Dumb and dumber

Rumors of George Michael replacing Freddie Mercury, and other bad ideas

Published April 12, 1999 11:06AM (EDT)

Fit for a Queen: How badly did that L.A. park bathroom incident hurt George
Michael's
career? The British music press reports that opera rockers Queen
are considering their first reunion since singer Freddie Mercury died from
AIDS in 1991. The rumor is that Mercury's buddy and sometime stand-in Michael will sing all the high parts. (We couldn't get Michael's label on the phone to confirm or deny.) After Liza Minnelli's histrionic version of "We Are the Champions," we should just be happy that they didn't ask her.

Cable hell: No-life fans of daytime TV shows can look forward to Disney's new
all-soap opera channel. The station will take ABC soaps and re-air them in
nighttime slots. Also, look for new programming, syndicated shows and -- shudder -- reruns of "classic" shows from the '70s and '80s. With a large and dedicated audience, Disney plans to clean up financially with the venture. But really, shouldn't we ask ourselves, "If we're going to relive those out-of-work
moments when we could sit around in a robe all day and watch TV, isn't the
Game Show Network enough?"

Batten down the hatches: After the Bellagio's attempt to inject a little class and
culture into Las Vegas with a gallery full of fine art, Sin City is back to its
decidedly middlebrow roots. Example: Bob Stupak, the businessman who built the
towering Stratosphere Hotel and Casino, wants to build a replica of the Titanic on a 10-acre lot he owns between the Strip and downtown. If he can put together $1.2 billion in financing, the entire package will include an 1,800-seat theater housed in a giant iceberg. No word on whether the hotel will ape the dueling pirate ships at the nearby Treasure Island casino and sink several times a night.


By Jeff Stark

Jeff Stark is the associate editor of Salon Arts and Entertainment.

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