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Celebrity Scribe

Celebrity Scribe

Heartfelt musings of Celebrity Scribe Marsala Rypka.

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Taylor Hicks: From Obscurity to American Idol to the Neon Lights of Las Vegas!

By Marsala

American Idol Taylor Hicks

Have you ever had a dream so big it consumed you? So big you were willing to crawl into bed with hardship and heartache, rejection and disappointment, fear and frustration. And then one day when you had almost nothing left to give, when you’d been passed over and turned away countless times, when you were feeling beaten down and had all but given up, when you were wondering if it was crazy to still believe that you might still make it as a singer-musician-performer in this crazy, unpredictable world, a national disaster occurred that left misery, destruction, and devastation in its wake and altered the trajectory of your life.

It didn’t matter if it was destiny or the Divine, suddenly you were given the opportunity to go someplace you’d never been before – Las Vegas, the Entertainment Capitol of the World – and hours after arriving you found yourself standing in front of three judges named Simon, Paula and Randy, who held your dream, your very life, in their hands.

[Read more…] about Taylor Hicks: From Obscurity to American Idol to the Neon Lights of Las Vegas!

Filed Under: Blog, Featured, Music Tagged With: american idol, Las Vegas, musician, Nashville, singer, songwriter, soul

Phoebe Snow: Soulful Sound R.I.P.

By Marsala

Phoebe SnowSinger, composer Phoebe Snow died today, April 26, 2011, at the age of 60 from a brain hemorrhage she suffered on January 21, 2010. When I heard the news, I realized that even though the Rolling Stone had called her voice a “natural wonder” back in the 1970s, I’d never really followed her music, nor appreciated what an amazing artist she was.

After more than 35 years, the only tidbit of information I had tucked away in my brain about her was that she had a child who’d been born severely brain-damaged.

In researching her life I was enormously touched by the heartache and disappointment, the resilience and courage that filled Phoebe Snow’s life.

[Read more…] about Phoebe Snow: Soulful Sound R.I.P.

Filed Under: Blog, Featured, Health, Music Tagged With: singer

Sinatra and Sammy Remembered!

By Marsala

Frank Sinatra in the studio.On December 11, 2010, the night before what would have been Frank Sinatra’s 95th birthday, I was at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas for the premier of SINATRA: Dance With Me, a show conceived, choreographed and directed by the renowned classical, jazz and contemporary dancer and choreographer, Twyla Tharp, who I interviewed in January 2008.

SINATRA: Dance With Me follows four couples who fall in and out of love at a night club. The show, which has no dialogue, blends the original master recordings of Frank Sinatra with a 17-piece orchestra and performances by 14 of the world’s most talented dancers who weave romance and seduction into classic standards like Fly Me to the Moon, That’s Life, and My Way.

As I sat transfixed by the artists’ fluid movements and Sinatra’s famous phrasing, the Ghost of Christmas Past brought me back to another time when Las Vegas was still a small, mob-style glamour-town rather than a sophisticated, cosmopolitan city.

[Read more…] about Sinatra and Sammy Remembered!

Filed Under: Blog, Dancing, Featured, Music Tagged With: academy award, actor, singer

Bret Michaels: A Walking Miracle

By Marsala

I make no apologies. I enjoy watching NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice! There’s a wealth of knowledge to be gleaned as 14 well-known and not-as-well-known celebrities split into two teams and perform various challenging tasks that usually involve the show’s corporate sponsors.

Over the course of six seasons of The Apprentice and three seasons of Celebrity Apprentice there have been more than 100 tasks that required the participants to create marketing campaigns and advertorials, compose songs and jingles, write and perform in commercials and videos, design comic books, put together live charity auctions and VIP events, set up storefronts, create 3-D experiences, and sell various wares on the street and on QVC.

Watching the show is like auditing college-level crash courses in business management, advertising, marketing, sales, script writing, video editing, production, etc. If you pay attention and don’t skip an episode you could earn an honorary television doctorate.

[Read more…] about Bret Michaels: A Walking Miracle

Filed Under: Blog, Featured, Health, Music Tagged With: diabetes, health, musician, singer

Amy Grant & Vince Gill: A House of Love

By Marsala

It was a Friday afternoon, my deadline was rapidly approaching and I was trying not to panic because I hadn’t yet found a celebrity couple to interview for the June 2009 “Bridal” issue of Luxury Las Vegas magazine. It can be challenging to find just the right person who fits the criteria you’re looking for, but two celebrities are nearly impossible.

All of a sudden the names Amy Grant and Vince Gill came to mind as clearly as if someone had whispered them in my ear.

[Read more…] about Amy Grant & Vince Gill: A House of Love

Filed Under: Blog, Featured, Music Tagged With: country music, Nashville, singer

Lionel Richie: Wow, Wow, Wow!

By Marsala

Lionel Richie - Up Close & Personal with Celebrity Scribe Marsala Rypka

When I think of weddings, I can’t help but think of Lionel Richie. The reason is because when I got married in 1983 (I’m blessed to be married to the same man for 27 years) the first song my husband, Steven and I danced to was a Lionel Richie song. Actually, that’s not exactly right. I couldn’t make up my mind between “Endless Love” and “Truly,” so much to my husband’s dismay, I chose both songs. Needless to say it was a long first dance.

Flash forward to April 9, 2010. I’m scheduled to interview Lionel for the June “Wedding” issue of Luxury Las Vegas magazine and I’m hoping that he will be as wonderful as I imagine, or else memories of my wedding day will be tainted.

Everything is set and then I get a phone call pushing the interview back to the following week.  No problem. I understand celebrities have very busy lives and anything can happen at the last minute to change their plans. Now we’re scheduled to talk on April 16, the very day Lionel is supposed to arrive in New York from Geneva, Switzerland.

That worries me. [Read more…] about Lionel Richie: Wow, Wow, Wow!

Filed Under: Blog, Featured, Music Tagged With: Grammy, singer, songwriter

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