Now is the time from President Obama to select his nominee for The Supreme Court. Why? Well, he gets to select a new nominee because of retiring Supreme Court Judge Sutter is retiring in October. Now, you are probably thinking that I’m going to have some intellectual insight in this nomination process. No, I’m not. Why, you might ask? Simply put, I don’t know who, Obama’s choice, Miss Sotomayor is. Sure I’ve read, like everyone else in the country, about her but what do we really know?  

I’m an avid reader and I’ve read several newspaper articles. I know Judge Sotomayor is a Circuit Court judge. She was raised in the Bronx and she is Hispanic. That’s about it. So, I decided to do some research and I’ve read some of her speeches and her writings. That helped me know a little more about Sonya Sotomayor. 

Sure, I know about the controversy that is being bandied around surrounding her comment, “I would hope to think that a wise Latina woman is likely to reach a better conclusion that a white male.” That’s pretty close to what she said anyhow and some of the Republican Right like Rush Limbaugh and “forever-on-TV” Newt Gingrich are calling her a racist. Is that remark really a racist statement?  

I don’t think that was Sotomayor’s intent and it is more of a feminist statement than a racist one. I admit I lean “right” pretty much or maybe “right of center” on most issues. I’m a person of color and I think she meant that a woman would be more sensitive in making a decision than man would. She implies a woman in this case might be more understanding of their plight, especially if it is regarding another woman. I don’t think the Latina part is really a determining factor.  

Let’s face it, a woman might be possibly fairer in her view and man just might be more cut-and-dry. Case in point – in most rape cases, a man who perpetrates this horrendous crime on a woman victim is not subject to his past character or history. It is considered, in some cases, not relevant. The woman (and her past) is and often, on the witness stand she is traumatized again. 

However, in most states, a woman rape victim is questioned understandably by a female police officer. A woman police officer is more sensitive to the victim’s trauma and fully comprehends the crime for the intense violation it is. Men are raised to “soldier on” and the crime of rape was foolishly deemed less severe decades ago. That minimalist or insensitive view towards rape may still linger on.  

Our system is supposed to be based on our “peers” right? Let’s all lighten up on Sonya Sotomayor and let our political system (and Congress) decide if she is a candidate for The Supreme Court. It is not an errorless system. Let’s see what Congress does in her case and hope that our Democratic representatives are kinder to her than they were to the Republican nominees of years past.

FROM SEA TO SHINING SEATTLE  

I just returned home. The Imperials and I were performing this past weekend at the Skagit Valley Casino and Resort in Bow, Washington. OK, it is really the outskirts of Seattle and that is a lot easier than trying to explain where Bow, Washington is. It was great and the people at Skagit Valley treated us so respectfully and with good old fashioned class. Diana, their entertainment director (sorry I forgot her last name) was overly kind and attended to every need to make our stay more than accommodating. Not just for the group but my family as well which included my wife Linda, sons Damon and Daniel, our grandchildren, Damon’s wife Joy and Daniel’s girlfriend.  

Diana saw to everything and we cannot thank her enough for taking such great care of all of us. She juggled rooms and gave my family a weekend they will not long forget. Now, that is class, man. The performance room at their casino is also class and seats approximately 500 people and we did two shows nightly. Normally, we do one show a night, usually 90 minutes but when you do two shows, the show has to be scaled back to an hour. As a group, The Imperials and I know how to adapt our show time-wise and we kind of go with the flow. 

The backstage crew was top notch and their sound and equipment engineers rate with some of the best we’ve ever worked with. Even the Seattle weather cooperated and all-in-all, we could not have asked for a better weekend gig. We all hear about the rain in Seattle but for The Imperials, my family and for me, the sun shined through thanks to the Skagit Valley Casino and Resort. Thank you one and all and we look forward to coming back. 

AROUND LAS VEGAS – BOBBY SLAYTON 

I did not realize how well my weekly column would catch on. I’m a humble kind of guy and even when Paul Shaffer called me one of America’s top vocalists of all-time it was a hard pill for me to swallow. The same with the ongoing popularity of “An Imperial Life” but at some point, you have to go with the majority. So, a couple of weeks ago I was invited to attend a comedy show starring Bobby (The Pit Bull) Slayton. Why is he called “The Pit Bull”? Well, trust me once you see him, you’ll understand the reason why.  

Bobby is offensively funny and the show I attended that evening was not for the squeamish. No one was left untouched and he was so cuttingly funny that on the way home, I found myself laughing again about some of his in-the-line-of-fire targets. If you like your comedy brutal, Bobby is your guy. Be prepared to laugh your “you-know-what” off if you like “pit bill humor” and if not, well…... 

Bobby is appearing nightly at The Tropicana Hotel and I’m pretty sure that the Trop knows they have “pit bull (of comedy)” in their midst. Please keep in mind though that Bobby’s comedy is not family entertainment and be ready to duck for cover.

RETURN TO NEW YORK - LITTLE ANTHONY STYLE 

The Imperials and I are heading back East for a couple of concerts, including our very last “Doo Wop Reunion concert” – June 13^th at the Izod Center – Meadowlands, New Jersey. I know I’ve mentioned this show several times in “An Imperial Life” but this particular show is a one I am personally looking forward to. I liked doing the “Doo Wop shows” in the past but after several years, it was getting played out for me and the guys, as well. Half-hour set, multiple acts, big venues, remembering the old times, great audiences, etc. but, all good things come to an end at some point. For Little Anthony & The Imperials, it is time for us to move on. 

It is also a time for The Imperials and I to step up our game. The concerts we are now planning are not only exciting but they are a career benchmark as well. The concerts The Imperials and I do reflect our diversity in music and our appreciation of the same. A half-hour set in a “Doo Wop reunion” cannot possibly express our talent and our range of material. When we perform Sting’s “Every Step You Take”, I feel we add a dimension to that hit few can match and when we close out a show with it, the audience is right there.

The “Doo Wop limitation” cuts short our show and relies on the hits of the genre. Our full set’s material is not limited to just the past. I say, “Good-bye to the past”. It’s a nice place to revisit now and again but not year after year. Life is all about the future and so are our concert performances. On June 13^th, we’ll “Doo Wop” one more time. This show will include Clay Cole as a guest.

During our stay, Clarence (Collins), my wife Linda, our PR guy George Dassinger and I are heading to the Yankees-Mets game on Friday, the 12^th to catch one of those classic “Subway series games” live and in person. I can’t wait and you know I love the Mets. The game is being played at the new Yankee Stadium and although I will miss, “the house that Ruth built”, the new Yankee Stadium represents “the future”. Memories are wonderful to enjoy but you cannot spend your whole life there. I guess “Doo Wop reunion concerts” and old stadiums have something in common. An old proverb says, “Living in the past has one thing in its favor – it’s cheaper.” Ain’t that the truth? 

We are also heading to party. One of our best friends is Melba Sanchez and she is celebrating her 70^th birthday. Melba’s parties are famous and we changed our plane reservations just so we could attend. Melba is a unique woman and she is also the mother of my daughter Liza. I don’t intend to go into details but when I write my book, you can read all about it. I can hear what you are thinking, man. 

Also, while back in “New York grove”, I am going to do interviews with my old buddy Bruce Morrow on Sirius radio, Mike McCann with the CBS Radio Network and stop for a couple of slices of New York pizza. I’m gonna walk down Broadway and see what Broadway is like now as a pedestrian way. I don’t know if I will like what I see though.

Once again, this is “the future” and maybe it was time for Broadway to change. I’ve heard mixed reviews but I like seeing things for myself – Broadway included.

New York is never dull and part of me, my past, dwells in the city we call New York and the borough we call Brooklyn. Everything started there and when all else fails, going back cements those memories and encourages me to move on. Returning to the New York area is always highly anticipated but once I’m there for a period of days, going back home now, to Las Vegas holds just as much anticipation. I guess I am fortunate that way since I can say I have found homes both East and West.