Jenna Esposito- "Fa l'amore con te" live from Little Italy on 8-14-10.

Greetings, all! I hope this finds you doing well! I know, I know, it's been AGES since I've written on here! I've been very fortunate, though, to have had a very busy year so far...and I've been so busy doing things that I've been left with very little time to write for fun! Now seems like as good a time as any, though, as I have some very exciting news to share!

Today, my band and I will be heading into the studio to do a record "Fa L'Amore Con Te," the beautiful song that can be heard on the video posted here! The song was written by Ernie Rossi of E. Rossi & Co., which has been a Little Italy institution for 100 years. Back in the day, E. Rossi & Co. were major publishers of Italian music, and they actually published two of Connie Francis' Italian songs! So for me, that makes this all the more special! By working with Ernie, I feel a connection not only to Connie but to all of the incredible singers who have been connected with E. Rossi & Co. over the years. It's truly inspiring to feel that I am a part of that tradition, and I'm honored that Ernie has given me this gem of a song to record!

Stay tuned for news on the recording, but for now, please enjoy the video on YouTube!

All the best,

Jenna

Happy February!

Hello all, and a belated Happy New Year! I cannot believe that a month of 2o10 has gone by already! I truly intended, going into the new year, to do more frequent blog updates...however, life sometimes gets in the way! I've had a quite eventful 2010 so far - a number of performances, discussions about booking my Connie Francis show on the road, rehearsals/preparations for my new show...well, you get the idea!
So, where does that bring us? Right now, having been newly freed from my day job, I'm doubling and tripling up on my efforts to make a living as a performer. Singing, acting, background work in t.v. or film - you name it, I'm up for it - as long as it does not involve sitting behind a desk for 9 hours a day! I'm casting the net far and wide and hoping that something sticks! I also am continuing to enjoy writing my weekly column, "The Cabaret Chronicles," for BroadwayWorld - so if you're wondering what I've been seeing or hearing recently, be sure to check that out!
Hope this finds you all doing well, and hopefully I'll have another update for you soon!

Jenna's 12th Day of Christmas!

Well, I can't believe I'm to day 12 already! This whole month has just been speeding by, and it seems like the past two weeks, especially, have just vanished in the blink of an eye! Happily, though,I'm home in Middletown with my family now, relaxing in my reindeer pjs, sipping eggnog, and looking forward to a fun couple of days! Hopefully, being out of the NYC holiday madness will allow me to truly enjoy my time with the fam and my week off of the day job! I was scrolling through the pictures I've snapped over the last week, trying to decide which one to post, and as soon as I came to this one, I knew the decision had been made. For the past few weeks, the "Santamobile" seen in this picture (in case you're wondering, it's the car covered in toys, and Santa himself is actually behind the wheel!) has been driving around town, spreading holiday cheer in its own unique way! I was able to get a picture of it in action, coming through the intersection at 5th Ave. and 58th St. - hope it brings a smile to your faces, too!

Now, although my "12 Days of Christmas" project has reached its completion, I'm hoping to post some more seasonal pics in the next week, and to keep up with more frequent posts in the new year. Just in case I get sidetracked in the next few days and am unable to post, though, let me take this opportunity to wish each of you the merriest of Christmases and the happiest of New Years! Here's to a great 2010!

Whew! Just creeping in under the wire for this one...actually, according to the clock, it's nearly 3 a.m. on December 22nd in the Eastern time zone, but since it's still December 21 somewhere in the U.S., I'm giving myself credit for not missing a day! Actually, I tried really hard to get this pic posted earlier tonight, but unfortunately, I just don't have the necessary tech savvy to use my phone to do a blog post with a pic! I just got home a little while ago, and have been packing my bags for my trip upstate for Christmas...and it just hit me that I never did get this posted! So, here it is - the glowing "Believe" sign on the side of Macy's. The holiday windows are great, but to me, this one word really captures the magic of the season...and, for that matter, of life in general! I think it's a wonderful sentiment to keep in mind each and every day...and I also think that it may just end up being my New Year's resolution: Believe! I kind of like the sound of that! Believe, believe, believe! Yep, I think it's as simple as that. And with that, my friends, I leave you for the night, because I am EXHAUSTED and need to be up for the day job in the morning! New post tomorrow (or later today!)!

Well, it was a fun, fun day up here in Middletown, NY! We had enough snow to make things look pretty and seasonal, but not so much that we had to postpone the annual Esposito Family Christmas concert! My family and I have been putting on this holiday songfest every year since I was in high school, and we always have a wonderful time! This year, in addition to my dad (Fortune Esposito) and my sister (Kelly Esposito-Broelmann), we were joined by Rob Broelmann on bass, Brian DeWitt on drums, and Brian Broelmann on tenor sax, soprano sax, and flute. AND Charlie (my 2-year old nephew) made his public debut! He sang "Jingle Bells" into the microphone and helped out the band by playing his toy guitar along with many of the numbers! We did two shows: one at 2 p.m. and one at 5:30 p.m., and it was a feel-good, holiday spirit-filled day! Today's pic features the star of the show, Charles Broelmann! Enjoy!

On My 9th Day of Christmas...

Well, I got an early train this morning and beat the snowstorm up to Middletown, NY, where my family lives! Shortly after I arrived, we headed over to the Manza Family Farm to pick out our Christmas tree. My nephew Charlie was there for the fun, and enjoyed meeting all kinds of animals, including a HUGE turkey, a couple of sheep, some goats, and TWO REINDEER, who were obviously in training for the coming week's travels! We also took a ride around the farm on a 3-mule open sleigh! :) And yes, the mules were wearing jingle bells (which prompted Charlie to break into a rousing chorus of "Jingle Bells!" He also met Santa and Mrs. Claus, and then went exploring on the stationary wooden train cars (or the "choo-choo," according to Charlie) that were set up outside, which is the picture you see here today! It was a fun (albeit bitterly cold!) afternoon...and in case you're wondering, we did end up with a beautiful Christmas tree!

Stay warm and check back tomorrow for my 10th Day of Christmas post!

Jenna's 8th Day of Christmas

Hooray, I finally got to hit a few of the holiday shops today! Every year in NYC, little markets/fairs pop up all over the city, making for a unique and fun shopping experience. Many of the vendors at the various fairs are independent, although there are a few chains mixed in. I always have a great time looking for handmade jewelry, candles and soaps, in addition to stocking up on gourmet chocolates and various other knick-knacks. My two favorite fairs are the Union Square Park Holiday Market and the Holiday Shops at Bryant Park, and as luck would have it, I had time to hit both of them tonight. It was freezing out when I arrived at the Union Square shops, but that just added to the feeling of holiday hustle-bustle...so I treated myself to some hot apple cider and started browsing! I ended up not purchasing anything, but I did have fun nosing around, and that apple cider was yummy! After I'd finished there, I hopped on the subway and headed up to Bryant Park, to check out the offerings there! I did end up making a few purchases there, but they shall remain secret since some of the gift recipients may be reading this! ;)

Anyway, Bryant Park is where today's picture comes from. This little scene was set up right in the middle of the south side of the park, and I only noticed it as I was making my way out, but as soon as I saw it, I knew it had to go in the blog. I hope you enjoy it!

It seems that we've got a big winter storm heading our way, so I'll close by wishing you all a warm, cozy, happy weekend!

Oh, and by the way, if you're looking for more info on the various holiday shops, there's a good site covering all of them, which you can reach by clicking here.

On My 7th Day of Christmas

For the past couple of weeks, I've been wondering when in the world I'd get to see the Rockefeller Center tree! I know - for those of you who don't live in NYC, you're probably wondering how in the world I could miss it...but seriously, I usually don't have any reason to be by Rockefeller Center, and my schedule's been so crazy, I literally have not had the time to wind my way over there! Well, as luck would have it, I got sent on an errand from my day job today that took me to 47th St. and 6th Ave., so I finally had my window! After running the errand, I made a brief detour to check out the tree, and thanks to the frigid weather, it wasn't even insanely crowded - can you believe it?! The lights don't show up as brightly in the daytime photo as they would if I'd been able to get over there at night, but oh well - can't win 'em all, right? Anyway, here's the pic - hope you like it!