HAPPY 80TH PAN AM!

Happy 80th Birthday to an American Institution that taught the world to fly.

First Across the Atlantic

First Across the Pacific

First Around-the-World

http://www.panam.org/

PHOTOS FROM SANTA FE NEW MEXICO!

GOOD MORNING!

TOWN SQUARE

A BEAUTIFUL MASTERPIECE

VERY OLD CHURCH

I'D LOVE TO BE HERE WITH....

VAST LANDS AND RADIANT COLORS

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While my fellow Pan Am friends are into the second day of the airline's 80th birthday celebration in Miami, Florida (the official first flight date is noted tomorrow) I had a very good day yesterday. The people here are very layed back and kind. The rich Indian-Spanish history and people are evident and inviting. My entire household is made up of Southwestern furniture and many handmade floor and wall rugs of wool. So, there is really nothing to buy for me. After a 9 hour work day Friday and some fantastic visits at local television stations, nightfall came and I drove to a point where you can literally look down into the valley of lights. I spent a couple of hours following the source of the lights East, South and West before ending up outside a fantastic solar research facility out here that is rapidly attempting to develop and implement solar power (my favorite power source since I learned about it in 7th grade). Next door, there was a movie lot. I have been enjoying my CD "The Raspberries Live on The Sunset Strip in L.A." with liner notes by "The Boss", Bruce Springsteen. When he was sitting in with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, it turns out he had a Chevrolet F-10 pickup with an in-dash cassette player with "The Raspberries Greatest Hits" firmly entrenched inside. In the late 90's, when I visited my best buddy in Colorado, I drove through Ratan Pass--a portion of the Northwest New Mexico with my Grateful Dead CD's for my travelogue music and the scenery was as today, unforgettably beautiful. I now know why Jodie Foster said that she could see why people are drawn to the beauty and romance of this vast land. She observed it during the filming of "Backtrack" with Dennis Hopper. That's all for now. I'm in Santa Fe for the day. E-I-E-I-O! :-)

FRIDAY MOVIE SUGGESTION NIGHT PRESENTS: "GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK"!

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If only my Speech and Debate teacher from high school were still alive to see this film! Directed by George Clooney and written by George Clooney and Grant Heslov, this story (unlike our boring textbooks in school) vividly brings to light one of the most painful chapters of television broadcasting! In the early 1950's Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy, with the support of then-FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover created a hostile and paranoid environment wherein Americans were deluded into thinking that Communists were literally living under our porches and inside our fireplaces waiting to take over the United States. This paranoia went unchecked and ruined for three decades actors' reputations in Hollywood from Zero Mostel to Herschel Bernardi (that became the background for Woody Allen's movie "The Front") and many more who were similarly "blacklisted" and summoned before a creepy HUAC (House UnAmerican Activities Committee), purportedly investigating whether the Hollywood and broadcast journalism communities knew of any avowed Communists. That is, until 1953. CBS's legendary reporter and news anchor Edward R. Murrow and his producer Fred W. Friendly took a stand on principle to fight McCarthy and expose him for the bastard that he was (excuse me, but that's the truth). The actions of both men took a very personal toll on them and the country. This is the story that is a cautionary tale of power left unchecked. It is a true story and it is painstakingly assembled here in Black & White to reflect the tenor of the times. The Cast: David Strathairn is Edward R. Murrow; George Clooney is Fred Friendly; Jeff Daniels is Sig Mickelson; Alex Borstein is Natalie; Rose Abdoo is Millie Lerner; Tate Donovan is Jesse Zousmer; Reed Diamond is John Aaron; Matt Ross is Eddie Scott; Patricia Clarkson is Shirley Wershba; Robert Downey, Jr. is Joe Wershba and Thomas McCarthy is Palmer Williams. ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONS FOR 2006: Best Achievement in Art Direction: James D. Bissell (Art Director); Jan Pascale (Set Director); Best Achievement in Cinematography: Robert Elswit; Best Achievement in Directing: George Clooney; Best Motion Picture of the Year: Grant Heslov; Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: David Strathairn; Best Writing, Original Screenplay: George Clooney and Grant Heslov.

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ENJOY!

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE AND MORE!

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Having survived a dangerous fall at my hotel this morning that very well might have broken my back about five inches down from the base of my neck, I cancelled all meetings today and said "Screw this place". Nothing has felt quite right about Phoenix. So, I've decided to try and take a meeting with an aviation executive I respect that lives here, and get his feedback on some ideas I have. I'm very, very fortunate. I lost my footing and landed dangerously with my feet high in the air leaving me to impact the ground above the shoulder blade area, with my body having twisted left upon impact. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to remain still and do a bit of a "check list". I could feel everything-no paralysis. Nothing felt broken. That set the tone for the day and so I've decided to look for something brighter to BLOG about. That part was easier.

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Believing that one must look for the positive, I took myself to an early evening showing last night of the movie "Across the Universe". This is a rare movie where insights can spoil the film for those who have yet to see it. So, I'll be short for once (lucky you!). But if you relish The Beatles music as much as I do, the story is set against world events that run a parallel path from early to late Beatles tunes and characters in the songs (plus one or two whom you will recognize as veiled references in our culture). Best of all, it is one of the few movies out that isn't cloaked in dark, depressing issues. There is light and there reason for optimism in this film. And I wholeheartedly recommend it as an alternative to the overdose of bad news on radio and television. See this and be inspired!

FAREWELLS: DEBORAH KERR & JOEY BISHOP!

The Real "Rat Pack"

L-R: Frank, Dean, Peter, Joey and Sammy (center)

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Joey Bishop has died, just in case some of you missed the news. He was the last surving member of "The Rat Pack"--a name given by Humprey Bogart to the fun-loving, anti-social group who smoked cigarettes, boozed and staying up all night in Las Vegas creating mayhem when they weren't on stage. The group (photo above) included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. They entertained Las Vegas crowds with a mixture of singing, comedy and on-stage carousing considered tame by today's "Shock-TV" standards. The group formed in 1960 and disbanded in 1964. Sinatra referred to Bishop as the "Hub of the Big Wheel" and "Speaker of the House" for his role as the Rat Pack's emcee. Amazingly, Bishop was one of the few who could get away with zapping the "Chairman of the Board" in public, joking about Sinatra's long-rumored ties to organized crime. In one famous exchange with their audience, Bishop announced: "Mr. Sinatra will now speak of some of the good things the Mafia has done." Many forget this, but Joey Bishop was the host of ABC's late-night entry, also called "The Joey Bishop Show," opposite NBC's dominant "The Tonight Show" starring Johnny Carson. Bishop's sidekick for the show was Regis Philbin, who is today co-star of "Live with Regis and Kelly." "It was the thrill of my life to be chosen by Joey as the announcer for his talk show on ABC back in the '60s," Philbin said in a statement. "He was a master comedian and a great teacher, and I will never forget those days or him. " While Bishop proved no match for Carson in the ratings competition, he became a "Tonight Show" favorite after leaving ABC, filling in for Carson as guest host a record 177 times. Joey was 89.

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Photo Credit: Associated Press

With Gary Grant in "An Affair to Remember"

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Greer Garson and I met in 1989, when I was privileged to emcee a local fund raiser for a Parkinson's disease non-profit organization. Greer's late husband, energy executive Buddy Fogelson had succumbed to the disease. How sadly ironic it is that I would lose my father to the same damn disease 11 years later! After I summoned Rex Reed to the podium in the ballroom of a North Dallas hotel to comment on several movie clips we all watched of Greer, I had no idea that she preceded actress Deborah Kerr in stardom. Deborah Kerr passed away at 86 in Suffolk, England this past Thursday. She is best remembered for the film "From Here to Eternity". The film contained a racy scene for the times (1953) with her kissing Burt Lancaster on a Hawaiian beach as the waves roll over them. And here 54 years later, audiences are still drawn to this film! But film critics often point out that while both were in peak physical form, the power of the moment came from Kerr. Prior to the film, she came to epitomize "cinema's perfect lady", which often irritated her. It is said she looked 35 years old for more than 20 years. After arriving in the United States, she became a Hollywood star opposite Clark Gable in 1947's "The Hucksters", a send-up on Madison Avenue. She was nominated for six Academy Awards (for "Edward, My Son," "From Here to Eternity," "The King and I," "Heaven Knows Mr. Allison," "Separate Tables" and "The Sundowners") from 1949 to 1960. She won the Golden Globe Award for "The King and I" with Yul Brenner. After "The Arrangement" in 1969, she left movies at age 48, lamenting that she was either too old or too young for every role offered her. In the mid-1980s, she appeared in a handful of TV movies and mini-series. In 1994, Deborah Kerr was awarded a special Academy Award for being "an artist of impeccable grace and beauty, a dedicated actress whose motion picture career has always stood for perfection, discipline and elegance."

FRIDAY MOVIE SUGGESTION NIGHT PRESENTS: "MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE"!

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This movie was released in 1999, although I just previewed it. The timing for it, given the changing seasons couldn't be better. This is a nice movie that is well paced, well acted and concerns a shipbuilder dealing with the loss of his young wife. A tragic message contained in a bottle is discovered by another woman while jogging, and she is determined to track down the rightfully intended person. Essentially, this is a hopeful movie about loss, healing and a rebirth of life through loving again. The Cast: Kevin Costner is Garrett Blake; Robin Wright Penn is Theresa Osborne; Paul Newman is Dodge Blake. Enough said. Go enjoy it!

JAMES BOND ON HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME!

Sir Roger Moore

(Photo Courtesy of Reuters)

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Last Thursday, just three days ahead of his 80th birthday, actor Roger Moore was awarded his Hollywood Star along the "Walk of Fame" in Los Angeles. Long overdue, Moore lamented that "Sadly, I had to retire from the Bond films," he said at the ceremony."The girls were getting younger and I was just getting too old." When his close friend Audry Hepburn died, Moore stepped in to take over her role as goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. On October 9, 2003 Queen Elizabeth II knighted Moore for his humanitarian work worldwide. In 1999, he was awarded CBE (Commander Of The Most Excellent Order Of The British Empire). He received an Honorary Doctorate from Ryerson Polytechnic University in 1999 as well. Moore played British super-spy James Bond in seven films--taking over from Sean Connery in 1973 in "Live and Let Die" (with Paul McCartney and Wings performing the soundtrack). His final Bond film in 1985 was "A View to a Kill". Everyone these days has their favorite James Bond. For me it remains Roger Moore!

THE RASPBERRIES REUNITE!

Eric Carmen and The Raspberries Reunited!

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You know something very cool is up when Steven Van Zandt, Max Weinberg (of The E. Street Band), Jon Bon Jovi, Rick Springfield, Paul Stanley and John Lennon's ex-girlfriend May Pang show up at the Los Angeles "House of Blues" off Sunset Boulevard. In this case it was to hear a short-lived but highly successful rock band from the 1970's: THE RASPBERRIES! May Pang handed lead singer Eric Carmen a framed photo of John Lennon wearing a Raspberries T-Shirt! Many of you will remember Eric Carmen from his hits "Hungry Eyes" (used in the movie "Dirty Dancing"), "All By Myself" and "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again". I can't believe this guy lives in Gates Mill, Ohio! But this is--after all --a Cleveland, Ohio band that released four albums: "Raspberries" and "Fresh" in 1972, "Side 3" in 1973 and "Starting Over" in 1974. Actually, what happened was that the band was caught up in a time warp when audience tastes were changing to album rock with bands like Queen and Jethro Tull. Critics loved their hits, "Go All the Way", "I Wanna Be with You" and "Overnight Sensation". In 2004, a reunion of the band led The House of Blues to approach the band for a concert. The option of a new CD is on the table, along with touring. But Carmen says cautiously, "We're going with the flow, but we're realistic. Do we put new songs on a MySpace page and give it away? That seems to be the new paradigm". Carmen is admittedly cautious because more than thirty years has passed since the band's last album. "We were about something other than Star Search or American Idol and becoming a product. When MTV came into play, that was the beginning of the end. Music took a back seat to what people looked like and how they danced", he said. Still, there's hope for a tour. Now 58, Eric Carmen retired 10 years ago to raise his family. Here's hoping that his passion for playing again is back. If so, look for news of a tour. I'm optimistic.

FRIDAY MOVIE SUGGESTION NIGHT PRESENTS: "IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON"!

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For only the second time since I began "Friday Movie Suggestion Night", I've selected a movie that is already in theaters, albeit, in very select distribution. This movie should be seen by anyone who wants to recapture what it felt like during the 1960's and 70's when President John F. Kennedy gave a stirring speech that he wanted to see the United States land a man on the Moon by the end of the decade. Fittingly, the film opens with President Kennedy's challenging speech. In archived film footage, President Kennedy tours the Northrup Grumman plant where the Astronauts where enormously involved in the design of the Apollo space craft. Project Apollo was a 3-man Astronaut program that literally captivated the nation at a time when assassinations of President Kennedy, Attorney General Robert Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King tragically shook our country. With the exception of Neil Armstrong and Colonel Frank Borman (Commander of Apollo 8) each of the remaining Astronauts who travelled and walked on the Moon---now in their late 70's recall in their own unscripted words what Project Apollo meant to a nation also at war in Vietnam. Producer Ron Howard and Director David Sington brilliantly allow the following NASA Astronauts to share their memories from the heart: Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong (archive footage only), Alan Bean, Eugene Cernan, Michael Collins, Jim Lovell, Edgar D.Mitchell, Harrison Schmitt, Dave Scott, and John Young. 2007 WINNER OF: The Sundance Film Festival, The Boulder International Film Festival and The Florida Film Festival.

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ENJOY AND FEEL THE PRIDE ALL OVER AGAIN!

"FRIDAY MOVIE SUGGESTION NIGHT" PRESENTS: "THE DOORS LIVE AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL"!

Jim Morrison

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Welcome to a feature I started on this Blog more than 2 years ago in September, 2005. My pick for "Friday Movie Suggestion Night" is "The Doors Live at the Hollywood Bowl". Some of you may be asking why I didn't choose Oliver Stone's 1999 movie, "The Doors". The simple reason is that all three surviving members of the band said that Stone's movie contained many inaccuracies including Val Kilmer's portrayal of Jim Morrison as a raving sociopath. I agree. Secondly, this is the only complete filmed concert of Jim Morrison and The Doors (the BBC Concert was edited). A 1993 release by Elektra records, "Alive She Cried" contains one of the best versions of Van Morrison's hit "Gloria" (by the band Them) on tape during a sound check. Highlights of this featured movie's performance are "When the Music's Over", "The End" and "Light My Fire". I visited The Hollywood Bowl venue and photographed it during my last full day in Los Angeles. Now...for those of you too young to remember this band here's the short summary on their significance.

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The Doors were formed in the summer of 1965 when Jim Morrison, a poet and UCLA film student met keyboardist Ray Manzarek on Venice Beach in California. The two struck up a conversation with Jim sharing with Ray a hip poem that he wanted to translate into music. Guitarist Robbie Krieger (who was actually trained in Classical guitar) and drummer John Densmore formed a spartan but potent rhythm section as the new band began to pull their sound together. To appreciate the persona of Morrison is to grasp his unpredictable if not impulsive behavior on stage. Simply put, nobody was doing anything compared to The Doors in concert. Their performances were a mix of over-the-top free-form poetry and musical improvisation during the growing Civil Rights movement and a general distrust of all authority. Heavy-handed policemen wielding batons and arrest warrants often stood off stage ready to bust Morrison (as they once did) for inciting a riot and sadly, lining the perimeter of various concert halls, which only provoked anger among the audience. As a result, a pall of something edgy and dangerous hung over venues with many cities banning the group. A still-controversial event that allegedly occurred in Miami on March 1, 1969 at the Dinner Key Auditorium involved a drunk Morrison (who had missed his flight to the concert before hitting the alcohol) later at the show yelling into the microphone. "Anything you want, let's do it", and then, allegedly, exposing himself. In his autobiography, Ray Manzarek claims it never took place. This concert is the shortest film ever featured here on "Friday Movie Suggestion Night". I make it a point to try and preview whatever film I suggest and since I've yet to see The L.A. Woman Tour DVD by the renamed Riders On The Storm, I just sincerely felt that many of you in Blogland new to my Blogsite and The Doors ought to see a piece of history. This show was filmed during the July 4th weekend in 1968. During 1970 and 1971 Jim sadly slipped deeper into alcohol abuse, although he moved away from drugs. He became heavy, grew a long beard and became increasingly unpredictable, albeit, his last recording "L.A. Woman" is said to be the bands' best. During the recording of "Love Her Madly", it was Jim's idea to take his microphone into a bathroom and sit atop the toilet tank with the lyrics in front of him with the door closed to create the unique sound you hear on that song. Despite his poor health, the session musicians worked so well with The Doors that a spirited tour of the album was planned sometime after Morrison and his girlfriend Pamela Courson returned from a trip to France (while his Miami obscenity case was on appeal). The band did perform at the Isle of Wright Festival alongside artists such as Joni Mitchell, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Sly & The Family Stone and Miles Davis. While in France, Morrison telephoned band members to find out how the post production of "L.A. Woman" was coming along. It would tragically be their last contact with the lead singer and bands' visionary. Morrison's body was discovered on July 3, 1971 in the bathtub of his apartment by Pamela Courson. While no autopsy was performed, the cause of death was credited to alcohol poisoning that induced a fatal heart attack. He is buried at Pe're Lachaise Cemetery. The Doors sold 76 million albums and continue to sell millions more each year. Their music remains staples on FM Radio stations worldwide. They were inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

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"Is everybody in? The ceremony is about to begin...WAKE UP!"

---Jim Morrison

HOW ABOUT A SHORT POST?

Shelby Lynne

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Yesterday, I wandered into the Music section of a nice bookstore, where you can scan the data from a CD and listen to sample selections through stereo headphones. This girl uses a low soprano in ways that are quite amazing. That's my entire Blog for Monday!

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Have a Nice Week!