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Monthly Archives: February 2014
Lenardo and Ogbin Lead the All Saint’s Panthers to Victory in the Bayonne Lou Scudder City Championship
All Saints Catholic Academy takes the win over the undefeated Nicholas Oresko Jaguars at the Bayonne City Grammar School Championship on Tuesday night in front of a packed house at Bayonne High School.
Dionna Lenardo lead the scoring for All Saints with 8 points, along with Gabby Ogbin scoring 6, to help All Saints, No.2 in the City , earn a 20-19 victory against Oresko No. 1 . Continue reading Lenardo and Ogbin Lead the All Saint’s Panthers to Victory in the Bayonne Lou Scudder City Championship
PIANOMAN- Master Piano Tuner Aart Markenstein Keeps Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett and other Music Legends On Key
By Sally Deering
In Hoboken, on the 4th floor of the Neumann building on Observer Highway, Aart Markenstein tunes some of the most beautiful and unique pianos ever made. During his career as a professional piano tuner, Markenstein has kept the pianos of some of the world’s greatest music legends in tune. Taught by a master tuner – like Luke Skywalker learning from Yoda how to become a Jedi – Markenstein’s tunings have been considered “perfection†by music professionals.
Markenstein has worked with music legends including Beyonce, U2, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Tony Bennett, Cher, The Eagles, K.D. Lang, Cyndi Lauper, the Black Crowes, Aerosmith, James Taylor, Ringo Starr, Chuck Berry – and so many more. He tuned the keyboards for Aretha Franklin’s performance at the 53rd Inaugural Ball and when Bob Dylan played in Hoboken last year, Markenstein tuned his piano, too.
Markenstein owns his own business Aart in America Piano Company in Hoboken and his office is a large space filled with an array of pianos from a Steinway Grand to a small upright brought to Markenstein for repairs by a member of John Mellencamp’s band. Aart in America is a full-service piano company where Markenstein repairs and rents out pianos and if you’re a lucky visitor, he might even play a tune because not only is Markenstein an accomplished tuner, he’s a stellar musician.
Helping Markenstein with Aart in America Piano Company is his wife of 32 years, Eileen, who were childhood sweethearts growing up in the Marion section of Jersey City (right behind Journal Square). Continue reading PIANOMAN- Master Piano Tuner Aart Markenstein Keeps Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett and other Music Legends On Key
LIFE AFTER SOPRANOS Actor Vincent Curatola Picks up where Johnny ‘Sack†Left Off
By Sally DeeringÂ
On the HBO award-winning TV series THE SOPRANOS (1999-2007) it was easy to like Vincent Curatola’s character Johnny “Sackâ€Â Sacramoni, a mobster who worshipped his heavyset wife. Sure, Curatola’s character was a cold-blooded killer and he was scary to watch, but there was always a touch of humor, especially when he had to endure wisecracks about his wife’s weight. Curatola was so convincing that when Johnny Sack winced at a fat joke, the viewers did, too.
 A Jersey guy, Curatola grew up in Englewood a residential community just north of the George Washington Bridge. According to his website – VincentCuratola.com – he always had the acting bug and it was his wife Maureen who encouraged him to take classes. Soon after Curatola brought Johnny Sack to life.
In the seven years since the show ended, Curatola has made a few movies, appeared in several TV shows and taught acting in New York. He recently taped five episodes as an exasperated judge on the CBS hit show THE GOOD WIFE starring Julianna Margolis. Has it been difficult for Curatola to reinvent himself after eight years in a hit series? Do all roles pale in comparison to Johnny Sack?Â
On a recent afternoon, Mr. Curatola took time from his busy schedule to speak to River View Observer about what it’s like to continue his career after THE SOPRANOS.
RVO: Mr. Curatola, can you tell us a little about your background; where you grew up?
VC: I was born and raised in Englewood and I had a unique paper route on the block I lived on. My customers were Tony Bennett, Jerry Vale, Wilson Pickett, Lesley Gore, Dizzy Gillespie and Sarah Vaughn. I used to deliver The Record. My father had a masonry business and I started one on my own in the mid-1970s, but I had fantasies (about acting). So I went to study with Michael Moriarty.
 RVO: Did you do much acting before being cast in THE SOPRANOS?
VC: Michael got me on LAW & ORDER and I wrote a one act play about a funeral guy called DEARLY BELOVED. I also did the show EXILED.
Olympians Hit the Ice in Jersey City: Star-Studded Performance at Newport Skates
Make the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games your reality—without leaving the Tri-State—by celebrating at Newport Skates, the only outdoor, uncovered skating rink in Jersey City.
On February 15th Newport Skates will be presenting a special performance featuring two-time Olympic Bronze medalists John and Sinead Kerr (who some might recognize from their appearances on Glee too)! The talented Olympian siblings, who trained in New Jersey, will be performing several, exclusively choreographed ice dances, along with an ensemble of national and international figure skating champions from Ice Theatre of New York.
 Celebrations continue in Newport as the games go on at Sochi too. Newport Skates has an on-going line-up of special activities, games and prizes through February 23rd, including Frisbee curling and a medal count competition!
For more details about Newport Skates, go to www.newportskates.com. Also visit Newport’s Facebook page for updates on the community and the on-going Olympic Celebrations: www.facebook.com/NewportRentalsNJ
Saturday, February 15, 2014 at 3:30 p.m.
IF YOU GO
Newport Skates
95 River Drive
Jersey City, NJ 07310
Legendary Locals of Jersey City-Book by John Gomez Shines New Light on The City’s Movers and Shakers
   By Sally Deering     Photo of John Gomez by Bob Foster, Hoboken Historical SocietyÂ
Published as part of the new Arcadia Publishing imprint Legendary Locals, John Gomez’s book LEGENDARY LOCALS OF JERSEY CITY shines new light on the people of Jersey City, past and present who stand out in the crowd. LEGENDARY LOCALS OF JERSEY CITY (Arcadia Publishing; 128 pgs.; $21.99, soft cover😉 focuses on Jersey City’s Who’s Who and “Who Wasâ€
At first, when Gomez, who is also the founder of the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy was approached by Arcadia Publishing to do the book, he was reluctant.
“I write about buildings,†Gomez says. “I’m an architectural historian, but then I thought we can’t have buildings without the people in them, so I agreed. I had a list of 500 people and had to shrink it to 150.â€
Gomez decided to include information in the book that people who are historians would not necessarily know. To accomplish this required a lot of research, he says, and when he decided to add Jersey City Mayor Frank “Boss†Hague to the list, he came across surprising tidbits like the time Hague had a run-in with Russian communist Leon Trotsky in Journal Square. Hague, who was anti-Communist, learned Trotsky was to make an appearance in Journal Square to recruit communists and Hague was there to kick him out. Continue reading Legendary Locals of Jersey City-Book by John Gomez Shines New Light on The City’s Movers and Shakers
Oscar Winners Viewed Through a Local Lens
By Ricardo Kaulessar
The 86th Academy Awards will be held on March 2 to honor excellence in filmmaking during the past year.
But you may be thinking that the Oscars will be handed out in Los Angeles, and I am here in Cliffside Park or Bayonne. What connection does it have to me?
Actually, those towns as well as some others in northern New Jersey have an interesting association with Oscar history.
Bayonne
Whenever Bayonne is mentioned in any sentence regarding the movies, what should come to mind are two things: Tom Cruise and alien invasion.
Anyone who’s a fan of the 2005 blockbuster hit, “War of the Worlds,” will remember that Cruise’s character and his family lived in the Peninsula City before fleeing for their lives. Much of the Bayonne filming for the Steven Spielberg movie that earned three Oscar nominations happened in the area of First Street and Kennedy Boulevard. Continue reading Oscar Winners Viewed Through a Local Lens
Were You Born at the Margaret Hague?
 T-Shirt Design Contest & Reunion for Margaret Hague Maternity Hospital Babies
 By Sally Deering     Â
- Margaret Hague Hospital
Jersey City
If you were born in Jersey City from 1931 to 1979, chances are good you greeted the world from one of the many Art Deco delivery rooms at the Margaret Hague Maternity Hospital founded by Jersey City Mayor Frank “Boss†Hague and named for his mother.
The Margaret Hague – where celebs like Martha Stewart and Frank Sinatra, Jr. were born – was part of a cluster of hospitals known as the Jersey City Medical Center which were turned into condominiums called The Beacon several years ago with a new state-of-the-art medical center built to take its place just a few blocks away on Grand Street.
To celebrate the common bond shared by those who were birthed at Margaret Hague, the LibertyHealth Foundation, the philanthropic arm of JCMC has kicked off a T-Shirt contest with a $250 cash prize for a “Born at the Margaret Hague†logo/design to be used on T-Shirts and other items that will be for sale at the “Born at the Margaret Hague Reunion†held in May. The winning design will be featured on T-shirts and items like baseball caps and coffee mugs. Continue reading Were You Born at the Margaret Hague?
Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith Kick Off Rally Wednesday, February 12th, 2014 Chandelier Restaurant Bayonne
On Wednesday, February 12th Mayor Mark Smith of Bayonne and supporters gathered at the Chandelier Restaurant to kick off Smith’s 2014 run for Mayor.
With the threat of a major snow storm looming an enthusiastic crowd of  supporters  were on hand to hear  Mayor Smith  announce his 2014 Council running mates which did not change from his current administration and to hear Former NJ Governor Richard Codey speak of  the accomplishments of Mayor Smith’s current administration and the promise to  “Move Bayonne Forward” for the next four years.
Photos by River View Observer photographer Steve A MackÂ
SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR AT LEHMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS – Saturday, February 15th at 8 PM
The Two Time Grammy-Award Winners and Internationally Acclaimed World Music Sensation.
A non-stop celebration of Song and Culture In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and In Celebration of Black History Month
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“Mesmerizing, Beautiful and Phenomenally Resonantâ€Â
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“Their brilliance lies in their clean voicesâ€
“The public will be blown awayâ€
Bronx, NY – Lehman Center for the Performing Arts delivers a world of internationally acclaimed performances to the Bronx highlighting South Africa’s Soweto Gospel Choiron Saturday, February 15th, 2014 at 8pm in their 10th Anniversary National Tour. This choir is dedicated to sharing the joy of faith through music with audiences from around the world and this special concert in the Bronx is dedication to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is on the campus of Lehman College/CUNY at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY 10468. Tickets for Soweto Gospel Choir  on Saturday, February 15th, at 8pm start at $25 | Children 12 and under $10 for any seat, and can be purchased by calling the Lehman Center box office at 718-960-8833 (Monday through Friday, 10am–5pm, and beginning at 12 noon on the day of the concert), or through online access at www.LehmanCenter.org. All students, senior citizens, Lehman College alumni and CUNY staff and faculty receive $5 discount per ticket. Lehman Center is accessible by #4 or D train to Bedford Park Blvd. and is off the Saw Mill River Parkway and the Major Deegan Expressway. Low cost on-site parking available for $5. Continue reading SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR AT LEHMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS – Saturday, February 15th at 8 PM
