Saturday, December 7, 2013

A Fast and Furious Life and a Fast and Furious Death


Paul Walker had it all, brains, good looks, lots of talent and a big heart.  He should have had a charmed life and I guess for a while he did but his love of velocity cut it short, just as he was getting into the prime of his life.  One can not look at his life without feeling a sense of loss, of waste even.  His heart was always in the right place but his brain wasn't.  He gambled with his life once too often in his short life and one day he lost, as it was almost predicted he would.  He was a thrill seeker who needed that adreline risk the way an alcoholic needs a drink.  People of his nature thrive on risk, love the feeling of aliveness and invencibility risk gives them.  They are the mountain climbers of the world, the car racers of the world, the great explorers of the world.  And most of them die tragically young.  And for what?  For the chance to experience life to the fullest?  There are many ways to experience life to the fullest that doesn't have to involve crazy, excessive risk.  Most of them are fatalists and they will tell you "I could get killed crossing the street, I could get murdered walking out the door", but that's a fallacy.  You don't court death time and time again and expect to live a long life.  It simply doesn't work that way.  One day things will catch up with you and you'll lose your life senselessly, and unlike acting there are no second takes.  He did a lot of good in his short life and there's no telling what else he could have done if he lived a long life, but his infatuation with danger killed him.        The whole thing is incredibly sad and tragic.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Charles Krauthamer - A Life Well Lived



I watched the moving, inspirational Fox special on Charles Krauthammer the other night and walked away admiring him more than ever.  What a man!  What a brain!  What a life!  He went from a vibrant, energetic young man in the spring of his life to a permanent wheelchair due to a tragic accident, but he never stopped living, loving, learning, creating and contributing.  Sure he is was blessed with innate brillance but when the fates turned, he didn't indulge in self pity.  He used that prodigious brain of  his to keep on loving life, to come to terms with his fate in an almost regal manner.  His life isn't easy but he's blessed with amazing fortitude and a loving family.  He's also the most admired man in America for his intellect and substance.  Life is full of ironies and if it wasn't for the accident, his path might have been different and he wouldn't belong to us the way he does now. So that tragic event was our gain.  I hope many people watched it and discovered him, the way I did a long time ago, for this giant of a man has much to teach us.

Friday, September 20, 2013

The Great Gatsby


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I watched this movie last night from the comfort of my bed, and was a bit disappointed.  While it was certainly visually beautiful in a campy, grand sort of way, it fell short of expectations.  It simply never came to life.  Most of the characters seemed caricatures of themselves rather than real people, especially Joel Edgerton as the character of Tom Buchanan who was simply too hideous to be believable.  As the main character, Dicaprio tries real hard but he only succeeds in getting on our nerves with the trite expression "old sport" which he uses ad nauseum throughout the entire movie.  Carey Mulligan never demonstrates why she was able to inspire such a lifelong passion on Gatsby.  She seems frightened, out of her element and a little waif in a role that demands "allure and a certain femme fatale" quality.  That said, she looks a lot like Michelle Williams but with none of the depth, radiance and chameleon quality Miss Williams has already shown transforming herself.  Tobbey Maguire as Nick is also a caricature, and I found myself simply enjoying the scenery, the dresses, the sumptuosity of the era and not getting into the story at all.  I'm sure Scott Fitzgerald never intended for that to happen and that's why his novel has stood the test of time.  This movie for all its pretense and arrogance certainly doesn't.

Monday, August 19, 2013

My House is your House - The Egypt I knew

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The turmoil in Egypt is particularly painful to me.  I was there a long time ago when Egypt was under Mubarak and it was a warm and friendly place to visit.  The staff at the hotel couldn't be more helpful as well as the local guides who took pleasure and pride in showing me their legendary Egypt.  I loved all the famous sights, of course, but there was something special about the people.  They all had the attitude that tourists were guests in their house and that it was their job to make us feel at home and comfortable.  "My house is your house," they would tell me with their smiling faces.  "And we're very happy you decided to visit our beautiful country."   Now that same country is being torn apart by civil war (and don't fool yourself because it is civil war) and their main livelihood which was always tourism is rapidly being eroded.  I was afraid this would  happen with the fall of Mubarak and the election of the subsequent government, but I never imagined that the beautiful Egypt I once knew would descend this quickly into chaos.  If the people under Mubarak felt oppressed and unhappy, they sure gave a good imitation of contentment back then.  The mysterious, beautiful city of Cairo seemed to be thriving under Mubarak.  I felt safe and happy exploring the sights and touring it at night with my affable guide.  I don't want to rewrite history here but we all know what happened, they got rid of Mubarak and this horrible bloodshed, confusion, disorientation and rage is the result.   

God bless all the victims who died in this quagmaire and God bless Egypt, which will always have a fond place in my heart.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Jennifer Lopez - Orgullo Latino - Icono Mundial

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum Pictures - Washington, DC

He visto los Premios Juventud anoche y me encanto la presentacion de Jennifer y su discurso de aceptacion cuando gano el Premio Juventud.  Claramente vino del corazon y sumo su fabulosa carrera de una manera candida y modesta.  "Siempre he querido cantar, bailar, actuar y entretener," dijo conteniendo las lagrimas.  "Y me alegra tanto saber que lo he logrado."  Ella es realmente una mujer fenomeno que ha trinfado en todos los ramos.  Esta hermosa mujer es un orgullo latino y una inspiracion para millones de artistas aspirantes en el mundo que ven que con ambicion, determinacion, coraje y mucho talento, se puede llegar muy alto.  Su estrella se apago un poco cuando se caso con Mark Anthony porque ella lo permitio por amor, pero ahora libre y en la plenitud de su vida, vuelve a brillar mas intensamente que nunca.  Ella esta simplemente en el mejor momento de su carrera y su vida.  Bravo Jennifer, sigue adelante creando, deleitando y haciendonos vibrar.

Monday, July 15, 2013

A Game of Chess


Edward Snowden seems bent on becoming our worst nightmare, and Russia is playing a game of chess with the U.S. that could have dire consequences for Snowden and our relations with the world.  They have boxed him into a corner and seem determined to keep him there, extracting as much as they can from him in the process and thus thumbing their noses at the U.S.  Those Soviets are pretty clever, aren't they?  Sure they are.  And they're getting away with it too due to the feeble response of the U.S. who should be demanding in no uncertain terms (and applying all kinds of pressures) so that this tortured idealist be returned to the U.S. immediately to face charges before he does any more damage.  Instead we're playing a passive game of chess with the Soviets who are master players themselves and the loser will ultimately be Snowden who already looks different and seems to be slowly becoming unhinged in his self induced prison.  I saw that pathetic news conference with human rights in Russia and he was laughing inappropriately and acting like he was having a very good time when nothing could be farther from the truth.  He's trapped by his own stupidity and he knows it.  The awful realization that he threw away his life for a principle must be starting to gnaw at him.  He must also be beginning to see very clearly how corrupted the other countries he sought refuse in really are, starting with China and Russia, to say nothing of Venezuela, Cuba and Bolivia.  Yes Ed Snowden, you blew your life for nothing.  The perfect world you're seeking does not exist, but in your haste to do something, you failed to see that imperfect or not we still live in the greatest country in the world.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Farewell to a Giant



(I wrote this when he was very sick last year in my post below "It's time to let Mandiba Go" and I stand by every word today.  This giant of a man has now flown into eternity and with grace, humility and tremendous gratitude we bid him farewell).

I was in South Africa.  I saw the affection, the well deserved reverance and admiration that educated people, taxi drivers and  the common folk feel for their beloved  Mandiba.  They should use that same love and devotion by letting him go now.  I think his time on this earth is done and he's been called home.  He's earned his rest and  his laurels, this man of the century who changed the world and left it a better place.  Don't keep him alive with machines, don't try to hold onto him.  He wouldn't want that.  He was too heroic, too courageous.  Perhaps the cycle of his life is done and he needs our permission to fly into eternity and immortality.  His was a long, extraordinary life.  We had him for ninety four years.  He saw the fruits of his labor and I'm sure he dies a fulfilled, contented man.  With all the respect and admiration I've always felt for him, I pray for him to go peacefully to his Maker.  It's time.  He's not afraid and we shouldn't either.  He served his purpose on this earth and he has earned his rest.  Mandiba is tired, and I shamelessly appropriated the nickname too because I love him.  I was in Capetown.  I saw the prison where he emerged after so many years, the way way he sustained himself.  He was a man with a mission and that mission has been fulfilled.  Let him go now with love, with gratitude.  Mandiba would want it this way.

A Desire for Infamy




This young, intelligent and innocent looking whistleblower could turn out to be one of our most treacherous enemies to date.  Why?  The damage he's already done and seems to be intent on doing, hasn't even been evaluated yet.  The fact remains that he's a traitor, the enemy within; a disgruntled individual who took it upon himself to betray his country.  The ones who idealized him and think of him as a hero, only see the fact that  he gave up a big salary and a comfortable lifestyle in paradise to become a fugitive of justice.  They are wrong.  We live in an explosive world full of fanatics and terrorists who want to hurt us, and if Mr. Obama was overly zealous, he has good reason.  The fact remains that if I'm not doing anything wrong and I'm not breaking any laws, then I don't care if he reads my emails or listens to my phone calls.  It's ironic that he found out rather quickly once he came to power that Mr. Bush had a powerful reason for doing what he did.  Mr. Bush reacted with elegance and stoicism to his attacks by refusing to say a word against him or the office and for that he has earned my everlasting respect.  Mr. Obama stepped into his shoes and was confronted by the harsh reality of the kind of world we're really living in.  Now he's been sold out by a Judas who's disguising  himself as a "self sacrificing, concerned citizen."  What were Snowden's motivations?  He couldn't have possibly thought he'd get away with it indefinitely.  He'll be caught and dealt with and I hope he gets life in prison so he can have plenty of time to think of his infamy - and other misguided souls who admire him and look up to  him can learn a lesson.  He should go to Cuba, that's really where he belongs.  If he thought we were impinging on his liberties here, why not give Cuba or Venezuela a try?  Maybe he'd love the lifestyle there a whole lot more.  From a psychological point of view, I think this man is self destructive, there's really no other explanation.  Trying to do the country harm, he's ruined his own life single handedly but the country will survive, same as it always does.  It's not a perfect country and we've got plenty of problems here, but it's the best we got.  And the America, he was so intent on harming, will continue being a beacon of  hope throughout the world.  Mr. Snowdden, when all it's said and done, will just be another infamous character we'd rather never see or hear from again.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

On the brink - Is America finally ready to do the right thing?


PHOTO: Tea Party activists listen to Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) speak at an anti-immigration reform rally outside the U.S. Capitol on June 19, 2013

Immigration reform seems to be on the brink of happening now, and illegal immigrants who have lived under fear of deportatiion for decades can finally come out of the shadows and stand up and be counted.  America should do this, not because Republicans got a beating in the elections, but because it's the right thing to do.  Millions of illegal immigrants have come here in search of a better life.  They have endured abuse, discrimination and loneliness, because no matter what, they were still better off here than in their own countries.  They have left families, ties and countries in search of the American Dream.  For this they have paid a hefty emotional price, living like furtive pariahs most of the time, and afraid, always afraid that any infraction, however small, can get them deported making their sacrifice null and void.  They have sacrificed for their families, for their souls, for the thing most humans treasure above all else, freedom, freedom from want, freedom from brutal poverty, freedom from hopelessness.  America is still the sort of country where one can dream, one can achieve, once can overcome.  Let's not disappointment them now, it would be too crushing, too cruel.  Others, unable to pay the price have gone back voluntarily after living here many years.  They too should be included, for they were as desperate as the ones who got deported, but they lacked  vision and fortitude.  They thought they would be condemned never to see their families again.  They didn't think America was capable of greateness anymore when it came to them.  They were afraid they would always be marginalized, unable to vote, to have an input in the country they had come to love, and always pressing their noses against the glass, never really belonging.  Let's do the right thing for them too.  Let's show them they were wrong, that we do recognize their sacrifice, their contribution to this great country of ours.

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Trouble in Paradise - The Today Show Debacle



NBC is desperately trying to breathe new life into the today show but it's not working and the reason is that the ghost of Ann Curry hovers over Matt Lauer like a death knell.  Let's face it, the viewers are turned off with Matt Lauer and every time they switch from ABC (the top morning show now), they see Matt Lauer and remember how shabbily the network treated Ann Curry at the insistence of then Top Banana Matt Lauer.  I've already stated previously that as a serious journalist, she didn't belong there, she couldn't switch from fluff to serious issues as effortlessly as the previous anchors, especially Katie Couric; but they should have tried to help her and allowed her to finish her contract - that public firing (no matter how much money they gave her) was mortifying to the viewers who rallied behind her and they got even by deserting the Today Show in droves.  I predicted they would do that then and I predict they will stay away till the network puts a new face in there, a face that's not tainted by scandal.  Matt Lauer is excellent and he enjoyed a good run but nobody is irreplaceable and he's become damaged goods.  It's true he had no chemistry with Ann Curry, it's true they were losing viewers, but blaming Ann Curry for everything wasn't fair.  They self destructed by firing her so ignonimously and they're self destructing by keeping Matt Lauer there long after he's outlived his purpose.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Angelina's Choice

Angelina Jolie, pictured here at the 84th Academy Awards, is one of the most celebrated Hollywood actors of all time. Not content with conquering the big screen, her work in recent years with the United Nations has elevated her into a global role model.
Angelina Jolie made a courageous, desperate choice to prolong her life and women all over the world admire her for it.  My beloved mother died of breast cancer at 36 so I took the test not knowing what I would do if it came back positive for the gene.  Luckily in my case it didn't.  Mom didn't have the gene but she got breast cancer anyway due to stress and other causes.  That set my mind at ease and I was able to breathe a big sign of relief.  It took courage for me to do the test knowing that if I was found to be positive for the gene, my peace of mind would  be permanently destroyed.  Would I have done what Angelina did?  I really don't know.  I took the test not knowing and only certain that I had to find out no matter what.  I hate mutilation of any kind, you see?  And I still view this barbaric operation as mutilation.  Angelina also has to undergo a complete hysterectomy now as well, to make sure she doesn't get ovarian cancer like her mother.  She seems to be at peace with her choice and we all wish her a long and happy life.   Yet cancer is such a capricious and insidious disease, she might have never gotten cancer to begin with, even with her 85% risk.  I had a friend who had no cancer in the family at all and shortly about boasting to me about it, she developed a very aggressive type of breast cancer.  She doesn't have the gene, her children don't have the gene, and yet she got it anyway.  I know that Angelina's choice is going to send thousands if  not millions of women to the surgeons all over the world, but I've read that cancer could still grow in the wall of the chest, so one has to be fatalistic about this dreadful disease and not get too crazy.  That said, I still admire her enormously for her bravery in confronting this issue head on and for her willingness to share it with us.  That couldn't have been easy for such a beautiful woman, who is also one of our greatest sex symbols.  Yet she has proven time and time again, that she's also a woman of substance.  I hope she saves many lives with her choice and I  hope she lives a long life.  I've always admired her as an actress and as a person, but perhaps never more than now.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Adios Sarita



What can we say about Sara Montiel?  That she was a marvelous singer and dancer?  That she exuded sensuality and beauty?  That she was the Elizabeth Taylor of Europe?  Well, she was that and much  more.  I grew up loving her and loving her movies.  Yet her life was more dramatic and sensational than any of them.  And that voice of hers, sultry, smoky and slow, made us dream, made us want to grow up quickly and experience all those marvelous feelings she conveyed so well on the screen.  I know she made movies in America but her impact was a lot greater in Europe and South America.  I think most baby boomers who grew up with her are in mourning at the recent news of her death.  Yet she may have died physically but she certainly belongs to the short list of immortals of the world.  Who can forget that glamorous beauty that made us dream when we were adolescents?  Who can forget "El Ultimo Cuple," "La Violetera" "Carmen La De Ronda" and so many others?  Her movies were great and what made them great was her presence, that dramatic, smouldering presence, with a voice and beauty to match it.  She was intense and passionate and it showed in everything she did.  "Reach for the Stars," she seemed to be telling us with every gesture, every movement of her hands.  "And don't be afraid to love, to suffer, to live intensely."  We did but never as intensely as she did.  My favorite image of her is the gorgeous flower girl singing right into the blue, blue eyes of Ralph Vallone in "La Violetera."  Another is that of the passionate, melancholic beauty in the red dress singing "Mi Hombre" a song that she owned as completely as Barbara Streisand did with "People."  So farewell and thanks for making us dream, for waking us up to life Sarita, we shall not forget you.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Valerie's Finest Hour



I hope everybody watched or taped Valerie Harper's full hour on the doctor's today.  To say that she was simply magnificent would be an understatement.  What a courageous, graceful woman.  I'd always enjoyed her in the show but my admiration for her grew tenfold after watching that poignant segment.  She could have chosen to cry rivers alone in her house but she decided to face her illness head on, turning the devastating diagnosis into a celebration of her life.  Kudos to her and her husband for sharing this painful moment with us.  By bringing this kind of cancer into focus, she's helping a lot of people in more ways than one.  There might be some out there with the same symptoms who simply ignore them or think they're typical of old age.  And others who are too afraid to find out the truth until it's too late.  Valerie, by demystifing the almost always present pathological fear of death, is teaching us to die gracefully.  Cheerful, smiling, her body posture told us , "Hey I want to live longer, just like everyone else, but if that's not possible, I've lived my life and I'm grateful for the blessings I've enjoyed and the years I've been given."  I watched the show with tears in my eyes and hope and pray a miracle happens for this marvelous lady who so richly deserves it, but if that's not possible, I'll always remember her parting words, "Live in the moment, embrace yourself and forgive others."

Monday, March 4, 2013

Toltoy's Masterpiece



Toltoy's masterpiece is beautifully brought to life here on this visually arresting movie which should have been a big smash and oddy wasn't.  I loved the movie and performances.  I saw many adaptations of Anna Karenina (including masterpiece theater, which was still the best), but you can not compare one to the other, and this is also a fine work of art, but with a different vision, at times tragic, at times comical but always compelling.  Keira was great in the leading role and she stole the show in my opinion.  Her lover was handsome and seductive, and her deceived husband was expertly played by Jude Law who is usually the seducer himself and must have found the role quite a stretch.  I don't know what critics want and why they were lukewarm about this beautiful film, but I do know good when I see it and this film was good.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Reeva's Tragedy



A beautiful woman, a raging maniac and an unbelievable killing.  Fiction of the best kind?  Unfortunately not.  It's the true story of this gorgeous woman whose only mistake in life was to fall in love with a killer.  And to add insult to injury he would now have us believe that he mistook her for a burglar, that he was so paranoid he assumed the intruder was cowering in terror in the bathroom, in the shape of a beautiful woman he had just beaten and terrorized.  Yeah, sure, tell us another one Oscar and see if we swallow it.  My take on this is that he was out of control for a long time, and in a jealous rage began assaulting her, she ran to the bathroom in total panic and locked the door.  He decided to teach her a lesson she'd never forget and began firing at her through the bathroom door, hitting the helpless, terrorized woman three times.  I think this man, this so called hero for the handicapped, was a walking time bomb.  He was full of drugs and hatred, and never came to terms with his disability.  If he was so paranoid about burglars (the so called crime wave in Johannesburg) why didn't he install a great security system?  He was loaded, he could have afforded the best and yet he did nothing except sleep with a gun under his bed or whetever the heck he put it.  The evidence against him is so overwhelming, his lawyers had no choice but to cook up this cockamanny story.  He should go to jail for the rest of his life, this coward, who can't even own up like a man to what he really did to this tragic beauty.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

New York Mourns a Piece of its Soul




We lost Ed Koch yesterday, and the city he adored and gave so much to, is in deep mourning today, because nobody symbolized the spirit of the great Apple more than the irrepressible, feisty, outrageous and controversial, Ed Koch.  He was the city in all its essense, great, tough, hard working, ambitious and daring.  He was an icon, our icon, this funny, opinionated man who pulled us from the fiscal abyss once, and showed us that first and foremost, we were New Yorkers and we could overcome anything.  Love him or hate him, despise him or admire him, he was unique, a real original; and we had grown accustomed so seeing his funny face everywhere, this omnipresent man who made himself a part of our lives for so many years.  By living for so long and by enjoying his life so completely, he gave us a sense of continuity, almost of immortality.  We watched him age and grow physically frailer, but the sharp intellect, irrelevance and feistiness continued.  Like our city, he aged on his feet, falling and getting up again with iron will and defiance.  And now he's gone, making his exit from this world almost on cue (in typical Koch fashion) by leaving us just as the documentary about his life and legacy was about to be shown, .  We're now taking full measure of the man and the tributes will be many, but his greatest gift to us will always be the joy and pride he took in the city and its people.  "How am I doing?" was his trademark and the response will always be "Great Ed, you're doing great."

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Lance's Mea Culpa



I saw the two interviews he did with Oprah (and who didn't), and what I took from it was that from the beginning, Lance had a choice.  He could have exposed the drug culture and refused to be a part of it, or he could have jumped in with both feet, beating them at their own game, which is what he did.  There is no doubt that he was a great athlete in his own right, but it's also clear he didn't have a prayer without the drugs.  The drugs give these athletes superhuman powers and are so prevalent and insiduous, that most of them do it.  Where he went wrong was in saying "if you can't beat them, join them" rather than doing the right and moral thing and exposing that pervasive culture.  He wouldn't have won the seven tournaments and achieve the heights of glory he did, but he wouldn't have fallen so low either.  He would have been a true hero, because nobody should ever be rewarded or cheating.  I know he's been crucified for his dishonesty, he's been disgraced, condemned and scorned, but hey, he didn't invent the culture.  The culture was there long before he joined the game.  He says his cancer wasn't a result of the drugs but I disagree.  I think his cancer was a direct result of the drugs, and he paid the ultimate price in his blind quest for fame and fortune.  He disappointed and betrayed a lot of people, but I think he mostly betrayed himself.  Can he come back from this?  Perhaps, if he dedicates himself wholly to cleaning up the game, so the next great athete can really earn his accolades.