Bowie's Back in LA!!

DB has returned to Los Angeles this week for a few gigs and some TV appearances. I'm going to see him Thursday night with Randy at The Greek Theatre in Hollywood. Here's a snippet from his web journal:

"Journal for Monday April 19th, 2004

Having slept our way through to LA (on the bus) I arrive at the hotel, unpack and put about three hundred t-shirts in the laundry. This week it's all about Hollywood I suppose. We shall record the Ellen show Tuesday and then the Leno thing the day after.

The gig at the Greek Theatre should be full of nostalgia, I would imagine, as I haven't been there for a month of Sundays. It's the re-opening night I believe, as it's been restored over the last while and was closed down for concerts for a very long time. I shall play the Supermen, oh, yes I shall."

Bad Blogger

Has it really been almost three weeks since my last blog entry? Oh, I'm a bad blogger, I admit it. Been busy though. Trip to Denver Easter weekend to see little nephew Aidan. He's a cutey -- just a month old. Everyone's very excited since he's the first grandbaby in the family so Mom and Dad are practically giddy with joy, and sis is doing well with the transition into motherhood. It's always surprising to new parents how much work is required to take care of a little tyke, but she seems to be doing OK so far.

Got back home just in time to do my taxes. Hooray!! Turbo Tax is a godsend; however, I need to get some professional advice. I think there's a lot of deductions that I'm not aware of and so I end up owing Uncle Sam a lot of money that I just don't have! Investing a hundred dollars in a good tax accountant could save me thousands per year....I hope.

The sun was up earlier this morning, but now it's gotten grey and gloomy outside, and cool. I'm not complaining, not a bit. I much prefer slightly cooler weather than the sweltering heat that is imminently approaching.

I missed a party last night in Hollywood. A former co-worker was in town hosting a get-together for a few old pals, including a few people I used to work with. I intended to go, but just didn't feel like it last night. Had to stay in and watch "The Apprentice" finale last night. "You're fired!"

Looking forward to Bowie again next week. He and the band are swinging back through the States on their way to Europe for the summer. The "A Reality Tour" returns to LA at the Greek Theatre next Thursday night. Luckily, friend Randy got tickets, otherwise I'd be listening to Bowie on CD at home that night. No money.

Wednesday's child is not only full of woe, he's downright po' as well.

A/C

OK, it's official: the Hot season has arrived in Los Angeles. I just turned on the air conditioner for the first time in at least six months. We only have three seasons in Southern California: Warm, Hot, and Too Hot. As of today, the Hot season is in full swing.

God help us.

Ace In The Hole

If you ever get a chance to see this movie, don't miss it! Kirk Douglas plays an out-of-work newspaper reporter from New York who takes a job with a small-town paper in New Mexico in hopes of rebuilding his career. Life is pretty slow in the West and Douglas becomes increasingly frustrated until a mine cave-in traps a local man under tons of rock. Instead of quickly rescuing the victim, Douglas persuades local authorities to delay their efforts until Douglas' news stories make headlines in the big city markets. The media circus quickly ensues and thousands of people take up residency around the disaster zone hoping to have some brush with history.

The story, based on a true story and co-written and directed by the great Billy Wilder, seems eerily prescient in its expose of modern media manipulations and hidden agendas in favor of corporate and individual greed. The satire is absolutely scathing, at once hilarious and brutal. There are no sympathetic characters in the drama, but the performances by Douglas as the cynical reporter and Jan Sterling as the victim's uncaring wife are outstanding. Ironically, Miss Sterling passed away on the very day I saw this film at a special screening in Hollywood.

Ace In The Hole has never been released on video or DVD and it very rarely shows on television. Hopefully this error will be quickly corrected. This is an excellent film that needs to be seen by everyone, now more than ever.

"Dust Bunnies"

My apartment is knee deep in cat hair. OK, that's an extreme exaggeration, but it does tend to accumulate quickly. It's amazing to me that I can vacuum and within a couple of days there are clumps of hair floating around various corners and pieces of furniture in my room. Some people call these "dust bunnies." It's an appropriate metaphor since they reproduce like mad!

Jupiter

I saw Jupiter the other night through my little telescope that Randy and Heather gave me. It was a lovely, warm evening and I decided to drag out the 'scope to the sidewalk directly in front of my apartment. I did that several times last fall when Mars was big and close and it was a lot of fun. Surprising how much I could see despite the city lights all around.

I got the 'scope lined up with my 25mm eyepiece and I could easily see the bright blob of Jupiter and its four Galilean moons. When I switched eyepieces for the 9mm, I was stunned to see Jupiter much larger and clearer -- I could even see the bands or "stripes" across the planet's surface. It was so exciting! It made me wish I had a larger telescope. The one I have is fine, but it's tiny: only about a three-inch lense.

I just read on space.com that this month will see all five of the naked eye planets visible at the same time. They said the results will be spectacular even with small telescopes or binoculars, which I also have. That's good news. Now hopefully the weather will cooperate. It's getting warmer here in Los Angeles which means the evenings tend to be a little foggy.

In the words of the immortal Jack Horkheimer, "Keep looking up!"

Spalding Gray

Spalding Gray was found dead this week in the East River, an apparent suicide. Sadly, Gray had suffered from depression and mental illness throughout his life, most severely in recent years due to a terrible car accident which seriously injured him.

I saw Spalding Gray in Providence, Rhode Island (his home state) during the Superstar tour. I remember seeing his name on a theater marquee, though I can't remember exactly if it was the same theater we played at or if it was a different theater nearby. It was a cold, slightly snowy Sunday and I was out for some dinner between shows. I found a quiet Italian restaurant with red checkerboard tablecloths and went inside to eat. Mr. Gray was seated at a table behind mine with a few other people, possibly friends or family. As I sat down, our eyes met briefly and I nodded to him in recognition, but I didn't say anything to him as he was deep in conversation with his companions and I didn't want to draw any attention to him. I was wearing my Superstar tour jacket which had my name "Spalding" stitched in gold thread over the left breast. I think he noticed that since he smiled vaguely at me before continuing his conversation.

I'm sorry I missed his show.

Back to Blogging

Haven't blogged in a while. Been meaning to but very busy these days. Full schedule at UCLA plus I'm trying to sub on Englishtown as much as possible to make money. I've got some big debts coming due very soon, including a whopping tax bill. Icky.

So, what's new? Going back a couple weeks, the memorial for Carl Anderson was just lovely. Very emotional experience. I cried the whole time but there were plenty of laughs and happy thoughts as well. He really was an extraordinary human being. I can't quite believe he's gone. He was so ALIVE. I just expect him to turn up at any moment with his huge charm and energy. Ah well, we'll all be together soon enough.

I'm looking forward to the next Bowie show in April. Randy got tickets for us to see DB at the Greek Theater. It'll be fun to see DB again and especially at the Greek. Plus I hope Randy will be feeling better enough to enjoy the show. Last time he wasn't able to make it. Bowie's been in Australia and New Zealand and now in Japan. I hope he's not too tired and burnt out by the time the tour returns to America. Oh well, a guy's gotta make a living!

Speaking of which, I need to make more money! Wah!!! :-(

"Brother-Man!" Carl Anderson Dead at 58

I just heard on the radio this morning that my old friend Carl Anderson, 'Judas' from Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway and in the original film, has died at Cedar Sinai hospital. He was diagnosed with leukemia about seven months ago.

Carl starred in the record-setting 25th anniversary revival tour of Superstar along with original 'Jesus' Ted Neeley. I worked with Carl on that show from 1995 - 1997. Carl toured with the show only part time during that period. He would join us in the major markets when the show had a 'sit-down' for a week or so. After several years on the road he was tired of living on the buses, he said.

Carl got his start on TV in 1964 in the soap opera "Another World." He made various guest apperances in TV shows such as "Starsky and Hutch", "The Rockford Files", "Magnum P.I." and the film "The Color Purple." He was best known, however, for his soulful performance of Judas and he played the role on and off many times over the years.

Besides Superstar, Carl developed a successful recording and concert career. He toured the world and had a hit record with Gloria Loring, "Friends and Lovers", in the early 1980s. He last appeared on Broadway in 1997's "Play On!", a review of Duke Ellington songs.

The last time I saw Carl was about four years ago. He was performing in a small nightclub here in LA. It was a wonderful show and he sounded great. I sat right up front and he kept interacting with me during the stage banter and so forth. I remember when the music first started, Carl looked down at me, snapped his fingers to the beat, and said "Right there, Scott!", meaning his band had found their groove. It was a classic Carl moment.

Carl was a very warm-hearted and spiritual person. He had an amazing voice and he was a gifted musician. He also smoked the best pot of anyone I've ever known! :-) His wife was Veronica Porche Ali, the beautiful ex-wife of the boxer Muhammad Ali. This Friday, Feb 27th, would have been Carl Anderson's 59th birthday.

Playbill's obituary

Carl's official website

Winter Storm Warning!

I can't believe it. For the first time since I've lived in California (over 7 years now), I've just seen a weather service flash across the bottom of the TV screen! This happens in Colorado regularly throughout the year, but I've never seen in CA before.

Seems we have a Winter Storm Warning in effect until Monday at 4AM. Snow could reach 24 inches in altitudes above 5500 feet! It's been raining almost non-stop in LA since Friday afternoon and it feels cold!

So you Coloradoans out there: don't think it's ALL palm trees and sunshine out here in CA!! :-)

Hard Drive

My god. My 80GB hard drive now has less than 5 gigs left!! I've gotta stop downloading shit off the Internet. And I need to dump a lot of stuff off to CD. If only I had a DVD player -- I'd be so happy!

Rain, Rain, Rain

It has been raining almost non-stop for the past 24 hours or more. I love it!

It only it weren't so bloody cold -- I'm freezing!

The Apprentice

I've been watching this reality show on NBC. Donald Trump auditions a group of ambitious young business professionals to head one of his companies. They must work together and compete against each other to be successful and gain his favor. Every week someone fails and he fires them. It's like "Survivor" goes to Wall Street. 'Let the bloodbath begin!'

Actually, I've found the firing process most interesting. It is informative to see how Trump logically works out the choice for who gets fired and why. He receives counsel from his advisors, but he makes the final decision. I enjoy that part, not because someone gets fired, but because I learn something every time. I learn about the corporate mentality, I learn about the dog-eat-dog world of business, and I learn about the hard decisions people have to make to achieve and maintain success. I really admire The Donald sometimes for his sharp mind and skills as a businessman. He's got a real talent for it.

Sick bastard.

Teaching

There are not many jobs quite as rewarding emotionally as teaching. How many times do you have someone tell you how much they appreciate your work, how much you helped them, how you have changed their life and made them a better person?

It's pretty rare, unless you're a teacher. As one of my high school mentors advised me (he knew I was bound for teaching long before I did): "Teaching won't make you a lot of money, but you will have a very rich life." I really understand that now.

"I Dreamed I Met A Galilean..."

Sad news today. Jason Raize, a former colleague of mine from Jesus Christ Superstar, apparently committed suicide last week. Jason played Pontius Pilate when I joined the Superstar tour in Sept/Oct 1995. He was only 20 years old then and I was his understudy. After Jason left the tour that December, I took over full time as Pilate.

Jason was a beautiful young man and incredibly gifted. He had the most gorgeous voice I have ever heard. He later found fame on Broadway starring as Simba, the lead character in the original "Lion King."

The full story can be found here.

Bowie in LA, part 4

Wiltern #2

This was the best show for me. Even though I was stuck in the very back row of the balcony section – literally the wall was behind me – and it was hotter than fuck up there, and we could barely hear the band sometimes the sound was so muddy, I had more fun than ever!

I was with my friend Heidster who is a “casual” Bowie fan, although she sang along with almost every song. We had such fun dancing and singing along and basically basking in the majesty that is Bowie.

He seemed jollier and more comfortable than ever. The set list was full of surprises. He did so many new songs early on in the show. I was surprised he would challenge the audience so much like that. But the crowd seemed to stay with him. It was really a wonderful vibe in the house. I was a long way from the crushing masses up front so I can’t vouch for that scene, but up in the nosebleeds people were having a great time!

Bowie had a lot of great moments vocally, and with his stage movements. At one point (what song was it?) he knelt down at Gerry’s feet during the closing guitar riff. It was magical. DB was full of surprises tonight. With bar stool slung over his shoulder, he introduced “Days” as the first song he’d written specifically for furniture. LOL He also told some great stories about how crazy the Las Vegas scene was and he gave a lengthy and touching introduction to the brilliant “Slip Away.” My friend Heidster grew up in Jersey so she knew Uncle Floyd from TV. She freaked out when she saw the video footage from the old TV show, and the sing-along is consistently one of the best moments of the show, I think. Such a warm touch!

Being way up high, I had a different perspective of the performance and since this was my fourth show this week, I knew what to look for at certain times. It was interesting to see how carefully the lights are designed to accent the music on stage. For example, during “Fame” the lights give a bright flash or bump every time the chorus sings “Fame.” This gives almost the effect of flash bulbs going off as if one were on the red carpet in front of paparazzi.

I was a little disappointed but mostly surprised that he didn’t do “All The Young Dudes” since he’s done that every show so far, but it was nice to hear obscure numbers like “Fantastic Voyage” and “Battle For Britain” again. Heidster kept calling for “Changes”, which he never did. I didn’t think he was doing that one on this tour, but I just saw that it was included on the Vegas set list so that’s even more depressing!

He’s had so many great songs over the years; it would be impossible for him to do all the favorites, though I probably wouldn’t complain if he took the time to do every last one of them!! He is such a pro on stage. One needn’t be a Bowie fan at all to see what an entertaining show he presents. The music, the lighting, the imaginative use of video – Mr. Bowie is still on the cutting edge. I can’t wait to see him again!!

“There’s old wave. There’s new wave. And there’s David Bowie.”

Bowie in LA, pt 3

The Wiltern Theatre

Sad evening since my best friend Randy was too ill to attend the performance. He tried to make it, and we actually went to the theater, but before we went in he started feeling bad and we had to cut it short. He took me back home and I hurried back to the theater for the show.

Luckily the second ticket didn’t go to waste since I was able to drag my friend Mark out of bed for his second Bowie show. Poor Mark was deathly ill on Monday night and he wasn’t much better last night. He was lying on the couch watching a movie when I showed up on his doorstep. At first he said he was too sick to go, but he changed his mind after a few minutes. It too good an opportunity to pass up!

The Wiltern is a nice theater, but it’s been renovated to be a club instead of an actual theater. Therefore, the floor is all general admission and it’s standing only, no seats. Because we were so late getting to the theater, the place was packed and we were stuck in the back of the house by the bar. At least we were raised slightly higher than the crowd so we could see a little bit, but it wasn’t as nice a view as the Shrine.

Bowie and the band seemed a little tired to me. His repartee was more subdued than the previous two shows and he seemed to struggle vocally a couple of times. The mood was still quite cheerful, however, and the audience was very appreciative. There were a few minor technical problems, including some bad feedback at least three times during the performance and a few glitches with the rear video projection. In fact, the stage was so small that the raised side platforms were missing as well as the overhead video screens.

Bowie sang another variety of songs not included in previous shows. “Rebel Rebel” opened as usual but went next into “Pablo Picasso” from Reality instead of the typical “New Killer Star.”

01 Rebel Rebel
02 Pablo Picasso
03 New Killer Star
04 Fantastic Voyage
05 Blue Jean
06 Reality
07 Looking For Water
08 Fame
09 Cactus
10 All The Young Dudes
11 China Girl
12 A New Career In A New Town
13 The Loneliest Guy
14 The Man Who Sold The World
15 Heathen (The Rays)
16 Hallo Spaceboy
17 Under Pressure
18 Life On Mars?
19 Be My Wife
20 Days
21 Ashes To Ashes
22 Hang Onto Yourself
23 I'm Afraid Of Americans
24 "Heroes"

(encore)
25 White Light, White Heat
26 Five Years
27 Suffragette City
28 Ziggy Stardust

Second night at the Shrine

It was back-to-work Monday for Bowie and the band as well as the audience. Monday night’s crowd was a little less reckless than Saturday’s but no less appreciative. The torrential downpour just before show time may have dampened our clothing, but not our spirits. After a day and a half of rest, the band was a little slow to warm up, but by the time “Fame” rolled around in the early minutes of the show, things started groovin’.

Bowie started the show as usual with “Rebel Rebel” and “New Killer Star”, but it wasn’t long before he was changing things up and surprising even ardent fans. A striking acoustic rendition of “Loving The Alien”, the dynamic “Battle For Britain” with it’s stereo dueling guitars, and a lively “Starman” were just a few of the gems Mr. Bowie offered his audience. “Looking For Water” from Reality, ‘80s super-single “Blue Jean”, and a breathtaking encore of “Bring Me The Disco King” rounded out the songs not included on Saturday’s set list.

For me, the greatest treat of the evening was the jazzy “Bring Me The Disco King” to start the encore. Sitting on the raised rear platform in a new burgundy velvet blazer, his shadowy bangs covering his eyes in the subdued lighting, Bowie looked strikingly like his “Sweet Thing/Candidate” from the 1974 Diamond Dogs Tour.

He does look remarkably well these days, his carefully chosen stage movement the epitome of suave sophistication. He was also wearing a new t-shirt. I couldn’t quite make out what it said.

By the time the concert ended, so had the rain. And we stepped out into the chilly, damp air…back into Reality.

The Return of the Thin White Duke

What can I say? This guy knows how to have a good time. It is rare to see any performer have such energy and enthusiasm for the stage, let alone a performer who is almost 60, with 40 years of experience under his belt, yet David Bowie demonstrated Saturday night without a doubt what professional musicianship is all about.

South Los Angeles’ historic Shrine Auditorium (former home of the Oscars) played host to the first of four LA shows on Bowie’s current A Reality Tour. A crowd of all ages and walks of life packed the sold-out house. Sixty year-old ex-hippies mingled with middle-aged yuppies who rocked alongside adoring teenagers. Every generation of Bowie fan has their favorite hits and Bowie’s 27-song set list of classics (old and new) spanned almost his entire career. From 1970’s “The Man Who Sold The World” (famously covered by Nirvana), to the newly revamped “Rebel Rebel” (the show opener), a down and dirty “Fame” and ‘80s radio classic “China Girl,” Bowie’s two-hour-plus set didn’t disappoint.

Looking extremely fit in tight black jeans and tousled blonde hair, the star challenged his audience early on with several singles from his new Reality album, including “New Killer Star,” the title track “Reality,” and the lovely acoustic number “Days.” Though most in the crowd were less familiar with these works, they responded enthusiastically. The fans danced and sang through most of the show, only showing their age by occasionally taking a break to sit one out.

Bowie and his crack rock band did a great job of pacing the show. The tempo and mood changed frequently from nostalgic ballads like “Life On Mars?” to classic rock anthems such as “All The Young Dudes.” Bowie encouraged the crowd to sing along several times, stopping the show momentarily during the first verse of “China Girl” to chastise the audience for not taking the vocal lead. “That was pathetic. Guess I’ll have to help you out,” he chortled before starting the song again.

Besides the more obvious crowd favorites, Bowie treated loyal fans with obscure gems such as “Be My Wife” and the instrumental “A New Career In A New Town”, both from 1976’s Low album, one of the trio of albums recorded in Berlin with Brian Eno.

Bowie has always been an enigmatic figure in the rock world, but his performance Saturday night found its stride during some of the more quiet numbers. Songs such as “The Motel” from 1995’s Outside and “Sunday” from 2002’s Heathen were a revelation. Perhaps most touching was Bowie’s affectionate introduction to “Slip Away,” another Heathen ballad and a tender homage to 1970s East Coast children’s television icon Uncle Floyd. The song’s performance included video footage from the TV program as well as a cute bouncing ball sing-along projected on the enormous rear video screens.

The concert included thoughtful and innovative use of video in several numbers, including an animated musical prelude to the concert featuring cartoon versions of Bowie and his band as well as dramatic aerial and time-lapse footage of New York City. Bowie’s outstanding band featured longtime members Mike Garson on keyboards and Earl Slick on lead guitar, as well as newer faces including Irishman Gerry Leonard on ambient guitar, the powerful Sterling Campbell on drums, and multi-instrumentalist Catherine Russell lending vocal support as well. The standout member, however, was Gail Ann Dorsey, Bowie’s striking female bass player for the past ten years, who blew the roof off the hall, and would have made Freddie Mercury proud, with her vocal duet on the Bowie/Queen classic “Under Pressure.”

The show took a somewhat ominous turn with 1997’s “I’m Afraid Of Americans,” which Bowie wistfully introduced as a song that was written in fun but has become something more serious. Apparently hope is not completely lost, however, since Bowie introduced the next song, “Heroes,” as “the other side of that story, your song.”

Alternating between acoustic and electric guitars, harmonica, and even the rare stylophone made famous in 1969’s “Space Oddity” (the first lines of which Bowie teased Saturday’s audience with), David Bowie highlighted his diverse musical abilities. Strutting and dancing around the stage, he remained the visual focus of the show, helped by a thrust platform extending into the first rows of the audience. As tempting as it was for eager fans to rush closer to their star, the ever-present security guards were on hand to keep them at bay.

The show ended with an encore of Ziggy classics including the fast rocker “Hang On To Yourself,” the apocalyptic “Five Years,” and the crowd-pleasing “Suffragette City” (“wham bam, thank you ma’am!”). For the grand finale Bowie performed “Ziggy Stardust,” his dramatic narrative about the character with whom he remains most identified.

As if there were any doubts, David Bowie proved Saturday night that as a performer he is in a league of his own. He seemed more relaxed on stage and jollier than ever, and his voice sounds stronger and suppler today than it did 30 years ago. Though his music often inhabits the pretenses of the real world, David Bowie’s “reality” is a pretty great place to be.

The tour continues Monday night with a second show at the Shrine then moves to the intimate Wiltern Theater for two more LA performances.

Cell Phones (continued)

My sister Sherea had a great response to my cell phone rant yesterday:

"How about the time I was at Burger King in line during my very limited lunch break and this guy couldn't get off of his cell phone long enough to place his combo meal order! Or what gets me is the "hands free" set ups.....I'm working at St. Nicks and this lady comes up to check out, I say hello to her and ask how she's doing....she starts talking somewhat randomly and by the timing I think this is her response (very odd!) and then I realize she's on the cell phone talking to someone (her mother I think) and not even paying attention to the live people right in front of her. Then she asks a question, I didn't realize it was for me for a minute, so then she's trying to carry on two separate conversations at the same time! It was just awful! I so badly wanted to say why don't you call her back after the five minutes it will take for us to finish your transaction....she never got off the phone. My "thank you and have a nice day" was responded to with, "Uh huh, well I know, because that's how she is" or something to that effect.

I think that cell phones are just another contributor to the impersonal and rude behavior that is perpetuated by today's technology. People are more comfortable "chatting" with a stranger online than they are speaking to a family member or a friend face to face. It's ridiculous....convenient yes....but ridiculous!"

Cell Phones

I'm sick of cell phones. Actually, cell phones are great. I'm sick of people who use cell phones, or rather people who have their cell phone permanently attached to the side of their heads 24/7. It's ridiculous. Who are they talking to?! I only know a handful of people that I would want to talk with on the phone at all, and yet there are apparently a lot of people who really need to keep in touch at all times.

The worst are people who try to drive and talk on the phone at the same time. That is chronic here in Los Angeles. What is so important that it can't wait until the person is safely at home or the office?

What are they talking about? "Ok, now I'm on Beverly Blvd. I'm about to make a left turn. There's a lot of traffic today. Yeah, even more than when I last talked with you, five minutes ago. OK, the light's just turned red. I'm going to speed up now."

I just don't get it.

Cool Party

Had fun at a party last night. A former co-worker recently moved into my neighborhood and he called yesterday afternoon to invite me to a little get-together at the new digs.

It was designed to be a "pot luck" but I didn't know what to bring so I ordered a pizza and picked it up on the way. I felt kind of cheap doing that, but boy was it a good idea. Instantly I was everybody's friend!

Mark lives with two young ladies and they are very cute and charming. I was quite a bit older than most of the people there, but I didn't mind it. It was fun to joke and laugh with them and to watch them play and flirt with each other, and with me. I am not at all the partying type and I usually avoid gatherings of strangers, but last night I felt very much at ease.

The apartment is really cool, built a hundred years ago Mark said, and they have a roof-top patio with decent views of the Hollywood hills. The patio was definitely the cool place to hang out, and the weather cooperated beautifully. There are some times when it's really fun to live in Hollywood.

The party carried on for several hours, with much imbibing of various intoxicants. I find myself in a funny frame of mind in such circumstances when it becomes clear to me that everyone is speaking and acting from their subconscious. Physical barriers relax and our behavior reveals our inner thoughts. Luckily, everyone there was thinking happy, frisky things.

Eventually I reached my fill of frolicking and excused myself to walk home, pausing for several warm hugs on the way out. It was a lovely party and Mark told me his sweet roommates had made an executive decision that I needed to come over more often! Delightful.

Strolling home past Melrose I was flattered again by a black man in a small SUV who pulled up toward the curb and asked for "directions." In honor of dear Stennie, here is the Actual Conversation:

Guy: Hey, you know where's Santa Monica?
Me: Excuse me?
Guy: You know which way to Santa Monica? (meaning the Blvd - the gay pick up zone)
Me: (thinking for a moment, then pointing north) That way.
Guy: (disappointed) OK.

He turns his car around, then calls to me again.

Guy: Hey, you like to get high?
Me: (smiling) Uh, no thanks, man.
Guy: Oh, too bad. 'Cause you look GOOD!
Me: (chuckling) Thanks. You do too.

Scene.

That was a nice capper to the evening. I enjoyed the attention I received all night, and as tempting as some of the prospects were, I felt completely comfortable leaving alone.

It's great to feel attractive (especially so soon after the "German Rejection"), but I was satisfied to spend a pleasant evening with some sweet and cute young people and I look forward to the next occasion.

Frenzy

Dammit, I missed "Celebrity Mole"!! Oh well, I went to see Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy instead. It's one of Hitch's last movies and it's by far his most graphically violent and sexual, maybe the only Hitchcock film to feature exposed breasts. Sweet!

Hadn't seen the film in at least 10 or 15 years, so it felt like watching it for the first time. It's so disturbingly violent, and yet hilariously funny at the same time. The audience was rolling with laughter throughout. And the humor is quite morbid and dark, as well. This film shows Hitchcock's English sensibilities more than any other, I think. Not surprising, since he returned to London to film the story and he used an all English cast. Great actors, great writing. Really good movie.

Nostalgia

I've become obsessed with the past. Not just "the" past, but specifically my past. It's a strange thing. I don't quite understand it. I've been on an oldies kick the past few weeks since I started compiling a collection of favorite pop songs from the 1980s. I thought this wave of nostalgia had been inspired perhaps by Christmas, since that's usually a time when memories of old get stirred up. But now I realize this started earlier.

A couple of months ago, I went to see Rebel Without A Cause in Hollywood and it got me thinking about James Dean and what a huge fan I was as a teenager. I used to dress like him, talk like him; I wanted to emulate him as much as possible. I fancied myself as an actor in those days so who better to serve as an actor's role model? Well, Brando was the other choice!

Before both of them, my great adolescent hero was Cary Grant. I've been dreaming of him and those days this weekend since it is the 100th anniversary of his birth. What a great character he was. Again, I tried to copy his every move and expression into my personal vocabulary. I watched a couple Cary Grant movies this weekend to celebrate.

Of course my all-time best role model as a little kid was Mister Rogers, who passed away early last year. His death was so upsetting to me, surprisingly so. I really felt like part of me had died with him. He had a profound influence on my life, not just in the words of wisdom and self-esteem that he is so famously revered for, but also for his persona and his tastes. Listening to some piano jazz this evening made me realize that the music on Mister Rogers was perhaps the first jazz music I had heard. No wonder I love cheesy cocktail music so much! I received a little Mister Rogers quote book in my stocking this year. It's been quite fun and meaningful to browse through it.

When I was at the movie store deciding which Cary Grant movie to buy, I came across a couple of my favorites as a kid that I thought had gone out of print since 9/11. First was The Towering Inferno, which features a whole slew of megastars. At the time I was morbidly fascinated by the death and destruction portrayed in that film. It doesn't intrigue me much now, having seen the real thing on TV, but I did feel pangs of nostalgia holding that movie in my hands. I didn't buy it though.

The other one I wanted to buy, but resisted, was the 1976 remake of King Kong, or "the Jessica Lange version" as I've come to call it. I loved that film when I was a kid. I was fascinated by the story, especially the violent ending atop the World Trade Center towers. Those towers were so mysterious and mesmerizing to me. Ironically, that film is now an historical document. I'll probably add it to the collection eventually just for that reason.

Another movie from my youth that I've wanted to see was Frank Langella's version of Dracula from 1979. I loved horror movies back then, obviously, and this one was a favorite. I've been eager to see it again ever since I started reading Bram Stoker's Dracula. I haven't finished the book yet, though it's been a lot of fun to read, and I hope to watch the Langella film again as soon as I finish. I loved Laurence Olivier's Van Helsing in that film. I picture him a lot as I'm reading the original story.

I saw Ridley Scott's Alien a month or two ago and that was another revisit to the past. Also Randy and Heather kindly rented me All Creatures Great and Small a few weeks ago from Netflix. I adored that show as a teenager.

At the video store, I held in my hands so many DVDs of movies I loved as a kid. It took me forever to choose a Cary Grant movie to buy since I knew all of them well, but I had a limited budget to work with. I resisted the temptation to overspend and I put back more than I ended up buying. It was nice to feel that connection with my younger self, if only for a few moments, but I knew repeating something would never be as special as experiencing it the first time.

When I started writing this, I felt a little worried about my recent obsessions over the past. Now I'm not so concerned. I'm not sure if this is just me going through a stage (early midlife crisis?!) or if it's something in the air. In a sense I'm trying to recreate my youth. I guess my life, and the world, is so uncertain these days that one naturally longs for the familiar episodes of the past.

It's nice to relive the glory days every now and again. Then we must put away childish things and keep moving forward. Those "childish things" are symbols, artifacts. They are not memories. They serve as a security blanket to keep us warm in a cold, cold world.

Happy 100th Birthday!

Today, January 18, 2004 we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Archibald Alec Leach. “Who?!” you may ask. Young Mr. Leach or “Archie” as he was known was the only child born to lower-middle class parents in Bristol, England. Though his family’s resources were meager, young Archie’s mother treated him like a prince, always dressing him in the finest clothes and sending him to piano lessons and a private preparatory school. Archie soon learned to be independent, however, when his parents’ strained marriage hit its breaking point and Archie’s mother abandoned the family. Although Archie was told that his mother had gone away to a seaside resort to rest, in fact she had been institutionalized and Archie would neither know the truth nor see his mother again for the next twenty years.

Archie’s morose, alcoholic father withdrew from the boy and Archie was left to fend for himself, making his own meals and getting himself to school on time, though he was often sent to the headmaster’s office for his relentless prankishness. A kindhearted school mentor helped Archie land a job as an assistant at a local theater and Archie immediately fell in love with the stage. The homeless boy had now found a home and because of his good looks and athletic build the 13-year-old soon joined Bob Pender’s Troupe of acrobatic boys as a tumbler, stilt-walker, and mime. When the Pender troupe toured America in the early 1920s, Archie Leach became fascinated by the land of opportunity and stayed behind in New York instead of returning home to England.

Archie found work in the vaudeville circuit as a juggler, a unicycle rider, and as a straight man for comedians. He tried to be a singer and auditioned for the new operetta being produced by Broadway’s legendary Hammerstein family. This success led to more work on Broadway and after several years, Archie had a promising career in theater, earning between $300 and $450 per week! However, the allure of Hollywood soon caught the attention of the young actor and he decided to take his chances in the land of sunny beaches and blue skies.

A few screen tests later, with mixed results, and Archie Leach had a contract with Paramount Pictures. There was only one problem: his name. “Archie Leach” was fine for a comic or best-friend type, but the producers at Paramount saw leading man material in the handsome 27-year-old. Archie chose his new first name from a character he had played on Broadway, and his new last name came from a list provided by the studio.

The former Archie Leach made seven films in 1932, his first year under contract, but it was a year later in the film She Done Him Wrong that co-star Mae West uttered to him that famous line “Why don’t you come up sometime and see me,” and Cary Grant had his first taste of stardom.

And now you know the rest of the story…!

Celebrity Mole

I gotta admit it: I love this show! It really makes me laugh. I have NEVER enjoyed "reality" shows. For the most part they sicken me. Then last fall I saw the first Celebrity Mole and I was hooked.

First of all, it's a pretty cool game. The players must work together to earn money for the pot, but one of the players is a mole who is being paid to sabotage the other players. Great concept -- add entertaining celebrities as the contestants and you've got a hit show!

The first series was great because of Kathy Griffin. She's an hilarious comedienne and she kept me watching that show because of her humor. She also hosted Average Joe which was the only other reality show that I've watched. I loved that show's originality and the dorky guys they found to play the game. There's a new season of Average Joe but it doesn't appeal to me as much as the first one. The novelty has worn off. In fact, NBC hasn't even updated the Average Joe website!

However, the second season of Celebrity Mole is very entertaining. Kathy Griffin is not there, but Stephen Baldwin and Corbin Bernsen have returned and they are very funny. It's a good show.

Can you tell I don't have cable??!!

What day is it?

All evening I've thought it was Wednesday, when in fact it is only Tuesday!!

That explains why no students appeared in either of my online classes tonight. I sat there with the classroom browser open for two hours waiting for students to appear, but none came. I was dumbfounded.

The next disappointment happened after my (non-) teaching was finished. I turned on the TV hoping to tune into Celebrity Mole but it wasn't showing. They had a crime drama playing instead. I was really irritated by that. Then I checked the ABC website to confirm the schedule. It was then I realized I had the wrong day!

Yee gods....

The Known Universe

Came across a cool blog today on Blogger. Written by a New York writer/artist type. He's very funny and descriptive and takes lots of interesting pictures.

Wish I could (would) write like that.

The '80s Are History

OK, '80s music project is finished. Well, I've stopped anyway. Currently there's 355 songs on the list, equalling one day of music, and 1.5 GB of data.

I realize it would take roughly a decade to listen to all of that music, which seems appropriate since it took about a decade to create all of it. But since I can't go on living in that time, I'll do my best to live in this one. Fun music, though.

'80s Music

My God this project has become huge! I've already accumulated over 700 MB of mp3 files -- all '80s music!! And there's still lots more I haven't added yet...argh!

Happy New Year

Haven't blogged in ages. Out of the habit I guess. Xmas was OK. A little depressing after the death of my aunt, but my family was all together (Mom, Dad and Stepmom) for the first time since my parents' divorce.

My Dad was so nice to my Mom and very considerate about Aunt Martha. Not long after we arrived at my sister's (for Xmas dinner), he proposed a toast to the memory of my aunt -- everyone ended up in tears -- and at the end of the evening as we said our goodbyes he gave the warmest hug to my Mom. It was nice to see them bond again after a long time. I know my Dad liked my aunt a lot and he's sorry to lose her just like the rest of us.

The drive to Denver was a bit stressful as there was a big snowstorm on the passes in western Utah that I had to traverse in the dead of night. Not fun. I took the southern route on the way back, through New Mexico and Arizona and had a lovely time. No problems at all. Had sweet Chukes with me the whole trip and she was a dream. Never known a dog as nice and sweet and smart as she is. She's almost like a person; she really understands what you say to her.

Been having fun this week compiling a collection of my favorite songs from the 1980s. This started out as just a lark to make a CD of a dozen or more songs from the era. But as I began downloading and listening to these old tunes, I kept remembering other ones from the era. Then I sent an email to potentially interested parties and asked for their favorite tracks from the era. Then I had all these great ideas for songs that I had forgotten, so I've been downloading and searching ever since. So far there are over 100 songs on my list!! There's no way I can make "a" CD to cover all of those, unless I burn an MP3 CD, which I probably will for me and anyone else who wants one and can play them. If only my car would play MP3 CDs....ach!

Well, it has been tremendously fun to hear those old songs again. So many memories came back! It was also very funny at times to hear what was popular 20 years ago. I was expecting a lot of cheesiness and schmaltz, but I've been suprised at the quality of some of the music. A lot of it holds up pretty well. The "cringe factor" has been minimal. Can't wait to get the project finished.

UCLA Extension is in terrible straits -- the lowest enrollment I've ever seen. A lot of teachers are out of work. Tough times for workers who deal with the international community. The government is making more difficult for international visitors to come here; therefore, no students. I've been looking earnestly for degree programs I can get into fast to advance my education. Need to find more sources of income.

Well off to work now....

Birthday Present

You'll never guess what I got myself for my birthday this year....a big honkin' zit! That's right, a zit. It's more than just a pimple and it is way too big to be called a blemish. "A third eye" is more like it. This one's been coming on for a few days, positioned very noticeably on the left side of my nose. I wish I had a picture to post.

It was one of those deep pimples that takes a few days to surface. I knew it was coming when the spot on my nose felt tender and sore to the touch. It was just a flat red spot then. Now it's a frickin' Vesuvius with a huge white head capping the top. Lovely.

I'm expecting an eruption later today, probably during class. My students will be sitting there listening, then suddenly everyone will tune out what I'm saying and they won't be able to stop staring at my nose. Then, in that embarrassing, Rudolph moment, I'll think to myself: "Happy Birthday, Scottydude!"

Has Anybody Here Seen My Old Friend Lousy?

If so, please tell him to come home! I haven't seen Lousy in at least three days. He often stays out all day and all night, but he usually comes home at least once a day to eat, drink water, and get a few rubs before heading back out into the wild.

He's an adventurous lad and prone to getting into trouble. Last week he came home all messed up with some weird gunk on his head and parts of his body. He was so sick that he stayed home and slept for three days straight. The left side of his face was quite swollen. Then he wandered out one afternoon for a short while but came back in to spend the night. The gunk on his head turned out to be some sort of puss coming from a wound on his forehead. It started to erupt one evening and I had to wipe it off. The next day that spot was scabby and the hair was matted down. But I knew he was feeling better because he had more energy and he wanted to go outside again. I haven't seen him since.

Ironically, I recently learned a Japanese fairy tale from one of my students about a cat who is very happy with his owner and when he gets old and sick, he comes to his owner to say goodbye then goes off alone to die.

Too Many Movies

There's too many damn movies this year! Every year the studios save their best and brightest films, meaning those that might earn Oscar nominations, for the holiday season in the hopes that these films will stay in Academy members' minds come ballot time.

Two more factors are affecting the glut of Oscar hopefuls in theaters now. First, the Oscars ceremony is being moved up a month earlier next year, which means there is less time for voters to see the films; and secondly (perhaps more significantly), the MPAA has announced that studios will not distribute screener copies of films to critics and award ceremony groups (outside of the Academy) because of piracy concerns.

This deeply affects smaller films that depend greatly on screeners to get their films seen. Some studios have re-released their trophy films into theaters and set up special screenings for award voters who would typically watch the movie in the comfort of their own homes.

I can only hope this means we have an overabundance of good movies out there because there are dozens of "important" films showing right now, and several of the big Christmas releases haven't even opened yet. What's impressive is the wide variety of films in each genre and budget class. There are major studio blockbusters alongside family comedies, human dramas, independent features, documentaries, foreign films, and so on.

I must say this year has been great for little films. Adult audiences seem to have grown weary of the teenage boy shoot-'em-ups that have dominated the multiplexes the past few years. We still have the Matrixes and the Lords of the Rings, but those films seem to have lost a little of their luster in the mass market. The biz seems to be moving toward niche marketing, an attempt to reach every demographic group concurrently.

It's great for people like me who love movies but get sick of all the Spiderman knock-offs. Personally, I found the first Lord of the Rings film to be painfully boring and tedious. How many creepy crawly ghouls can one person handle in a single sitting?! No thanks. I skipped LOTR 2 and have no plans to see the third installment. Same with The Matrix. I LOVED the first one for its unique action and deeply philosophical storyline. It was a great mind-body combination. However, the creators apparently believed their own hype and the series has turned into every CGI soap opera out there since Star Wars Episode I. The second Matrix was passable but uninspiring; the third one looks so disappointing that I haven't bothered.

That's not to say I'm against epic blockbusters, not at all. But nowadays I'm more interested in human stories, not cartoons, and if a human story can be told on a grand scale, a la Master and Commander or The Last Samurai (two movies on my list that I haven't seen), then I'm all for it.

The question now is one of time. What working adult could possibly spare the time, not to mention the expense, to see all or even some of the films out right now, especially during the mad Christmas shopping season? It's infuriating!

Note to Hollywood: There's too many damn movies!!

Ol' Blue Eyes

December the 12th is the birthday of Francis Albert Sinatra, the Chairman of the Board!! Sleep warm, Frank, wherever you are.....

....Dec 12 is also my Uncle Gene's birthday....Happy Birthday, Uncle!!

Aunt Martha

My dear Aunt Martha passed peacefully from this world early this morning. She had been battling ovarian cancer since 1999. My mother was by her side as she went.

Aunt Martha was the matriarch of my mother's family. A former special education teacher, Martha Barrett went on to become the president of the Texas State Teacher's Union. She spent her life advocating fair treatment and proper working conditions for public school teachers. She was known for her strength and leadership and she never liked to waste time. In fact, it was only two days ago that the doctors told her there was nothing more they could do to treat her cancer. I can just hear her saying, "Well, if I'm gonna die, let's get goin'!"

Aunt Martha is survived by her grown daughter and son, three grandchildren, three younger sisters, and her father. She was 61 years old.

Two Years

It's been almost two years since I left my wife and an unhappy marriage in San Diego. I remember the moment I realized it was really over. It was just about two years ago, just before Christmas 2001.

We were living in Oceanside, California where I was the Center Director for a little English school based at a community college. It was a cute little campus on a hill overlooking the mighty Pacific. I loved going there everyday. The views were nothing less than spectacular.

It was a fresh start for Atsue and I with a new job in a new town. I was trying to be a part of the campus community as much as possible and for fun I joined the music department's chamber chorale. It was great fun to sing during my lunch hour a couple times a week. I was at least ten years older than any of the other singers so they looked up to me as something of an elder statesman.

Atsue was very reluctant to support my interest in singing (or anything else, for that matter) and the few times she did come to hear me sing, she did so begrudgingly. We'd had our problems for a long time, almost since the very beginning of our marriage, but I never wanted to give up. I always put a happy face on things and tried harder to please her, hoping that someday she would come around.

School was about to finish for the Christmas holidays. We had our final Christmas concert on campus, which was a beautiful dressy affair set in the dining room with a stage at one end. We also had dessert and coffee for the audience, who sat at tables which the choir had decorated. We spent the whole afternoon before the show dressing up the place with decorations and poinsettias. It was lovely. Atsue refused to come.

A few days later, she dealt me another disappointment by refusing to attend my school's holiday party. I had planned for weeks to make it a special occasion for our students and teachers. Our school was struggling terribly after 9/11 and I was doing anything possible to keep students happy and enrolled. I also knew I would have to lay off a few of my dear teachers after the end of the term so this was something of a farewell party as well.

I had organized the party as a pot-luck dinner in a banquet hall on campus and all of the host families were invited to attend. There was plenty of music, food, and fun. I had prepared my family's beloved broccoli-cheese casserole, which I make every Thanksgiving to much fanfare. However, since I knew I would be at school all day, I left the casserole in the oven ready to heat so that I could swing back home and pick up the hot dish and be back in time for the party. Our apartment was only 7 minutes away from school.

Preparations for the party kept me busy all day and I realized I wouldn't be able to go home in time to bring back the casserole. I called my wife and asked her to heat the casserole and bring it to the party. She balked. After much pleading and cajoling, she finally (angrily) agreed. However, she didn't want to have any contact with the students for some reason. It was weird. She had been in social situations with the students before and since most of them were Japanese, they got along fine. At least it seemed that way. I had encouraged her to make friends with them if possible since she had almost no social life to speak of and I thought having some Japanese camaraderie would be welcome to her. I was wrong.

The party had started and I had been waiting and waiting for her to show up with the casserole. I never saw her. Finally, I snuck out to call home and she was there. She had brought the casserole to school, but instead of bringing to the party, she left it to get cold in my office! After secretly dropping off the casserole where no one would know to find it, she hurried back home to avoid being seen. I was livid!

I went back to the party and entertained the guests, then stayed to clean up afterwards. It had been a very pleasant evening. Many host families came with their kids, and our students had a lot of fun as well.

When I got home, I was very upset with my wife for her childish and inconsiderate behavior and I proceeded to tell her so. She would have none of that, however, and she erupted into a furious and scathing tirade against me and my petty attempts to build a future for us and my pathetic ambitions to be a teacher and school director. She had attacked me many times before, but this was the most poisonous and malicious outburst ever. She was saying anything she could, no matter how outrageous or untrue, just to hurt me.

Certainly I was hurt, but more than anything I was stunned. I couldn't understand where her venom and animosity toward me was coming from. She offered no explanation. This was one of the few times that I had attempted to express my anger and displeasure to her, but she wouldn't allow that and instead exploded with anger at me.

It was at this moment that I had the unexpected sensation of becoming detached from my environment. Suddenly, I was standing outside myself and her slings and arrows had no effect on me. It was as if I were in a bubble that her assaults couldn't penetrate. I sat on the floor against the wall (we had no furniture) and just stared at her as she stood over me, furiously pacing and berating me. I looked deeply into her eyes -- no, into her soul -- and I saw very clearly that this was a person who had no love for me, who had no interest in knowing me or in supporting who I was as a human being. Not only was she uninterested in loving me, she was incapable of loving me, or perhaps anyone.

After three torturous years of living with a tyranical woman and doing everything I could to make the marriage work, I finally realized that it would never ever get any better. It was over. I knew in that moment that I had to get out of the relationship and when I surrendered to that realization, I felt an odd sense of peace. It wasn't a contented sort of peace, but it was the kind of peace you feel when you see the path before you and you know very clearly what you have to do to move down it.

The next few weeks were awkward and uncomfortable. Atsue had planned a trip to Japan for New Year's to visit her family. She would be gone for almost a month, returning in late January. Before that, though, there was Christmas with my family in Colorado. I had told them before we came that my marriage would be ending soon. I told Atsue too on our long drive to Denver, but she didn't really believe me. My darling family were just as warm and gracious as ever. We had a quiet Christmas, then I put her on the plan to Japan.

On the drive back to California, I was alone with my thoughts since Atsue had flown to Tokyo from Denver. Out on the road, in the empty wastelands of the American west, there's plenty of time to examine your life and think things through. I decided I was terribly unhappy with my job and with my living situation and I was resolved to change it immediately.

By the time I got back to Oceanside, I had already decided to quit my job and go back to school. When I got home, there was a notice on our door from the manager saying our rent would be increasing. Our six-month lease had expired and this shitty apartment with inconsistent hot water, bad plumbing, and noisy kids running around constantly was now going to cost over a thousand dollars a month. That was the last sign I needed. It was time to get out of Dodge.

The next day, I turned in my resignation letter to my boss and gave notice to the landlord that we would not renew our lease. When Atsue returned, she begged me to give her one more chance. She promised me that she would quit school and get a job to support me so I could go back to school. We found a delightful little apartment in a wonderful section of San Diego. I really liked being in SD and I was willing (but not optimistic) to give it one more try in yet another new setting.

Unsurprisingly, things broke down within a couple of weeks and I left. She didn't let me go easily, though. There was much screaming, crying, begging, pleading, and finally, clinging and dragging as she physically held on to me as I tried to walk out and she ended up chasing me to the parking lot and flinging herself against the car as I tried to drive away. That was a horrible, insane experience. It was like something out of a bad melodrama. I cried the entire way back to Los Angeles. I knew I could never go back.

It was so hard to end that relationship, the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. But I feel much stronger because of it. I don't ever want to go through that trauma again, but I know I could if I had to. It's been almost a year since the divorce was finalized and about a year and a half since I last saw her or had any contact with her. I have no idea where she is or what she's doing. And honestly, I don't much care.

Life is not any easier now than it was then, but at least I'm myself again. I feel so much happier and healthier, and stronger. Most importantly, I'm able to spend time with my friends, who really made my recovery possible. I don't know what I would do without them.

I've had a couple of short-term girlfriends since the end of my marriage. Nothing serious, but it has been fun. Will I ever marry again? Possibly, but I'm not in any hurry. I'm not really interested in dating even. I don't have to be in a relationship to feel good about myself. And I don't feel like compromising my identity in order to please someone else or to earn their approval. As conceited as it sounds, I'm contented to be single and to have my little social life and to enjoy being ME. Like Mr. Rogers always said, "I like you just the way you are!"

Beauty Over Bucks

So Melana chose her Average Joe in tonight's series finale. I kind of had a clue during her last interview with the host, Kathy Griffin (whom I love by the way), when she said she picked "a diamond in the rough." The beautiful model guy she picked is a young waiter/student, while the average looking other guy is a rich Wall Street tycoon.

Still, when she first started talking to Jason and she looked very serious, I thought, just as he did, that he was about to get the brush off. But she surprised both of us with her choice. And who can blame her? He's gorgeous! And I loved their comments afterward, like "I'm looking forward to getting to know her more deeply this weekend," meaning "I can't wait to bang her!!" :-)

Poor rich Adam. Who knew he was a millionaire the whole time?! He was a nice guy, but kind of a goof ball. I bet he's fun to hang out with, but he didn't seem to have much sexual chemistry with her like she obviously had with Jason. She and Jason seemed ready to hump each other the moment they first met.

Adam was a real class act, I thought, and a good sport about the whole thing. He was obviously disappointed, but he was a gentleman about it. And no doubt he'll get plenty of offers from young female viewers of the show. He's rich; he can buy a new girlfriend.

I must say that I found Melana (the unsuspecting cheerleader searching for her Prince Charming) to be extremely pretentious. I mean, how couldn't they all be a little pretentious knowing that the camera was always watching, but she seemed especially phony as the weeks went on. How pathetic do you have to be to go on a TV show just to get a date? There's no promise that they'll stay together after the show -- naturally she picked the hot guy she wanted to screw more than the dorky guy.

Of course there will be Average Joe 2 coming in January! A new batch of dorks and a new superficial supermodel: what could be better? The previews of the new series reminded me of what I loved about the beginning weeks of Average Joe 1: the hysterically dorky nerds and dweebs that got picked for this show! They're endearingly pathetic. It's so funny when they look at the hot girl and instantly fall deeply in love with her. It's like "Revenge of the Nerds" all over again...Can't wait!

The Doctor

There's another significant (to some) anniversary this weekend. Today, Sunday November 23rd, marks the 40th anniversary of the premiere of Doctor Who on BBC television.

While this may not be big news to most people, it is special to me since this was my favorite childhood TV program. I was a devoted fan of the show for several years. Tom Baker was my favorite Doctor, followed by Jon Pertwee (who preceded Baker), and Peter Davison (whom I also loved on All Creatures Great and Small), the fifth actor to play the Doctor. By the time programs from the earlier two Doctors and the last two Doctors aired on American television, I had kind of outgrown the program, so I didn't get into them as much.

Although production of the TV program ended years ago (it became too expensive), the characters surprisingly live on amongst a hardcore cult of fans around the world. There are books, radio programs, CDs, even an online animated version that continue the adventures of the Doctor and his companions. There's still an annual Doctor Who fan club gathering here in LA that lasts a whole weekend every February. I've been meaning for years to attend, but never quite seem to make it. Maybe next year??

What I loved about Doctor Who, besides the time-traveling science fiction setting of the show, was that his character loved to travel, he had a tremendous thirst for knowledge, he stood up for justice and equality for everyone, and he was extremely open-minded and non-judgmental. It didn't hurt that he had a bevy of beautiful babes accompanying him in his spacecraft!!

To celebrate, I might dig through my video tapes and see if I've a few old episodes to throw on the VCR. A nice cup of tea and few jellybabies would fill the bill....

JFK

Yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination in Dallas, Texas. There was a fair amount of coverage in the media to mark the anniversary, but I actually felt underwhelmed by the amount of coverage I saw. Maybe it's because I don't have cable so I wasn't aware of myriad programs on the various channels or maybe Michael Jackson's arrest trumped old news like Kennedy. After all, Kennedy has been dead almost as long as he was alive! Still he casts a long shadow on American politics and culture.

The one TV program I did see was Peter Jenning's ABC special, The Kennedy Assassination: Beyond Conspiracy. I found it to be very interesting and compelling support of the lone gunman theory. They showed a lot of evidence about Oswald's personal history, and Ruby's as well, that I had never seen/heard before. They also spent an unexpected amount of time and attention debunking the myths and misinformation presented in Oliver Stone's "JFK."

It seems very likely that Oswald was just a mixed up young failure, desperate for attention, who finally snapped and found his 15 minutes of fame. Ironically, Jack Ruby went through almost the same process. I was surprised to see the similarities in the characters and personalities of the two men. Ruby also seemed to snap at the last minute and took the law, and history, into his own hands. The scene of Oswald's murder on live television in the basement of the Dallas police department is truly terrifying.

In fact, I never cease to feel chills whenever the topic of Kennedy's assassination comes up. The violent images of two real-life murders, the panic and chaos following the assassination, and the dark uncertainty of the motives for the crime and its perpetrators: it is one of the most frightening stories I've ever heard.

To me, what makes it different from 9/11 or other tragic pieces of history is the very intimate human aspect of the story. The situation involved basically three men, none of whom knew each other, each following their own motives and desires for power and attention of varying degrees. There is no mysterious, evil villain to hold responsible, a la Saddam Hussein or Osama Bin Laden. None of the characters are larger-than-life. These were men, each complex in his own way, and each pursuing his own ideas of justice and doing what he felt was the right thing.

I had never realized before seeing the program that the conspiracy theories became prevalent in American discussion so soon after the assassination occurred. I assumed that was a more recent development, which reached its peak in the Oliver Stone film. However, it's now obvious that the initial assumption by authorities and the pubic, and certainly by LBJ, was that of a conspiracy to assassinate the President, conducted either by Communist Russia, Castro's Cuba, the American mob, or, finally, by forces within the U.S. government itself.

Forty years after the events of November 1963, it seems highly unlikely that some piece of evidence or personal testimony proving the conspiracy wouldn't have surfaced by now. Secrets that big are just too hard to keep for that long. It reminds me of the theories of Elvis faking his death. Some stories are so upsetting that we create fantastic explanations to deal with a tragic loss. Like Peter Jennings articulated, we don't like to think that a single human individual is capable of committing such an evil act that would change the world so dramatically.

Fuck! I just wrote a blog entry and then tried to post it but the text simply disappeared....I guess it's gone. Damn Blogger! Oh well, I'll try to recreate some of it:

Jammin with Heidster

Heidster came down again tonight with her guitar. We've found a fun new thing to do on Friday nights. We usually meet for coffee or a movie. Now we've started our own band: Spackerson!

It's fun to practice with someone else, and Heidi's pretty good. She's learning fast and she has a great musical sense. We spent the first 30 minutes tuning (!) then we played for a couple of hours until our fingers just wouldn't take it anymore. Most of our songs were in the key of D major tonight. Now that I've shown her how to make a B7 chord, maybe we can try some songs in E major next week! :-)

Besides sore fingers, I'm also getting a sore throat this evening. It started shortly after dinner. There's been some crap going around school this month; hope I didn't catch it. Crap! And I've been washing my hands every ten minutes too....shit.

Good thing I went to the grocery store today. Got plenty of fruit and fruit juices. I've already started with the orange juice and it looks like I'll be sucking down the juice all day tomorrow if this sore throat doesn't clear up.
I'd better get to bed. I've got to be up in 9 hours to start my online teaching job. That'll be fun: all day on the computer with sore fingers and sore throat. Nice.

Night night, Bloggy.

Two Days

Just got back from a movie with Heidi. She got passes to a screening of a new film called Two Days which was showing at the AFI Film Festival at the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood. I do love that theater! (See my review of Rebel Without A Cause from Nov 3rd for details.) The director was there to introduce the film and he and one of the lead actors answered a few questions after the screening.

Two Days is a quasi-mockumentary (is there such a thing?) about a 30-year-old frustrated actor in Hollywood (played by the truly wonderful Paul Rudd) who decides to commit suicide and make a documentary film about the event.

I really loved this movie. It's very funny, sweet, and surprisingly emotional. Paul Rudd is excellent in the lead role and the supporting cast are quite good as well.

Because this film deals with the Los Angeles film scene, it probably wouldn't be very appealing to a mainstream audience. Also the subject matter is quite dark and a few people walked out of the screening. Ironically, the people who left did so just as the main character suggests that anyone in a movie theater watching his story would probably be running for the aisles at this point because people don't like to think about dark subjects like this!

I won't reveal the ending, but it was quite suspenseful. If you like offbeat comedies and have any sort of appreciation for caricatures of Hollywood personalities, you would probably enjoy this film.

Fire and Ice....and Rain!

Lots of rain. Actually, I was spared most of this evening's downpour, but parts of Los Angeles were completely flooded out when over five inches of rain fell in less than two hours. Longtime residents agree today was the strangest weather day ever in Los Angeles.

I left UCLA around 4:45 this afternoon and saw the clouds gathering strength. It had showered earlier in the afternoon, but the rain had dissipated on the west side. As I drove east towards Hollywood, the sky became darker and darker. It was unbelievably dark! I've never seen a more ominous looking sky here in Southern California.

But the most spectacular and bizarre sight was the unbelievable (and unprecedented) lightning storm coming over the Hollywood Hills! I have lived in SoCal for seven years and I have witnessed lightning a total of three times. By that, I mean three strikes, not three storms! Well, this evening we had over 100 lightning strikes in the LA metropolitan area!

It was so fun and exciting, mostly because I wasn't in the worst of it. Traffic was already piling up the closer I got to home, but I was able to take some alternate routes and get home safely. There was just a light rainfall when I arrived home. I turned on the TV and all the news stations had wall-to-wall coverage of the storm. South LA was getting hit the worst -- they got pounded with rain and lightning (which caused several blackouts), and -- it gets weirder -- hail!!!

It has NEVER hailed like this in Los Angeles. The hail was so deep on the streets, it looked like snow! The pictures were just amazing. I couldn't believe what I was seeing on the TV. This extreme weather happens sometimes in Colorado, sure, but never in California. The TV news people were just as stunned as I was. I've never seen reporters so incredulous over what they were reporting.

The worst part of the whole story was that the storm hit its peak right at the evening rush hour. So traffic was backed up on the freeways and the side streets for miles. In fact some roads were closed due to flooding. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of cars were stranded in the flooded streets, and people stuck on the freeways were at a standstill for hours.

Adding to the headache were the power outages caused by lightning strikes on some transformers (we saw the flashes and explosions live on TV) which pitched some neighborhoods into darkness and knocked out traffic signals all over the place.

The good news is for the ski resorts: they already have more snow now than they normally do at Christmas time! The bad news is that some areas affected by the recent wildfires could experience mudslides due to the heavy downpours.

Tonight on the late news, the rain had stopped, the waters were receding, but the reporters on scene were standing in almost a foot of pea-sized hail stones! Kids in the neighborhood parks were running and playing outside like it was snow. They showed one guy making snow angels. :o)

What a nightmare today! I loved it!!

Reading and the Average Joe

Been reading more recently. Feels great. Still enjoying the hell out of Dracula, and I've finally started Randy's latest script (Elvis in Alaska). I'm about thirty pages in and it's just amazing. My friend's a fucking genius.

I read today in a magazine and heard again on television that advertisers and network execs are panicking because young men (the most coveted demographic) have basically stopped watching TV. No wonder why: there's absolute crap on TV these days -- and that's an insult to crap!

Actually, one show that does tickle me a little is NBC's newest "reality" dating show, Average Joe. A fabulous blonde has to decide her true love from a motley assortment of nerds, geeks, and fat guys....each with a heart of gold! :-)

Unfortunately, the blonde bimbo cut the most popular player, Dennis, last night, so there's little reason left to watch. It was such a let-down when he was cut, not just for the viewing audience but for the other guys playing on the program as well. Dennis was like the team mascot. He was everybody's favorite and some of the guys were actually weeping as Dennis gave his hugs goodbye. It was quite extraordinary.

Some of the quotes from competitors were comments like, "He's the kindest human being I've ever known" and "Dennis made me a better man." Incredible! If all the other guys agree this was the best man on the show, then why the fuck should anyone tune in next week?!

Ah well, back to my reading....

Alien

Went to see Ridley Scott's Alien last night in Westwood. It's a newly restored "Director's Cut" and the theater featured Digital Projection. DP is awesome, although I don't think it was especially necessary in this case since Alien was shot on film. It did look gorgeous though on the big screen.

I hadn't seen the film in a theater since it first came out in 1979 (is it that old?!) and I hadn't even seen it on video in at least 15 years. I was surprised, however, at how much of the dialogue and even the shots and sound effects that I remembered. I guess I must have watched it a lot when I was younger. It was fun to see it again.

The movie wasn't really scary to me because I knew exactly when the "boo" moments were coming, but I was impressed by the filmmaker's ability to create the suspense and "horror" without nearly as much gore and violence as we see in films today. In fact, the only really bloody scene is early on when Kane (the great John Hurt) starts choking at the dinner table and the alien pops out of his chest. That scene was really horrific. Otherwise, we never really see the alien killing anyone.

What an exciting sense of wonder and mystery this film has! It's been copied so many times that it seems old hat nowadays, but to relive it as audiences did almost 25 years ago, I was struck by its freshness and originality. Certainly it follows a tradition of monster movies and suspense thrillers, but the ingenuity of an alien lifeform that infects its host with its offspring, keeps the host alive until the offspring germinate, and the offspring "hatch" out the host's chest -- it's never been matched!

Ridley Scott is the best director for creating "a world" in which the characters live (he did this so well in Blade Runner). The production design, set dressing, and sound effects are truly outstanding. The special effects are somewhat dated (no computer animation back then, folks) but they are earnest and they seem more realistic than computer effects, which always look phony to me.

Best of all were the actors, some of the best in the business: Tom Skerritt (would you believe he just turned 70!), Sigourney Weaver, Yaphet Kotto, John Hurt (my favorite), Ian Holm (my second favorite), Harry Dean Stanton (my third fav-, ah forget it), and Veronica Cartwright. They were so real and genuine in their performances. I never saw any "sci-fi acting" on screen. Everybody played it totally straight and it worked. I had forgotten how much the characters hate each other -- they argue and fight all the time, just like children. It was funny.

Anyway, if you have the chance to see the new Alien, do it. You won't regret it. If you can't see the new one, watch the old one again. It's a good film.

By the way, the "director's cut" only includes a few seconds of extra footage when Ripley finds the remains of Dallas and Brett in the Alien's lair before the ship self-destructs. [I remember a comic book version of the film I had as a kid and it included this scene but I never saw it in the film. It must have been cut after a late preview screening or something and the comic book tie-in had already been finished.]

The sound has been remastered into 6.1 Digital surround, and I read in an interview with Ridley Scott that he also trimmed some of the longer expositional shots that he felt were a little too slow. So the pace of the film is a bit faster than the original. It would be fun to compare both versions.

The Hookup

Strange and funny event this morning. I'm at my local laundrymat doing you know what, when I see a guy with a video camera shooting a couple other guys by the dryers. Actually they were shooting right in front on the dryer with my clothes in it and since my clothes were about finished, I made my way over there.

I couldn't figure out at first what they were shooting. In all, there was a cameraman and another producer/director type giving instructions, and two other guys who I thought were actors, and then one very good-looking guy who turned out to be the host of this reality program.

I was only a few feet away so I listened in on their dialogue. Camera rolls and blonde guy standing near dryer opens the door as if to take out his clothes. Enter host and little Latino guy from outside. Host calls blonde guy's name and introduces him to Latino guy. They shake hands and smile warmly at each other. A few seconds of chit-chat, then host says, "Alright you guys, we're going send you off to a great dinner, on us, and we'll see what happens" Host then looks into camera and says, "Looks like we made another hookup!" and walks off.

The cameraman cuts, and they set up to shoot it again. By this time my clothes are done and I want to get them out before they start to wrinkle. Also I'm on a tight schedule before work. Before the next take, I step in and start to take my clothes out. The blonde guy, who looks vaguely familiar, gives me a warm smile and a wink and says, "Let this guy get his nice things out before they wrinkle." I push my loaded cart out of the shot and they go again.

Again: Camera rolls and blonde guy standing near dryer opens the door as if to take out his clothes. Enter host and little Latino guy from outside. Host calls blonde guy's name and introduces him to Latino guy. They shake hands and smile warmly at each other. A few seconds of chit-chat, then host says, "Alright you guys, we're going send you off to a great dinner, on us, and we'll see what happens" Host then looks into camera and says, "Looks like we made another hookup!" and walks off.

Suddenly, I figured out they were shooting what seems to be a gay dating show!! :-) It's something like Blind Date because the blonde guy doesn't know Latino guy, but Latino guy wants to meet blonde guy and Host is happy to oblige. I think the show may be called "Hookup" because the host was sure to use that expression every time after introducing the guys.

Funniest of all, they shot this 30-second sequence at least 15 times! The two "daters" seemed to be fine and having fun, but the host flubbed his lines several times and then the producer and cameraman argued back and forth (and with Host) about the dialogue in the scene and how it should be shorter and blah, blah, blah. It seriously took them many times shooting the scene before they were satisfied. Blonde guy would occasionally look over at me folding my laundry after a take and smile nervously with raised eyebrows as if to say "whew, showbiz is hard!" or something like that.

Some "reality" show, eh?! I don't even know if these guys were really gay or even on a real date. They seemed like actors to me. Not to mention that Blonde Guy seemed to be flirting with me a bit! (he was pretty cute) After the shoot, the producer/director guy held up his still camera and took some shots of blonde guy in front of the dryers. I don't know what that was for. And cameraman walked around the laundrymat shooting a few seconds of the dryers and washers spinning. I'm sure that's for cutaways or something.

Anyway, be looking for "The Hookup" or some similarly named gay dating show coming soon. You may see Scottydude's cameo -- in the background folding laundry! Check your local listings....

American Rebel

Had the great pleasure of seeing "Rebel Without a Cause" in Hollywood yesterday. Gosh, what a great film! And it really is a different experience seeing it on the big screen, as was originally intended.

I had seen "Rebel" theatrically before, years ago at the Denver Film Festival, but that was nothing compared to the THX majesty that is the Arlight Cinerama Dome. That is the nicest movie theater I've ever been too. It takes movie-watching to a whole new level of gourmet pleasure! The theater has two full bars and a restaurant inside, and all the theaters are equipped with state-of-the-art, THX-certified sound and projection equipment. I saw "Star Wars Episode II" in digital projection last year at the Arclight and it was spectacular. I hope to see the newly restored version of Ridley Scott's "Alien" in digital projection this week at the Arclight.

This screening of "Rebel" was introduced by Frank Mazzola, who played "Crunch" (one of the gang members) in the film. In this photo from the film, he's the guy dead center with black hair, white shirt and jeans (you can also see baby-faced Dennis Hopper on the upper-left side). Frank told some stories about meeting Jimmy and hanging out with him during shooting. Besides acting in the film, Frank also served as technical advisor since he was himself involved in the Los Angeles gang scene at the time and director Nicholas Ray wanted the film to be as realistic as possible.

The film is extremely psychological for its day. There are tons of parenting issues and husband/wife issues presented in the story. The kids have every material desire fulfilled by their parents, but there's no real emotional intimacy between parents and children. It seems frighteningly parallel to the lives of young people I see today. There is also much symbolism in the film, both intentional to the story and ironically mirroring James Dean's life and untimley death.

My favorite scene is the first planetarium scene at Griffith Observatory. Dean's character, Jim Stark (an amalgam of Dean's own first name and his "East of Eden" character, "Cal Trask"), arrives late for the presentation just as the astronomy professor lectures the students about the arrival of "a new star, a brilliant star growing ever brighter in the heavens." The scene ends hilariously (unintentionally) as the professor concludes the presentation with a dramatic flash and explosion, accompanied by Leonard Rosenman's terrifying film score, as the Earth is incinerated during the Sun's fiery death. "In the vast expanse of the Universe," the Prof explains, "the Earth will not be missed. The lives of mankind are insignificant. That's all; thank you for your attention." I always want him to smile and say, "Have a nice day, kids! Have fun growing up!" :-)

One humorous aspect of the film, which I hadn't noticed quite as evidently on television, is the blatant homoerotic lust for James Dean exuding from Sal Mineo's "Plato." On the big screen, you can clearly see the light that shines in his eyes whenever he's near Jimmy. He's obviously completely in love with Jimmy and I don't think there was much acting going on there. It's quite sweet.

All of the acting is quite good, as Nicholas Ray smartly cast his actors as themselves and encouraged their improvisations in the scenes, especially the gang kids. Nick Ray was much older than the kids but he was regarded like a trusted older brother on set, much like the kind-hearted police lieutenant played by Edward Platt (famous later as The Chief on "Get Smart") who looks after Jim. The police lieutenant's name? Ray Fremick.

Jim Backus is excellent as Jimmy's immasculated father. The funniest and most poignant scene between them is after the knife fight at the Observatory when Jim wants his father's advice about the Chickie Run. Backus spends the whole scene in Mrs. Stark's flowery kitchen apron! He had been preparing dinner for his wife, but dropped the tray on the floor, spilling the contents. Jimmy scolds him for not "standing up" like a man to Jim's mom. His father's inability to "stand up" for Jim or himself is a recurring theme in the film.

There are so many great actors in the movie (Backus, Natalie Wood, Dennis Hopper) but the film clearly belongs to James Dean. Seeing it again after several years (I've seen it dozens of times before), I was struck by what a beautiful boy James Dean was. He's just gorgeous, and his presence radiates from the screen. His performance is the glue that binds the various subplots together. We see him exposing his most personal emotional issues (abandonment by his estranged father, his ambiguous sexuality, his sense of alienation, loneliness and ostracism) right there on the screen. It's an extraordinarily intimate performance, made ever more touching by Dean's tragic end just weeks before the film's premiere.

The most touching moment for me was at the end when Plato's been shot at the Observatory and Jimmy tearfully zips up his red jacket on Plato's lifeless body. "He was always cold," Jim chokes, before collapsing in a sobbing heap at his father's feet. I couldn't help tearing up a bit myself at that moment. It was such an honest moment.

"Rebel Without A Cause" is truly an American classic. I never get tired of watching it, no matter how many times I've seen it. Like "Casblanca" or "Citizen Kane" or even "Star Wars," it is a film that never gets old.

All Hallow's Eve

Yesterday was a quiet Halloween for me. Had my afternoon class at UCLA as usual, except I appeared in my Elvis costume to the great delight and laughter of my students and co-workers. I also brought some candy so the kids could play "trick or treat." It was fun, but pretty low-key since most of the school was empty on Friday afternoon and in fact only about half of my students showed up for class.

After work, I chilled for a while (no really, it was quite cool in LA yesterday) and had a burrito at Baja Fresh before meeting my friend Heidster for a movie at the UCLA Film and Television Archives. We went to see "The Ghostbreakers" from 1940, starring Bob Hope in a spooky comedic thriller. The film actually wasn't that funny, although there were a few good laughs. Bob Hope was trying to make weak material work. The highlight of the film for me was the gorgeous Paulette Goddard, who must have had the prettiest smile in all of Hollywood. She was just lovely.

This screening was part of UCLA's Archive Treasures series, which is intended to recreate a night at the movies from the classic Hollywood era. So there were several selections on the program before the feature, including a cartoon, a newsreel, etc. It was a fun idea. The most stirring film for me was a short film saluting the courage and determination of the people of London as they went about their daily lives during the height of the Nazi blitz. This seemed all the more poignant in light of 9/11 and the current state of terrorism in the world, but it reinforced my awareness that modern Americans really don't understand war. Most of us have never lived through it ourselves nor seen its devastation on our own lands. It's no wonder the Europeans are so opposed to any violent conflict after seeing what they went through during the early 20th century.

The rain had started to fall in Los Angeles (I know -- rain in LA?!) around dinner time and by the time we got out of the movie, it was coming down pretty good. Although it was early, only 9:30pm, it felt like midnight to me so I hurried home (well, I tried to hurry) since I realized Lousy was stuck outside in the rain.

The Halloween traffic was pretty bad as usual, especially since the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval was underway just up the street on Santa Monica Blvd. I tried to avoid it as much as I could by sticking south on Wilshire, but the ripple effect was taking its toll. Actually, the traffic could have been a lot worse, but since it was raining heavily, some revelers may have stayed away. I'm sure the rain didn't dampen the spirits of all the WeHo drag queens who live for this night when they can parade themselves out in all their glory!! :-)

It was raining so hard when I got home. It was wonderful, except I got soaked just from the short walk, or run in this case, from the garage to my door. Poor little Lousy was crouching miserably in my parking space when I arrived. "Meow, meow," he whined pathetically. I picked him up and hid him in my coat as I ran to my door.

Once inside, I made sure the cats were dry and warm and well-fed. Then I cranked up the electric blanket on the bed -- it was frigid in my room -- and since it was a dark and stormy night, I finally cracked open Bram Stoker's "Dracula," which I bought weeks ago but hadn't started yet.

I only got through about 25 pages before nodding off, but what I read was really great. I think it's going to be a fun read. Perfect for a dark and stormy night.

Happy Hallowe'en!