Friday, April 22, 2016

That's what SHE said ! That's what HE said !

Good Friday everyone.

What an honor to be able to put THIS blog out there.... yes, That's what she said, that's what I say.... pass it along..... Let's put the story in story form for you.....







Let's start by sharing something upbeat and positive.... If you don't do this already, learn to create the experiences that lead you to another , and another and another and so on.... What a thrill !

So 2 Seasons ago, we had our 2nd "South Jersey Junior Idol " competition for the Jersey Shore Children's Museum. One of our grand prizes was a drive up to NY to meet drummer/producer and good friend in the industry, KEVIN TOOLEY... ( Directly above)

Just a little background, Kevin is a fabulous drummer highly sought after in the punk/new wave era. He has played with groups back then such as the MUNDANES  & COOL IT REBA.... today, Kevin has worked with many major rock icons. He has created various TV and Film scores including that of the Emmy Nominated SOPRANOS.  He is Co founder of the "Air Project" and tours all over the World.

So, given his demanding touring schedule, we were able to go up for this prize with 3 very talented girls,  Anglelica Cabral, Alexis Mathis, and Bianca Pettigrosso.
You can check them out in their own right ....

Angelica: Category Winner in South Jersey Junior Idol Competition 
Attending Performing arts school with hopes of going to Julliard and will be involved in an upcoming move with director Darrell Smith... 

Alexis:  2nd Runner up in South Jersey Junior Idol Competition 
Been performing on stage since the age of 2 and studies voice with the iconic Sal Dupree. Loves many genres of music  Find her at  www.alexisnicolemathis.com  

Bianca: has deep roots in performing . She is an original singer/songwriter and has a unique vision for the future of her music. Runner up in the South Jersey Junior Idol Competition . Bianca has big dreams! Find her on Instagram at  biancaroxx

 We,  at 4 A STAR ,  are happy to be  one of the forces behind helping them all go after those dreams and achieve them !

So here we go up to NY to meet and greet with Kevin, tour his home studio, and have a nice dinner with him.... in we walk to his studio where he is in the process of producing an album ( cd) for
 J. E. Laine ( Pictured above). So to give the girls a studio experience, he has them sing some back up vocals to a track he is working on , what fun to watch....(Brings back studio memories. I just love being in the studio !!! )
 Kevin liked it so much, he submitted the idea of them singing ON the cd.... well when one thing leads to another, the magic happens....

Now let's go back and talk a little about the beautiful J.E. Laine...
She was a teenager in the 50's and feels that there are millions who would love to hear that 50's sound today. How fun would it be to re-create that sound with new music , re-made music and just the soul and feel of the 50's?  J. E. Laine has done just that.
She began her career with Robin Leach, at his then GO magazine.... later of TV's Lifestlyles of the Rich and Famous.  She became the liaison between the radio stations and the record company's . She then worked A&R ( Artist & Repertoire) for Atlantic Records. In 1971 she kicked off International Promotions for the Rolling Stones film GIMME SHELTER. From the 80's to the present she has been a management consultant and /or co-manager to Ronnie Spector where she built a long lasting business relationship as well as a long friendship !
Her Career highlights, she says, was and is working with Ronnie Spector and the late great comic- Soupy Sales
J.E. Laine is a force in the entertainment and music industry . She is an author/Singer/ Promoter/ manager and wears many hats in the field. ( Boy, I can so relate)

It is my honor to share her song here with our 3 girls singing background.




You never know where one thing will lead you so carry on and connect the dots wherever you can !
Thank you Kevin and J.E. Laine for this .  I'm glad we put this prize package together.... speaking of which.... we are offering this prize up again to the winners of our 1st Battle of the Bands at the Galloway Swim Club this June. Stay tuned for that !

We certainly appreciate Kevin's time and that of the great J.E. Laine.
* Information gathered from Google, Facebook, Kevin Tooley*


Meet the girls:

                                                              Alexis
                                                             Angelica

                                                              Bianca

  Enjoy !

                                                                   
.

Monday, April 18, 2016

Are you the local bartender???

Good Monday morning !!!  I usually don't get in here on Mondays, as you know. It's just been the usual craziness so I find myself coming in to chat with all of you on this gorgeous Monday Morning !
I hope you make it a great day to start your week !

So, I ask you, Are you the local bartender???  Well what do I mean by that?  Let's go back to an old cliche... "Only your hairdresser knows for sure...."   Well, that may be true as well,  For this purpose, we will talk about the bartender as this will be a clue in the search for our Tierney when the timing is right !!!!   ( hint, hint so stay tuned)

You can look into many movies and hear many stories of how the BARTENDER is the one who hears it all. So how does this relate to YOU ? !!!

I know in my life, I am the keeper of many stories, many secrets and many people .

How do you handle this? I think it comes down to integrity. As you grow in your business, people begin to see you differently. I always say that we are all celebrities in our own right when we are the keeper of things in our business. Being in business puts you in a different place, a place where others need to count on you, rely on you etc... How you handle that and how you grow yourself is how you raise your celebrity status .      (Don't get me wrong, some celebrities do not hold this special title or place, do not make good role models and do not deserve to have this special title...that said, I think many do and I would hope that any celebrity status gives you the opportunity to help others)

So depending on how you want to be seen, is how you keep growing and being noticed. BUT....regardless of how YOU want to be seen, you ARE seen in many ways by those around you and those that confide in you, talk to you, patron your stores.... your goods and services.... and so on...

This gives you an important obligation. I have chosen to associate only with those who have the integrity of THE LOCAL BARTENDER.  For we know when we tell the bartender our story, it stays there and they are just the ear we need at the time with no judgement and no question.... Of course, there may be the one or 2 that will run and blab your tale to others.... however, I can't recall hearing THAT story and again, you can find that anywhere.... So I put the local bartender in the highest of classes as our tales remain with them and they get to have the bragging rights of, "I've heard it all".

How do YOU deal with your success?... your rise and fall? ..your celebrity status in whatever way that is?...your stories of your friends and customers as they confide in YOU with the utmost respect?....It is hard to TRUST anymore and people are putting their trust in YOU !

Remember this,  People are watching you ALL the time.
                           Hang out with the right people.
                           Learn how to let go of the people that bring you down, or make you question your                                true integrity.

Be the LOCAL BARTENDER !!

                                                         

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Goodbye to "Idol"

Hello,

Whatever you feel about American Idol, it's a show that has been in many people's lives for 15 years. It set the stage for some of our greatest rising stars and performers and let us look into their lives. We even got to know iconic entertainers/ judges a little better as we watched them in our homes each week.

I am going to miss this show very much. Funny, I didn't even watch the first Season. Coming from a music background, I thought the show was going to be a joke with all that crazy stuff .... I decided to watch the very last night of Season 1. I still remember Kelly Clarkson coming out. She sang one note...just one note and I said, "She's the winner".  I then began the process in Season 2 and fell head over heels for Clay Aiken.  ( and who didn't love the Velvet Teddy Bear we know as Ruben Studdard).... I was hooked.  Saw almost every Idol concert tour since then...think I missed one or two....

As they said in the retrospective show the other night ( which was very good)... we (America) loved to hear the stories, get behind the performers, and share in the journey.  Idol was a platform for a lot of things, including a massive amount of money raised for the hungry in "Idol Gives Back".

There are people who didn't watch the show that probably don't even know that Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, Scotty McCreary, Phil Phillips, Adam Lambert, Clay Aiken, Ruben,.... Constantine.... Catherine....Fantasia....Jennifer.... were all American Idol contestants.... and the list goes on and on of Idols that took that platform and did SOMETHING with it.

It's not all about the title, although that is nice and what all the contestants want, the ones that make it to the top handful are seen over and over again . They are given an amazing platform in front of millions of people.

I've been to the tours, I've supported the music and I've fallen in love with many of the artists....

If you truly listen, some of them tried for years to get noticed and Idol was the place that opened up the door....

The retrospective took us back to the "When" and the "Why" of the very first Season. We hardly had cell phones working then.... Entertainment has changed so much over the past 15 years.... so has a lot of things....

I will always cherish and remember AMERICAN IDOL !

Congratulations La'Porsha, Trent and Dalton... top 3  What amazing voices and styles you all have !
McKenzie Bourg....you are amazing !

.....and of course... the very last American Idol TRENT HARMON

Here are a few pics to enjoy.... !

Thank you American Idol for 15 wonderful years !















#McKenzieBourg #Dalton Rapattoni # La'Porsha Renae # Trent Harmon

# American Idol

Monday, April 4, 2016

Touched by the Garden State Film Festival

Hello all,

So yesterday I had the opportunity to screen a few films at the Garden State film festival in Atlantic City. The screening took place in the ballroom at the beautiful Claridge Hotel. Many events took place this weekend for the film festival. I had a busy weekend myself so I was only able to get to one screening. I'm so happy this was the screening I could see as the feature film was called, "AFTER SANDY" and it touched my heart so much.

Superstorm Sandy said hello to many communities across the Nation in one way or another. It became personal to me as I grew up in a town that was destroyed by the storm and I also had several friends that lost their homes. One friend in particular was never able to go back to that home.

One of my childhood friends, Police Chief Tommy Boyd, was actually in the film a few times speaking about the devastation and re-build of Seaside, my childhood home.

My parents never made it to see this storm come through a town they loved so much. That is a blessing. I was so saddened by all the loss and damage the storm caused. The first thing I did was to send a care package to the town of Union Beach.( One of the towns featured in the film as well. )
I saw a plea for this town on FaceBook and I sent a small care package out the next morning. The film was able to take me into that town, as well as take me on the journey through areas we could never see....

I feel the film was so moving. It was great to see it touch emotions throughout the whole audience. When a film does that, it's a true sign of creativity and creation.


It almost felt good to see some of the things I could never see. There was a visual put to the stories we heard. I loved seeing the hope in people to re build and re connect with community after hard times.

Thank you Garden State Film festival for this beautiful film. Thank you Joe Minnella for bringing this to life for all of us !