A MASTER CLASS WITH MARTY ... SCORSESE

I had been wanting to get a copy of a great 1995 British documentary called; A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies. I remember a special screening at the Director's Guild in Hollywood when I was working there back in the 90's. I had wanted to see it agian, so I  found a vhs copy of it online, for a song (fyi it's available in DVD format also.)  As you might know, "Maestro Marty" is a serious film historian, in fact he's a short walking encyclopedia of cinema with bushy eyebrows. Watching this documenty, that runs over three hours (if he wasn't such a fast talker, it might have been four hours?) makes you feel like you're sitting in a private screening room with the award winning director, as he gives a broad overview of his reflections of the cinema from the silents to the 60's. Scorsese, talks of his love of westerns and film noir. He speaks in awe of the old masters like; John Ford, King Vidor, Howard Hawks, C.B. Demille to name just a few. He thoughtfully reflects on forgotten workhorse directors, who were possibly his greatest influences; Tay Garnett, Andre de Toth, Bob Aldrich and Anthony Mann. So yeah, if you love the art of film, you could take a cinema class at your local city college or you can get a copy of this documentary. You can just sit there with your popcorn  and the master, and watch and listen.

THEY ARE THE GREATEST: IOOSS & LEIFER: SPORT

Hey sports fan, drop that hot wing!! I know that we're in the midst of the NFL playoffs, but right now you can see some of the most unforgettable sports images ever shot at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City (runs now until March 14th.) The Space, as it's becoming known, has put together the first two man show, featuring legendary sports photography titans; Neil Leifer & Walter Iooss. As teenagers in New York City, Leifer and Iooss incredibly used their neophyte camera talents (and a little luck) to hustled their way into working for a little magazine called, Sports Illustrated. Between the two, they have chronicled the greatest sporting events of the past 50 years; the World Series, Super Bowls, Olympics, Rumbles in the Jungles. You'll see images such as Leifer's iconic image of Muhammad Ali taunting his victory over fallen giant, Sonny Liston or Michael Jordan like a raptor, seamlessly flying through the air during the 1998 NBA slam dunk contest. You'll see all the greats here; Namath, Montana, Koufax, Berra, Foreman, Frazier, Magic, Bird, Palmer ... and yes, even Woods. This exhibit is a once in a lifetime event, try to see it if you can, you'll thank... well, me!... I'm the cat giving ya the heads up! In addition to the standard print gallery, the Space also features a digital theater as it's center piece, this enables the exhibit to show you a vast amount of images from the artists, via a slide show format (not to mention a 20 minute documentary on the two, that features sports greats, Joe Montana & Jackie Joyner Kersee.) So, if you're a sports fan or just a fan of photography, this exhibit of these two masters will  show you the best of the drama of the human spirit ... in a split second... in a single frame. 
The Annenberg Space for Photography
2000 Avenue of the Stars, Century City
Phone - 213- 403-3000
Wed. - Sun. 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Admission - FREE
Parking with validation

ELVIS:THE BIG 75!

Today, January 8th, marks the 75th birthday of "The King."  And I don't mean some silly character over in Europe wearing fuzzy slippers either, I'm talkin' about this country's "King of Rock n Roll" ... I'm talkin' ELVIS! Yeah, I know he's been taking the big sleep at Graceland for 32 years. And a whole generation (or two?) have landed since the days when he walked the earth in a rhinestone jumpsuit, giving away Cadillacs to complete strangers, but all that being said, he's still ELVIS, and I remember him well. Many rock & rap stars have come and gone tryin' to be as cool as the original "The Hillbilly Cat," to this day no one has been able to knock off his crown.
Not many folks know that Elvis was very interested in the afterlife and reincarnation,  maybe he's even returned to the planet getting ready for his next big comeback? All I can say is happy birthday pal, and TCB, with a lightning bolt, wherever you are?

IT'S SEAGAL YA'LL!: LAWMAN

I've found the greatest thing since sliced bread; and it's doughy Steven Seagal ... Lawman! Seagal, the big, wooden action martial arts star of the 80's & 90's, has come back in a big, big fat way; he's a reality star! Whoever green lit this over at A&E TV is a genius! I've never really been a fan of Seagal's (maybe because he was lucky enough to marry Kelly Lebrock of the 80's WEIRD SCIENCE movie?) and I think reality TV is just another sign of the apocalypse... but together, it's just PURE MAGIC!

Like they say in Louisiana, "we do things are own way down here"...  like making Seagal a chief deputy sheriff (or something like that?) Legend (or A&E's press release) has it, "the big man" has been leading a double life as a lawman for the past 20 years, when he wasn't making direct to dvd movies (boy, the press can really keep a secret down south, can't they?) Seagal with a crack squad of gumbo filled po-licemen, cruise Jefferson Parish (Nawlins' adjacent) in unmarked dark suv's looking for bad folks, doin' bad things!

Seagal has never been this entertaining in any of his movies, as he is playing, some kinda southern version of himself... this is a gig that Elvis (HAPPY BIRTHDAY KING!) would have given all his honorary badges for! Yes, it's just the TV show COPS with Steven Seagal, but it's really sooooo much more! How surreal would it be, to be a "crackhead" being busted by your pre-crackhead boyhood action man hero; Steven Seagal? I'm just waiting for the episode where he starts quoting Strother Martin, "What we have here, is faliure to communicate!"

I especially love it when Seagal has to take his 250 pounds out of the car to chase a suspect, not since William Conrad played TV detective CANNON back in the 70's has this kinda crime watching been sooooo much fun (not that I'm sayin' Conrad was a real crime fighter, like Seagal mind you.) You think Seagal's kidding around about bein' a lawman? Man, he cut off his famous samurai ponytail... that's how you know!

UP IN THE AIR with CLOONEY & CO.

If you would have told me back in the early 90's, when I was working press junkets for ABC and the show ROSEANNE, that George Clooney (a supporting player on the sitcom) was gonna make the jump to major movie star, I would of cocked my head like the RCA Victor dog. Well, that's how the world turned (thank you, Michael Crichton & ER), the actor famous for having a big head (literally) and living the swinging bachelor life has turned out a seamless performance in the new movie, UP IN THE AIR. Playing Ryan Bingham, a man with nothing tying him down (not even a pot bellied pig), he flies across the country firing people for spineless office managers. Not that this gives him any great pleasure, what he really digs is the perks that all his frequent flyer miles gives him, in fact his great goal in life is to be the seventh person who's ever flown ten million miles (and the special engraved credit card that comes with the honor!) Everything seems to being going smooth, until two things knock him off his course. The first being a sexy kindred spirit in travel, Alex. Played by the delectable Verma Farmiga (there's a great hotel room scene, where either Farmiga or her body double is just wearing a neck tie...) and also coming into his life is Anna, played by Natalie Keener, she's a young go-getter who's found a great way to save the company lotsa money, unfortunately it's gonna get in the way of Clooney's/Bingham's grand ten million mile goal. If you love airport terminals and hotel bars, this is the movie for you! This film also boasts an appearance by the great, SAM ELLIOTT (is he in Avatar too?) Directed and co-written by Jason Reitman, it should get many nominations come Oscar time. Even though Clooney is now a rich movie star whom, I think now has a summer palace in North Korea? I hear he likes to party with fellow ladies man, President Kim Jong Il...(anothor fellow with a large head.) GC still has the acting chops to play a charming (if not shallow) bachelor and make you really get into his character (I can only wonder what Roger Moore or David Janssen could have done with this role? This time traveling casting thought will cloud my mind for weeks now!) I actually like George Clooney (maybe for the reason that we're the same age?), in fact, I wish now, that I would have grabbed on to his coattails at ABC, maybe I'd be doing the conga line with him and Kim Jong, right now?

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS

A mysterious gunslinger is out to gun down New York city slickers, the Morgans (Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant) And he'll ride into Hell to do it! Now it's up to a rugged Marshal (Sam Elliott) and his sharpshooter wife (Mary Steenburgen) to protect them. This western drama plays against the backdrop of a town tough as DEADWOOD named (are you ready for this?).... RAY! There's plenty of ridin' & shootin' and even a little lovin' ta boot in this one! Hugh Grant's tenderfoot character is even attacked by a grizzly... Wilfred Brimley (and a bear too!) Okay, it's not TOMBSTONE... this is actually a new romantic comedy about a recently separated married couple, that's forced to relocate into the witness relocation program after they witness a murder. It's a cute, silly little movie to see with your gal on date night. HEY, IT'S GOT SAM ELLIOTT!

2010

It's 2010! What does that mean? Ain't that a Roy Scheider movie? For a guy who was born at a time when men still wore fedoras, it's pretty strange. I can't believe it's been ten years since the year 2000! Y2k was a washout thank goodness, but a lotta bad shit did go down in those past ten years... Billy Joel could write another WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE song about them!
Most of us have been lucky enough to somehow make it to 2010 ( sadly a few did not.) I was once told "I was a man of the past and the present", I guess that's right. The future is "scary" and it only makes me "older" ... not crazy about that either.
But, I was fortunate enough to ring in New Years Eve with some dear friends (I'm the cat in the Stewart Granger safari jacket) and even lucky enough to kiss a beautiful woman at midnight... what could be better than that? So 2010, I say; if you can't get out of it... get into it! I wish us all well, Robert De Niro had a great line in the movie, BRAZIL ( he played a swashbuckling plumber) "we're all in this together." Amen to that brother Bob.