Charlton Heston died Saturday night in his home at the age of 84. Heston appeared in many epic and well known films including Ben Hur, Planet of the Apes, The Agony and the Ecstasy and his first big starring role, The Ten Commandments.

My favorite Heston movie was Orson Welles‘ Touch of Evil in which Heston actually played a Mexican. The infamous opening scene is below (it’s all ONE shot..!)

But of course Heston was more than one of the biggest actors to ever grace Hollywood, he spent the greater part a good deal of his later years not acting, but making a political presence.

Read the rest of this entry »

Robert Capa & Gerda Taro join Susan Sarandon & Tim Robbins, Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee, and Lucie & Raymond
Aubrac, in receiving one of my Valiant Valentines Awards for couples who love each other and the world, and work with each other to change the world. Robert Capa, one of the most famous, if not the most famous, war photographers of the last century, is best known for his photo Falling Soldier, which captures a shot soldier falling to his death during the Spanish Civil War. Gerda Taro, the less known photojournalist, is best known for being Capa’s artistic and romantic partner, not for her exceptional bravery and photography. The two brilliant photographers shared much in common: born Andre Friedmann, Capa, who was Jewish, fled the antisemitism of Hungary and went to Paris; born Gerda Pohorylle, the Jewish Taro escaped Germany’s antisemitism and moved to Paris, where she would meet Capa. They began collaborating artistically and Robert Capa was the name they created to sign their shared work. It was their shared love of freedom which brought the two to Spain, where they would document the Civil War– the bombed cities, the deaths and destruction– in the hopes of gathering support and raising awareness of the anti-Fascist cause and of the rising fascism, which they had known so well. Sharing a love for each other as well, they would photograph not just the war, but each other.

Read the rest of this entry »

Orson Welles’ Oscar for writing Citizen Kane is hitting the auction block at Sotheby’s today. Head on over to NPR to learn more about this and get the inside scoop on the market for selling and buying Oscars :http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17122684&ft=1&f=1001

Also, if you haven’t seen Citizen Kane (shame on you!!!) watch the trailer below - they don’t make trailers like they used to and they certainly don’t make them like Orson Welles anymore.