"Remembering the Scranton Sirens" Documentary Wins Emmy

Congratulations to the creative team behind the documentary Remembering the Scranton Sirens, which recently won an Emmy award for Best Documentary.  The documentary, produced by WVIA and directed by Scranton native Gregory Matkosky (Stories From the Mines), won the award at the 30th Annual Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Ceremony, held in Philadelphia on Saturday, September 22nd in Philadelphia.

Click here for more information on The Scranton Sirens.

Click here to read more about the Emmy win.

Much thanks to Evelyn Gibbons for this reference.

Pittston/Scranton Native Jay Parini To Sign Books at University of Scranton Saturday, September 29th

The University of Scranton’s Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library will present the 2012 Royden B. Davis, S.J., Distinguished Author Award to Jay Parini, an award winning poet, biographer, fiction writer and educator. This ceremony is one of a series of events planned throughout 2012 in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Weinberg Memorial Library.

The award ceremony will be held on Saturday, Sept. 29, in the Rev. Bernard R. McIlhenny, S.J., Ballroom of the Patrick and Margaret DeNaples Center. The reception begins at 5 p.m. with dinner and the award ceremony following at 6:30 p.m. Reservations are required to attend the ceremony.

In addition, a book signing which is open to the public, free of charge, will take place on Sept. 29 from 4 to 5 p.m. on the fourth floor reception area of the DeNaples Center.

For further information or to reserve a ticket for the award event, contact Kym Fetsko at The University of Scranton at (570) 941-7816 or kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.

Jay Parini was born in 1948 in Pittston, Pennsylvania and raised in Scranton. His novel The Last Station was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film with Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren.

Click here to read previous blog entries on Jay Parini.

I Hate Everyone...Starting With Me by Joan Rivers (2012)

It's weird how these things happen.

Last night I was reading Joan Rivers's new book and randomly thought, "I haven't updated the Entertainment blog in over a month, and my Wilkes-Barre/Scranton references have run dry."  Then, out of the blue, I came across a Wilkes-Barre reference on page 153 of the book.

I Hate Everyone...Starting With Me is the hilariously offensive (or is it offensively hilarious?) new book by Joan Rivers in which she comically details what annoys her about every conceivable type of person and situation.  A New York Times Bestseller, the book was also banned from sale by retail chain Costco due to profanity on the book's back cover (on August 8th, Rivers staged a media coup by handcuffing herself to a shopping cart at Costco and selling her book in the parking lot).

Page 153 of the book details why Joan Rivers hates private planes:

"...because I'm a guest that means whoever owns the jet is a lot more rich and famous than I am and if that private jet goes down, the obituary in The New York Times will read: INTERNATIONAL OIL MAGNATE SHEIK ABDULLAH MUCKETY MUCK AND FOUR OTHER (POORER) PEOPLE DIE IN PLANE CRASH.  I haven't spent forty years playing one-nighters in Wilkes-Barre to die as an 'other.'"

Joan Rivers will next be appearing in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, April 27th at The F.M Kirby Center. Click here for more information on her upcoming appearance. 

Click here to place a hold on I Hate Everyone...Starting With Me.

http://www.joan.co/

Free Tickets Now Available For Upcoming Library Lecture Tuesday, August 7th

Free tickets for the next Library Lecture are now available at all Lackawanna County Libraries.

John Anthony Gilvey, author of "Jerry Orbach: Prince of the City," will be the next presenter at the Matthew F. Flynn Library Lecture Series Tuesday, August 7th at 7 PM at the Scranton Cultural Center. 

Actor Jerry Orbach (1935-2004) was Baby's father in 1987's Dirty Dancing and the voice of candlestick Lumiere in Disney's Oscar-nominated Beauty and the Beast.  He was Detective Lennie Briscoe on TV's Law & Order.  And he was a Tony Award-winning Broadway star whose roles include Billy Flynn in 1975's original Broadway production of Chicago.

But did you also know his mother was a native of Plymouth, PA and he spent part of his childhood living in Scranton?

Gilvey's multimedia presentation will include clips and photos of Orbach's work on stage, screen and television, as well as information on Orbach's roots in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Hope to see you there. 

In the meantime, check out this wonderful essay by Dr. Gilvey about Jerry Orbach's childhood in NEPA.


Click here to place a hold on the book Jerry Orbach: Prince of the City.

Click here for a previous blog entry on the book Jerry Orbach: Prince of the City. 


Click here to like the Library Lecture Series on Facebook.

John Anthony Gilvey, Author of "Jerry Orbach: Prince of the City," To Speak at Library Lecture Series Tuesday, August 7th

Author John Anthony Gilvey, author of Jerry Orbach: Prince of the City, will be the next presenter in the Matthew J. Flynn Library Lecture Series on Tuesday, August 7th at 7 PM at the Scranton Cultural Center.  Tickets will be available the beginning of July and will be FREE with your Lackawanna County Library Card.

Actor Jerry Orbach (1935-2004) was Baby's father in 1987's Dirty Dancing and the voice of candlestick Lumiere in Disney's Oscar-nominated Beauty and the Beast.  He was Detective Lennie Briscoe on TV's Law & Order.  And he was a Tony Award-winning Broadway star whose roles include Billy Flynn in 1975's original Broadway production of Chicago.

But did you also know his mother was a native of Plymouth, PA and he spent part of his childhood living in Scranton?

Gilvey's multimedia presentation will include clips and photos of Orbach's work on stage, screen and television, as well as information on Orbach's roots in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

For more information, visit the Lecture Series's Facebook page.

To place a hold on John Anthony Gilvey's book Jerry Orbach: Prince of the City, click here. 

Click here for a previous blog entry on the book Jerry Orbach: Prince of the City.

"Touring The City With Fresh Eyes" From The New York Times, Friday, May 4, 2012

Check out page C37 of this past Friday's New York Times (May 4, 2012) for an article on the Jane Walk Tours, founded in 2007 and named after Scranton native Jane Jacobs.

Sam Robert's article, titled Touring the City With Fresh Eyes, features the following:

"One Jane’s Walk tour starts at the Christopher Street subway station in Greenwich Village, where Jacobs arrived after moving from Scranton, Pa., to pursue a writing career."

Click here to read the full article.

Much thanks to Dr. Peter Cupple for this reference.

Jay Parini, Native of Pittston and Scranton, Will Receive University of Scranton Award in September

It has recently been announced that award-winning poet and author Jay Parini will receive the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award from the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library at University of Scranton on Saturday, September 29th.  This is one of several planned events to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Weinberg Memorial Library.

Novelist and poet Jay Parini was born in 1948 in Pittston, Pennsylvania and raised in Scranton.  His 1990 novel The Last Station was adapted into a 2009 Oscar nominated film starring Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer.

Click here for more information. 

Actor Paul Dano, Who Has Roots in Scranton, To Appear At Pocono Community Theater Friday, April 27th

Actor Paul Dano, who has roots in the Scranton area, will be attending a screening of his latest film Being Flynn, co-starring Robert DeNiro, followed by a Q-and-A session on Friday, April 27th at 7:30 PM at the Pocono Community Center (formerly Pocono Cinema & Coffee Shop) in East Stroudsburg, PA. Tickets are $15 per person.

In addition to Being Flynn, Dano has appeared in films such as Knight & Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, The Extra Man with Kevin Kline and Katie Holmes, There Will Be Blood with Daniel Day Lewis, and Little Miss Sunshine with Steve Carell.

Though born in New York City, Dano's father grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania. In addition, Dano's grandfather (a lawyer) and Aunt Olga have also lived in Scranton in the past.

Click here for more information about the upcoming screening.

poconocommunitytheater.org

Brian L. Patton (AKA The Sexy Vegan) (1978 - )

My friend and colleague Michele L. told me recently that a popular YouTube sensation turned bestselling cookbook author is a native of Hazleton, PA. His name is Brian L. Patton, but he is more popularly known by his moniker The Sexy Vegan.

In the introduction to his recently published debut cookbook The Sexy Vegan Cookbook: Extraordinary Food From An Ordinary Dude, Brian L. Patton was born in Hazleton, PA on February 16, 1978. After graduating college and moving to Hollywood, Patton topped the scale at 260 pounds. In turn, he started a vegan diet and over time shed several pounds.

In 2006, Patton launched his online vegan cooking show on YouTube under his nickname The Sexy Vegan and it became an Internet hit. In 2010 Patton was offered a publishing contract from New World Library, and his debut cookbook was published on March 21, 2012.

The Sexy Vegan Cookbook is available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System; click here to place a hold.

Much thanks to Michele L. for this reference.

www.thesexyvegan.moonfruit.com

Warren Stevens (1919-2012)

Clarks Summit native and character actor Warren Stevens passed away on Tuesday, March 27th at the age of 92.

Born on November 2, 1919 in Clarks Summit, PA, Stevens appeared in over 40 films such as The Barefoot Contessa (directed by Wilkes-Barre native Joseph L. Mankiewicz), Deadline U.S.A. with Humphrey Bogart, and perhaps his most famous film, 1956's sci-fi classic Forbidden Planet.

Steven's career include television appearances on E.R., The Man From U.N.C.L.E, and Rawhide.

Click here to read Warren Steven's obituary from The New York Times.

Much thanks to Dr. Peter Cupple for this reference.

Body of Proof: Season 2, Episode 18: Going Viral, Part 1 (Tuesday, March 27, 2012)

My colleague Ernie Reich excitedly told me today about a Scranton reference in this week's episode of the medical drama Body of Proof. The hit show, which airs Tuesday nights at 10 PM on ABC, stars Dana Delaney as Megan Hunt, a Philadelphia medical examiner whose unique approach to solving crimes puts her at odds with her superiors.

In the episode Going Viral: Part 1 (which originally aired this past Tuesday), Megan and the team are faced with a city-wide outbreak of a mysterious, lethal virus that puts everyone at risk. About a half-hour into the episode, Detective Bud Morris (John Carroll Lynch) is on the phone with his wife encouraging her to get out of town to escape the mysterious virus. He tell her:

"Jean…Jeanie, for once in our relationship, this cannot be an argument. I need you to get your keys, get in the car, and drive to your sister’s in Scranton."

Click here to watch the full episode. The Scranton dialogue occurs at 32:18.

Much thanks to Ernie Reich for this reference.

abc.go.com/shows/body-of-proof

Band of Brothers: Episode 10: Points (2001)

Presented by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, the epic WWII miniseries Band of Brothers originally aired in 2001 on HBO in 10 parts to critical acclaim and massive ratings. I know several people who have seen and raved about the series, but no one ever mentioned two references to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania until I got an email from Annie:

"It appears at around 2:36 (the clip is 7:32 minutes long), Harry Welsh is sitting with Carwood Lipton and the voice over narration says:

'Harry Welsh! He married Kitty Grogan, became an administrator with the Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania school system.'"

The Wilkes-Barre reference occurs at approximately 2:36 in the YouTube clip below.

Annie also told me there is a second reference to Wilkes-Barre elsewhere in the Band of Brothers miniseries.

However, Annie also pointed out that Wilkes-Barre is not referenced at all in the book that was the basis of the miniseries--Stephen E. Ambrose's Band of Brothers : E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest--although she points out that a Wilkes-Barre reference was included in another book she read on Company E.

Band of Brothers is available to borrow on both DVD and Blu Ray from the Lackawanna County Library System.

Nancy McDonald "If You Can Play Scranton" Book Signings

Author Nancy McDonald has scheduled 2 book signing events in Scranton during the next few weeks to promote the recently published revised edition of her book If You Can Play Scranton:

Saturday, January 28, 2012
1-3 p.m.
Library Express
The Mall at Steamtown
300 Lackawanna Avenue
Scranton, PA 18503
(570) 558-1670

Friday, February 3, 2012
6-9 p.m.
Wendell and Company
in the former Ritz Theater
222 Wyoming Avenue
Scranton, PA 18503

IfYouCanPlayScranton.com

Miller's Tale, Jason Miller Documentary, Now Available To Purchase on DVD

Miller's Tale, Rebecca Marshall Ferris's excellent documentary on the life of Scranton native Jason Miller, is now available to purchase on DVD. In addition to the 56-minute documentary, the DVD also includes the film trailer, additional interviews with William Friedkin and Stacy Keach, and an interview with director Rebecca Marshall Ferris.

Click here to purchase a copy of Miller's Tale on DVD.

millerstalemovie.com
www.facebook.com/millerstale

Jason Miller's Second Film, 1974's The Nickel Ride, Now Available On DVD

My colleague Evelyn Gibbons emailed me a New York Times article that announced the release of a DVD featuring Jason Miller's second film appearance (after The Exorcist). The film, 1974's The Nickel Ride, was directed by Robert Mulligan (To Kill A Mockingbird) and is paired as a double feature with 99 And 44/100% Dead on the DVD, released on December 13th by The Shout Factory.

In The Nickel Ride, Cooper (Jason Miller), known as the key man because of his large ring of keys, manages several warehouses containing the Mob’s stolen goods. When the Mob has stolen so much that they are running out of space, they send Cooper to negotiate for a new warehouse. His boss gets nervous and, believing the big-hearted key man to be more of a risk than an asset, orders him to be watched. The film also stars Linda Haynes (Coffy, Rolling Thunder) and Bo Hopkins (The Wild Bunch).

Click here to read the New York Times article regarding the DVD release.

Click here for more information on the DVD release from The Shout Factory's website.

Much thanks to Evelyn Gibbons for this reference.

Nancy McDonald, Author of "If You Can Play Scranton" Book Signing Dec. 24th at SNHS

Book Signing

Saturday, December 24, 2011
11 a.m.
Steamtown National Historic Site
150 South Washington Avenue
Scranton, PA 18503
(570) 340-5200
Click here for more information.

IfYouCanPlayScranton.com

Click here to place a hold.

Click here for a previous blog entry on If You Can Play Scranton.

Was Scranton Ever Mentioned In A Holiday Film? Yup! 1940's Little-Seen Remember The Night, And We Have It On DVD!

Scranton is mentioned in passing in the 1940 holiday classic Remember the Night, written by Preston Sturges and featuring the first onscreen pairing of Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray.

Remember the Night tells the story of a repeat shoplifter (Barbara Stanwyck) who goes home to Indiana for the holidays with the lawyer who is also prosecuting her (Fred MacMurray). The film also features a brief passing reference to Scranton.

Albright Memorial Library also has a copy of Remember the Night available to borrow on DVD. To place a hold, click here.

Perez Hilton Namedrops Scranton

Broadway's Critically Acclaimed Venus in Fur, Directed By Scranton Native Walter Bobbie, Will Re-Open February 2012 For Limited Engagement

The Broadway production of the David Ives play Venus in Fur, directed by Scranton native Walter Bobbie and starring Nina Arianda and Hugh Dancy, will take a break after ending its run at the Manhattan Theater Club's Samuel J. Friedman Theater on Sunday, December 18th and resume performances at the Lyceum Theater on Feb. 7, 2012, for a limited engagement through June 17.

Venus In Fur originally premiered Off-Broadway in January 2010; originally scheduled to run a month, the play was extended multiple times and closed March 25th, 2010. The original lead -- 2011 Tony nominee Nina Arianda (Born Yesterday) -- reprises her role of Vanda that she originated Off-Broadway. Actor Hugh Dancy plays playwright Thomas (originally played Off-Broadway by Wes Bentley).

Venus in Fur opened on Broadway November 8th for a limited one-month engagement but, due to popular demand and critical raves, it will will reopen on February 7th, 2012.

From Broadway.com:

"As David Ives’ new play begins, we meet a modern-day playwright/director who has written an adaptation of Venus in Fur, the 1870 novel by Leopold Sacher-Masoch that became infamous when the author’s last name inspired the term “sado-masochism” to describe the interplay of sex and power in the book. An actress arrives to audition, her bag filled with S&M gear and period costumes. Soon the playwright is drawn into reading his own script with this mysterious young woman, with breaks to argue about the meaning of the story and the motivation of the characters."

In addition to Venus In Fur and Chicago, Walter Bobbie's other Broadway directing credits include White Christmas, High Fidelity, Footloose, and the 2005 revival of Sweet Charity (which includes a reference to Scranton in one of the lyrics).

Click here for a previous blog entry on Walter Bobbie.

http://venusinfurbroadway.com/

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling (2011)

Mindy Kaling, writer and co-star of the NBC sitcom The Office (set in Scranton), has recently published a collection of humorous essays about her life and work titled Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), in which she includes a brief reference to Scranton.

p. 117

"Many people assume The Office is shot in Scranton, Pennsylvania, because we take pains to shoot on locations that are green and East Coast-looking."

Kaling has made two visits to Scranton -- she made a solo appearance in the city in July 2008 to launch The Official Office Board Game, and she was also in Scranton with most of the cast of the show for The Office Convention in October 2007.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling is now available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System; click here to place a hold.