Update - Rick's appearance on Oprah

Note - According to Rick Springfield's official Message board, the air date of the episode will be February 13 (posted 2/1)
According to www.davidcassidy.com, the Oprah episode with Rick will air on February 12th, and along with Rick will be David Cassidy, Malcom Jamal-Warner, and Henry Winkler.

Rick Springfield on Oprah

As reported on the official message board at http://www.rickspringfield.com/

Rick will taping Oprah Feb. 6 as part of the "Superstar Fantasy" segment.

Update from Rick's official message board: FYI. We've just received word that Rick's appearance on Oprah may not be broadcast live. It will be taped live on Feb. 6th, but it may or may not air that day. We will update you as soon as we have final confirmation

Rick will be performing Jessie's Girl. http://www.oprah.com/

Check your local listings for air times. http://www.tvguide.com/

Rick Springfield Cruise 2008

The details have finally been announced regarding the 2008 Rick & Friends cruise.

Some of the details that were posted on the official message board on http://www.rickspringfield.com/ are:

The time has arrived to start planning for the Rick Springfield & Friends – Sun Dazed & Star Filled Nights

Cruise onboard the gorgeous Carnival Cruise Ship Destiny that departs from Miami, Fl and will stop in the incredible seaside resort ports of Key West and Cozumel, Mexico. It will be an unforgettable voyage as we cruise the beautiful seas, enjoy the clear star filled nights and rock out to some amazing concerts!

Some of the events during the cruise will consist of:- Full Concerts with Rick Springfield and Special Guest Stars- Intimate unplugged concerts with Rick Springfield and Special Guest Stars- Personal Q&A sessions and Autograph opportunities with all special guests-

Four nights accommodations aboard Carnival’s Destiny Cruise Ship- Full schedule of activities including movies, dancing, deck activities & more- Gourmet dining experiencesSpecial Guests to be announced soon!Keep your eyes on rickspringfield.com and your email as we will let you know as soon as reservations can be made! Do not attempt to book your trip until you get the official word from us that reservations can be made! Keep checking here. Itinerary:Thursday Nov 13 – Miami, FL - 4PM DepartureFriday Nov 14 – Key West, FLSaturday Nov 15 – Cozumel, MexicoSunday Nov 16 – Fun Day At SeaMonday Nov 17 – Miami, FL - 8AM Arrival
Prices will include all concerts, activities and food. See info. on the main page at: http://www.rickspringfield.com

Jessie's Girl on Pop Up Video

Classic Pop Up Video #138

VH1C

Sun Jan 27th 2008 4:30pm est

Debuting on VH1 in 1996, "Pop-Up Video" introduced the "info-nugget," a graphic factoid bubble that "pops" onto the screen, so viewers can watch their favorite music videos as well as read interesting and unusual facts about the video, including behind-the-scenes production dish, bio bits, trivia, and more. Over the years, "Pop Up Video" has spawned board games, books, TV commercials.

#138 -Honey - Mariah Carey I'll Make Love To You - Boyz II Men Father Figure - George Michael Burning Down the House - Talking Heads Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield.

New Tour Date

Two One more tour date has been posted at rickspringfield.com:

3/14/08
Elizabeth, IN
Caesars Indiana

8/09/08
Des Moines, IA
Iowa State Fair

(photo: Elizabeth, IN 2007 by Mike Gerken)

TV listings for Rick Springfield

Here are a couple of TV listings to get you through the winter until the tour heats up!


The Greatest: 100 Greatest Songs of the 80's (20-1)
VH1C
Thurs Jan 24th 7pm est
Jessie's Girl checks in at #20!

Dying to Dance

LMN (Lifetime Movie Network) Fri Jan 25th 4:26 pm est

Directed by Mark Haber. Starring Kimberly McCullough, Mary-Margaret Humes, Rick Springfield, Natalija Nogulich, Les Porter, Mimi Kuzyk.

Anorexia afflicts an ambitious teenage ballerina who's overwhelmed by competitive stress and parental pressure. Romantic discord adds a further complication. 107 minutes-

A Change of Place

LMN Tue Jan 29th 7:27 est

Directed by Donna Deitch. Starring Andrea Roth, Rick Springfield, Geordie Johnson, Stephanie Beacham, Ian Richardson, Viktoria Kerekes.

A shy student trades identities with her flashy twin, a top fashion model with a dark secret. A.k.a. 'Harlequin's 'A Change of Place'.' 108 minutes- NR, USA, 1994

First show of the 2008 Rick Springfield Tour

1/12/08
Sahuarita, AZ
Desert Diamond Casino
Review by Laurie Bennett

Saturday night was the first Rick concert of the year, and it was a blast! The venue was somewhere Rick had performed before, but this time, instead of the show being General Admission, it was assigned seating, which I certainly prefer. The lights went down and the introduction music started just a second later, and the crowd was excited. I know I was!

Rick came out onto the stage in a NEW outfit - he looked great. He had on light grey jeans, a long sleeve button down collared white shirt, and a black vest. The vest was velvet on the right side, with 3 large buttons (left open), and a satin type material on the left and back. I have no idea what the image on the back or side was, and I've heard other fans (even after looking at photos) say the same. Some said it looked like a guitar neck on the back, I thought it looked like a gun pointing up, and I also saw stopwatches on it. Regardless, he looked fabulous! Early in the show the bottom button on the white shirt opened up, and no sooner did he re-button it than the middle button came un-done. So he rebuttoned that, and the bottom one came open again. He even remarked - "Who keeps unbuttoning my shirt?" He did roll up the sleeves a few songs into the set, so he could really get down to rocking!

About 5 songs into the set, a group of 4 ladies, who were in quite the party mood, walked in to take their seats, but the came in between the front row and the stage, not even acknowledging Rick as they walked in front of him. He said "Excuse me, for interrupting your party!" One girl from that group later came up to the stage and offered Rick a drink - of Rockstar energy drink mixed with Vodka. It was bright green, and he took a swig before she told him what it was. Then he offered a story about how he and Vodka do NOT mix - last time he had too much Vodka he wanted to fight with everyone in the bar! She also offered him her business card, and asked him to call her after the show. A local fan I was with told me that she was actually a local TV news person. Rick also told a story about having "done a gig" at USC for his son, and all the kids there were drinking the same drink.

The first time into the audience, Rick went out to volunteer people to sing "Don't Talk to Strangers". He found several willing, and several unwilling participants, including an older gentleman who had a Wisconsin sports team baseball style hat on. Rick asked him, "Hey my wife's from Wisconsin. You don't know my wife, do you?" The guy said no and then replied with the appropriate tune. Another guy, instead of singing DTTS, replied "Thank you, thank you very much" a la Elvis Presley. But Rick wasn't satisfied with the guy's impersonation - saying something like, no, you've got the accent all wrong. And you can only say that after you sing!" So then Rick belted out a few lines from "Heartbreak Hotel" and the crowd joined in, and then he did his own Elvis impersonation with the same "Thank you, thank you very much", and I'd say, it was dead on! I can't remember the last time Rick went so far out into the audience for DTTS, usually he only goes a few rows, and saves the bigger crowd surfing areas for later in the show. He found one adorable girl in the audience to sing, and then brought another up on stage with him. Her name was Evelyn. He commented on her old fashioned style name, and also said she was very pretty girl. He said her name reminded her of his mom, who was also a very pretty girl. "But now she's old and not so pretty. And if she heard me say that, she'd kick my ass!" Rick also told the audience that he recently had surgery. First he said, "I had my nose done, what do you think?" then turned his face to be profile to the audience. Ha Ha. Then he said "No, actually, I had a hernia fixed" or something like that. "Any body want to see my scar?" At which point he grabs his belt and buckle, in a fake motion to undo it. Of course the high pitched female voices all started to scream. Rick replied "What, no one? Oh, oh well" and he turned away as if no one was interested. Then he said, to no one in particular, "hey, come up after the show if you want to see my scar."

When Rick was telling this story, Roger must not have been paying attention, as he continued with drumming the beat of the song, at a high volume. Rick turned around and said "Roger, I'm telling a story here, be quiet." Then Rick fired Roger, at which point, Roger yelled for Ronnie, then he stood up and started to walk away. Rick said, you're not fired, I don't know any other drummers. Roger sat down. Rick said but since you've been fired in the past, I have to re-hire you at a lower pay rate. So Roger stood up again as if to leave. Then Rick teased, ah, it IS all about the money!

I don't think his being in physical recovery affected much of the show. It still had lots of energy, and lots of audience connection. He did not do a kick during Rock of Life, and didn't do too many jumps, but if you weren't watching for that, you would've never noticed. Rick went far out into the crowd, and even shook the hands of my friend's two kids as he walked by them. He's so sweet and considerate of his younger fans. During the part when Rick was off-stage, before the encore, a very large security guard was standing in front of the stage, right in front of Rick's microphone. Well, people started asking this guy for guitar pics (taped to the mic stand), and so he started giving them out! I'm sure he didn't realize Rick was coming back, and I was worried all the pics would be gone when Rick returned. However, there were 2 left, and Rick only used one. The concert ended with a 2 song encore, the band introduction, and a hug to the audience. They played Jesus Saves on the sound system as the audience left the venue.

Here's what I believe the set list to be: 1: Intro
2: Who Killed Rock 'N Roll
3: It's Always Something
4: Affair Of The Heart
5: Beautiful You
6: Alyson
7: I've Done Everything For You
8: Rock Of Life
9: Fire (Jimi Hendrix Cover)
10: Living In Oz
11: Redhouse
12: Don't Talk To Strangers and a little bit of Heartbreak Hotel (Elvis) while in the audience
13: Medley
14: Love Somebody
15: My Generation (The Who Cover)
16: Human Touch
17: Jessie's Girl
18: Band Intro
19: Wasted
20: Love Is Alright Tonight
21: Outro (Jesus Saves)

Rick Springfield returns to......

Milwaukee and St. Charles (lucky fans in the Midwest)

It has been confirmed on the Message Board at rickspringfield.com that Rick will return to what has become an annual visit to Potawatomi Casino in Milwaukee, WI on May 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10th.

He will also make a return appearance to the Arcada Theater on August 15th and 16th (gotta love those multiple night shows!)

Vamplitude

Have you ever had an album touch you in such a way that it is on your mind 24/7? What would you do about it? The music of Rick Springfield has provided everything from comfort to enjoyment to inspiration for many fans worldwide. His 2004 release Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance was no exception.

What would you do? A new book by Kathleen Mendelin is a fictional tale that delves into the unknown. It was inspired by SDAA and the reader follows the lives of complex characters as they battle personal and real life demons. Vamplitude will be available online by Mid-February 2008, and will sell for a retail cost of $14.95 CDN. (online link to be announced once the book is on the site).

Here is a short Q&A with the author, Kathleen Mendelin:

How long after hearing SDAA did you know you were going to write a book?

When I first heard SDAA I thought to myself 'This is it', full of raw emotion that a middle aged person could related to. I played that CD over and over, at home, in my car, and wherever I walked with my mp3. At this time I also kept a journal. A few months into listening to the CD and writing in my journal it became apparent that everything I wrote about my in life stemmed from thinking about his lyrics, and how they related to my life. When I listened to that CD, I had my own visuals that went along with each song. I came upon writing the book because my fingers were getting cramped from writing, and I was running out of room in my journal. Writing that book was a serendipity experience.

What song had the strongest inspiration for the story?

Every Night I Wake Up Screaming, hands down! I had, (have) reached a stage in my life where I wanted to know the meaning of life. There had to be something more to it. I felt like I was trying to join a club but still searching for the secret password that would let me in. It was 9/11 that changed my life, and my views of the world. Add to that, natural disasters, horrible tales of human behavior on the news channels, and unexpected chaos in my personal life. I was afraid of what the next day would bring. In many ways I still am.

What other inspirations did you have?

I've always had this thing about vampires. When I was a kid my 'baby' teeth were really pointy and I was convinced I was half vampire. I found obscure joy in scarring my sisters at night when they were trying to fall asleep. I also had a fascination with aliens and comets, and the sky/solar system in general. This type of novel isn't for everyone. It can be very dark in places, and has some adult content.

What are some of your other favorite Vampire works?

Ann Rice and her Vampire Chronicles are a good read. There are a few good vampire movies out there as well. I also enjoy books that discuss the history of vampires, and their bloodlines.

Besides Rick Springfield and SDAA, what other "real life" people/things will we see traces of in the book?

Stanton Friedman is an acquaintance of mine and I have followed his work ever since I was old enough to start to read and understand 'big words'. He is a renowned nuclear physicist, UFO Researcher and the original civilian investigator of the 'Roswell Incident'. He recently appeared on Larry King and recently co-authored a book titled "Captured! The Betty and Barney Hill UFO experience". It is a book about the world's first documented alien abduction, a true story. Most of my references to the history of vampires and comets are based on fact. A lot of research was done in order to give this fictional novel a little more depth. The location in the book is a town called Exeter, which is the town I grew up in.

Is there any other Rick Springfield CD that you could be inspired to base a book on?

Hopefully his next one! Although I enjoy all of his music, SDAA was really the only one of his CDs that touched my psyche. I would almost consider it a concept album.

Who is your favorite character in the book?

This is a tough question. The primary character was inspired by Rick Springfield, so that has to account for some of my fondness for 'Kristoph'. I do like a character by the name of Travis. He marches to the beat of his own drum with little regard to whether his thoughts, actions, and quests will embarrass him. He and his small group of friends are the laughing stock of the scientific community, but it does not stop him from doing anything to find out what he wants to know.

Which character is most like yourself?

That would be Peter, the Priest. He finds himself struggling with so many things, perhaps the most important of all is his faith and his loyalty to his chosen profession. He's a tortured character who eventually starts to snap his crayons.

Will there be a sequel?

I've thought about it. I'd need the right inspiration to continue the story though. I have started a sequel, but I am not sure if it will remain tucked away on my hard drive or not. I suppose, because the book was heavily influenced by Rick and his music, I would need to hear his next release and see if the spirit moved me in the same way, in addition to knowing if anyone would want to see this story continue

TV listings for Rick Springfield

Jessie's Girl checks in at #20!

The Greatest: 100 Greatest Songs of the 80's (20-1)

VH1

Sunday January 20th 9pm est

VH1C

Monday January 21st 1pm est

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