Columns

I can’t tell you how many people come up to me and say, “What a cool job you have!” They see me on stage, hanging with celebs, and are filled with warm-hearted envy. What they don’t see is the other 97 per cent of the time when I have to create the shows, produce them, sell the tickets and pay the bills. But there are those experiences that make it all worthwhile. Sixties heartthrob, Beach Party movie legend and “Grease” Teen Angel crooner Frankie Avalon played at the Arcada theatre a couple of days before my May 8 birthday. We …

It was the summer of 2002 and we were rockin’ at Hawthorne Race Course in Cicero. We produced a concert series there every summer for years with some of the biggest names in country, rock and R&B. Of the 30-plus shows we did, one stands out as a career moment. It was with “The hardest working man in show business,” James Brown. We built a stage right in the center of the racetrack. It was an awesome concept that added excitement to the already cool experience of “The sport of kings,” horse racing. We had to do sound checks in …

Like so many others, I went from “Sesame Street” to “The Electric Company,” then from “Soundstage” to “NOVA,” then from those Doo Wop shows to “Chicago Tonight.” PBS has always been a big part of my educational and entertainment growth process. Then a program based in the 20th century came along and captivated audiences all over the country. Although I was a Sunday-night “Monty Python” fan back in the day, I never thought I would get into a British television experience that didn’t involve Benny Hill, or Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes. But as I watched this year’s Emmy Awards, …

It was like an ’80s MTV video! Platinum blondes, fishnets, leather miniskirts É and that was just the guys! Bret Michaels, front man from rock super-group Poison and a “Celebrity Apprentice” winner, pulled into St. Charles with a splash. His tour bus sported an enormous picture of his familiar face, causing countless double takes and bringing traffic to a stop, and his crazed fans filled the street to the point where we had to close it off. The “Shop All Day, Rock All Nite” Black Friday concert at the Arcada Theatre was really something to experience. When a guy like …

With over 25 years in the entertainment business, there are many moments for which I am thankful. Just being able to walk on the same stage and share a microphone with show-biz icons is in itself an honor. But to rack up the “behind-the-scenes” experiences I have over the years? I am truly blessed. For an Italian American like me, there are two ‘Trinities’ that guide my soul. There is the main one, of course. But as Sunday Mass leads into Sunday gravy, the secondary trinity of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Tony Bennett always adds a certain spice that …

The end of summer is approaching but there’s still time to make up for the frigid winter we went through. That is, of course, if you weren’t able to make it to some of the summer festivals that took place in Chicago and suburbs. One of the summer events that was well attended is the St. Anthony Festa which took place on Sunday, June 8th. Fr. Mark Krilowicz, the pastor of St. Anthony’s for the past eight years, has kept the celebration alive with a strong parish St. Anthony’s Feast committee that meets year-round to come up with food, activities, …

With everything that has gone on with the real estate market over the past few years, the rental market has become more appealing than ever. According to some national studies, rental prices have risen about 14 percent over last year. As a result, it can be tough to locate the right property at the right price. Many areas have a low supply of available rentals, driving up the price for potential tenants. With the average rental property staying on the market for only a couple of hours, you have to be competitive. Don’t wait until the weekend to look at …

A few columns ago, I wrote about my project to tag everyone in my family photos. Since I have been researching my family history for 25 years, and have scanned the photo collections of many relatives, I have over 23,000 photos to tag. If it’s any surprise, yes I am still working on this project after all these months. I have a few new items to present to those of you who might have thought about starting this project with your own photos. Believe me I am not discouraging anyone from starting the project, even though it is taking months …

So far 2014 has been an interesting year for the mortgage business. We are seeing approximately 60 percent less in refinancing originations. And while purchase mortgages (those originated when someone buys a home) have been steady, they are not taking place at the same blazing hot pace that we were seeing last year. It is for these reasons that we are hearing a lot of talk that Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and FHA may be lowering some of their credit standards to improve mortgage originations. Some lenders have already started lowering their credit score requirement for loans. The criteria for …

In the parlance of estate planning, “portability” refers to the ability to transfer unused estate tax exemption of a deceased spouse over to the surviving spouse, who can then add it to his or her own exemption. By doing this, it may be possible for the surviving spouse to use those accumulated exemptions decades later to shield assets from the state tax at his or her death. But portability is not a magic bullet, and there are risks if you don’t plan ahead. You need to be aware of the following limitations: 1) Portability does not apply to state death …