Reel Rewind: “Avatar: Special Edition 3D”

Somehow I never got around to seeing “Avatar” during its original run after it was released in the United States on Friday 18 December 2009. It was a combination of timing – show times and my time – as well as my ambiguity in seeing a film in which an indigenous people are once again trampled upon by soldiers in the name of money. I suppose it is fitting that I’m seeing this movie on the day the United States has “officially” ended its combat mission in Iraq. Expounding on the ill-conceived entry into that country is a topic for another post One thing is for sure, the real final ending of the War In Iraq will not be as tidy and triumphant as I suspect “Avatar’s" ending to be. Actually it is the new 3D technology that has intrigue my curiosity and is my prime motivation for finally seeing this film and hey, I get to see an additional eight minutes (though I don’t know which minutes those are) that weren’t in the original release and for the same price. What a deal!

“Avatar” is the end chapter of Earth’s intrusion on Pandora and its indigenous people, the Na’vi, and tells the story of the final three plus months through the eyes of paraplegic former Marine corporal Jake Sully and his human/Na’vi hybrid avatar. My one complaint about “Avatar” is that it is the end of the Pandora story, not the beginning. When was Pandora discovered? Who made First Contact? How long has there been a human presence on the planet? I suppose the answers to these questions will have to wait for the prequels – if that is the plan.

The three components of humanity represented on Pandora are Business (Parker Selfridge), Military (Colonel Miles Quaritch), Scientific (Dr. Grace Augustine) with protagonist Jake Sully straddling the military and the scientific. Business is the prime mover for Earth’s interest in Pandora – the mineral unobtanium is worth millions and Parker Selfridge (perhaps named for the company that owns Monopoly and for the UK department store, though in the singular form?) focuses only on that. Parker cares nothing for the Na’vi or Pandora and has avoided learning anything except as it relates to getting the mineral. He does not see.

In charge of protecting the business interest, Quaritch’s only assessment of the Na’vi is how hard they are to kill and their weaponry. As is usual in military situations, the Colonel degrades the opposition and needs for them to be lesser than the humans. After all, if there is respect or admiration for the enemy perhaps there would be second thoughts about annihilating the Na’vi which others came to have. However, Quaritch never sees.

As the lead scientist, Grace Augustine is in charge of the Avatar program which links the mind of a human with its human/Na’vi hybrid body (did the Na’vi give informed consent for use of their genetic material?), allowing direct interaction with Pandora and the Na’vi. Between her study of the native fauna and flora, along with teaching the Na’vi English and learning the Na’vi language, Grace has come to understand that the real value of Pandora is the neural network linking all the living entities. Grace sees.

Former Marine Jake Sully becomes part of the Scientific component when he replaces his dead twin in the Avatar program. However, he is still loyal to the Military side of his life and agrees to tell Quaritch anything he learns that could help in an attack on the Na’vi. In exchange for his information, Quaritch promises the paraplegic Jake that he will arrange for Jake to have the spinal surgery which will allow him to walk again. But in his avatar, Jake has complete mobility and when he is taught the ways of the Na’vi by Neytin, Jake eventually changes his view of Pandora and becomes one of the Na’vi. Jake completely sees.

Of course, in the end the humans are defeated because some of the humans side with the Na’vi, who surely would have lost without their human allies. Humans as destroyers of indigenous people, humans as saviors of indigenous people. Same story, different planet, expected outcome. The film does not make clear, besides the rifles, if any other technology was left behind, e.g. the base and/or shuttlecrafts. Could be an important element for any sequels – humanity still a part of Pandora in addition to the humans who opted to stay there.

As stated above, I was primarily curious about experiencing “Avatar’s” 3D technology. Well, the 3D wasn’t always consistent – I don’t know if it was the movie theatre (it wasn’t an IMAX one), my position in the theatre (perhaps being further back would have helped), or the 3D glasses (they weren’t wrap arounds). It was good when I actually perceived the 3D, but I don’t think it added much to the viewing of the film. A side effect of watching the 3D film was the distortion in my vision afterwards. I think this may have to do with the fact I wear contacts and the combination of the 3D glasses changed the focus of my eyes temporarily. Walking around immediately after seeing the film was unsettling. Though I like the idea of 3D, it may not be the best viewing option for me. Will have to try the IMAX version of a 3D film next time to see if the same side effect occurs.

Film Facts: Director/Writer/Editor/Producer: James Cameron, Cinematographer: Mauro Fiore, Editors: John Refoua, Stephen E. Rivkin, Musician: James Horner, Producers: Brooke Breton, Laeta Kalogridis, Jon Landau, Josh McLaglen, Janace Tashjian, Peter M. Tobyansen, Colin Wilson, Production Companies: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Dune Entertainment, Giant Studios, Ingenious Film Partners, Lightstorm Entertainment

Film Type: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Cast: Sam Worthington (Jake Sully), Zoe Saldana (Neytin), Sigourney Weaver (Dr. Grace Augustine), Stephen Lang (Colonel Miles Quaritch), Joel Moore (Norm Spellman), Giovanni Ribisi (Parker Selfridge), Michelle Rodriguez (Trudy Chacon), Laz Alonso (Tsu’tey), Wes Studi (Eytukan) CCH Pounder (Moat), Dileep Rao (Dr. Max Patel), Matt Gerald (Corporal Lyle Wainfleet), Sean Anthony Moran (Private Fike), Jason Whyte (Cryo Vault Med Tech), Scott Lawrence (Venture Star Crew Chief), Length: 171’, Language: English, Countries: United States, United Kingdom, Year: 2009 (Special Edition 2010)
Film Trailer
United States release date Friday 27 August 2010 (Special Edition)


Images:
Left: Zoe Saldana as Neytin and Sam Worthington as Jake Sully from the website scifimoviepage.com
Center: Graphic interpretation of “Avatar: Special Edition 3D” created by Adrean Darce Brent

Right: “Avatar: Special Edition 3D” poster from the website filmtotaal.nl

Reel Rewind: “Going The Distance”

A number of elements came together during the day that allowed me to see this preview of “Going The Distance” – I did my necessary errands in the morning instead of the afternoon; the Red Sox game was postponed due to rain; and despite being out of shape, I managed to run and catch the bus that brought me to the screening venue. My seeing this romantic comedy was just meant to be.

The free screening was part of Film Independent’s weekly Film Series, a benefit of membership in the organization of which I rarely take advantage. Arriving an hour before the 7:30 p.m. scheduled start time at the Landmark Theatre in the Westside Pavilion, I went to the Film Independent table, showed my membership card, and was given a Wait Pass with director Federico Fellini’s name on it. They would begin calling directors names at 7:00 p.m. and the people holding a Wait Pass with the name called could proceed to the theatre. In the meantime I hung out at the Wine Bar and read until Fellini’s name was called - about a dozen director names into the process.

Amazingly I was able to sit in my usual movie theatre area – it’s great having an unpopular seating preference! A representative from FIND introduced the film and said that there would be a Q & A with the director of “Going The Distance”, Nanette Burstein, after the screening. Let’s get this out of the way up front – I like this movie – I don’t love it, but it is an improvement over other recent romantic comedies, e.g. “27 Dresses”. Real-life couple (as of this film), Drew Barrymore and Justin Long play young adults who, in one night, meet over Centipede, connect with a trivia game and movies, make out to “Take My Breath Away" (courtesy of the in-apartment DJ) and during the subsequent six weeks of summer in New York City (obligatory montage of togetherness activities) fall in love. The established saying is that “the course of true love does not run smooth”, but in their case the course of true love does not fly smooth – between New York and San Francisco. While she finishes up graduate study in journalism at Stanford, he tries to make the best of his music career of band promotion in New York. And using all the technology available in the early Twenty-first century, they maintain the relationship over thousands of miles and several time zones interspersed with actual visits to one another during seven months, though not always happily.

Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis play Justin’s best friends and they provide the primary comedy relief in the film. Though they are amusing at times, it unclear to me why or how these two guys are friends with Justin’s character – the air of “loser” surrounds them and fortunately doesn’t permeate Justin. Having one of them be his roommate does provide a situational comedy element. On Drew’s side are Christina Applegate and Jim Gaffigan who play her sister and brother-in-law with whom she lives. Christina provides the tough, uptight, practical side to the couple’s long distance relationship. Ah yes, the support of one’s family can be tenuous. So, will their love be able to thrive three thousand miles apart? They do want to be together and I like that the characters Drew and Justin play are adults who know what they want to do in life, but are struggling to find the right fit. The tagline for this film is “The comedy about meeting each other halfway” which I don’t think is accurate for the story. My tagline would be “Far away or nearby, love is the place”.

In the Q & A with Nanette Burstein, she reveals that earlier script versions had a younger couple, one of them cheats, and they split. Guess the tagline for that film would be “The comedy about meeting each other and turning away”. Nanette’s film area is documentaries (“On The Ropes", "American Teen") and this is her first foray into fiction. The films she used as inspiration for her approach to the task were “Annie Hall” (one of my favorite Woody Allen films – we may still need the eggs, but in August 2010 they could make you sick – choose carefully), “Knocked Up” (haven’t seen it), and “There’s Something About Mary” (somewhat silly). It was a forty-five day shoot and, given Nanette’s documentary background, done mainly on location. I did learn something about directing – according to the rules, it is the AD who directly tells the extras what to do in the scenes, not the Director. Everyone has a role to play.

On a personal note, I’ve never done a long distance relationship – having one in the same city is trying enough. Recently two friends of a friend became an intercontinental couple – he in San Francisco and she in Rome – I wish them lots of luck and many bon voyages!



Film Facts: Director: Nanette Burstein, Writer: Geoff LaTulippe, Cinematographer: Eric Steelberg, Editor: Peter Teschner, Musician: Mychael Danna, Producers: Jennifer Gibgot, Garrett Grant, Adam Shankman, Production Companies: New Line Cinema, Offspring Entertainment

Film Type: Comedy, Romance, Cast: Drew Barrymore (Erin), Justin Long (Garrett), Charlie Day (Dan), Jason Sudeikis (Box), Christina Applegate (Corinne), Ron Livingston (Will), Oliver-Jackson Cohen (Damon), Jim Gaffigan (Phil), Natalie Morales (Brandy), Kelli Garner (Brianna), June Diane Raphael (Karen), Rob Riggle (Ron), Sarah Burns (Harper), Terry Beaver (Professor), Matt Servitto (Hugh), Length: 95’, Language: English, Country: United States, Year: 2010
Film Trailer
United States release date Friday 3 September 2010

Images:
Left: Drew Barrymore as Erin and Justin Long as Garrett from the website filmindependent.org
Center: Graphic interpretation of “Going The Distance” created by Adrean Darce Brent

Right: Poster of “Going The Distance” from the website cinemablend.com

Looking In "A Window Between Worlds"

Today’s travel took me to Venice; no, not to the Italian city of gondolier fame (where the first official woman gondolier may soon be paddling), but to the California one of gallery fame. The reason for my journey to Venice was to participate in the monthly Volunteer Day of the organization, A Window Between Worlds. The last time I made it to a Volunteer Day was in October of 2009 and a day of volunteering was long overdue. The actual trip was uneventful (at least I hadn’t forgotten how to get to the place) and I was the first volunteer to arrive.

As usual, the table in the volunteer room was setup with the projects for the day and the two activities were to cut out positive images and words from magazines, as well as to stuff envelopes for a fund raising event. Art produced in a client workshop covers one wall, while on the opposite side is a wall full of art supplies waiting to be chosen by the shelters. Sitting in my preferred position at the table, I jotted down some notes while waiting for others to arrive. While she was doing last minute things, I met the new Volunteer Coordinator, Lonnie, who came into the position in March of this year. Turns out that she had gone to school in Massachusetts, specifically Brandeis and that her mother had gone to Clark. Clarkies everywhere. There were a number of Back East connections among the primarily women volunteers seated around the table – typical of any large gathering of people in California.

I was part of the assembly line of stuffing envelopes for the annual wine tasting fund raising event which is being held at Zazou: Cuisine of the Sun in Redondo Beach on Sunday 3 October 2010. There were eight of us working on that project, while a similar number were working on the magazines. It went quickly and was made enjoyable by conversation. After people explained how they came to know about A Window Between Worlds; the main topics were Seattle and Octavia Butler – a city I’ve never visited and an author I’ve never read. Obviously my input was minimal. The instigator of these topics was Diahnna, who actually lives in Seattle but was back in California visiting her mother Trini, who is A Window Between Worlds staff member. Seattle has free public transportation in the downtown area during business hours and a new eleven story public library. And Octavia, who eventually moved to Seattle from Pasadena, had actually been known by another volunteer, Fran (originally from New York), when she initiated a call to Octavia when she was still living in Pasadena. Connections everywhere.

Lunchtime arrived and pizza was the fare – barbeque chicken was delicious. Ate while sitting outside among some sorority sisters, who I believe were from Cal State, and who had been working on another volunteer project. Returned inside to the other volunteers and spent the rest of the time cutting up magazines – actually found a pair of adult scissors! Conversation centered around films and stories of travel. One of the volunteers, Andrew, asked about good places to eat, as he and his girlfriend Taylor are new to California. And of course they are from Back East – the D.C. area. Some places in the Venice area were recommended, as well as The Pantry in downtown Los Angeles. One by one, individuals began leaving and the Volunteer Day came to a close. Did the usual cleanup and said good-bye to people. The next Volunteer Day is Saturday 11 September 2010.


Mission Statement – “A Window Between Worlds is a nonprofit organization dedicated to using art to help end domestic violence. Through creative expression, battered women and children recover a sense of renewal and power. Their images of hope, survival and strength educate the public and become “a window between worlds’ for survivors taking steps to change their lives.” - Brochure


A Window Between Worlds
710 4th Avenue
Suite 5
Venice, California 90291

Phone: 310-396-0317
Fax: 310-396-9698

Website: http://www.awbw.org
E-mail: info@awbw.org


Images:
Left: Front cover of AWBW brochure
Center: AWBW website header from the website awbw.org

Right: Front cover of AWBW wine tasting invitation

Page Reprint: The Duel by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (Дуэль на Антон Павлович Чехов)

It is through his plays that I best know Anton Chekov. The Duel is the first prose work of this Russian writer that I’ve read and the impetus for the reading was the adaption of the novella into a film, which I recently viewed. Although The Duel (1891) was written four years before Chekhov’s first play, The Seagull (Чайка), a four-act play structure, preferred by Chekhov, can be seen in this prose piece with the addition of a Prologue and Epilogue. Chekhov wrote the piece in twenty-one sections and the following is my break down of the prose work into a play format. This is one approach to the reading of The Duel. The titles given to the sections/scenes are mine.

Prologue – Section I – Summer Morning in the Caucasus
Here on an early Summer morning in a small town located in the Caucasus, the reader is introduced to two men swimming in the sea and later having coffee In the pavilion. First is the main character of the story, Ivan Andreich Laevsky (hereafter, Laevsky), a young government official whose unhappiness with his life away from Moscow and Petersburg has come to a crisis point and he longs to escape “To the pines, to the mushrooms, to people, to ideas…” (page 122). And the second man is Alexander Davidych Samoilenko (hereafter, Samoilenko), older and an army doctor who is the focal character of the narrative, the person others seek out and who willingly gives them his advice.

Act I – Summer Afternoon
During the afternoon of the morning in the Prologue, lunchtime is presented in two households. The first is the one that Laevsky shares with Nadezhda Fyodorovna (hereafter, Nadezhda), the married woman Laevsky ran away with from Petersburg to the Caucasus and the second is Samoilenko’s, who provides lunch for the zoologist Nikolai Vassilievich von Koren (hereafter, von Koren), who is hostile to Laevsky “’…everything comes down to drink, cards, slippers, and women. Women play a fatal, overwhelming role in his life.’” (page 137) and for the deacon Pobedov (hereafter, the deacon).
Scene 1 – Section II – Lunch with Laevsky and Nadezhda
Scene 2 – Section III – Samoilenko’s Table d’Hôte
Scene 3 – Section IV – Von Koren Discusses Laevsky with Samoilenko

Act II – Sunday and Monday
The reader meets more inhabitants of the small Caucasus town during an evening picnic in the countryside. Three of them are Marya Konstantinovna Bitiugov (hereafter, Marya), who provides the moral compass for Nadezhda; the police chief Ilya Mikhailych Kirilin (hereafter, Kirilin), Nadezhda’s discarded lover; and young Atchmianov, Nadezhda’s would-be lover. And Laevsky’s opinion of von Koren is voiced “’Despotism is a strong in science as in war. And he’s living for the second summer in this stinking little town, because it’s better to be first in a village than second in a city. Here he’s a king and an eagle; he’s got all the inhabitants under his thumb and oppresses them with his authority. He’s taken everybody in hand, he interferes in other people’s affairs, he wants to be in on everything, and everybody’s afraid of him. I’m slipping out from under his paw, he senses it, and he hates me’” (page 169).
Scene 1 – Section V – Nadezhda and Marya at the Shore
Scene 2 – Section VI – Picnic at the Black and Yellow Rivers
Scene 3 – Section VII – Nadezhda Talks with Kirilin and Atchmianov
Scene 4 – Section VIII – Von Koren Dismisses Nadezhda to Samoilenko
Scene 5 – Section IX – Laevsky Discusses von Koren with Samoilenko

Act III – Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Revelations come forth over the course of three days. Marya was the only woman of the town to receive Nadezhda “You horrified me from the very first day, but I was unable to treat you with scorn, like everyone else. I suffered for dear, kind Ivan Andreich as for a son.” (page 173); some of the money for Laevsky’s “escape” would come from von Koren; and Kirilin is actually repulsive not respectable.
Scene 1 – Section X – Nadezhda and Marya Speak of Domestic Issues
Scene 2 – Section XI – Roubles for Laevsky
Scene 3 – Section XII – Kostya’s Birthday Celebration
Scene 4 – Section XIII – Laevsky’s Nervous Breakdown
Scene 5 – Section XIV – Nadezhda Meets Kirilin and Misses Atchmianov

Act IV – Friday and Saturday
Resolutions are made between persons: the affair between Nadezhda and Kirilin; the love of Laevsky and Nadezhda; the philosophies of von Koren and the deacon; and the hate between Laevasky and von Koren “…coming back from a cemetery where they had just buried a difficult, unbearable man who had interfered with all their lives.” (page 231).
Scene 1 – Section XV – The Challenge and the Betrayal
Scene 2 – Section XVI – Philosophy of the Strong Versus the Weak
Scene 3 – Section XVII – Duel Day Dawns
Scene 4 – Section XVIII – The Deacon’s Journey
Scene 5 – Section XIX – Duelists Arrive, Duelists Fire
Scene 6 – Section XX – Duel Dénouement

Epilogue – Section XXI – Autumn Night in the Caucasus
It is three months after the events and von Koren is taking his leave of the town. So on the night of a storm-filled day and before he is rowed out to the waiting steamer, von Koren says good-bye to some of the people of the town. As he has always been von Koren’s friend, Samoilenko sees him off at the shore with a fond farewell into the dark “’Don’t forget me, Kolya…Write…We’ll expect you next spring.’” (page 236).


Note: The adage has always been “to not judge a book by its cover”. However, I propose that a book cover can be judged by its art. The cover of the short novel collection in which I read The Duel can be seen above right. I don’t like the dots that go across most of the cover (they don’t add anything positive to the overall image) and the red rectangle should be higher on the cover so that there is space between it and the heads of the people in the photograph. Actually, my suggestion for a revision of the elements on this cover would be to eliminate the dots; to keep the photograph; to put Chekhov’s name across the top (above the heads!) in red lettering (no rectangle); to move the title down a little to below the man’s hand; and to keep the white lettering as is for the title, et.al.


Book Facts: Title: The Complete Short Novels, Author: Anton Chekhov, Translators: Richard Pevear, Larissa Volokhonsky, Table of Contents: Introduction, Select Bibliography, Chronology, The Steppe, The Duel, The Story of an Unknown Man, Three Years, My Life, Notes, Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, Book Division: Borzoi, Book Series: Everyman’s Library, Book Format: Hardcover with dust jacket, Year: 2004, Pages: 600, Language: English, ISBN: 1-4000-40249-3


Images:
Left: Anton Pavlovich Chekhov from the website upload.wikimedia.org
Center: Graphic interpretation of The Duel by Adrean Darce Brent
Right: Front cover of The Complete Short Novels

Book And Media Swap

Today I went to my first swap meet of any kind. This “media event” was held in the community room at the Yahoo! Center in Santa Monica. Hadn’t been there before, but there was no adventure in my travelling to that part of the city. The Yahoo! Center also has a small public park next to the community room – a little unexpected green area in a commercial district.

When I arrived, the Event Coordinator Stephanie and another swapper, Elissa, were waiting outside the Community Room for someone to come with the key to unlock the door. In the meantime, Elissa explained that since she travels a lot, she has developed such a good relationship with her postal carrier that she has his cell number in case she forgets to give sufficient official notice online for a change of address. Gee, I have no idea who my postal deliverer is, but even if I did know, it probably wouldn’t stop the junk mail from entering my mailbox :)

The Community room was finally unlocked and the three of us unfolded several long tables and set them up along two walls in the space. Then Stephanie said we should lay out the items we brought this afternoon. For my first swap, I only brought ten items and they were: five books – Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach, A Man For All Seasons by Robert Bolt, The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie, The Red Badge Of Courage And Selected Stories by Stephan Crane, and Wild Animus by Rich Shapero; four DVDs – “Madea Goes To Jail”, “Star Trek Insurrection”, “Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me”, and “Weeds: Season Four”; and one magazine – Black + White Photography Issue 106 Christmas 2009.

About a dozen people had signed up to participate in the swap, but only three more people showed up – Rimas, Reena, and Chanda. The procedure for the swap was for everyone to look over the items the other people had brought, write your name on posit notes and place them on items you wanted. If an item you were interested in already had someone’s name on it, you could add your name and depending on how many items of that particular medium the people on the list had at the end of the swap, would determine who would get it. As there were so few of us, the whole process went very quickly.

I ended up with seven items, plus some jewel cases that Rimas brought that were up for grabs. My new acquisitions were three CDs – Billboard Top Rock’n’Roll Hits 1970, Billboard Top Rock’n’Roll Hits 1972, and Dear 23 by The Posies; two books – Kiln People by David Brin and Cathedral Of Vampires by Mary Ann Mitchell; and two DVDs – “Forces of Nature” and “We Don’t Live Here Anymore”. Stephanie said that any of the remaining items that we brought could be taken back by us or she would donate them to the public library. The only items of mine that were chosen were three DVDs – Chanda took “Madea Goes to Jail” and “Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me” and Reena took “Weeds: Season Four”. So I let Stephanie donate my left over items, except for Jonathan Livingston Seagull and “Star Trek Insurrection” which came back with me.

A good first swapping experience – calm and enjoyable. I would definitely do this again. It turned out that Elissa lives in the same general area of the world that I do, so we took the bus to our destination, but I got off first as Elissa lives a few stops after mine. Picked up some food and arrived home in time to watch Sunday Night Baseball. Unfortunately a fact for another blog is that the Boston Red Sox lost to the New York Yankees, 7 to 2. Now that’s a score I would have loved to swap!


Images:
Left: Front cover of my personal copy of “Forces of Nature”
Center: Front cover of my personal copy of Kiln People

Right: Front cover of my personal copy of Billboard Top Rock’n’Roll Hits 1972

Santa Monica Place Grand Opening Celebration

It has been several years in the making, but today is the new Santa Monica Place opening. Heading over to the renovated shopping structure shortly before 9:00 a.m. and discovering that the line to enter starts from Broadway along the Third Street Promenade and wraps around Santa Monica Boulevard towards Fourth Street. Deciding to forgo the possibility of getting a ten dollar gift card, I went to the mall and picked up a schedule of weekend events being distributed by workers just outside the entrance. Blaring music through loudspeakers was the ambience surrounding the opening. Wandering around to the side entrance on Fourth, and found out that only Santa Monica Place employees were being allowed entry there. Did receive a piece of milk chocolate for my trouble though. Yum!

Walking back along Fourth and turning into Santa Monica, I saw that the line was now moving and as the end was on Third Street, I joined it. While moving slowing towards the entrance, was handed twenty percent discount coupons for Skechers and H&M, along with a three by four inch H&M black faux leather covered, lined notebook. The notebook will come in handy (always need something on which to write), though I’m not sure I’ll use the discount coupons. Closer to the entrance, I receive a directory of the mall. Finally, I cross Broadway and experience this new, open (no central roof) mall for the first time. Of course it is insanely crowded and I take a jostling walk around the first floor (there are three of them). Appears to be mainly clothing stores, Bloomingdale’s is open, but Nordstrom opens later in the month and a number of the store names are unknown to me (that’s right, I am not a shopaholic!).

At the first floor concierge desk, “Grand Opening Rewards” coupon booklets are being handed out, and of course I get one of them. Trying to ascend to the second floor before the end of the official opening ceremony was impossible, unless you worked at Santa Monica Place – the escalators had security guards preventing the public from using them. Annoying!!! Finally the ceremony begins and there are speeches by representatives from Macerich, the company responsible for the renovation. There are the usual stories of the making of the mall, thank yous to the business and other Santa Monica leaders, and of course acknowledgements to the public. The entertainment portion of the ceremony is a performance by the group, The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers. Because of the crowd and my lack of height, I’m only able to see a few of the moves, but they do look good. Beach balls are tossed from the second floor and that action marks the end of the opening ceremony. Onwards and upwards!

Onto the second floor and the main attraction is the Disney Store. Emm, will steer clear of the “happiest place on earth” annex area and see another part of the floor. Discovery of some of the mannequins which are part of The Mannequin Collective art exhibit located throughout the mall until Sunday 22 August 2010. Quite a range of variety in just the few I see. Having enough of the mass of people, I skip the rest of the second floor and all of the third floor – exploring will have to wait until another day. Welcome back Santa Monica Place!


Images:
Left: Santa Monica Place interior from the website facebook.com
Center: Santa Monica Place logo from the website facebook.com

Right: “Mannequins On Exhibit” is An Adrean Darce Brent Image

Happy Birthday Richie!!!

Today is my brother Richie’s birthday and I’m wishing him a winner of a day. Thanks to my membership in Red Sox Nation and its benefit of two free tickets, Richie is attending tonight’s baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians in Fenway Park. Hope it will be a great end to a wonderful day for him. Have a marvelous birthday Richie!


Images:
Left: Fenway Park logo is from the website upload.wikimedia.org
Center: “Happy Birthday Richie!!!” graphic created by Adrean Darce Brent

Right: Boston Red Sox tickets for Wednesday 4 August 2010