Foo Fighters are taking literally no time to bask in the ecstatic reception to their November 7 Saturday Night Live debut performance of “Shame Shame,” the first taste of the 10th FF album, Medicine at Midnight, due out February 5, 2021 on Roswell Records/RCA Records—well, maybe a few seconds, after all Entertainment Weekly did call it a “hypnotic earworm,” Stereogum lauded its “refreshing twist on their signature sound,” and Billboard noted “a groovy, sexy beat”… and that’s quite enough of that because…
On Saturday, November 14th at 5pm Pacific Time, Foo Fighters will be regrouping to mount a full on rock invasion of your living room, when they play a full set streamed live from the Roxy in Hollywood for any and all who buy a ticket for $15 at http://foofighters.co/Roxy. If you can’t be in front of a TV, tablet, phone, laptop etc. at exactly that time, don’t worry: Ticket buyers will have access to replay the full stream for 48 hours from the start of the show. And if that’s not enough… Limited event merchandise will be available at https://shop.foofighters.com/.
Foo Fighters’ Roxy streaming concert event is brought to you in part by the good people at Coors Light, and will feature innovative new technology custom created for this one of a kind Foo Fighters show: Beer’s Eye View. For 25 years, Coors Light has been on stage – and in hand – with Foo Fighters. Now for the first time, Beer’s Eye View will take fans behind the scenes backstage, into the thick of the action onstage, and to the best seat in the house (the VIB a/k/a Very Important Beer section)—all from the unique perspective of a live “Can Cam” attached to Dave’s own Coors Light.
In other boundary breaking Foo Fighters visual news, the official video for “Shame Shame” has premiered at http://foofighters.co/Shame/youtube. Directed by Paola Kudacki and co-starring Dave Grohl and Sofia Boutella, “Shame Shame” renders in stunning black and white an interpretation of a recurring dream that’s haunted Grohl since his childhood days.
Medicine at Midnight is available for preorder at http://foofighters.co/MAM with exclusive configurations including a purple smoke vinyl available only through the band’s online store and an indie retail-only blue vinyl, and more to be announced.
A portion of proceeds from Foo Fighters’ Roxy streaming show will go to Sweet Relief. Founded in 1993 by Victoria Williams, Sweet Relief Musicians Fund provides financial assistance to all types of career musicians and music industry workers who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability, or age-related problems. Sweet Relief is providing immediate assistance to anyone in the music industry who has been financially impacted by COVID-19. Applications are being accepted now, please apply for help or DONATE if you can at SweetRelief.org.
Coors Brewing Company was founded in 1873 by Adolph Coors, who chose the Clear Creek Valley in Golden, Colo., for his new brewery because of the pure water in the nearby Rocky Mountain springs. The brewery’s original and most enduring beer is Coors Banquet (Coors.com, Facebook.com/CoorsBanquet, YouTube.com/OfficialCoorsBanquet), still brewed exclusively in Golden using only Rocky Mountain water and high-country barley. Coors Light (CoorsLight.com, Facebook.com/CoorsLight, @CoorsLight on Twitter, @coorslight on Instagram, YouTube.com/CoorsLight) was introduced in 1978 and now is the second-best-selling beer in the United States. Triple-filtered smooth Keystone Light (KeystoneLight.com, Facebook.com/KeystoneLight) is one the country’s most popular economy beers. Learn more at MolsonCoors.com, at Facebook.com/MolsonCoors or on Twitter through @MolsonCoors.
NoCap, the brainchild of Roxy Theater co-owner and musician Cisco Adler along with an all-star list of partners in the music and tech industries, is both a platform and promoter of venue-based livestream concerts giving fans around the world access to intimate live performances with unlimited capacity. With its easy-to-use text-based ticketing technology and custom concert streaming solution, NoCap is providing a much-needed lifeline for artists, crews and venues suffering during the Covid-19 pandemic that will remain a viable outlet post pandemic while becoming the new general admission creating unlimited profit potential for a new live music model. NoCap gives fans globally a chance to experience live shows by top-tier talent in storied venues, including The Roxy (Los Angeles), Belly Up (Solana Beach, CA/Aspen, CO), SOhO (Santa Barbara), Sony Theatre ( NYC ) and even Drive-In Concert Venues across the country , from home or on the go with visually stunning concert-quality sound, creating unforgettable performances. For more info, visit www.nocapshows.com.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic’s intense anxiety, Dr. David Rabin and Kathryn Fantauzzi open the door to effective stress relief and personal optimization with Apollo Neuro.
By John Lavitt
Los Angeles, California (The Hollywood Times) 11/10/2020 – The Apollo wearable device for stress relief is a perfect addition to our ongoing series on new technologies and inventions that can help people survive the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Since you are not spending money on concerts or events, doesn’t it make sense to invest in devices that make your everyday lives at home and work that much better? In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Times, the married founders of Apollo Neuro, Dr. David Rabin, and Kathryn Fantauzzi describe the origins and usefulness of this revolutionary wearable.
The Apollo Couple – Kathryn Fantauzzi and Dr. David Rabin
In a time when the stress-activated sympathetic nervous response of “fight or flight” unfortunately seems to happen every time a person leaves their home, the Apollo wearable device addresses this challenge. After all, too much stress is taxing on the human body. It leaves anyone feeling overwhelmed and distracted, making it difficult to focus during the day and sleep at night. By delivering a novel form of touch therapy, the Apollo breaks through the distance created by pandemic quarantines.
Instead of human touch, the Apollo wearable’s rhythmic and gentle vibrations promote calm and restores the body’s natural balance. As Dr. David Rabin explains, “The goal of Apollo was to take what we had learned in scientific studies out of the lab and into the real world. By addressing stress in people’s day-to-day lives, Apollo improves recovery and performance and promotes wellness.”
Together, Dr. David Rabin and Kathryn Fantauzzi are a 21st-century power couple of wellness realized. Dr. David Rabin, MD, Ph.D., is a board-certified psychiatrist and neuroscientist who specializes in the treatment of chronic stress. Working by his side as Apollo’s CEO, Kathryn Fantauzzi specializes in bringing discoveries out of the lab and into the real world. She was happy that Apollo’s realization and the successful clinical studies happened well in advance of the 2020 COVID -19 pandemic.
As Kathryn Fantauzzi expresses, “When you think about the pandemic and the intensity of the stress, you realize this is a marathon of uncertainty. People are working from home while also schooling their children. This is hard for everyone. When people feel out of control, it becomes hard to engage in meditation and yoga practices that would make them more resilient. They ask themselves, ‘How am I going to find the time to meditate?’ As a result, a wearable device like Apollo makes it easier to deal with high levels of stress. We did a lot of research to make Apollo a truly useful wearable device that would help people recover.”
The Apollo Device – Easy to Use and Attractive
After using the device for several weeks, this reporter was surprised to experience positive results. Although many new wellness devices claim to relieve stress or improve focus, Apollo worked when used consistently. Trying out a number of the different settings on the smartphone app proved to work both as a form of relaxation while also improving concentration and focus. Ultimately, it depends on the setting chosen. The question remains, however, what is the science behind Apollo?
The key focus behind the science of Apollo is heart rate variability or HRV. As Dr. David Rabin describes, “Heart rate variability is a biomarker that many current wearables detect like the Apple Watch or the Whoop. Unlike these, Apollo is the first scientifically-validated wearable to improve HRV. From the field of biofeedback, which directly inspired the development of Apollo, HRV is shown to be the best predictor of recovery from stress. A high HRV is consistent with having a low resting heart rate. It predicts the ability to perform at peak levels under stress while maintaining consistent positive performance over time.”
Continuing his description, Dr. Rabin goes on to say, “In contrast, low HRV indicates that a person is under physical and mental strain, and is commonly caused by chronic stress, poor sleep, and believe it or not, alcohol consumption. Poor sleep and drinking alcohol are two of the biggest reasons healthy people have low heart rate variability. This matters because low HRV is associated with an increased risk of getting sick and we often see low HRV in those with conditions that are worsened by stress like PTSD, depression, anxiety, chronic pain, insomnia, and the list goes on.”
Given that the pandemic has worsened so many of these disorders, Apollo is a prime example of a wearable device that can help address such concerns. Kathryn Fantauzzi illuminates this goal, saying, “We live in challenging times. Everything in our environment is telling us to be afraid right now. Addressing this difficult environment, Apollo helps train your body to be calmer. Over time, by using the wearable, your body learns to have a better response, and you become more resilient. Such progress leads to your body being in a more balanced state. Thus, you learn to avoid the unnecessary manifestations of the fight-or-flight response or fear state that result in the damaging impact of stress.”
Dr. David Rabin and Kathryn Fantauzzi. Using Apollo
In the harsh light of how detrimental stress is on a person’s health, it makes sense to employ modern technology to reduce this unnecessary damage. In the end, stress is not a requirement for being alive or being human. If you are being chased by someone waving a big knife or if you are a human ancestor on the plains of Africa hunted by a saber-tooth tiger, stress is necessary for survival. If you don’t run away or fight the threat, you are going to die. However, in the modern world, the stress of apocalyptic news reports and hostile social media is not needed. Still, it is hard to escape such stressors without the help of meditation, friendship, loving touch, and, maybe now, wearable technologies that bolster our natural resources.
Since he couldn’t package a human hug or even a pat on the back, Dr. David Rabin is proud to have invented a device that mirrors the healing effects of human touch. As he explains, “When we consider that lack of human touch and interaction as an ugly side effect of the pandemic, the Apollo could be a partial antidote to this loss. Soothing touch increases all of the neurotransmitters and hormones in the body like endorphins, oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin. Instead of taking another medicine to stimulate these neurotransmitters in the body, Apollo addresses the issue by focusing on the regenerative nature of touch.”
Connected to an app that can be downloaded and used on a wide range of modern smartphones, including iPhones and Androids, Apollo is easy to use. Non-invasive and comforting, Apollo is a wearable device that this reporter will continue to use for years to come. The gentle rhythms of Apollo are both practical and positive.
Live special to be aired on SportsNet LA and AM 570 and streamed on Dodgers’ Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube
By: Angela Redding
Los Angeles, CA, (The Hollywood Times) 11/10/2020–The 2020 World Championship Dodgers will showcase ‘This Is Our Year’ special event for fans at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, November 11th.
How to View/Attend the Event
The live special will be aired on Spectrum SportsNet LA and AM 570 and streamed on the Dodgers’ Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts and will include player interviews, video tributes, and several other surprises.
‘This Is Our Year’ special event is presented by Bank of America, Budweiser, San Manuel Casino, and 76® and will be hosted by Joe Davis, Alanna Rizzo, and Orel Hershiser.
Those scheduled to attend the special are Most Valuable Player of the World Series Corey Seager, Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Mookie Betts, Justin Turner, and Dave Roberts.
SportsNet LA’s coverage will begin at 5:30 p.m. counting down to the special with hosts John Hartung, Nomar Garciaparra, and Jerry Hairston, Jr.
The Dodgers plan to hold an official World Championship celebration at a later date.
Los Angeles, California (The Hollywood Times) 11/08/2020 – Los Angeles- based Director Charles Xiuzhi Dong’s topical live-action short film tells the universal story of a mother who is willing to do whatever it takes to help her child. Having only recently begun its festival run the film has just been awarded the top Oscar Qualifying prize at Short Shorts Film Festival and Asia, in Japan. The film is about an eight-year-old Su Min and her mother reside in the slum of a metropolis in China, making ends meet by cleaning toilets and picking garbage. Su Min dreams to go to school someday. Marginalized by the school registration system, her mother tries to send her daughter to school at any cost. His short film, COOKIE HEART screened at numerous high profile international film festivals.
Your film, COOKIE HEART screened at numerous high profile international film festivals. What was important to you about this film?
I made Cookie Heart when I was a Junior at NYU. It was personally important because it was the first short film I’ve made. Somehow I had the crazy idea to shoot the entire thing in one take in the style of “Birdman.” The story is based on my roommate who is also the cinematographer of the film. Even though there are a million things I want to change, and things I wouldn’t do today. But it was the project that I learned the most from.
Tell us about your feature documentary debut, AN ANSHAN STORY.
The film is about my family history to uncover the truth about my grandpa’s ties with the revolutionaries of the left-wing during the cultural revolution. My family recounts the traumatic events after the revolution has ended. The film jumps between the past and present as they confront their old age in an aging city. We technically picture locked almost a year ago, but we are in progress of doing a significant recut. I am very excited to share this film with the rest of the world when it is ready.
How have you evolved as a Director? Do you have a favorite film?
As a Director, I think I have evolved correspondingly with my age. My first film “Cookie Heart” was more of an exercise where I wanted to play around with a fun, satirical story. The older I got, I wanted to approach more mature subject matters and make dramatic films. At the moment, for my next slate of projects, I would like to strike a balance between the two: Finding comedy in drama and drama in comedy. My favorite film, without a doubt, is “Cinema Paradiso.” It was one of my first encounters with Italian Cinema along with “Malèna.” Every time I watch “Paradiso,” it would leave me in a total wreck – overwhelmed and in floods of tears. It’s the kind of movie I would watch every time I feel like I want to give up on making movies. It would pull me back to reality, reminding me how bittersweet the nature of my job is.
AFTER CLASS has just been awarded the top Oscar Qualifying prize at Short Shorts Film Festival and Asia, in Japan. Tell us about the film.
I made “After Class” almost two years ago in Shenzhen. It is a film about a poor single mother trying to send her daughter to school. We premiered the film at Santa Barbara International Film Festival earlier the year and have run the festival circuit since. Unexpectedly, we won the Best Short Awards at the Asia Internal Competition at Short Shorts. I am very grateful for how far the film has gone since the day we started embarking on this grueling shoot two years ago. We’re in the process of launching an Oscar campaign and hope to be on the shortlist in February.
Why is this film timely?
No matter what period in history, what part of the world, and what socio-economic class, the love of a mother is a universal theme. And especially now, we live in a time of unpredictability, we need stories of love and sacrifice.
Can you share a powerful scene?
I personally love the scene when the mother steals money for the first time, to me that is the most powerful scene in the film, it’s a moment of choice, it’s a moment of true motherhood. It’s the moment when people do unacceptable things in order to help the ones they love.
What are you most proud of?
I am most proud of every crew member who was working on this project. It was not an easy film to pull off. From the moment we prepped this, we faced countless problems from locations to casting to budget. But everybody had so much faith in this project. I am just very grateful for my cast and crew for supporting me along the way.
Indigenous Peoples Illuminated in Native American Heritage Month
Programming Airing on KCET, PBS SoCal and Link TV
This November Including Third Season of Locally-Produced
KCET Original Environmental Series TENDING NATURE
Curated Content Explores Perspectives of Native Peoples with Programs That Include Without a Whisper: Konnon:Kwe, The Warrior Tradition, The People’s Protectors, La Loche and Films from WORLD Channel’s AMERICA REFRAMED
(Clockwise from top left: Without a Whisper: Konnon:Kwe, TENDING NATURE, The Warrior Tradition, La Loche and The People’s Protectors. (Images courtesy of PBS and KCET)
Programming will also be available for streaming on PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video App, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Chromecast. PBS station members will be available to view all episodes via Passport.
Very powerful footage and lessons to be learned within these shows. Great history lessons for all the kids who are doing at-home schooling, the parents and grandparents. I sure learned many new things. KCET, PBS SoCal and Link TV always bring us informative shows and they have done it again! Share the news about what is coming up on Tending Nature this weekend. – Judy Shields, The Hollywood Times
PBS SoCal and KCET, Southern California’s home for award-winning public media programming and premieres of new PBS programs, as well as Link TV, the national independent non-commercial satellite television network, announced today the debut of new programming in November for Native American Heritage Month including a new season of the KCET Original series TENDING NATURE produced in partnership with the Autry Museum of the American West. The series shines a light on the environmental knowledge of Indigenous peoples across California by exploring how the state’s Native peoples have actively shaped and tended the land for millennia, in the process developing a deep understanding of plant and animal life. The new season takes viewers across the state to hear first-hand from Native communities how traditional practices can inspire a new generation of Californians to find a balance between humans and nature. KCET will premiere four, 30-minute episodes of TENDING NATURE starting Sun., Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. on KCET in Southern California with encores beginning on Mon., Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Wed., Nov. 11 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV nationwide (DirecTV 375 and DISH Network 9410).
In this new season, the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, Wiyot, and collaboratives of tribes in the Mojave Desert and the San Francisco region generously give their time to share their engagement in contemporary projects that revive their culture and inform western science. California is home to more Native communities than any other state in the country and these communities have continued to maintain traditional knowledge against all odds.
TENDING NATURE is part of a programming lineup in November where KCET, PBS SoCal and Link TV focus on Native American Heritage Month as part of a commitment to bringing viewers a broad array of perspectives. With both national and locally-produced content as well as online editorial content, 2020 heritage month programming includes Without a Whisper: Konnon:Kwe, The Warrior Tradition, The People’s Protectors and La Loche as well as films from independent documentary series AMERICA REFRAMED (Moroni for President, Blood Memory and The Blessing) and INDEPENDENT LENS (Conscience Point and Dawnland). For more content and articles related to Indigenous cultures go to kcet.org/nahm
Programs for Native American Heritage Month will be telecast as follows (subject to change):
AMERICA REFRAMED “Moroni for President” – Fri., Nov. 6 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV
Every four years, the Navajo Nation elects its president, whom many consider the most powerful Native American in the country. Frustrated about the lack of progress in the reservation, Moroni Benally, a witty academic LGBTQ candidate with radical ideas, hopes to defeat the incumbent president. The film follows the political newcomer’s grueling, lonely campaign.
Without a Whisper: Konnon:Kwe – Sat. Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. on KCET, Mon., Nov. 23 at 11:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal)
The untold story of how Indigenous women influenced the early suffragists in their fight for freedom and equality. Mohawk Clan mother Louise Herne and professor Sally Roesch Wagner join forces on a journey to shed light on the influence Haudenosaunee Women had on the women’s rights movement, changing the historical narrative forever.
INDEPENDENT LENS “Conscience Point” – Sat. Nov. 7 at 11 p.m. on KCET
A golf club built atop a sacred burial ground triggers a woman’s relentless fight to protect her tribe from the onslaughts of development.
TENDING NATURE“Guarding Ancestral Grounds with the Wiyot” – Sun., Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. PT on KCET, Mon., Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Wed., Nov. 11 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV nationwide
The Wiyot tribe from present-day Humboldt County have fought a long and hard battle for recognition and restored access to their land, including regaining ownership of traditional ceremonial grounds on Tululwat, an island in Arcata Bay. When leading energy developer, Terra Gen, proposed a large wind project on a spiritual and gathering area, the Wiyot opposed the greater ecological disruption that the project would deliver and rallied the community to defeat it.
Tending Nature – Ted Hernandez, Chairman and Cultural Director of the Wiyot TribeTending Nature – A landscape in Humboldt Bay region, where the Wiyot people have lived for thousands of years and where many sites remain sacred to their culture
The Warrior Tradition – Tues., Nov. 10 at 11 p.m. on PBS SoCal
The astonishing, heartbreaking, inspiring, and largely-untold story of Native Americans in the United States military. The film relates the stories of Native American warriors from their own points of view – stories of service and pain, of courage and fear.
INDEPENDENT LENS “Dawnland” – Sat., Nov. 14 at 11 p.m. on KCET
See how a group of Native and non-Native leaders in Maine came together to acknowledge and address the abuses suffered by Native children in the hands of the child welfare system, illuminating the ongoing crisis of Indigenous child removal.
TENDING NATURE“Preserving the Desert with NALC” – Sun., Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. PT on KCET, Mon., Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Mon., Nov. 16 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV nationwide
Native peoples have long lived in the desert and their understanding of the desert’s fragility has made them one of the region’s most outspoken protectors. Today, a collaborative group of desert tribes, concerned citizens and funders have formed the Native American Land Conservancy whose central goal is to acquire, preserve and protect Native American sacred lands through protective land management, educational programs and scientific study.
The People’s Protectors – Tues., Nov. 17 at 11 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Four Native American veterans reflect on their experiences in the military during the divisive Vietnam War. From the Marine Corps to the Navy to the US Army, veterans Valerie Barber, Art Owen, Sandy White Hawk, Vince Beyl and civilian eyapaha (announcer) Jerry Dearly recall their memories of one of the most controversial wars in United States history.
AMERICA REFRAMED “Blood Memory” – Fri., Nov. 20 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV
Battles over blood quantum and ‘best interests’ resurface the untold history of America’s Indian Adoption Era – a time when nearly one-third of children were removed from tribal communities nationwide. As political scrutiny over Indian child welfare intensifies, an adoption survivor helps others find their way home through song and ceremony.
La Loche –Sun., Nov. 22 at 4 p.m. PT on KCET and Tues., Nov. 24 at 11 p.m. on PBS SoCal
In January 2016, a school shooting in the remote Canadian aboriginal community of La Loche, Saskatchewan took the lives of four students and injured seven others. In the aftermath, a caring teacher, worried about eight boys directly affected by the shooting, contacted a TV celebrity the students admired (Survivorman star Les Stroud). The film follows Stroud, the eight young Dene men, and several community and school elders on a wilderness adventure, in which they canoe down a 100-mile river path that their ancestors used to traverse. With one camera, a paddle and a desire to help, Stroud uses this trek to encourage the young men to open up and tell their own stories.
TENDING NATURE“Reclaiming Agriculture with the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation” – Sun., Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m. PT on KCET, Mon., Nov. 23 at 7:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Wed., Nov. 25 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV nationwide
For the Yocha Dehe people, who have lived in California’s Capay Valley for more than 15,000 years, local food production and deep knowledge of plant diversity sustained them for millennia. Using olives, a fruit of Spanish colonization, the Yocha Dehe people are combining ecological knowledge with modern science to rethink community-centered agri-business using sustainability practices that include high-efficiency irrigation.
AMERICA REFRAMED “The Blessing” – Fri., Nov. 27 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV
The film follows a Navajo coal miner raising his secretive daughter as a single father, struggling with his part in the irreversible destruction of their sacred mountain at the hands of America’s largest coal producer.
TENDING NATURE“Cultivating Native Foodways with the Cultural Conservancy” – Sun., Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m. PT on KCET and Wed., Dec. 2 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV nationwide
The commodification of food has led to a bottom-line approach that has disconnected people from their food sources entirely, as modern, genetically modified foods put seed diversity at great risk. The Cultural Conservancy, an inter-tribal organization headquartered on Ohlone land in modern-day San Francisco, is revitalizing Indigenous knowledge by inviting people to re-engage with the land, honor heirloom seeds, grow clean food and medicines, and decolonize their foodways.
Sara Moncada (Yaqui/Irish), Chief Program Officer at the Cultural Conservancy, left, and Melissa K. Nelson (Turtle Mountain Chippewa), President and CEO of the Cultural Conservancy, right, tending plants together
Join the conversation on social media using #TendingNature and #NAHM
ABOUT KCET
KCET is on-air, online and in the community, and plays a vital role in the cultural and educational enrichment of Southern and Central California. KCET offers a wide range of award-winning local programming as well as the finest public television programs from around the world. Throughout its 54-year history, KCET has won hundreds of major awards for its local and regional news and public affairs programming, its national drama and documentary productions, its quality educational family and children’s programs, its outreach and community services and its website, kcet.org. For additional information about KCET productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org. Select original programming from KCET is also available for streaming on Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon and Roku platforms. For more information please visit kcet.org/apps.
ABOUT THE AUTRY MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN WEST
Located in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park, the Autry is a museum dedicated to exploring and sharing the stories, experiences, and perceptions of the diverse peoples of the American West, connecting the past to the present to inspire our shared future. The museum presents a wide range of exhibitions and public programs—including lectures, film, theatre, festivals, family events, and music—and performs scholarship, research, and educational outreach. The Autry’s collection of more than 600,000 pieces of art and artifacts includes the Southwest Museum of the American Indian Collection, one of the largest and most significant of Native American materials in the United States. For more information please visit TheAutry.org.
Los Angeles, California (The Hollywood Times) 11/06/2020 – Eve Austin recently won the Best Actress in a drama for Confidant at the Venus Italian International Film Festival. The film was created and directed by Debra Markowitz who also won for Best Director and Best Drama. Confidant is about a mother who confronts her son, a down-on-his-luck stunt man with a broken marriage, to help him move forward with his life. Eve is equally adept at drama and comedy. 2020 has been a whirlwind for Actress and Producer, Eve Austin.
You won several awards for Legit. What was special about this film? Why does it resonate with the audience?
LEGIT is a serio-comic look at the world’s oldest profession and its legalization as well as the political machine that stands in the way of giving sex workers the same rights as any workers. It resonates because it’s more or less a taboo subject we sweep under the rug. The legalization of this would reduce crime, drugs, and disease in our world and would legitimize a profession that is not going away. I’m humbled and delighted to have won several Best Actress awards for myself as well as the rest of the LEGIT team. The film was produced/written/directed and stars a mostly female cast and crew. So far this year have won the following awards for this film:
LEGIT that I co-produced and star in
Best Actress- Venice Shorts-
Best Actress- Crown Wood Intl Film Festival
Best Actress- American Golden Picture International Film Festival
Best Supporting Actress-Rocky Mountain International Film Festival
Best Ensemble, Best Original Story and Best Women’s-Shorts, Independent Shorts Awards
Best Short Film- LA Shorts Awards
Best Short, Best TV Series -Gold Star Movie Awards
Eve Austin and Anthony Robert Grasso star in LEGIT
How has 2020 challenged you as an Actress and Producer?
Life is constantly moving and changing. Learning to embrace change, accepting it and growing through it is the challenge. Facing fear directly and recognizing it as an illusion that we place on ourselves as a first step to conquering it. I have been challenged to focus on projects that need completion and dealing with new ideas and how to film them, once the pandemic is managed.
Working on myself through more training and education by raising the stakes for my skill set. As an actress drilling new accents. Learning technical skills such as self-taping and editing. Taking zoom workshops. Reaching out to like-minded filmmakers and other industry colleagues to collaborate with. Participating in film festivals and seeing what other artists are creating and winning awards through my placements in the same festivals. Thus far 7 Best Actress wins in different festivals for 3 different projects.
Never too late to have dreams come true.
You won Best Actress in Confidant. What is it like working with Director Debra Markowitz?
Debra is a multi award-winning writer/director/producer that continually creates wonderful new content. I’m so honored that she chose me to play one of the 2 main characters in CONFIDANT. The film is a drama about a mother who confronts her son, a down-on-his-luck stunt man with a broken marriage, to help him move forward with his life. The role of my son is played beautifully by Eddie McGee, a fantastic Actor who makes any partner in performance shine. Debra runs a wonderful collaborative set where everyone is touched by the magic of filmmaking and making her stories come to life.
CONFIDANT
Best Actress, Best Short Drama- Hollywood Gold Awards
Best Actress- Venus Italian International Film Festival
Best Actress-Finalist-Montreal Independent Film Festival
Best Actress-Finalist- Golden Nugget International Film Festival
Best Actress in a Drama- Venice Film Awards
Best actress- Honorable mention- Best Actor Award NY Festival
Eve Austin and Eddie McGee star in “Confidant”
Your film, Lola Does Manhattan received its 1st festival acceptances. How important is this to you?
Lola Does Manhattan is a comedic TV series that I’ve created/ produced/star in. I have been breathing life into this for a few years now. It is a funny, fresh look at how we consistently ignore our higher self/intuition. The tiny voice inside of us that is all-knowing. Lola is a wonderfully flawed character in her 50’s that learns to live and love herself through alter ego, that comes to her in human form through the Zen like Heidi. Heidi, is also the part of herself she has ignored most of her life. Together they embark on adventures in NYC that are poignant and hilarious and change Lola’s life forever.
Lola is a love letter for the millions of people that feel stuck in their lives because they ignore their intuition- the one that is in all of us It is meant to give us an understanding of our purpose in this world and how we can find it to regain strength, understanding and empathy to ourselves and others
So far the 4 festivals we recently submitted Lola Does Manhattan to;
Best Actress, Best TV Pilot- Top Shorts
Best Actress- Gold Star Movie Awards
Best Actress US & International-Semifinalist-Venice Shorts Awards-
Best Comedy Short, Best TV Series- Gold Star Movie Awards
Eve Austin in Lola
Tell us about The Sisters Kardos.
The Sisters Kardos is about four mostly teenage sisters, who share the same father and some different mothers, living together in quarantine and trying to rebuild their family. Production states: “It’s Little Women set in the modern-day during COVID-19.” A family saga that moves back and forth in time.
The screenplay is superb as is the casting. My role is that of Sophie the mother who raises these girls. Gabe Rodriguez is the writer and Director with Fallen Heroes films. So of the moment and well done it is in post-production and I expect it to sweep the film festival circuit with its power.
What excites you about 2021?
Looking for projects to collaborate on, in order to promote understanding between cultures and unifying the world through tears and laughter. Playing all types of characters from prostitutes to society women. They all have a place in our world and need to be equally respected- While my look tends to be upscale, I love to play downtrodden characters with mental, emotional, and physical ailments as well.
COVID has taught us many lessons and one of my favorites themes are the ones that show triumph over adversity.
Los Angeles, California (The Hollywood Times) 11/06/2020 – 2020 has been a great year for Godfrey J. Rayner, winning Best Supporting Actor in Long Commute and Best Actor at August’s Brightside Film Tavern Festival for the short film, Fresh Air. Born in London UK, Godfrey’s strong British accent led him to embark on an exciting career in voice-overs.
Did you always want to be an Actor?
I always wanted to be an Actor. So, in my career before becoming an Actor I always surrounded myself with people in the theater or movies. When the chance came I joined the New York Academy of dramatic arts.
Where did you get your training for acting?
I received my training at the NYADA as with the amazing Anthony Robert Grasso.
Godfrey J Rayner
When was your first break?
My first break was a horror movie where I played Lucifer called The Opening.
2020 has been a successful year for you winning Best Supporting Actor in Long Commute and Best Actor at August’s Brightside Film Tavern Festival for the short film, Fresh Air. Tell us about these roles. What led you to each of these projects?
We had a Wednesday class at NYADA and one of the students Montana Rock wrote a screenplay called Fresh Air and he asked me to be in the movie along with some other Actors from the class.
I knew someone with Alzheimer’s, a disease which is not really well understood and the opportunity to express the frustration and sometimes pain they experienced was a task I wanted to share to the best of my ability. The Long Commute was co-written by Anthony Robert Grasso and directed by Miguel Martinez. It was a dream come true. It was a tender story about a famous Actor with dementia who hadn’t seen his son for 10 years. He forgot he had a son. The story is about their reunion. A beautiful lesson that children should always respect and honor and not ignore their parents. Anthony asked me to be in the movie with him. What a thrill!
What challenged you the most as an Actor in the Long Commute?
What challenged me the most was being on the top of my game, working for the first time with the cream of my profession. I could not let them down or myself for that matter. I was nervous and I had to keep my nerves under control
Tell us about working with Actor and Director, Anthony Robert Grasso. Can you share a special moment on set?
My special moment [actually there were many] I was lying in bed. I had died and as my son came to see me [I actually fell asleep] and when my son approached me, I let out a loud snore that woke me and had everyone hysterical with laughter.
Godfrey J Rayner
What genres interest you?
I really enjoy films with a message and the genre of horror and mystery.
What impact did COVID have on you?
I had people close to me who died of COVID, one being my Godson. So the feeling of grief was very present while I was filming.
Share your upcoming projects.
I have a couple of movies scheduled for 2021 which I can’t discuss right now.
Where do you see yourself in 2021? Who would you like to work with?
I would like to work with and act with anyone that asks. Sorry to be so vague but it is an honor to be asked. Oh! I would love to work with Director Miguel Martinez again and act with Anthony. There was a wonderful Actor called Geraldine Leer in The Long Commute she was a dream to work with, so kind and so giving.
For 2021, I want to keep on studying and learning the craft. I am taking a Shakespeare course now.
Share your advice for people who had a dream of acting, but believe age is a factor.
What can I say? It does not matter how old you are or tall or fat or thin, there is a role for all types. If you want to act then go and learn all that you can. But most of all enjoy it and have as much fun as you can. I know I am.
Godfrey J. Rayner is represented by manager Diana Prano and Multimedia Talent Management in New York.
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 11/5/20 – A couple-three things. First, I have to start off with a tremendous thank you to Chad Rubel and CBS for authorizing this interview. Second, there’s an adorable little anecdote no one asked for that I’m gonna add in here just so that I never forget it.
I sent my questions to Chad’s email as directed, and I received a response almost immediately. Here it is:
But wait—it gets better:
I just love it when fun little mishaps like this happen, don’t you? P. S. Still waiting on Different (possibly Mirror Universe?! Gasp!) Chad Rubel’s responses to my “fave Star Trek character” questions! You’re not off the hook yet, mister!
And now for a bit of biographical info about OUR Chad, the real Chad! Our Man Chad Rubel, Patron Saint of Editors Working From Home, in his own words:
“I did a semester in Los Angeles with Ithaca College in the Fall of 2000, graduated college early and never left LA. I am originally from New York. I am a father of two boys, 8 and 6 years old.”
Chad Rubel hamming it up
Amazing! So glad to have this time with a fellow editor to dig deep into the process of making Season 3, um, well, happen. Without editors, we’d essentially be watching a play. The art of editing lies in both the eye and heart of the Editor. Its power cannot be overstated. The Editor controls the emotional current, the plot and the pace in ways no other member of the team can—not even the director. Of course, a unique symbiosis between the two can result in extraordinary art that not only reaches the viewer but keeps them “in the story”, as it were. There’s nothing more than most Trekkies want than for Star Trek to be real, or to feel immersed in the world of the Trekverse, and I have to say the Disco team is simply nailing it on VFX.
So let’s get to our Q & A, shall we? This information comes directly from a member of the “Star Trek: Discovery” editing team and has been shared exclusively with me at the express approval of CBS, so it’s legit nerdy, which makes it eyegasm-inducing editor-porn for Techies like me. Yes, I said it.
For your convenience, I’ve placed Chad’s amazing responses to my questions in bold.
Kat: What was the biggest challenge for you as an editor, given the pandemic forced your whole team into working from home?
Sonequa Martin-Green
Chad: The biggest challenge as far as the pandemic was just getting everything set up to work in my house. We were inventing new workflows on the fly, so the first week was quite rough. Our Avid rental company, PacPost, came up with a way to stream my cuts in real-time to producers. I was able to get notes and make the changes on the fly. It worked great. I locked my last two episodes(309 & 312) during this Work From Home period. Everyone was understanding and patient cause we were figuring things out as we went.
I was blown away by the other Post Departments and what they have done Working From Home. Once we figured out streaming my cut from home, my job was back to normal besides the personal interactions. I still can’t believe how well Music did, having to score separately from home. Or how we got everyone to do ADR. To keep the quality of our VFX is truly amazing. It is really a credit to how well this Department is run.
Kat: What would you say is your proudest moment, maybe a specific choice, as an editor, for you in this week’s episode?
CR: I love it when I can set things up early in an episode to help the payoff later on. An example of this is when the Discovery arrives on earth, I am using the reactions of the crew members who you see at the tree at the end of the episode. Since we are less connected to Nilsson and Bryce, I want the viewer to connect to them a little better and earlier in the episode.
Saru Earned the Captain’s Chair
It’s those editing choices that read on a subconscious level that helps pay off later. On all the Bridge scenes, I tried to sprinkle in more reactions from the cast from the last scene in “People of Earth”. There is a beautiful rack-focus between Nilsson and Bryce when Saru gets in the captain’s chair. I couldn’t have added that beautiful shot without the Director, Jonathan Frankes, and DP, Crescenzo Notarile, creating that moment for me.
In regards to Saru getting promoted to Captain, I felt like I have been sitting on a secret for a long time. It is so great to have that out and the fan’s reaction.
KK: What does Star Trek mean to you, personally, and how has your life changed since joining the Disco team? Is this “just another gig” or is there special meaning attached to this project for you (as it relates to the franchises 55-yearlong legacy and over-arching themes)?
CR: I love getting to be a small part of the Star Trek family and legacy. I grew up watching TNG and have very fond memories. This is the first show that I have gotten to connect with fans who have treated me with such kindness. It’s also nice to have your friends and family already watching your show without me asking them.
My father-in-law was a huge Trek fan and even was invited to see the set of TOS in the late ’60s. He passed away before I met my wife, but in some weird cosmic way, when I got this job I felt like I finally got his blessing to marry his daughter.
KK: In what other ways has COVID impacted your life?
CR: As crazy as COVID was for my life and my family, I keep telling myself that we are the lucky ones. My heart goes out to everyone cause even if you don’t catch it, we are still dealing with its ramifications on a mental level.
On the flip side, Working From Home has caused my wife to be in charge of my meals instead of my poor choices in the office. So I am eating much better and I have replaced my commute with a morning walk. I am the healthiest I have ever been to. I have always tried to be a cup half full person. That’s how I relate to Star Trek’s optimism.
KK: How did you discover your calling as an editor, or is there another aspect of production you’d like to explore someday?
CR: My first exposure to editing was at my high school that had its own TV studio. Editing was something that I immediately gravitated towards. Something about being on my own and being able to create something really appealed to me.
It would be great to get to direct someday. A lot of Editors find a path to directing on TV. This season, one of our Editors is directing their first episode of Star Trek Discovery and he did an amazing job. For now, I want to focus on my editing work and the opportunity will come when it comes.
KK: Are there any other projects you’d like/are able to discuss with us that we can share out so that folks can see more of your work?
CR: I tend to work on VFX heavy shows, even though no show I have ever worked on before is even close to the amount of VFX work that Discovery has. The first show I got promoted to a full-time editor was Zoo on CBS. That was a fun show to work on the cause when it was working, it was a mix of bat-shit crazy and a lot of heart. It was one of those shows that if you were all in on it, it was a lot of fun.
KK: Here it comes. The obligatory “Have you got a favorite Star Trek character, or a few you really admire/enjoy?” question…ready?
CR: Before starting this season on Discovery, I would say that Tilly was my favorite character. After living with these characters and performances, I have really connected with Stamets. There is something about his wit that makes me laugh. “There is no one like me.” I am always glad when I get a scene with him to cut.
In a dark time in human history, an even darker time is revealed in Tom Dugan’s powerful one-man take on the bittersweet retirement of Simon Wiesenthal.
By John Lavitt
Los Angeles, California (The Hollywood Times) November 5, 2020 – Over the years, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts has been known for putting on the very best examples of high culture in Los Angeles. Given such a track record, it’s not surprising that the organization would be streaming the same quality programming during the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, Wiesenthal, written and performed by Tom Dugan, is both a touching tribute to a courageous man and an unblinking look into what many believe to be the greatest evil of the 20th century.
As a Nazi Hunter, Simon Wiesenthal was without par. Despite his participation in bringing to justice over a thousand Nazi war criminals, he felt like he had failed in his mission at the end of his life. After all, in his files, over 20,000 Nazis remained at large. From his perspective, bringing in only 5% of his targets was not enough, particularly given the gravity of their crimes.
The greater world, however, did not agree with his harsh personal assessment. In a statement after Wiesenthal’s death at the age of 96 in 2005, Council of Europe chairman Terry Davis expressed the opinion of the civilized world, “Without Simon Wiesenthal’s relentless effort to find Nazi criminals and bring them to justice, and to fight anti-Semitism and prejudice, Europe would never have succeeded in healing its wounds and reconciling itself. He was a soldier of justice, which is indispensable to our freedom, stability, and peace.”
The Real Simon Wiesenthal in 1982
Simon Wiesenthal would have appreciated the sentiment, but he would not have agreed. At least, not entirely, because his standards were the standards of a man doing his best to honor the countless dead that perished in the concentration camps and beyond. Taking place on the day of his retirement as he is packing up the contents of his office in Vienna to be shipped to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, the one-man show reflects his bittersweet attitude.
Although he is so grateful to be alive, Simon Wiesenthal cannot escape the shadows of the past. In the end, he realizes, “I have not fixed the problem. The human savage still lurks just below the wafer-thin veil of civilization.” It is hard to move on when so little justice has been achieved.
As stated in the one-man show, Simon Wiesenthal learned so much when Adolph Eichmann, the technical architect of Hitler’s Final Solution, walked into the courtroom in Jerusalem in 1962. Rather than beholding a monster, people saw a mousy little bureaucrat. At that moment, Simon Wiesenthal realized, “It does not take a criminal mind to commit mass murder: Simply blind obedience to authority… If an average man is capable of such terrible things, then so am I. This is the lesson of Adolph Eichmann, and humanity was forced to look in the mirror at itself.”
The Passion of Tom Dugan as Simon Wiesenthal
There is no questioning the passion of Tom Dugan for this project and the excellence of his performance. At times, however, it feels like we only scratch the surface of the man. There is so much more to learn from such a rare soul. Nevertheless, the one-man show accomplishes a great deal and deserves to be seen by a wide audience.
As Tom Dugan told NPR, “It’s just important to spread the concept of tolerance, particularly in places where intolerance has been so horrendously displayed.” Indeed, when our country is being torn apart by intolerance and division, Simon Wiesenthal’s lessons are more valuable than ever before. Once again, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts transcends a significant challenge to give something truly valuable back to their community. Wiesenthal is a one-man show that is not to be missed.
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 11/5/20 – To some, she might be known as Mary Ryan, Captain Kathryn Janeway, or Galina “Red” Reznikov.
But to those back in her home state of Iowa, Kate Mulgrew is simply one of them—a large Irish Catholic family and all.
Kate Mulgrew as Red in Orange Is the New Black
The 65-year-old actress and Dubuque native who rose to fame on TV’s “Ryan’s Hope,” “Star Trek: Voyager” and “Orange Is the New Black” will be the recipient of the 2020 Eugene O’Neill Lifetime Achievement Award, organizers announced recently.
Mulgrew will join the roster with recipients Peter Quinn, Joanie Madden, Phil Donahue, Malachy McCourt, Patricia Harty, Pete Hamill, John Patrick Shanley, Judy Collins, Charlotte Moore and Ciarán O’Reilly of the Irish Repertory Theatre, Brian Dennehy and William Kennedy.
“I am delighted, humbled and deeply honored to be awarded the Eugene O’Neill Lifetime Award,” Mulgrew stated in a press release. “Having come late to writing, I find a certain inexplicable gratification in the process itself, not to mention the entirely unexpected recognition I have received for my memoirs. It strikes me as a brave new world, a path not indicated for the faint of heart, but if well-chosen, a path surpassing any other.”
To celebrate the announcement, I took a cue from the Telegraph Herald and decided to include a timeline of Mulgrew’s career highlights.
Actress Kate Mulgrew in her New York City apartment. She talks about her memoir, “How to Forget,” which chronicles her journey home to Iowa after her father is diagnosed with cancer and her mother with Alzheimer’s. (Rick Loomis)
April 29, 1955: Mulgrew is born in Dubuque to Thomas James Mulgrew II and Joan Virginia Mulgrew. Upon graduating from Wahlert Catholic High School, she leaves Dubuque to study acting at the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting in New York.
1975: Mulgrew lands the role of Mary Ryan on the ABC soap opera, “Ryan’s Hope.” She also embraces the stage, playing Emily Webb in the American Shakespeare Theatre production of “Our Town.”
1977: Mulgrew gives birth to a daughter and places her for adoption.
1978: Mulgrew appears in an episode of “Dallas,” as country singer Garnet McGee.
1979-1980: Mulgrew plays Kate Columbo in “Mrs. Columbo,” a spin-off created for her from the detective series, “Columbo.”
1981: Mulgrew co-stars with Richard Burton and Nicholas Clay in “Lovespell.” She also appears in the miniseries, “Manions of America,” alongside Pierce Brosnan.
1982: Mulgrew marries Robert Egan, having two children. The couple divorced in 1995.
1985: Mulgrew appears in “Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.”
1986: Mulgrew appears as Janet Eldridge in several episodes of “Cheers.”
1987: Mulgrew appears in the film, “Throw Momma from the Train,” as Margaret, the ex-wife of Billy Crystal’s character.
1992: Mulgrew appears as Hillary Wheaton on “Murphy Brown,” an anchorwoman brought in to replace Brown during her maternity leave. She also appears as a soap opera star who attempts to kill her husband on “Murder, She Wrote,” as well as guest-starring as Red Claw on “Batman: The Animated Series.”
1995: Mulgrew takes on the role of fearless leader Captain Kathryn Janeway in “Star Trek: Voyager,” making her the first female captain as a series regular in a leading role among the “Star Trek” franchise. She also would voice the character in “Star Trek” video games.
1998: Mulgrew wins a Saturn Award for Best TV Actress in her portrayal of Captain Kathryn Janeway on “Star Trek: Voyager.” The same year, Mulgrew receives a call from the daughter she had placed for adoption. The pair reunite in 2001.
1999: Mulgrew marries Tim Hagen. The couple divorced in 2014.
2003: Mulgrew stars in the one-woman play, “Tea at Five,” based on Katharine Hepburn’s memoir, “Me: Stories of My Life.” Mulgrew netted two awards for her performance — Best Actress from Carbonell and the Audience Award for Favorite Solo Performance from Broadway.com.
2004: Thomas James Mulgrew II succumbs to lung cancer.
2006: Mulgrew returns to television, guest-starring on an episode of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” The same year, her mother dies after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Mulgrew goes on to become a member of the National Advisory Committee of the Alzheimer’s Association.
2007: Mulgrew appears in the NBC series, “The Black Donnellys.” She also stars in the off-Broadway production, “Our Leading Lady,” earning a Drama League nomination, and performs the role of Clytemnestra in “Iphigenia 2.0,” earning an Obie Award.
2008: Mulgrew appears in Broadway’s “Equus.” She also films the 30-minute courtroom drama, “The Response,” based on transcripts from Guantanamo Bay.
2009: Mulgrew takes on a recurring role as Jeannie Flanagan in the NBC series, “Mercy.”
2010: Mulgrew appears in the film, “The Best and Brightest.” She also stars as Cleopatra in Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra” at Hartford Stage.
2011: Mulgrew appears in the feature-length documentary, “The Captains,” written and directed by William Shatner. He interviews the actors who succeeded him in playing a Starfleet captain in the “Star Trek” franchise.
2001-2013: Mulgrew appears as Kove on Adult Swim’s “NTSF:SD: SUV.”
2013-2019: Mulgrew stars as inmate Galina “Red” Reznikov in Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black.”
2014: Mulgrew is nominated for her first Primetime Emmy Award for her role in “Orange Is the New Black.”
2015: Mulgrew releases her debut memoir, “Born with Teeth.” She returns to Dubuque for a discussion about the book, with her brother, Sam Mulgrew, moderating. She also helps launch the 2015 Julien Dubuque International Film Festival.
2019: Mulgrew releases her sophomore book, “How to Forget: A Daughter’s Memoir.”
2021: Mulgrew will reprise her role as Captain Kathryn Janeway in the upcoming animated, “Star Trek: Prodigy,” set to premiere on Nickelodeon.
While she may not have buckets of Emmys under her belt, Mulgrew has always been humbled by the recognition she has received over the course of her fifty-year long career and is rightfully proud to have been cast as Kathryn Janeway, whose bust now rests comfortably in the character’s birthplace: Bloomington, Indiana. You’ll find it along the B-Line Trail right next to the WonderLab Museum. Can’t miss it.
A virtual award ceremony is slated for December 7th, The illustrious accolade, which honors the remarkable achievements of Irish-American writers each year, is much deserved.