Armageddon, Signs of -- We’re looping these two together because somehow it just seems right. 65 year-old Gary Busey is going to be a father again, and the fourth season of Mr. Belvedere is about to be released on DVD. The correlation? Both are things which are great news to completely insane people.

Links: Mr. Belvedere (TV shows on DVD), Busey (People)

Bay, Michael –  Transformers director Michael Bay has directed a Victoria’s Secret television commercial airing currently. Actually, that makes a lot of sense. Bay always has known how to make a bust look good.

Link: Panties, Push-up Bras and…Michael Bay? (LA Times)

Dolby, Thomas – Did the “She Blinded Me With Science” singer accidentally reveal that a new Star Wars movie is in the works? Writing on his personal website, Dolby blogged that he’d been visiting a friend who works for LucasArts, and who is allegedly currently working on a “Star Wars-related TV show, movie and online game.” Of course, the collective heads of the Star Wars Community exploded upon hearing the word “movie,” proving that it’s true that Lucas can bring anything we can imagine to life, including a renewed interest in Thomas Dolby.

Link: Cruel Thomas Dolby Starts A New Hope With Star Wars Movie Rumors (IO9)

Duff, Hilary — The pop songstress and former Lizzie McGuire star allegedly told Nylon magazine that she had a tattoo of the word “SHINE” inked onto her hand to help her to always remember to “shine.” This is, at the very least, more poetic than Lindsay Lohan’s hand tattoos, which read “LEFT” and “RIGHT” to help her always remember which hand is her left and which is her right at the end of the evening.

Link: Duff’s New Tattoo Reminds Her to Shine (Contactmusic)

Heuer, Tag – Watchmakers Tag Heuer have pulled advertisements featuring golfer Tiger Woods in the wake of the golfer’s indiscretions. They, apparently, were also tired of Entertainment Tonight, Extra and Access Hollywood calling them nonstop to find out who “Heuer” is and how she knew Tiger Woods.

Link: That’s Time: Tiger’s Sexcapades Not So Advertiser-Friendly (E! Online)

Lipton, James — In bizarre new television ads from LG, the Inside the Actor’s Studio host does not want you to sext. I don’t know about you guys, but that’s good enough for me to stop sexting James Lipton.

Link: Funny Cell Phone Ads Tell Teens to Stop “Sexting” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Snafus, Facebook – The Huffington Post has collated a list of great Facebook errors in judgement. Let this be a lesson to you, folks. Watch those status updates. And definitely check this stuff out; it’s very funny.

Link: The Funniest Facebook Snafus of all Time (Huffington Post)

1. Scientists in Russia dehydrate alchohol and turn them in to pills. Happy hour will never be the same. – via Scumbag Style.
2. Yahoo are apparently a bunch of scumbags themselves and will sell (mind you, not give) authorities complete access to content and logs of a Yahoo Group for $60. Basic personal info starts at $20. I’m glad I stopped using them when they wouldn’t POP my mail for free. – via Gizmodo, via Gamma Squad, via Filmdrunk.
3. Tetris God is a cruel and angry god. Why hath thou forsaken me, oh master of tetriminos?!? -via College Humor.
4. James Lipton warns of the dangers of sexting in a new LG commercial. Lipton saying, “The last thing he needs is tweets about his beets,” may be the greatest monologue ever written. – via Huffington Post .
5. Technology can get really creepy when that mastery is applied to sex toys. Hello Kitty should not be going anywhere near your beets, people. – from The Frisky, via Cracked.
6. Hubble Telescope has now captured images of stars created within the first 1 billion years after the Big Bang. Reportedly crotchety, the stars then shook their canes at us and told us to get off their lawns. – via Scientific American.
7. Apple announces projection on their tablet, shooting for release in Spring of 2010. In talks with book publishers to release their content, it looks like the split will be 30/70 (Apple/publisher), and the price tag on the device itself will be in the ballpark of $1,000. Huzzah! Even more wonderful technology I can’t afford. – via Cnet

James Lipton urges teens to “Give it a ponder” before sending questionable text messages in this series of videos, available at YouTube.

If you love texting, here are some books you might <3

• TTYL by Lauren Myracle
• TTFN by Lauren Myracle
• l8r, g8r by Lauren Myracle
• The Rules to be Cool: Etiquette and Netiquette by Karla Dougherty
• U CN SPL BTR: Spelling Tips for Life Beyond Texting by Laurie E. Rozakis

And for those of you who just can’t get enough of James Lipton, he has written a book as well: Inside Inside.

Ad campaigns like this one, public service ads directed at “youth” financed by LG about the dangers of inappropriate text messaging, make me wonder about the people making the decision to go ahead with this (ad website here).

First, the print ads that reference the gag in the videos don’t make any sense without that context. Warden Gentle’s beard is not a pop culture icon that people recognize apart from its owner (but it is amusing to think of some that people do: Elvis’ hair? Jay Leno’s chin? Pamela Anderson’s hooters? Robin Williams’ arm pelts?) and I can’t imagine being anything more than confused if I saw those posters out and about.

Second, I guess it’s something that they are playing lip service to the existence of the internet with a dedicated twitter account. I would imagine that they hoped their videos go viral, but there’s a reason why they wont. And it’s the same reason that they need better methodology or data about what their target audience finds appealing. It’s lame.

I’m guessing that they chose James Lipton as an “ironic” choice; maybe they thought that the juxtoposition of his distinguished diction with the mundane and un-James Lipton-like subject matter would be enough to be funny. It seems a little too bizzare to be the usual “pick someone the kids will look up to” model of PSAs. If that is the case, then they didn’t push it far enough. It comes across as awkward and disturbing.

I really wonder if they road-test these with real people. It doesn’t seem like it.

LG just launched a new campaign focused on “sexting“.  When I think of sexting I think of “drunk dialing” on steroids!

The commercials feature “Inside the Actor’s Studio” host James Lipton.  In the ads, James Lipton, literally lends his beard to young guys and gals in order for them to ponder whether or not to engage in sexting.  I, for one, find the ads extremely amusing and hopefully they will do their part (however small) to stop barely slow down the sexting phenomenon LOL

Related Links:

http://adweek.blogs.com/adfreak/yrs-give-it-a-ponder-campaign-for-lg.html

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2356647,00.asp

http://www.beardrevue.com/2009/12/lights-camera-beard.html

These are one of many videos online about “sexting.” It’s an anti-sexting/negative texting commercial featuring James Lipton and his sweet beard. Having a beard means you stroke it and ponder what you are about to do…

Also, I’ll see and talk to everyone in 2 weeks. Until then I’ll be in a hole slaving over my final projects hoping to graduate and get the f out of here.

James Lipton is my Hero.

A bunch of less-funny-but-still-funny-enough-I-guess ones here.

For those of you  who do not know about these wonderful PSA’s about sending text, well….now you do.

James Lipton, who you have seen on Bravo’s  “Inside The Actor’s Studio” and heard speaking with his raspy-velvet voice (and accent, for those of us in the US), is the front man in this set of PSA’s, passing his beard to those right before they make a dastardly mistake of the texting kind.

The goal:  To get people to think before they text.  These messages are geared toward teens, but there are plenty of adults who need a good kick about as well.

It’s about being civil people.  Your cell phone and words can be used as a weapon.  Why wield it like a selfish brat?

Yes, we all have had the chance to be in this position.

If you want to just share some juicy gossip with all your pals…Something that you know isn’t true about someone, but spread it anyway, right?

If you can’t stand the stupid girl, then who else needs to care about her?  Not like she has parents and family…Not like she’s anyone’s kid…right?

So anyway, if you decide to text me this salacious rumor…Is it such a good idea to do it in front of your pony trinkets?

Visual aide is provided below.

Let’s hope your so-called friends see this before you get “spread”.

Sometimes, you need a visual aide when you are trying to explain something.

You see, I can say, “Don’t text pictures of your crotch to people”, but you may not understand…I may simply confuse you and then you text some girl or guy a picture of your “junk”…With much regret.

Well, here is a small token of my esteem for you.  I want to help you.  I want to help you understand that texting pictures of your “junk” makes you a tacky person, actually bordering on trash-tastic.

We don’t want to be tacky, do we?  No way, not ever.

Think about it!

The man is more than a little ridiculous, but I love how he treats everything so seriously. Inside the Actors’ Studio is a terrible program, almost mind-numbingly boring, but James Lipton is a master of hypnosis so when it is on-screen it is almost impossible to look away. MTV brought him in to do some PSAs against negative texting which Warming Glow compiled here. The commercials are a bit creepy and I don’t really see teenagers getting who James Lipton is, but they are also a bit funny. Old man beard on teens is dyn-o-mite!

Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes it comes with a well-trimmed beard.

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. What were your favorite conversation topics over your big meal?

Here were the ones that made me think:

1. Texting – If you are 30 years of age or older, reflect on a high school moment and then try to imagine how that memory would be different with texting in the equation…might help you understand what teenagers are going through now as there is no need to anticipate anything if they are texting all the time.
2. Virtual Reality –A holiday Wii match and rocking out to the Rock band game are great ways to create a holiday memory. What about the family member that sneaks off to play a game on the computer alone? Do you know all the things you are allowed to do with your avatar online?  Younger generations and gamers do, ask someone…that conversation will blow your mind.
3. Companies trying to be “clever” with Social Media – I am still not sure what to think about this one – http://www.giveitaponder.com. Is this humorous or making a point?
4. New Holiday Traditions – My favorite – Putting notes of what you are thankful for in small wrapped boxes to put away and unwrapped the following holiday season.

Special Holiday Note:  SocialBling.com has teams up with TheLEK.com to bring people in the Los Angeles area, “Nomads Unite,” a special holiday offering for those who might not be traveling home for the holidays or are just looking to meet some new friends. For details go to: http://www.socialbling.com

One of the things I like most about Jon Bon Jovi is that he always gives a shout-out to his home state – the Garden State.

Heck, he even named one of his albums after Jersey.

And the love just keeps on coming. In the opening minutes of his recent appearance on “Inside the Actors Studio” (along with band mates David Bryan, Tico Torres and Richie Sambora), he gave us props once again.

“Where were you born?” asked host James Lipton.

“In the great state of New Jersey,” Jon proudly replied. “Perth Amboy, New Jersey.”

“And here’s a little-known fact,” he continued. “Richie, David and I were all born in the same hospital – delivered by the same baby doctor.”

I believe he’s referring to Raritan Bay Medical Center. Wonder if Dr. Greenberg is still practicing or if he’s retired?

On a side note, I’ve known Bon Jovi (not personally, of course) for most of my life. But what else would you expect of someone who was a teenager in the ’80s in New Jersey?

My association with the band goes a little farther, though: I was present for the filming of the band’s “7800° Fahrenheit” single “Only Lonely” in 1985 at a club called Modern Times in Jon’s hometown of Sayreville. (The club is now very well-known as Starland Ballroom.) If you squint really hard while watching the video, you might see me. Or not. Hey, I was only 15 and 5′7″!

I don’t remember much else, except there was a lot of standing around in a large crowd of people. Not surprisingly I didn’t get anywhere near Jon or any of the other band members. But I was there.

In the meantime, if you get the opportunity definitely check out David’s “The Toxic Avenger Musical.” I saw it last year at New Brunswick’s George Street Playhouse and it was a lot of fun. It’s got a lot of Jersey jokes in it, so you’ll enjoy it that much more if you’re a Garden Stater.

And Richie was just in his hometown of Woodbridge this week, where a street leading into the high school was named in his honor. You can read my former Home News Tribune colleague Chris Jordan’s story about Richie’s time in Middlesex County right here, and there’s a whole online gallery of photos here.

Who says you can’t go home?

New LG campaign by Young & Rubicam and my friend Tara.
Check out the micro site

Kevin Spacey is a talented actor, there’s no denying that, but who knew that the man of a million characters was also a man of a million impersonations? Oh, you did? Well, you must have already seen Spacey’s appearance on James Lipton’s “Inside the Actor’s Studio” from back in July of 2000. Or maybe you saw him in his great “Saturday Night Live” skit in which he does Christopher Walken auditioning for the role of Han Solo in Star Wars.

Okay, so maybe it’s no big secret that the man who blindsided moviegoers in The Usual Suspects has a special talent for camouflaging himself in the skin of his acting peers, but it’s new to me, and that means it’s bound to be new to someone else. Below is a clip from Spacey’s aforementioned trip to the “Actor’s Studio” in which he goes along with a silly game of Lipton’s. What follows are six of the most charming minutes you’re bound to see all day, I promise.

Tons of people can do a Walken voice, but I’ve seen few impersonators who can not only tackle the audio side of things, but who can nail the mannerisms of their targets to boot. Yet along comes Spacey to absolutely kill it when it comes to capturing the characteristic nervous twitches of Jimmy Stewart, the shaky indignation of Katharine Hepburn, and the riled, restless behavior of Al Pacino. Those aren’t the only thespians he channels on the spot, but to give away all of them would be to ruin the surprises that show off the playful side of Kevin Spacey, a side most might know he has judging purely from his dramatic roles.

by Peter Hall (cinematical.com)

Enjoy the video.

So I think it’s pretty obvious to most fans who the most powerful man in sports is, but just in case it’s not, let me make yet another case for a vertically-challenged Jewish lawyer who works in New York.

His name is David Stern, and he’s the commissioner of the NBA.

David Stern could’ve made Mother Teresa attack someone with a knife. He could’ve gotten Noah to bring the animals on to the Ark one at a time. He could have convinced Thomas Edison: “You know what? People like it dark.”

Stern can do absolutely anything he wants, I am completely certain. His fingerprints are on every decision made by any commissioner in the last 25 years.

And in the last few weeks, Stern decided that there was no way in HIS green earth that disgraced referee Tim Donaghy was going to publish a book further tarnishing his officials’ integrity.

You remember Donaghy: He was the guy who was caught gambling on NBA games, and making calls that affected the point spread in games he bet on and was refereeing. He was disgraced, and he said he wasn’t working alone, and yet, after initial outrage (especially from Sacramento and Phoenix fans, who could finally say “A-HA, I knew we got screwed in the playoffs”) the tumult died down. No more refs were implicated, the fans moved on, and King Stern had his league back to normal.

Only now, Donaghy has written a book. And man, does he spill the beans. In excerpts published on the popular sports blog Deadspin, Donaghy dishes all sorts of explosive details. He talks about he and his fellow striped shirts making wagers on who can go the longest without calling a foul. He talks about noted homer referee Dick Bavetta intentionally trying to let the Lakers win Game 6 of the 2002 NBA Western Finals, and about how Steve Javie had a personal vendetta against Allen Iverson.

Could Donaghy be making all this up? Perhaps. But read that excerpt; this is a guy who has a ton of details in there, details that would be hard to make up.

This book was going to make huge waves in the media and with fans, and David Stern couldn’t have that. And so, curiously, Random House has decided not to publish the book after all.

The NBA says it never threatened a lawsuit. And sure, it’s possible that Random House, after reviewing the final draft, full of uncorroborated accusations, veiled threats, and other possibly-litigious material, decided on its own to yank the book.

But I’m not buying it. This is David Stern’s work. Of course I have no proof, but I have little doubt he and the league brought pressure to bear.

He’s just that powerful.

**Covered a high school volleyball game Thursday night. I really enjoy covering the sport, mostly. The points are fast and exciting, the players are the happiest athletes during their competition I’ve ever seen, and there’s great athleticism on display.

But man, the shrieking. The players shriek. The fans shriek. Everyone seems to shriek at a volleyball match. Admission should come with two Advil.

***ESPN is now 3-for-4 in my book in its “30 for 30″ documentary series, scoring another great one this week with “Muhammad and Larry,” a film about the 1980 Larry Holmes-Muhammad Ali fight. This was the fight that never should have happened, as a way past his prime Ali was just pulverized by the heavyweight champ, Holmes. Great behind the scenes footage from before the fight, and some great interviews from the present day with Holmes and Ali’s friends.

It’s on again Sunday, I think, at 3 p.m. on ESPN.

**Finally, a few thoughts on Thursday night’s World Series game, won by the Yankees (whoo-hoo!)

1. I’ll tell you what one circle of Hell is: Driving home in the car, the only radio broadcast of the game I could pick up was the WCBS 880 feed from New York, with John Sterling doing the play by play. Absolutely the worst announcer of any sport working today; even lots of Yankees fans don’t like him. He’s so pompous he makes James Lipton look humble, he constantly gets his facts wrong, and often blatantly misrepresents the action.

2. Why did FOX hire Ozzie Guillen to be a commentator? The man is pretty unintelligible.

3. It was fun booing Pedro Martinez one more time. As much as I hated the guy throughout his career, I think he’s the best pitcher of my lifetime. Better than Clemens. Better than Maddux.

Well, since I was talking about James Lipton earlier, I stumbled upon a few minutes of genius here, as the great Kevin Spacey perfectly impersonates some fantastic acting voices:

I venture to say that most of you at one time or another have probably watched “Inside the Actor’s Studio” which airs on the Bravo Television Network. The show is hosted by James Lipton and normally involves him interviewing a celebrity guest for an hour, sometimes two, highlighting their lives and careers.

At the end of these interviews is a segment where Mr. Lipton asks a series of ten questions based on the Proust Questionnaire created in the late 1890’s. For those of us who enjoy this program, it is always interesting to hear the various celebrity responses, regardless of how made up they may be in many cases.

Our human nature does not allow many of us to avoid our own inevitable curiosity with regard to how we might answer these questions ourselves, whether we have ever gotten an Academy Award or not. It is in that vein that I sat down recently and tried to seriously give the questionnaire used by James Lipton some serious thought and my best effort answers. And so it was….

****************************************

1.     What is your favorite word? Finished
2.     What is your least favorite word? Can’t
3.     What turns you on? Laughter
4.     What turns you off? Selfishness
5.     What sound or noise do you love? Silence
6.     What sound or noise do you hate? Anger
7.     What is your favorite curse word? Damn (or variations thereof)
8.     What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Teaching
9.     What profession would you not like to do? ER Nurse
10.   If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Sit down Alan, I understand you have a lot of questions.

****************************************

Many of you may have already given this particular version of the questionnaire your best shot sometime in the past but if not, take a moment or two and give it a try sometime.

Continuing with the subject, apparently “Vanity Fair” has determined the Proust Questionnaire worthy of their time and effort and has created their own version of the questionnaire which is posted on their website. You may go there and after answering some twenty (20) questions, have your answers compared to a list of some 100 celebrities who have previously answered this questionnaire and see whose answers yours were most compatible with if you like. To see and complete the Vanity Fair version, click “here”.

I ended up matching Larry King at 90% and Catherine Deneuve at 89%. I’m not sure exactly what that is supposed to mean, nevertheless that was the result. I did find it interesting that with regard to our birth dates, excluding year, we were all three born within a couple of weeks of each other.

Oh, and one more thing! If you want to see the Proust Questionnaire in its presumed original form, click “here” and the link will take you to Wikipedia’s historical information on the questionnaire, to include its origin.

Last night, Pete and Jen treated us to a live attendance to the show Inside the Actors Studio hosted by James Lipton, a dean emeritus at Pace University.  I’ve only seen one show before – an interview with Matt Damon – which I found to be fun, entertaining, and very revealing.

Peter and Jen hooked us up with tickets to Inside the Actors Studio with James Lipton

Yesterday’s guest was Hilary Swank, the actor of Million Dollar Baby, Boys Don’t Cry, and Freedom Writers fame.

I had somewhat low expectations after hearing that the interview would be three straight hours with no breaks.  I’m a little too antsy for that kind of stillness, but I prepped myself with a nap beforehand.

Anyhow, here’s the schedule for the taping:

7:00-10:00 – Interview, no breaks

10:00-10:10 – Break

10:10-10:40 – Q & A with Drama students

I must say, I was really impacted by the interview.  Lipton delved into Hilary’s upbringing, background, and little nuances of Hilary’s (we’re on first name basis now, btw) life and work.  I’m a huge Hilary Swank fan as a result of it.

I actually didn’t know that Swank has won two Academy Awards for best actress (for Boys Don’t Cry and Million Dollar Baby).  In other words, she’s a megamegamega star who’s an expert in her craft.  Even I know that that’s a big deal.

Tina prevented me from jumping onto the stage and telling everyone, "You just heard the gospel narrative!"

But hearing her talk, she’s remarkably down-to-earth and level-headed.  Her family was there, and it was really cool hearing from her mom throughout portions of the interview.

Anyhow, here are some things I admire/learned from the interview.

1)  Hard Work is Essential when One Wants to Excel at their Craft

When hearing about Swank’s preparation for different roles, I was amazed at the kind of dedication she put into knowing her characters and being fully prepared to play her roles.  She literally tries to walk in another person’s shoes to prepare.  For MDB, she worked out like a madwoman for 3 months to gain 19 pounds of muscle.  She changed her diet completely to eat protein ever 1 1/2 hours, worked with a boxing coach and trainer relentlessly, and took the train out to Brooklyn in the freezing cold every morning to do it (she said she felt like Rocky)!

I haven’t seen Boys Don’t Cry, but apparently she prepped for this role by chopping off all her hair, completely changing her appearance, and seeing what it was like to actually live like her character (her role was to play a woman who lives like a man, I believe).  In one of the more moving points in the interview, she started weeping at the thought of how it felt to live like her character in NY, and how people treated her differently and suspiciously.

For her role in BDC, she actually only made $75/day in making that film.  However, she was so passionate for her craft, she worked tirelessly to do her best (not knowing it’d be Oscar-worthy) in this role.

In the Q & A session, she said that there are tons of talented people everywhere and in every craft.  However, few are really willing to put in the work to become truly successful (this kind of reminded me of T-Mac and Kobe, for instance.  Similar talent but different work ethics, from what I’ve read.  I might be wrong here, but yeah, that’s what came to mind – sorry Houston fans).  She also mentioned that putting in the work beforehand (ie working on the fundamentals), then gives one the freedom to improvise (This reminds me of John Wooden teaching his players to focus on the fundamentals first – alas, everything reminds me of sports).

I was floored by this.  Recently we’ve been reflecting on 1 Timothy 2, particularly the exhortations by Paul to be disciplined and have a regimented life.  It’s almost like this is a reminder that to grow in anything, there is slow and hard work necessary for excellence.

In other words, there are no short cuts, and this is true in every facet of life.

2)   Our Lowest Point can Be Our Turning Point

There were so many instances of this from Hilary’s life, and it’s not surprising to see her drawn to roles as the underdog.

Please read her bio if you have a chance.  She came from very humble beginnings, and she moved with her mom to Los Angeles as a teenager with only $75.  They lived out of her mom’s Oldsmobile, and they’d eat one meal a day at Denny’s.  I don’t know how long this went on, but yes, they had very little.

Her mom shared how she got fired from her job in Washington State, and felt like she was at the end of her rope.  It was then that God revealed to her that it was her job that was keeping her from moving to LA and supporting Hilary’s dreams as much as possible.  In other words, God took away her security so that she could begin to trust him with other opportunities.

Early in Hilary’s career, she was contracted for two years on Beverly Hills 90210 8th season.  After 14 or so episodes, she was let go because they said that she wasn’t what they were looking for.  As a desperate actor who was thankful for every and any opportunity, she was crushed because she felt like she wasn’t good enough for BH90210, and again, she was without work.

Five months later (I believe) she ran across the script for Boys Don’t Cry.

She mentioned so many other moments of receiving criticism, or being at the end of her rope.  And yet, with a passion for her craft, determination, and hopefulness, she continued plugging along.

It’s weird how this is a spiritual principle, but I’ve heard it in so many different variations from so many different people that I know it’s true (and Scripture corroborates this).  And yet, this is one of the most difficult lessons to truly live.

When I’m in my lowest point, God is doing something.  It takes incredible faith and hopefulness to believe this.  It’s so easy to let my lowest point lead me to an even lower point, instead of a turning point.

3)  A Support System is Paramount

Against all odds, Hilary had her mom to lean on.  She needed someone else to believe for her.

There will always be haters (which Hilary mentioned), but one has to keep a level head to thrive in any prominent role.

Often times, especially when we’re at our worst, we need people to believe for us.  Please reach out to a community for support!

Shhh... I wasn't supposed to take this picture during the interview. But yes, I'm a big Hilary Swank fan.

4) Every Experience is a Learning Moment

Even if we might not know it at the time, each experience is an opportunity to grow and learn.  She told the drama students that early in her career, she took anything and everything because she was desperate for any type of work and didn’t see anything as beneath her.  Looking back, she doesn’t have regrets because she’s learned something from every experience.

Even for The Next Karate Kid, she was delighted to get that role early in her career, and she learned from it.

This was kind of cool to hear, and I could see how her humble beginnings allows her to view life this way.

5)  The Gospel Sets us Free

Okay, she didn’t mention this, but this was my greatest take away from the interview.  She spoke of passion and purpose, and an inner fortitude to do what she loves despite the naysayers.  She spoke of diligence, and remaining grateful for every opportunity.  She spoke about community, and needing others.  She spoke about incarnating with people, especially outsiders, and how much pleasure she gets from giving a voice to these “outsiders”.

I was like, “preach it!”

There is no drama like the gospel drama.  There is no affirmation like the one that comes from a transcendent God who says “You are my beloved”.  There is no greater story, no greater truth, than Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

PS  Special thanks to Eli, Jihee, and Kevin for making this night possible.

…I wake up sometimes and think, ‘I never got table 47 their Diet Coke ‘ “.

This confession from Ms. Poehler came during her interroga…I mean interview with the inestimable James Lipton on the most recent “Inside the Actor’s Studio”.

According to her, Amy was actually a waitress “for many many years” and she was a very good waitress.

Despite the Diet Coke fiasco.

Amy Poehler photo courtesy of www.babble.com

Pressman & Ponzek:
A Natural Collaboration!

Pressman & Ponzek are a musical duo consisting of pianist, vocalist, composer and producer Lisa Pressman and guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist, composer, arranger and producer Tim Ponzek.  Combining their many musical skills and talents, Lisa and Tim have worked together for many years and have created their own unique musical signature style.

Together in their latest recording “Tomorrow the World,” they draw upon their musical kinship and their extensive studies of the Latin, Jazz and Classical repertoire. Lisa’s crystalline piano and pure vocals combine with Tim’s romantic classical guitar to create a delightful, relaxing and even ethereal listening experience on “Tomorrow The World.”  The energy of their dynamic musical interplay can be experienced as well as in Lisa and Tim’s previous release “if the sky was home”.

In addition to their recordings, Lisa and Tim have made their music available in sheet music form for other performers to experience and share:  piano/vocal scores, piano scores, guitar charts and now lead sheets.

Lisa and Tim live in one of my favorite spots on the planet – the desert of Arizona.  In listening to their music,  I feel like their special collaboration of Inspirational music is influenced at least a little by the beauty of the desert — its rhythms, melodies and harmonies played out in sweeping landscapes, plant and animal life.  It turns out that other parts of nature also play a deeply creative role in inspiring their shimmering music.

Find out how this dynamic duo works together and what makes their collaboration so natural.

=================================

JW:  Lisa, do you have a first memory or impression of music in your life?

Lisa:  I remember watching the “Sound of Music” for the first time and being completely swept away by Julie Andrews. Her magnificent voice and beautiful persona captured my imagination! My sisters and I were always putting on little shows for our parents and my favorite song to sing was “The hills are alive …”

JW:  Tim, how about you?

Tim: My dad liked to sing old country songs. One by one he sent my brothers and me to music teachers to learn piano and guitar.  I think he was tired of singing by himself and he wanted us to accompany him.  Apparently he didn’t mind waiting.  I learned how to accompany singers playing for him.

JW:  When did each of you first know that you wanted to be musicians?

Tim:  I began learning an instrument at the age of six.  I was like a fish to water; I was home.  At the age of ten or eleven, I performed with my three older brothers in their rock band and that was that.  I found my calling and I never looked back.  I just try to keep getting better: to play better and to write better.  It’s a lifetime commitment.

Lisa:  Ballet was the first after-school activity my mother enrolled us in, and for me, it was totally not the place to be. My foot was meant for a piano pedal so at the age of five, I began piano lessons and loved every moment. From grade school through high school I was always the one playing the shows and accompanying the choral groups. I think I was born knowing that music would be my life though the path it has led me on has had many interesting turns.

JW:  Since you are a team that writes together often, how does your collaboration work?

Tim:  We have such different writing styles.  Lisa truly lets music flow through her and onto the page.  I like to tinker with every note and every word.  When we write together I usually like to get Lisa started with a few chords or a feel and she composes a beautiful melody on top of it and then we let it unfold from there.  It’s usually complete when Lisa is finished; but I’ll still try to tinker with it some more.

Lisa:  Or I might hear something Tim is working on and jump in. I have a knack for adding a new section to a song that Tim has already been writing! For example, when I hear a line that I know I will be singing, I look for ways to extend the vocal range to make the line soar.

JW:  And as individuals, how do you each approach composition and lyric writing?  What is your process?

Tim:  Ninety-nine percent of the time I will begin with a title or an opening line.  When I start with a title, I always know where the song is headed.  Once I have that, I can try different lines until I say exactly what I want to say. It’s like walking to a grocery store, as long as you can see the store ahead of you, you can’t get too lost. The music is either written with or after the lyrics. Other times I think of some chords to put together or some notes of a melody and then I’ll go over to the piano or guitar and try them out. Many of our instrumental songs are written this way.

Lisa:  I wait until there is a melody in the “in box”. Then I sit at the piano and write the music that comes through.

JW:  Do you have a personal definition of creativity that you would share?

Lisa & Tim:  Creativity is God flowing through us.

JW:  I love that answer.  It’s short and to the point.  To me, it’s what makes your collaboration “divine.”

Tim, what inspires you?

Tim:  All aspects of life and music inspire me. God and love, tears and pain.  I’ll do my best to write a song about it. For example, there’s a song titled Now You See on my upcoming CD, Every Room An Ocean View, that begins with the line that was inspired from a newscast about a storm that had hit Phoenix that day:

“Fifteen hundred lightning strikes all in a single hour
Lots of wind and rain, put on quite a show
But behind every lightning strike is a radiating power
Flash across the sky so often, it looks like a steady glow
Now You See what my love is like….”

It amazes me sometimes what can be an inspiration for a song; but Now You See became a beautiful and powerful love song.

JW:  I love that a wild and beautiful storm on the desert became your muse for a work of art. What about you, Lisa?

Lisa: Dark chocolate!

JW:  Hah!  I can certainly relate!  We keep exotic bars of dark chocolate from all over the world around to nibble.  It’s always good to find fellow Dark Chocolate lovers!! (Hey readers, check out Peter Link’s blog article Inspirational Chocolate!!)

Lisa:  Most certainly I am inspired by the mysteries – the mystery of Life and the mystery of God.  My song Tan Azul Como Siempre (As Blue As Forever, from the CD If The Sky Was Home) was inspired by a line from the movie “Shirley Valentine” when in one scene the water was described as being “as deep as forever”. I thought that was an extraordinary image and one I could capture in music.  By using a slow Latin rhythm beneath the sultry melody we portray the water extending into eternity.

Listen to Lisa’s “Tan Azul Como Siempre”

JW: This is so interesting, Lisa and Tim:  you each find moments, lines, scenes – or they find you – and from these ideas come inspiration for your own creative work.  It’s fascinating to me that the desert storm and the ocean each played a significant role in shaping these songs you mention.

Tim, does spirituality play a role in the creation and performance of your music, and if so, can you share with us how that works?

Tim: I believe that everything we create here on earth has a spiritual basis.  There are some songs that Lisa and I have written that I play at home just to feel the emotional lift.  Lisa is recording some of these songs on her next CD, Deep In The Mist. Those songs must have captured some spiritual spark to be that effective.

Lisa:  And I am so excited about the songs on Deep In The Mist! I am actually singing words this time in addition to my signature “vocalise”. Hope, love and forgiveness permeate these songs. When I perform, I simply open my heart and let the music flow forth.

JW:  In addition to your many beautiful scores for piano, voice and guitar on WFM, you have written a number of Christmas and Holiday songs. Can you tell us a little about your inspiration and process in creating these songs?  Do you have a favorite of these that stands out to you?

Tim:  This was something I wanted to do. I wanted to write some new Christmas songs and to feel that I’m adding to the wealth of beautiful Christmas music with my digital EP Believing In Christmas.

Lisa: The first Christmas I spent with Tim and his family was amazing! We played and sang all the wonderful Christmas favorites, enjoyed a scrumptious feast prepared by Tim’s Mom, and exchanged gifts beside a beautifully decorated Christmas tree.  All the Christmas lights were lit in the windows – it was so warm and loving.

Tim: I wrote This Christmas House as homage to my parents’ home when I was growing up.  That’s the way our home felt.  Friends and family were always stopping by and everyone was always welcome.

Believing In Christmas was written to sound like an old Christmas song from the 40’s or 50’s.  While the theme is family and friendship, the song also reminds us, “Let’s not forget whose birthday this is…”

Lisa and I co-wrote The Truest Christmas.  That song makes me smile every time I hear it. It’s so uplifting and happy with lyrics such as “The Truest Christmas fills our lives with Peace”.

Speaking In Songs was written after coming home one night and seeing so many wonderful Christmas lights in the neighborhood.  One of my favorite lines in the song is “The colored lights, like starry nights, that live inside my dreams”. It’s a song about the oneness of us all, and how we feel it especially at Christmastime.

In Love With The Spirit Of Christmas is simply about how we all become better people when we feel the Christmas Spirit within us.

As far as having a favorite, I believe that songs are like children.  You don’t want to pick a favorite or else the other songs will gang up on you. And, I would like to add that I’ve written another six or seven Christmas songs that Lisa and I are recording and will be available next year.

JW:  I love that thought about songs being like children.  Each one is unique and has special qualities and ways to share and inspire all on its own.  We will look forward to discovering new views of Christmas next year when your new songs become available.  In the meantime, I urge our readers to check out your current catalogue of Christmas songs – they are beautiful!

Listen to “Speaking In Songs”

SPEAKING IN SONGS
from the EP “Believing In Christmas”
Words & Music by Tim Ponzek

If I look into the lights, the colors of my dream
Will I see in shades of night, the stories seldom seen?

If I forget the things I know; erase mistakes I’ve made
Could I be part of the show; at least, the parade?

The colored lights, like starry nights
That live within my dream

There we stand with open hearts and all of us belong
Still in progress this work of art, Speaking In Songs

Every wish another line scribbled down in haste
Words drifting through space and time, stardust in their wake

Can I walk where angels dance?  And see the things they see
Peace and love and happiness and quietly believe

The colored lights, like starry nights
That live within my dream

There we stand with open hearts and all of us belong
Still in progress this work of art, Speaking In Songs

Copyright©2001 Opus Fromus (BMI). All Rights Reserved

JW:  Well, as usual, I love the closing questions that James Lipton always asks his guests on his show Inside The Actor’s Studio, so I am going to borrow them here:

First, what profession would you choose to do if you weren’t in music?

Tim:  When I was a child, I thought that archaeology would be a good profession.  Just dig and dig and dig until you hit something, then unearth it, clean it off and bring it to the light and see if it has any value.  Come to think of it, that’s what I do in my songwriting!

Lisa: I would own a nursery and play in the garden all day.

JW:  What profession would you NEVER do?

Tim:  I have learned to never say never.  Whoops, I just said it twice.

Lisa: Ditto!

JW:  Any summary comments?

Lisa:  We are so thrilled to have the opportunity to share our music with the Watchfire Music audiences. We always believed there was a special place for our music and we feel it is here at Watchfire Music. Many, many thanks to Peter Link for finding us! And thank you Julia Wade!

JW:  It’s been really fun and illuminating talking with you two.  Thanks so much for taking the time to let us into your world.  Happy holidays to you both!

This concludes the Inspiratus Interview with Pressman &Ponzek.

Find out more about Pressman & Ponzek
Explore their sheet music and mp3s.

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About Pressman & Ponzek

Lisa Pressman started playing music at an early age. She studied piano and composition at Towson State University in Baltimore. Lisa earned her Masters degree in music composition at Temple University in Philadelphia and she did her post-doctoral piano studies in the casinos of Atlantic City playing Jazz, Latin, and Popular music. Lisa has also studied with Metropolitan Opera star Isola Jones whose teachings were essential for Lisa’s ethereal vocalise.

Lisa’s musical performances have taken her to many places on both the East and West coasts. In Los Angeles, Lisa’s song “A Fighting Chance” (from angel dreaming: a new dream) was chosen for The Paul Rodriquez film “A Million To Juan”.

Originally from Philadelphia, Tim Ponzek is a versatile musician whose repertoire ranges from Jazz to Classical to Americana. Tim studied piano and composition at Temple University. At the same time, Tim and his three brothers ran a recording studio. Music was always a major part of his life. Tim also studied arranging in New York with world renown arrangers Don Sebesky and Manny Albam.

Moving to the West coast Tim focused on writing, singing and performing. Tim’s first solo recording as a singer-songwriter was titled “right to the edge”. Tim has also collaborated on recordings as a writer and performer with world music saxophonist Jessie Allen Cooper (“Moment In Time”, “Sound Travels”, “Lake Of The Heart”, “Pacific Lounge”) and jazz drummer John Alberti (“Implication and Innuendo”). Tim’s newest solo release is titled “Faded Blue Dreams”.

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Inspiratus Interview by
Julia Wade,
Director of Digital Sheet Music
WatchfireMusic.com

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