Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
CBS special celebrates Frank Sinatra’s centennial
If Ol’ Blue Eyes was still doin’ it his way, he’d be doin’ it at age 100.
Francis Albert “Frank” Sinatra was born Dec. 12, 1915, in Hoboken, N.J., and died May 14, 1998, in Los Angeles at the age of 82. He was one of the most popular and influential artists of the 20th century.
To honor the consummate showman, CBS, The Recording Academy (the Grammy folks) and AEG Ehrlich Ventures have combined to present a two-hour special, Sinatra 100 — An All-Star Grammy Concert, at 8 p.m. today.
The key word here is Grammy.
Sinatra, himself a ninetime Grammy Award winner, will be celebrated by 17-time Grammy winner Tony Bennett and a slew of other multiple Grammy winners. They include Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Harry Connick Jr., John Legend, Adam Levine and Usher.
Proving that the timeless “Chairman of the Board” can be sung by anyone, country crooners singing Sinatra will include Garth Brooks, Zac Brown and Carrie Underwood.
“My grandfather introduced me to Frank Sinatra,” Keys said in a CBS news release. “I love hearing his songs, the phrasing, the innocence — the subtle depth that knocks you out when you concentrate on the lyrics. And those arrangements! It brings me back to the lost art of ‘the gentleman.’”
Dion added, “I’ve been singing Frank Sinatra songs in my shows for many years. His voice has been such an inspiration for me and it will always be.”
The live concert was taped Wednesday at Wynn Las Vegas’ Encore Theatre and there will be a few special touches that will elevate this one above the usual musical tribute.
First of all, AEG Ehrlich Ventures was able to work closely with the Sinatra family to enable the artists to perform using the instantly recognizable arrangements originally orchestrated for Sinatra by such award-winning arrangers as Don Costa, Gordon Jenkins, Quincy Jones and Nelson Riddle.
“My personal memories of Frank remind me that he was a class act who also knew how to have fun. That’s what this celebration will be,” Executive Producer Ken Ehrlich told CBS. “By featuring Las Vegas as the backdrop, the evening will be a party the Rat Pack would be proud of.”
The tribute performances of Sinatra classics will be integrated with rare archival footage narrated by Sinatra himself.
“Frank Sinatra is a voice for all generations,” added Neil Portnow, president and chief executive officer of The Recording Academy. “His showmanship and artistry have remained unmatched since he began performing professionally in the 1930s to his last recording 21 years ago. Today, he continues to gain popularity for his classic sound and signature style. It’s only fitting that we join the global celebration in honor of his 100th birthday.”
Until we hear it tonight, let’s all practice in front of the mirror: “Doodee, dooby do, do do do dee, dah, dah dah.”
Local connection trivia: That’s Sinatra’s closing adlib scat for 1966’s “Strangers in the Night,” a No. 1 hit. A young star-struck session musician named Glen Campbell played rhythm guitar on the track.
One more Grinch. If you have yet to get your Grinch fix this season (time’s running out), ABC Family is airing the lavish live-action version of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas at 5:30 p.m. today.
This is the one starring Jim Carrey as the cave-dwelling, cold-hearted (and his cold, cold heart was two sizes too small) creature who attempts to thwart Whoville’s annual Christmas celebration.
The downside: ABC Family is milking the hour and 44- minute movie for three hours. That means a full hour and 16 minutes of commercials are spread throughout the thing. It’ll be hard to make the little ones sit still for that.
It’s also hard to believe that it has been 15 years since director Ron Howard came out with his take on the 1957 Dr. Seuss children’s classic.
For the record, How the Grinch Stole Christmas was all of 69 pages long, and the beloved 1966 animated special featuring narration by Boris Karloff ran only 28 minutes. It has aired every year since.
It’s fair to say that Howard found a few things to pad the tale.
Co- starring alongside Carrey are Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Bill Irwin and Molly Shannon, with little Taylor Momsen as Cindy Lou Who.
Trivia tidbits: Daddy Ron cast daughter Bryce Dallas Howard as “a surprised Who.” And the seminal role of the Grinch’s long-suffering pet dog Max was played by Kelley, with Frank Welker providing his voice.
One final factoid: The budget for the ’66 cartoon was $315,000; for the 2000 movie, $123 million. The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:
mstorey@arkansasonline.com