Peter Rnic, character actor extraordinaire, waits for me in front of the Kings Table. Peter is conspiring to put Sawadee Pattaya Tv on the map. The Amsterdam Connection, Ron and Donovan, cameramen on the shoot hover about waiting for the arrival of Champagne X. The Dutch Connection and I reminisce re Amsterdam in its pomp. We tell tall tales of legendary rockers Golden Earring, Candy Dulfer and Xaviera Hollander, aka The Happy Hooker. We comisserate on the passing of poet laureate Simon Vinkenoog. Happier times are evoked about Cosmos and The Milky Way, Paradiso and The Soul Kitchen, mythic night clubs of the Amsterdam night. Champagne X rolls up to the shoot in the obligatory limo.
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LIVE AT THE FCCT
BY ANTONIO PINEDA
Once again in the guise of bespoke poet, the lysergic pirate of Saville Row, impeccable in a grey silksuit turned out by tailor to the stars Lucky Ricky. enters the Foriegn Correspondents Club of Bangkok. DJ Daryl, my cohort in literary crime and I break bread, and he sets up his laptop on stage. DJ Daryl is an ace face behind Underground Bangkok Radio, with its founder, the legendary DJ Manow. We are ready to rock the house with chilled electronic beats and classic film soundtracks. The camera crew from Sawadee Pattaya TV, under the aegis of Peter Rnic hit the set.
His Excellency, the Argentine Ambassador, Felipe Frydman graces us with his presence. Seated at his table are the Argentine Iberian film director Marcelo Von Schwartz, his film , Dark Bridge, is on the way to cruise film festivals in Europe. Richard Rubacher, author and bon vivant, joins them with his dear friend, Michelle. Author Richard Diran , his title The Vanishing Tribes of Burma is a classic, and his beautiful wife, Junko, make the scene. Jimmy Wing and Jackson organize the stage setup.They set up their cameras for the shoot. Jimmy lights candles on the forum desk for ambiance.
We interview Dj Daryl for a TV spot. Film actor Lex De Groot arrives with two smashing birds. I bring them up on stage , Lex gives an interview re his work in Shanghai with John Cusak, it goes down a storm. Erich Flieschman talks about working with William Hurt, and the making of his own film, Desolation Angel, as Jackson and Jimmy Wing capture it on film. Film maker and journalist, Joel Gershon, shoots his spot. He is charming and film wise as I compliment him on his CNN interview with James Belushi. Gerard Maurez, the French Connection, screenwriter and actor, is shot in all his Gallic je ne se quois.
Joe Cummings, initiates the introduction to tje performance. Compere extraordinaire, he begins the evening with words from Le Roi Lezard. Is everybody in, the ceremony is about to begin. Le papiere magique somebody slipped in my lemonade sings in my veins.To the strains of La Dolce Vita, I begin the poetry reading. The night is dedicated to motion picture line producer Ed Harper. Ed passed away last month sfter serving in the film industry with brilliance. The eulogy, with allusions to his work and ouevre with Ronnie Wood in the Artwoods,, connections to the influential British Invasion, and motion picture credits recieve an ovation from the audience of literati and cogniscenti.
The first poem is a tribute to Dr. Albert Hoffman, entitled , Waiting for the Revolution. The beat goes on as I read Shanghaied, The Starlet and the Satyr, and Jade Dragons Wander the Wasteland from my volume of poetry entitled, The Poet at the Gates of Dawn. El Dorado recieves tumultuos applause. A guest artiste joins us on stage. Michael Krantzler is to accompany us on a huge Indian hand drum. He has come from Goa for this engagement. Penitentiary Walls, a poem re the Penal I ndustrial Complex for profit in the USA, is on song, driven by DJ Daryl and Krantzler, the chilled electronic beats and trance drumming converge. I sound like Gil Scott Heron on crack. It goes down a treat, the highlight of the evening.
The DJ is down with Je t Aime by Serge Gainesbourg. Inspired by this modern day Baudelaire, I segue into, The Floating World and The House of Love on Rue Fortune. Gainesbourg originally recorded this tune with Brigitte Bardot. Her multi -millionaire industrialist lover du jour and her public relations crew forced her to stop the presses. Collectors seek out the Bardot version at astronomical prices, as only a few copies survivE. I conclude the reading with a poem dedicated to Oscar Wilde. During his tenure in Paris in the 1880s, he met the Decadents, was a fixture at the literary salon hosted by Mallarme, and rolled with second generation symbolists Pierre Louys and Andre Gide. Wilde developed a singular accoutremont.He carried about a cigarette case of Egyptian tobacco laced with tincture of opium. I read , Death Smokes Opium Tinctured Cigarettes. We take our bows and repair to the bar.
It has been a lucrative night for art. The TV spots represent the best of alternative stars in Bangkok. The fusion of music and poetry has been captured on DVD. The buzz among the artistes is a demand for next verse same as the first. Emboldened by le papiere magique, the poet slips away into the Bangkok night. Vive Le Roi Lezard.
A Magickal Evening of Poetry and Music 8pm Mon, February 22nd, 2010 Free Please join Antonio Pineda, author of “The Magick Papers,” in the Clubhouse as he reads from his new collection of poetry, “Poets at the Gates of Dawn.” He’ll be accompanied by the chilled beat electronic sounds of DJ Darryl spinning a fine selection from La Dolce Vita to Bolero. Joe Cummings, deputy editor of Bangkok Post’s “The Magazine,” will introduce the evening, which will be filmed from start to finish by the cable channel, Sawasdee Pattaya Televison. ED HARPER – IN MEMORIAM
BY ANTONIO PINEDA
Film line producer Ed Harper passed away in Pattaya last month. He was a colleague and dear friend.Once upon a time, upon graduation from the University of Edinburgh where he read philosophy and art,Ed made his way to swinging London. He was a skilled keyboard player, and like the cool dudes of the renascent counter culture and the Swinging Sixties were laying down the law. Ed was a dear friend of Art Wood, the older brother of Ronnie Wood, who would achieve fame with another young cock of the day , Rod Stewart, rocking with Steve Marriott and the Small Faces. Ronnie Wood, the once and fiture Rolling Stone and Ed made music together in a band entitled the Artwoods.
The singer and frontman was Art Wood, his drummer was brother Ted Woods, and Ronnie Woods wailed on guitar. Reg Squires kept time on stand up bass. Ed Harper played piano. The young soul men dug and covered the music and raging piano triplets of Little Richard and Fats Domino. The flamboyance, gospel influences,and showmanship of these legends obsessed them. Chuck Berry was also a staple of their repertoire, as he would be to the Rolling Stones. Bo Diddly was another favorite whose songs they covered.The Sun music sound of the young Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins , and The Killer, aka Jerry Lee Lewis provided inspiration for the brothers Wood and their fellow conspirators. Armed for the match, the Artwoods gigged at the legendary venues of lysergic London of the day , such as the Marquee Club, the 100 Club and the Q Boathouse.
Little Richard left home at the age of 14 to join Dr. Hudsons Medicine Show and later performed in drag with Sugar Sam from Alabam, a minstrel show. Small wonder the Beatles would be fascinated with this primal force. Chuck Berry possessed a jackhammer beat, surreal lyrics and a wild strange presence. The New Orleans patois that charachterized Fats vocals seemed exotic and charismatic to Ed and his cohorts in rock and roll crime. Elvis, Jerry Lee and Perkins showed them that white boys could dance and sing the blues. The rebellious nature, overt sexuality, and intense lyrics of the mythic black musicians from the USA inspired a new generation of British white rockers. They would return the favor with the British Invasion of America, turning young Americans to realize the importance of black music nurtured and created on American soil,but previously marginalized by the racist segregational politics of the USA.
Rod Stewart began his carrer in a band fronted by Long John Baldry. A young bloke named Reggie Dwight was also in the band. As a homage to Long John Baldry,Dwight was to assume the stage name Elton John. Rod and Ronnie Wood were to team up together in the group , the Small Faces, fronted by Steve Marriott. The Artwoods were history, the band had run its course, and Ed Harper went on to a successful career in motion pictures. Ronnie Wood became rock royalty with the Rolling Stones. The young lions ran rampant, the childhood chums now were important players in the history of rock music.
Ed Harper began a career as a line producer in motion pictures that would endure for the rest of his life. In 1965 he worked on Darling, with the beautiful Julie Christie. 1966 saw him providing his expertise for Diana Rigg in Modesty Blaise.The George Harrison production of Wonderwall hired Harper on in 1969, as the Swinging Sixties exerted their thrall on youth cuture world wide. Ed was on song for the motion picture , Scrooge , the following year. He produced Shaka Zulu in South Africa, when many film productions were being shot there due to tax incentives. Dartagnan et les Trois Mosquetaires was shot in France. Before his untimely demise, Ed worked on the film title, The Riddle with
Vanessa Redgrave.
Film producer-director David Winters, now based in Bangkok remembers Ed and his work with fondness and respect. Davis also possesses a Rolling Stone connection. Winters worked on the classic cult film,The TAMI Show, with the Stones and legendary soulman James Brown. Ed Harper was on song to be the line producer on Winters fortcomong motion picture entitled, The Warrior King ,to be shot on location in Thailand and other exotic locations. David lost his dear friends Paul Newman and David Carradine last year. The passing of Ed has added to his grief. He remembers him as a brilliant professional ,a true friend, an intellectual and authority on cinema.
Ed will be interred in Pattaya, where he last resided. He was my friend and co-conspirator. Ed and I worked on my volume of poetry entitled,The Poet at the Gates of Dawn. I will be performing a reading of my poems at the Foriegn Correspondents Club In Bangkok on February 22. DJ Amnesty , of Underground Bangkok Radio fame, will provide music, from film soundtracks La Dolce Vita and spaighetti westerns, to chilled electronic beats and Bolero by Ravel to accompany my performance. Peter Rnic and his TV crew from Sawadee Pattaya TV will film the performance of poetry and music and dedicate the night to Ed. Death is a time to mourn, but it is also a time to celebrate the loves and achievements allowed to us. Ed leaves behind him a musical and cinematic legacy of great value and importance. Sleep sweet Prince, and dream forever , for we will all one day join you in Valhalla.
These are my links for January 7th through February 9th:
THE ROLLING STONE CONNECTION PART 3
ED HARPER – IN MEMORIAM
BY ANTONIO PINEDA
Film line producer Ed Harper passed away in Pattaya last month. He was a colleague and dear friend.Once upon a time, upon graduation from the University of Edinburgh where he read philosophy and art,Ed made his way to swinging London. He was a skilled keyboard player, and like the cool dudes of the renascent counter culture and the Swinging Sixties were laying down the law. Ed was a dear friend of Art Wood, the older brother of Ronnie Wood, who would achieve fame with another young cock of the day , Rod Stewart, rocking with Steve Marriott and the Small Faces. Ronnie Wood, the once and fiture Rolling Stone and Ed made music together in a band entitled the Artwoods.
The singer and frontman was Art Wood, his drummer was brother Ted Woods, and Ronnie Woods wailed on guitar. Reg Squires kept time on stand up bass. Ed Harper played piano. The young soul men dug and covered the music and raging piano triplets of Little Richard and Fats Domino. The flamboyance, gospel influences,and showmanship of these legends obsessed them. Chuck Berry was also a staple of their repertoire, as he would be to the Rolling Stones. Bo Diddly was another favorite whose songs they covered.
The Sun music sound of the young Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins , and The Killer, aka Jerry Lee Lewis provided inspiration for the brothers Wood and their fellow conspirators. Armed for the match, the Artwoods gigged at the legendary venues of lysergic London of the day , such as the Marquee Club, the 100 Club and the Q Boathouse.
Little Richard left home at the age of 14 to join Dr. Hudsons Medicine Show and later performed in drag with Sugar Sam from Alabam, a minstrel show. Small wonder the Beatles would be fascinated with this primal force. Chuck Berry possessed a jackhammer beat, surreal lyrics and a wild strange presence. The New Orleans patois that charachterized Fats vocals seemed exotic and charismatic to Ed and his cohorts in rock and roll crime. Elvis, Jerry Lee and Perkins showed them that white boys could dance and sing the blues. The rebellious nature, overt sexuality, and intense lyrics of the mythic black musicians from the USA inspired a new generation of British white rockers. They would return the favor with the British Invasion of America, turning young Americans to realize the importance of black music nurtured and created on American soil,but previously marginalized by the racist segregational politics of the USA.
Rod Stewart began his carrer in a band fronted by Long John Baldry. A young bloke named Reggie Dwight was also in the band. As a homage to Long John Baldry,Dwight was to assume the stage name Elton John. Rod and Ronnie Wood were to team up together in the group , the Small Faces, fronted by Steve Marriott. The Artwoods were history, the band had run its course, and Ed Harper went on to a successful career in motion pictures. Ronnie Wood became rock royalty with the Rolling Stones. The young lions ran rampant, the childhood chums now were important players in the history of rock music.
Ed Harper began a career as a line producer in motion pictures that would endure for the rest of his life. In 1965 he worked on Darling, with the beautiful Julie Christie. 1966 saw him providing his expertise for Diana Rigg in Modesty Blaise.The George Harrison production of Wonderwall hired Harper on in 1969, as the Swinging Sixties exerted their thrall on youth cuture world wide. Ed was on song for the motion picture , Scrooge , the following year. He produced Shaka Zulu in South Africa, when many film productions were being shot there due to tax incentives. Dartagnan et les Trois Mosquetaires was shot in France. Before his untimely demise, Ed worked on the film title, The Riddle with Vanessa Redgrave.
Film producer-director David Winters, now based in Bangkok remembers Ed and his work with fondness and respect. Davis also possesses a Rolling Stone connection. Winters worked on the classic cult film,The TAMI Show, with the Stones and legendary soulman James Brown. Ed Harper was on song to be the line producer on Winters fortcomong motion picture entitled, The Warrior King ,to be shot on location in Thailand and other exotic locations. David lost his dear friends Paul Newman and David Carradine last year.
The passing of Ed has added to his grief. He remembers him as a brilliant professional ,a true friend, an intellectual and authority on cinema.
Ed will be interred in Pattaya, where he last resided. He was my friend and co-conspirator. Ed and I worked on my volume of poetry entitled,The Poet at the Gates of Dawn. I will be performing a reading of my poems at the Foriegn Correspondents Club In Bangkok on February 22. DJ Amnesty , of Underground Bangkok Radio fame, will provide music, from film soundtracks La Dolce Vita and spaighetti westerns, to chilled electronic beats and Bolero by Ravel to accompany my performance. Peter Rnic and his TV crew from Sawadee Pattaya TV will film the performance of poetry and music and dedicate the night to Ed. Death is a time to mourn, but it is also a time to celebrate the loves and achievements allowed to us. Ed leaves behind him a musical and cinematic legacy of great value and importance. Sleep sweet Prince, and dream forever , for we will all one day join you in Valhalla.
LE NOUVELLE VAGUE- THE NEW WAVE
A CINEMATIC RETROSPECTIVE
BY ANTONIO PINEDA
The passing of Eric Rohmer, at age 89, has magnified the importance and influence of the art movement entitled Nouvelle Vague. Post war France saw many contraversial changes on the artistic front. In the USA, Method Acting,based on the avatars Stanislavski and Michael Chekov,as pioneered by Stella Adler, Lee Strasberg,and Sanford Meisner was ressructuring the status quo in cinema. The Method created great actors of the American Golden Age of Cinema. Marlon Brando , , Marilyn Monroe, Susan Strasberg, Kim Hunter, as well as James Dean and Steve McQueen all were devotees of Method Acting as a philosophy. The post war NYC scene was a breeding ground for Method as personified by Paul Newman, who listened to the actor, then reacted,his lithe physique and penetrating blue eyes offered windows to another soul. Critics parodied Brando,who was portrayed as an inarticulate rebel and beatnik, his affectations of slurred dialogue and physicality ascribed to a new generation of film barbarians. Nothing could be further from the truth. The aforementioned cineastes, like the New Wave in Europe , were creating a new and vital art movement.
In Paris, intellectuals like Rohmer, Francois Truffaut, Jean- Luc Goddard, and Jaques Rivette began to conspire on the deconstruction and reinvention of cinema. Rohmer began this conspiracy as a critic with the Gazette du Cinema in 1949. The influential film journal,Cahiers du Cinema in the 1950s gave the nascent critics a platform for their ideas. It would take a decade for The New Wave to come to fruition. Breathless, directed by Godard, premiered in 1960. The filmed starred Jean Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg. Godard emloyed jump cuts,introduced hand held cameras,implemented edgy improvisation, and eschewed film sound tracks for naturalism, ie the sound of cars roaring, the wind rustling trees, or birdsong. Le Nouvelle Vague inspired a new generation of cineastes.
In Italy Fellini created,La Dolce Vita ,in 1960.Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren starred in this tale of existential decadence. The extraordinairy sound track by Nino Rota remains a classic.The intelligence, sophistication, and philosophy behind the film created a furore.Fellini and Antiononi were to create some of the greatest cinema of the era. The influence of The New Wave was gaining momentum.
Rohmer described his films as one of thoughts rather than action. Employing improvised dialogue, shot in a naturalistic manner, devoid of soundtracks , his films were compared to the ouevre of the 18th century dramatist Marivaux. His friend Barbet Schroeder set up a production company Les Films de Losange. Rohmer could work freely and retain artistic autonomy. The breakthrough came in 1966 with his film La Collectionneuse. His most popular works were Ma Nuit Chez Maud and Pauline a la Plage.
New Wave was to last for a decade, but its influence was to be pervasive. The Second Generation Nouvelle Vague generation of filmmakers in Germany like Fassbinder and Herzog were to continue the tradition. Godard was burnt out by the time he shot Sympathy For the Devil with the Rolling Stones. The impact made by Rohmer,Truffaut and others was to conspie to create new cinematic truths. Method Acting was a red blooded American enterprise that gave cinema a new voice and oversoul. New WAve was ironic, complex, often political and inventive explorations of morality.
New Wave borrowed freely from Sarte, Bunuel and Cocteau. The fusion of new ideas were significant in the connection to the 1960s, a time of social and political upheaval. Thy were at their best anti- establishment. The innovations attacked institutions like sex, religion and romance.The cinema produced by New Wave remains the antithesis of Hollywood popcorn movies. New Wave was created by mavericks and revolutionaries. It was a generational movement of young lions who believed their intellects could change the cinematic landscape. Long live Nouvelle Vague.
OLIVER STONE LIVE IN BANGKOK- Once again in the guise of bespoke poet, the lysergic pirate of Savile Row crosses the threshold of the Foreign Correspondents Club, to attend the gala event featuring 3 time Oscar winner Oliver Stone. Peter Rnic arrives with the film crew for Sawadee Pattaya TV and we set up shop. Felipe Frydman,the Argentine Ambassador radiates charm and bonhomie, chatting with Argentine- Iberian film director Marcello Von Schwartz at the bar. Peter Rnic interviews Von Schwartz for posterity. The night is hotting up. Jerry Hopkins, author of one of the important books on Jim Morrison, Nobody Gets Out of Here Alive, is holding court at the bar. The Doors film by Oliver Stone is one of my favorites. My theatre piece entitled Minuit Aux Pere Lachaise, that was performed here at the FCCT some years ago is a homage to Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf and Oscar Wilde. Check this out on www.magickpapers.com I sortie to the smoking area and conduct an interview for Sawadee Pattaya TV on the outside patio, my subject is author-thespian Jake Anthony. Back inside I encounter Susan Dusty Aldous, lovely and glam, she is a noted activist and author. Rnic interviews film producer-actor Cameron Pearson. Joe Cummings graciously leaves the bar so I can interview him Joe has just interviewed Oliver Stone that morning, his story will appear in the Bangkok Post at the end of February. Joe spins tales of hanging with the Rolling Stones and Martin Scorsese at the Beacon Theatre for the movie shoot. Cummings was accompanied on that occasion by Maura Moynihan, author-poet and daughter of the late Dem Senator from New York, Daniel Moynihan. Maura wrote Yoga Hotel, a well recieved collection of short stories. I liaise with local film producer Tom Waller. The usual suspects lig and roll deep. Poseurs make claims to film projects and shoots that will never be. Same as it never was. Legit intellos, journos,and musos swap tall tales at the bar. The beautiful and the damned consort. Oliver Stone affects a dashing entrance and takes to the podium. Oliver is casually attired in dark trousers and navy blue sweater.His reading glasses give him a proffessorial air.He steers away from the vacuous and glamorous, choosing instead to discuss El Salvador, Chile, Argentina and the real politique of South America, the rise of neo fascism and totalitarianism in China and Russia, and the deceptions of the Bush administration. He is a political animal, an intellectual and a historian. Charismatic and a born raconteur, he quotes Theodore Dreiser. He enters and exposes the heart of darkness unleashed upon the world in the last decade by corrupt politics, terrorism, religious fundamentalism and anti-intellectualism. Stone graciously concedes to enter into Q and A with the audience. I step to the microphone and make my inquiry. Q. Method Acting, as espoused by Sanford Meisner, Lee Strasberg, and Stella Adler created some of the greatest stars of American Cinema. Did the philosophy of Metod Acting have any influence on your work. A. The process in which an actor engages varies. Sir Anthony Hopkins,comes from the British tradition of internal process, yet between takes he is jocular and charming. Some actors demand silence in preperation for a shoot. I am not so inclined, but we must respect the actors decisions and choices in order to elicit a performance.My job is to get a performance any way I can. Peter Rnic engages in Q and A Q.I am representing Sawadee Pattaya TV. When are you going to shoot Pinkville. A. I remember you. You were an actor in Alexander. You were very good. A Method actor for sure, always drunk. Pinkville had financing problems due to the implosion of the financial system 3 years ago. Bruce Willis wanted a rewrite, Willis had to move on to another project, nonetheless I would like to shoot that film in the future. Quetion fly fast and furious. Some are incisive,others absolute trash, but Stone is always engaging. One woman offers her unsolicited screenplay and services as an actress. He smiles and moves on.The final Q of the eve is by another woman who demands to know why he should get 50 million a film while the financial inequality of the system is obvious. He patiently gives her a discourse on free enterprise and films as a financial institution. The audience enters into the absurdity of the situation, primed on alcohol, the spirits are riding high and an aura of Dionysian splendour envelops the night. Oliver rises to take his leave.He exits stage left,leaving in his wake an audience of journalists, actors, local producers-directors, bon vivants and hoi polloi wanting more. Stone is the real deal. He is a rebel, who acknowledges the influence of Avatar in its ability to connect with audiences and conjure up political and sociological realities. He pulls no punches in his views on Vietnam, corruption in politics, or the process by which film can affect change on the world and society. Yet behind these assets I intuit a touch of the voluptuary. Mens sana en corpora sana. Tuesday he is on his way to Cambodia. Bangkok awaits the return of the maverick and controversial cineaste. These are my links for October 16th through January 5th:
These are my links for September 13th through October 12th:
CHAMPAGNE X- THAI FILM GODDESS She emerges, an apparition in a red dress, with tawny hair and a leonine presence. She recieves a bouquet of flowers from her adoring fans, and poses for photographs. She introduces me to her companion, Captain Van, a dashing bloke with a head of silver hair radiating bonhomie. Peter guides us by the buffet tables laden with delicacies.The Dutch Connection set up the cameras. Peter Rnic, watches every detail, then snaps his fingers and shouts ACTION. The cameras roll.I introduce Champagne X and begin the interview Champagne began her career as a model.She graduated to film, and starred in the classic Thai film, The Red Bycycle. She was also excellent in 2499, directed by Norizee Ninibutr. Champagne smiles at the camera, and waxes eloquent about her association with Peter Andre. She starred in one of his most memorable music videos. Peter Andre was the Australian heart throb whose ripped six pack and hot dance moves caused the media to proclaim him the next Michael Jackson. Andre is of Greek ancestry. His Dionysian dancing and handsome looks are on view on the wide screen TV at the back of the bar as he rolls with Champagne in a classic film clip. She reveals that her favourite actor is Mel Gibson. The director she would most like to work with is Spielberg.She is drop dead gorgeous, tres intelligent, and a political activist. She invites us to attend a gala charity benefit she is doing to fight AIDS at a posh venue in Bangkok. The interview concludes to applause from the finest denizens of Pattaya. We repair to a table to dine. The viands and Bordeaux flow. Captain Van acted in the Thai film, Fireball. His day job is as an airline pilot. He is the personal pilot to Mr. Stanley Ho. Mr. Ho, legend has it, left Hong Kong during the Second World War and arrived in Macau with 50 USD in his pocket. Today he is the undisputed King of the Casinos in Macau. Stanley has sired 16 children by many wives. His son Larry and daughter Pansy run the show now, allowing Mr. Ho the freedom to enjoy his stature as regent of the Las Vegas of Asia. Mr. Ho is 86 years young. When I grow up I want to be like him. Champagne shows us the cheesecake shots for a calendar she did, for Blue Eagle Whiskey. This Babe is hot. She is a Leo.  Blogger Tony and Thai Film Goddess The Kings Table is hotting up. Peter Rnic, discloses his plans for Sawadee Pattaya TV. Champagne and Van live in Bangkok. They enjoy entertaining cineastes and friends at their cosy hideaway. Van is the bartender, she cooks and is hostess with the mostess.The owner of the Kings Table, Chris, a charming German, comes to our table with a bottle of Shiraz. The cameras continue to pop as the whole bar shoots pix of Champagne and her merry men. She regales us with a story of being robbed of all her possessions in Los Angeles while doing a show. They emerged to find their van stolen. She was on the floor of LA International airport for 4 days trying to escape America. Where is Snake Pleskin when you need him. Peter Rnic and I exchange pleasentries with the in crowd and depart. We are on to Mixx Disco to confer with the mayor of Pattaya. Shoot the funk, and may the power be with you. The silver arrows of the moon fall upon the palm trees on the beach, stars beam down upon us, there is no mercy for the wylde and the wycked. Adieu mes cher amis, til we meet again. THE GOLDEN KINAREE AWARDS The Chatrium Suites, located hard by the Chao Phraya River, is the venue for the closing ceremonies of the Bangkok International Film Festival, The Golden Kinaree Awards. I take the lift to the fourth floor. Nicholas Snow and his associate Natalie are interviewing film actors Rachel Nichols, action star Gary Daniels, the charismatic Joe Cannon and producer Bill MacDonald. Cannon is a veteran of films like, Wildcats, and the latest Jean Claude Van Damme opus. Rachel is fresh from G.I. Joe and Star Trek. MacDonald was mentored by the legendary John Huston. After Nicholas and Natalie wrap for the cameras, I hang in with the cineastes. Joe Cannon reveals that his favourite actor is James Cagney. I roll with Gary Daniels. He is tremendously fit, as befits a martial arts advocate. I had the privilege of working with him on, The Lazarus Papers, shot here by Jeremiah Hundley. MacDonald is a gifted raconteur. He waxes eloquent on John Huston. We both lament the decline of the Hollywood Western, of which Huston was a master craftsman. MacDonald concludes that Huston was a master at adapting books for the screen. He was indeed a lion among men. Bill was drinking partner and sorcerers apprentice to the hard drinking,former football player and director of screen classics that are in many ways unparalelled. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is as relevant today as it was before. He came from a tradition when cineastes and film stars revelled in high end spirits and luxury tobacco. It was a sign of stature and wealth to drink and smoke oneself to death. Afterwards we are ushered into the Grand Ballroom. The Golden Kinaree Awards are on song. Dramatic music plays as the audienceof cineastes rises to their feet, in honour of the entrance of HRH Princess Ubol Ratana. The beloved royal is beautiful in a tasteful red dress. HRH sits ramrod straight, bejeweled earrings glitter, her hair is gracefully pulled back, there is an air of serenity and grace about her. A gorgeous presenter, Khun Ning, is the MC. Ning introduces the opening act, Ericka Lemay. Lemay is a distinguished artiste from Cirque de Soliel. She is class incarnate, a dancer cum acrobat with flawless technique and a powerful presence. Her show brings down the house. The stage is now set for a retrospective of the work of celebrity photographer, Douglas Kirkland,whose portraits of the Golden Age of Hollywood are extraordinary and brilliant. Marilyn Monroe and Marlon Brando roll on screen in their pomp, as do Sophia Loren and Brigitte Bardot, Paul Newman and Robert Redford reprise the characters of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. John Lennon and Ringo Starr in their psychedelic glory. Angelica Huston is in good company, as Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin flash across the screen. Kirkland is in fact a film historian. His work chronicles the splendour that once was Rome. It is a tribute to the art of cinema that once possessed philosophy and glamour, unlike the vulgar reality TV trash and fabricated instant coffee celebrity of the New Hollywood. As the awards conclude, the audience is told to wait for the departure of her serene Highness. HRH is to pose for pictures in the foyer, after her departure we are to follow protocol and descend to dine downstairs.I stop to chat with His Excellency the Argentine Ambassador, Don Felipe Frydman, who graciously introduces me to Andres Aguilar of the Embassy of Chile. I spot Kirkland at a table and cross to engage him in conversation. Douglas is accompanied by his lovely wife Francoise. We exchange pleasantries in French. Douglas was an habitue of Greenwich Village in NYC during the 60s. His eyes light up as screen legends roll off his tongue. James Dean,Steve McQueen, David Winters, Elizabeth Taylor,Ava Gardner, Richard Burton. Legends of whom we may never see the like of again. We repair downstairs for a lavish buffet and wine. I stop at a table where Gary Daniels dines with film producer Tom Waller and his sparkling actress date, Crystal Vee to wish them bon appetite.Man about town Joe Cummings greets me at the Authors Table. We dine with Jerry Hopkins author of the Jim Morrison classic,Nobody Gets out of Here Alive. The Doors Connection awakes the sleeping dragon. I met Jim Morrison when he was in his pomp. We were introduced by the mythic Beat poet, Michael McClure. I have penned a theatre piece entitled, Minuit Aux Pere Lachaise. The play is set against the backdrop of the cemetary Pere Lachaise in Paris. The hour is midnight. Amidst the tombstones and gravestones, the protagonists appear at the grave of Le Roi Lezard. The Lizard King is joined by Oscar Wilde and Edith Piaf to celebrate the legacy of literature and song. Minuit Aux Pere Lachaise has been translated into French by Anthony Georges Whyte. Those who possess interest in the legacy of Le Roi Lezard, the immortal Oscar Wilde, and consumate chanteuse Edith Piaf can consult www.magickpapers.com We are joined by James Newport who has a new book out entitled, Chasing Jimi, looslely based on Jimi Hendrix. James was the production designer on the film Brokedown Palace, which starred Clair Danes.Newport was also the production designer on the TV series Lost. Scotch and sodas appear on our table as Cameron Pearson pulls up a chair.Local film producer Ray Huber rolls by with his posse, Hollywood reporter and film maker Joel Gershon schmoozes Jeremiah Hundley and Crystal Vee, who was the female lead in his film, The Lazarus Papers, produced by Jude Walko. The wine stops flowing, so we bust a move to the afterparty at Bed Supper Club. Cummings , Cameron Pearson and I grab a taxi and roll up to the scene of the crime. Le Club is shaking and baking with film stars and the usual suspects who prowl Bangkok after dark. Cameron is on his way to Los Angeles, where he has a film in competition at the Venice Film Festival. We are rolling deep in the street. The Big Mango is awash with celebrity among the beautiful and the damned. There is no rest for the wycked. Bespoke spake Zarathustra. Jim Belushi: Steal my show!by Joel Gershon In town for the Bangkok International Film Festival, the sitcom star shares his impressions of Thailand’s food, football access and bootleg DVDs
Jim Belushi on the red carpet at Thursday night’s opening for the Bangkok International Film Festival
Actor Jim Belushi recently arrived in Thailand to headline the Bangkok International Film Festival, spending a few days in Phuket before mugging for the cameras here in Bangkok on the red carpet Thursday night. The 55-year-old stars in the long-running TV sitcom “According to Jim,” and will be heard as the voice of the (formerly cowardly) lion in the upcoming animated movie “Dorothy of Oz.” We sat down with the Chicago native for a rapid-fire chat following Thursday night’s festival opener. CNNGo: Can you compare a Chicago bratwurst to a Thai sausage?Jim Belushi: I haven’t tried a Thai sausage yet, but it sounds good. I love the food here, and the heat is so much more intense than the Thai food I get in Chicago. I’ve been breaking out into sweat when I eat here. CNNGo: What have you been eating?Belushi: I loved the fresh fish in Phuket, but I’ve been eating the very popular typical tourist stuff: pad thai, green curry with chicken. It’s so much better here. CNNGo: What were your first impressions of Thailand?Belushi: The airport was big. I saw a Starbucks; it felt like Miami. Actually, I immediately felt the sweetness here. CNNGo: Have you seen your series, “According to Jim,” sold illegally on the streets of Bangkok yet?Belushi: Yes, and I love seeing that, actually. It seems to be a popular title, too, which I think is great. I’m happy that so many people are watching it. CNNGo: Are you planning on staying up until 3am on Monday morning to watch the Chicago Bears game? Football diehards in Bangkok have been known to do that.Belushi: Oh, really? I didn’t know I could watch the game here. Well, if I watch it at 3am, that will be a laidback night, comparatively. We’ve been pulling all nighters. THE BANGKOK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL I consult my vestuary and select a black 3 button suit with slim lapels ,constructed by bespoke tailor to the stars, Lucky Ricky. A crisp white cotton dress shirt with French cuffs, is complimented by a skinny black tie emblazoned with Jolly Rogers, and initialed silver cuff links complete the ensemble. Once again in the guise of bespoke poet, I bust a move to attend the opening ceremony of the Bangkok International Film Festival, in order to slay dragons and lig with film stars. James Belushi, Jean Claude Van Damme, Ving Rhames, and Asian superstars Sung Kang, Richard Ng and Johnny Nguyen are to join Rachel Nichols at the Grand Opening. The red carpet is celebrating the arrival of dignitaries outside the World Trade Center. My tailor will do anything for money, and my guise as lysergic pirate of Savile Row goes down a storm. I queue behind some dazzling starlets, and pimp down the red carpet, nobody knows wassup, so I don my Ray Bans and affect anonymity as the punters take photographs. I pose for my dedicated public. The cameras go off as I decline to sign autographs. Gregg Hale, producer of The Blair Witch Project is on the scene. Danny Leiner, director of the smash comedy, Dude Wheres My Car has come to share the creative juices. Elaine Dysinger, producer of Memento, graces the festival with her presence. I lig at the bar with local actors Erich Fleischman, Cameron Pearson and his mate Ian, who is in Mammoth , the film which stars Gabriel Garcia Bernal that is to be screened at the festival. I sneak out to the car park for a cigarette. The smoking lamp is lit. Alcohol and nicotine abound, as I consort with Arisa, a rising and lovely Thai starlet. Veronica Ngo Thahn Van, star of The Rebel, is one of the faces that are hot and upcoming screen actors. Actors Kyle Galiner and Olivia Thirlby complement the cast. William J. MacDonald, star of Rome, chats with me. He is a devotee of John Huston, does not fancy remakes of classic films, and concedes that Method Actind as espoused by Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, and Sanford Meisner, inspired by the philosophy of Michael Chekov and Stanislavsky, produced the greatest cinema actors of the American Century. He believes actors should live thrir life and their craft, celebrate life, be in tune with high philosophy and deplores the anti- intellectual franchises that dominate film and literature today. I roll to the bar and grab a beer. Author Jake Anthony joins me. I stop to chat with legendary Thai film director Prince Yukol. Tan Mui, as he is known to his fans is in good nick, and is filming the second installment of his epic Naresuan,Jude Walko, resplendent in beard and earrings hangs tight. He produced The Lazarus Papers, in tandem with Jeremiah Hundley, a dashing young writer-director from Atlanta, Georgia.I take photographs with a charming bevy of female TV journalists from China. The house band plays the theme song to American Bandstand, then segues into , Beyond The Sea.His Excellency the Argentine Ambassador engages me in conversation. Don Felipe Frydman is in good cheer, he is cultured and charming, and is a lover of tango, literature and cinema. Viva Argentina.Viva Hollywood Glamour. Peter Rnic makes a sophisticated entrance, followed by his camera crew for Sawasdee Pattaya TV. Johnny Diamond, selected by Pattaya People TV as personality of the year, accompanies me to the upstairs bar. Lames Belushi is conducting interviews . Producer Bay Logan is hanging with a beautiful 6 foot actress who stars in his new action movie shot in Hong Kong. We are rolling deep. Peter Rnic insinuates himself next to James Belushi, and introduces himsef. Not to be outdone I shake James hand. James is gracious and charming. Peter proceeds to interview James as the TV cameras roll. My agent, Kaprice Kea schmoozes at the bar. He is engaged in a production of a film entitled, Glory Days. It is to be directed and produced by Roy Alfred. His father composed music and lyrics for Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Glory Days will shoot here in November. The line producer is my dear friend and colleague, Ed Harper. The Wener Herzog film , Bad Lieutenant,starring Nicholas Cage and Eva Mendes, is about to be screened. We congregate outside the cinema. The film is a remake of the original which starred, Harvey Keitel. Remakes usually pale next to the original, But this version is an exception. Cage gives a bravura performance. He snorts coke, smokes crack, does smack and smokes pot as he brandishes his Magnum 44 and fornicates with hookers. He is one evil hombre. Eva is his love interest. She is sexy and curvaceous, and layers her performance with a brassy vulnerability, and spices it up with bravado and cunning. Herzog takes the viewer deep into the heart of darkness. It is arguably his most accessible film in many years. The film is set against the backdrop of post 9-11 New Orleans. The Big Easy all but steals the show. The levees and ghettos, high rises and low life, blues and jazz make for a fascinating tableaux. The film is an engaging entertainment. New Orleans has offered the most incentives and tax breaks to film makers than any other city or country. A stageering 120 TV shows and films have shot on location there since The Big Easy introduced these incentives. They have outpaced Toronto, Detroit, Brazil and Hollywood. Thailand could learn from this. The summer before last 6 foriegn. films shot here. Last summer no films shot here. Thailand gives no financial tax breaks or incentives. One does not have to be a member of MENSA to figure it out. The credits roll, the film has been well received, the guests loiter in the lobby and trade repartee. Still one place to go, let me take you down to the Soul Kitchen. An after party is on the cards at Q Bar. My posse and I sortie out into the Bangkok night. W e grab a cab and head to the party. Ita a tough job, but someone has to do it. You read it here first on the http://magickpapers.com/blog/ and now it’s reached mainstream print media. You can read Mark Ebner’s full article on the David Carradine death.  Mark Ebner article on David Carradine THE ROLLING STONE CONNECTION The story all began back in the halcyon days of the British Invasion, in London at a bar, The Last Resort. It was situated on the Fulham Road, opposite Warwick Road, in SW3 hard by Saint Johns Wood. Nick Evans was a student at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. London was the epicenter of the rock and roll culture. Nick and his mates decided to open up The Last Resort as a tribute to the music and lifestyle of Swinging London. Nick and I liasie with British line producer Ed Harper in Pattaya, at the Apex for breakfast. Ed resides in Thailand, and has decades of experience as a film producer. Ed possesses a Stone connection. Upon graduating from University ofA Edinburgh, Ed was the keyboard player in The Artwoods. Ronnie Wood played bass guitar. Ted Woods bashed the drums. Reg Squires was on stand up bass. Art wood was the singer and front man, and Ed harper was on piano. The p;ayed classic rock, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard. They gigged at the Marquee Club, The 100 Club and the Q Boathouse.Ronnie Wood soon left to join Stevie Marriot and the Small Faces. I saw the Small Faces at the Concert for Bangladesh at the Wembley Poole organized by George Harrison. Rod Stewart was the lead singer. He wore a leopard skin suit which was auctioned off for charity after the gig. It was purchased by Anthony Chatterton Smith for 500 Quid. Nicknamed American Nicky, Evans became a face on the London Scene. The Last Resort was the local for Jim Price, and his wife Carol. Jim was along with Bobby Keys were the hottest horn section team in rock and as in Derek and the Dominoes, Bonnie and Delaney and The Rolling Stones.The Last Resort was opened and sponsored by original investors, Ringo Starr and Keith Moon, who kindly opened their phonebooks to make The Last Resort the premiere drinking establihment for late night ligging in London. Anita Pallenburg and Keith Richards, who were an item became regulars, as did the rest of the Stones avec entourage. The Carribean art deco ambiance and especially the mixed drinks ie American cocktails and the 3am closing time, one of only 5 late licenses in London at the time brought an incredible mixture of flamboyant faces. Keith Moons sponsorship brought the Small Faces on board. Ian McLaughlin, Ronnie Wood, Rod Stewart, Steve Marriot all made the scene. A frequent patron, David Bowie, tended bar in drag and pulled the American waitress, Kathy to the blaring overture, Starfucker, and she returned the next day with a black eye fron her boyfriend for sleeping with Bowie. Nick has a show business pedigree. His father was Michael Evans, the British star of stage , screen and TV. Aworking actor for 65 years, some of his credits were as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, the movie , Bye Bye Birdie , the stage show Camelot where he succeeded Richard Burton. Nick Evans accompanied Mick Taylor to Brazil. They stayed at the Copacabana Palace. They went on a rock and roll sex rampage.The local press went crazy and Nick and Mick were mobbed by the Brazilian cariocas at Ipanema Beach. The 2 wayward lads escaped the screaming cariocas and returned to London after a fortnight of mayhem. Nick acquired a taste for Brazil. He returned in the future to promote rock concerts. The artists were icons like Miles Davis, Rod Stewart, and Queen with Freedy Mercury. Nicholas Wedgwood Evans now lives in Beverly Hills adjacent to the Four Seasons Hotel on Doheny Drive These are my links for August 13th through August 30th:
CAMERON DIAZ – MAN, WOMAN, FILM THE MOTION PICTURE  Pearson and Diaz Producer, actor, director Cameron Pearson invites me inside his well appointed penthouse in a trendy area of Bangkok. In 1999 he shot Man Woman Film on location in Los Angeles starring Cameron Diaz, featuring Lee Arenberg and Ian Stevens. As a crimson sunset crowns the Bangkok skyline, Ian arrives sweaty from a game of tennis, and invites us to indulge in the obligatory evening martini. Ian also appeared as an actor in the Diaz movie. He tosses up the libations, shaken not stirred, and we roll deep as Pearson trots out a photo of he and Cameron Diaz on the set. Ian was also featured in the motion picture entitled, Mammoth, which will be screened at the Bangkok International Film Festival, and stars Gael Garcia Bernal. Cameron Diaz appeared in the Pearson film prior to the release of her smash comedy, There’s Something About Mary. His third film, a feature documentary entitled, 34th & Park, shot on location in New York City, has completed the final edit, and may world premiere at the forthcoming Bangkok World Film Festival. Hip- Hop music plays in the background, Pearson reminisces about acting for 3 months, on the movie, John Rambo, starring Sylvester Stallone shot on location in Thailand. Pearson also featured in Shanghai, with John Cusack, Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li. In his opinion, Cameron Diaz was the most accessible, coolest and gracious film star he worked with. Being an actor alongside the unrelentingly intense and charismatic Sylvester Stallone was the highlight of his acting career. Pearson lived in Chicago until he was 18. He obtained degrees in English and Theatre at the University of California at Berkeley. He was the recipient of a Masters Degree in Broadcast Journalism from Northwestern University. He was awarded an MFA in film making from UCLA. Before coming to Thailand, he worked as an associate professor at NYU and The School of Visual Arts in NYC. Serge Gainsbourg, revered by the French as their modern Baudelaire sings in the background, as Ian uncorks a bottle of Saint Emillon. Man Woman Film is a parody homage of the French New Wave. It is the only feature film in which Cameron Diaz appears in black and white. Pearson is on sabbatical from his film productions, and is in the process of writing a novel entitled, How To Be a Serial Killer,an autobiographical Handbook. His film script, Pirates, is currently under consideration for production, by the Weinstein Company and Winkler films. Pearson and his suave sidekick Stevens slip into their evening gear. It is time to make an appearance at The Creative Ministry Fashion TV soiree at Koi, the new ranking hot spot for the in crowd. It is the local watering hole of choice for the actors, producers, directors and fashionistas in the Bangkok art scene. He feeds the chat noir de la maison, and teases me with the fact he has a secret film project in development, slated to be his first masterpiece. He pets the black cat and smiles. A starry carpet of night descends on Bangkok,as we hail a cab to take us to the party. The forest shadows are dark and deep, we have many secrets to keep, and we have long to go before we sleep. FLAMENCO ODYSSEY The flamenco odyssey has traveled overland and by sea for over a thousand years to Iberian shores.The gypsies originated from India, and their exodus via Eastern Europe and the Meditteranean, culminated in its evolution when Andalusia was the center of Moorish-Arabic culture. It was highly evolved, bringing poetry and the chanson, architechture, medicine and mathematics to Andalucia.El Cid and the indiginous Spaniards may have finally expulsed the Moors from their rule of Andalucia, but the influence on the culture of the Iberian peninsula was forevermore altered by the infusion of all the aforementioned. Flamenco was the ultimate beneficiary. Juan Antonio De Los Reyes introduced me to the flamenco odyssey when we met, back in the day in Madrid, at the dance studios, known as El Amor De Dios. Very important dance teachers like Maria Madalena and Antonio Marin plied their trade there.Ciro, who once owned flamenco clubs on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, and in San Francisco, also imparted his knowledge.Antonio Del Castillo and Raul, also were rising stars who taught there. Raul was famous for his fast and flashy footwork. Madrid and Andalusia introduced an era when Flamenco fused with many confluences, especially from North Africa. The zambra is danced with finger cymbals. Its roots are in North Africa. A fusion of the dumbeki, or arabic drum shaped like a toadstool, was integrated into flamenco with chords often alluded to on the oud. A mixture of Arabic and Spanish dance and chanson became popular among the young and adventerous, as Iberians returned to explore cultural and genetic roota. If Madrid was the merger between the classical ballet and flamenco, the heart and soul of flamenco was to be found in Andalusia. Sevilla and Moron de la Frontera were renowned for the devotion to authenticity, passion, and tradition revered by lovers of the gypsy genre and lore. Juan Antonio De Los Reyes is continuing his long odyssey, with his own brand of fusion of all these influences and elements, bringing his 16 strong troupe of dancers, singers and guitarists to Greece. The flamenco spectacular he is bringing to Thessalonika, is inspired by the rendering of the great Spanish poet, Federico Garcia Lorca, as a tango. Verde que te quiero verde, is one of his great poems. It has been covered by the Gypsy Kings and Manzanita, and is often sung to rumba.Tango comes from the Latin , tanhere, and implies to touch.Tangos originate from Malaga and Extremadura, and celebrate the joy and passion of flamenco. The farruca origins are from Galicia and Asturias. It is sung in Galician., and often accompanied with the gaita, or Spanish bagpipe as well . Farruca is a virile , macho dance. The immortal gypsy artist Carmen Amaya danced farruca dressed in the masculine attire of the tradition, in effect breaking tradition and establishing new ground. I studied with her cousin Sandro Amaya, at the Dance Centre in Covent Garden back in the day in London. The guajira recalls the Spanish colonial times in Cuba.The longing for Iberia, and the Cuban influence on flamenco is hereby expressed.Allegrias are derived from medieval songs, and are also referred to as cantillas.Its origins are in the gypsy culture of Andalusia and the medieval songs of Galicia. The tablao flamenco is a highlight of the show.The presentation is performed on a wooden floor.The program may include tangos and rumbas, allegrias and bulerias, one of the most beloved gypsy dances, the syncopated rythmns of bulerias are a celebration and a joy.Rage, sensations of anger, blood and inspiration are inspired by seguirilla, as night falls, it is impossible to sleep, and the artist must express duende, or soul.Flamenco is not for the Philistine. Juan Antonio De Los Reyes will honour Greece as the cradle of Western civilization, as the flamenco odyssey returns to the roots of its origins and philosophy. Just as brave Odysseus traveled round the world before his return to Greece and his wife Penelope, the adventure and romance of flamenco has sailed around the planet. These conquistadores come in peace, bringing the love, passion and historicity of this beautiful and singular art form in a pure expression of democracy.Flamencologists world wide understand the influence and divinity that flow and sing in the bloodlines of the flamenco tradition. Like the matador, the flamenco artist is rooted to the earth, its centre is low to the ground, it smells of virgin olive oil and red wine, and reeks of blood and sand.Juan Antonio and his flamenco ballet will bring all these elements to the Grecian night, where the minotaur and centuar sing and dance amidst the phallic ruins, and the philosophy espoused by Plato and Aristotle reign supreme. Viva Flamenco. These are my links for July 28th through August 11th:
 Juan Antonio - Flamenco JUAN ANTONIO DE LOS REYES-FLAMENCO AMBASSADOR I met Juan Antonio De Los Reyes in Madrid. He was the only other dancer in the dance studio at El Amor De Dios with long hair. He was a hippie during the dictatorship of Genarilissimo Franco which took a lot of bottle. His family ran a modest pension. I moved in and was wlcomed as part of his family, sharing the bread and wine.The family residence was atSanta Maria de la Cabeza, in the old part of the city known as El Forro, because it is shaped like the lining of a glove. Juan was performing with a noted flamenco troupe, headed by an Argentine, Rafael De Cordoba, who had been accepted in Spain as a proper artist. Rafael had the carriage of a matador, and was a gracious and noble dancer. Rafael invited me to accompany the flamenco ballet to a show at Sam Bronson Studios. the film, El Cid, starring Charlton Heston was shot there. it was known as the house El Cid built. Rafael had a beautiful wife who was a dancer in his troupe.He was known for nurturing young talent. We met a charismatic Brit, Mike Kennedy who was headlining the show with Rafael for Spanish TV. Kennedy was the lead singer for Los Bravos. His smoky voice produced a classic hit entitled, Black is Black. It was the dying embers of fascism, which would produce an historical period and art movement , La Movida Madrilena. Juan turned me on to the underground films of a young avant garde film maker, Pedro Almodovar. His leading man was a young actor from Malaga, Antonio Banderas. An underground Catalan theatre troupe, Los Joglars, was exposing the banality of Spanish society. The times they were a changing. Fascism was out. Sex, drugs and rock and roll were in, and the youth culture rebelled against the false gods of fascism. Juan introduced me to the premier flamenco dancer of his generation, Antonio Gades. He studied ballet in Italy, was famous for his virile and elegant style, and was one of the first to merge the gypsy vocabulary and lifestyle with classical elements.Gades graciously allowed me to accompany the flamenco ballet to Cartagena. They performed in an ancient Roman ampitheatre. The works of Garcia Lorca were also made into dance. The highlight of the spectacle was thr fiery gypsy dancer, El Guito.His authenticity, passion, and flamboyant personality stole the show. The gypsy is to flamenco what the bluesmen of the Mississippi Delta are to the blues. The gypsies invented flamenco, were marginalized by polite society for being Roma, retained their own language and culture, and flamenco became a national cultural treasure in Iberia. The suffering and marginalization of the bluesman took a similair path until the British Invasion and the psychedelic white rockers in America made the blues their drug of choice. Juan studied and performed with great dance masters. He was influenced by Antonio Del Castillo and Raul. I was allowed to attend their classes. In the summer Juan would perform in their troupes, visiting Benidorm, Marbella, Palma De Mallorca and LLoret De Mar. I was the token Americano, I spent the endless summers on the Mediterranean, it was still the Spain I envisioned reading Hemmingway and Orson Welles. It was a moveable feast of flamenco spectaculars, discotheques, summer romances. We drowned in islands of food and rivers of wine. The starry nights shine in my memory, the meat and wine course and sing in my veins, midnight passions kindled and never to be rekindled. Sadly Gades, Antonio Del Castillo and Raul have passed away. Gades still lives in the flamenco movies shot by Carlos Saura. They all live forever in my heart. Flamenco was not to be my bride, simply a lover and cruel mistress. I pursue the arts as a modest novelist, playwright, poet and film actor. Flamenco gave me an erect posture, a hardy constitution, a passion for the art and culture of my ancestors, and an access to a lifestyle forbidden to outsiders.Juan Antonio De Los Reyes was born for flamenco, in the same vein brave bulls are bred for death in the bull ring. This art and knowledge has been handed down over a period of a thousand years to those who worship at the sacred shrine and fountain of history and culture. Juan Antonio has brought his art to a 100 countries world wide. He is in the process of bringing his troupe of 16 dancers, singers and guitarists to Greece. They will be performing in Thessalonika. Greece is the cradle of Western civilization. There is historical evidence castanets were invented there. The modern bullfight is evolved from the bull dancing of ancient Greece, as expounded in the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur. Tauromaqia and flamenco share a common ancestor. Juan Antonio is a proud and noble planetary ambassador representing the gods of dance, music and song. Viva Flamenco.JJ PETER RNIC CHARACTER ACTOR EXTRAORDINAIRE BY ANTONIO PINEDA
Sunset falls over Pattaya, as I hit the set of The Celebrity Corner. Peter Rnic, actor and publican, invites me to a cocktail, as he points out the faces and actors in his Hall of Fame on the walls. Leo Gregory, whom film fans will remember for his brilliant portrayal of Brian Jones, in the Rolling Stones bio-flick, Stoned, graces the wall. A film poster of, The Heavy, exhibits Gary Stretch in his glory. A London critic labelled the performance by Gary a revelation. Brian Jacks, former UK judo champion, captain of the Olympic team for 15 years, and an Olympic medallist who participated in the games in 68, 72, 76, and 80 honours the Rogues Gallery.
Vinnie Jones, former Wimbledon football star and now a hot film actor poses with Peter. Kevin Costner schmooze’s with Peter on the set of, Upside of Anger. Elijah Wood hangs with Rnic on location filming, Green Street the finest actor in Romania, Marcel Ilures, is shot on the film set, of Spooks. Pat Morita, best known for his work in, The Karate Kid franchise, and friend, father figure and acting coach to the young Rnic rounds out The Hall of Fame.
Peter first studied acting with Stuart Mulling, husband of TV star Tanya Franks. His greatest influence was Pat Morita whom he met on the film set in London on, Number 1 Girl. Morita became his mentor.Peter asked him whom he should base his acting on Morita gave him a copy, of the classic western , based on The Seven Samurai, by the great Japanese director Kurosawa,The Magnificent Seven. Mortia counselled him to observe the performance of a young upstart, Steve McQueen.
Directed by the iconic, John Sturges, the film was shot on location in Mexico in 1960. The premise was simple. Seven gunfighters fought 700 Mexican bandidos lead by Eli Wallach, in order to save an impoverished, oppressed village. Clint Eastwood would later base, The Good, Bad and the Ugly on a rewrite of another Kurosawa classic, Yojimbo. The Magnificent Seven spawned sequels entitled, Return of the Seven, Guns of the Magnificent Seven and
The Magnificent Seven Ride. The star was the mysterious and enigmatic, Yul Brynner, who won a Tony and an Oscar for his work in, The King and I.
He was born Yul Borosovitch Bryner in Vladivostok. July 11 1920. Abandoned by his father, his mum took him to Paris in 1934. Yul played the guitar in Russian gypsy bands. He met Jean Cocteau, and became an apprentice at The Theatre des Mathurins. Like another contemporary, Burt Lancaster, he joined the circus, and became a trapeze artist in the Cirque d Hiver. In 1941 he went to the USA to study with, Michael Chekov, one of the avatars of a uniquely American art form, Method Acting. Post war NYC was a hotbed of the avant garde. Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler and Sanford Meisner turned out actors like Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Paul Newman and Susan Strasberg. Steve McQueen came from The Method.
Brynner worked for CBS as a TV director. He married 4 times. His exotic air, piercing eyes, shaven head, and authorative voice and presence were a joy to behold. He died of lung cancer. It is ironic that the stirring musical score to The Magnificent Seven, composed by Elmer Bernstein, was hijacked by Marlboro to pimp cigarettes Yul is buried in France on the grounds of the Abbey of Saint-Michel de Bois Aubry.
The next day Morita asked Peter what he saw in McQueen’s performance and he told him that every time Yul Brynner .had dialogue McQueen rolled a cigarette, or plays with his gun or costume or lit and smoked a cigarette in the background. Morita stated that the essence of McQueen’s acting was in the business he tossed up. The camera was watching him as Yul delivered his lines. He stole Brynners thunder. Legend has it Yul said he would never work with the young lion again, as he was stealing all his scenes. Rnic was to employ this to good effect in a career which has spanned 50 films.
He has worked as a character actor in Layer Cake, Rulers and Dealers, Harry Potter- Goblets of Fire, and Alexander with the young Gary Stretch. I had the privilege of working with Peter on the set of, Dark Bridge, directed by Marcelo Von Schwartz
Peter is preparing a film he has scripted, with Keith How, Jack Spot, for the silver screen it is the story of a Jewish lad from the East End of London who rises to become the crime lord of London. His nemesis is the gangster Billy Hill. Rose Heilbrum was a QC, who became the first woman to be high court judge of England and Wales. Historical cameos of Sir Oswald Mosley, the Kray twins, and Mafioso Albert Dimes weave in and out of the story.
Geoff Bell is slated to portray Jack Spot. The young Spot will be played by Leo Gregory. Rose Heilbrum is Tanya Franks. Rumour has it Gary Stretch will play Billy Hill, providing he can liberate himself from his many film commitments. Be sure to pop down to The Celebrity Corner for a drink. Peter will be there in person, as well as many film stars and personalities who call his pub their watering hole of choice. These are my links for June 16th through July 26th:
THE HEAVY  The Heavy stars Gary Stretch The Heavy, stars the former glamour boy of British boxing, Gary Stretch. Written and directed by Marcus Warren, it is a thriller about the sibling conflict and betrayal between two brothers, set against the backdrop of the London underworld. Stretch was once the WBC middleweight champion of the world. The heat generated by The Heavy, should establish him as a planetary star. Christopher Lee, portrays his father. Lee stands 6 feet 5 inches, and is 87 years young. Stretch was a fan of his Hammer Films back in the day. Lee starred as Dracula and was a staple of many an English lads childhood. He is brilliant and subtle, the generational conflict between father and son is extraordinary. Oscar winner Stephen Rea graces this film with his talents. Vinnie Jones plays against type as a bent cop. Shannyn Sossamon, whom film buffs will remember from A Knights Tale, in which she starred opposite the late Heath Ledger, is the female lead. Lee Ryan, pop singer extraordinaire of the super group Blue, rounds out a cast of skilled actors. The Heavy will premiere in London in September, and thatres world wide. I roll up to the penthouse lair of legendary film producer- director David Winters in Bangkok. Gary is his house guest. Peter Rnic, a British actor and publican from Pattaya has deployed a taxi to fetch Gary and I. Peter has a bar, The Celebrity Corner, and has arranged a radio interview with Johnny Diamond. Peter has also sorted out a TV interview with Brian Jacks, once the former UK judo champion. Brian is famous for having hosted a TV show in Britain where he challenged and entertained great sportsmen in feats of daringdo. Brian was a childhood idol of Gary, and he had a poster of Brian in his room. We bid our gracious host David adieu. He is fast at work on a new film project, The Warrior King, which will star Gary in the title role. The taxi stops outside a 7-11 and Gary emerges with a brace of San Miguel lights. He stands 6 feet 2 inches tall, and is construed long and lean, not unlike another champion, Tommy Hearns aka The Hit Man. On the road to Pattaya he divulges his theories on acting between sips of beer. Acting is very similair to boxing, the sport of kings. He professes that the battle is won in the gym, not the ring. The preparation a boxer undergoes before he enters the ring is paramount. If he has trained and prepared for his opponent properly, the fight will be won in the ring. Conversely, if an actor prepares and researches his role, he will make the proper choices in front of the camera. He reflects that in his title fight loss to Chris Eubanks, aka The Beast, Eubanks needed 50 stitches after the bout. The fight was labled by the media as The Beauty vs. The Beast. For the role of Cleitus in the movie Alexander, directed by Oliver Stone, Gary read up on Cletius. He concluded Cletius was Phillip of Macedonias illegitimate son, whom he loved more than Alexander. Cletius was a fighting machine. His loyalty was not to Alexander, but to Phillip.His philosophy to acting for camera is strangely reminiscent of Method Acting, which he professes to have studied and admired. We meet up with Peter in Pattaya at The Celebrity Corner. We bust a move and do some radio spots with Johnny Diamond. He is a charming bloke. Retro Merseybeat by Freddie and the Dreamers is on song. Diamond rips through the interview. It goes down a storm. Peter drives us back to his pub. The TV crew is setting up. Brian Jacks hits the set. He is built like the champion judoka, big chested with massive forearms, thick legged and small waisted. The interview is full on, as the men trade stories about the ring or judo mat, and drop names of actors, cabbages and kings.The night is young, and we are invited to a dinner at the Cafe Des Amis, by the proprietor, a sterling chap named Blue. We repair to the bistro. It is elegant and well appointed. The bar is at the back, tables up front. The food is continental and for gourmets. After a brilliant repast, Blue invites us to a complimentary drink. He tosses up a concoction of vodka, banana liquere and egg whites. We all indulge in a shot. This is class incarnate. Now it is time to indulge in the obligatory Pattaya night life. We are looking fly and rolling phat. Nobody is laughing at my posse baby. After a drink here and there, the party rolls to Insomnia, the all night flight. Gary possesses an eye for a pretty face. He discovers a starlet among the dancing fools and twisted sisters. She is a doll. It is nearly 4 am when I take my leave. Let the gladiators eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die. A striking girl approaches me. She propositions me. She wants me to meet her sister. I show her my room key. She counsels me to go to my room and wait. She and her sister show up 20 minutes later. What a great country. But that mes cher amis, is another story for another day for a proper gentleman never kisses and tells.  :: SEEKING :: New International Features, Documentaries, & Shorts Animation of All Kinds * Mockumentaries Underground Cinema * Midnight Movies Music Movies & Rock Docs * Edutainment Movies …and the best new independent Thai films & videos! Bangkok IndieFest launches in 2010–our goal is to bring the most compelling independent movies from around the world to screen alongside the best new independent Thai cinema. Bangkok IndieFest is a cross-cultural cinematic showcase of compelling non-mainstream independent films and videos from Thailand and the rest of the world. 100% copyright-friendly BANGKOK INDIEFEST
Location Thailand co., Ltd Attn: Ric Lawes, Bangkok IndieFest Operations Banglangmuang Village 1 Soi 4 Ramkhamhaeng 39, Thepleela 1 Wangthonglang, 10310 Bangkok Thailand www.bangkokfest.com / info [at] bangkokfest.com 662 559 0995 / 66 1809 3893  Mark Ebner Six Degrees of Paris Hilton SIX DEGREES OF PARIS HILTON I met author-journalist Mark Ebner in Bangkok in the wake of the David Carradine affair. He is a graduate of Bard College. Mark was once addicted to drugs and alcohol, but is now teetotal. His remaining vices are coffee and mentholated cigarettes. His novel, Six Degrees of Paris Hilton, is a great read. It is in fact an expose of the pecadillos of the New Hollywood. It centers on the curious case of Darnell Riley. He takes a double homicide rap for his pals, a group of California gangsters. Riley emerges from prison and reinvents himself as a facilitator to the rich and famous in Hollywood. He specializes in procuring sex, designer drugs or muscle to the elite. In a daring home invasion at the plush home of Joe Francis, founder of the Girls Gone Wild franchise, he meets his Waterloo. He makes a bizarre homoerotic video of Francis being sodomized by a sex toy, and attempts to extort 300,000 dollars. Riley is sent back to prison to serve a ten year sentence. Ebner inserts himself into the narrative, as he weaves through a story laden with sex, drugs and violence. This is a tribute to the late Hunter Thompson, inventor of Gonzo journalism. Thompson was famous for insisting the writer was as important as the subject, and inserted himself as a character in his ouevre.His book on the Hells Angels in which he employs this technique is a classic example. A blurb on the cover by author Jerry Stahl suggests Ebner has Buick-size balls and is of questionable sanity to even go there. The new breed of the feral rich and illicitly famous is exposed by Ebner as a triumph of celebrity over intellect. Hollywood is now run by an ethos of style over substance. The days of the studio system, when fim stars were impeccably groomed and turned out, and created as divinities of the silver screen, have been replaced by the tawdry and vulgar. The shallow underbelly of the New Hollywood is held under a magnifying glass by Ebner. The Golden Age of Hollywood was fueled by Lee Strasberg, Sanford Meisner and Stella Adler, who introduced Method Acting to icons Marlon Brando, Paul Newman, Steve McQueen and James Dean. The Method was based on the teachings of Stanislavski and Michael Chekov. This demanded character development, motivation, and an inner sartori for the actor. In essence it created a philosophy for the silver screen, an element long gone missing in the Tinseltown of today. The bible for this is Konstantin Stanislvski and his biographical title, My Life in Art. The New Wave movement in Europe coincided with the American Golden Age. Fellini and Antiononi, Jean Luc Goddard and Francois Truffaut, Tony Richardson and Harold Pinter explored the nuances of cinema as a high art form. Cinema under the aegis of the New Wave celebrated the actor as a divine instrument, a litmus for their generation, and emphasized the importance of narrative, cinematography and philosophy in the same fashion Method transformed the American cinema.They in turn were inspired by the Surrealist vangaurd of Bunuel, Cocteau and Renoir. The aforementioned believed that cinema should worship intellect and create a social and aesthetic consciousness. Ebner was in Bangkok on an assignment for Maxim magazine to file a story on the tragic death of David Carradine. We met via my rockstar blogmeister in Austin Texas Paul Terry Walhus. I introduced Ebner to legendary film director-producer David Winters. David had just been interviewed by Bob Burns of GLOBE magazine on the demise of Carradine. David produced 2 motion pictures for Carradine, and had talked to him recently on the phone. Gary Stretch, film star and former WBC middleweight boxing champion, also met with Ebner on the Carradine interviews. I watched Ebner closely as he liasied with man about town Joe Cummings. Joe is an author, editor of the bi-weekly supplement for the Bangkok Post, and fronts a highly acclaimed rock band, The Tonic Rays. Joe had the essential connections on the ground in Bangkok, and introduced Ebner to the mysterious Guy Armand who possessed pix of Carradine in the morgue His style of research and ability to wrap prose around it is highly evident in Six Degrees of Paris Hilton. It is a must read, and the reader will be infected by the bacteria of New Hollywood as it fiddles a merry tune as Rome goes down in flames. We should all look forward to the September issue of Maxim magazine, in which Ebner will postulate his findings on the Carradine affair. Twentieth Century Fox TV has optioned Six Degrees of Paris Hilton, and Ebner is preparing a screenplay on another subject for the future. At the end of the day, the immortal Oscar Wilde said it best with one of his brilliant and eternal aphorisms. We are all living in the gutter, but some of us are looking up at the stars. Some of my wonderful moments with Michael Jackson by David Winters
I first met Michael Jackson on Sunday, 11 March 2001. Diana Ross introduced us as he was to appear on her TV Special that Diana had she also asked me to work on with her. At the time I had been doing all of her stage and TV shows. Michael Jackson was to be a guest and when he turned up for rehearsals Diana introduced me to him. The first thing he said to me before even saying hello was “I know you”, “I don’t think so Michael”, I said. He said “I watch you almost every week, you know ………“West Side Story” and he snapped his fingers and did a little step and smiled. I understood. From that moment on there was nothing to explain to each other, as we were both on the same wavelength.
He told me “it’s my favourite film David or should I say A-rab” and he laughed “and I have loads of questions I’d like to ask you about it, if that’s alright” Michael was very polite and respectful and he even seemed a little shy and withdrawn. He was a sweetheart and I certainly loved his work. A-rab was the role I played in the film “West Side Story”
Actually I saw a lot of “West Side Story” in his movements and certainly the video for the song “Beat It” was a complete steal of “West Side Story” even right down to the knife fight. I also recognise a lot of Bob Fosse and Fred Astaire in his dancing. Well I always say “ If you’re gonna steal, steal from the best” and Michael certainly did.
That’s not to take anything away from Michael’s talent. Obviously he didn’t steal the moonwalk from any one of them. But you know you can’t help being influenced by the great one’s. Even if you’re a great one yourself. And he certainly was!!
Michael was funny and he had a million questions about the film. In fact every time I’ve seen him since then he always asks me questions about “West Side Story”. I know secretly he would have loved to have been in it. In fact he whispered it to me once.
In 1995 I left America to live in other countries. United Kingdom and Thailand are two places I spent a lot of time. But also every year I spend a lot of my time travelling between France, Italy, Hong Kong, Romania, Singapore, Russia etc. going to all the film markets and festivals.
Well I had been in London for a short while when I met a stunning young girl from Russia, Irina. We met in Mona Lisa, a very popular restaurant on King’s Road with a very eclectic customer base. On any day you could see a pensioner sitting near a rock star such as Eric Clapton, who IS a regular customer there. As for Irina, I liked her very much and we started seeing each other almost every night.
During this time I was putting a deal together to film a Pilot for a TV series “Star School” in Bucharest, Romania, and also I was trying to sell the tv stations there some of the films from my 100 film library, so I invited Irina to accompany me there. Michael Badica, my partner in Romania had sold 3 films and they were released theatrically, but I never got any money from the distributor, so Irina and I went to check it out.
Not long after we arrived in Bucharest, Romania I met a guy who owned a tv station and was the promoter of The Michael Jackson Tour. We got talking and I told him that I had worked with Michael previously. He mentioned me to Michael and then came back and told me that Michael wanted to see me right away and was inviting myself and Irina to accompany him to the show and he gave me some extra special V.I.P. passes and told me that we could sit right in the middle of the stadium next to the sound and lights in Michael’s special V.I.P. section.
The stadium held over 100,000 people and that night we went with Michael in a limousine. Actually it was part of a huge convoy of limousines that was guarded by hundreds of army soldiers. Michael loved uniforms and loved the feeling of being a dignitary. He was very excited about all the pomp and circumstance surrounding his appearances there. When we arrived there were literally hundreds more military personnel watching over us. We were first served food and drinks and then when it was time for Michaels entrance, he said goodbye to me, and I and Irina were led out the the middle of the stadium to an area that was also very protected by many soldiers with all their gear on. Almost kind of a cross between a soldier and a riot policeman. We were like in a little oasis in this huge stadium and there was a ring of these special forces of police and army men surrounding us the whole time. It was kind of surreal.
It was an incredible stage show, and Irina was in hog heaven as she watched Michael perform, having just been with him in the limousine. He WAS amazing and he definitely is one of the all time great live performers I have ever seen. In all we saw about 4 or 5 of his shows that week. Everyone sold out, and everyone better than the last. Michael worked soo hard to please his fans. He gave it his all. And boy, did they ever LOVE Michael. The only time I have ever seen this kind of adulation before was when I did 4 films with Elvis.
After the show one of Michael’s people came up to me and told me that Michael wanted to talk to me in his hotel suite alone. Poor Irina, she had wanted to see Michael again just to tell him how much she loved his show. As it turned out, I also wanted to talk to Michael about a musical film project that I had called “Nicholas Jingle”. It is the story of how Santa Clause came to be. I wanted Michael to play Oliver J. Twinkleberry, an elf and the spirit of Christmas in the film.
So with Irina and Michael Badica waiting in the coffee shop of the hotel I was taken up to Michael’s suite.
Obviously we are all aware of the charges that have been levelled at Michael, but I never thought much about it because I know that Roman Polanski was set up with a young girl, I had had my own problems with the law and I know of many other cases where innocent people have been prayed on and set up to look guilty. It has killed some careers and ruined numerous lives. Out of frustration and humiliation some actors have even taken their own lives.
I was being led into Michael’s presidential suite when a little boy walks past me. I must say for that split second even I thought “My God, is it true?” then as we turn into the living room there is a little girl playing in the corner. I wonder just what is going on here and then before I know it I’m introduced to the mother of the children, who is on the couch in the living room. She is well off, that’s for sure and then I meet her husband. I had seen him filming the show on video several times. They had just come to say goodbye to Michael as they were leaving in the morning. It shows you how fast you can jump to the wrong conclusion. Even me who never believed what the press said about Michael. I felt real stupid. But I never mentioned it to anyone.
Just then Michael came out and said “why don’t we sit in the dining room”. I told him what a fabulous show he put on and we exchanged pleasantries. I told him that I was now very friendly with his dad Joe, and that his mother Katherine, who was really sweet, had cooked me dinner one night at his house in the valley in L.A.
He then started with his questions regarding, you know it, “West Side Story”. As he’s asking me one of the questions he puts these crazy glasses on that that have slinkys for eyes. You know the kind that you laugh at when you see them. Big eyes, and these silly round metal things falling from each eye. Michael looked soo silly but his questions were very serious. We sat there for about 45 minutes talking, and oblivious of anyone else in the room. The promoter was also in the room with us but Michael never said a word to him, and didn’t even acknowledge him. It was terrific. It was the first time I had had such a long conversation with him, and I realized how well he knew “West Side Story”. I also talked about my film and he said he was very very interested in it. He told me to get him the script and he’d get beck to me very quickly. My heart was beating very fast at the prospect of having Michael in the film.
We said goodnight to each other and I left feeling very happy personally and very satisfied professionally about our time together.
My friend the promoter went down in the elevator with me and was stunned. He told me that as long as he knew Michael he had never seen him talk to someone for so long and be so animated. In fact he said that Michael rarely talked to anyone. I felt truly honoured as Michael had invited me to come see him again the next day. As Irina and I retired to our hotel all I could think about was what a lovely sweet human being Michael was, as well as one of the greatest entertainers in the world! In that way, he reminded me of my other friend Sammy Davis Jr.
When Michael moved to Amsterdam with his show I decided to go and take some friends with me. My friend Skye (ex-stuntwoman), Ciro Orsini (restaurant owner), Garry Stretch (actor and ex- Light Middleweight Boxing Champion of the World) all came along. We drove in two cars, Skye and I in one and the others in another. With the train through the chunnel that is under The English Channel, it’s an easy drive. We met my friends Arthur Lodder and George when we got there.
There were two beautiful blondes from Sweden …………………….who were students and were studying in Holland. I had met them on a previous trip to Amsterdam and the three of us had a great time so I invited them on another day to come along and hang with me and also to see Michael’s show and meet Michael. Needless to say they were over the moon. Wherever Michael appears anywhere he is the hot ticket, and in Amsterdam they sold out in 45 minutes for all 6 shows. He is truly a phenomenon.
I decided to have Skye stay together with me in the Krasnopolski Hotel as we figured we would be up all night, every night, so why pay for two places. Poor Skye. The very first night we were there, myself and the girls decided to get it on and I couldn’t tell them that Skye was staying with me, so she had to go hide and sleep outside the room on the balcony. Poor baby, I thought about her as I was having a time and a half.
Next morning we laughed as we know each other for many years and we’ve been through all kinds of interesting times and experiences together.
So later that afternoon Skye and I went to the Hotel where hundreds of screaming kids were being held back by the police and waiting for Michael. They screamed even louder when I pulled in with my cream coloured Rolls Royce and it’s California license plate “Muvies” They all tried to look in the back, thinking that I was smuggling Michael in to the hotel. Security let us through and we picked up all of our tickets, and just as we were about to go Michael comes in the front door of the Hotel lobby. There’s madness outside. Lights flashing everywhere, fans screaming even louder than before and all the handlers trying to rush Michael through the lobby to to his suite. Michael sees me and stops. ”Hi David” he says in that hushed tone, i’m now used to. He was barely audible above the din of the fans. “Hi Michael” I said in return “this is my friend Skye”. He said “I’ve just come from the hospital, where I saw a lot of sick kids” I said “You must be exhausted, go rest and we’ll see you backstage or here tomorrow”. He nodded in appreciation and was swooped up and almost carried to the elevator by his entourage. I turned and watched him disappear.
I thought, what a giving person. He just arrived in town and even before he checks into the hotel he goes right away to the hospital to visit the seriously sick children in the cancer ward. He seriously LOVED children. And I loved the child in Michael!!
In fact I accompanied him on one of these trips. He would go tirelessly from hospital to hospital meeting these children just to brighten up their lives. When he finished the visit he would ask the hospital nurses and doctors what was needed at the hospital in terms of equipment for the kids. Once told, he would then make an anonymous donation to the hospital.
I also know for a fact that he has given tens of millions of dollars to many children’s charities anonymously.
Why don’t the papers write about these things? The goodness that he takes time out to do, and his unselfishness in his love of all the children on this planet. This is a very generous person, in every way.
I also remembered that in the same way, Frank Sinatra gave tens of millions to charities, also anonymously. Yet no one ever wrote that about Frank either. In a funny way, for a moment, they seemed the same to me Michael and Frank. They were both singing stars as kids and both became institutions. And the only press they ever got was negative and yet they were both such good people. They were both misunderstood and were both hounded by the press. And were both bigger than life.
Well it was show time and It was arranged that Kenny Ortega, who was Michael’s director on this show and a good friend of mine, would drive with me to the stadium. Kenny has gone on to huge success as a director of the incredibly popular Disney “High School Movie” films.
All my friends piled into my car and off we went to see Michael. Having a Special Michael’s V.I.P. pass made it real easy for me to get to backstage where the trucks had unloaded Michael’s sets and props and costumes. Michael’s show travels with 250 people. It takes 4 of the largest planes in the world from Russia and numerous trucks to move the show from city to city. I parked and we went to the hospitality area to get some drinks and food.
We went back to Michael’s dressing room where he sees more sick children before the show. In a way, his whole life is dedicated to sick children. These kids adore Michael and during the show in one of the numbers he has about 40 of them come on stage and a little girl gives a flower to a soldier who is coming out of a tank. It’s a very touching moment. And YES he travels with the tank!!! He ships it in one of those huge Russian cargo planes from country to country.
All my friends got to meet Michael and were thrilled. Skye and I went to see every show that week and I brought my 2 Swedish girlfriends to two of them.
My Friend Arthur was part owner with George in a fabulous disco in Amsterdam “Heaven for Sinners”, so we all went there after the show. A bunch of the dancers from Michaels show joined us and we kind of took over the place and danced all night long. We did the same thing at a few other clubs during that week. It was party! party! party! and soo much fun.
One day, as I was waiting in the hotel lobby for Michael, a bunch of his close fans came over and spoke to me. They had seen me talking with Michael and wanted to pick my brain. These kids follow him all over the world. They come from Germany, America, South Africa, everywhere. If they can afford it they follow his tour, even to Hawaii and The Far East. Some of the girls and boys I talked to talk about nothing other than Michael. Some of the girls dream of marrying him and they are all very friendly with each other and try to find out where he will be every day and then they will be there just hoping to catch a glimpse of him. He knows them all and so they are allowed to get closer to him, like in his lobby, and they just wait and wait all day, all night, and every day and night for their hero. A couple have called me since, and asked me for information about Michael’s whereabouts, and I’ve tried to explain to them, that I have my own life and I don’t spend all my time finding out where he is, which seemed hard for them to understand. Then there’s another group who wait outside the hotel, all night long hoping he’ll come to his window for a second. Sometimes Michael sends out food and soup or drinks for these kids. He is very thoughtful in this way, and truly appreciates his fans.
Another day I was waiting to see him and one of assistants had been told by Michael to tell me he was sorry that he wouldn’t be able to see me because he had some doctors that just flew in, and they were giving him shots in his face. I don’t know if I heard her correctly but it sounded kind of weird to me. During that week most of the daytimes Michael was always going to see kids in hospitals or orphanage and then in the evening he did the show. He expended a huge amount of energy in his shows and I don’t know how he did it.
But I can tell you for sure, this man was truly dedicated to helping children all over the world. And I feel honoured to have known him, and also to have worked with him. He will be remembered forever as his music will live on and on.
Michael my dear sweet friend, rest, and I hope you are finally at peace.
signed….David Winters Dated…. Friday June 26, 2009
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