Richard Skipper Celebrates

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The hour went by so fast that I didn't have time to thank you for the thoughtful and thought provoking interview. There were a couple of questions I could have answered better if I had been more awake and the coffee had kicked in. Thanks again for celebrating me. 

sharon mcnight,  sharonmcnight.com

 

Multi award winning performer Sharon McNight has played from Moose Hall to Carnegie Hall, from San Francisco to Berlin. She began her career entertaining in the cabarets and gay bars of San Francisco in the late 70's. In the mid 80's she received a S.F. Critics Circle award for her performance in “Nunsense” and was one of two straight women chosen as Grand Marshal of the 1986 S.F. Gay Day Parade for her dedication and fund raising efforts during the AIDS crisis. And in 2019, her name was engraved in stone at the National AIDS Memorial Grove. Sharon made her Broadway debut in 1989 in Starmites, received a Tony nomination for her performance, and is the recipient of the coveted Theatre World Award for "Outstanding Broadway Debut” and a the Bistro Award presented and produced by Backstage.com for “commanding cabaret artistry”. Her regional credits include Amanda McBroom's Heartbeats at the Pasadena Playhouse. Sharon was Sister Hubert in Nunsense in Los Angeles and San Francisco, where she was presented with the Bay Area Critics Circle Award for "Best Performance in a Musical.”  She has five solo recordings to her credit, one of those being “The Sophie Tucker Songbook,” which contains the music of her one-woman Off-Broadway show, “RED HOT MAMA” based on the life of the first lady of show business.

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Lisa Howard was last seen on Broadway as Tammy in the new musical Escape To Margaritaville. Before that, she was a Drama Desk Nominee for her starring role of Jenny Steinberg in the musical comedy It Shouda Been You directed by David Hyde Pierce. Other Broadway roles include Diva 1 in Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert, Missy Hart in the new musical 9 TO 5, Head Nurse in Lincoln Center’s revival of South Pacific and Rona Lisa Peretti in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, for which she won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance. She has toured with the national company of Les Miserables and performed around the country at such prominent regional theaters as St. Louis MUNY, Olney Theater Center, Goodspeed Opera House, Barrington Stage and Kansas City Starlight. In the concert scene, Lisa performed her solo show at Feinstein’s/54Below and has made many appearances at the famed Town Hall in NYC as a part of Broadway By The Year & Broadway Unplugged concert series.  TV credits include: “Ugly Betty,” “Power,” “Madame Secretary” and “The Good Fight.” Her solo CD, “Songs of Innocence and Experience” is available on itunes. Lisa is a graduate of the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. www.lisahowardnyc.com In celebration of this recording, Ms. Howard will appear at Feinstein’s/54Below (254 West 54th Street – between Broadway & 8th Avenue) performing with Mr. Shaieb and his trio in “What Christmas Means To Me” on Sunday, December 12th at 7pm.  Tickets are available at www.54Below.com and (646) 476-3551.

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Known in the cabaret and performance community as being a versatile singer who can move smoothly from one vocal genre to the next, Dawn Derow grew up in Eastham, MA and graduated from the Boston Conservatory with a Bachelor's Degree in Music: Vocal Performance & Opera Emphasis. She has performed around the world and in prestigious New York venues such as Rose Hall at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. Derow’s 2014 album Music 4 Two with guitarist Sean Harkness earned her a “Best CD” nomination from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC). In 2015, Derow won her first MAC Award for her work in the duo show Revolution with Kathleen France. In 2016, she employed her formidable opera singing in her solo show Legit: A Classical Cabaret and captured a Bistro Award for “Outstanding Vocalist.” In 2018, Derow won the MAC Award for “Best Female Vocalist” for her critically acclaimed solo show, My Ship: Songs From 1941, an album version of which will be released in December 2021. Last summer, Dawn introduced her new Eydie Gorme tribute show, Gypsy In My Soul, at Birdland to rave reviews and this December she was the featured singer in the Cape Symphony’s Holiday performance in Cape Cod, MA. Additional information and performance dates for Dawn Derow can be found on her website at www.DawnDerow.com. In her debut Zoho Music release My Ship: Songs from 1941, vocalist Dawn Derow performs the music from her Award-winning cabaret show of the same name. Her stunning renditions on this album are not only an homage to classic songs of the WWII period, but a tribute to the performers who kept hopes high until America achieved victory.

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Randy Skinner (Conceiver/Director/Choreographer). Broadway shows include 42nd Street (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics, Astaire nominations), Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (Tony, Drama Desk nominations), Dames at Sea (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics, Astaire nominations), Ain’t Broadway Grand (Tony, Outer Critics nominations), State Fair (Outer Critics nomination), and After the Night and the Music. For City Center Encores!, Mr. Skinner choreographed Do Re Mi, Of Thee I Sing, Face the Music, No, No, Nanette, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Lady, Be Good; he played the role of Pa Dolan in their production of On Your Toes. Off-Broadway, he choreographed Lone Star Love (Lucille Lortel nomination).

Barry Kleinbort (Book) has earned the prestigious Edward Kleban Foundation Award for Lyric Writing, two Gilman-Gonzalez Musical Theatre Awards, the Second Stage Musical Writers Award, the Jamie deRoy/ASCAP award, two BackStage Bistro awards, and twelve Manhattan Association of Cabarets (MAC) awards for his directorial and songwriting efforts. He wrote the book and lyrics for the musical Was (music by Joseph Thalken, based on the novel by Geoff Ryman), which was the inaugural production of the American Musical Theater Project in Chicago, under the direction of Tina Landau.

Irving Berlin (Music) (May 11, 1888–September 22, 1989) was an American composer and lyricist, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history. His music forms a great part of the Great American Songbook.

https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/34375/1635739200000

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www.JordiCaballero.com

Jordi Caballero is an actor, dancer-choreographer, musician and producer with a knack for crossing boundaries in the entertainment industry. As Jordi explains, "To me it doesn't matter what entertainment medium is used. My goal is to tell a story - be it through the eyes of a character, a movement, a beat or a show, to captivate the audience through the shared human experience. And figuring out the best route to get there is what fills me with inspiration". Jordi started training in the classical music arts at the age of 8.  Influenced by American Musicals such as "West Side Story" and an "American in Paris", icons like Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, and TV shows like "Fame", Jordi headed to the New York City to pursue a career in acting and the performing arts earning a BFA degree from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts. Following graduation at NYU, Jordi caught the attention of celebrated film directors in a series of notable acting roles.   He has received two Nominations as Best Choreographer from the prestigious American Choreography Awards. Over the past several years Jordi has emerged as a filmmaker-producer of original entertainment content including TANGO SHALOM (Post Production), THE LAST ANALOGUE HIT: MACARENA: The last analog hit (In process), LA CARGA (2016), After the Rain (2016), DANCING FOR MY HAVANA (2015) and THE WORLD CHOREOGRAPHY AWARDS (2015, 2016 & 2017). http://www.imdb.me/jordicaballero

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Dear Richard,

I can’t thank you enough for having me on your show! It was such a wonderful chat…you remind me of a young Mike Douglas! He used to be a frequent guest at my nightclub! Thanks again for a great experience!

Best, Rob Russell

 

Rob Russell was born and raised in Babylon, New York. He studied musical theater and business administration at the State University of New York at Fredonia with the outstanding Rockefeller Arts Center. After struggling as an actor (modeling, bartending, singing etc.), Rob eventually landed in the hospitality and hotel business where he co-founded and managed the renowned Royal Room Cabaret at The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach for nearly 20 years. Rob recently recorded an album and is presently writing a book about his life in Palm Beach working closely with numerous celebrities. He now performs regularly at the Pelican Cafe in North Palm Beach and can be heard on Legends Radio.

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 www.calmfidencebook.com

Learn how to communicate —inside and out—with calm, confidence, no matter the circumstances, with a collection of tips, tools, natural remedies, client stories, and on-the-spot exercises from PATRICIA STARK, Communication Expert, and Personal and Professional Development Trainer. CALMFIDENCE: How to Trust Yourself, Tame Your Inner Critic, and Shine in Any Spotlight By Patricia Stark Just Released!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Patricia Stark is President of Patricia Stark Communications and Calmfidence® Workshops. Clients include, ESPN, NASA TV, Glamour, Amazon, BET, Turner Broadcasting, CBS, OWN, NASCAR, Conde Nast, Spotify, Quaker Oats, Discovery Channel, E! News, NASCAR, and the Miss American Organization. Patricia works with closely with celebrities, corporate executives, authors, news anchors, social media influencers, and others whose careers rely on their ability to communicate confidently. Patricia has extensive experience as a Health and Wellness Anchor and Television Host, National & International News Anchor and has served as a contributor for the History Channel and the Huffington Post as well as a guest television expert. Patricia is a guest lecturer at colleges and universities including Fordham University and LIU on the topics of Communication Skills, Calmfidence®, Public Speaking Skills, Interpersonal Skills Interview Skills and Stress and Anxiety Busters. She lives in New York. For more, see PatriciaStark.com and Calmfidencebook.com Praise for CALMFIDENCE “A unique take on self-help that everyone should read.

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OMG! It’s Harvey Korman’s Son is a funny, heartwarming tale of what it was like to grow up in Hollywood with his famous cross-dressing comedian Dad, while trying to overcome his learning disability. Humor was his Dad’s weapon of choice to help his son deal with celebrities, charities and straddling a double life between glamorous Hollywood and navigating through his struggles. Chris Korman (producer) The son of beloved comedian Harvey Korman, Chris has fifteen years experience in the entertainment industry, working with artists in various capacities, including brand building and agenting. A graduate of Lesley College in Cambridge, MA, where he studied theatre history, he received training in stage management at Colorado Mountain College under Thomas Cochran. Following in the tradition of his father, Chris has supported such charitable organizations as the non-profit Marianne Frostig Golf Tournament, which he co-hosted and served on the board for twenty-two years; Keshet of Chicago, for which he served as spokesperson in 1997; and the Learning Disabilities Association of America, for which he gave a keynote address in 2017. Chris has worked behind the scenes of TV Confidential since 2016.Chris's first book OH My God its Harvey Korman's son was released in 2020 by Bear Manor press. https://www.amazon.com/OMG-Its-Harvey-Kormans-Son/dp/1629336181

"Richard has many admirable skills one is that he care about his guests and he leaves his ego at the door. He celebrates his guests with passion and humility which is rare in a world of self promotion. Its a honor to call Richard a brother from another mother." Christopher Korman

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Michael Anastasio: https://www.amazon.com/Gay-Boys-Life-Surviving-America/dp/B099HX1SPZ

Born in Louisville, KY on September 4, Michael Anastasio lived there until 1975 when he relocated to Indianapolis for nearly four years, then on to Chicago for another four, then nearly three years in San Francisco, Boston for another ten, and for the past twenty-seven years, New York City. I have had a near fifty year career as a retail store and residential interior designer. That is a long time to do anything. It is no longer his passion and try as he may to pull out, his clients keep dragging him back in. Writing is his primary interest now. He has co-authored a few screenplays and has written a book, “Gay Boy’s Life,” which he self-published on Amazon in July of 2021 just ahead of his 70th birthday.  While writing is Michael's current passion, he admits to having been slightly bitten by the acting bug. I have made eight videos for an NBC/Comcast site called “I’m From Driftwood.”  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLssNIALOFZCSJAcAf6_UijlaiHtH0Bend I currently live in Greenwich Village with Richard, my husband of twenty-two years. We have been married for six of those years. Together with two other filmmakers, they run The Greenwich Village Film Festival. They are very active in their block association of which Richard is President. They travel quite frequently to Europe and have a large international group of friends—a family really.

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Band of Gold is the exciting story of singer and actress Freda Payne. While she is best known for her 1970 Number One hit "Band of Gold", and her 1971 Grammy nominated album, Contact, her story is an inspiring adventure, lived alongside the "who's who" of the show business world including Duke Ellington, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Pearl Bailey, Omar Sharif, Quincy Jones, Liza Minnelli, and Sarah Vaughn. Freda's compelling memoir is a celebration of a glamorous life well-lived. Freda Charcilia Payne is an American singer and actress. Payne is best known for her career in music during the mid–1960s through the mid–1980s. Her most notable record is her 1970 hit single, “Band of Gold“. Payne was also an actress in musicals and film, as well as the host of a TV talk show. Payne is the older sister of Scherrie Payne, a former singer with the American vocal group The Supremes. Mark Bego is the author of 66 books on rock & roll and show business, including two “New York Times” Best-Sellers, a “Los Angeles Times” Best-Seller, and a “Chicago Tribune” Best-Seller, a Nashville “Tennessean” Best-Seller, three multi-million-sellers, and two half-million selling titles. With over 12 million books in print, he is acknowledged as the best-selling biographer in the rock and pop music field. His biographies have included the life stories of some of the biggest stars of ROCK and Country. He has also written about film and television stars as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Band-Gold-Mark-Bego/dp/1954095813