Game Changers With Vicki Abelson

I’m filled to the brim with love, compassion, and inspiration. I so enjoyed every moment in Lydia Cornell’s most excellent company. A strong, talented, generous, capable woman, who knows who she is, where she’s been, and where she wants to be, allowing for godshots that may alter her future at any turn, AFI Best Actress nominee and People’s Choice Award winner Lydia, best known for her starring role in Too Close for Comfort, is all that and a standup comedienne, writer, director, public speaker, and activist. We went back to Lydia’s early days in El Paso Texas, her Russian father, and challenging mother… the haircut, the Barbies, the boys, oh my! Moving to Scarsdale, starring in High School plays, college in Boulder., Colorado, and Hollywood by way of the music biz, Caribou Ranch…. some great stories there… Billy Joel, Joni Mitchell, Dennis Wilson, Henry Diltz, dating Paul Stanley and Donnie Most, and how her naive approach to breaking into the biz, worked! On her third audition, she landed a starring role on a hit TV show and garnered the fame she sought. Loads of TV shows and films followed, including co-starring with James Earl Jones right after shooting that first pilot. We talked about drinking, drugging, dieting, and the trouble they brought… getting sober, surrender, releasing resentments, recovery, and the innumerable gifts they continue to bring. Lydia’s won acting, directing, and writing awards, as well as the Southern California Motion Picture Council's Golden Halo Lifetime Achievement Award, and the first Elizabeth Montgomery Humanitarian Award. It’s the service she does every day as a woman in recovery that perhaps makes the greatest impact. A screenplay Lydia wrote 20 years ago is finding its place now, and the book she started years ago is also readying to bloom. Lydia’s loving her life, writing, and loving with Larry––acting and looking perfect seeming less and less important. I’m loving this Lydia more than ever if that’s even possible. Lydia Cornell Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wednesday, April 17, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET Streamed Live on my Facebook Replay here: https://bit.ly/3vNhZTr

Rick Vito Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson What a lovely way to spend a sunny afternoon. Grammy-nominated guitarist, singer, and producer, Rick Vito, probably best known as a member of Fleetwood Mac, was a sunny delight, hisself. Coming to us Live from Franklin TN, following the release of his recently dropped latest album, Cadillac Man, we wiled away the hour talking his tastes… The Stones, Duane Eddy, BB King, his passions, Jimi Hendrix, Peter Green, his custom guitars, and his history… a 41-year marriage, two great kids, starting out with Delaney and Bonnie and Eric Clapton, what a story there! Moving to LA, crashing with Todd Rundgren, Something/Anything? Could I have played that album more freshman year? John Prine’s Common Sense… oh please! An all-time favorite! Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, with our friends Russ Kunkel and Kootch, Bob Seger, and that idea of Rick’s to play slide on Like a Rock, a tasty choice that would become an iconic anthem for Chevrolet and a generation. A great story about meeting John Fogerty, playing with Leon Russell, touring with Tina Turner, picking it up with Mick in the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band with Rick Vito, and getting nominated for a Grammy, and the last great show before the pandemic alongside Christine McVie (in her final performance), Billy Gibbons, Pete Townsend, David Gilmour, Bill Wyman, John Mayall, and a host of other musical luminaries in Mick Fleetwood & Friends Celebrate the Music of Peter Green concert filmed in London in 2020. We were treated to a glimpse of one of Rick Vito’s Soul Agent Signature Custom Designed Art Deco Guitars which is available from Reverend Guitars. This pink beauty with black and white piping, Rick designed to have attributes of a Gibson, a Fender, and a Gretch. Rick’s new album, Cadillac Man, is available now and has been on heavy rotation in the Snicki Mobile. I’m just loving it. A lotta rock n roll, heavy on the R & B. You can get yours here: https://www.rickvito.com It’s easy to see why Rick’s been in demand by so many diverse and stellar artists. He’s a stunning talent, who plays from his soul, leaving space between the notes, and warmth within his smile. I can’t wait to hear and see more! Rick Vito Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wednesday, April 10th * SPECIAL TIME1 PM PT, 4 PM ET* Streamed Live on my Facebook Reply here: https://bit.ly/3vMHQuv

Hal Linden Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Does it get better than this? Someone’s gonna have to prove it to me. Wow, what a time with Hal Linden! As nice, charming, handsome, and tall (well, I’m guessing on the last), as his Barney Miller, Hal was all that and a hefty bag of Cheetos. Absolutely age-defying - I want to see his birth certificate. It’s unfathomable that he’s 93. Still dashing, his voice strong, mind sharp, wit crackling, and his talent will be on display next weekend in Flat Rock, co-starring with Marilu Henner in Ed Weinberger’s, The Journals of Adam and Eve. I wanna go! Road trip? Hal took us through his early days, one of six cousins, all professional musicians, he a clarinetist first, classically trained, in the musicians union at 15, then the sax called, a hysterical story there, the army, and then the theatre… to hear Hal tell it, it all makes sense. From summer stock to Broadway as an understudy in Bells Are Ringing with Judy Holliday. I won’t dare ruin that story. It was 8 years of understudying, and standing in, which led to his Tony-winning starring role in The Rothschilds. Please do yourself a favor and watch Hal sing “Sons,” as seen on the Ed Sullivan Show, his clear ticket to Tony. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnztP3vCRko Breathtaking. And then we got to the meat. Barney Miller. How he got it, what he gave up. The gamble he took. The payoff. We talked the original cast in the first failed pilot and the magical one that replaced it. We talked characters, chemistry, and process. How much Hal was in Barney, how much Barney in Hal. And, the part he turned down afterward, without even looking. We had two degrees of Kevin Bacon without the Kevin and without the Bacon, all over the place… from our Bronx beginnings to raising our kids on the UWS of Manhattan and then LA, to Marilu and Ed, but most of all, the Catskills and the crooner. Hal started out in the Borscht Belt with his band at the Paramount Hotel. My father started out at the same hotel as an MC. Years later, after Hal’s Broadway and TV fame, my dad lived a dream, introducing Hal, one of his heroes, and opening for him at the Yiddish Theatre in New York. It was one of the highlights and great joys of his career. They were both handsome as heck, charming as can be, and smooth as silk singers. Hal still is. My dad is up there smiling this eve. Larry Katz, this one’s for you. Thank you, Hal. This will go down as one of the highlights and great joys of my career, and I’ll forever be grateful. But why on a bad hair day?!? Hal Linden Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wednesday, April 3, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET Streamed Live on my Facebook Replay here: https://bit.ly/43IJ6eE

Warren Ham Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson What an absolutely delightful sit down with multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, Warren Ham. As much as I was blown away seeing him do his thing (s) Live with Ringo and his All Starr Band, singing lead, background vocals, playing flute, sax, harmonica, keyboards, and percussion, I’m exhausted just typing it, let alone watching him work the entire multi-level stage, I was equally impressed chatting with him. What an engaging, fun, open, self-effacing, lovely, ridiculously talented, accessible, human. Warren started us with his family’s gospel group, recording his first album at 5. What a slacker! Country music and mandolin with his guitar-playing older brother Bill followed. While Warren sang and played harmonica with every garage band in Fort Worth, Bill was playing on TV on The Sonny & Cher Show, paving the way for things to come. Bloodrock and three albums followed and then dueting with Cher for three years in Vegas and meeting… well, pretty much everyone. From Vegas to Kansas- the band not the place, great story there, and a whole lot more instruments added to Warren’s repertoire, plus stadiums…Donna Summer, on and off for years, Amy Grant, Toto, another great story there, Olivia Newton-John, lots of great stories there, including a couple about a guy named Travolta. Always professional, there were years of consumption, and then 15 years ago, sobriety, when Warren claims, his life shifted for the better in all ways. A fortuitous Facebook message led to a Beatle, he’s spent ten years with Ringo, his greatest gig of all, doing double duty with Luke on Toto, too. There’s a 42-year marriage, in rock years beyond miraculous, and two amazing kids, check out son Robert’s wonderful short film on Warren, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muxaj-HOGBE, daughter Rachel Talbot has over a million followers on YouTube - the apples don’t fall far… It’s stunning to consider not only all that Warren can do, and does, but also that he does it all, brilliantly. And, he can dance. And act. Is there anything this man can’t do? Odds are crap on that. Warren Ham Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wednesday, March 27, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET Streamed Live on my Facebook Replay here: https://bit.ly/4cKTmYa

Butch Patrick Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson What a fun chat with Butch Patrick, aka Eddie Munster, who’s warm, easy and so comfortable in his skin that it’s impossible to not feel like an old friend coming home. Butch makes everyone in his path feel seen, heard, and important. What a gift. We talked about current events… living in Arkansas, his Munster Mobiles, getting out and meeting his fans, his girlfriend, how they met, and how they keep it going. And we went back… how a 7 yr old got his start in film, had a career in TV, and at the age of 10, a starring role on one of the most iconic and endearing television shows of all time. Thank goodness Bill Mumy took a pass. There are no accidents. This was Butch’s path. We talked Fred Gwynne, Al Lewis, Yvonne De Carlo, The Cowsills, and The Monkees, and his amazing episode and time shooting with them at the height of all of their fame. There were crazy days and trouble. Pot, booze, and drugs, and then, 13 years ago, getting sober. Butch’s ease and commitment to his sobriety, and helping others. It’s a beautiful thing. The upside of the pandemic is that it led the way to interview celebrity gems who live far away. I hope one day to meet Butch in the reals and feel his great energy sans a screen between us, but I’m grateful as hell for these opportunities to spend time getting to know this once boy who gave this girl so much childhood joy, and as a man, moves through the world with so much kindness and grace. Butch Patrick Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wednesday, March 20, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET Streamed Live on my Facebook Reply here: https://bit.ly/43rAjh4

Rudy Sarzo of Quiet Riot Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson I got to sit down again with bassist extraordinaire, Rudy Sarzo... Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, The Guess Who, Blue Oyster Cult - who's also a modern-day humanist, animal rights activist, author, mentor, CG artist, and an evolved, spiritual, gentle soul. And what a time it was! Originally from Cuba, we talked Rudy's early days, his family's struggle to get here, and the struggles they continued to face when they arrived. Barely speaking the language, work shortages, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Kennedy Assassination, to the shining light of the Beatles, which shifted almost everything. Rudy's foray into music... Kevin Dubrow, the original Quiet Riot, a partial cover band at the time doing some originals, Ozzy Osbourne, the fame, booze, and the crazy, Randy Rhoads, who opened the doors, filled the world with magic and then took the joy when he left way too soon, Frankie Banali, more Quiet Riot, Metal Health, Whitesnake, the girls, more fame, Blue Oyster Cult, The Guess Who, now joyfully back with Quiet Riot with bandmates handpicked by the originals. We talked Rudy's marriage, it'll be 40 years this June, a herculean accomplishment for anyone, for a rocker on the road, stunningly amazing! This is a man who honors his commitments. All of them. Sober 26 years, he found program and solutions during the pandemic and finds himself a changed man in so many ways. And this, a changed world. Rudy is deep and we went deep about music, healing, the communal experience... I feel richer, calmer, saner, and more centered having spent time in his grounded and assured presence. He's not only a monster bass player of the highest caliber, he's also a highly evolved human of a most admirable order. I feel like I just spent an hour plus with a Zen master and I'm somehow better for it. What a gift he is. Rudy Sarzo Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wednesday, March 13, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET Streamed Live on my Facebook Replay here: https://bit.ly/43db1Dv

OMG, where has George Schlatter been my whole life? I could've been a contenda! George Schlatter relishes the accidents and has made a career and created a legacy spinning them into comedy gold. Sock it to me! Here comes the judge! Look that up in your Funk and Wagnells! It’s not everyone who creates language that becomes part of the lexicon. 25x Emmy Nominee, 3x Emmy Winner, Golden Globe WInner, Producers Guild Winner, and Directore’s Guild Man of the Year, George Schlatter is all that and so much more. A television icon, I’m beyond thrilled to have had this opportunity to chat and get to know him with y’all. Creator and producer of Laugh-In, for that alone he should be canonized, George changed the face of television. He also created and produced Real People, produced the first 5 years of the Grammy Awards plus series and specials starring Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Eddie Murphy, Cher, Elton John, Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, Liza Minnelli, Michael Jackson, Doris Day, Jonathan Winters, Richard Pryor, Shirley MacLaine, Bill Cosby, Lucille Ball, Jackie Gleason, Diana Ross, Lena Horne, Dinah Shore, Nat King Cole, Placido Domingo and scores of others. George Schlatter created and for 15 years produced the American Comedy Awards. Most recently, George produced a comedy collection for Sirius Radio and Still Laugh-In: The Stars Celebrate for Netflix. Besides his work in television, George has been honored for his showmanship and involvement in many charitable causes. To further his support of comedy and the people who perform it, George has become an active supporter and Board Member of the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York. He's donated much of his material to them and they've named their theater, The George and Jolene Brand Schlatter Theater, in his honor. George’s book, Still Laughing: A Life in Comedy, which dropped in July, is a feast for show biz and comedy lovers. I devoured it. And he shares so many gems from it with us here, from the creation of Laugh-In, finding Goldie, Lily, Artie, Judy, Henry, Ruth, Dan, and Dick, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Robin Williams, Lucy, Steve Lawrence, Judy Garland, Cher, Diana Ross, more, more, more! https://www.amazon.com/Still-Laughing-Comedy-Creator-Laugh/dp/1951213793 We had a near-miss encounter 37 years ago when he was producing Comedy Club and I was visiting my Laughter Company Improv cohort, Bob Nelson. I didn't let him get away from me this time! Where has George Schlatter been my whole life? No matter, he's here now. And that's no accident! George Schlatter Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wednesday, March 6, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET Streamed Live on my Facebook Replay here: https://bit.ly/49LIQ0L

Federico Castelluccio of The Sopranos Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson I knew Federico Castelluccio, Furio Giunta, on the Sopranos, is a crazy talented artist on screen and canvas, is charming, easy on the eyes and ears, but damn! I was unprepared for one of the most fascinating, spectacular conversations I’ve had to date. I know little to nothing of the art world beyond what I like. Federico made it all sound so straightforward and accessible. He demystified his process of collecting, making so much sense, and almost making it sound… simple! Alas, I’m well aware it’s so not. Federico’s decades of study, his photographic memory, and his passion paved the way for finds, well, one so extraordinary… sweet dreams are made of these. What joy to ask if it would be possible to view a piece of his work only to discover that the photograph behind him was not a photograph at ‘tol, but rather a charcoal Federico had done. The beauty of the library behind him, from the rich orange wall, gold frames, and perfectly weathered green bookcase, to when Federico swung the camera ‘round so we could glimpse the fine art that surrounds him, and his studio in the distance filled with eye candy worthy of a Florentine museum. And that was before we even touched on The Sopranos. Federico jumped into that, from his audition, taking a bold risk, despite the odds, the waiting, his callback, reaping the payoff, and most unusual words from David Chase, more waiting, to discovering he’d gotten the three-episode part, which swiftly grew to three seasons. He talked James Gandolfini, Vincent Curatola, Michael Imperioli, Vincent Pastore, Joey Pants, Aida Turturro, Larraine Bracco, Eddie Falco, the whole musbucha! There were fabulous stories of all, including beloved Burt Young. We talked about Federico’s segue to directing, from award-winning shorts, where he also starred and produced, to his feature film debut, The Brooklyn Banker, which starred David Proval another Soprano pal, and Paul Sorvino. Every single word was infused with enthusiasm, passion, and delight. It’s hours later and I still haven’t stopped smiling. This is edutainment of the highest order. Federico Castelluccio, a true Renaissance Man, has a new #1 Fan. Federico Castelluccio Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wednesday, February 28, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET Streamed Live on my Facebook Replay here: https://bit.ly/3Ifp2GW

Rock ’N Roll Hall of Famer Ricky Byrd Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Hanging out with Rock’N Roll Hall of Famer, Ricky Byrd, is like going home. Back to the days… when we were both in a daze. I was booking the Rock 'N Roll Café on Bleecker Street, Ricky was already a rockstar, center stage as lead guitarist with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, playing those iconic riffs in the fab MTV Music Video Days... when there were ashtrays on restaurant tables, and MTV played music videos. Just found a great pic of Ricky and Elliot Easton sitting in on our tiny stage in ’87ish. All those years ago, and yet how fun to have seen Elliot play live last week with The Immediate Family and Zoom tonight with Ricky. One big difference, both Ricky and I are sober. 36 years for him, and the last many, being of service and giving back with his time, and his music. His current passion, partnering with AllSober.com to aid those struggling with addiction to gain inspiration from their sober heroes. He treated us to his Ain’t Gonna Live Like That No More to punctuate the point. Ricky received the Drug-Free Heroes Award, presented by the Foundation For a Drug-Free World, The Faces and Voices 2019 Voice of Recovery Award, and the 2019 Italian American of Distinction Award, presented by Governor Cuomo, for his work in recovery. This Rockboy walks his talk. Old friends, it was an easy breezy walk down memory lane, littered with one-liners, and rim shots. Ricky may be a rocker but he’s a Borscht Belt comic at heart. Fabulous stories about touring with Graham Parker, Roger Daltry, and Ian Hunter, the thrill of playing THAT riff from All the Young Dudes, having Simon Kirke of Bad Company behind him hitting those beats, backing Brian Wilson, sitting next to MeatLoaf watching his hero Jeff Beck, both of them weeping. We talked quite a bit about Beck, and Townshend, Eddie Van Halen, John Mayer, Albert King, the old days of the Filmore East, The Academy of Music, the Humble Pie, J Geils Band, and Black Oak Arkansas show we both were at when we were babies. Speaking of the Babys, we talked John Waite, Ricky’s old, my new friend, and his hysterical speech whilst being inducted into the Rock ’N Roll Hall of Fame with Joan Jett and The Blackhearts. Why she didn’t much react behind him, and looking past the front row where Paul and Ringo, his raison d’etre for becoming a musician sat with Funk 49s, Joe Walsh. And then, sharing the stage with them - and his great interactions with both Paul and Ringo. Ricky’s fan love for his heroes is so relatable and fun to witness. Ricky’s Rhapsody in Blues - An Instrumental Tribute to Jeff Beck is spectacular as are his other WIcked Cool released singles, Louanne, Alien, and Glamdenic Blues, and they’re available here: https://www.rickybyrd.com We got the story behind each and why he requests we download rather than stream. I did as soon as we got off the interweb. I adore my old friend. I so enjoyed every second and every word of this conversation. It was such a treat to spend time again in his great company. Ricky Byrd Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wednesday, February 21, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET Streamed Live on my Facebook Replay here: https://bit.ly/3uwdsUQ

Simon Kirke of Bad Company Live on Game Changers With Vicki I was Live with Simon Kirke, co-founder of Free and Bad Company, two of the greatest rock bands in history. A huge lifelong fan, it was a thrill to sit down and hear how it all went down, including how Snuffy, a guitar player kinda close to my heart, ended up playing on Free’s Heartbreaker. We heard about Simon’s very humble beginnings with neither running water nor electricity, talk about building character, his transistor radio, listening to big bands, pre-Beatles, making his own drumsticks, and finding his way back to London from the countryside with a time limit to make it and joining Paul Kossoff’s Black Cat Bones just under the wire. How they formed Free, All Right Now, the song that made them, and perhaps, destroyed them. The unrelenting touring, and then Kosoff’s unrelenting drugs. How the band evolved before imploding. Ultimately, in part, morphing into Bad Company, one of the greatest straight-up rock bands of all time with Simon co-writing its anthem. He’s the only member of the band to be in every lineup since its inception, including the band’s last tour. We heard about them all. Thrilling! I so love Simon’s solo effort, All Because of You, written for Maria, his wife of 6 years. Reminiscent of Roger Daltry for me, it’s in heavy rotation in my kitchen. He’s guested on recordings by Wilson Pickett, Jim Capaldi, and Ron Wood, and has toured with Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Ringo Starr & His All-Star Band. The best with the best. We heard great stories about Chuck, Ringo, Peter Frampton, Jack Bruce, Dave Mason, and of course, Kossoff and Rodgers. We talked at length about addiction––the drinking, the drugs, the debauchery, some great stories there, and recovery, tried more than once, and how it was too long ago for Kossoff. But, has gratefully stuck for Simon, who is doing much to give back. Simon works with Road Recovery, aiding teens to get and hopefully stay sober, is on the board of a Rehab facility, Right Turn, and is in the process of writing a Rock Opera about recovery with its CEO. Simon fears with Paul Rodgers’ health issues, this is the end of Bad Company after 50 years. He’s scored a few films and looks forward to a lot more of that in his future, mirroring another musician turned composer we know who’s fared pretty well. They say, be careful meeting your heroes. No worries here. Simon Kirke exceeded all my very high (but sober) hopes, as a person and a rock star. What fun! Can’t Get Enough! Simon Kirke Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wednesday, February 7, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET Streamed Live on my Facebook Replay here: https://bit.ly/42vW0w0

James Morrison Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson How fortuitous that my first show back after an 8-week hiatus was with the stunningly soulful James Morrison––actor, writer, filmmaker, musician, husband, father, fellow, and stellar human. James was Chicken soup for my post-COVID soul. Discovering just before we went on the air that my treasured friend, Christinna Guzman had passed from cancer opened the door to an emotionally charged conversation about relationships…parent/child, James’ son, Seamus, is a brain cancer survivor… love partnerships, how James and Riad have thrived through their 35 years together, including through their son’s illness… art, which Christinna championed, and shared with me and oft shot for me, including my Women Who Write Literary Salons, and these Game Changers talk shows, where James has read and sung numerous times and Christinna and I bore witness. To honor her and James’ talents, James gifted us with a reading from his show, Leave Your Fears Here, sang, at my fervent request, his brilliant, Selfish Man, about a certain someone who continues to refuse to not grab the headlines, and then read from his brand new show, Satan’s Wild Animal Circus of Agony: A Five Ring Memoir, a most meaningful piece about his father’s end of life. Powerful, moving, important. We talked about sobriety and recovery, a passion James and I share, about adapting, growing, changing, and allowing space to be wrong. We talked about his and Riad’s documentary, Showing Up, an unprecedented look at the audition, with some of our most accomplished working actors reflecting on the process and how it affects them. Nathan Lane, Sam Rockwell, Eli Wallach, and Kristin Chenoweth are a few of those interviewed. I just watched it again and I’m rethinking this whole return to acting thing. It’s a wonderful film, raw and moving, and so damn honest. Like James himself. I adore this man and every moment in his exceptional company. I’ve said before, sitting down with 24's Bill Buchanan, AKA, James Morrison, is like wrapping myself up in my softest, warmest, coolest, comfiest, cutest, silkiest pajamas, and settling in for an easy, breezy, fun, loving, memorable night. This one had the added bonus of being a bear hug of support, comfort, and grace. I’m forever grateful for his friendship. For all things James: jpmorrison.com James Morrison Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wednesday, January 31, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET Streamed Live on my Facebook Replay here: https://bit.ly/42kBBKq

Vincent Curatola of The Sopranos Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson I’m not sure how it’s possible to meet a person once on Zoom and feel like they’re a treasured friend that I’ve known forever, but that’s exactly how it is with Vincent Curatola, aka Johnny Sack of The Sopranos, whom before meeting I feared would whack. Me. On this our second sitdown we talked how a businessman who’d nary graced a stage in a few short years under the tutelage of acting coach Michael Moriarty, took on Law & Order, then wrote and starred in his own short film, Dearly Beloved, co-starring Tony Sirrico, and then was soon his Sopranos co-star. Vincent shared the story of that relationship, his casting, and how the work played out. We talked about the Mafia as if there is such a thing, David Chase, James Gandolfini, Ginny Sack, and Sydney Pollack. We talked about acting, how I’ve never caught him doing it, how he was trained, and how he trains, the upcoming reinvention of his short film Dearly Beloved, and his mother, father, grandmother, and Maureen, his dearly beloveds. Vincent’s a warm, thoughtful, whipsmart, entertaining fellow, a great storyteller, whose company I can’t get enough of. Hoping to Zoom into one of his acting workshops one day soon, rehone that skill, and just maybe he’ll write in a fake aging blonde in that upcoming remake. One thing I know for certain, I’m anxiously awaiting his next screen role and our next interaction on Instagram. Love the man! Vincent Curatola Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wednesday, December 6th, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET Streamed Live on my Facebook Replay here: https://bit.ly/3NhcHoN

Lori Lieberman Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Being with Lori Lieberman, the very first musical guest at Women Who Write, and the only artist to perform at every WWW location over the past decade-plus is like going home. Five years since our last midday soiree, it was so wonderful to reconnect and catch up. We got the unabridged Killing Me Softly scoop, from its inception with Lori’s pen on a napkin at a Don McLean show, to it getting fleshed out with her managers, Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel, her recording it, getting airplay, Roberta hearing it, Lori making the rounds credited as a collaborator, then written off, and finally getting vindicated only recently. There’s lots more to the story, all fascinating and aided greatly by its mostly happyish ending. Lori’s first five albums and self-imposed hiatus that followed. Motherhood, Joe Cali, falling in love and finding her way back to the music. 20 albums later, her latest releases, The Girl and The Cat, her most emotional and personal work to date, Lori told us why, and Truly, a departure for Lori, a deep dive into the American Songbook, with a unique revisit of the before mentioned Killing Me Softly. You haven't heard it until you've heard Lori sing it. And sing it and kill us she did! She also treated us to her track, Switzerland, although Zoom prematurely derailed it. Lori’s readying for her 3rd Carnegie Hall concert, on December 10th, at 2 pm. In the tri-state area, or gonna be? It’s a must! Link for tkts: https://www.carnegiehall.org/.../Afternoon-Concert-with... 30% Discount code: LAL 43749 For all things Lori, including her music, visit : lorilieberman.com I love this woman so much. What fun this was! She’ll remain in heavy rotation in my living room. Lori Lieberman Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wednesday, November 29th, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET Streamed Live on my Facebook Replay here: https://bit.ly/47XjI5M

Steve Lukather Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson Hold the Line! Steve Lukather may be a bonafide rock star, but he’s also down-to-earth, self-effacing, self-aware, open-minded, hearted, reflective, enthusiastic, passionate, thoughtful, generous, and perhaps sweetest of all, a fanboy like us of his heroes. From the 6-year-old boy blown away by The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, George’s guitar specifically, to the grown man who came to play and friend not only George, but Paul, and closer than close with Ringo, his “boss” for the past decade. Fab stories of all three, not to mention much about Steve and then Jeff Porcaro, David Paich, with whom he began being a serious musician whilst still in high school. Stories about Steely Dan and their various incarnations, one which almost included him, Boz Scaggs, his first major gig, the formation of Toto, sessions, sessions, and more sessions, Dean Parks, Ray Parker, Jim Keltner, Larry Carlton, touring, alcohol, drugs, wild times, Michael Jackson, Thriller, Eddie Van Halen, Elton John, solo albums, his latest - Bridges https://bit.ly/40I9PH2 which is in heavy rotation in my kitchen, and his memoir, The Gospel According to Luke https://bit.ly/3QFLPPZ an unputdownable, crazy fun read. Just like Luke himself. The time flew. I feel like I’ve known him forever. And, like all great things, left me wanting more. Steve Lukather Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wednesday, November 15, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET Streamed Live on my Facebook Replay here: https://bit.ly/47eCXbf

Marshall Herskovitz Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson Masterclass! I’ve had many stimulating, fascinating, brilliant, talented, fun guests. None more so than writer, director, and producer, Marshall Herskovitz. There’s a reason this human has won more Emmy, Golden Globe, Writers Guild, Directors Guild, Peabody, and Humanitas Awards than I can count… not to mention an Academy Award nomination. Wow, just wow! You don’t get all those awards for writing, creating, and making great television and movies without being a great storyteller, and boy is Marshall that! From his eighth-grade short story to his first attempt at filmmaking, AFI––miracle-ing his way in, meeting Ed Zwick the very first day––a partnership that would change both their lives and all of ours… Snuffy’s specifically and significantly. We talked thirtysomething from throw-away lack of interest to the cataclysmic creative shift in what was possible on series TV. From Day 1 to the present commitment to the reboot usurped by the pandemic. Marshall and Ed are still passionately committed to seeing it through to air and I don’t doubt with these two at the helm it will come to pass. Marshall talked about My So-Called Life, Claire Danes, Special Bulletin, and the NBC backlash on his Emmy-winning debut, Jack the Bear, Dangerous Beauty, The Last Samurai, and Tom Cruise––wonderful inside scoop there. Likewise, DiCaprio and Blood Diamond. We talked Marshall’s environmental activism and seemingly sensible solution and concluded with the political race and what 2024 may hold. A rare guest I didn’t know going in, Marshall quickly felt like a dear treasured friend. The conversation was effortless, exciting, insightful, and inspiring. Loved it!Can’t wait for more… on and off the screen. Marshall Herskovitz Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wednesday, November 8, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET Streamed Live on my Facebook Replay here: https://bit.ly/40yB9aE

Today I got to hang with Ed Begley who makes me laugh and think and feel and want to do better and be better. 7x Emmy Award Nominee - St Elsewhere, Better Call Saul, Best In Show, Saturday Night Live, Spinal Tap, Mary Hartman Mary Hartman, Going South, She Devil, My Three Sons, The Dating Game, oh yes he did… even winning a date to Australia… we talked them all and then some… Nicholson, Brando, Streep, Cindy Williams, Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby, Charles Manson, John Belushi, Harry Nilsson, Harry Dean Stanton, Lorne Michaels, Michael Richard’s… Ed Begley Sr, the Chinatown connection, addiction, recovery, slips, righting wrongs, and righting so much right. A power of example in so, so many ways. We talked his just dropped sure to be a bestseller, To The Temple of Tranquility… and Step On It! The book’s a provocative, oft shocking, thrilling peek behind the Hollywood scene… get his book… and step on it… you’ll be so glad you did. https://bit.ly/40gzHtb Ed’s humble, honest to the max, self-effacing, and self-aware… and he knows absolutely everybody! Ed walks his talk... an environmental hero... a loving husband and father... an amazingly supportive friend who suits up and shows up whenever, wherever he’s needed to better the world or help a friend, Unless he’s working, and with Ed, that happens a lot. I so adore, admire, and respect this man. Loved every second! Ed Begley Jr. Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wednesday, November 1, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET Streamed Live on my Facebook https://bit.ly/3FJjh2U

Steve Porcaro Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson I loved every second with 3x Grammy Winner, founding member of Toto, Steve Porcaro. A down-to-earth sweetheart of a guy who just happens to be one arm of the iconic legendary musical Porcaro family. These ain’t no lip-sinking, TV frontmen, the Porcaros define chops. World-renowned drummer, Joe, who left sticks and skins around, brother Jeff, who picked them up and banged them to new heights, Mike who segued to bass, and Steve who found his passion and his niche with keyboards, programming, and sythns. Separately, and together they made musical history. We talked beginnings influences, The Beatles, Keith Emerson, from playing school proms to clubs with David Paich, Hungate, and Lukather, to Boz Skaggs to Toto, Bobby Kimball, Hold The Line, Rosanna, Arquette, and the song, success fulfilling all childhood dreams and then some. Sessions and side work for all of them, Bette Midler, Chaka, Earth, Wind & Fire, Quincy Jones, which led to Micheal Jackson and Human Nature on Thriller, thrilling! There was James Newton Howard, playing and scoring for film and TV… Justified. Leaving Toto, rejoining Toto with new appreciation. Drugs, alcohol, and loss took their toll, solo work, Someday/Somehow, collaborations, Allee Willis, writing with his daughters, The Covid Kid, doing what he loves, where he loves. A life well being lived and art continuously created. I really really like this man, and his music. Grateful for this opportunity to get to know. Steve Porcaro Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wednesday, October 11, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET Streamed Live on my Facebook Reply here: https://bit.ly/3ZUQBxu

David Jackson Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson What a delight music legend David Jackson is. No surprise. I was warned by his legions of loyal fans, most of whom are his brilliantly talented contemporaries. This was fabulous fun, topped perhaps by pre-fed stories with lots of misinformation which paved the way for the truths, which proved to make it all even more fun. So what if David wasn’t actually at Columbia Studios when George Harrison hid the pot from the cops, he told great story! Who cares if David was with Cher in DC, not the Chateau Marmont when she got a call from Jimmy (President Carter), not Henry Kissinger, or when he was offered his own show after being a regular on The Andy Williams Show he didn’t turn it down, it just… well… he tells it... and then some… and then some more. Great stories, all. We hear about Hoyt Axton and how they wrote Ringo’s No No Song, and Three Dog Night’s Joy To The World, and what happened to David in both, there’s the Chambers Brothers, Bo Diddley, Jackson Browne, John Denver, Sonny, and Sonny and Cher, Glen Frey, Jimmy Buffett, a GREAT story about Roger Miller and Glen Campbell, The Bohemian Grove, what that gentleman’s club is really all about, and his upcoming trip to Marrakesh to play and… play. What a life. Well lived, still living to the max. This man is damn delight. Top to bottom, start to finish. I can’t wait for his return to the States and his Friday nights at The Write Off Room with The Deductions. Till then I’ll be hitting his Bandcamp https://davidpjackson1.bandcamp.com/album/first-waltz?fbclid=IwAR1FNNSEtyXUFWpxRjACYgs2844fFTyteIwhZUcxmpW0YxaBvfMngJfS_nk. David Jackson has a new huge fan. *raises hand* David Jackson Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wednesday, Sept 27th, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET Streamed Live on my Facebook Replay here: https://bit.ly/45ZpZ0l

Live from Los Angeles, it was Wednesday eve. Loved spending it with Television Academy Hall of Famer, Laraine Newman. I was a little down-and-out post-new Moderna vax, but thanks to Laraine, I swiftly forgot all about it. She took us through her early childhood, finding her place with the funny. From neighborhood street plays, and school theatre with classmate Paul Reubens, to becoming a founding member of The Groundlings with her sister, Tracy Newman, to Lorne Michaels and Lily Tomlin discovering her for a special which then led to Saturday Night Live. Arriving in New York to some trauma, the SNL experience, characters that transitioned, writers, castmates, running with Gilda, feeling left out with Garrett, drugs, American Hot Wax, Stardust Memories with Woody, a Beatle, the Stones, better drugs, 5 years later, always working, voicework becoming the thing. Motherhood and mazel, Celebrity Autobiography to her audible memoir, May You Live in Interesting Times, available here: https://bit.ly/48opI8M. I savored every moment. Whip-smart, brilliantly funny, and deeply insightful, I cherish Laraine’s talents & her friendship. I adored spending this time in her good company. Brava! Laraine Newman Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wednesday, Sept 20th, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET Streamed Live on my Facebook Replay here: https://bit.ly/3Zu0D8y

Anthony Fedorov Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson I’m still smiling and I’m not sure I’m gonna stop any time soon. What a blast I had with American Idol finalist Anthony Fedorov. It’s been a minute since last we met and Anthony is even more spectacular than I remembered. He opened the show with That Someone, his new song from his new musical, Proud Marys. I loved it! Can’t wait till Sunday when he does it in person at his long-awaited return engagement at the Catalina Bar & Grill. In LA? Please join me! https://bit.ly/3LkJTusHey We talked Anthony’s early childhood in Russia, his scary, years-long medical situation, hoping to talk, let alone sing… and for a living… to worldwide acclaim… crazy! The trauma of getting out of the country and then getting to the USA sans English. The obstacles Anthony has overcome in his young life are astounding, his accomplishments are as well. We talked the American Idol journey, Simon’s advice that changed his life and career, meeting his Idol, Marc Anthony, barely noticing J.Lo, Ellen, or Mariah Carey. Great story! And, the aftermath which led him to the theatre, something he’d never considered, but where he spent the next many years and thrived from off-Broadway in The Fantastics to most recently in Love Actually Live at The Wallis in Beverly Hills. How the hell did I miss that? We talked about the three, count ‘em three musicals Anthony has in various stages of development. Artist, activist, singer/songwriter, dad, and lovely human, everything Anthony does is with intention to impact positive change in the world. Anthony closed with his first monster hit song, I Poop, inspired by fatherhood and a diaper changing. Another great story! It’s garnered over 22 million streams to date. Not counting the 20+ I’ve added in the last hour. Tell Alexa to play it for fun and… well, it’s paying the rent! Anthony has the voice of an angel and writes killer pop/rock songs with lyrics that are socially and politically important. He’s a beautiful man to behold, hear, and hold dear. And damn, he’s sweet and fun! Hope to share the Fedorov experience with y’all on Sunday at the Catalina Bar & Grill. Anthony Fedorov Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wednesday, Sept 13th, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET Streamed Live on my Facebook Replay here: https://bit.ly/3r6hDVE