July 2007: The Boy Wizard and the Boys from Jersey

Hello again. I hope you are enjoying the summer. Here’s a look back at July 2007 in the Cameron/Utt household.

HARRY POTTER 2007
I can never remember what year the first Harry Potter book was published, but I won’t soon forget that Book 7 was released in 2007. The franchise offered a unique opportunity for Potter-philes to watch Movie 5 and read Book 6 the week prior to The Deathly Hallows debut.

Much has been made about Order of the Phoenix the longest book yielding the shortest movie in the series. [Harry’s godfather, for example, only has four scenes: "Here's the family tree. Look, I'm a dog. Now I’m in the fire. Let's fight the bastards! The End.”] I was thankful for the reduced running time since it meant one less CGI Quidditch match to sit through. The main plotline was there—Harry Potter meets The Devil Wears Prada—and Imelda Staunton was perfectly cast as headmistress-from-hell Delores Umbrige.

Leaving the Chinese Theater on opening night, we got to see the still-drying hand, foot and wand prints of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. The concrete slab has since been incorporated into the courtyard near those of George Clooney and Brad Pitt. (Photo by Shephard)

The following week, I re-read The Half Blood Prince and headed to Borders Friday at midnight to find I was Potter Nerd Number 282. The store was hosting a Grand Ball in which kids and adults were making wands, challenging each other with trivia questions, and complimenting each other on their costumes. There were lots of Gryffindors, a Tonks, a Hagrid (or was it Hurley from Lost?) and for some reason, two Pikachu’s. Unfortunately, Borders was so clogged with people that the air conditioning and PA systems were ineffective. Two of the sales girls had to stand near the counter and scream “Numbers 41 through 50!” while handling complaints about the heat.

The Fire Marshal In My Head directed me to the sidewalk so that I could wait the next half hour in the cooler air and open spaces of downtown Glendale. Finally, with book in hand, I walked back home and turned to page 1 at about 1:00am. Saturday was spent leisurely reading the remaining 758 pages. I wasn’t the only one doing this, since Warner Bros blamed the book’s release for a drop in ticket sales for Order of the Phoenix.

In case you are still immersed in The Deathly Hallows I won’t include any plot points here—they’re not called “spoilers” for nothing. I will say it was an enjoyable read with a fitting conclusion for the series. Future generations are sure to embrace Harry Potter as kids continue to do with The Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars.


Bloomsbury, Harry Potter's U.K. publisher released two different editions overseas. The adult version looks pretty good but I think the kids cover missed the mark completely. The kids seem to agree as you can see in this BBC message board. In typical English fashion, 10 year old Lottie dismisses the art as “rubbish.” If you’re curious, here’s a link to all seven U.K. covers.

If you want to learn more about the Potter-verse there’s plenty online at Muggle Net including a comprehensive character database that has seventy-five entries under “B” alone. The Leaky Cauldron promotes itself as “The Most Trusted Named in Potter.” JK Rowling discusses spoilers here and answers readers' questions here. This Yahoo article details the record-setting first-day sales and challenges of such large-scale printing and distribution

I also recommend the August 3rd Entertainment Weekly which devoted 36 pages to the Harry Potter phenomenon.

JERSEY BOYS AT THE AHMANSON THEATER
The next day, we joined Diana and Kim at the Ahmanson to see the 2006 Tony Winner for Best Musical Jersey Boys. It’s the story of the 60’s/70’s group The Four Seasons told with their songs and plenty of four letter words.

Instead of dance numbers, this production uses humor, top ten hits and clever staging. It was as slick as a sharkskin suit. Structurally, the play moves chronologically through their rise and fall, giving each Season the chance to tell his side of the story. Daryl and I learned a lot about the group, such as the story behind “December 1963 (Oh What a Night)” where the group name came from, and the role Joe Pesci played in their formation.

Frankie Valli is such a vocally demanding part that two guys alternate the role during the week. Imagine having to hit all the high notes in “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Sherry,” “Rag Doll” and “Dawn” nightly. Rick Faugno earned two standing ovations for his work as Valli in the performance we saw.

If you like the Four Seasons or have wondered what a musical version of The Sopranos might feel like, check it out. The show runs through August 31. Thank you, Diana for setting this up.

THE SIMPSONS MOVIE
This weekend we headed over to the new AMC Century City 15 to see The Simpsons Movie. Like some of their best half-hour episodes, the film had plenty of one liners, sight gags, and political nose-tweaking. Daryl, Cynthia, I and the rest of the audience had a great time, so I wasn’t surprised that it was the number one movie this weekend. With $72 million, it was the fifth largest opening this year beating out Transformers and Ratatouille.

As part of the promotional push for the movie, 7-Eleven converted some of its franchises into Kwik-E-Marts, the not-so-convenient store run by Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. The outside is painted those distinctive colors and features characters like Bart, Milhouse, and Comic Book Guy. For sale inside are Springfield-specific items like Krusty-O’s Cereal, Duff Beer, and Squishees. We drove by the one in Burbank and I had to laugh when I saw that 7-Eleven had a line to get in. That’s as crazy as a midnight crowd at a bookstore. Oh wait.

THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL
We made it to the Hollywood Bowl to see Mozart’s comical opera The Magic Flute. This was a concert version without costumes, or sets or props. Or subtitles, which took everyone by surprise. It was a bit of a challenge at first but Alfred Molina was there to narrate between the arias and make sense of it for those of us unable to follow along in the original German. We'll be back tonight for more German singing as I finally get to see Beethoven's 9th performed live. Thanks to Justen and Kim for inviting us to both events!

DARYL'S BIRTHDAY
For his birthday, I took Daryl over to Pasadena for a proper English tea at Rose Tree Cottage. Covered in ivy and nestled among other half-timbered Tudors, you half-expect Jane Austen or Beatrix Potter to greet you at the door.

Between cucumber sandwiches and scones, we got to talk with owners Mary and Edmund Fry who have been serving up pots of tea and petit-fours for twenty years. They gave us the sad news that the Rose Tree was being forced out of its little cottage to make way for low-cost housing. Then they gave us the good news that the business will be continuing at a new location, although this one will be hard to top. Wherever they land, I’m sure we’ll follow.

After tea we walked around the attached shop, which has everything from clothes to crumpets. Daryl picked up a book called The Great Tea Rooms of America which features The Rose Tree Cottage and its feline ambassador Miss Moppet on page 87.

Daryl was working backstage at Disneyland on his special day and had two surprises. Mickey and Minnie stopped for a private photo op outside Team Disney and the entire cast of High School Musical Pep Rally completely caught him off-guard when they burst into “Happy Birthday.”

The following weekend we were at our friend Bhavani’s for an informal birthday get-together with friends. We played games, laughed a lot and didn’t get home until late because we were having so much fun. Thank you, Bhavani!

FOURTH OF JULY
Speaking of birthdays, we celebrated July Fourth in Santa Monica with our friends JJ and Adam. JJ hails from London, so instead of hotdogs and potatoes chips she served the English equivalent: bangers and mash. It was tasty!

Because of the continuing dry spell, the community fireworks were cancelled, but that didn’t stop the neighborhood from launching some private pyrotechnic shows. Their little dog Hamish thought he was in a war zone. Thank you JJ and Adam!

CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS:
Although Daryl was disappointed by I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, he talked briefly to Seth Rogen [Knocked Up/40 Year-Old Virgin] as everyone was leaving the theater. At the Disney Commissary last week, I saw Victor Garber from Alias who is currently shooting the new series Eli Stone on the lot.

NEXT MONTH
Who knows what the stars will bring. Until then, James & Daryl

June 2007: Nemo, Danny Ocean, James Bond and Steve Austin

Hello again. I hope all is well with you. Here’s a look back at June 2007 in the Cameron/Utt household.

A NOTE ABOUT THE WEATHER
Since July 1st of 2006, LA has received only three inches of rain, the lowest recorded amount in 130 years. The annual rainfall for the area is normally 15 inches so the vegetation is very dry. Since March, we’ve had two fires in Griffith Park, one on Catalina Island and one last week at Lake Tahoe that burned 3,100 hundred acres/nearly five square miles. 250 homes were destroyed in Tahoe because an illegal campfire got out of hand. I’m sure that blaze won’t be the last one this summer.

OCEAN’S 13 HANDPRINT CEREMONY
The first event of the month took place Tuesday, June 5th, at the world-famous Chinese Theater. Daryl and our friend Diana braved the crowds to see a once-in-a lifetime handprint ceremony starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon.

It started at 11:30am but Daryl was there at 6:30am so that he would get a seat in the first row of the bleachers. Besides some rude people trying to barge into the stands at the last minute, it was a terrific event.

Johnny Grant, the longtime honorary Mayor of Hollywood emceed and George Clooney cemented his wiseguy status by joking that they had all worn larger size shoes for the occasion.

Diana joked about now that she’s seen Brad Pitt in person, she may just move back to New York. We’d prefer it if she stayed here in LA. Who else is Daryl going to get to attend this stuff! Handprint photos are posted at popsugar.com

FINDING NEMO PRESS EVENT
That weekend, Daryl was back at Disneyland to help launch the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. His team was at the press event to highlight the Pirates of the Caribbean video games available from Disney Interactive Studios. I saw quite a bit of the XBOX360 version and was impressed by the realism of the graphics and the way Jack Sparrow staggered through the game.

We got to ride the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage with our friends Ryan and Frankie. The person before Daryl had coughed, sneezed, slobbered or smeared their greasy hair all over the porthole—just like the city bus!—but luckily he was able to change seats.

I don’t normally think of myself as “tall,” but the viewing windows in the sub seemed uncomfortably low. About halfway through, I was wondering if they could rename the attraction Finding Back Pain or Disney’s Hunchback: The Ride.

All of that aside, the younger passengers were enthralled with the bubbles and the life aquatic of Nemo and friends. WDI did a great job updating the attraction. You can see and hear what I mean on the fan site Real Disney. They’ve posted video of the entire sub experience here. It certainly beats waiting with those summer crowds.

For me, the big hit of the event was seeing so many of our friends from Walt Disney World. I got to catch up with Tom Biz, Mary Haupt and Debby LeBlanc and many more between all the activities.

OJAI LAVENDER FESTIVAL
To my sister Karen and me, Ojai has always been the mythical hometown of the Six_Million_Dollar_Man and the Bionic_Woman. Steve Austin and Jamie Sommers grew up there and became high school sweethearts long before he totaled the aircraft and she had her skydiving accident.

It turns out that Ojai (pronounced “OH-high”) is a real town located about an hour and a half north of us. With a population just over 8,000, locals refer to it as “The Village of Ojai.” Except for the gas station and the grocery store, there is a moratorium on “chain or formula stores” within the village limits. A developer tried to open a Subway franchise in June but the residents protested. Some other small-town features:

• The post office is the tallest building.
• The Ojai Playhouse cinema has only one screen. Nightly show times are fixed at 7:30 and the weekend-only matinees at are always at 2:00.
• The old train tracks have been converted to a 16-mile bike trail.
  

We were in town for the 4th_Annual_Ojai_Lavender_Festival which was a small affair centered in the community park. We walked around the booths selling crafts, organic foods, dog sweaters and tchotchkes. One booth had rescued owls with clever names like “Barnie.” (That still cracks me up.) We tried some tasty lavender sugar cookies and picked up some lavender honey. After a salad at a nearby café, we drove out through the picturesque Ojai Valley and stopped at a pick-your-own lavender field.

There is a lot more about the region and some pictures at Discover_Ojai. It’s a quaint, relaxed town with many farms and lots of natural beauty. I’m sure we will be back.

THE POLICE/DODGER STADIUM
The following weekend Daryl and our friend Shawn were at Dodger Stadium to see The Police in concert. They were seated just past the first base line and thoroughly enjoyed the show. They skipped the opening act unintentionally because it took an hour getting INTO the parking lot, but the concert was completely worth it.

Of course, it really is still about Sting. His voice sounded great on the opening song Message in a Bottle. The concert didn’t disappoint. Some of the highlights for Daryl were: Wrapped Around Your Finger, Walking on the Moon, King of Pain and Every Breath You Take.

Daryl mentioned that he felt a little like he was making up for lost time as a teenager in North Carolina. The Police were one of those bands that he always wanted to see, but never had an opportunity. Now if only Tears for Fears would tour again…

“007 IN 2007”
Earlier this year, Starz Action channel was airing two James Bond films every Sunday beginning at midnight. Having only seen Goldeneye and last year’s Casino Royale in the theater, and a few more on TV, this was the perfect opportunity to catch up on the franchise. It was going great until I realized that Starz wasn’t running any of the Pierce Brosnan installments except for Tomorrow Never Dies. Luckily our friend Shawn loaned me his copies of The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day this month. Now, I’ve seen all 21 of the official Bond films and Sean Connery’s unsanctioned return in 1983’s Never Say Never Again. Thank you, Shawn!

FACTOID: James Bond has been played by actors born in Scotland, Australia, England, Wales, and Ireland.

It was interesting how the character and the films changed with the times. Bond was a playboy in the early days, vaguely monogamous in the late 80’s, a more responsible playboy in the 90’s and a gritty everyman in 2006. Cold war politics played a part in most of the films, including 1963’s From Russia With Love. 1973’s Live and Let Die seems to have been influenced by the blaxploitation films of the era. The popularity of the King Tut exhibit shows up in the Egyptian Pyramids sequences of 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me. The end credits of that movie announce For Your Eyes Only as the next release but after the success of Star Wars, the producers greenlit Moonraker instead.

Roger Moore added snowboarding to 007’s stunt repertoire in 1986’s View to a Kill and in 1988’s The Living Daylights, poor Timothy Dalton delivers the “Bond, James Bond” line into a cordless phone with a two-foot antenna. Pierce Brosnan’s boat chase down the Thames in 1999’s The World is Not Enough makes ample use of the still-under-construction Millennium Dome for its backdrop.

There are several websites devoted to James Bond but the most complete and updated seems to be the MI6_Home_Page with information on books, films, music, and merchandise. For some more fun, there’s Matt’s_Top_Ten_Bond_Films and Entertainment_Weekly’s_Top_Ten_Bond_Girls.

FACTOID: Christopher Lee played the title character in The Man with the Golden Gun making him the only person to appear in three of the most successful movie franchises. He also played Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequels and Saruman in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I wonder if he’s planning on joining Indiana Jones 4 and Harry Potter 6?

JAMES BOND—THE SONGS
Back in 1983, my buddy Jim Plick got an LP with all the Bond songs performed by the original artists. It was the first time I had heard Tom Jones’ loungy, over the top “Thunderball,” Nancy Sinatra’s lite-pop “You Only Live Twice” and John Barry’s driving, brassy score to 1968’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Since then, performers like Tina Turner, Chris Cornell, a-ha, Sheryl Crow and Madonna, have joined the Bond catalog. Did you know that

• Duran Duran’s “View to A Kill” is the only Bond song to reach Number 1.
• 1981’s For Your Eyes Only marks the only time the song’s performer—in this case Sheena Easton—appears in the opening credits.
• Shirley Bassey is the only person to sing more than one Bond song: Two of the best, 1964’s “Goldfinger” and 1971’s “Diamonds Are Forever;” and one of the worst,“Moonraker.”
• Patti LaBelle performed “If You Asked Me To” over the closing credits of 1989’s License to Kill three years before Celine Dion made the song a hit.
• Rita Coolidge’s “All Time High” from 1983’s Octopussy was the first Bond song without the title of the movie in its lyrics. I wonder why?
  

THE JAMES BOND THEME or I WAS BORN WITH THIS UNLUCKY SNEEZE
A successful writer of London stage musicals, Monty Norman agreed to score the first film, 1962’s Dr. No, because he and his wife got a free month-long stay in Jamaica. The trip yielded calypso-tinged compositions like “Jump Up Jamaica” and the now-iconic “Underneath the Mango Tree” whose popularity may be due in part to its accompanying visual of Ursula Andress in a bikini.

After returning to London, the producers still wanted a signature theme for 007 so Norman looked through his earlier compositions and found “Bad Sign, Good Sign.” He had written it for an unproduced musical about the East Indian community in Trinidad called A House for Mr Biswas. The opening lyric is “I was born with this unlucky sneeze…” He and composer John Barry re-orchestrated it into “The James Bond Theme.”

You can listen to the original arrangement, lyrics and all, of “Bad Sign, Good Sign” by clicking on Monty_Norman’s_album_”Completing_the_Circle” On the right side of the screen is the “Click Here to Listen” link. Go to “Bad Sign Good Sign” and click on the low/hi speakers. The recognizable guitar riff played on the sitar paired with the immortal words “I was born with this unlucky sneeze…” might leave you shaken, not stirred.

Even though every film since Dr. No officially lists Monty Norman with writing “The James Bond Theme” there has been some dispute over the true identity of the composer. One theory says John Barry actually wrote the theme but since he was hired as an arranger, Monty contractually had to be credited. Another insists that Norman stole the theme from another composer. Three court cases have been tried with Monty Norman winning each time.

THE REAL JAMES BOND
Patrick Dalzel-Job, the real-life spy who was the inspiration for James Bond, published his life story From_Arctic_Snow_to_Dust_of_Normandy before he died at the age of 90. Here is his 2003 BBC obituary

VISITORS
We got to see two other Disney friends this month. While Kristi Koester was out here on assignment she and Daryl spent a day sightseeing. Kristi got to know her way around LA a lot faster than I did. A week later Lisa Becket joined us for an afternoon of sightseeing and the four of us toured the Hollywood Hills.

It was great seeing them both again and catching up as we drove to famous sights like Kathy Griffin’s house from My Life on the D-List, where Chance and Pom-Pom came out to bark at us. We had a delicious, casual dinner at Home in Los_Feliz, which was fitting since we all use to live down the street from each other.

We spent the last day of the month in Pasadena hanging out at the home of Ashika and Gaurav. It was a fun group, as always, and I ate way too many samosas. So tasty!

CELEBRTY SIGHTINGS
While walking on the Disney Lot, I saw Colin Farrell taking a break outside of one of the Foley stage. He was working on Pride and Glory. While at Walt Disney Animation Studios, I saw director John Landis and talked a few times to composer Randy Newman. I saw Denise Richards and baby shopping in World of Disney. Daryl saw Colby Smulders, (a.k.a. Robin Sparkles on CBS’ How I Met Your Mother) at the Nemo Event.

NEXT MONTH
July Fourth, Daryl’s birthday, Jersey Boys and another concert.

Until then,
James & Daryl

May 2007: 3rd Annual Tuech Family Vacation and Lots More!

Hello again. I hope all is well with you. Here’s a look back at May 2007 in the Cameron/Utt household, and I’m not gonna kid you, we did a lot.

SPIDER-MAN 3 at CINERAMA DOME
We started off the month by seeing Spider-Man 3 on opening night at the world-famous Cinerama Dome. It was our first time at this historic structure which you can read all about at these two links:
http://www.arclightcinemas.com/Arclight/dome.html
http://www.seeing-stars.com/Theatres/CineramaDome.shtml

Over the speaker system, the pre-show spiel began with, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Cinerama Dome…” and was met with the usual cheering and applause. It continued with “You are here to see Spider-Man 3. . .” which was met with more cheering. “Starring [long pause] Tobey Maguire…” At that point Tobey stepped out from behind the curtain revealing himself as the voice of the pre-show spiel. Only in Hollywood. We all went crazy and gave him a standing ovation as he continued to remind us about talking, cell-phones and recording devices. He finished with a simple “Enjoy the show,” walked up the aisle and disappeared into the night.

The movie was only so-so but Tobey’s surprise appearance made our first experience at the Cinerama Dome a memorable one.

TELEVISION ACADEMY SALUTE TO BOB BARKER
That Monday I was invited to join friends at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences to see a salute to Bob Barker for his fifty years in broadcasting. After a 30-minute preview of the two prime-time specials created for sweeps, Harry Smith came out to introduce and interview the 17-time Emmy winner.

Harry was a terrific interviewer and Bob was just as funny as I thought he would be, dropping one-liners in his warm, elf-effacing manner. Some great nuggets:

“A standing ovation is a great motivator to getting up everyday. Once I retire, I might have my housekeeper Mercedes stand at the foot of my bed and applaud every morning.”

“I took karate training from Chuck Norris. He was beating me up three times a week, when the script for Happy Gilmore came my way. When I read that the scene ended with Bob Barker winning the fight, I said “I’ll do it.”

We hovered in the lobby afterwards and politely waited for a chance to take a picture with the legend. I was surprised to learn that Bob and I are the same height but disappointed to realize that he’s twice my age and in much better shape. For lots more fun stuff, check out his Wikipedia entry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Barker

FIRE WEEK
The next day, around 1:00 clock in the afternoon, a small fire started in Griffith Park. It was at the Eastern end near the LA Zoo, Gene Autry Museum and Griffith Observatory. The previous fire was caused by two teenagers playing with fireworks behind an apartment building at the Western end of the park. This time it was a homeless man who fell asleep with a lit cigarette. Something close to 600 acres burned by the time it was brought under control the next morning.

Check out the picture gallery in this LA Times article for some great shots of the fire and aftermath, especially numbers 9, 17, 20, 25 & 31.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fire9may09,0,532284.story?coll=la-home-headlines

A few days later, a huge fire on Catalina Island was caused by a stray spark from a welding project at the airport. It burned all the way down to the town of Avalon whose residents had to be evacuated to the mainland.

YELLOWFACE at the MARK TAPER FORUM
Our friend Cynthia had gotten tickets to see the new play Yellowface by David Henry Hwang of M Butterfly fame. The title refers to non-Asian actors playing Asian characters, usually for comedy, like Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany’s or Marlon Brando in Teahouse of the August Moon. In addition to promoting outdated stereotypes, the practice is simply frustrating to Asian actors trying to stay employed. Why cast Ricardo Montalban as Nakamura in Sayonara? Was John Wayne really the best choice to portray Ghengis Kahn in The Conquereor?

Hwang had openly criticized the producers of Miss Saigon for casting Jonathan Pryce–someone with no Asian heritage—in a specifically Asian role. The theater community was divided and so many articles, TV interviews and op-ed pieces were generated that Miss Saigon was briefly shut down before it even opened. Eventually, the show went on and Jonathan Pryce won a Tony Award for the role. David Henry Hwang was viewed as something of a trouble-maker and held up as an example of the negative impact that political correctness was having on the arts.

Years later, Hwang wrote a play influenced by the experience in which the main character is half-Asian. The production team spent a lot of time searching for just the right actor to play him, even though they were hampered by Union rules that bar any questions regarding ethnicity. They found Marcus, the perfect actor for the role, and moved forward. Just before opening night, it was revealed that Marcus is not Asian—he is 100% Jewish. Hwang didn't know what to do.

Luckily, the play closed after 8 performances, but, unfortunately for Hwang, Marcus got good reviews and offers for other roles. He adopted a more Asian surname and, before you know it, was touring nationally in The King and I which was praised by critics praising for its “ethnically accurate” casting. The actor became active with Asian American causes and ended up winning an acting award for Asian achievement. If Hwang were to expose Marcus as a fraud, he would identify himself as one, too.

Yellowface tells this true story with a simple set and seven actors playing multiple roles. The first act established a comedic tone as Marcus’ success becomes more and more absurd. In the second half, as the stage was darkened for a series of “important” scenes that veered off the central plot, the audience was visibly restless. We were at the second night performance, so the show may have been tightened up since then. It runs through July 1. http://www.centertheatregroup.org/tickets/productiondetail.aspx?id=506

Here’s an interview with the playwright.
http://www.centertheatregroup.org/uploadedFiles/Plays_and_Tickets/Productions/2007/Yellowface/DavidHenryHwangAboutFace.pdf

Here’s an examination of the yellowface practice Hollywood.
http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/18/18_yellow.html

BIRTHDAY PARTY
The next evening we went to a birthday/costume party where everyone had to dress up as a song title. The birthday boy had decided on a theme of 45 rpm records because it was his 45th birthday. Our friend JJ invited us as her dates since her husband Adam had to work that night.

We opted for clever rather than elaborate get-ups. Daryl, dressed in a sweater, jacket and scarf, was the 1986 hit Life in a Northern Town. I painted my finger gold and went as, well, Goldfinger. Other costumes included Up, Up and Away, It’s My Party, Sexual Healing, Candy Man, Devil in a Blue Dress, Chopsticks and Chicago’s 25 or 6 to 4. Our favorite one had to be Billie Jean because instead of the Michael Jackson song, she dressed up like tennis pro Billie Jean King.

TONY BENNETT: AN AMERICAN CLASSIC
The following Tuesday, Daryl was at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater for a special screening of the TV special Tony Bennett: An American Classic. It was a “For Your Emmy Consideration” event hosted by Megan Mullally who acted as emcee and interviewed the creative team, including director Rob Marshall.

The special was terrific; the Q&A with the panel entertaining, but the highlight of the evening was a mini-concert by Tony himself. He performed the songs so effortlessly—which is quite a feat for a guy who turns 81 this summer.

During his Q&A with Megan, he singled out kd lang, Stevie Wonder and Judy Garland as some of his favorite singers because they each had their own distinctive sound.

Thanks to Diana Desio for the invite and Shawn & Becky for standing in line afterwards for a late night hot dog at Pink’s.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN PREMIERE/DISNEYLAND
As part of his new job with Disney Interactive Studios, Daryl got to work the Pirates III premiere at Disneyland. His team was showcasing the new Pirates video games and in-park download stations to the media. They were situated along the red carpet and got to see most of the famous attendees up close and personal as they faced the media.
http://movies.about.com/od/piratesofthecaribbean3/ig/Pirates-3-Premiere-Photos/index.htm

DARYL’S CELEBRITY SIGTHINGS—PIRATES PREMIERE EDITION
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Masi Oka (Heroes), Natalie Maines (Dixie Chicks) Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor/Smallville) Jerry Bruckheimer (Producer) Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives) Ricardo Chivara (Desperate Housewives), Orlando Bloom (Will Turner/Pirates) and the man of the hour Johnny Depp.

MEANWHILE, BACK IN GLENDALE
While Daryl was preparing to rub elbows with the glitterati, Glendale SWAT teams were in a standoff a block from our house. Police had pulled a vehicle over for a minor traffic infraction and a man with a bloodied face jumped out of the car and ran into an apartment building down the street.

The man, who had a history of mental illness, grabbed a rifle and headed to the roof where a police helicopter circled for about three hours. He must have surrendered since everything ended okay but none of the newspaper accounts were very clear.

MAY VISITORS
The following Friday, my Mom was back from China and stuck at LAX for a long layover. I picked her up at the airport and we stopped off for a bite to eat and an impromptu slide show on her digital camera. Shanghai, Beijing, The Great Wall, The Terra Cotta Warriors, Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, she saw it all. It was an awesome trip but I was just grateful to see her two months in a row.

The next day, my sister Karen, her husband Tim and kids Tyler and Cameron arrived for a week’s visit with us. They had already visited Las Vegas, The Grand Canyon, Area 51, Joshua Tree and Palm Springs the week before and I didn’t think we could really compare with all that. However, I’ve learned that are three components to a successful Tuech Summer Vacation:

• Baseball
• Miniature Golf
• The Price is Right
  

Here are some highlights:

SATURDAY—BOB BARKER FILM FESTIVAL
With Bob Barker’s retirement fast approaching, he has been all over the TV and I recorded what I could to share with the family. We started with A Celebration of Bob Barker's 50 Years in Television and Bob’s appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman. Click here to read the “Top Ten Things Bob Barker Can Say Now That He’s Retiring.” http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/top_ten/index/php/20070516.phtml

The Game Show Channel had run an old episode of Family Feud with TPIR vs. The Young and the Restless so that was next. Finally, we watched an episode of How I Met Your Mother where Neil Patrick Harris’ character makes it onto TPIR. It was such a solid episode that we ended up watching it three more times during their visit and quoting it ad nauseum.

SUNDAY—DODGERS VS CUBS
The next day we were off to Dodger Stadium for our first day game there. It was a warm day, but Karen had luckily gotten us seats in the shade. There were lots of Cubs fans at the park but the Dodgers prevailed with a 2 to 1 win in the 11th inning.

HOLLYWOOD FOREVER CEMETARY
What better time than Memorial Day Weekend to visit a cemetery? I just wrote about this back in February but I have to tell you what happened on Monday when we came back for a second visit.

My nephew Tyler was wearing his Ramones T-shirt and thought it would be cool to get his picture taken in front of Johnny Ramone’s headstone. The cemetery was on the way so we stopped there first. Just as we got to the park, KROQ started playing a block of Ramones songs. After we got out of the car, took Tyler’s picture, and got back in, the Ramones were still playing. Random coincidence or message from beyond? I’m still not sure.

MONDAY—PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM
In Los Angeles, there is a strip of Wilshire Boulevard called “The Miracle Mile.” It’s considered the world’s first linear shopping district designed with the automobile in mind. Store windows along Wilshire Boulevard were built larger and closer to the street for easier viewing; parking lots were conveniently located at the back of the building next to the main entrance. It’s only fitting that the Petersen Automotive Museum, a four-floor celebration and examination of the car’s influence on the world sits along this street. http://www.petersen.org/

The first floor exhibit takes you through the 20th century and the growing importance of the automobile and its links to the decline of the trolley, the rise of the gas station, the building of freeways and the birth of AAA. Each decade is represented with period vehicles.

The second floor had one room showcasing what I estimate to be a few million dollars worth of Ferrari’s and a second exhibit dedicated to the golden age of the convertible. There were areas spolighting scooters, ecological cars and famous vehicles from the movies. The car driven into the clouds by Danny and Sandy at the end of Grease sits next to Jack Lemmon’s iron-clad car from The Great Race. The car driven by Bruce Lee in The Green Hornet and a Michael Keaton-era Batmobile are there, too.

ED ROTH: THE ORIGINAL RAT FINK
My brother-in-law Tim was especially psyched by an exhibit called Ed Roth – The Original Rat Fink. Ed was a cartoonist and auto detailer in the late 50’s. He created some novelty shirts of a flaming skull and other designs that caught on with the racing crowd here in California. The T-shirts financed his customization projects and in 1959, he opened Roth Studios. A year later, Car Craft featured his custom car “Outlaw” on its cover and Roth’s career really took off.

The cars on display looked like crazy, junior high, hot rod doodles come to life in molded fiberglass, shiny chrome, bold pinstripes, and rockin’ flames. Roth truly thought “outside the box” but had the technical know-how to make these impossible-looking vehicles real. You can see almost all of his car designs here: http://mrgasser.com/

Ed “Big Daddy” Roth died in 2001 and his most popular creation has to be the Rat Fink which you can see at the Drive!Online link below. Tim recognized it from his school days as soon as we walked in the museum. He also got to see Roth’s son being interviewed and talked to him briefly about some of his dad’s work. http://www.driveonline.com/content/view/97/86/

TUESDAY—THE PRICE IS RIGHT
Tuesday, Karen and I had a dream come true. We got to go to a taping of The Price is Right! She had sent in for tickets months ago, in anticipation of Bob’s retirement, but could only get standby. Daryl called a buddy at CBS and was able to get us seats in the second row!

We were escorted into the empty soundstage about an hour before the taping with two other guests. We sat right behind the green Contestant’s Row chairs. We looked around and saw Bob’s skinny mike in its holster at the corner of the stage. We saw the arrows that point winning contestants to the stairs at their left. We saw the blinking lights that surround the screen at the opening of the show. It was awesome.

And then, it became even more awesome as 300 more people were efficiently brought into the auditorium. The first person in line out on the sidewalk sits in seat number 1 in front of those famous stairs. The second person in line sits next to him/her and so on. Number 3 was Allan, a Canadian who had been holding his place in line for almost two days. He couldn’t contain himself once he had his seat. He got up and touched Bob’s microphone, placed a fake bid at Contestant’s Row, and ran up onto the stage like he had won. Later he got to do it for real.

Sitting next to Karen was a woman from Canada named Susan. She was number 19 and had held her place for 27 hours. She and her Mom had taken turns sleeping at a nearby hotel every few hours. When she asked how long we had waited, we sheepishly said “one hour.” Something scary flashed behind Susan’s eyes until my sister reminded her that we were unable to compete. After that we were friends.

The stage lights came up and everyone went crazy as announcer Rich Fields came out to warm up the audience. Ten minutes later, the cameras were in place, Rich was at his podium with his headphones on, the Applause light came on and the taping had begun.

The cheering was so loud that we couldn’t hear any of the contestant’s names. Luckily, they have them on cue cards, too. That whole first segment was a blur until Rich said “BOB BARKER!” Bob appeared to a standing ovation, of course, walked to his corner spot, collected his mike, said “thank you” to the audience and then said “Welcome to The Price Is Right. Here is the first item up for bid.”

The rest of the show was pretty much as you see it at home. During the commercials a large screen comes down so that the games and prizes can be staged without the audience seeing them. We barely noticed this activity because Bob was front and center doing what he does best: holding court with the audience.

Most people wanted to thank him for being part of their lives but others brought t-shirts and souvenirs from their hometowns. The best gift was a personalized fire department jacket from Orlando. There were requests, too, and Bob had an answer ready for each of them:

Bob, I just want to touch your hair. No. There’s so much hairspray you might break it.

Bob, can I come up and get a kiss?

No, I’m working. (Pause) Meet me in the parking lot after the show.

And so on until the stage lights came back up. There was a 5-second warning, the red light came on and Bob was asking Rich for the next contestant. He effortlessly moved from unscripted to semi-scripted banter for the next 50 minutes. After the showcase showdown, Bob waved goodbye and we gave him another standing ovation as he headed backstage. Somebody in the audience won the home version and $100 and then everyone filed out of the darkened studio which was now as empty as when we had arrived.

It was a real thrill for us to see Bob do his sixth-to-last show. And it was a thrill to see the episode on TV only one week later! They might rerun it over the summer. If you’re interested, check the episode guide for 4022K.

Bob’s final episode airs Friday, June 16 in its regular timeslot on CBS and will be rebroadcast at 8:00pm as a lead-in to the Daytime Emmy Awards. You know we’ll be watching.

WEDNESDAY—MAGIC MOUNTAIN
I promised to take the kids to Magic Mountain this year since they were both tall enough to ride everything. Tyler had ridden The Hulk and Dueling Dragons at Islands of Adventure, but Cameron’s coaster experience was limited to Space Mountain and Big Thunder. Nevertheless, these kids were pretty fearless and surprised me by braving much scarier stuff than I ever did at their age. (Of course, there was nothing this scary when I was their age.) Here’s a quick look at their day:

• Colossus—classic woodie with a first drop of 125 feet. (rode three times)
• Revolution—first-ever steel looping coaster. Debuted in 1976—Get it?
• Viper—a wicked first drop and seven inversions
• Batman—Inverted coaster on which your legs dangle (like Busch Gardens’ Montu)
• Riddler’s Revenge—standing coaster. You literally ride standing up (rode twice)
• Scream—floorless coaster with inversions (like Sea World’s Kraken)
• Tatsu—flying coaster that you ride on your stomach. Very intense!
  

For more information about these and other Magic Mountain coasters:
http://www.sixflags.com/magicMountain/rides/ThrillRides.aspx

Mom and Dad, meanwhile, worked out at a gym down the street and then headed over to Westwood to visit the UCLA campus. That night we all headed to Pasadena for dinner with our friends Byron and Shephard.

THURSDAY—MALIBU LAGOON STATE BEACH/SANTA MONICA PIER
We headed out to Malibu and swung by Pepperdine University, site of ABC’s cheesy series Battle of the Network Stars. Just down the road is Malibu Lagoon State Beach, which Shephard had told me about at dinner the night before.

We spent a few hours walking the shore in front of Malibu Colony, where the rich and famous reside. As the tide rose, we headed back towards the lagoon to watch the birds and the surfers and to enjoy the views of mountain and sea. Here’s the official site which includes a picture. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=835

A few miles south and we were at the Santa Monica Pier for No. 3 of the Tuech family keys to a successful vacation: Miniature Golf! After a few games, we walked up the pier and onto the Third Street Promenade to experience Fatburger. From there, we made a huge loop and walked along the bluffs, made our way down to the pedestrian bridge over the Pacific Coast Highway and headed back to our car. http://www.fatburger.com/home/

FRIDAY—GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY/RANCHO CUCAMONGA
You can tell the Observatory has been updated because in one of the presentations Leonard Nimoy says “Poor little Pluto, which really isn’t a planet at all.” The film also explains how the entire Observatory had to be carefully raised and supported on temporary structures so that new underground exhibits could be added. It gave me a new appreciation for the lengths to which the organization went to expand, refurbish and preserve this Los Angeles treasure.
http://www.griffithobs.org/

The Observatory volunteers were very helpful. When I told one that I really wanted to show my nephews the Tesla coil, he returned with the key, fired the thing up, and did an awesome presentation for the crowd that gathered. He even told people when to get their cameras ready. If you’ve never seen a tesla coil in person, it’s pretty cool. I’m including this link form YouTube even though it doesn’t really do the thing justice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4qN-1Y7ubs&mode=related&search=

That night, while Karen, Daryl and I had dinner with friends, Tim took the boys out for some minor league baseball. The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes were playing in their cleverly-named stadium “The Epicenter.” http://rcquakes.com/

SATURDAY—HOLLYWOOD HISTORY MUSEUM
Located near the intersection of Hollywood and Highland and housed in the old Max Factor Building, this four-story museum has a little something for everyone.
http://www.thehollywoodmuseum.com/

The first floor features the rooms where celebrity clients would get their consultations and treatments from Max Factor and his staff. The other three floors are chock full of costumes and props from Moulin Rouge, Master and Commander, Planet of the Apes, Rocky, The Mummy series and more. Highlights of our 90-minute visit include

• Hannibal Lecter’s jail cell (appropriately located in the basement)
• The miniature fire truck and building facade used in Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
• The bike from Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure
• Roddy McDowall’s powder room. (Seriously.)
  

RUNYON CANYON
A few blocks away, we met up with Linda Kirwin who had agreed to take us on a hike through Runyon Canyon. She has been doing this hike as long as I’ve been out here so Linda knew which trail was best for our group. Ours consisted of a half-hour uphill and a half-hour downhill with terrific views the whole way. Tim and the boys finished first but, in our defense, the rest of us were talking the whole way up and down.

One of the signs posted at the entrance to the park was clearly marked “Warning: Rattlesnakes” and just as we were leaving Daryl saw one off to the side. Linda and Daryl continued to walk, but Tim, Karen and the boys stuck around to snap some pictures.

Other than that, the only dangers seem to be dehydration and dogs. Most of the trail requires that animals be on a leash, but a few were fighting on the way up. The other thing to look out for is their droppings which are everywhere. Here’s the official site with trails, hours, directions and restrictions. http://www.lamountains.com/parks.asp?parkid=122

It was a terrific experience for the whole family. Thank you, Linda! As a reward for all that healthy outdoor exercise, we drove to In N Out for burgers, fries, and sodas. While we were there, a family celebrating their daughter’s Quinceañera showed up in matching outfits. Fifty of them. http://www.in-n-out.com/

CELEBRTY SIGHTINGS:
Playwright David Henry Hwang was at Yellowface. Marc Summer (Food TV’s Unwrapped/Nickelodeon’s Super Sloppy Double Dare) was at the Bob Barker tribute. While we were at eating at Baja Fresh, we saw Ashley Williams from Good Morning, Miami and How I Met Your Mother. As Karen and I walked through the parking lot after The Price is Right taping, Vincent Irizarry (Young and the Restless/One Life to Live/all My Children/Guiding Light) patiently waited in his car for us cross the street. While working on the Disney lot, Daryl saw Jon Voigt and Nicolas Cage on the set of National Treasure II.

NEXT MONTH
As you might have guessed, June has a lot going on. I’ll tell you all about it next month.

Until then,
James & Daryl

April 2007: Zoo Graduation, The Autry Museum and the LA Times Book Festival

I hope all is well with you. Here is a look back at April 2007 in the Cameron/Utt household.

THE MASTERSONS OF MANHATTAN
We started the month with a comedy taping at CBS Rexford. It was a pilot for NBC called The Mastersons of Manhattan featuring Molly Shannon, Natasha Richardson, Brian Benben, and Jonathan Cake. We laughed a lot and we all gave it a thumbs-up, but Mastersons isn’t on NBC’s fall schedule. http://imdb.com/title/tt0952667/

In addition to seeing acclaimed director James Burrows at work, there were celebs in the audience, too. Sitting in the front row was Madeline Stowe (Blink). Directly in front of us was Dante Basco (But I’m A Cheerleader) and one row in front of him was T.R. Knight (Grey’s Anatomy).

BERGAMOT STATION/SANTA MONICA
Our friend JJ invited us over to Bergamot Station, an arts complex in Santa Monica that started life in 1875 as a trolley station on the Red Car Line. It has also been a celery packing warehouse, an ice-making plant and something to do with water heaters.
http://www.bergamotstation.com/

Now, it’s a convenient amalgam of art galleries with centralized parking and a café. We spent an hour or two wandering in and out of the buildings without finding anything to bring home but there was something for everybody —furniture, photography, oils, weavings, jewelry, sculptures, etc. The map below has all of the participating galleries and links for more information and artist portfolios.
http://artscenecal.com/Maps/Bgmt.html

LA ZOO DOCENT GRADUATION
Our friend Cynthia announced sometime last year that she was going to become a docent at the L.A.Zoo. In order to have the pleasure of giving up her weekends to tour folks around the park and educate them about our animal friends, she first had to take six months worth of classes. Did I mention that this was a volunteer gig?

Factoid: “Docent” derives from the Latin docēre, meaning "to teach".

She had to learn about animal classification, animal behavior, habitat, nutrition, and endangered species status. She studied everything from California Condors to Pacific Gray Whales and shared some of her new knowledge with us. Did you know that hoofstock is divided into even-toed “artiodactyla” and odd-toed “perissodactyla.” Or that the seating pads found on primates are called “ischial callosities?”

It was a tough course. At the end of six months only half of the class was eligible for graduation and Cynthia was one of them. We were so impressed! Each graduate contributed their own piece to the ceremony. Cynthia presented a poem she wrote using lots of that new animal lingo and inside jokes that cracked up her classmates. She actually got a laugh with “occipital condyles” so you know she was a hit.

Afterwards, we had some snacks and Cynthia gave us a personal tour of the zoo, which was much bigger than I expected. She rattled off some of those facts like she had known them all her life. We were—and still are—impressed. Congratulations!

APRIL VISITORS PART ONE
My Mom signed up for a three-and-a-half week trip through Mainland China. Her flight connected through LAX so she got here a few days early for a visit. We went to see her brother in Joshua Tree, spent a morning at the Getty Villa, walked through the Beverly Hills Hotel, stopped in Pasadena to view The Gamble House and visited the Autry Museum.

GENE AUTRY MUSEUM
The Gene Autry Museum of the American West sits across the street from the L.A. Zoo. We drive by it almost everyday but had never felt the need to go in until my Mom showed an interest. I wasn’t sure what to expect but we were pleasantly surprised.

My favorite presentation was part of the permanent exhibit on the lower level. It was a series of displays comparing the contributions, challenges, and daily life of European, Mexican, Chinese, Mormon, Japanese and Native American settlers.

Saddles, carriages, playing cards, poker chips, bar paraphernalia, tools and Pony Express pouches are part of the permanent collection. Even though the whole gun thing is kind of lost on me, the vintage firearm exhibit was impressive.

Their special exhibit consisted of paintings and women’s costumes spanning the 1800’s. Organized chronologically, it was easy to identify the evolving style trends in both forms. It was also interesting to see how much faster tastes were changing as the 20th century approached.

There was an area dedicated to Mr. Autry, Tom Mix, Roy Rogers, John Wayne and other Hollywood stars. There were props and costumes—like an original Lone Ranger outfit—surrounded by international movie posters and vintage merchandise. They had the same Hopalong Cassidy sweater that Daryl’s dad wore for his school picture and a display of Johnny West action figures that Daryl and I both had.

The museum has a wide range of offerings so you don’t have to be a student of the Old West or a Gene Autry buff to enjoy it. We were there almost three hours. Ticket prices, operating hours, and exhibit information can be found here: http://www.autrynationalcenter.org/about.php

LOS ANGELES TIMES FESTIVAL OF BOOKS/UCLA
This has become an annual event in the Cameron/Utt household. My Mom just missed going to the festival when she was here in 2005, so I was thrilled she got to see it on this trip and visit the UCLA campus for the first time. http://www.latimes.com/extras/festivalofbooks/

It’s like the Winter Park Art Festival times ten. A book festival might sound like it has niche appeal until you realize people are there to share their passion for travel, cooking, photography, religion, film, coping, politics, puzzles, music, sports, animal rights, poetry, mystery, etc. It’s huge. Just check out this author list—I guarantee you’ll recognize someone. http://www.latimes.com/extras/festivalofbooks/authorlist.html

The family area was sponsored by Target and featured the required-by-law-face-painting-and-crafts tent. There was also a stage where celebrity authors like Billy Crystal read their children’s books and musical artists performed. There were meet & greets with kid-centric stars like Jay Jay the Jet Plane, too. This year we saw “Where’s Waldo?” signing copies of his book. That made us laugh.

Past the family area and beyond one of the two food courts is the Barnes and Noble stage. When we arrived, Kareem Abdul Jabar was talking about On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance which he wrote with Raymond Obstfeld. (His third book, by the way.) It was a thrill to see him, especially at his alma mater.
http://www.amazon.com/Shoulders-Giants-Journey-Through-Renaissance/dp/1416534881/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-9193050-4471325?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181796942&sr=8-1

As the former Lew Alcindor left the stage to do a book signing, Mom and I got seats up front for the next author, Tim Gunn. I had no idea my mother was such a Project Runway fan until we saw Tim's name on the appearance schedule. She was excited to see him in person and enjoyed his Q&A. His book is called Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style and he wrote it with the equally funny Kate Molony. Daryl picked up a copy and got them both to sign it.http://www.amazon.com/Tim-Gunn-Guide-Quality-Taste/dp/0810992841/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-9193050-4471325?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178494368&sr=1-1

Afterwards, we walked by the C-SPAN2 Book TV booth and onto the main thoroughfare, which was very busy. We stopped at the communal crossword puzzle board to solve a few clues with the crowd and then paused at the culinary stage to watch Food TV’s Dave Lieberman prepare something from his cookbook.
http://store.foodnetwork.com/shop/thumbnail.asp?department_code=2&category_code=117&search_type=subcategory

We ended our visit with a quick perusal of the Canada Travel booth and free chocolate samples from Ghiradelli.

APRIL VISITORS PART TWO
Mother’s last day was spent primarily with Daryl as he took her on an architectural tour of LA. I was doing my own whirlwind tour with Kristen and Krista who were visiting from Central Florida. They saw the Chinese Theater, Sunset Boulevard, Beverly Hills, the Hollywood Sign, Burbank, and the Mulholland Overlook.

Kristen is engaged to my nephew Mathew and I was excited to finally meet her. She is also a big fan of The Price is Right which is why she and Krista were out here. They got a hotel room right across from CBS which was smart since the show line practically stopped at the Front Desk.

They had tickets to two shows but there are no guarantees for those 325 seats in Studio 33. First come, first served. For the first show, they went out early and got in line. For the second taping, they joined the line at 1:00am and slept on the sidewalk. True fans! They had great show experiences but didn’t get onstage or much camera time. Nevertheless, they can tell their grandkids they saw Bob Barker in his final month on The Price is Right.

STAR SIGHTINGS
We had breakfast at Dupar’s/Ventura two tables from General Hospital’s Kin Shriner.
http://www.dupars.com/

NEXT MONTH
More visitors and lots of sightseeing.

Until then,
James & Daryl

March 2007: Whale Watching and PaleyFest

Hello again.
I hope all is well with you. Here's a look back at March 2007 in the Cameron/Utt house.

COMPUTER PROBLEMS
First off, my apologies for the delay. On April 1st, our anti-virus software encountered a worm that was wreaking havoc on my Yahoo! account. I’m not sure if we fixed the problem or if it was an April Fool’s joke that corrected itself automatically, but being able to send e-mail again feels like a small miracle. On Good Friday. Coincidence?

OOPS! FEBRUARY VISITS
Believe it or night I left off two visits in last month’s update. Daryl and I spent a lovely evening at the Glendora home of my Uncle Glen and Aunt Charlotte. It’s not that far from Glendale , but it was so quiet and suburban that it felt like we were on a mini-vacation. As apartment-dwellers, time spent in a real house with a big backyard is a treat for us.

After touring the beautiful backyard and quizzing ourselves on all the plant names we moved inside for a terrific meal. For dessert, Charlotte had prepared a delicious lemon meringue pie using fruit from their citrus trees. [I’ll admit it—I had seconds.] Glenn and Charlotte have traveled all over the country and gave us some suggestion s for some other California sights to see.

Daryl got to catch up with his friend/former boss Kelley Semmelroth, who was in town overseeing commercial shoots for Bank of America. You may have seen the one with a silver man commuting to work that was shot in downtown LA. The second one, about forgotten coins, used the house from Little Miss Sunshine. The movie takes place in Arizona, but the house is right here in Burbank . The interior decor is straight out of 1970’s - plastic cushion covers and all.

Daryl and Kelley took the driving tour of Hollywood and ended the evening with dinner at Trader Vic's in Beverly Hills. If you love the tropical decor of the Tiki Room and a stiff Mai Tai - this is definitely the place to go in LA.

VISITORS FOR MARCH
The first Friday of this month we met up with Alyce Diamandis who was in town on business from Florida. Her high school buddy Johnny joined us for a delicious dinner at Pete’s Café before Alyce headed to the airport. I wish we could’ve spent more time together!

BTW, if you are in LA’s Old Bank District and looking for good meal, head for Pete’s. Daryl and Johnny recommend the macaroni and cheese and I’m a big fan of the Lamb Bolognese. http://www.petescafe.com/

Cid Stoll was in town the following weekend visiting lots of folks around the LA area. We got to spend a day and a half with her visiting sites like Grauman's Chinese Theater, the Hollywood Hills, and the Brady Bunch house. Here are three other places we visited:

MOUNT OLYMPUS
We have driven by the faux marble sign in front of the Mount Olympus neighborhood many times, and decided to finally drive up and see what all the fuss was about.

The streets are named for Zeus, Apollo, and Hercules. There are Italian Cypresses everywhere. A few of the intersections are punctuated with statuary and what used to be fountains. Some of the homes had a vague Caesar’s Palace vibe, but for the most part, residents who could afford to, had remodeled. Although it wasn’t as kitschy as we had hoped, we enjoyed gawking at the large homes and awesome views. I wanted to include an historical website with some worthwhile pictures, but I haven’t found one yet.

WATTS TOWERS
The next morning, after a Sunday brunch in Malibu, we headed to South Central LA to see Watts Towers, the National Historic Landmark. Cid and Daryl had never been but it was my second visit. We arrived just in time to join a 25-minute tour. Our guide Oscar, unlocked the gates and took us inside the structures and into the story of Simon Rodia, the man who spent 30 years building the towers.

It’s an amazing experience being able to look more closely at the folk art touches and to stand where Simon stood, wondering what compelled him to create this one-of-a-kind display. When you first arrive at the 100-foot towers, they may not look that tall; but once you walk around them for a while, and learn the history, they become enormous. Read more and see some pictures of it here: http://www.answers.com/topic/watts-towers

CARROLL STREET
Before the highways were built, Downtown LA used to be full of Victorian houses. Cid, Daryl and I got an idea of what it might have looked like by driving down Carroll Street. Located near Echo Park, Carroll Street is overflowing with homes built in that distinctive ornate style popularized before the turn of the last century. It’s really impressive but you don’t have to take my word for it. Someone has created a website with individual pictures of almost every house in the area. Careful readers may recognize the house from the TV series Charmed. http://www.you-are-here.com/victorian/index.html

MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO PALEY FEST 07
The Museum of Television and Radio (MTR) hosts an annual festival celebrating television that is groundbreaking, critically lauded and in some case, just popular. The twelve-night event—named for broadcasting pioneer and CBS president William S. Paley—lets fans attend a screening, participate in a Q&A, and get up-close and personal with the creators and performers.

Heroes, Ugly Betty, Nip/Tuck, The Office, American Idol and even George Lucas were featured this year. The PaleyFest scrapbook has great photos from each night, many suitable for framing. http://www.mtr.org/festivals/paleyfest2007/album.htm

The MTR has also posted five-minute video segments of each Q&A here: http://www.mtr.org/festivals/paleyfest2007/highlights.htm

You won’t see us in the scrapbook on or the video clips, but we were there for Brothers and Sisters and The Simpsons.

BROTHERS AND SISTERS
After watching an episode titled “Valentine’s Day Massacre” the cast took the stage and answered questions from the moderator and the audience. Some nuggets:

Mathew Rhys (who plays lawyer Kevin) was raised in Wales and normally speaks with a Welsh accent. The three “brothers” on the show appear to get along like real brothers on the set. (Sally talks about it towards the end of the video clip.) Dave annable had the biggest laugh of the night. When asked why he signed on to do the show he looked over at Calista Flockhart and said “I only took the gig so I could meet Indiana Jones.”

At the end of the Q&A, Daryl headed to the stage to get autographs and to talk briefly with Rob Lowe and Sally Field. Then we went to California Pizza Kitchen with our friends Diana and Kim. It was my first time at CPK since we moved to C.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH
Could you please not sound like someone from Middle Earth? --Director Ken Olin reminding Matthew Rhys to stop slipping into his Welsh accent.

THE SIMPSONS
Even though the audience questions were pretty lame—“How much is your signature worth?”—The Simpsons panel discussion was very funny. Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart, Nelson Muntz and others, entertained the crowd with a series of classic lines uttered by dim-witted character Ralph Wiggum. She did two of my favorites: “My kitty’s breath smells like cat food!” and “Tastes like burning.”

Matt Groening (rhymes with “complaining”) talked about his last-minute decision to base the show after his own family. In order to keep the characters straight in the pitch meeting, he used the real names. His dad really is named Homer and his sisters are named Lisa and Maggie. The name “Bart” was randomly chosen for the 10-year-old boy because calling him “Matt” would’ve made it look like Groening was just making the thing up on the spot. Which he was.

The writers and producers talked about the challenges of keeping a show fresh in its eighteenth year. They often have to change a joke in the script because it has already been used on the series. In a few instances, they haven’t caught the error until the day after the show airs, which is understandable for a series celebrating its 400th episode next month. Some other revelations from the evening:

• Paul McCartney only agreed to be on the show if the character of Lisa Simpson remained a vegetarian for the run of the show.
• Ralph was not related to Sheriff Wiggum until the second season.
• Mr. T told the producers that when he gets up in the morning, he says to himself “I wonder which fool I’m gonna pity today.”
  

If you’d like to know more about the show—such as every instance of Homer uttering “D’oh!” or “Mmmmm”—here’s a comprehensive fan site that has compiled just about everything there is to know. http://www.simpsoncrazy.com/

CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS—PALEY FEST EDITION:
Dave Annable, Jon Robin Baitz, Greg Berlanti, Nancy Cartwright, Peter Coyote, Sally Field, Calista Flockhart, Balthazar Getty, Matt Groening, Al Jean, Jason Lewis, Rob Lowe, Sarah Jane Morris, John Pyper-Ferguson, Matthew Rhys, Emily Van Camp, and
Patricia Wettig.

WHALE WATCHING
That Sunday we were on our way to Redondo Beach with our friend Cynthia to go whale watching. Our printed instructions were very specific: We had to buy our tickets and be on the boat before it pulled out of the dock at 10:00 am sharp. Unfortunately, at about 9:45 we realized that the directions the tour organizer had distributed were incomplete. We arrived at the wrong pier on the wrong side of the marina just in time to see our boat heading out to sea.

Disappointed but undaunted, Cynthia located the correct ticket booth and the three of us decided to come back for the 1:30 sailing, even though it meant paying the full price. When our group returned three hours later and told us they hadn’t seen anything, we felt better about missing that tour, but we were also concerned that our more expensive experience was not going to be worth the money. We needn’t have worried.

As we left the marina, we passed by buoys crowded with sea lions. There was even a baby sea lion laying on its mother’s back which was pretty darn cute. Passengers tossed fish to the guys and everybody rushed to that side of the boat to get in on the action and snap some pictures.

A little further out we turned South onto the “Whale Highway” which is what they call the migratory route of the Pacific Gray Whale. The whales summer in the Bering Strait and swim down to Baja , California to spend the winter months mating, calving and putting on some blubber. We were there to see the whales head back to Alaska .

With an overcast sky, and a gray ocean, searching for those gray whales wasn’t the easiest task. These guys don’t jump over the boat like Free Willy; they come to the surface to get some air and then head back down to continue their trip home. As big as these mammals are, I still felt like I was bird watching since we had to pay close attention for the slightest sign. Somebody would yell "3-oclock!" and we'd all whip our heads to the right to see some spray falling back to the surface. A minute or so later a second spray would appear and then the tail or fluke would become visible momentarily as the whale dove back down. Five or six minutes later the behavior would repeat.

We got to see this cycle several times during our trip. At one point, there was a whale off the bow and another one off the stern. Even though they never came closer than a few hundred yards, it was still exciting. There were guides from the American Cetacean Society onboard to explain what the Pacific Gray Whale was doing during the five minutes underwater. Here’s a quick explanation:
http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/graywhl.htm

After an hour or so following the whales, we slowly headed back to the dock, and got to see a pod of Rissos Dolphins swimming nearby. Sometimes these creatures will swim next to the front of the boat; other times they will perform in the undersea tour of Grease. This pod did neither but it was still awesome. http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/RissosDolphin.htm

If you think it’s hard to spot a whale, try photographing it. I only got one photo where you can actually see a fluke, but you have to enlarge the image to 400% and squint; otherwise you might as well be looking at a Magic Eye picture waiting for a whale shape to magically appear.

We had a terrific day whale watching and sightseeing around Redondo Beach. Thank you, Cynthia!

WHALE RESOURCES
If you'd rather not spend $17 for a boat trip with experienced guides you can grab some binoculars and stand on the shore. The season is almost over, but this Park Service site has lots of whale-sighting tips including my favorite: "Look west toward the ocean." http://www.nps.gov/archive/cabr/whales.html

BEST PICTURE OSCAR WINNERS
A few Christmases ago, I received the book 70 Years of Oscar from my in-laws. Reading through the book I made it a goal to see all of the Best Picture winners. Thanks to DVD and cable channels like Turner Classic Movies, I finally managed to see all of them, from 1929's Wings to last year's The Departed.

The 79 winners are by no means the best movies ever made but they make an interesting record of the American movie industry's evolving taste and technique. Choosing a favorite or my top ten from the list is surprisingly difficult. Picking the bottom ten isn’t much easier, so here are three factoids, instead:

• The Apartment was the last completely black & white film to win Best Picture.
• Marty is the only winner that was first produced as a TV movie and then remade for the big screen.
• Oliver! is the only winner whose title has an exclamation point.
  

For the complete list, just go to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Oscar Database, select "Best Picture" and "Winners Only." How many have you seen? http://www.oscars.org/awardsdatabase/index.html

GONE WITH THE WIND ON THE BIG SCREEN
The other Best Picture winner we saw this month was the 1939 classic Gone With the Wind. Our friend Diana invited us to the Arclight to see it on the big screen and we immediately said yes. Our friend Bavhani came along too. She had never seen the movie or read the book so we were looking forward to her reaction to this 68-year-old classic.

The screening was sold out and the audience was into it from beginning to end. I had forgotten how witty the script was and how well the risqué material is handled.

SPOILER ALERT—Skip this next paragraph if you haven’t seen the movie!

That last hour is pretty emotional with Scarlett falling down the stairs, Melanie dying, Bonnie being thrown from the horse and Rhett leaving. When the lights came up, Bhavani was shocked that Rhett didn't "give a damn." She knew the famous line but figured it was somewhere in the middle. "After all they went through, how could he just leave her? Does he come back to her in the book?”

It was great seeing the movie through her eyes and it showed how well the film holds up today. I wonder what it must have been like to experience Gone With the Wind in 1939?

The New Georgia Encyclopedia examines Margaret Mitchell’s book and its impact from a variety of angles including those of her detractors. It’s a quick but informative read. http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2427

Did you know there was a musical version of the book staged in London and LA?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlett_(musical)

FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN
Two days later, we were walking out of a Burbank restaurant when Daryl noticed ash falling around us. We climbed to the op of a parking structure and saw flames climbing up Griffith Park towards the Hollywood Sign. It was a scary site.

Two visiting teenagers had been lighting twigs behind the Oakwood Apartments when the fire got out of hand. By the time the authorities got it under control about two hours later, almost 160 acres had burned. Here’s the article from the LA Times with some video. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fire1apr01,1,4170070.story

Here’s how the fire looked from the more famous side of the hill. (See attachment)

STAR SIGHTINGS—DARYL EDITION
Roger Bart (Desperate Housewives, The Producers) was driving outside by Daryl’s office building. Daryl saw Faith Ford (Murphy Brown/Hope and Faith) in full makeup prepping for a shoot on the Disney lot. Movie buff Leonard Maltin was at the Disney Animation building for a screening of Meet the Robinsons. Daryl was working the press event and escorted him to the theater.

NEXT MONTH
April means more visitors, more writing, and more adventures. I'll tell you all about it next month.

Until then,
James & Daryl
Happy Easter!

February 2007: Hollywood Forever and Dolly Parton

Hello again. I hope all is well with you. I’m a few days late, but here’s a look back at February 2007 in the Cameron/Utt household.

VISITORS
Our friend David Fernandez arrived the first weekend of February and my sister Susie was here the second weekend. We also got to spend some time with our friend Jill Caruth who was visiting from London.

HOLLYWOOD FOREVER
On Santa Monica Boulevard, located directly behind Paramount Studios is a cemetery that literally came back from the dead. Established in 1899, the Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery flourished in the 1930’s but slid into disrepair and almost didn’t make it to its 100th birthday. New owners purchased the land in 1998, changed the name to Hollywood Forever and refurbished the grounds. Before long, people were dying to be buried there.

The most famous resident is probably Rudolph Valentino, whose crypt was visited every year on his birthday by a woman dressed entirely in black. She’s buried at Hollywood Forever, too, about three plots from Jayne Mansfield. A short walk from her is the tranquil marble bench that doubles as Tyrone Power’s final resting place.

Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Jr. are here, as well, sharing a crypt and a reflecting pool that’s comparable in size to a football end zone.

Close by is a modest, four-foot column dedicated to Hattie McDaniel. When she died in 1952, segregation was the norm and Hattie was not allowed to be buried alongside her white co-stars. Fifty years later, she is represented by a lovely cenotaph next to a peaceful lake. [Factoid: A memorial marker erected in honor of a person whose remains are elsewhere is called a cenotaph.]

Right next to Hattie’s monument is a huge stone with a life-size bust of punk rocker Johnny Ramone. Dee Dee Ramone is also a resident, but we did not see his marker.
There are lots more names here, including Cecil B. DeMille, John Huston, Janet Gaynor and the Native American actor who cried in the anti-pollution commercials, Iron Eyes Cody.

FUNEREAL TRENDS
If you are not into celebrities Hollywood Forever is still worth a visit just to see what’s new in funereal trends. You can scroll through their website to get an idea of what I mean: http://www.hollywoodforever.com/Cemetery.htm Some trends we noticed:

Headstones don’t have to be square or symmetrical as we saw many large headstones in the shape of irregular trapezoids. When placed side-by-side—as several married couples were—it looked like a marble version of the Publix sign.

Families can now have the deceased’s photo etched directly into the stone. A nice idea, but most of the pictures were less than flattering. I doubt we’ll soon forget the one man, wearing just his undershirt and a scowl, who seemed to be menacing his nervous wife on the next stone. I’ve no idea what their relationship was like in life, but we couldn’t help but assume the worst.

Hollywood Forever offers interactive kiosks where you can look at pictures, watch a short film or read more about the deceased. For those friends or relatives unable to visit the cemetery, these media presentations can be accessed online. Here’s a sample: http://www.forever-studios.com/lifestories/lifestory.cfm?Archive_ID=19268&Directory=/Archives/ForeverOnlineArchive&Sort=P

My personal favorite of the new-fangled remembrance options is a combination mausoleum/department store window called “niches.” Imagine a display case the size of a large microwave oven filled with personal items of the deceased. One niche was decorated like a tiki bar; another was filled with miniature album covers, and a third one featured a blue Rock ‘Em Sock’Em Robot. My favorite one belonged to character actress Kathleen Freeman. In addition to a cremation urn and a few personal effects, Kathleen’s niche featured a terrific caricature of her by Al Hirschfeld.

Kathleen had a long career; her imdb profile lists almost 250 credits. I remember her from from Singin’ in the Rain where her big line is “Rrround tones, Miss Lamont. Rrrrrrrround tones.” Most people would recognize her from The Blues Brothers when she played Sister Mary Stigmata, a.k.a. The Penguin. Her last role was one of the voices in the big green hit movie Shrek. Here are the rest of her credits: http://imdb.com/name/nm0293466/ and some photos: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=kathleen+freeman&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2

VISTING TIPS
Even though Hollywood Forever courts tourists with a gift shop, celebrity postcards and maps to the movie stars final homes, it is a working cemetery with no admission charge.

There are quite a few amateur websites that list the names and location of the famously departed within Hollywood Forever. Download the information ahead of time so you don’t have to wander around aimlessly. If you visit the cemetery on a Saturday, be aware that the mausoleums reserved for those of the Jewish faith are closed.

Bring along someone who is knowledgeable about old Hollywood—like our friend David Fernandez. Daryl and I drew a blank on some of the names until David rattled off some screen credits, an anecdote, or both. Thank you, David!

Be sure to stop by Mel Blanc’s gravesite. I thought this was a rumor, but I saw it for myself. His headstone really does read, “That’s All, Folks.”

MEET THE OSCARS
Later that same day, David, Daryl and I headed over to Hollywood and Highland to stop by the Meet the Oscars exhibit. In addition to photos and kiosks with Academy Award trivia, there were several glass cases housing the actual trophies that were eventually handed out March 25.
There was case displaying Katherine Hepburn’s four Best Actress awards. She still holds the record for most acting wins received by one person. Do you know which movies she won for?

The most popular part of the exhibit was the chance to hold an Academy Award. All three of us got our pictures taken with it, trying hard to keep its steel tether out of the shot. At 13 ½ inches tall and 8 ½ pounds, it feels like a gold dumbbell.

ANNIE AWARDS
The next day, we were walking down the street from our house and realized that the 34th Annual Annie Awards were taking place at Glendale’s Alex Theater. The three of us bumped into former DCL cast member/current PIXAR bigwig, Angie Bliss. We caught up and talked for a while as folks like Jeffrey Katzenberg and funny man Dave Thomas walked the red carpet.

For a list of winners, go here. http://www.annieawards.com/ For a bit of the history of the event, including the famous flying squirrel that started it all, go here: http://www.annieawards.com/anniehistory.htm

By the way, it was a crazy night for awards shows. The Annies, The Grammies, The Producers Guild and the Visual Effects Society were all taking place at the same time.

DOLLY PARTON
The following weekend, Daryl and I drove to Indio to visit Fantasy Springs Casino, which was just as classy as it sounds. Although their special event venue seemed more suited to a high school graduation than a concert, Dolly Parton and her 10-piece group put on a terrific show.

There was one awkward moment prior to the concert as the local DJ’s hosting the event said “Coming here next month is The Queen of Country Music herself, Reba McEntire!” Not sure how Dolly felt about that.

Dolly took the stage a few minutes later and launched right into “Baby, I’m Burning,” which is fitting since she seemed to have the energy of a nuclear plant. Dolly turned 61 last month but she had no problem singing and dancing—in stiletto heels, mind you—for two hours. She performed on the guitar, piano, banjo, harmonica, recorder, and dulcimer. Did I mention she was 61?

Dolly shared the stories behind “Jolene,” “Smoky Mountain Memories” and “Coat of Many Colors,” and recounted some of the events in her life and career, like the time Elvis wanted to record “I Will Always Love You.” Colonel Tom Parker would only agree to it if Dolly would give up the song rights. She said no, of course, and explained to Colonel Tom: “These songs are like my children. I expect them to take care of me in my old age.”

She had ten more zingers like that so be assured we laughed a lot at the show. She sounded great on every song, whether it was up-tempo hits like “9 to 5”, “Here You Come Again” and “Islands in the Stream” or mournful songs like “Little Sparrow” and “The Grass Is Blue.”

She talked about Carl Dean, her husband of forty-something years, widening her musical horizons. He listens more to rock music, so Dolly has recorded her own version of Neil Young’s “After the Gold Rush,” Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and the Collective Soul hit “Shine.” Her last album Those Were The Days features her take on classics by Kris Kristofferson, The Byrds, Judy Collins, and Cat Stevens. You can sample all twelve tracks here:
http://www.amazon.com/Those-Were-Days-Dolly-Parton/dp/B000AQDQ7S/ref=sr_1_2/103-4377917-9046264?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1173233953&sr=8-2

Dolly is one busy woman. She recently showed up on The Disney Channel’s hit series Hannah Montana playing—who else?—Aunt Dolly. She just released a cookbook called Dolly’s Dixie Fixins’ http://cookbook.dollywood.com/order.aspx and she’s almost done writing the music for a Broadway version of 9 to 5. She’s already written 3,000 songs so coming up with a few more for Broadway shouldn’t be too hard.

She’s been inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Each organization has its own version of Dolly’s biography:
http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/exhibit_bio.asp?exhibitId=137
http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/site/inductees.aspx?cid=150

But what better biography is there than a look at all of her album covers. Her look—with the exception of “The Girls” as she referred to them—has changed almost as much as Madonna’s. I wonder which one she’s planning to use for her tombstone? http://www.dollyon-line.com/archives/albums/index.shtml

It was a terrific show that we would’ve missed completely if my sister Gail hadn’t been so thoughtful. She and I were talking on the phone about music and I mentioned that Daryl and I both wanted to see Dolly Parton in concert. It was one of my Hundred Things To Do Before I Die. I think Gail went online as soon as we hung up and through some fluke of the universe saw that Dolly had just announced three shows in California. By the time Daryl and I saw a billboard for the concert, everything was sold out. You can imagine our surprise on Christmas morning. Thank you, Gail!!!

MT WILSON OBSERVATORY/ANGELES FOREST
Two days later, my sister Susie was town for a wedding. We hadn’t seen each other in two years so it was great getting to hang out and to meet her boyfriend Mike.

For our day together, Susie didn’t want to go to crowded, touristy places. She wanted to visit some serene natural beauty that she couldn’t see in Central Florida. Luckily, just north of Glendale is the 650,000 acre Angeles National Forest.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/angeles/about/index.shtml

After a late breakfast, the four of us headed out of town towards Mt. Wilson Observatory with Mike behind the wheel. Glendale sits less than 800 feet above sea level; Mt Wilson is listed as 5,715 feet. We made it there in approximately 25 minutes thanks to Mike’s confident handling of the car.

As is typical with this kind of mountain road, the guard rails were either too low or missing completely, so the drive was something of an adventure. Susie got plenty of natural beauty but very little serenity until we stopped at some of the scenic overlooks.

To give you an idea of how close we were to Glendale, I found this Mt Wilson towercam site. Last week, it had a great shot looking southwest at La Canada, Glendale, and LA. This week, however, the camera is aimed due east towards Altadena, which is a beautiful shot, but now I can’t point out my house. http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~obs/towercam.htm

Even though the weather was warm and sunny, when we got to the top, the observatory was closed. For good reason, as there was snow at the higher elevations the following weekend. To read more about the observatory which is over 100 years old go here: http://www.mtwilson.edu/

Another great site that the observatory offers is this live diagram of the night sky specific to LA. There a few versions you can click through that highlight constellations, stars, and planets. http://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/uncgi/Yoursky?fov=1&lat=34.225744&lon=118.057129&depm=0&consto=1&imgsize=1000&moonp=1

DAMON’S STEAKHOUSE
Afterward, we made a quick circle in the car so they could see Mulholland Drive, the Hollywood sign, Los Feliz, and Forest Lawn Glendale. We had dinner at the very retro, very tiki, Damon’s Steakhouse, which is just a few block from our house.

The restaurant opened in 1947 and Damon hasn’t changed the interior or the menu much since then. There were shell lamps, bamboo ceilings, Mai-Tai’s and plenty of regulars. Here are some photos I found of the place from a Tiki-enthusiast site:
http://www.critiki.com/cgi-bin/pictures.cgi?loc_id=65

After dinner, as the sun set and the temperature dropped, we said goodbye. It was too short a visit, but we are planning to get together soon.

ACADEMY AWARDS
Last March’s update was almost completely devoted to the Oscars as Daryl and I got to sit on the red carpet in 2006. This year, we were not in the bleachers at 9:00am but down the street at our friend Diana’s for a viewing party that started around 4:00.

As our friend Linda pointed out, “Thanks to Diana, I can honestly say I got to attend an actual Hollywood Oscar party.” There’s even a view of the Hollywood sign from Diana’s.

Because we are on the West Coast, the ceremony starts three hours earlier. For the truly devoted TV fan, Oscar day can look something like this:

3:00pm E! and KABC begins their live Red Carpet coverage
5:00pm ABC’s national half-hour pre-show from the Red Carpet
5:30pm The almost four hour ceremony airs
9:30pm Barbara Walters Oscar Special airs
10:15pm KABC airs two hours of recaps and party coverage
12:15pm Local News
12:45pm More KABC Oscar coverage!

We had a swell time even if the show was kind of a dud this year. Luckily there was Oscar Bingo to fill in the dull parts. Thank you, Diana!

STAR SIGHTINGS
While we watching the red carpet arrivals at the Annie Awards, we saw Zachary Ty Bryan. The oldest son on Home Improvement was hanging out with his friends next door at Don Cuco’s Mexican restaurant.

At the Disney Commissary, Daryl bumped into and had a nice conversation with Jack Plotnik, whom we have seen in films like Girls Will Be Girls and Down With Love. He’s not a household name, but, you might recognize him from the milk commercial as the alien with the phrase book asking the cow for “Di-Arry.”

QUOTE OF THE MONTH
Love is a possible strength in an actual weakness.—Thomas Hardy

MARCH
More visitors, more daylight and a rewrite on my play The Wedding Toast. I’ll tell you all about it next month.

Until then,
James & Daryl