What a wild last week it has been. Applause Radio Show (ARS) welcomed many guests who required special broadcasts, including a young act from Harrison.
On Wednesday, Oct. 28, we welcomed author Patrick Oster and we talked about his new horror/mystery book “The Obituary Writer.” Oster has written many books and was a writer for Bloomberg News for several years. He started to branch out to writing novels when he found himself reporting for Gannett News in Mexico, hence his first book was born, “The Mexicans.”
From there, he began writing mystery novels. His new book is somewhat true to life except for murder of course, but some nuances relate to his life as a writer. All his books are available on Amazon.
If you are interested in sitting down and writing a book, Oster gave some great advice for those wanting to do so. He has a publisher, but he has also published his own books as well. If you have always wanted to write a book and did not know where or how to begin, Oster was more than happy to help.
Entertaining icon, actress/singer Lucie Arnaz also stopped by to say hello. I knew before she would come on ARS she would be a beautiful human being and I was correct. She was so kind and spoke to our many callers from Canada, California, Chicago and other areas in the country. She happily enjoyed speaking with all of them.
Arnaz, the daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz is a phenomenal talent on her own and has been her entire life. She has been acting from an incredibly early age and had the best teachers — her mother and father and all the other legends who appeared on all of Lucy’s shows.
What a great school to attend.
As an actress who performed in front of live audiences, her singing talents have brought her on many journeys on Broadway and her own concerts and cabaret acts.
We also know her father Desi Arnaz was of Cuban descent and I asked her if she was bilingual. The only reason I asked is because while preparing her promo for the show, I found music that she has done in Spanish. It’s beautiful and sounds like Spanish is her natural tongue but she said, “no, I don’t speak Spanish at all,” but amazingly she sings it with perfection and beauty.
Arnaz and many others in the entertainment world are missing their live performances, to be able to be with fans and do what they do best — making people happy and just work. She has been raising awareness on the RESTART program.
It’s relief for all in need because of COVID-19, but especially for those behind the scenes in the entertainment industry. She also is lending her voice on expressing the importance of voting.
We had a lovely conversation and it felt as though we had known each other forever. I will surely cherish our conversation. Her mother may have been one of the masterminds behind “I Love Lucy,” but I now love Lucie Arnaz even more than I did before.
If you want to hear her versatility in her vocal talent abilities, please go to YouTube and enjoy.
Now, ARS did three special broadcasts over the weekend.
On Saturday, Oct. 31, Bobby Lugosi (Bobby Zier) joined us. Lugosi is not a relative to the infamous Bela, but his love of Bela, “Dracula” and the classic black and white horror movies has inspired him to start a YouTube channel where he reviews classic horror movies. A very enthusiastic and dedicated young man to what he does, you can find out more at Dusty Old Movies on YouTube.
I always enjoy having our favorite celebrities on the show, but I always welcome and appreciate new, great talent. In this case, five young men from the Hudson County area started a singing group called ALLIN. They met at their vocational school and all found that they had something in common: music.
The five members include, Edgar Caicedo, CJ Martinez, Jacob Melendez, Gil Gabinete and Harrison’s own Luke Reyes. We debuted their new song “Remind U,” and it is in line with mainstream radio. It has a great hook, and their harmonies are fantastic. We just might have a new boy band coming out of Harrison.
The following day, they were to perform on Facebook Live’s Music for a Cause as they participate in raising funds/awareness for COVID-19 relief in the Philippines. Exciting for them indeed. Check them out on their page ALLIN.
And just when you thought the weekend and Halloween was over, actor/director Aaron Wolf joined us to introduce his new film “Tar.” A horror movie based on the LaBrea Tar pit that sits in the middle of Los Angeles, I have not seen it yet, but it sounds original. I can’t wait to see it. You may view it on Apple TV, iTunes, Prime Video, Google play and Vudu.
For our full conversations, visit www.applauseradioshow.com and don’t forget to join us in November as we go Monkees/60’s month.
Learn more about the writer ...
JoAnn Barton | Special to The Observer
Jo-Ann Barton is a singer/songwriter and musician for the past 25+ years who contributes entertainment-related stories to The Observer. Her last CD, 'POP and CIRCUMSTANCES,' spawned a number one hit song at college radio stations throughout the United States, including Hawaii, in 2001. She is the host of the Applause Radio Show, a platform JoAnn brings to an ever-growing audience tuning into listen to their favorite celebrities.