Nelson Aspen to Set Sail with New Cabaret Offering: 'Songs & Stories from the Hollywood Insider'

Veteran Entertainment Personality, author and cabaret star Nelson Aspen is preparing to take his act way out of town as part of the distinguished "54 Below at Sea" series aboard the Azamara Quest's upcoming cruise around Australia, embarking from Sydney March 1 ("...As soon as I get through this year's Oscars," he enthuses.)

No stranger to the Land Down Under, Nelson is celebrating his 16th Anniversary as the Entertainment Editor of Australia's #1 morning show, Sunrise. In addition to thousands of celebrity interviews, red-carpet coverage, live news reports and behind-the-scenes stories, he has parlayed his journalism career into a winning series of cabaret shows that have sold out venues ranging from the Adelaide Cabaret Festival and Sydney Opera House to London's West End and clubs in NYC, LA and Philadelphia. "Hollywood's Happiest Personality," he is known to millions as their "one degree of separation" from all things Showbiz.

Capitalizing on his broadcasting expertise (he recently received his 4th nomination by the Publicists Guild of America for the "International Media Award" to be presented at the Beverly Hilton on Oscars weekend), his new offerings for the Azamara cruise line will incorporate not only his signature style of music and storytelling, but an Audio/Visual component with clips from his decades of reporting and interactive celebrity-themed moments for his audiences. "I can honestly say these shows have been a quarter century in the making," Nelson laughs, "...and I've got the video to prove it!"

Joined by his musical director, Mitchell Kaplan, Nelson's repertoire includes not only selections from the Great American Songbook, but standards and surprises from the worlds of Popular Culture and the Silver Screen.