When house music legend Frankie Knuckles agreed to remix my cover of the song “Reflections,” it was a brand new adventure for me. While I certainly love to kick up my heels, I’d never done a straight-up dance tune before! One of my favorite moments from the “Reflections” video! Since my song and my …
It isn’t practical at all, but love often isn’t. I’ve been obsessed with false eyelashes since I was old enough to realize Marilyn Monroe’s allure was, to a large part, thanks to the good folks at Maybelline. Women have been wearing false eyelashes for decades. Once, the territory of makeup artists in movie studios, …
When I first heard that the Godfather of House Music himself, Frankie Knuckles, and the hip-as-hell Eric Kupper, had agreed to remix my recording of the Motown hit, “Reflections,” –one of the tracks featured on my upcoming album, Trouble in Paradise— I honestly couldn’t envision people dancing to it. But then I heard their version of it, …
Elvis Presley strumming a tune inside Graceland, 1957 On March 19, 1957, singer, actor, and all-around cultural phenomenon Elvis Presley made a totally rockin’ real estate purchase for his folks by buying them Graceland, a 14-acre mansion just outside of Memphis for what was, back then, a mammoth price: $102,500. The King surveying …
WE NOW INTERRUPT THIS BROADCAST TO BRING YOU A SPECIAL REPORT: The premiere of the single and super swanky video for Isabel Rose’s brand-spankin’ new dance remix of “Reflections” is NEXT WEEK! The remix was masterminded by the late, great house music legend Frankie Knuckles (Ariana Grande, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Diana Ross) with Eric Kupper …
Continue reading “Breaking News: Get Ready for Isabel Rose’s “Reflections” Remix!”
Actress and singer Gwyneth Paltrow recently got all dolled up as a few of the hottest female fashion icons from the ’60s to the ’80s for Max Factor’s “100 Years of Glamour” ad campaign. Gwyneth Paltrow as Madonna and Audrey Hepburn As the ol’ saying goes, “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” …
Frank Sinatra in 1964 Who’s the most important person on Wikipedia? Well, according to an official online study, it’s one of my favorite crooners, Frank Sinatra! Dreamy Ol’ Blue Eyes ranks above even the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. It should be no surprise then that Frank Sinatra’s first New Jersey driver’s …
Production on the next James Bond film, James Bond 24 will soon be underway, and I can’t wait!!! Numbered “24” (it’s the 24th installment in the series), it will hit screens in Fall 2015. Thankfully, Daniel Craig will be coming back as that swoon-worthy secret agent who takes his signature martini “shaken, not stirred.” …
World Cup 2014 is about to be decided! In case you’ve been locked in a dungeon for the last month, I just thought I’d let you know that today is your last chance to watch the World Cup! This is it, folks. Until 2018, that is—and God only knows if we’ll even be here by then given all …
Burt Ward and Adam West in Batman (1966-1968) This past week, the news broke that the classic and kitschy 1960s Batman television series will finally be released on Blu-ray in November by Warner Bros. It only aired for two years, but it made Adam West famous and has developed a fervent following. I’m …
I’ve started to put together the set list for my next live show (which, incidentally, is August 15th at The Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett and you can get your tickets here: http://stephentalkhouse.com/show.cfm?id=156084&cart). “I hope you’re going to include some classics,” my father said when I told him, during one of our early morning phone chats recently, …
Continue reading “Too Darn Hot: A Classic Song Served 6 Different Ways”
In honor of Pierre Cardin‘s 92nd birthday today I found a red beach ball, climbed inside, threw a white astronaut helmet on my head and some white Go-Go boots on my legs, and then I skedaddled right on over to The Four Seasons to meet my gayest friend on earth, Merton (you don’t pronounce the “n”) for …
Continue reading “Pierre Cardin: A Toast to the Creator of Shagadelic Fashion”
VIEWER WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS TONS OF AMAZING PHOTOS. VIEW WITH CAUTION IF GLamour MAKES YOU DIZZY!!! Elton John, who may have started it all With a new album slated for release in early September, my life will now focus on live performance so I can spread the word and build up my …
Continue reading “Performers and Designers: A True Marriage of Passion and Practicality”
Michael Jackson (1958-2009) Five years ago today, pop superstar Michael Jackson left this earth at just 50. Some people said, “Good riddance! He was a ___ and a _____!” But if, like me, you revered him, and grew up with him, and marveled at his extraordinary talent, then you gasped, shook your head, and …
Happy Birthday, Cyndi Lauper! Guess who’s having fun today? That’s right, it’s Cyndi Lauper’s 61st birthday! An icon to feminists everywhere, “Girls just wanna have fun!” Cyndi boldly declared when she hit the music scene in the early 80s– the subtext being, “girls just wanna have fun like boys do— without having to explain it …
Today marks the 20th death-a-versary of the great composer/conductor/arranger, Henry Mancini. If you’ve ever seen the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, then you’re familiar with Henry Mancini, even if you didn’t know it. If you’ve ever seen The Pink Panther (either the TV cartoon or the movies), then you’re familiar with Henry Mancini even if you didn’t …
Continue reading “Henry Mancini and my brush with Peter Gunn”
Judy Garland Oh, glorious Judy Garland!!!! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways… Today would’ve been the uber-talented Judy Garland’s 92nd birthday. Of course, most of us first fell in love with her when she was still a teenager starring inThe Wizard of Oz. Even though Garland’s light was …
Nancy Sinatra Today marks the 74th birthday of the fierce, feisty singer Nancy Sinatra, daughter of everyone’s favorite crooner: Frank. Now those are some good genes!!! Nancy made a name for herself with her signature hit “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’, (three cheers for go go boots!) and went on to record a long …
I’ll confess: when I first heard that today was Michelle Phillips’ 70th birthday, my reaction was, “Who is Michelle Phillips?” I turned to Wikipedia (how did we live without it?) and discovered that she was the fresh flower child from The Mama’s & the Papas, those folksters from the 60s who made such a lasting …
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Today would’ve been the 88th birthday of the blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe. Her early death in 1962 at the tender age of 36 cut her career as an entertainer short and left her feverish fans reeling. Still, she made a whopping 30 films and left a mark on Hollywood with her exquisite beauty, sizzling …