Elvis, Blue Hawaii and the Coco Palms Resort

The Island of Kauai is getting ready to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the film Blue Hawaii. Don’t worry that it is actually 52 years since the film was shot (1960) and 51 years since it was released - this is Hawaii.

Nonetheless, on Saturday in Kapaa on the island of Kauai, there will be a celebration featuring ‘Elvis’, a showing of the film and a tribute to Grace Guslander.

Grace Guslander was the long-time manager of the Coco Palms Resort (her husband Lyle was the owner) where Elvis and the rest of the movie crew stayed and where the wedding scene was filmed. At the time it was a luxurious resort fronting on the Pacific with a lagoon and a 16-acre, 2000-tree Coconut grove.

Lyle died in 1984, the property was sold and Grace retired. Then in 1992 the resort was all but destroyed in a hurricane. Legal wrangling between the owners and the insurance company left the property vacant and further deteriorating.

Blue Hawaii is celebrated on the Garden Island not just because of Elvis but because it was the first time that Kauai was portrayed in its own right rather than as a stand-in for another location. South Pacific was shot there in the mid-fifties but Kauai was supposed to be, among other things, Bali Hai.

I am always saddened when I see the remains as I pass by on the Kuhio Highway on my way to the north shore, where I always stay around Hanalei. But once again there is hope that the resort will be rebuilt and maybe this time it will happen. Since the hurricane there have been numerous attempts to redevelop the property, all have failed and left Kauaiians, like Cubs fans disappointed but holding out hope for next year. However it is widely believed that this redevelopment will actually happen. Relax Hotels is said to be working with a group of investors to reopen the resort.

Hawaii and Kauai in particular have seen a boom in film and television production. Much of the George Clooney film The Descendants was shot in and around Hanalei as well as Honolulu. The TV series Lost was filmed in Hawaii. Earlier TV’s Fantasy Island – “The Plane, The Plane” - was shot on Kauai. And of course both iterations of Hawaii 50 were and are being shot in Hawaii, primarily Honolulu. And, of course, who can forget Magnum, P.I.

Could we get some of that kind of work here?

So, fifty years or not, on Saturday, as the celebration in Kapaa is going on, rent a copy of Blue Hawaii, make yourself a Mai Tai, enjoy yourself and think of Grace Guslander and hope for the revival of the Coco Palms Resort.

Mike Love: No Love lost

Mike love has fired three Beach Boys and not just any Beach Boys. Two of the founding members, Brian Wilson and Al Jardine and David Marks who joined the band in 1962 will not continue after the 50th Anniversary Reunion tour, currently under way in Britain, ends.

Mike Love, who owns the rights to band’s name, released a statement saying that the three ‘former’ members would not continue with the Band once the tour is over.
"The post-50th anniversary configuration will not include Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and David Marks. The 50th Reunion Tour was designed to be a set tour with a beginning and an end to mark a special 50-year milestone for the band,” the statement said.

The statement, released to the press, was reportedly how Wilson, Jardine and Marks found out they were not to continue.

Holy Good Vibrations!

The tour was reported in December of last year and had everyone feeling warm and fuzzy after years of legal battles and other spats (Love won the legal battles which is why he owns the rights to the Beach Boys name). There was a feel-good CBS Sunday Morning piece on the regrouping of the band, the tour and the new album they made together.
Wilson, who started the band in 1961 with his brothers Dennis and Carl, Al Jardine and his cousin Mike Love, was responsible for some of the bands biggest hits: “Help Me Rhonda” “California Girls” and “Surfin’ USA” said at the time of the reunion announcement that there was real love among the band members and the tour was a way of sharing that love with their fans.

So much for that.

Jardine is backing internet campaign to get the three members reinstated and "preserve the validity of The Beach Boys as a whole".

Love said the decision was financially motivated.

Hmmmmm.

The tour ends Friday (September 28) at Wembley Stadium in London.

Footnote: The Wilson brothers, Love and Jardine were from Hawthorne California, which is where they formed the band. Hawthorne was special to me because my great aunt and uncle lived there and it is there while visiting them in 1960, I first saw Robert Kennedy. He was campaigning for his brother Jack.

Why Trader Joe’s would be different from Costco would be different from Safeway

I wrote about my desire to see the prohibition in Colorado on food stores selling wine eliminated. This would take an act of the Colorado General Assembly which to date has not seen fit to do so, but I continue to hope. When I wrote earlier about this in relation to the opening of Trader Joe’s, I noted that I did not believe (and statistics back me up) that this would result in the wholesale destruction of independent liquor stores. I also had people question what the actual market would look like.

Well, let’s talk about that. The assumption (false, I believe) is that the wine shelves in a quality liquor store would look like the shelves in Trader Joe’s, Costco and Safeway (or other food retailer choosing to sell wine) in terms of content, selection, variety, etc.

If that is a false assumption, why and how will they be different?

To begin with, a large liquor store will carry a much larger volume of wine with more selection and variety than any of their food store competitors. This is due in part because of the branding done by wine companies. The theory is, because there is such a proliferation of wines and the wines from each country are branded somewhat differently, it is confusing to the US consumer. That consumer wants to find a reliable indicator of value or quality. That is why the French so zealously guard the appellation and the use of trademark Chateau, or designation and attempt to brand it in the consumers mind. The same is true of US winemakers as well as the other countries. They invest in branding so that when the consumer is standing before the wine shelf, a reliable brand will attract their attention and their purchase. U.S. model is built around brands owned by wine companies. Winemakers big and small seek to establish a brand or reputation that will help them sell their wines to consumers who need a trustworthy indicator of value and/or quality. Building reputation is complex and brands are part of the process, but not the whole story, of course. Americans typically look to brands for quality/value information when shopping in general and so it is natural that wine brands are so important here. Because there are lots of market segments for wine and many competing brands within each segment, liquor stores, stock a lot of wine.

This same issue confronts Safeway or King Soopers but to a lesser degree because they are not trying to be all things to all people. Their consumer is looking for reliability but they are also looking for the convenience of combining their food shopping with their wine shopping.

So, Safeway or King Soopers will replicate the variety and selection for the liquor store but on a much smaller scale. You will be able to find a reasonably good selection of wines from the major wine regions of the world: the US, New Zealand and Australia, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, etc. You will be able to purchase a $5 or $6 dollar bottle of wine as well as a $30. When you purchase your New York Strip steak, you will be able to buy a reasonably good Cabernet Sauvignon that fits your budget. What you won’t find is a Chateau Margaux or Lafite Rothschild.
Then, why are Trader Joe’s and Costco different from this model and each other?
The three largest wine markets in the world are the US, Great Britain and Germany, but they are each different and have their own model.

US liquor stores and the Safeways and King Soopers are representative of the US model; Trader Joe’s is a product of its ownership and thus is representative of the German Model and Costco is representative of the British model.

Trader Joe’s is owned by Aldi which is a giant German discount retailer. It is all about price – low price. Germans love their wine but they want it cheap. Aldi does that. They use house brands, including their wine and price them very low. In some cases you can find Aldi wine at two Euros a bottle, though the wine might actually come in what looks like a juice container. Trader Joe’s $2 Buck Chuck fits this model though of course it comes in glass, at least currently. Joe’s does carry other branded wines but it makes its mark with the $2 Buck Chuck and other lower priced wines. Joe’s consumer knows what to expect from Chuck and is comfortable with the price and the expectation of value.

Costco too has a house brand, Kirkland. It also carries other non-house brands from around the world but the selection is much smaller than that of liquor stores or even Safeway. This is similar to what British food giants Tesco and Sainsbury do. The difference from the Trader Joe model is the quality and price point of the house brand. The consumer trusts the house brand for an indication of value and part of that is knowing that the wine is of a higher quality and more expensive. Kirkland Signature does not try to hide the actual wine maker. As I noted earlier, the Kirkland Champagne I purchased in Hawaii was clearly marked Taittinger on the back label.

The other difference with Costco? As with much of what it sells, the inventory changes from time to time depending on what is available. Whether it is the Kirkland wine brand or any of the other wines, what is stocked at any given time depends on what is available in the world market and what kind of deal Costco can make with the producer.

So, let’s let Colorado experience each of these models. And at any given time, I as a consumer will shop at any of them depending on my need at the time. I’m guessing most people will.

Boettcher Bond Redux - Here's an Idea

The Mayor is now proposing to use some of the authorized but unused Better Denver Bonding capacity. Some $57 Million in bonds remain un-issued and used. They were authorized by questions 1G and 1H and the funds were to be used for deferred maintenance or new construction on cultural facilities. Partly because of issues related to the failure to raise private funds for the renovation of Boettcher Concert Hall, the some of the bonds were never issued. The Mayor has formed a committee to solicit proposals for projects, to evaluate those projects and make recommendations to the Mayor.

I don't know which entities may have responded to the committee's RFP (though I did hear that the National Western did respond) but regardless, I have a suggestion for what can and should be done with some of the funds: Do necessary maintenance and put a cover on the pedestrian bridge going from the Convention Center parking garage to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Complex. Some kind of cover or roof, should have been included when the bridge was first built but wasn't.

This cover should be considered preventative maintenance which should qualify. As you can see in the photo, there are real maintenance issues, including the rust you see along the base of bridge rail. Preventative maintenance.

In inclement weather, snow or rain, the bridge is decidedly pedestrian-unfriendly. The bridge and steps can become icy and pose a serious liability to the city in the event someone falls and is injured. Moreover, the bridge being exposed to the elements increases the maintenance cost including snow-removal and deicing each time it storms.

Investing in some kind of cover for the bridge would also encourage greater use of the Convention Center parking garage, as it is extremely convenient to the Arts Complex. This would not only be consumer-friendly but would increase badly needed revenue to the City.

Fences - a powerful family drama that transcends race

As I left the theatre, I could hear the booming of the fireworks display at Coors Field but I knew I had just seen the real fireworks. Denver Center Theatre Company's new production of August Wilson's Fences is fiery, ardent, impassioned, human and an acting tour de force. I don't know what they did at Coors Field but they were swinging for the fences in the Space Theatre.

David Alan Anderson as Troy Maxson is a powerful, volatile, commanding presence but is part of an excellent ensemble. However Kim Staunton stands out as Rose, the very human but equally powerful, stalwart wife of Troy.

The time is 1957. The place is Pittsburgh at the dawn of the civil rights era. Brown vs. Board of Education, the land mark case that would result in desegregated schools, was affirmed by the Supreme Court in 1954. The great desegregation battles were just getting under way. Even in northern cities, it was a black and white world. Against that backdrop the play transpires. The play is about race and racism, but as importantly it is about families and generations and fathers and sons.

Troy had been a talented baseball player. But due to a term in prison and the times, his dream of playing ball professionally never materialized. This hangs over him and fuels the anger that is always just beneath the surface; when he can explode in an instant. That anger is particularly focused on his younger son Cory (Calvin Dutton).

But Rose continues to stand by him: the very model of a loving wife, soothing his anger, taking care of him, trying to smooth over his outbursts at Cory. But under this is a steel that so far has not been overly apparent. When the ultimate family crisis occurs though the steel becomes all too visible. She matches Troy's power and outburst with her own. The power she displays just grabs you.

While the play must always be seen in the context of race and the time, like all good plays it transcends that. This is a play about people and families; their wants and dreams, strivings and failures. Troy's frustration, for plot purposes, is rooted partly in the circumstances of the time, but Troy makes his own choices. And in many ways blames his circumstances for what has happened to him rather than seeing them in the choices he made. That is true of all of us. This is indeed a play about families, black or white. Troy could as easily be a white man, or Hispanic, or Asian in America. He could be Willy Loman, though not going quietly but battling.

And Rose? She does what many women all do: she is the glue that tries to hold the family together; she is the person who, despite hurt or circumstance always tries to rise above; to put her hurt aside and do what needs to be done.

All of the cast is outstanding, Jerome Preston Bates as Troy's war-ravaged brother Gabe, James T. Alfred as the other son Lyons, Marcus Taylor as Troy's 'best' friend Bono, and alternately Nadia Monet Brown and Emmi Grace Sullivan as Raynell.

This is the second time that Denver Center Theatre Company has staged Fences. The first was directed by the late Israel Hicks, who staged all ten of the Pittsburgh cycle at DCTC. That production was powerful as is this one, directed by Lou Bellamy. It plays through October 14. It should be seen.

Here's hoping Hitchcock

Hitchcock a film about the relationship between Alfred and his wife and collaborator Alma Reville during the making of his classic Psycho, was to be released in 2013, however Fox Searchlight has decided to move it up. It is now scheduled for release November 23. That puts it in the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. It also puts it in contention for Oscars.

With the new release date, I am wondering, hoping, that it might end up at the Starz Denver Film Festival. The festival runs from November 1 – 11, so that would make Denver, in my mind ideal to get a film festival preview. We have had major films before, just before they open nationally.

As for Oscar? Well, how about a cast that includes Anthony Hopkins as Hitchcock and Helen Mirren as Alma. There is an ongoing fascination with Hitchcock and interest in his films from the 50s and early 60s (Psycho was released in 1960). Earlier this summer Vertigo supplanted Citizen Kane from the top spot in the Sight and Sound poll.

The film, which has only just recently been finished and in the can, is based the book, The Making of Psycho by Stephen Rebello. The film is being billed as a 'dramedy' and not just another biopic. I can't imagine Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren in a 'biopic' It would be like calling The Queen with Mirren as QE2 a 'biopic'.

The cast also includes Scarlett Johansson, Danny Huston, Jessica Biel, Michael Stuhlbarg, Ralph Macchio, James D'Arcy and Toni Collette. Cinematography is by Jeff Cronenweth who was Oscar nominated for both The Social Network and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

Fox Searchlight clearly sees an opportunity for this film as we move into awards season next year, which is why they chose to open this year rather than next. But the November release date is probably due the the change in the Academy awards nomination calendar.

A feature film has only to play commercially for a week in both Los Angeles and Manhattan before the end of the year to be eligible for consideration. A lot of films that want Oscar consideration but are not ready for a general release will simply book the film into a theatre in LA and New York sometime in December and be done with it.

However the Academy has changed the calendar. So while the screening requirement has not changed, the process for viewing and then nominating films has. The close of nomination voting has been moved up from January 13 to January 3. That means there is less time for members to see films and vote. Ten days may not seem like a lot but with the sheer volume of film for members to see, it is. The earlier (to a point) that a film is available to members to see, the better chance it has of getting a nomination vote.

While the film will be available to see in theatres in late November, it would be great – and I think another great coup – for the film to screen at the Festival.

Fox Searchlight, which is releasing Hitchcock, also released The Descendants, which screened prior to release at the Denver festival, so as I've said before – Here's Hoping.

Another French Oscar in February?

Is it possible that for two years in a row a ‘French’ film could win a best picture Oscar?

Sort of.

France has selected The Intouchables as its entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the 85th Academy Awards next February.

Last year’s Best Picture award went to The Artist, which was technically not a French film (and it competed in the Best Picture category not the Best Foreign Language category). However much of the creative team, including the Director, Michel Hazanavicius and the two lead actors, Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo, are French. So, one could say, that should The Intouchables win the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, that would be two in a row for France.

The Intouchables is released by the Weinstein Company, they also released The Artist. So far, The Intouchables has grossed $370 Million world-wide, making it the most successful French-language film in history.

The Intouchables is a terrific film that tells the true story of the friendship between a wealthy white man who is paralyzed from the neck down and his black, ex-con caregiver. This unlikely story is funny and warm and thankfully never gets maudlin. The two men appear to be as different as they can be: one is loud and crude and outrageous – speeding and when stopped cons the police and escapes punishment – the other is polished and enjoys classical music and the finer things in life but they share a bond.

The Intouchables is playing in Denver at The Chez Artiste, appropriate, no? See it if you haven’t already.