman certainly resembling Rozlyn performing a sexual act on a sizable gentleman -- just popped up on the website P******.com."

Of course, the name of the porn website was spelled out (and we can't confirm whether the "allegedly" was added to the post after the fact).


Late this afternoon, after promoting at least two porn sites (not counting the other sites they might link to automatically), TMZ produced a followup story this afternoon: The woman in the sex tape apparently wasn't the Bachelor star, after all:

"A website claiming to feature a sex tape with 'Bachelor' reject Rozlyn Papa has a problem ... because the star of the flick may not be Roz at all.

"Roz's lawyer directed us to a 2004 porn video featuring a woman using the name of Lucy Anne.

"It appears the video the website in question is featuring was lifted from the 2004 porn video. The website only posted a portion of the 2004 video. When you look at that video as a whole, it doesn't look like Lucy Anne is Roz."

The incorrect stories, naming Rozlyn Papa as the "alleged" woman in the sex tape, are still posted on the TMZ website.

Anyone out there a little fed up with this venereal disease of an operation, spawned and financed by AOL and Time-Warner and now owned by Warner Bros.?

Any journalists interested on who's getting kickbacks from the porn operations the subliterate sleazebags so casually and obviously promote?

We've outlined their crimes against journalism and Hollywood.

Does anyone care?

JB Blunck recalls Affair with Murdoch

The brave glory days of tabloid television are far behind us, but many of the original innovators, all pups when they changed the medium, journalism and the world, are still out there pushing new media forward from all different angles Among the foremost: Joachim Blunck, "JB" to those in the know, media entertainment professional who was among the core group of producers who created and launched A Current Affair in the 1980s. A key player in the book Tabloid Baby, the former Baltimore City Paper and Village Voice art director went on to play a key role in the development of the FX network and is recognized as an innovator in new media across the board, from independent filmmaking to web design.

Long based in Los Angeles, JB was interviewed this week by old pal Russ Smith on Splicetoday.com. JB hits all the hot button topics of mainstream and new media, while also looking back on the days working for Rupert Murdoch in the tabloid television trenches:

ST: You worked for Rupert Murdoch for a number of years, with A Current Affair, Good Day New York and the FX Channel. How much interaction did you have with Murdoch and how much autonomy did he give you and your colleagues? What led to you severing ties with News Corp and do you regret it now?

JB: In my early days at News Corp it was still a relatively small company on the executive side. One of my many hats was to work at the corporate offices on a variety of things for Murdoch. I had my share of meetings and interaction, and got a good fly-on-the-wall view. It was during that time that I gained enough trust to be thrown into Fox with a couple Aussie journalists, and basically set loose to do whatever had to be done.


A Current Affair was the answer to Murdoch's request for an evening news show. Murdoch had considerable interest in our progress— he regularly spoke to us, and was present at a couple early, formative meetings— but the interpretation and execution was left to us. Peter Brennan was the editorial heart and soul of the show; I worked the visual style and got it to air. Sound familiar? We were housed at the Fox NY station, the former Metromedia WNEW. There was no help— we were Murdoch interlopers. I remember putting together equipment and people, spending what would become millions of dollars without regard for the internal accounting systems. The show went from concept to air in less than eight weeks. If anyone ever asked "by whose authority," I just said "Rupert." That was fun.

"People often think back
to A Current Affair
as tawdry and salacious,
when in fact it was just
good tabloid reporting
with a twinkle in our eyes.
We were renegades
with a healthy sense of humor."

...In my time at News Corp I was never afraid for my job, and always felt supported. I left after moving to Los Angeles. New York was an oasis in the television system, and our distance from Hollywood and proximity to Murdoch made things easy. As long as we succeeded and delivered, we were left alone. In LA, everyone gets into your business and looks for ways to either piss on or co-opt your work. It wasn't fun anymore, and I had my fill.

ST: When A Current Affair started its buzz-meter was off the charts in New York, with personalities like Steve Dunleavy and others landing in the gossip columns and just a lot of excitement around the show. I imagine it was a rush to be a major domo on the show, if exhausting. What was the atmosphere like? Maybe like an extended coke/meth high or something different? And how do you look back on those Fox shows today? I see that you did the "Color Correction" for the film Outfoxed.

JB: Not drugs, but an awful lot of liquor. We had a phone extension installed in the bar across from the office. We were reinventing storytelling for television. No one had ever seen anything like it, and we were too naive to say no to anything that was suggested. We were renegades with a healthy sense of humor. It was very much the same outlaw mentality that we had at City Paper.

People often think back to ACA as tawdry and salacious, when in fact it was just good tabloid reporting with a twinkle in our eyes. If you got the joke, fine, if you didn't, at least you were entertained. In our first month we got a positive review in The New York Times! The reviewer got it. For the most part, so did the audience, and the rising ratings just fueled our daring.

"Murdoch is fearless
and incredibly smart.
He listens, considers, decides,
and often provides the initial idea
that fuels the machine.
He's the last of the old-time journos."

Aside from the preppie murder, Jim and Tammy Faye, and all the other big stories that we led with simply because no one else did (that changed, didn't it?), the one I remember with a laugh was the Peter Holm story. Holm was a dumb hunk of a Swede who was being divorced by Joan Collins. He sued for palimony in LA Court. We put together, in a day, a show (live to air at the time) that was a mock telethon to raise money for Holm. Our studio had been used for years for the Jerry Lewis Telethon when it came from New York, so in the rafters were phones, tables, chairs, risers, decorations, all the stuff you needed to do a telethon. We set up the studio with mock phone banks populated with celebrity lookalikes (and Cindy Adams), did a backdrop with a tote board that looked like a big thermometer (The Peter Meter), recorded tape packages with New Yorkers and what they would donate (a slum apartment, food from the trash, etc), ran a text zipper on the screen with amounts people were giving (all fake—Joan Carson $1000… Joanna Carson $10,000), and had the telethon portions of the broadcast hosted by one of our reporters in a tux.


Maury Povich, of course, would not lower himself to our descending levels, and hosted the "show" from his usual set. The show did include an actual package about the trial, but the capper was a satellite interview with Holm as he left court that day. He, of course, could hear our show in his earpiece between Q&A sessions with Maury. While a viewer would have seen the obvious satire, hearing the show interspersed with Maury’s conversation seemed to give a different impression. After the show was over I got a call in the control room from our producer in LA. Holm wanted to know how much money we'd raised.

ACA, Good Day, the FX shows and everything else all had the same sensibility. I had the time of my life. Of course, we begat a tectonic change in news. There are no more tabloid news magazines. Everything is just tabloid, and without the consideration and execution that we invented. News is now salacious and tawdry, and increasingly stupid.

Not much of a story with Outfoxed. I do color work on occasion to bridge between producing assignments. It was a four-day gig. The producers of Outfoxed made some good points, but on the whole they were as misinformed as everyone else.

ST: Do you follow the continuing acquisitions, plotting, subterfuge, etc. of Murdoch today, and do you think, as is commonly thought in some quarters, that he's an evil media force? Or, rather, an old-fashioned entrepreneur?

JB: Success breeds detractors. Murdoch succeeds. He is fearless and incredibly smart. It was always an eye-opener seeing him run a room. He listens, considers, decides, and more often that not, provides the initial idea that fuels the machine. In media, he's the last of the old-time journos.


Politics aside (and I think Fox News is awful), his moves in publishing were always copied, whether it was changing the game with the unions or using technology to further coverage and production. He's leading the charge to save what's left of real reportage. The Wall Street Journal and Harper Collins will be among the first on the iPad. Murdoch understands more than anyone that newspapers represent power, and that he and the rest of the industry failed to understand the impact of the Web. Unfortunately, his people screwed up MySpace. My impression is that the touchpad moves are being encouraged directly by him. Will it all work? Dunno.

Click here to read the complete Splice Today interview with JB Blunck.

Academy shrugs off Farrah Oscar® snub

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has responded to Tabloid Baby's complaint that Farrah Fawcett was unjustly left out of the In Memorium segment of the Academy Awards® show, and their answer is "tough luck."

"I would not say that it was an oversight," says spokeswoman Leslie Unger. "No matter how carefully and how conscientiously people address who is included, there are people who just simply can't be.

"Every year there are many difficult decisions that have to be made and not everybody who passed during the year can be included. That's the unfortunate reality."

Unger addressed our specific complaint that Michael Jackson, who died on the same day as Farrah yet had scant film credits, was honored.

"In any given year there will always be some people that other people think should have been included and that there's more justification for one person versus another. It is impossible to include everybody."


Meanwhile, the men who are fighting over Farrah found common ground in their disgust over the omission.

Speaking through his publicist, Ryan O'Neal said, "We were disappointed that she was not included."

Farrah's producing partner Craig Nevius said: "I think this is what Farrah struggled with her entire career. She struggled with respect and told me many times she felt she was put in a box.

"She loved television, and she was primarily a star on TV, but she was also a star on stage and film. You know, how you can discount Extremities (for which Farrah earned a Golden Globe Globe nomination), The Apostle (ditto an Independent Spirit nomination) and Dr. T and the Women, I don't know.

"I think it would be very big of them to own up to the mistake, but I also think it might set a dangerous precedent for them, which is why they probably won't do it."

EXCLUSIVE! THIS JACKET IS THE MISSING LINK IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE BEATLES!

This jacket is the missing link in the secret history of the Beatles.

This is the jacket that inspired the collarless suits the Beatles wore as they took the world by storm in the first flushes of Beatlemania, immortalized onstage and on the cover of the smash I Want To Hold Your Hand/I Saw Her Standing There single.

According to the official history of The Beatles, the famed collarless suits they were made by London tailor Dougie Millings, inspired by similar suits created by French designer Pierre Cardin.

That is wrong. Millings did not get his inspiration from Cardin.

Paul McCartney and John Lennon got their inspiration from a man they brought to Millings' shop in 1963. It was here that McCartney informed him that they would be appropriating the style of the jacket he wore, and which had been designed for him exclusively in Hollywood.

Pictured above is the actual jacket that inspired them. This jacket was discovered in recent days in Los Angeles by our pals at Frozen Pictures. It will be on display and the story behind it will be revealed by filmmakers Burt Kearns, Brett Hudson and Joachim Blunck at the 36th annual NY Metro Fest for Beatles Fans at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Secaucus, New Jersey on Saturday, March 27th.

Joining them will be the man who wore it-- the man the Beatles copied.

"Beatles history will be rewritten," says Frozen partner Kearns.

"This is monumental, and Beatles fans will be a part of this," adds Hudson.

Developing...

THE MISSING LINK IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE BEATLES!

Whoopi Goldberg pisses on the Oscars®

Everyone can debate the merits of the Academy Awards® show. For us, the most disturbing segment came during a commercial break in the Red Carpet lead-in show, with onetime host Whoopi Goldberg's extravagant and distasteful ad for pads that soak up her unexpected "spritzes" from bladder leakage. We couldn't shake off the image through the next three hours.

Farrah Fawcett snubbed at The Oscars®

The image of Patrick Swayze led off the tributes and Karl Malden seemed to generate the loudest applause, but Farrah Fawcett was for some reason excluded from last night's Academy Awards® "In Memorium" segment. Farrah may be better known for her television work, but she also starred in classic films including Myra Breckenridge, Logan's Run, Sunburn, The Cannonball Run, Extremities, The Apostle and Dr. T and The Women.


(Michael Jackson, who died the same day as Farrah and whose film bio is far less substantial than Farrah's, was included.)

Yoko sells out John for car commercial

Imagine that.


A Citroën is no psychedelic Rolls.

Z-Boy forever

Bob Biniak, skateboarding legend and one of the original Dogtown Z-Boys, is dead at 51. Days after a heart attack. A celebration of The Bullet's life will take place at sunset March 27 at Venice Beach Skate Plaza, 1800 Ocean Front Walk.

Restricted! Now how will Ryan O'Neal get footage of his drug addict son for his Farrah Fawcett sequel?

Controversial Hollywood actor and father Ryan O'Neal is being restricted from visiting his and Farrah Fawcett's son Redmond in drug rehab, while the young drug addict has been banned from any more home visits that could impede his recovery.

The young ginger O'Neal left his one-year program at the Impact residential drug treatment center today for a courtroom progress report in Los Angeles and to hear Judge Michael Tynan tell him:

"You were faking it the last time you were at Impact. You weren't sincere. You have to take a hard look at your life.

"Right now, pal, you are still in trouble. I'm going to ask Impact to eliminate any home visits, you agree with that Mr O'Neal?"

Redmond replied: "Yes your honor."


RadarOnline.com quotes Redmond as saying, "I'm doing better this time."

The 25-year-old also told People: "I'm doing great. I am focused on my recovery and plan not to let anything get in the way. I am doing my best to make my mother proud."

His attorney Richard Pintal added:"Redmond has kicked it up, and the progress report reflected that."

It was the father, Ryan O'Neal, who took the hardest shot in court when Redmond was denied home visits, along with being restricted from visiting with his son. This is especially difficult for the 68-year-old actor in light of his professed plans to include footage of Redmond amid his struggle with drugs in his planned sequel to the NBC special Farrah's Story.

Redmond's next court date is set for April 7th.

The Danny Gans of Des Moines hogs spotlight with Star-Spangled Bacon

Musical impressionist Rick Ludwig, the Danny Gans of Des Moines, Iowa, is not sitting by his phone, waiting for the call from Las Vegas to take the mantle of the fallen Strip superstar. He's out there working his "i-man show," with little of the Sin City production values but a hundred and ten percent of the talent and gumption it takes to get out there and conquer another crowd with a trunk of quick-change costumes, a sound system and an incredible voice as well as knack for mimicry.

This weekend it was the 3rd annual Blue Ribbon National Bacon Festival, where Rick, in his "Big Elvis" persona, brought home the bacon with The National Anthem.


Now, sure it's funny, with the guy in the pig suit standing behind the big Elvis. But take time and listen to Rick's voice (and hang in to the very end to watch the pig and hear Rick bring home the bacon at 1:30!). The man's got the goods-- and dozens of other voices. This is wholesome, family, Gansian entertainment.

Sez Rick: "It was a rush! The bacon-covered caramel donuts were awesome! Elvis really enjoyed it!"

Chip Lightman, make that call!

From Rick Ludwig's website:

What is the i-Man Show?

What does the "i" stand for? Good question. The "i" stands for Impressionist, which is defined one way by Merriam-Webster as "an entertainer who does impressions." And an Impression is defined as "an imitation or representation of salient features in an artistic or theatrical medium; especially : an imitation in caricature of a noted personality as a form of theatrical entertainment.

That's what Rick Ludwig does when he sings and does impressions of some of the biggest artists of yesterday and today, which include... Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, Neil Diamond, Elton John, Billy Joel, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, John Denver, Toby Keith, Billy Idol, Ozzy Osbourne and Joe Cocker just to name a few.

Rick's resourceful and comedic use of costumes and props for these artists brings life to his characters and accompanies his vocal talents to make for an "impressive" and unforgettable evening of entertainment.

Who is Rick Ludwig?

Rick Ludwig is one of the Midwest's best kept secrets when it comes to variety style vocal performance and impersonations of the greatest singers since the 1950s until the present. Rick sings over 100 different songs from over 30 different artists spanning over 50 years and he also impersonates many of these artists with costumes or hilarious props. Rick's incredible 4 octave range (from bass to falsetto) allows him to do almost any song made for a man (and them some).

Rick has performed (sang) at over 3,500 shows from 1990-present, including, but not limited to wedding ceremonies, wedding receptions, corporate parties, karaoke shows, singing telegrams, senior citizen centers, nightclubs, casino shows and even funerals.

Rick began singing in public at a very young age of four in church, performing special numbers. The love for singing has always been in his blood! He is a natural when it comes to singing like the original artists and impersonating their famous moves! Rick has even been compared to the late, great Vegas entertainer/singer/impersonator Danny Gans, by some big fans of Danny's that saw his show several times.

Rick performs the oldies, classic country, new country (including hits on the radio today), classic pop and rock & roll songs and even contemporary Christian and gospel songs. He also likes to throw in a few Patriotic songs every now and then.

Solo Sex Game: The Death Bed

The Sun has the closest thing to a family-friendly money shot in the tragic story of BBC presenter Kristian Digby, who single-handedly put the term "solo sex game" into the popular lexicon after he was found dead from apparent act of auto-erotic asphyxiation in his posh East London townhouse this week: a photo of the 32-year-old millionaire host of To Buy or Not To Buy sitting on the "£8,000 designer bed where he was found dead... beneath a remote-control skylight by his boyfriend.... marks on one of his wrists consistent with being tied in what cops believe was a solo sex game that went wrong... a black bin liner and a belt were also in the bedroom featured in another BBC show To Build Or Not To Build."

Tragic, another lesson to bored celebrities everywhere and a reminder to never sleep atop hotel room bed covers.

BBC host dies in "solo sex game"

Police sources say it was a "solo sex game gone wrong" that killed BBC presenter Kristian Digby. The 32-year-old host of BBC1's To Buy Or Not To Buy, well-known from many other productions, was pronounced dead at his home in East London yesterday morning.

Digby's ex-boyfriend, a former policeman, found the body.


A belt and a bag were taken away for examination by officers.


Obviously, some of us have not learned any lesson from the death of David Carradine.

Fabian Bachrach shot JFK and JoJo

Obituary writers may insist that photographer Fabian Bachrach of West Newton, Massachusetts, who died Friday at 92, was best known for his classic portrait of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Rock 'n' roll fans remember Bachrach for his equally heroic shot of Jonathan Richman for the cover of the 1976 album, Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers.

Richman hails from neighboring Natick, Massachusetts.

Ryan and Tatum O'Neal, back in black

Ryan O'Neal, currently preparing a sequel to the Farrah's Story television special based on his on-off lover Farrah Fawcett's losing cancer battle, is photographed with his formerly-estranged daughter Tatum O'Neal at an awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

The pair were caught looking both festive and pensive at the American Society of Cinematographers 24th Annual Outstanding Achievement Awards.


Father and daughter last made headlines together in August, after Ryan O'Neal confessed in Vanity Fair magazine that he'd inadvertently "hit on" Tatum at Farrah's funeral.

The O'Neals have been estranged for years, at least since Tatum, 46, published her autobiography A Paper Life in 2004, describing her drug addiction, and a strained relationship with her father, painting a very unflattering picture of him.

The O'Neals starred together in the 1973 film Paper Moon, for which Tatum won a for Best Supporting Actress Oscar®. They've been estranged at least since 2004, when Tatum published an autobiography that described her horrific childhood and life of drug addiction.

Ryan O'Neal, 68, recently said he and Tatum have been trying to repair their relationship in the months since Farrah's death. In his recent interview with Alana Stewart's son Ashley Hamilton on Extra, he said he missed Tatum. In that Vanity Fair interview, however, he revealed he was still very angry at his daughter:

"She wrote a book— bitch! How dare she throw our laundry in the street for money!

"…She didn't call after Farrah's show! She'll have to explain that."