“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

Winter Fete to Benefit Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at the Church Street Tavern in New York City

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NEW YORK, NY – An evening of stars, glamor, great cuisine, cocktails, music, a silent auction and fun for an important cause – to help save children’s lives took place at the Church Street Tavern to benefit the Sloan Ketteing Memorial Cancer Center for their Pediatric Unit on Thursday December 11, 2014.

A-listers and glamorous guests attended this wonderful event entitled Winter Fete including: TV Personality Rita Cosby, Actress Julianne Michelle, Actor Dominic Chianese and Actor Larry Romano. The event was hosted and Chaired by Actress Julianne Michelle, Vice-Chair Joycelyn Engle, Chih-Chin Sun and Auction Chair: Emily Hunt

Winterfete Actress and Chair Julianne Michelle (left) who helped coordinate the event with TV Personality Rita Cosby.

I sat down with Actress and Chair Julianne Michelle who helped coordinate the event.

Tell my audience some of the more important people who are attending this event tonight.

Julianne: So far we have Tina Louise here, Larry Romano from “King of Queens” is on his way, Jennifer Esposito is confirmed to attend and Dominic Chianese from the “Sopranos,” Steven Baldwin I believe. There is quite a few.

Quite a few people giving their support. This is a wonderful cause for Sloan Kettering.

Julianne: I think all of us have been touched by Cancer in some way.

 I have, that is why I am here tonight. I had Breast Cancer.

Julianne: Oh, you did.

Yes about a year ago, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 Breast Cancer. I am very lucky. Anything that is about Cancer, I am there and I support it.

Julianne: Cancer is the number two killer in the United States. We all have stories and have been touched in a personal way by it and even though tonight’s event focuses on Pediatric Cancer Research, we are acknowledging all of those who have battled Cancer. My late godmother just recently passed away not too long ago from Cancer. It’s always a struggle to see someone like that suffer, someone who had poise and grace, someone I always looked up to but I still look up to her everyday. I think her spirit is with us tonight. I am so honored to be supporting such an important cause and we are doing our best to fund raise for them. Hopefully we have some great auction items and people will bid with open hearts.

Tell my audience where we can go to participate, contribute and support. What is the website.

Julianne: If you Google Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center you will find their website and you can find ways of getting more involved.

Julianne Michelle was nominated three times for “Best Actress” in a feature film and TV series, and winner “Best Actress” for the feature film, “The House Is Burning”. She was nominated for “Best Actress Under Age 10” for the movie, “Family Prayers”…Youth in Film Awards, Los Angeles. The film also starred Joe Mantegna, Paul Reiser, Anne Archer and Patti LuPone. Julianne was nominated for “Best Actress in a TV Series” for “Bus No. 9”. She starred as a series regular. She was also nominated for her guest star appearance on “Who’s The Boss?” starring Tony Danza. …Youth in Film and Young Artists’ Awards, Los Angeles. December 2006, she won “Best Actress” award for “The House Is Burning” directed by award-winning director, Holger Ernst and produced by Win Wenders at the Flash Foundation’s Young Film Festival in Wroclaw, Poland. This feature film was filmed in the United States and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. She recently won the award for Best Actress for “Awakened” Audience Choice Awards Oct. 20, 2013. The feature film “Awakened” is written, produced and co-directed by Joycelyn Engle.

TV Host Cognac Wellerlane interviews Actress Julianne Michelle, TV Personality Rita Cosby and Actor Larry Romano from “King of Queens” at the Winter Fete to Benefit Sloan Kettering Memorial Center at the Church Street Tavern in New York City

I also spoke to TV Personality Rita Cosby who came by to give her support. Rita is a television news anchor and correspondent, radio host, and best selling author. She recently was Special Correspondent for the CBS syndicated program Inside Edition, specializing in interviewing news-makers and political figures.

It has been a while since we met out in the Hamptons at the American Heart Association. Tell my audience why you are a big supporter of tonight’s event.

Rita: You know what, it is very personal to me Cognac. My mother in her final months, she was treated at Sloan Kettering. My mother unfortunately was diagnosed with Lung Cancer. It is an amazing hospital. They took such amazing care of my mother. I am always eternally grateful and I always think about when my mother was in her final months she would see young kids with Cancer being wheeled down the hall. When she realized that she had an amazing life, she would be praying as well as I. When I heard this event was for the Pediatric Center at one of the greatest hospitals in the world, I said “I have to be here to support them.” It’s Christmas time, it’s Holiday time and the greatest gift is to give back and to help a great place like Sloan Kettering.

RitaCosbyandCognacRita Cosby and Cognac Wellerlane at Winter Fete to Benefit Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at the Church Street Tavern in New York City on Thursday December 11, 2014.

Actor Larry Romano from “King of Queens” sat and talked about the event and why he decided to share his support. Larry Romano was a regular on “NYPD Blue” and the sitcom “The King of Queens,” on which he played “Richie Iannucci”. He also played First Base in the motion picture “Lock Up: with Sylvester Stallone. He had a lead role in the short-lived NBC sitcom “Kristin” as Aldo Bonnadonna with Kristin Chenoweth, though the sitcom only aired 6 episodes, before being canceled. Romano made a cameo appearance in “Out for Justice.” In 1997 he had a brief role playing Al Pacino’s son in “Donnie Brasco” and appeared in the 1998 Terrence Malick film “The Thin Red Line.” His most recent acting work was in 2014 film “Laugh Killer Laugh”

I am here with this very important celebrity who is a big supporter of tonight’s event. Introduce yourself to the camera.

Larry Romano: Hello, Larry Romano. You know me from “King of Queens,” “Donnie Brasco,” “Lockup,” and “The Thin Red Line” and I am here helping them raise money for this wonderful cause. The bottom line is that it’s terrible to have kids with Cancer you know. It’s a sad day to see these little kids who will never get a chance of having any life at all. Their suffering and they are going through all this pain and it’s something that keeps you up at night thinking about how lucky you are and how unfortunate others are so the least we can do is be here tonight.

TV Host Cognac Wellerlane interviews Filmmaker Brian Mehling and Owner JB at the Church Street Tavern for the Winter Fete to Benefit the Sloan Kettering Memorial Center

Honorary Celebrity Committee included: Steven Bauer, Larry King, John Savage, Billy Bob Thornton

Host Committee: Melissa Berkelhammer, Rita Cosby, Jennifer Esposito, Jeffrey Jacobs, Dodie Kazanjian, Chanel Korby, Kloe Korby, Dan Ladner, Chris Larson, Lauren Lawrence, Tina Louise, Mrs. Frank Perdue, William Quigley, Nick Raynes, Sean Stone, Tad Tomkins, Michael Travin, Felicia Wong, Sophia Young

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is the world’s oldest and largest private institution devoted to prevention, patient care, research and education in cancer. Its scientists and clinicians generate innovative approaches to better understand, diagnose and treat cancer. MSK’s specialists are leaders in biomedical research and in translating the latest research to advance the standard of cancer care worldwide.

For more information please visit www.mskcc.org

98-Seat Tocolo Cantina Mexican Restaurant Opens; Gallery at Westbury Plaza, Garden City Long Island

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(Long Island, NY) It may be Winter and right before the Holiday Season but Long Island has just turned up the heat with the newly opened Tocolo Cantina Restaurant. Tocolo is an authentic Mexican restaurant with an innovative twist located in The Gallery at Westbury Plaza (920 Old Country Rd, Garden City). The restaurant just opened up its doors on December 3rd, 2014. With this fabulous Mexican Eatery comes renowned chef Alexis Samayoa, a Brooklyn native with a stellar career.

Tocolo Cantina serves refined, modern Mexican and Oaxacan cuisine in a casual and fun atmosphere with a strong focus on service. The 98-seat restaurant merges elements of a modern California eatery with those of a Mexican Cantina. It is fit with copper walls, encaustic tile, and a hydraulic garage door. The restaurant is anchored by a lively bar in the center of the room. This past weekend I was invited to dine at the restaurant and to speak to the owners who made all of this happen.

The restaurant is co-owned by four incredible gentlemen, Lloyd Rosenman, Todd Birnbaum, Coby Rejwan and Chef Alexi Samayoa.

TocoloCantina1 From left to right, Coby Rejwan, Cognac Wellerlane, Lloyd Rosenman,Todd Birnbaum.

Upon entering I was immediately greeted by General Manager Samantha Macleod. Samantha and I talked about the restaurant while we sipped on their signature cocktails.

Tell us about these delicious cocktails that you are serving us here at the restaurant.

Samantha: This is the Grilled Lime Margaritas. It’s one of our most popular margaritas. It’s made with Avion Silver Tequila. It is rinsed with Ilegal Mezcal so it gives it a little bit of a smokiness. We grill the lime and we fresh squeeze lime juice. It is absolutely delicious.

managerTocolo Cantina General Manager Samantha Macleod and Cognac Wellerlane.

It sounds delicious. Tell my audience a little bit more about the restaurant. How did you get involved in this restaurant?

Samantha: The owners were looking for a general manager. There are four owners, Todd, Coby, Lloyd and Chef Alexis and they were looking for somebody for in front of the house to basically make sure that this could be the amazing place that it is today.

TocoloCantina2 Tocolo Cantina in Garden City; refined, modern Mexican and Oaxacan cuisine in a casual and fun atmosphere with a strong focus on service.

I spoke to Co-Owner Todd Birnbaum about the history he had with his co-partners.

Tell my audience how you got involved with this restaurant.

Todd: Coby and Lloyd The co in Tocolo were planning on opening an eatery like such and a mutual friend of mine and there’s made an introduction because they wanted someone with restaurant know-how. I have been in the restaurant industry for twenty years and when we met I had envisioned the same exact restaurant they had. It was meant to be.

TocoloCantina3 Tocolo Cantina in Garden City; refined, modern Mexican and Oaxacan cuisine in a casual and fun atmosphere with a strong focus on service.

Later I discussed the fabulous artwork that was being displayed in the restaurant with Co-Owner Lloyd Rosenman.

Tell my audience about this restaurant. I see that there is such beautiful art work surrounding us. Tell my audience the story about these paintings that we are seeing surrounding us.

Lloyd: Well, we were heavily influenced by the great food and art in San Francisco especially the Mission District. All the art in the restaurant are murals from the Mission District in San Framcisco. The main artwork over the booth I commissioned and it is a balmy alley in San Francisco. San Francisco has just amazing street art and it is a story of the community really.

All these paintings, is there a particular artist that did all of them or are there various artists?

Lloyd: There are various muralists and various photographers who took pictures of those murals.

TocoloCantina4 Tocolo Cantina in Garden City; refined, modern Mexican and Oaxacan cuisine in a casual and fun atmosphere with a strong focus on service.

I also had a chance to chat with Co-Owner Coby Rejwan who shared some special feelings he had about the restaurant.

Why do you think this restaurant is so special?

Coby: The original idea behind this restaurant goes back many years. I went to college in Berkley, California and before I went out there I didn’t know what Mexican food was; then I tried some Mexican food out there and I met some Mexican American friends. I tried their parent’s home cooking and it was instant love. Ever since then it’s a few years and I have just longed for that kind of food in New York. I have lived in the city up until about a year ago and moved out here and still have not been able to find it. I think the Mexican dining scene has come so far in the last few years especially in Manhattan. There are some great places. It was sought-of a dream to build something like that in our community on Long Island.

After learning about why all the owners were inspired to open this authentic Mexican eatery, I was thrilled to interview Chef Alexis Samayoa.

Chef Alexis Samayoa’s menu is influenced by his own upbringing and a career that spans over a decade through renowned kitchens like El Vez, La Esquina (with Chef Akhtar Nawab), Txikito (with Chef Alex Raij), WD-50 (with Chef Wiley Dufresne) and Empellon. His approach at Tocolo Cantina reflects a deep love of food – smells, textures, seasonings and freshness, as well as a devoted skill set most inspired by Empellon’s Chef Alex Stupak and his creativity.

chef22Chef Alexis Samayoa, co-owner of Tocolo Cantina Restaurant in Garden City with Cognac Wellerlane during her interview.

How did you learn how to cook like this? Did you go to culinary school?

Chef Alexis: Yes I did. I went to the Art Institute of New York City. I think it closed, I don’t know. For years I have been cooking. I started cooking at WD-50, that was one of my biggest starts and that is where I met Alex Stupak. When he opened up his Mexican Restaurant (Empellon). I started involving more of my Latin flavors into my life and working with Mr. Stupac I was able to understand modern techniques and traditional flavors and combine them together and put them into a New York City modern time so people could enjoy that. It was pretty difficult in the beginning now it’s getting easier to compose together flavors.

For more information about this authentic Mexican Eatery please visit http://www.tocolocantina.com

TV Host Cognac Wellerlane interviews General Manager Samantha Macleod and Owner Todd Birnbaum at Tocolo Cantina Mexican Restaurant located at 920 Old Country Road, Garden City New York.

TV Host and Entertainment Journalist Cognac Wellerlane interviews Owners, Lloyd Rosenman, Coby Rejwan and Chef Alexis Samayoa at Tocolo Cantina Mexican Restaurant located at 920 Old Country Road, Garden City New York.

Television Stars from Around Globe Attend 42nd International Emmy Awards Gala in New York City

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(Long Island, NY) On November 24, 2014 television stars from around the globe attended the 42nd International Emmy Awards Gala in New York City. Two significant awards and 10 Emmy statues were presented by the International Academy during the evening. Winners span eight countries: Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

For the first time a US primetime program produced fifty percent or more in a language other than English, won an Emmy. This will be a permanent category moving forward. “Mad Men” stars Christina Hendricks and John Slattery presented the International Emmy Founders Award to “Mad Men” creator, Matthew Weiner. I was thrilled to interview President and CEO Bruce Paisner.

MatthewWeineMatthew Weiner, Christina Hendricks and John Slattery

Bruce Paisner: I am Bruce Paisner, President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Academy and I am looking forward to tonight’s gala and festivities.

Cognac: This year it promises to be your best event ever.

Bruce: It’s going to be a terrific event because we have two phenomenal honorees, Matthew Weiner who is going to get the Founders Award, Creator of “Mad Men” of course and Roberto Irineu Marinho who is the Chief Executive of Grupo Globo the largest television company in Brazil and South America.

Cognac: And you have two wonderful stars presenting the award John Slattery and Christina Hendricks.

Bruce: Yes, we do.

Cognac: That should be very exciting. I look forward to interview them and I Hope they will walk the red carpet.

Bruce: I don’t know, I imagine.

Cognac Tell my audience where we can go to find out more information on the International Emmy Awards.

Bruce: http://www.iemmys.tv

During the course of my red carpet interviews, I briefly spoke to Actress Laverne Cox. Laverne Cox is the critically acclaimed actress who currently appears in the Netflix original series, “Orange is the New Black.” Ms Cox portrays the groundbreaking role of ‘Sophia Burset,’ an incarcerated African American Transgender woman. Laverne is the first trannie of color to have a leading role on mainstream television and Time Magazine recently titled ‘Sophia Burset’ the fourth most influential character of 2013.

Cognac: Now you are presenting tonight?

Laverne: Yes I will be presenting for the International Documentary.

Four Emmy Award Nominee John Slattery and one of the stars of “Mad Men” could not resist chatting with me on the red carpet.

John Slattery: I have a place on Long Island as soon as I saw that your outlet was Long Island, I had to come back.

Cognac: This is going to be on in the Hamptons.

John Slattery: That’s where I live. I like your outfit by the way.

Cognac: Do you? It’s very sixty’s I wore it just for you.

John: You did. Well I appreciate it.

Cognac: I am very in love with that era. When I was a kid in the sixty’s I couldn’t wait to grow up and look like ‘Joan.’

John: Really, that doesn’t make any sense. You couldn’t have been a kid in the sixty’s and want to look like ‘Joan.’

Cognac: I was, I was little girl in the sixty’s.

John: Oh, I get it and you wanted to look like she looks. I see, yeah.

Cognac: Yeah, so now you understand what I am saying. So how did you get this role on “Mad Men.” Was it many auditions processes for the role?

John: I auditioned for the part of ‘Don Draper’ they told me to come in and read for that part. They lied to me basically because they didn’t think I would come in and audition for the role of ‘Roger Sterling’ because it was a small, couple of lines, couple of scenes in the pilot. So then they said we want you to play this guy.

Cognac: You are much more suited for that role.

Roger: Yeah, once I realized that they already had John Hamn, this was better.

Cognac: You look like many of the bosses I had when I was a secretary. I did that, I was like ‘Joan.’ I used to type,

John: Did you miss that? ‘Joan’ had a hard time of it.

Cognac: I had a hard time too. Now I do this. I am a Talk Show Host and an Entertainment Journalist.

John: Yeah this is much better.

Cognac: What’s next for you?

John: I just did a couple of movies, “Ted II” the sequel to “Ted.” I did “Mad Men.” I have a new movie called “Spotlight” which will be coming out next year about the Boston Globe, the scandal about the Catholic Church.

Cognac: These are going to be films, not television?

John Slattery: Yeah, next year. I haven’t done any television.

Cognac: Can we follow you on facebook, Instagram, twitter, do you have a website?

John Slattery: No, you can follow me out in the Hamptons. I will be driving by and you can follow me.

The highlight of my evening was when I met Eleven Emmy Award Nominee Matthew Weiner, The creator of the groundbreaking TV series “Mad Men.”

Cognac: I am here with the Creator of “Mad Men” Mr. Matthew Weiner. He is the recipient of the Founders Award. How fabulous, that is the biggest award here tonight. What does it feel like to receive this award?

Matthew: It’s a tremendous honor. It makes me feel a little bit old but your glad your getting it and I think because it is the International Emmy there is something really pleasing about that. It took a long time to get the show on the air. Seven years.

Cognac: Yes, I read that.

Matthew: One of the feelings is that it would not appeal to people outside the United States and so to be here getting this award because it did succeed outside of the United States is a really great feeling.

Cognac: I must tell you, I am in love with the 1960’s era. I grew up in that era and I couldn’t wait to grow up and look just like ‘Joan’ and wear my hair high and false eyelashes and mini skirts and then when I grew up it was the hippie era and I hated it. So watching that nostalgic show was just one of the best shows on television for me and it won so many awards and it keeps winning.

Matthew: Its been a great experience. I don’t know what else to tell you. It hasn’t really sunk in on some levels.

Cognac: What’s next for you?

Matthew: I don’t know yet. I am going to do a bunch of things probably all at once, but right now I am resting.

Mr. Weiner is an American writer, director and producer. Not only is he the creator of the AMC television drama series “Mad Me” he is also famous for his work on the HBO drama series The Sopranos, on which he served as a writer and producer during the show’s fifth and sixth seasons from 2004 through 2007. Weiner has received nine Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on “Mad Men” and The “Sopranos.”

Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and CEO of 21st Century Fox and News Corporation presented the International Emmy Directorate Award to Roberto Irineu Marinho, Chairman & CEO, Grupo Globo. They were joined on the stage by Brazilian actors Milton Gonçalvez and Gloria Pires.

The International Emmy Awards recognize excellence in global television programming. The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is a membership based organization comprised of leading media and entertainment figures from over sixty countries and five hundred companies from all sectors of television including internet, mobile and technology.

Their mission to recognize excellence in television produced outside of the United States. The International Emmy Awards in twenty categories.

For more information go to www.iemmys.tv.

Mario Cantone Performs His One Man Show “Mario Cantone Swings Both Ways” At the Space At Westbury

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(Long Island, NY) This past weekend I had the pleasure of being invited to interview Broadway/Film and Stand Up Comic Mario Cantone at the Space at Westbury. The Space is a historic multi-facet concert and event venue located at 250 Post Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590. The Space is in the heart of Nassau County, just two blocks south of the Northern State Parkway.

Mario Cantone is an accomplished stage and screen actor but we all know him best as the adorable sarcastic character of Anthony, Charlotte’s wedding planner in the film “Sex And The City.” Below is my interview with Cantone

Mario CantoneBroadway/Film and Stand Up Comic Mario Cantone with TV Host/Entertainment Journalist Cognac Wellerlane at the Space at Westbury on Saturday November 23, 2014.

Not only are you an accomplished stage actor, you also appeared on Broadway in the role of “Buzz”

Mario: Yes I replaced Nathan Lane in that role. That was Terence McNally’s award winning dramatic comedy “Love Valor! Compassion” It won the Tony Award. I have done five Broadway shows. That was my first one. It was all down hill from there. No, I am kidding. It was such a great role. I was young, oh my God.

And you also played “Stephano” in Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” at the Public Theater.

Mario: I played with Patrick Stewart. We did the whole play in a pit of sand. I was wiping sand out of the crack of my ass every night.

What made you want to be in show business? Was it something that happened in your childhood?

Mario: Yes I needed attention. I needed to be loved. I needed to make people laugh because you know when you are trying to make your mother laugh your whole life and she rarely does you kind of continue on that path.

So that is how it started from when you were a little kid?

Mario: Yeah I was always doing school theater. But the first time I was ever on the stage I was in Kindergarten and we were on the stage, I will never forget it; I sang “America The Beautiful.” I believe it was that and I started to cry. They had to take me off the stage. I was terrified. I came home and my mother said “Why did you cry,” and I said “Because I was on stage with a bunch of untalented illiterate children, that’s why.” No that’s not why, but after that you couldn’t get me off the stage.

Do you still get stage fright?

Mario: Yes I am always terrified.

I am amazed that you are doing the interview right now ‘before’ the show.

Mario: I am amazed too!

You must love me

Mario: I do I adore you with your white hair. I want to wear it later.

Do you have a specific role that you loved doing; a role that you have fond memories of doing?

Mario: I think weirdly enough it was a play called “The Violet Hour.” It was my third Broadway show. It was a play by Richard Greenberg. It was a role that was written for me. It was a beautiful play but it was a terrible production, unfortunately. It didn’t get great reviews but it was something about the character that when I let it go it was very traumatic. And it was a tough experience because the reviews weren’t good and you know, one of our leading ladies was drunk on the stage and they had to drag her in the middle of the first act, you know, it was pretty intense.

It was not Anthony from Sex And The City?

Mario: Anthony, I feel like goes on. If they do a third movie, which they are talking about and I hope they do, I don’t know, I haven’t heard anything, Anthony goes on so to me I feel I haven’t let that go yet. This was a play that I did, and from the first time, and when I let it go it was very emotionally difficult.

Maybe someday you can do that character again in a better production.

Mario: Yeah in a walker! Let’s do it that way, when I am in a walker.

Tell my audience about this production that we are going to see this evening.

Mario: It’s my new one man show which I hope to get to Broadway soon.

So you are trying it out here first at the Space.

Mario: We are touring it around a little bit and around the country.

I know you were talking about it on Wendy Willliams Show. I interviewed Wendy, she is lovely.

Mario: She is a lot of fun. She is the Mae West of daytime television. I tell her that all the time.

So what am I?

Mario: You are more like Goldie Hawn.

Really, I like that.

Mario: Yeah I like that and I am your daughter!

Mario: I am trying my one man show with the four piece band. Hopefully when the show goes to Broadway the band will be bigger.

And more exciting?

Mario: Well this band is really good but we want to have more brass. It will be nice to add some brass because it is going to be a bit of a swing show. I called it Mario Cantone’s Swings Both Ways.

Cantone has performed his irreverent stand-up comedy at a wide range of venues, including Carnegie Hall, where he warmed up jazz great Shirley Bassey. He has done many performances including the Atlantic City’s Borgata, Atlantic Club, Headlining at Gotham Comedy and Caroline’s on Broadway. Over the years his routines have included musical parodies of Judy Garland, Jim Morrison, Peggy Lee, Bruce Springsteen and Liza Minnelli.

Cantone got his start hosting the local New York children’s show Steampipe Alley where the comic slipped in sly pop culture innuendo that adults could enjoy. His other television credits include appearances on Late Night with David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Oprah, Martha, The Today Show and through out it’s 15 year run, multiple appearances on ABC’s The View.

For more information on Mario please visit http://www.mariocantone.com

I also had a lovely chat with Executive Director Bruce Michael in the Green Room right before the show.

bruce Executive Director of the Space at Westbury Bruce Michael with TV Host/Entertainment Journalist Cognac Wellerlane on Saturday November 23, 2014.

Tell my audience more about the Space At Westbury.and why you became involved.

Bruce: The Space at Westbury is the former Westbury Movie Theater. The site was a movie theater which had closed down in the late 90’s. The current owner of the building Cyrus Hakakian found the property. He was originally going to turn it into a retail and apartment complex and decided at the very last minute after touring the theater again going through with a flash light that it was an incredible space and he decided to rebuild the entire building to accommodate concerts as well as special events. We have a lot of private parties here. We do everything from Bar mitzvahs to Sweet 16 parties. We had boxing here last week. We also had a car unveiling for Porsche. So the Space is quite amazing. It says what it is suppose to do as a concert hall and an event center.

But why did you want to be involved?

Bruce: When I met Cyrus and I saw his passion and his excitement and his vision, you know it is not everyday that you meet someone that has an amazing vision to turn a building into what this has become. We met and we started collaborating. It started in May of 2012 and in October of 2013 we finally opened. I was present through the whole construction process. It’s very exciting.

You know I had two dreams in my life and I accomplished one already. From the time I was a child I wanted to be the producer of the Radio City Music Hall and I got that opportunity in 1989. I was the Vice President and Creative Producer for the Radio City Rockets for fifteen years. My other dream was to work with a theater that needed to be rehabilitated and brought back to life and then I met Cyrus. That was an extraordinary opportunity to take this old movie theater and turn it into the Space at Westbury.

The Space at Westbury completed the installation of state of the art lighting and sound systems combined with flexible seating plans. It is truly the perfect venue to experience concerts, live entertainment and celebrity performances. The Westbury Theater now enters a new chapter of its illustrious history as The Space at Westbury.

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

TV Host/Entertainment Journalist and Columnist For The LongIslandExchange.com interviews Actor/Comic Mario Cantone and Executive Director Bruce Michael at The Space At Westbury.

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

Interview: Matthew LaPorte and Donnie Klang Back Together Again At Long Island’s Loft Sound Studio

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(Long Island, NY) Matthew LaPorte and Donnie Klang, owners of The Loft Sound Studio have established Long Islands Premier Music Artist Development Factory and the results are becoming quite significant in promoting new brands, teen acts and singing sensations.

Donnie Klang, the P Diddy protege and MTV Making The Band Season 4 and 5 Winner, who was once signed to Sony Music by Beyonce’s father Matthew Knowles, has proven himself not only a hit maker, but a star maker – both before the age of 30. You may know him from television, radio and his tours across the country. His accomplishments were touring with top performers such as Jason Derulo. Donnie and his producing partner and best friend Matt LaPorte decided to embark on a new endeavor taking them both to the next generation of music impresarios.

Matthew LaPorte and Donnie Klang Donnie Klang (left) and Matthew LaPorte (right) with Cognac Wellerlane.

I reached out to this dynamic duo to find out what inspired them to create this company.

Why did you create the Loft Sound Studio?

Matt: My Company was created by me and my best friend Donnie Klang. We kind of had several years in the music business as artists, different MTV shows. Donnie was on the show “Making the Band.” We went through different deals with Sony as young artists and we wanted to kind of go back to our roots and create a place where young kids and people that might have the talent to make it in the business but they don’t know where to go, so we kind of want to clear the place for those people.

There are so many people out there that are totally naive about the whole record industry, creating albums, putting a record together and you help them with that?

Matt: Yeah, we help them through all stages whether you are a beginner or advanced. Right now we are working with a couple of celebrities.

Tell my audience about the celebrities that come here.

Matt: We work with a lot of kids from “The Voice”.

So they are really reality stars?

Matt: Yeah, they are reality stars. One of the artist we are developing is a twelve year old girl, Madison Beer. Through a network of us and her family, she got signed to Justin Bieber which was huge for us and our brand. Justin Bieber tweeted a lot of our videos that were made for her so that went out to 27 million people. So that kind of help expanded our brand.

Wow, that is amazing. How do you do that? How do you get 27 million people liking the video? Is it luck, talent or a little bit of manipulation with the Internet?

Matt: A little mixture of everything. You have to sound good. You have to know people and you got to be with the Loft Sound Studio.

I also talked to Co-owner Donnie Klang and he shared some information during our interview.

Tell my audience about the Artist Development Program.

Donnie: We do a couple of things. We work with beginners to professional singers and we just try to take them to the next level. They can sit down with a vocal coach who can make their voice sound better but we try to do something more like find the artist in everybody. Lady Gaga wasn’t Lady Gaga when she was learning how to sing but somewhere along the way she turned into Lady Gaga. Now she is a brand. We try to find that in everybody.

I understand that Beyonce Knowles father Matthew Knowles discovered you guys.

Donnie: Yeah, we were fifteen, sixteen years old. We sang in a boys band. This was around the days of N Sync and the Back Street Boys. Me and Matt and a couple of our other friends were in a group Boy Band and we went to the mall one day and there was a concert going on and we started singing and we stole the show. The manager came out and said “You guys can’t be doing this.” He brought us backstage and he said, “I’m Beyonce Knowles dad and I want you guys to come meet me at Sony tomorrow morning.” We were all under age so our parents came and there were lawyers involved.

Why do you think video is so important when you are training these individuals to become stars?

Donnie: We kind of live in a whole new world now. If you don’t have a visual people don’t even care. It started off there was just radio. Then there was TV and video started getting more and more important. Now with the internet and YouTube it’s almost like if you don’t have a video, you don’t exist.

Tell my audience a little about the Innovative Training.

So we basically taught ourselves how to sing when we were thirteen years old. Matt built a studio in his parent’s basement. We didn’t take vocal lessons, we just learned how to sing with head phones on. We heard ourselves in the head phones and if you were off you could hear it. If you were on you could hear it. So basically how we taught ourselves how to sing we teach kids how to sing that same way.

Getting back to Matthew and Donny, as is true in most bands, after a few years the boys split ways. Donnie, Matt and one of the other members went on to try out for P Diddy’s casting call of MTVs Making The Band 4. Donnie went on to win the show with a solo record deal landing him a spot on MTV for several seasons, a hit single featuring P Diddy and shows across the country working with artists such as Jason Derulo.

As Donnie’s performing career has slowed down (for now), he partnered back up with Matt to establish a state of the art 2400 sq ft studio out of a 10′ x 10′ loft in a commercial business in what is now aptly known as The Loft Sound Studio located on Long Island which has garnered local praise in Newsday and on News 12 and Fox TV. The sky is the limit for this impressive team of musical lifers.

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

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