Way To Go, Screen Actors Guild!

It was such a treat to watch the great Rita Moreno receive her well-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild last Saturday evening. Rita gave one of the best acceptance speeches I have ever heard. And she sang part of it – to the joy of everyone attending the SAG Awards event and TV viewers like me.

This versatile actress can sing, dance, and perform both comedy and drama with the best of them. She’s won numerous awards, including an Oscar for West Side Story, a Golden Globe, a Tony and two Emmys. The Internet Movie Data Base lists over 140 film and TV acting credits for Rita. In addition to West Side Story, she’s appeared in such films as Singin’ in the Rain, The King and I, Carnal Knowledge, Marlowe, The Four Seasons, Pagan Love Song, The Ritz, Blue Moon, The Toast of New Orleans, Angus, and King of the Corner. She’s been in numerous popular television shows, and won Emmys for her outstanding work on The Muppet Show and The Rockford Files. Her autobiography, “Rita Moreno: A Memoir,” was published last year and received excellent reviews.

I had the good fortune to talk with Rita when she was one of the guests on our Movie Addict HQ radio show celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Singin’ in the Rain. She’s delightful, candid and remarkably entertaining.

The Screen Actors Guild definitely got this one right!  

Fun with Rita Moreno and Robert Osborne

What a treat it was for BlogTalkRadio listeners when the great Rita Moreno -- who’s quite the Diva -- called in during our Movie Addict Headquarters SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN 60th Anniversary show last month and stayed for the entire time! I had no idea this was the FIRST time Robert Osborne and Rita had met each other and talked together, so I pretty much gave them free reign for most of the episode, and they were fascinating.

It was not the show I had planned, but sometimes opportunities like this are too hard to resist. Robert is the wonderful host of Turner Classic Movies, and Rita (who is an Oscar-Tony-Grammy-Emmy-winner) played Zelda in the film being honored. My decision to just let them talk together turned out to be a good one. Here are comments posted by listeners:

Absolutely terrific show! No network production could have been done any better. – Denny Reese from Wandering Press

Perfection! – Vicki S. Nikolaidis, Host at The Vicki Chats, Global Perspectives

Fabulous show! – Olivia Wilder, BTR Featured Host

Great show! – Nancy Lombardo, Actress/Comedian

We really appreciate those enthusiastic responses. Thanks also to Robert Osborne and Rita Moreno for being such terrific guests and to everyone who helped with this episode, including film historian James Colt Harrison, Diana Saenger from Classic Movie Guide, producer Nikki Starr, and Neil Haley, our production assistant.

Listen to the archived segment of this fun show by clicking on the link below.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/movieaddictheadquarters/2012/07/10/singin-in-the-rain-60th-anniversary

Happy Anniversary to Singin' in the Rain

My all-time favorite movie celebrates its 60th Anniversary this month. That's why we've scheduled a special Singin’ in the Rain 60th Anniversary Show on Movie Addict Headquarters next Tuesday, July 10. Robert Osborne, host of Turner Classic Movies, has agreed to kick-off the show -- and we also have a clip of Debbie Reynolds talking about working on this classic musical. Osborne will report on the special TCM/Digiplex Destinations collaboration in bringing one of American cinema’s most iconic films back to the big screen in select theaters on Thursday, July 12, as well as the release of a special 60th Anniversary DVD. Film historian James Colt Harrison and Diana Saenger, founder/editor of Classic Movie Guide, plan to join in the fun. Plus multi-award-winner Rita Moreno has been invited to call in.

This should be a fascinating Movie Addict HQ episode! It airs on BlogTalkRadio at 4 p.m. Eastern Time (1 p.m. Pacific Time) on Tuesday, July 10, 2012. Click on the link below to hear the live show or the archived segment afterwards.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/movieaddictheadquarters/2012/07/10/singin-in-the-rain-60th-anniversary