Here it is. The "arrangement" that I got for myself on Wednesday .....So very lush and beautiful...So very many lovely colors and shapes...So healing....just looking at it makes me feel so much better....Flowers, nothing like them....The above picture has been soft focused around the edges just for 'effect'....Here is the same picture below, without those soft edges....
The only reason I did that soft focus thingy is because my table is filled with shells and small sculptures, etc...(And then there's the rug, too....)and I found it a bit distracting...But I must say, the second picture really pleases me, a whole lot!Here below, is another view of this wonderful arrangement....
A closer look.....I just love all these flowers and the colors....this designer/florist does such beautiful work....and he delivered the flowers himself because I wanted him to see that dried arrangement that I have posted....I showed him pictures of the arrangement, (Another example of his artistry....) which I took on December 23rd, and then showed him the way it looks today.....He enjoyed seeing both!One more lovely view, below.....
And here, below, is a closer look at one of the pale green carnations....That is a carnation, isn't it? Oh, I just love all these colors together....it pleases the painter in me, more than I can say....
And yet another view of this yummy arrangement....these flowers look good enough to eat, I swear....There are more pictures and more views, of course....But I will only include one more for your pleasure, and mine. And here it is, below....
I am sure I will need to post more pictures of this very uplifting arrangement, but for today....join me in feasting your eyes on all of the above....and FYI: I am feeling so very much better, thank you very much....
More To Come......
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See this tub? Well.....It's that time of year again. The first (well not really the very first...there was some other DVD about two months ago, but, but BUT, I honestly do not remember what the hell it was...), So...here is The First of the "For Your Consideration" EMMY DVD'S I get each year. The first of around one hundred or more dvd's----packaged to a fairthy-well! It arrived today. Look at that box. It is round and black and looks like...what? I don't even know...some cylindrical strangeness...It is not very attractive, at all! (Well, at least, not to me....)This is the beginning of the avalanche of dvd/program---packaged dvd's that I will receive over the next six or seven weeks because I am a Television Academy Member.....And if one is a "member" than you receive these unbelievable grossely-over-packaged DVD'S...like they think that if they come up with some NEW shape...(Impossible to send in the mail, btw....the postman forgot he had this on his truck, and he had to come back....OY, again ) that they think will catch your attention and then you will vote for their programs....WRONG!
That is not why you vote for anything! You vote for the programs and performances that you truly feel are worthy. Not the "packaging" that it is sent in which is impossible to store, by the way....
Who sent this?
SHOWTIME!I happen to be very p-o'd at Showtime at the moment....it is a service one has to pay for, on top of what one already pays just to have cable itself!
And they have taken to advertising their new shows in a similar manner to those on the other channels that you don't pay extra for. I.E.: In the middle of the show, using very very distracting pop-ups. And they do this while we are watching this other 'original programing' program that they too have developed! They seem to have no respect for their own choices here.....And consequently, they have beaten 'The Tudors' to death with these distracting and insulting kinds of interuptions----so much so that I do not even want to watch the damn 'Tudors', at all.....And these Pop-Ups are in addition to the l-o-n-g, fifteen minute promo's they have been doing on 'The Tudors' for months....I mean, they have driven this show into the ground with their incessant self-promotion to the detrement of the show itself, to my way of thinking.
Anyway....I looked at this tub and thought, what the......? And then I looked at the label. As soon as I saw the label, I realized that this was the beginning of these 'for your consideration' dvd's, because they are all sent out by this company, each year---year after year after year....
They actually come from the networks or production houses, etc. not the Academy. I am always overwhelmed by the cost of this packaging. And it gets more and more elaborate each year. And, I believe this is just the first box from Showtime. I think there will be another one. Showtime does a lot of original documentary's as well as specials featuring different comedians, etc. and it seems to me there are other things that should be submitted....we'll see. I'll keep you posted.
I think there will be at least one more of these round tub things....Above, is what was inside the outer black tub. Another tub! And hanging down the side before you took the top of this inner tub off, was this little metal something-or-other....
I don't know what you are supposed to do with this little metal thingy....use it as a book mark? Don't you love what it says? Hmmmm. 'Shaping TV's future', indeed. Well, maybe they are!
And these are the shows that are inside the second tub. (Now you know I will be taking them out of this plush interior and throwing the packaging into the Blue Recycling Bin...in fact----it is done!). There are eleven shows in this big box.....nine dvd packages with two shows packaged together on seperate dvd's----each in their own very overly produced sleeve....and along with that is a booklet---it too is overproduced----with all the pertinent info that you need to know on each show, including a short descriptive paragraph for each show. What is particularly distressing and rather disgusting too, is to think of the amount of money spent and wasted on this very elaborate packaging. Oy. Oy. Oy. Okay. I'll stop with the criticizing.
What have I actually watched already of these series?
Well, I have seen "Dexter" and I hated the premise so it was not a show I was attracted to...(that's Michael C. Hall of "Six Feet Under" fame, in the picture above---he plays the lead)...I watched maybe two episodes and that was enough for me. A forensic's expert goes about secretly killing 'serial killers'..help me!
"Weeds"...now, I love this series. It is a half hour comedy with the superbably talented Mary Louis Parker. The writing and the acting are outstanding! Besides Mary Louise, there is the lovely Elizabeth Perkins, and the wonderfully talented Justin Kirk, and the hilarious Kevin Nealon, plus the very gifted Martin Donovan---to name just a few! It's funny and often touching, too! I'll take that every time. And the best part....there is no laugh track! 
"Brotherhood". A very interesting series about an Irish family in Providence, R.I. One son is a Politician and the other son is an Irish- Mafia-type crook! It sounds terrible but it is very very very good. Again, good writing and very good actors. Someone I know, the extremely talented Henry Bromell is one of the Writer/Executive Producers....(He wrote and produced for "Homicide, Life On The Steeet", years ago). And this family drama has Jason Isaacs & Jason Clark as the brothers, with the wonderfully talented Fionnula Flanagan as their mother, and the beautiful and talented Annabeth Gish as the wife of the politico brother. Len Cariou, a superb character actor is featured in this series, too.
"The L-Word"....I like this show a lot! As the Chicago Tribune said about this show: "No longer a 'show about lesbians,' this series has evolved into a show about people, many of whom happen to be lesbians, which is as it should be"....They just finished there 4th season on Sunday, and it was a very good 12 weeks...I remember, back in the day, when a 'season' was 32 episodes...now, on these cable channels a season is 12 episodes. Too short for me. Besides Jennifer Beals, Laurel Holloman and Mia Kirshner, there is Pam Grier, Leisha Hailey and Katherine Moennig, to name just a few of the ladies. This past season there were some very strong performances by Marlee Matlin and Cybil Shephard, as well....
"Penn & Teller: Bullshit!" Excellent! Funny and telling, too. It has something to say and makes it's points every time. As the "blurb" on the little DVD jacket says: "......delivering a humorous expose of taboo topics using the duo's trademark humor and knowledge as well as hidden camera's and blatant confrontation...". They are right on about what this show does and it does it brilliantly, I might add. I have not seen "Ths American Life" yet....that is one I will watch, for sure.
"The Underground" is a Comedy series created by and starring Damon Wayons. (To the right of Cybil Shephard on the booklet cover, above) I saw a little bit of it.....it just didn't work for me, I'm afraid, and I like him a lot and think he is extremly talented. But, this was not Wayons at his best, at all, in my opinion.
Then there are those others. In truth, none of them interest me, (Well, "The Tudors" does, and hopefully I will get over myself and watch it...
it starts on Showtime on April 8th...And as you can see from the picture, it stars the very attractive Jonathan Rhys Meyers as young Henry VIII....).
So I am not sure I will take the time to watch those other shows knowing there will be another 100 to 150 dvd's that will be sent to me, and this includes movies for television, specials, etc. Bottom Line: I watch what I can. Mostly things I have not seen before, and that is all any of us can do, you know? And each year there are some very wonderful things that I discover---things I've missed when they were first on....Like last year's HBO Animated musical beauty, "Classical Baby"....
More To Come.....
Update: I am still under the weather, but feeling somewhat better---this seems to wax and wane....the strangest illness....throughout one day I can feel terrible, than better, than terrible again....Oy.
Thank you all for your kind words and good wishes for the improvement of my health---this means more than you will ever know. The Blogesphere is remarkable, particularly all of you regulars who always show me so much love and care----I thank you with all my heart for sticking with me here....I'll be by to visit or lurk, soon again, my dears....Cheers.links to this post
Nothing really to say today cause I am not feeling well, so I am sending these flowers from me to me....."Oh Thank You, Me....this makes me feel so much better...." (*cough, cough*).....And here are a few more.....
Oh I just love love love this arrangement above, but you already know that, don't you?....And you haven't seen the last of this, believe me.....
Oh, I think I am going to call up that brilliant florist tomorrow and get me a three dimensional arrangement....It's time. And I need it.
And if I am lucky, maybe there will be a beautiful flower like this one above....So lush and full and such a gorgeous color...Mmmmm, I'm starting to feel better already....
The other possibility is that I can just look at some of the flowers from my garden...flowers one would never find in a 'floral arrangement'....like these, below.....
Such delicate little complex flowers on this beautiful succulent---a succulent that grows like a weed, but isn't one, that's for sure....
And then these lovely flowers below....
I love these fat little colorful flowers...they are on a succulent, too, but a totally different kind of succulent than that other one....they have a soft fuzzy outerness...if you didn't know that these were flowers, well, you would never guess that that is what they are.....
And this last picture below....these little flowers are so tiny that this whole entire cluster isn't even an inch across....
And these sweet itty bitty flowers are from another very beautiful succulant...I'll show you the plants another time when I am feeling better....For now...'nite 'nite, my dears......
More To Come.....
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Look who came to visit me on Thursday....! I was standing out on my Deck, looking out at this....
And then, looking down at this, too......
When all of a sudden, while looking down into my garden from this vantage point, (and luckily having my camera in hand...) I saw this!
Can't see what I am talking about....Well, check out the center of this next picture below....
And then, here below, is a slightly closer look at him, pretty much dead center of the picture.....
Still having trouble, well....here is a somewhat closer look at him/her further down the steps than he was before.....
And here below is another really fantastic look at him, if I do say so myself.....
I have lived here in my house on this hill for (43)Forty-Three(43) years...and I have never...I repeat, never seen this person or any of his relatives before---this is a First! I've seen Deer galore; Cayote's---even out in the street; Skunks, and all sorts of wild life, etc. But never this guy.He is a California Bobcat....!
To be this close to civilization.....Streets packed with traffic.....Huge big buildings.....The Kodak Theatre.....The Academy Awards just below.....and to see this magnificent creature right here in my own back yard-garden....well, that is pretty astounding, isn't it?
Astounding. Awesome. And just a little bit scary, too....but I must say I found it pretty damn exciting....It made my day, let me tell you!Read more about the California Bobcat here, and there is even a very very short little film piece.....
More To Come.......
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Yes, yes. The Wonderful Beautiful Actor is Denzel Washington and the movie is "The Pelican Brief". Lyn came closest to the correct answers with all that she detailed in her comments....
.....including , mentioning that Julia Roberts co-starred in the film, along with Sam Shephard, who got killed off fairly early on in the film, as did Hume Cronyn, (almost immediately) playing a Supreme Court Justice who was Sam Shephard's mentor in law school.I happen to love this movie, which was based on the book by John Grisham,
and it had a fantastic cast including many of our best character actors, like Stanley Tucci and John Heard. And an actress who has since gone on to great fame in television, ("Sex And The City") and winning a Tony Award on Broadway, the wonderfully talented Cynthia Nixon, who played a classmate of Julia Roberts and who helps Julia out a bit without knowing what is actually happening to her friend.Who is Garcia?
Well, Garcia, a.k.a. Charles Morgan, was the key to the entire mystery of who was responsible for the deaths of the two Supreme Court Justices, back in the beginning of the story. He was a lawyer that worked for a big D.C. law firm who accidentally stumbled over information that was extremely compromising at the highest levels of government. Through a video tape that he has left in a locked Safe Deposit Box for his wife, we find out that the President Of The United States, (The wonderful Robert Culp) and his henchman (Tony Goldwyn and Anthony Heald) are the people responsible.....
The actor that played 'Garcia'?
Jack Weber, who currently plays Patricia Arguette's husband in the tv show "Medium". I found his performance in 'The Pelican Brief', quite memorable....and it's great that he went on from there to be involved in many many projects, ("Dawn Of The Dead") and now currently in the already mentioned 'Medium'.This was kind of fun, wasn't it? Maybe I'll try to do this again at some point....!
And here below is what the Cabbage Flower looks like today....But first, I'll remind you what it looked like exactly three months ago....
And as of yesterday, here below is what it looks like now......
I love that those inside leaves got greener as time went on but you see they were pure cream three monnths before.....And you see the edges where those little green dots had been lining the edge....well now those dots are pale pale tan---almost not descernible.
And....remember the pink roses.....?
Well, below is a picture of how they dried and look right now.....
They never opened up. They stayed as tight and closed as they had been and I found that very very beautiful....In fact, I found the whole thing very beautiful and it is still sitting exactly where I first put it on December 23rd, 2006.
More To Come.......
Just a word or two here: Forgive me if I have not been around to see you...I have been dealing with some things that have taken me away from my blog visits, but I hope that will improve in the next few days.....And about the next "Sammy" installment---I am still looking for a couple of pictures and until I find them and scan them in, the 2nd installment will just have to wait....Thanks for understanding, my dears.....
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Just for fun:1) Who is this actor? (easy)
2) What is the name of this movie? (pretty easy)
3) And for Bonus points: Who is 'Garcia' and name the actor who played him. (hard)
No fair looking this up! If you don't know it, that's okay....because this 'movie game' is here only because I don't have anything else ready to post....(lol).
The answers will be forthcoming in my next post....!
And here is something for you to enjoy.....
And, then this, as well........
And last but not least, another view of these beauty's.....Oh, how I love flowers, and I know all of you do too.....
More To Come......
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I love this picture...you see the reflection in Annie's glasses of the city? She was sitting, facing my windows and I took this shot and when I saw the outcome---well, first of all it was so nice and sharp...and then when I noticed the city-view reversed with part of my deck, too....well, I had to get in as close as possible.Here below is the whole picture.....
A few Sundays ago, Annie Guilbert, (aka Ann Morgan Guilbert) and our dear mutual friend Seemah Wilder, who has been mentioned on this blog a number of times before, came to visit, bringing lunch from one of my favorite favorite restaurants here in Los Angeles, Orso. Here below is dear Seemah....
I had seen Seemah as recently as New Year's Eve...but I hadn't seen Annie for...well, maybe three years. We have talked on the phone but just not been able to see one another....my house-bound-ness does curtail many activities....So I really looked forward to this Sunday Afternoon more than I can say....A little history here: We three all go back a very long way....Seemah & Annie have known each other since 1961 and I met Annie in 1962 (in fact, of all the people I met once I moved to Los Angeles, I've known Annie longer than anyone, including Betty G., who I met later that same year). Then thirteen years later I met Seemah at Theatre West. It was in 1975 and we have been fast friends ever since. In fact, both Annie and Seemah were both in my play called "Jen The Hen" (1981), which was part of a whole evening of three-one-act plays of mine under the umbrella title of "NOBODY SAFE HERE".
It is a play about my mother's death and because it is a play and because it is written for the stage, dramatic license as to "place" was and is taken...The action of the play took place in my mothers hospital room...Annie played "Jen", my mother, who was lovingly called Jen The Hen, Seemah played my sister Robin, (not seen in this picture, but as you will see, she is in the picture below...). Betty Garrett (standing in the upper left) played 'Naomi' in the present, and Elizabeth Berger played 'Naomi/Nay' back then at the time of my mother's death in 1966....April 2nd, to be exact...So an Anniversary is coming up in a few weeks. It will be 41 years. Elizabeth B. is seated on the right in the above picture, and a lovely actress named Pamela Dunlap (Seated on the left) played my sister Gene. That little table represented the Dining Room downstairs in Harkness Pavilion, which was a part of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in upper Manhattan...And it was indeed, a 'dining room', with white tablecloths and everything....
And my brother Gordon was played by a wonderful Canadian actor named Alan Jordon, he is seated on the left and Seemah is seated on the right. This particular picture was a 'posed' picture for publicity....I was so very lucky with this cast of dedicated and talented actors and with the Director Deirdre Meehan, and with dear Charles Berliner who solved the Herculian job of how to marry these three One-Act plays to each other with his brilliant set design....The painting behind Annie's head, (She is of course lying in the bed...and for anyone who might not know, that is Betty G, standing directly behind Annie in the photo above) was painted by me at the request of our designer Charley B...He was familiar with my art and felt that instead of him painting a backdrop 'in the style of', that it would be much better and more organic if I actually painted the painting myself....I did.
You can't see the entire painting in this shot above but you can get the essence of the idea....I hadn't intended this post to be about my play but there is no way to write about Annie and her glorious talent 
without getting involved in this play. She made this play work with her subtle simple 'real' performance. With the very careful work she did as an actress, which was not easy at all let me tell you, she captured everything possible---every little moment---in her portrayal of 'Jen'. She did what was needed as an actress to convey who and what she was as a person and in relation to those she interacted with...her children. She is every writer's dream of an actress. And it is very meaningful to me that she considers her work in 'Jen The Hen' an important next step in her growth as an actress.
In truth, all the actors were 'spot on', as they say in the UK. Like I said...I was very very lucky all around. "Nobody Safe Here" was one of those peak experiences that one has if one is lucky, once or possibly twice in one's theatrical career....this experience and "Spoon River" were my two most deeply memorable creative peak experiences in the theatre. Everything worked! How rare is that? Very Very Rare.
Another play of mine that Annie was in was...."The Start Of The Blues", 1987....This was a play about 'conception'....My conception. Where an Old Jewish Lady Egg meets a Young Boy Sperm, and what happens from there. It was funny, (if I do say so myself), and telling, as well....
This was not an easy experience in any way except for two things...The writing of it and Annie Guilbert's performance! Her partner in crime was a very talented young actor/writer-himself, Mark Masi. But nothing about this project was easy other than the two things I mentioned. We dealt with three changes of actor for the 'Young Sperm', two changes of actress for 'The Old Egg', and two changes of the Director....Oy Vey! But through it all, there was never any temprement from Annie, and believe me, there could have been with another actress. She just did her work, once again, with enthusiasm and a love of the material, and she won an Award for her beautiful hilarious performance!
Do you all remember 'The Dick Van Dyke' show? Well Annie played the next door neighbor, Millie....
The very talented actor/director Jerry Paris, played her husband....This show is a "classic" in every sense of the word. One of the greatest situation-comedy's, ever. It's in the television history books, as it should be....
Annie has done so much as an actress....She has had and continues to have a wonderful career that covers Stage, Film & Television....A highlight or two: She was in "Grumpier Old Men" playing Sophia Loren's Italian-From-Italy mother! What a hoot that was...! And television audiences remember her from "The Nanny", as Fran's Grandmother, the wonderful Yetta!
What a memorable character she created. What bravery as an actress! And what fun, too....! As we sat talking and laughing and sharing that sweet Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago----Seemah, Annie and Myself--- I asked Annie to give me a 'Yetta' face....Well, without the wig or the makeup or the proper glasses she turned it on and here it is. I love this picture....
And by the way....the food they brought from Orso was magnificent! Makes my mouth water just writing about it! Thank you ladies for giving me a yummy wonderful fun afternoon....I sure do hope we can do it again very soon.....
More To Come.....
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So I watched this new NBC show on Thursday night, "Raines", with Jeff Goldblum.....this was the pilot episode and Alexa Davalos was the guest star. I liked it a whole lot! Jeff Goldblum is a very arresting actor. Quirky is a word often used when describing him.....my take is a little different. For me, he has this immediacy about him that draws you in from the first second you see him on screen....something is happening...in his face, in his being...he can just be standing there doing nothing, and he demands your attention. I happen to think he is a wonderful wonderful actor and I am happy and grateful to see him in a weekly series on television that is so very well written---funny and serious all at the same time. In his hands, this is a terrificly engaging series. It is Goldblum that drives this show along, with the very amazingly talented supporting cast that surrounds him and in this very first episode, the help of the stunningly beautiful Alexa Davalos as the guest star.
She is most certainly a beautiful young women and wonderfully talented too and she comes by her talent naturally....Okay. Let's start with her Grandfather, the stupendously talented Dick Davalos, (often listed as Richard Davalos), probably known best for playing James Dean's brother in "East Of Eden"....a film that has quite a pedigree, in and of itself....Directed by Elia Kazan, Starring James Dean, Julie Harris and Davalos, with a cast of superb supporting players....(Raymond Massey, Jo Van Fleet, Burl Ives, Lois Smith, and Barbara Baxley, to name just a few....) 
Let me say that Davalos would hate that I am writing this about him. He is an extremely private person and has never appeared on camera talking about James Dean, though asked to participate in every documentary, biography, etc., ever contemplated, filmed or published....I think he would be thrilled and happy that I am writing about his grandaughter, Alexa, and also Alexa's mother, (Dick's first daughter,) Elyssa.
I've known Dick for over thirty years....and was familiar with his Broadway career and film career before we ever met....Dick is close to the Parks family and that is really how we became friends....And in fact, Garrett used to date Elyssa, before she met and married, (and before he met and married the lovely Karen), and of course before Alexa....Look Elyssa up by clicking on her name, and see all that she has done. Alexa, too, and Dick, as well....Look at these three faces:
Here is the very young Davalos..(We have always all called him just, 'Davalos')...this from East Of Eden.....
Then...
:
The Beautiful Elyssa....
And then:
Elyssa's daughter....The stunning Alexa... All are in 'the family business'....All, getting wherever they are on their own....on pure talent and as you can see, none of them are hard to look at, either.....but, it is the 'talent' that has worked here, in all three cases....Actually, I should say, in all four cases because Davalos has another daughter, also in 'the family business', Elyssa's younger sister....
The very exotic and beautful Dominique Davalos....He is the proudest of Papa's and Grandpapa's, too....here below is Dominique Davalos....
And this picture of Dominique, too.....
She is a Bassist, Singer, and Actress....The family resemblence is uncanny, isn't it?Watching Alexa Thursday night, I was struck by this wonderful legacy....and as it is in many family's, the pride one has in your children following in your footsteps by their own choice---in other words, when that is what they want to do....very exciting. It is not an easy life---this acting/performing business, but when there is a passion, you cannot imagine doing anything else! It must be in the genes, too, this passion....cause they all---the Davalos' that is---have it, big-time, I'm happy to say....And three generations of them, to boot.
I have a couple of pictures of Davalos from one of my birthday party's....I believe they are from 1996....Another big birthday number...another big party....!
Something hilarious must have been said and whoever took this picture caught the moment. That is me of course, Davalos, and the ever dear and sweet Dom DeLuise....
And here below, another rather memorable threesome....
Dom and Davalos and the late, Carroll O'Connor....all old friends of mine and of each other, too.
And here below, is Davalos and Betty G., the morning she recieved her Star on The Hollywood Walk Of Fame....A special event to be shared by close family and great good friends....
They give you a plaque that you can take home with you and hang in your home or office or wherever, and that is what they are holding.....
The Davalos Dynasty as you can see from this post, is alive and well, and flourishing....! And the best part is, Davalos himself never put any of this into play, except that his offspring just happen to love the family business. Not an uncommon happening, and like I said, sometimes it is in the 'genes'.
And how lucky we all are that that is the case here....
And one last thing before I close....
.
More To Come.....
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Look at that sweet innocent face. It was 1951. He was on the brink of twenty-one years old in this picture....We were apprentices together that first summer at The Sea Cliff Summer Theatre. But, I had met Sammy the very first day of drama school, in September of 1950....he had just turned twenty a few days before that. He was from Montgomery, Alabama where Lucy Feagin, the founder of The Feagin School Of Drama & Radio....(yes, radio...they added Television to the name, that year...) was from too, and she was famous in Montgomery,
so this is why Sammy came to this particular Drama School in New York City. We were on the 6th Floor of The International Building of Rockefeller Center. That is where we met that very first day, sitting in the little theatre that was part of the offices of The Feagin School...and we knew the moment we met we would be friends for as long as we lived. That friendship continued until the day Sammy died, in 1985 thirty-five years later, one day after his 55th Birthday.....
I think of him every day. He was, as Reader's Digest used to say, 'the most unforgettable character' I've ever met or known, I might add. He was an 'original' in every way. Talk about a way with words....he was a brilliant writer. He was a very wonderful special actor, too. The summer after that Junior year at Feagin, Sammy and I were apprentices at Sea Cliff. And here we are below, many of the apprentices that summer, in a picture taken with Lillian Gish, one of the most gracious actresses to ever draw breath.
That's little old plump me, down on the bottom left of the picture...We all thought that Lillian Gish was old...(That is a wig she had on for the play...but)...she was 53 years old....lol. What did we know about 'old', we were just silly young people...but, we all recognized how special she was as an actress and more particularly as a person.Here is Sammy's first "professional" picture of that time...Remember, it was the very early 50's....He was certainly a beautiful looking young man....
Bruno of Hollywood was the theatrical photographer of the time...especially for young male actors....And he was a great and famous photographer, though I don't think it was Bruno himself who took all the pictures at that time----after all, he was in Hollywood, not New York...And you will notice Sammy had this beautiful full head of hair. That did not last....Here, below is a candid shot of us with another dear friend from Feagin, Jack Fogarty taken around 1952 or '53, I think....
We had spent a long weekend together during a summer hiatus, at a friends cabin in The Pocono mountains in Pennsylvania....a beautiful area that I was very familiar with from my childhood....The three of us met that first year at Feagin, and became fast friends...
Here below is Jack's "professional picture---another Bruno Of Hollywood 'head shot'....Jack's story is not a happy one at all....
He was a fun guy and I was crazy about him, but he had problems that became greater and greater as time went on. He was in and out of 'mental' hospitals and eventually, sometime in the early 60's he ended up killing himself. I remember in the mid 50's I had one of my singing jobs in Springfield, Mass. in some horrid little divey nightclub, (Well, actually, it wasn't so little...but it was a dive!) and Jack just happened to be in a hospital there, (I'm pretty sure it was a VA Hospital, in fact I know it was---The V.A. Hospital in Northampton, Mass. He had been in the Navy before Sammy and I met him that first year at Drama School, and he was actually going to Feagin on the G.I. Bill....) and I went to visit him during the day on one of the days during the weekend of this singing gig....I was so happy to see him, I clung on to him like he was my long lost brother...and in a way, he was. Singing in nightclubs 'on the road' was a very very lonely life, I tell you....
Poor dear Jack....
in some ways both Sammy and I never quite got over Jack's death....it is hard when you know someone so well, and yet, he became more and more tortured as time went on, and in some ways, more and more of a stranger.....it was as I said, a very very sad end....
There are so many wonderful stories about Sammy and his particular 'southern' way with words. After I moved to California, we use to do the Ouija Board with friends of an evening and had a great time doing it. But always when Sammy was 'on the planchete', there was a particular way the board said things---a kind of southern gothic way, even though there were other people working the planchette with him, it always sounded like him. 
One time when a few of us were playing with the board at my apartment it revealed that one of our dear friends was going to die in a horrible car crash, (very very Sammy...). Sammy then asked the Ouija Board in his most wonderful soft spoken Alabama accent, "Who else among are most intimate friends is going to die violently?...". Such a 'Sammy' way of putting things, none of us there that evening has ever forgotten this sentence....In fact, only a few days ago I spoke with one of the people who lives in New York now who was there that night and he actually quoted that particular memorable and funny sentence, and not for the first time, either....we both laughed with joy at the memory....
I think Sammy did have a deep and somewhat dark way of seeing things, (though he wrote a number of very amusing screenplays that were not dark at all....) especially things that could possibly end up tragically....The novel that he wrote which was published was called "I'm Waiting".
It was about a then not very talked about type of killer---the serial killer, and in fact I don't believe that term had come into usage yet at that time. His book was published way before all the movies involving this type of story were ever made and it was truly scary----a scary and wonderful book which was optioned by some film producers with the idea of a picture being made with Sammy writing the screenplay. He worked on that screenplay on and off for a long long time....But, unfortunately it was never filmed. The history of that journey--book to screenplay--could be a whole book unto itself, as I am sure many journeys-of-screenplays-filmed-and-never-filmed could!
I loved the look of the back cover of Sammy's book, too....Here it is, below....
A very provocative and rather frightening image, to be sure....It was two hands with a nylon stocking over them---an important plot point in the story. The thing that was special about this book was that it was a true character study. We got to know the young man's family---his sister and his mother. We learned quite a lot about what made him the killer that he became, and it took place in the seamier side of Hollywood....It was really really good!
But before Sammy began working on his book, he continued working as an actor in television while he wrote a number of screenplays, as mentioned above. And, he made a number of very memorable films. "PT-109" the story of John F. Kennedy's time in the Navy, most especially that period when he was the captain of a PT-Boat...the 109.
Sammy played one of the sailors on that boat, and had a wonderful scene with Cliff Roberston who played JFK. It was a very big film at the time, 1962-63. I have these really special letters from Sammy while he was on location in Florida filming "PT-109". He was a very prodigious letter writer and his writing was such that you wanted to save and savor every letter that came your way....I saved pretty much all of them....In fact, I believe I have saved almost every letter I ever recieved from Sammy during the thirty-five years of our friendship.....
More About All Of That To Come......
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Your fired!
And your fired, too!That's right.
Your Fired, Trump, and so are you Howie!
You are both so fired, I can taste it!
I'm trying to understand these two programs.....Maybe my brain is being destroyed by the rays from the television tube....But all I know is, I cannot follow what that "Deal Or No Deal" is all about...I do not get how it works, at all! Oh yes, I understand it is all about Greed, that much I get....(isn't everything on television now based on that?) But, do I understand how these people make any kind of decision as to what to do next about those silver cases? NO! I do not get it at all, and frankly, I think it is just about the most boring thing I have ever seen....! More boring than watching paint dry! Maybe I have watched 4 minutes of it all together....But for my money...I would just take it off the air tomorrow morning, and replace it with paint drying! Howie, your fired!
And, El Trumpo? Oh you are soooo fired too! All your so called "show" is really really about is selling you and the related commodities that carry your name! It is just one l-o-n-g commercial for you and everything you are selling, Mr. Snake Oil....
And NBC is selling this little 12 inch doll, that actually says "your fired", among other things, (Talk about Greed...)....You can buy this Donald Trump doll, here....!
They say, and I say it myself, 'well, you can just change the channel you know....You don't have to watch these programs'. Well, in fact I don't usually watch these programs and truthfully, I didn't really watch them tonight....but they were on, filling up the airwaves with one long commercial for Greed Or More Greed.....
Disgusting and Shameful NBC!
Moving Right Along......
Okay. What I did watch was a really wonderful little film called "Something New"....with the very beautiful Sanaa Lathan and the most attractive Simon Baker. (I want me some of that....I mean I may be old but I'm not dead yet!) This film is a wonderfully written story of an interacial relationship that almost doesn't happen...I won't go into great detail here except to say, if you like romantic films that actually have something to say too, you will love this film! I know I did.
And I just happened to trip over it by accident, you know? It was a refreshing and honest look at two people falling in love in spite of there being so much against it working out....and utlimately, following their hearts and their love for each other. A Happy Ending! Hooray!
I don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for a story like this, every time. And this one is truly watchable....So, rent it and enjoy it!
They sure make a beautiful couple!
More To Come.....
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"Night And Day.....You Are The One....."That's what Cole Porter said, in his beautiful song of the very same name....and he was talking about a person....I, on the other hand, am talking about a view......Yes, a view---The View, from my home, looking at Downtown Los Angeles.....Here below, is 'day' of the same view.....
Well yes, it's a little bit of a wider shot....But the point is...It's what I can look out at and see, during the day, from my deck. It's what keeps me "alive".....The particular day that this picture was taken was quite clear, and though the rain clouds were looming, the rain that had come and gone and cleared out all the crap that usually just sits their in 'the basin', was gone. Here below, another picture showing the crap that is too often in 'the basin'...Oy!
Good Lord! This doesn't really help my aleady compromised lungs. But in all truth, I cannot imagine living anywhere else on this earth at this point in my life....So, I work around it. Being able to look out and see the world around me no matter how bad the air looks, is more important to me than I can express.....Being able to photograph the world that I see, and share it with all of you---well, this keeps me alive, too.....
Well, this actually looks like somebody painted it, doesn't it? It looks unreal! But, it isn't. This is the beauty that I see a lot of the time when I look out at the city that surrounds me here in my sanctuary on the hill. Just look at those gorgeous beautiful clouds....there really is a higher power my friends. Call it whatever you will...it is so much bigger than us. Bigger than anything we can describe with words.
If there is a God.....this is it, right there in the middle of the sky....the light that comes through the darkness...this has got to be God...It certainly represents hope to me....I love this picture....Dusk here in Los Angeles, looking south towards Playa Del Rey. That street in the middle is of course La Brea Avenue....
Here below is another view of this main street on a day that was strangely overcast and rather earily so....
And of course it is a closer look at the traffic that is a constant on that well traveled street. And here below is one more 'night' shot of La Brea, with that constant traffic no matter the time of 'day' or 'night'.....
And then, as you can see in the picture below, here is a wonderful 'night' shot of that newly finished renovated house down below me....It is lit up like this every night and I must say, it looks most inviting and festive.....
And staying with Mr. Porter's song....Here below is the 'day' shot of this same lovely house....
Yes, this shot is slightly further away than the 'night' shot. That house way over to the left of the picture by the way was owned by Jack LaLaine for years and years and years....in fact when I first moved to my house back in 1964, he and his family were living there....
Oh, there will be...
More To Come......
Note: I have been having a blogger problem. On some blogs where I comment, when a person clicks on my name it doesn't take them to my profile, and it says that my profile is not available. I've been into my settings three times and that particular setting is checked so that my profile should show....Anyone have a clue as to why that might be happening and what I can do about it? Also, I have to fill in all my information each time I comment on certain blogger blogs...I believe both these 'problems' are somehow related to the"new" blogger which I still have not switched to....I welcome your ideas about all this, and thank you in advance......
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So, here are the last of a few Oscar photo's that I wanted to share with you....The one above is pretty much self-explanatory....inside The Kodak right at the beginning of the show. The Audience and the Hostess from afar....Then, a few pictures that I felt gave us a real 'feel' for the night.
And here above....two gorgeous people who were presenters that night....That's Cate Blanchett on the right and the fantastic fabulous handsone-beyond-belief Clive Owen....and both fabulously talented, too. She was a Nominee in the Best Supporting Actress category for a very interesting film, "Notes On A Scandel"----a film very much worth seeing, for her performance and for the amazing stunning performance of Dame Judi Dench, also an Oscar Nominee, up against Dame Helen Mirren. As Oscar Hammerstein said....."There is nothing like a dame....".
And the adorable Abigale Breslin. Terri, over at Island Writer asked me what I thought about Alan Arkin saying he hoped this dear little girl didn't win the Oscar...Here's what I believe: He knows from life experience what winning an Oscar so very young might do to a child her age. I believe he thought that it would change her childhood in a very drastic way, and because he cares so much about her, he hoped that would not happen---fully believing that if she continues acting there might certainly be other opportunities for her to win this coveted Award....and also knowing, (and rightfully so), that she has only one shot at her childhood years.Then, we have the beautiful extremely talented Beyonce, watching as her dear friend Jennifer Hudson said a few words after winning her Best Supporting Actress award....
She sang and was incandescent....This young woman has a huge career ahead of her, no question! I love dear Peter O'Toole sitting behind her listening as Ms. Hudson spoke....one wonders if he will get another chance at an Oscar at this point in his life....He was sublime in "Venus", utterly sublime.I loved this next picture....all those "spots" dancing in our eyes in that beautiful Kodak Theatre....
I don't care that it is not a clear picture...it sets a mood for me and in this case, that is very exciting....And here below, are two people I just adore!
I was crazy about "Something's Gotta Give" and I think Diane Keaton is really crazy about that adorable Jack Nicholson....And I don't blame her. Years and years ago, Jack was in Theatre West...He was just about the cutest guy you'd ever want to see....he worked a lot there and I spent a bit of time with him. I have always admired him as an actor...and Ms. Keaton, well, she is, as they say, an 'original'. Both so incredibly talented...it was perfect that they were the presenters of The Best Picture Oscar....both being Oscar winners themselves and now kind of 'the elders' in the acting category who are still working, I'm happy to say.
My favorite dress of the night? Here it is, and the lovely actress wearing it, Ms. Penelope Cruz.
I thought it was just gorgeous. Elegant in every way. A beautiful color and so feminine, too...And what a lovely actress. This year was the International Year of The Oscars. So very many country's were represented....There was a whole Mexican contingent....particularly the 'three amigos', Guillermo del Toro, (writer/director/producer of "Pan's Labyrinth"), Alejandro Gonzalez Inarrito, (director/producer of "Babel"), and Alfonso Cuaron, (director/producer of "Children Of Men").....
These three boyhood friends from Mexico, all help and support each other on their films and, in fact, Cuaron was one of the Producers of "Pan's Labyrinth"....between them their three pictures had 16 nominations and 4 wins, which is pretty fantastic!
And in the picture above, the lovely Jodie Foster, who introduced the 'In Memorium' section which is always a very moving tribute to those people in the film industry who have died during the year....one forgets sometimes the many talented people we have lost and this is a very lovely reminder....
And here is another shot of that wonder of wonders, Clint Eastwood, as he spoke about Morricone....
I love seeing the Kodak Theatre from this angle, and right there in the center is The Morricone family sitting in their private box during the show....This is certainly a very beautiful theatre....and so very many productions of every kind come from their, and I have the street-closure email alerts to attest to that! (lol)Here below is a picture I found on the internet of the Red Carpet, before almost anything took place that afternoon....
It is quite amazing, because you can see some of the bleachers, too, where the fans line up sometimes days before to be sure to get the seats there.....and below, another picture I found.....
The famous chef Wolfgang Puck, who does all the food for The Oscars including, here serving some appitizers before the show....An amazing amount of food is prepared and consumed at this yearly happening....I took a few pictures of the Renaisance Hotel that night.. This hotel is right next to The Kodak Theatre on Highland Avenue, and I am sure many people from out of town connected to The Oscars stayed there because of the convenience....Here is how it looked, after the show was over....
And below, a closer look at that round section on top...Years ago when this was a Holiday Inn, (yes, it was indeed a Holiday Inn) that round part on top was a s-l-o-w-l-y revolving restaurant....I ate up there once because I wanted to see if I could see my house from there....I could.
I have no idea if it is still a restaurant, (I don't think it is...), but if it is, do you suppose they were partying up there, too? It sure looks like something interesting was going on up there....And then I took a general far away shot of Hollywood and what it looked like that night....And here it is below....
The bright spot over there on the right is where the Red Carpet was and also The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which is all lit up. Right in the very center you can just about make out the round top of the hotel with those blue lights all around it....this was taken from my deck, of course.
And one last slightly closer look at the city of Hollywood at night from my deck on the night of The Oscars......
See that pool down on the right side of the picture? That is the pool of the home that took quite a long time to be renovated---like two years---and the people now own it have now finally moved in....And it turns out I know one of them...! A Real Estate guy who has done very very well, from the looks of it. I will leave you with a lovely close-up of of that pool, as it looks every night now. Very very pretty, I must say....
More To Come.....
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Oh my, how I LOVE Keith Olbermann....He is the broadcasting voice of reason and sanity here in The United States Of America when it comes to telling the truth...not the 'truthiness', no.....but the "truth" truth....Do go to this link, below and read about this brave and funny man who singlehandidly has gathered those of us that are so deeply discouraged and depressed watching our wonderful country being hijacked by these thugs in Washington and so deeply depressed about the path that they have put our country on with the current administration that acts like they are the dictators of the world.....He has gathered us and given us hope, just as another great newsman Edward R. Murrow did back in the early 1950's....And if you haven't heard any of his special words please do listen to his 'commentary's'. They are available on this Rolling Stone site too, and they are brilliant.
Here is the link:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/13559914/%20the_most_honest_man_in_news
This man is one of our only broadcasting hopes, at this time....and I thank God for his brave, caring, sensitive, smart and understanding voice!
Bravo to you dear Mr. Olbermann and I say Go Keith....Go!
More To Come......
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Here is the man of the house, looking utterly and completely his gorgeous self...I tell you, this cat is so dear and wonderful....He warms my heart and is the best company anyone could ask for....And he ain't bad to look at, either!
Another view of 'The Mister'.....He certainly is a photogenic guy, isn't he? He always looks like he is thinking 'deep thoughts'. I so often wonder what it is he is thinking about, you know? And those eyes, I am deeply in love! I have loved all of my cats dearly.....but I must say, Sweetie is probably the most beautiful of all the cats that have allowed me to share their life with them....In point of fact, I think he is the most beautiful cat I've ever seen, anywhere, and as sweet as his name. Laid back, yet playful and funny, too....The perfect cat for me, especially at this time in my life..... I am ashamed to say I have neglected his blog....and he is very nice about it, I must say, a true gentleman....he has not said a word about it, and I am grateful that he is so understanding....But I just thought, since I hadn't been paying attention to his blog that I would give him a bit of space here on mine, considering he is such a big part of my life. Here below is a favorite position of his, I know all of you cat worshipers will recognize it.
And below, this position, too....so cuddley and cozy and and relaxed and, so very loving as only a cat can be....
Not an easy picture to get, as you can well imagine....He was so close being on my legs and lap, that it was hard to get a really sharp sharp focus...but, who cares? This picture just makes me smile.....and talk about lowering the blood pressure....Sometimes that paw that's curled under will be stretched out, reaching for my hand. And I reach out for his paw with my paw....and we hold hands, sort of..... I love this next picture because you can see two of my small paintings behind Sweetie....and I swear, he makes them look better because the contrast of his white fur and all those colors is really stunning, to me....
I also think it is kind of funny to see those Purell Wipes on the left there sitting on my little night table...talk about the mundane....! But they sure come in handy especially in an emergency situation when you cannot actually use soap and water...I don't use these too often but I am grateful to have them in a pinch.
Doesn't Sweetie just have the dearest face you've ever seen?
And here he is, one more time, looking regal and truly like the 'king of the jungle' he is kin to....
That was a great great day 7 1/2 years ago when we found each other....'The Mister', 'The Sweetster', 'Mister Boy', my honey lamb, the darling and sublime Sweetie....Long may you wave....!
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This picture above is that opening moment when all the Nominees stood up and the audience applauded....After that wonderful little opening film, this was such a perfect way to start this big sprawling show.....A few visual "highlights".....Here below is Ellen, in those first moments during her wonderfully funny monologue....
It's lovely to see a performer at the top of her game....and that she was. She brought a warmth and family feeling to the ceremony....And here below, a kind of wonderful 'visual', as Ellen's mother watched her daughter with great pride....
Her image is a little right of center, and we see the whole theatre with Ellen on stage and her image in one of the large moniters at the top of the picture and slightly to the side, all at the same time....
Another fun shot was after Ellen mentioned Jack Nicholson always enjoying himself so much at these award shows...and here is, below, thoroughly and completely enjoying himself....
Someone said he looks like Daddy War Bucks...well he kind of does...but I bet the 'look' is for a film he is shooting!
Part of the fun of The Oscars is when the camera's get these shots of some of the people in the audience, like Nicholson....I loved this next shot of Kate Winslet and her incredibly talented director husband Sam Mendes...where we see her holding on to his hand....
Another 'highpoint' for me was the whole section with the tribute and special Honorary Oscar to the great great Italian composer, Ennio Morricone, as introduced by Clint Eastwood. Their connection goes back to the 'spaghetti westerns' which brought Eastwood into prominance as well as Morricone....Morricone's body of work is pretty extrordinary and covers over 500 films.... 
One of the most haunting themes ever written by Morricone was the theme from "Once Upon A Time In America", an epic film that is very much worth renting if you have never seen it....Robert DeNiro and James Woods star, just to name two of the wonderful actors in this film.....
Celine Dion then sang the World Premiere of the new 'song', (lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergmann), of that theme, called "I Knew I Loved Him".
Dion sang this song beautifully, though I must admit I don't particularly enjoy watching her sing....but the Morricone Family certainly did, and here they are, sitting in their special box in the theatre reserved for those receiving a Lifetime Achievment Award....
This Honorary Award has a deeper importance this year because it is only the second time in the hstory of The Academy Awards that a Composer has been so honored----the first one being that very talented American composer, Alex North, who's score for "Streetcar Named Desire" was truly memorable.
As I said, Marricone has composed the scores of over 500 films, which is almost unfathomable to me...a body of work that is unparrelled by any other film composer....The names of just five those films are, "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly", "Cinema Pardiso", "Bugsy", "The Untoucables", and "Once Upon A Time In America"....All his themes have a heartbreaking feel to them and listening to them always brings tears to my eyes...his music touches me very deeply and it has added so very much to all the films he has scored....Sometimes I remember the music more than the film itself.....yet, the film is there in all the notes.....
A triumphant moment....and at almost 80 years old, Morricone is still writing and working in the movies, creating his always gorgeous and perfect music. And below, one more shot of Celine Dion singing that beautiful melody of Morricone's, with the Million Dollar Crystal curtain behind her....! Yes, that curtain cost one million bucks!
And here below is a rather historic moment...Al Gore's Documentary film, "An Inconvenient Truth" wins the Best Documentary Award for 2006, and he came up on stage with the Producers....
And to add to that special moment, there was the companion special moment of Melissa Ethridge winning the Best Song Award for 2006 for her song called "An Inconvenient Truth", written for that Documentary....
I believe that this is the first time in the 79 year history of The Academy Awards that a song written for a documentary has won the Best Song Award...I congratulate her on this win!
Another wonderfully moving moment to me was when Thelma Schoonmaker won her award for the editing of "The Departed". She is a master editor and Scorsese's secret weapon, so to speak. I love that he has always given her the credit that she so richly deserves...His deep and constant appreciation for her incredibly gifted contributions to his films I find very moving. 
They go back a long long way....they were in film school together and she has won five Oscars, including the one for "The Departed", and all of them are for Martin Scorsese films---"Raging Bull", "Goodfellas", "Gangs Of New York", and "Aviator".....it is also very interesting to me that she was married to, until his death in 1990, one of the greatest directors of film ever, Michael Powell. ("The Red Shoes", to name just one among many great films...). And according to IMDB, it was Scorsese who introduced them. Great talent attracts great talent!
I loved this next picture because it is Scorsese standing in the wings watching the Producers of "The Departed" accept the award for Best Picture of 2006. There are 5 Executive Producers, 3 Co-Producers and 3 Producers.....That is the way the movie business is now....the days of Louis B. Mayer, Producer, and Darryl F. Zanuck, Producer, are long long gone....It's economics. The cost of doing business, today...
But according to the Academy's rules in this new age of many many 'Producers', only one is allowed to come up and speak to accept their award. In this case it was Graham King.
There is still so much more...Oh Lord, I may have to do a fourth post....Oy! But to finish this post off, I wanted to include one of the funnier moments during the 79th Academy Awards.
The two young women from "The Devil Wears Prada", Ann Hathaway and Emily Blunt, were the presenters for Best Costume. And I thought this next bit was a very clever and fun way to introduce that category....They came out, and the camera went to Meryl Streep sitting in the front row, beaming at the two of them like a proud Momma.
And in their sort of alter-ego characters from that movie, they sparred a bit with each other and then spoke to Meryl as if in their characters, and Meryl then gave them her special "Prada" look.....
Hilarious! Meryl Streep is such a good sport and one feels she is very very comfortable in her own skin....she is one of this country's great great actresses, and I've lost count how many Nominarions she has had. I just know it is a lot!
One last thing. The lighting of the Academy Awards for Television is a humongeous and difficult job and talk about "artful". Everything that happens....every light on every star/presenter....every time there is a light change that is visble and not visible, too, on stage and in the house....this is all designed by one man. He is the top Lighting Designer of all these kinds of shows...and he just happens to be my next door neighbor.
A true gentle man and a true gentleman too, who has talent coming out of his pores....A standing ovation, please, for the superb....
More To Come.....
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