Tuesday, July 17, 2007

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