Baltimore21201.Com - The Blog

Dr Martin Luther King, Jr (1929-1968) — I celebrate the man and his life with music.

 

 

 

 

 

You were grace on earth, Dr King, and I will continue to thank you for all of your work for of my days. 

Awards Season - 'LES MISÉRABLES' comes to me; I go to New York City for 'LINCOLN'

Every year Jacob and I plan far ahead to keep January weekends free to screen award-nominated movies. We look forward to the envelopes and packages stamped with the iconic message: For Your Consideration. As an active and voting member of Screen Actors Guild—celebrating 40 years—and a retired member of Directors Guild of America, the DVDs and screening invitations begin arriving each year just after the New Year.

My 'Les Miserables' package from Universal Pictures

Some studios send a DVD, some studios send top-shelf print material as a teaser and then the DVD, some studios provide eMoviePasses so you can screen their nominated movies with a typical audience, and others offer intimate screenings with industry peers.

This year Disney and DreamWorks Pictures sent me a handsome invitation to screen Lincoln at the Directors Guild Theatre in New York. (One of the great benefits of living in Baltimore is proximity.)

'Lincoln' - final shooting script

And, in their package, they included, at 127 pages, the final shooting script and additional digital teasers. I returned my eRSVP this afternoon.

DGA RSVP

The DGA Theatre is a small, jewel-box of a place on West 57th Street, a few steps from the Russian Tea Room and Carnegie Hall. As screening theatres go, it's intimate, yet outfitted with envy-inducing, state-of-the-art audio and projection equipment:

DGA Theatre, 110 W 57th Street, NYC

Specifications from Directors Guild:
 

Digital Projection

• Barco DP-3000 D-Cinema DLP "2K" Projector
• Dolby DSS-200 D-Cinema screen server
• Dolby 3D and Real D 3D capabilities
• Multi-standard video decks (Digital Betacam, Betacam SP, Blu-Ray and DVD)
• DVI-D and SVGA Computer Graphics Capabilities (Powerpoint) from stage position   

Sound

• JBL three-way speaker system
• Dolby CP-650 Digital Cinema Sound Processors
• Dolby DMA8 Plus Digital Media Adaptor
• Dolby Digital 7.1 discreet audio
• Dolby SR-D, Dolby SR, Dolby E audio formats
• QSC Basis Network Audio System, QSC Digital Power Amplifier System

Film

• Dual Simplex XL 35mm Reel to Reel Capabilities

Control

• Theatrical Stage Lighting
•  Mackie 16 Channel Audio Mixing Console
• Shure Microphones

This private screening facility is designed to provide the ideal environment for industry professionals to screen their films, hold their special events, or their film premieres.

It is ideal for conferences, lectures and corporate presentations. The upper and lower lobby areas are ideal for pre and post-event receptions.

The DGA New York Theater Complex is recognized throughout the entertainment industry as one of the preeminent screening, private reception, and film premiere facilities in the city.

Simplicity in a print invitation: 'Lincoln'

You'll find Jacob and me at the Park Central Hotel, January 24 - 26. And, there's a pretty good chance that you'll find us at the Russian Tea Room, also.

After all of the travel arraingments to NYC to screen LINCOLN were made i looked out the window—we are living in an unusual, for winter, Baltimore cloud of fog today—and I saw this on top of the BGE building on Fayette and Liberity Streets. It seems appropriate.

Photo from the homestead, 218 N Charles Street, Baltimore
 

Now then. I'm off to bed. On Friday, at work, I was foolishly chatting everyone up about my having had a flu shot early and not having anything other that a mild cold this winter...

Flu 2013 - I have a head-splitting headache, every fiber of my body hurts, food is out of the question.

Post written by Stephen Brockelman

Baltimore-Washington Actors: Tweet Loud and Often for Labor and SAG-AFTRA

Join Our Labor Day Twitter Activities: Union
Members Tweet in Support of Labor and SAG-AFTRA

What: This Labor Day, we can all do our part to help send a positive message about the value of unions – and we’re encouraging SAG-AFTRA members to do so through Twitter! There are two ways you can show your support for unions.

The first, "Work Connects Us All" is an awareness campaign of the AFL-CIO.  The campaign is launching Aug. 28, and as a supportive partner, we will be posting and Tweeting special messages and information on how we are all connected by the work we do.  Feel free to visit the “Work Connects Us All” site at workconnectsusall.org for more information.

The second way you can participate is in the third annual American Rights at Works' Labor Day Tweet-a-Thon. We encourage you to Tweet your solidarity and support for SAG-AFTRA and unions over the Labor Day weekend.

Simply send a Tweet over Labor Day weekend with the hash tags #unionmember to showcase the strength, solidarity and diversity of our unions. Use #workUdo to show your support for SAG-AFTRA, also include the hash tag #SAGAFTRAmember and #sagaftra.

Why: Labor Day is a celebration of the American worker and a day to honor our country’s rich history in the union movement. It's a day Americans can reflect on the work conditions that were hard-fought by unions over the decades: minimum wage, sick pay, child labor laws, paid vacations, the weekend, health and retirement benefits and much more.

And it’s a great time to remind the public that unions still play an important role in the work force today. And it’s an easy way to show you’re a proud union member. Your followers and supporters, and our allies in the entertainment industry, professional sports unions, and workers’ rights and union movement, and more will be re-Tweeting to maximize visibility of the effort.

When: Tweets can be sent today, Aug. 30 through the end of the Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 3.

Who: “Work Connects Us All” has been organized by the AFL-CIO to recognize the importance to union work. This campaign demonstrates how unions are a collective of professionals of every area of work in this country, and how unions put values into motion, partner with communities, innovate, stand for public good, uphold ethical standards, help workers advance and collaborate to solve problems.

The Tweet-A-Thon is an event established by American Rights at Work. SAG-AFTRA members will also be joined by our colleagues at WGAE and AEA, as well as members of the Major League Baseball Players Association and National Football League Players Association in tweeting positive union messages. Feel free to send multiple tweets honoring all of your unions.

VEEP, shooting in Baltimore

How: We’ve made this easy. Here are sample suggested tweets to send through your Twitter account on Labor Day. All are under 140 characters. Of course personalize as you see fit.

Sample Tweets for American Rights at Work Tweet-a-Thon:

Please use #unionmember in each tweet so we know you’re participating! If you have room, feel free to include the short URL of the tweet-a-thon’s website, which is http://umem.us.

1.  Want to make it big? Become a #unionmember #sagaftra
2.  Best career advice: Become a #unionmember #sagaftramember
3.  I’m a #sagaftramember #unionmember. Happy Labor Day http://umem.us
4.  I am a #sagaftramember #unionmember Part of the American dream.
5.  Happy Labor Day from a proud #sagaftramember #unionmember
6.  Become a #unionmember like me. http://umem.us #sagaftramember
7.  Oscar, Emmy, Peabody, Grammy, SAG Award Winners? #unionmember #sagaftramember
8.  #sagaftramember  #unionmember  Stronger together. Happy Labor Day
9.  Happy #LaborDay! #sagaftramember #unionmember for life. http://umem.us
10. Proud #sagaftramember #unionmember! Happy Labor Day http://umem.us/
11. #sagaftramember Happy Labor Day, paid for by the labor movement. #unionmember
12. I’m a #unionmember because together we are more powerful than we are alone.
13. One for All and All for One: I’m a #unionmember and #sagaftramember
14. #LaborDay is a great day to support worker’s rights and being a #unionmember
15. Fun fact: I'm a #unionmember! Happy #LaborDay!
16. Being a #unionmember gets you a shot at the American Dream
17. Happy to be a #unionmember this Labor Day? Tweet about it!
18. One for All and All for One: I’m a #unionmember and #sagaftramember
19. Proud to be a #unionmember and #sagaftramember this #LaborDay!

Participating in a Labor Day event? Tweet your photos! There are numerous tools you can use to tweet about your Labor Day event and include photos in your tweets! iPhone users can use the official Twitter iPhone app from the App Store, as well as other platforms such as Instagram.

For Blackberry users, we suggest UberTwitter, download at http://www.ubertwitter.com. Android users should use the official Twitter Android App via the Android Market.

Thank you in advance for participating and have a happy and safe Labor Day

Tweets for “Work Connects Us All:”

Please use #workUdo in each tweet so we know you’re participating! Watch for Tweets from @SAGAFTRA and @SAGAFTRANews to re-Tweet as you see fit.

And, to all of my SAG-AFTRA members — Remember Rule One. At all times.

As a Writer, I Find this Groundbreaking!

'Aside from it sounding like a fun time, I think it's a great opportunity to interact with the theatre community in a unique and fascinating way.'
                                    —Rober Attenweiler, playwright

The Drama Book Shop logo, New York City

Write Out Front: A Playwright Happening!

(August 13th - September 1st, 2012) NYC

Watch award-winning and emerging playwrights, book writers and lyricists create new work right in front of your eyes.
 

During two hour time slots, a writer or writer's team will write a new play in the storefront window of the Drama Book Shop, founded in 1917, with a screen shot of their computer visible to the street.

See writers create new worlds, find inspiration and try to avoid Facebook (or not). Come see playwrights from shows coming up or currently playing at venues around town including the NY International Fringe Festival.

Support and engage the writers via Twitter and FB , follow their careers, see the play and someday, when you're watching the Tonys, Lilys or Academy Awards, you can say you were there. 

The award-winning and emerging playwrights are:

Rob Askins, Robert Attenweiler, Ian August, Micheline Auger, Hilary Bettis, J.Stephen Brantley, Chloe Brown Carter, Rubem Carbajal, Jon Caren, David Caudle, Cecilia Copeland, Carl Cota-Robles, Jamie Cowperthwait, Cusi Cram, Stacy Davidowitz, Lawrence Dial, Nathan Dame, David Davila, Haydn Diaz, Bixby Elliot, Lynne Elson, Matthew-Lee Erlbach, Diane Exavier, Gina Femia, Darcy Fowler, Nick Gandiello, Charles Gershman, Sheri Graubert, Stephen Adley Guirgis, Paul Hagen, Laurel Haines, Chris Harcum, Jerron Hermon, Timothy Huang, Dean Imperial, Kait Kerrigan, Jeffrey James Keyes, Alessandro King, Krista Knight, Felice Kuan, Larry Kunofsky, Judith Leora, Lisa Lewis, Jerry Lieblich, Danielle Eliska Lyle, Dan McCabe, Erin Moughan, Kate Mulley, Lindsay Joy Murphy, Mel Nieves, Dan O’Neil, Dael Orlandersmith, Nicole Pandolfo, Kristina Poe, Chana Porter, Tyler Rivenbark, Rob Rosiello, Alex Rubin, Sarah Shaefer, Erika Sheffer, Crystal Skillman, Tommy Smith, Diana Stahl, Roland Tec, Michael Gabriel Torres, Chris Van Strander, Richard Vetere, Josh Wilder, Natalie Wilson, Joseph Samuel Wright, Nathan Yungerberg.

WRITE OUT FRONT was created to bring awareness to the time, space, resources and support that playwrights need to work and grow. It celebrates the tenacity that playwrights possess in the face of challenging economic times which has accompanied the closing of many off-off Broadway theaters and performance spaces, traditionally the fertile ground where theater artists developed their craft.

The installation runs three weeks, Monday through Saturday, 11am – 7pm (8pm Thursdays) The Drama Book Shop is located at 250 W. 40^th Street, across the street from the NYTimes Building August 13^th - September 1^st, 2012.  

A BrockelNote: Granted, this is not going to be like peeking through a window and seeing Ernest Hemingway writing in Ketchum, Idaho. And, I'm guessing, it will be much more fun, also.

Obama: U.S. and MD Flags fly half-staff.

Aurora, Colorado

This is to advise you that President Obama has ordered the United States Flag and all State flags flown at half staff immediately.

This is to honor the victims of the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado on Friday, July 20, 2012. The flags should remain at half staff until sunset on Wednesday, July 25, 2012. This action is taken under the Protocol for the United States and Maryland State Flag.

Any questions on the above should be directed to the Office of the Secretary of State.

Remember Audio MixTapes? Think Video!

The folks at the Paley Center for Media in New York City have put together some of the best theme-program schedules that I've ever seen. This series ups their already impressive ante.

TV MixTapes

The Paley Center recalls the days when, if you liked someone, you made them a tape. We like you, so we're making mixtapes for you—compilation screenings of amazing things in our collection, curated to provide a unique viewing experience each month with a different theme. Plus it's all on a movie-size screen with great sound.

Every month the Paley Center will present special screenings culled from their massive collection, curated to provide a unique viewing experience … audiences can expect classic episodes from favorite series enhanced by exclusive Paley Center content, original compilations of the weird and wonderful created for this series, and selections from rare programs unavailable anywhere else. Plus there is the thrill of seeing it all on the big screen, with great sound.

Here's the package, the line-up:

Summer "Camp" - starts July 5th 2012
Welcome to a compilation of television’s most outrageous, campy, and head-scratching moments—a celebration of the weird, wild, and wacky side of the small screen, culling only the best moments in discrete chunks for the YouTube generation.

We excerpt the craziest scenes from afterschool specials, old network celebrity spectaculars, outdated training and educational films, camp classic television movies, bizarre music videos, and other outré ephemera. A surefire hit for the Gen-X audience and available exclusively at the Paley Center. 

Hotter than Hellmouth - August
Hell hath no fury like a demon scorned … or something like that. Join us as we celebrate the dog days of August in air-conditioned bliss with this really creepy compilation of television programming spotlighting emissaries from hell (both fictional and not), anchored by “Once More With Feeling,” the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which will be screened in its entirety. We don’t want to give too much away, but also look for clips from The Twilight Zone, Twin Peaks, The X-Files, South Park,Thriller, plus a few gems from our collection of programs, commercials, and Paley Center panel discussions. To conclude the package, we’ll screen excerpts from Tom Snyder’s legendary 1981 interview with Charles Manson.  

Dueling Star Treks - September
Star Trek: The Next Generation celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary in September, and with this specially produced compilation the Paley Center boldly goes where thousands and thousands have gone before, tackling the red-hot-button question of whether The Next Generation was also the greatest generation, or whether that honor belongs instead to the original series. Was the first Star Trek too campy? Next Generation too earnest? Beverly Crusher or Bones McCoy? Spock or Data? Kirk’s bare chest or Picard’s bare head? We will shy away from no issue, illustrating our points through a deft selection of clips featuring moments from both shows and a few surprises as well, including excerpts from Paley Center events with the cast and the creative team of TNG and with Captain James T. Kirk himself, the great William Shatner.

Sweet TV Dreams (are made of these?) - October
For the month of chills and thrills, the Paley Center brings you a sixty-minute mixtape that shows the truly frightful—as well as the lighthearted—dreamscapes that have seeped out of our collective unconscious and into our daily TV viewing over the years.

The creepy/scary stuff will come from the usual suspects—Twilight Zone, Twin Peaks, The Outer Limits, Buffy the Vampire Slayer—joined with the more psychological hauntings of Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, and M*A*S*H. Then we'll look to Bewitched, My So Called Life, The Practice, and Absolutely Fabulous for the lighter side of our neuroses. 

James Bond: 50 Years on Film -  November
This mixtape will screen in November, to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the release of the first Bond film (Dr. No) and also the release of the new Bond film (Skyfall). Included are clips from the 1954 television version of Casino Royale (Bond’s screen debut); two Bond-themed TV specials in our collection; The Man from U.N.C.L.E., which Ian Fleming helped develop (plus a Paley Center panel with star Robert Vaughn); Get Smart (including clips from PaleyFest); Archer (including our David Cross–moderated seminar); The Avengers (starring Bond girl Diana Rigg); and appearances by Bond stars Pierce Brosnan and Roger Moore in television programs and ads. 

Christmas Carols: A Scrooge Mash-up - December
Arguably the most famous and familiar holiday story ever written, Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol continues to enchant generation after generation and inspire countless adaptations, with more, no doubt, yet to come. Since everyone has their particular favorite dramatization, the Paley Center presents its own “Scrooge mash-up,” so to speak.

The entire story will be told using clips from versions starring Mr. Magoo, Patrick Stewart, and Basil Rathbone among others, as well as the tale as interpreted by the casts of such shows as WKRP in Cincinnati, Northern Exposure, and The Honeymooners.

Ok now Baltimore, if you love classic film and television as much as I do, let's book some Bolt Buses and head to The Big Apple for a what will certainly be a monthly fun-fest. And bring your friends. There are new finds and real surprises in this collection of shows. I'm sure that you haven't seen some of these moments before. That's all I'm going to say.

The Paley Center for Media
25 West 52 Street • New York, NY 10019
212.621.6600

Free for Paley Center Members and included with general admission.

Baltimore's Sailabration - via Webcam

National Aquarium, Baltimore - Sailabration Webcam

Thanks to Aqua.Org for sharing their Inner Harbor webcam with us so that we may share a glimpse of Baltimore's Sailabration with our family and friends who can't be here for this extraordinary event.

From Aqua.Org:

Watch live as an international parade of more than 40 tall ships and naval vessels sails into Baltimore. Sailabration runs from June 13–19, 2012.

Photo Credit: Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun

The National Aquarium's webcam is here.

To learn more, visit starspangled200.com. Over the weekend, watch out for the Blue Angels, they will be flying low and hard over Baltimore for the first time. And, be sure to take a look at the list and descriptions of the ships that will be visiting Baltimore for this event. It's impressive.

Meet Betty White in NYC? Yes, You Can!

The Friars Club is involved. That means it's going to be a bawdy, no-holds-barred evening. Stevedores will blush like girls at their first prom. It'll cost you a few bucks, but it's for a great cause. (And think about it, face time with Betty White is priceless.) 

                          Betty White via CharityBuzz.Com

Here's the scoop from Charity Buzz:

Bid now on 2 tickets to the Friars Club Roast of Betty White on May 16, 2012 plus meet the funny lady herself. The event will be held at the Sheraton Hotel in NYC.

Terms: Valid for 2 people on May 16, 2012 only. Cannot be resold or re-auctioned. Travel and accommodations are not included.

Donated by: The Friars Club and the one-and-only Betty White

The proceeds for this item benefit The RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights.
Learn more about 2012 RFK Center Spring Auction.

All of the details are available on the Charity Buzz website. If you bid, let me know and I'll follow you and cover your antics all the way to you meeting the gal who's Hot in Cleveland.

Baltimore-Washington SAG Members Get a $600 Discount on NATPE Registration

SAG New Media and NATPE have partnered to provide Screen Actors Guild members a special registration discount to the three-day NATPE Market & Conference, the only American program market serving the worldwide television community.

Held annually, this year's conference will take place at the Fontainebleau Resort in Miami FL, January 23–25.

SAG members get discounted registration by visiting the conference’s registration page and using promo code N12SAG to register for $650. That’s a savings of $600 off the NATPE Event Rate.

 

About SAG New Media

New Media is a multifaceted department within SAG, administering the SAG New Media and Interactive Media Agreements and advising and participating in all aspects of new media as it pertains to all SAG collective bargaining agreements. The Department also provides the Guild and its members valuable insights into the implications of emerging technology.

                                   NATPE Poster, 2012

About NATPE

Celebrating over 40 years of service to the ever-evolving global television industry, NATPE continues to redefine itself and the services it provides to meet the needs of its members. Today’s industry encompasses so much more today than ever before and NATPE has remained flexible in an effort to encourage and support the progress of the industry and all of the platforms it now serves. What has remained constant is NATPE’s commitment to keeping members apprised of the changes occurring daily in the global media environment.

The Best 'New York Post' Cover. Ever.

                     New York Post Cover, Chicken of the Sea

You can find the rest of their pithy coverage at NYPost.Com under the header: Captains Bad 'Trip'

Streaming Live, 1/16 - A 'Moneyball' Conversation with Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill

Back Stage and SAG Foundation Conversations present
A LIVE STREAMED Q&A

MONEYBALL
Q&A with Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill

TODAY, Monday, January 16th at 1:15pm (Pacific)
To watch the Q&A go to:
http://www.sagfoundation.org/videogallery/livestream

Q&A will be streamed live from Los Angeles after a screening of the film.

Email questions for Brad Pitt or Jonah Hill to LiveStream@sagfoundation.org or tweet to #SAGF.

Stars Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill have both received SAG Award nominations for their work in MONEYBALL.

Columbia Pictures’ Moneyball is based on the true story of Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) – once a would-be baseball superstar who, stung by the failure to live up to expectations on the field, turned his fiercely competitive nature to management. Heading into the 2002 season, Billy faces a dismal situation: his small-market Oakland A’s have lost their star players (again) to big market clubs (and their enormous salaries) and he is left to rebuild his team and compete with a third of their payroll.

Driven to win, Billy takes on the system by challenging the fundamental tenets of the game. He looks outside of baseball, to the dismissed theories of Bill James, and hires Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a brainy, number-crunching, Yale-educated economist.

Together they take on conventional wisdom with a willingness to reexamine everything and armed with computer driven statistical analysis long ignored by the baseball establishment.  They reach imagination-defying conclusions and go after players overlooked and dismissed by the rest of baseball for being too odd, too old, too injured or too much trouble, but who all have key skills that are universally undervalued. Ultimately this experiment will lead not only to a change in the way the game is played, but to an outcome that would leave Billy with a new understanding that transcends the game and delivers him to a new place.

Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman, is directed by Bennett Miller. The screenplay is by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. The story is written by Stan Chervin. Based on the book by Michael Lewis. The producers are Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt.

What Does the Ouija Board Say?

Well, that seems definitive and straightforward. Enough said. Enjoy the game, Baltimore! I'm so sorry, Houston friends.

Newsman, Richard Threlkeld, dies at 74

Associate Press is reporting that Threlkeld, a former news anchor and reporter for ABC and CBS, has been killed.

 

ABC News is reporting veteran news correspondent Richard Threlkeld has been killed in a car accident.

The 74-year-old Threlkeld died Friday morning in Amagansett, N.Y., and was pronounced dead at Southampton Hospital. He lived nearby in East Hampton.

                                   Photo credit Newsday

Threlkeld, who worked for ABC News from 1982-89, spent the majority of his career at CBS News, retiring in 1998. He was a reporter, anchor and bureau chief for CBS for more than 25 years. He covered the Persian Gulf War and the Vietnam War, the Patty Hearst kidnapping and trial, and the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.

His final assignment at CBS was as Moscow correspondent.

Weathermen at War: Justin Berk and Gene Norman Go Toe-to-Toe

 

WMAR TV's Justin Berk and Gene Norman, chief meteorologist at KHOU in Houston, are going at it this weekend as the Baltimore Ravens take on the Houston Texans in the second round of the NFL playoffs.

The terms of the bet: Berk’s crab cakes against Norman’s barbeque sauce, which the loser must eat on the air in the opposing team’s gear.

Norman noted that barbeque sauce “goes real good on dead bird.”
“Have you met Ray Rice? Do you know what he can do to you?” Berk shot back.

Awards Season 2012: So Many Movies. So Little Time. So Many Great Cocktails!

I love January.

I'm in the thick of the 2012 entertainment awards season and the screening copies of DVDs have been arriving from Screen Actors Guild in big, padded envelopes. And, I love it.

Here's my blog post on the awards season from last year, 2011.

This year's motion picture award line-up is wonderfully diverse in terms of story-line, era, location, costume...

Because there is such an interesting mix of movies to view, I'm thinking that making a different cocktail for each movie screening would enhance the experience just a tad. Here's what I'm planning.

My Week with Marilyn - I can't find—nor could I ever afford—Monroe's favorite libation: Dom Pérignon 1953. So, a French 75 seems appropriate.

• 2 ounces London dry gin
• 1 teaspoon superfine sugar
• 1/2 ounce lemon juice
• 5 ounces Brut champagne

J Edgar - What could be better than a Pink Lady? Not only delicious, but outrageous, pink, smooth, and creamy.

• 1 1/2 oz gin
• 3/4 oz applejack
• 1/4 oz lemon juice
• 1-2 dashes grenadine
• 1 egg white
• maraschino cherry for garnish
• Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the cherry.

The Artist - Perfect for this film would be one of my favorites. The classic Sidecar.

• Shake well with cracked ice:
• 1 1/4 oz cognac
• 1/2 oz Cointreau
• 3/4 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• Strain into chilled, sugar-rimmed cocktail glass  

The Descendants - No question, Piña Coladas.

• 4 oz. fresh pineapple juice
• 3 oz. rum
• 2 oz. coconut cream
• 2 cups crushed ice
• Pour all of the ingredients into a blender. Blend briefly at high speed. Strain into a glass and serve. Garnish with a slice of fresh pineapple and a cherry.

Iron Lady - Pimms Cup No. 1

• with soda and a big squeeze of lime in a tall glass filled with ice. I learned about Pimms Cup at Joe Allen restaurant in Los Angeles in the 1970s. (Gary was one hell of a bartender.)

Midnight in Paris - Absinthe.

• I have it, I have the slotted spoons, I have the sugar cubes. Enough said.

The Help - A Highball.

• Any highball made with bourbon or corn whisky.

Moneyball - Beer.

• Any cheap beer.

A Better Life - Tequila.

• Una botella grande de Tequila por favor.

You can take it from there, film fans. Let me know what you'd mix-up for the movie, Bridesmaids. I just cannot go there. (Ok, ok, I can. Fuzzy Navels all around.)

Here's cheers to the nominees and the future winners. Clink, clink. I'm having a Manhattan.

Gov O'Malley Talks About Raising Taxes

Hear all about it.

Maryland State Senate President Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael Busch weigh in on this and other important issues, on tonight's 2-hour special taped edition of today's Annapolis Summit!

Tune in from 5:00 to 7:00 to hear what's in store for the 2012 Maryland Legislative Session! Click here to read an Associated Press article about today's event!

Email or post on the The Marc Steiner Show Facebook page with your questions and comments!

Listen from 5-7 pm on WEAA 88.9-FM or online at www.weaa.org. All shows are also available as podcasts at www.steinershow.org. Join the conversation by calling 410-319-8888 or emailing steinershow@gmail.com.

First Promo for the 2012 Academy Awards

 
            1st Oscar trailer for 2012 from AMPAS 

I can't decide if the trailer totally sucks or if it sort-of works. What do you think?

Carol Channing Film Gets Release Dates

Just a couple of weeks ago I wrote about the death of Carol Channing's husband, Harry Kullijian.
That news made me sad.

This news makes me happy.
The documentary, Carol Channing: Larger than Life, took the Tribeca Film Festival by storm. Reviews came in as raves. The film is now being released. The movie poster is shown below.

 

This documentary seems like a wonderful fit for Baltimore's Charles Theatre (I'm thinking of John Waters as a speaker). Let's hope Baltimore books this gem. Here's the release from Entertainment One:

Entertainment One US will release CAROL CHANNING: LARGER THAN LIFE in New York and Los Angeles on January 20, 2012, with additional markets to follow.

The film, directed by Dori Berinstein (ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway, Some Assembly Required, Gotta Dance), examines the life and career of Tony Award-winning Broadway legend, Carol Channing – her extraordinary stage life, her offstage struggles and survival and the extraordinary storybook romance that found her reunited with her junior high school sweetheart after over 70 years.

Carol Channing's life is as colorful as the lipstick on her big, bright smile. In CAROL CHANNING: LARGER THAN LIFE, director Berinstein and co-writer and editor Adam Zucker capture the magic and vivacity of the 90-year-old icon – both onstage and off, past and present. The film is both an intimate love story and a rarefied journey inside Broadway's most glamorous era. It is, above all, a look at an inspiring, incomparable and always entertaining American legend.

 

“My first Broadway show was Hello, Dolly! at the age of five,” commented producer and director Berinstein. “I adored her astonishing brilliance on stage, screen and television, but it is Carol’s life behind-the-curtain that had me completely convinced that hers is a life that must be told.”

Carol Channing has been a Broadway star since stopping the show in the 1948 Broadway revue, Lend an Ear. The following year, she landed on the cover of Time Magazine and won international acclaim her riotous performance as Lorelei Lee in the musical, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Her Broadway appearances included Show Girl, The Vamp, Wonderful Town, The Millionairess and Four on a Garden.

In 1964, she created the role of Dolly Gallagher Levi in Hello, Dolly!, winning a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She would play the role of Dolly over 5,000 times throughout the world, without missing a performance. Channing also received a Special Tony Award in 1968 and a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award in 1995.

Channing received an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award for her performance as Muzzy in Thoroughly Modern Millie. Her other films include Paid in Full, The First Traveling Saleslady, Skidoo, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Her TV specials include “Broadway at the Hollywood Bowl,” “Carol Channing and Pearl Bailey on Broadway” and the White Queen in “Alice Through the Looking Glass”. Other credits include appearances on “What’s My Line?” “I’ve Got a Secret,” “Password,” “Hollywood Squares”; variety shows, including “The Dean Martin Show,” “The Red Skelton Show,” “The Milton Berle Show,” “Rowen & Martin’s Laugh-In,” “The Carol Burnett Show,” “The Muppet Show,” as well as episodes of Playhouse 90, “The Love Boat,” “Magnum P.I.” “The Nanny,” “Touched By an Angel,” “The Drew Carey Show” and “Family Guy”.

Channing made headlines in 2003 when she married her junior high school sweetheart, businessman Harry Kulijian after a 70 year separation. She also released her best selling memoirs, Just Lucky I Guess and has been touring in her one woman show, The First Eighty Years are the Hardest. She released a new CD, For Heaven Sake in 2010, included many of the songs she loved as a child, as well as spirituals taught to her by her father.

Dori Berinstein is a three-time Tony Award-winning Broadway producer and an award-winning directed and producer of film and television. Documentary features directed and produced by Dori include Gotta Dance (2008), which won the Audience Award at the Palm Beach International Film Festival; Some Assembly Required (2007), which won Best Feature Documentary at the International Family Film Festival and ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway (2007), which won Best Feature Documentary from the Florida Film Festival and was one of the International Documentary Association’s Top 5 Films of 2007.

As a Broadway producer, her credits include Legally Blonde (Best Musical Olivier Award), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Best Musical Tony Award), The Crucible, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Best Revival of a Play Tony Award), Fool Moon (Special Tony Award), Flower Drum Song, Enchanted April and Golden Child.

In addition to Channing and Kulijian, the film includes interviews with Jerry Herman, Lily Tomlin, Chita Rivera, Barbara Walters, Tommy Tune, Tyne Daly, Debbie Reynolds, Phyllis Diller, Loni Anderson, JoAnne Worley and Bruce Vilanch.

CAROL CHANNING: LARGER THAN LIFE is written and edited by Adam Zucker. Director of Photography is Rob Vanalkemade and music is by Craig Sharmat. The film was co-produced by B. Harlan Boll.

Maryland Lawyers for the Arts Has a New Name, Logo and Website for 2012

Here's the news:

Maryland Lawyers for the Arts begins the New Year with a new name, a new web site, a new logo, and new offices, the organization announced Jan. 5.

Now in its 26th year of providing pro bono legal referrals and legal education to Maryland artists, the nonprofit will immediately begin operating under the name Maryland VOLUNTEER Lawyers for the Arts (MdVLA).

The change is meant to clarify the volunteer nature of the organization's mission. Despite the fact that MdVLA has been helping Maryland artists since 1985, some people remained unclear about its purpose and questions like "Is it a group of lawyers who like art?" were common.

While the organization's volunteer attorneys do in fact like art, the key point is that they like it so much they're willing to volunteer their time, energies, and expertise to help artists. While artists pay a small administrative fee to help support the organization's activities, they don't have to pay their volunteer attorneys a single red cent.

MdVLA couldn't function without our volunteer lawyers and we wanted to make that clear. So we added the word to our name-hence, Maryland VOLUNTEER Lawyers for the Arts.

That change led us to our new acronym and logo — Md|VLA — which in turn led to the need for a new and improved web site, www.mdvla.org. The new, more user-friendly site, expertly designed and built by Steven Seebode, spotlights just a few of the artists helped by MdVLA volunteer attorneys.

The new virtual address also coincides with MdVLA's real-world move to a new office in the amazing new community of nonprofits at Union Mill,

1500 Union Ave
Suite 1330
Baltimore, MD 21211
410.752.1633.

The new space opens up a world of possibilities for MdVLA, with space for events and workshops, as well as collaborations with the other nonprofit tenants. Please visit us at our new online home and bookmark it to stay up with workshops and events. Our phone number stays the same at 410.752.1633, but the email is now info@mdvla.org. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@MarylandVLA).

My thanks to your organization for all of your good work. Maryland's arts community wouldn't be the same without your help and assistance!

It's Cold Up There: Contrails Over Baltimore and a Beautiful Sunset 12-30-11

                    The Eve Before New Years Eve 2011

A view from my home office on North Charles Street. Baltimore's winter sunsets are vibrant; Baltimore's summer skies are the best for photographing puffy, white clouds.