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August 4, 2001
Revamped CAKS Website!
Finally, after two months of hard work, the CAKS website has had a long overdue makeover. A good many of the changes
are addressed, appropriately, on the new "Changes" page. Click here to see what's happened. Although most of the most immediate alterations
have been achieved, there are a few additional modifications that will be made. An archive addition to this page,
for example.
As always, CAKS appreciates any feedback you have concerning how to improve the site, requests for future developments,
etc. Click here to email us.
Thank you for your patience (things have been slow as of late). Keep the flame burning.
New Women Only Discussion
Group
CAKS was contacted a while back by Miss
Rori Stevens about an Andy Kaufman discussion group called Beautiful Dreamer:
Beautiful Dreamer is a discussion list created by, and specifically for, female
fans of the late performance artist Andy Kaufman. It is intended as a place for women to share and discuss his
work and share original poetry, stories and other writings regarding him. In essence, they wish to explore the
delicate mystery and wonder surrounding his life. It is a place for the artistically sensitive, where admiration
and tenderness run deep.
I believe this could be the very first" female only" discussion group on Andy Kaufman. If you're interested,
click here for more information.
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July 1, 2001
Tony Clifton and His
"Triumphant" Return!
From the LA Times, Thursday, June 16, 2001
He's Baaaaaack
By ANN O'NEILL
Tony Clifton--obnoxious alter ego of the late Andy Kaufman--was spotted recently in Chicago, and he wasn't doing
lunch with Elvis at Burger King.
He was onstage at Zanies comedy club, insulting the audience as only the boorish Clifton can. He told one woman
to go home "barefoot and pregnant where she belongs." The insult prompted her to hop on stage and pound
on Clifton until she was restrained.
Known for chain-smoking, tacky leisure suits, indoor sunglasses and a bad rug, Clifton was portrayed in Chicago
by L.A. producer Bob Zmuda, founder of Comic Relief and a former writer for Kaufman. Kaufman bequeathed Clifton
to Zmuda before he died of lung cancer in 1983. But since Kaufman's death, Clifton sightings have been rare. The
last occurred during a press junket for "Man on the Moon," the 1999 film about Kaufman that starred Jim
Carrey.
Zmuda, as usual, denied having anything to do with Clifton's apparent resurrection. "I wasn't there to see
it," he told us by phone, "but what I heard happened was that toward the end of the show, Clifton busted
through the front door, drink in hand. He was kind of drunk, and the bouncer came over because he didn't pay at
the door and he was drinking his own liquor."
Clifton took over the show, Zmuda said, telling Polish jokes, insulting a man and pouring water over his head.
After getting thumped by the woman, said Zmuda, Clifton "pulled himself together, straightened his toupee,
and asked the audience if they had had enough."
Original article appeared here.
Interesting Footnote
to Tony Clifton's Recent Appearance
It seems to be more than a coincidence that in the same relative time-frame that Tony Clifton has reappeared, Jeff
Lynne has just revived ELO with a new album, ZOOM
(search at Amazon.com). Readers are reminded also that both individuals
are singers. Some would argue that both took significant dives in the entertainment world around the time of Andy
Kaufman's untimely death. Incredibly, a side by side comparison of photos reveals an eery resemblance between these
two superstars. Could there possibly be some sort of a connection?!!! Strange magic? Could they be one in the same?
Imagine THAT mind boggling possiblity!!!! Tony Clifton, afterall, was performed by more than just Andy Kaufman
and Bob Zmuda. CAKS readers will surely demand to know the truth, and we will try to uncover what we can. And if
it turns out that there is no real connection, one does wonder whether part of the Zmuda version of Tony Clifton
was in some way styled after the classic "Jeff Lynne look".
If appropriate, apologies to Mr. Tony Clifton and/or Mr. Jeff Lynne.
TV Debut of "The
Real Andy Kaufman"!
FROM THE CREATOR OF NIGHT
FLIGHT AND MONDO NEW YORK
MIDNIGHT RIDER
THE TRAILBLAZING PAY-PER-VIEW SERIES DEBUTS IN JULY ON DIRECTV WITH PREMIER OF ANDY KAUFMAN DOCUMENTARY AND CLASSIC
JOHN LENNON CONCERT PERFOMRANCE
When Stuart Shapiro created Night Flight, the award-winning USA Network television
series, he set a new standard for late night variety entertainment. More than a decade after the show¹s final
curtain call, devoted Night Flight fans still post its praises on web bulletin boards--and plead for a return.
Shapiro now responds to that loyal following with a new two-hour comedy and music television show, MIDNIGHT RIDER,
set to premiere on DirecTV on July 2, 2001. MIDNIGHT RIDER will mix a unique blend of uncensored comedy and music,
classic concerts, cult films and cutting edge animation.
Shapiro¹s co producing partners are Rick Messina and Richard Baker of Messina Baker Entertainment, comedy
talent managers and producers responsible for the careers of Tim Allen and Drew Carey. Rick Messina says, "This
concept provides a great forum for talent that is too controversial for mainstream television, and there is a lot
of that talent out there".
Shapiro adds, "MIDNIGHT RIDER will fill the late night vacuum of quality, uncensored variety entertainment.
With Pay Per View as the distribution medium, I have the opportunity to push further than I was allowed on basic
cable!"
The Voice of MIDNIGHT RIDER is award winning Radio personality Pat Prescott, the original Voice of Night Flight.
Exclusive segments of July¹s Premiere include:
… The television premiere
of The Real Andy Kaufman, a revealing documentary about the comedy legend with never-before-seen performance footage
and the only known interview with Andy out of character, just being himself
… A classic 1969 concert performance that teams up John Lennon and Eric Clapton, captured live on the film Sweet
Toronto by award-winning documentary artist D.A. Pennebaker
… An adult parody assault from underground comedy team Otto and George in their original short film The Telecrappies
… Plus segments from Chicago Radio Personality Mancow Muller from his Mancow TVŠrevealing interviews by public
access sensation Colin Malone with Kid Rock, Korn, and the Insane Klown Posse Šanimation from Bullseyeart, Marina
Zurkow and Patrick GehlenŠand a performance of the underground anthem by Dean and the Weenies, from the celebrated
cult feature Mondo New York
ABOUT STUART SHAPIRO:
Stuart Shapiro, the creative force behind MIDNIGHT RIDER, was the creator, director, and producer of USA Network¹s
heralded, award-winning music video show Night Flight, widely considered to be the precursor to MTV. Shapiro¹s
extensive entertainment background spans three decades and includes pioneering work in television, radio, film,
video, and the Internet.
As cofounder of Woodstock.com and Firstlook.com, an IdeaLab Company, Shapiro produced the Webcast of Woodstock99,
the largest music Internet event in history.
In 1988 he produced Mondo New York, the cult feature that highlighted performance artists such as Karen Finley
and Ann Magnuson. Shapiro also produced Comedy¹s Dirtiest Dozen in 1989, a feature concert documentary that
helped discover and launch the careers of Tim Allen and Chris Rock.
Other credits include creating and producing Radio 1990, FMTV, and Metal Head and, as president of the film distribution
group International Harmony, releasing cult classics such as Neil Young¹s Rust Never Sleeps, Bob Marley¹s
Reggae Sunsplash, and the Sex Pistols¹ DOA.
Shapiro is the president of Digital Download, an entertainment production and distribution company, which is producing
MIDNIGHT RIDER.
For Show Information and Schedules go to: www.midnightrider.tv. Fans of Midnight Rider will receive a free Killer
Font of Jesse James for posting suggestions for future programming.
**********
Media Contact: Jim Eigo Music Magnet Media T: 718.437.3678 /
F: 718.437.3780 / E Mail: jimi@musicmagnetmedia.com
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June 16, 2001
Slightly Related Tidbit
Mighty Mouse To Promote Cheese
The Associated Press
Monday, April 2, 2001; 4:30 p.m. EDT
LOS ANGELES –– The other mouse, the one with the cape and super strength, is putting his power behind cheese.
Mighty Mouse, whose famous words "Here I come to save the day!" has been pulled out of retirement to
promote the cheese industry.
In the "Ahh, the power of Cheese" television commercial debuting April 9, the invincible superhero Mighty
Mouse "caves to the crave" for cheese before saving the day. Print ads follow later this month.
Isadore Klein created the cartoon superhero for Terrytoons in 1942. That was followed four years later by Mighty
Mouse comic books and the Mighty Mouse TV cartoons in 1955. The rodent retired in 1971 when Terrytoons shut its
doors.
In 1975, comic Andy Kaufman gained fame on NBC-TV's "Saturday Night Live" by playing a recording of the
Mighty Mouse song and lip-synching "Here I come to save the day!"
Revealed Once Again
This is old news, but Bob Zmuda's book
Andy Kaufman Revealed: Best Friend
Tells All is now available in paperback
(since last April). As far as I know it has no updated material. If you haven't grabbed a copy, now's the time.
And while you're at it, get Bill Zheme's
Lost in the Funhouse also published in paperback ealier this year.
Both books are available through Amazon.com.
June 3, 2001
What's With The Seemingly
Poor Sales of this Great Book?
Could this be true? Unbelievable. And
this was a very entertaining book!!!! I am thoroughly disgusted about this. See this report from Inside.com:
BUZZ BOOKS: Book Buyers Prove Resistant to Andy Kaufman (Inside.com)
Was This Man A Genius?, New Yorker contributor Julie Hecht's interviews with the late comedian Andy Kaufman, was
published by Random House in April and like other books and movies about Kaufman (remember Man On The Moon?), this
title has not done nearly as well as hoped, or expected. It has sold 71 copies so far at Barnes and Noble and B.
Dalton stores and at barnesandnoble.com. These outlets are thought to account for approximately 20 percent of the
total trade books sales nationwide, so a reasonable national estimate of the book's sale would be 355 copies.
- May 30 10:49 AM ET
New CAKS Look
The main page of CAKS has been updated for adding more material. Other pages will be updated over time, and there
are plans for additional features including an interview section and a page of "unusual items" that will
be coming shortly.
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May 16, 2001
Andy, We Barely Knew Ya
Today marks the 17th anniversary of Andy's death. Raise a toast to the man with a big bowl of chocolate ice cream
or do something else "Andy."
New CAKS Forums
To mark this sad occasion, I have decided to add two new CAKS Forums. The CAKS Cesspool Spectacular will be opened
today. This will be available to everyone for discussion. A second forum, opening in the next day or so, will require
registration and focus on authentic discussions about Andy Kaufman. Please enjoy them both.
Guy With Same Name Gets Lots of Andy
Kaufman Questions
This week I caught up with a fellow whose had quite the Andy ribbing from folks thinking he's the real thing. According
to Andy KauFFman (his real name is spelled that way), "I am a guy who does a great deal of public speaking
and at the beginning of every (yes every) session someone will ask if I was aware of the other Andy, or something
like 'I thought you were dead'. Anyway, it always turns out to be a good ice breaker." Mr. Kauffman regaled
me with the following story: "Sometime in the early 1970's I was on a date, and we were driving North on the
Bayshore Freeway (aka highway 101) towards San Francisco. As we passed through Redwood City there was a big sign
on the Marquee for a show the "Theater in the Round" venue in Redwood City, California (I don't recall
the exact name of the place, and it is now gone). The sign said "Redwood City Welcomes Andy Kauffman".
I was aware of Andy Kaufman at the time and knew what the sign was all about, but my date had no idea. It was assumed
that somehow I was very important to Redwood City. We laughed, and things went very well that night..."
Anyway, Mr. Kauffman has a good sense of humor about the whole thing and has a page addressing this little "Andy
Kaufman issue." You can see it by clicking here.
Mr. Kauffman is a specialist in digital communications. For more about his work click here.
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April 30, 2001
Alleged Andy Kaufman Trailer
Sold
A source has disclosed that someone has purchased the Andy Kaufman trailer (see the April 4 story below) for a
sum between $5000-6000.
It should be noted that it
is the intention of the CAKS Website to notify people about interesting Andy Kaufman collectible items purely for
fun and, perhaps, historical purposes. We will verify what we can about the items; however, please keep in mind
that we are NOT an authority on judging authenticity in these matters. So, if you are interested in purchasing
any of these items, buyer definitely beware. There is a lot of false information out there and, unfortunately,
people have been burned.
New Andy Kaufman Book Published!
Was This Man a Genius: Talks with Andy Kaufman
by Julie Hecht.
More info appears below. Here's a quick review from J. Brook:
A wonderful read for any prankster, child at heart, or Andy Kaufman fan, this book is the ODDyssey of a serious
humor writer determined to understand the motives behind the punch line of this great song and dance man. That
alone is funny in itself. But for me, the book was not so much about answering questions but more about simply
observing what Andy Kaufman did the best. Being Andy. Personally, I don't care what side of the reality fence Andy
Kaufman was playing from. The conversations and scenarios throughout are hilarious. And Ms. Hecht's dry humor frames
and enhances the merrymaking to a fine degree. Especially fascinating is that the research for this book took place
in 1978 and 1979 as a project for Harper's but was later deemed too long and strange to
publish. Comforting the writer, Kaufman supposedly said at the time, "Don't worry about it. The story is ahead
of its time, the way I'm ahead of my time." And it sure is about time. Prepare to peer inside a time capsule
of Andy Kaufman lore finally opened for all of us to see.
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April 4, 2001
CAKS LOSES OFFICIAL WEBSITE!!!!!
Last weekend, the CAKS website lost its host homepage.com and was unavailable for several days. Unfortunately,
I was not made aware that the company had decided to dump everyone. Nevertheless, we are back in business with
a new host, netfirms.com. Hopefully, they will be even better. Thanks for your patience.
ANDY KAUFMAN TRAILER FOR
SALE!
I received the following information about the trailer Andy Kaufman used allegedly during his Taxi tour of duty.
( Update: I have not verified
that this was authentic from the people selling this item. Emails from CAKS to the previous owner have gone unanswered.
Actually, I'm not certain that Andy had a specific trailer for Taxi, and it's anyone's guess whether the writing
on the yellow "sticky tabs" (pictured below) is really Jim Carrey's.)
Beverly Hills, California,
Andy Kaufman's Silverstream trailer will be
available on www.FineArtsBrokerage.com and www.sothebys.com through Friday,
March 23. This Silverstream trailer belonged to the late
Andy Kaufman. Andy lived in the trailer during the production of his hit tv series "Taxi" (1978
- 1983). It was later used by Jim Carrey during the production of Kaufman's biography "The Man on the Moon"
(1999).
The trailer is 30 feet in
length with a livingroom area, full kitchen, single bed, desk area, and bathroom with shower and toilet. Along
the perimeter of the ceiling are Jim Carrey's hand-written notes for the character of Andy, printed on 3"
x 5" pieces of paper.
Please contact Shannon
Julien at djulien@fineartsbrokerage.com with any questions or comments (Update: The trailer has been sold...see above).
Now here's a few pictures of the trailer:
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March 16, 2001
Wow! Time has sure flown. Well, the new website has a brand new look to it, and we've added a good number of new
sites and places for you to check out on the main page.
Plus there's new poetry, art, and writings! Thanks to the many folks who have emailed us in the last month with
words of gratitude and wonderful fan-generated art and writings. Please keep up the good work. And remember, try
to buy Andy Kaufman videos, books, etc. AND give to cancer research. Keep Andy's flame burning!
Now down to the nitty gritty news:
ANDY'S BIBLE FOR SALE
J. Brook was contacted with some most exciting news last month about the resurfacing of Andy Kaufman's bible! (I
presume this is the bible that Andy used during his "Preacher Phase"). And get this: it's for sale!
Here is a snippet of the story of how this person obtained it:
One day she [someone in possession
of Andy Kaufman personal items] came to our house with...the bible. She said it belonged to a close friend...whose
name was Andy Kaufman. At the time we were unaware of who Andy was. She was...tired of the whole "Hollywood"
thing and left for north California....
The bible looked pretty new when we got it. I don't know if Andy used it at all, but it was his. The name "Andy
Kaufman" is embossed in gold lettering on the cover. The bible...traveled with us to Israel and back to States
8 years later (mid 1999).
From the Christie's Auction House catalogue Andy's
bible recently appeared in-----
This is what is written above:
[KAUFMAN, Andy]
"The Living Bible, Paraphrased". Wheaton, Illinois, Tyndale House. 1977, seventh
printing.
Small octave, bound with brown vinyl covers, gilt lettering on spine, and cover
with "Andy Kaufman" also in gilt on cover. Fine condition with mild evidence of
use. This is the world's most extreme comedian's personal bible, among his
effects at the end of his life. After the excellent film, at the center of which
is Jim Carey's finest performance to date, there is not a lot for us to add.
It's not known what use Kaufman put this volume to, or what his attitude was to
the text. It is known that this was his personal volume.
Estimate: $4,000-6,000
If you interested in purchasing this item, please contact:
Nira Lichten
niraten@hotmail.com
310-455-2206
Note that CAKS is not responsible in any way, shape,
or form for the authenticity of this item. That's between you and the seller to figure out!
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NEW ANDY BOOK COMING
Was This Man a Genius: Talks with Andy Kaufman by Julie Hecht.
Available April 2001, I remember reading a preview of this book a while back in the New Yorker. It was a fantastic
read from a pedestrian point of view, and I expect the full book will be even better. Click here for
more info.
By the way, the three books penned by Andy are now available on Amazon.com. They are:
The Huey Williams Story
God...and Other Plays
Poetry and Stories
All of these are well worth the bucks for Andy fans and definitely fun for anyone curious about this most talented
man. What a great gift that the Kaufman Estate allowed Andy's personal writings to be available to the public.
Order from Amazon.com or AndyinPrint.com.
One other thing, Andy Fans! Please go to Amazon.com and give your reviews for Andy's writings. Since the books
are new there, they haven't been given reviews. Good reviews would help the books sell. Please help the Kaufman
Estate! Thanks!
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