Contact Dr. Neo: neodance@aol.com
NEO'S CIRCUS Movie Poster Samuel L Jackson stars in "Snakes on a Plane."
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PICTURES OF STARS --
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THE WHOLE ENCHILADA - -The 2006 NCLR ALMA Awards FROM DR. NEO'S HOLLYWOOD CORNER WWW.INCDEF.COM : AOL News asks the question:
Paramount / Everett
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THE BIGGEST CHICK-A-BOOM FIESTA :
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BORN AND RAISED IN LAREDO PARTIAL RESUME OF CASTING WORK (BESIDES WALKER, TX. RANGER) |
| TEXAS ACTRESSES IN MOVIE LAND JULIA VERA & LAURA HARRING Julia Vera says in a note : Laura Martinez Harring is going to be my attorney in the upcoming Nov. 2004 episode of "The Shield." This will be the second time we work together. In "All Soul's Day" she played my daughter. That movie can be seen in the Sci-Fi tv channel . Re: my 3-day trip last week to San Miguel de Allende, to do a Bank of America commercial.....what a grand time I had ! They flew me lst class, they put me in a lst class hotel, room service for meals, a car with driver at my disposition, and the shops were lst class, also. The shoot for a 1-min. commercial took over 14 hours ! Nothing unusual there. NEO NOTE : Laura Harring's last name is actually spelled Herring, but she changed it, cause, as you know, herring is the name of a fish. I worked with Laura in 1997 when I was the choreographer for the national OTI show on Spanish tv. Laura is from El Paso (her family owns or owned a big lumber bank there, among other things). She was Miss El Paso, then Miss Texas, and finally Miss USA..... a very beautiful , sweet lady. And Miz Julie ? What can I say.....she started her showbiz career when I was her first dance teacher, while she was in the 9th grade at Christen (then) Jr. High in Laredo. Am I proud of how far's she gone?. Hasta la pregunta es necia ! LOL... |
| WATER WATER EVERYWHERE AND DAKOTA FANNING, 11 I recd a very colorful flyer announcing the next major live theater production at I couldn't help but notice and sit in awe as I read this short description of the production: A group of boys call themselves the Dead End Kids. The NY Author Sidney Kingsley's stirring drama, a popular hit on Broadway in 1935 (a year before Neo G was born), returns triumphantly to the stage in this stunning production featuring 42 actors and ONE OF THE LARGEST SETS EVER CREATED FOR THE AHMANSON, INCLUDING AN ORCHESTRA PIT FILLED WITH OVER 10,000 GALLONS OF WATER TO SIMULATE NY's East River. NEO NOTE: And that is live theater show biz in LA....amazing. And in a somewhat related note, re: movies.... Entertainment Weekly tells us that Julia Roberts is NOT the highest grossing movie star anymore. The short note says: She may be only 11 years old, but Dakota Fanning is ready for a life-time achievement award. Since her 2001 debut in TOMCATS, her domestic box office has surpassed that of some of American's sweethearts. Dakota's and other female stars' movies have grossed to date: Dakota Fanning: $647.3 million Julia Roberts: $585.6 million Nicole Kidman: $496.9 million Reece Witherspoon: $338.2 million Sandra Bullock (of Austin, Tx.): $294.7 million |
| THE Many would consider the CASABLANCA film a classic, and I wonder if it isn't because of the incredible actors in the film. as well as the intriguing love story....just think.... Bogart, Bergman, Lorre....all in one film. And a beautiful love story. I think one of the problems today in viewing such a movie as CASABLANCA is that it's not an action film where the picture on screen changes every 5-10 seconds (at the last action movie I saw I actually counted for a little while how long a scene stayed on the screen, before the picture, the angle, the focus of the camera would change....it was WAR OF THE WORLDS with TOM Cruise, and the screen image changed about every 5 seconds. This type of visual "trick" is designed to keep the audience interested. You feel like if you take your eyes off the screen you will miss something ) . Consequently,people come out of the theater thinking it's a great film, because it was so action-packed, so interesting, when actually the film might be second-rate in every respect except visually. CASABLANCA, in turn, is an old-time movie, done in the classic way, where the story and the characters are the essence.... not usoing fast-changing visual images, by design, which is the bread and butter of films today. On TV ? Look at how we're bombarded with multiple images on one screen at the same time. Consequently, the public has become accustomed to the semblance of being on "the fast lane." I always wondered how classroom teachers could compete with focus on one message when the kids are accustomed to multi-sensory barrages from TV and film for hours daily. A little bit on Ingrid Bergman's life : When Ingrid Bergman made the Her lst husband was Dr. Peter Lindsrom of But then, Rosellini, the Italian director, came into the Bergman life picture, and bowled Ingrid over, to the point where she left her They lived "in sin" for many years, without Bergman divorcing Dr. Lindstrom. The Rosellinis were "social outcasts" for a long time because of the way they co-habited, without marriage license, etc. What they did then is now child's play, isn't it .....considering the social mores of modern people. (That's mor-ays, not more+s.) The most famous Rosellini daughter is an actress named Isabella Rosellini. You can see traces of Bergman in her face when she gets close-ups on screen. And she is as beautiful as her mother, but in a different way. Neo G in LA |
| AWESOME "CRASH" FILM SERVES AS IMPORTANT SOCIAL DOCUMENT May 30, 05 I went to see the film CRASH yesterday, and I can't stop thinking about it. My biggest thoughts: (1) this may be the most socially important film in many years, and (2) the use of a simple car CRASH as metaphor for one of the main means of communication between big city people is awesome. It's actually about the lack of communication as big city people, especially, pass each other daily as silent ships in the night --until they crash with each other, not necessarily in cars but in daily life. But the film could apply to people anywhere in the world, where people of different ethnic/social backgrounds live--and communicate only when they crash, again, not necessarily in cars but in daily life . As a retired educator, I see this film as important viewing for a high school or university class in sociology, where an entire semester course could result from analysis and academic projects based on the film. For that matter, every high school and university student should make it required viewing. Maybe it should be required viewing for the public in general. In short, CRASH is a startling reality check for anyone who views it. Message to the world: Hey, baby, this is where we are in this modern-day mess called life....for God's sake, wake up ! The Oscar-nominated screenwriter for MILLION DOLLAR BABY is the writer/director for this film, btw . The film as a production has a great feel of having an ensemble cast, where movie "stars" or "names" are not important. What's most important is the message or messages in the film. Co-producer Don Cheadle and the writer/director did a great job in acquiring that in this film. The fact that movie stars such as Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, and Matt Dillon participated raised my admiration of them as true artists, not just as movie stars after the proverbial buck. And the film was made with a paltry $7.5 million, which highlights the importance of the story in a film, as opposed to $200 million worth of stars and special computer effects in a few past disasters ( I strongly recommend viewing this film to help you understand the increasingly violent world around us, specifically in the big melting-pot cities as But the instances depicted in the film could happen anywhere, big or small city or town. The topic is really of universal importance. The topic is people and how they relate- -or don't relate- -to each other. |
| NICOLE KIDMAN & SEAN PENN SHINE IN "THE INTERPRETER" April 26, 2005 I went yesterday to see the movie THE INTERPRETER with Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn....and what a movie! I recommend it wholeheartedly ! But pay close attention all the way through the film, cause it's a very complicated plot. What a face that girl has, and what an actress....as to Sean Penn, at the beginning of the film I kept thinking what a boor he is, so full of himself. But by the end of the movie, viola ! He had me hooked with his terrific acting. He plays a member of the We get a great look at how the SS works in real life. These are the guys, for example, who protect the US Pres. when in public, and they have to be willing to lose their life literally, covering the US Pres. with their own bodies, in case of an attempt on his life. Whenever you see the Nicole plays a translator at the United Nations, and that reminded me of a teacher I had when I went to school in NYC in the summers of 1955-58. My teacher at for a course on how to work a foreign language laboratory was a translator for the UN. I just can't remember his name now.
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2005 OSCARS |
Desperate Housewives Claims Title of Most Watched TV Program
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| REMEMBERING ELVIS A FEW MONTHS BEFORE GOING TO ROCK 'N ROLL HEAVEN A beautiful, sweet teacher friend originally from Ecuador, still at BevHillsHi where I taught , sent me this sad recuerdo de Elvis, from a few months before he went to rock 'n roll heaven : Gracias por tu e-mail sobre Elvis. Yo vi su ultimo espectaculo en el LVegas Hilton antes de su muerte . Como los boletos se habian agotado aqui en EEUU, los consegui por medio de una amiga japonesa que estaba encargada de grupos turisticos. Ese ano venian los fanaticos japoneses a ver a Elvis y quedaban 3 boletos. Era mi primera vez en ver a Elvis y estaba super emocionada. Desafortunadamente su show fue un desastre. Primero llego con mas de una hora de retraso. Luego empezo a cantar y no podia seguir la cancion, olvidaba la letra cada vez que trataba. Estaba desorientado e incoherente. Era muy triste verlo asi. Y por supuesto estaba gordisimo. Sudaba y sudaba. En el publico estaban Priscilla y su papa a quienes menciono entre canciones. A pesar de todo lo malo que paso esa noche, sali con una sensacion de haber visto algo historico. Esto fue en diciembre y creo que el murio unos meses despues. Carinos, Ginny NEO NOTE: When I saw Elvis perform in person, he was at his best. This account by Ginny catches him close to the end... |
| 2004 GOLDEN GLOBE WINNERS FROM THE HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSN. Best Motion Picture Drama  The Aviator winner Closer Finding Neverland Hotel Rwanda Kinsey Million Dollar Baby Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy  Sideways winner Eternal Sunshine The Incredibles The Phantom of the Opera trailer Ray trailer Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama  Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator winner Javier Bardem, The Sea Inside Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland Liam Neeson, Kinsey Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy  Jamie Foxx, Ray winner Jim Carrey, Eternal Sunshine Paul Giamatti, Sideways Kevin Kline, De-Lovely Kevin Spacey, Beyond the Sea trailer Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama  Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby winner Scarlett Johansson, A Love Song for Bobby Long Nicole Kidman, Birth Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake Uma Thurman, Kill Bill -- Vol. 2 Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy  Annette Bening, Being Julia winner Ashley Judd, De-Lovely Emmy Rossum, The Phantom of the Opera trailer Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine Renée Zellweger, Bridget Jones: The Edge Best Drama TV Series  Nip/Tuck winner 24 Deadwood Lost The Sopranos Best Actor in a Drama Series  Ian McShane, Deadwood winner Michael Chiklis, The Shield Denis Leary, Rescue Me Julian McMahon, Nip/Tuck James Spader, Boston Legal Best Actress in a Drama Series  Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU winner Edie Falco, The Sopranos Jennifer Garner, Alias Christine Lahti, Jack and Bobby Joely Richardson, Nip/Tuck Best Musical or Comedy TV Series  Desperate Housewives winner Arrested Development Entourage Sex and the City Will & Grace Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Series  Jason Bateman, Arrested Development winner Zach Braff, Scrubs Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm Matt LeBlanc, Joey Tony Shalhoub, Monk Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Series  Teri Hatcher, Desperate Housewives winner Marcia Cross, Desperate Housewives Felicity Huffman, Desperate Housewives Debra Messing, Will & Grace Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex and the City More Winners Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Clive Owen, Closer Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Natalie Portman, Closer Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Movie Anjelica Huston, Iron Jawed Angels Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Movie William Shatner, Boston Legal Best Actress in a Drama Series Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Best Actor in a Drama Series Ian McShane, Deadwood Best Miniseries or TV Movie The Life and Death of Peter Sellers Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Series Jason Bateman, Arrested Development Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Annette Bening, Being Julia Best Drama TV Series Nip/Tuck Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie Geoffrey Rush, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie Glenn Close, The Lion in Winter Best Foreign Language Film The Sea Inside Spain Best Screenplay Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Sideways Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Series Teri Hatcher Desperate Housewives Original Score Howard Shore, The Aviator Original Song ''Old Habits Die Hard'' from Alfie Best Director Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Jamie Foxx, Ray Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator Best Musical or Comedy TV Series Desperate Housewives Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Sideways Best Motion Picture Drama The Aviator |
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BILLYTO MAYO OF LAREDO /
NEW BRAUNFELS
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EL TALENTO DE
LAREDO SIGUE SU MARCHA Laredoan Liz Gallego wins Disney teaching award (Remember when Liz Gallego was Marshall of the Golden Spurs dance team, under the direction of Mrs. Estela Kramer? She was also the teacher for the Neo G. Dance Workshop in Laredo two Decembers ago.) THANKS TO LMT & TRICIA CORTEZ FOR THIS REPORT : BY TRICIA CORTEZ Times staff writer Teaching requires more than scratching the surface to impact a student's life, according to Laredoan Liz Gallego. A dance instructor at Molina High School in the Dallas Independent School District, Gallego was recently named a 2004 Disneyland Teacher Award winner. She is one of 39 teacher honorees - out of more than 150,000 nominees - selected for this award. Disney gives this award to outstanding teachers who use innovative teaching methods that actively engage students. For her efforts, Gallego will receive a $10,000 cash prize and her high school will get $5,000. "If you are just dealing with surface learning, you will never impact a student's life. It needs to be much more in-depth," Gallego said. "You need to have an emotional link to reach children, and not just aim for their intellect." Gallego received the Disney award for a project she started at Molina High called "Heroinas de la Independencia Mexicana." Funded in part by the Junior League of Dallas, the school project incorporated the study of history, current events, Spanish, English, music, dance, drama, technology and women's studies. Students in her ballet folklorico classes explored the lives and times of various Mexican women, including La Malinche, Frida Kahlo and civil rights activist Digna Ochoa, among others. They also selected a Portuguese soundtrack for the story of La Llorona and choreographed an improvisational dance with rebozos (shawls). At her high school, which is 88 percent Hispanic, many of whom are recently arrived immigrants, Gallego said she has striven to create bridges into other forms of dance while providing students an in-depth understanding of their own culture. "Meaningful learning takes place when the limitations of barrio culture are challenged in a natural environment," she said, noting she has helped introduce students to other forms of dance, such as African, Middle Eastern (belly dancing) and hip-hop. "We also have a ballet club open every Monday after school," she added. Gallego said she stays in the public school system because of "the need; not because of our working conditions." She said she will use her cash prize to return to school and study administration. Although she has taught numerous workshops throughout the state, Gallego has not done so in her hometown. "I have never been invited to do a dance workshop in Laredo," she said. "I would love to do a training in Laredo, but I don't do drill teams. The majority of my dance instruction is culturally based and interdisciplinary." Gallego, who lives in Dallas with her husband Dan McMurry and daughter Bethany, is the daughter of Paul and Consuelo Gallego of Laredo. She is a 1969 graduate of Nixon High School, where she was a Golden Spur under Estella Kramer. She then attended Kilgore College, where she was a Rangerette, but soon "followed in (Laredoan) Diana Zuniga's footsteps and transferred to Texas Women's University." While attending TWU in Denton, Gallego would get rides back to Laredo from another Laredoan, San Juanita Martinez, who was working on her Ph.D. at the time. Gallego received a bachelor's degree in 1972 with a double major in dance and English. She also received a master's in dance from TWU in 1977. "My favorite form of dance is classical ballet. I fell in love with it, but I didn't have a strong background in ballet growing up in Laredo," she said. As such, Gallego spent 10 years of her adult life re-learning all that she had been taught. She worked with master teachers in Dallas, including Marjorie Tallchief, to learn classical ballet technique. "At first, it was humiliating because I had to start all over from square one with the 8-year-olds. It took me three to four years before I could take company dance classes with professionals," Gallego said. "I had to relearn how to do everything. I had flamenco posture which just doesn't work for classical ballet," she said. "You need to have the basics perfect in ballet, and there is no other way to do anything except exactly correct." While Gallego took classes in the morning, she gave classes in the afternoon at her own dance studio, which she ran for 18 years. At her Dallas studio, Gallego instructed ballet, pas de deux, pointe, tap, jazz, modern and Spanish dance. Her students won national dance awards, and placed in 13 consecutive national finals, she said. "I had studied ballet under a woman whose mother was the head mistress at the Budapest Opera before World War II. That lady was old and mean," she said. "She told me I would never become the ballet dancer that I could have been, but said I would become an excellent teacher if I didn't quit. I held onto those words," she added. When her daughter entered school, Gallego decided to close her studio and take a position with the Dallas public schools. She was assigned to teach ballet folklorico, "which I knew nothing about," at Greiner Middle. "When I took over, the program was a mess. There was no discipline, and the students were wild little beasties. They were lucky to have a teacher for one semester, but teachers did not regularly show up," Gallego said. Under her leadership, the program expanded from a handful of dancers in two classes to 90 dancers in five classes; from two boys to 34 and from five community performances per year to 40. During her first year, she also organized a small folklorico competition and festival that has since bloomed. Gallego is now planning the 14th Annual Folklorico Festival of North Texas, and "as far as I know, it's the largest competition in the U.S.," she said. Gallego is currently at work on a new book about her own life experiences. Her first book, Winning!: The Dance Competition Handbook for Teachers, Students, Parents, and Judges is available on her Web site, www.lizgallego.com. (Staff writer Tricia Cortez can be reached at 728-2568 or tricia@lmtonline.com.) |
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MARLON BRANDON BEST KNOWN FOR METHOD ACTING AND GENEROSITY TO UNDERDOG I
have heard all kinds of well-deserved accolades for Marlon Brando ,
but the thing I find most interesting is that he is being referred to as
"the father of method acting," when he isn't. |
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THALIA |
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ALL
ABOUT TROY AND $200 MILLION TO MAKE IT SOME OF IT SHOT IN MEXICO LOCALES COURTESY AOL   Movies Music Games Celebrities Radio Television Entertainment Guide City Guide  
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''Troy,'' director Wolfgang Petersen's take on the 2,800-year-old tale
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initially budgeted at $150 million, boasts 1,250 extras, a re-created
ancient city, several epic battles, and more than five months of
location shoots in London, Malta, and Mexico. The stakes, like the film,
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A
REMEMBRANCE: LAREDO DANCERS & 5 DE MAYO IN L.A. Subject: MY BEST 5 DE MAYO Name: Dr. Neo Gutierrez Date Posted: May 5, 04 - 7:03 PM Email: neodance@aol.com Message: Hi from LA ! I can't remember the years, but for several years, with the incredible help of Mrs. Estela Kramer, I would help bring Laredo dancers to Beverly Hills Hi , to perform for us for 5 de mayo. But one year specifically, I wanted to see just how far I could stretch it, to give Laredo dancers the maximum performing exposure in Los Angeles. So, during one 5 de mayo trip, the Laredo dancers performed for us at (1) our 5 de mayo assembly at BevHillsHi, then (2) they performed for the opening game of the season at Dodger Stadium, then (3) they performed at Disneyland (and got to spend the day there for free, in exchange), and (4) they performed at Universal Studios in Hollywood (where they also got to see everything for free, in exchange for their performance). (5) AND somewhere along the way we went to the Los Angeles Civic Center, where we filmed a special taping of the Laredo dancers performing on the plaza of the Chandler Pavilion. That performance appeared on international Latino tv with the help of a terrific friend, Enrique Gratas. And all that happened in ONE 4-5 day visit to LA ! ! ! I forget which airline it was, but they also gave the kids a very special round-trip fare. The kids in Laredo worked for months to raise the money for their trip, btw. And Mrs. Estela Kramer made it all happen. And all that time, the kids went first class: I got a deal at the Beverly Hills Hotel whereby they would put cots in a room, housing 4 dancers per room, at a special price of about $70 per night. (Usual rates per room there are from $300 up, with a penthouse room costing $5,000 and up per night.) Those were the days....and would you believe, I got a call today from Mrs. Kramer, now living in San Antonio, to ask me if I still remembered the 5 de mayo shows we used to do in LA, all with the incredible, beautiful Laredo dance talent. She calls me every 5 de mayo just to remind me...what an incredible friend. (She was also the one responsible for getting me permission to teach a dance class in the old gym at Christen Jr. High, where I had my first teaching assignement in 1955, when I was 19 yrs. old. That's when Julia Vera ended up being my dance student.). Que sabroso lo que hace uno cuando tiene ganas y fuerzas...and with access to the incredible dance talent of Laredo and a teacher and director of the caliber of Mrs. Estela Kramer. Abrazote a todos, Neo G in LA.... PS: BTW, ask any school kid in the USA what 5 de mayo is, and they'll tell you it's Mexican Independence Day....they know nothing about 16 de septiembre...so, the main educational objective that day was explaining to the students the difference between those two dates in Mexican history, using the Laredo dance talent to attract attention to the date. And now you know another reason why I love Laredo more than any other place I've lived in my lifetime. AUA ! |
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MINERVA GARCIA OF LAREDO PLAYS FRIDA KAHLO IN LOS ANGELES Subj: FRIDA KAHLO, returns by popular demand for a 12th Triumphant Season. Date: 4/11/2004 6:08:09 PM Pacific Daylight Time From: avytrop@yahoo.com (Frida Kahlo Theatre) To: avytrop@yahoo.com Special $11 tickets for our April 22-25 performances Si desea recibir esta información en Español, favor de hacérnoslo saber. Did you see the Hollywood version? Now come and see the Mexican version! 12 years and over 400 performances. FRIDA KAHLO, returns by popular demand! FRIDA KAHLO written and directed by Ruben Amavizca, the creator of THE WOMEN OF JUAREZ, is based on the life of the famous Mexican artist. This play is a Kahlo-eidoscope of images analyzing the person behind the artist, the woman, the political activist, the passionate lover, the wife and the legend behind one of the most fascinating women in history. Minerva Garcia of Laredo, Texas returns as FRIDA KAHLO, accompanied by Richard Azurdia, Edwin Rivera Corcios, Ingrid Marquez and Renee Duron. Eve Muller and Liane Schirmer translated the English version. FRIDA KAHLO, will be performed at the FRIDA KAHLO Theater, 2332 West Fourth Street, Los Angeles, CA 90057, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturday at 8 PM; Sundays at 6 PM: April 22 to May 23. In Spanish: April 22, 23, 29, 30, May 1, 2, 13, 14, 15 & 16. In English: April 23, 24, May 6, 7, 8, 9, 20, 21, 22 & 23. Tickets prices are $14 general; $12 for groups of 10 or more. Special $11 tickets for our April 22-25 performances For information and reservations call: 213-382-8133, or visit our web site at fridakahlotheater.org. Our offices are open Tuesday thru Sunday from 1 to 6 PM. We also offer workshops for children and adults in: Theater Photography Animation Afro Caribbean Drums and Fundance classes Feel free to forward it to your friends and let them know about this production. Gracias Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA |
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$350+ MILLION FROM "PASSION"  From an article in the Wall Street Journal : March 2004 : Mel Gibson is on track to reap at least $350 million in personal profits from his controversial "The Passion of the Christ" -- one of the biggest individual windfalls in Hollywood's long history of oversized payouts. The estimate is based on projections of people close to the film, as well as a consensus of people who routinely deal with the business aspects of filmmaking. Mr. Gibson, 48 years old, owes the size of his bonanza in part to the major studios that spurned him: He financed the production himself and struck favorable deals with distributors.enormous U.S. box-office take of "Passion." When U.S. box-office receipts from "Passion" reach $400 million -- as many observers now expect -- Mr. Gibson will take home about $108 million. That number is derived by subtracting the theaters' share of the box-office receipts, Newmarket's distribution fee, and production and marketing costs. One question mark is Japan, the second-largest overseas market after Germany, where interest in a Western religious movie may not be high. Here's a rough look at what Gibson's personal take could be: $108 million: U.S. box-office receipts $100 million: Overseas ticket sales $100 million: DVD sales $20 million: Sale of pay-TV rights $10 million: CD soundtrack sales |
| Hi from Neo
G in LA ! In case you want to see a short composite of the Oscar winners, according to the LA Times : NEO NOTE: Blake Edwards, married to Julie Andrews, who rec'd an Honorary Award, is a grad of BevHillsHi, where I was a teacher. Sophia Coppola is first cousin of Nicolas Cage (who changed his professional name from Coppola). Julia Vera told me since several months ago that C. Theron was going to win best actress, after she viewed the film Monster. And Renee Zellweger is a UT-Austin grad in English Literature. THE OSCARS Complete list of winners Best Picture "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" 
Best
ActorSean Penn, "Mystic River" 
Best
ActressCharlize Theron, "Monster" 
Best
Supporting ActorTim Robbins, "Mystic River" 
Best
Supporting ActressRenée Zellweger, "Cold Mountain" 
Best
DirectorPeter Jackson, "LOTR: The Return of the King" 
Original
ScreenplaySofia Coppola, "Lost in Translation" Adapted Screenplay "LOTR: The Return of the King" Foreign Language Film "The Barbarian Invasions" Canada 
Animated
Feature Film"Finding Nemo" Buena Vista Art Direction Grant Major, Dan Hennah, Alan Lee (Major for art direction, Hennah and Lee for set decoration) "The Return of the King" Sound Mixing Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges, Hammond Peek "The Return of the King" Cinematography Russell Boyd "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" Sound Editing Richard King "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" Original Score Howard Shore "The Return of the King" Original Song "Into the West" (from "Return of the King") music and lyric by Fran Walsh, Howard Shore, Annie Lennox Documentary Feature "The Fog of War" A Globe Department Store production, Errol Morris and Michael Williams (Sony Pictures Classics) Documentary Short Subject "Chernobyl Heart" A Downtown TV Documentaries production, Maryann DeLeo Film Editing Jamie Selkirk "The Return of the King" Makeup Richard Taylor, Peter King "The Return of the King" Costume Design Ngila Dickson, Richard Taylor "The Return of the King" Animated Short Film Adam Elliot "Harvie Krumpet" Live Action Short Film Aaron Schneider, Andrew J. Sacks "Two Soldiers" Visual Effects Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook, Alex Funke "The Return of the King" Honorary Award Blake Edwards
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| PARIS
HILTON MAKES ACTING DEBUT ON THE GEORGE LOPEZ TV SHOW I decided to tune into Geo Lopez Show on ABC-TV tonight, mostly cause I wanted to see what Paris Hilton would do with her first "acting" opportunity, with spoken lines and all. Well, she had a grand total of maybe 8 short lines, playing a tutor to the little kid in the show. But even playing a tutor, she was still Paris Hilton, so no surprises there. But the BIG surprise for me was to see Geo Lopez physically. (I haven't watched the show at all this season.) The guy no longer has a round face because he's lost so much weight. And his body frame is totally skin and bones ! Now, maybe he's lost only around 30 + lbs. altogether, but what a difference in physical appearance ! The tv/movie cameras will automatically add 15 lbs. to an actor, so when George looks thin on camera, he must really be thin . I guess the show is here to stay for a nice long while....I think he's the only Latino with his own tv show now, compared to several Afro-American shows on the tube....the one that does a terrific job of getting all the ethnic stuff is Whoopie, and it is really funny.... |
| JAMES CAVIESEL COMES ACROSS
AS A WELL-ROUNDED ACTOR IN J.LENO CHAT Saw James Caviesel , the actor who portrayed Jesus in the Mel Gibson Passion film, in an interview with Jay Leno . What a likable guy ! He's a grad of some university in Wash. state, where he was a basketball player. But his basketball coach saw him doing all kinds of imitations, and the coach suggested that James should take up acting. So he did, but started by doing comedy in a play. Mel Gibson, from seeing James in some film or other, decided that he was the guy to play Jesus, and the weirdest thing occured when James told Mel: BTW, I am 33 yrs. old and my initials are JC. To which Mel Gibson answered: Oh, man, you're really freaking me out now..... At any rate, James does have a good sense of timing with his funny stories, which means he understands comedy. I wouldn't be surprised if , after such an incredibly serious dramatic role, the next acting job he does is in a comedy . Don't put it past Hollywood do make such a career move for him . I really liked him as a human being, humble, centered, and a talented artist through and through. And nope, I haven't seen the film yet. I'm going to have to really get ready psycho/emotionally in order to see it. Neo G in LA PS: The first day the Passion film made $23.6 million, and some projections are that it will make $220 million or more. Mel Gibson spent $25 million of his own $ to make the film because he couldn't find investors for the film. |
| LAREDO WRITER IN
PENNSYLVANIA WEIGHS IN ON MEL GIBSON'S PASSION OF CHRIST FILM Date Posted: Feb 17, 04 I just finished listening to Diane Sawyer's interview of Mel Gibson, re: his film due out on Ash Wednesday, The Passion (or suffering) of the Christ. The film documents Gibson's interpretation of Christ's last 12 hrs. on earth. Gibson says he is a devout Catholic, and that his religion makes being racist a sin. So he has no feeling of anti-Semitism. If he did, he would be committing a sin. Then I went to read our Poncho's column on the topic, and I submit to you what he wrote in the closing of his column on the topic is most astute and absolutely brilliant. This Poncho of ours, originally from Laredo and now editor of a newspaper in Pennsylvania, should be teaching at a major university somewhere . Here's what Poncho wrote in the conclusion of his column. See if you don't agree with me, re: Poncho's incredible thinking and writing : Frankly, I believe that the movie is at best symptomatic of the problem, not the problem itself. The critics have a very valid point when they say that the movie will stir up anti-Semitism, but I am not convinced that this is because the movie is decisively or even subtly anti-Semitic. The Jew-haters — whether here, in Europe or elsewhere — would find a means to nourish their hatred regardless of how well balanced the film is or how many wizened heads explain the historical and social context of the crucifixion. Bigots do not need reasons to hate; they manufacture and nurture their own rationalizations. Bigotry thrives on a diet of innuendo, assumptions, stereotypes and other travesties of logic. True reason and bigotry are not on speaking terms. If the Jew across the street buys a new car, for example, the bigots will hate him for his wealth. If she drives a junk heap, they will hate her for being cheap. Edit out the scene from Matthew 27:25, as Gibson has done, and the bigots will scream about Jewish control of the media. Leave it in, and they will feed their hate with it. That we need to worry about stirring such people up tells us that human nature has not changed since the original story unfolded in Jerusalem. Some people still seek redemption and self-actualization; others are still looking for scapegoats and control. The plot is still thick. (End of column.) NEO NOTE to Poncho: How fortunate we are, those of us who are graced by your friendship, to be able to experience your thoughts. Eres lo maximo. Felicitaciones ! |
| The following note was sent
to me by Dyana Ortelli of Laredo, now for some time a Hollywood actress
(she was one of the four leads in the Luminarias film) : Starting Monday February 16, 2004 I will be having sex at 1p.m. -- as Esther, of course, the blackmailing villain/slut ("perrita") who sleeps with Salvador Pineda (and others?) in approximately 12 more episodes of TE AMARE EN SILENCIO, the first telenovela to be shot in L.A. 1p.m. Univision starting Monday, Feb. 16th Starring Eduardo Yanez, Ana Carolina Fonseca, Sergio Klainer, Salvador Pineda, Marcela Pezet, Alma Delfina, Karmin Murcelo, Emiliano Dies, Fabian Pizzorno and Lucy Gallardo, among others. enjoy! it's a hoot. oRtelli dyanaortelli.20m.com |
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RITA HAYWORTH'S FATHER WAS
A DANCE TEACHER AT GALO STUDIO IN LAREDO IN 50's Hi from Neo G in LA ! Last night on cable I was able to watch Rita Hayworth in a movie probably made back in the 40's : THE LOVES OF CARMEN . She co-starred with Glenn Ford. In this movie, Rita (born Margarita Cansino) did four traditional flamenco dances from Spain (her father, Eduardo Cansino, was her teacher here in Hollywood). The weirdest thing for me to watch was the third dance she did, which was done to the music of Tanguillo, which Mr. Cansino taught us at the Galo Dance Studio in the late 50's, when he lived in Laredo for several years. (Mrs. Genevieve Richter was responsible for getting him to Laredo, btw.) Mr. Cansino also went to Zapata and Roma to teach once a week, back then. Imagine Laredo's luck in having Rita Hayworth's father as a studio teacher way back then... At any rate, the Carmen film with Rita , which I had never seen before, is a perfect one to see to appreciate what a terrific Spanish dancer Rita Hayworth was. Her dance was done in the old classic style (as opposed to the new flamenco of today), and her castanets were impeccable. Rita Hayworth went on to do a lot more dancing in her movies, but most of her movie dances were very much exhibition ballroom stuff. At any rate, if anyone sees the Carmen movie on the tv log, be sure and see it. But don't confuse it with the Carmen musical that Holly Berry did as Dorothy Dandrige. |
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A FEW NOTES ON UPCOMING AWARDS Sophia Coppola is first cousin to Nicolas Cage, whose last name is Coppola, but he dumped the Coppola name when he started his acting career because he didn't want any favors because of his famous movie name. Franis F. Coppola is his uncle. Johnny Depp owns The Viper Room on Sunset Strip , a club near where I live. If you see the old movie called The Doors, the inside club shots were done inside The Viper Room (I saw them shooting there when I went to pick up a video at Tower Records across the street). But Depp lives in France. (G. Paltrow is moving to England, cause she doesn't want to raise her new upcoming baby in the US.) Charlize Theron was Julia Vera's lst choice for Best Actress since a long time ago (she told me so). So, bingo! She got Best Actress from Golden Globes and will probably also get the Academy Award. And , btw, the Russell Crowe COMMANDER movie was made just on the other side of Tijuana, Mexico, near Ensenada, where some studio owns a huge man-made water deposit (maybe 6 million gallons of water). It was made to shoot Titanic, and now was used for Crowe's latest movie, which is up for an Award. The storm special effects are tremendous in this flick. The only question I have about Monster re: Theron is whether she gained 30 lbs for the role or whether it's an incredible make-up job (like they did on Kidman not long ago to make her look round-faced). Janie Isabel Schaffer's acting teacher in Austin, Texas, has made the Monster movie required viewing for all actors. |
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LAREDO'S OWN JULIA VERA AND NEO
GUTIERREZ MEET MOVIE STAR TOM CRUISE IN PERSON SUNDAY, NOV. 16, 2003, WILL BE REMEMBERED (BY JULIA VERA AND NEO GUTIERREZ) AS THE NIGHT WE MET TOM CRUISE IN PERSON. The event: an invitation-only private film industry viewing of Tom Cruise's latest film, THE LAST SAMURAI. How did we get there ? Laredo's own Julia Vera is on the Nominating Committee for the Academy Awards best film category. (She has stacks of invitations to view films and she's having a difficult time getting to all of them because there's so many films.) First, some notes on the film : THE LAST SAMURAI is a film loaded with emotional and physical energy, and yes, with much violence, but there is no way the story could have been told without including violence. The cinematography is breathtaking, as is the story, the locale, the beauty of a foreign land, Japan. The most monumental fact about SAMURAI doesn't become evident until the credits start to roll. Between the actors, producers, and staff, a grand total of over 900 people worked to produce this film. If you don't believe me, count them....I did in the promo packet we received. Unbelievable. And what a job they all did. ALL actors, particularly, were superb. After the film, Tom Cruise appeared on stage in person with a moderator who asked a couple of questions, but then the program was turned over totally to questions from the audience. Easily the Q&A period lasted an hour or more. Now that is generous on the part of a major star, who has taxing responsiblities on and off the screen constantly. Some possible myths about Tom Cruise, and some facts, as Julia and I observed them : MYTH: Tom Cruise is a shorty. (I thought this when Nicole Kidman said on David Letterman some months ago, re: her divorce from Cruise: "Well, now (that I am divorced) I can wear high-heeled shoes.") FACT: Cruise is NOT a shorty. He stands at about 5'8", so he is definitely of medium stature. MYTH: Tom Cruise only does 'pretty boy' movies. FACT: When you see THE LAST SAMURAI you will see that this myth is very far from the truth. In close-ups in the film he appears to have face booze-bloat, his broken nose seems more prominent, and as the Japanese leading lady says in the film of the TC character: He smells like pigs..... So, so much for the 'pretty boy' image for Tom Cruise in film. FACT: In this film, in reality he purposely gained 25 lbs. in order to be able to carry the armor and be able to swing the sword. His hair is long and always unkept, with scruffy beard. MYTH: Tom Cruise is not very bright because he suffers from dyslexia. FACT: Through much hard training, he is able to read, but he insinuated that he has lines read to him and he memorizes easily everything re: spoken lines. He is an avid Scientologist and he learned to use the tools of Scientology to educate himself spiritually and to be able to memorize quickly. In the SAMURAI film he speaks in Japanese and his coach did such a good job of teaching him to speak Japanese, that he sounded too perfect. In the film he's supposed to be a beginner in the language, so he's supposed to not speak it too well. So, after learning his lines, he had to go back and purposely change things to not appear so perfect in his spoken Japanese. MYTH: Tom Cruise is a lightweight in his chosen profession, acting, and as an administrator, as producer. FACT: Not only is he an actor in SAMURAI, but he's also a producer. He said that he cannot do things partway. He always goes for 100%. Example: for this film he prepared himself for two years by researching and learning about the Japanese culture. The only thing that he doesn't keep up now is martial arts, because he says he needs time to spend with his two kids, and martial arts is just too demanding time-wise. AND, he does know how to race cars and how to fly an airplane, in real life. Bottom line here: he has the approach of a highly academic researcher, as well as the knowledge and stamina of a professional athlete. MYTH: Tom Cruise selects his movie roles in lightweight manner. FACT: In fact, he studies scripts put in front of him very carefully, but he does make quick decisions on whether he likes the project or not. His first reading of a script he does as if he was a member of the audience. Primary to his script selection: the script must offer a challenge to him. In SAMURAI he was challenged by the honesty, integrity, and compassion of the SAMURAI code. The SAMURAI were artists, philosophers, AND warriors, all at the same time. He found that combination of human characteristics a challenge to portray accurately. He was impressed with Japan's history going back thousands of years, especially when thinking that the US is only over 200 yrs. old. MYTH: People who become movie stars have things easy. FACT: As a youngster, Tom Cruise attended 15 different schools before graduating from high school. He had a paper route, cut grass, trimmed trees, and he never cared about $. He just wanted to learn about acting and to be a good actor. He never set out to be a star. With his work, it just happened. MYTH: Being in a film is simple, because there's a script to follow. FACT: In SAMURAI, there are seven actual stories going on in the movie, and most of them had to be established without dialogue. Again, another challenge that attracted TC's attention to the film property. MYTH: TC just goes from one film project to another, easily, quickly. FACT: For the movie MAGNOLIA, he was on screen just a few minutes, but he prepared and studied for four months for those few minutes on screen. For SAMURAI he prepared for two years, from physical training to dialogue coaching, etc. The SAMURAI movie was a very dangerous movie, because of the weight and balance of costumes and props (sword). He had to learn his new body balance manipulating the sword in a very cumbersome costume that weighed over 50 lbs. Generally, he takes about 2 yrs. to prepare in evey way, physically, mentally, for a major role. MYTH: Film making is easy as pie. FACT: For SAMURAI, Tom Cruise had to travel to three different continents to make it. He prepared for two yrs. And he does believe in a Higher Power, especially after it started to rain in a SAMURAI scene, exactly at the time that the script called for rain. IN SHORT, Tom Cruise is like the SAMURAI, he is like poetry in motion, with both feet very firmly on the ground, and with an insurmountable amount of human generosity. MYTH: Movie stars are full of themselves, they are aloof, and don't really care about anyone but themselves. FACT: If it weren't for Tom Cruise's generosity and great sense of what's important in humanity, JULIA VERA and I would not have been able to shake his hand after the interview, and be able to say congratulations to him one-on-one for a job very, very well done. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as we enjoyed experiencing it.... Thanks for listening, Neo G in LA.....PS: On the noon news that day, it was reported that Nicole Kidman was sporting a huge engagement ring at the American Music Awards show. They think the ring may be from Lenny Kravitz, but they wouldn't say for sure. ( Lenny was one of my students at BevHillsHi, but I never knew him as a guitarist or singer ....he only played conga drums (beautifully) in my Cinco de mayo and Global Village programs at school. His dad is Jewish, his mom is African-American. Beautiful, talented kid.) |
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ALL
FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE : NEO GUTIERREZ DEC. 2003 PROJECTS FOR LAREDO DANCERS, TV VIEWERS The latest moves of precision dance technique will be the highlight of this year's dance workshop of The Neo Gutierrez Dance Festival of Laredo 2003. The
teacher for the workshop will be a home- grown
Laredo dancer, Ani Vera, who recently became a Silver Dancer
for the world-famous San Antonio Spurs Dance Team. |
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The most amazing thing to me re: the Jessica
Lynch tv flick was the reproduced Iraqi locale....all film shooting was
done in the outskirts of Dallas, Tx. If I didn't know that, I would have
sworn that it was filmed in Iraq. That means that the flick had an
excellent art director. Also, I was flabbergasted at how ill-equipped the supply convoy was weapons-wise, without enough back-up military support. I mean, these were supply people, not fully-trained warriors. I had a distinct feeling that most of the soldiers depicted didn't seem to be trained well enough. But in reading the Jessica story in TIME Mag., according to her, the problem was that when they were trained on weapons and driving the huge trucks at Ft. Bliss, Tx., they NEVER had any sand around. So, the desert sand in Iraq and bad map reading (or preparation) were real bummers. They only had one machine gun on a truck offering the most protection, and that, along with individual soldier weapons, were inoperable much of the time because of the sand. They were told to clean their weapons as often as possible, but they didn't even have time to sleep, so how could they clean weapons? When the ambush occured to the supply 'train' of trucks, SUVs, etc., they hadn't slept in three days...... The Nov. TIME Mag. cover story is a 'must read.' There's an unbelievably detailed two page graphic of the ambush situation. Other details on her physical/mental rehab are inspirational; details of what happened to her are heart-breaking. In the tv movie, I thought it was made very clear that her rescue was something that was going to be watched all the way from the White House, meaning that this was an ordered PR job from the start and from the top....Jessica, most of all, can't understand why she became the American poster girl for this war......BTW, her boyfriend is a young man named Ruben Contreras. |
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POQUITO
DE TODO .......BROADWAY SHOW CHATTER The girl in the original Broadway version of Will Rogers Follies was Marla something--maybe Maples (girlfriend or 2nd wife of Donald Trump, after Ivana, who btw has a Master's degree in physical education, from some univ. in Europe). You might know that Tommy Tune is from UT-Austin, and his last big gig was as David Cassidy's replacement in some LVegas hotel spectacular which I saw, but can't remember the name of the show. And talking about UT-Austin, this reminds me that few people in Texas realize that The Fantastics, very long-running Bway show, was a Master's degree thesis in the Dept. of Drama at UT- Austin. And the Rocky Horror Show was a Master's thesis from NTexas State in Denton, where you can see the movie every Fri or Sat night, at midnight, and all the Rocky cultists show up religiously every week in full costume and sing along with the movie (I went once out of curiosity, the year that I spent in Denton teaching at TWU). When I taught at NEastISD in San Antonio, the fine arts magnet HS in that district did the Will Rogers Follies show, with original costumes from NYC, and the HS kids were incredible. The SAntonio kids were just as talented as the ones at BevHillsHi. NEISD Magnet and BevHi follow the same pattern in their theater arts dept: one Broadway musical per year is produced. An aside: The one who is very good in this performance area is Bill Mayo's son, who is in his lst yr. at Juilliard in NYC . Bill's son already turned down a part in Bernadette Peters' current hit show on Bway now, so as not to be distracted from his Juilliard training program....Texas is incredibly rich with kids in performance arts....just look at the girl from lil ole Katy, Tx, who won American Idol two yrs. ago.....and Renee Zellweiger, from the Chicago movie, who won an Academy Awd, is also from some very small town in Texas...she was an English literature major at UT-Austin, but never danced; she's actually a gymnast who approached dance from that point of view... |
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LAREDO'S
JULIA VERA ON NOMINATING COMMITTEE FOR 04 ACADEMY AWARDS YOU KNOW ABOUT THE PROCESS OF THE ACADEMY AWARDS....Well, this year we can experience it through Laredo's own Julia Vera, who has just been named to the Nomination Committee by the Academy. She will be nominating artists for Outstanding Performance in 5 categories: Male Actor in a Leading Role, Female Actor in a Leading Role, Male Actor in a Supporting Role, Female Actor in a Supporting Role, and Best Cast of a Motion Picture. By December ALL Academy members will receive the secret ballots with the nominations. And on Feb. 29, 2004, we will see on tv the 2004 76TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS PRESENTATION, the year's most famous activity for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. A LITTLE ON THE HISTORY: The first Academy Awards were awareded in 1929, at the start of the talking motion pictures. Now, the Awards program starts building in January to the crescendo of the annual presentation of golden statuettes, when hundreds of millions of cinema lovers glue themselves to their tv sets to learn who will receive the highest honor in filmmaking. All voting for the Academy Awards is conducted by secret ballot and tabulated by the international auditing firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers. Secrecy, as we know, is maintined by the auditors--the results of balloting are not revealed until the now-famous envelopes are opened on stage during the live tv program. Because the Academy numbers among its members the ablest artists and craftsmen in the motion picture world, the Oscar represents the best achievements of the year in the opinion of those who themselves reside at the top of their craft. AND TO THINK THAT NOW LAREDO'S OWN JULIA VERA IS AMONG THEM ! Austin Powers put it perfectly when he said: GO, BABY, GO ! Neo G in LA AND A BIG PS: Another reason to rejoice: JULIA VERA'S son PEMBROOKE JOHN (PJ) ANDREWS has been nominated for an EMMY for Best Sound Editor, for his work on the tv show titled 24. If you have seen the show, you probably have noticed that the entire show is very sound driven. And PJ is responsible for that beautiful work. The Emmy awards will be made Sept. 21, so watch for it ! |
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REPORTER:
NORMIS RODRIGUEZ ADAMO LOS CUATES PUENTE OF NUEVO LAREDO SHINE IN LAS VEGAS ANNUAL MARIACHI SPECTACULAR NORMIS SAYS: The 13th Annual Mariachi Festival at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas Sept.13 was spectacular ! Just a few glitches, as in any other show....Jose Hernandez' Mariachi Sol de Mexico was.....errrr, so-so, with many "not-so mariachi flavor" renditions. Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan seemed like a skimpy group, (maybe some of them se desvelaron and couldn't make it to the show!). But Los Camperos were a complete mariachi band, playing with all their heart and gusto, songs/music that makes your heart beat just a little bit faster....the LOS TRES REYES appearance brought back many romantic memories to the audience....their singing and their trademark requinto (played by Gilberto Puente of NLaredo)....their singing, with the voices of los dos cuates, Gilberto and Raul, plus a former singer for LOS TRES PANCHOS, was not to be believed ! The acoustics of the theater just enhanced it . Who would have thought that after 46 years of 'trayectoria musical', LOS TRES REYES would be appearing in the grand hotel Aladdin in Las Vegas and on stage with the shining star, the talented and beautiful LUCERO, being her usual lovable self even after that rumble with the Mexican press two weeks ago ! HIGHLIGHT OF THE EVENING: After the show, Temo took us to meet LOS TRES REYES to deliver saludos from their friend, Dr. Neo Gutierrez of Los Angeles. I immediately asked them if they would take a photo with me. Que oportunista, no? LOL... sooooo, there definitely will be film at 11.... |
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DIFFICULT
TO GET TO SEE ONCE UPON A TIME; BUT SEABISCUIT IS AN INSPIRATIONAL WINNER WENT TO SEE ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO FRI NIGHT and I couldn't get in....all screenings for the entire evening (about 5) were sold out ! Ended up seeing Seabiscuit, and it was so good that the audience applauded at the end. Truly an inspirational story, and well done. And Toby M is listed as one of three producers, so he's going to really get some big $ from this venture. I can't believe what an athlete Toby is....he learned in a few months how to ride like a pro jockey. I had forgotten that jockeys (and even boxers) may be among the biggest bolimics around (that's when you throw up right after eating, to stay thin , or to weigh less at scale time). I was also reminded of Pavlov's theory of conditioning, which is very important in education. When they trained Seabiscuit to react to the sound of the fire alarm bell, that's Pavlov's theory in action. Pavlov was a scientist who proved through animal tests that conditioning was a very real element, and could be applied to humans. I think his experiment had to do with dogs. Whenever he fed the dogs, he would ring a bell. Whenever the dogs heard the bell, even with no food in front of them, they would start salivating. It worked for Seabiscuit, and it works for teachers everyday in the human learning process in the classroom. Also works for parents, reaising children. And it can work in the workplace, the military, wherever. Conditioning....the reason why every time I look at this RecRm, I automatically salivate and wish I could be back living in Laredo en los tiempos anteriores. Neo G in LA... |
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COMIC
JOHN RITTER OF TEXAS DIES FROM UNDIAGNOSED HEART PROBLEM A LOT OF PEOPLE DID NOT KNOW that John Ritter, son of Texas cowboy star Tex Ritter, besides being a terrific comic actor, was also a full-fledged lawyer in real life. When he finished Three's Company, he wrote a syndicated legal advice column for newspapers all over the US. Other famous actors who are also lawyers in real life are Jimmy Smits and Ruben Blades (grad from the Harvard Law School). John died from an undiagnosed heart problem. |
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POCO DE TODO : ELLEN DEGENERES, JUAN GABRIEL, A SAN ANTONIO STRIPPER, AND SINGING TECHNIQUE If you like the comedy work of Ellen DeGeneres...... She was my backdoor neighbor for several yrs., back at the beginning of her career. I believe she has a new regular tv show starting soon....looks like a talk-show format, with lots of funny stuff. Also, a few blocks from where I live there's a restaurant called The French Quarter. Workers there tell me that Juan Gabriel is a regular there, when he's in town. I think he has a home here in LA. I was introduced to him many yrs ago by Sonia de Leon. Sonia started as a stripper in San Antonio, and I was introduced to her here in LA by Felipe de la Rosa, Charo's choreographer, also from San Antonio. One day Sonia called me cause she was producer of a big Mexican star show on tour to all the Hispanic population centers in the US. She invited me to meet her and her show in Las Vegas for a one-nighter. I had no idea what I was getting into, believe it or not. So I went, and I got to visit one-on-one with Rocio Durcal and Juan Gabriel (who loves to eat and eat and eat hamburgers and Freedom Fries after he performs). I think someone named Napoleon was also in this show. I remember also that Pedrito Fernandez was in the show, but he was just a kid. Rocio commented to me that if Pedrito didn't change his style of singing, he would lose his voice. Evidently, Pedrito was singing from the throat instead of from the diaphram, but he must have changed, cause now as an adult he still sounds pretty good. (Many popular singers who start as natural singers do not know singing technique and consequently ruin their voices because of the strain to the throat.....but if, after they become well-known, they get training, they can save their voice.) BTW, Juan Gabriel sings from the throat, so he always has voice problems from strain to that part of the singing mechanism. Going from very hot weather into air conditioned bldgs. is also a major problem for singers and their voices. Las Vegas is a killer for singers because of the extreme heat and low or no humidity in the air. Charo always keeps a humidifier going in her dressing room and at home, when she performs there. |
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WHY
PEOPLE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND VANILLA SKY MOVIE; ALSO: WORK OF ROBERT RODRIGUEZ IN FULL BLOOM VANILLA SKY MOVIE....A lot of people who saw VANILLA SKY got confused and had a hard time understanding it. Everyone I spoke to didn't realize that what happens in the movie is that the Tom Cruise character dies in the middle of the movie, and what follows is what happens to him after death. Somehow many people lost that when viewing the film, which means that the script was faulty, if that many people missed the death situation of the TCruise character.....In Magnolia, TCruise did act up a storm, which was probably an attempt at getting nominated for an Academy Award, which did not happen. And, btw, remember his Misson Impossible movie, where all other agents except him get killed or eliminated? He owns the film property, and he was setting it up so he could come back to other Mission Impossible films with only him as the major star (no competition from the other three previous agents). So he is a shrewd businessman. (The other one who owns his own films is Clint Eastwood.) TCruise, I think, has always been preoccupied with being considered a lightweight actor, because of stuff like Risky Business, where he dances in his underwear. Interesting that his 2nd wife, Nicole Kidman, after the divorce, made it the past year as an Academy Award nominee, something he's never been able to achieve. The reason why he called his marriage off to her when he did is because of some time regulation affecting divorce and how much he would have to split of his assets. He got the divorce just days before the marriage had existed for 10 yrs. If the divorce occurs later, rather than sooner, the man is liable for more division of assets with the wife he is divorcing. I read something where his lst wife was quoted as saying that in their marriage he "wasn't too interested in having sex." Yet, notice that with the Kidman divorce, no comments have been heard. That's due to the divorce contract stipulations.....if either one speaks publicly about the marriage , or anything that happened or didn't happen in it, they have to pay very big $ fines for breaking the divorce privacy contract stipulations. I remember Nicole saying something in a talk show about the fact that she ,after the Cruise divorce, could wear shoes with heels again. The inference was that she couldn't wear heels while married to Cruise. DLetterman said: Wow, I bet that cost her a bundle (for saying that about her ex-husband, implying he was a shorty, which he is). UNRELATED: Leonardo de Caprio just bought a house here in the Hwood Hills, after finishing "Aviator," which is Martin Scorcece's latest film. Leo plays Howard Hughes, the famous/infamous Houston millionaire. AND....don't forget to see Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Robert Rodriguez's latest film, which is a sequel to Desperado. Desperado was the $40 million version of Mariachi, which Rodriguez made as an independent film for $6,000, but made $40 million at the boxoffice. The Mariachi movie was the big-time break for Rodriguez, the UT - Austin film trained director orig. from SAntonio but now from Austin. AND the controversial Pancho Villa film with Antonio Banderas is out on HBO now....I think a lot of people are going to have trouble accepting the premise of the film, which I understand is based on true fact.....Neo G in LA |
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LIKE
A GOOD ACTOR, AHHNOLD WAITS FOR SCRIPTED DEBATE LATE SEPT. So why is Guvernator Ahhnold staying away from the first Calif. debate tonight? I think I may know the answer : Candidates do not know beforehand what questions will be asked. In the debate that he has said he will attend later in Sept. , questions will be made known to candidates way before the debate occurs. This, thereby, gives Ahhnold time to get scripted. Just what a good actor would do, if he wasn't good at improvisation........situation normal........ng/la |
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TEXAS
BORN PEPE AGUILAR FIRST MEXICAN (LATINO) TO PERFORM AT NEW HOLLYWOOD KODAK THEATER I remember seeing Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre in a live show at the LA Sports Arena many yrs ago. Amazingly, they shipped all their horses from place to place when they did this tour. They easily carried 12 beautiful horses with their show. And, I remember son Pepe, a tiny little guy, on a horse singing his heart away . Now he is 34, chubby with receding hairline, and I find out that he was born in Texas but raised in Zacatecas . And like his mom and dad before him, he travels with his entire family when he's on tour. In his current stirring 2-hr. performance, he is keeping mariachi music and songs alive and well, at a time when this type of music is becoming a lost art form. Pepe Aguilar's latest performance, making him the lst Mexican ( Latino ) to appear at the brand new Kodak Theater in Hollywood , owned by the Academy Award people, received glowing reviews. The reviewers' conclusion after the historic performance in Hollywood : Now we know why he is such a Mexican idol. He gives the fans what they want. GILBERTO PUENTE OF NLAREDO TO HEADLINE thanks, ng/la |
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ONLY IN HOLLYWOOD : This is Aug. 23, 2003, and I
just recd a telephone invitation from a friend to go to the movies
tonight at.....are you ready?.....the Hollywood Cemetery ! The
event? It's the 77th anniversary of the death of famous silent screen actor Rudolph Valentino. One of his movies will be shown on the back wall of the mausoleum that holds his remains. Every year, Valentino devotees get together for a similar activity, commemorating the death anniversary of one of Hollywood's most famous figures in film history. Never missing at the event: The Lady in Black, as she is known. A woman, totally dressed in black with a hat and veil that cover her face completely, so no one knows who she is. But every year, there she is at the event. And that, as I said at the beginning, happens only in Hollywood. |
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ACTRESS DYANA ORTELLI
OF LAREDO AT NEW KEVIN COSTNER FILM PREMIERE Laredoan Hollywood actress, DYANA ORTELLI, one of the stars of the Luminarias film, sent me the invitation below, and I am sharing it with you so you can see how movie premieres are organized in Hollywood. ( BTW : Besides Kevin Costner's generosity to the Latino Theater org, there's Sylvester Stallone, who always uses the premieres of his movies to raise $ for autistic children, cause he has a son with that condition.) And remember when I wrote about how short Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth, and Kim Novak were? Well, Stallone is just a little above 5 ft., Next on the shorty list is Kevin Costner (next to Barbara Walters on The View show, both were the same size ). Now......read and enjoy your invitation to Kevin Costner's new movie premiere, courtesy of the beautiful DYANA ORTELLI : CONFIRMED CELEBRITIES FOR: LATINO THEATER COMPANY'S SPECIAL BENEFIT SCREENING OF Open Range directed by Kevin Costner produced by David Valdes, Kevin Costner, Jake Eberts starrring Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening, Diego Luna WEDNESDAY AUGUST 13th ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES 8949 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills 7:30 p.m. GENERAL SEATING $25 LIMITED VIP SEATING (INCLUDING 6 p.m. VIP RECEPTION) $100.00 CONFIRMED CELEBRITIES: DAVID VALDES (producer, Open Range) DIEGO LUNA (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Frida, Open Range) HORATIO SANS (Saturday Night Live) LUPE ONTIVEROS (Real Women have Curves, Selena) STEVEN BAUER (Scarface) TONY PLANA (Resurrection Blvd.) ADA MARIS (Brothers Garcia) ROBERT BELTRAN (Star Trek Voyager, Luminarias) MIKE GOMEZ (Hunter) EVELINA FERNANDEZ (Luminarias, American Me) DYANA ORTELLI (Luminarias, Lizzie McGuire) GEOFFEY RIVAS (Luminarias, C.S.I.) SAL LOPEZ (Luminarias, Dementia) RICHARD COCA (Luminarias, The Mexican) JUDY REYES (Scrubs) CRISTINA VIDAL (10-8, Freaky Friday) also.... SENATOR GIL CEDILLO COUNCILMAN ERIC GARCETTI and MOCTEZUMA EZPARZA (producer, Selena) DENNIS LEONI (producer, Resurrection Blvd.) SANTIAGO POZO (CEO, Arenas Entertainment) AND MORE!!!! |
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FRIDA
KAHLO : UNIQUE ARTIST, UNIQUE FILM The movie Frida is unique because it is not only about a brilliant Mexican Jewish modern artist, Frida Kahlo. The film-- an incredible work of high art itself --- is as artistic as the life story of the artist whose tragic life story is depicted . As a bonus, the film gives a very accurate look at famed Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, who married Frida. That they had a stormy marriage would be the understatement of the 20th century. (Could this be partly because the artist is always looking for perfection in their expression, but they never find it ? ) The obstacles faced in life by the modern artist, Frida Kahlo, almost parallelled the difficulty the film had in being made. The film, interestingly enough, is also a film made by women, about a woman. Women always give film a different dimension and depth that men directors somehow miss. And heading the women's dept. is Salma Hayek, a Mexican actress of Lebanese origin, who started in telenovelas and crossed over some time ago into the American film market. Salma's work as an actress in American films would fall under the category of lightweight. But her role as Frida has changed all that. Salma not only starred as the unconquerable Frida, but she was also producer (that means she found the $ to make the film, including using her own $). She worked on developing the script for years, as she kept trying to raise the $, also for years, before the film could be made. On the way she even got her life partner, Ed Norton, and Antonio Banderas to play cameo roles in the film. The total result: a film so carefully crafted as to qualify as a work of art itself, with its striking use of color, flow of dialogue , and historical accuracy. For her efforts, Salma was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actress. It's not important that she didn't win the Oscar.....what is important is that her tedious multi-faceted work in the film paid off simply by being nominated. ( When the field of actors is narrowed down to five at the Academy Awards, already all five are winners. ) I don't know how well the film did at the boxoffice, but it is available now on video and DVD. But film, which is such an artistic expression in itself, cannot be evaluated by how much $ it makes. The Frida film is a perfect example of this. It's the quality of the film that will make it a classic in the pages of film history.
The film should be required viewing for any student of the arts,
no matter what field of art they're in. And it should be
required viewing also for any human being in need of inspiration, to
live life to its fullest no matter what life brings. Just like
Frida did. It's a lot of fun to write this stuff. Actually, this column is taking me full circle back to my student days at UT Schl of Journ, where I was Entertainment Editor for The Daily Texan, in the mid-50's (groan). |
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On THALIA: She's a 31 yr old bombshell from Mexico who has achieved success as a soap (telenovela) star, as well as a pop singer and dancer. She's secured her market in all Latino countries and throughout Europe and in Asia (orientals love Latino and flamenco stuff....it's totally opposite to the quiet subtlety in their culture). Thalia is now under contract to Virgin Records, who gave her $20 million to develop her current CD, which she is busy peddling, along with her new line of clothes. Her artistic (and business) objective now is to crossover to the American music market. (The last one who did it smashingly was Ricky Martin.) Her objective of conquering the American market is not an easy feat to accomplish . But, she is happily married to Tommy Mattola, who was head of Sony Music till recently. And I am sure he is helping her enormously to get going on her current venture. Her first big splash in the American market occured recently on the concert series sponsored by Good Morning, America, on ABC-TV, with Diane Sawyer. Noteworthy: Thalia has always used a very unique salsa-type rhythm for most of her big hit songs in Spanish. However, it was very obvious at her ABC TV debut that she was staying away from the salsa rhythm to avoid Americans saying, well, there goes another hip-shakin' Chiquita Banana. She thwarted all that stereotype by coming up with songs in the hip-hop/rap genre, which is the "in" sound in the USA these days. She did pretty well, I thought, and she used a Ruben-sized guy (the winner of American Idol) to accompany her on her opening rap number. Basically, it's the theory of using the known to introduce the unknown to the market. So, there is a lot of market savvy and design in her intro to the new market . AND.....HOW DO I KEEP UP WITH ALL THIS? For a long time, Laredo's own Julia Vera lived in Bel Air, Calif., and she lived next door to Thalia and her mother. So Thalia and Mom are very good friends of Julia. Julia, as a matter of fact, was Thalia's first English teacher and coach for Thalia's first American film a few yrs back . Julia was invited, btw, to Thalia and Tommy's wedding in NYC a few yrs back, and I think about 1000 + people were invited. Invitation included: limo pickup at airport, all paid air r-trip to NYC, limo pickup at the NYC airport, a suite at a top notch hotel in NYC, and transportation to the wedding ! Then, the reception, forget it ! When all that happened to Julia, for the first time in my life I realized how celebrity weddings can cost up to $4 million, which this wedding did. At any rate, it looks like Thalia and Tommy are really in love, and he is doing everything to help her in her ambitions. BTW, he did the same for his last wife, Mariah Carey, till she walked out on Tommy........ And that's how, as they say in Hollywood, the tortilla crumbles.....Neo G in LA |
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Hi from LA
! I watched the end of the Pal Joey movie last night, with Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth, and Kim Novak. I know how small Rita H was physically, although in perfect proportion, because I once saw a foto of her with her father, Eduardo Cansino. He was my teacher at the Galo Studio in Laredo for two yrs many years ago. Well, when Rita Hayworth danced with Frank Sinatra, they were about the same height ! I had never thought of FSinatra as being a small guy till I saw that. Also, I had never thought of Kim Novak as small, until she got next to Sinatra. They were all the same size ! I think RHayworth must not have been much taller than a little over 5 ft. So that was an eye-opener for me. (I never saw any of the three in person, btw.) Interesting discussion on rape and rape shield laws, etc etc. on Nightline with Ted Koppel, all due to Kobe's problem with his weapon of mass destruction. One lawyer pointed out that often what happens is that women confuse bad sex with rape. I couldn't help but remember something my sister told me about what a doctor in Hebbronville told the kids in a sex education class at the high school. That doc said that the thing that causes a lot of problems between males and females is the fact that each performs on a different radar, so to speak. A girl will flirt, tease, etc., and can walk away totally in control. But guys, the doc said, don't work like that. If a guy gets worked up with the girl's flirting, teasing, etc., he cannot turn off, and he has a physical need to conclude the scenario. And that's where many problems arise between the two sexes. Now, as I understand it, the law says that if the girl says no, even in the middle of a sex act, that it means no. Everything must stop immediately. According to what that doc said, however, that's not the way guys work. If something gets started sexually with a guy , it has got to be finished, by the indications of normal sexual behavior of males. I just wonder how graphic the court proceedings are going to get with the Kobe case......and if the judge let cameras into the courtroom yesterday, is this going to be allowed during the actual trial ? BTW, Jimmy Kimmel took a clip from the court proceedings yesterday , and stopped the camera in a closeup of the judge in Colorado, and he is one weird-looking guy. He has very funny eyes (he wears glasses), and his voluminous head hair is totally jet black (almost looks like a wig) , but his medium long beard has a very coiffed look, very black , with a white streak down the middle. I think he's very conscious of his looks, maybe considering the camera exposure to come.....but at the end, he really comes off as a comical character. But as Kimmel said: Judging from his looks, he's gonna put that guy away......and he looks like Judge Ito upside down......said Kimmel. So the circus is on its way..... Abrazote, ng/la...... |
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Many
yrs ago, I was in a house in BevHills for a social function relating to
the Sister City thing. We ended in a house that had an original
painting by Salvador Dali , and when I realized what it was
I commented to the owner: How did you ever get this ? Her
answer: With a little bit of taste and an awful lot of money.....asi
como lo oyes. At any rate, the house had been owned previously by
Lita Baron and Rory Calhoun, both actors. Over the mantel at the
fireplace was a beautiful bullfighter's cape mounted permanently behind
glass, so I asked where that had come from. Turns out that
Miguelito Aleman, son of Mex Pres Miguel Aleman, had given the cape as a
gift to Lita Baron, when she was young and available. Whose cape
was it ? Manolete's ! ......it really
should have been in a museum somewhere....ng/la |
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Hi from Neo G
in LA ! I just noticed that JLo's and Ben Affleck's new movie, Gigli, brought in a measly, dismal $3.8 million during its release weekend. It's due, I think, to all the pre-public-release negative press of the critics panning it all around, most labeling it a "mindless disaster." I notice that a good film will gross around $35 million to $45 million in its release weekend. If it's extraordinarily good, and with proper marketing (opening at huge numbers of theater screens at the same time) an out-of-sight movie will gross over $50 million in the opening weekend. Que lastima that JLo is in this fix now......I wonder if she and Affleck were trying to establish themselves as a new duo in movies (I think ETaylor and RBurton tried that, to no avail, in The VIP's).......but that's not gonna happen to JLo and Affleck after this mess.....ng/la.....PS: Pay attn to the new Gap commercials. Madonna is now peddling clothes in a commercial ! Does anyone know if she did this because they're pushing a line of clothes that she has done ? That might be the reason. The Gigli film was made for $50 million. |
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In
today's LATIMES, July 29,2003, Bob Hope got NINE pages of coverage, pics
included. I have never seen any newspaper anywhere give such
coverage to anyone. Go to www.latimes.com if you want a
look. And if you'd like to see Katharine Hepburn's entire last will and testament, go to www.Thesmokinggun.com if you want to see it. Most interesting to me in two days of LKingLive dedicated to Bob Hope, all interviewees are 60+ in age, and not ONE line on anyone's face. Thanks to botox, collagen, plastic surgery, and good ole plaster make-up. Amazing what modern science can do for a person's looks.......ng/la |
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Mention
of Hugo Avendano reminded me of the fact that he married a Laredo girl,
Graciela Garza, sister of Reggie Garza, a friend of mine who
graduated from MHS with me in '52. Graciela was not only a beauty,
but she sang opera and pop beautifully. Don't know if
Graciela and Hugo are still alive, but Graciela went to live in Mexico
when she married Hugo, also a very talented opera singer. Mexico has had little market for opera singers, so they have to go into some sort of pop music, by nece$$ity. The most famous Mexican opera singer who had to do that was Jorge Negrete, opera singer who just couldn't make a living in that venue. But look what happened when he went into singing rancheras. His operatic voice brought new meaning to the singing of rancheras. He was either married at one time, or was a boyfriend of Maria Felix, so I'm sure she had a lot to do with guiding his career. When Jorge Negrete died in the US, Maria Felix hired a private jet to take his body back to Mexico. In LA we get a lot of these showbiz news that never go national or international because the LATimes has a very good local staff. This is how I learned, for example, how years ago Pedro Armendariz Sr died at UCLA Medical Center. (He was best friends at MHS with Porfirio Flores, eventually Sheriff in Laredo.) Upon learning he had cancer, Pedro used a gun he always carried with him and shot himself. No security back in those days when someone checked into a hospital...Sheriff Flores' daughter, dancer and ballet teacher at TAMIU, Sylvia Flores Jones, told me how Pedro called her dad (a frequent occurence) and complained of pain in one of his legs.....Pedro was working on what turned out to be his last movie, where he walked with a real limp (I think that movie was To Russia With Love, with S.Connery as JBond)...He made the limp part of his character in the Bond movie, but he really was in pain at that point and went to UCLA Medical Center immediately after finishing the film.... |
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JULIA VERA DOES IT AGAIN SO WHY WERE ALL THE LADIES ENVIOUS OF LAREDO'S OWN JULIA VERA AT THE 7TH LOS ANGELES INTL LATINO FILM FESTIVAL IN HOLLYWOOD THIS WEEK ? For one, at a gala reception after the opening of the 10 day festival, Julia went up to Academy Award winner Benicio del Toro (remember Traffic?) to discuss a possible mutual project. When she approached Benicio, he kissed her hand, then held it all the way through several minutes of bubbling conversation. Big goodbye hug. Then, la Julie goes to a private reception for Spain's great actor, Javier Bardem. And what happens there? Big kiss and more hand-holding. This Laredo girl must have Laredo honey on her hands, cause these guys just wouldn't let go......... A little background on the Festival: It has Edward James Olmos as Chairperson, and it presents an eclectic array of movie features, documentaries, and shorts, as well as workshops, panels, and lectures. The multicultural audience includes film lovers from many ethnic and social backgrounds, and many celebrities attend the screenings that go on for 10 days. BTW, the Premio Cinematografico this year went to Spain's film entry: LOS LUNES AL SOL. The overall purpose of the Festival is to promote awareness of Latino cultures, artistry, and countries by showcasing and supporting the works of national and international filmakers with independent and diverse visions. This is the ONLY film festival based in Hollywood, the epicenter of the global film industry.......Closing thought: Don't forget Oct. 4 you can see Julia Vera in Real Women Have Curves, when the film makes its tv debut on HBO Latino, which reaches all Spanish-speaking countries in the world. Neo G in LA |
Please direct comments or questions to Dr. Neo Gutierrez in LA at neodance@aol.com