Alan Mercer's PROFILE

The Elegance of Morgan Brittany

2012-01-25T18:42:00.000-08:00

All Photos: Alan Mercer Lighting: Roger Fojas

Morgan Brittany is one of the most beautiful film and television actresses of all time. She is best known for her role in the 1980‘s prime time soap opera ‘Dallas,’ where she portrayed Katherine Wentworth. It’s hard to forget those penetrating blue eyes and her striking dark hair. I have always thought of her as a world class beauty. It was very exciting to photograph her one afternoon. She told me this was her first photo session in a few years and she wanted to see what she looked like now. We talked about our mutual appreciation of Hedy Lamarr’s photogenic beauty right before the shutter started clicking.

Some people may not know that Morgan, under her birth name, Suzanne Cupito, began her career as a child in 1960 in an episode of the original ’Twilight Zone’ series. She then appeared in a fourth season episode and most famously in the fifth season episode 'Caesar and Me,’ one of the most popular of all the series. She discusses these parts in interviews for the ‘Twilight Zone Definitive Edition’ DVDs.

She appears in the 1962 film ‘Gypsy’ as "Baby" June. Although uncredited, she is in the birthday party scene in the 1963 Hitchcock movie ‘The Birds.’ In 1964 she filmed an episode of ‘Daniel Boone’ portraying a young mute girl. She appears in a 1967 episode of 'The Andy Griffith Show’ as "Mary Alice Carter", whom Opie Taylor asks out for his first date. She is also in the 1968 film, ‘Yours, Mine and Ours’ along side Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda.

After her successful career as a child actress, Morgan, at the age of 18, appeared with Gene Kelly in his Las Vegas show ‘Gene Kelly's Wonderful World of Girls.’ After that, she moved to New York City where she became a model with the Ford Modeling Agency. She appeared in a multitude of national commercials and print ads including a 3 year stint as the "Ultra-Brite toothpaste" girl, L'Oreal cosmetics, Ford, Levi's, Camay soap and many more.

In 1974 she was hired by the Japanese cosmetics company Kanebo to be the "face" of their product "Ireine". Morgan moved to Tokyo and represented that company for two years. In 1976 she returned to the United States and restarted her acting career. Also in 1976 Morgan portrayed Vivien Leigh in the biopic ‘Gable and Lombard.’ That was followed by numerous movies of the week and shows such as ‘The Initiation of Sarah’ with Kay Lenz, ‘The Amazing Howard Hughes’ with Tommy Lee Jones, and ‘LBJ, The Early Years’ with Randy Quaid.

Her brief appearance as Vivien Leigh again, is the climax of the made-for-TV movie Moviola: The Scarlett O'Hara War (1980). Because of that pivotal moment, she came to the attention of the producers of ‘Dallas’ who were searching for a new character to play the sister of Pamela Ewing.

Morgan first appeared on ‘Dallas’ during the 1981-1982 season in a recurring role which continued for several seasons. In 1985, she returned for a brief cameo appearance in that season's finale. Thus, in 1987, Morgan made another brief return to the show in which Katherine came to visit Pam in the hospital after a car accident. This was Morgan's last appearance on ‘Dallas.’

In 1984, Morgan Brittany starred in her own short-lived ABC drama series, ‘Glitter,’ as "Kate Simpson", a reporter at an entertainment magazine. She has also guest starred on a number of other prime time shows, such as ‘Married....With Children,’ ‘The Dukes Of Hazzard,’ ‘Murder, She Wrote,’ and ‘Melrose Place,’ and has the distinction of appearing on ‘The Love Boat’ seven times. She also appeared with Bob Hope on two of his television specials for NBC.

In 2002, Morgan had roles in the film, ‘The Biggest Fan,’ and ‘Mothers and Daughters.’ She also had a guest appearance on the television series’Son Of The Beach.’ in 2002. She also appears in the 2007 film ‘Americanizing Shelley.’ Morgan appears in the 2010 docu-drama ‘1 a Minute.’ The documentary features cancer survivors. She is currently a frequent guest on the Fox News Networks, ‘Hannity’ show where she is a member of the "Great American Panel". Morgan travels extensively, fund-raising and bringing awareness to issues that affect the military and American values.

She is also an advocate for child actors in Hollywood and along with former child star Paul Peterson, brought attention to the film ‘Hounddog’ starring Dakota Fanning. Morgan returned to her musical roots in the 30th anniversary tour of ‘Mame’ in 1997 where she played the title role. She followed that with tours of "The Sound of Music’ as Maria, and ‘Crazy For You.’

Morgan is the mother of actress Katie Gill and musician/stuntman Cody Gill. She met her husband, stuntman Jack Gill, when she did a guest appearance on the ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ show.

AM: Morgan you made such an indelible impression in the TV Show ‘Dallas’ that I don’t think a lot of people realize you are an experienced child actor as well. Do you have vivid memories of that time?

MB: Oh I do!

AM: You’ve talked about ‘Twilight Zone’ since the day you taped it right?

MB: I’ve probably talked about ‘Twilight Zone’ and ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ more than anything! I cannot believe how many fans are still out there and love ‘The Andy Griffith Show’!

AM: You were on a really great episode.

MB: It was a good episode and the funny thing is when they play them over and over again people think I’ve done more episodes than I did. I have a lot of people who ask me about it and I do have great memories about all the work that I did. As difficult as it was to be a child actress and surviving it and becoming an adult actress, I’m actually glad I had that opportunity.

AM: Do you remember working on the film ‘Gypsy?’

MB: Oh yes, I was eight years old. I remember the audition process, the shooting, the studios, the sound stages, the way that we did things. Fortunately I have a lot of behind the scenes stills that were taken so it jogs my memory. I look at them and go, “I remember that!”

AM: When I watched you in your episode of ‘Twilight Zone’ I was thinking it gave you practice for your part in ‘Dallas.’

MB: Oh I know!

AM: Most of your parts were sweeter weren’t they?

MB: I always played the child who had an affliction. I was blind or somehow had a problem. I was always the sweet little child. When ‘Twilight Zone’ came along it was like a one-eighty.

AM: I bet you had fun doing it didn’t you?

MB: I had a blast! It was great.

AM: Did you have to beg the parents to be an actress?

MB: Oh no, I had no choice. My mother was a single mom and we lived in a hotel in downtown LA with my grandmother. We had no money so as soon as I could they got me out there and got me an agent and put me in commercials. Now remember this was in the Fifties and there were not very many child actors in the Fifties. They put me in dance class and acting class. I had no life except performing. I really didn’t know any different.

AM: Was this a fulfilling childhood for you?

MB: I really just didn’t know any better. I didn’t know any other life. I was trained to sing and dance. I guess I was more like a dancing doll that they put away at night and brought out every morning.

AM: You’re not bitter about this are you?

MB: Looking back on it, it was a great experience for me, but I missed a lot. I missed having friends and going to school, the normal things. I couldn’t go out and play because God forbid if I skinned my knee or broke my arm or anything, there would be no money. I lived in a bubble and I was a performer. When I got a little older and the career ended, I had to make a decision, do I continue this? Is this what I really want or do I want to do something else? It took me a while to decide but I wasn’t trained to do anything else so....

AM: Did you take off time between being a child actress and working as an adult in film?

MB: The last thing I did as a child was the film 'Yours, Mine and Ours’ with Lucille Ball. I was fourteen at the time. After that, the phone stopped ringing because I was no longer a little kid but I wasn’t old enough to play adult roles. They used actors over eighteen at that point. Everything dried up...everything. It was basically go home, get married and have a life, thank you very much.

AM: That must have been difficult to understand.

MB: That’s a big shock to somebody who’s done that their whole life! I didn’t have the social skills even though I was an adult when I was six! I’m dealing with call times, paper work, contracts, working with adults, being professional from the earliest age I can remember. I never went through a goofy kid kind of thing. When I tried to relate to teens my own age I was more like thirty! They didn’t understand me and I didn’t understand them. It was very difficult to make that transition.

AM: Did you socialize more with adults?

MB: From the time I was fourteen to eighteen I really didn’t socialize at all. I cut myself off from everything because I was going through this soul searching and wondering why the industry didn’t want me anymore. Why don’t they like me anymore? What did I do? What’s wrong with me? Honestly that’s what childhood actors go through. If you look at the history of some childhood actors, they are alcoholics, drug addicted, suicidal, spend time in jail, real tragedies. The only thing I can equate it to is politics where you’re running for President and the spotlight is on you and the minute the election is over they don’t know who you are!

AM: That is the nature of fame, even more so today.

MB: I know! I think so too.

AM: Why do you think you actually survived and thrived into adulthood?

MB: I made a conscience effort to change my entire image.

AM: What did you do?

MB: At eighteen I went to Las Vegas and I was a dancer with Gene Kelly. I wasn’t even old enough to go inside the casinos, but I was in the show. I knew I could dance and sing so I got back in by doing little things like that. Then I decided to try and get another agent but I was unsuccessful because they kept asking me if I was that kid actor. I had no money left. The only thing I had left was a car so I sold it, took all the money I had and moved to New York City. There I changed my name and changed my image. I threw out my resume and started over.

AM: That takes some courage!

MB: I completely started over. I bluffed my way into casting offices as ‘Morgan Brittany.’ I remember going into the ad agencies. Have you seen 'Mad Men’? That’s how it was when I was doing commercials.

AM: I love ‘Mad Men’! What did you say to get in?

MB: I’d start by talking to the secretary. I would say that I had an appointment to see so and so. I was in town from LA and the William Morris Agency told me to drop by and say hello! Then the secretary would say, “Who are you supposed to be seeing?” Then I would say, “I can’t remember her name but she works in casting.” Sometimes it worked and some times it didn’t. But I would often get in and the casting person would go, “Who sent you!?!” So I would repeat that I was with William Morris in LA and they asked me to come see you. Suddenly I’d have copy to read and they thought they’d discovered somebody right there!

AM: Wow! That is truly amazing. I wonder if you could get away with that today?

MB: I doubt it with the internet now, but back then it worked.

AM: And you started doing commercial after commercial and modeling didn’t you?

MB: Yes I did. I did many photo shoots with people like Francesco Scavullo. The funny thing was I was the only one who knew I had all this background. Well of course I’m going to know how to ready copy! (Laughing)

AM: You would have been brilliant! (laughter)

MB: They’re thinking look who we’ve discovered! Oh my gosh! She’s a natural! (more laughter) The whole story finally came out when I did ‘Dallas.’ That’s when people started connecting the dots and going wait a minute. She looks like the little girl on ‘Twilight Zone.”

AM: You do look exactly the same as a child or an adult.

MB: Yes, there’s not that much difference.

AM: One of my favorite movies you made is called 'The Initiation of Sarah.’ What a fun film!

MB: A great film I know! (laughing)

AM: I love how sweet you are in this movie.

MB: Sweet and oblivious! Kay Lenz is wonderful in that.

AM: All of you are great.

MB: Morgan Fairchild is awesome in this!

AM: You all went on to play great parts on TV, which leads me to ‘Dallas.’ How much do I love Katherine Wentworth?

MB: She got worse and worse didn’t she?

AM: Did you enjoy playing this character the crazier she got?

MB: I did. It’s always more fun to play those roles. It just is. You really can’t be directed because the director just lets you go wherever you’re going to go. Whatever you do will work for a crazy person.

AM: Why is this?

MB: You have no parameters. You can get away with so much. I learned a lot from Larry Hagman about crossing the line playing an evil person. He always told me that I wanted the audience to be able to relate to me a little. You want them loving to hate you. He had that down perfect. My character went into the crazy zone. She was murdering people and doing all that kind of thing. That’s where she ended up.

AM: I think you have a great gift for comedy too. I’ve seen your guest stints on comedies like ‘Married With Children.’

MB: I had so much fun! (laughing)

AM: I guess with so much work behind you, it may not be as interesting for you to work anymore?

MB: If something came up that I really felt passionate about and it was a character that I really wanted to do, I would do it. Right now I’m not going to work just to work, no. I just don’t want to do that.

AM: Well you have a full life and a family now.

MB: I do. I have other things that I do now. I did fulfill one of my dreams, which was a lot more difficult than I thought it was going to be, and that was doing a Broadway Show tour. I did 90 cities in six months.

AM: What show?

MB: I was Auntie Mame in ‘Mame.’

AM: You decided to start with the hardest role!

MB: I did! I thought, I’m a dancer and a singer, I can do this! WOW! It was really, really hard. All this packing up and moving to the next place. A tour takes a lot out of you, but it was one of the things I wanted to do in my life and I did it and I’m glad I did it.

AM: You really like Theater don’t you?

MB: You just can’t say enough about Theater. You get instant reaction. When you hit that stage for two and a half hours, there’s no work for five minutes and go to your trailer, you hit that stage and you go a hundred miles an hour for the two and a half hours. There’s nothing like it! I’ve always noticed that theater actors are the most professional and giving. They really have the art down. This is not to say that film and TV actors don’t have their special qualities but many of them go to Broadway after they become famous because they know to do that is the real art.

To learn more about Morgan Brittany visit her web site http://www.morganbrittany.com/

On The Phone With Phyllis Diller

2012-01-22T07:53:00.000-08:00

All Photos: Alan Mercer

In the three years I have been posting this blog many people have written asking if I was ever going to have Phyllis Diller on here. At the age of 94 Miss Diller simply isn’t available for all requests. Thanks to my friend Jeffrey Dalrymple and Karla Thomas for making the arrangements letting me visit with the legendary comic over the phone. I have taken one photo of Miss Diller seven years ago that she uses as one of her often requested ‘autographed photos.’ I‘ve also had the pleasure of visiting her home and taking these photos. It’s a real honor to have this Comic Legend on the blog! Just in case some of you aren’t aware of her career I have an introduction here.

Phyllis Diller created a stage persona of a wild-haired, eccentrically dressed housewife who makes jokes about a husband named "Fang" while pretending to smoke from a long cigarette holder. Although known for decades for smoking from long cigarette holders in her comedy act, Phyllis is a lifelong nonsmoker, and the cigarette holders were stage props that she had specially constructed. She is an accomplished pianist as well as a painter. Another of Phyllis Diller's signatures is her unusual laugh.

Phyllis first appeared as a stand-up at The Purple Onion on March 7, 1955 and remained there for 87 straight weeks. She appeared on "Del Courtney's Showcase" on KPIX television on November 3, 1956. Phyllis Diller's fame was expanded when she co-starred with Bob Hope in 23 television specials and three films in the 1960‘s. Bob Hope invited Phyllis to perform with him in Vietnam in 1966 with his USO troupe during the height of the Vietnam War.

In 1998, Phyllis Diller provided the vocals for the Queen in Disney/Pixar's animated movie ‘A Bug‘s Life.’ Recently ‘The Rosie O’Donnell Show’ devoted an entire hour to Phyllis and her career.

The Bob Hope Salon

AM: It’s very exciting to be able to talk with you Miss Diller. Did you enjoy going on the ‘Rosie O’Donnell Show’ recently?

PD: Oh boy! What a thrill! Imagine having a whole hour of prime wonderful time to talk with the people and Rosie. It was a great thrill!

AM: It was great to watch it and see how fabulous you are! Do you miss traveling and doing your show?

PD: Yes, of course I do! I miss the excitement. I miss the show. I love the laughs, but I’m very happy now.

AM: That’s good to hear. I had the pleasure of seeing your show a few times and I can’t tell you how much fun I had! Some of the most joyful hours of my life!

PD: Good, good, that’s the whole idea.

AM: Do you get to paint every day?

PD: I don’t paint everyday because I really don’t have the en-er-gy or I have things to do. I’ve been gone all day to two doctor appointments. When you get to be 94 you spend a lot of time with cute looking doctors.

AM: When you aren’t going to doctors does painting fulfill your creative urges now?

PD: Yes, yes it’s very fulfilling. I just sold a painting that going to be shown in a very commercial spot...where all the action is. It’s going on display at the Kodak Theater.

AM: Congratulations!

PD: A friend is building an expensive candy shop and he commissioned a painting that will be shown there.

AM: So you do accept commissioned work?

PD: Yes I do and I have several but I have these health problems that get in the way. I should be painting but instead I keep going to all these doctors. Then in a couple of weeks I’m doing a guest spot on ‘The Bold and the Beautiful.’

AM: Wow! That’s wonderful!

PD: It sure is!

AM: Do you still play your piano?

PD: No...I had to give something up.

AM: I like the portrait of Bob Hope you have in your home.

PD: I worship the man. I love having his likeness in what I call the ‘Bob Hope Salon.’ The painting gives the room a little class.

AM: Is there going to be a biography made about you?

PD: I don’t know. I’m still living it.

AM: Who do you want to play you in a movie?

PD: Sandra Bullock...she can do anything. She’s a wonderful pianist.

AM: Is there anything you’d like to do that you haven’t done already?

PD: No.

AM: That’s great news!

PD: (Laughing the way only Phyllis Diller can laugh)

AM: Do you realize how much everyone loves and adores you?

PD: Oh Alan, you’re so sweet. Well it makes me feel good.

AM: You really are a legend.

PD: That’s very sweet of you.

AM: One last question...Do you have any words of wisdom that you live by?

PD: Yes, I strive to be truthful and honest. Give...instead of take. Always try to be thinking of what you can give.

AM: All our mutual friends say you are as giving a friend as anyone could ever have.

PD: Well I have a bunch of wonderful friends.

AM: Thank you for your time Miss Diller.

PD: It was a pleasure talking to you Alan. Thank you dear.

Etta James Tribute

2012-01-20T16:45:00.000-08:00

All Photos: Alan Mercer Make-up: Rudy Calvo

American Music Legend Etta James passed away today after a lengthy illness. The news was not unexpected, but I still felt the pain of loss, along with a slight sense of relief that her pain was now over and she was home.

I can’t say I knew Etta very well but what I did know of her I truly loved. She was as warm as the afternoon sun with a smile that had real calming power. It was easy to see the Goddess within her. Etta was always real. She didn’t like phoney and could see right through it. Her dressing room was never a social spot but rather a sanctuary where she could be at peace until the show. She didn’t need to meet people. Celebrity didn’t impress her. The only reason I got access into her private world was because of Rudy Calvo and I will always be grateful to him. Rudy was Etta’s long-time friend and make-up artist.

I met Etta the day she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I documented the ceremony starting with her getting out of her Bentley and then took some candid shots in the Roosevelt Hotel. Etta fell in love with that picture and Essence magazine published it.

A few months later she played the House of Blues in Los Angeles and I got one portrait of her in the dressing room. Etta also loved this portrait so when it came time to shoot her next album cover she chose me to photograph her. The album was titled ‘Blues To The Bone’ and won a Grammy! The publicity shots that went with the CD were used on billboards and posters all over the world and in People magazine.

I was blessed again this past fall when Etta’s final album ‘The Dreamer’ was released with another of my photographs gracing the cover.

Good-bye sweet songstress......thank you for blessing us with your talent and beauty...Have fun singing with the Angels!

Brad Rowe Can Do Anything

2012-01-15T15:25:00.000-08:00

All Photos: Alan Mercer Lighting: Eric V.

I have always loved Brad Rowe’s acting work. When I originally started this blog he was one of the actors I wanted to feature so I’m happy he’s here to celebrate the third anniversary with me. Brad is one of the nicest people in Hollywood. He is also one of the smartest people I have ever met in my life.

Brad Rowe began his career in movies with a big splash in ‘Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss,’ which also launched the career of Sean Hayes. He became a semi-regular on the sitcom 'Newsradio’ in 1998. He went on to star in several films like 'Stonebrook’ and 'Body Shots’ and more television appearances on shows like 'Wasteland,’ 'Leap of Faith’ and 'The Outer Limits.’ His credits are just too long to mention all his work.

He took part in Tony Zierra's 2009 documentary’My Big Break’ which follows the early careers of Brad, Wes Bentley, and two other actors. This film is a rather fascinating look at the reality of Hollywood.

In 2007, he played Shaun, the romantic interest of the central character in the critically acclaimed film ’Shelter.' This is one of Brad’s finest film works showcasing his range as an actor. Many people have seen ‘Shelter’ a dozen times or more.

He appeared on ’General Hospital’ as Murphy Sinclair in 2010. More recent appearances include ‘The Mentalist,' ‘Cold Case,' ‘CSI: New York,' ‘Ghost Whisperer’ and ‘How I Met Your Mother.' He also spends time filming his own documentaries.

A University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate, Brad graduated with a degree in Economics and originally worked as a finance manager for political campaigns in Washington D.C. before moving to Los Angeles, to pursue a career in writing and acting.

Brad is a volunteer who teaches weekly classes helping the homeless and economically disadvantaged find jobs. He is also the host of the talk radio Podcast series titled ‘MIPtalk: Conversations with the World's Most Interesting People.’ Here Brad and his partner Noam Dromi talk to experts in their different fields in ways that us common people can understand.

Brad and his wife Lisa have a son named Hopper. Special thanks for Jim Forgetta for arranging this.

AM: Brad, why are you back in school?

BR: About seven years ago I made a conscientious shift from just acting to the original reason I came out here to LA, which was to be a screenwriter and to produce.

AM: So were you wanting to be an actor originally?

BR: Really, and I say this in the most complimentary way, I fell into acting, total dumb luck. I started out in the business schlepping scripts with four different agencies and I got shoved in the pile to go out and audition for some stuff and that’s how I got started in this business.

AM: So once you got started acting you did enjoy it, right?

BR: I fell in love with acting, studied hard and worked a ton over the past fifteen years, but seven years ago I started writing and producing documentary films. I’ve worked on a couple social documentaries including a couple of award-winning films.

AM: What are the documentaries about?

BR: One was called ‘Women On The Edge’ which is about immigrants coming in from Mexico to the United States and the other one is on homelessness in Los Angeles. From that I have since produced dozens of short biographical films on philanthropic characters, some of the best public servants out there like the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. I’ve had a chance to travel around the United States and the world a little bit digging up really interesting stories.

AM: That sounds fascinating. Are you writing a new screenplay now?

BR: On the screen writing side I got really excited again about telling meaningful, as well as fun, stories. I have a nice social commentary type of project, but in a fun vane like 'The Anniversary Party’ called ‘For Better Or For Worse’ which I may end up directing this summer. It’s going to be a lot of fun.

AM: What is the story about?

BR: It takes place in one house over one weekend with a crazy wedding celebration. It just so happens that the two people getting married are two grooms. The matriarch of the whole family will be played by Ruta Lee. She’s recently widowed in the movie. Her conservative husband is gone so she is able to accept her son for who he is. This movie was born out of the social message of the Prop 8 campaigns. So anyway getting back to your question as to why I’m in school. I’m at UCLA in the Luskin School of Public Affairs getting a masters degree in the public policy program.

AM: When did you start?

BR: I just started in September. I looked at schools all over the United States, but they accepted me first and quickly. So quickly that I wasn’t expecting to start school until next fall, but last August they told me I could start right away. I was totally unprepared for it but I thought why not!

AM: Why did you decide to do this?

BR: I wanted to get involved to augment some of the entertainment projects that I am working on. I wanted the ability to participate in political conversations at a meaningful level with policy makers to understand and be able to work with statistics and information. I want to help move along political agendas in this era that seems to be totally stigmatized. It’s frustrating for me to see what has happened to the political structure of our country, but it’s also inspiring for me. One of my first jobs out of college was as a campaign finance manager for political campaigns. Since my son was born I have been very involved in community issues. I’ve been teaching now for the last ten years downtown with the homeless population.

AM: What do you teach?

BR: I teach goal setting and stress management courses. I really just want to take my education to the next level.

AM: What are you going to do with this schooling?

BR: I don’t know right now. I’m one quarter into it. It’s going very well and I’m having a great time. I love being on campus four days a week. I’m connected with some great advisors and mentors. I don’t know if come Spring of 2013, if this is going to add fuel to fire of what I’ve been doing with film or my podcast talk show, ‘MIPTalk: Conversations with the World’s Most Interesting People.’ I don’t know if it’s going to continue blazing down that trail or if it’s going to be a pivot in some way.

AM: This ties into your podcast show ‘MIPTalk doesn’t it?

BR: Very much so!

AM: How did you get started doing these shows?

BR: MIPTalk was a baby born from a co-writer friend of mine, Noam Dromi, who has recently had a wonderful ride of success. He wrote ‘A Dolphin Tale’ so he’s had a really nice year! Noam is a really bright life-long learner. He’s a real smart guy and he and I started this almost four years ago.

AM: What was your goal with the podcast?

BR: We wanted to create a forum where we could have conversations with people who were outside the realms of what we were used to talking about, which is box office and Nielson ratings. We didn’t really know what it would be. We’ve had a chance to be exposed to thought leaders, trailblazers, people who are doing bizarre things in the arts, people who are cutting their teeth on interesting projects in science and academia. It has really formed itself. We somehow found a large wonderful audience. About 60% is international. We do mostly long form interviews and we get great feedback.

AM: You must have a well-rounded interest in lots of different topics.

BR: Yes, that’s who I am, but it’s really been brought out. MIPTalk has flushed those colors out. I don’t know the first thing about DNA or paranormal activity and how to capture it on film. I don’t know the first thing about what it’s like to be in solitary confinement. I don’t know what its like to be the mother of a child who’s suffering from a severe mental illness. I don’t know what it’s like to be fighting against the crime cartels in Mexico! I don’t know these things, but I can sure try and set up the interviews. Then I can do my best to research it and understand what these people stand for.

AM: You make the conversations easy to understand for those of us that aren’t as smart.

BR: I always try to take it from the layman’s side. I like the conversation to bounce back and forth between the lay area and the expert. I let them tease us with their extraordinary knowledge they have and also bring it back into terms that are easily understandable.

AM: With all this going on, is acting becoming less important to you after fifteen years in the business?

BR: No it’s not. I think acting is as much a part of my life as it ever has been. It fuels all these other things. When I first started acting it was about learning all these skills like sense memory, what are my obstacles, how do I break down a script, learning to memorize my lines, being professional and showing up for auditions...that’s what the first several years were about. Then you do it for over a dozen years and it seems like something different happens. You show up on a set and you are carrying your briefcase.

AM: What do you mean by this?

BR: It’s a given that I’ll show up knowing my lines and ready to do the work and have some fun with the other actors. Certainly as I’ve gotten older I’ve learned to be grateful for the playtime that it is. So much of the other parts of the business are such a pain in the ass that when you actually get to show up on a set and there’s a crew and the director wants to mold the scenes and you can participate in the sandbox with other talented actors...holy cow! It’s such a treat. It blows me away.

AM: There are quite a few steps before there is a finished product isn’t there?

BR: I feel so grateful when the magic happens...first of all that you get a job! Second, that it’s coming together and you’re actually shooting it. Third, that you actually get something in the can and finally sometimes these things do magically come together and actually work! When you watch it on television or the movie screen and you see the joke that was funny or you connect with someone who has been afraid of a part of their self. You are like a tour guide. You take people on these journeys and that is amazingly powerful.

AM: Brad, two of your most famous films deal with gay themes. You have ended up being a gay activist. What do you think of that?

BR: When you get to be someone who has, to some level, become iconic in the gay, lesbian, transgender community, it’s amazing. This is such an important time in that communities development in America. We’re really at the forefront of this social development that is the normalization through the political process...more than most countries. The numbers are huge in support of gay marriage, the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, but right now it’s still illegal to be open about your sexuality in the workplace in a lot of states in the country. There’s a long way to go but the conversation is out there.

AM: Can you see progress being made?

BR: There has been some progress made. I truly believe that by the time my son is an adult, gays will be able to get married. I call this a civil right issue and I can’t think of one that is more important right now. When you look at people through the lense of the state, they should all be equal and given an equal right to call themselves a married couple. A domestic partnership is not equal or the same and certainly when you look at the legal rights that are still being withheld to a lot of gay couples, it is not right. We all know on a judicial level that it’s not right. I even think a lot of people who think marriage should only be between a man and a woman know it’s not right.

AM: Do you respect people who disagree with same sex marriage?

BR: I do respect people who have this belief. I really do, but as long as marriage is a state institution...it’s the same way I wouldn’t want the state to with hold a driver’s license to a gay man or woman, you can’t be a state institution and discriminate. You just can’t and it’s not allowed on any other level for anything. To get back to your question, it has been a real pleasure to be in the middle of that conversation just by the very fact that I’ve done two gay themed films.

AM: They are both so popular!

BR: They are popular...it’s really neat that the question has come up. I’m very proud of how fun and good ‘Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss’ turned out to be, but I’m REALLY proud of the message that ‘Shelter’ was able to get across. A lot of older people who have a gay son or daughter have come up to me and told me they didn’t understand being gay until they saw this movie and how much it helped them.

AM: Brad, you are just a really great actor. I don’t think there’s a part you couldn’t play.

BR: Well hey! I hope I get a chance to do a few more roles. Whether it’s gay or straight the thing that attracts me to a project is the script. I love how the sexuality was incidental to the story in ‘Shelter.’ It was about two people who needed to find each other.

To learn more about Brad Rowe visit http://www.miptalk.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/BradRoweOfficial

Full Speed Ahead with Del Shores

2012-01-08T12:57:00.000-08:00

All Photos: Alan Mercer

This is Del Shore’s second time on my blog. I featured him back in June of 2009 when this blog was pretty new. Del is one of the funniest and most talented people anywhere. Officially he is a a film director and producer, a television director and producer, playwrite and actor.

The first play Del wrote was ‘Daddy's Dyin': Who's Got the Will?’ which saw a 1987 debut in Los Angeles. The comedic play was adapted for the 1990 film with the same name. Del wrote the screenplay and executive produced the feature.

Del's best known play is his fourth, ‘Sordid Lives’, which debuted in 1996 in Los Angeles. The comedy centered around the Texan Ingram family. Del wrote and direct the screen version of ‘Sordid Lives.’ Eight years later he produced 12 prequel episodes of ‘Sordid Lives: The Series’ which aired on cable television.

In 2010, Del Shores debuted his next award-winning play ‘Yellow’ at the Coast Playhouse in West Hollywood. ‘Yellow’ chronicles a year in the life of what seems to be the perfect family, whose foundations are rocked to the breaking point by an unexpected tragedy. Hard-hitting and surprisingly funny, ‘Yellow’ dives head-first into the themes of cowardice, intolerance and the damage caused to families by secrets, rejection and the difficulty of forgiveness.

His new film‘The Trials and Tribulations Of A Trailer Trash Housewife’ is an adaption of another of his award-winning plays of the same name and will be making the rounds of film festivals this summer. He will direct the film version of his award-winning hit play ‘Southern Baptist Sissies’ this summer in Dallas, Texas.

Del has two daughters, Caroline and Rebecca, from a previous marriage to Kelley Alexander. He is currently going through a divorce with his partner of ten years Jason Dottley. They had been legally married since 2008.

AM: Del, it seems like you are doing a lot of creative projects all of a sudden.

DS: I had a lot planned already. This was all timing. I had planned to use December for what I love to do most and that’s sit in front of the fire and write something that I care about. That’s when I wrote ‘Yellow’ and the play version of ‘Trailer Trash Housewives.’ I had originally planned to adapt ‘Yellow’ to a screenplay this past December, but then Jason decided he didn’t want to be married anymore right before Thanksgiving, so it threw my life into chaos.

AM: That must have been a lot to handle out of no where. What projects are you working on right now?

DS: Here’s what I have coming up, and it’s a lot. I’m writing the ‘Yellow’ screenplay and I have a new play with four women called ‘This Side Of Crazy’ (laughs) which could be my life story lately. Then I have a mockumentary film I’m working on with Leslie Jordan that we’re going to shoot in Texas in June. It’s called ‘The Happy Hollisters’ and it’s about a really messed up Gospel family who is in a decline and they’re trying to hold on to the last thread of fame.

AM: Will Leslie Jordan be in the film as well?

DS: Leslie will play the manager and Caroline Rhea will play his wife. I’m also getting the ‘Sordid Lives’ franchise back up with one more movie. It’s a really ambitious year. I decided the best way to film ‘Southern Baptist Sissies’ is in a church in Dallas. It’s even more needed now with all the bullying going on. I’m going to do it like old school PBS live theater. I’m going to put the play up for two weeks and shoot it from every angle like a movie but on stage. It will only cost a fraction and do just as well.

AM: Do you have a film date for this yet?

DS: If we can do it, I want to film ‘The Happy Hollisters’ and “Southern Baptist Sissies’ one right after the other in Dallas so I can keep the same crew going and I can keep editing. I’m learning the more you can do things economically, the more profitable your film will be, the easier you get investors. Texas is a right to work state so you can combine union and non-union crews. I teach there all the time and I love the actors there. I’m going to fill these projects with the good actors there.

AM: Tell me about ‘Trailer Trash Housewives.’ Is it filmed already?

DS: That’s the other thing! During all this recent crisis I was mixing the sound for that movie. Thank God for Emerson Collins. He is such a great producer. He organized it to where I literally came in, listened and he and Anthony Gore, my post production supervisor, had it all done. This has been a difficult time. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through...honestly.

AM: I understand...at least you are going to be busy!

DS: I am going to be so busy! Even the last month where I have been moving is so time consuming. I’m good until the evening then my mind starts to get active. I call that monkey chatter. The monkeys start chattering in the trees, “What did you do wrong?”

AM: Just keep going to therapy. It makes sense that you would need it now.

DS: I’ve made a living off going to therapy and then writing about it! I thought I was kind of done with therapy, but the moment this happened I was back in therapy. I’m taking care of that aspect of my life. I’ve been going to the Wellness Center a lot and Dr. Christopher George has been really helpful to me. I’m learning that our emotions are connected to our muscles. When you feel something bad that you haven’t felt in a long time, your muscles remember so I had that stress.

AM: Your daughters have been a big help haven’t they?

DS: They have been so amazing. I am so so blessed to have them.

AM: Well do you know when ‘Trailer Trash Housewives’ will be released?

DS: “Trailer Trash Housewives’ will play festivals this summer. We’re hoping to get into South by Southwest and Tribecca. We’re thinking either May or June. It feels like a summer release to us. We’re so lucky! The actors that are in the film are the first actors who ever read it in my living room.

AM: Who’s your cast?

DS: Beth Grant, Octavia Spencer, who is about to get on Oscar nomination ("The Help"), Dale Dickey who got a Spirit award for "Winter's Bone", and Debby Holiday and David Steen. They are so good in this movie. I am so proud of them. We shot it on 16mm film in 15 days!

AM: Well you really are going full speed ahead!

DS: I have one more thing coming up. I had to postpone it two weeks but I am filming my last show ‘Sordid Confessions’ at the Rose Room in Dallas on the 27th of January. Get tickets here http://www.delshores.tix.com/

The poster and DVD cover for Del Shores 'Sordid Confessions' show

To learn more about Del Shores visit his facebook page http://www.facebook.com/delshoresfanclub

Happy New Year with Stacy McQueen

2012-01-01T07:50:00.000-08:00

All Photos: Alan Mercer

Stacy McQueen is one of the funniest people I have ever met. She is also a sensitive and caring individual. I fell in love with her portrayal of the five year old Annette Champagne in the web series ‘Pretty’, now in it’s third season. We met up at her ‘magic cabin’ home in Los Angeles for an enlightening conversation and these photos.

Stacy attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and earned her BFA from Webster University Conservatory of Theater Arts where she was one of twelve, out of the nation, recipients of the prestigious Irene Ryan/ Kennedy Center Award. She moved to Los Angeles and studied with the late great Roy London with the likes of Brad Pitt and Geena Davis. She was saved by Dolph Ludgren in ‘I Come In Peace’, served a two and half year stint on ‘General Hospital’ playing nurse Sheila Cantillion and portrayed a whore with a heart of gold on ‘Quantum Leap.’

She got her big break when she was reunited with Dean Stockwell as a series regular on the sitcom ‘In The Mood.’ Unfortunately, it wasn't picked up. She worked on the short lived ‘Maybe This Time’ along with Craig Ferguson in his first TV role in the US.

She's performed in many plays around town. Stacy started making her own videos after Oxygen offered her a web series, twice, and then mysteriously took the deal off the table. She is now happily playing a 5 year old in the award winning web series ‘PRETTY.’

Special thanks to Charlie Mason for suggesting this blog!

AM: Stacy I know that you believe the law of attraction has given you a good life. Can you elaborate?

SMQ: It didn't happen overnight but I feel my life is magical. I try to be aware of what I am thinking about now. I often think to myself, "What do you want?" Give yourself those endorphins by thinking that way as opposed to thinking about what you don't want which produces stress and more tension.

AM: I do believe that whatever you give time and energy to in your thoughts is what you experience. If you sit around and dread all day you will always have things to dread. If you choose to let go and start fresh and think of what you want, you have energy.

SMQ: It's so simple when you start to understand it. Someone said, "You only have to think positive 51% of the time and your life will change," so I thought, "I can do that!" Every aspect of my life has changed since I made the decision to think a different way. Before my change of thinking I kept saying I can't catch a break. Now my mantra, that I recite one thousand times a day, I am not kidding, is "I'm The Luckiest Girl In The World" I go around saying, "I am so lucky. I'm so lucky."

AM: The solid bottom line is be grateful.

SMQ: That's it. That's the magic elixir. In any bad situation you may find yourself in, take the time to be grateful and feel the change. It's true. You can't be sad and be grateful at the same time. The more I believe that this world is a magical place...the more I experience it. I'll give you an example. I saw a gnome for sale in the flyer from Target and was going to go buy it and my girlfriend came over and asked me if I liked that gnome and of course I told her I was going to get it...and it was sitting on my kitchen table! She bought it for me!

AM: Were you always funny?

SMQ: Since I was a little kid I was an performer. I went to the High School of Performing Arts in Houston. I’m not bragging but I always rose to the top. In high school I won a scholarship and then I went to college and I won that big thing too. I always thought I was destined to be a star!

AM: Did you still think that when you moved to Los Angeles?

SMQ: My agent got me a manager here and I got ‘General Hospital’ and in my mind I thought it was so easy. That’s the show that broke me. I didn’t know that being funny was my thing, but I got to be a little funny on ‘General Hospital.’

AM: Did being on the show give you more confidence?

SMQ: I didn’t have a lot of confidence and I had so many auditions. I had these agents and all they would talk about is my weight...and I weighed thirty pounds less than I do now! They would ask me if I was pregnant every time I walked in there. Finally about ten years ago I just quit.

AM: What did you plan to do?

SMQ: I decided to just work on my writing. I wanted to do stand up but I didn’t know how to deliver jokes. I took a stand up class but I was too intimidated. Then my friend asked me to be the ‘Crafts Lady’ in her Woman’s Group, which I didn’t want to do, but I did. I started giving my presentation and everyone started laughing.

AM: Did you have a little bit of an act already?

SMQ: I didn’t have anything prepared. I really thought I was going to be a script doctor so I got an internship with a company that did script doctoring, but it didn’t feel right. I then said a prayer and asked God to give me a sign if I’m meant to be an actress. The phone rang right then and my best friend Steve Silverman asked me if I wanted to be in a play and I said, “Yes!” It was great fun to do the play and I found my groove again.

AM: How did you get involved with ‘Pretty: The Series’?

SMQ: Once again Steve Silverman called me and told me he wrote a web series and he asked me to read it. So I read it and then I asked him if I was Annette and he said yes. I thought it was the funniest thing ever. Again I get to bypass auditioning and just have fun. When I went to auditions I had stomach issues and it was too much. I couldn’t take it.

AM: ‘Pretty: The Series’ is absolutely hysterical. How did it start?

SMQ: I feel so incredibly lucky to be in this business long enough to get in the web shows. Nobody can tell me I can’t do it. Steve did it right. He treats it like a TV show, even if it’s very low budget. He usually sends me what he writes and of course there are always note giving back and forth. Pretty much Season 1 stayed exactly how he wrote it off the top of his head. GENIUS MOMENT! Everyone he showed it to said YES and jumped on board.

AM: Wow that isn’t very common. How long does it take to film a season?

SMQ: It takes about two weekends. I think we shot season three in six days. We have a whole new look because of the camera. Each season gets better.

AM: What was the feedback like?

SMQ: It was amazing, I don't think he got one negative note or feedback. I don't think anyone turned him down. In fact, some people offered up their services for free, just so they could be a part of it.

AM: Do you all want to keep the show going as long as you can?

SMQ: Of course the dream of all the actors is that HBO picks us up and we get to do a TV show. I don’t know how realistic that is.

AM: Well at least the show is really good!

SMQ: We ALL felt like ‘Pretty’ was something really special from day one. We've all felt something wonderful will come from it, and lots of something wonderful has come from it.

AM: Can you give me an example?

SMQ: Getting to work with the most talented, fun, loving group of people I've EVER encountered to having a ball on the super organized and professional set that Steve commands in a relaxed fun way, I’m so proud of my friend, to all the great people I've met because of ‘Pretty’. From the most awesome talented Genie Francis, who is a delight to work with, to Emma Caulfield, who not only is nice but drop dead gorgeous, to all the fans. We have AMAZING fans! In fact, Season 3 is for the most part FUNDED BY OUR FANS! How cool is that? But all of the magic started with Steve Silverman sitting down and spitting out Pretty season one, fully formed in an hour. As a writer you live with that fantasy in your head, HOPING/WISHING/PRAYING that a project spills out of you like that and that it turns into something really magical.

For more information about Stacy visit her web site http://www.stacymcqueen.com/

Peace On Earth

2011-12-16T12:47:00.000-08:00

"Peace is the altar of God, the condition in whichhappiness exists."

ParamahansaYogananda

It's the time of year when we all gather with our familiesand friends to celebrate peace, love, joy and good cheer. We think about what we want to accomplish inthe upcoming year and look back on what we achieved or survived this pastyear.

It's my wish that each and every one of you will enjoy alove-filled Holiday Season and that you will be able to carry the feelings intothe new year.

The dove is a Universal symbol of peace so along with nineof my friends, I want to wish everyone a most wonderful and joyous HolidaySeason!

Jane Badler "May2012 bring fantasy, excitement andlove, always Love. A very Happy New Year!!"

Bebe Buell "Peacebe with YOU. Begin each day treating others with respect. Don't forget toinclude all animals into the mix. This simple formula would change the world.Imagine... divine..."

Gilles Marini "Have a wonderful Holiday Seasonmy friends, We live once so enjoy Your freedom, share Your Kindness with othersbe close to your loved ones and family! Love G"

Maria Muldaur "Now & in the coming year, let us joinHands & Hearts and Pray - not just for Peace OnEarth to descend from Heaven, but that we each may become a little bitof that Peace On Earth ourselves and let it shine forth from our Hearts to One& All!"

Julie Newmar "Treasure Yourself"

Michelle Phillips "GoodAmericans vote! Have the happiest ofHolidays!"

JohnathonSchaech "Live, Laugh, Love! Happy Holidays!"

Dayanara Torres "May this New Year be warm with sharing, bright with caring, and filled with Love!"

Danny Trejo "Nowis the time for everyone to come together! Happy Holidays!"

“Kindness is the light that dissolves all walls betweensouls, families, and nations.”

Paramahansa Yogananda

The Big Bang of Bill Mumy

2011-12-06T17:07:00.001-08:00

All Photos: Alan Mercer

Bill Mumy becamefamous in the 1960's as a child actor, most notably as Will Robinson, theyoungest of the three children of Prof. John and Dr. Maureen Robinson andfriend of the nefarious and pompous Dr. Zachary Smith , in the 1960s CBSsci-fi television series 'Lost In Space.' Bill has also starred in three of the original 'Twilight Zones' andguest starred on 'Bewitched' and 'I Dream Of Jeanie' along with many othershows from that time.

He later appearedas a lonely teenager, Sterling North, in the 1969 Disney movie 'Rascal' and as Teft in the 1971 film 'Bless TheBeasts And The Children.' In the 1990s,he had the role of Lennier in the syndicated sci-fi TV series 'Babylon 5' andhe also served as narrator of A&E Network's Emmy-winning series,'Biography.'

Starting when hewas four and a half years old, he has appeared on over 400 TV shows, 18 motionpictures, various commercials, and scores of voice over work, as well asworking as a musician, songwriter, recording artist and writer.

Bill Mumy hasreleased a number of solo CD's, including 'Dying to Be Heard,' 'Inthe Current,' 'Pandora's Box,''After Dreams Come True,' 'Los Angeles Times,' and 'Ghosts,' as well as nine albums withpartner Robert Haimer as 'Barnes and Barnes.' He is an accomplished musician who plays guitar, bass, keyboard, banjo,mandolin, harmonica, and percussion. Among his various musical credits, Billhas recorded and written songs with 'America,' toured with Shaun Cassidy, andplayed in Rick Springfield's band in the film, 'Hard to Hold.'

Bill Mumy'slatest CD 'Until The Big Bang Whimpers' is newly released and available at allthe usual places as a download or you can order the CD. I have been listening to this album for amonth now and it is pure magic. I reallybelieve this is a crowning achievement in his musical artistry.

While driving to meet Bill Mumy for our photo session andconversation, my mind became flooded with childhood memories of how much Iloved Will Robinson, so much that I actually wanted to be Will Robinson. It has always been easy to like Bill Mumytoo. I have seen him play music live in Santa Monica and been around him a few times but neverreally met him until now. All I can sayis I wish there were more people around like Mr. Mumy who truly has itall!

A special thank you to Brett Ashworth for putting Bill andme together.

AM: Bill you reallyare a big part of pop culture for Baby Boomers.

BM: Well I'm nowin the fifty-second year of my career. Sounds bizarre, doesn't it? But, I'vebeen very lucky to work in a lot of different arenas, television, film, music,writing, voice overs, producing and even comic books.

AM: Do you have afavorite?

BM: I'm compelledto make music. The muse strikes and I appreciate it when it does. I respect itand try to follow it through. I very much enjoy acting and I always have, butas an actor, in television or film, you are someone else's chess piece ingeneral. You are interpreting someone else's script, you're work is cut and edited,you're working to actualize the director's vision... it's very collaborativeand I enjoy it, but it's not the same as creating something out of nothing. Idon't act when I'm home alone, but I'm constantly playing the guitar or pianoor listening to music. Money isn't really a motivating factor there. Icertainly appreciate it when something musical I do makes money of course, andI've been fortunate to make some decent dough musically, but I'm not motivatedto go act for free or recite dialogue around the house. That's a job to me. Avery good job of course, but a job, nonetheless. Music is different.

AM: Very few peoplehave created as much music as you have.

BM: I've been veryprolific and worked in a lot of different styles. For better or worse! A lot ofit has to do with collaborations. But, there's nothing more important thanmusic to me. It consumes me. Ask my wife, Eileen. I drive her nuts playing allthe time!

AM: I can't imagineconstantly creating new music.

BM: I grew up in anera where most popular artists put out at least two albums a year and touredthe world as well as doing TV. Some of them made movies at the same time. Iseem to average one album a year for the past six years or so. Coming up withforty minutes of new music a year isn't that overly-ambitious a goal for me. Aslong as the songs keep coming, I'll keep seeing 'em through to the best ofability.

AM: Your musiccomes off very real.

BM: Well, thankyou, Alan. I know it's real to me. I definitely believe what I'm singing whenI'm singing it. I don't force myself to write. If someone hires me to write atheme song or something I can be a craftsman and come up with something decent,but when it comes to making my own albums...I don't push. it just comes when itcomes.

AM: Do you notice apattern?

BM: I do. It'sweird. Songs usually come in batches of like twenty songs in about a fourmonth period. Then the muse moves down the canyon and I get involved in otherprojects until it returns, which thankfully it has continued to do! Right nowI'm finishing up a fantasy novel that Angela Cartwright and I started writingten years ago. It was sitting in a drawer and I revisited it recently andreally liked the plot so I'm immersed in polishing that up. Hopefully we'll getthat out sometime next year.

AM: You are a verypopular actor in science fiction. Do you think it's due to 'Lost In Space'?

BM: 'Lost InSpace', 'Twilight Zone',...sure. I know when 'Babylon 5' came along, it endedup being a five season project for me, and certainly re-energized my sci fi fanbase. Joe Straczynski, who created, wrote and produced the series sought me outfor that mainly because of my 'Twilight Zone' alumni fact. He's a big RodSerling fan. Who isn't? The Science Fiction arena and the fans are prettysupportive and loyal. I've done Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Superboy, TheFlash, back in the 60's I did The Munsters, Bewitched, I Dream Of Jeanie and Ico-created and wrote a sci fi series called "Space Cases" that ran onNickelodeon for two seasons and in fifty some countries back in the late'90's... Plus the Barnes and Barnes films and albums we made back in the 80'slike "Fish Heads" kind of fell into that sci fi category in a bizarreway. And all the comic books I wrote for Marvel and DC... I probably wouldn'thave had a lot of those opportunities without "Lost in Space".Personally I like that genre a lot, so when opportunities to work in that stylehave come along, I've always been positive and gung ho about it.

AM: What abouthorror movies?

BM: I don't want tosound pompous but I've turned down a lot of slasher movies over the years. Ijust turned down one last week. I like dark, psychological and spooky thingsbut I don't want to hack up naked women or anything like that. I've enjoyedplaying villains as an actor, but... not that kind. It's just not something Iwant to do. I'm lucky I can say no to things I don't want to do.

AM: I didn't knowyou were the narrator on those 'A&E Biography' shows?

BM: That's a greatgig. I have done over fifty 'Biography' programs. When I finished working on 'Babylon 5' I was pretty burnt from the make-upexperience of playing an alien for so long. "Lennier" from the planetMinbar. Interesting character and an excellent series, but having foam rubberglued to your head every work day is pretty weird... Anyway, I'd done voicework as a little kid, working with Bob Clampett on the "Beany andCecil" cartoons and other animated things, but after Babylon 5 my adult voice-over career really kickedinto high gear. That's been my main acting work for the last decade.

AM: What isdifferent about voice-over work?

BM: It's a reallycomfortable appendage of show business to be involved in. Everybody is relaxed.I went to an audition for an on-camera gig about three weeks ago and it's sofunny how you show up and wait in a room with five or six other guys allwearing khaki pants and blue shirts and nobody seems to talk to each other.Everyone is focused on the scenes they're gonna do and they seem cranky anduptight. When you go to a voice over audition everybody is relaxed, talking andit's casual as can be. There's no stress at all. At least from my perspective.I've enjoyed doing animation, "Ren and Stimpy", "Batman","Scooby Doo", "Buzz Lightyear", I recently did an episodeof a sci fi cartoon called "Ben Ten Alien Force" lots of others,...lots of narration and commercial voice over work. I was the voice of Farmer'sInsurance for eleven years. That was a great gig! I also narrated a couplebooks on tape, but that wasn't my thing. Reading out loud for eight or ninehours...oy.

AM: Do you haveclear memories from when you were seven and acting in 'Twilight Zone'?

BM: Yes, I just sawCloris Leachman four days ago. It was the fiftieth anniversary of the TwilightZone we did together, "It's A Good Life". Working with Cloris bumpsup your game several notches. She's so talented. She's played my mother fourtimes. What a force she is. Amazing. She's a fantastic pianist.

AM: Do you thinkyou remember it because you've seen it a lot?

BM: Yes becauseit's never gone off the air and I've continued to have it refreshed in my mindover the decades. If you ask me about an episode of say, 'Have Gun Will Travel'that I did at the same time, I might only have a few Polaroid memories of thatnow. I did a whole lot of those shows in the sixties, but I have talkedcontinuously about the three 'Twilight Zone's I was in for fifty years now, sothe memory has stayed fresher.

AM: Did youunderstand what you were doing?

BM: Absolutely, itwas fantasy that made me drive my Mom and Dad crazy to become an actor. Iwanted to be like Zorro and Superman, both adventurers with capes! (laughter)It was all about the cape! I finally got the cape on 'Babylon 5' and I was so happy to get it!

AM: So you knew thecharacter of Anthony Fremont from 'It's A GoodLife' was a monster?

BM: Be careful,Alan, you don't want to end up in the cornfield! I wouldn't call him a monster,but of course Rod Serling did. He was a mutant with unlimited power who could notonly read everything you were thinking but could do anything he wanted to you.And of course, Anthony had a very specific mindset regarding the way he wantedthings to be. Boy, I loved playing that character. I was very, very aware ofwhat he was capable of doing at the time. Being able to return to the characterof Anthony Fremont, alongside Cloris and my own daughter, Liliana, to film thesequel, "It's Still A Good Life", when the Twilight Zone was revivedseveral years ago was possibly the highlight of my acting career.

AM: Do you thinkchild actors are a little smarter?

BM: Probably not.Some are, I guess. But you do have to learn to work in an adult arena and youhave to learn how to take direction. Memorizing dialogue has always been easyfor me. It's the technical things that people don't think about, which I neverhad a problem with, but it does take skill to learn how to hit your markwithout looking for it, and match your moves for coverage and stuff.

AM: You're such anatural. You were really sought after.

BM: Thank you. Iwas very lucky. I worked with so many great people and it never got stalebecause I did so many different kind of roles. The good kid, the bad kid, thedumb kid, the genius... comedy, drama, sci fi, westerns, bla bla bla... Ienjoyed it. I think I was supposed to do what I did. "You gotta be who youwere, to be who you are".

AM: I saw thisphoto of you with Brigitte Bardot. Do you remember her?

BM: Are youkidding? Oh I remember that very well. I was the first American actor to get anonscreen kiss from Brigitte Bardot. In a four year period, when I was eightthrough eleven, I worked opposite Shirley Jones, Connie Stevens, BrigitteBardot, Elizabeth Montgomery, Barbara Eden andMarta Kristen of course, all these iconic blonde beauties.

AM: I bet youenjoyed that!

BM: I was smittenby all of them. Ms. Bardot was an international Icon when I worked with her,but I had never seen her work. I'd only seen pictures of her in magazines. Wehad to fly to

France

because she didn't want to come here. Shealso had an entourage.

AM: What was shelike with you?

BM: When we weren'tfilming she was pretty much tucked away, but when we were working she was verynice, generous and lovely. I have to say from my ten year old male perspectiveI was very aware that I was right next to that low cut blouse. We shot that in1964 right before I started 'Lost In Space.'

AM: Did you everspeak to her again?

BM: I didn't speakto her for decades but in 2006 we exchanged a couple of letters with eachother. I'm a supporter of animal rights so we printed up some photos of us from"Dear Brigitte" and each of us signed them and sold them with all theproceeds going to her animal foundation. It was very nice to reconnect with herafter all those years.

AM: What was itlike working with Jimmy Stewart in the same film?

BM: He was the bestof the best. What a gentleman. He was the kind of man and actor you hope tobecome. He never had an attitude. He was always hanging with the crew. He waseasy going and wonderful with me. A great man. When we weren't filming, weplayed catch together. We tossed a baseball around for months.

AM: I can't let yougo without asking you about 'Lost In Space.' You have actually embraced thisrole haven't you?

BM: What's not toembrace about Will Robinson?

AM: Will RobinsonIS pop culture!

BM: Yes he is."Danger Will Robinson"! I would happily go back to work tomorrow asWill Robinson. I loved working with those people. They're family to me. I neverhad an unpleasant day on the set in over three years. Here was an adventurerwho was a genius, who could fly the spaceship, he programmed the Robot. He hada laser gun and he used it. He even played guitar! He saved everyone week afterweek, but he respected his Dad. He said yes sir and no sir, but he still snuckoff to save the day if he needed to. I loved that guy and had a great time onthat show. When I was asked to write the Lost in Space comic book in the 90's,which I did for two years, I found myself feeling protective of all thecharacters.

AM: How old wereyou when it ended?

BM: I was ten yearsold when we started and fourteen when the show ended. Those are very formativeyears and it meant a lot to me. I've carried the energy and memories of workingon Lost in Space with me in a very positive way.

AM: I love seeingit today, but it does come off a little campy.

BM: We had threelong seasons and each season was like a different series. The first thirtyepisodes were in black & white and it's an ensemble adventure series of apioneer family versus the alien element. I have a fondness for those episodeswith the music by John Williams. Then the second season comes along and we gointo this pop art beyond color kind of a show. We were on at the same time as''Batman' which was a phenomena in a campy style. I think Irwin Allen whocreated 'Lost In Space' said if you can't beat em', join em'. So 'Lost InSpace' became a campy comedy with Dr. Smith, the Robot and Will Robinson as thetrinity. And it definitely was wild and crazy for awhile! By the time we didthe third season a lot of the other cast members were asking for us to get backto a space adventure show. The third season is an amalgam of the first two.Besides music by John Williams and some great props and costumes, we had someamazing guest stars during our run.

AM: I absolutelylove your new album. What was your inspiration?

BM: Thanks!"Until The Big Bang Whimpers" is a concept album that follows onecharacter through a series of circumstances, emotional, financial andultimately spiritual. I was inspired by current events and the plight of a lotof people on this planet today. It's my dustbowl period record in a sense,lyrically at least. Musically it's a pretty rootsy record. I play everything onit. It's a real solo record in the truest sense of the word.

AM: Will you bedoing any live performances?

BM: Yes, I'llprobably start doing some solo acoustic gigs again soon. I love to play live,but I've had bands dissipate over the last few years and it's easier said thandone to put a good band together. A good song is a good song. You should beable to play it with a six piece band or sit down with a just guitar or pianoand it should still ring true. I've been talking to some players about doingsome full rock n' roll gigs as well. But because I played every instrument onthe album, I'd have to start from scratch working up a band... We'll see whichway it goes. But I'm leaning towards the "less is more" live approachat the moment. I enjoy both. The simple folky acoustic side and the full rockband side.

AM: Would that behere in Los Angeles?

BM: Yes it wouldstart here. I want to do a couple of videos first. I've outlined them and thelabel, GRA, is going to help with that. I was veryfortunate in my life to tour with and play some really good gigs. The first gigI ever played in my life was at the Hollywood Bowl, when I was only eleven! Iplayed guitar on tour with Shaun Cassidy when he was a huge teen idol playingsports arenas. That was like being in "A Hard Day's Night"... notmusically, but as far as thousands of kids screaming nonstop, that was reallywild. A great experience. I've worked off and on with the group

America

for decades and played some really niceplaces with them. I'm at a point in my life right now where quite honestly, Idon't want to get in a van with four other guys and drive up and down to playfunky theaters. I hope I can reach people without having to do that via theinternet. I just don't want to get on an airplane or a bus everyday. The roadcan really wipe you out. Especially when you've been off it as long as I have.I have a nice recording studio at home and I have four dogs, two kids and I'vebeen married to my wife Eileen for twenty-five years. I'm kind of a homebody.Loading up the Buick and hitting the road is not something I plan to be doingtoo soon! But... you never know what the future holds.

To learn more about Bill Mumy visit his web site http://www.billmumy.com/

Giddle Partridge: The Living Doll

2011-11-30T08:10:00.001-08:00

All Photos: Alan Mercer

I met Giddle Partridge through my dear friend BebeBuell. Giddle helped with hair andmake-up for my first shoot with Bebe. Iknew then that I wanted to photograph her in a more artistic way. We both appreciate and enjoy photos from theGolden Hollywood period of the 30's through the 50's so when I wanted to createsome images like this I called up Giddle and we got together for fun and to seewhat we could come up with.

Giddle Partridgewas born in Lakewood, Colorado. Even though she was named Desiree, Giddle became her nick name fromher mother when she was very little and it has stuck with her and created theartist and character that she is. She was always involved in dance and theatergrowing up. Since the young age of 6 shehas been dancing and performing.

Giddle has been aprominent figure on the 'cult scene' for quite some time. She has been invarious bands since she was 17 years old, where she sang, played keyboards andgo-go danced. She is good friends with manywell known musicians, artists and DJ's like Rodney Bingenheimer, German SingingStar Nina Hagen and countless other LA type hipsters.

Since moving to Los Angeles in 1999 she has been designing custom madeclothes and Victorian lampshades as well as pillows. She has worked doingfreelance writing, photography, modeling and hair and make-up for variouspublications and fashion shoots. She is a strict Vegetarian and a member of theASPCA.

AM: I remember when I met you with our dearfriend Bebe Buell, all I wanted to do was take some photographs of you sinceyou had such a rare beauty.

GP: Oh thank you and I was so nervous because Ihad no make-up on! I only had on redlipstick.

AM: Your photogenic beauty came rightthrough. Why don't you refresh my memoryabout some of your background?

GP: I've been around since the beginning of timebut let me reintroduce myself! I like todo any and everything I can. I don'tlimit myself to just one thing.

AM: Youconsider yourself an artist don't you?

GP: I used to not like that term, artist. Even though I paint and sew I don't considermyself an artist.

AM: Who is an artist to you?

GP: Andy Warhol.

GP: You are "Andy Warholian"yourself.

GP: Thank you. I totally dig that! I wish the Silver60's was the now. I always try andrecreate the past because I love it. Ilove pop culture. I love music.

AM: What do you think of music today?

GP: I think music stopped evolving in the early80's. Now there's nothing left todo. I like things from the past. I do like some new bands that my friendRodney Bingenheimer turns me on too. There's something about music that has died out. There is nothing else to be done.

AM: Do you consider yourself a musician first?

GP: I am a character. I'm a living doll! I say this with no sarcasm. All little kids play dress up but ever sinceI can remember I loved to perform.

AM: Did you want the attention?

GP: I didn't do this for attention. I did it for pure enjoyment andfulfillment. I have always been sopassionate about performing anything. Soas a kid I was always in musicals and I had my first band when I was seventeenyears old.

AM: You're known for your clothing choices.

GP: The clothes that I wear on a daily basis,some would only buy as Halloween costumes. I dress up everyday year round. Life is too short. Why not havefun and look the way you want instead of just saving it for one day ayear?

AM: Even though you may appear to some to befrivolous, you are really a deep and serious person as well aren't you?

GP: I do have a seriousness and intensity aboutme. I'm very straight forward. It rubs some people the wrong way and somepeople understand and accept me. I'm nota moldable chick. I've always been who Iam.

AM: You are fully realized.

GP: I know exactly who I am.

AM: You design clothes too don't you?

GP: I have a clothing line where I create custompieces called doll clothes for humans. That's what I wear. Not that youwon't catch me in a bathrobe, but if you do you will catch me in my pink JayneMansfield robe that she once owned, that a friend gave to me as a gift.

AM: What are some of your general beliefs?

GP: I don't believe in restrictions. I believe everyone should be happy and whothey are. I also really loveanimals. I think they are sogroovy. I'm a vegetarian but I don'tthink everyone should be a vegetarian.

AM: You are not judgmental.

PG: No I'm not and it's because people havealways been very judgmental of me. Iknow I'm a good person. I have a groovysoul. As stupid as it sounds it's aboutgrowing up, though I will never fully grow up as I believe in Peter Pan andTinkerbell. I will never grow up but Ihave learned. Life is a lesson. I like to take the high road in life.

To learn more about Giddle Partridge visit her web site http://www.gogogiddle.com/

Linda Clifford Asks 'How Long'

2011-11-27T10:01:00.001-08:00

All Photos: Alan Mercer Make-up: Rudy Calvo Hair: Leverne Tate

After being a long-time fan of her music, I met LindaClifford many years ago and fell in love with her personality! We bonded againmore recently when we took these photos a couple of years ago. When I found out that Rick Gianatos was goingto release the Phyllis Hyman song 'How Long' as a follow-up to Linda's recenthit 'Baby I'm Yours' I was elated. Beingthe long-time Linda Clifford fan that I am I decided to call Linda on the phoneand ask her about this new release and her recent return to the charts!

Linda Clifford parlayed a jazz background, booming voice, and sassy manner into disco andcontemporary R&B stardom in the Seventies and Eighties. A former Miss New York State,she sang with the 'Jerico Jazz Singers' and led her own trio in the '60s beforeswitching to R&B and pop.

She signed with Curtis Mayfield's Curtom label and had her first hit in 1978 with 'Runaway Love,' a song thatpeaked at number three on the R&B charts. The highly stylized 'If MyFriends Could See Me Now' was a club favorite that same year.

Her next hit was the soulful duet with Curtis Mayfield, 'Between You Baby and Me,'in 1979. She continued recording for RSO, Capitol, and Red Label in the Eighties. The song 'He's All I Need' was originallywritten about Linda and her husband and Linda recorded it in 1982 for her 'I'llKeep On Loving You' album. WhitneyHouston had a number one hit with the song in 1992.

Since the early Nineties, Linda Clifford has recorded trackswith various producers including Rick Gianatos and Georgie Porgie.

AM: Linda, your newsong 'How Long' is so sensational! Ijust love it!!! I know you recorded it alittle bit ago didn't you?

LC: Yes when you andI did our photo session is when I recorded it. The song was released and it started to do well and then for whateverreason it didn't get the promo it needed. Everybody kept saying how good the song was, so thank goodness Rickdecided it was too good a song not to do anything with it.

AM: He was smart tothink of re-releasing it.

LC: They startedremixing and re-mastering.

AM: I have heard themand they are all sensational.

LC: I just got themand was listening and every mix sounded better than the mix before! I'm just freaked out! I love it!

AM: How did you feelabout recording a cover of a Phyllis Hyman song?

LC: I was so excitedand happy to do it because Phyllis and I worked together for quite a few years in the clubs. We were regulars at Studio 54. She and I got to be kind of close wheneverwe'd see each other on the road. Ireally liked being close to Phyllis and talking with her. When Rick approached me with this idea Ithought it would be tremendous to do an homage to Phyllis Hyman.

AM: I like the ideaof it being an homage to her.

LC: She did such agreat job on her original version and I had to try and follow in herfootsteps. I wanted to keep it real likeshe did. The funny thing is ourrecording careers started at the same time. I had her very first album and I was singing 'I Don't Want To Lose You'in my show. I just loved herarrangement.

AM: Then it is fullcircle to be singing her song now.

LC: I think about herevery time I sing it. Sometimes it's alittle hard. I just think about thehappier days and keep going.

AM: You're coming offa big hit!

LC: Isn't thatexciting?

AM: How did it feelto be back on top again?

LC: It's amazing tome! I'm so blessed to have met so manywonderful, talented and giving people in this industry, one of whom is GeorgiePorgie. He's been around the dance musicindustry for about seventeen years now with number one hit after number onehit.

AM: How did you meethim?

LC: He was doing afood pantry benefit once a year in Chicagoand someone told him to call me and askme to do the show so he did and I said, "Of course I'll do it." At that time he told me we should dosomething together one day. I thought itwas a great idea and the next thing I know BAM! I got a hit record! He wrote it for me.

AM: You are one of myfavorites singers of all time! Yourmusic is timeless. 'I'll Keep On LovingYou' is one of the best albums by anyone and it just came out on CD for thefirst time all remastered.

LC: Isn't thatawesome? I could not believe that whenthat album was originally released they didn't promote it. They just put it on the shelf. There's so many good songs on that album.

AM: It sounds verycurrent today.

LC: Absolutely itdoes. People ask me how it feels torecord a Whitney Houston song and I go, "Yo, wait a minute! That song was written for my husband and I in1980 by Michael Gore. Actually in a fewdays it will be our 34th Wedding Anniversary. Gold Legion did a wonderful job putting it on CD and I am grateful tothem for doing that!

AM: Do you have anyplans to record anything now?

LC: I'm going to layback and enjoy the holidays unless of course somebody wants to book me! I'm more than willing to fly. I do travel well. I'd love to come to LA because my daughterlives there.

AM: You do have tocome to LA again and we have to take new photos.

LC: I promise you thenext time I am in LA I will let you know. I would never pass up the opportunity to do a photo shoot with you.

To learn more about Linda Clifford visit her web site http://thelindaclifford.com/ and http://www.lindaclifford.biz/

Luca Ellis Is The Crooner

2011-11-20T14:26:00.001-08:00

All Photos: Alan Mercer

Luca Ellis is best known for the original musical play'Hollywood To Hoboken' that he starred in and co-wrote. It ran for seven months to sell-out crowds,and received rave reviews from over 30 publications, including the Los Angeles Times.

Originally from Michigan,Luca came to Los Angeles to be acharacter actor, even though he resembles George Clooney a bit, and couldeasily be a leading man. He waitedtables for a while and then realized he could sing, and not just sing, but singmuch like Frank Sinatra, without imitating him.

His singing ability got him cast as 'The Chairman of theBoard' in the play 'Louis and Keely Live At the Sahara.' Then he played 'Ole Blue Eyes' in Sandy Hackett's Rat Pack Show in Las Vegas. It seems fate was trying to tell him something. It wasn't much longer and Luca was playing 'The Crooner' in 'Hoboken To Hollywood.' He can count among his fans Lee Iacocca who has seen the show four times.

I met with Luca at his apartment building close to downtown Los Angeles to take these photos and learn a little more about this charnming and talented man. First off, he is a modest person and instantly likeable! He has everything he needs to become a big star! I promise you will be seeing more of this man over the next few years.

AM: Luca, from what Iunderstand you are an actor who sings and singing is rather new for you.

LE: Singing hasalways been something I enjoyed doing for fun.

AM: Well you soundlike a professional singer.

LE: Most people singin the car and in the shower and that's where I did my singing. I never had an interest in being a liveperformer, I always wanted to be a film actor on a closed set with a couple ofdozen people, making the performance intimate for the camera. Then I started singing professionally and Ifound it was more exciting and exhilarating than acting. Music is such a personal thing topeople. It essentially becomes thesoundtrack to their lives.

AM: Just to make sureI understand it all...You came out to Los Angelesto be a film actor but ended up being a professional singer and writing a stageshow, shifting the direction of your career.

LE: Yes because Istarted making money as a singer so I decided I could do that for a living instead of waiting on tables. I just started getting attention as avocalist. I decided to put my effortsinto that. I found a certain joy and Ididn't know I could share this joy with others.

AM: Were you awarethat you had a similar vocal quality to Sinatra?

LE: Not until Istarted listening to his music.

AM: Did you listen toFrank and music from the great American Songbook growing up?

LE: I listened to alittle bit of Dean Martin when I was young and Harry Connick Jr. in myteens. It didn't really hit me untilsomebody gave me a Diana Krall CD that is was an actual genre of music. I decided then to pick up a Sinatra album andwithin a week I was singing along.

AM: Did you everlisten to punk rock music?

LE: Not really I waslistening to modern R&B like Bobby Brown. Then I started listening to classic rock like The Doors. Jim Morrison said one of his influences wasFrank Sinatra. Morrison's singing issimilar to Frank because he was always singing in his natural speaking voice. That's what I learned from Frank...is to singin your natural speaking voice and not to go outside your range. I didn't know I was a baritone until Istarted singing along with baritones and I saw how comfortable it was.

AM: It's hard to finda good singer these days.

LE: It reallyis. It's a lost art. Singers need to realize it's never about thembut about the song. I think it'sdisrespectful to sing around a melody. It's like paraphrasing and ad-libbing Shakespeare.

AM: So you care verymuch about the songwriting.

LE: Yes I care aboutthe songwriter and the message. I liketo stay true to the way the song was written. I don't have the liberty to change a song.

AM: Where did yougrow up?

LE: I was born in Michigan.

AM: So Lee Iacoccameans something doesn't it?

LE: Yes he is a fanof the show and has seen it four times. The last time he came he brought his daughter and granddaughter. He is a sweet guy! He hired me for a Christmas party inDecember.

AM: That's great tohave such a famous fan! You must have alot of fans that like your striking good looks too! It must get you some attention.

LE: Thank you, goodlooks don't hurt in this town, but again there's a lot of good looking peoplein Los Angeles.

AM: There are a lotof good looking people but not everyone is striking!

LE: I won't be flyingunder the radar then. (laughing)

AM: Do you want tokeep doing the 'Hoboken to Hollywood'show?

LE: Yes, since it'skind of my baby. It's been a wonderfulvehicle for people to enjoy this music live. We have a live band with nothing pre-recorded. It's a real and living work of art. It's theater with a safety net. The environment that we have created allowsus to flex and move. I want to keepdoing this show and delivering the music to people the way it should bedelivered.

AM: Do you want to bea recording artist?

LE: I want to be arecording artist for sure and have multiple CD's available at some point butacting has always been my biggest passion.

AM: Is this what youwanted as a child?

LE: Ever since I wasseven years old. The singing is a newkind of bonus for me that I've really enjoyed. I don't think I could ever walk away from the singing anymore.

AM: I'm surprised youdidn't realize all this sooner.

LE: I think with thismaterial I probably wasn't old enough to really appreciate it.

AM: What would yourideal career be?

LE: I wouldn't mindfollowing in the steps of guys like Dean and Frank, even Jennifer Lopez andWill Smith who have a strong presence in the music industry but also have aneven stronger presence in the film industry.

AM: What about TV?

LE: I'd love to doTV...sure.

AM: I'd love to seeyou with a Variety Show!

LE: You know I've been talking about doing a showthat would be interviews, skits and songs. Have candid moments with your guests and the host sings a song or twoevery night. I think television needssomething like this.

AM: Television iswhere it's at for getting people to see and hear you.

LE: It used to betaboo for a film actor to do a TV show but not anymore. The sky is the limit. I have these abilities that I'd love to lendto any project that could use them.

AM: Would it be hardfor you to branch out and play a serial killer?

LE: No, I'm acharacter actor. I can certainly playany part. I have the diversity to dowhatever I want to if someone gives me the opportunity. It's a tough racket and quite the rat race inLos Angeles.

AM: Do you have whatit takes to endure and stay in it?

LE: Yes, the musicallows me to do that. I couldn't livewith myself now if I walked away from what I've accomplished in this shortamount of time. I moved to LA six yearsago. Within a year I was a full-timeSinger. I stopped all the other work Iwas doing. I've been supporting myself asa singer for the past five years. LA hasbeen very good to me. I love LA. I love her dearly. This will always be my first home.

AM: What about New York?

LE: I'd like to havea second home in New York. I haven't even touched New York yet. If Ican shake things up this way in LA, imagine how I would be received in New York! Theylove Sinatra out there.

To learn more about Luca Ellis visit his web site www.lucaellis.com

The Enthralling Rebekah Del Rio

2011-11-13T12:35:00.001-08:00

All Photos: Alan Mercer

RebekahDel Rio began her professional music career when she was just 11 years old inher hometown of San Diego, California.I met Rebekah a few years ago through my friend Rudy Calvo. I fell in love with her and her artistry immediately. We shot her album cover for 'All My Life' inher bedroom on her bed. I have seen herperform live several times and she is always outstanding.

Herunique style is perhaps best represented in her signature song, the wrenchinglybeautiful ballad "Llorando,"a Spanish-language version of Roy Orbison's 'Crying,' which strongly evokesboth her Latin roots as well as such vocal influences as Patsy Cline, LindaRonstadt, Eydie Gorme, and Karen Carpenter.

DavidLynch cast Rebekah as herself in his nightmarish hymn to L.A.,'Mulholland Drive.' In apivotal scene, Rebekah plays an otherworldly cabaret singer who sings anelectrifying a capella rendition of 'Llorando.'

In aVillage Voice interview, Lynch describes his partnership with Rebekah as a"happy accident": Her noteworthy performance has been universallypraised as "a dazzling star turn," by John Powers in the L.A. Weekly, to "uniquelytwisted," and "utterly enthralling," by Gregory Weinkauf fromthe New York Times.

Ms.Del Rio was received with a standing ovation at the 12th Annual RainforestFoundation Benefit Concert at CarnegieHall after singing "Llorando" a capella. Rebekah was joined by Sting, Sir Elton John, and James Taylorclad in sombreros and maracas while she sang "La Bamba" for a tributeto the 60's. Rebekah has also performed with the Royal Philharmonic in England.

Youcan hear Rebekah’s haunting vocals on numerous soundtracks such as 'Sin City,' 'Streets of Legend,' 'Man OnFire,' 'Mia Sarah,' and she’s featured in new Richard Kelly film, 'SouthlandTales' where she plays an Opera Diva. Rebekahis in another David Lynch film, his movie 'Inland Empire.'

Thisyear the European singing group Il Divo recorded her classic song 'Llorando' asa duet with Rebekah. Her new album 'LoveHurts Love Heals' is a tribute to her son Phillip who lost his battle withcancer in 2009 at the age of twenty-three. Rebekah is a strong and passionate artist who will go on and create manymore hours of beautiful music for all of us to enjoy!

make-up: Rudy Calvo

AM: How did Il Divohook up with you Rebekah?

RDR: I got an emailfrom Il Divo's management telling me they wanted to do a cover of 'Llorando'but they really wanted to do it with me and would I be interested in recordingit with them.

AM: How exciting that must have been!

RDR: I said of courseI would but I was stuck in San Franciscodoing a show so I couldn't leave. Theyput me in a fabulous studio and the boys were in London,the producers were in Prague andthey skyped in to me so I could sing along on the second verse.

AM: I really like it.

RDR: It's harmoniousand beautiful, quite dynamic. I justhoped for the best, just because you record something doesn't mean itwill ever be released.

make-up: Rudy Calvo

AM: You are going togain a lot more fans!

RDR: Yes! They've sold 25 million records already inseven years.

AM: Now tell me aboutyour new recording...

RDR: In 2010 I hadbeen through so much. I really needed toget my act together and figure out what my destiny is. I am here and yes my son had to leave, butI'm still here.

AM: You must reallymiss Phillip.

RDR: I had such astrong connection with my child. We madea decision that after he passed whenever I saw 11/11 I would know he wasthinking about me. That was our sign toeach other.

make-up: Rudy Calvo

AM: Do you see itoften?

RDR: I see it all thetime! I see it almost every day. Once I was getting some things for his gardenand the total price was $111.11! Thenwhen I was putting my show together the ticket sales were one thousand, one hundredand eleven dollars and eleven cents!

AM: How unbelievableis that?

RDR: That was Phillip saying Mama everything is going to befine. I realized 2011 was never goingto happen again. I'd been wanting to dothis record with all these songs I wrote over the course of Phillip'sillness. I wrote so many torch songsfull of hurt and gorgeous songs about the spirit and how we evolve. I decided Iwas going to set goals and make them happen.

AM: What did you dofirst?

RDR: I got togetherwith these wonderful songwriters and musicians in New York. In 2008I met Heather Holley who is this amazing songwriter and we started writingtogether. She is responsible for gettingChristina Aguilera her first record deal. She has written many songs with Christina.

AM: That iswonderful!

make-up: Rudy Calvo

RDR: It was an honorto write with her. Fast forward to 2010when I hear Heather Holley's name and I think to myself that I should reconnectwith her and ask her if she would be interested in doing one song for this new project. So I wrote her and asked what she thought andshe told me she loved my songs and would do the whole album!

AM: I like the wayyou describe the music as cinematic and epic.

RDR: It is like asoundtrack to a movie you just watched.

AM: It also soundslike rock music from England! I love the song "Damned"

RDR: Interestinglyenough Alan that song was written with Heather in 2008. She had written this as a poem. She asked me if I wanted to write music to thelyrics. I said I would love to and I satdown at the piano and worked it out. Wehad the great fortune of working with Dave Eggar who just played cello on thenew Evanescence album. He really made that song and he is part songwriter now.

AM: It is one of themusical highlights on the album.

make-up: Rudy Calvo

RDR: His take on itis so gorgeous. This is all real musicwith real instruments, not from a computer. This song has become an anthem to 'Love Hurts Love Heals'. When you want something so bad and having itis not good for you and you know it you are 'Damned'.

AM: Will you have avideo on Youtube soon?

RDR: As soon aseverything gets approved we will have one! I really feel this is my destiny now. This is my son and I giving it to you.

make-up: Rudy Calvo

To learn more about Rebekah Del Rio visit her web site http://rebekahdelrio.com/

Jesse Garcia Is Young Hollywood

2011-11-06T14:38:00.000-08:00

All Photos: Alan Mercer

Jesse Garcia moved to Los Angeles in 2003. His first steady work was incommercials. In 2005 he was featured in nine national campaigns including thosefor McDonalds, Toyota, Avis, and Miller beer. His episodic television and film work includedEdward James Olmos' "Walkout," for HBO and guest spots on"ER," "The Shield," "The Closer,""Unfabulous," and "Justice," "Law and Order: CI,"and "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles."

Jesse stars in theaward-winning film 'Quinceañera',executive produced by Todd Haynes, which won both the Grand Jury Prize and theAudience Award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival in the Dramatic Independent FeatureCompetition. 'Quinceañera' wasalso selected to play at the Berlin Film Festival. Jesse won Best Actor at the2007 Alma Awards for his role as Carlos, in 'Quinceañera.'

Jesse was back at the SundanceFestival the following two years. In 2007, starring in "La MismaLuna" ("The Same Moon"), released in September, 2007 in Mexico and in March, 2008 in the U.S. and Canada. He stars alongside Kate del Castillo andAmerica Ferrera. He also stars in 'Good Dick,' with Jason Ritter.

Jesse recently wrapped AlejandroChomski's "A Beautiful Life," Duane Allen Humeyestewa's"Periphery," and "Days of Wrath" with Laurence Fishburne,Wilmer Valderrama, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Anna Claudia Talancon. Set in LA,"Wrath" is the story of the intertwining lives of a dedicatedteacher, aggressive TV news crews, and rival gangs.

He appeared in the 2010 revivalof The Pee Wee Herman Show on Broadway and Los Angeles. He was excellent as Sergio the Handyman.

I first became aware of Jesse Garcia when 'Quinceañera'came out in 2006. He gave such astrong performance in his role as a young Latino man struggling with hissexuality. I knew we would be seeingmore of him soon and he hasn't stopped working yet! Jesse represents young Hollywood at it'sfinest!

AM: Jesse I know yougrew up in Wyoming. How long have you lived in Los Angeles?

JG: I've been livinghere since 2003, so almost eight years.

AM: How do you getfrom Wyoming to Los Angeles?

JG: Well it wasn't adirect line. I had a cheerleadingscholarship and I went to school in Lincoln, Nebraska. Then I moved to Atlanta, Georgia and lived therefor three and a half years.

AM: But your goalmust have been to get to Los Angeles.

JG: No it neverwas. Acting wasn't my dream.

AM: What was yourdream?

JG: I don't know if Ihad one. I was really big into fitnessat the time. I was an exercise sciencemajor so I could be a trainer for a sports team.

AM: What happened tochange your destiny?

JG: I met this girl,Jennifer and she convinced me to move to Atlantaand study acting with her. This guy, whois now a great friend and mentor, named Judson Vaughn from 'What Films' in Atlantahad a forty-five minute conversation over the phone with me and in the time of theconversation I decided I was going to move to Atlantato study acting. So I went back to Wyomingand packed my stuff and told my parents I was moving to Atlantain a week.

AM: How did yourparents react to this news?

JG: I've always beenspontaneous with things that I do so they were supportive. It was surprising because I have a MexicanMother and she tripped out when I moved eight hours away to Lincoln.

AM: Have you grown upconnected to your Latin roots?

JG: Not really. I grew up in a small town in Wyomingwith seven or eight hundred people. There weren't many Latinos there.

AM: When did youstart getting into Latin culture?

JG: I didn't getexposed to Latino culture until I moved to LA. I knew of it and I was always attracted to it. My Dad was from Mexicobut surviving and putting food on the table was his main focus. I kind of grew up...not Latino. It made me who I am. I do wish I would have been exposed to itmore. My Dad did play Tejano and otherLatin music. Being in a small town Iwanted to assimilate and learning to speak Spanish wasn't something I wanted todo. Now all that stuff is attractive tome! I really wish my parents would havespoke Spanish to me when I was a kid.

AM: Did you come toLA and embrace the Latino Film community?

JG: Yes I did. I totally embraced it. I started getting exposed to it when I bookedthe movie 'Walkout.' I startedlearning about the 1968 and 69 walkouts in East LA. Even when I was a little kid I had this kindof "civil rights movement" mind. To growup in a small town and have an open mind is kind of unusual.

AM: You do have anopen mind. Do you think you were bornthat way?

JG: I don'tknow. I'm not really sure why I havesuch an open mind. We also grew up in avery strict religious household. I wasraised Jehovah Witness. It isinteresting that I have an open mind.

AM: After hearingthis I think it is how you are born.

JG: It must be.

AM: You seem to beworking non-stop!

JG: I work reallyhard man. When I moved out here I knewthat I wanted to act and that I was going to succeed. I was on-line everyday for a couple hours aday submitting and looking for things on-line. This was eight years ago so this was before there was a lot on theinternet. Times have changed. I had to really put in some effort to findanything back then.

AM: The movie 'Quinceañera' really put you on the map.

JG: Yes it wasbecause of 'Quinceañera' that I went to Sundance and won abunch of awards. I also won an Almaaward.

AM: You're very luckyto have a movie like that.

JG: That movie openedup a lot of doors for not only Latino films but Independent films ingeneral.

AM: Did you have ahesitation or concern to play a gay character so early in your career?

JG: Not at all. One thing I didn't realize was that I wasgoing to have a social responsibility to go along with the success of the film. I learned a lot about the gay community andhow they reacted to this film. Theamount of young Latino gay men that would email me on facebook and myspace wasamazing. Some of them didn't know how todeal with any of the issues and the feelings they were going through. I'm really proud of that movie.

AM: You shouldbe. I have a feeling this is just thefirst important film you will make and that you will have many films ahead ofyou.

JG: I hope so. Even 'Under The Same Moon' is a reallypowerful film. Somehow I'm able toattract a lot of really cool films that have a lot of powerful things tosay.

AM: I think it'sbecause you come off as very real.

JG: Thank you, I stillhave about six or seven films that haven't come out yet. I really hope 'Days Of Wrath' comes outsoon. It's a really good movie. I'm producing and doing my own stuff now. I'm working on getting a directing careergoing as well. I'mstarting my own production company so I can change the way some things getdone. I want to bring attention to newfilmmakers, writers, producers and artists.

AM: Do you want tofocus on Latino themes?

JG: I'm very much a Latino advocate andI think it's important to make Latino films but I also think it's aboutcontent. Unfortunately there is a lot ofreally bad Latino content out there. When the industry gets saturated with bad content that Latinos are making,it makes it hard for the industry to take us seriously. The main problem we're having is Latinosdon't support Latinos.

AM: Why is that?

JG: There is asegregation between the Latino cultures. There are so many different cultures and we all have our own pridewithin our cultures. If a Mexican filmcomes out, other Latino cultures often don't think the film has anything to dowith them or they can't relate to the story. If we are going to make an impact on the industry it's important for allof us to support each others movies, TV shows,web series...everything. Latinos spend alot of money going to the theaters but they don't spend it on the Latinfilms.

AM: Tell me aboutworking on Pee Wee's Playhouse on Broadway!

JG: That was amazing!!! I never thought I would be on Broadway! That was my third play ever. It was fun doing eight shows a week in New York.

AM: What do you getasked a lot by younger people?

JG: The most commonthing I get asked is, "How do I get into acting?" Mostly I tell people to be verypro-active. You have to study. Do a lot of improv, sketch comedy and scenestudy. Be ready! Go on-line everyday and submit yourself forthings you are not even right for. I'vebooked jobs that I wasn't right for. Youjust have to be pro-active. When peoplecome to LA they can get caught up in surviving. Don't lose your focus as to why you came to LA. So many people get caught up in paying thebills and granted you have to do that, but don't forget why you came here.

Freda Payne

2011-11-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

All Photos: Alan Mercer Gowns: LSO Designs

Freda Payne comes from Detroit, Michigan and grew up listening to different jazz singers like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holliday. As a teenager, she attended the Detroit Institute of Musical Arts. She soon began singing radio commercial jingles, and took part in, and won many local TV and radio talent shows.

In 1963, she moved to New York City and worked with many different entertainers, including Quincy Jones, Pearl Bailey, and Bill Cosby. The next year, her debut album, a jazz recording entitled 'After the Lights Go Down Low and Much More!!!', was released on the Impulse! label. Three years later, she released her second album, another jazz effort, 'How Do You Say I Don't Love You Anymore,' for MGM Records. She also made occasional guest appearances on different television shows including 'The Merv Griffen Show'and 'The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson."

In 1969, her old friends back home in Detroit, Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Edward Holland Jr., persuaded her to sign with their newly-formed record label 'Invictus.' Shortly thereafter, Eddie Holland offered her a song titled 'Band Of Gold', which he, along with Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier co-wrote with Ronald Dunbar. In early 1970, the song became an instant pop smash reaching #3 in the US and #1 in the UK. It also gave Freda her first gold record. Global sales were over two million.

In 2011 Freda recorded a duet, 'Saving A Life', with British pop star Sir Cliff Richard for inclusion on his "Soulicious" album. She also performed with Sir Cliff throughout his tour of the same name last month. Freda is a long time friend and we talked about her upcoming tour right before she left for Europe. Along with a couple of new shots I am showcasing some of my favorite work with Freda Payne over the past six years. This is Freda's second time on the blog. She was one of my first blog entries in April 2009.

AM: Freda I know you must be excited to perform 'Saving A Life' with Cliff Richard on the tour. Are you singing anything else in the show?

FP: Well of course I'm singing 'Band Of Gold' which is my signature song. It is already a long show with six different acts.

AM: How did you get on this album in the first place?

FP: I got it because of David Guest. He is a celebrity in England. I've seen it myself where people on the street stop him and want their picture taken with him.

AM: No wonder he lives there.

FP: He became a personality there and started bringing in his own shows with people like Billy Paul and Dennis Edwards, Deniece Williams, Dorothy Moore, Candi Staton and myself. Anyway about a year ago David got to meet Cliff Richard and they struck up an acquaintance. Last November I performed at a charity event in London and Cliff Richard came and we got to meet. Then in December David told me Cliff was doing a new album of Soul duets with legendary Soul Artists and I was going to record a song for the album as well. I told him, "Great. Thanks!"

AM: Did you know 'Saving A Life' was going to be the lead single?

FP: No I did not. I had no idea. It was just a cut on the record. Lamont Dozier produced the majority of the songs. Lamont's son Beau wrote several of the songs including 'Saving A Life.'

AM: What did you think when you first heard the song?

FP: I loved the song. It sounds very fresh and young like something Usher or Justin Timberlake would record. It's very hip!

AM: I agree and I love it!!! Where did you record it?

FP: Most of the album was recorded in Memphis Tennessee in the month of April. I spent a whole week there and also performed at a big benefit show at the Peabody Hotel.

AM: Didn't Nick Ashford work on this album as well?

FP: Four of the songs were produced by Ashford & Simpson. I believe this was the last project he worked on. He and Valerie worked together but he couldn't sing due to his voice being hoarse. We didn't know anything at this point.

AM: When did you hear the finished result?

FP: They mixed it in June and David called me and told me my song was going to be the lead single.

AM: What did that feel like!?!

FP: It felt great! Then he put two EMI Executives on the phone and they told me how much they loved the song and it was their favorite on the whole album. I've listened to the whole album many times now and there are a lot of good songs.

AM: It's a good record!

FP: It's a good record. There's some great songs on there.

AM: It sounds like a wonderful project that is allowing you to have a good time.

FP: I'm just having a good time and I'm enjoying myself. I LOVE Cliff Richard. He is a lovely, lovely gentleman.

AM: You can tell he is really talented and kind.

FP: He is and he's professional. He never says a bad thing about anyone. You know how with some people, after you are around them for a while, you will hear them be negative and curse, he never does that.

AM: I know you have another new song on your own that I love!!!

FP: Yes I have a couple of songs with Artis Phillips. One is called 'Free Me From My Freedom' which is a Bonnie Pointer cover. The new one is called 'He Gained' and it turned out great. It reminds me of something Tina Turner would do.

AM: It's a cover of the Angelo Bonds song from the seventies isn't it?

FP: Yes, it's Angelo's song. He recorded it but nothing really happened back then.

AM: I love that song!

FP: I hope I can get a record deal with these songs.

AM: Maybe you can get a deal in Europe. They seem to be smarter when it comes to music.

FP: For some reason they love American music fiercely. They cherish music the way some people cherish and value antiques.

AM: Speaking of music from the past. I just got the re-mastered, first time on CD 'Stares and Whispers' and it is fantastic!!! I'm so grateful for this! I have loved this album since it first came out. Do you like having your older work out on CD?

FP: I don't mind! It's nice having it out on CD since I don't have a turn table anymore!

AM: The CD has that great cut you did with Tavares called 'I Wanna See You Soon.'

FP: So the CD is a good deal.

AM: I didn't realize you were just a teenager when you recorded 'After The Lights Go Down.'

FP: I was nineteen. I went to New York when I was eighteen. It took almost a year but I got a deal with ABC Paramount. They had a jazz subsidiary named Impulse so my first album was released as a jazz record.

AM: A nineteen year old with a jazz album sounds kind of funny...(Laughter)

FP: I was singing jazz with big bands in Detroit when was fourteen.

AM: You really are one of the blessed ones Freda.

FP: As long as I can keep doing it I will. Just remember to count your blessings.

To learn more about Freda Payne visit her web site http://www.fredapayne.com/ and her facebook page http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=211205272286747&id=511548967&notif_t=like#!/pages/Freda-Payne/255615917822073?sk=wall

Dallas Actress Tina Parker

2011-10-23T16:49:00.000-07:00

All Photos: Alan Mercer

I met Actress Tina Parker through my friend Richard Levi when I was in Dallas recently. Tina has been a Co-Artistic Director and Administrative Director of the famed Kitchen Dog Theater for almost twenty years and has recently made a splash as a semi-regular on AMC's hit show 'Breaking Bad.'

Besides her breakthrough role on 'Breaking Bad' Tina has also been featured in several other TV shows and films including 'Trespass' with Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman, 'The Final Destination' and Robert Altman's 'Dr.T and the Women' with Richard Gere.

She has starred in and directed several plays at Kitchen Dog where they are committed to providing a place where questions of justice, freedom and human morality can be explored. They invite their audiences to be provoked, challenged and amazed. Since theater of this kind is not bound by any tradition, Kitchen Dog Theater is committed to exploring these questions whether they are found in the classics, contemporary works, or new plays.

AM: Tina, are you from Texas?

TP: I'm a native Texan...yes!

AM: What part of the state are you from?

TP: I was born in Woodville which is in Southeast Texas and very small, but I've lived in Dallas the longest so I'd say I'm from Dallas. I'm a card carrying State Fair Season Pass holder! (Laughter)

AM: The state fair is going on right now. Have you gone?

TP: Oh Yeah! I've been there three times so far and there's still a week left. You can go to the livestock section, the food section, you go to the rides and look at people.

AM: We're here at the Kitchen Dog Theater and I wonder how you got involved with this?

TP: I went to school with the founders at SMU. They were in Graduate School when I was an Undergrad. About two years after I graduated I started working with the company and I've been with them ever since. Now I'm one of the co-artistic directors here. I've been here forever. The theater is in it's twenty first season and I'm on my nineteenth.

AM: Did you grow up knowing you were going to be an actress?

TP: Pretty much, I always felt like it was my niche' as a kid. We moved a lot so I always had to be a clown. It's just where I fit in. I read really fast so my teachers were always encouraging me to act out the books. I toyed with the idea of being a heart surgeon when I was in fifth grade and in first grade I thought I'd be a horse jockey but I was already too tall so that was depressing. Actor was the last thing that was left!!!

AM: You seem to have a slant towards comedy.

TP: Yes I guess...I don't know.

AM: Do you act in a lot of dramas?

TP: I do actually. Kitchen Dog is known for that. I've really done a mix of both comedy and drama. The film work has been a mix as well. I've played a lot of Lesbians and cocky yard guards...stuff like that! I have a pretty wide mix of work out there.

AM: You seem to working a lot now and getting great reviews!

TP: So far so good. You go through spells as anybody can attest. There was a big jag last year where everything was work, work, work and that was awesome. Now all that work has come out and I'm not booking as much work at this moment. It really is the ebb and flow. You take it when you can get it. I've been fortunate to get a lot of work the last couple of years like 'Breaking Bad.' That was a huge boost for me!

AM: What's it like working with Bryan Cranston?

TP: AMAZING! He's an Actor's Actor for sure. It doesn't matter what side of the camera he is on. The camera can totally be on you and he is still giving you 100% and if he gets a new idea from you he will go that way. I'm trained in the theater more than film so it's exciting when you have that connectivity of moment to moment work. He has that listening ability, he is so present.

AM: Do you have a preference in working in theater or on film?

TP: I'll be honest...I still really love the theater. There's nothing like doing a show. The audience is the last component that gets added to it. Things can change every night. You're always going in the right order. In film you can be filming your love scene the first day and the part where you get to know each other is filmed three weeks later. In theater you have the progression, so you have the natural sense of propulsion, that's a good way to describe it. There's just nothing like performing in front of a live audience.

AM: Do you enjoy the reciprocation of the audience?

TP: I enjoy the energy of the crowd. The way that Kitchen Dog Theater is set up you are really close. If you wanted to you could reach out and touch an actor on stage. The energy they give you is amazing and that's what's exciting about it. That makes it different from any other art form performance to me.

AM: Have you directed before?

TP: I direct theater all the time. I'm directing a show right now actually.

AM: Is directing more or less fulfilling than acting?

TP: It's harder. You are handling more details and I'm kind of OCD with the details. It's a lot more effort. That's one of the reasons I've stayed at Kitchen Dog because I get the chance to do projects that I want to do.

AM: Why did you get into all this theater?

TP: It's just where I felt I fit and I felt good doing it. I was lucky because I found my place. I was never a desk clerk who hated my job. I did have to wait tables for ten years. That sure helped me with some of the characters I've found on screen. I don't have to do that anymore. On my last day I got a gold lapel pin from the restaurant. My career as a waiter was over.

AM: What advice do you give to young actors?

TP: Keep yourself engaged and recharged. Keep educating yourself. Take risks because if you try to play it safe the payoff isn't going to be as good. Trust your intuition and don't give up!

Learn more about Kitchen Dog Theater here http://www.kitchendogtheater.org/

Soul Singer Robert Gee

2011-10-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

All Photos: Alan Mercer

True soul music evokes emotions and speaks straight to the heart of the listener. Robert Gee not only continues the great legacy of soulful singers, he evolves it. With a rich, seductive voice he has crafted a multi-dimensional sound that is at once uniquely his own but reminiscent of the great crooners who came before him. He has no problem serving up his own brand of modern day soul complete with lush, harmonious backing vocals that are a delight to the ears, however his forte is delivering quiet storm ballads.

Hailing from the city of brotherly love, Robert Gee is an heir apparent to the “Philly Soul” tradition. However, it is his electrifying stage presence and voice that has critics saying, now it’s his turn to rightfully take his place as the next big thing in music and with such an impeccable reputation as a showstopper, Robert Gee is bound to become an icon.

I met up with Robert Gee at his home in the Leimert Park section of Los Angeles. We took these photos in the street. Robert is very easy to photograph!

AM: Robert, I know you are a great Soul Singer...so my first question is were you a child Soul Singer?

RG: I actually was!

AM: Where did you grow up?

RG: I grew up in Philadelphia and the only music I listened to was my Mom's record collection that included Ray Charles, Nancy Wilson, Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin. Those were the LP's you would find in her stereo so that's what we would listen to. Then when I got old enough to know what the radio was I listened to WDAS which is all Soul Music.

AM: Who were some of your favorites?

RG: I was into Earth, Wind & Fire, Heatwave, Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes with and without Teddy Pendergrass, Patti Labelle, Phyllis Hyman, Chaka Khan, Minnie Ripperton, Parlament Funkadelic, Jeffrey Osborne and Peabo Bryson. These are the singers that groomed me, also Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder.

AM: You can tell that by listening to your album. Did you have any training as a child?

RG: Yes I did., voice and piano. I was a classically trained singer singing R&B, LOL. I started singing professionally when I was fifteen.

AM: Did you have 'the voice' when you were five? You always got attention for your voice?

RG: I did. I always got attention for my voice...because it was a unique voice and my dancing too. When I was a kid I would look at Michael Jackson and go, "Wow! How do you get there? I can do that." I was fascinated with the fact that the Jackson 5 were who they were. They were on TV and they had a cartoon. I wanted to do that too.

AM: What was your family life like growing up?

RG: I'm the youngest of six and I came into the family at a very challenging time. My parents were divorcing my Mother shifted from Mommy mode to Survival mode. Suddenly she is responsible for a big house and our private school. We all went to Catholic School. Anyway my Mom had to work many jobs and consequently there wasn't a lot of attention paid to my gifts and talents within the family unit. We were trying to make it…and did. It wasn’t until my brothers and sisters started getting married that the attention came from the in-laws. They would ask my siblings if any of them had heard their little brother sing or seen me dance. They were the catalysts for giving me platforms.

AM: So you felt what they were saying?

RG: Absolutely, intrinsically I knew it was true. I think all people who have this gift know. I knew when I was five years old that I would be an entertainer. That was my proclamation.

AM: And you have never varied from your path have you?

RG: No, other than some survival jobs. Back when I first moved to Los Angeles all my friends told me you get a job at a restaurant at night and go to auditions in the day. I never got any of those jobs. They always said, "Don't waste yourself here." I ended up in real estate! That’s my daytime grind.

AM: Have you worked as a background singer?

RG: My first was with another Philly native son named Donald Welch when we were younsters and he was doing his nightclub act. He's a writer/director here in LA now and he just directed me in one of his productions called "The First Lad of Zion". However, my first celebrity caliber artist I had the honor of working for was Vesta. But I've done BGV work with Norwood, Laurnea Laurae, Atlantic Star, Kashif, Teena Marie, Tevin Campbell, Bee Bee Winans and Lashun Pace to name a few.

AM: How are you doing since we lost Vesta? I know you were close.

RG: I've known her now fifteen years. We were friends…really family because everywhere we went she told everyone “this is my brother ‘Roberto”…I am profoundly baffled and heart broken by these events and have to stop now...

AM: I understand how difficult this time must be for you. I love Teena Marie too. Tell me a little about your experience with her.

RG: Well Teena was changing personnel in the middle of a tour. I had known her for years before she even heard me sing. I remember the night she heard me sing. She had a pool party and the guests had all left so just a few of us were hanging out in the kitchen and someone asked what was everyone's favorite Teena Marie moment. I had too many moments but I told her my favorite song of hers was 'Now That I Have You' and we started singing it! That was the moment! It was so magical. Pamela Williams was there too. After we got done Teena told me she was so mad at me. She said, "Dude, how long have you been around me and I didn't know you had this beautiful voice!?!" Unfortunately after rehearsing me to get ready to go out with her, I never got to go but will never forget that experience… Both Teena and Vesta were very musical women and demanded your best, even in rehearsal.

AM: How wonderful! Do you mean the saxophone player Pamela Williams?

RG: Yes one of my best friends from High School. She is on the title track of my CD 'All My Love.'

AM: Awesome! Didn't you work with Luther Vandross as well?

RG: Yes I was in the 'Power Of Love' video when I first moved to LA. I went to the audition and all they asked was could I swim? Yes I can. I didn't get picked but I had a phone message when I got home and it was the casting office saying that Mr. Vandross had come into the office and saw my photo I a stack of Polaroid's and wanted me in the video. It was awesome, there was a moment on the set when Luther called us together and said " Look, I know you guys will be lipsyncing but I want you to learn this chorus like you really recorded it!" so he actually rehearsed us to get the words and timing down and I will never forget standing next to him singing and what "our" voices, his and mine sounded like...magic!

AM: How awesome is that?

RG: I am beside myself because Luther is one of my vocal heroes. He showed me how to do R&B first class. He was perfection.

AM: Now you have your album all finished and out there!

RG: Yes I do...and...the irony is, it was funded by real estate! My day job…LOL

AM: Your CD is titled 'All My Love' and it's about love.

RG: What is life without love in some form? Whatever kind of love it is we were made for it. We're here to love each other. As we're learning love it takes on so many different shades and colors.

AM: Love is the foundation of breathing.

RG: Totally. That's why I called the CD 'All My Love' and I'm so proud of it. It garnered me a BMA 2010 Best R& B Male Vocal Performance Awards from the Black Music Association.

AM: Are you recording new material already?

RG: Yes I am. The single is being mixed as we speak. It’s a collaboration between Maqman productions out of Switzerland. It will be ready for a top of the year drop! Very excited about it. I am three songs into the next project. I will definitely collaborate again like I did on my first album.

AM: You wrote most of the songs didn't you?

RG: Yes I wrote four by myself and collaborated on the other seven. Then there is one cover.

AM: I love your version of 'Round Midnight.' Are you doing another cover on the next album?

RG: Thank you, I am. I love Jazz standards so I am preparing my fans for something exciting, sexy and very eclectic. I like to bring something fresh to a timeless tale…One of the first bands I ever fronted was a jazz band called “A Different Class”. So it is a part of me, in my musical DNA, my roots and where I came from. I am honored to carry on the legacy of great soul man and women that have paved the way and gone on…speaking of…R.I.P to my girl Vesta Williams, one of the best to ever do it. I humbly dedicate this to your memory.

You can purchase Robert Gee's fantastic album 'All My Love' at CD Baby, Amazon and I-Tunes.

To learn more about Robert Gee visit these web sites www.robertgee.com
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/robertgee2

www.facebook.com/robertgee www.twitter.com/geeman09

Life Lessons: Favorite Quotes From My Blogs

2011-10-02T17:04:00.000-07:00

The one and only reason I started a blog was to keep my photographs in front of people's eyes. Three years ago the whole industry had changed and suddenly steady work wasn't so guaranteed. Respected creative types were all wondering where would the next check come from? Budgets went down dramatically overnight. It would be easy to be forgotten. The blog seemed like a natural way to showcase what I do. As for the writing, I would simply talk to the people I was photographing like I always had, but with a recorder near by. I had a bit of experience with this part. In 2002 being a little ahead of the game, I put Alan Mercer's PROFILE in a part of my then web site as an internet magazine. Honestly it was hard to find more than a handful in 2002! I was able to post four quarterly issues that featured among others my buddy Danny Trejo and Actor Perry King.

Even with this history I didn't have any idea how much I would enjoy the challenge of creating a (mostly) weekly blog. I've recently been thinking of how much I've learned about life since starting it. I'm going to share some of my favorite quotes and stories in this almost three year journey that has actually changed my life.

I've heard it stated that having a blog is just another unpaid job. I'm not sure I would agree with this thought. What I have received from not only my subjects, but even more so my followers, has been priceless.

On January 19, 2009 I posted my first statement.

I have decided to start my PROFILE magazine as a blog. This seems to be a sign of the times. I have the occasion to work with such fascinating people and I want to share some of those experiences with you. I will be talking with my friends like Mamie Van Doren, Julie Newmar, Sally Kellerman, Danny Trejo, and Dayanara Torres, as well as new friends I meet along the way. I will be posting new photos from recent shoots and interviews I do with my clients and friends.

The very first conversation I posted was a five minute talk I had with my darling friend Mamie Van Doren after lunch, along with a couple new photos. Mamie told me, " This is the 21st century. It’s here, get with it. I’m looking forward to the 22nd Century."

On March 8 I posted the first conversation along with my second photo session with Gilles Marini, who had already become a friend. He just scored a giant career boost by being cast on 'Dancing With The Stars.' I predicted he was about to become a household name and I was right! Gilles told me, "Being famous is just part of the job."

On April 29 I posted a fascinating conversation with Julie Newmar because Julie is fascinating! We talked about aging gracefully and Julie told me, "We notice how important it is to do the right thing. All the things our parents taught us, and if they didn’t teach us, it is three times as hard to learn. If you are not doing the right thing you won’t make it long after the age of fifty. I guarantee you if you are not doing the right thing."

Next I met with the iconic porn star of the 80's Ginger Lynn. She had this to say about her relationship with Charlie Sheen. "The first and last time I have ever been in love. He was the first man ever to break my heart. All the hearts that I broke all came back when he broke my heart. For me…he was a wonderful, wonderful man. I fell in love with him the day we were driving along the beach and he saw a homeless man. We went to a sporting goods store and bought him a sleeping bag, a back pack and some water bottles. We went and found the homeless guy and gave him all these things. He was wonderful to me and we had a wonderful relationship."

One of my favorite rock stars of all time is Gregg Allman. He saw my portfolio on my phone in a coffee shop and told me I had to photograph him! Truly one of the luckiest days of my life! When we were talking I asked him why he didn't make any more films as he was so good in 'RUSH' and he told me, "I would like to do more films and if the right one comes along I’d do it. They send me scripts all the time but the dialogue is always filled with cuss words. RUSH only had one f word. I just don’t choose to say this in a movie. Then producers ask me why. I said my Mother might watch this film. They were all stunned."

Blues Singer Candye Kane and I were talking about life's blessings and she told me, " You can create your own blessings by your attitude. We have a tendency to plant a seed and then when it doesn’t grow as fast as we want… we think it won’t ever work. But if you keep watering that seed and giving it what it needs to grow eventually something comes up, and that’s the thing. We give up too quickly because we are all so used to everything fast. We use the drive through Starbucks!"

Is anyone more insightful and funnier than Playwright Del Shores? I asked him about some of his famous lines and he said, " I never thought the stuff like ‘sweet baby Jesus’ would be so popular. I did know when I wrote ‘heads are gonna roll’ that it would be one of the ones."

When I asked him if his faith had waned over time due to so many challenges he told me, " My spirituality, my faith, yes, has altered, had faltered, but now has been redefined. I feel that I am a spiritual person, on a journey, connected to this universe through love and humanity. I don't pretend to know the answers."

Wanda told Eric he was better looking than Elvis. "This is the best compliment I have ever received because Elvis is King!" Eric Venturo... pictured with Wanda Jackson

My afternoon with Wanda Jackson is one the most memorable times of my whole life! When talking about her trademark growl she said, " I was the first one to try it at Elvis’s insistence and challenge. It was my music because I was a teenager when I started doing all this. I was seventeen so I wanted to do it. I didn’t think I could but he said, ‘Certainly you can. You have the voice for it.’ So I decided to take him at his word."

I visited with Gilles Marini again for the blog in August of 2009 after he came in second on 'DWTS' and he was so humble telling me about his experience on the show, "I had the chance to learn something new and in life when you learn something new it is always magic."

On August 24 of 2009 I posted my conversation with Ruta Lee and she told me a little about her friend Lucille Ball, "Lucy was just wonderful. She was a tough dame. She didn’t want to do anything that she didn’t want to do."

My dear friend Sally Kellerman told me about her difficult decision to focus on music instead of a film career that was going full speed ahead, "In the 70's at the height of my film career I turned down all these great films so I could concentrate on singing and go on the road because I wanted to be taken seriously. I wanted people to know that I was the real deal. I wanted soul, but it would take another thirty years to get it."

Hee Haw's Lulu Roman talked to me about the importance of forgiveness. "When you make a choice to forgive that person who so mortally wounded you, that person no longer defines who you are. There are so many people walking around out there that are so mortally wounded because they have been so abused. For years I woke up every morning and would say OK God I choose to forgive today, but I wouldn't feel it. I just kept saying over and over again I choose to forgive, I choose to forgive and then one day you wake up and it is gone."

Famous Songwriter Allee Willis told me something surprising, "I still do not know how to read, write or play music. I don't know how to do anything that I do."

I had the pleasure to feature on of my idols, Miss Rona Barrett on October 4, 2009 and she told me about her passion which is caring for the elderly, "We are having a crisis in so many areas of this country and the people who seem to be getting hit the most are seniors. Seniors really are the people who do not have the funds to buy insurance and get the health care they need. I'm talking about the elderly poor. Seniors are the first, along with children, to get attacked by any crisis. Then they are eliminated."

Comic Actor and Writer Taylor Negron told me about his show where he talks about growing up, "In LA and being a model as a child and then being an actor. I was exposed to some really rough stuff. I grew up in a time before kids were considered sacred."

Jane Lynch commented on her huge success with, "That is so nice but it's almost too much. It either really humbles you or takes you to the other side where you feel entitled. I rarely get very excited or very upset anymore. I have found an even keel."

Hawaiian Singer Yvonne Elliman told me some of the challenges of being so famous from Jesus Christ Superstar, "I went to hospitals and actually had to touch this girl who had been in an accident and she wanted me there. The parents were praying for her to make it through...and she did. They gave me the credit. It was getting too heavy. I did that twice and I thought, no I can't do this anymore. I became an Agnostic actually. I was getting so much flack from people who were Buddhists and Krishna's. The 'God' thing was getting on my nerves."

The sensational Linda Gray helped me celebrate the first year anniversary and talked about when she was a UN Goodwill Ambassador, " I traveled around the world helping women and children with their health issues. Once again I feel very blessed to be able to have done this. I saw places that a travel agent would not send you, sitting in little huts with concrete floors. I always asked them what they wanted and was told they wanted clean water, a healthy child birth and an education. To this day if I have a little bottle of water I have to finish it. We take so much for granted. It totally changed my life. The first day I was in

Nicaragua

I went back to my hotel and sobbed and started journaling. They don't have anything."

Legendary Jazz Vocalist Marlena Shaw told me about maintaining her positive attitude, "I know that I have been chosen to do what I do so I get on with it. I don't want to hear no excuses. If you really take the time to be in a loving mode, because let's face it we've all had times when we are mad at the world, you will return to a loving place."

Actress Sean Young told me why it's hard to get anything going in the Los Angeles movie business, "Most of these people in a position like that, such as a studio person or a producer, are afraid to say yes because yes is opening them up for a mistake. No...you can't argue with. You're not going to make a mistake with no. It's yes that is the potential mistake."

Jackee Harry talked to me about staying employed, "I have put my career first and sacrificed a lot of things to be successful. Another one of my sayings is, "Being successful takes courage." Maya Angelou told me that. I said, "What do you mean? I'm just working." Then she said, "How many young black women would be on the road by themselves working darling?" She's right, I don't take it for granted anymore. It takes courage to work and to survive."

Sam Harris told me what it's like being a Dad, "It's beyond my imagination and beyond what I thought was my capacity to love. It is everything. It's hard to describe. I always say, "How much does Daddy love Cooper?" and he says, "More than everything." It's true, being a Dad is the great leveler and priority maker. Everything else in my life is now secondary and pales by comparison. I have a great life and I've had a great life. It keeps getting richer."

French Action Movie Star Olivier Gruner talked to me about physical pain, "We found out that every time you get hurt and feel pain the body sends that signal to your brain and your brain analyzes it and tells you right away in a split moment if it's important or not. If you touch something hot right away you react to it. Now if you are used to touching something hot the body will get used to it which means the signal is so different. We found out that to condition your shin for kicking you have to develop a pain tolerance so when you do that over and over the brain doesn't react anymore. The brain thinks it's normal. That's why sometimes you have a toothache for days and then you don't feel it anymore. The brain tells you it's not an emergency."

In June, 2009 I had my first opportunity to photograph the now iconic Rock Singer Bebe Buell. We became instant friends. We talked about her position in pop culture history. "You know it finally got interesting when I got called a Pop Culture Historian. I felt then at that point my life had made sense. I think even my Mom was finally proud when I got called a Pop Culture Expert. There's validity in being a part of musical, cultural and artistic trends. There's something to be said for being a part of that. I've experienced and witnessed all the different changes."

Italian Pop Singer Gazebo told me about his life philosophy, "Be sincere and give priority to the things that are important like your family. At the end of your life that is what's important. Try to be as clean as you can with your projects. Try not to be influenced by things that are not important."

My friend, Former Miss Universe and World-Class Beauty Dayanara Torres told me about some of the challenges of doing dramatic film work. "Sometimes it's hard because you are working so hard to get out of certain stages or things that have happened in your life. Say you have tried real hard to let go of certain things then you have to go back and film it. So I think if anything my life experience has been like 'gold in my pocket.' That's what I call it. I have it there and when I need it I use it."

Actor William McNamara talked to me about his interest in producing reality television, "It's much more of a proactive lifestyle. Being an actor is about waiting around for Hollywood. It may or may not come. While it's in limbo I want to be involved in other things. This is the perfect place for me. There's no unions in reality so you can go do your own stuff. You just need a video camera and you can do anything. I've done great so far."

Vocalist Eloise Laws talked to me about her challenges with the recording industry, "The record industry has not been an easy industry for me. It's been a struggle. To be known and appreciated by a few is better than none at all."

Actor Patrick Kilpatrick talked to me about the benefits of organic food. "When I was nine years old I made a decision and I don't know why, but I said to myself that rich or poor I'm going to eat well. I didn't know it at the time but I was pretty much raised on an organic farm by my parents. So when I left home I was still into it. We've got one body, we've got one voice."

The very funny Ruth Buzzi told me she was seriously retired from show business. "I've been everywhere. Been there, done that. I don't care anymore. Thank goodness my husband is at a point where he doesn't care anymore either. I really just want to stay home. I love home. I LOVE home."

Carla Laemmle, who was 101 when I talked to her told me, "I've had an amazing life and this is the best part of it. One of my little secrets that I saw in a book years ago is the quote "Harm no one, especially yourself" and I try to live by that."

In September of 2010 I featured my darling friend Mamie Van Doren in a longer conversation than my first blog. We talked about why she joined the AIDS movement very early. "My friends were dying left and right, and I felt like I had no choice but to help, because few celebrities would have their names attached to HIV/AIDS. I continued making appearances at clubs to raise money throughout the eighties. Much of this is lost in the sands of time, since hardly anyone is left alive that was there at the time."

Writer/Actor Charles Casillo talked to me about why he wrote a fictional book about Marilyn Monroe. "I realized Marilyn was a fantasy figure who existed differently for all of us. What if I recreated her as she exists for me. Then I thought that everyone is interested in a diary which is very hidden and forbidden. Who could resist peeking into someone's diary? I decided to write it as a diary. That was my first book and it did well."

Entertainer Jimmy James talked to me about the 'It Gets Better Campaign' and his early self acceptance struggles. "I did have thoughts of suicide when I was younger. I did because I felt like I was born a boy but I look like a girl. That was not of my own design. That was just nature that made me that way. Knowing that killing yourself was a sin, I couldn't do it. I came from a very strict Catholic family. Suicide is not an issue but I did think as a teenager that I wanted to kill myself."

Hip Socialite Diet Guru Nikki Haskell let me know that she gets asked for advice all the time. "I have an opinion on absolutely everything. Anything you want to know I'll tell you about!"

Handsome Actor/Singer John Schneider talked about his frustration with the public not knowing he is a singer. "I'm a realist. Not a day goes by where I don't sing somewhere and somebody comes up to me and says, "Hey I didn't know you sang?" I should have done the fourteenth album I guess because thirteen just wasn't enough! (laughter) I should have had more number one songs. It's a weird thing that I don't understand."

The lovely Michelle Phillips let me know she adores being a grandmother. "It's really a beautiful experience. It truly is. Who could have thought that I would one day be a grandmother? I love spending time with my grandchildren. We go shopping and make dinner and we paint! It's all fun time!"

I'm going to end with my second year anniversary blog featuring Gilles Marini's third and best appearance. We talked about what he learned from his father. "My Dad showed me the good in the world. Sometimes people ask me if I'm really that nice. I'm not trying to be anything. This is just the normal me. It's not complicated for me. Everyday if you do something good it will be contagious. Doing something nice for someone you don't know is so awesome I think."

Yes I would say I have learned a lot from my blogs and I hope you have at least enjoyed them if nothing else!

The Musical Odyssey of Maria Muldaur

2011-09-18T20:23:00.000-07:00

All Photos: Alan Mercer Make-Up & Hair: Susan Seligman Photo Asst: Ginny Winn

I fell in love with Maria Muldaur's music a long time ago. She has always been such an original. Her music is very real and organic...no matter what the decade or musical style. Maria is a "Grade A, World Class Singer" who has never stopped in fifty years of performing.

Born Maria Grazia Rosa Domenica D'Amato in the Greenwich Village section of New York City, she was part of the American Folk Music Revival in the early 1960's. She recorded the mega-hit song 'Midnight At The Oasis' in 1974 and has continued to record thirty-nine albums in various musical styles from jazz and blues to "pop music from another generation" for children.

Maria began her career as Maria D'Amato, performing along with John Sebastion and others, as a member of the 'Even Dozen Jug Band.' She then joined 'Jim Kweskin and His Jug Band' as a featured vocalist and occasional violinist.

During this time, she was part of the Greenwich Village scene that included Bob Dylan, and some of her recollections of the period, particularly with respect to Dylan, appear in Martin Scorsese's 2005 documentary film, 'No Direction Home.'

She married fellow Jug Band member Geoff Muldaur, and after the Kweskin band broke up the two of them produced two albums. Both of these albums are superb. She began her solo career when their marriage ended in 1972, but retained her married name.

Maria recorded a total of five critically acclaimed solo albums before parting with Warner Bros. Records. Since the mid-eighties she has released almost an album a year! Every one of them is exceptional...as her many long-time fans will agree.

I met Maria Muldaur for the first time in Cincinnati, Ohio right after her performance at the club 'Bogarts.' She was phenomenal. I have seen her many times in the passing years and when I turned professional as a photogrpaher I told her we had to shoot. We were finally able to make that happen in 2006 when we worked together for her 'Bob Dylan Love Song' album. This past summer she came back to Los Angeles so we could shoot the cover for her latest album 'Steady Love.' With the help of Susan Seligman doing hair and make-up and Ginny Winn, who took the photos of Maria on her "first" album, we got some great photographs of Maria Muldaur now!

AM: I want to talk about your new album 'Steady Love.' I LOVE IT!

MM: Oh thank you.

AM: What led you in this direction?

MM: Of late I've made a series of albums for this small label in Canada called Stony Plain Records. They have been a series of albums paying tribute to the early Blues Legends and Pioneers that so greatly influenced and inspired so many of us.

AM: You have received a Grammy nomination too haven't you?

MM: I have received three Grammy nominations! Meanwhile I have also recently recorded a Jug Band album going back to my original roots. My band that I travel with is mostly New Orleans flavored Blues R&B and what I call swamp funk.

AM: What is swamp funk?

MM: The music is very heavily influenced by the New Orleans piano style. My agent told me I was getting known for doing all this vintage music but in real life I am doing much more contemporary stuff so why don't I do an album that reflects that. I decided to go to the scene of the original crime, New Orleans and get together with an A-team of musicians.

AM: I bet you know a lot of great musicians there don't you?

MM: They are all musicians I've worked with before. I knew where to go to get the sound I wanted. Since I don't write it's always a challenge to find the right songs.

AM: You are known for always finding the best songs.

MM: I may not write myself but I do have a knack for finding the good songs. I know where to find them.

AM: It must be hard to know which ones are the best to record.

MM: It's always a cliffhanger until the day before we record. Even though this is supposed to be a straight ahead Blues album, I can't help it that my spiritual side came out and there's several songs that are very Gospel.

AM: Do you have a favorite song from the new album?

MM: My favorite song is "I Done Made It Up In My Mind To Serve God Till I Die' that was recently recorded by Aaron Neville. It's irrepressibly happy and joyful. I also recorded Eric Bibb's 'Don't Let Nobody Bring Your Spirit Down.' These are songs that everybody loves. When I sing them live everybody comes up to my CD table afterwards and wants to know which CD has that song. Another song that fits that description is a song I've been singing live for years and years, Percy Mayfield's 'Please Send Me Someone To Love.' I could have retired by now if I had recorded it earlier. That's the big showstopper of my show and people rush up to the table and want the CD with that song. We've always had to say that I haven't recorded it yet! Now I've got it so everybody who ever wanted it better get it! (Laughing)

AM: I have always loved your version of that song and wanted you to record it as well!

MM: Another song that is really good is called 'Walk By Faith' and it's full of good spiritual advice. I also do some playful songs like Sugar Pie De Santo's 'Soulful Dress.' There's a little of everything on it but it's all spirited and raw.

AM: Did it take you a long time to record this album?

MM: We recorded all the tracks in two and a half days. We had one rehearsal the night before the sessions and we just went in and cut them. With the budgets we are given to work with these days that's the way to do it. I get the guys who don't have to think about it. They can play this in their sleep.

AM: What motivates you to keep recording? Isn't this like your 35th album?

MM: I think if you include a couple of compilation albums this is my 39th album. We are 37 years away from 'Midnight At The Oasis.' I've been going to fast to count but my next project is a tribute to my favorite Blues Artist Memphis Minnie. I have a bunch of guest artists like Bonnie Riatt and Ruthie Foster, who I just adore.

AM: I know you were friends with Phoebe Snow because you did some recordings with her. Can you tell me a bit about her?

MM: I met her in 1971 before I did 'Midnight At The Oasis' before anyone knew who she was. She was hanging out at Gerde's Folk City and she came up to me. Here is this young gal wearing no make-up and a sweatshirt and jeans. She told me she was a fan of my music. Then she told me she liked Memphis Minnie too. She whipped out her guitar and played this GREAT version of 'In My Girlish Days.'

AM: What did you think of that?

MM: She blew me away! My jaw dropped and I thought who is this? We bonded right then and there and were dear friends all through that time. We both came up right around the same time. We both hit it nationally and had big hits. Over the years we shared everything from the ups and downs of the music business to the heartbreaks and joys of Motherhood. A couple years ago I told her of my intention to record this tribute album and she loved the idea. Unfortunately she fell ill and was unable to do anything but fortunately she had already recorded that song on one of her albums and Sony is letting us license the song so Phoebe will be part of this Memphis Minnie Sisterhood. That is very special to me that they allowed us to do that.

AM: Can you tell me a little about meeting Janis Joplin?

MM: According to a book her sister wrote she was at a party in Austin that the Jug Band was playing at. This was the Hippie Enclave of the early Sixties. All the Hipsters in Austin gave us this party and we all played music, which is what we used to do in those days. I'm talking not just on stage but jamming informally. Apparently everyone asked Janis to perform but she didn't want to because she was intimidated by me. I only learned this a few years ago in the book.

AM: How did this make you feel?

MM: I was very touched by that. I met her during the Summer of Love when the Jug Band came to California to play at the Fillmore and the Avalon Ballroom. Bill Graham had us on and Janis and her group opened for us.

AM: Were you impressed by her talent?

MM: I was blown away. I remember hearing her sing 'Ball and Chain' which was an old Etta James song. Etta was obviously her biggest influence. Bill Graham asked me what I thought and I said, "Oh my God! She's amazing!" He told me she wanted to meet me so after her set he introduced us. The first thing she said was, "Do you get high?" (laughing) Back in those days it wasn't a given, but we couldn't light up in the dressing room so we stood on a ledge and smoked. When I think of it now it gives me the creeps. We both stood on the ledge of the window sill of the dressing room on the second floor and shared a joint.

AM: Do you remember what you talked about?

MM: Oh yes, we talked about which musicians we liked. We both were into Memphis Minnie. We ended up having the same manager, Albert Grossman so I would see her at various music festivals and I remember hanging out with her the night we found out that Otis Redding had passed away. She was so bummed because she was going to open for him on New Years Eve. I have very fond memories of Janis and I thought she was wonderful!

AM: Has anyone ever asked you to write a book about that time?

MM: So many people think I tell good stories but I'm so busy singing that I suppose I'll do it when I run out of things to sing. Bonnie Raitt thinks I should do a 'One Woman Show' and tell stories. When they made the film about Bob Dylan called 'Don't Look Back' the producers were very pleased with my recall.

AM: You do have amazing recall. So many musicians can't remember any of it.

MM: I was not only in the Sixties I do remember it! I guess I just didn't get quite as twisted and messed up as everybody else. (Laughing)

AM: I love your 'Classic Live' album with the song 'Searchin.' What made you want to record that song?

MM: WOW! I knew it from the Coasters because I was an early Rock n' Roller. I was into all that in the Fifties. It's a cool, funky song. I always picked funky Soul and R&B tunes.

AM: What did you do musically in the fifties?

MM: I had two Doo Wop groups in the Fifties in New York City. I had one group in Junior High with three Puerto Rican girls called 'The Cameos' and then in High School I went to a different neighborhood and hooked up with three Jewish girls from the Bronx and we formed a band called 'The Cashmeres.' I was the leader and main instigator in both bands.

AM: Did you sing original music?

MM: We wrote a bunch of songs but this was before Bob Dylan raised the bar and I wouldn't even dream of writing a song after him. I was listening to R&B intensely at that time. I loved Ruth Brown and Muddy Waters, all the early R&B artists. I was listening to Allen Freed on the radio at the time he coined the phrase 'Rock n' Roll.' That is my roots. My Mom tried to give me piano lessons and I learned to play Fats Domino. I made her crazy playing 'Blueberry Hill.' That must be why I recorded 'Searchin.' I haven't thought of it in years.

AM: People think of you as a rock singer but you're really an R&B singer.

MM: I'm much more R&B. I'm more Roll than Rock! My hit was a pop song. My whole career can be seen as a long and rambling odyssey through all sorts of American Roots music. I've played old time fiddle and sang bluegrass.

AM: Did you purposefully decide to educate all of us with this classic American music?

MM: I've never purposely decided practically anything. Talk about walk by faith! I had no idea when Geoff Muldaur and I broke up that I would continue recording and making music. I thought I would be a waitress in Woodstock. Instead I got an amazing opportunity to come out to California and make my first solo record. All I thought was I was going to get out of the freezing cold blizzardy winter.

AM: Did you get a lot of positive reinforcement back then?

MM: I've always done what Joseph Campbell called following your bliss. Music pulled me in at the age of five when I first heard Hank Williams and Kitty Wells on the radio. Music has been the motivating force that has pulled me along. I was always into authentic music. I never had the thought that I needed a pop hit. That was a lucky accident.

AM: You were on Warner Brother Records at a time when it was extremely prestigious. Did you appreciate it?

MM: Oh yes I appreciated it. The Jug Band did an album or two for Warner/Reprise label. That was the soulful, eclectic, left of center corner of the Warner's label. After the band broke up they paid Geoff Muldaur and I to record two duet albums for them.

AM: Both of those records are classics!

MM: Then Geoff and I broke up personally and professionally and by a total fluke of amazing good fortune I ran into Mo Ostin (Warner Bros. President) at Brooks Brothers in New York City where I was buying a good-bye present for my husband who was about to leave me. He asked me how I was doing and I told him Geoff and I were separating. He asked if I wanted to make a solo album.

AM: And of course you said yes!

MM: I really hadn't thought about it. He told me I should do it so I rose to the occasion. He invited me to the office for the afternoon. Now love or money could not get you a whole afternoon with a record company president.

AM: What did you talk about?

MM: He picked my brain and asked what I wanted to do. I told him I liked Ry Cooder and he said that's Lenny Waronker. Let's call him and I'll tell him you want to make an album with him. So he did call and told him about me wanting to make this album and I thought to myself, "I do!?!" (Laughter) The next thing I knew they sent me money to come to LA and make a record.

AM: What did you think about that?

MM: I thought this will pay a few months rent. P.S. The rest is history.

AM: All five of your solo Warner Brother albums are exquisite.

MM: Thank you. Here I was thinking I was being a waitress and just a few months later I am sitting in the studio with Ry Cooder, Dr. John, Jim Keltner, you name it, the best of the best. That was true of all the albums I made with Warners. I got to work with Benny Carter and an All-Star Big Band, I got to sing a duet with Hoagy Carmichael.

AM: This is what I wanted to talk to you specifically about. No one has a duet with Hoagy Carmichael. It has to be at the end of Hoagy's life.

MM: This is a very poignant story. I wanted to record 'Old Rockin' Chair' because I heard Mildred Bailey do it. This is proof that I wasn't trying to come up with the sequel to 'Midnight At The Oasis.' Benny Carter called up Hoagy Carmichael, who he knew and told him I was going to cut his song. He asked him to come down to the studio and play piano on it. Hoagy told him, "Oh no I'm old now and my hands won't play good enough anymore." Benny told him to at least come down and meet me since I'd be thrilled to meet him. How often were people covering his songs at that point?

AM: Nobody was and I'm so glad you did!

MM: So he shows up at the studio looking quite dapper, really dressed to the nines with a "younger" woman. She was about sixty and he was about seventy-five. Lenny couldn't stand the fact that Hoagy Carmichael was in the studio and we weren't using him. So Lenny asked Hoagy if he could at least show me how to do it, which was sort of a ruse. So he did start playing and singing the song with this far away look in his eyes and when he was playing I was transported right out of Burbank into the deep South. It was like magnolia petals were floating out of the piano. Half way through he stopped and told me, "Miss Maria I don't have to tell you how to sing this song. Just sing it like you're telling a true story.

AM: That sounds like good advice from the master.

MM: In that moment I realized how he wrote that song when he was young but now it was true for him. I was very touched. We thanked him and went in to record the song and he stayed sitting with the producer.

AM: You had that all-star band playing. Who was in it?

MM: Ray Brown and Earl Palmer are in the band! All these killer guys like Harry "Sweets" Eddison, Snooky Young, it was a who's who of the top jazz players. They were all these cats who had played for Billie Holliday. They don't make mistakes.

AM: No they don't!

MM: All of a sudden Hoagy says, "When I used to perform the song with Jack Teagarden, we used to do this harmony at the end. Would you like me to do that?" Lenny said, "Boy would I." So we quickly set up another mike in the vocal booth. I sang my little heart out and I was so moved that he was there. I blew my part at the end because all of a sudden I was supposed to sing harmony. Lenny was about to say take five everyone when Hoagy said, "Wait we blew our part and we need to do it again." This is the cool part of the story. Everybody just looked at one another and everyone simultaneously realized that it was probably ten or twenty years since Hoagy had been in a recording studio and he didn't realize we were on separate tracks and therefore if they got their part right we would only have to redo our part. Benny made everybody sit down and said "OK everyone we are going to do it again." Everybody just pretended to do the whole song again so we could get our part right. Nobody said anything. We all knew it would be embarrassing to Hoagy if we did. Well we got our part right the second time and he was so into it he stayed around and helped us work out the harmonies with another song.

AM: You recorded a lot of Wendy Waldman songs at that time. Did you just like them?

MM: She's a fabulous songwriter! She is very soulful. People still ask me to sing "Mad, Mad Me" and I've never really done it live very much. It seems to have really touched people over the years. I recorded 'Vaudeville Man', 'Gringo En Mexico,' ' Back By Fall' and a couple more. That was the good thing about Warners. I got Jr. Walker to play saxophone on 'Clean-Up Woman.' Stevie Wonder played on a tune. It was awesome!

AM: I have discovered that many people are into 'Midnight At The Oasis' like it's a new song. Carmen Carter, the singer from 'Dancing With The Stars" is doing club dates and she is singing 'Midnight' now. She let me know how much she likes your version.

MM: Really!?! WOW! Well God bless her. That song took on a life of it's own and it was the last song I did for the record. It's funny to think that my husband leaving me and me deciding to get him a present and meeting Mo Ostin ultimately led to my hit record.

AM: Is it true it wasn't your favorite song?

MM: I wasn't crazy about the song but Lenny said we needed one mid tempo song for the record. Lenny wasn't wild about it either but he thought it was cute so if I wanted to record it we could. We called up Freebo to play bass and cut the tune. I think God rewarded me for my gesture of gratitude. Still to this day that is the song that catches everyone's attention.

AM: You can sing it to a five year old and they will know it!

MM: Yes, it's amazing.

AM: What inspired you to record the children's albums? I believe you have four available.

MM: I love kid's music. I got approached to record them and I'm a freelancer. The wonderful golden era of Warner Bros. is over. If someone approaches me and says we'd like to do a record with you, if it's in any way appealing to me, I'll do it. This wonderful label called 'Music For Little People' approached me in the early nineties about doing these records.

AM: Did they have specific ideas for you?

MM: They let me do whatever I wanted. On all the albums I have chosen vintage songs that I used to love when my Mom or my Aunt would sing them to me as a kid. These are songs that were written for adults in a kinder, more gentler era. They were all hits on the radio when I was growing up. They are light, positive, cheery and beautifully written. I think kids deserve to hear beautifully crafted music.

AM: These albums are popular too aren't they?

MM: I get letters from teachers and parents all the time saying thank you for saving us from Barney! I get the best jazz players in the Bay area to play on them. We just keep it light and whimsical, but very hip. Grandparents love it because it's music from their era.

AM: I especially like your Shirley Temple album.

MM: When I was approached to record the Shirley Temple album I wondered why? She did them all so perfect. In the days before overdubbing that little gal was on the money. She could swing and she was so in tune. Then I realized after listening to a bunch of it that a lot of it was just recorded as the soundtrack to the movie. So I lifted the arrangements because they are so fabulous and there is no way to improve on them. I had a ball recording them. My latest recording is the Jug band music for little kids. All the songs on it are from the twenties and thirties. They are darling. They could write a tune back in those days.

To learn more about Maria Muldaur visit her web site www.mariamuldaur.com