The Weekly Charlow

Happy 100th Birthday, My Dear Lucy

2011-08-06T12:00:00.003-04:00

Lucille Ball truly was an inspiration. Not only was she one of the most powerful women in Hollywood in her day, she helped create Desilu Productions with her husband Desi Arnaz, the first company to use a multi-camera film setup before a live studio audience. She was a true class act.

Even though she was born 100 years ago this month and her mega-hit TV show premiered 60 years ago this October, there remains a single truth about Lucille Ball: We still love Lucy.

I LOVE LUCY took place on the East Side, was in black and white, the fashions were outdated, but the show continues to air in 80 countries and has been dubbed in 21 languages. Her fans are multigenerational. The first show I remember seeing Lucy on was THE LUCY SHOW. It was the episode with Carol Burnett. They were airline flight attendants and they mess up - the usual way - but end up turning the mess into a big musical onboard flight. I never dreamt that years later, I would become such a fan and collector.

One day, while I was walking thru the village, I stopped at a table someone had set up to sell photos and postcards. I rummaged thru and found a beautiful photo of Lucy in a white shroud. I bought it. Took it to be framed. Took it home. Hung it on the wall and that became the first item I ever collected. Every time I’d see a photo or postcard or anything on or with Lucy, I’d buy it. I even named my first pet- a cat - Lucy. I was hooked!

WILDCAT - A musical with a book by N. Richard Nash, lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, and music by Cy Coleman. It opened on Broadway in 1960 at the Alvin Theatre, starring a 48-year-old Lucille Ball. It was her only appearance in a Broadway production.

I never got to meet Lucille Ball or Desi Arnaz (he died in 1986, 3 years before Lucy). In fact, she was the last of the “gang” to go. The one and only time I wrote a fan letter to Lucy, It was sent to her in the hospital. The day after I mailed the letter, she died. I got back a note from the family thanking me for remembering ‘mom’ and a thanks for writing. Lucy will always be in the hearts of her fans. Wherever you go there are kids and adults that say they have favorite episodes and never once tire of talking about how great her shows are. It is said that anywhere at any moment, anywhere in the world, you’ll find an episode of I Love Lucy on TV. Many say I Love Lucy has healing powers. I fully believe in this. If you’re ever “tired, rundown, listless...” If you’re ever “in a jam”, “up a tree”, “down a well”, “in a mess”, and you need a pick-up, watch an I Love Lucy episode. Happy Birthday, Lucy!!

Lucille Ball at 100 and I Love Lucy at 60

2011-08-04T12:00:00.009-04:00

I own these two outfits on loan to the Hollywood Museum

A new exhibition at the Hollywood Museum celebrates two milestones in the life of America’s Queen of Comedy: Lucille Ball’s 100th birthday on Aug. 6 and the 60th anniversary of “I Love Lucy,” her classic TV collaboration with husband Desi Arnaz, which CBS first aired on Oct. 15, 1951.

“Lucille Ball at 100 & ‘I Love Lucy’ at 60,” presented in partnership with CBS , will be on display from Aug. 3 to Nov. 30, showcasing memorabilia saluting the careers and romance of Hollywood’s most famous lovebirds.

“The Hollywood Museum in the Historic Max Factor Building is the perfect venue for this exhibit because it's where Lucille Ball went for makeup and hair treatments from Mr. Factor,” says Museum President Donelle Dadigan. “It's where Lucy first became a redhead. She had the longest-running contract of all of Mr. Factor's celebrity clients and he frequently used her image in his PR and ad promotions. The Redheads Only Room has been carefully preserved in her memory today. The museum’s historic connection to Lucy is the reason the U.S. Postal Service chose to unveil its official Lucille Ball commemorative stamp here in 2001.”

The exhibit is presented in partnership with CBS DVD and Paramount Home Video, which just released a new DVD set “The Best of ‘I Love Lucy’” featuring 14 classic episodes that have been digitally restored. CBS describes the set, “Television's all-time queen of comedy is at her candy-wrapping, grape-stomping, Vitameatavegamin-pushing best in this timeless collection of I Love Lucy episodes. From Hollywood to Europe, from ballet to burlesque to the birth of Little Ricky... it’s all here in this hilarious 2-disc set.” The 14 episodes: “The Ballet,” “The Freezer,” “Lucy Does a TV Commercial” (Vitameatavegamin), “Job Switching” (The Chocolate Factory), “Lucy Is Enceinte” (Lucy reveals pregnancy), “Lucy Goes to the Hospital,” “L.A. at Last,” “Lucy Gets in Pictures,” “Harpo Marx,” “The Great Train Robbery,” “Bon Voyage,” “Paris at Last,” “Lucy Gets a Paris Gown,” “Lucy’s Italian Movie” (Grape Stomping).

The opening of the exhibition will be celebrated at a private party to be held tonight with Lucie Arnaz in attendance. On Lucille Ball's 100th birthday, Aug. 6,, the museum will stage a Lucy look-alike contest plus a contest to declare the best birthday cake.

“Lucille Ball at 100 & ‘I Love Lucy’ at 60” Exhibit includes:
· “Redheads Only Room" where Max Factor worked on Lucy’s famous look, featuring their original signed contract.
· Awards, Certificates, Statuettes/Trophies, Plaques - including the special tribute to Lucy at the 33rd Annual Emmys (1981) and a congratulatory letter from President Ronald Reagan
· The famous first national TV Guide (April 3, 1953) featuring Desi, Jr. on the cover as the $50 million baby
· Items showcasing the genius of Desi – including original editing equipment which allowed for the technical advancement of TV production (3 cameras, live audience, on film)
· A huge photography collection spanning Lucy’s life including her childhood, modelling career, films, radio and TV with some never-before-seen candid personal shots
· Lucy's autographed leg cast from her 1972 ski accident at Snowmass, CO
· Personal annotated copies of Lucy’s scripts from TV shows and films
· Desi's original recordings + sheet music
· Montage of original photos from Lucy and Desi’s homes and apartments including Palm Springs, NYC and Beverly Hills

Costumes Include:
· Elizabethan gown worn by Lucy opposite guest Tallulah Bankhead (“The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour,” 1957).
· Artist smock worn by Lucy opposite guest Danny Thomas ("Here's Lucy," 1973).
· Flapper dance costume worn by Lucie Arnaz in a specialty flapper dance number ("Here's Lucy," 1972).
· Bold hound’s-tooth wool pant suit worn by Lucy during the filming of her last film “Mame” (1974). Unfortunately neither the costume nor the scene made it to the final cut of the film.
· Ivory and lavender beaded gown worn by Lucy in her first MGM film "Du Barry Was a Lady" (1943) opposite co-stars Red Skelton and Gene Kelly.
· Iconic trench coat worn by Lucy and featured in ads for the classic film noir “Lured” (1947).

Lucy's Scripts Include:
·“I Love Lucy” – Season 6, Episode 6: “Off to Florida” (Nov. 12, 1956)
·“The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” – Episode 2: “The Celebrity Next Door” (Dec. 3, 1957)
·“The Lucy Show” – Season 1, Episode 1: “Lucy Waits Up for Chris” (Oct. 1, 1962); Season 1, Episode 5: “Lucy Buys a Sheep” (Oct. 29, 1962)
·“Here's Lucy” – Season 2, Episode 10: “Lucy the Cement Worker” (Nov. 24, 1969); Season 3, Episode 1: “Lucy Meets the Burtons” (Sept. 14,1970); Season 5, Episode 16: “Lucy Goes on Her Last Blind Date” (Jan. 8, 1973)
·“Life with Lucy” – Season 1, Episode 1: “One Good Grandparent Deserves Another” (Sept. 20, 1986)

For more details, please go to http://yousend.it/mZTcDY
WHERE: The Hollywood Museum, 1660 N. Highland Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90028
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday
EXHIBIT INFO: Aug. 4, 2011 to Dec. 31, 2011
PRICE: $15 for adults; $12 for seniors and children under 12.
INFO: (323) 464-7776 www.thehollywoodmuseum.com

Here's a video of the News Broadcast that night of the opening Gala. What's neat about this video is that 44 seconds into it, you see a shot of the two articles of clothing I lent to the museum for this exhibit. They are the Aqua Chiffon Caftan with Feather-Boa Sleeves, the 3-Piece Lilac Pant Suit and the Deep Purple High-Heeled shoes. Pictured at the top of this article.

Double Feature! Lucille Ball's 100th Birthday!

2011-08-02T12:00:00.008-04:00

THE LONG, LONG TRAILER / THE DARK CORNER
Beloved performer Lucille Ball (1911 - 1989) is spotlighted with screenings of the Lucy-Desi comedy THE LONG, LONG TRAILER and her more dramatic turn in the noir THE DARK CORNER.

THE LONG, LONG TRAILER
1954, Warner Bros., 96 min, USA,
Dir: Vincente Minnelli
Long before VACATION and RV, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz hit the road (though not as the Ricardos) in color in this slapstick romp about newlyweds who buy a shiny new trailer and decide to take a cross-country honeymoon. Needless to say, "There's gonna be a lotta 'splainin' to do!" With Marjorie "Ma Kettle" Main, Keenan Wynn and Madge Blake; written by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich (FATHER OF THE BRIDE).

THE DARK CORNER
1946, 20th Century Fox, 99 min, USA,
Dir: Henry Hathaway
Wrongly convicted private eye Bradford Galt (Mark Stevens) is sprung from prison, but bad luck sticks to his gummed shoes. Who's the mystery man in the white suit and why won't he leave Galt alone? What's his connection to the big money boys on the Upper East Side? Galt's no Marlowe. Without his loyal gal Friday (Lucille Ball), he wouldn't make it out from behind the 8-ball alive. "I'm backed up in a dark corner," he grouses, "and I don't know who's hitting me." Co-starring Clifton Webb, William Bendix.

Anniversary waltz for Lucille Ball, 'Lucy'

2011-08-01T12:00:00.001-04:00

From

Variety kept a close eye on Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's bold gamble in producing "I Love Lucy" on film through their Desilu banner.

A full-page launch ad ran in the Sept. 5, 1951, edition of "Daily Variety."
It's time to take a moment to remember why we love Lucy.

A number of tributes, exhibits and events are set to mark the twin milestones this year of the 100th anniversary of Lucille Ball's birth, on Aug. 6, 1911, and the 60th anni of "I Love Lucy's" debut, on Oct. 15, 1951.

The backstory of "Lucy" and the many achievements of Ball and Desi Arnaz have been well documented, but it's a legacy of risk-taking, innovation and unparalleled talent that has grown only more impressive with the passage of time.

Through the couple's insistence on producing a show on film from Los Angeles, rather than live in New York, "Lucy" invented the three-camera sitcom, modern editing techniques and the riches of syndication. And Lucy and Desi owned it all, through Desilu Prods., after spending their own money on a pilot to convince skeptical CBS execs that America would warm to a ditsy redheaded housewife and her Cuban bandleader husband.

Three months after the launch of Desilu in April 1950, Daily Variety reported the first rumblings that the pair were about to produce a "tele pilot film" but were keeping mum on details. The following year, the bet-the-farm gamble that Desilu was taking on "Lucy" was palpable in a full-page launch ad that ran in the Sept. 5, 1951, edition.

Variety's review of the "Lucy" bow wasn't a rave, but it hit the mark in noting that the show "should sell lots of cigarettes" for sponsor Philip Morris.

Among the upcoming tributes, the Hollywood Museum on Highland Avenue will unveil an extensive exhibit of Lucy-ana that runs Aug. 4-Nov. 30. Ball's daughter Lucie Arnaz, "Lucy" editor Dann Cahn and other notables will be on hand for the opening night.

For hardcore enthusiasts, there's Lucy Fest, which runs Aug. 3-7 in Ball's hometown of Jamestown, N.Y., which pays year-round tribute to its famous daughter with the Lucy Desi Center. This year's festivities include an attempt to set a Guinness Book record for the number of people dressed as Lucy Ricardo.

Some New Videos Available

2011-07-18T09:01:00.001-04:00

It was announced that The Lucille Ball RKO Comedy Collection, Vol. 1 will be released 9/26/11 on DVD with three movies on it not previously released. (That's good!) Carol Meeley (Lucille Ball) is the wife of a dimwitted bank teller (Joe Penner) who finds himself accused of collaborating with a gang of robbers. Carol's only hope of clearing her husband's name is by proving he's not nearly smart enough to be a criminal, in the comedic caper "Go Chase Yourself" (1938). With Richard Lane, June Travis. Next, in order to claim a $20 million inheritance, Nancy Crocker Fleming (Ball) simply hires a temporary husband (James Ellison). But their cross-country trip to Reno for a quickie divorce leads to a series of comedic-and romantic-entanglements, in "Next Time I Marry" (1938). Lee Bowman, Granville Bates co-star. And, some of the greats of radio comedy team up for the frantic farce "Look Who's Laughing" (1941). Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy land their plane in Wistful Vista, home of Fibber McGee and Molly, and decide to build an aircraft factory there. Ball co-stars as Bergen's secretary; with Harold Peary, and Jim and Marian Jordan. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono. Two-disc set.

Also-

Greatest Classic Legends Film Collection: Lucille Ball - "Forever Darling" (1956) stars Lucille Ball, who begins to feel neglected by her workaholic chemist husband, Desi Arnaz. When Ball wishes for more attention from her spouse, her guardian angel (James Mason) appears and warns her of trouble unless she can take more of an interest in him. When Ball accompanies Arnaz on a camping trip to work matters out while he tests an insecticide, hilarious catastrophes ensue when everything goes wrong. Two-disc set also includes "Room Service," "Du Barry Was a Lady," and "The Long, Long Trailer." 6 hrs. total. Standard/Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH), French, Spanish; theatrical trailers; bonus footage; bonus shorts "Party Fever" (1938), "The Daffy Doc" (1938), "Seeing Hands" (1943), "Bah Wilderness" (1943). "Ain't It Aggravatin'" (1954), "Dixieland Droopy" (1954).

July 11-17, 2011 - From Walmart to Lucies Birthday

2011-07-17T17:48:00.020-04:00

Tuesday July 12-
This morning Nelsa, Doris' sister (these are friends in the neighborhood) gave me a ride over to the Walmart at 88th Street in Jersey City. I always went to the one in South Kearny, NJ. I didn't know about this one. This one was in a shopping center with a Petsmart and a Target and a few other large stores. This one was HUGE!!!! It was just as big as a Wegman's with a large produce department, a large arts and crafts department and large sections of stuff all over the store... Oh, and a large frozen foods section with packages of PF Changs frozen food that I haven't seen in stores since mom took me to a Target in Balto months and months ago. (I love PF Changs Chinese food) So- I got my two boxes of Scoop Away® cat litter and a large bag of Cat Chow®, a few cans of Friskies®, A few frozen food things, delicious Peperoni and Cheese Rolls & Garlic Parmesea French Bread. Ooooh, is that good!!!

I found it, I found it, I found it!!!!!
I've been looking for this for a long time ever since I met Richard Skipper in the mid eighties. I drew this back in 1973 when I was in art school for illustration. I was at lunch with a friend from class and I was talking about Carol Channing. This person didn't know who I was talking about. I said she was famous for the Broadway musical "Hello, Dolly!" and he still didn't know her, so I drew this for him and then he knew exactly who I was talking about. Pictured is a scan of the original napkin drawing.

Sunday July 17 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCIE ARNAZ

Didn't really have much happening this week. Today is Lucies birthday... Happy Birthday to Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill. When I was looking for an appropriate video to put here that showed something Lucie did or is doing or whatever... I found this made to celebrate her birthday last year. I thought I'd just put it here. The pics down the side I took at her performance at Barnes & Noble last year in May.

July 1-9 Still Some Car Woes & Mikey on MyLiTv.com

2011-07-11T13:48:00.000-04:00

This is the start of what I hope to be a weekly blog. Since this is the first entry, it covers July 1st through the ninth. That's a week and a few days. But after this, I will make it a point to enter the happenings of every day from the week past.

Friday July 1- was a sad day for me as my car was towed away after I sold it for junk to CAR-TECH AUCTION, INC. The funny thing about this is... after the car was hit, it sat there on the street for about three and a half weeks before anything was done. Then, today, the truck operator gets into the car, starts it up and litterally drives it out of the space and onto the flatbed truck that would tow it. Driving on the flat tires and all. I mean, I knew the car started and I never tried moving it because of the flats. But I think now, if I had the flats fixed, it may have been drivable. But ya never know how bad the alignment would have been or if because of this accident the frame could have craked and I wouldn't know it till I was dead.

"align="left">Tuesday July 5-, I took the car license plates to the DMV to return them but the line was so long coming out the door that I decided to go away and come back another day.

Wednesday July 6- I recieved the papers from Esurance Insurance Company with the figures on what they will offer me to settle this whole car matter. I weighed it against what my own insurance company (AAA) offered me already 2 weeks ago. Oh, what to do?

Thursday July 7- I was on the phone back and forth with agents from AAA trying to find out once and for all how my stupid $2000. deductible would play into this and whether or not I would get any of it back. After Ms. Rizzi-the woman who wrote up my policy told me that the extra amount not recovered from Esurance can be covered by the underinsured/uninsured section of my policy I thought I would just simply go with them. Because then AAA would act on my behalf with anything that had to be done in recovering the money from the other company. Someone later that day from AAA told me no, that's not for collision, it's for Medical. I argued with them saying this was not medical. Why would Ms Rizzi even mention it to me if it were medical coverage when she knew the specifics of this accident and knew nobody was injured in it. Medical coverage had nothing to do with it. This person will check with Ms. Rizzi to see what she told me and call me tomorrow morning.

Friday July 8- I got the call from David Maturi of AAA claims and he told me, YES, that underinsured/uninsured part of my policy can be implimented in this case and I would then get back all but the $500. deductible that this part of the policy has. That total would be $57.85 less than the total figure offered to me by Esurance. I just may go with them. I left home for lunch with the folder in hand to get the Property Damage Release form from Esurance Insurance Company signed and notorized to be paid for damages from them rather than go thru my own insurance company where any deductibles play into the final amount. And of course I want to get as much out of this as possible. And it's $57.85 more than if I went with AAA. Got home, prepared and copied the documents and folded them into the envelope for mailing directly at the post office tomorrow morning on my way in to NYC for Broadway Barks and a gathering for someone's birthday at Richards later in the evening.

While Mikey and I were on the phone tonight, he reminded me to go to MyLITV.com to check and see if that interview with Lucie was there... sure enough... it WAS. Exactly what I suspected... "I" was not in the video at all. In fact, I'm behind the back of Eric Schwarz' head which is prominant in the foreground and if ya didn't know I was next to Mikey, you wouldn't be able to tell I was there at all. But I know where I was standing in relation to the camera angle and I'm in the shot a split second.

Here are a few stills from the video. See... Mikey is right there next to Lucie. I knew my interview wouldn't be in it because I couldn't think of what I was saying and it probably came out all wishy washy. So they didn't use it. That's okay.

If ya want to see the video, you can see it here:
http://www.mylitv.com/evplayer.swf?HTMLkey=170ebccb28945964d09b

Saturday July 9- It was Broadway Barks day in Shubert Alley. I went for just a little bit between 3pm and 5 pm. Then I left to get on the train to go uptown and meet with Pat & Joe for a ride to Richards for a birthday party.

'All My Children,' 'One Life to Live' to get an Internet afterlife

2011-07-07T23:50:00.000-04:00

Disney’s ABC has sold the online rights to the two canceled sudsers as part of a deal with media company Prospect Park, the New York Post reported Thursday.

As part of the deal, “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” -- which are due to wrap in September and January, respectively -- will pick up where they left off on a new, still untitled online TV network once they've ended their run on ABC. The show's cast and crew will make the transition as well.

The soaps are expected to be the first of a number of brand-name TV shows to eventually land at the site.

Prospect Park is lead by ‘Royal Pains’ executive producers Jeff Kwatinetz and executives Rich Frank, who is also a former Disney Studios executive.

An email to ABC seeking confirmation was not immediately returned.

[Updated at 10:55 a.m.: ABC sent out an official release confirming the "exclusive multi-year, multi-platform" deal.

The programs are said to continue in the same format and length. Additional details of the new productions will come from Prospect Park.

“We are privileged to continue the legacy of two of the greatest programs to air on daytime television, and are committed to delivering the storylines, characters and quality that audiences have come to love for over 40 years," Frank and Kwatinetz said in a statement.

"‘All My Children’ and ‘One Life to Live’ are television icons, and we are looking forward to providing anytime, anywhere viewing to their loyal community of millions. ... We believe that by continuing to produce the shows in their current hour format and with the same quality, viewers will follow the show to our new, online network.” ]

-- Yvonne Villarreal

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2011/07/all-my-children-one-life-to-live-to-get-an-internet-afterlife.html?track=icymi

10 things you didn't know about landscape architect Dan Sherman

2011-06-30T11:47:00.012-04:00

Written by Bill Cary, Jun 26, 2011

Eight years ago, Dan Sherman moved his very successful landscape design business from Manhattan to a cozy office overlooking a brook in Valhalla. It just stopped making sense to make the commute into the city from his longtime home in Piermont and then back out again to meet with clients, most of whom live in Westchester or Connecticut.

"We are so central to everything in the Westchester and south Fairfield area," says Sherman, who has been working as a landscape architect since 1977. "As soon as we moved, I bought a boatload of Stickley furniture and did the office up in a cozy Mission style, like a home office studio."

His six-person team includes a senior landscape architect who is "great with contractors, building departments, tree and plant vendors and helps track work in construction" and two young landscape architects who keep him fresh. They "chomp through designs, drafting, details, permits and clients' endless emails."

Sherman's design projects have ranged from the small and local (and pro bono) — the Piermont Community Garden, Main Street planters, Piermont dog park and the war memorials in town — to the grandiose and international: giant and elegant office parks in France and U.S. Air Force bases in Germany. He has also renovated a half-dozen campuses for Atria Senior Living, including ones in Ossining and Albany.

People with large estates in Greenwich, Southampton and Westchester keep him busy, too. "Mostly my clients are captains of finance and industry — and loads of hard-working people who love their homes and aspire to a better landscape."

Here are 10 things you probably didn't know about Dan Sherman:

1.He was able to form his own company in 1992 because Larry Condon, the president of the Joyce Mertz Gilmore Foundation, took a liking to his work and offered to sponsor the launch of his own business. (Joyce Mertz and her parents, LuEsther and Harold Mertz, founded Publishers Clearing House.)

Moonlighting while working full time for another firm, Sherman had created a brownstone garden for the foundation on East 18th Street and was subsequently taken to LuEsther's grand home in Port Washington. "At a party, a Tarot reading was laid out for me and the past, present and future were told with astonishing and accurate clarity," he remembers. "I made the daring jump the next day."

2.His partner of 21 years is Richard Skipper, a performer best known these days for his full-length shows impersonating Carol Channing.

"They are very good friends, and he is her official tribute artist," Sherman says. Skipper is also co-producer of the New York Bistro Awards and is very involved with the New York cabaret community. He's performed at the Rockland Center for the Arts and is a frequent guest performer at various benefits and fund-raisers around Rockland.

3. Sherman got at this gardening thing very early. Growing up in Lewiston, N.Y. (near Niagara Falls), "we had two neighbors who had very interesting and complicated gardens that fascinated me," he remembers. "My birthday is at the end of April and my mother would buy me a bale of peat moss and flats of flowers to plant around the house. I was happy — who knew?"

4.His best-known client is probably Derek Jeter, who hired Sherman to create a landscape for a Scottishs-tyle castle on Greenwood Lake in Warwick.

"I worked closely with Derek's mom, Dot, on the project," he says. "She is very respectful and nurturing and a lot of fun to work with."

5. He's a founding member of the Piermont Community Garden and he's had a plot there every year since the garden got going in 1995.

6. Some of his favorite plants right now include variegated Solomon's seal, Indian pinkroot, ajuga, epimedium, cranesbill geranium 'Rozanne' and dark pink double Knock Out roses.

7.For a cool combo in his own garden, he sends morning glories climbing up his 'Annabelle' hydrangeas. "It looks amazing in the morning with the blue flowers all over the white flowers." And he's got fall-blooming clematis climbing up inside a lilac tree in his front yard.

8. He hasn't yet, but he would love to work on historic properties. "I haven't figured out how to steer my career in that direction, so it's exciting that the kind of work I would most like to do is still out there to learn and do."

9. When he's not in Valhalla, Piermont or Manhattan, you'll likely find him at his cottage on a lake in northern Ontario.

"This was our family's camp for 40 years," he says, which he bought two years ago when his parents decided they shouldn't be someplace so remote. Now Sherman coordinates the upkeep and vacation schedules of various family members.

10. Because of his partner's involvement with the cabaret scene, Sherman has a very busy social life — out attending shows and receptions at least three nights a week.

"I would probably not pull myself out of the garden and clients' landscapes if I weren't compelled, but New York has a very rich and underrated world of off-the-chart entertainers — it's pretty amazing."

He also likes to tag along when Skipper takes his show on the road. "We were out in Palm Springs in February to stay with Carol Channing," Sherman says. "Everyday something new pops up with Ruth Buzzi, Tommy Tune, Mitzi Gaynor or Julie Wilson."

Garden designer by day, bon vivant by night. Sounds pretty great, doesn't it?

New Comic Book To Celebrate Lucille Ball's Centennial

2011-06-17T15:15:00.001-04:00

Here's some fun news for a Friday afternoon:

Bluewater is pleased to announce a special comic book project featuring one of the most beloved and widely known figures in the history of American culture, the legendary Lucille Ball. “Comics: Lucille Ball” will be released in August 2011 and have a cover price of $3.99, just in time to celebrate her 100th birthday. Written by Jaymes Reed and drawn by Patricio Carbajal.

Lucille Ball is arguably the most influential figure in the history of American television. This comic will focus on her humble beginnings and the incredible events that led to her eventually becoming a household name at a time when that meant virtually every American household as the star of the classic” I Love Lucy" program. Though she would pave the way for many female comediennes that came after her, she towers over the rest. There is still only one Lucy. This book shows the influences on her comedy that still influence every person who tries to make a living making others laugh.

“The series as a whole was created to help me laugh during terrible times following my mother's death on New Year's Eve 2009. When preparing the initial line-up for the COMICS series, I knew right away a Lucille Ball book would be near the top. Besides for being the Queen of Comedy, she was my mother's favorite television personality, nearly to the point of serious addiction. I grew up on corn flakes, Texas sunshine... and each episode of everything Lucy ever starred in! "COMICS: Lucille Ball" will partly feature my mom as a little girl and will also be dedicated to her memory."

Publisher Darren G. Davis said, “ Our goal is to show the little-known events and influences that resulted in Lucille Ball becoming the phenomenon she remains to this day, 100 years after her birth and years after her death. A visual medium provides perspective that is not only accessible but more relatable to the average person without losing any of the information involved”.

This 32-page comic book will be chronicling this saga, “COMICS: Lucille Ball ” will explore all sides of this amazing talent, from her positive contribution to her fans' lives and society at large and how she is one of the few celebrities hardly anyone says a bad word about. Through it all, she always remained true to herself and appeared to be genuine. What you saw is what you got with her. There didn't appear to be a phony bone in her body. That - and her remarkable talent - is what has made her an enduring legend. Interest is still strong and steadfast for one of the most powerful women in the history of entertainment.

Join Bluewater Productions as we examine the life-affirming journey of Lucille Ball and how she became the ultimate American story and forever remembered as the Queen of Comedy.

For more information on "COMICS: Lucille Ball” and other comics from Bluewater Productions, go to www.bluewaterprod.com or check them out in your local comic book shop, Barnes and Noble and amazon.com. To Pre-order it on Amazon click here: http://amzn.to/jqOIBX

http://www.comicbookbin.com/newscomics126.html

The ? Demise of the Mustang

2011-06-12T21:24:00.017-04:00

Oy! What a day I had today!!! I was woken up at 3:35 AM this morning along with perhaps half the neighborhood. Some screeching, then BANG!!! (some more screeching) then BANG!!! BANG!!! BOOM!!! Then the car alarms set off. I jumped up off the sofa in the living room, threw off my robe put on my pants and shoes and ran out to see what had happened. It looked like my car had been hit along with the car in front of mine and the car in front of that one. I ran back inside to get my cellphone and my camera. Came back out to the car and examined the whole thing. My car was severely damaged on the left rear tire, drivers side door and front hood. The front of the car had been crashed into the car parked in front of mine and that car was crashed into the car in front of it.
While I was on the phone explaining to the police dispatcher where, when what where who and all that, some kids came running from around the corner on Bond St. yelling, "He's stuck around the corner, go catch him. He's stuck, can't go anywhere." So I went running around there and at the top of the hill on Bond St. was the car trying to back out of a turn into the curb to get away, was the car that just hit mine. I quickly took a picture of the license plate then went up to the driver and stalled him till the police arrived.

When they did, they told me and Abdellatif, the guy who owns the car that my car got pushed into, to wait back around the corner with our cars. We both walked back to our cars and waited. After 20 minutes the police hadn't come over to us yet so we walked back up around the corner to find the kids car was being towed and the kid was watching from the sidewalk. I was curious as to why he wasn't in handcuffs or sitting in the back of the police car. But he was right there out in the open watching his car going up on the lift. I asked a few of the officers standing around watching this whole thing and they couldn't answer me. It made me angry.
Then I noticed one of the officers that was taking the report start walking down the street and around over to our cars. we followed. When we reached our cars, the officer took Abdellatiff's report first, then mine. I was prepared with my registration and insurance info. The officer said that the kid was "A little slow", "Mentally challenged" Well, it makes you wonder why and how they give drivers licenses to these kind of people.

Anyway, he also had full insurance coverage. That's all that mattered here. His insurance would pay for the work that our cars needed to be repaired if this was possible. Abdellatiff's car looks like all it needs is a rear and front bumper and a hood. My car needs a bit more. It may need rear alignment, a drivers side door, a hood, a bumper, new tires and wheel hubs and possibly rear axle work.
At 7 AM my doorbell rang. I jumped up off the sofa, threw my robe off, put my pants on and ran downstairs to see that it was my landlady who was letting me know what happened to my car. I told her I knew. I explained all that went on this morning. It was then I learned that the fore-most car in this lineup of parked cars was none other than hers. A black PILOT. One of those bigger SUV-type looking cars. She was lucky because when she got in and started it up and pulled away, the car behind hers which was Abdellatiff's, fell off her bumper and his car alarm went off again. Not a scratch on her car. She then pulled it into her driveway and that was that.

At about 7:45 AM another neighbor who was passing by saw my car and decided to ring my bell to let me know. I told him thanks, I already know about it and began the explanation all over again of the 3:35AM events.

At 10:30AM I called my insurance company and filled the claim. They will get the police report, contact the kids insurance company, send an adjuster out to estimate my car damage and let me know the outcome. This should all come within the next three or four days. But the adjuster will call me to come out Monday or Tuesday.
At 11AM i had to leave for a doctors appointment in Brooklyn at 1 PM. I got there on time and didn't wonder at all why my blood pressure was elevated a bit today. When I got back home from the appointment, Abdellatiff was outside taking better pics of his car. He had taken some early in the morning but I told him it would be better later when the sun was up. After all- the cars weren't going anywhere. We also decided at that point that he should start up his car and move it forward to get it off of my car so he can get better pics of his rear bumper and I can get better pics of the front of my car. I picked up out from the front hood and light debris, my mustang emblem. I want that if nothing else can be saved or fixed.

Update: July 1, 2011
By now, the car was looked at by both my own insurance company and the driver who hit the car's insurance company. Both companies have declared the car "totaled" meaning it would cost more to have it fixed than the whole car is worth. My Ins. Co. gave me two prices. One was if they take the car and the other was if I keep the car. The difference between the two was only $25.00 so I decided to hold off and let the other company make their decision. I'll find out about it next week. Meanwhile, the car can't sit on the street any longer because it will get ticketed by the parking authority. So, yesterday I was on the phone with companies that pay cash for junk cars and today, one of them came to get the car to take it away.

Say "bye bye" to my '94 Ford Mustang...

A few stills of the final moments with the car: Click Here.

Lucie Arnaz brings "Latin Roots" to area stage

2011-06-11T21:42:00.003-04:00

Lucie Arnaz evokes memories of her famous parents, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, when she visits the Landmark Theater in Port Washington with “Latin Roots,” on Saturday, June 18, at 8 p.m.

Arnaz returns to Long Island with a powerful reinterpretation of the American Songbook to honor and celebrate her father and his Latin roots.

The concert evolved from her recently released CD of the same name, highlighting her father’s legacy, with material both directly taken from her father’s music (with Desi Arnaz’s signature song “Babalu”) and inspired by him – such as Arnaz’s version of “Blame It On The Bossa Nova.”

Growing up in the public eye with her beloved parents and brother Desi Arnaz IV, Arnaz has demonstrated her many talents throughout the years as an actress, singer, dancer, business executive, producer, director, and Broadway star.

Tickets are $45 and $40; available at (516) 767-6444 or www.landmarkonmainstreet.org.

Jeanne Rimsky Theater, 232 Main St., Port Washington.

Original: http://www.liherald.com/stories/Luci-Arnaz-brings-Latin-Roots-to-area-stage,33393

NATE Show: The Great Outdoors

2011-05-16T16:42:00.005-04:00

THE NATE BERKUS SHOW - taping: May 2, 2011 p.m.
Aired: May 16, 2011 (today)

"The Great Outdoors"
Nate is joined by celebrity chef Guy Fieri who, along with the audience, judges the show’s first-ever grill-off! Guy reveals his top grilling tips and how to take your cookout to the next level. Plus, Nate's design plan for turning your small outdoor space into your own vacation hot spot and how one “House Proud” viewer created her very own backyard oasis!

Nate's Tearsheet: Here are a few ways to prolong the life of cut flowers from your garden. Cut flowers early in the morning with they have the most moisture and are cool from the night temperatures. Have a bucket of water handy so you can immediately put them in water. Once inside, recut the stems under water on a slant…this helps water intake and flow once they’re arranges. Also, take your flowers to the sink each morning and mist them to maintain humidity and moisture.

Some shots on the set...

A snap from TV...

I'm bottom of the screen 2nd from right

Standing 3rd in from center blur.

We Are the NATE Show Audience Regulars...

2011-05-16T16:38:00.013-04:00

On the last day of taping, some of the "Nate" crew pose in front of their special group of audience regulars. The four front-most people are (l-r) Raff (with mustache), Matt (very front), Eddie (green shirt) & Dena (plaid shirt).

May 12, 2011
What a whole bunch of fun it is going to the tapings of the Nate Berkus Show. He tapes his show every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday two times a day. I've been going a few times a week since my first time January 25, 2011. That first time was special to me because I was picked to dance for the audience and sort of became famous. Everyone loved my dancing and remembered who I was from that point on. Tonight was the last taping of the first season and it was just as special in so many ways.
When I entered the studio, Allison, the audience coordinator who seats people as they walk in, told me to sit in the front row and pointed to the pit section. I said, "You're kidding, right"? She said, "No. Front row." I was like, "WoW!". I was sure she would come back to me in a bit and ask me to move. She didn't. Just before the show started taping I turned around and noticed that all the regulars were sitting in my row and behind me in this section. I thought to myself, 'somethings up'. Why were we all sitting together on this last night of taping?
That was evident after the first segment was taped because we seemed to be getting the royal treatment as far as being acknowledged for our loyalty. Dena told everyone else in the studio audience that we were the "regulars". The crew all got pictures of us and we got pictures with them.
The best thing thru the evening... well, not the best thing but very close to it, was that the camera seemed to be right there in my face a lot. But that never means anything. We'll see when this show airs. The special guest is Lisa Oz (Dr Oz's wife) and she was there talking about relationships and stuff. Nate did a living room make-over and there was a cooking session with Calin Cowei and a married couple re-engaged themselves with him presenting a new ring to her.
In one of the breaks between segment tapings Dena asked four people to get up and stand in front of certain sections of the audience. I knew right away she would have us dance. (I hadn't danced since the very first taping I came to January 25th). So I thought, "Okay, why not". Everyone liked it the first time, they'll like it again. And they did. The cameras were once again in my face and all around me while I was dancing. It was fun to catch glimpses of what they were filming up in the monitors.
So, the best thing of the evening was before Nate did his closing, he acknowledges all of us "regulars" to the rest of the audience and then after the taping of his closing, he came over in front of us and had his pic taken with us. We couldn't give anyone our own cameras to get that pic but others said that Allison was going to email it to us. Still waiting for it today.
That's why this final taping of the first season was just as special to me as the first time. I danced again. I'm going to miss the tapings for the summer while the show is on hiatus but will be back at the first taping in August once they resume. It'll be great to see the crew again. And I hope to see Sandra, Pat, James, Paul, Heather, Susan, Rosemary and all the rest of the regulars. I am greatfull for all the friends I've made during the tapings of these shows. What fun we had.
On the way out of the studio afterwards, a bunch of pics were taken with crew members. I posted them here:

with Dena

with Eddie

Sandra and Eddie

with ?

with Christina

with Jonathan

with ?

with Allison

Sandra & Allison

with the Security Guard

To GlenCharlow.com

Madelyn Pugh Davis dies at 90; 'I Love Lucy' writer

2011-04-21T23:42:00.010-04:00

Madelyn Pugh Davis collaborated with partner Bob Carroll Jr. on the groundbreaking series in the 1950s and continued to work with Lucille Ball over four decades. The pioneering female comedy writer is remembered as a 'class act.'

By Dennis McLellan, Los Angeles Times - April 22, 2011

Madelyn Pugh Davis, who with her writing partner Bob Carroll Jr. made television history in the 1950s writing Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's landmark situation comedy "I Love Lucy," has died. She was 90.

Davis, a pioneering female radio and TV comedy writer whose work with the red-haired queen of TV comedy spanned four decades, died Wednesday at her home in Bel-Air after a brief illness, said her son, Michael Quinn Martin.

The team of Davis and Carroll was writing Ball's CBS radio comedy "My Favorite Husband," co-starring Richard Denning, when they and their colleague, writer- producer Jess Oppenheimer, wrote the pilot episode for "I Love Lucy."

The Emmy Award-winning series about a wacky New York City housewife and her Cuban bandleader husband ran on CBS from 1951 to 1957. It was ranked No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for four of its six seasons and was never out of the top three.
"I Love Lucy" has been playing around the world continuously ever since.

When interviewers asked Ball, who died in 1989, what she thought was the secret of her show's enduring popularity, she had a stock answer: "My writers."

"My mother never accepted an award where she didn't immediately say, 'I could not have done this without my writers.' She always put them first," Lucie Arnaz told The Times on Thursday.

"Madelyn was such a class act," Arnaz said. "She was a very private person, very soft-spoken, genteel, feminine — all those lovely words you associate with great ladies. And yet she had the ability to write this wacky, insane comedy for my mother.
"She and Bob together were just such a wonderful team, a great match-up. They complemented each other's zaniness."

Davis and Carroll, who were along for the "I Love Lucy" show's entire ride, wrote a string of classic episodes such as the ones in which Lucy and Ethel ( Vivian Vance) are chocolate candy dippers trying to contend with a fast-moving conveyor belt, Lucy stomps grapes in Italy, and she gets increasingly drunk doing a TV commercial for the health tonic Vitameatavegamin.

Davis, Carroll and producer-writer Oppenheimer wrote the first four seasons together — more than 125 episodes. Writers Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf joined them in 1955 and, after Oppenheimer left the show in 1956, Davis, Carroll, Schiller and Weiskopf wrote the remaining episodes.

Davis often said that no one involved with "I Love Lucy" had any idea that it would still be watched around the world more than a half-century later.
"In those days, we were mostly hoping we had an idea for the next show," she told the Sarasota [Fla.] Herald-Tribune in 2001.

Of course, with "I Love Lucy" the story lines had to have their share of slapstick stunts for its star. And Ball never balked at the physical gags her writers dreamed up.

"Lucy was willing to do anything if it was funny," Davis told U.S. News & World Report in 2001. "She'd black out her teeth, wear funny wigs. She never said, 'What do you mean setting fire to my nose?' And she didn't care how dangerous it was. It was very freeing to write anything in the world and know she had the nerve to do it."
Whatever the writers came up with for Lucy, they would try it out on Davis first to see if it would work and was safe to do.

"Madelyn always said she's more expendable than Lucy, but not for me she wasn't," Carroll told "CBS This Morning" during a joint appearance in 1990. "So we'd wrap Madelyn in rugs and strap her into swivel chairs and hang her out of windows, and she came through nicely. So I said, 'If it works for Madelyn, it will work for Lucy.' "
In an interview with The Times in 2007 after Carroll's death Davis said she and her writing partner were not much alike, personally — "Bob was strong on jokes and very funny" — but they shared the same comic sensibility.

"One time, we were reading a script at the table," she recalled. "I felt that a joke could be funnier if we added a certain word. I wrote it in the margin of my script, and I looked over and Bob had written the same word.

"So we thought alike and thought the same things were funny."

One thing she was proud of was that "Bob and I never had any arguments, which with teams is very rare. Neither one of us liked fussing and fighting."

After writing "I Love Lucy", Davis and Carroll wrote for "The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour," "The Lucy Show" and "Here's Lucy." They also were on board for Ball's short-lived comeback series, "Life with Lucy," in 1986. And they wrote the story for "Yours, Mine and Ours," the 1968 family comedy starring Ball and Henry Fonda.
Davis and Carroll received two Emmy nominations for their work on "I Love Lucy" and one for "Here's Lucy."

Among their other TV credits: They created "The Mothers-in-Law," a 1967-69 sitcom starring Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard and were producers on the 1970s and '80s sitcom "Alice."

Born Madelyn Pugh in Indianapolis on March, 15, 1921, Davis knew at an early age that she wanted to become a writer.

She majored in journalism at Indiana University in Bloomington. But, unable to land a newspaper job after graduating in 1942, she found work as a staff writer at WIRE, the NBC radio station in Indianapolis, where she wrote commercials and patter for the disc jockeys, among other things.

A year later she headed to Los Angeles and immediately was hired as a staff writer for the NBC radio network. Six months after that, in 1944, she was hired by CBS, which owned radio station KNX and had a large staff of writers.

Davis was the second woman hired on the writing staff — Kathleen Hite was the first. As Davis wrote in "Laughing with Lucy: My Life with America's Leading Lady of Comedy," her 2005 memoir" "No one actually wanted to hire women in 1944," but with so many men away at war, "what else was there?"

During her third year at KNX, she was teamed with Carroll to write a half-hour show about a newlywed couple, "The Couple Next Door."

After working on that show, Davis and Carroll wrote comedy sketches for a half-hour Pacific Network show called "It's a Great Life," starring a young comedian named Steve Allen. They left the Allen show to write for Ball on "My Favorite Husband."

In 1992, Carroll and Davis received the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for achievement in television writing from the Writers Guild of America. And in 2001, the UCLA Film School honored them for lifetime achievement in television writing.

Davis, whose first marriage to producer Quinn Martin ended in divorce, married Dr. Richard Davis, her former college sweetheart, in 1964. He died in 2009.

In addition to her son, Davis is survived by four stepchildren, Brian Davis, Charlotte Davis, Lisa Davis and Ned Davis; nine grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Services will be private.

Original article found here.

NATE Show: Reclaim Your Style

2011-04-20T21:41:00.001-04:00

THE NATE BERKUS SHOW - taping: March 31, 2011 p.m.
Aired: April 20, 2011 (today)

"Reclaim Your Style"
Get Nate's guide to restoring your home, your looks, and your life, with special guest, Dana Delaney!

Nate reveals his design tips for living a clutter free life and says that although it’s great to fill your home with memories and to layer the old with the new, sometimes you need to clear out some items in order to live your best life. Actress Dana Delaney stops by to discuss how she preserves her memories and also how she comes from a long line of designers including her mom and her sister! Plus, a dumpster diva shares her tricks for bringing new life to old items, while turning a profit!

Nate's Tearsheet: Today’s show was all about reclaiming your style! Here are three easy ways to restore memories, furniture and sentimental items in your home:
Digitalpickle.com – specializes in restoring, updating and sharing memories captured in old photos and videos.
Chinaandcrystalrepair.com – Save your broken or chipped heirloom china, porcelain and crystal items here. They provide free estimates and free return shipping.
Furnituremedic.com – If you have antique woodwork, vintage wood furniture or reclaimed wood in your home that could use a little face lift, check out furnituremedic.com. They specialize in refinishing and polishing hard-to-treat wood items.

A snap from TV...

...As the camera passes by during the credits...

NATE Show - Anytime Design

2011-04-13T22:39:00.003-04:00

THE NATE BERKUS SHOW - taping: March 22, 2011 p.m.
Aired: April 13, 2011 (today)

"Anytime Design"
Nate enlists a team of experts to reveal the projects you can do in your home no matter how much time you have (or don’t have). From redesigning a room in a week, to preparing a month's worth of food in a day and to finding happiness with just a few spare seconds a day, Nate’s got you covered. Find out how to get your backyard barbecue ready for the summer in just one day and how Nate is able to help an eleven-year-old girl's design dream come to life.

The Secrets To Happiness - Author of "The Happiness Project," Gretchen Rubin gives a working mom some tips on making time for herself.

An 11-Year-Old's Dream Room - 11-Year-old Amy has fully sketched out the room of her dreams. What she doesn't know is that Nate has created the room for her!.

A Month Of Meals - The creators of "Dream Dinners" are on set to help you create more meals for your family.

Backyard Makeover In A Day - DIY network's Steve Watson helps a couple totally transform their backyard in just one day!.

2 shots of the set

A snap from TV...

...As the camera passes by during the credits...

NATE Show - Regret Proof Your Design

2011-04-11T13:42:00.004-04:00

THE NATE BERKUS SHOW - taping: March 15, 2011 a.m.
Aired: March 30, 2011

Nate’s sharing the secrets to regret-proofing your wardrobe, décor and relationships. "Flipping Out"’s Jenni Pulos joins Nate in helping one regretful couple convert their man-cave into the perfect “his and her” space. Also, Nate confesses his biggest style regret! Then, the ultimate style emergency kit to avoid your next fashion faux pas!
Nate's Tearsheet
There are two easy ways to regret-proof your next design project: 1. Make sure you’re happy with a paint color before you buy. Ask for larger chips or sample jars to test the paint in the room, and check the paint in different lighting. Don’t test the paint on the wall; test it on a piece of cardboard. 2. Avoid the common problem of buying furniture that’s too big or too small for your room. Create a mock floorplan with newspaper and measure the dimensions of the furniture you want to purchase. Make sure the scale feels right before you buy!

Snaps from TV...

I'm right in the center between their faces wearing a navy blue sweater.

I'm in the front row of audience there in the blue sweater to the left of the lady in pink in the lower right corner.

NATE Show - Turn Your Passions Into a Paycheck

2011-04-11T13:40:00.001-04:00

THE NATE BERKUS SHOW - taping: March 8, 2011 p.m.
Aired: March 31, 2011

These are a few shots I got of Nate with my cell phone which should have been off at this point. My bad!!!

No Snaps from TV... Oh Well!!!

NATE Show - Does Your Home Tell Your Story?

2011-04-11T13:34:00.006-04:00

THE NATE BERKUS SHOW - taping: March 8, 2011 a.m.
Aired: March 21, 2011

The only shot from the audience section where I was sitting.
They call it the 'West Wing".

Snaps from TV...
I'm on the far right hand side, pink shirt.

NATE Show - Catch up

2011-04-11T13:23:00.011-04:00

This is where I catch up with documenting the Nate show tapings I've been to and the airings before the April 5th airing of the March 15th p.m. taping. Since this blog puts most recent at the top, I'll start with the first taping I went to and the fun I had there and continue on upward with the most recent after that coming up only to the ones that start from this point down. Confusing? Just read...

THE NATE BERKUS SHOW - taping: January 25, 2011 a.m.
Aired: February 9, 2011

Oh, what fun I had. Wish you were there with me. I became famous. Today's taping theme began as a dance studio. There were hanging disco balls everywhere throughout the studio. The guests were a couple that couldn't and didn't dance at their wedding. So to help them were "Dancing With the Stars" real-life married couple Jonathan Roberts and his wife Anna Trebunskaya. So it was a cute segment of the show. In between taping segments, the audience has a bit of down time. So the audience girl, I don't know what she's called but she's the one who warms up the audience and prepares them for what's to come. She makes us practice clapping and laughing and reactions- anyway, pics me to dance in front of our audience section. So I went nuts dancing and everyone loved it. For this first dance section they gave me a NATE tee shirt.

So at the next break in segment taping, she has me get up again in front of the entire audience (not just my section) with some other guy who has apparently been there before and she knows he dances, had a dance-Off. They played music and we danced for
everyone. A good 5 minutes. He did moves, then I did them and when it got to some softer music where this guy did some Ballet moves, I copied him and sort of turned into a "Lucy" at the bar kind of thing. It was hilarious and this audience girl (Dena Blizzard) gave us both a money card for Dunkin Donuts. I forgot how much is on it. But anyway, after all this another girl comes up to me and had me sign a release and said that this whole dance segment will be on the Nateshow website during the week the episode airs. By the way, it won't air for another 2 or 3 weeks. I am to keep an eye out on the website for the show. http://www.thenateshow.com

Oh, at some point during one of the breaks in taping, they came around with stickers to hand out to those who "stole" a banana from the audience waiting room. They were there to take and eat and she explained that a lot of people take them and keep them for later. I actually ate one there in the waiting room before being taken to the studio. She asked how many people had bananas with them now. About 10 people held up their bananas. So when they were passing out the stickers that say "I stole a banana from NATE: THE NATE BERKUS SHOW," I said I ate one in the waiting room. So they gave me a sticker.

They loved me and said to come back anytime I want and they'll probably have me dance. I can't wait to see me dancing on their website. They know me by name. Everybody called me by my name every time they referred to me. It was a lot of fun. Didn't get to meet NATE in person though. Bummer. But I took a pic of Anna and Jonathan as they were coming out of the building.

The show finaly aired February 9th. I took this snippet from Nates website about the show and even snapped a shot off the TV. They didn't get my face in there but still... it's me!!! I never did get to see the dancing section get onto the website. I guess they changed their minds.

A snap from tv...

I'm on the far right side looking off to the right in the blue shirt.
You don't see my face. But it's ME!

I'm in the lower right corner in this one...

This one...

And this one...

Here, I circled myself for easy ID.

NATE Show: Your House Proud Blueprint

2011-04-07T02:16:00.017-04:00

I've been going to CBS Broadcasting Studios on West 57th St. in Manhattan to be in the studio audience of the Nate Berkus show. It's fun and energetic. The audience warmer, Dena Blizzard is a riot to listen to. She has a very quick wit and is very entertaining during the "down times" between segment tapings. So, whenever a show airs on TV that I was in the audience for, I will try to give the details for that particular show. It'll be fun to document them here.

THE NATE BERKUS SHOW - taping: March 16, 2011 a.m.
Aired: April 7, 2011
Nate shares design ideas to help revamp any room in your home. Plus, "Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro makes a house call to end a couple's kitchen debate!

Nate shares one of the most important design plans for your home - how to make each room connect and have purpose. Then, TLC’s "Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro makes a house call and helps put an end to one couple’s kitchen debate. Plus, the secrets to making your kitchen the heart of your home.

Also:

"Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro has made many cakes in his time cooking. Learn which cake was his favorite. (Hint: It's life-size!).

Nate asks audience members to share the design inspiration behind their favorite room in their home.

"Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro is in the kitchen with Nate sharing his grandmother's delicious lasagna recipe.

Nate and design blogger Kate Riley help a couple who are in major need of a family room update.

I am in the red shirt behind these girls.

I am in the blured part in red top right. This was at the end for the credit roll.

The audience was given Buddy Valastro's book, "Cake Boss: Stories and Recipes from Mia Famiglia" and a DVD of Season 3 of TLC's "The Cake Boss".

NATE Show: In Your Backyard

2011-04-06T00:21:00.013-04:00

I've been going to CBS Broadcasting Studios on West 57th St. in Manhattan to be in the studio audience of the Nate Berkus show. It's fun and energetic. The audience warmer, Dena Blizzard is a riot to listen to. She has a very quick wit and is very entertaining during the "down times" between segment tapings. So, whenever a show airs on TV that I was in the audience for, I will try to give the details for that particular show. It'll be fun to document them here.

THE NATE BERKUS SHOW - taping: March 22, 2011 a.m.
Aired: April 06 2011
Nate and guest Kelly Killoren Bensimon reveal the hottest trends in design and fashion that you can find right outside your front door!

Nate proves that when it comes to the latest trends, the best finds are often in your own backyard! "Real Housewives of NYC" star, Kelly Killoren Bensimon, shows off her favorite finds in her home and in the city she considers her backyard – New York! Plus, Nate’s guide on how to refresh your style with items in your closet.

Check out Nate's unexpected ways to use local businesses for design projects.

House Proud- Real Housewife Kelly Bensimon takes you on a tour of her chic Manhattan home.

Kelly Bensimon takes you for a tour of her neighborhood and her favorite haunts.

Nate reveals his favorite Manhattan locales.

Lilliana Vasquez - Fashioneista will make new outfits with what's in your closet.

Learn the most essential tips for cleaning out your closet from professional organizer Andrew Mellen.

I am in a light blue shirt top center.		Here, I am in the top right corner.
Top behind the front & center girl.

Nate's Tearsheet: I’m lucky to have New York City as my backyard, so I’m bringing you my favorite blocks, stores, restaurants, hidden spots – everything I love about this city! Because not only can you visit them if you’re ever in town, but with the internet expanding all of our backyards, MY New York can easily become YOUR New York. The first stop on your tour? The Antiques Garage on West 25th street between 6th and 7th ave. It’s one of my favorite places to hit up on the weekend, and it’s full of buys no matter how much money you’re looking to spend!

NATE Show: First Impressions

2011-04-05T16:03:00.032-04:00

Lately, I've been going to CBS Broadcasting Studios on West 57th St. in Manhattan to be in the studio audience of the Nate Berkus show. It's fun and energetic. The audience warmer, Dena Blizzard is a riot to listen to. She has a very quick wit and is very entertaining during the "down times" between segment tapings. So, whenever a show airs on TV that I was in the audience for, I will try to give the details from the Nate show website & my notes for that particular show. It'll be fun to document them here.

THE NATE BERKUS SHOW - taping: March 15, 2011 p.m.
Aired: April 05 2011
Nate shows you how to make the best first impression when it comes to everything from decorating to dating! A former federal investigator reveals inside secrets on how your body language can help you land your dream job or date. Then Nate shows how to create a grand entrance in your home with five foyer essentials.

Author Janine Driver reveals how your body language is perceived by others.

Celebrity event planner Debi Lilly reveals how to create the perfect party ambiance to make your guest feel welcome the moment they arrive.

Matt Odom of rockandrollhearts.com shares tips on how you can get the most out of your wedding footage.

Interior designer Taniya Nayak does "room readings," predicting a stranger's personality based on a picture from their home.

Nate's Tearsheet: The message you send with a thank you card is priceless. Here are my two easy updates for making your next card stand out. Create stamped stationary by using blank, inexpensive stationary cards and using a beautiful stamp to create a classic, timeless, elegant look. Seal the envelope with wax, and personalize the type of seal!

Emmy Award-Winning Comedian To Headline Lucy’s 100th Birthday Celebration

2011-04-04T19:11:00.000-04:00

By The Post-Journal editorial@post-journal.com.

A comedy legend and one of the industry's hottest stars will both be joining the celebration of the 100th birthday of Lucille Ball.

Emmy-winner and comedy icon Joan Rivers is set to headline the birthday festival set for Aug. 3-7, The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center announced Friday, while also mapping out a vision for the center's future which includes the creation of a festival of comedy.

''In 2011 for her 100th birthday, we give Lucille Ball what she always wanted, The Lucille Ball Festival of Comedy,'' said Journey Gunderson, the center's executive director.

With Rivers highlighting the festival by performing Thursday, Aug. 4 at the Reg Lenna Civic Center, another big name was added to the celebration in rising comedian Whitney Cummings.

''Staying true to our mission of not just honoring established comedy genius, but showcasing rising stars as we did Ray Romano, Lewis Black and Ellen Degeneres on their paths to the top in the early '90s, we couple our legendary headliner with a contemporary, just as she is exploding onto the scene, or as it's said in the business, 'blowing up right now,''' Gunderson said.

Cummings who has performed on the Comedy Central roasts of Rivers, Donald Trump and David Hasselhoff, and appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno twice in the last month, has been courted by both NBC and CBS, who have each built pilots around her for this fall's network sitcom lineup.

''Jamestown is thrilled to have grabbed her when we did,'' Gunderson said.

The pairing of Rivers and Cummings is the start to the first of a four-pillar vision mapped out for the center's future.

''Pillar one is a festival of comedy, the concept regarding her legacy that resonated with Lucille Ball the most when it was presented and discussed with her by the Arts Council of Jamestown shortly before her death in 1989,'' Gunderson said.

The second pillar is a partnership with institutions of higher learning in order to provide educational programming in support of the development of the comedic arts.

Bob Thompson, founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University, and professor at the Newhouse School of Communications, has agreed to be a lecturer, panelist and partner as we develop this programmatic series of seminars and classes.

''With Candace Huber, director of Continuing Education at Jamestown Community College, we're developing the Summer 2012 platform of 'comedy college' courses, and, this August we begin a new category of Membership to the Center for Comedy, proceeds of which go to fund programs and opportunities for people and youth interested in all facets of the comedic arts, so that we can cultivate the next little Lucille Ball,'' Gunderson said.

The third pillar, is a comedy film festival paying tribute to the legacy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

The final pillar, and most aggressive in the Legacy of Laughter vision according to Gunderson, is the formation of a Comedy Hall of Fame and Award.

''Like Cooperstown to baseball, Jamestown will induct and honor the comedic artists who most embody the legacy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz for their impact on the world through the comedic arts,'' Gunderson said.

Tickets to all of festival performances go on sale Tuesday, and can be purchased at www.lucy-desi.com. A complete list of festival events is also available online.

Original article found here.

Book - I HAD A BALL - by Michael Stern

2011-03-18T10:30:00.007-04:00

In 1971, ten-year-old Michael Stern thought he had died and gone to heaven as he watched a filming of Here’s Lucy. He was enthralled with a redhead gifted with beauty, stage presence, and the ability to make others laugh. Over the next few years, he would attend several more filmings, meet Lucy, and eventually become (in Lucy’s own words) her “number-one fan.”

In his memoir, Michael Stern offers a refreshing glimpse into the life of a natural comedienne and actress as he provides a fascinating narrative on what it was like to become first a fan and then a friend with one of the biggest television personalities of all time. Known to fans simply as Lucy, she entertained millions of people across the world with shows like I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, and Here’s Lucy. But to Michael, who was eventually allowed access into her private world, she was a fascinating woman with whom he would share many unforgettable adventures.

I Had a Ball is a unique tribute to Lucy’s legacy, her spirit, her talent, and her enthusiasm for life—sure to entertain Lucy fans, television aficionados, and comedy lovers around the world.

“Knowing how much Mom liked Michael Stern, I knew his book would be honest—and it is. I HAD A BALL is full of stories no one but Michael would know. His friendship with Mom is evident on every page. A good read. Thank you Michael.”
—DESI ARNAZ JR.

“Michael’s memories are my memories, only clearer. What a talent for details! It was very moving for me to relive so much of our lives through Michael’s eyes. Very entertaining. Charming. And, more importantly, true. As Mom wrote on one of her photos to him, ‘Happy Thoughts.’”
—LUCIE ARNAZ

BREAKING NEWS FROM LUCIE ARNAZ HER SELF

2011-03-18T10:17:00.010-04:00

HERE ARE REVIEWS AND A NOTE FROM LUCIE ABOUT DAUGHTER KATE'S SHOW

"...brutally (and at times, hysterically!) honest about the ups and downs of her love life, seamlessly intertwining personal stories with songs." -Jenna Esposito

  GREAT NEWS!!!!!!!! For those of you who were bummed that you missed my daughter, Kate Luckinbill's, one woman show LOVE (or the lack thereof) during her three SOLD OUT performances last month at DON'T TELL MAMA's, she will be reprising the show for TWO NIGHTS ONLY MARCH 20th and 21st at 7pm. (Notice there is now a SUNDAY show!)

  If you were one of the first to see the show, in February, you know how good it is and understand the "buzz" that was created fro it. So, even if you can't come back for seconds, we would love you to pass this on to people you know who you think should see it. And, if you haven't seen it yet, and were bitch slapping yourselves that you missed it, lucky, lucky you!!! You can now catch one of these two performances next week. AND it's ONLY $18 a ticket!!

  Don't Tell Mama's is at 343 West 46th St., NYC., but, DON'T WAIT until the last minute to make your reservations. If it's anything like last time, the tickets will be gone soon.

  Also impressive was Ms. Luckinbill's connection to her material. It is rare, even for a veteran performer, to be so perfectly in touch with their material that they seem to be living the lyrics as they occur....she had the audience in the palm of her hand....One of the most exciting cabaret debut shows in recent memory." ---Jenna Esposito  

"this gal was standing on her own two very capable feet and almost made me forget that she had any special DNA, except when she was funny which was A LOT!"

  "this script was so fully realized and funny and profound and well delivered"  

"I'd like to see more shows like this"

  "There's a fun element of surprise, particularly on her rants, which I loved."

  "Did I mention what a good actress she is? She's really good."  ----Sue Matsuki

  Hope I see you all there. xxxxxxxLucie A (aka: "proud mother!")

Hugh Martin, Composer of Meet Me in St. Louis, Dies at 96

2011-03-13T00:34:00.004-05:00

By Robert Simonson
11 Mar 2011

Hugh Martin, the songwriter who enlivened the Judy Garland movie musical "Meet Me in St. Louis" with an indelibly melodic trio of evergreen songs — "The Trolley Song," "The Boy Next Door" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" — died March 11 in California, according to family members. He was 96.

A talented lyricist as well as a composer, Mr. Martin wrote the scores for several Broadway musicals, including Best Foot Forward (1941) (which featured the rousing fight song "Buckle Down, Winsocki"); Look, Ma, I'm Dancin' (1948), which was conceived and co-directed (with George Abbott) by Jerome Robbins; Make a Wish (1951); and High Spirits (1964); and did musical and vocal arrangements for the likes of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Richard Rodgers.

But it was for the lush M-G-M film "Meet Me in St. Louis," a collaboration with his frequent writing partner Ralph Blane, that he made his most lasting contribution on the American songbook. A sentimental tale of a close-knit St. Louis family at the turn of the 20th century, whose serenity is threatened by the father's plan to move to New York, the movie was made memorable through Judy Garland's ardent, warm delivery of the score. Her boisterous take on the bouncy, syncopated "The Trolley Song," sung while riding on a bustling trolley, became a piece of cinematic history. And the melancholy "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" evolved into a yuletide classic, recorded by hundreds of artists over the years.

The wistful expression of guarded holiday hopefulness is typically credited to both Mr. Martin and Blane. However, during a Dec. 21, 2006 interview on NPR, Mr. Martin said he wrote the song with no assistance from Blane. In 1989, "Meet Me in St. Louis" was converted into a Broadway stage musical, for which Mr. Martin did the vocal arrangements and wrote a few new lyrics.

Mr. Martin and Garland became close friends after the movie. He later acted as her accompanist at many of her concert performances in the 1950s, including her famous comeback at the Palace Theatre. However, during the filming of "A Star Is Born," the two broke when an argument over her performance of "The Man Who Got Away" led him to walk off the production.

Mr. Martin and Blane, who were on contract at M-G-M, were twice nominated for Academy Awards, for "The Trolley Song" and for "Pass the Peace Pipe," a rousing number used in the college-set movie musical "Good News" starring June Allyson and Peter Lawford. Mr. Martin also received four Tony Award nominations, three for High Spirits (Best Musical, Best Book Author of a Musical, Best Composer and Lyricist), a musical take on Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit (and directed by Coward), and one for the Meet Me in St. Louis (Best Original Score).

Hugh Martin was born in Birmingham, AL, on Aug. 11, 1914. He began studying music at the age of five at the Birmingham Conservatory of Music. His original intention to be a classical musician was altered when he became enamored of the music of George Gershwin.

He moved to New York City in the mid 1930s. He made his Broadway debut in 1937, both performing and doing the musical arrangements for Hooray for What!, a show which also featured future collaborator Ralph Blane. Soon after, the men and two women formed a vocal quartet called The Martins. The Martins appeared on Fred Allen's popular radio show and also appeared in Irving Berlin's 1940 musical Louisiana Purchase, for which Martin and Blane were the vocal arrangers, as well as The Lady Comes Across in 1942.

In 1938, Richard Rodgers gave Mr. Martin a chance, hiring him to do vocal arrangements for The Boys From Syracuse. Thereafter, Mr. Martin bounced from show to show, doing vocal arrangements, choral arrangement, providing vocal direction, simply acting or doing a combination of the above, for such shows as Too Many Girls, Louisiana Purchase, Cabin in the Sky, The Lady Comes Across, Heaven on Earth, As the Girls Go, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Top Banana, Hazel Flagg, Lorelei and Sugar Babies, the 1979 hit revue for which he was musical director.

His film work included "Athena" (1954), "The Girl Rush" (1955) and "The Girl Most Likely" (1957) as well as a movie version of "Best Foot Forward" starring Lucille Ball.

Mr. Martin was often candid in his assessment of his talents and achievements. In the liner notes for Look Ma, I'm Dancin', he told the story of his getting the job as composer. He auditioned "with three great numbers, 'Gotta Dance,' 'Tiny Room' and 'I'm the First Girl (in the Second Row).' They were received rapturously by everyone, even Robbins, and I reacted very stupidly. I got a false sense of security and instead of working hard, I relaxed a little. As a result, there are songs that are, well, OK, but not up to the standard of a George Abbott, Jerome Robbins, Nancy Walker musical. I wish I had tried harder."

Mr. Martin, a Seventh-day Adventist, spent much of the 1980s as an accompanist for gospel female vocalist Del Delker. In 2009, he published his memoir, "The Boy Next Door," in which he wrote frankly about his years battling speed and he conversion in the 1970s to a born again Christian.

Original article found here.

Lucie Arnaz and Valarie Pettiford Will Sing Songs of Ron Abel and Chuck Steffan at Birdland

2010-10-28T01:43:00.003-04:00

By Andrew Gans 27 Oct 2010

The songs of Ron Abel and Chuck Steffan will be presented Nov. 22 at Birdland.

Entitled Who The F*#! Are These Guys, The Songs of Ron Abel & Chuck Steffan, the evening will include the composers as well as special guests Lucie Arnaz and Valarie Pettiford. Show time is 7 PM.

Composer, arranger, orchestrator and producer Ron Abel and lyricist Chuck Steffan's new shows are Bombshell, the story of Hollywood love goddess Cleo Moore, the Queen of the B-Movie Bad Girls; Presenting Laurette Bishop, celebrating the return of one of the greatest jazz singers you never knew; and undressed, a new and raw telling of the novel “Camille” by Alexander Dumas fils.

Birdland is located in Manhattan at 315 West 44th Street. For tickets, priced $30 and $40 with a $10 food/drink minimum, call (212) 581-3080 or visit www.BirdlandJazz.com.

Original article found here.

Lucie Arnaz to host Abingdon Theatre Co.'s 4th Annual AB*IE Awards 9/13

2010-09-10T21:16:00.005-04:00

By Thomas Peter 09 Sep 2010

Veteran stage and screen actress Lucie Arnaz will host The 14th Annual AB*IE Awards, a celebration of the Abingdon Theatre Company's 2009-2010 season, at the June Havoc Theatre Sept. 13 at 6:30 PM.

The event, which includes pre- and post-show receptions, is free and open to the public. No reservations are required.

The favorite production, director, cast members and designers from the productions that made up the company's 17th season will be chosen for the awards, which were voted by theatregoers. Eligible productions include Robert Cary and Benjamin Feldman's Inventing Avi, directed by Mark Waldrop; Jan Buttram's Phantom Killer, directed by Jules Ochoa; John Morogiello's Engaging Shaw, directed by Jakob G. Hoffman; and Stephen Swift's Sister Myotis's Bible Camp, directed by Jerre Dye.

Arnaz has appeared on Broadway in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Lost in Yonkers and They're Playing Our Song and in The Witches of Eastwick in London. Additional stage credits include Master Class, Seesaw and Annie Get Your Gun. A Golden Globe Award nominee for her performance in "The Jazz Singer," she won an Emmy Award for "Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie," a documentary about her parents, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

The June Havoc Theatre is located at 312 West 36th Street. For more information, call (212) 868-2055 or visit www.abingdontheatre.org.

Richard Skipper Brings CAROL CHANNING IN CONCERT To Cape Cod, 8/30-9/2

2010-08-28T23:24:00.005-04:00

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Richard Skipper, the 4-time MAC Award winning celebrity tribute artist, brings his critically- acclaimed show "Carol Channing" IN CONCERT to Cape Cod for a 4-Night Only Special Engagement prior to this Fall's Off-Broadway run. A portion of proceeds from each ticket will benefit The Dr. Carol Channing & Harry Kullijian Foundation For The Arts. The performances will occur Monday August 30th through Thursday September 2nd at The Madeira Room Vixen located at The Pilgrim House in Provincetown.

"Carol Channing" IN CONCERT is a fully staged and researched musical montage celebrating the career and persona of the unique theatrical legend. Blending Channing's standards with original material and other familiar songs sung by Skipper in a spot-on Channing-on-Broadway perfection, the musical evening surveys Channing's life with many stops along the way for Skipper's unique--and riotous--"ad-lib" interactions with the audience is accompanied by a 3-piece band. The show is directed by long-time NYC actor/director Mark Robert Gordon.

Making his return to Provincetown for the first time in 8 years, Skipper is fresh off a joint appearance with Carol Channing preceding a 1-night standing room only engagement of "Carol Channing" IN CONCERT in New York (a star-studded event with luminaries such as Oscar-winner Celeste Holm, Betsy Palmer, Joe Franklin, original Broadway Hello, Dolly! cast members, and Channing songwriter Ervin Drake in attendance). The buzz created by the New York concert has prompted demand for a longer-term Off-Broadway production, which is slated to open in New York City this Fall in conjunction with bookings worldwide. The Provincetown and upcoming Off-Browadway productions of "Carol Channing" IN CONCERT are produced by The Camelback Kid.

Richard Skipper is a 4-time recipient of the MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabaret) Award a Back Stage Bistro Award, and a CLONEY AWARD in Las Vegas for best performer. He was named as one of the Top Ten Cabaret Performers by Cabaret Hotline and as one of the Top of the Century Premiere Cabaret Acts by Cabaret Scenes Magazine.

"Carol Channing" IN CONCERT runs 4-nights only from Monday August 30 through Thursday September 2 at 9:00pm at The Madeira Room Vixen located at The Pilgrim House, 336 Commercial Street, Provincetown, MA.

Tickets: available in-person at The Madeira Room Vixen box office or at (508) 487-6424. Further information is available at www.thepilgrimhouse.com, www.ptownvixen.com, www.TheCamelbackKid.com, and www.RichardSkipper.com.

Tickets are $35.00 ($30.00 if advance purchased). A portion of proceeds from each ticket benefits The Dr. Carol Channing & Harry Kullijian Foundation For The Arts.

Running time is 1 hour 20 minutes (no intermission).

The show is suitable for all ages.

Original article found here.

‘Laughter On The Lake’ and 'I Loved Lucy'

2010-08-22T00:15:00.012-04:00

‘Laughter On The Lake’ A New Era For Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center
POSTED: August 20, 2010

Thursday evening may have marked the end of the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center series of comedians, "Laughter on the Lake," but it is also a clear sign of a new beginning for the center, according to board president Tom Benson.

"The board is committed to an aggressive expansion plan for the center that will see the strengthening of its Lucy Desi Museum and I Love Lucy Playhouse operations and the development of an over-arching Legacy of Laughter program that will be designed to promote comedy and laughter on a much broader scale," Benson said. "We want to preserve the incredible contributions of Lucy and Desi through the transformation of Jamestown into the Comedy Center of America.

Dan Dalpra of Bemus Bay Pops, left, and Tom Benson, president of the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center board, promote the partnership that resulted in Laughter on the Lake.

The Legacy of Laughter platform will have four segments. The first will be the Legacy of Laughter Award and Hall of Fame. This award will be given annually to the comedian who, as determined by the judges, most exemplifies Lucy and Desi and the mission of the Center. The initial award will be presented in August 2011 during Lucy's 100th birthday celebration.

The second Legacy of Laughter segment will be the Festival of New Comedy which will return the center to its roots when the likes of (then unknowns) Ray Romano, Ellen DeGeneres and Paula Poundstone played in Jamestown during the early Lucy Fest programs.

"We want to get to the point where every up-and-coming comedian feels that they must play the Legacy of Laughter Festival in order to make it to the top," said Benson.

Legacy of Laughter's third part will be a Short Comedic Film Festival that will inspire new artists to follow Lucy and Desi's footsteps and delve into comedic theater. The fourth will be the development of a comedic education program in conjunction with an accredited university that will have satellite programs in Jamestown and the surrounding region. Part of this program will focus on the healing power of laughter and will eventually provide services to local health care institutions.

''Our plans are very ambitious, but we have a great deal to work with. As evidenced by the Laughter on the Lake Series, we will develop close collaborations with the other local attractors so that we can share marketing and public relations functions for the overall benefit of all and we will be much more global in our thoughts and actions,'' Benson said. ''At the same time we will reach out to the Jamestown and regional community and ask for input and participation in meaningful ways.''

Plans are in the works for Lucy's 100th birthday celebration next August and details will be released over the coming months.

In addition, a new robust website complete with social media and state-of-the-art merchandizing will be launched in about six weeks.

"My brother and I are thrilled at the direction the Center is taking, and we fully endorse it," said Lucie Arnaz. "We are committed to helping Tom and the board make our mother's 100th birthday celebration a huge success, and to getting the Legacy of Laughter platform off to a great start.''

The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center's purpose is to promote and develop comedy as an art form, including new forms of comedy, and the mission is to preserve and celebrate the legacy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and enrich the world through the healing powers of love and laughter.

For more information on the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center, call 484-0800 or go to their website, www.lucy-desi.com.

Showbiz Memoir I Loved Lucy Will Star Jeffry Denman and Diane J. Findlay in California
By Kenneth Jones, 19 Aug 2010

Laguna Playhouse's world premiere of I Loved Lucy, the stage version of Lee Tannen's book about his friendship with aging actress Lucille Ball, will star Diane J. Findlay as Ball and Jeffry Denman as Lee.

Performances under the direction of Todd Weeks will play Oct. 5-31 in Laguna Beach, CA. Opening is Oct. 9.

According to production notes, "Comedienne Lucille Ball left an indelible imprint on fans throughout the world, but most saw only the public persona. Now, go behind the scenes and get a glimpse of the personal side of Lucy. Few people knew America's comic sweetheart the way Lee Tannen did. Though distantly related by marriage and 40 years apart in age, Lucy and Lee became the nearest and dearest of friends during the last decade of Lucy's life. It was a time Lucy spent out of the spotlight and around a backgammon table, and Lee was lucky enough to be sitting across from her for much of that time."

"Lee Tannen has a unique insider's knowledge of Lucille Ball," Laguna Playhouse artistic director Andrew Barnicle said in a statement. "He spent years as her friend and confidant, and he saw her through many of the ups and downs in the last decade of her life. Yes, she was a comic powerhouse. She was also stubborn, philosophical, affectionate, mercurial, vulnerable, and very human."

Denman appeared in Off-Broadway's Yank! (for which he was a 2010 Drama Desk nominee) and Broadway's White Christmas, The Producers, Cats, Dream and 1995's How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

Findlay appeared in Off-Broadway's Flamingo Court, Paper Mill Playhouse's Funny Girl and Goodspeed Musicals' Dear World and They All Laughed.

For more information, call (949) 497-2787, or visit LagunaPlayhouse.com.

Entertainer Carol Channing on GDLA

2010-08-14T09:10:00.005-04:00

Published : Friday, 13 Aug 2010, 12:09 PM PDT

Los Angeles - Carol Channing has been performing on stage, in movies and on TV for most of her life. So as an accomplished entertainer she truly understands the value of the arts in the lives of youth.

Carol and husband Harry Kullijian are embarking on a national campaign to bring the Arts back into the public school system - through The Dr. Carol Channing and Harry Kullijian Foundation for the Arts.

Carol will be appearing:
Carol will be hosting the Spirit of 45 tribute to Veterans of WWII (Which her husband Harry is a veteran) on Saturday August 14 (the 65th anniversary of the end of WWII) at 800 Bringham Ave (West LA VA Campus off Wilshire) from 2 to 5pm. Also in attendance will be Carol's friends Rhonda Fleming and Margaret O'Brien.

online: http://channingarts.org

Original Article is here.

Carol Channing to Release New Patriotic-Themed CD in September; Several Appearances Planned

2010-08-09T00:28:00.006-04:00

By: Dan Bacalzo · Aug 6, 2010 · Colorado

Carol Channing will release a new Patriotic-themed CD, tentatively titled American Carol in September 2010.

Among the songs featured will be "Over There," "Dear Old Glory," "God Bless America," "America," and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."

Channing won the Tony Award for Hello, Dolly! and also appeared on Broadway in The Vamp, Lend an Ear, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. She received an Oscar nomination for Thoroughly Modern Millie. Channing also recently released the CD, For Heaven's Sake, which includes spirituals, hymns, and rousing gospel tunes.

The actress will be making a number of upcoming appearances as part of a national campaign to restore the Arts back into the public school system through The Dr. Carol Channing and Harry Kullijian Foundation for the Arts. She will appear in Denver on August 6 before the national PTA, followed by a San Francisco panel discussion on August 8 with friends Rich Little and Steve Rossi for Comedy Talks, then on to Los Angeles where she and Kullijian will co-host an August 14 event for Spirit or 45' honoring US Veterans of WWII on the 65th anniversary of the end of the war.

Channing also recently produced a PSA for California in conjunction with the PTA to speak out in support of the need for the Arts in the public school system. It featured friends and colleagues Lily Tomlin, Alec Mapa, Florence Henderson, Kevin Sorbo, Donna Mills, Lesley Ann Warren, Stefanie Powers, Kate Linder, JoAnne Worley, and Phill Lewis. Another is being planned for national distribution.

For more about Channing's national efforts, visit www.ChanningArts.org.

This is the original article.

CD REVIEW: LUCIE ARNAZ/LATIN ROOTS

2010-08-08T00:25:00.003-04:00

By Daryl Glenn

Infectious is the first word that pops into my mind to describe this collection, only the second solo outing by the fabulous Lucie Arnaz. Ms. Arnaz is, of course, the daughter of legends Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, who rose to fame during her memorable stint on her mother’s sitcom "Here’s Lucy!" and celebrated her Broadway debut in the Neil Simon/Marvin Hamlisch/Carole Bayer-Sager musical They’re Playing Our Song.
I had the pleasure of watching her perform a couple of the numbers from this album at the recent MAC Awards, and can attest that time has done nothing to dim the voice and look of this remarkable performer.

This CD is a valentine to her father, and Ms. Arnaz evokes fond memories of time gone by, while adding her own unmistakable stamp to several of the songs made famous, or famously rendered, by her dad. She slips effortlessly between English and Spanish, bringing to life such gems as “Blame it on the Bossa Nova” (with a new third verse written by Bary Mann and Cynthia Weil just for her) and “I’ll See You in C-U-B-A.” The opening, “You and the Night and the Music,” perfectly sets the mood for the delights to come, and there are many! I found a particular thrill in hearing that voice, untarnished and potent as ever, that I fell so madly in love with as a child devouring Broadway cast albums in Lexington, KY, tearing into these treasured songs! Ms. Arnaz has the infinitely pleasing sound of a Helen Reddy or Karen Carpenter, and I have always wished she had provided more for our enjoyment. However, this collection does more than make up for her lack of content in the ensuing years. Particuarly pleasing are versions of the now-standard pop hit “Johnny Angel” (which was, by the way, the moniker of our local gay disco!) which she turns into a tender ballad of longing set to a gentle Bossa beat, and her lovely take on the famous Dan Fogelberg creation “Leader of the Band,” which, as she astutely states in the liner notes, seems written just for her! This fantastic band is led by Ms. Arnaz’ longtime collaborator Ron Abel, and in addition to some fresh and fun reworkings of the classic tunes included here, is one of Mr. Abel’s own compostions with lyricist Chuck Steffan (“Just To Be Near You”) and another penned with Arnaz’ son Joe Luckinbill, with lyrics by Ms. Arnaz and Madeline Stone (“The Music In Your Heart”), both immensely enjoyable.

Bouncing back to the MAC Awards show for a moment, I must add that joining the sleek and sassy Lucie Arnaz onstage was the incompable award-winning singer/songwriter Billy Stritch, who dreamed up the simply mesmerizing entertwined arrangement of “It’s Alright With Me/Something’s Gotta Give,” which the two of them jointly (live and here) give something that’s more than alright with me! Highly entertaining as well, is a spirited take on “Promises” by Polish songstress Basia (whose catalog I simply must investigate further!) and the inspired pairing of Desi’s signature “Babalu” with Desmond Child’s “La Copa de la Vida” (who knew?). This winning album is a highly entertaining, spirit-raising and touching tribute by the endearing Lucie Arnaz to the endearing legacy of her famous and famously talented father.

BTW, be sure and listen for our very own Raissa Katona-Bennett and Dr. Garrett Bennett amongst the lively backup singers!

Teacher awakens creativity and expression in Dublin students

2010-08-04T00:43:00.004-04:00

Personalities
The Complete Picture
By: Duane St. Clair

A planned one-hour interview with a light-hearted but still serious Yolanda Brown easily lasts two hours in the dormant-for-the-summer classroom where she teaches art at Dublin’s Davis Middle School.

Next Nov. 4, she’ll be honored as middle school art teacher of the year by the Ohio Art Education Association at its annual meeting in Columbus. Quickly she points out that it’s a shared honor this year and that Mary Baine of Baker Middle School in Fairborn is the other honoree. Yolanda’s says only a handful were nominated.

Written descriptions of art education, its goals and significance, often are not quite as revealing as is a chat with Yolanda, whose relaxed demeanor and candid conversation reveal the charm and dignity she brings to her charges, their parents and the Dublin school system.

Talking with Yolanda, who has a master’s degree in art education from Miami University, reveals who she really is and what she’s about in a half-dozen classes a day for sixth and eighth graders. First and foremost, she sees art as a valuable tool in school and life, regardless that a person is not an artist. For her art is fun, something she has done since childhood, beginning with making coal chalk marks on her grandparents’ sidewalk. She notes that art impacts us in many ways by depicting history, in Power Point presentations, advertising, exhibitions, home decorating, the list goes on.

She has taught art seemingly forever and since 2002 in Dublin, all but one year at Davis. “I like middle school kids. I’m especially in love with sixth grade kids. This is their first real academic independence. They never had a locker … changed classes every hour or had a different teacher for every subject. They’re eyes are bright and shiny and their hearts are open. They’re so sweet,” she says, noting without disdain that when they reach the eighth grade “They know everything.”

Yolanda finds that the arts and learning about them provides an unending background for life and the world. “My job is to train them for high school” so they’ll be aware of “how you can use what you know about color. It’s somewhat philosophical,” Yolanda explains. “It’s as important as reading … reading the visual landscape around you.”

She works in a multi-cultural environment. “The world has come to this school,” says the native of Dayton. Students and their parents speak over 40 languages, she says, before a roll call of countries represented, including China, Korea, India, Pakistan, West Africa and the Middle East.

At the beginning of the school year, she will ask students from each country to write on the blackboard “all the different ways they can say hello.” Fellow students “can learn from them, hearing different accents.” Some foreign students grow frustrated that the “English ear” keeps Americans from saying their name as it’s pronounced in their native tongue.

Yolanda says she “can communicate with pictures so they get some degree of knowledge.” Youngsters find a commonality in drawing a picture of a house. Art, she finds, helps bolster their language learning efforts. She wants student to realize that their art should be something that’s understood in Taiwan. “Your grandmother has to understand,” as she mentions the universal language of art that’s created and appreciated internationally.

She teaches watercolor, acrylic, clay, acrylic mediums and is “very heavy on color pencil drawings.” Some projects are 3D, or sculptures, perhaps involving a combination of mediums. She makes it fun, saying she wants the kids to “find joy” in the arts, in life. She sings songs she makes up. “They’re horrible, horrible songs,” she admits with a typical big smile. One for instance, is about the “Binder Bin,” a storage place on each desk that’s to be used so there’s nothing on the desktop where artwork is done.

Yolanda concedes she’s also demanding to the point students have said, “You’re mean.” Because she finds art so important, she says getting it right “is like getting ready to go on a trip to another country,” in that they’ll be heading to high school where 40 to 50 percent of her students will take at least one art class. She notes with pride that Scioto High School, next step for most of her students, has one of the top arts programs in the state and it produces numerous winners in state exhibitions each year.

She tells students who take art as an elective in the seventh and eighth grades, “If you want an easy ‘A’ go take something else.” About Scioto, she says, “it’s not a slacker program. You just can’t take art to get an ‘A.’ ”

Her classes, she feels, are “98 percent fun and learning. We should be having fun and you should be learning.” Yolanda’s disappointed that sometimes parents don’t want youngsters to bring home their artwork because it’s “too messy,” regardless that it’s a child’s self-expression.

When asked, she fills in a few bits of information about her life, which has centered around the arts since she started going to classes at the Dayton Art Institute at age eight. Quickly she provides a vita that goes on for two pages about her extensive activities in the arts. She briefly breezes though high school where she took woodshop and metal shop besides the usual courses. She went to Wright State University to study computer science but didn’t like it and quit after a year. Next stop was Sinclair Community College before earning her bachelor’s degree in fine arts and literature from Goddard College in Plainfield, Vt. She applied to a half dozen colleges to study for a master’s degree and decided, “The first letter I get, that’s where I’m going.” It was from Miami in Oxford, Ohio, not far from home.

In Oxford she was a full-time substitute high school art teacher and an adjunct instructor at the university with classes in women’s studies. Naturally, she taught some too at the university’s art institute. All the while, she continued creating artworks and having exhibitions.

“I just couldn’t seem to get out of Oxford” where she also did some class work preparatory to seek a doctorate. Other aspects of her own art education involved working with several mentors.

A lot of her conversation is about being happy and how she thinks kids can find something they like and do it. “It doesn’t have to be art.” Thus explains her classroom songs. “Kids need to see people who are joyous.”

She notes that “Einstein was a violinist. Tony Bennett’s a painter. We’ve got to keep the arts. I teach art. I like teaching art. I’m good at it,” she says smiling broadly.

She wasn’t boasting. She didn’t have to. It’s obviously the truth about this dynamic woman who’s dedicated to her profession, to the arts as important parts of all aspects of life – and her young students.

This is the Original Article

The Search Is On ... Again

2010-07-30T01:23:00.003-04:00

POSTED: July 29, 2010

After little more than a year at the helm of the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center, Corie Curtis, a Falconer native, has stepped down from the post.

The center's board of directors announced the change in a news release Wednesday.

Thomas P. Benson, board president, said the center has undergone an internal restructuring and cross-training of staff, daily operations are running efficiently and the center's recent and upcoming activities are evidence of its vision to create a comedy movement in the area.

"The center has made significant progress the past year," Benson said, "and that progress includes a renewed commitment to our purpose of promoting and developing comedy."

Ms. Curtis holds a degree in advertising and communications from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I. For three years until 2008, she served as the volunteer executive director of the Feed Their Dreams Children's Foundations. She has also worked as a member of the Council for the Advancement & Support of Education and, in 2004, served as the fundraising consultant for the Rhode Island Hospitality & Tourism Association's capital campaign.

"My time at Lucy-Desi has been an unforgettable experience and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with and for such capable and kind people. Professionally, my departure from this amazing career was a very difficult decision, but my heart is leading me on to an entirely new adventure," Ms. Curtis said.

Ms. Curtis' departure is the latest in a turbulent couple of years for the center since the departure of Ric Wyman in September 2008. The center was forced to close its gift shop, a building on North Main Street that is now up for sale, and consolidate operations into two other buildings on West Third Street. Hours at the Desilu Playhouse and museum were reduced and several employees were laid off as part of the board's efforts to trim expenses and keep the center afloat.

Lucie Arnaz-Luckinbill, daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, said the center is still going strong and wished Ms. Curtis well in her future endeavors.

"Corie has been a godsend and the center has never been stronger,'' Ms. Arnaz-Luckinbill said. "We hate to see her go follow other dreams and even tried locking her in her office. But we were finally convinced even the best of our leaders deserve to explore the possibility of true love! My brother Desi and I wish her only the best and look forward to the new ideas and renewed energy that change always brings."

Curtis Resigns As Lucy-Desi Executive Director

2010-07-28T23:48:00.003-04:00

POSTED: July 28, 2010

After nearly a year at the helm of the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center, Corie Curtis has stepped down from the post.

The center's board of directors announced the change in a news release Wednesday.

Thomas P. Benson, board president, said the center has undergone an internal restructuring and cross-training of staff, daily operations are running efficiently and the center's recent and upcoming activities are evidence of its vision to create a comedy movement in the area.

"The center has made significant progress the past year," Benson said, "and that progress includes a renewed commitment to our purpose of promoting and developing comedy."

"My time at Lucy-Desi has been an unforgettable experience and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with and for such capable and kind people. Professionally, my departure from this amazing career was a very difficult decision, but my heart is leading me on to an entirely new adventure," Ms. Curtis said.

'An Evening With Lucille Ball: Thank You For Asking' at Meadow Brook

2010-07-24T01:43:00.002-04:00

Published: Friday, July 23, 2010
By Heidi Bitsoli, For the Daily Tribune

If you love Lucy, this one-woman show is for you.

"An Evening With Lucille Ball: 'Thank You For Asking,'" is part of the Meadow Brook Music Festival in Rochester. The July 24 show promises to bring the "Queen of Comedy" to life thanks to the efforts of actress Suzanne LaRusch and Ball's daughter.

LaRusch wrote the play with Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill, and audiences will be treated to many memorable moments, including what inspired those unforgettable "I Love Lucy" sketches and a glimpse into her fiery and complex marriage to Cuban bandleader Desi Arnaz. The show is in the form of lectures Ball loved to give throughout her career.

LaRusch has been doing Lucy impersonations since 1991, for theme parks, corporate parties and shows.

In 2006 she had her "light-bulb moment, (and) I came up with the present formula, which is the question and answer because she did (those)," LaRusch said. "That's how I tell her story"

LaRusch cautions audiences against expecting an evening of greatest hits.

"It's a play. We do questions and answers as if it was happening in that moment in time, but since it's a play (the voices are) recorded. You'll see me onstage saying, 'OK, how about that lady in the back ... I'm sorry, the gentleman ...,' " which are lines Ball actually said.

LaRusch counts herself a fan of Ball, but "no more than anyone else. She's a beloved icon and comedian. I've been a fan of her comedy. I'm an actress, so I'm not a Lucy fan that had to 'be' her."

LaRusch sought the advice of Ball's daughter to "get the essence of Lucy."

"She had great input, so I asked her to direct," LaRusch said about the show which came together in 2006. Arnaz eventually said yes, changing and tightening the script, "adding family intimacies and secrets."

But "it's not favorite skits at all," LaRusch said. "If you want to see 'Lucy' skits, then buy a DVD. But if you want to know the stories behind those famous skits, come and see my show (and find out) what made this lady tick."

What are some of the revelations? "You have to see the show to get a couple of the big ones," LaRusch teased. She won't give answers but she'll share such questions as: "Was Desi Arnaz the love of your life?"

In the show, "you find out how she really felt."

The show offers a behind-the-skits perspective. "We do Vitameatavegamin as a flashback" because people always ask about it.

Also revealed: What Lucy was really drinking in that skit.

Another revelation is the infamous chocolate factory scene. "We tell the story behind the candy and find a clever way to work in the candy without having a conveyer belt on stage." Also, did she really eat all those chocolates? Listen and learn.

Also revealed: Ball's favorite episode, and it didn't involve grape-stomping, chocolate overload or Vitameatavegamin.

"An Evening with Lucille Ball: 'Thank You for Asking'" comes to Meadow Brook Music Festival on the Oakland University campus in Rochester Hills at 8 p.m. July 24. Tickets are $22.50 reserved pavilion and $15 general admission pavilion at Palacenet.com, The Palace Box Office and Ticketmaster locations. Special Superfan seating is available. Tickets may also be charged by phone to American Express, Discover, Visa and MasterCard by calling (800) 745-3000.

Lucille Ball - Ball's Daughter Reaches Deal With Auction House

2010-07-23T01:36:00.003-04:00

From Contactmusic.com
19 July 2010
A California auction house selling LUCILLE BALL memorabilia has reached a deal to return the late acting legend's lifetime achievement awards to her daughter.

Ball's daughter with first husband Desi Arnaz, Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill, was left items including love letters, a Rolls Royce and trophies from the star's acting career in her mum's will when the comedienne died in 1989.

However, the widow of Ball's second husband, Susie Morton, claimed Luckinbill failed to collect the items following Ball's passing, and planned to sell them off at Heritage Auction Galleries over the weekend (17-18Jul10).

Luckinbill threatened to take legal action over the auction of her late mother's personal items because it "insults her memory".

Auction bosses stepped in, and agreed on Saturday (17Jul10) to return the awards to Luckinbill, but the other items remained in the sale.

Luckinbill plans to display the trophies in a museum honouring her mother, reports the Associated Press.

Lucille Ball's Daughter Wins Case Against Step-Mom, Can't Stop Auction

2010-07-23T00:14:00.006-04:00

7/17/10
Judge orders $250,000 bond to hold 'I Love Lucy' memorabilia
Kate Schwab

Lucille Ball’s daughter tried to stop her stepmother from selling family heirlooms at an auction.

In court on Friday, the judge agreed, but Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert O'Brien ordered Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill to pony up a $250,000 bond to get her restraining order issued against Susie Morton, according to the Associated Press.

Luckinbill’s attorney, Ronald Palmieri, called the decision “very sad” and said his client could not afford that amount.

“We won on a legal basis, and the judge took it away from us on an economic basis," he said.

Luckinbill is the daughter of Ball and her first husband, Desi Arnaz. Morton is the surviving widow of Ball’s second husband, Gary Morton.

After Luckinbill sought to block her stepmother’s plans to sell some of the I Love Lucy star’s memorabilia through Heritage Auction Galleries, Morton countered with a lawsuit, arguing that Luckinbill lost her rights to the heirlooms after her deceased husband’s estate was settled. The items set for auction include love letters
between Ball and Arnaz, a Rolls-Royce and photographs.

Luckinbill said she wanted to donate the items to a museum exhibit.

According to the Internet Movie Database, Ball, who died in 1989, was not only a comedy star but also a film pioneer. She became the first woman to own her own television studio, which she called Desilu.

Battle brewing over Lucille Ball auction in LA

2010-07-22T16:19:00.003-04:00

LOS ANGELES - July 16, 2010 — Heirs of the late Lucille Ball and her second husband are sparring over the planned auction of the some of the couple's prized possessions.

Among the items on the auction block are love letters between Ball and Gary Morton, a Rolls Royce and some of the actress' awards. Morton was the comedienne's second husband.

The items were consigned to Heritage Auction Galleries by Susie Morton, who married Gary Morton after Ball's death in 1989.

Ball's daughter from her first marriage with co-star Desi Arnaz wants some of the items returned. An attorney for Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill says she will go to court Friday to try to block the sale if the items are not returned.

Susie Morton asked a judge Monday to determine that she has the right to offer the items for auction.

Lucille Ball’s Daughter To Headline Celebration

2009-05-04T11:33:00.005-04:00

Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill To Attend Lucy-Desi Days
By Kristen Johnson
The Post Journal

Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill, the daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, will return to Jamestown next month to perform during the Lucy-Desi Days celebration.

''It's always nice to come back to Jamestown, especially in the spring when the dogwoods and the lilacs are in bloom,'' she said. ''I'm very excited to come back (this) month.''

Mrs. Luckinbill will perform an hour-long show at the Reg Lenna Civic Center on Saturday, May 23 at 8 p.m. as part of a fundraising event aimed at helping the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center overcome some of the financial challenges it has faced due to the rough economy. All tickets will be $25 and may be ordered by calling 484-0800 ext. 203. The performance will be followed by a separate fundraising gala reception for those who would like to meet Mrs. Luckinbill in person. Cost is $100 per ticket.

Libby Nord, the center's creative director, called Mrs. Luckinbill an ''accomplished performer with a wry sense of humor and a talent for putting the right emotion into every song she sings.''

''As we celebrate the legacy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, the presence of their daughter makes the weekend even more special,'' Nord said.

Mrs. Luckinbill has performed during the Lucy-Desi Days celebration in years past. She said recently she is ''really looking forward'' to performing in Jamestown again.

''I love singing - it's such a charge to sing with the big band,'' she said. ''Last time I performed, we did a Latin show as a tribute to my father. But this time, it's not a tribute to anyone - it's just great music and some songs I've fallen in love with. I'm so happy to come back and sing to help the center out.''

Mrs. Luckinbill said she fully supports the center's new board of directors as they work to overcome what board chairman Mike LaTone has called a ''fragile financial time.''

''They've got some great people on the board right now and I think they're really going in great directions,'' she said. ''As far as Desi and I are concerned, things are the same as they ever were. We've got very high hopes for the center and the direction its going in.''

Other special guests at the festival will include Keith Thibodeaux, who played Little Ricky; Dan Cahn, film editor for the "I Love Lucy" show; Wanda Clark, Lucille Ball's personal secretary; and Tom Watson, founder and president of the "I Love Lucy" fan club.

The festival will run from May 22 to May 24. Among other things, it will include a two-hour video enhanced bus tour of Lucille Ball's hometown, screenings of rarely seen episodes from her final television series, outdoor screenings of ''I Love Lucy'' episodes, a fan reunion cruise aboard Summer Wind on Chautauqua Lake and a screening of a 1978 interview with Lucille Ball.

For more information about the festival, call 484-0800. A full schedule of events is available online at www.lucy-desi.com.

2009-04-21T20:59:00.000-04:00

Well, It's been quite some time since the last time I wrote anything in here. Mainly because I forgot the password (what do ya expect since June, 05?) and couldn't sign in without that link to a Google Account. Everything these days seems to be linked to a Google Account?? What's THAT all about?

I guess I'm now tied up with the latest craze called "FaceBook". Everybody seems to be on FaceBook. It's a great way to catch up with all the old friends and people you knew way back when and can now catch up with. I met this kid way back in 1986 while I was on tour with a bus & truck tour of GYPSY. He was one of the local kids placed in our show in the Uncle Jocko segment in the beginning. Well a few years later, he came to visit me in NY. Well, to make a long story short, I just found him on Facebook and we'll catch up. Of course, he's all grown up now.

MARKETING AND PROMOTING YOURSELF:
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Apr 30, 11am-2pm -
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Get more than your 15 minutes of fame. In this workshop, Richard Skipper and Glen Charlow will hone in on the areas specific to YOUR needs. They will tailor make the workshop and create a game plan that will create the highest visibility for you! What are you waiting for? GET TRAFFIC to your site and get your name out there! SPECIAL RECESSION OFFER: ONLY $100.00. YOU CAN'T BEAT THIS PRICE! RESERVE TODAY! Or call 845-365-0720 for info on setting up additional classes or private coaching.

On board with Richard is me, GLEN CHARLOW, I bring over 15 years in the business to the participants of this class. I will discuss the concept of image; how to use the internet effectively and how your website "sells" you even before you pick up the phone. To read more on me please visit: www.gcdtp.com.

Reservations are a MUST. Limited to 15 people. PLEASE LET US KNOW ASAP! Email me at glen@gcdtp.com

That's it for now. Glad to be back here blogging... I guess. I'll start back with the Lucy happenings just like on my Lucy pages. Be sure to visit http://www.LucilleBall.net

What Could They Be Staring At?

2005-06-13T19:30:00.000-04:00

They're watching the trees and the butterflys and the bugs flying and the grasshoppers hopping into the pool when they should be in the grass. They're watching the ants crawling up the side of the house next door and the postman walking down the street delivering mail. And they're watching the kids playing basketball on the playground across the street and all the other kitties playing in the back yard. They're watching the trees shake in the wind and the birds flying about. They're smelling the cool, fresh breeze coming off the lake in the distance. They're watching the boats pull up to the dock. If they're not watching these things, what else could they be staring at?

The Saga of the Soggy Situation

2005-04-01T02:30:00.000-05:00

Terrential downpours in the North East caused much damage to my humble abode. It's pretty wet! I'm down for a few days drying out!
See you next week.
V.G.

Sweet Sue

2005-03-29T02:00:00.000-05:00

Ev'ry star above Knows the one I love Sweet Sue just you
And the moon up high Knows the reason why Sweet Sue It's you
No one else it seems Ever shares my dreams
And without you, dear, I don't know what I'd do,
In this heart of mine You live all the time Sweet Sue, just you.

You're Right... I don't believe it!

2005-03-28T01:45:00.000-05:00

...and the driver was comming awful close. So I turned to give him a dirty look, and no one was driving. So I looked back at our car and it was GONE!!! Well, it passed me at the bottom of the hill and I didn't know what to do so I stopped. And the pontiac kept on goin up the hill and it didn't quite make it to the top... It didn't...? ...Not much it didn't!!! Fact, it started rolling backwards and CRASHED!! right into me.

'You' Stay Here And Tell That Story?

2005-03-27T02:15:00.000-05:00

Look if Fred comes back, you tell him that the man came for the Cadilac and that Ricky has the Pontiac downtown. If the man comes for the Cadilac, you tell him that Fred has it out for one last farewell spin. If Ricky comes home, you tell him the man came for the Cadilac and Fred took the Pontiac downtown to have it washed. Okay?

The Nasty Parrot

2005-03-25T22:10:00.000-05:00

A few years ago I received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of this bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity. I tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by constantly saying polite words, playing soft music, and anything I could think of to set a good example. Nothing worked. Finally, I got fed up and yelled at the parrot. And, the bird yelled back. I shook the parrot, and the bird got angrier and ruder. Finally, in a moment of desperation, I put the bird in the refrigerator freezer. For a few minutes, I heard the bird squawk and kick and scream ... then suddenly there was quiet. Not a peep for over a minute. Fearing that I'd hurt the bird, I quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto my outstretched arm and said, "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I am truly sorry, and I will do everything to correct my poor behavior." I was astonished at the bird's change of attitude. As I was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, "May I ask what the chicken did?"

By The Waters Of The Minnetonka

2005-03-25T01:00:00.002-05:00

You know, on the night of the full moon, the high Priest goes to a jungle clearing, and sings a song of love. And then follows the cortship dance in which the bride-groom tries to impress his bride to be with his fercness and stregnth. So now, lets pretend that this is a jungle clearing, there is a full moon, and the high Priest is singing his song.

Moon Deer, How near Your soul divine
Sun Deer, No fear In heart of mine.
Skies blue O'er you, Look down in love;
Waves bright Give light As on they move
Hear thou My vow To live,
to die, Moon Deer, Thee near Beneath this sky.

By The Shores of Gitche Gumee

2005-03-23T21:50:00.000-05:00

By the shores of Gitche Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water,
Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,
Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.
Dark behind it rose the forest,
Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,
Rose the firs with cones upon them;
Bright before it beat the water,
Beat the clear and sunny water,
Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water.
There the wrinkled old Nokomis
Nursed the little Hiawatha,
Rocked him in his linden cradle,
Bedded soft in moss and rushes,
Safely bound with reindeer sinews;
Stilled his fretful wail by saying,
"Hush! the Naked Bear will hear thee!"
Lulled him into slumber, singing,
"Ewa-yea! my little owlet!
Who is this, that lights the wigwam?
With his great eyes lights the wigwam?
Ewa-yea! my little owlet!"

This Time... Mom Writes A Letter...

2005-03-23T01:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Lucy,
How are you and how is Xavier? I got the pictures and I'm releived to see that he looks just like you. The real reason I'm writing is because I went to my club meeting yesterday. You remembner Flo Pauline Lopez? The club recording secretary? Well, it seems that Flo Pauline's old college room mate, Ella Scott Porter has a cousin who maried a man named Ford and went to live in a little town in Tennessee. Well, it seems this cousin has a boy named Ernest. She has an older boy named George and a younger boy named Roger. Ernest is her middle boy. Well to make a long story short, Ernest is on his way to NY and I told Flo Pauline to tell Ella to tell her cousin to tell Ernest that you'd be glad to entertain him. Of course I don't know Ernest personally, but any friend of Flo Pauline's room mates cousin is a friend of mine.
Love Mother

A Suit To Top All Suits...

2005-03-22T01:00:00.000-05:00

A bereaved woman goes into a funeral home to make arrangements for her husband's funeral. She tells the director that she wants her husband to be buried in a dark blue suit. He asks, "Wouldn't it just be easier to bury him in the black suit that he's wearing?"

"No," she insists. "My husband wanted it to be a blue suit." She then gives him a blank check to buy one. When she comes back for the wake, she sees her husband in the coffin and he is wearing a beautiful blue suit. She tells the director, " Thank You, that is absolutely perfect! I love it! How much did it cost?"

He says, "Actually, it didn't cost anything. The funniest thing happened. As soon as you left, another man was brought in, this one wearing a dark blue suit. I noticed that they were about the same size, and asked the other widow if she would mind if her husband were buried in a black suit. She said that was fine with her. So, I switched the heads.

What's a pretext? ...duhhh... Idunno!

2005-03-21T01:00:00.000-05:00

Well, its when you want someone to do something but you don't want them to know that you want them to do that particular something so you make up something else, then they think they're just doing that something else but in reality they're doing the something that you want them to do but don't want them to know that you want them to do it.

Or... you can check this out: Click Here!
My linking to the above site does not benefit me in any way, shape or form what-so-ever. I just googled "pretext" for the hell of it, and that's what I came up with.

She's Just Being a Mother ... isms!

2005-03-20T02:21:00.000-05:00

Do the dishes. Take off your shoes. Eat your vegetables. Leave your brother alone. Say please. Say thank you. Just wait till your father comes home. Mind your manners. Mind your mother. Tuck in your shirt. Because I am your mother. Don't sass me, mister. Don't chew with your mouth open. Shape up. Wipe that smile off your face. Where do you think you are going? Don't pick at it. I love you. You're driving me crazy. There is no such thing as the bogeyman. What are you doing in there? Get your finger out of your nose. The kitchen is closed. You can look but don't touch. Scrub the toilet. Pick up your room. Dinner is ready. Don't lie to me. Don't play rough. Don't be naughty. Feed the dog. I am not your maid. Listen to me. Smoking is bad for you. Don't tease the cat. Don't you dare. This hurts me more than it hurts you. I'll give you something to cry about. Ask your father. Be nice. You are full of the devil. You deserve a spanking. Get out of there this instant! Drink your milk. You'll poke your eye out. You have to go to church. Go to sleep. Stop it. You're just like your father. I don't care who started it. I don't care if everybody is doing it. I'm going to wash your mouth out with soap. You look just like your father. Put away your toys. Shape up or ship out. You're giving me a headache. Change your underwear. Don't make me come in there. Don't hurt yourself. Grow up.

Old Maid for Hire...

2005-03-19T01:00:00.000-05:00

The care of my two cats through several nights cause me to fall asleep preparing for the only fun I have: bowling with the Show-League. A friend of mine decided to get me a maid, and cautions me to handle the interview like a real businessman. He encourages me to be firm, and establish the relationship between me and the maid at the start, and ensure the woman will know what her hours and duties will be. When the maid, Mrs. Dillon, arrives, 'she' gives me her availability of hours and inquires about the household having certain appliances before I had a chance to be the boss. She prepares lunch for me: a peanut butter sandwich. I would have preferred roast beef and lettuce, or some jelly and milk with the sandwich, but Mrs. Dillon had already eaten those. She said, "If I didn't have a salad, I'd have starved to death!" Eventually, I felt like I'm working for the maid and suggested to my friend that we let her go with a good recommendation and a week's pay. We were unable to say that to the stern woman, so I schemed with my friend to make Mrs. Dillon quit by messing up my apartment and, additionally, my friend smeared the kitchen with peanut butter, mustard and molasses. When my mom came in and saw the mess, she told me she carried out my wish and fired Mrs. Dillon.

The Cuckoo Clock Caper... In Time

2005-03-17T22:55:00.000-05:00

Just a funny thing that happened to me today... I am usualy a solidly devoted fan of the Daytime Soap Operas, All My Children (AMC) and One Life To Live. Well, I was so busy working on stuff at the computer, the time totaly got away from me and by the time I looked up at the clock... it was 10 minutes to 3. I missed all of AMC and caught the last 5 minutes of One Life... Where did the time go? If you don't help me, I'll squeel that you were the brains in the cuckoo clock caper!

A very "LUCY" thing to do...

2005-03-16T21:46:00.000-05:00

Lately, I've been in the "dumpling" mood. That is, eating chinese and Korean dumplings purchased in a large bag from my local Korean store. They're very good. You should try them sometime. Well, It seems that lately, all I've been snacking on is.. DUMPLINGS. I've had them with soy sauce for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This morning... I took out of the freezer a box of French Toast Sticks that you put into the toaster. When they're done... you cut them apart and dip into your favorite syrup. I found them to be good enough to eat when just pouring syrup on the slices and cutting them apart with a fork and eating them that way. This morning was a bit different. Left over from the dumpling binge the night before, I mistakingly picked up the soy sauce for the dumplings and poured it all over my French Toast. Ay yai yai yai yai !!! Seems like 'a very Lucy thing to do'. :)