"I thought you could walk on water!"

The last of the Rat Packers passed away Wednesday night. Bronx native Joey Bishop was born Joseph Abraham Gottlieb in 1918 and began his comedy career with his brother Maury in the 1930s. Known for his dead pan delivery, Joey rose to fame in the 1940s and 50s televison (The Steve Allen Show),night clubs, and junket circuit. Then he fell in with the notorious Rat Pack which consisted of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, and Sammy Davis, Jr. He never had the high profile as the rest of his cronies but he was known as the "Hub of the wheel" and often played the straight man in their routines.

His comedic brilliance is typified in his reaction to a near tragedy. Frank Sinatra almost drowned while filming a movie in Hawaii, so Bishop wired him: "I though you could walk on Water."

After his Rat Pack days, Joey starred in NBC's "The Joey Bishop Show" from 1961-65 and appeared in dozens of movies and television shows in supporting roles.

Thanks for the laughs Joey. The old gang is back together now.

(More information on Wikipedia)

Signore Branca finds Heaven

Paul Branca, artist and friend of Loungerati was kind enough to send us a few pictures from what can only be called Vespa heaven. He stumbled upon this shop over the weekend while exhibiting at the Frieze Art Fair in London. Grazie mille!

"Don't Think About Sex" and Lever House

by Fredo

Well now you can add actor to Loungerati Executive Director (Internazionale) Giancarlo Zingaro's resume. The "Outernationalist" sent us a video exclusive of "Don't Think About Sex", a club song by The HAVEX that is sure to be a staple on DJ's rotations from Leith to Ibiza to Berlin. The video was shot in the Leather Room of the Prestonfield Hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland. Hometown hero Giancarlo plays the poor lad with the naughty thoughts of burlesque performer Gypsy Charms. I wish all business presentations were this entertaining! The official release of the song is in November.

In completely unrelated news, I enjoyed an excellent Michter's Rye Manhattan at a wedding after hours party in Manhattan's Lever House on Saturday. The power dining restaurant and bar is situated on the ground floor of the landmark 1952 glass building which changed the face of Park Avenue and office building design. The building is still occupied by the Lever Brothers corporation, a soap and detergent company. The Lever House restaurant pays homage to the Jet Age with modernist design reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. After I stopped taking in the fantastic decor, I headed straight for to the bar. My cocktail was executed properly(in other words no shaking!!) and the bar staff was very attentive despite the crowd. Unfortunately, I did not stay for too long but I was able to relax in one of the circular booths that flank the left side of the room. I will definitely be going back to sample the food and enjoy the ambiance.