Dear readers and friends,
After the BLOG of last week all dedicated to my Country Italy today’s BLOG is all about my latest adventures in NYC.
Since a few days it’s officially Spring and today it’s snowing. Never the less life is still beautiful and busy for me. And I really enjoy every second of it.
I’m getting ready for my last Concert in NYC this coming Saturday at the piano Room of Etcetera Etcetera at 8PM. I will be performing with my whole band a Tribute to Women, since March is Women History month. I will be singing all my favorite songs of some incredible Divas of the music, some incredible artists and human being, like Shirley Bassey, Dusty Springfield, Karen Carpenter, Edith Piaff, Anne Murray, Linda Ronstadt, Mina, Ornella Vanoni, Nada, Ella Fitzgerald and so many more.
Then next week, the 29th, I will finally fly back home to Venice and I will be there for the whole month of April.
I’m looking forward to see my family and friends as you can imagine. And even if I have some work to do, some appointments to go, I will also make sure that I will have the time to relax so to be recharged and get ready to take the stage full of energy when I’m back, in May.
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| On stage with the flags |
Last week on Thursday it was the 150th Anniversary of the Unity of Italy. Even if I’m in NYC, I had the honor to celebrate my country with a very nice and positive event. I was invited to perform a few songs for Italy at the Celebration held at the Christ the King Theatre in Queens organized by Tony DiPiazza and Tony Mule' of the "Associazione Culturale Italiana di New York. My dear friend and founder of ICN radio Sal Palmeri, was the MC of the night. Many were the guests that made the night very special and more than 1000 the attendees. They had invited some artists from Italy like tenor Aldo Bianchi e Italian superstar Wilma Goich who really brought back so many memories to the audience while singing her hit songs. I shared the dressing room with Wilma and I must say that I discover one of the most wonderful human being, a very splendid person. Such a lady!!
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| With Joe Nastasi. Wilma Goich and Salvo Randazzo before the show |
In a matter of fact we will see each other in Rome in April for a dinner and more fun. She was there with her daughter Susanna Vianello, also so adorable and so nice. I’m so looking forward to see them both soon in my beloved ROME!!
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| The audience |
Other guests were tenor Salvo Randazzo and Baritone Lawrence Harris. Everybody was so nice and talented.
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| General Counsel of Italy in NY Francesco. Talo' |
The Italian counsel of Italy in NY, Francesco Maria Talo’, attended also the celebration and brought to us the regards of President Barak Obama. It was also so wonderful to hear from wonderful Dr. Silvana Mangione the story of the first flag of Italy and to see on stage the first Italian flag ever. If you wonder why the colors Green, White and Red, Dr. Mangione said that the colors where chosen to represent Italy: so Green like Italy’s valleys, White like the snow of the Italian’s Mountains and Red like the stream of lava of the Italian’s volcanoes. It was so nice to learn that!!
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| Show time at Christ the King |
I performed two songs, “Io che non vivo senza te”,"You Don't Have To Say You Love Me", who's a Venetian songs just like me written by Pino Donaggio, and one of the most famous Italian songs” Volare” that got the whole audience singing with me while they were waiving their flags full of pride. It was such a great event and I was so proud to be part of it.
And after the show, being an Italian celebration, of course we went all together, singers and the people of the Organization, for a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant near the Theatre.
A wonderful Italian Night in the city!!
Well if you are my FB friends you know that I spend my Sunday at the Emergency Room due to my low blood sugar after my gym routine. I stupidly I decided to skip breakfast before my gym and I ended up fainting. As I always say ”life is a live and learn journey” and I leaned now that I need to sleep and eat more regularly. By now you must know me enough to know that I’m always on the run. I love my life and I love my job and I try not to miss a thing!! But I will try not to forget to eat from now on!! The ER for 5 hours wasn’t that much fun after all!!
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| With Joey after the TV show |
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| Live auction of Rao's Table Keep talking about wonderful things yesterday night I went to the taping of the television show “All Night with Joey Reynolds” on NBC. Joey Reynolds is a dear friend of mine and he’s a legend in the world of radio. He’s one of the most respected and well-known radio presenters in the USA. I had the honor to meet Joey a few years a go while having dinner at one of the most exclusive places in NYC, Rao’s. Joey is a dear friend of movie producer and dear friend Sonny Grosso who owns a table at Rao’s on Monday night. Yes Rao’s is a restaurant that has sold his tables, so you’ll get in only if you are guest of somebody who owns a table. It’s a very nice place and it is always an experience to be there. And as you can imagine since you can’t get in unless you are invited by a table’s owner, Rao’s is very famous and many are the people who dream one day to get in. In a matter of fact many times owners of Rao’s Tables offer their table to collect money for various benefit. I’ve seen people biding during live auctions as high as $25.000 for a table there. And you should know that that money doesn’t include the dinner, only the table for 6 for one night!! |
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| At Rao's with Sonny and Chriss |
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| With Rao's owner actor Frank Pellegrino |
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| At Rao's with Eli and Plax |
Every time you’ll get to meet a famous someone at Rao’s. It can go from a movie celebrity like Robert DeNiro or a world famous singer like Rod Stewart, to a US President like Bill Clinton. It’s incredible. I got to meet there many people thanks to Sonny. Of course you can’t always take pictures but I did it when I met the famous American Footballs players Plaxico Burress, and Eli Manning of the NYC Giants and the owner of the team, Robert Tisch. A funny thing about my meeting with Plaxico is that I got to meet him, just one week before the accident who brought him to jail, for shooting himself of his leg with an illegal gun.I always wonder if he had that gun also the night I meet him!! And I got to meet Mr. Tisch the night I had performed at the prestigious Cabaret Feinstein’s of NYC. Since he owns also the Regency Hotel, where the Feinstein’s is located, and since I was staying at the Regency for that night, he had a nice joke with me for the whole night telling everybody at Rao's that I was sleeping at “his place” that night. Very funny man, very wealthy with passion for beautiful women!! Well Raos’ is a special place very small and no matter who you are, and no matter who the other people there are it’s like being all friends having fun and good food. A very unique place.
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| Talking with Joey and the other guests |
And thanks to Rao’s and Sonny I got to meet Joey Reynolds that has become a dear friend as well and a great supporter of my music and talent.
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| More talking with Joey |
So last night at 8PM I went to the studio. The beautiful studio is in Time Square in the NASDAQ Building. People can see the studio from Times Square so it was nice to perform and do the interview with Joey and see the tourists outside the window watching and waiving their hands saying hallo to us. It was like being in a fish ball!!
I was just a few minutes into the studio, around 8PM, when Joey asked to go outside in Times Square with him to say hallo to the strollers followed by a TV cameras, and to ask questions to them. It was a very nice experience to see how people react to the cameras in NYC. The real new Yorkers try to avoid them and the tourists come to you with curiosity. So I was outside with Joey for like 20 minutes and we got to meet so many tourists that were enjoying the light of Time Square and some new Yorkers as well. Then it was time for me to get into the studio to do my make up. Yes I had the courage to be on the cameras without makeup. But hey you can’t say no to such a fun invitation right??
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| Piera working her magic on me |
So I went into the studio where my wonderful makeup artist and great friend Piera Canu was waiting for me. Piera had just arrived from Italy. She was so sweet to come there to do my makeup directly from the airport.
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| Singing |
She’s for sure one of my angles!! Piera was working her magic on me while I was told about the schedule of the program: interview and one song at the end of the first hour of the show. Witch during the taping would have means that I was to go on around 11PM, while tomorrow night it would be broadcast around 1Am. It was so wonderful to get interviewed by Joey. He’s such a pro and with me always so sweet and so kind. The time flew by so quickly that it was time for me to move over to the singing spot to perform live “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me”. After I sang, Joey joined me on stage and asked me a few more questions about the show of next Saturday. He also asked me to sing a few bars of a Carpenters song. Joey said that nobody can sing a Karen Carpenters songs like I do. That was a great compliment. I actually added that I also think that nobody can sing like Karen Carpenter but I added that I maybe sing her songs so beautifully just because I love her so much!! And I sang for him a cappella a few bars of “Close To You”.
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| Singing |
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| Talking with Joey after I sang |
Before I knew it was over. It was midnight and time to go home.
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| Cool Breeze adjusting my MIC before the show |
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| With Todd Robbins and Bob Greenberg |
It was such a wonderful experience and I can’t wait to go back again. I got also to meet on the set so many wonderful people of the Joey’s team. And got to meet all the other wonderful guests, like funnyman Bob Greenberg, funny girl Ester Ku and great magicians Todd Robbins, who by the way eat a lamp live during the show!! So much fun all-alone!! I’m looking forward to see Joey Saturday at my show and to see him tonight on TV together with me!!
Those were of my adventures in the city for this week. I’m getting ready for more fun this coming Saturday at my Concert and I hope some of you dear readers and friends can make it to the show!!
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| With Joe Valenti, the director |
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| With Bob Gilligan |
And stay tunes for my next BLOG for more about my beautiful country Italy, my adventures in NYC, my passion for music, and so much more!!
Love always,
Giada
Dear Giada,
ReplyDeleteStill a very interesting blog about two very nice events :-) I can easily imagine all the fun you had.
About the story of your italian flag i didn't know...maybe i could try to search the story of our french flag now :-)
For the Tv show of Joey Reynolds i can't wait to see you there as soon as possible via internet ! I'm sure you were great !!! And about the fact to be without makeup outside the studio in front of the cameras, i'm sure you are pretty on natural too ;-) You don't need to have courage but just beeing who you are...a beautiful person inside and outside ! :-)
Very interesting also the story of the Rao's. I didn't know that you can be the owner of a table in a restaurant like this. How it's crazy the price that someone can give for a charity occasion, just for having a table for a night...But a good thing for the beneficiaries of this charity :-)
No comment about the story of the gun. I just know that i wouldn't like to know that something of terrible could arrive to you and your close relatives...
And yes about your time on the ER, you can't imagine how i was worried when i read the words "Giada" and "hospital". By chance i saw quicky that you were already better :-) Please take care of you ! We love you !
Well i wish you a wonderful trip in Italy ! Hope that one day i will be able to see you somewhere in Europe (why not in France ? ;-))
Love you my dear friend
Véro