Thursday, August 24, 2006

NPR Letters- Real Surreal

It's kind of surreal to turn on the radio just as Robert Siegel is reading ones letter on NPR's All Things Considered.


Letters: Pluto, and a Cemetery
All Things Considered, August 24, 2006

Each Thursday we read from listeners' emails. Pluto's demotion from full-fledged planet to "dwarf planet" has brought in a lot of letters. We hear your creative suggestion of a new status for Pluto. Also, comments on a mixup in a cemetery, and new lyrics for the old musical "The Fantasticks".


Listen Here

My letter here.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Irritating Intrusion 3.0 - John Wyatt of Cinespia on NPR

TO: All Things Considered
SUBJECT: ATC 08.18.2006 - Movies Under the Stars, Surrounded by Tombs

I happened to be listening to the above referenced piece last Friday and there was one thing which stuck out like a vandalized headstone in the cemetery.

Ina Jaffe interviews John Wyatt who's been running the Cinespia movie screenings at Hollywood Forever for five years. If in this time he had bothered to take an interest in learning a bit of the history of the cemetery the first thing out of his mouth would not have been, "This is Hattie McDaniel's Grave."

I don't feel I'm being knit picky and perhaps neither shall you after I point out the following.

The marker at Hollywood Forever is a cenotaph, a monument erected in honour of a person whose remains lie elsewhere. The reason for this is that even though it was the expressed wish of Ms. McDaniel that she be buried at the Hollywood Memorial Park (now Hollywood Forever) the previous owner Jules Roth had a policy of not allowing burials of African-Americans in the cemetery. Ms. McDaniel was buried with all the honors deserving at the Angelus Rosedale Cemetery in 1952 where she is to this day.

In 1999 after the his purchase of the Hollywood Cemetery, Tyler Cassity wanted to set things right and offered to have Ms. McDaniel's remains moved to the renamed Hollywood Forever cemetery. The remains were not moved from Angelus Rosedale, but a cenotaph was erected in her honour.

While this may seems a trivial matter, it is quite an ignorant and irritating mistake for a cemeteryan or an enthusiast of Los Angeles history to hear - both because it is blatantly wrong and because it erases an important part of history which shouldn't be forgotten.

A correction would be much appreciated - or better yet Ms. Jaffe should do a piece on the historical importance of Angelus Rosedale.

Saturday, August 12, 2006

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Life in Los Angeles - Holy Krishna!

Ever since the Krishnas were banned at LAX I just haven't seen them around... Maybe it was that coupled with the waning gravitational pull of the 60's search for a guru.

I was out for a smoke a few minutes ago and what comes walking by on the opposite side of the street but a Krishna! Cymbals banging, stopping to try and chat up pedestrians passing him by. As I took another look, there was a large Rolls Royce right next to him on the street, which made me wonder if his guru was following him to make sure he was doing his work.

More and more there are little things that make me think Philip K. Dick was right about his depiction of Los Angeles in Blade Runner. We have talking cross walks now, but not flying cars - yet.