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William Sanderson: Actor and native Memphian

By Mark Richens on June 12, 2009 1:52 PM Share: submit to reddit Share on Facebook StumbleUpon Toolbar
 
William Sanderson.jpgI haven't subscribed to HBO in years, so I usually catch up on the network's great series ("Sopranos," "The Wire," etc.) on DVD. It just happens that my fiancee and I had been revisiting "Deadwood" when I happened upon this interview on A.V. Club with William Sanderson, the veteran character actor who plays the cowardly, conniving hotelier E.B. Farnum on the Western masterpiece. In fact, Sanderson -- a native Memphian who got his bachelor's and law degrees from then-Memphis State University -- is also the subject of a John Beifuss article coming in Sunday's editions of The Commercial Appeal.

It turns out that Sanderson is making the media rounds to promote this Sunday's start of the second season of the HBO vampire series "True Blood." (Season 1 just hit DVD, so that might be our next viewing project.)

The A.V. Club piece gets Sanderson talking about his many roles over the years, from the eccentric Larry on "Newhart" to J.F. Sebastian in "Blade Runner" to Farnum and the sheriff on "True Blood." Also, Sanderson, who comes off as nothing but genuine and humble, recounts some Memphis memories:

One night I saw Jerry Lee, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Elvis for a dollar, if you believe that, in an open-air concert. Presley, I got to meet and go into his house and so forth. My wife says I should quit tellin' that story, 'cause they'll know how old I am.

I'll link to Beifuss' piece once it is posted, which should be later this afternoon.

UPDATE: Read John Beifuss' story here at gomemphis.com.

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Liverpool, be David's Gest

By Mark Richens on June 8, 2009 2:29 PM Share: submit to reddit Share on Facebook StumbleUpon Toolbar
 
Hollywood producer and sometime-Memphian David Gest threw a fundraiser Friday in Liverpool, England, with auction items including a first-class trip to the Bluff City. Honored guests included Jimmi Harkishin of UK soap opera "Coronation Street" and singer Deniece Williams, performing her 1984 No. 1 hit "Let's Hear It for the Boy."

david-gest.jpgGest, known for his friendship with Michael Jackson and his rocky marriage to Liza Minnelli, has become a star of sorts in Great Britain due to his recent stint on the reality TV show "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here."

Memphians might remember Gest for his grand return to town in 2004. He threw the controversial "David Gest's All-Star Holiday Extravaganza" -- featuring a curious assortment of celebrities including Tippie Hedren, Jane Russell and Petula Clark -- and treated thousands of needy Memphians to free meals on Christmas Day. Recall that Gest's roots in Memphis run all the way back to his days working in publicity for Al Green in the 1970s.

Further reading: A bizarre 2006 profile of Gest in The Guardian featuring lots of material about Memphis, most of it fairly negative. A highlight:

We leave the buffet and go out on to the roof to survey the city. He tells me he likes its 'third world' quality, which might be one way of saying that here, at least, he glitters like a diamond in dust.





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Memphis Auditions on 'So You Think You Can Dance'

By Mark Richens on May 28, 2009 4:18 PM Share: submit to reddit Share on Facebook StumbleUpon Toolbar
 
TV Guide's Kara Howland recaps the Memphis auditions that aired Wednesday night on Fox TV's "So You Think You Can Dance." LoHud.com's TV blog also recaps the show, which included a session from Miami, as well. The best dancers were sent on Las Vegas.

Both blogs mention one Marico Flake, who happens to be a Memphis police officer. Flake earned a ticket to Vegas by showing off the Southern hip-hop style known as "jukin'" or "jookin'." Of course, if you've been reading The Commercial Appeal, you already know about Flake, nicknamed The Doctor, and other jookin' and buckin' crews. That story includes a couple of links to jookin' videos, which I'll repeat here and here.

Here are links to stories that ran in The Commercial Appeal when the auditions took place in March. We reported at the time that judges were "disappointed because the talent, at least by the usual expectations for the Tuesday afternoon callbacks, was lagging behind what had been found in other cities."


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