Among the things for which I'm most grateful to my parents is my fascination with current events, and my vivid connection with the historical occasions that have occurred in my lifetime. This started when I was a very small boy and my mother set up our new television set in the family room while she ironed. In my playpen I would be mesmerized by the Dorsey Brothers, Arthur Godfrey, Miss Frances ("Ding Dong School") Kate Smith and other entertainers of the early '50s. However, what I remember watching most vividly were the Army-McCarthy hearings in the spring of 1954.




My mother and father were Eisenhower Republicans, but they had no affinity for extremists, and they thought that Sen. Joe McCarthy of Wisconsin was dangerous and out of control. So virtually from the cradle I was swept up in the political winds of the time, and I've been navigating them ever since.

I recall all of this now because we are approaching the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery march -- a historical event that is as vivid in my memory as if it had occurred yesterday. Thanks to television, the entire civil rights era is part of my personal history, even though my middle class white family never participated in a demonstration. But we were part of it all. Every American alive in the 1960s was, no matter what position you took. I am proud of my parents' views, and how they guided me.

I recently attended a matinee of Selma, the new film by Ava DuVernay about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s leadership in the voting rights effort in Alabama in the winter of 1965. Ms. DuVernay caught it all, including the scenes of horrified white families across the nation watching the brutality of Alabama police wielding clubs, bullwhips, ax handles and teargas to beat back peaceful black demonstrators attempting to cross the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma. In March 1965, I put a map of Alabama on the bulletin board in my bedroom and pressed pins into the spots where the freedom marchers stood. Then on that Sunday afternoon, when they were scattered like so many cats, I pulled the pins out, one by one, and placed every pin in Selma. Downtown.

Segregation never made sense to me. In the 1950s, my family traveled through the South several times, almost always by car or train, and the designation of separate public accommodations for whites and blacks seemed unfair and downright stupid. A couple of occasions I recall vividly: In 1956, when I was five, our family drove to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins who had moved to Mobile, Alabama. Once we reached the "Heart of Dixie," as Alabama's license plates used to describe the state, even a five year old stopping at a rest room or at a Stuckey's could see that there were duplicates of most things. Two drinking fountains. Two sets of rest rooms. Even at one Stuckey's two sets of rest rooms and two sets of snack bars. Already puzzled, then outraged, by inequalithy, I decided that I would drink from the "colored" fountain. I marched up to it, and stood on tiptoe to get a cool sip. I don't remember how my parents drew me away from it, but they did after I had a long drink, and I recall the steely eyes of people hanging around the cash register watching it all. Why on earth did it matter that this little boy from way up north in Louisville had a sip of water from this fountain?

The next summer, we went to New Orleans for a few days and had room service in our hotel, the beautiful Monteleone in the French Quarter. The waiters set up a table with linens in the room, and I innocently asked my mother why all the waiters in New Orleans were black. I was whisked into the next room in the suite and gently but firmly told that it embarrassed the waiters for me to notice their race, and that I wasn't to mention it. I felt a deep shame and have never forgotten it. But I think that much of that shame was a reflection of my basic sense of unfairness. Why should I be served, and why should they serve me?

Little children see things more clearly than their elders. They always have, and I expect they always will. Let us move forward through the '50s. My family witnessed the integration of Little Rock schools on television, and watched with pleasure when President Eisenhower ordered troops to keep the students safe. Dr. King came to Louisville and was interviewed by WHAS' top personality of the time, Phyllis Knight, on her daily program, "Small Talk." My mother insisted I sit in front of the television and listen to him. "He is a great man," she said. And indeed he was. I can still hear the cadence of his voice, remember the clarity of his eyes, and see the gentle movement of his lips.

My experience must have been much the same as other kids in those days. Fortunately, Louisville was a more tolerant city racially than other places further south. We had two newspapers -- The Courier-Journal and The Louisville Times -- that preached integration and equality, and by the time I was ten or so, I was reading them both every day. Nothing captured my attention more than the vivid, liberal editorial cartoons by Hugh Haynie. I still believe that his cartoons on race were the best of the time, and were crucial in the nation's change of heart. But the ugliness was all around me.

So now we come to 1965. We had gone through the Kennedy Assassination. We had seen the Vietnam War explode. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, with strong Republican Party support (they were still the party of Lincoln), and right wing candidate Barry Goldwater was buried in an historic landslide. It seemed as if the tide truly had turned, and that justice in its most fundamental sense, would be achieved.

In 1965 I was a freshman at Seneca High School in Louisville, taking difficult advance-course subjects like Earth Science, English and French. I was still diminutive and a terrible athlete, although I was finding my way as a runner on the track. To this day, I thank the newspapers of Louisville, TV stations like WHAS, the networks of ABC, NBC and most of all CBS, the Sunday New York Times (we could receive it two days late at Readmore Card Shop in Fourth Street - the daily Times wouldn't be available except by mail until 1979), and the sumptuous national magazines (Time, Newsweek, Look, Life and The Saturday Evening Post) for bringing the world into my home and my consciousness.

Just a couple events of that winter and spring, 50 years ago, clearly remain in my mind. The first was the struggle over voting rights. I firmly believed that every American had a right to vote and it didn't make any difference if you were black, white, or any other color. I believed it was wrong for the white people to think they were superior to the black people, or the Asians or the Germans (we still had a bit of that left over from World War II). It really doesn't matter what I, a rather nerdy early teenager in Louisville, Ky., believed. The nation was changing, and fortunately, they were believing it too.

Dr. King was not a perfect man, and like other great people (President Obama, Eleanor Roosevelt, FDR, John F. Kennedy, Hillary Clinton, Abraham Lincoln, etc.) he had his flaws. But he also had a dream. A perfectly normal dream: That every little child born in this country should have a right to the same opportunities as every other little child born in this country. That was what my parents taught me, and I firmly believed it. I think that it is what Dr. King's parents taught him. And what he and Coretta Scott King told their children. That is what I taught my own children.

The days and weeks of early 1965 were truly astonishing. The Alabama police, whose behavior were no less brutal than the Cossacks of Tsarist Russia, were televised for all to see. And their heinous acts were repudiated. They were greeted with screams, tears and covered eyes, in my family's kitchen with pink appliances and Betty Crocker cookbooks, and in the homes of Senators and Congressmen and leaders all across the country. And all of the rest of the people who had pink appliances and Betty Crocker cookbooks.

This, I think, is the backdrop of Selma. No, my parents never marched or protested. I was pulled away from a "colored" drinking fountain and told not to question the segregated conduct of waiters in the Old South. We stopped eating at the Blue Boar downtown because of the demonstrations, but we faithfully patronized the branches at Gardiner Lane and The Mall, because they were convenient. No demonstrations there.

Convenience. The older I grow, the more I think that prejudice of all varieties survives because of convenience. It isn't always painless to deal with bigotry, or neglect, or abuse. It isn't pleasant to watch four darling little girls, full of joy, walk down the stairs of their church on their way to Sunday School, only to be blown into pieces in 1963.

No, it's shocking. Stunning to our core. And that is why Selma must be required viewing for everyone, and why the events 50 years ago must be studied, relived, and remembered. For many of you, it's not part of your past. For me, and my generation, it certainly is our past. And it is our present, and the future we must work to change.

This is quite the event: Bill Gates, ultra-billionaire brains behind Microsoft and perhaps the Nerd King, making his debut appearance on the Nerdist podcast. Host Chris Hardwick and his two co-hosts Jonah Ray and Matt Mira, are granted a 40-minute audience with Gates, somewhere in the bowels of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation HQ in Seattle. The occasion was the recent release of the Foundations annual "Letter" -- a humanitarian manifesto of sorts that spells out difficulties in the world, the Gates' plans to thwart those problems.



"But is this comedy?", you say aloud, to no one in particular. Sometimes comedy is where you find it and where it lies in this interview is that the appearance is clearly set up for Bill to get word out about the Letter. Hardwick and friends are just as determined to lure their guest into talking about the early days of the PC and all the trappings. At one point, some PR flack interrupts to make sure the interview is going to get back to the information in the Letter. From there on out, the humor comes in knowing Hardwick is going to slip in as many of his questions as he can before he feels obligated to get back to the subject at hand.

And they do cover a lot of ground on both fronts. Gates waxes reminiscent about revving up the Microsoft machine with Paul Allen, learning to make characters on a screen be more than just letters and numbers, and how to trick fonts into having more resolution than they were supposed to have. In between, he paints broad stroke details about how the Gates Foundation works with companies, laboratories and individuals to bring change to third world countries, working to eliminate disease, starvation, and ignorance.

Hardwick cleverly draws his guest into pointing out the parallels (and differences) between pioneering high tech advances and fixing the world's ills.

After Bill splits the scene, Hardwick welcomes two Gates Foundation folks in -- Jay Wenger, director of the Gates Foundation's polio eradication efforts; and Julie Sunderland, director of program-related investments.

It's hardly a laugh-a-minute show, but there are some grins and -- what the heck -- you could actually learn something.

--

Also listening to: Pretend Wizards: Midwife Wrestling, and We Have Concerns: Leaf It Alone

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Portions of this review originally posted as part of This Week In Comedy Podcasts on Splitsider.com.

"Oh, dear -- I'm not wearing the right shoes for this!" were the first words Barbra Streisand ever said to me. And I fell in love, as I knew I would.

Exactly 10 years ago I was one of two "civilians" invited to One&Only Palmilla, the luxury resort in Los Cabos, Mexico, to help surprise John Travolta for his 50th birthday with a weekend-long celebration that had megawatt co-hosts Oprah Winfrey, Tom Cruise and Barbra Streisand leading the celebrity-filled festivities. The resort welcomed Tony Bennett, Sean Penn, Meg Ryan, Robin Williams, Sylvester Stallone (whom I overheard ask a bartender "How do you say 'tequila' in Spanish?"), Kirstie Alley, Quincy Jones, Natalie Cole, Gayle King (the best airplane companion and dance partner), Carly Simon, Cal Ripken, Jr., Buzz Aldrin, Laura Dern, Forest Whitaker and on and on and on -- an impossibly dense galaxy of superstars -- and me. It was quite the weekend.

At the culmination of the remarkable activities was an all-star concert (Tony Bennett, José Feliciano, Roberta Flack, Natalie Cole, Patti Austin), but the highlight of the weekend was a heartfelt "happy birthday" serenade from Streisand, who did the honors from her seat at the head table. I remember looking around and seeing the overwhelming joy on all of those famous faces as Barbra sang sweetly. Her voice was perfection (yes, like buttah) and Travolta's overtly emotional and tearful reaction gave everyone else license to get a bit verklempt as well. It was a very Hollywood moment -- perhaps THE Hollywood moment -- and it was epically unforgettable.

As the concert wrapped, dance music blasted and no one seemed ready for this night to end, including Oprah, Cruise and the birthday boy. As Streisand and her dapper husband, actor James Brolin, stood up, they were encouraged to join in and so they did. As Streisand turned around, I was right in front of her dancing to Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and for a glorious 90 seconds or so, the most famous, the most talented, the most intoxicating human being any of us in that room full of stars had ever seen was dancing with me, a Cuban kid from the suburbs of Miami. Oh, yeah, it was a very good weekend, indeed.

A few months later, I found myself in the presence of another vocally gifted icon, my all-time favorite singer, Donna Summer, at a very intimate, late-night gathering in the stunning home of Denise Rich on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Rich, who's an accomplished songwriter, invited friends Natalie Cole, James Ingram, Quincy Jones, Kenny "Babyface" Edmunds, Donna Summer and her husband, Bruce Sudano to an impromptu stand around the piano sing-along. Q and Babyface sat side-by-side at the piano as the stars took turns singing different Beatles classics. We had a good time that night.

Later that evening I had the chance to curl up on the sofa and speak with Summer for hours to culminate yet another head exploding highlight of my life. She told me all about working with Streisand when they recorded their chart-topping, diva anthem, "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)." Summer smiled ear-to-ear recalling the details of the recording session. Summer told me that it was Streisand's son, Jason, who made his mom say yes to do the song because Summer was his favorite singer, a sentiment I certainly relate to. But, then, Donna Summer said this: "Richard, I don't think anyone will ever quite understand the overwhelming talent, the breath control, the power, the genius that makes Barbra, Barbra. People can call her a legend or a superstar and all of that, but it somehow falls way short. What Barbra Streisand represents is simply the very best we have ever seen. Ever."

With another huge smile, Summer then tells me how she fell off a stool in the recording studio as the new friends tried to keep up with each other, note for note, on the vocally-challenging song. When Summer stumbled to the ground laughing, Streisand smiled at her as if to say, "At least I didn't fall!" Summer said she loved every second of it. I believed her.

I've been thinking a lot about Barbra Streisand lately as -- incredibly -- the legend is once again in the thick of today's conversation of current pop culture (more on that in a moment). Here's where I'll happily go out on a limb: Barbra Streisand is the world's last superstar still with us who's not only a great singer, talented actress, ground-breaking director, passionate activist, generous philanthropist, but who's also aware, curious, awake right now in this decade and who's not merely resting on her jaw-dropping successes she's achieved. In short, Barbra Streisand still matters.

For the uninitiated, Streisand is the only artist in history to receive an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony (the coveted EGOT), but also a Directors Guild Of America, Golden Globe, National Medal Of Arts, Peabody, France's Légion d'honneur, the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award and a Kennedy Center Honors designation. Oh, but there's more. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Funny Girl and for Best Original Song for "Evergreen" from A Star Is Born. She was also nominated for Best Actress for The Way We Were and as a director, Streisand's three films have received 14 Oscar nominations. The Brooklyn native has also won ten Grammy Awards including a Lifetime Achievement Award and a Legends Award.

Partners, her most recent album that was released in 2014, is Streisand's 33rd album to make it into the Top 10 on Billboard's US charts. She's the only female artist to achieve that milestone (tying with Frank Sinatra and trailing only the Rolling Stones). But Partners did a lot more than that. Here's how Billboard heralded the historic news: "It's official, Barbra Streisand's Partners has entered the Billboard 200 chart at number one, making her the only recording artist in history to have a number one release in six consecutive decades. Streisand is the best-selling female recording artist in history. She is the only woman to make the All-Time Top 10 Best Selling Artists list. She also now has the longest span of number one albums in history: 50 years. She first landed at the top of the chart in 1964 with People."

But what makes Streisand the last superstar is that she has outlived the other two supernovas of her generation -- Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor. Only Sinatra, Taylor and Streisand have captivated the world so completely in unprecedented fashion. We cared about all of the intimate details of Sinatra's, Taylor's and Streisand's lives -- and all three had the talent to back up the fascination. They had legit chops. And the world couldn't get enough.

Though Tony Bennett is currently enjoying a late-in-life career boost from his impressive collaboration with the incredibly talented Lady Gaga, and Bennett is undeniably a master of musical interpretation, he's never been a true vocal powerhouse, certainly not in the Streisand conversation. Other stars that get some votes for legitimate heir apparent status to eventually (maybe) assume Streisand's mantle -- Madonna, Beyoncé, Jennifer López -- all incredible divas to be sure, but all have a long way to go before they receive the universal praise for so many aspects of a full creative life. The singing, yes; but the acting, the directing, the activism, the humanity: It takes more than a pretty voice and marketing savvy to become Barbra Streisand's successor. A lot more.

When I first started to really pay attention to Streisand when I was a kid it was during her curly-haired, rock 'n' roll phase of "Stoney End" and A Star Is Born. But it wasn't until I discovered the treasure trove that the 1960s Streisand held -- particularly Funny Girl with the three incredible anthems "People," "Don't Rain On My Parade" and "My Man" -- that I knew I was to become a Streisand devotee for the entirety of my life.

Interestingly, I've always noticed a recurring theme in her many movies that at first bothered me, but I've come to look forward to as if I was the only one who ever made the connection. I felt it was a sort of Streisand's and my personal link via celluloid. In role after role (and I believe I've seen all of her films), Streisand's characters have to be pursued romantically, reminded how beautiful they are, how much they're desired sexually. Though these attributes could be true of any leading lady in the history of Hollywood, there's something a bit more pronounced, edgier, less nuanced about the beauty-affirming declarations Streisand's characters require. Here's what I think: Since her mother never nurtured or coddled the young Streisand or even told her she was "pretty," (something every mother should be required by law to tell all of their children), Streisand sought aesthetic affirmation elsewhere. I would, too.

But here's the thing I find truly fascinating: Even in her pursuit to be the object of desire, Streisand never changed her appearance (her nose belongs in the Smithsonian, it's such a national treasure) displaying a strength of character and intestinal fortitude that would serve her well as she battled the naysayers and bullies in her passionate pursuits. She wanted to be sexy, sure, but on her terms--the ultimate feminist. She was courageous in her convictions, but human, with understandable insecurities after all. I loved her even more for it.

So what is the essence of Barbra Streisand? What makes her Barbra Streisand? She just wants it more than anyone else. As she told The New York Times, "People kept asking me, 'How can you hold a note so long?' I never thought about it. I held it because I wanted to."

Boom! That's confidence, people. That's real talent. That's why there will never be another Barbra Streisand. And that's why, ladies and gentlemen, Barbra Streisand's the very last superstar. Like buttah.

Never before seen images of Barbra Streisand below.

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At the end of the day I often unwind by climbing in bed to watch a missed TV show on my iPad. Recently I was dozing off when I came across the trailer for a new ABC show set to debut on February 10, 2015. And it woke me up.

Fresh Off the Boat is a half-hour sitcom that continues the network's seemingly grand plan to redefine family life 2.0. Shows like Modern Family convinced us that a family takes many forms. More recently, Black-ish brings us an update on what some of today's African American family may look like.

America is long overdue for a series featuring Asian characters and this new show will only succeed if viewers recognize that Eddie Huang's true story of growing up already happened. Today, the cultural divide is real but the show's stereotypical jokes seem dated, or should be. In many parts of the United States, the racial divide remains the reality. And in that case, only those people are going to laughing.

The show is based on Eddie Huang's 2013 memoir of the same name and his own show on Vice.com that is now cancelled. The title worked when Huang (pronounced "Wong") narrated his own story about the trials and tribulations he experienced growing up Asian with immigrant Taiwanese parents in white America. But for decades, FOB (the acronym for "fresh off the boat") has been a derogatory term for Asians who arrive in the U.S. -uninitiated, unpopular, and ultimately, unwanted.

Generally the term, "fresh off the boat" refers to the immigrant experience from Asia: your parents speak broken English if at all, you don't have any non-Asian friends, and you embody the essence of nerdy ... studious, quiet ... and for FOB guys, minimal testosterone. The real Huang is anything but.

As a Chinese-American, I want this show to succeed but even if I weren't offended, I don't find it funny. And I wonder if the rest of America will.

In one scene, the main character, Eddie, shows up at the school cafeteria with a container of chow mein (for the uninitiated, that's pronounced "men" not "main") noodles and the white boys at the table scream, "Eew ... worms!" after which Eddie tells his parents, "I need white people lunch." It's ok to recognize the different foods of various cultures but does it have to do so by dissing a bowl of noodles? Can't the writers make food jokes that are not at the expense of a popular Asian staple? Why not a pig joke about a ham sandwich? Pork is a staple of Chinese cuisine too but is also ubiquitous in other cultures.

In another scene, Eddie's teacher can't pronounce his Chinese name so the affable main character replies, "Just call me Eddie." - but not before the so-called joke is made.

Huang is definitely irreverent and that's what creates the edge and makes his story so interesting. On using the derogatory term, "chink" in the show, Huang told TIME,
"I never, never once thought about not using the word, because that was the word that was said to me. And there's no other word that will get the reaction that that word got out of me."

The problem is that many people who aren't Asian don't even realize that "chink" is the equivalent of the "n-word." Maybe in 2015, Chinese-Americans and this show will flip it around and "chink" will become like the "n-word" -still hurtful to many but sometimes used by Black people themselves these days. Perhaps capitalizing on phrases and portrayals of prejudice is how we come to own them.

ABC's writers, at least in the show's trailers, continue to perpetuate Asian stereotypes even if these situations really did happen in Huang's past. The Huang's curl their hair to display "a look of success," i.e. the standard of acceptance is to be white. It's supposed to be funny but would it be funny if a Caucasian person wore an Afro hairstyle to indicate he's a good dancer? Isn't that why "black face" depictions are disturbing? Would you call a new show about Hispanic immigrants, "Wetback"?

Another scene strengthens the stereotype that Asians are consumed with money when the Huang's threaten to sue the school then immediately offers the principal a coupon to come to their restaurant. Again, this is funny?

Actor Randall Park who plays Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in the controversial film, "The Interview," plays a loving but somewhat ridiculous and father figure in Fresh Off the Boat. Eddie Huang's description of the character as "neutered" is dead on. In an interview Park says, "To my surprise, almost to my disbelief, the network and the studio are very conscious of not offending [Asian-Americans] and not going there, to those easy places that they often go to, especially for this project."

Eddie's mother played by American actress Constance Wu must fake a Chinese accent throughout the show. It hurt my ears even more when I heard Wu speaking in her normal, unbroken, smooth-as-silk English during a TV interview.

Norman Lear's Good Times, the 1970's comedy series about a black family living in a Chicago housing project was taped in front of a live audience and had its actors speak with stereotypical "double negatives" on occasion. Did African Americans laugh? The family in Fresh Off the Boat is a group of caricatures that ignores the majority of Asian-American families who defy those stereotypes and act as "American" as those of European descent.

When I was growing up, Asians on the big and little screens had two roles. Asian men were either villains or house servants. Asian women were either exotic innocents or house servants. I remember writing to producer Darren Star when he debuted, Melrose Place, a TV drama about the love lives of a young, beautiful group of friends in Los Angeles. I wanted to know why there were no Asian tenants at the popular apartment complex even though so many Asians live in L.A. I never received an answer.

In the new show, little Eddie played by Hudson Yang states, "My American dream is to fit in."

The real Eddie Huang grew up and succeeded by taking his own path. That's the point and that's where I hope Fresh Off the Boat will chart its course. Huang's evolution from a boy seeking his identity to a successful restaurateur and pop culture foodie celebrity who dresses like a rap artist comprises the tale of a new kind of American dream.

In an interview with Amazon, Huang described his book, "It's about the complexity of being an individual--about finding love in family, in friends, in food, in music and culture, and a million other surprising places, and figuring out how to bring all that together inside of you. It's about learning to be fearless, but it's also about the cost of those lessons and the literal and psychic violence you encounter when you try to break free."

According to IMDB, there are no Chinese people, American or otherwise, on the series' first episode's directing or writing team. It shows. In a recent interview in Vulture, Eddie Huang said he isn't completely happy with the show's direction but his observation nails it:

"This show isn't about me, nor is it about Asian America. The network won't take that gamble right now. You can't flash an ad during THE GAME with some chubby Chinese kid running across the screen talking shit about spaceships and Uncle Chans in 2014 because America has no reference. The only way they could even mention some of the stories in the book was by building a Trojan horse and feeding the pathogenic stereotypes that still define us to a lot of American cyclope. Randall was neutered, Constance was exoticized, and Young Eddie was urbanized so that the viewers got their mise-en-place. People watching these channels have never seen us, and the network's approach to pacifying them is to say we're all the same. Sell them pasteurized network television with East Asian faces until they wake up intolerant of their own lactose, and hit 'em with the soy. Baking soya, I got baking soya!"

Fresh Off the Boat could be funny if you can step back and laugh at the stereotypes, how ridiculous they are, and how the real Eddie Huang's childhood reflects the ignorance that is prejudice ... but I fear too many viewers will take the jokes at face value.

FOX's new show, Empire, chronicles a family feuding in the hip-hop world. Terrence Howard plays Lucious Lyon, the patriarch of the clan, and the music alone makes the show worth checking out. But the other day, an African American twenty something working at Costco was talking to his coworker and said, "Man, I watched that new show Empire, and as soon as I heard the main character (played by Tarjai P. Henson) was named 'Cookie' I knew I couldn't watch it."

The cultural divide between Huang's family and the new world he tries to negotiate
may have been real for the real Eddie Huang but in 2015, the timing is all wrong.
When I was a kid, Asians were either FOB (fresh off the boat) or ABC (American-born Chinese). Being ABC was cool. Today, we must also recognize the ordinary and extraordinary accomplishments of new immigrants.

NYPD Officer Wenjian Liu, born in China and killed Dec. 20 in a retaliatory response to police brutality in the U.S. is the kind of immigrant story that needs telling. Liu told a local Brooklyn merchant, as reported in the New York Times, "I know that being a cop is dangerous but I must do it ... If I don't do it and you don't do it, then who is going to do it?"

Some may argue that I'm being too serious and advise me to "lighten up" but in an age when there is a national dialogue about diversity and equality in America, shedding light through comedy must be smart, not superficial.

My husband who is Caucasian says the show is about bringing an Asian American family into America's living rooms in hopes that America will come to love this family. From his perspective, he disliked Honey Boo Boo because he thought the reality show portrayed and perpetuated how much of the rest of the world views Americans -negatively. He would like to see a sitcom about a Muslim family with roots in the Middle East.

The show's producers are betting enough viewers will laugh and keep tuning in to Fresh Off the Boat. In the end, mass media should celebrate our differences. Eddie Huang sums it up best:

"Network television never offered the epic tale highlighting Asian America's coming of age; they offered to put orange chicken on TV for 22 minutes a week instead of Salisbury steak ... and I'll eat it; I'll even thank them, because if you're high enough, orange chicken ain't so bad."

"Jesus loves you," Marilyn Manson deadpans to an audience member at New York City's Terminal 5. The Antichrist Superstar, legally named Brian Warner, is currently embarking on the "Hell Not Hallelujah" tour with the band carrying his stage namesake and seems far removed from the disaster he'd become. In the past year, he's starred in "Sons of Anarchy," provided the theme song for "Salem," released "The Pale Emperor" to the best reviews the band has received in over a decade and is currently putting on a stage show that wouldn't have been possible two years ago.

What caused the shift? Sobriety. Manson recently opened up about his attempts to get in better shape, but it seems he's underplaying the extent of his lifestyle changes. The results are blindingly apparent. While he may not be slipping back into shapely glam gowns in the near future, he no longer looks unhealthy. The menacing life is back in his eyes.

He finally seems aware of the audience demographics too. Marilyn Manson fans are no longer disaffected teenagers and haven't been for some time. Children, seniors and clean-cut couples were all among the crowd that included the usual suspects. None of the members of Unlocking the Truth, the hyper-talented opening act, are even old enough to attend an R-rated movie alone.

From the start of Manson's set, the self-proclaimed "God of Fuck" seemed in on the joke of his continued existence, caricaturizing his image and referencing everything from the fear he used to induce to his relative harmlessness now as a sobered-up statesman of rock. He sashayed with his trenchcoat, flailed ironically on the floor, began "The Dope Show" by announcing he was over drugs and would toss out a "Fuck Jesus!" or related blasphemy every so often, just so no one worried he'd forgotten to be Marilyn Manson. After all, embodying "chaos" is his self-stated primary goal.



Elaborate set pieces and angry screeds against religion were traded for casual conversation about his old life in New York and gleefully profane jokes. The result is a more confident presentation than his posturing ever was. This new schtick, Marilyn Manson having fun, is certainly more subversive than a 46-year-old man continuing to rip up bibles for a secularized culture that would barely bat an eyelash.

The evolution of the entire Manson experience, from cathartic '90s rage to the black comedy of today, found its distillation near the show's end. Riling the audience for one of the band's signature tracks ("The Irresponsible Hate Anthem"), Manson yelled to the crowd, "What do we hate?!" A concertgoer nearby, clearly high, screamed, "WE HATE GOD!" before going into a frenzy of violent convulsions. The folks around her were clearly unimpressed, stepping aside while she flailed alone.

The band's maturity was represented well in the musical presentation of its older work. Rather than attempting to match album versions of industrial tracks alongside more overtly rock fare, the current line-up found a consistent, grounded groove that made the transition between genres feel natural. And while Warner is hardly the epitome of vocal prowess, he stayed engaged and got his banshee wail back on-point. The night's only misstep was the continued inclusion of "Sweet Dreams," which hasn't been in Manson's range for a long time and comes off forced.

Assaulting hits like "mOBSCENE" and "Disposable Teens" remain standouts, but no one could have predicted the band's current move toward bluesy menace would be so successful. The grim, rockabilly sound of "The Pale Emperor" suits live performances incredibly well and sits in Manson's deeper vocal register much more comfortably than his earlier work.

By night's end, a satisfied crowd exited with smiles on their faces. Marilyn Manson had clearly found a renewed energy and relevance.

And they finished rocking well before 11 p.m. curfew. Even Satan needs some shut-eye these days.

Electronic music is evolving from the soundtrack of a party to the soundtrack of a generation. Producer and DJ, Michal Menert, creates tracks that take you on a journey where a colorful story unfolds. His passion for music was passed to him from his father who played drums in a small Polish psych-rock band. Born in Poland but growing up in Colorado with Derek Vincent Smith of Pretty Lights, the two recognized their musical chemistry and have been creating ever since. There is no doubt that Michal Menert is bending genres, fusing elements of funk, trip hop, hip hop, soul and space jazz with his sparkling electronic beats. In this exclusive interview, we learn about Michal's goals, projects, record label, hobbies, and even his favorite color:

Morena: Your sonic landscapes tell a story. If your inspirations were the characters and you were the omniscient narrator, how would you tell this story?

Michal: I would send the characters on an emotional rollercoaster ride through misadventure, pushing them to the brink of giving up before bringing out the sun from behind the clouds.

Morena: Word of a Michal Menert Trio has been spreading. Who comprises this trio and how was this project formed?

Michal: The trio is comprised of AC Lao on drums, Marcelo Moxy on electric and synth bass, and myself on MPC and musical accompaniment. This trio evolved from my live shows with AC and my long standing friendship with Marcelo. It was a natural fit and feels great when we're together.

Morena: Your newest album Space Jazz is coming out in March of this year. What can we expect from this album?

Michal: A dense album with a lot of emotion and magic packed into it. I'm excited because it's the most I've ever evolved a set of songs, over the course of 2 years, adding and replacing pieces and building it as cohesive as I can.

Morena: What is your favorite shape and color right now?

Michal: Circle and neon grey.

Morena: You have become deeply immersed in the ever-growing festival community. Do you have any upcoming shows you are excited about? What is your favorite festival to play and are there any that you wish to play?

Michal: I'm very excited about Gem & Jam, and my run through Colorado in March playing intimate rooms. There's a handful of festivals I would love to be at, like Electric Forest, Sonic Bloom, and CounterPoint. In general I love festivals because of the opportunity to reach a new audience and pull them into my world.

Morena: Tell me about your label, Super Best Records. What are your goals for 2015?

Michal: My goals for this year are to continue the push into challenging territory, to build and overcome obstacles and have fun making music with friends. Super Best is set to have a great year of back to back great releases. I'm excited to build with the people I love.

Morena: Your meteoric musical success is taking you on a grand adventure. Aside from music, do you have any other hobbies, passions or fantasies?

Michal: I love painting, cooking, and biking. Great releases of frustration and stress that pair well with the long and winding path of working on a song.


Check out Michal's music and learn more about the brain behind the sounds:

Website: http://menertmusic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michalmenert
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michal_Menert
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/michalmenert
Super Best Records: http://www.superbestrecords.co/super-roster/michal-menert/

Photo by Robyn Beck


The film Fifty Shades of Grey is coming out on Valentine's Day and we're all excited to see it, because it's so naughty, so sexy, so erotic, right? Um, right? 

There are a lot of people who would rather get a good spanking than a box of chocolates for Valentine's Day and I'm all for that. The problem I have with Fifty Shades of Grey is that it's BDSM for Dummies, it's BDSM Lite. (I don't want to jump on the bandwagon with those who call it "Mommy Porn," because I think mommies deserve good porn as much as anyone else.)

The book sold over 100 million copies worldwide, proof that the people who bought it -- mostly women -- are turned on and intrigued by the power dynamics involved in BDSM (bondage, disciple, sadomasochism.) That's a great thing!  And the book does open up a forum for discussion of BDSM within mainstream conversation, BUT it isn't really about BDSM. It's just a bad Harlequin romance novel that reinforces antifeminist stereotypes of gender in a conventional and conservative story between a controlling man and an amenable girl. Don't get me wrong, a good Harlequin romance can provide strong female role models, hot fantasy scenarios or romantic escapism, but Fifty Shades is more than a few shades short of that.

For those of you who haven't yet endured the punishment of reading the book, I'll save you some time. Our protagonist, Anastasia Steele, is a naive college student with an elementary school vocabulary who falls for Christian Grey, a rich asshole with amazing hair and blazing eyes. Grey is a control freak who says that if she wants him to be her boyfriend she has to sign a contract where she agrees to eat what he says, exercise when he says and dress as he commands. She must also live under the constant threat of pain as punishment, and be sexually available to him at all times. I know... a couple of red flags. But did I mention the amazing hair? Meanwhile, Anastasia just wants a vanilla (conventional) relationship, with maybe a touch of naughtiness. Then there is chapter after chapter of eye-rolling and lip-biting and holy cows and by the end of book neither Grey or Steele get what they want. I only know that by the time I finished it, I wanted to punch this book in the face.

Fifty Shades doesn't explore BDSM as a potentially meaningful, consensual sexual practice to the individual or collective female experience. Rather, the book keeps the taboo in kink with the misconception that a person must be really messed up (abused) to explore this erotic practice. It also doesn't explore the beauty and the power of submission, nor does it touch on the harder elements of BDSM play.

True BDSM is a consensual role-play experience where both parties negotiate and agree to act out specific erotic desires in a safe context. There are a variety of activities, fantasies, and fetishes that are explored, but there are specific rules in place to keep things safe, sane, and consensual, or risk aware. And unlike Fifty Shades, real BDSM can be very, very fun.
 
However, Fifty Shades of Grey has some value for me as a domme. 

I currently use the book in sessions as a torture device. Very bad slaves have to read the book aloud and act out scenes. One of my slaves pleaded for me to stop the pain, offering to receive 100 strokes of the cane if he could just stop reading.  Another used his safe word and willingly gave up a year's salary to me to "end this horrific task."  So, my inner goddess thanks you, E.L. James, for 500 pages of pure torment. 
 
Fifty Shades of Grey doesn't offer a glimpse into the authentic world of BDSM, which is more beautiful and disturbing than anything portrayed in the book. We'll see if the film offers any more insight into what I know is a complex and fascinating world. But you'd have to tie me up to make me sit through it.

__

Mistress Trinity works as a professional dominatrix in Los Angeles. She has a Master's degree in Philosophy and her academic work focused on a woman's ability to consent to violence in a sexual context. Her thesis was entitled "A Pro-Sex Feminist Defense Of Consent to BDSM."
 
She is currently developing a TV show called "Kink", which explores the kinky lifestyle as well as the kinks in life.

In the unlikely event that Hollywood were to bestow an award for "Best Researcher on Sexism in the Industry," Martha Lauzen would take top prize. For 17 years, the San Diego State University professor has published an annual study called "The Celluloid Ceiling," which tracks the behind-the-scenes employment of women on the top 250 films released each year. The results aren't pretty. Dr. Lauzen's 2014 research indicates that only 17 percent of powerful roles (think director, writer, producer) are held by females -- a figure that hasn't changed since her research began in 1998.

As part of our ongoing Women in Hollywood project, we asked Dr. Lauzen about the lack of opportunities for women, how to fix the problem and whether she ever gets depressed by her own data (spoiler alert: No.)

The Story Exchange: You're a recognized expert on the topic of women in film and television. What drew you to the field?

I was curious about the disconnect between stories in the popular press reporting that the numbers of women working on screen and behind the scenes in television and film were improving and the actual number of credits and portrayals I was seeing on screen. The hype didn't seem to match the reality.

The Story Exchange: In your years of researching the issue, what has surprised you the most?

When Kathryn Bigelow won her well-deserved Oscars for The Hurt Locker, industry pundits and reporters started talking about "a Bigelow effect." It was the notion that her success would immediately and positively impact the careers of other women who direct. While she may be an important role model for some aspiring women filmmakers, progress is rarely that quick or straightforward, and industry biases are deeply held.

I had a similar reaction back in the early 2000s when women headed some of the most powerful unions in Hollywood. In about 2002-03 Martha Coolidge became president of the Directors Guild of America. Victoria Riskin assumed the presidency of the Writers Guild of America, and Melissa Gilbert served as president of the Screen Actors Guild. At the time, speculation was rampant that these women would revolutionize Hollywood. These were single women sitting atop huge organizations. Why would we expect these women (some of them in a year's time) to be able to change decades of entrenched employment practices and values? We need to have realistic expectations about change.

The Story Exchange: When we see prominent female directors (this year, Ava DuVernay and Angelina Jolie) and more box-office hits for "female-centric" movies (like Bridesmaids, Hunger Games, and Frozen) -- can we be optimistic?

The problem with anecdotal cases is that they do not represent the reality for most women working in film and television. The naming of a few high-profile films or individuals can dramatically skew our perceptions of women's progress. For example, according to the latest celluloid ceiling study, women comprised just seven percent of directors working on the top 250 films of 2014. In 1998, women accounted for nine percent of directors. The percentage of women who direct has actually declined over the last 17 years. According to my latest study of on-screen roles, titled "It's a Man's (Celluloid) World," females accounted for just 15 percent of protagonists in the top 100 films of 2013. This represents a decline of 1 percentage point from 2002.

The Story Exchange: In a nutshell, can you explain the lack of female representation in TV and film?

The situation for women in television and film is not identical. Television has traditionally been more welcoming of women than film. For example, women comprise 42 percent of all speaking characters in prime-time television but just 30 percent of all speaking characters in film. Behind-the-scenes, women account for 27 percent of individuals in powerful roles such as creators and writers in television but just 17 percent of individuals in similar roles in film.

A clear and consistent finding in both television and film is that when there is at least one woman working in a position of power behind the scenes, we see more female characters on screen. For example, I conducted a study of the top 500 grossing films of 2013 and found that in films with at least one woman director, females comprised 42 percent of all characters. In films with exclusively male directors, females accounted for 32 percent of all characters. Further, films with women directors also tend to employ greater numbers of women writers, editors, and cinematographers. The dearth of women working behind the scenes is related to the under-representation of females on screen.

The Story Exchange: There are probably no easy solutions, but how or when do you think we'll see more women on the screen and behind the scenes?

Perhaps the most basic reason why we haven't seen any progress in the last 17 years is that many people in positions of power, such as studio heads and union leaders, don't consider the lack of gender diversity to be problematic. The current programs intended to increase diversity, including the various mentoring and shadowing initiatives for directors, while well intentioned, are not large enough to move the numbers. This is an industry-wide problem in need of an industry-wide solution. This is a reality that the powers-that-be have yet to acknowledge.

The Story Exchange: Do you ever get depressed by your own research?

I do not. The television and film industries are very large and do not change course overnight. It can take decades and even lifetimes for significant change to occur.

In coming months, The Story Exchange will be exploring Hollywood's gender gap, interviewing directors, producers, actors, writers and academics who are following the issue and advocating for change. Interested in being a part of our series? Drop us a line at info@thestoryexchange.org. 

To most music festival veterans, there are basic necessities that need no mention. Often similar to a camping packing list, things like water, sunblock, reusable plates and utensils, flashlight, first aid kid, and a tent, have become standard protocol for the seasoned festival goer. Envision Festival in Costa Rica, however, is not your average festival and will therefore not have your average preparations. Whether this is your first Envision or your first music festival, it is important to be prepared for the equatorial environment of Costa Rica. After speaking to the founders of the festival as well as friends who have attended the festival, I compiled a list of tips and tricks, catered to life at Envision Festival:

1. Insect Defense

Jungle bugs care not of your presence. In addition to the familiar mosquito, there is a litany of creepy crawlies just waiting to get a bite. Your first line of defense is insect repellent. A popular bug spray is Deep Woods Off but there are several on the market. Repellents with a higher DEET content are most effective. For those who want a more natural repellent, there are a plethora of essential oil concoctions that are said to be just as effective. The essential oils stored within plant structures are released by the plant for many reasons, one of which is to repel predators. Be sure to research these oils before committing as some work against particular bugs and need to be mixed with another substance like olive oil or lemon water. Your second line of defense is a mosquito net. Especially if you plan on sleeping in a hammock, a bug net is essential to avoid waking up with bites and unwanted guests. Mosquitoes and many other vampiric bugs are nocturnal. If you are staying in a tent, placing a mosquito net over your tent isn't necessary, but definitely helps. Always remember to keep your tent door shut at all times and don't leave your shoes outside.

2. Talcum Powder

For those with sensitive skin, the humidity can often cause chaffing, rash or skin irritation, especially when working up a sweat on the dancefloor. Talcum powder is a great way to prevent heat related skin irritation. There are also several organic options to baby powder available if you're trying to keep it natural. A light dusting all over the body will keep you gliding and striding, all day and all night.

3. Medicine Cabinet

For those who suffer from allergies such as myself, be sure to bring your preferred allergy medicine and eye drops because you never know what kind of exotic pollen awaits you in the jungle. Bringing a multivitamin is always helpful as sometimes music festivals can be somewhat depleting. If the bug repellent didn't work, then any cortisone based anti-itch cream is helpful. Also, Neosporin or any triple antibiotic ointment for miner scrapes and blisters comes in handy. For contact wearers, bring an extra pair of unopened contacts so you're not left blind in case one or both pop out. Wet wipes are also crucial for staying hygienic and fresh.

4. Ziploc Bags

Bring large and small size Ziploc bags. These are good to store trash in to keep bugs and animals away plus great to keep electronics safe from moisture and dirt. They are also helpful in keeping your items organized and compartmentalized. As long as you reuse them, they shouldn't create extra trash.

5. Minimize Trash

You pack out what you pack in. With a long commute from the airport to the festival, carrying loads of trash is cumbersome. Also, this is a very eco-conscious festival. We not only want to leave no trace on the land, but also improve it. If you are a cigarette smoker, use a ziploc bag or old Altoid tin to dispose of cigarette butts. Every item you pack, keep in mind how you plan on disposing of it.

6. Bring an Empty Pillow Case

A pillow can be that simple comfort that helps you sleep peacefully through the night. Instead of bringing a bulky pillow that takes up space, bring an empty pillow case and fill it with your clothes. As your dirty laundry accumulates, you can use it as a combination hamper and pillow. This saves space in your backpack as well as keeps your tent tidy.

7. Beware of Valuables

While the most valuable items people bring to festivals are generally camera equipment and cellphones, there have been stories of thefts from the campsites at this festival. Whether these thefts were by people attending the festival, locals, or monkeys is unsure. Though there is generally nothing to worry about, the best way to prevent theft is to minimize the amount of valuable objects you bring or keep them on you during the festival.

8. Bring Light

The energy and attitude you bring are what keep these festivals shining. In addition to bringing your inner light, though, some proper lumens are necessary. Headlamps are ideal as LEDs use less energy and last longer. Instead of bringing a lantern to light your tent, bring a TouchLight which can be easily purchased at any Target, Wal-Mart or similar store. It is cheap and easy to pack. To prevent the TouchLight from turning on in your luggage, just wait to insert the batteries until you set up camp.

9. Rain or Shine

With the unpredictability of life at the equator, it is important to prepare for hot days or torrential downpour. Batten down the hatches of your tent in case a storm hits in the middle of the night. Pack lightly, but be sure to bring at least two pairs of shoes and at least one change of warm clothes. While the weather is expected to be beautiful, it is the tropics, so be prepared!

10. Be Kind, Stay Aligned, and Help Mankind

The land that Envision is held upon is sacred and should be respected. Like the land upon which we stand, those who stand should also be respected. Be kind to your festival peers as they might be your new friends. Stay aligned with yourself, with nature, and with everything around you. Help mankind by caring and sharing your preparing. If something from this list can help someone else, then share it. Happy Envision!

Envision Website: http://www.2015.envisionfestival.com/
Envision Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EnvisionFestival

So, how are women film directors doing in the infamously male-dominated film industry? With the 2015 Sundance Film Festival Awards finally announced, 13 women directors' films emerged with a prestigious Sundance award this year. One film co-directed by a woman won two awards. The influential film festival presents nearly three dozen awards every January.


The Wolfpack, directed by Crystal Moselle, photo courtesy of Eoin Macmanus

Sundance 2015 Award-Winning Women Directors

1. Crystal Moselle's truth-is-stranger-than-fiction story, The Wolfpack, won the US Grand Jury Documentary Prize. The film tells the tale of a family with seven teenagers living in New York City's Lower East Side, whose parents never allow the kids to leave the house. And, in a sense, it's the perfect Sundance flick: "The Angulo brothers," the Sundance film description tells us, "learn about the outside world through the films that they watch....and spend their childhood re-enacting their favorite films using elaborate homemade props and costumes." See The NY Times review.


2. The US Documentary Special Jury Award for Break Out First Feature went to Lyric R. Cabral, who, with David Felix Sutcliffe, co-directed the timely film (T)error. It's the riveting, disturbing account of the down-the-rabbit-hole world of the contemporary national security apparatus.. You can get the sense of what the filmmakers learned in their op ed, The FBI Isn't Catching Terrorists, It's Creating Them. The film also won an award from Candescent Films in partnership with the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program for raising powerful social issues (as did How to Change The World).


3. British Kim Longinotto won the World Cinema Documentary Directing Award for Dreamcatcher, an intimate look at the ravages of the cycle of poverty in inner city Chicago.


4. Swedish Frida Barkfors co-directed with husband Lasse Barkfors the double award-winning documentary Pervert Park. It's about former sex offenders in the US, who live in a place called Florida Justice Transitions, an "outcast community," in which "a handful of offenders tell searing personal stories that paint a troubling portrait of abuse and justice in America." A hard-hitting inside view, it won two Sundance awards that read like tongue twisters, but have special import: the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Impact and the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Unparalleled Access.


5. Jennifer Phang's futuristic film Advantageous, which raises ethical issues, won the U.S. Special Jury Award for Collaborative Vision.


6. Lithuanian-born, French-educated director Alanté Kavaïté directed a coming-of-age story about girls discovering themselves and their identity, through the visually arresting medium of stunt flying, called The Summer of Sangaile. Winning the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award, it was described by Hollywood Reporter as "awash with ripe, voluptuous summertime imagery and brimming with aborning adolescent female sexuality," that "promises to develop a small but ardent following on the festival circuit."


7. British director Louise Osmond won the World Cinema Documentary Audience Award for Dark Horse, an equestrian rags-to-riches story set in cinematic Wales, clearly a crowd-pleaser.


8. Japanese-born, American-educated Atsuko Hirayanagi won the Short Film Jury Award for International Fiction, with Oh Lucy!, about what happens when a middle-aged Asian woman dons a blonde wig, and much, much more.


9. Australian Kitty Green directed The Face of Ukraine: Casting Oksana Baiul, winner of the Short Film Jury Award for Non-fiction. The work is both endearing, and given the political realities of the day, (the director was arrested eight times during the filming) also heart-rending.


10. French director Cécile Ducrocq's film won the Short Film Special Jury Award for Acting. Back Alley depicts turf wars amongst prostitutes.


11. Polish Paulina Skibińska's short film, Object, won a special prize called the Short Film Special Jury Award for Visual Poetry.


12. The Sundance award for Excellence in Cinematography went to Brandon Trost, for The Diary of a Teenage Girl, a US Dramatic Competition entry directed by a woman, Marielle Heller.


13. In The Second Mother, filmmaker Anna Muylaert directed a tough-love look at the role of a housekeeper in a wealthy Brazilian family. Regina Case, playing the housekeeper, won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting.

Gender Stats: Putting it in Perspective


About one in three of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival awards went to women. According to a story in Indiewire, 36% of 2015 Sundance competition films were directed by women. "The gender breakdown for each category, which reveals that women are healthily represented in four of the five competition categories (but for some reason are almost entirely missing from "Next," the experimental program)," says Indiewire, was as follows:

• U.S. Dramatic Competition contestants: 5 of 16 directed by women;


• U.S. Documentary Competition contestants 7 of 16 directed by women;


• World Cinema Dramatic Competition contestants: 5 of 12 directed by women;


• World Cinema Competition contestants: 6 of 12 directed by women.

Just for a point of reference, fewer than 20% of the members of the current US Congress are women.

For more on women directors at Sundance:

• 19 Short Films By Female Filmmakers To Discover At Sundance


• Meet the Sundance 2015 Filmmakers

Interested in attending the Sundance Film Festival? How to Get Tickets to Sundance Film Festival: A Non Insiders Guide.

Selma is an outstanding film that vividly portrays the frightening experiences and personal sacrifices made by civil rights activists in their quest to defend voting rights for Blacks in the South. The film reminds us that the movement was complicated and, at times, very ugly. Black and white people were beaten and killed to defend the right to vote. After seeing Selma, it is even harder for me to conceive how voting rights could be successfully limited in some states and how there are Black people who still refuse to vote.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. While this anniversary is something to be proud of, recent events make it very sobering. In last week's State of the Union address, President Obama told Congress, "We may go at it in campaign season, but surely we can agree that the right to vote is sacred and that it's being denied to too many."

The president is right. Nearly half the country -- 22 states to be exact -- have passed laws in the last few years that make it harder to vote. These critical setbacks have been met with grassroots pushback and legal challenges in the courts. While the contemporary assaults on voting rights may not be as overt as they were in 1965, we must fight them with the same unwavering resistance as the generations before us.

We owe it to those who paved the way, to ourselves and to the generations that will follow to get registered, get engaged and get out the vote in every election. There is power in the vote. We saw that power played out in Selma when it was revealed that, after passage of the Voting Rights Act, Blacks, who made up the majority of Selma and Dallas County, voted out the racist sheriff Jim Clark who played a key role in the Bloody Sunday violence. Change can happen when you vote.

The 2014 unrest in Ferguson, Missouri will forever be an example of what can happen when we don't have our voices heard at the polls. In the predominately Black suburb, low voter turnout resulted in a predominately white city government and police force that was disconnected and insensitive to the needs of the community. In the aftermath of the Michael Brown tragedy, voter groups flooded Ferguson to get people registered. Will Ferguson residents unhappy with city government, law enforcement and the prosecutor's handling of the Brown case vote for change on their next Election Day? Let's hope so.

Despite our challenges in other areas, Illinois has one of the strongest set of voter protections in the nation. It is easy to get registered and cast your vote in every election. Yet we still have a tendency to disengage when it comes to actually demonstrating our power at the polls. We have a mayoral election on February 24 that must not be missed. My equest to anyone who is thinking of sitting this important election out is to see Selma and be reminded that the right to vote was paid for in blood, sweat and tears. We must vote and we must advocate for voting rights in communities where they have been limited.

Selma has been nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award, and I hope it wins. While the film was snubbed in the Best Director and Best Actor categories, it will forever remain a powerful example of how the art form of film can educate, inspire and engage us. Because we believe in the importance of presenting films that stir one's conscious and motivates conversation, we will for the fourth year in a row, present a Black History Month film festival that will feature documentaries that address issues including the use of the "N-word," Black male disenfranchisement, gun violence, mental illness and youth homelessness. All films will be shown at the Chicago Urban League for free followed by panel discussions. More information can be found on at www.TheChicagoUrbanLeague.org. We hope you will join us and bring friends.

If you have not seen Selma yet please make sure you do. It is an important film that serves up a powerful tribute to our past and gives us many lessons that can empower us today and inspire the future. Let's not allow these lessons to go unheard and the contemporary calls to protect the right to vote go unanswered. The path to progress begins with you and me.

It's that time of year when we scramble, post-holidaze, to catch up on all the Oscar-nominated films we haven't seen yet. It's inevitably a lot of screen time, some of which I recently packed into a classic NYC snowmagedocalypse (please stop coining these terms, humans). My double feature was this year's best example of clichéd, yawn-inducing tedium, The Imitation Game; and Whiplash, a brutal love story of art, education, passion and terror. I have no idea how the former amassed so many nominations, but since I've already made my stance on award season pomp known, let's get straight to the drumming.

Whiplash is about drums, an instrument that I am not even close to proficient on. My father did a stint in a weekly Latin jazz jam session before "retiring" in favor of pottery, which in its tactility and fluidity resembles the rhythm of the kit, but my ancestral connection to the skins ends there. I love playing drums, though, and not having a space to thrash, ping, thwap, crash, et cetera away the day's problems and joys is a bummer. The feeling of hitting things; making beats out of the spaces between silence, the conversation amongst the timbres, the sheer full body immersion in creation -- there are things both primal and unknown about the drum set.

Drummers are known, no thanks to Animal (and Buddy Rich), for tapping into that basic mortality in a very visceral way, but they can also be guilty of playing too many notes, getting noodly and favoring finesse over substance. Neil Peart, who's had every musical superlative lobbed his way is more of the latter, while John Bonham's vodka-soaked career favored something more thunderous. These two represent an all too simple drumming Venn diagram, but the debate will rage on in YouTube comments and magazine polls long after Peart has made the 70th Rush album.

When I first heard A Tribe Call Quest, it felt like I was hearing Bonham's "Heartbreaker" beat -- there's that feel, a groove that sways between the quarter note as much as it emphasizes it. Groove cannot be taught. It can be illustrated, dissected and analyzed, but it relies inherently on the soul of the player. Groove says something about simplicity, a quality that runs quite the gamut of definition: on one hand we have foolishness and lack of intelligence; on the other, directness and lack of pretension, both of which point to innocence and comprehension. No wonder Q-Tip sounded like Bonzo -- a playful spirit and a deadly seriousness in craft are the fusion in any great artist.

So there's groove, and drums that range from Bozzio big to DeJohnette diminutive, but let's check out some simple playing. Here are five of my favorite drum fills, elements which fit outside of the song's beat and are not orchestrated with other instruments:

1) Elvin Jones -- "Witch Hunt," from Wayne Shorter's Speak No Evil, 1965



The Jones family is one of the greatest in modern music, but while brothers Hank and Thad moved piano and trumpet along, Elvin evolved the drums in a way that resonated (sorry) with Ginger Baker, who went on to essentially invent rock drumming. The fill at 1:42 is perfect. Held back in just the right way, it provides Shorter a springboard for his solo and sets the pace for an outstanding record. Jones had spent the five years prior honing his skills with John Coltrane, so it's little wonder he became a truly listening musician, influencing jazz drummers to come with power, grace and space.

2) Abe Cunningham -- "You've Seen the Butcher," from Deftones' Diamond Eyes, 2010



It's tough to pick a favorite Deftones moment, especially on drums, since Cunningham represents the best in crushing restraint, but this album made me want to cry, run, make things, punch things, travel. Sure, he had his glorious intro to "My Own Summer," but by 2010 the band had elevated to a truly artful synthesis and this song is one of the reasons. I get chills at 2:35, that gut-punch tom figure we've heard before now flexing alone.

3) Brad Wilk -- "Testify," from Rage Against the Machine's The Battle of Los Angeles, 1999



Although it was Rage's riffage that changed me from blues-guitar-liking teen to hey-I-want-to-do-that... teen, I didn't sweat the details until their last original album. Buried beneath all the political anger and construction site guitar work is a solid rhythm section, anchored steadily on record (though somewhat inconsistently live) by Wilk, whose most recent gig was with a little band called Black Sabbath. Around 3:15 he throws in a couple extra kick drums that are so nuanced that they took me years to appreciate.

4) Chris Hughes -- "Sowing the Seeds of Love," from Tears For Fears' The Seeds of Love, 1989



While the album owes countless great moments to Manu Katché, it's this intro that really sticks (again, sorry). Massive production and songwriting that pushed the Lennon/McCartney sound into new territory didn't hurt, either.

5) Nate Wood -- "Lowell," from Kneebody's The Line, 2013



I want to be Nate Wood when I grow up, so I'm breaking my own "not orchestrated with other instruments" rule on this one. The fill at 2:56 is doubled by Adam Benjamin's Rhodes, but those may be the best flams I've ever heard.

There are other fills; even classics that have been left off this totally subjective list, like Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" intro, which is less flashy than the equally magnetic JR Robinson intro to Michael Jackson's "Rock With You." Or Ringo's snare and floor tom combo into the chorus of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." An honorable mention has to go to John Stanier, whose performances on both Helmet's "I Know" and Battles' "Tonto" blur the line between beat and fill in a way that only he can do (good luck playing 2:16 in the former, though).

There's also this:



Simplicity does not equal easy replication. In fact, the facilities required to play concisely are the same needed to speak as such - a firm grasp of fundamentals and the ability to exist in the moment. As drum guru Dave King notes in his brilliant web series, music and drumming are about conversation, which is about listening. See Whiplash for its listening and lack thereof, its economical filmmaking and wonderful performances, but if doubletime-swing-induced lacerations get you down, go simple.

I am not big on war movies. I don't like blood and gore. But, after seeing the reviews and hearing the controversial political discussions of American Sniper, I decided to see it for myself.

I'm glad I did. It took me out of my comfort zone, and shook me to my core. There's a scene in the film where the main character, Navy Seal Chris Kyle, played by Bradley Cooper, is in a bar after his fourth tour, and he calls his wife. She asks where he is. He says: "State side." She says: "Why didn't you come home?" Kyle says: "I needed a minute." That's how I felt at the end of the movie. I needed a minute.

I needed time to process all that I had just seen. This is the first time I can recall a whole audience being stunned at the end of a film. Except for those weeping -- of which I was one -- it was eerily silent.

I can see why some have said it is pro-war, and others have said that it is anti-war. But, to me, that is not what the film is about. It is about military service.

People can debate about whether we should have gone there, what our mission was or if it is wrong to call insurgents "savages," (in every war, there are hateful names for the enemy; it gives us a justification for killing them).

On the record, I was opposed to the war from the beginning because I felt that Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11. And watching this film made me reflect on how the nature of war has changed since the War on Terror was declared.

It is no longer military armies fighting other soldiers. There are civilians and women and children involved. It is often hard to discern who the enemy is. Also, watching this film, it is sometimes easy to forget that we are the ones who invaded their country.

Politics aside, what moved me were the human elements of the story. I found myself becoming sympathetic with a sniper who found himself placed in many moral dilemmas. Kyle was raised in Texas by his father to believe that he was a protector (first, protector of his brother, then his country). His sharp-shooting skills, which began with deer hunting lessons with his dad, are lauded by his Navy buddies, who felt he had their backs.

I've read about, and heard about, the phenomenon of soldiers that have done numerous tours that can't wait to get back to the battlefield. This movie explores that anomaly in a real way.

Despite the consternation of his wife, Taya, played by Sienna Miller, Kyle longs to return to finish his mission and protect his comrades in arms. This is in sharp contrast to another 2008 Iraqi war movie, Stop-Loss, starring Ryan Phillippe as an Army Staff Sergeant who decides to go AWOL after getting called back to service.

I believe that disturbing film, which I consider a true anti-war flick, did not get the attention and praise that American Sniper has gotten because the lead character wrestled with doing the noble thing, which is going back to battle to defend God, country and fellow soldiers.

Both films dealt with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) which occurs when some embattled veterans attempt to return to civilian life. Any little noise, such as a lawn mower or passing car, can trigger flashbacks that take them back to the battlefield.

It also seems as though the adrenaline rush that wartime situations create can be addicting for some soldiers, and make ordinary, civilian life unbearably boring. Because of this, many vets turn to drugs or alcohol as an escape.

Those latter addictions did not manifest in Chris Kyle. But, he struggled each time he returned home: first, by not wanting to leave the house, and then by having trouble relating to his wife.

One scene that stood out to me was when Kyle was driving Taya to the mall; he said that it bothered him that everyone was going about their lives as though nothing was going on in Iraq.

It is so true that with today's volunteer armies, the majority of Americans are not engaged with the wars we wage. The sacrifices are being made by a percentage of military families. And the press does not accurately cover what is happening "over there."

Contrast this with World War II where the "greatest generation," our parents and grandparents, all came together as one to contribute to the war effort. Women worked in the factories; people bought war bonds; and, even movie stars and athletes joined the armed forces. The country was united behind President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Everyone was engaged.

Even the Vietnam War, while a polarizing conflict, was at least debated, protested and the center of the country's attention. However, the unappreciative treatment that returning veterans got from a war-weary nation was deplorable.

The Iraq War mission, like Vietnam, was confusing, but it seems now that the public is more grateful for the sacrifices of our soldiers. Often, however, it is only lip service. A truly thankful nation would make VA hospitals and jobs for vets top priorities.

I also find it odd that Congress is taking too long to bring up a vote on how we should deal with ISIS. It's as if war is a political hot-potato-issue that no one wants to even debate or talk about.

In her book, Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power, Rachel Maddow deftly discusses this issue. She points out that war used to need congressional approval. Now, they would just as soon let the President be the one to declare war (while they complain about him abusing his powers).

This goes back to the disconnect between American civilians and the armed forces, and the sacrifices they and military families make. I don't know what the solution is -- only that this film got me thinking about it. And, apparently, a discussion has begun across the country. That is a good thing.

I have two trains of thought on this. War is hell, and should be avoided at all costs (diplomacy first), but, if it is necessary, we need national engagement, and we need to truly support our men and women in uniform before, during and after our conflicts. And, in my mind, Navy Seal Chris Kyle was absolutely a hero.

On Tuesday night I'm joined by Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Emmy winner Kevin Costner. The veteran actor and director has starred in some of Hollywood's most beloved films, including Field of Dreams and ​Dances With Wolves. In his new project, Black or White, he plays a grandfather who finds himself in a custody battle over his biracial granddaughter.

In the clip below, Kevin describes the powerful reaction he had upon first reading the thought-provoking script.

For more of our conversation, be sure to tune in to Tavis Smiley on PBS. Check our website for your local TV listings: www.pbs.org/tavis.

A Conversation with Tom Paxton

Mike Ragogna: Tom, you've got a new album Redemption Road. What's your creative process like these days?

TP: I think I do what I've always done. I'm kind of plugged in, kind of receptive, kind of on the lookout for something that needs to be a song, something that can become a song. It can be anything from a trivial whim or a serious theme that I think that I owe to myself to try to write. Or it could be just a sure pleasure of making something up. For example, one of my very favorite songs on the album is "Suzy Most Of All." You can't get much more lightweight than that, but I don't think I've ever enjoyed writing a song as much as I enjoyed writing that one. I just let myself be free to write what I call "Jump rope rhymes," which don't have to make any sense at all. Another model for that song was "Green Green Rocky Road" that Len Chandler and Bob Kaufman wrote so many years ago, that Dave Van Ronk sang so beautifully, you know the one I mean. It's in Inside Llewyn Davis. That song has some of the most sublimely ridiculous verses. "I go by Baltimore, need no carpet on my floor," I mean, come on! But it's perfect. So I availed myself of that freedom to write something like "English muffin/Texas toast," basically 'cause why not?

MR: That "why not" part is so important. People so often look at singer-songwriter lyrics and say, "Hope these words are better than your last!" It seems like a big responsibility for a singer-songwriter always to be "profound."

TP: I retired from the avatar business a long time ago. People are responsible for their own damn lives. I don't have any great advice for them on how to live their lives. All I'm doing is writing songs. I'm not even writing songs for the market, not that there's anything wrong with doing that. I have good friends who write for the market and that's perfectly okay, but I don't have that knack. Every song of mine that has ever been a hit is a song that I basically wrote for myself to sing and somebody else heard it and recorded it very successfully. That's as close as I've come to being a market writer. I'm really more like an amateur who gets lucky now and then.

MR: But don't forget those people that are camping on your doorstep until you make that next album.

TP: Well, when I have enough good stuff, that's when there will be another good album. I'm writing a little better right now, so I think maybe it won't be as long between albums. I don't know what's going to happen, because I'm going to stop touring in November. I don't know what will happen then about the urge to write. At least one of the major impulses or reasons to write is the fear of being seen to have become totally out of touch. I have a need to have some quality new material when I'm out there in concert. When I'm not touring anymore, I don't know how I'll feel then. I think I will continue to write, but it's going to be a new area for me.

MR: It's pretty inconceivable that someone as conscious as you couldn't find something you just have to write about.

TP: It's like the saying, "Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt." I have been very fortunate to have a performing life during very interesting years. I could've stood a little less interest, actually, as many of us could. I don't know how I'm going to feel when I'm not out there all the time as I have been for fifty five years. I'll continue to perform, I'm just not going to tour anymore.

MR: It's almost like a supreme court justice. You're in for life. [laughs]

TP: Well I frequently think of myself in those terms. [laughs] I'm wearing a robe right now, as a matter of fact.

MR: Send the selfie. [laughs] Hey, you've got some great company on this album, John Prine, Janis Ian, Dave Palmeroy, Al Perkins...

TP: These are the best. With Prine you pick up the phone and say, "Look, I need some help here, I'm sinking fast, so come and sing a song with me." Not only does he come and sing a song with me, he buys me dinner. He's a great guy. About ten years ago my wife and I went to go see him and Iris Dement at The Wolf Trap here in Washington. We were sitting out there and I turned to her and I said, "You know what? I've known John for twenty five years and this is the first time I've ever had a chance to sit out front and see him do a whole show. What a major treat that was. He's another one of these "nobody like 'em" artists. There's nobody like Prine. The song he's on is such a goofy song, it's just perfect for him to come and sing on it.

MR: How did the Janis Ian piece come together?

TP: I've known Janis since she was thirteen. We've been doing shows together for the last couple of years. In March and April we'll be basically on tour here in the states doing a bunch of shows together. That's a lot of fun for me because it's not your typical split bill, we actually take the stage together and stay together on stage and sing on one another's songs, et cetera. It makes for a very different and very entertaining evening, for us as well as -- one hopes -- The audience.

MR: What do you guys admire about each other?

TP: Well, it starts from the human perspective, I just love Janis. She's a sassy, strong, strong-willed person who has not had an easy path, unless one thinks that having a hit at fifteen and being washed up at sixteen is an easy path. She's had a hard way to go and she's a strong person and a great guitar player. Matter of fact, we have a little fun with that fact in the show, that she is such a great guitar player and I'm merely adequate. There's room for fun there. We've known each other for so long and we talked about doing some shows, so finally she said, "Well, put up or shut up, let's do it." So we did and we're doing it.

MR: Who are the new troubadours? You may not be the avatar anymore, but the message still has to get out there, no?

TP: When it comes to asking where it's going to come from and from whom, the one thing we can be sure of is that it will come from some place unexpected and from no one we've ever heard of before. It just doesn't move along in nice, orderly ways. Like everybody else, I feel a lack of social commitment in young artists, but I'm not about to criticize them. They're finding their own way. They're doing their own thing and in their own time they will direct their attention to the areas that we did. It isn't the same, but we don't have a draft anymore. Does anyone realize what a massive change that is? We don't have a draft, young people don't graduate from high school with being dragged off to war as part of their immediate future. Believe me, that fact will color your attitude a lot.

MR: And now, of course, I think of your anthem, "Wonder Where I'm Bound."

TP: I've sung that at a few graduations.

MR: It's a great anthem for old people and young people. And speaking of young people, what advice do you have for new artists, oh non-avatar?

TP: It sounds as if I'm being flippant, but what I tell young people when they ask me what to do is so simple and so difficult -- get good. Work at your craft. Take guitar lessons, for God's sake. Too many young artists play really crappy guitar, and it kills you. You have to at least support your music with your instrument. At least don't hurt it. Maybe don't take voice lessons, but maybe some voice coaching. I had some voice coaching which made a huge difference in my singing. I don't have a trained voice. Voice lessons are almost counter productive. Voice lessons for someone with my kind of barely average equipment has you trying to do things you can't do and hurting yourself in the process. Some vocal coaching on the other hand is dealing with what you have and helping you make the most of that, and that's really worth doing. In other words, work at your craft. I don't write every day now, but I did then. I can't recommend that highly enough. Write something every damn day so that you're working at it and studying other artists and other artists whose work you love. Ask yourself, "What is it about their work that I love so much? Why is he or she so important to me?" These are things that they should be asking if they want to get ahead, if they want to improve.

MR: That's a great answer.

TP: And here's my other big piece of advice, for writers: They want to know, "How do you get ideas?" I tell them what I do myself: Look around you. If you need stimulation, pick up a paper, look at the paper for anything that moves you in any way. It can be to hilarity, it can be to rage or sorrow, but you're bound to find a story in that paper that moves you in some way and then write a song from the point of view of either an eyewitness or a participant. This will take you out into the world, writing about the world, holding a mirror up to nature as Shakespeare put it, and above all it'll get you away from writing all those God damned relationship songs that no one cares about. I tell you what, in my shows these days and for many years now there have been maybe one or two relationship songs, but only a couple. The rest of the songs are about a world that we share. Songs that people identify with because we've all seen this stuff happen. I wrote a song as a participant in the twin towers. I wrote a song from the point of view of a survivor. I wasn't there, that's not me. I'm using the first person singular but I'm imagining it. That's what I'm suggesting people do. It can also be silly stuff. First person, not you. It's not that hard to grasp once you grasp it. You're writing about not you, you're writing about us.

MR: Why, you could give a seminar on this, my friend!

TP: I do! I enjoy talking to people about songwriting.

MR: Do you feel that as a songwriter you've evolved in tangible ways? You can point out, "I went from here to here?"

TP: Yeah, I can tell. I don't think I've changed as a writer, but I hope I've deepened as a writer.

MR: Can you pick that up in other people's works, like Janis or John?

TP: I'm sure I could. I can't do it as I sit here right now, I'd have to think about that, but I'm utterly sure that I would find that if I looked for it. In Janis' work there is still the same kind of concern as there was in Society's Child. That, by the way, is a very sophisticated melody that she wrote at the age of fifteen. She writes similarly but more profoundly now. I think I would find that in all of the writers I admire. The writers I admire are legion in number.

MR: You've seen the whole parade, from Pete Seeger to now.

TP: So much so that I would claim that if not for Pete Seeger, none of this would've happened. If that man had not criss-crossed the country singing at every union hall, every college campus, every summer camp throughout the fifties and sixties, none of it would've happened. He was the reason that it really came alive. He was the one who turned on my generation so that hundreds and even thousands of us said, "I've got to do that. That's what I want to do. That's what I have to do." When I heard The Weavers At Carnegie Hall in '57, I went from someone who loved folk music to someone who literally had to do it. I was not alone. Peter Yarrow was at that Carnegie Hall concert. He had the same epiphany that I did. "I have got to do this. This is me."

MR: Beyond Redemption Road, I'm wondering where you're bound.

TP: [laughs] Probably out for dinner. I'm bound for exactly where I've been. More of the same, but less of the same. There's nothing different I want to do. I'm loving being with my grandsons. I have three grandsons and they're all here, close to me. That's an endless, endless joy for me. I lost my wife last year and I'm not doing well at all about that, but I don't know who does. You do what you can do and you face what you have to face. I'm quieter than I was. I stay at home a lot. I have my daughters who have just been incredible. They call every day and come over. My younger daughter Kate lives in the same complex I live in. She likes to cook for me on weekends and I graciously accept. "More food? Oh no!" [laughs]

MR: Boy, wasn't it a great time you all had together? How magical was that?

TP: It was magical. I miss so many people so badly, but that's life.

MR: Do you recognize that you're an icon?

TP: No. I deny it.

MR: Is that because you're comparing yourself to other iconic figures?

TP: I don't really compare myself, because I'm not going to look good if I do. [laughs] You know the poet Billy Collins? He's fabulous. One of my Christmas presents was a book of his stuff. He has a figure in one of his pieces about going "Down the treacherous halls of high school," and it just grabbed me. I just read it yesterday and I went back and looked it up again today. "The treacherous halls of high school." What better adjective could you possibly find for high school than "treacherous?" I mean, the shit that happened in those halls. The damage to our psyches in those god damned halls of high school. [laughs] I don't know what got me off on that but I just love that choice of adjective. Where were we? Oh, do I realize I'm an icon? No. I know that there are people, God bless them, who have really taken my music and made it their own, and I'm eternally grateful to that. That's what I set out to do.

I wanted to make a difference in some positive way, and the way I found I could do that possibly was by creating songs. So the kind of songs that I created tend to be the kind of songs that people sing at camps and sing-a-longs, they're not a string of hits or anything like that, but they are songs that have mattered to people and I'm very grateful for that. And I'm proud of it! I'm proud that I hung in there and kept writing my kinds of songs and had a wonderful time performing them. I've been a ham since the second grade in Chicago when I played Uncle Sam and they applauded and I thought, "God, I like that. I'll have some more of that, please." So I'm still Uncle Sam all these years later.

MR: Well, I am awed that you gave me an interview. You've made such wonderful contributions. If you don't want to look at yourself as an icon at least look at yourself as someone who's inspired many people. I think the culture owes you one.

TP: Aw, thank you. I'll accept. Do they need my address? [laughs]

Transcribed by Galen Hawthorne

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A Conversation with Howard Jones

Mike Ragogna: Howard, what's the story on your Engage multimedia project?

Howard Jones: I'm coming up to my sixtieth birthday and I wanted to challenge myself to something that I'd never done before and really push myself to do something special. I was thinking, "What do people love to do these days? They love to go to shows." There's not so much interest in recorded music, but people love to go to a show. So I was thinking, "How can I make an incredibly immersive, visceral experience with all the things that I love all mashed up together?" I love classical music, electronic music, pop music, cinema, contemporary dance, ballet and philosophy. I wanted to bring that all together into a live experience that the audience are very much involved in, so it's built into it that they've got a role to play in the performance. I know that's a lot of stuff to throw at you, but that's where it all comes from.

MR: And I just know that phone apps, customized clothing and florescent makeup have something to do with this. Howard, what do phone apps, customized clothing and florescent makeup have to do with this?

HJ: Obviously, I start with the music, but I didn't want it to have the same kind of form as a normal pop song, so I was kind of liberated from that. I was able to have different, more expansive musical structures. I worked with my friend Steven Taylor on the visuals that go with the show. As I was writing the music, we were trading ideas about how the visual should be. I wanted to have a ballet sequence in there, I wanted some of my passion for Steve Wright music in there and contemporary dance, so we filmed all of those things and came up with a concept in tandem with writing the music. Then the third big element is how to involve the audience as well, so I thought in this day and age everyone's got a smart phone, we can use apps to broadcast things from the stage. That's what we'll be doing in these two shows. The most exciting development for me is that I've got my own app now, my own Engage app.

MR: What have you been doing over the last few years in addition to the new Engage concept?

HJ: Every three to five years, I do a new project. The last thing I did was an entirely acoustic album with a string quartet and a big choir. I wanted to write some intimate songs. The album before that was a very electronic album. I've tried to mix things up and follow what I'm really feeling at the time.

MR: You're exploring the analog world with elements like ballet and philosophy to supplement your performances. How do you view the relationship between technology and, well, everything else?

HJ: One of the things of Engage is, "Okay, it's great that we've got all of this amazing technology, but if we don't watch it we'll all just end up in a room on our own doing everything virtually." One of the things of Engage is to remember that the best thing that we can do as a human being is to have face-to-face communication and dialog and interaction. Technology is great. For instance, this morning, I composed a piano solo for a Norwegian guy who was in Thailand. We did it over Skype. I interviewed him and had a dialog with him and then we composed the piece of music. That's what we can do with technology, but we have to remember that the best thing is when we're face-to-face. Let's use technology to bring people together and not separate them.

MR: To be engaged in life.

HJ: Exactly.

MR: Engage has the implication of activating a machine, but really what you're saying is it's important to use technology to assist human engagement, not replace it.

HJ: I completely agree. I passionately believe in that, and that's really the theme of Engage. But at the same time, we've got this wonderful technology, let's use it. Let's use it in a way that brings people together and excites their imaginations and points out all the great possibilities. That's my thinking.

MR: As opposed to, "Oh my God, one day technology is going to rule us all!"

HJ: Exactly! I don't subscribe to that kind of future. Nobody wants that, obviously.

MR: So you'll have new material that's associated with Engage but will you also feature older material?

HJ: Engage is a standalone piece that lasts for about thirty five minutes of continuous music. In fact, the release of it which is coming in February is one continuous piece, thirty five minutes long with transitions between the pieces. You'll be able to download the individual tracks as well, but the actual work is the visuals and the music all together and it takes you on a journey for thirty five minutes. That's the idea.

MR: Are you interested in revisiting your catalog in a way similar to Engage?

HJ: I'm only doing very few shows with Engage, and then the second half will be a retrospective of my previous work. I'm always trying to reinvigorate that. If you take "New Song," the very first one, there's a lot of it that's out of time. I've corrected that now and it's in the pocket. Also with the technology we have now we can make things sound so good live, there's no excuse for it not being a good mix live.

MR: Do you occasionally have that thought, "What was I thinking? How come I didn't hear this then?"

HJ: When I go back to those first two albums, it was just the limitations of the technology, really. The bass lines were played, most all of it was played, the drums were programmed and a few sequences were programmed, but the majority of it was played, so there's going to be a bit of looseness there. Trying to sync everything up in those days was a nightmare, and it was a bit hit and miss. It still happens. Because we're always trying to push the boundaries of the things we do live, things do crash. You just have to take it on the chin and find a way around.

MR: Some artists program their productions so intensely that you can't picture it ever becoming a living, breathing song. Do you feel that some of your songs have benefited over the years from being removed from their original, programmed arrangements?

HJ: I'm very much into that. I sometimes do solo acoustic shows where I just play the songs at the piano, which is their most basic form. That really sheds a new light on them. Then also I work with my guitarist as a duo, or I've done things with brass sections and big acoustic bands that give a new life to the songs. I think it's very important to do that, otherwise one loses interest in it oneself. Even with the electronic setup I very much try to mash things up together and create new sections and allow the music to have a life of its own. I'm not going to slavishly stick to the original recording.

MR: There are a lot of artists who feel that the original recording is the painting, but there are also those who feel like the composition continues to evolve as a growing child.

HJ: I don't think I'm at the sort of extreme end of that thinking, because I'm aware that you can't take it too far. There's got to be certain key elements. "New Song" has got to have that synth riff that sounds roughly like that. It's sort of cornerstoned the people to trigger the memory of that time. There are other things you can play with, the drum sound, the bass sound, the structure of the song. I've got technology that allows me to do harmonies live on stage triggered by midi. "Things Can Only Get Better" had a fantastic remix by Cedric Gervais. We start off with a song quite like the record and then go into the big room, house version of the song which is a lot of fun. I'm certainly open to that.

MR: Where are you as a songwriter now?

HJ: It's almost about ignoring what you've done before. How do you feel? What subject matter comes up from the way that you are looking at the world? I'm aware that the biggest part of my audience is probably in their mid-to-late forties, what sort of things are they going through in their lives? All of those sorts of things are going through my mind. I think an artist should be reflecting the issues that are cropping up for my audience. The audience was garnered from those days in the eighties when they really supported me and they bought my records and I was on the radio all the time and all that stuff. I don't think you can completely divorce yourself from that, but I think it's very important to push yourself as a person and a writer, otherwise you're neglecting your responsibility to your fans, who have invested a lot in you. I bear that in mind. I'm not one of those people who writes and doesn't care about who's going to hear it. I do care about who's going to listen to it.

MR: Howard, what advice do you have for new artists?

HJ: I think that's a very important question. I think about this a lot. I do try to help young artists and help them to get going and encourage them. One of the things that I'd say is whatever level that you can do your work at, you should do it. If that means that you play your music for a group of friends on a Friday night at a random mate's house, then do that, because that's being an artist. In the process of doing that, you will then discover if you really like doing it, if you'll take it any further, which things work and which things don't, and then you can develop it from there. But don't think that you have to start by being on stage at Madison Square Garden. At whatever level you can do your work, do it at that level and it will evolve from there. And the second thing is, don't compare yourself to anyone else. There's always going to be somebody who's way better at writing or way better at playing the keyboard or whatever than you, and there's going to be a lot of people who are not going to be as good as you. Don't take into account either of those, just do what you uniquely do. Just really believe in that. I know that's hard, but that's what you have to do and to stick to that, you have to constantly work on it. Otherwise, you just won't do anything.

MR: [laughs] The fear of failure is paralyzing. Even the fear of success.

HJ: Yeah. I think mainly the fear of failure is the big thing, but you know, that's what the battle always is for artists. We have to overcome it.

MR: Are you in a constant state of self-improvement?

HJ: Absolutely. It's just central to me to try to improve as a person and as a human being, to improve the way that you interact with other and that you respect others. It's a life's work, but I really feel that that is such a great motivating force to get up every day and try and improve. Every aspect of one's life, your great work, your dealings with other people, your health, try and really move it all forward.

MR: How will you Engage us in the future?

HJ: I've got a ten-year plan to do three more pieces related to engage. I want one to be about transformation, the next one to be about dialog and communication, and the third one to be about being aware of being a global citizen. I've just got some loose themes at the moment, and engage is the start of that process. So I'm giving myself a challenge to create those, and then in ten years' time I'll perform them all together. [laughs]

MR: As a global citizen, how do you feel the globe's doing?

HJ: We've got huge problems, and everyone is very much focusing on the problems. I think it's important to also remember all of the great things that are going on as well. An example for me is I attended a TEDx day in London on the weekend, it was like nineteen people talking about their lives and how they are making a difference in society. It was absolutely inspirational. It just reminded me, and I'm sure everyone else who was there, that there are all these great people doing amazing things and that we need to remember that, too. There's problems, yeah, and we'll solve them, but there's also amazing, great people doing incredible things, too.

MR: If someone wakes up and immediately wants to change and evolve, what are a couple of things that person can start doing?

HJ: Wow, that's a question. I practice Buddhism, so I chant every day to raise my life's state and my outlook on life to a point where I'm trying to view everything as a potential possibility to create value. That's what I do. I know there's many ways of doing that, but I personally think it's quite good to have a method and a strategy for developing a positive outlook on your life. That's my way of doing it, I chant and I study Buddhism.

MR: And I imagine all of that has worked its way into Engage?

HJ: Yes, that's right, it's all in there. I tried to include the themes of respecting each other and cherishing the person in front of you, having dialogs with as many people as possible, creating friendships; I see those as the ways to change the bigger picture. If we make the change within ourselves and our environment then that spreads. That's the most solid way of creating solid change. That's my belief.

Transcribed by Galen Hawthorne

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A Conversation with Martin Sexton

Mike Ragogna: Martin, what was the grand plan behind your latest release, Mixtape Of The Open Road?

Martin Sexton: I set out wanting to make a concept record. It was going to be a bluegrass thing or a traditional rock thing or a vintage country thing, but as the songs came they pointed in twelve different directions, so I went with that flow where the concept is a mixtape. It has Nashville twang, bombastic rock, swingy jazz, folk, soul, and so on. 

MR: What are a couple of your favorite stories behind some of these songs and their creation?

MS: One of the first songs written for this record was "Remember That Ride." My friend Ned Claflin had to twist my arm to write it with him. He came to me with the chorus about inventing and building this fantasy, futuristic, magical carnival ride. I just wasn't feeling it, but because I have so much respect and faith in his ideas I took a little leap and went with it. As it sat in my notebook and on our work tape, it was just okay. Since I wasn't that attached to the tune, I took a real departure production-wise from my usual singer-songwriter thing and just played it live with fuzz bass and distorted drums. That's all it took to make this track practically sing it self. Take one was the magical take, and now I love the song. 

MR: Studio versus live, which kind of recordings do you prefer making?

MS: The short answer is I love them equally. The not-so-short answer is I enjoy the opportunity to create in studio. The temptation there is always to add more because you can, with all the tracks and technology available. To avoid that I try to keep everything live as possible when I'm in session.  For me this helps escape over-production or sterilization, allowing for mistakes that often times become favorite moments on a record. The live show is it's own universe. The immediacy and spontaneity on stage with a thousand people singing in harmony is like church. And I've never attempted to duplicate the sound of a record live. I use the songs like monkey bars that I play on differently every night.

MR: Jackson Browne's Running On Empty album was really a document of his time on the road as opposed to just being a "live" album. Just curious, what do you think about that album's significance? Do you feel that you've created a prototype with this album that might inspire others?

MS:  I love that record. What has influenced me most on that is David Lindley's lap steel playing. I find myself singing his lines when I scat. A lot of my vocal decoration--the notes I sing between phrases--I can attribute to his sense of melody. When I first met David and told him this, he just laughed and humbly credited Lowell George for influencing him. I've always been inspired by mixtapes given to me. Hopefully, this album will inspire others.

MR: You have been called fiercely indie. How has today's music business realities changed or evolved how you approach rolling out your releases?

MS:  I've been indie since '02. Wow, what a great time to be here. The digital era has really democratized the world in ways never seen before.  So many avenues have opened up in the past decade that allow listeners to decide for themselves what they want to hear, buy, or share. While my label (KTR) still rolls out records in a traditional fashion including physical units to retail with more and more vinyl, the combination of this with digital, streaming, radio spins, and touring keeps the music flowing better than ever. 

MR: What advice do you have for new artists?

MS: Frank Zappa said shut up and play your guitar. To that, I'll add shut up and sing, remaining true to your heart all the way.

MR: Looking at your catalog to this point, how would you describe what you've created? Beyond Mixtape Of The Road, might you have a favorite album or song/recording that you've created?

MS: Chris Smither had it right when he said to me, songs are kind of like kids, some of them grow up and get an education and send checks home to daddy and some are still just flipping burgers, but I love them all equally. 

MR: Rumor has it you recorded a One Direction song. You recorded a One Direction song?

MS: Yeah, my daughter heard from a friend of hers that Harry Styles follows me on Twitter. She then dared me to cover a song. She played me "Story of My Life" and I really dug it so I did a homespun video of it to share on facebook and whatever, then recorded it during my Sirius XM session in New York the next day.

MR: What does the future look like for you? Any projects in the works or anything on the personal side you want to focus on?

MS:  The next year is pretty much charted out for me on the road working the Mixtape album. In addition to that I will be working on renewal and rebuilding and what's most important, my family. We lost our home recently to a fire. Sometimes it takes catastrophic events to remind us what is most important. As we stood there and watched a lifelong collection of things go up in a massive fury of flames, all that mattered was that we were safe and alive. We are truly blessed, not only with friends and family, but fans who continue to inspire me with their love, support, and example of unity. They come from all walks of life, but set differences aside and show up with their beautiful voices singing as one.

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A Conversation with Chadwick Stokes

Mike Ragogna: Chad, what is The Horse Comanche's origin story?

Chadwick Stokes:  I didn't know when I when I wrote the song that there really was a horse named Comanche. I grew up with horses and love to ride so for me it's a metaphor for being alive. The song looks into the departure of a cosmonaut from his lover.  

MR: What was it like recording with Sam Beam and how does his involvement affect your style or sound?

CS: He was great, very thorough and genuinely into the whole process. We delved into the meanings of certain songs and he encouraged me to do more finger-picking, less strumming.  

MR: Iron And Wine and Lucius guest on the album. Were there specific things you wanted them to bring to The Horse Comanche?

CS: I wanted Sam's sonic sensibility--his albums with Brian Deck always sound great.

MR: One of the album's featured tracks, "Mother Maple," features interesting production elements like a choir and old sample machine. What was the creative process like for the whole project? 

CS: We wanted to make the best album that we could by exploring the potential that the musicians and studio had to offer and worrying about recreating it for the live show later. 

MR: "Our Lives Our Time" talks to intolerance. Is that part of your creative process, to inform as well as entertain? 

CS: Not really. I'm just singing about things that bother me, in that case, or inspire me in other cases. I guess if anything, I want to relate.

MR: From the artist's own perspective, how does this album compare to your previous works?

CS: It's just another chapter I suppose. Sam and Brian's imprint probably sets it apart more than anything else.  Sam's back up vocals are really special and Brian's sound pallet is really varied.

MR: How do you ideally see your musical career commencing? Like, what's the fantasy of your life about three to five years from now?

CS: I'd like to work on a rock opera/film that features different musician friends of mine. I'd like to play rallies and protests and contribute to the movement for peace and justice. I'd like to see gay marriage accepted everywhere, the national abolishment of the death penalty, stricter rules in gun acquisition and a higher minimum wage.  

MR: What advice do you have for new artists?

CS:  Give your music away and play as much as you can. And stay awake behind the wheel.

MR: What's the best advice you were ever given and did you take it?

CS: Don't sweat the small stuff, from actor Chad Everett by way of news personality Ron Simonsen, otherwise known as Dr. Ron the Actor. I've tried.

MR: Anything have your attention other than the new album?

CS: I have a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old at home who are keeping me busy. My wife and I also are involved in our organization Calling All Crows, which, this year, is focusing on women and children who have been displaced in Syria.

MR: Anything you want to say to Sam Beam right about now?

CS: I found your pen.

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A Conversation with Erik Deutsch

Mike Ragogna: Erik, for Outlaw Jazz, what gave you the idea to merge genres and what's the story behind this album? 

Erik Deutsch: Hey Mike, nice to make your acquaintance. It's fair to say that this album represents a lifelong journey, and that the merging of the country and jazz styles is a summary of my musical path, to this point. Although I was raised mostly in Washington D.C., my mother is from Nashville. In 1982 dad was offered a job there, so we picked up and left for 5 years--kindergarten to 4th grade for me. During my time in Nashville, I started piano lessons, heard country music everywhere, and attended performances by artists like Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Brenda Lee, Barbara Mandrell, and Waylon Jennings. I attended the Ensworth school, as did my younger brother, who became good friends with a classmate, Shooter Jennings. I occasionally found myself over at Shooter's house, or him at ours, and sometimes crossing paths with his folks--Waylon and Jessi Colter. In third grade, we had a songwriting contest. I penned a ditty about a "hoopsnake"--a mythical reptile who bites his tail and rolls along like a wheel. I won the contest...and the prize? A songwriting session with a professional guitarist/songwriter, John Knowles, and a performance at the Country Music Hall of Fame. I count that as my first gig.

Fast forward 25 years to New York City. I hear through my old Nashville friends that Shooter has moved to New York, and that he's looking for a studio to make some music. I put in a call to a friend and voila, a few months later, we're sitting in my living room talking about making music and putting a new band together. Shooter and I hadn't seen each other since grade school, but it can be easy catching up with old friends, and this was certainly the case. That led to two studio records with Shooter--Family Man and The Other Life, both of which I'm very proud, and a couple years on the road, including two visits to The Tonight Show and a performance on Letterman. 

We listened to endless music on the bus, with Shooter, Jon Graboff, and Tony Leone really schooling me with their knowledge of country musicians. I began to realize that there is a wealth of excellent guitar players who recorded instrumental country music (Roy Buchannan, Chet Atkins, Danny Gatton, Jim Campilongo, etc) but that the list of pianist who did the same is entirely too short. Thus the the idea for Outlaw Jazz was born... to make a record of genre-defying jazz music influenced by country rhythms, harmonies, and beats, with great players and singers, and little bit of outlaw attitude.  

I found a new label, Cumberland Brothers Music, in Nashville. It's run by three gentlemen that went to the Ensworth School with Shooter and I, and we were off and running. 

MR: How did you pull together your guest roster that includes Shooter Jennings and Victoria Reed?

ED: Shooter, being such an integral part of the creation of Outlaw Jazz, had to contribute to the music. I chose to record the song "Whistlers and Jugglers" with him. It was written by Shel Silverstein, recorded by Waylon, and one that we had played on the road with Shooter on a nightly basis. It's a beautiful, evocative song, that deserves a wider audience in my opinion.  

Victoria is an up and coming artist who everybody will probably know about in the next couple of years. She's got a fantastic first album full of thoughtful, well-written songs that will be released sometime this year, and just spent the entire fall opening up for Citizen Cope on his US tour. I love female vocalists, and her performance on Bo Diddley's "Dearest Darling" adds so much fun and life to the record.

MR: How was Outlaw Jazz recorded? How did the material come together?

ED: Outlaw Jazz was recorded at Mission Sound in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I launched a Kickstarter campaign (my first) and found overwhelming support for the project from friends, family, and fans. The material came together like most of my records: a few songs that had been waiting to be recorded for a while, a couple choice covers to feature our guests artists and bring a recognizable element to the music, and a couple more originals that rounded out the overall concept and balance of the record.  

MR: Are there any moments on the album that you're especially proud of?

ED: Fortunately, there's quite a few! I love the rhythm section's swing on "Outlaw Boogie"; the jam at the end of "Whistlers"; Jon Stewart's sax on "Dearest Darlin"; the sense of space on "Wild Horses";  and the overall execution of the trickiest song on the album, "Pickle."  

MR: What do you think of the state of jazz these days? Who are some of your favorite contemporaries?

ED: I think jazz is in a great place musically, but a bit of a weird place culturally. There's a great wealth of creative, intelligent, forward-thinking music coming out of the jazz community; jazz mainstays like Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Charlie Hunter, Fred Hersch, Bill Frisell, Wayne Shorter, Art Lande, Steven Bernstein, and Jon Scofield and continue to make relevant, progressive jazz music. Newer established artists are doing the same: Jason Moran, Brad Mehldau, Ben Allison, Ben Perowsky, Kneebody, Jenny Scheinman, Rudresh Manthappa, Allison Miller, Ron Miles, Myra Melford, Ben Goldberg, and Scott Amendola are some of my favorites.

Unfortunately, people aren't sure how to classify the music, and aren't especially good at listening to, buying, and supporting it either. Hopefully the extremely high quality of the art will catch up in popularity and 'hipness' in the eyes of the music world sometime soon.  

MR: Will Outlaw Jazz serve as a prototype as to where you're headed with your material in the future?

ED: It's hard to say to say right now what the next album will sound like, but I think this record is definitely more than just a "concept album"--it's music that i'm feeling in my heart and really enjoying performing for and sharing with the listeners. 

MR: Erik, what advice do you have for new artists?

ED: Practice hard, pay tribute to the history of the music, always focus on the developing your personal sound, support your local scene and your peers, don't worry about genres, and stay positive!  

MR: What's the best advice ever given to you and did you take it?

ED: At a rehearsal with Ron Miles, I asked, "What should I play on this song"? He answered "I hired you, Erik... why would i tell you what to play? I'm interested in what you are hearing." Great advice from a great bandleader... I always have it in mind. 

MR: What's the plan after Outlaw Jazz?

ED: We'll be playing shows all year to support the record, right now performances in NYC, Nashville, Toronto, Colorado, Mexico, California, Seattle, and DC are on the radar). Then on to the next challenge and hopefully some more good music!

THE OSCAR NOMINATED SHORT FILMS 2015

You want to win your Oscar pool, don't you? Well, guessing how long the show will run in case of a tie is fun. But's it's just a shot in the dark. If you want to gain a real edge, check out the Oscar Nominated Shorts of 2015. Those three categories -- live action, animated and documentary -- are the ones you usually skim over, taking a stab at any you recognize but not really knowing what's what. Luckily, your chance to see them is better than ever. This year, varied screenings of the shorts opened at more than 450 theaters around the country. Add in one-off screenings and you really have no choice, do you?



It's not all fun and games, however. The documentary shorts should be dubbed the documentary not-so-shorts since they run from a minimum of 20 minutes to 45 minutes. And while the Academy is drawing upon shorts made all over the world, the quality is actually quite spotty. I've no idea why. Are these really the best in these categories made in the past year? And yet year after year, you attend and are invariably left wishing more of the shorts were better.

But here's a secret: when only one or two shorts in each category are actually good, your chances of picking the winner leap exponentially. Instead of a 1 in 5 chance, you usually have a 50-50 chance. And sometimes a short is good enough (and its competition weak enough) so that you just KNOW it'll win. And before you know it, you've got a one or two point lead over the competition on your ballot. So head to your local movie theater or anywhere these shorts are screening and invest the time in checking them out. Come Oscar Sunday, you'll be a lot better informed than your friends and a few hours of your time might just result in you getting crowned the winner.

Here are my run-downs of the live action and animated shorts. I'll update if and when I get around to the rather longer documentary shorts.

LIVE ACTION SHORTS

AYA (French/Israel) ** 1/2 out of **** -- I watched the shorts in alphabetical order so this was the first I saw. In retrospect, it became my second favorite. A woman waiting for someone at an airport in Israel is asked to hold one of those signs for a chauffeur who must step away. Of course, before you know it she's serving as a driver for a Danish man in town to judge a piano competition. It's an ambiguous work with some strong moments -- especially the scene where the judge "plays" the piano on the woman's hand and thigh at her request and the two actors are very good. But this short bungles that essential moment where the woman decides to go along with the man's confusion as to her being his driver. Not explaining everything? Fine. Not convincing us of exactly what is going on? Not so good. Other plot elements simply make no sense at the end. Still, it's intelligently acted and though it waaaaaay overstays its welcome at 40 minutes, this was a noble effort.

BOOGALOO AND GRAHAM ** (UK) -- Too cute by half, this features two raucous lads living in Ireland during the Troubles. They fall for two baby chicks and are soon carting the animals everywhere as their personal pets. It's aggressively eccentric in nature and goes nowhere until the long-suffering mum says the chickens have to go because she's pregnant again. A last minute reprise involves an overly sentimental twist but this is mishandled in a too-quick voice-over in which we're told both about what happens in years to come and what it really means. It's too much effort just to provide an "aaah" moment that could have been done quite simply with one wordless moment we see that the kids don't.

BUTTER LAMP/ LA LAMPE AU BEURRE DE YAK *** 1/2 out of **** (France/China) -- Leagues better than everything else in either category, this short is the exemplar of what these shorts should be. It's not a teaser for what someone hopes to make a feature film; this short works perfectly on its own terms. It's a great calling card for a director. And it's entertaining! The set-up is simplicity itself; making a virtue of a limited budget and what I assume is mostly a non-professional cast. A photographer in a village in Tibet is taking pictures of local people in front of varied backdrops. Groups of people pose in front of a canvas backdrop depicting the Great Wall of China or Tiananman Square and so on. The camera never moves: it shows the people getting into place while the photographer herds them around, offers props or changes the backdrop. They finally pose and the shutter clicks and a new group springs into action. We see a family, a young couple, an elderly lady (who can't take her eyes off the canvas backdrop), a group of kids and so on. The scenes are often comic but each has its own logic and rhythm. The kicker can be seen coming a mile away but happily there's a subtle nuance to it that shows this film knows what it's doing. Wei Hu wrote and directed this and I'm writing his name down: I can't wait to see his first feature and this short should make that leap inevitable.

PARVENAH **(Switzerland) -- An Afghan teenager seems to be in Switzerland working illegally (though press notes say she's staying at a refugee center). In any case, she has some money desperately needed back home. Unfortunately, this underage girl in a strange country doesn't have the documentation needed to wire money. She warily asks another girl to help her and they strike up an unlikely friendship. Of course! A simple task becomes an over-night odyssey including cultural confusion, a disco, an overbearing date-rapish guy and too much alcohol. This short crams in a lot of hot-button issues including Islamic faith in a western country, illegals (or perhaps just refugees), male aggression and -- in an aside so perfunctory I found it offensive -- teenage self-mutilation known as cutting. The lead is appealing but it skims over the surface of the issues raised and never really comes to life.

THE PHONE CALL * (UK) -- You can sometimes spot a ringer in the shorts. That would be the one directed by a well-known actor (Hollywood loves its own) or one just stuffed with name talent, which understandably helps garner attention. This very familiar, even rote story of a woman working a crisis line has two top names attached: Sally Hawkins is the crisis center woman and the voice of Jim Broadbent is the man in crisis who is in the midst of attempting suicide. This is smoothly directed and of course Hawkins and Broadbent are pros of the highest order. But the script is so banal -- from its trite, cliched storyline to the "twist" ending and un-earned sentimentality of the coda -- that it's ultimately quite bad. I didn't even like the production design of the potential suicide's home, which is seen in pure, angelic white, a choice that seems to glorify and make lovely a desperate, sad act of suicide, an implication which I doubt is intended here. It would be a bloody shame if the generous participation of two talents like Hawkins and Broadbent swayed voters to this.

So those are the five live action shorts. And I'll eat my shirt if Butter Lamp loses. It has everything going for it: it's the shortest entry (believe me, when people sit through all five, these things matter), it's the only one with a sense of humor and indeed is very funny throughout, it has a nice kicker and a political and environmental undertone that gives it gravitas. It's also undeniably a work of genuine talent and that sense of discovery is exciting.


ANIMATED SHORT FILMS

THE BIGGER PICTURE ** (UK) -- Two brothers bicker over the care of their aging mother: one brother is successful at work and her favorite; the other actually does the hard work of caring for her and feels unappreciated. This short is here mostly for its technique, which is visually striking and fresh looking, thanks to its combination of varied approaches that feel both tactile and emotional. The story itself is rather muted and doesn't quite build or reveal anything beyond the set-up. Still, the visual style -- which would prove exhausting at feature length, I imagine -- keeps you engaged.

THE DAM KEEPER * (US) -- This muddy, indistinctive short is by far the longest at 18 minutes and feels it. A pig is somehow in charge of the dam that protects a village when his father dies. Nonetheless, the lonely pig (who always has some dirt on his face) is bullied and picked on by all the other animals at school. (Mostly we see one of various creatures; why a pig should be singled out isn't quite explained.) Things change when a new kid joins the school, a fox who is a talented drawer and soon befriends the pig. They have a brief misunderstanding but all is soon explained. End of story. The look is un-involving and the short takes a long time to tell a very basic story.

FEAST *** (US) -- This is by far the most commercial offering. It has been included in the theatrical release of Disney's Big Hero 6, where reviews often singled it out. Essentially, it's the life of a dog through food. We see him as a puppy getting indulged by his master, growing bigger and getting better and better scraps, watch the food get "healthy" when a girlfriend enters the picture and so on. It's all told from a below-the-knees perspective, with food falling from the table to dolloped out to our hero. Aesthetically, I don't really like the look of this short. But it has a strong storyline, clear point of view and tells its tale with entertaining elan. These shorts are often a training ground for directors at Disney so I'm sure we'll see Patrick Osborne take the helm on a feature length project soon.

ME AND MY MOULTON ** (Canada) ** -- This quirky tale comes from Canada but is Danish to its core. Torill Kove wrote and directed this seemingly autobiographical story about the middle child of three sisters and their embarrassingly different, liberal parents who always do stuff out of the ordinary. It has a charming visual style and distinctive tone. Nonetheless the very slight story is stretched out to 13 minutes in length, reducing any goodwill it initially garnered.

A SINGLE LIFE ** 1/2 (Netherlands) -- This is the only serious competition to Feast. A Single Life shows a woman playing a single on her turntable (someone explain to the kids what a 'single" and a "45" and a turntable" are, please). When the needle skips, the woman jumps forward in age, when she places the needle back towards the start, she becomes younger than ever. We also seem to glimpse changes in her life, from single to married and so on. It's visually striking and has a smart kicker at the end. But the rules of this transformation are never established: are we seeing just the varied stages of her life or various possibilities of how her life might go? Without that grounding, it's hard to enjoy the quick changes since we don't quite know what they mean. We "get" the finale but it too feels a little confusing. This short needed to catch its breath and let us know what was exactly going on. Watching it three times, I'm still not quite sure what they intended. It's fun, but a little muddled.

So those are the five animated shorts. In years past, a short with some bold technique could steal the Oscar from a crowd-pleaser. But now with the honor system and shorts available on screeners, a lot more people can vote without having the bother of going to specific screeners in LA and NYC. So I'd go with the obvious crowd-pleaser and the most clearly successful short here, even if some might grumble Disney and Pixar have dominated too much in recent years.

So there you have it: Butter Lamp for Live Action Short and Feast for Animated Short. Your Oscar ballot just got two picks smarter. But if you really want to be smart, check them out yourself. I've been wrong before!


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Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the founder and CEO of the forthcoming website BookFilter, a book lover's best friend. It's a website that lets you browse for books online the way you do in a physical bookstore, provides comprehensive info on new releases every week in every category and offers passionate personal recommendations every step of the way. It's like a fall book preview or holiday gift guide -- but every week in every category. He's also the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinion makers as guests. It's available for free on iTunes. Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog. Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and also available for free on iTunes.

Note: Michael Giltz is provided with free tickets to shows with the understanding that he will be writing a review. All productions are in New York City unless otherwise indicated.

For my weekly, live, Saturday-night talk show, The Not-So-Late Show, I sat down at New World Stages with 30 Rock and Glee star Cheyenne Jackson. We chatted about everything from Jackson's Broadway career to marriage to whom he's enjoyed working with the most. There are some great behind-the-scenes stories!

Video by Frankie C

The Not-So-Late Show (@notsolatenyc), hosted by Marti Gould Cummings and featuring Michael Lamasa, takes place every Saturday night at New World Stages on 50th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues. Every week there's a new celebrity guest!

As a Connecticut Yankee born and bred -- or perhaps I should say born and white-bread, which is how most people think of Connecticut Yankees -- I have always loved history, not just because I am old enough to be historical myself, but because I could never do algebra.

That's why I was so grateful when Joe Courtney, the Democratic congressman from Connecticut's Second District, defended our brave little state from the slander perpetrated against it in the 2012 film "Lincoln." The offenders were director Steven Spielberg, who is from Ohio, and screenwriter Tony Kushner, who is from New York, though they both might as well be from Neptune (and not New Jersey, either).

The movie showed how the president (William Henry Harrison -- sorry, I mean Abraham Lincoln) pushed for the passage of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery.

In the key voting scene, two of the three members of the Connecticut delegation were wrongly depicted as voting against the amendment. In reality, there were four members and they all voted for it.

Incredulous after seeing the movie, Rep. Courtney wrote an open letter to Spielberg, pointing out the flub and asking for a correction on the DVDs, which the director had promised to send to middle and high schools across the country, presumably so the lie about Connecticut could be perpetuated for the current generation of students.

The letter prompted a snotty, half-baked response from Kushner, who threw Spielberg under the horse and buggy by saying the director approved the intentionally erroneous scene because it gave the audience "placeholders" (was he planning a dinner party?) and was a "rhythmic device" (which would have been more appropriate if he had been making a movie about George Gershwin).

Kushner also said he and Spielberg wanted to show how the closeness of the vote was the "historical reality." Truth be told, the historical reality was that they got it wrong on purpose. How stupid was that?

It had to be the biggest mistake of Spielberg's career, not only because it was easily avoidable and completely unnecessary, but because the resultant controversy was probably the main reason why he, Kushner and the film itself didn't win Oscars in 2013.

Now that it's 2015, the 150th anniversary of the passage and ratification of the 13th Amendment, Rep. Courtney is again coming to Connecticut's defense.

This time he and his staff have produced a resource guide titled "Honoring Connecticut's Role in Abolishing Slavery, 150 Years Later." Intended to accompany any school showing of "Lincoln," which probably would put kids to sleep anyway, the guide shows how the state's four representatives -- Augustus Brandegee, James English, Henry Deming and John Henry Hubbard -- braved hardships and personal attacks to vote for the 13th Amendment when it passed on Jan. 31, 1865.

"Did they sail from Connecticut to Washington on their yachts or did they drive BMWs?" I asked Rep. Courtney in a phone conversation.

"I think they rode horses," he responded.

"Spielberg would be shocked," I said. "The photos of the four representatives in your guide show that they didn't wear polo shirts, so I assume they weren't wearing khakis and boat shoes, either."

"Probably just woolen suits," Rep. Courtney said.

"Another Connecticut myth exploded," I declared.

Unlike Spielberg, Kushner and the late, great singer Sam Cooke, whose 1960 hit, "Wonderful World," opens with the lyrics, "Don't know much about history," Rep. Courtney, 61, was a history major at Tufts University and graduated in the class of 1975.

"I wouldn't say I was magna cum laude," he acknowledged, "but I got pretty good grades."

"Do you think Spielberg and Kushner got good grades in history?" I asked.

"Based on what they did to Connecticut in 'Lincoln,' they might have flunked," said Rep. Courtney.

"I'm glad you set the record straight with your guide," I told him (it can be accessed at courtney.house.gov). "In fact, it would make a great movie."

"I can see it being a documentary," Rep. Courtney said.

"And I have just the guys to make it," I said. "Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner."

"I don't know about Kushner," Rep. Courtney said.

"You're right," I replied. "He's a brilliant writer, but he never met a fact he didn't hate. How about if I wrote it and you produced it?"

"If you can find an agent and a backer," said Rep. Courtney, noting that politics in Hollywood are even worse than they are in Washington, "it could work."

"And if Spielberg promises to get it right this time, he can direct," I said. "Who knows, he might even win an Oscar."

Stamford Advocate humor columnist Jerry Zezima is the author of "Leave It to Boomer" and "The Empty Nest Chronicles." Visit his blog at www.jerryzezima.blogspot.com. Email: JerryZ111@optonline.net.

Scarlett Johanssen presents Chris Hemsworth AACTA's Excellence in Film Award

Saturday night I attended the G'Day USA Gala Awards show in Los Angeles where host Nicole Kidman and AACTA President Geoffrey Rush honored top film talent in Los Angeles. The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts is equivalent to our Oscar celebration and G'Day USA has been promoting the talents of our friends down under since 2004. Their stateside celebration has gotten grander every year.

The Hollywood Palladium was SRO and the red carpet talent very impressive, including Scarlett Johansson, Naomi Watts, Russell Crowe, Patricia Arquette, John Travolta, Rachel Griffiths, Keith Urban and Chris Hemsworth who received an Excellence in Film Award. Geoffrey Rush told me "even though we started back at the SoHo house ten years ago, which was a much more intimate celebration, I love this evening, this building has great history, it's grand and for the performers it still feels like an 'actor' experience."


Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Patakay on the AACTA red carpet

G'Day USA honors prominent Australians from film, television, music , arts and culture, and Rush kept us laughing from the stage, one time having all the Americans try to say "G'day' properly, which we all failed miserably at, and then had the Aussies show us how to do it. "I am a qualified speech therapist," he pointed out.

AACTA fetes International Awards across seven categories and Birdman scored four of them including Best Film (Alejandro Inarritu) , Direction, (Alejandro Inarritu), Lead Actor (Michael Keaton) and Screenplay (Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolas Giacobone, Armando Bo, and A. Inarritu). Julian Moore won lead actress for Still Alice, Patricia Arquette won best supporting for Boyhood, and J.K. Simmons won best supporting for Whiplash.

Russel Crowe was asked to the stage to receive his AACTA Award for Best Film (Water Diviner) as he missed the Australian Award Show just two days earlier in Sydney due to scheduling conflicts. He handed his award back to Kidman so he could have his hands free as he spoke, admiring her stylish gown, explaining best film was a tie this year between his film and with Babadook, already being recognized as a classic horror film.



Chris Hemsworth was presented his Excellence in Film award by Scarlett Johanssen who gave him a glowing introduction where she said on the Avengers set she was just hoping some of his star dust would sprinkle on to her. Hemsworth was very gracious accepting his award, saying "We are welcomed here, and accepted, and I noticed that from day one, which I'm very grateful for." On the red carpet he talked about his childhood dream of living in L.A. and working in the industry, and how that is now only outshone by having met his wife here, Elsa Patakay.

Naomi Watts accepted the award for Director Alejandro Inarritu for Best Film (Birdman) thanking him and the entire cast and crew, who she said bonded during production, and that it was her best experience working on a film.

After the final award, Rush assured the crowd that the Americans "would leave in an hour so they could be at the gym by 6AM, but the Australians will be partying here all night, and meet the Americans at the gym at 6AM to say good night."

The party did continue for quite a while with lavish food and drink by top Australian and American chefs Neil Perry and Tom Colicchio and excellent musical artists, including Human Nature, the Australian quartet who brought their Vegas show to the stage and sang Motown as well as the original artists. Half the guests were up on their feet and dancing for hours.


Human Nature performs their Las Vegas Motown revue

This American did go home before dawn, just to stay true to form and not to outshine his Australian friends too badly, but was wonderfully reminded of how many of our beloved stars here in America are Australian.

Joe Reegen stars in the recently released Alien Outpost as the lead character, "Omohundro," alongside Adrian Paul (Highlander), Rick Ravanello (The Cave), Reiley McClendon (Pearl Harbor) and Matthew Holmes (True Blood). Alien Outpost Trailer. Joe Reegan's Twitter: @JoeReegan . Photo By Michael Slanville


Alien Outpost, Chicago P.D. - all in a day's work for actor Joe Reegan.

Joe Reegan is a funny guy. He's been doing lots of serious acting roles lately, but in person he throws in some funny things that will pass over your head if you're not paying attention. Joe's a good looking guy so I can definitely see how it would be easy to drift off into lala land and not hear a word he's saying.

So I asked him some serious, and some not so serious questions. Let's check out Joe Reegan's answers!

Why are you an actor?

I think people are BORN being actors. I think actors are a "species" unto ourselves. As a little kid I knew that's what I was going to do with my life. I was lucky enough to be exposed to theatre growing up, and I knew I wanted to be on the stage, not sitting in the seat watching the stage.

What type of role would you turn DOWN? Why?

It's challenging to come up with a hypothetical role I would turn down. I'm most happy going to work, being on set and collaborating with people.

How long ago did you complete #AlienOutpost?

We wrapped principal photography about a year and a ½ ago, and since then, Jabbar Rasaini and the entire team have been working on the VFX and all the other cool stuff that goes into finishing a great movie.

What was the most difficult scene you did and why?

The entire shoot was awesome. Probably one of the best times I've had in my entire life. Every day of the shoot was incredibly difficult. Explosions and live gunfire require a huge amount of choreography from the actors and director. Hands down most difficult scene involved an explosion that had taken 3 days to set up. On an indie budget, you get 1 take to get it right with that large of an explosion. So there was an obvious amount of pressure to nail the scene, from the dialogue, choreography, and avoiding being blown up. Jabbar let me know this was a one-take opportunity, and in the end, the added pressure to get the shot, only enhanced the pressure my character was under.

Have you ever taken a role that turned out to be the exact opposite of what you expected?

No. With film, in my experience, you audition quite a bit for the role. So you meet the director, casting director, producers, etc., you have the script, you've been given the opportunity to ingest the character and the world, so you know what you are getting into.

I have had some very unexpected environments working in TV. Network TV moves quickly and I have been thrown into some "challenging work situations". Personalities don't always click. But in the end, it's not personal, so you do your best work and move on.

What's it like being involved at Sundance? Do you pay your own way?

Sundance is great and insane. I am very grateful for the films I have had there. Tons of huge parties, great movies, and also one of the best times to ski. Every time I am there I try to get at least one day in on the slopes, because the slopes are empty. Everyone is on Main Street doing panels, interviews and seeing films.

Every time I have been I have had to, yes, pay my way. Pack in on good old Southwest and fly up there and find a place to crash. You do your interviews and pics and embrace the chaos!

Seriously, how did you get verified for Twitter?

I didn't know how serious being "verified" was, or even what the point of Twitter was, up until a few years ago. Now I'm into it. It's a great way to interact with people who follow your work and to show support for other actors/films and causes/organizations that you are passionate about. Great for news on the go as well.

A few years ago I was working on a show with a heavy teen audience, and I started getting massive amounts of notifications of new followers. Then my account got hacked and tweets were sent out about something "random", I don't remember what. So I emailed "THE TWITTER", and they emailed me back and fixed the security issue, and I got a blue check-mark by my name and #verified. I'm down with #twitter. I don't know if the bird is a boy or girl, but very nice, nonetheless.

Is there a difference between sci-fi fans vs. non sci-fi fans?

In my book, fans are fans. Any time someone writes or tweets about something I have been a part of, or stops me on the street, I feel very grateful. When anyone appreciates your work, it is always humbling.

What types of music are your favorites?

My musical tastes are all over the map. One day I'll be listening to E-40, the next day, The Rolling Stones. My environment dictates the music I listen to. At home, it has to be something mellow, (RadioHead), in the car on the way to an audition, its anything I know the words to, so I can get out of my head and warm up my voice.

If you could date any musician, singer, who would it be, and why?

I plan on marrying Rihanna. I think we would make beautiful children.

What's your workout and food routine?

I am compulsive about working out. It centers me for the day. I wake up, brush my teeth and immediately start my workout. It's a combo of lifting, cycling and trail running. It's a moving meditation for me.
Food wise, I eat pretty much meat, vegetables and fruit.

On Christmas Day I ate a 2 lb box of See's candy, so I'm not perfect with my diet. My favorite soda is Diet Dr. Pepper and I would drink a six pack of it every day if I could.

What was the best and worst audition you ever had? Why?

Worst Audition I have ever had...I think I have buried that deep in my psyche.
I enjoy performing live in a room, the nerves, the adrenaline. And all of the great casting directors, who respect actors and love the art, are a pleasure to audition for.

I once accidentally kicked a huge hole in a wall in the middle of an audition. It was a total accident and I was shocked, the casting director was shocked, and it was um...awkward. However, the director loved my audition and I almost got the job, but it went to a guy 25 years older than me.

So that COULD have been a bad audition, BUT it ended up a great audition, and whenever I see the casting director, we make jokes about "Joe Reegan" "proofing" the room.

What is your work ethic that made you so successful?

This business is incredible competitive and also totally subjective. I was trained to view the craft just like a pro athlete. You train. And train, and train and focus on what you want out of your life. Having a disciplined route, pushing out of your comfort zone, and always demanding 110% of yourself; and then checking in to make sure you are still having fun. If all that is firing, then you know you are on the right path.

You like to write. What do you write? Is it a passion or an outlet for you?

I started off writing little short stories that popped in my head. I journal a lot and the genesis of the short stories, often, come from that. I recently finished my first screenplay. I've notice I usually find myself writing about very dark things, some personal, some not... Writing is new to me, so at the moment, it's been a great outlet for me.

Tell us about your audition for one of my favorite shows, Chicago P.D.?

Working on Chicago P.D. was great, the cast is great. I was actually buying a pair of slippers (yup slippers) at a store in Los Angeles and I got a call asking if I could be in Chicago to shoot the next morning at 5am. I thought they were joking because it was 12pm on the West Coast. They weren't. So I drove home, didn't have time to shower, packed a bag and was on a plane by 2:30pm. I got to my hotel room in Chicago, read the script, slept for an hour, finally took a shower and was then on set shooting Chicago P.D. at 5am.

Share a time with us when you felt really lonely.

I'm sorta feeling lonely right now. I think we all have moments of loneliness. Its part of being human.

What do you think about people with mean streaks?

I think we all have our bad days. However, it's incredibly "easy" to be mean and criticize. It takes much more bravery to be open and kind-hearted in life. I've found that most often mean people are very stricken with fear about their own lives and life choices, and so I try to not take anything too personal. Easier said than done.

What's next on your acting agenda?

I'm working on a couple shows at the moment that will air in the Spring. I'm also prepping for a film that begins in a few months. It's a passion project, indie low budget sort of film.

Anything else you would like to say:

Yes, go see Alien Outpost, which just came out in theatres and VOD January 30th, 2015. I do my very best to save our planet. ;-)