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Category: History (Page 12 of 14)

Cherabouts

January 6, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Cherhawaii1

Back from vacation, I desperately needed the site Cher World to catch up on my Cher news.

According to gossip sites, Cher spent her Xmas in Hawaii with Kathy Griffin. They had what looks to be a good time paddle boarding: http://www.cherworld.com/news/?p=1609

 

There was also an article posted discussing Cher's feelings about her mom:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/3318551/Cher-What-my-mother-taught-me.html

At first I was excited to read this piece but when I did, the quotes seemed….well, somewhat off-kilter, not what Cher would say or has said on certain topics. And I'm not convinced the article is at all authentic…unless Cher has suddenly had a change of heart about all things. For instance:

  • She talks about leaving home at 16 with "her mother's blessing." Most stories, as I remember them, depict Cher's mom at being worried about Cher breaking out on her own at 16 and subsequently living with Sonny shortly soon after. The climax being Sonny had all his clothes thrown out a window when Cher's mom came to check up on her.
  • She talks about not needing a lot of money to be a success…"I could be a success in my own right, without measuring it by a bank balance." Whaaa? Is this Cher we're talking about? Seriously? Isn't fear of poverty the big motivator?
  • She talks about having two imaginary friends as a kid who were truck drivers (that's kind of a cute story actually) and that her first boyfriend in the 4th grade was named Milton Broadlight. I actually googled this story. Why isn't Milton talking??
  • She talks about not fearing age: "why should I…I've stopped thinking or worrying about age. " Um, this is not the hardline, I-hate-aging stance I've come to know so well.
  • Finally, she talks about her 40th birthday spent out singing and dancing with her friends: "This is not so bad," she says, "this is quite good, in fact. The next day, my actual birthday, I got the part of Witches of Eastwick with Jack Nicholson. Even better!" Has Cher ever said "quite good?" And wasn't Cher crying on her birthday because of drama over Witches of Eastwick and the only bright spot was meeting Robert Camilletti that night.

Is it me?

Anyway, here's another interview from Australia's The Age where Cher talks about her almost hook-ups with Marlon Brando and Elvis and nailing down her nailing of Tom Cruise to the time just after his filming of Risky Business in 1983: http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/movies/if-she-could-turn-back-time-cher-regrets-hollywood-flings-20110103-19di2.html

She also talks about being painfully shy.

Article-1332357-0C17EE28000005DC-531_306x423 While I was gone I also received the November 2010 UK magazine YOU with a cover story on Cher which begins…

"If there is one person who would make Lady Gaga look like a shrinking violet, it's the original queen of reinvention…"

Cher talks about the crushed bone in her foot from a gym accident and the upcoming March operation for it.

She talks about her typical schedule in Vegas: up at 10 am for an hour-and-a-half workout and watching TMC at night. Says pastimes involve dancing, swimming, surfing, Wii tennis and beading. She finds pilates boring. (Really? I love pilates! It's slow enough I can actually do it.)

She says as a kid her sister used to stay in and read books but she was always outside.

Due to working with Sonny, she does well in professional partnerships. She misses Sonny and finds it hard to go out for even recitals with her twin godchildren because of death threats and paparazzi scares.

The obligatory magazine montage of Cher through the years has two glaring errors: they attribute an early 1970s picture of The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour as Sonny & Cher from the 60s and they attribute the butterfly poster of Cher in 1979 as Cher during the Believe era of 1999.

  

Georgia Holt and The Larger Cher Story

December 20, 2010 / / 1 Comment

BettercherandmomI was reminded of Georgia Holt recently. I've been working on a novel about my Grandparents' old adobe house in a little town called Roy, New Mexico. Researching the town, one of their claims to fame is Bob Wills of Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys. From the Roy website:

"Bob Wills wrote the song "San Antonio Rose" while a resident here in 1927. Bob worked as a barber during the day in Roy and played with a dance band at night. He wrote a song called "Spanish Two-Step" which fit the style of dancing most popular here, and this song later became the famous "San Antonio Rose"."

Bob Wills, Bob Wills. Where have I heard of Bob Wills and The Playboys? Oh yeah, Cher's mom played with them!

So I found this good interview Georgia gave to The Chicago Tribune in 1988: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-07-24/features/8801170052_1_singing-daddy-murder-attempt

I started singing with Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys when I was about 10. He`s the one that told my Dad to take me to Hollywood because, he said, "She`s got the greatest voice; you`re just wasting it back here." 

There's a lot to Georgia's story, as I've said before. And I had never even heard the tale about her father trying to kill her.

It reminds me that most Cher biographers have missed the larger Cher story that is her family history, both sides – Armenian genocide on her Father's branch of the family tree and the Arkansas mother's family on the other side, not only the large hard-scrabble dramas that happened before Cher was even born, but growing up in that intersection of families. I think a real worthwhile Cher biography needs to be something like Katharine Hepburn by Barbara Leming. She spent half the book tracing the lives of Hepburn’s parents and grandparents to show what a force of nature was building to create Katharine the Great, not just the real heroes in her family (of which there were a few, including her own mother) but the tragic figures and suicides as well. It’s just the full arc of someone’s life story. Life coaching tells us, like it or not, we are the product of our early childhood, which was itself created by our family legacy. Even the bad shit makes us who we uniquely are. Aside from Randy Taborelli’s attempts, most biographies have treated Cher like a singular vortex of fame, starting with when she met Sonny and sketchy information before that. Watching old episodes of Merv Griffin with Georgeanne and Georgia interacting with her tells us much more about who Cher is: being teased as a sister, kavetching as a daughter and looking back as a granddaughter.

Honestly, the sister angle alone could probably fill a book.

  

Who is this Duet and Why Was it Recorded?

October 28, 2010 / / 0 Comments

45_A_Love_Like_Yours_FRENCH In the Oct 22/29 issue of Entertainment Weekly, horror maestro Stephen King reviews the soon-to-be released dvd of the documentary “Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him?)”, calling it “an exploration of the dark side of success that’s hard to watch and even harder to forget.”

I missed the LA screening a few years ago so I still wonder if they discuss Cher’s duet with Harry, the Phil Spector produced single "A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Every Day)" from 1975.

The blog "For the Love of Harry" reviews the song and you can listen along.
http://fortheloveofharry.blogspot.com/2008/02/nilsson-cher-love-like-yours-1975.html

RE-UPPED! One of Harry's more obscure major releases, a Phil Spector produced duet with Cher. There's a little bit of confusion about this release, as it originally appeared on a 1975 Warner Brothers promo LP (which sold for $2) called Burbank's Finest: 100% All Meat. It was eventually issued as one of the first of three 45's on Spector's vanity label for Warner Bros., but it went nowhere fast (as did the label). Harry told Creem magazine that the backing track was actually intended for John Lennon's Spector-produced Rock 'n Roll album. Leave it to Spector to make Harry's & Cher's voices sound alike. Nilsson once referred to this one-off duo as "Nilssonny & Cher." The flip side is a Cher solo recording.

Listening to it again, I notice an oddly precious opening to the song (which isn’t atypical of Phil Spector, I guess). Some people hate Cher's three Spector singles from the mid-70s but I think Cher’s strong voice is particularly suited to his hazy, languid arrangements. There are some cool scratchy wails from Cher in the track and some typical Phil Spector eeriness, speaking of which… Al Pacino is set to play Spector in David Mamet’s HBO biopic.

…uh…can't wait for that.

   

Oh The Horror–The 80s Are Back

June 8, 2010 / / 1 Comment

Scan002Well, the 80s are trying to make a comeback. Can't say I'm happy about it. Can't say I don't feel a pang of distress to see bright-colored, alternative outfits similar to the ones I wore in high school as I was crying on the shoulder of a friend because of some heartless boy who most likely dressed in similar silly ensembles. If I wanted to go back to that fashion statement, I'd have Molly Ringwall's oeuvre of fine films to take me there, including particularly Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink.  Why do I feel like crap when I watch those? Because I felt like crap when I first watched those.

But the signs of 80s-revival are everywhere: big hipped, baggy, paisley monstrosities worn by contestants on this year's American Idol; David Bowie's "Modern Love" popping all up along my car radio dial; big, big, big hair in the fashion ads of LA Magazine. What's an 80s-era runaway TO DO??

It's funny that I remember the 70s bellbottom jeans revival of the 90s and my older co-workers having similar traumas flashing back to their own innocent eras ("I wore those in high school…never again!").

I never thought it would happen to me. The 80s were so in your face. Those shoulder pads. I spent hours un-sewing shoulder pads from various things. Even purses seemed to have shoulder pads. And of course, everything was pink, my hair was red, my earrings were huge (huge earrings are also back), I wore big obnoxious pink bows in my hair (all of which is pictured above). My friends all had alternative haircuts.

It's really hard to live through this again.

In the 80s, Cher made bombastic power ballads that we will soon be re-hearing on the radio again, along with the old Madonna, Duran Duran and redundant big hair bands. But for Cher the 80s was more than big hair and big music. It was also a new identity and respectability. Videos on MTV, Jack LaLanne ads, good movie reviews, an Academy Award, and tough-chick fashion magazine covers. I liked that part of it, the tough style of the chain mail and leather jackets, the rock-solid bod, the f-u attitude. Even the makeup was strong.

I did acquiesce a few days ago to this pathetic 80s scene. I heard John Waite singing "Missing You" on the radio and I thought, Ok 80s, you can come back.

North Hollywood History

March 15, 2010 / / 0 Comments

6a00d8341c630a53ef0120a8b27e51970b-600wi Who was the popcorn girl at the El Portal in North Hollywood? Well this was news to me when I visited the theater about five years ago to see Stephen Colbert and Amy Sedaris in the reading/play Wigfield, but it was "Cherilyn Sarkisian, now known as Cher."

You can take in a play there and see the tiny concession stand where Cher might have once doled out buttery popcorn and soda pop. Debbie Reynolds is there now: http://www.elportaltheatre.com/elportal.html

More North Hollywood history: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2010/02/walking-tour-north-hollywood-history.html

  

Mr. Cher Scholar Testifies for Vets

February 4, 2010 / / 0 Comments

John1 We had a very exciting week at Chez Cher Scholar. My now-husband  was asked by his national union to speak yesterday on behalf of all claims processors for the US House Committee on Veterans Affairs, Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

And I'm proud to say he did swell. First of all, he’s a writer and so was able to deliver some well-made speech. And then he’s got this thing that I completely do not have: charm.

What an amazing experience.

Here's the video: http://veteransaffairs.edgeboss.net/wmedia/veteransaffairs/2010/100203b.wvx

Orleans It’s still pretty boring stuff if you don't have a lot of feeling about claims processing. But if you really love the subject, here are the written statements and the congressional names on the subcommittee, of which the 70s band Orleans guitarist and co-founder is the chair. (If you have this picture in your history and you still manage to get elected for congress…America is truly great!) http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/hearing.aspx?NewsID=524

Abc_cher02_060615_sp This week reminded me of Cher’s 2006 summer visit to the House Armed Services Committee in support of Operation Helmet. Although she didn’t speak, she raised awareness behind the testimony of Operation Helmet’s founder Bob Meaders. Here is one of Cher’s favorite shows, Washington Journal, talking about Operation Helmet and the congressional hearing that would follow the next day (http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/192937-6) and news coverage about the hearing itself  (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2082716).

Watching a congressional panel, I think how funny the people sitting behind testifyers always look. Who is the guy with the gray beard behind Cher?

Keep giving to Operation Helmet. It may help prevent a future backlog of head injury claims to the VA in the future.

And apropos of nothing…

here are some people with Cher's name tattooed on them. http://spugwit.blogspot.com/2010/01/tattoos.html
(you may need to scroll)

  

New Critiques

December 3, 2009 / / 0 Comments

As Sonny says in Good Times, everyone's a critic today!

Seriously, mostly people sigh wistfully for the woebegone days of Cher’s fake-nakedness. This guy, Johnny Dee, blames Cher for the slutty stylings of today. But we all know pop culture was slutifying long before Cher came along with her navel-sequins and scandalous arm pits.

http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/56752,news-comment,entertainment,porn-meets-pop-cher-has-a-lot-to-answer-for-as-rihanna-and-co-wear-corsets

Porn meets pop: Cher has a lot to answer for
How did a basque and fishnets become the uniform of girlie pop? It all started in 1989…

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I See Black People!

September 23, 2009 / / 3 Comments

Chain-mail-and-jewels

Here is an interesting peak into Cher's 1980s Egyptian-style house and working with Cher and her team from a photographer's point of view, Anthony Barboza in particular.

Remember that chain mail and jewels look?

But what is the black-people obsession about in this article? Kind of an explosive issue and I thought it should either be eliminated by Barboza or pumped up a bit more. As it was I couldn’t tell what his point was. Did he think Cher's entourage was racist? This is a surprising idea to me. But what do I know? Was Barboza overly sensitive to what was more of a photo lighting issue than a race issue?  Or did he suppose the lighting issues were code for racism?

We’re all tuned in to issues of race right now with the President and the protests, so it’s a timely topic but the article was kind of a tease. How refreshing if he would have just come out and talked about it fully. Because I’m liked a dog with a cocked head, like did I just hear something juicy?

Full story on: http://www.cherworld.com/news/?p=821

His celebrity gallery has a very cool alternate take of Cher from the session described in the article; Cher is surrounded the fur of her white couch: http://www.barbozastudio.com/celebrities/galmain.htm

  

Blogs on Cher’s Birthday (And that Accent Thingie)

May 28, 2009 / / 2 Comments

Chername

There were some blogs loving on Cher on her birthday which was last Wednesday.

Cher clips galore can be found on both:

The text below was excerpted from the second link:

“Cher has always and forever will be one of the grooviest gals around…Here are 10 Groovy Facts about Cher…”

[These 10 fun-facts seem designed to serve as a Cher mini-biography–or a biography presented as a fun 10-item list. Neato.]

1) She was born Cherilyn Sarkisian on May 20, 1946, in El Centro, California. Her father was an Armenian refugee, while her mother was of Cherokee, English and French descent.

2) She was an introverted young girl with an active imagination, but after watching Disney’s Dumbo at Hollywood’s Grauman’s Chinese Theater, she broke out of her shell and dreamed of becoming a singing and dancing animal.

3) Due to severe, undiagnosed dyslexia, a frustrated Cher quit high school at 16 (she was later diagnosed at age 30). While she was in high school, she had a brief relationship with actor Warren Beatty.

4) In 1962, a 16-year-old Cher met 27-year-old Salvatore "Sonny" Bono, who was an assistant to record producer Phil Spector and offered the runaway a spare bed in his apartment. He assured her that he "didn’t find her attractive in the slightest". They became fast friends and eventually lovers before marrying in Tijuana, Mexico, on October 27, 1964 (they divorced in 1975).

5) Following an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in the fall of 1965 in which Sullivan pronounced her name 'Chur' during their introduction, she began spelling her name with a (misleading) acute accent: Chér (in 1979 she legally changed her name to Cher, with no surname or middle name).

6) Sonny and Cher caught the eye of CBS head of programming Fred Silverman in 1971 while guest-hosting The Merv Griffin Show, and he offered the duo their own variety show, The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, which debuted on August 1, 1971, as a summer replacement series (it ran from 1971-74 and 1976-77).

7) She and Sonny performed together for the last time during their appearance on Late Night With David Letterman on November 13, 1987, in which they sang "I Got You, Babe".

8) Cher auditioned for the role of Bonnie Parker in 1967's Bonnie and Clyde, was offered the part of Thelma in 1991's Thelma & Louise, and wanted to play Morticia in 1991's The Addams Family. And her Oscar-winning role in 1987's Moonstruck was originally intended for Sally Field, who turned it down.

9) "Believe", the Grammy Award-winning title track from her 1998 album, made Cher the oldest woman (at age 52)to have a number one hit in the Hot 100 rock era. It also gave her the distinction of having the longest span of #1 hits (more than 33 years). She is also the only female artist to have solo Top 10 hits in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

10) Following her rocky relationship with Sonny and before her marriage to Gregg Allman in 1975, Cher turned down a romantic weekend in Las Vegas with Elvis Presley because she was too nervous about spending the night with The King. She still regrets turning him down as well as Marlon Brando, who also asked her out. However, she did have a passionate fling with a 23-year-old Tom Cruise when she was 39.

All the rest of that list is some same-ole-same-ole but the accent thing has been bugging me for decades!!

What was that about? Was it French 'cause it wasn’t proper French. I can see how some pronunciation notation might have been necessary for the likes of Ed Sullivan types but it was needed more to introduce the soft sounding “ch” part of this exotic new name. Maybe there was a fear peeps would pronounce her name like “shear”. Was this Sonny’s idea or Chér's? And honestly, I don’t care how incorrect it was, I LOVED IT. Why did it disappear all of the sudden?

Trivia question for you: can you guess which album her name first appeared naked?

  

Cher Link Zoo

May 7, 2009 / / 0 Comments

For quite some time there has been a ton of links clogging up my blog to-do list. I’m just gonna throw them all up here now just so I can move on with my life. You can link wherever strikes your fancy. My take for must see items have a star (or two) next to them.

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