Richard Skipper Celebrates

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In an illustrious career that included notable stage, film, and television roles, Ms. Lansbury first performed on Broadway in 1957's Hotel Paradiso and throughout her many years performing on Broadway, she was nominated for seven Tony Awards, winning six for the following: Mame (1966); Dear World (1969); Gypsy (1975); Sweeney Todd (1979); Blithe Spirit (2009); and was the recipient of the 2022 Special Award for Lifetime Achievement. She also hosted or co-hosted The Tony Awards five times, more than any other individual. On Broadway Ms. Lansbury's credits include: Hotel Paradiso (1957); A Taste of Honey (1960); Anyone Can Whistle (1964); Mame (1966); Dear World (1969); Gypsy (1974 Revival); The King and I (1977 Revival); Sweeney Todd (1979); A Little Family Business (1982); Mame (1983 Revival); Deuce (2007); Blithe Spirit (2009 Revival); A Little Night Music (2009 Revival); Gore Vidal's The Best Man (2012 Revival). On Tour Ms. Lansbury's credits include: Mame (1968); Gypsy (1974 Revival); Sweeney Todd (1980); Blithe Spirit (2014 Revival). Some of the highlights of this celebration will include discussing Gaslight and The Manchurian Candidate, as well as the 1982 filmed production of Sweeney Todd. National Velvet, Dear Heart, The Harvey Girls, The Manchurian Candidate, etc.

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The family is one of nature's masterpieces.” – George Santayana. Celebration of the Mind Day is observed on October 21, on the birthday of the famous mathematician, Martin Gardner. Developed by the Gathering 4 Gardner Foundation, Celebration of Mind (CoM) is meant to unite people for a day to explore puzzles, games, math, and magic. I will be bringing some great minds together to celebrate the end of another week. Reach out to me if you have something to promote! I'll be joined by Barbara Rew! Barbara K. Rew has been a child advocate for most of her adult life. Currently she is the Washington, D.C. representative for A Minor Consideration. Ms. Rew feels she owes a debt to children working in the entertainment industry, because as a sick kid she watched a lot of television. "I feel these people gave up their childhood's to entertain me," she says. Since 1993, as a member of A Minor Consideration, Ms. Rew served on a number of committees and boards dealing with non-profit groups and Government agencies. Some of the issues addressed include: Addiction prevention. Safe and non-exploitative working conditions. Adequate education for working children. Ms. Rew participated in working groups advising General Barry McCaffrey of the Office of Drug Policy and the Department of Labor. Since 1991 she has hosted a community television talk show, Barbara's Choice Personalities, where she has interviewed many people from the community involved with children's issues. Groups Ms. Rew's other community activities include serving as a fund raising speaker for the Hospital for Sick Children. Her efforts assisted the hospital in obtaining the funds for building a new wing and garage. She was a member of the Friends of the Bowie Library bringing her love of reading to children.

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Spirit Day is an annual LGBTQ awareness day observed on the third Thursday in October. Started in 2010 by Canadian teenager Brittany McMillan, it was initially created in response to a rash of widely publicized bullying-related suicides of gay school students in 2010, including that of Tyler Clementi. AS of this moment, I'm still looking for panelists for tomorrow! If you have a story to tell, please contact me.

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Sheila Nevins is currently serving as an Executive Producer at MTV Documentary Films / Paramount+. Sheila is the former president of HBO Documentary Films and Family Programming. At MTV Documentary Films, in just under 3 years, Sheila has led the development and production of over thirty films. In 2020, MTV Documentary Films' "St. Louis Superman", received an Academy Award Nomination, as well as a Critics Choice Award and was also a DuPont Awards Finalist. In 2021, "76 Days" was shortlisted for an Academy Award, and received both an Emmy and a Peabody Award. "Hunger Ward" was nominated for an Academy Award and was a DuPont Awards Finalist. "Finding Yingying" received a News and Documentary Emmy Nomination. In the same year, "Ascension", "Coded: The Hidden Love of J.C. Lyendecker", and "Lynching Postcards: 'Token of a Great Day'" were all shortlisted for the Academy Awards. "Ascension" was also nominated for 6 Critics Choice Awards and then went on, in 2022, to be nominated for the Academy Awards. At the NAACP Image Awards, "Lynching Postcards: 'Token of a Great Day'" won Outstanding Short Form Series or Special – Reality/Nonfiction. At HBO, Sheila was responsible for overseeing the development and production of more than 1500 programs for HBO, HBO2 and Cinemax. As an executive producer or producer, she has received 32 Primetime Emmy® Awards, 35 News and Documentary Emmys® and 42 George Foster Peabody Awards. During her tenure, HBO’s critically acclaimed documentaries won 26 Academy Awards®.

 

Sheila is a member of the Writers Guild of America.

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Natalie Lander was born and raised in Los Angeles and got her start in Voice Over at nine. She was inspired to become an actress by watching her dad, the late and great David L. Lander, who was best known for playing Squiggy on Lavern & Shirley. After graduating from Pepperdine University, with a B.A. in Theatre, Natalie has built her resume to include various credits as a performer and creator. On camera, she has had significant recurring guest star roles on ABC's The Middle, TV Land's Lopez, and TNT's Major Crimes. Other guest star credits include 13 Reasons Why (NETFLIX), 911: Lonestar (FOX), Castle (ABC), Hannah Montana (DISNEY), Bizaardvark (DISNEY), and KC Undercover (DISNEY). Natalie also voiced “Goldie” on Disney Jr’s Goldie & Bear and “Star Girl” in DC’s Justice League franchise. In addition, she’s voiced roles in prominent video games such as Saints Row, Final Fantasy, God of War, and Fire Emblem. Natalie was a contestant on the MTV Broadway competition show Legally Blonde the Search for Elle Woods, where she came in 5th place to play Elle Woods on Broadway. She recently debuted her one-woman show "Legally Brunette: The Search for Myself" at the Garry Marshall Theatre in Los Angeles. Written and performed by Natalie, her show is based on her actual journal entries from her time on the MTV Reality show.

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What does it mean to let go? And how do we do it? Here we'll talk about letting go of the past so we can move on from relationships, people, and unhealthy emotions. "I used to feel obligated to stay with scary people and situations out of unhealthy feelings of loyalty. Not anymore! Join me and Richard Skipper as we dive into this juicy subject and trend! And let go of the scary!!!" -Kassira McKee

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Richard Barone is a recording artist, performer, producer, professor, and author. Since pioneering the indie rock scene in Hoboken, NJ, as frontman of The Bongos, Barone has worked with artists in every musical genre including Donovan, Lou Reed, and folk legend Pete Seeger. He has produced concert events at Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and SummerStage in Central Park. His album Sorrows & Promises is a celebration of the 1960s music scene in Greenwich Village, where Barone lives. He currently teaches the course “Music + Revolution” at The New School’s School of Jazz & Contemporary Music, serves on the Advisory Board of Anthology Film Archives, has served on the Board of Governors of The Recording Academy (GRAMMYs), and hosts Folk Radio on WBAI New York. Even before the Beatnik Riots of 1961, New York City's Greenwich Village was the epicenter of revolutionary movements in American music and culture. But, in the early 1960s and throughout the decade, a new wave of writers and performers inspired by the folk music revival of the 1950s created socially aware and deeply personal songs that spoke to a generation like never before. These writers—Bob Dylan, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Janis Ian, and Phil Ochs, to name a few—changed the folk repertoire from traditional songs to songs sprung from personal, contemporary experiences and the nation's headlines, raising the level of political self-expression to high art. Message and music merged and mirrored society. In Music + Revolution: Greenwich Village in the 1960s, Richard Barone unrolls a freewheeling historical narrative, peppered with personal stories and insights from those who were there.

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How to Celebrate National Dessert Day. There are many ways to celebrate this sugary day, the easiest of which is probably to pick up already-made desserts such as cakes, pies, fried dough, chocolate, candy, fruit tarts, and pastries at your local bakery or grocery store.OR join me with five fascinating Guests...ALL of who are as exciting as any Dessert you've ever had. Who knows? You might even win a dessert! I'm joined by a return visit from Charles Evans and Eddie Varley and Reggie Whitehead's first time with us! Charles Evans is an actor in the San Francisco area . Raised in Boston , he went to every show that came to town starting at 13 , also starting acting lessons at that age . He studied theatre at Boston University before going on to a career in corporate Human Resources , Training and Development. Theatre lured him back in the late nineties and he has been in nearly 100 shows since then . Favorite roles include : Ismay in Titanic, the Judge in Sweeney Todd , the Mysterious Man/Narrator in Into the woods, Herr Schultz in Cabaret , Mitch in A Streetcar Named Desire, Adult Men in Spring Awakening , Virgil in Bus Stop, Joe in Merrily We Roll Along , the Old Actor in The Fantasticks , Sipos in She Loves Me and Mr Webb in Our Town. He has also done 2 one person cabaret shows directed by Faith Prince and studied cabaret with her and such artists as Marilyn Maye , Billy Stritch, Ann Callaway, John Bucchino, Jason Graae , Karen Mason, Natalie Douglas , Tedd Firth and Alex Rybeck.

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The Land of Oz is now owned and operated by the Leidy family with the artistic direction of Sean Barrett. While Land of Oz is not a fully functioning theme park, it offers many public events that celebrate the magic and legacy of all things Oz, including the 29th Annual Autumn at Oz Festival which just ran for three weekends this September. Here about my own adventures in Oz when I was a kid in Conway, SC! The former Land of Oz theme park that operated during the 1970s atop Beech Mountain reopens occasionally for us to follow the Yellow Brick Road to Emerald City to see the Wizard. Over the years, Autumn at Oz (photos on this page) has grown from a small reunion of former employees to a celebration that draws huge crowds for a nostalgic stroll through the remains of the popular Land of Oz theme park that closed in 1980. It was a living adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s classic novel, “The Wonderful World of Oz,” upon which the 1939 film is based (celebrating its 80th anniversary!). The park atop the mile-high summit reopens only for two special events. Beech Mountain is about 80 miles north of Asheville. A lifelong fan of the Wizard of Oz, Sean's history with the Land of Oz spans over 20 years, where he began working at the Autumn at Oz Festival as the Scarecrow at the age of 15 from 2001-2014. He now is the artistic director and executive producer for the festival, which has grown from a 2-day event to 3 weekends in recent years. Other credentials include The Oz Project, a music video combining music from The Wiz and Wizard of Oz for Playbill.com featuring an all Broadway cast.

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Fall 2022 marks the release of her widely anticipated third album, NOW THAT I HAVE EVERYTHING. Arranger/pianist Tedd Firth brings a Nat King Cole Trio feel to the recording, which explores the ways we try – successfully and unsuccessfully – to connect our heart to someone else’s. In his Liner Notes, author and journalist Will Friedwald writes, “Celia Berk makes us realize, in a way few singers can, that love is, in fact, never ever the same.” Co-Produced by Tony and Grammy Award-winning sound designer Scott Lehrer, it features the kinds of hidden gems by great songwriters that are Celia’s trademark. Many of those songs were featured in COMES LOVE, a 2019 show Celia created with pianist Sean Gough. Also in 2022, Celia debuted her new cabaret show, ON MY WAY TO YOU: Improbable Stories That Inspired An Unlikely Path, directed by Mark Nadler with music direction by Tedd Firth. Marilyn Lester of Theater Pizzazz called it “An enchanting show, executed with abundant smarts, humor and grace, and terrific choices of music known and unknown.” Celia’s album MANHATTAN SERENADE received the 2017 LaMott Friedman Award. It was arranged and conducted by Alex Rybeck and co-produced by Scott Lehrer, the team behind her debut album YOU CAN’T RUSH SPRING. Lyricist David Zippel (whose “The Broadway Song” written with Cy Coleman received its first commercial recording) wrote in the album notes, “A tribute to her hometown, this collection is anything but renditions of the obvious New York songs. MANHATTAN SERENADE is curated: a connoisseur’s compilation of one exquisite, undiscovered musical gem after another.”