Podcast with Joseph Siravo

I first heard Joseph Siravo speak at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center’s Corporate Partners Luncheon, where he talked to our corporate donors about his experiences as an actor and educator. I was so intrigued by his comments that I asked to talk with him further. After 16 years on the TBPAC staff, I am still amazed and inspired every time I get to interact with the artists that bring their magical talent to our stages and classrooms. As a fundraiser, I love to hear artists share their perspective on arts in our county, the importance of arts education and how the arts have shaped their lives. I was lucky enough to sit down with Siravo, “Gyp DiCarlo” in Jersey Boys, while he was in Tampa -- check out the TBPAC podcast to hear what he shared with me.

- Julie Britton

Journey: back on top!

Well, sort of.

After Sunday night's controversial ending to The Sopranos (c'mon people, did you really expect a pretty little bow?) featuring Don't Stop Believin', it appears Journey's stock has really risen.

I'm a bit of a technorati junkie, as happens when you do a lot of blogging, and I notice today that Journey's Greatest Hits album has shot straight from the grave all the way up to the Top 8 most blogged about albums. Amazing.

And is it just me, or does that album art look more like an Earth, Wind & Fire cover?

Ahh, good old Journey. Sappy enough to have made mixed tapes from when I was in junior high (I may have even cried in the dark once or twice over some girl while listening to Open Arms, Faithfully or After the Fall. Don't act like you didn't.), and now just kitschy enough to actually admit a taste for that some could ignore as that whole musical-irony thing. I actually listened to several of my parents Journey records (them's the big black things with the tiny holes in the middle, kids) back in the day and had a Journey 8-track or two bequeathed to me by my parents who seem to have lasted with the 8-track phase for an even shorter time than the rest of the American public - which is saying something. (Other favorite 8-tracks: Blizzard of Ozz and Journey to the Center of the Earth)

I'm sure it won't last, but it's gotta be a good week for these guys. I mean, when was the last time they were on CNN?

If you were one of the many people tweaked (or even pleased) by the series' end, you can read my brief commentary on the show over here.