He’s a Verona salon owner, a reality TV star and now a published author as well. Last night on Jerseylicious, Anthony Lombardi unveiled the book that he has created with co-star Olivia Blois-Sharpe.
The Glamour State: 225 Years of Stylish Innovation is a tongue-in-cheek re-imaginging of some of the most important moments and people of New Jersey’s history. The never-ending drama between Gatsby Salon owner Gayle Giacomo and ultra-blond Catherine Giove serves as a photo backdrop for the book’s retelling of the real-life 1804 duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr on the Weehawkin cliffs. (A duel was probably the only bit of theatrics that didn’t happen during the book’s launch party episode on the show last night, though Gigi Liscio and Tracey DiMarco came close.)
Lombardi says the idea came from the fact that New Jersey turns 225 this year, but he wanted something that would appeal to the Jerseylicious demographic. “It’s by no means a history book,” he notes with his signature humor. Celebrity photographer Karl Giant, who took all the photos for the book, staged Lombardi and Anthony Robert Salon staffer Jeff Greenfield looking like icons of Jersey music: Lombardi as Frank Sinatra and Greenfield as The Boss.
The book costs $35, and you can buy it at the Anthony Robert Salon, or through Amazon.com.
