"Casting Hope" - People Helping People

Ciao a tutti,

Neither one of us remember the club where we met. We don't even remember the name of the band we went to see. But neither one of us ever forgot each other, or the short conversation that we had that gave us HOPE. Over the years, we haven't been in touch but we thought about each other, that's for sure. And when it came to talking about Hope on her new show, she remembered me.



It was a few months after September 11th, 2001, and I was in a show, ironically, about hope. It was called "Visions" and I had auditioned and got the part of Socrates in the world premier of this rock opera. I liked the opera very much and the role of Socrates was a great role.

But Socrates is not very well known in America and therefore what he had to say through me was not really understood by the audience. Now the part of Mother Teresa, everyone understood her and her big song (aria) is so beautiful.

I would have tried out for the role of Jesus, if he wasn't sung by a tenor. Oh, well. But it was a good experience. (This is so interesting and such a surprise to me. While writing this post, I checked the Visions website to make sure I had the website address correct to link it, and while I was perusing through it, I found this picture of me in the role of Socrates. So, here it is).

Well it was one of my co-stars, who played the part of a bag lady (you would have to know the opera), who was fronting a band in her off stage life. I promised her that I would watch her band perform one night at a nightclub in Hollywood, and I went to see her show.

Evidently, Pixie Monroe, owner of her own casting agency, had gone to hear, if I remember correctly, the bass player in the band for a movie role or something. She was sitting at a table in the front by herself and I asked if I could sit next to her. Before the show started her and I had a short and sweet conversation that we have remembered ever since.

Without getting into it too much, Pixie had just moved to Los Angeles from Washington, D.C. where she was working in a building directly across from the part of the Pentagon that was hit.

She had to move because the government took over their offices since the Pentagon offices had been destroyed. I had been in New York, blocks away from the World Trade Center and watched everything happen from afar until I decided to try and flee Manhattan with millions of others, to no avail. While stuck in Manhattan for days without the possibility of renting a car or getting a plane out, I learned that my Father was passing away, and then he did.

You can imagine, like so many of us at the time, the stories we told each other and the special connection we developed in those short moments. We gave each other hope, and we assured each other about something else too.

We told each other that even though we had heard so many stories of people in the business of music, movies and television being ruthless and heartless, that we did not have to experience those people. You could say we almost made an unspoken pact to attract to ourseleves beautiful people who want to do good in the world through music, television and movies.

Had I known at the time, I would have included radio too, but thankfully, it has been the case for me, and come to find out, for her too. Not only that, she has since started a podcast show that benefits St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and on which she interviews celebrities and people in music, television, movies, fashion, etc., who are indeed doing good in the world.

Interestingly enough, she started this podcast soon after her mother died and it is called "Casting Hope." It cleverly combines the the creative energies of L.A. radio personality Gary Spears and Hollywood Casting Director Pixie Monroe with celebrities, fashion, entertainment and business professionals, St. Jude supporters and patients.

Los Angelinos especially will remember the voice of Gary Spears from his many years as a disc jockey on KBIG and of course KIIS FM, and what a great radio voice it is. Needless to say, we had a lot of fun and you can listen to the podcast show in the archives of their website.

I however wasn't the only guest on the show. The other guest was Jackie Zabel, and I am so glad she was. I got to meet, speak to, and enjoy Jackie and I have a feeling we will be doing something together soon.

Actually, I already know one of those things we will be doing together, and that is being a part of her next cookbook. See, Jackie was on the show because she too is a big Hollywood mover and shaker, her and her husband. For that matter, her and her co-author and her co-author and her husband too. Boy this is confusing.

Lets start at the beginning. Jackie Zabel wrote a book in conjunction with Morgan Most called "The Hollywood Cookbook - Cooking For Causes." Interestingly enough, during the taping of the show, Jackie said we should get olive oil on the book.

What she meant by that is she wants people to use it because the recipes have all been tested and they work and are most likely delicious. But I could see why people wouldn't want to get olive oil on it, because it is such a beautiful "coffee table" type book, as you can see from the picture above.

The conceptt is great and $5 of every book sale gets split among 20 different charities. The book is not without it's Italian recipes and Italian-American celebrities. Featured are Chef Mario Batali, Chef Nick Stellino, Chef Rocco Dispirito, and Chef Michael Cimarusti. In fact, the Italian chefs outnumber all the chefs combined. Gotta love it.

So, during the taping Jackie also said that they are writing a second book about "going green." By "green" I don't think she necessarily means salads, but rather food that is environmentally conscious. And so, with that, she asked if Chef Richard, of the Filippo and the Chef show, and I would be a part of the celebrity line-up on the next book and, of course I said yes.

Now to clear up what I started with the husbands etc., lets see if I can take one more stab at it and make it make sense. Jackie is married to Bryce Zabel who is a writer, a producer and formerly the Chairman/CEO of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Jackie's co-author of the book is Morgan Most. Morgan is married to Don Most who is an actor and director and best known for his portrayal of the character Ralph Malph on the most popular series "Happy Days."

Interesting note. I always thought the character was "Ralph Mouth" until I just looked it up on imdb.com. Funny. I am so glad I cleared that up. And now you see what I mean when I said something like these people are movers and shakers in the world of Hollywood.

Which only goes to prove the point that began this whole post, about dealing with people in this business that want to do good in the world. Here we had a casting agent, Pixie Monroe (Don't you love that name?), a radio host, Gary Spears, a Hollywood mover and shaker/author, Jackie Zabel, representing her co-author Morgan Most, and respective husbands, and myself, Filippo, a singer and radio show host as well, all from "the industry" and all carrying about other people and wanting to help the world.

Pixie, I would say we are attracting well and living out our silent pact! More power to you and to all of us, and thank you all for being who you are and doing what you are doing!

Filippo

P.S. In the pictures starting at the top are Gary Spears, Pixie Monroe and myself. Then there is me as Socrates in the "Visions" Rock-Opera. Then I posted a picture of Pixie Monroe and I and one with Gary Spears and I. Then below those I have the cover of "The Hollywood Cookbook" and then a pictures of the authors, Jackie Zabel and Morgan Most, and their husbands, below them, Bryce Zabel and Don Most.

I then posted pictures of the Italian Chefs in the book, Mario Batali, Nick Stellino, Rocco DiSpirito, and Michael Cimarusti. Finally, I have a picture of the four of us in the studio with Peaches the dog.

Since I wrote about Don Most who played Ralph Malph in the series "Happy Days, and since the character of "Arthur Fonzarelli" was supposed to be Italian, I thought I would take this opportunity to post a video I found on Youtube.com of not one but two Italian characters from the series. Here are Fonzie and Leather Tuscadero singing the Fonzie song, "Do The Fonzie," from one of the series episodes. (In English)

It's Italian Festa Time - In Milwaukee

Ciao a tutti,

Where would you guess the largest Italian Festival in the nation is? New York? Chicago? Philly? No, it's Milwaukee. Well, that's what I've been told and I have seen it with my own eyes.

I had sung at the Festa Italiana in Milwaukee for two years in a row a few years back and then I stopped doing the Festivals. After three years of taking a break from the Italian festival circuit, when Milwaukee came a calling, I said no. In fact, I said no several times. But thanks to the Entertainment Director there, Paul Iannelli, who insisted and persisted, I finally said yes, and I am so glad I did.

What a way to start getting back into festivals, by starting with the biggest one. I was so happy to be there amongst so many friends and acquaintances who are also on the festival circuit as singers, comedians, dancers, accordionists, you name it. And the attendance, from 300,000 to 400,000 strong.

So many people remembered me from years ago and I actually remembered some of them. I told a few of them if we took pictures together I would put them on my blog, so in my next post I will post those pictures.

In this post I will post the pictures of a few of the performers, many of whom I interviewed for our Filippo and the Chef radio and Internet Podcast Show. I cannot tell you what a treat it was to interview some of these people who's songs I either grew up with or have been singing all my life.

I had so much in common with them, and had so many questions, the interviews could have gone on for hours. I can't wait for us to air them.

That's a picture of Paul Iannelli and I at the top of the post, the man that made it all possible. In fact he didn't just hire me, he wanted Chef Richard too and had Chef Richard on a main stage of his own as the Celebrity Chef in the Headliner time.

Since Chef Richard and I were both headlining on different stages, we never saw each other's shows. We were already asked to come back next year, only next year, I think we are going to do the "Filippo and the Chef" show live, not just in Milwaukee, but all over. That's the plan.

If you don't recognize the young lady in the second picture, it's Deidre Contino, the beautiful and talented daughter of Dick Contino the famous accordion player. She has such a pretty voice and really knows how to use it. This picture was taken immediately after her show on stage with the wind practically blowing us away, how she sang through it, I'll never know.

In the picture below Deidre and I is one of two traditional music groups directly from Southern Italy. One of the groups was QuartAumentata, and the other one Nando Citarella's group "Tamburi del Vesuvio." The music of these groups together caught my attention from afar.

I had stopped to buy myself a BBQ'd corn on the cob, and I heard this music start that was so authentically Southern Italian, and yet had a modern feel to it, I just had to go and find out what it was all about.

When I finally approached the tent full of people enjoying the music I just stood and enjoyed right along with them all, the rhythms, sound, songs, and even the dancing, as you can see in this picture below the one with me in it.

It was interesting to learn later that QuartAumentata considers themselves a pop ethnic band, and by the way, they are proudly from Calabria. They gave me a copy of their first single which is called "U Mundu Balla," (The World Dances), and it sure would if they heard this song. You can find more info on them and the CD at their website www.CDClubEntertainment.com.

After the opening ceremonies, I took pictures with several of the dignitaries and delegates of Italy at the Festival. Among them was the Honorevole Senatore della Repubblica Italiana, Renato G. Turano.

Senatore Turano has a very interesting history, he is Italian-American and now an Italian Senator. He also has accomplished much here in the U.S. and is head of Industry. We talked about him cooking with us on the "Filippo and the Chef" show, and he said he would be more than happy to do that.

I would have enjoyed talking to him more but I was up next on stage after they cleared the stage of the chairs used for the opening ceremonies, and had to go change and meet with the band. But I have a feeling he will indeed be on our show and then we can all learn more about his interesting life.

Before one of my shows, while hanging around the front of the stage watching another act, this man approached me. I immediately recognized him from the cover of his CDs, it was Vito DiSalvo. I had known Vito and his wife Lana for years from when they started selling my CDs on the Internet under their then Mifflin Hills Label. now MHN Productions.

Then they sent me a couple of Vito's CDs with the We Three band and I felt like I had gotten to know them even more. I like Vito's original compositions for accordion so well, that I was even playing them at a party I had just a couple weeks ago, and friends were commenting on how much they were enjoying the music. It was Vito DiSalvo, and I finally got to meet him.

A week before going to Milwaukee I was visiting with my family, and my sister put on a CD that she new that my nieces liked. In fact, my nieces immediately started dancing to the song. I recognized the song and marveled at how the music of the Gaylords had crossed generations from my parents generation and generations before, to mine and my sisters, to now our nieces.

This was the first thing I told Burt Holiday, of The Gaylords, when I saw him at the Festival. Burt and I at least twice before, had met before but this was the first time we not only got to have a conversation but I also got to interview him and Ronnie Gaylord, Jr. Look for that interview on our website at www.FilippoandtheChef.com.

There is so much I could say about all these artists and I am realizing as I write and write that this blog might be getting a little long and I have so many more people I want to chat about. I interviewed most of them and maybe I should let the interviews speak for themselves, because they were so full of information. It was wonderful how everyone got into it and wanted to share their story with our audiences.

Let me see if I can be brief so I can get everyone in. This next artist, so many of the generation before me probably fell in love to his music, like "Precious and Few." He is Sonny Geraci himself and he still gots it. He rocks and rolls and then he croons and back again. Now his son and daughter sing too entertaining a whole other generation.

This guy above is John Truncali, celebrity impersonator, singer, and Vegas entertainer. It's interesting how we all know what we mean by Vegas entertainer, a guy who can really entertain using various media like singing, playing an instrument, telling jokes, etc. And yet, there are very few of these guys left in Vegas. But it's not a dying art, not when you see John's show.

Speaking of dying arts, now here is a dying art, someone who actually is Italian and sings in Italian at an Italian Festival. So few Italian Festivals have Italian singers or singers that sing in Italian these days, except maybe for Opera singers.

Is it because the festival promoters think that American songs will draw more crowds, are we getting so far removed, have people stopped listening to Italian music at home where in they wouldn't recognize any of the songs if they heard them at festivals? Are there not enough Italian singers to go around? I don't know, but I have my theories, but that's for another time.

Of course I am one of them and I do know there are many others, and they are all so different with different voices, styles, songs, arrangements. There is room for all of them. And if you are looking for an authentic Italian singer for your festival, who not only sings in Italian but speaks English with an Italian accent, here is one, Moreno Fruzzetti.

This next gentleman is too much. He is Julius La Rosa. And he had me laughing so hard at one point during the interview by speaking to me in Sicilian and saying things I haven't heard said since my Nonna was around to say them.

Speaking again of dying arts, here's a performer, that even in the heat of the day in Milwaukee he would wear a tuxedo and a crisp white tuxedo shirt every performance. And why was he on during the day you might ask? Well, he wants it that way so he can see his audience. That's the kind of performer he is.

This too was an interview that was really pleasurable. In fact, they all are, each in their way. Julius talked about the Arthur Godfrey television show. I really liked that because I had no idea who Arthur Godfrey was and that made me feel really young.

Of course, I knew everyone else he spoke about and that was a real treat because he gave us the inside scoop on how he got on the Johnny Carson Late Night television show, how he got himself uninvited for years, and how he finally got back on. Interesting story, that we will save for the interview.

In case you don't recognize him, that's Chef Richard of the "Filippo and the Chef" Show, with Julius.

Speaking of interviewing artists. This next artist is the beautiful Giada Valenti. All the while I was talking to her and watching her perform etc. I was thinking how I had already interviewed her in one of our first shows.

It wasn't until after the festival that I remembered I had never interviewed her, I had asked her a couple questions, off the air, that I then shared with the audience on the air, before playing one of her original songs.

I can't believe I missed my opportunity. Well, I know I will see her again soon since our paths do cross often. In fact, at one point we were even going to share a stage together. Actually, we did share a stage once, but not at the same time.

Nevertheless, this is Giada Valenti, and the song we played on one our first episodes is "Italian Signorina," off her first CD. If I understand correctly, she has a new one coming out real soon. Brava Giada, I can't wait to buy it.

These next two artists with whom I am pictured are very related, in fact they are related to the first artist mentioned on this post too. That was Deidre Contino and this is her brother Pete Contino and her father the famous accordionist Dick Contino.

Pete has his own band and show in Las Vegas, and so though I had met him before I didn't know him very well. His father on the other hand, I finally got to interview and tell him the story of how we had first met. I had just started doing weddings and I was still a little new at it, but I certainly gave it my all and I never had any complaints. On the contrary, I had lots of referral business.

But one of these first weddings while I was still a little shaky and new, the bride's mother came up to me and excitedly asked if her cousin could play with my band a song or two.

I was prepared for "some thing" like this could happen because I had been to enough Italian weddings growing up that someone in the family always has to sing or play something. I figured, sure, how bad could he be and even if he is bad, it's what they want.

Then she said, my cousin is Dick Contino, and I nervously asked, "are you sure he's here?" as if perhaps to say, are you sure that he would come to this small wedding in Fresno, California. And she answered, "of course, he's my cousin, come with me let me introduce you." I was a little nervous at the time, to say the least. But there was no need, Dick was a gentleman and a professional and he entertained and it all went well.

Then Dick impressed me yet again by saying the most amazing things I thought I would ever hear coming out of an accordion player of his generation. I am not sure what I mean by that either, but I mean it, I was so impressed. You'll just have to wait for the interview to come out on radio to know what I mean.

One day I finally made it over to Richard's cooking stage and boy did I wish I hadn't. First of all his stage was decorated all nice and Italian and all. Then there was food everywhere, backstage, on the stage, everywhere.

The last straw was when he said, "Filippo, would you take a picture of me with all my volunteer helpers."
And all of a sudden people came from everywhere to be in this picture with Chef Richard.

I thought to myself, "What is wrong with this picture?" What was going on? Over at my stage all I had was the stage manager, and the band of course.

But this was so awesome, and they loved him. It was so good to see that they had been having such a great time over the period of the five or so days they had been working together. "Working," okay, it's work, but they are making delicious food and getting to eat it, that's got to be fun.

Well, from the looks on their faces they were having fun indeed. And if Marie, the stage manager, pictured with us below, has anything to say about it, next year I am going to be on that stage with my whole band and we are going to show Milwaukee how "Filippo and the Chef," rock the cooking world.

And by the way, those sandwiches you see in the picture, are one of Chef Richard's specialties, Mozzarella in Carrozza, or as he likes to call them, "Italian French Toast." That's a crazy name for them, but by any name would be just as delicious. We have a show with that recipe, and you just gotta try them.

In the meantime, we all enjoyed Chef Nick Stellino's show. As a matter of fact, come to think of it, I wasn't the only one that complained about all the attention Chef Richard was getting. While watching Nick Stellino on stage, who came on right after Chef Richard, I heard him say something that I understood too well. At one point he called out the assistant and asked her where all the, something were? I don't remember what ingredient he was looking for.

The assistant them brought him out just a little of what he asked for. He then said, that he needed more for his dish, and then turned to Chef Richard who was in the audience at that point and said, "He's why I don't have what I need for my show, you gave all the good stuff to Chef Richard." The audience laughed and soon afterwards, plenty of what he wanted appeared.

I had to laugh, everyone loves Chef Richard and yes, Nick, I know what you mean. Sometimes people give him all of something and there's none left for me either. Above is a picture of Chef Richard, Nick Stellino and I.

And speaking of laughing, I leave you with two more pictures of men who leave you laughing. The first one is Bill Acosta, singer, impressionist, comic and man of 1001 voices.

The second one is Pete Barbutti, who I also got to interview. He has such great stories about the many times he toured with Nat King Cole and performing with Frank Sinatra.

It's stories like these and interviews like the one with Pete, or any of the ones I conducted at the Festival, that make what I do so important. I love the fact that I am getting some of these stories recorded because I would hate for them to be lost, especially for those people like me who love this kind of thing. I hope soon that I will be able to video these interviews and that there will be people interested in this kind of entertainment for generations to come.

In the meantime, there are enough people interested to put on an Italian festival, come to an Italian festival, and entertain at an Italian festival, so that everyone can have fun and celebrate all the good things that are Italian.

Buona Festa,

Filippo

P.S. I was so happy to see that at the Festival they had children who had learned and danced traditional Italian dances, and children who sang traditional Italian songs. This is part of the reason for doing these festivals, I hope and trust, is to keep these traditions alive for all generations and for all to enjoy. Here is a video I was happy to find on Youtube.com of a fine example of what I am writing about and this is from this years Festa Italian in Milwaukee. It is a group of children doing a traditional Italian dance in traditional Italian dress. (Music Background Only)