Tuesday, April 22, 2014

04/22 ROBERT WAGNER

Robert Wagner is one of the most popular and successful stars in the entertainment industry, boasting three hit series and an impressive list of both feature and television films. As a young man under contract to 20th Century Fox, Wagner was cast by Darryl F. Zanuck in "With a Song in My Heart." Although the part lasted a scant minute, his performance as a crippled soldier responding to the song of Susan Hayward brought immediate public reaction to the studio. Spencer Tracy saw him in "Beneath the Twelve Mile Reef" and requested Wagner for the role of his son in "Broken Lance." Tracy was so impressed with Wagner, he cast him as his brother again in "The Mountain." A small sample of his numerous film credits includes "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story," "The Pink Panther," "The Curse of the Pink Panther," "Midway," "The Towering Inferno," "Banning," "Harper," "Prince Valiant," "The True Story of Jesse James," and "All the Fine Young Cannibals." He recently re-created his role of "Number Two," the villainous henchman to Dr. Evil, the archenemy of Mike Myers' title character in "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me." Antonio Banderas also directed Wagner in "Crazy in Alabama." In 1998, the actor was in "Wild Things," starring Matt Dillon and Kevin Bacon.

On television, Wagner has starred on three long-running series, "It Takes a Thief," with Fred Astaire, "Switch," with Eddie Albert and Sharon Gless and "Hart to Hart," with Stefanie Powers. He was nominated for an Emmy for his role as Alexander Mundy in "It Takes a Thief". Since the end of the regular run of the series, the actor has produced eight "Hart to Hart" movies for both NBC and cable's Family Channel. He also starred with Jaclyn Smith in the top-rated miniseries "Windmills of the Gods," based on Sidney Sheldon's best-selling novel; with Angie Dickinson in the miniseries "Pearl"; with Audrey Hepburn in "Love among Thieves"; with Lesley Anne Down in "Indiscreet" and in "North and South III," with Joanne Woodward in "A Kiss Before Dying"; and with Elizabeth Taylor in "There Must Be a Pony," which he also executive-produced. Wagner was chosen by Sir Laurence Olivier to star with him in the television adaptation of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," in which he costarred with his wife, the late Natalie Wood. Wagner also teamed up with Sir Laurence Oliver in "This Gun for Hire," Danielle Steel's "Jewels" and "To Catch a King."

In addition to all his film and television ventures, Wagner has toured the world performing A.R. Gurney's "Love Letters", with Stefanie Powers, who were the first to launch the tour Internationally. Currently, Wagner performs "Love Letters" at charity events with his wife, actress Jill St. John.

Wagner enjoys golfing and spending time with his 3 daughters, Katie (Television Personality), Natasha (Actress) and Courtney (Artist).

The legendary actor and bestselling author of Pieces of My Heart offers a nostalgic look at Hollywood’s golden age!

With a career spanning more than five decades, few actors are more qualified to recount the glamorous Hollywood era of the late 1940s and early 1950s than Robert Wagner. You Must Remember This is Wagner’s ode to a bygone age, to its incomparable style and how it was displayed, and to its legendary stars.

Wagner revisits the houses, restaurants, and other haunts of Hollywood’s elite, offering an intimate view of their lives on and off screen. He fondly recounts mythic figures simply entertaining at home among friends, away from the publicity machine and public eye that morphed into today’s paparazzi culture. Wagner also discusses the business of Hollywood and its evolution from an industry once dominated by moguls to one run by agents, and examines the career arcs of his peers, carefully considering why some survived and others faded.

Engaging and entertaining, You Must Remember This is a window into the splendors of an erstwhile era and an opportunity for readers to live vicariously through one its most beloved leading men.

WWW.ROBERT-WAGNER.COM

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

04/15 Bill Medley, The Righteous Brothers

BILL MEDLEY – THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS - THE TIME OF MY LIFE 

Bill Medley's indelible baritone adorns some of the biggest hits of the twentieth century—"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration," "Rock and Roll Heaven"—and is prominent on the soundtrack of an entire generation. He and his musical partner, the late inimitable Bobby Hatfield, formed the Righteous Brothers in 1963 and forever changed the sound of popular music. The term "blue-eyed soul" was born.

After the Phil Spector-produced "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" hit #1 in 1964 and Bobby Hatfield's sweeping solo vocal turn on "Unchained Melody" enchanted millions, the Righteous Brothers found themselves in the thick of the musical and cultural changes sweeping the nation. They toured with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, became friends with Elvis Presley and the Beach Boys, and brought rhythm and blues to the largest cross-over audience it had reached to date.

The Time of My Life is an affecting and vivid memoir of those times and beyond, an unvarnished look at Bill Medley's personal triumphs and tragedies through the filter of five decades of musical, television, motion picture, and live-performance success. Medley opens his head and his heart, sharing his thoughts and feelings about the great African-American music that inspired him, his loving yet tumultuous and complicated relationship with Bobby Hatfield, the murder of his first wife Karen and his struggle to raise their son alone, his close friendship with Elvis and its sad ending, his deep depression over losing his voice (and how he got it back), his smash duet with Jennifer Warnes on "(I've Had) the Time of My Life" for the Dirty Dancingsoundtrack, and how he learned to settle down and become a family man and enjoy a nearly thirty-year (and counting) marriage.

But Medley's story isn't just about the #1 hits and the awards. It's the story of an immensely talented young guy who lived the rock star life and reached the pinnacle of fame, success, and excess, and how he was eventually able to renew his commitment to both his faith and his family.

WWW.BILLMEDLEY.COM

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

04/08 Robert Davi

While he is recognized as one of film’s best-known tough guys, Robert Davi has been winning the respect and admiration of fans, critics and fellow artists with his expressive singing. His Album, Davi Sings Sinatra: On The Road To Romance, produced by the legendary Phil Ramone, catapulted its way into Billboard magazine’s top ten (#6) traditional jazz chart.

While, Davi Sings Sinatra: On the Road to Romance and his dynamic livevperformances may have surprised some of his fans, Davi’s love of music and entertaining began at an early age. At 15, he won First Place in the prestigious New York State School Music Association Solo Competition. As a young adult, he studied under several top vocal teachers including the legendary Tito Gobbi, Dan Ferro of Juilliard, Samuel Margolis (who taught Robert Merrill) and most recently, renowned vocal coach Gary Catona.

In his latest film role, Davi adds to his movie legacy. He joins the most recent installment of the popular franchise “The Expendables 3,” (to be released later this year). From the memorable villain, Colombian drug lord Frank Sanchez, in the Bond film “License to Kill” (voted one of the top Bond villains of all time) to his stand-out performances in “The Goonies,” “Die Hard,” ”Kill the Irishman,” “The Iceman” and many other films to the respected series “Profiler” and ”Stargate: Atlantis,” Davi has appeared in over 100 movies and many television programs. He has garnered praise from critics, directors and co-stars, including Steven Spielberg, Richard Donner, Blake Edwards, John McTiernan, and Paul Verhoeven. He has acted opposite Marlon Brando, Roberto Benigni, Bruce Willis, Clint Eastwood, Benicio Del Toro, Danny Glover, Michael Shannon, Chris Evans, James Franco, and Val Kilmer, among others. GQ Magazine has compared him to silver screen classics Robert Mitchum and Lee Marvin. His tough exterior masks an inner sensitivity, which he has brought to his roles as a Palestinian terrorist in the award-winning TV movie, “Terrorist on Trial: The United States vs. Salim Ajami,” and in memorable appearances in “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” ”Without a Trace,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Criminal Minds” and many more.

In 2007, Davi produced, directed co-wrote and starred in “The Dukes,” the story of a successful Doo Wop group who falls on hard times. At the Monte Carlo Festival of Comedy, Davi was awarded Best First-Time Director and Best Screenplay for the film and he was the only first-time director in the Premiere Section of the International Rome Film Festival, with films by Sean Penn, Robert Redford, Sidney Lumet and Julie Taymor.

Hailing from Astoria, Queens, NY, Davi attended Hofstra University on a drama scholarship. He moved to Manhattan to study with legendary acting coach Stella Adler, who became his mentor. He subsequently became a lifetime member of the Actors Studio, studying with acting teacher Lee Strasberg and also studied under Sandra Seacat, Larry Moss, Milton Katselas, Martin Landau, Mala Powers, and George Shdanoff, the creative partner and collaborator with the influential Michael Chekhov. His first screen appearance was opposite Frank Sinatra in the telefilm, “Contract on Cherry Street.”

Besides working in music, film and television, and raising his five children, four dogs, and two cats, Davi is an active supporter of The Dream Foundation, Exceptional Children’s Foundation, Heart of a Child Foundation, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Youth Foundation, The Humane Society of the United States, Heart of a Horse, NIAF, The Order ’Sons of Italy’ in America (OSIA), and UNICO National. Since its inception in 1998, Davi has been the National Spokesperson for i-Safe America, which is regarded by many internet experts as the most complete internet safety program in the country and is available in grades K- 12 in all 50 U.S. states.

Davi has received numerous awards for career achievement and community involvement, including the George M. Estabrook Distinguished Service Award from the Hofstra University Alumni Association (past recipients include Francis Ford Coppola and William Safire). He has received the FBI’s Man of the Year Award in Los Angeles and was also named KNX radio’s “Citizen of the Week” for saving a young girl from a fire in her home. Other public service awards include the Sons of Italy’s Royal Court of the Golden Lion Award and the 2004 STEP Award (Science, Technology and Education Partnership), whose past recipients include Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 2007, Davi received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Italian Board of Governors in New York, and in 2008, he received the Italo-Americano Award from the Capri-Hollywood Festival. In 2011, Davi was awarded the ”Military Order of the Purple Heart” (MOPH) Special Recognition Award for dedication and service honoring America’s service members and veterans.


davisingssinatra.com

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

04/01 Tom Selleck, Blue Bloods, Magnum P.I.

It's a Magnum P.I. Reunion! Tom Selleck Joins the Show!

Thomas William "Tom" Selleck (born January 29, 1945) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as the private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series Magnum, P.I. (1980 to 1988), based in Hawaii. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on Robert B. Parker novels. Since 2010, he has appeared as NYPD Police Commissioner Frank Reagan in the drama Blue Bloods on CBS-TV.

Selleck has appeared in more than fifty film and television roles since his initial success with Magnum, P.I., including a co-starring role in the highest-grossing movie of 1987, Three Men and a Baby; Quigley Down Under; Mr. Baseball; and Lassiter, to name a few. Selleck has also appeared as Dr. Richard Burke on Friends, where he played the on-again, off-again love-interest of Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), and A.J. Cooper on Las Vegas.

Early life

Selleck was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Martha S. (née Jagger), a housewife, and Robert Dean Selleck (died 2001), who was an executive and real estate investor. His father was of English and distant German ancestry, and his mother was of English descent. Selleck's family moved to Sherman Oaks, California, during his childhood. Tom's siblings include brother Robert (born 1944), sister Martha (born 1953) and brother Daniel (born 1955). Selleck graduated from Grant High School, in 1962.

Along with modeling, Selleck attended the University of Southern California on a basketball scholarship where he played for the USC Trojans men's basketball team. He is a member of Sigma Chi fraternity and a member of the Trojan Knights. While he majored in business administration, a drama coach suggested Selleck try acting. He then studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, under Milton Katselas.

Selleck served as a soldier in the 160th Infantry Regiment of the California Army National Guard and his unit was activated for the Watts Riots in Los Angeles.

Career

Early work and Magnum P.I.

Selleck's first TV appearance was as a college senior on The Dating Game in 1965, and again in 1967. Soon after, he appeared in commercials for products such as Pepsi-Cola.

He began his career with bit parts in smaller movies, including Myra Breckinridge and The Seven Minutes. He also appeared in number of TV series, mini-series and TV movies. Selleck also had a recurring role in the 1970s as "too good to be true" private investigator Lance White in The Rockford Files. Lance was very trusting and always lucky, much to the annoyance of Jim Rockford, the show's star private eye played by James Garner. White would frequently say to Rockford, "Don't worry Jim, clues will turn up" and then a clue would just turn up, much to Rockford's consternation, for whom obtaining clues required hard work and hard knocks. Selleck's character was based on one played in Garner's earlier TV series Maverick (1957) by Wayde Preston in the episode "The Saga of Waco Williams".

Selleck, an accessible but relatively untested actor, spent years receiving little interest from the entertainment industry. His big break came when he was cast in the lead role as Thomas Magnum in Magnum, P.I.. The producers would not release the actor for other projects, so Selleck had to pass on the equally enticing film project for the role of Indiana Jones in "Raiders of the Lost Ark", which then went to rising star Harrison Ford. The choice between the roles of Indiana Jones and Magnum actually haunted Selleck so much that before making the decision, he consulted his best friend on what to do. Together they came to the conclusion taking the high road and honoring the first contract with Universal Studios was the career-savvy direction. It turned out shooting of the pilot for Magnum was delayed for over six months by a writers' strike, which would have enabled him to complete "Raiders".

Film

Selleck starred in the 1979 TV movie Concrete Cowboys with Jerry Reed. He starred in a number of film roles during and after Magnum; among the most notable were as an acrophobic police detective in Runaway; as a stand-in father in Three Men and a Baby; and as an American 19th century sharpshooter in the Australian western Quigley Down Under – a role and film that he considers one of his best. His other films include Three Men and a Little Lady; High Road to China; Lassiter; Coma; Her Alibi; An Innocent Man; Folks!; Christopher Columbus: The Discovery; Mr. Baseball; In & Out and The Love Letter.

Selleck is an avid outdoorsman, and a marksman and knowledgeable firearms collector. These interests led him to leading-man cowboy roles in Western films, starting with his role as cowboy and frontier marshal Orrin Sackett in the 1979 film The Sacketts, opposite Sam Elliott, Jeff Osterhage, and Western legendsGlenn Ford and Ben Johnson. He followed The Sacketts with The Shadow Riders in 1982, then portraying a cat burglar in 1930s London in Lassiter in 1984.Quigley Down Under is probably one of his best known Western films, however he also won a "Western Heritage Award" for his 1997 role in Last Stand at Sabre River. His last two cowboy roles to date were in the 2001 TNT movie Crossfire Trail (based on a Louis L'Amour novel of the same name), and the 2003 motion picture Monte Walsh.

He most recently appeared in the film Killers, along with Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher.

Television

Magnum P.I.

Selleck played the role of Thomas Magnum in 1980 after six failed TV pilots. Magnum was a former U.S. Navy Officer, a veteran of a special operations unit in the Vietnam War, who had resigned his commission with the Office of Naval Intelligence and become a private investigator living in Hawaii. The show would go on for eight seasons and 162 episodes until 1988, winning him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1984. Selleck was famous for his mustache, a Hawaiian-style aloha shirt, a Detroit Tigers baseball cap, and the Colt Model 1911A1 .45 ACP Caliber pistol his character carried. Magnum drove a Ferrari 308GTSi in the series. The model became so identified with the role that Ferrari fans now refer to the red-painted model as a "Magnum" Ferrari.
Selleck has confirmed that he is the most popular choice by fans to play the role of Magnum in the rumoured upcoming Magnum P.I. movie.
Friends

In the late nineties, Selleck played the role of Richard Burke, Monica's boyfriend, at the end of the second season of the hugely successful TV series Friends. Richard was a divorced ophthalmologist who was a friend of Monica's parents, and at first the relationship was hidden from her parents. The relationship eventually ended over Richard's reluctance to commit to raising a family, though Selleck did make a few extra appearances in later shows.

The Closer

In February 1998, Selleck accepted the lead role in a sitcom for CBS called The Closer. In it he played Jack McLaren, a legendary publicist heading up a brand new marketing firm. His costars included Ed Asner, David Krumholtz, and Penelope Ann Miller. Despite the high pedigree, and the expectations for his first series since Magnum, P. I., low ratings caused the show to be canceled after ten episodes.

Jesse Stone series

Since 2005, Selleck has starred in the role of transplanted lawman Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on Robert B. Parker's novels. To date, the series comprises eight films, with the most recent released on May 20, 2012. In addition to his portrayal of the films' protagonist, Selleck now also acts as producer for the series. The fifth film, Jesse Stone: Thin Ice, was not adapted from Parker's novels, but rather an original story by Selleck.

Las Vegas

He joined the cast of the NBC drama Las Vegas in the season-five premiere on September 28, 2007. He played A.J. Cooper, the new owner of the Montecito Casino. He replaced James Caanwho left the cast in the same episode. This was Selleck's first regular role on a drama show since he played Thomas Magnum on Magnum, P.I..

Blue Bloods

Blue Bloods is an American police procedural/drama series on CBS, filmed on location in New York City. Frank Reagan (Selleck) is the Police Commissioner; the series follows the Reagan family of police officers with the New York City Police Department. The show premiered on September 24, 2010.

Other work

Selleck has also appeared in a number of made-for-TV movies in recent years. In particular, he has sought to help bring back to popularity the western, often playing one of that genre's typical characters but thrust into a modern context.

Selleck was offered the lead role of Mitch Buchannon in Baywatch, but turned down the role because he did not want to be seen as a sex symbol. The role eventually went to David Hasselhoff.

Surprising many of his fans, Selleck unexpectedly played the role of General Dwight D. Eisenhower in A&E's 2004 made-for-TV movie Ike: Countdown to D-Day. The movie showed the planning, politics, and preparation for the 1944 Invasion of Normandy, and Selleck was critically lauded for playing a cool, calm Eisenhower.

Selleck appeared in a recurring role on the acclaimed ABC drama Boston Legal as Ivan Tiggs—the troubled ex-husband of Shirley Schmidt (Candice Bergen)—and as novelist Robert B. Parker's character Jesse Stone in several CBS made-for-TV movies, earning a 2007 Emmy nomination for Jesse Stone: Sea Change.

Broadway

In 2001, Selleck played the lead role of Murray in a Broadway revival of Herb Gardner's comedic play A Thousand Clowns. It ran for only two months. Critics, though far from uniformly negative about Selleck's performance, generally compared it unfavorably to that of Jason Robards, Jr., who won awards in the 1960s for playing the character on the stage and in a movie version. (It remains the role with which Robards is most identified.) Playwright Gardner, however, actually preferred Selleck to Robards in the part, and even said that Selleck was the way he had always envisioned Murray.

Commercials

Selleck did the voice-over for the 1993 AT&T advertising campaigns titled "You Will." These advertisements had a futuristic feel, and posed the question of, "What if you had the technology to ______ ? Well, you will ... and the company that will bring it to you? AT&T." As of December 30, 2007, he began doing commercial voice-overs for Florida orange juice, a move that one writer quipped would have a "magnum" impact on sales (referring to the actor's role in Magnum, P.I).] As of March 2012, Selleck is featured in Coldwell Banker's new television ad campaign focusing on the deepest, most personal meanings of homeownership.]

The Practical Guide to the Universe

In the mid-1990s, Selleck hosted a special series on TLC called The Practical Guide to the Universe, in which he talked about the stars, planets, galaxies, and other things in the universe.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

03/18 Larry and Nancy Manetti talk Entertainment, Hawaiian Travel and Food

This week on the Manetti Show...
Larry and Nancy are talkin Entertainment, 
Hawaiian Travel and Food!





Recipe of the Week:

RADICCHIO AND MUSHROOM RISOTTO


Radicchio
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. mixed mushrooms, cleaned and roughly chopped
1 head radicchio, roughly chopped
1 cup red wine
salt
4 cups stock or water
2 shallots or 2 medium white onions mined
2 cups Italian rice
1 cup white wine at room temperature
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup parmigiano cheese
pepper (optional)

In a frying pan heat up 1/2 of the olive oil and add mushrooms and cook until the moisture is released and evaporates. About 5 minutes. Add radicchio and cook a few minutes until it wilts. Add red wine, salt and cook until the wine evaporates. Set aside. 

Cook the rice and shallots by adding the stock or water slowly a little at a time with the onions. Give the rice a chance to absorb the liquid before adding more. Also add the whilte wine. When the rice is cooked add the mushrooms and radicchio and mix thoroughly. Let the risotto finish cooking so the flavors combine.

Remove from heat and add your butter and parmigiano and pepper.

Enjoy :) 



All this and more!
Be sure to 'Like' Larry on Facebook!
or send him an email to LManetti@crni.net

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

3/11 Deana Martin

Ms. Martin made her television debut in 1966, performing on her father's legendary television show, “The Dean Martin Show”. She soon became a frequent guest, taking part in both musical and comedy numbers with a wide array of guests including Frank Sinatra.

Having trained professionally as an actress at the Dartington College of Arts in the United Kingdom, Deana amassed an impressive array of theatrical credits, including the English productions of Romeo & Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet and A Taste of Honey.  She made her North American theatrical debut with George Hamilton in the critically acclaimed Neil Simon play The Star Spangled Girl, while later adding to her list of stage credits with appearances in Wait Until Dark,Six Rms Riv Vu, A Shot In the Dark and The Tunnel of Love.

Concurrent with her theatrical work, Ms. Martin was a Reprise Records recording artist. Her hit single, "Girl of the Month Club", was a radio favorite and a chart topper. In demand as a performer, Ms. Martin appeared on many of the top television shows including The Joey Bishop, Merv Griffin and Mike Douglas Shows. She also made a fabled appearance playing the dual roles of Daphne & William on a memorable episode of the popular series The Monkees entitled "Some Like it Lukewarm."

Ms. Martin was introduced to motion picture audiences in 1968's "Young Billy Young", a classic of the western genre, in which she co-starred with Robert Mitchum and Angie Dickinson. Her promising debut led to subsequent film lead roles in "Strangers At Sunrise" with George Montgomery and "A Voice In The Night" with Vito Scotti. In addition to her film and television work, Ms. Martin was a busy nightclub entertainer headlining at the nations top showrooms including Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas and the Whisky-A-Go-Go in Hollywood.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Ms. Martin channeled her enthusiasm for health and exercise into a successful fitness company -- Bodies by Deana. This lead to her top selling workout video, The Deana Martin Total Body Workout. She also stared in her own talk show, The Deana Martin Show, which ran for four seasons and over 40 episodes.
She currently entertains audiences internationally with her “Memories Are Made Of This” concert tour and also tours internationally with her best selling book “Memories Are Made Of This.”

Deana's desire to continue her fathers lifelong tradition of support for various children’s charitable causes has lead to her role as the driving force behind The Dean Martin Festival, a yearly event in her father’s hometown of Steubenville, Ohio. Proceeds from this event fund the Dean Martin Music Scholarships; awarded to worthy young people in the Steubenville area.

In 2003, Deana returned to television with a memorable musical performance with Jerry Lewis on the annual MDA Telethon.  Martin and Lewis were together again as Deana and Jerry performed a touching duet of Time After Time in honor of her father. Also that year she was invited to speak in Washington D.C. where her father, along with Sophia Loren and Robert DeNiro, where honored by the National Italian American Foundation. This event served as the launch of a new Dean Martin Music Scholarship.

In 2004 Deana broke new ground as an author with her best-selling memoirMemories Are Made of This: Dean Martin Through His Daughters Eye’s, published by Random House which became an instant best-seller in the US and subsequently attained No. 6 in the Australian best-seller list and reached to 10 in the UK best-seller list. Memories Are Made Of This continues be a best-selling book around the world.

2005 brought Deana back to the concert stage with her critically acclaimed national concert tour Deana Sings Dino. Also that year, Deana joined the Music of Your Life Radio Network, where she hosts the Deana Martin show, a daily nationally syndicated show.

In 2006 Deana began the “Memories Are Made of This” concert tour, in which she sings the fabulous hits of her father Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland, and many other of her father’s Pallies. She has performed from Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas to the legendary Paramount Theatre in New York, from the Coral Springs Center for the Arts in Florida to Harrahs in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Recently Deana was the special guest star, performing with Regis Philbin at the prestigious Grand Palace Theater, in Branson, Missouri. Their largest performance Art Theatre and in a reunion concert with Davy Jones of the Monkees at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois.

In 2007 Deana performed in over 200 concerts with Les Brown and His Band Of Renown.

In 2008 Deana is touring Domestically and Internationally. She has recently returned from a sold out concert tour with Les Brown Jr. and his Band Of Renown. From the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in Cerittos, CA to 5 shows at Benaroya Hall, in Seattle WA. to the Ford Theatre in Dearborn, MI. Deana is also turning Internationally, from London, England to Dubai in the UAE. Later this year she will be returning to England, as well as performing in Wales, Scotland, Spain and Italy.

A favorite of the media, Deana has been profiled on countless televisions shows both domestically and internationally such as, CBS Sunday Morning Show with Bill Geist, The BBC, The Today Show, Live With Regis and Kelly, The Tony Danza Show, Larry King Live, Entertainment Tonight, A&E Biography, CMT (Country Music Television), Sky Italia, all the BBC top rated shows including Big Breakfast and many BBC Documenteries including Bruce Forsyth On Vegas. She has been profiled in publications such as, Jazz Times, with a feature story in July 2008AOPA, one of the US’s top selling Aviation magazines, Family Tree magazine, a feature profile in 417 Magazine, Razor Magazine, and featured in one of the largest selling magazines in the world HELLO, as well as numerous newspapers and publications around the US and abroad including, England, Italy, Germany, Japan and Australia and being an accomplished pilot, Deana was also featured as a cover story for Twin Cessna Flyer.

Her debut album, “Memories Are Made of This,” was released August 2006, and has to date, remained on the top 10 charts for 40 consecutive weeks. Deana’s arrangements were written by the world-renowned arranger/conductor Charles Calello. Deana will continue her extensive concert tour throughout the US and abroad.

Today, Deana remains very busy hosting two top nationally syndicated radio shows. One on the largest adult contemporary radio network, “The Music Of Your Life Network”. Deana hosts a daily show with her husband John Griffeth that has over 120 million listeners domestically and 26 million listeners worldwide. On the XM Satellite Network, she hosts “The Strip” (as in Las Vegas). “The Strip” is one of XM’s top rated shows.

Deana Martin is an internationally acclaimed entertainer, performing to sold-out audiences worldwide. She is an accomplished actor, Top-10 recording artist, and daily nationally syndicated radio personality. In her best-selling book, "Memories Are Made Of This", Dean Martin Through His Daughters Eyes", Deana delights in sharing wonderful, never-before-told stories about her father and his "Pallies" known as the Rat Pack. Her book is soon to be made into a movie directed by actor Joe Mantegna and screen play written by actor/writer Bonnie Hunt. In 2009, Deana released her new hit CD "Volare", working with multi-Grammy Award-winner Al Schmitt at Capitol Records in Hollywood, California.

Deana and her husband John Griffeth divide their time between Beverly Hills, CA and Branson, MO.

www.deanamartin.com

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

3/4 Steve Lawrence

Born Stephen Leibowitz, 8 July 1935, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. The son of a cantor in a Brooklyn synagogue, Lawrence was in the Glee club at Thomas Jefferson High School, where he began studying piano, saxophone, composition and arranging. He made his recording debut for King Records at the age of 16. The record, "Mine And Mine Alone", based on "Softly Awakes My Heart" from Samson & Delilah, revealed an remarkably mature voice and style. Influenced by Frank Sinatra, but never merely a copyist, Lawrence's great range and warmth earned him a break on Steve Allen's Tonight television show, where he met, sang with and later married Eydie Gorme. He recorded for Coral Records and had his first hit in 1957 with "The Banana Boat Song". It was the infectious "Party Doll" which gave him a Top 5 hit in 1957 and he followed that same year with four further, although lesser successes, namely "Pum-Pa-Lum", "Can't Wait For Summer", "Fabulous" and "Fraulein". During his US Army service (1958-60) he sang with military bands on recruiting drives and bond rallies.

Back home he and Eydie embarked on a double act, their most memorable hit being "I Want To Stay Here" in 1963. As Steve And Eydie they made albums for CBS Records, ABC Records and United Artists Records, including Steve And Eydie At The Movies, Together On Broadway, We Got Us, Steve And Eydie Sing The Golden Hits and Our Love Is Here To Stay, the latter a double album of great George Gershwin songs, which was the soundtrack of a well-received television special. Lawrence, on his own, continued to have regular hits with "Portrait Of My Love" and "Go Away Little Girl" in 1961/2, and enjoyed critical success with albums such as Academy Award Losers and Portrait Of My Love. As an actor he starred on Broadway in What Makes Sammy Run?, took the lead in Pal Joey in summer stock, and has acted in a crime series on US television. During the 70s and 80s he continued to record and make television appearances with Gorme, with the couple gaining a record-breaking seven Emmys for their Steve And Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin special. The couple also joined Frank Sinatra on his Diamond Jubilee Tour in 1991.
www.steveandeydie.com