Jew Eat Yet?

2011 Oscars Telecast: FAIL!

I know it’s fun to be snarky about the Oscars but I was actually hoping to enjoy the show this year. Like everyone else, I was surprised when the Academy chose actors James Franco and Anne Hathaway to host the awards, certainly an unconventional choice aimed, naturally, at the infamous and endlessly pandered “youth demographic.” But Franco and Hathaway are excellent actors and they both seemed like they had the potential to be funny, competent hosts. Wasn’t Hathaway great when she burst into song with Hugh Jackman when he was hosting a few years back? In shows this complex, it’s rare when you can point to a single miscalculation as the one responsible for utter failure but after watching last night’s debacle, it’s clear that our intrepid hosts sank the ship. They weren’t the only anvil (so many aspects of the show were shockingly bad including the wooden writing) but they made the loudest thud.

Anne Hathaway did her best, but James Franco’s detached, disinterested, and wholly vacant performance only made his co-host’s perky determination seem sad and pitiable. They reminded me of the married couple who goes to a party and the more the husband exhibits a monotone depressive anti-social demeanor, the more the wife tries to compensate with giddiness and enthusiasm. The show started out on a very promising note. The “Inception”-based film clips in which Franco and Hathaway were inserted into all of the Best Picture nominees was brilliant—proving that some skilled actors who can take direction and perform well in character don’t necessarily have any charisma as themselves. Who knows what happened behind the scenes—I heard that Franco had some numbers cut including one where he was going to sing one of the songs from “Burlesque.” Maybe it was the producers running scared of a Ricky Gervais-like controversy that cut Franco’s creative arm off, but whatever the reason for his abysmally bad performance, the guy didn’t seem like he had the gravitas to host a girl scout meeting.

And let’s face it, just as a country can’t thrive with ineffective leaders, just as a school can’t succeed with a lousy principal, the narcissism-fest known as the Oscars cannot work without a strong host. This fact was only emphasized when Billy Crystal appeared on the stage and in thirty seconds had more control over the room than poor Anne and James were able to muster in over three hours. Crystal’s introduction of a hologram-like Bob Hope only further made our hosts seem like amateur-night intruders. I must have seen that clip of Hope opening the 1968 show a hundred times: “Welcome to the Academy Awards, or as it’s known in my house, Passover” and yet I still laughed last night. It’s about delivery, kids, DELIVERY! Even when Franco came out inexplicably dressed as Marilyn Monroe, he still fell flat. True, that bit did provide his one single (if cheap) laugh of the entire evening when he said, in full Monroe drag, “I just got three texts from Charlie Sheen” but Franco just seemed off from the beginning of the show until the end. Serves the Academy right for hiring a PhD candidate.

I truly think this was the most awkward, poorly done Oscars telecast in my lifetime (and I’ve been watching them since LBJ was president). I was happy enough with the (totally expected) winners. I was still holding out hope that Bening would eclipse Natalie Portman but at least the beautiful and talented Portman made a nice speech. As a completely irrelevant aside, Portman became only the fifth Jewish woman to get a Best Actress Oscar—after Luise Rainer, Judy Holliday, Barbra Streisand, and Marlee Matlin. Well, sixth if you count Norma Shearer's conversion (and didn't Elizabeth Taylor briefly convert as well?). But she's the first Jewish winner who was born in Israel. Christian Bale gave a nice speech, and I loved his shout-out to the real-life man he portrayed, even giving the guy's website address (but please tell me that Bale's beard is for an acting role!). Colin Firth was also quite classy in his remarks. Among the acting winners, it was only my beloved Melissa Leo who blundered with an incoherent, F-bomb dropping, non-speech. In her defense, she was probably thrown by presenter Kirk Douglas who couldn’t shut up long enough to even read the nominations and she started out well with a graceful and appropriate curtsy to Mr. Douglas and the Old Hollywood he represents when she reached the stage. But then she fell apart and her babbling, while emotional for her, did not strike the slightest chord with anyone else. Oh well, Melissa, at least you have the Oscar. That’s bound to help you get more excellent roles which I’m sure you’ll perform beautifully. Oh, and while I roundly criticize the Academy for its obsession with getting young people to watch the telecast, I still have to snidely say, “Way to bring in the kids with a 94-year-old largely unintelligible rambling icon at the start of the show!” Oy.

Here's one positive: the video projection screens on the stage of the Kodak Theatre were awesome. However, the technology was squandered by salutes to old movies that had absolutely no rhyme or reason. Case in point: when the burning of Atlanta suddenly filled the screens followed by other scenes from “Gone With the Wind” as a nod to classic Hollywood, it was announced that the next presenter won two Academy Awards. Kendall and I were both excited that the Academy had clearly brought Olivia de Havilland, one of the very few actors from the 1939 film who are still with us, over from France to give out an Oscar. But Tom Hanks appeared instead and the presentation had absolutely nothing to do with “Gone With the Wind.” I’m all for old film clips, guys, it’s an essential part of the show, honoring the past while celebrating the present, but it has to make some kind of sense. While attractively presented, none of the clips followed any kind of throughline. Better they should have followed my own blog device from yesterday of focusing on one show from 50 years ago. Sigh.

Let me see if I can spew a few more observations before I try to forget that I ever watched this monstrosity. Where to begin? There were some terribly talented people up there presenting these awards. And yet most of them (hello, Jude Law and Robert Downey, Jr.) were forced to read badly written lines that creaked with unfunniness. I guess I can see why they don’t want to let presenters speak completely off the cuff, but how about just a soupcon of ad-libbing to make it seem like these folks we admire are actually there? Sad that one of my favorite moments of the whole evening was when presenter Cate Blanchett, watching the nominees for Best Make-Up Design, said “That’s gross!” after watching the clip from “The Wolfman.” That one second of spontaneity felt like a breath of fresh air for the Chilean miners. So many of the pairings fell flat. When they announced that rocker Russell Brand was next up as a presenter, I screamed the loudest. “What’s he doing there?” I warbled in outrage. Yet I had to eat my words a few minutes later by admitting he was one of the best presenters of the night. His bit with Helen Mirren was actually funny, at least compared to everyone else, even though I didn’t quite get why Mirren was talking exclusively in French. When she told him in French that he was a stupid idiot, he responded, “I’m very flattered, Dame Helen, but I’m a married man now.”

I couldn’t believe my ears when Celine Dion started singing “Smile” to honor the Academy members who died during the past year. All I could think of was Jermaine Jackson singing it at Michael Jackson’s funeral. Why, Celine? And again, while I recognize that her voice is clearly an amazing gift, I am still profoundly untouched emotionally whenever she opens her mouth. Even Charlie zoomed out of the room screaming “No! No!” when Dion started singing. And, forgive me, while I worship Lena Horne, why single her out among all the dead people and have Halle Berry give that tired, badly written speech about Lena’s accomplishments? Because they were embarrassed that there were no black nominees this year? If they wanted to really honor Horne, as Kendall wisely pointed out, they should have had her brilliant rendition of “Stormy Weather” playing while they showed the montage of departed celebs instead of Celine Dion’s shrieks.

And to quote Melissa Leo, when the fuck did they stop televising the special honorees? I couldn’t believe when they showed little bits of the presentation of the honorary awards, including some moving words from actor Eli Wallach but not their whole speeches. Excuse me, but isn’t this what the Oscars are all about? Why are these people relegated to a different night? And then to have them come out together on stage but not be allowed to talk, it was just ridiculous and insulting.

Believe it or not, Charlie and I returned to the scene of the crime this morning. He was up super early, and we decided to take a look at the aftermath of the worst Oscar broadcast in history. Unlike yesterday, we were able to walk right up to the front door of the Kodak Theatre (where Oprah was about to start her wrap-up with all of the winners—I can’t believe they all agree to wake up so early following their victories!). Charlie was far more interested in the gigantic cranes and trucks dismantling everything on Hollywood Boulevard than he was with the actual show last night. Here are some photos of the Big Clean-up:

Something’s gotta change for next year. Get some new producers, guys, and God knows some better hosts. Better yet, stop allowing the Academy Governors, a bunch of 70-year-old white guys, to try to appeal to a younger audience, they just can’t do it! No one can, really, just let the Oscars be the Oscars. Many movie-loving young people will watch, the rest will tune into the MTV or Peoples Choice Awards. Oh, and Academy, be sure to release a few movies this year starring Kate Winslet, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, and Penelope Cruz, we need them on that stage in 2012. 

Oscar Barricade

Just a few hours until the Academy Awards telecast. Charlie and I made our annual pilgrimage to the site this morning and found Hollywood Boulevard to be swarming with more surly security forces than Moammar Ghadafi’s official residence in Tripoli. Years ago, when Leah and I used to check out the preparations on Oscar morning we used to get right up to the door of the Kodak Theatre. Those days are gone. There were concrete barricades set up all along Hollywood Boulevard, far from the soon-to-be star-studded intersection at Hollywood and Highland, and it was virtually impossible to get anywhere near the actual theatre. While taking the above photograph we were accosted by a drag queen wearing a long blue wig and three-inch false eyelashes wielding a video camera who was interviewing people about the Oscars and screaming, "I really only care about the Golden Age of Hollywood. If Olivia de Havilland's not nominated, I'm not interested!" I can see his point. 

Charlie was strapped to my chest during our attempt to cross the barricade so it was hard to get a decent photo of him. Here’s one I took, only later realizing that little Margaret O’Brien’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was right behind him. O’Brien got an honorary mini-Oscar at the height of her fame in the 1940s at a ceremony at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, right next to the current site of the awards. The Academy used to hand out these special statuettes for “juveniles.” Only a dozen young actors received this smaller Oscar, starting in 1934 with Shirley Temple and later including people like Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, and Peggy Ann Garner.

Margaret O’Brien’s Academy Award became part of Oscar lore when it was stolen by a maid from O’Brien’s home in 1958. The maid disappeared and Margaret spent over thirty years trying to track down the missing Oscar. Then, one day in 1995, it suddenly appeared in a catalogue for an upcoming auction of movie memorabilia. The lawyers for the Motion Picture Academy acted quickly and the Oscar was soon back where it belonged. “For all those people who have lost or misplaced something that was dear to them, as I have,” O’Brien said at a small ceremony in February 1995, “never give up the dream of searching – never let go of the hope that you’ll find it because after all these many years, at last, my Oscar has been returned to me.”

  

Charlie and I also stopped to pay our respects at the star of one of Margaret O’Brien’s most talented co-stars, our recently departed friend Betty Garrett. It’s appalling to me that Betty’s husband, Larry Parks, a Best Actor nominee for “The Jolson Story,” never received a star on Hollywood Boulevard despite the efforts by his family and many others. His blacklisting by the studios because of his testimony before the House Un-American Activities Commission is a shameful episode in the history of this town. I also can’t believe Betty doesn’t have a star for her iconic film work. But at least she received a star for her glorious work on the stage. Here she is at the ceremony in 2003 with her pals and godsons, Jeff and Beau Bridges.

Here are Betty and Larry, looking as glamorous as any Hollywood couple could be, at the 1947 Academy Awards ceremony when Larry was nominated. Betty was never nominated for an Oscar but “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” the song she introduced in “Neptune’s Daughter,” won the Academy Award in 1949. (Betty also had a huge hit with the previous year’s winner for Best Song, “Buttons and Bows” from “The Paleface,” one of the few times she made the Billboard charts.)

The final Juvenile Oscar was given out exactly 50 years ago at the 33rd Annual Academy Award Presentation. Appropriately, Shirley Temple was on hand that night in 1961 to present the Oscar to Disney sensation Hayley Mills. The Academy decided to bring in several married couples to present the awards that year. Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows handed out the Oscar for Best Song, Bobby Darrin and Sandra Dee gave the music awards, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh announced the Best Documentary, Cyd Charisse and Tony Martin presented the cinematography award, Kitty Carlisle and Moss Hart presided over the writing awards. Our friend Barbara Rush (still a glamour queen 50 years later) presented the award that night for best costume designer (to her friend Edith Head). Oh, for those long-ago days of true Hollywood glamour and worthy presenters. Let’s pray that the Academy doesn’t go too far in trying to appeal to a younger audience. If I see Kesha or Lil Wayne on that stage tonight I’m going to storm the Kodak.

See you after the show, kids!

Revisiting the Oscars: More Predictions

Since making my 2011 Oscar predictions a few weeks ago, I’ve now seen all ten of the Best Picture nominees and more of the nominated performances. The only ones I still haven’t seen are Javier Bardem in “Biutiful,” Jeremy Renner in “The Town,” and Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom.”

Despite some killer performances in the additional films that I’ve seen (“Winter’s Bone,” “Blue Valentine,” “Rabbit Hole,” and “True Grit”), I think I’m going to stubbornly stand by my original predictions. I especially liked “Winter’s Bone” and thought nominees Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes were outstanding. At age 20, Lawrence carries the film (thus becoming the second youngest Best Actress nominee in history) and her performance stays with you long after this terribly bleak film comes to an end. As Lawrence’s uncle, Teardrop, Hawkes achieves the incredible feat of making us despise him as a cruel monster at the beginning of the film and then gradually causing us to change our minds. I remember Hawkes as the out-of-place  Lennon in the final season of “Lost” (what happened to that character? Didn't he just disappear after a few episodes?) and a few years ago I remember him from the film “Me and You and Everything We Know.” I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of both of these fine actors.

I’m still hoping that Annette Bening wins for Best Actress even though there’s a huge buzz that Natalie Portman has it in the bag. Sorry, Nat, you’re probably going to win and I’ve loved your acting since you were a kid, but I just wasn’t that taken by the film. I want Bening to win for two reasons: 1), as a tribute to all of her amazing performances to date (I know that’s not how it’s supposed to work but…um…Elizabeth Taylor winning for “Butterfield 8?” Don’t tell me that Oscar had anything to do with that forgotten film!) and 2), even though “The Kids Are All Right” is perceived as a “lighter” film than some of the others, I really thought Bening mined every possible subtlety and nuance from that part. She may be a Big Hollywood Star, but during those two hours I completely believed she was that character. I also want to add a word of praise for Best Actress nominee Nicole Kidman for doing such an exquisite job in the very difficult “Rabbit Hole,” a depressing but beautifully made film that I’m sure most Academy members could not sit through, even with their convenient screeners.

I still want Melissa Leo to win for Best Supporting Actress even though word is out that her blatant publicity campaign backfired among Academy voters and seriously damaged her chances. I hope not—that would be unfair and ridiculous. While I thought it was odd and unnecessary for Leo to present herself in such a glamorous light as some kind of an antidote to her older, hard-boiled character in “The Fighter,” since when is self-promotion such a sin in Hollywood? Her ads were not in poor taste, just a little embarrassing—as if she felt the need to say, “Hey, I’m only a few years older than the guys who played my sons. See—I’m really hot!” I hope voters ignore her misguided campaign and give her the Oscar based solely on her incredible acting chops. And note to Leo: don’t you realize that the more hideous you make yourself in a film, the more likely you are to get rewarded for it? Do you think Charlize Theron or Halle Berry would have ever won Oscars for glamour roles?

Only three days until the Big Event and I’m curious to see whether James Franco and Anne Hathaway will be able to pull off their hosting duties without too much criticism. It was definitely a different choice for the Academy but I’m optimistic. But before Oscar weekend takes over this city, let me make a few more predictions:

Animated Film: In fairness, I haven’t seen “How to Train Your Dragon” or “The Illusionist.” I’ve heard great things about both but this award will definitely go to “Toy Story 3.” I haven’t seen a film praised so much since “Gone With the Wind,” and “Toy Story 3” doesn’t even have racist undertones!

Art Direction: I’ve seen all five of the nominated films and all had amazing production designs. I don’t think “Harry Potter” has a chance this year, and I doubt “True Grit” will get it. “The King’s Speech” may pull off a win if there’s a big sweep on Sunday night. But if it were up to me, I’d pick between two films that were largely ignored by the Academy: “Inception” and “Alice in Wonderland.” Both had great designs, in my opinion. I guess I’d throw it to “Inception” but only because “Alice’s” Robert Stromberg won last year for “Avatar.”

Cinematography: All of the nominated cinematographers did incredible work this year. I remember watching “Inception’s” Wally Pfister shoot a scene in our living room (for the Christopher Nolan film, “The Prestige”) so that would be cool and I wouldn’t object if Matthew Libatique won for “Black Swan.” Danny Cohen’s work in “The King’s Speech” was Oscar-worthy as was Jordan Cronenweth for “The Social Network” (and how fun that his dad was also a well known cinematographer for films such as “Blade Runner” and “Altered States”) but in this case I have to give the Oscar to Roger Deakins for “True Grit.” The film was gorgeous but I’m choosing Deakins because he’s never won after eight well deserved nominations for films such as “The Shawshank Redemption,” “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” and “The Reader.”

Costume Design: I was surprised but glad to see Antonella Cannarozzi nominated for the otherwise forgotten “I Am Love.” Jenny Beavan has done a ton of historical films including my favorite Jane Austen adaptation, “Sense and Sensibility” and may well win for “The King’s Speech.” I didn’t see “The Tempest” but we don’t need to endure another weird Sandy Powell speech (remember her ungracious comments last year?). Mary Zophres did a good job designing the “True Grit” costumes, but I say let’s throw a bone to “Alice in Wonderland” and give it to Colleen Atwood for her outrageous designs even though she already has two Academy Awards.

Documentary: I refuse to predict this category on the grounds that I haven’t seen even ONE of the five nominated films and because I’m so outraged that “The Tilmon Story,” which should have won the Oscar this year, wasn’t even nominated. Oh well, at least the overrated but heavily promoted “Waiting for Superman” wasn’t nominated either.

Visual Effects: “Iron Man 2?” Huh? “Harry Potter” belongs here but won’t win. I also don’t think “Alice in Wonderland” will get it. I’d say it’s between “Hereafter” and “Inception,” both of which were dependent on great effects. I’d give it to Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley, and Peter Bebb for “Inception” which was as visually unusual a film as you can get.

Writing (Adapted Screenplay): The writing awards are always hard to predict. I saw all five of the films and would be hard pressed to pick one script (have I mentioned how much I hate awards shows even though I’m obsessed with the Oscars?). The Coen Brothers won’t get it for “True Grit,” nor do I think Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy will be honored for “127 Hours.” It’s possible “Toy Story 3” could pull off a surprise win since everyone was so enamored by this film but I fear Aaron Sorkin is bound to win for “The Social Network.” Well, maybe “fear” is too strong a word. It’s just that I’d give it to Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini for “Winter’s Bone” so that’s who I’m going to pick!

Writing (Original Screenplay): How have I not seen Mike Leigh’s “Another Year?” I tend to love his films and yet this one barely got a run in Los Angeles. Christopher Nolan will never win for “Inception” since most Academy members are still wondering what that film was about. “The Fighter” was well written but it won’t win. As much as I loved “The King’s Speech,” I might have voted for Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg for “The Kids Are All Right” (I know that will shock some people I know who loathed this film). But I do think David Seidler will win for “The King’s Speech” and I can’t begrudge him that. And how can you not honor any screenwriter who managed to salvage his career after penning “Come On, Get Happy: The Partridge Family Story.” Oy.

Director: How can they have ten nominations for Best Picture but only five for Best Director? It doesn’t make sense. This one is anyone’s guess. I think, like the top prize, it will be between “The King’s Speech” and “The Social Network.” It’s David Fincher’s second nomination (I was a huge fan of his much maligned “Benjamin Button”) but since Tom Hooper has already won the Director’s Guild Award for “The King’s Speech,” I’m guessing he’ll take home an Oscar as well.

That’s it for now. I’ll try to head over to Hollywood Boulevard this weekend as I usually do to witness the insanity of the Oscar preparations. And I’d like to give one award myself—a Booby Prize to CNN for hiring Real Housewife Camille Grammer to cover the Red Carpet for the network on Oscars night. Really, CNN? What's next? Sending Snooki overseas to cover the crisis in Libya?

Drove My Chevy to the Levy (But the Levy Was Frozen)

We’re just back from eight days in my beloved home town. We arrived in Chicago exactly a week after the third largest blizzard in Windy City history. As we got off the plane, the temperatures were plummeting to dangerous levels—the difference between the Chicago wind chill and the weather we just left in Los Angeles was about 100 degrees!

Charlie had never experienced cold weather before but I think he was more freaked out by the amount of clothing we bundled him into than the actual temperature. Used to the free movement of his minimal California duds, Charlie’s outerwear practically doubled his weight. After getting him ready to go outside he’d try to crawl a few feet and end up flat on his back staring upwards, looking like an immobile mini-Michelin Man. The bitter subzero temperatures prevented any fun in the snow for the first few days—but the glistening white city was a beautiful sight.

Our shelter from the arctic freeze was a fabulous 2011 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid, once again courtesy of the fine folks at General Motors, people quite familiar with a punishing winter climate. This full-sized SUV seemed like a Sherman Tank compared to the other GM vehicles I’ve driven, and it was a comfort to have a vehicle that could handle the gigantic snow drifts and frozen mountains of plowed snow and ice.

The Tahoe Hybrid uses a combination of its dual displacement 6-liter V8 engine and two continuous electric motors that charge a 300-volt battery. It can run on electricity, gas, or both. It seemed surreal driving in such a quiet vehicle in the snow-covered city that sometimes looked like the landscape of a frozen planet from another galaxy with its gigantic snow formations. We felt very safe and protected in our Tahoe. In North America, it is used by many law enforcement agencies, fire departments, and EMS agencies. We were able to fit all our family members in the vehicle for group outings to our favorite Chicago spots.

My favorite thing about the Tahoe? Besides the heated seats, great GPS, BOSE speakers, XM radio, and OnStar? The indentation in the unit next to my seat which seems to have been created specifically to accomodate the size of a Superdawg box. Yum! Now that’s good planning, General Motors!

My family warned me about the hazards of post-blizzard parking because of the uniquely (and in my opinion questionable) Chicago practice of “dibbing.” Following a major snowstorm, when residents spend hours digging their snowbound cars out of drifts, many feel it is their right to place stray furniture or boxes in their parking spaces so that no one else can take them. I get the concept but it doesn’t exactly promote an “it takes a village” sense of community with everyone calling dibs on their spaces in public streets. It also creates quite an eyesore with all the broken-down furniture in the thoroughfares. The practice is officially illegal but city officials turn a blind eye after a blizzard. Happily, I was able to park my giant Tahoe pretty close to my sister’s house, wedged between unplowed drifts and decaying wicker lawn furniture shivering in the cold.

On Thursday I got to attend a social media brunch on press day at the Chicago Auto Show, the largest auto show in North America. The brunch was sponsored by the new Chevy Volt and, as luck would have it, I got to drive one of these beautiful babies on a very scenic if frigid jaunt from McCormick Place to the Adler Planetarium. All I can say is, I WANT ONE. This amazing vehicle has already replaced the Toyota Prius as the world’s most fuel-efficient car, according to the EPA.

Unlike previous generations of plug-in electric cars, the Volt is a hybrid, its gas engine allowing for long-range travel. The EPA rated the Volt’s combined city/highway fuel economy at a whopping 93 miles per gallon. One Volt representative mentioned that some people who’ve had the car since it was first introduced in December are calling up GM to ask how to access the gas tank—they haven’t had to fill their tank in over two months! Best of all, the car plugs into a regular three-pronged outlet and to fully charge the vehicle over 10 hours uses less than $1.50 of electricity. 

I loved driving the car, even on the coldest day of the year. The interior is gorgeous and all touch-controlled—I felt like I was in a giant iPad. There are a ton of special features and I only wish I had more time to explore them. That is a car I definitely want to drive again.

It was great seeing my family members during this rare winter visit. We didn’t get out all that much except to go to some of our favorite restaurants. The amount of food I usually ingest during these trips is so outrageous that I created a Weight-Gain Checklist on the blackboard in my sister’s house to keep track of the high-caloric meals. I’m happy to say we made it through the entire checklist except for Manny’s Deli and Ann Sather’s.

Bizarrely, but I guess not that strange for Chicago, in the short time we were there we went from extreme cold to an unseasonable thaw. By the time we left, the temperatures were on par with L.A. and the mountains of snow were melting faster than Carol Moseley Braun’s chances of winning Chicago's upcoming mayoral election.

This whole trip started when my sister and brother-in-law decided not to come to the Grammy Awards where the album Jeff did with the fabulous Mavis Staples was nominated. To appease their disappointment in not seeing us (well, let's face it—not seeing Charlie!) as planned, we hightailed it to the arctic tundra instead. Happily, while our orthodox relatives were over munching on kosher deli, we saw Mavis win her first (much deserved) Grammy. Mazel Tov, Mavis and Jeff!

Here are a few more photos of our winter escapades:

As soon as we arrived, my nephew Sammy turned us all into Chasidic Jews with the aid of this crazy app on his iPhone. I frankly think Kendall and my sister look pretty good in their beards and I especially love Charlie is his fur shtreimel.  

Charlie and my father had a great time together. I think there's a definite resemblance. 

Aunt Susie could barely put Charlie down. It's a total love match between those two.

Uncle Jeff taught Charlie how to laugh on command, how to blow kisses, and how to sing. They also played guitar together.

Leah loved playing in the snow and built a snow lady who promptly melted in the unexpected heat wave. My "unschooled" daughter was so busy in L.A. that she came and went separately from us—her first flights alone where she was NOT an unaccompanied minor! She survived all of the attention on Charlie quite well. Sorry, Leah, but you'll always be the first-born grandchild--with hundreds of photos to prove it!

Charlie's first cousin Sammy shared his very cool science fair project with us—a study on how people perceive music on vinyl versus music recorded digitally on CD. Is he a Tweedy, or what?

And Charlie gave his cousin Spencer, drummer extraordinaire, a run for his money. I think we may have two percussionists in the family! 

 

Till next time, Chicago!

Betty Garrett "Sings All Over"

We are in Chicago this week and were devastated to find out that our wonderful friend Betty Garrett died yesterday at the age of 91. In Betty Garrett's very first film, “Big City,” young Margaret O’Brien says to her, “When you sing, you sing all over!” Truer words were never spoken. Of all the incredible stars of the MGM stock company of the 1940s and 50s (and, as Louis B. Mayer liked to say, “MGM had more stars than there are in the heavens”), Betty Garrett was my all-time favorite. Apart from her ability to act, dance, and sing anyone off the screen, she exuded an intelligence, wit, and sincerity that was quite rare among the studio manipulated stars of her day. Even though she often played man-hungry dames with a slapstick sensibility, Betty Garrett always transcended her roles and made us care far more about her characters than the screenwriters had any right to expect. She was funny and brash and had perfect comic timing, but there was always a vulnerable and sweet quality that came through and lit up the screen. You either have that quality or you don’t, in my opinion, it’s not something that can be taught or written into a script. Betty Garrett had it then and she had it for the rest of her life.

When I read Betty's obituaries today and saw the date of her birth, I remembered that her birthday was on the anniversary of my mother’s death. The last thing I ever gave my mother, just a few weeks before she died, was a copy of Betty's wonderful autobiography, “Betty Garrett and Other Songs,” personally inscribed to her. My mom treasured this book. She adored Betty Garrett and had the hots for Betty’s husband Larry Parks ever since she saw “The Jolson Story” at the age of 14 at the Roosevelt Theatre in downtown Chicago.

I first met Betty Garrett at Kendall’s mom’s house in Studio City in the late 1980s. She and Larry were friends of the Haileys since the 1960s when Betty starred in Kendall’s father’s autobiographical play, “Who’s Happy Now?” during the premiere season of the Mark Taper Forum. For 20 years I attended the S.T.A.G.E., the world’s longest running AIDS benefit, that was co-chaired by Betty. Betty’s numbers were always the highlight of the show, whether she was rollerskating across the stage (in her 80s!) or shimmying up some set piece.

In one of the shows honoring Comden and Green, we were treated to Betty singing some of her numbers from one of the best MGM musicals ever made, “On the Town.” Her role as lady taxi driver Brunhilde Esterhazy was the first of many screen opportunities she had to chase after Frank Sinatra and Betty had some of the best songs in the film including “Come Up to My Place” and “You’re Awful (Awful Good to Look at).” In the Esther Williams vehicle, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” Betty and Frank sang the wonderful, “It’s Fate Baby, It’s Fate.” Propping up Esther Williams again in “Neptune’s Daughter,” Betty introduced one of my favorite songs ever, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” which I heard her sing at another S.T.A.G.E. benefit and which I always fantasized about singing with her.

I simply must go (But baby, it's cold outside)
The answer is no (But baby, it's cold outside)
This welcome has been (I'm lucky that you dropped in)
So nice and warm (Look out the window at that storm)
My sister will be suspicious (Gosh, your lips look delicious)
My brother will be there at the door (Waves upon a tropical shore)
My maiden aunt's mind is vicious (Gosh, your lips are delicious)
Well maybe just a cigarette more (Never such a blizzard before)

I've got to go home (Oh, baby, you'll freeze out there)
Say, lend me your comb (It's up to your knees out there)
You've really been grand (Your eyes are like starlight now)
But don't you see (How can you do this thing to me?)
There's bound to be talk tomorrow (Think of my lifelong sorrow)
At least there will be plenty implied (If you caught pneumonia and died)
I really can't stay (Get over that old out)
Ahh, but it's cold outside!

After understudying Ethel Merman on Broadway and being part of Martha Graham’s dance company, Betty got famous for doing comical specialty songs, starting with “South America, Take It Away” from her huge Broadway hit, “Call Me Mister” that opened 65 years ago. A few years ago I bought this portrait at one of the S.T.A.G.E. silent auctions. It was drawn by Betty and shows her character singing that song (which was later "cleaned up" and recorded by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters). The song parodied America's “good neighbor policy” and the South American dance craze that resulted.

Take back your Samba, ay!, your Rumba, ay!, your Conga, ay-yi-yi!
I can't keep movin', ay!, my chassis, ay!, any longer, ay-yi-yi!
Now maybe Latins, ay!, in their middles, ay!, are built stronger, ay-yi-yi!
But all this takin' to the quakin' and this makin' with the shakin' leaves me achin', ole!

Who else could sing lyrics like that? In that first movie she made ,”Big City,” Betty’s character Shoo Shoo Grady (love that name!) sang the song “Ok'l, Baby, Dok'l.” As she said in a newspaper article at the time, “I will inflict ‘Ok'l, Baby, Dok'l on the public, just as I inflicted ‘South America, Take it Away’ on them—and I hope they will not hold it against me!” We didn’t. Betty introduced so many great songs over the years, many of which are available on the CD “Betty Garrett, Star of Stage and Screen” which I listen to often and love playing for Charlie. 28 tracks, most never before released on CD, and several recorded with Larry Parks. Yippee!

I always thought it was shocking that Betty didn’t make more movies. She only made 5 musicals for MGM despite being one of their most talented stars. In 1951, Larry Parks was dragged down by the House Un-American Activities Committee. While he was the first movie star to actually admit that he’d been a member of the Communist Party (between 1941 and 1945), he repudiated his involvement and explained how at the time the Party was one of the only groups trying to help the downtrodden groups in this country. His admission to HUAC nearly wrecked his career in Hollywood and severely damaged Betty’s as well. With no movie roles being offered, the Parks put together a successful nightclub act and were a huge hit at the London Palladium and elsewhere.

Most people today know Betty from one of her TV series. She played Archie Bunker’s liberal counterpart Irene Lorenzo on “All in the Family” and in my opinion she was TV’s first true feminist. While Bea Arthur’s “Maude” also sparred with bigoted Archie Bunker before getting her own series, she was often subservient to her patriarchal husband Walter. Irene Lorenzo had a loving relationship with her husband Frank (played by Vincent Gardenia) but she was always her own woman, never sacrificing her beliefs to make peace with her man and yet still being a caring spouse and a great friend to people with different beliefs. Later Betty moved over to “Laverne and Shirley” as landlady Edna Babish who ended up marrying Laverne’s father. On this show Betty got a chance to showcase her physical comedy abilities.

I feel so blessed that I got to spend time with Betty Garrett over these last 25 years. She showed us all how people can move through the aging process with dignity, grace, and true beauty. She was a doting mother and grandma and my heart goes out to the Parks family and all of Betty's loved ones. I am so grateful that Betty's image will live on in her fabulous movies but just so sad that we will no longer be able to see her here. 

Sixty years ago, Betty told a New York Times reporter, “I’ve always thought my value as a performer was not having any claim to being great, just doing a little bit of everything. I’m certainly no Bernhardt, but I always manage to have a good time. I might even be ahead of her there!” Nicely stated, except I’d take Betty Garrett over Sarah Bernhardt any day of the week.

Betty Garrett is actually responsible for Kendall and I being together. Kendall later admitted that at first she had no intention of going out with me when we met at a wedding years ago...that is, until I mentioned in passing that Betty Garrett was my favorite MGM star!

We love you, Betty, and always will.

Five Positive Statements About Ronald Reagan

Today would have been the 100th birthday of Ronald Reagan. There are a slew of official celebrations going on this weekend, including a bunch of events at the nearby Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. I was not a fan of the President, to put it mildly. It amuses me to see Reagan’s complete canonization by Republicans since he left office and the crazy revisionist history that’s constantly spewed about the Reagan Years. I half-expected Reagan himself to step out of his grave to rebut some of the nauseating comments Sarah Palin made on Friday at the beginning of the centennial weekend. In the spirit of the day, I’m going to refrain from saying anything negative about the late President and instead will find five positive things to say about him. Here goes, off the top of my head and in no particular order:

1. He was a better actor than he is given credit for. Sure, he made the ridiculous “Bedtime for Bonzo” which practically became the symbol of his acting career when he was President. But he also made a bunch of excellent films, from his small but effective part in the Bette Davis classic, “Dark Victory” and his more well known turn as the Gipper in “Knute Rockne, All American” to the blistering period piece, “Kings Row,” and the terrifying Ku Klux Klan drama, “Storm Warning,” co-starring Doris Day and Ginger Rogers. To be honest, I also fully enjoyed his performances in lesser films such as “Million Dollar Baby,” “That Hagen Girl” (starring a 17-year-old Shirley Temple), and “She’s Working Her Way Through College,” co-starring Virginia Mayo as a burlesque dancer named Hot Garters Gertie. True, his one film with wife Nancy, “Hellcats of the Navy,” was an abomination, but one of his final films, “The Killers,” was riveting. That one was made just before he became governor of California and it’s chilling to see him, looking just like he looked in his political life, beating the crap of out Folger Coffee’s Mrs. Olson. Oy. 

2. His marriage to Nancy was the Real Deal. Say what you want about Reagan the Man, there is no doubt that his marriage to Nancy Reagan (unlike his stormy earlier marriage to Oscar winner Jane Wyman) was a true love match. Some would say dysfunctionally so. Sure, maybe it was a bit creepy that he called her “Mommy,” but the fact that they still sent each other love notes after 30 years of marriage and that they never seemed to take each other for granted was a refreshing spectacle in the White House when you consider all the blatant philandering that has gone on there before and since the Reagan presidency. I admired Nancy all the more following Reagan’s illness and death when she told the Republicans to go shove it with their short-sighted attitude about stem cell research. I remember crying when I saw Nancy at her husband’s funeral in an uncharacteristic public moment of emotion when she knelt down to his coffin and sobbed. I read some of the letters that Reagan wrote Nancy that she later published and was moved by their unflagging love for each other. They also produced two pretty cool kids, Patti and Ron, although it’s not hard to imagine how difficult those relationships were as they grew up.

3. He seemed to accept his illness with dignity. I thought Reagan’s letter to the American people following his Alzheimer’s diagnosis was very moving and authentic. Unlike the speeches of his Presidency, I believed he wrote those simple words himself when he could have just as easily refrained from public comment. “I have recently been told that I am one of the millions of Americans who have been afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease…I only wish there were some way I could spare Nancy from this painful experience…I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life.” Ron Reagan’s new book about his dad reveals that he was already showing signs of the disease during his presidency, especially his second term. No, duh.

4. He really was an excellent communicator. It's now a Republican cliche but say what you want about the content of his speeches, the man knew how to talk. As I said in my previous post about the Challenger disaster, his response to that tragedy was spot-on and I believed every emotion that he conveyed during his speech. Clinton was like that, too, but the Bushes, especially George W., couldn’t sound sincere if they were reading a knock-knock joke. I’m not even saying that this is the most valuable a skill a President could have (maybe it’s just that Reagan and Clinton were much better actors than the Bushes) but there's no question Ronald Reagan was able to inspire people with his words. His sense of humor helped, too. Who can forgot how endearing he seemed following the assassination attempt in 1981 when he was making jokes from his hospital gurney? And while his “Evil Empire” talk used to make me wince, his Berlin speech was pretty memorable (“Mr, Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”). For now we’ll leave out his foreign affairs moves that were less well received such as the Bitburg debacle.

5. He looked great in a tuxedo. Sorry, I had to come up with five positives, and this is all I could think of. But it’s true, let’s face it. He was a handsome guy in great shape for his age and he looked very much at home in fancy duds. Ron and Nancy flitting about the world in very formal attire sort of defines the 1980s, don't you think, especially after the down-home Carter years. It was definitely a decade of excess. I wonder if the Obamas are still using Nancy Reagan's insanely expensive White House china.

I realize this list will sound very superficial to true Reagan lovers. Forgive me, but I can’t bring myself to include any of his actual policies or views.

Happy Birthday, Ronnie! Oh, and Go Packers! Let's win one for the Gipper!