Roy Firestone Brings His ONE MAN SHOW To Jewish Family Services Of The Desert For One Very Special Performance

Roy Firestone Brings His ONE MAN SHOW To Jewish Family Services Of The Desert For One Very Special Performance, Sunday, November 17 at 3:00 pm at the UC Riverside Palm Desert Campus. Critically acclaimed as a performer, monologist, humorist, musician and impressionist, Roy Firestone, the seven-time Emmy® Award and seven-time Cable ACE Award winner, has performed in more than 2,000 venues spanning over two decades. He has shared the stage with performers Josh Groban, Reba McEntire, David Foster, Forest Whitaker, and Bon Jovi. As an actor, Firestone was featured in the Academy Award-winning film Jerry Maguire, where he played himself in an unforgettable and often repeated scene with Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding Jr. I had the opportunity to catch up with Mr. Firestone as he was preparing for his desert performance. Here are a few excerpts from that conversation:

DG: Where are you from, and how did your life lead you into a career in entertainment and broadcasting?

RF: I'm originally from Miami Beach Florida, and I grew up as something of a child performer...I was also the spring training batboy for the Baltimore Orioles baseball team..and actually performed many routines for the players in the clubhouse...that led me to seek a career in sports broadcasting or performing...or BOTH...And that's what I am doing about 45 years later!!

DG: Critics and fans and peers have used so many wonderful superlatives to describe you -- how would you best describe yourself?

RF: Affable, self-effacing, sincere, caring, and very much a promoter of kindness and compassion.I llove to make people laugh.

DG: What was the best advice you ever received about following a career in entertainment, and who was that from?

RF: Be authentically you. Don't give in to expectations from others as to what you should and shouldn't do in terms of your own dreams.

DG: Did you have any role models or mentors as you were beginning your career?

RF: Role models include #1 Sammy Davis Jr, as a model of versatility..but people like Ted Koppel, Bob Costas and my close friend broadcaster Steve Edwards who all showed me real-life examples of excellence.

DG: What impact did they have on your trajectory?

RF: All of them inspired and gave me a model for which to aspire to.

DG: What would you consider to be your proudest professional accomplishment so far?

RF: Professionally speaking, I had the opportunity to perform many fundraisers with Muhammad Ali...but interviewing people like Richard Nixon, Jimmy Stewart, Miles Davis, and others was thrilling...My greatest ": accomplishment" was in fronting a charity that has raised more than 4 million dollars for disadvantaged kids..Because giving is what life is all about.

DG: On the converse, what is something you want to try or accomplish in your career that still remains on your bucket list?

RF: I would like to sing with the Boston Pops...and there WAS some interest from them when they heard me sing.

DG: Talk a little bit about your book, That's What I'm Talking About. What inspired and propelled you to write it and what do you hope readers will take away from it?

RF: I am a storyteller and these are some snippets and some long-form storytelling...and experiences I had in broadcasting. I love to surprise my readers with stories they never heard before. But mostly I want to inspire and entertain at the same time.

DG: What can audiences expect from your performance for Jewish Family Services in the desert?

RF: Variety, music, impressions, storytelling, and tons of inspiration ... not all of the show is sports, either.

DG: Tell me one thing about you that nobody would ever know by looking at your resume.

RF: I am much more musical than I am a "sports person".

DG: Finally -- your advice for people, young people in particular, who aspire for a career in entertainment and/or broadcasting?

RF: Don't let ANYONE tell you what and who you seek to become. I had a lot of doubters and detractors in becoming a performer-broadcaster and none of them had any idea what would come for me. I like to think I proved them wrong.

Don't miss Roy Firestone on Sunday, November 17 at 3:00 pm at the UC Riverside Palm Desert Campus. All proceeds benefit the community programs supported by the JFS Desert Auxiliary. UC Riverside Palm Desert Campus Theatre. Tickets: General Admission $40 and VIP Show and Reception $125. www.JFSDesert.org or 760-325-4088 ext. 107.