Tyson Vs. Holyfield
The world of boxing had its image restored when Holyfield knocked down Mike Tyson in the sixth round. Tyson, however, did get back up, and gave his all throughout the entire fight. In the eleventh round, the dynamic combinations of Holyfield were so devastating that referee, Mitch Helpern, had to stop the fight. Thus Evander Holyfield became the new W.B.A. Heavyweight Champion of the world. Taking his title belt before a crowd of 15,000, it was agreed he fought a very smart fight against Mike Tyson.
Most everyone in the media had expected that the fight would not last more than five rounds and that Tyson was the easy bet. The 11 round event saved Showtime a bundle, as they had agreed to refund a portion of the pay-per-view price, if we had had another 90 second bout.
Julian "The Hawk" Jackson, a former W.B.C. Middleweight Champion, was in attendance . "Holyfield fought a hard technical fight. He's very good against shorter fighters. He used his jab and tied up Mike Tyson when he had to. I truly believe, because of Holyfield's faith in God, that God had given him the encouragement to just go out there and face an awesome fighter like Mike Tyson," said Jackson.
Funky Affair
George Clinton, creator of Funkadelic and Parliment returned to Las Vegas, at the Aladdin theater of the Performing Arts, for an after-fight concert. During the concert, I hung out backstage, and got a chance to see the real circus. Clinton's entourage is a mixture of characters. For example, there was the guy in the diapers going in and out of the motor home. Then there was a strange fellow dressed as a doctor. Clinton has always had someone portraying a doctor in his troupe. Oh, let's not forget those sexy ladies, dressed in minimal attire. In all this craziness, a member of the troupe approached me. He was Louis Babylon Kabobbie, a rap artist who is being produced by Clinton. "I met George in a studio, and we started doing some things, then I started memorizing all these rap songs. Next thing I know, I'm on the road for four and 1/2 years," said Kabobbie.
"What exemplifies George Clinton best?," I asked. "Basically, he's a storyteller. You need to be funky, up on that stage, and George lets everyone do what they do best," said Kabobbie. Check out George Clinton's Greatest Funkin' Hits, on Capitol Records.
Comdex Party
In the Comdex spotlight, Micrografx is sponsoring the Chili for Children Cookoff at the Thomas and Mack Center, on Tuesday the 19th. It's a zesty mix of fun, with chili judging, and armadillo races, all topped off with a 70s revival concert by B.T.O and The Village People. Tickets are $50 for the whole shooting match, or $25 for just the concert. And it all goes to support the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children(NCMEC). For ticket information call 1-800-357-7255, or visit the red hot Chili web page at 'http://www.micrografx.com/chili.html'.
Motown Cafe
Groundbreaking took place for the Motown Cafe Tuesday, Nov 12, in the New York, New York Hotel and Casino. On hand were Governor Bob Miller, Senator Richard Bryan, Mayor Jan Laverty Jones, County Commissioner Elect Lance Malone, and Brian Daneman, the C.O.O. of Motown Café. The Temptations made a surprise appearance with some of their friends in attendance, which included Jack the Rapper, and Gerald Busby from Motown.
Otis Williams, the only original Temptations member alive today ,spoke with me about the resurgence of the Motown Sound. "Naturally, I can't say anything but fantastic. The music that we made back there in the 60s... Here it is thirty years later, and it's just as strong today. To be part of such a heritage and a legacy, it just shows you that music can be timeless, when it's the right kind." said Otis. The Temptations were one of Motown's first acts to win a Grammy. They'll be performing at the Sheraton Desert Inn Crystal Room, Nov 23 - Dec 1.
