SUMMER MOVIE ROUNDUP
This weekend marks the traditional end of the Summer Movie Season. This year’s didn’t look so hot because every movie had a 2, 3, 4, 5 or 13 in its title. Fans complained that there were too many films on the slate. Critics were skeptical about quality and Evan Almighty only egged them on. But, in a true “Hollywood ending” 2007 became the most profitable summer on record.
Daryl and I did our part to support the local economy. Here’s what we spent our money on and how we’d rank them:
We skipped Transformers, Pirates, Die Hard and Shrek but did see that other summer blockbuster: High School Musical 2.
*In what may soon become the routine release model for smaller films, the mockumentary Closing Escrow debuted on HDNET August 22nd, opened in theaters the 24th, and will be available on DVD September 4th.
VISITORS
Florida friends Juliet and her son Indy stopped by for a walk around Glendale and some dinner. Then they went to Disneyland, took a boat to the Channel Islands and enjoyed the lower humidity of California. We met up again on Sunday the 12th in Simi Valley to visit the Reagan Library.
RONALD REAGAN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
About 45 minutes northwest of Glendale is an unassuming southwestern-style museum and library dedicated to 40th president Ronald Reagan. The welcome video was an upbeat introduction to Ronnie’s All-American personality and his various careers, but it had sad parts, too. I can’t forget a grief-stricken Nancy at her husband’s funeral or the strangely cheerful narration by Merv Griffin who died the day of our visit.
Permamanent exhibits include a mock-up of the Oval Office, Ronnie’s presidential diaries, and a section of the Berlin Wall. Visitors can see the x-ray from the day he was shot, scenes from his movies, and the Ronald Reagan Pub which was moved a long way from Tipperary, Ireland.
Gifts that the president received—like 500 belt buckles and a portrait made of jellybeans—are here, too. What you won’t find here is controversy. There are no exhibits about the record deficit produced by Reagan’s trickle-down economic policy, the government’s slow response to the AIDS epidemic, or the president’s personal struggle with Alzheimer’s. Perhaps when more time has passed, these facets of Reagan’s two terms in office will be addressed. That said, my two favorite things were purely sentimental. One was the Reagan family bible upon which he was sworn in. The other was the love story woven throughout the building with snapshots, video footage and Ronnie’s personal letters to Nancy. They adored each other and he never stopped courting her.
The most impressive exhibit has to be the hangar-sized building that houses Air Force One. Walking through the 707/SAM 27000 Indy asked the best question: “How did the plane get here?” A helpful guide told us that the wings were removed and the pieces were shipped by truck and reassembled.
After five enjoyable hours, we said goodbye to the 80’s and said goodbye to Juliet and Indy as they left us for the second time on their trip. In a nod to the Reagan/Carter debate, I should have tilted my head and declared, “There you go again.” We hope to see them soon.
LEONID METEOR SHOWER
Later that night we headed an hour north into less populated territory to see our first meteor shower. At about midnight we pulled off of a deserted two-lane road near Edwards Air Force Base and the six of us set our sights on the skies.
Sitting in folding chairs and laying on the hood of a car, we let our eyes adjust to the lower light level and waited. And waited. There’s no sound, no warning, just a short streak of light here, one way over there, another right above us, followed by five minutes of nothing. We filled that time by teasing the members of our party fearful of the snakes, coyotes and desert tarantulas which we had assured them were indigenous to the area.
I’m sure we ended up seeing more of the shower because we had twelve eyes searching the heavens. Since there were no other stargazers but us, we chattered away like we were on a high school camping trip. The conversation was punctuated with “Ooh, look!” or “You missed it” or “Pass the ginger snaps this way.”
We didn’t get home until 3:00 am but it was totally worth it. It was my favorite star sighting this year. Thank you, Linda, for setting this up and thank you, Shawn and Bhavani, for driving!
TWO MOONS?
A few days later we heard that Mars would be so bright in the sky on August 27th that it would look as though there were two moons in the sky. I accidentally slept through this one but that turned out to be a good thing. Turns out the e-mail was just another urban myth. Back in 2005, NASA debunked this annual Mars hoax and, for some reason, accompanied its online post with this picture of British mope-rocker Morrissey. Huh? Maybe the space administration officially upgraded him to “star.”
PUSHING DAISIES at HOLLYWOOD FOREVER
ABC’s new series Pushing Daisies is about a pie maker named Ned who can bring people back from the dead for one minute. He touches them again within 60 seconds and they die permanently. If Ned doesn’t that person lives and someone else dies. On paper, it sounds morbid, but the show is actually a comedic fairy tale.
In order to dig up some publicity, ABC hosted a screening of the pilot August 16th at Hollywood Forever cemetery. A mausoleum wall was the screen and the adjacent lawn provided seating for the young, hip types who came out for the free show. Staffers wandered the crowd handing out complimentary white flowers. That’s right, they were pushing daisies.In typical Hollywood fashion, the premiere started an hour after the posted time since the cast was stuck doing interviews with Access Hollywood, ABC7 and USA Today.
Once that was done, the actors and director Barry Sonnenfeld were introduced to the crowd by the writer, producer, and creator, Bryan Fuller.
The pilot unrolled with Jim Dale's whimsical narration, eye-popping color, and lots of quirky characters. It was charming, clever and sweet but Daryl and I both thought it would fare better as a big-screen movie. You can judge for yourself by watching a preview at ABC.com or viewing the extended preview on YouTube. The show premieres Wednesday, October 3 at 8:00pm
NANCY WILSON at THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL
We were back at the bowl on Wednesday, the 29th for Nancy Wilson’s 70th Birthday Celebration with guests Arsenio Hall, Patti Austin, James Ingram, Natalie Cole, Ramsey Lewis and Terence Blanchard.
I wasn’t familiar with the first couple acts on the bill, so when Patti Austin came out things finally picked up. Nancy Wilson came out with James Ingram and the two performed their duet “Wish You Were Here.” They played off each other very well and flirted for comic effect. Then James sang his 1980 hit “One Hundred Ways”—nailing every high note—and the crowd went wild.
Besides two songs from Natalie Cole, the second half was all Nancy Wilson. Pianist Ramsey Lewis accompanied the birthday girl on “God Bless the Child.” She performed “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing” with a full band but spent most of the song improvising with the bass player. That was amazing to watch. Then she went in another direction, effortlessly breaking our hearts with the subdued “Guess Who I Saw Today?” It was my favorite song of the night.
She told a few stories, sung a medley of hits and thanked her fans for their support and her family for their patience, adding “I’m kind, tolerant, forgiving, loving, honest, and good but rarely on the same day.” Nancy sounded great, she looked great and I’ll she felt great knowing that 18,000 people came to her birthday party. By the way, her 71st album Cannon Reloaded comes out this year.
Thank you, Rob and Shawn for making this happen.
OUT LATE at MACHA THEATER
My own birthday weekend was more low-key as several friends stopped by for Cuban food and chocolate cake. (Thanks, guys!) As an early present, Daryl and I went to see the play Out Late at MACHA Theater. Out Late tells the story of a closeted doctor, married for 47 years, who begins an affair with one of his patients in this unflinching look at the costs of personal happiness.
The exceptional cast had just four actors, all equally strong: Nic d’Avirro, Judy Jean Berns, Kasey Mahaffy and Megan Maureen McDonough. The set was smart, the lighting effective, and the direction was solid. The show has since closed you can read this review and see a list of other works by playwright Tim Turner.
MICHAEL BUBLE at THE GREEK THEATER
Daryl also managed to fit in a Michael Buble concert at The Greek Theater. Like Sammy Davis Jr. or Dean Martin, Buble makes it look so easy. His voice is superb live and his comic timing ensures that the show is going to have some laughs. His new album Call Me Irresponsible and features the single "Everything."
QUICK HITS
On September 13, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia begins its third foul-mouthed season on FX. Any doubts I had about this sitcom losing its edge disappeared when I saw the first episode’s title: The Gang Finds a Dumpster Baby. So wrong.
Owning a personal flying saucer may become a reality in 2008.
Do you ever get nostalgic for the impersonal, computerized voice of Texas Instruments’ Speak & Spell?
STAR SIGHTINGS
At the Arclight movie theater we saw Danny Woodburn, better known as Kramer’s acting buddy Mickey on Seinfeld.
At the Pushing Daisies premiere, we saw Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Swoosie Kurtz, and Ellen Greene.
NEXT MONTH
Back to the Bowl and some travel east. Tell you all about it next month.
James
