For more than 40 years, Jon Lovitz has been one of the best-known comedians of his generation.
His brand of funny can be traced back to his stint on “Saturday Night Live” in the mid-80s, where the catch phrase “Yeah, that’s the ticket,” from his character, Tommy Flanagan the Pathological Liar, became a weekend staple of must see TV.
He’s appeared in several Adam Sandler films over the years and done voiceovers for “The Simpsons” as well as his own show, “The Critic.” Lovitz even had the opportunity to work with his comedic hero, Woody Allen, on Allen’s film, “Small Time Crooks” in 2000.
On Friday, Lovitz will bring his unique brand of stand-up humor to the Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem. I recently spoke with him to preview his upcoming performance and get his thoughts on the current state of comedy and more in this new interview.
How would you describe your style of comedy?
Lovitz: It’s about my personal opinions about stuff and trying to understand what’s going on in the world. It’s funny, everyone thinks of themselves as being young and hip and then all of a sudden it’s not — it becomes the opposite of what you grew up to believe in. Some people just go along with it, and I just can’t. The show is just me talking about all different subjects and what’s going on in the world and how I see it.
You can read the rest of my Morning Call interview with Jon Lovitz by Clicking Here.
I am excited to announce that my new 232-page novel, “Beyond What We Know” is coming Summer 2025. It’s my first novel since 2018’s “Neapolitan Sky.” Check out the first cover reveal photo on the right.
The book has been a work in progress for nearly 7 years but some challenges, including a global pandemic, put things on the back burner, until now!
Here’s a synopsis for “Beyond What We Know”:
“Riddled with guilt over the death of his father, high school graduate Mike Collins spends his last summer at home disquieted by thoughts of leaving behind his mother and first love as he prepares to depart for college. Unbeknownst to him, Mike will soon meet his musical hero, Chris Steele, whose perspective of life will teach him to believe in the possibility of second chances.
Filled with rich imagery from the 1980s, “Beyond What We Know” is a coming-of-age story exploring life’s obstacles, the music and the machinery, while illuminating the power of friendship with the metaphysical transcendence of the unknown.”
Here is the official trailer for “Beyond What We Know”:
In the weeks ahead watch this space for more info about the new book, including the full cover reveal, behind the scenes stories about the book’s origin, giveaways and more. I’m also in the process of arranging book signing events, so hopefully I’ll see you out there.
I’m so excited about this book and can’t wait for you to check it out.
Widely regarded as one of rock’s most quintessential and influential bands, KISS became a worldwide phenomenon in the early 70’s, not only for their music but also for their whimsical make-up, blood spitting and fire-breathing antics, a massive pyrotechnical display and the desire to rock and roll all night and party every day.
After a half century of gold and platinum albums and global touring, KISS finally decided to end its run in December of 2023.
As one of the founding members of KISS, Gene Simmons (and his alter ego “The Demon,”) has helped sell more than 100 million albums. And once the band retired from the road Simmons thought he’d keep himself busy with his many businesses ventures but soon felt the urge to return to the stage with his solo group The Gene Simmons Band. An outlet which allows him to perform both fan favorite and obscure KISS songs and covers as well as sharing stories about his life and career, including one about discovering a then unknown band named Van-Halen.
On Thursday, May 8, fans will get a chance to experience all of the iconic artistry when Gene Simmons brings his legendary music to Bethlehem for a performance at Wind Creek Event Center.
I recently spoke with Gene Simmons about the show, his career and more in this exclusive new interview.
It’s now been more than a year since KISS retired from touring. What made you decide to return to the stage?
Gene Simmons: Obviously, I’m very proud of what KISS has done which is, to be blunt, changed the face of stage performances. I got tired of seeing some of my favorite bands because they just didn’t live up to the sounds that I heard. I loved the records but when you went to see them live they were just looking down at their shoes. We decided to put together KISS as the band we never saw on stage. No rules, just one big spectacle. We stopped after half a century.
I thought I’d be able to stay busy with my restaurant chain and film company but there’s magic that happens on stage that you can’t verbalize. It’s like electric church. But the difference between KISS and the Gene Simmons Band is that in KISS we couldn’t invite anybody up on stage because if they stepped in the wrong place it literally wouldn’t be safe.
The Gene Simmons Band is totally different in the sense that I have three killer musicians who are multi-instrumentalists who can (and do) sing live. We’re flexible enough that if someone yelled out, “Hey, how come you never did “Spit?” (an obscure track off of the Revenge album), we can do it as well as some unrecorded tunes I’ve written and, for the first time, we do covers.
You can read the rest of my Morning Call interview with Gene Simmons by Clicking Here!
Burt Bacharach wrote one the most beloved songbooks in all of popular music — timeless classics like “Walk On By,” “Alfie,” “I Say A Little Prayer” and “What’s New Pussycat,” which have been recorded by legends like Dionne Warwick, Tom Jones, Aretha Franklin and Barbara Streisand, to name but a few.
Although he passed away in 2023, Bacharach’s music and influence continues to be celebrated around the world.
On Friday, Bacharach fans will be able to take part in a one-of-a-kind experience, “The Bacharach Songbook Live,” at Wind Creek Event Center. Led by longtime Burt Bacharach music director Rob Shirakbari, the show will feature a nine-piece ensemble that’s worked with artists like Stevie Wonder, Adele, Dionne Warwick, Brian Wilson and Aretha Franklin.
Another legendary artist, Todd Rundgren, will also take part in the performance, where he’ll be covering some of his own personal favorite Bacharach songs.
I recently spoke with Todd Rundgren about “The Bacharach Songbook Live” and the influence Bacharach’s music had on him. We also discuss his early band The Nazz, production work, a few memorable moments and more in this exclusive new interview.
Q: How did this celebration of Burt Bacharach come about? What inspired it?
Todd Rundgren: Well, it wasn’t really inspired by me because I had sort of sworn off doing tribute shows after I finished one celebrating the music of David Bowie. But then the producers of the David Bowie thing came to me with the Bacharach idea and I realized that there was too much Bacharach in my music to avoid doing it. In some ways it was closer to me than a lot of the other stuff we’d done. I think that will make it more fun to do.
You can read the rest of my Morning Call interview by Clicking Here.
Widely regarded as one of the most successful and controversial computer video games of its time, Phantasmagoria wowed gamers when it was released in the summer of 1995.
The interactive point-and-click horror adventure created by Sierra Online, one of the first games for both MS-DOS and Windows, spanned seven discs and grossed more than $12 million dollars on its opening weekend, easily becoming one of the year’s best-selling games.
The hugely detailed 550-page script developed by Roberta Williams told the story of Adrienne Delaney (portrayed by actress Victoria Morsell Hemingson), a writer who moves into a remote mansion only to find herself terrorized by supernatural forces. The game featured both live action and cinematic footage mixed within a three-dimensionally rendered environment.
Despite the buzz and high demand it generated, Phantasmagoria was also considered controversial upon its release in 1995, with several major retailers refusing to even stock the game because of content they considered to contain “highly realistic violence.” Something that seems trivial in comparison to the games currently occupying store shelves three decades later.
Although the game was hugely successful, Victoria Morsell Hemingson decided to switch gears from acting in order to pursue a career in writing shortly after the release of Phantasmagoria, as well as to concentrate on marriage and raising a family. In 2021 she was awarded the grand prize in the Mystery/Thriller category in Book Pipeline Unpublished for her novel, “Awful Necessary Things.”
Today, she’s concentrating on several different writing projects, including novels as well as a powerfully written and personal non-fiction piece about a difficult time in her life. She’s also had the opportunity to actually play Phantasmagoria herself for the very first time on the Conversations with Curtis YouTube channel.
I recently spoke with Hemingson about Phantasmagoria’s 30th anniversary and its impact, her writing and more in this new interview.
It’s been thirty years since the release of Phantasmagoria. When you look back now with so much perspective what thoughts come to mind?
Victoria Morsell Hemingson: I remember it was actually really fun to make. We had such a great time because it was like a dream job. They put us up in cabins and we all got to stay by a lake. We were a tight knit group and it was nice to have something steady for a few months. If you follow Conversations With Curtis on YouTube, that was the first time I ever actually played the game. I remember when I was hired I really didn’t know very much about computer video games but I was told it was a new kind of game that was cutting edge. I had originally auditioned for the director for another project. He had seen me act before and knew I’d be right for the part in Phantasmagoria.
Did you know what you were getting into with this game?
Hemingson: It was hard to envision exactly what it was going to look like at first. It was a gigantic script and there was a lot we didn’t understand going in. For example, the set was in front of a blue screen and was completely empty. There was no furniture; just boxes for steps, beds and chairs. I remember we had to stand facing a monitor and could see the animation that they already had done on the TV and where we were going to be in relation to the game while we were doing it. It took a while to get used to how to move and be in the right place on screen. As an actor it was a bit of a challenge not knowing how big or small to go. We were all figuring it out as we went along.
What was it like learning the story and what were some of the little nuances in the 500+ page script?
Hemingson: Roberta Williams told me the story. The script itself was all in order but it contained everything, like first I would have to open a drawer to find the matches. Then I would open the drawer to see the matches, then open the drawer and not see the matches. Each of those kinds of variations was part of the script. I remember when we filmed we were there for a few months and then brought back in a few months later to shoot for a final few weeks.
What made you decide to make the transition from acting to writing?
Hemingson: I always wrote when I was a kid and a lot of the acting I was starting to do wasn’t as satisfying or fulfilling. I wanted to do something I was really proud of. I still remember the exact moment I realized that I was done acting. I had gone on an audition for a play and they kept everyone waiting around for hours and hours. Then when it was finally my turn to audition it was like a split second. It just felt like it wasn’t worth it. So I decided to go back to school and got a master’s in writing. The writing was something I always wanted to do.
What’s your writing process like?
Hemingson: It can be difficult trying to get into the groove but I try to write in the morning and then later on in the afternoon, Of course, it’s different when I’m revising. When I was in school I was a little more efficient with my time working and writing.
What are some of the projects you’re currently working on?
Hemingson: I recently wrote a personal non-fiction piece for Hippocampus Magazine. I used to work as a receptionist when I was younger and had an eating disorder. It was during this time that I started seeing this actor, whose name I won’t reveal.
I’ve also written a fiction piece for South Carolina Review about a woman in Los Angeles who’s trying to get off a cycle of bad choices and am working on a new novel.
What are you most looking forward to about this next phase of your career?
Hemingson: I guess it would have to be completing these new projects. I’m excited about working on them. I need to get them out of me. I may also be collaborating with my husband on something which will be fun. He’s a screenwriter who wrote the film, “The Holdovers.”
Comedian Sam Morril is one of the fastest rising and most popular stand-ups on the scene today. In addition to constantly touring his eclectic show at venues across the globe, he’s appeared on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” as well as done stints on “Last Comic Standing” and “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
Morril can regularly be heard on the popular “We Might Be Drunk” podcast alongside fellow comedian and co-host Mark Normand, and his latest special, “Sam Morril: You’ve Changed,” is available for streaming on Amazon Prime.
Morril is currently out on his brand new The Errors Tour — a “swift” play on words about a hugely successful recording artist. The show makes a stop at The Wind Creek Event Center on Saturday.
I recently spoke with Morril about The Errors Tour, his comedy and more in this new interview.
Q: What can fans expect from your upcoming Errors Tour performance in Bethlehem?
Sam Morril: Expect a lot of new material. It’s already in a good place right now but I’m going to be a hitting a lot of cities so it will keep getting better.
Why call it “The Errors Tour?”
I thought it would be kind of fun and figured if at least one boyfriend says to his girlfriend, “Hey I got you tickets to the Errors Tour” she’ll be like, “Oh my god!” And then when she shows up he can say, “Well, at least I didn’t lie. You’re just a bad listener” [laughs].
You can read the rest of my Morning Call interview by clicking here.
Rascal Flatts will perform Saturday, March 15, 2025, at the PPL Center in Allentown. (ABC/ADAM BETTCHER)
t may be hard to believe, but the arrival of 2025 means that we’re now officially one-quarter of the way into the 21st century. It’s a new year that brings with it an opportunity to make resolutions to do things you’ve kept putting off for one reason or another.
If one of the resolutions you’ve made this year is to get out and explore what’s going on in the Lehigh Valley, then we’ve got you covered. Because 2025 is already shaping up to be a memorable one for live entertainment.
Set aside those winter blues and enjoy this list of some of the exciting options happening in an around the Valley in the new year.
Musikfest Cafe
The fun officially kicks off over in Bethlehem at the Musikfest Café with the smooth sounds of Yacht Rock as well as the return of several familiar faces. It begins on Friday, Jan. 10, when New York City-based band Yacht Lobsters performs a signature blend of soft rock of the ’70s and ’80s. It continues on Friday, Jan. 24, when Go Go Gadjet returns with their popular high energy show. They’ll be followed the very next week with fan-favorites The Amish Outlaws on Friday, Jan. 31.
Wind Creek Event Center
If dancing is more your thing, Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem has two performances of the popular “Dancing With Stars Live” at 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25. Comedian Sam Morril will return to the Wind Creek stage on Saturday, Feb. 8; classic rock legends The Marshall Tucker Band perform on Friday, Feb. 14, and fans of the ’90s can relive the nostalgia with “I Love the 90s” featuring Vanilla Ice, Rob Base, Tone Loc and C&C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams on Saturday, March 15.
You can read the rest of my article previewing the 2025 Concert Season by clicking here.
Rick Springfield has worn many hats over the course of his legendary career. A Grammy-winning artist who’s sold more than 25 million albums over the last four decades, he’s also a celebrated actor who’s appeared in numerous TV shows and films as well as a New York Times best-selling author.
Springfield’s musical resume includes, of course, the monstrous 1981 hit “Jessie’s Girl” — a song from his multiplatinum-selling album Working Class Dog and one that to this day remains a centerpiece of any ’80s playlist. He’d go on to score additional Top 40 hits like “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” “Human Touch” and “Love Somebody,” to name a few, the latter of which a song from his 1984 feature length film, “Hard to Hold.”
Springfield’s new music has also garnered rave reviews, including songs from his most recent album Automatic where he continues to go for (and find) the big hook. His recently released new song, “Lose Myself,” talks about a tumultuous relationship and only further reinforces Springfield as the consummate artist. The song will be part of a new greatest hits package that will include a coffee table book of photographs and is slated for release next year.
In the meantime, fans of Rick Springfield will get a taste of his ubiquitous musical career when the legendary entertainer performs at the Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem on Sunday.
I recently spoke with Springfield about the show, his music, memorable moments and more in this new interview.
Q. What can fans expect from your performance at Wind Creek Event Center?
Rick Springfield: You’ve always got to do the hits that everyone expects, but we also include some of the newer songs and songs that work with the audience. Even if they might not know the song sometimes, the song still works if it’s the right one. I have a great band so it’s also about what we feel like playing.
Speaking of new songs, you recently released the new single, “Lose Myself.” What can you tell me about it?
I wrote that song with a guy in Sweden named Niclas Lundin. For some reason, the Swedish guys seem to be killing it in the pop world these days with great melodies. We wrote the song about being caught up in a relationship that is destructive but incredible.
You can read the rest of my Morning Call interview with Rick Springfield by clicking here!
Politics aside, you want to know why this country is going down the tubes? It’s because of things like this news story. It’s only a matter of time before it’s eliminated completely. No outlet for kids to have creativity of any kind. No chance to express themselves as individuals or work together as one ensemble to create something magical that brings joy to people each Christmas and spring season.
I’m sure I’m not alone when I say this as a 55 year old man: being part of the music and choir program at school was the only thing that saved me. It’s why when my favorite teacher, the late Ed Milisits, retired after three decades at Easton Area High School and tried starting a community choir that nearly ALL of it was comprised of now middle-aged former alumni who felt so strongly about what they experienced years ago that they blocked off time in their busy adult schedules to come back and sing. A vast majority of them hadn’t sang like that since they graduated decades ago. What does that tell you?
To quote from Whitman (and Robin Williams’ performance in Dead Poet’s Society): “O me! O life!… of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless… of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?”
Answer: That you are here – that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.
I’d love to hear your thoughts about this. Please feel free to leave a note in the comments section.
Troubadour Tom Chapin’s career has covered an incredible amount of creative ground, including six decades in music with 27 albums and three Grammy awards.
Chapin’s the son of noted jazz drummer Jim Chapin and, as a teenager, began performing professionally in the Greenwich Village folk scene alongside siblings Harry and Steve as The Chapin Brothers. Tom’s brother, Harry, would later go on to have a renowned solo career, one which included the storytelling songs “Taxi,” “Mr. Tanner,” and the ubiquitous, “Cats In The Cradle,” the latter topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart 50 years ago this December.
Although Harry passed away in 1981, his family continues to keep his music and memory alive to this very day.
On Sunday, Sept. 15, fans of Harry Chapin and his family will get to experience the rich history of this legendary artist when The Chapin Family brings “Harry Chapin Greatest Stories Live” to the State Theatre in Easton.
To honor Harry’s commitment to fighting hunger, the event will also be holding a food drive. The audience is encouraged to bring along non-perishable food items, which will be donated to a local food bank.
I recently spoke with Tom Chapin about his family’s performance at the State Theatre, Harry’s legacy and more in this new interview.
Q. You’ve performed at the State Theatre many times. What do you like most about the venue?
Tom Chapin: It’s kind of hard to describe but the essentials of history are there. It feels like you’re part of a long run of amazing music and drama that have taken place and it energizes you. I love the old theaters.
You can read the rest of my Morning Call interview with Tom Chapin by Clicking Here.
go.Jimmy.go 