Seven years on...

My Mom died seven years ago today. Boggling how fast time flies.

 

 

It was an amazing life

This keeps popping up on my social media and I found it fascinating every time, so I thought I'd post it. Check out the amazing life of actor Christopher Lee:

 

 

What a man. Seriously. Imagine the stories he could tell.

 

RIP Gene Hackman

I was really hoping this class act could depart this mortal coil with dignity, but the story has gotten really weird: Gene Hackman and Wife's Death Probed by Police.

 

Hackman was one of those actors that everyone loved. I doubt he ever gave a bad performance. He was nominated for five Oscars, winning two (Best Actor for The French Connection and Best Supporting Actor for Unforgiven). My personal favorite was his role as the eccentric, absentee father in The Royal Tenenbaums. 

Hackman, who retired from acting following Welcome to Mooseport (2004) was 95. His wife, Betsy Arakawa, was 64.

Rest in peace.

Launched at Vroman's

We had our official launch event for Angel City Beat at Vroman's in Pasadena Monday and we had a blast. I'm already struggling to stay current with my three classes this semester in only the second week, so I'm just getting around to posting this. Local author and all-around rock star Naomi Hirahara did an amazing job of moderating and we got a pretty good crowd. Fun was had by all. Pics by The Brother.

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

I've seen a number of variations on this concept due to the recent spike in egg prices, but this one is the best. The tag line cracked me up.

 

January Words of Wisdom

Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. 

--Frederick Buechner

 

Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we're supposed to be and embracing who we are. --Brene Brown

 

Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be  waited for, it is a thing to be achieved. --William Jennings Bryan

 

If we encountered a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he read. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole. --David Lynch

Royal Pains: This time it's personal

Like many people I've watched the truly impressive train wreck that has been the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Show in the years since they split with the British royal family with a litany of complaints about the unfairness of their royal, privileged lives. I've previously blogged my feelings and observations here, here, and here.

 

Since then, they've had one fiasco after another. I don't need to get into all of them, but here's just a few examples: A failed podcast, a failed launch of a line of lifestyle products, a failed polo show, a much derided trailer for an upcoming cooking and lifestyle show that nobody asked for, a faked Princess Diana-style dangerous car chase, as well as numerous personal appearances that reeked of a desperate need for attention and fell flat every time.

Then, the other day, they showed up at the site of the recent and absolutely devastating Eaton Fire in Altadena. You know, to raise awareness in case there's anyone left who is unaware of the fiery hellscape that has been Los Angeles the past couple of weeks.

 

They spent all of 17 minutes making an appearance to show their concern (with cameras in tow, of course) before going out on a brief tour of burned out parts of Altadena that actual residents have not been allowed into yet (with cameras in tow, of course).

Residents haven't even been allowed back in yet (I know because I know one of them) yet these two idiots are allowed in to tramp all over the wreckage of countless lives so they can "assess" the need. You know who didn't need to personally "assess" the need with a camera crew in tow? These idiots. Thousands of Angelenos began donating food, water, clothing, and money before the fires were even out. We didn't need their royal lownesses to bring this need to our attention.

How do you think it made the victims feel that their tragedy was turned into a D-list celebrity photo op? I know I'd be livid if these self-important twits were walking through the wreckage of my former home, possibly damaging or destroying what little is left to salvage.

Also, I partially blame Victor Gordo, the mayor of Pasadena, who conducted the tour. Really, should he be wasting his time with this crap, giving celebs a tour of the carnage? You can't tell me he doesn't have more pressing issues at the moment. He should have told them to piss off and find a way to actually make themselves useful.

Then, Justine Bateman got on social media and rightfully ripped them as ambulance chasers and disaster tourists, and called their photo op repulsive. Check, check, and check. And then Meghan doubled down by showing up at a collection center the next day to hand out some more useless hugs and get more photo ops.

 

A number of celebrities have been shown helping out in a variety of ways, but they've actually been helping out, not "making an appearance" (with cameras in tow, of course).

Repulsive is right. As an Angeleno (who is fortunately not in a fire area) I find it ghoulish that they're exploiting this tragedy, something that will take us years to recover from. It's been mind-boggling how everything Harry and Meghan have touched since leaving the British Royal Family turns to shit, but just when you think they can't sink any lower, they prove me wrong. I wonder how much public mockery (and they're getting a lot of it, not just from Justine) it will take to get their useless selves out of the public eye, but apparently we haven't reached that rock-bottom yet. But I hope it's soon. It's one thing to make yourself look ridiculous trying to be a big-shot producer when you have no creativity or talent to offer, but it's another thing entirely to exploit victims of a tragedy the way they have with Altadena. 

Too bad we can't deport them back to England, but I don't think the Brits want them back.

Apocalyptic Now

The view from my balcony late yesterday afternoon. I'm about 9-10 miles south of the Pacific Palisades fire, where this smoke is coming from:

 

 This morning:

About what I was expecting. Our air is brown. If I have to go out, I'll be digging out a mask from the COVID days. Also, the wind is kicking up again, which is bad.

I'm fortunate to not be in any of the fire areas, but it was terrifying and depressing to watch one fire after another crop up and explode yesterday and into the evening. One started in Eaton Canyon above Arcadia and wreaked havoc on Pasadena and surrounding areas. The Palisades fire has wiped out almost the entire town then headed into Malibu and apparently has destroyed blocks of homes on Pacific Coast Highway right on the beach as well as a number of venerable businesses including the Reel Inn and Malibu Feed Bin. It's also caused evacuations in north Santa Monica.

I've also heard there have been two fatalities, but considering how fast these fires spread, I won't be surprised if there are many more.

There's already been discussions online about how our state and local governments have handled water resources, forestry management, and budget cuts to local fire departments, but there will be plenty of time to examine that later. I'm sure there's plenty of blame to go around, and even with the catastrophic winds, I'm guessing that better management and funding of resources may not have prevented the fires themselves from spreading, but I'm thinking it didn't have to be this absolute carnage. I can't even bring myself to pull pictures and video for this post. When all is said and done, this is going to be destruction of historic proportions, and I feel so awful when I think of the thousands of people who have lost their homes and businesses. I don't know how much more people can take.

 

Updated 1/10/25: Just found out a friend lost her house in Altadena because of the Eaton Fire. This is just so brutal and awful.

Winter classic

 

Happy Birthday to my Mom

My Mom would have been 83 years old today. Considering that her mother lived into her early 90's, I had expected my Mom to be around a lot longer. It's weird to think that we're going on almost seven years since she passed. Time is a weird thing.

Mom and Sophie, Christmas 2012

Mom with horsey cops at the Santa Anita mall.

Public Domain Day strikes again

January 1 has become a double holiday for creatives. In addition to welcoming a new year, it is also now recognized as the day copyrighted works are welcomed into the public domain. That's right - January 1 is Public Domain Day. 

Several classic animated characters and shorts have just hit the public domain. Post-Steamboat Willie Mickey Mouse (now talking and clad in his familiar white gloves), Popeye, and Tintin are now fair game, as are the first Silly Symphonies, including the classic The Skeleton Dance. 

 

Some major novels are now in the public domain: The Sound and the Fury (William Faulkner), A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway), The Maltese Falcon (Dashiell Hammett), A Room of One's Own (Virginia Woolf), Seven Dials Mystery (Agatha Christie), The Roman Hat Mystery (Ellery Queen's debut), and the first English translation of All Quiet on the Western Front (Erich Maria Remarque).

 

Among the films now in the public domain are The Marx Brothers' debut The Cocoanuts, Best Picture Winner The Broadway Melody, Pandora's Box (directed by G.W. Pabst, starring Louise Brooks), Blackmail (Alfred Hitchcock's first talkie), The Wild Party (Clara Bow's first talkie), and Hallelujah, one of the first major studio films with an all-black cast (directed by King Vidor).

Some classic songs and musical compositions hit the public domain yesterday: Singin' in the Rain, Ain't Misbehavin', Happy Days are Here Again, Tiptoe Through the Tulips, An American in Paris, and Bolero. Actual recordings now up for grabs are California Here I Come (Al Jolson), Rhapsody in Blue (George Gershwin), and Shreveport Stomp (Jelly Roll Morton).

In addition to the above, there are also poetry and artwork losing their copyrights. A comprehensive list can be found at Duke University's Center for the Study of the Public Domain, and be sure to scroll down to the section where they discuss the importance of the public domain. You may or may not agree with their point of view, but they still make some compelling arguments for the release of works to anyone who wants to use them.

Welcome 2025 (so futuristic)