The "Dreamgirls" sang! And it was fabulous....it was the movie come to life in a way that was even more exciting. Live theatre. Nothing like it! And of course, it was no real surprise when Jennifer Hudson won her well deserved Best Supporting Oscar.....
It is interesting to contemplate this: The part of "Effie" is not really a supporting role. It is one of the 'leads', as was Eddie Murphy's part, too....but the Producers of a film decide what actors they want to submit for nomination and in what category to submit each actor or actress...and this was the choice, and the perfect choice in a year when you have Dame Helen Mirren playing "The Queen".
Talk about a strong and brilliant performance. Well in truth, both these women were perfect in their parts, and if they had been pitted against each other, that would have been very difficult and a different situation, entirely. I don't know what the rules actually are on what makes a "supporting" performance over a "lead" performance, but the producers of "Dreamgirls" were very smart to do what they did! How wonderful that this fantastically talented young woman won this coveted award considering she lost on American Idol.....Good for her!
And the above gentleman's performance was superb! "The Last King Of Scotland" is a scary movie in a lot of ways and rightfully so, given that we are talking about Idi Amin....Forrest Whitaker embodied the character of Idi Amin, completely and scarily. He was that man in all his many faces and moods and craziness.....a brilliant brilliant performance....
His speech was inspired and I loved that I caught this moment of the audience, and in particular, Clint Eastwood, Cate Blanchette, Peter O'Toole..(eight nominations...no wins....oy...) And the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award winner Sherry Lansing listening to Forrest Whitaker as he spoke of this historic moment in his life and career, and in an oblique way, how far we have come.Here is one of my favorite moments in this years show...I loved the film tributes directed by some of our most esteemed directors, particularly the 50 Year Tribute to Foreign Films, which was introduced by two of the great treasures of foreign films. The very talented and attractive superb actor from Japan, Ken Watanabe, who's most recent perfomance in a 2006 nominated picture "Letters From Iwo Jima" was simply perfect and extremely moving.
And joining him in introducing this wonderful tribute to Fifty Years Of Academy Award Winning Foreign Films was probably the most beautiful woman to ever grace the stage of the Oscars or anyplace else on earth for that matter, as well as being an International Star for over 40 years. From France, the great and still incredibly stunning beauty, Catherine Deneuve, who was nominated in the Best Actress category for her performance in "Indochine". This very beautiful film won the Best Foreign Language Film for 1992-1993. 
This a a gorgeous gorgeous movie. If you have never seen it, it is an absolute must! It is rentable...It is one of the great great films of our time. So you see history stood on the stage at The Kodak Theatre. Everywhere you looked, there was History.....For me, this kind of tribute, the Foreign Film Tribute I mean, along with the previously mentioned writer's tribute in my first Oscar post, is what the Oscars are all about. It's not about 'the red carpet', for me. You have to remember that I have been listening to, YES, 'listening' to the Oscars since 1943 when they were first broadcast on network radio....and then later 'watching', when they came to network television in 1953....and the red carpet as we know it did not even exist back then. That is a more recent phenomenom.
So, I have been hooked on 'the show' since 1943, when I sat glued to the radio, thrilled to be hearing all of these magical memorable people who were responsible for the movie experiences I was having in those darkened theatres. You have no idea how incredible it was to me to be hearing their voices right there in our living room. Sitting in the dark, in a big yet cozy movie theatre, losing myself in the wonder of these very thrilling images that appeared just for me---that is how it felt---that it was just for me, was more meaningful to me than you will ever know. And as I have said before, the movies saved my life. As a young person growing up and being able to escape into the world of make-believe with these huge images projected on the screen....this is what drew me to the Awards show, and that is what still draws me to this GrandDaddy of all Awards shows.
And then as a grown person and being part of 'the business' and learning first hand how hard it is to make a movie.....and to make a great and memorable film....Well, to make a really really fine movie----that is almost a miracle. So, my respect for all these artists---and they are artists believe me, who make this magic happen---the sound, the make-up, the editing, the cinematography, the music etc., etc., etc.----my respect for these people knows no bounds. I applaud all these artists and revere them, too. Without all of them and their skills and their artistry there would be no movie! Honoring them once a year in this incredible happening called The Oscars is a thrilling thing to watch. So, in the end for me, it is all about 'the movies'. It is the final result of all the hard hard work and talent that puts these images up there on the screen that is truly meaningful to me. That's what I get off on, and I always have, and without a doubt, I always will till the day I die.....!
And here above is the payoff for years and years of fine talented work. The payoff for creating memorable lasting artistry. The payoff for touching millions of people by devoting yourself to a passion more palpable than any other in your life. And the payoff, finally, of having your peers say, "Well done Marty, well done."And below, the three giants of this industry who stood on the stage with Scorsese, to share in the joy of this moment....
These four men are 'the elders' now. Scorsese, Coppola, Lucas and Spielberg. What a historic moment to have these four gentlemen standing together on The Oscar 2006-07 stage. These men, who have been responsible for more important and memorable films of the 20th and 21st Century than any other four people working in films today. Between them, they have racked up 37 Oscar nominations and 10 wins. Coppola has won five of these statues, Spielberg two, Scorsese now as of Sunday, one, and Spielberg and Lucas each have recieved The Irving Thalberg Memorial Award from The Academy....Yes, history was made on Sunday night at the Kodak Theatre and believe you me, it wasn't on the red carpet....
There is more....yes, there is....and I will post part three next time....
Definitely More To Come.....
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One of the helicopters circling the wagons today had this flowing behind it for all to see.....A message that I happen to agree with....Not a political statement, but a human statement.Here is the Blimp for this year.....last year it was very colorful and kind of decorated in abstract images.....This year, as you can see below, it's "business" as usual, lest we forget who sponsers these beautiful blimps....And by the way, it's not just for show....There are camera's on the blimp for those overhead pictures of the festivities at The Kodak Theatre and the surrounding area....Can you see those cables hanging down....? Must be for the needed broadcast signal....
You do see them, don't you? They are hanging down from the front...and it looks like they are attached right there at that little nipple. I'm pretty sure they have something to do with those signals......but I would love to know, for sure.....
I mean, it is 'up there' high in the sky, as you can see....And you can also see how bizarro the weather was here today....I really thought it might rain, but it didn't, well, not here in Hollywood anyway, but it certainly looked quite threatening though the sun kept trying to come on out....And, it was 'cold' again....And I use the term in a relative way. Cold for here. (lol)
As we got closer to the gathering of 'the Stars', this is what La Brea Avenue looked like with all the arriving limo's This is actually a close-up of some of the traffic....
I thought it was interesting that you can see the sun trying to come out, here and there....You see that one little patch towards the top of the picture right in the center?
Okay. Enough of this pre-pre pre show....
On to the meat of the afternoon, almost evening....!
The meat being "The Oscar Show" itself. I loved it. I felt it had a warm and loving 'family' feeling about it and that it was very classy, too. 
I thought that Ellen DeGeneres was terrific! She set the tone for that warm 'family' feeling that continued throughtout the show for me, and I laughed out loud a lot, which is unusual for me with a show like this....Also, I am easily moved by the Oscars....I get very emotional, you know? And there were any number of times I was moved to tears....
In fact it began for me right at the top of the show....I loved that little film of all the nominees---it was funny and endearing and was a great way to begin the show and then having all the nominees stand up there in the theatre as the audience applauded....Oh, I found that very moving....
There were many moments for me, not the least of which was Alan Arkin winning the Best Supporting Actor Award....
Well deserved on every level. Yes, that performance in "Little Miss Sunshine" was fabulous, but here is an actor that has never given a bad performance and the last time he was nominated was over 40 years ago....He did not win then. But he won tonight and his speech was truly moving to me, too. Times like that, that moment of his speech, it makes me feel so proud to be a small part of a profession where people care so very much about what they do and how they do it, and who bring so much intelligence and heart to their work....Mr. Arkin is a perfect example of the marriage of talent and a caring heart mixed with a fierce intelligence. I was thrilled that he won tonight.
Moving on....I very much enjoyed the number with Jack Black, Will Farrell and John C. Reilly....It made a point that is true---Comedy performances rarely if ever win Oscars----and the point was made with humor...(laugh out loud humor....!)
Plus, I loved the idea of including the different nominees for us visually, as well as lyrically, like Peter O'Toole and Mark Walhberg, and of course particularly Helen Mirren, who the three guys were pointing at here.....
And she loved it, too, as did her very talented husband Taylor Hackford...two such incredibly talented people....Isn't this just Helen Mirren's year....three wins.....I think it is fabulous....(More about that later....)And were these two little people cute or what? (I loved that the orchestra played "Short People" to play them on....)
For those of you who do not watch any television or/or do not go see movies, these darlings are, Abigale Breslin from "Little Miss Sunshine"...(She is Little Miss Sunshine in the film of the same name and was nominated for Best Supporting Actress....), and he is the son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith---Jaden Christopher Smith, who is in "The Pursuit Of Happyness" with his father....They were, in a word, adorable tonight! Well okay, two words...Absolutely Adorable!
Another favorite section for me was the short film put together by Nancy Meyers, ("Something's Gotta Give"...Writer/Director) showing the process through film, that writer's go through more often than not....It was very clever and funny.....I loved all the clips....
Starting with the typewriter itself----which is what people use to write on before the computer, for those of you too young to remember---well, if they didn't write by hand, of course....
And Nicholas Cage as the alcoholic writer in "Leaving Las Vegas"..(Among many semi-and not so semi-alcoholic writers as played by a host of wonderful actors in the clips she used...).
And I loved that one of the very last images was the last page of her screenplay for "Something's Gotta Give", (a movie I absolutely loved....) and I also loved that Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton who starred in this delightful film were the two presenters tonight for The Best Picture Award....and again for those that live a sheltered life, "The Departed" won this last award of the night...and it was a great great moment.
I was thrilled to catch this special gesture from Speilberg to Scorsese when they announced that "The Departed" had won...This fabulous news followed probably the most exciting moments of the night when Scorsese finally won his Best Director Oscar! Hooray, Hooray.....
(I am very very tired and though there is much more to my Oscar Post....I will have to continue part two, next time....forgive me, but it is going on 3:40am, here....also if there are spelling errors, etc...do forgive me that, too....Thanks In Advance.....)
More To Come......
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It was a beautiful clear cold day today, with beautiful cloud formations....cold, except when in the sun....then it felt lovely and warm....In this picture above I'm looking South and that straightaway roadway in the distance is La Brea Avenue....more on that a little later.....On a day like today, when I look out my windows I see things I don't normally see, and I find that very exciting....like the mountains in the background in the picture below, right in the center of the picture...this is looking East, and a little bit South....
Usually, because of the 'smog', those mountains are not visible, at all....Even in this picture they are not exactly clearly visible....yes, they used to be more so...but I was happy to look out and see that they were there, at all....seeing them is getting rarer and rarer I'm sorry to say!
Here's a bit of a closer look...what I love about where I live is, when it is really clear, you get to see the layers of mountains...there's that first one that's pretty far away, but in comparison to the one behind it, it looks close...and the mountain behind it really is far away.....Sunday being the Academy Awards, and because The Kodak so close to me, I was aware today that the Helicopters have begun circling more than usual....
And I realized I could see really far looking south....so below is a closer look at the helicopter, but more important, a closer look at the view....you can actually see Long Beach in the distance over on the lower left side of the picture.....
And I thought it would be fun to go in closer if possible, so here below you can actually see the bridge in Long Beach....and this is really far away, believe me....
Long Beach is where the Queen Mary is permanently docked....It is a big tourist attraction and it is also a place where local people can go have dinner, stay overnight, get married, etc., and a special place to go when celebrating an Anniversary or Birthday....
And while we are on close-ups, here is downtown Los Angeles from my deck on this very very pretty and rather clear day.....
And just to give you some perspective...below is another picture of downtown, not in close-up.....
Beautiful clouds today....and they never looked really threatening, just pretty.
And here below is a closer look at La Brea Avenue about 2:45 in the afternoon. Traffic here is amazing, isn't it?
And below, just a bit of a closer look at all that traffic....La Brea is a very very busy street because coming up La Brea, towards me, is one of the main ways of getting to the 101 Freeway, sometimes called The Hollywood Freeway....and today it was probably a bit worse because so many streets are already closed off because of the Academy Award preperations.....
This section of La Brea that is closest to me will be very interesting on Sunday afternon with all the people trying to get to The Kodak Theatre for the Awards....Lots of Limo's.....I will take some more pictures....
More To Come.....
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Here are some pictures of beautiful flowers. In the Cactus world, many of the flowers are considered unusual because people don't even expect them to flower at all, let alone be beautiful....But beautiful and different, they are. Above, and below, examples of the very very unusual.....
This past blooming season, there were probably about 800 or more flowers on this plant....In this picture above you can see a cluster of these flowers in different stages of their life, from just beginning to full growth to drying up and dying....Here below we see one single flower wide open...yes, that's as open as it gets...And of course the second flower is still making it's way to full growth. The color is this rich vivid crimson to deep shocking pimk.
These are the flowers that I call, 'the penis flowers'...I probably shouldn't ever have nicknamed them this because then that's all anyone can think about when they see them...The plant itself, is a species of the Cleistocactus, but I am not completely sure which one. I think it is Cleistocactus strausii, but I am not absolutely sure. But whatever it's exact name is, I think this is a gorgeous example of Cacti self protection. And, it is to me, a very beautiful beautiful plant....
Yes, this is that fantastic plant that is near the Yucca Rostrata's. Look at the design of this plant....it is so perfect, includimg the fuzz that protects it from extreme heat. And if you look closely at the picture just before this one, you can see the long 'stickers', with the slightly tan and very sharp ends that come out from the shaft...more protection from preditors and such....
When I think of what this looked like when I first got it, it is almost unbelievable. It was in a little teeny tiny rectangular pot. There were two stalks which were each about three inches high. That was all. And al the branches that you see above, came from those two little stalks.
And that was almost 20 years ago. Now the picture over on the left was taken about 4 or 5 years later....and by then there were...what.....6 stalks or branches? So it was multiplying and growing up, all at the same time. As you can see, in that picture, even though it had grown quite a bit, it was still very small. By the time of this picture, the tallest arm was about a foot high....And when you look at the picture above you can see how much this plant has grown over the years....When I stand next to it, many of the arms are a lot taller than me, and I am 5'4" and shrinking!
Here is a close-up of some of those branches, again, filled with flowers in different stages of their life-cycle....
And in the background, of course, those wonderful Yucca Rostrata's....Incidentally, there are many many Yucca species....Rostrata is just one of maybe 100 or more....There are wild Yucca's growing all over these hills here in Los Angeles by the way, and they flower with big clusters of beautiful off-white blossoms....My Yucca's have not ever bloomed, as yet. But you can be sure you will read about it here, when they do bloom! (lol)Below, is another picture of these amazing red flowers on this lovely fuzzy Cleistocactus plant....
And you can see that the whole top section is a slightly different color than just underneath it....that whole top part is all the new growth for the year....And in fact, that is often how one can tell the age of certain plants----by counting the sections of growth starting at the bottom.....Gee, I so love the look of this plant.....it is so sculptural, as are most cactus and succulant plants. I think that is what always attracted me to them....they are natures 'works of art'.
And above, another shot of these luminescent flowers....the detail of the design is fascinating to me....and then that one little stamin coming out as if reaching for the light and the sun. The Hummingbirds love these flowers and it is glorious to watch them stick their beaks right into the flower and drink the sweet sweet necter....The magic of nature, once again.....
More To Come.....
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Yucca Rostrata's are to me a very elegant and unusual plant. They are especially beautiful when they have had a 'haircut'. A haircut consists of cutting back the bottom leaves so that the heads have an upward look...these above are really almost ready for a small haircut....I love these plants and have about ten of these throughtout my garden....Here below, is how these three looked back in 1986 when they were planted....It's not a very good picture, but I'm thrilled to have any kind if a record of their growth....
This was very early on in the planting of my garden...and you can see what I mean about the 'haircut'. And look how small these three are....!And below, another view, a little later on----maybe about a year later---and as you can see, much more is planted and these Rostrata's are really getting established.
And as the years have gone on, many changes have taken place in this front bed....Things were moved. Some things were stolen right out of the ground....Yes! One day I came out and nine plants had been ripped out of the ground in the front....It was pretty devistating. But the Rostrata's have thrived and stayed very healthy and beautiful.
This picture above, is a few years later...Again, not a great picture, but it is a record of what the garden looked like at that time. The Rostrata's are growing...and as they grow the reach for the sun and so though they were planted on an angle, by this time they are beginning to show themselves straighening up to the sun....Amazing!
Here they are above, a few years later, having almost completely straighened themselves as they grow towards the sun....And they get full sun all day here in this bed....And talk about growth....You see those two pale gray fuzzy guys on either side of the Yucca's....well, they are huge now...as you will see....After about five years I noticed a strange little spindly thingy growing out of the ground to one side of one of the Rostrata's....I wasn't sure, but it looked like it might be a 'baby' off of one of the bigger plants....Here it is below, in close-up, as it looked back in 1990-91....
And here below, a little farther away, so you can see it in context....
Isn't it cute? And if you go back to two pictures before this, you can see how much it had grown by the time of that picture....and by the time I took that particular picture it was big enough already to have it's first haircut!
And below, a closer look at this burgeoning baby....haircut, and all....
This is a fairly slow growing plant....And I do think these dears are very happy here. And because it is kind of a perfect environment for them, they have thrived and certainly grown faster than they would in a pot!
And here, above, are those three and the 'baby'...somewhat bigger.... and you can just see the 'baby' behind the tall yucca on the left, no doubt, it's Mama----the biggest and tallest plant of the three Rostrata's.....
Then we skip quite a few years, and here below, is that 'baby', today....
I actually went and measured it today just to see how tall it really is and going from the deepest part at the bottom to the top, it isn't even three feet tall, and, it is over fifteen years old....!
One doesn't see these plants in too many places. They are not easy to come by---they are propagated in Mexico and Texas---and if you want any kind of a semi-mature plant they are very expensive because they are so slow growing...The care and feeding of these lovely plants is time consuming for growers and especially because of the time they take to grow.
If any of you watch Ellen DeGeneres
you may have seen the show where a woman wrote to tell her that a plant that was sitting behind her looked like it was growing out of her head...this was a Yucca Rostrata in a pot that she had on the set. I had noticed there was something behind her, but I couldn't tell what it was till Ellen got up out of her chair, went right to the plant, and moved it over to the side....getting it out from behind her head.....It was, of course, obvious to me just what that plant was.....one of my beloved Yucca Rostrata's, in a pot....and it was just about as big as my 'baby'.
This picture over on the left is something I found on the net...I was looking for a picture of one showing this wonderful plant in a pot, to illustrate the point about Ellen DeGeneres and how it could look like it was growing out of her head....lol!
Some would say I am rather obsessed with my garden and the plants that grow here....maybe I am. But it is an obsession that has given me so much pleasure----and many other people pleasure, too----and it is something that seems so very positive to me-----to help living things grow....to nurture them and even at times seemingly ignore them in a benign way, of course, and in spite of this benign neglect they grow and thrive, anyway....There is a lesson here of some sort....I'm not sure what it is, but I know what I have just said is true.
Remember one of those small gray fuzzy things in that earlier picture? You can just see the tops of two of the many arms on this fantastic plant and it is very very tall now....(It's the one that has what I call 'the penis flowers', which you can sort of see in silouette...more of them at another time).
One last picture of this little patch of land filled with such great beauty....taken on a different day than the one above, and lightened so you can see more.....
I am going to leave this post up a little longer than usual...it took me all day and half the night to do this one....I need a rest....lol!
More To Come......
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It was such a gorgeous day today, warm and sunny and beautiful. So I went down into my garden below my house and took a good look around. I saw so many beautiful things....like in that picture above....these flowers are blooming all over the hill right now....they bloom on a succulant that kind of grows like a weed, and the flowers are in such abundence right now, you can't even see the plant itself.
Here above is another shot of some of those flowers and a number of other lovely plants that are thriving right now....In the background is that wonderful mountain with those favorite trees of mine....(more about them later....)...and beyond that is Century City and beyond that, the Pacific Ocean.A few people asked about "George"...and so here is an update on him, in the picture below. You can see there are quite a few buttons and then some 'nubs' already doing their thing, too....this all began in January....
So dear George, who is actually not down below but out in front of my house, is once again doing his flower thingy, which if you remember, takes a good nine months usually, from the very beginning to the opening of the fruit....here below is a close-up of a few little nubs as of today.
For those of you who followed this 'happening' last year, as you can see we are still in the very early stages of this fantastic magical process.....
Just down a bit from George on the left as you face my house is this enormous Euphorbia Amak Verigated also right out front on the street near the sidewalk....
It is full with flowers on the top arms right now and these little flowers attract the bees....lots and lots and lots of bees....I will be taking more pictures of this phenomenom, maybe later today or tomorrow.
Returning to the garden underneath my house, here below is a picture of this gorgeous Euphorbia Medusa....
It is looking absolutely lush, lush, lush right now with this beautiful crown of little gorgeous yellow flowers....Another wonderful plant that is thriving, I'm happy to say....Just look at these stunning dear flowers...!
Standing near the Medusa, I looked up and took this shot....a long shot from a different perpspective looking at that mountain across from me with my dear sweet trees in the background and these two big Euphorbia's here in the foreground....on the left is an Ingens and on the right another Amak Verigated....
And then, here below are my trees in close-up....a daytime mid-day close-up and closer than usual because of my vantage point....
Oh my, I sure do love my garden....it is so filled with hope. Everywhere I look, there is hope. And it fills my heart with the beauty that is everywhere....everywhere that my eyes can see and observe and that I can then take into my being. Life is good.
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More flowers have opened, but this picture was before they opened of course. And as you can see, there are three flowers coming from this pod and the second pod has three blossoms, too...Very Very exciting. And here below is an overall picture of them as of yesterday, Valentines Day....
And as you can see on each of these pods, only two of the flowers have fully opened so far....(a closer look at one, below....)
And I think later today the third one on each of these flower pods will have opened....And as you can also see from the first picture, there are three other pods on their way....And here below is a close-up of one of those pods.....
And then in the picture below a closer look at one of the open blossoms from the side with a little of the second flower visible, too....I love this picture....
I think I love it because the folds of the blossom are so clear and velvety...and I love those little stamins...or is it pistols....Well, you know what I mean....Then here below is closer look at one of the other blossoms, head on, which is more the way we are used to seeing them in photographs...
I happen to speak to dear Earl H. yesterday...(He had sent these 6 bulbs to me for Christmas...) and asked him if he knew were all the flowers going to be this beautiful bright red, and he said 'yes', he believed they were....
Here is another view of the other open pod, again, with the third blossom not open yet.....
And below is a slightly differant angle of this group....I am just having the best time taking pictures of these gorgeous flowers....to be able to watch their progress I find incredibly magical, as I have said before....
And then here below....another close-up of one of these stunning blossoms, in all it's open beauty....I am continually reminded of the awesomeness of nature and all it has to teach us about everything....not the least of which is the amazing 'cycle of life'....
You can count on the fact that I will be following the progess of all these other pods which are in one stage or another of their growth....but meanwhile I am just savoring so much being able to look at these very special flowers and study their beauty to my hearts content....A privilage and a joy, too....
UPDATE ON UPDATE: Here is one of those pods with all three flowers open...! Beautiful, indeed.....!
And I apologize for having to put on Word Verification....too much spam recently....Thanks for understanding....
More To Come, For Sure
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A Very Happy Valentines Day To One And All. May your day be filled with lots of hugs and kisses and Oodles and Oodles of love....
And, I hope it is filled with Flowers and Chocolate and anything else your heart desires.....but mostly, may it be filled with Ooodles and Oodles of.....
Yeah! You guessed it. And on top of that, I say more and more Oodles And Oodles of Chocolate please.....
And, after that, let's have a little bit of this.....
And then just to 'gild a little bit more of the lily'...let's have a bit more of this...!
Okay. So, enough of the Chocolates for the moment....How about a few more flowers?
So Here It Is, From My heart To Yours.....Have A Beautiful Huggable Loving Special Sweet Darling Grand Valentines Day......
Here is my Valentine Post from February 13th, 2006, where I talked about the first love of my life...For tgose who never saw this or for anyone who would like to read it again...pass your cursor over this whole paragraph and then "click", and then, scroll down to February 13th, 2006 and you will be able to read last year's Valentine's Post....More To Come......
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I watched the most wonderful hour and a half on PBS' "Independent Lens". It was a beautiful documentary about the great composer-arranger Billy Strayhorn. He was, for those who might not know, the composer of some of Duke Ellington's greatest songs and scores....And if you are unfamiliar with Duke Ellington, well....he was one of our greatest musicians, too, of the 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's....when his 'star' was up there with the likes of Benny Goodman, Count Basie and Artie Shaw, and in a class all his own I might add, and it was very much due to the wonderful unassuming amazing talent of Billy Strayhorn....
The songs? "Satin Doll", written by Strayhorn. "Lush Life", written by Strayhorn. "I Want Something To Live For", written by Strayhorn, to name just a few....this unsung musical genius who never really got the credit or money that he deserved, but that was Billy Strayhorn's and Duke Ellington's agreement...and for whatever reason, that's how it worked...This brilliant documentary really goes into depth about the relationship between these two men and their need for one another musically....which produced a huge number of very successful records and songs, recorded by many many people and heard still to this day.
You know, sometimes you live through things and even though you are young, you know you are witnessing something quite rare and special....regardless of the fact that you are not sure exactly all the circumstances that made it special. Yet, you know in your deepest deep that you have been witness to and moved by certain unexplainable things that only music can do---and these things stay with you for your whole life.In 1953, my third summer working at the Sea Cliff Summer Theatre, we did an 'original revival' production of the fabulous musical, "Cabin In The Sky", (Music by Vernon Duke, Lyrics by John La Touche (who was around for this production---a rare and wonderful thing, too....) In those days the accompiniment for these summer shows were just two pianos...and that's all....no drums no bass no other instruments because of the cost.
Doesn't sound like much, but, if the arrangements and the piano's are being played by two of the greatest musical arrangers/composers of the day----well, then you've got "magic". And we had "magic", with a capital M! The two piano's were played by Luther Henderson...one of the greatest of the great arranger/composers working with Duke Ellington and Lena Horne, plus his Broadway credits alone are unbelievable and incredibly impressive, including two coveted Toby Awards, I believe, and that other rare and special genius at the other piano was the brillint Billy Strayhorn. Meeting Luther that summer led me to V.A.M.P. Studio's in New York City, that fall, where one had the complete 'musical service' as a singer: Voice, (Richard Camillucci), Arrangements, (Luther H.), Music & Production, (Buster Newman)....thus VAMP...which just happens to also be a musical term, as I'm sure many of you know, like 'vamp till ready'...I have written about this wonderful place which played such an important part in my personal development a few times before on my blog....like here and here.
The arrangements for this summer revival production of "Cabin In The Sky" were Stunning! Exceptional! Unique! This was an 'all black' show, and I think it was the very first time that the arrangements were rendered by black talent. I can only tell you that you would have thought a whole orchestra was in the pit....an amazing feat, to say the least. It was my introduction to Billy Strayhorn and the sublime beauty of his talent, even when what he was doing was arranging someone elses music....But this was also my introduction to his music and lyrics....And by the way, he wrote "Lush Life" when he was sixteen years old. Sixteen! Such understanding and sophistication, my Lord! And though the credit for the lyrics to "Something To Live For" reads Duke Ellington, it was Strayhorn who wrote both, long before his association with Ellington began....but this 'credit for Ellington was part of the business arrangement the two had made, and it was not uncommon at all in those days, for this to happen....
Here are the Lyrics to this great great song, and it just happens to be one of my favorite songs of all time.....Verse:
I have almost ev'ry thing a human could desire,
Cars and houses, bear-skin rugs to lie before my fire
But there's something missing,
Something isn't there,
It seems I'm never kissing the one whom I care for.
Chorus:
I want Something To Live For
Someone to make my life an adventurous dream
Oh, what wouln't I give for
Someone who'd take my life and make it seem
gay as they say it ought to be.
Why can't I have love like that brought to me?
My eye is watching the noon crowds
searching the promenades seeking a clue
To the one who will someday be my
Something To Live For.
(The music for this very beautiful song is as complex and beautifully haunting as anything he ever wrote. Oh how I wish I knew how to put music on my blog....)
And here: The Lyrics to "Lush Life", written as I said, when Strayhorn was sixteen years old....talk about sophistication and understanding of the human heart....
I used to visit all the very gay places
Those come-what-may places
Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life --
To get the feel of life
From jazz and cocktails.
The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces
With distingue traces
That used to be there --
You could see where they'd been washed away
By too many through the day
Twelve o'clock tales
Then you came along with your siren song
To tempt me to madness...
I thought for a while that your poignant smile
Was tinged with the sadness...Of a great love for me.
Ah yes, I was wrong.
Again, I was wrong.
Life is lonely again,
And only last year, everything seemed so sure.
Now life is awful again,
A trough full of hearts could only be a bore.
A week in Paris will ease the bite of it
All I care is to smile in spite of it
I'll forget you, I will
While yet you are still
Burning inside my brain
Romance is mush
Stifling those who strive
I'll live a lush life in some small dive
And there I'll be, while I rot with the rest
Of those whose lives are lonely too.
Amazing! And the music is again complex and hauntingly beautiful...he knew and understood so very much....He was a true musical genius.
Billy Strayhorn died in 1967 at 51 years old from esophegal cancer. Such a terrible terrible loss. A true tragedy because we will never know what else he might have composed, had he lived.....And when I think that at the time I met him he was only 37 years old, and had already created so very much that has lasted and will continue to last as long as people love music.....
If you get a chance to see this really special documentary on Billy Strayhorn on PBS' "Independent Lens", you won't be sorry....Included in this 'in depth' documentary are some of the other great songs Billy Strayhorn wrote...with some spectacular artists singing them and playing them, too. Elvis Costello, for one and most particularly, Diane Reeves, who sings quite a few snatches of the Strayhorn 'Canon'....If you are a lover of Music and particularly Jazz of that period in our history, this is not only an informative and faithful account of the little man called "Sweet Pea" by his friends, but also it is so very very touching and deeply rich in musical history, too.....
Billy Strayhorn is worth researching in any way you can....He was a true musical genius and a musical prodigy, too. He had so much heart and so much soul....Just about every important musical performer in the last 60 years or more, weather singer or intsrumentalist, has recorded his songs....and there are some songs that will break your heart...like the two mentioned above. He was a true Artist in every sense of that word. This CD below is the one connected to the documentary and speaks volumes about the man and his fantastic talent. Do yourself a favor and add this to your musical library!
More To Come.....
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When did hard "news" become just plain old "gossip"????
Here we are in 2007, and I feel like I am living in a media nightmare....
Anna Nicole Smith's death is a true tragedy. But so is every death of every person in Iraq. So is the death of any and every person, anywhere in the world, period....
There is no such thing as 'hard news' anymore. It's all entertianment gossip.....it has nothing to do with anything but peeking into people's underwear drawer. "Hard News" has become horrible crappy salacious stupidity, not...I repeat, NOT News.Just how many hours is/are the media going to devote to this truly awful awful awful awful story, that gets worse by the minute? This is not 'NEWS'....this is plain old trash. (Edward R. Murrow is turning over in his grave three times over, and then, once again!!!)Parenthically: I remember when "Entertainment Tonight" began, what, twenty-twenty-five years ago...I thought....Surely there isn't enough Entertainment news to fill a whole hour every night for five nights a week??HA!
Well, now, there are 35 or more of these so called "Entertainment" news/gossip type TV shows, and ALL of them are, plain and simple---Gossip Shows and most of what they "report" is ....SPECULATION, LIES, and CONJECTURE, because that is what "sells"....
OY OY OY OY OY!!!...and this "gossip" mentality has moved into what were 'hard news' shows, on NEWS Channels---CNN, MCNBC, CNBC, FOX NEWS (OY, to the Max..) and all the other channels that broadcast this crap...and call it "news".
Shame on you NBC, CBS, ABC, and all the other Networks---Cable and Otherwise. SHAME SHAME SHAME on you.SHAME!
And now, we have Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband saying that maybe HE could be the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby...! HELP ME, PLEASE.Turn Off Your Televisions.Turn Off Your Radios.
Hug Your Significant Other.
Hug Your Children.
Hug Your Dear Pets.
Love Your Flowers.
Help Us Oh Lord!
Rant, Not--Quite--Over.A Question.
What is wrong with the picture that I just painted here on my blog with the above words......?
The Answer?
EVERYTHING.
Here's my further question? Is this stuff about Anna Nicole Smith really what is important?
Because if it is, I mean if it truly is what is important, than I am ready to shuffle off this mortal coil, right now.
More To Come, I Hope......
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I remember the day I found my apartment on Hollywood Blvd. It was the first and only apartment that I looked at....You see, the first six weeks after I moved to Los Angeles, back in 1961, I stayed with my sister Gene....she had a Guest Room with a couch that became a bed....The only problem was, I had to go through her bedroom to get to the guest room and the bathroom....And she is a day person and I am a night person....So, I started looking for an apartment about the third week into my 'visit' when I realized Los Angeles was going to be a more permanent move....
I looked for a furnished apartment because I had no furniture or anything else....I knew I wanted to be in the Hollywood area and I knew I wanted some kind of view....I began looking in the residential section on Hollywood Blvd. There were and still are lots of apartment buildings along a particular stretch between La Brea and Laurel Canyon....in fact this strip is all residential.....All apartment buildings except for a private house here and there, till almost where Laurel Canyon begins it's climb over the hill to 'the valley''.
I was really lucky. A guy was moving out of this one bedroom furnished apartment in a very new building....He had to relocate to another city because of his job. He had bought a desk and a chair and a second smaller dresser to go with the one that was already there....
You can see the desk and chair in this Polaroid Picture above....The apartment was at the end of the hallway, and there was a little balcony. There were floor to ceiling windows facing south and the city, so there was that view I wanted.....It was clean and new and I snapped it up, along with that desk and chair and dresser....! As time went on I got a lot of my things from back east---and as I began collecting art almost from the moment I moved to Los Angeles, these things got hung, plus the things I had collected back east, when they arrived.....all of this warmed the walls, and made it more personal. I rented a piano. It was a small upright and it fit right in with the rest of the furniture....and I wrote all the music for "Spoon River" on that little piano.
And above, there's that desk and chair again and in between the desk and the little piano was the front door to the apartment. Just to the right behind that chair, was the kitchen and the dining area....You can see from the look of the furniture which was pretty new and Circa 1960 that it kind of looked like a very nice motel room, well...suite, really (lol)....It actually had a lot more personality than most apartments, and that was wonderful for me. It was clean and pretty comfortable and very serviceable, too, especially at that point in my life.
You can just see the edge of that wonderful little piano over on the left of the Polaroid Picture above, as we turn towards the "dining area" which of course was part of the "living area". Over on the sideboard behind the dining room table was my portable "record player" sitting against the Weeping Willow Wallpaper....actually, it was a really lovely apartment and served me well for three years. (That's a book case that I had to buy against the drapes....)
And just around the edge of that chair (which was orange, by the way), was the nice serviceable and compact kitchen.
I still have that little step stool sitting on the floor there....and here is another closer look....
I still have that hanging thingy, too...it really works well for your Cooking Utensils. And the Toaster underneath that little cover...well, I had that till just about three months ago. It still works! I had fun buying stuff for the apartment. I needed everything. Pots & Pans, Coffee Maker, Toaster, Silverware, Plates, Glasses, etc....It was fun. Nothing fancy mind you, but it was all mine.
And then below, looking from the Kitchen/Dining Room Area at the "living room area"....there is the brown couch with the other orange chair and the art on the walls to warm it all up! The little throw pillows were ones that I bought to bring a bit of color to the couch and to make it a little softer, too. There were ashtrays everywhere, of course....You can just see the edge of a round one on the dining room table over there on the left edge of the picture below, and another one way over on the right side of the picture, as well....Everyone I knew smoked back then.
And of course, books everywhere, well, I used every available space for the books, records and music that were and are such a big part of my life, and as already mentioned, I ended up buying a small bookcase for the apartment, too....It's hard to see, but there is even a beautiful piece of sculpture on that side table between the chair and the couch....
The bedroom was small, but it had two beds so I could accommodate a guest, if needed. Check out that little ashtray on the night table next to the bed. Yes, they were everywhere.
It seems I have never really liked making the bed, and still don't. And thgere's a trusty box of Kleenex along with the remote control for the TV. These things had to always be right at hand. Oh and I forgot, that little metal lamp was another thing I bought from the guy who had had the apartment before me. It's there on the dresser in this picture below.
And there is my little portable TV and on the wall behind the dressers were some little water colors I had done...again, it warmed the room a bit, and made me feel more at home...There wasn't a lot of room in this bedroom, but again, it worked for me.
And here is the bathroom....I don't want you to miss any part of this wonderful little apartment....
More Kleenex is available. It was a small bathroom but it had everything I needed....I remember I loved those towels....As I said, the apartment was furnished but only with the actual furniture....So those were towels I bought and they were lovely and bright and cheery with flowers! You get your cheer wherever you can!
I lived at 7346 Hollywood Blvd. for three years....almost to the day. And when I moved, on April 1st, 1964, it was to the house I live in now....my house that you have all seen pictures of on this blog....But before that, this apartment was a wonderfully perfect place for me to live. 
It was central to everything I wanted to be near and it had an underground garage beneath the building, and it even had a little postage stamp of a pool....you couldn't really swim in it, but you could cool off! Given the state I was in that first seven or eight months of 1961....my apartment was, as I said, perfect for me. My dear sweet Sammy took this picture above and I took this next picture below, of him....
All of these pictures are Polaroids and though they are not very good, I am so glad to have them and to have such a very specific record of this, my first home in Los Angeles.....
More To Come.......
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So, there it is! One of the two blossoms we have been waiting to open on the first of the Amaryllis bulbs....with five more bulbs to go, who knows what colors will appear....?
And here is the other flower from this very beautiful pair....both are just so perfect and the color deep deep red as only nature can provide....Gorgous, Gorgeous, Gorgeous....Here below are the two of these lovelies together....
They almost look unreal, don't they? I have not done anything to this photograph....this is just exactly how they looked to the camera....I do think it is pretty amazing to see these blooms with Morris Broderson's painting behind them---especially seeing that paint brush filled with paint just moving across the canvas---it's as if the paint brush had painted these two blossoms, isn't it?
And just this one more view of one of those two pretty pretty blooms, above, (at least for the moment)....with the Rose in the painting behind it. The real and the surreal....well, not really surreal, but just a special Artists view of a special rose....Together they are both nature in all it's glory.....
More To Come.....
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So in documenting the flowers as they open, here above is how this pod looked on January 31....I love that the color looked so pale and delicate...but, the next day, February 1st, the color was deeper and the pod had opened just a bit more, as you can see below.....
And then, on February 2nd.....another change....the color getting darker and richer and the pod opening just a bit more and a seperation is occuring as you can see below.
I love seeing the very dark color on the lower part of these blossoms...and not knowing exactly what other changes will occur as each day passes....and sometimes, each hour....This is such a lovely place for these flowers to be opening----I mean in front of this amazing and moving painting....A few people have mentioned the painting and asked about it....It is by a brilliantly talented painter named Morris Broderson. I have known Morris for a very very long time. As a matter of fact, I met him the very first month that I moved to Los Angeles, in February of 1961, and we became great great friends....
Here is this sensitive beautiful painting with nothing in front of it....This is a self portrait that is the last of a special series that Morris began painting over forty years ago....the series was called 
"The Sound Of Flowers"....You see, Morris is deaf and the boy in the painting, "listening", has appeared before in a different form over the forty or so years....The picture to the left was one of the earliest paintings in the series. And the painting that you see behind the Amaryllis is the very last painting of the series. I love that the boy is smiling and still listening, so to speak---happy to be hearing the flowers....
I will be writing more about Morris and showing more of his work in a future post....but, here below is the way the beautiful Amaryllis looked this morning....with this stunning painting behind it.
And below, a closer look from a different angle where you can actually see that these two blossoms have seperated....
And on even closer inspection you can see that the inside color of these blossoms may not really be the same as the outside color....the mysteries and wonders of nature continue to inspire....And then, going back to the original angle with the rose in the painting behind the Amaryllis, once again we can see that edge over on the right of the "live" flower just peeking out looking somewhat lighter....but, will the inside actually be lighter.....we shall know very very soon.....
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beyond words.....I wrote Earl H. an email including a few of the pictures of this wonderful basket of bulbs since he is the person who sent them to me, because I wanted him to know how much pleasure I am getting from watching their magical growth and I wanted to share that growth with him....He is very pleased....!
And this below, taken late this afternoon....
Look at how much the blossoms have seperated during this day....I find that simply amazing! And just below is one more close shot of this great great beauty....
Ahhhhhh, so very very lovely.....What will tomorrow bring? I can't wait to see....talk about having something to look forward to....I love the way you can just see that slight unfurling of the petal over there on the right....!
More To Come......
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Forty-Six years ago, on February 1st, 1961, I got on a plane at then Idylwild, now JFK Airport, and my life changed forever....this was a little under five months before I would turn twenty-nine (29) and I had reached a very serious and terrible crossroads....I was depressed beyond belief---suicidally so---and I felt my only hope was to come to Los Angeles and go to a doctor I had met almost three years before who I hoped would help me save my life.
It was the right move, for sure, cause I am still here, now, a little under five months before turning seventy-six (76) years old....And that move and that doctor was a big part of why I am still here, (though one other major therapy was to come along 9 years later and help me to continue to "keep on Keeping on" and to survive and thrive....). But I would be less than honest if I didn't say that there were other low lows over these forty-six years....lows which took me back to that place of suicidal feelings, and this journey through the weeds continued and Thank God, there were other milestone-'life saving' things that took place that made it possible for me to continue the journey....and that journey and that struggle goes on for me, and I think will go on for me as long as there is breath in my body....
If I found out anything through this journey, it is that I am a survivor, and just when you think you have come through the weeds onto clear and flat ground, more weeds seem to spring up to remind you that this journey is not over yet. A couple of good things to find out, I guess.
Of course there were "highs"...without them I don't think I could have gone on at all (I sure could use a couple of those highs right now, I tell you....)...but not just 'gone on', but gone on to create all sorts of positive and life affirming things...What has always 'saved' me is my creativity. That's the thing that has brought me the most joy and the greatest feeling of truly being alive. Relationships...yes, of course. Friendships....beautiful ones that absolutely have kept me alive. But, tapping into that part of me that needs expression wether through music, writing, painting, photography, singing....the creative spirit that lives within and must be given it's voice----and this
is still the answer for me, even on the brink of seventy six. Lord, it never ends! Well, to be more exact, it never ends till it is over...till the 'Fat Lady Sings'....as the saying goes.....Meanwhile, I honor this day because though I traveled 3000 miles to find the answers, of course, taking myself with me, it was probably the best and most important plane ride I have ever taken in my whole life. I remember that I got into a conversation with the man sitting next to me who, it turned out, was part of The Theatre Guild, a very famous theatrical Broadway Producing group that I was completely familiar with, because they produced some of the most famous and successful shows on Broadway starting a little before I was born....I took this as a positive sign that I was doing the right thing. I can't even explain that, but that's what I felt.
That I would actually be 'playing' on Broadway, a little over two and a half years later....believe me, not in my wildest dreams on that first day of February, 1961 would I have believed that could happen. I was just hoping to get through the next couple of hours once on that plane, you know?
With Philip Langner sitting next to me, somehow it gave me the feeling that I was not leaving everything behind, but that I was going somewhere where just maybe, things would be possible again....(He was a lot younger than in this picture....remember it was forty-six years ago....) He had no idea what sitting next to him meant to me...but it was important and in all the years I have been traveling and taking planes, and there have been many many planes, there are maybe two strangers that I sat next to that had real significance for me....and here it is all these years later and I still remember the first of these important strangers and what he looked like and the suit he had on and the glasses he wore. A Very Powerful Memory.Terri from Island Life wrote a post the other day asking the question did we think there were good years and bad years....and I said I thought there was a balance of each....some good and some bad in each year....but I would have to say that 1960 to 1961 was a pretty bad dark year for me....that certainly changed with stepping onto that plane in New York....Those very bad suicidal feelings didn't go away in an afternoon, or a day or a week.
But taking that big step of getting on that plane and moving from one coast to another and going into therapy with that particular doctor, brought me to a different place entirely. It was a time of growth. Real growth coming out of the feeling that if I didn't do something, I was a goner. There was this shift just by the fact that I took some kind of step to change some things in me, if I could. That in itself was probably the most important thing about February 1st, 1961. I began a new journey that truly did change my life. And of course there are other important dates like that, too....life changing dates because of one step I took to possibly change something in my life that needed changing at the time....but that is a post or two for another time. Today I just want to remember and honor this journey that began 46 years ago on this very date.
And above is one of the paintings that I created which holds many of the feelings I have mentioned in this post....but one word I have not actually used very much in this post but it certainly applies---And that word is 'Hope'. This painting is filled with that, to me, and that is what February 1st means to me, too.....
More To Come......
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