America, choose your old guy 2

Music
Last night was a tough choice. Very, very hard. Whether to watch Clint Eastwood address the Republican National Convention saying things like “We own this country” (watching the RNC makes me want to cash out), versus a quick drive to the Levitt Pavilion in MacArthur Park where the groovy, happening reggae singer, Don Carlos, a ...

The satin sound of Johnny Mercer

Ideas & Opinion · Music
While I was recovering from knee surgery, my buddy S.V. brought me recuperation DVDs — among them “The Dream’s On Me,” documentarian Bruce Ricker’s film homage to lyricist/composer Johnny Mercer. [The documentary, executive-produced by Clint Eastwood, airs from time to time on TCM.] Mercer, a tireless music maker of the highest order (by the way, ...

And the mini Oscar goes to LACMA film

Film
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today a $12,500 grant in support of LACMA’s film program for 2010-11 season. While this check will hardly float the program, it bears significance and good will on a symbolic level. The Academy is Hollywood, Inc. And so I would like to humbly thank the Academy ...

Go ahead, Clint, make our day

Film
The subject is the long-term funding of LACMA’s film program, which is still not secured. In a February 17 curtain talk with Richard Schickel held in tandem with the museum’s respectful retrospective of his oeuvre, Clint Eastwood said: “I want to thank everyone for coming out here and supporting LACMA. I must confess I wasn’t as familiar ...