Tomasello

ATLANTIC CITY — While a singer doing a Frank Sinatra tribute in Atlantic City may not initially sound groundbreaking, 19-year-old crooner Brandon Tomasello has captivated audiences by channeling not just the sound but also the look of ‘Ol Blue Eyes — right down to wearing custom cufflinks, shoes, and even a Sinatra-esque pinky ring.

Back by popular demand after charming Atlantic City casino audiences earlier this year with his Sing Swing Sinatra program, Tomasello will be back this Friday and Saturday nights, July 20-21, for a show called Back in the Day that recognizes the great singers of the legendary nightclubs of the 1950s and ‘60s.

Joined by comedians and renowned impersonators of said singers of legendary clubs, Andre and Cirell, Back in the Day will be a night of laughs and music, mixing musical comedy with the fresh vocal styling of Tomasello and the classic songs we know and love.

An eight-piece orchestra will back Tomasello for the first time in his performing career, helping him to recreate the big band sound of his idol Sinatra. His vocal talent, candid between-song patter, charismatic stage presence and humble appreciation of the musical greats make Tomasello an act not to be missed.

Back in the Day will be debuting this Friday and Saturday, July 20-21, at 8pm at the Starlight Room at Resorts. Tickets are $20 and are available through Ticketmaster, at Resorts box office or by calling 800-334-6378. — Lindsey Appleton

Betty Garrett

Betty Garrett, best known for her work opposite Frank Sinatra in Take Me Out to the Ballgame and On the Town, and by trading insults with Archie Bunker in a semi-regular role in TV’s All In The Family, died Saturday at the age of 91. One of my favorite Betty Garrett roles was in the delightful minor musical from 1955, My Sister Eileen, featuring a young Jack Lemmon, Janet Leigh as the titled sister and a couple of dancers who acted a bit, Tommy Rall (Seven Brides For Seven Brothers) and Bob Fosse. Yes, that Bob Fosse.

Garrett’s career in film was destroyed by the Communist witchhunts of the 1950s when she and husband Larry Parks were blacklisted.

Garrett had been in good health and taught her usual musical comedy class at Theater West, the non-profit organization she helped found, on Wednesday night, but Friday checked into the hospital with heart trouble, and died with her family at her side the following morning.

Kenneth Mars

The bad news continued when it was announced that one of Mel Brook’s favorite comic actors, Kenneth Mars, died of cancer at the age of 75. Ironically I watched Brooks on a DVD from The Dick Cavett Show this past weekend, featuring a clip from The Producers. Mars was hilarious in the film as the German author of the musical “Springtime For Hitler.”

Mars also had a role in Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, and was well known for his roles on the TV series Fernwood Tonight and Malcolm in the Middle. Director Peter Bogdanovich also liked Mars and cast him in What’s Up Doc? Mars was a superstar behind the microphone as a voice actor in numerous animated series and movies.

Both were treasured character actors who will be missed .

Patsy’s Italian Restaurant at the Hilton will be serving Frank Sinatra’s favorite dishes and have some special entertainment to celebrate what would have been his 95th birthday.

It’s a well-known fact that Frank Sinatra’s favorite place to dine was Patsy’s Italian Restaurant in New York City — a theater-district landmark founded by Pasquale “Patsy” Scognamillo in 1944.

On Monday, Dec. 13, the original restaurant’s two-year-old Atlantic City counterpart, Patsy’s at the Atlantic City Hilton, will pay tribute to the mothership’s number-one customer by offering his favorite dishes in celebration of what would have been Ol’ Blue Eyes’ 95th birthday (born Dec 12, 1915, in Hoboken, N.J.).   For more on this story, click here.