The stars come out in Hollywood
Sunday night in Hollywood was a good night to go star-gazing. A
half block from our apartment we saw Hulk Hogan and his family,
James Edward Olmos and his family, Shawn Wayans and family members,
George Lopez and his real family, George Lopez and his television
family, Regis Philbin with his beautiful wife, Joy and the
Simpsons. The Simpsons? I kid you not.
The stars come out in Hollywood
Sunday night in Hollywood was a good night to go star-gazing. A half block from our apartment we saw Hulk Hogan and his family, James Edward Olmos and his family, Shawn Wayans and family members, George Lopez and his real family, George Lopez and his television family, Regis Philbin with his beautiful wife, Joy and the Simpsons. The Simpsons? I kid you not.
All part of the 75th anniversary Hollywood Christmas Parade. And what a parade. Every year we walk the half block to Sunset Boulevard with our folding chairs and flask. Flask of coffee and toddy for the body.
What I love about Hollywood is that it is a family oriented big city, unlike when we lived in San Francisco. Funny, but Hollywood, the home of fantasy, seems much more real.
George Lopez, who does so much good here, is a “god” and was the grand marshal, but Regis was a special 75th diamond jubilee grand marshal because if you can believe it he is 75 years old. Certainly doesn’t look it on television and is even younger looking in person. Kind of like myself. Remember when I was interviewed on television, people who never knew me before would come up and say, “You look fatter in person.” People are cruel but as my sainted mother used to say, “If you don’t like to be called chubby then don’t chub.”
When former boxer Willie Pep died last week I remembered my days growing up in San Juan Bautista and Hollister. Yes, I was too big for just San Juan. I hated boxing as a kid when it was a staple on the old Silvertone radio from Sears. So I’d walk outside to hopefully find a friend to play with but as I waddled down the few blocks in San Juan you could hear nothing but the radio account of the fights. Ironically, my brother Freddie became a boxer and one of San Benito County’s best and certainly the most charismatic. I remember as if it were 53 years ago that someone told me that Freddie was the only guy who could win a round without ever throwing a punch as he was so fast on his feet the other guy just looked silly trying to hit him. So I had to laugh when a famous sports writer wrote in Willie Pep’s obit that Willie could win rounds without ever throwing a punch. Unlike my brother Freddie or Willie, I was too big a target. Even Ray Charles could beat the hell out of me.
You would think living in Hollywood that we would have newspapers and television reporters who knew something about our town’s No. 1 business. Show is our No. 1. business and that is why I coined the term show business. Not sure it will catch on. Unfortunately, like most big city newspapers and television stations, they just steal from the wire service and each other. Yesterday one local reporter exclaimed that my favorite film of the year so far, “Little Miss Sunshine,” could be nominated for Best Director. Since it was directed by two people, he opined, “now wouldn’t that be a first.” Yes it would. It would be the first if it didn’t happen twice already.
Warren Beatty and Buck Henry were co-directors of “Heaven Can Wait,” the 1978 version. They were nominated for Best Directors, but thankfully lost to Michael Cimino for “The Deer Hunter,” which had little to do with deer hunting and more to do with dear hunting.
But it was back in 1961 that Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins did win for their directing of one of the best films ever made, “West Side Story.” Robert Wise lived up to his last name as in fact he actually did the directing while Robbins and his over-inflated ego was the choreographer but demanded to be put in nomination as director. Wise could have nixed it but was wise enough not to let a fight ruin the film’s chances for Oscar wins. It won 10 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Directors.
I was lucky enough to see Wise before his death when “West Side Story” was shown here in all its 70 mm glory at the world-famous Egyptian theater with its huge screen and surround sound as you can only experience in the Grauman’s Chinese or Cinerama Dome. We were seated directly in back of Rita Moreno, Mr. Wise and George Chakiris, all Oscar winners.
To our side was Russ Tamblyn and his family and directly behind us were most of the dancers from the movie. Rita and George gave great little tributes to Robert Wise, but when they mentioned Jerome Robbins the dancers hissed and groaned their displeasure with their former bloody taskmaster. And bloody he was. Well, not himself but the knees of the dancers as he made them slide and slide performing his vigorous choreography. Wise also directed “Sound of Music” but I most love him for the only sci-fi film I ever felt worthy of being called great: “The Day the Earth Stood Still.” I was 11 the day I saw it at the old art deco State Theater in Hollister the earth did indeed stand still. I copped a feel and got my first kiss. Of course, he will deny it.
Aye chee waa waa!
Next week, my thoughts on the death of “M*A*S*H” director Robert Altman, his life and the day I was introduced to an international television audience before the mayor of Hollywood introduced the cast of “M*A*S*H.”
Has Ignacio Velazquez demanded a recount yet? Couldn’t play the race card as his opponent was more of the Mexican persuasion than he? Give me two aye chee waa waa’s and a tumbler of tequila and don’t be stingy.
