Zombies, Zero G and Frozen Tootsies
Quote: “Don’t wait for others, create your own destiny!” – Fran Capo
Focus: Everything you did in your life has brought you to the exact place you are now. Good, Bad or indifferent, this is where you are. Now decide what really fulfills your heart. Go after that with a gusto and passion, but remember to balance all areas of your life as well and enjoy the journey and each mini destination along the way.
Hey Guys,
Well 2018 was quit an adventure filled year. Here’s a quick Capo recap on what transpired in “Fran’s World” and lessons I learned. Remember, these are only the highlights…enjoy! May they bring a smile to your face?
January 2018
Jamaica- Stuck on a Ski- lift
Once again myself, Steve and cousin’s Lisa and Jeff were off to Ocho, Rios in Jamaica. I who am super shy, when it comes to my body anyway, – agreed to do a body massage outside above the beach in a secret alcove. We were told no one would even know we were there. Didn’t want any gawkers.
So there we are in the middle of the massage and then when it came time to flip over, a bunch of people on beach start waving and giving us the thumbs up! So much for being hidden. Thank goodness I had on a towel.
But the biggest kick of the trip was when Steve and I were riding up a ski to Bobsled in Jamaica (come on you remember the movie.) Anyway on the way up I joked, “So Steve if we got stuck on this thing would you climb down? He laughed, “That ain’t gonna happen.” But I like playing “just in case” scenarios. Lo and behold, the message went out to the universe and was received. After a day of bob sledding as we were heading down the ski lift back to our car, the ski lift stopped. Yup we were stuck! We were in a place that it was only about a 15 foot drop, so I said to Steve, “It ain’t gonna happen huh?” He shrugged. After about 20 minutes, I said, “You know at some point we may have to pee. Not so bad for you, but for me it could be a problem. I say we jump onto those trees on your side and avoid rolling down the hill hundreds of feet on my side.” We were plotting our Indiana Jones type move, when a Jamaican guy on the ground yelled up to us, “Don’t worry mon, you’d be down soon. We going to fix it.” I replied, “No worries we are going to jump down, we’ll be fine mon.” He was panicked, “No, no just stay put mon.”
I told him our plan and he made me promise I wouldn’t jump. He started to panic, I said, “Nope, I can’t promise it seems like too much fun if we try. We’ll be just like James Bond.” Of course I recorded our interaction.
Producing and Performing Laughter events continue through the year.
So what’s better than producing random acts of laughter throughout the world? Doing that, but also having a home base, which is what I did as we continue to produce Dinner Comedy Shows at Taormina’s Restaurant in Peekskill, now in our 3rd year! This year we had a reviewer come to our show and she loved it. I get such a kick out of working with my fantastic, comedy veteran friends and creating a home base to do my stand up. (It’s our Gaslight to Mrs. Mazel) More shows to come in 2019, stay tuned in your email inbox for more details.
February 2018 – Highlights
MY LABS FOR LIFE
I’ve been doing a series of video’s on health, and the one I did on Glyphosate and it’s dangers caught the eye of MyLabsForlife.com (https://mylabsforlife.com/health-resources/) and Dr. Stephanie Senoff PHD senior research scientist at MIT and one of the worlds foremost experts in researching how glyphosate affects the Human body. So now, I’m now listed on their website! So cool. Nothing like mixing humor with health to get the point across. (https://francapo.com/how-to-test-for-glyphosate/)
(BTW, This was long before the high profile lawsuit on glyphosate was in the news about it causing cancer.)
Knights of Columbus…close to home
Capo Comedy Productions has now joined forces with the Knights of Columbus in Carmel, New York to produce dinner comedy shows for their members and outside patrons. It takes place in their headquarters where a picture of a priest is on the wall facing the stage. Nothing like a friendly reminder to be funny without using every bad word in the book. (Luckily nothing a few Hail Mary’s can’t cure.) If you want to have me produce a show for you just email or text me!
March 2018
Entertaining to celebrate Lou Costello’s Birthday inside Patterson Library
My good friend, Dale Killian invited me to a birthday bash for the late great comedic genius of Lou Costello at the Patterson Library in NJ. You know from the “Who’s on First” routine duo. Friar, Bob Goldberg, did a few minutes of his comedy routine where Lou meets John Gotti in Court, Historical actor Kevin Titus was on site, and I did some fast-talking to amuse the audience and Lou Costello’s niece.
Top Australian TV “Morning Show” and snowstorms in NYC.
A fast talking documentary of my life was done on a show called, “The Wizard of Odd”. That led to me being featured in “Woman’s World Magazine”, which lead to me being on the top Morning Show in Australia called “The Morning Show on 7”!
Not an original name, but fantastic hosts! I had to battle a snowstorm to get to finally tape the show at the NYC station, but here’s the segment.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/the-morning-show/video/watch/39640261/worlds-fastest-talking-female/
Fran’s World Radio Show/Podcast
Years ago I was the weather girl and comic relief on WBLS-Radio in NYC. I’m back on radio as a host on Westchestertalkradio.com. I’ve done 17 episodes so far. It’s all about humor, health, happiness and living your dreams, with awesome guests telling you how they’ve done it. It airs the last Friday of every month from 1-2 pm EST. Here’s a sample show to listen to featuring World renowned Dr. Bob Goldman talking about how he made his millions.
April 2018
Cartoon French bulldog has fast talking New York Accent
One of my favorite things is to do voice-overs. (I’ve written a book on the subject). So I was thrilled when Heather Lehrman asked me, be the voice of a very sarcastic cartoon French bulldog. I asked her, “Do I need to have a French accent?” She said, “Nope, we love your New York accent as it is.” Yes! My good friend Tom Renner was another bulldog in the cartoon that drooled and slurped throughout the cartoon, luckily he’s a 7th degree black belt, and stunt man in real life and can kick anyone’s ass if they laugh at him J
Priests Kicking Ass and Repenting around the World
Speaking of Sensei Tom Renner, he and Mark Goldman made martial arts comedy short called, “Father and Father”, where two priests (one who is Jewish- long story) help out a mafia guy. I play the fast talking church woman who overhears a confessional and gets thrown in the trunk of a car by none other than, Master Kung Fu instructor Alan Goldberg, one of the most respected martial artists in the World and publisher of “Action Martial Arts Magazine.” Our movie won over 20 awards worldwide (Sasha Mitchell, Dr. Bob Goldman, Alli Berman, Chuck Zito, Art Camacho, Michael Baumbaum ) etc. too long to list all are also in it…check out. www.fatherandfatherthemovie.com to see the trailer.
May 2018
Sat Jan 12, 2018 – “Outrageous Acts of Science” Taping
Remember back in March when I did the TV shows…well that lead to me getting a call by the Discovery Channel in the UK to be feature on their show called, Outrageous Acts of Science. I believe the episode is on season 10 called, “The fastest mother in the Valley” but I can’t seem to find it. If anyone can I’d be extremely grateful! Anyway, they came to my house, and taped every known possible angle of my face, lips, eyes etc. Reciting and spewing forth all info about my fast talking…Graham Evans was the fantastic location producer, and we had a blast, I even gave them some Italian cooking after our taping and they enjoyed it. Hey gotta treat our fellow Brits to some home cooking!
https://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/outrageous-acts-of-science/
Sun., May 20 – Zero G
On Valentine’s Day, Steve gave me the most awesome present, a trip to outer space, well actually the closest thing you can come to it on earth, a ride in an aircraft where you get to experience Zero Gravity. It took place 32,000 feet above Newark Airport with an outfit called, Zero G aka, the vomit comet…but hey why have me explain it if you can watch the video (don’t worry I was totally fine and nothing came out.) My good friend, Telly award winning TV host, Donna Drake came to watch the adventure and later feature it on her show Live it up! In July.
Let’s Watch the interview on: https://francapo.com/frans-zero-g-adventure/
May 26 – The Wild weekend at the Wilds
An awesome adventure to try…so awesome I did it twice. Once with one of my best childhood friends, Viv and another time with a troop (family and close friends.) The Wilds is a place in Cumberland Ohio…where you get to sleep in a Yurt (I love that word) and zip line over endangered animals (as long as you don’t weigh more than an elephant or 250 pounds to be exact)…it’s a wild sanctuary where you can feed giraffe and pet Rhino’s…plus so much more…and you do all this in an open air jeep with a trained and very knowledgeable tour guides. You even learn how Rhino poop piles act as GPS’s for Rhino’s.
June 2018
Actors Temple – Love doing this yearly fundraiser for the temple and Rabbi Jill Hausman. I’m one of the few shickza’s that does it. The Actors Temple is a famous place in NYC located at 339 W 47th street, in Hells Kitchen. It’s been around since 1917. Famed actors and singers like Al Jolson, Jack Benny, The Three Stooges, Ed Sullivan, Frank Sinatra, Sophie Tucker, Joe Franklin etc were members or performed there. I perform every year with Friars Bob Goldberg and Nancy Lombardo. My dear Radio host and childhood friend, George Bettinger also did a special there, and so when he passed a few months later, a bunch of his close friends did a memorial service for him both at the Friars club in October and then had a plaque with his name placed on the wall at the temple in November next to his mentor Joe Franklin. It was a mixture of laughs and tears. We miss you George!
Marathon of Coasters in Disney with TMOM
Every year I do the annual TravelingMom.com Disney event where were review the top things to do in Disney. This year, I reviewed all the coasters and my favorite ride Avatar, where I actually cried on the ride! (check out the video.
https://francapo.com/fran-does-disney/ )
She said Yes!
I knew for weeks my son was going to propose to Heather, and man was it hard to keep a secret. Like mom like son, he did it in a unique style. He had the ring planted at the end of an Escape Room Experience, and when Heather found the final clue in a treasure chest there was a ring box with the word “Heather on top of it” It said, “Turn around” She did and there was my son kneeling with the ring. He had a whole romantic speech prepared but instead he was only able to get out the words, “Will you…and before he could finish, she jumped up and hugged him and shouted out “Yes!” Photos and videos snapped as his friends were all in on it. I however was in Peekskill about to go onstage at Taromina’s. The intro music started when he texted me, “She said Yes!!!” and so I did the only thing a good comic mother would do. I told the audience and then had them congratulate them on my iPhone.
July 2018
The Catacombs by Candlelight of Old St. Patrick Cathedral with Tommy the tour Guide. Talk about unique birthday gifts, my friend Lisa Wernick too me into the dark, eerie bowels of an old church where we hung out with some dead people…. and even though they weren’t talking we learned a lot about them!
https://youtu.be/q2oGr4wpJBk&t=8s
WOACA –Woman of a Certain Age telling all at Bear Mountain
So even though I’m 37 till I’m 97 and stickin’ to it, I got asked by my talented comedienne and producer friend, Carol Montgomery aka National Mom (The producer that I went to perform with in South Korea and the DMZ Zone with) to be in her award winning national touring show, WOACA. We bared it all, at Bear Mountain. I’m not talking skin flicks, but all our funny thoughts and insights to the audience The show is a hit around the country with people like Fran Dresher and Julia Scotti on the show as well. And Rumor has it, it may go to Showtime! Check out http://www.carolemontgomery.com/women-of-a-certain-age-comedy.html
Z Dead Zone – My first Zombie Flick
Robert Restro is a producer of award winning Zombie movies, and after meeting Ron Howard and having some celebrities do cameos in his films he asked me if I’d play myself in his latest Zombie flick called, Z Dead Zone. I also got one of my best friends 6 time Emmy award winner Janette in the film as well. We played best friends, and my method of killing the zombie that was attacking me was to fast talk it to death…no joke…the look on my neighbors faces when they happen to stumble on us shooting as the zombies came out of the lake in my backyard was priceless. Movie is due out soon. Check out IMBD listing: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8901952/
August 23
Finally! A New Speakers Reel
After doing speaking engagements around the world for past 20 years I thought it might be time to put together a new speakers reel. (Ya think?) Let me know how you like it, and please spread the word. https://francapo.com/speakers-reel/
Radio, Radio, Radio
Happy to have done a bunch of radio shows from Teresa Farell radio show at Governors Comedy club, my old stopping grounds, a radio show with serial Entrepreneurs Denise DiGregorio on “My Daily Drive”, and Ron Couming (RCS online and CEO Space International) to a radio show above a sex club in Wall Street called, http://chirpaboutit.com/live-radio-nyc/
Hey I get around! (But only in a good way.)
Sept 2018
Guitar playing Monkey in Virginia Beach
So I have this wonderful fan turned friend named Barbara Gosman… turns out she is a guitar teacher and taught a monkey named Gaitlan how to play the guitar… at least her version of it. So I drove down to Virginia Beach with my amazing friend, brain fitness and puzzle artist, Alli Berman, to have a dueling banjo’s moment with the monkey…it was love at first sight. Here’s a small clip of us playing together… mind you I have never played the guitar before in my life… while down there we also visited the world famous Edgar Cayce Museum, and guess what, because my book Hopeville the City of Light was channeled to me, it is now featured in the museum as well. Great Trip filled with laughs.
Sept 27 Cyrotherapy Freeze
Ever stay in a freezer for 3 minutes with no clothes on? Well I dragged my son to a Chyrotherapy session in Mt. Kisco to try it out. (We were in separate chambers!) We had to put on two pairs of socks and gloves and make sure our bodies didn’t touch the sides of the chamber (remember what happens when you stick a wet tongue on a lamppost…yeah. Supposed to revitalize you and help any inflammation…figured I’d give it a try…the longest 3 minutes of my life. After Antarctica and polar bear plunges, I think I’m done with freezing my body for a while.
October
Spent the entire month of October, (10 -12 hour work days) writing the second edition of “Myths and Mysteries of New York” which will now be called, “New York Myths and Legends” (comes up better in an Amazon search J
It will come out Sept 1, 2019…my 21st book! I searched in gravesites in the rain, crawling in alien chamber, and found a hidden caves in Hoboken where a dead body washed up, just to bring these stories to you. Amazing how these places are right in the public eye and yet no one knows they exist!
November 2018 – Honored at Queens College in Celebrity Library
I’m a graduate of Queens College and on their wall of fame along with Ray Romano, Fran Dresher (who’s also In WOACA) and Jerry Seinfeld. So they asked any alumni who had written books to donate them to a special section of the Library called, Famous graduates. Happy to say 14 of my books are no in there achieves. Along the way I met a student who was in the moot court club like I was years ago…so who knows I may be speaking at the school as well.
December 2018
Donna Drake Cookie Exchange
My 7th year in a row going to Donna Drake’s annual cookie exchange where we all bake 7 dozen of our finest delectable cookies and share, sing and tell tales our favorite Christmas pasts. This year I did my fast talking rendition of “Twas night before Christmas” and Newsday was there to cover Donna’s event as always.
Christmas Eve and the Gold Rush
Quiet Christmas at home with Husband, Son Spencer, his fiancée Heather and Kayak neighbors.
I lost a kayak once, and my neighbors found one, except it wasn’t ours, but that’s how our friendship began…and so our good Jewish neighbors joined us for Christmas Dinner, after all Jesus was Jewish, and we were having deep fried turkey not Chinese food. Gave out lottery tickets, and we panned for gold in my kitchen sink…and yes everyone found some gold in their sand and went home happy.
New Years Eve and a very sharp way to bring in 2019!!!
Normally I do the midnight run in Central park, but not wanting to get caught in a torrential down pour decided to have an impromptu party at our house instead with order in Italian food… And to start off the new year we went Hackett throwing in Paramus…nope, it’s not the name of a new movie…he’s a sneak preview of a clip of me burying the hatchet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-jc08CSzwg
May all your wishes come true for a happy adventure tilled New Year with love, health, success and tons of laughter.
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