R.I.P: ALTOVISE DAVIS DIES

Via CNN: Altovise Davis, the widow of entertainer Sammy Davis Jr., has died. She was 65.

Davis died Saturday at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, said her publicist, Amy Malone. She had been admitted two days earlier after suffering a stroke.

Davis, a dancer and actress from Brooklyn, New York, met Sammy Davis Jr. on the set of the musical "Golden Boy" in London in 1967. The couple married three years later.

It was Sammy Davis Jr.'s third marriage. The couple remained together until he died of throat cancer in 1990.

The couple had an adopted son.

Funeral services will be held in Burbank, California, with the date and time to be announced later.

Sammy Davis Jr., himself a musician, was famous for being part of the Rat Pack, which included Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

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WE MISS YOU SAMMY!

Wow... Can't believe I almost missed this one. I'm ashamed to admit that I almost did (Thanks, Bish for reminding me). Eighteen years ago we lost Mr. Entertainment himself. No, not James Brown but in my opinion, the REAL Mr. Entertainment - Sammy Davis, Jr.

Enjoy this wonderful early '70s performance of Davis singing his classic "Mr. Bojangles." It's poignant and powerful. Sammy, always at ease onstage, was the consummate master at what he did. Take in this nuanced performance, sit back and relax. Escape the insanity of contemporary music and videos for just a brief moment.

Wherever you are Sammy, I'm pouring you one as we speak...

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MY RAT PACK TRIBUTE (video)

Using Windows Moviemaker, my collection of Rat Pack pics and vintage Vegas postcards, I concocted a doozey of a video. Grab a scotch and sit back so we can all remember what Vegas must have been like before the fanny packers took over the tourist town.

I hope you enjoy ...

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UP & COMER COURTS POSSIBLE SAMMY ROLE

It's reported that "Hairspray" star Elijah Kelley is a front-runner in playing a young Sammy Davis, Jr. in an upcoming big screen biopic.

As he sings and dances in the upcoming musical (also starring John Travolta), he'll stars as black teen trying to overcome racism. But it won't be hard imagining him as a young Sammy.

“I want to play a certain gentleman that preceded myself in entertainment and music,” the actor - who until now is probably best known for last year’s Antonio Banderas flick “Take the Lead” - told MTV Movies.

Kelly hinted that he is competing with several other actors, reportedly including Andre 3000 of Outkast.

“There’s talks about it,” he said and alluded to a film race reminiscent of the recent Truman Capote biopic onslaught. “There are a couple projects going on right now.”

Click here for the full scoop on the projects.

In actuality, Hollywood is currently kicking around at least three different scripts, all revolving around Sammy. Denzel Washington and Brian Grazer are behind “In Black and White,” a film based on a 2003 biography; the Outkast singer is working on “Sammy and Kim,” about Davis’ controversial relationship with caucasian beauty Kim Novak; and “Hairspray” producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are working on a deal to land the rights for Davis’ 1965 biography “Yes, I Can.”

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MULTIPLE SAMMY DAVIS, JR. PROJECTS PLANNED

'OCEAN'S THIRTEEN' WEEK CONTINUES!

Studios always have dueling film projects. Look up Truman Capote, Alexander the Great and Christopher Columbus at imdb and you'll see. The New York Times reports that there's four separate features in the works based on the life of Sammy Davis, Jr. - the REAL hardest workin' man in showbiz.

I've always said that the life of Sammy Davis, Jr. was worthy of a film or TV mini-series. I mean, the guy did it all - a child performer/hoofer; a teenage crooner; perfected talents in the Will Mastin Trio as a young adult before going into the army (where he was confronted by strong racial prejudice); endured an awful car crash in 1954 that took his eye; became a charter member of Sinatra's Rat Pack; married white actress May Britt to the disdain of a racially-divided nation; famously supported Republican President Richard M. Nixon and endured lung cancer, passing away in 1990. What more he danced his booty off, did awesome impressions, churned out tune after swingin' tune. And sang 'em right up until the day he got sick.

I've always said that The Rat Pack guys are the hardest to capture on screen. They embodied an effortless swagger that just can't be reproduced. If, by chance, someone can duplicate it, they usually look nothing like them. It's a tough sell. Need proof? The HBO biopic "The Rat Pack" seemed like such a farce because everyone was so woefully miscast.

Ray Liotta as Frank Sinatra was laughable and Joe Mantegna's Dino bordered on pantomime. While the always-dependable Don Cheadle's award-winning turn as Sammy Davis was the best aspect of the so-so film, his frame was all wrong. Sammy was a little little dude. I didn't buy it.

In any case, the four Davis projects consist of:

"In Black and White" - Denzel Washington stars in and may direct Wil Haywood's biography for Universal. NO! Washington, while a top thesp, is NOT Sammy.

"Sammy and Kim" - Andre Benjamin (aka Andre 3000) stars in the film which deals with Davis's affair with actress Kim Novak in the '50s. If Andre is up for the challenge and I believe he may be, he'll snag an Oscar nod for sure. Not only do they sort of look the same, but he's got natural dance talent. Sammy was a hoofer of the highest order. My money's on this project.

"Yes, I Can" - Based on Davis 1965 autobiography, this is the project that Davis's widow has endorsed. The source material here is perhaps the best, but they REALLY REALLY need to get someone to fill the shoes. I nominate Tommy Davidson who can prove that Jamie Foxx ain't the only one with acting chops from "In Living Color."

"Yes, I Can" Documentary - A documentary also based on the 1965 autobiography and Burt Boyar's filmed interviews with Davis.

Now sit back and enjoy some of the WHAM of SAM ...

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MR. ENTERTAINMENT (A CLASSIC VIDEO PERFORMANCE)

The Lounge is feeling a little nostalgic of late. Being the old soul that I am, it happens from time to time... It must have been that awesome oldies station I dug up earlier today.

In any case, enjoy this wonderful early '70s performance of Sammy Davis, Jr. singing his classic "Mr. Bojangles." It's poignant and powerful. Sammy, always at ease onstage, was the consummate master at what he did. Take in this nuanced performance, sit back and relax. Escape the insanity of contemporary music and videos for just a brief moment.

Wherever you are Sammy, I'm pouring you one as we speak...

Read More