Rick Michel's Blog

It’s been a tough week for fans of comedy, television, movies, and just plain genuinely good people. The death of any living-legend is heartbreaking, but to lose someone who had so much more to give the world even though he’d already given so much will put an ache in the most hardened of hearts. Like the rest of the world, I will miss Robin Williams. Read More

Picture this: someone tailors a song specifically for you, it becomes an enormous hit, and then everyone wants to make the song about them. To me, that would mean these people want to be you. This is what happened to Frank Sinatra in regards to the song, My Way, and honestly, who wouldn’t want to be him? Read More

I was reminiscing on the career of film legend James Garner after his passing – it’s always sad when such larger-than-life figures leave us – and came across a video from his already iconic film, The Notebook that featured a song that was used prominently in the movie, I’ll Be Seeing You. (I had to post the video to my Facebook page because I knew it would be enjoyed.) It featured some of the most touching moments in the film as Sinatra serenaded with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Given that the loss of Garner was so fresh, I was especially moved. Read More

I discovered a gem on my latest trip to Montreal; a little something called CBC radio and recently heard an interview with the daughter of Sammy Davis Jr, Tracey Davis as she was promoting her latest book, Sammy Davis Jr: A Personal Journey with My Father. She so eloquently and candidly spoke about the legacy that is her father. “Don’t let me die here,” he told his daughter when he was dying, referring to what he stood for and the type of person he was. Read More

Frank Sinatra’s "It Might As Well Be Spring" opens with the line, “I’m as restless as a willow in a windstorm,” and that describes me well as I finish the preparations for getting Sinatra Forever on the stage at the Ohio State Fair July 29th, 2014. That Rodgers and Hammerstein song is from the movie, State Fair, so it’s a fitting reference to my being a part of one of the largest and historic state fairs in the country. Read More

So, has anyone seen any references to Frank Sinatra lately? I guess the more appropriate question would be, Has anyone NOT seen references to The Chairman of the Board in pop culture news? It seems that I could easily do a monthly blog post summarizing headline stories about or making reference to Frank in some way. Read More

I’m leaving Independence Day in idyllic Idyllwild, California to get ready for one of my favorite shows of the year right in my beautiful hometown of Las Vegas. I performed Sinatra Forever last year at the sparkling jewel that is the M Resort to a sold-out crowd of more than 2,000 and this year there are only 1,600 seats available, so it promises to be another electric audience, which is right where I thrive. Read More

Just an hour from Palm Springs – in fact if you were to extend Frank Sinatra Drive straight into the San Jacinto Mountains you would just about hit the community – lies Idyllwild, California and this is where I’m going to be performing Sinatra Forever, for the Idyllwild Summer Concert Series. Read More

I love Montreal! It’s like a little trip to Paris without the jet lag or waiters turning their noses at you because your French isn’t quite up to snuff. Historic elegance abounds and I’ll be immersed in it as I’m returning to Montreal’s Rialto Theatre to treat the city to another performance of my Las Vegas show, Sinatra Forever, on June 21, 2014. Read More

Last week’s blog post reviewing Frank Sinatra’s official CD, ’57 in Concert started me thinking about other live compositions and the number of bootleg albums that are swimming around on shelves and cyberspace, just begging to be listened to, so I’m going to let you know about one that was recorded almost 56 years ago to the date – The Sporting Club: Monte Carlo, Monaco, June 14, 1958. Read More