Bowzer
Thursday, August 11th, 2011
There were over 40 band members in the popular 1970’s group Sha Na Na, but easily the most recognizable of them was Jon “Bowzer” Bauman, whose giant mouth and gangly greaser persona became a rather iconic image of 50’s nostalgia in the 70’s. Today people might forget how big Sha Na Na actually was at one time. The played at Woodstock, headlined with Bruce Springsteen as a supporting act, and were invited to a charity concert by John Lennon. They even had their own syndicated variety show from 1977-1981, not to mention their starring role and soundtrack inclusion in the blockbuster movie version of Grease. Read the rest of this entry »
As a long-time fan of both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, I don’t generally pass up the chance to get autographs from or meet members of the shows’ casts. The Chiller Theatre Show in Parsippany, New Jersey, on April 30, 2011, brought along two such opportunities for these celebrity encounters. The first, and probably more impressive of the two, was getting to meet Mercedes McNab, who portrayed snotty-girl-turned-vampire Harmony Kendall in both series. 
With a name like Leo De Lyon, is it any big surprise that his biggest claim to fame comes from his involvement with a show about a cat? If I had ever seen an episode of the popular Hanna-Barbera prime time animated series Top Cat, I wouldn’t have needed the autographed photo at right to determine that Leo De Lyon voiced two of the major characters from the series, Brain and Spook. Mr. De Lyon also provided voices for The Smurfs, The Flintstones, and the final animated classic under Walt Disney’s watch, The Jungle Book. 
The handler spoke with a heavy accent, so I naturally thought I had heard her incorrectly when she gave me the price of Mary Wilson’s autographed photos, when she made her appearance at the Hollywood Show on Saturday, October 9, 2010. Mary Wilson, if you didn’t know, was not only one of the three founding members of The Supremes (along with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard), but the only member to stay for the entire duration of the group from 1959-77. Now you might be guessing that the price was some overblown, outrageous amount, and typically I’d second that emotion – but you’d be wrong. 
What an odd way to get famous. Come to Hollywood to pursue a career in acting. Wind up with the worst director on the planet. Star in a handful of the worst films ever made. Take a break from acting for 25 years. End up starring in another 70 movies, all of which have titles as captivating as Fart: The Movie, Test Tube Teens From the Year 2000, Hell Comes To Frogtown III, and Zeppo: Sinners from Beyond the Moon! I could go on. Then amidst all of this, make appearances at celebrity shows selling your autograph. It’s like Conrad Brooks had a plan. Let’s call it “Plan 8”.