Dog Whisperer

Why should I be so addicted to watching the Dog Whisperer when I don't even have a dog? Our friends, Claudia and Jim, who have had many dogs through the years...the last being a darling poodle, Gidget... introduced us to the show when we were staying with them last year.

Well, now I know. There was a great article in last Sunday's Parade magazine by Cesar Millan, the man himself, talking about "What Your Pet Can Teach You." You learn a lot more about people than you do about the dogs themselves. Most of the time, it's the people who cause the problems or make them worse in domesticating a dog. Cesar outlines eight points in illustrating how dogs have helped him become a better, happier, and more-balanced human being.

Two of the lessons I particularly liked were "live in the moment." Of course, in acting, we hear "be in the moment" as one of the most important tenets we live by. "Celebrate each day" is another lesson we can learn from dogs. My friend, Terry, has a small white Maltese (pictured above) that I need to visit now that I'm thinking about it to get my doggie fix.You can catch the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel...here it's on Friday at 8p. Check your local listing, as they say..

To Kill A Mockingbird

You've heard, no doubt, that To Kill A Mockingbird is one of the all-time great classics. It had been a while since I had seen it again, so I decided to put it in my Netflix que. When I was watching it last night, I couldn't help recall how my father, who was living in Santa Barbara at the time, was excited to tell me that when he went to the screening of the new movie in Santa Barbara, much to his delight, Gregory Peck and his wife Veronique, were sitting right behind him. He didn't realize this at first, of course, until he overheard the blow by blow anecdotes of each scene.

How I wish my dad were still alive, for more reasons than one...I so wanted to call him up and say, "Tell me again, Dad, everything you remember about that time." Well, we are fortunate that the powers that be have included "the making of the movie" clips on DVD. This commentary track was so interesting! To hear Elmer Bernstein talk about how he chose the music he composed for each segment of the movie. I was astonished that even though I had seen Robert Duvall's name in the credits, I did not recognize him until I saw him in these clips.
I don't know the date that this was filmed, but it seems to have been not too long ago as they all had aged.
You realize that Robert Duvall has been a great actor for years, judging by the sutlety in this performance in such a key role in the film. Also, it was interesting to see and hear the wonderful child actors tell about their experiences some 40 years later! They were terrific in the film. And I feel a little more content now that I have heard Gregory Peck talk about his experience.

Speaking of Robert Duvall...one of the things I've loved about my acting workshop is the fact that I have gotten to act out scenes, such as the Robert Duvall role of Max in Tender Mercies. We turned it into a mother/son scene. Ky Evans was a fabulous scene partner...so giving. In ten years, I can say it was one of my favorite roles to date. To work with Robet Duvall would be a dream come true.

Losing a child

My heart goes out to John Travolta and Kelly Preston in the loss of their 16-year-old son, Jett. My mom and dad lost my brother, Charles, two weeks before his 16th birthday. It's a heartbreak you never get over. I was 13 at the time and adored my brother who spoiled me rotten.

I wish we had all had grief counselling at the time, but alas, no one to my knowledge ever proposed such a thing. My dad was a traveling musician, and this totally changed the direction of his career.
It was back to playing guitar with a trio in finer restaurants in the Akron/Cleveland area to stay closer to home. I do believe this loss contributed to the early deaths of my parents.

I know that children are resilient, but I hope that John and Kelly's darling daughter, Ella Bleu, will be able to remember all the good times with her brother and not dwell on the events of his passing. For years, I felt guilty. Why not me instead, dear God? My brother had such a joie de vivre, and I was a rather mopey teenager at the time.

One of life's mysteries. All you can do is put one foot in front of the other and keep going. My prayers are with the Travoltas.