November 1, 2011

Fragments From Olympus- The Vision of Nikola Tesla

by Mick Du Russel

Some have called him a mad scientist yet he is undeniably one of the greatest inventors of all time. Yet, as strange as it is, most people have never heard of Nikola Tesla. Now, 78 years after his death, a new film is being created to tell Tesla’s amazing story and help save his famous laboratory Wardenclyffe. “Fragments From Olympus” is director by Joseph Sikorski’s and co-writer Michael Calomino’s labor of love, a project they’ve been working on for over 10 years. As the film is being developed, I had the great pleasure to speak with Joseph Sikorski about his fantastic film…

MICK: How did you get interested in Nikola Tesla in the first place?
JOSEPH: Over the years, I heard his name but never knew much about him. I used to go to the bookstore with my wife to browse the books and there was always some Tesla books in the discount section. What really fascinated me was this “death ray” that they said he invented. That’s how I really got interested. I started reading about this “death ray” that the FBI believed he invented. I learned about the investigation into the “death ray” and was very interested in getting hold of the FBI documents. Each time at the bookstore, I would read a little more and finally had to buy it! I was shocked that I didn’t know about him before and all the things he did that he didn’t get credit for and how interesting his life was. It became a cause for me to bring him into the mainstream. He did not get credit for a lot of the things that people stole from him. A lot of people believed he was just eccentric or crazy. The sad part is that he was such an incredible genius on DaVinci’s level or beyond that. He still has research that is very relevant today. We hope that a by-product of this film will raise awareness of his research and continue it, especially in the fields of alternative energy where he was a pioneer.

Today, most people have never heard of Tesla or they just know of the rock band Tesla. The reason we have electric appliances in our homes is purely because of Tesla. Even radio, his most famous invention, the schools still teach that Marconi invented radio and it’s such a travesty because the Supreme Court actually ruled in Tesla’s favor and that Marconi violated 17 of Tesla’s patents. Tesla really was the father of radio but the awards for radio are called the Marconi Awards. Schools teach that Marconi invented radio and that Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen invented X-rays. These people take credit for what Tesla did! Of course his crowning achievement was Wardenclyffe Tower which was right here on Long Island. He hoped to provide free wireless energy to the whole world. The Wardenclyffe property is in Shoreham. The building is still there though the famous tower is long gone. Tesla was funded by JP Morgan. He wanted Tesla to build a tower that would connect all the stock exchanges of the world but Tesla kept going over budget. Tesla knew it would connect all of the stock exchanges but it would also send free electricity to anyone with an antenna and a receiver. Morgan finally cut him off. He didn’t agree with Tesla. His famous quote was “wireless energy- where do we put the meter?” Tesla’s dream of free energy went down with the tower.

The building is still there in Shoreham. It was designed by Stanford White, one of the world’s most prominent architects. The building is in jeopardy. It is deteriorating. There’s no public outcry for the property because most people have never heard of Tesla. We feel that if we can help raise awareness as to who Tesla was, then maybe they will see how valuable this piece of history is.
MICK: How long have you known Michael Calomino, your co-writer?
JOSEPH: We’ve been friends since high school! We both went to Lindenhurst High School here on Long Island. He’s now in Pennsylvania. We talk frequently. The other person involved is Vic Elefante who is from the North Bellmore area. We have actor Leo Rossi (Analyze This, Halloween II) on board. When we first started pitching this, we were telling people that we could make a period piece with special effects for 3 million dollars. They said we couldn’t do it. So we made this teaser for $700 to show them what we could do. We recently learned it was a semifinalist in International Movie Trailer Festival. It’s great because we don’t even have a finished film yet. We were competing with million dollar finished films! We are showing that we can do this film cheaper than a Hollywood production.
MICK: So you are basically just up to the script right now but you still haven’t casted the film?
JOSEPH: Leo Rossi is on so we have him. We have some very interesting possibilities that are just waiting for us to get closer.
MICK: I saw your ad in The Long Island Press where you publicly asked Ralph Macchio to star in the film.
JOSEPH: Yes we did! We want to bring Tesla into the popular culture. There have been some excellent documentaries on him and some really good stuff on The History Channel. There’s a great one on PBS called “Master of Lightning”. But most people still have never heard of Tesla. We want to make something that would spark an interest in science to the younger people and into popular culture to continue his research, save the Wardenclyffe property and vindicate his name. What we have is not a documentary and not a bio-pic which traditionally aren’t very successful. What we have is a true life mystery thriller because of the element of ‘the death ray’. The story begins with Tesla’s death and the FBI invading his apartment and as they search for his papers and his information on ‘the death ray’, his life unfolds as they investigate this. This is all from real FBI documents they we were able to obtain. It’s a mystery/adventure rather than just a bio-pic.
MICK: Have you met or spoken to any of Tesla’s relatives?
JOSEPH: He doesn’t have many relatives as he never married but he does have a nephew. I will get to meet him soon. The Tesla Science Center, the people who are trying to save Wardenclyffe, are doing a conference on wireless energy and invited us to be featured speakers there. William Terbo, Tesla’s nephew, is going to be there too.
MICK: How do you envision Wardenclyffe in the coming years?
JOSEPH: Jane Alcorn is the person in charge there and what she envisions is fantastic. It would become the Tesla Science Center and Museum. It would be part history of Tesla, part working science center. The building would be restored and hopefully we can continue his research. Right now, it’s a vacant piece of land deteriorating. This is the last remaining lab of Tesla’s in the whole world so this is a worldwide attraction. In fact, in Serbia (Tesla was from Serbia) they are trying to build a replica of Tesla’s tower over there. We have the actual property and building right here!
MICK: Are there any thoughts about reconstructing the tower here?
JOSEPH: I did speak to Jane about that possibility, at least as a monument. There are some zoning concerns. It would have to be a scaled down version unless some zoning laws were changed. When the film is done, that will bring some attention to it.
Wardenclyffe really could be a fantastic thing…a boom to a repressed economic area out there. There’s a lot of good reasons to save the property. The fact that Stanford White designed the building is alone a great reason. The building is rotting there since the 1980′s. After Tesla died, the building was used for a number of things. It was even a pickle factory at one time! Then the Peerless Photo Plant came in. They were owned by AGFA who was owned by the Bayer Corporation. They took it over and poured a lot of their photo chemicals down the well there. Because of that, there had to be a land cleanup. That probably saved the property from being sold a long time ago. A blessing in disguise! The cleanup has been done for six months now.
MICK: What is your time frame as far as completing the movie?
JOSEPH: I’d like to be shooting in the Spring of 2012. Things are starting to happen. Financially, we have some big investors waiting to see who we get on board and many small investors who want to be involved.
MICK: Are you working on any other projects besides “Fragments From Olympus”?
JOSEPH: No, this my sole focus right now and bringing attention to Wardencliffe.

MICK: Tesla worked for Thomas Edison at one time, didn’t he?
JOSEPH: Yes he did. Tesla designed a motor that was able to run on AC power using magnetic fields. He designed the whole system of AC power, not just the motor but the whole polyphase system which included transformers to step the power up and down. He got the idea for this alternative current motor so someone got him an introduction to go work for Edison. He went to work for Edison and he told Edison that he invented the impossible…a motor that will run on AC power. Edison was all DC power and didn’t want anything to do with it because he had so much invested in the DC system. Tesla saw problems with Edison’s system and it’s dynamos. Edison said if Tesla could get them working up to 100% efficiency that would mean fifty thousand dollars for him. Tesla saw this as a chance to build his own lab and get a footing as a scientist. He worked night and day constantly. While he was doing this, he won several patents for automation. Finally, he fixed Edison’s problem. When he went to collect his money, Edison said “Apparently you don’t understand American sense of humor”. Tesla quit and couldn’t get any work for a while. He had just come from Croatia, had no money and the only work he could find was digging ditches.
That all started the “war of the currents”. Alternate current is much more efficient and that’s what we use today. With Edison’s DC power, you needed a plant every mile or so. You also needed copper cable which was around a foot thick. You couldn’t regulate the power either. Tesla’s polyphase system could be regulated and could send power for hundreds of miles. Westinghouse backed Tesla but eventually had to back out because the battle against Edison had cost a small fortune. Here’s a guy who gave everything and didn’t get credit for anything! He died penniless in a hotel. Hopefully, this movie will teach people about Tesla, continue his research into alternative energy and turn Wardenclyffe into a world famous museum and research center.

For more information on “Fragments From Olympus” and Wardencliffe

www.FragmentsFromOlympus.com

Interested in learning more? Visit http://www.teslasociety.com/wardenclyffe2.htm

Tesla Conference 2011 – Exploring Tesla’s Technologies 

Please join us at the Tesla Conference 2011, Exploring Tesla’s Technologies, which will be held on Saturday, November 5, 2011 at the Hilton Garden Inn, Riverhead, Long Island, NY.

This one-day conference will focus on wireless energy and communication technology with many references to Nikola Tesla’s great innovations as well as current applications and research for future developments.

The first conference, held to mark Tesla’s 150th birthday, drew a wide range of scientists, businessmen and women, entrepreneurs, students, and Tesla enthusiasts from throughout New York State and beyond.  This year we have great plans to expand the content of the conference and to further our goals of acquisition, restoration and conversion of Wardenclyffe.  Wardenclyffe is the century-old and ONLY remaining laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla, located in Shoreham, Long Island.  Our plans are to create the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe to honor this iconic figure in our history.

For ticket information on this event visit http://www.teslasciencecenter.org/

Tonight, July 25^th at 9pm The HBO Documentary Summer Series presents THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG WITH AUNT DIANE.

On Sunday, July 26, 2009, Diane Schuler left the campgrounds in upstate New York where she was vacationing with her family and set off towards home on Long Island, a drive she had made numerous times before. With her were five young children: her son, her daughter and three nieces. Four hours later, she drove the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway for nearly two miles – eventually crashing into an oncoming SUV,killing herself and seven others. One of the worst motor-vehicle accidents in New York State history, the tragedy quickly became national news and her actions on that day, and in the past, were thrust under a microscope in a desperate search for answers.

In the aftermath, Diane Schuler was portrayed as a reckless drunk and a mother who cracked. But was she the monster the public made her out to be? Or the perfect wife and mother described by so many who knew her?

There’s Something Wrong with Aunt Diane Clip

Attention All Artists!!!

Mick Du Russel’s

That’s Entertainment: Hollywood’s Golden Age!

The Ripe Art Gallery is proud to announce a very special exhibition of  art related to the Golden Age of Hollywood from August 6 to August 27, 2011, “Mick Du Russel’s That’s Entertainment: Hollywood’s Golden Age” to benefit the Eleanor and Lou Gehrig ALS Research Center at Columbia University in NYC. This show and sale will be a fundraiser for ALS research as medical science continues to push forward to find a cure.

Eligibility: The exhibition is open to all artists, national and international,18 years and older.   Artists can use any medium and art can be any size.

Theme: Each artist must create their piece or pieces of art based on Hollywood’s Golden age. This can be any interpretation of classic movies, movie stars, or film making from

that era.

Image Presentation: All work must be properly wired for hanging and labeled on the back with the artist’s name, title and medium.

Entry Procedure: Entries must be accompanied with a completed application.

There is a $15 per piece entry fee payable to Ripe Art Gallery

They can be dropped off at the gallery:

Ripe Art Gallery

67 Broadway

Greenlawn, New York 11740-1805

Tues-Thur 11am-6pm, Fri 2-8pm, Sat. 11am-5pm

Or they can be mailed to:

Mick Du Russel

214 Ave. A

Lake Ronkonkoma, New York 11779

(631) 335-8886

theshowbizwizard@yahoo.com

Terms: All work at the show is for sale and the proceeds will be divided into thirds.

The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig ALS Research Center Gift Fund will take one third,

Ripe Art Gallery will take one third, and the artist will take one third. If the artist

wishes to donate their third to the charity, that would be greatly appreciated.

Calendar: Entry form and work drop off to gallery:

July 30- August 4

Tues-Thur 11am-6pm, Fri 2-8pm, Sat. 11am-5pm

Or ship to gallery:  July 30- August 4

Or mail to Mick Du Russel (or arrange to drop or pick up) by July 30

Deadline for all work is August 4

Opening reception: Saturday evening Aug. 6,  5-8PM

Exhibition closes: August 27

Pick up of unsold pieces starting Sept 1, 2011

Anything left after 30 days, there is $1.50 per day storage charge

Ripe Art Gallery

67 Broadway

Greenlawn, NY 11740-1302

(631) 239-1805

http://ripeartgal.com/

Rich Sirgiovanni and The Grimps

by Mick DuRussel

It’s not often that a man has a dream that involves all of his passions and through hard work and determination, it becomes a reality. You might even call it magical. Rich Sirgiovanni is that man and he is on the verge of something quite incredible. His creation of a new cartoon called “The Grimps” is about to take the world by storm. I recently had the good fortune to speak to Rich about his fascinating life and his great new adventure…
MICK: Are you originally from New York?
RICH: Yes, I was born and still live in Queens!
MICK: I see on Facebook that you were very involved with music when you were younger.
RICH: I’ve been playing drums and singing since I was around 14 years old. Back in the late 70′s, I played in Max’s Kansas City, CBGB’s, Great Gildersleeves, quite a few clubs on Long Island. I played in copy bands and original bands. Manhattan was the place to feature all the original music in those days.
MICK: How did you get into the advertising industry?
RICH: I graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 1979. I got into advertising because it was one of those careers where when you got out of school, you could hopefully find a regular job while you pursued other things and in my case, it was cartooning. I took plenty of advertising courses and went in that direction where I made a good living for many years. Having a music background allowed me to work in recording studios and write musical jingles.
MICK: I know that “Gotta Go To Mo’s”, the Modell’s jingle, is probably your most famous jingle you created. Did you have any idea that it would be so big? Everybody knows that!
RICH: When we came up with that idea, it was something fresh for Modell’s…a new direction. We knew there was something special about it. It was catchy to everyone who heard it when we broke the campaign. By no means did anyone think that people would still being using it now 15 years later! That was an exciting thing to work on!
MICK: Please tell me about “The Trolls”.
RICH: “The Trolls” was the original name of my current project The Grimps. Two months ago, I changed the name of the project because I found out that Dreamworks is coming out with a movie called “Good Luck Trolls”. They did the story with the family of the person who created the Troll dolls in the 60′s. The story line is about the Troll Dolls. My idea is completely different. I went through all of my proper copyrights and felt it would be too confusing. So I created a new word called “Grimps” which is a combination of gruesome and impish. So that is the new title of the project and the show!
MICK: I saw that for The Grimps, you have some amazing people lined up for the voices of the characters.
RICH: Yes, for the voice-overs, we already have committed Peter Noone from Herman’s Hermits, Eric Burdon from the Animals, Todd Rundgren, Mickey Dolenz from the Monkees, Keith Emerson from ELP, etc… I’ve met with most of them and they are all committed to being part of the project. We are also in the works of talking to other hopefuls like Ringo Starr, Meatloaf, Debbie Harry, even Jack Black!
MICK: Are they going to do just the voices or will they do the music also?
RICH: At this point, they will be doing just the voices of the characters. Part of the plan with The Grimps is that the show is going to present original rock and roll music. Kind of the same theory as The Monkees back in the 60′s. We will create new original songs from a wide variety of songwriters and try to create a completely different sound. The basic sound of The Grimps will be that of an original rock and roll band. Part of the concept is something that is very cool and will tie in the generations is to have a lot of rock icons involved in the show. The children are the primary audience but this will also attract the parents and definitely the grandparents. The show is a subtle tribute to the history of rock and roll also. All of the characters that I’ve named come from different people from rock and roll. For instance, the four main Grimps are Winston (from John Lennon’s middle name), Moony (from Keith Moon), Mac (obviously from Paul McCartney) and Emerson (from Keith Emerson). We have other characters that are also named after rock people. A knight and a dragon are secondary characters who were with The Grimps when they were cursed in the storyline are named Billy and Shears. The evil wizard is named Specter. The fan club for The Grimps is run by Cynthia, Patty and Maureen (named after the Beatles wives). I tried to take a lot of these subtleties and maybe just the people from our generation will know or appreciate it and it may go over the heads of the kids but it really doesn’t matter. When my oldest son was five, the biggest thing in cartoons was the Teenage Mutant Turtles. All the kids knew Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael as turtles, not as Renaissance painters! I took that same kind of concept in developing my characters.
MICK: Is “The Grimps” going to be a TV show or a feature film?
RICH: We are hoping for TV. When we go out to California next month to start pitching The Grimps, we have some meetings scheduled with some motion picture companies. It would be fantastic if it could go in both directions. I have some very interesting people involved with this working with me.
MICK: So what stage are you in now? Are the cartoons still being talked about or have they actually been created already?
RICH: We are right at the stage where we can present this to the networks. A presentation video has been made. Pilot episodes have been written. The characters have been developed. We are just putting the finishing touches on it. Even the music aspect is pretty interesting. My musical producer is Ron Dante! Ron is working with me as the musical production supervisor. The theme song, which was just finished and recorded in Los Angeles last week, is titled “We’re The Grimps“. It was written by Ron Dante and Freddy Cannon (who had the hit ‘Palisades Park”). It is a very cool, upbeat introduction of the show and the characters. Simple lyrics for the kids to remember and very bouncy! We are also developing a three song demo of the actual sound of The Grimps. My idea is to produce good original rock music that will be presented by this cartoon rock and roll band. Ron Dante is writing some of the initial songs with Andrew Gold, another legendary performer and songwriter.
At the same time we go to the networks, we will also be going to record companies to present the concept of this. We are really trying to develop a sound that is very upbeat, contemporary and unique; not juvenile even though it is for a cartoon show. We are right at the point where we are ready to show the world what we’ve got!
MICK: Sounds like you have some heavy hitters with you!
RICH: I’m also working with another gentleman, who is representing me, by the name of Ron Alexenberg. He is the former president of CBS Records and worked under Clive Davis many years ago. Ron is responsible for signing Meatloaf, Boston, Michael Jackson’s solo career, etc…the list is endless with the people he has worked with. He is very involved in this project, both on the music end and the television end. Everything seems to be falling into place nicely. The next step is to see if the guys in the suits out there like it!
MICK: When is this going to be presented to them?
RICH: Sometime in early May, June the latest.
MICK: Do you have any other projects that you would like to share with us?
RICH: No. This thing has absorbed most of my time right now. I’ve put all of my concentration in it. I’m the creator and the illustrator of it. Developing characters and working behind the scenes, especially with the music. It’s what I’ve really been involved with for the past two years. I’ve kept all of my focus on that.
MICK: Are there any future plans for new musical ventures after this?
RICH: I still play drums and sing. I hope that as this is being developed I will be more involved on a level of music with The Grimps. Once we get it launched, I will be busier than I ever have been which will be a lot of fun. I will get to have my hands in everything I always loved. When I decided to create this idea, I wanted to combine my passions which are rock and roll, cartooning and writing. That’s how I developed this idea which is about 4 kids with a little magic and mystery. The storyline goes back 500 years ago where these 4 characters were minstrels and they were very popular in those days. An evil wizard, who is jealous of their celebrity, puts a curse on them and turns them into these little grimps to be thrown into the Forest for eternity. One of their other friends, who was also transformed, is also a wizard. After 500 years, he comes along and figures out a spell to transform them back to humans. But there are two glitches to it. One is that they only go back to being humans from sunset to sunrise. The other is they are still small. The ongoing quest is he will always be looking how to make the reversal of the curse permanent. In the meantime, they can come back to being humans and since they were great musicians who have been hanging around for 500 years hidden from society, they come out and become a pop rock group called “The Grimps“. It’s the trials and tribulations of being a rock band and having the secret that they turn back into these ugly little monsters in the daytime, that dual life they have to live with. That storyline gave me the ability to combine music and have something cool for kids.

Visit The Grimps Facebook Page for more information!

Around Long Island

by Mick DuRussel

Here are some tidbits happening around Long Island!!

Watch for Long Island’s own STEVE GUTTENBERG, TED DANSON and TOM SELLECK to be reunited once more in “Three Men and a Bride” in 2012, 24 years after their smash hit “Three Men and a Baby”…..Levittown’s KEVIN COVAIS, a fifth season American Idol finalist, is keeping very busy these days! He is co-starring with KURT RUSSELL in a football drama called “Touchback” to be released later this year; he just finished a small role in “Men In Black III” to be released next year; and he is taking theater classes in NYC and looking to record some demo tracks within the next few months! Go Chicken Little go!!!…..Peter Sloggatt, publisher/managing editor of Long Islander Newspapers, is handling public relations for the new Paramount Theater in Huntington, formally the IMAC. The theater is currently being renovated with completion expected in 2012. The Paramount will have 1666 seats, more than double that of the old IMAC, and the stage will be retractable to accommodate all kinds of entertainment. Live Nation will be doing the programing! It should be nothing short of awesome!….JIM FAITH reports that there are no plans for concerts at the Brookhaven Amphitheater this year due to politics and politicians. Expect more to come on this matter. Jim also says the Great South Bay Music Festival is coming along great and there will be some big names on the bill. The Great South Bay Music Festival will be held at Shorefront Park, Patchogue, New York on July 15, 16, 17, 2011. Also, The Long Island Music Hall of Fame will have a fund raiser on April 3rd at the Port Jefferson Village Center with some surprise guests!…Longtime Long Island resident RITCHIE BLACKMORE, who was instrumental in the Rock Aid Armenia Project, was just awarded `Honorary Medal of the Prime Minister of Armenia’.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the charity in which classic rock stars from all over the world gathered to contribute their talents on to Ritchie’s classic anthem Smoke on the Water. All proceeds were donated to the Armenian Earthquake victims…..Look for new releases from YES, JOURNEY, THE CARS, THE STEVE MILLER BAND, BLONDIE, PAUL SIMON and JOE WALSH (Jeff Lynn is producing!)…. JUDAS PRIEST will begin a long farewell tour…Possible tours from THE WHO and THE ROLLING STONES…Reunions for classic rock bands THE ZOMBIES, THE CARS and TOTO…Possible but not certain reunions for PINK FLOYD and BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD….SAMMY HAGAR will publish his autobiography….What do BOB DYLAN, JOAN BAEZ, PAUL SIMON, ART GARFUNKEL, DAVID CROSBY, CHARLIE WATTS, DAVID CLAYTON-THOMAS and MIKE LOVE have in common? They all turn 70 this year!!…Congratulations to Syosett’s NATALIE PORTMAN on her Academy Award nomination for best actress in “The Black Swan” and also to MELISSA LEO on her nomination for Best Supporting Actress in “The Fighter”. Melissa spent her childhood in East Hampton where her parents still live!!  That’s what’s happening around Long Island!

Actor Burt Young the Artist

by Mick DuRussel

Burt Young is truly a man for all seasons. Academy Award nominated Actor, artist, writer, playwright, he does it all with style and dignity. Best known for his role as Sylvester Stallone’s brother-in-law Paulie in all of the “Rocky” films, Burt has appeared in over 70 films and shows no signs of slowing down. His artwork is in collections all over the world and enjoys painting practically every day. I spoke with Burt recently just after his art show at the Nassau County Museum of Fine Art opened on Oct. 1st…

MICK: How long have you been painting?

BURT: Forever! When I was 12, I won a New York City art department contest. I did a painting about playgrounds or bicycle safety. I’ve painted my whole life.

MICK: Does it take you long to complete a painting?

BURT: Usually not. I’m usually pretty crazed and I’m painting all night long.

MICK: I know you use acrylic paints. Do you use any other mediums?

BURT: Yes I do! I use oils and ink. Sometimes I combine acrylic and oil.

MICK: How long have you had your art studio in Port Washington?

BURT: I’ve been here about 3 years now.

MICK: Do you paint when you’re working on a film?

BURT: Yes, sometimes right in the hotel room. I was staying in the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia and I did a couple of splendid paintings in the bath tub!

MICK: You are an accomplished painter, actor and author. What do you like doing the best…acting, painting or writing?

BURT: It’s all communication whether you’re a musician or a poet, there’s thread through it all. Writing makes me feel bright sometimes when I make something that makes a little sense. Acting satisfies me sensually. I get lost. When I get used to doing the work, I’m riding high day and night. Painting does the same thing. I have more control over my own elements. I’m not worried about editors or director’s, it’s just all of me.

MICK: Do you have more shows coming up in the near future?

BURT: I have two coming up at a gallery in Manhattan. I keep a lot of my work here in Port Washington.

MICK: I was really impressed with your paintings at your art show in the Nassau County Museum of Art. It’s the first time I’ve seen your work in person!

BURT: Thank you Mick. Sometimes I even impress myself!

MICK: As an artist, which artists do you admire?

BURT: I like the impressionists, the fellows who invented from inside out! When you go back, you can’t help but admire Michelangelo, Rembrandt. People like Renoir and Monet saw with their eyes but they told you what their stomach was feeling. I sort of get that feeling very well.

MICK: Do you have any new films lined up?

BURT: Yes, I’m just finishing a movie called The Win Win. It’s a good movie with Paul Giamatti, a wonderful guy and a wonderful actor. A top group of actors. It’s for Fox.

MICK: Any more plans to work again with Sylvester Stallone?

BURT: I would love to! I was so pleased to hang out with him on “Rocky Balboa”. The guy is just a force! He carries everything from producing, directing, starring. He was just unstoppable. That was 17 years after the last Rocky movie! To me, in my opinion, “Rocky Balboa” was a flop. But 17 years to come back, that was so exciting! He wrote clear and clean and he performed that way too. It was a pleasure hanging out with him on the last one.

MICK: Do you keep in contact with him?
BURT: Oh yea. Actors are funny people. We either see each other by accident or when we have an assignment. I’m not really a Hollywood guy. I hang out in the old neighborhood and with my girlfriend. I’m not too “actor-ish”. I’ve never been that way.

MICK: You’ve worked with many directors. Do you have a favorite?
BURT: Yes, I have favorites for different reasons. Sam Peckinpah was a crazy friend of mine. I think I did four or five movies with him. Close to being a genius. Robert Aldrich is another stand up guy that carried a team with him for 20 years or so. Same editor, same cinematographer. Many many directors I appreciated. I never really had a problem. I usually just do it my way though I’m not like a bully, usually with thought and knowing. I always feel that an actor, if he does the right homework, should know more about that character than the author. I think that’s my responsibility to get the premise of what the author is feeling. Hopefully, my own research will take me deeper than where the writer was going. I have to make that person honest or even dishonest.

MICK: Do you still have your restaurant in the Bronx?
BURT: We closed three years ago. Not out of necessity, the two old guys that were really the heart of it were in the 70′s and they just had enough. They wanted to get out of the kitchen and years there. It was a good place and good friends there.

MICK: Are you a sports fan?
BURT: Yes! I like the Yankees. What a team! A great bunch of players from top to bottom. And you can see they’re having fun too. I love boxing too.

MICK: Do you have a favorite boxer?
BURT: I’ve got many! My good friend is Muhammad Ali. Once, I did an exhibition and did three rounds with him. I used to move around pretty good. That’s how we became friends! Mike Tyson is a friend. I feel that he just might have been the best fighter ever. He was something else. I think he was a stronger version of Jack Dempsey.

MICK: Are you a religious man?
BURT: I believe that something made us. I don’t know if I listen to man’s religion too much. It’s like politics, Republicans or Democrats, everybody that stands on a pedestal usually has self indulgence in mind. I do believe in an overall supreme being. Look, we all have pieces of Mussolini, pieces of everybody because nothing ever leaves the atmosphere. So it may be just a touch of one atom that’s in us…we are all regurgitated and recycled. I don’t think I have any memory of that, it would be nice if I did! When I get old I will start getting more religious.

MICK: What is your favorite time of the year?
BURT: I like Christmas! I like winter. I like the elements, I like rain. I like something that gives me a challenge to get out of the house. California was pretty tepid to me. I raised my kid there but I’d rather be in New York City.

MICK: How long have you lived on Long Island?

BURT: I’ve lived here about three and a half years. I chased my girlfriend out here!

MICK: What are your future plans?

BURT: I have a one character play that I wrote. It’s called “Artist Found in Port Washington Flats”. It’s a one man show and I’m trying to see if I’m full of baloney or if it has some merit for an audience. I’m just testing its wings now!

MICK: Is this something you will be doing locally?

BURT: I will do it all over the world if it works. It’s 90 minutes uninterrupted. I will keep me sharp, that’s for sure!

You can see Burt Young’s fantastic paintings: Friday October 1, 2010 – Saturday January 15, 2011 from 11:00am – 4:45pm

Nassau County Museum of Fine Art

One Museum Drive
Roslyn Harbor, New York 11576

516.484.9338

www.burtyoungartandfilm.com

Interviewed by Mick DuRussel

It’s been 33 years since one of the best hockey movies of all time was released. “Slap Shot” was a big hit for superstar Paul Newman and it also introduced to the public the very likable, violent goons “The Hanson Brothers”, three fictional brothers who all wore black glasses, had long hair and terrorized opposing teams. Their popularity has grown in pop culture throughout the years and they still make appearances to meet their legion of fans. I had the great pleasure to speak with Steve Carlson, AKA Steve Hanson, the other day about his life and the making of “Slap Shot”…..

MICK: In the movie “Slap Shot”, what was it like to work with Paul Newman?
STEVE: I think you got it wrong. He worked with us! You have to understand that Newman was on the verge of becoming a superstar and Universal Studios said “ok, how are we going to get him over the top”. They decided to bring in the Hanson Brothers and teach him. You will notice he won the Academy Award after “Slap Shot”! Let me tell you he was a classic man! From day one when I first met him right until the end, he was all class. What a wonderful gentleman! His passing was a huge loss, not only to the acting world but also in the sporting world and charity world. A truly great man!

MICK: “Slap Shot” came out in 1977. In 1978, you were with the Edmonton Oilers and your room mate was Wayne Gretzky. You were a star at that time. How did you get along with him?

STEVE: There it is again! He was the number one draft pick. They said “He can’t skate, he can’t shoot that well. We will move him with Steve and teach him how to play the game the way it’s suppose to be played”. I get no credit for that! In all seriousness, he was only 17 years old and you just knew he was going to be a superstar. It was a lot of fun playing with him. I was told, but I can’t confirm this, that I was the only player in NHL history to play with both Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe!

MICK: How were you treated around the league after you made the film?
STEVE: If you watch the movie and you think this is real life, a lot of the stuff is actually the way it really was and we just re-enacted this way we played. The bosses of the hockey world didn’t like it because it promoted fighting, but every player and every general manager liked it because it was entertaining and funny. It had everything a man wants…vulgar language, nudity and fighting! What else could you ask for? It was fun after we got done filming to go into arenas and everyone was wearing the nose and glasses. We had a good time with that!

MICK: How did you and your brother get the parts of the Hanson Brothers?
STEVE: In real life, the Hanson Brothers played together as a line. My brother Jack, my brother Jeff and myself. We had long hair, we wore black glasses. Jeff and Jack were the ones who were the fighters. Dave Hanson, who was a defenseman on our team at that time, was known as “Killer Hanson”. He was a fighter. They tried to find actors to play our parts in the movie and couldn’t find actors good enough to skate and play the parts. So they came to us and asked us if we wanted to play the roles. The three Carlson Brothers were going to be the Hanson Brothers in the movie and Dave Hanson was going to be Killer Carlson. Unfortunately, Jack got called up and couldn’t do the film so they brought Dave in to be Killer Hanson and Jerry Houser became Killer Carlson.

MICK: Do you still run the power skating school in Wisconsin?
STEVE: Yes I do!
MICK: Do you live on Long Island?
STEVE: I do live on Long Island but I am moving on Monday. I’ve been here for exactly one year. Moving to California with my fiance who was born and raised in Sacramento. No more snow shoveling for me!

MICK: How many appearances do the Hanson Brothers make a year?
STEVE: Two years ago, we got 385 requests that year. Since Jeff and Dave have normal jobs, we do between 25 and 40 a year. Jeff works as an electrician and Dave manages a multi surface ice arena.

MICK: Do you have any hobbies besides hockey?
STEVE: I listen to music, enjoy myself, watch sports, love gardening. I used to fish a lot but haven’t done that in a while. I plan on getting back into that again. I also like working around the house.

MICK: What are you future plans?
STEVE: The Hanson Brothers are actually getting larger and larger! We just did a show in Hershey, PA where we played in a charity hockey game and signed autographs for over two hours! It’s not stopping! It keeps getting bigger and bigger!

MICK: What are the details about your appearance this Sunday in Massapequa?
STEVE: We are going to meet and great at Long Island Picture Frame. Fans have a chance to have photos taken with us and we will sign pretty much anything except the McFarlane Dolls. The Picture Frame has put together a bunch of great products of the Hanson Brothers that will be for sale on Sunday. We just love meeting people and having a good time with them!

You can meet the Hanson Brothers this Sunday, May 16th, at the Long Island Picture Frame, 4780 Sunrise Hwy., Massapequa Park, NY (516-798-8400 from 12 noon until 6:00pm. Autographs for all three brothers is $60.

www.LIPF.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i_D6oQO6b8

October 14, 2009

 Interview with Leslie Iwerks

by Christine Gerani

During the 17th  annual Hamptons International Film Festival I had the honor to interview Academy Award® Nominated Director Leslie Iwerks. Leslie Iwerks and Babelgum Productions just finished a film called Dirty Oil. Here is some information about the film:

Narrated by Canadian actress and environmentalist Neve Campbell this beautifully photographed and much anticipated feature documentary from Academy Award® Nominated director Leslie Iwerks goes deep behind-the-scenes into the strip-mined world of Northern Alberta, Canada, where the vast and toxic oil sands deposit supplies the U.S. with the majority of its oil. Told through the eyes of scientists, “big oil” officials, politicians, doctors, environmentalists, and aboriginal citizens directly effected by “the largest industrial project on the planet today”, the filmmakers journey to both sides of the border to uncover the emotional and irreversible toll this “black gold rush” fueled by America’s addiction to oil is taking on our planet. The film is produced by Alberta born and Emmy Award winning producer Philip Alberstat, and co-produced by Canadians, Mark Cranwell and Randy Bradshaw.

Christine – The average American probably doesn’t know very much about where our oil comes from, such as, that Canada is a major supplier of our oil and how the oil is extracted. How did you learn about the dangers of sand oil?

Leslie – Well I didn’t know much about it myself until the project was introduced to me being a potential director.  I started researching and had no idea that for the last 7 years America has gotten the majority of its oil from Canada.  To go up there and see it first hand and see the amazing amount of industry that’s going on, you see how big the industry is in Alberta, is pretty sobering.

Christine – You filmed in Alberta Canada, the leader in Sand Oil extraction, how did the government and the oil companies treat you?

Leslie – They ignored us, for the most part. We got one interview with the Minister of Energy which was great. The Minister of Health and the Minister of Environment declined interviews. They know there are a lot of documentarians trying to tackle this issue so they’re just going to ignore it.

Christine – The local Alberta Aborigines that live in areas where this oil is produced are suffering because of heavy pollution in the air and water. Do you think they have grounds for a class action suit?

Leslie – It seemed to me that they were already on that path, towards that. I don’t know the details on that actually on where it stands right now.  I heard and I’ve seen headlines on Fort Chipewyan trying to sue the Alberta government, however I don’t know specifics on where it stands at this moment.  It’s tough because, I think it was the cancer board, went back and spent a year diagnosing and researching and they did find that there were 30% higher rates of cancer recently than they found from the previous study.  Among them are rare cancers.  Further studies need to be done, however at this point there’s no pending studies on the books. Cholangiocarcinoma was one of the cancers that I heard about.  It’s kind of strange that they find 30% higher rates of cancer but they’re not doing anything more to figure it out. Like test the waters.  Maybe they are but they probably need to do a little more research as to where it stands right now and what they’re doing about it, but it’s hard to get information.

Christine – The Health Problems of the people of Fort Chipewyan is proof of toxic waters and air.  Before Sand Oil, cancer barely existed, now of course it’s rampant. Why do you think they stay?

Leslie – It’s been their livelihood.  Imagine, for generation after generation you were from this area and you didn’t want to leave and all of a sudden some industry comes into your neck of the woods and starts booting you out.  You have a place there, a history there it’s your people.  This is an Aboriginal society that lived off the land that time began and this is the oldest settlement, the oldest aboriginal community in Alberta.  So people have said why don’t they just move, well, why don’t you just move?  It’s just not that easy to ask people to leave when industry comes in and starts ruining everything.

Christine – Were the people afraid to talk fearing government repercussions?

Leslie – No they actually wanted to talk. They needed to be heard. Their story needs to be told.

Christine – The Obama Administration seems to be one of the few governments that see the need for Greener polices to reduce our dependency on oil.  Do you see the Alberta Government taking swift action now that your film is being introduced to the masses?

Leslie – I still feel like they are very protective of it, and in all fairness, Obama is supporting the oil sands now. He wasn’t for a while, he was on the fence and they were very concerned while filming this film about which direction is he going to take.  He wasn’t really supportive of it when he was a Senator in Chicago primarily because he was dealing with all the oil refineries taking in all these oil sands in the mid-west.  The dumping and polluting that they were attempting to do, he was fighting that, so he knew that this was a ‘dirty oil’ and that things needed to shift and he knew that it was a huge contributor to green house gases.  Now he’s saying we need this oil but we all have to get together to figure out the emissions issue and we have to curb these emissions and we have to put all our energy towards carbon capture storage and other technologies that will inhibit, if not limit significantly, the emissions that are getting out there now. So that’s his stance, how soon and how effective that will be is yet to be told, yet to be seen.

Christine – Well given the fact that’s he’s been in office only nine months, hopefully, as time goes on and more research is done and more facts come in, hopefully they will change their mind a little bit more. As you said if they came into my town I would be pissed off too. Until it happens to you does anybody do anything? In the film I was blown away when you show a Pearl Jam concert and Eddie Vedder addresses the crowd about the fact that BP was dumping toxins in Lake Michigan and that starts a huge chant. What part of the film that was most compelling for you?

Leslie – Probably towards the end of that section when you get to see both sides of the border.  You just experienced the Canadian side and now you’ve experience the US side. When Henry Henderson says with both sides you’re dealing with greed.  You’re dealing with big people picking on small people who don’t have the capacity to take care of themselves.  To me that’s a very emotional reality and he started actually started to tear up when he said that, because he could feel it.  Also I think at the end with Lester Brown talking about World War Two.  He starts to tear up talking about what we could be doing if we just got around this whole thought process like they did in WW2…mobilizing society to say let’s surpass our goals of creating planes and ships and cargos.  We should put that same mentality towards green energy and saving our planet.  If we could do it then, we can do it now. 

Christine – Neve Campbell narrates the film, can you tell why she decided to work on the film?

Leslie – She’s been an activist in oil sands.  And I just thought we need to get her.  It was kind of common sense, a no-brainer.  We did Downstream.  I wanted to see if Neve would put a quote on her website about the movie which she kindly did.  Then when we finished the feature I hadn’t thought about the narrator.  I thought I could use limited text to get the point across.  After a number of test screenings people were saying it just feels like it needs a narrator.

Christine – How long did it take for you to film?

Leslie – About a year and a half to make the whole thing.  We started early 2008.  Then we got the short done in late October 2008.  So we started and finished the short in 2008, got short-listed for the Oscar, and then when that whole thing was done,  I jumped on to the feature.  So really by January of this year the feature started up. That took additional shooting in the Great Lakes and Indiana. I think we went up several times this year to Canada and Indiana.

Christine – Where are you off to next to promote Dirty Oil?

Leslie – We just finished the film, last week.  We got this in just in the nick of time to show it and I had to go back on the HD Master and do a few tweaks, stuff for our DVD’s. So I’m doing publicity and stuff for Bablegum right now.  I’m gearing up for a Canadian theatrical distribution as well as the UK. So I think I’ll be gearing towards a multi city tour in both of these countries in January.

Christine- The film was amazing Leslie, thank you so much for talking with Spot on Long Island.

Leslie Iwerks (writer/director) is an Oscar® and Emmy Award Nominated director and producer, and comes from a two time Oscar® winning family. Her short documentary, “Recycled Life,” was nominated for an Academy Award® in 2006 and has won nine top film festival awards. Leslie directed, photographed and edited the documentary, and along with her producing partner, Mike Glad, chronicled the thousands of people who have been living and working in the largest and most toxic landfill in Central America over the last sixty years – the Guatemala City garbage dump. Narrated by Edward James Olmos, the film had its television premiere on HBO’s Cinemax Channel in August, 2007. Her accompanying short film called “A Safe Passage-A Tribute to Hanley Denning” aired on HBO-On-Demand and has helped garner over $3 million worth of individual financial contributions to the children and families living in the Guatemala City Garbage Dump. (www.recycledlifedoc.com)

To read more about Leslie Iwerks please visit her website www.LeslieIwerks.com

THE 17TH ANNUAL

HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

THURSDAY OCTOBER 8TH - MONDAY OCTOBER 12TH 2009

The HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL is proud to announce the films, programs and special events that will make up the 2009 season. Now in its 17th year, this East Coast favorite comes to life against the fall back-drop as talent, industry and audiences participate in what has now become a premiere International Film Festivals.

The Hamptons International Film Festival was founded to celebrate independent film and to introduce a unique and varied spectrum of international films and filmmakers to our audiences.

This year’s Festival features 107 films including – 15 World Premieres, 10 North American Premieres, 18 US Premieres, 14 East Coast Premieres and 10 New York Premieres.

SpotonLI.com will be previewing the following films…

The Greatest, the directorial debut by Shana Feste starring Susan Sarandon and Pierce Brosnan, who is the producer and star of the film and will be in attendance. It’s the story of a family that’s disintegrating as they deal with the death of their child and their surviving son’s drug use. The Greatest explores the ways in which love can persist and life can re-assert itself in the face of seemingly all-consuming tragedy.

DIRTY OIL, (Canada, US, England, World Premiere) Dir. Leslie Iwerks with Neve Campbell (narration), Lester Brown,Kevin Timoney, Andrew Nikiforuk. The oil sands in the Canadian Providence of Alberta are a source of a vast supply of petroleum, but the effects of extracting it are highly controversial. This probing documentary explores the environmental,health and moral ramifications of this booming business, offering hard statistics, sobering forecasts and frightening cautionary tales.

Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags (US Premiere) Director Marc Levin with Bruce Raynor, Charles Kernaghan, Joe Raico, Stan Herman, Irving Rousso – Produced by HBO Films, filmmaker Mark Levin chronicles the century-long story of the American garment industry, from its Lower East Side sweatshop beginnings to its booming post-WWII rise as an emblematic American/New York City institution and its devastating fall at the hands of a post-Reagan global economy.

Out Here in the Fields: The Field on Beach Lane (World) Dir. Alec Hirschfeld

A Conversation With…Past guests have included the late Robert Altman, Gena Rowlands, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and more. This year the Hamptons International Film Festival is thrilled to announce four conversations. “A Conversation with…” Sharon Stone (Casino, Basic Instinct), Alan Alda (The Aviator, M*A*S*H), Steve Buscemi (Saint John of Las Vegas, The Messenger)and Martin Bregman (Carlito’s Way, Dog Day Afternoon) interviewed by Alec Baldwin.

PAPER MAN (USA, East Coast Premiere) Dirs. Michele Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney with Jeff Daniels, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, Kieran Culkin, Hunter Parrish, Lisa Kudrow. Richard Dunn is a failed writer, husband and adult who adjourns to a cottage in the Hamptons to complete his latest novel. Unfortunately, he’s followed everywhere by Captain Excellent, an imaginary friend he has been unable to shake since childhood. Richard finds comfort in an unlikely friendship with a neighborhood teen. A darkly comic “coming-of-middle-age” story set against the picturesque backdrop of Montauk in winter.

Among those expected to attend…

Alan Alda   Alba Rohrwacher   Alec Baldwin   Cyron Melville

Emmy Rossum   Pierce Brosnon   Rooney Mara  Sharon Stone

Ethan Hawke   Cheryl Hines   Steve Buscemi  Zach Gilford

Bryce Dallas Howard  IM Pei    Neve Campbell Trine Dyrholm

Josh Lucas    Liya Kebede      Luke Wilson    Rachel Dratch

Bob Balaban     Marty Bregman   Mira Nair     Paprika Steen

For a full list of films or to purchase tickets please visit www.HamptonsFilmFest.org

Festival Venues:

c/o The Maidstone – Festival Headquarters – East Hampton – 207 Main Street

Guild Hall – 158 Main Street, East Hampton

United Artists Cinemas – 30 Main Street, East Hampton

Bay Street Theatre – Corner of Bay & Main (on the Long Wharf, opposite the Windmill), Sag Harbor

Gurneys Inn – 290 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk

Festival Headquarters& Press Office – c/o The Maidstone – 207 Main Street, East Hampton

First Presbyterian Church Session House, 120 East Main Street, East Hampton

Montauk Movie – 3 Edgemere Road, Montauk

Southampton Regal Cinema – 43 Hill Street, Southampton

Photographed: the late Heath Ledger in his last film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

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