The Last Chapter for Sydney Sheldon

Novelist, screenwriter and Palm Springs resident Sidney Sheldon died Tuesday at age 89. Sidney Sheldon was talented writer, he received an Oscar, a Tony and other awards for his work in Broadway theater, movies, television. Over the past 39 years his 18 best-selling novels sold over 300 million copies. With over 200 TV writing credits his shows include: I Dream of Jeannie, Hart to Hart & The Patty Duke Show, and major screenplays including Annie Get Your Gun & Easter Parade. Sydney Sheldon was "practically my neighbor" but was know as a local philanthropist in Palm Springs.


Palm Springs will miss your talent and generosity to our community.


-Rick Rockhill

Today's Random Topic: Shoes

So this woman I work with is totally obsessed with shoes that she actually has a tattoo of a shoe on her ankle. (See left). She's way cool, and I like her sense of style actually. Anyway for some crazy reason it resulted in this random post on shoes.

These red ones are probably not the best choice for church...


Some poor zebra died to make these shoes below:


My friend Ben wears man-clogs...whatever...


Stinky old shoes...and fancy clown shoes...



Genie shoes are always a hit...


Even Homer Simpson knows its important to pick the right shoes...


Stevie Nicks is famous for her crazy high boots...


Comfy Vans to *ouch* how do women WEAR THESE THINGS?

and the most famous ones of all...

- Rick Rockhill

Carol Channing & Debbie Reynolds Concert

The Legendary Miss Carol Channing and Debbie Reynolds

Last night we went to see Carol Channing and Debbie Reynolds in concert at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert. The show opened with both ladies singing "There's No Business Like Show Business", and immediately after Debbie left the stage for Carol to perform for the first half.

The moment Miss Channing began, her legendary presence was evident. She performed for a solid hour, and was fantastic. Considering that she is is 86 years old I am amazed with her ability to belt out the songs, tell jokes and work the crowd so well. She is still doing her classic "Carol Channing" vaudevillian shtick: the bumbling joke teller who gets ahead of herself with long stories that are hysterically funny. Miss Channing came across as very sweet, mixing in a variety of personal stories, recollections of her long career, impressions of other performers, (notably Tallulah Bankhead, Sophie Tucker & Ethel Merman), and sings several of her classic numbers. Songs including Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend, A Little Girl from Little Rock, Hello Dolly, Razzle Dazzle and many others. Toward the end of her act, she was joined by her husband, Harry Kullijian whom she first met over 70 years ago, and married in 1993. They told a few stories and danced a few steps-it was obvious they were having the time of their lives together. In so many ways, Carol Channing overshadowed the act that would follow.
When Debbie Reynolds first came on stage following the intermission, I thought she was totally drunk. Slurring her words, stammering, stumbling, and squinting, I felt like it was going to be a long night. She seemed to sober up as she went on. As a true performer, "the show must go on"...and she did. Amazingly she pulled it off, although some routines were better than others. Its is largely the same act she has been doing for years. Still wearing her Vegas-style Bob Mackie sequin outfits, her years of professional experience seem to kick in and carry her act for her. She needs to update some of her material. The Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky jokes seem really old in 2007. She intertwined clips from her wonderful movie career, as well as some old movie bloopers, which were quite amusing. Her impression of Barbra Streisand was dead-on, and actually very very funny. Overall, Debbie Reynolds was entertaining, but I definitely saw a decline from the last time I saw her 3 years ago. Her voice does not seem as clear or strong. Normally I would have been more forgiving of a performer of her age, but following Carol Channing's bubbly energetic performance with a booming baritone voice, Debbie Reynolds came off more as a washed up lounge act still working to pay the bills.
I was delighted when Miss Channing returned to the stage at the end of Debbie's act for an amusing closing number. Overll, I enjoyed the show and am glad I was able to see these legends while they are still performing.

Carol Channing- practically my neighbor here in Palm Springs.

-Rick Rockhill

50 Women Who Make Me Laugh

I love to laugh. From classic sitcoms, movies to stand up comedians, laughter is the best medicine. I want to post a little tribute to some of the women in comedy who make me laugh in some way or another. Some of these women are well known and have their place in American and British comedy history, others are characters who I just find funny. In fact, I threw in a few men who rather famously portrayed women, such as Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis in Some Like it Hot, and Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie. These are really funny "women" and I felt they deserved to be mentioned here. I hope these photos make you smile as you recall some of their famously funny stuff!

Who are your favorite female stars of comedy? Feel free to add your comments...I'll be happy to expand my list!


Left: The enchanting Agnes Moorehead as Endora in Bewitched, Right: Miss Carol Channing, one of the best unsuspecting joke-tellers on stage.

Left: the ditsy Betty White, Right: Dustin Hoffman as "Dorothy Michaels" in Tootsie.

Left: Silly Barbara Eden in I Dream of Jeannie, Right: everybody's mom, Doris Roberts

Left: Brit-Com writer and actress Dawn French, Right: Slapstick funny girl Carol Burnett

Left: Gilda Radner as Rosanrosannadanna, Right: Fran Dresher as Fran Fine in The Nanny

Left: Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stevens in Bewitched, Right: Kaye Ballard and Eve Arden

Left: Eva Gabor (with Eddie Albert) as Lisa Douglas in Green Acres, Right: My favorites: Jane Russell as Miss Dorothy Shaw & Marilyn Monroe as Miss Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Left: "Say Good night Gracie" Gracie Allen (with George Burns), Right: Jane Leeves as Daphne from Frasier


Left: Kim Catrell as Samantha Jones in Sex in the City, Right: Goldie Hawn, from Laugh-In

Left: Dame Judi Dench (with Geoffrey Palmer) as Jean Pargiter in the BritCom As Time Goes By, Right: Joan Rivers

Left: Joanna Lumley (Patsey Stone) and Jennifer Saunders (Edina Monsoon) in Absolutely Fabulous, Right: another great photo of Joanna

Left: Linda Lavin as Alice, Right: Funny no matter what: Lucy and Ethel

Left: LaWanda Page as the tough Aunt Esther in Sanford & Son, Right: Lily Tomlin as Ernestine

Left: Isabell Sanford as Louise Jefferson & Marla Gibbs as the back-talking maid Florence in The Jeffersons, Right: Kim Fields as Regine Hunter in Living Single (remember her as little Tootie in The Facts of Life?)

Left: now this is woman! Marilyn Monroe as Sugar Kane, Tony Curtis as Josephine & Jack Lemmon as Daphne in the best comedy movie ever: Some Like it Hot

Left: Marge Simpson deserves to be on this list, Right: Mollie Sugdon as the sassy Mrs Slocombe in BritCom Are Your Being Served?

Left: nobody knows her as Natalie Schafer, but she was "Lovey"- Mrs Thurston Howell, in Gilligan's Island Right: Mary Tyler Moore in her show

Left: All but forgotten Marlo Thomas, as Ann Marie in That Girl (I always liked her hair and boots), Right: Martin Lawrence as Big Momma

Left: Prunella Scales as Sybil Fawlty in the BritCom Fawlty Towers, Right: Legendary Shirley MacClane as Endora was the highlight in the lukewarm film version of Bewitched

Left: The Hysterical Phyllis Diller, Right: Patricia Routledge as Hyacinth Bucket in BritCom Keeping Up Appearances

Left: Rosanne Barr- crass, trashy and always makes you laugh, Right: Suzanne Somers as the dippy dumb blonde Chrissy Snow in Three's Company

Left: Vallerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern in Mary Tyler Moore and Rhoda, Right: Tracy Ullman

Left: Vickie Lawrence made the role of Mama famous on The Carol Burnett Show, Right: Wendy Richards (with Mollie Sugdon) as Miss Shirley Brahms in BritCom Are You Being Served?

Who are your favorite female stars of comedy? Feel free to add your comments...I'll be happy to expand my list!
- Rick Rockhill