Secluded Stars: Maniscalco guest hosts 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'

Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco's recent gig guest hosting "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" last week produced plenty of fun YouTube clips.

The former Arlington Heights resident had a ball remotely stirring up an NFL sibling rivalry between Houston Texans player J.J. Watt and his younger brothers who play for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Maniscalco also featured his 3-year-old daughter Serafina in a segment where she was quizzed on advice for grown-up problems. Her most frequent answer was: "Candy!"

Maniscalco also helped spring a celebrity guest on Stanley Gantz, a hospital maintenance housekeeper who was honored as the show's weekly "Health Care Hero." Gantz is known for singing Smokey Robinson hits during his shifts, so the Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter popped in as a surprise.

Carry on, Kansas

Former Lombard resident Ronnie Platt famously took over the lead singing spot for the prog rock band Kansas back in 2014. So now Platt is putting his stamp on new Kansas material with the band's recently released studio album "The Absence of Presence."

"Even when we're not consciously thinking of writing in the Kansas vein, you can't help but to have elements of Kansas in the writing because we've been so influenced by it our entire lives," said Platt in a YouTube video about the album's new songs. "It just naturally comes out."

Go 'Lockdown'

Former Winnetka native and Broadway veteran Ann Hampton Callaway recently reminded her Twitter followers about a parody she wrote last May. Sung to the tune of Petula Clark's hit "Downtown," Callaway's spoof called "Lockdown" is unfortunately timely again as many cities and states are tightening up coronavirus restrictions.

One lyric goes: "I'll take you to task if you don't wear a mask, because you're not immune. Lockdown!"

Another goes: "Stay in your pajamas for the doctors who inspire us. Who would want to burden them with more coronavirus?"

Reflective regret

"Horrible Bosses" screenwriter and "Game Night" director John Francis Daley was in a reflective mood recently on Twitter.

Last week the Wheeling native tweeted: "Who knew 2019 would be 'the one that got away.'"