Nick Turturro, Vic Dibitetto
June 12, 2014- 6-7pm PST 1230AM in LV & The Web
(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.
Featured in Kevin James’ new movie Mall Cop: Blart 2 coming out in April 2015
Writing and Producing his Ticked Off Vic segment for WPLJ in New York City (reaches 3 million people)
an Internet Sensation with over 20 million YouTube views and his now famous Bread and Milk rant
Featured in a video roll-in segment in the play Italian Bred currently in LA and coming to Broadway (Fall 2014)
Starring in an untitled prime time Hulu Original scripted sit-com Fall 2014
Featured performer on the online Funny For Money site (Comedy Central and YouTube venture)
For more info go to http://vic-comedy.com/Bio.html
Tweet
Lainie Kazan, Bill Bellamy-LVBST w-Comedian Michele LaFong
Feb. 27, 2014- 6-7pm PST 1230am KLAV in Las Vegas & streaming live
Lainie Kazan and Comedian Actor Bill Bellamy guest on Las Vegas Backstage Talk with Comedian Michele LaFong.
Kazan made her Broadway debut in The Happiest Girl in the World in 1961 followed by Bravo Giovanni (1962). She served as understudy to Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl, finally getting to go on 18 months into the run when the star was ill with a serious throat problem. Both had attended the same high school, Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn,New York. Kazan’s mother alerted the press and, encouraged by rave reviews for her performance, she quit the show and set out to establish herself in a singing career.
Kazan appeared in numerous supper clubs across the country, and she guested on Dean Martin’s variety series 26 times. Other television work includes a recurring role as Aunt Frieda on the Fran Drescher sitcom The Nanny and as Kirstie Alley’s mother on Veronica’s Closet, and guest shots on St. Elsewhere (resulting in an Emmy nomination), The Paper Chase, Touched by an Angel, and Will & Grace. She was also featured in My Big Fat Greek Life, a short-lived series based on the Nia Vardalos hit film My Big Fat Greek Wedding, in which she had also starred alongside Vardalos. She appeared in a scene as the mother of Adam Sandler’s character in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, but it was deleted in the feature film. It is, however, included in the special features on disc. Prior to this film, she had appeared with its co-star Kevin James in two episodes of his The King of Queens TV series as the once-renowned singer Ava St. Clair. For more about Lainie Kazan: www.lainiekazan.com
Lainie is appearing at The Smith Center on Feb. 28, & March 1.
Bill Bellamy
Comedian/Actor Bill Bellamy will be at the Suncoast Showroom, March 1 and 2.
After winning numerous comedy competitions, Bellamy made his television debut on “Showtime at the Apollo.” He caught the attention of comedy producers Bernie Brillstein and Russell Simmons, who signed him as a guest star of HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam” in 1992. Bellamy went on to star in his own Showtime comedy special, “Booty Call,” in 1996.
Bellamy became a staple of the MTV generation as host of “MTV Jams” in the late ‘90s. He continued his television career as the voice of the title character in “Cousin Skeeter” from 1998-2001, as a recurring character in “Men, Women & Dogs” in 2001 and 2002, and “Fastlane” in 2002 and 2003.
Bellamy made his feature film debut in 1997 in “Love Jones” and has gone on to star in numerous films, including “Any Given Sunday,” “The Brothers” and “Lottery Ticket.”
In June 2012, Bellamy’s “Crazy Sexy Dirty” comedy special debuted on Showtime and is available on DVD. Recently, he starred in the syndicated comedy “Mr. Box Office,” and launched his groundbreaking new comedy tour “Ladies Night Out.”
His numerous television appearances include “The Tonight Show,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “Live! With Regis & Kelly,” “Today,” “Entertainment Tonight,” “Chelsea Lately,” “Las Call with Carson Daly,” “Lopez Tonight,” and “The Wendy Williams Show.”
Tweet
