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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 27, 1982)
Page 4 Section II Portland Observer, May 27, 1982 In s ta n t C re d it J e w e lry Co. entertainment ENTERTAINMENT 6908 N .E . Sandy NO CREDIT CHECKS NO TU RN DOW NS You will be IN and OUT in 15 minutes "A nnie" Premiere! O n June 3rd, O regon Public Broadcasting is bringing the motion picture “ A n n ie ” to P o rtla n d . The event, to be held at the Fox Theatre, will mark the Portland premiere o f this musical extras iganza. Sponsored in part by Columbia Pictures, the pre miere w ill benefit O regon Public Broadcasting. The film stars Albert Finney, Carol B u rn ett, B ernadette Peters and Aileen Quinn as Annie. The festivities will begin at 8 p.m. w ith the movie d eb u t, and w ill culm inate w ith a special “ Daddy Warbucks Open House” at the P o rt land Hilton International Club. 287-2224 JIMMY SMITH THE WORLD S FINEST JAZZ ORGANIST M on Tues JUNE 14 s 15 Richard Simmons N ever Say D ie t The S tre e t C orner Singers W e G o t The Sound I f you're looking for that sound, those harmonious du-op-du-wahs de livered a cappella, you’ll have your chance on Friday, M ay 28, at 9:30 p.m. at Chuck’s (823 S.W . Front), when Portland’s own S T R E E T C O R N E R SING ER S present an exclusive engagement. This promises to be an event you won’t want to miss! The S T R E E T C O R N E R S IN G E R S o f Everybody’s Records fame, ap pear in the popular commercial by the Film L o ft. The group follows up a smash engagement at The Last H urrah, with another at Chuck’s, kicking o ff the Memorial Day weekend. Deniece "M iracle W orker" W illiams Columbia recording artist Deniece Williams has embarked on a 14-day, 8-city cross-country prom otional tour, with stops scheduled in M ia m i, Charlotte, Boston, New York, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans. In addition to meeting radio and the media, a series o f in-store autograph signings at five major department stores along the way has been coordinated with Flori Roberts, Inc., the black cosmetics firm. The tour coincides with news that Niecy, her sixth Columbia album, has made its bulleted debuts across-the-board this week on the country’s Pop and Soul charts. Niecy represents the second collaboration by co-producers /co-songwriters Thom Bell and Deniece Williams. Their first LP together. M y M elo d y, was certified R IA A gold following a half-year run on the charts by its classic single, “ Silly.” “ I t ’s Gonna Take a M ira cle ,” the first single from Niecy, bulleted onto the Soul charts last month and crossed-over to the Pop singles charts within two weeks. The LaBelle/Laura Nyro chestnut, written by Teddy Randazzo and first recorded by the Royalettes, is one o f Deniece’s fastest-breaking singles ever. It bulleted inside the top 20 on the Soul charts this week, the label's highest-charted Soul single. Each week, an estimated five million daytime television viewers stretch, bend and lift to the enthusiastic encouragements o f exercise/fitness guru Richard Simmons. Seekers o f well-being have likewise made his 1980 book Never Say D ie t a Number One bestseller. In magazine articles, television guest spots and personal appearances across the country, Simmons has been spreading his gospel o f fitness through exercise, proper eating habits and positive attitude to ever-increasing numbers. W ith Reach, his very first album, Simmons takes his crusade to the re cording medium. The 10-song LP, released in M ay *82 by Elektra/Asylum Records, differs from other exercise records in that it features Simmons singing original songs, co-written with hit songwriters Bruce Roberts and Alee Willis, also the L P ’s executive producers. Simmons sees the album as filling a definite need. ” 1 thought that other exercise records weren’t fun and weren’t motivating,” he says. ” 1 wanted to make one you could sing along to and really get into. Every song on Reach has an uplifting meaning and a great beat.” Standing at a diminutive 5 '7 * and weighing in at a lithe 137 pounds, Sim mons is a living testament to his “ Live-It” program (as opposed to "d iet” program: “ Look at the first syllable o f diet— now, is that any way to inspire anyone?!?’ ’). Such was not always the case, however-born 33 years ago in the epicurean wonderland o f New Orleans, Simmons tipped the scales at 200 pounds by the tender age o f 13. W hile in Italy some years later as an art student, his great girth (which peaked at 268) made him perfect for Fellini movies (he appears in Satyri- con's banquet scenes) and Ita lia n com m ercials (p o rtra y in g singing meatballs and dancing tires, among other products). T hen, in 1968, he found a note from an anonymous friend on his car w indshield in Rome: “ Dear R ichard: F at people die young. Please don’ t d ie .” The concern o f another prom pted Simmons to crash-diet and lose 130 pounds in tw o-and-a-half months, leading to his extensive research into health, n u tritio n and safe ways to lose weight. “ The R ichard Simmons Show” debuted in October 1980 in 30 mar kets, m ushroom ing ra p id ly to its present penetration o f nearly 200. Infusing the staid T V exercise fo r mat with his own mirth-with-a-mes- sage approach ( “ I f I can keep my huffing pupils in hysterics so much the better. I f we’ re going to have healthy bodies, le t’ s have fun get ting there!’ ’ ), Simmons show has become the m ost-w atched fitness program in years. “ The center o f his appeal is the sincerity he projects,” wrote Steve Gelman in the Septem ber 19, 1982 edition o f T V Guide. **H e lets people know that i f he could trim down, so can they.” W ith the success o f his television program and N ever Say D iet, Sim mons was ready to find a new means o f reaching people. “ Going out on the road made me realize that most people don’t have the money to join a health spa,” he says. " I thought, ‘ I f you go to a disco to dance, why not extend that to the exercise world through music?” Inspired, he de- cideed to record an album o f spe cially-designed material. Before entering the studio in Jan uary, 1982, Simmons studied voice under the tutelage o f C antor Nate Lam (singing coach to Rod Steward, Richard Harris and Burt Reynolds, among others). The Reach seasons found Simmons vocally strong and expressive. “ I had some very emo tional moments in the stu d io ,” he recalls. “ W hen I started to sing, ‘ You Can Do I t ’ (the ballad closing Side O n e), I started c ryin g — I poured out so much feeling doing it that I had to be driven homel” R ichard Simmons wants your body— and, with the help o f Reach, you’ ll get it back in much better shape. I * t , GENEVA’S LOUNGE 4 2 2 8 N. W illiam s Av Two Shows Nicely 8 : 3 0 p m & 1 0 3 0 p m C o v e r-S 7 tic k e t outlets M eier CF ran K •ST«veNs(cy>»4*Tt«pu«ick£hU.l->o»4s Mwc Live, Live Entertainment Featuring BRAD and the SO U L-JAZZ C A R A V A N (Om ar Y ow em an Et B illie Joe N ew m an) Friday th ru S a tu rda y 9:30 pm -2 am A ls o F e a tu r in g P at G e o rg e o n k e y b o a rd T o d d C a rv e r o n g u ita r SU N D A Y J A M SESSIONS 9:30-2 am •Come and hear many of Portland's talented musicians' ‘ ‘ Versatile music fo r all ages ’ * Friendly management. . .friendly customers. . . visit us!’ Restaurant . Cocktails • Dance Floor * Live Music Daily Menu Specials v ★ Open 6 am-2:3()am every da> ♦ Bre.ik’ asi served all day ★ D ifferent menu every day ★ ATI food prepareed in our ovv t kitchen ♦ Buffet lunch, 11 am-1 pm, M o n .-I r i. , $2.50 ★ fresh salad bat. M o n .-I ri., wzr/e variety o f fresh fruits in season, $3.00 ★ Homemade Jam chowder every I ridav; Milton & Oscar’s 5700 N.E. 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