Shadows of the Night

On Sunday I attended a late afternoon showing of Tim Burton's film Dark Shadows.  Now, it is based on the campy soap opera of the mid 60s that kids rushed home to watch...4:00 PM on ABC.  The original soap featured ghosts, vampires, werewolves, disembodied hands and heads, the Leviathans...all sorts of supernatural mayhem.  And speaking of vampires, the show became the hit it was thanks to the misunderstood character, Barnabas Collins.  He was the ultimate vampire (of the day)...suave, sophisticated, a gentleman.  Portrayed by the late Jonathan Frid, Barnabas became a sympathetic character and his nemesis, Angelique was a superb afternoon villainess.

Jonathan Frid as "Barnabas"

Kathryn Leigh Scott as "Maggie Evans/Josette DuPres" and

Lara Parker as "Angelique"

OK...the series had two major film in the early 1970s which were faithful to the soap.  House of Dark Shadows and Night of Dark Shadows.  Moderately successful and loved by the fans.  Skip a few decades and Tim Burton is doing the new film version starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Michelle Pfeiffer and others.  The picture of the new cast looked gothically glorious.  As the film was ready for release, the previews made me wonder, "What has Burton done?!"  It seemed that the film was a comedy.  How dare he turn an icon of my childhood into a laughing stock!  Wait...after all he did directed Sweeney Todd and Alice in Wonderland, films I enjoyed a lot.  

From the opening scenes, I was enthralled...hooked...fascinated by the new take.  It was wonderful to see how the Collins family got their start in the new world.  As in the original, Barnabas does not like the advances of Angelique- his one and only love is Josette.  Ergo, Angelique curses him into the eternal youth of vampirism.  He is buried alive in a Maine forest and 196 year later (1972) he is discovered by a construction crew.  After quenching his thirst, he treks towards the mansion his father built, Collinwood.  Part of the fun and humor in this sequence is his discovery of the world of the 70s.  BTW, the soundtrack had a wonderful inclusion of songs from the period...from The Carpenters to Curtis Mayfield.  

The character of Victoria Winters was a combination of two...Victoria and Maggie Evans.  In the soap, Alexandra Moltke portrayed Victoria Winters and was the governess of David Collins.  Kathryn Leigh Scott, "Maggie Evans" worked as a waitress at the Blue Whale.  It was sad to see how the new Maggie had a sad childhood.  Michelle Pfeiffer, IMHO, is just as classy as the late Joan Bennet as the matriarch of the Collins clan, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard.  Lastly, in a role created by Grayson Hall, Helena Bonham Carter is delightful (well, isn't she always) as Dr. Julia Hoffman.  Four members of the original TV cast made a cameo appearance at the "happening" at Collinwood.  Nostalgic to see them now and what wonderful memories!  Danny Elfman's music had some tinges of Robert Cobert's style of music, as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film, as did my friend.  I was surprised to learn he was not too familiar with the original soap.  But it will be fun explaining (as briefly as possible) the things DS was famous for...from vampires to werewolves to parallel time to the Old House to - well, you get the idea!

Gone Too Soon

I was introduced to Whitney Houston by a third grader back in the 1980s.  She wanted me to play a song, but it was a time when lyrics were starting to be daring and bold and a bit racy.  So, I said no.  She pleaded that it was clean and her voice was great.  Still, I declined.

Eventually, I did listen to her first album and was enthralled and discovered a new favorite singer.  Her music was even a welcome addition in the aerobics classes I attended.  

As time progressed, this young singer also demonstrated the desire to act in motion pictures.  The Bodyguard, The Preacher's Wife and a remake of Rodgers and Hammersteins's Cinderella...films that the some critics did not favor.

Again, in time, she eventually married Bobby Brown.  And in my opinion, that marriage was the start of her downward spiral.  I firmly believe she did not imbibe in alcohol or drugs.  She became an addict.  She had her ups and downs; her comebacks.  She had a daughter.

Forward to 2012, February 12th.  I am cooking dinner and around 7:45 in the evening.  The radio is on and Carel, the talk show host, is talking about a celebrity who apparently has died.  I had no idea who it was until Carel mentioned her name.  For a few minutes I was flabbergasted.  Gone was that voice.  Gone was that actress.  48 years of age.  I could only imagine what the cause was.

She will be missed and remembered for her music...not her addictions.  Everyone has demons in their closets, but everyone is remembered for something nice.  She will be remember for her voice.  And for beautiful smile.  RIP Whitney.  You will always be loved!!

It's Been A While

It is now mid January 2012 and I am hoping to resume posting to my blog.  As of right now, I am watching the 49ers play against the New York Jets.  The winner of today's game goes to the Super Bowl in Indianapolis in 2 weeks.  The weather is cold and rainy.  The 49ers lead 7-0.  Watching the game is similar to the ultimate cliff hanger.  Until later...

10 Years Already

It has been a decade since the world changed for a lot of us.  September 11th, 2001...the day our nation came to a screeching halt.  Terrorism seemed to be victorious that day, but it was not.  For in the streets of New York, people became good Samaritans and helped each other.  That went cross country in a big way. People seemed to be friendly and neighbors actually talked to each other.  Why does a tragedy bring us together?  Sad that we're back to road rage, being mean to one another.

Thank you to all the firefighters, police officers, K-9 units, chaplains and people who helped out on that day.  And to those who perished in those flights, your courage is definitely what makes this nation happen.  Let us never forget this day.  God bless America.

What Can I Say About You Dear Brother?

On Friday July 8th, 2011 I lost my brother Roger quite unexpectedly.  My brother Roger is the 2nd eldest, after Sergio.  I have a sister, Veronica and then there is me.  My siblings have another mother, but that's another story.  I don't consider them "half" siblings- they are my siblings.  Our childhoods were so radically different- I did not grow up with them.  I'd see them on weekends or as life pushed on, at weddings or family functions.
Roger grew up in the 60s and enjoyed the music of the times.  He even played guitar in a rock and roll group, Lucky and the Charmers.  He was a Viet Nam veteran.  His tour of duty there was tremendous and affected him, as many of our vets.  It was something where he saw death and injuries on a a daily basis.  In 1969 we lost our father, Cesar.  That affected my brother as well.
He married a wonderful woman, Gloria, and together created a beautiful family...my adoring niece Julissa, my silly and funny niece Christina, and my three nephews: Ulysses, Andrew and Lorenzo.  Lorenzo just graduated high school.  These kids have grown to love and somewhat know me.  All this because of Roger and Gloria.
I don't want to go into detail about what led to his death.  Roger was a hard worker and wanted nothing but the best for his family.  He loved his brother Sergio and sister Veronica and me.  Really, words cannot describe this man.  He was deeply spiritual- learning from all the major faiths, from life, and from the people he would meet.  He spoke his mind and would defend his point of view.  Lectures were a dear part of his life.  As I see it, he wanted everyone to lead a good life as best as they could.
He loved to read and amassed a collection of books on practically any subject.  He loved his homeland, Nicaragua and was even planning to retire and live there.  Some dreams cannot come true, but he embodied the spirit of Nicaragua through his conversations and love of music.
My brother may be gone, but I can see him vividly in Gloria, Julie, Christina, Ulysses, Andrew and Lorenzo.  God bless my sister-in-law and nieces and nephews.  I will miss you, brother, and though we saw each other few times a year, you will live in my heart and memories.

Independence Day 2011: Happy Memories

The 4th of July in San Francisco is a far cry from the ones seen in films or as celebrated in warmer areas.  As long as I remember, fog was always the main event in the evening.  But when I was a child, my family would take wonderful treks to either county fairs, picnics or even a theme park to celebrate our nation's independence.

We'd leave early in the morning, for either a picnic or county fair.  The fair we'd go to was usually the Alameda County fair in Pleasanton.  Of course, in the mid 1960s, it was going to the country.  It seemed like forever to get to our destination.  My Tia Luisa would make baked chicken and homemade tortillas, with cheese and other Nicaraguan delicacies.  My mom would treat me and my cousin Rudy to corn dogs and the like.  Our favorite drink at the fair was "Orange Julius" or as my mom called it, "la bebida del diablo" because the logo had a devil's image.  During the day we'd visit the exhibitor's building to see the latest gadgets that were supposed to make life easier and comfortable.  We'd beg get fresh caramel and walnut fudge.  Of course, Tia Luisa would buy about a pound for treats later in the week!  Visiting the stables to see farm animals such as cows, pigs, horses, sheep- it was so much fun to see so many animals for this city kid!  My uncle would go off to the horse races.  We'd know if he'd won big because dinner would be his treat.
And such wonderful smells in the midway...popcorn, corn dogs, cotton candy and gasoline from the gas powered rides!  Of course the fair would have such eclectic aromas...from food to the nasty barnyard odors.  The day would end with a fireworks show and the slow, bittersweet walk to the parking lot for the journey home.

As we got older and time took us to the late 70s, 4th of Julys meant a trip down to Santa Clara to the new theme park, Marriott's Great America.  Rudy and I were older and left the adults so we could spend the day going on the rides.  We'd meet for lunch and dinner.  We'd see the shows, the parade, play pinball...spend money like it was being printed in the garage.  My mom and tia would spend the day riding the train and watching the shows.  That's the nice thing about the pay-one-prince theme park.  You could literally stay on some rides for the day.  The fireworks were incredible and synchronized to music...the same classical music heard in Warner Brothers cartoons, notably the Hungarian Rhapsody.

So many wonderful memories of the 4th of July.  We'd never starve and we had so much fun, even with little money my family had.  I cannot complain...those days were truly exciting and fun.  And now, it will be a date with the TV to watch...

Happy Independence Day!!

Memorial Day 2011

Hard to believe that with Memorial Day, the summer officially starts.  How ironic is to celebrate the start of vacations and end of school with a day that remembers and honors the men and women who died in wars; it started with remembrance of those who perished in the Civil War.  As a child, Memorial Day was a day my Tia Luisa and mom would gather flowers from the back yard and tied them into neat little bundles for those cemeteries we were to visit.  Rodolfo and Amanda would pick us up around 10 in the morning and we'd head first to Golden Gate National Cemetery, where tia Luisa's husband is buried.  William Thomas Erickson passed away in April, 1959.  I'm the heir to his garnet ring that I cherish dearly.  By the way, Tia Luisa lies next to him; she passed away in May of 1997.

After that, it was a trek northbound on El Camino Real, a time when there was no Tanforan Shopping Center or mini malls; almost like driving in the country.  Our last stops would be in Colma to visit Holy Cross Cemetery and the Italian Cemetery.  Almost everyone in our family is at Holy Cross...from "la comadrita" Cira to baby Brenda; my father and lately my friend Frank and my mom.  Our last stop was the Italian Cemetery were my biological mother is interred, Beatriz Gonzalez de Perez.  She died in October of 1956.

Though the day was a bittersweet one, we'd end up at a farmer's market type of establishment and got fresh fruit...watermelon, oranges, and vegetables.  We'd come home for a lavish dinner; my cousin Rudy and I would play games.  Home made tortillas, bbq chicken, rice, beans- a banquet I miss dearly now.

I hope your Memorial Day is full of memories of those who have left us and those times we shall always cherish!

I Will Survive

Well, the 21st of May is now history.  According to a fundamentalist Christian preacher, Judgement Day was yesterday.  The event known as the Rapture was to take place.  It is Sunday the 22nd of May, 3:25 A.M. and the planet is still revolving around the sun.  The Rev. Harold Camping and his Family Radio started this campaign earlier this year.  Listening to him, he was very adamant that the world would end on the 21st of May.  On his show, Open Forum, he refused to even argue with people who cited Biblical quotes, namely the one where Jesus states that not even the angels nor the son knows the day...but Mr. Camping got his information from the Bible.

Is he a false prophet or attempting to make a profit?  Ironically, his radio station was on the air today playing religious music and non-Apocalypse Biblical quotations were uttered.  Also, the station dared to air "please send your donations to..." advertisements.  How could he continue asking for money when the world was to end?  How many innocents were duped into giving away all their belongings hoping to be elevated to heaven?  As my mother used to say, "solo Dios sabe." Only God knows.  

Later today I will be at my school's First Communion celebration.  Truly, the world belongs to our children.

"I accept the nomination..."

And again the nation mourns another icon...this time it is not Hollywood but the political world.  Today Geraldine Ferraro passed away at the tender age of 75.  She was the Democratic party's first woman candidate for Vice President, to run with Walter Mondale.  Of course, the Republican opponents won by a major landslide (Ronald Reagan and the first Bush).

This nomination opened the door for such women as Hillary and even Ms. Palin.  Other nations have had women presidents and prime ministers, but our nation is afraid to let leadership be guided by a woman.  Her story will definitely make a great Hollywood biopic.  She was not born with a silver spoon, worked hard to get where she got.

May she rest in peace.

Elizabeth Taylor

And yet another Hollywood icon, superstar...legend enters immortality.  This morning at 6 AM the news mentioned the passing of Elizabeth Taylor.  Perhaps one of the most beautiful faces to ever grace the screen, she died at the age of 79.

My first full length film of hers was CLEOPATRA, a film I saw at the old Stonestown Theatre.  On TV I saw one of her films, Doctor Faustus, in which she co-starred with her then husband, Richard Burton.

She was an amazing actress, but more important, a great role model in social causes.  She donated and supported AIDS related foundations.  

Her life was often ridiculed, scandalized, talked about.  I don't think she ever uttered anything bad about the people who surrounded her, especially in Hollywood.  

I know that she had a familiar face and it will be missed, not only by Hollywood, but her many adoring fans.

She was adept in all forms of drama, but she made the world laugh in an episode with Lucille Ball and the infamous diamond given to her by Richard Burton.

Rest in peace, dear one.