Eastside parents breathe easier: Daughter's role is mild on 'Wild'

Art Francis of Issaquah rarely watches the music video channels on television.

He certainly didn't want to look when his daughter, Amy Francis, called from Arizona, telling her parents to quick, turn on the television because she was on a music video channel in "Girls Gone Wild."

What parent would?

A video crew travels around the country, filming college coeds and other female volunteers in, shall we say, suggestive and often topless poses. The mostly naked scenes are sold on the video market, and only the tamer version makes television.

They were filming "Girls Gone Wild" at Arizona State University just before spring break, and Amy, a freshman, was front and center.

Amy's mother, Nancy, was braver. She turned on the television show.

In the end, Art could have looked. His daughter was in the wholesome version, fully dressed and wearing a "Girls Gone Wild" T-shirt and hat.

"I'm not sure I envisioned this kind of educational opportunity when Amy went to ASU," Art Francis said. "She's smart and is there on a partial scholarship. She knew enough not to go totally wild."

What a gas: Instead of just griping about the high price of gasoline, the folks at Jaguar Land Rover Bellevue decided to do something about it.

Buy a new Land Rover or Jag before March 31, and they'll buy your gas for the rest of the year.

"People like the idea," said Steve Woody, general manager. "Jaguar and Land Rover (companies) pay for scheduled service, and we pay for the gas."

The deal is limited to two tanks a month.

And how much do Jags and Land Rovers cost?

"Land Rovers range from the mid-20s ($20,000) to 70s," Woody said. "Jags from the low-30s to 80s."

Good wishes: Last fall I wrote about Redmond High School seniors Rachel Trotter, Michelle Leitch and Vivvi Pierce, who played fairy godmothers to needy teenagers in Yakima.

As a community-service project for their DECA marketing program, the three collected gently used formal dresses and accessories. Their Dresses for Divas program provided 151 party outfits.

"The coolest part of the drive was that we asked the girls who came to pick out a dress to bring a food item for the Yakima food bank," Trotter said. "They were so generous, we filled three minivans."

Leitch, Pierce and Trotter recently won a statewide DECA award for Dresses for Divas. That qualifies them for international competition in Orlando on April 25-30.

Now the three need their own fairy godmothers or godfathers.

It will cost them each $600 to travel to Florida. So far, they've raised nearly $300 of the $1,800 tab.

"We're doing our best to raise the money," Trotter said. "But it is hard."

Musical tradition: Last year it was the group of doctors known as the Code Blue Players. This year seven dads who go by the name of The Love Handles will be on the auction block at the Overlake Hospital Medical Center "Bandage Ball."

The band will provide entertainment for a private party.

"We like giving ourselves away," said Kevin Keeffe, Overlake's director of data resources. "We started when four of us had daughters in the same Seattle school. We called our band the Dads of the Fourth Grade Assumption of St. Bridget School."

Only problem, the band had to change names every year as the daughters progressed from grade to grade.

The group, which has grown to seven musicians, tried on a few names for size, rejecting Don't Tell Elvis and It Tastes Like Chicken, finally settling on Love Handles.

The band averages a gig at least once a month and practices weekly.

"We sometimes say we're the Fabulous Love Handles because it turns out there is an all-female Dutch heavy-metal band called Love Handles," said Keeffe, the lead guitarist and backup singer.

Other band members include Matt Lee, Ron Leichner, Jim Buttrick, Terry Rowe and Mark Hamby of Seattle. The lone Eastside musician is drummer Dave Levesque of Issaquah.

"We play danceable rock and roll," Keeffe said. "But we adhere to a U.N. veto process — any band member can kill a song."

The ball will be at Meydenbauer Convention Center on March 29.

Sherry Grindeland: 206-515-5633 or sgrindeland@seattletimes.com