Hal Eisner's Blog

I've covered so many stories in my career. Some I remember as if I reported them yesterday. Sometimes its tough to remember what I did  yesterday! 

Sometime in 1982 I was working for CNN. I was one of their correspondents attached to the Los Angeles bureau. 

As I sit here and type I can't exactly recall the specifics of the story I was sent to cover, but I remember the night drive to Beverly Hills. I and my photographer pulled up to this big house ... knocked on the door and the man who opened it called me "Mr. Eisner" and invited us inside. Mr. Eisner.  I hear that and think of my dad. But, that was the way Charleton Heston addressed me from the time he opened the door to the time he said good night.

Truly a gentleman. 
Good Night Mr. Heston!

Don't you just love Gladys Knight? Her songs? Her energy? Her efforts to reach out and help people in the community with organizations that help in aids research, diabetes and cancer awareness.

On Monday night she was recognized for all of that and more at the Beverly Hilton Hotel by S.O.S. -- The Society of Singers. This is an organization of singers that, among other things, helps singers in need. They have fundraisers, silent auctions and so on, but once a year they honor someone special with The Ella Award and have this big banquet. The award was named after the first person to get the award ... Ella Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald, who died in 1996, was known as "the first lady of song."

"Ella Fitzgerald was unique. Gladys Knight is unique." Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. (who used to be part of The 5th Dimension and then went off on their own) said to me on the red carpet. When I told Knight that she shouted .."that is amazing -- that is amazing. I wouldn't say my name in the same breath as Ella Fitzgerald." That's because she holds Fitzgerald in such high esteem.

After walking the carpet ... and dining at the banquet in the grand ballroom at the Hilton, Knight smiled as she accepted the award -- a reward that was richly deserved said well known performer after well known performer from McCoo and Davis to Pat Boone to last year's Ella winner Johnny Mathis..

And, on stage after great performances by Smokey Robinson, Melissa Etheridge, Johnny Mathis and Kimberly Locke, Knight brought the house down with songs like "The Man I Love" like "Midnight Train to Georgia." "The Man I Love" a Gershwin song written for the 1924 musical "Lady Be Good"  .. later sung by Ella Fitzgerald. "Midnight Train to Georgia" -- a huge Knight hit! Knight was a hit! During "Midnight Train to Georgia" people were sitting at their tables shaking to the beat ... dancing .. seated! Memorable!

But, at least for me, a particuarly memorable moment will be when we first started talking on the red carpet. I said hello and then told Gladys Knight --- "I wanted to tell you that I HEARD THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE you were getting an award, but my photographer told me if I said that you'd probably ship us both off on A MIDNIGHT TRAIN TO GEORGIA!" She laughed and said "at least you remember the songs!"
 

 

 

 

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This Saturday night at 6pm and Sunday night at 11pm join Hal Eisner on FOX 11 as he gets up close and personal with "Kool & the Gang" on THAT'S SO HOLLYWOOD!

Now, a few words from Hal ...

Gold and platinum albums, Grammys, American Music Awards , over 70 million albums sold ... Robert "Kool" Bell, his brother Ronald, Georges Brown and the rest of the gang have had lots to celebrate over the years. Still do! "Life is a celebration" says Robert (the one known as "Kool"). "You know, you can celebrate life just by the fact that your still on this planet."

From "Ladies Night" to "Jungle Boogie" they've had lots of hits, but, on this planet lots of people can sing their most famous song. You know the tune ... "celebrate good times .. come on!"

I got a chance to chat with Bell, his brother and Brown. They came to our studios on the westside. We setup our camera outside on our second floor plaza where some of my colleagues were having lunch. I asked Sophie Chap and others from the sales department "do you know the song 'celebration?" Sophie's reply (she sang) "celebrate good times .. c'mon!" "These are the guys that sang that" I said. They liked hearing Sophie sing their words. But, they've written so many words for so many songs. They have a new cd out now. Its called "Still Kool!" Robert says it has their familiar sounds mixed with rock. Ronald tells me it reflects the fact they are "still cool!" They told me they were working on developing a reality tv show.

There were tough times for the group. During our chat Ronald talked about the "rollercoaster" ride. George revealed how tough things got when hip hop first became pervasive and people were downloading music for free.

Its an interesting story, but the most interesting moment for me was when we all clapped and sang together ... (you know the words ... sing with me) "CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES ... COME ON!!!"