Mark countered with genial memories of a friend who valued loyalty above everything. Was the satchel that Sinatra carried home from Havana, for example, stuffed with cash (Kaplan's conclusion) or toiletries (Mark's belief)?
Kaplan declined to name some names, pleading, "People are still alive." Mark tried to assure him, "You don't have to worry." The crowd laughed.
Kaplan's bio stops at 1954. He is planning to cover the rest in a volume due out in 2014.
In an interview before the program, Mark said he had thought of telling his story, and even titled it with a Sinatra saying: If Anybody Hurtcha, Call Me. Sinatra had proudly said frequently that Mark would never write a book. Nearly 13 years after Sinatra's death, "I can't do it," Mark told me. "I owe it to him."
Video clips from the event will be available later this week on Philly.com.
Talula's 'urban sister'
Aimee Olexy and
Stephen Starr have decided on Talula's Garden as the name of their restaurant, coming together at 210 W. Washington Square. Olexy says she needed to "feel" the vibe of the former home of Starr's Washington Square restaurant, where she and the restaurateur operated a "pop-up" eatery last summer.
Olexy, a darling of the city's BYOB movement (she and her now-ex, Bryan Sikora, founded Django in Queen Village in May 2001), describes Talula's Garden as the "urban sister" of her Talula's Table in Kennett Square - an "elegant, classy farm-to-table" restaurant. She has hired Michael Santoro, previously chef de cuisine at Blue Duck Tavern in Washington. Opening is targeted for April 1.
Briefly noted
CBS3 weekend anchor
Anne-Marie Green and her husband,
Algernong Allen, are first-time parents. Daughter
Ailey Lynn Allen was born Friday morning. They were married in September 2009.
