I was rooting around with the remote control last night and landed at Della Peppo Village, which is broadcast on one of the Brooklyn access channels. It is a blend of comedy, music and dramatic segments, headed by Neil Pellone, who several years ago interviewed me on the street and included it in the program. Last night there were clips of his daughter’s ballet recital, an interview with legendary boxing referee Arthur Mercante, and a funny bit wherein Neil imitated Frank Sinatra doing unlikely songs such as The Witch Doctor (Ooh-eee-ooh-ahh-ahh) and Happiness Is a Warm Gun. I learned that his dad was a successful pro boxer. Born Ciro, he fought under the name Jimmy Pell and had an impressive record of 49-19-5, with eight knockouts. He had several bouts at Madison Square Garden refereed by Mercante. He passed away in ‘97. Kudos, goombah. I even learned Neil’s actual first name -- Aniello. Mercante worked from 1956-2001 -- until the age of 81! Those old guineas put we modern ones to shame. He officiated more than 140 fights, including Patterson-Johanssen, Ali-Frazier, and Frazier-Foreman. He passed away in 2010 at the age of 90. He is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Bad News Billy has an idea he wants to patent -- a see-through roof. He asked if I knew anything about acquiring one. I just went to the .gov site. I think his best course of action would be to talk to attorney first. I wrote down the addresses and phone numbers of several located in Brooklyn. Since they were listed on the site, I assume they've been vetted. An acquaintance offered to help Billy and asked for $500. I told him not to do it. He's such a good-natured guy that he's frequently abused. Every time he buys books from me I feel guilty, as it seems he's always an iota from being broke. He visited the floating book shop twice today. I didn't want money the second time but he insisted. I hope his idea is a gold mine. Thanks, my friend, and to the other buyers. And fie to the lowlife enforcement agent who ticketed Chase bank for having a little debris on the sidewalk on what was a very windy day. It's more extortion from government and its minions.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Horror Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
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