Is Carol Channing alive? YEEESSSSHHHH!

Carol and Ken: The Magic Castle 2009

OK, that’s a lousy post title, especially since many-a-Carol Channing impersonator over-exaggerates that aspect of Carol’s wonderfully unique voice and speech pattern (except Richard Skipper, who is not so much an “impersonator” but wholly (and respectfully) embodies the true Carol Channing experience).  But, back to the cliche but eye-catching title.  Earlier today the Associated Press, for some reason, put out the very erroneous story that Carol Channing had passed away.  Concerned, I called a few contacts and was overjoyed to find that the reports of Carol Channing’s death had been greatly exaggerated (thank you Mark Twain.  By the way, did you know Mark Twain was kind of a stud?).

Carol's still kickin'!

Carol & Ken share a holiday laugh.

In any case, among the folks I spoke with today was my pal Larry Ferguson who is in the finishing stages of production of Carol Channing’s new patriotic CD, “True to the Red, White & Blue” (isn’t that a great title! I love it.).  Carol’s new CD (tentatively due in stores around Veteran’s Day 2011) features some old American chestnuts like “Over There”, “God Bless America” & “Battle Hymn of the Republic”, a couple sacred songs like, “Amazing Grace”, “His Eye is on the Sparrow” (a personal favorite) and even “St. Louis Blues” (for which Carol has quite the accompanying story as to why she includes this track).  Also featured is a new version of Carol’s signature tune from HELLO, DOLLY!: “Before the Parade Passes By”.  Carol has sung this song so many times over the years and it will be great to hear a new take on this classic.  Below, you can even hear a live version from one of my annual “Christmas Carol” episodes of “That’s Kentertainment!” (you just have to get through the surreal pseudo-Peanuts Christmas-Ken-Id-Ego opening bit…another personal favorite).  🙂

Speaking of surreal, here’s a quick clip of Carol Channing “Gettin’ Jiggy With It” – an except of a longer opening number from my “8th Annual Christmas Carol” from 2009.  I adore Carol and her terrific sense of humor.

Click here to see Carol "Gettin' Jiggy With It"!

So there ya have it.  Carol Channing is alive & well and ready to roll out her new CD.  At 90 years of age, this is not only impressive but also makes one ponder:  “What did I do today?”  Well, besides write this post.  🙂

p.s.  Richard Skipper started a petition to get Carol Channing a well-deserved Kennedy Center Honor.  Carol Channing is an American original.  As someone once said, “If Carol Channing didn’t exist, you couldn’t make her up.”  Her legendary stage, screen and television performances plus her tireless crusade & numerous benefit appearances to bring Arts Education back to schools are inspiring to all.  Click here to sign the petition.

Carol & Ken film the 2010 That's Kentertainment! "Christmas Carol"

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The Uproarious and Exquisitely Divine Sister

Friday evening I saw the legendary and ambrosial Charles Busch in the uproarious Off-Broadway confection, “The Divine Sister“, also written by Mr. Busch.  This was my second visit to St. Veronica’s, the convent in which Mother Superior (Busch) and Sister Acacius (played by the always-inspiring and hysterical Julie Halston) reside. Possibly the best-written and performed play currently Off-Broadway (and Broadway, come to think of it), “The Divine Sister”  will make you laugh until all demons within are spewn-out onto the streets of New York City, or more specifically 15 Vandam Street where the show is playing until May 1 at the Soho Playhouse).  The other cast members are celestial as well:  Amy Rutberg who is giddily-glorious as Agnes (the young postulant who has healing powers and sees visions),  Jonathan Walker (who does a surprisingly accurate impersonation of fellow castmember Julie Halston…you just gotta see it to know what I’m talkin’ about)  in the dual-roles of  Jeremy & Brother Venerius, Jennifer Van Dyck (who I have adored since her stint on “The Days & Nights of Molly Dodd” and who is transcendent  in dual-roles as Mrs. Levinson & Timothy), and the immaculately marvelous Alison Fraser as both Sister Walburga (wait til you hear that dialect!) and Mrs. Macduffie (come to think of it, wait til you hear THAT dialect too…Ms. Fraser’s performance is truly heavenly.)  How about that for a run-on sentence!

The Divine "The Divine Sister" Cast

Here is how “The Divine Sister” is described in the press release: 

“The Divine Sister is an outrageous comic homage to nearly every Hollywood film involving nuns. Evoking such films as ‘The Song of Bernadette,’ ‘The Bells of St. Mary’s,’ ‘The Singing Nun’ and ‘Agnes of God,’ The Divine Sister tells the story of St. Veronica’s indomitable Mother Superior (author Charles Busch) who is determined to build a new school for her Pittsburgh convent. Along the way, she has to deal with a young postulant who is experiencing ‘visions,’ sexual hysteria among her nuns, a sensitive schoolboy in need of mentoring, a mysterious nun visiting from the Mother House in Berlin, and a former suitor intent on luring her away from her vows.” It’s a “madcap trip through Hollywood religiosity” that “evokes the wildly comic but affectionately observed theatrical style of the creator of Die, Mommie, Die! and Psycho Beach Party.”

 

The Sisters take you on a ride too!

Nectarous Charles Busch as "Mother Superior"

 

Charles Busch is equally masterful in his humorous yet moving post-show Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS speech, which as you know, makes one want to contribute even more to this worthy cause (as well as the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative and Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic which the donations also support). 

 

The (holy) spirit of the show SO moved me that immediately afterwards I found myself in the Gramercy Park area at a church auditorium school dance (FOR REAL!  Don’t ask.). 

Neither a student nor a chaperone...

 I’m not quite as hep as I used to be when it comes to the latest dance crazes, but I did manage to teach the kids a mean “Bottle Dance” from “Fiddler on the Roof“. 

However, when it was discovered that I BYOB’d with a different kind of Busch for the aforementioned dance number, I quickly hightailed it out of there and skipped back to the streets of NYC where I feel most comfortable (or at least I keep telling myself that as I am 4 months behind on my rent and anticipate a happy future with all the urchins of the street who I know will welcome me with open arms and possibly even open cans of half-eaten tuna.  How’s THAT for another run-on sentence!)  But, lest I digress, “The Divine Sister” is truly one to check out and I URGE you to see it before it closes or you find yourself homeless, whichever comes first.

"That's Kentertainment!" interviews Charles Busch.

Daniel Radcliffe “Succeeds” on Broadway (Video Highlights)

OK, not the most original title but it gets the job done…as does Daniel Radcliffe, who makes a smashing musical comedy debut in the 50th Anniversary production of  “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying“, Frank Loesser’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece from 1961.

Daniel Radcliffe knows how to succeed.

Below I’ll post some clips (just click on the pix) from the March 27, 2011 opening night where I conducted interviews for the licensing house for “How to Succeed”, Music Theatre International.  Interestingly enough, MTI (the largest music theatre licensing company in the world) was founded in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser (and orchestrator Don Walker) and is now run by Chairman Freddie Gershon and President Drew Cohen.  Keep checking back as I’ll keep adding more clips and highlights to the mix:  H2S PLAYLIST.  (For more info, video clips, theatrical resources & more, visit MTI Showspace.)

Video: Daniel Radcliffe Interview Clip 1

Video: Faber has a “long day” with Rose & Daniel

Audio Interview: “The Other Steve & Edie” visit “The Kentertainment Report”!

Wednesdays at 12:15pm you can usually find me at the Sirius/XM Radio Studios in Midtown Manhattan doing my (mostly)-weekly “Kentertainment Report”.  This takes place during “The Frank DeCaro Show“, which is hosted by comedian/author/host Frank DeCaro (natch) and his ever-suffering sidekick (and producer) Doria Biddle.  Here’s a picture of us at the Sirius/XM Studios in West Hollywood, CA., taken August 8, 2007- the first day I met Doria in person.

Doria, Frank & Ken, together again…for the first time. And not in that order.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I generally dish on the latest Broadway, theatre and showbiz happenings around the US and environs, but also am lucky enough to interview special guests (recently folks like Donna McKechnie, Kristin Chenoweth, Christopher Sieber, etc.).  This Wednesday Frank and Doria celebrated 7 years together on the air, and as an anniversary gift, I brought in a couple of fantabulous talents as a surprise: Stephen Wallem and Edie Falco (both currently in Showtime’s NURSE JACKIE) a.k.a “The Other Steve and Edie”.  How’s that for a title?  I LOVE THAT THEY THOUGHT THAT UP!  And they even have a few upcoming cabaret dates to show it off.

The Other Steve and Edie. How clever is that?!

 

They will be performing at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in NYC this weekend, February 4, 5 & 6.  (I hear that all the shows are now currently sold-out but there is a waiting-list.)  When asked what the audience could expect, they were mostly mum on the merriment (Edie: “I’m not saying…partially because I really don’t know…We’re still trying to figure out what we’re going to do on Friday!”) but the Laurie Beechman website has this description:  The Other Steve and Edie is conceived by Mr. Wallem and Ms. Falco, with musical direction by three-time After Dark Award winner, Beckie Menzie and Direction by Tony Humrichouser. Throughout the show, the duo will take on songs from contemporary pop to jazz standards, with a healthy dose of show tunes and original material, and even a salute to the other Steve and Eydie.   Sounds good to me! 

                                          

I first met Stephen years ago when we both lived in Chicago and he was performing in his highly-acclaimed show, “Off the Wallem” (how ’bout that guy and his killer titles?!!) and Edie I know as much (or even more) for her stunning theatre work (SIDE MAN, FRANKIE & JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR DE LUNE, ‘NIGHT MOTHER, etc.) as I do for her award-winning TV work (SOPRANOS, NURSE JACKIE, etc.).  These two are so sweet, immensely-talented and overall good sports…this interview came together at the last minute and Steve and Edie were game enough to come out in the slushy snow, run around the various floors of the studio building, check and re-check in with security (none of whom at that time knew me as I’m usually on an hour earlier which made Edie jokingly [?] wonder if I actually did a radio segment there) and were barely settled into their chairs when they found themselves live on the air.  I found it all to be a hoot and they did too.  Back in Chicago, the wonderful actor Charles Durning told me that the most talented people in showbiz are also the nicest and most down-to-earth because they have nothing to prove and nothing to hide…their talent speaks for them.  I have always remembered this and it has always proven to be true…and this case is no exception.  I hope you enjoy the interview.  Below is a link to the audio track with some pictures thrown in (in case you like your audio a little more “visual”).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tjUxGfwA4s

 

Ken with Edie Falco & Stephen Wallem.

City Center (sans Encores!)

The other day I posted a blog entitled, “Vegasish” where I promised to post some pix from my recent stay in the Las Vegas area.  Since the only person who knew about this blog at that time was my friend Mary (and she was with me when I took the pix) I figured there wasn’t a rush to get them out there since, well, who needs another forced deja vu.  In any case, here are some of the pictures I took with my trusty phone.  First up, City Center, the new 16,797,000-square-foot complex complete with pool, shopping, dining,  nightclub, Aria Casino, the Cirque du Soleil “Viva Elvis” show, apartments, etc. that cost approx. $11-billion bucks and sits on 76 ACRES!!  This is not to be confused with the New York “City Center Encores” concert series that now costs close to $11-billion bucks for a yearly subscription and sits on 56th Street.

76 acres! Cripes!

Wacky Typewriter Eraser Sculpture-Thingy

Slightly Curved

Look! There's Elvis! And an escalator! An Elviscalator?

Next up is The Cosmopolitan, the $3.9 billion “luxury resort casino and hotel” at which I could never afford to stay.  I wish I could because I’d love to see all the random animals running around the joint as witnessed in their rather stylish TV promo.  The place is outrageously chi chi (not to be confused with the Chi Chi’s Mexican Restaurant chain that now only exists overseas. Darn Hepatitis A!  And did you know that Chi Chi is Mexican slang for boobies ?  Some restaurant entrepreneur had a wacky sense of humor!).

How Cosmopolitan!

Swanky!

Nightclub or Star Wars battleship?

The Cosmopolitan also has this uber-upscale pool that overlooks the Strip.

Anyone for pool?

My friend Mary figured they must have left this part of the hotel open to “show off” as the place is pretty new, and once things get settled-in, we’ll likely never be allowed to set foot in there again.

Poolio!

In fact, as we walked around, we kept seeing Security Guards (a.k.a. Models) who we were certain were ready to evict us from the premises since we left our Model Cards at home.  Nearly everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, was dressed to the hilt in swanky couture and 7-in. heels.  And you should have seen the ladies!  The place seemed to be crawling with the kind of rich socialites you’d see on some Bravo reality show, only without the hair-extension pulling (in all fairness, it was still early).  Even as we first entered into City Center, a chiseled greeter was handing out some sort of card advertising the nightclub but took one look at us in our jeans and casual attire and decided that we were suddenly see-through.  It was pretty hilarious.  In fact, it was so hilarious I found myself stepping all over his Berluti’s.  Thank goodness we were invisible so he didn’t know who did it.

All-in-all, City Center and Cosmopolitan Towers is très chic (not to be confused with Trey Songz or even Trey Lorenz …what’s he been up to lately?) and next time I’ll be bringing you some highlights of the shopping gallery and the Las Vegas Serendipity 3 where the menu actually tops the NYC menu!  (There was a topping joke I was going to make here butt…never mind.).

😉

I’m a-scared of Bonnie Raitt

OK, I’m not really a-scared of Bonnie Raitt.  I rather enjoy Bonnie Raitt, and not in a horror-flick kind-of-way.  But I was reminiscing with my friend Ashley tonight about the time I was in East Tennessee with my friends Angie & Susan.  We decided to visit the Forbidden Caverns located in Sevierville, TN which is Dolly Parton‘s childhood neck-of-the-woods and not too far from Dollywood.

Dolly's neck

We were getting ready to start our tour when we overheard two tour guides chatting.  One of the guides mentioned that he would often run into Dolly around town.  The other tour guide, who was a fella in his early twenties, volunteered, “‘I’d have no problem meeting Dolly Parton but if I ever ran into Bonnie Raitt I’d be so a-scared I’d probably scream mah head off, hitch-up and run in the other direction!”  Well, Susan, Angie and I thought that the notion of somebody being terrified of Bonnie Raitt was just hysterical and we did the best we could to contain our laughter, but, well, we were in a cavern, so the sound traveled rather easily and loudly.  Now every time Bonnie Raitt comes to mind, I also think of that poor guy.  I thought it might be fun to find a life-size cut-out of Ms. Raitt and return to the caverns to terrorize him, howling, “Bonnie’s gonna cut ya!”  but he really was a nice tour guide.

This got me to thinking about what Bonnie Raitt might look like these days.  I imagine she would not be the kind of gal who would go in for all sorts of fillers and plastic surgery, and that possibly her natural-aging might just be what scared the guy (since it seems every celeb of a certain age has been tinkered with).  So, I found a pic of what appears to be of her latest press photos.

I ain't a-scared-a no Bonnie Raitt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She looks amazing!  No fear here.  In fact, she looks younger than she did in 1971.

Bonnie Raitt's gonna cut ya!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whatever she’s doing, it’s fantastic.  Besides photoshopping, it must be mostly natural since us redheads with fair skin don’t fare too well with cosmetic procedures (scarring, etc.) so hopefully I’ll meet Ms. Raitt one day, check behind her ears and find out her secrets.

You know, there’s really no point to this post other than for today it gave me something to talk about (I know, I know…have a heart! It’s just a blog- not a love letter!  Besides, I can’t make you love me if you don’t…however, I am ready for the thing called love.  I’m not the only one!  And you never know when love will come sneakin’ up on you!).

OK, OK.  I’m done.  Just in the nick of time.

🙂

Vegasish

Armed with my Mom’s laptop and my friend Mary‘s suggestion that I do a little blogging, I come to you (and by “you” I mean Mary, since no one else knows I’m beginning to post blogs) from Henderson, just outside Las Vegas.  I took a bunch of pix the other night when Mary and I ran around the new City Center and Cosmopolitan Resort & Casino on The Strip and made a bunch of cracks along the way (the joking kind of cracks…I promise you we didn’t dent the $11-billion CC or the $3.9-billion CRC).  Since I have yet to upload the pix from my phone (didn’t think to bring my actual camera) I’ll instead post this pic that I took a few weeks ago and has made me giggle ever since.

What were they thinking?  Apparently not what I was thinking.  But then again, I’m always thinking poop.

More later.  I promise I’ll get the crap up rapidly.  🙂

Ken

Love me!

Dear Fans,

“I only ask that you love me as much as I love myself.“

Love me,

Ken

p.s. Actually…Hello!  This will be a place/site for me to put quick updates, links, videos, musings, etc. in addition to my “That’s Kentertainment!” website.  So, that I shall say good night till it be morrow (seriously, would it have killed Shakespeare to add the “to” to “morrow”?  ‘Cause I always thought he was talking about Vic Morrow, and  that just threw me off immensely.  I could maybe see Rob Morrow.  Ever see his film “Private Resort” with Johnny Depp, Andrew Dice Clay and Dody Goodman?  I didn’t either.)

Till Morrow,

Ken