Kathy Griffin, Little Anthony
April 16, 2015
Audio of interviews posted below
Kathy Griffin guests on Las Vegas Backstage Talk with Comedian Michele LaFong on 1230AM KLAV in Las Vegas, and The Web.
Kathy first made a name for herself on Bravo’s two-time Emmy Award Winning Reality Series, “My Life on the D List,” and recently had her own talk show “Kathy” on Bravo, has broken the record for having the “Most Comedy Specials, Male or Female,” with her latest Special called “Calm down Gurrl,”. She is appearing at The Mirage, April 18, at 10pm
Little Anthony & The Imperials
![little-anthony-and-the-imperials[1]](https://www.lasvegasbackstagetalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/little-anthony-and-the-imperials1.jpg)
Little Anthony guests on Las Vegas Backstage Talk with Comedian Michele LaFong on 1230AM in Las Vegas and The Web.
Little Anthony and the Imperials were one of the finest vocal groups to emerge from the talent-rich New York scene. Moreover, they enjoyed unusual longevity for an act of that type, having hits in both the doo-wop Fifties and the soul-music Sixties. They outlasted their peers by virtue of “Little Anthony” Gourdine’s powerful, beseeching vocals and the consummate professionalism of the Imperials, who mastered a broad range of material and knew how to work a stage.
“Tears on My Pillow,” their first single as the Imperials, was released on End Records. This classic vocal-group ballad was one of the biggest hits of 1958, reaching #2 on the R&B chart and #4 on the pop chart. Little Anthony and the Imperials were suddenly stars. The story might have ended there, with “Tears On My Pillow” fondly recalled as a vocal-group classic from one of the many one-hit wonders from that era. In fact, some of their followup singles did flop, strong as they were. But the group rebounded with an uptempo number, “Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko-Ko Bop,” that capitalized on a dance craze.
Other hits include “Hurt So Bad,” and “Going Out of my Head.”
They received the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and have been inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. In 2008, Little Anthony and the Imperials released You’ll Never Know, an album of new songs and rerecorded oldies to celebrate their 50th anniversary as a group.
TweetNeil Giraldo, Gallagher
Audio of show posted below!
April 9 & 11, 2015 6pm-7pm PST 1230AM in LV & Web
Singer/Songwriter Neil Giraldo guests on Las Vegas Backstage Talk with Comedian Michele LaFong on 1230AM KLAV in Las Vegas. Neil Giraldo and Pat Benatar have been an unstoppable team for more than thirty years. Neil has written, produced, arranged, and recorded over 100 songs that went multi-platinum. They will be playing their hits including Hit me with your Best Shot, We Live for Love, and Grammy Winning Love is a Battlefield. For more information about Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo: benatargiraldo.com
Details: Pat Benatar, Cheap Trick, Neil Giraldo
Comedian Gallagher
Comedian Gallagher returns once again on Las Vegas Backstage Talk Radio Show with Comedian Michele LaFong.
For more information on Gallagher:gallaghersmash.com
TweetBobby Kimball, Kenny Cetera
April 2 & 4, 2015 6pm-7pm PST 1230AM in LV & Web
Audio of show posted below
(Bobby Kimball (L) Kenny Cetera (R)
Bobby Kimball, former longtime front-man for Toto guests on Las Vegas Backstage Talk with Comedian Michele LaFong on 1230AM in LV, and streaming live on website to promote his upcoming show at The Cannery with Kenny Cetera, April 4, at 8:00pm.
For more about Bobby go to http://www.bobbykimball.com/#!bobby/clpf
Kenny Cetera
Kenny Cetera, formerly toured and recorded with Chicago, guests on LVBST with Comedian Michele LaFong to promote his upcoming show at The Cannery at 8pm. For more about Kenny Cetera go to http://www.kennycetera.com/
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Ventriloquist Terry Fator
March 26, 2015 6pm-7pm PST 1230AM in LV & Web
Audio of show is posted below
Singing impressionist/ventriloquist Terry Fator guests on Las Vegas Backstage Talk with Comedian Michele LaFong on 1230AM KLAV in Las Vegas , and streaming live.
In 2014, “America’s Got Talent” winner Terry Fator celebrated his 5th year of the award-winning show at The Mirage, where he brings to life a hilarious cast of characters with his unique brand of entertainment combining singing, comedy and unparalleled celebrity impressions. With comedic banter and amazing vocal impressions of musical superstars such as Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Tony Bennett, Toby Keith, Roy Orbison and more, “Terry Fator: The VOICE of Entertainment” is a one-of-a-kind experience.
When audiences last saw Terry Fator, his loveable sidekick Winston the Impersonating Turtle was looking for a new gig on the Las Vegas Strip. Fast forward to 2014 and Winston has gone Hollywood in the updated version of “Terry Fator: The VOICE of Entertainment.” Winston leaves the bright lights of Sin City for big budget movies in sunny California, tasking Fator to audition a cast of characters to find Winston’s replacement as his right-hand man…er…turtle. Those auditioning include Vikki “The Cougar,” country legend Walter T. Airdale, Duggie Scott Walker, Julius, Emma Taylor, the world’s greatest Elvis impersonator Maynard Tompkins and Wrex the Crash Test Dummy.
Tom Papa, Tony Butala
March 19, 2015 6pm-7pm PST 1230AM in LV & Web
Audio of shows posted below
Comedian Tom Papa guests on Las Vegas Backstage Talk radio show with Comedian Michele LaFong.
The twenty-year stand up comedy veteran, actor, writer and television and radio host brings the laughs to the Suncoast Showroom on March 20 and 21.
After touring with Jerry Seinfeld for several years, Seinfeld personally selected Papa to be the host of The Marriage Ref, which ran for two seasons on NBC. In 2013, Papa portrayed Ray Arnett in Steven Soderbergh’s Emmy Award-winning HBO film Behind the Candelabra. He also appeared on Comedy Central’s Inside Amy Schumer, The New Adventures of Old Christine and with Clive Owen this season on The Knick.
On the big screen, he has made appearances in movies such as Analyze That with Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal, Comedian with Jerry Seinfeld and alongside Matt Damon in The Informant! He also provided voices and worked as a writer on 2007’s Bee Movie.
Papa’s first hour-long special, Tom Papa Live in New York City, premiered on Comedy Central in January 2012. His Rob Zombie-directed second stand-up special, Tom Papa: Freaked Out, was named one of the 10 Best Comedy Albums of 2013 by Laughspin.com. His hit SiriusXM show, Come to Papa, airs weekly on channel 99.
Tony Butala- Original founding member of The Lettermen
Tony Butala, Original founding member of The Lettermen guests on Las Vegas Backstage Talk radio show with Comedian Michele LaFong to promote The Lettermen’s upcoming engagement at The South Point Showroom on March 20-22 at 7:30pm.
Butala estimates that the group made some 200 appearances on television shows such as Dick
Clark’s “American Bandstand” series, “Shindig”, and “Hullabaloo” were interviewed and
performed on talk shows and variety shows with Johnny Carson, Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin,
Jack Paar, Milton Berle, Steve Allen, Dinah Shore, and many others throughout the 60’s and 70’s,
cultivating new crops of fans.
Over its 50 years, the trio has gone through a few personnel changes. Engemann left in 1967,
replaced by Gary Pike, Jim Pike’s younger brother. A few years later, due to vocal problems,
Jim left the group and was replaced by his even younger brother, Donny Pike. The group stayed
stable, with this combination all through the seventies and early eighties led by the constant
member Tony Butala. Since then, Mark Preston, Ernie Pontiere, Bobby Poynton, Darren Dowler,
Don Campeau, Chad Nichols and Donovan Tea, have each had stints as members of The
Lettermen.
Dennis Miller, Melissa Manchester
March 12, 2015 6pm-7pm PST 1230AM in LV & Web
AUDIO OF INTERVIEWS ARE POSTED BELOW
Comedian Dennis Miller guests on Las Vegas Backstage Talk with Comedian Michele LaFong in a “Getting Personal with the Stars” interview.
Celebrated as a witty comedian with an entertaining and intriguing stand-up routine, Miller keeps audiences laughing with his irreverent observations. A favorite of the public and critics alike, The New York Times said, “Mr. Miller is exquisitely attuned to contemporary foibles … his material can be scathing, his delivery low key … Mr. Miller reaches a bit farther than most comedians for the scorching comment … this smart aleck has an uncommonly sharp eye.”
Called “one of the premiere comedy talents in America today,” Miller emerged on the national scene in as the “Weekend Update” correspondent on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. After leaving SNL in 1991, Miller moved to HBO, where he hosted the critically acclaimed talk show Dennis Miller Live for nine seasons. No stranger to television talk shows, Miller is a regular on Fox News Channel’s Hannity and The O’Reilly Factor. He was also host and executive producer of CNBC’s Dennis Miller, which featured conversation, opinion and humor.
For more about Dennis and his radio show, click here.
Melissa Manchester
Singer Melissa Manchester guests on Las Vegas Backstage Talk radio show with Comedian Michele LaFong in a backstage interview at The Suncoast H & C.
After getting her start as a singer-pianist in the clubs of Greenwich Village, Manchester performed with Bette Midler as a “Harlette” before landing a recording contract. Her debut releases, “Home to Myself” and “Bright Eyes” laid the foundation for her solo career. In 1975, Manchester’s album “Melissa” produced her first top ten hit, “Midnight Blue.”
Manchester was nominated for a Grammy® Award in 1978 and 1979, and won the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “You Should Hear How She Talks About You” in 1982. In 1979, she became the first artist in the history of the Academy Awards® to have two nominated movie themes in the same year – “Through The Eyes of Love” from the film “Ice Castles,” and the title song from “The Promise.”
As an actress, Manchester has guest starred in numerous television shows, including “Blossom” and “Fame,” and in films, such as “For The Boys” and “Dirty Girl.” She has also appeared in the Los Angeles-based theatrical production of “Sweeney Todd” and recently starred in the Chicago premiere of the musical “HATS!,” which features several songs she co-wrote.
