By Sally Deering  

The story starts with two brothers and a couple of friends from Bayonne who wrote and recorded a song called Bim Sala Bim back in the 1970s. They took the title from “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” when Carson played fortune teller Carnac the Magnificent. He and Ed McMahon would say “Bim Sala Bim” as a greeting to each other.

Lou Gomez wrote the lyrics and his brother Richie Gomez wrote the melody and Ralph Cohen wrote the arrangements to Bim Sala Bim when they were in the 70s band “Hudson County”. The band eventually broke up, but the song lives on. Fast forward to 2016, Gomez finds out from a friend that Bim Sala Bim is on the soundtrack to the new Robert DeNiro movie, HANDS OF STONE.

“The group became known for its funk sound,” Gomez says, from his home in Sayreville.  “We were signed to RCA records by Warren Schatz and asked to produce some material for a compilation album and a single release. Our single was “Heavenâ€s Here on Earth” and we were told it would be released at the same time Vickie Sue Robinson was to release Turn the Beat Around. At that time we also recorded Bim Sala Bim. Forty years later I get a call from a friend that Bim Sala Bim is a big underground hit in Europe especially Greece and Italy. It was later found out that the song was bootlegged by some unknown group called Fantastic Soul Inventions who just slapped their name on our recording.”

The song was featured on You Tube, the TV show “Soul Train” and recently was heard in the new Robert DeNiro movie.

F“The irony is that we never made a dime from the song,” Gomez says. “The amazing thing is that after all this time the song lives on in discos around the world and now on the big screen.”

Gomez sings these days for the band Sounds of the Street 5 that tours all over South Jersey. He says he found out the other day that the Master which is owned by their former “Hudson County” piano player John Mulrennan was sold to Warren Schatz of RCA. But thereâ€s still a little mystery as to who owns the rights to the song, not just the Master.

“What I learned now is if you own the Master, you have the rights to distribute it,” Gomez says. “Someone in Europe heard Bim Sala Bim and John gave them permission to use the song or sold them the rights. Thatâ€s how it got in the movie. Some producer from the movie called him and said, we heard this song, we want to use a clip for the movie.”

.When asked how the rights to the song got tangled up in red tape, Gomez says,

“It was the 70s, we were glad to be working.”

Ironically, the success of Bim Sala Bim broke up the band for good.

“It started to get a lot of air play across the country,” Gomez says. “Then we all started getting carried away about the money.”

For more info on Lou Gomezâ€s band, Sounds of the Street 5, go to:

www.soundsofthestreet5.com

The post WHOSE SONG IS IT ANYWAY?Songwriter Lou Gomez’s BIM SALA BIM surfaces in new Robert DeNiro Flick first appeared on River View Observer.

Hudson County’s own Tammy Blanchard has been added to the cast of TALLULAH as reported by Variety Magazine.

Ms. Blanchard  recently appeared  in Disney’s INTO THE WOODS.

Rounding out the cast Ms. Blanchard joins, ‘X-Men’s Evan Jonigkeit  Ellen Page and Allison Janney, Zachary Quinto, Uzo Aduba, David Zayas and John Benjamin Hickey also star  in the upcoming dramedy .

TULLALAH  is the story of  “a free spirit who everybody thinks has kidnapped a baby after she rescues the child from her reckless mother.” The project is being lead by Sian Heder who also wrote the screenplay for TALLULAH.

Ms. Blanchard has appeared in several movies including: Moneyball, Deadline, The Good Shepherd, Rabbit Hole,  Blue  Jasmine  and the soon to be released Invitation

She has been nominated for two Tony Awards for her performances in  Gypsy (2003) and How to Succeed Without Really Trying in 2013

In 2001 she won an Emmy and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her portrayal as a young  Judy Garland in Life with Judy Garland – Me and My Shadows.

To find out more about Ms. Blanchard like her Facebook page at  Tammy Blanchard  Follow her on Twitter  Tammy Blanchard on Twitter

The post Tammy Blanchard Joins Cast of TALLULAH Dramedy first appeared on River View Observer.

How many people can say Frank Sinatraâ€s mother brought them into the world? Born in Hoboken under the watchful eye of midwife Dolly Sinatra (she was a neighbor), Al Certo was raised in Hoboken where he dreamed of being a dancer but, instead, built two careers as a professional boxer and menâ€s tailor, Certo weaved back and forth between those two worlds until he eventually hung up his gloves and threw himself into herringbones and tweeds.

 Certoâ€s Custom Tailors has thrived in Secaucus for more than 50 years. Back in the day Certoâ€s shop was two floors with eight tailors handling the orders; today, the top floor is now a pizzeria and Harsh Khindri who has been with Certo for 15 years handles most of the work.

 “Heâ€s one of the greatest tailors I ever met,” Certo says. “He has gold in his hands.”

Certoâ€s tailor shop is filled with sewing machines and along several walls are rows of hangers with yards of fabrics like cashmere, wools and cottons. Above the hangers is a line-up of photographs mostly of famous boxers who Certo knew from his years in the ring. Sometimes they came to Certoâ€s shop to talk boxing and sometimes they picked out a suit. Thatâ€s what boxing legend Muhammad Ali did. 

“I got to be very close to Ali,” Certo says. “He came walking in; I got all the pictures of the fighters on the wall and he says, ‘whereâ€s all the black fighters?†We hit it off good. Ali had a 34 waist and a chest like, I would say 50-52.”

Back in the day, Certo built a good reputation as a boxer, won the Golden Gloves in 1953 and turned pro in â€56.  He owned a gym on Washington Street in Hoboken during those years, too, but there came a time when Certo had to flip a coin and make a career-decision.

 “What do I do, let this thing go and devote full time to the boxing? “ Certo says, describing how he chose tailoring over boxing. Pointing to the 8 x 10 framed photographs that line the top edge of the walls, he says: “Thereâ€s a billion dollars-worth of talent on that wall.”

 Heâ€s right. Black and white photos of the biggest legends in the boxing world like Ali, Joe Louis, Jake LaMotta, Jack Dempsey, Chuck Wepner, Jersey Joe Wolcott and Rocky Graziano are hung next to superstars like a young Frank Sinatra, who Certo dressed in his custom-made suits. Sinatra had a 29-inch waist at the time, Certo says. Thereâ€s also a picture of Martin Scorcese, Joe Pesche, Ray Liotta and Rober DeNiro who visited Al while filming “Goodfellas”.

 “DeNiro was doing research on his role as Jake LaMotta in ‘Raging Bull†and he knew I was a fighter and fight promoter and wanted to ask me questions,” Certo says.

 Certo is featured in several books including a popular new release “The Boss Always Sits in the Back” by Jon Dâ€Amore who is a former Secaucus resident now residing in Hollywood. Friends since the 1980s, whenever Dâ€Amore comes to the area for book signings, he hooks up with Certo.

 “Since back in the late 1970s when I was 14 years old I’ve credited Al Certo with being one of the people responsible for my successful career as a musician that lasted until I retired from it in 1985,” Dâ€Amore says. “He booked my first group, The Mixed Expressions, made up of 6 high school teens from Secaucus and Weehawken, for our very first paying job at The Plaza Arena. Al and I have stayed friends ever since and it’s been an honor to know him. Even now that I live in Hollywood, whenever I come back to New Jersey or New York City I always make it a point to stop by Al’s shop and have a cup of coffee.”

 Although he built his custom-tailoring business in Secaucus, Certoâ€s a Hoboken guy who remembers “when rents were $5 or $6 a month”. He grew up on Monroe Street a block from the Sinatra family and it was Sinatraâ€s mother Dolly who supplemented her income as a midwife and brought Certo into the world. His father, Al, a trombone player and mother Nettie raised 12 kids – Certo was a middle-child — and when Certo was big enough, he worked as a shoeshine boy near the Hoboken docks that lined the Hudson. In his early 20s, he married Lee Bernacci; they are together 64 years.   

“I never wanted to be a fighter. I wanted to be a dancer,” Certo says. “I was a good dancer with my sister Joanne. Once, we were at a dance in Hoboken and the whole dance floor got off and watched us dance. We were great.”

 Dreams of dancing like his idols Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire are now stored away along with memories of his days as a pro boxer, Light on his feet and in good shape, Certo looks like he still could wow ‘em on the dance floor – an observation that he brushes away like a puff of lint on a lightweight wool.

 “Iâ€m 85,” he says. “I got two left feet now.”

                                                                                                                                                                           

Certoâ€s Custom Tailors

1259 Paterson Plank Road

Secaucus

(201) 867-4934

 

The post Tweed Suits and Golden Gloves-Former Boxing Champ Al Certo on Choosing the Right Weave first appeared on River View Observer.

Tammy Blanchard co-stars with Kimberly Williams-Paisley

Ms. Blanchard’s role is that of Marie Roberts; widow of Charles Carl Roberts the shooter of the Pennsylvania schoolhouse.

The Nickle Mine, Pennsylvania schoolhouse shootings received world wide  attention not only for the depth of the tragedy but because of the reaction of the Amish leaders’ who forgave the shooter and his widow wife.

Ms. Blanchards acting roles include: In 2009 co- starred in  “Rabbit Hole” about a  happy couple who’s life is turned upside down after their young son dies in an accident. Co-starring with Nicole Kidman as Ms. Kidman’s sister in David Lindsay-Abaire Pulitizer Prize winning play brought to the big screen. Also appearng in the film is Aaron Echhart, Diane Wiest and Giancarlo Esposito. A 2010 release of the film is in the works.

Ms. Blanchard co-starred as Laura a young hearing and speach impaired girl who becomes Matt Damon’s love interest  in Robert De Niro’s  2006 CIA movie blockbuster The Good Shepherd.”

In 2006 she also starred in “Sybil”  with Jessica Lange in the television remake  about Sybil Dorsett who suffered from multiple personality disorder for CBS which aired in June of  2009.

In the 2006  she also co – starred in “Bella” playing Nina” a waitress , struggling to make it in New York City, who  discovers something about herself that she’s unprepared for. Bella went on to win the 2007 People Choice Award  at the Toronto Film Festival.

In 2004 she played Gypsy Rose Lee in Sam Mendes adaption of Gypsy Rose Lee on Broadway co-starring with Bernadette Peters.

The talented Ms. Blanchard won an Emmy in 2001 for her performance as a young Judy Garland in CBS’s movie Me and My Shadows “Life With Judy Garland” based on the book by Judy Garland’s daughter Lorna Luft.

Video of Blanchards “SYBIL” Performance

Blanchard in Living Proof

Read about Tammy Blanchard in “Bella”

 Read about Blanchard’s Emmy

The post Tammy Blanchard Co-stars in new Lifetime Movie-AMISH GRACE first appeared on River View Observer.

Source: Allen Barra WSJ

read the original story  

Tell us what you think- comment on this article

The post 40 Years Later -Mario Puzo’s Godfather is Still Popular- Do You Know Why? first appeared on River View Observer.