Alan Mercer's PROFILE

Merry Clayton is thriving living vocal royalty beyond compare.‭ ‬A short list of the legends who have called upon Grammy-nominee‭ ‬Clayton’s‭ ‬vocal power and grace includes Ray Charles,‭ ‬Aretha Franklin,‭ ‬The Rolling Stones,‭ ‬Quincy Jones,‭ ‬Etta James,‭ ‬Barbara Streisand,‭ ‬Michael Jackson,‭ ‬Bob Dylan,‭ ‬Bobby Womack,‭ ‬Art Garfunkel,‭ ‬Tina Turner,‭ ‬Tom Jones,‭ ‬Diana Ross,‭ ‬Leon Russell,‭ ‬The Jazz Crusaders‭ ‬and Elvis Presley.‭ ‬From Hollywood to Broadway and around the world,‭ ‬Merry brings audiences and peers to their feet with awe and admiration.‭ ‬In‭ ‬2013,‭ ‬much of her amazing life story informs the award-winning background singers‭’‬ documentary,‭ ‘‬20‭ ‬Feet From Stardom.‭’‬ This encore in the spotlight coincides with the long-overdue release of Sony Legacy’s‭ ‘‬The Best of Merry Clayton,’‭ ‬celebrating her golden years on Ode Records.

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana and raised up on the good book and gospel music in her father’s‭ ‬New Zion Baptist Church in New Orleans.‭ ‬Parishioners used to call her‭ “‬Little Haley‭” ‬because she sounded like a mini-Mahalia Jackson.‭ ‬Merry began her recording career in 1962 at the age of fourteen, singing ‘Who Can I Count On? (When I Can't Count On You)’ as a duet with Bobby Darin on his album ‘You're The Reason I'm Living.’ A year later, she recorded the first version of ‘It's In His Kiss’ arranged and conducted by the legendary Jack Nitzsche. Her early career included performances with artists including Ray Charles, as one of The Raelets, Pearl Bailey, and Burt Bacharach. When Merry left Mr.‭ ‬Charles, she formed the‭ ‬group‭ ‬Sisters Love.‭ ‬ She contributed vocals to Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg's 1968 film ‘Performance.’ Merry also sang backup on several tracks from Neil Young's debut album ‘Neil Young,’ originally released in 1968.

She is best known for her 1969 performance in a duet with Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones song ‘Gimme Shelter.’ Merry also sang backing vocals on Lynyrd Skynyrd's ‘Sweet Home Alabama.' Merry sang backup vocals for Tom Jones, Joe Cocker ‘Feelin' Alright’ and Carole King. She also originated the role of the Acid Queen in the original 1972 London production of The Who's ‘Tommy.’ As an actress, she co-starred with Ally Sheedy in the 1987 film ‘Maid to Order,’ and played Verna Dee Jordan in the final season of ‘Cagney & Lacey.’

In 1970 the legendary‭ ‬Lou Adler signed Merry to his ‘Ode Records’ label‭ ‬and her debut solo album,‭ ‘‬Gimme Shelter,’‭ ‬her first of three for the company.‭ ‬Hollywood-based Ode,‭ ‬located on the famed A&M Records lot,‭ ‬was a family affair‭ ‬where all‭ ‬artists participated on each other‭’‬s records. Her version would be the first of five singles under her name to crack the Billboard Hot 100. Merry received a Grammy nomination in 1972 for Best Female R&B Vocalist for ‘Oh No, Not My Baby.’ She continued to release solo albums throughout the next decade, notching several R&B singles. Merry performs a live version of what has been deemed the Black National Anthem ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing,’ on the soundtrack for the 1970 Robert Altman film ‘Brewster McCloud.’

Merry sang ‘You're Always There When I Need You,’ the main title for 1980's ‘The Nude Bomb,’ the first ‘Get Smart’ movie, which starred Don Adams. She also sang the song ‘Yes’ that was in the 1987 film ‘Dirty Dancing,’ and featured on the soundtrack album. This tune became her biggest hit to date to crack the Billboard Hot 100. She also recorded backing vocals for and sang the infamous 'Man with the Golden Gun' bridge on Tori Amos' 1994 hit, ‘Cornflake Girl.

Merry Clayton was married to jazz artist Curtis Amy until his death in 2002. As well as leading his own bands and recording albums under his own name, Curtis also did session work and played the solos on several recordings, including The Doors song ‘Touch Me,’ Carole King's ‘Tapestry,’ and Lou Rawls' first albums, ‘Black and Blue’ and ‘Tobacco Road,’ as well as working with Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell and Smokey Robinson.

Merry recently reunited with Carole King for two unforgettable events:‭ ‬singing‭ ‘‬Way Over Yonder‭’ ‬as a duet at‭ ‬‘You’ve Got a Friend:‭ ‬A Celebration of Carole King and Her Music‭’ ‬(a charity for‭ ‬The Painted Turtle Foundation‭ ‬benefitting children with‭ ‬disabilities‭ ‬at the‭ ‬Dolby Theatre in Hollywood‭) ‬and at the memorial service for‭ ‬Gil Friesen,‭ ‬friend,‭ ‬A&M Chairman and producer of‭ ‬‘20‭ ‬Feet From Stardom‭’‬ with‭ ‬Carole‭ ‬accompanying‭ ‬her and singing background.‭

2013 finds Merry back on the big screen in the documentary‭ ‬‘20‭ ‬Feet From Stardom‭’ ‬which follows the careers of several major background singers.‭ ‬This crowd favorite film‭ ‬opened the Sundance Film Festival‭ ‬to a standing ovation‭ ‬and is scheduled‭ ‬for release on June 14.‭ ‬This crowd favorite film‭ ‬opened the Sundance Film Festival‭ ‬to a standing ovation‭ ‬and is scheduled‭ ‬for release in early‭ ‬summer by RADIUS/TWC.‭ Merry also has three cuts on the original soundtrack recording of ‘20 Feet From Stardom.’

with '20 Feet From Stardom' Producer Gil Friesen and Director Morgan Neville

AM: Merry, your career has come full circle. Are you feeling a bit like a new artist again?

MC: Yes, I really am. It’s another time and it’s time for me to get on my good foot. In other words it’s time for me to snap back to myself. That’s what this film has done. You know I lost Curtis, my husband. We were married for thirty two years, and I knew him for thirty five years. We were in love the whole time. I lost him suddenly and I had to go through the loss. It was the hardest thing I ever had to go through in my life. I was in a dream and I asked God to please wake me up. I didn’t want to be in this dream anymore. That’s the way it felt.

AM: Where did you find the strength to get through it?

MC: God. My faith. The Lord is what brought me back honey. It took the counciling of my family and my father and people who really, really loved me. Our friend Rudy Calvo helped me a lot. He was over at my house the night Curtis died and helped me through it all. He told me I could grieve but I had stuff to do. Then Lou Adler called and said let us know when you’re ready.

AM: All your albums are out right now?

MC: Yes, they have been released as imports from Germany and Japan.

AM: You have a new best of album coming out to don’t you?

MC: Yes it will be out on June 25, right around the time of the film. There is so much going on right now. I just got back home.

AM: You’re not even home more than two or three days at a time now are you?

MC: I’m pretty much gone until the film opens.

AM: Are you a big part of the movie?

MC: Yes, I’m the mouth in the movie. They do a part on me and one on Darlene Love, Lisa Fischer, Claudia Lennear and Tata Vega. They interviewed a lot of people but I am the chatterbox in the movie. I just tell my story. Lou and Mick Jagger talk about me. They play a tape where they single out Mick’s and my vocals on 'Gimme Shelter.’

AM: I’ve heard it. The video is on Youtube.

MC: Mick tells the story about how I came to the session. I came in and did the vocals three times and I was gone and thus history. I was at home with my husband being very pregnant. I did not want to get up. Jack Nitzsche called and asked Curtis to let me do it. I went to the studio in my pajamas, a mink coat and those little slippers that have the fur on the top and the little heal. Can you imagine?

Singing at the Mint in Los Angeles

AM: Did you know all the other women in the film?

MC: I met Lisa Fischer at Sundance for the first time. We fell in love with each other right away. She told me if it wasn’t for me she wouldn’t be doing this. She said it on stage at Sundance. I thanked Darlene for paving the way for me as a kid and taking me under her wing. Our film opened the festival this year.

AM: You must have gotten a lot of attention in 1969 when ‘Gimme Shelter’ came out. Is it like that again now?

MC: It’s much better now. People are asking, “Who’s that woman?” Then they go, “It’s that Merry Clayton.” Then they tell me how they’ve listened to me for years. They couldn’t put a face with me but they knew my voice. They tell me how I’ve helped them get through their stuff.

AM: How do you react to these words?

MC: I’m always so humbled. I thank them so much and I really mean that.

AM: Will there be a tour to go along with the film?

MC: That’s what they want to do. They want us to tour this summer. We just have to get us all together. Judith Hill has been on 'The Voice’ this year. Tata is touring with Elton John and Lisa is with the Rolling Stones. Even if Darlene, Judith and me could do it and bring in Lisa and Tata when they can, that would be incredible. Whoever God clears the way for are the people who need to be there.

AM: That’s the best way to view life.

MC: I’m not wondering anything. It’s in the Lord’s hands. Whoever he wants to be there will be there. I do know one thing. I’m going to be there. I’m feeling wonderful.

AM: They must be treating you right.

MC: Oh yes, it’s first class all the way. That’s the only way I’d do all this. The producers will sit in the back of the plane, but they put me in first class every time and that feels really good!

All Photos: Alan Mercer

My friend David Wills introduced me to Yelena and told me she was going to play Garbo in an upcoming film. He also told me she was from Serbia and had written, produced, directed and starred in her first film coming out now called ‘L.A. Superheros: Illegal in Hollywood.’ It was based on her true story. I was instantly intrigued and set up a time to photograph and speak with Yelena Popovic.

During the time she was a student at Playhouse West, Yelena wrote a script inspired by Greta Garbo, whom many told her she resembled. Mark Rydell was set to direct it and Al Pacino was interested in portraying Louis B. Mayer, however Rydell insisted that he wouldn’t direct it unless there was a big name attached to the role of Garbo. Yelena said no to the offer and tried to raise the money on her own. After realizing a big budget movie wasn’t going to be the right vehicle for her as an actor, she began writing about her own experiences in Hollywood as a struggling model and illegal immigrant.

Yelena Popovic and her husband Alexandros Potter founded Simeon Entertainment in 2008 with the intention of developing, producing and distributing feature films. Today, Simeon Entertainment is proud to be theatrically distributing L.A. SUPERHEROES, a feature film, which they developed, directed, produced and fully financed. A percentage of the revenue from ‘L.A. Superheroes’ will go to help struggling immigrants through St. James ETC and CHIRLA.

I have seen ‘L.A. Superheroes’ and I loved it! I can absolutely relate to the daily challenges of living in any big city and feeling small and unimportant. Here is the premise of the film: ‘Life in L.A. can be brutally difficult, especially if you are insistent on not “selling out” and if you are an immigrant, things can get really complicated. Helena (played by Yelena) is struggling to get by as an aging actress/model and immigrant, in a tough-as-nails business. When she is forced to operate outside the law to obtain her green card, she is faced with the consequences and realizes that the thing she values even more than her career is her integrity. Her only true friend in the city is Auto, a misfit pizza guy/musician, who steps up possibly risking his own life, without expecting anything in return. In the end Helena discovers that true L.A. Superheroes aren’t necessarily the most powerful and definitely aren’t manufactured on a sound stage.’

AM: Can you fill me in a little about your growing up experience and becoming a model Yelena?

YP: It’s a typical story. I was in a ‘Look Of The Year’ contest in Belgrade when I was fifteen. Through that I went to Milan. I arrived in New York when I was eighteen years old.

AM: Did you speak English?

YP: I spoke a little bit. I learned English after I moved here and it wasn’t that difficult. I didn’t have many friends from my country so I hung out with American people.

AM: Did you enjoy your modeling career?

YP: Yes, I wasn’t a successful model though I did work as a model. I did get to work with a lot of famous photographers including Helmut Newton. I talk about it a little in this film. There are a lot of beautiful girls and for some people it does happen. Sometimes it has nothing to do with the way you look.

AM: So many factors go into everything.

YP: There are just too many girls and circumstances. As an immigrant I struggled a lot with green cards, visas and paper work. I did work and met a lot of people but I didn’t become a supermodel. Then I came to California. As a kid in Serbia I liked theater. By the time I was twenty-one I was getting bored with modeling. I had a kid when I was twenty-two and I was a single mom. This is not an excuse but it does make life more difficult.

AM: It certainly gives you lots of responsibilities. When did you start writing scripts?

YP: I wrote my first script when I was twenty-two. As a model I met a lot of people in the movie business. That was a good thing about it. I met lots of good people who are valuable to me today. Anyway I got good feedback on my script and got an offer for the story to be made into a TV movie. I turned down the offer and my friend asked me if I was sure because I could get 60 to 70,000 dollars that would really help me out, but it was based on a true story that happened to me and I knew I couldn’t make it into a TV movie.

AM: Not very many people could turn down the money you have.

YP: I really needed the money, but I never really cared about money as a motivating force. I had to struggle a little more. I did very well in commercials.

AM: What commercials would I have seen you in?

YP: I’ve made a lot of them for Jack in the Box, Marshalls, Sears, a lot of them.

AM: Were you always a fan of Garbo?

YP: I’ve been told on many occasions that I remind people of Greta Garbo. I really didn’t know much about her. My friend Marty Sader is part of the Playhouse West, which is an acting school I would recommend to everybody. They helped me with my craft to write, direct and act. He told me I needed to sit down and write a film for myself playing Garbo. So I got some books on her and started reading. Even if I look like her, if I wouldn’t have been able to relate to her on any level, I would not have done anything. After reading about her I noticed lots of similarities. We both have a desire to be alone and she was a tomboy.

AM: She often referred to herself as a male.

YP: I have always felt like a man in a woman’s body. I think like a man. I don’t think like a woman. I’ve suffered greatly because of this. Men don’t like a woman who thinks like a man.

AM: So what made you want to write a movie about her?

YP: After reading all about her I said to myself I have to write this movie. Her story became personal to me. I started seeing how this story could be made into a wonderful script. It got as far as Mark Rydell requesting a meeting with me. He told me it was one of the best scripts he read. I told him I had to play Garbo. I don’t want anybody mimicking her. I don’t care how great of an actress they are. It would be foolish to get someone famous to play her.

AM: I agree with you.

YP: What happened was they wanted a Charlize Theron or Nicole Kidman to play Garbo so they could get the money to make the film. It wasn’t about me not being able to play Garbo, but they did things behind my back. They offered me a half a million dollars but I don’t like it when things are not honest. I didn’t care about it. I walked away. I’m sorry it didn’t work out.

AM: That must have been devastating.

YP: It was very hard, but then my friend Marty Sader told me to write my story and that people would be able to relate to that better. At that moment it just clicked. I wrote the script in three weeks. I knew exactly how to write it. We bought the camera and we decided I would be the director. So my husband and I made the movie. It’s the best thing I’ve done. People are loving the film. I feel very good about this and now I know that Garbo will happen. I’m very happy because I’ve actually done something.

AM: That is a great feeling! Would you direct Garbo?

YP: I would not want to direct Garbo. I do not want to direct myself anymore. This was a very big challenge for me and I don’t want to do it anymore.

AM: Do you have a favorite between writing, directing and acting?

YP: I love writing. I can write for hours and feel like it’s a few minutes.

https://twitter.com/LASUPERHEROES

All Photos: Alan Mercer

Australian Kim Smith is an emerging electro-pop singer, and award winning cabaret performer, known for his Weimar-era inspired works that juxtapose authentic musical material with stylistic takes on current popular tunes.

His debut album, “NOVA,” is described as “high-energy, sexy, and entertaining,” and the genuinely stunning debut single, "Jealous" is visually creative, aurally engaging and lyrically lascivious, and follow-up single “Never Ever” has drawn comparisons to The Pet Shop Boys, Kylie Minogue and Robyn.

“Kim brings the song to life with his beguiling vocals, injecting the lyrics with a studied heart and passion that is hard to resist. He effortlessly recreates the sounds of classic 80s synth bands yet manages to remain distinct with his own tonal qualities. He is the anchor of the song, holding together all the elements and steering them to an exhilarating conclusion.” – myfizzypop.com

His cabaret programs, Misfit and Morphium have performed regularly in New York City at Café Sabarsky at the Neue Galerie, Joe’s Pub at the Public Theatre, the Laurie Beechman Theatre, the Due Theatre at DMAC, and Bard Spiegeltent at Bard College, while also touring Australia, presented at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in 2010 and 2012, The Festival of Voices, Slide Bar and Lounge, Chapel Off Chapel, the National Gallery of Victoria, and Smith’s cabaret birthplace, the Butterfly Club.

Past cabaret programmes include Johnny Come Lately (directed by Karen Kohler), Kim Smith’s Jungle Parade (directed by Martin Croft), Kim Smith is Madly Adored, and Quietly Kim Smith. 2009 saw Smith presented with the Back Stage Magazine Bistro Award for Special Achievement as an Outstanding Performer, honored alongside Liza Minnelli and Charles Aznavour. He was also nominated for 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 Manhattan Association of Cabaret (MAC) Awards in the Outstanding Male Vocalist category. Kim is a recipient of the American Australian Association’s Dame Joan Sutherland Award for aspiring artists (2008), and is a member of the Kabarett Kollektif, a troupe of New York-based artists dedicated to preserving the European cabaret tradition. Kim regularly appears in Earl Dax’s celebrated cabaret revues, Weimar New York, Off the Cuff, and Tingel Tangel Club. Mr. Smith studied music theatre at the Ballarat Arts Academy in Australia (BA, Music Theatre).

AM: I know you’re from Australia Kim but where do you live now?

KS: I’ve been living in New York for the past six years with my husband. We met eight years ago in Australia.

AM: Is that what brought you to the United States?

KS: I fell in love with an American. We were long distance for two years but we made it work.

AM: Was that a tough two year period?

KS: It was a challenge.

AM: How did you hook up with Charlie Mason and his gang in New York?

KS: Charlie came across one of my cabaret postcards, was struck by it and he became a huge part of my career. He started coming to my shows but he is a shy guy so it took a couple of performances before he decided he wanted to work with me. He wrote to me out of the blue so we started hanging out and listening to demos. It felt right and we wanted to do it.

AM: Did you always want to do pop music?

KS: Well I’ve always sung this kind of pop music anyway. Technically everything I sing was popular music at one time. I’ve always listened to Kyle Minogue, Robyn, The Supremes, Cher and Nancy Sinatra.

AM: I like how you understand what you’re singing.

KS: Well I like to think I do!

AM: I am loving your album. ‘Jealousy’ and ‘Never Ever’ are great singles!

KS: I’m excited about them. We have really cool remixes available.

AM: Are you equally comfortable in a big pop music production as well as you and a piano on stage?

KS: Absolutely, the new show that I have been working on has an entirely electronic ensemble. It sounds really fun and cool. I love being an element inside other musical elements. The point is the overall sound. I love contributing to that. It’s about the sound we are all creating together rather than me being a focal point. Pop music is a collaborative medium.

AM: Are you a songwriter?

KS: I am a poet to a degree, but I have a huge love for interpreting existing lyrics.

AM: Do you relate to the song ‘Jealous?’

KS: I relate to it in the sense that it has high emotional and dramatic stakes and it has a detailed story. I like that about it.

AM: Did you start off as a singer?

KS: I was a dancer first. I had some knee injuries based on the structure of my body. The rest of me is totally able and well designed for ballet but my knees are not. I transitioned into singing in my teenage years. I studied music theater.

AM: Did New York accept you right away as a performer?

KS: New York has been amazing. It’s a lot different than going home to Australia.

AM: Where did you grow up?

KS: I grew up in a small country town outside Melbourne. The thing is in Australia you are not encouraged to talk about yourself while in America people are excited when you talk about yourself. They also get excited to support you as an artist. I imagined it would be extremely competitive to come perform cabaret in New York but it’s the opposite, which is exciting. There’s enough for everyone.

AM: What is the state of cabaret these days?

KS: It’s just always around.

AM: What is your ideal career?

KS: When I look at the careers of other people who have raised my eyebrows, I don’t think they went in with so much of a plan. I think it’s a difficult thing to plan. It’s about creating opportunities, having enough energy and being extremely organized. Having really good people around you is another part of the equation. I love performing, singing and I really love recording. I love making videos and I love my cabaret act. Whatever keeps me doing all of those things is what I’m interested in.

AM: A good cabaret performer is also a good actor. Do you enjoy acting?

KS: I love acting. I love interpreting Shakespeare. It’s a step up from interpreting a song. It’s a wonderful exciting challenge.

To learn more about Kim Smith visit his web site http://kimdavidsmith.wordpress.com/

All Photos: Alan Mercer Lighting: Eric V.

Lalo Schifrin is an Argentine pianist, composer, arranger and conductor. He is best known for his film and TV scores, such as the ‘Theme from Mission: Impossible.’ He has received four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations. Lalo Schifrin, associated with the jazz music genre, is also noted for work with Clint Eastwood in the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, particularly the Dirty Harry films.

Lalo Schifrin was born Boris Claudio Schifrin in Buenos Aires to Jewish parents. His father, Luis Schifrin, led the second violin section of the orchestra at the Teatro Colón for three decades. At the age of six, Lalo began a six-year course of study on piano with Enrique Barenboim, the father of the pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim. At age 16, Lalo began studying piano with the Greek-Russian expatriate Andreas Karalis, former head of the Kiev Conservatory, and harmony with Argentine composer Juan Carlos Paz. During this time, Lalo also became interested in jazz.

Although Lalo studied sociology and law at the University of Buenos Aires, it was music that captured his attention. At age 20, he successfully applied for a scholarship to the Paris Conservatoire. While there, he attended Olivier Messiaen's classes and formally studied with Charles Koechlin, a disciple of Maurice Ravel. At night he played jazz in the Paris clubs. In 1955, Lalo played piano with Argentinian bandoneon giant Ástor Piazzolla and represented his country at the International Jazz Festival in Paris.

After returning home to Argentina, Lalo Schifrin formed a jazz orchestra, a 16-piece band that became part of a popular weekly variety show on Buenos Aires TV. Lalo also began accepting other film, television and radio assignments. In 1956, he met Dizzy Gillespie and offered to write an extended work for Gillespie's big band. Lalo completed the work, Gillespiana, in 1958, though it wasn’t recorded until 1960. Later that year Lalo began working as an arranger for Xavier Cugat's popular Latin dance orchestra.

In 1963, MGM, which had Lalo under contract, offered the composer his first Hollywood film assignment with the African adventure ‘Rhino!.’ Lalo moved to Hollywood late that year. He also radically re-arranged the theme for the popular NBC-TV series ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,’ altering original composer Jerry Goldsmith's theme to a jazzy melody emphasizing flutes and exotic percussion, which wound up winning the Emmy award for Best TV Theme in 1965.

One of Lalo Schifrin's most recognizable and enduring compositions is the theme music for the long-running TV series ‘Mission: Impossible.’ It is a distinctive tune written in the uncommon 5/4 time signature. Similarly, his theme for the hugely successful ‘Mannix’ private eye TV show was composed a year earlier in a 3/4 waltz time. Lalo composed several other jazzy and bluesy numbers over the years as additional incidental music for the show.

Lalo's ‘Tar Sequence’ from his ‘Cool Hand Luke’ score, also written in 5/4, was the longtime theme for the Eyewitness News broadcasts on New York station WABC-TV and other ABC affiliates, as well as National Nine News in Australia. CBS Television used part of the theme of his ‘St. Ives’ soundtrack for its golf broadcasts in the 1970s and early 1980s. Schifrin's score for ‘Coogan's Bluff’ in 1968 was the beginning of a long association with Clint Eastwood and director Don Siegel. Lalo's strong jazz blues riffs were evident in ‘Dirty Harry’ and, although similar to his ‘Bullitt’ and ‘Coogan's Bluff,’ the score for ‘Dirty Harry’ stood out for the sheer fear it generated when released.

On April 23, 2007, Lalo Schifrin presented a concert of film music for the Festival du Film Jules Verne Aventures (aka Festival Jules Verne), at Le Grand Rex theatre in Paris, France – Europe's biggest movie theater – that was caught superbly by Festival leaders for a 73 and a half minute CD named ‘Lalo Schifrin: Le Concert à Paris.’ He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

AM: Mr. Schifrin, I know your father was a musician. Is this what got you started in music?

LS: You could say that, yes. My father was a concert master of the Buenos Aries Philharmonic Orchestra. Some of his best friends were the great pianists. One of them became my piano teacher. I started in classical music and became more interested in American Jazz when I was a teenager. So doing both kinds of music won me a scholarship to the Paris Conservatory of Music. There I studied orchestration, composition and conducting.

AM: I hear you speak several languages.

LS: Spanish is my first language then French, English, German and Italian. I can also speak Portuguese when I’m in Brazil. I also studied Latin so that helps with all the languages.

AM: You were never goIng to be a doctor or anything but a musician were you?

LS: My father and my mother, knowing how difficult a career in music can be, wanted me to be a doctor. I also studied law for four years. I know how to read a contract.

AM: Did you know you would have a long career?

LS: Let me put it this way, I didn’t think about a career. I thought about becoming a good musician.

AM: How did you become interested in writing film scores?

LS: When I was going to movie theaters, especially in Paris, I tend to listen to the scores a lot. I said to myself that I’d like to learn how to write these kind of scores. Actually I learned more about music, not from schools, but directly from the movie theater and later on television.

AM: Were you influenced by other composers from film like Max Steiner?

LS: Funny you say that. Last year I went to Vienna where they gave me a lifetime achievement award called the Max Steiner Award.

AM: Like a lot of people, I love your theme to ‘Mission Impossible.’ I also know you wrote it in 5/4 time.

LS: I always tell a joke about this one. When they were doing experiments with nuclear weapons the radiation from these experiments caused genetic mutations in people. There would be people who had five legs. These people could not dance in a disco because that music was written for people with two legs. So I wrote ‘Mission Impossible’ for them! (laughter) The truth is I was interested in different time signatures and 5/4 was one of them. I also like 7/4 and many more.

AM: Do you hear the music in your head first?

LS: Yes, always.

AM: Do you still compose new music?

LS: Yes, a little time every day. I’m writing now for myself. I’ve been commissioned by different studios and producers.

AM: What is the process like for writing a film score?

LS: You watch the film and write the music for it. It’s about creating different moods.

AM: You have a knack for writing scary music for horror films.

LS: As a child my father used to take me to the Opera in Buenos Aries. I learned everything from the Operas. They give you beautiful and emotional music. There is an Opera by Donizetti called ‘Lucia di Lammermoor’ that has a mad scene where she comes with a knife. I was a child and that drove me wild. It made a lasting impression.

AM: I love how you worked with Dizzy Gillespie.

LS: Of course! I must tell you when I was a student living at home in Buenos Aries, I would tell my mother if Dizzy Gillespie calls me tell him I’m not here. This was a joke. Finally I went to Paris and among other things, I became a good jazz musician. Then I went back to Argentina and put together my own big band. Then Dizzy Gillespie came with his State Department band. They made them ambassadors as they traveled to different countries around the world. The band was great. Quincy Jones was fourth trumpet in his band at that time. So one evening someone organized my band to play for his band and we did. When we finished Dizzy asked who wrote the charts and I told him I did. He asked if I wanted to come to the United States and that’s it.

AM: Classical Musicians love you as well.

LS: I’ve always been a good friend to musicians. I love them. I have written lots of classical work as well. I wrote a cantata among other things. I’ve written several symphonies and concertos. I wrote one cantata for a symphony orchestra and the tenor was Placido Domingo.

AM: I also like your score to ‘Cool Hand Luke.’

LS: That is my very favorite of all my scores.

AM: It must be satisfying to hear that music in commercials too.

LS: It is very satisfying.

AM: Your life has been good. Your happiness shows.

Lalo Schifrin and his wife Donna

For more information about Lalo Schifrin visit his web site http://www.schifrin.com/

All Photos: Alan Mercer

Internationally known Psychic/Medium, Shelley Duffy has experienced reoccurring psychic events since about the age of five. At a very young age she always seemed to know things that other people did not. "I would get these little movies in my head, thinking that I was daydreaming, and usually a few minutes later it would actually happen." She would often know things about people that they did not tell her about. She could tell if a person was sick, and she would always know whether a person was being honest or dishonest.

As her awareness expanded she discovered that she is a natural born medium and clairvoyant. To learn how to develop and control her gifts, she began to study with some well-known people in the field--some of which are, well-known British Medium Peter Close, Spiritualist Medium and Minister Ethel Rowe, Registered Lily Dale Medium from England Rose Clifford, and many others.

She has been doing professional readings, both in person and over the phone since 1997. Her client base stretches across the United States and Internationally as far away as the Philippines, India, Australia and the Netherlands. Always an animal lover, she soon discovered that it was just as easy to communicate with animals, both living and in spirit, and so began to bridge the communication gap for her clients. "The most rewarding thing about this work for me is to see the healing that takes place. Whether through a communication with a loved one who has crossed over, or watching someone transform themselves and their lives by getting advice from a higher source. Its all about helping people get through this wonderful and mysterious journey called LIFE!"

AM: How did your family and friends react when it was obvious you had special abilities Shelley?

SD: I was born in West Covina, California. I’m a third generation Californian. The psychic abilities run on both sides of my family with the strongest being my Mother’s side. It usually comes through the female line. Both my brothers are the same as me. I have a brother who is three years younger than me but I have another brother who is seventeen years younger than me so I was able to watch him grow and go through the same things that my other brother and I went through. As children I thought it was normal to have people show up in my room at night.

AM: What would you do?

SD: Usually I would say, “What are you doing in here?”

AM: It never scared you?

SD: Never. I always felt very safe and protected. I didn’t think it was strange or unusual. I did have the sense that other people didn’t have these same experiences and I didn’t talk about it to kids and teachers at school.

AM: Did your Mom give you any advice?

SD: No, we only talked about it when I got older and she said my little brother would see people all the time.

AM: Does that happen to your Mom too?

SD: No, she only feels people she knew like her mother, where I get strangers. She is very psychic and I often ask her about things.

AM: That is why you have done so well I’m sure.

SD: Nobody ever told me it was bad. To be perfectly honest, I’ve never had anyone confront me. There has never been any negative backlash. I don’t attract that. Also no psychic medium can be 100% accurate all the time. That’s impossible.

AM: I love your take on animals. We humans seem to be getting more and more compassionate where animals are concerned. I think we are evolving.

SD: I think we’re learning to put more value on different species. We used to be very human and self-centered. Now we are having a more open mind. People are realizing the companionship, the love and the healing that animals can give. People are really wanting and needing this.

AM: I have always felt that animals have souls despite what I was taught they did not. I do believe what you said about their souls being different than ours. I will not die and come back as a dog will I?

SD: (laughter) No, it’s not likely. From my experience, we as humans have many lifetimes. I have found that animals reincarnate into other animals. You could have a dog come back a couple times to you during your life.

AM: You must spend a lot of time on the phone don’t you?

SD: I do. It doesn’t bother me because I get in a zone. I don’t remember the details to a reading when it’s over. I use a timer otherwise I’d get completely lost and would go on for hours.

AM: Is it different for you every day? Are you capable of doing many readings accurately?

SD: When I first started in 1997 I could go for five hours back to back taking a couple breaks. Because I do this full time now I only schedule two or three readings in any day. I also take a couple days off every week. If I am working with a regular client I can get more information because I am familiar with their energy.

AM: What do you do with the rest of your day? Do you study?

SD: I used to take all kinds of metaphysical classes and I used to teach classes but then I moved to Las Vegas.

AM: Does living in Las Vegas make you stronger as a psychic?

SD: I haven’t noticed a change in my abilities but California is definitely more metaphysically inclined.

AM: California must be number one with that!

SD: California and New York. The new age capitol of the world is Los Angeles.

AM: Do you feel different energies when you travel?

SD: Yes, often when I travel I won’t feel comfortable in certain cities. I try to be more adaptable. When I was a little kid, I had a really hard time with it. I didn’t like going to other people’s houses and I didn’t like to sleep in other people’s homes because I was unsettled. I’ve learned a lot through the years. I used to be an absorber and not feel good. Now I’m able to block a lot of that energy so I don’t pick up anything I don’t want.

AM: What is your advice for people to help them de-stress?

SD: First of all we multi-task way too much.

AM: I agree. I can’t even do it.

SD: People are also too hard on themselves. My spirit guides tell me I only have 24 hours in a day and part of that you have to sleep so chill out and relax. If you don’t get it done you don’t get it done.

AM: So what can we do?

SD: There are techniques one can use like imagine the white light and a protective bubble around you. It sounds silly but it really does work. Try it for a week. Say a little prayer and ask for divine protection then imagine a white light around and inside you. You will notice that people are bothering you less and you will be more relaxed. Another important aspect is your Chakras. I always recommend a good Chakra meditation. The Chakra energy centers are very real and they connect to the body. I have felt every one of those centers open up in me.

AM: Throughout history culture has been very open to psychic power and at times very closed. Where are we headed now?

SD: It’s become a lot more mainstream now.

AM: Why is that?

SD: I think it’s because of the TV shows like ghost hunters and such. They are really good even though they seem a little hokey. They get people thinking and wondering about these things.

AM: What are your goals for yourself?

SD: I don’t make goals. I let life give it to me so I follow the bread crumbs. When I got into this business I didn’t have any intention of being in the media because I’m shy. I realized that in order to work people had to know who I am. Then James Van Praagh put me on his web site as someone he recommends it opened my whole world. All of a sudden I was getting emails from people who wanted readings from all over the world. Then I started getting requests to be on radio shows and TV spots.

AM: Was it overwhelming for you?

SD: Yes, at first I turned all media exposure away. That was in 2006, so now I feel better able to handle it all. I worked at Disney for 24 years and it was really hard to balance it all.

AM: You have more balance in your life now don’t you?

SD: Yes, the best thing I did was leave Disney. I told my spirit guides I would take whatever they gave me. I wouldn’t turn down anything anymore, so when the offers came I said yes instead of no.

To learn more about Shelley visit her web site http://www.icspirits.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

All Photos: Alan Mercer Lighting: Eric V.

The founding member of ‘The Pointer Sisters,’ Bonnie Pointer began her performing career in San Francisco nightclubs in 1969. Soon joined by youngest sister June, then by elder sisters Ruth and Anita, ‘The Pointer Sisters’ released a string of hits on Blue Thumb, trailblazing from genre to genre, including funk and jazz, and won their first Grammy award for the country song ‘Fairytale,’ written by Anita and Bonnie, which would be recorded by Elvis Presley two years before his death.

Bonnie Pointer was born in Oakland, California. She began singing in the choir of her father Reverend Elton Pointer's church. Bonnie and youngest sister June began singing together as teenagers and in 1969 the duo had co-founded The Pointers, otherwise known as ‘The Pair.’ After Anita joined the duo that same year, they changed their name to ‘The Pointer Sisters’ and recorded several singles for Atlantic Records between 1971 and 1972. In December 1972, they recruited oldest sister Ruth and released their debut album as ‘The Pointer Sisters’ in 1973. Their self-titled debut yielded the classic hit ‘Yes We Can Can.’

Between 1973 and 1977, the Pointers' donned 1940‘s fashions and sang in a style reminiscent of ‘The Andrews Sisters.’ They also melded the sounds of R&B, funk, rock and roll, gospel, country and soul. Bonnie recorded five albums with ‘The Pointer Sisters.’

In 1977, Bonnie left the group to begin a solo career. In 1978, she married Motown Records Producer Jeffrey Bowen and signed with Motown. Bonnie released ‘Heaven Must Have Sent You,’ which reached No. 11 on Billboard Hot 100 chart. Her debut album is considered a classic and includes beautiful ballads written by Bonnie.

In 1979 Bonnie released her second and final album on Motown. Her third album ‘If The Price is Right’ came out in 1984. Bonnie sings the songs ‘Heaven’ and ‘The Beast in Me’ on the soundtrack to the movie ‘Heavenly Bodies.’ In 2010 Bonnie released her fourth album titled ‘Like A Picasso.’ Every soul filled cut on the album stands out.

Bonnie continues to perform today with some upcoming gigs this summer and fall. She reunited with her sisters on two separate occasions, when the group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994, and during a Las Vegas performance in 1996 singing ‘Jump (for My Love).’ It’s no secret that Bonnie has suffered through substance abuse issues over the years but she has found the help she needs through her family and is working hard to stay sober and healthy at this time in her life. Bonnie has always been a vivacious, beautiful and intelligent woman with a lot of musical talent. I love her!

A special THANK YOU to Roxie McKain and Gregeory Batsch

AM: Bonnie, I get the feeling that you are very free spirited and what you see is what you get.

BP: Exactly.

AM: I also know you are the one who started ‘The Pointer Sisters.’ What gave you the belief that you all could make it as pop stars?

BP: I knew I didn’t want to work a regular 9 to 5 job. I wanted to do something that I like to do. I am an entertainer and I’ve always done that since I was a little girl. My Mother always used to tell me to dance for her friends. When my parents went to church, me and my sisters would get up on the coffee table and sing. We would use a pie pan as a tambourine. Then, when I was in high school someone told me I could sing. I never thought I really could. I would sing along with Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. So when they told me I could sing I started to believe them.

AM: You’re a great singer Bonnie.

BP: I love singing. I love entertaining. We sang with Sylvester once on a gay cruise. We had the best time.

AM: Who else did you work with?

BP: Alice Cooper, Grace Jones, Grace Slick, Janis Joplin, Taj Mahal, Dave Mason, Elvin Bishop, Boz Scaggs and Bobby Womack. It’s been a fun life. We played the Fillmore West and the Fillmore East.

AM: You were really driven to be a performer weren’t you?

BP: It was desperation. I wanted out of the ghetto. I wasn’t even in the ghetto really, but I still wanted out. I was smarter than the average student and I went to Mills College at Berkeley University of Arts and Crafts at an early age. I was ahead of my time. I wrote poetry with Angela Davis. We started the Black Panthers party in Oakland. Huey Newton was my boyfriend.

AM: There are so many stories that people don’t know about.

BP: I’m just remembering all these things because I don’t work as hard as I used to so I have time to sit back and reflect. It’s so fun to think back about all the shows we were on like Carol Burnett, Flip Wilson and Helen Reddy.

AM: The Helen Reddy Show was your television debut.

BP: Yes it was. We also did the Cher show and went on tour with Carol Burnett. We had the greatest time!

AM: The concert you did in South Africa when you went with Muhammad Ali is out on DVD now.

BP: On the way to Zaire, James Brown tried to kill Bill Withers with a butcher knife while we were on the plane, over Denise Nicholas. It was us, Sister Sledge and the Spinners and we were all screaming, “No!” We were in that plane for 27 hours. Muhammad Ali was waiting for us every day to go watch him at training camp. We were saying, “I hope Muhammad Ali isn’t waiting for us. Please don’t let him be there.” We wanted to go shopping! (Laughter) Ultimately it was all fun. I look back now and I really appreciate it all. At the time we were just moving so fast traveling all over the world.

AM: How did you all get into that vintage 40‘s look?

BP: Anita was a legal secretary and Ruth was a key punch operator at the toll gate in San Francisco. We had to go to church and all they wanted was for us to get saved. I told them I wasn’t ready to get saved. I had a little more sinning I wanted to do! (Laughter) I told the women at my father’s church that I wanted to wear their old sinful clothes, the ones they wore going to the Cotton Club. I wanted to wear those dresses. So we went to the Old Saints Church and raided the closet and got all those "sinning clothes" out. We wore them on the cover of our first album. So we started getting thrift store clothes that I wore to school all the time because we couldn’t afford the things that I liked.

AM: How did the people at school react to your fashion choices?

BP: I was always getting kicked out of school for being over-dressed. I would wear a hat and look like Bette Davis or Greta Garbo. I got kicked out all the time for disturbing the peace in the class. The kids would laugh at me. I was the first one in my class with an afro.

AM: Did you like the 40‘s music too?

BP: I heard Lambert, Hendricks & Ross and liked that 40‘s sound.

AM: How did you get your first break?

BP: We were stuck in Texas one time and I found a card I had, so I called David Rubinson and Bill Graham. I told them they had never heard of me, but my sisters and I can sing. If you get us out of here I’ll show you. They sent us plane tickets the next day and all of a sudden we were Elvin Bishops’ back-up group. That’s how we got our start.

AM: Bonnie you recorded the standard ‘Black Coffee’ when you were very young. How did you even understand the emotion you were singing about?

BP: I always felt older than I was. I’m an old soul.

AM: Would you consider a project where you recorded some old standards now?

BP: Absolutely! I love it! I’m such a drama queen, you have no idea! I love the drama of a smokey blue club. I want to be draped across a piano. I’m a living Erte’. I would love to do a club show in West Hollywood every week.

AM: You could do that or you could do dance music.

BP: Did you know ‘Heaven Must Have Sent You’ was the very first digital recording?

AM: No.

BP: I got the first Billboard award ever at Roseland in New York.

AM: Did you want to record ‘Heaven Must Have Sent You’?

BP: Yes I wanted to do it as a dance song. The Elgins recorded it first. I heard the Village People sing ‘YMCA’ so that gave me the idea to sing it like that. That’s where we got the rhythm and the beat. So I called up Berry Gordy and told him that’s what we had to do. I didn’t know I was going to scat. That was impromptu. I just did it in the moment out of inspiration. Aretha’s sister Carolyn Franklin sang background for me on the song. She was the only other singer on my album. I did all the other vocals.

AM: I’d love you to record an album of your own ballads as well.

BP: I would love to do that.

AM: How do you feel these days Bonnie? You seem like you are feeling good and doing good.

BP: I feel wonderful! I’m in a program that will be finished in September. I’m working at the Eisenhower Theater in New York. I’m working, writing, walking and exercising and trying to stay healthy. My niece Roxie is helping me. She is my savior and I love her. I don’t even know how to express how thankful I am to have her in my life and how much I love her.

All Photos: Alan Mercer Lighting: Eric V.

Johnathon Schaech was first on my blog in September 2011. http://amprofile.blogspot.com/2011/09/johnathon-schaech.html Since that time he has been very busy working on many film and television projects, along with getting ready to be a first time father. Johnathon and Julie are expecting their first child in September.

I caught up with Johnathon for the photo shoot within hours after his arrival back in Los Angeles from Bulgaria after filming several weeks of ‘Hercules 3D’ which will be out in March, 2014. He trained very hard and built up his body for his role as the bad guy in the film.

Johnathon, who currently plays a famous actor on the hit TV show ‘Ray Donvan,’ has recently made appearances on ‘The Client List’ and ‘Drop Dead Diva.’ His latest film, ‘Phantom’ is now out on DVD. He is probably best known for playing Jimmy in 1996′s ‘That Thing You Do!’

He just announced he is set to have a recurring role as ‘Castor,’ uncle to Matt Lanter’s teenage alien ‘Roman’ on the CW’s upcoming midseason drama about two teens who struggle to maintain a romance in a time in which Atrians (the aliens) and humans struggle to integrate. ‘Castor’ is said to have a dark and shady past as a radical militant Atrian.

AM: Johnathon you have been very busy since the last time we talked. You haven’t had a vacation have you?

JS: No, I actually missed a vacation last week. Every year I take my family on a vacation but since I was in Bulgaria I missed it this year.

AM: That’s tough, but I bet you’re happy to be working!

JS: I’m blessed to be working.

AM: I loved seeing you on so many good TV shows this past couple of years.

JS: At one point I was going from ‘The Client List’ straight to ‘Ray Donovan’ shooting scenes for both shows on the same day. I was the bad guy on the finale of ‘The Client List.’

AM: Would you rather play a good guy or a bad guy?

JS: That’s a great question. I’ve been playing a lot of bad guys.

AM: Why do you think that is?

JS: It’s because I can play a bad guy. When you play a bad guy he’s never a bad guy.

AM: Not if you play it right.

JS: Men do things in life that they may regret, but they do things for a reason. Even in playing the bad guy in ‘Hercules,’ I was fighting for my family. At that time in history that’s what you had to do. So I may be portrayed as the bad guy but in my mind I’m a good guy.

AM: I love that.

JS: I never really play a character as a bad guy, even in ‘Prom Night.’ He was just in love and everyone got in the way. I’ve been playing a bunch of great characters and I’m blessed to be able to do this and utilize different accents and change my body.

AM: So you enjoyed working on ‘Ray Donovan’ too?

JS: I can’t wait for people to see the work on ‘Ray Donovan.’

AM: People seem to like that show a lot! It’s a hit.

JS: It seems to be. The numbers are really high. The producers are so nice to me. They were so nice they actually flew me in from Bulgaria where I was shooting ‘Hercules 3D’ for the premiere. They paid for everything. They were enthused that I made it.

AM: So you flew all that distance just for the premiere?

JS: Yes, it was a long flight. It takes18 hours to get to Los Angeles. It turns everything around. Jet lag is so hard but the one thing that gets me past it is all the training I have been doing.

AM: How long did you train for this role?

JS: I trained really, really hard for twelve weeks.

AM: You stay fit all the time don’t you?

JS: Yes, I was fit, but I weighed 170 lbs. I gained 30 lbs. of muscle for this role. I weigh 200 lbs now. I knew I could do it because of muscle memory. I hadn’t lifted weights in a long time. I did the TRX every single day. That really makes your abs pop.

AM: Are you going to keep this body?

JS: It’s too much muscle. The diet part isn’t fun. I have always kept to a diet. I’ve never been a glutton. An actor needs to keep their body fit and able to move back and forth so they can be whatever the role requires.

AM: It’s great to see your career moving forward. Your personal life has made quite a change.

JS: Yes, we are having a baby in September. We are so excited!

AM: Was that the most exciting day ever when you found out?

JS: Yes, I have pictures of the plus sign on the pregnancy stick.

AM: You’ve been wanting to be a dad forever right?

JS: Yes pretty much. I found the perfect soul mate to do it with now.

AM: Is there marriage in your future?

JS: We are going to get married eventually. We want a real unity and not just a big wedding. I’m really looking forward to playing the leading man in my life with the added dimension of being a father.

To learn more about Johnathon Schaech please follow him on twitter https://twitter.com/JohnSchaech

All Photos: Alan Mercer

As a singer, actress, and entertainer, Rebecca Holden’s appearances have amassed a fan club with members from around the globe. Her statuesque good looks and Southern charm haven’t hurt.

Musically, Rebecca has performed in a diversity of styles. Classically trained as a voice major and piano minor in college, she has sung opera, and performed the lead roles in musical theater such as ‘Oliver’ and ‘Damn Yankees’. She recorded a country album for Curb records, with her music videos appearing on TNN and CMT. She also recorded both a country and gospel album for BMG Records in Switzerland and toured internationally all over Europe and the Far East, even performing for the King of Malaysia. She had the honor of being the featured performer with the United States Air Force Band at a memorial for WWll veterans for which George Bush was the guest speaker.

During Rebecca’s service as president of the Music City Christian Fellowship, she performed as singer and mistress of ceremonies for the Christian Country Music Awards and the Sunday gospel shows at the Grand Ole Opry.

Originally from Dallas, Texas, she was first discovered by a top talent agent while continuing her voice studies in NY, she became the last Breck girl, which led to magazine covers and countless other national commercials such as Ivory Soap, Dentyne, Kellogg’s, Gillette, Arrid, Chevrolet, and ultimately a major television and film career in Los Angeles.

Television viewers all over the world are familiar with Rebecca through her stint as the computer whiz on the NBC series ‘Knight Rider’, which has appeared in syndication in most major markets throughout the U.S. and over 100 foreign countries. She attained added recognizability from her roles as the diabolical Elena on ABC’s ‘General Hospital’ and from countless guest starring roles on such prime time shows as ‘Magnum P.I.’, ‘Love Boat’, ‘Taxi’, ‘Night Court’, ‘Mike Hammer’, ‘Remington Steele’, ‘Matt Houston’, ‘Barney Miller’, and many others.

Her charitable work includes serving on the board for “Operation California”, participating in airlifts of medical aid to Ethiopia. Appointed the honorary mayor of Universal Studios, Rebecca served as goodwill ambassador to local and foreign dignitaries. Additionally, she has worked with Toys for Tots, Feed the Children, Special Olympics, and the Music in the Schools program.

Rebecca continues to sing at churches, for political functions and charitable fundraisers. Recent events include The Prayer Breakfast for the Inauguration of Governor Bob McDonnell, American Legion Event for Families of Military Support, and the Kids of Honor Gala at the University of Maryland.

Rebecca’s album ‘Dare to Dream’ was created to encourage you to dream big dreams and accomplish the desires of your heart. Full of positive inspirational songs, ‘Dare to Dream’ will give you hope and carry you to that place where all things are possible.

AM: Rebecca, it seems you just fell into acting.

RH: Yes, anything that I do, I try to do well. So even though I was already working in New York I decided to study acting. In my mind I was always a singer who acted. I was making an income from acting but I still went out and sang concerts.

AM: Where did you sing?

RH: I sang at events and charities the most. I used to have so much fun at Universal. I performed at so many of those shows. Lou Wasserman made me mayor of Universal City, which was a lot of fun. In the old days when they used to have contract players they had different people like Rock Hudson and Lana Turner serve as the mayor. Then they let it die, but while I was there filming ‘Knight Rider’ they reinstated it and made me mayor.

AM: What were your duties as mayor?

RH: I did a lot of things in the studio at that time like emceeing an event to introducing Mr. Wasserman when he made a speech.

AM: You are a natural host.

RH: I love doing things like that.

AM: It seems like it would be hard to do.

RH: Some of them are a challenge. I’ve come into some situations where they weren’t organized at all. You have a whole bunch of people to introduce and you have no bios on anyone.

AM: What do you do at times like that?

RH: I had to go interview everyone and put a bio together because it was all on my shoulders.

AM: Are you good at being spontaneous in the moment?

RH: Pretty much, as much as possible I like to do my homework because especially when I’m introducing people I put myself in that person’s shoes. I’ve been introduced many times myself so I know how it feels. I want to give a very gracious introduction. So yes, I can get my way through, but I prefer to have my homework done.

AM: So growing up in Texas, were you into all kinds of music besides Country?

RH: Yes I studied classical like Bach, Beethoven and Chopin. Then I sang in German theater, Italian arias and French art songs. That was part of our curriculum along with music theory. I do enjoy contemporary Country music.

AM: Do you like Country music right now?

RH: Yes I do. I think there are some good artists out there. Country music has gone more progressive now.

AM: Do you see yourself recording more Country music now?

RH: Well I’ll always have that aspect to me just like I love Big Band music too. I have a variety of tastes and likes. I think of it like acting and whatever genre you’re in you stay true to the genre. If your technique is solid, it’s a matter of styling. I can still go back and sing opera. A lot of it is diction and the pronunciation of vowels.

AM: Do you practice singing opera?

RH: Yes, technique is very important. It’s your instrument. As a singer, you’re not only the performer, you are the instrument. If your instrument isn’t in good condition then as a performer you don’t have it to use.

AM: You did record some Country music didn’t you?

RH: Yes I recorded for Curb Records in Nashville. I also did a Gospel album for BMG overseas. Because of the popularity of ‘Knight Rider’ which is still in syndication, it opened up the door to tour all over the world.

AM: It seems like there are always more opportunities overseas.

RH: Yes and the fans are different in the way that they are discriminating. For example someone will say I love the fourth cut on your album that was written by so and so. They have great respect for the songwriters.

AM: I know you have recently recorded the duet, 'Dreams Come True’ with Abraham McDonald. How did you end up recording with him?

RH: My producers, Joel Diamond and Rudy Perez and the songwriter Larry Brown wrote the song based on Pachelbel’s Canon in D Minor. They put lyric’s to it and the arrangement is absolutely incredible. It was a joy and an honor to sing this piece.

AM: You recorded the song with someone else first didn’t you?

RH: We first recorded the demo with Jon Secada, but for his own personal reasons he was unable to continue with the project. Joel found Abraham, who had won the Oprah Talent contest that was judged by David Foster and L.A. Reid. Abraham is 6 foot 8 inches tall and his voice and his heart are as big as he is.

AM: I guess you got along then didn’t you?

RH: We’ve become friends through the rehearsal process. He’s a wonderful, lovely person and it’s been a joy to work with him. It’s a rare and magical thing to have our voices blend so well.

AM: That song is just so amazing!

RH: The song is so special. If I had to dream about a song saying what I want to say to the world, I don’t believe I could find a better piece of material. In this day and age when so many people are going through such challenging times and have given up on their dreams, this song encourages people. This song gives them faith and the idea to keep hope alive. Dreams can come true if we stay strong in our faith. It’s a wonderful message for the world.

AM: Is there a full album in the works?

RH: Yes and normally you can’t say this but this time I can honestly say all of the material for the album is as good as this first song. We still have to record it but the material is ready.

AM: Is the whole album going to be duets?

RH: Yes, we may put some solo pieces on it, but it will be a duet album. We’re so excited. We can’t wait to get into the studio and finish the rest of it.

Rebecca and Abraham McDonald

AM: You are naturally inspiring Rebecca.

RH: Thank you, it’s never too late to have your dreams come true.

AM: You have recorded a gospel album already, so were you always interested in gospel music too?

RH: I grew up in the church so that was a natural outgrowth. I still sing praise and worship music in church. I’m asked to go and sing in churches around the country. I often speak with women’s groups and youth groups. I made an appearance in the state of Washington for a Boys Ranch for at risk young men and they still write me and tell me how their grades are doing. I like to keep in touch with them. That’s the kind of thing that makes life fulfilling.

AM: You really do connect with people.

RH: I hope so. That’s what we’re all here to do. We all tend to learn our lessons the hard way. We never learn just by hearing them. We all travel a journey and we all have lessons that we’re here to learn so we can serve a better purpose. I like to hold on to words of wisdom.

Rebecca with Abraham McDonald

To learn more about Rebecca Holden visit her web site http://www.rebeccaholden.com/

All Photos: Alan Mercer

After spending her formative years in Arkansas, Julie Adams moved to California and started out as a part-time secretary. While working, she took acting lessons. Her hard work paid off when she was given her first part, a small role in Paramount's ‘Red Hot and Blue’ in 1949, which she followed up with a series of seven quickie Westerns. She billed herself under her real name of Betty Adams until she was signed by Universal in 1949, she then became Julia Adams, which was modified to Julie by the early 1950's.

Fans of the horror film ‘Creature From the Black Lagoon’ tend to believe that Julie became a leading lady on the strength of her role in this film as the imperiled and fetchingly underdressed heroine. In fact, she has been cast in many leading roles in other good films, notably ‘Bend in the River,’ ‘The Private War of Major Benson,’ ‘Mississippi Gambler,’ ‘Bright Victory’ and ‘Slaughter on Tenth Avenue.’

Julie feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with such wonderful co-stars as Jimmy Stewart, Tyrone Power, Arthur Kennedy, Rock Hudson, Charlton Heston, Elvis Presley, John Wayne, Glen Ford, and Van Heflin. If she had to pick a favorite leading man, it would be her co-star in ‘Bend in the River,’ Jimmy Stewart. She just loved the job playing his wife on his TV show years later. Julie worked with Elvis Presley in ‘Tickle Me’ in 1965. She really feels blessed to have been able to work as an actress in such an interesting variety of roles and with such talented people. She has remained familiar to her fans from her numerous guest starring appearances on television.

Julie Adams was at one time married to actor/director Ray Danton. Julie and husband Ray Danton worked together a number of times in film and on television. In addition to being in the films ‘The Looters’ in 1955 and ‘Tarawa Beachhead’ in 1958, Julie and Ray guest starred on a January 1972 episode of Rod Serling's ‘Night Gallery’ entitled ‘The Miracle at Camafeo,’ and Ray Danton directed his wife in the 1975 horror flick ‘Psychic Killer.’ Although the couple was married for many years, they divorced in 1981. Julie Adams was still in demand throughout the 1980s on television, and in 1987 accepted a recurring role as Eve Simpson, the real estate lady on the CBS-TV series ‘Murder, She Wrote. ‘

Julie, along with her son, Mitchell, has authored a book on her life and career, ‘The Lucky Southern Star: Reflections From The Black Lagoon,’ which was published in 2011 and is currently available via her web site. The autobiography has received both public and critical acclaim, with noted movie critic Leonard Maltin praising it on his indiewire.com Blog as, "A charming memoir by longtime leading lady Julie Adams." On the Amazon.com web site, the book is currently rated 4.5 out of 5 stars. A DVD of the audio book version has now been completed.

In 1999, Julie received a Golden Boot Award for her work in Westerns. She was inducted into the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame in 2000. At CineCon in 2011, Julie was honored with a Film Career Achievement Award. In 2012, she won the Rondo Award for the Monster Kid Hall of Fame at the annual Wonderfest in Louisville, Kentucky.

I had an opportunity to visit with Julie and her son Mitchell Danton after our photo session to learn more about her career and the fascinating book they co-authored.

AM: What made you both realize it was time to write a book?

MD: In 2009 a fan at the Egyptian Theater came up with a ‘Creature From the Black Lagoon’ poster and asked Mom if she had a memoir. So I thought perhaps if this gentleman was interested maybe others were as well. I wrote the prologue that night and showed it to Mom and she thought it was a great idea.

AM: So Mitch was it your idea to write the book?

MD: Yes because of the fan asking about it. I had done some screen writing but didn’t have any success at it. This book was more like editing which is what I do. How do you pare down eighty years into two or three hundred pages? We wanted it to feel alive so when you’re reading it, you feel like you’re going along for the journey.

JA: I wrote my stories in long hand. It’s my story.

AM: Was it easy to access your memory Julie?

JA: Pretty easy. It came in stages and one memory led to another. I had so many wonderful people that I met along the way. It wasn’t that hard.

AM: What emotions did it bring up for you?

JA: All kinds of emotions like how I felt when I first got a contract or when I was working with James Stewart, all those things.

AM: Did you learn things about your Mom you didn’t know Mitch?

MD: I gained a greater appreciation for her acting ability and how dedicated she was to learning the craft of acting. The fascinating aspect of the book is you see someone who had a dream, who chased it and achieved it. She was a movie star in her early twenties, then the contract ends so she moves to television. Starting in the Sixties she is in almost every show on the air. Then when she was older and not as castable she goes to the stage.

AM: You were in some ‘Alfred Hitchcok Presents’ shows that I love.

JA: I did three of those. I like the episode ‘Summer Shade.’

AM: Anyone can watch this episode on Youtube now. What was working with James Stewart like?

JA: Heaven. That’s my idea of heaven, going to work with Jimmy Stewart every day for six months. I had worked with him before in ‘Bend In The River’ so I knew him a bit, but to work with him every day, he was one of the very best screen actors. It was wonderful to play comedy with him. They wrote pretty good scripts for us too.

AM: Do you like doing comedy?

JA: I love it!

AM: Do you have a preference between comedy and drama?

JA: I can’t say, it depends on what it is. I just like to work. I enjoy them both.

MD: She did a lot of comedy on ‘Murder She Wrote.’ She was the comic relief on her episodes. Her character’s name is Eve Simpson. What did you say about this character?

JA: I said she liked money and she liked men. (laughing)

AM: Julie, you’re from Arkansas and I can tell this by the fact that you’re so friendly and approachable, but you have a sophistication. Did you learn that or was it innate?

JA: I think that probably came from working with a wonderful coach named Florence Enright. She helped me lose my Southern accent. She gave me things to work with every week. All the talent scouts told me I had to lose it.

AM: How long did it take to lose the accent?

JA: I guess it was at least six months.

AM: That takes real discipline.

JA: Yes it does, but I was very dedicated to what I was going to do. She was a wonderful teacher. That was my pleasure because that’s what I loved to do.

AM: Did you have a job at the time?

JA: I was earning my living as a secretary but I knew I didn’t want to do that for very long. I never wanted to see another typewriter.

AM: How did you feel when you were cast in a Francis the Talking Mule movie?

JA: I never was snooty about it. ‘Francis Joins The WACS’ was the film. I thought it might be fun and it was fun! All the actors were great and the director, Arthur Lubin was so wonderful!

MD: Donald O’Conner was brilliant. Mom went out with him a few times.

JA: Yes I did. I was very fond of Donald. He was a delightful fellow, funny and dear.

AM: Do you have a favorite role aside from 'Creature?’

JA: Yes, the stage show I did called 'The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie.’ I loved doing that one. It was a great experience. I’m so fortunate that I had the opportunity to do so many different things.

AM: What’s your favorite story about making ‘Creature From The Black Lagoon?’

JA: Since I was under contract, I asked the studio what my next assignment was going to be? They sent me the script and I was wondering what is this? I had been working with James Stewart and Arthur Kennedy. I thought to myself, if I turn it down, I’ll be on suspension and I won’t get paid. I thought again this might be fun and indeed it was.

AM: Did you do the swimming scenes?

MD: Most of the underwater scenes were Ginger Stanley in Florida but Mom did all the swimming on the surface and in the back lot.

JA: I did do a little of the underwater scenes. I was a good swimmer.

AM: Were you aware that you were extremely beautiful?

JA: No, but I thought I was pretty enough.

MD: One fascinating fact is the lifelong relationship she had with the both guys that played the creature. Ben Chapman, who passed away in 2008 was the one who started doing these conventions which helped make this film what it is today. Now Ricou Browning is the last Universal Monster still alive. We’ll be seeing him at some conventions. The story that is so amazing is the legs of this movie.

JA: That’s what’s so amazing to me. The movie just keeps getting bigger.

AM: What a joy you are Julie. It’s nice to be around someone who is happy.

JA: Thank you very much. I’ve had a fortunate life. I got to make a living doing something I liked to do.

Julie Adams and her son Mitchell Danton

To learn more about Julie visit her web site http://www.julieadams.biz/

All Photos: Alan Mercer Lighting: Eric V.

Britt Ekland was born in Sweden and grew up to be the poster girl for beautiful, big-eyed Scandinavian blondes. She attended a drama school and then joined a traveling theater group. With her looks as her passport, Britt entered films and became a star in Italy.

When Peter Sellers met her in a hotel, he fell hard for her and they soon married. The combination of Sellers' stardom and her stunning beauty contributed to her fame, the fact that Sellers suffered a heart attack in bed on their wedding night did not hurt, either. She appeared in three films with her husband, 'Carol For Another Christmas’ in 1964, ‘After the Fox’ in 1966, written by Neil Simon, and ‘The Bobo’ in 1967.

Her claim to fame would come as the young girl who invented the striptease in ‘The Night They Raided Minsky's’ in 1968. After that, she appeared in a string of movies that were built around her looks. She did appear in some first-rate productions over the years, though, two of them being ‘Get Carter’ in 1971 and the cult classic ‘The Wicker Man’ in 1973.

The high point in her career would be her role as Bond girl Mary Goodnight in ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ in 1974. After her much publicized breakup with rocker Rod Stewart in 1977, Britt continued to make movies, both features and made-for-TV films and worked on stage.

In the 1970's Britt was one of the most photographed and talked-about celebrities in the world and in 1980 her best-selling autobiography, ‘True Britt,’ was published. Britt published a beauty and fitness book in 1984 ‘Sensual Beauty: How to achieve it,’ followed by a fitness video in 1992.

Britt has three children, a daughter, Victoria with Peter Sellers, a son Nic with Lou Adler and another son Thomas with Slim Jim Phantom who she was married to from 1984 to 1992. She is now a Grandmother with her first grandchild born this past August.

AM: Britt, why don’t you tell me a little about this reality show you just filmed?

BE: I am filming a Swedish reality program called ‘Swedish Hollywood Wives.’ It will be shown in Sweden and run for ten weeks.

AM: Have you done a show like this before?

BE: This is my first time doing something like this. It’s very exciting because it gives me an opportunity to stay here in Los Angeles where my children are. I like to live and work here rather than go back and forth to Europe every five minutes!

AM: That’s exactly what you’ve been doing the past few years isn’t it?

BE: Oh yes, I’ve been doing it for ten years.

AM: Is this a specific show you’ve been doing?

BE: I have my one woman show that I do but I change it every year. I’ve had many different stage projects.

AM: Did you think you would be working this long when you first started?

BE: No, I didn’t think I would live past forty. When I was young, forty was really old. My Mom, who was beautiful, very natural with no make-up, didn’t smoke or drink, was devoted to her children, but at forty she had her little coat and hat with gloves and a purse. That was proper for a forty year old then. Of course today it’s different. I had my last child when I was forty-six. It’s been in the last couple of years that I realized how much I love my career. I will keep moving until I fall.

AM: What a career you’ve had with over thirty films.

BE: I’ve never counted them, but that sounds about right.

AM: How much priority did you give your career?

BE: I’ve been a wife twice and in between I’ve had long term relationships and I have three children, but I really gave my career priority. My children know this and I always encouraged them to go and do what they want. I told them to learn about life and travel. Don’t get married right away and settle down with a child, like I did at twenty-one. I told them to go out and experience life, so that’s what they’ve done. My son, Nic just turned forty and he married five years ago after a long engagement and I’m now a Grandma since August.

AM: Are you thrilled and excited to be a Grandma?

BE: I’m very excited. This is my first grandchild.

AM: Are you going to babysit?

BE: Yes! My daughter-in-law works at a high powered, stressful job so I will be there carrying the baby around.

AM: I recently watched you on Piers Morgan. It was a great show about you. Did you enjoy filming it?

BE: I like Piers Morgan very much. He went around all over LA and talked to all my friends and they said nice things about me.

AM: I love the two songs you recorded in the late Seventies. What was that like?

BE: Well I’ve always said I don’t sing very well. (laughing)

AM: I love them!

BE: A lot of people love them. I don’t understand why.

AM: It’s because they are sexy and fun. How did you get talked into recording them?

BE: Sharon Osbourne was my manager at the time and her father Don Arden had a record company called Jet and they managed me and they wanted me to record a record.

AM: Do you think it was because of your association with Rod Stewart and the fact that you had been on the cover of Rolling Stone?

BE: I have no idea. I’d been asked to record before that in the Sixties. They ask everyone to sing today, whether they can sing or not. We now have the ability to help people sound good. When I recorded my songs it wasn’t as advanced as it is today. I’m sure I would have sounded much better if I had done them today.

AM: Just for the record, you sound wonderful in those recordings.

BE: Thank you, my sons love them. I just laugh about them now. That’s not my career.

AM: Everyone knows you are magnificent as a Bond girl and that you loved making it. Are there any films you didn’t make that you would have liked to?

BE: There are plenty of films I was offered but for one reason or another I had to turn them down. In the Sixties Dean Martin had a series of films that were a James Bond spoof called ‘Matt Helm.’ I was offered the starring role in that film but I was married to Peter Sellers at the time. He turned it down and said it wasn’t good enough for me. He didn’t even tell me I was offered the part because we had the same agents. It was out of my hands. I would have loved to do the film. I loved Dean Martin. I did his show about six years later.

AM: What about television today, would you be interested in doing another show that wasn’t a reality show?

BE: The thing is I’m an actress of a certain age and I come with a lot of baggage.

AM: Do you mean because people know so much about your private life?

BE: That’s right. It would have to be something that fit me. I can’t take a role as a High Court Judge. I could probably play a terrible bitch who is very glamorous. I’d love to do something but it would have to fit me.

AM: How do you keep your sanity and peace of mind?

BE: Focus, discipline, exercise and eat right.

Britt with her dog Tequila

Follow Britt on Twitter https://twitter.com/BrittEkland

All Photos: Alan Mercer

This is Gilles Marini’s fourth time on this blog. He is obviously a favorite. I featured him first in March of 2009 when he was starting ‘Dancing With The Stars’ for the first time. http://amprofile.blogspot.com/2009/03/gilles-marini-interview.html I featured him for a second time when he finished that first season of ‘DWTS.’ http://amprofile.blogspot.com/2009/08/gilles-marini-gives-back.html and for a third time when he was my second anniversary blog in January 2011. http://amprofile.blogspot.com/2011/01/two-year-anniversary-with-gilles-marini.html

Gilles was born in Grasse, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France to a Greek mother and Italian father. After working as a baker in his father's bakery since he was eight years old and graduating from high school, Gilles joined the French army and was stationed in Paris, where he acted as a fireman for the famous Brigade des sapeurs-pompiers de Paris.

It was in Paris where Marini met Fred Goudon, a photographer who introduced him to the world of modeling. After fulfilling his military duties, he went to the United States to learn English while working as a model. He began his career as a model in his early twenties. One of his first jobs was a television commercial for Bud Light beer.

He played Dante in ‘Sex and the City: The Movie.’ He has been seen on ‘Brothers & Sisters,’ ‘Ugly Betty,’ ‘Dirty Sexy Money,’ ‘Criminal Minds,’ ‘Nip/Tuck,’ ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ and ‘Passions.’

Gilles was introduced as a recurring character on ABC's hit family drama ‘Brothers & Sisters.’ He played Luc Laurent, the French love interest of Rachel Griffiths' character Sarah Walker in what was originally was supposed to be a five episode arc, but was promoted to a series regular. The series was cancelled in May 2011 after the fifth season ended. He also appears as Bay Kennish's biological father, Angelo Sorrento, in ‘Switched at Birth.’

Gilles Marini became an American citizen in June 2012. Gilles said after being sworn in as an American citizen that he was very emotional and very proud to be an American now. He also said that it was ten years in the making to become a US citizen.

And now back by popular demand, is the forth installment of new photographs and my conversation with one of my favorite people in the world.

AM: Gilles, how long have you been working on ‘Switched At Birth’ now?

GM: It’s in the third season. It starts October 20, 2013. It’s the highest rated show that ABC Family has ever had. It’s doing fantastic and the fan base is growing rapidly. You can be nine years old or seventy-seven years old and still enjoy it. It deals with real teenager problems along with their parents. I like the fact that the show is geared toward the deaf community and minorities in general. The executive producers have really created an incredible show.

AM: How does this show compare with working on ‘Brothers and Sisters?’

GM: Somehow there are similarities between the two. I was supposed to only do a couple episodes and then I turned into a regular on the show.

AM: That was the same way as on ‘Brothers and Sisters’ too wasn’t it?

GM: Yes I was supposed to be on three shows and after I was on one episode they decided to make me a principle in the next season. It’s the same with ‘Switched At Birth.’ I’m on half the episodes this year. The cast and crew are a big family. I’m busy with other projects so I can grow as an actor.

AM: When you say other projects are you talking about a film?

GM: Yes, I just finished filming a film called ‘The List’ written and directed by Harris Goldberg. What a project. It was very interesting to shoot. We shot it very fast and it’s a great story. It’s about a woman who gives her fiance a list of things he needs to change so they can get married. It’s considered a romantic comedy but I think it’s more like a dramady. It’s funny at times but I think it’s a great lesson. I have a small part since I was filming ‘Switched At Birth’ at the same time. I’m extremely proud of this role.

AM: Do you have time to audition for parts now?

GM: I do audition for parts. I’ve had a few auditions recently where I came in second to get the part. Before I would audition and I wondered if I would get a phone call. Now it’s between me and some other dude.

AM: You must be getting better and better at auditioning.

GM: I’m getting to understand what acting is all about. I’m growing every day as an actor. I’m sure Pacino is still growing every day. Down the line I want to do an edgy show where I can push the envelope.

AM: What kind of part would you like to play next?

GM: I’d love to play the arch enemy, bad guy in a film where I can use my physicality. Hollywood sees me as a romantic lead more than an action star and I understand that. I spend six days a week doing martial arts. I’ve played sports all my life. I love action more than any other genre.

AM: Are planning anymore trips to Bora Bora?

GM: A lot of people think, “Bora Bora, the end of the world.” People forget that Bora Bora is a flight away. Usually we leave at 4:00 in the afternoon and get there at 10:00 at night. We watch a couple of movies and we are there! When we get there it is the most untouched and precious island region in the world. It’s not spoiled. It’s pure and the marine layers are incredible. I’m in love with the people and the culture. I probably will spend more and more time over there.

AM: Would you ever live or retire there?

GM: If I can one day, why not retire over there for six months out of the year? I always wanted to buy a little beach where I could put music and not charge people crazy amounts of money so people can enjoy it. It could be part of a community and something fun for people to do. That is missing in Bora Bora. I want a nice little Beach club where people can come and relax. I’m really attracted to doing that there.

AM: Can you tell me about the T-shirt you designed?

GM: Jennifer Aniston designed one two years ago. She was the face of Warriors in Pink. The purpose is to bring awareness and funds to something that is dear to everyone. We talk about breast cancer and how it happens to women but without women we are not here. The least I can do is try to help. If there is any cancer I want to pay attention to it’s breast cancer and colon cancer, because my Dad died from that.

AM: Plus you are always involved in charities so this makes perfect sense.

GM: As an actor it’s important to be involved in things like this and to make people aware, and the government too. When personalities get vocal and tell people how to live their lives better, the government hears and feels like they should do a little bit more. Most countries in the world do not work to prevent disease. They are more about helping you when you are already sick. If we focused on preventative care it would cost the government a lot less. This is my thought.

AM: Can you tell me about Warriors in Pink?

GM: Warriors in Pink is the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation. She’s an incredible human being who has been so proactive against breast cancer. It’s a great association. I designed the shirt and I’m very proud of it. There is a lot of meaning in the design. 100% of the proceeds goes to research. It’s a cool shirt that men or women can wear. November is breast cancer awareness month. If you want a T-shirt then get that T-shirt because it does something good for the world. I’m not getting a penny from this. The goal was to get someone well known to do this for free. I think it’s very important for celebrities to do things like this for nothing. Just for the good of the world!

To learn more about Gilles Marini check out his web site http://www.gillesmarini.com/

All Photos: Alan Mercer Lighting: Eric V.

Getting rave reviews all over the country, Jilla is one of those performers you remember! She blends her own powerful yet sultry vocal style to big band swing and traditional jazz. One reviewer wrote of her that, “Jilla provided The Voice, that rare spill-the-guts, cry-out type of singing that most singers seem afraid to try. A rare talent indeed, she left the audience wanting for more.”

Jilla has been mesmerizing audiences for years with her live shows. Performing from Singapore to Las Vegas some of her credits include the Shakespeare Theater, the Davis Theater, Le Capitole Du Quebec, the American Music Theater, the Pacific Southwest Emmy Awards Show, the Ryman Theater in Nashville, casinos up and down the Las Vegas strip, USO tours, and touring productions across the globe.

In the early years, Jilla was the voice of many national commercials and soundtracks. She can be seen on commercials for NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, and the WB. She was the voice of ‘Regis and Kathy Lee,’ ‘Candid Camera,’ ‘Dharma and Greg,’ ‘Hawaiian Air,’ ‘Rosie O’Donnell,’ and ‘Must See TV’ to name a few.

Along with producing and singing in the nation’s hottest corporate and convention bands, these days she is getting back to her roots. Her mother, Jilla Webb Sr. lead vocalist for the Harry James Orchestra, passed on the gift of the Great American Songbook to Jilla, or little Jilla as she is know to her friends and family. Jilla is excited to carry on the musical legacy her mother began in the 1940’s. In her show, Jilla performs using the same charts her mother sang while in the James band. She is bringing big band music to those who remember Harry James and introducing big band to a whole new generation of fans. Jilla is proudly connecting the generations with this wonderful music.

While not touring, Jilla shares her talents by working with the stars of tomorrow. In addition to being a recent judge for ‘The Alabama Voice’ competition, she often gives seminars, and teaches private lessons locally and across the country. She was also a member of the artistic team as a vocal and dialect coach for Le Reve, the show at the Wynn Casino and Resort in Las Vegas, and currently has clients on Disney, former Miss Nevada, former Miss Southern Alberta, signed to independent record labels, on cruise ships, casinos, in productions shows around the world, and one soon to be on Broadway.

Last year Jilla recorded a CD with the Troy University Jazz Ensemble of some of the charts her mother performed with the Harry James Orchestra. The CD is now available on CD Baby, iTunes and Amazon. Jilla has recently recorded a new CD. A collaboration with guitarist Kurt McKinney that is sure to be a musical delight. It has been said that Jilla has amazing energy and a voice to match! Catch a performance, it will be unforgettable.

The photos you see here represent three different sessions over the past ten years. No matter what hair style, length or color, Jilla is always beautiful and always talented! I've grown to love her as a person and an artist.

AM: Jilla, can you give me some background information about your Mom. I think that’s important as to who you are.

JW: My Mom sang with everybody. She sang with Harry James the longest and she sang with The Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey Bands. She would go out as a freelance singer too. They would put together these shows that included Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra. Before she worked with Harry, she was on the Mario Lanza shows. I have big records of her on those shows. She had a recording contract with MGM. She played the Hollywood Palladium in 1958 with Harry and Les Brown. She’s on that record.

AM: What was it like growing up with a Mother who is always in the spotlight?

JW: As a little kid it was really fun because I got to go on the road with the band.

AM: So this is so natural for you. Your Mom passed on the gypsy gene to you.

JW: Absolutely, I’ve been doing this since I was seven years old. Harry James was Uncle Harry to me. He bought me birthday presents every year. He gave me trumpet lessons when I got in high school. I can say I didn’t understand what I was involved in and how cool it was, but I did learn a lot about music listening to them rehearse. I got to go quite frequently and Mom toured through 1982 which was when Harry died. It was pretty inspirational and it did influence me.

AM: I know you have done some shows as a tribute artist as well.

JW: Right, you have to if you live in Las Vegas. (laughter) It’s part of the deal.

AM: It’s a good way to keep working.

JW: Sure, and it’s a really good way to work in Las Vegas. All the tribute artists are really good at performing. It’s not corny or cheesy when you see how hard these people work. I knew I had a responsibility to really do this well. It was fun too!

AM: Jilla, you are a great example of someone who has devoted her life to learning a craft and you have been able to make a living doing what you love, yet you haven’t had the overnight success that so many people dream of. What do you tell your students about this?

JW: This is a great question because I do talk to them about this. I tell them if this is something you love to do, you can do this throughout your whole life. You can always perform. There will always be a new and fresh goal. Being an overnight success is not the end all, be all. It’s more about loving what you do. It is not about the end goal, it’s about the journey and the process. I want to keep growing into a better singer and better entertainer. I want to teach better and I want to keep learning. There are a bunch of professionals out there who work all the time and have great lives and do what they want to do.

AM: Did you dream of being a superstar when you were young?

JW: Oh sure. I think every young person does. Life is about relationships. It’s about the things you do for other people. My closest friends are all entertainers. We have a strong bond that is so cool.

AM: Do you ever sing background?

JW: All the time!

AM: Do you enjoy that too?

JW: Oh yes! It’s great because there’s no pressure. For me it’s about being a part of something. I don’t always have to be the main artist. It’s not about look at me.

AM: When did you start teaching?

JW: I have been teaching since 1991.

AM: You sing all styles of music don’t you?

JW: I do. (laughter) If you pay me, I’ll sing it. I’ve been doing this since I was twelve.

AM: What is your favorite style?

JW: Jazz and Blues. Since I grew up with those styles, I didn’t know how deep they got in me, but like any good teenager I rebelled and sang rock n’ roll for years. Now I think I take the rock and blend it with the jazz and blues to give it an edge.

AM: What style of music is your newest CD?

JW: It’s a Mediterranean style, smooth jazz. It’s acoustic in it’s nature. It’s nice and chill and mellow. Kurt McKinney is an amazing player and I’m fortunate to be able to work with someone of his caliber again.

AM: What do you teach your students to ground them now that we live in this ‘American Idol’ mentality?

JW: I keep bringing them back to, first, it has to be something you love. If you are doing this for money you are probably going to be disappointed. If you wake up every day and you have to sing, then follow it. Second, it’s got to be about being good technically. You have to hone your craft. I hope our culture is going to get tired of one-hit wonders. I’m still working for over thirty years. I continue to work and build a good reputation. That’s another really important aspect. Be professional. It’s why I still work!

To learn more about Jilla visit her web site http://www.jillawebb.com/

All Photos: Alan Mercer Lighting: Eric V.

James Mangrum, better known as Jim "Dandy" Mangrum, is the lead singer and front man for the American Southern hillbilly psycho-boogie rock band ‘Black Oak Arkansas.’ He is noted for his raspy voice, long hair, and wild, sexually-explicit stage antics which sometimes includes miming sex with a washboard which he often uses to accompany his singing. His stage persona is credited as having been a major influence on Van Halen vocalist David Lee Roth and Axel Rose of 'Guns n Roses.’ The band reached the height of its fame in the 1970‘s with ten charting albums released in that decade.

Jim was born in the town of Benton Harbor, Michigan. He was raised a Southern Baptist in the town of Black Oak, Arkansas. He attended Monette High School, in Monette, Arkansas, where he reportedly stood up in Mrs. Billie Layne's civics class wrote a '0' on top of his assignment, brought to it her desk and told her he was quitting school. She told him that he would not make a living without an education to which he responded "I'll make more money than you will in your lifetime.”

While in high school, Jim joined a band named ‘The Knowbody Else.’ In 1966, Jim and members of the group stole musical equipment from Monette high school and Manila high school, and were arrested for grand larceny. They were sentenced to 26 years at the Tucker Prison Farm, however, the sentence was suspended. Jim and his group left Arkansas, and moved first to New Orleans, and then to Memphis, Tennessee. In 1970, they traveled to Los Angeles where they signed with Atco Records and released their self-titled first album with their new name ‘Black Oak Arkansas.’

In 1973, they released their most successful album, ‘High on the Hog.’ One of the songs from the album, ‘Jim Dandy To The Rescue,’ which was a cover of the 1957 LaVern Baker song, reached number 25 in the Billboard charts, and became their best known single and Jim's signature song. It also featured female vocalist Ruby Starr, who traded off vocals with Jim. It was actually Elvis Presley who suggested to Jim that the group record the song.

In late 1991, Jim was involved in a car accident, and broke three vertebrae, however by 1992, he had recovered, and was back performing. The band released an album ‘The Wild Bunch’ in 1999.

Jim Dandy continues to record and tour with a series of different Black Oak Arkansas lineups in the present day. Original member Rickie Lee Reynolds is still with the group as well. Atlantic records just released their newest work, ‘Back Thar n’ Over Yonder’ last week.

AM: Jim, you are a bonafide Rock Star! When did you know that’s what you wanted to do with your life?

JDM: I saw Elvis Presley on Ed Sullivan when I was a kid. He looked like he was having more fun than any human I had ever seen. I wanted his job but I didn’t realize I was saying I wanted to be a Rock Star.

AM: Did you want to be anything other than a Rock Star?

JDM: The only thing I wanted to be more than a Rock Star was a stockcar driver. My cousin did that. I wanted to do it too, burning rubber and drag racing. That all started with the movie ‘Thunder Road’ and Robert Mitchum.

AM: A lot of your early songs are about sex, drugs and living in the country. Is that what you cared about then?

JDM: I’ve learned something. Anything you do too much loses it’s specialness. I’m not saying you should only do it when you want to have babies. That’s the way my Mama was. I wanted people to not feel guilty about doing what is “Nature taking it’s course.” Let’s talk about ‘Hot and Nasty.’ Rickie and I were laughing the whole time we wrote it. It was just a joke.

AM: You were also famous for all your female groupies.

JDM: We would always pick out the girls we wanted before the show. It seems like I always got the blondes.

AM: Are blondes your preference?

JDM: It’s not that I think blondes are the only sexy ones. I’ve seen women who were bald headed, in the Hot Buttered Soul Singers, that were so sexy. Beautiful Black women that sang with us on ‘All My Troubles.’ I realized they could be purple and bald headed and still be beautiful.

AM: I know of that group.

JDM: The lead singer sang for Isaac Hayes on his ‘Hot Buttered Soul’ album.

AM: Did you have to watch what you said and wrote about back then?

JDM: Rickie always said we were going to get in trouble because I always said the things other people are afraid to say. We wrote about a lot of different subjects. My Daddy used to say, “Jim if you’re gonna play music, play Country because they will grow old with you.” Now Rock n’ Roll can do that too, thanks to The Rolling Stones.

AM: A lot of the legendary Rock and Country Stars really liked you and endorsed you didn’t they? I know Waylon Jennings liked you.

JDM: Waylon loved me before he ever met me and I’m very thankful for that.

AM: Elvis Presley was good to you as well.

JDM: Elvis liked me and was nice to me when he didn’t have to be. That’s true.

AM: I have loved Ruby Starr forever. I know you must miss her still.

JDM: She’s been gone over twenty years now. I used to talk to her every day. She died from an inoperable brain tumor. That’s very painful. (Jim’s eyes tear up) She was a spitfire.

AM: You obviously care deeply for people.

JDM: If you think about others and you take the time to remember the golden rule, which makes most people feel vulnerable, you will treat others the way you want to be treated.

AM: How did you learn this?

JDM: I had very good parents and grand parents. They taught me good. Everybody didn’t have the same standards I did.

AM: I’m so excited about your new album. Do you like it?

JD: You know in the past when we had a new record out I was always over it and ready to start writing more songs for the next album, but this time it’s different. I’m very excited and enthusiastic about the new songs. We also have ten songs from the 70‘s that were found in the vault produced by the legendary Tom Dowd, who also produced Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, Bobby Darin and Aretha Franklin and so many more great artists.

AM: Now with your new album out, are you going to tour all over?

JDM: Anywhere they will let me. I was not right for a while. I think I was afraid of growing old. I lived very dangerously. Here I am now at sixty-five and I was seventeen two weeks ago. It just flies by so fast.

AM: Do you notice being sixty-five?

JDM: I want to feel it. I’ve always wanted to be the age I am. Today is the day I wake up. Yesterday is a rumor and tomorrow never comes. I live for today. I’m not trying to die but I’m not going to live forever either. My Daddy is 90 years old and he is getting things right. My Mama is gone now for two years and I miss her bad. It’s been a tough two years.

AM: Are you a spiritual person Jim?

JDM: It’s a free universe. We were able to change the whole world but that doesn’t give us the right to think we are better as a species. We didn’t create God, he created us. He gave us free will as a gift. It can feel like a curse but it’s supposed to be a gift. We went berserk when we were gifted with free will. I’m about freedom of speech and individualism and to be a strong individual.

To learn more about Jim Dandy and Black Oak Arkansas visit their web site http://www.blackoakarkansas.net/

All Photos: Alan Mercer Lighting: Eric V.

This is Bebe Buell’s fifth appearance on my blog. She is one of my favorite artists and people. What a blessing it is to be able to work with her often. She was in Los Angeles recently for the weekend and we managed to find the time to take a few casual photos and catch up on how different Bebe’s life is now that she has moved to Nashville, Tennessee. She has been recording a new record and getting her new home ready for her new life.

Bebe’s lengthy and respected musical career has shown her to be an important artist with razor sharp musical instincts; a singer, songwriter and performer with a power and command rarely seen in entertainers. Bebe has the unequaled gift of being able to delve into a song and spark it to life with immediacy and poignant raw emotion; whether performing her own works or her always groundbreaking choices of songs by other writers.

Bebe’s unique, multi-faceted talent manifested itself at an early age. At ten years old she began singing in the Villa Maria Academy choir sporting a unique “alto” that caught everyone’s ear.

After her high school graduation at age seventeen, she was discovered by super agent Eileen Ford relocating from her hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia, to New York City. Hitting the Manhattan music scene as soon as she arrived, Bebe’s passion, charisma and stellar looks propelled her into the limelight. Shortly thereafter, she met musical genius Todd Rundgren. At the time, she was living in a women’s residence run by nuns.

After posing nude for Playboy in 1974, becoming the first fashion model to become a Playboy Playmate (Miss November), her controversial layout caused her to be fired by the prestigious Ford modeling agency. It was also the first Playmate pictorial with a model and rock star boyfriend on the pages of the magazine. Bebe continued to model in Europe, signing once again with the equally prestigious Wilhelmina Agency in the USA and Model’s One in the UK frequently appearing on the pages of British, Italian & French Vogue, Harper’s Queen and Cosmopolitan to name a few.

Bebe’s musical career jumpstarted with her first release, “Covers Girl” (1981) produced by Ric Ocasek and Rick Derringer. It was a four song EP of obscure cover songs featuring legendary group The Cars backing her on two of the tracks. Bebe’s pure love of music and natural sense of cool come through on these recordings.

When Bebe’s daughter Liv found out her father was really Steven Tyler, not Todd Rundgren, 1991 became a year of big changes. Well documented in the media, Bebe has said in interviews that she didn’t want to tell Liv who her real father was because of Steven’s heavy drug addiction at the time. Todd had known that he was not the biological father of Liv but had kept the secret in order to give both Bebe and Liv some semblance of a stable home. Steven got sober and the news of Liv’s parentage was no longer a secret. Bebe withdrew from the public eye at this time to focus on her daughter during the ensuing media frenzy. Utilizing her unparalleled entertainment business savvy, she became Liv’s manager, and helped launch and mentor her daughter’s international modeling and acting career.

In 1994 she blazed back into the music world, released a CD and coined a new word with “Retrosexual” a punk/hard rock underground classic. The record was a forceful, fun, rocking return to form for Bebe with a mix of hip, impeccable cover choices and catchy original songs. She received rave reviews for her powerful performances in both New York and Los Angeles.

Affectionately called “Friend To The Stars,” Bebe earned that title because of her closeness to everyone from Jack Nicholson to Andy Warhol, and her carte blanche access to rock’s elite royalty. She was frequently dubbed a “legendary beauty” by photographers and peers alike. Mick Jagger was once quoted as saying that he could bring Bebe “when I dine with royalty.”

Bebe completed her autobiography, the New York Times Bestseller “Rebel Heart; An American Rock And Roll Journey” (St, Martin’s Press) with Victor Bockris in 2001 and in 2002 married Jim Wallerstein of Das Damen and Vacationland fame.

Many artists’ early work is their most powerful and resonating, while Bebe is just gearing up for the release of her most personal, autobiographical and cathartic work yet. Artistically bold and fearless while expressing true joy and sensitivity of the soul, singing her entire life, Bebe’s memorable journey is just beginning to take full flight.

A musician, mother, muse, model, celebrated lover, manager, best selling author, and pop culture icon, music has always held her deepest passion.

Here are the links to Bebe's other appearances on this blog. In February 2010 Bebe called me on the phone and she remains the only blog where I did not take the photos. http://amprofile.blogspot.com/2010/02/phone-call-from-bebe-buell.html Then in June of 2010 I photogrpahed her when she played the Roxy on the Sunset Strip http://amprofile.blogspot.com/2010/06/bebe-buell-live-coming-up-soon.html I followed up quickly in July of 2010 with a featured post on Bebe as The Goddess of Rock n' Roll http://amprofile.blogspot.com/2010/07/bebe-buell-goddess-of-rock-n-roll.html In April of 2011 I showcased some new photographs taken in preparation for Bebe's album 'Hard Love.'

http://amprofile.blogspot.com/2011/04/beautiful-bebe-buell.html

AM: Bebe since we last spoke you have moved to Nashville. What brought this change about?

BB: In 2012 I was asked to sing on an Eddy Arnold Tribute record by my old friend, Cheetah Chrome, the Jeff Beck of Punk Rock Guitar players, who is now working in A&R in Nashville for Eddy Arnold’s grandson. My mother was impressed.

AM: Were you an Eddy Arnold fan?

BB: I knew a couple of his songs, but the one I recorded is called ‘I’ll Hold You In My Heart.’

AM: That is a great song!

BB: They flew me down to Nashville and I immediately saw all the magnolia trees. I was overwhelmed by the smells. I grew up in the South so immediately I had this embryonic home feeling. Right away I found myself in the studio and I felt this kind of crazy energy. When we were finished and walked out the door of the studio the Titans had just won a game so there were all these fireworks lighting up the sky. The next day I was in the famous RCA Studio B, singing through the same microphone as Johnny Cash, The Everly Brothers and Elvis.

AM: That must have been amazing!

BB: I was surrounded by all this energy. I don’t know what happened to me but I had some crazy epiphany. I heard inner voices telling me to move there. The pull was so enormous.

AM: Had you ever felt like this before?

BB: I’d never felt anything like this before. I have traveled all over the place and I never thought I ‘wouldn’t’ live by the ocean but I was in Nashville and I didn’t care.

AM: The East coast has had some really bad weather the past few years anyway.

BB: After Hurricane Sandy I realized Mother Nature is a little angry right now. I started doing all my research and looked up Edgar Cayce and if you go by his predictions then Nashville will be beach front property soon! (laughter) So I figure I’ll be back on the ocean eventually.

AM: Hey, you never know.

BB: I got back home and told my husband Jim that we were moving to Nashville. For me to do this as I was getting ready to turn sixty was like a spiritual cleansing. Now we have a home with a big open floor plan and a wrap around porch on the second floor with three ceiling fans. This house is wide. I’ve got a magnolia tree and a pear tree in the back yard.

AM: It must have taken some courage to make a move like this.

BB: We just did it. We sold our cars and our home in New Jersey. I never thought I would have to pack up another 3500 square foot house.

AM: It was worth it because now you have a new life.

BB: So basically I turned sixty with a new house, a new car, a new record, a new outlook and a new life. It just felt like it was all meant to be.

AM: You didn’t even mind all the work then?

BB: I found peace while unpacking and decorating the new home. Then I found my good friend Jon Tiven, who was my BFF when we were teenagers in New York. He lives in Nashville and he’s gone on to be a very successful producer.

AM: Is he producing your new album?

BB: Yes and not only is he producing me, but I’ve recorded 16 songs in a month and a half.

AM: Wow that is a lot of studio time.

BB: Jon has a studio in his house. I was over there one day and he told me he had a track he had just written and he wanted to know if Jim and I could add anything to it. He put the track on and I had a divine intervention. All of a sudden I was filled with lyrics. I was channeling these lyrics. They were coming through me. The next thing I knew we were over there the next day and the next day and the next day writing lyrics in the kitchen. I felt like I was one of the girls in the Brill Building. I would come up with the title and the concept and Jim and Jon would add what they thought would work. Jon’s wife is also a brilliant songwriter and she plays all the bass on my record. It just happened...like an unexpected pregnancy.

AM: I’m so glad you are recording more at this time.

BB: This is my third album in five years. This is the most profound work I’ve ever done. It comes from a deep, cathartic place and it’s very healing.

AM: When will your album be released?

BB: Late Spring or early Summer. The single will be released in April.

To learn more about Bebe visit her web site http://www.bebebuell.org/ and her YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/BEBEBUELLofficial Hear her newest song https://soundcloud.com/b-buell/ghost-of-truth

All Photos: Alan Mercer

Kiplinger's Money Magazine named Eli Davidson's coaching 'The Best Way To Invest’ and made it a cover story. Eli is the "go to expert" for the most elite women in business. As a thought leader she has been featured on The Today Show, NY Times and SELF. CNN features her work in 148 nations and has reached over 11 million people globally.

An award winning writer, her book ‘Funky to Fabulous’ won the 2008National Best Books Award Finalist for "Motivation Self Help". Eli helps educate and inspire people in the law of attraction in a business setting. JC Penny's has sponsored her coaching tips on national television (USA Network).

Some of her recent television appearances inlude The Today Show, Dr. Phil's Decision House, Better TV, Making It!, Southern California Living, and numerous NBC and Fox affiliates.

Her fresh approach has helped her become a contributor to a wide variety of national publications including Better Homes and Garden, Quick and Simple, BusinessWeek.com, Grand, and Me! Magazine. She is a regular commentator in the Los Angeles Business Journal.

She has coached leaders in numerous industries including Emmy, Grammy, and Golden Globe winners. Also a founding team member of Fed Ex Case. She mentored Joan Rand Melissa Rivers on their TV show.

Her cult hit, ‘Funky to Fabulous: Surefire Success Strategies for the Savvy, Sassy and Swamped’ from Oak Grove Publishing was an Award Winning finalist of USA Book News National Book Awards 2007.

Corporations bring Eli back time and time again, as they are loving her approach which "boosts moral" in a matter of minutes. Her hands on techniques are entertaining due to her background as a professional actress. Case studies from clients show that she gets results and is "enlightening,""engaging," and "effective."

Eli Davidson is the one of the hottest female motivational keynote speakers. She's a keynote and seminar speaker, she is a woman speaker. Eli speaks on these themes: empowerment, taking charge of your business and career, and innovation.

AM: What is your main focus these days Eli?

ED: First off I have to say thank you for photos that open doors for me.

AM: Of course, my pleasure.

ED: The book ‘Funky to Fabulous’ won three national book awards. I even beat ‘The Secret’ for one of them. I got on the Today Show, Dr. Phil’s Decision House and CNN in a 134 countries and lots more. What has really happened is I saw motivation could only take people so far. Motivation can be a good idea and then just evaporate without making the kind of change in people’s lives that I’m here to make.

AM: Who is your target audience Eli?

ED: There is a group of people that I call entrepreneurs. These are people who either already have a small business or want to start a small business. I’m on a mission to give people who have that kind of dream the ability to become free of financial burdens and create their own future. So now I’m on a mission to create one million millionaires.

AM: Where does this passion to help others come from?

ED: I got engaged, closed my business, moved to Hawaii and started picking out the Wedding invitations and my fiance woke up one morning and said, I don’t know if I want to be in a relationship with anybody. Why don’t you get on a plane and go back to LA...today? Here’s your ticket.”

AM: Wow that is so rough!

ED: In February of 2011 I was so heart broken. I was crushed. I was broke and broken hearted. I couldn’t sleep or keep food down. I didn’t have any money. That was such a turning point for me. Motivation was not going to change my life. I had to make some money baby! The interesting thing for me was I gave back the diamond off my finger and I realized I had to find the diamond inside myself.

AM: What do you mean by that?

ED: A diamond is the most condensed form of wealth on the planet. A diamond by weight is the most expensive thing on the planet. It put me on a path to find the diamond inside of me and my small business. I found the Internet was not a path for wealth, but speaking and being with people was. I tried Internet marketing.

AM: The Internet is anti-wealth.

ED: It is anti-wealth! It’s about working a lot to give people free stuff. Spend a lot of time doing things for free to get rich. It doesn’t work. Doing stuff for free is never a way to get rich. I realized I needed to find something of value and communicate that. I gave a 30 minute speech at a conference in front of 130 women and I sold over $100,000 in goods and services. That was in November of 2011. I wondered if that was a fluke but I did it three more times. Then I started teaching other people how to find the diamond, that most condensed form of wealth in their business so they magnetize, monetize and monopolize their diamond, their first class clients.

AM: What is the first step in this process?

ED: Come to our web site www.elidavidson.com and get a strategy session so we can see how we can help you. You will see the form of how to get a strategy session on the site. There are some tests you can take. Here is the first thing you have to do. Sell to the people who can afford to buy and only them. There is another aspect here. Our entire society changed in 2008. Here’s the thing, 68% of all disposable income is in the hands of 24% of the people. So unless you target that 24%, people don’t have any money. It doesn’t have to be people driving a Ferrari. Put your people and your business in the 80/20 test. You need to do a laser target on 20,000 people who make at least $80,000 a year. You have to get it that narrow.

AM: Why that narrow?

ED: When you get that narrow you can stand out. Without that narrow niche, you’re not going to stand out. Unless you’re that focused it’s really likely you are going to be invisible. Guess how many tweets there were on twitter today of last year.

AM: I have no idea, maybe a million.

ED: There were two hundred million tweets on twitter one year ago today. And today there are four hundred million every day. You have to be the ‘go to’ person for your little tribe or there’s no way you will stand out.

AM: So how do I stand out?

ED: The way you stand out is you solve their problems. You are a commodity but if you solve an urgent pervasive and expensive problem, you’re the ‘go to’ expert who people seek out. I’ll give you an example of a nutritionist I worked with.

AM: Good, I need examples to understand this.

ED: A woman came to me who was a nutritionist for pro athletes. This is an expensive problem since they have to be at peak performance. She had three children under the age of five. She wanted to create an on-line video program called ‘Eat Right, Play Right.’ It was directed at student athletes because she had been one. She made all these videos on nutrition, mind set, how to win and how to avoid injury, which is really important, but she couldn’t get anybody to buy it. So she came to me to find her diamond niche. This also means where do those people congregate and how do you make money fast.

AM: So what did you tell her?

ED: The first piece is finding the diamond in the business. What did she deliver that solves a problem that people couldn’t do on their own? We started with the name, 'Eat Right, Play Right,’ people saw it and they knew how to cook a chicken breast. When we really looked at what her program delivered, the diamond in the business was give kids tools to win enough games to win a collage scholarship. Do you see how that is night and day difference?

AM: Yes I do.

ED: Her business went from eat right, play right to increase your childs’ lifetime earning potential. She doubled her rates. The other key component that people need to hear is once you have the diamond now you need a setting. There’s a place where people really value that and that’s what makes it easy to find once you have the diamond. So for her the right place is prep schools. Within two weeks of taking my program she was in talks to speak to an audience that had one thousand prep school parents. This is how fast you can quadruple your income. You can’t be empowered if you’re broke. I see too many broke people and I tasted it myself. I had to eat peanut butter when I came back from Hawaii.

AM: How do you get over the psychological heaviness of that?

ED: First of all I have a book that’s about turn around techniques. I used that but also I think that when we have hard times, we are heard animals so I got therapy and had my girlfriends to help me. I was run over by a Mac truck. Also I invested in my own business and myself.

AM: Is there a difference between men and women with this kind of thing?

ED: That’s a great question! It comes a lot more naturally to men and here’s why, men and women conceive the world very differently. Men have a more focused vision. Think of the thousands of years that men were hunters. Women have diffused awareness. It’s more challenging for women which is why even though women start 59% of the businesses, we only have 4% of the venture capitol. We start more businesses but we don’t know how to build them. It’s hard for women to narrow what they are doing. See while the men focused on hunting we were picking berries. Berry picking and taking care of kids running around is not focused.

To learn more about Eli Davidson visit her web site http://elidavidson.com/

All Photos: Alan Mercer Lighting: Eric V.

Known for timeless classics such as "We've Only Just Begun", "Rainy Days and Mondays", "Evergreen", "Just An Old Fashioned Love Song" and "Rainbow Connection", Paul Williams is responsible for what will remain part of our pop culture for many years to come. His music has been recorded by some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry.

Three Dog Night's versions of "Just An Old Fashioned Love Song", "Out in the Country" and "Family of Man" have sold millions of copies, worldwide. Karen Carpenter's rich vocals made "We've Only Just Begun", "Rainy Days and Mondays", "Let Me Be the One and "I Won't Last a Day Without You", a part of our lives. Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Barbra Streisand, Willie Nelson, Kermit the Frog and Luther Vandross are among the hundreds of artists who've recorded Paul's songs.

In 1997, Paul went back into the recording studio and recorded his CD, "Back To Love Again", which includes remakes of some of his more classic hits such as "Rainbow Connection" and "I Won't Last A Day Without You", as well as new songs which contain the same quality, passion and depth that was heard and felt in his hits from the past.

No one sings a song like the songwriter who wrote it, and the same holds true for Paul's music. No one captures the emotion within the songs the way he can and does time and time again. Paul is one of the most celebrated songwriters of our time having won Academy, Grammy and Golden Globe awards. His most recent accomplishments include his induction into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame. He is also the current President of ASCAP where he has held this position for the past six years.

Paul's reputation as a motion picture songwriter took hold in 1973, with an Academy Award nomination for "Nice to Be Around" (co-written with John Williams) from ‘Cinderella Liberty.’ 1975 brought Paul's second nomination for the soundtrack from the Brian De Palma cult classic, ‘Phantom of the Paradise.’ He not only wrote the words and music and produced the album for the rock cantata, but also held the audience captive with his devious portrayal of the evil 'Swan.'

Paul went on to become the Music Supervisor for ‘A Star Is Born’ in 1976, bringing with it the challenge of working with three different composers to produce its award-winning score. Paul and Kenny Ascher won a Golden Globe Award for "Best Motion Picture Score". "Evergreen", co-written with Barbra Streisand, won the 1976 Oscar for "Best Song of the Year".

In 1980, Paul was once again nominated by the Academy for the score from the box office smash hit, ‘The Muppet Movie,’ for "Best Original Score" as well as the song "Rainbow Connection" being nominated for "Best Song". ‘The Muppet Movie’ soundtrack went on to win two Grammy Awards and became the biggest soundtrack album of the year, exceeding sales of one million units. Paul reunited with Henson Productions in 1992 for the Disney feature film, ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol.’ He wrote and produced the songs for the soundtrack which brought with it yet another Grammy Award nomination for "Best Musical Album for Children".

Paul's other film credits include the songs and score for ‘Bugsy Malone’ in 1976, which starred Jodie Foster and Scott Baio. ‘Bugsy Malone’ continues to be a favorite of children's playhouses and theaters, worldwide.

Paul Williams began his career as an actor in 1965 with his portrayal of a 12-year-old prodigy in ‘The Loved One,’ playing opposite Jonathan Winters. He is probably best-known for his roles as ‘Little Enos’ in the ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ movies, as well as the orangutan "Virgil" in Battle for the Planet of the Apes in 1973.

Having obtained his certification from UCLA as a drug and alcohol counselor, Paul is very active on the speaker's circuit across the country. Speaking from his personal experiences with his own addiction and the knowledge that he gained through his education and his experience as a counselor, Paul continues to touch the lives and hearts of many people whose lives have been affected by drug abuse and/or alcoholism. He is actively involved with the Musician's Assistance Program and is on the Board of Directors for Community High School, a sober high school in Nashville, Tennessee which offers the teens assistance with their recovery as well as the education that they both strive for and deserve.

Paul has appeared on ‘Prime Time Country,’ ‘The Geraldo Rivera Show’ and ‘Primetime’ talking about the devastating effects of drugs and alcohol and the increased use of them amongst teens and pre-teens. He has been presented with the Global Arts Award from the Friendly House for his efforts on their behalf, the Spirit of Youth Award from the Pacific Boys Lodge for his efforts and contributions and the "Celebration of Hope" award given to him by Hazelden for his overall contribution in the recovery field. Recovery is not simply a field that Paul is active in, it is one that he is passionate about...this is just one way in which Paul gives of himself to others.

AM: Paul, I love your newest song, 'Touch’ with Daft Punk! How did you get involved with them?

PW: About three years ago I got a call from two amazing French gentlemen who are the group 'Daft Punk.’ They wanted to work together. It was a great treat for me. I had seen them on the Grammys and I was amazed. They work anonymously as robots.

AM: They’ve been around a while now.

PW: Twenty years ago they were the beginning of the electronic dance movement. They got huge and successful so they decided they wanted to do something more emotional, so they got in touch with me, Gorgio Moroder, Niles Rogers and Pharrell Williams. We made the album, ‘Random Access Memories’ and it’s like time travel. It’s a great album and not unlike re-visiting the Seventies, the Eighties and the Nineties and also a little bit of 2040 in it. I wrote the lyrics to two songs, ‘Touch’ and ‘Beyond’ and I sing ‘Touch’ which is almost a nine minute song.

AM: Will you be singing ‘Touch’ in concert?

PW: It’s something that eventually I will do in concert but it feels so specifically theirs right now. The great thing about working with them is they didn’t bring me in for wallpaper. They brought all of us in at the very beginning of the project and asked us to help decide what type of journey this is going to be.

AM: I saw the recent documentary about you, ‘Paul Williams: Still Alive.’ I loved watching it, but I wonder how it was for you? It went by so fast like it was five minutes for me.

PW: Nice, it went by in four years for me! (laughter) As you know I am a recovering alcoholic who is twenty-three years sober now. There is a great collection of archival footage, some of it I had no recollection of. I did ‘The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson’ forty-eight times. I remember six of them. It’s a warts and all documentary. I had editing rights at the end.

AM: I did assume you had editing rights and I admire that you chose to show the uncomfortable-ness.

PW: There’s footage in the movie that’s really hard for me to watch. There’s footage of me on ‘Merv Griffin’ where I am so loaded on cocaine and I’m the most vapid, arrogant, shallow, little prick. I look at that now and what is really frightening for me is that I had no idea that’s who I had become.

AM: That can’t be easy to watch.

PW: What’s really interesting for me is to go alright, I’m joking about marital infidelity on the road, and I’m thinking my daughter is going to see this. Do I really want this in there? Then I thought if it’s going to be a film about recovery and be a film that proves there is hope for the hopeless, because I was, we need to leave the warts in. It took an eighth of an ounce of cocaine and a bottle of vodka to get me through the day for ten years. You know you’re an alcoholic when you misplace a decade.

AM: Those must have been very tough days.

PW: I think what’s fascinating is that the director, Steve Kessler came into the project as a big fan but I think he equated fame with happiness. He was saying I was so incredibly famous then I disappeared for ten years and got sober. Then instead of scraping my way back to being part of the game again, I wanted to go off and work in recovery. He didn’t understand how I could be really happy.

AM: It seems like an honest look into your life at the time.

PW: Some of the film wasn’t so honest but it worked. The scene where the little boy is interviewing me was when I was doing sold out shows with Melissa Manchester and this lady sent a note backstage and asked if I would let her son interview me since he wanted to get into television and I said, sure.

AM: You’re just a really kind guy Paul.

PW: Just a really kind guy! (laughter) That was his perspective and I respected that. You get to see his journey in the film as well.

AM: Another aspect of your life now is that you’re President of ASCAP. What does that involve for you?

PW: ASCAP is a performing rights organization. Whenever music is performed on stage, on television, on radio or the Internet, there are two copyrights that are involved. The first one is the copyright for the song. That one is owned by the writer and the publisher of the song. There’s a performance royalty for that. ASCAP, for almost a hundred years, has gone into every new media and established a right and a rate and collect money to send to the writer. We’re a membership organization, a not for profit organization with over 470,00 members at this point. We send them money based on their songs being performed.

AM: Does this take up all your time now?

PW: It takes a lot of time but I’m loving it.

AM: How long will you be President?

PW: I was re-elected for the third time this past April. It’s a two year term. I love it. I think it’s a chance to be of service. It’s a really interesting time because of music on the Internet. Streaming is becoming the way everybody is getting their music now. We need to stay in the battle and make sure there is fair payment for fair play.

AM: Are you touring these days?

PW: No, I’m not. I did just play for two weeks at the Carlyle in New York and I’m playing Las Vegas in November. I’m also doing a few symphony dates. I’m not doing a great deal of touring because I am working on a book. Tracey Jackson, a wonderful screenwriter and a dear friend, and I are writing a book which is being published by Penguin in October 2014. It’s titled ‘Gratitude and Trust: Recovery Is Not Just For Addicts.’ It’s for people who have the life threatening disease of addiction and life limiting habits. We’ve written a book that will give people our take on things they can do.

AM: Can you give me an example of what’s in the book?

PW: They are simple affirmations like 'Something needs to change and it’s probably me.' Those are the kind of things we are writing about. My story is pretty funny. I was between Jonathan Winters and Robert Mitchum, so for a while I was actually the normal one on the block. It’s a great opportunity to share with the world something I’ve been given freely.

To learn more about Paul Williams visit his web site http://www.paulwilliamsofficial.com/ and http://www.gratitudeandtrust.com/

All Photos: Alan Mercer

Mark Lester is an English former child star and actor known for playing the title role in the 1968 musical film version of ‘Oliver!’ and starring in a number of other British and European films of the 1960‘s and 1970‘s and in a number of television series. Mark was educated at three independent schools, at Corona Theatre School in Ravenscourt Park in West London, followed by Tower House School, a boys' preparatory school near Richmond Park, also in West London, and at Halliford School in Shepperton in Surrey.

In 1964, at the age of six, Mark was cast in Robert Dhery's film ‘Allez France!’ (English title The Counterfeit Constable) with Diana Dors, who appeared in the 1948 film version of ‘Oliver Twist.’ He played a small part as the second schoolboy in ‘Fahrenheit 451.’

In 1967, at the age of eight, Mark Lester was cast in the title role in the film version of Lionel Bart's musical ‘Oliver!.’ The multiple Academy Award-winning adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel co-starred Jack Wild, Ron Moody, Shani Wallis and Oliver Reed, and was directed by Sir Carol Reed.

In 1969, Mark received critical acclaim for his portrayal of a dysfunctional and withdrawn only child in ‘Run Wild, Run Free,’ starring opposite John Mills, and then as a disturbed child in the first regular episode of ‘Then Came Bronson.’ Mark's acting roles peaked as he starred in ‘Eyewitness’ in 1970, with Susan George, ‘Night Hair Child’ with Britt Ekland, ‘Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?,’ with Shelley Winters, and a film version of ‘Black Beauty’ in 1971. He took roles in a series of films in Italy including ‘Redneck’ in 1972 with Telly Savalas and the Western ‘Scalawag’ in 1973 with Kirk Douglas. The final film of his Italian-based career was in the costume drama ‘La Prima volta sull'erba’ (English title ‘The First Time on the Grass,’ 1974), which was nominated for the Golden Bear prize at the 25th Berlin International Film Festival. Mark Lester wrapped up his British film career with the lead role in the all-star film ‘Crossed Swords’ aka ‘The Prince and Pauper’ in 1977, starring Raquel Welch, Charlton Heston, Rex Harrison, George C. Scott, and Oliver Reed, who had played Bill Sikes in ‘Oliver!.’

Mark Lester gave up acting at the age of 19. He took his A Levels at the age of 28 and became an osteopath, studying at the British School of Osteopathy. In 1993, he opened the Carlton Clinic, an acupuncture clinic in Cheltenham. He is a black belt in karate.

He was a close, long-time friend of Michael Jackson, and they were godfathers to each other's children. Mark spent Christmas 2003 at the Neverland Ranch, and vocally defended Michael throughout his trial on child molestation charges in 2005.

I met with Mark and his girlfriend Emma while they were visiting Los Angeles for the Hollywood Show autograph convention. While they had to have been exhausted from a very long flight, they were charming, generous and kind hearted. We had a few minutes to visit about his life now. They have six children between them and they all enjoy being part of a big happy family.

AM: Mark your life is pretty far away from acting now isn’t it?

ML: Yes, I’m an osteopath, but in the United States I would say I’m a chiropractor.

AM: You do acupuncture as well, don’t you?

ML: I do acupuncture indeed.

AM: So you went to school to be an acupuncturist?

ML: Yes I did.

AM: That means you’re extra smart!

ML: (Laughter) I don’t know about that.

AM: That is a lot of school!

ML: It was a four year course to learn osteopathy and a two year course to learn acupuncture.

AM: You must have a scientific brain besides being creative.

ML: I don’t really. It’s more of an art actually. Obviously there’s a lot of science based chiropractic manipulation, but acupuncture is definitely more of an art than a science.

AM: Did you always have an interest in this?

ML: No, I did learn martial arts in my early twenties. I needed to get fit and I did it through martial arts. I did that for ten years. It was through the martial arts that I got interested in sports injuries and it was through sports injuries that led me to train as an osteopath and that led me to train as an acupuncturist.

AM: Here is my question about the movie ‘Oliver!.’ As the film comes to the climatic end it looks like Oliver Reed is literally man handling you. Was he as rough as it looks?

ML: Yes he was dragging me around.

AM: How did you handle that?

ML: We were absolutely terrified of him on the set. There is a scene where he picks up Ron Moody by the throat and he really did pick him up by the throat. I think because I was only nine years old, he was a little more gentle with me. He was still terrifying. He didn’t pull any punches. He was quite rough.

AM: You made quite a few films before you retired. Did you get tired or did it just get harder to find good roles?

ML: It got more difficult to get the right roles. At the age of eighteen I made ‘The Prince and the Pauper’ with Oliver Reed again.

AM: I like that movie.

ML: I really enjoyed making it. It was a great film. Unfortunately the Salkind brothers put most of their energy behind another film they made at the same time which was ‘Superman.’ That was a much bigger film. They didn’t really pay enough attention to 'The Prince and the Pauper.’ It should have been a better film. We had a fantastic cast that included George C. Scott, Ernest Borgnine, Raquel Welch and a lot of mega-stars I got to work with.

AM: Did you figure you might as well end your film career with this movie?

ML: It kind of ended me I think. There were just no roles coming up at that time. I’d reached a point where I couldn’t do a TV series. I was too well known to do anything lesser so I did some stage work for a couple of years.

AM: Did you enjoy stage work?

ML: Theater is great for a week and then it’s really boring. It’s very hard, but you get a week of “fantastic” and then it becomes so repetitive.

AM: Some actors tell me the character gets in their head and it can be difficult.

ML: They may well do, but I never let it affect me in that way. I’m sure certain roles must affect people.

AM: You’re one of the rare child actors who got to grow up and be normal. Why do you think you did so well? Did you have a good family?

ML: I think it has a lot to do with the family base. My parents kind of kept me in check. I wasn’t allowed to be a big star. I wouldn’t want to be that way anyway. My sister was just a normal kid. I think it was the family balance. They pulled me out of acting school and put me in a normal school with regular kids and I think that’s why I did alright.

AM: You didn’t have that drop that some actors have. Some of them turn fourteen and nobody knows they exist anymore.

ML: That is very rough. If I had just done 'Oliver!’ and nothing else that would have been harder to adapt to. I did a lot of films after that, about three movies a year. For me at that age it was great to be in another movie away from school. It really was like a holiday. It was never difficult.

AM: What was it like to, out of nowhere, get a call from Michael Jackson?

ML: Michael contacted me back in 1981. He was touring the UK with his brothers. I was living in London at the time. My sister was a big fan, but I’d never been a fan of Michael. He was a great guy but I never bought his music. So she asked if she could come along. They sent a big limo to pick us up. He had an entire floor at the hotel. I’d never seen anything like it before. We rang the doorbell and Michael came out wearing a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. He gave me a big hug. From that moment we were just friends. From that split second.

AM: Was Michael more normal in private? I heard he talked in a lower voice when there wasn’t cameras around.

ML: Yes his voice definitely went up a couple of octaves when he was on camera or in front of an audience. He got stimulated by being a performer. He was actually a quiet and timid guy. He was very shy indeed. He shunned publicity because he felt that being a performer was what he was. He never liked any of the trappings. He never went to any parties or did the celebrity thing. If I was Michael Jackson I would have been enjoying it all.

AM: You have six kids between you and your girlfriend Emma. How is the family doing?

ML: We have six kids between us and they are all wonderful kids. I’ve embraced Emma’s children as being my own. Her son named Oliver, strangely enough, is like my second son. Her daughter is now my youngest daughter, little Lucy, and strangely enough my oldest daughter is named Lucy as well, so we have two Lucys!

All Photos: Alan Mercer

Donna Douglas as Elly May Clampett has become one of the most popular and recognizable television personalities from the 1960s. She was a guest star on a number of other television programs and the subject of paper dolls, dolls, coloring books, and various toys during the heyday of the program. She was also the only cast member to be on all seven of the series' TV Guide covers. In December 2010, Mattel released a new collection of three Barbies called the Classic TV collection. These dolls were Samantha from ‘Bewitched’, Jeannie from ‘I Dream of Jeannie,’ and Elly May Clampett from ‘The Beverly Hillbillies.’

Donna was born outside East Baton Rouge in Southern Louisiana. She was a ‘Miss Baton Rouge’ and was named ‘Miss New Orleans’ in 1957. She played softball and basketball in high school. Donna moved to New York City to pursue a career in entertainment and started out as an illustration model for toothpaste advertisements. She was featured as the ‘Letters Girl’ on NBC's ‘The Perry Como Show’ in 1957, and as the ‘Billboard Girl’ on NBC's 'The Steve Allen Show’ in 1959. These and other television appearances led New York photographers and newspaper reporters to award her the ‘Miss By-line’ crown, which she wore on CBS’s ‘The Ed Sullivan Show.’

Producer Hal Wallis saw the Sullivan episode and cast her in the role of Marjorie Burke in the movie drama, ‘Career’ in 1959, starring Dean Martin, and Shirley MacLaine. This was followed by a bit part in the musical comedy, Li’l Abner in 1959 and the role of a secretary in the comedy/romance 'Lover Come Back’ in 1961 starring Rock Hudson and Doris Day. She also stars along side Elvis Presley in ‘Frankie and Johnny.’

She made numerous television appearances in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including a notable episode of ‘The Twilight Zone,’ entitled ‘Eye Of The Beholder’ in 1960. Her other credits, among others, were in ‘U.S. Marshall,’ ‘Tightrope,’‘The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,’ and ‘Route 66.’ The turning point in Donna’s career came when she was chosen to play the role of the tomboy Elly May Clampett on 'The Beverly Hillbillies.’ She starred on the program for all nine seasons. ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’ became the number one show in the United States in its first two years.

Donna's first husband was Roland John Bourgeois, Jr. who she married 1949 and divorced 1954, with whom she had a son, Danny P. Bourgeois. She married Robert M. Leeds, the director of ‘The Beverly Hillbillies,’ in 1971, and they divorced in 1980.

Donna Douglas has remained busy making appearances, speaking for church groups, youth groups, schools and colleges. One key focus of her charitable work has been to appear and speak in support of various Christian children's homes, mostly in her native American South. She has also appeared at conventions and trade shows.

She has also written a children’s book titled ‘Donna's Critters & Kids: Children's Stories with a Bible Touch,’ which has Bible stories featuring animals and is combined with a coloring book for ages two to seven. In November 2011, Donna released a new children's book, ‘Miss Donna's Mulberry Acres Farm.’ Donna frequently performs as a gospel singer. She has recorded several gospel albums, the first being released in 1982. She has recorded a few country music records during the 1970s and 1980s.

A special thank you to my friend Jeffrey Dalrymple who set up this photo shoot. Donna and I had a chance to talk for a few minutes about the very beginning of her career after the photos were taken.

AM: Donna, you started your career off as a model. That must have been difficult considering where you are from.

DD: I was born outside Baton Rouge, Louisiana and one day I told my folks, “I think I’ll go to New York.”

AM: Did you know anything abut New York?

DD: I knew it was a place up there on the map. I didn’t have any modeling training really, only the most basics of how to sit down and stand up, but not New York style of training.

AM: So you just took off for New York?

DD: Yes I didn’t know they had two airports there. We only had one airport in Baton Rouge.

AM: (laughing)

DD: I do a lot of speaking to young people at Church Youth Groups and things like that. I have a pretty good testimony for them. I’m very simple and basic when I talk to them.

AM: That’s best I think.

DD: Anyway I didn’t know anybody in New York or have any contacts. I thought I could get a job and get my life together.

AM: Where did you stay?

DD: I stayed at the Barbizon Hotel. I was shy and awkward because I had never traveled a lot. My family as more poor and simple. We had a very basic life. When we had a vacation we went out on the river.

AM: I bet you had fun at least.

DD: Daddy would go cat fishing and set up trout lines. I had all boy cousins. I was the only girl in either family. So I was raised a Tomboy. See I was getting ready for Jethro long before I ever met him!

AM: Was it scarey for you in New York?

DD: Once I was in the Barbizon I felt safe. I couldn’t stay there too long because I didn’t have much money. You see I made a commitment between me and God. I was very simple and I loved Jesus. I believed with all my heart that if I did the best I could do, God would take care of me.

AM: So you couldn’t allow yourself to be scared then could you?

DD: I believed this and it wasn’t complicated for me. When I made that commitment, everything started coming my way. I was meeting so many people. Men wanted to keep me in penthouse apartments. They wanted to give me everything and make my life so easy.

AM: That must have been tempting.

DD: I was getting opportunities I had never seen at home. People had yachts and wanted to take me out on them. They wanted to do everything for me but they all had these little strings attached. I had to make all these choices so I let it all go.

AM: Wow, not many people could do that.

DD: God wants to see if what you say with your mouth, you mean with your heart. Anybody can talk it, but can you walk your talk? I didn’t have a background in acting, dancing or singing. I had never done anything like that. So what could I do? I could smile. That was all I could do. I had no training in anything.

AM: That just sounds so impossible to get into show business.

DD: When God sees that you mean what you say and you really are going to walk your talk, he takes over your life. I didn’t know any scriptures at that time, I just knew I believed in God.

AM: It really is amazing what faith can do.

DD: So all these little opportunities started coming my way. I got a job on national television where I walked out and carried a bundle of letters to Perry Como. Mama and them could see me down home. It thrilled my heart. I also held up little billboards advertising what was coming next week. I did all these simple little things. In time I became more like a Vanna White. I’d walk the guests out to the host and smile.

AM: You must have been so happy!

DD: I was so thrilled that it was something I could do. I didn’t see it as simple or small. I was able to send money home to my folks. I got my modeling portfolio together and I started doing a little illustration modeling for print ads. I made the rounds and met a few photographers so I got some jobs on Lexington Avenue.

AM: Did you get a job that required any talking?

DD: All I ever did was walk ons. Nobody ever asked me to say anything. I was so afraid I couldn’t have said anything. I got cast in a few commercials and once again I didn’t have to say anything. Then I met a nice man who was interviewing girls to be elbow grabbers. Back then you didn’t have to have an agent. We just went on open calls.

AM: What was the audition like?

DD: The man asked me if I minded if he asked me a few questions. I said, “No sir, I don’t mind. That will be alright.” Then he asked me if I’d be willing to go out in a bathing suit before the people. Well I had just made that commitment to God that I wouldn’t be afraid.

AM: Were you aware of the reputation city girls had?

DD: I had heard all these wild stories about girls in the big cities. So I said to him, “You mean you want me to go out there in front of men and show myself?” He said I had on a bathing suit and it shouldn’t make any difference. I told him I’d been in a few contests back home, even though I wanted to be a ball player, but that had a purpose. I told him, “No sir, I won’t do that.” Then he asked me if I would be willing to go out on a date with a sponsor. I said, “Would that man be married?” Then he asked me what difference would it make, we were only going to dinner. “No sir, I wouldn’t do that.”

AM: That must have been rough on you.

DD: I started feeling so sad and these big ol’ tears started welling up in my eyes and I said, “Mister, I don’t want your job. It’s not important to me.” I walked out. I got the job! (laughter) See, I always tell young people where you are willing to compromise, you abort your opportunities, then you’ll never know that you lost the opportunity. You have to stand on character, not just reputation.

AM: You’ve lived this way your whole life haven’t you?

DD: I never had to compromise what I believed to get a job.

AM: I know you’ve been writing a lot lately.

DD: I got my little children’s books. It’s got a publisher and we are very excited about it.

AM: It sounds like you’ve kept your life full.

DD: Oh yes! You don’t retire, you re-fire!!!

AM: What’s your favorite pastime now?

DD: Now it’s my “giving back” time. I’ve always let my light shine. I have always tried to bring people up. The happiest part of me is making a difference in someone’s life. That’s why I speak a lot at churches and youth groups.

AM: Have you remained strong in your faith your whole life?

DD: Well, my understanding has expanded. I don’t speak so much as religion but more as a commitment. I’m a Christian but I don’t have a particular label. I speak at all kinds of different churches. I love doing this. People always tell me they loved me as Elly, but they love what I'm doing now.

AM: Are you and Elly May the same person?

DD: She is a slice out of my life.

AM: So you were cast because you were her.

DD: I was homegrown.

AM: And you still love critters!

DD: I LOVE critters!!!

To learn more about Donna Douglas visit her web site http://www.donnadouglasofficialwebpage.com/

Photos: Alan Mercer

Val Garay is a legendary record producer and engineer who has worked with some of the most successful artists of all time including Kim Carnes, The Motels, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Burdon, Dolly Parton, Elton John, James Taylor, Neil Diamond, Ringo Starr, Linda Ronstadt, Sarah Brightman, Kenny Rogers, Santana, Reel Big Fish, Sally Kellerman, Candye Kane and Joan Armatrading, just to name a handful.

In 1982 he shared a Grammy Award for Record of the Year with Kim Carnes, for the record ‘Bette Davis Eyes.’ He has received numerous entertainment industry awards and additional Grammy nominations including Best Engineered Recording for his work on the James Taylor album ‘JT’ and Linda Ronstadt's ‘Simple Dreams,’ a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year for Kim Carnes ‘Mistaken Identity,’ a Grammy nomination for Producer of the Year,’ and an Emmy nomination for Best Engineered Recording of a TV Special for Neil Diamond's ‘Glad You're Here With Me Tonight,’ as well as dozens of gold and platinum records.

In November 2010, Val partnered with attorney George Woolverton and legendary creative director John Kosh to form a new label, Red Red Records, and is currently working with up-and-coming new artists like Nikki Lang, as well as producing/engineering scores for motion picture and television projects.

With credits including 13 Number One albums, Val’s more than successful track record spans the past three decades, and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. He has nine Grammy nominations. The walls of his home are filled with gold and platinum records.

Photos courtesy of Val Garay

Starting out as a songwriter and performer, Val soon gravitated toward working behind the scenes with artists as diverse as the Mamas and the Papas and The Buffalo Springfield to Seals & Crofts. It was at the legendary Sound Factory studio that he became acquainted with the studio's owner/operator, Dave Hassinger. Mr. Hassinger was well established as one of rock 'n' roll's top engineers, having helmed many of the Rolling Stones recordings, including ‘Satisfaction’ and ‘Under My Thumb. Dave Hassinger realized that Val had a "great pair of ears," and offered to teach him the finer points of the craft. Working with Hassinger for a year, Val refined his technique and perfected the punchy bottom sound, guitar blend and mixing approach that distinguishes his work today.

Val Garay helped to create and define what is still being referred to as the "L.A. Sound." With the release and success of Linda Ronstadt's ‘Heart Like A Wheel,’ he suddenly became one of the most sought after engineers in the business, known for creating never-before-heard instrument sounds.

With the release of Kim Carnes' album, ‘Mistaken Identity,’ Val's reputation as a hit-making producer was sealed. The album was a worldwide smash, and ‘Bette Davis Eyes’ became a Number One hit in 31 countries, earning Val Garay a Record of the Year Grammy in the process. Garay followed his successful collaboration with Carnes by producing The Motels' All Four One album, which not only garnered critical acclaim, but also gave the Motels the commercial success that had eluded them in the past. ‘Only The Lonely’ became a Top Ten smash.

Val comes from a Hollywood family. His father, Joaquin Garay was well known for being the voice of Panchito the Rooster in the Disney classic ‘The Three Caballeros’ as well as a singer, bandleader and nightclub owner. His best friend was Errol Flynn! Val was showing me some family photos, and several of his Dad with movie star friends, along with showing me some of his early written music when we started talking about his career.

AM: I didn’t realize your father was Joaquin Garay. Everyone knows Panchito the Rooster! Is that why your dog is named Pancho?

VG: Yes, after my Dad. He named all his animals Pancho. The horse was named Pancho and the dachshund was named Pancho, everything was named Pancho, way before George Foreman.

AM: (laughter) And you wrote all this music?

VG: Yes this is 1965 copyrights at the Library of Congress for the lyrics for the group I was in called The Bundles.

AM: How did the Bundles do?

VG: Nothing, we played nightclubs all over Northern California.

AM: Were you always interested in music?

VG: No, I was going to Stanford studying to become a doctor.

AM: So what’s the story? How did you get into music from medicine?

VG: I met a cocktail waitress who knew I played guitar and told me I should start playing since I had some friends who were already in a band. She told me I should sing at a club in San Mateo so I started doing it. Well I started hanging out with her until 4:00 in the morning so the next thing I knew I was missing my 8:00 AM classes. I dropped out.

AM: Did you realize medicine wasn’t your passion?

VG: It was my passion at that point but what I realized was music was something that I always loved. I used to tell my father he had to learn a certain song. This was in the Fifties and I listened to the radio constantly. I didn’t even realize it but I loved songs.

AM: So when did you start writing songs?

VG: In 1963. I’m twenty-one years old.

AM: And you dropped out of school?

VG: I finished my four year degree but I was in medical school to become a doctor.

AM: So you started living life as a working musician.

VG: Yes, we played all over Northern California, Seattle and went to Hawaii to play. When I came back I started feeling like my life was hinged on these other four guys and I didn’t like that. At that time a really close Songwriter friend of mine moved to LA and told me I had to move there too. I thought, “OK” so I packed up my suitcase which was all I had at the time. I was living in San Jose. I packed my guitar and got in the car with a friend of mine and we drove to LA. We met at Canter’s and I never left.

AM: Were you part of that Sunset Blvd. Music Scene at the time?

VG: Are you kidding? I got arrested with everybody else during the riot on Sunset. I used to go to Ciro’s to watch Bob Dylan sit in with the Byrds.

AM: What years are we talking about?

VG: This is 1964 through 67. I got signed to Lou Adler so we were always up at Lou’s house in Bel Air. They put together the Monterrey Pop Festival so I got to go to that free because I was with Lou. I got to see Jimi Hendrix and the burning guitar and Buffalo Springfield.

AM: Have you considered writing a book?

VG: Everybody talks to me about it. I was living in an apartment building on Formosa Street between Fountain and Sunset with Neil Young when Buffalo Springfield got their name off a steamroller paving the street that had a metal plaque that said Buffalo Springfield. That was the name of the steamroller company. When they finished their second album which was called 'Buffalo Springfield Again,’ nobody in the band had a turn table. I did, so they all came upstairs to listen to the acetate.

AM: Did you start producing back then?

VG: No, I figured out I couldn’t get great artists to let me produce them because nobody knew me. I got a job at The Sound Factory to learn how to be an engineer. The first album I did on my own was a band called El Chicano. I had a number one hit with them called ‘Brown Eyed Girl.’ We re-did the Van Morrison record. About a month after that, Linda Ronstadt came in and wanted to work with me. That’s when we made 'Heart Like A Wheel.’

AM: That is one of my all-time favorite albums by anyone.

VG: It was a monumental record. The interesting part of the story is she made an album right before on the label Asylum. David Geffen made a deal with Capitol that she could go to Asylum but at any point Capitol could pick an album. So we are finishing the album and Al Coury, who was the head of A&R at Capitol came over to hear the record. We played him all the obscure songs, not ‘You’re No Good’ or ‘When Will I Be Loved.’ He went back to his office and called us ten minutes later and told us he was taking the album. He had done this long enough that he knew it was a hit.

AM: All Linda’s albums did well so it didn’t really matter that Capitol got that one did it?

VG: All her albums sold millions and millions of copies. Because of working with Linda and Peter Asher on this album, Peter asked me to work with him on the next James Taylor album. I told him I was too busy but he told me he would give me a point and a half so I said, “OK.” So we made ‘JT.’ That was another monumental hit.

AM: Do you know how many gold and platinum albums you have earned?

VG: I have a hundred. The James Taylor ‘Greatest Hits’ album has sold over 21 million copies. I had to go in and re-record four of the original songs because the tapes got lost. We used the same band and the same arrangements, but I did them.

AM: I think you are best known for the Kim Carnes hit 'Bette Davis Eyes.’ Did you hear it as a Grammy winning song?

VG: I fell in love with it the minute I heard it. I didn’t think that far in advance in regards to a Grammy. I had been working with Kim for six months finding new material. We cut the song live. There’s no over dubs on the record. The first night we started rehearsing the song was the night John Lennon was murdered. Then we ended up beating him for Record of the Year.

AM: Did you think you were going to win a Grammy over John Lennon?

VG: I thought we had a really good chance. The scary part was we won Song of the Year, then lost Vocalist to Lena Horne and lost Album of the Year to John Lennon.

AM: Did winning a Grammy generate more interest in you?

VG: Yes and no. Did I get a bunch of jobs because of it? Not really. I think the only two artsits that came to me then were Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. I did start working with the Motels. I made two albums with them and those are the only hits they had.

AM: You tend to work with legendary artists who don’t have to worry about their careers.

VG: James has never stopped working. Linda did retire because she doesn’t have to work.

AM: Which album did you produce for Dolly?

VG: It was called ‘The Great Pretender.’ The hit single was ‘Save The Last Dance For Me.’

AM: Did you enjoy working with Dolly?

VG: She is the greatest! It was a difficult time for her because she was making a movie with Sylvester Stallone so she was on the set from 7:00 in the morning until 8:00PM and then meet with me in the studio at 9:00 and work until 3:00 AM. It was hard but the record came out great.

AM: You are working with Nikki Lang now and I find that very exciting. When is her album going to be out?

VG: Nikki is great. We are going to release an EP first. Everywhere we go people just love her.

AM: I’ll be looking forward to hearing the songs. Thanks for your time Val. I’ll be waiting for the book.

VG: I guess I should write a book. I was there and lived all this.

To learn more about Val Garay visit his web site http://www.valgaray.com/

All Photos: Alan Mercer Lighting: Eric V.

Tanya Roberts, is the beautiful actress best known for her role as Julie Rogers on the fifth and final season of ‘Charlie's Angels’ in1981 and as Midge Pinciotti on ‘That '70s Show.’

Tanya was born in the Bronx, of Irish and Jewish descent. Her father was a fountain pen salesman. Her parents divorced when she was a teenager. She lived with her mother in Toronto for several years, where she started formulating a photo portfolio and laying plans for a career. At age 15, she left high school and lived for a while hitch-hiking across the United States.

She eventually returned to New York City and became a fashion and cover model. After meeting psychology student Barry Roberts, while waiting in line for a movie, she proposed to him in a subway station and they were soon married. While Barry pursued a career as a screenwriter, she began to study at the Actors Studio with Lee Strasberg and Uta Hagen.

Her career began as a model in TV ads for Ultra Brite, Clairol and Cool Ray sunglasses. She played serious roles in the Off-Broadway productions, ‘Picnic’ and ‘Antigone.’ She also supported herself as an Arthur Murray dance instructor. Her film debut was the 1975 thriller, ‘Forced Entry.’

In 1977, as her husband was securing his own screenwriting career, the couple moved to Hollywood. The following year, Roberts participated in the drama, ‘Fingers.’ Roles in the 1979 cult-movie, ‘Tourist Trap,’ ‘Racket’ and ‘California Dreaming’ followed. Tanya was featured in several television pilots that were not picked up.

Tanya was chosen in the summer of 1980 from some two thousand candidates to replace Shelley Hack in the fifth season of the detective television series, ‘Charlie's Angels’ on ABC. She played the sultry Julie Rogers, a streetwise fighter who used her fists more than her gun. Producers hoped Tanya's sizzling presence would revitalize the show's declining ratings and regenerate media interest in the series. Before the season's premiere, Tanya was featured on the cover of People Magazine.

Tanya played Kiri in the 1982 film ‘The Beastmaster.’ She was featured in a nude pictorial in Playboy to help promote the movie, appearing on that issue's October 1982 cover. In 1983 she filmed the Italian-made adventure fantasy film ‘Hearts and Armour,’ based on the medieval novel, Orlando Furioso.

She portrayed Velda, a buxom secretary to private detective, Mike Hammer, in the television movie, ‘Murder Me, Murder You.’ The two-part pilot spawned the syndicated television series, Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer. She declined to continue the role in the Mike Hammer series in order to work on her next project, ‘Sheena: Queen of the Jungle.’

Tanya subsequently appeared as Bond girl Stacey Sutton, a geologist, in ‘A View to a Kill’ in 1985. Other 1980’s films include ‘Night Eyes,’ an erotic thriller, ‘Body Slam,’ an action movie set in the professional wrestling world and ‘Purgatory,’ a movie about a woman wrongfully imprisoned in Africa.

AM: Tanya, I know you were born in the Bronx. What was living there like?

TR: Well I was born in The Bronx but I grew up in Manhattan and Scarsdale. Then my father got transfered to Toronto so we lived there.

AM: Did you make it to Hollywood by being a model?

TR: Not really, I came out here after I had finished modeling. I didn’t really like modeling.

AM: What didn’t you like about modeling?

TR: Just the paranoia that I didn’t look good. I just wasn’t one of those care free, happy-go-lucky models.

AM: Were you always concerned about your looks? You are so gorgeous.

TR: I was camera shy.

AM: It seems you were cast because you were so beautiful. You look so good in ‘California Dreamin.’ That has turned into a bit of a cult classic now.

TR: Really!?! I don’t know who considers it a classic.

AM: I was just reading about it on line and it was being called a type of classic film now. Did you get real excited when you got the opportunity to audition for ‘Charlie’s Angels?’

TR: No, I felt like I would get typecast after that.

AM: Did it typecast you?

TR: Yes I think it did for a while.

AM: I think you were typecast as an athletic beauty.

TR: Yes I was. I always did all my own stunts.

AM: Were you as tough in real life as all your characters?

TR: Yes, as Sheena I certainly was. I rode the horse bareback and threw all the wildebeests, shot the bow and arrow and rode the elephant.

AM: Was all this natural for you?

TR: I had been riding since I was a kid. I always preferred riding bareback. You can really hug on to the horse.

AM: You have a connection to animals in general don’t you?

TR: I love animals. I’m an animal freak. I’d have ten dogs if it wasn’t for my boyfriend who only wants two.

AM: Are you into all animals or dogs in particular?

TR: I love all animals. I love cats but I don’t want any here because we have a million lizards. I used to have parrots but one of them was eaten by a hawk and the other one died, but I LOVE parrots.

AM: Did you enjoy working that physically in the films?

TR: Yes, very much. I really loved working with the animals.

AM: After ‘Sheena’ you got a dream role.

TR: Yes, the Bond movie.

AM: Did you enjoy that experience as much?

TR: It was great! We had a lot of fun. Roger Moore was great. It was his last time in the role and we all knew it. We shot outside of Paris, outside of London and in London in a big studio.

AM: How long did it take to film?

TR: Six months.

AM: Did any other movie take that long to film?

TR: ‘Sheena’ took almost that long and I lived in Kenya.

AM: Did you feel out of place in Africa?

TR: It was phenomenal. I loved it.

AM: Are you still so physical?

TR: I hike every day up and down steep hills.

AM: So you are conditioned.

TR: Yes, I’m in good shape.

AM: Would you be interested in working that physically now?

TR: Yes, I could still do something very physical, but they would never hire someone my age to do anything like that.

AM: Probably not, even though I can’t tell your age.

TR: Thank you.

AM: What kind of project would you like to go back to work with?

TR: The best I ever did was working in comedy. “That 70‘s Show’ was my favorite. That’s what I always wanted to do. I worked more in comedy before ‘Charlie’s Angels.’ That’s what I mean by being pigeon holed. They would not even send me out for comedies after 'Charlie’s Angels.’

AM: So how did you get ‘The 70‘s Show?’

TR: I did a comedic film called ‘Almost Pregnant’ and the producers saw it and said she’d be great for Midge. So they brought me in and cast me in the part.

AM: Then you were forced to leave the show for personal reasons right?

TR: I left for a few reasons but mostly it was because of my husband’s illness.

AM: That must have been a very rough period for you.

TR: Very rough. For five years he was paralyzed. I took care of him in and out of hospitals and home. It was terrible.

AM: So you were basically a nurse.

TR: I was a nurse watching my soul mate go right down the tubes.

AM: Have you healed from this yet?

TR: You know, I guess I have, but I am still a little crazy from it I think.

AM: Do you think there is more than one soul mate for everyone?

TR: I’m with my boyfriend Lance now and we are very close. It’s different of course as it would be with any new person. We have a good, strong relationship.

AM: Would you ever do a reality show?

TR: About what...is what I’m wondering. I might do one if something right came along.

AM: Would it be intrusive for you?

TR: It probably would be, but the money would have to be right and not too intrusive.

AM: Do you do a lot of auditioning?

TR: No I don’t. I just got a manager and signed up with an agent again after a few years. I haven’t auditioned at all since my husband passed away in 2006. I didn’t go up for anything. I don’t know why. I was just out of my mind.

AM: You needed a break, but now you’re ready, obviously since you’re getting everything going again. We’re going to see you right away in something I’m certain.

TR: Let’s hope so.

AM: So what is your ideal job now?

TR: I want to do another sitcom. I love the hours. I love working in front of a live audience. It’s like being on stage. My agents know it’s what I want. So that’s what we are going for.

AM: Do you have more men fans than women?

TR: When I do signings I have a lot of women but I guess more men. “Sheena,’ ‘Beastmaster’ and Playboy helped that.

AM: Were you a natural at taking your clothes off in movies and photos?

TR: I wasn’t shown fully naked in any movie but my top was off in ‘Beastmaster.’ But posing with the animals for Playboy, no I was very nervous and had to have a few drinks. I was very uptight. I’m a little more modest.

To learn more about Tanya Roberts visit her web site http://www.tanyaroberts.biz/

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