Diva Diaries

State of the Economy: Part Two

kellene23 — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:53:11 +0000

You know it’s bad when the 99-cent store shuts down.

The one I’m talking about is at Keystone - the one that’s been there FOREVER. Yeah, that one.

Now, it’s gone.

It’s getting bad out there people!

Celebrating the Fourth of July French Style

kellene23 — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:58:41 +0000

It was a hot and humid day in July.

Today, 15 years ago I stood in front of Jim Morrison’s grave in Paris and thought, ‘Wow, you’re really crammed in there aren’t you Jim?’

Not the best way to win a dead guy over, but it was a real genuine thought I had that day.

It was the highlight of my high school trip to Europe that year. The 21 days I spent time in England, Spain, Switzerland, Italy and Monte Carlo did not compare to the natural high I had when I finally saw the Lizard King’s final resting place.

Several guards watched over visitors since riots broke out at the 118 acre Pere Lachaise (Father Chair) Cemetery two years earlier.

I wore my planned INXS Devil Inside concert t-shirt – no of course there’s no visual and physical connection between the two singers! J

While carefully maneuvering around other crowded plots, I noticed Jim had no headstone. Even though the image was captured on film for Oliver Stone’s The Doors (also two years earlier), the bust no longer existed by the time I walked up to the replaced granite block. It bore colorful candle wax drippings and used cigarettes.

I bartered with a woman to take my picture; she obliged and in turn I took one of her – you can actually see me holding her camera in my photo. (I have to find it before I can download it to this site.)

There’s also some long-haired guy standing next to me with a leather vest. Very noticeable. Funny thing is I had no idea he was next to me until I saw the picture weeks later.

Jim was the main focus of my cemetery visit that day. But I can also say that I saw Frederic Chopin, Sarah Bernhardt and Oscar Wilde. And if you know me, you know j’adore Oscar Wilde.

I went with a group from Paris, Tennessee; my group decided to stay longer at the Louvre. And I’m not sure where the California group went. I just remember how much my (Nevada) group hated them and actually recruited spies from the Tennessee group to spy on them for us. Hey, it passed the time and made for some good occasional gossip.

By the time we got to London, it was just us and California; Tennessee had left for the U.S. And man did not like California.

I think we finally buried the hatchet when we parted ways back to our states.

Every year I reflect on how lucky I was to see James Douglas Morrison’s grave. Definitely one of the highlights of my life.

from wikipedia

Actors Ask for More Time to Study Final Offer

kellene23 — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:47:41 +0000

The Screen Actors Guild is asking for more time to study the final contract offer made by major Hollywood studios.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios, said both sides met Wednesday for four hours to discuss the offer. The meeting was held a day after the contract between SAG and the studios expired.

The guild asked for more time to examine the offer and said it would contact the studios Monday. No further meetings are scheduled.

The alliance said in a statement it is hopeful the guild will accept the final offer, which it said would add $250 million in compensation to actors over three years.

Actors’ Union, Theater Producers Reach Agreement

kellene23 — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:47:56 +0000

The actors’ union and Broadway theater producers have reached a tentative agreement for a new 39-month contract that covers Broadway shows and touring productions.

Actors’ Equity Association and the Broadway League, which represents both producers and theater owners, had been negotiating past the deadline of midnight Sunday, when the last contract expired.

The contract agreement, announced Wednesday in a joint statement, averts the possibility of a strike. Stagehands walked off the job in November, shutting down more than two dozen Broadway shows for 19 days and costing producers and the city of New York millions of dollars in lost revenue.

More details on the actors’ new contract were expected later Wednesday.

Hollywood Producers Make Final Offer to Actors

kellene23 — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:08:54 +0000

From the Associated Press:

The contract between movie and TV actors and major Hollywood studios has expired with the union studying what studios call a final offer.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers says the offer is worth more than $250 million in additional compensation over three years.

SAG executive director Doug Allen says it doesn’t address some key issues. One is residual payments to actors for reruns of productions that were made only for the Internet. Allen says the studio offer would “mean the beginning of the end of residuals.”

Both sides have said they’ll continue to work under the old contract for now.

SAG has also opposed a deal struck by a smaller actors’ union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

The AFTRA ratification results are due out July 8th.

The Day the Music Died

kellene23 — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 01:33:52 +0000

If hit me this past weekend that I have not been a good student of pop culture, specifically music.

Growing up I was heavily involved in music knowing everything from countdown stats to band member bios, but as I got older I started to let go of my passion, not because I wanted to, but because I had to preoccupy my time with college term papers and finals.

And then after I graduated a peculiar trend started to emerge - itunes and web-based music and sharing.

Some of it ultimately resulted in the disappearance in the traditional way people bought music. In the Reno area, two Warehouse’s, a Sam Goody, Soundwave CDs and then a Tower Records store all shut down.

(I, like most Americans, can now basically only buy music at Best Buy, Circuit City or Wal-Mart which depending on who the artist is could be censored.)

I live in an apartment with no cable so I haven’t been keeping up on my music (but do I need to? MTV dropped videos years ago!) It also doesn’t help that I don’t love hip-hop so I’m basically pushing myself into a corner.

Then this week I realized, since major chains are shutting down and declaring bankruptcy, there are fewer places to gather and actually share ideas on lyrics and melodies. Starbucks’ are replacing record stores as neighborhood hangouts.

Too bad most people in there are obsessed with their tech toys - they’re listening to their ipods and surfing the internet alone visiting chat rooms to complain about costly concert tickets cost.

Less than a decade ago, you could do that IN PERSON at a local record store.

George Clooney Plays Peacemaker

kellene23 — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:39:35 +0000

George Clooney just wants actors to get along instead of choosing between sparring unions.

In a two-page letter, Clooney is neutral in the dispute between the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Screen Actors Guild.

He says “What we can’t do is pit artist against artist.”

AFTRA has already reached a tentative agreement with Hollywood studios.

SAG wants AFTRA members to vote against the deal, saying its approval will mean SAG won’t be able to do any different.

Both contracts expire Monday.

Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin and others have joined hundreds of actors in signing an online petition urging actors to ratify the AFTRA pact.

And, Jack Nicholson, Viggo Mortensen and Holly Hunter have endorsed a SAG ad calling for AFTRA to return to the negotiating table to get a better deal.

Clooney says this fight is counterproductive.

He says “the one thing you can be sure of is that stories about Jack Nicholson versus Tom Hanks only strengthens the negotiating power” of the studios.

Nice Guys do Really Finish First!

kellene23 — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 01:22:31 +0000

After Jim McKay, Tim Russert and George Carlin all died, I started to notice a trend emerge.

Yes, it’s been around for awhile, but it really hit home this week when Carlin died – every story told posthumously about the individual involved niceties.

It just showed how ‘regular’ they were to me.

They did not represent the evil Enron-money-squeezing-criminals or child rapists or murderers who make daily headlines in this country. No, they were the next door neighbors who’d help you if you needed something done.

I was brought up with the same morals and am happy to see that are more kindred spirits out there like me, that I am not the only one who’s nice just because that’s who they are.

I can’t tell you how many times I was treated like a rug growing up, but I never changed my personality; I stayed true to my upbringing and remained nice.

Yes sometimes life is unfair and the ‘bad guy’ wins.

But it seemed this week that the ‘nice guy’ prevailed and re-instilled hope and faith in me that these people really do exist out there.

Thank God for them all. And God Bless them wherever they are now.

SAG says Studios Offered More to Sister Union

kellene23 — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:33:21 +0000

The Screen Actors Guild is accusing the major Hollywood studios of offering a contract deal worth less than an agreement tentatively approved by the leaders of a smaller actors union.

SAG executive director Doug Allen told The Associated Press on Wednesday the offer is worth millions of dollars less over the life of the proposed three-year contract.

SAG declined to immediately provide details on the differences in the offers.

Jesse Hiestand, a spokesman for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, says bargaining is continuing but declined further comment.

Allen claims the studios are trying to get the guild to bargain up to a tentative deal reached by the smaller American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in May.

SAG is urging members of AFTRA to vote against the contract.

Results are due July 8. The contracts of both unions expire Monday.

Dying Is Hard. Comedy Is Harder.

kellene23 — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:03:32 +0000

I’m still in shock and saddened over this weekend’s death of George Carlin. I found this op-ed by Jerry Seinfeld in today’s New York Times and wanted to share it.

My parents always watched George Carlin’s specials…so I basically grew up on his jokes.

I’m assuming he’s in a better place now and is looking down and laughing at how dumb we still are!

Op-Ed Contributor

By JERRY SEINFELD

Published: June 24, 2008

THE honest truth is, for a comedian, even death is just a premise to make jokes about. I know this because I was on the phone with George Carlin nine days ago and we were making some death jokes. We were talking about Tim Russert and Bo Diddley and George said: “I feel safe for a while. There will probably be a break before they come after the next one. I always like to fly on an airline right after they’ve had a crash. It improves your odds.”

I called him to compliment him on his most recent special on HBO. Seventy years old and he cranks out another hour of great new stuff. He was in a hotel room in Las Vegas getting ready for his show. He was a monster.

You could certainly say that George downright invented modern American stand-up comedy in many ways. Every comedian does a little George. I couldn’t even count the number of times I’ve been standing around with some comedians and someone talks about some idea for a joke and another comedian would say, “Carlin does it.” I’ve heard it my whole career: “Carlin does it,” “Carlin already did it,” “Carlin did it eight years ago.”

And he didn’t just “do” it. He worked over an idea like a diamond cutter with facets and angles and refractions of light. He made you sorry you ever thought you wanted to be a comedian. He was like a train hobo with a chicken bone. When he was done there was nothing left for anybody.

But his brilliance fathered dozens of great comedians. I personally never cared about “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television,” or “FM & AM.” To me, everything he did just had this gleaming wonderful precision and originality.

I became obsessed with him in the ’60s. As a kid it seemed like the whole world was funny because of George Carlin. His performing voice, even laced with profanity, always sounded as if he were trying to amuse a child. It was like the naughtiest, most fun grown-up you ever met was reading you a bedtime story.

I know George didn’t believe in heaven or hell. Like death, they were just more comedy premises. And it just makes me even sadder to think that when I reach my own end, whatever tumbling cataclysmic vortex of existence I’m spinning through, in that moment I will still have to think, “Carlin already did it.”

Jerry Seinfeld is a writer and a comedian.