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FRIDAY MOVIE SUGGESTION NIGHT PRESENTS: "PICNIC"
____________________ Last Winter while at the downtown library working on selections for "Friday Movie Suggestion Night" for 2007, I had four pages filled with notes about movies. This movie was on my "Definite" list; I studied it in my high school film class. William Holden plays Hal Carter, a rugged, good-looking, mature-aged actor who left California to seek a peaceful life in a small town in the Mid-West. In fact, Holden was 37 and worried about being "too old" to mix it up with Kim Novak who is striking. Rosalind Russell reportedly refused to be nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress for reasons I'll never know, but she is terrific as the school teacher Rosemary. The Alan Benson character (William Holden's college chum) was played by Paul Newman on Broadway, but actor Cliff Robertson steps in on this 1955 film. And one has to understand that it is quite a riske' film for its time. A drifter, Carter shows up in a small Mid-West town during a Labor Day Picnic. The mix of sexual repression, lost dreams, and the hope of a second chance amid a town that is so out-of-sync with the rest of the forward-moving world all collide in this William Inge play. Holden was reportedly so worried about having to dance in the "Moonglow scene", he boozed it up and was actually imbibed when the scene was shot. A compelling movie! Check out this phenomenal cast: William Holden is Hal Carter; Kim Novak is Madge Owens; Betty Field is Flo Owens; Susan Strasberg is Millie Owens; Cliff Robertson is Alan Benson; Arthur O'Connell is Howard Bevans; Verna Felton is Helen Potts; Reta Shaw is Irma Kronkite; Nick Adams is Bomber (the paper boy); Raymond Bailey is Mr. Benson; Elizabeth Wilson is Christine Schoenwalder; Rosalind Russell is Rosemary. Directed by: Joshua Logan; Screenplay by Daniel Taradash from the Original Play Written by William Inge. To quote William Holden behind the wheel of the car he is about to blast off in "Hang on!" WINNER 1956 ACADEMY AWARDS: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color: William Flannery, Jo Mielziner and Robert Priestly; Best Film Editing: Charles Nelson and Willian A. Lyon. NOMINATIONS: Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Arthur O'Connell; Best Director: Joshua Logan; Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture: George Duning; Best Picture: Fred Kohlmar. _____ Just in time for a hot summer. Enjoy it!
FRIDAY MOVIE SUGGESTION NIGHT PRESENTS: "CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF!"
 ___ A very obvious oversight of me for "Friday Movie Suggestion Night" has been the absence of Elizabeth Taylor. That oversight ends as of today with the fifth Tennessee Williams play to reach the big screen in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF. The story revolves around a wealthy Mississippi plantation owner named Big Daddy Pollitt, unaware that he's dying of cancer. His source of despair over his favorite son, Brick, an alcoholic (Paul Newman) as his 65th birthday approaches is palpable. Maggie (Elizabeth Taylor) is a sexy siren wife to Brick who appears unable to reach him through the bottle that he uses to cope with the suicide of Skipper--his best friend. The fact that Brick's brother Gooper has children and Brick hasn't any with Maggie is the "tip of the iceberg" for this emotional story of greed and unspoken conflicted feelings. Fresh off The Long Hot Summer, Newman is paired with Taylor who had completed filming "Giant" with Co-Star James Dean and "Raintree County" with Montgomery Clift--for which she received an Academy Award Nomination for Best Actress. It is noteworthy that Taylor's then-husband Mike Todd was tragically killed during the filming of this movie and Taylor's despair was present throughout her role. This tense story has been on "the back burner" all too long. An incredible Cast includes: Directed by Richard Brooks is based on the play by Tennessee Williams and the Screenplay written by Richard Brooks and James Poe; Elizabeth Taylor is Maggie The Cat; Paul Newman is Brick Pollitt; Burl Ives is Harvey 'Big Daddy' Pollitt; Jack Carson is Gooper Pollitt; Judith Anderson is Ida 'Big Momma' Pollitt and Madeleine Sherwood is Mae Flynn Pollitt. Produced by Lawrence Weingarten with Original Music by Charles Wolcott, this movie swept the 1959 Academy Awards NOMINATIONS: Best Actor in a Leading Role Paul Newman; Best Actress in a Leading Role: Elizabeth Taylor; Best Cinematography, Color: William H. Daniels; Best Director: Richard Brooks; Best Picture: Lawrence Weingarten; Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium: Richard Brooks and James Poe. This one sizzles! _____
ENJOY!
MORE TRAVEL!
(Not my actual plane, but still...)
__ Plans call for more travel this week and beyond. But as usual, I'll do my best to stay in touch. Of course, "Friday Movie Suggestion Night" will be posted on Thursdays. Hope this summer has been absolutely wonderful for you so far!
FUN GUITARIST PROFILE: CHUCK BERRY! (OUR SERIES CONCLUSION)
 The 1950's with his "Duck Walk"
 Today at 80!___ "If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry'." -- John Lennon ___ It is fitting that we conclude our series of "Fun Guitarist Profiles" with Chuck Berry. Born in 1926, Berry combined the influences of Carl Hogan, the guitarist in Louis Jordan's jump-jive Tympani Five, blues guitarists T-Bone Walker, Elmore James and saxophonist Illinois Jacquet with country and western to form his own brand of Rock and Roll. Among Berry's catalogue, 'Johnny B. Goode', 'Roll Over Beethoven', 'Maybelline', 'Memphis', and 'Carol' start with a three-note pickup into repeated double-stops (licks involving playing two notes at once). His well-known "duck walk" across a stage paired with gestures and facial expressions to go along with the lyrics drove audiences into a frenzy. He is forever cemented in the annals of Rock and Roll. Early on, he found that if he learned rhythm changes and blues chords, he could play most of the popular songs on the radio at the time. His friend, Ira Harris, showed him techniques on the guitar and by 1952, he began playing guitar and singing in a club band whose song list ranged from blues to ballads and calypso to country. It is said that without Berry, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones might have never assembled. Either way, by the 1960s and 1970s, Berry's music was the inspiration for Stones guitarist Keith Richards, and Beatle George Harrison. Berry had a number of comeback recordings and in 1972 had the first and only #1 Pop Chart hit of his career with 'My Ding-A-Ling'. In 1986 he was among the first to be inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His axes of note include: the Gibson ES-350T and 355 semi acoustics played through a Fender Bassman amp. In the past, his contracts have specified a Lincoln Towncar for him to drive to a gig from the airport, often with merely a pick up band and a Fender Bassman amp and cabinet awaiting him on-stage at the venue. ___ This concludes our Fun Guitarist Profile Series on this Blog. It was Good Fun and now it's time to Rock On!
FUN GUITARIST PROFILE: RITCHIE SAMBORA!
 Ritchie Sambora of Bon Jovi(Our Series Concludes Next Week) ___ Born in 1959, Ritchie Sambora joined the melodic rock band Bon Jovi, formed by singer (and later also a guitarist) Jon Bon Jovi and brother Alex. In 1984, the hard working band that Jon Bon Jovi describes as "going from the basement to bars and later concerts" had some modest success with their debut "Bon Jovi". In 1985 their CD "7,800 Degrees Farenheit" fared well. But their big "break"arrived in the form of the CD "Slippery When Wet" in 1986 with two hits: the rock anthem "Livin' On A Prayer" (with Sambora's use of a talk box) and "Wanted Dead or Alive". The CD New Jersey in 1988 was also successful. However, heavy touring led the band to take a wise hiatus, and Sambora recorded his solo CD "Stranger in This Town" in 1991 with the stand-out "Mr. Bluesman". The band regrouped for Keep the Faith in 1992 and a Greatest Hits compilation called Cross Road in 1994. The band's 1995 release, These Days featured Sambora on sitar and his second solo CD, an acoustic-based Undiscovered Soul debuted in 1998 featuring the stand-out "Downside of Love". Between 2000 and 2001, Bon Jovi ushered in the new millennium with Crush and One Wild Night: Live, respectively. Fender Stratocasters have been Ritchie's choice and Fender has issued two signature releases. He regularly appears with a dual-neck 6 and 12 string Fender in concert. A strong singer in addition to being a prolific guitarist, it's easy to see where this band get's such a signature sound from the tight harmonies and the guitar work of Sambora with Jon Bon Jovi. "Dry County" is another example of Sambora's amazing guitar work. This year, Lost Highway took the band to Nashville, Tennessee where "You Want To Make A Memory" (a duet with LeAnn Rimes) along with the title track became the focus of an MTV "Unplugged" performance with a string section and Rimes herself energizing the band's strongest and perhaps best produced effort to date.
FRIDAY MOVIE SUGGESTION NIGHT PRESENTS:"THIS IS ELVIS"!
 _____ The decision for this week's tribute to the late Elvis Presley left me with either suggesting his 1969 Las Vegas Concert film "That's the Way It Is"--that marked the end of his film career of 33 movies, and the beginning of over 7 years of grueling nationwide tours that were literally "over-the-top" by any musicians' description. Beyond the fact that 30 years have passed, is how Presley toured. He went on the road with a full band, Soprano Kathy Westmoreland, back-up singers The Sweet Inspirations, J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet, Conductor Joe Guercio and an entire orchestra with a comic (usually Jackie Kahane) as an opening act. The alternative film I considered is a very dated "Elvis On Tour". Ultimately, I decided to go with the Andrew Solt and Malcolm Leo production of "THIS IS ELVIS" because it is important for anyone who truly loves Rock and Roll to know the full story of just how this young kid from the poor side of Tupelo, Mississippi gradually became the "Greatest entertainer in the world". Narrated by the late Ral Donner, based on input from Elvis's Road Manager Joe Esposito and assistant Jerry Schilling, while not a commercial success, the film has recently been reformatted and expanded in its new re-release. Thus, it comes as close as possible to taking the viewer into Presley's private world; his pressures and conflicts, his enormous talent, and the meteoric rise from the heights of the 1968 "Comeback" Television performance to his 1973 "Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite" viewed by 36 countries and 1.8 billion people, to the eventual end of Elvis' life. Here we are shown glimpses of actual film footage of one of Presley's final concerts in Rapid City, South Dakota where his Manager Colonel Tom Parker egregiously negotiated the filming of a CBS concert, despite "The King's" appearance and failing health. It is a cautionary tale of drug use and a life blown out of proportion. As Sheryl Crow would later say, "We learned from Elvis how not to tour and how not to be managed". Today, Elvis is being rediscovered by an entirely new generation. Statistically, the majority of tourists who pass through the gates of Graceland (as I have twice) to tour Elvis' home in Memphis, Tennessee are age 30 or younger. This is an American story about a true Legend--and it is the complete story. It is hard to believe Elvis died at the age of 42, and even harder to fathom that his death was 30 years ago today. This was part of the beginning of Rock and Roll! The film opens on the night before an 11 city Northeast tour. As the film opens, Elvis and girlfriend Ginger Alden pull into Graceland in his Stutz Bearcat for what would become Elvis' final night. What an amazing story this is! ______
ENJOY!
VAN HALEN ONCE AGAIN!
Yesterday in L.A.: Guitarist Eddie Van Halen and singer David Lee Roth
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On August 4th Eddie Van Halen became one of the final choices of my small feature "Fun Guitarist Profiles" (which concludes on August 25th). Recently, a dear friend gave me a gift of 6 Bon Jovi CD's and I've been loving every single minute of rediscovering this incredibly tight band. Part of discovering this magic last year and including this summer ("later than sooner" ) is fairly explainable. Like many of you (I'm guessing) the 1990's contained a period of years where I worked at my career--literally--7 days a week. Of course, under those conditions you miss a lot. Especially catching quality time to stay current with all of the bands who had their first break somewhere back in the 1980's or 90's, as they blew onto the music scene. When you hear music and love it as much as I do, you're almost a pseudo-student listening for patterns and what exactly is the "IT Factor"--for lack of a better explanation--that makes one band identifiable from another. As I've also mentioned in this Blog, serendipity has been so powerful this summer for me, where I'll find myself creating a Blog Post on a given subject only to see a news item written about in the news or trade papers just days later. And so here again, I was glad to open a trade paper and say "What!" _____
Yesterday in Los Angeles, Van Halen held a press conference and announced David Lee Roth will once again front the band with Eddie and Alex Van Halen and Eddie's son, Wolfgang on bass. Their 25-date tour encompasses the U.S., Asia and Australia beginning September 27th in Charlotte, North Carolina. Unlike many other bands where a sense of stability was present, Van Halen has navigated a stormy existence with quite a human toll. For a band that basically broke up in 1985 only to re-assemble anew, this is really much more pleasant news to report. I certainly wish them well. It's exciting to think of the possibilities if the band can find stable ground and just make music. Here are some quotes from yesterday's press conference in Los Angeles. It sounded pretty hopeful! _
David Lee Roth: "This is not a reunion, this is a whole new band."
Eddie Van Halen: "It is totally blowing our minds and I think it will yours, too. It's better than it's ever been."
David Lee Roth: "Then we make an album, lots of dreams, lots of ambitions." _
FUN GUITARIST PROFILE: JAMES BURTON
 James Burton"Session Guitarist to the Stars" _________ (Our Series Concludes in 2 Weeks)
___ James Burton is by anyone's estimation the "guitarist to the stars". A master of both country and rock and roll guitar, James Burton's career as a guitarist began at age 14. Two years later, he wrote the music for “Suzie-Q” and began a 9-year run as lead guitarist for Rick Nelson on televisions "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet". In 1969, Burton was enlisted by Elvis Presley to assemble a top-notch road band called The TCB Band ("Takin' Care of Business), remaining with Presley until the “Kings” death in 1977. James Burton is featured on an astounding 257 released albums. Here is a list of the wide variety of artists James worked with: Judy Collins; Johnny Cash; Elvis Costello; John Denver; The Everly Brothers; Arlo Guthrie; Emmylou Harris; Jerry Lee Lewis; Rebecca Lynn; The Monkees; Willie Nelson; The Oak Ridge Boys; Roy Orbison; Buck Owens; Gram Parsons; Johnny Rivers; Nancy Sinatra; Neil Young; Harry Nillson; Dale Hawkins; Mama Cass; Roger Miller; Joni Mitchell; Merle Haggard; Duane Eddy; Hoyt Axton; Buffalo Springfield; Kim Carnes; Mark Collie; Rosanne Cash; J.J. Cale; Del Fuegos; George Jones; Sammy Johns; Chris Hillman; Nicolette Larson; Amanda McBroom; Michael Nesmith; John Phillips; The Tractors; Travis Tritt; Townes Van Zandt; Ian Whitcomb; Billy Joe Shaver; Jann Brown; Shawn Camp; Casinghino Seven; Freddy Cannon; and Tony Sheridan.
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In 1987, Roy Orbison did a highly acclaimed television special which was stunningly filmed in Black and White (featured here on "Friday Movie Suggestion Night" and called "A Black and White Night"). Elvis Presley's TCB Band was the back up band with, of course, James on lead. Other guests were, Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Tom Waits, Bonnie Raitt and Jennifer Warnes. "It's not every day that you get to sing harmony with Roy Orbison and play guitar next to James Burton", said Springsteen after the show. ___
After 45 years in the recording business, James was inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by Keith Richards, Rolling Stones guitarist and a long time Burton fan. In March, 2007 came James' Guitar Festival in Shreveport. This 3-day benefit featured artists like Steve Cropper (Sam & Dave and "The Blues Brothers"), Nelson, Brad Paisley, Bruce Kulick ex-lead guitarist with KISS and Mark Farner, ex-of Grand Funk Railroad. James is also among the final 4 guitarists as we conclude "Fun Guitarist Profiles" in August. The proceeds went to The James Burton Foundation, which provides musical scholarships and instruments to children and young adults.
FRIDAY MOVIE SUGGESTION NIGHT: "ROUND MIDNIGHT"!
_____ The story of two men torn by the conflicts in their lives and united by their love for the greatest sound the world has ever heard. A film Dedicated to Bud Powell and Lester Young by the original Producers, and by Michael Manning, it is herein also dedicated to the memory of the late Dexter Gordon, brought to my attention in 7th grade Music Class. _____
By my very nature, I am a hopeless romantic and I am therefore unashamed to reveal to you that this film brought me to tears of Joy. But you must stick with it. Particularly if you love music as much as I do. In this picture, the Director and Writer convinced real-life Jazz sax legend, Dexter Gordon to play lead in his first-ever film. Dexter portrays an aging, alcoholic black American jazz saxophonist whose life is so self-destructive in the United States, that he travels to France to literally save himself from eminent demise in the late 1950's. A financially despondent, young French fan who has been studying Jazz to maintain his sanity, and out of pure love for the history and appreciation of the idiom and Dale Turner (Gordon) manages to network his way to actually meet him. In a heart-rendering effort, he reaches out to the Jazz great to spur him on to one last burst of creative brilliance. The film, as noted, was created as a deeply moving homage to bebop musicians Bud Powell and Lester Young. I don't want to say anything more to spoil the film, but by the time Herbie Hancock appears, that opening scene will predictably move many of you to tears of Joy as well. Let me mention this now, so I don't get complaints. This is a film in subtitles with English and French. It is also available in a Spanish-subtitled version. In summary, put aside your worries for just one evening, please, and let the power of this movie and it's music literally lift your heart and spirits to all things that are possible. Outside of the original motion picture "Woodstock", I have never seen such a tremendous assembly of musicians. If you live in New York City, you will be particularly proud and well represented; I'll allow that much! Let's do it: The Cast: Dexter Gordon is Dale Turner, Lonette McKee is Darcey Leigh, Francois Cluzet is Francis Borler, Martin Scorsese is Goodley, Herbie Hancock is Eddie Wayne, and Sandra Reaves-Phillips is Buttercup; New York-based Musicians include: Billy Higgins, Drums; Eric LeLann, Trumpet; Mahavishnu John McLaughlin: Guitar; Ron Carter, Bass; Tony Williams, Drums; Freddie Hubbard, Trumpet; Cedar Walton, Piano; Lyon France-based Musicians include: Palle Mikkelborg, Trumpet; Mads Vinding, Bass; Cheikh Fall, Percussion, Michel Perez, Guitar and Pierre Michelot, Bass. DIRECTED AND WRITTEN BY: Bertrand Tavernier and David Rayfiel; CINEMATOGRAPHY BY: Bruno de Keyzer; PRODUCED BY: Irwin Winkler. Man, are you guys in for a treat! _____ ENJOY!
FUN GUITARIST PROFILE: EDDIE VAN HALEN!
 Eddie Van Halen(Our Series Concludes in 3 weeks) _________________________________________ One must credit Eddie Van Halen as a complex, but enormously popular guitarist who helped usher in innovations to his playing such as two-handed "tapping" that fellow rocker Steve Vai attributed to Van Halen in his own playing. Van Halen himself attributes his signature "tapping" of the guitar fretboard-during-solos approach to watching Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page. His use of vibrato, over-the-top harmonics and technical equipment are inter-woven with one of rocks most successful bands. Eddie himself is ranked #70 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. The solo in "Eruption" was also voted #2 on Guitar World magazine's 100 Greatest Guitar Solos. ___________
Formed in 1974 in Pasadena, California with vocalist David Lee Roth, the band included brother Alex Van Halen on drums, Mark Stone on bass and Eddie Van Halen on lead guitar, KISS Bassist Gene Simmons saw the band in performance and funded the band's demo tape (recorded at New York's Electric Ladyland Studios) which landed a 1977 contract with Warner Brothers Records. Band tensions led David Lee Roth to leave the band in 1985. He was replaced by Sammy Hager from the group Montrose shortly thereafter. "Eruption" was not only the second track of the band's debut album, it is one of the most recognized rock guitar solos of all time along with. "You Really Got Me" was a fun retro version first popularized by the British band, The Kinks. This features Roth on vocals. "Unchained", while not a hit-charter--is nevertheless, one of the group's fan favorites of all time. The "1984" CD contained and "Runnin' with the Devil" and "Jump" which features the instantly recognizable keyboard intro's and searing guitar soloing from Eddie. 11 studio albums later and 80 million units sold, the band has been on hiatus since 2004. Van Halen was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 12, 2007. ___________
With Sammy Hagar on board the hit "Why Can't This Be Love?" also features Eddie on keyboards as a powerful rock anthem. In 1996, Sammy Hager departed the group to be replaced with Gary Cherone. Plagued with personal and professional challenges (including serious health problems) over the years, the one time teenager who had learned every Jimi Hendrix guitar solo by age 14 and went on to enjoy a reputation as one of the most dedicated rock guitarists with many technical innovations released a statement to fans this past March stating: "I have always and will always feel a responsibility to give you my best. At the moment I do not feel that I can give you my best. That’s why I have decided to enter a rehabilitation facility to work on myself, so that in the future I can deliver the 110% that I feel I owe you and want to give you". Since this news item, Van Halen has announced a 50-date American reunion tour with original singer David Lee Roth to begin in early October. Roth will reunited with co-founders Eddie and Alex Van Halen. Bassist Michael Anthony, however, will be replaced by Eddie’s teenage son Wolfgang.
FRIDAY MOVIE SUGGESTION NIGHT: "GOOD MORNING VIETNAM"!
_____ For this weeks "Friday Movie Suggestion Night", I picked a beloved story of Saigon DJ Adrian Cronauer in GOOD MORNING VIETNAM for a couple of reasons. In an unprecedented move, comedian Robin Williams operated with no script and thus, had 100 percent creative control by director Barry Levinson. In the darkest of hell, here is a wild and crazy Armed Forces Radio Network personality whose job is to build morale at the very height of the Vietnam War in 1965. The movie is not a sanitized version of comedy, and in fact, as the movie moves forward, we begin to see the character Williams creates (when he is not behind a microphone) as a deep, meaningful person. Conflict is always present. However the the scenes effectively capture the attitude and mood during the war, and the dialogue and writing is accurate and involving. Barry Levinson has directed a marvelous comedy, one that is not all about making us laugh, but also makes us think. The Cast includes: Robin Williams as Adrian Cronauer; Forest Whitaker is PFC Edward Montesque Garlick; Tung Thannk Tran is Tuan; Chintara Sukapatana is Trinh; Bruno Kirby is Lt. Steven Hauk; J.T. Walsh is Sgt. Maj. Phillip Dickerson; and Richard Portnow is "Dan the Man" Levitan. Directed by Barry Levinson and Written by Mark Markowitz, Robin Williams was Nominated for the 1988 Academy Awards as Best Actor in a Leading Role. This film comes along at a time where we could all use a bit of comedy and perspective to regroup.
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