February 2007: A Short Month But Lots Happenings

FEBRUARY 2007: A SHORT MONTH BUT LOTS HAPPENING!

February arrived: it had been the driest January on record! The talk of drought already began! ….. Dad’s 90th Birthday on Feb 2. He is in great shape, except for his being legally blind from macular degeneration. We are not completely satisfied with the nursing home he’s in at the moment, but after looking at over a dozen other places that will accept patients on State Funds, he is better off staying exactly where he is! ….. Merrill’s 63rd Birthday was spent at a Cocktail Party arranged by Grace Cathedral at the Opera House before a performance of the San Francisco Ballet for church members. All did not turn out as expected and it was not a very good evening. Will go into all that some other time. I was not pleased; Merrill not quite as displeased as I was despite his having paid for the entire evening!?* Thank goodness we had celebrated a couple of days before at one of our favorite restaurants, Lalime’s, with a superb dinner. The restaurant just gets better and better! That turned out to be a better evening!! ….. The rains came Feb 7 and were with us on and off for the entire month bringing 5+”. That helped us get closer to our 2006-2007 Rainy Season goal of 23”. ….. Acquaintance Emmit Nolan died suddenly in New York City from a heart attack. I used to see him at least once every time I visited the Big Apple. He spent a lot of time in Tangier with James Lee. ….. Valentine’s Day we had a wonderful lunch at the famous Slanted Door with a gorgeous view of the Bay. Richard Miller & John Vinton treated for a celebration of Merrill’s Birthday! ….. Eric Svenson arrived from New York City for a 10-day stay. We had lots planned for him and we enjoyed all the events also. He nearly did not get here with Jet Blue cancelling hundreds of flights on Feb 15. He was lucky he was only 45-minutes late and not sitting on the runway for 10 or 11 hours!! ….. Ed Lamoureaux was with us for three days sleeping on the sofa. He wanted to be here for our Annual Oscar Party. Almost a “dud” this year with only 11 in attendance! ….. Down to Campbell (near San Jose) for a lovely lunch at Ron Bottini’s. He has a lovely ranch style house that his parents built in the 1950s. A huge back yard that is set up for the warm summer days down there. Eric was with us. Began with a flavorful mushroom risotto. Had a tasty mai mai with fresh asparagus. Then a berry/lady finger tart. A most delicious and leisurely lunch! ….. From Ron’s, we then proceeded 10 miles into San Jose to visit George D’Ardenay at his apricot ranch in the foothills of Mt. Hamilton. He still keeps the ranch going. We ventured up Mt. Hamilton to the restaurant, Mt. Hamilton Grand View Restaurant for more food. This time had to take most of it home as we were still full from Ron’s lunch. What a spectacular view of San Jose; all lit up and looking like a smaller version of Los Angeles! Despite the rain, it was clear and sparkling! San Jose is becoming known as “the Los Angeles of the North”! ….. Oscar Night: the 79th Annual Academy Awards: Only 11 came to the party; most were traveling this year that usually show up. A tough year to pick the winners since one movie did not dominate the nominations as in years past. Liked the show despite Ellen DeGeneris; clever skits introducing some categories and the dancers that were on in the shadows were great! So glad Martin Scorsese received his Oscar at last. …… Eric’s flight home was delayed a day since there was a big snowstorm in the Midwest and only 4” of snow in NYC. Jet Blue was becoming paranoid about all of this and decided to cancel 60+ flights. Eric stayed one more day; I just got caught up on household things and he relaxed. Then I received word that I won $500 in the PrimeTimer Raffle in Palm Springs which was drawn at their Valentine Gala! The extra $$$ always comes in handy for trips!! ….. Board of Directors Meeting getting “hot” again with flooded apartments in the building and all types of accusations floating around! Those who hate us do not go away!! Am glad I am off that Board; a couple of bitches still live in our building! Can’t wait for the next “chapter” in this situation (more on that as it develops and becomes more apparent!).

*As Barbra Streisand sang “People who need people, are the luckiest people in the world.” I am not sure I believe in that sentiment the older I get! Maybe because I am in my fifth year of retirement, I pay too much attention to people’s behavior! I then believe in telling them the truth about what turmoil has been caused. It gets one into trouble when the truth is spoken. I am finding that people cause a lot of turmoil, and I just will not put up with it any longer. Enough people I know are dieing; maybe I should not drive away more friends with not putting up with their crazy and rude behavior!?!?

THEATRE & MUSEUMS & CABARET & RESTAURANTS

FARM BOYS VERY GOOD
I had read the reviews for the New Conservatory Theatre’s production of the novel about gay guys from Wisconsin telling why they left their MidWest environment. The review was not all that great, but it all sounded quite intriguing. Was glad I attended. The play turned out to be very touching—I even shed a tear or two! Actor, Matt Socha was excellent as the guy from a small town in Wisconsin who inherits a farm from his first gay experience. Hope we hear more from Socha in the future.

OAKLAND MUSEUM: “The Art of Arthur & Lucia Mathews”
Lucia was born in the Oakland area; Arthur Mathews came out to the Bay Area in the early 1900s and began teaching at an art school. Lucia’s was his student; he liked her watercolors and fell in love with her. They sold their works in the early 1900s rather successfully and even were hired as muralists for public buildings and private homes. They then opened a business called, Furniture Shop. They incorporated their paintings into desks, tables, bureaus, etc. They even made most of their own hand-carved frames for their paintings—just stunning. I ventured to this exhibit twice I liked it so much.

Art & Spirit Gala: An Evening at the SAN FRANCISCO BALLET GOOD
This was a Gala sponsored by Grace Cathedral; a cocktail party leading up to a lecture and then the SF Ballet, which consisted of three works. “Firebird” was the main event of the evening and was really only a so-so production of this work that I had seen many times before. It just lacked spark and excitement this time around. The other two works were modern and ok.

American Conservatory Theatre’s HEDDA GABLER VERY GOOD
This is not one of my favorite plays: I believe that the main character of a play should be likeable. I have no sympathy for Hedda herself; all the suffering that she is going through, she brought upon herself. The production was nicely done and most of the acting was quite good. Veteran actress, Barbara Oliver, was surprisingly amateurish as the household maid. When Hedda goes into the next room to shoot herself, I am always rather glad! I remember seeing Maggie Smith as Hedda in London in a production directed by filmmaker Ingmar Bergman all done in bright red. Ms. Smith insisted that she shoot herself on stage in front of everyone! What a moment that was! Unforgettable!

ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY and her sister, LIZ CALLOWAY EXCELLENT
I have seen Ann Hampton Callaway (she says she is the “love child” of Lionel Hampton and Cab Calloway!) a few times in cabaret and she is just great! A stinging sense of humor as well as a brilliant lyricist. She usually plays her own piano. Her all-American looking sister, Liz, has been on Broadway where I saw her too many years ago in “Baby”
Together they play off each other and both were very funny. They did a marvelous 15-minute duet singing “sister songs”! It brought down the house! Great show!

San Francisco Symphony’s OPEN REHEARSAL VERY GOOD
Not too much stopping and starting in this Open Rehearsal. Concertmaster, Alexander Barantshik was in charge; he conducted as well as played his famous violin. There were a lot of short pieces by Mozart, Bach, Shostakovich, Brittan, and Priazzola. An enjoyable morning.

The Slanted Door
This was Richard Miller and John Vinton’s treat for Merrill’s 63rd Birthday. Rather overpriced Asian food, but very tasty. Also the view from the restaurant is spectacular with the Bay Bridge right out the window and the Bay itself in front of us! Yum! Yum!

Downtown Restaurant
This restaurant was becoming one of our favorites but the running of the place has changed. They were rather busy so we had to sit in the bar area. Could not order off the regular menu. Had to order small plates of food which are really small and not very filling. Merrill, Eric and myself wanted to share. The bill was rather pricey for what we ordered.

Aroura Theatre’s THE BIRTHDAY PARTY GOOD
This was the 50th year celebration of Harold Pinter’s first success in London and New York. The play is still as puzzling as it ever was. However, it is wonderfully acted by a superb cast of local actors, especially local favorite, James Carpenter. So many things can be going on in this theatre piece; I guess we are meant to fill in the blanks, as well as Pinter’s famous pauses!??! Enjoyed it but was perplexed by what was happening!!!

Bistro Don Giovanni
Still one of our favorite restaurants in the Napa Valley. We chose a great day to eat up there with Eric; sunny and in the low 70s. We ate outdoors and had a very leisurely lunch. Giovanni greeted us at the door; Donna, his wife, was not cooking in the kitchen today. We shared a wonderful Pizza Margherita with a lovely dry white wine; then we also shared a fritto misto (wonderfully deep fried fish in a tasty batter) & rice balls with ham that grandma used to make (an old Neopolitan recipe); then I had boccantini pasta (difficult to find in the Bay Area) with carmelized onion in a rich red wine sauce (supposedly this is a dish from Roma). Had this course with some red wine. Then had a tangy lemon pudding that was a perfect ending to this delightful outdoor meal.

“Longford” on HBO EXCELLENT
If you can catch this true story of Lord Longford, I am sure you will be intrigued by the story. He is in charge of looking after the prison system in England in the 1960s. He gets involved with a pair of serial sexual predator killers. He was more interested in the woman’s role in the killings and it is even hinted at in the movie that he was falling in love with her even though he had a wife and daughter (Lady Antonia Fraiser) of his own. Full of suspense and it grabs your attention.

GUYS AND DOLLS GOOD
The Contra Costa Players put on this wonderful Frank Loesser musical. What a score! The book always seemed rather “hokey” to me however. The actors were ok, but they just tried to hard. They screeeeaaaamed every song! They knew when the laugh lines were coming and gave it too much emphasis! Major miscasting of a few roles from a physical point of view. Enjoyable, but I’ve seen better!! They put the orchestra in the stage left wing; the music came out rather muffled!!?? It is the music and the lyrics are what make this show great!! Didn’t anyone notice???

The pre-Broadway tryout of LEGALLY BLONDE, the Musical GOOD/FAIR
I have never seen the successful movie. After seeing the musical, I never want to see the movie. How did the movie get to make so much money; you do not want to know my answer to that question!! This is very, very, very much ado about very, very much of nothing! The melodies were not too bad, but the lyrics were rhyming constantly to the point of distraction!!!!! The lead is in pink, pink and more pink! Her cute little dog follows her around the stage all the time. There is even a Greek Chorus made up of her sorority sisters which no one can see but her; wish that was true for us in the audience! It is all a little too cute for its own good!! She goes to Harvard Law School and wins her first big case: Harvard should sue!!! It ought to be interesting to see how this does on Broadway when it opens in April at the Palace Theatre! I am sure it will run for the summer so all the suburban blonde teenage girls can have their matinee-at-the-theatre treat!!

PAULA WEST at the Plush Room EXCELLENT
Paula just cannot get any better! Chosen by New York/Time Out Magazine as the best Cabaret Act in NYC for 2006, this was such an upbeat show for her! Her voice is magnificent. Long may she sing and continue being the best jazz singer around today!

MANDY POTENKIN in Concert VERY GOOD
Every song becomes a five-act drama for Mandy Potenkin. His voice range is phenomenal and he is very, very enjoyable. However, the intense emotion that he projects to the audience becomes wearing after a while. He had some humorous stories to tell about his family and about his getting into show business. I hope after his successful TV show ends (“Criminal Minds”), he returns to the musical stage!!

JANUARY 2007

JANUARY 2007
PALM SPRINGS, CA


After “putting Christmas away,” it was time to leave for Palm Springs on Wednesday, January 3 to help out with friends Paul Francis and James Lee.

Paul was in the hospital suffering from complications from his diabetes. It finally did him in on January 6, the Feast of the Kings (Epiphany), when at last he was at peace. What a life he had in Europe for 43 years. Quite a character and he was part of an era that we will never see again. Paul was cremated and his nephew from Pittsburgh, PA will arrive in Palm Springs the end of January to collect his ashes and straighten out the estate.

James is recuperating from a stroke he had right after Christmas. His left side (hand and leg) is rather weak and needs a lot of exercising. His speech is affected slightly, but that is coming along slowly but surely. His energy level is low, but he was determined to get to some of the films at the Film Festival and to entertain me and a visiting friend from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Tony Rivera (another retired overseas teacher).

Opening night of the Film Festival was on January 4. We did not get to that one: that is a very expensive event and not really worth the money. Brad Pitt was the big star to show up this year—he’s not one of my favorites, so I skipped opening night!

I did begin seeing films on January 5 and only lasted until January 11 (7 days). I decided to return to Oakland early on January 12. Was scheduled to stay in Palm Springs until January 17 with Merrill coming down on January 12 for a five-day stay. Nothing much could get done with helping out with cleaning up Paul’s house; Jim was progressing as well as can be expected; Tony was there helping out (Jan 6 to 15). My dad is not happy in the new senior facility we moved him into on December 29. He was not there two weeks and they moved him to three different rooms; no warning. It scared him terribly since he is legally blind and cannot hear very well. They have lost one pair of slippers, his own walker (now has a mysterious one!??), and his blanket he loves when he naps!!! When the State starts paying the bills, things change, and change for the worst!!! Am trying to call as many facilities as I can and getting to see them and then we shall move him if we find a better facility.

Did get a chance to see 17 films at the Film Festival. The selection of films this year was not as good as in previous years. Enjoyed those that I did get to see. I have listed them by rating (in alphabetical order for each rating). Wonder how many will be nominated for Best Foreign Film Oscar?



THE 18TH ANNUAL PALM SPRINGS
INTERNATIONAL FILMS FESTIVAL
January 4 to 15, 2007

The films are rated according to the audience rating sheets handed out for each film at the Festival: Poor Fair Good Very Good (they really rate this as Excellent) and Superb. I have listed the films by the best rated films first in alphabetical order and go down the rating scale.

AFTER THE WEDDING SUPERB
This superb drama from Denmark begins in far off Bombay, India at an orphanage for street children. A new benefactor for the museum in Copenhagen demands a face-to-face
meeting with the Dane, Jacob, who runs the orphanage. He attends his benefactor’s daughter’s wedding and surprising things happen “after the wedding.” Jacob realizes he has had an affair years ago with the benefactor’s wife and this may be his daughter. The plot presents a lot of twists and turns in all these lives; their pasts all come together and what is in store for the future is quite interesting in this engrossing film.

AVENUE MONTAIGNE SUPERB
This is an old-fashioned “breezy, bittersweet and utterly charming” French comedy. It reminded me of the film, “Roman Holiday” in which Audrey Hepburn made her film debut. The French actress, Cecile DeFrance, reminded me of Hepburn in a lot of ways: she lights up the screen, great comic timing, and is so interesting to watch. Director Daniele Thompson has written a script that interweaves three basic stories around a Theatre Café (Ms. DeFrance delivers food!) which serves regular costumers: a concert pianist who plays at the Symphony Hall across the street; a TV actress who is longing for a serious film role with Sydney Pollack (he makes a smashing cameo appearance in English), and a businessman preparing to auction off his art collection. We follow their trials and tribulations over three days. It all culminates on the night when a concert, an art auction and the debut of the play coincide—a night that will change all their lives! We, the audience, had a grand treat following all of this. Best comedy I’ve seen in ages!

DAYS OF GLORY SUPERB
This Algerian/French film won the Ensemble Acting Prize at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. This is a powerful WWII story that details the awful treatment the French heaped upon their fellow soldiers of North African (Muslim) descent. This film pulls no punches especially with its stunning battle scenes. The cast also is superb in showing the heartless cruelty of war and upon the individuals and their struggles to survive. This film reignited debate about an age-old scandal: in 1952 the French government suspended payments to veterans of North African nations who fought for France, a practice that was deemed illegal by European courts in 2002. Until the release of this film, the French government had been slow to comply with the 2002 ruling. Quite a moving film.



FORGET YOU NOT SUPERB
At last year’s Palm Springs International Film Festival, Italian film director, Pupi Avati was honored; they screened about 10 of his films. I got to see four or five of them and loved them. Now his daughter, Mariantonia Avati, his daughter, is making her directing debut with this sentimental film. (Aren’t we into this with Francis Ford and Sophia Coppola?) It is 1946 Italy, a country that longs for rebirth after WWII, in a Rome maternity ward. Eight women are waiting to give birth and confide their stories to Nina, who works there and narrates the film. The stories really intertwine so wonderfully; there is understanding, solidarity and friendship. A very moving film about the human condition, and, at the same time, symbolizing a nation’s struggles. Would like to see Ms. Avati’s second film whenever it is released!

THE LINE OF BEAUTY SUPERB
Originally a three-hour BBC mini-series adapted from Alan Hollinghurst’s Booker Prize winning novel, this saga chronicles the contradictions of class, politics, and sex in the 1980s Thatcher Britain. It all focuses on the aptly named Nick Guest, a recent Oxford graduate who has come down to London to write his dissertation on Henry James. Moving into the grand house of a college friend whose father happens to be one of Britain’s most ambitious and conservative members of Parliament, Nick has a ringside seat to the impending right-wing revolution. He certainly sees the immense distance between the personal lives and political agendas of the men leading the country. His real education comes at night when he explores his new gay identity. This film spans the first four years of Margaret Thatcher’s rise to power, the rise of conservative politics, the emergence of the AIDS crisis, and the excess of 80s materialism. As these worlds all collide, Nick’s life becomes unhinged as well. Did not want this wonderful “film” to end as ALL the characters where very engrossing!

NINA’S JOURNEY SUPERB
Based on the true story of the writer-director’s (Lena Einhorn) young, Jewish mother’s remarkable odyssey at survival during WWII in Poland. Lena’s mother, Nina, narrates the film which is done in the flashback style. Nina passed away from cancer in 2002 and survived the Nazis by hiding out in all sorts of places with all types of Poles. This Swedish/Polish film focuses on the years 1937 to 1945: from Nina’s carefree youth in Lodz, to her years in the Warsaw ghetto from which she managed to escape, to a time of continual moving between hiding places with gentile families in the countryside. It also features some of Poland’s finest actors; this film is extremely moving!!

COVER BOY VERY GOOD
This Italian film is the story of a friendship between two young men in today’s Italy—a Romanian immigrant and an Italian lower-class worker. They struggle to find gainful employment. The immigrant escapes his native Romania to seek a better life in Italy; Michele, the Italian, is merely scraping along as a janitor. Michele gets nowhere fast and begins to fall in love with the Romanian; the Romanian becomes a model and rather famous and wealthy and just cannot return Michele’s love. A rather sad ending; enjoyed the film very much. It started out too slowly though or I would have rated it Superb.

DON’T WORRY, I’M FINE VERY GOOD
This French film stars one of France’s up and coming young actresses, Melanie Laurent. She plays Lili who returns from vacation to discover her 19-year-old twin brother, Loic, has fled from home after a violent fight with their father, who struggles along in his very middle class household. Loic does not answer any of Lili’s phone messages. Lili worries about his welfare eventually sending her to an anorexia hospital ward; suddenly a post card arrives from Loic and Lili searches for him via the postmarks on cards she then steadily receives. A wonderful surprise twist in the plot at the end of this film made this film even more engrossing. Again, it just began too slowly for the plot to develop.

EAST SIDE STORY VERY GOOD
This film from the USA depicts a funny combination of melodrama, romance and comedy that follows a couple of gay love triangles in LA’s Bario neighborhood. Gays are buying property in LA’s rapidly gentrified Latino neighborhood. Diego, desiring to be a famous gourmet chef, toils away in his family’s ordinary Mexican restaurant (Tio Pepe’s!) and is having a secret affair with the seemingly very straight real estate agent Pablo. A gay white couple, Wesley and Jonathan, move next door and Wesley is particularly appealing to the increasingly frustrated Diego, especially since Pablo starts to date Diego’s sister! When jealousy rears its ugly head on all the characters, the fun really begins! Great fun! Gay filmmaker, Carlos Portugal, makes his first independent film and does a fine job with plot twists with a very funny script that he co-wrote with Charo Toledo. Carlos was at the Festival and gave some insights about filming this all in 19 days on a very low budget! He did a great job! Most enjoyable.

GRBAVICA VERY GOOD
This Bosnian/Herzegovina film captured the Best Film Award at the recent Berlin Film Festival. It depicts the plight of the thousands of Muslim women raped during the Balkan wars. Adding insult to injury, they received no support from the government and were unable to tell their families. The title refers to a Sarajevo district that was later transformed into a prison camp where inmates were tortured and raped. This neighborhood is now home to hard working Esma, a single mother haunted by events from her past. As she struggles to make ends meet, her love for her 12-year-old daughter Sara makes life worthwhile. Sara thinks her father died in the war. When she needs documentation about his death for a discount for an expensive school field trip, Esma desperately searches for the money so she won’t have to reveal the truth of Sara’s conception. If awards for Best Actress were handed out at the Film Festival, actress Mirjana Karanovic would certainly win: what a performance as Esma! Very moving indeed. Again, this film is too slow in its exposition.

VITUS VERY GOOD
In this film from Switzerland, Vitus is a child cursed with early genius; he can play the piano and memorize the encyclopedia! He is bored with school and even with piano playing. All he wants is to be “normal.” He is smothered by overly attentive parents; we see Vitus at age 6 and then again at age 12 (at this point he is played by real life piano virtuoso, Theo Gheorghiu). The child’s grandfather, played by the superb Swiss actor, Bruno Ganz, offers relief from Vitus’ parents; he teaches the boy such values as fantasy, simplicity, and practical common sense. Vitus also dreams of flying and having a normal life. Towards the end of the film, with one dramatic leap, Vitus finally takes control of his own life in a very moving ending

BLACK BOOK GOOD
This film is basically from the Netherlands, but Germany, the UK, and Belgium also helped produce the film. In 1944 a former Berlin singer Rachael Steinn, who has been hiding in Nazi-occupied Holland, tries to make a run for it. When the ship is bombed, wiping out all of the fleeing refugees on board including her parents and brother except for her, she joins the resistance eager to learn who set them up. Steinn infiltrates the Nazi machinery and becomes involved in a web of seduction, betrayal and revenge. For some reason I found the film very unmoving and a bit too “clean” in vivid Technicolor. No one got “dirty” in the film even in the bombing scenes. It all just left me “cold.” Nicely acted though.

HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE ME? GOOD
This film was in French although it was co-produced with Italy. A very different film. One could not tell if it was farce, fairy tale, or a feast of symbolism!?!? Famous French director, Bertrand Blier is a master at the politically incorrect! Francois enters a whore bar in Pigalle and approaches Daniela, the most beautiful hooker in the place, and makes a proposition to her: having recently won millions of Euros in a lottery, he would like to purchase her services at 100,000 Euros per month until his money runs out. However, two things stand in the way: Francois’ heart condition and Daniela’s gangster boyfriend, Charley, played by an old Gerard Depardieu, who looks like a balloon ready for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! A good film but it never quite knew in which direction it was headed.

THIEVES AND LIARS GOOD
Made in Puerto Rico, this film shows the corruption that has exploded there over the last 15 years. There are three stories intertwined showing three families involved in all of this corruption as the older generations helplessly watch the deterioration of truth and justice in the Puerto Rican youth. A bit “soap opera-ish” at times, the film ends with the corruption still continuing. One could tell this was a low budget film and was much too long at 114 minutes. We got the message early on; they just kept repeating it over and over.

THE GOLDEN DOOR FAIR
This film from Italy received quite a bit of good word of mouth in VARIETY and other show business publications. I was very, very disappointed in the film. A turn-of-the-century rural Sicilian family embarks on a difficult journey to Ellis Island, leaving behind their homes and possessions in the hope of securing a better life in a land they’ve heard flows with milk and honey. The director, Emanuele Crialese, takes this to heart: in several scenes and the end of the film, characters are literally floating in milk!?!? Why not mucking through honey? It all was such a silly image on film!?? As the boat approaches Ellis Island, there is no Statue of Liberty to be seen!? The characters were not very interesting and we did not really care about them and their struggle. I did learn a few things from the film: my grandmother immigrated to Ellis Island to meet my grandfather for the first time and marry him in order to take care of his children that his first wife had given birth to. It showed these immigrant brides coming and the grooms meeting them in a huge room with hundreds of brides waiting for their new life and marriage in America. It was quite a moving scene: some were pleased, and some were not! Otherwise, the film was just a bore. Some interesting photography, but hope this is not nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

THE MOON AND THE STARS FAIR
This Italian/UK/Hungarian co-production was filmed in English and in lovely Technicolor. English actors, Jonathan Pryce and Alfred Molina star in this story of a group of actors and filmmakers trying to film a version of the opera, TOSCA, in the Rome of 1939. Pryce plays an alcoholic and drug addict; Molina plays a nervous, in the closet homosexual producer brought to the Cinecitta Studios in Rome to make this film despite the growing tremors of war. Director John Irvin spoke before the film began and said this film was an homage to the art of filmmaking. Although pleasant to look at, this film was rather boring: the characters and storyline. I’m afraid I left before the end.

THE CURIOSITY OF CHANCE POOR
A co-production of the USA/Belgium/Philippines, this film was so amateurish and should not have been in the Film Festival to begin with. Standards should be a bit higher for acceptance for a film to be entered. About a new kid at the high school, Chance Marquis, is not with it. He is very obviously gay and it is the 80s. He is such an obvious target for the school bully. To deal with this dilemma, Chance turns to the opposite ends of the high school spectrum for help: the high school jock and a drag queen at a local drag bar! The faculty are portrayed as all idiots, the parents are all good hearted but delusional, and all is right with the world in the drag bar! Pitiful writing and the acting is worse than some of the talent displayed on America’s favorite program, “American Idol.” I lasted only 40 minutes for this piece of crap and left rather hurriedly limping up the aisle with my cane! Get me out of the theatre!!!!!!

I was not too disappointed that my trip to the Film Festival was cut short (only 7 days) since the selection this year was not as great as the last two or three years. Still enjoyable however.

We’ll see how many of these foreign films are nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film this year.

Stay well and keep in touch……more about January Happenings in another newsletter coming up before the end of the month!

OTHER HAPPENINGS IN JANUARY 2007

OTHER HAPPENINGS IN JANUARY 2007

Besides my Palm Springs visit and attending the Palm Springs International Film Festival, other things occurred in the month of January.

When I returned to Oakland, we were starting to have record-breaking cold. Temps in the 20s at night; in the teens further north in Napa and Sacramento areas. Brrrrr!! We are not used to these temps. …..Mary and Denny Miller gave us cell phones for Christmas. Now we have truly entered the 21st Century! They helped us activate the phones and pick out phone number, etc. We shall just use them for emergencies; we have a “pay as you use” plan. ……Dad not liking the Oakridge Care Center; we do not like it easier. Mass chaos all the time and they have moved him three times. To get a light bulb changed or something faxed takes at least four or five days! No one wants to do their job. ….. More sad news to report: George Zahorsky passed away on January 17. He and his wife Alyce ushered at quite a few of the theatres. We got to know each other and George always had a joke and a smile and was pleasant to be around. They were great theatre fans and there was always lively conversation. …… Golden Globe Awards were a bit dull this year, especially with Warren Beatty going on and on in his Lifetime Award Acceptance Speech; Tom Hanks’ introduction was in such bad taste. Let’s grow up fellas. …… ACT’s THE CIRCLE by Somerset Maugham was a delight! Written in 1921, it took on marriage, love and infidelities—nothing much has changed since that time. Veteran actor, Ken Ruta, stole the show. The young leading lady should have voice projection lessons at ACT’s acting school! I was in Row M and had to concentrate on what she was saying carefully! …… Tried the new Chinese restaurant, Tian Sing Chinese Restaurant, near the theatre district; very good dim sum but just slightly overpriced. All very fresh and well done! …… Back to Le Zinc, the French Bistro in our old SF 24th Street neighborhood, with Richard Miller & John Vinton. Sun was warm and we ate on their back patio. I enjoyed the French style mushroom-spinach omlette. …… Dinners with neighbors across the hall, Dennis & Joey, are delicious and fun! ….. Attended the SF Symphony with a program that was a bit dull; Stravinsky’s ballet music from “Orpheus” and the Mozart Mass. SF Chorus still great but the Mass goes on much too long! …… SF Playhouse’ THREE SECONDS IN THE KEY by playwright Deb Margolin was so interesting. It ultimately did not work, but was so fascinating watching it unravel. A single mom is dying of cancer and her son is a big Knicks fan. They both receive inspiration for their tragedy via the basketball players from the team who are on stage and interweave in and out of their lives in a fantasy world! It all goes on too long and is quite repetitive, but I found it great theatre; brilliantly directed! A word about the theatre group: they have built up quite an audience by putting on very good shows under the guidance of Artistic Director, Bill English. Their theatre was in an old department store building; it had to be retrofitted for earthquake updates. They moved to a smaller theatre across the street at the Jean Shelton Acting School. Now that their original theatre is ready to move back into, the landlord raised the rent astronomically and they cannot afford to move back. What a shame they did not get things in writing before they moved out. They are looking for a new home and probably a very rich benefactor who will be dying soon!?! …..Sunday brunch at Ella’s is quite an event: comfort food served in huge portions and quite good. Celebrated Joe Ries’ birthday week there. Had old-fashioned scrambled eggs with all the trimmings and a huge, tasty buttermilk biscuit! Even had a blood-orange mimosa that was fabulous! Merrill got a bit of an upset stomach from too much horseradish in his Bloody Mary! …… KLEA BLACKHURST had a small audience at the San Rafael Jewish Community Center doing “Autumn in New York: Vernon Duke’s Broadway.” She gave it her all, but the show just did not “click.” Her first big show that brought her notoriety, Ethel Merman: All That Traffic Will Allow,” was wonderful. I think the subject matter was her problem: Vernon Duke tried and tried and tried to write a hit Broadway show, but never succeeded! He always had a flop. There is a reason for that: not a very good songwriter, even though he did have a few classic hits: “Autumn in New York” being his best. Let’s hope the next person she chooses to incorporate in her show will be better. She sang George Gershwin’s “Swanee” in the style of Al Jolson at the end of this show since it was the song that inspired Duke in faraway Poland. She did a great job with the Jolson style---maybe this is the one to salute next time! ….. I missed The State of the Union address. Historic in that San Francisco’s own, Nancy Pelosi, is now the Speaker of the House. As GWB noted, it was the first time a President of the US has said “Madam Speaker.” I think he “got it” that history moves on and changes; he does not quite comprehend that fact as far as Iraq is concerned. I heard the speech in a little Mexican café, La Mexicana, on a Spanish Channel; it had immediate translation and was so easy to digest. Did not have to hear GWB’s awful Texas twangggggg! He said the same thing he’s been saying for the last six years and nothing will get done for the poor and the elimination of the middle class is working quite successfully. Less than two years now until he returns to the land of tumbleweed! …… Prison Break has returned to TV after its December Fall Finale—the new trend on TV. Must say this TV Season has been so sparse with shows that I watch; it’s the least TV I have watched in years! ….. Off to the Plush Room to see KRISTOPHER MCDOWELL in “The Anthony Newley Project.” He was in 42nd Street Moon’s production of Anthony Newley’s THE ROAR OF THE GREASPAINT, THE SMELL OF THE CROWD. He played Everyman, the part that Newley originated in the show, and did a fine job with it. Now he has developed this cabaret act along with Sharon McKnight to tell the story of Newley’s life and sing quite a few of his songs. It all coming a long quite nicely; he just needs to get rid of a few amateurish things: clearing his throat constantly and sucking water from a plastic bottle after EVERY song! Annoying! Gives it all he’s got. He owns a nightclub in Merced and I bought a weekend at his inn-nightclub; we are going there in March for an overnight stay to see Wesla and Mike! Met Kristopher before he performed and he was very friendly and told him we’d be seeing him soon at his place! …T his time around the OPEN REHEARSAL OF THE SF SYMPHONY was dull, dull, dull. Modern pieces by Spanish composers ranged from dreadful (modern piece by Gerhard) to syrupy (dances by Falla). The Hayden piece was short and not very stimulating; the Mozart Piano Concerto was played by Radu Lupu who looked ill and did not really have his heart and soul into the piece. ….. It must have been a week for being tired and dull: off to the Plush Room once again to see Wesla Whitfield and Mike Greensill. He was in fine form, but Wesla seemed tired and sang all slow songs. She sang for one hour on the dot—not one minute more! She usually goes 90 minutes. Maybe there are just some nights when performers “aren’t in the mood”?? She’s still one of our favorites, but I like her when she is a bit more “perky”! ….. Had a lunch for Ron Bottini, Chuck Earlenbaugh, & Eric Hubert. A leisurely time and a chance to get caught up with them all. ….. Shotgun Players THE FOREST WAR was performed in the Kabuki style with lovely costumes. The plot was rather predictable however. A drunk in the audience who kept laughing in all the wrong places and in the right places too was extremely disturbing. I do not know if the House Manager asked his group to calm down, since we left at intermission. If he is there again the next time I attend one of their productions, I shall ask that he be removed or else demand my money back. This was a play that was written and directed by Mark Johnson. I was rather impressed with the group and the theatre, which is in an old church. The pews have cushions and are in stadium-style seating. It only accommodates about 100 people so no matter where you sit, you can see very well. Also you can pay from $30 to $15 and pick out your reserved seat one hour before the performance begins. A very innovative idea! Jackson’s new play, AMERICAN SUICIDE, opens in another two weeks; am anxious to read the review on that one! May get to see it. ….. We ventured up to Sonoma to spend an afternoon and then partake of an early dinner with Sandy & Karl Stauffer. Our neighbors, Dennis & Joey also came along. It was a rather foggy day with drizzle every now and then: the perfect day to be inside sitting in front of the fireplace sipping champagne all afternoon!! Then a sumptuous meal was served with a gorgeous table setting of candles in water and real daffodils in small vases placed in front of each person (a hint of Spring in the air?!?). We began with a lovely artichoke with a mayonnaise dip; that was followed by a polenta “pizza” topped with tasty Italian cheese and grapes & raisins; then we had beef stroganoff served over rice with vegetables and delicious breads and wines; dessert was butterscotch mousse topped with fresh berries; coffee and liquors were served and we were all so “content”!!! It was a shame we had to get back home; I wanted to be in front of the fireplace to savor the meal!!

Not much more on the agenda for January. We are going to have our rugs cleaned—it’s been over a year since they were last cleaned. Since we now have light beige rugs all through the apartment, it shows every speck of dirt! What can one do?

Still looking for a new place for Dad, but no luck so far. He may just have to “adjust” to the place he is in after all. Most of the new places we have visited are worse than the place he is in.

Some travel plans are being made but nothing too definite has been decided. Eric Svenson from New York City may come to visit the end of February to get away from the cold that has finally hit the Northeast. He’ll be with us for my Oscar Party!!!

Keep in touch and in good health. Let’s hear what’s been happening with you…….

Gerry