By Tom Kane
Brooklyn Eagle

Celebrity Judge Brucie In a major coup, Brooklyn Senior Idol organizer Gail Asfazadour was able to coerce legendary disc jockey Cousin Brucie Morrow to be the celebrity judge for this year’s contest, which will be held at Xaverian High School on Oct. 2. Morrow joins another famous radio personality, Joe Franklin, who is gearing up for his third stint as emcee of Senior Idol. Gail, whose husband, Al Asfazadour, is the President of AARP Chapter #5055 of Bay Ridge, the sponsor of the contest, invites all AARP members to sign up for the Sept. 12 auditions at the Xaverian High School auditorium at 10 a.m. Gail says, “Prepare a song and come on down!� Applicants must be AARP members, live in Brooklyn and have an incredible voice! All interested in auditioning for Brooklyn’s third Senior Idol should call (718) 833-0220, or e-mail bksenioridol@gmail.com including name, address, phone number and AARP number. A $10 registration fee is due at auditions.

Wounded Warriors Ride into Brooklyn Thursday it rained, but not until a troupe of hardy veteran cyclists had made it over the Brooklyn Bridge and into Bensonhurst, there completing a 25-mile bike jaunt that began in Midtown Manhattan. The trek was hosted by Wounded Warriors, a veteran advocacy group that organizes rehabilitative cycling events, called “Soldier Rides,� across the country.

In Bensonhurst, participants were greeted by Brooklyn-born Tony Sirico (aka Paulie Walnuts of “The Sopranos�), a huge supporter of the Wounded Warrior Project.

Sirico also attended the celebration at the conclusion of the ride, which was held outside of Villabate-Alba Pastry Shop, a major sponsor of the event, on 18th Avenue. There, 10 Brooklyn firehouses served food and drink to riders and spectators, as the festivities turned into an old-time Brooklyn block party.

The wedding of the year will take place on Aug. 8. when Major Douglas Alexander LeVien III walks down the aisle with his lovely bride-to-be, Lt. Col. Deborah Marie Ellis in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. The two met seven years ago when both were stationed at the Pentagon. The Lt. Col.’s parents are Four-Star General Larry Ellis and wife, Jean. Doug’s parents are Douglas LeVien Jr., a Vietnam War veteran, and Barbara Sorrano LeVien. Three weeks after their nuptials Major Doug will be promoted to Lt. Colonel in a ceremony in Philadelphia. Congratulations to an incredible couple with equally incredible families…

Congratulations, Kelli On Tuesday, Aug. 4, the 68th Precinct Community Council and the 68th Police Precinct will host this year’s National Night Out against Crime. The event will be held in the park at Shore Road and 79th Street from 6:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. There, the 68th Precinct Community Council will be presenting the First Annual National Night Out Award.

The first recipient, Kelli Kilbride, was chosen for her daily exemplification of the term “good samaritan.� Kelli always keeps her eyes and ears open, and is known for her constant willingness to help her neighbors, both near her house and at her store, Lavender Blue.

The night, as usual, will include barbeque, as well as rides and music that can be enjoyed by the entire community.

National Night Out is a yearly event that was started 26 years ago by the National Organization of Town Watch. It is a night when law enforcement and communities stand together to show community spirit and to take a stance against crime and drugs.

Vince Mazza One-Act Festival This year, BrooklynOne Theater’s One-Act Festival will celebrate its fourth season with a name change. Formerly called A Playwright Grows in Brooklyn, it will now be dedicated to the memory of longtime Brooklyn actor/singer and, of course, playwright, Vince Mazza, whose untimely death in 2006 came as a shock to all of Brooklyn and beyond.

Mazza was a posthumous winner in the group’s inaugural festival, which took place just two months after his death. The group will be performing seven plays, including one by Mazza, during their 2009 festival in October. For more info on the festival or BrooklynOne visit www.brooklynone.org.

Happy Birthday, Jerry This weekend will mark the 66th birthday of singer-songwriter, guitarist and guiding force of the unflappable Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia. Garcia died of a heart attack in 1995, after playing with the band for three decades, and dabbling in other musical projects, such as the Jerry Garcia Band and New Riders of the Purple Sage. Garcia was also an avid reader and movie buff, even owning the film rights to Kurt Vonnegut’s The Sirens of Titan — a project that, unfortunately, never quite made it off the ground.

My friend Piff Ran into my old friend Michael Pifferrer last week after quite a long absence. Michael is a Xaverian High School and Fordham University graduate who now works as an associate format manager/on-air personality for Sirius Satellite Radio, where he functions as a jack-of-all-trades. Besides putting together the “Hits 1� and “The Coffee House� segments, he is the producer of the “Morning Mash-Up� and a regular contributor to the “Morning Mash-Up� blog. You can read his comments on their web site at www.moremashup.com.

I met Michael as a sophomore at Xaverian when he acted in a few of our X-ACT productions, where he proved himself quite the talented thespian. You can add DJ to his list of accomplishments, a talent night owls can check out Tuesday through Friday nights from 2 a.m until 6 a.m. on Sirius XM.

Picks of the week… Watched A Night at the Opera on TCM the other night and forgot how good a movie it is. My favorite scene is the Groucho stateroom shenanigans. Classic … The song, suggested by my buddy Terence Mayrose, is Dance Tonight by Paul McCartney; it appeared recently on an episode of HBO’s Entourage … The book is The 8th Confession by James Patterson, available at the Bookmark Shoppe.

Comments, suggestions? Contact me citizenkane@ brooklyneagle.net. The best of Brooklyn for Brooklyn’s best, that’s you … Have a great week!

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