Spamalot

Had a great "only in Los Angeles" day yesterday with my great friend Michael "Betty" Gribbin, who is town with the Spamalot tour. We started by meeting at Mike's rental house in the Los Feliz hills. The view and location are absolutely spectacular! The view of downtown is breathtaking and the air was so clear yesterday that we could see all the way south to Long Beach, more than 20 miles!




Just up the block sits the famous Ennis House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1923 and constructed from geometric concrete blocks. This stunning, huge house has been used in dozens of movies, including Blade Runner, Black Rain with Michael Douglas, and the Vincent Price classic House On Haunted Hill.

We drove up to Griffith Park, which is just up the hill from his place, and stopped at the Observatory for a visit. The Observatory looks so nice since its extensive renovation a few years ago. Again, the air was so clear and fresh it felt like we could see forever. There were a lot of people there, mostly tourists and families with children.



After a quick bite downtown, it was time for the musical Spamalot showing at the Ahmanson Theater and Mike was going to conduct the show! I got to sit and watch from the orchestra pit next to the guitarist, two keyboard players, and the violinist. Of course I had an awesome time listening to the band and seeing most of the action on stage above me. I couldn't see everything upstage but since the dialogue is Monty Python's Holy Grail almost verbatim, it was easy to enjoy the humor. The audience loved it as well and Maestro Gribbin got some laughs during a couple bits he had with the actors. The "star" of this production is John O'Hurley who played J. Peterman, Elaine's boss on Seinfeld.

Not only did I enjoy the show immensely, it was great to see Michael conducting. He's always been one of the most talented guys I've ever met and it's been so long since we worked together, I was impressed by how precise and articulate his conducting has become. His beats were easy to follow and he gave clear cues to the band and the singers for entrances, cut-offs and dynamics. Mike told me he's conducted the show about a hundred times so far and it showed because the performers were right with him the whole time.



After the performance we went back to his place for a glass of wine and snacks with Michael's roommate, Ben Whiteley who is music director of Spamalot. Ben is a big fan of Bing Crosby and we listened to some great vintage Bing with the Andrews Sisters while sitting outside on their terrace enjoying the spectacular night sky and view of downtown Los Angeles. The moon was bright, as was Jupiter, and we got to see a fireworks show from Dodger's Stadium around midnight.

All in all, a fantastically memorable day, and one that could only happen in LA. (hey, that rhymes!)

Michael Jackson Memorial Service

What an amazing day! I can't quite find the exact words to express the range of emotions I felt during and after the Michael Jackson Memorial Service at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Michael Jackson's untimely passing on June 25 upset me to a surprising degree. Even though I hadn't really followed his career since Thriller, I have felt shocked and mournful since he died. I've been listening to his and the Jackson 5's music constantly, seen more than enough TV coverage, and have read almost every recent news article written about him. When the family announced a lottery for fans to get tickets to the public memorial, I took a chance and entered three email addresses. What a lucky surprise to be selected!

The security precautions were extravagant: ticket winners had to enter a special, unique code to the Ticketmaster website to get a voucher, which had to be printed out and presented at Dodger's Stadium the next day in order to receive your ticket and shiny wristband which the attendant fastened around my wrist immediately. I had to wear it all night, shower, and sleep with it on. Now I don't want to take it off.

City officials warned people for days to avoid downtown if possible and fans and mourners were expressly forbidden from entering the Staples Center security zone without a ticket and wristband. I invited my friend Alia Yunis, who happens to be in town promoting her book, to join me since I knew she was big MJ fan as a teenager. We avoided traffic and parking hassles by taking the Metro downtown.

When we got there, the police were checking tickets and wristbands and generally keeping the crowd moving. They were very professional, yet friendly. The crowd was polite and orderly the whole time before, during and after the service. It was surprisingly quiet outside and inside the Staples Center, which is usually filled with noise from the various games and concerts held there. Everyone was refreshingly reserved and respectful.

We made it inside the venue and looked out the huge picture windows to see the motorcade arrive with the casket and the Jackson family. All the streets around the venue were closed for blocks, helicopters hovered overhead, and hundreds of media trucks surrounded the building. The ushers handed out souvenir programs to all in attendance. The program contains a wealth of photos of Michael and the Jackson family, and it includes messages to Michael from some of his siblings, nieces, and nephews. It was a nice family keepsake.

We made it to our "VIP" seats just a few minutes before the ceremony began. Our seats would be great for a basketball game, but our view of the memorial was from the side and slightly behind stage left. It was fine though because we had a clear view of the stage and the front rows of seats where the Jackson family sat. I also watched the TelePrompter cuing the speakers and musical performers during the program.

When the music began and the Jackson brothers entered the arena as pallbearers carrying Michael's golden casket, it suddenly became very real that he was gone. There is something so powerful, so final, that the casket represents. It was covered in a beautiful blanket of red flowers. Moments later, Mariah Carey took the stage to perform "I'll Be There" and she suddenly choked at the sight of Michael's casket resting in front of her. It was the first of many tearful moments that day.

Brooke Shields gave a lovely, emotional remembrance of her childhood friend. Barry Gordy, founder of Motown Records who discovered the Jackson 5, gave the first and most articulate euology. He made us laugh and cry with the story of how the Jackson family got started on their path to stardom. Lionel Richie sang a soothing gospel hymn I hadn't heard before and Usher brought everyone to tears with his stunning rendition of "Gone Too Soon." He even jumped off the stage and sang directly to Michael's casket. When he choked up at the song's conclusion, the Jackson family stood to embrace him and thank him for his tribute. More touching tributes came from Queen Latifah, Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant, and others.

Jennifer Hudson gave the best vocal performance with her powerful rendition of MJ's "Will You Be There" and Stevie Wonder brought everyone to tears again with his ballad "Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer" [Incidentally, I also saw Stevie perform at Carl Anderson's memorial a few years ago]. John Mayer gave a thoughtful guitar version of "Human Nature" and brother Germaine Jackson concluded with a touching rendition of Michael's favorite song, Charlie Chaplin's "Smile." A big surprise came when little Shaheen Jafargholi, whom Michael had invited to join his tour blew the roof off the dump with his version of "Who's Loving You." The show ended with a big finale of "We Are The World" featuring all the performers and Jackson siblings on stage with cast members of Michael's ill-fated This Is It production, which was in final rehearsals on the same stage two nights before he died.

Several of the euologies went on a bit too long -- it's hard to keep stating the same platitudes and hyperbolies ("Michael Jackson was the greatest entertainer in history") and not get a little over the top. Al Sharpton roused the crowd with the most exciting speech of the day. He made a touching statement to MJ's three children: "There was nothing strange about your Daddy. What he had to deal with was strange." That earned a huge roar of agreement from the audience. Although it didn't shy away from controversial aspects of Michael's life, the memorial focused primarily on his music and his life as a person, not a superstar or pop icon.

After the finale, the Jackson siblings remained on stage with Michael's three kids. A few brothers made comments, exposing their raw emotions: grief, confusion, anger, bitterness, and most of all, love. Finally, Michael's 11-year-old daughter Paris devastated the whole auditorium with her tearful tribute to her Daddy. There was a lot of love in that room, and not a dry eye in the place. Although almost 20,000 were present, with millions more watching on television and online, the event felt extremely intimate and personal. I felt like a fly on the wall at the Jackson family's private service for Michael. It was a beautifully organized production and a very special honor for me to be included.

After the ceremony, the brothers removed the casket and the crowd filed out slowly, somberly. Outside, the beautiful California sunshine welcomed us into the LA Live plaza. The brilliant blue sky was cloudless except for a skywriter creating the initial M in a heart above us. All the Jumbotrons and video screens around the LA Live complex projected slideshows with pictures of Michael Jackson throughout his life and career. Several giant "walls" were erected with a black & white image of Michael, the dates of his life and death, and thousands of signatures and messages written by fans. I felt a beautiful welling up of affection from the crowd for Michael's life and achievements, plus sadness and grief over his tragic loss.

The only distraction were all the media outside, reporting on the service and interviewing spectators for their impressions. It seems very clear to me that although Michael courted the media, he was actually consumed by them. He became a commodity, not a human being, and the disgusting spectacle of his aftermath continues to feed a vicious media frenzy. I never knew Michael Jackson, but I'm now certain that the figure presented through the media was not the real man.

I'm not just sad for the loss of a talented artist, it's also personal in the sense that a long period of my life has ended. Michael Jackson has been famous my entire life and I've heard his songs since I began listening to music. He created some of my all time favorite songs and early musical experiences. Now that he is gone, a chapter of my youth has also closed.

Globally speaking, it's the loss of one the biggest stars in history, ranking up there with Elvis Presley, John Lennon, and Princess Diana. Michael Jackson was the most famous, and at one point the most beloved, celebrity in the world. The worldwide attention to his death and the massive viewership of his memorial service on television and the Internet proves that point.

It also leads me to speculate that we may never have an entertainment figure as well-known as Michael Jackson was. Entertainment media is so globalized and fragmented today, it is difficult for one person to appeal to a massive cross-section of humanity because our attention has been diffused so deeply into our personal niche interests. When Elvis Presley died, there were only three broadcast networks in the United States. Today's service was viewed simultaneously by hundreds of millions of people around the globe via various technological means. Thanks to technology, the recording industry is in a tailspin and no longer generates the mega-millions earned by the likes of Michael Jackson. He was and will always remain the King of Pop.

Sad Ending to a Bizarre Life

I can't help but feel sad about Michael Jackson. I guess I'm still in shock over the news of his death. It's just so unexpected, and then again, his life story was so extraordinary it seems predictable that he would meet an unexpected end.

Whether he died accidentally, intentionally, or simply from natural causes, one can't help but mourn his loss, at least for those poor children who have lost their daddy. Their fucked-up young lives just got even worse.

Love him, hate him, or indifferent, we can't deny his phenomenal talent and charisma. Just watch those old tapes of little Michael leading the Jackson Five with his commanding voice and dancing. He could really rock! And Off The Wall contains a couple of my all-time favorite radio hits. Thriller shook the world, even though I got sick of seeing the video on MTV every half hour for months.

I admit growing weary of him by the time Bad came along; my tastes had changed. Plus, his increasingly odd lifestyle became ludicrous and distasteful. His physical transformation confused me because I couldn't understand why someone so beautiful would want to change himself so drastically. He became another Howard Hughes: reclusive, paranoid, and filthy rich.

Now, almost 30 years later, Thriller is still the number one album of all time. I actually downloaded it from iTunes just a couple months ago! His children might appreciate the donation, but they will probably never see it, nor the proceeds from the planned comeback performances. Apparently Michael was spending credit instead of money, and when the bills came due, he just couldn't pay.

A psychologist said that when we feel sad about someone else or cry at a movie, it's actually ourselves for whom we cry. Subconsciously we are relating the emotion felt on screen to some event in our own lives, or to our own mortality.

Michael's death compares to that of Elvis Presley, John Lennon, or Rudolph Valentino. It feels to me like a milestone, the passing of an era. Michael Jackson was a symbol of my youth and now he has mysteriously passed away at age 50.

So, I give myself ten more years to grow up!!

The Jacarandas are in bloom again

I just love this time of year when the gorgeous Jacaranda trees issue their brilliant violet blooms!

"We Shall Overcome...."

Not surprisingly, the California Supreme Court today upheld Proposition 8, thereby stripping civil rights away from a whole class of people in this state. Oddly they upheld the 18,000 marriages already performed legally before voters approved the ban, so now marriage rights are unequal within the same community being discriminated against. I can't remember in my lifetime a court actually supporting the taking away of rights from citizens, but I am absolutely convinced that the right to marry will be reinstated for all Americans.

This will happen sooner rather than later; it's inevitable. If you look at the huge demographic shift underway in this country, there's an enormous generation of young people just coming of age, a majority of which are not bothered at all by the concept of same-sex marriage. It's not a threat, and eventually enough people will come around to support equality for all Americans regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.

We have to remember that interracial marriage only became protected by the US Supreme Court in 1967. At that time it was a very controversial decision considering that 38 states still banned interracial marriage. I'm sure a lot of conservative types still disapprove of it. Today a handful of states have already approved gay marriage, either legislatively or through a court decision, and other states will soon follow. The District of Columbia now recognizes gay marriages performed in other states.

If the states do not pass appropriate legislation protecting the civil right to marry, the US Supreme Court will eventually overrule the bans against same-sex marriage under the equal protection clause of the Constitution. Either that, or they will force the government out of the marriage business altogether and everyone can get a civil union and leave "marriage" -- a precious word to some -- to the churches.

The United States has fallen behind the international community on this topic. Seven countries, including Canada and Spain, have already allowed same-sex marriage. Sixteen countries, including France, Germany and the United Kingdom, have instituted civil partnerships with rights and responsibilities equal to heterosexual marriage. Dozens of other countries, including the United States, are debating the issue and crafting legislation.

Simply put, there is no rational argument against gay marriage. There are plenty of bigots out there who don't recognize homosexuals as human, much like the plight of blacks in the past, but honesty and fairness shall prevail and WE SHALL OVERCOME.

Memorial Day

Every day after work at UCLA, I drove home via Veteran Avenue towards Sunset Blvd. This stretch of Veteran runs beside the Los Angeles National Cemetery, and I am struck every time by the thousands upon thousands of white marble gravestones blanketing the lush green landscape.

It's a sobering vision, and it makes me realize how many brave and dedicated men and women, and their families, have made the ultimate sacrifice just so I can enjoy the freedom of opportunity this country offers as well as the right to criticize my nation when it fails to live up to its potential.

This is a luxury I do not take for granted, and I want to express my sincere gratitude to every person serving in our armed forces here at home and around the world. We love you, we support you, and we hope you return home safe and soon.

Domingo Rocks Die Walkure

Had the pleasure of seeing the great tenor Placido Domingo sing the shit out of the role of Siegmund in LA Opera's new production of Wagner's Die Walkure, part two in the epic Ring cycle. At an age when most of his contemporaries have long since retired, Maestro Domingo retains all the strength and beauty of his glorious voice.

Die Walkure tells the story of a wandering romantic hero (Domingo as Siegmund) who ends up seeking refuge one stormy night in the home of a young woman trapped in an abusive marriage. Her barbaric husband vows to kill the unwelcome stranger, who quickly falls in love with the repressed wife and promises to liberate her. The new lovers eagerly consummate their passion, only to realize they are indeed twins separated at birth. (I hate it when that happens!)

Much drama and intrigue follows, but most impressive is Wagner's incomparable score, so full of pathos, power and beauty. Yes, this includes the famous "Ride of the Valkyries" music, perhaps the most recognizable in all of opera. You've heard it in films like Apocalypse Now and the Warner Bros. animated short What's Opera, Doc?, with Elmer Fudd singing, "Kill da wabbit, kill da wabbit...."

Visually, the production was clearly based on Star Wars. All the characters had light sabers and wore futuristic makeup and costumes. The scenes were very darkly lit and a giant scrim hung in front of the stage where video projections of storm clouds and other mood-enhancing images appeared. The story was told mostly through symbols rather than dramatic staging, which at times seemed static yet psychologically deep.

The black stage was raked upward toward the house so the audience could see its entire depth and width (much like a version of Evita I did once). The performance area appeared as a circular clockface, including a long lightsaber that slowly rotated like a secondhand, even reversing direction counter-clockwise when the characters sang stories of their pasts.

It's interesting to see a Star Wars connection because I've always thought John Williams's film scores were strongly influenced by Wagner's music, especially in the use of leitmotif, a recognizable theme written for each character. Both composers also use heavy orchestration, soaring romantic strings and blaring horn sections with dynamic shades of color and timbre.

Wagner's 'music theater' is not for the faint of heart, but he rewards well those who give it their focus. Wagner requires the listener to commit to learning mythological stories and complex characters, especially in The Ring of the Nibelung, and a commitment of time -- Die Walkure requires at least five and a half hours! However, the Chandler Pavilion's sold out audience Thursday evening seemed prepared and eager, though there were some annoying amateurs near me in the nose-bleed section who restlessly kept whispering to each other. I tried to find an empty seat on a lower level for the final act, but people stayed for the entire performance, even though Act Three didn't start until after 10pm.

The orchestra played beautifully, though they were obscured by a black tarp covering the pit, to limit light leakage into the house is my guess. Against tradition, conductor James Conlon did not enter and bow before the acts. The lights simply went down and the music started. Instead of curtains, we saw video projections of swaying curtains that opened and closed. It really was opera as cinema.

Now I'm looking forward to seeing the entire Ring cycle a year from now, and I'll be sure to save my pennies for a better seat, just to witness Placido Domingo's brilliant performance as Siegmund. He was absolutely stunning, both his singing and acting. When Siegmund falls at the end of Act Two, Placido threw himself down to the foot of the stage in quite a risky stunt. I was afraid he might break a hip or something, but ever-the-professional, he stayed down until the scene's end, then jumped right up for his curtain call. The other singers gathered around him, either to make sure he was alright or to congratulate him on his final LA Opera performance of the season.

It's no wonder that Placido Domingo is generally considered the most accomplished operatic performer in music history, with over 130 roles in his repertoire. That's three to four times the professional average. Bravo Domingo!

Aidan Spalding Turned Five Years Old

My darling nephew turned five over the weekend. Coincidentally Dad and I both recorded songs to commemorate the event. Mine is a very early Bowie song (pre-Space Oddity) and Dad's is a gorgeous original composition. Enjoy!

Nick Nasal sings Aidan Spalding Turns Five Years Old Today

Scottydude sings When I'm Five

AIG, The Death of Capitalism?

AIG is bad for America. The American International Group should change their name to Americans Invested in Greed. These crooks, and others on Wall Street, have been gaming the international financial system for years, with government complicity, and they have no motivation to mend their ways. On the contrary, they persist in raping the American taxpayer!

Not only has AIG awarded outrageous bonuses to the very people who caused the failure of the company, they are also suing the government for reimbursement of disputed tax charges; in a sense, they are using the bailout to sue for even more tax dollars. Unfortunately, this reckless behavior is destroying the very idea of capitalism.

AIG reluctantly disclosed where some of the $180 billion in US taxpayer money has gone: mostly to foreign banks and other American institutions that had already received tens of billions in taxpayer bailouts! The $165 million in bonuses paid out to corrupt executives last weekend is just the tip of the iceberg.

We've been told that this company is "too big to fail" -- apparently they are also above the authority of the United States government, which seems powerless to control how bailed out companies spend our money, even though We the People own 80% of AIG's stock. Sadly, because of the damage done to the AIG brand, the company may never regain its footing and our investment is likely gone forever.

It's seems obvious now that our only choice is to formally nationalize AIG, as well as the other big banks on the verge of self-destruction if we want to restore the financial system, just as we did with Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac last year. At the very least, we should break up the company, and others like it that are too big to fail, so we don't end up in the same quagmire in the future. Too big to fail is too big, period.

When will we admit that deregulated free market capitalism is wrong? The Reagan Revolution of trickle down economics and government-as-the-enemy has been a complete debacle. Sadly, human greed has triumphed over honesty, fairness, and even patriotism. At a time when this country, even the entire world, is suffering greatly because of the stupidity and arrogance of the banking industry, these fat cats who created the mess still feel entitled to even more millions in personal reward. The attitude seems to be, "Sure, millions of people are losing their jobs, their homes, their very dignity, but hell, I got mine!"

During the Cold War we learned in school that the Soviet Union was the "evil empire" because they had a Communist form of government. When the Russian government failed in the late 1980s, we thought the final nail had been hammered into the coffin holding the dead corpse of Communism. What about equally scary Red China?

Today, China is the world's most populous nation, they have sustained incredible market growth over the past 30 years, and they also own the United States or soon will. They are by far our largest creditor, with over a trillion dollars in US Treasury notes in their coffers. And oh yeah, they are Communists!

Last week the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao admitted publicly that he is concerned, even worried, about the value of those assets. What would happen if China decided to cash in their chips? We would not be able to pay up and no one in the world could bail US out. "Lucky" for us, China makes most of the products that Americans buy, so they also suffer in a down economy. We are trapped in a symbiotic relationship whether we like it or not.

That is not to say that China is a better place to live. Obviously the US has a much higher standard of living (for now) and greater concern for the environment and human rights. However, our extravagant American lifestyle has been funded by Chinese creditors and we are living in a soon-to-be-foreclosed house of cards. Experts say we can't let these big banks fail because it would dismantle the global economic system. But isn't that exactly what we need? This system is corrupt, and currency or credit have no value without the public trust.

Our governments must continue to take over these companies, FIRE the executives who caused the meltdown instead of rewarding them with bonuses, and start all over again. Alternatively, let unsound businesses fail; that's what free market capitalism is all about and that's why the Chapter 11 bankruptcy code was created, so that failing businesses could reorganize.

We need to change the culture on Wall Street. Far too few individuals have way too much money and power. I'm all for capping executive salaries. Who in the world honestly NEEDS to make more than half a million dollars per year? I couldn't sleep at night knowing that starving homeless families were sleeping on the doorstep of the bank that was keeping my millions. People need to work and produce goods or services instead of just selling paper, which is basically what AIG and all those hotshot Wall Street investors have been doing. We can no longer trust the private sector to regulate itself.

Socialism is inevitable -- workers unite!!

Oscar Picks 2009

Well, it's that time again - time for the Hollywood elite to rub our noses in it while they enjoy the privileges of their class. My disenchantment with the movie industry continues to deepen: this year I have seen only one of the Best Picture nominees, and that was thanks to a free screening a couple months ago.

Nevertheless, here are my predictions on who will go home with gold tonight:

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Actor: Sean Penn
Best Actress: Meryl Streep (I hope Kate Winslet wins, but I smell an upset here.)
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger
Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz
Animated Feature: Wall-E

I have no idea regarding the technical awards, nor the shorts or documentaries, so I'll skip to....

Directing: Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle
Foreign Language: Waltz With Bashir
Film Score (my favorite category!): Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman
Best Song: "Jai Ho" Slumdog Millionaire
Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire
Original Screenplay: (complete guess) Milk

GOP = R.I.P.

What a pathetic bunch of babies! What a sack of sore losers! For too long, the Grand Old Poop-heads have hidden behind the veil of false Christianity and professed a "conservative" political and social agenda with promises of freedom and equal opportunity for all. Or at least for all white, upper class, "Christian" men. This is not Lincoln's Republican Party.

The Republicans are so out of touch with reality that none in the House and only three in the Senate had the balls to vote for the President's economic plan, despite widespread support from the American people for the President's efforts at bipartisanship. The 'Pubs defended their position on "ideological grounds" (i.e. the midterm elections in 2010), but they're actually digging their own graves. Certainly minority leader John Boehner (call him "Boner" - he hates that!) plans to take on Obama in 2012, so he has no motivation to side with his future rival, and his constituents pay the price.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm not a huge fan of the President's plan. I think far too much time and money have been wasted feeding the fat cats and no help has come to the families desperately struggling to stay employed and in their homes. It sickens me to see that Obama's team of economic advisors are the same guys who got us into this mess, and now they're supposed to get us out? Not without padding their own bank accounts and those of their cronies, I'm sure, but we've got to do something and the President is making changes (for better or worse) at unprecedented speed.

Now some Republican governors are claiming they won't accept any federal bailout money for their states! As if their own citizens don't deserve a share of the tax money which is rightfully theirs! Absolutely insane!!

It really shows who is interested in moving this country forward to catch up with the rest of the world, and who prefers to feather their own nests while promising to "restore" America's traditional values, whatever that means. The truth is, without inclusive party leadership and a modern alternative message, the GOP are doomed to obscurity. And I say "good riddance!"

Michael Phelps is my Hero!!

Party on, Mike!!

Michael Phelps gets high....

Beyonce the next Ella?

Did you see Beyonce sing "At Last" for the Obama couple's first dance at the Neighborhood Ball on Inauguration night?

OMG, do yourself and favor and watch it (again!) to hear Beyonce's breathtaking interpretation of this classic song. I'm not a fan of Beyonce's type of music, but girlfriend can sing! And her technique gets better and better as she matures.

Her performance for the President and Mrs. Obama was so sincere and heartfelt. It's as if she were singing from the conscience of the nation, with an emotional mix of pride, joy, hope, love, anticipation, and exhiliration. She was obviously thrilled to be singing for the new President -- her eyes, on the verge of tears, shone like never before.

Beyonce's voice knocked me out, not only for its clarity and accuracy of pitch, but for her dynamic and tonal range. Her last phrase displayed an impressive span from high to low, reminding me more than a little of the legendary Ella Fitzgerald. With the right material, Miss Knowles could find herself joining the pantheon of the all-time great singers.

Obama's letter to his daughters

If you haven't read the new President's letter to his daughters published in Parade magazine, you've got to the check it out! Mr. Obama is certainly the best political writer since Lincoln, and his touching message simply and perfectly articulates the ideals of American thought.

Please read Obama's letter to his daughters....

I Saw a Jonas Brother!!

I spotted a Jonas brother the other day, at Target of all places. As I left my car in the parking garage and headed to the elevators, a black Suburban-size SUV with tinted windows passed in front me. The driver's window was down and he looked somewhat familiar. I waited to see him park just a few cars away.

The first person out of the car was a HUGE black guy who obviously served as bodyguard. He stood at the back of the car, looked around, then faced back towards the driver's door and gave a nod. Then young Mr. Jonas emerged from the vehicle wearing tight black jeans, shiny black leather high-tops, a deep purple Oxford shirt and matching tie, plus black Wayfarer sunglasses.

I wanted to get a good look at this kid -- yes, I'm a terrible star-fucker as anyone who reads this blog knows! -- so I pretended to fiddle with my cell phone for a moment to let Mr. Jonas and his bodyguard catch up with me. I let them pass me and followed them up the escalator to the mall plaza above.

They were looking for food. First they headed toward Daphne's but since it was before 11:00 AM, the restaurant wasn't open yet. Next they crossed the plaza toward Jamba Juice, but they could also have entered Baja Fresh next door. I was growing bored of this scene and headed into Target to do my shopping, so I'm not sure where they ended up getting food. When I got back to the parking structure, they had left.

Later, I was giving a tour of Hollywood to some Australian teenagers when we came across a movie poster for an upcoming film featuring the Jonas Brothers. When I told the story of my star sighting to the Australian kids, they informed me the brother I saw was Joe Jonas. So there!

The Obama Era Begins

I am so proud and excited to be an American today. The people have spoken for change, and the man who personifies that change took office today as the 44th President of the United States of America.

Thanks to the Internet, we watched the Inauguration ceremonies live, including the Presidential Oath of Office and the Inauguration speech, at a school assembly this morning. Most of the students were quite interested, though they couldn't understand all the formal English being spoken. All of them realized they were witnessing history.

It was amazing to see so many hundreds of thousands of people assembled on the National Mall in Washington. And I think I heard on CNN that there were no disturbances and no arrests made today! That's phenomenal considering the enormous crowds which had stood in the freezing cold for so many hours even before the ceremony began.

Mr. President (I'm so happy we can officially say that now!), you have got your work cut out for you; we all do. I'm afraid the change and hope you inspire in us will not come soon enough. I hope the public will have patience and the understanding that we will face many setbacks and difficult times before a more peaceful and prosperous period returns. It may not get here while you are still President, but history has shown that this country always perseveres through its crises. To quote G.W., "Bring 'em on!" (God, I'm gonna miss him....)

Let's go, Obama! Let's go, America!!

The Notorious Bettie Page

Do yourself a favor, and watch a movie called The Notorious Bettie Page, a thrilling biopic about a fascinating American icon. Gretchen Mol dazzles in the role of a wholesome Southern girl who goes to New York with dreams of acting, but instead becomes an infamous pinup girl before redeeming her life through her Christian faith.

I first became aware of this movie a few months before they released it in theaters because one of my students played a small role in the story as a guy Bettie picks up at the beach. He's a cute Venezuelan named Alejandro Chaban. I finally rented it on Netflix after remembering the recent passing of Miss Page.

The film does a great job of catching the 1950s period by using black & white and color film, plus great costumes and production design, and a swinging period musical soundtrack. Mol is truly adorable as Bettie, both the wholesome girl next door and the vivacious nude vixen. She shows us everything, too. Ay-chee-wah-wah! I took lots of pictures of the TV.

By the way, the movie is really good if you're into light bondage. Gretchen, please call me...


The trailer for the movie



A two-minute video of photos of Bettie Page (be sure to watch until the last one!)