THE GONG SHOW LIVE Comes to The Cutting Room, Now thru 10/3

The RadioChick, in association with Sony Television Pictures,
presents THE GONG SHOW LIVE, the greatest show in human history brought to life onstage for the first time on earth. The pre-off-Broadway-tryout-six-month-event will run tonight, May 2 - October 3 at The Cutting Room in New York City. 1,000 international acts were auditioned and 35 have been chosen. 14 will appear nightly.

Between the years of 1976 and 1981 THE GONG SHOW was aired to millions of households in six countries where it collected billions of dollars from its advertisers. It was one of the most recognized brands in the worldwide pop culture lexicon. Its very title promised a good time. Guaranteed. Money back. Good time. Designed and built specifically for its audience, it delivered euphoric results to EVERYONE watching at home; but MOST importantly to EVERYONE in the Studio Audience. Hundreds and thousands of people barnstormed the NBC Studios in Burbank, California daily in the hopes of getting tickets to this runaway train. The real fun was being there and EVERYONE in America knew it. THE GONG SHOW experience was AUDIENCE-OBSESSED and manically driven by an elf-sized nuclear reactor called CHUCK BARRIS who reveled in the presentation of the famous $516.32 winner's check endorsed by the network's brass back at the Head Office, an office he was filling with mountains of cash from the 24 network shows he was single-handedly producing.

Executive Produced by Leslie Gold (The Award-Winning Radiochick) and produced by Emmy-Nominated Peppy Castro and Broadway's Kenn Lubin, THE GONG SHOW LIVE is an even better idea than The Gong Show on TV. It's LIVE. In a theatre. Where most of the 1970's American population wanted to be. Right there and up close with the lunacy.

And the most suited place on Earth for the show's LIVE DEBUT is NEW YORK (the city that delivers) and the beautiful new CUTTING ROOM ( 44 East 32 Street).

THE GONG SHOW LIVE will play the first Thursday of every month from tonight, May 2 through October 3: May 2, June 6, July 11, August 8, September 12 and October 3. The Doors open for FOOD and DRINK at 6:15pm. The lunacy begins at 7:30pm. The crowd-control is usually instituted by 8:15pm.

Leslie Gold hired New York Casting Director, Robert Russell, to cast THE GONG SHOW LIVE. She wanted the best acts in the world. She wanted the most unique acts on earth. She wanted these acts to astonish, amaze, astound and stupefy the audience. She wanted better acts than anything on the networks. She wanted the impossible. Well. Mr. Russell auditioned over one thousand acts. Thirty-five were chosen. Fourteen of which will perform nightly. Mr. Russell delivered. Gong that!

The acts will be judged by a rotating panel of celebrity judges including Miss Gold, Dan Naturman, Chuck Nice and Ken Dashow. All judges have GONG privileges. The evening's wild abandonment is always controlled by handsome host, Ray Ellin.

THE GONG SHOW 10 ORCHESTRA:
Keyboard - Frank Pisani
Guitar -Artie Dillon
Bass- Jimmy Caputo
Drums-Felipe Torres/Peter Greco
Musical Director- Frank Pisani

TICKETS: $35 & $49. Go to gongshowlive.net ("shows").

Leslie Gold (Executive Producer/Judge)
Leslie Gold is an accomplished broadcaster based in NYC with a 12 year record of success. Currently she is heard on 150 stations across The Fox News Radio Network. Gold is a persuasive, provocative and compelling communicator who is always well-informed. Her television experience includes hosting a program of her own, and recurring guest spots on numerous news and entertainment outlets. "The Radiochick" has inspired intense audience loyalty, and has achieved remarkable ratings success in many desired demos. Her previous history as a successful entrepreneur provides credibility and perspective to all Gold's on-air work. Gold is also Executive Producer and rights holder of "The Gong Show Live - Off Broadway" a professional, theatrical recreation of the iconic television show.

RADIO
Created, built and hosted "The Radiochick Show" for 10 years (1999-2009) in NYC, a daily 4 hour talk show combining news discussions, interviews with celebrities and newsmakers, comedy and undercover segments. At WNEW, the Radiochick rapidly took the show from 17th to 3rd among men. Hosting the morning show at Q104.3, she was the only woman headlining a morning drive radio show in New York. In little more than a year she delivered the highest morning show ratings in the station's history. At Sirius Satellite Radio she created one of the most popular and exciting shows on the service, and one day collapsed the company's phone system from caller overload. While at CBS Radio/WFNY, she was given the ever-important afternoon drive timeslot, was syndicated to other markets, and headlined her own event at the Hard Rock Café in New York City which was filled to capacity and had fans lining up for hours to attend. Gold has also maintained an excellent relationship with advertisers, with many sponsors loyally following her as her program evolved over time. Gold was invited to guest host on the Fox News Radio Network, an invitation which turned into a recurring host position on the 150 station network.

TELEVISION
Host of the "The Radiochick on the Prowl" which was specifically created for Time Warner's Metro Channel. In addition to her own show, Leslie has made many other television appearances including Larry King Live, Nightline, The CBS Early Show, ABC Nightly News, MSNBC,CNBC, CNN, Fox News, WB11 News. In 2004 she was a recurring contributor to Fox's Good Day NY. She appears often on the Fox Business Channel.

BUSINESS
Gold owned and operated Bishop Manufacturing Company a medium-sized window manufacturing firm, from 1986-1996. She oversaw, and was ultimately responsible for all strategic, financial, manufacturing, marketing and organizational decisions. At age 25, with little net worth, she landed a 5 million dollar loan from a bank to purchase the then 55 employee company. Gold ran the company for 10 years, long paid off the loan, grew the business to 3 manufacturing locations with 160 employees, supplying hundreds of commercial and residential contractors with custom made windows and doors. In 1996 she sold the business to a Fortune 100 company for many times the purchase price.

EDUCATION
MBA, Harvard Graduate School of Business. 1983-1985
BA, Syracuse University, Newhouse School of Communications, and School of Management (dual degree).

THE GONG SHOW LIVE BRASS:

Ray Ellin (Host) is a featured performer in NYC's hottest Comedy Clubs and a regular weekend emcee at the world famous Comic Strip Live. He served as TBS' emcee at the Las Vegas Comedy Festival. Ray has performed at hundreds of colleges and Comedy Clubs around the country, and has racked up an impressive list of television credits including appearances on HBO, FOX, VH1, DISCOVERY, ABC, NBC, and England's Mancs vs. Yanks. Ray was also profiled on Dateline NBC, in which it was discovered that his blood pressure actually drops right before he goes on stage! Known for his ability to ad-lib and improvise with any crowd, Ray has become one of the most sought-after hosts for corporate and charity events. Ray's ability as a comedic auctioneer has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for worthwhile causes.Ray was the popular host of LateNet with Ray Ellin, the first comedy/variety show to simultaneously combine both in-studio and interactive online audiences. The show features A-List celebrities, top comedians, and musical guests including Chevy Chase, Hank Azaria, Leonard Nimoy, Paul Shaffer, Fran Drescher, and more.

CHUCK NICE (Judge) is a 14 year veteran of Stand Up comedy with a rich history in television and radio. For eight years he was the comic relief on the Radiochick Show, bringing the funny to New York's radio air waves. During that time Chuck was equally busy making a name for himself on the small screen. He is a regular contributor to the Today Show as well as an occasional substitute host. Other credits include: Vh-1's Best Week Ever, WE TV's Cinematherapy, The CBS Early Show, The Mike & Juliet Show, Tru TV's World's Dumbest Criminals, MSNBC contributor, The Insider and his own one hour specials on the Discovery Network titled Proof, and hosted "Home Strange Home" on HGTV. Despite his busy schedule Chuck still finds time to hit the clubs, delighting audiences with story telling brand of stand up comedy. Other television credits include: Appearances on Show Biz Tonight, hosting the red carpet pre-show for the Independent Spirit Awards, as well as commercials for Walmart, Enterprise Car Rental, Eclipse Gum and Ikea.

Ken Dashow (Judge) is a beloved New York veteran radio personality broadcasting for 15 years at New York City's only classic rock station WAXQ-FM (l04.3 FM). He is also an accomplished playwright, screenwriter, director, actor and stand-up comedian. Aside from his radio persona, Ken is also the author of "Da-Show Must Go On," a six-play collection of his one-act plays that has been published by The Dramatist's Play Service after a successful Off-Broadway run. He has also written several films, including the infamous cable classic "The Naked Detective;" has acted in his self-penned projects "The Naked Detective" and "Rock & Roll is Dead...Trust Me," a one-man show, which enjoyed a run at the Soho Playhouse, and was featured on TV during 2005's opener of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," where he played a radio-show producer! In addition, Ken has directed several music videos, local commercials, a children's video, numerous stage plays in New York and a host of other projects. Ken's most recent play, "The Wing Ding Doodle Club," premiered at the NY Fringe Festival in 2005, and is set to continue at a yet-undisclosed Off Broadway location. His additional stage credits include "The Ponzi Man" at the NY Fringe Festival; "Grandma Sylvia's Funeral" at The Soho Playhouse, "Beyond Therapy" at the Meisner Theatre.

Robert Russell (Casting Director/Producer) A-list casting director with over 25 years under his belt. Robert Is a unique casting director with a talent for finding the unusual. He has worked for such heavyweights as Warner Brothers, Telepictures, Mark Burnett, Merv Griffin Entertainment, VH1 and every major television network. Robert cast such monster television shows as "Survivor", "Big Brother", "The Bachelor", "The Apprentice", "Change of Heart" "VH1's My Generation" "The Seach for the next Pussycat Doll" and "Rock Star INXS", to name just a few. In the reality TV world Robert Russell is known as "The Go To Casting Guru". In addition, Robert has been tapped to cast full length feature films such as "Burlesque", and "Go Go Tales". Robert's interest in The Gong Show comes from his love for the original show and the challenge of replicating and elevating Chuck Barris' vision on stage

Peppy Castro (Producer) A prolific and accomplished jingle composer, Peppy's fun, catchy work has effectively sold millions of products to happy consumers for decades. Budweiser, Chevy, Bounty, Kodak and Nestle's Crunch are just a few of the clients who've tapped Peppy's skills. He is also an in-demand musical composer and collaborator, having worked with Diana Ross, Cher, Kiss, Michael Bolton and Joan Jett. Peppy is also an Emmy-nominated artist, and an award winning playwright, and a founding member of the legendary rock group "The Blues Magoos".

KENN LUBIN (Producer) This Grammy Award winning designer has been acclaimed for his graphic work with major Recording Artists such as The Rolling Stones, Sam Cooke, John Lennon, The Police, Yoko Onno, The Stranglers, Nils Lofgren, Joan Armatrading, Herbie Mann, Bob Marley, Phil Spector and Richie Havens. For over thirty five years, Kenn Lubins' many talents have gone beyond graphic arts to Production and Management. His far-reaching career has also illustrated the strength of numbers; as several of his collaborations with his reputed peers have struck creative gold. Mr. Lubin took his design expertise one step further to motion graphics. Teaming up with CBS Emmy Award-winning art director, Bill Sunshine. Together they focused on computer animation, set design, test commercials, special effects, paint box, broadcast graphics and industrials. It was during this time, he created the current graphics for Television's 60 Minutes, NBC and ABC's World News. He worked at Serino Coyne Inc, the Broadway power house advertising agency, as head of their Creative Services Department. All the service groups that helped develop the finished advertising product, were placed under his skilled leadership. Some of Serino Coyne's highly visible clients included AT&T Arts, Radio City Music Hall Productions, Sunset Blvd., Miss Saigon, Cats, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Gypsy, Bloomberg Radio and Television, Fiddler on the Roof, Will Rogers Follies, Grand Hotel, The Life, City of Angels, The Piano Lesson, Lost in Yonkers, Public Theatre, Five Guys Named Moe, Guys and Dolls, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Disney Theatricals, Lion King, and Victor Victoria. In 1999 Kenn left Serino Coyne to pursue his love for outdoor signage. He joined noted theatrical signage Company King Displays Inc. Since his arrival at King Displays, he has created every form of outdoor signage and out-of home Advertising imaginable. He has fabricated and installed some of the freshest signage for over 1300 Broadway and Off Broadway theatrical productions. He has created a 15' x 45' channel neon cutout disco figure for the Broadway show Saturday Night Fever, an illuminated marquee chaser light sign for 42nd street, an unusual banner installation for Chicago, banner and flag installations for Urine Town, Jersey Boys, Chicago, Les Miserables, a 50' x 23' rear illuminated sign for Mama Mia, an 8' x 25' neon sign for la boheme , a barricade installation for CBS Television 75th Anniversary Celebration, installation of a neon dimensional sparkle letter sign for the Broadway musical Chicago and a Diecut dimensional sign for Bombay Dreams. He has wrapped buses with vinyl graphics for the likes of the Broadway productions Tommy, Guys and Dolls, My Fair Lady and wrapped buildings and barricades with full color vinyl graphics. Most recently Kenn completed signage installations for Spiderman, Phantom of the Opera "25th anniversary," Manilow On Broadway, Book of Mormon, Nice Work, Once, Kinky Boots, Motown, Lucky Guy and Matilda. He has received numerous Gold and Platinum Records for his work in the Recording Industry. Most recently he received a Grammy Award for his work on Sam Cooke "The Legend" DVD. A just completed Box Record collection for "The Rolling Stones" 1969 Tour of The United States, won two major graphic awards.

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