Nicole Ligerman

On Sunday August 15 funny girl Nicole Ligerman presented her cabaret show The Bitch with the Dog Ruined My Life: Memoirs of a Non-genue to a packed house at Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's. Ligerman is most assuredly not an ingenue, but a character lady, and like her idol Barbra Streisand, she struggles and suffers to show the world that she's the greatest star. Her patter was delightful, especially the opening where she sang to a photo on top of the piano, a la Judy Garland on film to Clark Gable: 'You Made Me Love You'. When she turned the photograph around to face the audience, it was of Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz. Ligerman proceeded to explain that she isn't crazy about the film, but indeed loves Hamilton, after which she sang a song she claimed was cut from Oz 'I'm a Bitch'. It was a very funny moment, and, of course, afterwards she pointed out that she had been kidding, that the song was never associated with Oz.

Sterling's Upstairs at Vitello's is presenting its annual LA's Next Great Stage STAR! What a terrific event! Not unlike TV's American Idol, talented artists compete before judges and a live audience. At Sterling's they go head to head for 6 Sundays: the first was November 29 with the finale to take place on January 3, 2010 at 12pm. At that time 13/18 contestants will be eliminated and the 5 remaining contestants will go on to compete once more. From these 5 the winner will be announced. The winner will receive $1000 in cash as well as a paid headlining engagement at Sterling's, and a variety of auditions for local musical theatres such as the outstanding Musical Theatre West and Cabrillo Music Theatre. The 4 runners up will also get headlining engagements at Sterling's and various private auditions as well.

Sterling's Upstairs at Vitello's, the most critically acclaimed, award-winning supper club of its kind in Los Angeles, presents LA's Next Great Stage Star 2010 beginning Sunday, November 29, 2009 for a series of six competitive performances, culminating in a spectacular Finale Sunday, January 3, 2010. The November 29th, sold out opening, set advance record sales for this annual 'Master Showcase/Competition', now in its fourth year. Remaining dates are also heading into record sell-outs.