12 Finalists Announced For 8th TOMATOES GOT TALENT, October 11

12 outstanding women over 40 have been hand-picked to appear in the finals of the 8th annual "Tomatoes Got Talent" contest at The Triad Theatre, 158 West 72nd Street, on Tuesday October 11 at 7pm.

Co-produced and hosted by Randie Levine-Miller (who also performs), the finals feature performances in an array of styles and disciplines, and are always full of laughs, affirmation and the occasional show-stopping triumph.

Open to talented women over 40 who have made their marks and their livings outside of the entertainment world, "Tomatoes Got Talent" is sponsored by the women's lifestyle media company Thethreetomatoes.com, and is co-produced by its publisher Cheryl Benton.

This year's blue-ribbon jury consists of the stage, film and television actress (and two-time Tony nominee) Beth Fowler; the Tony Award-winning producer Pat Addiss, and the multi award-winning cabaret/jazz singer, host and columnist Sue Matsuki. They will choose four runner-ups and one winner!

Special guest performers are Alice Levine, who was a runner-up in 2014, and, in a crowd-pleasing duet, Tomatoes Got Talent first winner Karen Nason (2014) with the beloved cabaret performer Sidney Myer. The show's music director is Paul Chamlin.

The 2020 Tomatoes contest was uprooted due to the pandemic, but the 2021 edition took place as planned in October 2021. Robin Lyon Gardiner, a full-time real estate broker, was chosen as the winner.

Here they are, the 2022 finalists:

Ellen Autwarter is a lawyer who does marketing for a law firm.

Mary Calamia is a psychotherapist in private practice

Pam Hamilton is a music teacher of string instruments at the Promise Academy in Harlem

Marge Helenchild is a retired licensed massage therapist

Mimi Lines is a recently retired commercial real estate lawyer

Jean Marcley has been blind for over 60 years and loves doing standup. She also conducts workshops on self-esteem and teaches line dancing.

Ellen Orchid is a retired psychiatrist who did her residency at Bellevue.

Deborah Raymar is a retired speech-language teacher in NYC

Aleta St. James is a nationally renowned energy healer and author

Leslee Warren is an administrator at an investment bank.

Judy Wong in an International English Educator, a life coach and energy healer

Deborah Zecher is a rabbi, one of the first 50 women ordained in this country.

"We've developed some cachet over the years, and our reputation continues to grow," says Levine-Miller, "Many started out to be performers, but segued into other careers, including doctors, psychologists, lawyers, corporate executives, teachers and entrepreneurs, to name a few.

Several participants and winners have used the contest to jump-start professional and semi-professional careers. Susan Mack an emerging bright star in New York cabaret scene has been nominated for a MAC best female vocalist award in 2019, and again this year for her "Music in the Air" show at Birdland. Tomatoes Got Talent alumi Angela Leone and Sheree Sano (the 2018 winner) also were 2019 MAC Award nominees, and Teresa Fischer was awarded the 2019 MAC Hanson Award. The 2019 runner-up Taffy Jaffe, a retired psychotherapist who passed away earlier this year, was enjoying new success as a rising New York comic.

Levine-Miller has produced, hosted and entertained at countless star-studded musical entertainment events. Her regular "Randie's Roundtables" at Sardi's, (and now virtually as well), bring together theater insiders and major stars, for story-filled off-the-record lunches. (These are by invitation only.) Her theater column, "Broadway Babe," distributed by www.thethreetomatoes.com and www.theaterlife.com, consistently uncovers amazing clips, secrets, and insights about major stars past and present, to which she adds her own, often hilarious anecdotes.

Contest co-creator Cheryl Benton is growing the Thethreetomatoes franchise to include book publishing and special events. Through the popular online newsletter Thethreetomatoes.com ("The Insider's Website for Women Who Aren't Kids") she cheers women of all walks and ages to reach for new heights and experience new possibilities and adventures.

For tickets to experience this year's bumper crop of talent at the 8th annual "Tomatoes Got Talent" contest at The Triad Theatre, 158 West 72nd Street, on Tuesday October 11 at 7pm, visit www.thethreetomatoes.com. Tickets are $35 with a two-drink minimum. Streaming tickets cost $20 are also available at www.thethreetomatoes.com A portion of the contest's proceeds benefit The National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

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