This I Believe: The Importance of Seeing the World

Inspired by the This I Believe series in which people share the “personal philosophies and core values that guide their daily lives,” this week I have decided to post on the core belief that has led me on the path to my future career and explains the topics I have chosen to discuss here in the blog. Many values and morals have led me through my life this far and contribute to why I have journeyed to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment. Among these include the importance of family, laughter, perseverance, and remaining true to yourself, but I have realized that behind all of these things there is one belief that has dominated all else in my life. This belief is in the importance of seeing the world, in experiencing different places, stories, and people. There are no greater lessons than the ones people learn when they are far from home seeing things with a fresh perspective. It is this belief that has led me into the world of entertainment, film, travel, and journalism, most of these being topics on which I have previously posted.

Adventure was always part of my life plan and from an early age I realized that traveling provided a myriad of opportunities and possibilities for it to be realized. I have never felt more alive than when I was staring out on a foreign coast, yet a close second comes when I am watching a great film or reading a compelling story that transports me to that coast. In the past few years I have come to realize a connection between my two passions of travel and storytelling; seeing the world can be experienced first hand and also through creative outlets. Great journalism and film have the same core value; a solid story of journeys and travels that few have experienced, but that millions can appreciate told by great storyteller that will make it memorable. Legendary newscaster Tom Brokaw (pictured above to the left) once said, “It’s all storytelling, you know. That’s what journalism is all about.” This realization and belief is what separates the greats from all the rest, and with these words in mind, I set out as a storyteller, traveling to find the best stories.

The first time I traveled on my own I was sixteen and journeyed the Mediterranean during the summer, meeting people and learning things I could never had imagined. I spent a week in the July heat with a young couple in Malta, a small country (shown below) between Italy and Africa. That summer Malta was experiencing a very serious drought and as temperatures reached to 114 degrees daily, things were very difficult. The girl I was staying with took me to the roof one day and showed me a small reserve tank of water that was all that was left for the whole neighborhood. It was an eye-opener and I wondered how these people could survive such a dry summer with only this tiny tank. Sensing my interest, she brought me with her one morning on her typical route before work, where she would visit some older couples in the neighborhood making sure they had enough water to drink and to do laundry and dishes. Watching all the creative ways the community had invented to do household chores and cook with little water, showed an incredible story of coming together in times of need. I had a hard time picturing the people in America joining like this, and I thought it was a story we could all learn from, for it contained inspiration, hardship, and true human compassion. A year later I read an article in a travel magazine about Malta and it told the same story of these beautiful citizens I had known, and it was then I knew that I wanted to become a storyteller. Just as legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg realized before me, “I’ve discovered I’ve got this preoccupation with ordinary people pursued by larger forces.”

A wonderful part of living in this modern world is how easy it is to traverse the continents and to experience all walks of life. Director Martin Scorsese (pictured below in center) said, “More than ever we need to talk to each other, to listen to each other and understand how we see the world, and cinema is the best medium for doing this.” While I argue that nothing can match the experience of traveling and exploring first hand, I agree with Scorsese that film offers the next best way to experience the world, allowing people far apart to witness each other’s journey and connect with those emotions that are universal. When someone watches a superb movie or reads a story in Condé Nast Traveler of a lost village, they are instantly transplanted to that world, suddenly in Africa running through the jungle or climbing through a blizzard in Alaska. There are so many stories few would ever have known without seeing them in film or reading about them in a magazine. I believe in seeing the world, in witnessing different people’s triumphs and tribulations. Finding these adventures can be as simple as opening the pages of a novel, venturing to a country far away, or heading down the block to the cinema, but regardless of where the story comes from, it is only in stepping outside of our own lives, that we see the real world.

The Academy Awards Shake Things Up: Oscars Go Green

Tonight is the biggest night of the year for entertainment. Just hours from now at the Kodak Theater, Hollywood will celebrate the culmination of a year of talent, hard work, and great films. The Academy Awards (official poster shown to the left) brings together actors, directors, costume designers, musicians, and the best of the industry for one special night. A highly coveted spot on this red carpet is reserved for the biggest stars only. For months now everyone has had Oscar fever on the mind, and the blogosphere has reflected this. This week I decided to look into the buzz surrounding this year's awards and share my thoughts with other bloggers. While navigating through everyone’s winning predictions, I found two very interesting blogs that reflect a transition the Academy Awards are undergoing. This year, the Oscars are going green promoting economy friendly cars and organic foods. Blogger Xtrmius writes in Oscars go Golden Green, how much of the hype this year is surrounding not what the stars will wear, but what they will arrive in. While the traditional answer would be a limo, this year as stars are becoming more environmentally aware, many are rumored to be arriving in smart cars. Blogger Nicole Weston, in Oscar goes organic at the Governor’s Ball, also picked up on this new trend and describes how this year the Governors Ball, known as the official after party of the awards, is changing the look of the event serving all organic food with a much more relaxed feel. The Academy Awards (preparations for the awards in the Kodak Theater shown on left) are always sure to impress and epitomize Hollywood glamour and this year it seems celebrities are promoting the glamour of a healthy lifestyle.

My comment on Oscars go Golden Green: Well the arrival scene will certainly look very different this year. This is a very interesting trend that you have brought to light of celebrities really being the frontrunners in promoting protection of the environment. Celebrities have great power to promote change because people follow their trends and choices religiously; so when someone sees Leonardo DiCaprio (shown here in his hybrid) or Penelope Cruz in one of these cars, having a smart car suddenly becomes very fashionable. I think Matt Peterson chose the perfect time to really gear up his Global Green campaign because the majority of people are just now familiar enough with the idea of smart cars that they will pick up on their presence during the arrival broadcast. I think up until recently a major hesitancy to invest in a green car has been the look of the car and lack of style variety, but now with the hot Tesla (new model shown below) and ZAP, people will see that these really are the cars of the future. However, while celebrities do have the power to push new trends I think you make a very accurate point when you quote Orlando Bloom as saying “ that it’s up to those in power and governments to create the greatest change.” Saving the environment is a very large battle, and no matter how many people drive smart cars and build green houses, we really need big business and government on board to make a real difference.

My comment on Oscar goes organic at the Governor’s Ball: First of all, the menu looks delicious and Wolfgang Puck has once again done an incredible job. The Governors Ball is really making a push to become more hip and shed its reputation of being a bit stiff and merely a filler between the awards and the real parties. (Pictured here is the Tuscan countryside themed Ball set up more like a lounge than with the traditional tables.) This is a reflection of the Academy Awards in general revamping small details of the ceremony to make this night not only the most prestigious and important, but also young and fun. As you say, “The Ball is not going to be a sit-down affair, but an elegant/casual cocktail-type of party, and the overriding theme this year will be ‘Oscar goes organic.’” Hollywood is famously known for being on the top of every trend, so it makes sense in our country of growing organic lovers that the stars eat in style. All this hype and preparation really demonstrate the time and commitment that goes into the Oscars every year. This is not just a night of awards and great fashion, but also a night where people get a peak into the glamorous life of celebrities. Aside from the grueling hours of hard work, the invasive paparazzi, and all other difficulties that accompany stardom, this a night that reminds everyone what is wonderful about being a star and the magic of film.

Child Star Controversy: No More Make Believe, But It's Still Only Acting

People love controversy; just look at the media hype surrounding Anna Nicole’s sudden death and quest for the father of the baby or Britney spears recent delve into insanity which culminated in shaving her head and checking herself into rehab. One can’t escape from the myriad of coverage both of these events are receiving because in the entertainment field a quick recipe for instant media hype is to add one part controversial subject matter and one part big star and instantly; guaranteed success. Think Boys Don’t Cry, Monster, and Pretty Baby, which were all controversial films that gained each respective actor acclaim. However, when the actor in question is a child and the subject matter is sexually risqué, it leads to a whole other controversy. Two Hollywood tots currently creating quite a stir are Dakota Fanning and Danielle Radcliffe. Fanning’s film Hounddog which recently opened in Sundance (this years logo depicted above) contains a brief rape scene which sent conservatives all over the country into a tizzy and Radcliffe who is set to appear in London’s West End Stage production of “Equus,” opening February 27 has parents everywhere in shock. These provocative performances have created quite a debate, begging the question when it comes to child actors, what is too much?

America’s sweetheart Dakota Fanning charmed audiences in Dreamer and Charlotte’s Web (family friendly film poster shown below to the right)and warmed hearts in I am Sam, making a name and an résumé many actors five times her age would admire. She is cute and likeable, yet it is her intellect and maturity people often remark on, making it difficult to remember that she is still very young; young and acting out a rape scene, which is why there is such animosity surrounding the film. Hounddog tells the story of a young motherless girl living in Alabama in the 1950s (Fanning shown with co-star Robin Wright Penn below to the left). Filmmaker Deborah Kampmeier explains that she did not set out to make a controversial film, there were just “so many stories I needed to tell in Hounddog, about motherlessness, the cycle of abuse, the triumph of this girl’s spirit, and the power of female sexuality,” which by nature can be quite controversial subjects. However, conservatives have been outraged with the film claiming not only is the depiction disturbing and encouraging child-rape, but also that acting in this will have a very strong emotional impact on Fanning. Critic Kevin Jackson of the Christian Post claims that depicting child rape is “taking the worst parts of human behavior and putting them up on the big screen and desensitizing the general population to them.” However as the scene was never shot from start to finish, but in pieces, where Fanning was in a body suit the whole time, it was never an environment that simulated an actual rape, explains Kampmeier. In regards to the second concern that Fanning might suffer mental distress, there is some validity to this claim. “Pretending leads to reality. Intellectually, kids feel it, live it, express it. Children can’t shrug it off,” explains Paul Peterson, former child actor an active advocate in the rape debate. However, regardless of whether it will affect the young starlet or not, it is a decision for Fanning, her parents, and managers alone, not everybody else in this country who has an opinion. It is Dakota’s life and it is not as if she is going out and telling anybody else how to live theirs. People need some perspective as they get all wrapped up in this issue, because Hounddog is just a film, one person’s artistic vision on screen, so if someone does not like it, luckily America is a country where no one is being forced to watch it. Yet the controversy does not end in Park City but continues to the other side of the Atlantic, where another beloved child star is making waves in London.

Harry Potter’s Danielle Radcliffe will appear nude on stage in ‘Equus” and racy promotional photos (one promo shown to the right) have popped up everywhere making it very clear that Harry has grown up. Parents are in outrage that a character their children look up to will appear nude in a sexual encounter on stage and want the risky advertising photos taken down. This just seems completely ludicrous, as Radcliffe is a 17-year-old more than capable and mature of handling a nude scene. The play deals with very deep and dark issues where the “script requires Radcliffe’s character to strip to the buff in one pivotal scene.” It is not as if the director just wanted some extra publicity and decided it would really make people go crazy to see Radcliffe nude; it is an important and crucial part of the role, just as Fanning’s character’s rape was. Critics of Radcliffe’s role are complaining that while movies have ratings, theaters do not, and children who want to see their idol live will be able to even with this questionable material. However, it is not up to the London stages to keep children from inappropriate content, but up to the parents. Furthermore, with all the violence and language children see in the media every day, why are people getting so worked up over a little nudity; the natural human form? The whole situation seems ridiculous and brave young actors like Radcliffe should not have to bear the brunt of culture’s taboo around s-e-x.

Another thing to consider is that these young actors are not choosing roles to create debate, but to further their careers. However controversial the roles may be, they are roles that will push Fanning and Radcliffe’s career to the next level. Many childhood actors have gained great acclaim from risky roles including Brooke Shield’s in Pretty Baby (shown first on the left in the film and below currently with her two children) and Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver. Both seemed to come off the movies with little emotional damage, and had skyrocketing careers after the films. In regards to Fanning, Cindy Osbrink, Fanning’s agent says that Hounddog was, “Something that really challenged her talent. Hounddog was one of the best experiences of her life, a story that needs to be told, and she tells it with her soul as no one else can.” This role will show producers and directors that Fanning is more than just a cute filler, that she wants more challenging material, and can handle it. Radcliffe is also in the midst of a transition. He will soon be done with Harry Potter movies and needs a career after that, one that does not involve brooms or wizards, so showcasing his ability in a radically different way will help people start to see him as more than just Harry. West End Stage is “London’s equivalent to Broadway” and it is incredible that Radcliffe has gotten this part. He must be nervous enough about his much-awaited performance without having to worry about upset parents and alienating his fan base. It is a fantastic move for his career and real fans should support him.

Reflecting on all this mess, one has to ask themselves why people care so much about the decisions these young people are making for their own lives? I think that people see that by banning these very public depictions, it somehow sends a message or makes them believe they have helped to stop the real issue. Stopping Fanning and Hounddog from playing is not going to stop child sexual abuse, and if someone wants to make a movie about it, it is a story that deserves to be told just as much as any. Are parents really against a 17-year-old actor doing a nude scene for a very prestigious play, or is it that they are afraid to realize that their own children are growing up and will soon be having sex too. Getting mad at Radcliffe or at Fanning’s team is much easier than simply dealing with these realizations. People need to remember at the end of the day, it is these actor’s lives and decisions, and they are in fact acting. Instead of worrying about the effects of such performances, maybe people should be more concerned with the issues in real life more than what is being performed on some small stage in London or screen in Park City.

Star Seeks Treatment: An Honest Attempt to Get Better or Simply Image Rehabilitation?

Red carpet season, Sundance, the Oscar buzz; as far as celebrity news goes these days there is much to talk about. However, amidst all the glitz and glamour lurk some darker stories that seem to be taking center stage. Whether flipping through channels or immersed in a favorite news source, stories of celebrities entering rehabiliatation for addictions, illnesses, and general misbehaving are unavoidable. This week people are buzzing about Grey’s Anatomy star Isaiah Washington’s (pictured here at the Globes with his castmates) homophobic comments at the Golden Globes and his recent decision to check himself into rehab. The day after the Globes, actress Lindsay Lohan checked herself into Wonderland treatment facility for personal health reasons. While celebrities and rehab are no strangers, as we watch stars bounce in and out of facilities, it is interesting to consider their goals when entering. Is it really to kick an addiction or simply an easy way to recover from some bad publicity?

The answer seems to be the latter. One wonders how effective a treatment plan can be that allows Lohan to come an go as she pleases and if anti-gay and anti-Semitic sentiments are really something that requires rehab or simply a realignment of beliefs. Rehab is the quick fix, yet ironically in most of these cases it fixes nothing at all. A common saying in the industry is that there is no such thing as bad publicity; I think Mel Gibson (pictured below in his vehicle) would disagree with this. The public can sympathize with alcohol problems, drug addictions, and eating disorders, because many people deal with these issues directly or indirectly in their lives. Yet when celebrities have terrible and offensive outbursts, it is hard to forgive and forget. For Mel Gibson, an anti-Semitic tirade combined with a DUI charge pretty much ruined his career. This behavior was unacceptable and as Entertainment News Editor of Softpedia Elena Gorgan writes, “Hollywood took a stand and expressed a clear desire to shut him out for good. And that it did. His mini-series got canceled, he was bad mouthed in all the newspapers and even threats that he would never work again were muttered. But the greatest hit he took was as a man, a respectable actor and human being.” In the recent case with Washington, while his career will take a beating, he missed reveling in the shows' success, and his spot on Grey’s may be jeopardized, the show and the rest of the cast has received nothing but praise and sympathy with Chandra Wilson just picking up a SAG for best female actor in a drama series and the entire cast for winning best ensemble.

This habit of turning to rehab for misbehaving is not something isolated to stars either; recently former Florida Representative Mark Foley checked himself in for an alcohol addiction shortly after a scandal involving e-mail exchanges with teenage boys. Crisis management experts explain that entering rehab in the twenty-four hours following any kind of disaster is critical. “You want to move from being a Frankenstein monster to become more sympathetic, more human…as quickly as possible,” says Richard Levick of Levick Strategic Communications. However, even with these drastic actions, inexcusable behavior by high-profile stars is something that cannot be fixed by rehab or really anything other than sincere apologies and time, although, in other cases rehab can be just the thing to get a star back in good graces.

Lindsay Lohan’s treatment decision, while still very recent, has received little but praise and support, fans just wishing she gets well and applauding her for taking a much-needed step. Lohan, an image professional already, reassured her well wishers by releasing the statement, “I have made a proactive decision to take care of my personal health. I appreciate your well wishes.” Similar cases include Kate Moss, who after being caught using cocaine suffered a loss of several large modeling contracts, but reemerged stronger than ever. In an ABC news report “Running to Rehab” Anne-Marie Dorning claims that Moss’s “career barely skipped a beat” after her treatment. Babyshambles front man Pete Doherty (pictured here with girlfriend Moss) and actor/infamous rehab-junkie Robert Downey Jr. are among many of the stars that have also emerged from rehab with little damage to their careers and often a better image. Although, an improved image does not equal better health and it does not appear these stars are kicking the addiction and getting well.

In most cases once stars leave rehab, they quickly relapse and find themselves right back in another facility. This is a concern for Lohan who exits Wonderland all the time, here shown on a recent errand, and is slated to begin production on a film sooner than may be advised. She has already tried Alcoholics Anonymous and had several hospitalizations, so it may be no surprise if her rehab is unsuccessful. Perhaps Pete Doherty best demonstrates this. Softpedia’s Gorgan writes, “The truth is the man, as talented and gifted a musician as he is, probably needs more than just a simple admission to rehab. Because what he suffers from is more serious and tragic at the same time than a mere pill-popping addiction, especially, considering the great number of times that he’s been a patient of those clinics.”

The critical question lies in why stars enter rehab at all. If it is really to get better and there is that determination, eventually they will. However, if they see it merely as image rehabilitation as many do, the problem will never be solved. Dr. Thomas Irwin, program director at McLean Center at Fernside makes this final point very clear when he says, “Individuals need to ask themselves, what is the motivation for treatment? Is it to work on the problem…or avoid a crisis? Part of…treatment is to come to terms with what you’ve done and take responsibility for it.” These are wise words, but a message that appears unlikely to penetrate Hollywood’s thick skin.