January '08 Entertainment—Pete Allman Column

Joe Jackson Looking for Michael

I spoke with famous music family patriarch Joe Jackson recently while he was trying to find his megastar son Michael. I’ve known Joe for around 15 years, and he believes in maintaining good health but says he has some health issues.

We have spoken together about that since I, too, have some health issues. Joe told me that we have to guard our health, drink and eat the right things, especially when something isn’t going just right. In fact, Joe’s correct; the doctor said I have to cut back severely on the red meat. But that’s okay because I love fish, chicken, and lots of vegetables.

Joe was sure his son would finally turn up as he kept checking around. I had mentioned to Joe, that my friend, magician Dixie Dooley had performed last year for Michael and a group of children. Since that time, Michael has moved around a lot, of course.

As usual, Joe is always heavy into business, running his hip-hop boot camp and other ventures, and he’ll be making a trip to Thailand this month. But, no, he wont’ be looking for his nomadic son Michael there.

But he might try finding his son at the Palms Resort, where it is rumored that he is the guest of the Maloof’s. Michael, since his self-imposed departure from Neverland, has lived abroad with his children at the estate of Prince Abdullah of Bahrain and spent time at the home of Prince Jefri of Brunei. Michael also took up residence at Spanish Trails in the west part of town and has lived elsewhere in Las Vegas.

By now, I’m sure Joe has found his son.

‘The Great Debaters’ Silent at White House

The accolades and public raves for “The Great Debaters,” starring Denzel Washington, also the director the film, and Forrest Whitaker just keep getting better. Washington is not only one of the finest actors in the business today, but he shows great directorial skills for which he earned eight NAACP Image Award nominations recently.

It’s a sad note when a movie, such as “The Great Debaters,” which was also nominated for a Golden Globe, cannot be screened at the White House because of so-called calendar issues. The unfortunate part about this situation is that it won’t be seen or heard at the White House for President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, a former librarian, because of their schedules, according to a written memo issue by Paris Dennard at the White House Office of Legislative Affairs. According to FOXnews.com and other news outlets, the memo says that three White House staffers saw the movie, which is based on an actual debate team of African-American students from Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, beating out a top-ranked university debate team in a national competition.

How ironic this is in light of Laura Bush’s speech in March 2005, delivered at an Atlanta High School for an event called “Helping America’s Youth,” in which she praised urban debate programs.

Among the movies that have been screened recently at the White House are, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” “Charlotte’s Web,” and “Glory Road,” according to the White House website.

Could it be the fact that “The Great Debaters” producer Oprah Winfrey is backing Democratic presidential contender Illinois Sen. Barack Obama instead of a Republican contender?

Photo credit: Bill Jones

Honoring ‘Needs of the Dying’

Author David Kessler has a book out called “The Needs of the Dying.” He recently spoke on the subject at the fourth annual multicultural luncheon sponsored by Nathan Adelson Hospice. The book is a tool to prepare loved ones and families to handle the process of passing from this life.

Kessler, who has worked with Mother Teresa, understands the importance of showing love when people are dying. He had gone to Calcutta to visit the legendary, unconditionally compassionate Mother Theresa when there were 40 severely ill people resting on mats in a relatively small room. The one thing they had was love.

Kessler who has also worked with Elizabeth Taylor has a project called Project Angel Food, where he makes sure that food is brought to those in need.

Adjusting to a major change is that remarkable thing about which Kessler spoke. People like Liz Taylor, Michael Landon and Mother Teresa, all understand the importance of embracing change.

Change in attitudes surrounding death and the dying have often shifted and changed in our culture. For example, there was a time that when people died they would be respectfully prepared and then viewed in the parlors of their relatives’ homes. That is, until a 1920s Ladies’ Home Journal came out with a story that influenced how the family parlor was regarded, referencing the stigma attached to the parlor at home. That’s when the parlor was literally renamed the “living room” of the home and the “funeral parlor” industry began to boom.

Mother Teresa’s statement, “Life is an achievement, and death is part of that,” encourages us to not ignore the fact, but understand that we are all going to die. The question is, if we will die knowing that we are going to Heaven, or do we die thinking that it’s the total end.

One of the ways to end this earth peacefully is through hospice, end-of-life care, to ensure a quality of life with dignity, and especially love, in the final days

Photo credit: Judy Eddy

‘LasVegas’ TV Show Gets Key to City

The Palms Resort’s Rain nightclub was the center of attraction when Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman recently presented a key to the city to the cast of NBC’s “Las Vegas.” The high-rated show is a dramatic series about a fictionalized Strip property, the Montecito Resort and Casino, and the cast of characters who own it, manage it, staff it and their encounters with those who visit, ranging from the mega-rich to the mega-diabolical.

Actors Josh Duhamel (Danny McCoy, head of security), Molly Sims (Delinda Deline, entertainment manager), James Lesure (Mike Cannon, MIT grad, engineer), and Camille Guaty (Piper Nielsen, concierge), along with creator and co-executive producer Gary Scott Thompson and others were on hand to meet the press. The actual presentation was done in the Ghost Bar, while the news interviews were conducted in front of Rain.

(L to R) Jill Spaulding, celebrity photographer,

and Molly Sims of NBC’s ‘Las Vegas’ with Pete Allman.

Camille Guaty of NBC’s ‘Las Vegas’ with Pete Allman.

I spoke with TV heartthrob Josh Duhamel. He talked about how to overcome obstacles and achieve success as an actor and in life. Duhamel mentioned that he was “brought up to know right from wrong.” When asked if religion had anything to do with it, Duhamel said that that’s a private thing but said it was more about how he was brought up. He added that sports had a lot to do with making him competitive, enabling him to handle the disappointments of the business.

I also spoke with Molly Sims about her success. One of the things she credits is her strong religious family upbringing. Without their guidance, she said, it would have been hard to fight off the negative parts of the acting business.

My book of poetry entitled "Messages" was inspired by my dear friends C.J. Cansler along with Victoria Boone and Beryl Warren.

The group of poems along with some beautiful photographs are to inspire the reader.