Woody in Seattle

Posted on | December 29, 2011 | No Comments

What an experience. Woody Allen and his New Orleans Band in the gorgeous Paramount Theatre in Seattle.

A Christmas present from my son.Who, of course, knows my affection for Woody Allen and for fun music.

Surprising: The music is for “dance halls, street fairs and whorehouses” as Woody pointed out. Sitting in a concert hall listening to it would be boring after the fifth song, I mused secretly. Not so. Those not so young white guys jammed with such joy that two hours went like a blast.

The audience, obviously not as jaded as in NY or LA, hollered and clapped for encores. Until Woody begged for merci: “I need my 8 hours sleep. Or I really show my age tomorrow evening in Portland”.

Rem Koolhaas

Posted on | December 16, 2011 | No Comments

In my  ”Frequent Flying” blog I mentioned the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas who designed the Seattle Public Library. Now I’m mentioning him again. For two reasons: I’m about to return to Seattle in a few days and one of the highlights of my trips to the Rainy City in recent years has been the marvelous design and construction of the Public Library.
And secondly because Der Spiegel published an interview with him about the state of modern architecture in general and the  exciting “HafenCity” project in Hamburg, the harbor city which was my home for many years.

Here is the interview:

www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,803798,00.html#ref=nlint

Cattelan @ Guggenheim

Posted on | December 7, 2011 | No Comments

 

I’m no art critic. I simply enjoy being confronted with or attracted by visual creations of fertile minds. And that brings me to one Maurizio Cattelan.  He’s on my radar since I saw his irritating sculpture at the Tate Modern in London a while ago: Three nicely dressed arms sticking out of a white wall in a fascist salute. The work is called “Ave Maria”. You figure.

As soon as I found out that Cattelan, the 51 year old son of Padua, had combined (almost) all his similarly provocative work at the Guggenheim in New York I changed my return flight.
Now there was enough time after press meetings with Steven Spielberg (“War Horse”) and Meryl Streep (“The Iron Lady”) to see “All”: Maurizio Cattelan’s work of 128 sad, surreal, satirical creations  hangs in a gigantic distended mass from cables connected to an aluminum truss near the top of the museum’s rotunda of Frank Lloyd Wrights art dome.

I haven’t seen anything like it before:  Hanging there in this gigantic Mobile: JFK in a coffin, an elephant wearing a KKK hood, the stacked skeletons of the “Bremen Town Musicians”, a praying Hitler, a marble memorial wall not with names of fallen war heroes but with results of soccer games, a little drummer boy who actually beats the drums from time to time…..

Maurizio Cattelan left a message on the wall: “All” is the end. He will stop making art. Is he believable? One of his main sculptures is a huge hand showing only an erect middle finger.

Watch the installation:

 

Frequent Flying

Posted on | November 27, 2011 | No Comments

BERLIN. DEC 2010/JAN 2011: The year started in Berlin. We wanted to celebrate a real German Christmas. A beautiful white Christmas.We got it. Snow everywhere.

Especially in Paris where 25,000 suitcases  - including ours – rested in a warehouse: Air France claimed the snow prevented the delivery. In the suitcases: Christmas presents for the Berliners.

To “always look at the bright side of life”: Four weeks later back in LA we got the luggage. No need to buy presents for next Christmas.

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LOS ANGELES February 2011: This time it was not me who crossed the Atlantic but a dozen or so colleagues landed in my place: The OSCAR team of the PRO7 network.

For quite a few years now my office turns into PRO7′s headquarter for almost two weeks of pre and live OSCAR TV coverage.

Working as a one-man-team most of the year those two weeks interacting with serious – and sometimes not so serious – professionals is something I cherish. It helps that I can contribute not only Pretzels but occasionally awards related info.

And an additional source of inspiration is the fact that my guests can actually see the OSCAR location (Hollywood& Highland’s Kodak Theatre) from their makeshift desks.

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LAS VEGAS March 2011: Annual Conference of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO)

Yes, actual Work can be done in Nevada’s City of Light. And actual beauty can be found in this Mecca for worshippers who endure strenuous pilgrimages so they can offer their sacrifices and  tributes to the Almighty God Dollar.

By beauty I mean Dale Chihuly’s glass works exhibited within the stunning architecture of the City Center.

Chihuly, one of the world’s most prominent glass artists,

is based at the Puget Sound in the Tacoma, Washington, area.

I happen to be there quite often, since my son works at Amazon in nearby Seattle. And at every visit I walk over Chihuly’s spectacular “Glass Bridge” to Tacoma’s Glass Museum.
By the way – and that brings me back to Vegas – the first time I saw Chihuly’s work was at the opening of the Bellagio Casino. Crowning the hotel lobby are huge flower shaped multicolored glass structures which must have required a check big enough to purchase my whole neighborhood.

 

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SEATTLE May 2011 Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). I couldn’t believe what I read: SIFF is the largest film festival in the United States. What? In Seattle?

I imagine Seattle as a quiet city. Muffled by some 250 days of rain per year. Sophisticated citizens who populate their dynamic library (No oxymoron, it’s designed by Rem Koolhaas), slurp

cafe all day long and spend their evenings in the JAZZ ALLEY, one of the coolest jazz clubs in the Union – a favorite hang-out of the legendary Dave Brubeck, 91. Sure, there is occasionally the faint echo of Hendrix and Grundge and Seattle’s idea of fun is to watch guys in rubber aprons throwing fish at each other down at the ol’ Pike Market.

In other words: Shameless Bragging is not what you would expect from the good folks of Seattle. So I read the statement again: Seattle International Film Festival, the largest and most highly-attended event of its kind in the United States.

I went. It turned out to be pretty impressive. First the length: From May 19 to June 16 – 37 (in words: thirty seven) days. Over 400 films. Hundreds of thousands of viewers. And the film marathon continues under the SIFF banner for the rest of the year.

It must have something to do with the rain.

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ST.PETERSBURG, RUSSIA June 2011 St.Petersburg International Film Festival (SPIFF):
I always had a faible for Russian, Polish, Czech films.

And: I HAD NEVER BEEN IN ST. PETERSBURG. Shame on me.

800 palaces, churches that look like oversized toys and those Russian ladies: The splendid alleys and squares echoing the  endless clicking of high heels on ancient copplestones.

Since “Crime and Punishment” was one of the two most influential books of my later teenage years (the other was Thomas Mann’s “The Magic Mountain”) I had no choice but to stay at the Hotel Dostoevsky which to my delight had a bar – open 24/7 – aptly named “Bar Raskolnikow”.
In walking distance was the restaurant “The Idiot” – for sentimental tourists like me and just across the street from the hotel was the second floor apartment of the Man Himself. Here were his desk, his couch, his hat which he bought in Germany while writing “The Gambler”.

And I stood there starstruck. Nice to be close to a real celebrity once in a while, even if his presence is just an imagination.

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VENICE July/September 2011 The Venice Film Festival (Mostra Internazionale D’Arte Cinematografica): Which festival is Nummer zwei/numero due after Cannes? Berlin of Venice? I don’t care. Venice wins hands down in the weather department.

About a dozen world premieres this year on the Lido is quite an achievement. And plenty of stars who where willing to actually talk to the press. Madonna, George Clooney, Matt Damon. My favorite conversation was with Gary

Oldman, who portraits George Smiley in “Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy”. I asked him about the great shoes he had to fill (Alec Guiness played the role previously): “I feel like an actor who plays a classical role. You cannot be intimidated by all the greats who played it before”.

One day no Vaporetto to the Lido. Unbeknownst to me there was the Annual Historical Procession which blocks all water traffic on the first Sunday in September since Anno 1315. What a colorful scene! I was afraid my camera would overheat.

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ROME, ITALY September 2011: Everything one can say about Rome has been said earlier and better than I could ever attempt. That’s why Carmen and I walked and walked and walked and I took pictures like the next tourist in Bermudas. After a while I felt I’ll be walking in a gigantic open-air-museum. I realized: I’m missing my century – no highrise buildings. Not that I’m particularly fond of tall buildings but it gradually dawned on me why I’m drawn to cities like New York or LA: They seem to me like living organisms, like forests with a healthy mix of old and new trees. Is Rome a forest with only old and very old trees?

I hope this doesn’t sound like I did not enjoy Bella Roma. I did. Tremendously. I treasured the magic hour of dusk. Sitting on a boardwalk with pasta and pinot grigio and everything around you transforms into a display of timeless splendor.

My snapshots don’t do the real ambiance honor. But they help me to remember:

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BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA October 2011: Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). The invitation was a surprise. The organizers of BIFF and the Association of South Korean Film Journalists asked HFPA President Dr. Aida Takla-O’Reilley, my Korean colleague HJ Park and me to join them for a press conference and for consulting conversations.

Why I was among the chosen? They gave me the

reasons: First, I wrote a book about the OSCARS years ago and they knew about it. To learn more about Hollywood Awards was clearly at the forefront of their interests. During the press conference  journalists asked me about award chances in Hollywood. Reluctantly I had to point to the fact that Asian films in general don’t fare too well.

Since the start of  the “Korean New Cinema” 1990 a total of 105 foreign language films have been nominated (both for Oscars and Globes) but only two Asian films won. Korean films? Zero nominations. I’m no expert on Korean films but I gave my opinion for all it was worth. (If you want to know more, google the Korean papers. Good luck).

The second reason for my invite was the fact that I come from a country, Germany, which was cut into a socialist and a capitalist part  but has overcome its division in a bloodless and much celebrated unification. Korea still suffers from being sliced in two halves. South Korean films reflect this traumatic reality. It bleeds through every other film, including this year’s official Oscar entry “Frontline”.

The South Korean people are obviously wholeheartedly behind their film industry and their film festival in Busan. Their investment into a dramatic and expansive new festival building is proof enough. I’m deeply grateful to our generous hosts to let me be part of it.

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SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA October 2011: Couldn’t leave Korea without checking out the capitol. I followed the advise of my Korean friend HJ and booked a room in the bustling Insa-dong district. Besides getting a glimpse of the city my quest was a) to follow my fondness for Asian calligraphy and b) to visit the DMZ, the border to North Korea a short hour per bus north of Seoul.

I was lucky, found antique ink-stained handwriting (to see Asian calligraphy is so pleasing to me that I’m tempted to call it “hand-painted”). And a distinguished old man introduced me to the secrets of great brushes. I bought 28 . (I haven’t used any of them so far: They are too pristine).

Didn’t have much time to do some obligatory cultural stuff. The street life every night with hundreds of businessmen in suits totally shit-faced from too much Soju and beer was enough culture for me. The few art things I could catch were fun in sort of droll way (see photos):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The DMZ on the other hand was disappointing. Another proof that movies are no reliable guide to reality. Nothing really to see. Except a building that was actually in camouflage colors. I found that pretty hilarious. And another thing was funny: The vista platform of same building was divided by a fat yellow line. One could pass it and look, even with telescopes but NO PHOTOS BEYOND THE YELLOW LINE.

I asked one of the military guards if he had ever heard of Google Earth. He grinned.
Obviously he had.

Again I thought of Monty Python’s “always look at the bright side of life”: As horrible as the division of this country is, there is a bright side. The DMZ follows a river and is four miles wide. The two miles wide riverfront north is North Korean real estate. Two miles riverfront on the southern side is South Korean territory. Nobody ever enters this zone which on both sides is protected by barbed wires. Undisturbed by man and machine over the past decades it grew  into a Garden Eden for the native wildlife.Who would ever have thought that this loathsome cut through the body and soul of Korea is one of the most peaceful places on the planet.

Flying back Korean Airline Prestige Class. The flight attendants really are as elf-like gracile  and quietly attentive as portrait in the commercials.

Folks, one thing to experience before you board your flight to eternity.

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PARIS, FRANCE October 2011: I didn’t even stach my carry-on into the storage area of my house. No time for jet lag. I had to check into another plane  and fly to Frankfurt and continue to Paris. And the main reason for just another trip was the fact that years ago one Polish film director was seen (by Jack Nicholson’s main squeeze at the time, Anjelica Huston) sharing a Jacuzzi with a 13 year old: Roman Polanski.

Journalists waited in a conference room at the 5 star Hotel Athenee on the super high class Rue Montaigne. I happened to stand outside making a phone call when Mr Polanski arrived. We started to talk. About his time in LA, his Hollywood friends, who don’t come so frequently any more, and about his love of the French language (we spoke English).

Since “Knife in the Water” his work meant a lot to me. “Cul de Sac” with the surreal German title of “Wenn Katelbach kommt” led to endless discussions with my friends. And “Chinatown” is still all the way up on my list of all-time favorites.
And here he was.

Should I react in an adverse way because he  showed a preference for underage woman? Should I distance myself because he is a fugitive from law?

I can only say: At that moment I only saw the man. The man who has made films that impacted me.

Hey, like the next guy I’ve been trying to separate people from their impact on me. Tough sometimes. But I appreciate Thomas Jefferson’s influence on history despite the fact that he was a slave owner. Honestly, at moments when the beauty of  Wagner’s “Tannhaeuser” or “Rienzi” Overtures makes me stop my car cause I’m transported to another planet, do I really have to keep in mind that he was an anti-semite? Am I not allowed to glide into that “oceanic feeling” listening to Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” knowing  it was created with a little help of Heroin?

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BRUSSELS, BELGIUM October 2011: Spielberg’s adaption of the cartoon series “Tin Tin” brought a delegation of HFPA members – including me – to Brussels. We participated in a lecture on Hergé, real name: Georges Prosper Remi, the creator of “Tin Tin”, one of the world’s most endearing cartoon characters. At the Belgian Comic Book Center in Brussels the contemporary cartoonist Bart Hofman introduced the delegation to the history of the cartoon series.

Brussels is one of my favorite cities in Europe. Compared to the capitols of neighboring countries Brussels has always been unassuming and charming and offers some of the best cuisines in all of Europe. Honest food. Great beer.

For a few years I was one of the journalists working on a newspaper supplement called “Europa”. Once a month four leading European newspapers – La Stampa, Italy; Le Monde, France; The Times, London and Die Welt, Germany, the daily I worked for, would meet – mostly with one of the partner’s as host. But sometimes on “neutral” ground. And that was Brussels. The editorial decisions? No problem. The restaurant we would choose afterwards? That, naturally, brought us to the brink of WWIII.

Just to sit together joking about the culinary choices waiting for us made me think about the fact that just a generation or two ago we would all shoot at each other from some nightmarish trenches. And now we’re quibbling about another feast knowing well: Whatever we choose Brussels would never disappoint us.

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DETROIT, MICHIGAN November 2011: Sam “Spiderman” Raimi, the only living Hollywood director who honors Sir Alfred Hitchcock by wearing suit and tie during a shoot, is pursuing quite a challenge. He wants to show us (in fashionable 3D) how the Wizard of Oz became the Wizard of Oz. Lured by generous tax incentives by the previous and current Governors of Michigan the  gigantic production is housed in numerous former car factories in Pontiac, named after an Indian Chief and later made famous as a car made by Chrysler. The cast is stellar: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams…. I can’t actually reveal more  about the mind-blowing shooting I witnessed plus some of the eye-popping visual effects and CGI wizardry because I had to sign an embargo.

I hope, I can reveal – as a side note – Robert Stromberg’s (he is the eye of

this spectacle) reference to the “Hudson River School” of painting which influenced the magical landscapes we’ll see in Raimi’s movie by the end of 2012 in a cinema near us. Years ago I was introduced to this school of art and instantly it  revoked one of the questions I asked when I started to take photos: How come the view of a setting sun or ascending moon above a harsh cliff  will be burned in to your memory forever. But a photo showing exactly the same scenario you’ll discard with disgust as kitch.

But now comes the visual feast of the Wizard of Oz. And I finally feel I get it:  The Hudson River School” offers a postcard esthetic on steroids. But –  through the transformations from overblown realism to the fantastic world of witches and wonders –  it actually had a purpose in art history.

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NEW YORK December 2011. The winter wonderland of New York. The main deal: A visit with Meryl Streep.

Hellen Mirren took on the  Queen of the Brits a few years back. She, Ms Mirren, collected more awards than countries the British conquered, exploited, raped, blundered and finally lost during her life time.

 

I wonder what’ll happen with Meryl Streep as “Iron Lady”? Ms Streep has more Oscar and Golden Globe nominations than any other living being.

Even China is now a bastion of Meryl Streep fans. Remember when she bowed in front of Chinese TV cameras to the country’s own YO-YO MA and when he responded with an even deeper bow she bowed even deeper until both of them laid flat on the ground.

I cannot begin to imagine what impact this had on the Chinese audience.

 

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Resting in the Desert: Vasquaz National Park

 

THE YEAR WILL END with my son’s family including Grandkids jingling bells in Puyallup, Washington.

New Years somewhere in the California Desert where I hope to get some rest.

The Golden Globes are looming and I have to get ready for another Frequent Flyer year.

Starting in January 2012 with Hawaii, followed by a one day chance of changing clothes, after that off to Jaipur, India….

 

 

 

 

 

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