Author | Filmmaker | Host of Tola Talks
Tola Talks about Christina Applegate & the Bush twins, John F. Kennedy Jr & Joe DiMaggio (RIP), Jimi Hendrix & Woody Woodpecker, Apple & the NASDAQ, and the violence in Ferguson, MO. It’s also Top 10 Tuesday, so Rich gives you the Top 10 Colleges and Universities in the World as determined by U.S. News & World Report. Weekdays on youtube.com/tolatalks
Tola Talks about our debut show on youtube.com/tolatalks and all things Movie Mondays, including the review of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 starring Jennifer Lawrence.Rich also talks about katherine Heigl, Colin Hanks, Oscar Robertson, Charles Darwin and Survival of the Fittest, JFK and memorable quotes, Black Friday and new deals from Dell, Microsoft and Staples, the 10 Most Educated Cities in America, plus gives the Get Your S#!T Together Award to the woman from Australia who left her baby to die in a sewage drain.
Weekdays on youtube.com.tolatalks
Tola Talks with Founder & CEO Richard (RB) Botto of Stage 32, the ultimate social networking web site for the entertainment industry, as well as entertains us with the latest news including the Irish Rock Band U2’s Bono requiring surgery from a bicycling accident, the new Jeep Renegade selling for well below $20,000, and the passing of legendary Hollywood Director, Mike Nichols. On Throwback Thursdays, Rich also talks about moving the show over to YouTube.com/TolaTalks Monday, November 24th and takes us back to the highlights of 1963.
Tola Talks about People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive (Chris Hemsworth), the Genesha-like “God Boy” from India born with 4 arms and 4 legs, the “act of passion” shooting death of Beauty Queen Miss Honduras, the record-breaking snowfall throughout the Northeastern US that has claimed at least 7 lives, plus the GYST Award to a New York man for hanging 25 dead cats from a tree. On Whatever Wednesdays, Rich also interviews the Founder of Elevate My Brand, Laurel Mintz, and discusses the importance of maximizing your brand and what it takes to stay current with the latest trends. Watch weekdays on youtube.com/tolatalks.
Tola Talks with actor/comedian and guest co-host, Matthew Sterling Nye. On Whatever Wednesdays, Rich talks Ebola & another infected health care worker, declining gas prices & Hollywood babes & their “$5,000 and a Jeep”, Toyota vehicle recalls & GM’s $30 million car recall in 2014, Hong Kong police & excessive force, plus a 10 year-old murderer and a 17 year-old GYST Award recipient who left a $2 tip with feces on it…now that’s pretty crappy!
Weekdays on youtube.com/tolatalks.
Tola Talks new Autopilot cars from Tesla Motors & lavish launches, the Nobel Peace Prize & the Game of Thrones, Pope Francis & Rodney Yee Yoga videos, plus hackers breaking into Dairy Queen and of course, Rich’s new monologue. On Acoustic Fridays, Rich and guest co-host & comedian Shannon Dee welcome the super talented and super cool Urban Folk Rock Band, Kids on McCadden. Live weekdays on youtube.com/tolatalks.
Tola Talks underwater shipwrecks & Christopher Columbus, lightening strikes & rituals, Paris & the Eiffel Tower, GYST Awards & the NFL, plus The Best of LA from LA Weekly Magazine. On Top 10 Tuesdays, Rich also talks personal shopping with stylist and fashionista, Melissa Chataigne. Live weekdays on youtube.com/tolatalks.
Every so often, a kindred spirit comes along,
To make us believe, that every one of us belongs.
He stands his ground, to be laughed at from afar,
Or is he just behaving, like he’s singing in his car.
Because the joys of laughter, are keen pleasures to delight,
He accepts the Almighty’s work, and shines them like sunlight.
Be it true, Bicentennial Man, that your words are meant to heal,
Thus every single one of us, in your presence we should kneel.
For it is you, oh great one, who persevered when few believed,
To blaze a path for brethren souls, where our dreams can be conceived.
We thank you for your brilliance, we applaud you for your zeal,
Kudos for all the memories, because you doubtlessly made us feel.
Rest in Peace, Sir Robin Williams, and no worries about lucky seven,
Because for sure you’ll keep them laughing, at the pearly Gates of Heaven.
As part of my book event on August 1st, Mystic Journey Bookstore invited me to contribute to their blog and specifically called it “a personal message from you to our readers”.
Simply put, my message is this: Do it Your Way.
No matter what conventional wisdom holds, and no matter what others believe you can and can not do. It doesn’t matter – you’re the only one that matters when it comes to what you believe is possible. Not to mention what you put in your mouth and what you do to preserve your body every day, i.e., diet and exercise. Which happens to be the exact same message you’ll get from my memoir, Simply Between Millions: From Wall Street to Hollywood.
It’s 69 short and witty chapters about following the herd and living a wild and colorful life – with Wall Street excesses, exotic locales and scores of bad-boy romances with NYC strippers and wealthy married women. Then finding the peace and courage through Yoga to finally change my evil ways, evolve my soul, and follow my dreams to Hollywood.
Because anyone can change…if you believe you can and want it bad enough to confidently set your sights and try. Just like the women and children living in domestic violence shelters where we teach the benefits of Yoga. Upon completion of my film, Boulevard Zen, I founded The Boulevard Zen Foundation to bring the powers of Yoga to families overcoming adversity, specifically survivors of DV. So in 2005, after 20 years of wanting to change my lifestyle and really go for it on that daunting ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’, I became enamored with this 6,000 year-old mind-body-spirit practice that truly changed my life. Two years later I bought a one-way ticket to LA and never looked back.
I also went bust along the way. But did I fail? On the contrary, I succeeded in following my dreams and I’m still standing. Happily I might add, with a film, a self-published book in paperback, digital and audio (narrated by me), and more than 15 hours of instructional Yoga videos on the market. Not too bad for a poor Sicilian kid from Trenton, NJ who overcame the odds and went on to graduate from the Wharton and Kellogg business schools with no particular background in the Arts.
So anything is possible, wouldn’t you say? Just Do it Your Way.
Hope to see you there! – R
“Holy expanding waistline Batman, America just keeps getting fatter”. Now if you’re a fan of the infamous Caped Crusader and read this morning’s newspaper, this is definitely something Robin would say. Because in today’s Los Angeles Times, a new report on our nation’s weight crisis – as prepared by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America Health – says “16 states are experiencing steep increases in adult obesity, and none has seen a downturn in the last four years”. So what’s up with that? With an obese population of 19.8%, Colorado is the ONLY state with an adult obesity rate below 20%. Furthermore, “adult obesity rates have doubled or nearly doubled in 17 states. Two decades ago, not a single state had an obesity rate above 15%. Now all states do.” But no worries folks…help is on the way! Soon my team will embark upon my FAT BURN AMERICA TOUR, visiting every state in America, 100 cities in 100 days, filming my fat burning workouts to promote daily fitness & yoga, and to raise much needed funds for my charity, The Boulevard Zen Foundation. As you know, we teach yoga to women and children living in domestic violence shelters. And since the report also states that “obesity remains a condition disproportionately affecting those with poor education and income, and closely tied to minority status”, it’s all the more reason to bring my FREE Fat Burning Workouts to the public. Our goal: to EDUCATE, EMPOWER, INSPIRE and ENTERTAIN. So get ready and get set with today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #94 – Leg Stretches. Enjoy and we’ll see you soon! – R