Will Smith, the new Jimmy Stewart

Before.........................................After.

I've written before of my admiration for Will Smith, and now Mr. Smith can safely say he is the biggest movie star in the world. His newest movie, I Am Legend, opened yesterday to a $30 million dollar gross, with box-office projections expected to top $80 million for the weekend. That will set a record for top December releases, surpassing King Kong and the previous record-holder The Lord Of The Rings.

What's so amazing about Will Smith is that he is the only major star who appeals across the entire demographic board. He's equally popular with whites, blacks, and hispanics, and with males, females, young people and adults. The only guy I remember who had that kind of mass market appeal, and the combination of artistic and financial success, was the great James Stewart.

Perhaps Will Smith is the new Everyman for the 21st century? He seems to find a balance between meaningful films and those with major box-office appeal. Summer tends to be the season for big blockbuster movies and in fall we see smaller, more artistic ones. Will Smith believes in combining those two markets and so far he's very successful at it.

Read more here: http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/will-smith-can-now-say-i-am-legend-30m-friday-debut-70m-weekend/

John Cusack is Cool

Just got back from a screening at the Academy of the new drama starring and produced by the wonderful actor John Cusack.

The film "Grace is Gone" tells the story of a mid-Western father of two young daughters who freaks out when he learns that his soldier wife was killed in Iraq. He has no idea how to tell the girls that their mother is dead, so he puts them in the car for a rambling cross-country road trip to their favorite amusement park.

John Cusack does a wonderful job in the film, a true dramatic turn for him. This is not the charming, witty John Cusack we know from such classics as Say Anything and High Fidelity. It's one of his most demanding roles and the SAG screening I attended was certainly pointed toward potential award season nominations.

Outraged by the Bush administration's censorship of photographs of American military coffins returning home, Cusack produced the film to show the true human cost of the war that is being paid for on a daily basis, but not by most of us. It's the soldiers and their families who are paying, he told the audience in a Q & A after the film. The American public has its head in the sand. The President tells us to keep spending and consuming, the dwindling military is replaced by guns-for-hire, and all the expenses are paid with credit. We are accumulating societal injuries that will scar an entire generation.

Though Mr. Cusack expressed his views forthrightly, the film was not preachy at all. On the contrary, the film intentionally focuses on the hardship on families rather than politics. The two young girls who played his daughters were simply marvelous and John spoke very fondly and respectfully of the two young actors.

I sat in the second row, about ten feet from John Cusack. He seems like a down-to-earth guy, very humble, and extremely patient to endure the fawning and often ridiculous questions of a roomful of actors. I was lucky to attend thanks to my soon-to-be-ex tour boss (and SAG member) Philip, who has taken me to several of these types of events. Unfortunately, Philip is leaving the tour company, and the country, so we won't be attending anything like this again for a while.

Too Bad Rockies

I was rootin' for ya. I have never watched so much baseball in my life. Never saw more than ten seconds of any game while channel surfing on television. I've attended several Major League games in my life and I always enjoyed being at the ballpark.

When I was in Denver recently, I had the good fortune of attending two consecutive Rockies games, an evening game and a day game, and I had a great time at both games, especially because the Rockies WON. They must have peaked early with their late season string of winning games, which pitched these underdogs into the World Series.

Oh well, it was fun to watch the games on TV after having seen them play live. I recognized all the players, and I can safely say we're a better-looking lot than the Red Sox! Maybe the Rockies got psyched out going up against the recent World Series champion Red Sox team, who were an extremely talented and older group of players. The Sox played very well on offense and defense. The Rocks had some good defense but not enough offense.

Another thing the Red Sox had on us was passion. They played to win, they had a lot to celebrate and they were very jovial throughout the Series, but they also expressed frustration when things didn't go their way. The Rockies seemed like rocks, completely emotionless even during their infrequent successes. Was this their attempt to be professionally aloof?

It didn't work, but hopefully they will be back next year, a more experienced and confident team. "Go Rockies!"

King Lear with Sir Ian and Barry

I had a great surprise this weekend -- my friend Barry Dennen called with free tickets to see Sir Ian McKellen as Shakespeare's King Lear at UCLA. I hadn't seen Barry for a while so it was great to reconnect with him again.

The play was long and at times tedious, but overall enjoyable. This was the Royal Shakespeare Company's touring production so all the actors were quite good and were mostly audible in Royce Hall despite the lack of amplification. Sir Ian was thoroughly old and curmudgeonly as Lear, though I didn't feel particularly moved by any of the drama.

A big surprise -- pun intended -- was during one of Lear's mad scenes and Sir Ian proceeded to strip off his shirt and drop his trousers, exposing his not insigficant manhood in the process! Maybe he was just trying to get the audience's attention or to make sure we all knew his religion: not Jewish.

Besides Sir Ian, I didn't know any of the actors in the cast except for Lear's court jester who was played by Sylvester McCoy, the seventh actor to play Doctor Who on BBC television back in the 1980s. Although I wasn't really following the show by that time, I certainly remember Sylvester in the role and it was great fun to see his humorous performance live on stage.

Another bonus was a star sighting in the audience. This was a big one, but I didn't see him until outside the theater during intermission. We went out for a breath of air and turned around and standing right behind me was Tom Hanks with his two teenage sons. They were chatting and bonding so I wouldn't have dared disturb them. A few minutes later, Tom's wife Rita Wilson joined the boys. Tom was simply dressed in a white shirt with black pants, and he looked larger in real life - he's quite tall - and a bit older. He has age spots on his face which are covered by makeup when he's performing. Although I didn't see the film, Tom and Sir Ian co-starred in The DaVinci Code last year, so no doubt Tom was there to support his friend.

After the matinee Barry took me for an excellent Italian dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Westwood Village, Mio Babbo. We both had the fresh salmon with spaghetti and vegetables, plus a delicious merlot.

You would think that a four-hour Shakespearean tragedy followed by a rich Italian dinner would have been plenty of entertainment for one day, but no, there was more! After the play and dinner, we went down Wilshire Boulevard to the Motion Picture Academy (Mr. Dennen is a card-carrying member; he showed his card at the door.) for a free screening of Steve Carell's new romantic dramedy Dan In Real Life. It was a very touching and enjoyable film, a real feel-good story.

I love going to the Academy because they have all these gold Oscar statues standing around and red carpet on the floors. It makes you feel like Hollywood royalty or something. And I love hanging with Barry. He's such a nice guy who has had a colorful life. He told me he wants to start acting a little bit for movies and TV again. It's been over ten years since his last film....Titanic.

Overall a thoroughly satisfying day, except the bad news when I got home that the Rockies had lost Game 3 of the World Series at home in Denver to the Red Sox. One more chance to stay alive tomorrow -- come on Rockies!

Star Sightings

It's been a busy week for star sightings. I've seen four celebrities "on the streets" up close and personal in recent days.

The first was the busy actress Sharon Lawrence, who you've seen in tons of TV shows like Monk, Desperate Housewives, and NYPD Blue. She was shopping at the Ralphs supermarket where I go at 3rd St & La Brea Ave. We passed each other with our shopping carts several times in the store and it took me a couple sightings before I realized who she was. I was too shy to talk to her but she smiled and seemed friendly.

Later that evening I saw the actor Sam Rockwell. You've seen him in films such as The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and Charlie's Angels. He was crossing the street in front of my car at the intersection of Sunset Blvd & La Brea. Just walking across the street all by himself as if he was nobody.

The next celeb I spotted was Entourage's Jeremy Piven. He was driving his Land Rover at the intersection of Beverly Drive and Wilshire Blvd where I was waiting to catch the bus home. He was in his car talking on the phone so I didn't have a chance to speak to him, but it was unmistakably him.

And finally, this morning at work in Hollywood I was crossing the street at Hollywood & Highland and who should be crossing the opposite direction but Broadway legend Carol Channing!! I was too shocked to say anything to her though I could have easily done so: we practically rubbed shoulders in the cross walk.

You might have heard the news this week about one of Miss Channing's famous evening gowns being stolen right out of her arms in the lobby of the Renaissance Hotel here in Hollywood. I'd like to think she was on the streets this morning looking for the culprit!

Oh well, just another glamorous day in La-La Land!!

Long Live The King

The Summer of '77 was an important time for me. I wrote earlier about my fascination with Star Wars, but I'll never forget the day 30 years ago (is it really that long ago?!) when the news came that Elvis Presley had died at age 42. Of course the whole world was stunned. I was only seven years old, but I still remember that day pretty clearly.

Although I didn't know Elvis' music very well, I definitely knew who he was. Probably I had seen his 1973 "Aloha from Hawaii" television special and since my Dad was a fan, we probably had Elvis music playing in the house from time to time.

Also, I had actually seen Elvis in person just a few years earlier in Fort Worth, Texas (my birthplace). My family remembers well the time when Elvis came to town for a concert and since my parents didn't have tickets, we went to the hotel to see Elvis return after the show.

The crowds went wild when the limos arrived and Elvis emerged from the car -- I still remember the screams and the flash bulbs exploding! My Dad held me up on his shoulders so I could see easier and Elvis saw me in the crowd and pointed at me before being whisked away into the hotel by his Memphis Mafia.

After Elvis died, my father took me to the local record store and bought me my very first two records of my own: Elvis' Gold Records and A Date With Elvis. I loved those records so much that I probably wore them out. My favorite songs were "Don't Be Cruel" (still love the bass line on that one!) and "I Want To Be Free", which was the perfect song to hear when I was grounded to my room as punishment for something.

Thirty years later, Elvis is still the international King of Rock 'n' Roll. I asked my students if they know who Elvis was and I'm surprised that they always do! My students are all about 20 years old from all over the world, especially Asia. It's astonishing to me that these kids know Elvis and his music. I played some Elvis songs in class today and they recognized some of the tunes, especially "Love Me Tender" and "Jailhouse Rock."

Long Live The King!!

Busy Summer

I just realized it's been over a month since my last blog entry! It's not that I haven't had things to blog about -- there's been tons of them, believe me -- but I am so gosh darn busy this summer I just haven't had time to sit and write lately.

I hope to get back on track when things start slowing down at the end of September. See you then?

Why Impeach When You Could Execute?

For once I morbidly agree with China's legal policy: if politicians break the law, they are executed!

Just this morning the Chinese government executed its former food and drug agency director for taking bribes from phony drug makers. Imagine if Washington held its corruptors to the same level of job performance?

We'd need a lot of new politicians.

Read the MSNBC story here.

Sopranos Ending

I've been thinking and talking about the Sopranos ending. I like it the more I think about it because it's a beautiful thing. It lets the audience make their own interpretation of what did or didn't happen.

Many things about this year's series point towards Tony's demise. Other characters close to Tony die, sometimes by Tony's hand; Dr. Malfi learns that Tony's psychotic behavior may not be curable, and that therapy may actually validate his violent nature; plus, the lighting is so dark in practically every scene with Tony. He is often in almost complete darkness, with barely one half of his face in the light.

Some people find insight in the penultimate episode when Tony imagines that the moment of death will simply end in sudden blackness, exactly as the series did for television viewers. Other people think the Sopranos family continues on as usual, but that Tony always lives in fear of sudden death.

I like to take a more cyclical view and see the final episode as merely another moment in time with these characters and their lives, which will continue from moment to moment into the infinity of television. It's brilliant marketing because a latecomer to the show won't worry about starting the series because of a spoilt ending. In a sense there is no ending so it almost doesn't matter which episode you begin watching as long as you are familiar with the characters and their situations. You can catch up on the particular stories of each season of episodes.

I speak from experience, having seen the first two series (sorry, I prefer the British nomenclature) on DVD just in time to catch the most recent two series on television. It felt like I had never missed an episode of the show. I know from my friends that there is a lot of family history and intrigue in the middle part of the series that I am eager to see on DVD. Thank God for Netflix!!

In the meantime, an aquaintance of mine produced a short radio journal about people's reactions to The Sopranos ending and you can listen to it online here (scroll down to "Sopranos Sleep with the Fishes"). Listen closely and you might hear yours truly chiming in for a couple comments!

Happy Juneteenth!

Yes, happy Juneteenth, everyone!

If you forgot (like I usually do) what the Juneteenth holiday is, I'm proud to tell you that Juneteenth comemorates the date -- June 19, 1865 -- when African-American slaves in Texas heard the news that they were free, thanks to President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, which led to the freedom of all slaves in these United States.

Now, Lincoln made that fateful proclamation on January 1, 1863. It took over two years for those poor bastards to get the news! Talk about snail mail....

Don't Do Porn in Iran

You could get killed! Poor Iran is such a fucked up country. Now their government is passing a law which says people who create pornography will receive the death penalty.

Who knows, maybe they're right?

Read the story here.

Tom Tancredo for President

One of the coolest things I've enjoyed telling people lately is "my best friend's Dad is running for President." There's not many times in life when you could expect to say that to someone, but for me it's true.

I've known Tom Tancredo since I was in junior high school. He's one of the best men I've ever met: honest, hardworking, a loving husband, father, and grandfather. He's also been a U.S. Representative from the State of Colorado for at least a half dozen years now, with strong support from his district.

I really love Tom, but I don't agree with him on almost any issue. I think he is right about many things, but I'm cynical enough to think some problems cannot be solved because it's too late. For example, Tom strongly supports the "English only" mentality. Even if we stopped all immigration (legal and otherwise) immediately, the Spanish language would continue to grow in popularity in this country. Just watch any current children's program on public television and you'll see that practically every character speaks English and Spanish interchangably.

It's a matter of mathematics at this point. The white population is simply not reproducing as rapidly as the Latino population. I see this here in Los Angeles already. We're currently 50% Spanish-speaking, and 40% of our citizens were born in another country.

I don't see that many pure-blooded whites anymore, especially not the young people. Racial groups have been mixing significantly for at least a couple of generations out here so almost everyone has a little "color" in them, and that seems very appropriate and natural to me. Most Latino youngsters speak Spanish with their families and English with their classmates and friends.

Tom is right, though, about the lack of assimilation by immigrants into "American" culture. I feel like a foreigner in an exotic country in some neighborhoods of Los Angeles. You can go for blocks, if not miles, without seeing any signs in English, except the street signs. This variety can be quite exhilirating; however, I do feel disappointment at the isolationism going on, the tribal-cultural bonding amongst newcomers which is also a natural process, particularly among Asians. I have actually felt the sting of prejudice a few times, a bitter reflection on the hardship suffered by minorities.

I only wish there was more blending of cultures. At least it's happening with food: Los Angeles is rich in fine restaurants serving every cuisine imaginable to a diverse cross-section of patrons. It's not uncommon for the average Angeleno to have sushi for lunch and enchiladas for dinner. However, language differences continue to be a barrier against socialization and commerce between various ethnic groups in this community. We're a huge mosaic of cultural enclaves woven together like a tapestry across the desert.

Sadly, Hispanics continue to labor as the servant class, not only for WASPS, but for Asians, Middle-Easterners, and Jews as well. Besides farming our food, Latinos wash our cars, mow our lawns, clean our homes and offices, construct new buildings, maintain old buildings, and raise our children. Most of them ride the bus because they can't afford a car. But guess who drives the buses? The blacks.

It's an odd socio-economic caste system we've developed here. I'm not quite sure what to make of it yet, except that only very few of us are upwardly mobile anymore. Most of us are moving downward. I see more and more people living on the street every day. It's saddening and sickening.

Tom Tancredo would say sealing the borders would help solve that problem. He's probably right. I just doubt that the government or the public have the insight or the will to take meaningful action to stop immigration, even if it could be morally defended. The influence of immigrants is an important part of our cultural fiber, and it should be managed much better than it has been for the past 40 years. Our country has grown so large, so quickly, there's not much we can do at this point to change things.

Check out Tom's YouTube page and watch some of his comments about immigration, and his brilliant and scathing criticisms of Bush and his mob of crooks. Tom is completely unafraid to rip Dubya a new one. He's way more harsh than any Democrat I've heard. You rock, Tom!

Congressman Tancredo, I hope you become the next President of the United States. At least I'd know an honest man had finally won.

R2-D2, Where are you?

Some of you may have seen the USPS blue mail boxes decorated to look like R2-D2 from Star Wars. They were promoting the 30th anniversary of the first Star Wars film as well as the new Star Wars stamps. I've seen several of the boxes around Los Angeles: in Hollywood and downtown in front of the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

There was also one near my school at UCLA. I had one of my students take my picture with "R2" and I'm so glad I did because the next day, R2 was gone! He was only there for a couple of days. I'm not sure if the post office moved that box or if someone stole him. What a cool collector's item, eh?

A Long Time Ago...A New Hope

It was 30 years ago today that my life changed forever. I was seven years old and living with my family in the small city of Lubbock, Texas. There was a new movie showing in our tiny local movie house.

Although I didn't know much about this new film (or any movies in general), my neighbor buddies had already seen the movie several times when they invited me to go with them to see it again. My dad gave me the two bucks to buy a movie ticket and my friends' mom drove us to the theater and dropped us off. It was my first time to see a movie without my parents!

We arrived a little late and the movie was just starting. The only seats available were front row center. So we made our way down the aisle and plopped into our seats just as the first scene began. A huge spaceship (menacingly called a "Star Destroyer") roared across the screen as if from above. My jaw dropped and I was completely transfixed for the next two hours.

Like most young kids my age, I became a huge fan of the Star Wars films. I saw all the movies multiple times at the theater (this was before home video, remember?) and I had a huge collection of toys, games, and memorabilia from the films. Sadly, not much of this collection remains except for one prized toy: a Yoda puppet from the second Star Wars movie, The Empire Strikes Back.

I also had the original soundtrack album of the movie score featuring the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by John Williams. I loved the music from Star Wars and listened to that soundtrack album for hours. My favorite tracks were "Ben's Theme" and the "Cantina Band" from the bar in Mos Eisley space port. Even today if I hear the music from Star Wars, I can recite every line of dialog from the film and hum practically every note along with the orchestra!

I also had a very cool record album called The Story of Star Wars, which featured music and dialog from the film along with narration to tell a condensed version of the story. I played that record ad nauseum, probably wearing out the vinyl in the process. Luckily a few years ago, I found a copy of the record in mint condition, which I had imported from Japan. A kind friend helped transfer the audio from the vinyl to CD so I could hear it since I don't currently have a turntable.

Who could have known 30 years ago what a huge influence Star Wars would become, not only on cinema but on worldwide popular culture? It has become an international, multi-generational phenomenon.

The film had a tremendous impact on me. Not only did I become a Star Wars fan, I also grew to love movies in general, and particularly film music. I also learned to use my imagination and to wonder what could be out there in the stars, "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...."

Thank you, Star Wars, and May the Force be with you!

My New Amp

I bought an amplifier for my guitar. It's my first-ever amp! I've plugged in, "gone Newport," if you will. I've had this great Ibanez acoustic-electric guitar for about a year, but I've never used it with an amp before. It sounds pretty good.

I've got some gigs coming up this summer, so I have to get used to playing amplified. Also, I've never played live with guitar and sung into a mic before, so I need to practice technique with that as well. Gosh, it's getting complicated all of a sudden.

I looked at quite a few of different amps in different price ranges and, man, there is a lot of variety available. I saw several that had onboard effects, drum machines, etc. Lots of cool technology.

But I don't know how to use any of that so I tried to keep it simple. I've already got my eye on a pedal that has all the effects and rhythm patterns. Wish me luck!

"My Name is Jimmy Carter..."

"...and I'd like to be your next President."

Run again, Jimmy! I couldn't have articulated it better. We've let our country get taken over by a bunch of religious fanatics who are seeking a holy war, thus invoking the Apocalypse.

I can't believe sweet old Jimmy Carter (a devout Presbytarian) could speak so critically of anyone, let alone a sitting President. This is truly historic.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/05/20/carter.bush.ap/index.html

Bill Maher and The Price Is Right

Just got back from CBS Television City (about 4 blocks from my home) where I attended a live rehearsal of Real Time with Bill Maher, the HBO comedy/political satire show.

I'm a fan of the show and often watch it on weekends at my friends' place in Burbank since I don't subscribe to HBO. I was hoping to attend a live broadcast/taping but didn't get tickets. The show goes on summer hiatus in two weeks. Apparently they usually have a "dress" rehearsal (Bill wore jeans) on Thursdays so they can work through the comedy bits and see which ones work and which should be cut before the live broadcast Friday.

At the rehearsal, Bill came out and basically did his show. He delivered his monologue; he pretended to talk live via satellite to a Congressman; he sat at the desk and conversed with guest panelists; he worked through the New Rules segment; and his final monologue closed the show. The "guests" were played by the writers and producers of the show. They each sat-in and played their roles as pundits very well. The head writer and co-executive producer, Billy Martin, warmed up the audience before the rehearsal and introduced Bill.

Ironically, the Bill Maher rehearsal was actually conducted on The Price Is Right stage at CBS. I'm not sure why they did that, but it was like a bonus experience for me because I've been observing fans of the popular game show line up outside the studio for weeks, hoping to be one of the last contestants before long-time host Bob Barker retires. (In fact, there's a prime time special dedicated to Mr. Barker on CBS tonight!)

It's so funny to be in a television studio because it's always surprising how small everything is compared to how it looks on TV. The Bob Barker stage can't be more than 75 feet across and the audience couldn't hold more than 150 people. Since they had just finished taping an episode of The Price Is Right, the crew were striking the set pieces. I caught a glimpse of the Showcase Showdown set where the contestants stand behind the score boards. All the set pieces are mounted on platforms with wheels so they can be easily moved around (and off) the stage.

With the stage bare, all that was left was the gleaming white floor and the most crowded lighting grid I've ever seen. I mean there were hundreds of different lights pointed down to the stage and at the audience. The crew wheeled in Bill Maher's desk and positioned it right in the center of the stage. There was one HD camera gliding across the floor and shooting the whole program, and Bill had two large TV monitors facing him stage right. No doubt one was a prompter and the other probably a camera feed.

The whole thing was finished in less than an hour and we made our cheery way out of the studio. Oh yeah, if you ever go to a live TV taping, leave your cell phone in the car or be prepared to surrender it before entering the sound stage. They don't take any chances these days. The security checkpoint people (just like at the airport) searched all bags and collected all cell phones before ushering each audience member through the metal detector.

One more thing: TV studios are cold! Bring a sweater or light jacket. Luckily I was prepared (I'm such a know-it-all), but a lot of tourists who had been standing outside in the hot sun nearly froze to death inside the air-conditioned studio (all those lights and equipment produce a lot of heat). One lady who often attends tapings admitted it was not as cool today as it usually is in that studio.

I look forward to seeing this week's Real Time with Bill Maher so I can compare the rehearsal to the finished product. Highlights include a funny clip package of the recent Republican presidential debate, including one quote from my friend Tom Tancredo. How many people can say their best friend's Dad is running for President?! I also enjoyed Bill's scathing criticism of Jerry Fallwell, who died this week. Bill's final monologue has some great ideas about gays achieving mainstream acceptance in America (which they have had for years in Europe).

Finally, congratulations to Bob Barker who is retiring after a 50+ year career in television. You are an American institution, Bob, and we'll all miss you. "Come on down!"

Laila Ali's Mom

We all know Laila Ali's Dad. In fact, "the Greatest" was a guest in the audience of DWTS tonight. However, I was delighted that they also introduced her mother, the lovely Veronica Anderson, whom I happen to know!

Veronica is the widow of my friend and colleague Carl Anderson, whom most of you remember from Jesus Christ Superstar. I last saw her back in August at the charity reunion we did. Since the evening's performance was partly a tribute to Carl's memory, Veronica attended the event. Here she is with the Neeley family after the show. (Second from the right, if you weren't sure!)

I met Veronica in 1996 during the JCS tour. I can't remember exactly what city we were in, but she came to visit Carl several times during the run, usually in the major cities when we had a longer sitdown. She struck me as one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen: tall, elegant and ravishing. Veronica had gone back to school to get her degree when I met her, so she often had her nose in a textbook, doing her homework in Carl's dressing room.

Although I knew that she had been married to Muhammad Ali, we never spoke of it because I gathered it was an unhappy experience. Carl couldn't bear to mention the boxing legend by name, he was so angry about the champ's treatment of Veronica. Make of that what you will.

There's no doubt, though, that Veronica looked happy and proud of her daughter tonight on Dancing With The Stars. Although it was Dad's first visit to the show, Laila revealed that her mother has attended every performance. Poor Mr. Ali sat with his family and looked very frail and astonished by the whole thing. Illness sucks.

Laila Ali is an undefeated World Boxing Champion in her own right, plus she's a hell of a dancer. Her best asset is her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who is one fierce dancer! I think it's a very close competition between Laila, Apolo, and Joey Fatone, but my favorite has to be Apolo because he is so adorable and his partner Julianne Hough is a hottie and an awesome dancer. Apolo and Julianne are the cutest couple ever!

I Love Dreamgirls

I may be totally queer, but I love the film Dreamgirls. I just watched it again on DVD and loved it even more than when I saw it on the big screen at the Cinerama Dome back in December. It's almost a modern opera, with high drama, intrigue, romance, treachery, death, and balls-to-the-wall kick-ass singing by all the stars.

The movie features excellent cinematography and production design, and the costumes are great -- very evocative of the period. The acting is also brilliant, particularly Jennifer's Hudson's breakout, Oscar-winning perfomance in the pivotal role of Effie. She really made a good film great. Her voice is so perfect, my eyes start to well up every time she sings.

I'm amazed this film wasn't a bigger hit. It seems to have something for everyone, so give it a shot if you haven't seen it. You might be surprised how much you enjoy it!

Dancing With McCartney

Does Paul McCartney watch Dancing With The Stars? I'd be curious to know what Sir Paul thinks of his ex, Heather Mills' performance on the show. So far she has done quite well with her partner, Jonathan Roberts, and they've certainly made a big deal about her prosthetic leg and the challenge that poses to ballroom dancing.

Would Paul be a good sport and wish Heather well and be pleased for her success, or would he bitterly curse her name every time her face appeared on national television. How dare she get all that exposure!

You can watch Dancing With The Stars or any ABC prime time show for free at abc.com.

Sanjaya Was Robbed!

I demand a recount! I cannot believe the American public would vote Sanjaya off the show. Actually, yes I can. In fact, I agree with them. Sanjaya was cute and adorable, but he couldn't really sing. And now that it's down to the bottom six singers, the cream has risen to the top.

Farewell, Sanjana. But be not afraid, for we still have Apolo to route for!!

No Olympics for LA

Los Angeles lost its bid to host the Olympic Games. Chicago was picked to represent the United States in the international bidding. Too bad for us, but hopefully Chicago can make a go of it.

Peter Ueberroth, the chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee (and former media heavyweight in this neck of the woods), made an interesting comment about the quality of leadership in both cities:

"It was a very tough decision. If I had all the power — and sometimes people accuse me of that — I would take the map and merge the two cities, because I'll tell you what: If you could take the mayors of these two communities and have them run our country, we would all be better off."

http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/story/6675988?MSNHPHCP&GT1=9331

I Bought My Car

After all, I decided to keep this cute Honda CR-V and I bought out the lease, for a very good price for a car of this quality. There are times when it is handy to have a vehicle, especially a "utility vehicle." So I won't be stranded, just in case of a tsunami or God knows what.

Only 36 payments to go and she's mine!

Fumigation Time!

It's been ages since I've posted, but some of you know my apartment got fumigated a couple weeks ago. That's my place in the photo, bagged and tagged. Me and Hissy had to be out for 48 hours, so I spent the night in a motel one night and crashed on a friend's house the next, but I couldn't take Hissy to those places so she spent time at Aunt Heidi's.

That was interesting because Hissy doesn't really get along with other cats and Heidi has two cats in her apartment, but they all seemed to get along OK under the circumstances. We're back home again now and things are returning to normal, termite free!

Public Transportation is Good

Some of you know that I have been experimenting with using the public transportation system in Los Angeles. Now before you make your "do you speak Spanish?" jokes and your snide "aren't you afraid of catching head lice?" remarks, I must tell you that after a trial month, I'm very pleasantly surprised with the results so far.

Have you seen the film An Inconvenient Truth? Everyone needs to see this Oscar-winning film, but more importantly, everyone needs to do something towards solving the global climate crisis. As an educator, I felt a personal responsibility to serve as a role model for the young people who learn from me. Since I live only a block from the bus stop, I decided to try commuting to work on the bus.

At first I had reservations about it: how often does the bus come? Will it be on-time? How many times will I have to transfer lines? Will the bus ride fit my schedule? All my worries proved unnecessary. The bus ride takes only a few minutes longer than driving and the bus stops right in front of my work place. I don't have to deal with traffic, parking, or the rising cost of gasoline (we're up to $3 a gallon again). And best of all, I have at least an hour a day to myself when I can catch up on my reading, take a nap, or just space out for a while. It's been great!

It has also increased my physical activity since I have to walk to the bus stop. I take a slightly alternate route on the way back which includes a longer walk -- about 8 blocks -- to my apartment. I've even experimented by getting off a few blocks earlier to increase the walking distance for more exercise. Now I can walk a brisk mile or two without even breaking a sweat. It's really an enjoyable lifestyle. Besides the work commute, I've used the bus to go shopping, run errands, even to go the opera downtown. And I've seen a lot more of my neighborhood and my city than I ever did driving a car.

They say that nobody walks in LA, and that even fewer people ride the bus. What they mean is no white people take the bus. That's simply not true on either account. I've seen the complete range of nationalities, age, and social classes on the public transportation system, and more and more people are choosing an environmentally responsible approach to their daily transportation and leaving the traffic headaches behind. If you're going to sit for an hour in a slowly moving vehicle, wouldn't you rather leave the driving to someone else?

Los Angeles recently earned an award for Outstanding Public Transportation System, and though I was skeptical at first, I'm not now. This system works and it's the right thing to do. Once people realize the benefits to society, the environment, and personal health, I think this city will change its reputation as the smog and car capital of the world. Go Metro!

Tannhauser at LA Opera

So my new favorite thing is to buy $20 rush tickets for the L.A. Opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Last night I scored big time with an excellent seat, third row center! Not only could I have practically reached out and touched the back of the conductor's head, I could also make eye contact with the singers on stage! Now I know how the other half lives.

Wagner's magnificent Tannhauser created quite a spectacle early on because of the explicit eroticism of the Bacchanale sequence in the goddess Venus' domain. My God, they found some absolutely beautiful young dancers to strip naked and writhe around stage humping each other. It was glorious: boys humping girls, boys humping boys, girls going down on one another, simulated blow jobs, groping, kissing, nuzzling, and oh yeah, more humping! It was quite graphic and extremely erotic. Talk about schwing!





After that opening scene, the real drama began and I really enjoyed hearing the music and seeing this spectacular production on stage. Some people love Wagner, others hate him. I don't know his work well enough to form a complete opinion, but so far I love him. The colors he created musically and the never-ending melodies full of chromatic harmonies...Wagner truly defined the Romantic period.

I sat next to a charming older woman who engaged me in conversation during the intermissions (there were two -- it's a long-ass opera!). She reminded me a bit of Carol Channing, just because of the sound of her voice and some of her mannerisms. She also resembled Channing a bit, except with dark hair. Perhaps they go to the same plastic surgeon? I don't know how old this woman was; she looked quite good facially, but her wrinkled and spotted hands spoiled the illusion. Nevertheless, it was a pleasure to enjoy the music with someone who apparently frequents LA Opera -- she's seen dozens if not hundreds of performances there -- and we shared similar opinions on the performance of Tannhauser.

If you're a Wagner fan, you must check out this production; and if you're new to opera or just want to test the waters, I also recommend this production. The story is much easier to understand than some other operas, and the music is majestic and memorable. It also helps to attend the pre-concert lecture by our excellent new maestro, James Conlon. He's like our resident Leonard Bernstein, a man dedicated to educating the public and sharing this great cultural heritage with the world.

I can't wait till the next performance!

My Oscar Picks

For the 79th Annual Academy Awards, I predict the following winners in the major categories. These are my guesses for how the Academy will choose, not my personal choices because I haven't seen all the films nominated. It is surprising to see that no film swept the nominations. It's going to be a very mixed night.

Actor - Leading: Forest Whitaker (though I hope Peter O'Toole wins)
Actor - Supporting: Eddie Murphy (I love Eddie, but I'd love to see Alan Arkin get it, too)
Actress - Leading: Helen Mirren
Actress - Supporting: Jennifer Hudson
Animated Feature: Cars
Directing: Martin Scorsese
Documentary Feature: An Inconvenient Truth
Foreign Language Film: Pan's Labyrinth
Original Score: Pan's Labyrinth
Original Song: "Listen", Dreamgirls
Best Picture: The Departed (I'd pick Babel)

Good luck, players!

*Incidentally, in the picture above is the Oscar won for Sound by The Alamo (John Wayne's version). I could tell you where I took that photo, but then I'd have to kill you.

Oscar Sunday 2007

OK, here we go again. I can tell you this year I'm pretty much over the Oscars, at least the whole behind-the-scenes production of the television ceremony. There's obviously a tremendous amount of money to be made from it; otherwise, the Academy wouldn't go to so much trouble.

Actually, it's those of us who live and work in the Hollywood community who go through all the trouble. You can imagine how inconvenient it would be to have a major traffic artery closed for a week, but how about every street within a square mile? This picture shows the extent of the street closures today.

The Hollywood & Highland complex is a huge retail/restaurant/entertainment complex (including the Kodak Theater) which encompasses two full city blocks. I live about two miles southwest of this place. Today I avoided dealing with traffic and lack of parking and took the bus as far north as I could get (Sunset) and walked the rest of the way into the seige.

I wish I had taken photos of the police barricades blocking the streets for blocks and blocks. It looked like a preparation for war. There were cop cars and parking enforcement vehicles everywhere and the last few civilian cars quickly got towed away. Helicopters buzzed overhead. Police officers and security personnel were everywhere. It was more security than President Fuckhead gets when he's in town, I can tell you that! Now I know that security was somewhat heightened because of Al Gore's presence. Hell, half of Hollywood is hoping he'll jump back in the ring for 2008.

Finally I made it to the tour office only to realize I hadn't brought my store keys -- attached to the car key, and no need for that today -- and the store was locked. No worries; the boss left a note taped to the door that they were walking the tour route one last time to double check and would be back presently.

The other three guides arrived and we stared in wonder and disdain at the crazy scene on Hollywood Boulevard. A guy dressed like The Rocketeer held an American flag over his head. Now, we're used to seeing people in costume on Hollywood Boulevard. We call them "the characters" and they all earn tips by posing for photos with tourists. That Rocketeer guy is not one of the regulars -- none of us had ever seen him before!

Luckily our tourists arrived on time at the rendezvous down on Sunset. We pulled the three coaches into the In 'n' Out Burger parking lot by Hollywood High School. The 100 or so tour participants piled out of the buses and we made our way back up the hill into the fray. Actually, things were pretty quiet that early. It was pretty quiet inside the secure zone (we passed through security twice along the route).

The tour went OK and even though we couldn't see much of anything, the tour guests had a great time and got into the festive spirit of the occasion. Afterwards, I made my way out through the gathering throngs of people lining up hours early, hoping to get a glimpse of their favorite celebrities arriving at the red carpet.

At home, I enjoyed viewing the show on television -- definitely the best view available -- and I guessed 14 out of 24 awards correctly.

W. E. DeSpain

Heard some sad news yesterday that my favorite Uncle Gene died in a car accident near his home. Apparently a big truck broadsided his car and killed him instantly. He was 80 years old.

Gene DeSpain was the nicest man I ever met, and he became a huge influence on me in my formative years. My sister and I used to visit my Aunt Sandy and Uncle Gene for a week every summer when we were kids. We'd fly down from Denver to San Antonio, where they lived. They had a beautiful house which was palatial compared to my family's home, and I remember vividly the summer when they installed the swimming pool in the back yard. It was like heaven!

Besides hanging at the pool, we always took a drive to my Uncle's ranch outside of the city. He had over 200 acres of land with open fields, big trees, and several ponds called "tanks." My Sis and I rode horses, hunted snakes, and generally enjoyed the hell out of ourselves. I can still hear Uncle Gene shouting "Rocky!" to call in his favorite horse when we arrived at the ranch house. He even gave my sister her very own horse named Burt. My favorite summer trip may have been the year we took the boat down to the coast at Port Arthur and Corpus Christi. Piloting that boat and fishing in the Gulf of Mexico was a great time for me.

Uncle Gene was very intelligent and well-mannered and he became a powerful role model to me. He rarely watched television, but constantly read books and magazines about history, business, and golf. He stayed fit mentally and physically. He taught me how to drive a car, how to hit a golf ball (he was an avid golfer with a 2 handicap), how to enjoy a cold beer on a hot day or a glass of wine with dinner, and how to treat a lady with the proper respect. My Dad taught me how to be a man, but Uncle Gene taught me how to be a gentleman.

Uncle Gene knew everyone of importance in San Antonio. People recognized and greeted him everywhere we went. He had many friends and business aquaintances, and every maitre d' in town said, "Welcome, Mr. DeSpain!" when we went out to dinner. I'll never forget one hot day we went for lunch at a local cafe and happened to run into some aquaintances at the restaurant. After exchanging pleasantries, we sat down and Uncle Gene cringed in embarrassment for being spotted in public wearing short pants! He was very reserved that way.

Uncle Gene was the Vice President of the Holt corporation, the largest dealer of Caterpillar construction equipment in the United States. We got to visit the plant one time and see the big tractors in action. I was too young to drive one, but my cousins Tim and Tracie climbed aboard to handle the huge machines. Typical of his generation, but very rare in mine, Uncle Gene started at Holt as a young man and worked his way up the corporate ladder all the way to the vice presidency. He retired after 40 years of service, for which the company gave him a 40-foot Winnebago as a retirement gift. My aunt and uncle traveled all over the country in that RV (affectionately dubbed "The SanGee"). They loved to visit family and go on golfing trips.

Because of his connections in the construction industry, Uncle Gene knew a lot about the buildings and developers of downtown San Antonio. I'll never forget the time we took a horse-drawn carriage tour of downtown and the tour guide apparently told us some wrong information about a particular building and its developer. Uncle Gene politely corrected the young man, explaining "I know the man who built that building; he's a customer of mine."

I hate to think I'll never see him again, nor hear his funny way of speaking. Every time we met, he'd say the same thing: "Scotty, you're too thin!" And he always referred to my Aunt Sandy as "Sugar." He was generous to a fault and had little patience for fools. We all idolized him for taking care of my aunt after her unhappy first marriage and divorce. Years later, after my Mom divorced, she always said, "I hope I can find me an 'Uncle Gene' someday." We should all be so lucky.

A Night at the Opera in Mahagonny

The Los Angeles Opera's production of Kurt Weill's Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny is so much fun, it makes you sick. This 1930 German Expressionist theater piece, banned by the Nazis, tells the story of a group of depraved outlaws who end up stranded in the desert and decide to create their own sin city named Mahagonny (pronounced Ma-ha-GO-nee, if you weren't sure). They even put up their own "Welcome to Fabulous Mahagonny" sign, an exact replica of the famous entrance to Las Vegas.

The group succeeds in luring gold-rich miners from Alaska into staying in Mahagonny and spending their money on women, booze, glutony, and boxing to the death. It's all fun and games until everybody runs out of money. Then the town falls into utter misery, execution style. In Mahagonny, the worst crime possible is to not have any cash on hand: "In the whole human race there is no greater criminal than a man without money."

The big treat were the stars of the show: Audra McDonald and Patti LuPone, both legendary aritsts in the world of musical theater. Audra McDonald became the first person to earn three Tony awards before age 30, plus she earned a fourth for 2004's A Raisin in the Sun. Patti LuPone won a Tony for Evita and has been honored many times for her work on stage and screen, including the recent hit production of Sweeney Todd on Broadway. Both performers make their LA Opera debuts with this production at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Audra McDonald shatters her wholesome Broadway image with her saucy turn as Jenny Smith, the hottest and most expensive piece of ass in town. Ms. McDonald not only possesses the best voice of her generation, she burns up the stage in her sexy bordello bodice and six-inch high heels. Every note from her was pure gold and I wanted to hear her sing more songs than her part allows -- and she's the lead!

I felt chills every time Patti LuPone sang a note. Her distinctive tone is etched in my brain from her performances in Evita and Anything Goes and every other incredible thing she's done. I would have killed to see her in Sweeney Todd. Having conquered Broadway for decades, she recently started singing in opera companies. Her voice has matured so nicely, a perfect balance of Broadway brass with the rich warmth of a legitimate contralto, particularly on the high notes that she would have belted out in the past. Ms. LuPone skillfully inhabits her character, Leocadia Begbick the wicked bordello madame, with greedy surliness. She sounded amazing and did some kick-ass singing in her solos and in harmony with the other artists. She really held her own against the other opera singers.

All the singers were outstanding, especially the excellent tenor (Anthony Dean Griffey), the doomed hero who falls (and pays) for Jenny Smith. Jenny faithfully pleasures him until he runs out of money and then not even his Alaska miner buddies will loan him a dime. All the supporting roles and even the chorus were great. The chorus played a huge part in the show and they all sang very clearly together with perfect diction. The opera company plays Super-titles with the libretto above the stage, but you barely needed them because the elocution was so good.

I was lucky to get a rush ticket for $20 cash and the man at the box office gave me a great seat in the orchestra right section. It was my first time on the floor at the Chandler and damn it's worth the hundreds of dollars most people pay per ticket. I can only imagine what the Founders Circle just above the orchestra would be like. Actually, I got to sit up there once when I took a tour of the theater with a student group. It was really fun to see how the truly wealthy class live, even though there wasn't a performance on stage at the time.

This is not an easy show to endure. The music is demanding and suprising hummable despite some very challenging tonalities. I don't know how those singers held on to the vocal melodies with the orchestral "chaos" happening underneath them, under maestro James Conlon's expert conducting. Mr. Griffey in particular picked some unaccompanied notes right out the air and stayed in tune every time. It was quite impressive.

The most famous song from the show is the Alabama Song, famously revived by Jim Morrison and The Doors, and later covered by David Bowie. I was surprised to hear the song so early in the show - it's the second number - and to hear it sung by Jenny Smith and her troupe of vagabond prostitutes. "Oh show us the way, to the next whiskey bar/Oh don't ask why, no don't ask why."

Despite the outstanding performances and the innovatively sparse staging, the audience didn't stand for the curtain call. We cheered for the singers and we appreciated their efforts, but I think we were too exhausted and depressed to rise from our seats. The cynical themes of the show, raucously tongue-in-cheek in Act One, pummeled us into darkness and despair by the end of Act Two. As the people of Mahagonny declared after the hero's execution, "Nothing will help him or us or you now."

Iran next target in Bush's War on Terror

Here we go again. It's been rumbling around in the blogosphere and in certain areas of the media lately that the Bush administration is gearing up for the next phase in the War on Terror. Target: Iran.

So far the rhetoric regarding Iran has focused on their dangerous nuclear ambitions, but now Iran is being blamed for supplying weapons to the Iraq insurgency. Bush admitted so today. It was reported yesterday that the radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has fled Iraq for Iran in anticipation of Bush's controversial troop "surge" -- it's a much nicer word than "escalation," isn't it?

By the way, if you haven't figured out yet that the U.S. news media is owned by a few major corporations that earn tremendous profits from the war and therefore can't be trusted to fully expose government corruption, pull your head out of the sand and get informed. When I want to know what's really going on in the world, I visit overseas news agencies such as The Guardian or BBC News, among others. Thank God for the Internet!

Here's a very interesting article published in The Guardian (a liberal British newspaper) which reports that the U.S. military is already building up forces in the Persian Gulf in anticipation of an air strike on Iran:

"The present military build-up in the Gulf would allow the US to mount an attack by the spring. But the sources said that if there was an attack, it was more likely next year, just before Mr Bush leaves office."

According to the article, both Cheney and the Neo-cons are urging Bush to start another offensive in the war, but the State Department and the Pentagon are against it. That's probably because we have no way to justify another attack or invasion, nor can we afford any further escalation. In fact, we can't afford the current wars. The Bush junta will end up bankrupting this country if left to their own devices. They publicly deny any intentions for attack, yet the military build-up progresses, just as it did before we invaded Iraq.

Didn't we just leave this party?

Chewbacca Attacks Tour Guide

You know it's hard out here for a pimp, and for a tour guide. Luckily this wasn't me or anyone with my company, but everybody on Hollywood Boulevard knows you don't piss off Chewbacca.

Leave Kurt Vonnegut Alone

Kurt Vonnegut's hometown - Indianapolis, Indiana - is sponsoring a year of reading the author's work. But I think the 84-year-old just wants to be left alone:

“I’ve said everything I have to say and I’m completely in print,” he said. “Look, I’m old. Joe Namath isn’t passing footballs in the crowds anymore. You ought to see what Mozart looks like by now. I’m old, for God’s sake — I’m terribly tired.”

How to Hang Someone?

I've had so many people ask me that question before. Now at last, here is the answer!

Horny Amish Guy

Met the strangest man on Hollywood Boulevard today. He claimed to be an Amish from Michigan. He certainly looked the part, with plain black clothes, a big black hat, and a long grey beard with no moustache. I'd put him in his mid-to-late-60s.

It was odd enough to see an Amish person walking the Boulevard (we certainly see plenty of crazies around here) but I was not expecting him to ask me so many questions about sex! Turns out he was hoping to see some real life prostitutes in Hollywood. He already knew that the girls work on Sunset Blvd and the boys work on Santa Monica Blvd.

Then he started asking more personal questions about sexual practices and positions, especially sex between men. "Is it true that usually one of the men takes the feminine role during sex?" he asked. "I never screwed another woman besides my wife, so this is all new to me." I was trying to be polite and helpful to the old guy, but he started creeping me out. He told me he had trouble maintaining an erection and had tried using a penis pump but it hurt too bad. He also began asking questions about my sex life! Finally, we got busy with other customers in the store so he left.

The next day one of my co-workers called to tell me that Horny Amish Guy came back looking for me: "Where's the guy who answered all my questions?" Luckily I was off that day, so he tried to get information from my colleagues, but they were less forthcoming. Mr. Amish wanted to know the location of the homeless youth hostels in Hollywood. What a perve, eh?!

Whoops: A Poopy!

File this post under "Too Much Information."

Have you ever had the experience where you feel like you're going to fart and then more than air comes out of your ass? Well that happened to me today.

I was working in Hollywood about to start a tour when I felt a little fart starting to sneak out of my bum. Well, turns out it was a juicy one with a little heft to it. I wasn't really sure what had happened and with my customers standing right in front of me waiting to begin the tour, there wasn't much I could do about it at the time.

Unfortunately it was several hours later before I could excuse myself to the men's room. I'll be damned if I hadn't soiled my underpants! It was just a little bit of poo, but enough to cake my underside and leave the crotch of my underwear crusty. I warned you this was TMI!!

I felt like such an idiot -- an infant! Guess I better start wearing Depends undergarments for adults. I know I'm getting older but this is ridiculous. At this rate, I'll be in a nursing home by the time I'm 40. Oy gevalt!

Saddam Hussein R.I.P.

Dear Saddam,

How I miss you already!

Here's a cute and informative video depicting Saddam's first contact with the CIA back in the '50s (!) and his subsequent rise to power.

Thanks for the memories!