VIEW: I'm Not Watching COVID-19 News Today - I'm Watching Hallmark and Here's Why

By Suzanne Ordas Curry

I live in a house with men. I have a husband and two sons. Around the holidays, we have a saying in our house. It's called the "definition of a split second." That's the time it takes for one of the men to walk in to a room with the TV on, see it's a Hallmark movie, look around for mom and if I'm not there,  then shut is off. Really, they can do this in half a second. And no matter where I am in the house, I'll hear it.

They often ask me, why do you watch these movies? I tell them, "I watch them because they put me in a good mood." Because I have them on so often, they are even starting to recognize them.  So the next question is, "Why do you watch them over and over again?" I answer, "Again, because they put me in a good mood. And I don't always watch them glued to the set. I might be doing something else while they're on, but I will tune in for the best parts." Examples: like when Danica McKeller shows up at the ball with the red dress on at the top of the staircase, or when Lacey Chabert takes off her long white glove to eat the food at the ball, or when the perfume is verified to be old so we know Candace Cameron Bure is really from the past. I could go on... And of course, I always tune in at 1 hour and 59 minutes into the movie to see the final kiss. 

Bruce Springsteen, Stephen Colbert, Whoopi Goldberg, Danny De Vito, Rutgers's Carli Lloyd, Charlie Puth, John Stewart, BonJovi and First Lady Tammy Murphy Team Up to Launch the NJ Pandemic Relief Fund: Video

By Suzanne Ordas Curry

Several of New Jersey's most notable entertainers and personalities have banded together from the inside of their homes to come out in support of the new initiative, the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund. Visit: https://njprf.org/.

Bruce Springsteen, Stephen Colbert, Whoopi Goldberg Danny DeVito, Carli Lloyd, Charlie Puth,Jon BonJovi and Jon Stewart have already come out to support this fundraising and grant-giving program.

The program is hosted by the Comunity Foundation of NJ. It is lead by Board members First Lady Tammy Murphy and NJ Resident John Weinreich .

Are You a College Student Stuck at Home with Your Parents? Here's a Top Ten List of How to Make Your COVID-19 Isolation Happy, Productive and with less FOMO - Suggestions on Binge-Watching and More

By Julia Colucci

Editor's Note: Julia is our newest writer. She is a currently a College Freshman at home with her parents!

Many college students around the country have found themselves bored, down, and missing their schools while they are quarantined in their homes and practicing social distancing. For me, coming home early from Ithaca College was very unexpected and definitely took some getting used to.

But this temporary isolation doesn’t have to be the worst thing to ever happen to you. There are plenty of ways to stay busy and entertained while waiting out this global pandemic. Here is a list of ten activities for you to do while stuck at home that have helped both myself and some of my fellow peers:

Pick up an old hobby or start a new project: One thing I have found to be a great way to stay occupied and positive when you have a lot of time on your hands is to find a hobby or start some sort of project. This week I decided to start playing the guitar again, which is something I used to love but haven’t done in years. Playing an instrument has helped me stay positive because it feels like I am doing something productive by getting better at an old skill. Liam Barron, a freshman at William Patterson University, has turned to music as an outlet. He said, “Social isolation has allowed me to both focus on and express myself much more effectively through the music I write.” 

View: The World of Covid-19 - It's Not Contagion It's Groundhog Day

by Suzanne Ordas Curry

As soon as this started happening, I started thinking about all those movies I have watched in my lifetime about contagions, viruses, aliens, zombies. climate disasters, etc.  I'm talking about all those movies where the everyday normal life we thought was already stressful was turned upside down with fear, panic and doomsday scenarios.

I'm in the movie business, and I know it's made up. It's scripted. Sometimes it's based on fact, but still, fiction is fiction. One of the first things I realized was the speed of this disaster. It is often hard to reflect real time in movies. I am incredulous by the speed at which all of this is happened: the speed of the spread, the speed of the economic problem, the speed of the acceptance and the speed of the denials. I don't think any of the apocolyptic movies got it exactly right, but for sure we'll be seeing some portrayals of this pandemic as soon as people get back to their studios.

Casting Call: Flipping Families seeks Families for New Show

Well here's a distraction. Twin Talents Casting in NYC is searching for some families that may want to be on a reality show. If this is something you've thought about or just curious about what it takes to get on one, read on. The site also shows other opportunities and new casting calls are updated regularly. This agency is run by two females who are twins: http://www.twinsworld.com/

#CareCardsforCoronaCaregivers: Donate a Gift Card to a Hospital Worker

By Suzanne Ordas Curry

Everyone is starting to realize that we may be in this Covid-19 crisis for quite some time. Some cities have already started shelter-in-place, and more will follow. The safey and security of being at home with your family is nothing to take for granted. For the thousands of essential workers -. healthcare, first responders, those along the food supply chain, manufacturing - they cannot work from home,

Hospitals are especially hard hit. I happen to live in one of the epicenters, Bergen County NJ. One of our hospitals, Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, NJ has been hard-hit with novel corona virus patients and they have over a half dozen people on ventilators. No one hearing the news these days can avoid hearing how our medical system will be overstressed. And this is just one of them, other hospitals in this county are also starting to get overwhelmed.

COVID-19 Cancellations, Suspensions Hit Showbiz, Sports: List

The list is growing of what is being cancelled or postponed due to COVID-19. Here is a list of major events in the NY Metro area and some others as to what has so far been cancelled or suspended. In addition to this many TV productions have been halted, which is going to effect when your shows appear next year. Movies are also changing their release dates. It's all a small price to pay for the safety of all.

Get Ready for the Olympics: Rowing Movie "Backwards" with James Van Der Beek, Sarah Megan Thomas, Margaret Colin Now Available on Itunes & Amazon

The Olympics will happen. Possibly not as they were intended, but there will most likely be some form of Olympics. If you're looking for a movie to watch on your home TV or other device, and especially if you are a fan of the Olympics or women in sports, Backwards is an inspiring movie relaunched to catch Olympic fever. A story about the world of competitive rowing, it stars the handsome James Van Der Beek (One Tree Hill, Pose, Dancing with the Stars), Sarah Megan Thomas (Equity, Liberte - A Time to Spy), Glen Morshower (Bloodline, The Resident) and  Margaret Colin (Veep, Independence Day). Sarah Megan Thomas wrote and produced the film. Though it is fiction, Sarah was a rower.

The movie is about a young women whose goal in life was to make the Olympic rowing team. After her second unsuccessful attempt, she finds herself accepting a coaching assignement at a small school. During her time with her students and family, she faces the questions of what to do with the rest of her life as what she had trained for for so long was apparently becoming more and more out of reach for her. 

This is a good family movie; it's about struggles, determination and setting goals amongst the backdrop of a sport most people know little about. Even though this is about an athlete, it applies to anyone who has created a picture in their mind of what they thought there life would be like. In addition, you'll walk away knowing some crew terminology - and understand the title better!

Interview - Females in Entertainment: Tony-Award Winning Producer Valerie Novakoff Talks about Broadway, a Woman's Role in it and her Broadway Women's Fund

Valerie Novakoff with her Tony

By Suzanne Ordas Curry

I had the pleasure of meeting the founder of the Broadway Women's Fund at a joint event sponsored by New York Women in Film and Television and 100 Women in Finance.Valerie was on the panel to talk about the theater industry, the money behind it and the state of women in the industry.

Valerie is a Tony-award winning producer whose career includes many positions in theater. She has worked in top administrative offices for nearly a decade and she is Associate Producer at Davenport Theatrical Enterprises, the first Broadway producing office on the Inc. 5000 list.

In addition, She was the Associate Producer of the Tony Award-winning revival of Once On This Island and Assistant Producer of An Act of God starring Sean Hayes. She has also worked in finances or administration in offices connected to multiple Tony-Award-winning shows including Wicked, Fun Home,The Band’s Visit, Once, Tommy and Jersey Boys.

Valerie published a groundbreaking study on gender parity among Broadway producers which was reported in the New York Times and Fast Company. In addition to the lack of equality in the Hollywood entertainment industry, Valerie documented equally disturbing trends in the Broadway world. She is now founder and managing Director of the Broadway Women's Fund, which seeks to invest in and inspire women in all facets of a Broadway production.

I asked Valerie about how she got started in the industry and why this is yet another cultural entity and business in need of female representation and involvement.

Event: Trent Dawson and Michael Park to Appear at Inaugural Event for Katonah Classic Stage in New York - Actors, Crew Positions Available

Trent Dawson

Katonah Classic Stage is pleased to announce its inaugural season. Katonah Classic Stage (KCS) is a new theater company in Katonah, NY whose mission is to offer exceptional, diverse and professional productions of classical and contemporary plays. This new theater company, (hosted by the Harvey School, 260 Jay St. Katonah), will bring professional plays as well as classes on the theater arts to the lower Hudson Valley.  The plans are to host productions throughout the year  tht will have an appeal to all ages. Though Katonah is near New York City, this theater will fill the void in the area as New York caliber productions will now be available on this side of the bridge. You can visit the website at https://www.katonahclassicstage.com.