“It’s Frank’s world,” Dean Martin once remarked about his Rat Pack pal Frank Sinatra. “We just live in it.” And although Ol’ Blue Eyes cashed in his chips at the “Big Casino” back in 1998, Dino’s words never seemed truer.
In 2001, it seems that the spirit of Sinatra is omnipresent-first and foremost in the much-trumpeted remake of the 1960 romp Ocean’s Eleven, complete with an all-star cast to rival the original’s.
That’s just scratching the surface: Capitol Records recently released two new CDs, Eee-O- Eleven: The Best of the Rat Pack and The Rat Pack: Live at the Sands. Mattel launched its first collectible Frank Sinatra doll, complete with a snap-brim fedora so swingin’ he’ll swipe Barbie away from that square Ken in the snap of a syncopated finger.
Celebrating Dec. 12, which would have been the singer’s 86th birthday and is officially Frank Sinatra Day in Las Vegas, Hollywood.com brings you the skinny on two recently discovered Sinatra gems: “It’s Time for You,” a forgotten song now being used in a star-studded ad campaign promoting Las Vegas tourism, and “Happy Holidays with Bing and Frank,” a long-lost TV Christmas special with fellow crooner Bing Crosby. Meanwhile, in today’s climate of renewed patriotism, we remember “The House I Live In,” an homage to America the singer recorded on–of all days–Sept. 11, 1945.
Sinatra’s daughter Tina points out that it seems there’s no sign of the public’s interest in her dad dropping off. “It’s like the world needs him more than ever,” she said. Hey, like Dino said, it’s his world. We just live in it.
