Mystic-Art in Ontario

Trinity Anglican Church Blyth, a church in a small community in southwestern Ontario asked to make a poster of Good Friday for their Good Friday church service.  It's so wonderful to see my art spreading via the Internet.  See it here.

Phantom Ebert

I saw "Ebert at the Movies" for the first time tonight... with its new, young movie critics sitting in for what appeared to be a "Phantom Roger Ebert" - no small irony for a man who focused his entire life on the greatest films of the 20th-21st centuries.

Growing up in Chicago on Siskel & Ebert, syndicated by the Chicago Sun-Times, my friends and I came to anticipate their reviews and though we didn't rely entirely upon them to tell us whether or not to see a film, we trusted their judgment.

No one could have predicted that Gene Siskel would suddenly die so young. (In 1998, Siskel underwent surgery for a tumor. He announced on February 3, 1999 that he was taking a leave of absence but that he expected to be back by the fall, writing "I'm in a hurry to get well because I don't want Roger to get more screen time than me.") Typical for Gene who was the perfect sidekick to Ebert.

After Siskel's death in 1999, Ebert teamed with Richard Roeper for the television series Ebert & Roeper & the Movies, which began airing in 2000. Although his name remained in the title, Ebert did not appear on the show after mid-2006, when he suffered post-surgical complications related to thyroid cancer which left him unable to speak.

Throughout his cancer treatment, he continued to be a dedicated critic of film, not missing a single opening while undergoing treatment. Ebert had pre-taped enough TV programs with his co-host Richard Roeper to keep him on the air for a few weeks.

Roger's face became unrecognizable and even horrifying... yet he didn't hide it. Much like Nigella Lawson's husband who was dying of throat cancer and couldn't even taste her feasts, Roger can't utter a word now and must rely on digital media and translators.

But those of us who remember he and Siskel bantering back and forth each and every week, his reviews are still Golden Globes, Oscars, Emmys, and continue to educate us about film history at its best. He may take leave as the Phantom of the Opera... but, unlike the phantom (for which Ebert, I'm sure would always prefer Lon Chaney's portrayal), he will never recoil from the spotlight. Roger won't haunt us like the phantom; he'll remain forever in our hearts as a great American icon in his own right.

Great English-American Screen Goddess, Elizabeth Taylor

Ever since yesterday morning, the media has inundated us with press about the passing of Elizabeth Taylor.  This is the best article I have read, because it actually mentions her children, who seem to have been forgotten all these years... at least from what I can recall, they're rarely in the press.  Read on about the life of the last of the greatest screen goddesses.  RIP, Liz!

I particularly enjoyed 'Cleopatra' because she was so ravishing in every costume.  I always wanted to decorate my house like those Egyptians!  And Richard Burton had great legs, too!  But I remember most 'The Sandpiper,' 'Butterfield 8' and 'Suddenly Last Summer' as her greatest acting roles.

Still Bill: Withers the American Dream

What a brilliant, moving documentary I had the privilege to watch today on Showtime.  We've all loved his music, we know the words by heart... but how many of us know what a wonderful American life Bill Withers has lived.  "Still Bill" is the story of a man who discovered his own talent relatively late in life (at 32) and proceeded to overcome being born with a speech impediment in the backhills of a West Virginia coal mining community. 

Bill Withers has a way with words and his poetry reflects a man wise beyond his own knowledge.  This film reveals a really nice guy - unpretentious, true to his own heart, real, a natural talent teaching us how to overcome the obstacles life may toss our way.  He found a way to go with the flow in his life - always staying positive and accepting of what comes his way... and, by the way, he gave us some of the most enduring R&B/pop songs in the history of American music.

STILL BILL is an intimate portrait of soul legend Bill Withers, best known for his classics “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Lean On Me,” “Lovely Day,” “Grandma’s Hands,” and “Just the Two of Us.” With his soulful delivery and warm, heartfelt sincerity, Withers has written the songs that have – and always will – resonate deeply within the fabric of our times. [more...]

Dylan's Freewheelin' Girl

Suze Rotolo, Bob Dylan's longtime girlfriend during his fledgling days as a Greenwich Village folk singer and the woman who appears alongside him on the famous cover of "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan," passed away this weekend at her home in Manhattan following a long illness, Rolling Stone reports. Rotolo was 67. In addition to forever being captured on the Don Hunstein-photographed "Freewheelin' " cover, Rotolo's three-year relationship with Dylan, from 1961 to 1964, also inspired him to write three of his early love songs, "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright," "Tomorrow is a Long Time," and "Boots of Spanish Leather." (Dylan's breakup with Rotolo also influenced one of his most vitriolic tunes, "Ballad in Plain D," a song Dylan later regretted recording.) Rotolo is also acknowledged for pushing Dylan toward the political awareness that flavored his Greenwich Village work. [more...] Another pic...

Black Swan is Magnificent Dark Beauty

Black Swan Movie Review: Every actor was perfectly cast in this artful dark drama. It was kind of 'The Turning Point' meets the original 'Dracula' (with Bela Lugosi), a la Hitchcock. Wholly captivating, unpredictable and driving, the pace is relentless as we crawl inside the mind of Portman's Nina. She brilliantly portrayed this character in such a way that she allowed us to come inside for a peek and revealed more and more as we craved it. Deliciously dangerous!

The Passing of a Great Director

Blake Edwards, one of my all-time favorite directors, who was also a great producer and writer known for clever dialogue, poignance and occasional belly-laugh sight gags in "Breakfast at Tiffany's," "10" and the "Pink Panther" farces, has passed away. Blake's wife, Julie Andrews, and other family members were at his side.

At the time of his death, Edwards was working on two Broadway musicals, one based on the "Pink Panther" movies. The other, "Big Rosemary," was to be an original comedy set during Prohibition, Schwam said.

"His heart was as big as his talent. He was an Academy Award winner in all respects," said Schwam, who knew him for 40 years. [more...]

The Passing of Elaine

Elaine Kaufman, the colorful restaurateur whose East Side establishment, Elaine's, became a haven for show business and literary notables, died today at the age of 81. Kaufman was a veteran waitress and cafe manager in Greenwich Village when she bought a small bar-restaurant near the corner of Second Avenue and 88th Street in 1963. It was never about the design or the food - basic Italian fare. It was all about the owner-hostess, an outsized mother figure in a tentlike dress, and her friendships with the famous. Norman Mailer, Gay Talese and George Plimpton quickly became regulars, and over the years the glitterati joined the literati. Even Jackie Onassis went there. [more...]

I've been to Elaine's for several book signings and got to meet her once or twice.  She always seemed cranky to me and was never very hospitable... but I relished the wonder of the ghosts in that place and could feel the history.  I first remember seeing Elaine's in Woody Allen's "Manhattan" - I was the young teenage girl played by Mariel Hemingway - or so I thought.  Once I sat at the bar with (now the late) Ron Silver and he looked at me like I was insane while I told him how much I'd enjoyed "Enemies: A Love Story," then knocked over a bunch of glasses!  I got to meet (now the late) Walter Cronkite and his wife at that bar, too... and so many other stars. 

Once, I brought along a copy of my CD and tucked it behind the books on one of the shelves that displayed many of the famous authors who'd been celebrated there.  I wonder if someone ever found it?  R.I.P., Elaine!

Smith: Let Not Technology Kill Books

Patti Smith was among the major winners of the U.S. National Book Awards on Wednesday, choking up with tears before urging book publishers not to let technology kill traditional books.

Smith, a 63-year-old American singer-songwriter and poet, turned emotional as she accepted the nonfiction award for "Just Kids," which chronicles her struggles in her youth and relationship with American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.

"There is nothing more beautiful than the book, the paper, the font, the cloth," said Smith, whose book was published by Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins. "Please, no matter how we advance technologically, please never abandon the book."

Tom Wolfe, whose list of best-sellers includes "The Bonfire of the Vanities," "The Right Stuff" and "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test," was awarded the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

The night featured a sprinkling of jokes about the state of the book publishing industry, which is going through a tumultuous period as it deals with the nascent market for electronic books. [more...]

Stern's Satellite Gift: The Piano Man

Howard Stern is right about the dismal state of talk shows today.  Talk TV is the worst, with its endless interruptions, commercial breaks, its shuffle-the-guests-in-and-out syndrome, all the phony one-liners, too many hosts shouting over each other... it's hardly worth all the effort.  Like Carol Burnett used to sing at the end of her show, "Seems we just get started and before you know it comes the time we have to say 'so long.'"  But even talk radio has its limitations.  Radio interviews are much more intimate and stream-of-consciousness, true, but terrestrial radio is almost as bad as talk TV these days with all the commercialism.

I had my doubts about "pay radio" (satellite) in the beginning; but now I think it was the smartest move Howard ever made and his recent discussions about it seem to be gelling into a brand new way of life in the talk radio interview genre that is so popular today.  With (supposedly) only 13 more shows to go on his contract and his career hanging in limbo (or so he'd like us to believe), Howard has been dropping coy hints about a choice he has to make and has let us in on quite a few possible new paths he may or may not take.

I, for one, believe Howard is one of the best interviewers in the history of talk radio AND TV.  He has a gift of bringing out the heart and soul of an artist - illustrated grandly once again by his groundbreaking interview with Billy Joel yesterday.  Like so many Americans, I'd always loved Joel's music, but had forgotten what an American treasure he truly is... until Howard let us in on an uninterrupted visit with one of the greatest musical talents America has ever known.

I was so moved (as Howard reiterated over and over, got "goosebumps" and was even swooning right along with him) as Joel's immense talent, filtered by a genuine humility about his legacy (the unpretentiousness that charmed us all in the first place - his everyman "Levittown" guy quality) oozed out of my speakers as improvisation after improvisation flowed effortlessly from the great "Piano Man."  In this intimate setting, he felt comfortable tuning his voice and retuning, changing key, allowing us to hear the cracks and swells as he aligned himself with his audience, eventually settling into his comfort zone. 

It was thrilling to listen to Joel showcasing great classics - everything from his own prolific catalogue, to music still inside his head waiting to be borne, to his renditions of his self-proclaimed hero, Steve Winwood's sterling voice singing "Dear Mr. Fantasy," to his pounding of those golden Steinway keys imitating his idol, Paul McCartney, singing the great Abbey Road medley including "You Never Give Me Your Money."  And then there was the revelation that, contrary to popular belief, "Uptown Girl" was about Elle MacPherson, not Christie Brinkley.  It was a terrific piece of Americana light that shone bright from the otherwise bland bevy of 2-5 minute interviews seen and heard on late night TV and anywhere else in the talk radio and/or TV interview genre.

But there's a better reason Howard should end his current talk radio format and take the plunge by pioneering a whole new interview format - one he does best.  For aging rockers like Joel, who might've gotten fat, gray, or worse... talk radio on satellite is the perfect forum to reflect upon and showcase who they once were, what made them great, leading up to who they are today.  Howard's magnanimous spirit was the perfect host apt to let us in on Joel's "secrets" - what inspired his music, how he writes a song, where he finds his muse, how he spends his days (though resting on his laurels) and so much more.  And it seemed to bring out the best in his own personality.  This talk format on satellite allows us to listen to these still youthful sounding, endlessly talented, great musicians without the visuals as constant reminders that a lot of time has gone by and we've all gotten older.  It's entertaining, stimulating and inspiring.  I believe, as a pioneer of talk radio, Howard Stern as host has come full circle and must move on to greener pastures... and he knows full well where the greenest pastures lie.