The film, directed by Jonathan Flora, follows Sinise and his band as they support the troops and first responders around the world including Kuwait and Iraq.  The Lt. Dan Band began playing shows in 2003 and has played close to 200 concerts for America’s heroes and their families.
Films that receive the Crystal Heart are being honored for best meeting Heartland’s mission of “exploring the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life.”  Having seen this uplifting and inspiring film, I can assure you that it does just that. 

“Having long known the high reputation of the Heartland Film Festival and the quality of films it showcases, it is a true honor to be recognized and I tip my hat to Jeffrey Sparks and his staff for all they do,” said Flora, who hails from Ohio, served with the 82nd Airborne and also produced the film along with his wife, Deborah Flora.  “As a veteran and filmmaker working in Hollywood, it is a privilege to be able to support our troops and first responders through our medium.  The spirit of service and commitment to the greater good has always served as an example to me.  At its core, this movie is about remembering those who are willing to lay down their lives for others and those who are left behind.  Gary Sinise is a man who has chosen to remember and to honor.  Gary truly is the Bob Hope of this generation.” 

Lt. Dan Band: For the Common Good is a moving documentary that transcends genres.  

With an amazing soundtrack and special appearances by Academy Award winners Jon Voight and Robert Duvall, as well as Raquel Welch, Connie Stevens, John Ratzenberger and more, this film is one of those rare movies that entertains even as it inspires and has been praised by Hollywood filmmakers Jerry Bruckheimer and Ron Howard, NBA Hall Of Fame Coach Pat Riley, and many more. 

Gary Sinise will be in attendance tonight for the evening screening of the film and I’m confident you Hoosiers will come out and show him a warm welcome. 

I know that Big Hollywood readers will want to get out and support this fantastic documentary.  To check out the trailer, find out more about the movie and to stay tuned about its upcoming release, please visit the official website, LtDanBandMovie.com.

Robert Davi and Connie Stevens

Jimmy Kimmel, producer Douglas DeLuca and some of Los Angeles’ most prominent Italian-American citizens created The San Gennaro Foundation to benefit underprivileged children and the homeless in Los Angeles.

Master of Ceremonies, Mark DeCarlo, hosted the evening’s celebration that featured performances by Pete Jacobs’ Wartime Radio Review, an old-fashioned USO show, complete with a swinging band.  Actors Connie Stevens and Robert Davi were recognized for their charitable work, especially their work with our military.

I arrived early and was able to sample much of the food that’s available at the Feast.  I had purposely skipped dinner so I was ready to dive in.  I stopped by a booth run by “Nonna” (Italian for “grandma”) and she gave me a sample of some biscotti that was out of this world.  When I came back for seconds, she shooed me away with a wink while surreptitiously slipping some more biscotti into my hand.  If you get a chance, look up Frankie’s Old World Biscotti.  You won’t regret it.  Another standout was Pagano’s Seafood.  Don’t pass their booth without buying something.

More people were arriving every minute and I began to recognize some faces.  Joe Mantegna, John Krasinski, David Arquette and Robert Picardo were just a few that I instantly recognized.  The working class Italian actors were out in force.  You know, guys that you’ve seen a million times but might not know their name. It felt like I was walking through a Scorsese movie.

One of the highlights of the evening, for me, was that I got to meet composer Bill Conti and tell him that his Rocky II soundtrack helped get me through boot camp.  Every time they’d take us out to run, I’d start playing that music in my head.  I’m sure he’s heard it hundreds of times before but Bill took it in stride.  A nice man.

I also bumped into actor Ed Marinaro and his lovely wife and stopped to chat.  I’d met Ed once or twice before and after the “Joe Cervasio” round of “Six Degrees of Angelo Commandatore,” we became fast friends.

FYI, “fast friends” at the intersection of Hollywood and Jersey goes something like this:

“Hey!  How you doin’?”
“Hey!  Good!  How’re you?”
“Good!  Yeah!  The last time I saw you was at the thing!”
“Yeah… Wait.  Which thing?”
“The thing!  That thing with the guy!”
“Oh, yeah!  How you doin’?”

We talked a bit about the evening and about our military.   Ed said he felt proud that such a big event in the Italian-American community was recognizing and honoring what they do; not only Italian-Americans but all Americans that serve in our Armed Forces.  He went on to say that “they should all be here to enjoy themselves and sample the food” and that if they weren’t Italian now, “they’d convert.”

Soon, Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla introduced Robert Davi.  Robert spoke about his Sicilian grandfather who came to America, enlisted in the infantry and received two Purple Hearts for wounds received during World War I. “The American flag was always revered and the American serviceman was always revered.  That’s the image I grew up with and my father grew up with.”

Robert went on to tell about his father who enlisted in the Navy after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and once spent three days in the water after his ship had been torpedoed.  He said that, although his father never spoke about his wartime experiences, “every 4th of July, every Veteran’s Day, every Memorial Day, my dad raised the American flag in our back yard and put on his Navy uniform until the day he died at fifty-six years old.  That’s the image… that’s the respect and the love for this country that I got as an Italian-American.”

Next, Jimmy and Adam introduced the lovely Connie Stevens.  She was happy to substantiate her Italian credentials by sharing her real name, Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingolia.  “You all think Connie Francis is the Italian girl?  It’s me!” she joked.  “And I make better sauce than she does.”  Okay, that part probably wasn’t a joke.  One of the many things I’ve learned from my wife is that Italian girls do not joke about sauce.

After some playful flirting with Jimmy Kimmel, Connie talked about her dedication to the American military.  “As long as I’m alive, I’m going to do it.”  She has been entertaining the troops for more than forty years.  “I have held young men’s hands in the deepest parts of the jungles, in hospitals all over the world and on every major base.  They are America’s greatest assets and we’ve got to let them know that we have their backs.  Every time you get a chance, stop somebody at an airport and say, ‘Thank you’. Give them a hundred bucks if you can afford it.”

Finally, Pete Jacobs’ Wartime Radio Review took the stage and tore into “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”.  That really lit up the WWII vets in attendance. At that point, it was getting late.  I decided to take my leave, full of great food and thinking of Uncle Pete Cavo.

This year’s event, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and comedian Adam Carolla, with Mark DeCario as Master of Ceremonies, is structured around honoring the service of Italian-Americans who served during World War II. There will be appearances by special guests like Connie Stevens and Robert Davi, as well as performances by the Peter Jacobs Wartime Radio Review. Moreover, the entire event will be broadcast as a live USO show for our Military personnel overseas. (Way to go, USO!!!)

While typing this post, I was able to catch up with Robert Davi and get his take on the Feast of San Gennaro and his ties to the Italian-American experience in World War II:

AWR: What is it about being involved in The San Gennaro Foundation’s “Feast of LA” that means so much to you?

Robert Davi: As a small boy, my Grandfather on my mother’s side would take me to the San Gennaro Festival in New York. My mother’s side of the family is Napolitan, and since the Feast of San Gennaro originally comes from Naples, this was a big deal. It was absolutely magical!

There were people of all nationalities, booths with Italian foods, and a festive atmosphere. These are some of my fondest memories.

Moreover, two years ago I was the Grand Marshall of the Feast in Little Italy. For the Feast to have taken hold in Los Angeles where I’ve lived since the early ‘80s is terrific. And for this year to carry the theme of honoring the Italian-American contribution in World War II is especially poignant for me because of my heritage.

AWR: Why is the Italian-American experience in World War II especially dear to you?

Robert Davi: My father’s father, Frank Davi, came from Sicily in the early 1900s. He enlisted in the US infantry and fought during World War I, where he received two Purple Hearts and an Oak Leaf Cluster. My father Salvatore, whose first language was Italian, enlisted in the Navy right before World War II. He was a Navy Gunner on a Merchant Marine ship. His ship was torpedoed and he was in the water on a raft for three days. He too received a Purple Heart.

Every year on Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and the Fourth of July, my father would raise the American flag and put on his Navy Uniform. He did this until dying in his mid-fifties.

Also, five of my mother’s brothers enlisted for World War II and fought in major Battles. As did my Godfather, Anthony Mignano. He was my father’s best friend growing up, and ended up flying a record number of missions on a bomber for the Air Force.

This is the Italian-American experience. And while we are proud of our Italian Heritage, being an American was (and is) a privilege. My Grandfather struggled to learn English and the children were taught to respect the gift this nation gives to its immigrants. These are values we must make take pains to protect because they are under siege by a complacent disrespect and a growing disregard for the dream that brought so many here.

AWR: What would you say to people who are thinking about coming to the feast but are still unsure?

Robert Davi: If you have not yet purchased tickets, please do so knowing it will be a fun and inspiring evening, with a ton of great food and friendship.

Please come and support this worthy cause.

More information on “The 9th Annual Precious Cheese Feast of San Gennaro” can be found at: www.feastofla.org

This week’s Washington Times column:

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. | After spending two weeks on something akin to a fact-finding mission in depressed New York and depleted Washington, D.C., I found no answers to our nation’s mounting ills. I discovered that there is much to be angry about and unlimited reasons for deep concern. But on the evening after my return, the stars aligned on the outskirts of Los Angeles at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, and for a brief moment I felt safe again in America.

On Saturday, my wife and I were privileged to attend the second annual “Celebration of Freedom Gala.” We joined more than 1,000 others who, like us, were electrified to honor 43 of the 98 living Medal of Honor recipients. We also gave our thanks to former first lady Nancy Reagan, war hero and actor Charles Durning, and Gen. David H. Petraeus.

In between courses, we heard rousing patriotic vignettes. One was Steve Amerson’s refreshingly traditional and soaring national anthem. Another was a tear-inducing “Freedom Never Cries” from John Ondrasik of Five for Fighting. Scores of celebrities donning black ties and gowns mingled with our nation’s highest-decorated veterans and active-duty men and women.

Unlike at other awards shows, this star-studded crowd honored something bigger than themselves. I note this without taking anything away from the individual achievements of talented artists who have paid homage to every cause under the sun. But this event was different. The armed forces of the United States have fought and died to protect the freedom of expression that allowed these artists to ply their trade.

Before the program commenced at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, one prominent actor sang the praises of HBO’s “Taking Chance” to a Vietnam-era Medal of Honor recipient. The film is not just another Hollywood attack on the military. Quite the contrary. “I watched it with my son, and we both cried,” the well-known face from film and television told a true hero. “It is deeply respectful and not in the least bit political.”

The same could be said of the dinner. Partisanship was not on the bill as dozens of decorated veterans of unknown partisan stripe stood to accept the audience’s unconditional and rousing appreciation.

Tom Selleck presented the “Lifetime Achievement Award” to a frail yet still elegant Mrs. Reagan, who received the first extended standing ovation of the evening. The 87-year-old former first lady was making her first public appearance since fracturing her pelvis and sacrum in October. She summoned the courage to accept the award in front of a cross-section of people who have grown to admire her during her half-century in Hollywood and in public service.

Gary Sinise, a Presidential Citizens Medal recipient and the event’s co-sponsor, delivered the Bob Hope Award for Excellence in Entertainment to Charles Durning, whose courage and grit during World War II earned him the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts. The 86-year-old star of “The Sting” and “Dog Day Afternoon” received a hero’s welcome worthy of both his military and film career.

Mr. Sinise asked attendees to commit themselves to entertaining the troops and singled out one actor/singer who had done so in spades: Connie Stevens, who labored for 40 years for the USO. Miss Stevens, still beautiful and radiant at 70, accepted the extended and deserved standing ovation.

You can read the column in full here.