EPISODE 118- JILL KARGMAN

A born and bred New Yorker, Jill Kargman is the creator, writer, producer and star of the scripted comedy “Odd Mom Out” in which Ms. Kargman played a satirical version of herself navigating the hilarity of raising children on the upper east side in NYC.  

After graduating, and working for magazines, television and movies, Ms. Kargman began writing novels to give her more flexibility to be home with her three children: Sadie, Ivy, and Fletch. She is a New York Times best-selling author of multiple books, and her most recent book, a comedic essay collection, “Sprinkle Glitter on my Grave”, was published in September 2016 by Random House.

She made her Café Carlyle debut in January 2017 with her sold out show Stairway to Cabaret ~ singing heavy metal songs ~ cabaret style.

Jill hosts the Jill Kargman show on SiriusXM Stars Channel 109.

Jill is also a performer with the Upright Citizens Brigade improvisational and sketch comedy group.

Jill recently made an appearance in her first Hollywood studio movie, A Bad Moms Christmas.

EPISODE 116- ALEXANDRA STYRON

Many years ago I was hosting a Broadway event to engage and inspire younger voters to get involved in politics. One person after another told me that I needed to meet their friend, Al Styron. They were emphatic that she was  someone who knew all the players I would need to make this event a success. They were right. Having been raised in a politically active household as the daughter of author William Styron (Sophie's Choice) and poet/activist Rose Styron (Amnesty International), Al did, in fact, know everyone. What I hadn't been warned about was that she was one of the smartest, funniest and kindest people I would ever know. I was soon to meet a lifelong friend and confidante. So here she is. My best friend, best selling author and activist, Alexandra Styron, in conversation about her new book Steal This Country. Al offers us insights into what we can all do to feel like active, impactful and engaged citizens.

ALEXANDRA STYRON is the author of Reading My Father and a novel, All The Finest Girls. A graduate of Barnard College and the MFA program at Columbia University, her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Financial Times, and The Wall Street Journal. She currently teaches memoir writing in the MFA program at Hunter College. She lives with her husband and two children in Brooklyn, New York.

LITTLE KNOWN FACT - Alexandra Styron made me a tuna sandwich on our first “friend” date. It was delicious.

EPISODE 96 - ABIGAIL POGREBIN

At the age of 15 Abigail Pogrebin was cast  in the original production of the Stephen Sondheim- Hal Prince musical,  "Merrily We Roll Along." Abby was also part of the original "Free To Be You and Me" concept album and television special. Ms. Pogrebin is the author of three books, including “Stars of David,” which was adapted for the Off-Broadway stage, “Showstopper” — an Amazon Kindle Single bestseller that chronicled her teenage adventures in the Broadway flop, “Merrily We Roll Along,” and the most recent deep-dive into the Jewish calendar, called: “My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew,” which received a glowing review in The New York Times and was featured on the Today Show. A former Emmy-nominated producer for Ed Bradley and Mike Wallace at “60 Minutes” and for Bill Moyers at PBS, she has written for numerous publications, has her own live interview series in New York for which she’s interviewed Malcolm Gladwell, Nora Ephron and Charles Blow, and she’s been a guest on CNN, Good Morning America and Face the Nation. Abby lives in New York with her husband and two college kids. 

Little Known Fact: When she was only 15 years old she was cast by Harold Prince and Stephen Sondheim in their original production of "Merrily We Roll Along." Suddenly she found herself in the middle of what would become musical theater history. Here to tell the story of that legendary production and more, Abigail Pogrebin.

EPISODE 94 - ROMA TORRE

 

Her Story

 

Roma Torre, a recipient of an Emmy® and more than 30 other awards, is celebrating her 25th anniversary at NY1, New York’s popular cable news channel, where she is an anchor and theater critic.

Torre began her television career at CBS’ flagship station, New York’s Channel 2, becoming a news writer and producer. Then, with Cablevision’s formation of the country's first 24-hour local news station, News12 Long Island, Torre was among the first reporters hired.

At the station, she reported, anchored and hosted a weekly news program. Torre was also its film and theater critic and her reviews were published in the television magazine, Total TV.

After five years at News12, Torre returned to New York City in 1992 to join NY1, where she now anchors its "News All Day" and is its theater critic. She previously anchored the station’s award-winning "Inside City Hall," a hard-hitting political and public affairs program described by one critic as "the ‘60 Minutes’ of local television." 

She followed in the tradition of her mother, the late Marie Torre. A well-known syndicated columnist and amusements editor for The New York Herald Tribune, Marie was involved in a celebrated freedom of the press case. She was the first reporter to gain national attention for going to jail for refusing to identify a news source in a dispute involving CBS and Judy Garland. (It was a 10-day sentence.)

But growing up, Roma Torre wanted to be an actress. Born in New York and raised in Pittsburgh, she later graduated from Tufts University. While in Boston, Torre started a theater company with fellow student Ed Lopez. The theater lasted three years but the partnership with Lopez thrived. They married in 1991 and now have two children, Alejandro and Alegra.

Torre’s road to Broadway took a detour. After performing in numerous soaps and off-Broadway productions, she traded in the stage lights for the glare of television news cameras.

Her theater years are still being put to good use in her role as NY1's theater critic. She regularly contributes to its weekly theater show, "NY1 On Stage." In addition, Torre continues to cover news stories and various special events, ranging from NY1's election night coverage to major parades. 

She has more than 30 broadcasting awards, including an Emmy for reporting and anchoring coverage of the Avianca plane crash disaster in 1991. Torre and "News All Evening" anchor Lewis Dodley were honored in 1993 by New York Magazine's "Best Of" edition as the best news anchors in New York.

Torre was the recipient of the Newswomen’s Club of New York's 2003 Peggy Award for Broadcasting for her review of the Broadway show, Big River.

She has co-produced a documentary entitled, “Shout Gladi Gladi” - a story of hope and survival - narrated by Meryl Streep. It profiles a Scottish woman who has dedicated countless hours and her own money to improving the lives of African women and children living in extreme poverty.  

A colon cancer survivor, Torre is a staunch advocate of early screening and has spoken extensively about the need to raise awareness and the importance of cancer prevention. 

She is a proud board member of the National Association of Women Artists (NAWA). Founded in 1889, NAWA is the country’s oldest organization that promotes and showcases women in the art world. 

Little Known Fact - Roma's mother was the world famous journalist Marie Torre. Marie was part of a landmark case protecting a journalist's right to protect their source. She went to prison for a case involving Judy Garland. She served part of her 30 day sentence before being released but still she refused to reveal her source and thus... changed journalism history forever.