Monthly Archives: February 2005

Mister D: I was sent this link by the curator of Mr. Peskett’s work that was used by Ms. M for her lastest extravaganza. There are some great close-up shots of his work:

A cool collection of Bette Midler art work as executed by Prairie Prince and Stan Peskett for her 2003 tour, the ’40s-style boardwalk scene can be seen in graphic detail. “Cotten’s busy Las Vegas schedule did not allow him to join Prairie Prince in the actual painting of the sets in San Francisco, so Prince and longtime associate Stan Peskett did the brush and pail work. Among their work is a 60- by-30-foot stage curtain of a ’40s-style boardwalk scene, featuring about 30 figures, each 12 feet tall. Midler approved every step of the work. “ ...  Read More

Look for the Aussie Tour to be the end at this time…at least that’s what I was told, but with that kind of wording, it seems as if more touring is a possibility. Maybe I should rephrase my questions? Oh well…I’m the Jeff Gannon of Bette journalists, cept I ain’t no hooker….who’d want me? 🙂 Spring Benefit: June 14th Hulaween: Oct 31, 2005, Halloween night with Auntie Elton entertaining. Wonder if he’ll pull a Patti, too? Lately he’s been telling it like it is….uh huh…. My Oscar Picks – Who I Think Will Win: Best Movie: Million Dollar Baby Best Actor: Jamie Foxx Best Actress: Hilary Swank Best Supporting Actor: Morgan Freeman Best Supporting Actress: Virginia Madsen Best Director: Clint Eastwood Haven’t seen any of these, but these are my guesses. Barry and I are going to some fancy shmancy Academy authorized party held at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville tonight. WE even get to walk a red carpet and eat icky expensive food. This is our first time to go, it’s black tie, and I plan to dress to scare! You know me…I ain’t much a rat’s ass giver! 🙂 But, poor Barry!!! LOL You can read about it at: Mister D’s Bloggorhea! This is my new, old work in progress. I’m turning over the Veering Left site to my longtime friend, Becky, who wants to do more political writing than I do. My bloggorhea is a take-off on loggorhea (Diarrhea of the Mouth). Someone once said that of me, and as you all know, I’m a firm believer in that turning “chicken shit into chicken salad” philosophy. Anyway, it’s just perfect for what I want to do…I can spout off about anything. Hopefully I can talk about books, music, politics, etc…I also will put up demos, old and new, of songs I’ve recorded…just piano and vocals. This will enable me to keep up Bootleg Betty and satiate my need to be creative in other areas…Anything goes! Thanks! Calling All Thinkers!!!! I Need Your Input For A Writing Project!!!! Do any of you ladies and gents belong to other fan message boards besides the Bette Midler ones? If so, is there a marked difference between them? Any similarities? What are your thoughts about the similarites and/or differences? Don’t be afraid to tell me what the other fan board is…I’m not here to poke fun at you publicly…LOL And I don’t intend to use your name for anything. Those of you who have visited or belonged to any of the Bette boards, well, you know how volatile they can be…I’m trying to figure out if this is the case for other artists and their fan boards. It will be important for me to know who the artist is, the range of ages of group members if possible, and any of your thoughts on the whole thing…no matter how silly you might think they are…do you participate on these boards? If so why, if not, why not? Why one and not the other..yada yada…this may require you to ponder a little. Anyway, this will help me with my writing course/projects and I thank you ahead of time. I will have new updates early this week. For those of you who are new…that means new polls, new music, etc…. Thank you so much…have a great week!!!! You can contact me here: webmaster@bootlegbetty.com Love. Mister D

Mister D: Not sure if Bette’s contribution will be new or something previously released. LOS ANGELES (Walt Disney Records) – Walt Disney Records is set to release a powerhouse compilation CD that will include the brand new song, ‘Make A Wish’, by country star Kevin Sharp. Additional platinum-selling artist’s involved with the project are James Taylor, Elton John, Bette Midler and Barbara Streisand to name a few. The album, titled Walt Disney Presents Wishes, arrives in stores May 3rd and all proceeds benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Kevin is currently in the studio with producer and industry veteran, Jerry Cupit, putting the finishing touches on his upcoming yet-to-be-titled album slated for release on Cupit Records early this summer. Also, listen for Kevin’s new single, ‘Your Love Reaches Me’, that has been shipped to radio with an add date of March 14th. The music video is scheduled to be filmed at several locations around Nashville in mid-March.

On February 23rd, 1957, Porter Wagoner joined the Grand Ole Opry. In 1965, Stan Laurel of the Laurel and Hardy comedy team died in Santa Monica, California. He was 74. In 1970, Canada’s music awards, known as the Junos, were presented for the first time. The Guess Who won for best group that year. In 1978, at the 20th annual Grammy Awards, The Eagles won Record of the Year for “Hotel California.” “Rumours” by Fleetwood Mac won the Album of the Year award. In 1979, Dire Straits began its first tour of the U-S and Canada. In 1983, the band Toto won six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year for “Toto IV.” In 1988, Michael Jackson kicked off his first solo U-S tour in Kansas City. In 1993, actor Anthony Hopkins was knighted by Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace. In 1994, a judge in Los Angeles dismissed a suit brought by Martha Raye against Bette Midler. Raye had said Midler stole her life story for the movie “For the Boys.” In 1995, singer Melvin Franklin of The Temptations died of complications following a brain seizure in Los Angeles. He was 53. In 1996, actress Halle (HAL’-ee) Berry and Atlanta Braves outfielder David Justice announced they were ending their three-year marriage. In 2003, Norah Jones won five Grammys, one for every category in which she was nominated, including album of the year. The Grammys show opened with Simon and Garfunkel, the first time they had performed together in a decade. In 2004, the finale of “Sex and the City” aired. Today’s Birthdays: Actor-director Peter Fonda is 65. Musician Johnny Winter is 61. Steel guitarist Rusty Young of Poco is 59. Actress Patricia Richardson (“Home Improvement”) is 54. Guitarist Brad Whitford of Aerosmith is 53. Singer Howard Jones is 50. Guitarist Michael Wilton of Queensryche is 43. Actress Kristin Davis (“Sex and the City”) is 40. Actor Marc Price (“Family Ties”) is 37. Bassist Jeff Beres of Sister Hazel is 34. Guitarist-keyboardist Lasse (LOS) Johansson of the Cardigans is 32. Actress Dakota Fanning (“The Cat in the Hat,” “I Am Sam”) is 11

Darrell from Bette On The Boards should be arriving home today….FINALLY!!! But give him time to catch his breath so he can do his thang! I saw the Saturday Night Live special Sunday night. I really enjoyed watching it, but there’s a book that came out a few years ago that really told the story of what went on backstage….chaos, people!:-) I thought it was great they used the Bette clip where she sings “Martha” to close out the show…. “those were days of roses, poetry and prose…” Very nice. Has Bette become the “Queen of Singing Out The End Of Eras?” Seems so…some of her song choices are so timeless. Today on the news I heard that England was actively seeking gay men for their military, which is good. Every army should have color and bitchy humour brought into it. But I was really embarrassed then to find that in the United States everybody has their panties in a wad about gay marriage, plus the fact that we can’t even tell people if we ARE in the military. There’s just something patently absurd about the whole thing that it’s beyond satire. And to top it off…and this is true….some Congressman (I’ll google it later) said that if we allowed gay marriage soon there would be men walking down the aisle with BOX TURTLES!!!! Does this Congressman just sit around and ruminate where he thinks gay men would put their penis? Or maybe he’s thinking of all the places he could put his penis? I don’t know….but where do these guys come up with this stuff. It’s very worrisome, but you do have to give them credit for imagination. Personally, I like my turtles feisty…so I’d have to walk down the aisle with a snapping one…just thinking! The week of Feb 16th: 1976, upon being given a “Woman of the Year” award by Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding theatrical society, Bette Midler quips, “This award characterizes what the American male wants in a woman: brains, talent, and gorgeous tits”… Love, Mister D