VISITING ROBERT ANTHONY DE NIRO IN MANHATTAN

Today, The Grandma has decided to visit a closer friend, Robert de Niro, the American actor born in Manhattan.
 

Robert Anthony De Niro (born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, producer, and director who holds both American and Italian citizenship.

Robert Anthony De Niro was born in the Greenwich Village area of Manhattan, New York, the son of painters Virginia Admiral and Robert De Niro Sr. He is of Irish and Italian descent on his father's side, while his mother had Dutch, English, French, and German ancestry.

De Niro was cast as the young Vito Corleone in the 1974 film The Godfather Part II, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His longtime collaboration with director Martin Scorsese earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Jake LaMotta in the 1980 film Raging Bull. He received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2003, the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2010, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2016.

More information: Biography.com

De Niro's first major film roles were in the sports drama, Bang the Drum Slowly (1973) and Scorsese's crime film Mean Streets (1973). He earned Academy Award nominations for the psychological thrillers Taxi Driver (1976) and Cape Fear (1991), both directed by Scorsese. De Niro received additional nominations for Michael Cimino's Vietnam war drama, The Deer Hunter (1978), Penny Marshall's drama Awakenings (1990), and David O. Russell's romantic comedy-drama, Silver Linings Playbook (2012). His portrayal of gangster Jimmy Conway in Scorsese's crime film Goodfellas (1990), and his role as Rupert Pupkin in the black comedy film The King of Comedy (1983), earned him BAFTA Award nominations.

De Niro has earned four nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, for his work in the musical drama New York, New York (1977), the action comedy Midnight Run (1988), the gangster comedy Analyze This (1999), and the comedy Meet the Parents (2000). 

Other notable performances include roles in Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Brazil (1985), The Mission (1986), The Untouchables (1987), Heat (1995), and Casino (1995). He has directed and starred in films such as the crime drama A Bronx Tale (1993) and the spy film The Good Shepherd (2006).

De Niro received an Italian passport in 2006. His Italian citizenship was granted by the Prime Minister despite strong opposition by the Sons of Italy, who believe that De Niro damaged the public image of Italians by portraying criminals.

More information: Getty Images

 

  

One of the things about acting is 

it allows you to live other people's lives 

without having to pay the price. 

Robert De Niro

NEW YORK, NEW YORK. SINATRA, MINNELLI & LADY GAGA

Today, The Newtons & The Grandma has visited Radio City Music Hall where some old Grandma's friends have been singing some different versions about New York, New York, one of the best-known songs about New York City.

Before arriving to the Radio City Music Hall, the family has been studying some English grammar. They have chosen To Have Got and some State Verbs.

More information: To Have Got & State Verbs

New York, New York is a 1977 American musical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Mardik Martin and Earl Mac Rauch based on a story by Rauch. It is a musical tribute, featuring new songs by John Kander and Fred Ebb as well as jazz standards, to Scorsese's home town of New York City, and stars Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli as a pair of musicians and lovers.

The story is about a jazz saxophonist (De Niro) and a pop singer (Minnelli) who fall madly in love and marry; however, the saxophonist's outrageously volatile personality places a continual strain on their relationship, and after they have a baby, their marriage crumbles, even as their careers develop on separate paths. The film marked the final screen appearance of actor Jack Haley.

More information: The New York Times

The regrets of yesterday 

and the fear of tomorrow can kill you.

 Liza Minnelli

Theme from New York, New York or New York, New York is the theme song from the Martin Scorsese film New York, New York (1977), composed by John Kander, with lyrics by Fred Ebb. 

It was written for and performed in the film by Liza Minnelli. It remains one of the best-known songs about New York City.

Composer John Kander and Lyricist Fred Ebb stated on the A&E Biography episode about Liza Minnelli, that they attribute the song's success to actor Robert De Niro, who rejected their original theme for the film because he thought it was too weak. The song did not become a popular hit until it was picked up in concert by Frank Sinatra during his performances at Radio City Music Hall in October 1978.

In 1979, Theme from New York, New York was recorded by Frank Sinatra for his album Trilogy: Past Present Future (1980), and became closely associated with him as one of his signature songs. Don Costa received a Grammy nomination for the energetic orchestration.

Sinatra occasionally performed the song live with Minnelli as a duet. 

Sinatra recorded it a second time for his 1993 album Duets, with Tony Bennett.

More information: Frank Sinatra

Start spreading the news,
I'm leaving today
I want to be a part of it
New York, New York

These vagabond shoes are longing to stray
And step a round of heart of it
New York, New York

I want to wake up in that city, that doesn't sleep
To find I'm king of the hill
Top of the heap
My little town blues,
Are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it
In old New York
If I can make it there,
I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you
New York, New York
New York, New York

I wanna wake up, in the city that doesn't sleep,
To find I'm king of the hill, head of the list
Cream of the crop at the top of the heap
My little town blues are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it, in old New York
If I can make it there, I'd make it anywhere
Come on, come through New York, New York

More information: Song Facts

 There's no place like New York.
It's the most exciting city in the world now.
That's the way it is. That's it.

Robert De Niro