Carol Channing and Harry Kullijian: A true LOVE story!

Today marks the 8th anniversary of Carol Channing and Harry Kullijian's wedding after a 70 year separation!My blog today is their story.I am SO LUCKY to call them my friends.
The first time I met Harry was when Carol was appearing in THE FIRST 80 YEARS ARE THE HARDEST. A part of a series called SINGULAR SENSATIONS at The Village Gate with Glen Roven. Harry welcomed me with open arms and insisted I stay in touch. Every time they have been in NY since then, they always fit me into their ALWAYS busy schedule. Last year, I was lucky enough t interview them both at Barnes and Noble Lincoln Square in conjunction with her latest CD, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE. I stayed at their condo in October when Carol received her star on the PALM SPRINGS WALK OF FAME. Two of the greatest people I know and an inspiration to us all. This is their story.
This is my anniversary gift to them. I hope they and YOU enjoy this!
I'm a sap for great love stories:GONE WITH THE WIND, WUTHERING HEIGHTS, LADY AND THE TRAMP. But if you want to see a truly amazing love story, don't miss CAROL CHANNING: LARGER THAN LIFE produced and directed by Dori Berenstein, edited by Alan Zuker, and co-produced by Harlan Boll. (all pictured here). Dori Berinstein is a Tony-winning Broadway producer of "Thoroughly Modern Millie," "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Fool Moon." She's also an award-winning documentary filmmaker, chronicling a toy-making competition, "Some Assembly Required," and an entire Broadway season, "Show Business: The Road to Broadway."
It is the truly amazing story, not only of Carol Channing's amazing career, but of this truly amazing love story of Carol and Harry Kullijian.Carol and Harry were junior high school sweethearts at Aptos Junior High (now called Middle School) in San Francisco. She had an entire new battery of faculty members and students to take home in her imagination. They both had a love of the arts. Harry led the school band. Carol ran for vice-president of the student body and he wrote her campaign song, "When I'm vice president..." Carol gravitated to the school band because she needed them for her campaign song.
Her slogan was "If Carol is your vice, it's a virtue." The president and vice president functioned with, and were elected by , the entire school. Harry and Carol were both serious students. They developed a passionate love of the arts. He gave her a book of poetry by Edgar Allan Poe. Their favorite poem being Annabelle Lee. He says Carol was his Annabelle Lee. Harry and Carol were both serious students. On weekends, they would go for ice cream, and with the little bit of cash his band brought in, he could buy.
Harry confided to Carol's mother how affectionate she was to him. He had a serious talk with both Carol's parents (without her), assuring them, "I will never get your Carol into any kind of trouble".
Carol says "Being With Him was the happiest time in my Life"
Their love story is passionate, tender, and enduring. When Harry's family spent summers in Southern California, he wrote her love letters. He even had a conversation with Carol's parents, promising to take good care of her. Carol's father said, "I like that boy."They both remember a rare kiss at Carol's house.

They met in their early teens more than 70 years ago, in 1933.
"When I first saw him", she says, "he looked biblical, as if he should have been sitting on Mount Sinai eating a fig." According to Carol, Harry had silken, bronze skin; long, almond shaped eyes that stretched almost to his ears; and that "sweet contented smile with which camels in the holy land are born.Standing in the sun was a bronze god, so you can imagine why I never stopped hugging and kissing him.Gorgeous! The Turks are built with wide shoulders and great strength. I simply felt extremely girly-girly standing next to a boy-boy, and he treated me as suck".
Harry, too, was smitten.Harry said that at first he was intimidated by Carol's family. But they were so warm to him. Harry's father was a tailor, a Turkish immigrant who'd only gone through sixth grade.
Although Harry was proud of her accomplishments, he wanted all of her time on weekends.
Like most great love stories, they drifted apart. He went off to military school because it was the natural course of things. They agree that although they were not together, they always remained connected spiritually.
There were bleak years for Carol. Breaking into the New York theatre world was daunting, and whenever she was rejected, she thought of Harry.
She would think of Harry because being with him was the happiest time of her life.
Carol, of course went on to a smashing success in the 1950's Broadway musical GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES.

Then in 1964 she tore up the great white way as matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi in HELLO, DOLLY!It's no surprise that Carol has won numerous Tony Awards and a Golden Globe.
On occasion over the years, Harry tried to contact Carol just to send his regards but he could never get through.
As most of you know, Carol had been married. Three times prior to Harry. The last being a lengthy one in which she was mistreated. She used to ask if God really loved her, and was "He" watching out for her? "Look," she told God, "I know that YOU exist. Help me, please!" She wanted a sign. You won't believe this, but around the same time, Harry also prayed, " Lord, I'm lonely (his wife had just died) and if you want it so, I'll be alone."
Their prayers were answered.Carol wrote her memoir, JUST LUCKY I GUESSCarol Channing, took on her most challenging role yet: as the author of this funny, ribald, and moving memoir. In her book, Carol described Harry as "exotic and beautiful," and recalled that she loved hugging him.
Mervyn Morris of the Mervyn Department stores was a neighbor of Carol's near Palm Springs. Merv read Carol's book AND found a matchmaking opportunity as irresistible as it would have been to Dolly herself. He just read how dearly Carol felt about Harry in the past, so he gave Harry Carol's number.

Carol recalled that even after 70 years she was not nervous while awaiting Harry's call, " I knew him too well," she said, " and I'd loved him."
Their reunion at the condo was explosive. No doubt in Harry's mind was that Carol was about to come his wife. Their romance took off from there.
He proposed to Carol at a breakfast for 35 people who were their neighbors. It just evolved. Once again, she could not stop hugging and kissing him. Harry began to help Carol with work challenges, such as planning Carol's performance schedule and making sure her management was honest.
The invitation to their wedding showed a picture of Carol and Harry from their junior high days.
Carol said that Harry made her feel so girlie and feminine even though she was wearing a silk PANTS suit and low heels. They now laugh at the memory of their quick Thoroughly modern-day courtship and admit that part of the rush is that they WAITED to be intimate until THEY were man and wife.
People were and are so intrigued by their romance that when they appeared on THE LARRY KING SHOW on CNN, all lights on the incoming phones lit up.
Carol has been performing her one-woman show to rave reviews across the county and overseas.
She and Harry treasure their homes in Modesto, California and Palm Springs.
Their story is all about hope. Society is at a place in history where LOVE and respect seem to be fading away, but they are helping to change that by respecting the institute of marriage. The love they have is invigorating, and they are younger than springtime.
And their LOVE for each other extends to a love of instituting the arts back in education. So today, I want to remind you of the DR. CAROL CHANNING & HARRY KULLIJIAN FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS.
The Arts are among the most important things we learn about in school. They provide a well-rounded education not based on a test's requirements.
Every study of how to make cities more attractive to prospective citizens, new businesses, etc. says that a thriving arts scene is a key issue. So of course the local yokel politicos ignore that and invest in new stadiums.
The return to the teaching of the arts in the public schools requires that each state and its citizens reevaluate, reexamine and rethink the benefits to be derived from a complete and adequate education that includes exposure to the arts as a part of the regular curriculum. Education, not only in the arts but education as a whole in California and throughout the United States must be lifted to a considerably higher priority. If we do not act upon this soon and begin serious discussions about remedying this increasingly serious lack of the standards for which this country was known, we are at risk to lose the main ingredient of the world class goals of a true democracy. On May 2nd, 2009. The Children's Arts Advocate Award 2009 - the state PTA's first such award - was presented to the First Lady of Musical Theatre during an appearance at the organization's 110th annual convention. She and her husband, Harry Kullijian spoke to a crowd of thousands of PTA members and delegates, representing the organization's nearly 1 million volunteer members in the state of California.

Once again, Happy Anniversary, Carol and Harry! Wow! What you have accomplished these past eight years! I can't wait to see what the next eight years bring!
Everyone, if you love Carol and Harry as much as I do, please make a contribution to The Dr. Carol Channing-Harry Kullijian Foundation For The Arts!
http://www.causes.com/causes/148596
(PLEASE NOTE: The sources for this blog were MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK
5o True Stories of Reconnecting With A Long-LOST Love by Donna Hanover
and JUST LUCKY I GUESS: A MEMOIR OF SORTS by Carol Channing

Happy Tuesday to you all!

All you have to do today is bask in the LOVE and talent that surrounds you!
(Buy JUST LUCKY I GUESS: A MEMOIR OF SORTS by Carol Channing)Available at Amazon

Tomorrow's blog will be YOU TELL ME...the first three suggestions I receive!

Please contribute to the DR. CAROL CHANNING & HARRY KULLIJIAN FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS: http://www.carolchanning.org/foundation.htm
TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED WEEK!
Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com

Carol Channing, Dionne Warwick, Louis Armstrong...and more!

(This picture was taken at Carol Channing's 90th Birthday celebration at The Pantages Theatre in Hollywood February 21st, 2011. (Pictured are John Bowab (who directed the event), Davis Gaines, Joann Worley, Carol Channing, Bruch Vilanch, Carole Cooke, Mary Jo Catlett
I LOVE my horoscope today! "Others may not understand or appreciate your strange behavior today and your dance could become one of avoiding the truth. But even your most direct approach could get lost in your foggy mental landscape.
Your friends might believe that you are being contentious now, but you're not. Remember, you can still play well with others even if you're marching to a different drummer." Story of my life. Today, I'm writing about Carol Channing, Dionne Warwick, and Louis Armstrong.

Legendary Broadway star, Carol Channing and her husband Harry Kullijian, take in the closing performance of “Ramona” in Hemet on Saturday.


Carol Channing and her husband Harry Kullijian take in the closing performance of "Ramona" in Hemet May 7.
Channing had appeared to open the show that day, receiving a standing ovation and roaring applause.


“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” said Channing. “I’m deeply touched!”


Carol Elaine Channing (born January 31, 1921) is an American singer, actress, and comedienne. She is the recipient of three Tony Awards (including one for lifetime achievement), a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. Channing is best remembered for originating, on Broadway, the musical-comedy roles of bombshell Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and matchmaking widow Dolly Gallagher Levi in Hello, Dolly!
Channing was born in Seattle, Washington, the only child of George and Adelaide (née Glaser) Channing. Her father was a city editor at the Seattle Star; his newspaper career took the family to San Francisco when Carol was only two weeks old. Her father later became a successful Christian Science practitioner, editor, and teacher. Carol attended Aptos Middle School and Lowell High School in San Francisco. At Lowell, Channing was a member of its famed Lowell Forensic Society, the nation's oldest high-school debate team.
Channing was introduced to the stage while working for her mother. Channing recounted this experience:

"My mother said, 'Carol, would you like to help me distribute Christian Science Monitors backstage at the live theatres in San Francisco?' And I said, 'All right, I'll help you.' I don't know how old I was. I must have been little. We went through the stage door alley (for the Curran Theatre), and I couldn't get the stage door open. My mother came and opened it very well. Anyway, my mother went to put the Monitors where they were supposed to go for the actors and the crew and the musicians, and she left me alone. And I stood there and realized – I'll never forget it because it came over me so strongly – that this is a temple. This is a cathedral. It's a mosque. It's a mother church. This is for people who have gotten a glimpse of creation and all they do is recreate it. I stood there and wanted to kiss the floorboards."
Channing's first job on stage in New York was in Marc Blitzstein's No For an Answer, which was given two special Sunday performances starting January 5, 1941 at the Mecca Temple (later New York's City Center). She was 19 years old. Channing then moved to Broadway for Let's Face It!, in which she was an understudy for Eve Arden. Decades later, Arden would play "Dolly" in a road company while Channing filmed THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE. Channing had a featured role in a revue, Lend an Ear. She was spotted by author Anita Loos and cast in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as Lorelei Lee, the role that brought her to prominence. (Her signature song from the production was Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend.) In 1961, Channing became one of a very few Tony Award nominees to gain a nomination for work in a revue (rather than a traditional book musical), when she was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical, for the short-lived revue Show Girl.


Louis Armstrong hit the top of the pop charts for the first time On This Date in 1964 with "Hello Dolly!". Renowned for his charismatic stage presence and deep, instantly recognizable voice almost as much as for his trumpet-playing, Armstrong’s influence extends well beyond jazz music, and by the end of his career in the 1960s, he was widely regarded as a profound influence on popular music in general."My whole life, my whole soul, my whole spirit is to blow that horn"
Louis Armstrong
1901-1971Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an “inventive” cornet and trumpet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence on jazz, shifting the music’s focus from collective improvisation to solo performers. With his distinctive gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes. He was also greatly skilled at scat singing, or vocalizing using syllables instead of actual lyrics.

On this day in 1983- Michael Jackson's single "Beat It" was certified Gold by the RIAA.

The incomparable Dionne Warwick shares stories on her 50 years in show biz
PJ Maytag - BottomLine Magazine
May 6th, 2011
PALM SPRINGS -- There’s a very short list of entertainers who can claim five decades of practicing their craft. And Dionne Warwick is one of them. The New Jersey native has been belting out hits throughout her career, firmly etching an indelible spot in American music.

Throughout the years, Warwick has had 56 singles chart in Billboard’s Hot 100 between 1962 and 1998.
Only Aretha Franklin has more female vocalist singles than her.

Her long running collaboration with composer Burt Bacharach, who discovered her while she was singing background vocals for The Drifters, turned into a veritable hit making machine. Songs like “Walk On By,”.
"Walk on By" is a song composed by Burt Bacharach, with lyrics by Hal David for Dionne Warwick. It was recorded at the same December 1963 session that yielded "Anyone Who Had a Heart", which, in 1964, became Warwick's second Top Ten hit. Released in April of that year, "Walk on By" became a landmark single, reaching #6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The song also reached the top 10 in a brief run on Billboard's easy listening survey, and was a Number One hit on Cashbox's R and B chart (Billboard did not print rhythm and blues charts during 1964, the year of the song's peak performance.)"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walk_On_By
"Make Way for Dionne Warwick, the third album by American singer Dionne Warwick, was released in late 1964. It was recorded at Bell Sound Studios in New York City with producers Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and was released by Scepter Records. The album was Warwick's first LP to chart, reaching #65 on the Billboard Top 200 and #10 on the Billboard Black Albums chart."



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionne_Warwick_discography
"Dionne Warwick (pronounced as War-wick, not like the town Warwick) (born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, activist, United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, former United States Ambassador of Health, and humanitarian. She is best known for her partnership with songwriters and producers Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
According to Billboard magazine, Dionne Warwick is second to Aretha Franklin("The Cliff Richard Show" 1970.) as the female vocalist with the most Billboard Hot 100 chart hits during the rock era (1955-1999). Warwick charted a total of 56 hits in the Billboard Hot 100. The artist scored crossover hits on the Rhythm & Blues charts and the Adult Contemporary charts. Joel Whitburn's tome on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts entitled "Top Pop Singles 1955-1999" ranked Dionne Warwick as the 20th most popular of the top 200 artists of the rock era based upon the Billboard Pop Singles Charts."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionne_Warwick “I Say A
Little Prayer,” “Do You Know The Way To San Jose,” “Alfie,” “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again,” and “Don’t Make Me Over,” just to name a few, are worldwide hits that have established her as Bacharach and Hal David’s muse.

And the five-time Grammy Award winning chanteuse continues to enthrall audiences – releasing her latest album, a Jazz compilation, entitled Only Trust Your Heart in mid-March. She has also recently penned her autobiography My Life As I See It. Her new book is the reason why her fans will have a golden opportunity to meet the legendary singer at her book signing at Just Fabulous in Palm Springs on May 14, from 2 to 4 pm.


(Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross & Whitney Houston)

The BottomLine: you’re celebrating your 50th year in music! What do you attribute your longevity to in an often fickle music biz?
Dionne Warwick: You know, I wish I could give you an answer that made sense. I guess it’s basically that I have been consistent being who I am musically and the support of people who have kept me in their arms and in their hearts and on their radios over the period of time. And singing great songs certainly didn’t hurt.

BL: Well you’ve definitely collaborated with so many great songwriters and musicians over the years: Burt Bacharach, Barry Manilow and Barry Gibb to name a few – who was your favorite and why?

Oh they all are. They’re all friends first of all, and you can never choose a favorite friend.
They each brought to the table something very special with each recording

BL: It’s so hard to break into the business, was there a moment for you when you thought to yourself – “wow, i’ve really made it!”

You know I keep saying that. [Laughs]. You know when you hear your recordings on radio and the support of audiences when you’re doing your concerts. It’s nice to be recognized for the work you do and appreciated for it. So I guess I’m still saying those very words – ‘Wow, I think I’m going to make it after all.’

BL: You’ve performed thousands of times – any concert in particular stands out as truly memorable?

Oh my goodness, 50 years of music – it’s hard to think about one concert! That’s kind of difficult. There have been many, many special moments.
Of course there was my very first concert when I was headlining – that has to reign at the top of the list. And there have been several over the years – performing before the Queen of England for the first time – the Queen Mother – at that. The concerts I did with Burt on the road, and the concerts I did with Johnny Mathis on the road, and the concerts I did with Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight – there’s been several.

BL: If you could work with anyone in the business – past or present – who would you choose?

At this moment I’m still waiting to do a recording with Earth, Wind & Fire who also happen to be my favorite group of all time. We keep passing each other on the road and say, ‘OK, we’re going to do it soon!’ [Dionne laughs]. It’s just a matter of scheduling.

BL: “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” was actually the first song lyrics I could ever memorize off the radio. Take us back to winning your first Grammy. Did you ever think that song would be such a worldwide smash hit?

Ah no, because I hated it. [Laughs]. But it caught the ear of the general public and they seemed to love it. I still get when I’m going to the airport or in a grocery store and be – ‘Do you know the way to San Jose, Dionne?’

BL: Did you hate performing it?

Well all of my songs are like my babies and I treat them that way so even though it wasn’t one of my favorites to record, as I’ve said on several occasions, I just cried all the way to the bank.

BL: You were on "Celebrity Apprentice" this season with quite a cast of characters. What was that experience like?

In a word – and it’s the only word I’ve been using – and it’s true to form – it was quite interesting. And that’s all I have to say about "The Apprentice." (She was voted off the women's team fairly early, for those who don't follow the show.)

BL: How do you like Donald Trump’s chances for becoming president in 2012?

Is he a Democrat?

BL: Definitely not.

Whatever he is – I’m a Democrat and that’s my answer.

BL: Shifting gears a little. You were part of the vanguard of celebrities that answered the call for HIV/AIDS activism in the mid-'80s. Your single, “That’s What Friends Are For,” with Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight raised over $3 million for the fledgling AMFAR in 1985.
What compelled you to campaign for AIDS awareness?

Well, of course I was appointed the Ambassador of Health for the United States by the Reagan administration, which ran through the first year of the Clinton administration. I traveled the entire world meeting with scientists, doctors, nurses and people with HIV/AIDS to get a handle with what this thing was and is. I felt it was vital that people be educated about it and know the kind of fight we were in – especially in the industry where it hit most prevalently first. It actually got a face with Rock Hudson’s death.
We just lost an incredible amount of incredibly talented people within the industry: hairdressers, make-up people, dancers, lighting people, cameramen – it just ran rampant through our industry.

And like most people, we sat around and talked about it quite a bit and I am a doer. I felt it was time to stop talking and to start doing. That became my graceful mandate from my heart and apparently from the hearts of so many others.

BL: Well, it meant the world to so many in our community when celebrities such as yourself took up the cause at a time when AIDS victims were treated like pariahs.

Educating people to what this really was and how it was contracted – it didn’t transfer to you if you hugged someone or took their hand. It was important to show compassion towards the fight they were facing.

BL: When you are gone Dionne, what do you hope people remember you most for – your music or your humanitarian effort?

I hope I’m just remembered for being Dionne, you know? I’m always who I am – on the stage, in the grocery store, wherever it is. I’m still who I am – Dionne.

BL: If there was anything you could do over in your career what would it be and why?

Not one thing. It’s just been an incredible ride I’ve been on and the journey hasn’t ended yet. The support I have received over these many years have just been overwhelming at times. I wouldn’t change one thing – the ups or the downs, it’s all a part of life, you know?

BL: Indeed they are. Can you tell us a bit about your book, “My Life As I See It?”

It’s a book that I swore I would never write. So I took a meeting with Simon & Schuster, who were very interested in my book. And the key was when they told me, "We want you to write the book that you want to write." That was the key. It gave me the opportunity to clear up many, many misnomers – what people thought, they now know because it came directly from me.

BL: Was it a daunting task to write your autobiography?

No, not at all. In fact, it was a lot of fun. Remembering all those incredible things that have occurred throughout my lifetime thus far and I’m looking forward to the next memories.

BL: I know something I wanted to touch upon. Are you still a big believer in psychics?

It’s not so much a belief as it’s that I’m curious about it – I think everybody is. It’s always interesting when you ask someone to read your sign and they give it to you. I would never live my life by it – I think that is definitely in God’s hands – but I think it’s an interesting gift. There are people that have that ability, to be able to see and it’s in the Bible that God said there would be people left on the Earth to lead and guide us.

BL: If there was only one thing readers could take away from reading your autobiography – what would it be and why?

The reasons for doing the book are the lessons I’ve learned. I’d hope that those lessons go throughout the book and are able to give some insight. Whether how to avoid some mistakes, work your way through them – I’d hope it’d be inspiring. Hopefully people can learn from my mistakes.



Richard Skipper accompanied by Fred Barton and introduced by Lee Roy Reams at The Zani's Furry Friends benefit at BIRDLAND May 7th, 2011


Happy Monday to you all!

All you have to do today is bask in the LOVE and talent that surrounds you!
(Buy THE THOUGHT EXCHANGE by David Friedman
http://www.librarytalespublishing.com/products/The-Thought-Exchange.html)

Tomorrow's blog will be YOU TELL ME...the first three suggestions I receive!

Please contribute to the DR. CAROL CHANNING & HARRY KULLIJIAN FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS: http://www.carolchanning.org/foundation.htm
TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED WEEK!
Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com

CAROL CHANNING DESERVES THIS YEAR'S KENNEDY HONOR!, MORE THOUGHTS ON THE 26th ANNUAL BISTRO AWARDS, and Happy Birthday, Eric Stephen Jacobs!

CAROL CHANNING
DESERVES THE KENNEDY CENTER
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD!
The career of Carol Channing is varied and continuing. She performs with the gusto of a young aspiring actress.
Her heart remains on stage even though she has recently focused her efforts on improving arts education in California. Offering scholarships, teaching, lecturing and performing, she hopes to invoke renewed public support for arts education through the Channing/Kullijian Endowment for the Arts.

Carol Elaine Channing is an American singer, actress, and comedienne.
Ms. Channing has been a star of international acclaim since a Time magazine cover story hailed her performance as Lorelei Lee in Gentleman Prefer Blondes writing; "Perhaps once in a decade a nova explodes above the Great White Way with enough brilliance to re-illumine the whole gaudy legend of show business."
Since her 1948 Broadway debut in Blitzstein's No For An Answer, her Broadway appearances include So Proudly We Hail, Let's Face It, Lend An Ear, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Show Girl, Pygmalion, The Millionairess, The Vamp, Four On A Garden, and Wonderful Town. In addition to receiving a special Tony Award in 1968, she won the Tony Award in 1964 for her legendary portrayal of Dolly Levi in Jerry Herman's Hello, Dolly!
Carol Channing is a dying breed: a legend from the days when people actually succeeded on the basis of talent and hard work—without a rap sheet or a sex tape.

Carol was born Jan 31, 1921 in Seattle, Washington, the daughter of a prominent newspaper editor, who was very active in the Christian Science movement. At just two weeks of age, her father's work took the family to San Francisco, where Carol was raised, schooled and eventually found work as a model. Through determination, hard work, and her family's support (not to mention a mandatory IQ test for which she scored one of the highest recorded results), Carol was able to attend Bennington College in Vermont that had one of the few existing arts programs in the country, majoring in drama and dance.
In 2003, Carol released her best selling memoirs Just Lucky I Guess and married her junior high school sweetheart, businessman Harry Kullijian (after a 70 year separation) and started touring world wide with her one woman show entitled The First Eighty Years are the Hardest, after the very successful preview given to New York audiences that prompted the New York Times to say "Back Where She Belongs: Carol Channing Reminisces . . . The audience jumped to its feet more than once. We were watching a master performer" and Associated Press declared "The audience clearly was there to worship, and Channing did not disappoint." In 2004, Broadway's "first lady of musical comedy," received an honorary doctoral degree becoming Doctor Carol Channing from the California State University bestowed at a CSU, Stanislaus commencement.

Recently, Carol is getting major coverage as the subject of Dori Berenstein’s documentary, CAROL CHANNING: LARGER THAN LIFE. In October, she received yet another distinction when she received her star on The Palm Springs Walk of Fame, a Bistro Award for her continuing contributions to the importance of arts in education, …now where is that Kennedy honor!?!?!


HELP CAROL RECEIVE THIS HONOR

All you have to do is send an E-MAIL to: Michael Kaiser. His Email address is:
jfcass@kennedy-center.org

In the e-mail you can state why you feel Carol is deserving of the award: Her great body of work spanning over 64 years that has given joy to so many people all over the world; her many other awards (the Golden Globe Award for Thoroughly Modern Millie, the Oscar nomination, Emmy nomination, Grammy, and three Tony Awards). And, let's not forget the great humanitarian efforts such as all her work to bring the arts to people everywhere.
Thanks, everyone!

(Pictured here with Marla Green and Eric Stephen Jacobs, whose birthday is TODAY!
Happy Birthday, Eric!)
I'm still receiving e-mails and congratulatory comments on Tuesday night's Bistro Awards. My last two blogs covered this. Here are a few more possibly final thoughts on the evening:
"Everything ran smoothly Tuesday night at the 26th annual Bistro Awards and it is always an inspiration to see people pour their heart and soul into their art the way cabaret people do. My personal favorites were Carole Bufford's amazing (so I thought) rendition of "Folsom Prison" -- not your usual cabaret torch song. I love the blues, one doesn't hear much of it (well I haven't) lately and this was really original and really good. Also, yes, the Alex Rybeck piano medley of Dionne Warwick's hits and Tyne Daly. And the whole atmosphere. When cabaret people do pour their hearts out they make ours soar and forget all the things – bit and little – that might have been circling through our minds during the ordinary day by day. We fly into another and lovely world."What good is sitting alone in your room....." etc etc. It was grand."
Esther Tolkoff

"The show was one of the best shows I've ever seen at an Awards ceremony.
The house as PACKED, thanks to Richard Skipper. It didn't run forever as it has in the past and every single performer was worth listening too. For me the instrumentals were a highlight. I could spend my day listening to Sean Harkness play his guitar and be happy. AND - AND - Alex Rybeck's arrangements of the songs Dionne Warwick made into recording hits was unbelievable. I've known Alex for years and even worked with him a bit. His playing at the Bistro Awards was mesmerizing. Richard spoke beautifully for Carol and Tyne was warm and fun. It was a wonderful night. Sherry should be smiling"
Bobbie Horowitz

Happy Birthday, Eric Stephen Jacobs. I owe so much to this man! When I started out in cabaret, believe it or not, Eric was my first make-up artist. I made my cabaret debut as Judy Garland. Eric did my make-up for every show. He also designed my Carol Channing make-up. So, yes, I owe so much to Eric!Thanks, Eric! Love you!!


(Buy THE CABARET ARTIST'S HANDBOOK by Bob Harrington, edited by Sherry Eaker http://www.amazon.com/Cabaret-Artists-Handbook-Creating-Livliest/dp/0823088529Bu)

Tomorrow's blog will be YOU TELL ME...the first three suggestions I receive!

Please contribute to the DR. CAROL CHANNING & HARRY KULLIJIAN FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS: http://www.carolchanning.org/foundation.htm

TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED WEEK!


Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com

Happy EASTER , Honoring Carol Channing, Happy birthday to the original Funny Girl, Barbra Streisand!

God partly experiences creation through your soul, and your soul partly experiences creation through your body. -JN, AotS
Happy Easter! If you don't celebrate Easter, celebrate anything today!It's my favorite Holiday!!! Yaaaaay! Hope your day is happy!
(with Patty Gay, Glen Charlow, and Danny yesterday at The Tribeca Film Festival premier of CAROL CHANNING: LARGER THAN LIFE)
The following was sent to me yesterday.
Hello, Jerry!

I have no idea who you are but THANK YOU! You made my day!!
Someone sent me this from "ALL THAT CHAT"
A documentary on "Carol Channing--Larger Than Life" premieres tonight at the Tribeca Film Festival. I'm looking forward to it. I've never seen her "live." The closest I came was seeing Richard Skipper's one-man show about her in December, which I thought was well done; if they give any kind of awards for outstanding one-person play, his show deserves consideration. He not only sang her songs, he answered questions from the audience (in character).

The following article was written by my dear friend Deborah Smith Ford. Thank you, Deborah!


Honoring Carol Channing
Carol Channing, 90, is a singer, actress, and comedienne who is also the recipient of three Tony Awards (including one for lifetime achievement), a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. She will be honored in NYC at a special event (details below).
Channing is best remembered for originating, on Broadway, the musical-comedy roles of bombshell Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and matchmaking widow Dolly Gallagher Levi in Hello, Dolly!

Richard Skipper, a professional tribute artist to Carol Channing, was the associate producer of the 2010 Bistro Awards in association with Sherry Eaker. (Richard Skipper, as Carol Channing, seen here with award winning impressionist Sharon Daniels)
He will be repeating that with this year's Bistro Awards on April 26th, 2011.


Skipper was filmed and interviewed as part of CAROL CHANNING: LARGER THAN LIFE and career of Carol Channing and his close association with her.

The film, Carol Channing: Larger Than Life, opens April 23, 2011 at The Tribeca Film Festival. In February 2011, Richard debuted "To Carol Channing With Love" (now available for booking!) at Blame It On Midnight in Palm Springs. This honored Carol Channing's 90th Birthday and was a benefit for Carol Channing.

More on this special upcoming event as shared by Richard Skipper:
(Carol is seen here with Chief Justice Roberts in 2006)
"I’m very excited, because we are honoring Carol Channing (who is the subject of the documentary, CAROL CHANNING: LARGER THAN LIFE, premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival April 23rd.

Tyne Daly, Kevin Dozier, A Special Award will be given to Michael Feinstein for his three-part documentary series “Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook,” shown on PBS and now available on DVD, which celebrates and explores the history of the Great American Songbook, and for the other work the Michael Feinstein Foundation does to promote and preserve our musical heritage.

Allan Harris (Ongoing Achievement in Jazz), Carole J. Bufford (Outstanding Vocalist), bring a diversity of musical styles to their singing, and Hilary Kole is accompanied by various celebrated jazz pianists on her CD “You Are There” (Outstanding Recording), The Johnny Rodgers Band has been named Outstanding Musical Group, and guitarist Sean Harkness is being honored as Outstanding Instrumentalist.
Some of the singers and shows honored pay tribute to the past: Anthony Cochran reinvents the Elvis Presley catalogue in “Elvis Lives” (Outstanding Theme Show), while Janice Hall pays homage to Marlene Dietrich in “Grand Illusions: The Music of Marlene Dietrich” (Outstanding Tribute Show).
The Ira Eaker Special Achievement Award, given to an outstanding performer on the rise, and named after Back Stage’s co-founder, co-publisher and first cabaret critic, goes to The Rescignos, brothers Robbie and Paul Rescigno...…so we are talking about major visibility by advertising with us.

The gala event will be held on Tuesday, April 26 at Gotham Comedy Club, 208 West 23rd Street. A Champagne reception for the Bistro recipients and Premium Ticket holders begins at 5 pm, followed by the awards presentation and show starting at 6:30 pm.

Producer Sherry Eaker will be hosting the annual event, along with the other members of the Bistro Awards Committee: Elizabeth Ahlfors (Cabaret Scenes, CurtainUp.com, and BistroAwards.com), David Finkle (Village Voice, The Huffington Post), Rob Lester (Cabaret Scenes, NiteLifeExchange.com), Erv Raible, Executive/Artistic Director of the Cabaret Conference at Yale University, and Roy Sander (BistroAwards.com). Eaker, who heads up the Bistro Committee, is the former longtime Editor-in-Chief of Back Stage and the producer of the event since its inception.

We expect a capacity crowd… hope you can join us as well!



I was very pleased at the response we got from last year’s 76-page COLOR program My goal is to surpass what I achieved last year. I hope that you will be a part of that. I am already excited about what I know will be an incredible keepsake! We are also seeking sponsorship! Ask about sponsorship opportunities!

Once again, the date of the event is Tuesday, April 26, 2011 in New York city. Hope to see you there!" - Richard Skipper


Happy Birthday, Barbra Streisand!Thank you for all the gifts you have given us over the years. I truly LOVE YOU!
For Barbra's official website, go here: http://www.barbrastreisand.com/us/home
Barbra Joan Streisand (pronounced /ˈstraɪsænd/; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards,a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award,a Peabody Award,and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award. Happy Birthday, Barbra!


The following is from my friend Josh Ellis who was Carol Channing's publicist during her run of LORELEI on Broadway: You know I don't go to the movies very often. So, while I have yet to see THE KING'S SPEECH, today I did see the new documentary, CAROL CHANNING: LARGER THAN LIFE, part of the Tribeca Film Festival.
Between the interviews with the present-day Channing, video clips that cover the past 62 years, vintage photographs ("Channing Art," as Charles Lowe used to call them), and interviews with many of Channing's friends and fellow theatre artists, we get a very happy musical comedy feast. If you are a Channing fan, it doesn't get better than this. If you are not a Channing fan you've probably stopped reading this review already.
The overriding story is her love affair with Harry, her new husband. They met as young teenagers in San Francisco and went their own way for 70 plus years. After Carol's autobiography was published, they met again and fell in love.

It's up to you to decide if you see the "real" Carol Channing in this documentary. Director Dori Berinstein doesn't shy away from the topic of Charles Lowe, Carol's husband/manager for over 40 years. Debbie Reynolds' comment about the marriage is worth the price of admission. But mostly it's a love-fest created to make you feel good. There is no dark edge, axe to grind or score to settle.
Needless to say, I adored it, as I adore Carol. What it lacks in depth is made up for in glitter.
There are three more Tribeca Film Festival screenings of the film. There is no national distribution set at this time.
Josh
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1737122
(Here I am with Dori Berenstein at the premier yesterday)
Don't forget The 26th annual Bistro Awards Tuesday night at The Gotham Comedy Club in NYC! (www.BistroAwards.com)
Please click on the banner ads on our Bistro Award site and support our advertisers.

Tomorrow's blog will profiles on the first three suggestions I receive today!


Please contribute to the DR. CAROL CHANNING & HARRY KULLIJIAN FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS: http://www.carolchanning.org/foundation.htm

TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED WEEK!


Richard Skipper, Associate producer of the 26th annual Bistro Awards , Richard@RichardSkipper.com

One week from Tuesday! The 26th Annual Bistro Awards are honoring Carol Channing, Dionne Warwick, and Tyne Daly! Do you have your tickets yet?

I am very excited to be working with Sherry Eaker for the second year in a row as associate producer of The Bistro Awards! I'm specially thrilled this year because we are honoring Carol Channing for all that she is doing to restore arts in education. I am proud to be part of the planning committee for the Dr. Carol Channing-Harry Kullijian Foundation For The Arts.
Carol and Harry are in town for the premier of Dori Berenstein's CAROL CHANNING: LARGER THAN LIFE which is premiering Saturday afternoon at The Tribeca Film Festival!I'm also in this film! I hope to see you there as well!

Today, I want to focus on Carol, Dionne Warwick, and Tyne Daly. Tomorrow's blog will focus on three other recipients.
As stated above, Carol will be honored for or her ongoing commitment and dedication to the performing arts through the Dr. Carol Channing & Harry Kullijian Foundation for the Arts, which promotes arts education in our public schools. I want to take this moment to say THANK YOU for all the joy you have given to me and the world. You have made my journey on this planet a lot nicer by your very being! Last summer when Carol was in New York to promote her latest cd, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, Perez Hilton posted on his blog: She's so presh!

Watch the legendary Carol Channing appear on The Wendy Williams Show — she's a hoot!

Carol says her father might have been half-black and that's why she's such a good singer and dancer!
LOLs!

So happy to see her looking so vibrant and healthy!
Cannot wait to see you next week, Carol! Safe travels!
The following is from Greg Hernandez' blog: I’ve been lucky enough to see the great Carol Channing at many events in recent years – including watching her perform her one woman show at The Magic Castle in Hollywood – and I can assure you that at 90, she’s still going strong.

Her longtime publicist, Harlan Boll, is the co-producer of the documentary Carol Channing: Larger Than Life with director/producer Dori Berinstein. Harlan tells me the film has been selected as a “Spotlight” film at the Tribeca Film Festival and premieres on April 23rd. It then heads to the Canada Film Festival, before hopefully going to the Los Angeles Film Festival.
The film features interviews with Lily Tomlin, Barbara Walters, Lee Roy Reams, Tommy Tune, Jerry Herman, Chita Rivera, Bruce Vilanch, Tippi Hedren, Phyllis Diller, Margaret O’Brien, Loni Anderson, Marge Champion, Bob Mackie, Debbie Reynolds, Tyne Daly, Rich Little, JoAnne Worley, Carole Cook, Mary Jo Catlett, and so many others including a remarkable interview with Carol’s NY roommate, Betty Garrett.

I am also thrilled that we are honoring Dionne Warwick! Being a child of the sixties, I grew up listening to her sultry sound. My favorite is still The Theme from Valley of The Dolls.
According to Wikipedia, Marie Dionne Warwick (born December 12, 1940) is an American singer and actress who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health. THESE are the things we need to focus on..AND her body of work! Not her recent stint on Celebrity Apprentice."My legacy has already been built," ... "This show didn't do anyting but give me airtime. It didn't hurt me whatsoever."Here is a review of Miss Warwick's from a concert she did last week in Buffalo:
NORTH TONAWANDA — As artists from the ’60s and ’70s start to reach retirement age, it’s pretty easy to spot the ones who have given up on ever being relevant again — they put out a “Great American Songbook” album.

It’s a ploy that tends to sound as tired as the artists must feel. But Dionne Warwick’s new record of Sammy Cahn standards, “Only Trust Your Heart,” is a different animal. Unlike the bombastic rock singers who’ve tried to reinvent themselves (Rod Stewart and Michael McDonald being the most heinous that come to mind), Warwick is the original muse of two titans of American song—Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Interpreting the classics is what she’s been doing for the last 50 years.

And it’s what she did with class on Sunday evening in the beautiful Riviera Theatre. Always more of a restrained crooner than a fiery belter, Warwick remains the perfect foil for those lush, gentle Bacharach melodies, and she opened her set with eight straight highlights of their partnership.

With her five-piece band keeping things soft and light, the vocalist delivered the slinky melody and heartbreaking lyric of “Walk On By,” the sprightly, unlucky-in-love anthem “I’ll Never Fall In Love,” and the indelibly romantic “This Girl’s In Love With You.”

Things started to slow down during a salsa take on “I Say A Little Prayer,” which had me longing for the passion that Aretha Franklin brought to that song. And following it up with the lulling theme from “Alfie” didn’t exactly pick up the pace.

This was remedied right quick, however, by an homage to Warwick’s adopted home of Brazil, including a simmering take on Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Corcovado.” It was an enjoyable way to stretch the boundaries of Warwick’s approach, without really going too crazy —after all, many of those Bacharach rhythms and melodies are very much indebted to bossa nova.

Then came a pair of numbers from the new record, and they were performed with such polish, it would’ve been nice to hear a few more. “I’ll Never Stop Loving You” is a top-notch hyperbolic love song, filled with nevers and forevers, and Warwick gave it the full, smoky ballad treatment, the arrangement punctuated by an unexpected, tasteful bass solo.

This high point was an ideal segue into the three ultimate crowd pleasers. First came “I’ll Never Love This Way Again,” the 1979 R&B hit whose towering chorus made for the most bombastic moments of the night. “What the World Needs Now Is Love” ensued, the quintessential example of Bacharach, David and Warwick at the height of their powers — that song could so easily sound like a dippy throwaway from a simpler time, but it just doesn’t. “That’s What Friends Are For” closed things out, its melody powerful enough to cut through the schmaltz, with Stevie Wonder’s harmonica line tugging at the heartstrings, even though this band played it through a synthesizer patch that made it sound like it belonged in the theme from “Perfect Strangers.”

As the crowd stood up and cheered, Warwick wrapped her arms around herself, a gesture that communicated her love for us, the venue, her band, everything. Sure, she’s singing the Great American Songbook. But she’s a Great American Singer.



Last Sunday evening in the Riviera Theatre, North Tonawanda.
Like many of my generation, we watched the brilliant actress Tyne Daly in many television movies and TV shows in the 70s culminating with her incredible show CAGNEY AND LACEY. I've always been a fan! Then in 1989/1990, I saw her in GYPSY six times! Each and every time, she hit a home run. I saw her at Feinstein's and, once again, I'm thrilled she is receiving this award for that show. From Wikipedia: Tyne Daly (born February 21, 1946) is an American stage and screen actress, widely known for her work as Detective Lacey in the television series Cagney & Lacey. She has won six Emmy Awards for her television work,[1][2] and the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical in Gypsy: A Musical Fable in 1989.I cannot wait to see her as Maria Callas in MASTER CLASS!The following is from THE NEW YORK TIMES: Behind the Poster: ‘Master Class’
By ERIK PIEPENBURG
SpotCo Click to Enlarge Image Manhattan Theater Club’s poster for “Master Class,” starring Tyne Daly.

In 1989 Tyne Daly won a Tony Award for playing Rose, musical theater’s most notorious stage mother, in the Broadway revival of “Gypsy.” Beginning in June, Ms. Daly will play a diva of a more classical stripe, the soprano Maria Callas, in the Manhattan Theater Club’s revival of Terrence McNally’s “Master Class.” (Ms. Daly is reprising the role she played last spring at the Kennedy Center.)

The play, which starred Zoe Caldwell when it opened on Broadway in 1995, is set at a master class taught by Callas, who prods her students into revealing intimate parts of their lives. The poster art for MTC’s revival was inspired by a 1957 portrait of Callas shot by the famed British photographer Cecil Beaton, according to Vinny Sainato, senior creative director of the Broadway advertising agency SpotCo. Mr. Sainato and the designer Amanda Spielman collaborated with the celebrity photographer James White on the black-and-white photograph of Ms. Daly, who was made up, dressed and posed to look similar to Callas.

Mr. Sainato recently spoke with ArtsBeat about what inspired the design. Following are excerpts from the conversation.
Q.

Where did you get the idea for this image? It’s done in a classic, black-and-white portrait style that’s kind of unusual for a Broadway poster.
A.

We looked at all these iconic images of Callas. She’s this great beauty. We saw images of the Beaton photograph everywhere. We used that as the inspiration for this shot. We homaged it.
Q.

How much do you think Tyne Daly and Maria Callas have in common in this picture?
A.

Callas is much younger in that Beaton photograph. She was in her 20s or 30s. We weren’t trying to make Tyne look like a much younger person. We were trying to capture that essence of a diva.
Q.

How would you describe that essence? What makes a diva?
A.

It’s the way she looks at you in that picture. It’s her Cleopatra eyes. It’s looking like this queen almost. It’s all that.
Q.

James White shot the photo, but who else worked on it?
A.

The look was created with Tyne and a creative team that included Angelina Avallone, who did the makeup. Paul Huntley did the wig, and Martin Pakledinaz did the costume.

When we were doing the retouching, Elizabeth Taylor had just died. Tyne was very aware of Elizabeth Taylor’s eyebrows. We worked hard on getting those right, with extreme liquid eyeliners. We were also very aware of the “What Becomes a Legend Most?” campaign.
Q.

What were some of the other ideas you had for this campaign?
A.

One idea was to show Tyne with cracked stage makeup, like a crack in the diva. But that was just not a diva. Callas would never let you see her stage makeup crack. A diva would put her best face forward.

“Master Class” is set to begin performances on June 14 at the Samuel J. Friemdan Theater.
You don't have to wait till June to see Tyne Daly! You can see Tyne along with Carol Channing and Dionne Warwick next Tuesday night at The 26th annual Bistro Awards! For a complete list of this year's recipients , go here: http://www.bistroawards.com/2011-recipients.html

Tomorrow's blog will focus on three more of our recipients: MICHAEL FEINSTEIN, LIZ LARK BROWN, and NATE BUCCIERI!

Please contribute to the DR. CAROL CHANNING & HARRY KULLIJIAN FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS: http://www.carolchanning.org/foundation.htm

TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED 2011!


Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com