Harvey Brownstone conducts an in-depth Interview with Taylor Hicks, Winner, “American Idol”, Singer/Songwriter

 

About Harvey's guests:

 

Today’s guest, Taylor Hicks, is an immensely popular singer who became a global sensation in 2006 when he won Season 5 of “American Idol”, beating out Katharine McPhee, Chris Daughtry, and Kellie Pickler.  

 

Since then, he’s gone on to make history.  His first album with Arista Records went platinum, he’s the first male American Idol winner to be featured on a Grammy-winning record, and he’s the first American Idol winner to land a prestigious Las Vegas residency.  And get this: he made the cover of People Magazine when they named him the Hottest Bachelor of 2006.  

 

His energetic stage performances and unique blend of classic rock, soul, blues, country and R&B, have earned him a HUGE and very enthusiastic following of devoted fans known as the "Soul Patrol".   His versatility as an entertainer has given him a multi-faceted career, not only in music, but in theatre, television and movies.   

 

He starred on Broadway as the “Teen Angel” in “Grease.  He appeared as himself and performed his hit song “Porch Swing” in the 2021 movie “Stars Fell on Alabama.”  On television, he appeared on “Law & Order: SVU”, and he hosted the popular show, “State Plate” for 3 seasons, which won the Synopsis TV Award for Best Reality Series in the Travel category.  He’s currently on a North American tour called “Night Moves”, playing to sell-out audiences, performing his hits, as well as many Bob Seger classics.  

 

And if all of that weren’t enough, he’s also a co-owner of Saw’s Juke Joint, in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama.  His restaurant was named one of the “25 Best Barbecue Spots in America” by Men’s Journal.  

 

For more interviews and podcasts go to: https://www.harveybrownstoneinterviews.com/

 

To see more about Taylor Hicks, go to:

http://www.taylorhicks.com/

https://www.facebook.com/TaylorRHicks/

https://www.instagram.com/taylorhicksofficial

https://twitter.com/TaylorHicks

https://www.youtube.com/user/TaylorHicksTV/videos

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3E3tW69eMfAffLGgsmP3GG?si=33EIXILpShSd6sZWsn6oTg

https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/taylor-hicks/154185360

 

#TaylorHicks   #harveybrownstoneinterviews

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Harvey Brownstone conducts an in-depth Interview with Stan Zimmerman, Writer, “The Golden Girls”, “The Gilmore Girls” & “Roseanne”, Author, “The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore”

 

About Harvey's guests:

 

Today’s guest, Stan Zimmerman, is an immensely successful and popular comedy writer for television, film and theatre, as well as a multi-award winning director.  

 

He’s worked on many classic television series including “The Golden Girls”, “Roseanne”, “Fame”, “The Nanny” and “Gilmore Girls”, earning 2 WGA Award nominations for Best Comedy Episodic Writing.   Along with his longtime writing partner, James Berg, he rewrote the television version of “Annie”, which won an Emmy and a Peabody award.  He co-wrote on both “Brady Bunch” movies and co-created and executive produced 2 seasons of the highly popular sitcom, “Rita Rocks”.  

 

He and James Berg also created and wrote 2 popular web series, “Skirtchasers”, and “Secs and Execs”, which our guest also directed, and which earned its star, Mindy Sterling, an Emmy nomination.   He was the host and show runner on Sean Hayes’ Bravo reality show, “Situation:  Comedy”.   Our guest has directed many theatre productions including “Entertaining Mr. Sloane”, “A Tuna Christmas”, “Gemini”, “Pledge”, “Heartbreak Help” and “The Diary of Anne Frank”, as well as his original plays, “Meet and Greet”, “Knife to the Heart”, “Yes, Virginia”, “Have a Good One”, and his hilarious gay male version of “The Golden Girls” entitled “Silver Foxes”.  

 

He also wrote, directed, and has appeared in an incredibly moving play entitled, “Right Before I go”, which deals with suicide awareness.   He also co-wrote the highly entertaining new TV movie entitled, “Ladies of the 80’s: A Divas Christmas”, co-starring Loni Anderson and Linda Gray, who recently appeared on our show.   

 

And now, he’s released a fascinating and compelling memoir entitled, “The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore”, which is jam-packed with anecdotes from his star-studded career, and insights about the sometimes brutal world of writing for television, film and theatre.  

 

For more interviews and podcasts go to: https://www.harveybrownstoneinterviews.com/

 

To see more about Stan Zimmerman, go to:

https://www.zimmermanstan.com/

https://www.facebook.com/stan.zimmerman.5/ 

https://www.instagram.com/zimmermanstan

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0956785/

https://twitter.com/zimmermanstan

 

#StanZimmerman   #harveybrownstoneinterviews

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Harvey Brownstone conducts an in-depth Interview with Veronica Swift, Renowned Jazz Singer & Recording Artist

 

About Harvey's guests:

 

Today’s guest, Veronica Swift, is one of America’s most popular singers, who first gained major international attention in 2015 when she won second place in the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Vocals Competition.  

 

Since then, she’s dazzled audiences around the world with her miraculous voice, interpretive ingenuity and incredible versatility.  Her first 2 highly acclaimed albums, “Confessions” and “This Bitter Earth”, earned her a well-deserved place in the upper echelon of modern jazz singers.   

 

And her brand new album, simply titled, “Veronica Swift”, is nothing short of a revelation, because she demonstrates once and for all that she is so much more than a jazz singer.  Her voice and musical choices defy categorizing.  On the new album she explores not only jazz, but Broadway, opera, classical music, bossa nova, blues, industrial rock and even funk.   She describes her personal brand of versatile artistry “transgenre.”   

 

Our guest has performed at some of the most prestigious venues in the world, and she’s appeared with many great stars including Wynton Marsalis, Chris Botti, Benny Green and Michael Feinstein.  The critics are unanimous about this woman’s magnificent vocal instrument.  Downbeat Magazine described her as “a woman of many voices, who uses every one of them to inspire a dizzying kaleidoscope of moods”.  And the usually restrained Wall Street Journal said our guest has a “miraculous voice, musical ability and technique, as well as an innate gift for entertaining a crowd.”  

 

For more interviews and podcasts go to: https://www.harveybrownstoneinterviews.com/

 

To see more about Veronica Swift, go to:

https://www.veronicaswift.com/

https://www.facebook.com/VeronicaSwiftJazz/ 

https://www.instagram.com/veronicaswiftofficial/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz6_vsge3DgUT8NIsCbO0vw

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/veronica-swift/1301544661

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0YyqJ4bcQqxXdsdpgQPwtl

 

#VeronicaSwift   #harveybrownstoneinterviews

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Harvey Brownstone conducts an in-depth Interview with Rona Barrett, Legendary Entertainment Journalist & Broadcaster

 

About Harvey's guests:

 

Today’s special guest, Rona Barrett, can truly be considered a member of Hollywood Royalty.  She was a pioneer in the world of entertainment journalism and broadcasting, with a multi-faceted career that spanned many decades.  She became a household name through her insightful reporting and signature style, in her immensely popular magazine, “Rona Barrett’s Hollywood”, her books, syndicated radio shows, and on television as a host and regular contributor on iconic shows like Good Morning America, The Today Show and Entertainment Tonight.  Because of her excellent network of reliable sources throughout the entertainment industry, she broke countless stories and became the public’s trusted insider, documenting the careers and lives of the biggest superstars from the world of movies, music, sports, TV, radio, theatre and even politics.  She is beloved and respected not only by the public, but also by the hundreds of celebrities who trusted her to be a liaison between their lives and ours.  In the year 2000, our guest decided to deploy her entrepreneurial acumen to address a challenge close to her heart: providing affordable and dignified housing and high quality care for the fastest-growing population on the planet – senior citizens.   She established The Rona Barrett Foundation, which is a non-profit organization that operates beautiful seniors residences in California like the Golden Inn & Village and Harry’s House, where residents benefit from a wide range of essential care services, in an atmosphere of dignity, respect and love.  Our guest has become a renowned advocate for vulnerable seniors, and her wonderful book, “Rona Barrett’s Gray Matters”, and her podcast with the same name, have become hugely popular.  She’s also written 2 other books:  an autobiography called “Miss Rona”, and a fascinating book entitled, “How You Can Look Rich and Achieve Sexual Ecstasy”.  And in 2009, she received a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.  

For more interviews and podcasts go to: https://www.harveybrownstoneinterviews.com/

 

To see more about Rona Barrett, go to:

https://www.facebook.com/RonaBarrett/

 https://twitter.com/ronabarrett

https://www.instagram.com/ronabarrettofficial/

https://ronabarrettfoundation.org/

 

#RonaBarrett   # RonaBarrettFoundation   #harveybrownstoneinterviews

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Harvey Brownstone conducts an in-depth Interview with Michele Neff Hernandez, Author, “Different After You:  Rediscovering Yourself and Healing After Grief and Trauma”

 

About Harvey's guests:

 

Today’s guest, Michele Neff Hernandez, is an advocate, teacher, leader and author who exemplifies the meaning of personal growth, transformation and healing following one of life’s most tragic and traumatic events: the death of a spouse.  

 

In 2005, when our guest was only 35 years old with 3 children under 15 and 3 step-children in their late teens, her husband Phillip was suddenly killed in a cycling accident, plunging her into the devastating world of grief, despair, loneliness and profound heartbreak.  Over the next year, as she struggled through unknown emotional territory, she conducted in-depth interviews of 30 different widows across America.  

 

That experience led her to create a non-profit organization called Soaring Spirits International, whose mission is to provide a space for widowed people to connect, to foster resilience, and to develop resources for grief recovery and the successful rebuilding of meaningful and satisfying lives.  Soaring Spirits International is the premier peer-based support organization for widows in the world, guiding people from great pain to personal empowerment.  

 

Our guest is also the creator and director of the innovative Camp Widow Program.  She’s won numerous awards for her work helping thousands of people navigate widowhood, and in 2021, she was named a CNN Hero.  In addition to being the CEO of Soaring Spirits International and the executive director of Soaring Spirits Canada, she’s also the director of the Soaring Spirits Resilience Center located in Kerrville, Texas, whose mission is to research and build resilience in people who are bereaved.   

 

Our guest has also written a compelling and insightful book entitled, “Different After You:  Rediscovering Yourself and Healing After Grief and Trauma”, in which she shares how she took the worst tragedy of her life – the loss of her beloved husband - and developed the coping mechanisms and skills to transform her pain into healing and positive change, and to turn surviving into thriving.  This heartfelt and very helpful book is relevant not only to those who’ve become widowed, but to anyone who’s suffered ANY kind of catastrophic loss due to illness, divorce, an accident, the death of a family member or close friend, and even the loss of a career or a longtime home. 

 

For more interviews and podcasts go to: https://www.harveybrownstoneinterviews.com/

 

To see more about Michele Neff Hernandez, go to:

https://micheleneffhernandez.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/michele.n.hernandez 

https://twitter.com/MicheleNeffHer1

https://www.instagram.com/micheleneffher/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY_8sMcexydgS5yaX4reKdQ

https://soaringspirits.org/

 

#MicheleNeffHernandez   #harveybrownstoneinterviews

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Harvey Brownstone conducts an in-depth Interview with the Legendary Marie Osmond

 

About Harvey's guests:

 

Today’s special guest, Marie Osmond, is a superstar who’s been dazzling audiences since she was 3 years old, as the only daughter in the legendary Osmond family.  

 

At the age of 12, she recorded her first solo album “Paper Roses”, making her the youngest female to reach the #1 spot on TWO Billboard charts.  She was also the youngest female to co-host a television show, “Donny & Marie”, with her brother, Donny Osmond, which is one of the most popular and beloved TV variety shows of all time.  

 

She’s a multiple gold and platinum selling recording artist, with 12 solo albums and numerous Billboard chart-topping singles including “Paper Roses”, “In My Own Little Corner of the World”, “Who’s Sorry Now”, “There’s No Stopping Your Heart”, “Read My Lips”, and her iconic duets, not only with Donny, but “You’re Still New to Me” and “Sweet Life” with Paul Davis, “It Wasn’t Love Before” with Lee Greenwood, “The Way You Do the Things You Do” with Tom Jones, and, of course, “Meet me in Montana” with Dan Seals, which won the 1986 CMA Award for Duo of the Year.  

 

Our guest has hosted numerous TV talk shows, she’s had her own radio show, she’s starred on Broadway in “The King and I”, and did national tours of “The King and I” and “The Sound of Music”, she’s written THREE New York Times Bestselling books, she’s starred in THREE Lifetime movies, she ran her own company for 25 years designing and sculpting the most beautiful dolls in the world, and her long running show with her brother Donny in Las Vegas won the award for the #1 Best Show for THREE years in a row.  

 

Our guest is also a renowned philanthropist.  She co-founded the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, raising over 9 billion dollars and helping over 12 million children in local hospitals every year.   

 

In 2018 she received “The Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service”.   She’s currently on a North American concert tour playing to sold-out audiences and getting rave reviews.  

 

And her latest album, entitled, “Unexpected”, debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Classical Crossover chart, and has re-entered Billboard’s Top Ten a staggering 29 times.   And I can’t resist adding that our guest was the FIRST celebrity Barbie doll created by The Mattel Toy Company.  

 

For more interviews and podcasts go to: https://www.harveybrownstoneinterviews.com/

 

To see more about Marie Osmond, go to:

https://www.marieosmond.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/marieosmond

https://www.instagram.com/marieosmond/ 

http://twitter.com/marieosmond

https://www.youtube.com/marieosmondvevo

https://www.pinterest.com/MarieOsmondOfficial/

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005288/

 

#MarieOsmond   #harveybrownstoneinterviews

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Harvey Brownstone conducts an in-depth Interview with Bob Runkel, Host of the DJ Bob Show

 

About Harvey's guests:

 

Today’s guest, Bob Runkel, is a very special young man who came into my life several months ago when he invited me to appear as a guest on his very popular podcast, “The DJ Bob Show”.  I was so impressed with his passion for pop culture, and his intelligence, sense of humour, resilience and commitment to the art of interviewing, that I just had to invite him on our show.  

 

When he was only 15 years old, he started his podcast, and now – even though he’s only 29 – he’s already in his 14th year hosting “The DJ Bob Show”, which celebrates every aspect of pop culture, past and present.  So far he’s conducted close to 1400 interviews with well-known personalities in the world of music, television, and film.  And his interviews always speak to us on a personal level, because of the unique and refreshing perspective he brings to his subjects.  

 

Despite the considerable challenges of living with cerebral palsy, our guest has found a meaningful, original and positive way not only to enjoy his life, but to contribute to the world of broadcasting AND, at the same time, he enhances OUR lives by sharing his knowledge of pop culture – and his beautiful heart - with all of us.

  

For more interviews and podcasts go to: https://www.harveybrownstoneinterviews.com/

 

To see more about Bob Runkel, go to:

https://www.djbobshow.com/

https://www.instagram.com/runkstagram/

https://twitter.com/djbobrunkel

https://www.youtube.com/user/bobweb1

https://www.instagram.com/thedjbobshow/

 

#BobRunkel   #harveybrownstoneinterviews 

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Harvey Brownstone conducts an in-depth Interview with Liz Callaway, Renowned Broadway, Concert and Recording Artist

 

About Harvey's guests:

 

Today’s guest, Liz Callaway, is a highly acclaimed singer, recording artist and actress.  

 

She made her Broadway debut in “Merrily We Roll Along”.  She received a Tony Award nomination for her performance as “Lizzie” in “Baby”, and for 5 years, she dazzled audiences as “Grizabella” in “CATS”.   She also starred in the original productions of “Miss Saigon”, “The Three Musketeers” and “The Look of Love”.  

 

In addition to receiving a Drama  Desk Award nomination for her performance in “The Spitfire Grill”, she co-starred in the legendary “Follies in Concert” at Lincoln Center, and she’s played such diverse roles as “Dot” in “Sunday in the Park with George”, “Eva Peron” in “Evita”, “Norma Desmond” in “Sunset Boulevard”, and she starred in the European premiere of “Sondheim on Sondheim” at the Royal Festival Hall in London.  

 

In the movies, she sang the Academy Award nominated song “Journey to the Past” in the animated feature film “Anastasia”, and she’s the singing voice of Princess Jasmine in Disney’s “Aladdin and the King of Thieves” AND “The Return of Jafar.”  You can also hear her beautiful voice in a number of other animated feature films including “Beauty and the Beast”, “The Swan Princess”, “Pocahontas”, “Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride”, and “Despicable Me”.  

 

She’s appeared in many TV shows, and won an Emmy Award for hosting “Ready to Go”, a daily live children’s program.  She’s released 8 solo albums, including 2 live albums with her magnificently, equally talented sister, Ann Hampton Callaway, with whom she performs regularly in concert halls and nightclubs across America.  

 

And her latest album entitled, “To Steve With Love:  Liz Callaway Celebrates Sondheim” has just been nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.  Our guest has performed in concert at some of the most prestigious venues in the world, including The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, The Hollywood Bowl, The Théatre du Chatelet in Paris and the Gran Teatre de Licu in Barcelona.

  

For more interviews and podcasts go to: https://www.harveybrownstoneinterviews.com/

 

To see more about Liz Callaway, go to:

http://lizcallaway.com/

http://www.facebook.com/LizCallawayOfficial

https://twitter.com/lizgoeson

http://instagram.com/lizgoeson

https://www.youtube.com/user/LizCallawayOfficial

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4hcWMDrWJYyU66HA583nCb

https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/artist/liz-callaway/id277834?mt=1&app=music&at=10l8Nk

https://www.cameo.com/lizcallaway

 

#LizCallaway   #harveybrownstoneinterviews

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Harvey Brownstone conducts an in-depth Interview with Amirreza Tayebi, Author, “A Very British Revolution”, about the British Invasion

 

About Harvey's guests:

 

Today’s guest, Amirreza Tayebi, has written a compelling and insightful book entitled, “A Very British Revolution” about an often misunderstood and sometimes unappreciated decade in the life of every baby boomer: the 60s – better known as the Swinging Sixties, which put London, England at the center of a cultural phenomenon.  

 

The book discusses the genesis, development and global impact of the fashions, social attitudes, movies and music that became known as “the British Invasion”, which defined and exemplified 60’s pop culture.  He writes about iconic music artists like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Animals and the Kinks.  

 

He discusses the influence of groundbreaking movies like “The Servant”, “A Hard Day’s Night”, “Alifie”, “Blow-Up” and “Georgy Girl”.  And he talks about trendsetting celebrities like Julie Christie, Dirk Bogarde, Michael Caine, Lulu, Twiggy, Marianne Faithful and Mick Jagger.  And of course, we can’t forget those colourful psychedelic fashions coming out of Carnaby Street.   

 

Our guest is a contemporary historian who studied politics and international relations, and is currently working in the broadcasting industry.  

 

For more interviews and podcasts go to: https://www.harveybrownstoneinterviews.com/

 

To see more about Amirreza Tayebi, go to:

https://www.amazon.ca/Very-British-Revolution-Amirreza-Tayebi/dp/1803814934

 

#AmirrezaTayebi   #harveybrownstoneinterviews

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Harvey Brownstone conducts an in-depth Interview with Founding Member of The Four Preps, Bruce Belland

 

About Harvey's guests:

 

Today’s guest, Bruce Belland, is a founding member of one of America’s most popular and beloved vocal groups, commonly referred to as America’s First Boy Band, The Four Preps.  

 

As young teenage students at Hollywood High in 1954, our guest, along with singing partners Glen Larson, Ed Cobb and Marv Ingram, entered a high school talent show, and they kept on performing at high schools until that fateful day in 1956, when they were signed to a recording contract at Capitol Records, making them the youngest vocal group in history to ever sign with a major record label.  

 

They recorded dozens of classic songs and produced 8 gold singles and 3 gold albums featuring their signature tunes, “Dreamy Eyes”, "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)," "Big Man," "Lazy Summer Night," “Down By the Station”, “More Money for You and Me”, and many more.   In 1957, Cashbox Magazine named The Four Preps the Most Promising Newcomer of the Year.  They made numerous appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, American Bandstand and many other TV variety shows, in addition to singing backup for Ricky Nelson for 4 years on “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet”.  And of course, they appeared with Sandra Dee in the 1959 movie, “Gidget”.  And they sang the theme song from the 1957 Clark Gable movie, “Band of Angels”.  

 

The Four Preps headlined at nightclubs, concert halls and college campuses across the country, and toured with everyone from Tennessee Ernie Ford, George Burns and Carol Channing to Henry Mancini, Johnny Mathis, Buddy Rich and Glen Campbell.  They received an official commendation from the Air Force for their extraordinary contribution to National Guard Recruitment.  And in 2007, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.   

 

And now, our guest has released a fascinating and highly entertaining memoir entitled, “Icons, Idols and Idiots of Hollywood:  My Adventures in America’s First Boy Band.”   This delightful book details our guest’s remarkable show business journey, full of great anecdotes, many colourful adventures, and poignant memories of pop culture history.  And let me tell you, the chapter about his hilarious experience filming a TV commercial with Annette Funicello at Disneyland is easily worth ten times the price of the book.   

 

For more interviews and podcasts go to: https://www.harveybrownstoneinterviews.com/

 

To see more about Bruce Belland, go to:

https://www.brucebelland.com/ 

https://the4preps.wixsite.com/thefourpreps

https://www.facebook.com/BruceBelland 

https://www.facebook.com/the4preps

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9J0TACPReX2IRCFPgDStZw

https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-four-preps/19280148

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5MsnoFODDc5nxWrjm99Zew 

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=the+four+preps

 

#BruceBelland   #TheFourPreps  #harveybrownstoneinterviews

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