by Norm Johnson Send Me E-mail

Does the name Paige O'Hara ring a bell with you? How about "Belle?" Or, even better yet, how about "Menopause... The Musical?" By now you know who I'm talking about for sure. The wonderful singer and actress who portrayed "Belle" in the Disney movie hit, "Beauty and the Beast." And, of course one of the stars of the hit play at the Hilton Hotel. But, I'll betcha not all of you know what her hobby is? Is it following the exploits of the National Basketball League (NBA) on TV? Is it working out with a punching bag like boxers do? Or... is it oil painting?

If you answered yes to all three of the above questions, then you know Ms. O'Hara. Anyhow, she is an excellent painter and I am especially proud to call her a friend. Along with a slew of other fabulous artists, (including sculptures by me, Norm Johnson), Paige, and the rest of us will have our pieces of art on display at the new Gallery Las Vegas, 5115 S. Decatur Blvd., at Reno on Sunday, July 27, from 3 to 9 p.m. The public is invited as well as our many friends. It should be well attended.

Tommy Deering has been around this little village longer than most of the other musicians who live and work here. This writer, and many other entertainment writers, consider Deering one of the best piano players still pounding the ivories. Of course, I must mention my good buddy, Vincent Falcone, in that same category. Can't write about piano players without mentioning Deering and Falcone in the same breath - not as far as I'm personally concerned.

Anyhow, Tommy, along with Bob Sachs on Bass (one of the few still playing a standup bass), Davy Nathan on keyboards, and Tony DeAugustine on drums, will be joined by singers Teddy Davey (one of the Las Vegas Tenors) and Lorena Provencio as they debut a series of songs written by Deering and his wife, Ginny.

The title of this particular evening at the Bootlegger is "Paso Robles... Love, Life & Wine." It'll take place on Sunday , June 27th., as part of, The Kelly Clinton Celebrity Spotlight Series, inside the Bistro beginning at 8:30 p.m.

Why that particular title you may ask? Simple enough and very easy to explain: The Deerings decided to take a vacation about five years ago and drove through the wine country of California. According to Tommy, "We let the wind guide us and we ended up in the town of Paso Robles and literlly fell in love with the town, the people, the stories and, of course, the food and wine." The two began to write music and words about their adventure and now have assembled an amazing collection of songs ranging from pop, Latin, jazz and even a funky little number they titled, "Happy Hour Along Highway 46." That must have been quite a drive? Bill Fayne, another Las Vegas Tenor, will accompany Ms. Provencio as she sings a very popular Puccini number, "Quando Men Vo."

It should be one heck of an evening at the Bootlegger. I strongly urge you call to call for reservations, as it will be SRO this particular evening. Call 739-4939 for further information.

As most of you readers know, I am an avid NASCAR and IRL (Indy Racing League - the sanctioning body of a predominantly American based open-wheel racing series) fan. To be honest, I love any form of auto racing! I have raced many types of vehicles, starting with a homemade "skater" (take a 2x4 piece of wood, take some old metal skates, nail them to the bottom, then get a fruit box - they used to have them you know - nail it on top of the 2x4, nail some handles on the box and you have a skater). Those early days were super. The skater was followed by a bicycle racer (that was the name), then to a Go Cart, an old roadster (4-cylinder Chevrolet), and gradually to a real jalopy race car. Each step would give me more and more of an adrenaline rush (of course I had no knowledge of what it was providing at the time) until every weekend I had to get my fix (not the kind one shoots into the arm, etc). Now, after more than 65 years of having my adrenaline fix through racing, I am no longer allowed to participate. I honestly miss it more than you know.

Why the above? Simple! When something is taken away from you that helped create your personal fix (adrenaline), either voluntarily or otherwise, it hurts and you try to overcome the loss somehow. For me, it's watching it on TV or going out to the speedway and covering the sport of auto racing. It's not the same, believe me, but it helps. Also my heart doctor has told me that's it for me. But, where do football players go to get their fix after retirement? Some go on to coaching. Some go into the television or radio booth. Others just slowly fade from the scene.

Brett Favre is an example of the above. After 16 glorious seasons with the Green Bay Packers, Favre called it a day in March. He had accomplished everything in the game a quarterback could achieve - including two Super Bowls, one win and one loss. He admitted during his retirement speech (the one with tears) that the game was no longer fun for him. Now, not more than four months after making that speech, he wants the team and the fans of Green Bay, who gave him everything, to allow him to come out of retirement and play for another team. My question is: was he tired of Green Bay and did he have this planned all along for one final, huge payday? Or, did he finally realize he would miss that adrenaline rush he got every week?

Favre is 38-years-young. He has all the money in the world (who really knows) and life could be real nice for him in the years ahead. He really doesn't need the pain of getting knocked to the earth every week. But, this is only my opinion; I think Favre is already missing the comradeship of being with his teammates - in practice, the dressing room and in the game. I never met the man, but I watched him on television. He is a warrior and warriors don't ever quit the battle. Brett knew he could come back to the Packers, but only as a backup quarterback to his former backup Aaron Rodgers. That's like telling Dale Earnhardt, Jr., that he will be the tire changer instead of the driver for his #88 race car, or informing "A-Rod" of the Yankees, that he is being moved to eighth in the batting order, with a pitcher taking his regular spot.

My personal thought is that the Packers should not allow Favre to go elsewhere. He had his glory years in Green Bay and should suck it up and stay where he became the star he is today! Take the second position - who knows, Rodgers could (and very possibly will) goof up and coach Mike McCarthy will be forced to use Brett as the starter. Everyone wins. Favre is back in football. The Packers have their hero back. The fans are happy and everyone can smile again. Just the opinion of a rambling writer, folks!

Well, that's about it for this week.

I'm outa here!

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