FIRST THINGS FIRST…
What do these songs have in common – "If I Had A Hammer," "Turn, Turn, Turn," and "Where Have All The Flowers Gone"?
If you're like me, you know them by heart, back and forth, up and down. But I didn't realize they'd all been written by Pete Seeger, whose inspiring life is told in a fantastic documentary I saw this last weekend, Pete Seeger: The Power of Song. (No, they're not my client.)
The fact that he wrote those songs doesn't even begin to impart the significance of Seeger's inspiring life or the movie's power and timeliness, but here's a good description from a web site I found
"One of the legends of American music, Pete Seeger was the architect of the folk revival… An outspoken advocate of peace, unionism, civil rights and ecology, he was targeted by the Communist witch hunt of the 1950s and was picketed, protested, blacklisted, and, despite his enormous popularity, banned from television for more than 17 years. With a combination of never-before-seen archival footage, Seeger's own personal films, and interviews with musicians like Joan Baez, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Natalie Maines, and Peter, Paul and Mary, this new documentary paints an intimate portrait of an icon who has profoundly influenced the fabric of American music."
They forgot to mention (interviews with) Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthrie, Tom Paxton, and non musicians like Tommy Smothers and many more.
Check it out here, and RUN to see this film. Really. Immediately. Take your kids, too. Go on, now!
DOWNTOWN NEWS FILLS A&E EDITOR SLOT…
… with the wonderful Julie Riggott (julie@downtownnews.com), late of Pasadena Weekly. She says, "I'll still be doing some freelance writing about Pasadena-area arts too."
UPDATE FROM MARCI WEINER
As a P.S. to my 11/8 post about the Westside Chronicle's demise and Marci Weiner's new position, she writes with additional info:
"I have been Society Editor for Celeb Staff for almost a year - and in addition am now editor in chief of Celeb Life magazine. Both national publications are on the newstands and also online. Also write a weekly column for Movieweb. I, too, am sorry about the demise of Westside Chronicle. It was good local newspaper and is a sign of the times. However, as you can see am very busy indeed!"
LA TIMES WRITER AND EDITOR UPDATES
John Lippman replaces the previously departed Jim Bates as Business section deputy editor, entertainment.
Megan Garvey takes over the morning assignment editor job from Mary MacVean, who continues to cover state, regional and local news for the Times web site.
IN PRAISE OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
The L.A. Times' ongoing coverage of Iraq-and-other-war veterans has been magnificent in keeping the personal, human toll of the war front and center. For a wrenching but terrific read, check out Luis Sinco's story of his professional and personal involvement with one of the casulaties. There's video and photos too.
