Star Gazing

HOLLYWOOD—Being powerful in Hollywood, these days is not easy. The entertainment industry relies on an “IT” factor for the stars to sell their products that are stubbornly hard to quantify. Celebrities have it overnight, and could lose it just as easily. A celebrity's  reliability at the box office has faded in recent years, and the traditional label system is...

HOLLYWOOD—James Caan and Ray Liotta passed within just three months from each other, James Caan passed away on July 6. Two days later, Tony Sirico passed. We all loved James Caan, 82, the Oscar-nominated star of "The Godfather," "Misery" and "Elf." He was born in the Bronx in 1940, he emerged as a leading man in the 1970s. In...

HOLLYWOOD—The Queen of Pop will be celebrating her milestone birthday of turning 60 years old on August 16. She has been in the music industry for 35 years. Since Madonna's eponymous debut album hit shelves in 1983, she's performed on 10 concert tours and sold more than 300 million records. This has earned her a spot in the Guinness...

HOLLYWOOD—So many actors and actresses want to make it in Hollywood. The chances are very slim. There is a lot of competition. I'm not trying to discourage anyone's dream, but it's very hard to make it. Truth be told, if you don't have an "in," which literally means, it runs in the family, it will be difficult. In other...

HOLLYWOOD—The year is slowing coming to an end, 2020 is fast upon us, so the movies will be rocking next year. The year will begin with "Jojo Rabbit" on January 1. Filmmaker Taika Waititi, not only writes and direct, he also appears in this bodily playful satire. Set in Germany during World War II, the film tells of devoted young...

HOLLYWOOD—You might be asking yourself what is going on with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez? Are they preparing the world for Bennifer 2.0? Everyone wants to know, are they rekindling the romance, less than a month after Lopez and former Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez ended their engagement and five months after Affleck, 48, split from actress Ana de Armas?...

HOLLYWOOD—The 2023 Tribeca Film Festival began on June 7 and runs until June 18, and this year’s lineup doesn’t disappoint. For those that know me, know that I’ve been covering the Tribeca Film Festival since its inception, it was launched in post 9/11 in downtown New York, and only missed one year in April 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions...

HOLLYWOOD—If you want to make it in the music industry, you need to know a few things in order to be successful. Think of a record company as a bank that lends money to people or small businesses. They make most of their decisions about whom they will work with and what the terms will be in much the...

HOLLYWOOD—Halloween is almost here, it's the time to be sexy and spooky. Since celebrities have access to hair and makeup and wardrobes, they have all the right tools to make themselves as outlandish as they can. Celebrities don't go out door to door, they go to elite Halloween parties. They usually dress as Marilyn Monroe, or 70s icons like...

HOLLYWOOD—Everyone in the world young and old, have heard of the Beatles. The English rock band was formed in Liverpool, England in 1960. The line-up of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr led them to be regarded as one of the most influential bands of all time. The rock and roll group, became a part of...