Las Vegas Backstage Talk

Lainie Kazan, Bill Bellamy-LVBST w-Comedian Michele LaFong

Feb. 27, 2014- 6-7pm PST 1230am KLAV in Las Vegas & streaming live

Lainie Kazan

Lainie Kazan and Comedian Actor Bill Bellamy guest on Las Vegas Backstage Talk with Comedian Michele LaFong.

Kazan made her Broadway debut in The Happiest Girl in the World in 1961 followed by Bravo Giovanni (1962). She served as understudy to Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl, finally getting to go on 18 months into the run when the star was ill with a serious throat problem. Both had attended the same high school, Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn,New York. Kazan’s mother alerted the press and, encouraged by rave reviews for her performance, she quit the show and set out to establish herself in a singing career.

Kazan appeared in numerous supper clubs across the country, and she guested on Dean Martin’s variety series 26 times. Other television work includes a recurring role as Aunt Frieda on the Fran Drescher sitcom The Nanny and as Kirstie Alley’s mother on Veronica’s Closet, and guest shots on St. Elsewhere (resulting in an Emmy nomination), The Paper Chase, Touched by an Angel, and Will & Grace. She was also featured in My Big Fat Greek Life, a short-lived series based on the Nia Vardalos hit film My Big Fat Greek Wedding, in which she had also starred alongside Vardalos. She appeared in a scene as the mother of Adam Sandler’s character in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, but it was deleted in the feature film. It is, however, included in the special features on disc. Prior to this film, she had appeared with its co-star Kevin James in two episodes of his The King of Queens TV series as the once-renowned singer Ava St. Clair.  For more about Lainie Kazan: www.lainiekazan.com

Lainie is appearing at The Smith Center on Feb. 28, & March 1.

Bill Bellamy

Bill Bellamy Headshot

Comedian/Actor Bill Bellamy will be at the Suncoast Showroom, March 1 and 2.

After winning numerous comedy competitions, Bellamy made his television debut on “Showtime at the Apollo.” He caught the attention of comedy producers Bernie Brillstein and Russell Simmons, who signed him as a guest star of HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam” in 1992. Bellamy went on to star in his own Showtime comedy special, “Booty Call,” in 1996.

Bellamy became a staple of the MTV generation as host of “MTV Jams” in the late ‘90s. He continued his television career as the voice of the title character in “Cousin Skeeter” from 1998-2001, as a recurring character in “Men, Women & Dogs” in 2001 and 2002, and “Fastlane” in 2002 and 2003.

Bellamy made his feature film debut in 1997 in “Love Jones” and has gone on to star in numerous films, including “Any Given Sunday,” “The Brothers” and “Lottery Ticket.”

 

In June 2012, Bellamy’s “Crazy Sexy Dirty” comedy special debuted on Showtime and is available on DVD. Recently, he starred in the syndicated comedy “Mr. Box Office,” and launched his groundbreaking new comedy tour “Ladies Night Out.”

His numerous television appearances include “The Tonight Show,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “Live! With Regis & Kelly,”  “Today,” “Entertainment Tonight,” “Chelsea Lately,” “Las Call with Carson Daly,” “Lopez Tonight,” and “The Wendy Williams Show.”

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