Tommy DeVito Wins the "Bud Light Celebration of the Year" Award at NFL Honors
New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito captured the hearts of the NFL with his story that included his living at home with his parents, his enjoyment of his mother's chicken cutlets, and, of course, his Cinderella-like rise to fame in the NFL as the Giants' third-string quarterback who led the team to three straight wins mid-year that resulted in...
Geno Auriemma is in his 39th season at UConn and near 1,200 wins. He ponders the end of his career
The frame reserved for Geno Auriemma’s photo is empty — it rests atop two display cases of autographed UConn basketballs to the right of a collection of Joel Embiid memorabilia — inside a suburban Philadelphia sandwich shop. Auriemma’s late mother, Marsiella — an Italian immigrant once praised by President Barack Obama at a White House visit — had...
Rossini’s ‘The Barber of Seville’ will be performed at Stockton PAC, Feb. 9
The New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera is set to present a full-scale, traditional Italian production of Rossini’s “Il Barbiere Di Siviglia” (“The Barber of Seville”) on the main stage of Stockton University’s Performing Arts Center 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9. The show — a part of the PAC’s Dinner & Show Series — is considered the finest comic o...
Andrea Bocelli’s postponed Baltimore show rescheduled for February
Italian vocalist Andrea Bocelli will perform at CFG Bank Arena on Feb. 20, after having to postpone his show due to health concerns earlier this month, the venue said Tuesday. Originally, the renowned tenor was supposed to perform in Baltimore on Dec. 10. The new February show will be part of Bocelli’s Valentines tour. “Bocelli is incredibly humble...
Expert to Discuss Evolution of Roman Coinage
For the first AMHS program of the new year, members will be treated to an informative and entertaining talk, “Show Me the Money!” on January 28, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. The speaker, Michael Markowitz, is an expert on Roman coins. He will tell us all about the evolution of Roman coinage from lumps of metal in 300 B.C. to gold Imperial coins in 476 A.D. ...
Bill Ronayne’s books, lectures and museum dedicated to the Lanza legacy
Bill Ronayne was just 7 when he became a fan of Mario Lanza, the tenor who was born in South Philadelphia in 1921 and made the cover of Time in 1951, when he starred in “The Great Caruso.” That fandom continues – even more so – today, with Ronayne semiretired and devoted to Lanza as president of the Mario Lanza Institute and Museum in Philadelphia,...
Italian American stereotypes rise alongside Tommy DeVito's popularity
Tommy DeVito has become an Italian American icon in the New Jersey area, but not all the attention has been positive. Social media has been flooded with Goodfellas and Sopranos references that enforce negative stereotypes — and it has angered some Italians. Ralph Contini, the national president of UNICO, an Italian American service organization, ha...
A D.C. Premiere by Washington Concert Opera: Rossini’s ‘Ermione’
The first event in Washington Concert Opera’s 37th season, on Dec. 2, was the D.C. premiere of Gioachino Rossini’s “Ermione,” an opera that “immediately sank into oblivion” in 1819, according to WCO co-founder Peter Russell. Why did it fail? Musically, Rossini “might have just pushed the envelope a little too far” for the Naples audience, suggested...
Two-hour clip of a barrel burning in the Italian Market is Philly’s new holiday ‘Yule Log’
It's a scene as quintessentially Philly as a run up the Art Museum steps: In the heart of the Italian Market in South Philadelphia, a rusted-bottom metal barrel sits on the asphalt of 9th Street with flames licking out its top. What may appear post-apocalyptic to some is to others a convenient source of heat, if not a deep, nostalgic comfort. And n...
Andrea Bocelli announces rescheduled concerts after doctors warned it could be "dangerous" to sing
Andrea Bocelli is going to make another attempt at performing in Boston this holiday season. The Italian tenor has announced rescheduled dates for a string of postponed concerts amid some rare struggles with his world-renowned voice. "As many fans now know, Andrea Bocelli has been working through health challenges forcing the famed tenor to postpo...
Sylvester Stallone returns to Philadelphia – and the steps he made famous – for inaugural ‘Rocky Day'
Fans sprinted up the steps leading to the Philadelphia Museum of Art as if they were running behind Rocky Balboa. But they were simply trying to get a view of the man who made the steps famous by climbing them nearly five decades ago. Unlike that “Rocky” scene, the celebration was at the bottom of the stairs rather than the top. That was where Sylv...
The Heartwarming Reason Behind the Philadelphia Eagles' Italian Flag Gear
A dominant presence in the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles consistently capture the spotlight as one of the top teams in the popular league. They demand attention and dominate headlines with their electrifying performances, establishing themselves as an unstoppable force destined for future Super Bowl triumphs. Now, while the majority of fans fixat...