As we usher out 2010, it’s worth noting that it was a pretty remarkable year locally for entertainment. While the economy played havoc on many things here and elsewhere, overall we saw some momentous events.
At the top of the list would likely be visits by Sir Elton John, Robert Pattinson and Betty White. John performed to a sold-out crowd at McKenzie Arena. Pattinson, star of the “Twilight” movie franchise, spent several days here shooting scenes for “Water for Elephants” and thrilling fans by visiting a few restaurants and clubs.
During his visit, local media and fans on websites did their best to guess where Pattinson would turn up. Once the house where the shooting was to take place was identified in North Georgia, dozens of fans camped out for hours along the road in sweltering heat hoping to catch a glimpse of the star.
Betty White, who would win another Emmy Award shortly after her visit here, proved that at 881/2, she is still a huge draw for local fans, too. She was the special guest at this year’s Life: An Expo for Boomers & Seniors.
While other festivals and tours struggled in 2010 on a national level, large crowds flocked to Riverbend to hear such acts as Darius Rucker, Alison Krauss, Billy Currington and Sheryl Crow.
A new event also debuted in Chattanooga in 2010. RiverRocks, a 10-day fall festival and sports extravaganza that featured about 90 events, including paddling, rowing, biking, running, climbing, hang gliding and swimming, was created to showcase everything the city has to offer.
The Tivoli and Auditorium Promotion Association had another good year. TAPA managed to book two national touring Broadway shows that launched from here. Cast and crew from both “Legally Blonde: The Musical” and “Fiddler on the Roof” spent almost two weeks here getting their shows ready for their premieres. Getting one is a big deal. Getting two is huge.
Cleveland, Tenn., resident Daniel Parkin had his own brush with stardom, though on a smaller scale. He wrote the song “Palm of His Hand,” which was used in the movie “Winter’s Bone.”
* Earlier this year, I asked Luther Masingill how he managed to get up and go to work every day.
“I get up, put my clothes on and touch the tips of my shoes 40 times. Then I put them on,” he said.
It’s an old line he’s repeated often, but the humility and humor somehow help to define the man who today is celebrating his 70th anniversary at WDEF.
Seventy years.
Think about that. People celebrate 70th birthdays and even 70th wedding anniversaries and kudos to them, but we are talking about 70 years working at one place doing essentially the same job. In his case, that job is bringing information and entertainment to Chattanooga radio and television listeners.
Congratulations, Luther, and thank you.
* On a sad note, we lost two longtime members of the local media scene just this week. Dan Cook, outdoors writer for this paper for decades, and Jeff Cooper, an on-air personality and creative director at Citadel Broadcasting for years and years, both died this week.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.