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Anything can happen behind the scenes at the "Late Night With Johnny P" show; tonight is no exception. It takes a special brand of crazy to get this show rolling.
It's already October 11, 2017, and Season 10 of Late Night With Johnny P will be wrapping up soon. Potenza reminds us that after the last show films on December 7, the show will be going on hiatus, and he will be "going into hiding" for a few months to take a break and revamp the show. When it returns, it will be coming back better than ever as 'Up Late With Johnny Potenza', so don't say we didn't warn you. 
We start the show tonight with a tribute to the late Frank Vincent. Vincent had passed the day of Potenza's previous show taping , and tonight he runs the reel from Chiller Expo on April 18, 2010 where Vincent shows off his Billy Batts Bobbleheads and talks about his book, "A Guy's Guide To Being a Man's Man". Potenza is going to Chiller Expo again this year, and talks about all the celebrities he wants to meet; he especially wants to meet Danny Bonaduce, because "I know me and him are gonna click it off'. I'm curious to know how that turns out.
His first guests tonight are legendary entertainer Len Carrie and author Andrew Mele. Carrie has a multitude of stories to tell about his 75-year career in show business, and it was suggested that he write a book; he told his stories to Mele and told him that he'd better type fast since Carrie was 90 years old.
Carrie started out as an accordion player; his parents bought him a toy accordion when he was six, and he "played the hell out" of it for three years until they finally sent him for lessons on a real accordion. However, he later found that the bands he loved did not have accordion players - specifically the Glenn Miller Orchestra. He wanted to be in that band, but what would he play? He took a look around to see who the oldest guy in the band was, and decided that he was now going to switch to playing drums so that he could take the drummer's job when he retired. Carrie learned how to play by listening to his record albums and playing along.
Where are my saddle shoes?
Mele's book about Carrie's show business life is entitled "Before the Echoes Fade: An Entertainer's Life In the Shadow Of Fame" and can be found at Amazon.com
Comedian Tom Briscoe has been fired from a lot of jobs, like the beer truck driver job. It was actually a UPS truck, so.. he got fired from THAT job...
"Will you wear the matching hat and run around yelling 'Wabbit Season'?"
Briscoe went shopping for a wedding anniversary gift and chose some nice lingerie for his wife. When he went to the counter, the clerk said it was a nice choice and wondered what his wife's reaction might be when she put it on. That thought caused him to put it back, and the logic behind his decision was hilarious. And true.
Youmandawanju?
I don't want to give away too many of the lines, but Briscoe jokes of his experiences with 40-foot reefers, identical pig-people who eat pork chops, "The Look" from the wife, Diagonal Bishops (my favorite joke), and we play along with him in the game of 'What Did The Doctor Say?". Briscoe can not only be found at http://www.tombriscoe.com/ , but on a cruise ship near you. See his page for tour dates!
The next guest, actor and vintage car enthusiast Anthony Aveni, is a long-time friend of Potenza. Aveni got into acting by accident; he was driving a 1962 Impala when he encountered a roadblock due to a movie filming. He was going to ask what was going on, but they saw the car, and thought he was there for the movie because they were waiting for the vintage cars to arrive on the set. One thing led to another, and his car not only ended up in the movie, but now he has a business where he rents his vintage cars to the studios. He was also cast to play a pimp in a movie and showed up on set dressed for the part!
Aveni is currently working on a tv series called 'The Neighborhood', which stars actor William DeMeo and is about the Brooklyn mob. As a matter of fact, Potenza has a part in that show as well; he buys beer from Aveni's character. Looking forward to that! Aveni is also working on the set of "The Irishman", which is a Martin Scorcese movie that also features Potenza and stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesce, Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, Sebastian Maniscalco; what a line-up! Can't wait for the movie release!
Tonight's musical guest is the hard rock/electronic band "Anthems For Autumn"; Brianna Rose, Jeff Hornlien, Johnny Rox, and Jay Oliver "kicked ass", as Potenza says. They performed two originals; 'No King Of Mine" and "Feel Me"; I'll tell you, it's hard to take photos of a great band when you want to bang your head, but I kept as still as I could. I don't think the photos look too fuzzy.
The band sits down for a talk with Potenza; he's wanted to get out to see them perform, but he promises he'll have them back on the show after his hiatus. They will be working on New Years's Eve with Don Jamieson, who was another of Potenza's guests, in Long Branch this year.
The band has released a three-song EP, and they are currently recording more songs and a video for the song "Feel Me". Potenza got them on the show after finding their press kit while he was moving recently; he listened to it, liked it, and here they are now. As he had said earlier, it's not who you know, it's about being in the right place at the right time as their press kit turned out to be.
AFA is influenced by 90s alternative bands such as Garbage and Tool, as well as classic rock bands like KISS; the drummer, Johnny Rox, is a huge fan, and he and Potenza talk a little drum talk. They talk about how the band was named, and he promises to have them back on the new "Up Late With Johnny Potenza". You can find out more about them on their website, http://www.anthemsforautumn.com/
That's the show for tonight; Potenza thanks his guests, his audience, Paulie at Nucci's Restaurant, and his crew for coming because there is no show without all of the people that help make it possible. And don't forget, the final taping is on December 7, so reserve your seat while you can. It's going to be a crazy night…
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February 2018
"Late Night With Johnny P" blogs prior to May 2016 can be found on the "TODAY ON THE SCENE" tab
CategoriesLate Night With Johnny PThere's a lot of excitement in the studio tonight. Even though the evening is bittersweet, there is this energy of the bigger and better things to come, and Potenza is the man with a plan. The final episode of the "Late Night With Johnny P" show is filming tonight, and the place is packed. |
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