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How One Man’s Lifelong Dream And Perseverance Got Him On Letterman

New York, NY, – “Knowing what you’re dying to do tells you what you are living for.” – Steve Mazan

Background for dying to do Letterman: turning someday into today (HCI Books– $14.95). A very special book which grew out of his award-winning documentary film by the same name, here is everything you need to know about Steve, the book, and the film:

Steve Mazan was a funny kid with a big dream. From the time he was 12 years old, he wanted to become a comedian for one reason, and one reason only: to perform stand-up comedy on David Letterman’s show. Like all eager comics, he hustled for work in small clubs across the country, taking any gig he could earn. The pay was crummy, the progress miniscule, and some of the jobs ridiculous (like performing comedy at a minor league baseball game without a working microphone!) But Steve continued hoping that “someday” his dream might come true.

Then he received news that would change his life forever. Steve was diagnosed with incurable liver cancer, and learned he might only have five years to live. That was in 2005. Fighting through the fear and refusing to let depression swallow him whole, Steve chose to make the most out of his remaining time…he would dedicate what was left of his life to living his dream: performing on The Late Show for his idol, David Letterman.

This life-affirming, funny documentary chronicles Steve’s moving five year journey. Verite footage mixed with intimate diary cam and home movies shot by Steve gives dying to do Letterman a raw, incredibly real edge as it looks at cancer and comedy in a brand new light.

Beginning with Steve’s decision to “live his dream or die trying,” friends and family members pull together to launch a grass-roots campaign called “Dying to do Letterman.” They hope to grab Dave’s attention. Steve entertains audiences everywhere and enlists their help in reaching out to Letterman. Thousands of Steve’s comedy fans email The Late Show with the request, “book Mazan!” It looks like everything is going great…until Steve gets an email himself.

Letterman’s executive producer informs Steve that the show ‘gets these requests’ all the time, and while they’re sorry he’s sick, it would be ‘impossible’ to make this dream happen. He’s at a devastating crossroads. But, ever the fighter, he decides he’ll just have to ‘live longer’ and get on the show the old fashioned way: being funny in as many clubs as possible. Keeping audiences laughing in clubs everywhere, Steve works hard to become the best comedian he can, all the while using humor to help him deal with his disease. He even creates his own top ten list: The Top Ten Benefits of Catching Cancer.

Over the next four years, Steve battles his health, self-doubt, and bankruptcy as he chases his “impossible” dream.

Through it all, Steve’s new age wife, Denise, struggles to support the quest as best she can, all the while subjecting him to a slew of alternative healing treatments in the hopes he’ll live just a little longer. More than simply ensuring he survives to appear on Letterman, she aims to keep Steve healthy enough to father children—a life experience he’s just not ready to undertake.

Along the way, Steve obtains hysterically honest advice from comics who have appeared on Letterman like Kevin Nealon, Ray Romano, Brian Regan, and many others. In a surprising, action-packed sequence, Steve takes his new comedy material to Iraq where, while performing for the troops, the base is bombed and he has a close call with death. Steve exclaims, “Being so close to that explosion showed me…it’s not just cancer that can kill you!” Steve even manages to forge a shaky relationship with the comedy booker at Letterman’s show, but as the years roll by he begins to wonder if he’s wasted his precious time on a silly childhood fantasy.

Just when all seems lost, Steve gets a big call: The Late Show may be interested in booking him. But when a horrible misunderstanding strikes, has Steve blown his one and only shot at his dream? As the film comes to a close, Steve finds himself alone in a hotel room in New York City, waiting for a phone call from the show: will his dream finally come true?

Hilarious and heart-breaking, Steve risks everything to prove dreams matter.

dying to do Letterman is a roller-coaster ride of laugher, tears, and reversals of fortune that boldly says, “If you stop chasing your dreams, you’re already dead.” And, now, it’s a book!

Steve Mazan. Man? Myth? Legend? Some people say he’s none of these. Steve is, however, one of the hottest comedians and speakers in the country and a veteran of the US Navy. Critics have described his act as ‘brilliant,’ ‘goofy,’ and ‘exceptionally clever.’ That reputation has landed him on the most coveted stages and numerous television shows, including The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Steve’s journey to try and get on the Letterman show has been made into an award-winning documentary that’s been called ‘inspiring’ and ‘side-splittingly funny.’ A former writer for Ellen Degeneres, Steve has also appeared on Last Comic Standing, Byron Allen, and The Bob & Tom Show. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Denise, and his dogs, Wrigley and Kuma, and currently travels the country to film festivals where his documentary is racking up critic awards and audience acclaim. For more information on the movie Dying to Do Letterman, and about Steve and his latest book, visit www.stevemazan.com and www.dyingtodoletterman.com.

Available online or at bookstores or to order directly from the publisher, contact:
www.hcibooks.com or (800) 441-5569.
dying to do Letterman: turning someday into today
Steve Mazan
ISBN: 978-0-7573-1627-2
$14.95 – October/November 2011

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VETERAN’S STORY INVITES READERS TO CHAMPION OUR COUNTRY, GOD’S GRACE, AND OUR GOALS

New Haven, MI,  – Army, Navy, Marines: it’s tough enough to make it in one branch of the military — but Ron Zuccaro succeeded in all three, wrestled professionally, overcame a devastating injury to come back and win a wrestling championship, and is one of the most engaging patriots you’ll ever meet. This veteran has enough strange and interesting tales to fill more than one lifetime, and an amazing awareness of God’s grace, all packed in his new book Heaven, Iron and I: The Ron Martinelli Story (Tribute House Publishing).

Ron Martinelli was his name as a professional wrestler in the 1970s; his story recounts the early days of professional wrestling with surprising humor and insight. At the peak of his career, his legs were crushed in a freak accident and he was told he’d never walk again. His faith, his family and his love for his country spurred Zuccaro to literally stand up and fight: he did walk again, and won the 1980 heavyweight world title in wrestling. These accomplishments in civilian life were bracketed by extraordinary service in not one, but three, branches of the U.S. Military. He saw action in Vietnam that would prove to have a lasting, and surprisingly positive, influence on the rest of his life. Honorable service during a difficult time for our country brought Zuccaro a unique and moving sense of what it is to be a veteran of the United States Armed Forces.

Learning to walk again after his accident, Zuccaro was troubled by vivid flashbacks to the chaos and danger of his time in Vietnam. It was these recollections, plus his remarkable determination to recover, that helped him uncover God’s grace at work in his own life; his dramatic re-telling of this time in his life makes Heaven, Iron and I: The Ron Martinelli Story a must-read for Christians, veterans and patriots. Zuccaro says his book is “a tribute to my buddies who made the ultimate sacrifice, and shows what war is really like. If you yourself have problems, you can overcome them, you can achieve your goals through the grace of God.” In honor of his fallen friends, Zuccaro now works tirelessly to promote and encourage veterans and veterans’ organizations, in particular  the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars), American Legion, Marine Corps League and Disabled American Veterans.

Zuccaro’s story is more than inspiring. It’s filled with powerful anecdotes about his time in Vietnam and seasoned with humorous tales of his antics in the early days of professional wrestling, making it a book that critics find impossible to put down. All together, Heaven, Iron and I: The Ron Martinelli Story is a truly great story about a patriot of the first order, a patriot who shows the way for others to achieve, as he did, against all odds.

Please visit Zuccaro’s website at: http://www.tributehousepublishing.com/

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TIP SHEET:

Nicole Maren: “This book is a “must read” for all Americans who want to learn what true patriotism is.”

Ron Sugar: “I am so inspired by his drive and zest for life…thank you for your military service, and for sharing your life by writing this book.”

Michael J. Miller: “For the first time, I read a book and laughed, cried, smiled, wept, and was motivated all at the same time.”

Wally Allport: “We were in the same unit in Vietnam and I was totally captivated by the story of his life….It’s a powerful example of the human spirit!”

 

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Professional Poker Player “The Duke” Survives Attempted Murder, Kidnapping And Being Robbed For Six Figures In Las Vegas Hotel

Las Vegas, NV, – Ron Wall, the man known as The Duke of Fremont Street has been a well-recognized figure around the poker rooms of Las Vegas for many years so he is used to defending his hand at the tables. What he wasn’t prepared for was the savage attempt on his life during a robbery in a hotel room on June 26th, 2010 in Primm, Nevada, outside of Las Vegas. 
 
The Duke thought he was meeting a man he had dealt with before at Whiskey Pete’s to purchase gold and silver. Duke was carrying $137,000 in cash and a couple of Smith & Wesson .38 caliber handguns. Instead, as he entered the hotel room he was ambushed, hit on the head, and for the next twenty minutes the man and a female accomplice pummeled and attacked him with any and every item they could find in the room – a lamp, an iron, a two wheel dolly, and even a toilet tank cover!  The Duke was stabbed with a knife and also suffered a scalping wound.
 
“The twenty minutes seemed more like an eternity to me” said Duke. “I fought with all that I had in me. I knew that I had to stay conscious or I would have been killed and dumped in the desert.”
 
After the two hog-tied The Duke with duct tape and phone cords, they went into the bathroom – either to clean up or count the money – and Duke knew he had to grab the moment to get away or it was all over for him. Dazed and covered in blood, he got out of his restraints and made it out of the room and down the hall to the registration desk for help. “I thought my number was up,” he recalled.
 
Needless to say, Duke suffered multiple injuries in this vicious attack. He suffered a concussion and numerous head wounds, fractured cheek bones, broken ribs, and had defensive stab wounds and fractures to both hands. Duke had to undergo surgery and had to attend physical therapy sessions for many months.
 
The suspects fled to California with his money, but Duke identified the man as Edmond Price, who has a prior criminal history, and the woman as 23-year old Victoria Elizabeth Edelman, described as Price’s girlfriend, out of a photo lineup. They were arrested in California soon after the attack and were later extradited from California to Nevada where they were indicted by a grand jury for eight felony counts. They face anywhere from 15 years to life in prison if convicted on all counts. The bail for each defendant was set at $2,000,000 because of potential flight risk and because authorities suspected they would use Duke’s money, which has yet to be recovered, to hire their defense attorneys.
 
The Duke has a reputation for being cautious and not taking risks at the poker table; however, his adventurous exploits around the globe are well known among his fellow poker players. When his absence was noticed in the poker world it was thought at first by the rumor mill that he must have been ambushed on one of his many adventures to the Amazon, or some other wild and remote place he has visited, but this time it was something much closer to home that just completely caught him off-guard. The Duke refuses to be considered a victim but believes he is a survivor instead. When asked about the attempted murder and robbery Duke said he “was just dealt a bad hand!”
 
Since The Duke is considered somewhat of a legend in Las Vegas, easily recognized for his 1930 era gangster-look – complete with custom made, pinstriped Italian suits, polka dot ties, fedora, diamond pinky rings, and even spats – it is expected that the trial will be a highly visible one. His many followers on numerous poker blogs will want justice for this gracious gentleman who has been part of the allure of Las Vegas for many years.
 
The Duke, who’s conservative poker playing style is far less flashy than his persona, has been featured on the cover of Poker Pro magazine and written up in numerous articles. He believes that surviving the recent brutal attack means that he once again made ‘a win in the game of life’ and, in his words…”The Adventure Continues!”
 
TIP SHEET:
‘Duke’ calls attack just a bad hand – Article in Las Vegas Review Journal

 

 

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Stand Out From The Competition In Today’s Lagging Job Market With These Proven Strategies

McKinney, TX, – Howard Stephen Berg is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for reading more than 25,000 words a minute and writing more than 100 words a minute. But it’s not just his reading and writing skills that make him a well-known figure; it’s his brain-based learning strategies that make it possible to comprehend and retain the information. Since his strategies can be learned by anyone, the possibilities are mind-boggling!

Berg once completed a 1,100 page book on Cleveland’s Morning Exchange and achieved a perfect score on recall – what makes it truly astounding is that he was retested three years later on the same book and again had perfect recall. As a guest on Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, he memorized a 200-page book, reading at the rate of 13-14 pages/minute, and scored 100% accuracy on an extensive test given by the author.

Berg has created more than 14 other accelerated learning programs that include speed math and memory. His Time-Warner book Super Reading Secrets is in its 28th reprint and his Nightingale-Conant program, Mega Speed Reading, grossed over $65,000,000 and earned him recognition as a leading expert on brain-based learning. He has been honored by both Who’s Who Among Emerging Leaders and 2,000 Notable American Men; two leading books that track outstanding professional performance.

Known as the world’s fastest reader, Berg’s talents are attributed to the cutting-edge, accelerated learning techniques he developed that turn information overload into information assets. His methods have not only enabled the unemployed to get back to work sooner by teaching them additional skills that make them more marketable, but by continuing to apply these skills they will stay on top of the information their success depends upon! He makes life easier by cutting learning time in half – giving everyone the opportunity to succeed but with more time left for the things they enjoy.

Howard Berg is an entertaining celebrity who has appeared on over one thousand radio and television programs including Neil Cavuto and Jon Stewart, and is the spokesperson for the Sony E-Reader along with Justin Timberlake, Peyton Manning and Amy Sedaris. He ‘walked the talk’ by completing a four year Psychology program in one year using his brain-based learning techniques, leading the way for many others to follow as evidenced by the testimonials on his website at : www.speedreadprogram.com.

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TIP SHEET:

Please see: http://www.speedlearningpower.com/?page_id=1435

W. Berry Fowler, Founder Sylvan Learning Centers: “Maximum Power Reading is not only one of the most effective ways an individual can increase their reading rate, it’s easy to learn. I congratulate you on your success and the success of your students.”

Maurice C. Thompson, Jr. Past President & Chairman of Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics: “I feel you have moved one step beyond speed reading to speed learning, bringing the discipline into the 21st Century.”

Claire Herthum Major, President ASTD Baton Rouge Chapter: “Evaluations showed 100% exceeded or met expectations…”

 

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The Dead Celebrity Cookbook – A Resurrection Of Recipes From More Than 145 Stars Of Stage And Screen

New York, NY, – For anyone who loves Hollywood memorabilia, is an entertainment junkie, and loves to eat and cook – they will treasure Frank DeCaro’s The Dead Celebrity Cookbook: A Resurrection of Recipes from More Than 145 Stars of Stage and Screen (HCI Books). Frank compiled favorite recipes from some of Hollywood’s biggest names; including Lucille Ball, Elizabeth Taylor, Sonny Bono, Liberace, Michael Jackson, John Denver, Frank Sinatra, Rock Hudson, Humphrey Bogart, and Peter Falk, just to name a few.

“I love these dead celebrities! They’re the stars I grew up watching, and they deserve to be remembered even if they were more talented on screen than they were in the kitchen. Frank clearly worships them as much as I do, and after reading The Dead Celebrity Cookbook you will, too.” -Rosie O’Donnell

“Celebrities die–eventually–but their recipes live on, thanks to Frank DeCaro’s thorough and thoroughly delicious book. DeCaro’s dry wit is tasty, and judging from these yummy concoctions, most of these celebs died really happy!” –Michael Musto, Village Voice

Inspired by a “Dead Celebrity Party” during his college years, DeCaro thought the one thing missing from the event was the food of the dead. Since then, he’s been collecting recipes of the stars and lucky for us, he’s put them together in, THE DEAD CELEBRITY COOKBOOK: A Resurrection of Recipes from More Than 145 Stars of Stage and Screen (HCI Books – October 2011- $19.95).

DeCaro, who is best known for his nearly 7-year stint as the movie critic on The Daily Show with John Stewart, and now heard weekdays on his own call-in radio show, gives us a giggle while feeding us treats from Tinsel Town like: Liberace’s Sticky Buns, Mae West’s Fruit Compote, John Ritter’s Favorite Fudge and Bea Arthur’s Vegetarian Breakfast.

THE DEAD CELEBRITY COOKBOOK is here to remind you that before there were celebrity chefs, there were celebrities who fancied themselves as chefs. They were whipping up culinary delights, and sometimes sharing them with us on shows like Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas or even Johnny Carson. DeCaro gives us some entertaining and informative commentary before each section of recipes in chapters that include: “Talk Show Chow,” “An All-Night Oscar Buff,” and “I Lunch Lucy,” a whole section dedicated to the red-haired TV goddess.

Says DeCaro, “I miss those days when celebrities still had mystery about them, and a glimpse inside their radar ranges seemed, for any fan, like a window into the world of glamour and excitement, which is why I put together this book.” This book delivers recipes that the stars are dying for you to make.

For more information, please go to: www.deadcelebritycookbook.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Best known for his years as the flamboyant movie critic on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Frank DeCaro is heard each weekday morning on his live national call-in program The Frank DeCaro Show on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. A writer and performer, DeCaro pens the “Icons” column for CBS Watch magazine. The author of the pioneering memoir A Boy Named Phyllis, DeCaro previously wrote the “Style Over Substance” column for The New York Times. Visit the author at frankdecaro.com and on Facebook, and follow him at twitter.com/frankdecaroshow.

Available online or at bookstores or to order directly from the publisher, contact:  (800) 441-5569 or www.hcibooks.com.
THE DEAD CELEBRITY COOKBOOK: A Resurrection of Recipes from More Than 145 Stars of Stage and Screen
Frank Decaro
ISBN: 978-9-7573-1596-1– $19.95 — October 2011

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TIP SHEET:

Brini Maxwell, author of Brini Maxwell’s Guide to Gracious Living and creator of felixpopuli.com: “I adore this book so much I find myself on the horns of a dilemma–make the recipes or kill myself so I can be in the sequel.”

Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough,, bestselling authors of more than twenty cookbooks including Lobsters Scream When You Boil Them and 100 Other Myths About Food and Cooking: “Hankering for star-powered recipes? With this laugh-out-loud encyclopedia of Hollywood culinaria, Frank DeCaro brings out the real ‘celebrity chefs’ in spades. Or with a spade.”
 
Lisa Lampanelli, comedienne: “Frank DeCaro has the most delectable treats I’ve ever tasted — and the recipes aren’t bad, either! My dying wish is to have one of my recipes in The Dead Celebrity Cookbook II. Anyone for the Queen of Mean’s ‘So-Good-You’ll-Slap-Yo-Mama Chicken ’n Waffles’?”

Bob Smith, author of Remembrance of Things I Forgot: “Frank DeCaro’s two obsessions–food and the famous–have been hilariously united in The Dead Celebrity Cookbook. Reading Frank is like breaking your diet with your funniest best friend.”

SAMPLE RECIPE FROM THE DEAD CELEBRITY COOKBOOK
Peter Falk 1927-2011
He was one of the great ones–appearing in films as disparate as The Princess Bride and Wings of Desire in the same year, 1987. But no matter what Peter Falk did (and he did a lot), he will always be remembered as the police detective in the rumpled raincoat on the mystery series Columbo. The character, one he played for more than thirty years beginning in 1971, is one of TV’s most indelible portraits. Among Falk’s most beloved films were the cult hit The In-Laws, the one-two Neil Simon punch of Murder by Death and The Cheap Detective, and six pictures with his buddy, the director/actor John Cassavetes, including the 1974 classic A Woman Under the Influence. The Emmy- and Oscar-nominated actor published his memoir Just One More Thing in 2006, and it wasn’t a moment too soon. Falk was diagnosed with dementia two years later. Just one more thing: His pork chops are as toothsome as he was.

Peter Falk’s Pork Chops
6 pork chops
1 medium onion, finely chopped
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup white vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon thyme
1 cup water
½ cup liquid from jarred vinegar peppers
1 cup (or more) vinegar peppers
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350°. Brown pork chops in olive oil in a heavy frying pan and remove to a casserole. Cook onions until translucent in same oil and add to casserole. Deglaze pan by adding white vinegar and stirring up all brown bits. Add to casserole along with all remaining ingredients except vinegar peppers. Bake for 1½ hours. Add vinegar peppers and cook 15 minutes more. Remove pork chops and peppers to a warm serving plate. Add 2 teaspoons corn starch to pan drippings to make gravy. Pour over pork chops and peppers and serve.

Cutting Room Floor (sidebar):
You wouldn’t know it to look at him, but Idris Elba, the hulking British actor best known as Stringer Bell on HBO’s The Wire, has said that his edgy detective character on Luther owes a debt to Falk. Luther, a childhood fan of Columbo and creator Neil Cross, explains that both the classic American mystery show and the smoking hot BBC crime series are “howcatchems” not whodunits, and no one did that better than Lt. Frank Columbo.

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Uncle Al Capone…The Untold Story From Inside His Family – By The Last Of The Capones…

Bonita Springs, FL,  – Deirdre Marie Capone lived in the house of the infamous Al Capone, her uncle. He taught her to swim, ride a bike, and play the mandolin. In her tell-all memoir, Uncle Al Capone…The Untold Story From Inside His Family (Recap Publishing LLC), Deirdre, the last member of the family born with the name Capone, shares what it was really like growing up a Capone – definitely not the way most people would have imagined it to be. It is the only book ever written about America’s most notorious mobster by someone who knew him well.

Already a best-seller on Amazon, Deirdre’s fascinating memoir tells what really happened in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, what the ‘outfit’ was really all about, and what the ‘family’ were really like, especially the one person she confided in more than anyone – her Aunt Maffie (short for Mafalda – the Italian princess she was named after); a strong woman with whom she shared a close bond as one of the only two girls in the Capone family.

Uncle Al Capone is packed with absorbing stories about Al and his family, along with never-before-published photos and authentic Capone family recipes for the food that Al and his family enjoyed. Simply stated, there is no one else left who could ever share this piece of history with the world.

Deirdre relates what life was like growing up the grand niece of Public Enemy #1, Al Capone. Her own life had been saddened by the fact that her father, who had tried to live a more legitimate lifestyle than the rest of the family, couldn’t shake the shame of the Capone name and ended up taking his own life when Deirdre was just ten years-old. For most of her life she too had made every effort to hide the fact that she was a Capone and in 1972, in her early thirties, she left Chicago and her family history behind to reinvent herself in Minnesota, making sure that no one other than her husband knew her ancestry. She succeeded.

That is, until her past caught up with her on the day her nine year-old son came home from school and announced they were studying Al Capone in a class project. She and her husband agreed it was time to tell the kids but she was afraid for them – she had not wanted them growing up shunned by others or not having other kids to play with once they knew her name. She need not have worried – her kids thought it was totally ‘cool.’ So, at age 34, she finally accepted herself as Deirdre Marie Capone and today her 14 grandchildren are proud to tell the story of their ancestry.

Uncle Al Capone grabs the reader’s attention right from the start with its true life dialogue of the Capone family – from their ancestral roots in Angri, Italy to Brooklyn, New York, and later to Chicago. Deirdre offers a true portrait of an American family and gives a decidedly different look at her favorite uncle, endlessly depicted as the iconic mastermind behind some of the century’s most brutal killings.

For all the dissension, for all the pain, there comes a moment in our lives where we have to stand up and say: This – the good and the bad – is who I am, says Deirdre Marie Capone. For more information on this intriguing book, please visit: www.unclealcapone.com.

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TIP SHEET:

Jonathon Eig, author of Get Capone: The Secret Plot That Captured America’s Most Wanted Gangster: “A lot of people think Al Capone was a psychopath. A lot of people think Robert De Niro captured the true nature of America’s most notorious gangster. A lot of people seem hell bent on clinging to a bunch of mythology that plain and simple makes no sense. A lot of people are fools. Deirdre Marie Capone is not one of them. With this lovely, personal, heartfelt story, she takes a stand. She’s not nominating Capone for sainthood. She’s not asking you to pardon him his crimes. She’s simply and honestly telling the story she knows best–the story of her family. Do yourself a favor: read it. You’ll be glad you did. And when you’re done, you can judge Al Capone for yourself.”

Katerie Prior, ForeWord Reviews: “…Throughout the book, Capone tries to reconcile what she knows about her family with recorded history. Early in the book she writes, “I will not pretend to be able to paint a rosy picture of my uncle Al. I cannot make him out to be a perfect man, or even a good man. But what I want people to know is that he was a complex man. He was human and he had a heart.” Capone succeeds, balancing both the public history of Al, from the Valentine’s Day Massacre to his incarceration at Alcatraz, with personal photos, family recipes, and her own memories…It’s not always an easy task as the author recounts losing friends, jobs, and other opportunities, once people learned she was a descendant of the notorious Al Capone… (it is) a memoir that is as complex and human as the man that it’s about. It brings a fresh perspective to the other Al Capone biographies, and finally gives the larger-than-life gangster the one thing that may have eluded him in life: to be seen as simply a human being.”

 

 

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This Dynamic ‘Green Team’ Recycles imaginations while Redefining The Meaning Of High Octane Entertainment

Fort Worth, TX. Vocal Trash is a unique troupe of environmental performers who have been engaging audiences nationwide with their exciting brand of entertainment. They have made guest appearances on Fox 21 in Colorado, on Good Morning Texas, and been featured in various newspaper articles.

2011 marks the tenth anniversary of this exciting, energetic group whose music is a mixture of pop, rock, swing and classic oldies that relates to all ages and crosses many cultural barriers. During this ten year period they have not only brought top rate, upbeat entertainment to audiences, but have used their music to make a positive influence on children by bringing awareness to our planet – quite a legacy to leave for future generations.

Their combination of traditional instruments together with a percussion section made of trash cans, metal objects, water bottles and other recycled items, makes a uniquely exciting presentation that teaches children to use their imagination in a meaningful and lasting way when it comes to recycling. By incorporating items that would normally end up in a landfill into their performance, they have created a powerful tool to reach young minds and made it fun!

Their energetic, high octane show is a hit at every venue – whether it’s Vegas, Madison Square Garden, State Fairs or corporate events. In demand nationwide, Vocal Trash plays to a full house at every performance. Audiences love their unique blend of first class singing, industrial style drumming, comedy antics, and award-winning break-dancing – described as “Glee with a kick!”   “It’s an energy thing,” says creator Steve Linder. This may just well be an understatement. Unlike many shows, it is the entire troupe that makes this seamless ensemble performance such a thrilling and enlightening experience. Their whole performance is an astounding display of excellence, synchronization, excitement, precision and musicianship. When it comes to diversity Vocal Trash is, without a doubt, the ultimate variety show woven in urban tapestry.  This talented team has been incorporating recycling into every show for years – long before “green” was cool. Part street performers, part recycling gurus, these entertaining personalities make upcycling and recycling fun for kids of all ages – and makes them one of the most positive role models in entertainment today. While not yet a household name, judging from their fan base it won’t take this Broadway-style stage show long to become one. Their show travels coast to coast, appearing at some of the country’s largest theaters, festivals and state fairs, and during their “off-season” they perform for major corporations like American Airlines.   You might ask, “What does recycling have to do with a high energy variety show?” It starts with seven dedicated musicians, extensively trained in the performing arts, who like to get their point across by playing car parts, trash cans, lids, water bottles, barrels, pots, buckets and brooms. Their ‘point,’ featured in their song lyrics and their one-of-a-kind instruments constructed from recycled materials, is that this ‘green team’ is out to save the planet!  Please read the amazing testimonials from clients, and check out this dynamic group on their website at: www.vocaltrash.net.  ###

TIP SHEET:
 Please watch Vocal Trash perform at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRyFRel2Rog.

Tour Dates:

Nov 5  Arlington, TX  “Breaking Silence: A Stage for the Courageous” fundraiser
University Center Rio Grande Ballroom
8 – 10pm

Nov 10  Fayetteville, AR  Susan G Komen “Pink Trash Ball”
6 – 9 pm

Nov 12  Henderson, TX  Heritage Syrup Festival

Dec 31  Pasco, WA  New Year’s Tri-Cities – Columbia Basin College

Danny Aguilar, Delaware State Fair: “If you want a high energy show, with standing room only crowds, Vocal Trash is the way to go. They have been a huge entertainment hit for our patrons and they demand Vocal Trash return each year…family entertainment at its best!”

Vicki Imperati, Rhinebeck Events & Marketing: “Vocal Trash continues to present a high energy and entertaining show to our fair going public. Without a doubt, one of our most sought after groups at the fair!”

Candus Barnum, The Puyallup Fair & Events Center: “Amazing vocals – high energy – entertaining for all ages – a must see!”

Lisa Maldonado, Keller PTA: “…a wonderfully energetic and educational assembly…you are such professional role models.”

 

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