Pearce’s Picks: David Allyn’s “This Is My Lucky Day!”
March 17th, 2017 
CEO 
By Jerry Pearce
In the 1940s, while New Jersey native Frank Sinatra was making his bones as a viable singer with the orchestras of Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, dance audiences attending concerts by the orchestra of fellow bandleader Jack Teagarden were being serenaded by the vibrant vocals of another young vocalist new on the scene, singer David Allyn (Allen), who, after a relatively short time of entertaining, dutifully hung up his microphone when he was drafted into the United States Army to serve in the Second World War.
After his stint in the military, Allyn joined with the Boyd Raeburn Orchestra and performed as their featured singer until the ensemble disbanded; he would then drift around, scoring record dates and singles across a selection of record labels until Discovery Records decided to take a chance on him in 1949 with the recording of four songs under the direction of arranger Johnny Richards. The record would receive good notices and fair airplay, when things took a bad turn for the singer.
The Haunted Emerald Isle: Malahide Castle
March 16th, 2017 CEO 
By Kristi O’Toole
In my series of columns on haunted Ireland I have left the best for last. Malahide Castle is located in Malahide, Dublin County, Ireland. The castle is a very old and very proud one. It was built in 1185 by King Henry II of England, for his friend Sir Richard Talbot. Talbot was a knight who had been helpful to the king during his travels and was given the Malahide Area in gratitude. At one point, the Talbot family was one of the most powerful families in Ireland, to the extent that King Edward the Fourth felt obliged to expand their castle massively by adding towers and doubling the size of the garden.
The castle remained in the Talbot Family until 1979, when they had to sell it to the council in order to pay inheritance tax.
Malahide is one of the oldest castles in Ireland and is also the most haunted, having a grand total of at least five ghosts residing within its four walls.
The Godfather, The Mob, Ted Kennedy, The Federal Government, & The Effects Of Having a Last Name of Gotti!
March 16th, 2017 CEO 
By Marla Eggar
“I don’t like your kind of people. I don’t like to see you come out to this clean country in your oily hair — dressed up in those silk suits – and try to pass yourselves off as decent Americans. I’ll do business with you, but the fact is, I despise your masquerade — the dishonest way you pose yourself and your whole fucking family”.–Senator Pat Geary (Dialogue between him & Michael Corleone in Godfather II.)
Over the years, I’ve pondered the idea about how similar the Government (both local and Federal) and the American Mob really are. Before I start, let me make some things very clear. I am a conservative, patriotic and Roman Catholic. I don’t rationalize bad behavior. But I also don’t piss down anyone’s back and tell them its rain either. I’m aware that our government sometimes has to participate in certain activities for the greater good of the country. I (under most circumstances) don’t question their tactics as long as the end result benefits the country as a whole. Nevertheless, I have a big problem with the government: truth, justice and American way. Particularly, when it comes to the mob. You see, I don’t believe in picking and choosing your bad guys. To me, everyone must be held to the same standards not just the elements they deem despicable.
How the Mob & Hollywood Took Care of the KKK with a Man Named Gregory Scarpa, SR and The Rat Pack!
March 15th, 2017 CEO 
By Marla Eggar
Everyone knows the mob thrived during the prohibition era. What you might not know is how the Klan was a huge supporter of prohibition but for all the wrong reasons. You see, prohibition was seen as an immigrant entity. At the time, most beer breweries where owned by Germans. The way the Klan figured it would get rid of alcohol is you get rid of the problem. Which of course would be the influx of immigrants entering the US. What these retarded hicks didn’t realize is that it had the opposite effect. Italian, Jewish and Irish gangs came together to form their own organized crews to make a profit.
Joe’s Recommendations: British Gangster Movies
March 14th, 2017 CEO 
By Joe Liddle
We’ve talked about mob movies, but we haven’t talked about some of the classic gangster movies the UK has to offer. Growing up in England, I think it’s fair to say I’ve seen my fair share of British classics. Some of them I consider rare finds, some of them cult masterpieces.
I’ll start with the 2000 classic Snatch, directed by Guy Ritchie, a man so adept at the British gangster genre that he’s produced several great movies in the past decade or so. Snatch stars Hollywood big hit Brad Pitt and some of England’s most iconic actors of our time, Jason Statham, Stephen Graham and Alan Ford. A lot of you mob fans will know Stephen Graham from HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, where he played the infamous Al Capone. Other actors include Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Farina and Vinnie Jones, among other great names. As you can see, Snatch has a very attractive cast.
I Am What I Am (2009 Live at Electric Proms): Dame Shirley Bassey – NewzBreaker Music Video Of The Day
March 13th, 2017 CEO Joni Sledge Dead at 60
March 12th, 2017 CEO 
By Kristi O’Toole
Singer Joni Sledge, founding member of the 70’s musical group Sister Sledge has passed away. According to a statement released by the group’s reps, Sledge was found unresponsive at her home in Phoenix, Arizona on March 10, and was later pronounced dead.
Joni, along with her sisters Debbie, Kim and Kathy, joined forces in 1971 to form Sister Sledge. In addition to amassing a string of gold and platinum plaques, Sister Sledge is perhaps best known for their 1979 the hit, “We Are Family”.
The Sinatra File: Francis Albert In Print
March 12th, 2017 CEO 
By Jerry Pearce
After each installment of “The Sinatra File” makes its rounds among our vast readership, it is consistently gratifying to receive messages from readers commenting on aspects of a writing piece and the revelation of facts that were previously unknown to them. To their compliment, I can only reply that, if certain men had not written such wonderful volumes on the subject of the Chairman of the Board, I would be as much in the dark as then. With that in mind, this edition of “The Sinatra File” is dedicated to the best books written about Frank Sinatra and the authors that created them. Five titles are covered here in three categories, each appealing to a certain legion of Sinatra fan.
I Could Write A Book: Frank Sinatra with Kim Novak – NewzBreaker Music Video of the Day
March 12th, 2017 CEO Where Or When (Soft Version): Frank Sinatra – NewzBreaker Music Video of the Day
March 11th, 2017 CEO Breaking News on the Filming of The Life & Death of John Gotti (Video of Film Footage) & More Upcoming Productions in the Mob Movie Genre
March 8th, 2017 CEO 
By Joe Liddle
I wrote an article about upcoming mob movies a few weeks ago and since then, a few new updates have come to light. I also spoke about The Life and Death of John Gotti and got a lot of feedback regarding a poll posted in the article. The poll in question was headlined: Do you think John Travolta can pull off his role as John Gotti? The answers I got were kind of what I expected; the majority of voters saying yes with a near 40% of voters saying no. The truth is, and I still see it daily (at least), is that a lot of people just don’t think Travolta has the acting ability, the swagger and the charm to play the Teflon Don. At the end of the day, he’s an actor. His job is to persuade an audience that he’s someone else. He played Danny in Grease, but he also played Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction; two very different characters.
Founding Principals of La Costra Nostra
March 7th, 2017 CEO 
By Marla Eggar
“Tonight, you become a new creation. You must swear to be faithful to La Cosa Nostra. If you betray this oath or what you know about this life, you will die and burn in hell much like this saint in your hand. Do you accept”? While the wording may differ from family to family, this pledge is a promise you make when accepting your new role in the “Life”. But who doesn’t know this right? Something you may be unfamiliar with are the principals that define La Cosa Nostra. Listed below are the guidelines, also known as the 10 Commandments, that comes along with being in the “Life””
Yesterday When I Was Young: Charles Aznavour – NewzBreaker Music Video of the Day
March 7th, 2017 CEO TCM Legend Robert Osborne Dead at 84
March 6th, 2017 CEO 
By Kristi O’Toole
From his inception in 1994, the film historian reached over 82 million homes. Osborne was known to cram delectable tidbits about movies and their stars into his brief introductions of classic films and in postscript comments about them. In longer segments, he would dissect films with guests and conduct intimate interviews with stars.
Osborne was a longtime columnist for the Hollywood Reporter and the “official biographer” of the Academy Awards, writing a series of books chronicling the Oscars. In a 2013 Los Angeles Times interview with Susan King, Osborne said he thought the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences selected him to write the official Oscar history because in previous books he stuck to facts, not opinions.
Men of Honor: Leaving the Mob With Dignity
March 6th, 2017 CEO 
By Marla Eggar
Over the years, it’s been commonly reported that there’s only three ways to leave the mob: death, jail or cooperation with law enforcement. This week I’m going to discuss two men who not only defied the odds and left the mob but did so with respect. In a day and age, where loyalty is nothing more than a tattoo and honor is an ancient concept. These two men not only honored the codes of the street but matured from the lessons they learned from them. Both men now retired from the mob, have successful careers and by all accounts are productive members of society.
I applaud their achievements both – in and out of the “Life”. You see, men in the mob bask in the glory from either their names or affiliations achieved. They are given special consideration wherever they go and are admired by onlookers of the outside world. However, it is only when these men are put to the test that we really are given insight to their true character and receive answers to the questions everyone is eager to know. What are they really made of? Will they crack under pressure? Where does their loyalties reside?
Miram Colon Tony Montana’s Mother in Scarface DEAD at 80 – Cause of Death Revealed
March 5th, 2017 CEO 
By “Bad” Brad Berkwitt
Miram Colon a long-time actress in film and TV died this past Friday and it was confirmed by her husband, Fred Valle who told The Associated Press that Colon died in a New York hospital because of complications from a pulmonary infection. She was 80.
Colon acted in many movies and on TV, but her role as Al Pacino’s mother in Scarface was her most famous and talked about.
Pearce’s Picks: Donny Most – Mostly Swinging
March 5th, 2017 CEO 
By Jerry Pearce
In some past installments of both “The Sinatra File” and “Pearce’s Picks,” I’ve been able to tie in my appearance at this past December’s “Sinatra Birthday Bash” concert in Red Bank, New Jersey, with whatever topic I was covering that week, and in this edition of “Pearce’s Picks,” mention of that memorable day happens to be almost obligatory.
I was standing off stage right listening to some pretty sounds from the orchestra. Vocalist Zack Alexander had just thrilled the crowd with his interpretation of Sinatra’s classic “Summer Wind,” and now, trombonist Wayne Goodman was serenading the audience with a magnificent solo of the song “Time After Time.” Echoing the days of Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey, when Wayne finished his solo, I would enter on a riser at the rear center of the orchestra and sing the vocal part of the tune.
