A Month in the Life

January 2011 Test

2011-01-09T18:15:00.001-08:00

January 2009-Coming Soon

2009-01-31T00:20:00.001-08:00

Looking Back at 2008

2008-12-31T17:23:00.001-08:00

HELLO, AGAIN
After sending out the 36th consecutive Monthly Update last January, I decided to skip February’s edition as a simple nod to Leap Day. Sometime over the summer I realized my nod had become a much larger tribute to Leap Year.

And what a year it was. The election, the Olympics, and the economy dominated much of our time and conversation but we still found the time to see friends and family, to take on new challenges, and to explore more of Los Angeles. Here’s a look back at 2008 in the Cameron/Utt household.

WHAT’S NEW?
In March we both started new jobs. Daryl left Disney Interactive Studios to become the Marketing Manager at ReelzChannel (check your local listings.) He works downtown at L.A.Center Studios, which is home to Mad Men and Numb3rs.

I’m at Universal Studios Home Entertainment working with the Curious George team. This Emmy-winning series is in it third season on PBS (check your local listings.)

Daryl and I succumbed to peer pressure and joined Facebook. It’s a swell tool for catching up with high school, college and work friends but I only check it casually.

The other new thing in our life is Mutineer Theatre Company. I could tell you all about the awesome people and the collaborative spirit of this new, non-profit company but why don’t you click on the website? It’s much cooler and you can see everyone’s pictures.

I’m the Dramaturge for MTC so I look for new plays and, in a production, my job is to make sure that the author’s purpose is clear and that the audience isn’t distracted by plot inconsistencies, factual inaccuracies, or unintended ambiguity.

Daryl signed on as Casting Director and did a great job with the auditions for our first production. It’s called Lie With Me and it was written by Keith Bridges and it opens in March. More details will follow.

In the meantime, you can join us Saturday, January 24 for The Launch Party. We’ll have live music, complimentary food and beverage, a silent auction and more for a $25 donation. Click here for details and RSVP information. If you’d like to donate something for the auction, call or send me an e-mail.

HAPPENINGS
July 10 Daryl celebrated his 40th birthday with dinner and friends at The Polo Lounge in The Beverly Hills Hotel.

July 29 we experienced our third earthquake since moving to LA. It lasted twice as long as the previous quakes or maybe it just seemed to since I was on the 33rd floor.

On September 2, Daryl became a proud uncle as his sister Annette gave birth to Cameron Clark Saunders.

October 25 we celebrated the wedding of our friends Byron and Shephard. This was a beautiful night with a concert, amazing food, old friends, new friends and lots of laughter.

November 4 marked the first time we were close enough to walk to the voting center and it was the first time we attended an election-night party.

INDUSTRY EVENTS
The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences saluted Betty White for her 60 Years in Television. It was surreal seeing her and the entire cast of The Mary Tyler Moore Show—even Rhoda and Phyllis—in person.

At another ATAS event, Shirley McLaine, Mitzi Gaynor, Toni Basil, Nigel Lythgoe and the Solid Gold Dancers all showed up to celebrate the history of televised dance.

Daryl was at the Academy’s salute to TV Mothers and enjoyed hearing stories from Marion Ross and Erin Moran of Happy Days; Bonnie Franklin and Valerie Bertinelli of One Day at a Time; Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers of Leave It to Beaver; and Holland Taylor and Charlie Sheen of Two and Half Men.

Although the AFI Night at the Movies was something of a logistical nightmare, we managed to catch Jodie Foster, Jim Carrey, and Jenny McCarthy on the red carpet. The biggest thrill of the evening was being in the same room with Sean Connery as he discussed his classic film The Man Who Would Be King.

Daryl hung out with Lily Tomlin, Paula Poundstone, Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams and others at an awareness event for single payer healthcare reform.

CONCERTS
The Police ended their reunion tour at the Hollywood Bowl with Elvis Costello and Daryl was there to see it. We were back at the Bowl for Warner Bros Night at the Movies and I saw a program of German Romantics.

We went to The Forum to see George Michael in one of his few stateside appearances. It was a laid-back show but he sounded terrific.

We had a great time at the El Portal Theater as Debbie Reynolds sang, joked, recounted stories and shared film clips in her one-woman show.

I was in Santa Monica to see an all-Beethoven program at the opening concert of New West Symphony’s 2008/2009 season. It’s a solid ensemble with a terrific venue.

LOS ANGELES SITES
I finally made it to Skeletons in the Closet—the gift shop at the L.A. County Coroners Office.

Glendale’s Forest Lawn cemetery has a museum with rotating art exhibits. We wandered through the new Tiki exhibit and saw their impressive stained glass recreation of DaVinci’s Last Supper.

We visited the beautiful grounds of the historic Greystone Mansion which has appeared in films like X-Men and Ghostbusters.

Charles Phoenix’s Moonlight Roller Jubilee was equal parts slide show, organ recital, roller-skating performance and nostalgic kitsch. The event was so popular he created a Christmas edition.

Daryl got to tour the Bradbury Building. Although architecturally significant for its 1890’s design, the Bradbury is just as popular with fans of the movie Blade Runner.

We spent a beautiful summer afternoon with friends sailing from Marina del Rey to Malibu.

Rose Tree Cottage, one of our favorite haunts, moved into its new home. As difficult as it was to leave the old Tudor-syle house the new location seems to be working out pretty well. The tea room and shoppe were very busy during the holidays.

TRAVEL
We were in Las Vegas for a long weekend in April and Daryl returned in September to see Donny & Marie and Barry Manilow.

We spent the second week of September in Cancun. There was some rain and rough seas as Hurricane Ike made his way up to Texas, so we didn’t spend much time at the beach. Luckily the weather was clear the day we visited the pyramid and ruins of Chichen Itza.

In October, Daryl was in North Carolina to meet nephew Cameron for the first time and to attend his dad’s 70th birthday party. It was the first time his extended family was in the same room and nobody took a picture!

THEATRE
This year we saw 9 to 5, The Joy Luck Club, Spring Awakening, Ann Landers: The Lady With All the Answers, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Joan Rivers: A Life in Progress By a Work in Progress and the 16th annual Young Playwright’s Festival.

MOVIES AND TV
Some our favorites released this year (in no particular order) are Slumdog Millionaire, Milk, Frost/Nixon, Wall-E, Bolt, Dark Knight, Hamlet 2, In Bruges, and Mamma Mia! Disappointments included Australia, Benjamin Button, Indiana Jones, and The Women.

We’ve only stuck with three of the new TV shows: CBS’s Worst Week, BBC America’s Gavin & Stacey, and—no one could be more surprised than me at this one—Fine Living’s Whatever, Martha.

08-08-08 was a great date to have a TV as the Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics unfolded inside the Bird’s Nest. I was hooked as soon as those light-up drummers began the countdown, but the most memorable image of the night was Li Ning running the torch around the stadium ceiling. Awesome.

STAR SIGHTINGS
In Neiman Marcus, Daryl spoke briefly to Jennifer Lopez about the Christmas selection of Fortnum & Mason biscuits. While shopping in Whole Foods he bumped into Melora Hardin (Jan on The Office) and got to tell her how much he enjoyed The Dinner Party episode.

At the Arclight movie theatre in Hollywood, we either saw Cher or a surgically altered impersonator. We were in the audience with playwright David Mamet at an Upright Citizen’s Brigade improv show.

Driving through Los Feliz, we pulled up next to Hellboy Ron Perlman. At a drugstore parking lot, we took the space vacated by Fantastic Four star Chris Evans. At the LA Farmer’s Market Daryl saw Ugly Betty’s Ashley Jensen.

At the Las Vegas airport we congratulated Christian Siriano on his Project Runway win. At the L.A. Times Festival of Books at UCLA, I saw author Christopher Rice and Avenue Q’s John Tartaglia but Daryl got to see the man—the legend—Kirk Douglas.

Daryl got Richard Simmons to take a picture with Flat Stanley.

We were standing in the grocery section at Joan’s on Third wondering why it was so deserted…until Daryl realized he was standing between Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and their bodyguard. Like everyone else, we gave them their space. The next day the internet was abuzz with pictures of the couple leaving the store. We felt so trendy.

WHAT’S MISSING?
Normally, I include the names of friends and family members who accompany, invite, or visit us, each month, but in the interest of space, I’ve opted to leave those out. I trust you’ll forgive this omission.

THANK YOU
However, I can’t wrap up the wrap-up without thanking friends and family for calling, e-mailing, visiting, hosting, inviting, advising, listening, sharing, encouraging or for doing all the wonderful things you do.

Until next time,
James

Feb 2008: Leap Day

2008-02-29T20:18:00.000-08:00

Check back this weekend.

January 2008: Roses, Films and a Road Trip

2008-01-31T13:10:00.000-08:00

ROSE PARADE

My friend Cynthia and I wanted to see the Tournament of Roses Parade in person so January 1st started with the sound of an alarm clock at about 3:30 in the morning. We were in Pasadena by 4:30 driving past signs for $50, $40, and $30 parking. Luckily, we found a parking structure a block from the parade route that was only charging $10.

The parade route at that hour was a refugee camp. Tents, sleeping bags, coolers, and folding chairs filled the sidewalks and outside lanes of Colorado Boulevard. Some people were playing cards or just talking but most of these squatters were bundled up and trying to sleep. Smart folks had open pit fires or gas heaters to warm them.

The sun came up around 6:00am and by 6:30 the squatters began to break camp. Once the tents and tables were gone, there was more room for viewing. New groups came into fill the space but as crowded as it got, there was no serious rudeness or fighting. At 7:00am the only real problem was the 30-minute line for the port-o-johns. The Blue Angels flew overhead at 8:00am and the 119th Tournament of Roses Parade was officially underway. The first unit reached us a half an hour later. Here’s the official photo recap in case you missed the show.

PARADE TIPS
We sat on the south side of the Colorado to avoid staring at the sun. The TV cameras are on this side, too, so we had good viewing for most of the star talent including Grand Marshall Emeril Lagasse; Sesame Street’s Bob McGrath; and Dodgers alumni Tommy LaSorda, Fernando Valenzuela, and Steve Garvey.

We were across the street from a Famima! convenience store so coffee, water and breath fresheners were readily available in the early hours. We positioned ourselves in front of a brick planter so we’d have a place to sit while we waited.
The floats are amazing in person but they move pretty fast. Without the TV narration or souvenir program there’s no way to tell what natural materials have been used on each unit. The nerd in me missed that. On the plus side, the horses and the marching bands are much more engaging in 3-D.

Getting out of the parking structure didn’t take long but it did require patience. Once free of it we drove back on Colorado which was practically deserted except for garbage, abandoned chairs and discarded mattresses.

Unless you have VIP seating in the grand stands at Orange Grove and Colorado the best experience is still watching it at home on the hi-def channel in your pajamas. Afterwards, you can head down to Pasadena and wander through the floats at your own pace for about $10.

Except for the reek of the bacon-wrapped sausages being sold next to us, we had a great time at the parade. If the weather is good in 2009, I think we’ll be back in person. Thank you Cynthia for helping cross off another item of my 100 Things to Do Before I Die list.

MULHOLLAND DRIVE
I spent the second day of the year with our friend Juliet. I offered to take her over to the Showcase of Floats but she had her heart set on touring the entire length of Mulholland Drive. She had printed a guide from LAMountains.com, charged her digital camera and loaded her iPod with “Mulholland songs” like Tom Petty’s Free Fallin’. Who could say no to that?

Named for William Mulholland—the man who devised the Los Angeles aqueduct system–Mulholland Drive is fifty-five miles of winding mountain road that starts in Hollywood and ends at the ocean. There are plenty of scenic overlooks along the way and I think we stopped at every one of them. Most had parking spaces and historical placards or nature trails; a few were just gravel turnouts with generic signage. The Groves Overlook was the most frustrating since it was named for the trees that completely obscured the view.

We crossed over familiar roads like Laurel Canyon, Coldwater Canyon and the 405. There was a Walt Disney Drive on our route, too. Not long after that intersection Mulholland switched from two-lane blacktop to dirt. We drove about a mile before being met with a fire gate and the words “Restricted Entry.” We were bummed of course but our disappointment turned to curiosity when we noticed a side road and abandoned guard shack. We were at LA96C which was a NIKE missile control site from 1956 to 1968. After it was decommissioned, public bathrooms, picnic tables and handicapped parking were added to create what is now San Vicente Mountain Park. The dirt road we couldn’t drive on is a trail for cyclists and hikers. We spent about a half hour walking through the defunct military zone, reading the signs and taking pictures atop the three-story lookout tower. There was something to see at on every side, from downtown LA to the Encino reservoir to our eventual destination the Pacific Ocean

Because of the detour we headed down to Ventura Boulevard, had lunch at Jack in the Box, and then turned south onto Topanga Canyon Boulevard to rejoin Mulholland. We enjoyed this stretch through canyon country and even spent some time in Paramount Ranch. Although used primarily for westerns, the ranch has also starred as Colonial Salem, China, and the South Seas. Because of this history, park locations include Witches’ Wood, Marco Polo Hill and Ebb Tide Trail.
You can probably guess how Medicine Woman Trail got its name. The Jane Seymour series that ran on CBS from 1992 to 1997 was shot here. Neither of us watched Dr. Quinn but Juliet and I enjoyed walking through the Western Town set that doubled for Colorado Springs. I found this Dr. Quinn photo gallery and recognized a few buildings even though the town has since been altered for HBO’s depression-era series Carnivale.

We continued our drive on what was now Mulholland Highway and passed by Ed & Vern’s Rock Store, a mobile home park, and two huge satellite dishes. The rest of the drive was deserted conservation area and it was hard to believe that we were still in LA County. We crossed the Pacific Coast Highway at Leo Carillo State Park and got a few pictures before the sun went down. Then we headed south for delicious crab soup at Bob Morris’ Paradise Cove Café Malibu.

With our photo stops, meals, cultural visits and the detour, we spent about seven hours on our Mulholland drive. Juliet is so easy to hang with and always prepared! She even sent these links to the National Park Service’s downloadable maps showing trails and roads. Just for fun, she included this Wikipedia entry that discusses Mulholland Drive in pop culture. Thanks for a great day, Juliet!

CASA BIANCA
That evening, Juliet, Daryl and I went to Eagle Rock to sample the very popular Italian restaurant Casa Bianca. Our meal was fine but it wasn’t worth the 45-minute wait in their cramped lobby. We’d go back if it was less crowded, but Casa Bianca is either closed or it has a line. They should change their name to “DMV.”

Waiting for a table, the three of us were walking around the neighborhood when the flashing lights of a police escort came over the hill. Was it the mayor? The governor? No, it was the City of Glendale Rose Parade float making its way to downtown Glendale. Juliet got to do both things after all.

HERITAGE SQUARE
That weekend, Daryl and I went to Heritage Square Museum which is located on the 110 about a mile east of where it intersects the 5. Eight historic structures have been moved to this slim piece of land to create a museum of life in 1800’s Los Angeles.

Except for the traffic rushing by on the freeway the museum feels like a street my great, great grandparents might have walked along. The tour starts at the train station and ends at the church. In the middle are five houses and a barn. Only one of the houses is truly complete inside. The rest are slowly being refurbished as funds become available.

The museum is open Friday through Sunday from 1:00 to 5:00 and has free parking. The online tour includes information and pictures of all eight structures which are best appreciated in person on a sunny day. A normal visit should last about an hour but we were there twice that since the tours, box office, and gift shop were being handled by one person.

EL TEPEYAC and GALCO’S
That night Diana, Daryl and I were at our friend Christie’s for a Wii trivia throwdown.

Christie had stopped by El Tepeyac Cafe which is rated as one of LA’s Best places for authentic Mexican food. She opened the to-go box and inside was the largest burrito I’ve ever seen. I think it covered two burners on the stove. The cashier told her that this size would feed four people so Christie bought two. Ay Carumba!

Luckily, the burrito was big on taste, too, but we barely finished two-thirds of it. We washed it down with drinks from Galco’s Soda Pop Stop. They specialize in hard-to-find nostalgia and regional brands like Bubble Up, Nehi, Sioux City Sarsaparilla, and Jeff's New York Coffee Egg Cream Soda. There are so many varieties it’s no wonder they’ve been operating since 1897. They should open a branch at Heritage Square.

Christie picked up a few bottles of Cheerwine (a North Carolina favorite) for Daryl. I recommend the Blenheim Ginger Ale and the Plantation Style Mint Julep. I was curious about Delaware Punch but decided to save that for another day since our evening of fun, food and fizzy drinks went pretty late. I hope we can do it again soon. Thank you, Christie!

PALM SPRINGS INT’L FILM FESTIVAL
Daryl and I joined my Uncle Carl the following weekend for our annual trip to the Palm Springs International Film Festival. With hundreds of titles to choose from we narrowed it down to seven.

Our hands-down favorite was The Pool. It was a small story about Venkatesh, an illiterate hotel worker in India who is preoccupied with a backyard pool outside of town. The owners return and Venkatesh slowly ingratiates himself by helping the father clear the yard and by befriending the daughter. Simple performances, great camera work, solid script and winning score—which you can hear at the website—come together to create a sensitive film whose characters stay with you. Indian film fans will recognize Nana Patekar.
Hats Off! is a pleasant documentary about 92 year-old actress Mimi Weddell. She got into the business at the ripe old age of 65 the week after her husband’s funeral. Unsentimental and always in motion, Mimi lives by the motto “Rise Above It!” The camera follows her to auditions, movement classes, photo shoots and Elizabeth Arden beauty treatments as friends, family and colleagues share anecdotes about Mimi. There are also clips of her working opposite Will Smith in Hitch and playing Stanford’s grandmother on Sex in the City. The film was sold out so we had to sit in the third row but we had the best seats in the house once the film was over. Ms Weddell came down to the front of the theater amidst a standing ovation and took questions from the audience. She is an awesome lady.

Sparkle is an English comedy about a cater-waiter who meets the girl of his dreams while he’s still involved with his boss Stockard Channing. Except for a misleading title, we recommended this one, too. The story and the performances by Bob Hoskins, Shaun Davis, Anthony Head and others, were top-notch.
Boystown tells the darkly comedic story of a real estate agent so fixated on populating his predominately-gay neighborhood with the young and fit that the older residents who refuse to sell to him end up dead. A sad-sack driving instructor, his unrelenting mother-in-law, her comic-book obsessed son and a germ-phobic investigator complicate his plan in this strange but sweet tale.

Before the Rains is listed as a Merchant-Ivory film even though Merchant, Ivory, and their screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, weren't involved. Set against the fight for Indian independence, this tragic love story was bogged down by a sluggish script and an overdone score. The only highlights were beautiful location work and a great performance by Rahul Bose.
The Stone Angel was my least favorite film even though it had Ellen Burstyn, Dylan Baker, Luke Kirby and Juno’s Ellen Page. To avoid moving into a nursing home, Burstyn’s character escapes to a deserted lakeside cabin. The trip causes her to reflect on her disapproving father, an alcoholic husband, the gossipy town and her ungrateful kids. Skip this one and rent The Trip to Bountiful for which Geraldine Page won her Academy Award.

The first Best Actress Oscar went to Janet Gaynor for her work in the 1927 silent Seventh Heaven. This hard-luck melodrama has broad performances common to the era but Gaynor won us over with her more natural style. If only the newly-commissioned score that accompanied this screening had been as subtle. Fun fact: A couple audience members had seen the movie during its first run.
Uncle Carl managed to fit in Breakfast With Scot which he described as a sentimental TV movie and Pistoleros a terrific Danish actioner in the vein of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The 2009 Festival is already scheduled for January 8 through 19 and I’m sure we’ll be there. Titles and tickets will be available on the festival site around Christmas. Thanks, Uncle Carl!

VISITORS
The following week, our friend Tahmina, was in town for a busy week of meetings. We hadn’t seen her in three years and it was so fun catching up over dinner. Thanks for making the time, Tahmina!

My sister Gail arrived last week after a fourteen-hour train/bus/metro/pack mule/dog sled trip from San Francisco. Even though we were in the wettest LA January since 1970-something, Gail spent her first day at the Getty Center under brilliant blue skies. It was so clear we could see from the snow-capped mountains to Catalina Island.

We took her to Oinkster in Eagle Rock for Carolina Pulled Pork sandwiches and Belgian Fries. In Pasadena, we visited The Gamble House and did some shopping in Old Town. On her last full day, Gail and I headed to Joshua Tree to spend a sunny, windy day with Uncle Carl and his two dogs. And then, before we knew it she was flying home to snow-covered Iowa. It was a great visit and we hope to see her again real soon.

LA FASHION DISTRICT
Gail is a big sewer (get your mind out of the gutter). In addition to catching her up on the previous two weeks of Project Runway, we took her to the LA Fashion District. Spread out over ninety blocks the area is said to be the largest selection of textiles and notions in the United States. We only went to a few fabric stores but Gail found what she wanted at a good price. It wouldn’t fit in the luggage she brought with her, so we ducked into Santee Alley and found a $20 suitcase for the flight home.

STAR SIGHTINGS
We saw Kaye Ballard at one of our Palm Springs screenings.
While at the Getty we saw Amazing Race 4 winner Chip Arndt.
Peter Paige sat behind Gail when we were at Toast Bakery Cafe.

NEXT MONTH
February is already filling up. Tell you all about it next month.
Until then,
James

A December to Remember

2007-12-31T09:39:00.000-08:00

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

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS
Every family celebrates Christmas their own way. After thirteen years together, Daryl and I have developed a few household customs. Here’s a few:

• Daryl hadn’t seen the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street until our first Christmas together. Now he watches it every year.

• Rhino’s Happy Holiday Hearth DVD is modeled after the annual WPIX Yule Log broadcast. The 1960’s Christmas music is great but most of the time we opt for the “crackling fire” audio track because it really warms up the apartment. (You can download a version for your computer at www.theyulelog.com.)

• Fresh cranberry sauce only requires a cup of water, a cup of sugar and a couple of minutes so it’s my annual contribution to the Christmas dinner. December also means delicious biscotti from DiCamillo Bakery.

• Daryl puts a lot of time into decorating the tree so we are always looking for new ornaments. The two of us head to Beverly Hills to visit Saks, Neiman Marcus and the like in search of unique holiday additions.

• There are three Disney cartoons that Daryl watches annually: Mickey’s Christmas Carol, Pluto’s Christmas Tree and the Once Upon A Wintertime segment from Melody Time.

HOLIDAY MUSIC
My family’s Christmas albums consisted of Herb Alpert, Barbra Streisand and some Firestone collections. Boy, have things changed. The last time Daryl and I counted, we had 150 holiday CDs with a little something for everyone: squawky medieval carols, sacred choral music, acoustic Appalachian, and lots of mid-century pop standards.
I thought we had gone overboard until I stumbled onto the Christmas Yule Blog hosted by Fort Wayne’s Rob Martinez. This guy is admittedly obsessed with documenting every Christmas recording in existence, regardless of its merit.

Equally obsessive but more focused is Last-Christmas.com. This is your one-stop reference for all versions of George Michael’s “Last Christmas.” There are more than 300 versions that can be searched by artist or genre including accordion, polka, and metal.

If you’ve ever wondered what Alvin, Simon and Theodore sounded like before their vocals were sped up for “The Chipmunk Song” click on this YouTube clip.
CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK
Daryl loves New York during the holidays and this year he got to share the experience with his mother Rita and sister Annette. Neither had been before so Daryl was determined to cram as much into three days as he could without running them ragged.

They stayed in an 1871 Victorian townhouse on the Upper East Side, within walking distance to many of the sites Daryl planned to take them. They shopped and lunched at Bloomingdales, gazed at the diamonds in Tiffany's, played with the toys in FAO Schwarz, enjoyed makeovers at Henri Bendel, and went to Macy's to peek in on Kris Kringle.

The window displays at Saks Fifth Avenue and the tree at Rockefeller Plaza were highlights. Walking through Times Square, seeing the Chrysler building, and riding the subway were part of the tour. The stagehand strike had been resolved the weekend before they arrived so Rita and Annette got to see The Drowsy Chaperone, their first Broadway show. The three of them strolled through a chilly Central Park and spent their final morning at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The weekend went very smoothly and the only real complaint anyone had was that there wasn’t more time. There were two especially magical moments. One happened on the first day when the three of them rounded Fifth Avenue and saw The Plaza Hotel. It started to snow. Welcome to Christmas in New York!

The second happened when Daryl asked Annette what she thought of the Big Apple. She thanked him and said, "It’s even better than I expected."

RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR
On his 100 Things to Do Before I Die list, Daryl got to check off “See The Rockettes and the Radio City Music Hall Christmas show.” It was pure luck that he got to see the 75th Anniversary edition. He and his family enjoyed the 90-minute trip through some of the greatest hits in the show’s history.

Radio City has every right to call the show a spectacular. On what other stage can you see a four-story Toy Shop, a working double-decker bus, fifty dancing Santas, and an all-teddy bear version of The Nutcracker? And that's only half the show.

The lineup changes a little every year, but there are two segments that have appeared in every production since 1933: The March of the Wooden Toy Soldiers—which ends with The Rockettes collapsing on each other lik dominoes—and The Living Nativity which boasts more live animals than Old MacDonald’s farm.

A WEDDING
The same weekend that Daryl was in The City That Never Sleeps, I was in Orlando for my nephew Mathew’s wedding. I was just getting used to him voting and owning property when he announced his engagement to Kristen. Time marches on.

The lovely ceremony was followed by a wonderful celebration at which the bride and groom were formally introduced with U2’s Beautiful Day. I’ve heard the song twice since my trip and can’t help but fondly think of Mathew and Kristen’s arrival at the party. (Does that mean I’m stuck in a moment I can’t get out of?)

The reception was a beautiful outdoor affair held at a private lake house near Hontoon Island State Park. There were fun touches like a photo booth and a candy bar. Not a lone Milky Way, mind you, it was an entire station of chocolate, taffy, bubble gum and other confections that guests were encouraged to box up and take home. We graciously obliged. (Snapshot taken by my sister Karen.)

The evening function coincided with a local Christmas parade. During dinner we were treated to a flotilla of brightly-lit boats sailing by the party. It was a perfectly unexpected coincidence that only added to the festivities. I hope Mathew and Kristen’s life together is full of happy surprises like this one.

It’s no surprise that it was such a great event. Kristen started her own wedding planning company a while back called An Affair to Remember. She obviously knows her stuff because the location, the menu, the DJ and everything else were terrific. Her photographer, Karla Fountain was top-notch, too. Check out the wedding and travel shots on her site.

THREE PEOPLE/FOUR PARKS
The Monday after the wedding, friends Juliet and Nate took me to all four Disney parks to see what had been added since I moved from Orlando in 2005. They drafted a plan based on the attractions and park hours which left us time to do a few extras like the revamped Spaceship Earth. The final tally:
We drove from DAK to Epcot and parked the car. We took the monorail to MK and rode a bus to DMGM. We finished the day off by walking back to Epcot. It was the perfect, leisurely end to a terrific day filled laughter and much craziness. Thank you, Nate and Juliet!

FLORIDA STUFF
I really enjoyed being home again. Hanging out with my Mom, seeing my sisters Gail, Susie and Karen and their respective families was awesome. Visiting with friends and co-workers was great, too, but I didn’t come close to seeing everybody on my list. How does Santa do it every year?

My family and I went to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and then Karen invited me to Universal’s Islands of Adventure for a day of roller coasters with nephews Tyler & Cameron. It was her first time and even though she doesn’t like heights she went on everything. Her favorite attraction was Spider-Man which we did three times.

Karen and I had a fun evening at the Marketing Holiday Party where we got to see our friend Marge Ann and catch up with former co-workers. The rest of the time, I was at my Mom’s house eating, bird-watching, or working in the yard. It was a great vacation and over way too soon.

BACK IN LA
Daryl and I had a full calendar of visitors, dinners, and get-togethers with friends and family back in LA. Here are a few locations we got to experience:

On the 18th, we had dinner with friends Mark, Ashika and Gauruv at The Bistro Garden at Coldwater. We all enjoyed the atmosphere and dinner but what stays in my mind are the chocolate and pumpkin soufflés we had for dessert. Delicious.

On the 29th, Rob hosted his 40th birthday poolside at the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills. This boutique hotel has that mid-century Palm Springs/Miami Beach vibe and offers excellent dining at blue on blue.

On the 30th we were in West Hollywood for an open house at the historic El Mirador hosted by Doug and Richard. This 1929 apartment building is classic Hollywood with Moorish touches like decorative arches inside and Juliet balconies outside. Previous residents include silent film star Marie Prevost, 1930’s film comedian Robert Woolsey and Designing Women star Delta Burke

On the 31st we had lunch with our friends JJ & Adam at Santa Monica’s Cock N Bull pub. We dined on shepherds pie, sausage rolls, fish and chips and hard cider while the staff prepared to ring in the New Year at 4:00pm when 2008 would officially reach London.

SAYING GOODBYE TO 2007
That evening we joined friends at Kim’s house to watch a movie, to see the ball drop in Times Square and to share wishes of love, health and prosperity for the year(s) to come.

We also said goodbye to a few things that 2007 was taking with it: Trader’s Vic Restaurant which closed in March; the wait for the final Harry Potter book which ended in July; our neighborhood Crocodile Café which went dark this Fall; and Daryl’s favorite magazine, House & Garden, which folded this month.

STAR SIGHTINGS
Our last star sighting of the year happened on New Year’s Eve in Santa Monica. While shopping on Montana Avenue, we walked by Leonard Roberts who played DL on Heroes and Forrest Gates on Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

TWO LAST WORDS
In case I don’t say it enough, here’s one last THANK YOU—for reading this update, or for forwarding us yours; for sharing your time, your vacation, your wisdom, your goodwill, your home, or your interests. For being a part of our lives, Daryl and I thank you.

May 2008 be a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year for all of us.

James & Daryl

November 2007: Two TV Tapings and Turkey

2007-11-30T09:45:00.000-08:00

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

MERV GRIFFIN’S CROSSWORDS
Another item that can be checked off my 100 Things To Do Before I Die list is “Be A Contestant on a TV Game Show.” Back in September I competed on Merv Griffin’s Crosswords but wasn’t able to discuss it until the first airing November 5. The episode is being re-run Wednesday, December 19. Angelenos can see it at 3:30 on KNBC 4 and Orlandoans can tune into WRDQ/Action 27 at 8:30pm. The times for the rest of the country are here.

BACKSTAGE STUFF
On Tape Day, I arrived at 7:00am with three changes of clothes that were not white, patterned, or logo-ed. They liked the green shirt I was wearing but made me remove my cotton undershirt because some of the white was visible at the collar. (Imagine their surprise when they found the skin beneath it was actually whiter.)

The standards and practices person went through the 20-page contract with us and we learned that the producers retain the right to NOT award prizes. For example: If the national news pre-empts a bunch of shows, as it did during Katrina, the production company isn’t legally required to pay.

At 10:00am, once everyone’s questions were answered and the producer had gone through all the rules and mechanics of playing the game, the first contestants were chosen. The rest of us were confined to the holding area which was appointed with tables, folding chairs, snacks and magazines. There was also a TV so we could watch the action on the stage.

Even though Merv Griffin’s Crosswords is a 30-minute show, it takes the production team an hour to complete a taping. Podiums have to be moved, camera and sound problems occur, and the giant puzzle board experiences a glitch now and then.

One thing that doesn’t slow down the game is host Ty Treadway. Like Alex Trebek, he has to keep everyone’s name straight, keep an eye on who’s in the lead and read every single clue. It’s a tough job. The day I was there Ty was battling a head cold but remained upbeat through all six tapings. He’s a total professional.

They put me on the final show of the day and I passed the time meeting the other contestants and watching them play. Some of the sharpest players in the holding room didn’t fare as well on set. Here’s why:

PLAYING THE GAME
Merv Griffin’s Crosswords starts out with Players 1 and 2 answering the crossword puzzle clues and spelling their answers. After the first commercial break, Players 3, 4 and 5 are added. Known collectively as spoilers, these contestants can unseat the leaders and take their money with one correct answer. In the first episode that day, a woman answered one question—the very last one of the game—and automatically went to the Final Round.

Around 4:30pm we were escorted to the green room where watched the second-to-last show and were miked by the sound people. Ty stopped in to wish us luck and to check the pronunciation of our names. After that we were led to the studio. As Player 5, I sat offstage as the first round was played. At the commercial break they brought the three of us spoilers onto the set to join the game. The lights came up, we made our way to the podiums, and Ty introduced us.

SPOILER ALERT! If you’d rather watch the show December 19 without knowing the outcome, skip to VISITORS.

Whatever strategy I had planned disappeared as soon as those cameras came on. It was everything I could do to look relaxed. My interior monologue went something like this: “Is this ringer working? How did he know that answer? Why did they take my shirt? Am I sweating? What if I choke and end up on YouTube?”

I tried to ring in a few times but Player 1 was on a roll and the round finished with me in the same place I started. During the commercial break, I calmed down and strengthened my resolve to answer at least ONE question. Midway through Round
Three I finally got my chance. No one else remembered the Charlton Heston film The Omega Man. I rang in, spelled “o-m-e-g-a” and moved into first place. I defended my lead by answering four more answers. At the end of the game I had earned $2,400 and qualified for the Final Round.

The last commercial break was a blur. The standards and practices person was there as the crew reviewed the do’s and don’ts of the Final Round. “Speak clearly. Let Ty finish the clue before your respond, etc.” Someone handed me a bottled water which I promptly spilled on my shirt. They rushed me to wardrobe where a blow dryer was employed to erase the spot. Before I knew it I was standing with Ty Treadway about to start the Final Round. He was very encouraging, but once the cameras came on, my main thought was, “Everyone’s staring.” With 1:30 on the clock, I asked for the first clue. I nervously spelled “b-u-b-b-a” and moved onto the next clue, gaining confidence with each correct answer. With a few seconds left, I solved the last clue and won an XBOX 360, a week in Cancun and an additional $5,000 for my trouble.

Everyone came back onstage for the last shot and, after signing some papers, we were all free to go. I headed home, gave Daryl the news, and then wondered when I would get my winnings.

Things you might not notice watching the show at home.
• Many contestants live in LA but use their hometowns on the air.
• Winnings aren’t disbursed until four months after the airdate.
• Crosswords is shot on the stage next to Hannah Montana.
• All name tags are returned to be re-used.

Contestant coordinator Kathie and her team were very organized and pleasant whether it was administering the audition questionnaire, prepping us for competition, or calling us with the air date. It’s not an easy job, but they never let us see them sweat.

I must give a big thank-you to my friend Jim who made me watch the The Omega Man in high school.

VISITORS
Our friend Juliet was in town and we had lunch at Billy’s Deli, a Glendale institution for almost 50 years. Waitress Evelyn—famous for her tableside banter—offered Juliet this Thanksgiving zinger: “They’ve got a new breed of turkey called the Hilary Clinton. It comes with two small breasts, two large thighs and one left wing.” Evelyn’s got a million of ‘em, folks but this is the first one suitable for a family audience.

Our buddy Nate was here this month, too. His first night, the three of us went to Café du Village in Larchmont for a delicious meal of French/Mediterranean fare. Driving there, Nate mentioned that all he needed to complete his visit to California was a celebrity sighting. “Somebody cool like Joel McHale from The Soup.”

STAR SIGHTING
As we left the restaurant that night, Nate’s wish came true. Joel McHale, host of E!s The Soup, walked right by us. I quietly pointed him out to Nate but Daryl said “Hey, Joel! We love your show! We’re going home to watch it right now!” Although surprised by the shout-out, Joel thanked us and headed to his car.

We couldn’t believe it. The three of us continued walking along Larchmont asking each other “What are the chances?” We were looking in one of the shop windows when Joel appeared again. This time, he introduced his wife Sarah, told a few jokes and invited us to a taping.

We said yes immediately even though Nate would have to reschedule his flight home. I felt bad about that but the additional time in Burbank allowed him to tour the Disney Studio lot and to visit the Disney Archives.

THE SOUP
Once upon a time there was TV clip show called Talk Soup which debuted in 1991 on E! Its host was the charming Greg Kinnear who left to become an Oscar-nominated actor. His successors included the less-charming John Henson, the always goofy Hal Sparks, and the stunningly beautiful Aisha Tyler. As the show’s content shifted from Ricki Lake excerpts to reality programming clips, “Talk” was removed from the title. The revamped program debuted in 2004 with host Joel McHale.

The Soup’s slogan says it all: “We watch TV so you don’t have to.” With just a green screen, some props and a small audience, Joel presents a half-hour recap of the week’s stupidest, funniest, and most outlandish TV moments. He cracks wise on everyone, himself included. It’s a simple premise but McHale and company make us laugh every Friday.

The live taping was no exception since it included some of our favorite clips of the last year. You might hear us laugh throughout The Soup Presents The Best of the Worst Daytime TV Moments when it airs Monday, December 10 at 8:00pm. Joel was just as funny in person and talked with us during the course of the taping. He even posed with Nate for the attached picture. We thanked Joel and promised to come back for future shows.

A big Thank You to Nate, too, since none of this would’ve happened without his visit.

CAMPO GORILLA RESERVE AT L.A. ZOO
Thanks to our friend Cynthia, we got to preview the new Campo Gorilla Reserve at the L.A. Zoo. It’s as lush as the gorilla habitat at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and houses two of its former residents, bachelors Hasani and Jabari. They share the space with family members Kelly, Evelyn, Glenda and Rapunzel.

Because it was an evening preview, some of the environment and it residents were difficult to appreciate, but you can see how beautiful the $19 million exhibit is in this slide show. I hope the elephant habitat the zoo is working on is just as spectacular.

Thank you, Cynthia!

THANKSGIVING AT THE O’NEILL’S/SOLVANG WITH DIANA
We’ve spent every Thanksgiving in California with our friends Shawn, Rob and the O’Neill family. The turkey is always moist, the table is beautiful and the company is top notch. After the meal, we play games and watch Christmas movies. We miss our families during the holidays and we are grateful to have friends that welcome us into their home.

The next day we took our friend Diana to the Danish village of Solvang. We hit our usual stops: Jul Haus, Little Bit o’Denmark restaurant, Solvang Antique Center and the neighboring Santa Ynez Mission.

THE HISTORY BOYS AT THE AHMANSON
The last day of the month, Daryl and I went to Alan Bennet’s Tony-winning drama The History Boys at the Ahmanson Theater. Set at a 1980’s English prep school where the faculty is readying its students for university interviews, the play explores issues of power, class, gender, unrequited love, politics, ethics and tradition.

The script does a good job capturing the mix of youthful bravado and teenage cynicism of these highly educated boys, but the set changes kept taking us out of the narrative. Even when moving between two identical classrooms, the stage went black and a large screen appeared with erratic, black and white videos of the students going to class, studying in the library, and horsing around to uptempo British pop music. Designed to camouflage moving scenery these breaks had the opposite effect.
Act I’s repeated references to classical poets, a scene played entirely in French, and a rambling narrative frustrated some of our fellow playgoers. Many did not return for Act II, but Daryl and I liked The History Boys. It’s a play full of small moments which needed a more intimate space than the Ahmanson and a simpler set design.

The film version of The History Boys, featuring the original London cast, airs the morning of December 6 on Cinemax. I’ve already set our DVR.

Thank you to Byron and Shephard for making sure we got to see this!

MORE STAR SIGHTINGS
Two familiar faces in the The History Boys cast were Peter Paige from Showtime’s Queer As Folk and film/TV veteran Dakin Mattews. You might recognize Dakin as the mission commander in the Epcot attraction Body Wars.

While shopping in Woodland Hills we ate lunch a few tables over from Wilmer Valderrama and his entourage.

DECEMBER
Our tree is up and the last of the house decorations should be in place this week. Daryl and I will be visiting friends and family this month. If we don’t get to tell you in person, please accept our wishes for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Until next month,
James

October 2007: Pumpkin-Palooza

2007-10-31T17:03:00.000-07:00

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

ANOTHER OPENIN’ ANOTHER SHOW/ATAS SALUTE TO TV THEMES
It’s hard to imagine The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Mission Impossible or Hawaii Five-O without thinking of their theme songs. With current shows like Heroes and Brother and Sisters opting out of elaborate opening credits altogether, it was great to spend an evening at The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS) for its tribute to TV themes Another Openin’ Another Show.
Hosted by Monica Mancini and Divided up into categories Like “Action/Military,” “Medical”and “Sci-Fi/Fantasy” the program sampled about 120 show themes, from All in the Family to Wild Wild West. We got to sing along with The Brady Bunch’s Maureen McCormick, rub elbows with Man from U.N.C.L.E. Robert Vaughn and see original Bionic Woman Lindsay Wagner.

Vic Mizzy is most known for the themes to Green Acres and The Addams Family. While recording Acres, he realized that Eva Gabor wasn’t the best singer and encouraged her to act the lyrics. “She only had to sing the last note and luckily we got it in the first take.” The Addams Family has been his most lucrative song and can be heard regularly at sporting events and in commercials. Summing up its success, Mizzy deadpanned, “Two snaps and you get a house in Bel-Air.”

John Schneider and Jean Louisa Kelly performed several songs, including Dukes of Hazzard, I Love Lucy and Three’s Company. Jean Louisa climbed onto the piano and sang a Marilyn Monroe/JFK version of The Mickey Mouse Club to which John replied, “After that, I’m sure Walt’s no longer frozen.”

Mike Post has scored twelve series for Steven Bochco, including the unfortunate Cop Rock. Their first collaboration was Hill Street Blues. Post played the music once for Bocho and the rest is history. The theme for L.A. Law went through four or five versions because there was a committee of people weighing in with “…it needs to reflect the majesty of the law…I don’t hear courtroom energy…make it more sexy…” and so on. That’s why it sounds like the way it does.
Stacy Keach, star of Mike Hammer, performed that show’s piano-based theme “Harlem Nocturne” and introduced its composer Earle Hagen. Mr. Hagen wrote the song in 1939 and he must have been about 5 years old at the time because he barely looked a day over 60. He has 3000 hours of television to his credit. His easiest composition may have been The Andy Griffith Show which he wrote thinking, “it needs to be simple enough to whistle.” His toughest was probably I Spy because the international series required musical cues reflecting so many different cultures.

Some factoids I picked up this event:
•The Addams Family was recorded with Lawrence Welk’s harpsichord.
•Future Oscar-winner John Williams wrote the theme to Lost in Space.
•Kotter was re-titled after John Sebastian submitted his song “Welcome Back.”
•Mike Post composed NYPD Blue based on two words: drums and subway.
•Henry Mancini agreed to score Peter Gunn thinking it was a western.
•Composer Earle Hagen is the whistler heard in The Andy Griffith Show theme.

Thanks to Shawn and Diana for inviting us along to this fun night full of celebrities.

OAK GLEN
About 90 minutes east of Los Angles and 4500 ft above sea level is the apple-growing region known as Oak Glen. The terrain, temperature, and low moving clouds all remind me of the Smoky Mountains. At this time of year, when the leaves are turning, it is especially evocative.
We were there on Friday which meant less traffic and fewer crowds. On the down side, some locations and attractions were closed. We sampled and shopped at five growers including Parrish Pioneer, Riley’s, Law’s and Los Rios.

Snow Line Orchard was a new stop this year. Our favorite apple varieties there were the Pink Lady—named because of the marbled pink flesh—and the sweet & crunchy Honey Crisp. Snow-Line also had these sinfully delicious apple cider mini-donuts which were the perfect size and texture. I don’t usually seek out donuts, but I’ll be looking for these babies next year.

After an afternoon in what felt like Western North Carolina, we continued on to the high desert of Joshua Tree to spend a fun, laid back weekend with my Uncle Carl.

RAYMOND CHANDLER TOUR
The following Saturday we took the first-time-ever “Raymond Chandler’s Hollywood ” tour offered by the Hollywood Heritage Society. The presentation was a work-in-progress but we enjoyed this close-up look at some of the haunts that were around during the time that Chandler was writing classics like Farewell My Lovely and The Big Sleep.

CAHUENGA BUILDING
Private detective Philip Marlowe works in the fictional Cahuenga Building supposedly located at the intersection of Cahuenga and Hollywood Boulevard. Our first stop was 6404 Hollywood Boulevard to see the kind of office described in Chandler’s books. Located on the third floor was a working office owned by a film noir buff. He had appointed the two-room suite with vintage furniture, a manual typewriter, a rotary phone, a hat rack, and an oscillating fan. The only thing missing was Marlowe himself.

FREEMAN HOUSE BY FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
A few blocks northwest of the “Cahuenga Building” is the house Frank Lloyd Wright built for Harriet and Samuel Freeman in the late 1920’s. It sits above the intersection of Franklin and Highland but I never noticed this architectural gem because it is hidden behind some foliage and a four-story cactus.

The Freeman House has the pressed concrete tiles of the Hollyhock and Ennis Brown houses and—like its more famous sisters—suffered extensive damage during the 1994 earthquake. The USC School of Architecture owns the building and is refurbishing the foundation and interior. The have pictures from the house’s heyday here.

It had some classic Frank Lloyd Wright touches, such as a budget that more than doubled during construction. The Freemans dumped Wright and architect Rudolph Schindler completed the project, eventually adding an apartment to the lower level where bandleader Xavier Cugat lived for a while.

VILLA CARLOTTA
At the entrance to this four-story courtyard apartment building we were met by a man wearing a smart ascot, tweed vest and riding pants. All he was missing was a megaphone or a polo mallet. Our guide looked right at home in the Villa Carlotta since the place reminded me equally of the Tower of Terror and the Venable house in Suddenly Last Summer. See for yourself.

Inside on the right was the two bedroom apartment which functioned as Louella Parsons’ office. She used to hand the couriers her columns through one of the courtyard windows. Upstairs we got to peek in our guide’s studio apartment. He explained that when the Villa Carlotta opened maid service was included. Every apartment had a second entrance so that the maid could enter the kitchen directly and prepare breakfast for the resident.

This was a building that actually welcomed movie folk in a time when landlords posted signs reading: “No Dogs. No Actors.” A frustrated Gloria Swanson famously remarked “We didn’t even get top billing!”

CHATEAU ELYSÉE
Across the street was our next stop, the Chateau Elysée. Built in the French Normandy style, in 1929, this stately building operated for years as a hotel to the stars and later as a retirement home for aging actors. It was purchased by the Church of Scientology in the early 70’s, returned to like-new condition in 1989 and functions today as the church’s Celebrity Center International.

The grounds were lovely and the interior portions that we saw—rear lobby, side hall and Renaissance Restaurant—were also immaculate.

MORE CHANDLER
At tour’s end, we were given instructions on how to find the house from Double Indemnity (6301 Quebec Drive ) and the tower referenced in Chandler’s book The High Window. Featured prominently in the film Dead Again, the tower is located near the Freeman House in the Broadview Terrace/Los Altos/ High Tower Drive area.

I haven’t seen it for my self but there is a book called Raymond Chandler’s LA by Elizabeth Ward and Alain Silver. It features excerpts from his writings paired with photographs of the locations which inspired them.

If you’d like to learn more about the man, here is Chandler’s wikipedia entry, a critical essay from Salon.com called The Case for Raymond Chandler, and an examination of the real life events incorporated into Chandler’s novels.

CHOC WALK/DISNEYLAND RESORT
The next day, we were at the annual CHOC Walk fundraiser benefiting Children’s Hospital of Orange County. We met our friend Margo and her four-year-old daughter Ruby on Main Street before 7:00am. The little one was excited to be there but disappointed that none of the rides were open. Once we started moving, she cheered up.

Disneyland had posted enthusiastic cast members along the route, but I didn’t really need Alice and the Mad Hatter’s encouragement after a mere 15 minutes of walking. They actually slowed us down as walkers stopped to take pictures. We made our way through Disneyland, California Adventure and Downtown Disney. I think the route was somewhere in the 5K range. Next year it might be more cost-effective to have everyone walk through the Indiana Jones queue twice.
Afterwards, Daryl got friends Ryan and Ann into the park, while I stayed outside with Margo and Ruby. Margo’s husband Richard and older daughter Lea were headed to the resort but ran into some traffic since the highway exit ramp, parking deck, tram, and security were still recovering from the morning’s glut. Margo and I entertained ourselves playing hide and seek with Ruby and catching up. By the time we got everyone inside, secured a stroller and met up with Daryl, it was time for lunch. Following that, Daryl and I headed out about 1:00pm, leaving our tickets with Richard and Margo so the kids could ride Buzz Lightyear twice in row.

CAROL BURNETT: A WOMAN OF CHARACTER
Later that week, we made our way to The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills. They were premiering a new Carol Burnett documentary for PBS that is airing this week as part of American Masters. Check your local listings because it’s a terrific show.In addition to The Carol Burnett Show, there were clips from The Garry Moore Show, Once Upon A Mattress, and specials with Julie Andrews and Beverly Sills. More than a career retrospective, the film explores Burnett’s non-traditional upbringing, her alcoholic parents, her marriages, her daughter’s struggle with drugs and lots more. At the end of the film when the narrator says “For more on Carol Burnett, go to PBS.org” Carol, sitting in the first row, shouted “There’s nothing left!” and got a big laugh.

In the lobby, people mingled with the stars and part of me really wanted to say something to Carol, Tim Conway and Harvey Korman, but I rarely approach celebrities. Sometimes I feel guilty that I haven’t shown more appreciation to folks whose work I admire.
There’s no way that Carol, Tim and Harvey could have left that theater without knowing their work had brightened our lives. Even that old clip from Went With the Wind brought the house down. I laughed so hard during all the show clips that there were tears coming out of my eyes. All I could think as we left the building was “I’m so glad we had this time together.”

Thanks to Christy and Shawn for inviting us along to this one.

PUMKINPALOOZA AT DESCANSO GARDENS
Did you know that the pumpkin is considered a fruit? I didn’t until Daryl, Diana and I drove up to Descanso Gardens for PumkinPalooza. Although there weren’t that many pumpkins on display, there was a kids costume parade, sing-along, petting zoo, crafts station and festival shop. Beyond the festival doings, I think the highlight for Diana was seeing the rose garden. (I wonder if they’ve considered staging “Rose-a-Palooza?”). She and Daryl took about 100 pictures, but you can’t really blame them. It was an amazing display.

We left in time to lunch at Zeke’s Smokehouse and to stroll the Farmer’s Market in downtown Montrose That evening at Diana’s we were joined by Kim for our first experience with the Wii game console. It was awesome. We bowled, played Skee-Ball and competed in a bunch of midway games, laughing a lot. I’m recommending that Diana host an annual competition called Hallo-Wii-n. Thank you, Diana!

HALLOWEEN CARNAVAL IN WEHO
A few nights later, for the third straight year, we spent Halloween evening in West Hollywood (WEHO.) We got there at 7:30, walked along Santa Monica Boulevard and looped back to the car by 9:30. Sure, the party goes on until all hours of the morning, but navigating the crowds becomes a real challenge around 10:00.

In addition to food stands and vendors, the event has stages with live music, DJs and under-dressed dancers of both sexes. There are also evangelicals and Hare Krishna’s looking for converts. Daryl and I are just there for the wacky costumes.

I didn’t have time to snap one of my favorites: A black T-shirt with the message “My costume would’ve been funnier but the writers are on strike.” Official photos and contest winners should be posted soon at WEHO Halloween Carnaval.

STAR SIGHTINGS
At the Carol Burnett presentation, we were especially thrilled to be seated behind Tim Conway, Florence Henderson, Phyllis Diller, Carl Reiner, Jon Cryer and Harvey Korman.

NOVEMBER
We will definitely be giving thanks that the fires were finally put out.
Until next month,

James

A House Blessing, Home Entertainment and the Hollywood Bowl

2007-09-30T19:04:00.001-07:00

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

VISITORS
Our buddy David Fernandez, in LA for some Disneyland meetings, got to spend Labor Day Weekend with us. He joined us for dinner with friends, had tea at Rose Tree Cottage, drove by the house from Father of the Bride and did a little shopping in historic Pasadena .

PARAMOUNT NIGHT/HOLLYWOOD BOWL
David finished off the visit with his first Hollywood Bowl concert. Leonard Slatkin conducted The Big Picture: The Films of Paramount Pictures which included themes from The Godfather, Love Story, True Grit, A Place in the Sun, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Chinatown , Indiana Jones and Titanic. Movie scenes accompanied the scores, which was the perfect evening for a film buff like David. Emcee Leonard Nimoy introduced a collection of music from the various Star Trek incarnations (and smartly avoided saying “…to BOWL-dly go.” Daryl and David tell me it was a great show and want to thank Rob and Shawn for inviting them.

A HOUSE BLESSING
The following weekend, we joined our friends Ashika and Gaurav for their house blessing. It was a Hindu ceremony led by a priest and attended by family and friends.

There were about twenty of us, some in traditional Indian garb, seated on the living room floor around a small open fire. The doors and the windows were open for symbolic and practical considerations. The priest intoned the blessings and placed various spices and food into the flames. The rising smoke helps to cleanse the house and to discourage negative spirits or energy from settling in.

Like a wedding, different parts of the ceremony focused on Ashika and Gaurav, their parents or the group at large. There was some call-and-response, too, but since it wasn’t in English, I can only assume that we were pledging to help maintain a healthy, happy home—physically and spiritually—for our friends. We also passed around spices that were to be thrown into the fire en masse. This was definitely the high point for the younger family members.

Afterwards, we returned the living room to its regular state and stopped by the dining room table for some samosas, naan, and jalebi

Early on, the priest tied small cords onto each of our wrists which we are to leave on until they break off. Daryl’s is already gone but mine is still going strong, reminding me to think good thoughts for Ashika and Gaurav. I hope that strengthens their blessing.

A MOVIE CALLED “ONCE”
Here’s a great example of irony: Our buddy Justen has seen the movie Once four times.

Daryl and I accompanied him on that fourth viewing and could see why this small story of a Dublin street musician resonated so strongly. It’s a musical without splashy dance numbers, opulent sets, or dream sequences. Instead, songs that move the story forward are performed by leads Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová within the context of the scene. We picked up the soundtrack the next day.

Check your local art house for show times or look for the DVD in December. You can sample the music at the link above but I recommend hearing it within the story for maximum impact. A big thanks to Justen for sharing this wholly unique experience with us.

Incidentally, Glen and Markéta fell in love during the filming and are now touring as The Swell Season. They’ll be at the Wiltern Theater November 10.

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT/HOLLYWOOD BOWL
The next night we went to our final Hollywood Bowl show of the season: Rufus Wainwright Sings Judy Garland. Rufus, the son of folk singers Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III, has five albums of original songs. He isn’t a household name but you might recognize his distinctive voice performing “Hallelujah” on the Shrek soundtrack.
Judy at Carnegie Hall is one of my Mom’s favorite albums, and I guess it’s one of Rufus’ because he performed the entire album of her classic 1961 concert. He did all twenty-six songs in order with the original arrangements starting with “When You’re Smiling” and ending with “Chicago ” Rufus even stopped to talk to the audience at the same points Judy did. During her concert, Judy went into the audience to give a kiss to Rock Hudson. Rufus went down and planted a kiss on a gracious Debby Reynolds who was in the front row with daughter Carrie. The crowd went crazy.

Reviewing the track listing for Judy at Carnegie Hall will give you an idea of how intimidating it would be for anyone to mount this show. Wainwright performed signature songs like “Over the Rainbow”, “You Made Me Love You,” “The Trolley Song” and “The Man That Got Away” with an air of tribute, not imitation. He didn’t camp it up until the encore when he performed “Get Happy” in Judy’s fedora-coat-and-stockings outfit from Summer Stock. That was pretty funny.

Rufus’ sister, Martha Wainwright stopped the show with her mournful take on “Stormy Weather.” Like Rufus, her voice is hard to categorize but it reminded of Patsy Cline, k.d.lang, and Blossom Dearie. Mom Kate McGarrigle provided piano accompaniment on “Everytime We Say Goodbye.” Another special guest was Judy Garland’s daughter Lorna Luft who took the stage and belted out “Nothing Could Be Finer Than To Be In Carolina.”

Rufus originally staged the show in Carnegie Hall and did so well that he took it to London, San Francisco and, ultimately The Hollywood Bowl. This final concert, that we were lucky to see, took place September 23, the forty-sixth anniversary of Judy’s Hollywood Bowl appearance. To learn more about Rufus or to find out the release date for his Judy Garland CD and DVD visit his official website.

Thank you to Rob and Shawn for inviting us along.

AUTUMN IN NEW YORK
Daryl spent the last weekend of the month in the city that never sleeps. He was in town for meetings and the Madison Square Garden premiere of High School Musical On Ice.

After meetings on Friday, Daryl got to see our friends Lee and Jessica and their new baby Lizzy. Later that evening, Daryl was able to see Girl Gang, a play written by Mark Knowles, his co-worker at Disney Interactive Studios. Daryl loved the musical with all the action of a pulp fiction novel and enough “camp” to fulfill its promise of a 1950’s B movie.

The next day Daryl was at MSG to preview the new HSM Karaoke video game. The game was so popular, that rather than lose their turn to sing, some families opted to miss the first few minutes of the ice show!

On Sunday, Daryl met up with Jeff Zitofsky, a college buddy that he hasn’t seen since 1990. They toured the Guggenheim, lunched at Alice’s Tea Cup and walked through Central Park before Daryl had to head for the airport.

WHAT’S ON TELEVISION?
The new TV season started at the end of September. In no particular order, here are the shows we’ve added to an already-full viewing schedule:

Pushing Daisies is the new ABC show I wrote about last month. It’s charming, but I’m not expecting it to last the whole season.

The Dirty Sexy Money pilot set up this ABC series well, but there was almost too much information. Peter Krause plays the lawyer hired to protect spoiled Darling family from themselves while he solves his father’s murder. The second episode had more emotion but still managed to overdo it with the “rich-people-are-crazy” scenes.
Reaper is a comedy from The CW about Sam, a 21-year-old loser who discovers his parents sold his soul to the Devil. Now, in addition to working at a Home Depot-esque warehouse, he has a part-time job collecting escapees from Hell and sending them back downstairs. (The closest portal is at the DMV, naturally.) Strangely, this new responsibility to well-dressed Satan seems to be improving Sam’s outlook on life.

The pilot for the HBO’s Tell Me You Love Me couldn’t decide if it was thirtysomething or Cinemax After Dark. Three couples struggled with marital angst—and staying clothed—as the show explored the differences between commitment and trust; desire and need, intimacy and exposure. It bounced between gratuitous nudity and self-indulgent moping like an artsy French film—but it was still compelling. By the third episode, the creators seemed to find the proper tone. Now, this examination on what it means to be in a relationship offers uncomfortably honest stories told with equal amounts of frankness and subtlety. HBO has renewed it for a second season.

Mad Men is a one-hour drama from AMC set in a Madison Avenue advertising firm during the year 1960. The building is rife with smoking, drinking, discrimination and repression. The elevators have attendants, the switchboards have operators and the offices have only male occupants. Even though computers, cubicles and casual Fridays are 30 years off, these men and women face contemporary issues like promotions, politics, balance, burnout, and office romance. It’s my frontrunner for next year’s Emmys and has already been renewed for 2008.
Daryl discovered the BBC America gem How Clean Is Your House? whilst he was home sick one day. Hosts Kim Woodburn and Aggie MacKenzie tour the most disgusting houses in Britain, clutching their noses at the overwhelming “honk” of rotting food, floating pet dander, and neglected toilets. One homeowner even let her eleven parakeets fly and poop freely throughout her living room, dining room and kitchen. For eight years!

While each house is being de-cluttered and disinfected, useful cleaning and health tips are shared. Kim and Aggie show how to clean without harsh chemicals, how to reduce the presence of household pests, and how to remove pesky stains from teacups. (Lemon juice and salt.) Another tip: In Britain, dishwashing liquid is called “washing up liquid” and laundry detergent is called “biological powder.”

Merv Griffin’s Crosswords is a syndicated game show on which contestants vie for cash and trips while solving a 15 x 15 puzzle. I like this one so much I signed up to be a contestant and was accepted. My episode was taped last week but I’m contractually obligated to stay mum about it until after its broadcast. I’ll forward the airdate when I find out myself.

STAR SIGHTINGS
Daryl and I were sitting in the front window of a small café when Hilary Duff peered in, gauged the line (we think) and turned away to leave. At the Rufus Wainwright show, we saw Rebecca Romijn, Jerry O’Connell and two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank.

NEXT MONTH
October should be fun. Tell you all about it next month.

James

Ronnie, Nancy, and a Summer Shower

2007-08-31T22:26:00.000-07:00

Hello again. I hope you are enjoying your Labor Day holiday. Here’s a look back at August 2007 in the Cameron/Utt household.

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

July 2007: The Boy Wizard and the Boys from Jersey

2007-07-30T19:38:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-07-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-17T11:57:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-17T11:40:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

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&amp;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

January 2007: Rose Parade, Film Festival and Two Years in L.A.

2007-07-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

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

TOURNAMENT OF ROSES SHOWCASE OF FLOATS
Did you know that after the five-mile parade through Pasadena, all the floats are driven to a public park and left on display for three days? It’s called “Tournament of Roses Post Parade: A Showcase of Floats” and it only costs $7.

On the Plus Side:

the floats can be seen at your own pace
no clapping is required
you can take as many pictures as you want
no horse manure

On the Minus Side:

it was a two-mile walk to see every float
people kept stepping in front of our camera
only two of the floats were animated
none of the celebrity talent stayed with their floats.

Plus or Minus [depending on your point of view]

frozen lemonade vendors
cinnamon almond vendors
kettle corn vendors
cotton candy vendors

George Lucas was the Grand Marshal this year and he was quite a draw. In keeping with this year’s theme “Our Good Nature” he brought along Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and a bunch of storm troopers…
http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2007-01-01-star-wars-rose-parade_x.htm

Our friends Ashika and Gaurav live a few blocks from the parade route, so after viewing the floats, we walked over to their house for a cookout and to watch the Rose Bowl.

THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
As I mentioned in the previous update, Christmas lasts until January 6th in the Cameron/Utt household. We spent the evening at our friend Diana’s house for a get-together and a belated gift exchange for friends that had been out of town.

CONFESSIONS OF A MORMON BOY
The following week, we went with our friend Cynthia to see the one-man show Confessions of a Mormon Boy. It’s the true story of Steven Fales, a sixth-generation Mormon who struggled to reconcile his sexual orientation with his religion, got married, had kids, got divorced, moved to New York to be an actor, became an escort instead, and struggled with drug addiction. After becoming sober, Steven created a one-man show about his journey for the New York Fringe Festival, and now he’s touring the country with it. http://www.mormonboy.com/

PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to watch less films and write more, but I couldn’t say no when my Uncle Carl invited us to the Palm Springs International Film Festival. The two-week event had a terrific slate of films—especially if you don’t mind subtitles—but we only had two days. Of the 253 titles included in the festival, we saw five:

Ghost of the Dog—India
Twenty years after his death, a family believes that their son has been re-incarnated and is living in a neighboring village. They bring him home and try to re-build a relationship. The first half of this beautifully shot story was terrific, but the second half lost all momentum.

Venus—UK
An aging actor becomes infatuated with his friend’s grand-niece. Great performances by everyone, including Peter O’Toole, but I think he’ll get shut out at the Oscars.

OSS 117: Nest of Spies—France
This comedic take on James Bond was equal parts Pink Panther and Naked Gun and was our favorite of the weekend.

Go West—Bosnia-Herzegovina
A man must disguise himself as a woman so that he and his boyfriend can escape the Serbian/Muslim unrest of Eastern Europe. It was a difficult story that was told well and was my Uncle’s favorite pick of the weekend.

Fat Girls—U.S.A.
I was disappointed with this rambling, amateur effort until I found out that the director wrote it when he was 19, starred in when he was 20, and convinced MTV to turn it into a series when he was 21. After learning that, I became jealous.

Here is a complete list of the films that were screened at the festival.
http://www.psfilmfest.org/festival/film/results.aspx?FID=29

OSCAR NOMINATIONS
Of the three Best Picture nominees I’ve seen—Babel, The Queen, and Little Miss Sunshine—I’d have to go with The Queen. Although set in 1997, the film reminded me of those solid historical dramas from the 1960’s like The Lion in Winter, Anne of the Thousand Days and A Man For All Seasons.

If you are hosting an Oscar Party, having an office pool, or just want to keep track on Sunday, February 25th, the Academy offers this handy printable ballot:
http://a.oscar.abc.com/media/2007/images/nominees/printballot_2007_2.pdf

TWO YEARS IN LA
Daryl and I moved to California in January of 2005. Two years later, we continue to see new places, do new things and meet new people. We are fortunate that everyone in our immediate families has made the trek out here. That many of our friends have done the same makes us doubly grateful.

As far as work goes, Daryl is at Disney Interactive Studios and I’m across the street working again for Disney Parks in Global New Media and Technologies. Our morning commute is only two miles and in this town that is priceless.

The biggest change besides proximity to our families is our living arrangement. We miss our 3-bedroom house with the fenced-in yard and two-car garage. We would need well over a million dollars to find a similar-sized lot and house. Click here if you don’t believe me: http://livingchoices.com/home/homedetail.aspx?refer=homegain&hid=535806417&mid=4480

THE DAVID HOUSE PART TWO
Speaking of houses - The day after I sent last month’s update, E! began airing High Maintenance 90210, a reality series set at a company that employs personal assistants, butlers and au pairs. Norwood Young, the owner of the David House hired a butler and they have been following his assignment. I can’t recommend the show because the 10 minutes I watched was awful, awful, awful. But, if you want to see more of the David House, the owner, or his pink and blue poodles, here’s your chance. http://www.eonline.com/on/shows/highmaintenance/

STAR SIGHTINGS
At work this month, Daryl bumped into former Saturday Night Live cast member Chris Parnell and chatted with him for a while. Kevin Farley [Chris’ brother] was also there as the two of them were doing some voiceover work in the next building.

Daryl was out shopping with our friend Diana and they stopped for lunch. Adam Sandler and his wife were sitting just a few tables away.

We were with our friend JJ last weekend when we saw Ashley Simpson at a shop in Santa Monica. When she stepped out of the store, the paparazzi chased Ashley and her friends to her car, tried to take pictures though the tinted glass, then ran back into their own vehicles and continued their hunt. It was sad, really.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH
Always, January brings reflection.
--Shephard Summers

NEXT MONTH
February should find us hosting our first visitors of 2007, taking a road trip to Indio, California, and welcoming The Year of the Pig. I’ll tell you all about it next month.

Until then,
James & Daryl

December 2006: Twelve Days of Christmas and LA Holiday Celebration

2007-07-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

Hello, again, and Happy New Year. I hope all is well with you as we embark upon 2007. Here is a look back at December in the Cameron/Utt household.

THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
Believe it or not, the Christmas season is still in full force around the world and will be through January 6, the Twelfth Day of Christmas. January 6th is also referred to Epiphany, Old Christmas, Three Kings Day and sometimes Little Christmas, depending on the local tradition.

I doubt anyone knows the exact day Jesus was born, but some time in the Fourth Century—to capitalize on the existing Pagan/Yule celebrations—December 25 was adopted by the Western Christian Church as the official date of Christ's birth. The Eastern Christian Church adopted January 6 as the celebration of the nativity. The period bridging these two is referred to as the Twelve Days of Christmas. It represents the Wise Men’s journey to Bethlehem, with Christmas Day celebrating Jesus’ birth and January 6 celebrating the Kings’ arrival at the manger.

In Latin America, Three Kings Day is the tradtional gift-giving time as children leave grasses under their bed or in their shoes for the camels. They wake up to find that the grass has been eaten and a Christmas gift from the Kings has been left.

According to Spanish tradition, Melchior, Caspar, and Balthasar [various spellings exist for each king] representing Europe, Arabia, and Africa, arrived on horse, camel and elephant, bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh, respectively. January 6th is also the traditional gift-giving day in Spain.

So, even though the radio has stopped playing Bing Crosby and the After-Christmas sales are winding down, our tree is still up, in a nod to the Twelve Days of Christmas and Epiphany.

LA HOLIDAY CELEBRATION
Our friends Byron and Shephard invited us to the LA Holiday Celebration, which has been a Christmas Eve tradition for 47 years. We arrived at the 2500-seat Dorothy Chandler Pavilion about 30 minutes before show time and stepped into a line that was as long as Main Street, U.S.A. In a short while, though, we were seated in the 2nd balcony as host Sheryl Lee Ralph introduced the first of many acts.

Over the next two hours we saw a sharply-dressed Rat Pack band, a 10-voice a capella choir, the “Snow Scene” from the Nutcracker Ballet, and a juvenile mariachi group whose smallest member played the biggest instrument [the oversized guitarron.]

Our two favorite professional acts were the LA Philharmonic Master Chorale and the all-female Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles. On the amateur side my two favorites were the The Salvation Army Tabernacle Children’s Choir and the Activities for Retarded Children and Adults Handbell Choir.

There were still four hours left in the program and the same long line outside when we left. There was something for everyone as you can see in these photos. http://www.lacountyarts.org/holiday.html Here's a brief history of how the celebration came to be http://www.lacountyarts.org/docs/47thhcdocs/06nsbackground.pdf

Thank you to Byron and Shephard--we had a great time!

A CHRISTMAS EVE DRIVE
After dinner that night, Daryl and I drove around LA looking at Christmas decorations.

Santa was still receiving children on Hollywood Boulevard at the L. Ron Hubbard Winter Wonderland. In addition to a complimentary candy cane, I wonder if Santa’s helpers made sure each child was given a free stress test?

On Rodeo Drive, the lampposts were adorned with Baccarat chandeliers. Only in Beverly Hills.

THE DAVID HOUSE
At the intersection of Third and Muirlands, amidst the mature trees and Tudor mansions of idyllic Hancock Park, is the jarring residence known throughout Los Angeles as The David House.

It’s a boring white home with a white wrought iron fence surrounding the almost treeless front yard. The circular driveway has seventeen roman columns, each supporting a four-foot statue of Michaelangelo’s David. The roof is graced by seven busts of Caesar, and the driveway gate has giant letters spelling out “Youngwood Court.”

Surprisingly, this “crass menagerie” does not violate city ordinances, and the owner, Norwood Young, is an interesting person. His backyard is just as understated and his dogs are died pink and blue. It’s all in this LA Weekly article. http://www.laweekly.com/best-of-la-2006/best-garden-anti-gnomes/14680/

For Christmas, Young added a Santa hat to each David, covered the lawn with white batting, and set up a life-sized Santa and Mrs. Claus whose faces were painted jet-black. There was also holiday music and miles of Christmas lights at which many people, including us, stopped to gawk. Here’s a picture I found online:
http://www.cherrycapri.com/photos_2005winter/youngwood1.jpg

ST THOMAS THE APOSTLE
By 10:00, we were seated at St. Thomas The Apostle, an Episcopal/Anglican church not far from Grauman’s Chinese Theater. We enjoyed the service, but had forgotten how much incense is used. It’s supposed to represent the people’s prayers making their way to heaven, but by the end of the service I felt like I was in a Cheech and Chong movie.

CHRISTMAS DAY
We opened presents in the morning and then readied the house and began cooking for our friends JJ and Adam and their dog Hamish. We have a DVD of a roaring fire which, as ridiculous as it sounds, warms up the apartment. Hamish spent most of the evening curled up in front of it or waiting for food to fall from the table. JJ entertained us by reading from a collection of Christmas stories her mother, Jill Caruth, had sent from London.

POTATOES CARUTH
For dinner, JJ brought her mother’s roast potatoes. These little round spuds were crispy on the outside but soft on the inside and completely delicious because they had been slow roasted in duck fat. I’m getting hungry just thinking about them.

It was a new dish to us but I found several mentions and recipes for “duckfat potatoes” online. One site called the dish pommes salardaises because it was popularized in the town of Salard, France. We call them Potatoes Caruth in honor of JJ’s mom.

STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING
As if the potatoes weren’t enough, JJ also brought a sticky toffee pudding, a traditional English dessert that originated in the Lake District. It was warm cake sweetened with dates and covered with gooey warm toffee. Some people serve it with ice cream but I think it’s perfect all by itself. Read more about it and see if it is available in your area at this website: http://www.stickytoffeepudding.com/

NEW YEAR’S EVE
The only New Year’s Eve tradition that Daryl and I have is “Spend it together.” This year we played Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit and UNO with our friend Cynthia. Each of us won a game or two and we all had champagne. It was a fun evening.

Here are some various New Year’s Eve rituals I read about in the LA Times:

While the clock strikes midnight, eat twelve grapes and make a wish on each one.
Japanese customs include hanging origami cranes in the windows.
A Caribbean tradition requires that at midnight, the house be as clean as possible to make room for the luck to enter.
Some Chinese purchase a kumquat bush.
No lobster after midnight. They move backwards and that’s a bad omen.
Wearing new, red underwear to welcome love.

UNCLE CARL AND UNCLE BILLY
Daryl and I were in Joshua Tree to see my Uncle Carl and to catch up with my Uncle Billy who was in town with his family. They had driven all the way from West Palm Beach and stopped off for a few days before they headed on to San Diego for whale watching and to Colorado for skiing. Busy folks!

THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE/NOHO ARTS CENTER
This sounded like a fun show—Pirates of Penzance set in 1930’s Coney Island with Tin Pan Alley arrangements and lyrics updated to include Depression-era references—but we were disappointed. There were a few clever touches, but overall, we felt like the production wasn’t fully developed.

On the bright side, in a clever bit of stunt casting, the Major General was played by the world’s fastest talker, John Moschitta Jr. Best known for his FedEx and MicroMachines commercials, Moschitta did a great job with the role and got the laughs of the evening.

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA/AHMANSON THEATER
Winner of six Tony Awards, this romantic and atmospheric musical takes place in 1953 Italy as an American mother and daughter meet Fabrizo, a young native eager to show them the sights. I watched it on PBS’s Live from Lincoln Center but Daryl got to see the National Tour when it stopped in LA.

He tells me that Christine Andreas’ performance was stellar as the overprotective mother from Winston Salem and that David Burnham’s Fabrizio lit up the stage, character and voice-wise. If the tour is headed your way, we both recommend it. You may not be humming the score when you leave the theater, but you’ll never forget the story. http://www.piazzaontour.com/

STAR SIGHTINGS
I was walking by Soundstages 1 & 3 where they were shooting the new Disney film Enchanted when Patrick Dempsey [McDreamy from Grey’s Anatomy] walked out to announce "Twilight on the Lot!"

THE YEAR IN BOOKS
I only read 10 books this year, but five of them were about screenwriting. My favorite of these was Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat! Written with humor and lots of insight about the current state of the industry, this is a terrific guide to the basics. Blake maintains a website and has recently introduced his own writing software. http://blakesnyder.com/

[Thanks again, Byron and Shephard].

THE YEAR IN MOVIES
Because each screenwriting book recommends about twenty films to study, I watch a lot of movies. This year, I saw 305. Not all of them were award-worthy, but each one was an opportunity to study scene structure, character development, pacing, tone and dialogue. (If you’re interested in the complete list, I’ll forward it to you.)

I learned the most from watching black and white classics like Stagecoach, The Grapes of Wrath, The 39 Steps, Gilda, Requiem a Heavyweight, and The Postman Always Rings Twice. The storytelling is generally slower than today, but filmmakers were able to convey just as much adult material with only PG language and visuals.

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL
Not realizing that the opening scene takes place, coincidentally, on New Years Eve, I finished off the year with High School Musical. No one could have predicted the movie would hit as big as it did, but they obviously followed one of the most important rules when writing a film: Know your audience.

My only gripe with the film is the title. The story stops before the musical is actually performed, so the movie should really be called High School Audition.

JANUARY
I planned to send this out on January 1st, but we ended up having a busy day. Tell you all about it next month.

Happy New Year!
James & Daryl

November 2006: A Wedding Toast and UCLA Class

2007-07-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

Hello again.

As soon as the calendar flips over to December, it feels as though I’m automatically two weeks behind. I’m finally catching up, so without any further apology, let’s take a look back at November in the Cameron/Utt household.

THE WEDDING TOAST
I started the month with a trip to Washington, DC, to attend a staged reading of my play The Wedding Toast. On Saturday afternoon we gathered around a conference room table and read through the play. It was first time I had heard any of the dialogue in a voice other than my own so it took a while to acclimate.

Some of the actors had already read the play and highlighted their parts. Some were looking at it for the first time. The director, Michael Skinner, stopped us occasionally to correct a word, smooth out a line of dialogue or decide which stage directions needed to be included in the performance. We read through it once and everyone left.

Two days later, the six actors were on stage at The Warehouse Theater in front of a small audience performing the show. What a difference 48 hours makes. A southern accent we had briefly discussed adding to one character was completely fleshed out. A throwaway line now had a dramatic pause that underscored another character’s regret. These folks were real pros; especially Michael, the director. He understood the script better than I did!

Even though the performance went smoothly, I was mentally taking notes on jokes that didn’t work and dialogue that needed to be streamlined. Afterwards, the audience shared their feelings about the characters, the structure and the themes. Then I sat down with the director, the director of the reading series, the artistic director, and some of the actors to answer questions like “What was your inspiration?” “What were you trying to say?”

As excited as I was about seeing the play performed, I had prepared for mostly negative feedback during these two exercises—that’s just my nature. Luckily, the comments were fair and have been immensely useful in helping me strengthen the script. The re-write should be finished in early 2007.

Also useful was seeing firsthand that people are interested enough in new plays to a) spend hours rehearsing and staging them and b) spend a few hours watching them.

Thank you to Charter for accepting The Wedding Toast into their First Draft reading series. Thank you to Warehouse for providing the venue.

Charter Theatre is an awesome organization dedicated to producing new plays. http://www.chartertheatre.org/site/Main.html.

The Warehouse Theater is another great organization that has something going on almost every day of the year. http://www.warehousetheater.com/index.php

KEITH, RACHEL AND ROSEY
The rest of the time, I was hanging out with my friend Keith, his lovely wife Rachel and their daughter/my goddaughter Rosey.

On our last visit to DC, Daryl and I got to celebrate Rosey’s first birthday and to attend the christening. She was so little then. Now, at twenty-two months, she walks, she talks, she sings and she lights up any room she happens to grace. She and I spent a lot of time playing with her blocks. We stacked them up, we knocked them down, we put them away and took them out again. I tested Rosie on the pictures and the letters and her retention was amazing.

She responds well to music and loves the Outkast song “Hey, Yeah.” When the lead singer says “…now, Ladies…” Rosey responds on cue,“Yeah?” It’s sooooo cute. When he says “…shake it like a Polaroid picture…” Rosey starts to rock back and forth. How adorable is that?

Another thing that cracked us up was when Rachel mentioned potty training and Rosey excitedly responded with “Potty train! Choo choo!”

Spending time with the three of them is a four-star vacation in itself, so even if the reading had gone horribly, I still would’ve had a great time. I hope to see you guys soon.

CLUSTER CLEAN UP
Saturday morning was the annual “Clean-Up” and I got to join Keith, Rachel and their neighbors as we swept walkways, bagged leaves, and spread mulch in the common areas shared by their cluster of townhouses. Sunday, we focused on Keith and Rachel’s yard and I got to plant bulbs. For someone who hasn’t had his own yard for two years, this was a real treat.

SCOTT’S RUN NATURE PRESERVE
The next morning, I was outside again, hiking through Scott’s Run Nature Preserve, a 335-acre park in McLean, Virginia, near the intersection of the 495 Beltway and Hwy 193. During my walk I took in autumn leaves, a waterfall, a deserted homestead, and the Potomac River. There are pictures here http://www.pbase.com/sc_20170/scotts_run and a review of the trail here: http://www.localhikes.com/Hikes/Scotts_Run_8872.asp

SMITHSONIAN THE UDVAR–HAZY CENTER
This continuation of the Air and Space Museum is located a stone’s throw from Dulles airport. Keith and I stopped off on my way out of town.

Since it’s dedicated to aviation, the museum is more or less a giant hangar filled floor-to-ceiling with all forms of aircraft, including biplanes, stunt planes, gliders, ultralights, helicopters, jets, record-setting balloons and lots more.

Some of the standouts for me:
Enola Gay—the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
Gossamer Albatross—the first man-powered flight across the English Channel
Concorde—the first commercial, supersonic transport [NY to Paris in three hours.]
Mother Ship model used in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, [miniature R2-D2 and all.]

One wing [pun unintended] of the museum is devoted entirely to space travel and houses capsules, satellites, and the first shuttle Enterprise. There are display cases containing freeze-dried food and those perplexing space diapers. Did you know that astronauts collect their personal waste for testing back on Earth? [Although never given credit, I believe this practice was first instituted by aviator Howard Hughes.]

If we had stayed longer, we could have seen an IMAX movie, eaten at the McCafé, or gone up in the museum’s control tower to watch the planes landing next door. While there is some controversy about a free museum charging $12 for parking, the collection is worth the time and money. Here’s a list of the aircraft on display. If you need directions or hours, click on “Visit.” http://www.nasm.si.edu/museum/udvarhazy/artifacts_air.cfm

BOB
While in DC, I also got to catch up with my college roommate Bob. We hadn’t seen each other in fifteen years, but you never would’ve known it, except that every one of our sentences started with “Remember the time…” or “Whatever happened to…”

By day, Bob is an engineer working at the Patent Office reviewing technologically complicated requests that I couldn’t even begin to fathom. By night, he’s a comedian. He’s funny in the daytime, too, but he doesn’t make any money at it. Come to think of it, he doesn’t make too much in the evening either. Ba dum bump. Nevertheless, we laughed a lot during the visit and I’m looking forward to seeing him the next time I’m in town.

LORI MORAN
Back in Los Angeles, our friend Rob organized a terrific CD-release concert for singer Lori Moran at the Catalina Jazz Club. Backed by a three-piece band, Lori moved easily between standards and contemporary songs, sharing fun stories with the sold-out crowd. On her website you can sample all the tracks from On My Way To You, order your own copy, and read about Lori’s gig with DisneySings! and Voices of Liberty. http://www.lorimoran.com/id6.html

VISITORS
Daryl took off the following week from his new job with Buena Vista Games to spend time with our friend David Fernandez who was visiting from Orlando. They did so much I’m getting tired just thinking about it.

There was shopping on Rodeo Drive, Afternoon Tea at the Hotel Bel-Air, a holiday visit to Disneyland, dinner at the Tam O’Shanter and an encounter with Rip Taylor in West Hollywood. It went something like this: Daryl complimented Rip on how great he looked and was met with a characteristically over-the-top response “Oh stop!” David chimed in with “Really, you look great” when Rip threw back his head and yelled “It’s a wig!” They were in stitches for the rest of the day.

One afternoon during lunch, I gave them a backstage tour of the Disney Studios and showed David one of the sets used on his favorite ABC show Brothers and Sisters.

We also took David to Graumans’ Chinese Theater for the opening weekend of Casino Royale. Ron Glass [he played Harris on Barney Miller] sat behind us.

GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY
After a $93 million, four-year renovation, the Griffith Observatory recently re-opened, so Daryl, David and I visited early on Sunday morning. Built in 1935 and featured in The Rocketeer, Mars Attacks, and Rebel Without A Cause, I believe it is the only planetarium boasting a bronze bust of James Dean.

The new underground portion has exhibits, a gift shop and, [in a clever nod to author Douglas Adams] The Café at the End of the Universe. There’s also a Leonard Nimoy Theater which seemed highly logical. Each of the planets [in our solar system, mind you] has its own interactive display with NASA video, comparative models, temperature ranges, and the like. There’s a working scale at each stop so you can see which celestial body most flatters your own.

The upstairs area has been brightened and 21st century exhibits have been installed but the old TESLA cage—which generates awesome flashes of lightening—is still the coolest thing there.

We were there around 10:00am and unfortunately, it was already crowded with people lined up for the first two planetarium shows. So, after a half hour, we headed outside to enjoy the view. It is an observatory, after all.

Parking was free, the shuttle was free, and the museum was free. The refurbished planetarium only allows children to attend the first planetarium show of the day. Plan your visit or take a virtual tour on the website. http://www.lacity.org/rap/observatory/index.html

BARBRA STREISAND’S FINAL CONCERT
The whole impetus for David to come out to LA in the first place was to see Barbra Streisand in concert and luckily, Daryl was able to join him. Seeing Streisand live was one of the“100 things to do” on both of their lists, so it was only natural that they got to see her together.

Barbara Streisand wrapped up her “farewell” tour at the Staples Center on November 21 with David and Daryl sitting in the 15th row. This being a hometown crowd, Streisand seemed very relaxed. Her voice was in amazing shape and in some cases sounded identical to recordings made in the 60's. I heard from two reliable sources that her performance gave them chills.

Also appearing in the show was “popera” quartet Il Divo, the group that answers the musical question, “What if *NSYNC was made up of Josh Groban clones?” They accompanied Streisand on a few songs but mainly showed up when she had to rest her voice or make a costume change.

Rather than go through the whole concert, here are some of Daryl and David’s favorite performances of the show: People, Don’t Rain on My Parade, Children Will Listen, The Woman in the Moon, Happy Days Are Here Again, Funny Girl, and Have I Stayed Too Long at the Fair?

CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS—STREISAND EDITION
Daryl and David saw the following in the audience at the show: Barry Manilow, Rosie O’Donnell, Rob Lowe, Ben Stiller and wife Christine Taylor, Jeff Bridges, Elliot Gould, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sydney Pollack, Talia Shire, Kenny G, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Meg Ryan, Kevin Spacey, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and a few more.

THANKSGIVING
Wednesday, while David flew back to Orlando, Daryl tried to catch up on all the sleep he had missed during the visit. The following day, after watching the Macy’s Parade, we were giving thanks that Rob had invited folks over to his house for the moistest turkey in L.A. Daryl had greens, I had stuffing and we all ate homemade mint chocolate candies while the kids built gingerbread houses. It was a fun day for everyone until I was invited to kick their asses in Scrabble.

UCLA CLASS: PITCHING YOUR SCRIPT

Did you know that the average movie costs $98 million to produce? Most of these scripts are purchased and produced based on a simple three-minute pitch in a studio exec’s office. As I tried to describe/pitch The Wedding Toast to friends, I realized I needed some help in this area, so I signed up for a weekends-only course at UCLA called “Pitching Your Script.”

We had to come up with “loglines,” those one-sentence summaries that explain the plot in as few words as possible. The class favorite was this one for The Bourne Identity: “James Bond with amnesia.”

For the final exam we had to present an original three-minute pitch and endure constructive criticism from the class. At the end of every pitch, the teacher asked one of three questions to gauge the success: “It’s Friday night, who’s going to see this?” “Who here wants to spend $98 million to make this movie?” or simply “Who wants to hear more?” The show of hands said it all. An eye-opening and helpful class.

EXTRA WORK
In between assignments on the Disney lot, I worked a few days as a television extra.

For 7th Heaven I ambled around a fake shopping district for the afternoon.

On The Nine I did some scenes with actors John Billingsley and Kim Raver while they were campaigning in front of a grocery store. We did an interior scene where I was holding a pink cakebox as Kim says to me,“Hi Mark, I’m Kathryn Hale.” Careful viewers may recognize my left elbow.

For an ER Christmas episode, I spent three days dressed as a cold-weather policeman and showed up ever-so-briefly in the final cut. For the same episode, my car was covered in fake snow to help dress out a Chicago street scene. Sadly, it looked right at home amidst the drug addicts and homeless.

While shooting in a Ventura Boulevard restaurant for Desperate Housewives, paparazzi stood for six hours with their telephoto lenses trying to snap a picture of Eva Longoria.

After watching my episode of Monk, David Fernandez perfected his impression of me acting “concerned.” It cracked us up every time.

EVEN MORE STAR SIGHTINGS
Alfre Woodward [Heart and Souls] was in front of me at the LAX ticket counter. Ten minutes later, Kevin Federline and his posse were ahead of me in the security line.

While on the Disney lot, Adam Goldberg [Déjà Vu, Friends] walked by me. The following day, I shared a bench with William H. Macy [Fargo, Door to Door.].

During my three days on the Warner Brothers lot for ER, I saw George Lopez, Barbara Eden and Steven Spielberg.

DECEMBER
Daryl and I will be spending a quiet holiday in Los Angeles this year. I’ll tell you all about it next month.

Until then,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

James & Daryl

October 2006: Friday the 13th Coaster Marathon

2007-07-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

Hello again.

I hope October was a good month for you. Here’s what’s been happening in the Cameron/Utt household.

FRIDAY 13TH COASTER SCARE-A-THON
To celebrate Friday the 13th and the 13th Anniversary of Fright Fest, Six Flags Magic Mountain held a 13-hour coaster marathon. I found out about it through a passholder e-mail and signed up immediately.

I would be riding Colossus, the tallest and fastest wooden coaster in the West. Backwards. Here are some pictures of it taken prior to installation of neighboring Goliath. http://www.joyrides.com/sfmm/colossus1.htm

There was a lot of joking around and bragging as we waited to board. The confirmed riders told the alternates that their services would not be needed; the alternates encouraged us to fill up on the complimentary donuts. I ended up talking with Nathaniel and Diego when we were finally let up onto the load platform. The two of them sat in front of me and the empty seat next to me was taken by Katrina. “Just like the hurricane!” she said. She was a hard-core coaster fan and assured us she would be there for the duration. I was lucky to have three fun people sitting next to me.

Sitting in the last seat on a backwards-facing train meant that Katrina and I were the first ones over the big drop that morning. I had never ridden a coaster backwards before and that 115-foot drop was much more intense than I had expected. So was the 105-foot drop that followed it. Four minutes later, we were back in the station for the usual safety procedures and a quick check for any unwell riders. All systems were go so we headed on to trip number two. And three. And so on.

Forty-five minutes later, we had a fifteen-minute break. After drinking some water and taking a vigorous walk I was back on the platform, ready for Hour Two. To keep everything fair, no Dramamine, pillows or blankets were allowed and every hour we had to move up one row and switch sides.

Trip 10 passed uneventfully until we pulled back into the station. Katrina thrust her head out of the car and vomited herself out of the competition. An alternate named Wendy took her place next to me. Five trips later her cousin Grace took the place of a guy who had left the train to throw up all over the exit stairs. When we took our fifteen-minute break, custodial hadn’t arrived yet and it was obvious the rider had filled up on those complimentary pastries.

After Hour Four, I was ready for a light snack, so I power-walked to the nearest concession stand where I discovered that my brand-new wallet had somehow fallen out of my back pocket. No food for me.

As the day wore on, riders were fighting their boredom listening to iPods and text-messaging their friends. Diego tried to use his PSP but the wooden coaster rattled too much. One guy called into KROQ-FM and did a phone interview. Another had his girlfriend bring him two burritos which he somehow consumed during the ride. Later he did the same thing with pizza slices.

I didn’t get bored. It was great being outside on such a beautiful day and I kept an hourly tally of our trips. Staying focused on the ride and the different experience of each row helped me avoid motion sickness. Plus, each trip into the station became a mini-press conference with the people waiting to ride asking the same three questions:
How many times have you ridden it?
Do you get to go to the bathroom?
What do you win?
The local paper came by and filed this story: http://www.the-signal.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=33486&format=html

During Hour Eight, one of the alternates had barely finished his fourteenth trip before he ran to the edge of the platform to empty his stomach. The crowded station erupted in laughter and applause. Poor guy.

The roughest rides all day were during Hours Eleven and Twelve when Wendy and I were in the first car [making us the last over the drop.] Hour Thirteen found me back in the seat where I had started. On the final ride of the day—Number 110—all 24 of us rode the entire track with our hands in the air, returning to the station to thunderous applause and cheering. Nathaniel, Diego and I were in the final nine that lasted the whole day. Wendy was the next-longest survivor with exactly 100 trips.

Other than general fatigue and the lap bar leaving a bruise the size of a fried egg on my leg, there were no physical complications from the marathon. I won a pair of 2007 Xtreme Season Passes for my trouble, but I would’ve done it without the prize incentive. A coaster marathon was one of those things on my 100 Things To Do list.

In case you’re wondering, the world record for a marathon coaster ride is held by Richard Rodriguez of the United States. In 2003, he rode Expedition GeForce at Holiday Park in Germany for 192 hours. Eight days on a coaster? That’s scary.

VISITORS
Our friends Paula and Mike were in town so the 29th, 30th and 31st, and we did some Halloween things with them.

DISNEYLAND HALLOWEEN TIME
Other than a terrible show at DCA called Golden Screams, we had an awesome time. Clear skies, lighter crowds in the evening, and a private boat in Pirates of the Caribbean lent the day a relaxed pace. Mike had never been to Disneyland so we made sure he did Indiana Jones, California Screamin’ and Space Mountain. Paula’s favorite movie is Nightmare Before Christmas, so we made sure to do the re-themed Haunted Mansion twice.

NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS IN 3-D
The next night, Paula, Mike and Daryl headed to the El Capitan Theater to see Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas in 3-D. Thumbs up all around.

19TH ANNUAL WEST HOLLYWOOD COSTUME CARNAVALE
Halloween night, we made our way to West Hollywood for the annual Costume Carnavale. It’s estimated that 500,000 people converge on this one-mile stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard to see some of the most outrageous and inventive costumes.
Here’s a short video that gives you a sense of the evening.
http://www.halloweenwesthollywood.com/

We saw lots of Jack Sparrows, Michael Meyers, Tinker Bells, Jasons, and female impersonators. Some highlights:

Pee-Wee Herman riding his bike with Billy Baloney, Pterry and a box of Mr. T cereal in the basket.
An office water cooler whose occupant’s head peeked out through the bottle.
Three marines and a flag recreating the famous photograph from Iwo Jima.
Steve Carrell’s “man-o-lantern” look from The 40 Year Old Virgin.
Madame Butterfly could be seen running down the street calling to Pinkerton, who was unmoved by her cries of ever-lasting devotion.
Colonel Sanders yelling at the Jack in the Box mascot because he wouldn’t take a picture with him.

There were so many Superman’s that the four of us had a contest to see who could spot the best one. Daryl won.

What we thought were costumed folks were actual Hare Krishna’s recruiting interested followers. Politically, there were lots of Mark Foleys and a devil carrying a “Cheney/Satan’08” sign. From TV, there was the gang from Reno 911, Anderson Cooper and Captain Planet. There was even a Steve Irwin/sting ray couple who posed for moment-of-impact pictures. They got booed because it was probably too soon, but their costumes were done very well.

It was a great evening that we plan on attending next year.

EUREKA POINT
Earlier in the month, my Uncle Carl took us to Eureka Point in Joshua Tree National Park. Accessible by dirt roads, this less-populated overlook was easily distinguished from the rest of the park by how green it was--it didn’t feel like we were still in the high desert. The overlook is about 5500 feet above sea level and the 360-degree view of Palm Springs, the Morongo Basin and the mountains were well-worth the drive.

On our way back from the point, we drove through Covington Flats and saw stands of Joshua trees charred during last year’s fires. I got out of the car to take same pictures and--between the stark trees and the ashy soil--I felt like I was walking on the moon.
http://www.nps.gov/jotr/

EXTRA WORK
CSI:NY needed a “high-powered lawyer” to sit with guest star Sheryl Lee as she was being interrogated by Melina Kanakeredes and Eddie Cahill.

We rehearsed the scene in which my client was repeatedly accused of murdering her daughter for the insurance money. There was no dialogue for my character; the script only allowed me to gesture and nod sympathetically as though I were in a silent movie. We rehearsed the scene a second time, and it was still just as awkward. The hair and makeup people came in and touched us all up and just as we were getting ready to shoot, someone tapped me on the shoulder and I was out of the scene.

I’m sure DeNiro could’ve made it work and ended up a series regular, but that’s because he is an actor. Me? I’m more comfortable staring intently into a microscope or crossing the room with a folder in hand. This experience gave me new respect for day players and guest stars. Plus, I got to hang out with Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks, Eleni from Guiding Light and Tag from Friends.

STAR SIGHTINGS
Just one this month. While Daryl was shopping in Venice with our friend JJ, they walked by Robert Klein.

NOVEMBER
Tomorrow, I fly to Washington, DC to for a staged reading of my play The Wedding Toast. Tell you all about it next month, but in the meantime here’s the Charter Theatre site. http://www.chartertheatre.org/site/Main.html.

Until then,
James & Daryl

September 2006: LobsterFest and Totally 80's

2007-07-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

Hello again.

I hope September was a good month for you. Here’s what’s been happening in the Cameron/Utt household.

LAST MINUTE VISITORS
Our Las Vegas friends Paula and Mike got some unexpected time off so they came to LA for a long weekend. Luckily, Daryl and I were both able to show them the sights and try some new places. A few days later, we hosted our Florida buddy Nate who was on assignment at Disneyland. It was a busy two weekends full of laughter and too much food!

LOBSTERFEST—PORT OF LOS ANGELES
The Port of Los Angeles is not the prettiest part of California, but it is the largest/ busiest port in the United States. Paula, Mike, Daryl and I swung by to experience Lobster Fest.

On the news it was touted as the “world’s largest lobster festival” but in person, the event felt more like a small county fair. There were a few rides, some games, lots of vendors and little deodorant. Entertainment included break dancers, a juggler, and a pirate themed area with a plus-size belly dancer shaking her “booty.” The Harley-Davidson Stage featured “Dog ‘n’ Butterfly” a Heart tribute band that sounded remarkably similar to Ann & Nancy Wilson.

One of our favorite things was the Lobster Fest hat that Paula and Mike each picked up. Go the event website and click on “Pictures” to see fair-goers modeling the claw-some cap. Scroll down and you see a dog dressed as lobster. [I think the dog is a sheltie, which is almost a pun.] http://www.lobsterfest.com/index1.html

The real stars of the weekend were the 22,000 Maine lobsters destined to end up on a styrofoam plate with some lemon wedges, fake butter, and a cup of coleslaw. We each got our own lobster and sat down at the plastic-covered picnic tables to get started on our meal. This was the first time I had ever, um, dismantled a lobster and I’m grateful Mike was there to guide us through the process. The end result was delicious, but getting there was not half the fun. I now understand why restaurants charge so much.

Since Mike can’t be everywhere at once, I’ve included a handy, um, lobster-dismantling guide for you first-timers. I found it on The Gulf of Maine Aquarium website, which—as part of its ongoing message of conservation?—features a step-by-step guide for eating lobster. http://www.gma.org/lobsters/eatingetc.html It also had these tips:

--The best time to buy lobster is after Labor Day, when most summer tourists have gone home and the lobster landings are at their highest.
--Because lobster meat can go bad quickly, it's generally necessary to cook a lobster while it's still alive. Never eat a cooked lobster with its tail uncurled, as it died before it was cooked.
--Lobster claws are also known as “chelipeds.”

WHIMSIC ALLEY
Sunday morning, Paula, Mike, friends Byron and Shephard, Daryl and I headed to Santa Monica to visit Whimsic Alley, the one-stop shop for all things Harry Potter. Modeled after Diagon Alley, the store has dedicated areas where budding wizards can pick up such back-to school necessities as robes, ties and sweaters themed to the different houses of Hogwart’s. There were Quidditch jerseys, golden snitches, some Firebolts and a life-size model of Dobby the house-elf.

Paula has read the books numerous times so she pored over everything in the store as though she was going to be tested on it during her 5th year O.W.L.s. Daryl stopped off at Phoenix Wands and rummaged through the haphazardly-stacked boxes in the tall, dusty cabinet. Alas, none of the wands chose him.

As you might expect, Whimsic Alley carries products from The Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings, too. For Muggles, there is Simpsons, Family Guy and Napoleon Dynamite merchandise on display. Check out the website and order something. I’m told it will arrive at your door like magic—no floo powder required. http://www.whimsicalley.com/

JAY & SILENT BOB’S SECRET STASH
Next we headed over to Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash, the “geek-free comic outlet” created by director Kevin Smith. Located a few blocks from UCLA in Westwood Village, the store offers everything from “Chasing Amy Inaction Figures” to “Jay and Silent Bobbleheads.”

Props and costumes from Smith’s films are on display, including the oversized fast-food mascot “Mooby” and a pair of wings used in Dogma. Like Whimsic Alley, everything in this store is available online, so I’ve included the Secret Stash website
http://jayandsilentbob.com/

If you’d like to check in with Kevin’s production company or read his online diary go here: http://viewaskew.com/main.html Caution: “Blog” is not the only four-letter word in Kevin Smith’s vocabulary.

HOLLYWOOD BOWL--TOTALLY 80’S
We picked Nate up at Disneyland on Saturday and toured him around various LA landmarks. That evening, we made our way to the Hollywood Bowl for Totally 80’s featuring ABC, The Psychedelic Furs and Human League.

Our emcee was former Go-Go Jane Weidlen who, in a nod to her band’s first album cover [remember those?] walked onto the stage wearing a towel and turban. She’s a busy lady, just check out her bio.
http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/about/performer_detail.cfm?id=2569&back=%2Ftix%2Fperformance%5Fdetail%2Ecfm%3Fid%3D2877%3Bhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ehollywoodbowl%2Ecom%2Fcalendar%2Fcalendar%2Ecfm%3Fmode%3Dcal

ABC took the stage first and launched right into “Poison Arrow.” The crowd—with the sole exception of Nate—went wild. He was still learning his ABC’s when this band was on the charts with “Look Of Love” “Be Near Me,” and “When Smokey Sings.” He was a good sport and the three of us laughed a lot during the show.

During the break, there was a Totally 80’s karaoke contest. Imagine singing “We Got the Beat” in front of 15,000 people and having the words vanish from the karaoke screen. It happened to the first contestant. After a few moments of confusion, and the realization they were not going to start it over, she soldiered on and won $1000 for her trouble. If only all nightmares ended so pleasantly.

The Psychedelic Furs came on next performing “Ghost In You,” “Love My Way, “Pretty In Pink,” “Heaven,” and “Heartbreak Beat.” I like the Furs, but their portion of the show dragged and the crowd of Gen-Xers—most of whom are living with MTV-induced ADD —became restless.

During the second break, the audience sang along to “Vacation” and “Tainted Love” as the words again disappeared from the giant karaoke screens! None of us won $1000 but we were treated to surprise guest Annabella Lwin. She got up from the audience to lead us through “I Want Candy,” her big hit with Bow Wow Wow.

The Human League—whose synthesizer/electronic drum sound was, like, totally 80’s— ended up being the best show of the night. They were Nate’s favorite because midway through their set—the two-hour mark, actually—he finally recognized a song: “Human.” It was followed by “Tell Me When” “Fascination” and their most popular single “Don’t You Want Me.”

NATE ‘N AL’S
The next day, we had to take Nate to the Beverly Hills restaurant that bears his name: Nate ‘n Al’s Delicatessen. Looking much the same as did when it opened in 1945, Nate & Al’s is a delicious neighborhood deli that happens to be a block from Rodeo Drive. You can’t go wrong with the corned beef, the matzo ball soup or fries.
http://www.natenal.com/

While standing at the cash register, I realized that Kenneth Mars was eating a few booths over. I’m not sure if he’s a household name, but he’s recognizable to viewers of What’s Up Doc? Young Frankenstein and The Producers. His voice is pretty familiar, too, since he lent it to King Triton in The Little Mermaid. [Own the 2-Disc Platinum Edition DVD this Tuesday!]

Two minutes later we were crossing the street in front of the Nate & Al’s and walked by Michael Richards, better known as Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld.

EXTRA WORK
I worked a Crossing Jordan/Las Vegas crossover episode that included a boxing match. Most of the day found me ringside pretending to be a sports reporter. Lunch was spent on the Universal back lot, moseying through the Western sets and watching the studio tram being attacked by a mechanical shark.

The next day I spent 13-hours on the set of ER without ever getting on camera. On the bright side, I read an entire book, got to know fellow extra June, saw George Lopez and almost bumped into former-Batman Adam West.

Fox aired the episode of The War at Home I taped. You were probably watching the season premiere of Desperate Housewives instead. Wise choice.

STAR SIGHTINGS
Paula and Mike got to see the “portable/good-to-go” guy from the Taco Bell Crunchwrap commercials while we were shopping at The Grove. Five minutes later we saw the beautiful Brttany Daniel of Dawsons Creek, Joe Dirt, and Sweet Valley High.

Partridge Family bassist/reality show melt-downer Danny Bonaduce drove by in his red convertible and I got an idea for a show called Braking Bonaduce.

On another visit to Nate & Al’s, Daryl and Shephard sat near Jami Gertz from the totally 80’s movies Lost Boys and Less Than Zero. Most recently, she starred in the totally cancelled series Still Standing.

NEXT MONTH
Halloween and Friday the 13th in the same month? Spooky!

Until then,
James & Daryl

August 2006: Catalina, Curtains, Cabaret and Casting

2007-07-16T17:06:00.000-07:00

Hello again.
I hope your Labor Day Weekend was fun. Here’s a quick look at August 2006 in the Cameron/Utt household.

CATALINA ISLAND
Linda Kirwin, Daryl and I made the trip to Catalina Island to celebrate our June, July and August birthdays, respectively. Linda gets full credit for making this trip happen. Thank you, Linda!

Santa Catalina Island a.k.a. Catalina Island, a.k.a Catalina is one of California’s Channel Islands and sits about 25 miles across the water from Long Beach. We arrived by ferry about 9:00 a.m and were greeted by the usual seaside resort stuff: salt water taffy, fudge, and souvenir shoppes; bikes, kayaks, and golf carts for rent; stores with names like “Buoys and Gulls.” There was an island museum and glass-bottom boat excursions. Some of the cruise ships stop here too, but it wasn‘t crowded the day we went.

Anchoring the harbor is a beautiful building called The Casino which most visitors expect to be filled with slot machines and roulette wheels. The ornate structure has no gambling but instead houses a theater and the world‘s largest circular ballroom. The name comes from the Italian word meaning “place to gather.“ [Sometimes “casino” translates as “whorehouse” too, but no one mentioned that during our visit.] Whatever the meaning, here’s a picture of The Casino. http://www.pbase.com/markwp/image/25047085]

1% of Catalina Island is privately-owned land; 11% is owned by the Santa Catalina company; The remaining 88% is owned by the Santa Catalina Conservancy. We got to experience all three by taking some tours. The first one was a tram tour through the only town on the island, Avalon, which encompasses the square mile of developed land surrounding the harbor. We went by the post office, the golf course, the K-12 school, the pet cemetery, and the gas station. After that, we took a ninety-minute shuttle tour through Conservancy-owned land to the small airport located at the highest point on the island. The views were amazing. The sky and the sea were so blue, it was difficult to tell where one stopped and the other started.

We could’ve easily spent another two days exploring the island and I suspect we will be back one day to do so. In the meantime here a few more facts about the island:

The offspring of buffalo imported for a movie shoot back in the 30’s still roam free on the island’s interior.
Santa Catalina Island was owned by Chicago’s William Wrigley Jr. and played host to the Cub’s Spring Training for more than twenty years.
The restaurant we ate lunch at had no Catalina dressing.

Read more about the island here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalina_Island

MUSICAL FOOTNOTE
We couldn’t visit a town called Avalon without breaking into song. Daryl was singing the Nat King Cole standard “Avalon” which begins with the line “I found my love in Avalon beside the bay…“ I was humming “Avalon” by Roxy Music and Linda got us singing David Gray’s recent hit “Avalon.”

Our favorite Catalina Island song has to be the 1958 hit by The Four Preps called “26 Miles (Santa Catalina).” Go here and click on Track 2 for a sample:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000008ZG/sr=8-1/qid=1155411935/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-5801397-4043222?ie=UTF8

Random fact. “26 Miles” was written by Glen A. Larson, a Prep that went on to create Magnum P.I., Knight Rider and Battlestar Galatica. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_A._Larson

NORTON SIMON MUSEUM
Our friend Cynthia invited us to Pasadena to check out the Norton Simon one night after work. While it was still light out, the three of us walked through the sculpture garden before proceeding to the interior galleries which featured works by Picasso, Degas, Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Klee, Rembrandt and many more.

Daryl and I had driven by the unassuming exterior of the Norton Simon many times without realizing how large the museum was. After a few hours, they were closing up and we still had the Asian garden and an entire second floor to visit. The three of us plan to return on one of the First Fridays when evening admission is free. In the meantime, highlights from the permanent collection are online at http://www.nortonsimon.org/collections/ Thank you, Cynthia!

CURTAINS--A NEW MUSCIAL FROM KANDER & EBB
David Hyde Pierce is a 1950's Boston detective who has to find out who murdered the famous leading lady during the opening night curtain call of "Rob Hood." He locks the entire cast in the theater for questioning and a marathon rehearsal to fix their high-energy cowboy musical. Filled with lots of in-jokes about show business, Curtains was clever almost to the point of cynicism and relied more on spectacle than emotion. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the production and expect it to have a healthy Broadway run, especially since it is the final show from the team that brought us Chicago and Cabaret. http://www.taperahmanson.com/show.asp?id=313

LINDA PURL
Speaking of cabaret, a few days later we went with friends, Shawn, Rob and Diana to see Linda Purl. You might not know her name but you’ll recognize Linda’s face. She played Richie Cunningham’s girlfriend during the first year of Happy Days and then came back during the final season to play Fonzie’s girlfriend. She played Claire on Port Charles and Charlene on Matlock. I knew her from the TV movie Like Normal People in which she and Shaun Cassidy played a mentally challenged couple trying to marry.

Active in theater and TV, and mother to a 10-year-old, Linda Purl somehow finds time to tour as a cabaret singer. She put on a terrific show performing standards like “Come Rain or Come Shine,” show tunes like “Loverly” and a funny medley of novelty country songs she learned from Andy Griffith. She did a song called “Movie of the Week” where she poked fun at some of the woman-in-danger and not-without-my-baby! scenes she’s had to play. It was a high point of the show. http://www.lindapurl.net/

“NEW WORDS”
After the show, Ms. Purl and her husband joined us for dinner where Daryl complimented Linda on the great job she did with "New Words," a strangely-familiar song he couldn't place. No one at the table could remember what musical the song originated from either, so back at home Daryl researched the song on the internet. “New Words” was written by Broadway veteran Maury Yeston and performed in a 1998 show called In The Beginning. As promised, Daryl emailed this info to a grateful Linda Purl.

Unfortunately, Daryl didn’t recognize the show and didn’t see any recordings of “New Words” listed on Amazon. He was stumped as to where he had heard the song until 1:30 a.m., when he picked up his iPod and searched through the 4000+ songs and found “New Words” performed by Christine Ebersole. Our friend Shephard had recorded it off of the Rosie O‘Donnell Show and included it on a mix CD about six years ago. Mystery solved.

BACKGROUND WORK
Although not as impressive as Ms. Purl‘s resume, my TV credits increased this month when I spent three weeks as a TV extra. It’s usually called ‘background’ work because we are basically set dressing added to make the foreground action more believable. The skill and pay level are similar to those at any fast food joint, but you don’t normally bump into Matthew Perry or Gary Sinise during your shift at McDonald’s.

Because I’m over forty, clean-shaven and have my own suit, Central Casting thinks I make a great doctor, lawyer, detective, and senator. Here’s a typical work week:

For Monk, I stood in Natalie’s apartment singing “The Twelve Days of Christmas” about ten times. Half the extras didn’t know the words.
On CSI:NY I was a detective working in the morgue--corpses and all.
During The Nine, I got to play the defense attorney in a brief courtroom scene.
I taped the sitcom The War at Home in front of a “live studio audience.”
For a Diet Dr. Pepper commercial, I spent the graveyard shift at the LA Coliseum sitting in front of a green screen reacting to an imaginary football game.

I worked on a different show every day including 24, House, Ghost Whisperer, What About Brian, Daybreak, Crossing Jordan, Vanished, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and The Office alongside Keifer Sutherland, Jerry O’Connell, Camryn Mannheim, Michael Rapaport, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Barry Watson, Matthew Davis, Taye Diggs, Timothy Busfield, Melina Kanakaredes, Steve Carell and Pittsburgh Steeler Jerome Bettis.

I was cast in fourteen productions, starting with this year’s Emmy winner for best drama 24 and ending with best comedy winner The Office. Nice bookends. [The last two days were spent roaming an office supplies convention and getting in a quick game of “Flonkerton.”]

I’ll be lucky if these fifteen days of background work yield fifteen seconds of airtime. More important to me was seeing the production process and the challenges posed to the writer, producer, set designer, director, actor, sound technician and lighting guy. Even though there is a legitimate decision-making hierarchy, everyone’s role seems equally important.

STAR SIGHTINGS--TEEN CHOICE AWARDS EDITION
As if seeing celebrities at my day job wasn’t enough, Daryl and I got to see lots more at The Teen Choice Awards. Yes, the program was a train wreck, but what else could we expect from a show whose big finish was the premiere of Kevin Federline’s single "Lose Control?" Judging by the audience’s response, he should change the song’s title to "Lose Interest."

The fun part of the evening was just listening to the kids go crazy as people like Reese Witherspoon, David Spade, Tom Welling, Chad Michael Murray and Snoop Dogg took the stage at the Gibson Amphitheater. You cannot imagine the deafening roar following the announcements of Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and the cast of High School Musical. If only we could harness that power! If you'd like a list of attendees and winners go here: http://www.fox.com/teenchoice

NEXT MONTH
The heat returned over the last two weeks with temperatures in the 100‘s in the San Fernando Valley. With luck, September will bring back the cooler temperatures we enjoyed so much last year.

Until next month,
James & Daryl

July 2006: A Drive-In, Classic Cars and Concerts

2007-07-16T16:53:00.000-07:00

Hello again. I hope all is well with you.

I’m a little late with the July 2006 Update, so let‘s not waste any time. Here are some highlights:

A PLAY
Most of my July was spent writing a play, which I am hoping to do a reading of in early November. It’s the story of two friends who leave Orlando for the bright lights of California and--just kidding. It’s an untitled drama that my friend Keith is reviewing. Daryl and I brainstormed about ten great titles. Sadly, the two best ones are already taken. If you are writing a play and you need a title, you better cross off Long Day’s Journey Into Night and Starlight Express.

OSCAR BLEACHERS
One day, I hope to sit inside the Kodak Theater for the Academy Awards as a nominee and eventual two-time winner, but next year, I’m happy to remain outside. Are you interested in sitting along the red carpet for the 2007 Academy Awards? Free tickets are distributed lottery-style to folks that pass three rounds of background checks. Online sign-up begins Monday, September 18 so bookmark this website and be ready with all your information. Good Luck! http://www.oscars.org/bleachers

DRIVE-IN MOVIE GUERRILLA-STYLE
Remember the classic drive-in? They always had names with some sort of “evening“ reference: The Twi-Lite, The Star-Time, and my favorite, Asheville’s Dreamland Drive-In. I never saw a movie there but it was fun to drive by the Dreamland marquee at night, with its inviting neon clouds and drowsy moon, showcasing dreamy titles like My Bloody Valentine, Nightmare on Elm Street, Terror Train, and whichever Friday the 13th was in release.

Twenty years later, the Dreamland, like most of its breed is gone. In its place is the 21st century “guerilla drive-in” offered by companies like Hollywood Mobile Movie. If you have a blank wall and enough place for 20 cars, you can host your own show. Their tagline is perfect: The drive-in that drives in. http://www.hollywoodmobmov.org/

Glendale has a defunct furniture store called Seeley’s, whose neon marquee and clock burn every night as if the place is still doing great business. [Which it is, as a makeshift soundstage. The newsroom scenes from Anchorman were shot here, and the evening we visited there was a shabby-hotel set plainly visible through the giant display windows.] The neon clock out front still keeps great time. Instead of the numbers 1 through 12, the face reads G E O R G E S E E L E Y. We pulled up at “fifteen past G” and parked on the backside of the two-story warehouse where a big screen had been draped from the roof. This was Daryl’s first drive-in movie and he was pleasantly surprised to find a modest concession stand offering complimentary popcorn and free samples of a new ice-cream treat called “blisscotti.” Mmmmmmm.

We tuned our radio to the proper frequency, grabbed some snacks and waited for the show to start. After a few commercials, a trailer, a music video, and a short film, we were ready to watch the evening’s main feature: The Puffy Chair. Now that I think about it, that would’ve been the perfect film for the long-lost Dreamland marquee!

The Puffy Chair is a road trip/buddy comedy that Daryl and I both enjoyed, in spite of the inevitable distractions prone to a busy intersection near a railroad crossing and the hospital. Added to the soundtrack of the 90-minute feature were a train, the thumping bass line of passing cars, barking dogs, an ambulance, two fire engines and a medical helicopter. Mobile Movie could have advertised that The Puffy Chair was being shown in “Sensurround.”

In spite of challenges caused by the noise and abundance of ambient light, The Puffy Chair ended up being a solid little film. Ebert and Roeper liked it, too, but I’m sure they saw it under much different circumstances.

LINDA RONSTADT AT THE GIBSON AMPHITHEATER
“People never know what to expect when they come to one my shows, so I always take a moment at the beginning to go over the program.” Thus began a concert whose first half was American Standards and whose second half showcased how Ronstadt’s recording career started in the 60‘s and never really stopped..

Her first hit was with the Stone Poneys singing the Michael Nesmith tune “Different Drum.” Since then, she’s done a little bit of everything: pop, rock, folk, country, mariachi, and operetta. She‘s recorded with a diverse roster including Aaron Neville, Dolly Parton, The Chieftans, David Sanborn, George Jones, Phillip Glass and Kermit the Frog. Her back-up work includes The Eagles’ “Take It Easy;” Emmylou Harris’ “Mr. Sandman;” and Paul Simon’s “Under African Skies“ from Graceland.
After fifteen years in the folk/rock/country field, Linda surprised the music industry in 1983 by releasing an album of standards called What’s New. She was riding in a car in England when she heard Frank Sinatra singing “Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out to Dry” and decided to do the album. The record company agreed to pursue it but she insisted on a full orchestra and Nelson Riddle who had worked extensively with Sinatra. Ironically, Nelson Riddle had never heard of Linda Ronstadt and had to ask his daughter if she was any good. They ended up doing three albums, collectively known as ‘Round Midnight, before Riddle died in 1985.

She performed about 12 songs from ‘Round Midnight so I could‘ve left the concert at the break and been happy, but the second half wasn‘t too shabby since it had “When Will I Be Loved,” “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me“ “Ooh Baby, Baby“ and “Just One Look.” The two songs that got the biggest response were the Oscar-winning “Somewhere Out There“ and her terrific cover of Roy Orbison’s “Blue Bayou.” It was a wide range of styles and vocal ranges but she handled it all, sometimes sounding eerily similar to recordings made twenty or thirty years ago. It’s hard to believe she turns 60 this year.

Linda Ronstadt doesn’t have an official website but here are Amazon links where you can sample 'Round Midnight and The Very Best of Linda Ronstadt

She adds French chansons to her repetoire with her newest album, Adieu False Heart .

KRISTEN CHENOWETH
Two nights later, we were at the Greek Theater with our friends Byron and Shephard to see stage and screen star Kristen Chenoweth. She originated the role of Glinda in the Broadway hit Wicked and won a Tony for her work as Sally in You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown. She also had a recurring role on The West Wing and played Marian the Librarian in the TV version of The Music Man.

Kristen interspersed the show with stories about growing up in Oklahoma and her imitation of Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada. Towards the end of “Popular,” her big hit from Wicked, she flubbed two lines. Afterwards she laughed good naturedly and marveled, “I can’t believe I forgot the words to a song I have literally sung 2,000 times!” It was exactly how you would expect her to react.

Her clear, expressive voice moved from torch, to patter, to coloratura with no evident strain. She was as nice as she could possibly be, even joking about the empty seats in the audience. We enjoyed the show, but the 20-something woman sitting next to me LOVED it. She told me so afterwards but it really wasn’t necessary since I had noticed her lip-synching quietly to every song. I thought it was going to drive me mental at first but she was so darn polite about it, her performance actually added to the experience, but please don’t tell Kristen I said that.

Here‘s Miss Chenoweth’s website which is in dire need of an overhaul. It looks like a page from the back of Seventeen or Young Miss.
http://www.kristinchenoweth.com/

I checked. It looks worse:
http://www.seventeen.com/?iv_arrivalSA=1&iv_cobrandRef=0&iv_arrival_freq=1&

3 MEN AND A BABY. . .GRAND
Two weeks later we were at Los Angeles Community College with our friends Rob, Shawn and Diana for another terrific concert. John Boswell, Brian Lane Green, and Lee Lessack are individual Broadway/Cabaret/Film/TV performers and recording artists who also tour as the group 3 Men and a Baby…Grand.

The singing by all three was strong as they sampled Broadway tunes and some original compositions, but my favorite part of the show has to be the piano solo by John Boswell. He took song titles from the audience, writing them down on a legal pad until he had a total of 21. He reviewed the list with the audience, set the pad in front of him and immediately performed an 8-minute medley incorporating every song. In the order he had written them down. No prep. No sheet music. No sweat.
http://www.lmlmusic.com/concerts_main.php?id=2

HEATWAVE
Speaking of sweat, we don’t get too much of that here. Los Angeles is blessed with such comfortable temperatures most of the year that many homes and apartments don’t even have air-conditioning. Unseasonably warm isn’t too bad for us, since we have AC, but there were friends, especially those with pets home all day, who were pretty miserable this month. It finally cooled down last week.

13TH ANNUAL GLENDALE CRUISE NIGHT
Glendale hosts a block party every summer with 300-plus cars, an oldies concert, community groups and live animals from the Glendale Rescue squad. It’s a quick walk downtown from our apartment, so we didn’t have to worry about parking. Unfortunately, we did have to worry about the July heatwave. It was so muggy that Daryl and I didn’t spend too long at the fair.

We skipped the “Sha Na Na“ show completely even though it was probably the only chance I’ll ever have to see the one band in history to perform in the movie Grease and at the original Woodstock.

The big stars at the event--besides a headless and obviously female Bob’s Big Boy--were the automobiles. My favorite was the 1954 Studebaker Commander.

LONDON CALLING
If you are a regular reader of the Update, you may remember that while in London last Christmas, we visited Mrs. Jill Caruth at her flat and had tea. It was the quintessential English afternoon. This month, she was in town as a birthday surprise to her daughter and we were able to meet her and JJ for a specifically-LA experience: dinner and drinks at the Polo Lounge. We were there for three hours, I think, just catching up and enjoying a delicious meal. What a treat to see her again. Now it’s our turn to cross the pond.

KATHY GRIFFIN
Kathy Griffin’s Emmy-nominated reality series My Life on the D-List wrapped up this month and we were supposed to see her live but she cancelled the show with no announced reason. We only found out when we got to the theater and saw a hand-drawn sign out front, which was pretty D-list, I have to say. It was two days after her appearance on Larry King where she discussed her recent divorce and we think that was why she backed out. We had a great time anyway since we ended up hanging out with JJ and her husband Adam.

STAR SIGHTINGS
We did see a few stars this month. As we were leaving the Polo Lounge, we saw Paula Abdul talking with some skinny blond. At a fundraiser on the Paramount backlot, we bumped into James Getzlaff, who starred in Bravo’s reality series Boy Meets Boy. Earlier in the month in the Target homewares aisle, Daryl recognized and talked to Designed to Sell co-host Lisa LaPorta.

My apologies for the delay in getting this out, but the first week in August was a full one. I’ll be back to tell you all about it next month.

Until then,
James & Daryl

June 2006: San Diego to Solvang With the Tueches

2007-07-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

Hello again. June was a busy month in the Cameron/Utt household.
Here are some of the highlights:

TUECH FAMILY VACATION
My sister Karen came out for two weeks with my nephews Tyler 11 and Cameron 9. They flew into Las Vegas to spend time with our friends Paula and Mike and then drove to Glendale on Friday June 9.

CARS AT THE EL CAPITAN THEATER
Their first night here, we went to the historic El Capitan Theater to see Cars. Outside the theater were life-sized version of Lightening McQueen, Sally and Mater that looked identical to the film characters. Once inside, an organist played a medley of Disney tunes, which we quizzed each other on. Then there were two previews, a NASCAR pit crew demonstration, an audience challenge, and finally, the actual movie, to which we all gave a thumbs-up.

SOLVANG
My family is Danish, so the next day, we headed up to Solvang, a Danish community north of Santa Barbara. We shopped, we ate, took lots of pictures, and stopped off at the Danish bakery to eat a little more. There were windmills, a statue of Hans Christian Andersen, half-timbered houses and shops. There are more pictures here:
http://www.solvangca.com/1/photo/index.html

MISSION SANTA INES
Another important part of Solvang is Mission Santa Inez, the nineteenth of the twenty-one missions on California’s Mission Trail. We enjoyed touring the grounds but you can’t beat the view of the Santa Ynez Valley from the parking lot.
http://www.missionsantaines.org/home.html

LEGOLAND
Another Danish thing. We drove to Carlsbad to visit the only Legoland park in the United States. One of the things I love about the park--besides all of the Lego brick sculptures everywhere--is the absence of background music. What you hear most are other families enjoying their day. http://www.legoland.com/California.htm
Karen, Tyler, Cameron and I competed against three other families in the Fun Town Fire Academy. Karen and I had to power a fire truck using the pump mechanism of a railroad handcar. Once we arrived at the end of the track, Tyler and Cameron jumped out and, with life-saving accuracy, put out the fire. They jumped back in and we returned the truck back to the starting point for a first-place finish.

Tyler and Cameron also did the Volvo Driving School. The cars are single-passenger and kid-sized so parents have to watch from the sidelines. And because the cars are not tethered to a track, drivers must stay on the right side of the road and obey traffic lights and stop signs. Most of the kids took these instructions seriously, but both times we were at the attraction, there was one kid who was either beyond the task (too young) or “over it” (too old.) And believe it or not, one of the older girl drivers was talking on her cellphone and ran a red light. The operators called her out over the PA system and she had to hang up. If only it were like that in real life…

Of the three coasters at the park, Tyler and Cameron’s favorite has to be the Lego Technic: Test Track. The queue was short so they rode this wild mouse-style attraction five times. They even got Karen, fear of heights and all, to join them three times.

After Test Track I think the most time we spent at one attraction was Miniland, which includes re-recreations of New York City, Washington DC, New Orleans, San Francisco, and New England. Florida is there, too, represented by Kennedy Space Center and Daytona International Speedway.

New York City features Central Park, Grand Central Station, Rockefeller Plaza, Times Square, the Guggenheim, and the Statue of Liberty. The skyline includes the Empire State Building, the Chrysler building, and an under-construction Freedom Tower.

The detail at the street level was amazing and there were button-activated sounds and vignettes. I think our favorite was making the break dancers spin on their heads to old school rap music. This website has some great Miniland pictures:
http://neptune.lunarpages.com/~mindsc1/ca2001/miniland.htm

PETCO PARK--PADRES vs. DODGERS
Later than night we headed to San Diego and the recently-built Petco Park for a baseball game between the Padres and the Dodgers. This was a fun game because the rivalry was so bitter. And of course, the Dodgers lost.
http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/index.jsp?c_id=sd

STAR OF INDIA
Our hotel was a block from the water and the San Diego Maritime Museum so our view included the Star of India the world's oldest active ship. Built in England in 1863 as a cargo vessel, the Star of India has sailed to India, New Zealand, Australia, South America and the Bering Strait. Read more about this beautiful ship and others in the museum at http://www.sdmaritime.com/contentpage.asp?ContentID=48

Other vessels in the collection include a steam ferryboat, a soviet attack submarine, and the H.M.S. Surprise, which Russell Crowe famously captained in Master and Commander.

SAN DIEGO ZOO
Long-considered the premier zoo in America, it was one of the first to create more natural-looking enclosures without any bars. Karen and I loved it when we visited in 1979 and it was still pretty awesome. They’ve added a lot to it and there are more trees.

As if riding the coaster the day before wasn’t enough to test Karen’s fear of heights, the first thing we did was drag her onto the Skyfari for a leisurely open-air ride about 10 stories above the zoo. She was a great sport, especially when Cameron began pointing out how rusty some of the passing gondolas were.
We arrived safely at the back of the park and spent the day making our way towards the entrance. It was a good plan, but no matter what route we took, there was going to be a lot of walking. Luckily, the park has added moving sidewalks at a few of the steeper inclines and a double-decker bus route with stops throughout the park.

The warm temperature didn’t bother the elephants or giraffes but the pandas were napping, the lions were lounging and the koalas were curled up in slumber.

We enjoyed the new Monkey Trail exhibit since the chimpanzees were active and entertaining. Another popular exhibit with the Tuech/Utt clan were the aviaries where you had to keep your eyes peeled for all the species hiding in the trees. Our favorite animal encounter was probably the lone meerkat who “barked” at us repeatedly while he stood guard. http://www.sandiegozoo.org/

BALBOA PARK
The zoo is part of the cultural/museum/performing arts complex known as Balboa Park. There are thirteen museums throughout the complex including the Air and Space Museum, the Model Railroad Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Museum of Photographic Arts. Most of them are free on Tuesdays. For a full list of what’s there and the admission prices click here: http://www.balboapark.org/

We walked most of the grounds and saw the Botanical Garden, a recreation of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, the Japanese Friendship Garden and the Spreckels Organ Pavilion [which Tyler recognized from a Tony Hawk video game.] The predominately Spanish Revival architecture reminded Karen and me of Rollins College.

SAN DIEGO AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM
We had time to do one museum and Tyler and Cameron picked a good one: the San Diego Automotive Museum. It’s basically one big room filled with classic cars and motorcycles. We spent about an hour taking pictures of the collection which included the first dune buggy built with a fiberglass body by Meyers Manx, a 1948 Tucker Torpedo, a Model T, and some Indian motorcycles. http://www.sdautomuseum.org/ContentPage.asp?ContentID=100
The vehicle I spent the most time at was Louie Mattar’s 1947 Cadiallac, which he and two other men drove from San Diego to New York and back without stopping [except at lights and stop signs.] It was a 6,320-mile trip that required them to eat, cook, sleep, bathe and use the bathroom in the customized car. Louie had installed a refrigerator, stove, sink, washing machine and chemical toilet. There was a supply trailer/tank reserve that they pulled behind them that they gassed up at airports using moving fuel trucks. They could even check the engine or change a flat tire without stopping the car.

ROADSIDEAMERICA.COM
If you are planning a trip by car, check out Roadside America. They catalog all the low-tech, mom-and-pop attractions, and crazy architecture that is generally found on our nation’s two-lane highways. No matter what state you are from or heading to, I’ll bet there’s something that will pique your interest.

For example: I can’t believe I lived in Orlando ten years without knowing there was a replica of Graceland in the Pine Hills area. Not a model, but an actual house with the music note gates and all. Check it out:
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tips/getAttraction.php3?tip_AttractionNo==1899

MORLEY FIELD FRISBEE GOLF COURSE AND SHOE TREE
Roadside America had this listed for the San Diego area and I was intrigued by a tree covered in cast-off shoes. This tree was three stories tall and it had shoes on every single branch. There were sneakers, slippers, heels and even two pairs of roller blades. I’m not sure how or why it was started but it is still going strong.
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/sights/sightstory.php?tip_AttrId=%3D12032

Just as interesting to the four of us was the fact that the Frisbee Golf Course was being used. I thought the sport was just a fad from the mid-70’s, but Morley field was doing fine attendance-wise. We were even asked to step aside twice so that people could play through.

GRAVITY HILL--LA JOLLA
We left San Diego on Friday, heading north on the Pacific Coast Highway on our way to La Jolla. Although it is correctly pronounced “LAH HOY-uh,” the boys enjoyed pronouncing it “LAH-joll-LUH” for the duration of the trip.

We took a fifteen-minute detour to experience Gravity Hill. Following the instructions on Roadside America, we lined up the back wheel to the proper telephone pole, shifted into neutral, and immediately felt the car being pulled uphill. Spooky. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tips/getAttraction.php3?tip_AttractionNo==3418

MISSION SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO
Continuing up the PCH, we next stopped at Mission San Juan Capistrano. Billed as the “Jewel of the Mission Trail,” San Juan Capistrano is the seventh of the twenty-one missions and dates back to 1776. http://www.missionsjc.com/

On March 19th [St Joseph‘s Day] the cliff swallows return to the Mission and the town after a 6,000 mile flight from Argentina. Leon Rene wrote a 1939 hit song about the annual bird migration called “When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano.“ It’s been recorded by folks like Glenn Miller, The Ink Spots, Pat Boone and Elvis Presley.

The birds stick around until October 23rd [Day of San Juan.] and then it‘s back to South America. I wonder if there is an Argentine song called “Cuándo los Pájaros Retorno a Goya, Corrientes?”

We thought we saw a swallow, but it flew by so quickly that none of us was really sure. Yesterday, I read that because of development in the area, the insect population is decreasing and that many of the birds have begun to relocate. With or without the swallows, the Mission truly is a jewel.

LONG BEACH AQUARIUM
We continued up the PCH, driving through towns like Encinitas and Oceanside and ended up at the Long Beach Aquarium just in time for its Shark Lagoon Free Friday Nights. We were able to pet sharks, rays, horseshoe crabs and guitarfish “using at least two fingers.” Then we moved over to the large tank and watched the nurse sharks and swordfish swimming around. We peeked in on the adjacent lorikeet habitat and then checked out the gift shop. Afterwards, we walked over to the Long Beach lighthouse for a view of the Queen Mary. http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/VISITOR_INFO/visit.htm

WALT DISNEY’S TRAIN BARN
Back in Glendale, we headed over to Griffith Park to see Walt Disney’s Train Barn which is open the third Sunday of the month. Walt had an extensive steam train layout occupying the backyard of his house on Carolwood Drive and in 1999 his train barn was relocated to become a museum operated by the Los Angeles Live Steamers.

On Father’s Day, Imagineers were sharing old blueprints with interested dads and granddads. Inside were pieces from Walt’s Carolwood Pacific line, lots of railroading/Disney memorabilia, and train-themed Disney cartoons.
http://www.carolwood.com/

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
Next we headed to the other side of Griffith Park to visit two Frank Lloyd Wright homes.

HOLLYHOCK HOUSE
This house gets its name from a geometric motif Wright created based on the flowers that were to be planted around it. Recently restored after the 1994 earthquake and located in Barnsdall Park, the Hollyhock House offers daily tours. We enjoyed walking through the 3000 square-foot home and comparing the blooming hollyhocks with Wright’s design. Here is the official website: http://www.hollyhockhouse.net/hhphotos.html

ENNIS HOUSE
We then drove into the neighborhood of Los Feliz to check out the Ennis House. Built in 1924 for Mabel and Charles Ennis, this larger and more-famous structure was also damaged by the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Unfortunately, last year, it was declared unsafe after heavy rains caused a retaining wall to fail. A full-scale restoration is in progress so the property is surrounded by chain link fencing. Even so, the house is still an imposing sight. The Ennis House Foundation website has before and after pictures.
http://www.ennishouse.org/htmls/photo_page.htm
http://www.ennishouse.org/htmls/threat.htm

FYI: Over 20 movies have been shot at Ennis House including The Rocketeer, Rush Hour, House on Haunted Hill and Blade Runner. It was also used in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

RANDY’S DOUGHNUTS
The next day we started out at Randy’s Doughnuts, the place with the giant doughnut on its roof. It’s an icon of California Crazy architecture and pops up in LA-specific films. The doughnuts were tasty and the service was friendly.
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/set/donut.html

KINDLE’S DO-NUTS
About three miles east was a place that looked almost identical to Randy’s, except for the name and the spelling. We were at Kindle’s Do-nuts to sample the Texas Donut. It’s not spiced with jalapeno or anything, it’s just an enormous doughnut. It’s as big as your head. You could use it for a cushion. It fed our family of four. Seriously. http://www.roadsidepeek.com/roadusa/southwest/california/socal/socaleats/socalsnacks/

WATTS TOWERS
Another few miles to the east and we were at Watts Towers, a National Historic Landmark.

There are three major towers in this amazing piece of folk art and the tallest one stands almost 100 feet tall. The whole thing was built over a period of 33 years single-handedly by Italian immigrant Simon Rodia without any scaffolding or special tools. He didn’t use any plans, he just built the forms out of metal, bound them together with wire and then covered them with cement and decoration. No welding, no rivets, no bolts.

From 1921 to 1954, he filled the triangular piece of land next to his house with the towers, a gazebo, a birdbath, the “Ship of Marco Polo,” a 300-foot long wall and other objects all decorated with shells, bottles, broken pottery and tiles. And when he was done, he deeded the property to a friend and moved away to live near relatives. He died in 1965 without ever returning to see the towers.

Karen and I took about 100 pictures at Watts Towers. It was fascinating to think about the time and money spent amassing the raw materials; lugging the tools, tile, and concrete 80 feet in the air using just a window-washers belt; staying committed for 33 years. It’s amazing what one person can achieve. Pictures and more of Simon’s story are at: http://www.arts.ufl.edu/ART/RT_ROOM/watts/tower2.html

MCDONALD’S
A few miles to the east we completed our tour of fatty foods in Downey, home of the World’s Oldest McDonald’s. Built in 1953, it was the last one to feature the red-and-white striped tile exterior. The building, and its 60-foot high neon sign with "Speedee the Chef" are eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Here are some photos http://www.downeyca.org/visitor_mcdonalds.php

It still has the golden arches and the walkup window, but they’ve added covered seating and a small museum. The four of us walked through the collection of photos, newspaper ads, commercials, and Happy Meal toys. Interesting fact: When the restaurant opened, a Cheeseburger was 19 cents, French Fries were 10 cents and a Shake was 20 cents. Funny fact: One of the commercials, featured a young Chris Meloni. [Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and HBO's Oz]

LOS ANGELES ARBORETUM
We ended up the day walking off the morning’s fat intake in Arcadia‘s Los Angeles Arboretum. In addition to flora of all varieties, there are free-roaming peacocks on the grounds (and in the trees.) Free-roaming film crews are also common here. The day we went a small production team was shooting some jungle scenes. We never found out the name of their film but I did find out some other things that were shot there.

The first Bob Hope/Bing Crosby/Dorothy Lamour film Road to Singapore did some location work here. Other notable film productions at the Arboretum include The Yearling, The Best Years of Our Lives, The Women, Till the Clouds Roll By, Notorious and most of the early Tarzans. Less notable films shot here include Cobra Woman, Cyclops and Attack of the Giant Leeches.

Television series using the Arboretum include Sea Hunt, Mission Impossible, Lassie, Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, Knots Landing, and Hart to Hart.

The most recognized location at the Arboretum has to be the Queen Anne’s cottage that was used as Mr. Roarke’s house on Fantasy Island. It looks the same as it did 30 years ago, so it’s not hard to imagine Herve Villechaize peeking out of the tower exclaiming “De plane! De plane!” Take a virtual tour of the cottage here http://www.arboretum.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=getFrontPageFeature&catagory=history&FeatureID=80a9b6c5-5f83-11d6-a274-00d0b76949cb&TypeID=1&CFID=1308612&CFTOKEN=38498243

DODGER STADIUM--DODGERS VS MARINERS
The next day we were at Dodger Stadium to watch Los Angeles lose to Seattle. It was depressing. Maybe that’s why LA’s team motto is “Think Blue.”
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/index.jsp?c_id=la

OTHER THINGS
Believe it or not, we did a lot more before Karen, Tyler and Cameron left on June 22. We went to the Getty Center, where Karen overheard a woman ask the guard, “Are all these paintings real? I think some of them are fakes because I saw a Monet just like this one at the Bellagio.”

We toured Palm Springs with my Uncle Carl and took a moonlit hike through the desert. We played miniature golf in Ventura, drove by the Poltergeist house in Simi Valley, and shopped at the Brentwood Country Market. We went to the Hollywood Bowl, Chinatown, and the Walsh’s house from Beverly Hills, 90210. We ate Italian in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, barbeque in Montrose, French food in Larchmont Village, Thai food on Hollywood Boulevard, sushi in Glendale, and Baja Fresh in Beverly Hills.

In the car, we played about 20 rounds of the Alphabet Game but we never stopped playing Punch Buggy. That game is always on. And, because it’s summer vacation, there were daily viewings of The Price is Right and MXC when we returned to the apartment.

Daryl and I had a lot of fun hanging out with Karen, Tyler and Cameron. We were sad to see them go but looking forward to our next visit together.

LOS ANGELES FIM FESTIVAL
After Karen and the boys left, I spent a week in Westwood working at the LA Film Festival assisting with the different screenings and staffing the information centers. Even though I didn’t see any of the 250+ movies, I did attend a session with Jennifer Westfeldt, the writer and star of Kissing Jessica Stein and her new comedy Ira and Abby. http://www.lafilmfest.com/

STAR SIGHTINGS
Nobody this month, unless you count Kathy Griffin’s house from her Bravo series My Life on the D-List. Daryl is “pretty sure” he saw Anderson Cooper drive by us the week that he broadcast here. We were right by the CNN building too, but a positive ID was not made

Enjoy the Fourth! I can’t believe the American Bicentennial was 30 years ago…

Until next month,
James & Daryl

May 2006: Visitors, Trader Vic's and Tatsu

2007-07-16T16:27:00.000-07:00

Hello again. May was a busy month in the Cameron/Utt household. Here are some of the highlights:

VISITORS--PART ONE
We started the month with a visit from friends from Phoenix, Malinee and Carlton Press, and Orlando, David Fernandez. After a day at Disneyland, Malinee and Carlton headed to area relatives, and David stayed on for another week of sight-seeing in Los Angeles.

HOLLYWOOD LANDMARKS
David is very knowledgeable about Old Hollywood so we made sure to take him by all of the major film studios: Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers, Disney, Universal, Sony [previously MGM] and the Henson Studios [previously Chaplin].

One of David’s favorite films is Gone With the Wind and even though the sets are long gone, he still got to see the Selznik Studios building which is [sort of] the first very shot in the movie.

He also recognized the Alta Nido apartments that William Holden’s character lived at in the Oscar-winning Sunset Boulevard.

TRADER VIC’S
The three of us spent a sightseeing day in Beverly Hills and topped it off with a terrific dinner at Trader Vic’s. The food was delicious, the service was smooth and their signature cocktail was a hit with the drinkers at the table.

The Beverly Hills restaurant was the second in what has become a global chain with over 20 locations including Munich, Osaka, Beirut and Dubai. http://www.tradervics.com/restaurant-1.html

I was surprised to learn that the restaurant was named after a real person, namely Vic “the Trader” Bergeron. He was one of those larger-than-life characters who traveled the world, wrote books and, capitalizing on his love of Island culture, became a restaurateur. He created over a thousand different cocktails but his most famous has to be the Mai Tai. The name is an abbreviation of the Tahitian phrase “Mai Tai - Roa Ae." (or “out of this world - the best.”)

In this 1970 article below, Vic explains his creation of the famous drink and shares the original Mai Tai recipe, the subsequent changes in the mixture and the current formula which has been in use since 1964. http://www.tradervics.com/mai-tai-1.html

VISITORS--PART TWO
Two weeks later, Daryl’s mother and sister--Rita and Annette--flew in from North Carolina for a few days. Daryl took them to Disneyland, the Getty Villa and Malibu. Rita left Saturday morning and Annette’s husband, Paul arrived that afternoon. We took the two of them to see the HOLLYWOOD sign, The Walt Disney Concert Hall, and Hollywood & Highland--where FOX was setting up for the American Idol finale.

After spending the weekend with us, Annette and Paul headed north to visit Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, and Yosemite National Park. On the way back to LA, they visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium and toured Hearst Castle. They had an awesome time. We might have to take the same vacation this fall.
http://www.nps.gov/seki/
http://www.nps.gov/yose/
http://www.mbayaq.org/
http://www.hearstcastle.com/

US BANK BUILDING
We got to talking about the skyline of Los Angeles during their visit. Though not as recognizable as New York or Chicago, it is home to the 77-story US Bank Tower, the tallest building west of the Mississippi. Read more and see a picture of it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Bank_Tower

ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS & SCIENCES
On Thursday, May 18, I was at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater for a lecture hosted by Phil Alden Robinson who wrote and directed Field of Dreams. His guest was Paul Haggis, the first person to write back-to-back Oscar Winners for Best Picture, namely, Crash and Million Dollar Baby.

It was a casual discussion filled with encouragement and insight for struggling writers. Haggis got his start on Scooby-Doo and worked his way up to Facts of Life and thirtysomething. Robinson talked about how difficult it was to watch his original screenplay become the Dolly/Stallone vehicle Rhinestone.

They agreed that the best way to uncover problems in a script was simply to read it aloud to someone. “The flaws will jump off the page!” Phil got a big laugh with this but then he and Paul began commiserating on how painful it is to brave that first read-through.

The 2-hour program included film clips, audience questions, and lots of laughs. All for $5. I’ll be back. http://www.oscars.org/events/

HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM
While I was attending the AMPAS lecture, Daryl was at the Hollywood Heritage Museum for a “Hollywood Past & Present” event. Hosted by the author & photographer of the book, it was an interesting look at the changes in and around Hollywood from the early 20th century to today. http://www.hollywoodheritage.org/main.html

TATSU--THE TALLEST, FASTEST “FLYING” COASTER
Two days later--Memorial Day Friday-- I went to Six Flags Magic Mountain to ride Tatsu--my first “flying coaster“ experience. Instead of sitting upright as the train went through drops, banked curves and loops, I was lying on my stomach with my arms out in front of me.

As the coaster pulled out of the station and climbed up 100 feet, I was searching the ground for a soft spot to land in case my harness came undone. Once that initial panic subsided, I enjoyed the ride a lot. There are some twists in the track that deliver the “flying sensation” you might experience in an especially vivid dream.

For the facts and figures about Tatsu, click here: http://www.sixflags.com/parks/magicmountain/ParkPress/tatsu-factsheet.pdf

Six Flags Magic Mountain has seventeen roller coasters, including several record holders. My least favorite of these was X. Billed as a “4-D coaster“, this ride reminded me of an especially vivid nightmare. Imagine going up a 200-foot hill backwards, taking the first drop upside down and then riding a free-spinning rocking chair through a track modeled after the human intestine. Naturally, it’s a big hit with the kids.

Here’s a picture from a fan site. Notice that the people at the front of the train are facing forward. The people riding the rear seats are upside-down.
http://www.coastergallery.com/2005/MM81.html

On the positive side, there is also the Psyclone. It’s an exact replica of the famous wooden coaster in Coney Island. The only thing Six Flags changed was the spelling.
For information on the other thirteen coasters or the park in general go here: http://www.sixflags.com/

MANN’S CHINESE THEATER
Later that night, we saw our first movie at the historic Chinese Theater. http://www.manntheatres.com/chinese/

It was the perfect venue to see an “event movie” like X-Men: The Last Stand. Our 10:00PM show was completely sold out with a line that was already wrapping around Hollywood Boulevard when we joined it at 8:30.

A favorite for Hollywood Premieres, the Chinese Theater is most famous for its courtyard of celebrity handprints. Here’s a map which tells you who and where each one is:http://www.manntheatres.com/chinese/forecourt.php

But the inside of the theater ain‘t too shabby. In fact, I think the words opulent, grand, and ginormous came to mind as we entered the auditorium. Daryl and I took some time after the show to admire the details that made this one of the premier movie palaces. Here’s one picture from a company that did the earthquake retro-fit on the structure.
http://services.pcl.com/projects/Archived/5200160/index.aspx

Thanks to Shawn Anderson for pulling the group together and including us. It was a great evening.

Oh and one more thing. Judging by the audience reaction to the trailers, the biggest hit of 2006 may just be Snakes On A Plane.

DESCANSO GARDENS
Two days later, we were with our friend Cynthia at Descanso Gardens. It’s about five minutes north of us in LaCanada/Flintridge. Once a private compound, this 160-acre site is filled with flowers, trees, miniature train rides, and an estate house. The gardens are famous for its Rosarium, which was in spectacular bloom the day we visited.

I wish the website had more pictures, because it a beautiful place. We are definitely going back. http://www.descansogardens.org/site/

THE MELTING POT
Two days after that, Annette and Paul were back in town and we had dinner in Pasadena at The Melting Pot: A Fondue Restaurant. The four of us had a lot of fun dipping vegetables in gooey cheese, meat into seasoned oil, and marshmallows into warm chocolate. It was a tasty, interactive meal where we couldn’t help but play with our food.

Our server Adrian told us that the Pasadena location was the 100th store in the chain. He also told us that the very first Melting Pot is still located on Horatio Ave in Maitland, Florida. Fittingly, it was the site of our first visit, many years ago, thanks to friends Byron and Shephard. Maybe there’s one near you: http://www.meltingpot.com/

STAR SIGHTINGS
I saw Wonder Years star Fred Savage in the lobby of the Disney Channel Building a few weeks ago. David Fernandez saw Jeff Goldblum while he was at the movie theater.

When we were in the parking deck of Hollywood and Highlands, we saw Carlos Alazraqui. You might recognize him as the face of Detective James Garcia on Comedy Central’s Reno 911. He’s also the voice of Mr. Crocker on The Fairly OddParents and the “Yo quiero Taco Bell” Chihuahua. You never know who you might be standing next to out here. http://www.carlosalazraqui.com/active/site/index.php?id=213

We already have several things on the books for June. With luck I’ll have that Update ready before the July 4th holiday rolls around.

Until next month,
James & Daryl

April 2006: Festival of Books and the Getty Villa

2007-07-16T16:22:00.000-07:00

Hello again. Can you believe it is already May 1? Here’s a look back at April 2006 in the Cameron-Utt household.

THE GETTY VILLA
In the hills of Malibu sits an Italian villa full of Greek, Roman and Etruscan antiquities. The villa is adorned with marble floors, tiled walls and painted ceilings. The garden features fountains, statuary, flowers, herbs and a view of the Pacific Ocean. The Getty Villa and grounds are beautiful and we had perfect weather on our visit three weeks ago. We were there about four hours, strolling from one gallery to the next, brushing up on our Greek and Roman mythology and pondering object that date back to 6,500 B.C. In addition to jewelry, coins, and Grecian urns, there are many fantastic sculptures.

There‘s also one controversial statue that I read about in Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink. Gladwell writes about the value and validity of “snap” judgments and the first chapter of his book is all about a statue at the Getty Villa that cost millions of dollars to acquire. Scholars have studied the piece carefully to verify its authenticity. Unfortunately, without the benefit of any research, many are convinced the statue is a fake because of their first impression or gut feeling. Judge for yourself.

If you want to see the controversial kouros in person, or visit a one-of-a-kind museum you won’t soon forget, click on the link below to order free tickets. http://www.getty.edu/visit/

SANTA MONICA
After lunch at the Getty Villa, we headed down to Santa Monica to meet our friend JJ. In addition to a walking tour along the ocean, we also stopped in to the Tudor House for a proper English tea.

DAVID SEDARIS/ROYCE HALL-UCLA
If you listen to NPR or read The New Yorker, you might be familiar with author David Sedaris and his stories about growing up in Raleigh, NC with his nutty family, living in France with his partner Hugh, and working as one of Santa’s helpers at Macy’s. If not, you can sample his work here http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/sedaris.html

During the presentation, he read three completed stories--including one about a religious discussion between a sheep and a crow featured is in this week’s New Yorker. The fourth piece was an unfinished essay that he will debut at Princeton for their upcoming commencement address. Lucky for us, at each stop on his tour, he has been testing the address and editing his speech based on the audience reaction. Like everything else he read, this got huge laughs, too, so I expect the Princeton audience will enjoy their guest speaker.

MOVING/THE DESERT
After a few false starts, my Uncle Carl found the perfect house for himself and his dog Jake. We helped him move the weekend of the 22nd, and are still marveling at the awesome views he has of Joshua Tree, San Jacinto, San Gorgonio, and Saddleback Mountain.

LATIMES FESTIVAL OF BOOKS
Even though the weather was warmer and the crowds were bigger, the festival was just as good as last year’s. Every genre was represented including mystery, sci-fi, culinary, biography, travel, arts, self-improvement and many more. Several booths were dedicated to the art of writing, the business of getting published, and the support organizations available to aspiring writers.

Of the 300-plus authors appearing this year, the big names included Joan Didion, Dave Barry, Joyce Carol Oates, and Ray Bradbury. Getting into some of these discussions is like trying to get autographs at Super Soap Weekend. Instead, we just walked the festival and bumped into folks like Rhea Pherlman, Henry Winkler and special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen. We joined a crowd that was doing a giant crossword puzzle and Daryl got the final answer.
http://www.latimes.com/extras/festivalofbooks/

HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM
One of the booths had a calendar tracing the history of a barn that sits across the street from the Hollywood Bowl. The barn was used in Cecil B. DeMille’s silent film The Squaw Man, the first full-length motion picture to be shot in Hollywood. Over the years, the barn was moved from its original location and used in films such as Fear Strikes Out and TV shows such as Bonanza. It was designated an historic landmark in 1956 and now houses the Hollywood Heritage Museum. Take the virtual tour at http://www.hollywoodheritage.org/
You can see that it’s not that big, but the museum staff is knowledgeable and committed to preserving the artifacts and architecture from the early days of California’s film industry. They do movie screenings, history tours, and historical conservation. Details are on their website.

VISITORS
Our friend Paula came over from Vegas to hang out and see LA sights like Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Olvera Street and Sidney Bristow’s apartment from Season One of Alias.
Our friend Yogi was working at Disneyland at the beginning of the month. I met him after work and we were able to do Tower of Terror, Mike and Sully to the Rescue, California Screamin‘ and a trip on the Disneyland Railroad.

STAR SIGHTINGS
At the Sedaris reading, we saw Joel Grey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and her husband Brad Hall. While on the way to lunch Friday, we crossed the street with Ewan McGregor. He was dressed completely in leather and carrying his motorcycle helmet.

And now, I must sign off to prepare the apartment for friends arriving on Wednesday.

Until next month,
James & Daryl

March 2006: Live from the Academy Awards Red Carpet

2007-07-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

Hello again. I hope all is going well for you. It’s a little late, but here’s a look back at March 2006 in the Cameron-Utt household.

78th ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDSOf the many events that take place in Hollywood, none is more famous than the Academy Awards. This year, Daryl and I got to sit in the bleachers as the celebrities walked the red carpet. Did you see us? Probably not, so I’ve attached a picture of Nicole Kidman being interviewed. If you look to the right of her wrinkle-free forehead, past the two speakers, you’ll see me in beige and Daryl in purple stripes.

Attending the event was free. All we had to do was register with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, provide a recent photo, submit our address for the last ten years, and pass a background check. Nothing to it! Over 20,000 people signed up for this year’s event and only 400 made the final cut.

If you are interested in attending next year’s Academy Awards, bookmark the following page and start checking it August 1st. The registration period lasts a week, but you should submit your information as soon as the site goes live. http://www.oscars.org/bleachers/

So what was it like? Here’s a quick overview of the day:

9:30am Pick up credentials at check-in table.
9:45 am Grab gift bag with camera, M&M’s and Krispy Kreme
10:00am Pick up free drinks and go to assigned seats
10:15am 1st Celebrity: Chris Harrison of The Bachelor
11:00am Red Carpet cleared of morning journalists
12:00pm Complimentary lunch from Subway
1:00pm Afternoon media trickle in and begin setting up
2:00pm E!, Extra, ET, Insider, Melissa & Joan arrive
3:00pm Rachel Weiz and George Clooney arrive
4:00pm There is someone famous everwhere
5:00pm J. Lo, Latifah and Charlize straggle in
5:30pm Bleacher guests escorted across the red carpet El Cap

It was kind of like an 8-hour workday, except our only tasks were to take pictures and scream a lot. It’s not for everybody. The couple next to me was visiting from Texas and the husband left after a half hour because he didn’t want to miss the UT basketball game. But for those us that are into films, it was like having box seats at the All-Star game or sitting courtside at the Final Four. The people whose work you’ve been following during the season are all there in one place. And the people whose work you haven’t been following--Lee Majors, for example--show up, too.

The Red Carpet is about a block long. Joaquin Phoenix did no interviews and he reached the Kodak Theater in about five minutes. Jessica Alba and Kiera Knightley took about an hour each as they posed for pictures and did interviews. George Clooney took the full two hours.

The emcee for the red carpet is usually Army Archard, but this year he turned over the show to Robert Osborne, host of Turner Classic Movies. While we were waiting for the stars to arrive, he asked the crowd which movie was going to win Best Picture and the overwhelming winner was Crash.

Once the celebrities exited the security tent and made their way down the carpet, the bleachers went wild. No one is “announced” so we were constantly scanning the crowd for famous faces. Twelve years of reading Entertainment Weekly prepared me well for the task, but a few celebrities slipped by unnoticed. I’m still not sure how we all missed Jack Nicholson.

As glamorous as the red carpet is on the surface, it’s really just an industry-wide office party. People were being introduced to each other’s spouses, underlings were trying to get face-time with higher-ups, and many were just there for the free food and booze.

Oscar night also reminds me of the Senior Prom because of the fixation on everyone’s wardrobe and who-showed-up-with-who. And, like prom, the actual event is kind of a drag unless you or your best friend get crowned king or queen. The real fun for most of the industry starts at the after-party.

But for us mortals, the fun was the pre-party. I could write an entire Update about all the funny stuff from the red carpet, and another one about all the geeky moments. Instead, though, here are three highlights:
Jamie Foxx and Matt Dillon both waving to us when we yelled out their names.
George Clooney coming over to the bleachers to sign autographs.
Dolly Parton showing off more white meat than a bucket of chicken.

A week after the show, friends were showing me pictures that their co-worker Ingrid had taken from her seat in the Oscar bleachers. They looked just like ours because Ingrid was sitting next to Daryl the whole day! Can you believe that? [You can see her aiming her camera at Nicole Kidman in the attached photo.] She has already taken the time to crop, organize and post her pictures online and she graciously allowed me to include the link below. Thank you, Ingrid!

STAR SIGHTINGS--78th ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS EDITION
Amy Adams—Junebug, Jessica Alba—Fantastic Four, Marc Anthony—Big Night, Eric Bana--Munich/Troy/Hulk, Ed Begley, Jr.—A Mighty Wind, Sandra Bullock—Crash, Gary Busey—Buddy Holley Story, Kate Capshaw—Temple of Doom & Mrs Spielberg, Steve Carrell—40 Year-Old Virgin, Helena Bonham Carter—Wallace & Gromit, George Clooney—Winner, Sup Actor, Judi Dench—Mrs Henderson Presents, Matt Dillon—Crash, Will Ferrell—Anchorman, Jamie Foxx—Ray, Morgan Freeman—March of the Penguins, Dan Futterman—The Birdcage & Writer, Capote, Jennifer Garner—Alias, 13 Going on 30, Paul Giamatti—Sideways/Cinderella Man, Selma Hayek—Frida, Terence Howard—Crash, Hustle & Flow, Felicity Huffman—TransAmerica, William Hurt—History of Violence, Catherine Keener—Capote, 40 Year-Old Virgin, Nicole Kidman—The Interpreter, Keira Knightly—Pride & Prejudice, Queen Latifah—Last Month, Heath Ledger—Brokeback Mountain, Jennifer Jason Leigh—Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Christopher Lloyd—Back to the Future, Jenifer Lopez—Monster In-Law, Ludacris--Crash, William H. Macy—The Cooler, Lee Majors—Six Million Dollar Man, Terry Moore—Come Back, Little Sheba, Dolly Parton—Travelin’ Thru, Ryan Phillipe—Crash, Jaoquin Pheonix—Walk the Line, Keanu Reeves—Constantine, Mickey Rooney—Andy Hardy, Jane Russell—Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Peter Sarsgaard—Flightplan & Kinsey, Jane Seymour—Wedding Crashers, Jada Pinkett Smith—Matrix Triology, Will Smith—Hitch, David Strathairn—Good Night and Good Luck, Meryl Streep—Prime & Lemony Snicket, Hilary Swank—Million Dollar Baby, Charlize Theron—North Country, Uma Thurman—Prime, Kill Bill, Bruce Vilanch—Get Bruce! & Celebrity Fit Club, Nancy Walls—40 Year-Old Virgin, The Daily Show, Naomi Watts—King Kong, The Ring, 21 Grams, Rachel Weicz—The Constant Gardener, Michelle Williams—Brokeback Mountain, Dawson’s Creek, Luke Wilson—Old School, Legally Blonde, Reese Witherspoon—Walk the Line

Behind the Camera:
Robert Altman—Director, The Player, MASH, Nashville, Noah Baumbuch—Director/Writer, Squid and the Whale, Tim Burton—Director, Corpse Bride, Alice Davis—Walt Disney Imagineer, Sid Ganis—President, A.M.P.A.S. , Dan Glickman—Current head of MPAA, Paul Haggis—Director/Writer, Crash; Writer, Million Dollar Baby, Don Hahn—Producer, The Lion King Beauty and the Beast, Grant Heslov—Writer/Producer, Good Night & Good Luck, Luc Jacquet—Director, March of the Penguins, James Keach—Producer, Walk The Line and husband to Jane Seymour, Ang Lee—Director, Brokeback Mountain, Sense & Sensibility, Bobby Marisco—Writer, Crash, Larry McMurtry—Writer, Brokeback Mountain, Bennett Miller—Director, Capote, Diana Osanna—Writer, Brokeback Mountain, John Singleton—Producer, Hustle & Flow, Director, Boyz In the Hood, Steven Speilberg—Munich, Schindler’s List, ET, Duncan Tucker—Director, TransAmerica, Jack Valenti—Former head of the MPAA John Wagner—Writer, History of Violence, Todd Wagner—Producer, Good Night, Good Luck and Enron: Smartest Guys in the Room

Entertainment Media:
Jann Carl, Steve Cocajuru, Chris Connelly, Giuliana Depandi, Dayna Devon, AJ Hammer, Chris Harrison, Leonard Maltin, Mark McGrath, Vanessa Minnillio, Nancy O’Dell, George Pennachio, Tony Perkins, Lisa Rhinna, Joan Rivers, Melissa Rivers, Sam Rubin, Ryan Seacrest, Joel Siegel, Lara Spencer, Debra Wilson, and Jeanne Wolfe

THE CHERRY ORCHARD--MARK TAPER FORUM
We saw more stars at the Mark Taper Forum’s production of Anton Checkov’s The Cherry Orchard. Anette Bening, Alfred Molina, Sarah Paulsen, and Rafael Sbarge contributed to a successful but ultimately uneven show. [The LA Times Calendar guest reviewers recommending everything from RAVE to REFUND. http://www.calendarlive.com/stage/300700,0,2127659,reviews.event]

Daryl had gone online and found $20 tickets. Our seats were at far-far-far-house-right. But because the Forum is done in three-quarter round we actually missed some of the dialogue aimed at the far-far-far-left. We would’ve enjoyed the show more had we sat in the center section. Our next two $20 theatrical experiences went much better.

PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY--BOSTON COURT
Boston Court is a relatively new and smaller house in Pasadena but every seat was excellent for this show. Oscar Wilde’s script still engages with its ruminations on beauty, youth, purity and vice but everything else--acting, lighting, sound design, sets, props and costumes--was just as solid. The direction, by Michael Michetti, was so strong that Daryl went back on Sunday to see the show performed with the understudies in the leads. http://www.bostoncourt.com/the_show.htm

DAME EDNA: BACK WITH A VENGEANCE--AHMANSON THEATER
Dame Edna Everage, self-proclaimed international megastar (and idol of millions) puts on one heck of a show. Whether doing a prepared bit or improvising with the audience, she was hilarious. We laughed a lot, especially when she was making fun of our fellow audience members. For example:.

“Fixing up a home is expensive, isn’t it? You have to save a lot , of course. And ma‘am, you‘ve obviously saved a lot by making all your own clothes.”

Daryl found $20 tickets for this show, too, in the 7th row! I still can’t believe how close we were. If Dame Edna is coming to your town, make plans to attend. Check out her website for tour information and some Edna humor. http://www.dame-edna.com/

SAN FRANCISCO
Daryl spent the weekend of the 25th with good friends in the City By the Bay, San Francisico. David Fernandez was in town for a conference and they went to the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill for afternoon tea in the Laurel Court. Later, they met up with another old Orlando friend, Charles Lougee. Charles moved to San Fran about 2 years ago and was a great tour guide through the city. A few of the highlights were Golden Gate Bridge, the Presidio, the Palace of the Legion of Honor and the Castro district. Daryl was also happy to see Denise (Gigi) Pasternak on Sunday as the whole group took a ride on a cable car and explored Chinatown.

25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
Daryl & David were able to see a production of the play while in San Francisco. The set was straight out of a junior high school gym, complete with bleachers and a basketball hoop. The cast was top-notch and the story kept us guessing right up to the end who will win the Bee. Of course, we won’t Bee revealing that here. [Daryl’s joke, by the way.]

STAR SIGHTINGS--NON-OSCAR EDITION
On March 19, we were in Santa Monica to see 20,00 Leagues Under the Sea on the big screen with our friends Shawn and Rob. Walking to the theater, we passed by Steven Spielberg as he chatted on his cell phone. After the movie, we dined next to Paula Poundstone and her kids.

VISITORS
Our fiend Mark Witko was in town and in addition to joining Daryl at Dorian Gray, he went with us to Larchmont Village, which is sort of like Park Avenue in Winter Park. Many of our former Disney co-workers were in town for a conference so we hung out in the hotel lobby and caught for three hours. We had dinner with Lisa Becket and her team at the oldest restaurant in Hollywood Musso & Frank‘s. http://www.hollywoodlostandfound.net/locations/mussoandfranks.html

And we are already halfway through April, it seems. Passover starts tonight and Easter is this weekend. I hope you have a wonderful holiday. We’ll be back in three weeks.

Until then,
James & Daryl

February 2006: Year of the Dog and Las Vegas

2007-07-16T15:48:00.000-07:00

Hello again. I hope all is going well for you.

CHINESE NEW YEAR
February 4th, we headed to Chinatown for the 107th Golden Dragon Parade. It was like any other community parade except this one had lots of dragons in it. Here is a photo recap from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles.We are now in the Year of the Dog. Tradition says that the Buddha summoned all animals to him before he departed from the earth. Only twelve species came to say good-bye so as a reward, he named a year after each one in the order in which they arrived. Find your Chinese Zodiac sign at http://www.logoi.com/zodiac/zodiac.html and read up on the different animals and traits at http://www.chinatoday.com/culture/zodiac/zodiac.htm

After the parade, we walked around the shops, had some dinner and watched people repeatedly hit the “Money” and “Luck” gongs outside the Sincere Importing Company.

SANTEE ALLEY
The following weekend, our friend Cynthia took us to Santee Alley, which is a cramped shopping district rife with low-cost Gucci knockoffs, pirated DVDs, and other unlicensed goods. It was a fun morning but not recommended for the claustrophobic. The attached website will tell you everything you need to know if you are interested in the Santee Alley experience. http://www.la.com/shopping/specialty/santeealley/437

PHILLIPE’S ORIGINAL
Did you ever wonder where the “au jus” sandwich came from? Some say it was invented in LA at Phillipe’s Original. You can get the story at their website http://www.philippes.com/

The floor is full of sawdust, the food is served on paper plates, and our wait was 20 minutes at every cashier. I had the Lamb au jus sandwich and boy was it gooooood. Totally worth it. Their coconut cream pie wasn‘t bad either--but it can’t hold a candle to the coconut praline pie made by my sister Susie.

GOLDEN AGE OF TRAVEL
After lunch we went to the LA Public Library to see the exhibit of travel posters. It was a great collection that is all available on line at http://www.lapl.org/virgal/travel/travel-1.html

We also enjoyed the series of author photos by Nancy Crampton [on display through April 2.] The black and white photos were mostly journalistic in tone, but the accompanying quotes--from folks like Isaac Singer, Sam Shepherd, and Alice Walker--ran the gamut from the humorous to the profound.

DUKES OF MALIBU
The next day, our friends Diana and Linda took us over to Duke’s of Malibu. This beachfront restaurant is named for Duke Kahanamoku, the father of modern surfing [and Olympic gold medalist.] Walls are filled with vintage surfing pictures and the menu is filled with delicious seafood. I hear the Sunday Brunch is terrific. For more about the restaurant, http://www.dukesmalibu.com/

For more about the man, click here: http://www.hawaiianswimboat.com/duke1.html

SANTA MONICA'S 3rd STREET PROMENADE
After dinner we drove to Santa Monica’s 3rd Street Promenade to wander the stores and soak in some night life. There is a good mix of restaurants, boutiques, movie theaters, and entertainment, but there are lots of panhandlers. Surprisingly, they are not mentioned on the 3rd Street website. http://www.downtownsm.com/

LAS VEGAS
Even though we’re not smokers, drinkers or gamblers, we had a great President’s Day Weekend hanging out with friends in Las Vegas. Mike was busy managing the Official NASCAR Store so we spent the bulk of our time with Paula and Anthony. We went through the Wynn, Rio, Bellagio, Mandaly Bay, Luxor, and Aladdin--which is in the process of becoming the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. We drove by the new Hooters casino and hotel. I suggested they change the name to the “Hootel.“

FASHION SHOW MALL
As the name might suggest, this multi-level Vegas mall hosts daily fashion shows. During our visit, the techno music started, the lights flashed, and a full catwalk and stage rose from the mall floor. The crowd gathered round as models walked the catwalk in skimpy swimwear from Everything But Water. Fifteen minutes later, the stage disappeared and people went back to their shopping. http://www.thefashionshow.com/html/Mallinfo.asp The Official NASCAR Store is here, too.

THE IMPERIAL PALACE
This casino resort is anything but imperial or palatial, but it does have an awesome car museum located on the 5th floor. We didn’t have enough time to do the museum, but we were so impressed with the cars we saw from the ticket desk that we’re planning to see the collection on another visit. Supposedly there is $100 million worth of antique, classic, muscle and special interest automobiles, all available for purchase. Here is the website to find out more www.autocollections.com and this is their 2006 calendar you can print out http://www.imperialpalace.com/auto_calendar_06.html

As we walked through the Imperial Palace, we saw people playing blackjack against “Dealertainers” impersonating celebrities like Bette Midler, Little Richard, or Dolly Parton. Guests seemed to be enjoying themselves, but it looked like sad affair to me.

LIBERACE MUSEUM
There are 5 cars. One is completely covered in rhinestones. There are 10 pianos. Two are covered completely in rhinestones. There are 20 costumes. Most of them are completely covered in rhinestones. Nothing says taste and class like a bunch of rhinestones. http://www.liberace.com/museum.cfm

STAR SIGHTINGS
None in LA this month, but while walking through the food court at Caesar’s Palace, we saw Entertainment Tonight anchor Mark Steines.

ACADEMY AWARDS
Believe it or not, Daryl and I will be on the red carpet outside the Kodak Theater this Sunday. You might see us in the background as the stars make their entrances. Tell you all about it next month.

Until then,
James & Daryl

January 2006: A Trip to DC and A Year in LA

2007-07-16T15:42:00.000-07:00

Hello again. I hope all is going well for you.

Daryl and I started 2006 off with the traditional Southern “lucky” meal of black-eyed peas and collard greens thanks to our friends Shawn and Rob. Here are some highlights from the rest of the month:

A YEAR IN LA
January 19th marked one year as residents of the Greater Los Angeles area. As much as we’ve done during our time here, there are probably 526,600 more things still left on the “Living in LA” list. I’ll be happy if we knock out 20 this year.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE
Here’s one thing I can cross off the list: Attend a taping of Wheel of Fortune. It only took me 30 years and a gracious invitation from friends at SOAPNet. [Quick plug: “Watch today‘s episodes tonight.” Contact your local cable provider or visit. http://soapnet.go.com/]

When you attend a Wheel taping, there are only two rules you have to follow: 1. Do not shout, speak, or whisper the answer. 2. When Vanna claps, you clap. The second rule is a lot harder than it sounds, especially when you consider that the 1992 Guinness Book of World Records listed Vanna White as the world’s most frequent clapper. They estimated that she puts her hands together an average of 720 times per show. Ouch!

Wheel of Fortune debuted on NBC in 1975 with host Chuck Woolery and manual letter-turner Susie Stafford. My sisters and I watched it regularly that summer. [I think it was paired with High Rollers starring Alex Trebek and Ruta Lee.] Back then, after each puzzle was solved, the winning contestant had to immediately blow their jackpot on the [overpriced] goods filling the set. Leftover amounts were put towards a gift certificate or put “On Account” to be used later in the show. Chuck regularly explained that if you hit Bankrupt, you’d lose all your cash, “but once you buy a prize it‘s yours to keep.” The biggest prize was usually a Chevy Vega.

Boy, have things changed. The two cars up for grabs at last weekend’s taping were a Land Rover and a Porsche Boxster. Not too shabby. And now there’s an online component that lets “Wheel Watchers” win identical prizes at home. Genius! No wonder Wheel is routinely one of the highest-rated syndicated shows. You can find out more about the show or just run your curser over the wheel and watch it spin. It’s all at http://www.wheeloffortune.com/indexflash.php

Wheel of Fortune teamed up with SOAPNet to do a week of shows--all in one day--with soap stars playing for charity. I watched them tape Monday’s show and then went to hang out/assist in the VIP and Press Rooms while the other four were recorded.. It was fun watching the episodes backstage with about-to-compete celebrities like:

Corbin Bernsen--LA Law, General Hospital
Galen Gering--Passions
Rebecca Herbst---General Hospital
Susan Flannery--The Bold & The Beautiful
Lorenzo Lamas--Falcon Crest, The Bold & The Beautiful
Kristoff St. John--Young & The Restless
Alison Sweeney--Days of Our Lives
Jack Wagner--General Hospital, Melrose Place, The Bold & The Beautiful

I can’t tell you if anyone went home with a car or anything but I will tell you that we had a laugh when one contestant thought the correct answer was “beluga snails.“ Find out who the big winner was the week of February 27. Check your local listings.

MOVING
Almost a year to the day that we arrived in CA, it was moving time again, only this time we were helping out my Uncle Carl. It took two weekends and several trips in the U-Haul to get everything into the storage unit. Carl had a house under contract but unfortunately [or fortunately] the inspection revealed shoddy construction and questionable building permits. He’s renting a place in Joshua Tree while he looks for another house.

ROSEMARY CLAIRE BRIDGES
The following week we were in Washington, D.C. for the birthday and christening of my goddaughter Rosemary Claire Bridges. At the tender age of one she’s just beginning to master words like “mama,” “dada” and “plbtff.” She’s developed an appreciation for the music of Gwen Stefani, but that might just be her dad’s influence. Rosemary has an amazing array of facial expressions that leads us to believe that she may one day be a great dramatic actress like her mother Rachel.
Rosie showed great composure at her christening until Reverend James began to dab her with holy water. She started crying directly into his sweater where the microphone was pinned, demonstrating her unique flair for comedy. The congregation had a big laugh and then Rosie was back in her parents’ arms, looking just as adorable as ever.
MONKEY BOY AT CHARTER THEATER
That night we were lucky to see the Charter Theater comedy Monkey Boy. In the play, a young girl standing in a hotel lobby is taunted unmercifully by a large cockatoo. Fifteen years later, the same parrot now named Monkey Boy is given to her as a birthday gift and her life begins to unravel. My friend Keith wrote the very funny Monkey Boy with two friends and Rachel played the lead. It was a BUSY weekend for the Bridges family!

Next up, Keith is directing Wonders Never Cease a new play by one of the co-writers of Monkey Boy. I love this set up: “Ever wonder what your childhood would have been like if the stuff you ordered from the ads in the back of comic books actually worked? This guy does. In this magical new comedy from Charter Theatre, find out what it's really like to have x-ray vision, hypnotize total strangers, read minds and rule an undersea kingdom of sea monkeys.”

If you’re in the DC area, swing by Georgetown for a show. Dates and ticket information are at www.chartertheater.org

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
The following week, Daryl and our friend Cynthia were at the Ahmanson Theater to see The Importance of Being Earnest. They had okay seats, but just before the lights went down, an usher asked if they wanted to move closer, so they followed her…to the front row! It was an excellent production featuring Lynn Redgrave and Miriam Margolis, but there even more actors in the audience.

DARYL’S STAR SIGHTINGS AT EARNEST
Dana Delaney--China Beach
Robert Sean Leonard--Dead Poets Society
Sharon Lawrence--NYPD Blue
Joan Van Ark--Knots Landing
Juliet Stevenson--Emma, Truly Madly Deeply
John Michael Higgins--Best in Show, A Mighty Wind

MOVIES
We got to be part of Hollywood history last weekend. On Friday, January 27, Steven Soderbergh‘s new film Bubble debuted in theaters, on DVD and on cable TV simoultaneously. We watched the film on HDNet in the comfort of our home and enjoyed it. The low-budget film takes place along the Ohio/West Virginia border and follows a week in the lives of doll factory workers. Because it was shot on digital video and featured amateur actors, you wouldn’t think it could be so entertaining, until you remember that it was directed by the guy responsible for sex lies & videotape, Ocean’s 11, and Erin Brockovich. He has five more films in the works under the same contract and Bubble bodes well for the future. Here’s a good write-up from NPR http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5167394

VISITORS
The first guest of the year was our friend Monty who stopped by on January 2nd for a quick visit. The weather was a little iffy but we had fun before he headed out to Vegas to spend a few days with his family.

Before I forget: Happy Groundhog Day!

Until next month,
James & Daryl

December 2005: Christmas in London

2007-07-16T14:59:00.000-07:00

LONDON
Can you believe that we moved all the way to the West Coast and THEN decided to go to London for Christmas? If you are thinking about it making a trip across the pond, we recommend picking up a copy of Lonely Planet: London. A good internet site is http://www.londontown.com/. And don’t forget the Transportation For London site that has all of the bus and train schedules. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tube/

Visiting during the Christmas Stretch posed a few problems. Much of the city closes down for the entire week. Underground service was reduced or closed on holidays. The daily temperature was rarely above 2 degrees Celsius. [ It snowed briefly the morning of the 26th.] Even so, we walked everywhere, took the Underground with no problems, and enjoyed the mostly smaller crowds.

HELPFUL LONDON TERMS
Signs do not say "EXIT." They say “WAY OUT”
The drugstore is called “the chemist.”
Soccer is called “football.”
"Take out” is called “Take Away.”

BLOOMSBURY SQUAREWe stayed at the Hotel Montague on Bloomsbury Square, which is across the street from the British Museum and within walking distance of three Underground stations. The neighborhood was historic and very quiet. It was easy to imagine some of the Bloomsbury Group--which included writers E.M. Forster and Virginia Woolf--meeting in one of the row houses in the early 1900‘s. It was easy to imagine the "Who Will Buy?" segment from Oliver! taking place here, too.

CHRISTMAS EVE
We walked into the hotel at 9:00am Christmas Eve and promptly took a four-hour nap. After showering, we headed to St Paul’s Cathedral for the 4:00pm Carol Service. We arrived at 2:30 and there was already a line! The building holds about two thousand people so we were inside and seated in about ahalf hour.

The service started with a lone voice from the Boy’s Choir singing “Once In Royal David’s City” and ended with the entire congregation joining in on “O Come All Ye Faithful.” Throughout the presentation, lessons were read by various dignitaries--including David Brewer, Lord High Mayor of London--as the choir and clergy progressed from the altar to the main entrance doors. It was a beautiful service.

After an Italian meal at one of the few places still open in Piccadilly Circus, we headed over to Westminster Abbey for the 11:30pm Christmas Mass. We were there with plenty of time to spare, so we walked down to Buckingham Palace and back up through St James Park. By then, people were queuing up, so we followed suit, and ended up behind TC and Mark from Alabama and Tucson.

The First Eucharist of Christmas at Westminster Abbey included a sermon and Holy Communion. Perhaps it was the late hour or the openly crabby Dean, but the service just couldn’t hold a candle [forgive the pun] to the one at St. Paul’s. That said, I did enjoy singing “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear” and “In the Bleak Midwinter” and with completely different melody lines.

As the crowd exited, we walked through the church, marveling at all of the monuments and statuary devoted to the movers and shakers of English history and culture. It was interesting to think that every king and queen since William Conqueror [in 1066] had been crowned on that site. [All but two, actually. Their names are hidden somewhere on this page. Can you find them? Just kidding.]

CHRISTMAS DAY
The next day, we slept until 12:30 because everything was closed and we still had some jet lag. After watching the annual broadcast of The Snowman, we walked down to The Strand for afternoon tea at the Savoy Hotel. This was my first time at a proper English tea, and it was quite a treat. Imagine sitting down for all the cucumber, salmon, egg salad and ham sandwiches you can eat. Then imagine digging into scones with clotted cream, mince pies, and other desserts, while you nurse a pot or two of tea. It was a great way to spend a winter afternoon. Afterwards we explored more of the Savoy and were introduced to Kaspar the Kat. Since the 1920's, this 3-foot high sculpture has "lived" at the Savoy Hotel in London, and is assigned to eat with any group of diners that have 13 in their party. Apparently in the late 1890’s the first guest that rose from a table of 13 was later shot and killed. It is Kaspar's duty to bring the number of any dining party to 14, thereby protecting other diners from an unfortunate fate.

When we left the hotel we crossed the Thames via the Waterloo bridge and made our way down to the London Eye. It was closed for the holiday, so we walked back along the river and crossing at Blackfriar‘s Bridge. We headed in the general direction of our hotel, but got off course and walked by St Bartholemew’s Hospital, Smithfield Central Markets, and the Dickens’ House Museum.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL
The next day we got to see Patrick Stewart perform his one-man version of Dickens’ classic story. He did not disappoint. On a bare stage with minimal lighting, almost no sound effects, and just three pieces of furniture, Stewart brought the story to life with humor, emotion and drama. If this production is ever headed your way, get a ticket. You can read about how he came to mount the original production here: http://www.christmascaroluk.com/abouttheshow.html

MARY POPPINS
Unfortunately, this was a disappointment as neither Daryl nor I found it to be practically perfect in any way. There were young audience members loudly unwrapping their candies through the first three songs which may have contributed to our not feeling supercalifra--you get the idea. But I think it’s safer to say that the reliance on spectacle, the radically different plot, and the focus on the parents’ story just left us indifferent.
http://marypoppinsthemusical.veriovps.co.uk/home/

MARY STEWART
The next night, we saw a great play about the bitter relationship between Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots [played by Harriet Walters and Janet McTeer, respectively.] I knew that Mary got the axe but I had never studied how her beheading came about. The script addressed many topics--power, blackmail, seduction, religious fundamentalism, family honor, responsibility, unrequited love, leadership--but didn’t feel scattered. It was presented on a spare set with careful staging and two actors at the top of their game. It was such a great show that I want to sit down and watch it again right now. (Thanks to Jill Caruth for recommending it. More on her later)
ttp://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/news/display?contentId=86324

MUSEUMS
London has so many great museums, it seems that you could go to a different one everyday for an entire year. Here are the ones we made it to on this trip:

THE BRITISH MUSEUM
Most of our time in this one was spent visiting the Egyptian wing and the controversial Elgin Marbles. These Friezes were removed--with permission--from the Parthenon in the early 1800’s. Although there is much controversy about where their rightful home is, I was happy for the opportunity to see them and pleased that photography was allowed.
http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/compass/ixbin/goto?id=enc852

VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM
Also known as the V&A. Free. Awesome. Too much to see in one day. We went to the 4th floor and checked out British History 1600 to Present Day. We plan to visit again. You should, too. http://www.vam.ac.uk/

THEATER MUSEUM
Another free one. We were in Covent Garden and saw a sign. I thought it was going to be a storefront/souvenir stand, but it was much more. It is affiliated with the V&A and there are plans to rename it the Victoria and Albert Theater Museum. If you want to learn about how the West End became what it is today, check this place out. http://theatremuseum.org/collections/history.php?PHPSESSID=874314551b348c588f72ab497dae663b

LORD LEIGHTON HOUSE MUSEUM
Lord Frederic Leighton was an accomplished painter and head of the Royal Painting Society. He lived just off of Holland Park in a beautiful house with a paint studio on the top floor. During his travels, he became so enamored of Islamic tilework and architecture, that he added on to his house in that style. The homepage has a great picture of the addition.http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/leightonhousemuseum/general/

SOMERSET HOUSE
Calling this place a “house” is pretty ridiculous. It’s actually a former palace situated on the Thames. The computer-generated film loop showing four hundred years of renovation for the property was almost as interesting as the collection itself. There were British Watercolors, gold and silver pieces, an ice rink and a cozy café. I think the most incredible thing we saw there were the micro-mosaics made of marble and other stones. Here’s a blowup of one from 1833:
http://www.gilbert-collection.org.uk/thecollections/italian_mosaics/mosaicsLarge06.html

BRITISH TELEVISION
I got to see some personal favorites like Dave Allen At Large, The Goodies, and The Young Ones, and discovered other comedies like Morecambe and Wise and game shows Countdown and Hard Spell. We caught bits of the long-running nighttime soaps Coronation Street and EastEnders. Unlike American soaps, there is almost no background music and no glamour. The actors truly look like ordinary blue-collar folks and none of the characters runs a perfume or modeling company.

If you saw the movie Love, Actually you might remember the old rock ‘n roller who becomes fixated with having the number one song the week of Christmas. As it turns out, the “Christmas Number One” is kind of a big deal in Britain. We even saw a special that recounted the last 30 years and ended with this season’s winner "That's My Goal" by Shayne Ward. He was the big winner on the talent show The X Factor and this was his debut single. The video is like a highlight reel of his journey through the show. http://www.shayne-ward.com/news/

SPORTS
The day after Christmas is known for a two things: shopping and football. There were 10 or 11 games taking place on Boxing Day and we road on the Tube with several fans of the victorious Chelsea Football Club. They are about two thirds through the season which started in July, runs through May and features 47 matches. You can see the statistics on the team website under “Fixtures and Reports.” [What fixtures they are referring to, I‘m not sure.] There’s also a link for betting on “football, golf, tennis, horse racing, greyhounds, cricket and snooker.” http://www.chelseafc.com/index.asp

Speaking of cricket, I saw some reports on “The Ashes” which Australia had won 7 years in a row until the UK won it back earlier this year. I saw the game-winning play about 5 times during the week, but still have no idea exactly how cricket is “won.” Here’s a website where you can read a quick history of the Ashes, buy a 3-hour DVD of this year’s momentous game or just look at the smallest trophy in professional sports: http://www.334notout.com/

SHOPPING
We braved the serious shoppers on Boxing Day at Selfridges. Explored the large assortment of biscuits and teas at Fortnum & Mason--a London fixture since 1707 and reportedly, the Queen’s grocer. We walked through Notting Hill’s famed Portabello Road even though all the shops were closed. We went to Harrod’s on their first day open after the holidays. We should’ve kept on walking and avoided the crowd. It was very uncomfortable.

DINING
We had great food on this trip. Right around the corner from Mary Poppins was a terrific Thai place whose name escapes me at the moment. Not too far from that place was Grand Indian, which was also tasty. We had awesome pub grub--meat pies, bangers and mash (sausages & mashed potatoes)--at Night and Day [on Russell Square] and at The Railway [in the Kew Gardens station.] We had a great lunch at the very popular Wagamama’s. http://www.wagamama.com/food_sub_favourites.php [If you are looking to start a restaurant franchise here in the states, I would recommend this one.]

LAST DAY
The famous London weather didn’t kick in until our last day of sightseeing so the obligatory photo of us in front of Tower Bridge is somewhat gloomy. Luckily, that afternoon went to visit Jill Caruth. Daryl works with her daughter JJ and she thought her Mom would like a visit from two strangers. When we called on Thursday to get directions she recommended seeing Mary Stuart and for that we will always be grateful.

Ms. Caruth lives in Wandsworth Common, We took the train and walked to her flat in Wandsworth Common. [It sounds like something from Harry Potter but it’s an actual suburb south of the Thames.] We had tea, biscuits, jam, cake and lots of laughs. It was a great way to end the week and we appreciated her hospitality.

FLYING HOME
We made it to Gatwick airport in plenty of time for our flight home, and hours ahead of the planned Underground Strike. There was so much that we didn’t do on this trip--The Tate Modern, The Tower of London, Hamsptead Heath--that we were sad to leave.

THE REST OF THE MONTH
Even though London was probably the busiest week, we managed to do lots prior the trip.

WATCHING LEFT
My friend Keith was listening to NPR one afternoon and heard the story of a nun who was abducted, held captive and tortured psychologically and physically. She was freed but soon realized she would never escape the effects of the ordeal. Using her story as a starting-off point, Keith wrote a play that explores the daily challenges of a torture survivor and her family trying to lead a “normal” life. The play was produced in Washington, D.C. at Charter Theater and nominated for a few awards.

Some folks heard about Watching Left and invited Keith do an informal reading with an audience at The Road Theater in North Hollywood. Tagging along for the sole rehearsal and the official reading made me appreciate how difficult it is to write, cast, direct, produce, and present even a simple no-frills production with 5 performers and some folding chairs.

And even though the final result was rough around the edges, the script was still heard and it was still live theatre. The actor playing the father slipped right into character within the first three lines. Later in the show he played a store manager with the same ease. It was exciting to see Keith’s words actually come to life and I enjoyed his Q&A with the audience afterwards.

In the meantime, you can read up on Keith’s theater company at www.chartertheater.org and the Road Theater at http://www.roadtheatre.org/mission.htm#history.

If you would like to know more about Sister Dianna Ortiz, the woman whose story led Keith to write the play, check out The Blindfold's Eyes: My Journey from Torture to Truth: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1570754357/104-9860354-6842311?v=glance&n=283155

HOLIDAYS IN LA
Keith was in town during the Disneyland Cast Christmas Party so we dragged him along. They close the park early so that employees can bring their families and experience the park with [mostly] shorter lines. Some of you may remember Walt Disney World doing this about 15 years ago.

Our friends Byron and Shephard drove us out to Woodland Hills to a neighborhood FULL of Christmas lights, which is always fun. I’m amazed at the time, money, labor, and electricity that goes into some of these yards. Some of the displays were done so well and some of them were just puzzling. What is Christmas-sy about a cutout of Shrek, The Incredibles or Transformers?

Daryl’s Department Holiday Party was at a house in Bel Air. On the way home. we drove down Rodeo Drive and looked at the holiday decorations. Would you believe Baccarat crystal chandeliers were hanging from every light post? Only in Beverly Hills.

MOVIES
We managed to fit in King Kong, Goodnight and Good Luck, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Miss Henderson Presents and Brokeback Mountain.

STAR SIGHTINGS
I was the Security Desk standing next to Harry Hamlin and never realized it until Daryl mentioned it as we got on the elevator. We saw the Food Network’s Rachel Ray arriving at Sur la Table for a book signing. At the movies, Daryl saw Drew Carey in the lobby. Michael Rosenbaum [Lex Luther on Smallville] sat two rows ahead of me in King Kong.

2006 has gotten off to a busy start, as you might have been able to guess by the delayed delivery of the December Update. Thank you for your patience this month and thank you for staying in touch over the last year.

May 2006 be a bright, prosperous year for you.

James & Daryl

November 2005: Pee Wee and Other Big Adventures

2007-07-16T14:53:00.000-07:00

Hello again. I hope all is well with you. October’s Update was pretty long, so there has been a conscious effort to streamline this month’s edition. Enjoy!

PEEWEE'S BIG ADVENTURE
The first day of November found us at the Arclight Theater for a screening of Peewee’s Big Adventure because it featured an informal Q&A with star Paul Ruebens. He shared funny stories about writing the first screenplay [literally by-the-book] and working with Tim Burton, and how he landed on the stolen bike concept. None of which will I recount here in the interest of time, but I will tell you that we met Diane Salinger who played waitress Simone at the Dinosaur-themed truck stop.

BOOKSOUP
November 3rd we were at BookSoup to meet and participate in a Q&A with the Style Channel’s Brini Maxwell. Her Guide to Gracious Living is a great little book dedicated to helping you “add style to your life; and life to your style.“ Brini is a big fan of Mid-Century design and she especially enjoys Palm Springs for its abundance of now-classic architecture http://www.brinimaxwell.com/

DAYS OF OUR LIVES 40th ANNIVERSARY Our friend Linda Kirwin invited me to this event and boy, was it a blast walking the party and bumping into Bo, Hope, Abe, Roman, Maggie, Alice, Victor, Tony, Stefano, Dr. Marlena Evans and the other residents of Salem.

Also cool was that the shindig was held at the Hollywood Palladium, which opened back in 1940 with Frank Sinatra and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Since then it has hosted everything from the Emmy Awards to Nirvana. Click here for more information www.hollywoodpalladium.com/

PALM SPRINGS
The following week, we headed to Palm Springs [which has a street named after Ole Blue Eyes.] Daryl and I stopped at the Visitors Center and picked up a self-guided tour of the Mid-Century architecture that Brini Maxwell referenced. We enjoyed seeing the Rat Pack era homes and even toured one that was on the market for $1.4 Million. Then we swung by the honeymoon house of Elvis and Priscilla’s and the swinging motel, the Orbit In. You can explore the golf courses and awesome natural beauty of Palm Springs at its official website: http://www.palm-springs.org/album.htm

CABAZON
During that same trip, we stopped in Cabazon to have breakfast at the Wheel Inn--the desert restaurant Simone worked at in Peewee’s Big Adventure. In sticking with the prehistoric theme of the giant dinosaurs outside the diner, all the waitresses wore sabre-tooth tiger-print dresses. Only in America.

OAK GLEN
About 40 minutes later, my Uncle Carl was guiding us through the mountainous apple country of Oak Glen. Because of the winding roads, fall leaves and quaint stands around every turn I felt like we were back in Western North Carolina. The three of us sampled dumplings, scones, strudel and lots of shops. We came home with fresh cider and a bag of “Arkansas Black” apples that were the size and color of plums. I’ve attached a picture Daryl took at the Los Rios Rancho to give you an idea of how beautiful it was that day. And here’s some general information and more pictures of Oak Glen: http://www.oakglen.net/index.html

THANKSGIVING
The following week, we were invited to Thanksgiving dinner with our friends Rob and Shawn. A great meal was followed by a friendly game of Penny Rummy/Michigan Rummy and the movie White Christmas.

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE
This month, we also got to see a new musical at the Ahmanson called The Drowsy Chaperone. The script, staging, music, and the performances were all top-notch. It’s headed to Broadway, and if you get the chance, treat yourself to this funny and truly delightful show starring Sutton Foster, who won a Tony for Thoroughly Modern Millie. You can click on this link for a few pictures and some of the great reviews: http://www.taperahmanson.com/show.asp?id=314

VISITORS
Our friend Ryan Giannetta drove up from Anaheim on the 13th and we did a mini-Disney heritage tour taking him to the site of the Hyperion Studios, the site of the garage where Walt and Roy started out, and the Disney family plot at Forest Lawn cemetery. It only seemed fitting that we ended up at the El Capitan to see Chicken Little in Digital 3-D.

STAR SIGHTINGS
Besides Peewee Herman, Brini Maxwell and the casts of The Drowsy Chaperone and Days of Our Lives, there really were no sightings this month.

So December looks to be a busy month between us traveling and friends visiting. I’ll return in early January with all the details. Until then, Daryl and I wish you Seasons Greetings, Merry Christmas and a peaceful, yet prosperous New Year.

James & Daryl