Finally Home

Ugh, what a travel day from hell. Although I had no trouble checking in and passing through security, I barely made my plane in Denver. It was starting to board when I arrived at the gate. Gotta get to the airport plenty early these days. We boarded the plane and sat in our seats at the gate for over an hour due to a "maintenance issue" with one of the engines. That never sounds good. Also there was something wrong with the electrics on this plane because the flourescent cabin lights kept blinking on and on off rapidly and randomly. It was like a strobe effect inside the plane -- and I wasn't even stoned!

At last we pulled away from the gate, only to be stopped on the tarmac because of weather delays in San Francisco (our destination). That was another half hour or more of sitting on the aircraft in the middle of the runway. Naturally the plane was full of families traveling with small children after the holiday and I was stuck right in the middle of them. I actually traded seats twice to allow parents to sit with their kids, spouses, etc.

By the way, I'm totally OVER parents and their precious children at this point in my life. I'm not sure who is most annoying, the kids or their inept parents. You can keep 'em as far as I'm concerned. "Look, but don't touch" is my new philosophy.

The flight attendants kindly put in a movie to help pass the time. It was "Cinerella Man" by Ron Howard. Although highly censored for airplane viewing, the movie was quite entertaining and compelling. Very good filmmaking and performances from the stars Russell Crowe, Renee Zellwegger, and Paul Giamatti. And hell, it had to compete with dozens of screaming children and it won. Thumbs up!

The plane left Denver about 5:30 pm (almost two hours late) and we arrived in San Fran about 7:15 Pacific time. I was certain that I had missed my connecting flight to Burbank since the scheduled departure time was 6:30. "Luckily" that flight had also been delayed due to weather and traffic flow and was scheduled to depart at 9:45 that evening! Yes, two more hours of waiting in the airport.

After chowing down on a Whopper combo from the airport Burger King (I was starving after 8 hours without food), I had plenty of time to catch up on my reading. And after a gate change and some more waiting, my flight to Burbank finally took off sometime close to 10:30pm. My friend Benny drug himself out of bed to pick me up in Burbank at 11:30. At times like this, one certainly knows who one's friends are.

I finally made it home, sweet home after 12:30am. The cat was somewhat indifferent to my return until she caught me in an unguarded moment and reached up and scratched the hell out of my right hand with both her front paws. "Welcome home, asshole!" I don't know what she had to complain about. There was plenty of food and water, and she had the whole place to herself for a week. Jeez!

After cleaning up a bit, settling in and winding down, I made it to bed around 3. Today it's cool and rainy in Los Angeles. Two big Pacific winter storms are bearing down on us and promising inches of rain by the start of the new year.

On the bright side, I'm listening now to Brian Wilson's SMILE (got it for Christmas)and it is dreamy and wonderful. I need to vacuum and empty the cat box (not necessarily in that order), buy groceries, write "thank you" cards, and prepare for my meeting with the tour boss on Friday. Oh yes, I also desperately need to practice for the concert on Saturday night. But what I really want to do is play with my Christmas toys!

Bring on 2006!

Out of 'Time to make the doughnuts'

CNN.com - 'Time to make the doughnuts' actor dies - Dec 27, 2005

Enough Is Enough -- Impeach Bush

If the Democrats have any balls at all, they will impeach Bush at the first confirmation of illegal activity by him or his administration.

The Republicans impeached Clinton for having oral sex in his private office. While that may be illegal in some states, it's not quite the same as disregarding the Constitution one has sworn to uphold. If that isn't at least incompetence, I don't know what is.

I attended a discussion with Gore Vidal on the eve of the invasion of Iraq (almost three years ago) and he said that George W. Bush would leave office as the most unpopular president in U.S. history.

If that's true, do we really have to wait three more years, until January 2009, and let this guy do more harm to our country and to our way of life?

Best Picture of the Year

We have a winner, and it's one of the best ever:

ASIAN FEVER #22

Thanks, Larry Flynt!

And Sydney Makes Three

Yes, I'm three for three in my celebrity sightings this week. OK, Bruce Vilanch and Jason Schwartzman may not be household names, but Sydney Pollack certainly is. His resume as a producer, actor, and director is one of the most esteemed in Hollywood.

The most recent feature he directed was The Interpreter, starring Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman, but he's most famous for movies like The Firm, Out of Africa (for which he won an Oscar), Tootsie, Absence of Malice, Three Days of the Condor, The Way We Were, They Shoot Horses Don't They?, and on and on. His list of producing credits is longer than his directing credits!

Now Mr. Pollack has produced and directed his first documentary feature, Sketches of Frank Gehry, a fascinating portrait of the architect and his creative process. Mr. Pollack attended a screening of the film here in Los Angeles, including a Q&A afterwards, and I was one of the lucky people in attendance.

It is a remarkable and engaging film, especially if you are a fan of Frank Gehry's other-wordly architectural style. A resident of Santa Monica, Mr. Gehry has designed a number of private residences and public buildings here in Southern California in addition to his world-famous commissions such as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. His most famous local landmark is the new Walt Disney Concert Hall, home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.



The documentary Sketches of Frank Gehry has been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics, and according to Mr. Pollack there will likely be a limited theatrical release of the film in about 20 markets before being released on DVD. It was also supported in part by American Masters on PBS so you will probably be able to see the film on TV soon.

I Touched a Coppola

As if meeting Bruce Vilanch were not enough (!), I ran into Jason Schwartzman at Peet's Coffee in Westwood this morning. Although not a household name, Jason Schwartzman
is the young star of Shopgirl (he stole the movie) and I Heart Huckabees, but he's perhaps best remembered for his brilliantly refreshing performance in Wes Anderson's Rushmore.

I had just ordered my cup of coffee when he appeared in line behind me, wearing a green T-shirt and a scruffy full beard. In ultra-cool LA fashion, I simply acknowledged him and said "I'm a big fan." He brightened and responded, "Thanks man, awesome!" which, if you've seen any of his movies, sounds exactly like him.

I grabbed my coffee and moved on, but it was only a few minutes later I remembered that besides being and up-and-comer himself, he's also the nephew of Francis Ford Coppola and the son of Talia Shire.

Oh, and his former band Phantom Planet (whom I saw opening for Elvis Costello a few years ago) recorded the theme song for the hit TV show The O.C.

So there! Now, if I get to see Sydney Pollack tomorrow as scheduled, I'll be three for three!

Brokeback Mountain

This is a good movie. It may not grow to be a blockbuster because a lot of people are still nervous about dealing with intimate relations between men. And that's a pity because this film is not a "gay" movie. It's a love story, and a gripping one at times.

The setting in the Rocky Mountains is absolutely gorgeous. The cinematography alone is worth the price of admission. The two young stars, Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, did a great job of portraying two simple country boys who come to love each other very deeply (no pun intended!).

It was surprising at first to see a fairly graphic depiction of gay sex on screen between two big Hollywood stars. There were quite a few gasps and sniggers from the audience. What an enormous risk those actors had to take in portraying these characters!

I was so pleased to see a full house at the preview screening at the Arclight in Hollywood and I hope that good word-of-mouth will get this film seen by many people. It's another winner from director Ang Lee, who became a star with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, as well as Hulk, Sense and Sensibility, and The Ice Storm.

Based on a short story by Annie Proulx, the touching screenplay was written by the legendary Larry McMurtry, author of Lonesome Dove, Texasville, Hud, Terms of Endearment, and The Last Picture Show. Pretty good resume, don't you think?

Give Brokeback Mountain a chance. It's worth the effort.

Bruce Vilanch has lost weight!

You've probably seen comedian/writer Bruce Vilanch on the Hollywood Squares or writing jokes for the Oscars. I met him tonight at the Arclight Cinema in Hollywood. I was there at a screening with my boss, but little did I know my boss and Vilanch were old friends. We were standing in line at the snack bar when Bruce came downstairs with a handsome young man. My boss Tony spotted them and called out and it was old home week for a few minutes.

Bruce Vilanch has lost weight. He looked a lot thinner in person than he does on TV, but my boss Tony said Bruce had lost a lot of weight, maybe a hundred pounds. I'd believe it, except he's still got a big double chin since he shaved his beard. Nice fellow.

'Tis the Season

Today may be my first Thanksgiving Dinner outdoors. That's right -- it's so warm here today in Los Angeles that my illustrious hosts are setting the dinner table on the patio out back. It's currently sunny and 75 degrees Fahrehnheit, with a little seabreeze from the west.

My family back in Colorado always pities me here in California since we lack the traditional seasons like most other places. Although I do miss the leaves turning in fall, and the nip in the air before the first snow, I must point out that we do have seasons here in Southern California: fire season, mudslide season, summer, and awards season.

So there!

Summer in November

Jesus, it's hot today!! 87 degrees currently in Hollywood and very bright sunshine. The past few days have been unseasonably warm here in southern California: more of those infamous Santa Ana winds that provoke all the wildfires.

I hope things cool down for Thanksgiving. I don't want to be wearing shorts and sandals, and sweating in the heat, while eating a festive holiday dinner. Just doesn't seem right!

Stars in their Cars

One of the advantages of living in Los Angeles is the propensity for spotting celebrities in the flesh, so to speak. I've seen dozens in the eight years since I've lived here. Most of the time they are shopping, or ordering at Starbucks, or walking the dog with their kids; you know, normal human stuff. I also see them driving in their cars and this week I saw two celebrities in their cars.



A few days ago while driving through Beverly Hills on my way to UCLA, comedian-actor Paul Reiser passed by me in his pretty little black Lexus. It was about 8:30 in the morning and Reiser was wearing mirrored sunglasses and chomping open-mouthed on a big hunk of chewing gum.



Just tonight I saw Owen Wilson in his new little Toyota Prius. I was sitting in my parked car outside my Laundromat when Wilson pulled in beside me. I looked over and recognized his stringy blonde hair, which he promptly covered with a baseball cap after making eye contact with me for several seconds. He then hopped out of the car and made his way across the street into a trendy little bistro.



I was impressed that a big shot movie star like Owen Wilson would drive a tiny economy car, but I guess he's an environmentalist at heart. I'm always too shy to say anything to these people when I see them, but I bet Wilson's a cool guy.



Ah, life in La-La-Land...you never know who may turn up!

Cinerama

I had the rare pleasure recently of watching the classic film How The West Was Won in its original 3-strip Cinerama format at the Arclight Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, one of only three theaters in the world equipped for this format. The film itself is a well-known western epic with a huge cast of many great film stars from the 1940s, '50s and '60s, including Jimmy Stewart, Debbie Reynolds, Karl Malden, Gregory Peck, Henry Fonda, John Wayne, and on and on. What most impressed me, however, was the Cinerama film technique.

Cinerama debuted in 1953 as the first "wide screen" format. The process used a large camera with three small lenses, one in the middle facing straight ahead and two side lenses angled diagonally toward the center. The images captured by these lenses were exposed on three separate reels of film. To view the finished movie, the theater had to be equipped with three separate projectors, each precisely aimed at one third of the curved screen.



Because of the wide field of vision captured on film (146 degrees), plus the curved screen, the image has a mild 3-D effect. Objects on both extremes of the frame seem closer than objects in the center. The projection reveals frame lines from each strip of film which blend together on the movie screen. This was somewhat distracting at times, but the viewer gets used to it and accepts the three images as one large picture. It's all part of the novelty of the format.



Another challenge of working with this format was the fact that actors in a scene together couldn't always look at each other directly. In order to keep a realistic perspective for the viewer, actors often had to cheat their sight lines toward the camera.

It's amazing how much information was captured by the three-lensed camera, much like a human being's peripheral vision. Incidentally, this caused problems for legendary director John Ford (one of three directors on this film) who ruined more than one take by accidentally stepping into frame even though he was to the side of the camera.

Cinerama also incorporated true surround sound. The following detailed description is from the original Cinerama premiere book, which I found reprinted online here:

"When the shooting crew is out in the field, five microphones are placed to cover all the action that the camera's eyes will see. One to three others are placed well off to one side or behind the camera, to pick up the sound of people's voices, roaring engines, or whatever may be approaching or leaving the scene. Each mike makes an individual magnetic recording on a special six-track sound film. In the theater, five speakers--one for each of the mikes on the set--are arranged behind the screen. When the sound film is run off with the picture, each speaker reproduces the sounds picked up by the mike that was in a similar position on the set. Three other speakers, one on each side wall, and another in the rear of the theater reproduce the offstage noises that the extra mikes picked up. Hence, as a motor boat, for instance, roars across the set, the noise of its engine will be picked up by each of the mikes successively. And that's the way sound comes out in the theater--moving sound that travels across the screen and roars away in the actual direction it's traveling."

(Click image above for full size.)

The sound at the Cinerama Dome was indeed spectacular and the dramatic film score by Alfred Newman, incorporating many American folk tunes, was highlighted with the inclusion of the complete Overture, Intermission, and Exit Music.

Cinerama was used primarily for shooting travelogues. Typical scenes included riding in a gondola in the canals of Venice and flying through the Grand Canyon in a B-25 bomber. Only two feature films were completed using the Cinerama process and How The West Was Won was the second and last, and the only Cinerama film to be restored. It was an enormous blockbuster costing over $15 million to make, with three production crews shooting dramatic action sequences simultaneously in various parts of the country.

Although the format was enormously successful (HTWWW had its American premiere in February 1963 at the Warner Cinerama Theater in Hollywood and ran for 97 weeks at that theater!!), Cinerama's days were numbered due to the high costs of production and exhibition (5 projectionists and a stage hand were required for every performance) and eventually the industry switched to single-lens 70mm production.

At its peak in 1962, there were over 100 Cinerama theaters worldwide and I'm extremely proud to report that the very first theater built specifically for Cinerama was The Cooper theater in my hometown of Denver, Colorado! I saw many films there as a kid, including Return of the Jedi, Pink Floyd The Wall, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Sadly the theater closed a number of years ago and was torn down and replaced with a strip mall.


(Click image for more info about The Cooper.)

So much for aethetics. If you ever get a chance to see a film in the Cinerama format, don't hesitate! It's a novelty now, but it's also a lot of fun.

Celebrity Student

Every once in a while we get a student at UCLA who is a celebrity in their own country. We've had actresses from Mexico, singers from Korea, and directors from Japan. But the arrival today of Takeshi Kaneshiro sent our entire student body into a tizzy.



Apparently he is a huge star in Asia, but relatively unknown here. None of the teachers knew who he was, but our students from Japan and Korea and Taiwan certainly recognized him and they wouldn't stop crowding the hallways trying to sneak a peak into his classroom or to snap a quick photo to email their friends back home.

We've had to have extra facilities staff on hand to keep the hallways clear of loitering students and to escort Mr. Kaneshiro quickly to and from the emergency exit before and after class. In fact, I gave up my classroom to his class because that room is closer to the emergency exit and to the administrative offices.

Although he is known for playing quirky roles in off-beat films, most American audiences will know him from Chunking Express or House of Flying Daggers. He's also quite a heartthrob for the young ladies, and being of mixed race (Taiwanese-Japanese) he is fluent in several languages.


With Ziyi Zhang in House of Flying Daggers

Luckily he's not my student so I don't have to deal with the chaos around him, but so far the teachers and students who have met him said he's actually a really nice guy who is here to study English and stay out of the limelight for a while. Yeah, good luck!

UPDATE: Takeshi lasted two days before the attention was too much for him and he left the English program. There were rumors of press and paparazzi on their way from Asia to hound him here. The students wouldn't leave him alone either. Someone apparently followed him into the restroom to take a picture.

Guess it sucks to be beautiful!

Jeff Daniels

Saw Jeff Daniels tonight at a SAG screening in Hollywood of his new film The Squid and the Whale. Set in 1986 Brooklyn, the movie was hilarious and touching. It deals with serious emotional family issues in a humorous but sincere way. Very surprising and fresh.

Jeff Daniels appeared after the film for an interview and Q & A session with the audience. He's always been a favorite of mine, consistently good in every role whether third-billed or starring. With a career spanning 29 years, as he pointed out twice in his comments, he has played in films as diverse as Dumb and Dumber, Gettysburg, Pleasantville, Terms of Endearment, and his first starring role, The Purple Rose of Cairo.

He's worked with some of the biggest in the biz: Woody Allen, Mike Nichols, Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson, and...Keanu Reeves (in Speed). His performance in The Squid and the Whale is a fine addition to his already broad palette of roles, and the spin is already headed toward an Oscar nomination, if you follow the early hype.

It is his capability for playing extremely diverse characters which has been the key to his success, said Daniels. Portraying a deranged cop in the drama 2 Days in the Valley and following with 101 Dalmations (which has yet to make enough money to pay any residuals, he griped) demonstrates a wider stretch than the average working actor, in terms of richness of character and budget.

Maintaining a normal family life with his wife and three kids in his home state of Michigan has been the trade-off in place of the typical Hollywood rewards of fame and wealth. Mr. Daniels has made a decent enough living dividing his time between blockbusters and independent features to finance his own dream theater company in Michigan which produces only original works by Midwestern American playwrights.

In person, Jeff Daniels definitely has star quality, but tonight he seemed more like "the star next door", wearing blue jeans, cowboy boots and a brown corduroy blazer with too-long sleeves. And he has surprisingly boyish good looks for a man 50 years old. He has also retained his thick blonde hair, which he kept fussing with during the interview.

Grounded in his success, he encouraged the striving actors in the 300-strong SAG audience to "be ready when your two minutes comes." Everyone who perseveres will have the opportunity someday to shine in a standard two-minute audition, but they must be prepared and in the right frame of mind to make success out of it.

Like the Boy Scouts say, "always be prepared."

Michael Jackson moves to Bahrain

As if this guy's life couldn't get any weirder, Michael Jackson has reportedly moved to the Persian Gulf country of Bahrain, according to the LA Times.

Jackson apparently moved there with his children shortly after his acquittal earlier this year on child molestation charges.

I don't know about you, but I'm not really very familiar with Bahrain. However, I just did some quick Internet research and it sounds like an interesting place.

Bahrain is a tiny island monarchy (665 sq miles) located east of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf. The small population (less than 700,000 people) are mostly Arab Muslims, about a third of which are non-nationals.

Economically speaking, Bahrain is very well off due to its petroleum resources and the growing industry of refining imported crude, but the cost of living is considerably cheaper than, say, New York or London.

In 2004, Bahrain became the first Gulf state to sign a Free Trade Agreement with the United States. The country gained its independence from Britain in 1971.

Maybe Michael's not so crazy after all. Nah.

Sources:
http://www.bahraintourism.com/subpage1.htm
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ba.html
http://www.bahrain.gov.bh/english/index.asp

Craig, Daniel Craig is the new 007

It's official: 37-year-old English actor Daniel Craig will the newest actor to play James Bond in next year's Casino Royale.

Full story here.

Who will be the next Bond?

We should know for sure by this time tomorrow...

Read CNN's story

The World's Shortest Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, a guy asked a girl "Will you marry me?" The girl said,
"NO!" And the guy lived happily ever after and went fishing, hunting and
played golf a lot and drank beer and farted whenever he wanted.

Eye of the Storm

Amazing blog by a couple journalists stationed in the destruction zone of Hurricane Katrina. They give harrowing first-person accounts of surviving the hurricane and suffering through the aftermath.

Astounding photos as well.

Eye of the Storm

Fill Up Fast!

Gas prices are on the rise again and they may reach record levels by the upcoming Labor Day weekend. So save a few pennies and fill up early if you can.

With the summer driving season coming to an end, we should see some stabilization in the rate of demand, but in the long run gasoline will continue to grow more and more expensive.

Shapes of Things to Come

I'm glad I got to visit New Orleans when I did. The city will never be the same. In fact, it may eventually be abandoned all together as uninhabitable.

Unfortunately the recent Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans and other Gulf cities is merely the beginning of the end for low-lying areas around the world. Not everyone agrees, but many scientists speculate that as global warming continues, more cities will be consumed by the oceans and those areas in the hurricane zone will be the first to go since the rate (and power) of hurricanes and other weather-related disasters is expected to increase dramatically in the coming decades.

Perhaps New Orleans, already below sea level, will become like the mythical city of Atlantis, which was allegedly consumed by the sea.

Help the Victims of Katrina

Please join me in helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina by donating anything you can to the American Red Cross 2005 Hurricane disaster relief fund.

If you don't have any extra cash to send now, consider donating all those spare pennies you have lying around! And as if the cause itself wasn't enough, remember your donations are tax-deductible.

It's a sharp reality check to see the massive destruction in New Orleans, Biloxi and the other affected Gulf cities. Hundreds of thousands have lost everything. In some cases their entire city has ceased to exist.

Makes my complaints about having to choose between 2% and whole milk for my coffee seem pretty trivial.

Motivational Posters

We've all seen those tacky motivational posters in offices. Don't you just hate them?

Well here's a web company that offers Demotivational Posters and they are frickin' hilarious! Here's an example:



Check out Demotivators for more...

Boys Keep Swinging

Boys Keep Swinging

These guys rock!

End of the Network All-Stars

With the death of Peter Jennings, all three major networks, NBC, CBS, and now ABC, have lost their network news anchor within the last year. It truly is the end of an era.

Peter Jennings dies at 67

ABC News anchor Peter Jennings dies at 67 - TV NEWS AND INFORMATION - MSNBC.com

I'm crushed.

Which Bowie Are You?

Which David Bowie are you?

An Evening At The Bowl

Had a nice treat Friday night when my tour boss Philip invited me to join his party at the Hollywood Bowl. We had wine and cheese and meats, and a delicious Key Lime pie for dessert. Philip's friends are all show people and artists, so there was much laughter and revelry.

The program was Great American Women, one of the Bowl's "Great American Concerts" series, and conductor John Mauceri was celebrating his 300th performance at the Bowl.

It was a lovely evening -- amazing how cool Los Angeles evenings can be even in the summer time -- and the show featured the Hollywood Bowl orchestra, three great divas, and fireworks!

The divas were opera star Debra Voigt, jazz maven Dianne Reeves (just off the plane from hometown Denver!), and Broadway legend Barbara Cook. Each woman held the audience captive with their unique interpretations of standard classics, both classical and popular.

Most endearing perhaps was 78-year-old Barbara Cook who forgot her words several times, but shrugged it off like a pro, at one point stopping the orchestra to start over. "This song is too good to mess up. Let's try it again, Johnny M," she said.

My favorite piece of the evening was the very first one played by the orchestra, Fanfare From "King's Row" by film composer Erich Korngold. This was obviously a huge inspiration for the music of John Williams and in fact one part of the theme sounded remarkably similar to the opening notes of "Star Wars".

Another highlight was a specially commissioned orchestral suite of Adam Guettel's The Light In The Piazza, which won a Tony this year for Best Original Score. Guettel premiered this suite at the Hollywood Bowl several years before the Broadway production and his glorious score brings back a romantic style of theater music not heard since the days of his grandfather, Richard Rodgers.

[I became familiar with The Light In The Piazza on my recent trip to San Francisco. After our Sideways tour through wine country, Betty played the cast album for me in the car.]

John Mauceri had everyone in stitches with his witty 15th annual "State of the Orchestra" address. What a charming and articulate man he is -- exactly the sort of person you would want sitting next to you at a dinner party.

Niebaum-Coppola Winery

Finally have time to post about my trip to northern California in June. Had a rare opportunity to visit San Francisco while my dear friend "Betty" was there conducting Les Miserables.

We've been to San Francisco so many times, there was not much left to do in the city, so we rented a car and took a drive through Napa Valley. Ironically, we stopped only at one winery and we didn't drink any wine! Apparently Francis is very proud of his wine: just a tasting costs $15.



The winery was the Niebaum-Coppola winery, owned by filmmaker Francis Coppola. It was a beautiful chateau setting originally operated by the Niebaum family. Very elegant surroundings, and a tiny museum on the second floor of the house documents Coppola's illustrious film career. There were tons of his awards (Oscars, Palms D'Or from Cannes, etc.), plus he had several props and costumes from the films on display, including the Godfather's desk and the Tucker automobile from his film of the same name. (Photos by Betty)



Later we drove to the coast to Bodega Bay, infamous filming location of Hitchcock's The Birds. Nice to see that some things never change. It's still a sleepy little fishing village with one major restaurant, The Tides, which is where the villagers were hiding from the birds in the movie. The original restaurant burned down back in the 1960s, but the current structure is on the original site. And naturally it's decorated with all sorts of photos and memorabilia from the film. Tippi Hedren has been back to visit several times on special occasions and several of her autographs are on display. (No photos unfortunately)

Flash:10th Planet Discovered

From Space.com:

Astronomers have discovered an object in our solar system that is larger than
Pluto. They are calling it the 10th planet, but already that claim is contested.

It is the first time an object so big has been found in our solar system since
the discovery of Pluto 75 years ago.

The announcement came just hours after another newfound object, one slightly
smaller than Pluto, was revealed. The new object, temporarily named 2003 UB313,
is about three times as far from the Sun as is Pluto.

"It's definitely bigger than Pluto," Brown said.

For the full story, visit
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/050729_new_planet.html

"Beam me up, Scotty" -- James Doohan Dead

Beam Scotty up to heaven...

James Doohan, Star Trek's Scotty, Dead at age 85.

Tom Cruise Inc. - The numbers behind his celebrity. By Edward Jay�Epstein

Tom Cruise Inc. - The numbers behind his celebrity. By Edward Jay�Epstein

A fascinating and shocking article describing how Tom Cruise has cleverly used his celebrity and reputation to demand an unprecedented movie deal with Paramount Pictures.

For better or for worse, he is truly the biggest star in the world.

Boys Keep Swinging

OK, I know it's been a while since I've blogged, but I've been waiting for some pictures to turn up to add to my posts.


A swinging sailor!

Last Saturday night was the BowieNet "Get Lei'd in LA" party at Frank & Benny's place in Burbank. Frank, Roger and I played a short set of Bowie songs for the guests, of which there were many. We saw all the familiar faces and a ton of new ones. Bowie fans came from across southern and northern California, as well as Florida and even Canada to attend this party!

The party was a huge success (as always) and the BowieNet message boards have been buzzing with positive response, and some SCANDALOUS photos that I wouldn't dream of posting in a public forum such as this one!

The band, Boys Keep Swinging, with groupies:


Even Stennie was in attendance:

Iran Elections

"....read in the paper this morning about President Bush's criticisms of the recent elections in Iran....the president said there were groups who tried to oppress the vote, that power is in the hands of an elite few, and that the whole thing is dominated by religion....sounds a lot like the Republicans, doesn't it?....." GGS

George Lucas in Hollywood

Had a real "Hollywood" moment last Thursday night (June 9) when the American Film Institute honored filmmaker George Lucas with its Lifetime Achievement Award at the Kodak Theater.

Since I had been working, giving tours, that day I decided to stay late and observe the red carpet festivities. Considering George Lucas' clout and admiration within the film community, I knew it would be a star-studded affair. I wasn't disappointed.

Here's a partial list of the celebrities I saw up close on the red carpet:

William Shatner, Robert Duvall, radio host Rick Dees, Steven Spielberg's mother, composer John Williams, comedian Adam Carrolla, Richard Dreyfus, Anthony Michael Hall, MacKenzie Phillips, Steven Spielberg, Mark Hamill, Cloris Leachman, Harrison Ford and Calista Flockheart, Hugh Hefner and a huge bevy of buxom blonde babes, Warren Beatty and Annette Benning, C3PO and R2-D2, Chewbacca, and the man of the hour, Mr. George Lucas.

It was actually a lot of fun to see all those famous people together in one place. I was on the phone the whole time giving play-by-play to my sister in Denver. She was kind enough to keep a list of the celebrities I saw. Thanks, Sis!

Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera with me, but you can see photos of the red carpet arrivals on the Wire Image website.

You can enjoy the festivities yourself when USA Network airs the tribute on Monday, June 20.

Love and Marriage

Here's a fun and fascinating article from Newsweek about the history of marriage and how its purpose and relevancy have changed and declined over the centuries.

What's Love Got to Do With It? Everything. - Newsweek Society - MSNBC.com

On This Date

"....on this date (June 5) in 1981, puzzled officials at the Centers for Disease Control in Los Angeles reported that five male patients, all homosexual, had been diagnosed with a "rare kind of pneumonia" which did not seem to respond to normal treatment....these were the first recognized cases of what would become known as AIDS...."

Doctor Who?

My favorite childhood science fiction TV series is back on BBC Television.

The return of 'Doctor Who'

Still Sick

A week ago I went to the doctor to check my eye for conjunctivitis. She gave me some antibiotic drops and told me my "pink eye" would clear up by the weekend. She was right. I even called her Monday to tell her things were looking better. I may have spoken too soon.

This morning, I woke up with crusty puss around my eyes again. I had to work at it to crack them open so I could see the floor when I got out of bed. After washing the crud out of my eyes, I noticed that my left eye was all bloodshot again. Shit. And I'm out of antibiotics, too.

Also, I have a killer sore throat that's been getting worse the past three days. I was hoping that ignoring it would make it go away. That rarely works. I am so burnt. A week in Hawaii would probably make me feel better.

Cher's Final Show

I was there! My boss Philip gave me tickets to see Cher's final performance at the Hollywood Bowl last Saturday night.

Yes, she's been on this "farewell" tour for three years, but this time she means it. It was the 325th show of the tour and it was a spectacular performance: lights and video, dancers and acrobats, and of course her outrageous costumes, of which she wore about a dozen changes.

And it was a full retrospective of her career, including video footage of her and Sonny Bono singing "I Got You Babe", and highlights from Cher's solo career as a singer and actress, featuring clips of her duets with many famous celebrities (including Mr. Bowie) on her 1970's TV show, her music videos, and her film performances, including her Oscar-winning role in 'Moonstruck'.

Conjunctivitis

That's not my eye, but it could have been yesterday. I'm dealing with a mild case of Conjunctivitis, commonly known as 'pink eye'.

I woke up two days ago with a mild irritation in my left eye. I dropped in some Visine and carried on with my day, but as the hours passed the irritation and inflamation increased. The eye also started to emit a greenish, milky discharge. By Tuesday evening, the pain and tearing were so bad I couldn't bear to keep the eye open.

Wednesday morning I woke up with the eye sealed shut with crusty goop. (Delicious imagery, don't you think?!) After washing it out and putting in more drops, it felt fine. But it looked terrible, a deep crimson red.

My co-workers at UCLA insisted I seek medical attention so after suffering through my day's classes (what a professional), I went to a local eye doctor in Westwood. Dr. Braun gave me an exam and told me I had a viral infection. There's apparently been a late flu and cold season according to her, and she's seen many similar illnesses lately. She gave me some drops and sent me on my way. Since I didn't have insurance, she kindly gave me a 35% discount on the office visit, which is normally $175. (Nice work if you can get it, huh?!)

I must admit she was quite a cutey, and young for a doctor. She did give me her card and asked me to keep in touch. About the eye, of course!

Mostly Harmless

I thought CNN's review hit the mark pretty close.

Gas Prices

Did you see these about gas prices?

The New Elvis

Why, oh why, do we need yet another Elvis biopic? At least they picked a good actor to play the King, Irishman Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

As himself:



As Elvis:



Take your pick!

Gallup: 50% of Americans Now Say Bush Deliberately Misled Them on WMDs

Gallup: 50% of Americans Now Say Bush Deliberately Misled Them on WMDs

Half of all Americans, exactly 50%, now say the Bush administration deliberately misled Americans about whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

How Depressing

Apparently Texas is the happiest place on Earth after all...

The 20 Happiest Cities

A Pope's Funeral

With all the glamour and pomp & circumstance of Pope John Paul's funeral, I can't wait until Benedictus XVI dies so we can do it all again!

Stuff To Think About

Some of these have been passed around in email chains for a while, but there still worth pondering...

TWO TOUGH QUESTIONS

Question 1:

If you knew a woman who was pregnant, who had 8 kids
already, three who were deaf, two who were blind, one
mentally retarded, and she had syphilis, would you
recommend that she have an abortion?

Read the next question before looking at the answer
for this one.

Question 2:

It is time to elect a new world leader, and only your
vote counts. Here are the facts about the three
leading candidates.

Candidate A -
Associates with crooked politicians, and consults with
astrologists.
He's had two Mistresses. He also chain smokes and
drinks 8 to 10 martinis a day.

Candidate B -
He was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon,
used opium in college and drinks a quart of whiskey
every evening.

Candidate C -
He is a decorated war hero. He's a vegetarian, doesn't
smoke, drinks an occasional beer and never cheated on
his wife.

Which of these candidates would be your Choice?

Decide first, no peeking, then scroll down for the
answer.

----------------------------------------------

Candidate A: is Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Candidate B: is Winston Churchill.
Candidate C: is Adolph Hitler.


And, by the way, the answer to the abortion question:
If you said yes, you just killed Beethoven.

Pretty interesting isn't it? Makes a person think
before judging someone.

and in case you never saw this one......

Can you imagine working for a company that has a
little more than 500 employees and has the following
statistics:

* 29 have been accused of spousal abuse
* 7 have been arrested for fraud
* 19 have been accused of writing bad checks
* 117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least
2 businesses
* 3 have done time for assault
* 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
* 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges
* 8 have been arrested for shoplifting
* 21 are currently defendants in lawsuits
* 84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last
year

Can you guess which organization this is?




Give up yet?





It's the 535 members of the United States Congress.
The same group that cranks out hundreds of new laws
each year designed to keep the rest of us in line.

My Favorite Couple...

...were out on the town Sunday night for the premiere of a new Broadway play, The Pillowman.



I have no idea what the play was about, but if I could look as good as seem as happy as these two, I wouldn't really care. Mr. Bowie's looking pretty healthy for almost 60, especially after his clogged artery last year which prematurely ended his world tour.


Supermodel Iman and husband, rock star David Bowie, attend the Broadway premiere of The Pillowman, April 10, 2005. (photos Getty Images)

Saul Bellow Dead at 89

In other news today, Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winning author Saul Bellow died today. I didn't even know he was still alive!

He had five wives, three sons and, at age 84, a daughter.

Guess I should read some of his books.

Peter Jennings Has Cancer

I was disturbed by the news today that my favorite TV news anchor, Peter Jennings, has been diagnosed with lung cancer. Jenning admitted on tonight's broadcast that he was a smoker until about 20 years ago and that he had a relapse during the stressful events of 9/11.

I had noticed in recent weeks that Jennings' voice had become a bit rougher than in the past. Perhaps he had a cold, I thought, or maybe his voice was deepening naturally with age. Apparently the cause of his vocal trouble was more serious than expected, and for tonight's television message he sounded downright raspy.

Although his doctor advised him not to travel for coverage of the Pope's funeral, Jennings said he will continue to anchor ABC's World News Tonight as much as possible during his treatment, which starts next week with chemotherapy. Jennings admitted that some days he may be cranky, but that other days he will be very cranky.

Peter Jennings has worked for ABC News more than 40 years. He was made anchor and senior editor of World News Tonight in 1983.

So many lovers, so little time

In case your life isn't complicated enough yet, feel free to be illuminated by the article linked below which describes the latest trend in multiple romances, "polyamory."

Telegraph | Expat | Free love is fine - but watch out for the wibbles

Who the hell has time for multiple lovers? I don't even have time for one!

Clive Owen to be the next James Bond??

God, please let it be true!!

MI6 Forums :: View topic - Clive Owen to be announced next week as James Bond #6

El Papa Esta Muerto

Yes, finally Pope John Paul II has passed away. He died earlier today and though we have all been expecting his death for weeks, if not months, it is sad to have the finality of his death.

I am neither Catholic nor a believer, but I did feel a fondness toward John Paul. He always seemed like a decent man, and although I disagreed with him on most social issues, I respected the fact that he never waivered in his convictions.


Oy vey, such problems!

He was the Pope for most of my life; the only Pope I have really ever known. And he was an international superstar due to his extensive travels and his savvy use of the modern media. No Pope has had such a high profile.


Even a Pope has to have a sense of humor.

Pope John Paul visited my hometown, Denver, Colorado, when I was a teenager and it was a huge event for everyone. Most of his activities were covered live on television -- it was a World Youth Day conference -- and I watched most of the events on TV.


Pope John Paul II forgives his would-be assassin, Mehmet Ali Acga, Dec 27, 1983.

There was something very inspiring about his presence and the devotion and affection shown to him by so many millions of people around the world. He was a greatly loved man.

Johnnie Cochran

"If the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit." Johnnie Cochran tries on the infamous glove during the O.J. Simpson trial in 1995.

New York Times

Celebrity lawyer Johnnie Cochran has died of a brain tumor at age 67. Although he handled many high profile cases throughout his career, Cochran is undoubtedly most famous for successfully defending former football star O.J. Simpson against murder charges involving the death of Simpson's ex-wife and her friend Ron Golman.

My own personal connection to Mr. Cochran is that I met him once at LAX. I don't remember where I was flying or exactly when the meeting took place, though it was several years after the Simpson trial. Cochran was standing in line ahead of me at the check-in counter of the flight gate. He was trying to catch the flight departing before mine and was very cordial and relaxed, chatting with the airline staff and those of us in line with him. He appeared to have no luggage, perhaps it had already been checked, and he was dressed in a very expensive-looking navy track suit.

The Bob Dylan Show

Had the rare opportunity to see two living legends in the world of music performing live on stage Monday night. Merle Haggard opened for Bob Dylan in a five-night run at the beautiful and historic Pantages Theater in Hollywood.



Although I’ve known of Merle Haggard for years – most of my family still lives in Texas – I didn’t really know much of his music. I still don’t know his music very well, but what I heard tonight was excellent. Haggard has a warm and confident presence on stage, so confident in fact that he stopped his band mid-song, not once, not twice, but three times when he wasn’t happy with the sounds coming from the stage and once when he goofed up some lyrics and started the song over. One got the feeling that Haggard was more interested in playing good music than in impressing any “big city” audience. He even referred to himself and his eight-member group as the “oldest beer-joint band in the world.”

Throughout his one-hour set, the themes of Merle Haggard’s songs ran from romance and family to the working man, and even to current events, such as a show-stopping ballad called “That’s The News.” At one point he quipped to the audience, “Don’t listen to George Bush; keep focusing on Bob Dylan.” There was plenty of humor in his performance as well, especially when he played a few bars of his famous “Okie from Muskogee” number. Haggard showed off his excellent singing voice with his version of the classic “Unforgettable.” One thing is for certain: Merle Haggard is a true pro and his quality musicianship demonstrates why he is still an audience favorite.



Bob Dylan and his band took the stage at 9:00pm sharp. The curtain rose to reveal Dylan and his six-piece band in action. Dylan, in a black cowboy hat and western-style garb, stood behind his piano on the left side of the stage while an attractive lady playing the fiddle took center stage. In addition to the fiddler and the powerful drummer, Dylan surrounded himself with a top-notch crew of guitarists: a rockin’ lead, steady rhythm, strong bass – who also used a stand-up instrument for a few numbers – and one energetic gentleman who alternated between pedal steel guitar, banjo, fiddle, and a tiny little electric about the size of a ukulele. Besides the token female, who wore a short black dress, the entire band wore taupe colored suits with black shirts and cowboy boots and hats.

Dylan never played guitar nor interacted with the audience, except at one point when he said, “Thanks, friends.” Dylan stayed at the piano throughout the performance, leaning down awkwardly to sing – perhaps croak would be more accurate – into the microphone. His trademark nasally voice sounds more like sandpaper today and he purposely over-dramatized many signature lines from his more famous songs from the 1960s.

From his catalogue of music covering more than 40 years, Bob Dylan treated the audience to a wide mix of old and new, well-known and obscure, slow ballads and rocking blues, and even a bit of country swing. The band was top-notch and Dylan seemed to enjoy changing the set list several times during the set. With five nights this week in Los Angeles, they’ll have time and enough material to put on a new show every night.

A few musical highlights for me were a slow country version of “The Times They Are A-Changin’”, a bluesy version of “Just Like A Woman”, a perfect rendition of “Love Sick” from his 1997 Grammy-winning album Time Out of Mind, and a tender “Girl From The North Country.” The show closed with a scorching “All Along The Watchtower”, which owed a lot to the spirit of Jimi Hendrix’s guitar-heavy cover version. The band could really rock out when demanded, yet they were full of nuance and grace during the quieter moments.

Dylan ended the 90-minute set in typical enigmatic fashion. For the curtain call, the group assembled center stage in front of the drums and all simply stood out facing the audience – no bows – as the curtain came down.

Shibuya

(photo by Exion)

If you ever wondered what it would be like to walk around Tokyo, Japan, take a look at this three-minute video which was shot in the trendy Shibuya shopping district, also seen in the film Lost In Translation.

It reminds me of how claustrophobic I felt in Tokyo because of all those god-damn people!!

Check it out...

Spring Starts A Day Earlier

Did you know that spring in North America now comes a day earlier than before? Did you know that the seasons are not equal in duration, and that summer is actually getting longer?

For explanations to these questions and a wealth of other fascinating information, read this article from Space.com.

Boundless Gallery

Check this out when you get a chance-- go to Boundless Gallery and look under "Browse Artists" for Sherea Spalding. That's my sister.

She says, "I just have a few pieces up to see how it looks and works. I am currently working on some new work that I will definitely list here once it is ready."

Some pretty cool stuff!

Online Etymology Dictionary

OK language nerds, want to know the origin of any word in the English language? Go to the Online Etymology Dictionary and search for the word of your choice.

Be sure to spell it correctly!

"Domo arigato....Mr. Roboto"

MSNBC - Japan embraces new generation of robots

Dan Rather Signs Off

"Courage."

CNN story

Advice For New Teachers

I've been teaching for about seven years now, and although that is not terribly long compared to some other experienced teachers I know, it has been long enough for me to offer some practical advice to people just entering the teaching profession.

My advice to new teachers?

Wear comfortable shoes.

Oscar Fever, Post-show Letdown

Well, it was Hollywood's time to shine last weekend, as if the stars don't shine enough, but on Hollywood Boulevard the red carpet was out, the cameras were in place, the flowers, decorations and gold Oscar statues were set to welcome the stars for the 77th Annual Academy Awards Ceremony at the Kodak Theater.

It was fun working there at the heart of the action all week. The street was abuzz with crews running cables, installing spot lights, and setting up bleachers for the fans and platforms for the TV crews.

I was really surprised that the public were allowed to walk on the red carpet at the entrance of the Kodak Theater up until show day. I thought for sure the whole place would be blocked off, but in fact we were allowed to roam pretty much everywhere (except on the carpeted Boulevard itself) despite camera crews setting up lights, cables, and generators everywhere. I would have thought it too risky for insurance purposes, but hell I'm not complaining.

It was great fun also for my tour groups to see all the "magic" in process and to get a behind-the-scenes perspective on the preparations for the awards ceremony broadcast. My favorite part was all the beautiful roses and other greenery they used to decorate the grand entrance way to the theater, known as Awards Walk. The colors were fantastic and the smell was delicious!

Another perk for the tourists was the relatively high visibility of celebrities in and around the theater in preparation for the Oscars broadcast. We saw Sharon Osbourne, Roger Ebert, Chris Connelly (who hosted ABC's red carpet preview show), and Michelle Tuzee and Mark Brown, our local ABC news anchors here in Los Angeles.

This year instead of partying with my friends, I stayed home to watch the show, but I wasn't alone since I was in almost continuous phone contact with my Mom and sister watching together in Denver. Since my cell phone company gives me free weekend and evening minutes, I called long distance and talked for more than three hours for free!

Overall, it was a pretty good year for movies. I was a little disappointed with some of the choices for winners, but not surprised. I had really hoped Martin Scorsese would get his just desserts, but I kinda knew Clint Eastwood would win. And Million Dollar Baby won for Best Picture, even though few people saw it and some of those who did walked out early because of the disturbing ending. I thought The Aviator was a more typical Oscar choice, even though my favorite movie was Sideways. I was at least glad that Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor won the Best Adapted Screenplay award for Sideways 'cause it was a very fresh piece. I'm a real fan of Mr. Payne's style.

Now that the show is over, the winners have been announced, and the festivities have concluded, I feel a little post-partem depression. It's funny -- I often feel this way after a big event. One has waited with much anticipation for an exciting experience and then suddenly it's over so quickly. Not much to look forward to anymore. Oh well, there's always next year.

And Paul Giamatti better get nominated, dammit!

Yes, More Rain

Will it ever end?!



Did you notice where the heaviest stuff is? That's right, directly over Los Angeles!