The Divine Mister D's Semi-Naked Truth

Make Bette Feel Your Hugs: Club Chat, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2002

Ad courtesy of Mr. Darrell Redmond...

Pope Exhorts Young Not to Have Fear

On his way to a catholic youth celebration in Canada, the Pope urged the
young not to be afraid in this new world post Sept 11th....I say it's easy
for him to say...He who is on the verge of keeling over any second
now....why do people give this man so much power? I don't undertand
religion very well, I suppose.

Blast Off to the Second Official Bette Fan Chat: Saturday, July 20

Thanks once again to Darrell Redmond for the advertising design. What an incredible job...keep it coming!!!!. Also check out the work of the logo designer, Andy Engel, on all these incerdible CD's.

Check out these 2 new E-books from Stasey Tackett:

Check out these 2 new E-books from Stasey Tackett:

"FanSites"
A true life account of country gal, Stasey Tackett, and her brush with Hollywood...Is all that glitter's gold? You'll have to read and find out. She had the best damn Bette Midler site to hit the internet....find out what happened!

And "Prized Possession: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey?"
This is an analysis of the JonBenet Ramsey case and a product of Stasey's research over a period of years. Well worth checking out....

From Bette Midler

From Bette Midler

"It's very dangerous to believe all the things they say about you. You can't be swept off your feet by it because it's not the truth, it's not everday life. It doesn't have anything to do with being a human being. It has to do with being above the ordinary mortal. Real life is not like that. Anyway, I did it all for my own satisfaction, to see if I could do it. To see if anyone could understand it if I put it in front of them, to see if there was anyone else out there who was dreaming the same dreams I was dreaming."

From Mother Teresa

"Do It Anyway"

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered . . .
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior
motives . . .
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true
enemies . . .
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you . . .
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight . . .
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous . . .
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow . . .
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough . . .
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

Hit or Miss?: George Michael's New Video--"Shoot the Dog?"

So this is what all the controversy is about. Take a look and decide for
yourself. And now Ladies and Gentleman, I give you the link:
"Shoot the Dog"

Global Bette Chat Sunday, July 14, 2002, All Day Event

Thanks to Darrell Redmond for the advertisement and of course the fabulous artwork of Richard Amsel.

Unfortunately, I won't be in attendance (as some exhale a sigh of relief), for I shall be drunk in some alleyway celebrating my Divine Birthday. However I hope you all have a glorious time. Or maybe I'll surprise you and drop in and sing a song or two...maybe my whole repertoire. All joking aside....have a wonderful time:-)

Variety Ad: The Rose "Now In Production"

Here is a 2 page ad I found in Variety announcing that the "The Rose" was in production. I about had a heart attack when I saw that Bette Midler was finally going to hit the movies....it's a little ragged looking, but I think you'll enjoy.....

Bette Midler in "Clams on the Half Shell"

Bette Midler in "Clams on the Half Shell Revue": I was going to college in Mississippi at the time (yes they have colleges!!!) when I ran across the full page ad for Clams on the Half Shell in the New York Times. I was in the library perusing all the magazines and newspaper articles on Bette Midler. It had become a ritual. I must have ripped out thousands of pages of pics and articles concerning her. Anyway, I called my Mom and asked her to please try to get tickets when the show went on sale. My parents were living in Lancaster, PA at the time which was fairly close to New York City; I would be home for summer vacation by the time the show ran it’s run (LOL)..As luck would have it, my Mom was able to score tickets—albeit balcony ones—but I didn’t care. This would be my first chance to see The Divine Miss M (these pics came from "The Best on Bette Club") - Bette Midler at the Minskoff Theatre in NYC…..Ya-HOO!!!

Of course, I was overwhelmed by the city and so nervous and anxious. My mom and I went to Sardi’s and had a martini or two and then we went to eat at Mama Leoni’s. I got spaghetti. I was still so nervous and excited that when I tried to cut my spaghetti noodles my hand slipped down the knife and into the plate of spaghetti splashing my white shirt and tie with the thickest of sauces. Well, I hid my embarrassment by drinking more….later we stopped by a store and got me a new shirt. I couldn’t go to the theatre all grimey and low class, could I?

I remember walking to the theatre and stepping over a homeless man right out front. I tried talking to him first, but my Mom told me to quitJ Walking in I couldn’t believe the majesty of the place…it seemed like a palace to me. We were escorted to our seats….

I remember there being an overture where they played some recognizable songs by Bette…then the curtains opened to a scene with a riverboat, foliage, and a seashore in the distance…..there were a group of black men and women singing Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen/Ole Man River….they are trying to net something from the ocean…as they sing they pull a giant clam out of the ocean….and it’s BETTE who springs out singing Okalahoma, then Moon of Manarooka….in between she twirls her poi balls (the first time she ever did this I believe)……the curtain closes. Shortly afterwards Bette and the Harlettes walk out from stage left and start singing a raucously fast version of The Bitch is Back and of course incorporates a monologue into this…don’t remember much at all of what she talks about…I do remember a couple coming in late and Bette puts the spotlight on them and amusingly chastises them for not being prompt. After that came Delta Dawn and an audience chit chat section. I just remember laughing a lot and nothing else. Then came a medley of old songs which I can only remember Sentimental Journeyand Why Do Fools Fall In Love. I do have the full set list at the end of this memoir that my friend Darrell Redmond helped me compile.

Things slowed down after that: I remember Bette coming out solo wearing a dress that looked like it was made of scarves or something: She sang a tender version of When A Man Loves A Woman….not at all like the version in The Rose….this was sung very softly….then I remember a song entitled, Ain’t NO Love in the Heart of the City, another old R&B song…

The next highlight had Miss M walking over to a Bar filled with mannequins, tables, a small stage, a bar and barstools…..she began singing Drinking Again…and a few more songs I don’t remember…she also talked a lot as usualJ….she did get up on the little stage and sing Fiesta del Rio which had me and my Mom in stitches….the first we had ever heard it. After that she went over to the jukebox and then Strangers in the Night started—she sang and dance—a couple of the mannequins came to life as she tried to get them to dance with her but they kind of throw her to the floor—and then she went into Do You Wanna Dance. The curtain closes…..the Harlettes come out and sing I’m Wishing/ A Dream is A Wish Your Heart Makes…..all of a sudden the background starts moving up and up….it’s a b/g of NYC and the Empire State Building….up and up…the Harlettes look stunned…all of a sudden we see King Kong and then a voice is heard singing…. And I am all alone…..a big arm comes around with Bette in the palm of the hand and she begins to sing Friends…of course this is different than the HBO special…the arm goes back behind King Kong and Bette comes around to finish the song with the Harlettes…..Act I ends….

Act II opens with the Harlettes dressed as French maids….there is a giant old timey jukebox on the stage….HUGE…..the harletters get a little ladder and get a Giant Quarter to put into the Jukebox coin slot….it takes all 3 to lift and push it in…..all of a sudden a big band starts playing….the jukebox splits in half and opens to reveal a big band orchestra led by Lionel Hampton…..there is a spiraling staircase of giant 45 rpm records that lead up to the giant turntable (which spins and stops)….all along this are musicians, too….the turntable is bare… I remember certain songs like In the Mood, How Hight the Moon, and BWBB. The highlights from this for me were Phoebe Snow’s I Don’t Want The Night To End, Soph jokes, the medley of David Bowie’s Young Americans and the Lennon/McCartney’s A Day in the Life…..when one sequed into the other Bette lifted her dress and twirled and twirled unitl I thought I was going to vomitJ…The momentum and frenzy really heightend when the choir from the beginning of the concert came out and sang with the during Paul Simon’s Gone At Last which had Bette running and running across the stage….then it sequed into Higher and Higher…in which Bette became almost frenzied and had my Mom and I on the edge of our seats…..she and the Harlettes kept running up and down those 45 stairs and finally eneded with them on top of this huge turntable which started spinning….Bette kept getting too close to the edge for comfort—at one point she hung from the turntable by her hands with the Harlettes helping her up…..what this woman won’t do for her fans!!!! Anyway, it was breathtaking….I had never seen so much energy in my life…anywhere….not even from so-called macho rock stars….this woman was pure adrenalin….Act II Closed...(More Pics)

Bette and the gang then came out and encouraged the audience to sing Chapel of Love. Behind her was a giant flower-ridden heart. She had everyone standing up and waving their hands above their heads while singing that song….you could see she was really touched, but she had no idea what she had done to me and my mother….we were lobotomized….I don’t even remember the drive home…..wow—what a night….Hope this was of some enjoyment for some of you….I tried to remember the best I could.

I’ve provided a pic of the program booklet, even more pics from the show with a review, and a complete song list. I’d like to thank once again, my good friend Darrell Redmond for helping me fill in the blanks or rather spark my memory…..Love Mr. D.

P.S. Cleaned up Clams Ad provided by Darrell: Clams on the Half Shell Revue Ad