"I dated Ronald Reagan when he was a Democrat" - Monica Lewis Former Starlet "Earthquake"
I had the pleasure of viewing Showfolk at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Director Ned McNeilage's Documentary short, which is a Valentine to Hollywood Veteran's of the Entertainment Industry's Golden Era.
Here is the synopsis of the people's lives involved in the project:
A Vaudeville comedian still working at 100, a stunning siren who dated Reagan when he was a Democrat, a kid out of college who sold The Ten Commandments around the world, a Disney legend who met Walt when she was a little girl and spent her life with Mickey Mouse: these showbiz vets share wisdom and inspiration garnered over seven lifetimes in the business. Residing together at the Motion Picture & Television Fund home, these entertainment lifers are "bonded by the show". These, ladies and folgentlemen, are Showfolk.
Two, Two, Two Monica Lewis's In One
Showfolk has also screened in competition at four major prestigious festivals thus far:.
- Tribeca Film Festival, New York
- AFI Docs,, Washington, D.C.
- Palm Springs International Shortfest
Showfolk has won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Short at the Palm Springs international ShortFest. It was also included in the "Best of Fest" final-day re-screenings at AFI Docs.
Out of 5000+ submissions from 60+ countries, Showfolk has also been invited into competition at Rhode Island International Film Festival!
We're Here, We're "Showfolk" Get Used To It
I really enjoyed this lovely documentary short, as I am a fan of old Hollywood. Also I have been to the Motion Picture & Television Fund home out yonder in Woodland Hills, CA for movie screenings. A friend of mine's Mother used to be a nurse there so the final shot of the movie was familiar to me when we get a parting glance of these veteran's at the short's finale.
Hey if you are planning on attending the Rhode Island International Film Festival in August do yourself a favor and catch the folk that are destined to be America's next sweethearts all over again.
That's Showfolk and their entertainment!
Showfolk, they're everywhere, resistance is futile:
C'mon you all know you want to get down in a movie theater this Friday with Maleficent, starring the perfectly cast Angelina Jolie, yes, yes you do and so do I!
I have to say I am excited to see Jolie play the biggest Disney villain ever and transform into a Drag Queen, I mean Dragon, but really let's face it Maleficent is a DQ as a well as a bad ass and I am not talking Dairy Queen. When I first saw Angelina on the big screen it was for her Oscar winning role in Girl Interrupted and during her press rounds pimping her turn as Maleficent she had this to say about it: "I really, genuinely thought I was the only character who was sane in the entire film. And if you watch it closely, that's exactly how I was playing it: I am just the only sane person here. I was actually almost upset when people said I was so good at playing insane because I never thought she was insane. She was just incredibly honest, which, I guess, made her seem crazy."
Hey she will always be Angelina no matter what and that's why her fans love her. Maleficent opens Friday, All Hail Angelina Jolie
Classically-trained, Broadway veteran, Natalie Toro brings her infectious energy,and powerhouse vocals, coupled with luscious tones to melt any heart with the, release of "Just In Time For Christmas"....
Yep this pretty much sums it up, this was my first encounter with the force of nature known as Natalie Toro and I must say, not only do I love her voice, I personally think she is da bomb!
The following is when Michael met Natalie, grab some Eggnog and raise a glass, Cheers!
NT: Hi Michael, it's Natalie Toro, how are you?
MS: Hey, want to hear something funny? I found out at the very last minute that you were on the web series "Child of the 70's" and I was watching an episode you are in, I know Michael Vaccaro (Actor/Creator/Writer of the show), I did a short film with him.
NT: Oh my God how funny! Did you see the Christmas dinner scene?
MS: Yes!
NT: We had the best time shooting that, Oh My God, it was during the summer, and here we are trying to get in the Christmas spirit in the middle of August in New York. (laughs) I've known Michael all my life.
MS: I watched the video for song "Just In Time For Christmas" five times before you called, very nice. Was that shot in August too? (laughs)
"Just In Time For Christmas"
NT: No, it wasn't shot in August, but it was very funny shooting it in Central Park with a hidden camera. People thought I was insane! (laughs) I had the little ear plug in my ear and my iPod in my pocket and I was singing to Jesus, yep it was just me in the middle of Central Park singing acapella while the video was being shot! (laughs)
MS: The video came out really great - hard to believe you shot it guerrilla style.
NT: You want to know something really funny, when you see the unedited footage before the song got put it in, I am underneath the big theater in Central Park, you know that dome theater? I'm wailing, the acoustics there are incredible! There were people watching and shooting video footage of this crazy lady in a coat, me, just singing at the top of her lungs to no music and you can hear this saxophone player playing "New York, New York" in the background, I was crying I was laughing so hard trying to focus on what I was doing!
MS: Vocally you are really simple, clean and direct, I love that!
NT: Thank you. I really tried to focus on getting away from my "Broadway Voice" on this album. I really wanted to find out who Natalie was, with the help of my producer, Dawn Makay she really worked with me, I mean I've always had a pure clean sound, but Broadway has a standard of what to do in a show, like using vibrato, also I tend to over pronounce everything because of the theater. With this album I really felt like a recording artist, I chewed up the mic I was very up close. A lot of my pure sounds were even more pure when I didn't add a vibrato.
MS: Great! For me personally I think a lot of artists over sing things just to show off.
Natalie & Frosty
NT: Also when you realize if you can't control your vibrato, and this is something I learned from Dawn, when someone has vibrato on every syllable of every word, it really takes you out of the song. It's not all about balls to the wall, it's about finding those moments, it's about what you are singing and the intimacy of it.
MS: "Just In Time For Christmas" is a great example of that.
NT: It's like a grand Disney song.
MS: That's a great way of putting it.
NT: Yeah, I hope Disney can hear it, hey I want that somewhere in a Disney movie! We even have a New Age song on the album "The Christmas Song" with an American Indian flute, so we really worked on that vocal purity and clarity, I mean if I am going to have an American Indian flute playing with me on a Christmas song I better have that same purity and clarity of what that flute represents. It's haunting and at the same time it's meditative, I mean you can't be meditative with someone's vibrato going "Ah ah ah ah ah" that's not meditative, that's like "go get a gun and kill me." (laughs)
MS: I agree, that's why I hate House Music.
NT: House Music is what you dance to when you are having a cocktail.
MS: Not even then I can't be near it.
NT: Yeah, I know I hate it too. (laughs) Hey Michael it might be our age! (laughs)
MS: All of your tracks on "Just In Time For Christmas" are clearly a labor of love for you, but is there any track in particular that resonates more than the others?
NT: My absolute favorite Christmas song is "Ave Maria/O'Holy Night" my idea for intertwining them is they are meeting on the same premise. "Ave Maria" is a prayer about the Holy Mother and her Child, and "O'Holy Night" is about the birth of the Child and I thought Oh My God, it made complete sense to put them together.
MS: Any new videos beside "Just In Time For Christmas" coming from the album?
NT: Yes, the video for "Baby It's Cold Outside" a duet I did with Ryan Kelly was just released.
Why are there so many songs about rainbows,and what's on the other side? Rainbows are visions, but only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide....
M-U-P-P-E-T-S What's that spell? Muppets! Yay Muppets!
My favorite mafia of the felt got their much deserved star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame this week in front of Disney's El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. (Since Disney now owns the right to The Muppets, smells like Disney spirit)...
There is a sequel in the pipeline proving how timeless and enduring this rag tag team is, if that does not say star, I don't know what does....Hey, Miss Piggy should be a contestant on the next season of "Dancing With The Stars" come to think of it..!
Sorry guys I could not make it in time for your awesome honor, I guess I should have traveled by map!
