Remembering Leonard Nimoy

Leonard Nimoy died today. I see the words on my screen, but I can’t comprehend them. They seem like a fiction, and a terrible one at that. I feel like a two-bit hack for writing such unbelievable dreck. But it’s not fiction. It’s fact. Leonard Nimoy died today. When he was rushed to the hospital last…

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Hammonton’s First Joe Berenato Turns 150!

For as long as I can remember, the question most asked of me, upon furnishing my name, is, “Which Berenato are you?” My family, you see, has been in Hammonton for more than 125 years, and my name — Joe Berenato — is the most common name in town. And, with few exceptions, we’re all……

For Pete’s Sake: Peter Tork, 1942-2019

Peter Tork, bassist, banjoist, and keyboardist extraordinaire for The Monkees, died today. He was 77. On the TV show, Peter was often portrayed as something as a simpleton — certainly silly, at any rate. In real life, though whimsical, Peter was a serious musician, whose chops earned him respect not only in folk, prog rock,……

The Man Who Made True Believers of Us All

Stan Lee died on November 12. He was 95, and had been active in comic books for more than 75 years. During his unmatched tenure in the industry, Lee helped turn Timely Comics, a small family-run business, into massively mighty Marvel Comics, arguably the biggest and most powerful publisher of comics and associated tie-in media……

FOUND: Domenico Berenato, 1837-1921

The pieces all fell into place very quickly over the past five days. For some time now, my wife Robyn and I have been delving into the history of my family since they emigrated from Sicily. We’ve learned quite a bit over the last year and a half, and even recently gave a presentation on……

All Hail the Men of the Mess! Pt. 1

I love this time of year. The crisp air, the turning leaves, the excuse to wear an overcoat… and the legions of scary movies. Chief among these, for me, are the Universal Monster movies of the ’30s and ’40s. Once upon a yesterday – nine years now, actually – I wrote a five-part series about……

See You on the Other Side, Tony

I learned today that Tony Ruggerio died this past Friday. He was 40. Tony and I grew up together, and, like many childhood friendships, grew apart over the years. After we graduated high school, I occasionally ran into him at Rowan, and we actually had a class together (along with Kim Clements — now Duffy……

Shore Leave, Here I Come!

Finally! After a two-year absence, I’m pleased to announce that I will once again be travelling to Maryland as a guest at Shore Leave Convention, now in its 40th year. I’ll be arriving Friday evening with the rest of the riffraff, and you’ll probably see me and my wife R3wandering around until Meet the Pros……

Wild About Harry…

We lost Harry Anderson today. He was 65. And it feels like learning about the death of an old friend. It’s no secret to those of you who read my stuff that my life has been heavily shaped by Star Trek, Batman, Ghostbusters, The Monkees, Universal Monsters, and any of a host of other geekish……

New Berlin Diner – Berlin, NJ

Diner Nation

Hi Everyone! Joe and I were hoping to venture into a new county but a weekend full of grandkids, teenagers and errands kept us close to home. We did however get to venture a bit farther up Route 30 to the New Berlin Diner! We saw it on the way to the Berlin Market and knew it a must stop on the way back!

We had the teens in tow (introducing Hayden and Carter!) and thought that we would include them on our diner quest adventure! So now we’ll have four dishes instead of two to share with you. If you’re not familiar with the New Berlin Diner, it was featured in a scene of the 2004 movie Jersey Girl, with Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler.

We were greeted and asked for a booth in the front with a view of Route 30. The front seating area and the back…

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