Composer Bernie Bierman celebrated his 98th birthday at The Metropolitan Room in NYC on August 26th. Don Dellair, who managed The Incomparable Hildegarde's career and is a performer in his own right MCd the event. Don was kind enough to write me about the event.

Don Dellair writes:

"Well, the party was a huge success... It exceeded our wildest imagination... the space has become my favorite new cabaret spot... The Metropolitan Room (which used to be The Gotham Comedy Club)... they needed a larger space because comedy clubs are the hottest things all around the country... we had well over 110 guests.

The show contained me, as host, plus a segment of singers and musicians from the Friars Club, where Bernie was installed two years ago with an Honorary Membership... then I introduced celebs in the audience... of which there were many... they included singers KT Sullivan, Cynthia Crane, Michelle Pirret, jazz great Harold Mayburn, the hot young jazz vocalist and recording artist Allan Harris, Simavi (one name only...just like the lady with the long gloves) who has a new CD being released in which he sings standards while conducting a 50 member orchestra (on the Original Cast label) that's the same label that I produced "The Other Half Of Me"... also introduced by me in the audience were composer Gary William Friedman ("The Me Nobody Knows") and his lovely wife and hot recording star Stevie Holland,(her CD "More Than Words Can Say" is selling out throughout the country)... plus two of the hunkiest young actors... Kris Bratton, who has been appearing in a marvelous comedy called "Danny Boy".. it won the NY Fringe Festival as the best play out of the 250 that were in contention.. and it will be produced off-Broadway... Bratton, who is from Manitoba, Canada has recently become an American citizen.. and now holds two citizenships....and then the other actor is the young hunk from his appearances on the TV series "Sex And The City"..and his name (or 3) is Darrin Carlo Magno...he has been signed to start filming a motion picture called "American Gangsters" starring Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington ... Also seen at the Big 98th Birthday Bash was "The Reigning Monarch of Cabaret Miss Julie Wilson (with whom I share the same birthday!). We even had two Cantors at the party ... my best friend Cantor Steve Sher from (Temple Israel in Croton-On-Hudson,NY) and the young Cantor Dan Singer (from Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in Manhattan)and then, there was James Durst, who is the leader of the musicians and singers made to recreate the times and the folk songs of The Weavers ... this group is called "Work O' The Weavers. Their CD's are incredible ... the sound is exactly like the 1960's group ... and then I got to introduce a living legend ... he was the star in my very first show (just two months after I received my degree in Speech and Theatre from Long Island University) he is a very funny comedian, and star of many many motion pictures, including four with Tony Curtis, and the very very funny man who played Corporal Agarne in the long running TV series years ago called "F Troop"... and he is Larry Storch. What a thrill that was. He came to the party with producer Janice Morgan ... Before the birthday cake was presented ... Bernie greeted the throng by saying, (as only Bernie can) "I want to thank you from the bottom of my pacemaker for coming this evening." And then he went on to have Michelle Pirret sing his Sarah Vaughn hit "Vanity" with Bernie at the piano.

... I wrote a comedy line for Bernie when he thanked me for hosting the party, and it goes like this; "In the 30 years that I have known Don Dellair, I have never heard him say an unkind word about anybody ... (pause) until I got my hearing aid"..... it brought the house down with laughter... after the show, some woman came over to me and asked me if I was insulted by that remark ... and I said,"no, Madame, I wrote the line!!!"