The ageless Stan Lee ushers in the 10th decade of his very full life and shows not the slightest sign of slowing down. The comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and former president and chairman of Marvel Comics, has embraced technology to expand his world-wide creative presence with an active Facebook Page and Twitter account, as well as a YouTube Channel.
Learn more about what’s up in Stan’s life at his Pow! Entertainment website. Happy birthday, Stan!
During this extended holiday week, we’ll be sharing some entertaining historical posts.
The Radio City Music Hall opened in Manhattan on December 27, 1932, as a venue for concerts, movies and stage performances. The famous Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, featuring the Rockettes, premiered in 1933. Read more here.
Tune in to Experience Talks, our “Radio Magazine for the Experienced Listener.” Saturdays 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles, 98.7 FM Santa Barbara, 99.5 China Lake, 93.7 N. San Diego, streaming live online and now syndicated on up to 100 Pacifica Network stations! You can also enjoy hearing all of our previous shows on the Listen Page of our Experience Talks website.
Saturday, 12/29: Host John Semper Jr. talks with artist Andre Miripolsky
Hear Part One of our interview on the Listen Page of our Experience Talks website.
Miripolsky – n. 1. World renowned Los Angeles artist who pushes the limits in painting, sculpture, mobiles, graphics, sets, and costumes; 2. Born in Paris; raised in Iran, Thailand, Austria, France, Indonesia, and Korea; educated at CalArts in L.A.; name translated from Russian means fields of peace; an international creative force. 3. Maestro of his Kingdom of Color; the Cole Porter of Pop.
Andre Miripolsky’s keen understanding of pop imagery and energy has resulted in collaborations with Elton John (famous Central Park “Piano Key” costume and 1997 stage acts for his “Tonight Show” appearance), Bette Midler (album package/visual design for her worldwide “DeTour”), Quincy Jones, Rolling Stones, Gato Barbieri, Robin Williams, Beastie Boys, Cheap Trick, MTV, and “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno. His work has also been seen on the Absolut Vodka bottle as part of one of the most successful advertising campaigns of all time, featuring famous artists interpreting the brand for the label. UCLA’s center basketball court at Pauley Pavillion got a makeover for MTV when Miripolsky painted a colorful mural on it for MTV’s “Rock and Jock B-Ball Jam.”
More recently, Andre has turned his attention to projects that promote the revitalization of Los Angeles, including a large 3-D wall sculpture depicting his vision of the exploding Downtown L.A. skyline for the Central City Association of L.A. This image, coupled with his phrase “Viva L.A., ” has blossomed to much acclaim and is very well on its way in the branding of the new and improved Downtown L.A. His long-lasting stained glass “L.A. Historama” mural proposal is pending final approval for inclusion in the planned new Convention Center.
He continues to be celebrated in gallery shows and other special projects, including this year’s world-wide installation called “Play Me, I’m Yours,” a public music and art program. Literally hundreds of working pianos were placed in very public areas in major cities throughout the world. The program’s intent is to continue to beautify the world through the arts. The Miripolsky/Hollywood arts piano, decorated in a mosaic of mirror tiles to best reflect the glamour of Hollywood, resided in the forecourt of the Egyptian theatre.
Learn more about the artist’s “Kingdom of Color” at his website.
During this holiday week, we’ll be sharing some entertaining historical posts.
The Howdy Doody Show was on the air from 1947 through 1960. “The idea for Howdy Doody began on the NBC New York radio affiliate WEAF in 1947 with a program called The Triple B Ranch. The three Bs stood for Big Brother Bob Smith, who developed the country bumpkin voice of a ranch hand and greeted the radio audience with, “Oh, ho, ho, howdy doody.” Martin Stone, Smith’s agent, suggested putting Howdy on television and presented the idea to NBC television programming head Warren Wade. With Stone and Roger Muir as producers, Smith launched Puppet Playhouse on 17 December 1947. Within a week the name of the program was changed to The Howdy Doody Show.” Read more about the show here.
Mel Shaw, a designer of the original Howdy Doody, worked for many years as a visual development and design artist for Disney Studios. He help set the style for the animated classic, “Bambi” (1942), and many others from the studio, including what became “Fantasia” (1940), “The Fox and the Hound” (1982) and his final Disney project, 1994’s “The Lion King.” Mr. Shaw passed away recently at the age of 97 in Reseda, CA. Read more about his long and fascinating career here.
Happy holidays from everyone at EngAGE! During this holiday week, we’ll be sharing some entertaining historical posts.
Tom Lewis, in the Organization of American Historians Magazine of History, described NBC’s plan for cultural programming and the origin of the NBC Symphony:
Below is a 1954 recording of the same musical selection, featuring the NBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Toscanini. [Subscribers: click the title of the post to go to the blog and see the video.]
by Maureen Kellen-Taylor, EngAGE C.O.O.
It’s funny how one small question can start a chain reaction. In this case it was from a gym staff member, Diane, at the South Pasadena Curves. My gym has collected gifts for EngAGE seniors for the past four Christmases.
“Can you use a fake-tree with lights?” “Oh, yes please!”
Next day at our Programs Team meeting, I repeated, “Can anyone use a fake-tree with lights?”
Nate jumped in and said yes first. He oversees our only site with families and seniors. “It would great for the kids!” A few minutes later he mused wistfully, visualizing their faces,“It would be great if we could put toys under the tree for them….”
Immediately Megan said, “We’ll do a toy drive at Burbank!” followed quickly by Sidni, “…and at the Piedmont!” while Elizabeth thought she would let her theatre company members at The Road know. Nancy reminded us that the site was also in need of extra food and she would bring some. The others all agreed that food would be important to add, too. The meeting hummed with excitement as all the team members threw in ideas and suggestions for how to make the first Christmas at Vermont Apartments a merry one.
True to her word, Elizabeth talked to The Road and amassed a small mountain of toys and $300.00 for gift cards so the teenagers would not be left out. Toys and food rolled into the office from many different directions. At the next meeting, Team Members came loaded with bags of gifts and rolls of festive wrapping paper for the children. The gifts from the Curves gym for 70 seniors at another building had also arrived and the office was transformed into a Christmas workshop.
Elizabeth and Nate wrapping toys.
That meeting was spent turning plastic shopping bags and boxes into brightly wrapped packages. We ran out of table space. Elizabeth sat on the floor surrounded by mounds of wrapped toys; her fellow team members knelt to cut bright squares of wrapping paper and others sorted the gifts into boxes labeled “Seniors – men,” Seniors- women,” ”babies,” “girls 3-5,” “boys….,” and so on.
Megan sorting gifts.
Several things became apparent – that the business agenda for the meeting didn’t have a chance of being discussed amidst that merriment, that we needed more time to wrap for the 62 children, and that we didn’t have enough gift-bags for the 70 seniors.
The Programs Team, already busy with the events at 22 sites generously made dates to continue the wrapping. We debated how we could find gift bags that wouldn’t cost very much.
Later that week, the Christmas tree went up in the Vermont lobby and was decorated by three generations of residents and Toni and Dolly of EngAGE. The little children were enchanted by the lights and decorations. All who passed the tree and the happy tree trimmers were affected, their faces beaming and wishing good cheer.
A few days later, Randall, our artist in residence, presented the seven children who wait for art class every week with shiny new artists sets. They clutched their smart aluminum cases to their little bodies and refused to put them down – even to work with the clay in the class.
Meanwhile back at the office, Patricia, the owner of the Curves Gym, handed over 50 gift cards for the seniors and each one had Merry Christmas written on it with a gym-member’s name. She included everyone who gave.
Curves owner, Patricia, with gym members and gifts.
Two days later we had a call from Robin, who had located a business closing down and had 80 gift bags to donate. Robin drove them up from Long Beach. It was feeling like Christmas.
On the 19th there was an afternoon Christmas party for the seniors at Buckingham. Yolanda, the manager, brought dinner and wrapped prizes for the raffle. As the seniors entered the room, each was presented with a festive bag of gifts. Everyone was in great good spirits and laughed and cheered when people got up to sing. A gentleman, who once said he had never won anything until he got a medal at the Senior Olympics, won a raffle prize and as he unwrapped it and laid it with his other gifts, I commented, “You are on a winning streak!” He answered, “…and I am humbly grateful!”
Later that day the party at Vermont got off to a slow start, until some of the young mothers arrived bearing platters of Dirty Rice, Collard Greens, Potatoes and Green Beans to add to the ham and turkey waiting.
The little children following them into the room gazed with wonder at the Christmas tree made with lights by Lionel and the huge mound of presents under it stacked by 10 year old volunteer Sara. Her mother and brother, all volunteers, carved the turkey and ham and passed it out. The families ate and chatted, the steel band played “Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer,” and Nate handed out the presents.
As the EngAGE team and volunteers stood by, we remembered the day when that simple question, “Can you use a fake tree with lights?” was asked, and Nate’s answer, and his wish to have presents for the kids under it. We thought of how far it had rippled out and all the people touched by it.
Now that feels like Christmas…..
From Alma Wright, EngAGE Site Leader: “On December 12, employees from Northrop-Grumman paid their second annual visit to 15 lucky residents of Portofino Villas who were handpicked by their office management, considering their current financial and medical hardships. These residents were summoned to the office last month to fill out a form including a short bio and a gift wish list. EngAGE sent these completed forms to the folks at Northrop-Grumman, and this month the residents were invited to a very special gathering to receive their gifts and meet their benefactors. There were lots of smiles and happy tears as they opened their gifts. Some had a hard time expressing their immense gratitude, and just couldn’t believe they were getting the things they asked for and needed. Northrop-Grumman employees got plenty of hugs and ‘thank yous’, and pledged to come back next year.” The happy event was well-documented by Robin Hart, EngAGE Regional Programs Director:
