New York, NY, January 30, 2013

“We hear Rock Hudsonâ€s Cannoli is delicious!” – Entertainment Weekly.

“While Halloween might come only once a year, thereâ€s never a bad time for The Dead Celebrity Cookbook.” – bonappetit.com

Says DeCaro, “I miss those days when celebrities still had mystery about them, and a glimpse inside their radar ranges seemed, for any fan, like a window into the world of glamour and excitement, which is why I put together this book.” This book delivers recipes that the stars are dying for you to make.

Following on the success of The Dead Celebrity Cookbook, Frank recently released Christmas In Tinseltown: Celebrity Recipes and Hollywood Memories from Six Feet Under the Mistletoe. Packed with holiday favorites from some of the greatest stars of all time and written in his infamous style of humor and sarcasm, both books give readers a unique and fun opportunity to make new traditions in the kitchen.
For more information, please go to: www.deadcelebritycookbook.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Best known for his years as the flamboyant movie critic on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Frank DeCaro is heard each weekday morning on his live national call-in program The Frank DeCaro Show on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. A writer and performer, DeCaro pens the “Icons” column for CBS Watch magazine. The author of the pioneering memoir A Boy Named Phyllis, DeCaro previously wrote the “Style Over Substance” column for The New York Times. Visit the author at frankdecaro.com and on Facebook, and follow him at twitter.com/frankdecaroshow.
Available at fine bookstores, online outlets or directly from the publisher, contact:  (800) 441-5569 or www.hcibooks.com.
THE DEAD CELEBRITY COOKBOOK: A Resurrection of Recipes from More Than 145 Stars of Stage and Screen Frank Decaro HCI Books ISBN: 978-9-7573-1596-1– $19.95
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SAMPLE RECIPE FROM THE DEAD CELEBRITY COOKBOOK Peter Falk 1927-2011
He was one of the great ones–appearing in films as disparate as The Princess Bride and Wings of Desire in the same year, 1987. But no matter what Peter Falk did (and he did a lot), he will always be remembered as the police detective in the rumpled raincoat on the mystery series Columbo. The character, one he played for more than thirty years beginning in 1971, is one of TVâ€s most indelible portraits. Among Falkâ€s most beloved films were the cult hit The In-Laws, the one-two Neil Simon punch of Murder by Death and The Cheap Detective, and six pictures with his buddy, the director/actor John Cassavetes, including the 1974 classic A Woman Under the Influence. The Emmy- and Oscar-nominated actor published his memoir Just One More Thing in 2006, and it wasnâ€t a moment too soon. Falk was diagnosed with dementia two years later. Just one more thing: His pork chops are as toothsome as he was.
Peter Falkâ€s Pork Chops 6 pork chops 1 medium onion, finely chopped ¼ cup olive oil ¼ cup white vinegar Salt and pepper, to taste 1 teaspoon thyme 1 cup water ½ cup liquid from jarred vinegar peppers 1 cup (or more) vinegar peppers 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Preheat oven to 350°. Brown pork chops in olive oil in a heavy frying pan and remove to a casserole. Cook onions until translucent in same oil and add to casserole. Deglaze pan by adding white vinegar and stirring up all brown bits. Add to casserole along with all remaining ingredients except vinegar peppers. Bake for 1½ hours. Add vinegar peppers and cook 15 minutes more. Remove pork chops and peppers to a warm serving plate. Add 2 teaspoons corn starch to pan drippings to make gravy. Pour over pork chops and peppers and serve.

Cutting Room Floor (sidebar):
You wouldnâ€t know it to look at him, but Idris Elba, the hulking British actor best known as Stringer Bell on HBOâ€s The Wire, has said that his edgy detective character on Luther owes a debt to Falk. Luther, a childhood fan of Columbo and creator Neil Cross, explains that both the classic American mystery show and the smoking hot BBC crime series are “howcatchems” not whodunits, and no one did that better than Lt. Frank Columbo.

The post The Dead Celebrity Cookbook – Bringing Oscar Favorites To Your Very Own Party first appeared on River View Observer.

 The pants, which will be auctioned on Thursday, May 20, are one of the last-know garments worn by Michael Jackson to be captured on film. Other Jackson garments and props have recently capture record-breaking prices at auction. White sequined gloves, a mainstay of Michael Jackson’s wardrobe, have sold recently for more than $400,000. On May 5, a diehard Jackson fan from Costa Rica paid a whopping $170,000 for the glove Jackson used during his 1983 classic “Motown 25” television performance of Billie Jean (where he debuted the “moon walk”). At another auction in New York City, one of Jackson’s flashy gloves captured a fetching $420,000 from a buyer in Hong Kong, China.

 
The winning bidder in the Sanders auction will get the Jackson-worn pants, photos of Jackson wearing the pants during the taping of “This Is It,” a letter from Jackson’s personal bodyguard (the former owner of the pants) who worked for Jackson until the day of his death on June 25, 2009, and a copy of the bodyguard’s paycheck confirming his employment and relationship with Michael Jackson.

 For more than 30 years, Nate D. Sanders has been one of the industry’s most respected experts and dealers.  A collector since the late 1970s, Sanders was already widely known in collectors’ circles when he opened his auction business in Los Angeles in 1990.  Today, he conducts twelve major auctions every year drawing bidders, collectors and investors from around the world.  In recent years, Sanders has been increasingly viewed as an expert on Hollywood memorabilia.

Sanders’ current auction, which closes on Thursday, May 20, 2010, includes the Michael Jackson pants and many other Michael Jackson items. Also in the extensive list of auction items is a handwritten letter by President George Washington, a huge collection of classic sports memorabilia, priceless literary items including letters from Ernest Hemingway and Marilyn Monroe’s personal address and phone book (written in Monroe’s own handwriting, the book is a who’s who of politics and entertainment from the 1950s and early 1960s) .  All of Sanders’ auctions include rare books, autographs, sports collectibles and Hollywood memorabilia.

Sanders’ Brentwood-based business charges “zero percent” consignment rates while most auction companies charge 10 to 20 percent rates for consigned items.  He is always interested in buying unique items and collections.  To learn more about Nate D. Sanders, Inc. and to see a complete listing of items from his current auction, go to www.NateDSanders.com or call (310) 440-2982.

The post Historic Michael Jackson Clothing Worn In “This Is It” Movie Goes on Auction Block This Week – Record Bids Expected first appeared on River View Observer.

Before Jack Paar Johnny Carson, Jay Leno , Jimmy Kimmel  Conan  O’Brien and Jimmy Fallon there is Joe Franklin.

Joe Franklin —America‘s First Talk Show Host!

by Sally Deering

To his fans he’s the “King of Nostalgia,” but to thousands of show folk, Joe Franklin is a friend who gives stars a place to shine and unknowns the chance to stand out from the crowd.  In his 50-year career, Franklin has made it his mission to help the struggling artist get a foot in the door, and with a look-back, it seems this spunky octogenarian not only accomplished his goal, he picked up a little stardust of his own along the way.

In 1951 TV was a toddler still learning and discovering its capabilities. Many of the TV studios were in New York – on the fringes of the Theater District broadcasting game shows, kiddie shows, dramas and comedies live and in black-and-white. That year, station WJZ (which later became ABC,) approached Franklin about doing a TV talk show.Things clicked and “The Joe Franklin Show” premiered with Franklin as host engaging celebrity guests in the art of conversation.

Franklin has sat behind the mic for some 300,000 interviews with the Who’s Who of Hollywood — Cary Grant, Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino and practically every superstar in between. But it wasn’t just the big names that interested Franklin. New York City was his hometown and Franklin knew first-hand how young actors, singers and comics were struggling for their first break. So between the glamorous glitterati, Franklin interviewed unknown up-and-comers. Some never went any further than Franklin’s show, but others like comic Bill Cosby, singers Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand and actress Julia Roberts saw their careers take off and became superstars.

 At 83, the dapper “boy from ‘da Bronx” is still going strong. His radio show “Memory Lane,” broadcasts Saturday nights at midnight on WOR, 710-AM and he hosts weekly interviews with celebrities for Bloomberg Radio’s “Lifestyles.”

An authority on the world of show business from the days of silent films, Franklin has written 23 books on the stars and how some of them played a role in his life. He interviewed so many stand-up comics, he wrote a book about them, too. Carving out his niche as talk show host cum celebrity, Franklin even played himself in films like “Ghostbusters” and “Broadway Danny Rose.” And now, the accolades are rolling in. The Theater Museum honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award at a dinner held at the Players Club, last October, and he was honored by the Museum of Broadcasting for his contribution to television. And to many New Yorkers, he’s still the man to see when you’re trying to break into the biz.

The Open Door Policy

Franklin’s office is in a busy theatrical building that shadows the Theatre District west of Broadway, a building where the business of show is conducted on a daily basis. Walk through the halls and you’re likely to see audition postings on office doors and the halls filling up with dancers, singers and actors waiting to be called in to perform a monologue or sing 8-bars for the director or casting agent. It’s a building like so many others in Manhattan and before you even get to Franklin’s office, you feel that show biz electricity in the air. When you reach his door, it’s slightly ajar as if to say “Come in, have a seat and we’ll talk!”

Stepping inside Franklin’s office is like entering a catacomb of memorabilia crowded with piles of books, celebrity photographs, magazines and papers. Shelves line most of the walls with record albums from Franklin’s days as a DJ spinning “33s” for New York’s insomniacs, lonely-hearts and night-shifters who tuned in to his radio program back in the day. Franklin still keeps warehouses filled with memorabilia he has collected throughout his years, with enough nostalgic ephemera to fill several museums.

At the far side of the room, Franklin holds court at a small desk – his two phones ringing constantly with press agents and publicists looking to book their clients on his radio show.  He doesn’t have a computer or a talent coordinator and does all the bookings himself.

“I never solicited a guest,” Franklin says between calls, “never called one guest to appear on my show. They all came to me.”

Among his favorites, he says, were five U.S. Presidents, Cary Grant and Charlie Chaplin. He had Frank Sinatra on four times.

“He was charming,” Franklin says. “He spoke what he spoke, ‘dese, dems and doughs,’ but when he sang, he was like a different person.”

And the stars keep coming. This week, for his Bloomberg Radio show, Franklin booked Lily Tomlin, Andy Williams, Dick Van Patten and his best friend from childhood, Tony Curtis, who’s plugging a new book.  When interviewing celebs, Franklin says, “get the plug out of the way fast. They’re always nervous about what they gotta plug, once that’s done, they can relax.”

It’s a late Thursday afternoon and Franklin’s friend, 56 year-old aspiring actor Frank DiGiovanni has been visiting and helps answer phones and greet visitors.  When they walk through the open door, some Franklin knows and some he doesn’t, but whether they’re stopping in to say hello or plug their act – Franklin greets each one with a smile and a handshake.

“DJ Patty” and “DJ Anthony” a mother and son mobile disc jockey act from Long Island are visiting Franklin with the hope he might help them break into the Manhattan scene. DJ Patty, a vivacious blonde, shows Franklin a picture of herself with Robert DeNiro from the time she DJ’d a party for the “Casino” cast. Franklin seems genuinely interested and invites her to sit and schmooze.

“He’s a legend,” DJ Patty gushes. “I watched his show all the time.”

And while DJ Patty puts on the charm, Franklin’s old buddy Remo Capra strolls through the door. Capra talked about the time he sang with the Tommy Dorsey band in 1956 and recorded an album with Frank DeVol at Columbia records.

“I used to go on Joe’s show all the time,” Capra says. “Those were good times.”

And then Tommy “G” from Bayonne bursts through the door with some buddies.

“I met Joe through my cousin, they were very good friends,” Tommy “G” says after shaking hands with Franklin and exchanging hellos. “I call him on the phone and stop by and say hi whenever I’m in the neighborhood.”

So do a lot of people.

“This is typical,” DiGiovanni says.. “They come to talk with Joe or to network.”

A New York Landmark

Joe Franklin is a New York original who shooed away offers to leave the urban landscape for the glitz and glam of Hollywood. He’s a “Regular Joe” who still gets a kick out of being recognized on the street and hearing cab drivers tell him they learned English from watching his show.

“I was told I should relocate to the West Coast, but I didn’t want to drop the New York Beat,” Franklin says.

He’s a New York landmark, a TV pioneer who has given thousands of people their shot – and he’s not done yet. As the phones keep ringing, Franklin sits in his chair booking guests and sharing anecdotes with the people chatting away in his office. This is his world – schmoozing with big names and meeting new faces and Franklin, looking delighted at all the activity, stops for a moment and asks, “Anyone want coffee?”

His guests say “Yes,” coffee orders are taken and everyone settles in for a schmooze-fest;  just another typical day in the life of “America’s First Talk Show Host.”

The post Joe Franklin- Amercia’s First Talk Show Host “Memory Lane” January 22nd, 1983 first appeared on River View Observer.

Photo by steveamack.com

By Evelyn Bonilla

On the tail end of a New York City press event for his film “Destination Fame”, Joe Jackson found some time to meet with good friend Paul DeAngelo. The two join together to enjoy
some great cuisine at one of Bayonneâ€s most stylish restaurants “Ten East”. The restaurant owned by Patrick and Anthony Franconeri is a Hibachi Restaurant and Sake Lounge; it is located in Bayonne, and specializes in sushi, fusion and hibachi cuisine.

Ten East in Bayonne is well-known for hosting a variety of celebrities such as Regis Philbin, Missing Elliot, CBS anchors and the latest Joe Jackson. Asked how it felt to have Mr. Jackson in their establishment Patrick Franconeri replied, “He was very gracious with our diners, he smiled with everyone and took the time to take photos with them. “Itâ€s an honor and it was fabulous.”

Jackson, who enjoyed some hibachi at Ten East, took time out to pose with diners and speak about his latest endeavor a tribute film entitled “Destination Fame” in honor of his son Michael Jackson. He explained, “This movie, ‘Destination Fame” is a tribute to my son.” “It will be a good thing. A great way to carry out his legacy”, he concluded.

“Destination Fame” is about six high school graduates who learn the value of friendship, the inconsistencies of life and what it takes to make it in the music industry. Its cast is comprised of A.J. Gil, Mario, Jordan Knight, Deja Kreutzberg, Greg Raposo, Jerry Reid, Jamie Drastik, Felissa Rose, Cuba Gooding, Crystal Marven, Ray Munns, Rick  Aiello and Joe Jackson himself.

The film written and directed by Paul DeAngelo was released on DVD nationwide on June 9, 2009. DeAngelo is also no stranger to the big screen an actor in his own right, he is best known for his role in Sleepaway Camp.

Jackson is dedicating “Destination Fame” to his son and the proceeds for the film will be put towards a foundation that will allow Jackson to continue with his sonâ€s charitable work.

Press events for this film have included Access Hollywood, various news channels and major newspapers.

Music seems to be the key to keeping MJâ€s vision alive, with a tribute film, a new record label and a future foundation in place it seems that hopes for Joe Jackson “carrying the legacy” is sure to be brought to fruition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The post Joe Jackson Visits Ten East as he Promotes Tribute Film “Destination Fame first appeared on River View Observer.

Jackson was the youngest child in a family that also rode pop stardom for over 40 years from when he and his brothers known as the Jackson 5  were first discoved by Diana Ross in Gary Indiana back in the 1960s.

Michael Jackson leaves behind his 3 children and millions of fans

Jackson’s death was the third such news in the entertainment industry this week. Charlie Angel star and movie star Farah Fawcett lost her valiant battle against cancer today and Legendary sidekick Ed McMahon who died yesterday in California.

 

Photo by Sony

The post Michael Jackson; Pop Icon, dead at 50 years old in Los Angeles first appeared on River View Observer.