Lori & Joe
Married couple Lori & Joe LoCicero embody both halves of Practical Whimsy down to their geographic backgrounds; he's from Atlanta, she's from the O.C. She's grounded, he can be a little over the top. He cooks; she washes the dishes. She directs; he writes. Both have been involved with the creative arts in the entertainment industry, working in production, marketing, party planning and advertising for such Fortune 500 companies as Time Warner, Disney, Viacom, Sony, The Coca-Cola Company and Marriott.
PRACTICAL WHIMSY was founded in 2003 by husband-and-wife team Lori & Joe LoCicero to e-spouse the virtues, values and victories of "Southern Hospitality, Hollywood Style" and - in that vein - offer up a range of like-minded groovy goods and hip tips.
If you're interested in more about the PRACTICAL WHIMSY philosophy, check out "Cool Columns" and specifically the initial entry. To find out more about Lori and Joe, click on their bios below. And if you're a member of the media with an inquiry about PW's lifestyle or the goods, please e-mail info@practicalwhimsy.com, and in the spirit of deadlines -- well contact you back quickly.
Joe has conducted presentations and workshops for such organizations as Loyola Marymount University and MTV Networks. His talks canvass topics regarding easy ideas and plans for inexpensive yet impressive entertaining, scintillating suppers, peppy parties, gracious gifts, cracklin' crafts and happenin' home design. If you're interested in having Joe speak, please e-mail info@practicalwhimsy.com.
Joe LoCicero Biography
Joes obsession with instruction, food and entertainment dates back to his first television stint as a five-year-old "demonstrator" on the PBS series "Virginia's Place," making - among other creations -- a Native American headdress out of construction paper with elbow macaroni forming a Navaho design. Determined to start another project, he then wanted to boil the macaroni to feed the crew.
More recently, the Southern-bred LoCicero has spent the last 12 years in Los Angeles in the entertainment industry, as a scriptwriter, advertising copywriter, pop culturist, network and studio publicist, marketing consultant and, simultaneously, an accomplished home chef and creative guru. Having been asked repeatedly for his recipes, and guidance on homemaking, he found a common theme in his cooking and advice, and decided to compile his offerings in PRACTICAL WHIMSY. His column, "PRACTICAL WHIMSY: Southern Hospitality, Hollywood Style" runs in the new national magazine "Y'ALL: The Magazine of Southern People," which has a 100,000+ circulation. The column celebrates making everyday meals and events gracious and - with ideas hewn from his days as a network party planner- imbued with fun, wonder... and abundant pop culture references.
He's now also recognized as bringing "Clear Thinking" to the lifestyle arena. His "The Complete Idiots Guide to Clear Thinking" will be in bookstores in December 2005.
After working as a studio and network publicist - and publicizing a popular late-night talk show -- he segued to writing full-time in 1993. He has authored a series of reference books based on Hanna-Barbera's classic cartoon characters and its exhaustive library of episodes, such as "The Flintstones," "Scooby- Doo," "Jonny Quest," "Space Ghost" and "Yogi Bear." The books also served as the foundation for Beaux Arts Editions' "Hanna-Barbera Cartoons," released in 1998. LoCicero has written for such kids' series as "The All-New Captain Kangaroo," the family sitcom "Solo en America," (based on Norman Lear's "One Day at a Time"), created and wrote the Telemundo pilot "Tug of War," and co-wrote the film festival favorite "Real Doll." In addition, he wrote thousands of food trivia questions for the PAX TV game show, "Supermarket Sweep." His articles have appeared in such publications as The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Emmy Magazine, Broadcasting & Cable, Military News, and as a columnist for iam.com as their "Tube Dude." Also, he wrote a series of comic books based on the "Married... with Children" sitcom.
As a copywriter, LoCicero has created advertising, publicity and marketing materials for such clients as Paramount Network Television, Paramount Domestic Television, The WB, Disney Channel, Sony Pictures Television, Discovery Channel and Hallmark Channel. In that capacity, his credits include series, telefilms, and specials such as "Entertainment Tonight," "Smallville," "Frasier," "Star Trek: Enterprise," "JAG," "Stephen Kings Kingdom Hospital" and "Lizzie McGuire," among dozens of others.
In the education realm, he has - since 2002 - been creating teacher reference guides for educators nationwide for classic books, such as "Gulliver's Travels" and "Call of the Wild," that tie in with Hallmark Channel productions of the novels.
LoCiceros Hollywood days have shown him that his brand of Southern hospitality was more than welcome in the epicenter of entertainment... where the ingredient "scratch" is widely believed to be available for purchase at any grocery store. Hiring himself out to bake desserts, he has served up cakes for celebrity birthdays and network Christmas gifts. And he became an expert on planning and throwing dinner parties and informal gatherings, as well as dispensing tips on the best way to fry chicken, to use a Crock-Pot, and to choose cuts of meat. On his journey to celebrating domestic life, he became a brilliant home cook - assisted by his father signing him up for a Bon Appetit subscription when he was 12. In 1999, he founded Chartreuse Cake, which specializes in themed, fantastically-crafted cakes for large gatherings at birthday parties, and bridal and baby showers. Chartreuse Cake also caters meals for independent films.
Further, LoCicero specializes in catering meals, events, showers and dessert buffets for network and studio executives, and offers one-on-one in-home cooking instruction.
Currently, LoCicero serves as a creative consultant for L.A.'s Donum Celebrity Gifts, which caters to A-list stars and studio executives; Good Karmal candies, based in Bozeman, Mont.; and Gavroche childrens store, in San Diego, Calif.
He lives in Los Angeles, where he cooks dinner every night for Lori, and their two young children.
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Lori LoCicero Biography
As a film and television director, editor and writer, Lori LoCicero always has striven to draw viewers into kaleidoscopic comedy filtered through her inimitable perspective. That work on numerous television pilots, independent films and behind-the-scenes projects has provided an impressive foundation for the groovy goods and hip tips PRACTICAL WHIMSY offers.
She started PRACTICAL WHIMSY with her husband Joe shortly after the birth of their first child during a hiatus from Hollywood. In that time, she noticed a lack of high-quality goods geared toward family living -- and exuding a chic but accessible feel -- so the couple pooled their creative talents to design and manufacture. Their delightful selection of products, currently includes such items as baby blankets, sofa pillows, dining room tablecloths and chef's aprons sure to brighten up a room pre-, during and post-baby.
Drawing from her directorial experiences of set designing, wardrobe selections, art direction -- and even lighting -- Lori brings a keen eye for vibrant colors, flattering styles and sensible applications in products that make life pop.
Lori's most recent Hollywood project was "Celebrity Bites," a television pilot she directed and edited for Food Network that is billed as the "Entertainment Tonight of the food world." Previously, for WE (AMC's Women's Entertainment Network), she directed and edited the pilot "Broads Playing Poker," a fast-paced, late-night talk strip featuring a table of witty women. Lori first garnered attention with "Real Doll," a comedy shot on 35mm film which marked her inaugural foray into independent filmmaking. The film, which she directed, produced and co-wrote with her husband, received acclaim for its quirky, candy-colored take on self-image as it followed a woman who pursues the ideals and adventures of being "Barbie." "Real Doll" was featured at the Newport Beach and Palm Springs International Film Festivals, the Fantasporto festival in Portugal, as well as on the IFILM.com website.
Lori's other experience includes directing and editing the behind-the-scenes projects "The Making of 'Born to Be Wild,'" and "A Glimpse of the Glimmer," for the Warner Bros. feature films "Born to Be Wild" and the Steven Segal thriller "The Glimmer Man," respectively. She also directed and edited "The Way Lincoln Was Shot," a mockumentary based on TNT's telefilm "The Day Lincoln Was Shot."
During her directing and editing posts, she has also written several feature film scripts and television pilots with Joe.
She began her entertainment career as a page for Paramount Studios -- during which time she met Joe on the Paramount lot -- and was a show manager for such Paramount television series as "Entertainment Tonight" and "The Arsenio Hall Show." She graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles with a bachelor of arts degree in communications.
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