-
Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Mar 1, 2012
March 1, 2012
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
He's dead, Jim:
The Monkees’ DAVY JONES has died. The cause of death was a heart attack. He was 66. Rolling Stone magazine says the singer complained of chest pains before being admitted to a hospital in Stuart, Florida, where he died yesterday morning. The Monkees were one of the first boy bands. They were manufactured by producers Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson as a TV version of THE BEATLES. Davy was brought in because he could sing, and because he was British... even though he was from Manchester, not Liverpool.
The Monkees were told what songs to record, until they rebelled during the first season of the TV show. Davy didn't play an instrument, but his voice made tunes like "Daydream Believer" into worldwide hits. The band split up and reunited several times, including last summer when Davy, MICKY DOLENZ and PETER TORK toured all over the world. His last performance was in Oklahoma on February 19th, just a week-and-a-half-ago.
Quotable: "Guess you could say he's caught the last train to Clarksville..." (Don Carpenter, WYCD /Detroit)
--"Wait, wait --can't we swab Marcia Brady's cheek and grow a NEW Davy Jones from the DNA? She promised to never wash it..." (Patton Oswalt on Twitter)
Davy Jones trivia: The night THE BEATLES first appeared on the ED SULLIVAN show... Davy Jones also appeared. Why? Ans: He was a member of the cast on the Broadway musical, "Oliver."Less than 24 hours after DAVY JONES' death, the guy who built the original “Monkeemobile” says he is getting bombarded by fan requests to see the car. Famed car customizer GEORGE BARRIS tricked out the original Pontiac G-T-O that the band used in its TV misadventures during “The Monkees’” TV run. He told TMZ.com that he’s getting non-stop calls from fans who want to buy the car, see the car or just get a photo of it.
Problem is, Barris sold the car back in 2008 to a Michigan man who doesn’t take it out for a spin very often. If fans want to see the Monkeemobile, they have to drive to him to see it. In fact, the new owner, MEL GUTHRIE, sent the car on a truck to a 2010 Davy Jones concert because he didn’t want to risk driving it. But he got Davy to sign the hood of the car. And... here’s a fun fact that should surprise no one: in more than 40 years, the Monkeemobile has only racked up about eight-thousand miles. (Bartha)Another Davy sidebar:
Davy's wife, JESSICA PACHECO, who's a professional dancer, recently told PBPulse that he'd turned down a chance to be on "Dancing With the Stars" just last year. She said that he would have won for sure, especially if they competed together. "The only problem we would have is me letting him lead!"
LADY GAGA took over Harvard yesterday. She launched her Born This Way Foundation there with her mother, OPRAH WINFREY, DEEPAK CHOPRA, and Human Services Secretary KATHLEEN SEBELIUS. Gaga spoke to more than 11-hundred students, faculty and invited guests. Her main topic was "challenge meanness and cruelty. Gaga created the foundation with her mother, CYNTHIA GERMANOTTA who will serve as its president. (Marino)
Target is no longer selling a greeting card that featured a photo of WHITNEY HOUSTON on the front. On the inside, it reads, "Next time you think of dating the bad boy, consider Whitney Houston." Of course that's a reference to Whitney's rocky marriage to BOBBY BROWN. After Target got a few complaints, you know, because Whitney is dead, they pulled the card from all of its stores. (Marino)
-
-