Cloud Cookies in Bon Appetit for Thanksgiving


A long time fan and subscriber of Bon Appetit magazine - it's a special joy to see Cloud Cookies featured by Bon Appetit online as an item to order out for a perfect ending to a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. Here's what they say:
Cloud Cookies from Bunches and Bunches 
It's an all-too-common Thanksgiving scenario: By the time dessert rolls around, you're too stuffed to indulge. For times like these, try the Cloud Cookies from Bunches & Bunches, in Portland, Oregon.

Happy Halloween from Malory Archer!

Friends, Rob and I are regular watchers of the cartoon, Archer.  To give you an idea of my Halloween costume, here is a screen shot:

Photo found here

Oh yes, Malory Archer was my target for Halloween.  My friends and I dressed up as the cast for a party on Saturday.

From left to right: Woodhouse, Krieger, Lana, Sterling Archer, Moi as Malory Archer, and Cyril




 I personally think that Zoey made the best Malory:


Rob thought so, too.  


I'm not really crazy about all the pieces of my costume together.  I used Simplicity 6197 and made up the jacket, blouse, and skirt.  Everything came together rather easily, but I was feeling definitely overwhelmed with sewing all the grey.  WHERE IS THE COLOR??


 I used an exceptionally drapey polyester that I bought from Hancock at the last minute.  It worked really well for the skirt, okay for the blouse, and a near disaster for the jacket. 


 I didn't have time to line the jacket because it took all week for me to get enough motivation to even sew this outfit together.  I might finish lining it because I imagine it would be cute with a Sencha blouse and some jeans.  The shirt might get worn again with a cardigan and pencil skirt, and the skirt has already been paired with a sweater for an easy peasy work outfit.  All of the pieces on their own could work in my wardrobe.


While I was not a fan of this mess of an outfit, it served its purpose ... as did the crazy wig that was allllll over the place.  I got to run around saying "This is how we get ants, people" and drink a ton of Autumn sangria.  By the end of the night, I was speaking in accents and eating delicious apple cider cake


 Ugh.  The top is way too loose in the front, but that is part of the design and the way the darts lay. The darts come from side seam at an angle lower than I've ever seen, so it doesn't make for the most flattering front.  


I hope you'll forgive me for the craptacular pictures, but I'm not really feeling like putting on this entire grey outfit again.


The only thing I like is that it wasn't a "slutty" Halloween costume. Yay for not being slutty!

Friends, what was your favorite Halloween costume ever??  I don't think I have one, so I'm definitely going to need to remedy that next year!

XOXO,
Meg

PS.  Many hugs to all of you on the East Coast - I hope you are all safe and well from the madness of Sandy

Happy Halloween

In the midst of all the hubbub in New York, I forgot that it's Halloween.  I hope those of you in areas not affected by the hurricane can enjoy this usually happy holiday. 


Helene Rochas in a Bat Mask

imollo, An Innovative Online Comm Tool

(From Left to Right) Tommaso Arciuli,  Marcello Reina, Raffaele Lafortezza, Gianni Serrano, Luca Amenduni
Join the imollo bandwagon!

The latest and most innovative online communication tool has recently been launched in the Philippines and it’s slowly building a local community of satisfied users. Developed by a team of experts in Italy, imollo dares to offer all the information exchange services you require through a single platform. It provides user-friendly, efficient, and free file sharing, data storage, and messaging in one application that essentially outsmarts and outperforms similar programmes.

Early Filipino adopters can now send files up to 500mb to one or multiple contacts in one ‘drag and drop’ flourish. No need to zip files in folders, no hassle in sending numerous emails, and no more time and effort wasted attaching files in batches. 500mb with every transfer – that’s about 5 times more than what’s possible with email attachments!

imollo also proudly offers its free cloud storage, ensuring that your most important files are always available to you whenever and wherever. This is an innovation that remains unmatched in the techie market today where most providers charge fees beyond the standard 2GB of free hosting.

imollo Ltd.’s Raffaele Lafortezza is confident you will love what imollo has to offer too. He encourages everyone to try imollo and experience the convenience of online information exchange. “Try imollo today and benefit from its efficient, easy, and free service.”

Discover imollo and be part of the growing community of users who no longer worry about potential virus attacks lodged in email attachments and unsecure file transfers. With imollo, there’s no spam and unwanted ads cluttering your inbox… in fact, there’s no need to constantly check your inbox for email notifications at all! The imollo application on your desktop allows you to send and receive things directly – no third-party applications, no zipping apps, and no email attachments. You send to your desired contacts and only your contacts send files to you. No weird requests from strangers. No product ads from online merchants. Even online messaging via chat is direct, simple, and professional. imollo is one programme addressing various online communication needs. It’s efficient, fast, safe, and absolutely free!

Visit the official website, www.imollo.com, to download the application. For more information, follow imollo on Twitter (@imollo) and like the Facebook fanpage (https://www.facebook.com/imollo).

Be part of the community today!

THE FRAY In Manila This November 10



With big sprawling anthems and light-rock ballads, American rock band The Fray is set to take the stage for their first Philippine concert on November 10, 2012 at the Smart Araneta Colisuem as presented by That’s Ntertainment.

Six years since their massive breakthrough success of their debut record "How to Save a Life" in 2005, the band continued pumping sky-groping choruses and symphonic rushes. Colorado’s beloved quartet spawned the Grammy-nominated singles “Over My Head” and “How to Save a Life” off that record to the repeated success with hits “You Found Me” and “Never Say Never.”

“Our live shows are a different animal altogether from our records. It’s a whole different energy when the four of us are on stage. It’s almost like the record happens. It’s great! We’ll play new songs and old songs as well. We’ll go jukebox,” Isaac Slade, also known as The Fray’s frontman, main songwriter, pianist told during a recent interview with The Philippine Star.

As The Fray move forward from their ballads that soundtracks rom-coms and teen soap operas, this Grammy-nominated foursome continues to receive praises for their third full-length album "Scars & Stories". Recorded at Nashville's legendary Blackbird studio with veteran producer Brendan O'Brien (Bruce Spring¬steen, Pearl Jam and Rage Against the Machine), the making of "Scars & Stories" fostered the most evolution the band has ever experienced, both lyrically and musically. The album debuted at #4 on the Billboard Hot 200 and has produced two hit singles already, “Heartbeat” and “Run For Your Life.”

On the band's website, Slade shared his thoughts on the latest installment: "On our first record, we didn't quite trust ourselves yet. We loosened up on the second album, but there was still some element of restraint. But on this one, we just stepped up to plate and swung as hard as we could."

With Slade’s co-founding member of The Fray, Joe King, collectively they achieved national success with their first single, "Over My Head (Cable Car)," which became a top ten hit in the U.S., and the release of their second single, "How to Save a Life," brought them worldwide fame. “How To Save a Life” was featured in the hit TV Series Grey’s Anatomy and Scrubs, making it one of the most played and widely recognized song in that 2006-2007. The song’s inspired lyrics came from an encounter Slade had with a boy with drug problems and realizing that all the boy need was support from his friends and family.

“Never Say Never” also from their second album was featured in the movie Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, allowing them to increase their loyal fan following worldwide. The band has also been nominated at the 2007 Grammy Awards for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or a Group and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or a Group.

The Fray is Isaac Slade (pianist and vocalist), Joe King (guitarist and vocalist), Dave Welsh (guitarist) and Ben Wysocki (drummer). The Denver-based foursome formed in 2002 after high school friends Slade and King bumped into each other at a local guitar shop.


With a set that includes a mix of their new songs and then some of your favorite The Fray hits--from the requisite "How to Save a Life" to "You Found Me" to "Heartbeat"-- you would not want to miss the experience why many found their music beyond inspiration.

The Fray is set to perform live in Manila on November 10, 2012 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Tickets are available at Ticketnet (www.ticketnet.com.ph) or call 911 5555 for reservation.

PATRON VIP – Php 6,360
PATRON A – Php 5,300
PATRON B – Php 4,770
LOWER BOX VIP – Php 4,770
LOWER BOX REGULAR – Php 3,710
UPPER A VIP – Php 3,180
UPPER A Php 2,650
UPPER B (UB)- Php 1,590
GENERAL ADMISSION – Php 795

Special thanks to FOX International Channels, MYX Channel, RX 93. 1, Mellow 94.7, Manila Concerts Scene, Philippine Concerts, Yahoo! Philippines, OrangeTVMagazine.com, Philstar.com, Inquirer.net, WheninManila.com, ClickTheCity.com, Astroplus, Oddyssey Music and Video, Business World, Ivory Music, Crown Plaza and Erase Placenta.

Creativity at Work

It's hard to be excited about the publication of my book Creativity at Work today when some people don't have homes or electricity right now. But I just saw a photo of my publisher powerHouse Books.  Their combined book store and offices in Dumbo, Brooklyn sustained extensive flood damage.  Maybe the best way to help them them and others affected is to resume our daily activities and get back to business.

I also want to thank Preston from Keep it Chic for her interview with me.  I worry that she had to flee her home that was in the path of tidal flooding.  My thoughts and prayers are with her and her family. 

Thank you as well to Patricia Sheridan who profiled me this week for my hometown newspaper, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Many of you also received an invitation to a private book party at Flair Home on Thursday, November 1st.  I haven't been in contact with them yet but the lack of electricity and public transportation leads me to believe that the event will probably have to be rescheduled.  I will keep you posted. 

Thank you again to everyone who checked in with me and remember that you can help residents affected by  the hurricane by donating to the Red Cross.  


We love you NYC & E. Coast!


Dear New York and East Coast, 
Sending you Bunches & Bunches of love and hope for dancing in the streets soon. 


Angels and Demons

 

 

The toys are put away. There are no small hands pulling at my jumper. I am no longer required to read Super Sid the Sausage Dog six times in a row. I have unpeeled the sticky shapes from the dog's back. The cat has come home. I can eat adult food again. I have had an unbroken night's sleep and can write in peace.
 
 
 
 
Yes, the grandchildren have gone home...and it is too quiet!
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Kraft Eden Sarap ng Pasko, Recognizing Moms


 Mommies are the life saver of Christmas, I'm a mom so I'm proud of it and I'm happy that Kraft thought of us the unsung heroes of Christmas. Yes we are the planner, initiator, and implementor of things that would make a family Christmas celebration worth remembering.



This year, as part of the 4th year celebration of Kraft Eden Sarap ng Pasko, mommies are recognized and for this year's theme is “Dahil Sa 'Yo Ma”. The event was launched at Chef Laudico's Bistro Filipino Restaurant witnessed by media people.




Here's a clip of the TV commercial that will sure make viewers felt the warmth and love of moms.



The entire event was packed with different activities that praises the hard work of mommies during Christmas. To help them as well in having more options in preparing and decorating for the holiday season, short and fast workshops about decorating and gift wrapping was featured and of course what would be Christmas without the dishes for the Noche Buena. Special recipe of Chef Jackie and Roland Laudico was shared to media people and all present in that event, it is called the Crispy Christmas Parol Molo. Great for the coming yuletide season.




Kraft Eden Cheese has been part of our yearly Christmas dishes. I learned a lot from my mom and she has taught me a lot in which I'm applying now that I'm a mom already. Dahil Sa 'Yo Ma I'm a wonderful mom as well. Thanks Ma and thank you Kraft Eden Cheese for this wonderful recognition for all the mommies out there and thank you for continuesly making Christmas Dishes enticing to eat.


If you're looking something to cook this Christmas just visit www. Kraftfoods.com.ph for recipes and other food suggestions or like them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KraftFoods and follow them as well on Twitter@kraftfoods.

The Aftermath

Thank you to everyone who checked in with me yesterday and this morning.  I live on the Upper East Side and did not lose power or experience flooding. The wind was intense though and the tree on my street was not so lucky.  There were some rumors that all of New York lost power.  ConEd preemptively shut off the power to most of lower Manhattan and areas in flood Zone A to prevent transformer explosions and electrical fires. The storm surge has flooded many areas and the clean up is going to take days.  If you would like to assist with the relief efforts, you can make a much needed donation to the Red Cross

SILVER SPURS SPARKLE!


15TH SILVER SPURS

 

They pulled it off!  It was touch and go there for a while – I’d talked to Robert Lanthier, President of the non-profit REEL COWBOYS, a few times during the previous week, and he told me that ticket sales were so slow that they’d have to cancel the event if things didn’t pick up.   “We have 166 tickets left to sell.  This is for charity, for quadriplegic veterans, for families of veterans.”  Every year the REEL COWBOYS chooses a different charity to support with their banquet, and this year it was the MVAT Foundation. 

 
Robert Lanthier with a 101 year-old WWII Veteran
 

 

When I arrived at The Sportsmen’s Lodge on Saturday night, there wasn’t an empty seat in the entire Empire Ballroom.  I perused the silent auction offerings, noting western jewelry and art, sports memorabilia, several items related to honoree Rex Allen, and my particular favorite, a braided hairpiece worn by Iron Eyes Cody, complete with feathers.  I put a bid for CHAMPIONSHIP RODEO, a board game created by rodeo star and costume designer Nikki Pelley, and the evening’s festivities got off to a fast start.  Erwin Jackson and The Canyon Riders performed.


 
Boyd Magers, author of many books on the western film, spoke about Republic’s last great singing cowboy, Rex Allen; how he’d been thwarted in his performing career until he could save up $75 to have a surgeon correct his one crossed eye. Rex not only had a successful movie career, but starred on TV as FRONTIER DOCTOR, and had probably his greatest success narrating more than a hundred documentaries and TV episodes for Walt Disney.  Boyd then introduced Rex Allen Jr., who took the stage, singing and MC-ing the program.  Rex Jr. talked about recording his hit, LAST OF THE SILVER SCREEN COWBOYS with his dad, and with Roy Rogers.  As they were listening to the playback, Roy started laughing, and Rex Sr. asked him why.  “The older I get, the more I sound like Gabby Hayes.” 

 

Next to take the stage was Bo Hopkins who made his first film appearance, indelibly, as Crazy Lee in THE WILD BUNCH.  Born William Hopkins, his first big stage success was in a production of Inge’s BUS STOP, and he took the name ‘Bo’ from his character.  He was there to honor Robert Loggia, known to younger audiences from SCARFACE and THE SOPRANOS, and who I’m proud to say starred in the first film I wrote, SPEEDTRAP.  But he made his first big impression on audiences in Disney’s NINE LIVES OF ELFEGO BACA, playing the real-life gunman and lawyer, one of the first Hispanic characters to be the lead on American television.  (If you, like me, haven’t seen this character in quite a while, you can see a ten minute clip from the first episode HERE.)  Loggia said, “It’s great to be part of the gathering.  The brethren; and the ladies.”  To the crowd’s surprise and delight, he sang beautifully in Italian. 

 
Bo Hopkins and Robert Loggia
 

Terry Moore, best remembered as the gal-pal of MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, and particularly busy in westerns, big-screen and small, in the 1960s, took the stage next, to honor Anne Jeffreys. “I am so happy to be here among you, to introduce who I think is the most beautiful woman in the world.  She’s been in show business forever because she started as a teenager.  She was a Powers Model, and she studied opera.  She’s sung Tosca.  She’s a great actress and a great singer.”  Terry went on to say that Anne had been in a musical review when she was spotted by Nelson Eddie and Jeanette MacDonald, and appeared with them in I MARRIED AN ANGEL.  Then she was signed by Republic, did FLYING TIGERS with John Wayne, and her contract was bought by R.K.O.  “While she was doing KISS ME KATE at the Schubert, there was this gorgeous actor, Robert Sterling, playing in the theatre next door.  They met, fell in love, and six months later, they were married.”  

 
Anne Jeffreys with a 101 year-old WWII Vet
 

They starred together in the wonderful TOPPER series, and frequently worked together in other shows.  They were married for 54 years, until his death, and it is astounding to look at this beautiful woman and realize that she is not only still acting, but she will turn ninety in January.  They ran a clip of her singing in a western, and rather than waiting for her introduction, she came out on stage.  “I was backstage, and I couldn’t see what they were running.  But I died in both of them, didn’t I?  I never got the man; he either ran off with somebody else, or was killed, and killed me at the same time.  It’s such an honor to be honored.  The era of the cowboys, it will come back.  It has to.  It’s history.  It’s wonderful history, too.  I think I did twelve westerns; eight of them at Republic, a couple at R.K.O.  One with the swimmer; what was his name?  He was blond and very handsome.”     

Other voices shouted ‘Johnny Weissmuller!’  I shouted, ‘Buster Crabbe!’  (Okay, so I’m a show-off. BILLY THE KID TRAPPED, PRC,1942.) 

“Buster Crabbe!  Anyway, I feel very closely connected to Western films.  I grew up, really cut my eye-teeth doing a series at Republic with Gabby Hayes and Wild Bill Elliot. I learned a lot of things from doing those westerns.  First of all, the girl was never important at all.  My back was always to the camera while the fellows were frolicking or shooting or whatever they were doing.  I learned to wiggle my hair-ribbon in the back to get attention.  It was a school, really a wonderful school.  And young people don’t have that today.  It’s a different world. 

 

“Gabby Hayes, if you didn’t know him, was very different from the characters he played.  He was a dude.  He’d wear a tailored black suit with striped pants, beard shaved off, and he had shoes on instead of boots, and he had his teeth in, so you wouldn’t know him.  He was a wonderful man, and it was a great pleasure to work with him.  I also worked with him when I went to RKO on TRAIL STREETand RETURN OF THE BAD MEN.  Same cast; same horses; same script, just about. 

 

“I was going to tell you a story about making one of the movies at Republic, I think it was WAGON TRACKS WEST. I’m not sure; I did eight of them.  I was playing an Indian girl; my name was Moon Hush.  With my blonde hair – of course I had a wig on.   I entered the commissary with my headband on and my fringe and everything, sat down at the counter for lunch.  My agent came in and sat down beside me, and had no idea who I was at all.  He said, ‘Would you pass me the sugar please?’  I said, ‘If you pass-um me salt.’  Then I laughed, and he laughed, and he knew who I was. 

 

“I was out there in the hot sun at the back lot at Republic.  And I had on my Indian outfit, with the headband and the fringes.  It was not too comfortable – it was a dusty, dusty place.  I was sitting there, reading my script.  And a cowboy sneaked up behind me, and tied my fringe onto the chair.  So I hear, “Okay, you’re on!”  And I’m tied to the chair!   And as I ran across the set, I had powder in my moccasins because it was so hot.  And as I ran, white puffs came out of my shoes.  They called me White Cloud after that, instead of Moon Hush. 

 

“I got back at them.  It was so hot that day, and the prop man, he had fires going, and fish hanging on things.  So I took one of the fish, the smoked herring – pretty smelly – and I wrapped it, and I hid it in the prop box.  For three days they were looking for that fish.  ‘I can smell it -- where is it?’  ‘Where is it?’  ‘Hah-hah-hah!  You tie my fringe, I get even with you!’  They were wonderful days; wonderful times.  I hope that they will do more westerns again, and soon.  And all of you will be here to work (on them).  I’m delighted to see all my cowboys looking so shiny, bright, young and happy.  I’m so delighted to have this.  I had a Golden Boot, and now I’ve got a Silver Spur to go with it!”

(If you’d like to see Anne in a western, click HERE to see her and Robert Sterling in the JULIE GAGE STORY episode of WAGON TRAIN.

 

The next presenter was Wilford Brimley, who prior to his acting career had been a wrangler, blacksmith, and a bodyguard for Howard Hughes.  Rex Allen Jr. revealed that Brimley came to film and TV shoeing horses, and as a riding extra.  “We were doing a charity rodeo in Abilene, Texas.  And I was sitting on horseback, next to him; we were doing the grand entry.  I’d been in Abilene for about three days, and I hadn’t seen him at the hotel.  So I said, ‘Mr. Brimley, are you staying at the hotel?’  ‘No.  I’m staying in the horse trailer.’  ‘In the horse trailer?’  ‘Yuh.  I just move the horse outside, put in some new straw and stay in the horse trailer.  I don’t want to stay in a hotel.’  He is a wonderful, wonderful man, a credit to western films and to the film industry.  He is an all-American cowboy.  He is a good man.”

 
Wilford Brimley
 

Brimley took the mike and commented, “If b&llsh*t was honey, this place would be swarming with bees.  They tell stuff about you, and you don’t even recognize yourself.  There’s a kid out here, going to get a prize for being a stuntman.  Now (Rex Allen Jr.) said I used to be a stuntman – let me get that straight.  I never was a stuntman.  I was an extra, a gilley.  I worked every day for twenty-two dollars and five cents, and went up from there.  This kid is and was and always will be a stuntman.  They tried every way they can to kill him.  This kid is one of my kids, and I’ve got ‘em spread all over.  But I don’t love any of them any more than I love Clifford Happy.  Come out here, son.” 

 

Clifford started by thanking Wilford Brimley, who had braved storms in Wyomingto be there.  And he paid tribute to his parents, who are both Rodeo Hall-of-famers.  His father had started as a rodeo pick-up man, “…pick-up buck horses, take the cowboys off them after they’d had their eight-second ride.”   He went on to supply horses to the movies.  “I was proud to watch my mother, father and sisters trick-ride.  Because of (my mother’s) athletic ability, and nerves of steel, she worked many westerns back in the day, as well.  I grew up watching westerns faithfully, every Saturday, with Roy Rogers, Rex Allen, Hopalong Cassidy.  After watching all my cowboy shows, out the door I’d go, catch my own mare, Sadie, ride her down through the dust, chasing every gangster around, with my Red Ryder BB-gun.  Hard to believe that some twenty years later I’d meet the girl of my dreams, marry her, and raise two little cowboys.  Sean and Ryan are third generation stuntmen.  They’ve both just worked on LONE RANGER, DJANGO, as well as COWBOYS & ALIENS.  So yes, they’re still making westerns.”  Happy was working around movie sets to support his family, and raise rodeo entrance fees, when a stuntman he was visiting broke a leg doubling for Andrew Prine.  That stuntman recommended Happy to take over, and that was the start of his career.  He went on to do stunts in THE LONG RIDERS (the famous horse-crashing through the windows scene), SILVERADO, NORTH AND SOUTH, THREE AMIGOS, GERONIMO, and many more.  “It’s not all sunglasses and autographs, as you know.  We are not daredevils.  We calculate all our stunts so we can get up and do it again, and again.”  He was doubling Tommy Lee Jones on LONESOME DOVE, and Tommy Lee began asking for him.  “I’ve been very blessed by Tommy’s generosity, requesting me on twenty or twenty-five shows.  Without the many stunt-coordinators that put their faith in me, I would not have had the many opportunities that I have been given.  They’ve helped me to make my career successful and satisfying.  I’ve literally lived my Saturday daydreams, playing cowboys and Indians, bank-robbers and rustlers for thirty-five years now.  I am humbled by this Silver Spur Award, and I want to thank y’all.  With hundreds of channels to choose from, I find myself looking back to my faithful Western Channel.  For you see, cowboys truly are my heroes.”

 

For a change of pace, next onstage was Tombstone Tony Redburn performing a remarkable gun-spinning and dancing routine, to Will Smith’s WILD WILD WEST which must be seen to be appreciated, which is why I’m including a link to a previous performance HERE. 
 
 
Tombstone Tony
 

Next onstage was Ben Murphy, who shot to fame in 1971, playing opposite Peter Duel in the delightful ALIAS SMITH AND JONES series.  If you haven’t seen it in a while, you can see the pilot HERE. 

 

Having not seen Murphy in quite some time, I was delighted to see the seventy-year-old actor looking just as he did in the 1970s, except for an elegant head of white hair.  Murphy recounted that when he and Duel were doing the series, they would save the blanks for the takes, and just say ‘Bang!’ for the run-throughs.  But sometimes they would rehearse so much that they’d forget, and say ‘Bang!’ for the takes.  Murphy was there to honor the writer, director and star of the BILLY JACK movies, Tom Laughlin, who was there with his costar and wife of 58 years, Delores Taylor.  “When I was a young actor, Tom Laughlin used to invite me to his home to play tennis, which he did for a lot of us.  And after a day of tennis we would watch films in his home; he was very gracious that way.  And he seems to me to represent that great mythic western cowboy.  The man who comes into town, quiet, but if you push him into a corner, he will fight.  And he will protect those weaker than himself.  Part of that western lore.  And Tom mentally created that in his role as Billy Jack, but as a filmmaker he was an inspiration to a lot of us because he did it his way.  He bucked the system.  He made the picture with his money, his way, and he proved them wrong.  He got it done.  It is my honor: Tom Laughlin.”

 
Delores Taylor, Ben Murphy, Tom Laughlin 
 

He received a tremendous standing ovation. Having not been on the screen in more than three decades, it is startling to see Laughlin as an eighty-year-old man.  But though he appeared frail, and his voice was soft, he had plenty to say.  “Thank you, thank you, thank you.  I really want to, first of all, begin my gratitude by quoting Abraham Lincoln.  ‘All I am, or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.’  I was a very precocious chick, reading in the second grade 6th and 7th grade books.  I read a biography of Lincoln in 7th grade.  And I’m quoting that first line eighty years later.  The reason is, all I’ve ever done, all the luck I’ve had, success I’ve had, I owe to my own dear wife and life partner standing here.  We recently celebrated our 58th wedding anniversary.  And never, in that time for one second did we think of divorce.  Murder, yes, but never divorce. 

 

“I want to thank my good friend Ben for that wonderful, wonderful introduction.  My gratitude to all of you in this society for honoring; but it wasn’t me, it was us.  We have been an unbelievable joined-at-the-hip partnership in everything.  Every movie, every script, every acting (role).”  Delores took the microphone for a few moments and echoed those sentiments.

 
Delores Taylor, Tom Laughlin, Louis Gossett Jr.
 

For the final tribute of the evening, Academy Award winner Louis Gossett Jr.  took the stage to honor Bo Svenson.  Speaking of great actors of the past, Gossett noted, “…there’s a pride in working with the Jack Palances, the Sidney Poitiers, George C. Scotts, the Paul Newmans, the James Deans – they all had one thing in common.  That they wanted to do what they did to perfection.  They were never satisfied.  They work constantly, trying to hone their scenes on a daily basis.  I just witnessed that experience a few weeks ago in Canada, with a young Swedish hockey player, who came to America and (worked on) stage and western film, and captured my attention and respect.  He applies himself on a daily basis.  He asked me to give him this award.  And I agreed, because of his life, because of his art, and because he’s taller than me.  Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Bo Svenson.”     

 
 
Bo Svenson

Mr. Svenson took the stage.  “I didn’t know what to expect from this evening.  As a kid, I always had a dream.  I wanted to come to America.  And here I am.  I spent six years in the Marine Corps.  I’ve been married to Lise since 1966.  I attribute the longevity of that to the fact that I’m absent a lot, and that she has a very poor memory.  So thank you all very much for a, for me, very worthwhile evening.”

 
Dick Jones
 

Strolling around the ballroom I spotted a number of actors who were there not to perform but to enjoy the evening:  Martin Kove, Dan Haggerty, RANGE RIDER and BUFFALO BILL JR. star Dick Jones, Johnny Whitaker, Cliff Emmich, weapons expert Anthony DeLongis, DEADWOOD regular Ralph Richeson. 

 
Anthony DeLongis and Martin Kove
 
 
back row, Clifford Happy, Wilford Brimley, Anne Jeffreys, Delores Taylor,
Bo Svenson, Louis Gossett Jr.; in front, Tom Laughlin, Ben Murphy

 
One of my personal favorites, Tom Cook, who played Little Beaver to Don Barry’s Red Ryder in the Republic serial, directed the event from start to finish.  It was a great evening, and Red Ryder would have been proud.

 
Tommy Cook signed my RED RYDER box!
 

AMERICAN INDIAN ARTS MARKETPLACE AT THE AUTRY

 

November 3rd and 4th, Saturday and Sunday, the Autry will again host over 180 Native American artists – there’s no other show anywhere in Southern California that features this range and volume of Indian art.  Don’t miss it! 

TCM FANATIC - WESTERN NOW ONLINE!

And speaking of TCM (okay, nobody was), have I mentioned that the segment I was interviewed for is now viewable here?






 

THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

Built by cowboy actor, singer, baseball and TV entrepreneur Gene Autry, and designed by the Disney Imagineering team, the Autry is a world-class museum housing a fascinating collection of items related to the fact, fiction, film, history and art of the American West. In addition to their permanent galleries (to which new items are frequently added), they have temporary shows. The Autry has many special programs every week -- sometimes several in a day. To check their daily calendar, CLICK HERE. And they always have gold panning for kids every weekend. For directions, hours, admission prices, and all other information, CLICK HERE.



HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

Across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, this building, once the headquarters of Lasky-Famous Players (later Paramount Pictures) was the original DeMille Barn, where Cecil B. DeMille made the first Hollywoodwestern, The Squaw Man. They have a permanent display of movie props, documents and other items related to early, especially silent, film production. They also have occasional special programs. 2100 Highland Ave., L.A. CA 323-874-2276. Thursday – Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. $5 for adults, $3 for senior, $1 for children.



WELLSFARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

This small but entertaining museum gives a detailed history of Wells Fargo when the name suggested stage-coaches rather than ATMS. There’s a historically accurate reproduction of an agent’s office, an original Concord Coach, and other historical displays. Open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Admission is free. 213-253-7166. 333 S. Grand Street, L.A. CA.





WESTERN ALL OVER THE DIAL



INSP’s SADDLE-UP SATURDAY features a block of rarely-seen classics THE VIRGINIAN and HIGH CHAPARRAL, along with BONANZA and THE BIG VALLEY. On weekdays they’re showing LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, BIG VALLEY, HIGH CHAPARRAL and DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN.



ME-TV’s Saturday line-up includes BRANDED, THE REBEL and THE GUNS OF WILL SONNETT. On weekdays it’s DANIEL BOONE, GUNSMOKE, BONANZA, BIG VALLEY, WILD WILD WEST, and THE RIFLEMAN.



RFD-TV, the channel whose president bought Trigger and Bullet at auction, have a special love for Roy Rogers. They show an episode of The Roy Rogers Show on Sunday mornings, a Roy Rogers movie on Tuesday mornings, and repeat them during the week.



WHT-TV has a weekday afternoon line-up that’s perfect for kids, featuring LASSIE, THE ROY ROGERS SHOW and THE LONE RANGER.



TV-LAND angered viewers by dropping GUNSMOKE, but now it’s back every weekday, along with BONANZA.


And that's it for this week!  And please, if you have any events that you think belong in the Round-up, please let me know!

Happy Trails,

Henry

All Original Material Copyright October 2012 by Henry C. Parke -- All Rights Reserved

 

Suddenly It's Magic, Isn't It?


Filipino moviegoers will sure have a glimpse of the magic between this love team, Thai superstar Mario Maurer and Philippine sweetheart Erich Gonzales in a Star Cinema's first Filipino-Thai romantic comedy film titled as "Suddenly It's Magic."

This movie has an interesting romantic plot, beautiful scenes shot in the Philippines and Thailand, and astonishing international appeal,  "suddenly It's Magic" keeps on rousing strong positive reactions from the public.  Some have even made it a daily topic on social networking sites and newspapers.

The Thai heartthrob will be in Manila beginning Monday, October 29 until the first day of showing of their movie on October 31 just to personally promote it.  Aside from the grand premier night on Tuesday, October 30 at SM Megamall, Mario and Erich will also grace various ABS-CBN shows to promote their film.

This movie is directed by Rory B. Quintos and it tells the story of a Thai superstar Marcus Hanson which was played by Mario, who finds the magic of love in the Philippines, where he meets the heartbroken pastry baker named Joey Hermosa which was played by Erich.  It's quite disturbing with one of their scene.  If you want to know just watch it.

This movie, "Suddenly It's Magic, is the first first film project of Mario Maurer in the Philippines.  So Mario fans better watch this movie.

Aside from Mario and Erich, Suddenly It's Magic is also stars by Joross Gamboa, Kakai, Bautista, Dionne Monsanto, Joy Viado, Guji Lorenzana, Ces Quesada, Dinkee Doo, Jestoni Alarcon, John Lee and Pimchanok Luevisadpaibul.

This movie will hit the big screens nationwide on October 31, 2012.

For more updates about "Suddenly It's Magic," simply visit www.StarCinema.com.ph, http://facebook.com/StarCinema and http://twitter.com/StarCinema.


Hearst Designer Visions: Antony Todd

Getting down to Tribeca from the Upper East Side is always a struggle.  None more so than on Friday when  there were no taxis on the road due to a Muslim holiday and no downtown 6 subway trains due to an investigation.  But the Hearst Designer Visions show house was worth the travel effort. It's always one of my favorite show houses and this year instead of being inspired by a movie, the apartments located in 250 West Street served as sets for the 48 Hour Film Project. The designers involved include Antony Todd for Veranda who I'm featuring first in this post, Matthew Patrick Smythe for Elle Decor, and David Rockwell for House Beautiful.  You may have already seen David's design in the November 2012 issue of House Beautiful on stands now.  The others will be published soon. 

The most amazing part of these spaces are the "muses" that are created to inspire each space.  Hearst starts the story off but works in conjunction with each designer so that each space is designed for a very specific "client". 

The Veranda apartment designed by Antony Todd is "the only family residence, with the family having recently relocated from the Upper East Side to Tribeca. The high school aged son loves to hang out in his new neighborhood, which his friends think is much cooler than uptown. His mother works in finance and secures funding for luxury brands. She has taken over the master bedroom closet with her collection of Badgley Mischka, one of her top clients. Her loving husband, who is in marketing, keeps his clothes in another closet elsewhere in the apartment." 

The closet which is sometimes dead space in a show house was personally styled by Mark Badgley and James Mischka of Badgley Mischka. Talk about chic! 

Antony Todd


Antony Todd said as soon as he saw the apartment he thought "downtown loft". It's filled with new pieces he designed and vintage treasures from his shop on East 11th Street. Once I post the other two apartments, you'll be surprised how they each chose a similar color palette of grey tones punctuated by a pop of color.  In Antony's case, it was fuchsia and raspberry. The darker walls are Night Shade by Benjamin Moore.

Armless sofa is by Lee Industries

The French chairs and stools are upholstered in fabric by Dedar

I always love art leaning against walls on the floor. 

The Pattaya Summer jute rug from Merida anchors the sitting area. 

Large scale paintings by artist Thomas Fougeirol are featured throughout the apartment.

Antony Todd said that he wanted a space that looked collected from travels abroad not decorated. 



The building at 250 West Street has amazing windows and views of the Hudson River.  Unfortunately, there was still scaffolding outside on Friday. 

The telescope was a nice touch. 

You know I don't love open kitchens but the Jenn-Air kitchen works in this downtown loft. 



I thought they had used antiqued mirror on the back wall of the kitchen but they are actually tiles from Ann Sacks


Antony Todd used mirrors around the main living area and they reflect the light and river views beautifully. 



This room could have been a third bedroom or guestroom but here it serves as a cozy media room.  

The wall color is Silver Fox by Benjamin Moore







The son's bedroom is painted in Blue Danube by Benjamin Moore



The master bedroom is a serene oasis. 

The wall color is Silver Fox by Benjamin Moore. 




The drapery fabric is from Dedar. 




The closet was designed by California Closets and features a lovely finish called Italian Pietra and features leather lined drawers. 

Love the display for a gorgeous Badgley Mischka gown. 

It's actually the Circa 1970 Lighted Easel from Restoration Hardware.  I would never have thought of using it for a dress but it's perfect for displaying anything beautiful.

Badgley Mischka accessories. 

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic
(click to enlarge)