The Hotel Nikko, at Mason & Ellis, is beginning construction on a new cabaret club in November. It will be run by Razz Productions, the two lads from New Jersey, Rory & Robert, who do the bookings for the Plush Room at the Hotel York. Meanwhile, the Plush is booked through Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Day. After that, well, we will just have to see. ... Connie Champagne, an S.F. favorite, can imitate Judy better than Judy Garland, but Connie wowed everybody at Bimbo's last month by becoming the great Keely Smith, belting out "That Old Black Magic." Also on the bill, the Puppini Sisters, the Londoners who emulate The Andrew Sisters. With a crack five-piece band, they've revived the big-band era in a big way. ... Did you know that Bimbo's sells ear plugs at the bar? At least I think they're for your ears. Naomi Murdach was amazed to see an old-fashioned gents room attendant on the premises: "I've lost track of which era I'm in -- but that happens a lot these days." ... No wonder Naomi is confused. Connie Champagne is Keely Simth. Denise Perrier is Dinah Washington. Kim Nalley is Nina Simone. Both Denise & Kim have been performing their tributes to those great ladies at Jazz at Pearl's, which is owned by Kim & her husband, Steve Sheraton.
Kim and Steve are getting divorced, but it's amicable. "I want everyone to know that Steve and I will continue to run Jazz at Pearl's as partners," Kim says. "Nothing will be different." ...
The saga of the storied John Barleycorn tavern on Nob Hill will soon belong to the ages. Owner Larry Ayres, with his loyal customers, and thousands of signatures on an online petition, fought the good fight to convince the new owner of the building, Luisa Hansen, to preserve the pub. But the watering hole goes dry at the end of October. ... A new edition of Herb Gold's Bohemia is in the stores. Herb was sitting at a sidewalk table at the It's A Grind coffeehouse on Polk & Wash. with his delightful granddaughter Sarah Buscho, talking about his next career as movie actor in a new feature film, Adventures in Power, that's directed by Herb's son, Ari Gold. "I play a blind drummer in a rock band," Herb explained. "I hope I'm not typecast."The film stars Adrian Grenier ... Jane Lynch .... Michael McKean, who are two vets of the brilliant Christopher Guest satires, and Shoshannah Stern, a talented young actor from Walnut Creek. ... More movie-making marvels: SF writer James Dallesandro, who had great success with his novel 1906, may see his story (and his script) hit the big screen. The buzz is that Oscar-winning Brad Bird will direct, Pixar will produce, and famous spots such as the Fairmont & the Palace will get cameos. James is both cautious and optimistic: "I hope I get to the Oscars without having to be lifted on stage in a wheelchair. "...
There's more: James has been working with Jack Bellingham, who is my brother, on a script based on Jack's story, "The Italian Girl in Missoula." Jack & James discussed the project with movie producer Pietro "Pete" Maggi (The Merchant of Venice) aboard his yacht in the Cannes Harbor during the Film Festival this year. Dallesandro made the pitch in Italian. It's a love story set in an interment camp in Montana for Italian-Americans during World War II. Last month, Maggi flew to San Francisco after reading the rewrite. He loves the script. James says, "Pete plans to make the film, with one of Italy's hottest young stars, in the summer of 2008." So there. Congrats, boys. James, a master of suspense, adds, "Further details to follow." ... And so they shall, dear boy, so they shall. ...
Ron Lyons, the great Bay Area radio man, died in Oregon last month after a long, awful struggle with brain cancer. He worked in radio for nearly 50 years, interviewed nearly everyone, including Sinatra. I got to know Ron when I worked with him at KCBS. He had already worked at more stations than I could name, including KNEW & KNBR. For 16 years, Ron gregariously guided thousands of Bay Area commuters with his traffic reports. His delivery was anything but clinical. He was as witty & warm on the air as he was off. He never hesitated to help someone who might be in trouble with substance abuse. Ron used to say that, in the old days, Jack Daniels was his co-producer. Ron loved his family, loved radio, and certainly loved Mickey Newberry, the famed Nashville songwriter who died in 2002. Ron produced and narrated a wonderful homage to Newberry, an "audiobiography" called An American Treasure. Ron was a treasure, too. ...
Kristin Williams says if you want a cleaner San Francisco, then help clean it up. Walking the walk, Kristin joined 100 people who volunteered to clean up Polk Street -- from Market Street to the Wharf -- last month. The organizers, from the Middle Polk Neighborhood Association, included the undaunted Dawn Trennert ... Frank Cannata ... Wylie Adams ... and David Chiu. ... If you'd like to join in, all you do is show up at the It's A Grind coffeehouse on Polk every third Sat., at 9:45 a.m. ... Pat Yankee, the last of the red, hot San Francisco mamas, just marked her 80th birthday. She'll celebrate by singing at Moose's on Sept. 9, backed by a swell five-piece band, including the irrepressible Mike Greensill on piano. Ed Moose himself will emcee. "It's a real saloon show," says Pat, who used to sing for the Turk Murphy band at Earthquake McGoon's on the Embarcadero. You remember that, right? Sure, you do. ... Melanie Stace (with Andy Rumble on Piano, Daniel Fabricant on bass, and drummer ###### proved herself to be a very scorchy torch singer at the Plush Room last month. She lives in London but she may very well return next year to another extended gig at Teatro Zinzanni. ... Some North Beach residents are worried that the spot where Andrew Jaeger's House of Seafood was (former site of the infamous Condor) might quietly slip into something uncomfortable for them, i.e. another strip club. ... It isn't every day you can make a Stephen Sondheim joke. But Jason Graae at the Help is on the Way AIDS benefit at the Palace of Fine Arts, pretended to pull a thorn out of his backside, and moan, "Another vodka stinger!" ... The Ghost of the Holy Grail is back. Erlynn Smithers Hubbard, who runs the B&B above the Irish Pub & Restaurant on Polk & Pine, says the Internet has been flakey lately, the lights have been flickering on and off, & there have been sporadic power outages. Wait a minute. That's happening all over town. ... Sharon Anderson read the news that a 114-year old woman in Japan has died. Sharon asks, "Why are people surprised?" ...
Bruce Bellingham is the author of Bellingham by the Bay & is a columnist for the Marina Times. tell Bellingham what he should know: bruce@northsidesf.com
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