2014 Marilyn Monroe Calendar

Thanks to Daniel for pointing out this great Marilyn calendar for 2014.  I love the Shaw and Greene photos but I've had my fill of them on calendars :)  Just tired of the same photos year after year.  So here is something a little different.

You can order this calendar through the Amazon link below.

 

MarilynGeek.com has been launched!

I am excited to announce the opening of my MarilynGeek.com website and the unveiling of my new logo.  Could she be any cuter?   Ever since I started using the MarilynGeek moniker I have been wanting some artwork that would show Marilyn with her Pola look.  It took a long time to find the artist who could bring my vision to life.  Thank you Brandon!!!

At this point MarilynGeek.com is just a landing page to direct fans to my social media pages but who knows what it will become over time.  I have re-branded my social media pages with the new artwork.  Hope you all like the new look of the blog :)

I love this artwork so much that I have also opened up a Zazzle store.  If you haven't heard of Zazzle it is a print-on-demand service like Cafepress (except with higher quality products).  I've included a photo of my new iphone casemate cover that I ordered from Zazzle.  I am thrilled with how it turned out!  If you are interested in getting your own MarilynGeek swag visit http://www.zazzle.com/pinupgeek. There is a sale this weekend with 15% off everything.

New Marilyn Monroe Tonner Doll - Shipboard Wedding

Tonner dolls has released yet another Marilyn doll.  I've already discussed the shortcomings of their Marilyn facial sculpt.  She lacks a great resemblance to Marilyn and they don't seem to really be changing up the hair at all.  However, they continue to WOW with the amazing attention to detail on the outfits.

This one features the wedding dress Marilyn wore in the double wedding aboard the ship at the end of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.  I have always loved this look and considered copying the dress for my wedding :)  I think this is one that I won't be able to pass up.

You can reserve her through the Tonner Doll website.  This time they are also making the outfit available for purchase separately if you already have a doll.

New Owners Hope To Make Sinatra's Old Lake Tahoe Resort A Big Hit

A Lake Tahoe resort once owned by Frank Sinatra and frequented by his Rat Pack buddies is about to undergo a major makeover.

The Cal Neva hotel-casino that straddles the California-Nevada line will close for more than a year beginning Monday to allow for the multimillion-dollar project.

The 219-room, 10-story hotel and 6,000-square-foot casino will be upgraded in an effort to revive the struggling property, said Robert Radovan, co-owner of Criswell-Radovan. His Napa Valley, Calif.-based development company acquired the Cal Neva in April.

"Our goal is to bring it back to its former glory and to make it what it was like in Sinatra's day," Radovan told The Associated Press. "It has such great soul and character, and it's needed this redo for many decades."

The property has fallen on hard times because of the double-whammy of the recession and competition from Las Vegas and Indian casinos. Its casino was forced to shut down in 2010 due to declining business.

During its heyday from 1960 to 1963, the Cal Neva was owned by Sinatra and became one of the most famous resorts in the country. It drew fellow Rat Packers Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford, and stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio and Juliet Prowse.

Monroe spent her final weekend at the Cal Neva before she died of a drug overdose in Los Angeles in August 1962. Five small cabins, including the one where she stayed that year, also will be renovated, Radovan said. The other cabins were used by Sinatra and friends.

Sinatra himself renovated the Cal Neva, adding the celebrity showroom and a helicopter pad on the roof. He used tunnels to shuffle mobsters and celebrities beneath the resort so they wouldn't be seen by the general public. The tunnels were built in the late 1920s so liquor could be smuggled in during Prohibition.

The showroom will be improved with modernized equipment, painting and new carpets, Radovan said, and the tunnels will be preserved. Public tours of the cabins and tunnels will resume after the project is completed. Bigger plans are in store for the showroom.

"The acoustics in that place are amazing. The modernized equipment will allow for high-end concerts," Radovan said, adding the room where Sinatra, Martin and Davis once performed will continue to be named after Sinatra.

Owners hope to make the hotel a 4-plus-star resort instead of a 1-star by upgrading rooms with modern amenities, larger bathrooms and bigger windows offering Lake Tahoe views, he said. Plans call for the redesigned casino to reopen with blackjack and other table games.

Radovan declined to provide a cost estimate for the project, but acknowledged it'll cost a "pretty penny."

"There will be an elegant, clean, post-modern feel to it after we're done," he said. "You don't want to lose the history of the Frank Sinatra era and eras before it. But you have to ... bring it back to where it's a modernized version of what it was in the heyday."

Owners hope to reopen the Cal Neva on Dec. 12, 2014, which would have been Sinatra's 99th birthday. He died in 1998.

Sinatra's gambling license was stripped in 1963 by Nevada gambling regulators after Chicago mobster Sam Giancana was spotted on the premises.

The Cal Neva is one of Nevada's first legal casinos. The present resort was built in 1937, when a fire destroyed the original lodge that had opened in 1926.  - The Associated Press

Jasper Remembers Marilyn

The Jasper Museum in Alberta, Canada is hosting an exhibit featuring photographs and memories of residents who remember when Marilyn came to town to film "River of No Return" in the summer of 1953.  The exhibit runs until September 22, 2013.

For those of us unable to see it in person the gift shop is selling a booklet about the exhibit.  It features some rare candids I have never seen before.  The stories are fun to read - although I wish there was more content.  It is a small book so please keep that in mind if you are thinking of ordering it.  I think it is worth it for the cover alone.  Just fantastic.

The book can be purchased directly from the museum for $9.95 Cdn plus shipping.

http://www.jaspermuseum.org/giftshop.html

Any #MarilynMonroe Collectors in Ontario Canada?

I have some books, puzzles, framed records, posters, and rare prints that I am looking to part with.  Time to clean out my closet and let some other Marilyn fans enjoy it.  No sense in holding on to it forever in boxes :)

My stipulation is that I am not interested in shipping these items - some are too big and fragile to ship.  I am looking for Marilyn fans who are able to travel to the Kitchener-Waterloo area in Ontario for pick up only. 

If you are interested send an email to marilynfan@gmail.com and I will send you the list and photos.

Thanks ever so!

51st Annual #MarilynMonroe Memorial Service

Monday, August 5 

• 11:00 AM:  The 2013 Marilyn Monroe Memorial Service at Westwood Memorial Park, arranged by the Marilyn Remembered Fan Club.  A reception following the memorial service will be held at the home of Greg Schreiner:  1237 Carmona Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90019.  Lunch will be served.  

Marilyn Remembered gratefully acknowledges Heritage Auctions and The Hollywood Museum for sponsoring this year's memorial service and reception.