Hollywood Blog

Alan Jackson To Get A Star

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20090629-jacksonfm43008-0039_photo250Country singer Alan Jackson is set to get his Hollywood star next year. If you are not a country music fan, you probably couldn’t care less. For those who are into country music, however, this should prove to be interesting.

There are over 2,000 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame already. They first started putting stars in their in 1958 and each year, worthy celebrities are awarded their own stars. Year in and year out, people from all over the world come in droves to visit Hollywood, and guess what is one of the most visited places in Tinsel Town? You got it – the Walk of Fame.

Alan Jackson is not the only person to be receiving his star in 2010. There are many other categories for the stars and the Times Herald lists down more of them:

Jackson is nominated in the recording category — along with Bryan Adams, The Funk Brothers, Chaka Khan, Van Morrison, Marco Antonio Solis, Ringo Starr, ZZ Top and — posthumously — Roy Orbison.

In addition to Thompson, motion picture nominees were James Cameron, Russell Crowe, John Cusack, Colin Firth, Gale Ann Hurd, Alan Menken, Randy Neuman, Adam Sandler and Mark Wahlberg. Nominated in the television category were Graves, Chris Berman, Jon Cryer, Jimmy Kimmel, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Bill Maher and Sam Waterston.

The year is not really half way done but I am sure that the awardees are already beside themselves with excitement. As for us mere mortals, we can hope to be there during the formal ceremony.

Originally posted on June 30, 2009 @ 8:51 am

George Harrison Gets A Star

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georgeThe Hollywood Walk of Fame recently got an addition to its already numerous stars. This time, it is a member of the British group, The Beatles. George Harrison was awarded the accolade on the 14th of this month.

Beatles fans would know that George Harrison died in 2001, at the age of 58. Cancer was the cause of his death. And while he might not have been the most popular member of the band, it cannot be denied that he contributed a lot to the band’s success. He was a school friend of Paul McCartney, and was actually a founder of The Quarrymen, the band which later on evolved into The Beatles.

George is actually the man behind many of the band’s most popular songs, including Here Comes The Sun, Something, and While My Guitar Gently Weeps. And when The Beatles disbanded, George Harrison’s career did not really take that much of a beating. In the 70s, he launched a solo career and managed to come up with a hit song, My Sweet Lord. Not unlike the songs he created and performed with the rest of the band, this solo song became a hit all over the world.

Now that he has passed away, George’s legacy remains alive in his work. As a matter of fact, award winning Martin Scorsese is working on a documentary about George’s life. In addition to that, Capitol/EMI are also pondering on releasing a new Harrison record. This is something to look forward to.

Originally posted on April 20, 2009 @ 8:42 am

Chinese Film Festival In Hollywood

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chineseHollywood has made a name for itself all over the world, and not one person does not know about it. Still, in the recent years, films from other countries have been making names for themselves. Perhaps this is part of globalization, but whatever the reason, we know that there are many good movies made in other parts of world other than Hollywood.

And the people in Tinsel Town are not denying this. In fact, earlier this month, the Chinese Film Festival opened in Hollywood. This is actually part of the celebrations for the 30th year of diplomatic relations between the two countries, China and the United States. While our governments may not always see eye to eye about matters such as the economy and the military, it is good to experience their culture through film.

The Chinese Film Festival is featuring 14 movies. According to Tong Gang, the current director of the China Film Bureau:

“In 2008, over four hundred movies were produced in China. But most of them remain unknown to audiences in the United States. So we’ve brought fourteen movies here, hopefully to generate widespread awareness and interest in Chinese movies and culture.”

Indeed, while 14 is not a huge number, especially given that fact that hundreds of movies have been produced last year, it is a good start. At least, those in America who have not previously been aware of Chinese films will be given a glimpse. The hope is that we will find something we like and an exchange can be initiated.

Originally posted on April 15, 2009 @ 8:15 am

Save The Pumpkin Bread

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front-smWhen I first heard of this piece of news, for some reason, the song “Peter Pumpkinhead” started playing in my head. Until now, as I am writing this post, the song will not stop playing! Oh well, I suppose there is a connection somehow and the song is good anyway, so I will not complain.

So what is the pumpkin bread all about? If you do not know already, there is this convent in Hollywood that has become famous because of their pumpkin bread. The convent is called the Monastery of Angels, and it has been in existence for 75 years now.

Their existence is being seriously threatened right now, however, as the convent’s finances are way in the red. According to the nuns, donations and other sources of income (including a gift shop and other investments) have not been earning them much money recently. Their budget has actually been cut down by more than 70%. As a result, they might have to close the convent down, perhaps opening the property to some other sort of development.

Naturally, neighbors and other concerned people are not about to let that happen, if they can do anything about it. Talks have been going around about making use of the nuns’ famous pumpkin bread, in the hopes that revenue can be made from this product. There are currently 20 nuns in the convent and their days revolve around prayer, with three hours of work in the morning. It is during these three hours that the nuns bake their pumpkin bread and work in the gift shop.

With this news going around in the community, the people are scrambling to help the nuns. Now isn’t that just the perfect attitude this Easter?

Originally posted on April 9, 2009 @ 11:13 am

LA Cracking Down On Weed Sellers

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weedIn spite of the fact that marijuana (weed or pot or whatever other name you call it) is illegal, we know that it is being used widely across the country. Hollywood is no exception. In fact, weed may even be used here more than in other parts of the country.

If the LA authorities are to be followed, however, weed is soon going to be harder to come by in the area. City inspectors are currently targeting what is known as medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles. One by one, these dispensaries are being inspected – the first step towards shutting them down. The orders come from the City Council, which is now regretting its decision to allow the shops (hundreds of them) to operate.

Naturally, shop owners are not happy with the developments. Anthony Folsom is one of the owners of Bulldog Café, one of the medical marijuana dispensaries. He is quite unhappy with the City Council’s move as he believes that they (the shop owners) are in the business for the right reasons. He also stated that if this crackdown does not stop, all those people with good intentions are going to disappear and that at the end of the day, the city will be left with illegal drug dealers.

He does have a point and the City Council realizes this. They are having a hard time getting their way and many members acknowledge how difficult and potentially dangerous the road they are taking is. In the meantime, shops which are still in business are being frequented by their loyal patrons.

Originally posted on June 29, 2009 @ 3:58 am