Mazel tov

Twitter is universal. Now big thunderstorm..

Happenings In "Hollywood" Land and Beyond May 21-May 27

This weekend I met DJWildChilde! I can't wait to hear his Reggae/Calypso and Specialty mixes.

I also met Gloria Rosen: actress, creator of one woman show "Listen Can you Hear Me Now?"

King , a beautiful dog. and a photo of a hat made by a crafty person for this special doberman. The hat shot is retroactive.

The Real Deal

Remembering America's Roots of Goodness Through the Spirit of Art and Unity

As Betty Carter would sing " Open the door"

Stardust After Midnite

"A Great Night In Harlem : A History of the Music Dedicated to the Spirit of Greatness", at the Apollo Theater , presented by the Jazz Foundation Of America. This was an evening of testimony to the still alive deep American roots of class and variations in jazz music.

The promise of strength and vibrancy within this community is awesome. There was a distinction of style among the performers and each one's gift bonded to the next one's.. Words alone cannot sum up the experience of the dewey spring night amidst the people and the stardust. When I woke up this morning the song Time of my Life from the film dirty dancing started tapping through my feet as I bounced down the stairs .

The bond among performers was based on a common spirit, and characterized by a devotion to tradition .The language and tone was unique to each artist's evolution , contribution, and marriage to the various forms : African Master Drumming, Big Band, Funk/Soul, Blues, Gospel, Choral, and pure spoken word /inspired song ( Jesseye Norman).

It was indeed a dedication to "the spirit of greatness."

Among the artists who graced the stage at the Apollo Theater were Roberta Flack, Sweet Georgia Brown, Baba Ola Jagun, Jimmy Scott,Jimmy NOrman,David Johansen, Winard Harper,Terence Conley, Barry Harris,Ron Carter, Frank Wess, Jimmy Heath, Madeleine Peyroux,Fred Staton, Max Lucas, Vince Giordano and The NightHawks,Manno Charlemagne,Davell Crawford,R.L.Boyce, and the BeBop All Stars.

At the after party Deacon John brought down the house.Straight from New Orleans came the "Real Deal" Deacon John Moore. It was fun to talk with him about show business and more thrilling to experience his guitar playing. Must tune in to see him on the new HBO series Treme.

Keep the light on America and be the torch that leads . Rise up smiling and create an ever burning pilot light for peace. Frame everything with a postive light today. oh, and play a Louis Armstrong , Young at Heart, or Kiss to Build a Dream When the Saints Come Marching In, or whatever your favorite is. What is your favorite ?

Found : Breakfast at Tiffanys DVD

Yesterday I saw these guitars for sale. And last night thought of naming the photo "America Still Finding Her Identity"

Tonight I am off to the Apollo Theater.

Enjoy Peaceful Practices.

Holly Golightly Lost in Hollywood's Apartment

Last weekend I watched The Fantastic Mr. Fox and loved the karate lesson scene the best! Then I watched Breakfast at Tiffanys. I regret to report that Holly Golightly is now missing in my apartment. Such is the playing field when you enter full throttle spring Cleaning. So please send some prayers that I find the rented dvd and Holly can have her next adventure in someone else's home. My favorite line in the movie was when Fred takes a stand while leaving the taxi and says Baby you got no guts you're trapped in a cge that you have surrounded yourself in... Or something like that.
When I find the dvd I must revisit that scene.

Focus on Career Launch

Please allow me to share a quote from the wise Clint Eastwood that appeared in Backstage, Mr. Eastwood said : " I used to go to a lot of different classes around Los Angeles teaching Stanislavsky's An ActorPrepares or Michael Chekov's To the Actor. I read everything and just kept working with it, until finally one day you sort of break down. Acting is more or less teaching yourself.And a good teacher teaches you how to teach yourself, how to get yourself into it all... But it's not how you get there; it's how well you land when you're there."

After spending a good deal of time sifting through treasures: books, videos, papers, and more papers, and did I mention papers? Well, while sorting through what I keep and what I don"t I had classic films in the background: "Love Laughs at Andy Hardy", and the delivery of some of these lines was done so well. I love laughing from remarks made by characters out of the blue.

With some side coaching from Hawkeye, a friend of mine, I gathered one of the aforementioned books as well as many others and videos and said "bye bye" and delivered them to the Salvation Army. But the funny thing was I rediscovered this quote just today . I found it tucked into a magical book with many designs.

Today I rewrote my resume. As a guide I used Paul Russell's book "Acting : Make It Your Business." Next up is acting on a tip I got from word of mouth. A Los Angeles actor let me know that I can post my featured work in film and television on IMDb pro. So, now I have to research that and post my credits there. This seems obvious but sometimes until you hear things said aloud they don"t mean a thing! We are living in an age when many people have made a business of making money off of actors . It is always refreshing to run into real freinds who share information , comrades who push you to become better and who urge you to bring out your best. Blessed be these people. Stay close to your tribe . Take charge and take the hands on approach to prepare for your landing.

Well, I gotta get that newly typed resume in the mail, along with my new reel.

spiral energy

Remember when spring just started way back in March? Bursts of sun, lots of brand new energy? Well right around that time I spotted this young man and his tattoo. He was so kind to stop for me, let me touch it, and take a photo of this fabulous arm, and post it here on my blog. New Yorkers know how to create opportunities. The design was so spirally and clear, like yin rising. Much could probably be said about spirals in nature.

I am stirring with excitement because I have been given a new creative post: doing movie reviews. The official beginning is just around the spiral bend.

Getting my demo reel together from start to finish was also a charge of energy. Please stop by the April 10th post to view it . I really appreciate the comments and feedback I have been receiving.

I am also grateful to all the people who made that reel possible. I will elaborate on that in my next post.

Happy Venus Day and imprint a smile on the bottom of your feet. Kiss the earth with it and give someone a hug .