On People's Choice Awards

Hmm. I just looked at the People's Choice Award categories and nominees, a topic that I typically read about in the news after the award ceremony takes place.

It appears that I'm out of the target "votee" demographic.

I voted anyway.

There are two categories still open for vote casting, my votes are in bold:

Favorite New TV Drama:
Options: Brothers and Sisters, Heroes, Ugly Betty

Favorite New TV Comedy:
Options: 30 Rock, The Class,'Til Death

On Imagine . . . A New Day To Dream

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. . ."

On A Merry Little Christmas

Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light.

On An Original DreamGirl

Jennifer Holiday, Great Dreamer

On Harry Potter - Gabcast

Here's instructions on how-to discover the name of the final Harry Potter book once you log into jkrowling.com:



I just scanned news headlines and see that JK Rowling recently led fans to her web site for a game of hang man, the solution reveals the name of her seventh and final Harry Potter book. I won't reveal the name here.

If you have too much time on your hands, go to www.jkrowling.com and figure out where to look for the puzzle. It's one of the busiest though creative web sites I've seen. I'm sure every Harry Potter fan in the universe has it bookmarked.

For those of you who would like instructions just to find the puzzle, here they are:

1)Enter www.jkrowling.com
2)Click on the pink eraser on the Home Page
3)In the mirror reflection, click on image of the far door to reveal a Christmas tree
4)Click on the items below in the following order:
* Center of main door, to reveal wreath
* Top of mirror, reveals garland
* Cobweb, which disappears
* Second chime to the right in the windchimes, which turns into a key
5)Drag the key to the main door's lock
6)When the door opens, open the gift you find there, play hangman until the title of Rowling's final Harry Potter book is revealed!

On Earthquakes

Not dreaming. Just felt an earthquake jolt. Pretty strong. I think Nob Hill is pretty solid up here. You see my building across the park there, it's been retrofitted in recent years. Whew. Sometimes you can't feel them at all.

On Coca-Cola

The first Coke I remember drinking as a child came in a green bottle and cost 6 cents at "the little store" on Pine Street. This year's Coca-Cola holiday commercial takes a half-century nostalgic look at "The Coke Side of Life." A young girl's story unfolds as she stands looking at a decorated holiday window.

Take a look:

On 12 Dogs of Christmas

One seven year-old girl loved dogs and wrote a story on the back of a paper placemat, her book became a best seller---now, you can watch the movie on DVD.

On Writers Writing - #1

"It seems important to me that beginning writers ponder this--that since 1964, I have never had a book, story or poem rejected that was not later published. If you know what you are doing, eventually you will run into an editor who knows what he/she is doing. It may take years, but never give up.

Writing is a lonely business not just because you have to sit alone in a room with your machinery for hours and hours every day, month after month, year after year, but because after all the blood, sweat, toil, and tears you still have to find somebody who respects what you have written enough to leave it alone and print it. And, believe me, this remains true, whether the book is your first novel or your thirty-first."

__Joseph Hansen, memo from Rotten Reviews, 1986 and excerpted from The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman

On World Aids Day

One campaign to end poverty . . .

On Happy Feet

Of course I adore Happy Feet, the story of an Emperor Penguin named Mumble who is born with a natural ability to tap dance though without the ability to sing. The conflict begins on Mumble's first day of penguin school as every Emperor Penguin must discover their "heart song" to find a soul mate. As Mumble struggles to be himself among the penguin flock and societal norms,he bravely retains his individuality.

Australian Filmmaker George Miller (Mad Max and Babe) delivers a cinematically stunning film and an outstanding cast in Elijah Wood, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Brittany Murphy, and the ever brilliant Robin Williams.


I loved Happy Feet though as the film weaves its way through multiple storylines, it loses its way in bringing them all together---nevertheless, Happy Feet enjoyably features Nicole Kidman as Mumble's Mom, Norma Jean, sounding delightfully as breathless as Marilyn Monroe, Williams lending his voice in two hilarious roles, penguin production numbers set to music by Prince, The Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder, Queen and Paul Anka, and a global call for human aliens to leave the ecosystem alone.

You will definitely leave the theatre feeling happy!

Two clips below: Mumble with Gloria and the other new baby penguins learning about their "Heart Song" on the first day of penguin school and an introduction to Ramon (Robin Williams):

On Robert Altman

"To me, I've just made one long film."



Thankfully, he gave us some of the most brilliant filmmaking in history.

On Black and Blue

Another legend of rhythm and blues, Ruth Brown, passed away yesterday. I remember seeing a Saturday matinee of Black and Blue on Broadway some years ago. Ruth Brown, in a Tony award-winning performance, starred side-by-side with Linda Hopkins and Carrie Smith to deliver the lead singing roles. Tap dancing legends like Jimmy Slyde and Bunny Briggs danced to the music of Duke Ellington and Fats Waller, (Savion Glover's understudy danced his role that day), and a number of well-known jazz musicians played in the orchestra.

Black and Blue celebrated the period between WWI and WWII when Paris opened its arms and heart to black dance and music.

Ruth Brown often appeared in San Francisco, though I never saw her perform again, I do remember the fabulous Black and Blue . Ruth Brown, independent spirit and crusader for musician rights.


Photo Credit: Jack Vartoogian/FrontRow Photos

On I Have A Dream

Martin Luther King, Great Dreamer

"We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."


Excerpts from I Have A Dream Speech, Martin Luther King, August 28, 1963, Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC

On Ugly Betty

Betty Suarez, Great Dreamer.



Photo Credits: ABC Television

On Pursuit of Happyness

Dreams, hope, love, and triumph of the human spirit lifted Chris Gardner to provide a better life for his son. Based on Gardner's own story in San Francisco, The Pursuit of Happyness should be required viewing (and reading) for the haves,have nots, and anyone who thinks "they can't"---Tough breaks, lucky breaks, dreams do come true. Gardner recently appeared on The Josh Kornbluth Show here, one of the most inspiring and best interviews on the show to date, by the way.


P.S. Due in theatres Dec. 15th from Sony Pictures, expect an Oscar nod for Will Smith

On Enrico's Cafe

A lot of dreams were realized over the years at Enrico's Cafe on Broadway. Now another legendary character of international renown has closed it's doors due to lease problems and a steady economic decline. Buoyed by North Beach's Beat generation, Enrico's Cafe became a hallmark location for jazz and cocktails after opening in 1958. Tax problems plagued founder Enrico Balducci and Enrico's ultimately went out of business. Revived in the late 1990's by a group of investors, Enrico's and North Beach locations in general, have seen a steady decline in people coming there to dine, listen to music, and hang out. I remember my first time to North Beach and Enrico's back in the 1970's. At that time, Carol Doda's image still towered over the corner of Columbus and Broadway atop The Condor's sign, although the Purple Onion no longer hosted great acts like the Smothers Brothers, I remember walking by the Purple Onion, it may have been called by another name. Thankfully, Tosca's and Specks Bar both remain.

On Four Helping Hands

I have two 20th-21st Century marketing heroes, they're both in this picture. If I were an international pop star with lots of money and an ability to rake in more, I'd definitely figure out how to use my money to make a difference, there's so much one could do here at home and around the globe. You know, I use to believe a person could effect change one person at a time, today, I'm not sure this is true at all. If Oprah phoned, I'd take her call.

Photo: ABC

On Sand Art

Sand Sculptures from the International Fiesa 2006 held in Algarve, Portugal as photographed by Mario Proenca. Click on the photo film strip and wait a moment as the film loop loads, amazing creations!

On Campari

Enjoy this Italian commercial from 1968!

On Other People's Art Collections-Part 2

You probably read earlier this week about gillionaire Steve Wynn's accidental desecration of Picasso's "Le Reve." While showing the painting to pals like Barbara Walters, Nora Ephron, Louise Grunwald and others, Wynn gestured (he has an eye disease which alters peripheral vision) and placed a hole through the canvas. This incident occurred just after he had agreed to sell the painting for $139M to a hedge-fund broker who apparently collects art. What is this trend with hedge-fund brokers paying gillions for art these days? Wynn reportedly will keep the damaged Picasso for now. It appears that he paid $48.4M for it at auction in 1997.

On DreamGirls

Advance buzz on the film version of Dream Girls is positive all around. Who can forget Broadway's Jennifer Holiday? Otherwise, I didn't particularly embrace the music. The cinematography looks rich here on the clips. Definitely a film to see on the big screen.

On the Booker Prize - Gabcast

Congrats to Kiran Desai winner of this year's Man Booker Prize for her second novel The Inheritance of Loss. Desai becomes the youngest woman to win the award since The Booker Prize was founded in 1968. The prize is open to writers of Britain, Ireland, and Commonwealth of the former British Colonies. Desai credits her mother, writer Anita Desai: "the debt I owe to my mother is so profound that I feel the book is hers as much as mine. It was written in her company and in her wisdom and kindness."

Photo Credit: Sara Lee, The Guardian

On Other People's Art Collections - Gabcast

DeKooning's "Police Gazette" an abstract from 1955.

The New York Times reported today on gillionaire entertainment mogul David Geffen's private auction sale of a DeKooning ($63.5M) and a Jasper Johns ($80M) to two hedge-fund gillionaires. I don't even want to begin to think what DeKooning or Jasper John's actually sold these works for the first time around. Maybe it's me, my mind remains boggled about one's attachment to things when I attempt to place this into a global perspective.

Jasper John's "False Start" from 1959 ------------>

On The Queen

Stephen Frears' THE QUEEN is a definite must see if only to marvel at Helen Mirren's breathtaking performance as HRH. Mirren and the cast gobbled up Peter Morgan's screenplay as if it were a bowl of the freshest English Devonshire Cream. Morgan performed extensive research by watching reels of film footage, consulting biographers and through interviews with personal sources who had ties to the Palace and Number 10 Downing Street. The result provides a plausible story based upon what could have happened with what did happen in the hours and weeks immediately following Diana's death.

Mirren remains absolutely fearless on screen in every role she undertakes. Not only in her portrayals but in the choices she makes as an actor. I really thought I was watching HRH with only a few moments of no, it's Helen Mirren's interpretation of the Queen. Mirren deftly gives one of the most poignant performances of her film career.

"Given the iconic status of the Queen, I was terrified," says Mirren."I was probably more nervous about this role than almost any other role I've ever done." To prepare, she researched, watched videos and gathered key cast members at her home to help begin creating "a sense of the Royals as family."

"Of course you also have to get certain things right, the hair, the hands, the stance,the walk, the voice. I had photographs of the Queen in my trailer and watched tapes all the time. It was a bit intimidating, because each time I watched them I would feel I was failing her, failing the inner person and you are constantly trying to get to the inner person," says Mirren.

This brings us to the essence of Mirren's approach to any performance. In her Queen, she explores the depth of human emotion: humor, compassion, sadness, doubt, resignation, leadership, and great strength. We see the depth of Helen Mirren as an actor and the kindness and respect with which she approached the Queen.

"There was one piece of early film, a simple little thing of about one minute of Elizabeth at about 12, getting out of a car and walking forward to shake someone's hand. I found it touching. I watched it over and over. The more I studied her, the more extraordinary she became as a person. She's not like Tony Blair, who's so forward. She's back within herself, but it's not a neurotic place or a confused place, it's a very steady place, quite a confident place. It's a place of incredible self-discipline--and then she steadily comes out from that point and that's the person I was constantly trying to fight my way towards," says Mirren.

We are moved watching the Queen, bound by tradition, pomp and circumstance, as she finally acknowledges that she's lost touch with what the people of her country are thinking and feeling.

The film causes us to reflect on how the life and death of the world's most famous young woman in 1997 forever changed the relationship between the monarchy, the government and the people of the United Kingdom.

THE QUEEN belongs to Helen Mirren. I am pretty sure HRH would be pleased.

Source Quotes & Images: Miramax Films Press Kit
Trailer:

On Ann Richards

"Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels."


After Richards lost the race to serve a second-term as Texas governor, someone asked her what she might have done differently had she known she was going to be a one-term governor, she grinned and said:

"Oh, I would probably have raised more hell."




“I'm really glad that your young people missed the Depression and missed the big war. But I do regret that they missed the leaders that I knew, leaders who told us when things were tough and that we'd have to sacrifice, and that these difficulties might last awhile. They brought us together and they gave us a sense of national purpose.”


Photos:
Texas State Library

On GREAT dream PRODUCTIONS

Hi great dreamers, this is Nancy. Welcome to my blog. I hope you'll find a bit of inspiration here. If you do, please post a comment. You know, I usually dream out loud at least once a week, sometimes more. With this in mind, please visit often. I look forward to hearing from you. Keep on dreaming!

On I Promise Africa & 9/11

"I made this film to keep my promise to the children I met on my first trip to Africa."
__Jerry A. Henry

Teach Me Again: Tina Turner & Elisa Feat

September brings a time of reflection. As many children return to school, far too many others face harsh realities in the only world they know. Take a look at this compelling music video with great dreamer, Tina Turner and Elisa Feat.

On America's Oldest Teenager

"Before I had my stroke I was thinking about all of (the) things I've been involved with all of my life - music, comedy, drama, even talk shows, even reality TV. And I realized that I have accomplished my childhood dream to be in show business. Everybody should be so lucky to have their dreams come true."__Dick Clark, 2006 Emmy Awards


AP Photo Credit:Chris Carlson

On Peace

There's a beautiful documentary called Women of Tibet: Gyalyum Chemo-The Great Mother airing around the country on PBS, first shown at Telluride Film Festival in 2006, the film has been on American Public Television since Mother's Day. Filmmaker Rosemary Rawcliffe explores archetypal energy and influence in a portrait of Dekyi Tsering, the 14th Dalai Lama's mother and The Great Mother of the Tibetan nation. Rosemary's second film in her Women of Tibet trilogy, Incense Broken--Country Lost chronicles the events of 1959 when more than 15,000 Tibetan Women joined together in an extraordinary peaceful uprising against the Chinese Communist forces. 47 years later in a world increasingly being torn asunder, it's worth reflecting on both the strength of the human spirit and the power peace has in bringing together an entire country in exile.

To view trailers of Rosemary's films, Click-On the blog title above: On Peace
Artwork Image Copyright © 2004 Frame of Mind Films. All rights reserved.

On Marilyn

"I used to think as I looked out on the Hollywood night, 'There must be thousands of girls sitting alone like me, dreaming of becoming a movie star. But I'm not going to worry about them. I'm dreaming the hardest."

It's hard to believe Marilyn Monroe's been gone 44 years, found dead, lying across her bed in the nude, phone in one hand, and empty pill bottles strewn about. I remember hearing this news that Sunday morning August 5, 1962 as my Father drove us along a narrow road on Sanibel Island, one of my favorite spots off Florida's Gulf Coast. It was a beautiful sunny day, no one in the car commented, I remember feeling a sense of loss.

What's remains true about her films today as much as yesterday---when Marilyn was good, she was very very good. Another cultural icon forever emblazoned in our memory.

On I Wake Up Screening

What to Do Once You've Made That Movie by industry veterans film critic John Anderson and publicist Laura Kim needs to be absorbed long before a filmmaker makes their first or next movie.

Filled with tips and do's & don'ts from more than 60 insiders and several hot filmmakers, there's a few things that became clear to me right off:

1) no single person harbors all the answers
2) the competition is fierce
3) quality films deserve a better shot than they're getting
4) never alienate NY Times Critic Manohla Dargis
(translation: know how each journalist works, how to approach them, and spell their name right)
5) cultivate link(s) to respected industry contact(s) who love your film

Chapter 1: Evaluating Your Film Is It Too Late Now?

"If God wanted us to sell ourselves, he wouldn't have given us agents, publicists, advisors, or evangelists. That's because no one is the best judge of their own work. That's why writers have editors, to tell us where we've gone wrong (and tell us, and tell us)."

Hmm. Now back to my novel writing!

P.S. Thanks to local SF publicist and industry veteran Karen Larsen for steering me to this gem of a book!

On Critics & Love, Janis

SF Chronicle Theatre Critic Rob Hurwitt's Love, Janis review appeared in Tuesday morning's DATEBOOK Section. Of course I was looking for this review on DATEBOOK's front page but it ended up inside---for some reason, I figure Joplin deserved the front page in lieu of space given to Pearl Jam's first concert in 8 years or maybe scale back the art review of Quilts by Gees Bend to at least start Hurwitt's Love, Janis review on the front page. Anyhoo, Hurwitt gave a nice critical review overall though was disappointed in the second act. He did not mention the guitar player's bobbing head distraction--but then again, Hurwitt is a working critic with a critic's approach and perspective.

I sent Hurwitt a note with my 2 cents from seeing two preview shows (see 7/15 blog below) and a link to my blog. Here's our email correspondence:

Nancy to Rob Hurwitt:

Don't think it's a matter of topping the first act with the second act, I think overall the second act reveals an at-a-glimpse steady decline of what was happening in Joplin's life just as the play does all around. Theatrically, the format is no more unpredictable than most musical productions, that it's told entirely through her own words placing signature songs in just the right spot to illustrate her emotions in that moment proves perfect. We see her child-like exuberance in the beginning wane as she discovers the reality rock stardom life brings. She is bone tired, strung-out, and lonely. That Myler and company help us leave the theatre embracing her memory and message to "Get It While You Can" is nothing less than brilliant.

Rob Hurwitt to Nancy:

Thanks. Good to hear from someone who enjoyed the show more than I did. I've already heard from a few on the other side of the aisle: Waste of time, boring, nothing like the REAL Janis etc. Fortunately, my own memories of Janis in concert -- at the Avalon, in the parks, in Monterey etc -- remain vivid enough for me to stand by my evaluation of the singing (though the band was tighter than I ever remember Big Brother being, except at Monterey). On the other hand, I was disappointed in the second act. Dramatically, I didn't think it did much in terms of portraying the post-Big Brother period and the conflict between what she was achieving musically and how her life was falling apart. The format became pretty tiresome (why not mix it up a bit? Maybe two songs in a row, or a change in the spoken material presentation?). And I didn't feel I was getting more inside the character but rather that, as in life, Janis was becoming more guarded and we were getting more shut out.

Enjoyed your review, though. And, as I said in my review, when the show is hot I think it's really hot.

P.S. You can read Robert Hurwitt's Review by clicking on the blog title.

On Love, Janis

Run---don't walk---to see San Francisco's official premiere of Love, Janis! on Sunday Night July 16th at the Marines Memorial Auditorium! You can love Janis Joplin or not, what matters is the sheer mastery of bringing her music and story to our attention again in this magical creative theatre experience! The delightful Morgan Hallett portrays Janis via letters written home, interview responses and her down-to-earth philosophy on life as two amazing singing artists, Katrina Chester and Cathy Richardson, thrill us with Janis in concert---The combination proves staggering in performance, heart and soul. Just as Joplin lived life on an emotional roller coaster ride, this tribute places context around her trying to simply live being true to herself. That Joplin found herself upon arrival in San Francisco seems an understatement---joyfully, Joplin realizes she's no longer an outsider. From "Haight Ashbury's first pin-up girl" to making sure she doesn't "end up as the poor man's Cher," we share in her pure girlish glee at discovering herself and San Francisco. Through her words and music, Love, Janis offers a glimpse into the final four years of Joplin's life. All three performers embody the spirit of Janis Joplin in their own unique style while drawing upon the nuances we remember about this iconic rock star. Watching Hallet show us the raw emotional depth and fierce intellect of Joplin along the way is a joy. And I caught both Chester and Richardson on alternating preview nights, they rotate performances due to the sheer exertion it takes to embrace Joplin in concert. I liked them both for different reasons and one a bit more in delivery than the other.My only distraction was the stage left guitarist's bobbing head. At first, I thought he was acting out one of the 'Big Brother' band members but he continued his same head bobbing through the 'Kozmic Blues'band change and into her third band. The set design and lighting work in an amazing theatrical adaptation of Joplin's story from director Randal Myler. The music rocks down to your bones just like it should! "Get up off your asses!" Janis shouted at us from the stage---and we did!

On Janis Joplin

Love, Janis is in previews here. Finally. Some friends just saw the show in dress rehearsal, loved it. Mayor Newsom proclaimed July 7 Janis Joplin Day in San Francisco since it's here where Joplin's career exploded in 1967 down at Monterey.Big Brother played all around the Bay Area thanks to Bill Graham. They were often booked along with blues & rock legends like Muddy Waters, Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, and QuickSilver Messenger Service.
The first time I heard Janis Joplin was on my roommate's old "Hi Fi" in college, so it had to be awhile after Monterey when Columbia picked up Big Brother and released Cheap Thrills---I kept my vinyl: Cheap Thrills, 'Kozmic Blues', and Pearl.
What I didn't know until yesterday is that Joplin was an art major, drawing through high school and a bit at UT in Austin before dropping out to sing. The Hotel Monaco hosted an art show this weekend of her work and that of Grace Slick's. I always loved Grace Slick's singing voice, when she stopped singing, Slick picked up a paint brush. She's paid homage to her friend Janis with multiple portraits. There were wonderful vintage concert posters, album covers, the feather boas Joplin wore onstage and on the cover of Pearl. I sort of teared up when standing in front of the Cheap Thrills framed print, a feeling of nostalgia no doubt. I enjoyed reading the scribbles Joplin wrote about her subjects, she was intelligent with a great sense of humor. And some of her letter excerpts help give a perspective of a young woman who wanted to do something big---and she did. For reasons we'll never understand in the big scheme of things, living her great dream lasted only a few short years. More on Love, Janis after I see the show next week!

On Edge of Outside . . . TCM Looks at Indie Filmmakers

Turner Classic Movies presents a documentary saluting indie filmmakers who work(ed) on the edge of Hollywood. The month long festival starts today July 5th and features such film greats as Arthur Penn and John Cassavettes.

Lily Tomlin On July 4

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Lily Tomlin remains one of the most brilliant storytellers in the world, JMO. Here's a funny creative clip off her official web site. Click Here To View Video

On Lloyd Richards . . . American Theatre Pioneer

Lloyd Richards, one of the most influential pioneers and champions of American Theatre died last Thursday on his 87th birthday. Richards brought the works of unknown writers Lorraine Hansbury and August Wilson to Broadway. He nurtured Wendy Wasserstein and Christopher Durang among others. Richards served as Dean of the Yale School of Drama, artistic director of Yale Repertory Theater and the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center in Connecticut. He lived his great dream doing what he loved doing and helping others realize their own great dreams. (Photo Don Hogan Charles, NY Times)

On Gone With The Wind

Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind was published by MacMillan 70 years ago today. A year later in 1937, Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize. Note: The title is taken from the 1st line, 3rd stanza of an Ernest Dowson poem."Nom sum qualis eram bonae sub regno Cynare": "I have forgot much Cynara! gone with the wind." I remember staying up all night reading GWTW as a kid and never wanting the story to end. Later, I attended the same college not far from Atlanta as Aunt Pitypat had---in her day, it was called LaGrange Female Academy."Mitchell sold the film rights to David O. Selznick for a reported $50,000 and later received another $50,000. Gone With The Wind premiered on December 15, 1939 in Atlanta, Mitchell attended the opening. The film won 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture. I think it was around 1998 or 99 when the film was re-released on the big screen, it is the only way to watch this epic version of an even more wonderful epic novel. In 1947, Margaret Mitchell was crossing Atlanta's Peachtree Street and fatally hit by a car. I always think of her when travelling along Peachtree Street.

Dilbert On Oprah

Click on Title Above To View Dilbert On Oprah

On Can't Wait to Get to Heaven

Find a porch, a comfortable rocker or glider, pour yourself a tall glass of ice tea with a sprig of mint in it and breeze through Fannie Flagg's new book this summer. You can always depend on Flagg to weave a wonderful story of wit and charm told through the Southern voice. From the author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man, and Welcome to the World, Baby Girl . . . I can't wait to get a copy of Can't Wait to Get to Heaven!

On Cinema Paradiso

Watch for the re-release of Cinema Paradiso this summer. Originally released in 1989, this version has new footage. A sweet delightful film for any movie lover with great dreams:

On An Inconvenient Truth

Thanks to producer Laurie David and company for helping Al Gore bring this message to all of us, quite simply our planet will not continue to sustain the number of people living here:

On Making Quincenera . . .2006 Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner

A year before the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, Quincenera didn't exist. It's pretty amazing what can happen in one year! Now a Sundance Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award winner, this small feature film makes it's theatrical release in August thanks to Sony Classic Pictures!

See the highlights below from a recent article by Peter Bowen in IFP's Filmmaker Magazine about how Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland made Quincenera.Info shared by the film's producer Anne Clements is also included. (Todd Haynes is Exec Producer by the way). All involved are experienced filmmakers who wanted to break-out and do their own indie film.

For all indie filmmakers seeking to bring-in a low-budget film shot on HD, take a look at the full article or read through the entire Spring magazine. The cover feature interview with Robert Altman is great and Altman shot A Prairie Home Companion using 3 HD cameras.

Since I am doing some early PR/communications work for filmmakers of a low-budget indie film being shot on HD with 2 cameras, I just heard about some of the behind-the-scenes production-related panic around filming in HD---the early raw footage of this particular film shoot is gorgeous, I attribute this to the cinematographer and the HD experience even though not much about HD is standard at the moment. I thought the info below might be of interest to others in your quest to make a low-budget feature under $1M.

Here's some keypoints on the filmmakers' approach to Quincenera & their production budget:

• developed a film style and language appropriate to the story & budget
• thought of movie as a doc with scripted performances
• mimicked a real home video of a quincenera shot-for-shot
  
• used the British "Kitchen Sink" drama model (poetic realism) and influence of Ozu's style
  
• wanted to shoot film fast and light with some improvisation
• made it very local - shot on location "under the radar" in Echo Park
  
• used non-union/non-professional actors, friends of cast were extras
  
• experienced the "makings" of a Quincenera through their neighbors in Echo Park
• knew investors who were likely to fund their movie - (immigrants, made their fortunes, into the family aspects of the story)
  
• got a handshake deal without a script ($300K)
  
• shooting budget $38oK
• wrote the script in 3 weeks
• completed within 1 year
  
• overall budget after: postproduction/film transfer, Sundance/Berlin festival expenses (w/cast travel) landed at $700K
  
• 60-person crew (everyone Clement's "adored") - non-union/union working outside normal classifications ---> gave more responsibility --- it was a 'young' crew
  
• Fed them well/threw great kick-off party and wrap party
• Everyone worked for $100 - $150/day
• Long shoot-days: 6-day weeks for 3 weeks
• Crew and non-Sag Actors interview process: "If you don't like the script, don't do the movie."
• Major problems/reworks with HD postproduction workflow -- find a house that has mastered the HD workflow process
• Distributors at Sundance: did not know how to market/position the film - 3 weeks after Sundance, Sony Pictures Classics bought it
• If their next film does not bring a large enough budget for them to live on, the filmmakers will probably be back making another "Kitchen Sink" movie
  

On Coming Home

It's Memorial Day. The front page of the SF Chronicle heralds Barry Bonds 715th Home Run surpassing Babe Ruth's 714th, this story pretty much consumes the entire page with a nice large color photo of Bonds. Two side story headlines read "Revering those lost to wars" and "Iraqis flee as killings increase" while a third story covers the second part in a series on school resegregation in San Francisco. Turner Classic Movies is showing a classic WWII film called The Longest Day with an all-star cast including Henry Fonda, John Wayne, Peter Lawford and a host of other top-rated actors from this generation.

In contrast, here's a trailer from Coming Home, a film that depicts the effects of another war that we did not need to fight. Released in 1978, Coming Home was produced by Jerome Hellman, directed by the late Hal Ashby with a screenplay by the once blacklisted Waldo Salt. Coming Home proved to be a labor of love by all involved in the production. Jane Fonda, Jon Voight, and Waldo Salt (original screenplay from a story by Nancy Dowd) won Academy Awards.

On Sunset Boulevard

The first time I saw Sunset Boulevard years ago was on"Saturday Night At The Movies." It took a few more years before one of my dreams came true and I made that first drive out Sunset Boulevard. Gloria Swanson played Norma Desmond an aging (50) and once shining star now forgotten and cast aside by the Hollywood system. Interesting that Sunset Boulevard came out in 1950 and I am pretty sure Swanson made her own brief 'comeback' with this film at the age of 50. I've always loved William Holden---never thought of him as a great actor, maybe because it came easily to him, he was a great star and enjoyable to look at on screen. Holden made some wonderful films in the 50's, among them another favorite, Born Yesterday. Take a look at the Sunset Boulevard trailer:



I loved Andrew Lloyd Weber's musical Sunset and feel lucky to have seen the original London production with Patti Lupone. Lloyd Weber fired Lupone later and replaced her with Betty Buckley. Buckley must have been an amazing Norma--- on my next trip to London, I bought tickets to see it again, unfortunately Betty Buckley's stand-in played the role so I never got to see her in "Sunset." Did get to multiple Betty Buckley concerts where she performed two or three of the shows signature songs---stunning.

On Magic . . . never believe it's not so!

<----Click on the movie screen. Magic seems to be everywhere. I am constantly amazed by the creative spirit. Take a look at this Starburst comprised of 81 parachute canopies. Enjoy!