DriverX the Movie Starring Patrick Fabian, Tanya Clarke with Desmin Borges, Melissa Fumero, Oscar Nunez Opens with Special Screening in NYC: Photos and Video

Desmin Borges, Tanya Clarke and Patrick Fabian of DriverX Movie

By Suzanne Ordas Curry

DriverX the Movie  had a special Sneak Peak Screening at the IFC Center in New York City the Tuesday before it's national release opening, November 30th.

DriverX is the story of  a middle-aged man coming of age as he embarks on a new career as a rideshare driver (called DriverX in the movie. Patrick Fabian plays the husband, father and former breadwinner of the housefhold whose former job was owning, ironically, a record store called The Last Record Store.

Event Review: Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn at the PaperMill Playhouse in NJ - Glitz, Glam, Dancing and Shining Performances by the Cast Make This A Holiday Must-See For Everyone

by Beth Abramson Brier

I don’t know about you but after just one pre-Thanksgiving snowstorm, I’m done. Instead of a white Christmas, I’m dreaming of a glam Christmas. A dazzling, shimmery, twinkly, jingle bell Christmas. Just like the ones I used to know. Kinda. Take it from this Jewish girl with holiday envy - check out of the cold and check into Holiday Inn now playing at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey. Based on the beloved black-and-white movie classic from Universal Pictures, Holiday Inn features the music and lyrics of Irving Berlin (who obviously shares my secret obsession for reindeer and mistletoe along with latkes).

INTERVIEW: Actress Hayley Podschun Talks about Her Role in Holiday Inn at the Paper Mill Playhouse, White Christmases, Podcasts and Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls

Interview by Beth Abramson Brier

Just a week before opening night, on the evening of the big snowstorm, I had a chance to chat with the talented and amiable Hayley Podschun, one of the female leads of Holiday Inn not caught in the snarled traffic.

Hayley, were you familiar with the classic movie version of Holiday Inn?

Hayley Podschun: Growing up I watched A Christmas Story and White Christmas and only four years ago did I first see Holiday Inn. I love that the stage production is a fresh modernized take on the story.

Indie Film Awakening Arlene by Brad Forenza Wraps Production in NJ - Sopranos Star Vincent Pastore Stars, Music is by Grammy-Winner Julie Gold in this Short About A Woman Coming of Age in MId-life

Jersey City, NJ, November 2018 – Awakening Arlene, a short film written and directed by Brad Forenza (Breaking Points), with original songs by Julie Gold (Grammy-winner, “From a Distance”) recently wrapped production. The quest-oriented, later-life coming-of-age film stars Jo Walker and Vincent Pastore (SAG Award-winner, The Sopranos).

As Walker, who plays the title character, observes: “Awakening Arlene addresses existential themes like freedom, aging, and angst. It’s the story of a middle-aged woman struggling to make sense of her worlds, both large and small. The problem is that her worlds often defy logic and feel beyond reproach.”

Singer/songwriter Julie Gold opens the film with haunting voice and perspective through her original lyric, “Don’t Ask Me (I Don’t Know) “Awakening Arlene is just what the world needs right now: a female protagonist finding her voice and taking action,” says Gold.

View: Christmas Movies on the Hallmark Channel, Lifetime, Netflix - If You Like Princes, Castles, Snow, Romance, Christmas Festivals, Singing and Happy Endings Your Stocking This Year Will be Overflowing

By Suzanne Ordas Curry
Never Too Early To Start Watching

Just when you might be thinking, well, I guess it's close enough to start thinking Christmas, you will realize you have already missed quite a lot of holiday movie viewing. It seems that this year there is just too much - yes, too much, and I say this even though I can bing fo 8 hours straight on holiday movies without a break (mind mush at that point, however).

Interview: Actor Desmin Borges of You're The Worst Talks About His Role as Another Complicated Man in DriverX Movie with Patrick Fabian

                                                                                                                  Interview by Suzanne Ordas Curry
Actor Desmin Borges, who has been seen on many notable tv shows and films including playing a very memorable vet with PTSD on FX’s You’re The Worst, is now starring in a new comedy-drama called DriverX, which chronicles the life and riders of a ride-share driver played by Patrick Fabian (Better Call Saul). Desmin plays one of the service users, Tommy, a comedic character trying to find himself in the back seat of a car as well as through some very interesting night-time rendezvous.

Also starring in the movie, which starts its theater run late November 2018 and can also be seen on many streaming platforms at the same time, are Tanya Clarke, Melissa Fumero, Oscar Nunez, Max Gail and Travix Schuldt.

I had the opportunity to talk to Desmin about his role in the film, learn about his comedic inspiration, and get a glimpse into what makes this successful actor tick.

-----------------------------------------See DriverX in Theaters and On Demand Starting November 30, 2018

Interview: Actor Desmin Borges Talks His Experience Playing Edgar Quintero on Who's The Worst Now Streaming - What He Learned About Vets, PTSD and Why Vets Did and Didn't Relate to His Character

Everyday more vets come home and have to assimilate into civilian life. In You're The Worst, which is streaming on many platforms, Desmin Borges plays a vet with PTSD, and lots of other problems.  We chat with Edgar on what he learned playing this part, and how he was so proud to make a connection with our veterans through this role. 

Tell me what is was like doing the role of Edgar, a role that has not been tackled before in this manner.

Interview: Actress/Activist/Producer/Entreprenuer Alysia Reiner of Orange is the New Black and Better Things: Read about her Upcoming Film Egg, Life, The Women's Movement, Her Favorite Shows and Why She Loves NY

Alysia and her mother on the Red Carpet

                                                                                      
                                                                                                                              Interview by Suzanne Ordas Curry
Alysia Reiner proudly accepted the Made in New York award at the 2017 MUSE Awards sponsored by the New York Women in Film and Television, and spoke about the things that mattered to her, that she feels we all should care about. As an actress, producer, mother, wife and entreprenuer she speaks out on what she's seen, dealt with and what could be made better. Often hitting on controversial topics, she's not afraid to speak her mind. 

As Warden Fig on Netflix's Orange is the New Black, she's used the platform to speak about prison reform. She talks about women's rights, democracy, gun control, the environment and motherhood. Her next feature film called Egg coming in 2019, which she produced with her husband, actor David Alan Basche, covers the topic of surrogacy and explores the choices women have now. It is her second feature film which is female-centric, meaningful - and entertaining. Her first feature film which she was a producer on, called Equity, starred Anna Gunn as a female investment banker navigating the male-dominated world of Wall Street. This film won a Women's Image Network Award.She will also be seen in the new movie An Acceptable Loss in 2019. 

New Filmmaker Series: New York City's Hannah Roze Tackles Sisterhood With a Little Help from Her Sisters in her First Short Film Entitled The Disenchantment of a Young Adult and Wild Child

Hannah Roze is an up and coming actress, writer and filmmaker, though her greatest satsifaction comes from acting. Her first short film, The Disenchantment of a Young Adult and Wild Child, has been making the film festival from the West to the East Coast. This New Yorker who does a mean British accent from her mom's side of the family- is a force to be reckoned with in film as well as in her "day job"- a NYC tour guide. Read more about the making of her new film, how she enjoys the company of women on a set, and what's she learned so far.

So You Want to Be A Television Meteoroligst: WABC-TV New York Meteorologist Any Freeze Has Some Advice on How To Get Started

It's always fascinating to see how people get there start, especially when it's a fascinating job. I had the honor of speaking to the lovely and talented meteorologist Amy Freeze of  ABC New York’s Eyewitness News how she came about becoming a meteoroligst in the the biggest TV market in the United States.Sometimes the best way to figure out how to get to where you want to be is to see how other people did it. Here’s what Amy had to say:

Q. What sparked you to think, “I want to be a meteorologist?”

Amy Freeze: In college I studied print journalism. I  did a lot of work with foreign policy. I did a study abroad in South Africa. I studied in Germany. I was very interested in what was happening with the European Union.

I wrote some poems. but I ended up writing for a television station, that happened up in Portland Oregon. When I got up to the newsroom there was an opportunity to start doing weather at the state universtiy, and they chose me to do it because of my name. They  were like, you know, your name is Freeze so you should do this and it got the ball rolling. Then I had to further my education in it.

Q: You already had a college degree and were highly educated, but this was a lot of math, right?

Amy Freeze: Definitely. Math and physics play a big role in meteorology and even when you're in the job you have to constantly understand those things.

Interview: Meteorologist Amy Freeze of New York City's WABC Eyewitness News Talks Weather, Spaghetti Models, Motherhood and What Her Real Name Is

By Suzanne Ordas Curry

We’ve come a long way from the days of Ted Baxter and Anchorman. Amy Freeze is a meteorologist with ABC Eyewitness News in New York City. She does the weather reports with ease and a smile, making even the harshest forecasts palatable. She also is a correspondent for other events, including the New York City Marathon, which is near and dear to her as she is a runner herself. I had the pleasure of meeting her at a social function and she agreed to an intervew. (Note: Some of this content is a repost from an earlier article).. 

Remember the term "weatherman?" Well that went out with the milkman. Meteorology is a hot topic these days, and we need poised, professional, educated people delivering the news. I can’t remember a time prior to this past decade when the weather was one of the top topics on the national evening news topics like it is now. There’s almost always something going on and in many instances its quite disastrous, devouring unusual amounts of resources like manpower and money. Growing up, I can’t recall many storms or weather events, if that was even a term decades ago, that had the effects that weather does now. Of course now we have more people, more development, more to upset.

NJ Event: Your Thrilling Next Chapter Awaits You - Learn How You Can Make a Change in Your LIfe with Jackie Pantaliano

Are you looking to do something new in your life? Whether you are in your thirties or your sixties, you can make a change and start a new chapter in your life. This workshop will take place Sat, November 3, 2018 at 10AM – 12:00 PM EDT at Beneficial Bank,  1901 New Jersey 70#E in Cherry Hill, NJ 08003.

Hosted by Jackie Pantaliano, who has had her own business ImPRessions doing public relations and publicity for decades, and who herself has embarked on a new career,  you will gain insights as to what the rest of your life has in store for you.