Why We Need to Save the Catholic Schools
Communities — cities — need Catholic schools. Why? What is to be done in an environment when the closing of Catholic elementary and secondary schools have big cities and small towns alike? In their book Lost Classroom, Lost Community: Catholic Schools' Importance in Urban America, Margaret F. Brinig and Nicole Garnett document the importan...
Martin Chusid award for Verdi studies
The American Institute for Verdi Studies (AIVS) is accepting nominations for the 2015 Martin Chusid Award for Verdi Studies. This biannual award honors the noted Verdi, Schubert, and Mozart scholar, Martin Chusid (1925-2013), who was Professor Emeritus of Music at New York University and the AIVS's Founding Director. Any book, book chapter, articl...
Sopranos’ star Lorraine Bracco, at her most beautiful
by Michael Traversa Being born in a family with a distinct heritage is one thing, how said heritage is perceived and the respect paid to the family roots is what really matters. Among those who always felt a deep connection and quickly became one of the most beloved Italian American actors in the community is Lorraine Bracco. Lorraine was...
Team USA coach John Tortorella explains his all-or-nothing style
By Josh Cooper Team USA World Cup general manager Dean Lombardi picked John Tortorella as the squad's head coach for four clear and obvious reasons. 1. Tortorella's track record of success as a Stanley Cup champion and the winningest American born coach in the NHL Tortorella has an understanding of his players as an NHL coach...
8 Great Books for Kids for National Italian American Heritage Month
I didn't grow up around Italian Americans in Southern California but I am fascinated by their strong sense of La Famiglia. My boxing gym is owned and run by a bevy of Italian American cousins, half-brothers, and brothers who speak a distinct dialect called The Lake language. Their most famous cohort is Matt LeBlanc from the sitcom Friends....
Italian food puts John Travolta in a great mood
by Carlos Greer John Travolta was in such a good mood Sunday at Serafina Always on East 61st Street, the "Grease" star put on his dancing shoes. We hear Travolta — in town for a VIP screening of "American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson" at the Paley Center for Media — had a private dinner at the popular Italian eatery and lef...
Frank Capra: Italian of the Week
Francesco Rosario Capra was born in Bisacquino, Sicily, on May 18, 1897. When he was five, his family made the 13-day trip to New York. Even though he was just a child, Frank remembered seeing "a statue of a great lady, taller than a church steeple, holding a torch above the land we were about to enter" (McBride). The Capra family eventually settle...
Christine Simolke's New Book, CHILDREN OF ITALY
As a girl, Christine Simolke was fascinated by her grandmother's young life in America after arriving from Italy. Her grandmother, Giovanna, and great aunt, Evelina, told her stories about their journey across the ocean with their Mama and sister Maria to be reunited with the Papa they barely knew. Inspired by her relatives' courage and determinati...
Basi Usa in Italia: perché sempre più strategiche. Inchiesta americana
"Il Pentagono ha speso negli ultimi due decenni centinaia di milioni di dollari in basi militari in Italia, rendendo quel paese un centro sempre più importante per la potenza dell'esercito Usa. Specialmente dall'inizio della Guerra Globale al Terrorismo nel 2001 l' US Army ha spostato il suo centro di gravità a sud della Germania, dove la maggior p...
Sylvester Stallone: Robert De Niro persuaded me to get back in the ring again
In their new boxing comedy film, Grudge Match, Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro portray rival pugilists who are enticed out of retirement for one last fight. But for Stallone and De Niro, the stars of Rocky and Raging Bull respectively, a misfiring comedy set in the ring risks landing a blow to the reputation of their iconic boxing cinematic t...
Alessandra Mastronardi ready to emerge as US film star with "Tourist"
Italian actress Alessandra Mastronardi is gaining notice with filmmakers in the United States as she is rumoured to be an actress to look out for because her talent is resulting in her stealing scenes to such an extent that some are predicting that once she is seen on the big screen in her upcoming movies "Every Damn Christmas" which is scheduled f...
Tracing Our Italian Roots
All Joseph DiTrapani knew about his family was that they came from Palermo so it was a challenge for the genealogical firm, My Italian Family to research the lineage of this former OSIA president and current president of the Sons of Italy Foundation®. In big Italian cities like Palermo, researchers must contend with a byzantine and illogic...