I love this little birdie....he must not weigh hardly anything, sitting on that long very thin leaf.....looking longingly at that piece of fruit..... The abundance of fruit is amazing! And this little Finch is in 'hogitty heaven' with so much to choose from....his eye kind of looks glazed over as if he ate too much of this ambrosia-like sugary food and he is kind of stoned from it all.....just zoned out, for the moment.....lol.....sweet, isn't he? And here below, is a series of shots of one bird supping on this delicious fruit..... He takes a moment to rest before getting back literally into the middle of this fruit..... Yum. Yum, yum, yum! And more Yum, Yum, Yum! And he is sitting on a dried flower that is about to fall to the ground at any second....again, he must weigh practically nothing....!
That little bit of white flower petal way over on the left is from another plant---a Pachypodum. That's the flower that smells so very much like a Plumeria blossom....and looks like it, too, but it most definitely is not a Plumeria...... And just on the end of this one's little beak you can see the evidence of a meal well eaten....these birds are so darn cute! And below.....another view of another bird taking in all that he can..... And in this next picture, he almost looks like he is bowing his head to God in extreme gratefulness....how dear is that? LOVE these birds and the fruit on this beautiful plant, too.....more about those flowers, next time round.......

More To Come........

links to this post

---

"Away From Her", is a stunning film about love and Alzheimer's.....It stars the still breathtakingly stunning Julie Christie, in another Academy Award winning performance.....I cannot believe she won't get a nomination....!This is not a "happy" film....but it is such a moving and special film, with such a beautiful and economical script, that this should not be missed, depressing though it may be. Ultimately, I found it uplifting in a strange and gentle way, and deeply deeply moving.....And the performances, particularly Julie Christie, are incredibly wonderful in every way......This is a "grown-up" film about grown-up people who's history with one another is in the over forty years of marriage category....It is the story of what is there between two people after over forty years of living together...what is left and what begins to go away 'bit by bit' as Fiona's Alzheimer's Disease worsens, and she enters a nursing home facility.What happens to Fiona and her husband, (Brilliantly underplayed by veteran Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent) is heartbreaking and heart warming, all at the same time. Alzheimer's effect on all principal parties, in this case Fiona and Grant, is examined in this adaptation of a short story by Alice Munro, by the Canadian actress Sarah Polley, who also makes her amazing and fantastic directorial debut in this feature film.To bring Julie Christie back to the screen, after a ten year hiatus...(Well, not completely on hiatus....there were smaller parts in bigger films...."Finding Neverland", "Troy", and one of the Harry Potter franchise pictures, just to name a few....) but this is the first 'starring' role since "Afterglow" with Nick Nolte, for which Ms. Christie received an Academy Award nomination....Ms. Polley deserves a medal for pursuing Ms. Christie and not giving up on convincing Julie Christie to do this film. Everyone in this film is perfect. Olympia Dukakis as the wife of the man, (played without one word spoken by the brilliant Michael Murphy...) that Fiona forms an attachment to in the nursing home, is wonderfully simple, direct, and moving in her very important role in this devastatingly lovely film. There are two other performances worth noting, too...the actress that plays the Head nurse, Kristen Thompson, and the actress that plays the head of the Nursing Home, Wendy Crewson....both veteran Canadian actresses and both perfect in their balancing act of warmth and professionalism in these very difficult positions.Many people may find the whole thing too painful to watch; too depressing to take in....I can understand that. But for me, I think it is a very important film about a couple of subjects we can never see too much about. Love, and Alzheimer's Disease. Do yourself a favor, and rent "Away From Her" if for nothing else then to see the still luminous mature Julie Christie break your heart in a performance that will haunt you for a very long time....

More To Come......

links to this post

---

Here are a few delightful pictures of a Finch or two enjoying the fruit on a Night Blooming Cereus plant...... Here is one of the night blooming flowers on this beautiful plant....before it becomes a lovely delicious piece of fruit.....And below, another view of another flower..... You see that little bottom part....the green part....Well, that is what turns into the fruit. The flower dries up and falls to the ground and that little green part becomes a lovely luscious piece of fruit! LOL, LOL....I do love seeing this dear little Finch with his beak just about buried in the sweetness of the meat of that fruit....And I have tasted this fruit and it is utterly sublime....!

Yummmmmmmmmmy.....Isn't he just dear? I love that he is kind of straddling the whole thing with one little foot on the plant, and the other, right on that fruit! This little guy just taking a bit of a rest, between snacks.... Back to business now....Enough of this resting stuff..... And here, above, you can see more fruit that is not quite ready for eating...But the top of that arm is a great place to survey what's going on around this dear birdie....! And to watch six more possible fruits in the making.... An abundance of fruit in different stages of ripeness....I never saw so very many flowers and fruits on this plant before.....You can see the dead flowers as well as the different stages of ripening......And another picture below of the beautiful flowers that begin it all.... And here is another view of another bird, enjoying a delightful snack from these beautiful lush fruits...... Oh My Lordy...that really does look good enough to eat...especially, when you know how sweet this fruit really is.....Once again, nature just blows me away......

More To Come......

Note: Please go over to Colleen's blog...Loose Leaf Notes, and read this fantastic powerful poem she wrote 'A Dream For President Bush'. I think it is absolutely right-on-the-money....! Do yourself a favor....Click on Colleen's name right here and it will take you directly to it! BRAVA, Colleen.

links to this post

---

The other evening, this is what I saw.....It was quite eerie....Because you couldn't really see beyond a certain point, and what you did see, well....it had a strange glow.... It was quite amazing looking and I tried to get some pictures of this phenomenom...they are not very good, but they are the best I could do, in the moment..... So...here below is how it should and does look when there is no fog at all...... And a similar view but a bit further back....here below.> So....could you be bored by this view, ever? Me neither.....

And now, for a weekend of left-over Turkey....Ahhhhhhhhh.....



More To Come........

links to this post

---

To all who Celebrate Thanksgiving, may your day be filled with good food, great friends, dear family, wonderful children and sweet pets! May you enjoy all the joys that come with Thanksgiving.....Turkey, Sweet Potatoes, Creamed Spinach, Corn Bread Rolls, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Stuffing, Stuffing, and More Stuffing, and Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie, Chocolate Pie, and Cheesecake......And, in the spirit of the day, may you have lots and lots of Chocolate....! And if you are really lucky, A Delicious, Delightful Chocolate Turkey! When I was growing up, this was a special treat that one found sitting in front of your 'place' at the table when you came into the dining room having been called in from wherever you were playing to partake of this special dinner. As the years went on, I became the person responsible for making sure we all had those chocolate Turkeys. Back in the day, they came from Schrafft's, a favorite restaurant of our family that was in Manhattan that also just happened to make and sell very very special chocolates of all kinds.....This was a tradition that was kept up over the years, every Thanksgiving. Later...after moving to Los Angeles, I had to find a place that had Chocolate Turkeys for Thanksgiving....And that turned out to be See's Candy....The first picture above are the chocolate turkeys that come from See's Candy.....I'm so grateful that they feel this tradition is as important as I do. And though I can no longer go where I used to go for Thanksgiving for the past ten years or so---too many children with the possibility of colds, flu, etc.----I continue the tradition, 'in absentia'....In fact, I just got an email today from the hostess that 'the turkeys arrived safely and are all ready on the table for the children'.....This warms my heart more than you will ever know. So, this 'tradition' which has been going on for the 76 years of my life....continues here in 2007. These are the things that are very comforting to me about The Thanksgiving Holiday.So have the loveliest of Holidays on Thursday, for all who celebrate this very American tradition, and tell me what traditions are comforting to you about Turkey Day?

More To Come.....

links to this post

---

links to this post

---

La Brea Avenue and the city beyond, at night....It is quite a startling view when it is clear, and the night I took this picture it was pretty darn clear.....not always the case here as you all know by now from me posting many pictures of what I see as I stand on my balcony....Here below, is the same view during the day..... When it is clear, this truly is a beautiful city....And a city it is, though very very spread out....As I stand on my balcony and look towards Downtown Los Angeles, this is what I see, here in the picture below. The perspective is really not correct, and that is what the camera does.....The city really looks closer than that to my eye....(I sure wish the people who have that tree on their property would trim it---when they do, you can see so much more.... Above, a much closer look at all the buildings downtown, on a very different day...a dark cloudy day, but still clear....Anyone who knows L.A. and has been here for a long time is constantly amazed that we actually have tall tall buildings in this city. In all honesty, I still cannot get over it. Oh, don't get me wrong, I think it is fabulous, but it is still amazing, as there used to be laws about building over a certain amount of story's....But that changed with the great improvements in the way things are built....I do think it is a very beautiful skyline, at least from here it is. Above, some beautiful cloud formations in "close-up". I have two more, all are so very pretty.... What is it about clouds that are so fascinating? And certain clouds are almost mesmerizing to me, like all of these....they so often look unreal or painted, I should say....And that is part of what makes them fascinating tom me..... And in this picture above, I love the dark parts of these clouds at what looks like, to me, the bottom of each cloud....as if at any moment the rains will be pour down....and then those little long cotton-like white puffs below or further away---sometimes it's hard to tell where something is....It's just all so very beautiful. And below, a different day and a different set of clouds.... I love this too....It has such a dramatic 'feel' to it, almost like a ball of fire is in the sky, I know it is the sun trying to break through, but it is more fun to just let the imagination wander and allow yourself to ruminate on the abstractness of it all----like looking at a painting. This is pretty dramatic, too....This is the house that is down below me that went through a two year renovation and when finally finished and the people moved in, this is how it looks every night of of week....It is quite lovely, isn't it? And below, the same view only during the day. And for those who love trivia....the big house which you can just partially see over on the left was originally owned by Jack LaLanne, the amazing Jack LaLanne....He was still living there when I first moved up here, and sold the house less than twenty years ago.....If some of you don't know who Jack LaLanne is, click on his name and read all about this great Fitness Guru. He was one of he first Health & Fitness people, ever, and he became very famous. There was a lot about 'juicing', and still is---in fact there is a juicer that bears his name. He certainly knew and still knows what he is talking about. And he is still talking about Health & Fitness in his 90's! And last but not least, for today, the other part of my 180 view....Century City, Santa Monica and The Pacific Ocean.....not too shabby, I must say. So many times when people see my view for the first time and then ask me how long I have lived here and I tell them, they say, "You must be very bored with your view by now...". Not a chance! It is never boring, ever ever....And, in fact, I find it continually inspiring. How could you become bored with nature and man's ingenuity to create a city? There is always so much to see out there and it is ever changing and always new, even after 43 1/2 years.....

More To Come.......

links to this post

---

On November 12th, 1970, I smoked my last cigarette....ever! Having smoked for 24 years, and very heavily, I might add---especially the last three or four years----this was a momentous occurrence. You can read in more detail about the 'smoking' experience in my post called "SMOKING" on my sidebar over there on the right....

On November 13th, 1970----the very next day----I began a journey that continues to this day....I started something called "Primal Therapy"....I was sitting on my bed, on the 12th of November, painting, when they called me from The Primal Institute right here in Los Angeles, (the original location founded by Arthur Janov and his then wife, Vivien), to tell me that there had been a cancellation and then to ask me could I start the next day? I was stunned but very very ready. So I said, yes, I can! The young woman on the phone said..."Now remember, you must go to the motel tonight, and remember no drinking, no gorging on food, no pills of any kind, no sex, no smoking, no anything that might take your pain away...". I had a cigarette in my hand at the time----(I had a cigarette in my hand or resting in the ashtray, almost all of the time while awake....four packs a day gets smoked somehow, you know?)....I said, "Yes, yes, I know"....She went on: "No radio, no tv, don't talk with anybody on the phone once you are in the motel...and be here at 8 am in the morning....

I hung up after a few more instructions and looked at the burning cigarette in my hand and thought, 'I'll just take one more puff'. I stared at it and paused, and said to myself, 'No....that's it. It's over, no last puff.' And I stubbed that last cigarette out in the very full ashtray on the night table right next to my bed. And then I put the Agua Filter that had held my cigarette, down on the table right next to the full ashtray, and I never picked up another cigarette or an Aqua Filter again.

I went into the motel that evening, very scared and anxious about what awaited me. I knew there was a mother lode of pain locked in me. I knew this, because when I read "The Primal Scream" by Arthur Janov, it unleashed something in just the reading of it. I had applied to The Institute, feeling lucky that it was right here in West Hollywood. I even went there so they could see that I was kind of falling apart already, despite the fact that I was still smoking....They told me there was a waiting list and it might take a month or more....I honestly did not know how I was going to go on for that length of time without the help I felt I needed.

So when the call came the very next day I knew this was my opportunity. And it was a kind of miracle that this was presented to me right after I had been over there....And I had gone because I had a friend who was in therapy and she worked in the office there part time and she said...."Come on over and let them see you....Maybe there will be a cancellation and if they see you and they know you are right here in Los Angeles (People came from all over this country and the world, like Lourdes....!) and could start right away if there is a cancellation....". And so that is why I went. And she was correct.

The whole idea of leaving your home and going into the motel was so that you could totally devote yourself to the task at hand. No distractions of any kind. You went to the Institute each day for a few hours or however long your session lasted---these were open ended sessions. No 45 minute hour here----and then you went back to the Motel....You did not do anything but stay with yourself. You could write if you needed to but no phone calls, no visiting with friends, no anything, but the therapy. It was an incredible luxury to be able to do this. Once you were "cracked open" so to speak, then you could go back home. But carrying on your usual daily life was on hold for quite a few months.

It is a very difficult and painful Therapy...or at least it was at the time I went all those years ago. (I don't think it is the same anymore, and that is a shame, so I am glad I went when I did...) So, as hard as it was, I am deeply grateful it was as it was, on November 13th, 2007. And I was very very lucky in the Therapist I was assigned....He was wonderful and gentle in a way that I needed. God or a Higher Power of some sort was looking out for me at that time, that is for sure. With the wrong person this could have been a disastrous experience, and it wasn't. It was and still is a very rewarding thing for me. It gave me myself, and one cannot ask for anything more important then that....flawed, yes; damaged, yes; but it gave me, me.

So, after two years at The Primal Institute, I continued on my own, with the help of other primal people....we helped each other. We did what they called, 'buddying'.....we were already doing that there at the Institute, which was great....and all that means is, there is another understanding person there with you as you go through reliving early early painful experiences, little tiny bits at a time, like peeling an onion....They don't say anything. They are just there, supporting you on this journey, ready to do something you might need, if need be. And you do the same thing for them, when it is their time to have their "feelings". This is the greatest gift that anyone can give another person. The freedom and support to have their feelings, whatever they might be.

Not everyone is able to do that. And I understood that. Some people's pain fits with yours better than other people's. Finding those people was not always easy, but when you did, it made all the difference. I've been very very lucky. Over the years I found a number of different people to buddy with....Our pain somehow fit with each other, so that it was a terrific experience....For these last thirty years I have had one steady Buddy. And, as is the way of this, I 'sit' for him too. It is a very intimate relationship, as one can imagine. Your buddy sees all of you, and I don't mean the naked body....I mean the naked raw feelings...This takes tremendous trust, and it is a trust that builds over time.

I also had a "room" built underneath my house, rather crude, but it serves the purpose. Sound proof, and padded walls. Talk about 'safety', such an important component of this experience. It is in fact the safest place I know. One can scream and wail as if being murdered---and believe me, I have, and no one calls the police because they cannot hear you. Another great gift. Nothing need be held back. Nothing.

So, on the 12th of this month, two days ago, I began my 38th year of being 'smoke free' and on the 13th I began my 38th year of the Primal experience. The thing about this therapy is: Because it gives you yourself, it enables you to 'go on'....to get on with life and all the things that go into you having a life. It is not a cure. You don't come out all perfect and a different person....you come out more of who you really are, with all your imperfection's; with all your damage; but now you have your real feelings. It ain't easy, believe me, but it is, for me, the only way. Without it, I would not have made it till today. I may not make it till tomorrow...and if that is the case, that is the way it is. But, for these 37+ years and hopefully more, God willing, I am still here.Who knew? I surely didn't. But, as I said, it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done for me, and I am the only one who can truly judge that.
I am the only one who lives inside me. And so it goes. We stumble on through the weeds and come to an opening filled with lovely flowers. We keep moving and there again are some more weeds and hopefully, if we don't fall while stumbling through those weeds, there will be more flowers beyond....

This is life.

So, I wish myself a Happy Anniversary for two reasons on this 14th day of November. 1) For not having smoked in 37 years plus two days, and
2) For having given myself the gift of myself for 37 years, plus one day. I applaud myself and feel much gratitude that I had the courage to tackle both these very important things so that I might continue on in this often very difficult thing we call living. Oh look....there are the flowers.....!


More To Come......

links to this post

---

This is a Kalenchoe....It feels like cloth. Yes, like 'Felt', actually....Nature gives so much sometimes....as Blanche Dubois says in "A Streetcar Named Desire"....'Sometimes there's God, so quickly.....' Indeed, Indeed. Everywhere I look in my garden, there is God....or something like that. The miracle of life is there, before my eyes, in all it's glory. The picture above is the view of 'the red tree'...my name for this Euphorbia Continafolia----red tree is easier for most people....And it is a 'volunteer'.....a seed that hit the ground and just grew into this small (at least at the moment) plant, all on it's own...I love the look of those soft beautiful leaves between the arms of an Agave, another blue Agave behind it..... Here are a couple if more volunteer 'Red Trees'....they are all over my garden....And as I have said before, I think this is one of the most beautiful tree's in nature....It looks like a Japanese Maple to some people, but it is not. Upon a closer look, you can see that the color of the leaves is very unusual, unique, in fact.... As you can see from the picture above, it can and does grow into a very good size tree....I have a few that are 30 feet or more tall, and they each came from one small skinny little cutting off of the mother plant, or a seed that blew to the ground and just took hold.... I love the way the roots of this tree grow and spread out....there is great beauty in that to me, too.....These are the roots of one of the larger trees down below my house..... This little nut-like person is smaller than a dime and grows on a plant that is related to the Ficus family....this plant was less that four inches high when I planted it, oh so many years ago....I had no idea it would grow to be a pretty large tree....There is something quite magical looking about this nut-like seed pod..... This picture above is a close up, taken from above and looking down right at the heart of a Yucca Rostratta....A very Beautiful plant which comes from Texas....I have some in front of my house as well as down below, too....They are very slow growing, but well worth the wait....More 'living sculpture' to warm the heart and soul. And there is the lovely tall Rostratta from a different angle---now looking up at it from down below....This next picture shows the three Rostratta's that are out in the front of my home..... Such elegant plants...especially with their special 'hair cuts'....lol...But they do look striking with the bottom dead leaves cut away....And above, another view of these strikingly beautiful plants....And just for good measure, here below is a side view of the 'head' of a baby that is now, after about 13 years of growth, about 2 1/2 feet high....I told you they are slow growing.....lol. All I know is that all the plants in my garden give me such pleasure. I find them utterly thrilling in their uniqueness and their sculptural quality soothes my soul....Here below, a dash of color...a close look at some very very small red flowers that appear each year on a very beautiful succulant.....


More To Come.....

links to this post

---

Today, we thank all those men and women who fought and died for our country. All the brave people who sacrificed so very much to keep our country safe and free.

Harry Truman had this to say: That says it all. I hope your Sunday and Monday are happy ones, with some small reflection and thanks to those brave souls without whom we would not be here.


More To Come.....

11:51 am NOTE: None of the comments are showing up on my blog today, even though it says published....I checked my settings--ALL is as it should be....HELP!!! Anybody....please...Email me....I don't want to put my email on here so, hopefully someone who has my email might be able to suggest something. Is anyone else having these problems?

12:35 pm: Everything seems okay now..I haven't a clue as to why none of it was showing up...Thanks Monty for the "refresh" suggestion...and for all of you telling me that YOU could see comments....Oy Blogger....! LOL!

links to this post

---

This is my 400th post! And I can hardly believe that....A little over two years ago I didn't even know what a "post" was....! Now, 400 later, well, it has been quite a ride, so far. So, I decided for this momentous post I would write about one of the younger fantastic bright 'stars' of Broadway, Films, Television, and The Concert Stage.....So here she is. The stunningly talented, utterly sublime, Audra McDonald....singing two songs by the musical genius of our time, Stephen Sondheim....

Many if you know Audra McDonald from the new Doctor/Hospital show that is a spin off of Grays Anatomy, "Private Practice", I believe is the correct name....Well, she is so much more than the character of "naomi". (btw: this is the first time in my memory that there has been a character on television in prime time with my name...it is weird to hear it spoken....)

I first became aware of this fantastic 'artist' in 1994 when she was in the amazingly beautiful Nicholas Hytner-Bob Crowley production of "Carousal" at Lincoln Center. Casting Audra McDonald was what is called non-traditional casting. The powers that be were not wrong to do this on any count, but mostly because they cast an exceptionally talented woman who won the first of, I believe, four(4) well deserved Tony Awards. The clip above is pretty amazing because it shows her complete professionalism and her glorious voice and acting ability, too...

Below, here is another clip that I think is quite astounding. It is "My Man's Gone Now" from the George Gershwins masterpiece, "Porgy & Bess"...this was sung in a concert situation with Michael Tilson Thomas conducting...and it will send chills down your spine!
This young woman is a great great "Artist" who has more than proven that she has 'the chops' and will continue to have a very long and distinguished career in whatever area of show business she appears...."Master Class", was her 2nd Tony Award winning performance, which I was lucky enough to see, and then came "Ragtime", Tony #3, (I saw that, too....Beautiful Beautiful show....) and most recently "A Raisin In The Sun", her fourth Tony, plus, two other Tony Nominations....I feel so extremely lucky because I have also seen Audra McDonald in a very small venue---a 600 seat theatre and that was thrilling.....

Why she wants to do the TV show she is on now, I have no clue. She certainly won't get the chance to sing, or...who knows, maybe she will....You never know with these shows....stranger things could happen I guess...but meanwhile, through the magic of YouTube the glory of some of Audra McDonald's performances can be savored like a fine vintage wine. Enjoy!

So on this 400th post, here is one more magnificent clip: Two Diva's for the price of one. Patti Lupone and Audra, singing the famous Judy Garland-Barbara Streisand duet of "Get Happy and "Happy Days"...I actually saw these two fabulous talents do this in a concert where they appeared together in The Hollywood Bowl in 2000. THRILLING, THRILLING, THRILLING, beyond words. Enjoy, Enjoy!

More To Come........

links to this post

---

The article below was written by a very talented screen writer named Howard A. Rodman. His father before him was a very very wonderful writer, Howard Rodman, (no A.) so his knowledge and understanding of what this strike is really about goes deep and goes far far back in the history of the struggle of "artists" and "management".

This article was published in The Huffington Post, on Monday, November 5th, 2007....It is illuminating in every way.

The Writers Guild of America is a middle-class union. Almost half our membership receives no income from Guild-covered employment in any given year. As a result, the median income of Guild members from screen and television writing work is $5,000 per year. That's right: five thousand.

Among the lucky half who actually work, one quarter earns less than $37,700 a year. And even that income is sporadic. You sell a spec screenplay in 2003, you may not sell another one until 2009. More than half of those who have 'safe' staff jobs on television series will not be on television writing staffs five years from now. So like everyone else, we do what we do to (as the President would say) put food on our families.


One of the things that tides us over during the leaner years is residuals. In other words: when the work we create has a longer tail, a continuing revenue stream, some of that comes back to us. Marc Cherry, who created Desperate Housewives after a long dry spell, would have had to give up writing altogether as a profession had he not been supported by residuals.
But those residuals for things like television syndication are drying up, as syndication, re-runs and the like are replaced by DVDs. You don't watch re-runs of The Sopranos on channel eleven: you watch them on boxed sets. But the residual rate on DVDs is a fraction of a fraction: point oh three percent.As re-runs and syndication dry up, and a decent formula is replaced by an indecent one, our members stand to lose roughly 80% of their residual income--of what tides them over.
This is why we're asking for four cents more for every DVD. And that's why we're asking that the DVD rate--calculated when cassettes were in their infancy, when DVDs were a gleam in no-one's eyes, when the internet was still ARPANET and closed to commercial interests, when George Michael was in Wham!--not be the determinant of how we're compensated for downloads in this brave new world.


In simplest terms: the costs of manufacturing videocassettes were relatively substantial. The costs of DVDs (stamped rather than spooled) were much less. The costs of internet downloads are smaller still: no box, no disc, no shrinkwrap, no warehouse, no inventory, no shipping, no rackjobbers, no damaged merchandise, no returns. Yet the media giants want to compensate us at the same fraction-of-a-fraction rate.As you know, the media conglomerates are not charitable. If you believe Fox wants to compensate writers fairly, you probably believe that The No Spin Zone is a no spin zone. And just as in other industries, the gap between what the CEO makes and what the lowest-paid worker makes has multiplied exponentially. The fact that we create the intellectual property, that none of their earnings would be possible absent what we being to the table, is not a matter of large concern to them. It is truly a new Gilded Age, no less so in the IP industry than in real estate or hedge funds.

The conglomerates have put rollbacks on the table, they have put insults on the table, but they have yet to put on the table a complete economic package. We are striking because the conglomerates will not negotiate in good faith otherwise.The news stories--on radio and television stations owned by the same conglomerates against whom we negotiate--are filled with stories of limo drivers, caterers, florists, waiters, even agents, who might be laid off if the strike is at all protracted. What they don't talk about so much are the writers, thousands of them, who are putting their houses and cars and families and kids and futures in jeopardy to fight for what they believe is right. And what the conglomerate-owned media talk about even less: that no one on this food chain, from high to low, would be eating without the intellectual property writers create.

It's the money, stupid. They have it. They don't want to let go of it. They care so deeply and profoundly about not letting go of even a little of it that they're willing to let thousands upon thousands suffer. In their moral universe, a fifteen-buck DVD of a movie doesn't have another four cents in it for the people who dreamed up that movie in the first place. And in that same moral universe, a rate set experimentally in the 1980s for videocassettes must be set in stone for the internet era, or else.Jake Gittes, courtesy of Robert Towne, ("Chinatown"), once asked of Noah Cross, "How much better can you eat? What can you buy that you can't already afford?" Noah Cross replied, "The future, Mr. Gitts, the future." .

The cost of any one CEO's severance package is, the way these things have been going, in the hundreds of millions. In other words, substantially more than they are offering all screen and television writers over the next three years.Howard A. Rodman said it all. I hope this has been illuminating to those of you who might feel that the Writer's Strike is about Greed. Because you are correct. It is indeed about greed, but not on the part of the Writer's.

More To Come......

links to this post

---

The Sundance Channel has this really wonderful series called "Iconoclasts"...where they pair up two people who often don't know each other in 'life' though they are certainly familiar with each other by reputation....And they meet and spend time with one another talking about all sorts of things regarding their life experience and their work, as well..... It is a fascinating, informative and often moving 50 minutes or so The ones that have interested me the most have to do with two people who's lives have more in common than not, though the threads of that commonality may appear to be somewhat obscure. The two that stand out for me are Dave Chappele and Maya Angelou....the first of these pairings that I saw, and the most recent one which played on Friday night, Alicia Keys and Ruby Dee....Here is a little YouTube clip from this one:

It is obvious in a way that the disparity of age is an important factor....in each case, there is an 'elder' and there is a 'younger'. The conversations that Dave Chappelle had with Maya Angelou were just fabulous. Her life experience as a black woman in America in contrast to his experience as a young man of color, decades later, were quite illuminating and wonderful...The respect that they have for one another----the things that they both admire in each other, well....it was a very informative meeting of people, not just for each other, but for the audience, too.....A stunning meeting, one might say....Here is a short little clip from that show:
The time that Ruby Dee and Alicia Keys spent together was so sweet and so filled with the exchange that two 'artists' can have with each other....so much respect for one another...I found it deeply touching. In this program, they each took the other to the place where they started their growth as artists....Ruby Dee to the actual Theatre where she got her start as an actress, in Harlem, and Alicia Keys took 'Miss Dee', as she called her throughout the program, to Hell's Kitchen where she grew up and to the theatre there where she got her start....They shared poetry and songs and history and their talent....

Both these particular programs had a theme in common. Both Maya Angelou and Ruby Dee lived through incredibly historic times in the struggle for Civil Rights.
Both knew Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, very very well.....this history, these important milestones of the struggle for 'change' are part of what made both these women who they are today. The 'youngers' get to hear this history and 'feel' it right from someone who lived it....How special is that? To me, it is everything. Here we have extremely talented and successful people getting together and sharing life experiences with one another and we as an audience have the privilege of peeking in on this sharing....This series is a truly spectacular idea of the amazingly talented Robert Redford, and it comes off like gangbusters. Other pairings that have already aired are Redford and Paul Newman---I think that was the very first one of the very first season.And Renee Zellweger and CNN news correspondent Christiane Amanpor---that was a wonderful one, too, Sumner Redstone & Brian Grazer--a very interesting one because these two men are powerhouses in their work and so very many more...If you get a chance, look for it on The Sundance Channel...you won't be sorry, I promise you....
Watching Ruby Dee, I was reminded of a couple things...
My introduction to Langston Hughes' poetry was around 1958-59, while watching a wonderful series on PBS, (I think), called Camera 3.....Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis spent the whole half hour reciting in a very artful way, all this wonderful poetry by a number of black writers....it was, actually, my introduction to many writers I was unfamiliar with, and also my introduction to a side of these two wonderful actors that I had not seen before---their love of and their commitment to writers of color, and the sharing of same to a mostly white audience who like me, had probably never heard of any of them till that morning....

About thirty years later, I went to a book signing, with my dear friend Rosetta LeNoire, held here in Los Angeles, of a book called "IN THE SHADOW OF THE GREAT WHITE WAY" - Images from the Black Theatre. This great book features the magnificent photographs of Bert Andrews. Images which he took in and around the greater New York area of a certain period of all the Black Theatre that was happening at the time.....The story of how this book came about is pretty miraculous in and of itself. Due to a horrendous fire in 1985, the building that housed Bert Andrews Studio in New York City on the corner of 8th Avenue and 46th street was destroyed and with it went 40,000 to 50,000 images and negatives. A devastating loss to say the least....

But because of that devastating fire, Bert Andrews went to all the theatres were he had photographed plays, actors, playwrights and directors---the Negro Ensemble Theatre Company, the New Federal Theatre, the Frank Silvera Workshop, the Richard Allen Cultural Center, etc.---to see what each of them might still have of the photographs he had taken over those years. He was able to retrieve almost 2000 prints and in so doing, a history of black theatre and all the great great artists who had worked in plays at those theatres during that time---1957 to 1984, were saved and preserved and now reside in a special place in Schonburg Center, in The New York Public Library, at Lenox Avenue and 135th Street...Not far from where Ruby Dee got start as an actress.This book signing was a joyous joyous evening...so very many actors, playwrights, directors, etc, who are in the pictures included in the book--I believe there are 150 or so pictures....were there. The feeling in the room was unlike any other event that I have ever been to, before or since, of this nature....There was so much love and camaraderie in that room---I was utterly thrilled to be there and to be among 'artists' who I admired so greatly. I got to talk to Ruby Dee and she signed my book along with many other special people....

And I also thought about my slight connection to Maya Angelou, too....
In 1994 I was invited to a special book signing by another very dear friend, Samella Lewis, an artist and Art Historian as well as one of the bravest and smartest women I have ever known. This book was a "special limited edition" of a true work of art---A book of poems by Maya Angelou called "OUR MOTHERS" with beautiful illustration by the incredibly talented artist John T. Biggers....It is an over sized book---22" X 17", with a very beautiful cloth binding and it sits in it's own protective box, just big enough to hold the book.....I honestly do not remember how many books are in this Limited Edition, but I believe it was no more than Five hundred. I will have to look this up....Samella had invited about 50 or so people there and Maya Angelou was to be there signing books in this edition as well as another published edition without the illustrations, etc, of just a regular sized book of the same poetry....

It turned out that there were only a very small amount of the "special Edition" at Samella's house that day, and when they ran out, there would be no more available for signing---at least not there. When it came time for the actual signing---Miss Angelou had arrived and spoken to us as a group for a short time----Miss Angelou took her position behind a large table, big enough to hold this huge heavy book, where she would be signing them.
Everyone formed a line and I was about halfway back in the line...And this edition was quite expensive because, indeed, you were buying a work of art....! I didn't know if I would be lucky enough to get one, but I hoped I would. Maya Angelou took a lot of time with each person who bought a book---weather the special edition or the regular edition.....I was so impressed with her complete total interest in whomever sat down next to her...It was awesome! As I got closer and closer, I could see the small pile of these special editions dwindling before my eyes....But, as luck would have it, I got the very last one and I believe there were only ten all together.
At my turn, Maya Angelou greeted me and said to sit down and then proceeded to talk to me as if I was the only person in the room, just as she had with everyone else. Interested in what I did and how I knew Samella, etc....I realized later---much much later, that when I said my name was Naomi Caryl, she took that to mean that this was my first name, like Carol Ann, or Joanie Sue, and so when she signed the book, she wrote, 'Naomi Caryl' Joy! and signed her name and the date, 9/11/94.

This was a very special afternoon for me for so very many reasons, not the least of which was and is, my deep admiration for this great great artist. I do feel incredibly lucky to have met and/or known so very many inspiring people throughout my life.....these women---Ruby Dee, Maya Angelou, Rosetta LeNoire, Samella Lewis....all have been inspiring to me on many many levels....these four women growing up in a basically racist country, achieved so much with such odds against them that one cannot even imagine....three are still alive, Bless them, and one, Rosetta, has left us....But all of them are fantastic role models of a life well lived in spite of adversity's that are unimaginable....So do watch ICONOCLASTS and see what grace and wisdom and talent that Ruby Dee and Maya Angelou possess. It touches me more than I can say.......

More To Come.......

links to this post

---

Here is the L.A Times Review of "BETTY GARRETT, CLOSET SONGWRITER", which was in the paper on Friday, November 2nd....The show opened last Saturday, October 27th.....

links to this post

---

Here are a few images of some plants from my garden.....some shown in extreme close-up, some not....I love this one above because of the shadows created by the positioning of the sun....this looks like abstract sculpture to me....albeit "live" abstract sculpture. It is in fact, an Agave.... This is a Dasylirion....It is a dazzling plant, I must say. These long very slender sharp sided and sharp ended leaves grow from the center forming this huge bouquet-like look.....I have two of these in my garden, but they are quite different from each other..... This picture above is a close look at part of a long flower stalk from a particular Agave plant down below in my garden, different from the one in the picture at the top of this post, above, and different from that Agave Flower that attracted the Hummingbirds during the summer. I think it is so very beautiful....I will have to post a picture of more of this flower another time. It will be more of it then what you can see here....I love seeing all the hundreds of little pods that have opened on it.... This picture above looks like it might be of the surface of the moon or some other planet....Again, I think it is truly beautiful...All these plants are so very sculptural...."Natures Art"....The colors alone qualify it as a work of art, I think.....It is, in fact, a very special Succulent.

Well, this is as much as blogger will let me do....I wish they would get this picture-loading problem solved, once and for all...it is really getting me p.o'd....So, hopefully I will be able to show you more next time.....Grrrrrr......Blogger! Maybe with Mercury going forward today, blogger will get it together...we can only hope....

More To Come.....

NOTE: Anyone interested in quality television, start watching the repeat of "MAD MEN" tonight on AMC at 10pm PST. It is true quality and fascinating, at best! If you missed it, here is your second chance.....the first episode of "MAD MEN", starts tonight. and this show is right up there with the best of the best....

links to this post

---

view my profile
100 things about me

Name: OldOldLady Of The Hills
Location: Los Angeles, California

• Smoking!
• "Hear" 1950's Songs

• "rabies"
• boo "lunch" - part 3
• halloween boo "lunch" - 2
• the boo "ladies" lunch!
• boo, two!
• boo!
• foolish ghoulish
• halloween is coming - part 2
• halloween is coming....!
• hollywood

• November 2005
• December 2005
• January 2006
• February 2006
• March 2006
• April 2006
• May 2006
• June 2006
• July 2006
• August 2006
• September 2006
• October 2006
• November 2006
• December 2006
• January 2007
• February 2007
• March 2007
• April 2007
• May 2007
• June 2007
• July 2007
• August 2007
• September 2007
• October 2007
• November 2007
• December 2007
• January 2008
• February 2008
• March 2008
• April 2008
• May 2008
• June 2008
• July 2008
• August 2008
• September 2008
• October 2008
• November 2008
• December 2008
• January 2009
• February 2009
• March 2009
• April 2009
• May 2009
• June 2009
• July 2009
• August 2009
• September 2009
• October 2009
• November 2009

• 7msn Ranch
• A Bit Of This A Bit Of That
• Aginoth
• Althouse
• Anne
• Annie
• Awareness
• bighappyfunhouse
• Bob-Kat
• Brazil-Sonia 2
• Bud at Pinehurst
• Butchie O
• By His Grace Alone
• Carmi
• chatty
• Charles
• Chickie
• Chris
• Colleen
• craziequeen
• Crimson
• cyberkitten
• D. Challener Roe
• Dak-Ind
• Dara
• Dave
• Deana
• Dena
• DesLily
• Dianne
• Faira
• Fizzysnuthouse
• Fridays Child
• Geewits
• Girl About Town
• Golden Dreams
• Greenwich Village-Ken Mac
• Hakon
• Helen
• HeartSongs
• Hollywood Thoughts
• HOLLYWOOD SHEET MUSIC
• HonestyRain
• Isabella, Naples
• Jammie
• Jac
• Jamie Dawn
• Jane
• Jeni
• Jew Eat Yet
• Joared
• Judy
• Keda
• Last Girl On Earth
• Le Laquet
• Lilly
• Linda
• Lisa
• Little Red
• LL Cool Joe
• Loving Annie
• Loving Annie's Travel Treasures
• Lucy
• Lynne
• Mamacita
• Mar
• Margalit
• Maria&Stefano
• Mark
• Melli
• Melody
• Michele
• Mike
• Minerva
• Mings Daily New York City Photo
• Momma K
• Mostly Useless Drivel
• Mrs Aginoth
• Mysterious Lady
• Neil
• NetChick "Meet & Greet"
• Octogenarian
• Old Horsetail Snake
• Otto K
• Palm Springs Savant
• Panthergirl
• Pat @ PI
• Pearl
• Pond Perspective
• PostSecret
• Rabies Travels
• Raggedy
• Rain
• Randall
• Rashbre
• Ray Richmond
• Recovering Straight Girl
• Renny
• Sam I Am
• Sandy
• Sara
• Scarlet
• Shannon
• Shephard
• Shionge
• Shoeaddict
• Shoe Addict Says-TV
• Sliding Through Life
• Smiler
• Sonia
• Sonia's Photo's Only
• SRP
• Stephanie Davies
• SugarMommy-Buffi
• Sunshine-In Iraq
• Sunshine's Mama-In Iraq
• Suzann
• Sweetie
• "T"
• Tan Lucy
• Terri
• Tiny Dog
• Toasted Crumpet
• TorAa
• Trish
• Turmanators, The
• Utenzi
• "VV"
• Vanx
• ViaMarie
• Violet Sky
• WendyWings
• Wisconsin Karen
• YellowRose

• Google

x4

I Remember
William "Bill" C. Hunt
2 World Trade Center, 84th Floor

Powered by: Blogger
design by: girliebits.