Tuesday, April 26, 2016

04/26 ACTOR TOM SCHANLEY STARS AS ANTHONY FLANDERS ON NCIS: NEW ORLEANS

On May 3, 2016, Actor Tom Schanley (NCIS: LA, Graceland, Hawaii Five-O) stars as Anthony Flanders on NCIS: New Orleans. He'll stir things up for the gang in NOLA for sure. Miscellaneous other talking points: Tom's recent role on USA's GRACELAND, his career as an actor (spanning over 30 years, and involving icons like Denzel Washington, Julia Roberts, Ed Zwick and more), his stories of working with Heather Locklear on Dynasty, playing the son of the Six Million Dollar Man, as crew member "Greer" in the Star Trek franchise, and much more.

ABOUT TOM SCHANLEY:
Tom Schanley is an American actor best known for his roles as the drug dealer, Ricky on "Dexter," the self sacrificing Evan Abby on "Criminal Minds" as well as his memorable guest-starring roles in "NCIS: Los Angeles," "Hawaii Five-O," "Castle," "CSI:NY," "CSI: Miami," "Without a Trace" and many more.

He recently starred as Cash Windgate in the USA Network series "Graceland" (2015), as Gabe Stanfill in "NCIS: LA" (CBS), as Captain James McNabb in the upcoming western "Hot Bath An' a Stiff Drink 2" (2017), with costars Robert Patrick, Alison Eastwood, and Frankie Muniz. He can also be seen as Evan Rachel Woods' father in the romantic comedy "10 Things I Hate About Life". No stranger to the other side of the law, Tom recently guest starred as the killer Hinze in "Hawaii Five-0", a hit-man chasing down Mel Gibson and stolen money in "Get the Gringo" and an ICE officer in the Chris Weitz (Twilight Saga) Oscar buzz film "A Better Life."

On stage, Schanley recently starred as Brick in Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" at the Center Stage Theatre in Santa Barbara, CA. His performance received rave reviews: Schanley radiates broken strength and raw psychic pain. His physical characterization requires both athleticism and restraint, and, by the time he has fixed his 10th or 12th bourbon neat, the audience acutely feels the deep compulsion behind his drinking and depression.  (Santa Barbara Independent).  He also starred as Marc Antony in the ground breaking LA Shakespeare Festival production of "Julius Caesar".

Tom's other notable credits include working with academy Award winning director Ed Zwick and Denzel Washington in "Courage Under Fire," as well as Julia Roberts in "Conspiracy Theory," among others.

He is also an exceptionally talented writer and producer of the independent film "The Hard Easy" with Vera Farmiga, David Boreanaz, Bruce Dern & Peter Weller.

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

04/19 Robin Leach Joins the Show!

Robin Douglas Leach (born 29 August 1941) is an English-born American entertainment celebrity reporter writer famous for hosting his first show,Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, in the mid-1980s and into the mid-1990s, which focused on profiling well-known celebrities and their lavish homes, cars and other materialistic endeavors. His voice is often parodied by other actors with his signature phrase, "champagne wishes and caviar dreams." During the final season, he was assisted by Shari Belafonte, and the show was renamed, Lifestyles with Robin Leach and Shari Belafonte. Leach resides in Las Vegas.

During grammar school at Harrow County School for Boys, 10 miles (16 km) from London, he edited a school magazine, The Gayton Times, at age 14. At age 15 he became a general news reporter for the Harrow Observer and started a monthly glossy town magazine at age 17.

Leach moved on to the Daily Mail as Britain's youngest "Page One" reporter, at age 18. In 1963, he emigrated to America and wrote for a number of publications (New York Daily News, People, Ladies Home Journal etc.) before launching GO Magazine and then was show business editor of The Star.
Other television work includes reporting for People Tonight, on CNN and Entertainment Tonight and helping start Good Morning Australia, as well as the Food Network. Leach was also a guest at World Wrestling Entertainment's WrestleMania IV, where he read the rules for the championship tournament. In 1993, for the Fox network, Leach hosted an exposé documentary of Madonna titled "Madonna Xposed." The documentary was a biography of Madonna focusing on her career and publicity stunts. Before the documentary aired, he gave Madonna a cell phone number; he claimed that at any point during the airing Madonna could call Leach and argue any point. Madonna never called and the documentary continued without incident. He also hosted Lifestyles spinoff Fame, Fortune & Romance, along with future Today Show host Matt Lauer.

Leach hosted The Surreal Life: Fame Games on VH1 in 2007. He also served as the public address announcer for the 2010NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

As of 2008 he resides in Las Vegas and writes the daily VegasDeluxe.com Web site.

Leach appeared in the documentary film Maxed Out in 2006, which chronicled the rise of the credit card industry in the U.S. along with increased personal debt among working class people and criticized that industry's practices. Leach remarks, "Nobody would watch Lifestyles of the Poor and Unknown". The comment was highlighted by a review in the Baltimore Sun.

www.youtube.com/luxevegas  
 www.twitter.com/robin_leach 
www.lasvegassun.com/vegasdeluxe    


Tuesday, April 12, 2016

04/12 BOBBY FLAY, BRUNCH @ BOBBY’S, JOE PISTONE, DONNIE BRASCO

CELEBRITY CHEF, RESTAURATEUR AND BESTSELLING AUTHOR BOBBY TALKS ABOUT HIS NEWLY RELEASED COOKBOOK BRUNCH @ BOBBY’S

BRUNCH @ BOBBY’S - 140 RECIPES FOR THE BEST PART OF THE WEEKEND

Bestselling author and Food Network star Bobby Flay may be best known for his skills at the grill, but brunch is his favorite meal of the day. In BRUNCH @ BOBBY’s: 140 Recipes for the Best Part of the Weekend (Clarkson Potter; On Sale: September 29th, 2015), Bobby includes 140 recipes for his all-time favorite breakfasts starting with the lip-smacking cocktails we have come to expect from Bobby—along with spiked and virgin, hot and iced coffees and teas. He then works his way through eggs, pancakes, waffles, and french toast (including flavored syrups and spreads), pastries (a first for Bobby), breads, salads and sandwiches and side dishes all in signature fashion.

Eggs Benedict head to the Gulf Coast for an upgrade, served atop homemade johnnycakes and crab cakes with Old Bay hollandaise sauce. Pancakes get a double dose of chocolate before being drowned in salted caramel sauce. English popovers come stateside when made with cracked black pepper and Vermont cheddar. And salmon definitely benefits from a bright and crunchy Brussels sprout-apple slaw. So pull up a seat at the table and enjoy a Sangria Sunrise, Carrot Cake Pancakes with Maple-Cream Cheese Drizzle, Sautéed Bitter Greens Omelets, and Wild Mushrooms-Yukon Gold Hash.  This is how Bobby does brunch.

BOBBY FLAY, a New York Times bestselling author, is the chef-owner of six fine-dining restaurants, including Gato, Bar Americain, Mesa Grill, and Bobby Flay’s Steak, and an expanding roster of Bobby’s Burger Palaces. He is the host of numerous popular cooking shows on Food Network—from the Emmy-winning Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction to the Iron Chef America series, Throwdown! With Bobby Flay, and Food Network Star—as well as Brunch@Bobby’s on Cooking Channel.

BOBBYFLAY.COM


JOE PISTONE – DONNIE BRASCO WAS THE ALIAS OF JOSEPH PISTONE, AN UNDERCOVER FBI AGENT THAT INFILTRATED THE BONANNO CRIME FAMILY

Joseph Dominick Pistone, alias Donnie Brasco, (born September 17, 1939), is a former FBI agent who worked undercover for six years infiltrating the Bonanno crime family and to a lesser extent the Colombo crime family, two of the Five Families of the Mafia in New York City. Pistone was an FBI agent for 27 years and is considered to be one of the greatest FBI agents.

Pistone was a pioneer for deep long-term undercover work. The FBI's former director, J. Edgar Hoover, who died in 1972, did not want FBI agents to work undercover, because of the danger of the agents becoming corrupted. But Pistone's work later helped convince the FBI that using undercover agents in lieu of relying exclusively on informants was a crucial tool in law enforcement.

Biography
Pistone was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Paterson, New Jersey. He graduated from Paterson State College (now William Paterson University) with a B.A. in elementary education social studies in 1965, then worked as a teacher for one year before taking a position at the Office of Naval Intelligence. Pistone joined the FBI in 1969; after serving in a variety of roles, he was transferred to New York in 1974 and assigned to the truck hijacking squad.

His ability to drive 18-wheel trucks and bulldozers led to his being chosen for what would become his first undercover operation, infiltrating a gang stealing heavy vehicles and equipment. His penetration of the group in February 1976 led to the arrest of over 30 people along the Eastern Seaboard - described at the time as one of the largest and most profitable theft rings ever broken in America. The name Donald ("Donnie") Brasco was chosen to be Pistone's alias.
Operation Donnie Brasco (1976–1981)

Pistone was selected to be an undercover agent because he was of Sicilian heritage, fluent in Italian and acquainted with the mob from growing up in New Jersey. He also said that he did not perspire under pressure and was aware of the Mafia's codes of conduct and system. The operation was given the code name "Sun-Apple" after the locations of its two simultaneous operations: Miami ("Sunny Miami") and New York ("The Big Apple"). After extensive preparation including FBI gemology classes and again using the alias Donnie Brasco, he went undercover as an expert jewel thief.
In September 1976, Pistone walked out of the FBI office and did not return for the next six years. The FBI erased Pistone's history. Officially, he never existed; and anyone who called asking for him would be told that no one by that name was employed there. His co-workers, friends, and informants had no idea what had happened to him. Pistone stated that it was not the original aim to penetrate the Mafia; rather, the focus was to be on a group of people fencing stolen property from the large number of truck hijackings taking place each day in New York (five to six a day). It was intended that the undercover operation last for around six months.

An FBI surveillance photograph of Donnie Brasco, Benjamin "Lefty" Ruggieroand Tony Rossi. Original notations by Joseph D. Pistone, made during the filming of Rossella Biscotti's 2008 film The Undercover Man.

At the same time that Pistone was investigating the Bonanno crime family, Bob Delaney of theNew Jersey State Police, under the assumed names of "Bobby Covert" and "Bobby Smash", began investigating the New Jersey organized crime scene. During the investigation, he maintained an open association with the crime families who would alleviate their business pressures from the unions for a price. The two met through Colombo crime family caporegimeNicholas Forlano, although at the time neither man knew that the other was working undercover.

Pistone became an associate in Jilly Greca's crew from the Colombo family. Greca's crew was involved mostly in hijacking trucks and selling the stolen merchandise. Because only a few people knew Pistone's real identity, FBI and NYPD investigations had Pistone down as an actual Mafia associate called Don Brasco. He later moved to the Bonanno family and subsequently developed a close relationship with Anthony Mirra and Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano, and was tutored in the ways of the wise guy by Bonanno soldier Benjamin "Lefty Guns" Ruggiero. It was by doing this that Ruggiero inadvertently provided much evidence to Pistone, as Mafia members will not normally talk to non-members about the inner workings of the Mafia. Ruggiero became very close friends with Pistone and told him that he would "die with him".

Pistone was responsible for a lucrative business venture in Holiday, Florida, when he opened and operated the King's Court Bottle Club. In Florida, Pistone worked with another FBI agent working undercover as Tony Rossi. Pistone stated that he would have become a mademember of the Bonanno family if he had murdered capo Philip Giaccone in December 1981. The hit was called off, but Pistone was later contracted to murder Alphonse "Sonny Red" Indelicato's son, Anthony "Bruno" Indelicato, who previously evaded a meeting which left Indelicato, Giaccone and Dominick Trinchera dead.

After Pistone had spent six years undercover, he was ordered to end his operation. He wanted to continue at least until he became amade man; he believed Napolitano would lie about him "making his bones," participating in a mafia-ordered hit to prove his loyalty, and felt the FBI would never again have the opportunity to humiliate the Mafia by revealing that an agent had been inducted into the ranks. However, Pistone's superiors decided that the operation was becoming too dangerous and set an end date of July 26, 1981. Only after Pistone departed did FBI agents Doug Fencl, Jim Kinne, and Jerry Loar inform Napolitano and Ruggiero that their longtime associate was an FBI agent.

Aftermath
Shortly thereafter, Napolitano was murdered for having allowed an FBI agent to infiltrate the family; he was shot dead and his hands were cut off.  Anthony Mirra, who initially brought Donnie Brasco to the family, was also killed. Ruggiero was to be killed as well, but was arrested by the FBI while on his way to a meeting, in order to prevent his death.  Napolitano's girlfriend Judy later contacted Pistone and told him, "Donnie, I always knew that you weren't cut out for that world because you carried yourself different, you had an air of intelligence, you know? I knew that you were much more than just a thief. You were a good friend to Sonny and me. Sonny didn't have any ill feelings toward you." Even after finding out that Pistone was an undercover agent, Napolitano expressed no ill will, even saying, "I really loved that kid."

The Mafia put out a $500,000 open contract on Pistone and kicked the Bonanno family off the Commission. FBI agents visited Mafia bosses in New York and told them not to even bother with the contract. The evidence collected by Pistone led to over 200 indictments and over 100 convictions of Mafia members. Although the infiltration of Donnie Brasco nearly destroyed the Bonanno family, it later became a blessing in disguise for the family. When the Mafia Commission Trial saw the top leadership of the Five Families sent to prison, the Bonanno family was the only major family whose leadership was not decimated because the family had been kicked off the Commission. By dodging this bullet, the family kept its leadership intact and was able to consolidate its power once again. The boss who led that resurgence, Joseph Massino, was convicted in 2004 of ordering Napolitano to be killed for allowing Pistone into the family.

Pistone still travels disguised, under assumed names and with a license to carry a firearm. He will not set foot in any location with high Mafia presence. However, in the book Unfinished Business, he said that he went to New York while working as a consultant on the movie Donnie Brasco and mentions that some people recognized him. Pistone continues to be active as an author and consultant to worldwide law enforcement agencies, including Scotland Yard, and has been called to testify before the United States Senate as an expert on organized crime.

In September 2012, Pistone testified in Montreal, Quebec at the Charbonneau Commission public inquiry into corruption, as an expert witness.

Media
Pistone detailed his undercover experience in his 1988 book Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia. The book was the basis for the critically acclaimed 1997 film Donnie Brasco, starring Johnny Depp as Pistone and Al Pacino as "Lefty" Ruggiero, and for the short-lived 2000 TV series Falcone, starring Jason Gedrick as Pistone (whose mob alias was changed from "Donnie Brasco" to "Joe Falcone" for copyright reasons). Pistone was a consultant on Donnie Brasco to add authenticity to the fictionalized portrayals and settings. His life was used in an episode of FBI: The Untold Stories.

Pistone revisited his experiences as Donnie Brasco in his books The Way of the Wiseguy (2004) and Donnie Brasco: Unfinished Business(2007). Pistone wrote a novel titled, The Good Guys, with Joseph Bonanno's son, Salvatore "Bill" Bonanno. He has also written several works of fiction such as Deep Cover, Mobbed Up and Snake Eyes. He has served as an executive producer on movies relating to the Mafia, including the 2006 film 10th & Wolf. In 2008, Italian artist Rossella Biscotti interviewed Pistone in her video The Undercover Man. A play based on Donnie Brasco opened at the Pennsylvania Playhouse.

Pistone is featured in the eighth episode of UK history TV channel Yesterday's documentary series Mafia's Greatest Hits. A Secrets of the Dead episode, "Gangland Graveyard," features Pistone and his infiltration of the Mafia as part of the long-running investigation into the murder of three Mafia captains by Massino.

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

04/05 ERIC BRAEDEN, EMMY AWARD-WINNING AND INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED FILM AND TELEVISION ACTOR

Emmy Award-winning and internationally acclaimed film and television actor ERIC BRAEDEN is a television icon and arguably the most popular character in daytime history.  For over 36 plus years, he has portrayed “Victor Newman” on the #1 rated daytime drama series The Young and the Restless, which has over 120,000,000 daily viewers around the world.  The show is syndicated in over 30 foreign countries including Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, the Middle East, New Zealand, Romania, Slovenia, South Africa, Switzerland and Turkey.

Additionally, Braeden has one of the highest TVQ’s on television, according to A.C. Nielsen, and is one of the most recognized actors in the world.  On July 20 2007, Braeden was the recipient of a Star on The Hollywood Walk Of Fame and become the first German born actor since Marlene Dietrich to receive such an honor.

In 2008, Braeden executive produced and starred in the Lionsgate feature film The Man Who Came Back, a western set in the 1870’s against one of the worst labor strikes in American History and starred opposite Billy Zane, Armand Assante, George Kennedy, Sean Young, Carol Alt, Jennifer O’Dell, Peter Jason and James Patrick Stuart.

This year marks Braeden’s 51st  year in film and television, where he has starred with such luminaries as Marlon Brando, Bette Davis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Geraldine Page, Burt Reynolds, Dennis Hopper, James Earl Jones, Curt Jurgens, Raquel Welch, Tyne Daly, James Arness, Mary Tyler Moore, Dennis Weaver and Jack Lord among others..

Braeden has also appeared in over 120 television series and feature films.  He starred as Captain Hans Dietrich in the classic ABC primetime series, The Rat Patrol.

Braeden also starred as Charles Forbin in the science fiction classic, Colossus: The Forbin Project, directed by Joe Sargent; and he portrayed John Jacob Astor in James Cameron’s epic Academy Award winner, Titanic.

Braeden’s other credits include starring in 100 Rifles, Morituri, Escape From the Planet Of The Apes, Operation Eichmann, The Ultimate Chase, The Ultimate Thrill, Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo, Meet The Deedles Dayton’s Devils and many others.

Braeden’s numerous primetime series credits include guest-starring on the CBS series How I Met Your Mother as the father of actress Cobie Smulders as well as the telefilms Jackie Collins’ Lady Ice, Lucky Chances, The Judge And Jake Wyler, How The West Was Won and Perry Mason: The Case Of The Wicked Wives.

In addition, he has guest-starred on such shows as Gunsmoke, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Combat, Diagnosis Murder, The Nanny, Mission Impossible, McCloud, The Night Stalker, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Vegas,, The Six Million Dollar Man, Hawaii 5-0,  Perry Mason, Mannix, Murder She Wrote, Matt Helm and The Gallant Men.

Braeden was born Hans Gudegast in Kiel, Germany, a port city near the Baltic Sea.  In 1958, he won the German Youth Team Championship in Discus, Javelin and Shot put. In 1959, Braeden immigrated to the United States, working in the University of Texas medical school lab before moving to Missoula, Montana where he received a track and field scholarship at The University of Montana. He went on to conquer the River of No Return (aka The Salmon River) in Idaho and made a documentary of his journey prior to moving to Los Angeles.

In 1972-73 he won the U.S. National Soccer Championship for the Los Angeles Maccabees and, in 1989, Braeden was chosen as the only actor on the newly formed German American Advisory Board. The illustrious group has included Dr. Henry Kissinger, Katherine Graham, Alexander Haig, Steffi Graff and Paul Volcker.

In 1995, Braeden received the highest honor in Italian Television from Prime Minister Berlusconi and in 1998 was honored at the 38th Annual Monte Carlo TV Festival.

In 1998, Braeden received The People’s Choice Award as Favorite Actor in a Daytime Drama Series and in 1998 was the recipient of an Emmy Award as Outstanding Actor In A Daytime Drama Series.
In 2004, Braeden joined Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at the Annual Tourism Conference in Israel and the following year he joined Ariel Sharon, Elie Weisel and the Prime Ministers of Poland and Hungary at Auschwitz for “The March Of The Living” along with 20,0000 Christian and Jews.
Braeden has twice received the Federal Medal Of Honor by the President of Germany for his contributions to German American Relations.

In May 2007, Braeden was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the nationally renowned organization The Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters Association in Los Angeles. Braeden was also the recipient of The 2007 Ellis Island Federal Medal Of Honor.

In September 2008, Braeden was honored by the City Of Hamburg and the Senate of Germany for his humanitarian contributions.

During Braeden’s free time, he is an avid sportsman and plays in celebrity tennis tournaments around the world, while continuing to play soccer.  He also does Olympic weight lifting.

He resides in Los Angeles, and has been married for over 40 years to Dale Gudegast and has a son, Christian Gudegast, who is a screenwriter and director.