Wednesday, April 15, 1998 | 10:17 a.m.
There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who can drop the paper and run away when they see the words "Super Dave Osborne," and those -- which is to say us -- who have to pretend to care about Super Dave long enough to type this item. So, our fake perky smile in place and our typing finger at the ready, here goes: Super Dave is filming a movie in Las Vegas. This week, a small crowd lined Fremont Street to pre-enact New Year's Eve 1999 for "Be the Man -- Super Dave." The scene involved Super Dave riding atop a bus driven by -- prepare those ribs to be tickled, those knees to be slapped -- Ray Charles! Some tourists were momentarily confused by the unusual Fremont Street experience, but they quickly grasped the situation. "As long as he doesn't jump off the building, he's all right," said one. "He hits the ground rather hard sometimes." Filming continues through today at the MGM Grand. This movie is more than just the story of Super Dave helping a single mother care for her ill son, more than an excuse to party like it's 1999, more, even, than a chance to make tired Ray Charles jokes. It's a film with a message: There's no limit to how far you can push a silly novelty concept in American pop culture! Says the producer, as our fake smile springs a leak, "Super Dave is beloved by millions."
Miscellany
There are two kinds of People in the News: Those who are perfectly willing to embarrass themselves in the furtherance of their careers and those who ... well, actually, there's only one kind of Person in the News. And no one embodies that chicken-suit-wearing, Super-Davy, what-the-heck-I'll-do-it ethic more than Pat Boone. For him, mascotry is a higher calling. Wearing black leather and dog chains during his brief heavy-metal period wasn't enough for this karma chameleon. Now he's going R&B! His latest album features James Brown, the Four Tops and the Temptations. Now, he knows what you're thinking -- There's no limit to how far you can push a silly novelty concept in American pop culture! And this project -- the grooves! the funky beat! -- is so unlike him! "I'm laid-back, cool, proper -- almost the quintessential WASP. Mr. White Bread personified," he says. And now this. No wonder our typing finger has a blowout.
Compiled by Scott Dickensheets
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