Janet Charlton

THE LATE TONY SIRICO WAS AN UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTER OFFSCREEN TOO

The first time I encountered Tony Sirico he was working at a hot New York club as a fierce doorman/bouncer/security guard. His name in those days was Junior Sirico. He wore his hair slicked back, a pinky ring, and talked tough, but was very nice to me and my friends at the club. A few years later he appeared as a houseguest, visiting my friend Lenny Barin in LA, and I was told he recently got out of prison and wanted to become an actor. My friend laughingly pointed out that Junior always had a stack of Playboy magazines and a gun under his bed, but he was very close to his mother in Brooklyn. Junior started dating a roomate of mine and I had a party where he met Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had started filming Pumping Iron, but was still just a bodybuilder. Tony was immediately drawn to Arnold and seemed thrilled to meet him. The unlikely pair talked about acting. The next thing I knew he had landed a small role in The Godfather Part II. Junior announced that he was no longer Junior- we had to call him Tony from then on. The rest is history- he started enjoying his new life as an actor.

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

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By Janet / July 10, 2022

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Janet Charlton Jerry Lee Lewis Rockabilly

JERRY LEE LEWIS: REMEMBERING EARLY ROCKABILLY

Jerry Lee Lewis was inducted into the the Country Music Hall of Fame today (it’s about time – the Rock n’Roll Hall of Fame snapped him up in 1986) and it brought back memories. Jerry was one of the original rockabillies (right, Brian Setzer?) and when I was writing for Star Magazine, I always went to see his shows – mostly at hillbilly bars. The shows were always wild and fun and more often than not, Jerry ended up in a fistfight with some guy in the audience. Unlike many celebrities, Jerry LIKED my tabloid magazine and invited me to his dressing room when he played in Hollywood. (photo above) I was surprised to find petulant looking Lisa Marie Presley in the dressing room also. Bob Dylan also walked in with his entourage and I recall he looked really dirty and I stepped back to give him plenty of space…

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By Janet / May 18, 2022

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Janet Charlton Jerry Lee Lewis Steve Bing

WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN’ WITH JERRY LEE LEWIS

The LA Times just gave Jerry Lee Lewis a rave review for his weekend performance in Cerritos, and we are ASTONISHED by the fact that he’s still performing. He’s 83 now and has outlived and out-performed almost all of his 1950’s rock n’ roll contemporaries. (Little Richard is still around, but not performing) Jerry was an original Bad Boy – he married his 13 year old second cousin and two of his 8 wives died “under mysterious circumstances.” We were surprised to learn that billionaire playboy Steve Bing is Jerry’s biggest fan and has taken over his career. Jerry was mired in drugs, health problems, and IRS debts when Bing stepped in and cleaned up his life while producing his music. HE was at the Cerritos show, cheering Jerry on.

Note from Janet: Above, sometime in the 80’s I was able to visit Jerry in his dressing room after a show. He was a delightful but scary gentleman. Also in the small room were Lisa Marie Presley and Bob Dylan. Nobody realized I was a tabloid reporter.

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By Janet / November 19, 2018

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Janet Charlton Oscars

JANET AND HER NEW BEST FRIEND OSCAR

We picked up our Oscar credentials today and stopped at the red carpet outside the Dolby Theater to observe preparations for the big event Sunday. Everything is covered in plastic! From the carpets and up the stairs to the Oscar statues, nothing is exposed to the elements. We are reporting on the Oscar arrivals for ZDF German TV and it’s going to be fun, even if it does rain. A security guard warned us NOT to touch this Oscar statue so we only caressed the plastic cover that was labeled “heavy.” Sunday we’ll find out if Bradley Cooper has the nerve to take his mother instead of his young girlfriend Suki Waterhouse to this big event.

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By Janet / February 27, 2014

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Gangnam Style Janet Charlton Psy

GANGNAM STYLE PSY IS BETTER LOOKING AND NICER THAN YOU’D EXPECT

Last night we stopped at the SanSai Japanese Grill take-out place on Sunset strip and we sat down to wait for chicken and rice. The mostly empty cafe had a table with three people sitting by the window. Our eyes popped as one of them appeared to be Psy the Gangnam Style singing sensation! He was devouring a mountain of tempura and chicken curry with his friends. I asked him how he ended up eating in this, of all places, and he said “I don’t know, we were just driving by.” He’s quite good looking in person, with nice skin – not shiny – and he was very sweet about interrupting his meal to pose for this photo.

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By Janet / July 30, 2013

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