Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival Hosts Premiere Screening of Film Breaking Points Starring Real Housewife of New Jersey Dolores Catania:Tickets Available for May 10th Screening

RHONJ Dolores Catania makes her
acting debut in Breaking Points

Breaking Points, starring Dolores Catania (Real Housewives of New Jersey), will receive its premiere screening at the Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival on Thursday, May 10 at 7:30pm. Breaking Points is the story of Anthony (Joshua Ray Garcia) and Devin (Leon Glover), two college roommates coping with the suicide of their friend. Breaking Points was written and directed by Jersey City’s Brad Forenza, in his directorial debut. The film addresses several timely and universal themes like sexuality and incomplete relationships:

“In Breaking Points, I play the mother of a young man who died by suicide. Breaking Points is deliberate in not revealing much about this young man’s identity, because the simple fact is that suicide can toucany family. Breaking Points is a heartwarming story of friendship, loss, and growing up. I am delighted to be part of its redeeming message.” ~Dolores Catania, Actress 

NY/NJ Event -8th Annual Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival Kicks off April 27, 7 Night Festival Include Shorts, Features, Music, Video, Student Films, Panels & More.. Home Alone Exec Producer Scott M Rosenfelt To be Honored

The 8th Annual Ridgewood Guild Film Festival begins April 27th. This local film festival is growing every year and is now 7 nights long. The theme this year is "The Impact of Film". The film festival this year welcomes renowned Hollywood Producer Scott M. Rosenfelt, producer of Home Alone, Mystic Pizza and Teen Wolf, who will give a talk on May 10th as part of the Artists Talk  Series presented by the Ridgewood Arts Council. This year there is also a Human Rights Film Festival, presented by and sponsored by the Unitarian Church of Ridgewood. Two nights are Foreign Film Nights at the Ridgewood Public Library. The cost for all nights is $10 which gets you into as many films as you can see, and the Foreign Film nights at the library are free.  All three showings of the Human Rights Festival are $25. 

NJ/NY Event: Candace Cameron Bure, Mackenzie Ziegler, Rashad Jennings, Journey's Jonathan Cain, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Miranda Sings and More Headline List of Authors Coming to Ridgewood NJ's Bookends this Spring

By Suzanne Ordas Curry

Bookends, the famous bookstore in Ridgwood NJ, has a great lineup of A-listers and personalities coming this spring. Authors include the Queen of Hallmark Candace Cameron Bure with her new book Kind is the New Classy, Jonathan Cain of Journey, Mackenzie Ziegler, NFL Player Rashad Jennings, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Al Roker, Retta, YouTube star Miranda Sings, and much more.

At this store you get a personal experience with the author. Sometimes they give a little talk, and most always you get a signed copy and a photo with the author. You will encounter a line sometimes but it moves fast and you will get your chance. They also have an extensive collection of signed books which can be ordered online as well. Come for dinner at one of the unique restaurants in the quaint but bustling downtown and stay for the author.

Visit their website for details: http://www.book-ends.com/

Egg the Film Premieres at TriBeCa Film Festival - Story and Photos - New Female-Driven Film Stars Alysia Reiner, Christina Hendricks, David Alan Basche, Gbenge Akinnagbe and Anna Camp - Is Traditional Motherhood a Thing of the Past?

Christina Hendricks & Alysia Reiner star in EGG
Photo Suzanne Ordas Curry

The Egg has hatched. Alysia Reiner's new movie EGG, premiered at the TriBeCa Film Festival 2018 on opening weekend.

Egg is a complicated film about the complications of surrogacy. Set in a funky New York City apartment and revolving around 2 couples and one surrogate, the complex issues of motherhood are presented in a sometimes humorous, and sometimes serious manner. Art is used as a physical backdrop to the movie yet is also integral in the storyline. Many issues are raised - motherhood, work, patriarchy, feminism, wealth, success, friendships, love, and marriage.


The movie leads a lasting impression on the possibilities of motherhood for the future because of science and new modelling and leaves the viewer questioning just where we are at in this day and age and how the availability of so many choices makes starting a family actually a much more difficult proposition than perhaps just 20 years ago. It begs to answer the question, can a woman still have it all?  And if so, how and to whose detriment or success?  This movie presents one scenario on how the traditional matriarchal and patriarchal roles co-exist, parallel and also collide with the new menu of motherhood choices. This is a must-see for the new millenium.

Interview: Catching up With Actress Alicia Minshew of All My Children, Tainted Dreams & More - What's She's Up To Now

You may remember the fabulous actress Alicia Minshew from All My Children or One Life to Live or the soap she's currently starring in, Tainted Dreams  streaming on Amazon for which she received a 2018 Emmy nomination for Best Actress in a Daytime Digital Series. In addition, she's done movies and more and still continues to act while juggling her role as a mother,  having completed two recent films. See what this talented lady is up to now.

NY/NJ Event: Morphmom Conference Comes to NJ with Inspiring Speakers for Women Who Want a Change

Do you want to make a career change, or start something new?

Morphmom comes to NJ. This successful conference is a day full of inspiration for women (men welcome) who want to make a change in their lives, and perhaps need some direction, motivation and solid advice. If you were wondering what Morphmom meant, hence the name of making a metamorphosis.

Kathleen Smith, founder, states, "It's a great event for those who are looking for their "next step" or wishing to make a change. Our first two conferences in New York City were a resounding success with over 150 women gathered each time to hear some great speakers and to network with each other."

Movie News: Sarah Megan Thomas and Lydia Dean Pilcher Team Up for New Film Showcasing Three Historic Female Spies in World War II Starring Stana Katic, Thomas and Radhika Apte

Sarah Megan Thomas

The next Hidden Figures is coming. In the same vein of showing intelligent and exciting women doing extraordinary things in history, Writer/Producer Sarah Megan Thomas (Equity, Backwards) and Director/Producer Lydia Dean Pilcher (Queen of Katwe) are beginning principle photography on an as yet untitled movie about three females spies that were part of "Churchill's Secret Army" in World War II. Though the film is fiction, it is based on actual stories and extensive research done by Thomas.

#FemalesInEntertainment: Exclusive Interview with Days of Our Lives Director and Tainted Dreams Creator Sonia Blangiardo on Her Evolution as a Female in the Changing World of Daytime Drama

Interview by Suzanne Ordas Curry

Sonia Blangiardo has been a female forging through the entertainment world since the 80's. She's been a writer, producer and director among other positions in the soap world on Days of Our Lives, General Hospital, All My Children and As The World Turns, being widely-respected for that talent on both coasts. Currently, she is a Director on NBC's Days of Our Lives and was just nominated for a Daytime Emmy as Best Director for her work on that show. 

She's also the creator of the online drama on Amazon, Tainted Dreams, which has just received another two Daytime Emmy nominations including for the second year in a row Best Daytime Digital Drama Series. In her spare time, she helps out those she knows by lending her talents directing other shows, like Ladies of The Lake and plays, like the My Big Gay Italian Wedding series which had a run in Atlantic City. She is the owner of The Usual BS Productions. Recently married, she's got a body of work to be proud of and is looking towards the future. In this interview she talks about how she succeeded in the male-dominated world of entertainment, what's going on today and what she sees as the future of serialized drama.

Movie Review: John Krasinski's A Quiet Place is Full of Hitchcockian Suspense and Sustained Palpable Tension - Will Horror Fans Flock to It?

Review by Connor Moriarty

Nailing the Suspenseful Set-Piece

Two men sit down at a fairly upscale restaurant and begin to discuss baseball. After about two minutes of conversation (Kaboom!) a bomb under the table explodes. The audience is left completely surprised, but the surprise is quick and their exhilaration fades after only a few minutes.

In telling this anecdote, Alfred Hitchcock subsequently suggests, that the filmmaker show the bomb under the table before the scene even begins. Taking this approach, fills every word of every sentence with dread and anxiety. Every second that the two men spend ignorant of the explosive beneath them, feels like hours of torture to the audience.

Review: Harry Connick Jr. Shines in New Musical Adaptation of The Sting at NJ's Paper Mill Playhouse - Fast-Paced, Dazzling and Overall a Deliciously Scandalous Performance (with Video)

Harry Connick Jr. and Kate Shindle star in THE STING

Review by Beth Abramson Brier

Psst... want a sure tip?

“You Can’t Trust Nobody” croon the two-bit swindlers in the opening number of the new musical The Sting. But trust me!-this swanky stage adaptation of the award winning film stage production is not-to-be missed. Directed by John Rando, the Broadway-worthy production debuted last night at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey. The sold out performance was every bit worthy of its Academy Award winning roots.

Interview: DriverX Movie's Patrick Fabian - Why He Relates to His Character in this Movie about Second Chapters and Chances

Patrick Fabian stars in DriverX, the first film
about the life of a ride-share service driver

Patrick Fabian - you've seen him all over TV. He's the handsome Nurse Dan in Friends, he's the dapper yet devious Howard Hamlim in Better Call Saul, and he's been on countless other TV shows, considering himself very lucky that he's a working actor. But Patrick's luck is also do to his ability to become the role he is assigned to. In his latest movie,  Driver X, produced by Mark Stolaroff and written/directed by Henry Barrial, he plays Leonard, a middle-aged man who loses his business as a record-store owner and is forced to find a 20th century job, in this case, as a ride-share driver. In this interview I talk to this accomplished actor about just how much the role parallels his own life. We spoke on a winter day..

March For Our Lives: Bergen County March on 3-24-18 in Hackensack Joins Others Throughout the Country

March for our Lives will be held in Bergen County, NJ on Saturday, March 24th, 2018 starting at 10am at the Bergen County Courthouse in Hackensack, NJ. This initiative was conceived by the students in reaction to the Parkland shooting. It is being held in  solidarity with other marches being held throughout the country on the 24th. The Bergen County March is hosted students from 18 Bergen County schools. There is no registration needed.

According to the March For Our Lives website, "On March 24, the kids and families of March For Our Lives will take to the streets of Washington DC to demand that their lives and safety become a priority and that we end this epidemic of mass school shootings. The collective voices of the March For Our Lives movement will be heard." For more info: https://marchforourlives.com/

Daytime Emmy Nominations for 2018 Announced: Did Your Favorite Make the List?

The 2018 Daytime Emmy Nominations were announced today. For a complete list of all the nominees.Here is the full list:
http://emmyonline.com/day_45th_nominations

Movie Review: A Million Happy Nows Is a Story of Enduring Love - Crystal Chappel, Jessica Leccia and Hillary B Smith Star in this Memorable Drama

By Beth Abramson Brier

“Love is Love.”  It’s a hashtag. It’s a T-shirt.  It’s a battle cry.   In its purest and most simple form, it is  the essence of this 2017 independent film. A Million Happy Nows is the story of a couple, Lainey and Eva, who come to terms with the devastating reality of Lainey’s early onset Alzheimer’s disease.  The fact that the two women are lesbians is the least remarkable thing about their struggle. 

I have to admit that not knowing anything about this film, I had no idea what to expect. Crystal Chappell, who plays Lainey is a Daytime Emmy award-winning actress but what I last saw her in was as one half of the hilarious duo of It Girls on the Stoop - a reality show best described as Absolutely Fabulous stumbles onto The Rachel Ray set after hours.   In A Million Happy Nows, this actress's core ability shines as she pulls from her own life - she plays a Daytime Emmy award winning soap opera actress who is relegated to a minor role when she suddenly is unable to deliver her lines.   Humiliated, Lainey and Eva (portrayed by Jessica Leccia) retreat to a beach house set far above the canyon. 

NY Event: Funny Women: An Evening of Humor Hosted by The Other F Word's Caytha Jentis and Sandi Marx Features Cynthia Kaplan, Alison Klemp, Pamela Weiler Grayson, Sarah Fearon and more.

Need a little lift to get you in a spring mood? Come to Funny Women: An Evening of Humor at the Goddard Riverside Community Arts Center in New York City on March 28th at 7:30pm - 9:30pm.. The event is hosted by Caytha Jentis, writer director of the hit comedy series The Other F Word streaming on Amazon, and also the movies Bad Parents (with Janine Garofola) and And Then Came Love (starring Vanessa Williams). Tickets are under $20.

Talking With the It Girls on the Stoop (Part Two): Crystal Chappell and Hillary B. Smith Talk #MeToo, Raising Children and Life Lessons

 

In Part Two of my interview with soap legends and now It Girls on the Stoop Crystal Chappell and Hillary B. Smith, we get off the subject of work and talk about what's going on in the world right now, families and hopes.

Suzee: Let's talk about the #MeToo movement. You have both been females with long, successful careers in entertainment. Have you ever been sexually harassed? Have you ever felt like you got lesser treatment because you were a female? Have you ever been paid less than your male counterparts? 

Hillary B. Smith:  YES YES AND YES to all of that!  Yes, I have experienced sexual harassment. Yes, I did feel like I had a diminished stature because I was female. Yes, I  was paid less. And yes, I did complain and I was severely punished. Metoo and Times up are fantastic movements.

NY/NJ Event: Help A Local Child in Foster Care - Bergen County NJ CASA to Hold Benefit Casino Night

Tainted Dreams The Series Streaming on Amazon: #SoapsLiveOn Facebook Contest is a Dream for Soapfans Offering Fun Soap Prizes, Actor Chats, Scripts and More

Still a month to enter!  Sonia Blangiardo's Tainted Dreams, the soap streaming on Amazon, is holding a contest, called #SoapsLiveOn which aims to celebrate the joys of watching continuing drama and the history of soaps. The lucky winners can win one of 25 prizes sure to please any fan of this genre.  Five Grand Prizes will be awarded, which will be a personal phone chat with one of the cast members of the show. See contest for more details). The contest has started and will end on April 18. 2018.

Five First Prize winners will receive one signed script from a well-known soap. Ten Second Prize winners will win a T-shirt related to One Life To Live and 5 Third Prize winners will receive a Tainted Dreams T-shirt.  To enter you just need to push one button. This is the link to enter:  https://tainteddreamssoapsliveon.wishpond.com/sweepstakes-2298273/

Movie Review of Loving Vincent: This Movie Must Be Seen, As Meticulously-Crafted and Beautiful as Van Gogh's Own Work

Review by Connor Moriarty 

More than Just a Gimmick -Classic Hollywood director William Castle, was a pioneer of the “gimmick film.” When his Vincent Price shocker, The House on Haunted Hill, was screened in theaters, fake skeletons would fly through the auditorium. So, while the film itself may have been clichéd, even by the standards of its contemporary audience, the showmanship on display made for an exhilarating experience overall.

It’s amusing to look back on cinema’s history and see what used to be thought of as gimmicky. 1999’s The Blair Witch Project took the cinema vèritè style that was pioneered in films like Cannibal Holocaust and The Last Broadcast, and brought it into the mainstream. As recent as 2014, Richard Linklater completed Boyhood, following the literal growth of a young boy to a young adult.

Talking TV: A (Literal) Recipe for the Mid-Season Blues

                                                                                                         

My Thoughts Exactly... By Beth Abramson Brier

Seeking respite from news too heartbreaking to bear, we tuned into the 2018 Winter Olympics last month to witness the incredulous melding of North and South Koreas' women’s hockey teams, the astonishing performance by the U.S. curling contingent (move over Roomba) and Shaun White’s epic gold medal makeover. Immediately after the closing ceremonies it was time to pick up the remote and once again search through the channel guide to find  new episodes of my favs which had been on hiatus, not daring to compete with the blindingly sequined Tara and Johnny.  (Who could blame them?) 

Talking With The It Girls on The Stoop (Part One): A Conversation with Soap Icons and It Girls Crystal Chappell and Hillary B Smith on Their New Cooking Reality Show Which Combines Cooking, Girl Talk and a Whole Lot of Fun

What's it like to chat with the "It Girls?"

Pure fun. I had the pleasure of talking to The It Girls On The Stoop, soap legends Crystal Chappell and Hillary B. Smith about their new reality cooking series on Vimeo, called The It Girls on the Stoop. These ladies were so much fun I could have talked to them all afternoon. Viewers can get a good glimpse into their personalities while watching this unscripted show. It's a reality show, it's a cooking show, it's a show you just have to keep watching till the end - not just to see how their creations turned out but also to hear the end of their conversations. Read on to find out the whats and whys of The It Girls on the Stoop and of course, the origin of the stoop. 

Suzee: First question, and the most obvious. Do you really like cooking?

Ridgewood Guild International l Film Festival Kicks off 2018 Season with "Evening at the Oscar" Fundraiser Party

Ridgewood NJ - The Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival invites you to "An Evening With Oscar". This event is a fundraiser for the film festival. The event will be held at Park West Loft in Ridgewood on March 1 at 7:30pm. The public is invited. There will be food, drinks, dancing, trivia and a costume contest with some great prizes from local businesses. You can dress as your favorite Oscar winner or star or dress formally. The cost is $65 per person, which includes 2 cocktails with your food, or $50 per person without drinks.

Review: NJ's Paper Mill Playhouse Presents The Outsiders Starring Julia Duff: Time to Laugh About Politics But Who the Heck is Ned Newley?

Review by Beth Abramson Brier

I am all “atwitter” about the hilarious new show, "The Outsider” on stage at Papermill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey, through February 18. Playwright Paul Slade Smith’s east coast debut is nothing less than brilliant. Finally something to laugh (and laugh and laugh) about, something to cheer for and something to stand for. Never did I expect this from politics in 2018.

The play opens with Julia Duffy (Newhart, Designing Women and, more recently, Shameless) as Paige Caldwell, a political pollster, talking with Dave Riley, the Governor’s Chief of Staff played by

Interview: Author Richard Cawdron Writes Poetry About Life, Love and History

Richard Cawdron of England grew up as a musician and has turned his talents to a related endeavor  - writing poetry - which he considers to be "word music." In this interview Richard shares his observations on poetry and the life that guides his pen.

What drives you as a writer? 

“It is about being fired up by a subject and the urges and feelings from creating, conveying and being heard."

A Behind The Scenes View: I Was On The Chew - Just How Many Pancakes Does it Take to Get to be Chew-Worthy?

Beth Brier on The Chew

My Thoughts... Exactly by Beth Brier, Staff Writer and Foodie

Just in case you missed it- due to news of cyclone bombs, nuclear bomb warnings and other distractions - I made my network TV debut this year.  I was invited to tape a roll-in for The Chew (weekdays, ABC @ 1pm EST).  The subject:  my guilty obsession with pancakes*.  So now, true to the site platform name SuzeeBehindTheScenes, I offer you a glimpse of my nine seconds actually “behind the scenes“. 

Killian and the Comeback Kids Movie Coming Soon: Stars Nathan Purdee, Kassie DePaiva, Indiegogo Campaign Started for this Feel-good Folk-Rock Indie

Killian and the Comeback Kids Shooting in Easton PA

Disenchanted after graduating college, and subsequently returning to his hometown, a once-thriving town in the heart of Pennsylvannia, a musician tries to discover his new path in life with the help of some old friends.

Killian and the Comeback kids is a movie about music, hopes and dreams. Set in the beautiful rolling hills of Pennsylvania, with some shots in NYC, it tells the tale of a bi-racial young man Killian, who tries to put a band together to win a prize at the town's biggest event, a music festival. Throughout the movie the characters interconnect in many ways, but all are brought together by music. The score is filled with original music, mostly folk rock. Expect the soundtrack to have other songs on it by other musicians who lent their music and talents to the film.

Stories to Inspire: Actor Paul Rudd Speaks Louder than Words as He Hosts Celebrity Bowling Fundraiser for SAY.Org, Which Supports Children Who Stutter- Includes Hamilton Rap by Rudd

Paul Rudd at Say.org

by Suzanne Ordas Curry

There were no gutterballs to be had for the  kids of the Say Organization as the year started off with a very successful fundraiser, Paul Rudd's Annual All-Star Bowling Event at Lucky Strike Lanes in the heart of Manhattan. In it's sixth year now, the night was an evening of fun, laughter, food, music, bowling and cheer.

The stars and the people came out to support SAY.org, The Stuttering Association for the Young, which is an organization dedicated to helping children who stutter. They empower, educate and support young people who stutter through a summer camp program, speech therapy and creative expression. They never turn someone away if the parents cannot pay. One of their main goals is to instill confidence in the children so they can live and deal with it, and to ask for  patience from those around them.

Meet Jessie Godderz, aka Mr. PEC-Tacular, Star of Tainted Dreams, CBS' Big Brother and now Starring in his New Role as Dad

Jessie Godderz and Alicia Minshew
of Tainted Dreams

Jessie Godderz, also know as Mr. PEC Tacular, most known for his time on  CBS'  hit reality show Big Brother, is now starring in the  Emmy - nominated show streaming on Amazon, Tainted Dreams. Tainted Dreams is the story of a soap within a soap and features iconic actors from daytime, reality and stage.

Tweet with Jessie and the cast of  Tainted Dreams Tonight 1-25 -18 from 9pm-10pm @TaintedDreamsTS


Tainted Dreams just debuted its second season, and in this season we get to know a little more about the background of  the hot guy that was hired to help out on the set. Spoiler alert- he's got a bit of a shady past.

Zoochie Band 2018 Lineup Includes Benefit at Brighton Bar, Historic Maxwell's in Hoboken and Rutgers Spring Concert

Zoochie. the groove rock band out of New Brunswick, NJ  announces it's early 2018 lineup. Visit Zoochie on Facebook for updates: https://www.facebook.com/zoochiemusic/

Catch them at the Brighton Bar in Long Branch, NJ  for a fundraiser called Rock for Liliana to Walk Again.  This fundraiser is for a girl name Liliana who was diagnosed with cancer as a child and needs monetary support to fun stem cell therapy. For info visit:
http://brightonbar.com/index.php/events/category/shows/upcoming/

Benefit lineup:

Interview with Author Mary Carlomagno: Jersey Girl Writes Novel "Best Friend for Hire", Gives Advice for New Writers and Talks about her Time on Oprah's Show

Interview by Suzanne Ordas Curry

Best Friend for Hire by Mary Carlomagno is about a Jersey Girl, Jessie DeSalvo, who was living her dream life working at a glitzy ad agency in New York City, or "the city" as Jerseyans call it, until she gets the boot. Her life takes some twists and turns as she retreats to Hoboken, NJ, becomes a professional "best friend" and has to deal with the inquisitions of her large Italian-American family. The book is funny with meaning, and of course, since it's written by a Jersey Girl, has a storyline about Bruce Springsteen.

I asked Mary about how the book came to be, and how others could start writing. And knowing she was on Oprah, I had to ask her about that.

Ridgewood's Bookends to Host Three Female Authors, Dance Mom's Chloe Lukasiak Signs Girl On Pointe, Laila Ali Talks about Food for Life and and Patricia Heaton Dishes on Food for Family and Friends

Dance Mom's Chloe Lukasiak comes to Ridgewood NJ to talk about her new book Girl on Point and meet and greet her fans. See her January 23rd.
______________________________________________________
Fan of Chloe? Read and watch video:
http://www.suzeebehindthescenes.com/2014/02/almost-tmi-on-chloe-from-dance-moms.html

http://www.suzeebehindthescenes.com/2014/02/dance-aunt-review-of-meet-and-greet.html

http://www.suzeebehindthescenes.com/2015/02/attention-dance-mom-fans-photo-blog.html
______________________________________________________________________________

Interview: Actress, Director and now Author Lorli Villanueva Pens Two Books - A Long, Accomplished Life in Entertainment in the Philippines, Most Notably for Directing the Longest Running Soap in the Philipines, Flor De Luna

by Suzanne Ordas Curry

Lorli Villanueva is an award-winning actress, director, scholar and author. She recently launched her two new books, Dancing With The Dictator and Living and Experiencing the Realms of the Unknown at the Philippine Consulate in New York City to an excited and abundant crowd. 

Lorli is well-known in the Philippines for her three decades in entertainment. She received the Best Supporting Actress at the Manila Film Festival in 1972 among many other nominations. She is most well-known for directing the longest-running soap in the Philippines, Flor De Luna. Her body of work runs the gamet from over 60 films to countless appearances on TV to owning her own production company. In an age where women are just getting recognized and given more opportunities for directing, Lorli succeeded when there were even fewer females in her ranks.

#OPRAH 2020 - Anything Can Happen, Right? View Oprah's "State of the Union - Like" Golden Globes 2018 Cecil B DeMille Acceptance Speech

Aside from #TimesUp, there seems to be another movement started, Oprah for President.

Is there any reality to this concept? It started at the Golden Globes with a joke by Seth Meyers, then she gave her acceptance speech, and oh what a speech. It truly was the best part of the ceremony, which was enjoyable to watch but without any real exciting moments aside from the speech.  ( I would have liked to hear more from Seth throughout the evening.)

Other people over time, even dating back to 2015 have asked Oprah if she would win, reporters from Bloomberg and her friend Gayle King. Both answers were in the negative. But the world is a lot different now than in 2015.

Movie Review of Driver X: Uber On Over to See This Funny Yet Meaningful Comedy about a Middle Aged Man Living in a World of Millenials, Patrick Fabian, Tanya Clarke, Desmin Borges and Oscar Nunez Star in this Henry Barrial/Mark Stolaroff Film

Patrick Fabian stars in DriverX

By Suzanne Ordas Curry

The shoulder lapels. The buttons. The elastic waist.

A uniform.

The few, the proud, wear a uniform. The few, the proud, wear a Members Only Jacket.

For those who wore one, or knew one who wore one, we know the meaning of them. Coolness. Popularity. Partying. A Chick Magnet. It's what the hot guys - or shall I say "hunks" - wore decades ago.. A Members Only Jacket is the ultimate symbol of 80's youth and vigor, a symbol of  how the baby boomers who paid no attention to that nomenclature at that time during that era defined itself.

New York Women in Film and TV Holds 2017 MUSE AWARDS: Honored Were Laura Dern, Judith Light, Amy Emmerich, Julie Dash, Regina K Scully, Alysia Reiner

By Suzanne Ordas Curry

The New York Women in Film and Television held its annual MUSE AWARDS at the New York Hilton on Thursday, December 14, 2017 in New York City. On what was probably the coldest day so far in the New York City this winter, the crowded room was warm with the solidarity of women determined to cheer each other on and make this year the start of a significant change for women.

In this year, the 40th anniversary of  #NYWIFT, the 2017 Muse Awards for Vision and Achievement honored Laura Dern, actor, Amy Emmerich Chief Content Officer for Refinery 29, Julie Dash, Director (who recieved the Nancy Malone Directing Award), and Regina K. Scully, filmmaker and CEO Artemis Rising Foundation, who received the Loreen Arbus Changemaker Award presented by Loreen Arbus.

The Time is NOW for Time's Up: New Coalition Seeks to Change and Defend the Culture of Sexual Harrassment, Reese Withersppon, Eva Longoria, America Ferrera and Growing List of Hollywood Powers Move for Real Change

Reese Witherspoon, Eva Longoria, America Ferrara, Shonda Rhimes, Attorneys Nina Shaw and Tina Tchen, are among hundreds of women who have formed Time's Up to battle sexual harassment and promote equality in the workplace. 

By Suzanne Ordas Curry - Sexual harassment transcends all disciplines and careers. Soon after the Harvey Weinstein news broke and the avalanche started, a group of Hollywood women received a letter of solidarity from the Alliance of Farm Workers which in part stated:

"We do not work under bright stage lights or on the big screen. We work in the shadows of society in isolated fields and packinghouses that are out of sight and out of mind for most people in this country. Your job feeds souls, fills hearts and spreads joy. Our job nourishes the nation with the fruits, vegetables and other crops that we plant, pick and pack.

View: A Jewish Mom/Writer Confesses to Her Christmas Envy and Why She Watches All Those Hallmark Christmas Movies - More Gingerbread Men Please and Hold the Muddy Hooves

By Beth Abramson Brier

Hallmark Christmas Movies. Once considered the very definition of “guilty pleasure”, this year it is reclassified as a necessary euphoric escape from the news of raging wildfires, Matt Lauer, Russia-gate and mystery Oreos (Fruity Pebbles?  Eww!)  For the last three weeks I have been binge watching and reviewing so many movies my head feels as light as spun sugar.  Full disclosure - I am Jewish.  So why my obsession with Christmas movies?  It comes down to two words: Christmas Envy.  That’s right.   I said it.  Christmas Envy.  Or, to be more accurate Christmas Tree Envy.  Christmas Cookie Envy.  Christmas Movie Envy.

Event: Saturday Night Live Cast Members Cecily Strong, Kyle Mooney & Vanessa Bayer Team up for Comedy Fundraiser for ACLU in NYC December 18, Also appearing John Early, Robbie Fulks & More

Funny Lady Cecily Strong to Appear at NYC Benefit

LOL as cast members and writers of Saturday Night Live t come together for a night of laughs and music to benefit the ACLU at The Town Hall on Monday December 18 at 8pm.  100% of the ticket sales of the “Comedy Fundraiser for the ACLU” will be donated to the ACLU.

Hosted by John Early (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and Search Party) the evening features SNL cast members Cecily Strong, Kyle Mooney and the 2017 Emmy nominee Vanessa Bayer; the SNL writers Julio Torres and Jeremy Beiler, and writer and actor Jon Glaser of Delocated, and Jon Glaser Loves Gear). The evening’s musical special guest is Chicago alternative country-rocker Robbie Fulks, a 2017 Grammy nominee.

Event: Shop for a Cause with Same Sky Jewelry and meet Special Guest Actress Sarah Megan Thomas

Hallmark Holiday Movie Review: Christmas List with Alicia Witt, Peter Benson - Should it be on your Christmas Bucket List?

By Beth Abramson Brier

Name: Christmas List

Logline:  Isobel, a fashion designer living in San Diego, plans the perfect Christmas holiday in the snowy Northwest with her boss/boyfriend Brett.  When Brett is delayed by a business meeting, Gabriel, the local builder cum volunteer fireman cum toy store owner, is more than happy to help make Isobel’s Christmas “bucket list” dreams come true.   

Starring:  Alicia Witt as Isobel; Peter Benson as the hunky boyfriend who rocks a plaid flannel shirt; and Jamie Houghton as the too wholesome townie. 

What's to Like about it: All of the holiday traditions are wrapped up in this one movie- caroling, ice skating, gingerbread houses, real trees with twinkly lights, mistletoe and the Christmas concert (of course).

Christmas Movie Review: Hallmark's A Perfect Christmas with Susan Abromeit and Dilon Casey: Why Should You Watch This Newlywed Couple Celebrate Their First Christmas?

By Beth Abramson Brier

Name:  A Perfect Christmas

Logline: A newlywed couple celebrating their first Christmas try to make everything perfect for their visiting families. 

Starring:  Susan Abromeit as Cynthia Faber; Dilon Casey as Steve Faber and Erin Gray as Patricia Faber.

What's to Like about It 

Cynthia and Steve have such good intentions that I couldn’t help but cheer them along.  As their families arrive one by one for Christmas they are bringing not just their own bags but their own baggage.  It is a heartfelt reminder that “the best laid plans..” 

Tainted Dreams, The Emmy-Nominated Soap Series on Amazon by Sonia Blangiardo Premieres Season 2 December 2017: Alicia Minshew, Austin Peck, Michael Lowry, Jessie Godderz, RHONJ Dina Manzo, Anthony Wilkinson Star Along With Iconic Soap Cast

(Press Release) New York City - December 2017 - Romance, intrigue, manipulation…and a little bit of humor.  Just a taste of what’s to come as the Second Season of the Emmy-nominated series Tainted Dreams kicks off and fans finally get resolution from Season One's gripping cliffhanger. Beginning December 21st, the next chapter of Sonia Blangiardo's Tainted Dreams, the soap behind a soap, will be available for streaming on Amazon and Amazon Prime. This series, which was nominated for five 2017 Daytime Emmys, follows the behind-the-scenes drama of a fictitious soap opera titled Painted Dreams and features a very unique cast composed of classic soap opera fan favorites, reality personalities and stage stars.  

Zoochie Band Releases First Single: Matador Juxtaposes Spanish Influence with Rock

Zoochie announces the launch of it's first single November 2107, Matador on most major platforms including Spotify, iTunes, CDBaby and others. You can also hear it on Youtube at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxR6aL3UdqY

In true Zoochie tradition, Matador features the vibrant vocals of lead singer Libby Kallins with an emphasis on the guitar. In this song,  guitarist Shane Curry pulls from his training in Spanish flamenco guitar. The song features heavy bass lines played by Raymond Young, combined with powerful, energetic drums by Matt Ciliberto and a ripping guitar solo by Tyler Brick. The song is written by Libby Kallins and is about a complex relationship.


Here is a live version of Matador:

View: Ode to David Cassidy - I Know I Loved You

David Cassidy in Atlantic City 

by Suzanne Ordas Curry

I think I loved you.

No, I know I did. This bespectacled, chubby, 11 year-old teacher's pet of a girl dreamed about you every night in a room covered with Tiger Beat posters of you on the wall. Perhaps there was a Bobby Sherman in the mix because you were on the same poster, but the wallpaper was just basically David Cassidy posters from anywhere I could find them.

I was the David Cassidy generation. My sister-in-law who is two years younger than me was a fan of Shaun, but not me, strictly David. You were either for David or Shaun, not both. 

Patty Jenkins: Highest Paid Female Director Ready for Wonder Woman 2

Patty Jenkins courtesy Twitter

Patty Jenkins has made a name for herself this year as well as helped make a name for other female directors. The conversation has started. The success of Wonder Woman has prompted  a sequel. Variety did a great interview with  Patty, the highest paid female director ever. View it or listen to it  here:
http://variety.com/2017/film/podcasts/playback-podcast-patty-jenkins-wonder-woman-1202615293/

For a review of  #WonderWomanMovie:
http://www.suzeebehindthescenes.com/2017/06/movie-review-patty-jenkins-wonder-woman.html

Hallmark New Holiday 2017 Movie List - We Love Them and So Do The Advertisers so Expect More Santa, Snow, Elves, Romance and Hot Chocolate

It started before Halloween. The train of holiday movies on the Hallmark channels. And is there anything wrong with that?

According to the stats from last year and their happy advertisers - magic house lights, stuffed pillows and whatnot- there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Last year, Hallmark had more viewers than any other cable network the two weekends of the holiday blitz.

And there are more coming this year. There are 33 new made-for-Hallmark holiday movies coming into our homes as fast as Santa's sleigh. Will there be something new this year?

Stories to Inspire - The For Ian Foundation Created to Find a Cure for Rare Childhood and Other Cancers

It's every parent's nightmare. One day your child is in high school, you're looking forward to graduation and doing all the college applications and trips and then your child gets sick and you hear a diagnosis you never thought you'd have to deal with.

There are so many diseases that can be treated, and there are some that can't. Ian Rahimi, a kid who was just  living a normal teenage life in a small suburban town outside of New York City, had one of those that there was not much hope for.

Ian was one of the brightest students in his school. He was exceptionally smart in the sciences, and was accepted into  Stevens Institute of Technology. Ian would have been at home in the setting of the Big Bang Theory. Smart, young and wanting to conquer the world through research he would do and things he would discover. Quantum physics was his discipline of choice.

Interview - Behind the Scenes with Collar The Movie Creators David Patrick and Nan Wilson: Cop Drama Stars Rebecca De Mornay, Richard Roundtree, Tom Sizemore

                                                                                          Interview by suzanne ordas curry

Movies, whether independent or studio-funded are years in the making. Here I interview David Patrick Wilson and Nan Wilson, a husband and wife team in the industry about their journey to create the film Collar.
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Watch it now!  https://vimeo.com/ondemand/collar
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David's first acting gig was starring against Patti LaPone in South Pacific. Over the next 5 decades he has shared stage and screen credits with such notables as Chlarleton Heston, Anthony Hopkins, Telly Savalas, Leslie Ann Warrn, Michael Keaton, Josh Brolin, Ellen Barkin and more. 

The Other F Word Season Two Premieres in Boston: Tickets Available for This Screening Hosted by Peach and Irelaunch

The Other F Word star LeAnn Hutchinson with
Actress Carrie Preston at NYC premiere  P
Photo Suzanne Curry

(Press Release) Boston: The Other F Word is the break out episodic comedy about four friends who find that the angst of raising kids may be nothing compared to the angst of starting over after they are grown. Season Two of the hit indie comedy series The Other F Word recently launched on Amazon and will have a special event screening in Waltham to celebrate women coming together to help women and what show creator Caytha Jentis calls “the power of Mom.” The show will be screened at the Embassy Theater in Waltham, MA on November 9, 2017 at 7pm. There will be a Q & A after with cast and crew.

Despite Hollywood’s obsession to portray “young faces” on television, The Other F Word Series has proven after only one hit season that there is a high demand for programming geared toward women over 40. The Other F Word Series was one of the top series on Amazon Video Direct for four months running and has been streamed daily since its release September 3, 2016 and has a large audience of devoted viewers.

View: The Fall TV 2017 Lineup - Snark Season is Here

by Beth Abramson Brier

Snark is back and it is the new black! In the wake of the last twelve months this should not come as a surprise to anyone. If it does- say, you were lucky enough to have spent the last year meditating in an ashram or perhaps trapped in a cryogenics lab- message me offline and I'll fill you in. You won't believe it!

But back to snark. Or, more precisely the return of Will and Grace. And Karen and Jack. As if no time has passed, Eric McCormack's Will Truman and Debra Messing's Grace Adler pick up (almost) right where they left off with a breezy familiar banter. And while Megan Mullally delivers Karen Walker's sassy lines without missing a beat, it’s Sean Hayes as Jack McFarland who brings on the snark. Sass? Snark? Aren't I just parsing words? Exactly. Snark comes from a deeper place. It’s more heartfelt than sass and even sarcasm. It’s Jack telling us that after all these years he can’t believe he is dealing with the same old same old. That it’s okay to deny him cake.

TV Host Casey Messer of Good Morning New Mexico: On Puffy Shirts, Being an Architect, Festivus and How Perseverance Pointed Her in This Direction

                                                                                                                                                                                                   Interview by Suzanne Ordas Curry

I don't recall the initial prompt, but I met Casey on Social Media. I think what attracted my attention was her love of Seinfeld, a mutual love. So, I had to know what this girl was about.  She must be pretty cool and have a great sense of humor if she could watch Seinfeld repeats and laugh each time.

So, with a few prompts from some of the most classic lines from Seinfeld, here's some info you might not have known about this talented and busy host of Good Day New Mexico, who spends her days in Albuquerque covering all sorts of morning show subjects and successfully pursues acting in her spare time - you may not know she's played a reporter in movies and TV, such as Independence Day: Resurgence and her latest movie, Only The Brave, is out this fall.  And for those in the Northeast, you can see Casey as the Optimum Lady on cable.

No Soup for you!!