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Las Vegas Daily – Pia Zadora Singing a New Tune

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Written by Bobbie Katz

One Golden Globe, 1 Grammy nomination, 3 marriages, 3 children, 15 years away from performing to raise her family and 2 years of living inLas Vegasare bringing an accomplished singer and film and Broadway star to the Suncoast for 1 night on Saturday, February 23. Pia Zadora is back and ready to paint the town – and she’s painting it by numbers.

Zadora’s 75-minute stage show was created by 3-time Emmy® winning director and choreographer Walter Painter, Emmy®-nominated Academy Award® writer Jon Macks. Featuring some of the greatest songs ever performed, Zadora will be accompanied by legendary Sinatra pianist and musical conductor Vinnie Falcone and his orchestra. Zadora will perform classics including “The Lady Is a Tramp,” “Come Rain or Shine,” “All of Me,” “Young at Heart” and “The Man That Got.Away.”

One thing is for certain — there is no doubt that audiences will see a woman of many hues who couldn’t be more content with where she is today.

“I love living inLas Vegas,” Zadora enthuses. “It’s like a community, especially having come fromL.A.andNew York. I’m on my third marriage – we’ve been married for nine years and it’s going so well that I no longer call him my current husband; I call him ‘Detective Honey.’  He is on the Las Vegas Metro police force.

“I was visitingLas VegasfromL.A.with my first husband, Rik, on my son’s birthday and my second husband was stalking me – he followed me here fromL.A.I had brought my baby from my second husband, who was 5 at the time, with me and he didn’t think that I was supposed to take him out ofL.A.There was violence involved and my attorney told me to file a report with Las Vegas Metro. So I did. The report came across the desk of Michael Jeffries. Michael and I spoke on the phone a few times and then about a year later, we decided that we should meet since I didn’t know what he looked like. He sounded like a middle-aged cornhusker on the phone; I didn’t expect a hunky Alec Baldwin type. We met and got engaged two weeks later.”

That was 10 years ago. Zadora’s two children, by Rik (Meschulam Riklis, with whom she remains best friends), Kady and Kristopher, who are now 27 and 25, were also still living at home in L.A. with her at the time so she couldn’t move. Jeffries would come in Saturday afternoons after work and go back toLas Vegason Tuesday afternoons. After they got married, he retired from Metro, moved toL.A.and transferred to the Sheriff’s Department. Then two years ago, with Kady and Kristopher grown and gone and her youngest son then 13, the couple decided that it was time to move back toLas Vegas.  Jeffries had to go back to the police academy before he could rejoin Metro again.

As for Zadora, she got back into singing through friends such as Deana Martin (Dean Martin’s daughter) and Chance Torme (Mel Torme’s son), getting up on stage and singing with them at theirLas Vegasshows. Before she know it, she had engagements booked at both the Cabaret Jazz at The Smith Performing Arts Center in Las Vegas, where she performed the last weekend in July, and the Metropolitan cabaret in New York City, where she performed  a  few months ago and got great reviews. In addition, after herSmithCenterperformance, she started working on a reality show with Discovery Studios and Hoodworks Entertainment. While she can’t divulge anything about the show as yet, she jokes that there will be no Kardashians and no hillbilly hand-fishing, nor will it be called “Here Comes Pia Boo Boo.”

Zadora has come full cycle. She began her career on Broadway at the age of seven after being discovered while studying acting at the AmericanAcademyof Dramatic Art. This success led to a number of Broadway shows, including a two-year stint from 1964-66 inFiddler On The Roof, and featured roles in The Sound Of Music, Little Mary Sunshine, Funny Girl, Damn Yankees, Crazy for Youand Dames At Sea. She has also appeared in numerous feature films, including Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964),The Lonely Lady  (1983), Hairspray (1988) and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994).

 Of course, it’s also hard to forget the flack she encountered when she won the Golden Globe for the movie Butterfly in 1981.

 “The hub-bub was that I had won it for Best Actress when I actually won it for Best Newcomer,” she recalls. “I had a funny name and my husband had financed the film. It was like ‘Who is this?’ I became Johnny Carson’s answer to Rula Lenska. But I didn’t let it get in my way or run with my tail between my legs. I used all of it to get where I am today.”

Zadora admits that getting back into performing was a little daunting at first. “I felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff,” she says about herSmithCenterengagement. “But it was a combination of fear and exhilaration. Once out there, I felt that I hadn’t missed a beat for 15 years.  I connected to my inner diva. And I’m really excited about performing at the Suncoast. It’s the quintessentialLas Vegasshowroom.”

And it’s just adding more colors to her life.

 

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Times Square Chronicles – Pia Zadora Returns to New York and Metropolitan Room



The renowned Pia Zadora returns to the New York stage for an exclusive five-show engagement at The Metropolitan Room from February 7-10, 2013, ending a 15-year hiatus from the New York stage. He new show, “Pia Zadora–Back again and Standing Tall”which the native New Yorker premiered on the West Coast in 2011, recently played the prestigious Smith Center in Las Vegas this summer.

Born in New York, Zadora was first a child actress on Broadway–appearing with Tallulah Bankhead, and later with Zero Mostel in “Fiddler on the Roof”–and in film, appearing in “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” in 1964. For her breakout film, “Butterfly”(1981) she won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year. In 1984 she was nominated for a Best Female Rock Vocal Performance Grammy Award. Also in 1984 she had a hit duet with Jermaine Jackson that reached #1 in several European countries.

Frank Sinatra introduces Zadora on film. The music direction is by legendary Sinatra pianist Vinnie Falcone, who leads a five-piece all-star band, that includes Jay Leonhart on bass, Ronnie Zito on drums, Joe Lano on guitar, and Ned Ginsberg on keyboards. Bob Mackie designed the gowns.

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Las Vegas Magazine – Honoring the Classics

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Pia Zadora returns to the stage in special performance.

By Kiko Miyasato

With classic tunes—songs from the Great American Songbook, as popularized by Sinatra, Bennett and others—making a comeback in pop culture today, you’ll recognize one woman championing the music: Pia Zadora. “The classics … they’re stories of people’s lives; they’re timeless,” said Zadora, who didn’t always feel that way about that genre of music.

Zadora admits that, at first, those types of songs were beyond her years and life experiences—she just didn’t seem to fit into the lyrics; she wasn’t quite convinced this genre of music was for her. By the mid-’80s, Frank Sinatra
had stepped in and taken the young pop princess under his wing. As her mentor, Sinatra guided Zadora away from pop music and toward singing the classics. Sinatra, being Sinatra, knew that Zadora’s voice could carry the songs, and her voice did. Today, she continues carrying the torch that Sinatra lit. “Now that I’m a little more mature and I’ve lived and had life experiences, I can understand them, apply them—they fit me now more than they did before,” she said.

Since she first stepped onstage at age 7,
Zadora has always seemed to find a home in front of an audience. She became a darling of Broadway, television and music—a true multifaceted entertainer. This week, Zadora returns to the stage to share her story—and her life experiences. And, of course, she’ll perform classics such as “Come Rain or Shine,” “The Lady is a Tramp” and “Young at Heart.”

“You’re getting to know me through music and song,” she said. She’ll also share stories, laughs and the knowledge she’s gained through being a public figure, a mother and a wife. “Now I feel like I’ve come full circle. I can go home and take care of the house and take care of the kids, but then I can go onstage and be a diva. I’ve reconnected with my inner diva. Now, I (feel like a) complete person.”

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Broadway World Cabaret – Pia Zadora Plays Metropolitan Room

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Pia Zadora performing her Opening Night engagement ‘Pia Zadora – Back Again and Standing Tall’ at The Metropolitan Room


Pia Zadora, Golden Globe winner, Grammy nominee, and ShoWest winner is returning to the New York stage after an extended run in the demanding role of motherhood. The renowned singer and actor now gets back to her first love: on stage, singing with all her heart and entertaining her audiences. Check out photos from her opening night concert below!

Zadora, a Broadway child star who received critical acclaim for her performances as she grew up on stage and screen, is a complete entertainer who has garnered international recognition for her acting, concert shows, and as a pop artist. She received rave reviews for her musical performances of show standards when she officially returned to the stage this past summer at The Smith Center in Las Vegas.


Zadora’s 75 minute show was created by three time Emmy Award winning director and choreographerWalter Painter, Emmy nominated Academy Award writer Jon Macks, with Peabody Award and Tony winnerLarry Grossman and it features the greatest songs of the “Great American Songbook” and is described as pure non-stop entertainment. She will also wow the audience visually, with gowns and stage costumes designed by the legendary Bob Mackie.


Accompanied by legendary Sinatra pianist and musical conductor Vinnie Falcone and his orchestra, plus some of New York’s finest musicians, Pia’s set will appeal to lovers of both jazz and popular standards with songs such as “Lady is a Tramp,” “All of Me,” “Get Me to the Church on Time,” “For Once in my Life,” “City Lights,” and “I Am What I Am.”


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Arthur Kade – Making a Comeback With Golden Globe Winner and Broadway Legend Pia Zadora



Pia Zadora is one of our generation’s great entertainers. A Golden Globe winner, Grammy nominee, and ShoWest winner, she is returning to the New York stage after an extended run in the demanding role of motherhood. The renowned singer and actor now gets back to her first love: on stage, singing with all her heart and entertaining her audiences.

Zadora, a Broadway child star who received critical acclaim for her performances as she grew up on stage and screen, is a complete entertainer who has garnered international recognition for her acting, concert shows, and as a pop artist. She received rave reviews for her musical performances of show standards when she officially returned to the stage this past summer at The Smith Center in Las Vegas.

Doing the Smith Center and being on stage “felt like I had come full circle,” said the native New Yorker, “so coming back to the East coast where I grew up, seemed like the natural next step.” Zadora will be at the Metropolitan Room on February 7-10 with her show “Pia Zadora – Back Again and Standing Tall.” These five performances mark her first professional appearances on the East Coast in over a decade.

Zadora’s 75 minute show was created by three time Emmy Award winning director and choreographer Walter Painter, Emmy nominated Academy Award writer Jon Macks, with Peabody Award and Tony winner Larry Grossman and it features the greatest songs of the “Great American Songbook” and pure non-stop entertainment. She will also wow the audience visually, with gowns and stage costumes designed by the legendary Bob Mackie.

Accompanied by legendary Sinatra pianist and musical conductor Vinnie Falcone and his orchestra, plus some of New York’s finest musicians, Pia’s set will appeal to lovers of both jazz and popular standards with songs such as “Lady is a Tramp,” “All of Me,” “Get Me to the Church on Time,” “For Once in my Life,” “City Lights,” and “I Am What I Am.”

Here “The King Of Kamelot” sits down with the living legend in NYC prior to her comeback show at the Metropolitan to talk about her iconic career, opening for Sinatra, staying relevant, how she prepared for her NYC comeback, her new reality show coming to the Discovery Network, and soo much more! Pia was a genuinely nice and wonderful DOLL in real life, and it’s great to see her still living her dreams at such a high level!

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Joy Behar Show “Say Anything” – Pia Zadora & the most Controversial Golden Globe

“Say Anything!” host Joy Behar talks with 1980s icon Pia Zadora about her controversial Golden Globe, why she married a millionaire who was 27 years her senior, and how she dealt with being the punch line for late night hosts like Johnny Carson.

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Las Vegas Informer : Pia Wows The Crowd At The Smith Center

By Joe Buda

Las Vegas Informer

Pia Zadora returned to entertaining from a 15-year absence by wowing the crowd at the Smith Center on Friday July, 27.

Zadora packed the room at the center’s Cabaret Jazz, an intimate setting which enhanced the personal feeling of the show. The best way to describe Cabaret Jazz is unique and sophisticated.

The show opened with an introductory video by Frank Sinatra, with whom Pia used to perform.

In fact, according to Zadora, “The most exciting time of my life was opening for Frank at the Riviera.”

Zadora also performed with Sinatra and Don Rickels on their cross country tour.

From the opening moment to the end of the show, Zadora owned the room. A 15-year absence has not diminished her powerful voice and she didn’t miss a beat.

Zadora genuinely looked like she was having fun, a feeling that was passed onto the audience. Throughout the show Zadora talked about her life, performing in the past and even joked about her multiple marriages.

Joining Zadora onstage was an eight piece orchestra, which included Vincent Falcone, who was Sinatra’s conductor and pianist.

Several special guests were in the audience including Las Vegas celebrities Rich Little, Steve Rossi, Kelly Clinton-Holmes and Frank Marino.

But one member of the audience actually sang with Zadora. That person was opera singer Bill Fayne. Their duet together was nothing short of stunning.

One final guest, Councilman Bob Beers gave a proclamation from Mayor Carolyn Goodman declaring that the weekend was “Pia Zadora Weekend.” This news brought a round of thunderous applause from the audience.



The performance ended with a standing ovation and a wish that the music would last forever.

Afterwards, we sat down and spoke with Pia Zadora.

“It felt like somebody shook me out of a coma,” Zadora explained when asked what it was like to perform again after 15 years.

She described the adrenaline surge of performing again to that of running toward a cliff.

“This time I’m enjoying it much more,” Zadora noted. “This time I’m feeling I’m more comfortable with myself. I’m having more fun and I can be a little outrageous. And I enjoy being outrageous.”

“I feel like it’s right for me to do this now,” continued Zadora.

Zadora felt that performing now is less choreographed than in the past.

“I have to feel it from the inside,” Zadora explained. “That’s when I feel I am doing the right thing.”

“I want to bring my experiences to people,” continued Zadora.

For the future, Zadora would like to remain performing in Las Vegas.

“I want to stay in Vegas,” Zadora explained. “I love it here and feel at home here.”

“It is a very special town,” Zadora added. “I love the audiences.”

Zadora is still getting to know the town “little-by-little.” Some of her favorite places in Las Vegas include the Artisan (for dancing), Mundo (for Latin cuisine) and Frank Marino’s show.

“I get a kick out of his (Frank Marino’s) show every time I go see it,” Zadora explained. “It’s such high energy and so fun.”

She also frequents Cabaret Jazz as well. “I’ve been here a lot in this room a lot.”

As for Cabaret Jazz, “It is much different than I ever expected,” Zadora stated. “It’s much more elegant. There is a euro-vibe to it.”

“You’d see something like this in London,” remarked Zadora.
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Las Vegas Weekly – Sinatra & Handcuffs



Photo: Christopher DeVargas

Pia Zadora is preparing for a photo shoot in the living room of her Las Vegas home when Merle, her 1-year-old Papillon, hops onto the chair to get in on the shot.


“Oh, but we need to put a scarf on her,” says Zadora, who disappears into the bedroom, then briskly returns with a blue scarf and joins Merle in front of the camera, taking to it like an old friend.


It’s a sweltering morning, but the air inside is chilly, the fireplace is on and the curtains are drawn. A Warhol portrait of Zadora hangs above the nearby built-in bar, and Rat Pack-era standards are piped through speakers in the wall. It’s not exactly the Beverly Hills mansion that Zadora and then-husband Meshulam Riklis built after razing the legendary Pickfair home, but it’s lovely and, it turns out, so is Zadora, who seems not to have aged in the last 20 or so years.


It’s been a while since we’ve seen the former child actress, who grew up on Broadway and dabbled in a movie career that resulted in unfortunate late-night talk show jokes, to which she responded with astounding vocal pipes that placed her onstage (and on tour) with Sinatra and others.


After taking a 15-year hiatus to raise her three children, Zadora, who’s now married to Metro police officer Michael Jeffries, is readying for her performance at Smith Center’s Cabaret Jazz this weekend. She broke from rehearsing to chat with us.

How does it feel to be in Las Vegas? It feels great. It feels like I landed where I was supposed to land. I walk into a casino and I feel like I’m home. It takes me back to those days. I want to hear Frank singing in the background, drink a glass of chardonnay and hear slots. It feels safe, like I’m in a cocoon; I’m back in the womb. I can have fun. You can have the best of both worlds; you can have privacy in the mountains. And I can sing if I want to.

What do you do for fun? I go to Mundo for really spicy Latin cuisine. I go dancing at the Artisan. That’s my favorite place. I go to Sinatra’s. I drive down the Strip. I have a 15-year-old; he drags me around. He likes to go to the pool at Golden Nugget. I go to Red Rock bowling, the San Gennaro Festival, Mastrioni’s, all that great local stuff. At Salvatore’s, I can sit at the piano. My son is a fanatic when it comes to baseball. We go to all the 51s games, the Running Rebels. I get involved in charities.

Carlos Santana is your neighbor. Do you get together and jam? I drink his tequila (laughs). We’ve got to invite him over for some shots. Maybe we’ll go trick-or-treating for Halloween, and I’ll go as Pia Zadora.

How’d you meet your husband? I met him nine years ago when I came here for vacation. I had a stalker, someone who’d been involved with me. He was the detective who handled the case. He was very calming. There was a connection. We spoke on the phone and decided to meet. It was almost like a blind date. When we first met, he really blew me away. He’s this hunky Alec Baldwin type. We got engaged two weeks after we met, but I was living in LA and couldn’t move here because of my kids, so he commuted—three days a week for two years. Then we got married and he moved to LA.

He retired, but then you moved here so he could rejoin the force. What’s that like? He’s been working the night shift, so if I get lonely, I just dial 911. When I act up at home he puts me under house arrest, handcuffs and all.

And you’re working again. Yes. It’s great. I fell back into it. I never thought I’d be singing again. Fifteen years ago I knew I had to settle into being a mom and give them a normal life, which I never had. I was always traveling. I had tours. I wanted my kids to settle down, and we kind of did it together.

How was that? It was a bumpy transition. There was no director telling me what to do. No script, but I really enjoyed it. I even became president of the PTA. Doing the laundry was a meditative experience. Now, when I start to get nervous and stressed, I go in and start to fold towels.

What will you tap into for Cabaret Jazz? I will be doing the standards, the Great American Songbook. “Come Rain or Come Shine,” “I Am What I Am,” “Where or When.” Torchy stuff. The Ellingtons. The Gershwins. All the stuff I did with Sinatra. This music is recycling now, so it has a whole new fan base.

Does it feel different singing them now? These are songs you grow into. When I was singing with Frank, he guided me, helped me. But then I didn’t understand the full magnitude of the songs. You really have to live to understand the songs in full depth of the magnitude, go through the heartaches. Now the songs have a different connection with me.

Any plans to return to movies? Oh, I don’t know. I’m just enjoying singing.





Home for the Holidays


Surprisingly, Zadora’s Las Vegas home that she shares with husband Michael Jeffries and son Jordan isn’t filled floor to ceiling with mementos of her famous past, which you sometimes find with celebrities who’ve lived colorful lives. Rather, the stylish and contemporary home (with walls painted a smoky blue, creating a sense of warmth and intimacy) has only bits and pieces here and there.


Her Golden Globe for Butterfly is on a desk in the office, nearly indistinguishable from the family knickknacks and photos. A framed photo of Zadora, Sinatra and Don Rickles onstage hangs below a Dubonnet ad Zadora posed for and next to a bulletin board tacked with a Christmas card from John Waters, recipes, shopping receipts and school forms.


The rest of the home features artwork collected by former husband (and now good friend) Meshulam Riklis, as well as art created by Zadora’s children, including fairly recent sculptures from Color Me Mine, a “paint your own” pottery store. Dotting the home that’s filled with comfy, organic-only furniture are a handful of Christmas decorations, some of which stay out year round. It’s Zadora’s favorite holiday. With a laugh, she points to the canned eggnog in the cupboard and explains that Christmas songs begin playing through the home in July.



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