AFM and AFI Fest 2012

AFI NEWS: Nov 1st 2012

AFI Fest 2012 opens with a "bang!" or should I say a "knife slash!" with the Gala Opening Premiere of Hitchcock, the biopic of Alfred Hitchcock's life as he was making the movie Psycho in the 1960's. Hitchcock stars Oscar winner, Anthony Hopkins well disguised as Hitchcock and Oscar-winner, Helen Mirren as his long-suffering wife, Alma. The film is directed by writer-turned-director, Sacha Gervasi in his first feature directing role. Gervasi broke out in a big way as the writer of The Terminal which starred Tom Hanks and he also wrote Henry's Crime which starred Keanu Reeves then he went on to direct Anvil: The Story of Anvil. Gervasi seems to have a nice, quirky take on things plus I've loved Alfred Hitchcock since childhood so I was eager to see this movie.

I went to the AFI box office at Hollywood and Highland at 10 in the morning and snagged tickets to see Hitchcock. I was late arriving but I got to see some of the red carpet arrivals. Then I handed my tickets to the event staff and I was told the tickets were only vouchers which lead me to a long serpentine ticket line. Thankfully, I was blessed that the line was a fast-moving line so I sat and chatted for 30 minutes then we got tickets and were allowed inside.

We were seated in the over-flow theater Chinese 6 not the main viewing theater which was Graumann's Chinese Theater, where the director and the movie's stars usually do a brief intro with thank yous etc. Unfortunately, both Hopkins and Mirren were not able to attend because they're filming the movie, Red 2, together in England. However, they taped a brief video which was played for us prior to the start of the movie. Hopkins and Mirren apologized for their absences and then they talked about their support of the film, the film studio and of their fondness for director, Gervasi.

IMHO Review:
I'm on the fence about Hitchcock actually. It wasn't the acting that didn't work for me because Hopkins did his best to inhabit Hitchcock by mimicking his slow speech, his mannerisms etc. and Mirren is always solid though I might have casted someone a bit softer in style to be Alma. Scarlet Johansen was so-so for me but she didn't detract from the film. Jessica Biel was good and the guy who played Anthony Perkins looked eerily like him.

The real problem with the film for me was with the source material from the book and resulting script which made me leave the film feeling that Hitchcock was a pervert and mentally unwell instead of the amazingly creative, quirky humorous person that he was. The pacing was a bit off, too and some of the dream sequences didn't gel. I also didn't feel the love between Alma and Hitch at all either and I can't imagine which woman would consider this film a love story as advertised.

In fact, here were so many depictions of Hitchcock being down-right hateful and abusive to women that I was secretly hoping that one of the women would grab the "shower scene knife" and let him have it. It seems that other women in the theater felt that way as many women left the theater looking puzzled yet all the men left happy and smiling. So if you're a guy you'll probably love Hitchcock but, girls, I'd say miss it.

Sunday Nov 4th 2012
Rise of the Guardians (3D):

I was blessed to get a gala ticket to Rise of the Guardians, a new animation from Disney studios. There was a brief wait then they we were ushered past the red carpet and seated in the Graumann's Chinese Theater. Jeffrey Katzenberg was asked to stand and be acknowledge for his hard work at Disney and everyone applauded for him loudly. Then there were brief comments by the film's director, Peter Ramsey and Alec Baldwin, who plays a broad-shouldered sword carrying Russian Santa Claus along with Hugh Jackman who voices a muscled Ausssie Easter Bunny in the film.

Star Sightings:
Alec Baldwin exited down the center aisle then walked right behind me. He stood there for a bit then they ushered him to an exit to my right.

IMHO Review:
After getting over my 3D glasses headache, I sat back in my seat to enjoy this film. Unfortunately, the film did not hold my interest at all. The problem again was with the source material and the script. The Jack Frost storyline was boring and I wanted to know more about the back story of the other Guardians like Santa or the bunny instead. I loved the elves and the abominable snowmen though and again I wished the movie featured them more. The literal "nightmares" were also a nice CGI effect and Sandman was way cool, too. So "see it" if you want to see what's up in CGI effects but don't expect a story. Consider a "miss it" if you're taking young kids because at times the movie's themes were too dark.


AFM 2012 : Nov 6th 2012 Election Day
I finally dropped by the American Film Market (AFM) at the Loew's Santa Monica Hotel at 1700 Ocean Avenue and AFM seems the same as the past few years. The Asian contigent (especially the Chinese) seemed smaller this year but that may just be my biased assessment as I hung out with some Chinese filmmakers at AFM in 2010. I didn't schedule any conferences or pitches this year so I just grabbed some trade mags and strolled about the beautiful hotel. It was turning dusk so everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves in the lobby as filmmakers and buyers from all over the world networked as they drank cocktails.

AFM Update: Twilight's Breakin Dawn and the Virgin Islands Film Office:

 Twilight: Breaking Dawn 2 cast shoot scenes in St. Thomas


 

I got to hang out with someone working with the Virgin Islands Film Office. It appears that a critical part of Breaking Dawn Part 2 including all the scenes on the fictitious Isla Esme were filmed in St. Thomas and that footage is now being used to promote the U.S. Virgin Islands as a film location for future films. Read what Twilight actors, Robert Patterson and Kristen Stewart said about filming in St. Thomas here  
http://collider.com/robert-pattinson-twilight-breaking-dawn-2-interview/208112/    

Interested in shooting in the Virgin Islands? Go to http://www.filmusvi.com/

Election Day at AFM 2012

Tue Nov 6th, 2012 Election Day  

I dropped by the AFM at 5:45 pm and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves in the lobby as filmmakers and buyers from all over the world gathered around the large TV monitors and watched the blow-by-blow TV news coverage of the U.S. Presidential election results as they drank cocktails. Seemingly, all the Europeans and the Brazilians were pro-Obama and hating not only on Romney but they were hating on everything American (especially the French). Many Asians were pro-Obama, too but a lot less vocal about it. Sadly, no American in the group corrected our foreign "guests" for their vile "hater" attitude towards Romney and the red states. 

I find it odd that Americans are called "ugly Americans" abroad but I don't know many Americans who would think of going to a foreign country and trashing them so vocally during their election process. No matter who wins the Presidency, I thank God that anyone can speak freely in America despite their race or place of origin. I'm also very thankful for the civil right to vote despite my race, color or creed and I'm thankful to the many Americans who fought to make that possible. I'm proud to be an American and so I voted!

Update: Nov 7th 2012 
It was a close vote but President Obama won another term. Now we'd better stop this "red state" "blue state" nonsense and get to work solving the nation's problems!

**See my adventures with a President Obama look-a-like at my AFM 2010 post and see my Obama pumpkin that I carved in 2010.

Remember,

Hurricane Sandy Hits the East Coast

Oct 30th 2012

Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast of the U.S. with forceful winds and severe flooding after devastating parts of Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Cuba. Early reports state that NY, NJ and CT are the worst hit. I just saw some footage of the aftermath and I'm in shock.

NY looks almost post-apocalyptic and the Jersey Shore is almost gone. I know what it's like to live through a hurricane and the hard weeks and months of recovery so I'm praying hard for all those affected by this mega-storm.

Update: Oct 31st 2012
Subways are still closed and power still out for most of the affected areas of New York City and the Jersey Shore looks totalled. News reports are stating that 66 people have died due to the storm in the U.S. plus the number that died in the Caribbean.

Update: Nov 5th 2012

NBC/Universal did a Sandy Relief Telethon with performances by New York and New Jersey natives, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige plus Jimmy Fallon, Steve Tyler, Christina Aguilera and more. They raised more than 20 million dollars which they will donate to the American Red Cross for relief funds for the Hurrican Sandy victims. Reports now state that over 100 deaths have been directly related to the storms effects in the U.S.

Update: Nov 8th 2012
Ecclesia Church is partnering with Samaritan's Purse and Reformation Hope to raise funds for Hurricane Sandy Relief in the Northeast and Haiti. Ecclesia Church will match $1 for each $1 donated in hopes of raising 20k. To Donate go to  www.churchinhollywood.com/#/giving/hurricane-relief

Best Documentaries of 2012

IMHO Movie Reviews:

Side by Side

I saw the documentary, Side by Side at the NoHo Laemmle Theaters in August and I can't stop raving about it!

Side by Side is all about digital v.s. film or how more and more movies are being made digitally as the celluloid filmmaking process (cameras included) fades away. This film is directed by Chris Kenneally who I think did a marvelous job with the subject matter. Also, well done was the way actor, Keanu Reeves (The Matrix, Speed, The Gift, Thumbsucker) did double-duty as the on-screen interviewer and narrator for the film. Reeves also co-produced the film through his production company with fellow producer, Justin Szlasa. 

Watching Side by Side was very educational for me. In fact, it almost felt like Film School 101 because I got such amazing insights from the greats of filmmaking such as Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, David Lynch, Chris Nolan etc. on where they stood on digital versus celluloid filmmaking. A film like this could have become too technical and unengaging in the wrong hands but the subject was so well presented that nothing went over my head.

Side by Side is full of fun and humor, too as are the film's director and producers, which I found out at the Q&A following the screening. Kenneally and Reeves recounted how Reeves came up with the idea for the documentary and then they jokingly shared amusing anecdotes on how they got all the cinematic legends in the doc to agree to the interviews. Kenneally and Reeves even called upon the film's cinematographer, Chris Cassidy to answer a few questions about cinematography for the film.

IMHO: Side by Side is a  "must see" if you love movies and the film industry so don't miss it! It's both fun and informative and it'll kept you interested the entire time.

**Kudos to Tribeca Films for getting the distribution rights for SBS in the U.S. SBS is currently available on VOD but I hope it is released more widely in theaters in the US and abroad because I think they may have a chance of an Oscar nomination with this doc- it's that good!.

(see more of my comments as blessedinLA   www.DeadlineHollywood.com )

                               The Side by Side team  (Cassidy, Szlasa, Kenneally, Revees)
Update: 10/1/12
I've suggested Side by Side for the "must see" list for the film discussion group at my church so we'll see  : )  

Update:  10-20-12
Side by Side was screened for the Academy of Arts and Sciences on Oct 7th 2012. Could an Oscar nomination be in the works? I hope so!

UPDATE: 10-24-12

Live in or around NYC? Side by Side screens for FREE at Tribeca Cinema for the Future of Film
Symposium with a post-film discussion panel planned - don't miss it! Best doc of the year for me and
a "must see" if you're a film buff!  http://futureoffilmoctober2012.eventbrite.com/#

See the full list of Side by Side's upcoming screenings in the U.S. and internationally
HERE   http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/sidebysidethemovie?fref=ts

You can also watch Side by Side on Video On Demand (VOD) $5.99 for a 3-day rental
HERE      http://www.amazon.com/Side-by/dp/B0090EJZA8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351233469&sr=8-1&keywords=side+by+side+movie

I still hope Company Films & Tribeca bring Side by Side back to L.A. theaters soon so more industry folk can see it on a large screen here as SBS has finished it's run in the L.A. area.

Update: 11/8/12   Side by Side is coming back to LA!
The Hollywood Post Alliance hosts a screening of Side By Side followed by a Q&A with the director and producers at Arclight Theater on 11/19. A small reception will follow. Get tickets at
http://www.hpaonline.com/side-by-side-screening

More IMHO Reviews to come:
I hope to see a few other documentaries this year especially Searching for Sugar Man which I've heard the most about. I'll also post more of my IMHO reviews starting with the new Indie film, Sironia which was directed by Brandon Dickerson, the former lead Pastor of Ecclesia Church.

"This Is Home" Art Exhibit

SEPT 2012

Hey, art lovers!
Ecclesia Church has another art exhibit up called "This Is Home" and my pencil drawing of my mom among the flora and fauna of the Virgin Islands was selected for it. "This Is Home" runs from August 26th - October 21st and it's filled with amazing artwork from some of Ecclesia's and the L.A.-area's best artists. I'm truly honored to have been selected to show my work at Ecclesia again and I now feel like I can honestly call myself a legitimate artist. Pics of the exhibit to come real soon :)

Update 9-7-12:
No pics of the exhibit yet because my camera isn't working. I have posted an earlier pic of my newly exhibited drawing of my mom on here. I e-mailed it to my mom, too and she said it didn't really look like her. I assured her that I had changed the final drawing a lot before submitting it and that it was now looking more like her. But she's right, something's still not right about it...

Update 10-2-12:
I finished another drawing of my mom that I think looks very much like her. She was right that the one of her that's now in the Home exhibit was of her younger self so it looked more like me. I finally realize why these drawings were so difficult for me to do. I just couldn't bring myself to age my mother's face... to add lines and loss of volume to a face that
I love so dearly... a face that looks so much like mine... Then I thought, "That chica looks good for 75 and a 1/2" and I finished the drawing-lol.

God's very blessings to my mom!

Summer 2012 Wrap Up

I was side-lined most of the summer with an inner ear and balance problem and could not post here as usual. Below are the summary of my thoughts on most of this summer's events--"better late than never".

Mass Shooting in Colorado at Dark Knight's Midnight Opening:

I was too shocked and saddened by the news of this to even post about it. God bless Christian Bale for going to visit the victims' families and the survivors in such a humble and caring fashion. I've been praying for all those affected but I think Joseph Barkley, Ecclesia's pastor, said it best when he tweeted...

"Praying for Colorado right now---for every wound, every broken piece. God heal completely."   https://twitter.com/jkbarkley

Summer Olympics In London Over--Best Ratings Ever For NBC

I liked most of what I saw of the Olympics. NBC still irritated with the prime time delay of events but otherwise they did okay. Loved the Women's Gymnastic team (and the nick names like "Flying Squirrel"), Women's Volleyball (both Court and Beach), Track and Field and Swimming events and Archery.

Though I like Danny Boyle's movies, I didn't exactly get the Opening Ceremony (health service staff pushing gurneys?) but I must say that the Brits really stepped it up for sure. I thought it was funny, too that the usually "egotistical" Americans wore staid looking suits and berets to the Opening Ceremony while the Brits wore loud gold lame tracksuits. The British suits were probably made in China, too (lol).

Summer Box Office Way Down This Year:
Even The Avengers movie box office numbers couldn't stop the Box office from being down this year. Movies with big stars didn't fair all that well either nor did rebooted or retooled franchises like Spider-Man or Bourne Identity.

Falling Stars:
Movie and TV Greats We Lost this Summer:

Actor, Sherman Helmsley from The Jeffersons and Amen TV shows has died. I grew up watching Mr. Helmsley and he always could make me laugh. I recently found out that he was a talented singer and musician, too.

Nora Ephron the amazing female writer-turned-director of When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and Julie and Julia  and countless others has died. She was a trailblazer for women in Hollywood and will definitely be missed.

Tony Scott, director of many loved movies like Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop 2, Enemy of the State, Crimson Tide and many TV shows and brother of Ridley Scott died after jumping off a bridge. I don't know what was going on in Mr. Scott's life that could have lead to this tragedy but I'm praying for his family.

Oscar-nominated actor, Michael Clark Duncan from Green Mile died from complications after he suffered a heart attack. Apparently Duncan has been hospitalized since July with a poor prognosis. I'm here in LA and hadn't even heard he was sick. I saw him once (see previous entry) and he was so nice and gentle that every age and race of people were hugging on him. I've always liked him and his acting but his voice was amazing to hear in real life. I will really miss him but I understand that he was very very ill.

May they all rest in peace.

Summer Box Office Heats Up!

It seems that there was something for everyone at theaters these past few week! Pixar's animated heroine with a bow and arrow, Brave best out its rivals in its first week but went down to #3 behind Mark Wahberg and his raunchy, pot smoking talking teddy bear voiced by Seth McFarlane in Ted followed by more raunchiness with Matthew McConaghey and Channing Tatum starring as male strippers in  Magic Mike. Brave was followed by a gun-totting Madea in Witness Protection for the #1, 2 and #4 spots, respectively.

Things got even hotter as the new Spider Man reboot opened to great numbers. I'm looking forward to The Dark Knight Rises, the newest Batman sequel with Tom Hardy as Bane as well as Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, which opens July 20th. Meanwhile Comic-Con starts this weekend so there should be 1 or 2 interesting stories coming out of that.

Olympics:
The London Summer Olympics starts runs July 27th -August but it is doubtful that this will take much out of the summer B.O. numbers.

My IMHO Movie Reviews:
I'm way behind on my summer movie viewing and reviewing 'cause I'm busy writing and polishing a few scripts. Also, my movie logline (story idea) and part of my movie outline was selected for the short film project, Let's Make A Movie for the Alameda Writers Group. The AWG plans to make the short film in 2013 and the script is in it's first draft. If all goes well, I should be getting my first and second writing credits! I should be returning to my IMHO reviews by mid July so "stay tuned"!

Update:
I read an interesting conversation on deadline.com about animated movie characters Ted, the raunchy teddy bear from the movie, Ted and Toon Town's Roger Rabbit from Who Killed Roger Rabbit fame as compared to Citizen Kane ("what!"). Of course, I couldn't resist making a comment on Jessica Rabbit versus Angelina Jolie. So sad that Jessica's never won an Oscar ;D Check my response and more here:
http://www.deadline.com/2012/06/early-fireworks-ted-and-magic-mike-open-with-huge-2m-midnights/

Writers Write!

Write Now!
I missed the final May 1st deadline and then the extended deadline (May 2nd) for the Nicholls Fellowship screenwriting competition due to persistantly dilated pupils and eye sensitivity from and an eye exam 2 days prior and to an ungoing computer glitch (shoots!). Needless to say, I was very disappointed and exhausted but I attended the National Day of Prayer-Hollywood at CBS Studios with great hope for my writing future and Hollywood in general(see National Day of Prayer post).

I rested the rest of the week then I busied myself by writing for the 100 Word Writing Challenge on the Alameda Writers' Group (AWG) website. AWG has a monthly writing exercise or 100 Word Challenge contest on its site and for this challenge you had to write something that reflects the story behind the picture or photo posted but in 100 words or less. In the first case, it was this 1950s styled drawing of a male and female character as they sit at a table sipping tea or coffee?

The following month's contest was a 1950s styled drawing of a red-headed man in a tux shooting a gun from a convertible as a blond in her bra and undies? drives them recklessly.

This month's photo is of that post-hockey game riot in Vancouver a few years back where the boyfriend was kissing his girl while she was lying on her back in the middle of the street amidst crazy rioters and battle-ready riot police.

I thought that was the craziest of things to see so writing about it was too much fun. See my various submissions for the 100 Word Challenge at http://www.alamedawritersgroup.com/

More on the AWG:
The Alameda Writers' Group meets every first Sat of the month at the Glendale Public Library on Harvard Street. They offer a monthly Speaker Series (which is FREE for non-members) along with writing contests and loads of writing resources. For $60 a year you can become a member and you can attend their SIG groups, a group for critique and feedback of your script or novel and you can attend and vote at the monthly GENERAL MEMEBERS MEETINGS  held before the seminar speaker speaks.

I'm not an actual AWG member yet but I attend about 4-5 times a year and find the meetings to be worth an early Saturday morning wake up. There are also small prizes for contest winners and also raffle tickets for other prizes. Plus, there's usually donuts, milk, coffee, tea and often times fruit, all for FREE but donations are welcomed!

All speakers and panels are hosted by AWG President, Marc Cushman (see pic above), who is a writer, director, author and producer. Cushman has written for such shows as Star Trek:NG and Diagnosis Murder and he currently teaches a class on screenwriting at the Pierce Colllege extension program. Learn more about Marc at http://www.marccushman.com/ and at http://extension.piercecollege.edu/

AWG's Emily Wright also gives extra-ordinary feedback for most of the contest entries and I follow her on her blog. 

The AWG's speaker for the month of May was Ken Rotcop (pictured below), a writer, producer and former chief executive of creative development at four Hollywood studios. His writing has varied from writing for The Super Friends Saturday morning cartoon series to writing the award winning American Playhouse TV movie: The Medgar Evers Story. Rotcop is also the author of 2 books on how to pitch. ( off topic: hey do you know that they're re-making Robocop?)

Back on topic: Ken gave great advice about writing, pitching and the biz. As the Great America Pitch Fest(GAPF) was the next week, Rotcop reminded us listeners that he holds a form of pitchfest every year. He calls his a pitchmart but his is smaller than the other pitchfests and says he has agents attend who are interested in repping writers at his pitchmart event. In fact, Rotocop claimed that at the end of every one of his mart, all the writers are repped by agents! Learn more about Ken at http://www.pitchmart.com/  and get his pitching DVDs online, too.

AWG met Sat June 2nd, 2012 at the Glendale Library and their speaker was Christine Conradt, a writer and exec. producer. She read our submitted bios and loglines to help us craft one that works best.
The speaker events usually runs from 10:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m. followed by a Q&A after but July's meeting will be dedicated to the Let's Make A Movie outline selection with 3 established Hollywood producers judging for the winner.

You can attend the AWG for FREE but not the other events like smaller sub-groups or SIGs. I suggest joining the AWG because all the great feedback you get and the speakers they invite to speak are definitely worth your money.        

Glendale Library            

222 E Harvard St.     
Glendale, CA 91205

Update:
My computer crashed and I had to reboot the entire system. I had about 95% of all my writing, artwork and photos saved on flashdrives and CDs as back up, Thank God! I have to rescan some of my most recent artwork but otherwise I am restored. My laptop is actually running better now so even the crash was a blessing. My laptop is old, too (7 years-old) so I used to have to pray over it regularly and annoint it (seriously)!
Wow! God is a restorer of things!

More Star Sightings

Star Sightings:

I was in the check-out line at Trader Joe's off Sunset/H-wood recently when I looked at the guy checking out next to me. He looked real familiar and not because I had nearly swiped him with my cart in the refrigerated food aisle minutes earlier. I mean the guy REALLY looked familiar. The guy looked to be in his mid 30s and about 6 feet tall. He was nicely built, kind of ruggedly handsome in a down-to-earth way in just t-shirt and jeans. He was with a happy teenage girl and another lady who looked like a family member. I stared at the guy again and he caught me but I looked away, totally embarassed to be caught staring. But I mean this guy looked like I knew him... like maybe from church here in LA. I made brief eye contact again and he shrugged and nodded real humbly back at me. That nod confirmed that I did know him... maybe from back east... But not from home.. No... not from home...

I shook my head as I continued to ponder the situation then I placed my bananas from my cart to the counter. I finally gave in and decided to ask the guy where I knew him from. So I tapped him and said, “You look so familiar to me. Where do I know you from"? The guy put his hands in his pocket shyly and paused then he took his hands from his pockets and motioned with them as he began to explain to me the situation. He turned around to face me mid-explaination and I finally saw his full face and then I immediately knew! Meanwhile, the guy took a big breath to start to explain to me quietly but I cut him off almost simultaneously with ” Oh, Greys...” .

You see, it was Justin Chambers aka Alex Karev from Grey's Anatomy. Chambers blushed a little at me then he smiled boyishly and nodded as I told him what a great job that I thought he did on the show. Then I mouthed sorry, lowered my voice and slinked away hoping no one else recognized him because of my noise and nosiness.

I went back to checking out but couldn't resist leaning back over to Chambers and whispering to him that I was a medical doctor and that Grey's was the only medical drama that I had really liked in years and that my first two spec scripts were for Grey's (then Monk, then Samantha Who, then House, M.D. -lol). He shook my hand and asked me my name. I told him and he said he would let the cast, crew, writers and Shonda Rhimes etc know of my feedback. I have already met a few of Grey's Anatomy's writers who are medical doctors also but it was nice meeting Mr. Chambers as he was very, very sweet.

Update: TV Medical Dramas
Speaking of TV Medical dramas, House, M.D. had its series finale a few months back but I didn't watch it. IMHO, I felt the show ran it's course and actually jumped the shark big time this past season. I have one spec script for House that I'll be posting here soon because it is useless as a spec now. I haven't kept up with Private Practice or Grey's but I hope they have at least 1-2 more years because I have 2 written specs for Grey's.

I do like Dr. Neal Baer's new show, A Gifted Man, where the doctor sees the ghost of his dead ex-wife but I wish the show had more Judeo-Christian elements as oppose to the shaman elements. I can't seem to catch any episodes of Gifted Man though so I hope it's not canceled. I have caught ads for a new NBC medical TV drama for Fall 2012 called Hope which reminds me of Gifted Man.


I will definitely do a spec for Gifted Man with added Christian content if it comes back for the 2012-2013 season. Or I may write an original medical drama spec like Dr. Sunjay Gupta just did.

"Heaven Knows..." RIP Donna Summer

More Falling Stars:
News reports state that 70s Disco songstress aka "the Queen of Disco", Donna Summer,  has died from lung and possibly breast cancer at age 63. Ms. Summer early hits like McArthur Park, Hot Stuff and the moan-filled, Love To Love You, Baby" were the rage of the 70s night clubs, record stores and radio stations.  Despite the erotic nature of some of her songs, Ms. Summer was still my favorite singer of that era along with Gloria Gaynor, Patti Labelle, Chaka Khan and way before Whitney Houston and Anita Baker. Summer's songs, "Dim All The Lights", On The Radio and Enough Is Enough (her duet with Barbara Streisand),  were among my favorites and I remember dancing and singing to her LPs for hours. I love to dance and Summer's songs always had a great dance beat that evolved beyond disco. In fact, Summer is often credited for starting the electronic dance craze that is so hot today.

Ms. Summer was born LaDonna Adrian Gaines and grew up in a Christian family. She began singing in the church as a child then she moved on to sing in musicals like Hair, Show Boat and Godspell in the U.S. and Europe. Summer's career continued pass the disco era into the 80s and 90s with hits like the woman's empowering, "She Works Hard For The Money" and a Christmas album. She won a total of 5 Grammy Awards, garned a star on The Hollywood Walk Of Fame and was also inducted into the Dance Music Hall Of Fame. 

Summer tried her hand at acting and had a role in the film, Thank God It's Friday. She appeared as a guest star on many TV shows and TV specials and televised events including MTV and President Ronal Reagan inaugural in the 80s. She appeared on the X Factor as recently as last season.

Summer had talked openly about her struggles with depression and suicide but she had had a spiritual conversion in the 90s and became a born-again Christian. Summer returned to her greatest hits tour and she often toured with many greats like the Bee-Gees. Summer was said to have been in the studio recording around the time of her death and reports said that she was due to go back on tour again soon.

Donner Summers will be greatly missed but her music lives on. Our prayers go out to Donna Summer's husband and daughters at this sad time. Rest in peace, Donna Summer.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Staying Alive..."
Update:  Ah, the words to this song seems so sad now as I just heard that Robin Gibb of the Bee-Gees/Gibbs Brothers fame has lost his battle with liver against liver cancer in the U.K. The Gibbs, a trio from England /Australia known for their falsetto sound rose to fame after singing the award winning 70s disco sound track for Saturday Night Live.

Funny, they Bee-Gees had toured with Donna Summer and they were inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame together and now both past away so close together. The Bee-Gees have certainly had their share of tragedies. They. lost youngest brother, Andy Gibb due to a drug habit and myocarditis in the 90s and Robin's fraternal twin, Morris died from twisted intestines in 2003.

Robin himself fought courageously to beat his cancer but reports had said that his health had taken a recent turn for the worse. Older brother, Barry Gibb is now the only surviving Gibbs brother so we send prayers to him and Robin's family.  It is unclear what faith Robin Gibb followed while living but I pray that his family may be comforted and that he rests in peace.

National Day of Prayer HOLLYWOOD

The National Day of Prayer HOLLYWOOD was held at the CBS Studio Center in Studio City on May 3rd and Christians from different churches and different walks of life were well represented at the event though there were many many entertainment industry people there, too.

We had a glorious time giving God praise and praying for God's blessings. Opening Prayers were said by Karen Covell, Director of Hollywood Prayer Network(HPN), and Kim Dorr-Tilley, Associate Pastor of Bel-Air Presbyterian Church. Prayers for our Nation was lead by Jack Kerr, a war Veteran then prayer for the Government was lead by Gary Montecuollo, Chief of Police at Glendale City College. Cheryl Allen, Director of the Pasadena International House of Praise PIHOP, lead prayer for the City followed by Eric Hannah, President of Lift Up America, who lead prayer for  Relationships & Families. Kim Dorr-Tilley lead the prayers for the Churches followed by Mark Joseph, a producer at MJM Entertainment Group, who lead prayers for Hollywood and the Entertainment Industry.

There was also strong prayers for the Youth lead by actress, Avrielle Corti and prayers for a local and a world-wide Revival lead by Jimmy Fisher, Pastor of Worship at Faithful Central Church. Fisher also lead us to pray for Christians around the world especially the persecuted church in China, Nigeria and Egypt. There was great corporal prayer and beautiful praise music including "How Great Is Our God", "Be Exalted", "Alleluia", "worthy of It All", "Amazing Grace" and "All My Worship" performed by David Brymer, the Worships/Arts Director at PIHOP. Plus, a stirring "stomp and parise" rendition of "Great is Thou Faithfullness" perfomed by Contagious Praise of Faithful Central and written by Jimmy Fisher to close out the evening.

There were also Personal Prayer Stations so that indiviuals could receive prayer for any personal short comings or need. They also had various stations set up espousing godly characteristics (like LOVE, HOPE, PURITY, CHARACTER, SALVATION) with the applicable Bible verses. We ended the night with a final Prayer then we were able to meet and greet friends or new acquaintences after. I met .... ., the Pastor of PIHOP and a few of his friends then I talked with some friends from Ecclesia who were also there.

I left CBS Studios so filled up with hope and the Holy Spirit that I was not feeling any pain anywhere and my friend T.H. and I praised the Lord all the way home. Wow, when God called me to Hollywood, I never ever could imagine that I would be at a major Hollywood studio praising the Lord with a room full of other Christians and praising Him as mightily and as beautifully as we did. NEVER, EVER, EVER!!! God is amazing!!!

May God bless CBS Studios for allowing us to have our National Day of Prayer on their property and may they continue to be open to being used by the Lord for His glory. May more of the CBS TV shows reflect a love for the Lord and His people and may the Bible be extolled as the very Word of God that it is. I have been praying for the CBS Studios, Charlie Sheen, Chuck Lorre and the two Lorre sit-coms Two and a half Men and Big Bang Theory since the Charlie Sheen/Men fall out last year but I will try to pray even more now.

Update: CBS Comedies
Sat May 5th: Speaking of CBS comedies, I got some old shooting scripts for the TV show, Two and a Half Men when I was at the Alameda Writers Group. I had written about 1 page for a "clean" Two and Half Men spec in 2010 but abandned it because I felt the show was at the end of its run. Now I can use this old shooting script and compare it with how they are writing for the show with Ashton Kutcher replacing Charlie.

Sun May 6th:

I was with friends after church on Sunday and just happened to run into Simon Helberg aka Howard Wolowitz of The Big Bang fame at the Farmer's Market between Sunset and Hollywood. He was walking through the crowd unrecognized in a cap when I saw him and did a double take. He looked real cool and he was sporting a beard and holding hands with a cute 20 something girl(his wife?). I just had to tug him and tell him how much I love his portrayal of his character on the show etc. but I did it quietly so no one else would recognize him and spoil his privacy. Helberg just smiled happily at my response and he seemed truly surprised and humbled to be recognized amidst the thick throng.
I even managed to hug him and whisper to him that I actual pray for him and for his success and I really do! Weirdly, Helberg's Howard character (though fictional) has really given me some insights to Jewish-Christian relations. It's like he is the walking breathing version of the "Jewish Book Of Why" that I often read.

The Avengers Are Box Office Champs!

After 2 weeks of international release, The Avengers movie was released in the US( finally) to record earnings of 200 million for the opening day numbers! This number smashes ("Hulk SMASH!") the previous numbers set by the last installment of the Harry Potter films. Boy, the trailer looks sweet and the tension between the team looks good with convincing dialog. I still don't like the way the Hulk is done but it is better than the previous two.

Confession:
I have only seen the first Iron Man (unimaginable as a fan of comic book heroes) so I'm off to rent Captain America and Iron Man 2, I may or may not watch Thor then I can watch the Avengers and be a part of this history making Box Office Hit!

Super Heores Rock!
Talk about just in time - it was FREE Comic Book Day at the Glendale Public Library last Saturday and I got 2 FREE comics! I couldn't decide between the DC Superheroes cover with Superman, Wonder Woman and the Dark Knight or the Marvel Comic Superhero cover with The Avengers (Iron Man, Captain Amarica, Thor etc.) plus Wolverine and Spidey ( see above). The Library even had a Superman comic drawn and written for those 6 and under and a Mousegaurd book (yipee)!

The Free Comic Book Day is a project of DC and Marvel Comics in conjunction with local comic book stores to promote reading among children. The comics for the Glendale Public Library are provided by Legacy Comics located at 123 W. Wilson Avenue in Glendale. Give them a call at 818-247-8803

Update: May 8th
Saw glimpses of the trailer for the new Spider-Man remake today during the finale of The Voice. Spidey's trailer looks tight so far especially the web-swinging part... Wait! Is that Iggie as the villian played by my fav Welshman, Rhys Ifans? I think so. Wait... are there any Americans in Spiderman? There's none in the new Superman remake either I heard. Yikes!

Back To The Future Fundraiser

The Kenya Team 2012 (KT12) at Ecclesia Church is throwing a Back To The Future Fundraiser next Sunday, June 10th at 6 pm for all the Sci-Fi loving comedy geeks like you and me. The KT12 team will be showing the first film of the BTTF franchise on the church's large movie screen and there will be a BTTF costume contest with prizes, too. There will also be food and snacks for sale at the concession. Best yet, an actual DeLorean car will be on display at the event! It's not the one from the film but I'm beyond stoked. The BTTF event is FREE but generous donations are welcomed so give 'til it hurts (in a good way :D ). Remember, this BTTF event is how the KT12 Team is kicking off it's fundraising for their July trip to the Kiberia slums in Kenya.

Ecclesia Church and the KT12 Team has a heart for God's people in Africa but it takes money to cover the cost for each Kenyas Team member's trip including the cost for their flight, room and board, ground transportation etc. Not to mention the large cost of the arts, craft, medical, food and Christian teaching supplies for the children in their programs. Each KT12 member is responsible for raising $3,500 for the trip and last year's fund-faising ranged from a musical concert for Kenya with bands affiliated with Ecclesia to indiviuals passing around donation sheets at their jobs.

Kiberia is among the largest slums in Africa and the children are in great need there. So come on out in BTTF gear as McFly, Doc Brown or even as the tower clock (lol)! Or dress in any 50s or 80s Rock-n-Roll costume and come have "a ton of fun" as we raise "a ton of cash" for Kenya !

"A Total Eclipse Of The Heart..."

 Sun May 20:
An amazing annular eclipse of the sun was due to occur in the western states today. An eclispe of this level is not due for another 50 or so years so I was eager to experience it to the fullest. Griffith Observatory had special UV filter glasses for sale for $2.99 and they also had a special telescope for viewing. But they sold out of the glasses and traffic was terrible to get to the Observatory due to many delays and detours from road closures for a bike race called the Amgen Tour of California. Plus, there was the LA Kings hockey semi-finals game 4 against Phoenix and the Clippers NBA game 4 against the Spurs all happening today.

So I skipped Griffith and decided to do the pinhole method of viewing with a pin-sized hole in a piece of loos leaf paper and my back to the sun. So I headed out to the park with my shades and pin-hole paper and joined a group of others viewing from the lawn. At exactly 6:38 PM the maximum effects were seen for LA . Two guys were using the binocular method with the crescent moon reflected on a small piece of paper then they tried my pinhole which showed the fingernail-like crescent moon much better especially showing some of the ring of fire flare ups and flames.

We viewed the eclipse this way for a while until another guy, who said he works at a hospital, handed us a dark x-ray film to view the eclipse through. I had heard somewhere years ago that viewing an eclipse through x-ray film was safe and the local news had not said it wasn't so I put on my dark shades and used the x-ray film to look at the sun directly but very briefly- And it was amazing!!!!

I enjoyed the lovely summer-like weather outside and talked a bit with the others viewing the eclipse then I went back home. I googled online for safety tips for viewing the eclipse AGAIN and I found out that X-RAY film is UNSAFE because it DOES NOT protect your eyes from sun damage. Luckily, I was happy to read that sun blindness is extremely rare. I prayed for my eyes to be safe though and though I had my eyes check 2 weeks ago by an optometrist, I will definitely schedule my regular ophthalmology visit soon (just to be on the safe side) : D

Scriptural reference:
God stops the sun for Joshua

Artists' Listening Group: Update

Hope everyone had a Happy Holy Week leading into a blessed and Happy Resurrection (Easter) Sunday and Monday! (See my Holy Week 2012 posted earlier)

4-10-12
Yesterday at the Artist's Listening Group , we were asked how we used our God given talents and skills and discipline to partner with the Holy Spirit to create our works of culinary, visual, musical, spoken word, written and/or fine arts. We discussed how God blessed Bezalel with the Spirit and the gifting to build the Tabernacle in the Book of Exodus.

Exodus 35:30-35
30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, "See, the LORD has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts-- 32 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 33 to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship. 34 And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. 35 He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers--all of them master craftsmen and designers.

Then we discussed how our spirit-filled process flows for each of us. Responses included lots of references to the help of praise music in creating an atmosphere fitting for the Holy Spirit(try Terry McAlmon's The Glory of His Presence live worship CD guys).

Then we talked about how the great masters of fine arts like Michelangelo and Di Vinci depicted Biblical scenes and how fine art is inspired today including the Pageant of Our Lord which is similar to the Pageant of the Masters but with Biblical artworks by the masters depicted by live actors with live choral music. For more on the pageant visit www.PageantOfOurLord.com.

The masters have always inspired me and my own last drawing in my Kenya series has a nice old world feel to it and I named it Mona-Alyssa in homage to Di Vinci. We commented on Christian painter and fine artist, Thomas Kincade's passing on Good Friday , too. Thomas proved that one can do Holy Spirit inspired work and it will sell and be profitable both spiritually and financially.

We talked about print journalism, TV and all media as a creative outlet but we forgot to mention the death of Mike Wallace, the noted journalist from the 60 Minutes TV News show on CBS who passed on Saturday (may they both rest in God's heavenly peace). We did talk about how everyday words and images from street signs, billboards (see the "Transformers Are Coming" link), TV or any media or even musicians or actors themselves can influence our creative work in this modern era and how to keep God in the mix.

We closed out the night with lots and lots of individual and group prayers for our current art and anything in our lives that was concerning us. Well, Nichols Fellowship was on my mind and on the minds of most of the writers in the group so we got prayer for our submissions. I also got great prayer and encouragement for my artwork and more prayer for more healing.

Wow, next week is the last of the 8 group sessions so it will be the last time the group will meet. I thank God for the Artists' Listening Group and its originator and sponsor, Melissa Smith of Epiphany Space. I pray for all who attend this group and they have become people I care for deeply. My own trust and faith in God has only grown stronger since attending the group and I even got a healing of my right leg and hip which have plagued me for years. Hallelujah!

A Creative Artist's Ode to Father, Son and Holy Spirit:

I'm thanking God today that the Holy Spirit does not work on the usual 9-5 time-table of man. However, that means that sometimes I am inspired to write the best scene or draw my best art at 2 am or 4am (try telling any boss that as an excuse for being late for work-lol).

My Process:
So since I can't put the Holy Spirit on the clock, I just let Him be AMAZING! Hours fly by as the praise music plays and I praise Him as I create under His tutelage... He gives me the very words I type and improves my fine arts techniques. He even returns motor skills and vision to my eyes. Most importantly, I feel no pain until I've completed the work as assigned and even then I believe as His word says, “by His stripes I am healed!”.