Andy Kaufman returns Sunday

[Guest Astro]

Before he "died" Andy said "A boy would make his comeback in 10 years, a man would wait 20" Sunday is the 20 th anniversity of Andy's "Death". Expect he Elvis and Tony Clifton to perform as a trio.

 

 

/Plays REM's "Man on the Moon" ....cries

[Guest Arnold_OldSchool]

I fully expect Bob Zumuda to show up as Clifton somewhere....

[AndrewTS 0]

Surprised MarvinIsALunatic hasn't posted.

 

That would be so insane if it happened. I don't think anyone in the entertainment industry has ever pulled anything like that off.

 

Is there some TV special/tribute in the works for Kaufman, regardless of it happens?

[Downhome 0]

This is a great "What if..." to discuss.

[Guest Choken One]

I don't know he would have been able to contain himself from going"HEY ITS ME ANDY!" when the movie came out.

 

He's fucking deader then dead.

 

If he was pulling a hoax...he's going to be disapointed when 4 people go "mmm' and the rest of the world goes "who gives a fuck?". I hope he enjoys his 2 minute fluff piece on Access Hollywood (provided they shorten the expose on Jennifer Aniston's new hairdo)

[JHawk 0]

I guess Zmuda's hosting a dinner in the event Kaufman shows up (there was an AP article on yahoo a couple of days ago, the link escapes me for the time being).

 

Do you think people will ask for their money back when they find out kaufman's actually dead?

[Nighthawk 0]

If he does come back, his first appearance should be walking out with a limp and making everyone sad. Then he appears to fall, does a front roll and hops to his feet, drawing cheers.

[The Amazing Rando 0]

I don't know he would have been able to contain himself from going"HEY ITS ME ANDY!" when the movie came out.

 

He's fucking deader then dead.

 

If he was pulling a hoax...he's going to be disapointed when 4 people go "mmm' and the rest of the world goes "who gives a fuck?". I hope he enjoys his 2 minute fluff piece on Access Hollywood (provided they shorten the expose on Jennifer Aniston's new hairdo)

Man... on the very slim chance that he IS hiding out somewhere... his return to the spotlight would get TONS of coverage. Andy's death is one of those hollywood legends like "is it true!? I have to know!" ...it's like Walt Disney being frozen. People can walk up to Disney's grave and say "so what?" ...

 

 

If he came back... people would definitely take notice. He's fucking Andy Kaufman.

 

 

I expect Marvin to echo said statements.

[Guest Arnold_OldSchool]

The Passion of Andy Kaufman

 

by Jennifer Godwin

May 14, 2004, 5:50 PM PT

 

 

 

It's only May, and it's already been a big year for resurrection in American pop culture: First Jim Caviezel as Jesus Christ, and now Andy Kaufman…as himself? Having promised to return from the grave on the 20th anniversary of his death, Kaufman is due back on the mortal coil on Sunday--and at 7:30 that evening his friends are throwing him a welcome-back party in Hollywood.

 

Bob Zmuda, screenwriter, comedian and Friend of Andy tells the LA Weekly that Kaufman first broached the idea of faking his own death back in 1980. "Andy said, 'You know if some celebrity really did this, do you know big it would be? How legendary it would be?' "

 

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

 

Zmuda's charity organization Comic Relief rolls out the red carpet at the House of Blues for Andy Kaufman: Dead or Alive?, which can only be described as a happening--sort of an event, sort of an performance and almost certainly a conga-thumping hootenanny. But there's no help-the-homeless angle here--the $250 VIP tickets are strictly for those who simply must be there when Kaufman rolls back into town.

 

Best known as Latka Gravas, the foreign man from no place in particular on TV's Taxi, Kaufman was one of the most eccentric comedic performance artists of the '70s and '80s. He impersonated Elvis and Mighty Mouse, created the character of venomous lounge singer Tony Clifton, wrestled women and took Carnegie Hall out for milk and cookies. Toward the end, while appearing to die from lung cancer at age 35, he mused aloud about the best gag of all--staging his own death and reappearing 20 years after the fact.

 

Zmuda, Lynne Marguiles (Andy's girlfriend) and George Shapiro (Andy's manager) are taking Kaufman at his word and throwing him a homecoming party. Should Kaufman choose to once again grace the Sunset Strip with his presence he'll be greeted by his friends and compatriots, his old band--Tony Clifton and the Cliftones and His Steamy Cliftonettes--and famous funny people galore, including Rodney Dangerfield, Caroline Rhea, Bob Odenkirk, Andy Dick, Paul Rudd and wrestling mogul Jerry Lawler.

 

"We're taking out hundreds of personal ads in newspapers across the country and abroad, reminding Andy of the date, and what he said," Zmuda tells the LA Weekly. "So, hopefully he'll see one of them."

 

Plans for the shindig include roasting Kaufman until he emerges from seclusion to defend his comedic honor (or not), a performance by the Cliftones and the world premiere of a never-before-seen Kaufman film, which is presumably not 1999's Milos Forman-directed Man on the Moon, which starred Jim Carrey as Kaufman, Paul Giamatti as Zmuda, Courtney Love as Marguiles and Danny DeVito as Shapiro.

 

There was no word as of press time about what miracles Kaufman might perform upon his return, or if he would be joined by post-life pals Elvis Presley and John Belushi

 

A limited number of tickets are available through the House of Blues Website (www.hob.com) and Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com); general seating is available for $99.95, standing room can be had for $50 a pop.

 

And, as R.E.M. once sang about a certain man on the moon, "See you in heaven if you make the list."

 

--------------

[Guest Nanks]

I wonder how many crank calls Zmuda will get this week from people pretending to be Andy. This is one of those stories you just desperately want to be true, and in this case it's one of those people who some small part of you believes could pull this off.

 

That gala dinner event will be super-fun for the first half, but as the night goes on the mood will die off so badly. Everyone will be really sad when they leave that night.

[Downhome 0]

I would hope people wouldn't be stupid enough to go into this thing actually believing that he's coming back.

[Guest Nanks]

They won't "believe" he'll be coming back. But it'll just be tucked away in the back of their minds, just due to the nature of Andy himself, that'll be enough just to have a lot of people leave the night with a tinge of disappointment

[Downhome 0]

That's true.

 

I'd love it just as much as the next guy if he "returned". I can't put into words what my reaction would be. To think that it wouldn't be not only top news in the Entertainment industry, but top news just about anywhere in the world, is just off to me.

 

I can just imagine the headlines.

[2GOLD 0]

He's dead of course, but if he is alive...that would be the greatest hoax in the history of the world.

 

To be able to stay hidden for 20 years, have people believe you are dead and then POOF...walk out of nowhere.

[Nighthawk 0]

Actually, it would be better for him to let them have their event, not return, then show up the day after. It would be funnier.

[Guest El Satanico]

Oh I'm sure Andy wouldn't show up for his dinner. Doing what's expected isn't Andy's style.

[Guest Choken One]

so is the gala thing going to be Them talking about Andy for a few hours or them sitting there eating Terikyi Chicken staring a bare stage waiting for a dead guy to show up.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Impossible for Andy Kaufman to stay hidden for 20 years. No way at least one person wouldn't leak information to the media.

 

How about this scenario? Tony Clifton comes out, but Bob Zmuda is in clear view. Seems like a good way to continue the great hoax. Something, I'm guessing Andy would of wanted to the hoax to continue.

[2GOLD 0]

Impossible for Andy Kaufman to stay hidden for 20 years. No way at least one person wouldn't leak information to the media.

 

How about this scenario? Tony Clifton comes out, but Bob Zmuda is in clear view. Seems like a good way to continue the great hoax. Something, I'm guessing Andy would of wanted to the hoax to continue.

 

Then everyone would assume it was Jim Carrey

[Guest Nanks]

Except that the age difference would make that fairly noticeable. Andy would be 55 now. They should get Carrey in to do some Andy acts anyway, just for a bit of fun.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

Cool, he died on my birthday.

 

...

[Slingshot Suplex 0]

Watch Andy be there in a different disguise. Like a waiter or something.

[Guest Choken One]

im convinced he had to make a cameo in Man on the Moon.

 

Not sure where though.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

When I first heard about this the first thing through my head was "I've got to go" but unfortunately I couldn't work it out.

 

As much as it would probably be a huge story and the like, it wouldn't exactly be shocking since most people figure he faked his death anyway.

 

Personally I don't expect him to show up, but I figure the event will probably be worth them somehow getting a DVD or something out of it.

 

And if by some miracle he does show up, I will beat myself over the head for not figuring a way to make it to the show.

[Mik 0]

If he faked his death and showed up at the banquet, everyone will go nuts and cheer and then the next morning he'll be arrested.

 

It is illegal to fake your own death, correct? That and he owes the government about 20 years worth of taxes.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

So that's who Booker T woke up.... and Judgment Day is on Sunday!

[Guest El Satanico]

I don't know if it's illegal to fake your death if you didn't gain anything illegally from doing so. If he had issues with money or law troubles before "dying", then he'd have some problems. He'd also have troubles if he's been making a living and hasn't paid taxes as his new identity.

[Ravenbomb 0]

maybe he payed them under a different name

[Guest Astro]

Its a credit to Andy's mystique that were even considering this whatsoever

[Guest El Satanico]

maybe he payed them under a different name

 

That's exactly what I said at the end.

 

Haysoos Christo...Pay fucking attention