Just In Case You Were Wondering . . .

 

Italian American Heritage Month: Tuto Il Mondo!

 

When Bad Things Happen -- Turn Away From God?

Billy Crystal told the CBS Sunday Morning TV show that he no longer trusts God after experiencing two very painful life tragedies. He lost his family’s Pacific Palisades home of 46 years in the 2025 wildfires. And then he was faced with the murder of his close friends Rob and Michele Reiner. He told the media that he wasn’t speaking to God anymore “cause I don’t trust Him. Too many bad things have happened. The earth is in bad shape. This is a weird, scary time.”

The last part of Billy's statement sounds vaguely political: "a weird, scary time." We've heard these sorts of phrases from liberal Hollywood cognoscenti again and again. These are basically woke code words.

The murders of the Reiners by their own mentally troubled son? Tragic and horrific! No doubt about it.

"Not speaking" to God anymore? All we can say is that Christianity does not view doubt or a breakdown in trust as an unforgivable wall, but as an honest human struggle. Figures throughout the Bible—such as Job, David (e.g., Psalm 22), and various prophets—expressed deep confusion, anger, or feelings of abandonment, yet God continued to engage with them. 

When a person stops speaking out of hurt or distrust, Christian teaching holds that God's silence is rarely punitive. Instead, it is often seen as a space for grace, patience, or an invitation to bring raw and honest feelings (including anger and doubt) back to Him in prayer. 

We're taught that God does not abandon or stop loving someone who pulls away or struggles with trust. 

In the meantime, Billy has turned his story into a hugely successful one-man Broadway Show called 860 which was his Pacific Palisades address. We wish him well. 

Italian American Heritage Month: Rudolph Valentino

 

Italian American Heritage Month: Adam Carolla

Adam Carolla (that's his actually name, his dad was Italian American) is best known as a comedian, actor, radio personality, television host, and New York Times best-selling author. 

He currently hosts The Adam Carolla Show, which holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the most downloaded podcast. Adam started The Adam Carolla Show podcast from his home office in February 2009. The podcast now receives more than 30 million downloads a month and has been featured in Fast Company Magazine, Entrepreneur, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times.

After years of “digging ditches and swinging hammers” on construction sites throughout Southern California that led to a job rebuilding a boxing gym, Adam traded that for an opportunity to coach boxing. Little did he know this would lead to a fateful meeting with Jimmy Kimmel, which would officially put him on the path to comedy stardom.

After joining Kimmel on KROQ’s hit morning show, Adam launched his national comedy career on the syndicated radio program Loveline with Dr. Drew Pinsky. MTV developed a television version of the show, which was co-hosted by Adam and Dr. Drew for five seasons (1996–2000). With Jimmy Kimmel and creative partner Daniel Kellison, Adam created and starred in two hit Comedy Central shows, The Man Show (1999–2003) and Crank Yankers (2002–2005).

He later took that construction acumen into the television world with TLC’s The Adam Carolla Project, which saw him and old construction buddies remodeling and flipping his childhood home; Spike TV’s To Catch a Contractor where he busted shady contractors and made them fix their shoddy work; and Adam Carolla and Friends Build Stuff Live where he coached celebrity guests on various DIY challenges.

Adam became a New York Times best-selling author when his book, In 50 Years We’ll All Be Chicks, topped the charts for ten weeks. The audio version went straight to the #1 position on iTunes. He has since written five more books including New York Times best-sellers Not Taco Bell Material and President Me.

Adam also co-wrote, produced, and starred in two independent feature-length films: The Hammer (2007) and Road Hard (2015), a crowdfunded comedy that raised over a million dollars in a single month. Through his venture Chassy Media, he produced the inspirational documentaries Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman, Uppity: The Willy T Ribbs Story, and The 24-Hour War, which documents the battle between Ford and Ferrari in the 1960s for racing dominance at Le Mans.

Along with hosting his daily podcast, Adam headlines clubs, theaters, and casinos nationwide as a stand-up comic touring his particular brand of commonsense comedy that aired as his first stand-up special on Fox Nation in the winter of 2025.

Italian American Heritage Month: Bobby Darin

Bobby Darin’s voracious desire for show business fame was fueled by a sense that the sword of Damocles was always hanging over him. Darin was born Walden Robert Cassotto on May 14th, 1936 in the Bronx to a family of very modest means.

At an early age Darin developed rheumatic fever which damaged the valves of his heart. He was a frail and sickly boy, and normal stickball in the streets or roughhousing with other kids his age was just not possible for him. He was however a very bright and gifted boy and his “mother” Polly realized this early on. Polly was a Vaudeville performer in her youth and she encouraged Bobby to explore music and to read constantly.

Music played a big part in the Cassotto household in Bobby’s youth. By the time he was in his early teens he could play the piano and drums. With Polly’s love and encouragement and with a deep desire to make Polly proud, Bobby began to plan and work towards his dreams.

Bobby attended the prestigious Bronx High School of Science which only very gifted students could attend. After graduation he attended Hunter College but dropped out after one semester. He concluded that college was not the path for him and he would “fight the fight in the streets to achieve his show business dreams.” He began to write songs and sing demos and hung around the famous Brill Building, which was the epicenter of music and creativity in New York City at that time.

The musical gods shined on Darin as a recording session on April 10, 1958 produced a song that would go to number 3 on the charts. ”Splish Splash” was written by Darin in 15 minutes after a half-joking dare from disc jockey Murray the K Kaufman’s mother. Other hits soon followed such as “Queen of the Hop,” and the beautiful Latin-flavored tune he wrote “Dream Lover,” which sold over a million copies and went to number 2 on the charts. With regular appearances on the Dick Clark and Ed Sullivan Shows and regular touring gigs, Darin began to fulfill the dream he and Polly had mapped out.

The 1959 album “That’ s All” launched Bobby Darin into another level of artistry, global fame and critical acclaim. “Mack the Knife” reached number one and stayed there for 10 weeks and sold over two million copies. “Beyond the Sea” reached number 6 and may be the most well known Darin song ever due to its constant usage in movies, ads, documentaries and TV shows. Darin won a 1959 Record of the Year Grammy Award for “Mack the Knife” and a Grammy for best new artist.

The early 60’s saw Darin perform to sellout crowds at the most prestigious nightclubs in the country, from the Copa in New York to the Flamingo in Las Vegas. He also began to do movies. He met his future wife Sandra Dee on the film “Come September” filmed in Italy in 1960. A seven-picture deal with Paramount showcased what a fine actor he was. His gritty performance with Sidney Poitier in the film “ Pressure Point" brought critical acclaim. His role in the 1963 film “ Captain Newman M.D.” with Gregory Peck garnered him a best supporting Oscar nomination.

In 1968 Bobby had become close with Senator Robert F. Kennedy and he campaigned for him actively. He was with the Senator the day before he was killed in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968. This stunned Bobby to the core but an even more painful chapter was about to be revealed. RFK had spoken at length with Darin about his running for political office. Darin was serious about it and when his sister Nina and “father” Charlie heard about it they had to unearth a very dark secret. Nina and Charlie feared that if Darin got into politics the press would uncover a hidden bombshell. His beloved Polly, whom he so revered, was not his biological mother but actually his grandmother. Nina, who he had known as his sister his entire life, was actually his biological mother.

This revelation emotionally scarred Darin for the rest of his life. He was angry with Nina and he felt that his whole life had been a lie. In the wake of a totally changed musical landscape, the death of RFK, and the revelation about his family, Bobby Darin sold all his possessions and moved into a trailer in Big Sur in northern California to reevaluate his life. He read voraciously, spent time with his son, and debated politics with friends who lived on the property with him.

Gone were the super polished Vegas act and the hipster swagger of a consummate showman. What replaced it was a man who was writing and singing about the issues the country was facing and what he personally was facing; turmoil. He told Dick Clark at the time that he was “lost” and that back in the day he “chose plastic when he should have chosen ethnic.”

By 1971 Darin was facing serious health problems. Throughout the 60’s he would battle heart arrhythmias and extreme fatigue. In February 1971 he underwent open-heart surgery to put in a pacemaker. The surgery was a success and he began to reemerge into the show business world again. In addition to Vegas gigs, he appeared as a guest on many TV shows of the era including the Flip Wilson Show, The Dean Martin Show and Sonny and Cher.

Darin was determined to not to be an old rocker or Vegas hipster simply to be trotted out for retirement conventions. In 1972 he got his own weekly variety show on NBC, which ran through 1973. He also had a regular gig at the prestige venue of the time, The Las Vegas Hilton which was home to Elvis and Barbra Streisand. Things were on the upswing for Bobby Darin after the tumultuous and deeply troubling times of 1967-68.

In early 1973 Darin was again having severe heart arrhythmias and exhaustion. The finest Doctors of the day could not find the cause. After wrapping his NBC TV show in May 1973 and then closing for the final time at the Las Vegas Hilton in August 1973, Bobby Darin went to LA to rest and try and get better. On December 20th, 1973 he underwent exploratory open-heart surgery. The Doctors found a massive infection in his heart and he died hours after the surgery. He left his body to medical research in the hope he could help other people. He was 37 years old.

Darin was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 1999, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. His life was portrayed in the 2004 feature film “Beyond the Sea” for Lions Gate entertainment. The 1998 PBS documentary “Beyond the Song” told his story in a poignant way with interviews from his peers, friends and family woven with footage of him performing. There have been five books written about his life. Because

In 2018 “Dream Lover” The Bobby Darin musical broke box office records in Melbourne, Australia and won a Helpmann award, the equivalent to a Tony Award in the US. Now, the new Bobby Darin musical "Just In Time" is a big hit on Broadway.

Italian American Heritage Month: Giancarlo Esposito

Did you know that Giancarlo Esposito, one of Hollywood’s most recognizable actors, has Italian roots?

Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1958, Esposito grew up with a fascinating multicultural heritage. His father, Giovanni Esposito, was Italian, originally from Naples, while his mother, Elizabeth Foster, was an African-American opera singer from the United States. Esposito lived in Italy until he was five and then his family moved to New York where he spent his formative years.

Long before becoming internationally famous as Gustavo Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Giancarlo was already building a remarkable career across theater, film, and television.

But behind the actor known around the world is also an Italian family story. Through his father, Esposito carries a connection to Naples — a city shaped by centuries of history, art, music, strong traditions, and an unmistakable identity. 

His story is another example of how Italian heritage has traveled far beyond Italy’s borders. Across generations, millions of Italians and their descendants have contributed to culture, entertainment, business, sports, and everyday life around the world.

Giancarlo Esposito’s background beautifully represents that meeting of cultures: Italian roots, an African-American heritage, a European birthplace, and a career that made him a global star. 

Sometimes an Italian story can be found where you least expect it.

Italian American Heritage Month: Ida Lupino

Actress, singer, director, and producer Ida Lupino (1918-1995) cut one of the most alluring profiles of any Hollywood persona during the forties and fifties. She was of Italian descent on her father's side.

The star of classic films such as They Drive by Night (1940), High Sierra (1941), and Road House (1948), she was a stalwart of the screen throughout her early career and frequently received top billing ahead of stars such as Humphrey Bogart. While her talent was undeniable, her insistence on taking only roles she felt would challenge her professionally often put her at odds with the demands of studio executives.

It was in those periods of frustration and suspension as an actor that Lupino fostered a talent for the filmmaking process. In a bold decision for a woman of the era, she founded her own independent production company where she became widely regarded as one of the most prolific filmmakers working at the height of the Hollywood studio system. 

She has been described by fellow directors such as Martin Scorsese as "resilient, with a remarkable empathy for the fragile and heartbroken." A trailblazer for women, she was way ahead of her time and charted a path for so many others.

Remembering The Legendary Eva Marie Saint . . .

Italian American Heritage Month: Guy Williams

Armando Joseph Catalano (1924-1989) was born in New York to immigrant Sicilian parents.  

He grew up in Little Italy in the Bronx, and began his career as a model, including for cigarette and toothpaste brands. His agent Henry Wilson changed his name to Guido Armando, then to Guy Williams.

In 1957, at the age of 33, Walt Disney chose him to play Zorro. Guy Williams played the role of the Masked Justice for 82 episodes, directing every stunt and duel. 

His dashing good looks, eloquence and charm had female hearts fluttering, while the male audiences admired his fencing dexterity and effortless ladies'-man appeal. The Disney series was so popular that certain episodes were culled together and released into two feature films. He also played Professor John Robinson in Lost in Space.

He became a huge star!

Yes, These Famous Stars Are ALL Still Alive!

 

Bob Mackie, The Master Of Sequins, Rhinestnes

Rest in Peace Bob Mackie. 

Mackie was born March 24, 1939, in Monterey Park, California, to Charles Robert Mackie and Mildred Agnes (née Smith) Mackie. His father worked at Bank of America. He has an older sister. He was best known for his dressing of numerous entertainment personalities for television, movies, concerts, and live stage shows. 

Mackie was the costume designer for all of the performers on The Carol Burnett Show during its entire eleven-year run, and the creator of memorable ensembles for Cher and Elton John. He is referred to alternatively as the "Sultan of Sequins", the "Rajah of Rhinestones" or the "Guru of Glitter" for his sparkling and imaginative designs. 

Mackie once said, "A woman who wears my clothes is not afraid to be noticed." Mattel partnered with him to produce outfits for collectable Barbie dolls, and he introduced cultural diversity to their features and outfits to reflect the heritage of real-life women. 

Over his lifetime, Mackie received nine Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for his work. He was nominated for the Oscar for costumes in Lady Sings the Blues (1972), Funny Lady (1975 and Pennies From Heaven (1981) and Emmys for The Carol Burnett Show, Mama's Family, The Sonny and Cher Show, Cher, Mrs. Santa Claus, Gypsy, Fresno and many others, Mackie received one honorary award and 9 competitive awards from 32 nominations

In April 2023, Mackie was accepted  the inaugural Giving Us Life-time Achievement Award by RuPaul at the RuPaul's Drag Race Season 15 finale Some of his other famous clients included Dolly Parton, Raquel Welch, Ann-Margeret, Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, Farrah Fawcett, Doris Day and Oprah Winfrey among others. On March 14, 1960, Mackie married LuLu Porter (née Marianne Wolford), a singer and actress, and later an acting teacher. The couple divorced in 1963. They had a son, Robert Gordon Mackie, Jr. (known as "Robin"). Robin, a makeup artist, died in 1993 at the age of 33 of an AIDS-related illness due to drug use, predeceasing his parents. 

As featured in the 2024 documentary Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion, Bob and Lulu had remained very close throughout the years and later discovered that they share a granddaughter (through their son) with whom they enjoy a close relationship. They also have  two great grandchildren. 

Beginning in 1963, Mackie's significant other was costume designer Ray Aghayan, whom Mackie worked with as an assistant. The two worked together through the 1970s, as well as having separate clients. They remained together until Aghayan's death in 2011. Mackie created all of the costumes, including evening gowns, character outfits and dance clothing for guests during the run of The Carol Burnett Show, including the famous curtain dress from the "Went with the Wind!" sketch (spoofing Gone With the Wind) which was donated to the Smithsonian Institution. 

he announcement of Mackie's death says he died of natural causes at 87 years old.

We Honestly Couldn't Agree More: Looney Clooney!

 

Remembering A True American Oridinal!

While I enjoy country music, and liked Dolly Parton, I can't say that I was a fan.

I did see her perform live, in person once. It was at The Borgata in Atlantic City at the hotel's cavernous Event Center. It was not the best venue but if you wanted to see Dolly, you had to be prepared to share her with thousands of others. She was a legendary performer and, like many others, I wanted to see her perform live.

And guess what? Even though she appeared on a vast stage in a casino complex with bars dotting the auditorium and alcohol flowing freely and even though my seat was nowhere near what could be called the orchestra, she was in total command of the evening and she was wonderful.

She looked the way you expected her to look. She performed with all the musical accompaniment and bells and whistles you'd expect. She was in fine form, sounding exactly as you'd expect her to sound. She was responsive to the audience throughout and yes, she sang every song you wanted to hear -- all the hits!

That was Dolly Parton.

She was pure entertainment. The glitter, the glamour and the showbizz were all there but they were combined with just the right amount of down home folksiness you'd expect from Dolly. 

Her career was exceptionally well-managed but that was a testament to Dolly herself -- her savvy, her smarts, her good instincts and her professional discipline. I get the feeling she expected the best of her people every minute of every day just as she delivered the same. 

There was never a hint of scandal surrounding this woman. She never allowed herself to be drawn into partisan politics nor did she lecture her audience from the stage or via other avenues. A woman of great faith, she conveyed a sense of generosity, kindness and caring without a scintilla of righteousness.

A complete American success story, there's no doubt she loved this nation and its people and was the grateful embodiment of her own American journey, complete with all its tribulations and triumphs.

Dolly Parton was an American original!

When They Tried To Get Her To Go Political

Dolly didn't play. Sure she had her opinions, but she selflessly valued the opinions of her fans, all of them, more. She wasn't just a once-in-a-lifetime talent, she displayed a once-in-a-lifetime humility that too few share. https://t.co/2QpXIgGjsF

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) August 26, 2026

It failed! Miserably!

Celebrity's Seduction And The Outing Of Fauci

Dr. Anthony Fauci has been outed.

Outed as a shameless glitterati wannabe. Outed as a relentless attention seeker. Outed as a star-crossed celebrity worshiper.

It would all be laughable if it wasn't so pathetic. After all, Fauci is not some preteen little girl at a Taylor Swift concert. He's an 85-year-old man, a supposedly renowned medical doctor and self-proclaimed scientist who vaulted himself into the highest reaches of power and notoriety during one of the darkest periods in our nation's history. 

During that time, Fauci became enamored with himself -- seeing himself as the bright star, the luminous guiding light, the incandescent, all powerful Oz who would show us the way. But in truth, there was no one behind the curtain -- just a tiny gray haired man with beady eyes who was busy admiring himself in an endless hall of mirrors.

And it was in that hall of mirrors that Fauci lost his way, much as one would in a cheap, gaudy, touring carnival attraction. 

At the congressional hearing the other day Fauci pleaded the Fifth. But before he did so, he complained about efforts to embarrass him with the release of his diary entries. But it was Fauci who embarrassed himself. Because it was Fauci who, in his haste to sing his own praises, foolishly tapped out those daily diary entries on a government computer. Imagine! 

But no one should be surprised by all this. A friend of mine recently noted that there are countless Faucis everywhere -- forgotten bureaucrats, mid-level paper pushers, anonymous bean counters, faceless clerks, managers, mechanics and functionaries. They want to be Somebody. They want to sit at the Cool Kids Table. 

Every so often, for one in a gazillion of 'em, lightening strikes. It happened to Little Tony Fauci, a kid from Brooklyn who worked in his father's pharmacy tending the cash register, stocking shelves, and delivering prescription medicines to neighbors on his blue Schwinn bicycle. 

Somewhere within Anthony Fauci lived an insatiable desire to be recognized, to be validated. And soon enough he was recognized, and even honored and then revered. But it didn't ever seem to be enough. It must not have been glamorous enough, shiny enough or ego-fulfilling enough. And let's not forget that even a small dose of fame can be a dangerous thing.

So before long, Fauci was seeking more and more and more, gleefully cataloguing all his Big Time attention-grabbing moments, clutching his press clippings and fan mail like some Hollywood divo who kept everyone on the set waiting while he fussed and preened in his dressing room.

In his autobiography, published in 1868, Horace Greeley got it right: "Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident . . . Only one thing endures and that is character."

 

Why Moviegoers Naturally Crave Stars . . .

The great movie critic Pauline Kael explained it better than I ever could nearly 60 years ago, in 1968:

There’s hardly a star in American movies today, and if we’ve got so used to the absence of stars that we no longer think about it much, we’ve also lost one of the great pleasures of moviegoing: watching incandescent people up there, more intense and dazzling than people we ordinarily encounter in life, and far more charming than the extraordinary people we encounter, because the ones on the screen are objects of pure contemplation—like athletes all wound up in the stress of competition—and we don’t have to undergo the frenzy or the risks of being involved with them. In life, fantastically gifted people, people who are driven, can be too much to handle; they can be a pain. In plays, in opera, they’re divine, and on the screen, where they can be seen in their perfection, and where we’re even safer from them, they’re more divine.

Once Upon A Time, THIS Was Hollywood!

One Movie Star's Magnificent Legacy!

He starred in horror movies but in real life he was a sentimental man who LOVED children. His lifelong advocacy and commitment to youth charities are carried on by the Boris Karloff Charitable Foundation. 

White House: Mark Hamill Is 'Sick Individual'