Interview: “Dice Man” to Perform at NYCB Theatre in Westbury Long Island, Friday January 30, 2015

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LONG ISLAND, NY – America’s most controversial and outrageous comic, Andrew Dice Clay, or to many of his adoring fans the ‘Dice Man’ will be performing at the NYCB Theatre in Westbury on Friday January 30, 2015 at 8:00 PM.

Last year the Dice Man published “The Filty Truth,” a story of his rise to fame. His story is written by David Ritz. In this unapologetic and uncensored autobiography, Andrew Dice Clay, is roaring to set the record straight. Below is an interview with the irreverent comic:

AndrewDiceClay1 Andrew Dice Clay, will be performing at the NYCB Theatre in Westbury on Friday January 30, 2015. Photo Courtesy, ‘Dice’.

Born in Brooklyn, NY what encouraged you to become a comic?

Dice: I never intended to be a comedian. I wanted to be a drummer first – I wanted to be like Buddy Rich. Then I started doing the impressions and next thing you know I am a comedian.

The man that we see on the stage telling jokes, is that the same man at home with his wife and kids?

Dice: I’ve always said that if I did half the things I talk about on stage at home, I’d be looking at 25 years to life. The Dice Man is character – the only thing we have in common is that we are both from Brooklyn.

Your whole act is politically incorrect. Does it ever worry you the consequence of something you might say could cause a law suit?

Dice: F*#K THAT! I am a comic, what are they are going to sue me for? Being F#@king Hilarious and a Little Fithy?

Explain to my audience about this performance that will be at NYCB Theatre in Westbury on Friday, January 30th.What will we see?

Dice: The audience can expect one of the funniest comedy shows that they have ever seen. It’s filthy, vulgar, graphic but first and foremost Funny! And if you’re over 18, you won’t find it offensive at all, because I talk about the same things everybody else does but won’t admit.

I understand you recently had your autobiography THE FILTHY TRUTH published. What inspired you to tell the story of your life?

Dice: I had offers to tell my story years ago, but it never felt right. I had not lived enough life to tell my story if you know what I mean. I think after the Woody Allen resurgence the timing felt just right.

How long did it take for the story the get published start to finish?

Dice: That’s hard to say cause I wrote a lot of the book years ago when offers started to come in. But the finished book I have to say about 2-and-a-half years.

Where can go to find out more information about your tour dates and anything we need to know about the Dice man?

Dice: You can go to www.andrewdiceclayofficial.com or Twitter @TheRealDiceClay.

Tickets to the show on Friday January 30, 2015 at 8:00 PM can be ordered at http://venue.thetheatreatwestbury.com

“Two Tickets To Paradise” Premiers at The Madison Theatre Starring Legendary Rocker Eddie Money

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LONG ISLAND, NY – Long Islanders are in for a real treat. This Friday, January 16th 2015 “Two Tickets To Paradise” will be premiering at the Madison Theater at Molloy College. Directed by Long Island’s own John Blenn is an original play based on Legendary Rocker Eddie Money’s true life story. It follows Eddie Money and his working class family on their journey together as Eddie rebels against them in order to fulfill his dream of becoming a rock star.

The play features seven new recordings as well as many of Eddie’s smash hits. Through his original songs and classic hits, Eddie portrays excitement, fear and finally freedom. I had a chance to chat with the cast this past weekend including the original rock star himself Eddie Money.

My first interview was with Actor Matthew Burns who play a young Eddie Money.

burns Actor Matthew Burns who plays a young Eddie Money with TV Host and Entertainment Journalist Cognac Wellerlane.

TV Host and Entertainment Journalist Cognac Wellerlane interviews Actor Matthew Burns and Actress Helen Proimos who are both starring in “Two Tickets to Paradise” about the life of Legendary Rocker Eddie Money at the Madison Theater at Molloy College on beginning January 16th through the 25th.

I am here with young Matthew and he is going to tell my audience what this musical production is really all about.

Matt: Hi Cognac it is a pleasure to meet you, “Two Tickets to Paradise” is the musical adaption of the life of Eddie Money. The play talks about his beginnings. Coming from and born and raised in New York, Long Island and then making the move to California at the height of the 1960’s, “1969 Summer of Love,” his beginnings from there trying to create his career. He talks about the origin of a lot of his songs especially “Two Tickets to Paradise.”

Yes one of his very famous numbers that he received critical acclaim. It is a wonderful song.

Matthew: My favorite actually, a lot of people’s favorite.

That’s not my favorite. I like “Take Me Home Tonight,” I love that song. That’s my favorite song. I want to get more into you as an actor. Tell my audience how you found out about this particular role.

Matthew: Well that goes back to actually my college years. When I went to Five Towns College over in the Dix Hills area, when I was there that was the first time “Two Tickets to Paradise” was going to be shown. That was back in 2009. I was there present at the time. I wasn’t in the show then. I was good friends and he was also my teacher, John Blenn.

Oh the director!

Matt: The director, yes he worked there as well and I knew him very well and then what happened that show in 2009 came and went and

So they were kind of testing it out already.

Matt: Right, right, they were testing it out and it went very well and then what happened was I kept in touch with John over the years. Basically when I talked to him a couple of months back he was telling me about the show. He said “Do you want to come down to the audition?” and I said “Absolutely.” So basically that is how it went. So I went and did my best and here I am.

And here you are. Was the audition process difficult? Did you have to go through many audition processes before you got the role?

Matt: Well I went through about two auditions.

It was pretty simple. I have heard actors tell me that they went on ten auditions before they were actually told that they got the part. I interviewed Karen Lynn Gorney, the actress that was in “Saturday Night Fever.” She told me that she went through many audition processes before she got the role, something like ten audition processes.

Matt: I believe it and I myself worked for Disney Cruises for a good nine months.

I was just about to ask you about your past acting experiences.

Matt: Yeah, when I had gone to that audition it was like a good four auditions to get hired for that so I believe it.

That is like so frustrating. You go through all that and then you don’t get it maybe and then it’s even worse. That’s the life of an actor, Right?

Matt: Yeah, it is true.

So tell my audience why did you want to get into show business? Was it a life thing that happened to you that made you want to become an actor?

Matt: That is a great question. I guess I would have to say In a way I always have been performing. My parents would tell me stories that I would watch TV and I would watch movies and imitate the characters very well. I would hear music and start humming in the back seat and my parents said I could carry a great tune and everything.

So you sing too?

Matt: I act, I sing, I dance.

So you are a triple act.

Matt: I try to be. I do as much as I can.

Back in the day. That was the deal. You had to be a triple act. You had to sing, dance and act to be in show business.

Matt: It’s still that way.

Yeah, pretty much.

Matt: To get as many jobs as you possibly can, your going to have to be a triple threat.

Triple threat, that is the saying. You see a young man like that, he still knows those old fashioned sayings. They stand the test of time. Now where can we go to find out more information about you as an actor. Do you have a website? Do you have a facebook page?

Matt: I do have a facebook page. You can find me at Facebook/Matthew Burns

I had the pleasure of interviewing Actress Helen Proimos who told me about the Musical Production “Two Tickets To Paradise” and helped me arranged the interviews. Helen portrays Dottie Mahoney, Eddie Money’s mother.

Welcome back darlings, I am Cognac Wellerlane and I am here with Actress Helen Proimos and she is also starring in the musical production “Two Tickets to Paradise” at the Madison Theatre at Molloy College and she is playing Eddie Money’s mother. What a fabulous role.

Helen: I know. How lucky am I! I am playing Dottie Mahoney.

Dottie Mahoney. Mahoney is actually Eddie Money’s real name. Tell my audience how did you find out about this role?

Helen: Well John Blenn had an ad online and I went to the audition and read for it and I didn’t hear back. So I really kind of forgot about it and then I received a message sometime later to come to a meeting. I wasn’t really sure what it was about if it was just a meeting or a call-back. I didn’t know. I went and I wasn’t sure if Eddie would be there or not and I said well you know maybe Eddie Money will the there too so I was going to go no matter what.

 Was your heart pitter pattering because he was a sexy rocker in his day? He is still sexy.

Helen: I didn’t know if he would be there or what the situation was but it was an acting job and there was a message to come to the meeting. Ironically I was there early sitting in my car and said to myself, “I am going to go in even if I am early,” and when I went in I was actually late because everybody was there. So I sat and took the closest chair and sat down next to Eddie Money and I saw John Blenn at the head of the table. He said, “I will fill you in quickly about the meeting,” and long story short John said “I think you have the role but we didn’t hear you sing Helen. Could you sing something for us right now.” So here I am thank you very much John Blenn sitting next to Eddie Money and I have to stand up and sing a song. What do I know by heart. I know a lot of songs. What would be good for right now? I love Petulia Clark. So I did a Petulia Clark song and got the role.

Fabulous. How exciting for you to play this role.

Helen: I am on cloud 9.! Let me tell you the music in the show. This show is a performers dream because not only do you have Eddie Money’s hits, the rock music, but you have his new songs that are wonderful. You know they are Broadway style but there still hip and the whole story is so with it. It’s the story of his life. It’s the American dream. He took a shot. He loved his whole family, that’s the thing. He really loved his family and when he left to pursue this dream you know it was hard for him. It was a really a tug of war and he did struggle and he did it. He is the American dream.

He certainly is. I want to know the role that you are playing, his mother, how much are you like the real Mrs. Mahoney? Are you blond like her? Is there similarities? Is there a reason why they chose you besides your acting ability?

Helen: I think there is a similarity in my appearance. I do look something like Eddie Money. Although Matt Burns who is playing the part of the younger version of him but I think it probably has more to do aside from the look is the love connection, the emotion and the chemistry playing that out.

Now Helen I heard that you are going to be singing a fabulous new song that no one has ever heard before. Tell my audience what that song is?

Helen: Yes it is called “Always Want The World For You” and it really explains Eddie’s situation of him leaving going off to California, the way about his parents felt about him leaving, the way about him leaving his sisters and how the mother loved him so much. She always wanted the world for him. Plus she had an older son that was in Vietnam. So here the woman is losing Eddie to go off to follow his dream and has a son in Vietnam as well and she is not happy about any of this.

Did you find the role challenging?

Helen: The role is very challenging because it is very emotional. She calls to Eddie. “Please come home I can’t take this, your brother is gone and I am worried about you. Your father is upset you left the police department and please come home to me, your family and your little sisters.”

I want you to tell my audience where we can go to find out more information about the play. what is the website?

Helen: The play itself, I don’t know if it has a website but you can see a lot of information about it on my website that have from my public access TV show that I have Stage and Screen and in between with Helen.

You can also go to Eddie Money’s website www.eddiemoney.com

Afterwards I spoke to John Blenn who is the Director of “Two Tickets To Paradise.”

TV Host Cognac Wellerlane interviews Director John Blenn and Legendary Rocker Eddie Money about his Musical Production “Two Tickets to Paradise” about the life of Legendary Rocker Eddie Money at the Madison Theater at Molloy College on beginning January 16th through the 25th.

Mr. Blenn is going to tell my audience how he became involved in this production. tell my audience how did you get involved and why did you get involved?

John: Well I started with is particular production in 2009. I directed it the first time when it was done in Dix Hills at the Five Towns College and Eddie had come to me with the play via a friend named Gordon McKay who is a producer attached to the project at the time and Gordon had been a writer of mine. He started out in the business writing for me and he called me up and said that Eddie had written a play would I be interested in looking at it because I had done about sixty plays out here on Long Island myself before that and even though I hadn’t done musicals before and I said “Yeah, I would be very interested in looking at it.” Eddie and I had about a thirty year history because I was a journalist for many years

I heard about that.

John: I had interviewed Eddie back in 1985.

Long time.

John: Yeah. We crossed paths over the years. I was the General Manager of the Westbury Music Fair for four years. He played there a couple of times when I was the GM there. So we kept crossing paths and we had a professional friendship up until that point. When I saw it I was really impressed by Eddie’s writing.

So he wrote this himself?

John: Completely. He also wrote original songs for it that weren’t in his catalog.

Yeah. I heard that there is seven new songs that will be premiering in the production.

John: There certainly is. He wrote songs that drove the storyline into the plot that you would see in every classic Broadway Musical. So he really put a lot of thought into it and he obviously worked most of his hits into it. Eddie has the unique problem on doing a musical like this and the fact that he has so many hits there is not enough room for all of them.

Do you have a favorite song?

John: I think probably my favorite song by Eddie or actually ironically is not in the play. They are not huge hits of his but he has a song called “The Wish” which was on his “Playing For Keeps” albumin and he had another song called “Life For The Taking” which was on his second albumin that he put out that was on his second track which are both very emotional tunes that connected to me at the time I heard them. I was a friend of Eddie’s way back to his first albumin when it came out on Columbia Records and saw him at the Nassau Coliseum the first time he played there touring with Meatloaf for his very first tour. So I always had a connection to Eddie being a Long Islander like he is. I grew up in East Meadow. He grew up in Island Tree an area of Levittown, so we are neighboring towns. I had a brother ten years older than I am which makes him exactly his age. My father was a Nassau County Cop, his father was a New York City Cop.

Oh that is funny. That is hysterical. So the camaraderie starts from all the way back with the similarities of both your lives.

John: Absolutely and I think the fact that my father was like his father. Both wanted us to go into civil service or follow in their footsteps as police officers and both of our mothers said “You want to be artistic you should follow your dreams.” When I was in my twenty’s I was a screenwriter in college and I wanted to do that. Finally now in my fifty’s I have a film in development besides working on this project.

Tell us about your film.

John: It’s called “George Bailey.” It’s about eight friends that went to college together to become actors or work in the television and movie profession and they all kind of didn’t follow their dreams with one exception and as they are about to turn fifty they kind of of come up with the realization that you hit that part of your life you either chase your dreams or you don’t and they decide to make their own independent film. That’s in development and should probably be shooting later this year. Actually when I turned fifty I directed this play for the first time. You never know when the opportunity is going to come.

Out on the Island we have done about eighty projects. It’s called Middle Class American Productions and we just do original works. That was the thing I also really enticed me about working with Eddie. This was a big brand new piece that nobody had ever seen before. I loved the music and I love working with him and doing something that has never been done before. That is much more appealing than trying to be the next great Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz” or do the stage version of “The King And I.” That has been done a lot. Done by very good actors and it will continue to be done by very good actors but I am always drawn to doing brand new things.

Tell my audience where can we go to find out more information about obtaining “Two Tickets To Paradise?”

John: Well they can certainly contact the Madison Theatre at Molloy College. They have a wonderful website; http://madisontheatreny.org.

How long is the play going to be at the Madison Theatre?

John: The plan is just to do the five shows on it right now. We are eventually going to move it to Broadway.

Finally I sat down with Legendary Rocker Eddie Money who revealed his story to me.

EDDIE-MONEY009 Legendary rocker Eddie Money poses for a photo op with Cognac Wellerlane.

Tell my audience a little more about this production and why you decided to do it. I understand you wrote it as well.

Eddie: Yes, I did. well I tell you the truth. I led a very interesting life because I am the son of a New York City police officer. My dad was a cop, my grandfather was a cop. It’s like growing up in New York, if your father is a painter your son is a painter that kind of thing. I grew up in a very strict Irish Catholic background and it really was about when I was in high school. I was in the rock band, a very popular rock band and it was all about wanting to grow your hair long.

Yes darling, I came from that era. I know all about it.

Eddie: I was singing really good but there was no such thing in those days about becoming a rock star like the Beatles or the Rolling Stones if you didn’t have long hair. I was torn. I went into the police department because my brother was in Vietnam at the time and my mother wanted me to have an occupation.

Back in those days that was how it was. I come from an old fashioned Italian family. they wanted me to become a secretary, get married and have babies. They didn’t want me to become a movie star. That’s what I wanted to be. You wanted to be a rock star and I wanted to be a movie star.

Eddie: And here we are.

And here we are today. You achieved your goal of becoming a rock star and I interview very, very famous people.

Eddie: Yeah, I have seen your show and I am very fond of it and thank you so much for having me on it.

Your life was so tenacious. You have done so many different wild things. How difficult was it to rebel against your family’s idea of you becoming a cop and starting his rock career?

Eddie: To me it was just a way to date the pretty chicks in high school. If you were too skinny to play football you had to be in a rock band.

“Two Tickets to Paradise” is one of your hits. Why did you name the play that? Is it because it was your favorite number?

Eddie: When I first started writing songs I wrote a lot of tunes but when I started getting serious about it I wrote “Two Tickets to Paradise.” Everybody identifies with my career with “Two Tickets To Paradise,” You think “Two Tickets To Paradise” you think Eddie Money. It goes hand in hand. I have done commercials about it. It’s been a big part of my repertoire.

Is it your most famous song?

Eddie: Not really. “Take me Home Tonight” was very popular.

That is the one I love. Tell my audience why you wrote that song. What inspired you to write it?

Eddie: I think that’s a great song. You think about about it, it had two choruses in it. It has “Take Me Home Tonight” and in the second chorus there is Ronnie Spector’s big hit “Be My Little Baby.” With a very catchy first part of the chorus and they play that song when everybody leaves the clubs all over the country still to this date.

I know that is why I love it. Did you know that it was going to be a hit song when you wrote it and they were going to play it in all the clubs at the end of the night?

Eddie: I had a feeling that was going to happen.

Oh so you are psychic too?

Eddie: I don’t know if I am psychic but putting Ronnie Spector in the video was a great idea and it was really a fantastic video. My record label, Columbia Records, they were really behind the song. Bill Grahmn, he was into the tune and it exploded. It revitalized my career not that my career was falling a part.

But it made it even bigger and better.

Eddie: It made it bigger and better. You know when you write a great song like that you put it in a set list. A lot of people don’t realize that I had fourteen or fifteen songs in the top one hundred.

Do you still keep in touch with Ronnie Spector?

Eddie: Yes I do, her and her husband Jonathan. She is such a great lady. Ronnie has a heart of gold. The first thing she did when she got on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on TV and everywhere was thank me for revitalizing her career. She did not have to say that or do that. She is just a real sweetheart.

I understand that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the tickets will be donated to a very worthy charity. Tell my audience all about that.

Eddie: Thank you so much Cognac. I am glad you brought that up. We are supporting the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

What is that all about?

Eddie: It is a non political charitable organization. They have two facilities one in San Antonio with about one hundred ten beds and they just built another facility in Maryland with about thirty beds. It’s for those kids. I shouldn’t say kids. Men and women coming back in uniform all over the world with head trauma injuries whether they be psychological or getting banged up. I very much am into supporting our veterans. I am not saying the country doesn’t care about our veterans but people should be more aware of the fact that how much they do and how much we would be lost without a strong service. I run into a lot of parents on the road, a lot of veterans I feel like the least we can do is donate.

What is the website:

Eddie: That would be http://fallenheroesfund.org

Tell my audience where we can go to find more information about Eddie Money. What is the website?

Eddie: Thank you Cognac, www.eddiemoney.com Thank you Cognac for having me on your show and I want to thank Helen who plays my mother and I would also like to thank Matt Burns for doing all this and a very good friend of mine, a great director and production manager, he is also everybody’s psychiatrist. I am talking about John Blenn and we are going to give everybody a great show this weekend.

From left to right, actress Helen Proimos, rocker Eddie Money, Host Cognac Wellerlane and Director John Blenn pose for a photo-op.

“Two Tickets To Paradise”- The Musical, traces Eddie’s life from his years as a police officer to hitting the big time! The 7 new songs highlighted throughout the show include: “These Are My Guys,” “Out To California,” “I Only Want The World For You,” “California Here I Come,” “No More Goodbyes,” “This Train Don’t Stop Here Anymore” and “Girls Get Up.”

Ringing in New Years at Crescent Beach Club in Bayville; Interview with Celeb Radio Host, Attorney Stephanie “O”

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LONG ISLAND – Long Islanders rang in the New Year in Gold Coast Style at the Crescent Beach Club in Bayville, New York.

Guests enjoyed a spectacular performance by the renowned group Disco Unlimited that added to a once in a lifetime experience. Disco Unlimited performs classic dance hits with a modern twist.

The Crescent Beach Club is famous for its romantic views of the beach and water of the Long Island Sound. Patrons dined on a lavish 5 star buffet including seafood, sushi, & top meat stations as well as tasting delicious cocktails overflowing with premium top shelf liquor all evening long.

The event was hosted by Celebrity Radio Host Stephanie O of LINEWS Radio and Mikki May. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Stepanie Ovadia and talking about her radio show, her law practice and her eight children, which she admits is her greatest accomplishment.

Attorney Stephanie Ovadia Radio Host and Attorney Stephanie Ovadia and TV Host and Entertainment Journalist Cognac Wellerlane pose for a photo-op at the Crescent Beach Club in Bayville, New York, New Year Eve.

Introduce yourself to the camera.

Stephanie: Hi I am Stephanie and yes I am a mother of 8 and this is my greatest accomplishment.

You have been an attorney for so many years, how did you parlay being an attorney into a show biz career?

Stephanie: I don’t know. You know it was one of those things I always liked. A friend of mine said to me, that when we were in 10th grade I said “One day I am going to be an attorney and I am going to have a show” and so I became an attorney and it took a lot of years to work on having a radio show and so hopefully turning that into something more. I just enjoy it. I am a people person and I enjoy it but my greatest claim is my children and their accomplishments.

That leads me to my next question. A mother of eight You have been an attorney for many years. How difficult is it to juggle a career and have these eight kids, what advice can you give us. It’s hard to raise one child let alone eight. Can you give my audience some advice on how to achieve success and to do both juggle a career and raise kids. How can we all do it with just maybe raising one or two?

Stephanie: You know I really don’t know how I did it. Looking back part of it was being younger, I had more energy. I never thought about the future. Like everything was daily. I lived daily. There was just a a daily routine. I had my children. I had a routine with them and I never sweated the small stuff. I really didn’t because my son had asthma so we had big issues and I tried to just deal with big issues and not smaller issues. It somehow worked for me. I don’t know if today, I am a little older if I could manage that many kids and all their issues. I think its the opposite for me as my kids have gotten older they have become more self sufficient and they really have less problems. I know people say bigger children, bigger problems but I really haven’t found that situation.

 So the key really is to not look so far into the future just do it on a daily basis and get through that day and that’s how you can juggle both a career and raising children at the same time.

Stephanie: I was also good at having children. I never was the kind of person who had any problems. I was very fortunate. I got pregnant, I gave birth, I went right back to work.

You really didn’t think about it. It was something that just happened.

Stephanie: I liked being pregnant. I got to eat a lot, and a lot, and a lot. I always wanted to eat. So I was a very happy pregnant woman.

You didn’t start out being an entertainment lawyer. Tell my audience what kind of law did you practice?

Stephanie: I was a personal injury attorney and I still am. I still love personal injury work. The problem is and I know this is going to sound somewhat crazy but its going to make sense. Years ago there was a lot more personal injury cases because cars weren’t built the same. There weren’t the same safety standards in our every day living. Now that safety standards are at a much higher level there really isn’t as much personal injury work. It really started phasing out and not only that but also because things are built so much better even when there is an accident the injuries are not as great anymore because the cars are made better and there are other factors involved. Even with machinery that’s made so much better today that you don’t have the same injuries as you had. So really personal injury is phasing itself out and that’s how I kind of picked up other types of law.

Entertainment law, is that more difficult?

Stephanie: It’s not so much difficult but again it’s difficult to get the clientele because it’s really a fine amount of people because in entertainment there are really two types, entertainers that make money and entertainers that don’t make money.

Yes, I know all about it.

Stephanie: There are a lot of entertainers. There is only a very small percentage that make money that hire a lawyer and that is the bottom line.

You use to be Lindsey Lohan’s lawyer or are you still her lawyer?

Stephanie: You know what I really can’t talk about clients but I love that family, I love Dina.

Absolutely, who doesn’t love that family!

Stephanie: You know what they are a wonderful, wonderful family and that’s about all I can say. They are very good people.

 You were named Top 2014 Women in Business by the Queens Courier. Tell my audience what this award means to you.

Stephanie: Well you know what I was very humbled by that award. That award really meant a lot to me because I kind of do my thing. I go about my business. I raise my kids. I have tried to be the best mom I can and really nobody even tells me that your kids are always like, “I hate my mom” They don’t always say that but you know every mom has gone through that when your kids say “I hate you” you know teenagers but you very rarely get acknowledged for things you have done because I just go about my business so when somebody acknowledges me it tells me wow, you did a good job. I am really humbled by it. I was so excited I couldn’t even believe it.

It’s wonderful. You must be so thrilled.

Stephanie: I was, I really was and you know I am really thrilled everyday because I am fortunate. Like I said. My second oldest son is a doctor already. He is actually a plastic surgeon.

Tell my audience about the radio show.

Stephanie: Well I was fortunate enough. Actually it’s kind of a funny story because I started out in New Jersey on College Radio. Rutgers University was looking for an older person who wanted a radio show. Some one came to me and said “You know what you always wanted a radio show so why don’t you give it a shot.” I said “All right” and I started on college radio. Very funny and when a friend of mine heard about my show and he said “You know what, why don’t you start a new talk radio here on 103.9 FM.” He said “Why don’t you come and talk to the people and see if they would be interested in your show” and I was very fortunate that they loved the show. They picked it up here in Long Island and now we are moving it to the Florida market.

Oh nice!

Stephanie: It’s getting bigger and bigger. The audience is just huge now.

Tell my audience about the topics you discuss on your show. It’s a lot of gossip and entertainment?

Stephanie: I am fortunate that a dear friend of mine, Adrian Schwartz who is the head of Life & Style and In Touch Magazine co-host with me every week. So we actually sit and we figure out really cool topics and we make them into shows and we love it.

I love it. I love the idea. I want you to tell my audience where we can go to find out more information. What is your website?

Stephanie: Go to http://www.stephanieoshow.com or friend me on facebook/Stephanie Ovadia or go to 103.9 and read about me on their site and thank you for interviewing me. I love you. You are amazing!

Stephanie Ovadia is the original Octo-Mom, as well as a practicing entertainment attorney and radio show host. She is the mother of eight children, ranging from seven to twenty-five years of age. She has represented numerous celebrities including those from reality shows such as Mob Wives, The Real Housewives of New York, The Real Housewives of New Jersey and Jerseylicious. Now, this Long Island mother/attorney is hosting a celebrity gossip and reality show recap radio show with a new set of rules and a slew of celebrity guest appearances. The Stephanie O Show is the best source for the latest celebrity news and gossip, featuring exclusives from Star Magazine & Radar Online.

I also had a chance to chat with two very dynamic vocalists from Disco Unlimited who were entertaining that night at the Crescent Beach Club.

new_years_eve Sista Soul and Boogie Sista pose for a photo-op with TV Host and Entertainment Journalist Cognac Wellerlane at the Crescent Beach Club in Bayville, New York, New Year Eve.

Introduce yourself to the camera

Boogie Sista: I am Boogie Sista

Sista Soul: And I am Sista Soul from Disco Unlimited.

Tell my audience about the whole idea of disco. How did you get into this?

Sista Sou: Well it’s funny enough. It all got started with church. A friend of ours asked us all to sing and do modern Christian music at a church and we have all known each other for thirty years but we never sang and performed together and we started doing that music and we said “Oh my gosh this is something” and then I said to Annie, “What’s your favorite music to sing” and she said, Disco.

Sista Soul: So we gave it a whirl. It started on Halloween, so the costumes were there the first time we played and they have been there ever since. People love it.

You guys are fabulous! Tell my audience what is your favorite song?

Boogie Sista: We have so many favorites.

Sista Soul: “Everybody get up and Boogie.” We like a lot of classic stuff from Studio 54 like “Romeo and Juliet,” “Souvenirs” some of the things you don’t hear all the time. They really are a lot of fun for us to perform. I am a huge Donna Summer fan.

Boogie Sista: We do “Dancing Queen.” We do a whole bunch of Alba, we just have so much fun We just enjoy ourselves.

Well your doing a terrific job and we are loving the music and we are loving the songs. Tell my audience if we want to find out more information where can we go on the internet? What is your website?

Sista Soul: The website is http://discounlimitedband.com and you can also friend us on facebook/DiscoUnlimited or you can just Google “Disco Unlimited” and you will find us everywhere.

Disco Unlimited instantly transports the scene to a place when Saturday nights meant white suits, platform shoes and excellent dance moves; and dance you will to top disco hits like “Dancing Queen” and “Disco Inferno.” This band has fast become the hottest disco show and dance group on the East Coast. Close your eyes and you will truly believe you are listening to the original artists. Disco Unlimited is a group of six unique and experienced musicians that had everyone on the dance floor.

TV Host Cognac Wellerlane interviews Entertainment Attorney and Radio Host Stephanie Ovadia from the the “Stephanie O Show” and Sista Soul and Boogie Sista from Disco Unlimited at the Crescent Beach Club on New Years Eve.

Gents and Flappers Attend Sixth Annual Winter Ball

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(Long Island, NY) Gents, flappers and Chanteuse 1920s Gatsby headband wearers attended the 6th Annual Winter Ball on Saturday, December 13th at the beautiful Irondale Center. Guests enjoyed a glamorous evening filled with the finest dance, drink and dazzling entertainment.

Over 300 guests attended including an eclectic mix of New York notables including artist Andres Serrano and wife Irina Movmyga, comedian Victor Varnado, lovable nightlife promoter Lee Chappell, as well as Kris Kringle himself!

Michael Arenella and His Dreamland Orchestra kept the crowd swinging while The Dreamland Follies along with Gregory Moore filled the floor with Ziegfield-esque grandeur. The Minsky Sisters ruffled their feathers with true holiday pizazz and Roddy Caravella and his wife Gretchen Fenston danced the night away.

I was happy to sit down with Gretchen and find out how Roddy and her met and created their dancing routine.

walter-wlodarczyk The Sixth Annual Winter Ball, Saturday, December 13th at the Irondale Center; All photos by Jane Kratochvil and Walter Wlodarczyk

TV Host Cognac Wellelane Interviews Roddy and Gretchen Caravella and the Minsky Sisters at Michael Arenella’s Dreamland Orchestra Winter Ball at the Irondale Center in Brooklyn New York

Tell my my audience how long you have been dancing?

Gretchen: I have been dancing around twelve years, not very long but with my husband probably eight or nine years.

How did you guys get into this whole jazz age, Gatsby…, it’s fabulous?

Gretchen: We both have been dressing vintage since we were, probably before high school but it is the music that got is into it. It’s the music that we love

I love it too.

Gretchen: Yea, we just feel it inside. It’s almost like a passed life thing.

Do you tour all over the country, all over the city? Tell my audience about that.

Gretchen: He has gone more places than I have. We work at a lot of different events. All kinds of things, weddings, parties, corporate events.

So you guys really have made a living becoming professional ballroom dancers. What do they call it? Is it ballroom dancing?

Gretchen: Social Jazz Dancer

Social Jazz Dance. How fabulous is that. Is this your first time dancing at this event?

Gretchen: We never danced at this venue but this event we have been dancing for years.

It’s wonderful isn’t it.

Gretchen: Where is your next gig? What is after this? I am sure its New Years Eve.

I love your outfit. Tell my audience what you are wearing. This is just beautiful. It’s just gorgeous! All vintage?

Gretchen: It’s a vintage Donna Karan dress. I made this jacket and top. I am a milliner and made my headpiece.

It’s just beautiful.

If we want to find out more information about you and your husband. What ‘s your website? Is there a place where we can go to find out about you dancing professionally?

Gretchen: For me it’s GretchenFenston.com and for Roddy it’s CharlestonCharlie.com

Jane-Kratochvil The Sixth Annual Winter Ball, Saturday, December 13th at the Irondale Center; All photos by Jane Kratochvil and Walter Wlodarczyk

Jane-Kratochvil_Andres-Serr The Sixth Annual Winter Ball, Saturday, December 13th at the Irondale Center; All photos by Jane Kratochvil and Walter Wlodarczyk

Jane-Kratochvil_Aurora-Blac The Sixth Annual Winter Ball, Saturday, December 13th at the Irondale Center; All photos by Jane Kratochvil and Walter Wlodarczyk

Jane-Kratochvil_Dreamland-F The Sixth Annual Winter Ball, Saturday, December 13th at the Irondale Center; All photos by Jane Kratochvil and Walter Wlodarczyk

Milliner and Condé Nast Archive Registrar Gretchen Fenston was born and raised in San Francisco. After receiving her undergraduate degree in textiles from the University of California at Davis, she moved to New York to study Fashion Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Although Gretchen began her career as a lingerie designer, she had always been intrigued by the allure of hats worn by 30s and 40s movie stars. Gretchen has become a be-hatted fixture at both the Annual Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor’s Island and the New York’s Fifth Avenue Easter Parade, which she attends yearly with a group of models sporting her latest headwear. with her dapper husband, Professional Social Jazz Dancer and Instructor Roddy Caravella.

Roddy and I talked after his dance performance with his wife Gretchen.

 I am here with the second half of Gretchen who does all those dance moves and I myself feel like a jazz baby. I am here with Roddy, introduce yourself to the camera.

Roddy: Hello, I am Roddy Caravella and you are right Gretchen Fenston is my wife and we met dancing!

How romantic! How long ago was that?

Roddy: We met about nine years ago. We have been married… It will be five years this February.

You instruct people how to dance.

Roddy: I am a professional jazz dancer. I have been for twenty-five years and I teach and entertain people. I teach historical social jazz dance. Anything from the turn of the century through the 1950’s.

Where did this love of dance come from?

Roddy: For me it’s always been about the music and the jazz. I have been a jazz buff since I guess since my college days, during the 1970’s, I have always loved jazz. The music and the dance go together. Without one you don’t have the other.

Absolutely. I am sure you must have some favorites. In the motion picture industry it was Fred Astaire. He wasn’t really a jazz dancer though.

Roddy: He was a little bit of both actually.

Was he really?

Roddy: He crossed over. I am a Gene Kelly guy myself.

I love Gene Kelly!

Roddy: Gene had a different style. he was very, very athletic. He used a lot of modern dance technique which I like. Less of a ballroom dancer, Fred had the ballroom elegance, but they both had incredible talent when it came to tap dancing. They both were very agile dancers.

Later on in life I think they both teamed up together.

Roddy: Yes they definitely worked together.

Is there any specific movie that is your favorite with dancing it it?

Roddy: I love it all! You know for me depending on the music I will dance differently to each piece of music. If it’s a hot tempo, it could be a Peabody, it could be a Lindy Hop. If it’s sultry or bluesy it could be a much smoother style of sing. So the music and the era dictates the type of dancing you do. You just don’t dance the same to everything.

Do you have a favorite era?

Roddy: I really love what was happening in the late 1920’s through the mid 1930’s. It was a really incredible time. The late 1920’s the music was changing to the early parts of the swing era. The swing era really goes up until World War II. The dancing was evolving and developing. The Charleston era was the 1920’s and the dancing was developing. The Lindy Hop came out of that era. It was a fabulous time of innovation and many different dancers experimenting and creating and borrowing from other dancers to create a new dance.

Tell my audience how did you meet Michael?

Roddy: Michael and I met, it could be as long as twelve years. I went to one of his events where he was playing at a place called La Belle Epoch.

Oh yes, I remember that place.

Roddy: Beautiful turn of the century decor. We became fast friends because of the music and the dance. We also share a great passion for antique automobiles. We travel around the country and to a lot of events together. This coming summer it is the 10th year for the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governer’s Island and I am his dance director at that event.

Tell my audience where we can go for more information about you and how we can learn how to dance. What is your website?

Roddy: http://charlestoncharlie.com

Jane-Kratochvil_DSC3019 The Sixth Annual Winter Ball, Saturday, December 13th at the Irondale Center; All photos by Jane Kratochvil and Walter Wlodarczyk

Jane-Kratochvil_DSC4322 The Sixth Annual Winter Ball, Saturday, December 13th at the Irondale Center; All photos by Jane Kratochvil and Walter Wlodarczyk

Jane-Kratochvil_DSC4356 The Sixth Annual Winter Ball, Saturday, December 13th at the Irondale Center; All photos by Jane Kratochvil and Walter Wlodarczyk

Jane-Kratochvil_DSC4474 The Sixth Annual Winter Ball, Saturday, December 13th at the Irondale Center; All photos by Jane Kratochvil and Walter Wlodarczyk

Brooklyn born Roddy Caravella is Charleston Charlie. He has been teaching and performing social jazz dances for the past 20 years. Trained under world-renowned dance greats, such as Frankie Manning and Sandra Cameron, Roddy is a choreographer who specializes in many early jazz dances. Known not just for the historical authenticity of his dancing, Roddy has a reputation for meticulous attention to accurate period attire. Mr. Caravella and his ensemble, The Canarsie Wobblers, regularly perform dances of the 1920’s with Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra. In fact, the group was born at the inception of the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor’s Island. Roddy is also a member of the Lindy Hopper All-Stars.

I also chatted with the Minsky Sisters who did their tap dance and fan rendition.

Introduce yourselves ladies.

Gin: I am Gin Minsky

Kristen: And I am Kristen Minsky.

That was some show you both did. What a spectacular show. How many numbers did you do?

Gin: I have three.

Kristen: I did two.

How many years have been doing this?

Gin: We have been performing at the Winter Ball from the very beginning, so six years.

Why do you both love it so much?

Krisent: You know honestly the jazz music is very uplifting. It’s positive, it’s happy.

I love doing the interview in front of a stage door. It’s so retro. Is there a special routine you like to do the most?

Gin: I think our most requested routine is our tapping fan dance.

Tell my audience where we can go to get more information about the Minsky Sisters.

Gin: You can find us at http://minskysisters.com

Jane-Kratochvil_DSC4493 The Sixth Annual Winter Ball, Saturday, December 13th at the Irondale Center; All photos by Jane Kratochvil and Walter Wlodarczyk

Jane-Kratochvil_Gin-Minsky The Sixth Annual Winter Ball, Saturday, December 13th at the Irondale Center; All photos by Jane Kratochvil and Walter Wlodarczyk

Jane-Kratochvil_Michael-Are The Sixth Annual Winter Ball, Saturday, December 13th at the Irondale Center; All photos by Jane Kratochvil and Walter Wlodarczyk

walter-wlodarczyk-2014-12-1 The Sixth Annual Winter Ball, Saturday, December 13th at the Irondale Center; All photos by Jane Kratochvil and Walter Wlodarczyk

The Minsky Sisters have been moving their way into the hearts of audiences since they were barely able to walk. Having been raised backstage on the Vaudeville circuit by Eloise and William, widely known as Ellie and Billy Minsky, stage mom and pop of New York’s best burlesque house, the pair learned to dance as a way to give their parents a break between acts.

For more about info about Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra please visit http://www.dreamlandorchestra.com

East End Arts Gallery Holiday Gift Boutique, Riverhead

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(Long Island, NY) This past weekend I attended the East End Arts Gallery Holiday Gift Boutique located at 133 E. Main Street, Riverhead NY 11901. Long Islanders experienced an array of unique, artful, one-of-a-kind gifts. All the items are handmade by local artists.

Every piece is just perfect for holiday gifts. the gallery showcased hundreds of gorgeous hand-made holiday ornaments, greeting cards, one-of-a-kind jewelry, wearables, ceramics, crafts, and more showcased at the gallery as visitors from all over the Island came to see what was available.

I had a chance to interview Gallery Director Jane Kirkwood.

Tell my audience about this event this afternoon.

Jane: This is our annual gift boutique. It’s just been gaining popularity every year and you can see we are kind of busy. One of our specialties are the ornaments you see around us. All of our artisan are very talented. Besides doing jewelry and scarves they make ornaments. The ornaments range in price from three dollars to about fifty dollars and they are a great way to bring a house gift instead of wine. Nobody throws an ornament away. They take it out and they remember the gratitude and the generosity of the giver.

How many artisans are displaying their work here at the gallery?

Jane: Around forty or forty-one artisans.

Forty-one artisans and these are all handmade?

Yes, these are all handmade and one-of-a-kind items.

How many years have you been doing this?

We have been doing this for nine years. This year we have four hundred one of a kind ornaments. Last year we had half of that. The year before we had one hundred so it has been growing exponentially.

This is such a lovely event. All the items are just beautiful. I encourage everyone to come from all over Long Island, New York City and the Hamptons to to to the East End Arts in Riverhead. Tell my Audience the address.

Jane: We are located at 133 East Main Street in Riverhead, New York.

Tell my audience where they can go for more information. What is the website?

Jane: www.eastendarts.org

I also had the chance to chat with Artist Lula Castillo about her organic jewelry.

eastendArtist Lula Castillo and Entertainment Journalist Cognac Wellerlane at the East End Arts Gallery Holiday Gift Boutique in Riverhead.

Explain to my audience what organic jewelry is all about.

Lula: What I do is recycle seeds, beans and I also work with citrus peel, I assemble and I do great pieces of necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

How many pieces are we looking at right now here at the gallery?

Lula: I have about fifteen necklaces, bracelets and fifteen earrings.

Why did you decide to make organic jewelry?

Lula: I am originally from Colombia. I studied industrial design so I had to be in contact with natural materials during my semesters. I started to work with fibers, seed and that is how I got started.

Where can we find your jewelry?

Lula: I do art shows in the Hamptons and my website is www.natural-sur.com

East End Arts Gallery was founded in 1972 as an outgrowth of the successful Woodrow Wilson Humanities Series. East End Arts began as the East End Arts & Humanities Council, Inc, a resource for the local arts community with a commitment of supporting and advocating for the arts community. The history of East End Arts began in a space donated by the Riverhead Central School District in the Pulaski Street School.

For more information please visit http://www.eastendarts.org

Ribbon Cutting for New Long Island Cares, Harry Chapin Food and Humanitarian Center in Huntington Station

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(Long Island, NY) Long Islanders and political officials attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Long Island Cares, Harry Chapin Food Bank and Humanitarian Center on Friday, November 14th, 10am at 220 Broadway in Huntington Station. I had a chance to speak to Chief Executive Officer Paule T. Pachter about what the ribbon cutting event was really all about.

Tell my audience the history of Long Island Cares; how old is it?

Paule T. Pachter: This is our 34th year. It was founded by the late singer/songwriter Harry Chapin, who many of your audience may already know was a resident of Huntington. When Harry founded the organization he and his wife Sandy were pioneers in the food banking world because Long Island Cares was only the third food banking organization in New York State at the time.

We provide annually seven and a half million pounds of emergency food and other supplies to more than three hundred thousand Long Islanders who are either food insecure or living at or below the federal poverty level.

Paule T. Pachter Long Island Cares Chief Executive Officer Paule T. Pachter and Entertainment Journalist Cognac Wellerlane at the Ribbon Cutting for the New Harry Chapin Food Bank and Humanitarian Center in Huntington Station on Friday, November 14th

It’s wonderful that your organization helps so many individuals but tell my audience why the ribbon cutting event is so important.

Paul: It is a very big event and it is an exciting event for us because we brought Long Island Cares into Huntington because this is where Sandy and Harry Chapin lived. This is where they raised their family.

I also had a chance to chat with Government Affairs and Veteran Services Manager Michael Haynes.

Tell my audience about the Veteran Services Program.

Michael Haynes: It is a pretty comprehensive program that we have developed over the last couple of years. We partnered with the county at events such as Veterans Stand Downs. In two weeks we will be distributing turkeys and the rest of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner to over a hundred veterans and their families. We also have a Veterans Development Program called Vets Work. In less than five and half months we helped ten veterans get jobs and we are working with about sixty others.

The Veterans Development Program assists veterans build job skills (i.e. cover letter and résumé writing), aid in their job search process and facilitate real workplace experience through various volunteer opportunities.

Military Appreciation Tuesdays is hosted every week at Long Island Cares’ pantries located in Huntington Station, Lindenhurst, and Freeport. This event is a chance for veterans and their families to obtain food, personal care items, household products, pet food, and school supplies. All veterans are provided with information and resources pertaining to veteran-specific benefits.

Long Island Cares, Inc. – The Harry Chapin Food Bank is Long Island’s first food bank assisting the poor and hungry on Long Island since, 1980. Long Island Cares gathers together all available resources for the benefit of the hungry on Long Island and provides emergency food where and when it is needed, and sponsors a wide variety of innovate direct service programs that help families achieve self-sufficiency. The organization was founded by the late singer, Grammy Award winning songwriter and social activist Harry Chapin in response to the growing issue of hunger on Long Island. It is continued today by his wife and partner Sandy Chapin, a dedicated Board of Directors and talented staff working out of their 35,000 square foot facility in Hauppauge and their storefront hunger assistance centers in Freeport and Lindenhurst. Long Island Cares is a member agency of the Food Bank Association of New York State and Feeding America. Long Island Cares, Inc. is recognized by the NYS Department of Health and the USDA as the regional food bank for Long Island.

For more information please visit http://www.licares.org

Little Shelter Masquerade Ball, Andy Troy’s Annual Halloween Event and Malan Breton’s Masquerade Ball

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(Long Island, NY) Animal lovers and creatures of the dark celebrated Little Shelter’s Animal Rescue 7th Annual Masquerade Ball at the Watermill event venue in Smithtown, New York on Thursday October 23, 2014 from 6pm-11pm. Guests enjoyed: a cocktail reception, dinner, open bar, live and silent auctions and live entertainment! All proceeds benefited the Little Shelter Animal Rescue and Adoptive Center.

Little Shelter Animal Rescue and Adoption Center is a non-profit, no-kill animal shelter nestled on six wooded acres in Huntington, Long Island. Included on the grounds is Sheltervale Pet Cemetery which has been the final resting place for companion animals for more than eighty years. Suffolk County’s oldest humane organization, Little Shelter has been devoted to saving abandoned pets and placing them into loving homes since 1927. Age, physical condition and socialization issues are never criteria for rescuing a pet whose life is in jeopardy. Most of their companion animals have been saved from kill shelters on Long Island, in New York City and in several southern states.

Tito_Colon_and_Cognac_Welle Tito Colon and Cognac Wellerlane.

As a member of the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals, Little Shelter is regularly called upon by the city’s municipal shelters to take pets in need of rehabilitation. All Little Shelter pets receive the highest quality medical care and are spayed /neutered before adoption. Every potential adopter is interviewed and thoroughly screened to ensure the best quality homes for abandoned dogs and cats.

Cognac interviews Director Dave Ceely and Event Operation Manager Tito Colon at the Little Shelter Halloween Masquerade Ball at Watermill Event Venue in Smithtown.

For more information please visit http://www.littleshelter.com.

On Halloween night ghosts, goblins and New Yorkers celebrated with Club Promoter Andy Troy. This year’s Halloween party began at Promenade, 344 3rd Ave. between 25th & 26th streets. Later there was a parade of ghouls that attended a much more lavish Halloween Gala at 230 Fifth of 1,000 guests on the club’s rooftop overlooking all of Manhattan. I had a chance to interview Andy Troy himself who has been hosting club events for many years.

Club_Promoter_Andy_Troy_Cog Club Promoter Andy Troy, Cognac and Casting Director John Thomas.

Andy is a personal trainer certified by NASM, NSCA and ACE and the author of the book, “Living Young: 32 Habits of ageless People.” He has been a consultant on six popular fitness DVDs as well as the creator of “The Bedroom Workout For Men,” a DVD dedicated to improving men’s sexual performance through flexibility, strength and endurance exercises specific to that purpose.

He has appeared on a segment of the Tyra Banks Show” which can be viewed by clicking the link on the homepage of my website: www.AndyTroy.com. He is also the subject of a segment in Insight Film’s new TV show, “The Straight Goods”. Andy has written numerous magazine articles on fitness related topics and has a degree in Psychology and a Masters in Counseling. He is also famous for promoting large, monthly parties in New York’s top clubs through his website: www.TastingNYC.com

Cognac interviews Club Promoter Andy Troy, Casting Agent John Thomas and Life Coach Bonnie Bruderer on Halloween Night.

Later Casting Agent John Thomas stopped by to chat. JT, as every calls him short for John Thomas, is the owner of JT TALENT AND CASTING. The agency is located in New York City and is a leader in the casting of film, TV, commercials, theater, print, special events and more. He have over 3,500 artists, actors, models, singers, dancers that his company represents. He have been the casting director for over 68 feature films and independent features and continues to work on several other projects. His company is established in all areas of the performing arts and now is a producer for film.

For more information please visit him on https://www.facebook.com/JtTalent.

I also had a chance to chat with Life Coach Bonnie Bruderer who is the Creator and Founder of “Be The One” Coaching and training. She is a serial entrepreneur and has been behind numerous companies including V.I.S.S., Dirty Dog and Occasion. Bonnie has provided council to thousands of people around the globe helping them achieve their dreams.

Bonnie has an extensive background in the personal development field including training in NLP, Hypnotherapy, Holistic Health, Results Coaching and holds nine certifications in human behavior an personal development. She is best known as the “girl who traveled with the gurus,” spending over seventeen years on tour with some of the top personal development minds on the planet. She has authored four books, has multiple audio programs, hosted her own radio show (Live Your Life On Fire) and has appeared on multiple news shows and reality shows as an expert coach.

She has appeared on FOX and NBC TV on numerous occasions and has helped leading organizations such as Anthony Robbins, Ticketmaster, City Search, and Active Networks achieve significantly higher levels of revenues and success.

For more information please visit http://www.bonnieannbruderer.com.

Later that evening we attended Fashion Designer Malan Breton’s Masquerade Ball at the Union Square Ballroom. I was delighted to catch up with and interview Designer Pamela Quinzi. Pamela Quinzi is a Fashion Designer born and raised in Rome, Italy. At fourteen years old she studied at the Institute Armando Diaz in Rome, an Italian high school specialized in fashion. She was also an intern for the oldest Italian couture brands: Sorelle Fontana, Gattinoni and Sarli. After graduating she moved to Milan and attended the Institute Marangoni studying fashion design. She graduated in 2005 and started her fashion career in Milan.

Pamela_Quinzi_and_Cognac Fashion Designer Pamela Quinzi and Cognac.

Pamela has designed extensively at the upper echelons of the fashion industry. She was responsible of the development for two accessories collections of the iconic brand Fiorucci. She currently has her own brand and the most important pieces in her collection are the One-of-a Kind shoes that she customizes by hand. International press calls Pamela “The new Cinderella of New York” a name that has caught on and inspired her blog Cinderellaofnewyork. In April 2010 she had the opportunity to show with a Fashion Show “New York Pop Princess” her first Hand-Made Collection at the Greenhouse club in Manhattan.

Fashion_Designer_Malan_Bret Fashion Designer Malan Breton and Cognac.

She continues to design and is a stylist for important music videos of Italian artists such as Lorenzo Jovanotti, Luciano Ligabue and Emma Marrone. Pamela is Kilame’s testimonial and face of her own brand. She collaborates with photographers, make up artists, hairstylists, designers and stylists from all around the world. Determination is her key of success!

For more information please visit http://pamelaquinzi.com.

Just when guests started grooving on the dance floor, Fashion Designed Malan Breton and I talked about his latest ventures. He recently was awarded the 2014 European Fashion Council “Eirene” Fashion Award, the 2014 Fashion Icon of the Year award from UCOF and was nominated for a 2011 WGSN Global Fashion Award. In Sept of 2014, Malan Breton was titled number 16 of the top 100 most popular people in entertainment for his work in fashion and costume in American television from Taiwan by IMDB. In April of 2014 Malan Breton was voted by Ranker.com the 24th most famous person from Taiwan for his work in fashion. Malan Breton Spring 2015 Collection was presented at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau and Malan was also commisioned to design a signature scarf for Taiwan that featured his artwork.

Cognac interviews Designers Pamela Quinzi and Malan Breton at Malan Breton’s Masquerade Ball at the Union Square Ballroom on Halloween Night.

Malan Breton has dressed many celebrities including Keith Carradine, Scarlett Johansson, Kerry Washington, Michael Buble, Martha Plimpton, Minnie Driver, Kylie Minogue, Ariana Grande, Ricki Lake, Daniel Craig, Nikki Blonsky, Katrina Bowden, Kathy Lee Gifford, Desmond Child, and Nolan Gerard. Breton’s fashions have noted mentions on the Oscar, Grammy, Cannes, Golden Horse and numerous other A-list red carpets around the world. He is also responsible for dressing 2013 TONY awards winner Jerry Mitchell on his winning night and 2014 TONY Award winner for “Best Musical” Bryce Pinkham. He is also known for discovering Sudanese supermodel Grace Bol.

For more information about this incredible designer please visit http://www.malanbretonhomme.com

The Minstrel Players Presents Ken Ludwig’s 2012 Edgar Award Winning Play “The Game’s Afoot”

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(Northport, NY) Long Islanders enjoyed a performance of the Minstrel Players Presents: Ken Ludwig’s THE GAME’S AFOOT; OR HOLMES FOR THE HOLIDAYS, directed by Tara Paren on Saturday, October 25th at Houghton Hall – Trinity Episcopal Church, 130 Main Street in the historic village of Northport Village. A continued performance will be held November 2nd also at Houghton Hall – Trinity Episcopal Church, 130 Main Street in scenic Northport Village.

The production is set during the Christmas holiday season. It continues the exploits of the actor/playwright William Gillette who played Sherlock Holmes more than any other actor in history. Cast members included: Karen Mercorella, Tricia Ieronimo, Kevin Kelly, Gabriella Stevens, Linda Randolph, Brian Hartwig, and newcomer Alicia James. Actor Ray Palen, who plays the title role of William Gillette and has received acclaim for his Holmes/Gillette portrayals and was most recently seen in the short play, “Checkmate”, as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous sleuth. The ‘World Class’ crew is rounded out with Robert Cashman – Technical Director, Debbie Palen – House Manager, Laura Morella – Assistant Director, Esteban Lopez – Stage Manager, Chris Mitchell and Daniel Schappert – Crew, and Bernard Caprera – Lighting Director.

ActorRayPalenandTVHostEnter Actor Ray Palen and TV Host / Entertainment Journalist Cognac Wellerlane at Houghton Hall, Trinity Episcopal Church, 130 Main Street in scenic Northport Village, Saturday, October 25th 2014.

The Minstrel Players are thrilled to be the first area group to stage this award-winning Sherlock Holmes inspired production. The story takes place on December 24, 1936 and Broadway Star William Gillette is admired throughout the world for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. He has invited his fellow cast-member to his Connecticut mansion for a weekend of cheer and revelry. Suddenly one of the guests is stabbed to death and his holiday weekend turns his isolated house of tricks and mirrors into a dangerous place to stay.

It’s up to Gillette himself as he assumes the persona of his beloved Sherlock Holmes to solve the crime and track down the killer. The suspense and hilarity are non-stop amusing everyone in the audience. It is certainly a glittering whodunit set during the Christmas holidays. Ray Palen is brilliant in the role during this two hour production.

Cognac interviews Actor Ray Palen who play Character William Gillette in The Mistral Players Present: Ken Ludwig’s The Game’s Afoot or Holmes for the Holidays directed by Tara Palen in Northport Village, New York.

His character, Willliam Gillette, was an American actor, playwright and stage-manager in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best known for playing Sherlock Holmes on stage and film..

Gillette’s most significant contributions to the theater were in devising realistic stage settings and special sound and lighting effects. His performance of Holmes helped create the modern image of the detective. His use of the deerstalker cap (which first appeared in some Strand illustrations by Sidney Paget) and the curved pipe became durable symbols of the character. Gillette played the role onstage more than 1,300 times over thirty years. He also starred in a silent motion picture based on his Holmes play, and voiced the character twice on radio. While most of Gillette’s work has long been forgotten, his last great masterpiece is still well known today: Gillette Castle in Hadlyme, Connecticut.

The castle is situated on top of a hill, part of the Seven Sisters chain, over a ferry’s pier in Hadlyme. The design of the castle and its grounds features numerous innovative designs and the entire castle was designed, to the smallest details, by William Gillette .

Ray Palen’s goal is to one day be as famous as William Gillette for portraying Sherlock Holmes, Conan Doyle’s infamous sleuth. Ray was just recently seen on and off stage as actor/director/writer for the recent One Act Play Festival — SCENES FROM THE ZONE. Mr. Ray is especially thrilled about the latest venture, Minstrel Academy, where he teaches most of the courses. ” It is an outstanding way to pay it forward and work with some great like-minded individuals who are true students of the acting craft and seeking to keep their skills sharp,” Palen revealed. Ray was blessed to have attended The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC where he was trained by a number of supremely talented actors including: TV star, Brian Markinson, and Oscar-winner, the late Jennifer Jones. He also received private vocal lessons from Tony winner, Ron Raines, and was personally coached by the late stage/screen legend, Allan Jones. Ray has performed in hundreds of productions since childhood and has a soft spot for mystery/thrillers. His inspirations for THE GAME’S AFOOT include, of course, William Gillette as well as the indomitable figure of Sherlock Holmes. Ray remains steadfast in his goals: working for Walt Disney World, playing CF for OUR New York Yankees and being named the first American Dr. Who. Break a leg to the enormously talented Cast and Crew and all my love to Debbie and (the littlest Minstrel) Princess Anna.

The Minstrel Players mission is to provide “World Class” entertainment at an affordable price. Above and beyond that, The Minstrel Players seek to work with other actors and theatre professionals who share the same love of acting. This includes buying into the concept of “checking your ego at the door” – an ideology that has worked well for this tight-knit group. They truly believe that putting together the right chemistry of talented actors creates a quality high level performance in every way.

For more information please visit http://www.minstrelplayers.org

The 22nd Annual Hamptons International Film Festival; October 9th through October 13, 2014

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(Long Island, NY) The Hamptons International Film Festival celebrated its 22nd year in the Hamptons from October 9th through October 13, 2014. Each year the festival screens films from around the world. Below are some notable films that I attended red carpet premieres:

ST. VINCENT directed by Theodore Melfi starring Bill Murray was the opening night film at Guild Hall in East Hampton on Thursday, October 9. In ST. VINCENT, Maggie (Melissa McCarthy), a single mother, moves into a new home in Brooklyn with her 12-year-old son, Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher). Forced to work long hours, she has no choice but to leave Oliver in the care of their new neighbor, Vincent (Bill Murray), a retired curmudgeon with a penchant for alcohol and gambling. Together with Daka (Naomi Watts), a pregnant stripper, Vincent brings Oliver along on his daily routine: the racetrack, a strip club, and the local dive bar. An odd friendship soon blossoms between the improbable pair in Theodore Melfi’s charming comedy.

Patricia Clarkson attended the Festival on behalf of the Spotlight film, LEARNING TO DRIVE, which marked its US premiere at The 22nd Hamptons International Film Festival. Actress Patricia Clarkson also took part in “A Conversation With…” on Friday, October 10 at Bay Street in Sag Harbor. No matter the role, Clarkson brings intelligence, dedication, and her unique sense of empathy. A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, she worked on Broadway before making the leap to feature films with 1987’s THE UNTOUCHABLES. After successful stints on television, she achieved breakthrough status with 1998’s HIGH ART, where she earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Female. From there, she earned raves for her terrific turns in THE GREEN MILE, FAR FROM HEAVEN, HBO’S SIX FEET UNDER (two Emmy Awards), DOGVILLE, THE STATION AGENT, ALL THE REAL GIRLS, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK, LARS AND THE REAL GIRL, CAIRO TIME, and EASY A. In 2003 she earned an Academy Award® nomination for her work in PIECES OF APRIL. Clarkson joins the previously announced Hilary Swank, Mark Ruffalo, Laura Dern and Joel Schumacher who are also participating in “A Conversation With..,” making 2014 the program’s most robust year ever.

The film GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM directed by Shlomi Elkabetz premiered at the festival on October 11, 2014 at the Sag Harbor Cinema.

The film is a final piece of the trilogy by Israeli siblings Ronit and Shlomi Elkabetz exploring the unfolding of a marriage under the jurisdiction of a rabbinical court. Under this law, Jewish marriage may only end if the husband presents a “gett”, a divorce document, to his wife. Calling attention to a male-dominated and sometimes decade-long process, and set entirely in the courtroom, this brilliantly written and acted film reveals the slow dissolution of a marriage between Vivane (Ronit Elkabetz) and Elisha (Simon Abkarian). Balancing the seriousness of what’s at stake with an often-humorous tone, GETT offers a deeply moving take on an otherwise painful procedure.

ChristieBrinkleyHamptonsInt Christie Brinkley, Hamptons International Film Festival.

WILDLIKE directed by Frank Hall Green premiered on October 10, 2014 at the Regal East Hampton.

I had a chance to interview the Director and Cast, Ella Purnell and Bruce Greenwood.

The film is a lovely trek into the stunning Alaskan wilderness, WILDLIKE follows fifteen year old Mackenzie on her first destination to the last frontier. When her stay with ‘Uncle’ takes a traumatic twist, Mackenzie must embark on a dangerous journey through the wilds alone. On her way she encounters another lone traveler (Bruce Greenwood, THIRTEEN DAYS) and together they offer one another something that cannot be found on any map: a chance at salvation. Starring Ella Purnell (MALEFICENT), Ann Dowd (TRUE DETECTIVE) and Brian Geraghty (THE HURT LOCKER), WILDLIKE is a thrilling and taut emotional film.

TIME OUT OF MIND produced by Richard Gere and directed by Oren Moverman premiered on October 10, 2014 at Guild Hall in East Hampton.

The film involves George Hammond who wakes up one morning in a random disarray apartment and is evicted by the building manager. He has a weeks-old beard and unexplained scratches on his face. With no where to go and without a dwelling He wanders the streets of New York looking for shelter and food. Filmmaker Oren Moverman (THE MESSENGER) and star Richard Gere, in a moving performance, bring many heartbreaking truths from this initial premise in TIME OUT OF MIND, a blistering and deeply affecting slice of modern day neo-realism.

THE HOMESMAN directed by Tommy Lee Jones starring both Tommy Lee Jones and Hillary Swank premiered on October 12, 2014 at Guild Hall in East Hampton.

THE HOMESMAN is based on the novel by Pulitzer Prize nominee Glendon Swarthout and follows the pious, independent-minded Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank) as she travels with three “damaged” women by covered wagon to Iowa across the American frontier. She soon realizes just how daunting the journey will be and employs a feisty low-life drifter, George Biggs (Jones), to accompany her. The unlikely caravan decide to travel east, where a waiting minister and his wife (Meryl Streep) have offered to take the women in. But the group first must traverse the harsh Nebraska Territories, marked by stark beauty, psychological peril and constant threatening conditions.

Hillary Swank and Artistic Hillary Swank and Artistic Director David Nugent at the Hamptons International Film Festival

FOXCATCHER directed by Bennett Miller starring Mark Ruffalo premiered on October 11, 2014 at Guild Hall in East Hampton.

With the Academy Award-nominated features MONEYBALL and CAPOTE, Director Bennett Miller has the capacity of turning real-life tales into powerful dramas. With FOXCATCHER, he delivers his most stunning and unsettling film yet. Based on true events, the film depicts Olympic Gold Medal-winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) and his revered sibling Dave (Mark Ruffalo) as they fall into the orbit of an eccentric multi-millionaire, John du Pont (Steve Carell). Their ambiguous goal is to launch Mark to fame and glory. Nothing quite prepares the audience for FOXCATCHER, as this riveting stranger-than-fiction story turns dark and tragic at the end.

A delightful film WEENIE directed by Dan Roe and starring Claire Lucido premiered on October 11, 2014 at the Regal East Hampton Cinema in East Hampton.

Weenie is a grounded sixteen year old teenager who wants to go a forbidden party. The audience is fascinated with the character and the obstacles she goes through defying her mother’s wishes.

Director Dan Roe is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and teaches the 11th grade Media Studies course at Ross School, an experimental boarding school in East Hampton, New York. He is also a cartoonist.

The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) is a year-round 501(c)3 non-profit organization with events, screenings, film workshops, comprehensive summer programs and an annual film festival each October. The Festival is the premiere film event on New York State’s east end, and is an intimate showcase of some of the year’s best offerings in contemporary cinema from around the world. With cash and in-kind prizes handed out totaling more than $190,000, HIFF continues to attract some of the best films of the year. Selections from all of our programs continue to play an important role during awards season. 2013 marked the 5th time in the last 6 years that a film at the Festival has become the eventual Best Picture winner at the Oscars, making HIFF the only Festival on the East Coast with such a distinction. In those 6 years, films screened in the festival have received 150 Oscar nominations.

For more information please visit http://hamptonsfilmfest.org

Southampton African American Museum Presents “Raise Your Voice”, 9th Annual African American Film Festival

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(Long Island, NY) Southampton African American Museum presented “Raise Your Voice”, the 9th Annual African-American Film Festival for four days from October 2nd to the 5th. The celebration of the artistry of African-American filmmakers, actors, personalities, musicians and performers featured a powerful line-up of critically acclaimed, thought- provoking feature films, documentaries, shorts, jazz and spoken words.

Festival organizers led by Executive Director Brenda Simmons and Board Member, Oscar winning film director Nigel Noble selected a group of important films that highlighted the experiences of people of color from the joyous to the painful. Screenings took place at the Southampton Arts Center, 25 Jobs Lane Southampton, NY 11968 and An Evening of Spoken Word & Jazz was held at the Southampton Cultural Center, 25 Pond Lane, Southampton, New York 11968.

Cognac Wellerlane interviews Filmmaker Muta’Ali Muhammad, grandson of Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee at the 9th Annual Southampton African American Film Festival about his recent film Life’s Essentials with Ruby Dee.

I had the pleasure on the last day of the festival interviewing Filmmaker Muta Ali, the grandson of Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. We discussed his reason for creating the film.

The film “Life’s Essentials with Ruby Dee” featuring Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Alan Alda, Harry Belafonte, Danny Glover was written and directed by Dee and Davis’ grandson Muta’Ali Muhammad. The film is an open-letter style documentary in which America’s First African American Couple of Stage, TV and Film Ruby Dee & Ossie Davis. The documentary depicts their rich lives while Ruby Dee guides her grandson on his personal quest to master lasting love, conscious art, and undying activism.

Each of the films speaks eloquently to the complexity of issues facing not only the African American community but all minorities or Luke Meyer’s. Showtime is a coming of age story about two boys in their senior year of high school who earn money by dancing on subways – one of them likes a girl and their friendship is tested as a result. Unlocking the Truth which chronicles the meteoric rise of a young African American metal band from Brooklyn, New York, who write and create their own lyrics and music. The founding band members are Malcolm Brickhouse (electric guitar) and Jarad Dawkins (drums). This film deals with the realities that many people have to face when a loved one returns home from war and everything has changed.

photo1 Cognac Wellerlane interviews Filmmaker Muta’Ali Muhammad, grandson of Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee at the Southampton Arts Center, 25 Jobs Lane Southampton, NY 11968.

The seed of the Southampton African American Museum (aka East End African American Museum) to share the rich history of African Americans throughout the East End and the world was planted in 2005. On December 14, 2010 the Village Historic Preservation Board approved the former 1940’s “gathering place” for African American located at 245 North Sea Rd Southampton formerly known as “The Barbershop” and currently the future home of the Southampton African American Museum, is the first African-American historic landmark in the Village of Southampton.

Its mission is to promote an understanding and appreciation of African American culture by creating programs that will preserve the past, encourage learning and enhance the life of the community. SAAM will research and collect local history, produce media events, create exhibits and community celebrations. Over the years many hurdles have been conquered and great programs are being presented in collaborations with many local agencies and establishments.

Helping to raise awareness for the Festival is a growing group of prominent East Enders who have joined the Host Committee as sponsors including Jean & Martin Shafiroff, Alicia & Dan Bythewood, Congressman Tim Bishop and Kathy Bishop, NYS Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. Florence Anthony, Sara Herbert Galloway & Barry Klarberg, Dede Gotthelf Moan & Terry Moan, Tom Edmonds, Tia Walker, Nigel Noble, Cheryl Buck, Nancy Stevens-Smith, Nina Beaty, Charles Certain, Letcher Johnson, Judge Gabrielle Kirk McDonald, Siamak Samii and Pamela Willoughby.

The 9th Annual African American Film Festival was made possible in part by Suffolk County Motion Picture/Television Film Commission, Suffolk County Community Development, Town of Southampton, and the Village of Southampton.

For more information please visit www.southamptonafricanamericanmuseum.org

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