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photo courtesy of Maysles Films

With great sadness, I read my sister's email last week that Al Maysles has died. It's as if a spiritual father has left the cinema. Darker because of the sudden loss, but assured it will re-illuminate every time one of his powerful documentaries is shown.

I don't make movies like Al. I'm too busy working out my neurotic wounds to be a fly on the wall, but I adore his films. Who doesn't? They are smart, funny and like Al, very sensitive. I didn't know his brother and partner David, but I admired their ability to work so well with each in such ground breaking films as Salesman and Gimme Shelter.

I remember being in the Hamptons in the early '70s to hear painter Larry Rivers play sax in a small jazz club. And who was in the small audience but Edith Beale, the weird cousin of Jackie O, sitting quietly with that iconic scarf around her head. Grey Gardens had breathed fresh life into Edith and her mother, showing the world what is rarely seen, the underbelly hidden beneath the illusion of family, money and status.

When I went to see Al in the '90s with a rough cut of my opus, Deep in The Deal, he was anything but flattering. This film, which featured my partner running around arguing with interviewees and me playing good cop to his bad, was nothing like a Maysles' picture. Clearly, Al didn't get what we were trying to do, but was so sweet in his critique. I am only sorry that now as I'm in post- post- post production, he will not get a chance to see the finished film.

One of my favorite moments with Al was the day I went shooting The Gates in Central Park. It was horrid weather, but I felt compelled to try and capture the feeling of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's fascinating saffron installation and the people's reactions to it. Al was making a film on The Gates and running around in a jalopy with his camera and small team. He invited me to hop on board and so we shot together for a few hours, everyone excited to see the great Al, he friendly and open, taking it all in stride. Afterwards, I was invited up to his spacious apartment in the Dakota for tea and toast, entertained by his brilliant wife Gillian. There were such good vibes in his home... his humor and sweetness permeated the space... I never wanted to leave.

The Public Health Message of House of Cards, Season 3
A Series Review
Lloyd I. Sederer, MD

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As just about everyone in North America with a television knows, Netflix released Season 3 of House of Cards in its now customary all-at-once fashion on February 27, 2015. Some reviewers (and viewers) hunkered down to digest the 13 episodes in the course of a day or two, but it took me more than a week.

With master performances by Kevin Spacey (President Underwood), Robin Wright (The First Lady), Michael Kelly (Doug Stamper), Mahershala Ali (Chief of Staff, Remy Danton), and Molly Parker (Congresswoman Jackie Sharp), the show continues to fascinate and sustain our attention with the power politics and ruthless ambitions of America's favorite fictitious first family.

For me, as a public health doctor, I was intrigued by the centerpiece of President Underwood's domestic agenda, which is what I write about here. Forgive my bypassing the president's international chess game with Russian President Viktor Petrov (Lars Mikkelsen, a remarkable Putin look- and act-alike) and efforts to bring peace to the Middle East. That is for the likes of foreign affairs experts to comment upon, not me. Back home, however, with an ailing economy and unemployment ripping at the fabric of the United States, Underwood needs a game changer. He needs a dramatic, disruptive policy drawn from his utterly shrewd sense of how to control politics, people, and the future of this country.

President Underwood's popularity is in a deep ditch, his fellow Democratic leadership bent on getting rid of him, and Congress is enemy territory. He thus sets his sights on a jobs program for 10 million Americans, "America Works," with a cost of $500 billion. His guiding light is Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the Public Works Program of The New Deal, which used federal money and rather unfettered power to give Americans jobs during the Great Depression.

House of Cards and its veteran writers and producers construct for President Underwood a domestic agenda built on the premise that joblessness is a public health emergency. (For more on what determines your health, please go to askdrlloyd.com.) Brilliant, since in fact, from a public health perspective, it most certainly is. The means by which Underwood enacts his jobs plan infuses ample doses of moral tension to Season 3, as does how he contends with recalcitrant legislators and DC titans.

President Underwood's jobs program to decimate unemployment is most unconventional, highly creative, and evidently not illegal. He invokes The Stafford Act. This legislation gives authority to the president during major disasters or emergencies to deliver federal disaster assistance to states and local governments to aid impacted citizens. We mostly know this Act from the agency that carries out its responsibilities -- FEMA (The Federal Emergency Management Agency), which reports to the Executive Office, not Congress. Absent jobs, Underwood argues, Americans are subject to the ravages of unemployment -- not unlike how they suffer from the devastation of a hurricane or the bombing of one of our cities.

The public health consequences of joblessness are legion. Depression, anxiety disorders, and physical complaints without evident medical cause are highly prevalent among the unemployed. Rates of suicide go up during recessions, with the unemployment they produce. Unemployed men (better studied) take more medications, make more visits to doctors, and spend more days in bed than those employed who have comparable health. Unemployment corrodes family cohesion. Joblessness is highly associated with homelessness and rates of incarceration -- which mask true unemployment rates. Joblessness also contributes to domestic violence.

The House of Cards president has it right: We need to fix unemployment in the USA. President Underwood bets his presidency on a jobs program, slickly named America Works. But he has no way to fund it. Not letting that stand in his way, Underwood declares unemployment dangerous to the health of America.

For the Underwoods, ambition trumps propriety and ends justify means. Can the public health exigencies of unemployment warrant executive action, as we support in a disaster and other emergencies? President Underwood astutely believes so, and acts unilaterally on his jobs program by drawing down billions of dollars of FEMA appropriations to pay for it. He seems like an FDR visionary who employs LBJ tactics.

Frank Underwood, dating back throughout his made-up TV career, is of the school of "GSD" (Getting expletive Done), notwithstanding his own self-serving ambitions. The stasis and political posturing, over so many years in this country, does create a yearning for action in so many of us. Characters who take matters into their own hands when bureaucracy cannot (or will not) act is no doubt part of the appeal of many movie and film protagonists who go rogue, including those in House of Cards.

For me, as a physician who has worked in public health for near to 15 years, I thank the Underwoods, and the writers of House of Cards, for their keen public health message: Unemployment is bad for our physical and mental health, and for the safety of our communities. Season 3 of House of Cards not only makes the public health case for recognizing unemployment as a societal emergency it also serves as a gripping example about how life might do well to imitate art.
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Dr. Sederer's book for families who have a member with a mental illness is The Family Guide to Mental Health Care (Foreword by Glenn Close) - now available in paperback.

Dr. Sederer is a psychiatrist and public health physician. The views expressed here are entirely his own. He takes no support from any pharmaceutical or device company.

http://www.askdrlloyd.com -- Follow Lloyd I. Sederer, MD on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/askdrlloyd

By Will Levith, Condé Nast Traveler

Here are the 10 most exotic filming locations Indiana Jones movie director Steven Spielberg shot at that you can still visit today.

AF archive / Alamy

Harrison Ford has portrayed many famous movie characters, but perhaps the most iconic is Indiana Jones. Ford expertly molded the ruggedly handsome (and ophidiophobic) character who starred in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Temple of Doom (1984), The Last Crusade (1989), and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). With rumors that Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation, Guardians of the Galaxy) is being groomed as Ford's replacement in a reboot, we're taking a look at the original series' most exotic filming locations, which you can still travel to today.

1. Hule'ia National Wildlife Refuge, Kauai, Hawaii

Those iconic jungle-treasure-hunting scenes in Raiders of the Lost Ark were supposed to be taking place in the wilds of Peru. They were actually shot on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, with the famed rolling-boulder scene shot in and around the Huleia National Wildlife Refuge.

Debra Behr / Alamy

2. Sidi Bouhlel Canyon, Tozeur, Tunisia

If you were tricked into believing that the snake hating and Nazi face melting in Raiders took place in Egypt, the film crew did their job well: Those scenes were actually shot in the desert landscapes of Tunisia, with the showdown between Indy and the Nazis taking place near Sidi Bouhlel canyon, just outside Tozeur. (Fun fact: The Star Wars series has also used Tozeur as a locale.)

Tommy Trenchard/Demotix/Corbis

3. La Pallice Port U-boat Pens, La Rochelle, France

Director Steven Spielberg tore this next location directly from the history books. The port of La Pallice in La Rochelle, France, was used by the Nazis during World War II as a U-boat base, so Spielberg cast the real-life location as just that in Raiders. Those eerie, hulking, concrete U-boat "pens" are still visible from the port but no longer in use.

Keith Poynton / Alamy

4. Rope-bridge Climax, Kandy, Sri Lanka

When Indy faces adversity, he gets creative; that's also what director Steven Spielberg and his crew did with the rope-bridge scene at the climactic ending of Temple of Doom. Unable to film on location in north India, where they had originally wanted to, they ended up shooting many scenes, including this one, near Kandy, Sri Lanka.

AF archive / Alamy

5. Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, Macau

The bustling, cosmopolitan streets of Shanghai, China, in the 1930s must've been a sight to behold -- and one that Temple of Doom director Steven Spielberg was unable to fully capture in the Chinese city. Instead, Macau's Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro stood in for the street scenes in 1935 Shanghai.

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6. Tuolumne River Rapids, Yosemite National Park

Remember the harrowing raft sequence in Temple of Doom? Indy, Willie (Kate Capshaw), and Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan) first slide down a snowy mountain face, then careen over a cliff into rapids. The latter scene was shot in the white waters of the Tuolumne River, parts of which flow directly through Yosemite National Park in California.

Craig Lovell / Eagle Visions Photography / Alamy

7. Al Khazneh, Petra, Jordan

In The Last Crusade, Indiana Jones is after the Holy Grail, and what better place to "house" it than a real-life place called "The Treasury"? That's the popular tourist attraction al Khazneh, in Petra, Jordan, a giant, ornately carved sandstone temple facade that dates back to the first century A.D.

travelib culture / Alamy

8. Monsul Beach, Andalucía, Spain

With an airplane in hostile pursuit, Indy and his father, played by Sean Connery, are forced out in the open on a sandy beach in The Last Crusade. But the elder Jones' quick thinking (and umbrella) downs the agitating bird. The entire sequence was filmed on Monsul Beach in the province of Almería in Andalucía, Spain, in Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park.

age fotostock / Alamy

9. Iguazu Falls, Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil

One of the most breathtaking vistas in the latest Indiana Jones movie, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, comes courtesy of Iguazu Falls, which visitors can marvel at from three separate countries: Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil. (If you're willing to get a little wet from the spray, it's an unforgettable adventure.)

David Lyons / Alamy

10. Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, New Mexico

Standing in for 1950s Nevada in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is the similarly desolate Abiquiu, New Mexico, where director Steven Spielberg shot scenes on location at Ghost Ranch, an educational retreat in the area. The ranch might be best known as a one-time stomping ground for artist Georgia O'Keeffe.

Efrain Padro / Alamy

More from Condé Nast Traveler:
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15 Places You Won't Believe Exist
The World's Most Dangerous Trips
Private Islands That Cost Less Than an NYC Apartment
How Not to Look Like a Tourist In Paris
10 Most Underrated American Cities

With the first day of spring less than two weeks away, I am mulling over plans for a vacation to someplace tropical. Booking a trip for myself was one of my top "new year, new you" resolutions, and it's time to start planning!

A few years ago I took a very big leap and decided to go to Europe on my own. Since childhood I'd traveled all over the world with family and friends, but I'd never gone on a trip by myself. The very idea terrified me. I like being with other people, sharing experiences. I'm an extremely social person. At times I find it challenging to be alone for long stretches of time. I don't even like to go to movies by myself. However, I needed a break and couldn't figure out a mutually acceptable schedule with any of my closest friends, so one day, on a whim, I decided to call my travel agent and find out about the options for a trip by myself. She ended up booking me a two-week cruise to Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and Monaco. And then, surprising myself, I actually went. Even more surprisingly, one of the things that made the experience so enjoyable was traveling by myself. There was no one to check in with to see if they wanted to do the same things I wanted to do. I went wherever I wanted to go, ate whatever I felt like eating. It was, in short, divine.

Yes, the places I visited -- Bordeaux, Biarritz, Seville and Lisbon, to name only a few -- were stunning. But even more than the destinations, the feeling of freedom was astounding. I slept late if I wanted to. I got up early if I wanted to. Many mornings I would go up to the deck of the ship and have a cappuccino while I watched the sun rise. Sometimes I went to the spa. Sometimes I didn't. Sometimes I went shopping. Sometimes I just read a good book stretched out on a lounge chair by the pool. Sometimes I stayed up late after dinner. Sometimes I went to bed early.

The point is that I luxuriated in having no one but myself to please for two whole weeks. I wasn't antisocial -- far from it; in fact, I made some good friends on the journey, and I'm still in touch with them. But I didn't feel tied to someone else's whims and having to constantly make compromises in one direction or the other.

I think that if you can take a trip on your own, you might find that the peace and tranquility are worth it. It's just you and the universe -- no one to answer to! You may see, as I did, that such a scenario could be very restful and transformative.

Few things in this life are more subjective than humor. That said, Seinfeld receives near-universal acclaim as one of television's greatest comedies. In fact, a noted 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll crowned it the best sitcom ever. And when 60 Minutes and Vanity Fair elect to join forces, you know the world of polling isn't dicking around.

Taking these results at face value, one can't help but wonder: if Seinfeld is TV's funniest sitcom, what in turn is the funniest joke from TV's funniest sitcom? And would this joke then, by sheer elimination, be the funniest line ever uttered in a situation comedy? A case could certainly be argued as such. But oh, the number of gags to sift though.

Some quick arithmetic: the average multi-camera sitcom delivers three laugh lines per minute. Multiply this by 22, the average sitcom episode length in minutes. Then multiply this by 176, the number of 22-minute Seinfeld episodes minus the pair of two-part clip shows we won't count. This gives us 11,616 jokes. You know, give or take.

By default, one of these jokes must be the funniest, be it by razor-thin margin or toppling landslide. But which one? And which characteristics would make it stand head and shoulders above the competitors? With the scientific method as my co-pilot, I was determined to stick the landing on this potential Hindenburg of a head-scratcher.

The experiment: binge-watch all nine seasons of Seinfeld: Elaine-deficient pilot to prison-soaked finale. Whichever line would elicit the hardest, loudest, and lengthiest laugh would be named Seinfeld's funniest joke, and by way of the 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll results, the funniest joke in sitcom history.

Unlike their Best Sitcom poll, the Funniest Joke experiment would be performed unilaterally; one man's singular experience. Would such an approach in any way compromise the veracity of these results? Pffft -- Galileo was but one man, yet look at the buttload of things that dude objectively proved. Eppur si muove, amigos.

Anyhow, I set to work on this Sisyphean task. And after an accumulated 66 hours of viewing, I had my answer. Here's the tale of the tape:

The episode: The Merv Griffin Show. Season nine, episode six. Original airdate November 6, 1997.

The storyline: George becomes agitated when the city's birds break their "we fly away when your car approaches us" deal with humans. While swerving to avoid a stubborn pigeon, he accidentally hits a squirrel. His animal-loving girlfriend Miranda then insists they take the injured rodent to a veterinarian.

The scene: The squirrel is in rough shape, and the vet explains keeping it alive will be a difficult and expensive process.

The set-up dialogue:

GEORGE: Well, are there any other options?
VETERINARIAN: We could put him to sleep.
GEORGE: (a beat) What might that cost?

The punchline: Play the video below. Or scroll down to read the transcript if you don't have 20 damn seconds.

Downtown Veterinary Clinic from Steven Shehori on Vimeo.

The punchline:

VETERINARIAN: Well, it's by the pound, soooo, about 80 cents.

And this, by the standards to which I methodically adhered, is the funniest line in the history of Seinfeld, and -- by extension -- television sitcoms.

Not what you were expecting? I'm in the same boat as you. Especially since I didn't choose this joke to position myself as a roguish ironic hipster: some smug Johnny-contrarian who extols the virtues of rotary phones and insists Radiohead's best album is Pablo Honey. I chose it because I woke the neighbors from laughing so hard.

Which raises the question: out of thousands of funny Seinfeld lines, why did "Well, it's by the pound, soooo, about 80 cents" rise to the top? Tough call. I enjoyed the cognitive disconnect between what one assumes it might cost to put down a squirrel versus what it might actually cost. When frugal George Costanza is strong-armed into paying for something, the price tag usually packs a wallop. So for him to discover this wounded squirrel imbroglio could be solved with nothing more than three quarters and a nickel -- it's an unexpected reversal, and a damn funny one at that.

But this, in and of itself, didn't adequately explain the joke's impact; there had to be more going on. I hoped talking to those involved in its creation and execution could bring some clarity. First up was veteran actor Rick Hall, who delivered the winning line with masterful precision. (A lesser fellow would have hammed it up six ways to Sunday; Hall is not that fellow.)

Although Hall also played the veterinarian character in an earlier episode, he was relegated to a straight man position opposite Michael Richards' frenetic Kramer. When brought in to reprise the role for The Merv Griffin Show, he seemed cognizant of the brilliance awaiting him. "Reading the script," he says, "I turned to my wife and said, 'Laura, I get to say some of the funny things this time!'"

The Merv Griffin Show was written by Girls executive producer and longtime New Yorker cartoonist Bruce Eric Kaplan. As it happens, the episode's 'George vs. animals' storyline was inspired by his own Costanza-like experience. "One time I was pulling up to an ATM, and there were pigeons in the way," Kaplan explains. "And I thought, 'Oh, the pigeons are gonna fly out, as pigeons always do.' And they didn't. And the three people at the ATM looked at me in horror."

He adds, "I think I just pulled away. It was a hit and run."

Despite writing the episode, Kaplan modestly refuses to take credit for the veterinarian clinic scene, citing it was borne of writers' room punch-ups. "I think it was Jerry's idea about adding in the squirrel," he notes. "And my recollection is that Spike [Feresten] wrote that particular joke."

Like Jerry Seinfeld, Spike Feresten is no stranger to comedic brilliance. The writer and TV host penned the series' iconic Soup Nazi episode, and co-wrote Seinfeld's 2007 animated hit Bee Movie. Clearly his steel-trap brain would hold further insight into TV's funniest sitcom joke.

"When I was writing for Seinfeld, it was the first time I had a dog," Feresten says, recounting the joke's inspiration. "And every dog service I used I was charged by the pound. Whenever I had to board it for the holidays, they'd say, 'Your dog is 25 to 35 pounds, so it's gonna cost this.' Even the dog walker would be, 'So how many pounds? What does it weigh?' It struck me as really funny."

Memorable comedy tends to originate from a real place. Which may explain why piling Feresten's personal animal-weighing experience atop Kaplan's personal animal-killing experience doesn't simply double the laughs -- it increases them exponentially. Sure, the math checks out: but do cold, unfeeling numbers fully affirm why this joke wields such indomitable power? Turns out something wholly unexpected may also play a role. Let's call it fate.

"Here's an incredibly weird coincidence," Feresten confesses. "In the past week, my kids and I have domesticated a squirrel in our yard. We've been squirrel crazy." So yes, it appears unlike George Costanza, Feresten has an air-tight deal with the squirrels. And it's one that dates back at least a couple of decades. "When I was a writer on Letterman I had a collection of stuffed squirrels in my office," he adds, tellingly.

Simply put, in appreciation of Feresten's ongoing good deeds (the office shrine, the benevolent backyard adoption), the planet's squirrels have granted him permission to write jokes about them with impunity. "Squirrels are always a good comedy animal: they're just funny looking, they do funny things," he says. "They're half a rat. Plus, you can poke fun at them and not really get called on it. It's like being racist toward Belgians: there won't be any Al Sharptons showing up." Naturally, only Feresten has the ability to make such bold squirrel assertions, resting easy in the knowledge his pact prevents them from diving under his tires in protest.

Additionally, Hall's turn as the squirrel's veterinarian was more than a deft casting decision; this was a role he was destined to inhabit. "Ironically, I grew up on a farm," he explains, "and when I went to college I was going to be a veterinarian until I got swept up in all the theater stuff." Fate strikes again: it's as if the universe harmonically intervened to ensure this joke would see the light of day.

Seinfeld was a show about nothing, but not in the way people tend to assume. Most episodes -- with the exception of early classics like The Chinese Restaurant -- consisted of two to three weighty storylines that dovetailed in the final minutes for an even weightier finish. So yeah brah, there was usually a shit-ton going on.

What made Seinfeld about nothing was the fact these larger-than-life storylines were birthed from nothing-like minutiae. George's wedding invitation cheapness was nothing -- until it killed his fiancée. Elaine's enjoyment of indie films was nothing -- until she inadvertently fell in love with a teenage video store clerk. Seinfeld took its lessons from nature: a seed ain't nothing -- until it grows into a towering squirrel-infested oak.

Accordingly, it seems fitting Seinfeld's funniest line isn't a grandiose "Serenity now!" or "There was shrinkage!" barnburner, but rather a throwaway utterance from a character known only as 'Veterinarian.' In the cavernous Seinfeld canon, this blink-and-you-miss-it line is nothing... which in turn makes it everything.

One could argue that, were 100 people to conduct the same binge-watching experiment presented here, 100 different results would be garnered. As such, we're acutely aware it would take equal parts ignorance and bravado for the Huffington Post to declare '80 cents' the funniest joke in the history of sitcoms.

That said, tough shit, 'cause it totally is and we're totally doing it.

Called it!

Two impressions of Humming House immediately come to mind after taking one look at their "Great Divide" video, which premieres today (March 10) at The Huffington Post.

The Nashville-based folk-rock-roots band founded and fronted by Justin Wade Tam not only digs the open road but absolutely loves to throw a Humming House party -- no matter the setting.

During a March 2 phone interview, Tam and effervescent singer/snare drummer Leslie Rodriguez shared inside stories about the song, the video, a marathon tour (including supporting Kacey Musgraves) and their second full-length studio album. The revelatory Revelries that drops March 24 reaches its peak with the anthemic "Great Divide."

Showing passion and compassion in their work, these Humming Housemates were ecstatic about the possibilities that lie ahead for this quintessential quintet that I labeled a Must-See Act of 2015 after seeing them perform at AmericanaFest in September.

Having just completed some warm-up shows in Alabama, the lively group will head to SXSW, work their way to the East Coast, reverse directions until reaching California, then finish this leg on May 2 at the Queen of the Prairie Festival in Guthrie, Okla.

Humming House Leslie Rodriguez, Justin Wade Tam

Humming House Leslie Rodriguez, Justin Wade Tam

Tam and Rodriguez (right) laughed heartily when asked if "Great Divide" can be considered the band's mission statement, punctuated by the "We're on your way" chorus.

"We hope so," said Tam, the charismatic lead vocalist and guitarist who started this band in 2011 after leaving a career in production management and playing in a Nashville folk duo.

"It's more of an appeal. ... We've been signed to a record label (Rock Ridge Music) since we recorded the album, and that's been kind of a big step up for us. That song has been in regular rotation on a bunch of radio stations and we've never had a whole bunch of radio airplay before, so that's a big step up for us, too. We called it Revelries for a reason because it sort of encapsulates a lot of moments of us on the road."

That goes for the video, too. Rodriguez, a gifted photographer when she's not belting out some of Humming House's most inspiring numbers or naming her snare (Freddie is "a new star on the stage," she reports), used her Nikkon D90 to do most of the B-roll filming for the "Great Divide," a scenic travelogue showing a band on its way up.

"Travel is kind of a theme throughout the whole record," Tam said. "I think it has a lot to do with the transition of our first record to our second record because we were on the road so much throughout that process and we were able to road-test these songs a lot before getting into the studio. ... So, I don't know, it's sort of a coming-of-age record for the band in a way."

As the video captures glimpses of memorable stops over six months of Humming House's 2013 Fall Forward Tour, its costars with Tam and Rodriguez are resourceful band members Josh Wolak (mandolin), Ben Jones (upright bass) and Bobby Chase (fiddle and occasional beat-boxing).

01-MelissaMadisonFuller

Humming House, from left: Bobby Chase, Leslie Rodriguez, Justin Wade Tam,
Josh Wolak and Ben Jones (Photo by Melissa Madison Fuller).

"We really wanted it to feature our personalities," said Rodriguez, who came aboard with Chase in 2013. "We wanted it to kind of be an introduction to everyone in the band. So that people could see how we act around each other and how we are on the road."

Mission accomplished. So without further delay, check out the video premiere of "Great Divide," then go behind the scenes with Tam and Rodriguez as they dig deeper into the making of the song, the video and Revelries before revealing the surprising subjects of their album cover.

THE VIDEO
• Major details: After Wolak compiled a shot list, the band co-produced the montage of footage with Kerry Henderson, a friend and musician who plays lead guitar in the Columbus, Ohio-based Nick D and the Believers and also runs a video company called Stage Left Creative. Said Tam: "We liked his work and we just needed somebody that could really put it together and bring it to life. He stepped in ... and did an amazing job."
• Picture this: New York City, the Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania, the corn fields of Ohio, Philadelphia's World Cafe Live, the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Lake Dillon and the Rocky Mountains of Colorado were among the Instagram moments.
• Uncommon knowledge: Along the way, according to Rodriguez, the band also stayed with a friend of a friend whose 1780s farmhouse in east Tennessee had "enormous fireplaces" and, under the kitchen table covered by a rug, was a trapdoor that was once used for the Underground Railroad. Despite spending the night in a house without a working toilet, the experience "was definitely an unexpected pleasure for us on the road," added Rodriguez, who noted that a quick clip of Wolak on his birthday getting a celebratory hug from Chase made the video.

THE SONG
• Major details: "Great Divide" is the second cut but the first single from the album. Tam, who cowrote it with Jones, said, "It's kind of emblematic of our story as a band. The first time we went to Colorado (in 2012), we played in Ouray (along the Million Dollar Highway) in the western range."
• Now hear this: With the sample lyric -- There were ups and downs on those alpine peaks / There was higher ground, there were canyons steep -- setting the tone, the Rocky Mountains are a significant source of inspiration for "Great Divide." Of course, the mountainous region also known as the Continental Divide extends far beyond Colorado. But it was the drive in 2013 on Interstate 70 from Denver to Glenwood Springs before taking a left turn to Carbondale that elicited the most oohs and aahs from the group. "That's when it got ridiculous with the guys telling me, 'Leslie, are you getting this (on camera)?' " Rodriguez said with a laugh. "Because there was just something every five minutes to film. It was so beautiful."
• Uncommon knowledge: Their previous journey in 2012 inspired Jones to write a poem about a tour that mixed pleasure with business, excitement with anxiety as the band shared its musical goals for the first time together on the road over an extended period. "And then we sat down and kind of took some images from the poem and put it into the 'Great Divide' as a song," Tam said. "And it turned out really well. And when we finally cut the song, we decided that it would be appropriate to kind of re-create that experience in a video for people."

THE ALBUM
• Major details: Recorded in 2014, Revelries was produced by Mitch Dane and mixed by Vance Powell, the dynamic duo behind Sputnik Sound in Nashville who also teamed up to make Humming House's self-titled debut that was released in January 2012. Sneak previews of four of Revelries' 11 songs -- including "Fly On (Forever is Better With You)" and Wolak's "This Hell Where We Belong" -- appear on last year's exhilarating live album, Humming House Party!
• Putting the "hum" in Humming House: "Great Divide" is among a number of infectious tunes from Revelries such as "Nuts, Bolts and Screws" and "Freight Train" that will have you, um, humming to yourself in your sleep. What's the secret? "Justin (who often cowrites with fellow band members) has a knack for putting together some real catchy hooks," Rodriguez said. "We've been writing a bunch of new songs and I woke up singing one of those the other day. I think that a lot of it has to do with the energy, I hope. ... We don't want to sing at the crowd. We would like them to engage with us and enjoy themselves by singing along and dancing along."
• Uncommon knowledge: The album title is taken from a lyric in the album's second-to-last song that Tam said "took like four years and three different versions to come to fruition." Cowritten by Tam and Wolak, "Carry On" starts with a notion as romantically intriguing as any found in a read-it-and-weep novel:
April rode the route from down in Tinsel Town
All the way to southern Maine
Each day her revelries became the memories
That she has carried on until today

HummingHouse_Revelries_cover

THE COVER
• Major details: Developing a reputation as a band that brings audiences to their feet, Humming House thought a "life of the party" concept would be appropriate, especially after they played a house show in St. Louis, where "these people were dancing like nobody was watching," Rodriguez said. "And we loved the image of these people just sort of having a really great time. And that image stuck with us." So Nashville artist Casey Pierce was enlisted to handle the design and capture that feeling during a photo shoot last summer.
• On the dance card: Those silhouetted figures striking a pose might not be who you think they are. Members of Humming House weren't on their first cover, so why start now? According to Tam, Eric and Megan Wilkey, friends of the band who were engaged to be married at the time, had the perfect chemistry and all the right moves to get down to James Brown. They shook it up during a lengthy session in -- of all places -- the Neuroscience department at Vanderbilt, where Eric is a Ph.D. student, and were deemed cover-worthy.
• Uncommon knowledge: "We love dancing, but it's definitely not a hobby for any of us," Rodriguez said, laughing hysterically when asked which band member was born to boogie. "So we just kind of throw our arms around and move." If it was a contest, Rodriguez wins hands down and everyone else is a distant second, Tam admitted. But neither camera-shy nor afraid to strut their stuff, each band member will be featured in dance-off photos on the Humming House website starting five days before the album release, so visitors can judge for themselves. "Justin, back in college, used to throw some epic dance parties at his house," Rodriguez said of Tam, whose themed events included the Scottish Laddie Sugar Daddy Party and the Ninja Ballet. "I guess the idea of dance parties for us goes way back," Tam added.

Visualizing what those scenes must have been like, here's hoping some reenactments show up on Humming House's next video.

Humming House concert photo by Michael Bialas. See more from their AmericanaFest show at the Basement.

The Cool Kids is a HuffPost series documenting creative humans shaping present day society with their work and outlook.

Brendan Toller | Filmmaker | Danny Says

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Brendan Toller, is a self described rock 'n' roll dilettante who devotes much of his time to filmmaking. His first film, I Need That Record!, played around the world at over 60 film festivals and was selected as one of Paste Magazine's Top 25 streaming music docs with over 80,000 views on Netflix. His latest project Danny Says, focuses on the life and times of one of pop music's most influential people, Danny Fields, who is known for his substantial role in the careers of The Doors, Cream, Judy Collins, David Peel, Velvet Underground, the Stooges, MC5, Nico, and the Ramones.

In Brendan's words, "Contemporary music and art owe a great deal to the influence of Danny Fields. He changed "pop music" as we know it." Brendan's film follows Fields from Phi Beta Kappa whiz-kid, to Harvard Law dropout, to the Warhol Silver Factory, to Director of Publicity at Elektra Records, to "punk pioneer" and beyond.

I caught up with Brendan to talk about his project, what he learned from Danny (that every artist needs to hear) and the moment he discovered tape of Lou Reed listening to The Ramones for the first time.

Tell me about your latest film, Danny Says.

Danny Says is a feature documentary on the life and times of Danny Fields. Danny led one of the most captivating lives in the latter half of the 20th century. At age 19, he dropped out of Harvard Law and falls in with the Warhol crowd. Edie Sedgwick is his roommate for two months. He accidentally applies to a "pop" magazine job and is whisked away into the world of pop music circa 1966.

In his first issue as Managing Editor at Datebook Magazine, Danny publishes John Lennon's "we're more popular than Jesus" remarks on the front cover. The US Bible Belt freaks out and it ultimately leads to the end of the Beatles live performances at the height of their career.

Contemporary music and art owe a great deal to the influence of Danny Fields and Danny Says tracks his transformation through his own voice and the likes of Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Tommy Ramone, Judy Collins, Jonathan Richman and many more.

What drew you to subject?

I met Danny through the incredible photographer Ariel Rosenbloom. Her grandmother insisted! Like many, I had read about Danny Fields in Please Kill Me, No One Here Gets Out Alive, Edie; but thought it was impossible that this was the same guy traversing all these cool/elite scenes. Warhol wanted to "tape Danny's life story," but would pass away just weeks later after writing that in his diary. In a brief email exchange Greil Marcus told me he "only knew of Danny Fields by myth." I'm beyond elated to have had the chance to uncover the story of rock 'n' roll's most mysterious punk.

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What was the best discovery during filmmaking?

I literally have the keys to the apartment and crash on the couch as so many have done-- Iggy Pop, Jann Wenner, Joey Ramone. Going through Danny's archives for three years it got to a point where the jaw-drops started to hurt my face. I started to get unphased by all the greatness. Photographs, letters, flyers, taped phone conversations starting at '68 oh my! There's a reason why it was a no-brainer for the Yale Beinecke Library to acquire the archive. The best discovery was the tape of Lou Reed listening to the Ramones for the first time. Danny didn't know he had it. Just incredible to hear the rock 'n' roll torch being passed from one New York avant-savant to the next.

What did you learn from Danny that you will take you with you on your career path?

Amongst young people there's a lot of arm crossing and sneering about what's around them in the world- the classic hipster pretense. I would hope "millennials" who are glued to their screens can walk away with this from Danny Says: affect change by doing or encouraging.

Who cares about what you DON'T like? What matters is what you LIKE and why you like it.

Artists, performers or anyone fabulous needs reassurance of their fabulousity. We're all so fragile. Danny Fields is always wanting others to bloom; intellectually, artistically, spiritually etc. I sound like a fucking self-help book but cultivate who and what you'd like to see in the world by action or "Hey, great job and here's why." Positivity is the most contagious feeling second only to negativity.

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Tell me something you saw that is not captured in the film but only you got to see?

Tapes of Danny's acid trip with Warhol star Brigid Berlin, Iggy Pop sobbing about his dead parakeet, Television and the Modern Lovers live at CBGB's in '74, photographs of Danny's "richies," Alice Cooper on Fire Island, Danny's torn Fillmore East pass that says "Fuck You," Gloria Stavers "vanishing" Jim Morrison story cut from No One Here Gets Out Alive. Its a wild maze of rock 'n' roll and alternative ephemera.

What do you hope to achieve with this project?

I hope that Danny Says gives alternative or bohemian-minded people a sense of roots in the present. There's not one contemporary band that doesn't draw from the influence of the Ramones, Stooges, MC5 and countless other artists Danny has either championed or worked with directly. We're still listening and comprehending the affects and influence of this music that was made 45 years ago. Danny Says also allows the audience to hear an unparalleled perspective; and ultimately we'd like to entertain.

Why documentary filmmaking?

Haha, why not a bakery? I see documentary as writing for the 21st century. With sound and visual artifacts its really amazing what one can pull off with approach and presentation. You can get viewers inside the character or inside the history in a way that's totally unique to the means of cinema.

As a filmmaker, what do you hope to contribute to the world?

Camaraderie (documentary is a HARD trek) inspiration and some laughs. Keep the rock 'n' roll/freak flame burning.

What is your personal mantra?

Don't look back. Unless it's a documentary; THEN look back to look forward.

Danny Says is a documentary film created by Brendan Toller and produced by Pamela Lubell. The film premieres on March 18th at SXSW. For more information visit: dannysaysfilm.com

Photo Credits:
Brendan Toller Portrait by Lisa Amodeo and Nicki Chavoya
Danny Fields and the Ramones by Arturo Vegas
Iggy Pop and Danny Fields by Brigid Berlin

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This week on RuPaul's Drag Race (Season 7, Episode 2) the queens took to the friendly skies for their "Glamazonian Airlines" challenge. And in the new accompanying Untucked episode (which lives on YouTube this season), we follow the girls as they untuck and dish backstage, and it looks like some baggage may have shifted during flight. Expect high-altitude attitude as they call attention to Trixie Mattell and Miss Fame's blossoming friendship, and as Trixie and Jasmine spar over their respective styles. And there's even a warm moment between Ginger Minj and Pearl!

And heads up: There are spoilers, so if you haven't seen the full Drag Race episode, check it out at LogoTV.com first.

Get new episodes of Untucked RuPaul's Drag Race every Tuesday morning on the WOWPresents YouTube channel. Catch new episodes of RuPaul's Drag Race every Monday night at 9 p.m. EDT/PDT on LogoTV.

BONUS: Need more RuPaul's Drag Race dish? Get silly with the weekly installment of Jon & John's Extra Lap Recap, in which Jon Mallow and I deliver our take on what went down this week. This time around, expect props to Lypsinka, Olivia Newton-John, and Michelle Visage and some really rough drag.

Sitting beside his friend Josh at the renowned Berklee School of Music in
Boston, MA, 19-year-old Dylan Dunlap is staring nervously at a TV screen trying to keep cool. He stares hard into the screen as the national premier broadcast of NBC's The Voice rolls out a special two hour season opening episode. You see he's gotten a call from the show producer that some piece of the taping of his audition (and rejection) as a hopeful contender on the show will air. How much of a piece, he didn't know. "It could be anywhere from a quick one second flash to a full segment", explains carefully.

Either way he was tuned way in, just like the other 13.9 million viewers across the country -- it was just a little more personal for Dylan than the others. Even a one second flash would be a one second flash in front of millions, and not even a grounded kid like him can ignore the magnitude of that.

I first met Dylan in North Hollywood about half a year ago. I had just left a meeting at a network and as a colleague and I debriefed over Starbucks, I kept having to work extra hard to stay focused. There was this sound from afar...

It was the late afternoon and the infamous L.A. traffic was already building on the avenue the Starbucks patio was cornered on. From across the street and over the cars I could hear this soulful acoustic guitar riff partnered with a well-managed howling. Singing. Gutful, wild singing that sounded right.

When my colleague got up to grab napkins, I used the momentary break from business to stand on my chair and try to see where it was coming from. A small crowd had built up to watch the source of the sound, which probably was great for the source of the sound, but bad for my view!

Defeated, I sat back down and figured the source of the sound would be gone by the time my meeting wrapped up. To my pleasant surprise, as we parted ways, I could still hear the sound. I J-walked my way through what now had become bonafide L.A. rush hour street traffic to get a good look at the source of the sound, and there was Dylan. Dylan Dunlap -- a tall skinny white kid, with his body contorted around some exotic looking guitar, plugged into a small speaker.

There were about a dozen people watching him, but his commitment to his song and every note of it was like he was playing for an arena. He's an undeniable talent, and what stood out to me even more was how unique he was. I took note of the contact information he responsibly had visible for passers by, passed him a donation, and left to join the Royal Traffic Rumble myself.

Once in my car I turned up the radio and an Iggy Azalea song was playing. I turned the volume knob back to the left real fast and started thumbing through my phone to connect the self-selected music in my phone to the stereo.

Thing is, to me, as is the opinion of most hip-hop fans cut from the cloth that I am, Iggy's entire existence as and categorization as a hip-hop artist is putrid and offensive. An undeniable mimic and bad impersonation of black artists, her music and the audience for it is a slap in the face to people who, for decades, have rejoiced in hip-hop as the last cultural fortress for the marginalized mass.

Detached white youth have gone from being observers of the culture to, after holding the business aspect of the industry by exploitive reigns since its inception, being hailed at the pinnacle of the awarded heights of music for expressions of the culture that are subpar in most cases. American Music Awards, Grammys and the like are supposed to go to those who are excellent in their field. Not only for being excellent in their field, but for being more excellent than others who are also excellent. So by that measure an artist like Iggy Azalea winning an American Music Award or being nominated for a Grammy is preposterous. If an artist like J. Cole just breathed on the microphone for six seconds that would amount to more excellence than a fully-produced, million-dollar album by Iggy Azalea or Macklemore (worse rap name ever).

So after turning off the radio in personal protest, I thought about Dylan and his original sound. He wasn't a rapper or an imitation of one. He wasn't some cliché cat with an acoustic guitar in jeans made to look old from Urban Outfitters. He was just an honest, instinctual, kinda dorky, kinda cool, soulful cat doing his thing. Most notably, his thing.

I thought of his boldness and openness to being unique; standing in the middle of a heavily-trafficked area of scrutinizing Hollywood, singing his songs for the world.

He's an original in a world of conformity. That actually isn't that impressive until you consider the context of his age and generation.

Regardless of race or economic background, millennials now coming of age are twirling through a dynamic popular culture that both encourages individuality while simultaneously threatening a startled, overly-medicated and marketed-to generation with banishment from success and security if they do not fall in line, pick a side, vote, take out and repay a student loan.

I wanted to know Dylan Dunlap's story as he saw it. After meeting with him, I offered to interview him and he agreed without hesitation.

The son of a songwriter for the insanely successful South Park franchise, Dylan began writing and playing the piano and guitar in his youth alongside his father. His mother is a business developer in media, and also dabbles in voice over work -- so music seems poured into him as much as it was trained into him.

Upon graduation he was accepted and attended the prestigious Berklee School of Music where he and Joshua first met freshman year. He would eventually drop out of that school, a decision that has famed success stories like that of John Mayer who dropped out of the school and landed a mega career. Excitedly finding hope in another example, Dylan educates me while secretly encouraging himself:

"I mean have you heard of Imagine Dragons?! They went to Berklee and after they graduated they were like still nothing. They're so good, though! Then they randomly get discovered in Vegas, and boom! They're the Imagine Dragons, man!"

Of course there are also stories of others who've opted out of Berklee to have a go at it independent of collegiate training and subsequently fell to peril.

It has to be added that Berklee has graduated over 100 students that have gone onto win Grammys across genres and categories. Dylan Dunlap also understood and appreciated the value of such an opportunity.

"Don't get me wrong, I loved Berklee, and didn't want to leave. But, my dad was paying for it. A family issue ended in him not paying for it anymore, so I had to come home."

Once back home at his mothers house in California, he compiled a small studio setup in his bedroom and continued composing his songs. Dylan seems to be more fueled by anguish than hindered by it -- and his self recorded YouTube videos of his original songs and covers resonate with the thousands of viewers that watch and comment with encouraging words and praises.

His initiative transcended his bedroom and video camera. He took to the street with his guitar and a sign to fundraise for his next semester of college. Between shifts working at a local movie theater, Dylan was on the avenue singing and accepting donations. It was there that he was discovered by a producer from The Voice and invited to audition.

"Ironically the audition for The Voice was in the exact same place I auditioned for Berklee," Dylan reflects.

In eerie alignment with my Iggy Azalea frustration that caused me to reach out to Dylan in the first place, the producers asked Dylan to redo a song by a here-today-gone-tomorrow kind of a singer, I guess, Jason Derulo, titled -- "Talk Dirty to Me."

Poetic lines like:

Been all around the world don't speak the language
But that booty don't need explaining

...were assigned to this soulful, then 18-year-old boy that is so skilled he was accepted to the top music school in the country. Dylan in his positive nature made the best of it. In an upbeat tone he gave me his take:

"Yeah, it's a song about getting laid on a plane, but you know what--- I decided I was going to put my spin on it and make it the most musically original song about getting laid on a plane ever heard!"

In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Lady Macbeth tells her doubtful husband "... screw your courage to the sticking place, and we'll not fail."

That epitomizes Dylan Dunlap's approach, and how this young musician has accomplished what he has thus far.

Remember when this story opened up and Dylan was sitting next to his friend at Berklee School of Music? Then came the part where he was back in L.A. fundraising to pay for his tuition when he was discovered by a network producer. Which took us to him getting to audition on the show and it being screened, which brings us back to Dylan and Josh back at Berklee watching The Voice and Dylan not sure how much of his recording will be shown -- but hopeful and grateful nonetheless...

Turns out Dylan got more than a cutaway or quick flash. His whole segment aired including a backstory piece and his full audition in front of Christina Aguilera, Pharrell Williams, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine. Though none of them turned their chairs around for him, he was well-received by the panel and audience. They gave some positive feedback and suggestions, and in what I imagine was extra vindicating for Dylan, Pharrell took notice to the extra effort he had put into arranging a unique rendition of "Talk Dirty to Me."

"Great arrangement", Pharrell complimented, giving a sincere thumbs up in his now signature big hat. His direct advice and nod of confidence to Dylan followed. "Focus, train your voice, come back in a year, and bring it!"

So Dylan Dunlap was not chosen to be on this year's season of The Voice. He wasn't back in Boston at Berklee because he was able to raise the tuition either. He was just visiting. He never made it back to his dream school and he is still working on songs at his home studio. The last time I talked to Dylan he was on his way to see a movie at the theater he works at. A week or so prior he had just packed out the indie juggernaut Whiskey A Go Go venue in Hollywood, and he was upbeat as ever. He's a contender to be selected to audition for the next season of The Voice, and if granted another shot plans on making a prophet out of Pharrell and bring it just like he said.

But that's why young people like Dylan Dunlap will undoubtedly find greatness. In fact if his generation catches on to his tune, pun intended -- a generation with their faces (as most of their parents faces are, too) buried in cellphone and tablet screens, a generation mass marketed-to more than any generation in history -- if his generation catches onto self definition and the courage to try their way, their way, that whole mass may find greatness.

Dylan represents the unselected who elect themselves -- the people who are stopped, but unstopped. He's the promise of originality in the face of predetermined sounds and ideas.

When I expressed my condolences of sorts to Dylan for not being selected on The Voice, he taught me, a man 10 years his senior, something great:

"You know what, man? No matter how it goes, I have a solid base of people and fans who love me no matter what I do. I'm just going to keep doing it for them."

Here's to all of that...

Connect with Dylan on Twitter @DylanJDunlap.

Perhaps theater has always been an idea whose best moment is yet to come. I mean, there must be something maddening about the year-in, year-out program model that regional theaters must bear in order to do their work. Raise money, produce plays, speak to audiences, raise money, repeat. Like any other job, the grind must hold some promise for the yet-unreached - maybe unreachable - dream. But what Kenn McLaughlin, Producing Artistic Director for Stages Repertory Theatre in Houston, TX wonders, watching his team of fund raising dynamos in action is, "What are we really doing here?"

Sandra Porter answers that question with a quick and ready smile. "Making a dream real."

Porter and Houston philanthropist Vivian Wise are in the midst of chairing Stages' annual gala. "People are naturally generous," says Porter, "I truly believe that. They like celebrating success. If you can align their desire to give with their attraction to the cause and a gala, it's a win-win."

This year, it's even easier for Porter and Wise, as 'Stages' is riding a wave of success. The company, founded as a radical alternative theater in 1978, recently purchased its long-time home: a historic printing factory in one of Houston's most popular neighborhoods. It's often difficult to get a ticket to the eclectic fare of the theater, where productions range from popular musicals to edgy new work. An upcoming revival of Jerry Herman's cult classic musical, Mack and Mabel, provides this year's fundraising opportunity.

This year's gala, Hollywood and Vine, an epic party themed around the glam days of Hollywood's silent movie era, is now deep in the planning process with three "live" movie sound-stages, aerialists who pour champagne, Hollywood celebrity look-alikes, and an impressive silent auction. As if that weren't enough, the gala will be followed by an after party called In Technicolor - exploding with color as guests drink and dance until the wee hours of the morning.

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But wait a minute - are we fundraising for the theater or are we making theater? How would Chekhov feel about the excesses of the ruling class on display for the full support of his work? A particularly relevant question in light Stages' latest production: a modern take on Chekhov's The Seagull, entitled Stupid F*****g Bird. And, attaching the 'brand' of the party with the company's production, they actually considered calling the event Stupid F*****g Party.

"Everyone loved that idea," laughed McLaughlin, "but we couldn't get the timing of the production and the event aligned." In actuality, the party really is another production, isn't it - taking countless hours of planning, staff time, technical support, and - for them, according to McLaughlin, "... a lot of dramatics just to pull it off." But the company is known for risk and surprise - rubber chicken dinners in hotel ballrooms are just SO not them!

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I asked McLaughin if he'd secretly prefer simply creating art and bypassing all the hoopla and expense of a lavish party. "There is a classic told tale of Twyla Tharp, or perhaps Martha Graham, I can't recall now," he said, "When faced with writing a copious grant request for the National Endowment for the Arts, she simply wrote 'Too Busy Making Art, Send Money' across the cover page of the request and sent it in! I know that feeling! But with a public party comes opportunity, as well: you can live your story out with the donors right there, in the moment, in person. Vivian and Sandra, along with Michael Pearce and Matt Burrus (after-party co-chairs) understand what it takes to make a great party, what makes great theater, and together we'll create an event which will be second to none this season."

So there it is: alignment of the theater's vision with the donors' desires - and that's a great match.

For further information, please see http://stagestheatre.com/

Images generously provided by (and used with the permission of) Stages Repertory Theatre in Houston, TX

Pamela S. K. Glasner is a published author and a filmmaker. Learn more about Ms. Glasner at http://www.starjackentertainment.com/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/FindingEmmaus

Copyright by Pamela S. K. Glasner © 2015, All Rights Reserved

It has been almost 20 years since legendary Grateful Dead lead guitarist Jerry Garcia transitioned to the big acid test in the sky. And since Jerry left us the debate has raged over whether the remaining members of the band -- Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart -- could call themselves the Grateful Dead. That question was answered definitively on February 28 as some 500,000 fans logged on to the Ticketmaster website in an attempt to purchase tickets to the "Fare Thee Well" shows, scheduled for July 3-5 at Soldier Field in Chicago. Even if these shows go down as the greatest in the history of rock and roll, this is not the Grateful Dead.

Many of the 500,000 hopefuls had already engaged in the largely futile exercise of participating in the mail order presale, thinking they were involved in a revival of the beloved tradition that marked the band's commitment to its fans by selling tickets directly, rather than through third-party agencies. Unbeknownst to the true Deadheads who put their hearts and souls into decorating their envelopes and sending off large sums of money on Jan. 20, back-room deals had already been made with big music industry players to cash in on the genuine love and appreciation that is still alive and well among those who have never been able to replace the Grateful Dead as a source of joy and inspiration in their lives.

The capacity of Soldier Field for these shows is 210,000. According to Grateful Dead Ticket Sales, some 60,000 mail order envelopes were received, representing 300,000 ticket requests. But rather than announce that the shows were sold out, the on-sale date was merely postponed to Feb. 28. Huh? You've received payment in the form of money orders from true, envelope decorating, tradition-following fans for 300,000 tickets, have only 210,000 to sell, and you're still going to be selling tickets online through Ticketmaster? In other words, you're going to sell some of the tickets twice so that Ticketmaster can receive its cut. Nope, this is not the Grateful Dead.

But it gets worse. It was subsequently announced that only 10 percent of the mail orders would be filled. Let's do the math: 300,000 tickets were purchased through the mail order, but they're only going to sell 30,000 of those tickets so they can sell 180,000 tickets through other avenues that more generously line the pockets of big music industry players.

Most suspicious of all is the way tickets suddenly became available on StubHub immediately after the Ticketmaster sweepstakes ended. Literally thousands of tickets are available through StubHub in virtually every section of the venue for prices ranging from $600 (behind the stage with no view) to $3,500. And if that's unaffordable, you can purchase a parking pass for the modest price of $180 and enjoy the show from the parking lot. Where did StubHub get all these tickets?
One answer may lie in the inexplicable choice of Chicago as the site of this quickly souring last stand. Despite having developed loyal followings across the country and even internationally, the Grateful Dead were first and foremost a West Coast band. The band members lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, as did their most longstanding fans. Against that backdrop, why Chicago?

That question becomes amplified in light of the Chicago Park District's agreement with Chicago Bears season ticket holders, which entitles them to purchase their seats to all events that take place at Soldier Field. This may explain the sudden appearance of thousands of tickets on StubHub. The massive hype behind these shows had reached the radar screens of Bears fans, most of whom couldn't care less about the Grateful Dead, but who saw an opportunity to make bank by turning a $199.50 purchase into a $3,500 trip to Puerto Vallarta. The party line that Soldier Field was chosen because it was the site of the last Grateful Dead concert on July 9, 1995 rings more hollow with every passing scalped ticket purchase.

And then there is the perplexing choice of Phish lead guitarist Trey Anastasio to join the band. Since Jerry Garcia's death, several notable guitarists have performed as a substitute for Garcia in post-Grateful Dead bands, such as the Other Ones, The Dead, Dark Star Orchestra, Phil Lesh and Friends and, most recently, Furthur. These include Widespread Panic lead guitarist Jimmy Herring; John Kadlecik, the founding lead guitarist of the Dark Star Orchestra; and Warren Haynes, who has played in the bands Gov't Mule and the Allman Brothers Band, and who has been a mainstay of The Dead and Phil Lesh and Friends. In many ways Haynes was the sentimental favorite, due to his creation of the Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration concerts, in which a large portion of Garcia's musical compositions were committed to score and performed nationwide with a rock band, featuring Haynes on lead guitar, and backed by local symphony orchestras.

All three of these fine musicians have studied Jerry Garcia's music in a way that qualifies them to fill his enormous empty shoes. Not so with Anastasio, who has made appearances with Phil Lesh and Friends but was quoted last month in Rolling Stone as saying, "I never really sat and studied what Jerry actually played, until now." It now appears that the choices of Chicago and of Anastasio were not made in the spirit of providing the truest Grateful Dead experience for the fans but, rather, to fulfill the highest possible financial gain for the promoter, Peter Shapiro in association with Madison House, and their corporate cronies. Centrally located, Chicago offers the best combination of logistical convenience and the big-city trappings that are needed to attract an audience who can afford "secondary market" ticket prices. And the addition of Anastasio piles on the interest of an auxiliary audience of "Phish-heads" to the mix, thereby increasing the available pool of wealthy ticket buyers who can chunk down $600 to $3,500 for tickets that were originally priced from $59.50 to $199.50.

And here's the kicker: Now Shapiro and Madison House are planning to create an entire industry around this weekend, including after-show concerts, audio and video recordings, and even a "pay per view" cable TV event. In short, get hundreds of thousands of people excited about an event they can't get tickets for, sell their tickets to people who can pay aftermarket prices, and then charge the "losers" to watch it on TV.

It's worse than a pity -- it's an outright tragedy -- that perhaps the most beloved band in history has put itself in a position to be remembered for participating in what may go down as the biggest money grab in music history. The Grateful Dead built their brand on their commitment to the quality of their music and to their fans. They became famous and enormously successful for innovations such as their focus on touring and live performances, rather than selling records; building their fan base by allowing fans to tape and freely share their performances; and by creating their own ticket agency, rather than allowing corporate middleman entities to control their scene, as has happened with these "Fare Thee Well" shows.

With each passing day since these shows were announced, it has become clearer that the "Fare Thee Well" concept, ostensibly conceived to pay tribute to a beloved band on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, bears little resemblance to the Grateful Dead.

There's been more buzz than ever around this year's International Women's Day. Heavy-hitter Sheryl Sandberg made a big announcement. Old-school women's movement leaders Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda and Eve Ensler each made high-profile appearances. And all eyes were on the powerhouse trio of Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton and Melinda Gates as they launched the No Ceilings Full Participation Report, benchmarking the gains women and girls have made since the 1995 U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.

But there's a new guard of feminists who have put their own stamp on International Women's Day. With the motto "Change the world by being yourself," Amy Poehler's Smart Girls at the Party, has staked their claim with the under 18 crew. Young women's organization She's the First has mobilized its nationwide army of college students to make a stand for gender equality in education. And with 24-year-old Emma Watson as its spokesperson, and a lot of social media savvy, UN Women has made a massive millennial outreach to bring the conversation about feminism to a new generation.

In my fifteen years in young women's magazines, I think we used the word "feminist" once. And that was only about a year ago with an article that asked, "So Are You a Feminist?" Before that there was no real appetite among young women to probe deeper into topics like equal pay or equal rights. They assumed that the fight had already been won and they could do anything on equal footing with the boys. Sure, we always talked about "leadership," but those stories were aimed at the alpha girls, the leader of the class. Suddenly, there has been a tremendous revolution among young women in how they view power and success, and feminism has become the domain of every girl. In the last year, young women have moved so quickly past the question of whether or not you're a feminist to the conclusion that yes, we should all be feminists. In fact, a whopping 41 percent of young women 14 to 24 now identify as a feminist, according to a November 2014 survey from MTV Insights.

Emma Watson gave voice to this sudden change, in a speech last September announcing the launch of UN Women's #heforshe campaign that seeks to mobilize men to join the fight for equal rights. "I decided that I was a feminist. And this seemed uncomplicated to me," she said -- and the Internet went wild! That speech hit social media jackpot amassing 1.2 billion impressions on Twitter. 220,000 men signed an online pledge to fight against violence and discrimination against women. Next, Emma and team upped the ante on social media with a live-streamed question and answer session on Facebook on International Women's Day. The goal, according UN Women Spokesperson Elizabeth Nyamayaro, was to keep Emma's youthful authenticity to deepen the connection with her audience. No glam makeup or fancy lighting. UN Women was banking on big-time success. Leading up to the event Nyamayaro revealed her ambitious goals. "We want to crash Facebook!"

And so it's clear, this generation is redefining feminist activism on its own terms -- as it does everything else. For Amy Poehler's Smart Girls, power is personal. "We believe that finding yourself interesting is the accomplishment. That is success," says Meredith Walker, Smart Girls' co-founder who will be celebrating International Women's Day by hosting an event for girls who want to learn how to fix their own cars. Smart Girls was created to empower young girls and teens and to create a place that was safe from the "gross stuff" on the Internet, as Walker calls it, bullying, negativity, and girl-trashing comments. The you-do-you approach has caught on with their young audience -- and the people who love them. "We are a community of girls and boys and men and women who are looking to laugh and share and create change."

If one of the core tenants of feminism is women helping women, She's The First is the ultimate example of how this generation of young women is paying it forward. The group sponsors girls' education in low-income countries with the goal of creating first-generation graduates. In less than five years the organization has created 125 chapters of teen and college students across the US who have raised funds to help 450 girls in ten countries get an education. Gender equality is core to the group's mission: "We believe in women's rights to economic and social equality, and that the primary way to get there is through equal and quality education," says co-founder Christen Brandt. "It's important for our generation to realize how far we still have to go in achieving global equality for women.

She's The First is celebrating International Women's Day with the release of a video about 20-year old Fatou from The Gambia, who they helped graduate high school and turn her passion for photography into a real business. "My business has changed me from this little girl who keeps asking, asking, asking for money from my dad," Fatou says, "into a girl who is growing to be an independent woman."

And isn't that what every generation of feminists wants for its young women, after all?

Liam Neeson does it again. He not only has you care about his character, but the whole dang movie. Even if he is a retired hit man. Even if the plot is similar to Taken 1, 2 or 300. But this time Neeson is protecting his 'son' from some real bad ass duds. They are so bad they take the whole movie and run all night...did I say that? Yes I did, cause this is the plot. Running, car chasing, evading, hijacking, mauling, shooting, stabbing, bang bang and more people are dead. Yet you care. The camera work is a character onto itself. Stop action, flash, rhythmic, fast paced. Colors splash. Downtrodden areas of NY at night have rarely looked this good. And all the while you are caught up in this high octane chase following Neeson, aka big daddy bear, Jimmy Conlon, protecting his innocent cub, played skillfully by Joel Kinnaman, as Mike Conlon.

Gangster Ed Harris, as Shawn MacGuire, is Neeson's good friend until Neeson offs MacGuire's son, acted with sinister intent and a totally bent M.O. by Boyd Holbrook. Now there is trouble galore in the Big Apple. Big time. But always at night. You want to scream, "Hey, I've seen this all before," but you can't 'cause it's too darn good. Neeson as the protective father is so good that you just want to save his life. Forever. However this is an impossibility. Run for your Life, begins with a Neeson in the woods with a very large wound in his side. Then we back flip to some 16 hours earlier.

Jaume Collet-Serra directs with pistol-like momentum. Once the set up is established between Ed Harris and Liam Neeson, the well-oiled, action packed, machine of a thriller begins to fly. Brad Ingelsby has written some fine dialogue, but Run All Night is a visual film. A don't blink film. A no bathroom or popcorn break or you might miss something film. Genesis Rodriguez plays Gabrielle, the wife of Mike Conlon with sensitivity, but, oh, did I miss some bad ass female cops like the Fast and Furious sagas employ. Please more women in films, please?

With all the macho evil, Vincent D'Onofero as Detective Harding, adds a balance. D'Onofero has a genuine, sincere, delivery that makes you believe there may be some good cops out there. And with the powerful performance by professional killer Common who plays Mr. Price you need some light in this bleak histoire.

Enfin a good time was had --though there were moments where the violence was cringe worthy. Catch Run All Night, but not on an empty stomach.

The hills are apparently still alive as The Sound of Music celebrates its 50th Anniversary this month. There's been a recent discovery of a never seen before authentic "Pros and Cons" list inside the props box from the movie set. It's an actual chart that Captain Von Trapp made to help him decide which woman he should marry and become the new mother of his 7 children. Let's peek, shall we?

Maria VS Baroness Elsa

Baroness Elsa

PROS

1. She's got that classy, reserved icy blond, Austrian nobility thing going on. I'm up for the challenge of making her bleat like a mountain goat!

2. Says wise and profound things. "Somewhere out there is a lady who I think will never be a nun." I wonder what she'd say if she knew I was hoping for a nun who will never EVER be a lady?

3. Easy to end a date with. You don't have to launch into a whole song and dance routine, "So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, au revoir, sayonara, shalom, etc." It's just "bye-bye bitch."

CONS

1. Not a performer and she's a bit selfish. I doubt she'd walk out to finish my song for me if I were to have an emotional break down on stage in the middle of some lyrics about a flower, which I know like the back of the hand of the Swiss Miss hot cocoa girl.

2. She doesn't really care for yodeling. Which means my best joke will be lost on her. "Knock-knock. Who's There? Lil Ole Lady. Lil Ole Lady Who?" Ha ha ha!

3. Given half a chance, she'll send all 7 of my children to Boarding School. Wait, this goes on the pros list.

Fraulein Maria

PROS

1. I definitely would know how to handle a problem like Maria. I fantasize about being her personal troubleshooter.

2. Has a mathematician background, is good with numbers and can count like nobody's business. "You are 16 going on 17." Maybe one day she'll star in a movie called "10" and introduce me to Bo Derek.

3. Won't be a chronic dieter like my buddy's wives. The only scales she's obsessed with are Do-Re-Mi.

4. I love a woman who's easy to buy for on Valentine's or Mother's Day. I have my list for Maria for the next 5 years -- Bright copper kettles, Crisp apple strudel, Warm woolen mittens, etc. And I don't even have to buy fancy giftwrap (brown paper packages tied up with strings) Easy to please. Aww screw it. Something tells me she'd be just as happy if I didn't cut the whiskers off kittens.

5. Somewhere in her youth or childhood, she must've done something good. She must deserve me!

6. Ever see anyone blush like that? I bet she'll make a beautiful blushing bride. Of course that could be because the train on her wedding gown will be so long and heavy, half of Salzburg will have to carry it down the aisle for her.

7. Whenever there's a thunder and lightning storm, she'll invite strange people into our bed. Mmm, kink is one of my favorite things.

CONS

1. She brought music back into the house. And now my kids play the Top 40 at decibels that would blow the roof off a Nazi regime.

2. Obsessed with puppets. Which means she thinks she can pull my strings.

3. She's not great with names. Keeps forgetting "Kurt." How will I feel if one night in bed she moans (off key) and says, "Mmm, that feels so good. God bless you, Whatsyourname?"

4. Tea, a drink with jam and bread. Seriously woman? Every single solitary time? I'm a Starbucks shareholder myself.

5. Hates whistles. I suppose that twisted Snow White fantasy I have of her singing, "Just Whistle While You Work" while sweeping the front porch in a Nun's habit is out of the question?

6. She might force me to wear boxers she stitches from our dining room blinds. Yeah, but that's an easy fix. Sell her Singer. It'll be curtains for that sewing machine of hers!

Hey! As long as I'm considering Thrifty Recycling Movie Heroines, I know a racy raven-haired vixen who also made her gown out of the living room drapes. Maybe there's a 3rd option here. Who says I can't be a Cross-Film Actor and marry . . .

Scarlett O'Hara

PROS

1. That 18 inch waist 2. Never worries about anything -- she'll think about it tomorrow. We all know what "it" is. Heh heh.

CONS

1. Oh who the hell cares anymore? Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.

Any woman who can tilt her head like this without a neck ache is the one for me!

Check out more great humor from the author's online blog right HERE

When many of us reach for our television remotes, we also grab our cell phones, computers or iPads to connect to Twitter, Facebook or some other social media site to engage with millions around the world as we tune in to our favorite shows. Watching television while interacting on social media is the new normal. For many, this new form of engagement is wonderful. Yet I'm curious as to whether this constant stimulation, connection and interaction ever really allows us to "feel" what we are witnessing.

Enter Academy Award winner (12 Years a Slave) John Ridley's American Crime, a new ABC drama, which asks us to not just engage with others on social media, but to pause and engage with our hearts. Much of what we watch on television is a form of art, which has historically introduced us to many individuals, narratives, ideas and questions that challenge what we know (or think) to be true. As we engage with art, many of us experience moments of feeling uncomfortable. American Crime, set in Modesto, Calif., is a work of art that embodies this characteristic to captivate its audience in an unnerving way. As Executive Producer and creator John Ridley explains, "(the show is) edited so the audience will not disengage."

American Crime begins with the murder of a young military veteran and the brutal assault of his wife, who is subsequently hospitalized and fighting for her life. As their parents are informed of this tragic news, the audience begins to become familiar with the world of other characters connected to the murder. "Unlike most television," as Executive Producer Michael McDonald describes, "which focuses on the extremes, the poor or the privileged."

American Crime centers itself on the lives of "everyday" Americans, and shows how complex and contradictory we all can be. As John Ridley states, "We like to think that we are consistent. And yet we are not. And that's ok. After watching, I hope we all walk away knowing we are all a little of this and a little of that. Every person is complex. And complexity makes us beautiful and that's ok and that uniqueness is beautiful."

As viewers watch American Crime, seeing this "beauty" may not be immediately evident due to the uncomfortable subject matter that this drama so intentionally confronts. Salient issues including race, class, immigration, drug use, and faith are weaved throughout each episode, forcing the viewer to feel uneasy and without escape. Ridley wants this certain level of discomfort as he explains, "Discomfort is usually a sign of growth and change. I would like a level of discomfort. This is not business as usual or story telling as usual. This show will help us move out of our ruts. "

As our country celebrates 50 years since Selma and continues to brace for legislation on voting rights, immigration and marriage equality, moving out of our individual ruts and static thinking about how we engage with others is exactly what we need to achieve. As Michael McDonald explains, "I want people to examine and reflect on our own biases and get to a place where we can accept each other."

Acceptance and forgiveness cannot happen without being self-reflective. American Crime, in many ways, holds up a mirror to us all, causing internal and hopefully external awareness to occur around the ways we care for each other. John Ridley explains, "We all carry biases. Can we see them and evolve?" That evolution is only made possible through feelings of discomfort. As we all tune in to watch American Crime while squirming in our seats and interrogating our prejudices, we should embrace the words of African American author Pearl Cleage, "Discomfort is always a necessary part of enlightenment," and never turn away.

JOSEPHINE AND I *** out of ****
JOE'S PUB AT THE PUBLIC

Entertainer Josephine Baker is such a rich and fascinating character, it's no wonder she's been the focus of award-winning TV movies, novels, biographies, documentaries and even a full-blown musical starring Deborah Cox that launches in Florida this spring. After all, Baker was a gawky kid abandoned by her father, kicked out by her mother and with little to recommend but a desire to be in the spotlight. Yet unlike countless others who felt they deserved attention, Baker earned it with clowning around, frenetic dancing, sexiness and that indefinable magnetism of a true star.

She escaped from small town nowhere, got in a chorus line and then clawed and fought and shimmied her way up to a show on Broadway... and then topped that by heading to Paris and becoming a legend. She caused a scandal with her topless "exoticism," played a significant role in the French Resistance during WWII, worked her way through feckless lovers both male and female, fought hard for civil rights in America, made and spent loads of money and generally seemed to have a ball. You can't dramatize her life: she already beat you to it!

That hasn't stopped actress Cush Jumbo, who was so good in that all-female production of Julius Caesar at St. Ann's Warehouse and has been a rising star in the UK for a few years now. Jumbo wrote and stars in Josephine And I, a one-woman show about the inspiration she drew from this glamorous creature who Jumbo exclaimed looks just like her! (Not exactly. Baker is the classic ugly duckling who draws you in with sheer willpower; Jumbo is just downright lovely.)

One-person shows about an historical figure often become a parade of incident as the performer offers up parents, partners, competitors and of course the star attraction herself. Jumbo neatly breaks this up by regularly interjecting her own story, quietly but convincingly showing how the details may be different but the struggles for equality for women and people of color and artists who must strive to balance career and family? Well, those go on.

Here's the smart and engaging Jumbo, dressing down as only the most attractive people can, discussing what Josephine Baker means to her.

The piece is ably directed by Phyllida Lloyd (who also did that brilliant Julius Caesar), with tech elements that are supportive without ever being intrusive. I especially loved the way they evoked one of her famous dances: Jumbo just poses in front of a screen with still images of another dancer appearing behind her, each image offering a different pose in contrast to Jumbo's and increasing in frequency. Quite beautifully, they make you feel the excitement of the dance even though Jumbo barely moves a muscle. Clever!

Jumbo herself stretches every muscle, playing old men, a hateful mother, friends and companions and Baker herself from a little girl to a wizened warrior. Oh, and she sings!

So the structure of the play is at first effective; dialogue lifted from Baker's life goes cheek by jowl with Jumbo's own story. It keeps Josephine And I fresher than your usual one-person show. However, the drama of Jumbo's life becomes increasingly intrusive as the play goes on, interrupting the flow with of-the-moment crises that are unconvincing and frankly less interesting than the crises in Baker's life, no matter how well Jumbo acts them out.

I wish the play had been slightly more conventional and just kept Jumbo's bursts of personal commentary casual and informed rather than turning them into a story of its own. (My guest of impeccable taste, by the way, didn't mind in the least and found the entire show the best he'd seen in ages.)

Nonetheless, it did everything one could ask of any young playwright and performer. Josephine and I makes you more interested in Josephine Baker than you were before and determined to see Cush Jumbo in anything you can.

Here's video of Baker in her triumphant performance in London in 1974.

And here's Baker in an NSFW video, dancing the Charleston Baby. Shocking!

THEATER OF 2015

Honeymoon In Vegas **
The Woodsman ***
Constellations ** 1/2
Taylor Mac's A 24 Decade History Of Popular Music 1930s-1950s ** 1/2
Let The Right One In **
Da no rating
A Month In The Country ** 1/2
Parade in Concert at Lincoln Center ** 1/2
Hamilton at the Public ***
The World Of Extreme Happiness ** 1/2
Broadway By The Year 1915-1940 **
Verite * 1/2
Fabulous! *
The Mystery Of Love & Sex **
An Octoroon at Polonsky Shakespeare Center *** 1/2
Fish In The Dark *
The Audience ***
Josephine And I ***

_____________
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.

As galas go, Guild Hall's is one of the best, a chance for city and country to meet up over art, cocktails, and dinner. On Monday, Hamptonites left their snowy driveways behind, hopped on a jitney, greeted the Manhattan crowd at Sotheby's, mingled over cocktails and viewed Guild Hall's recent acquisitions at the annual winter love fest. A large untitled canvas features a beach scene by the Academy of the Arts' new president Eric Fishl. Celebrating his birthday too, the Sag Harbor resident said he'd rather be here on this special day than anywhere else, and then introduced Laurie Anderson, who is so talented "you want to kill her."

If you know her seemingly effortless performances, you what he means. She went on to present the first lifetime achievement award of the night, for visual art, to photographer Ralph Gibson. Noting that he also performed music with Lou Reed, she was most grateful for his laughter.

Next up: in the literary arts, cartoonist, playwright, screenwriter Jules Feiffer was praised by presenter Robert Caro, for his remarkable ability to try out a new genre of art in his '80's: his noir graphic novel, Kill My Mother came out last summer to stellar reviews. Surrounded by his family, talented daughters Kate and Halley, and partner Joan Holden, Feiffer talked about loving the east end. Michael Lynne presented the Special Award for Leadership and Philanthropic Endeavors to Linda and Harry Macklowe, prominent in the art world and in real estate.

But really really killing it was Martin Short who presented to his "It's Only a Play" buddy Matthew Broderick. What can only be described as a colossal roast, slight after slight, hammering the more bland actor who followed that act in due form with a bland speech. He told about the tenacity of Broadway producer Roy Furman in getting him to accept this award. The actor's let-me-think-about-it, for Furman translated to an immediate yes. For his part, Furman was eager to get back to that night's rehearsals for the highly anticipated "An American in Paris." In association with Furman and Ellen Meyers, Guild Hall will stage Arthur Miller's "All My Sons" in June, starring Alec Baldwin and Laurie Metcalf.

But why would Broderick accept that kind of shtick from Short? To understand, you have to see "It's Only a Play," with only 3 weeks left of Martin Short in the role of Broderick's manic best friend, trapped in an upstairs bedroom with piles of coats on the fictive play's opening night. Broderick plays the playwright at hand, his play a flop. His deadpan is its own kind of art.

A version of this post also appears on Gossip Central.

A lot of things seemed out of place as I was growing up.

I felt as though I was a bit of a reject in a city glorified for its tan-bodied sex appeal and surf culture. I was pretty sheltered, and Latina as hell. I knew what I liked, and it wasn't what my peers were into. I didn't know how to branch out, and didn't have the means to even if I did. In retrospect, there was a huge sense of isolation, mostly due to the fact that I didn't subscribe to a Mexican or San Diegan stereotype.

I was Sarah. I took guppies swimming class at the YMCA four times (never passed). I loved punk music, and I couldn't dance. I was just a confused brown girl who really liked heavy guitar solos.

It wasn't until high school when I discovered the "do it yourself" collective, Che Café.

I had passed by it many times before, and for some time I really did think it was exclusively a cafe like "wow, let's get coffee." However, I heard that Che Café went more along the lines of "nah let's go watch a show." I thought "ok?"

It wasn't apparent to me, clearly.

Then, I started to go a couple times with my friends to just sit in a corner and enjoy sometimes pretty awful bands. It was amazing. I was opened up to a new world.

You see, this place had hook. Yes, its foundations are music, but what I loved was the environment I was in. When I walked into the Che for the first time, there was a huge poster that said 'THIS IS A SAFE SPACE' and underneath explained that in this venue. Here, you would be respected no matter who you were, what your preferences are or what you believed in -- the whole shebang.

The Che Café carried this rare energy of goodness and positivity, and even though I didn't know anyone there, it felt nice to be there. That is what DIY is all about. Acceptance and empowerment. The DIY ethic is based off the belief that you can do things yourself, reject consumer culture and still be a badass.

However, currently, the two southern Californian DIY collectives, Che Café and the Dial, are struggling to save their spaces from eviction and closure.

Many people mistake these collectives as places for trouble. There comes this stigma that these venues are where smelly anarchist kids do drugs and wreak havoc for the sake of shooting shit and breaking the rules, but the reality is far from that image.

That's because it's for the damn kids.

When do you walk into a space these days and think this is for the kids?

Not to capitalize or to exploit, but to solely benefit kids and educate them by building community. Not many places that aren't registered as non-profit. Not only are they all-ages, but also sober spaces, where drugs and alcohol are prohibited, providing comfort and safety for all. It's important for young people to have a place of their own to contribute and manage. With that experience they could learn more, about not only about their community, but it could help highlight their personal strengths as well.

Che Café is an all-ages music collective recognized for its DIY ethic, known for hosting a variety of artists recognized locally and nationally. The collective has hosted well known groups including Bright Eyes, Jimmy Eat World, Rise Against, Green Day, Blink 182 and more.

The Che Café was created in 1980 by students of University of California, San Diego, as an acronym for "Cheap Healthy Eats," as well as a nod to the Argentine revolutionary, Che Guevara. It started as a venue in the 80s limited to mostly punk and reggae shows. By the 90s, the Che Café evolved into a staple for the punk, indie, hardcore rock scene.

Today, it acts as a venue for a plethora of artists from varying genres, as it also presents art shows, performances and film screenings from the music and art departments of UCSD. This collective has built an inspirational and creative community for artists, students and its visitors.

But, this cherished community is facing a huge obstacle.

The Che Café is currently under threat of imminent shutdown by the administration of University of California, San Diego, where the space is located. UCSD voted to take the Che Café off the budget for the upcoming year. It may be terminated at any time.

It's hard to believe an iconic venue that holds such a distinct cultural value to San Diego could be so easily removed. However, it will probably be replaced with a Starbucks franchise or a really nicely cemented parking lot; something that really captures the essence of the university and its history.

That's what really gets me when I think about the Che potentially closing for good.

What will takes its place? I get a little queasy thinking about pay-to-play joints, and faux-hip kids running around talking about the $50 tickets they just spent on a show. Spaces like Che diversify not only San Diego, but enrich perspectives on live music overall.

More importantly, what's being done to avoid this altogether?

The collective members, as well as frequenters of the Che café, are resisting actions made by the UCSD administration by attending UCSD's meetings. They are holding their own meetings on what can still be done to save the Che, holding protests and letter-writing workshops to send to the administration.

The battle is not over.

Che is still fighting at court hearings, and it still actively holds meetings every Monday night.

Whether it be through incessant legal documents, spray painted flags stamped "Save the Che" or support of other venues, the collective is still very much alive and that's not something to forget.

The Che Café is fighting to stay open in true punk fashion, providing its one of a kind political and cultural dialogue through the arts. They are continuing to stand in solidarity with the rest of the San Diego DIY scene following their motto, "There is no education without community."

Similarly, there is the Dial Collective.

The Dial Collective is fairly new. Founded in 2010 by founder Kyle Napalan, the Dial Collection was created when Napalan experimented with his 1200 square foot rehearsal space, seeing what would happen if he opened it up to other young adult artists.

There, a group of like-minded individuals collaborated, and transformed a warehouse into a safe and sober space. According to the collective, this dream was achieved through "countless weekly meetings where volunteers of various ages and skill sets pooled their individual resources and time to promote the Dial and its events."

Word of mouth spread and spread fast. A year went by, and the space cemented into a meeting ground for members of the collective to plan events tailored to the interests of local youth.

Between 2012 and 2013, the Dial members were able to rent a larger space, secure their 501(c)3 and transform into an alternative space that filled the void of many absent arts curriculums in the area.

Come 2014, the Dial became an art center that hosted globally diverse talent, bringing artists from New Zealand, Australia, Japan, South America and beyond. The Collective began hosting events such as: open mic nights, poetry reading, gallery shows, movie nights, musical performances and dance events.

It's the diversity of the community that has allowed the DIY arts community to expand in Murrieta, California. Through these efforts, the Dial Collective has allowed a counter-culture to develop, one that speaks a peaceful and impactful voice.

However, it was no sooner than last October that the Dial Collective was facing the same obstacles that Che Café was.

The Dial Collective was asked by its landlord to find a new location due to the higher scale shows the space was holding, and the noise complaints they were attracting.

So here we go, another legal battle, right? This is just another fight to prove to people that DIY represented something positive and enriching, right?

Not necessarily.

The Dial has partnered with several community members and organizations to proactively collaborate on ways to raise awareness of their situation and the money needed to build the foundations of a strong future for the collective.

First, they proactively started through their relationship with the local police. The area police forces recognized their function as a community center and were able to amicably settle the terms of their closing.

Second, they began collaborative work with local high school teacher, Mark Harnetiaux. Through the TedX conference, the collective partnered with Great Oaks High School teacher, Harnetiaux and his organization, The Creator Space.

The Creator Space is a locale where school-aged youth can take part in hands-on activities including woodworking, 3D printing, metalworking and costume creation -- to name a few.

The program provides kids with a space where they can participate in activities that are not provided in their high schools due to budget cuts. Harnetiaux has joined forces with the Dial, allowing his location to help fundraise for the collective, as well as provide a place to hold its gallery nights and film fests.

The Dial hopes to continue to work in conjunction with the city for years to come to keep the DIY presence alive in their community. Dial Collective founder, Kyle Napalan, said, "I believe DIY collectives are more important now than ever before, because it allows culture to be created in places that don't have any culture."

The chief issue here is not the kids that hang out here, it's not what they look like or how they identify.

It's the generic image given to places like DIY collectives.

Music is associated with alcohol and substance abuse. Creativity is synonymous with insanity.

DIY is not a similitude of this.

It's a spirit, a feeling, a representation of community and acceptance.

As the Dial Collective states, "these spaces act as a supplementary beacon of hope for those who have not yet learned that allowing failure and accepting change can cultivate progressive ideals and bring communities ever closer."

Young people today need venues like the Che Café and The Dial.

Growing up is a scary and lonely. Screw ups are inevitable and acceptance is sometimes hard to come by.

However, these places not only reach to the younger generations, but allow these kids to explore the world around them while they are taking the steps to create their own.

So take out "DIY is dead" from phrases you use, enlighten your peers and educate those around you on alternative communities.

Maintain and preserve spaces like the Che Café and the Dial. They take so little and give so much.

I'm 20 and still a reject, but these DIY communities have helped me understand that acceptance is not synonymous with any sort of mold, but something that comes with a positive environment and genuine individuals.

Serving as a combination five-year anniversary celebration and fundraiser for the non-profitGilda's Club, on Tuesday LaughFest presented comedians Sinbad, Jim Breuer, Kathleen Madigan and magician/Cupcake Wars host Justin Willman, hosted by 2011's inaugural Stand-Up Competition winner Michael Kosta. All veterans of the festival, they spoke backstage at DeVos Place, where for $250 a pop attendees partook in a cocktail reception, dinner and "The Signature Event" show, which went on to raise more than $131,000.

Sinbad: I'm from Benton Harbor, Michigan. I'm always shocked when people don't know, 'cause I talk about it all the time. I started comedy when I got kicked out of the military in Wichita, Kansas. There wasn't no showcases. You just had these little local places. All you could hope for was Johnny Carson. There was no HBO. I just thought someone would find you somewhere. But there were so many comedy clubs, hundreds of comedy clubs. So you worked and you worked and you worked and you worked.

Michael Kosta: I'm from Ann Arbor. The west side of the state was always nice. Nice to go to a city that didn't rely on car sales, for once. I have great memories here.

Kathleen Madigan: I just like Michigan. I may retire in north Traverse City, but don't tell anyone. I taped my last special in Detroit. I just like the people. And I love this city because it's small enough to have a festival where you feel connected. I never get to see these guys, 'cause we're all working separately, so it's really fun.

Breuer: This is definitely my favorite festival. I have a great feeling from the minute I show up. I feel the audience is manicured to laugh. It is a star festival, but they're really here for the comedy, and the Gilda thing is huge, and they're aware of it. I was hoping to come back here. I even asked my agency, "Can you please see if there's any interest...?" And before I even said it, I got invited. So I was excited.

Sinbad: Gilda was Saturday Night Live when Saturday Night Live was Saturday Night Live. She's one of the first people getting cancer, and she was still young. Even if you didn't know her you felt like you knew her, because she was in your house every week. We thought we were immune. We thought if you lived comedy, you were immune to that. And she was one of the first ones where, "Wow, we're going to lose her."

Justin Willman: Some festivals have a charity tie, but that sometimes gets lost as an afterthought. But I think LaughFest has a reputation of being first and foremost for Gilda's Club. People know that there's a great caliber of talent coming, and they know that the comedians are there because of the cause, and the people are coming because of the cause, and I think that makes for a better vibe. And the colder weather means people want to be huddled inside, laughing.

Kosta: My sister's a hospice nurse. The first time I was here we went and toured Gilda's Club. It's hard not to be moved by it. I just think it's really, really important. There's so many examples of comedians fighting all different types of mental and physical illness, so it just feels good to come be with everybody and move towards this one goal.

Breuer: My wife had breast cancer, and now they found it in her lymph nodes. Technically it's still breast but it's in her lymph nodes, which I guess is heavier. She's got a bald head. She shaved it today. And we'll have fun with it. Maybe I'll spray-paint it. My dad passed in August, my sister was a couple weeks later. So yeah, it's been a fun couple months.

Kosta: That's why I do this, I think: To tackle the things that are too difficult to tackle offstage. We all try to use laughter to diffuse the situation and heal and help.

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