I donated - anybody want to match me?
Mood:  bright
I donated $25 to Tanna Frederick's charity, Project Save Our Surf. It's an important cause and I feel good about it. I'm going to go down there to see what a surf-a-thon looks like. I'm glad somebody's doing something about cleaning up the oceans. There are other organizations doing it too. I can't make a big donation right now but every little bit helps. So who wnants to play along and match my $25?

Save Our Surf
Mood:  irritated

I was talking to some of my co-workers and the subject of the oil spill came up. Mostly people were dogging big companies and the fact that those companies don't give a crap about anything except their bottom line. While that may be true, it doesn't mean that we're helpless. We can do something, people. We can go and help clean up the Santa Monica beach areas. We can clean up our parks and neighborhoods. We can act like we care about this planet and want to have it be here for our children. I sure do.

So I asked my co-workers what they thought they could do about the oil spill. None of them had an answer. The were all waiting for somebody else to do something. I've always admired those people who see something that's wrong and decide to put their time and energy into correcting it - whether that's building a park or recreation in the inner city or teaching somebody how to read or helping an old lady across the street. There's always something we can do.

In this case, Project Save Our Surf, founded by our own Tanna Frederick, is helping out. They're raising funds to help clean up the ocean and preserve marine life. Some people are happy to give money. Some people would rather get their hands dirty and volunteer. Whatever you decide. Do something! Contact Project Save Our Surf, go to Surf24, their 24-hour surf-a-thon, give them money, help save our planet. If each person gave 2 hours of time each month to help out with some cause they believe in, the world would be a much better place. Tanna Frederick and her friends are doing that - with both their time (probably much more than 2 hours) and money. I invite you to help this organization. Click here. http://www.projectsaveoursurf.org/give. End of rant.

I'm inspired!
Mood:  celebratory

I was talking with a friend about people who inspire us and why. Some people have overcome great adversity in their lives and now hlep others to do the same. Sometimes is a person who has had a dream and despite the lack of support of family and friends and "society" perservered and won the game. Here's my short list:

1. Tanna Frederick - Iowa girl who moved west to pursue her "Hollywood Dream" and made it. Not only is she talented, she's one of those people who gives back. She created Project Save Our Surf to help with ocean conservation and saving marine life. Considering what's happened back east with the oil spill, she's on the forefront of sanity in preserving our planet. As an actor she brings a wonderful realism to her roles along with a larger-than-life-ness that reminds me of an old friend.

2. My mother's college track coach. She ran track in the 1948 Olympics. She was a hurdler. She defected from Czechoslovakia right after the Olympics with her parents. My mother got injured in a bike accident right at the beginning of what would have been an incredible track season. She was in amazing shape and she equalled a world record in a practice run. The accident (she fractured her skull and couldn't run for weeks) ended that season for her. Instead of berating her and ignoring her, the coach made her assistant coach and had her training the other runners. Mom said that her coach realized how depressed she was at losing the season and giving her the assistant coach role gave her an important place on the team. That coach was brilliant. Sometimes a small act of inspiring a kid is all it takes to turn a bad situation into a good one.

Karen Black as Tanna Frederick's mom in Just 45 Minutes From Broadway
Mood:  energetic

Wow. We went to see the play again, this time with Karen Black playing Vivian instead of Diane Louise Salinger. It's like a totally different play, of course, because Karen Black is a totally different actor. She's brilliant and just as believable as Panda's mother. The laughs came in different places because the lines were delivered differently. It's a fascinating thing.

I saw it happen in another play a couple of years ago where the male lead was taken over by another actor. I thought the first guy was incredible and I wasn't sure I'd like the new buy but he was also a great actor who brought his own stuff to the role and it worked. I'll go see it again in July after Black has had more time to settle in. The scenes with Tanna Frederick totally worked. I got their relationship. I believed it - and the relationship with hubby Grisha (Jack Heller), too. I've seen Karen Black in a lot of movies. She is brilliant and a great addition to the play. I just heard they've extended it - again - to some time in September. How cool is that?

2 really funny interviews with Tanna Frederick
Mood:  party time!

I just read 2 hysterical interviews. Both interviewers did kind of a 20 questions thing and Tanna's answers were really interesting. Check 'em out.

http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/pop-quiz-tanna-frederick-surfers-delight/7043

and

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/tanna-frederick.

 

Just 45 Minutes From Broadway
Mood:  silly

I'm going to see Tanna Frederick's play Just 45 Minutes From Broadway this coming Saturday night. I've seen it a couple of times already, but I'm going again because Karen Black is now in it. Wow! Tanna and Karen have been in a few things together but this should really be interesting. This time Black is playing Tanna's mother. It's going to be a really big switch from the other actor who played the mother. I think it'll be a totally different play.

I saw this happen once before, where the male lead in the play was replaced by someone else. We were so attached to the original guy that we thought we'd hate the new one. We were wrong. He was great. I can't imagine not liking what Karen Black does in this role. It's just going to be different. So if you've see the play already you should go see it again with Karen and tell me what you think. Hmmm... what would it be like to have karen Black as your mother? I think it'd be a wild and wolly and fun ride for a kid.

I'm going surfing!

Okay, I lied, I'm not going surfing but I'll be doing the next best thing - watching other people surf. I'm going to check out Tannna Frederick's Project Save Our Surf 24-hour surf-a-thon. I really want to see how a surf-a-thon works. Maybe I'll be able to get a few pictures of Tanna... :-)

No way you're getting me in the water. It's too cold and I don't own a wet suit. I wonder if they rent them? I'm not sure I'd want to wear a wet suit that somebody has already been in. Eww!

I'm on a mission!
Mood:  mischievious

Okay, here it is. I think Tanna Frederick is a phenomenal actress and everybody should know who she is. She should be a famous as Brad & Angelina or Lucy or Denzel or Elvis. You know what I mean? You don't even need to say their last names but everybody knows who they are. That's the way it should be when you talk about Tanna. Nobody says "Tanna who?" They just know.

I have no desire to be famous. Well, I take that back. I would like my 15 minutes of fame. I want to be the guy she hugs when they announce that she has won the Oscar or Golden Globe. That's not going to happen but a guy can dream. I will be jumping up and down and yelling at my TV set when it happens. And it WILL happen. :-)

Tanna Frederick preparing for her role in Irene In Time
Mood:  happy

I just read an article where Tanna Frederick talks about how she prepared for the role of Irene in her movie "Irene In Time." Wow. She read a bunch of self-help books about finding a man because that's what the character did. No wonder Irene was so wacked.

I remember a conversation I had many years ago with a female friend who I'll call Angela. She got a call from a guy she had gone out with the past weekend. She really liked him and he wanted to get together that night. She but she told me that according to the book "The Rules" she had to put him off for at least 3 days so as not to appear as if she didn't have a life or so she didn't appear desperate. What a crock! This was a VERY intelligent, stunningly gorgeous, capable woman who was screwing up her possible relationship with this crap. I'm still stunned thinking about it.

I love hearing about how actors prepart for their roles and this article was really interesting for that alone. You can read it at http://www.dailycal.org/article/106078/tanna_frederick_discusses_acting_and_singing_in_he.

I'm not a surfer dude!
Mood:  silly

Okay. I'll admit that I googled Tanna Frederick. She's a surfer. and not just a surfer, she founded an organization called Project save Our Surf which is helping to clean up the ocean. That's really cool. You won't catch me surfing. I'm a bit of a chicken when it comes to being surrounded by water and waves unless I'm on a boat. I love sailing. Now that's fun.

Project SOS is having a 24-hour surf-a-thon in June. Does this mean that they actually stay in the water for 24 hours? Do wetsuits keep you from turning into a prune? Is it like a dance-a-thon where people dance till they drop? If that's the case I hope they have lots of lifeguards. Obviously I'm going to have to look into this a little further so I don't sound like such an idiot.  That should be an interesting event.