Friday, April 29, 2005
NABA 2005 Conference
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jackie Gant, NABA National Executive Director
(248) 988-9344 or JGant@n-a-b-a.org
NATIVE AMERICAN BUSINESS ALLIANCE FUND (NABA)
CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY AT 2005 CONFERENCE FOCUSING ON “STRATEGIC GROWTH & PLANNING FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS”
Detroit, Mich. (April 29, 2005) – The Native American Business Alliance (NABA) celebrated its 10th Anniversary during its 5th Annual National Business Conference focusing on “Strategic Growth & Planning For Future Generations,” held at Walt Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, April 17-19, sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company and Dakkota Integrated Systems LLC (a Native American Owned Company).
“NABA Annual Conferences offer corporate and general members the unmatched networking opportunity to conduct business face-to-face, and our 10-year milestone provides a platform to reflect on past achievements while laying groundwork for the next decade of growth,” said NABA National Executive Director Jackie Gant, a graduate of Harvard University and an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation of Thames.
NABA was founded in 1995 by (4) Native American Business Owners: Tom “Running Bear” Smith (Western Cherokee), President, Tom Smith Industries, Lee Pepion (Blackfoot), President, The Blackfoot Company, Lloyd Milby (Cherokee), President, L.W. Milby Exhibit Services, and Ken Barnes (Mohawk), President, Upper Mohawk, Inc. Their goals remains the same – to provide independently owned and tribal based Native American businesses in the United States and Canada with the opportunity to develop relationships with purchasing representatives from top and Fortune 500 companies. In turn, NABA also provides corporations with opportunities to understand and enjoy Native American traditions through culturally enriching conference & networking events. NABA currently has 300 plus members and works from a database filled with 10,000 Native Owned Businesses registered as Suppliers.
The April, 2005 conference featured a “Long Table” one-on-one networking session where it brought together Corporate Purchasing Representatives with Native American Owned Businesses where each had the distinct opportunity to exchange services/products and needs. Another special programming event featured “Talking Circles” breakout groups that focused on topics ranging from business issues to cultural themes, and “Plenary” session featuring panelists such as Tribal Chairman, Ken W. Davis, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Thomas K. Brown, Senior Vice President, Global Purchasing, Ford Motor Company and Joseph Mudd, Senior Manager, Minority & Women Business Development, Target Corporation who shared with the audience their continued commitment to do business with Native American Owned Businesses, NABA and the benefits of partnering with a Native American organization such as NABA. Governmental Agency Representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration, Native American Business Center, General Services Administration, Minority Business Development Agency, Canadian Aboriginal Minority Supplier Council and Aboriginal International Business Development, International Trade participated in this years conference with the focus of bringing more Native Business across the border and vice versa.
Aside from Coca Cola and Dakkota sponsorship, additional Conference Event Sponsors include: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Visteon Corporation, DaimlerChrysler Corporation, UPS, Inc., General Motors Corporation, Walt Disney World, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, NA, Ford Motor Company, American Express, Standard Federal Bank, General Mills Corporation, ITT Industries, Procter & Gamble Company, IBM Corporation, La-Z-Boy Corporation, American Indian Report and Minority Business News Magazine, Target Corporation and Corporate Express. Top Native American Owned Businesses provided conference sponsorships Choctaw-Kaul Distribution Company, Systrand Manufacturing Corporation, Tom Smith Industries, Pinnacle Molded Plastics Corporation, Four Claws Printing and Upper Mohawk, Inc. The closing evening began with Cultural Speaker, “Litefoot” star of Indian In A Cupboard, 2004 Native American Hip Hop Artist of the Year and founder of 2005-2006 Reach The Rez Tour, Native American Traditional Dancers, and the Gala Dinner featured Keynote Speaker Terry Braun, (Seneca) Technology Solutions Executive, IBM Global Services and a 10 year anniversary presentation which highlighted the founding members and special moments over the past years.
During the Gala and 10 Year Anniversary Celebration Dinner, awards were presented to UPS, Inc (Corporation of the Year), Choctaw-Kaul Distribution Company (Native American Business of the Year), Harvard Resource Group (New Member of the Year), Minority Business News Magazine, U.S.A. (Spirit Award), and Stormy Hicks, President of ITT Industries, Fluid Handling System was presented with the Native American Advocate of the Year Award. A special recognition award was presented to Robert Kufta (recently retired from General Motors Corporation) for his deep commitment to NABA and in helping to develop relationships between NABA and Corporate America.
NABA’s Corporate Members, who provide business opportunities to Native American businesses include American Express, The Coca-Cola Company, Comerica Bank, DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Dakkota Integrated Systems, Delta Airlines, Denny’s Restaurants, First Energy, Ford Motor Company, General Mills Corporation, General Motors Corporation, IBM, La-Z-Boy Corporation, Kellogg Company, Proctor & Gamble Company, Standard Federal Bank, Sumaria Systems, Inc., Takata, Target, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, UPS, Inc., Eastman Kodak, Systrand Manufacturing, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, Kellogg Company, Minority Business News Magazine, Wal-Mart, The Walt Disney Company, National City Bank, Durr Automotive, Federal-Mogul Corporation and ITT Industries. Tribal Membership who seek business opportunities on their reservation are Oneida Nation of the Thames, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Walpole Island First Nation, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Lac Vieux Desert Tribe, and Little River Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians.
For more information on the conference or how to become a member of the Native American Business Alliance Fund, please visit the NABA website:
http://www.native-american-bus.org
Contact: Jackie Gant, NABA National Executive Director
(248) 988-9344 or JGant@n-a-b-a.org
NATIVE AMERICAN BUSINESS ALLIANCE FUND (NABA)
CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY AT 2005 CONFERENCE FOCUSING ON “STRATEGIC GROWTH & PLANNING FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS”
Detroit, Mich. (April 29, 2005) – The Native American Business Alliance (NABA) celebrated its 10th Anniversary during its 5th Annual National Business Conference focusing on “Strategic Growth & Planning For Future Generations,” held at Walt Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, April 17-19, sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company and Dakkota Integrated Systems LLC (a Native American Owned Company).
“NABA Annual Conferences offer corporate and general members the unmatched networking opportunity to conduct business face-to-face, and our 10-year milestone provides a platform to reflect on past achievements while laying groundwork for the next decade of growth,” said NABA National Executive Director Jackie Gant, a graduate of Harvard University and an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation of Thames.
NABA was founded in 1995 by (4) Native American Business Owners: Tom “Running Bear” Smith (Western Cherokee), President, Tom Smith Industries, Lee Pepion (Blackfoot), President, The Blackfoot Company, Lloyd Milby (Cherokee), President, L.W. Milby Exhibit Services, and Ken Barnes (Mohawk), President, Upper Mohawk, Inc. Their goals remains the same – to provide independently owned and tribal based Native American businesses in the United States and Canada with the opportunity to develop relationships with purchasing representatives from top and Fortune 500 companies. In turn, NABA also provides corporations with opportunities to understand and enjoy Native American traditions through culturally enriching conference & networking events. NABA currently has 300 plus members and works from a database filled with 10,000 Native Owned Businesses registered as Suppliers.
The April, 2005 conference featured a “Long Table” one-on-one networking session where it brought together Corporate Purchasing Representatives with Native American Owned Businesses where each had the distinct opportunity to exchange services/products and needs. Another special programming event featured “Talking Circles” breakout groups that focused on topics ranging from business issues to cultural themes, and “Plenary” session featuring panelists such as Tribal Chairman, Ken W. Davis, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Thomas K. Brown, Senior Vice President, Global Purchasing, Ford Motor Company and Joseph Mudd, Senior Manager, Minority & Women Business Development, Target Corporation who shared with the audience their continued commitment to do business with Native American Owned Businesses, NABA and the benefits of partnering with a Native American organization such as NABA. Governmental Agency Representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration, Native American Business Center, General Services Administration, Minority Business Development Agency, Canadian Aboriginal Minority Supplier Council and Aboriginal International Business Development, International Trade participated in this years conference with the focus of bringing more Native Business across the border and vice versa.
Aside from Coca Cola and Dakkota sponsorship, additional Conference Event Sponsors include: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Visteon Corporation, DaimlerChrysler Corporation, UPS, Inc., General Motors Corporation, Walt Disney World, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, NA, Ford Motor Company, American Express, Standard Federal Bank, General Mills Corporation, ITT Industries, Procter & Gamble Company, IBM Corporation, La-Z-Boy Corporation, American Indian Report and Minority Business News Magazine, Target Corporation and Corporate Express. Top Native American Owned Businesses provided conference sponsorships Choctaw-Kaul Distribution Company, Systrand Manufacturing Corporation, Tom Smith Industries, Pinnacle Molded Plastics Corporation, Four Claws Printing and Upper Mohawk, Inc. The closing evening began with Cultural Speaker, “Litefoot” star of Indian In A Cupboard, 2004 Native American Hip Hop Artist of the Year and founder of 2005-2006 Reach The Rez Tour, Native American Traditional Dancers, and the Gala Dinner featured Keynote Speaker Terry Braun, (Seneca) Technology Solutions Executive, IBM Global Services and a 10 year anniversary presentation which highlighted the founding members and special moments over the past years.
During the Gala and 10 Year Anniversary Celebration Dinner, awards were presented to UPS, Inc (Corporation of the Year), Choctaw-Kaul Distribution Company (Native American Business of the Year), Harvard Resource Group (New Member of the Year), Minority Business News Magazine, U.S.A. (Spirit Award), and Stormy Hicks, President of ITT Industries, Fluid Handling System was presented with the Native American Advocate of the Year Award. A special recognition award was presented to Robert Kufta (recently retired from General Motors Corporation) for his deep commitment to NABA and in helping to develop relationships between NABA and Corporate America.
NABA’s Corporate Members, who provide business opportunities to Native American businesses include American Express, The Coca-Cola Company, Comerica Bank, DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Dakkota Integrated Systems, Delta Airlines, Denny’s Restaurants, First Energy, Ford Motor Company, General Mills Corporation, General Motors Corporation, IBM, La-Z-Boy Corporation, Kellogg Company, Proctor & Gamble Company, Standard Federal Bank, Sumaria Systems, Inc., Takata, Target, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, UPS, Inc., Eastman Kodak, Systrand Manufacturing, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, Kellogg Company, Minority Business News Magazine, Wal-Mart, The Walt Disney Company, National City Bank, Durr Automotive, Federal-Mogul Corporation and ITT Industries. Tribal Membership who seek business opportunities on their reservation are Oneida Nation of the Thames, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Walpole Island First Nation, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Lac Vieux Desert Tribe, and Little River Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians.
For more information on the conference or how to become a member of the Native American Business Alliance Fund, please visit the NABA website:
http://www.native-american-bus.org
# # #
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Friday, February 04, 2005
Ann Sheridan Memorial
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Lisa Burks
(626) 229-8612, lisa@burksmedia.com
FILM STAR ANN SHERIDAN’S CREMAINS ARE INTERRED 38 YEARS AFTER HER DEATH AT HOLLYWOOD FOREVER CEMETERY NICHE TO BE UNVEILED AT 90th BIRTHDAY MEMORIAL SERVICE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21 AT 2:00 PM
Hollywood, CA (February 4, 2005) – The cremated remains of classic film star Ann Sheridan have been laid to rest in accordance with her final wishes, 38 years after her death, at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. The niche will be publicly unveiled during a 90th Birthday Celebration & Niche Dedication memorial service on Monday, February 21 at 2:00 p.m.
“We’re deeply honored Ann Sheridan’s family has chosen our cemetery as her final resting place,” says Hollywood Forever owner Tyler Cassity. “She truly embodied the beauty, intelligence, patriotism and glamour of Hollywood’s Golden Age.”
The service will be a celebration of the actress’ life and career, officiated by her cousin, Presbyterian Pastor Sallie Watson of Denton, Texas. Special guests will include Carole Wells (“Pistols ‘N Petticoats”), Vincent Sherman (director, “Nora Prentiss”), Hollywood Mayor Johnny Grant and A.C. Lyles of Paramount Studios.
Sheridan, dubbed “The Oomph Girl” at Warner Bros. during WWII for her earthy sex appeal (a moniker she openly disliked but eventually learned to accept), starred in such classic films as “Kings Row,” “I Was A Male War Bride,” “Angels With Dirty Faces” and “Nora Prentiss.” She died one month shy of her 52nd birthday on January 21, 1967 from esophageal cancer. At the time of her death she had transitioned to television, starring in CBS’s new hit western comedy series “Pistols ‘N Petticoats.”
In late 2004, biographer Karen McHale discovered that Sheridan made a will just months prior to her death which stated that she wanted to have her cremated remains interred in a niche in a columbarium in Los Angeles. Her ashes have remained at Chapel of the Pines crematorium since 1967 in an informal metal container inside a storage drawer along with her wedding ring and a pair of earrings.
McHale tracked down the executor of Sheridan’s estate, business manager Bart Hackley, who recollected that Sheridan’s third husband, the late actor Scott McKay, made the seemingly temporary arrangements. McKay passed away in 1987, leaving unanswered questions about why Sheridan’s written instructions were not followed. Attempts to locate McKay’s survivors have been unsuccessful.
Upon receiving approval from Sheridan’s closest remaining relatives to investigate proper interment of the ashes, McHale approached Cassity, a community leader in preserving the burial sites of the stars from yesteryear. Cassity offered to give Sheridan a permanent home among her peers at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, which is located next to Paramount Studios where Sheridan began her career by winning its beauty contest in 1933.
Celebrity liaison Michael Roman of Hollywood Forever has overseen all aspects of the transition including facilitating necessary legal paperwork, physical transfer of the ashes and niche display. Sheridan’s ashes have been placed into an urn donated by “Mortician to the Stars” Mike Steen, which will be encased in a glass-fronted niche in the Chapel Columbarium. Niche decorations include portraits by famed photographer George Hurrell which were struck by Hurrell historian Mark A. Vieira (“Hurrell’s Hollywood Portraits”) from original negatives courtesy of the Michael Epstein Collection.
“The job of a biographer is to tell a person’s story rather than add to it, so this is an unusual turn of events,” said McHale, a first-time writer who began researching her forthcoming book last summer. “But when I learned that the last chapter of Ann’s life was incomplete, I felt compelled in my heart to try to have her final wishes fulfilled. This is being done for Ann because it’s what she wanted.”
# # #
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Dearly Departed Tours Photos
High resolution publicity photos for Scott Michaels' Dearly Departed Tours are available to download here.
Dearly Departed Tours Tip Sheet
WHAT: Dearly Departed Tours (www.dearlydepartedtours.com)
WHO: Scott Michaels, Your Director of Undertakings
Founder of FindADeath.com; formerly of Grave Line Tours
WHEN: Beginning Saturday, January 1, 2005
Two tours daily, Wednesday-Sunday
9:30am and 1:00pm
WHERE: Pick up at corner of N. McCadden Place and Hollywood Blvd.,
Hollywood, California
HOW: 2.5 hour fully-narrated tour in 14 passenger Tomb Buggy van
Nearly 80 celebrity death related sites included
Price: $35 per Live Body
Reservations strongly recommended: call (323) 466-3696
Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover accepted
Gift certificates are also available
Comp tickets available for members of the media.
Contact Lisa Burks (626) 229-8612, lisa@burksmedia.com
WHO: Scott Michaels, Your Director of Undertakings
Founder of FindADeath.com; formerly of Grave Line Tours
WHEN: Beginning Saturday, January 1, 2005
Two tours daily, Wednesday-Sunday
9:30am and 1:00pm
WHERE: Pick up at corner of N. McCadden Place and Hollywood Blvd.,
Hollywood, California
HOW: 2.5 hour fully-narrated tour in 14 passenger Tomb Buggy van
Nearly 80 celebrity death related sites included
Price: $35 per Live Body
Reservations strongly recommended: call (323) 466-3696
Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover accepted
Gift certificates are also available
Comp tickets available for members of the media.
Contact Lisa Burks (626) 229-8612, lisa@burksmedia.com
Dearly Departed Tours' Scott Michaels Bio
SCOTT MICHAELS
Founder, FindADeath.com & Dearly Departed Tours
In His Own Words
I've been interested in death since I was a tyke. My mother recalls taking me to a funeral of a young family member when I was 3 years old. On their way to the gravesite, I noticed the tent set up, and asked, "Mom, are we going to the circus?" That was the beginning.
Growing up in Detroit, I lived on one of the most dangerous intersections in the city. Fatal accidents were normal. There was a family ritual - when we were jarred awake from our slumber by that horrible noise of a car accident. One would call the police while one would grab the towels etc. One night while I was asleep, a car hit a lamppost in front of our house. I heard the sound of slamming breaks, the impact, and the live wires of a fallen streetlight zapping away. I got out of bed, looked out the window, yawned, and returned to bed. You get the idea.
The first celebrity deaths of any real recollection to me were Martin Luther King and Janis Joplin. When Florence Ballard of the Supremes passed away in 1976, I was transfixed.
A habit I started when I was young was to thumb directly to the end of any biography, to find out how and where they died. If there photos were included, even better. I could (and still can) stare for hours at that photo of Marilyn's body being removed from her Brentwood home in a body bag. At the same time, I also discovered the joy of cemeteries. When I was a Boy Scout I would ditch organized hikes, to explore a new bone yard.
Eventually I tired of circling the bowl of Detroit, and made my way to Chicago, where I started my company, Dearly Departed, specializing in dead celebrity memorabilia. Key chains, T-shirts etc, adorned with tombstone photographs. It was also then that I became fanatic about tracking down my favorite celebrity graves. It was natural that I hooked up with Greg Smith, and his famous Grave Line Tours, in Hollywood. With a smile on my face, I loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly, on my own dime.
One of the first things I changed at Grave Line Tours was the rule to wait five years until after someone died before adding them to the tour. My thought is: we bring people to the news. I brought the company from near bankruptcy, to success - appearing on such shows as 20/20, Entertainment Tonight, and with a little help from O.J. Simpson and CNN. Of course, with success comes nonsense, and I left.
Just before my liberation from Grave Line, in 1996, I fell in love and moved to the UK to be with my partner at the time, Graham Norton (Comedy Central’s “The Graham Norton Effect,” and “So Graham Norton”.) Because of my immigration status, I was unable to leave for about a year and a half after Princess Diana died. It drove me nuts not being able to travel the short distance to Paris to see the tunnel. Eventually I made it. Within minutes of getting my status from the government, there was me, straight (well…) to the pillar. When I got there, and I touched the exact spot where the Diana's Mercedes hit the post, I felt really strange - awe-struck. I kept thinking, "All that drama - the event of Diana's death - the world's reaction - it all started Right Here."
That's what gave me the idea to start Findadeath.com: To assemble the stories of people's deaths, with photographs. I get a lot of flack for this, but obviously it hits the right nerve, because on average 8000 Death Hags visit the site each day. I also get a lot of heat for interjecting comments and opinions. My response to that: Get your own website and do it yourself. I did. Am I being disrespectful? Maybe. What this all boils down to is: If you don't want the attention, don't get famous. Period. It doesn't stop when you die.
In my research, I have visited hundreds of final breath locations, and documented them in detail. Along the way, I have managed to acquire a tastelessly wonderful collection of articles including an oil painting done by convicted serial killer John Wayne Gacy, a piece of the Hindenburg, bricks from fireplace which witnessed the famous Manson Murders, a piece of John Denver's airplane, and many more.
My Greatest Hits:
Being named in the Supreme Court (Office of Independent Counsel v. Favish) as the worst case scenario for what can happen to you when you die
Becoming tabloid fodder (Irish Mirror, “How Fame Wrecked My Gay Love For Graham Norton”)
Dean Martin buying me a beer
Owning my own final resting place at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, and that my neighbor there is “Larry Tate” from the Bewitched
Now I've happily returned to Hollywood, and it is with great joy that I announce my own new venture into the Sightseeing Industry.
Additional Information
Scott Michaels has been featured on many television and radio programs as an expert in chronicling the last hours of celebrity lives. Programs include “20/20,” “Entertainment Tonight,” the “Real Wild Child on BBC Radio 2” series (focusing on Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Hank Williams), a 2-hour interview on David Quantick's radio show for Resonance FM in London, “Ghostly Graves” for the Travel Channel, and “Living Legends” for the Discovery Channel.
Michaels is also the author of “Rocky Horror, From Concept to Cult,” a collection of interviews from the cast and crew of The Rocky Horror Show, and Rocky Horror Picture Show.
His other credited contributions include Bizarre Magazine, Guitar World Magazine, and the books “Revolution - the True Story of The White Album,” “Here’s Johnny (Carson),” “Brady Mania,” “Here on Gilligan’s Isle,” “Cooking in Oz,” “The Munchkins of Oz,” “The Addams Family Chronicles,” “Marilyn Monroe Dyed Here,” “It’s a Wonderful Life – A Memory Book,” “The 25th Anniversary Edition of Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson murders,” “Celebrity Death Certificates,” and the biography of Sojourner Truth.
Founder, FindADeath.com & Dearly Departed Tours
In His Own Words
I've been interested in death since I was a tyke. My mother recalls taking me to a funeral of a young family member when I was 3 years old. On their way to the gravesite, I noticed the tent set up, and asked, "Mom, are we going to the circus?" That was the beginning.
Growing up in Detroit, I lived on one of the most dangerous intersections in the city. Fatal accidents were normal. There was a family ritual - when we were jarred awake from our slumber by that horrible noise of a car accident. One would call the police while one would grab the towels etc. One night while I was asleep, a car hit a lamppost in front of our house. I heard the sound of slamming breaks, the impact, and the live wires of a fallen streetlight zapping away. I got out of bed, looked out the window, yawned, and returned to bed. You get the idea.
The first celebrity deaths of any real recollection to me were Martin Luther King and Janis Joplin. When Florence Ballard of the Supremes passed away in 1976, I was transfixed.
A habit I started when I was young was to thumb directly to the end of any biography, to find out how and where they died. If there photos were included, even better. I could (and still can) stare for hours at that photo of Marilyn's body being removed from her Brentwood home in a body bag. At the same time, I also discovered the joy of cemeteries. When I was a Boy Scout I would ditch organized hikes, to explore a new bone yard.
Eventually I tired of circling the bowl of Detroit, and made my way to Chicago, where I started my company, Dearly Departed, specializing in dead celebrity memorabilia. Key chains, T-shirts etc, adorned with tombstone photographs. It was also then that I became fanatic about tracking down my favorite celebrity graves. It was natural that I hooked up with Greg Smith, and his famous Grave Line Tours, in Hollywood. With a smile on my face, I loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly, on my own dime.
One of the first things I changed at Grave Line Tours was the rule to wait five years until after someone died before adding them to the tour. My thought is: we bring people to the news. I brought the company from near bankruptcy, to success - appearing on such shows as 20/20, Entertainment Tonight, and with a little help from O.J. Simpson and CNN. Of course, with success comes nonsense, and I left.
Just before my liberation from Grave Line, in 1996, I fell in love and moved to the UK to be with my partner at the time, Graham Norton (Comedy Central’s “The Graham Norton Effect,” and “So Graham Norton”.) Because of my immigration status, I was unable to leave for about a year and a half after Princess Diana died. It drove me nuts not being able to travel the short distance to Paris to see the tunnel. Eventually I made it. Within minutes of getting my status from the government, there was me, straight (well…) to the pillar. When I got there, and I touched the exact spot where the Diana's Mercedes hit the post, I felt really strange - awe-struck. I kept thinking, "All that drama - the event of Diana's death - the world's reaction - it all started Right Here."
That's what gave me the idea to start Findadeath.com: To assemble the stories of people's deaths, with photographs. I get a lot of flack for this, but obviously it hits the right nerve, because on average 8000 Death Hags visit the site each day. I also get a lot of heat for interjecting comments and opinions. My response to that: Get your own website and do it yourself. I did. Am I being disrespectful? Maybe. What this all boils down to is: If you don't want the attention, don't get famous. Period. It doesn't stop when you die.
In my research, I have visited hundreds of final breath locations, and documented them in detail. Along the way, I have managed to acquire a tastelessly wonderful collection of articles including an oil painting done by convicted serial killer John Wayne Gacy, a piece of the Hindenburg, bricks from fireplace which witnessed the famous Manson Murders, a piece of John Denver's airplane, and many more.
My Greatest Hits:
Being named in the Supreme Court (Office of Independent Counsel v. Favish) as the worst case scenario for what can happen to you when you die
Becoming tabloid fodder (Irish Mirror, “How Fame Wrecked My Gay Love For Graham Norton”)
Dean Martin buying me a beer
Owning my own final resting place at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, and that my neighbor there is “Larry Tate” from the Bewitched
Now I've happily returned to Hollywood, and it is with great joy that I announce my own new venture into the Sightseeing Industry.
Additional Information
Scott Michaels has been featured on many television and radio programs as an expert in chronicling the last hours of celebrity lives. Programs include “20/20,” “Entertainment Tonight,” the “Real Wild Child on BBC Radio 2” series (focusing on Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Hank Williams), a 2-hour interview on David Quantick's radio show for Resonance FM in London, “Ghostly Graves” for the Travel Channel, and “Living Legends” for the Discovery Channel.
Michaels is also the author of “Rocky Horror, From Concept to Cult,” a collection of interviews from the cast and crew of The Rocky Horror Show, and Rocky Horror Picture Show.
His other credited contributions include Bizarre Magazine, Guitar World Magazine, and the books “Revolution - the True Story of The White Album,” “Here’s Johnny (Carson),” “Brady Mania,” “Here on Gilligan’s Isle,” “Cooking in Oz,” “The Munchkins of Oz,” “The Addams Family Chronicles,” “Marilyn Monroe Dyed Here,” “It’s a Wonderful Life – A Memory Book,” “The 25th Anniversary Edition of Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson murders,” “Celebrity Death Certificates,” and the biography of Sojourner Truth.
Media Contact:Lisa Burks, (626) 229-8612, lisa@burksmedia.com
Dearly Departed Tours Announcement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Lisa Burks
(626) 229-8612, lisa@burksmedia.com
SCOTT MICHAELS (FINDADEATH.COM) LAUNCHES "DEARLY DEPARTED TOURS" JANUARY 1, 2005 IN HOLLYWOOD, CA
NEARLY 80 CELEBRITY DEATH AND SCANDAL LOCATIONS FEATURED DURING HUMOROUSLY NARRATED 2.5 HOUR EXCURSION
Hollywood, CA (December 22, 2004) – Controversial celebrity death and scandal expert Scott Michaels (FindADeath.com) will begin operating “Dearly Departed Tours” in Hollywood, Ca. on Saturday, January 1, 2005.
The 2.5-hour excursion will be hosted and narrated by Michaels aboard his 14-passenger Tomb Buggy van. It will feature nearly 80 famous and infamous locations relating to celebrity death and scandal in the Hollywood and Los Angeles areas.
“Owning and operating a tour tailored to the darker side of Hollywood history has been a long-time dream of mine, and is a natural evolution of the Death Hag cultural phenomenon created by my website, Find A Death. It is an honor to show people these notorious locations. Hell, its what I would want to see if I were visiting,” said Michaels.
Michaels, who has gained notoriety on the internet for his irreverent commentary on the final chapters of celebrity lives, is a former guide for the now deceased Grave Line Tours. He sees his new one-man operation as filling a niche, so to speak, in the Hollywood sight-seeing industry. “Celebrity death and scandal is of public interest, as evidenced by the amount of mainstream media attention it gets. What I do is bring people to the places where such news is made while offering my own unique take on the matter,” he said.
The tour encompasses decades of Tinseltown intrigue. Included are The Manson Family murder sites, the soon to be demolished Ambassador Hotel where Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated, the garage where James Dean picked up his Porsche the morning of his fatal accident and, what Michaels terms “the real Nightmare on Elm Street,” The Menendez Brothers homicide house.
Michaels will also point out sites of a different notorious nature. “There will be one restroom stop where you can drop your drawers and ‘reenact’ George Michael's (no relation) most scandalous moment, and all guests will receive a complimentary copy of his police report,” he explained.
Also included are the locations where stars took their final breaths, such as Frank Sinatra, Jean Harlow, River Phoenix, Will “Grandpa Walton” Geer, Albert Dekker, Bela Lugosi and Alan Hale, Jr., “The Skipper” from “Gilligan’s Island.” “And of course the chick that jumped off the Hollywood Sign in 1932,” added Michaels.
“Dearly Departed Tours” will run twice daily, Wednesday – Sunday, at 9:30am and 1:00pm from the corner of N. McCadden Place and Hollywood Boulevard, steps away from famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.
The cost is $35 per Live Body and reservations are strongly recommended, and gift certificates are also available: call (323) 466-3696 or email info@dearlydepartedtours.com. Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover are accepted.
Content is of an adult nature so parents should be cautioned about subject matter and possible language. “Not recommended for children who haven’t learned of outdoor sex,” Michaels noted.
For more information, visit:
DearlyDepartedTours.com
# # #
Media Contact: Lisa Burks
(626) 229-8612, lisa@burksmedia.com
SCOTT MICHAELS (FINDADEATH.COM) LAUNCHES "DEARLY DEPARTED TOURS" JANUARY 1, 2005 IN HOLLYWOOD, CA
NEARLY 80 CELEBRITY DEATH AND SCANDAL LOCATIONS FEATURED DURING HUMOROUSLY NARRATED 2.5 HOUR EXCURSION
Hollywood, CA (December 22, 2004) – Controversial celebrity death and scandal expert Scott Michaels (FindADeath.com) will begin operating “Dearly Departed Tours” in Hollywood, Ca. on Saturday, January 1, 2005.
The 2.5-hour excursion will be hosted and narrated by Michaels aboard his 14-passenger Tomb Buggy van. It will feature nearly 80 famous and infamous locations relating to celebrity death and scandal in the Hollywood and Los Angeles areas.
“Owning and operating a tour tailored to the darker side of Hollywood history has been a long-time dream of mine, and is a natural evolution of the Death Hag cultural phenomenon created by my website, Find A Death. It is an honor to show people these notorious locations. Hell, its what I would want to see if I were visiting,” said Michaels.
Michaels, who has gained notoriety on the internet for his irreverent commentary on the final chapters of celebrity lives, is a former guide for the now deceased Grave Line Tours. He sees his new one-man operation as filling a niche, so to speak, in the Hollywood sight-seeing industry. “Celebrity death and scandal is of public interest, as evidenced by the amount of mainstream media attention it gets. What I do is bring people to the places where such news is made while offering my own unique take on the matter,” he said.
The tour encompasses decades of Tinseltown intrigue. Included are The Manson Family murder sites, the soon to be demolished Ambassador Hotel where Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated, the garage where James Dean picked up his Porsche the morning of his fatal accident and, what Michaels terms “the real Nightmare on Elm Street,” The Menendez Brothers homicide house.
Michaels will also point out sites of a different notorious nature. “There will be one restroom stop where you can drop your drawers and ‘reenact’ George Michael's (no relation) most scandalous moment, and all guests will receive a complimentary copy of his police report,” he explained.
Also included are the locations where stars took their final breaths, such as Frank Sinatra, Jean Harlow, River Phoenix, Will “Grandpa Walton” Geer, Albert Dekker, Bela Lugosi and Alan Hale, Jr., “The Skipper” from “Gilligan’s Island.” “And of course the chick that jumped off the Hollywood Sign in 1932,” added Michaels.
“Dearly Departed Tours” will run twice daily, Wednesday – Sunday, at 9:30am and 1:00pm from the corner of N. McCadden Place and Hollywood Boulevard, steps away from famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.
The cost is $35 per Live Body and reservations are strongly recommended, and gift certificates are also available: call (323) 466-3696 or email info@dearlydepartedtours.com. Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover are accepted.
Content is of an adult nature so parents should be cautioned about subject matter and possible language. “Not recommended for children who haven’t learned of outdoor sex,” Michaels noted.
For more information, visit:
DearlyDepartedTours.com
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- Name: Lisa Burks
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I'm a writer with a background in publicity. These are my freelance PR projects.
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