The setting is the Greek Theatre on a warm summer night in Hollywood.   Every seat in the amphitheater is full and the last bit of sun slips behind the surrounding hills.  There is a palpable excitement in the air.  Women in cotton dresses and men in cargo shorts hold glasses of Chardonnay and plastic cups of beer waiting in anticipation for the concert to begin. 

Ok, so it’s Garrison Keillor. Not Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga singing Shallow. But still. The Greek in the summer is a special place. On this particular evening, everyone in the audience is just happy The Greek is still standing, having survived the Griffith Park fire thanks to the bravery and skill of the LAFD.

In case you don’t know, Garrison’s show is called A Prairie Home Companion — an “old timey” radio broadcast complete with foley, sketches, music and celebrity guests.  On this night, one of the guests is none other than singer, songwriter and composer Randy Newman.  When I hear his name announced from the stage, I immediately think to myself, “Ooooh boy. I’m going to hear Randy Newman sing his iconic anthem I Love L.A. — IN LA.  What a thrill this will be!  Packed house.  Summer night.  Perfection!”

And sure enough, when Mr. Newman sits down at the piano, I hear the opening piano chords pounded out: “duuuh duh duh.”  The lyric begins:

“Rolling down imperial highway, 
big nasty redhead by my side…

I’m about to explode!   This is AWESOME!  I’m in heaven. The song continues, moving into the chorus.  (Oh, come on, you know this):

“From the South Bay 
To the valley
From the east side 
To the west side 
Everybody’s very happy
Cause the sun is shining all the time 
Looks like another perfect day”

(Here it comes!)

The entire audience stands up in unison and we all scream together …

“I LOVE L.A.! 

WE LOVE IT!”

I jump to my feet.

I scream the lyric.  “WE LOVE IT!”

I scan the crowd. 

There is one man at the far end of the theatre standing with me. One man.  Other than that, everyone else is stuck in their seats. 

As I recall, I quickly sat back down. 

Quiet and Likeable?

Scott Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter is one of the most insightful interviewers around.  He recently sat down with two outstanding actors who just received Academy Award nominations:  Paul Giamatti and Annette Bening. They each shared some powerful wisdom.

Giamatti revealed a pivotal moment in his life when his father, Bart Giamatti, died suddenly of a heart attack. Paul was just 22 years old.  He realized, ”I  should do the thing I really love to do.  Because you can disappear at 50 years old after this life of crazy accomplishment.” 

Annette Bening talks about her portrayal of swimmer Diana Nyad who at the age of 64 swam the Florida straights – 110 miles.  This harrowing feat was achieved after lots of nos and multiple tries. 

In discussing the role, Bening points out the different metrics society uses to measure men vs. women.  As she puts it, some people just want to be around women who are quiet and likable. “Diana is so much more than that and so much more interesting than that.  I think we as women need to see characters who don’t fall into these categories about what women are like.” 

At the end of film, Bening (as Nyad) stumbles out of the water having achieved her goal.  She’s exhausted and blistered from the sun and she shares three things with the cheering crowd:

“Never give up.
It’s never too late to chase your dreams.
It looks like a solitary sport, but it takes a team.”

February is the New January

I’m grateful that January is nearly over.  It’s a month that for me is always fraught with angst:  resolutions and goals and checklists and diets and don’t get me started on being dry.  Too much pressure.  I think of February as the true start to the new year. No one is talking about what they hope will happen; they’re already doing it. Or chipping away at it. Or they’ve given up on “that thing” and have moved on to something else.

So, perhaps I can frame my memory of The Greek a little differently:  

Have the freedom and the courage to stand up, even in the wake of ridicule and embarrassment.  And stay standing firm in your beliefs, even if no one else is standing with you.  

Well, actually, there was that one guy.