Simpsinatra opened things up at the 3rd annual Joseph Lapinski Foundation beefsteak dinner & auction at The Brownstone in Paterson New Jersey on August 20, 2010. visit: www.lapinskifoundation.org for more information.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Simpsinatra in Paterson!
"fly me to the moon"
Simpsinatra opened things up at the 3rd annual Joseph Lapinski Foundation beefsteak dinner & auction at The Brownstone in Paterson New Jersey on August 20, 2010. visit: www.lapinskifoundation.org for more information.
Simpsinatra opened things up at the 3rd annual Joseph Lapinski Foundation beefsteak dinner & auction at The Brownstone in Paterson New Jersey on August 20, 2010. visit: www.lapinskifoundation.org for more information.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Simpsinatra sings for St. Jude’s Seniors
on may 20th Simpsinatra performed for St. Jude’s Seniors at Portofino’s in Oak Ridge, N.J.. i loved these kids! sixty six had just finished a fine italian lunch and then a little desert, now a show. Simpsinatra, one hit after another, with no breaks, and one hour and a half later, all of us had had a ball. a lovely girl, Mary ann, hired me for the gig. here’s an e-mail she sent me.
(she's on the left)
Dear Gary:
I was just thinking about e-mailing you and there you are on my screen. Since yesterday we’ve been receiving wonderful feedback on your performance from Oh he was just wonderful, he’s hot, hot, hot to what a wonderful twinkle in his eyes. You made so many of our KIDS happy yesterday. They will remember it for a long tine to come. You are right, we all had a fun time and thank you so very much. I hope you didn’t have as difficult a time going home as you did getting to us.
Mary Ann
(she's on the left)Dear Gary:
I was just thinking about e-mailing you and there you are on my screen. Since yesterday we’ve been receiving wonderful feedback on your performance from Oh he was just wonderful, he’s hot, hot, hot to what a wonderful twinkle in his eyes. You made so many of our KIDS happy yesterday. They will remember it for a long tine to come. You are right, we all had a fun time and thank you so very much. I hope you didn’t have as difficult a time going home as you did getting to us.
Mary Ann
Simpsinatra reflects on his four years of hosting the Hoboken Sinatra Idol Contest.
it's Sinatra's world, we just live in it...
Jerry Fallo, of the Hoboken Department of Cultural Affairs, came up with this idea in 2007 and brought the first Hoboken Sinatra Idol Contest to the Hoboken Historical Museum on december 12th. it was a grand affair in a small location. orchestrated in what has become in the following years to be our routine, step up to the edge, and jump. a lot of fun, doesn’t hurt that Jerry and i work well together. so well, that when the 2nd Annual was set to move to Frank Sinatra Park on the Hudson River, i was on board for 2008. and it was a wonderful night, a big show, with a large crowd, great contestants, a setting sun that bowed down to an illuminated New York City skyline, while we all sang a “New York New York” finale, wow. as far as Simpsinatra was concerned, i had hit the big time. lol.
2009 was one of the biggest of the Hoboken Sinatra Idol Contests, more contestants, more judges, more people! what a blast! the joint was jumping! hell, there were posters. 2010, i’d have to say topped them all, a wall of rain tried to stop us, could have slowed us down, but no. the show must go on! and the people of Hoboken came out of their houses to see the show that now had not only contestants from Hoboken and the tri-state area but other states, even Canada, and Italy! the world’s getting smaller folks. but what a big show it was, a lot of talent, great judges, kids holding signs for their fathers in the crowd, an improvised 2nd place sing off, spotlights, flashbulbs, working like a well oiled machine, moving, doing it, you know, like a.... opps.
looking forward to next year...
Jerry Fallo, of the Hoboken Department of Cultural Affairs, came up with this idea in 2007 and brought the first Hoboken Sinatra Idol Contest to the Hoboken Historical Museum on december 12th. it was a grand affair in a small location. orchestrated in what has become in the following years to be our routine, step up to the edge, and jump. a lot of fun, doesn’t hurt that Jerry and i work well together. so well, that when the 2nd Annual was set to move to Frank Sinatra Park on the Hudson River, i was on board for 2008. and it was a wonderful night, a big show, with a large crowd, great contestants, a setting sun that bowed down to an illuminated New York City skyline, while we all sang a “New York New York” finale, wow. as far as Simpsinatra was concerned, i had hit the big time. lol.
2009 was one of the biggest of the Hoboken Sinatra Idol Contests, more contestants, more judges, more people! what a blast! the joint was jumping! hell, there were posters. 2010, i’d have to say topped them all, a wall of rain tried to stop us, could have slowed us down, but no. the show must go on! and the people of Hoboken came out of their houses to see the show that now had not only contestants from Hoboken and the tri-state area but other states, even Canada, and Italy! the world’s getting smaller folks. but what a big show it was, a lot of talent, great judges, kids holding signs for their fathers in the crowd, an improvised 2nd place sing off, spotlights, flashbulbs, working like a well oiled machine, moving, doing it, you know, like a.... opps.
looking forward to next year...
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Sinatra Idol Crowns New King The 4th annual contest, now a Hoboken tradition, showcases the hits of Ol' Blue Eyes.
The spirit of Ol' Blue Eyes lives on in Hoboken as the Department of Cultural Affairs hosted the 4th annual Sinatra Idol contest on Thursday night, June 10th.
The event, fittingly held in Sinatra Park, brought together 13 dashing men from around the world—outfitted in tuxedos and fedoras, of course—as they vied for the title of top crooner.Cultural Affairs head Geri Fallo explained that the idea for the contest originally came about when she was approached by so many Sinatra-style singers wanting to perform at the bi-annual Arts and Music Fest. She said the first Sinatra Idol, a smaller affair held at the Hoboken Historical Museum, "went over so well that I thought we should do this again at the waterfront."
This year's judges included Glenn Morrow of Bar None Records, Dale Monaco (who is actually a second cousin to the late Mr. Sinatra), City Clerk Jimmy Farina, Marie Wall of The Shannon and Jim Kosic of The Burgiss Group. Each contestant was scored on a scale of 1-5.
Host and emcee Gary "Simpsinatra" Simpson warmed up the event with a few tunes, before Fallo officially kicked things off.
Joe Cofone, who also performed last year, opened the show with "Lady is a Tramp." Though always tough to go on first, Cofone still earned respectable scores from the judges.
Rick Valiant came all the way from Vancouver, Canada, to perform "My Kind of Town," which of course he called Hoboken. Gotta butter up the judges, right?
James Dempsey also came from out of town, Virginia, that is, to sing "Nice 'n' Easy."
"I had the chance to see him when I was very young," said Dempsey, though he lamented that he was too young to appreciate the legend at the time.
One of the surprises of the night was Alex Grigato, who traveled all the way from Italy in order to compete. Grigato had just arrived the day before, and said this was his first live performance and that onstage he was "all sweat." Originally planning to sing "Blue Moon," he changed his mind at the last minute after he says: "Last night I had a dream, Frank appeared and said, 'You have to sing "All The Way.'"
Rory Alyward returned for his second year in the competition, singing "You Make Me Feel So Young" ("Some of the best notes of the night," said Morrow). Michael Simone slowed things down with "Night and Day" ("I gave him a "3" because he looks like my cousin Jerome," said Farina, who provided most of the night's comedy).
But the competition really heated up when David Arellano, a three-time Sinatra Idol contestant from Staten Isand sang a truly beautiful rendition of "My Way," earning him a standing ovation and whistles from the crowd. The performance brought Wall to tears and Kosic tried to give him a score of "6."
The final performance, Greg Meyers crooning "Luck Be a Lady," was a stellar end to some fierce competition. Meyers, a singer and performer by trade, captured Sinatra's voice and attitude perfectly. Morrow called it "One of the best all around performances of the night." Before the winner was crowned, Fallo announced that there was a tie for second place, so Sinatra fans got an extra treat as Meyers and Alyward performed a duet of "I've Got You Under My Skin." Basing the results upon the crowd's applause, Meyers was awarded the second place trophy.
But the big winner of the night was, as most guessed, Arellano. He won not only the first prize trophy, but also a hefty array of gift certificates to local restaurants and shops.
The other contestants joined Arellano in the spotlight, as they sang one last classic Sinatra rendition: "New York, New York," against a backdrop of the glittering Manhattan skyline at dusk.
Arellano, a retired New York City detective, said he's dedicated the last five years of his life to singing Sinatra, and this win meant a lot to him.
"It's just an honor to be a part of Sinatra's legacy," he said. check out the video @ http://hoboken.patch.com/articles/video-hoboken-chooses-its-newest-sinatra-idol#video-480864
The event, fittingly held in Sinatra Park, brought together 13 dashing men from around the world—outfitted in tuxedos and fedoras, of course—as they vied for the title of top crooner.Cultural Affairs head Geri Fallo explained that the idea for the contest originally came about when she was approached by so many Sinatra-style singers wanting to perform at the bi-annual Arts and Music Fest. She said the first Sinatra Idol, a smaller affair held at the Hoboken Historical Museum, "went over so well that I thought we should do this again at the waterfront."This year's judges included Glenn Morrow of Bar None Records, Dale Monaco (who is actually a second cousin to the late Mr. Sinatra), City Clerk Jimmy Farina, Marie Wall of The Shannon and Jim Kosic of The Burgiss Group. Each contestant was scored on a scale of 1-5.
Host and emcee Gary "Simpsinatra" Simpson warmed up the event with a few tunes, before Fallo officially kicked things off.
Joe Cofone, who also performed last year, opened the show with "Lady is a Tramp." Though always tough to go on first, Cofone still earned respectable scores from the judges.
Rick Valiant came all the way from Vancouver, Canada, to perform "My Kind of Town," which of course he called Hoboken. Gotta butter up the judges, right?
James Dempsey also came from out of town, Virginia, that is, to sing "Nice 'n' Easy."
"I had the chance to see him when I was very young," said Dempsey, though he lamented that he was too young to appreciate the legend at the time.
One of the surprises of the night was Alex Grigato, who traveled all the way from Italy in order to compete. Grigato had just arrived the day before, and said this was his first live performance and that onstage he was "all sweat." Originally planning to sing "Blue Moon," he changed his mind at the last minute after he says: "Last night I had a dream, Frank appeared and said, 'You have to sing "All The Way.'"
Rory Alyward returned for his second year in the competition, singing "You Make Me Feel So Young" ("Some of the best notes of the night," said Morrow). Michael Simone slowed things down with "Night and Day" ("I gave him a "3" because he looks like my cousin Jerome," said Farina, who provided most of the night's comedy).
But the competition really heated up when David Arellano, a three-time Sinatra Idol contestant from Staten Isand sang a truly beautiful rendition of "My Way," earning him a standing ovation and whistles from the crowd. The performance brought Wall to tears and Kosic tried to give him a score of "6."
The final performance, Greg Meyers crooning "Luck Be a Lady," was a stellar end to some fierce competition. Meyers, a singer and performer by trade, captured Sinatra's voice and attitude perfectly. Morrow called it "One of the best all around performances of the night." Before the winner was crowned, Fallo announced that there was a tie for second place, so Sinatra fans got an extra treat as Meyers and Alyward performed a duet of "I've Got You Under My Skin." Basing the results upon the crowd's applause, Meyers was awarded the second place trophy.
But the big winner of the night was, as most guessed, Arellano. He won not only the first prize trophy, but also a hefty array of gift certificates to local restaurants and shops.
The other contestants joined Arellano in the spotlight, as they sang one last classic Sinatra rendition: "New York, New York," against a backdrop of the glittering Manhattan skyline at dusk.Arellano, a retired New York City detective, said he's dedicated the last five years of his life to singing Sinatra, and this win meant a lot to him.
"It's just an honor to be a part of Sinatra's legacy," he said. check out the video @ http://hoboken.patch.com/articles/video-hoboken-chooses-its-newest-sinatra-idol#video-480864
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)