Tag Archives: Philadelphia

Gypsy Dazzles At The Arden

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Five-time Barrymore Award winner Mary Martello and two-time Tony award nominee Anthony Heald are currently starring in a fabulous production of Gypsy at The Arden Theatre in Philadelphia. Widely considered one of the greatest American musicals of all time, Gypsy has been dazzling audiences since its inception in 1959. Nearly 60 years later, Gypsy’s narrative and infectious music are as potent as ever.

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A Conversation With Gene Simmons

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Photo by Michael Cavacini.

In addition to recently interviewing Barry Manilow and John Oates, I interviewed the God of Thunder: Gene Simmons. I’ve been a KISS fan since September 4, 1996, when I saw the band perform under the Brooklyn Bridge on MTV’s Video Music Awards. So, having the opportunity to speak with Gene Simmons was a surreal one, especially when I answered the phone and he said, “Hi, this is Gene Simmons.” I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did conducting it.

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Philly Switch 3DS Meetup

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Are you a Nintendo fan in the Philadelphia area looking to connect with like-minded people online and in-person? Good news! A friend and I just launched a group to serve this need. It’s called Philly Switch 3DS Meetup. It’s a group for owners of the Nintendo Switch and/or Nintendo 3DS to connect and meetup on a regular basis to play games together. And the awesome logo above was designed by my fiancée, Stephanie.

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Meeting Bruce Springsteen

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Three weeks ago I attended my first Bruce Springsteen concert. Today I met “The Boss.” Well, to be accurate, I did see Bruce perform with The E Street Band when they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame two years ago. I was there with my cousin, mainly to see KISS and Hall & Oates be inducted, but seeing Bruce rock out, along with several other rock icons, made for an entertaining evening full of music. Nevertheless, the Bruce Springsteen concert I attended three weeks ago was my first time seeing a full-length performance by New Jersey’s favorite son, and it was awesome. It was also the longest U.S. concert he’s ever performed. But enough of that. Let me tell you about Bruce’s event at the Free Library of Philadelphia promoting his new autobiography: Born to Run.

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Icons of Wrestling II: Sting, Bret Hart & Shane Douglas

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Today I went to Icons of Wrestling II, which took place at the famous ECW Arena in Philadelphia. My main reason for going was to get a photo with WCW and WWE legend Sting, and to meet and finally get a photo with a wrestler I grew up watching in the 1990s: Bret “The Hitman” Heart.

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TRI Screening in Philadelphia

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This Wednesday, August 31, TRI, an award-winning indie film, is screening at the Trocadero theatre in Philadelphia. I just finished watching this movie, and I enjoyed it. The film, which recently walked away with the top prize at the Northern Virginia International Film & Music Festival, features local talent Jensen Jacobs and Kelly Spitko in starring roles. However, I’d argue that the two most compelling actors were played by Shawn Pelofsky and Kenneth Simmons. Their supporting roles provided TRI with additional layers of emotional depth that were believable and moving.

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A Conversation With Bobby Rydell

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I recently had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Bobby Rydell, pop icon and author of the new memoir, Teen Idol on the Rocks: A Tale of Second Chances. During the 1960s Rydell scored 34 Top 40 hits, making him one of the top artists of this era. From “Wild One” to “Volare” to the summertime classic “Wildwood Days,” Rydell’s music still lives on in the hearts and minds of millions of music lovers. My interview with him below touches on all of the highs and lows of his career, including his new book. I hope you enjoy it.

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Lee Child Interviewed By Linda Fairstein

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This fall Lee Child’s 21st installment in the Jack Reacher series, Night School, is being released. For those of you Reacher Creatures needing a Lee Child fix between now and then, check out the two videos I shot below of Lee from last year’s event at the Free Library of Philadelphia where he was interviewed by best-selling author Linda Fairstein. The first video is Linda interviewing Lee and the second one is Lee conducting a Q&A with the audience. Enjoy!

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Philly Pays Tribute To Prince

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It’s been nearly a month since Prince passed away. Like many of his fans, over the past several weeks I’ve been listening to Prince’s music non-stop, reading magazines and books about his remarkable career and celebrating his unparalleled musical journey.

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My Favorite Musical: Beauty and the Beast

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A couple days ago I saw my favorite musical, Beauty and the Beast, for the fourth time. The first time was on Broadway in 1999, the second was at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, followed by a production at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia several years later. This time, once again, I returned to the Academy of Music. As expected, it was as brilliant and spine-chillingly good as the previous three times I’ve seen it. But let me take a minute to explain why I love this musical so much.

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