The Oscars: Black, White & Hollywood Gold

March 7th, 2010

It’s been a while since I’ve been on here. I don’t know about you, but I am so thankful to Heaven that I made it through February. That month was a bitch! If you don’t believe me, just as Tiger Woods. Did you see his nationally televised apology? President Nixon didn’t take that long to apologize to the country when he resigned from office back in the 1970s. HE owed me an apology. Tiger Woods didn’t. But that’s just my opinion. Halfway through Tiger’s mea culpa, I was hoping that Kanye West would stagger on and interrupt: “Tiger, I’m happy for you getting some help with your sexual addiction but former Senator John Edwards was the mack baby daddy of the year!”

Now we’re into one of my favorite seasons of the year — Oscar season. Movies are my passion. This year’s Oscar race coverage has shown me two things: 1) Entertainment reporters nowadays are lazy and do very little homework and 2) The field of national entertainment reporters and film critics seen on TV sorely cries out for racial diversity in this, the 21st Century. This is crystallized in how Tom O’Neil columnist for The Los Angeles Times has been covering Best Actress Academy Award nominee, Mo’Nique. I’m not accusing the Caucasian O’Neil of racism. I am charging a national journalist with laziness. O’Neil, in his column, expressed that Mo’Nique was being uncooperative by refusing to “campaign” for her Oscar. Not granting interviews following her nomination and focusing on her talk show duties. Screen legend Katharine Hepburn never campaigned after her Oscar nominations. She steadfastly refused to attend any ceremony when she was nominated. Yet, she won four Oscars® for Best Actress. To Vanity Fair magazine, O’Neil said that no one knew who Mo’Nique was before Precious. He marginalized her to being solely a comedienne and a talk show host who slammed across one of the most galvanizing dramatic performances of the year out of nowhere. He pretty much said the same thing last night in a prime time Oscar-related special hosted by Deborah Roberts on ABC. Again, O’Neil was lazy, uninformed and unimaginative on a national platform.

Cloris Leachman, Sally Field, Tom Hanks, Robin Williams and Ron Howard all have something in common in Mo’Nique. We got to know them every week on TV sitcoms. They went on to earn Oscar nominations for big screen dramatic work. Ron Howard’s was for directing A BEAUTIFUL MIND. All those performers won Oscars. I hope, come tomorrow, that Mo’Nique — who starred in the sitcom “The Parkers” for five seasons — will be a winner too. Mr. O’Neil should’ve keyed into the history of actors who gained sitcom popularity then got Oscar nominations for dramatic acting chops. Mary Tyler Moore did. So did Will Smith. Jamie Foxx had his own sitcom.

When I experienced PRECIOUS for the first time, I was not surprised at Mo’Nique’s performance. I marvelled at it but I was not surprised. Sounding like Addison DeWitt in All About Eve, I felt it was “nothing more than a promise fulfilled.” That’s because of what I saw Mo’Nique do in 2005’s Shadowboxer. The drama stars Helen Mirren as a terminally ill hit woman in a torrid love affair with a younger hit man, played by Cuba Gooding, Jr. Mo’Nique is a revelation as the working class crack addict who has an unrequited love for her young doctor. Her character’s name is “Precious” and the movie was directed by Lee Daniels. I have yet to hear one national reporter ask the actress about or mention that prior dramatic outing with Daniels. She was profiled today on CBS Sunday Morning. No mention.

This, to me, underscores the need for racial diversity in the field of film reviewers/commentators on TV and also underscores the need for the established critics in the somewhat “Whites Only” boys club to pay more attention to the outsiders, shall we say. Last night, O’Neil said on ABC that Mo’Nique has appeared in comedy films that critics really didn’t care about. Can’t we say that same about David Spade and Pauley Shore? When Hustle & Flow, was released and brought Terrence Howard a Best Actor Oscar nomination for 2005, I heard David Edelstein review him on National Public Radio and in his movie critic spot on CBS Sunday Morning. Edelstein raved about this “new” actor who has the intensity of a “young Samuel L. Jackson.” I thought ..”wrong!” He has the intensity of a middle-aged Terrence Howard. Before playing a pimp in HUSTLE & FLOW, Howard had played three historical characters in TV biopics — Jackie Jackson of the Jackson 5, boxer Muhammad Ali and civil rights advocate Ralph Albernathy in a bio mini-series about Dr. Martin Luther King. He had an important supporting role as a no-rhythm high school student in 1995’s Mr. Holland’s Opus, starring Richard Dreyfuss, and he was a key character in the box office hit Big Momma’s House. This body of work dates back to 1992. But to Mr. Edelstein he was “new.”

OK. Enough about race. Do I have predictions for tonight? I’ve not seen Sandra Bullock in THE BLIND SIDE. I hear she’s terrific in it. I’d love to see Meryl Streep win for a brilliant job in a comedy/drama. My big wish is to see Kathryn Bigelow win for Best Director and for her film, THE HURT LOCKER, to get the gold for Best Picture. Will you be watching Hollywood Prom Night? What are your predictions? Who did your dress? Leave me some comments.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Big Screen, TV | 1 Comment »

The Winter of Our Discontent

February 9th, 2010

How’s 2010 been for you, so far? For me, I’m still experiencing the murky residue of having been laid off in March 2008 and then in March 2009. That latter job had just started two months before in January but it was on a chaotic, obscure TV production.

One of the best parts of 2009 and early 2010 was reuniting with old friends in Atlanta and making some new ones. More about that later. In the meantime, I’m back in Manhattan where I’m not the only New Yorker who feels like he/she has unwillingly caught a wave into a perfect storm of finances. One of the wacky things about this great country is that you basically get charged for not having any money. I’m still actively seeking work here in town. No luck yet but, this year more than last, I am getting meetings. Locally, I’ve applied for jobs ranging from counter clerk/cupcake decorator at a local bakery to health club janitor to office receptionist to local TV news contributor. Daddy’s tryin’ as best he can.

I have gotten some terrific emotional support and advice from friends during this rough patch. Sometimes you get so troubled that you can’t seem to focus. My friends help me focus and I’m extremely grateful to them. The same gratitude goes to some relatives too. I’m still in that rough patch I mentioned and will have to make some major changes — but I do feel that I’m so at the bottom right now that the only place I can go from here is up. Corny? Probably so. But that’s how I feel. I hate this Recession. This is, financially and employment-wise, a brutal winter. Still I’ve got to be brave enough to reinvent myself, if need be, and to relocate if there’s work for me. I do sincerely hope that this turns out to be a much better year for you than last year was. Take good care and thanks for staying in touch. God bless.

Posted in Friends & Family | No Comments »

2009: What A Year!

December 31st, 2009

I lost my significant other in the 1990s. I once told a friend who lost his wife that same decade that trying to get through the holiday season when everyone around you seems coupled and you’re not is like walking an emotional tightrope made of tinsel. Only at 12:01 am on New Year’s morning, do you feel like you’ve made it across safely to the other side. After all have kissed and the festive, sentimental season is winding down.

This year was different. Like millions of other Americans who’d worked hard for a long time, suddenly I was out of work. I needed unemployment benefits for months. I also got an application for food stamps. Yes, sir, 2009 slapped me around like I was Faye Dunaway’s character in the last 20 minutes of CHINATOWN. This year was a test of faith — faith in a Higher Benevolent Force and faith in one’s self. You need faith in yourself to keep applying for work and moving forward past each rejection. This year, something happened to me that was truly life-affirming, a simple act of kindness that made my spirit light up like a Christmas tree. Several friends of mine called me or took me out for coffee to give me encouragement. It wasn’t just “Don’t worry. Things will get better.” They made sure the words “Do NOT give up” really landed on my heart. They gave me good counsel. They listened to me. The told me that I’m talented. They hugged me. They made me feel significant in their lives. All of which, I needed.

Never had I been so broke during a holiday season. Yet, rarely have I felt so rewarded. So blessed and humbled by the attention of friends. Corny as it may be, I did feel a bit like George Bailey at the end of IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE. Only I didn’t have Zuzu’s petals in my pocket. I turned on the TV this morning and found ANNIE HALL playing on a cable station. Here’s an example of how sweetly funny life can be. Sigourney Weaver was an extra in that 1977 comedy classic. She’s seen briefly in the last scene of the movie. Woody Allen’s character is giving a monologue and she’s seen as his date, standing with him under a movie theater marquee. It’s a long shot. You don’t even see her face close up and she has no dialogue. She just the tall lady standing next to Woody’s character. In the credits, Sigourney Weaver’s name is next to last. Two years later, she played Ripley in ALIEN. That role changed her career. She went on to make Oscar® history as one of the few women to be nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress in the same year. Today, she’s starring in AVATAR, one of the biggest hit films of 2009. See? Life can be sweetly funny. You can’t lose faith.

I made it through this year with more than a little help from my friends. And family. I had a wonderful Christmas season. I wish for you one of the best new years ever. Cheers!

Tags: ,
Posted in Entertainment, My Life | No Comments »

AVATAR: Feeling Blue

December 15th, 2009

It has a character called “Sully” and some aircraft is brought down by birds.

Will kids want to see the new 3-D sci-fi action fantasy from director James Cameron called AVATAR? Yes. The special effects in the sequences with the blue jungle natives are dazzling and make 3-D more respectable than any film, so far, has. It’s no longer a 1950s novelty. However, parents need to know that AVATAR is over 2 1/2 hours long. Cameron definitely ignored bladders and butts when he made this movie — and you know how kids are. You figure that a movie at the cineplex is now preceded by, at least, ten minutes of trailers and commercials before the feature starts. Children under 12 are going to get fidgetty. The movie is not non-stop action. Plus they have to wear special glasses to get the 3-D effects otherwise you’re squinting like you’ve got glaucoma.

The AVATAR storyline is very “Protect the Rainforest.” Cameron basically pulls from his previous hits and visually repeats himself. It’s like a spoonful of TERMINATOR, a cup of TITANIC and two quarts of ALIENS. To that, he’s added essence of DANCES WITH WOLVES and sprinkled the whole thing with cosmetics from Blue Man Group. As one friend of mine said, “It looks like it should be called AVA-TARZAN.” He’s right. AVATAR is entertaining and one battle sequence near the end will literally make you gasp. Do I want to run out and pay to see it again when it opens? Not right away. Not like I want to see UP IN THE AIR again. (Scroll down to read my review of that film.) AVATAR was just too darn long. Plus, the script is really more for youngsters in an ABC “After School Special” sort of way. Aside from the length, that’s the main glitch. You’d think that — after years of time and millions of dollars spent on this truly beautiful production — someone could’ve come up with a snappier script. Cameron is boasting that AVATAR is revolutionary and takes film-making to a new place. In some ways, it does. But not in the script. George Lucas’ STAR WARS opened with humility in 1977. We went expecting to see a new sc-fi movie with special effects that upgraded the Saturday afternoon kind of movie we babyboomers were used to seeing as kids. We got that. And we got more. Lucas gave us a legend with spirituality as strong as that in some ancient literature. Even Joseph Campbell discussed and analyzed it at length in the must-see 1988 PBS presentation, The Power of Myth. If you’ve never seen the Bill Moyers interview of Campbell as he discusses, among other things, the mythological importance of the original STAR WARS films, you must rent it. Brilliant and enlightening! AVATAR is positioning itself as being just as deep but the storyline is more like comic book fun. When some of the most memorable lines are “Shut your pie-hole!” or “Marine, I wish I had ten more like you,” come on. Comic book. Not high art. The plot has futuristic military officers and scientists dealing with blue jungle beings who, apparently, live in a land rich with oil. Corporate greed strikes some of the Donald Rumsfeld types and they’re at war philosophically with good scientists like the character played with style, wit and verve by Sigourney Weaver. She makes her entrance in an ALIENS-like pod. One macho Marine falls for a blue jungle lady and embraces her people’s respect for the land. That’s the love story that validates the TITANIC-like song over the closing credits.

There’s a chase scene that made me chuckle. One group is fleeing from another. The group running away has a middle-aged woman with auburn hair, a husky black guy with facial hair, a slim dorky white dude and a muscular man in a wheelchair. I said to myself, “This is absolutely perfect for a parody on The Family Guy.” Let’s see if that happens.

Have fun if you take the kids to see AVATAR this weekend. But remember: It’s over 2 1/2 hours long — and you have to wear special glasses.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Big Screen | No Comments »

come saturday morning

December 12th, 2009

What a week! We got two different versions of the Black/Norwegian experience. If Tiger Woods was going to be a guest programmer on Turner Classic Movies tonight with Robert Osborne and introduce one of his favorite old movies, it would have to be GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES. More fair-haired women claimed to have had affairs with the superstar golfer, taxing his marriage to his Norwegian wife even more. If Tiger had been married to one of the women on my block when I was a kid growing up in South Central Los Angeles, his proctologist would still be working to remove the nine iron. You do not make a woman sit through that much golf and then cheat on her. You just don’t. On the other hand, a very happy President Barack Obama and Mrs. Obama travelled to Norway where Mr. President received the Nobel Peace Prize just a couple of weeks after announcing that he’s sending more troops into war.

As for Tiger, I logged onto his website and saw his post that he’s taking “an indefinite break from professional golf.” If you’re really into the game, check out the left side for Tiger Tips. A few are:

–Fix, finish and swing
–Maintain a quiet head
–Face up in the rough
–Staying connected
–What’s changed in my swing?

Details are on www.TigerWoods.com.

For your Saturday night entertainment at home, CBS is repeating the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer classic claymation special. That’s the one with Hermie, the elf that looks like a little version of “Good Morning America” weatherman Sam Champion. NBC airs Frank Capra’s now-revered holiday noir, It’s A Wonderful Life. When we babyboomers were kids, we could –and often did — see that movie in the middle of summer on any local independent TV station. It was a public domain film, not in mint condition. The license had not been renewed. Capra’s movie could have found a home on The Island of Misfit Toys visited by Hermie and Rudolph. My generation embraced that tale of an unemployed, middle-aged family man who is so broke that he considers suicide so his family can live on the insurance money. When Jimmy Stewart’s George Bailey glimpses the possible future thanks to Clarence the Angel and overcomes the local Scrooge, that film (along with LOST HORIZON and MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON) prove that Capra indeed was the Charles Dickens of Old Hollywood. I’m so glad that film preservationists restored and remastered the 1946 feature to the pearly state you can see on the network tonight. And how relevant it’s become again in these unfortunate financial times. One last thing about IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE. To me, film is literature and many telling things about character are visual, not verbalized. For instance, when Lionel Barrymore as the spiritually and physically crippled Mr. Potter is out to heartlessly seize corporate control of Bedford Falls, notice that he’s photographed near a bust of Napolean. George Bailey is framed near a portrait of a beloved American president. When George gets the psychic gift of seeing what the town would’ve been like had he never lived, notice that there’s not one single Black person in Pottersville. Compare that to the racial diversity in the scene where all the neighbors and friends come to the Bailey home at the end. Very cool, Mr. Capra.

I returned Wednesday from a 2-day trip to Atlanta for the good fortune to shoot an audition for a possible new TV vehicle. This year, I’ve repeatedly had to pick myself up off the mat from the longest stretch of unemployment in my entire life. To get that audition and to work with the excellent crew was a blessing. I came back, continued the job hunt here in Manhattan and took yesterday off from the job hunt to attend a screening of James Cameron’s new sci-fi thriller, Avatar. More about it later. But I will tell you this: It has a character called Sully and some aircraft is brought down by birds. Go figure. Enjoy your weekend.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Big Screen, My Life, TV | No Comments »

Janet Jackson Does “The Matrix”?

December 10th, 2009

Did you ever hear of an author named Sophia Stewart? If you hadn’t, frankly neither had I until this morning. She’s a New Yorker who, reportedly, has been living in Salt Lake City for about five years.

She wrote a book in the early 1980s called THE THIRD EYE. A court has ruled in this Black woman’s favor that her science-fiction manuscript did indeed inspire two blockbuster Hollywood movie franchises — THE TERMINATOR and THE MATRIX.

Stewart, according to Facebook, was heard on Chicago talk radio station WVON this morning and revealed that Janet Jackson and 50 Cent are both interested in appearing in and serving as executive producers of THE MATRIX: 4. That’s some juicy news for you sci-fi fans. To me, that whole legal story — and the amount of money that Sophia Stewart will receive — is one of the most under-reported entertainment news stories to come out of Hollywood this year. I had no idea that the true creator of The Terminator and The Matrix was a Black woman! How come no Black network news person like Deborah Roberts on ABC or her husband, Al Roker on NBC, has brought this to our attention? Did “Entertainment Tonight” cover this story? I could not find the book on the Barnes & Noble website. It is carried but currently out of stock on Amazon.

I read an item stating that Stewart will receive damages for the three MATRIX films plus THE TERMINATOR and its sequels. Apparently, she sent her manuscript to The Wachowski Brothers, who requested new sci-fi works, in the mid-80s. They are credited with writing 1999’s big hit, THE MATRIX, starring Keanu Reeves. There are articles online about her long court case. Go to Google and search this: Sophia Stewart wins lawsuit.

If this is all true, I would love to see a TV interview of Ms. Stewart. Wouldn’t you? Please leave comments if you know anything else about this Hollywood sci-fi secret. I sure hope WVON Radio puts up a podcast of that interview.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Big Screen, Entertainment | 1 Comment »

“Up In The Air” with George Clooney

December 3rd, 2009

Let me get right to it. If you’re a George Clooney fan, you must see the excellent performance he brings to Up In The Air. Do not be surprised if you hear George Clooney’s name as a Best Actor Academy Award nominee for this mature, relevant comedy. He knocked me out with this role. He not only broke me up laughing but he also brought tears to my eyes with the depth, texture and heart he gives to a character that you’re prepared to hate when the film opens.

The movie is about making connections and about the baggage we carry in our lives. Is it really heavy baggage or not? Are we really getting anyplace better and faster when he travel without any of it? Especially when we’re middle-aged? It’s also a modern-day look at loyalty and loneliness. Don’t worry. There’s also a woman and a little sex to give the story that Preston Sturges or Billy Wilder lemon zest. Clooney’s wise-cracking character, Ryan Bingham, is a sexy corporate Terminator. He frequently flies to companies that are downsizing and he fires people. He talks each person through the severance package. He’s also a motivational speaker. The thing is, you feel that he doesn’t fully believe that whole line of jive he’s slickly giving out at the podium. As for the moments when he tells people they’ve been laid off, you sense that he hates delivering that news and works hard to give each meeting some silver bit of uncorporate humanity.

Did you ever see Cary Grant in Hitchcock’s North by Northwest? Remember when his smooth-talking ad man character, Roger O. Thornhill, pulls out his initialed matchbook on the train and Eve, the cool blonde, asks “What does the ‘O’ stand for?” He saucily answers, “Nothing.” Clooney’s Ryan Bingham is that “Nothing.” If Up In The Air had been a wry comedy made during the economic recession of the early 1950s, it would’ve starred Cary Grant. As the film begins with individual workers expressing disbelief and anger at being let go after years of job loyalty, you are grabbed. This movie’s release is as perfectly timed today as The China Syndrome was in 1979. It’s an odd thing to write, but if you’ve been on unemployment this year, this is the comedy for you.

Be cautious of listening to movie critics review it or National Public Radio show hosts interview actors or writer/director Jason Reitman. He also directed Juno. Be cautious because they reveal way too much nowadays about the films. Especially on NPR. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a host on NPR begin a new film interview question with “At the end of the movie when…” Drives me crazy. Just go and enjoy George Clooney’s new movie. I attended a preview screening. I saw it for free and I’ll be paying to see it again. This won’t ruin anything: There’s a section in Wisconsin. The night time scene in front of the chalet restaurant to the end of the Wisconsin sequence presents some of the richest, funniest and most touching acting of Clooney’s film career. He’s terrific. Well-acted by everyone, smartly and compassionately written and directed by Jason Reitman, Up In The Air is one of the best American films I’ve seen this year.

Tags: ,
Posted in Big Screen | 1 Comment »

The White House Party Crashers

December 1st, 2009

By now, most of us have seen Mr. and Mrs. Salahi. They’re the man and wife hungry for reality show celebrityhood. So hungry that they sneaked into the recent White House State Dinner, causing a big mess for all involved with White House security. When is America going to put its national foot down about grown people behaving like irresponsible children in order to get on national television? Look at all the wasted network news time and local money because a greedy, self-absorbed, controlling dad claimed that his little boy was carried into the air in a runaway balloon? I was watching Wolf Blitzer lob cottonball questions at that slappable dad in a live interview and my gut told me that the dad was flat out lying. For one thing, he dodged Blitzer’s questions and gave vague answers.

There’s something fishy of The Salahis too. And I wonder if that fishy odor comes from a peacock. The NBC peacock.

As the husband and wife prepared to crash the private White House party, they were filmed by a Bravo TV crew. Mrs. Salahi had dreams of being a member of Bravo’s popular “Real Housewives of…” franchise. Bravo is a cable branch of the NBC family tree. The party crashing couple gave its first interview about its security breach exclusively on NBC’s Today show. Matt Lauer conducted the interview this morning. A clip was posted on the show’s website.

NBC is, shall we say, very GOP friendly. Although he had no television experience whatsoever, local NBC New York hired a local rock morning radio show DJ named Billy Bush out of Washington, DC. He did local morning news lifestyles reports for WNBC. Four months later, he was booted up to network and became a contributor for the “Today” show. Within a year, he was added to “Access: Hollywood,” the show he now hosts. During that time, he was profiled in The New York Times and he talked about his uncle, then-President George W. Bush. Billy has another member of the family in the NBC spotlight. Former President Geo. W. Bush’s daughter, Jenna, is now a “Today” show contributor. During W’s presidency, Tom Brokaw wasn’t the only NBC talent granted admission into the Oval Office for an exclusive chat. So was Matt Lauer. And Al Roker.

Years ago when there was speculation that former action movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger would, like Ronald Reagan, leave movies and throw his hat in the Republican ring of politics, news outlets reported that Schwarzenegger was holding a press conference. At it, the wires reported, he’d probably make the official statement that he wanted to be the Republican Governor of California. At the last minute, came the news report that the press conference had been cancelled. That ended speculation of his political ambitions. Wrong! He was throwing his hat into the political ring. But, instead of holding a press conference, he decided to make the big announcement on a late night entertainment talk show — NBC’s Tonight show with Jay Leno. I’m sure I don’t have to remind you that Mrs. Schwarzenegger is Kennedy clan member Maria Shriver of NBC News.

If I was a TV reporter talking to The Salahis, I would need them to tell me that their crashing of our Democrat President’s White House state dinner was not partly aided by some mischief from a GOPeacock. Feel free to leave some comments.

Tags:
Posted in Politics, TV | 1 Comment »

Debbie Does Lederhosen

November 23rd, 2009

Early last year, I got on the social networking site called Linked In. That’s specifically for professionals out to network for a possible new job. Nothing has really happened on it for me. I got requests to “friend” folks I may have worked with decades ago but there has not been one bit of employment-related networking or an invite to submit my resumé thanks to my profile presence on Linked In.

Last week, just for grins, I decided to changed my status update on it. I didn’t write “seeking work in broadcast” or “willing to relocate for TV/Radio jobs.” I put this as my status update next to my photo:

“Bobby Rivers is currently starring in Debbie Allen’s new all-black production of The Sound of Music.”

You would not believe how many congratulatory messages and notes of “Where can I see it?” I have received from middle-aged entertainment industry folks. Seriously. Today I got a very enthusiastic message of congratulations from my career counselor at the New York actors organization that helps actors find work. I messaged her back this:

“Can you really see black Nazis chasing the Von Trapp kids up and down the papier-maché hills of Austria in something directed and choreographed by Debbie Allen? Really?” Then I added that, if she wanted, and only for her, I’d drop by the office later and sing her a couple of songs from the all-black score — “You Be Sixteen, Going On Seventeen” followed by “I Gots Confidence.”

I’m not making this up, you know. Have a good week.

Tags:
Posted in My Life, Work | No Comments »

respond, if you please

November 18th, 2009

Often, the folks that you love the most are the very ones who can drive you the craziest. Yes, I’m referring to family. Last weekend, I called my mother. I called my sister, who responds to every single email and phone message as soon as she can. I got a call from my cousin, who also responds to every single email and phone message as soon as he can. I emailed my brother in California on Sunday.

I’ve yet to get a reply. It’s Wednesday. I’m not surprised. In our family history, it’s taken my brother anywhere from two weeks to two months to answer an email and a “snail mail” — the term for the old-fashioned letter or card that was stamped and put in the mailbox. In fact, one day I emailed my brother and a journalist friend of mine who lives in Hong Kong on the same morning. I got a reply from my pal in Hong Kong on the same day. I think my brother in Northern California answered a week later. True, he is a family man. Having a fulltime job and raising a couple of youngsters keeps one busy. But, come on! An email, for Pete’s sake?!?!? It’s gotten to the point now that, when I do hear back from him, I say to myself “Thank goodness he’s not an operator on a suicide prevention hotline. He’d put callers on hold and go to the lunchroom.”

It does ruffle my older brother feathers because, when our parents divorced, our father was in the category of “deadbeat dad.” There wasn’t much, if any, child support. As a result, I was in my 20s and working three jobs. I had my first professional broadcast job on a morning radio show and I two part-time jobs that helped me make money to pay my brother’s Catholic high school tuition. That was one less bill for our single working mother to pay. When those tuition bills came in, I didn’t put them aside for a couple of months. I paid them. I don’t think my brother is being mean. I do think his opinion is “He’s always emailing me about family stuff. I’ll get to him when I feel like it. He can wait.”

We’ve all done that at some point to someone we know.

Monday, I woke up to get the news from an actor friend I know that a buddy of ours had died. That buddy was Ken Ober, the comedian who hosted MTV’s “Remote Control” game show in the late 80s. Ken was only 52 and, apparently, died of a sudden heart attack in his Santa Monica apartment. My friend wrote in his email message, “We’re not promised tomorrow.” I had reconnected with Ken earlier this year via Facebook. I was on the VH1 side of the building when he was working on MTV. As employees of MTV Networks we both attended company functions. I met and would see Ken at such functions. In later years, I’d see him at auditions. Ken Ober was one of the kindest, warmest, funniest and most charismatic people I encountered in my three years of working at VH1. I read the many condolences on his Facebook page from others who were shocked and saddened by the news of his unexpected death. Just about each one also mentioned how kind he was. When Ken and I reconnected on the social networking site, I wrote how glad I was to be back in touch with him again.

I’m glad I did that. It took less that a minute to write and send that email.

We’re quickly approaching the holiday season. It’s going to be a tough holiday season. Let’s face it — many folks who had houses last year for Thanksgiving and Christmas lost those houses this year. Millions of us won’t be able to travel and see relatives or be able to shop for Christmas presents to send. That Grinch called “Unemployment” has so many of us in his clutches. But we can, in this age of multiple modes of communication, let the people we care about know that we care. We can take a minute to make them feel like a priority instead of an option. We can call. We can write. We can respond. We can embrace. Remember…we’re not promised tomorrow.

Thanks for your attention. Leave a comment, if you’d like. I wish the best for you today.

Tags:
Posted in Friends & Family, TV | No Comments »

« Older Entries