Forgotten Journal

One of Las Vegas’ most popular showmen, Danny Gans, has died at the age of 52.

The impersonator, known for his impressions of celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Stevie Wonder, was found dead at his home by his wife, Julie, at about 3am on Thursday night.

He had died suddenly in his sleep.

A singer, comedian and popular performer, Gans was a minor league baseball player before becoming a fixture at Las Vegas.

At the beginning of his career there were those who said he couldn’t sing, tell jokes, dance and do impressions in one act.

But Gans wasn’t discouraged, saying: “When I met Sammy Davis [Junior]… I said: ‘I’m going to go with what my heart says and I’m going to be that variety performer that the world is missing.’”

He went on to be named Entertainer of the Year for 11 years running and earned the moniker, The Man of Many Voices.

He moved to Encore at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas in February.

When asked how many voices he could impersonate, Gans said: “My manager and I sat down one time and it’s got to be close to 300 because there’s so many I could do, but there’s only so much time.

“They’d like you to stick to 90 minutes a night, but we could do three four hours if I did all the voices and all the material.”

Source: Splash News

Category : Entertainment

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When you are a famous band out travelling the world you expect to pick up some experiences and memories. But the last thing Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine expected to bring back from the road with him was worms.

No not the earthworm variety. Parasites. More accurately 51 types of parasite all over his body. He couldn’t believe it.

He blames staying in less-than clean hotel rooms and other hazards on tour. As well as being outgoing and affectionate towards fans – giving them hugs despite the many germs they may carry.

Oh the downfalls of being famous…

Category : Entertainment, Funny, Megadeth, Metal Band, Selebs

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And to think I was actually worried for her when I first heard the news. Liza Minnelli passed out on stage during one of her concerts last week. And now, the Swedish media is reporting just what caused the shocker. And the cause really steals the thunder from her passing out.

The entertainer was said to be drunk and on painkillers when she passed out. It just goes to show that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Considering who her mother is and how she died, you would think that Liza knew better. But then again, it’s Liza Minnelli we’re talking about. Enough said.

Category : Concert, Entertainment, Live, Liza Minnelli, Music Artist, Performance

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We all know who Evel Knievel is….he’s the motorcycle riding stuntman we’ve all watched and loved over the years. Now, he’ll be riding his motorcycle up the heavenly highway.

According to his website, this legend is dead at the age of 69. He survived breaking every bone in his body at one time or another, but he finally lost the battle to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a terminal lung disease, on November 30. This comes after dealing with diabetes, hepatitis c, a liver transplant, and two strokes.

He will be remembered by millions of fans, as well as his wife, four children, fifteen grandchildren (with another on the way!), and other family members.

Knievel made headlines earlier this week when he sat down with Kanye West to discuss the lawsuit Knievel brought against Kanye for using his likeness in a video. The two settled the suit amicably.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.

Category : Entertainment, FOTO, Family, Kanye West, Memories

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Van Halen tour Blast from the Past just concluded with their LA concert. Many many fans showed up, old Van Halen fans and new fresh ones. I never thought the quite old rock band still had it in them.

Not only did they drew a magnificent crow, but also their performance exceeded expectations. Eddie’s revival is a phenomenon that goes well ahead of his toned body.
His performance brought up to present so much nostalgia for everyone present. He wearing his usual concert outfit, tearing up the stage in their usual matter, full of energy just like in 1978 when they debuted, was a marvel in itself.

Category : Concert, Entertainment, Los Angeles, Music, Music Bands, Music Legends, Oldies music, Performance, Review, Selebs, Singers, Song, Van Halen

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71-year-old Charlie Daniels received an early Christmas present as he performed his annual Christmas for Kids benefit concert.

Martina McBride presented him with a gift-wrapped invitation to join the Grand Old Opry during the show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

Daniels told audience members, “I cannot even begin to tell you folks…this is very emotional for me. I never ever in my wildest dreams, when I came to Nashville with my precious wife and son, dreamed this would happen. To think that now my name will be added along with all these great country artists. Thank you.”

Daniels is well-known for his singing, guitar picking, and fiddling. His 1979 platinum single “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” was #1 on the country chart, #3 on the pop chart, and even won a Grammy.

Following the announcement, the curtains were pulled back to show the barn backdrop of the Grand Old Opry show. His formal induction will be later this winter.

The Opry was established in 1925 and is the longest continuously running radio show in the country. Country legends and current stars join together as a part of the show which airs on Friday and Saturday nights on WSM-AM.

Category : Entertainment, FOTO, Greatest Hits, Life, Music, Music Artist, Music Legends, Oldies music

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Velma Warren Brown, a 73-year-old Georgia woman who was James Brown’s first wife, is the latest to step in line for a piece of the late Godfather of Soul’s inheritance, claiming that they never officially divorced. She is seeking a court declaration that the music icon never served her with divorce papers four decades ago. Oh my hell, what do we do with these female gold diggers, at the age of 73 when she doesn’t know for sure if she is going to wake up then next morning alive or not yet she wants the money so that she can die rich even if she couldn’t live like one. I have to say that the obsession with money that our society has is quite unparalleled. Thank goodness I am not a filthy rich person or else I would have scores of women entering my life just for my money not for what I am and what I stand for, well if I would be rich that would matter I could be an insane person like Michael Jackson and yet enjoy the wonders of a woman’s life.

Category : Entertainment, James Brown, Life, Music Artist, Music Legends, Pop Music, Rumor, Selebs, Singers, Soul Music

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Jools Holland: surely won’t be long before the fourth plinth on Trafalgar Square is occupied with his statue. His vision to enjoy himself, act as a tasteful musical arbiter and share his influences with the general public has now given him a glittering 30 year career. To tie in with the publication of his autobiography, Barefaced Lies & Boogie-Woogie Boasts comes this CD/DVD package of him, his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra and the best selections from his well-thumbed Rolodex of stellar chums.

Some of this is fairly standard boogie fare, but there are moments of beauty. Possibly the most unfashionable pairing of all time, Holland and the Stereophonics, deliver a truly beautiful version of Ewan McColl’s “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”. The song may indeed be unbreakable, but this version really is something else. Shane MacGowan sounds on the verge of collapse on “Just To Be Home With You”, and long-time collaborator Sam Brown delivers the genuinely warm “Valentine Moon”. Edwin Starr sings a rambunctious “Snowflake Boogie” and Joe Strummer plays himself perfectly on “The Return Of The Blues Cowboy” – to hear them again sounding so relaxed in the freewheeling company is heart-warming.

However, there are some troublespots – Tom Jones’ “Think” and the Orchestra alone blazing through “Tuxedo Junction” are enough to make any reasonable soul feel queasy. If you like him, you’ll love this. If you don’t, go back to Joan As Policewoman. An accompanying DVD of the making of album and a Gilson Lavis (surely the world’s greatest drummer) interview further add to the fun.

Category : Compilation, Entertainment, Jools Holland, Life, Music, Music Artist, Music Legends, New LP, News, Oldies music, Patti LaBelle, Records Sale, Review, Selebs, Singers, Song, Soul Music

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Following three straight masterworks that balanced hard funk workouts with laid-back bedroom jams, This Boot Is Made for Fonk-N ditched the balancing act, offering up straight, relentless hard funk. This is great for those who just want the sweaty workouts Bootsy Collins had proven himself well capable of delivering on his own as well as with Parliament-Funkadelic. In fact, if that’s what you’re looking for — hard-hitting, unrelenting funk — look no further, for This Boot Is Made for Fonk-N is absolutely teeming with it. “Under the Influence of a Groove,” “Bootsy Get Live,” and “Jam Fan (Hot)” are all standouts, reflecting the kookiness of “Bootzilla” from the year before. But without slower songs à la “I’d Rather Be with You,” This Boot Is Made for Fonk-N is just too much for anyone who’s not a hardcore funkateer. Consequently, the album isn’t as easily recommended as Bootsy’s past few, and really is of primary interest to P-Funk aficionados. This shortage of new ideas would lead to the varied degrees of experimentation that would characterize Bootsy’s subsequent albums, Ultra Wave (1980) and, especially, The One Giveth, the Count Taketh Away (1982). Granted, those albums weren’t as successful as This Boot Is Made for Fonk-N — just as it wasn’t as successful as its predecessors — but they’re more interesting for their experimentation and their eccentricities. In comparison to their flights of fancy, as well as the balance songwriting of Bootsy’s first three albums, This Boot Is Made for Fonk-N seems unmemorable in retrospect. It’s a wild, heart-racing listen while it’s playing, yet afterward leaves little impression otherwise.

Category : Entertainment, FOTO, Life, Music, Music Bands, New LP, Oldies music

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Led Zeppelin fans have to wait a just a bit longer for the much anticipate reunion show in London. They’re reportedly giving guitarist Jimmy Page the opportunity to recover from a broken finger.

The band was scheduled to perform at the 02 Arena on November 26, 2007 but Page fractured his finger last weekend.

In a statement, the rocker writes, “I am disappointed that we are forced to postpone the concert… (but) we feel that this postponement will enable my injury to properly heal and permit us to perform at the level that both the band and our fans have always been accustomed to.”

Don’t worry though because they aren’t canceling the concert. It will now take place on December 10.

Category : Concert, Entertainment, Led Zeppelin, Music, Music Bands, Music Legends, News, Oldies music, Rock, Scandal, Singers

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