Barrett became a gossip columnist for the Bell-McClure newspaper syndicate in 1957. In 1966, she began broadcasting Hollywood gossip on the Los Angeles television station KABC-TV. She appeared on TV regularly, going on to appear on ABC's five owned and operated stations around the country. WABC-TV in New York put her pre-recorded gossip segment into its nightly local news.

She developed the first in-depth personal TV Specials about the celebrities of motion pictures, television, music, sports and politics, and had a series of magazines on the entertainment industry that were top-rated at newsstands, including Rona Barrett's Hollywood.

This past February, 2010, Rona returned to the spotlight with the release of the DVD 'Rona Barrett's Hollywood,' a collection of interviews done some thirty-five years ago. I remember those interviews, when I was very young, like they were yesterday. I always loved Rona Barrett.....and her magazines. I remember the first time I ever saw her on television and how I enjoyed reading her autobiography 'Miss Rona' when it was published in 1974! It is safe to say that Rona Barrett was a major influence on my life.

This interview took place before Miss Rona received her Star on the "Walk of Fame" on Friday, Oct. 9,2009, one day after her birthday! I had a chance to sit in her home and talk about her career and life, after Eric Venturo and I took her new publicity photographs, was a real treat.

Ronna: You know what Alan, I have always believed that you have to go after what you really want. Just make sure you want it because once you get it you can't go back and say, "Oh I don't like this." So you wished this and your wish has come true and it is my pleasure to be with someone who knows how to take nice pictures!

Eric: Are you excited about your Walk of Fame Star in Palm Springs?

Ronna: I couldn't have been more surprised, and perhaps a better word would be shocked, when a friend of mine, who is totally responsible for telling the people in Palm Springs that they should have a star for me.

He is a young man named Tony Morris, who like you, sent me a letter way back in the early 70's asking my opinion on how to become a film critic.

Alan: I assume you have met in person by now?

Ronna: I had the chance to meet him in San Francisco and he showed me the letter. He told me, 'You have no idea how much you mean to me and how you have inspired me.' It sounds a lot like Alan Mercer.

I was very flattered. I asked if I could read it and he let me. I said, 'You know what, I would give you the same advice today as I did back then.' So began a new friendship. Anyway he vacations in Palm Springs and said Rona Barrett has to have a star. A few months ago I got a letter telling me they were giving me a star.

Eric: That must have been exciting.

Ronna: I had to read the letter twice. Then Tony called me and asked if I got a letter and I said yes. How did you know? He wouldn't say anything but I later found out, being the reporter that I am, that Tony was largely responsible for it.

Ronna: I used to live in the dessert the entire time I had a career up until about seventeen years ago.

Alan: Can you talk about your charity work?

Ronna: We are having a crisis in so many areas of this country and the people who seem to be getting hit the most are seniors. Seniors really are the people who do not have the funds to buy insurance and get the health care they need. I'm talking about the elderly poor. Seniors are the first, along with children, to get attacked by any crisis. Then they are eliminated. 'We can get rid of the elderly. They don't really vote and their vote doesn't count anyway. Children can't vote so we never have to worry about them,' say the politicians.

Alan: Have you always been involved with charity work?

Ronna: I've been involved with charitable work for a long time, mainly with children's diseases until my father came to live with me after my Mother passed away. Suddenly I realized that it was the elderly who need the most help now. No one is speaking up for them. Indirectly I became a voice for seniors in this part of the country. My message is getting out slowly but surely across the country that we cannot forget those who helped make us who we are today but can no longer take care of themselves.

Alan: I couldn't agree more. I'm heading towards those years myself.

Ronna: We all are. We all have parents. We all have friends who are older than we are. This is not just a happening thing. It was inevitable and it drives me crazy that for more than fifty years this country knew we were going to be facing this crisis when the baby boomers reached sixty-five. A lot of them would never be prepared for living longer, not necessarily better, and then not having the funds to live out whatever kind of life they have.

Eric: What do you think is the worst problem?

Ronna: We don't have enough housing or hospital beds. It's a very serious problem. I hate seeing pictures on the news where they let an elderly person out of a taxi cab because they have no more insurance to pay for the hospital. You say to yourself, 'How can anybody do that? How can you drop off someone who is infirmed in downtown Los Angeles?' I am absolutely appalled.

Ronna: I decided since 2000 that I was going to do something about it. I have a brand new hybrid program, that I am trying to get off the ground as a pilot program starting in Santa Ynez Valley. If the program works it can be duplicated all over the country. I am hoping that this will be the beginning of people seriously thinking about how to give people the care they need, especially the elderly. That's my job.

Alan: What do you think about the Universal Health plan most of the world has except us?

Ronna: Well I think they attacked it from the wrong point of view. That is my current belief. I may have my mind changed again. I think everybody should be covered, but having traveled to several countries around the world where they have Universal coverage, I regret to say, other than in Finland, which only has a couple million people, it is the only country that can handle Universal care. Every other country that has it, has problems and it doesn't always work.

Alan: I have heard that before, but what do we do?

Ronna: I'm at a loss because I think we haven't attacked this problem from the right point of view. It isn't just getting all of us insured, it's how are we going to deliver the service and what kind of service? What are the services we should give to people and guarantee? I believe more in preventative medicine. I also happen to believe in alternative medicine.

Alan: Why do you think it is so hard to get this message out?

Ronna: People are so set in their ways of thinking, especially the elderly. They have lived for seventy or eighty years with a certain way of living their life and their expectations. They are afraid of change. People are afraid of change. Most people don't even know how to move to the next step in life. Once they hit the first obstacle in the road they just stop. With that they turn around and we end up with a lot of frustrated people in this country who are doing things they don't want to be doing. They are forced to do what they have to do.

Alan: It seems to be most people.

Ronna: I understand that it is wonderful to be an achiever and to have a type A personality, but not everyone can be an A personality. Therefore, in order to make up a whole entire group and have the kind of democracy we thought we were getting, you have to have a middle class. You have to have an industrialized nation. We cannot be just a service nation. Those are my personal and political views at the moment. When I can get more accurate information they may change. I don't feel we are getting accurate information. That's the problem. You can be told the truth but the truth isn't necessarily accurate.

Ronna: I'm a firm believer that what is meant to be will be. I also believe I was led into this path.

Alan: What personality trait gave you an advantage at the beginning of your career?

Ronna: A belief that I had to make something of my life. I knew consciously and subconsciously that my parents only wanted the best for me, but they never knew beyond what they already knew. I felt there was something bigger and better out there. They were afraid that because I was born with a physical handicap that I wouldn't be able to survive. All they wanted to do was protect me. I knew I could not be a physical cripple and a mental cripple at the same time so I made up my mind that I was going to be someone.

Alan: How did that physical setback affect you?

Ronna: Honestly Alan I think the physical setback really gave me the impetus and was responsible for me wanting to make something of myself. No child likes to hear someone call them a cripple. No child likes to hear anything bad said about them. Children, for reasons I will never understand, can be very cruel. I think they hear their parents say things 'on the fly' like, 'Did you see that cripple?' Right away the child has an image of a cripple and the way the parent said it is what sets the tone of it possibly having a negative impact, as opposed to a positive impact. Those things certainly happened to me and I thought if I became someone famous and well known that nobody would ever dare say a bad word about me. (we are all laughing)

Alan: It's really just the opposite.

Ronna: Sweetheart, what a life I chose for myself!

Alan: What did you think of Luella Parsons and Hedda Hopper and how did you want to be different?

Ronna: Like everyone I grew up reading these ladies, but I really was reading Walter Winchell and Dorothy Kilgallen. It was Dorothy's coverage of murder trials that got me intrigued.

I thought, what an exciting life to cover a murder trial! Of course Walter seemed to know everything before anybody else. How would it be to know everything before somebody else? Somehow the idea that I would be a journalist was born in my head.

Eric: Did you ever think of doing something else for a living?

Ronna: I had seriously thought of becoming a doctor of research to find out why I had been born with this physical weakness in my muscles that prevented me from running and skipping and going up a flight of stairs.

When I saw famous people on the screen they seemed to have such a wonderful and fabulous life (more laughing). What did I know until I went inside the inner sanctum of that wonderful world known as Hollywood.

Ronna: More as a spectator. I often think of what Walter Cronkite said when he was asked what it felt like to be retired. He said, 'I feel like a fireman who hears the bell ringing. I jump on the pole and slide down. I grab my yellow slicker. I go to put on my hat and open the front door and I realize I have no fire engine!'

Alan: Are there stories today you wish you were working on?

Ronna: Every now and then there is a story that happens and I say I know how to do this one. I know where the bodies are buried and I know where to get the information, and I know how to do this, and I would love to sink my teeth into this story, and then suddenly I say, 'Hey wait a minute girl. You are the one who quit. You are the one who said one morning I've had it.' I cannot say one more time that Robert Redford was going to get 20 million dollars or somebody was going to get fired from CBS. I just can't do this anymore.

Alan: Was it a sudden change?

Ronna: Little incidents occurred along the way that made it very clear to me that times were changing. If you wanted to say anything controversial there were executives in charge of everything and did not like any controversy. The winter of my years was coming and I could tell. I didn't know when it would happen but I will tell you this, the day CBS gave Dan Rather the job of being Evening Anchor and did not give it to Roger Mudd, who had been the loyal guy, I knew that the day of belonging to a corporation and having them be there for you was over.

Alan: What has changed the most about the entertainment business?

Ronna: I think money is more important today than it has ever been, but it's always been important. Money has been at the root of everything. When cable and satellite came along you could see that everyone was nervous. When DVD's came along there was all these new methods of distribution that we never knew before. People started getting nervous about where the funds were going to come from.

Alan: I want to talk about your new DVD of your classic interviews. I remember when they aired originally like it was yesterday.

Ronna: When I was looking over the first group of interviews that I owned because they were done through my company, I was in shock. I couldn't believe it had been almost forty years since I sat down with Cher on her bed! She was very open and honest. Whatever she was thinking at that time in her life she said. That's the way she has always been as far as I'm concerned.

Alan: How did you know what to ask?

Ronna: I only asked questions that I really wanted to know the answers to. I was curious. I wanted to know am I anything like these people? Are they anything like me? What do they really think? What happened the first time a woman went to bed with some guy? I asked the questions.

Ronna: The one that remains in my head was Raquel Welch saying, 'Rona! You can't ask me that!' and I thought, 'why not?' I'll be happy to answer that question. Raquel ultimately told me that by eleven years old she was aware of her sexuality and for her this would be a way to pull herself up the ladder.

It took at least six months to get Raquel to agree to the interview. I wanted to do something different and not do an interview about her latest movie but all about her.

Alan: Was it hard to pick the first four people?

Ronna: I chose the four hottest women at the time and we got a 44 share in the ratings. That doesn't happen anymore.

Alan: All four of those women are still relevant and very famous.

Ronna: They never went away. I chose Raquel, Cher, Liza Minelli and Ann-Margret.
The next interview special I did had Carol Burnett talking for the very first time about growing up in an alcoholic family. At the time I did these interviews these subject matters had never been discussed. At the time they really were ground breaking.

Eric: What do you think of contemporary media outlets like TMZ?

Ronna: I've known Harvey Levin for many years. I would say he is in a very good position to know who all the lawyers, judges and police departments to give him information. I think that during the Michael Jackson tragedy his sources came through for him and he was able to do some very good reporting. Other than that he focuses on the most trivial things to put on the air. I just don't understand it.

Alan: How did your magazines get started?

Ronna: They started in 1969. With the success that I was building on television it was thought that I would do well with a magazine called 'Rona Barrett's Hollywood.' I said, 'OK let's try it.' I wanted to focus on young Hollywood at the time. I wanted it to be similar to what I was reporting on TV. 

The tone was in keeping with something new and different and put all the other magazines out of business.

Alan: Your magazine was more like 'People' magazine.

Ronna: It was more like that. My first issue of 'Rona Barrett's Hollywood' came out one year and one month ahead of 'People.' We knew about "People' magazine coming out and I said to my partners I think we should seriously consider doing a weekly.

They said to me to give them more time. It was a mistake because I think we could have gone head to head, just as I was begging ABC to let me go head to head with '60 Minutes' and after creating a show that was eventually called "20/20' where everyone I suggested for that show went on to be in it except me.

That was a very serious and difficult moment in my career. It was the beginning of how I began to change my thinking in a lot of ways.

Ronna: In many ways I chose to end them because I desperately wanted to be considered a real news person by the news departments. It was long before any of this so because I was a woman I could not be known as a columnist, but a gossip columnist. There was no room for gossip on the evening news. That's when I said I have to extricate myself from these magazines in order to be taken seriously. It was one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made. You know I created 'Entertainment Tonight.' It wasn't called that at the time, but it was the same show. I was on 'Good Morning America' and everything I reported on that show was on "Entertainment Tonight.' They told me I couldn't do it so two of my friends presented it to Paramount as a syndicated show and the rest is history.

Alan: How did you handle the sexism?

Ronna: When you are going through it you don't realize you are going through it. I was unaware how I was being affected by being a woman. I never got the same pay as any man. I had to fight harder battles. I thought everybody fought battles.

It was never ending. All I can tell you is that in the final analysis I applaud Barbara Walters. She has been able to stick it out and want to do it. I, on the other hand, said that's it. I have fought a good battle and I cannot do it anymore.

Alan: You wanted to have a human life.

Ronna: I needed to take care of myself and I needed to take care of my first husband, who has since passed away. Those things became far more important to me. My priorities shifted.

Alan: Were you aware that you were making television history?

Ronna: No I wasn't aware. I didn't think about it until after people were saying that to me.

Alan: Now you are recognized as a Television pioneer and I think that is pretty amazing considering it wasn't 1949!

Ronna: Absolutely. People used to say to me at one point, 'How does it feel to be so powerful?' I would look at them and say, 'What are you talking about?' The minute I got off the air I would worry about where my next big story was coming from. I could never think about something like that. It was 24/7 always thinking about the next story and how I was going to get it. I did have good intuition and I would think about someone and call them and inevitably there would be the beginnings of a story. I started to listen to my inner self even though I would fight with my inner self all the time. I was my own worst enemy.

Ronna: You know what I discovered? The truth often hurts more than a lie. When you tell the truth, it is that which gets people annoyed and angry. Overall when people sat down to have a conversation with me I was always interested in what they had to say. I was always curious. I have been and still am today about what really makes people tick. Who are they? What do they think about? What do they do in the privacy of their own thoughts?

Alan: You have an interest in psychology.

Ronna: I have always had a psychological bent. It was always a favorite subject of mine. I was always interested in the way things happened. How did it happen? Why did it happen? What prompted it to happen? When did the epiphany occur? I would never ask a question that I wouldn't answer myself. That's the difference. I believe that's what it was really all about. Sometimes people couldn't believe they told me all they had. They would see it played back on television and not believe what they said. I was even accused of editing tapes to appear like someone said something they didn't.

Alan: Did it hurt any friendships you had at the time?

Ronna: Well it taught me a lesson and the lesson was, it is better not to have 'Stars' as your best friends. It is much better to do the job that you have to do and keep them at arms length. Build all the sources you can build. Get to know who can tell you things and then go to somebody and verify it. It was also the tone I gave the story. I was never afraid to say I'm sorry I have made a terrible mistake. I remember saying that very clearly when Patty Duke won an Emmy. We didn't know she had real mental problems and she was making a spectacle of herself every night. When I found out that's what was going on in her life I needed to apologize. I announced it on TV when she won her Emmy.

Alan: I see what you mean.

Ronna: I learned to keep all of these people at arms length. I realized that being best friends would make me a lot of enemies and I could not do that. It was difficult to have close friends because it would be too hard to write about them. It defeated the purpose of wanting to be really good at what I did. That's my story Morning Glory!

For more information on Alan Mercer to go his blog: http://amprofile.blogspot.com

Now in 2010 she will release her first solo album titled, 'One Man Woman.' She came to Los Angeles recently to perform for the first time.

She is pure magic to be around and work with. Shèna is blessed with a loving and kind disposition. We laughed the whole time we were together. Eric Venturo was around so he helped out with the lighting as usual.

INTERVIEW

Sheèna: It feels fantastic! I wonder why didn't I do it sooner? It's champagne meets lemonade. That's the difference.

Alan: Who musically inspired you?

Sheèna: In her prime, Whitney Houston. Also people like Ella Fitzgerald, Lauren Hill. I love voices that have power at the bottom range as well as the top.

There is a richness in the lower end that takes it up to the next level. Oleta Adams is another prime example of that. Those are some of the people I listen to and want to sound like. They are brilliant.

Sheèna: That's fantastic to hear that. That is the idea. I want to sound like 'Shena.'

Alan: Is your album going to be released in 2010?

Sheèna: That's right. We are releasing it world-wide on my own label called No Prisoners Records. My huband and I founded it.

Alan: You wrote your songs didn't you?

Sheèna: My husband and I wrote all ten songs. We are bringing real disco back. We want the bass and the looseness of the grooves. It was such a great time for music and it's a shame it died.

Sheèna: Absolutely, I never got to experience it first-hand so I have to catch it the second time around.

Alan: Are you on a one woman crusade to bring back the joy and the fun of the music?

Sheèna: Absolutely I am. I want to bring it back and put a modern twist on it. You want to bring a new crowd into it so they can appreciate it.

Alan: Do you tour around the world? I see that you are performing in Moscow.

Sheèna: I have quite a career in the dance world so I still get asked to perform my dance hits. Moscow is a place that really appreciates me.

Sheèna: Yes I am always in Moscow. I have spent half my life in Moscow airport! (Laughing)

Alan: Is this your first time in Los Angeles?

Sheèna: Yes this is my first time and I love it. The people are positive and helpful and the weather is great!

Alan: I hope you come back when your CD is out.

Sheèna: I would love too. It's an honor and privilege to be here.

Eric: You are on your way to greatness.

Sheèna: Thank you very much.

As a result, Calvo helped provide a comprehensive discography and several rare photos that were incorporated into the book. Another discography that he was asked to help write was for the autobiography, "My Name Is Love," The Darlene Love Story. Currently he is working on his own book, "Songbirds", in which he pays homage to the careers of many legendary female vocalists and will feature his unique makeup techniques.

What initially began as a hobby has mushroomed into a full-fledged archival service know as The Rudy Calvo Collection. He has been called upon to lend his collection to the A&E "Biography" series, Lifetime's

Additionally he has worked on the British television special "Top Ten 60's Soul" and has been seen on the BBC biography series "Black Legend" based on the life of Diana Ross, as well as appearing on another recent BBC special based on the legends of the dance world called "Queens of Disco" for which he also provided images from his vast collection.

His collection has become an invaluable resource for record labels such as MCA, Warner Bros., Hip-O, Ace, Brunswick, Reel Music and Motown (A subject that he is considered an expert on); as well as writers, producers and recording artists researching material currently out of print. He has also been a US correspondent for the UK magazine "In The Basement" that is dedicated to real soul music. His collection has also been seen in books such as "Black Hollywood Tragedies" and "California Soul," which was based on the music of African Americans in the west.

I met Rudy Calvo nine years ago when I first moved to Los Angeles. He has been a great friend all this time. What a pleasure to share with you a little of my 'friend experience' with the one and only Rudy Calvo!

THE INTERVIEW

Rudy: Yes, it's been growing for the last ten years little by little. Word got out in England especially so I have been getting more and more calls by people who are researching for certain photos or songs. It's taken on a life of it's own.

Alan: Was this your goal from the beginning?

Rudy: No, I have been collecting since I was a little kid. I did wonder why I was collecting as much as I was. It got to a point where I said, "What am I going to do with all this stuff?"

Alan: Was the collection started as a fan of the music?

Rudy: Yes, it was all about my love of the music.

Alan: When did you realize this could be something of importance?

Rudy: Years back when I got a call from Motown Records asking if I had any images of 'The Marvelettes?' It turned out I did have a few images in my collection that they didn't have. It ended up being the front and back covers of their box set called "Deliver The Singles." 

Rudy: One of the art directors knew that I was a collector and they called and asked if I happen to have any photos? That was one of the beginnings.

Alan: Who is the most sought after artist that you have in your collection?

Rudy: Probably Patti LaBelle because I have had so many calls from different documentaries about her. I contributed nine photos for her autobiography. Patti always says, "Call Rudy because he will remember when I did something. He knows more about my career than I do." I get the calls about Labelle and Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles.

Alan: Do you think Patti gave you a credibility as a Soul Music expert?

Rudy: She is one of the people. I did start out as her make-up artist, but I was a fan first and I had already started collecting her history. As I was working with her more and more she realized how much I knew about her career and how much I have collected about her. 

Rudy: I like anything relating to Ike & Tina Turner, but especially the early Ikettes, Robbie Montgomery, Venetta Fields, and Jessie Smith who are all dear friends to this day. Ace/Kent records released a collection of their Modern Records recording and my photo ended up on the cover.

It was a picture that nobody else had. I contributed a lot of photos and sheet music. Ady Croswell who is one of the heads of Ace Records, happened to be visiting Los Angeles and he came to my house for dinner, and he started going through my collection. He saw how much I had on the Ikettes. They already had a cover for the CD but it was the wrong grouping of girls. I said to him if they ever reissue the Ikettes CD it would be great to let me contribute some photos.

He went back to England and then got a hold of me and I have been contributing a lot for Ace Records. They are the premiere label for reissuing Soul Music, really any kind of music as a matter of fact. They are a pleasure to work with.

Rudy: I LOVE IT ALL! I'm pretty much a walking encyclopedia of all music but I especially have a love for 60's Soul because I was collecting when I was a kid. The first record I ever bought was Dee Dee Sharp, "Rock Me In The Cradle Of Love." It's a very up tempo, gospel, type song. What made a kid of ten years old be so attracted to that sound? Something about it really attracted my spirit.

Alan: Did you hear these songs on the radio?

Rudy: Probably I don't remember.

Alan: Do you think anyone in your collection will be retro-hot soon?

Rudy: I've provided some photos of Brenda Holloway who was one of Motown's premiere female artists in the 60's. She did not get the proper dues back then. They just reissued all her pre-Motown recordings. She is someone I have been really passionate about collecting all these years; I had several images of her they had not seen.

One of them made the cover as well as the inside centerfold. Brenda has always been at the top of my list. She seems to be having a resurgence. She is better known over seas than here in the United States as most of these artists are. They are never embraced in the States the same way.

Rudy: The over seas market seems to be filled with more connoisseurs of music and they go for more obscure stuff. They tend to embrace those songs that never gpt played here or sometimes even the B-side of some records.

Alan: What is your goal with your collection?

Rudy: I would like to donate it to a museum like the Schaumburg in Harlem, where I know it will be preserved and embraced.

Alan: Do you find your collection to be as gratifying as being a make-up artist?

Rudy: It's different. As a child and teenager I always wanted to be involved in music. Both professions have allowed me to work in the music industry. It's pretty fulfilling because I always wanted to work in this industry.

Alan: Are there any other projects you want to discuss?

The book will have a contemporary portrait and a vintage picture from their heyday. Another thing I am working on is compiling music for CD's. That is really exciting to me because I have always wanted to bring light to certain groups I am passionate about. I am working on a project I can't mention yet but it is thrilling for me to bring a lot of the music I have loved through the years back to life!

In addition to all of that, Markina holds the Television Seal of Approval from the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association.

Markina is the third reporter I have photographed from KTLA. As you can see from these photos she is a natural beauty with a lot of poise. I have a feeling she will be successful at anything she goes for. The fabulous TJ Romeland did hair, make-up and styling.

Markina: Just since August of 2008, so really not that long.

Alan: Did you already have your job at Channel 5?

Markina: I came here for the job.

Alan: Did you work in television in Detroit?

MB: No Detroit is where I'm from but I never worked there. My previous job before Los Angeles was Cleveland, Ohio and then I worked in St. Louis before that and Chicago before that so I've been all over.

Alan: Were you doing the weather at all these stations?

Markina: Yes I was.

Alan: How did you get into weather?

Markina: A lot of people ask me if this was something I always wanted to do because a lot of kids are very interested in weather. It's always so intriguing to them, and not to say that it isn't to me, but growing up, this is not what I wanted to do.

Alan: What did you dream about doing?

Markina: I wanted to be a TV reporter, not an anchor, just a reporter. After I went to college I applied for my first on air job. They told me they wanted to offer me the job but it was weekend weather reporter. I told them I had never done weather before. I didn't want them to put me on TV thinking they were going to see this great weather person. I wanted to be upfront with them about that. The news director said they would teach me. So I started following the meteorologist at the station and went to school for it, and liked it. I loved it after I got my degree and I have been doing it ever since.

Alan: But you would be happy to have another kind of reporting job now wouldn't you?

Markina: Yes I am in Los Angeles now and there are so many other types of reporting that you see and that you can be open too. There are more options here. News is great and that's what got me here. I'll always have my meteorology degree. No one can ever take that away from me no matter what I do.

Alan: Was it a goal to get to Los Angeles?

Markina: That wasn't a goal until I got here. In 2008 I said to my then fiancé, "What do you think about getting out of here and going somewhere warm?" He was born and raised in Ohio so we both knew about big winters. He said he wouldn't mind it, so I talked to my agent about looking for a job here and got it.

Alan: Now that you are here you like it, and you have set your sights even higher.

Markina: Absolutely, you have to do that.

Alan: What is your ultimate goal?

Markina: I don't know. I can't answer that. If anyone would have ever told me that I would come to LA and be thinking of a job outside of news I would have said, "No way!" I can't say because I don't know.

Coming here all I wanted to do was the weather, now I am thinking about other things. Who knows, actress, game-show host, you name it.

Alan: Do you like interviewing people?

Markina: I do very much.

Alan: Is there anything else you want to tell me about?

Markina: No, we are here enjoying the sunshine. As far as my career goes, we will just have to see what happens.

Alan: Do you want to have a family?

Markina: I would like one child. I think I'd love to have one kid and if I can get that done I will consider myself to be extremely blessed and happy.

She performed on many of his 1970s hits including "I Shot the Sheriff" and "Lay Down Sally". She sang the role of Mary Magdalene in the original album of Jesus Christ Superstar and in the subsequent Broadway and film version, and achieved her first hit single with the ballad "I Don't Know How to Love Him." This performance led to a 1974 Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.

Her biggest success came in 1977 with her #1 hit from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, "If I Can't Have You" which was also written by the Bee Gees.

The song was a big hit, rising to #1 in the Billboard Hot 100. Its success has resulted in Elliman being remembered as a disco artist, though this style of music was an exception to the medium-tempo ballads that she specialized in.

She appeared in a two-part episode of the television action series Hawaii Five-O during this period as an aspiring singer, performing the song "I Can't Get You Out of my Mind" with co-star James Darren.

The single "Savannah" was also a hit and demonstrated Elliman's attempts to move away from disco music and create music that focused more on her vocal abilities.

After a considerable hiatus, Elliman reappeared on the music scene. An album titled Simple Needs, with all songs written by Elliman, was released globally on June 12, 2007.

I have always been able to appreciate the beauty of Yvonne Elliman's voice and music, as well as her obvious physical beauty. She can linger on a note, and sustain a purity of tone, that gets warmer, the longer she goes. She is raw and edgy in true 'rocker chick' style on songs like 'Can't Find My Way Back Home.' Check out the Youtube video of her singing this song.

It's also available on her CD "20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Yvonne Elliman." She recently played in Los Angeles where I had a chance to finally meet up with, and work with, one of my long-time musical heroes. There was an instant connection. Hawaii's New First Lady of Song is an out-going, fun, warm, and beautiful soul with so much musical talent.

As it happens Eric Venturo is a major fan of Miss Elliman as well, so we had a lot of fun getting these shots and talking to her before she went on stage at the Hollywood Bowl.

Alan: Do you perform a lot in Hawaii?

Yvonne: They don't pay very well. All the musicians who live there have to have day jobs. I don't know why that is because you would think that the tourists would bring a lot of money into Hawaii.

Alan: Would you ever take a day job?

Yvonne: If the truth be known I do not want a regular job.

Alan: Would you ever go back to Broadway?

Yvonne: I don't want to repeat myself. That is why I was only on Broadway for six months. The producers knew I was too young to be doing eight shows a week. It can get to you. I wanted to change the blocking! (laughing)

Yvonne: Yes I took $240.00. They spread it out on the desk like a deck of cards. I thought, 'Damn!' My manager and I were hungry. She told me, 'Darling, it's not very good. Take the money.' (laughing) We took the money and ran. We bought a case of Matusse wine and a bunch of steak. Then we had a party on top of the roof. It was the best time.

Alan: What do you remember about recording 'I Don't Know How To Love Him' and "Everything's Alright' for that small amount of pay?

Yvonne: We thought I would just do the songs real quick and I did record them in one take!?!

Alan: You were wild.

Yvonne: Well I was an only child, a latch key kid, and when you are left-handed as well, watch out!

Alan: I understand that. It's only logical that when you were hanging out with Eric Clapton and people like that. There is no way you would not be 'living the life.'

Yvonne: Yes, you had to be one of the boys. It all went hand in hand. I couldn't be a rock 'n roller and not have a drink in one hand and a coke spoon in the other.

Alan: Do you feel more like a Rocker or a Pop star?

Yvonne: I've always been tagged 'Pop' but the 'Rock 'n Roll' heart was always there. When I went to London it was to be the first kick-ass, female electric guitar player. That's what I wanted to be.

Alan: What happened?

Yvonne: I got discovered! (more laughing) I used to go all around all the double-decker buses with just a fret board made of paper and practice the scales so I would know where the notes are. I heard Jimmy Hendrix did that with his fret board in his desk at school. I really wanted to play. I was learning Jimmy Page licks and getting it all together and of course that's when 'Superstar' came along, and it was a total different direction.

Yvonne: 'Jesus Christ Superstar' ended up being totally brilliant, especially for Christianity. It brought a lot of young kids into the Church. I thought Mary Magdalene was Mary's Mom. That's the level of my education at the time. It did teach a lot of people that at least Jesus was a man. It was a good thing.

Alan: Many young people learned about the Bible from that show.

Yvonne: Is that right? I went to hospitals and actually had to touch this girl who had been in an accident and she wanted me there. The parents were praying for her to make it through...and she did. They gave me the credit. It was getting too heavy. I did that twice and I thought, no I can't do this anymore. I became an Agnostic actually. I was getting so much flack from people who were Buddhists and Krishna's. The 'God' thing was getting on my nerves.

Alan: It's called art.

Yvonne: It's called will the real God please stand up. I was so confused.

Yvonne: Don't forget there was Clapton in between. He was my idol and he asked me to be in his band. Talk about a freaking moment when you cannot speak! I had just been on an album of his and he featured me in two songs. I was riding an incredible wave. I'm on the road with Clapton for three and a half years and Robert Stigwood said to me, 'You have to leave the band and get a band of your own. You have two singles and they are climbing the charts. You have to go out and tour.'

Alan: How did Clapton react to this?

Yvonne: I had to tell him I was leaving and he got very mad. I did not want to leave. I'd be there today if I could. I'd be very happy if I was still doing that today. I love the man's music, but he got mad and I got to do my own thing which was totally different from his. There were no more Lear jets and trains waiting to take us to our five star hotels. I was on a bus and we shared rooms in hotels and played little bars when it was a freezing cold winter. It was very hard. I paid my dues. But then 'Saturday Night Fever' came along.

Yvonne: Oh really!?! That was a 'trippy' day. I got a call early in the morning, 'You are number one with a bullet.'

Alan: Was it a dream come true?

Yvonne: Yes I had been waiting and waiting. I was watching that thing climb the charts and then get stuck. There was some heavy competition. So it was a relief when it made it to number one. I don't know if there was any payola going on and I didn't want to know if there was. Then I got the 'Hawaii 5-O' part because I had a number one hit. I was Yvonne Kanekoa! (laughing)

Alan: I remember that. I may have even seen some of it on YouTube. Now why did you move back to Hawaii?

Yvonne: I mainly just had to get out of LA. I was living on top of Decker Canyon in a decrepit house and we were being evicted. Time to go. I took that opportunity. It was like God answering a prayer. I also decided to stop singing songs that I wasn't crazy about. I want to just do songs that I love. I don't want to waste my time doing that and then what if something I do hits? If I don't like it I am stuck. That's how I got stuck in disco for so long.

Alan: Do you appreciate disco more now?

Yvonne: I can see now what the power of it is. It is very positive and that's great to have in this day and age when everything is so negative. Back then I was not as into it because I was a Rock 'n Roller' so I was ready to leave the disco thing behind.

Yvonne: My songs are about being more aware. I don't know why. I have things to say I suppose, right? I did write a great love song for my boyfriend called, 'Just Right.' I'm really hot on that stuff.

I have an album's worth of material ready to go. I don't know why I can't just make that my priority and work on that. People want to record me over there for free. Come on let's just do it. I'm just not organized.

Alan: So you do have some music that you have already recorded?

Yvonne: I have demos of some songs that I am really excited about. It's just me and a guitar playing in the studio.

I am also in the process of writing a song called 'Elephant' because I love the elephant. I was called 'Yvonne Elephant' in school which was really terrible. It was a real drag.

Alan: What have you been doing musically the past few years?

Yvonne: I started to write music. I liked what I was doing. I was kind of scolding people.

Yvonne: Thank you so much. I need a little encouragement because I am the perfectionist. The mood has to be right, the inspiration has to be right, I have to be in the right place.

That's not good. Sometimes you have to push yourself and force yourself because you can get surprises. I've got to finish the 'Elephant' song and 'Leave Lefty Alone' and then I'll be ready to record. There's nothing holding me back except myself.

Alan: Why don't you get into acting?

Yvonne: I don't know about acting.

Alan: You are a great actress.

Yvonne: I did the Hawaii 5-O part and of course I was in 'Superstar' but there was no talking, so when I did have to talk for the first time I thought it was really uncomfortable. I don't think I am going to pursue any acting. I have a hard enough time getting the music out.

Eric: Your voice has remained strong and clear.

Yvonne: They say it is the tone of my voice. For years I didn't know what people liked about my voice.

Alan: Whatever is in your voice I know it is a warmth that I like.

Yvonne: Oh really. Thank you.

Eric: What was it like working with (photographer) Norman Seef?

Yvonne: Oh he was fast. He was about trying something different. He said, 'Let's take it outside.' He got me running down a hill where one boob is up.

Alan: Do you feel like Hawaii inspires you as an artist and are you there for the rest of your life?

Yvonne: Oh yes. I have been given such warmth and such a welcome. It's like being a big fish in a small pond. They fed me when I was at my most insecure point.

I needed to rebuild the confidence and that was the best place for me to be. I feel comfortable to be in my own skin there. I know what they are saying when they talk Pidgen.

My Mom and Dad are there. They are going through the old age stuff so it's a good time for me to be there for them.