Friday, May 30, 2014

NJ Kids Heat up the Dance Floor on Ellen with their Salsa Moves: Beberly Devers and Kevin Tellez Head to America's Got Talent

Beberly Devers & Kevin Tellez   Photo Courtesy Facebook
Leave it to Ellen to find talent that truly entertains. Her staff searches the Internet and always finds pint-sized people to make us laugh, wonder and even cry. Sophia Grace and Rosie are already stars. And who could forget little Kai who sings his heart out to Bruno Mars' songs.

This time she found World Latin Dance Cup Champions 6-year old Beberly Devers and 8 year-old Kevin Tellez while surfin' around Youtube with close to 2 millions views. Beberly and Kevin both train in Hudson County. Their salsa teacher Johana Vasquez  has been teaching Kevin since he was 5 and Beberly for just one year.

They have only been dancing together for a year.  Both of them have won championships but with other dancers as partners. Ellen asked Kevin what he liked about his partner and he said, "She's smart, and she's easy to lift." Ellen then likened his response - with a smile - as to how most ladies choose their purses.

Take a look at this terrific twosome, they are full of talent:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_mlDKnUttg

Good luck to them as they head to America's Got Talent.           Written by Suzanne Ordas Curry

Thursday, May 29, 2014

NJ Mom Pens Lessons Learned: The Kindergarten Survival Guide for Parents, Book Signing at Shaw's of Westwood June 5th

A New Jersey mother and teacher has penned a book about what most mothers all wish we knew before we sent our kids off to school. Lessons Learned: The Kindergarten Survival Guide for Parents, is a comprehensive looks at the kindergarten year, from the first tears shed by your child on the first day to the tears shed by you as they finish up their first year as a little grown-up.

Podest wrote “Lessons Learned” to ease many common fears that parents have about enrolling their children in kindergarten. She offers advice from a parent and teacher perspective about topics such as first day of school preparations, making new friends and the parent’s role in their child’s education.

Lessons Learned” also offers Podest’s views on

Philadelphia Sports & Education Expo May 31-June 1, Special Guests Include Eagle's Kevin Reilly, Angelo Cataldi, Mitch Albom, Jay Johnstone & More


Kevin Reilly will present an award to
Jason Garstkiewicz at the Philadelphia Sports & Education Expo
On May 31, former Philadelphia Eagles captain, amputee and cancer survivor Kevin Reilly, broadcaster on the Philadelphia Eagles Network, will present an MVP EXPY (Excellence in Preserving Youth Sports) award to Haddonfield, NJ HS freshman athlete Jason Garstkiewicz (pictured in football uniform), a fellow cancer survivor and amputee, who plays football, basketball and lacrosse. Jason, who has been supported by Go 4 the Goal-Pediatric Cancer Foundation, Cherry Hill, will additionally present an award to the Foundation, one of several awards being bestowed at the Convention Center in Philadelphia during the Sports & Education Expo weekend May 31-June 1. 

Friday, May 23, 2014

Glee's Lea Michele Booksigning in NJ: Brunette Ambition is a Great Book for Teens

                                                                                                                                   By Suzanne Ordas Curry
Reminiscent of a Justin Beiber concert half a decade ago, almost 500 tweens and teens were lined up anxiously awaiting their turn to meet Glee's Lea Michele at their local bookstore. And this book signing was quite a special one, because this bookstore was a stone's throw away from where she grew up in Tenafly, NJ.

Books and Greetings was the scene of the action. There were 400+ girls, just a few boys, with books in hand as well as some homemade tokens of affection ready to be handed to Lea. Some were "I love Lea" shirts. Some wore "I love Lea" hats. Some held homemade signs that said "I Love Lea". And once in a while you would hear a wave of  teen screams echoing  "I love Lea".

Lea Michele was there to sign copies of her book, Brunette Ambition. First, about the book:

This books covers just about EVERYTHING you want to know about Lea Michele. It is a well-designed, easy-to read font of information about her life, from how she got started, to what roles lead her along what path, to where she is now. It is also a book about her life now, what she does on a Sunday afternoon, what she eats for breakfast, who her besties are and what exercises she does. In the book she gives a lot of advice without preaching, it's more like teaching by example. She has lots of recipes for healthy eating, healthy living and fashion. She talks about her time at Glee and thanks Cory for his help with the book. Though formulaic, this is an excellent book for a young girl. If  Marcia Brady had written this when I was a teenager it would have been my Bible.

Martha Byrne's Emmy-Nominated Gotham The Series Acquired by Launch TV: Now Available on Many Channels

Launch TV Network Acquires Broadcast Rights for Gotham The Series

The Cast of Gotham The Series
NYC—Launch TV Network Company, Inc., currently in a binding agreement for acquisitions with Freedom Energy Holdings, Inc., acquires Broadcast rights for Premier Pilot “Gotham” the series. Gotham was nominated for an Emmy for Web Series.

Gotham The Series is a continuing drama series from Executive Producer Martha Byrne based on characters developed by Byrne and Alexandra Verner Roalsvig. The show premiered on the web in 2009. It is written by Martha Byrne and Lisa Brown.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Book Review: Douglas Preston's The Kraken Project

New Jersey Author  AJ Colucci reviews 
the newest crime thriller by Douglas Preston

Watch for AJ's new book, Seeders, available in bookstores everywhere in July.

Think science thriller, and you think Douglas Preston. His masterfully crafted, heart-pounding stories take readers slightly past the cutting-edge of science into terrifying “what if” scenarios that sometimes beg the question; do we really want to go there? The latest novel in his Wyman Ford series, THE KRAKEN PROJECT, delves into the world of Artificial Intelligence and the possible consequences of machines outsmarting humans. Click here to read the rest of the article:
http://www.thebigthrill.org/2014/04/the-kraken-project-by-douglas-preston/

Friday, May 16, 2014

Kevin and Joe Jonas Go On The Road with Off The Record: Coming to Jersey in June

Joe Jonas
Jersey Boys Kevin and Joe Jonas are going on tour, but not exactly a musical tour. They've put together a new show, called  Off The Record  coming to venues across the country.

This tour is something different. Following the interactivity trend in entertainment today, their appearances will be an interactive experience with the audience.

According to ET, the "the live shows will feature questions and answer sessions, never-before-scene footage, audience participation and many other surprises that will give fans a rare up-close and personal look at the two Jonas brothers".

The show is coming to Jersey on June 5, 2014 at 8pm. at the IPlay America's Event Center in Freehold, NJ. For tickets visit: http://www.axs.com/search?q=off+the+record+with+kevin+and+joe+jonas

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Posh Fashion Show 2014 Hosted by RHONJ Kathy Wakile and Family, New Housewives Make an Appearance

PoshBoutiqueNJ  held its Annual Fashion Show at the Terrace in Paramus, NJ. Kathy, Rich and Victoria Wakile hosted this event with sister Rosie adding her flair. New RHONJ the Napolitano sisters came to help celebrate the fashion - and the quick recovery of Victoria after her recent surgery. It was a fun night... Jersey style. 

Victoria and Kathy Wakile                             Photo by Suzanne Curry
The Annual Posh Fashion Show, this year held at the new Terrace in Paramus, was a little bit different than your ordinary Fashion Show.

The best part about the night was seeing Victoria Wakile looking so absolutely beautiful and well after her surgery for benign astrocytoma, a type of brain tumor that  had plagued her as a young child and unfortunately returned. You could here it in mom’s voice, Kathy said: "We are all so blessed.... because God brought her back to us." She also thanked the crowd for coming there to celebrate her daughter's quick recover. Listen to what she said here, in a video of the beginning of the Posh Fashion Show:
View the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJGd2mvQY-k&feature=youtu.be

Headlining the event was the graceful Mrs. Wakile and her husband Rich, who was looking quite handsome as well. Sister Rosie Pierri was the life of the party, milling about and posing with whomever would ask her. She also just plain ol' got up to dance once while the models were strolling down the runway.  

Tracy DiMarco-Epstein and Jackie Carmelo from Jerseylicious 
were also there. The brand new Real Housewives of New Jersey, Teresa 
New RHONJ Teresa in red and Nicole in white are bookends for Rosie
Napolitano Aprea and Nicole
Napolitano were also there- but I don't think many attendees knew who they were. Brooke Villone (VH1's Baseball Wives) was also on the Red Carpet.


Big Brother's Gina Marie Zimmerman was the emcee
Emceeing the Fashion show was Gina Marie Zimmerman of Big Brother.  I don't think any men that came of their own volition or were dragged as dates knew that they were in for the treat they were in as the lights dimmed and the show started.

This was a relatively new venue. There were a few hundred people. I met some new friends that came up all the way up from the Jersey Shore to meet the housewives, and they drove back down the Parkway with tons of selfies in hand because all the cast of the RHONJ that was there were happy to pose. There were a few vendors. They also offered swordfish was an entrée which was a nice change from the chicken and salmon being offered in this area lately.

"Let's Grip It and Rip It" - CAWL To Arms Sounds in NJ and on ESPN as Collegiate Arm Wrestling Reaches a New Level

"Let's grip it and rip it!"
Watch It All on ESPN 2 July 5, 1-2pm

CAWL to Arms kicked off its inaugural season     Photos by Suzanne Curry
If  you've never been to a professional arm wrestling match, then you probably have never heard this phrase before.

But indeed, these are the words used to begin each exciting match at the College Arm Wrestling League, a far cry from the bar room matches in back rooms at local watering holes.

Friday, May 9, 2014

Interview: Christian Borle Helps Make Shutterllies a Smash Hit

Christian Borle is a Tony-Award Winning actor piling up TV credits with his work on NBC's Smash and The Sound of Music. Now he's making a name for himself in film as the quirky and sinister Lieutenant Burns in the short film Shutterflies.

Tony-Award Winner Christian Borle in Shutterflies
It says a lot about an actor who would do a film for unknowns, let alone kids.

But Christian Borle helped out a friend of his he met on the set of  NBC's Smash, Jeff Muhlstock, whose 17-year old son was making a movie with another 17-year-old, without hesitation.

“I saw the script and I loved it”, Christian said.  "It was mini Quentin Tarantino-ish.”. But he added, “Jeff, and I have a great relationship. I would have done it anyway."

Shutterflies The Movie - Interview with Spencer Muhlstock and Hayes Walsh: "It All Started With Old Camera"

Go behind the scenes and into the minds behind the film Shutterflies in this interview with Director/Writers Spencer Muhlstock and Hayes Walsh.

The short film “Shutterflies” by Muhlstock-Hayes Productions opened at the Ridgewood Film Festival in 2013 and in 2014 gained the title ‘Best Student Short Film - High School"  at the Garden State Film Festival. It also won Best Short Subject at the Ridgewood Film Festival 2014. It is headed this spring to the Hoboken Film Festival.

This film was written, directed and produced by Ridgewood High School students Hayes Walsh and Spencer Muhlstock. The movie takes place mid-century and centers around the mysterious disappearance of a local man. It was shot in Ridgewood, NJ and in surrounding towns.

Hayes also stars in the film. Tony-award winning actor Christian Borle (NBC’s Smash, Sound of Music), also lent his talent to this award-winning film. The film also stars Rosie Gunther McCooe (Bad Parents, The One), newcomer and grade-schooler Lily Walsh who learned sign language for the part and Andrew Grusetski.

View the latest trailer on the Spatpro Channel herehttps://www.youtube.com/user/SpatPro

I had lots of questions for these boys, beginning with, What inspired you to make this film?

Spencer:  A large portion of the idea honestly came from the main prop in the film; a 1960’s Hasselblad camera. I desperately wanted to use it in a film, for some kind of period piece. Hayes and I

Review of Shutterflies: Snapshot of a Succesful Student Short Film

Hayes Walsh and Spencer Muhlstock Produce a Riveting Thriller, Smash's Christian Borle and Local Fave Rosie McCooe Star
By Suzanne Ordas Curry

It’s always exciting to see young people following their passion, and when they follow through, and do it right, it’s a sight to behold.

I happen to be speaking to an actor friend of mine, Rosie Gunther McCooe, and she mentioned how she was in a new film by two students at her local high school, called Shutterflies. As with many independent films these days, it was funded through Indiegogo.

The movie was premiering at a local theater in NJ, the gem of Ridgewood smack in the middle of Ridgewood’s downtown area. I went with my son, who is doing music for another student film in my town along with the two student film makers doing that film. I figured they would want to see what some fellow juniors in another town could do.

It was a freezing cold night in November with barely a soul on the street but inside the lobby it was a whole different world. The excitement there was contagious.

Hayes Walsh and Spencer Muhlstock were the savvy 17-year olds that wrote, directed and produced the short film. Hayes also starred in it and showed that acting is also one of his talents. He was truly believable as the amateur photographer Declan who found himself in the middle of danger, possibly so convincing because as a filmmaker capturing life through a lens is the way he sees and creates his world. In the movie we see the tale told through his eyes, through the lens of his own being. View the trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtKUWgS40Gg


Sunday, May 4, 2014

NBC Crisis Recap Episode - Episode Aired 4-27-14

Plot twists abound in the episode  “Homecoming,” which aired on April 27.  Dunn and Finley convince Gibson to use them – they have information about the CIA Station Orange site.  Hmm, will this move the FBI agents’ mission forward, or did they just make a deal with the devil? 

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Joan Rivers Kicks off Spring Season at Bergen Pac: Also Coming to NJ are James Blunt, Ed Asner, Martin Short, Bob Newhart and More...


Joan Rivers comes across the bridge May 2nd to Bergen Pac
Emmy-Winner and legendary comedienne Joan Rivers will grace the stage at Bergen Pac in Englewood  May 2nd 2014 at 8PM. Get tickets to see Joan at www.ticketmaster.com or Box Office at 201.227.1030.

JOAN RIVERS is a force of nature and one of the hardest-working celebrities in the world. This lady is an internationally renowned comedienne, Emmy-winning television talk show host, Tony-nominated actress, best-selling author, playwright, screenwriter, motion picture director, columnist, lecturer, syndicated radio host, jewelry designer and cosmetic company entrepreneur, red carpet fashion laureate, businesswoman -- and most importantly, a proud mother and grandmother.

41st Annual Daytime Emmy Award Nominees Announced

Days Of Our Lives nominated for Oustanding Drama Series
The nominees for the 41st Annual Daytime Emmy Award were announced this morning. No noticeable surprises, Sesame Street, The Talk, The View, all the morning shows, Ellen, all were nominated. For more information and a partial  listing visit:  http://www.deadline.com/2014/05/daytime-emmy-awards-2014-nominations-full-list/