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 Meet
the Author 
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Ellis Nassour [Photo: Martha Swope]; Caricatured by artist Sam Norkin;
and Onstage, Ryan Auditorium (Grand Ole Opry photographer Les Leverett) |
ELLIS NASSOUR is a native of Vicksburg, Mississippi and a New
York-based international arts journalist. He was a Time 2006 Person of
the Year. As vice president of artist relations for Universal Studios/MCA
Music, he participated in the development of Tim Rice and Andrew
Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar ( Gold Record), and the careers
of The Who, Elton John [supervising his U.S. debut and first tour],
Rick Nelson (Gold Record), Loretta Lynn (Gold Record), Brenda Lee (Gold
Record), Conway Twitty, Bill Cosby, Neil Diamond (Gold Record), Crystal
Gale, Bing Crosby (Gold Records), Florence Henderson, classical guitarist
Andres Segovia; and, independently, publicity for disco diva Gloria
Gaynor (Gold Record), soul diva Millie Jackson and Broadway composers
Jerry Herman and Stephen Sondheim. At MCA/ Universal, he worked
with Academy Award-winning composer Alfred Newman on the release
of his last score, Airport; such artists as Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood,
and Shirley MacLaine, and on the Broadway revival of The Boy Friend,
starring Judy Carne and Sandy Duncan.
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MOI & ME
1978, London
On set, The Muppets with Miss Piggy |
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We had a good thing going 'til
she
went "Green" on me! |
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STAR TRIO ~ ~
With (clockwise):
comic legend JERRY LEWIS,
screen legend BETTE DAVIS
and international singing sensation
SHIRLEY BASSEY
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The hit revue Always, Patsy Cline is four pages of Ellis' interviews with
Patsy fan Louise Seger from his biographies. He and composer George
Leonard adapted Music City, U.S.A./Ev'ry Country Gals' Hollywood
from his bio. Ellis provided the Patsy Cline material for Robyn Archer's
hit Australian and London West End revue A Star Is Torn. He co-hosted with k.d. lang Bravo TV's The Voice [Patsy Cline segment], the BBC
specials Country Girls and Rock Shrines [Patsy Cline segments]; and
source material/photos for the Virginia Public TV documentary,
Patsy Cline: The Lady Behind the Legend. He wrote Country Weekly's
40th Anniversary Patsy Cline tribute. Excerpts from his biographies
make up a major portion of the Patsy Cline ["shoebox"] Collection. |
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1963 : with TV and
records sensation
CONNIE STEVENS |
1972 : with screen legend
JOAN CRAWFORD |
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1968, Big Sur,
CA : On location with CHARLTON HESTON,
starring as astronaut George Taylor in 20th Century-Fox's Planet of
the Apes. At left, Lou Wagner as Lucius. |
1970, New York, Metropolitan Opera:
Ellis (left), MCA Records V-P, Artist Relations
and Tom
Morgan, MCA A&R Manager (third
from left) with The Who
for their
"farewell" Tommy concert. |
Ellis' first interview was Bob Hope. He's an international journalist,
veteran of The New York Times and New York Daily News. He's written
for Playbill, Stage Directions, New York Lifestyles, Theater Life, Broadway
Stars, and Theatermania. Ellis has conducted creative writing seminars
at Rutgers, the Space Coast Writers Association, University of Kentucky,
Hinds College, and University of Mississippi. September 2005 saw the
dedication of the Mamie and Ellis Nassour Arts & Entertainment Collection
in the University of Mississippi William Faulkner Archive at the John D.
Williams Library. Ellis was instrumental in Patsy Cline's induction into the
Cowgirl Hall of Fame. He's featured in the coffee table book Mississippians. Honky Tonk Angel: The Intimate Story of Patsy Cline will
soon be an audio book. |
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 With Country's Greatest Female Entertainers :  |
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LORETTA LYNN |
REBA McENTIRE |
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An Exciting Career As
A Media Journalist, Highlighted By Encounters With: |
| Film, stage and TV legend Angela Lansbury; Christina
Applegate; with
Christina for her 2005 Broadway Wall of Fame unveiling; Cyndie Lauper,
2005 BWOF unveiling; "a few" years ago, working with
disco legend Gloria "I Will Survive" Gaynor, still a friend;
my old friend Dolly Parton, 2009; Fran Drescher, 2006; screen legend Debbie
Reynolds, 2009; screen legend Jane Powell, 2006; Broadway National Treasure Chita Rivera,
opening night for her The Dancer's Life, Broadway,
December 2005; Allison Janney; Oscar winner and theater legend Estelle Parsons,
2004; my "homey," Mississippi native and opera legend
Leontyne Price; stage/screen star Dame Helen Mirren; Mississippi
native Gerald McRaney and Delta Burke; meeting, again, years
later with Who
legend Pete Townsend, 2006; David Hyde-Pierce; Catherine Zeta-Jones;
Kristin Chenoweth; Boy George; Mississippi native James Earl Jones;
Vanessa Redgrave; film/TV legend Mitzi Gaynor; TV star Kristine
Johnson. |
Author Ellis Nassour Interview by
Australia's ABC-Radio Network,
May 2022
CLICK HERE
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For much more on Ellis Nassour,
visit Google.com |
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