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

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

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

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

Boys Keep Swinging

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


A swinging sailor!

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

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

The band, Boys Keep Swinging, with groupies:


Even Stennie was in attendance:

Iran Elections

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

George Lucas in Hollywood

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Love and Marriage

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

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

On This Date

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

Doctor Who?

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

The return of 'Doctor Who'

Still Sick

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

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

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

Cher's Final Show

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

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

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

Conjunctivitis

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

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

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

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

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

Mostly Harmless

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

Gas Prices

Did you see these about gas prices?

The New Elvis

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

As himself:



As Elvis:



Take your pick!

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

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

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

How Depressing

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

The 20 Happiest Cities

A Pope's Funeral

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

Stuff To Think About

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

TWO TOUGH QUESTIONS

Question 1:

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

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

Question 2:

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

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

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

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

Which of these candidates would be your Choice?

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

Can you guess which organization this is?




Give up yet?





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

My Favorite Couple...

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



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


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

Saul Bellow Dead at 89

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

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

Guess I should read some of his books.

Peter Jennings Has Cancer

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

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

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

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

So many lovers, so little time

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

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

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

Clive Owen to be the next James Bond??

God, please let it be true!!

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

El Papa Esta Muerto

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

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


Oy vey, such problems!

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


Even a Pope has to have a sense of humor.

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


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

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

Johnnie Cochran

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

New York Times

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

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

The Bob Dylan Show

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



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

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



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

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

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

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

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

Shibuya

(photo by Exion)

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

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

Check it out...

Spring Starts A Day Earlier

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

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

Boundless Gallery

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

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

Some pretty cool stuff!

Online Etymology Dictionary

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

Be sure to spell it correctly!

"Domo arigato....Mr. Roboto"

MSNBC - Japan embraces new generation of robots

Dan Rather Signs Off

"Courage."

CNN story

Advice For New Teachers

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

My advice to new teachers?

Wear comfortable shoes.

Oscar Fever, Post-show Letdown

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And Paul Giamatti better get nominated, dammit!

Yes, More Rain

Will it ever end?!



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

Blonde Joke

There's tons of blonde jokes out there, but this one I hadn't heard before. (Apologies to any blonde readers!)

A blonde and a brunette both board an elevator and push the buttons for their respective floors. On the next floor, the door opens and a businessman wearing a black suit boards the elevator. It's evident that the man has dandruff problems, because it can be seen on the shoulder of his suit.

Two floors later the man gets off, and the two women remain. When the door closes the brunette says, "Someone should give that guy some Head & Shoulders."

The blonde then responds, "How do you give shoulders?"

Paul Giamatti Was Robbed!

If you've ever seen Paul Giamatti on screen you know what an unusual and compelling actor he is. If you've seen the new film Sideways, you'll know that Paul Giamatti was robbed of an Oscar nomination since he delivered the best film performance by an actor this year, hands down!

Sideways is a great film. A funny, quaint, touching, thought-provoking, informative, dreamy, hopeful, scary, wonderful film. It is so fresh and pure, full of suprises, without gimmicks, tender, sexy, hilarious, and inspiring. The movie is filled with one great moment after another.

It's another terrific success for director Alexander Payne, who previously directed Jack Nicholson in Finding Schmidt, and Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon in Election. This guy is a real talent and he is just beginning what I hope will be a long and successful career in the film business.

Oscar's golden light will probably shine down on one of this year's blockbusters, such as Million Dollar Baby or The Aviator (which I also loved), but for pure cinematic originality, Sideways is the Best Picture of the Year!

Mmm...Coffee.

For those of you who may be coffee lovers (decaf for me, please), here's a pretty cool website I stumbled across today.

Coffee Review

Brosnan Quits Bond

It's official: Pierce Brosnan's 10-year reign as James Bond is over. Brosnan recently confirmed via his website and a BBC TV interview that Eon Productions, the company that produces the Bond films, had decided not to renew his contract for the Bond franchise. This quells months of rumors that Brosnan would come back to the role if negotiations with Eon were successful.



Brosnan's statement:

"I would like to thank all of you who have supported me over the last year or so in regard to my playing Bond. It was a decade of my life that I will always hold dear to my heart and a time that will never be forgotten. And you dear friends stood by me throughout. Many, many thanks! But everything comes to an end, and one must accept this decision which cannot be dealt with in any other way but with some kind of grace and knowledge that I did the job to the best of my ability."

I for one am CRUSHED that Brosnan won't be returning. He was a great Bond and he brought a much needed breath of fresh air to the series. I was ecstatic back in 1986 when Brosnan was first offered the role, but NBC wouldn't let him out of his Remington Steele contract. I was thrilled for him a decade later when he finally assumed the role.

In related news, Eon Productions has confirmed that the 21st Bond film will be titled Casino Royale (the same as Ian Fleming's first Bond novel) and will be directed by Martin Campbell, whose last contribution to the Bond series was the smash success Goldeneye, Brosnan's 1995 debut as Bond.

The production has been pushed back a year to 2006 due to delays in securing a director and because of Sony Pictures impending takeover of MGM, the studio that finances and distributes the Bond films.

Naturally rumors are circulating about who will take over the role of James Bond, with names such as Clive Owen, Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor being mentioned, but no official announcements have been made.

News From Outside The Bubble

Here's a story you probably didn't hear in the US media:

Pakistan, our "ally" in the War On Terror, recently paid over half a million dollars to several tribal leaders so they could settle their debts to....al-Qaeda!!

With friends like that, who needs enemies?!

full story here, from BBC News:

Rain Again

Yep, we've got more rain here in SoCal.



I love it, but it creates lots of headaches for commuters.



And sometimes it can destroy your entire world.


This was La Conchita, California

Ten people lost their lives in a few short seconds when the hillside above their homes came crashing down upon them.

New Medication

Finally a medicine everyone can use!!

Zach Braff's New Year's Resolutions

I just had to share these with you. If you don't know Zach Braff, he's the star of the NBC sitcom Scrubs and he directed and starred in his first feature last year (now on DVD) called Garden State , which has a very cool website.

Zach's new year's resolutions:

Forgo all exercise (including walking),
Learn to smoke (something thin like Capri's),
Take my loved one's for granted,
Stop washing my hands after twosies,
Laugh at babies who are late walkers,
Pull leaves off trees that appear to be flourishing,
Name the yet to be named voices in my head (something tough like Carl or Kyle)
Be less kind to bunnies,
Floss everything but my teeth,
Travel (but only around my yard and with a light carry-on)
Stop and smell the Rosens. (They're a wonderful family and absolutely compulsive about showering.)

NewsGaming

This is a really cool website I came across and an even cooler concept. It's a powerful simulation, especially the game named September 12th.

State of Dis-Union

I've decided to ignore Presidential politics for the next four years. Shortly after the election when I realized we were stuck with Dumb and Dumber for another term, I decided to take defensive action and bury my head in the proverbial sand.

I completely avoided the Inauguration last month and I will not watch the State of the Union speech tonight. I don't listen to Dubya's news conferences, nor do I read about him in the newspaper. When I see his face on TV, I change the channel.

And you know what? I feel a lot happier these days! I'm much more relaxed being blissfully ignorant than participating in the political process and being upset and angry all the time.

I think politics is bad for one's health. Politicians certainly are.

Cleaning Kitty

Is your computer screen a little dirty? Click here to let the kitty clean it for you!

Ebert Remembers Carson

Roger Ebert has a nice tribute to Johnny Carson on his website. He talks about his experiences being on the Tonight Show with Johnny.

Jimmy Kimmel

I was in Hollywood today with a group of my students and as I was walking down Hollywood Boulevard in front of Disney's El Capitan theater, I saw a video crew taping some kind of performance on the sidewalk. A young woman with a walkie-talkie stopped me and asked if I wouldn't mind stepping into the street and walking around their shot.

"Sure," I said with a smile, and as I made my way around the crew I looked back to see the action. It was Jimmy Kimmel, star of ABC's late night comedy/talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live. He was doing some comedy bit in a camping tent, which was erected on the sidewalk between the El Cap and the Masonic Temple where the show is taped every evening.



Apparently ABC's daytime talk show The View is preparing to visit Hollywood by taping in the El Capitan this month. Kimmel was doing some comedy bit about that. The camera poked its "head" into the tent where Jimmy was holding up fabricated products related to The View, such as "View Beer" and Barbara Walters gummy bears among other things.

Body Worlds

I had the most extraordinary experience of visiting the Body Worlds exhibition late last night at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

You may have heard about this in the news. It's a world tour exhibition created by the German scientist Gunther von Hagens, and it features real human corpses on anatomical display. The bodies (all donated) have been treated by a process called "plastination" which replaces body fluids with clear, pliable plastic, making it possible to position not only cadavers, but internal systems such as blood vessels into dynamic poses.



This might sound exceptionally morbid, and I must admit a macabre interest in this sort of thing, but really the exhibition was incredibly tasteful and accessible to all. There were people there from all walks of life, every nationality, young and old, families with small children, and senior citizens.

The exhibition has been so popular (over 650,000 people have seen it in LA alone, 15 million worldwide) that the museum stayed opened 24 hours a day for the last weekend of the show. Tickets eventually sold out, but I was able to get reservations for the 9:45 PM entrance last night.

Even though it was incredibly crowded, I felt a strange sense of intimacy seeing the insides of real human beings revealed for all to see. It made me appreciate the human body for the exquisite and remarkable vessel that it is, and seeing the displays of diseased organs made me want to take good care of my body.



The exhibition now moves on to Chicago, but Angelenos who missed it or want to see more won't have to wait long. Body Worlds 2 opens for a two-month run starting next weekend!

Favorite Carson Memories?

Watching all the news coverage of the passing of Johnny Carson brought up a lot of memories of classic Carson moments on The Tonight Show.

I used to love the Great Carnak. They played one clip tonight that cracked me up:

Answer: "Yahoo! Serious."
Question: "What are the two stages of sex?"

What are some of your favorite Carson memories?

Neidstat Brothers

http://www.thehollandtunnel.com/

These guys are pretty funny.

Rock and Roll Quiz

How much do you know?

Encarta Rock and Roll Quiz

iPod's Dirty Little Secret

You may have heard about this before. I hadn't, and I don't know if it's true, but it's a cool little video regardless.

iPod's Dirty Little Secret

Brad and Jenn Split

So by now you've all heard the news that Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston have separated.



I think most of us were naively upset to hear the news. After all, to paraphrase SNL's Tina Fey, if these two people are tired of having sex with each other, what hope do the rest of us have?!

Summer In January??

As if the torrential winter rain storms weren't enough earlier this month, this week Los Angeles is experiencing summer-like temperatures with highs in the mid-80s!!

The end of the world is nigh.

BowieNet Birthday Bash

Last Saturday, January 8th, was David Bowie's 58th birthday. A few of us fans got together at RogInLA's apartment to celebrate.

It was a low-key affair, and although some of our favorite members weren't in attendance, it was still a pretty good turnout despite the horrendous rain storms all across southern California that weekend.

That's most of us in the picture below:



And here I am jamming my heart out during our Bowie singalong:

People of the Year: Bloggers

Bloggers unite! ABC News has declared Bloggers the most significant people of the year. Check out their full report.

Traffic Really Sucks After Mudslides

Because of the torrential downpours recently here in LA, most of the canyon roads have been closed because of mudslides. This has created a terrible ripple effect of overly congested roadways (even more than usual) around the city.

Case in point, the traffic yesterday was perhaps the worst ever! I got about a mile down Wilshire (it took 20 minutes) when I realized we were going nowhere, so rather than sit in my car for two frustrating hours, I went back to Westwood and saw a movie (Ocean's 12, not bad).

By the time I came out of the movie and wasted another hour in Best Buy, it was after 8 o'clock and still the traffic was CRAWLING, even on all my secret shortcuts that I take when traffic is bad. Took me about an hour to get home, approximately seven miles total distance.

Tsunami Photos: Before and After

I'm sure you've all seen plenty of photos of the Asian Tsunami, but here's a site I came across that has the most dramatic comparisons of before and after that I've seen. It's absolutely devastating. Check it out if you're interested.

I also made a small donation to the American Red Cross International Response Fund this evening. Been meaning to do that for weeks. I made the donation in honor of my young nephew Aidan Spalding, pictured below.

Bad Blogger

Oh my god, I've been such a bad blogger so far this year. It's not that I haven't had things to write about -- I definitely have. It's just that I've been so busy lately, and I've been daunted by the task of catching up with all the blogs I know I wanted to write: about the New Year, seeing my dear friend "Betty" conduct Les Miserables at The Pantages in Hollywood, last weekend's Bowie Birthday Bash at RoginLA's house, and the unbelievable rain we've had in Los Angeles this month.

Instead of trying to catch up, however, I'll just plunge back in anew and hopefully blog about some of those past topics another time.

Back To Blog

Gosh, it's been a couple weeks since I updated my blog. Guess I've been busy with the holiday season...too busy living life to have time to write about it!

The holidays always begin for me on my birthday, December 17th. My friend Betty met me for dinner at Miceli's in Hollywood. Then Heidster came down from the Valley and took me to the movies at the Egyptian. We saw a Jeff Bridges double-feature ("The Door In The Floor" and "The Fisher King"), which included an in-person appearance by Mr. Bridges himself. That was cool!!

Christmas was pleasant in Denver. I abbreviated my usual week-long visit to about 4 days this time. It was the perfect amount of time to be there. Long enough to see everyone and not feel too terribly rushed, but still short enough to avoid boredom or frustration. Always leave them wanting more, right?!

My last few trips home have been so hectic and stressful that I ended up feeling more exhausted after my vacation than before it. I've really been burnt out lately so I felt the need to allow a few days to myself at home in LA, and I'm really glad I made that choice.

Today is a dark, rainy day in Los Angeles. I got out of my tour training obligations this morning (who wants to walk around downtown in a downpour?), so I have the whole day to myself to play with my Christmas toys!

Year End Wrap-up 2005

I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that the Michael Jackson trial will be one of the biggest news stories in 2005. We'll have to follow the trial all year and the story will be included in all of the "year-in-review" programs about twelve months from now.

Mark my words.

Electronic Reusable Paper?

Check out the next wave of the future HERE.

Worst Commute Ever

Anyone who lives in L.A. knows the traffic is a bitch sometimes, OK most of the time, but tonight was one of the worst commutes ever.

My commute home from UCLA in Westwood to my apartment near Hollywood is approximately 9 miles and usually takes me 20-30 minutes on surface streets. Tonight that 9 mile drive took (drumroll please) two and a half hours! Yes, TWO AND A HALF FUCKING HOURS!!! That's got to be a new record.

I knew it was going to be bad when I pulled out of the parking lot and saw the left turn lane on to Wilshire all backed up. That's OK because I have an alternative route up Sunset I can take so I tried that. Bad idea. Sunset was even more jammed than Wilshire. After thirty minutes, and having traveled barely a mile from my office, I decided to sit out the rush, so I pulled back into one of the parking structures and took a nap while listening to the radio.

An hour later, I decided to brave it, but the roads hadn't improved. I started home anyway and sat in the car for another hour before finally reaching home. I don't know what caused the huge backup. I never saw an accident or heard any reports on the radio, but it was a mess.

Kim Basinger is a Movie Star

Last week I went to the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood to see Kim Basinger in person for her tribute from the American Cinematheque. The program included screenings of Basinger's newest feature The Door In The Floor, co-starring Jeff Bridges, and L.A. Confidential, for which Miss Basinger won an Oscar for her supporting performance.

Although I've enjoyed her work for years, I've never really considered her a great actress. My opinion hasn't really changed, but I do enjoy her presence on screen and in person she is even more lovely.

I remember first seeing Kim Basinger over twenty years ago in the 1983 film Never Say Never Again, which featured the return of Sean Connery as James Bond. She was a total babe and I quickly developed an adolescent crush on her. Now she is a big movie star and an Oscar winner. Even my students from various countries overseas know who she is.

Basinger arrived at the theater with her own entourage. There was her publicist and an assistant, plus at least two big beefy guys in suits who served as her security guards, as if anyone at the Egyptian would hassle her...it's not that kind of crowd. It was strange to see the security personnel there, and somewhat comical as they shielded her from the movie audience as she entered and exited the theater. (I heard later from a friend who said Basinger has agoraphobia and therefore mistrusts crowds.)

I've seen a lot of famous stars hold court at the Egyptian. They often come to promote their current movie (The Door In The Floor comes out on DVD Dec 14th) or the relive the glory days of a classic film. Never have I seen a star arrive with a security detail. She is a big star in the classic Hollywood sense: strikingly beautiful, somewhat talented, and extremely glamorous.

The Door In The Floor is based on the novel A Widow For One Year by John Irving. It's a decent film focusing on the first third of the book (an oustanding read by the way) and it's a very sad story, full of grief and emotional performances and Miss Basinger held her own with Jeff Bridges, who never ceases to be extremely entertaining.

After the screening, Miss Basinger arrived to discuss the film with the head of the American Cinematheque, who asked leading and pretentious questions as usual. She did a fine job of replying equally pretentiously ("The director told my agent, 'if she fears the role, she'll take the job'"). Then there were a few questions from the audience. Nothing surprising or exceptional. I wanted to ask her about Never Say Never Again, but I was too shy to raise my hand and probably wouldn't have been noticed since I was sitting toward the back of the house.

At the conclusion of the Q&A, Miss Basinger posed for a few publicity photos, then she was whisked away by her security detail through the emergency exits, entourage in tow. Ah, the life of a movie star.

After a short break, the double feature continued with L.A. Confidential, the great film directed by Curtis Hanson (whom I saw two years ago at the DGA), and the role for which Miss Basinger won her coveted Oscar. Ironically, when an audience member asked her about playing that part, Ms B couldn't even remember her character's name. Oh well, easy come easy go.

P.S. I just realized today, Dec 8, is Kim Basinger's birthday. Happy Birthday, Kim!

First Ken, Now Tom?!

As if saying goodbye to Ken Jennings last night on Jeopardy wasn't bad enough, tonight Tom Brokaw gave his last report as the anchor of the NBC Nightly News. God, what is the world coming to??

I always liked Tom. He was a reassuring voice in the worst of circumstances, and he seems to have a keen intellect and respect for history. I must admit I migrated to Peter Jennings (no relation to Ken) a couple of years ago, but I would still flip over to see how Tom was doing now and then. He's like somebody's favorite old uncle who can't pronounce his "L's".

Brokaw's replacement will be Brian Williams, who has been anchoring news programs on cable's MSNBC for some time. He's great -- a wonderful reporter, and a sly sense of humor as well.

Farewell Tom, and let's go Brian!

"He's Out Of My Life"

KEN JENNINGS' REIGN AS 'JEOPARDY' CHAMPION ENDS



I guess it had to happen eventually. As Alex Trebek said at the conclusion of tonight's Jeopardy episode, "All good things must come to an end." Ken Jennings finally lost.

It was Final Jeopardy and Ken had an unusually short lead over his female challenger ($14,000 to $10,000) and Ken didn't come up with the correct answer. The challenger had wagered $4000 and Ken wagered $5000. It was a shocking moment for everyone, especially the challenger who probably never imagined she would unseat the All-Time Top Game Show Cash Winner, who amassed a grand total of over $2,500,000.

What will life be like without Ken? I've become used to seeing him on the show as a regular fixture for the past six months. It's not that I watch Jeopardy that often, but whenever I do happen to flip through the channels and it's on, it's reassuring to see Ken's happy smile and keen intellect. He is a bright guy, no doubt about it.

Now he will go back to his life in Salt Lake City with his wife and child. He said tonight during the show that he will keep his job as a software engineer. He loves his work and his colleagues at the office. First though, he'll likely be enjoying his last few minutes of fame. In fact, tonight Ken appears on “The Late Show with David Letterman” and “Nightline.”

So long, Ken. It's been fun watching you win!

Celebrity Fuck Fest

Have you ever wondered about which swear words are most popular with celebrities? Wonder no more! Someone actually made a short film asking them all to recite their favorite curses.

Check it out here.

Sip Your Antioxidants

A surprising winner in the drinkable antioxidants arena is cocoa.

Warming up with hot cocoa will deliver an antioxidant punch that neither red wine nor green tea can beat, according to recent research. Cocoa is rich in phenols, compounds that fight heart disease, aging, and cancer. To keep your fat and calorie intake low, drink it in moderation.

From RealAge.com (http://www.realage.com/news_features/tip.aspx)

U2 rocks!!

Anybody catch U2's performance last night on Saturday Night Live? They were simply amazing. I've enjoyed their music for a long time, even saw them in concert back in high school (remember Joshua Tree?), but I wouldn't call myself a fan as such. However, their live performance on TV last night was nothing short of scintillating.

The band totally rocked the house. How four guys can produce so much sound is beyond me. They seem to create a bubble of sound that expands and soars like a cathedral. Bono is still screaming it out after all these years, and even though he had a few croakers, it didn't matter because it was a live performance, as he even reminded the audience at the end of the broadcast ("This is Saturday Night Live, live, live."), obviously referencing the recent scandal over Ashlee Simpson's embarrassing lip-synching snafu on SNL a few weeks ago. They proved that real superstars have the goods live on stage as well as in the studio.

I think the host of the show was Luke Wilson, who is one my favorites, but nobody was paying much attention to the comedy skits. It was U2's show last night and boy did they deliver. They performed their new hit single "Vertigo" and a slower ballad, "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own", for the second number. But later they returned for a show-closing rendition of "I Will Follow", their classic debut single from 1980 (can you believe it was that long ago?!).

In the last number, Bono and Edge both jumped off the stage and headed towards the crowd. Bono rubbed up against some of the young ladies in the front row (such a rocker) before playing havoc with the TV cameras. I would've hated to be the poor director during all that chaos, but it didn't matter because the band were hot and so was the crowd.

The show's credits rolled during the last chorus of "I Will Follow" and the crowd erupted as Bono screamed "Do you want more?!" and headed back to the stage to meet the Edge and start an extra song. That performance was for the studio audience only, however, since the broadcast ended before the band continued.

I would have loved to have been in that crowd, but I was completely satisfied by the television presentation. It was quite a moment that will definitely go down in television history as a highlight both for the band and for SNL.

The Magic Castle

I had a great and rare opportunity to have dinner at The Magic Castle last weekend with some new friends of mine. The father of one of the girls used to be a member of the club years ago and the maitre d' remembered her and allowed her to make a dinner reservation, even though she herself is not a member.

What a truly magical place it is! The Magic Castle was the Lane Mansion, built in Hollywood in 1908. It's a beautiful Victorian mansion built on a hill. A residence for many years, the mansion was turned into the Magic Castle, a private clubhouse and school for magicians in 1963.

As one enters the club, the doorway seems to be a bookcase, to which you say "Open Sesame" and it slides open, allowing you to enter. The gourmet dinner was quite good, and expensive. I ordered Filet Mignon, medium-rare and it was perfect. After dinner, we made our way upstairs to the Palace of Mystery to see the first magic show. Then we went downstairs to the basement area, called the Inner Circle, to the tiny W.C. Fields bar, where another magic show and comedy routine was going on. (They also had Fields' trick pool table on display.) Finally, we caught the midnight show of traditional magic in The Parlour Theater.

It's a huge building full of posters and pictures of famous magicians who were members of the club. Current members include Siegfried & Roy, David Copperfield, Johnny Carson, and Steve Martin, who got his start in show biz doing magic tricks at Disneyland.

For dinner, we were seated at an intimate table in the corner near a beautiful beveled glass window. During the meal, one of the dinner hosts stopped by to greet us and to inform us that we were at the VIP table which was where Cary Grant always sat when he came for dinner at the Magic Castle. I was so excited to be sitting right where one of my favorite stars used to sit!

Overall, it was a magical and memorable evening. The performances were top-notch, the food delicious, and the ambience unbeatable. If you are ever lucky enough to spend an evening at The Magic Castle in Hollywood, don't hesitate to do it. You will have a wonderful time!

Leonard Maltin

I walked past film critic Leonard Maltin on the street in Westwood this evening. I was headed toward the parking lot to get in my car and go home. He was leaving his car and preparing to enter the popular New York pizza place there. We made brief eye contact. He seemed a little nervous. I just smiled.

50 Elvises can't be wrong!

Just had a funny LA moment on my way to work today. I live a few blocks from CBS Television City and as I was passing, I noticed a large group of people waiting in line outside the entrance gate to the studio lot. This in itself is not unusual because many TV shows are taped there and studio audiences usually wait in line outside until they are brought in.

Well I don't know what these people were waiting for, but it quickly became apparent that they were all dressed like Elvis Presley!! There were probably 50 or more guys all in their white jumpsuits and black bouffants with bushy sideburns and guitars strapped to their backs.

Maybe it was for an audition or something, but it was a pretty funny moment to see a whole bunch of Elvises standing in line together on the sidewalk. Only in LA!!

Tom Hanks is Brilliant

I had forgotten what a talented and versatile actor he really is. It's easy to become jaded when someone becomes such a huge superstar that their persona begins to overshadow the roles they play, but I've been watching Saturday Night Live's "Best of Tom Hanks" episode tonight and it's been great to see Hanks progressing through his career from a young up-and-comer all the to a big movie star.

The variety of the roles he played and his complete and utter commitment to the reality of each character is remarkable. And he's hosted the show 7 times! That's got to be a record. He's so damn funny every time, too!

George W. Bush: Gay or Straight?

I don't get it. GW Bush is always talking about how much he hates gays and how he wants to pass a Constitutional Amendment discriminating against the possibility of gay marriage, yet today he keeps talking about "Man Dates."

"America has given me a man date." "I have a new man date for my second term."

What gives, Dubya?!

Four More Years

Yuck.

Bush will win again

FUCK!!! What's the deal, people??!!

Why God, why??!!

I'm over it.

The whole fuckin' election bullshit. What the hell do most Americans see in Bush? Something familiar? That's all I can assume.

They suck. Anyone with a pulse on the international consciousness knows that Bush is not the guy. If we want to save our country from shame and embarrassment, Bush is not not the guy.

Slap the Candidates

Want to take out some Election Day frustrations?

Visit slapthecandidate.com for some cheap fun!
But hurry, the site goes down at midnight tonight!!

"You're an Asshole!"

Funny song and video: http://filmstripinternational.com/

thanks to flipsycab for passing it along!!

WATER OR COKE?

This is really an eye opener.... Water or Coke? We
all know that water is important, but I've never seen
it written down like this before.

WATER
1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.

2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so
weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.

3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's
metabolism as much as 3%.

4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger
pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a
University of Washington study.

5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses
of water a day could significantly ease back and
joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy
short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and
difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a
printed page.

8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the
risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the
risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less
likely to develop bladder cancer.

And now for the properties of COKE:

1. In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol
carries two gallons of coke in the truck to remove
blood from the highway after a car accident.

2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of coke and
it will be gone in two days.

3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into
the toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one
hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke
removes stains from vitreous China.

4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub
the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap
aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.

5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals:
Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble
away the corrosion.

6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked
in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.

7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into
the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and
bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished,
remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix
with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.

8. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of coke
into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run
through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help
loosen grease stains.

9. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.


For Your Info:

1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid.
Its pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4
days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones
and is a major contributor to the rising increase in
osteoporosis.

2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the
commercial truck must use the Hazardous material
place cards reserved for Highly corrosive materials.

3. The distributors of coke have been using it to
clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years!

Now the question is, would you like a coke or a glass
of water?

"The Long Goodbye"

Just finished reading Raymond Chandler's The Long Goodbye and I wanted to post a few of my favorite quotes from the book. There are so many great lines in any Chandler work, but here are a few gems from this one:

On politics:

"We live in what is called a democracy, rule by the majority of the people. A fine ideal if it could be made to work. The people elect, but the party machines nominate, and the party machines to be effective must spend a great deal of money. Somebody has to give it to them, and that somebody, whether it be an individual, a financial group, a trade union or what have you, expects some consideration in return."

Hard to believe this book was written over fifty years ago! I guess some things never change. OK, how about this one about crime and Los Angeles:

"Out there in the night of a thousand crimes people were dying, being maimed, cut by flying glass, crushed against steering wheels or under heavy tires. People were being beaten, robbed, strangled, raped, and murdered. People were hungry, sick; bored, desperate with loneliness or remorse or fear, angry, cruel, feverish, shaken by sobs. A city no worse than others, a city rich and vigorous and full of pride, a city lost and beaten and full of emptiness."

On law and order:

"Let the law enforcement people do their own dirty work. Let the lawyers work it out. They write the laws for other lawyers to dissect in front of other lawyers called judges so that other judges can say the first judges were wrong and the Supreme Court can say the second lot were wrong. Sure there's such a thing as law. We're up to our necks in it. About all it does is make business for lawyers. How long do you think the big-shot mobsters would last if the lawyers didn't show them how to operate?"

And finally, on American cuisine:

"I went to the drugstore and ate a chicken salad sandwich and drank some coffee. The coffee was overtrained and the sandwich was as full of rich flavor as a piece torn off an old shirt. Americans will eat anything if it is toasted and held together with a couple of toothpicks and has lettuce sticking out of the sides, preferably a little wilted."

Incognito

Check out the 'stache! Mr. Bowie is trying to blend in with the locals these days.



Here he is without the Halloween costume:

"America, fuck yeah!"

Team America: World Police is an hilarious and ballsy new film from Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park.

It's probably the only marionette-action-comedy-musical you will see all year. But be warned: there is something in this film to offend absolutely everyone. Check it out!

Elvis is Alive!!

I just saw him standing on the corner by my place as I was driving home from work. As I made the turn from Beverly onto Gardner going north, there was Elvis Costello waiting by the valet parking stand outside the Buddha's Belly restaurant!

At first I couldn't believe it was him -- he looked too much like Elvis Costello (black leather jacket, brightly colored shirt, scruffy beard and glasses) and he was completely by himself. I thought perhaps he was waiting for the valet to bring his car, so I quickly made the block and circled around again to see if it was really him. Sure enough, it was Elvis Costello!

I couldn't believe it. I quickly searched the car for my cell phone to call my friend Heidster, who is one of the world's greatest Elvis Costello fans, but the phone was hidden in my briefcase in the back of the car and I couldn't reach it. I still couldn't get over the fact that Elvis Costello was standing on the street corner one block from my house, so I made the block again to have one final look, and there he was, Elvis Costello, still standing a few feet away from the valet parking stand. He was leaning against the wall, talking or singing to himself. The valets were crowded casually around their stand, so apparently Elvis was not waiting for his car but perhaps for someone to arrive (it was about 7:30pm). I stopped my car and rolled down the window.

"Hey Elvis, do you need a ride?" I asked.
"No, I'm fine, thank you sir," he replied casually in his English Elvis voice.
"You're awesome," I gushed.
"Thank you very much," he said politely before turning his attention back to the spot on the street where whomever he was waiting for was supposed to arrive.

I drove on and made my way up the street to my aparment, but I wish I could've stayed longer to chat with him, though I'd hate to be a nuisance to him. I see celebrities in LA all the time but I rarely have an interest in talking to them. Elvis C. is really cool, though. He's an artist I greatly respect and someone who seems like an interesting guy.

Blonde Football

A guy took his blonde girlfriend to her first football game. They had
great seats right behind their team's bench. After the game, he asked her
how she liked the experience.

"Oh, I really liked it," she replied, "especially the tight pants and all
the big muscles, but I just couldn't understand why they were killing
each other over such a small amount of money."

Dumbfounded, her date asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I saw them flip a coin and one team got it and then for the rest
of the game, all they kept screaming was, 'Get the quarterback! Get the
quarterback!' Hell-OOOH! It's only 25 cents!"

The Ten Commandments: The Musical

(Warning: this review contains spoilers!)

I saw the new Ten Commandments musical last night at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. Let’s just say I’m glad my ticket was free.

The show was…an experience. It’s got potential, but it has some big problems as well. The biggest flaw was the dependence on technical effects to propel the story. Some of the effects were clever and effective, while others were disappointing and occasionally humorous when they didn’t work. The story of Moses and the Ten Commandments is supposed to be about human struggle against oppression. The characters and their relationships should make the drama compelling. The pyrotechnics in this production distracted the audience from noticing the glaring gaps in the script. Still, there were plenty of “whoops and hollers” from the mostly tourist audience after each special effect.

Val Kilmer as Moses was passable. He is a fine actor, but he doesn’t have much of a singing voice. He lumbered through the role without much focus. This is not necessarily Mr. Kilmer’s fault. One of the major weaknesses in the script is that Moses has almost nothing to do. For one thing, we never witness his interactions with God. The burning bush is represented but it is almost a background set dressing. We do not hear the voice of God nor witness Moses even acknowledging God’s presence. Moses sings of dedicating his life to a grander cause, but we never saw the reason why Moses was so transformed. Later when he returns from the mountain with the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments, it seems almost an afterthought. We never knew that Moses had left the group or why he chose to disappear while the hot, young chorus people were writhing around on stage performing simulated sex in front of the golden calf. Moses arrives as if he is late to the party and nobody will acknowledge him, nor the two tablets he carries, so he throws them to the ground in a fit of jealous anger. The tenderest moment of the performance follows, as a young child picks up the Styrofoam tablets (they seemed very light) and reads/sings the list of Commandments in a lovely boy soprano voice.

The play assumes the audience is already extremely familiar with the details of the Biblical story. Most of the characters are never referred to by name, except Moses and Ramses. Moses and Ramses have several powerful duet scenes, but Val Kilmer’s sleepy baritone was no match for the awesome vocal prowess of Kevin Early as Ramses. Moses is supported in his crusade by Aaron, Miriam, and Joshua (all of whom were excellent singers and dancers) but the audience is never clearly introduced to them, nor is it explained how and why they came to be involved in Moses mission. Someone who wasn’t intimately familiar with the story would have trouble following along.

The music was written by Patrick Leonard, who has had an interesting career writing and producing for many big name stars besides working in his own bands. I happen to enjoy Mr. Leonard’s sound, but I am not sure it is the most appropriate style for musical theater. His compositions tend toward airy melodies and rich textures that wash over the listener. There are few standout melodies. Some of the songs in The Ten Commandments were lovely and effective; other numbers were not so good, and some were downright awful.

The sets and costumes were attractive and well done. The set pieces resembled large sandstone brick walls with hieroglyphs and other Egyptian iconography painted and carved on them. There were several sections of the stage floor that rose up to create large block platforms, and other sections of the floor with trap doors that opened to reveal actors climbing in and out of them.

The most effective element of the set design was the use of video projection screens on either side of the stage and at the rear center backdrop. Images of Egyptian temples with flaming torches, the flowing waters of the river Nile, and the shifting desert sands under the moonlight added a nice cinematic touch. The entire plague sequence was handled with mixed results by the video screens and lighting projections. But again, the script did not allow time for the drama of the plagues to unfold. Moses never announces the plagues, they just start happening, and the whole series of plagues is over in less than five minutes! The plagues also depended on sound effects such as the buzzing of locusts. The biggest disappointment was the parting of the Red Sea, which featured wavy glass panels, representing the water, lowered to the stage and surrounded by lots of fog. It was pretty lame and the actors knew they looked silly.

Overall the sound design was very effective. It was the first time I experienced surround sound in a musical theater production. The rear house speakers often carried sound effects like the swirling desert winds, the plague of buzzing locusts, or the rippling waters of the Nile. This was another cinematic effect that worked well.

As a venue, the Kodak Theater, the new home of the Oscars, is beautiful. I sat in the upper balcony during the first half of the show, but moved down to the orchestra section for the second act (the house was only half full). For Act Two, I sat right behind the sound and lighting booth, which had the largest sound mixing board I have ever seen: three boards in all, complete with several notebook computers and display monitors, including the closed-circuit video image of the conductor displayed on one of the computer screens. Two technicians stood behind the soundboard but they did almost nothing during the show. No doubt every lighting and sound cue is preprogrammed for this production. The band was tucked away somewhere out of the sight, probably under the stage. They appeared on the large video screens for the curtain call. All the lobby areas on each floor of the theater feature grand staircases and huge pictures of past Oscar winners mounted on the walls. It was a lot of fun to walk around admiring the images of many famous stars past and present.

I can’t vouch for the future of The Ten Commandments, the musical. It’s definitely a tall order to pull off, but the writing and technical flaws were almost overcome by a dynamic and talented (not to mention gorgeous) group of young singers and dancers. This could end up being a smaller touring production. I know first hand how much the people of America’s heartland eat up religious-themed performances. I went on the road with Jesus; maybe soon this company will be out on the road with Moses.

'Superman' is dead.

MSNBC - 'Superman' star Christopher Reeve dies at 52

Who won the second presidential debate?

According to CNN's online poll, as of 12:26 AM:

President Bush 20% 71959 votes

John Kerry 77% 270969 votes

Evenly matched 2% 8173 votes

Total: 351101 votes

I'm surprised the margin was so sharply divided. I guess a lot of Kerry supporters must have voted because the general consensus from the TV pundits was that the debate was a tie. The ABC viewer's poll favored Kerry by a slim three point margin, 44% to Bush's 41%.

The Fog

It has been SO foggy here in Los Angeles the past two nights. I woke up last night around 4 AM to let the cat in and I could barely see the houses across the street, the fog was so thick. It's almost as bad again tonight.

It reminds me of my first summer here in California. I lived in Santa Maria, on the Central Coast, and it was often foggy in the evenings because we were close to the shoreline. It's common to have foggy beaches here in SoCal, but it's rare to have the fog travel as far inland as Hollywood. I love it!

Red Line Tours

Here I am, Scott Hollywood, your personal tour guide to the history behind-the-scenes in "glamorous" Hollywood, California -- home of the stars!

Actually, it's funny to be working in a small family business again after many years in the corporate world and in academia. I had forgotten that small-business employees work as long as there's an opportunity to earn income. Even if you don't get paid, you work. The store stays open as long as there are customers coming in. I finished my last tour an hour ago and I've tried to close up twice since then, but potential customers kept coming in to browse through our giftware and Hollywood memorabilia. So, I let them in an encourage them to take their time shopping. It's not like K-Mart, where you kick everybody out at closing time.

OK, my last group of customers just left. They didn't buy anything. It's just as well, though, since I'm not sure how to conduct a retail transaction yet! I better learn soon though since I'll be on my own for most of this weekend. The boss is on his way to Vancouver for a weekend anniversary celebration, and the other boss will be giving tours downtown at our other location.

So Mr. Scott Hollywood, opportunity knocks: you are in charge of holding down the fort!

Fucking Blogger

OK, so if you look below you'll see two posts about the opera I saw on Saturday. I went to blog about it, but I kept getting an error message when posting. I thought my data was lost so I recreated it (as close as I could recall) and tried to post again. Same error message!

"Fucking Blogger!" I thought to myself, and I turned off the computer in disgust, figuring all my efforts had been wasted. Now I see both my posts were indeed posted. Geez Blogger, I guess I take back all those nasty things I said about you. But what the f*&#, man?!

Therefore, dear readers, you can see the before and after and choose which entry you like the best. I'm too indecisive to delete one of them since I like qualities about both of them. Plus I was influenced by Kerouac's holy "first-word-is-best-word" approach to writing so I would cancel the second entry but I'm not exactly sure which one came first!

Oh well. Fucking Blogger.

Mount St. Helens Cam

Follow the link below for a live shot when she blows.

Johnston Ridge Observatory Webcam Loop

Opera is cool

Went to the LA Opera yesterday thanks to my cohort Alia, who had a free ticket she didn't want. Ariadne auf Naxos was the production and it was a wonderful send-up of opera and the courtly snobs who claim to appreciate it.

The music of Richard Strauss (Also Sprach Zarathustra, Der Rosenkavalier) always intrigues me for its melodic and modern qualities. This new production was directed by William Friedman, the film director who made The Exorcist and won an Oscar for The French Connection. He did a great job. The stand-out peformer was Laura Claycomb as Zerbinetta. She combined an hilarious sense of physical comedy with a gorgeously controlled soprano voice. She stole the show!

Opera is cool. I hope I can go again soon.

Opera is cool

Went to the LA Opera yesterday thanks to my cohort Alia, who had a free ticket she didn't want. Ariadne auf Naxos is an hilarious send-up of opera, both serious and comedic. Kind of a Noises Off scenario.

The music of Richard Strauss (Also Sprach Zarathustra, Der Rosenkavalier) always catches my attention for its melodic modernity. This new production was directed by filmmaker William Friedkin, who made The Exorcist and won an Oscar for The French Connection. Laura Claycomb as Zerbinetta had the crowd in the palm of her hand. She was definitely the highlight of the performance.

It was a wonderful show!