Mary Wilson, Julie Budd
Jan. 15 & 17, 2015 6pm-7pm PST 1230AM in LV & Web
Audio of interviews posted below (Scroll down)
Mary Wilson, founder of The Supremes, guests on LV Backsage Talk with Comedian Michele LaFong to promote her appearance at the Suncoast Showroom January 17-18 at 7:30pm.
While growing up in Detroit’s Brewster Projects, Wilson befriended Florence Ballard, Betty McGlown and Diana Ross at age 13. The quartet later formed a singing group, The Primettes. Wilson, Ballard and Ross were signed to Motown Records and became known as The Supremes.
The Supremes were nominated for a Grammy Award in 1965 and 1966, garnering an unprecedented 12 #1 hits, including four in a row – “Where Did Our Love Go,” “Baby Love,” “Stop, In The Name Of Love” and “Back in My Arms Again.” In 1977, Wilson released her first solo album, “Mary Wilson,” which yielded the dance hit “Red Hot.” In 1992, Wilson released her first album in 13 years, “Walk the Line,” which included the single “One Night With You.”
Wilson became a best-selling author with her autobiography, “Dreamgirl… My Life As A Supreme.” The book has sold more than 250,000 copies in hardback, becoming one of the most successful rock and roll autobiographies of all time.
Wilson created a traveling exhibit of 70 gowns worn by The Supremes throughout the years and can be seen on tour at countless cities across the United States. The exhibit is currently being housed at the African American Museum in Philadelphia.
Julie Budd
Award-winning Singer Julie Budd guests on Las Vegas Backstage Talk radio show with Comedian Michele LaFong.
Julie is considered to be one of the most exciting singers on the scene today, and last week won The Broadway World Award for Best Show. She has also landed a residency at The Metropolitan Room in NY starting in April 2015.
“ They Wrote The Songs “ Julie Budd has enjoyed a very multi -faceted career, that ranges from, television to film, along with the New York stage & symphonies all over the country. “ The New York Times ” raved with a full two page glowing retrospect of Julie’s career, declaring Ms. Budd “The Consummate Performer”. She began her professional career at the tender age of 12, after meeting record producer / orchestrator Herb Bernstein. Herb Bernstein, who produced Laura Nyro’s first Hit Album, was at that time, recording Merv Griffin as well. Herb immediately took Julie under his wing, and introduced her to Merv Griffin at the
recording session in New York City. And, after Merv heard Julie sing, this “Mini Girl with the Maxi Voice “
was invited to appear on more than 100 of Merv’s shows. From there, Julie went on to appear on “The Tonight Show, Entertainment Tonight , and every major TV show in the country. In the years that followed, Julie co-starred with such legendary performers as, Frank Sinatra , Liberace , and Carol Burnett. As Julie Recalls; “What a way to grow up and start in this business “
“These people were wonderful to me “Some kids went to school, but I went to work and learned from the Best” “Each one of these performers was a professor to me, and I was so lucky to have had the opportunity to know them all” And Now, Today..while touring in her One Women Shows, Julie’s concerts have included performances at Lincoln Center , Carnegie Hall , The Kennedy Center , The London Palladium. Tel Aviv’s Israel Performing Art’s Center, Venues in La Vegas, and Major Symphony
Halls all over the United States. Julie also toured as Guest Artist for seven years , with The late great Marvin Hamlisch .
Julie has become a favorite to Many of the Symphony Orchestras . Julie Budd has also pursued an exciting acting career and is in the process of writing a book about her days as a Child prodigy. Julie’s CD Pure Imagination {After9 Touchwood } was named
Top Ten Cd By ” Entertainment Today ” And received a ****Four Star Rating {4Stars }
For more about Julie and how to buy her CD’s go to www.juliebudd.com
Carlos Mencia, Mathew Nelson
Dec. 18, 2014 6pm-7pm PST 1230AM in LV & Web
Audio of interviews posted below (Scroll down)
Comedian Carlos Mencia, The Nelson Twins guest on Las Vegas Backstage Talk Radio Show with Comedian Michele LaFong on 1230AM, KLAV in Las Vegas and The Web.
In a candid “comic to comic” videotaped interview at Treasure Island, following Mencia’s phone interview on our radio show, Carlos answers accusations of stealing comedy material from his peers, which led to the cancellation of “Mind of Mencia” on Comedy Central.
One of the controversial youtube videos that LaFong discussed with Mencia is posted on the link below:
Comic Joe Rogan confronts Carlos Mencia about stealing material from fellow comics during a set he was performing at The Comedy Store. http://youtu.be/gdugSUFbzws
Currently on the road with his “C 4 URself” Tour, comedic superstar Carlos Mencia. Mencia has appearances on television shows including “In Living Color” and “An Evening at the Improv.” In 2000, he released a comedy album called “Take a Joke, America” that showcased his brand of confrontational humor. In 2002, he received a CableACE Award nomination for “Best Stand-Up Comedy Special” for his HBO special, and was featured on “Comedy Central Presents” later that year. In early 2005, “Mind of Mencia” debuted on Comedy Central, which drew an average of 1.5 million viewers. His most recent Comedy Central special, “New Territory,” debuted in December 2011.
His acting credits include starring opposite Ben Stiller and Michelle Monaghan in 2007’s “The Heartbreak Kid,” and in 2010 he starred in “Our Family Wedding” with Forrest Whittaker and America Ferrara.
Mencia will be featured in Michele LaFong’s Syndicated Monthly Columns, “Las Vegas Backstage Talk,” in Casino Player Magazine, and “Getting Personal with The Stars” in Gaming Today, and Feature Interviews in CP (Casino Player Magazine.)
For more about Carlos Mencia, click here–>
Mathew Nelson (The Nelson Twins)
Mathew Nelson of The Nelson Twins guest on LV Backstage Talk with Comedian Michele LaFong.
Their music has stood the test of time. Matthew and Gunnar Nelson, revered for unforgettable past hits, explore fresh creative territory in the present with their new project, “Lightning Strikes Twice”. Magical melodic songwriting and soaring sibling harmonies continue to ensure that this dynamic duo is still a vital part of the music scene’s future.
“After the Rain” was the debut multi-platinum album by NELSON, the band led by twins
Matthew and Gunnar in the early 1990s. They zoomed to number one with their hit song,
“(Can’t Live Without Your) Love and Affection,” which made history landing America’s iconic Nelson family (bandleader Ozzie Nelson, rock legend Rick Nelson, and twins Matthew & Gunnar) into the Guinness Book of World Records as the ONLY family in Entertainment with 3 successive generations of #1 hitmakers. NELSON’s “After the Rain” record and tour became a phenomenon just prior to the rise of grunge. The last major success of the good time rock’n’roll era, NELSON has had (1) Number One, (4) Top Ten, and (5) Top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hit singles, plus (5) #1 MTV videos and has sold over 6.5 million albums worldwide!
For more go to http://www.Nelsonrocks.com
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Charlie Daniels, Ventriloquist Jay Johnson
Dec. 11, 2014- 6-7pm PST 1230AM in LV & The Web
Audio of interviews posted below (Scroll down)
Charlie Daniels and Ventriloquist Jay Johnson guests on Las Vegas Backstage Talk with Comedian Michele LaFong.
The Charlie Daniels Band will bring their unique blend of country, southern rock and Christian music to The Orleans Showroom, December 12 and 13, as part of Boyd Gaming’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo entertainment line-up.
During the course of Charlie Daniels’ 50-plus year career, he has scored hits on the rock, country, pop and Christian charts and has received numerous awards from the Country Music Association (CMA), Academy of Country Music (ACM), TNN/Music City News Awards and the Gospel Music Association (GMA). Daniels was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2008 and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009.
Born in Wilmington, N.C., Daniels was raised on a variety of music that included Pentecostal gospel, local bluegrass bands, rhythm & blues and country.
His signature song, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” topped both country and pop charts, bringing him international recognition. The single was certified platinum, earned three CMA awards, became a cornerstone of the soundtrack for the movie “Urban Cowboy” and propelled Daniels’ “Million Mile Reflections” album to triple platinum sales levels.
CHARLIE DANIELS: PLAYING “THE LEGEND” FORWARD WITH NEW TRIBUTE CD — OFF THE GRID – DOIN’ IT DYLAN
His first new album project release since 2007, Off The Grid is Dylan the Daniels way and the result is sheer musical genius.
Ventriloquist Jay Johnson
Ventriloquist Jay Johnson releases his Tony Award-winning show The Two & Only! The DVD can still be ordered in time for Christmas!
Jay Johnson made his Broadway debut at the Helen Hayes Theatre starring in the show he wrote and performed entitled “Jay Johnson: The Two and Only”. It won him the 2007 Tony Award for Best Special theatrical Event. Four months before the Broadway opening “Jay Johnson: The Two and Only” played the Colony Theatre were it won the Los Angeles Ovation award for Best Solo Show. The show was originally produced Off-Broadway the previous season at Atlantic Theatre company where it earned rave reviews and a Lucille Lortel Award nomimation.
Jay is a writer, comic, ventriloquist, poet, magician and puppeteer. He has written and performed in television specials for NBC, CBS, HBO and made hundreds of appearances on variety specials and talk shows like “The Tonight Show” (with Jay Leno and Johnny Carson) and “The David Letterman Show”. He has been featured in more that 30 national commercials. His acting credits include appearances on “CSI”, “That &70’s Show”, “Dave’s World”, “Night Court”, “Broken Badges” and many other shows that have come and gone. But he is best remembered for his role as the schizophrenic ventriloquist “Chuck and Bob” on the classic ABC television comedy “Soap”.
Jay and his wife, dancer Sandi Asbury, have been married for more than 38 years. They met while performing together at a theme park in Houston, Texas. Jay describes Sandi as the muse of his artistic life. They have two amazing sons, Brandon and Taylor. Although neither son pursued a career in ventriloquism, one teaches and studies languages in Berlin and the other is completing a degree in Linguistics at UCLA.
Actor Nick Turturro, Comedian Vic Dibitetto
Dec. 4, 2014- 6-7pm PST 1230AM in LV & The Web
Audio of interviews posted below (Scroll down)
(Nick Turturro, Left)
Actor Nick Turturro partners up with Comedian Vic Dibitetto in Mall Cop 2. They both guest on Las Vegas Backstage Talk with Comedian Michele LaFong together, and separately.
Nicholas Turturro, Jr. was the youngest of three children born to carpenter Nicholas Turturro, Sr. and his wife, Katherine. Following in his brother John’s footsteps, Turturro majored in theater at Adelphi University but dropped out after two years to marry the mother of his child. While working as a hotel doorman in the late 1980s, Turturro was introduced by his brother John to Spike Lee, while the soon-to-be-famous director was shooting “Do the Right Thing.” Taking a liking to the young actor, Lee wrote the younger Turturro a part alongside his brother John in his next project, “Mo’ Better Blues” (1990). Lee would subsequently hire both the Turturro brothers for his next two follow-up projects, the controversial “Jungle Fever” (1991) and the well-received biopic “Malcolm X” (1992).
The actor’s greatest success, however, would come on television. In 1993, Turturro won the role of the good-natured Detective James Martinez on “NYPD Blue.” Though originally written for a Latino actor, the Italian-American Turturro made the character his own; immersing himself deeply in the “Nuyorican” (slang for New Yorkers of Puerto Rican descent) culture and adopting mannerisms appropriate for the character. Paired alongside Gordon Clapp’s bumbling Detective Greg Medavoy, Turturro and Clapp brought the usually somber “NYPD Blue” a welcome lightness and spark of humor. A tough cop with a true heart of gold, Turturro’s quiet and dependable performance earned the actor two Emmy nods – first in 1994; then again in 1997 – for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. In 2000, however, Turturro decided that the Martinez character had run its course. Written out of the show with an off-screen promotion, Turturro left “NYPD Blue” after its seventh season; while, leaving the door open for a possible return.
Post-“Blue,” Turturro remained quite busy with steady, if unremarkable work as a guest star on such shows as “The Twilight Zone” (UPN, 2002-03), “Tremors: the Series” (Sci-Fi Channel, 2003-04) and “Third Watch” (NBC, 1999-2005). In 2006, Turturro revealed his ruthlessly competitive side when he appeared as a contestant on “Celebrity Fit Club 2” (VH1, 2005- ). Later that year, Turturro returned to the big screen with a feature role in director Oliver Stone’s “World Trade Center” (2006). Turturro popped up the following year with a turn in the fireman-posing-as-gay-couple comedy “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007). After a small appearance in the Ice Cube-Tracy Morgan comedy “First Sunday” (2008), the actor played the trainer of controversial boxing legend Sonny Liston (Ving Rhames) in the sports biopic “Phantom Punch” (2008). For a more personal project, Turturro co-wrote and starred in the immigration comedy-drama “The Deported” (2009) alongside his young son, Nicholas Turturro III. There was another supporting role in the heist movie “Takers” (2010), in addition to portraying Sgt. Anthony Renzulli, the partner of rookie cop Jamie Reagan (Will Estes) in the police-drama series “Blue Bloods” (CBS, 2010- ). Turturro turned in a pair of quick cameos for his pal in the Sandler produced comedies “Zookeeper” (2011) and “Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star” (2011), then joined the cast of the slasher flick “Nurse 3D” (2012), starring Paz de la Huerta as a dedicated by deadly caregiver.
Comedian Vic Dibitetto
Comedian Vic Dibitetto has been headlining comedy clubs around the country for over 30 years. He became an internet sensation when he posted a comedic video on YouTube that went viral and caught the attention on Comedian Kevin James. He called Vic personally to ask him to be in Mall Cop Blart 2 teamed-up with Actor Nick Turturro. He is currently filming at Wynn through next week.
TweetBJ Thomas, Jackie Martling
Nov. 27, 2014 6pm-7pm PST 1230AM in LV & The Web
Happy Thanksgiving!
Audio of interviews posted below (Scroll down)
Singer BJ Thomas guests on “Las Vegas Backstage Talk” radio Show with Comedian Michele LaFong. LVBST radio show is the only show that “Gets Personal with the Stars.”
Five-time Grammy® Award winning hit-maker BJ Thomas will perform at the Suncoast Showroom.
In 1966, Thomas released his first hit record, a cover of Hank Williams classic, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” From 1967 to 1975, Thomas charted numerous hits, including: “The Eyes of a New York Woman,” “Hooked on a Feeling,” “It’s Only Love,” and “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song.”
Thomas is perhaps best-known for “Rain Drops Keep Fallin’ On My Head,” featured in the 1969 movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and winner of an Academy Award® for “Best Original Song.” Since then, the song has been featured in numerous movies, including “Forrest Gump,” “Clerks II,” “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” and “Spider-Man 2.”
During the ‘80s, Thomas’ music crossed over to the country charts with “Whatever Happened to Old-Fashioned Love,” “New Looks from an Old Lover” and “Two Car Garage.” He became the 60th member of the Grand Old Opry in 1981.
In 1985, Thomas recorded “As Long As We’ve Got Each Other” which was later used as the theme song for the hit ABC sitcom, “Growing Pains.”
In 2007, he released his fourth holiday album, “Home for Christmas.”
BJ will be featured in Comedian Michele LaFong’s Monthly Syndicated “Las Vegas Backstage Talk” column in Casino Player Magazine, and will soon be featured in LaFong’s Syndicated “Getting Personal with the Stars” column in Gaming Today.
More about BJ Thomas here–>
Comedian – Jackie ‘The Joke Man’ Martling
Jackie “The Joke Man” Martling guests on LVBST and will talk about his experiences on “The Howard Stern Show,” and his life on stage, and off, since leaving.
While touring as a national headliner, Martling released three comedy lp’s, 1979’s “What Did You Expect?,” 1980’s “Goin’ Ape!,” and 1981’s “Normal People Are People You Don’t Know That Well.” He blindly sent the three LP’s to Howard Stern upon Howard’s arrival at WNBC-AM in New York City in 1982, and Howard called him to make a guest appearance on his radio show. in 1986, Jackie became a full-time cast member and the head writer of Stern’s show.
Jackie left the show in 2001 after fifteen-year run as head writer of the radio show, four television series, and three Pay-Per-Views.
He still works all around the country, performing his solo act of rapid-fire filthy jokes and the classic finale, “Stump The Joke Man,” is about to release a CD of his original music entitled “Happy Endings,” and is currently doing his own radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio 101, “Jackie’s Joke Hunt.
Jackie Martling’s videotaped interview on LVBST with Comedian Michele LaFong is posted on lasvegasbackstagetalk.com
More about Jackie Martling here–>
TweetComedian Anjelah Johnson, Comedian Jeff Wayne
Nov. 20, 2014 6pm-7pm PST 1230AM in LV & Web
Audio of interviews posted below (Scroll down)
Comedian Anjelah Johnson guests on Las Vegas Backstage Talk radio show with Comedian Michele LaFong.
Known best for her work on MADtv, comedian Anjelah Johnson returns to the Orleans Showroom November 21 and 22.
A video of Johnson’s bit “Nail Salon” skyrocketed her into online stardom around the same time she earned a recurring role on the sketch comedy series MADtv in 2007 and 2008. Her infamous MADtv character Bon Qui Qui, a disgruntled fast food employee with no filter, has been watched by more than
55 million YouTube viewers.
In 2009, Johnson recorded her first one-hour special for Comedy Central and Warner Brothers Records titled “That’s How We Do It.” Her second one-hour special, “The Homecoming Show,” aired on NUVOtv in July 2013 and is currently available on DVD.
As an actress, Johnson has starred in and lent her voice to numerous films including “The Box,” “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel,” “Marmaduke” and “Our Family Wedding.” On TV, Johnson has guest starred on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “On the Up” and “Ugly Betty.”
Johnson began her career as a professional cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders. As an Oakland Raiderette, she was named Rookie of the Year in 2002 and performed in Super Bowl XXXVII. She credits cheering on the Raiders for helping her make the transition to stand-up comedy.
Comedian Jeff Wayne
Comedian Jeff Wayne guests on LV Backstage Talk with Comedian Michele LaFong.
If you are one of those millions of radio listeners who follow the comedy channels on, Sirius/XM, Slacker, Pandora’s Box, or any of the other myriad of outlets broadcasting stand-up comedy, you have heard of Jeff “Big Daddy” Wayne. Well he’s back beginning Monday through Sunday (11/17/2014), at the Comedy Club inside the Riviera Hotel & Casino.
A seasoned veteran of comedy clubs, concerts, luxury cruise ships, and television, Wayne is perhaps best known for his one-man show, “Big Daddy’s Barbeque,” (Grilling Food, Sex and Marriage), which had its Las Vegas premiere a couple of months ago in the Starbright Theater in Summerlin. “I am truly internationally unknown, and I love it!” he said. Originally, Wayne followed the one-man show, “Defending the Caveman,” for three years on the Improv Comedy Circuit, with the special “Barbeque” show. Originally a native of Kentucky, he now makes his home in Los Angeles, which he calls, “That big plastic taco out west.”
