Happy Thanksgiving!

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice.  ~Meister Eckhart


Happy Thanksgiving 2011,
This is my 50th Thanksgiving and for that I am thankful! In a few hours, Danny and Horace and I will be shuffling off to Buffalo. We will be back on Saturday so that I have Sunday for last minute preparations for Monday night's show. So as I'm feasting on a traditional Thanksgiving Feast, I will not be blogging till Sunday so today is my Thanksgiving blog to thank all of you for the support that I get from you every day. It motivates me to stay on the path that I am on. I would also like to thank those of you who do not support me, it inspires me to work harder. So, depending on what size of the fence you are on, I thank you! 

I am thankful for Facebook and twitter. Both of these areas of social media have connected me to a world that otherwise would not be available to me or at least would take a little more effort to me. Because of the Jerry Herman tribute on Monday night. Helena Joyce-Wright sent me a "friend" request. She was in Jerry's Girls with Carol Channing on the road. See my blog yesterday. I am thankful that she has joined our cast on Monday night. And I am thankful that she shares the same love for Carol Channing that I do. 


I am thankful for my friend Gary Crawford who took the time to call yesterday to buy a ticket for Monday night's show but more importantly took the time to talk and catch up in this fast paced world where most people are busy texting and tweeting instead of picking up the phone and saying, " Hello. How are you? I miss you!" I thank you for that Gary. 

I thank my friend Brian Ballone who rightfully chastised me yesterday for sending an invite to Monday night's show instead of just touching base to catch up about life. It angered me at the time but it made me think about this.  He's right. In my zealousness to fill a house on Monday night, I send out a lot of emails requesting your presence. I do want to say, however, when I do this, I really want you there not just as an observer to watch a show, but because I want to see you. It is a social occasion for me as well.  I really want to see you. 
I get hundreds of requests from people every week desiring me to be at their shows.  Most of those people will never reach out with a phone time to ask how I am or be interested in breaking bread together. Please note, I am NOT one of those people. I value all of my friendships and if you EVER feel otherwise, call me and let's get together. Just set the time, the place, the venue and I'm there. Or come to my house. I LOVE to cook! I love and value and am thankful for my friendship with Brian and I am also thankful for Brian being honest about his feelings.

I am thankful to my friends who are entertainers and entertain me on a regular basis. Either with your shows or with your cds. As I write this, my friend Jane Stuart is playing on my Ipod. It may be raining outside, but it is Summerime in here. Jane, I LOVE you and thanks for the gifts you give me all the time!


Check her out HERE

ane Stuart started her singing career at age 5, on a local TV show, “Moser Starlites”. Her song was, “Me And My Teddy Bear”. As a child she studied ballet at Ballet Arts in Carnegie Hall, acting with Eleanor Raab and Jim Tuttle and singing with Sue Seton and in later years Don Lawrence. Her great love of dance, especially tap, lead her to study at Charlie Lowe’s School of Tap and Personality in NYC, alongside, Christopher Walken, Alan Paul (Manhattan Transfer), David Winters (West Side Story) and Jeff Conaway. In later years Jane attributes her tap dancing skills to be the start of her understanding of jazz.

Another one of my favorite cabaret entertainers is  Tom Andersen.
He has an ethereal sound that gets me every time I hear him sing.

Tom Andersen is one of New York's finest pop-cabaret singer-songwriters. He has played Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall and the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage, where his solo concert was broadcast live on the Internet. The romantic tenor also has headlined at Tavern on the Green, Maxim's, the Russian Tea Room and the Algonquin, and shared the stage with Liza Minnelli, Tony Bennett, Michael Feinstein and Betty Buckley, who says "Tom's a great singer who can sing anything!"

Nov. 13, 2011: Tom, Scott Coulter and Tim DiPasqua performed a mini-medley from "Southern Comfort," their Bistro and Nightlife Award-winning country music revue, on "Seth Speaks," Seth Rudetsky's Sirius XM Stars 107 satellite radio show,. The trio did "You Don't Know Me," "I Will Always Love You" and "You Were Always on My Mind," to promote their return gig of "Southern Comfort" ... Seth and Tom also discussed the upcoming World AIDS Day (Dec. 1), and Seth accompanied Tom as he sang his MAC Award-winning AIDS song, "Yard Sale." Here it is

 "Outstanding ... this young New Yorker is emerging as a star. Mr. Andersen sings in a delicate tenor that soars into exquisite high notes. Dreamy, hyper-romantic crooning. When he gets caught up in the emotional swirl of a pop ballad, he slips into a vocal swoon. The timbre of his voice quickens, and one is reminded of Johnny Mathis in one of his spellbound musical trances!" - Stephen Holden
The New York Times

It may seem like overkill, but I am thankful for my friendship with Jana Robbins. I wrote about her in yesterday's blog regarding monday night's upcoming show. Jana is a true friend. I wrote yesterday of Jana's work as an actress. She is also an award winning producer. Jana Robbins is a Tony nominated producer for the 2009 Broadway production of RAGTIME, joining Kevin McCollum and Manny Azenberg to transfer the highly successful Kennedy Center Production. In 1995 she founded BETTER WORLD PRODUCTIONS in order to "present theater and film entertainment that inspires us to create a Better World". Jana made her Broadway producing debut with Allan Knee's LITTLE WOMEN starring Sutton Foster and Maureen McGovern and her Off-Broadway producing debut with I LOVE YOU BECAUSE. Other Off-Broadway producing credits include WHITE'S LIES starring Betty Buckley and Daniel Beaty's THROUGH THE NIGHT with producer Daryl Roth earning her a second Drama Desk nomination.But her performing keeps pulling back. See for yourself Monday night.

Another one of my favorites is Jenna Esposito.

Jenna hosts MetroJam every Friday night. Check her out and get free HOMEMADE cookies in the process! METROJAM, the weekly cabaret/jazz open mic event held at THE METROPOLITAN ROOM (34 West 22nd Street, NYC - 212-206-0440), will have its next show on Friday, November 18th at 10:00 pm, featuring host Jenna Esposito. The show will continue every Friday night. Accompaniment is provided by the MetroJam house band: John DiPinto on piano, Ritt Henn on bass, and Bobby Sher on drums. Open-mic performers have a chance to perform with a full jazz band. If you're planning to perform, please arrive by 9:30 pm to sign up and be sure to bring two copies of your music (up-tempos are recommended!). There is a $20 cover plus a 2-drink minimum. $10 cover for anyone who performs at MetroJam that evening! $15 cover for members of CABARET HOTLINE ONLINE. 

I am thankful for the King of Nostalgia, Joe Franklin, and the support he has given me over the years. Joe Franklin (born Joseph Fortgang on March 9, 1926, Bronx, New York) is an American radio and television personality. From New York City, Franklin is sometimes credited with hosting the first television talk show. The show began in 1951 on WJZ-TV (later WABC-TV) and moved to WOR-TV (later WWOR-TV) from 1962 to 1993.

 After retiring from the television show, Franklin concentrated on an overnight radio show, playing old records on WOR-AM on Saturday evenings. This was when I first discovered Joe.

He currently interviews celebrities on the Bloomberg Radio Network and audio podcasts of his 2008 interviews are available at Bloomberg.com.

 An author, Franklin has written 23 books, including Classics of the Silent Screen.^[3] His 1995 autobiography Up Late with Joe Franklin chronicles his long career and includes the astounding claims that he had dalliances with Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, and that Veronica Lake "threw herself at me, but I always refrained." He has appeared as himself in countless films, notably Ghostbusters and Broadway Danny Rose.

I am thankful for so much! This is just the tip of the iceberg. Happy Thanksgiving. See you on Sunday!! And Don't forget:

Nov 28
8pm

THE TRIAD, 158 West 72nd Street

RICHARD SKIPPER CELEBRATES...JERRY HERMAN

This is the launch of a new series. Once a month, Richard will be celebrating a different theme. A Benefit for Carol Channing's Foundation for the Arts. (www.ChanningArts.org) Anna Bergman,Diane J. Findlay, Peggy Herman, Sue Matsuki, Miles Phillips, Jana Robbins, Richard Skipper, Lee Roy Reams, Walter Willison, Bob Mattern, John Patrick Schutz, Sarah Rice, and Helena Joyce0Wright. RESERVATIONS A MUST! $25 show plus two drink minimum, $50 PREMIUM SEATS plus two drink minimum (includes complementary glass of champagne).

WIKIPEDIA and the websites of the entertainers in this blog are THE MAIN SOURCES OF THIS  BLOG. NO COPY WRITE INFRINGEMENT INTENDED.  FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY!
Please do what YOU can to be more aware that words and actions DO HURT...but they can also heal and help!

Thank you, to all the mentioned in this blog! 

I love you ALL!! 

 
Here's to an INCREDIBLE tomorrow for ALL...with NO challenges!

Now, GO OUT AND DO SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE ELSE TODAY!

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Sunday's blog will be...YOU TELL ME...I'M OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS!

Please contribute to the DR. CAROL CHANNING  and HARRY KULLIJIAN FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS

TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED WEEKEND!
Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com