HOPE ETERNAL AND MANAGING IT RIGHT

Well, Clarence and I have taken over our career a few years ago because we could not find anyone who understood our hopes. Our dreams of accomplishing our goals was a talk we had 50 years ago. All through our lives some people have caused us to have career setbacks during these years. I’m not saying everyone because there were many people who directed us towards “a right direction”. 

Clarence and I have calculated our career in the early days and then after we “re-grouped” Little Anthony & The Imperials. We’ve let money slip through our arms, we’ve been mismanaged, other times unmanageable and put dents in our personal lives. We have not been fortunate in the management department for sure. We thought they had our best interest in mind only to discover sooner or later, the only “best interest” they had was their own, not ours. 

So, Clarence and I decided we will run our own business and if we mess up, it’s our own fault. At least, we knew if it went wrong and usually why. Guess what? We made more strides forward in our business dealings than faulted ones. In the last 4 years, we made more strides than all of our previous managers combined. We had to steer our own ship but Clarence and I are entertainers. Most entertainers are not good businessmen but now in the 21st century, that is changing. You gotta be both. 

We are currently working with promoter Peter Gallo and he mentioned that he had an email from international management wiz, Selwyn Miller. He is a longtime fan of ours and has managed Petula Clark for over 40 years. Clarence called him and he set up a meeting. Clarence is more than a brother to me and he raved about Mr. Miller. Clarence said. “Anthony you have to meet this guy and it is one of the best meetings I’ve had ever.” Whoa, for Clarence to make a statement like that, man I felt Mr. Miller might be the right “management someone” we were looking for.

When Clarence and I first met our publicist George Dassinger, we knew he was the guy. As we talked about our hopes and goals, I could see George’s mind working. He had a plan and it was formulating as we ate dinner. There is an old motto about if you can get diverted from eating, by a conversation, background music, a painting on the wall, whatever, you are onto something. We were truly blessed to meet George and his work for us over the last two years is simply amazing.

I am excited about Selwyn Miller too and hearing his plan for our career. We have all the right people in place now. Although we had our own organization and business, there were elements missing. George Dassinger filled one and now thankfully, Selwyn Miller will fill the other. In the entertainment business, it is hard to tell the good guys from the bad ones but through trial and error (lots of them in our case), you can finally find the right people - ladies and gentlemen, our new manager Selwyn Miller.

WE LOSE TWO GREATS BUT THE CIRCLE IS UNBROKEN

We lost a great American the other day when Jack Kemp passed. I would say that  Kemp could be considered to be on of the best congressmen of our last century. Many of you will recall Kemp for his quarterback years with the Buffalo Bills in the ‘60s. His life is a model for “fatherhood” and civic involvement and we were lucky to have someone like Jack Kemp in our lives. 

A lot of young people may not know how much he did for our country. Those of us who do though have an obligation to respond to his contributions to the US and like I am doing here in this column, chronicle Mr. Kemp achievements. I wish to express our condolences to his family and if you are unaware of Jack Kemp, do a Google search. This man stepped up more times than I can chronicle here – see ya Jack.

Then, we also lost Dom DeLuise who had to be one of the best comedians and actors to ever hit the screen. I never had the pleasure of meeting Dom but I heard lots of stories. This was a beloved man and who Burt Reynolds commented, “Dom never said a bad thing about anyone and he made me laugh like no other. I miss him already”. 

In case Dom’s name only means “The Dean Martin Show” or “Hollywood Squares” or “Cannonball Run”, watch the film “The End” with Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise is brilliant and steals the film to some degree. Reynolds and DeLuise had a kind of Laurel and Hardy chemistry and if you watch “The End” you’ll see it time and time again.

As with Jack Kemp, I want to express my condolences to Dom DeLuise’ family. I understand one Dom’s sons stars in a hit Disney TV series –“The Wizards of Waverly Place” and he carries on the family’s proud name and legacy. We have classic footage of both Jack Kemp and Brooklyn’s Dom DeLuise to look back on. Thanks to the both of these men our lives in the US became a little “Kemp better” and in lots of instances, “DeLuise funnier”. 

Also, as an avid baker and chef, I have to give credit to Dom DeLuise for his cookbooks. Not only did he make cooking funnier, his comedic face to added to the mix.

Cooking wasn’t all doughy-serious anymore. It started to poke fun at itself thanks to Dom. 

WOLVERINE KINDA HOWLS

I love super-heroes and how comic books come to life - like “Wolverine”. I usually wait until a film has been out a week or two before catching up with it. Call me old-fashioned if you will but I like it when “good triumphs over evil”. This film however, brings the viewers to the early days when Wolverine/Logan was an Army volunteer included in a secretive governmental program that would morph him into the super-hero we know today.

I watch the “Wolverine” cartoon series on TV every chance I have. It’s great stuff man. I’ve seen the X Men films and I enjoyed them but there is something about “how it all began” that confuses and fascinates me. I give “Wolverine” an A- and like I said, it’s a pre-quel to the whole “Wolverine-X Men” saga, his character, nemesis brother, Gambit (a new character long-known to X Men fans), Cyclops, too etc. I’m glad I went with my son because when the pre-quel story line confused me, he would show me where “X” marked the spot for the soon-to-come, “X Men” team links. 

In my old days of high school, if they caught you with a comic book, you were sent home, placed on detention, something. I wonder, what would those teachers and vice-principals think today to see how taboo comic books are the base for box office movies? Funny how that worked out – let’s hear it for Marvel. 

AN IMPERIAL LIFE TODAY

I have no problem sharing the story of LA&TIs with you. It’s a story that should have been told sooner but I believe in “God’s time”. I’m always trying to move things along and our publicist George is like that too. Both of us have to allow or give way to “God’s time”. Everything happens in its own time. Pushing it along could delay it, ya know?

In the last two years, LA&TIs have had more accomplished goals and successes than in any other time I can think of. Only yesterday, I had an interviewer from the State of Washington congratulate me on our induction into the Rock HOF. It’s a month later man and I love hearing it. I know we earned our position there but when we hear it from fans and journalists, it is sweeter still. It is a gift that keeps on giving. 

Clarence, Ernest and I, have been through it all and we are coming into a new appreciation and performance level. I don’t know if we ever achieved this before in all the years we’ve performed. It’s so great for LA&TIs to have career-making resurgence like this. We are now in talks to tour Africa, the UK and Japan. We toured in the day but now, 2009 is all different and in many ways better. LA&TIs would now be worldwide which is just incredible. You know me, I love touring and I can’t wait to go out the end of this month -- Northern Quest Casino in Airway Heights, Washington – May 23-24.. 

I love this journey and like I mentioned previously, the portal we are stepping through. It’s sort of like when you watch “The Wizard Of Oz”. It’s all black and white and there are problems. Then, Dorothy opens the door and she is in the colorful and enchanting world of Oz. When she steps through the doorway into Oz, her whole life (and Toto’s) changes and the same threshold step holds true for LA&TIs. 

Clarence and I are real proud of Little Anthony & The Imperials and we are energized man. I would not suggest any groups performing after us in the months to come. We don’t care about billing – that isn’t it. LA&TIs have a show that is hard to follow – plain and simple. We recently did a show with The Spinners and they wanted to be on after us. Half the audience left during their set and it upset me to watch that happen. Maybe if I give everyone fair notice, we can avoid it -- “our Imperial best is yet to come”.

I can’t wait until we perform with a sympathy orchestra. I keep hearing how that is not an economical thing to do in today’s economic times. Are the movies suffering audience? I ask you, and the answer is “no”. Entertainers are an “escape” and the audiences need us more than perhaps ever in history. We are going through tough economic times but we’ll get through this. I’ve seen it before and it is one of the things that make Americans dig in with “good old US” tenaciousness and determination. We wouldn’t have it any other way. It might take time but we manage to make it happen regardless. 

Think of it: hours of full orchestration, classic loved hit songs, a night out and a memory you’ll have from then on. Little Anthony & The Imperials with an orchestra – “performing the songs of Teddy Randazzo” – our tribute to him. It just might happen sooner than we think. I’ll keep you posted……