Game Changers With Vicki Abelson

Vicki Abelson
  • 4.7 (17)
  • Comedy
  • Updated Biweekly

Celebrity Maps to Success... people living their dream... the paths they took to get there

  1. Cindy Bullens Sang With Elton, But Cidny Bullens Got The Moves Like Jagger

    2d ago

    Cindy Bullens Sang With Elton, But Cidny Bullens Got The Moves Like Jagger

    Cindy Bullens Sang With Elton, But Cidny Bullens Got The Moves Like Jagger There are more facets to Cidney Bullens than there are to the Hope Diamond… and they’re all fascinating! The two-time Grammy nominee, who sang with Elton John and Bob Dylan, tells how and why he chose to tour with Elton and pass on Dylan. What a choice for a young rocker from Massachusetts to have to make. How he met Sir Elton, and how a momentary encounter led to the gig and friendship of a lifetime, and how youth, and addiction cost him said gig two plus years later. The friendship has endured all these decades. Sobering up in his early 20s, having already had extraordinary success, and then singing with Rod Stewart, long-time pal, Bonnie Raitt, and Don Everly, to name but a few, singing lead on three songs on the 8x platinum-selling Grease soundtrack, earning his first Grammy nod, and his second for Survivor off his first solo album, Desire Wire. He left the biz for a decade to raise a family, then returned with more solo work and formed The Reugees with Wendy Waldman and Deborah Holland. Soon after, Cindy became Cidny. That’s a story… woven throughout his whole story. Cid told the story in his one-man show, Somewhere Between: Not An Ordinary Life, and in his sensational memoir, Transelectric. Cid’s currently resurrecting Somewhere Between and will be touring with it, starting this summer. Has it ever been more relevant and important? Cid told us of always feeling male and how that translated to being a sister, daughter, wife, mother, grandfather, and husband. This is not a simple story, and a far more complex life, made more so by parental tragedy. Cid did not always live with grace, but lessons were learned, and the man who sat before us is wiser, stronger, and… softer. A friend for the last many years, I’ve had the good fortune to bear witness to Cid’s many talents, as an actor in the brilliant new musical, The Civility of Albert Cashier, where Cid portrayed a true-life character whose life in some ways mirrored his own, in concert with The Refugees, and I was honored to be asked to blurb his memoir, Transelectric. Cid is a treasured friend with a story that screams to be heard, especially today. For all things Cid… his show dates, signed copies of his book, and all of his music, visit www.cidnybullens.com - what a life! Cidny Bullens Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson Wed, June 10, 5 pm PT, 8 pm ET Streamed Live on my FB, YouTube & LinkedIn

    1h 18m
  2. there's-a-kind-of-crush!-peter-noone-of-herman-of-herman's-hermits---live!-Jun-04-2026-restream

    Jun 4

    there's-a-kind-of-crush!-peter-noone-of-herman-of-herman's-hermits---live!-Jun-04-2026-restream

    It just doesn’t get better than this. I knew, and have known since I was 10, that Peter Noone is easy on the eyes and the ears. Meeting him recently after his show at The Canyon Club in LA, I also knew he was funny, crazy talented, nice to a fault, and charismatic as hell. What I didn’t know was that Mr. Herman’s Hermits, a name chosen for hysterical reasons (he ‘spains), would regale us with story after story, many previously untold (I listened to a load of his interviews today), before tonight, one more precious than the next, each told with wild enthusiasm and almost reckless, but not quite, abandon. We laughed like hell for the entire hour and forty minutes. Reading the comments on Facebook, which we couldn’t see during the broadcast, so did the Live audience. There were a few technical glitches before, during, and it turns out, after, but so what! This show is a gem, a diamond in its glory, nothing rough about it… Well, the tech stuff, but who cares? It’s like having the best slice of pizza and quibbling over a little dripped cheese. Peter, with his 60 million records sold, 7 gold albums, and 14 gold records, has met and has known everybody who’s anybody, and I do mean everybody, and he shares juicy tales from the front, back, and side about so many of them. Friends with the Beatles, Peter’s remembrances of John and Paul are priceless. Likewise, Elvis, Bowie, Mick Jagger, Eric Burdon, Leslie Gore, Graham Nash & The Hollies, The Cavern, meeting his wife at a Hendrix Concert and marrying her on his 21st birthday because… well, I let him tell you, his family foibles, the drinking, more drinking, getting sober, advice on drugging from Keith Richards, hysterical, and the creme de la creme with Richard McArthur Park Harris, worth the price of admission. There was some singing here and there, including a bissel, There’s a Kind of Hush. Speaking of bissel, Peter’s got more Yiddish than I do. The story of his nuptials with his French, Jewish bride in a Roman Catholic church is pure Peter. From the man who gave us, I’m Into Something Good, Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter, I’m Henry VIII, I Am, Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat, Listen People, No Milk Today, we got a treasure trove of bliss. It just doesn’t get better than this! Peter Noone Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson **Wed, June 3rd, 7 pm PT, 10 pm ET**

    1h 41m
  3. Godfrey Townsend is Living a Rock ’n Roll Wet Dream

    May 28

    Godfrey Townsend is Living a Rock ’n Roll Wet Dream

    The Yardbird’s Godfrey Townsend is Living a Rock ’n Roll Wet Dream Fourth time IS the charm. After way too many reschedulings, as with all things, this conversation with the Yardbirds’ Godfrey Townsend happened exactly when it was intended. Lightning doesn’t strike the same spot twice, and this was an electric circus of talk and music perfection. From jumping in at the opening with The Who’s Won’t Get Fooled Again, to Godfrey’s masterpiece of Jeff Beck’s, Cause We've Ended as Lovers, from Blow by Blow, which cracked my heart open and left me with goosebumps, in tears… to every single moment in between, this was heaven. I’ve fostered my share of conversations that have blown my mind; this is amongst the best of the best. For a girl whose moniker was RockGirl back in the day when Godfrey and I met decades ago, this conversation was truly a Rock ’N Roll wet dream. Godfrey not only shares stories with Jack Bruce, John Entwistle, Alan Parsons, Mark Farner, Dave Mason, Joey Molland, Todd Rundgren, Howard Kaylan, The Cowsills, Chuck Negron, The Association, Mark Volman… he’s played with them all! And his stories and intimate experiences with them left me breathless. And then there’s meeting Clapton, his divine private audience with Pete Townshend, his adorable Jimmy Page encounter and impression, meeting Beck! Has any rockin’ stone been left unturned? Dammit, I didn’t even ask about Mick and Keith! Next time. And there will be a next time. For the two hours of this, I trust there are so many more unmined gems. If rock’s your thing, if you lived through the 60s till now, or just dig the music, Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200… hit the play button and hunker down for a wild, fun, and wonderful ride. An inside view from an insider. Consider this the audiobook of Godfrey’s sure-to-come bestselling rock memoir. Hachachacha! LOVED IT! Godfrey Townsend Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson Wed, May 6, 5 pm PT, 8 pm ET Streamed Live on my FB, YouTube & LinkedIn

    2h 3m
  4. My Favorite Lainie!

    May 28

    My Favorite Lainie!

    Getting kissed by Sean Connery, whilst he was James Bond, fanned repeatedly by Bob Dylan when she sang, plucked for a film by Frank Sinatra, bagels and the part of a lifetime from Tom Hanks, gaslit and insulted by Jerry Lewis, adored and showcased by Dean Martin, wildly successful club proprietor with Hugh Hefner, best friends with Connie Stevens, and Diane Ladd, taught a golden secret by Shelley Winters, asked to serenade her hero Judy Garland, and then had the favor returned, making the funny with Renee Taylor, the straight serious with John Houseman, stress understudying Barbara Streisand, mad love for Bette Midler, who almost played her, Tony, Emmy Golden Globe nominee, Lainie Kazan, dancer, singer, actor, spilled all this and so much more! My favorite character in my favorite movie, My Favorite Year, we got the behind-the-scenes fun, Peter O’Toole and his wonderfulness, improvising one of the funniest lines, likewise with My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which she waited a year to hear, then had the time of her life with a cast she’s still connected to. What a life Lainie’s led! What work she’s done! And what a fun, fierce, and fabulous woman she is! Blessed to call her a friend and even more to know she was off to have drinks and dinner with my mother, which she does most nights. I can’t wait for her in-process memoir, sure to shock, delight, and thrill. I love Lainie! Who doesn’t! Lainie Kazan Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson Wed, May 27, 5 pm PT, 8 pm ET Streamed Live on my FB, YouTube & LinkedIn

    1h 5m
  5. Cady Huffman’s Got It - And I Made Her Flaunt It!

    Apr 16

    Cady Huffman’s Got It - And I Made Her Flaunt It!

    With a gazillion-dollar smile, easy, absolutely effortless charm, Tony Award-winning Cady Huffman took this adoring fan and turned me into an even bigger one (who knew that was possible), and dare I say (she said), a friend. *Sigh* A masterful storyteller, without even trying, I was delightfully mesmerized, hanging on her every word. Her remembrances of Bob Fosse, auditioning for him, being cast by him, dancing with him (WHAT!), and drinking beside him, left me breathless. Tommy Tune, another genius, and The Will Rogers Follies, her first Tony nomination, her most vivid remembrance of finding out is about the guy she woke up with. So damn human at every turn. I love this woman! And of course, her Tony turn, also winning the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics’ Circle Award, for The Producers, where I first witnessed Cady’s stunningly sexy, adorable Ulla, the last preview before opening night. The show against which I’ve measured all others. To date, none have exceeded the laughs, the spectacle, and the non-stop thrills. In a word, it was… perfection! Cady told us about Susan Stroman, Mel Brooks, Nathan Lane. and our mutual friend, Wendy Waring, still in Cady’s world today. We talked Kay Cole, Samantha’s director and OG of A Chorus Line, who sang, At the Ballet, which could have been Cady’s theme song for many of her days, La Cage Aux Folles, her first Broadway play, the wild backstage antics, and auditioning for Cy Coleman, hysterical! Dame Edna! Steel Pier, Sting! We talked about growing up in Santa Barbara, early family struggles, her first play and her first line, ballet, opera, and Cady mastering each. Her brother Linus, childhood friends Anthony Edwards, Eric Stoltz, and the incredible Kathleen Wilhoite, my long-time grown-up pal. Before we signed off, we talked the reals… aging, food, booze, programs, Ozempic, and a little-known side effect that worked for the good. Cady Huffman is living my life. My childhood dream life. Better than I could have ever imagined. Tonight, I got to live it vicariously through her. Thank you, Cady, for that, for everything! Cady Huffman Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson Wed, April 15th, 5 pm PT, 8 pm ET https://youtube.com/live/DmE_USj-UkE

    1h 37m
  6. Elayne Boosler Tales & Tails of Joy.

    Apr 9

    Elayne Boosler Tales & Tails of Joy.

    I’ve known comedian/writer/animal activist Elayne Boosler for a couple of decades, but there’s so much I didn’t know! We got loads of juicy bits from the woman who pioneered stand-up comedy for all who followed in her wake. From her earliest days at The Improv in New York, a waitress/hostess, who needed Andy Kaufman’s help to differentiate the brown drinks, to her love/hate relationship with proprietor, Bud Friedman, swooning over 20-year-old Richard Lewis, MC’ing without an act or a net, singing and then not thanks to now partner Andy, who Elayne credits with teaching her “everything.” Tom Waits? Who knew! We got a great story there. Robin Williams, to Bill Siddons, her husband of 30 years, with whom she shares a home in Italy, and a great line to sum up the current state of their union. We got lots on Italy, the when, where, why, and how. Elayne was always a must-see for me whenever she appeared on TV, and hugely impactful when I tried my hands and feet at standup. I could never be as smart, but she gave me permission to let my sass shine. A fan for decades, it was a pinch-me moment when we met on the Facebook and became instant friends. It translated to the reals not long after, over pizza in New York, and sometime after that, with Elayne gracing my living room for Women Who Write. It’s taken 10 years to get this sit down, she was well worth the wait. Despite a couple of tech glitches, I adored every moment, and I’m so grateful for all the laughs, so needed now. I’m about to do a YouTube Elayne deep dive and continue to lose myself in her brilliant shine. Elayne Boosler Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson Wed, April 8th, 5 pm PT, 8 pm ET

    1h 18m
  7. Ken Levine's Guilty Pleasures

    Mar 12

    Ken Levine's Guilty Pleasures

    Emmy-winning screenwriter, the divine Ken Levine, was today’s guilty, not guilty pleasure. Rushing off for a next-to-last dress rehearsal before tomorrow’s sole preview, we got a good, healthy dose of the funny, as Ken is wont to do. Guilty Pleasures, his 10th published full-length play, opens this Friday at the Westchester Theatre in Los Angeles for a four-week run. An adult entertainment, no, not that kind, the show’s disclaimer says, “Please note this play is intended for mature audiences, as it contains strong language and sexual content.” Ken adds, no nudity, but I know from experience it’ll be loaded with laughs. Bonus, my pal, Marshall McCabe, is one of the four stars. One of the most successful humans I know, cross-genre, Ken is a multi-award-winning writer of such shows as Cheers, MASH, Frasier, The Simpsons, and Wings. He’s directed over 60 TV episodes and has co-written the movie, VOLUNTEERS, starring Tom Hanks and John Candy; he’s been a radio DJ and the play-by-play voice of the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, and San Diego Padres. Ken’s hosted Dodger Talk for eight seasons, has hosted his own successful podcast, and wrote one of the 25 BEST blogs, as says Time Magazine. Currently, Ken’s a contributing cartoonist to the New Yorker Magazine and a globally successful playwright. Guilty Pleasures has been enjoying a two-year run in Prague! Why is he focused on the stage instead of the screen when clearly the financial benefits of the latter so greatly surpass the former? Ken tells it. As always, Ken reminded me how wonderful it is to laugh. A much-needed break from the current madness. I could sure use some more. I’ll be heading to the Westchester Theatre this weekend to indulge in some of Ken’s Guilty Pleasures (link in the comments). I’ll be using code Heywestchester for a $5 discount on the $25 tkts. Hell, it’s cheaper than a movie with real live actors making magic just feet away. There’s nothing like Live theatre. Except ballet and opera, but don’t tell Timothée Chalamet. Ken Levine Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson ***Wed, March 11th, 3 pm PT, 6 pm ET*** Streamed Live on my FB, YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL8RAHvWdfQ

    50 min
  8. Nobu was the brainchild of Drew Nieprorent

    Mar 5

    Nobu was the brainchild of Drew Nieprorent

    Nobu was the brainchild of Drew Nieprorent by Vicki Abelson

    1h 33m
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4.7
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17 Ratings

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Celebrity Maps to Success... people living their dream... the paths they took to get there

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