Helen Reddy, Dom Irrera, Desi Arnaz Jr.,- LVBST
Feb. 13, 2014- 6-7pm PST 1230am KLAV in Las Vegas & streaming live
Audio of interviews posted below (Scroll down)
Pop Icon Helen Reddy, Comedian Dom Irrera, and Desi Arnaz Jr. guest on Las Vegas Backstage Talk radio show with Comedian Michele LaFong.
Best known as a recording artist, Helen Reddy had more than a dozen Top 40 hits in the United States. She was the first Australian to win a Grammy Award and to have three #1 hits in the same year. In television, Helen was the first Australian to host her own one-hour weekly primetime variety show on an American network, along with several specials that were seen in over forty countries.
Her best-selling memoir The Woman I Am (Tarcher/Penguin), reveals that at the height of her career, Helen’s world was shattered by the death of both her parents and, simultaneously, the news that she had a rare and incurable disease, A riveting, frank and ultimately brave memoir, she recounts the emotional highs and lows that have shaped her life as an artist and as a complex woman, with a rich inner life sustained by a strong spiritual faith.
Helen Reddy is appearing at Orleans Showroom on Feb. 15 & 16
Dom Irrera
Dom projects a charisma that firmly engages audiences from the moment he steps out on the stage! His first big break was in, Rodney Dangerfield’s, “Nothing Goes Right,” comedy special for HBO. Irrera’s own, “One Night Stand,” on HBO, earned him his first of several Cable ACE Awards for, “Best Stand-up Comedy Special.” He has appeared on: “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Late Show with David Letterman,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” “The View,” and several times on “Oprah.” Irrera also guest starred on episodes of “Seinfeld,” “Becker,” “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “King of Queens.” Film credits include a featured role in Robert Townsend’s, “Hollywood Shuffle,” a cameo in the Coen Brothers film, “The Big Lebowski,” and “The 4th Tenor,” starring his old pal Rodney Dangerfield.
When Dom Irrera takes the stage, he does not simply get on it–he owns it! Irrera will be appearing at the Laugh Factory inside the Tropicana Hotel & Casino, Feb. 10 through Sunday, Feb. 16.
Desi Arnaz Jr.
Part 2 will be aired of Desi Arnaz Jr.’s interview from last week.
In a rare interview, Desi Arnaz Jr. speaks of his life and promotes the upcoming “Dam Short Film Festival,” on Feb. 12-16 at the Historic Boulder Theatre, which he owns has since 1986, and helps direct non-profit Boulder City Ballet Company (BCBC) with his wife, Amy Arnaz. For more info: www.damshortfilm.org
Boulder Theatre was built in 1932 during the construction of Hoover Dam and operated as a movie theatre until it could no longer compete with the new, modern movie theaters in Las Vegas. When it closed, Desi purchased the theatre and converted it into a live theatre where BCBC performs and where Desi has produced many shows including: “Ricci, Desi & Billy” (a new version of Dino, Desi & Billy), “An Evening with Linda Purl”, Torme’ Sings Torme’, “The Legacy of Laughter”, “An Evening with Lucille Ball” (starring Suzanne LaRusch as Lucille Ball), Michael Johnson, “A Tribute to Dean Martin” (by Ricci Martin), “Dam Short Film Festival”, “Chautauqua”, “The Nutcracker”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “Swan Lake”, annual children’s dance recitals from Dance Etc. and many more shows. Haley Arnaz is his wife’s child from her first marriage and Desi adopted her when they married in 1987. Desi also has an older daughter, Julia, who lives on the east coast. Recently, Desi has performed “Babalu” (a show dedicated to the music of his father) with his sister Lucie Arnaz in NYC, Miami and in Washington D.C. at the Library of Congress. Most recently, Desi & Lucie appeared at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills, discussing the music of I Love Lucy (1951) and performed two of their father’s songs – “Old Straw Hat” & “Cuban Pete” – with the accompaniment of Ron Abel on the piano.
TweetNov. 22, 2012 Melissa Manchester, Wendy Mazaros
Actress / Singer / Songwriter – Melissa Manchester
While on tour in Australia, Melissa Manchester called in to Las Vegas Backstage Talk Radio Show and was interviewed by Comic Michele LaFong. They had such a good rapport, that Melissa will be doing a videotaped backstage interview with LaFong from The Suncoast Showroom this weekend.
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.
More about Melissa Manchester here–>
You can catch Melissa Manchester headlining at Suncoast Hotel & Casino
Suncoast Showroom, Sat & Sun, Nov. 24th & 25th 7:30pm
Author – Wendy Mazaros
Author of “Vegas Rag Doll” A true story of terror and survival as the wife of a mob hitman. Wendy’s story of sex, drugs, corruption, and murder, features many well-known Las Vegas figures, including Benny, and Ted Binion, Tony Spilotro, and husband, Tom Hanley, still stands out in the crowd. Wendy Mazaros, mother of Amy Hanley, a regular cast member of a “Sin City Rules” a new docu-drama series that will debut on the TLC Network on Dec. 9. Wendy will also be making appearances on the new reality show series.
More about Wendy Mazaros here–>
You can listen to a recording of our show below!