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Brooks plans Vegas comeback
By The Associated Press
LAS VEGAS - The e-mail from Garth Brooks was so special, Steve Wynn printed it out and framed it.
The note from the country superstar, in retirement for nearly a decade, asked the owner of the Wynn Las Vegas resort if he could test out the relatively intimate Encore theater - just him and his guitar. What's more, Wynn was asked to invite a handful of his closest friends for the private show.
``I framed it,'' Wynn said, ``because I don't think I'll ever get an e-mail like that again in my life.''
The note may have been special, but the performance was ``magical.''
``Bette Midler was just screaming next to me,'' Wynn told a crowd of reporters and fans at the Encore on Thursday. ``She said, `Have you booked him?!?'''
It took a while, but Wynn finally landed country music's biggest name in a partnership that will put Brooks in the Encore 15 weeks a year, perhaps for the next five years, beginning Dec. 11.
``I told him he couldn't afford me,'' Brooks said. ``I was wrong. Wow.'' Wynn sealed the deal with a jet that will allow the entertainer maximum time at home with his three teenage daughters. Brooks can hop on the plane and play gigs Friday, Saturday and Sunday, then return home in time to take his kids to school like usual Monday mornings.
``Every argument we ever had about why we shouldn't do this, he had an answer to,'' Brooks said.
He got a simple answer when he asked: What happens if things don't work out? Wynn told him, ``You quit.''
Brooks said there will be no script for the show, which will be about 90 minutes. He plans to play solo with his acoustic guitar, but he could invite others to join him and didn't rule out wife Trisha Yearwood taking the stage with him occasionally. He will play some of his own music, but also offer fans interpretations of his favorite artists, such as Merle Haggard, Elton John, George Strait and Simon & Garfunkel.
Brooks said negotiations to get him on stage were tough because he was unwilling to compromise on the basics that helped make him the most successful solo artist in U.S. history with 128 million albums sold.
Ticket prices are more expensive than the $25 Brooks charged back when he toured more than a decade ago, but the $125 price tag is cheaper than other Vegas acts. Wynn wouldn't give details of the deal the two struck.
``This was where we really went at it,'' Brooks said. ``This was tough.''
Brooks, 47, started the day in Nashville where he told reporters he was coming out of the retirement he announced in 2000. Brooks wanted to spend more time with his children, and has accomplished that goal.
He said every member of his family signed off on the deal. The girls range in age from 13 to 17 and weren't exactly upset that dad might be getting out from under foot some of the time, he said. Yearwood also signed off on the plan, as did his ex-wife, Sandy Mahl.
``I don't have any trepidation because I've cleared it with the most important people,'' Brooks said.
Vegas will be just about the only chance to see Brooks over the next half decade. He even plans to hold his charity events at the theater. Until his youngest daughter is off to college, ``You will probably not see new music from me. You will probably not see a tour from me.''
The entertainer told reporters in Nashville that he felt like he needed to formally announce the end of his retirement so there would be no limitations going forward.
``We're going to take the retirement roof off over our head, and let me tell you I already feel taller,'' Brooks said. ``It's nice.''
It was clear Brooks was excited about the opportunity to play on a regular basis and reconnect with the fans who have helped him sell more than 128 million albums in a stellar career that started in the late '80s and transformed country music.
``When a man can do what Garth does,'' Wynn said, ``it's almost a crime against nature for him not to do that.''
o o o
LOS ANGELES - Confirming that endorsement deals still have cachet in a recession, ``Transformers'' star Megan Fox is pulling down a seven-figure payday to model Armani underwear and jeans.
The 23-year-old will be the new face of Emporio Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans in 2010, the Milan-based fashion house announced Wednesday.
Most endorsement deals pay celebrities from $500,000 to $2 million for an ad campaign that runs a year, and Fox will make toward the high end of the range, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. This person was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The actress' publicity team, managers and agents approached Armani several times over the years to build the relationship. She wore Armani outfits at red carpet events and met designer Giorgio Armani at an Armani Prive fashion show in Paris this year.
With Victoria Beckham's contract expiring and ``Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' ballooning past $800 million in worldwide box office, a deal finally clicked. Fox also plays a possessed cheerleader in ``Jennifer's Body,'' which launched in theaters last month.
Overall advertising spending is down, but brands continue to pay for endorsement deals with celebrities, said Carol Goll, head of global branded entertainment for International Creative Management, the Hollywood talent agency that represented Fox in the Armani deal.
``There's a lot of interest in celebrity spokespeople,'' Goll said. ``We haven't seen a decline in that.''
The agency recently also signed major deals for clients Beyonce, with General Mills Inc., and Ellen DeGeneres with Cover Girl.
o o o
LOS ANGELES - A Depeche Mode representative is disputing reports that the British pop band's lead singer inadvertently sent a shout-out to the wrong country at a concert in Peru.
Peruvian news media buzzed with the story after a video of Tuesday's performance was posted on Youtube. In the clip, it sounds as though frontman Dave Gahan shouts ``Thank you very much, Chile!'' to a sea of cheering fans.
Depechemode.com Web master Daniel Barassi denied the faux pas took place via email. According to Barassi, Gahan actually said: ``Thank you very much, good night!'' as he customarily does at the end of a show.
The South American neighbors are historic rivals who fought a 19th century war and still argue over everything from their border to which country is the originator of pisco, a potent grape brandy.
On the Net: http://bit.ly/PxgM2; www.depechemode.com
o o o
TAMPA, Fla. - The family of TV pitchman Billy Mays released the findings of an independent medical examiner Thursday, who concluded that the informercial star's cocaine use was not a significant contributing factor in his sudden death.
The report, released by a family spokeswoman, does not refute Mays' cocaine use, but states there is no evidence to suggest he was a chronic user. A review of the official autopsy also concludes that ``cocaine was not a significant contributing factor'' in his death.
``There is no evidence that Mr. Mays' death was related to acute cocaine intoxication with coronary artery spasm or dissection or even aortic dissection for that matter,'' wrote Dr. William Manion, the independent medical examiner who conducted the review. ``Rather, the use of cocaine by Mr. Mays appears to have occurred a remote time several days before his death.''
Mays, 50, was found dead in his family's Tampa condo in June.
The Hillsborough County medical examiner's office conducted the official autopsy. The office classified his death as ``natural'' but said that cocaine use contributed to the heart disease that killed him. Mays' family disagreed with that finding.
``We found this to be so upsetting that we asked for review by an independent medical examiner,'' Deborah Mays, the late pitchman's wife, said in a statement Thursday.
Manion, chief of pathology for Virtua Health, a multi-hospital health care system based in Marlton, N.J., wrote that he was asked to review the official autopsy and address ``the question of whether or not cocaine was a significant contributing cause'' in Mays' death.
Manion said that a review of Mays' past and family medical history indicated Mays had mild obesity, a history of smoking and two close relatives with heart conditions.
``Family and friends found no evidence of symptoms or signs of chronic drug use as would be expected in a long-term chronic drug abuser,'' Manion states in the report.
Other medical conditions consistent with chronic cocaine use - including kidney disease, stroke, and other cardiac conditions - were absent in the autopsy findings.
Hillsborough County released a statement Thursday, saying the medical examiner's office was ``aware of media reports regarding a differing opinion of the cause of death,'' but that it stood by the findings in its autopsy report and had no further comment.
Mays was known for his energetic commercials pitching gadgets and cleaning products like Orange Glo and OxiClean. He got his start on TV on the Home Shopping Network and then branched out into commercials and infomercials. He developed such a strong following that he became the subject of a reality TV series, Discovery Channel's ``Pitchmen.''
The note from the country superstar, in retirement for nearly a decade, asked the owner of the Wynn Las Vegas resort if he could test out the relatively intimate Encore theater - just him and his guitar. What's more, Wynn was asked to invite a handful of his closest friends for the private show.
``I framed it,'' Wynn said, ``because I don't think I'll ever get an e-mail like that again in my life.''
The note may have been special, but the performance was ``magical.''
``Bette Midler was just screaming next to me,'' Wynn told a crowd of reporters and fans at the Encore on Thursday. ``She said, `Have you booked him?!?'''
It took a while, but Wynn finally landed country music's biggest name in a partnership that will put Brooks in the Encore 15 weeks a year, perhaps for the next five years, beginning Dec. 11.
``I told him he couldn't afford me,'' Brooks said. ``I was wrong. Wow.'' Wynn sealed the deal with a jet that will allow the entertainer maximum time at home with his three teenage daughters. Brooks can hop on the plane and play gigs Friday, Saturday and Sunday, then return home in time to take his kids to school like usual Monday mornings.
``Every argument we ever had about why we shouldn't do this, he had an answer to,'' Brooks said.
He got a simple answer when he asked: What happens if things don't work out? Wynn told him, ``You quit.''
Brooks said there will be no script for the show, which will be about 90 minutes. He plans to play solo with his acoustic guitar, but he could invite others to join him and didn't rule out wife Trisha Yearwood taking the stage with him occasionally. He will play some of his own music, but also offer fans interpretations of his favorite artists, such as Merle Haggard, Elton John, George Strait and Simon & Garfunkel.
Ticket prices are more expensive than the $25 Brooks charged back when he toured more than a decade ago, but the $125 price tag is cheaper than other Vegas acts. Wynn wouldn't give details of the deal the two struck.
``This was where we really went at it,'' Brooks said. ``This was tough.''
Brooks, 47, started the day in Nashville where he told reporters he was coming out of the retirement he announced in 2000. Brooks wanted to spend more time with his children, and has accomplished that goal.
He said every member of his family signed off on the deal. The girls range in age from 13 to 17 and weren't exactly upset that dad might be getting out from under foot some of the time, he said. Yearwood also signed off on the plan, as did his ex-wife, Sandy Mahl.
``I don't have any trepidation because I've cleared it with the most important people,'' Brooks said.
Vegas will be just about the only chance to see Brooks over the next half decade. He even plans to hold his charity events at the theater. Until his youngest daughter is off to college, ``You will probably not see new music from me. You will probably not see a tour from me.''
The entertainer told reporters in Nashville that he felt like he needed to formally announce the end of his retirement so there would be no limitations going forward.
``We're going to take the retirement roof off over our head, and let me tell you I already feel taller,'' Brooks said. ``It's nice.''
It was clear Brooks was excited about the opportunity to play on a regular basis and reconnect with the fans who have helped him sell more than 128 million albums in a stellar career that started in the late '80s and transformed country music.
``When a man can do what Garth does,'' Wynn said, ``it's almost a crime against nature for him not to do that.''
o o o
LOS ANGELES - Confirming that endorsement deals still have cachet in a recession, ``Transformers'' star Megan Fox is pulling down a seven-figure payday to model Armani underwear and jeans.
The 23-year-old will be the new face of Emporio Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans in 2010, the Milan-based fashion house announced Wednesday.
Most endorsement deals pay celebrities from $500,000 to $2 million for an ad campaign that runs a year, and Fox will make toward the high end of the range, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. This person was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The actress' publicity team, managers and agents approached Armani several times over the years to build the relationship. She wore Armani outfits at red carpet events and met designer Giorgio Armani at an Armani Prive fashion show in Paris this year.
With Victoria Beckham's contract expiring and ``Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' ballooning past $800 million in worldwide box office, a deal finally clicked. Fox also plays a possessed cheerleader in ``Jennifer's Body,'' which launched in theaters last month.
Overall advertising spending is down, but brands continue to pay for endorsement deals with celebrities, said Carol Goll, head of global branded entertainment for International Creative Management, the Hollywood talent agency that represented Fox in the Armani deal.
``There's a lot of interest in celebrity spokespeople,'' Goll said. ``We haven't seen a decline in that.''
The agency recently also signed major deals for clients Beyonce, with General Mills Inc., and Ellen DeGeneres with Cover Girl.
o o o
LOS ANGELES - A Depeche Mode representative is disputing reports that the British pop band's lead singer inadvertently sent a shout-out to the wrong country at a concert in Peru.
Peruvian news media buzzed with the story after a video of Tuesday's performance was posted on Youtube. In the clip, it sounds as though frontman Dave Gahan shouts ``Thank you very much, Chile!'' to a sea of cheering fans.
Depechemode.com Web master Daniel Barassi denied the faux pas took place via email. According to Barassi, Gahan actually said: ``Thank you very much, good night!'' as he customarily does at the end of a show.
The South American neighbors are historic rivals who fought a 19th century war and still argue over everything from their border to which country is the originator of pisco, a potent grape brandy.
On the Net: http://bit.ly/PxgM2; www.depechemode.com
o o o
TAMPA, Fla. - The family of TV pitchman Billy Mays released the findings of an independent medical examiner Thursday, who concluded that the informercial star's cocaine use was not a significant contributing factor in his sudden death.
The report, released by a family spokeswoman, does not refute Mays' cocaine use, but states there is no evidence to suggest he was a chronic user. A review of the official autopsy also concludes that ``cocaine was not a significant contributing factor'' in his death.
``There is no evidence that Mr. Mays' death was related to acute cocaine intoxication with coronary artery spasm or dissection or even aortic dissection for that matter,'' wrote Dr. William Manion, the independent medical examiner who conducted the review. ``Rather, the use of cocaine by Mr. Mays appears to have occurred a remote time several days before his death.''
Mays, 50, was found dead in his family's Tampa condo in June.
The Hillsborough County medical examiner's office conducted the official autopsy. The office classified his death as ``natural'' but said that cocaine use contributed to the heart disease that killed him. Mays' family disagreed with that finding.
``We found this to be so upsetting that we asked for review by an independent medical examiner,'' Deborah Mays, the late pitchman's wife, said in a statement Thursday.
Manion, chief of pathology for Virtua Health, a multi-hospital health care system based in Marlton, N.J., wrote that he was asked to review the official autopsy and address ``the question of whether or not cocaine was a significant contributing cause'' in Mays' death.
Manion said that a review of Mays' past and family medical history indicated Mays had mild obesity, a history of smoking and two close relatives with heart conditions.
``Family and friends found no evidence of symptoms or signs of chronic drug use as would be expected in a long-term chronic drug abuser,'' Manion states in the report.
Other medical conditions consistent with chronic cocaine use - including kidney disease, stroke, and other cardiac conditions - were absent in the autopsy findings.
Hillsborough County released a statement Thursday, saying the medical examiner's office was ``aware of media reports regarding a differing opinion of the cause of death,'' but that it stood by the findings in its autopsy report and had no further comment.
Mays was known for his energetic commercials pitching gadgets and cleaning products like Orange Glo and OxiClean. He got his start on TV on the Home Shopping Network and then branched out into commercials and infomercials. He developed such a strong following that he became the subject of a reality TV series, Discovery Channel's ``Pitchmen.''
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