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This year’s New York Women in Film & Television Designing Women Awards Gala, which honors makeup artists, hair stylists, and costume designers, will be held May 21 with some special guests.

The 19th annual event, co-presented by Variety, will welcome actresses Nia Long, Christine Ebersole, and Debra Monk as presenters, with comedian Sunda Croonquist as emcee for the evening.

The Designing Women Awards will honor makeup artist Martha Melendez for her work on “She’s Gotta Have It,” “Roxanne Roxanne,” and Spike Lee’s upcoming film “BlacKkKlansman,” along with hair stylist Anita Lausevic from “The Deuce,” “Instinct,” and “Royal Pains.” Costume designer Dana Covarrubias, whose projects include “Quantico,” “Claws,” and “Master of None,” will also be celebrated, and Amazon series “Mozart in the Jungle” will receive Variety‘s Ensemble Award for its makeup, hair, and costume design teams.

“The Designing Women Awards is one of my favorite events of the year...

Fresh off a triumphant return to Broadway in 'The King and I' after battling and beating ovarian cancer, actress and singer Marin Mazzie will headline the Montclair State University Prssa concert to benefit Autism New Jersey on Monday, April 3 at Memorial Auditorium at Montclair State. The performance will run from 730-930 pm. Joining her will be comic Sunda Croonquist and mentalist Manlow.

In the wake of Mother's Day this past weekend, some may be comforted to know that they probably can't be held liable -- at least not in a Court of law -- for insulting their mother-in-law no matter how offensive their insults. As was reported in the news, in March of 2009, that comedian Sunda Croonquist was sued in the New Jersey Superior Court by her mother-in-law, Ruth Zafrin, and sister and brother-in-law, Shelley and Neil Edelman, for essentially mocking her Jewish in-laws in a stand-up comedy routine and website. Croonquist's husband, attorney Mark Zafrin (who is Ruth's son and Shelley's brother), chose his wife's side and defended the suit. By way of background, Croonquist, who was born in Patterson, New Jersey, to an African-American mother and Swedish father and raised Catholic, apparently converted to Judaism when she married...

As new reports appear that are painting Richard Heene as an "abusive" husband, comedienne Sunda Croonquist has a message to Mayumi: Get out!

"I would never take this," Sunda tells "Extra" of Richard's treatment of his wife. "I would never have a man talk to me the way that he has spoken to her in my presence."

Croonquist, who hired Mayumi to edit her comedy audition reel, said she was able to see Richard's temper...

“Bill Bellamy’s Who’s got Jokes?” returns to TV One this fall, marking its fourth season on cable Saturday, October 10th. The veteran comedian/actor is joined by cohorts Tommy Mikal Ford and Rodney Perry to serve up fresh jokes from Las Vegas’ Luxor Hotel. Perry assumes the “Man on the Street” role, performing hilarious sketches and interviewing contestants and Las Vegas visitors. As the newly dubbed “Croupier of Comedy,” Ford decides whether contestants should lose points if their comedy routine veers into raunchy territory or exceeds the time limit. The fourth season’s production design evokes a classic Vegas vibe, perfect for Bellamy and company to mine the famous strip’s iconic history for unforgettable laughs. Bellamy keeps the show on track and the comics on their toes with his hilarious brand of in-your-face comedy, while Perry keeps the audience in stitches with skits tied to Vegas entertainment and legends.

Oh, Ruth and Sunda. A lawsuit? Really? Mrs. Zafrin, Sunda Croonquist is your son's wife and the mother of your grandchildren. She is a comedian in a long, long line of comedians who have poked fun in a hyperbolic manner at their mothers-in-law. I'm fairly certain those of Henny Youngman, Rodney Dangerfield, and Don Rickles were not sitting in Borscht Belt booths flanked by legal counsel. And I suspect Kathy Griffin's own mother understands that her daughter's mom-based material is a combination of love and a kernel of truth on steroids. Ms. Croonquist, if this is a way to garner publicity, it is a round-about display of family unity. But while you're making appearances on morning television (funny stuff on "Morning Meeting" with Dylan Ratigan), you and your secretly well-intentioned mother-in-law are clogging...

They say you can choose your friends, but not your mother-in-law. Sunda Croonquist is being sued by her mother-in-law for defaming her character in nightclubs and on channels like Comedy Central. Another ironic aspect to the story is that her husband's firm (he's an attorney) is defending her in the case. No comment is available from the husband/son.

Croonquist grew up in Paterson, NJ in a strict Roman Catholic upbringing with an interesting half-black, half-Swedish background. Naturally, with such a varied ancestry, she'd marry into a Jewish family.

I'm reminded of a Woody Allen comedy routine in which he goes into business with his family and ends up sending his grandmother to jail for fraud. He'd probably get a kick out of this situation. The lesson is: mothers-in-law hear everything and remember even more.

Here's what I don't understand: why didn't her mother-in-law simply yield the greatest weapon any...