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ONE WEEK WITH MARILYN and MY 1/50 SECOND WITH MARILYN, part 2.
The film now at the Del Mar “My Week with Marilyn Monroe” not only depicts a very unseen side of this most luminous star but it shows the powerful acting talent of Michelle Williams. I’m sure she deserves an Oscar but she doesn’t deserve a genuinely important award for real acting. And no I can’t think of any real acting awards at the moment.
As I said last week this is a great excuse to mention that Marilyn Monroe actually posed for me back on October 28, 1952. My Cousin, his wife Irene and I had just attended the live broadcast of the Charlie McCarthy-Edgar Bergen Radio program at the then CBS Vine Street Theatre (now the Huntington Hartford Theatre) in Hollywood. Marilyn was their guest. I had my faithful Argus C3 loaded with Kodachrome and, just by accident we entered the theater parking lot at the exact time Marilyn exited the stage door. I asked her in my best teen-aged tourist voice if I could take her picture….as you can see, she actually pushed aside the group around her and smiled as only she could. Yes, I still have the original color slide, and yes I still love her (in a special way)
| MARILYN MONROE IN “NIAGARA” DRESS.Note that this is the dress she wore in my photo when she was promoting “Niagara”. It co-starred Joseph Cotton and Jean Peters |
WALGREENS NEXT YEAR.I asked the folks at the Water Street Walgreen’swhat they knew about the new Walgreen’s opening next to The Saturn Café in George Ow’s building. They didn’t know much except that it’s going slower than they figured and it’ll be opening sometime next year”. All this apparently is good news because it seems like everyone really dislikes the downtown CVS.
SENSIBLE TRANSPORTATION IN OUR TIME??New news on the updated website, check it out…sensibletransportation.org
MCPHERSON CONTEST. Chris Finnie sent in this contribution in the WHY BRUCE MCPHERSON SHOULDN’T RUN FOR ANY OFFICE contest.
Hi Bruce,
The reasons you gave in your column would be enough. But, for me, there’s one more. When Carly Fiorina ran for Senate, she had an event at the Cocoanut Grove. Some local Democrats protested on the sidewalk outside. We had signs and flyers that we offered to attendees that detailed her record at HP–since that’s what she was primarily running on. I saw Bruce McPherson walking up to the door and approached him. With a big smile, I said, “Mr. Secretary, would you like one of our flyers?” He looked away with a face like he’d just bit a lemon, shook his head, and kept walking. However, the limo driver who dropped off campaign staffers did stop to talk to us. Seems he’d worked at HP and said everybody there hated Fiorina. A friend of mine who also used to work there saw my picture at the demonstration in the paper and shared it with fellow HP alums. She told me she was “so proud to tell them I know you.” But Carly Fiorina was not only the candidate Bruce McPherson supported, there was Meg Whitman, who also lost in a landslide in Santa Cruz County, his attitude toward us clearly demonstrated to me that he was not willing to engage with people he disagrees with and is, in fact, outright hostile to them.
I volunteered at an event for Eric Hammer the other night. The place was packed! But one guy surprised me. He said he was a friend of Bruce McPherson. Seems his wife went to school with Bruce. When I asked why he was at a Hammer event, he said, “His time is over. He should move aside for younger candidates.” Since I’m not far behind McPherson in age, I’m not sure that’s a good criterion. But I’m light years ahead of him in my opinions, and I don’t want to elect anybody like Bruce McPherson who wants to drag this county, state, and country back to the Dark Ages! His antiquated stances are out of synch with the voters of the county and the district–though pretty much perfectly in tune with Scotts Valley. Maybe he should run for mayor there! Chris Finnie.
MARCHING WITH ATHEISTS. Dennis Etler sends this…”Let’s all turn out for the annual Santa Cruz Holiday Parade on Saturday, December 3. Secular Humanists of SC County, SC Brights, SC Atheists, Monterey County Atheists, UCSC Secular Student Alliance, the Cabrillo College Secular Student Alliance and anyone else of a secular bent who cares to join us is called on to gather together at 9:30 AM at Laurel and Pacific next to the Saturn Cafe. You will be sure to see us all assembled behind our Reason’s Greetings Banner and Flying Spaghetti Monster mascot! It will be a lot of fun, and an opportunity to meet and greet one another and sing secular holiday tunes so if you can, please try to make it. Let’s show the community that nonbelievers are alive and well in Santa Cruz. The parade will be followed by the 4th annual Human Rights Fair celebrating the 63rd anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We’ll have a booth at the Galleria, 740 Front Street from noon to 5 PM, Hope to see you at the parade and fair. Reason’s Greetings, Dennis
In last week’s BrattonOnline, I asked people to speak out on the expenditures our Regional Transportation Commission that prioritized Highway 1 widening over repairing local streets and roads. The link here will show you exactly what road projects are being lowered on the RTC’s priority list after widening. For more details and PICTURES of what we’re talking about, please click on: Details for the December hearing.
Smart Meter update…As accurately reported in both daily and weekly newspapers, PG&E is moving to offer an alternative to a Smart Meter edict as ordered by Public Utilities Commission. As one who called PG&E months ago asking to be on their “last to install a Smart Meter” list, I had a message from them on my phone mail announcing the PUC’s decision of November 22nd. They said simply that I didn’t need to do anything as the final details will be decided sometime in the future. We’ll see, but nowhere have I seen the issue of throwing their hard working meter-readers out of a job, or having the privacy of my home invaded by monitoring my appliance usage”.
(Paul Elerick is thechair of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation, http://sensibletransportation.
POLISH SALT MINE!!! Ray Ginghofer sent this link to a salt mine in Poland that contains an absolutely unbelievable cathedral, art gallery and carvings from salt unlike any you’ve ever seen.
PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary covers a lot of issues every day on KUSP but The Pogonip’s future is a very big deal. He says, “The City of Santa Cruz is thinking about changing its Pogonip Master Plan. In fact, it’s probably likely that the City Council will make the changes being discussed, absent some significant public involvement that says that things should stay pretty much the way they are now. Whether or not to change the current Pogonip Master Plan, and how Pogonip is used, is quite an important issue, and there are strong feelings on all sides. As usual, I am using the “bully pulpit” of the Land Use Report not so much to convey my own thoughts, but to urge you to get personally engaged and personally involved yourselves. If you track down the transcript of today’s Land Use Report, by clicking on the “Archives/Podcasts” link at the top of the KUSP Home Page, you will find some links that will introduce you to the topic.
According to the current Pogonip Master Plan, “Pogonip is a place to be appreciated for its natural beauty, habitat value and serenity, in contrast to the built environment. Pogonip should provide the community with education and recreation opportunities that are environmentally and economically sustainable.” The proposed changes to the Master Plan would provide for a “multi-use trail,” and introduce mountain biking into the Pogonip environment. And the City is not planning to do a full-scale environmental review. If you care, get involved! (Gary Patton is “Of Counsel” to the Santa Cruz law firm of Wittwer & Parkin, which specializes in land use and environmental law. The opinions expressed are Mr. Patton’s. Gary has his own website, “Two Worlds / 365” – www.gapatton.net)
ANCHOR IN ANTARCTICA. Micaela Neus writes…” Tourist season opened this week with the arrival of the National Geographic Explorer, one of the smaller cruise ships that send passengers ashore at Palmer Station. Our station has a maximum occupancy of 46, compared to 150 passengers and about 60 crew members aboard the Nat. Geo. Explorer. Consequently, visits bring life on station screeching to a halt and everyone has a hand in preparing for so many guests in one afternoon. I volunteer as a guide, leading about a dozen people at a time around to the Aquarium, central buildings, power plant vista points, and then off to (where else?) the gift shop.
Oddly enough, the Nat.Geo.Explorer visited Palmer Station on the same day its predecessor sank near the South Shetland Islands in 2007. The M/S Explorer struck a chunk of iceberg, possibly one with a rock embedded in it that punched a 10″ x 4″ hole through the double-reinforced, ice-breaking hull. The impact occurred on a perfect
summer’s day and a calm sea state that allowed all 154 souls on board to get into lifeboats safely. In another lucky coincidence, several other ships were only a few hours away and promptly picked them up. If the conditions had been worse, the hole larger, or outside rescue further away, this story would have a much sadder ending.
The M/S Explorer was not the first cruise ship to go under in the Antarctic and it will not be the last. No one has died so far, but it is easy to imagination a common accident snowballing into a mass-casualty incident at sea. The International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) does an excellent job setting environmental and life safety standards for private companies operating in the Southern Ocean and on-continent, but I wonder if any regulation could prevent a future tragedy. Human exceptionalism is our modern hubris– the belief that humans stand apart from nature, exempt from its realities and limitations. Can we really maintain sense of Antarctica as an unpredictable and powerful environment while standing in line for the all-you-can-eat buffet? ”
(Micaela Neus works for Raytheon Polar Services Company as a utilities technician and is currently living at Palmer Station, Antarctica until April 2012.
VINTAGE DE CINZO. DeCinzo makes a « bank shot » scroll downwards
LANDAU’S PROGRES. Saul writes in his Progreso Weekly column about J. Edgar (The film)…” In the film old Hoover dictates his story to young Special Agents, but Hoover doesn’t tell the truth; rather he promotes himself by distorting the facts to reflect that he has single-handedly protected the country from ruthless killers, kidnappers (the Lindberg kidnapping occupies much film space) and all things that smack of communism, anarchism or pinko-leftism. Hatred spews patriotism, hatred of communism, but the film leads us to suspect Hoover hated himself. Unable to control his most loathsome impulse – his mother hated “daffodils” – he tries to achieve power over people and institutions. The film subtly suggests Hoover became his own internal enemy; his mother subverted him by not allowing his sexuality (identity) to emerge. His career stained, not marked, decades of U.S. history and many people paid a heavy price for his psychic dynamics”. Read it all here… Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow whose films are on DVD from roundworldproductions@gmail.
| THE REAL MARILYN MONROE.Great trivia stumper….Who was the only Hollywood movie star to co-star with Marilyn Monroe in 3 (Three) films??? The answer is a few paragraphs down on the page… |
LISA JENSEN LINKS. Santa Claus has his elves. Here in Santa Cruz, we have artists and craftspersons working overtime to create unique, original holiday gifts. This week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.
DESCENDANTS.Once again George Clooney proves what an excellent actor he is. This film also proves that well made films still have a place in our lives. Just go see it. Seeing as how this film was made in Hawaii I linked up with Rick Chatenever, formerly film critic of The Santa Cruz Sentinel who has been living on Maui for decades and writing reviews for The Maui News for a long time too. He writes about The Descendants, “Maui Film Festival also gave us an early FirstLight look at Alexander Payne and George Clooney’s expected Oscar contender, “The Descendants,” which makes Hawaii a co-star in its compassionate bathos. Locals may quibble with its details, but its way of bringing lots of aloha to mainstream Mainland audiences is one more thing to be thankful for on this special day”. Rick emailed this Monday and stated, ” I’m writing about it more extensively in this week’s column … which won’t be out until Thursday (12/1) (Wednesday online). I wasn’t an extra in it (wrong island). There was some talk about me doing an interview/panel with Alexander Payne when he was on Kauai filming, but it didn’t materialize. My thoughts about the film are a little mixed. I imagine they’ll get clearer as I write them.I’ll keep you posted”. Aloha, Rick. (ed. note Rick and I ended up on the cutting room floor after being extras in a Star Trek movie)
| MELIES TRIP TO THE MOON.
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HUGO. Martin Scorsese hasn’t directed a good full length feature in decades, and Hugo is like Shutter Island, Aviator, Gangs of New York, Casino i.e. good material, good actors, but poorly directed. I’ll sure give credit to him for Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, but like Clint Eastwood he’s got to hit you over the head withsuch obvious story lines to make sure you catch his drift. Scorsese’s film are full of jerky, rapid, edits to provide variety so you won’t get bored, and Hugo is full of bizarre edits, numerous unnecessary angles and pointless scenes. Note any of more than a dozen scenes that do absolutely nothing for the story or the characters. Ben Kingsley as George Melies is just fine, the kid who plays Hugo is average, Sasha Baron Cohen as the evil station cop is useless. The 3D isn’t necessary and to say this is a tribute to early film history is insulting. Cinema deserves better.
THE SKIN I LIVE IN, (The Return of) The Nick is bringing back this “stunning” film& I repeat my review from before.. It’s a rare treat nowadays to see a film that still has an identifiable Directors touch…and Almodovar’s films still have his stamp all over them. You might not like the creepy taxidermy-Frankenstein plot but it’s an excellently told story, not one of the all too often corporate driven plots.
GREY BEARS HOLIDAY DINNER, SUNDAY. Live and local entertainment throughout the Holiday Dinner is a long time tradition with The Grey Bears.
After some serious serenading by The Great Morgani in the Civic lobby “the big show” starts with The Ukulele Group “Mele O Ke Kupuna” (music of the elders) led by Barbara Sonnenshine. Then Ukulele Dick and Jayme Kelly Curtis serenade with Jazz and Tin Pan Alley tunes of the 20’s and 30’s. Elaine’s Dance Studio brings their stars of tomorrow to perform many dance styles. 10 year old violinist Benjamin Rivers will play some Holiday music followed by Lorraine Kinnamon’s Tehauni Dancers doing both Hawaiian and Tahitian Dances. Then Steve Bare & The Sixties Project close the 2 hour production with big and hot hits from back in the day. The entire stage event is managed and directed by Katie and Nancy Heth. I’m emceeing again, as I have for all 38 of the Grey Bears Dinners (except the first one).All seniors are invited, it’s this Sunday at the Civic and goes from11:30 to 1:30. See you there.
CUBA REPORT. John Waller of Pastors for Peace sends this…” This past summer, for the 22nd year, Pastors For Peace Caravan to Cuba succeeded in delivering tons of humanitarian aid and several vehicles to the Cuban People in direct and open defiance of the US Embargo and Unlicensed Travel Ban of the Treasury Department. Come see a slide show put together by Sandino Gomez, Yesenia Molina and other Caravanistas who
went to the island nation this past summer and hear a presentation about their experiences. We’ll talk about what’s next for the project with the two new executive directors at the helm and how you can get involved locally to make a difference globally. The presentation will be on Wednesday Dec. 7th at 6:30 PM at the Resource Center for Nonviolence’s new building located at 612 Ocean St. For more information about this event: www.rcnv.org, or call 831-423 1626 x103. For more information about Cuba Caravans, contact Pastors for Peace, www.pastorsforpeace.org
THAT MARILYN MONROE ANSWER The only actor to be in three films with Marilyn Monroe was none other than local boy …Rory Calhoun!!! Did you guess?
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer (live only, or sometimes old programs are archived…(see next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. November 29 has Attorney Bob Taren returning to opinionate on matters and issues. After Bob, Jim Mosher talks about his teens and alcohol program. December 6th has Youth Symphony conductor Nathaniel Berman followed by UCSC’s Leta Miller author of “Music and Politics in San Francisco”. Judge Paul Burdick returns to talk about justice on December 13th, then UCSC’s Patricia Zavella author of “I’m Neither Here nor There” will talk about Mexican migration & poverty. Next year Claudia Sternbach guests on January 3 to talk about her new book, “Reading Lips”. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in, and keep listening.
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES.In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 5 years here’s a chronological list of just this year’s podcasts. Click herehttp://kzsc.org/blog/tag/
QUOTES. “Don’t never trust no skirt“, Wallace Beery. “Everybody has something to conceal”, Humphrey Bogart. “To possess consciousness is to be a hypocrite“, Jacques Riviere.
BEST OF VINTAGE DeCINZO.
Deep Cover by tim eagan.
