By SUE PASCOE Staff Writer After the first week of school, Canyon Elementary’s new principal, Joyce Dara, was enthusiastic and thrilled about her opportunity to lead a school that has been around since 1894. ‘It’s been a little challenging,’ she said, ‘but it has been all fun and good.’ Dara cited the dedicated parent involvement at Canyon as a major reason for wanting to come to the charter school and replace Carol Henderson. ‘I enjoy interacting with the parents,’ she said. ‘Their involvement is critical to a child’s success.’ Dara, who was an assistant principal at Walgrove Elementary for three years (where she focused on special education), is clear about her leadership style: ‘I will be available and approachable, and a collaborator to any issues that may arise, always putting the needs and best interest of our students first.’ Although she didn’t officially start until August 12, Dara was at the school frequently over the summer, setting up her office and organizing, which enabled her to spend the first week on campus with parents and students. ‘I don’t want to be in my office talking; I want to spend time in the classroom,’ she said, explaining that her main role is to supervise instruction. ‘There’s no way to provide real feedback unless you’re in the classroom, and there’s no way to provide feedback to a parent unless you know their child.’ Dara grew up in Hicksville, New York, where her mom was a librarian and a teacher in the Wantaugh School District, and her father, in addition to being a New Yorker cartoonist, also taught art at Farmingdale College. After graduating from State University of New York at Buffalo with a degree in theater and dance, Dara began teaching undergraduate dance at that college for two years. But the lure of Broadway proved too strong and she moved to New York City, where she worked as a dancer. She was in the national tour of ‘La Cage Aux Folles’ and later toured with Joel Grey in ‘Cabaret.’ Appearing in national commercials and studying with famous tap teachers Gregory Hines and Henry LaTang, Dara also took classes, and taught dance. Eighteen years ago, she tired of the winter weather and moved to Hollywood, where she signed up to substitute teach in LAUSD schools. Her first assignment was a second-grade classroom in East L.A. ‘I fell in love that day with elementary teaching,’ said Dara, who joined LAUSD’s intern program to earn her certification. While working towards her credential, she subbed for almost a year at Broadway Elementary School. The following year, the principal hired her as a teacher, even though he didn’t have a classroom for her. He hoped that by October he would have enoughenrollment to give Dara her own class. While she was waiting, a fourth-grade opening came up at Charnock Elementary in Mar Vista. She interviewed and was hired that same day. Her first classroom had 37 students, with about half not knowing English. ‘That’s when theater training helped,’ Dara said. ‘I found it was the best way to communicate.’ As part of the credentialing program, she completed the UCLA Math Content program, which is specifically designed to help elementary teachers reach their students with hands-on learning. She felt the teaching method was so important that she wanted to share it with other teachers, which led her to become a math coach for Local District D (now Three), which she did for five years. Dara’s job as a coach meant she interacted on a different level with administrators, which piqued her interest in that field. She proceeded to complete a master’s program in administration from Cal State Northridge in 2005. Canyon is currently in the re-writing process for its charter renewal, which is providing a different kind of education for the first-year principal. ‘It’s a challenge, but at the same time it’s given me time to interact with teachers and learn more about the school,’ Dara said. She feels her ultimate challenge this year will be too little time to do everything she wants. ‘I like to give my heart and soul in everything I do,’ she said. ‘And there’s so much to do.’ Dara rises most mornings at 4:30 a.m. at her Westside residence and goes for an eight-mile run along the beach. ‘Sometimes you see the moon drop in the ocean.’ After leaving school, she likes to do yoga, spend time with her boyfriend, Todd Lesner (a coordinator for the magnet program in Westminster) and play with her 10-year-old calico cat Lulu, before finishing work she has brought home, and answering her e-mail. ‘I don’t wait more than one day to respond,’ Dara said. ‘It’s a pet peeve when people don’t get back to me. I hate it.’
Mark Verge Balances Family and Business
Westside Rentals founder Mark Verge’s entrepreneur spirit began at a young age. As a kid in Santa Monica, he used to buy and sell avocados and trade baseball cards to make money. ’I was always starting little businesses,’ said Verge, now a Pacific Palisades resident who established Westside Rentals in 1995 to provide property listings for West Los Angeles and has since expanded his services to all of Southern California. In addition, Verge owns 17 other businesses, including The Hideout bar and lounge in Santa Monica Canyon, Venice on the Beach Hotel and Cole’s French Dip in downtown Los Angeles. Last year, he launched PerfectBusiness.com, which offers business-training courses to help people start a new business or grow an existing business. ’My wife says ‘That’s enough,” Verge said during an interview at his Highlands home. ‘But I have so many great ideas!’ Verge and his wife, Lani, fell in love while attending Santa Monica High School and are celebrating 14 years of marriage. They have two children Rex, 6, and Malia, 9, who both attend nearby Calvary Christian School. Verge’s aunt Cathie Yonke, who has lived in Pacific Palisades for 25 years, encouraged him to move here from Santa Monica 10 years ago. He then convinced his sister, Annette, to move to the Highlands with her husband, Stan Stopka, and their three children: Holden, Kate and Laney. Verge, 42, said he especially loves the Highlands because it’s always sunny and it’s a safe place to raise kids. While earning his associate’s degree from Santa Monica College and a bachelor’s degree in history from UCLA, Verge took on his first business venture. He had worked with Bob Goumillion at Wilshire Coin in Santa Monica and when he heard the store was going out-of-business, he decided to take it over, a month before graduating from UCLA in June 1990. After five years as a retailer, Verge sold the coin store to start Westside Rentals. Upset that a rental company had scammed one of his friends by providing false listings, he figured the city needed a legitimate rental service. He opened his first office on 7th and Santa Monica Boulevard and now has seven offices staffed with 80 employees in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego. He would next like to open offices in San Francisco. ’We were providing a service, and it was working,’ Verge said of the company’s success. He grew the business by contacting numerous landlords and property management companies. He now has 25,000 listings for condos, houses, guesthouses, apartments, lofts, roommates, garages, storage, offices, and vacation rentals. Renters pay a membership fee of $60 for 60 days to access the listings, which are available online, over the phone and in the offices. Owners and landlords can list their properties for free. Verge’s staff will take photographs of the properties for the listings and screen applicants for the owners by providing a free credit check. Verge has hired 20 drivers who travel around Southern California documenting rental signs. His office staff then contacts the owners of those signs, encouraging them to list their properties on Westside Rentals. To reach renters, Verge hired Phil Parks as the company’s mascot (Rental Man) and human billboard four years ago. He saw Parks dancing at a Santa Monica College basketball game and decided Parks would be great at promoting his company. ‘It was a small crowd, and he was so happy,’ Verge recalled, noting he likes to surround himself with happy people. In a red cape, jester hat and Rent-Me tee shirt, Parks dances for Westside Rentals on the street and at sporting events. Westside Rentals leading competitor is Craigslist, which offers property listings for free. ‘[Craigslist] makes me work harder,’ Verge admitted, noting that his staff is always thinking of new ways to grow the company. It offers seminars to educate landlords on marketing and provides corporate accounts that allow companies to assist their employees with relocation. Nearly 100 companies (including Disney, Cedars-Sinair and Google) pay a fee so that their employees can use Westside Rentals for free. Verge thinks Craigslist is a wonderful tool, but said his company screens postings to prevent scams. Also, people can meet potential roommates at his offices before inviting them into their homes or apartments, which is safer. His company also sends text messages to prospective renters when a place becomes available. While Verge strives to keep Westside Rentals competitive, he also oversees several motels catering to college students, three restaurants and two bars/night-clubs. ‘I think it’s fun to have different businesses,’ he said, adding that he has a short attention span. ‘I like places that have some historical value, some soul to them.’ Verge purchased the Hideout, located on West Channel Road, because legendary actor and humorist Will Rogers used to frequent the joint when it was Doc Law’s pharmacy, as well as a speakeasy. In March 2008, he launched PerfectBusiness.com after receiving helpful advice from Cedd Moses, owner of downtown’s Golden Gophers and Seven Grand, on the restaurant business. Verge figured everyone could benefit from good business advice, so his company provides entrepreneurial training courses and business planning software. He has arranged for billionaire Richard Branson to speak at a conference in October at the Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey. When asked how he finds time to stay on top of all his businesses, Verge said it’s about developing good relationships with his managers and giving them incentives. He is also grateful to his wife, who graduated from USC with a degree in accounting, for helping him with the finances. Most importantly, Verge said his goal is to enjoy life and spend time with his family. ‘I try to work my day around my children’s schedule and if I have anything in the evening I do it after their bedtime.’ This summer, the family once again rented a place near the beach in Del Mar for the horse racing season. Verge owns 10 horses, the most successful of which has been Informed, a $25,000 claimer who won the San Diego Handicap and secured a berth in the $2-million Breeders Cup Mile in November. A beach lifeguard at 18 (‘My grandfather used to judge the bathing beauty contest at Venice Beach’), Verge loves to share his love of the ocean with his children by taking them to Will Rogers State Beach and Santa Monica Beach. He also spends a lot of time with his kids ‘goofing around the house.’
Young Palisadians
The spring dean’s list at Brandeis University includes MORGAN SCHWARTZ, daughter of Roberta Turkell and Peter Schwartz. o o o CATHERINE NUWER, daughter of Marc and Beverly Nuwer, was named to the spring dean’s list at Ithaca College’s Roy H. Park School of Communications. o o o AMY BAUM, a senior majoring in psychology and Spanish, made the dean’s list at the University of Rochester. She is the daughter of Gary and Tracy Baum and a graduate of Windward School. o o o GRANT LIPSCHULTZ, a junior at Syracuse University, made the dean’s list. He has declared a dual major in radio, TV and film and anthropology. Brother ROSS LIPSCHULTZ, who also made the dean’s list this past year, is a sophomore at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Both are Palisades Charter High School graduates and both were key players on the PaliHi volleyball team. Their parents are Jim and Mary Lipschultz. o o o DAISY CRUISE graduated from the Ryman Arts program in June. More than 150 participants from 100 zip codes gathered for 3-1/2-hour classes every Saturday morning at the USC Roski School of Fine Arts. The core program includes free out-of-school sequential studio courses that emphasize advanced drawing and painting skills, along with college and career planning. This is the only arts program in Southern California that is totally free and that selects participants solely on the basis of their ability and commitment. If your college student has made the dean’s list or received an honor and you wish them to be included in this column, please send information to features@palipost.com.
Villa Aurora to Celebrate Feuchtwangers
Villa Aurora and USC’s Feuchtwanger Memorial Library will present an evening honoring German-Jewish writer Lion Feuchtwanger on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of his birthday this year. The celebration will take place on September 16 at 8 p.m. at the Villa Aurora, 520 Paseo Miramar. Marje Schuetze-Coburn, senior associate dean and Feuchtwanger Librarian at the USC Libraries, will provide insights into Feuchtwanger’s life and work. Villa Aurora writer-in-residence Klaus Modick will read in English from the author’s historical novel ‘Raquel’ (‘Die J’din von Toledo’), set in 12th-century Spain. A documentary film by Albrecht Joseph portraying Feuchtwanger and his wife Marta in their house in Pacific Palisades in the late 1950s will afford rare insights into their private life and the author’s writing process and projects. An exhibition featuring congratulations by Feuchtwanger’s esteemed contemporaries, gathered from a birthday book presented to the author in 1944, will complement the program. During the evening, guests will be offered the opportunity to receive a copy of USC Libraries’ 2009 publication ‘Against the Eternal Yesterday: Essays Commemorating the Legacy of Lion Feuchtwanger’ and will be presented with a copy of one of the author’s novels. To attend this program, call 310-573-3603 by September 14. Attending guests are required to take the shuttle service to Villa Aurora. It runs from street parking on Los Liones Drive, off Sunset Boulevard, as early as 7 p.m. the day of the event. Villa Aurora, with its unique ‘migr’ history, is an artist residence and historic landmark located in the former home of exiled German-Jewish writer Lion Feuchtwanger. To promote and foster German-American cultural exchange and to remember the European exiles who settled in Southern California, Villa Aurora offers a variety of salon- style arts and cultural programs, including public lectures, concerts, screenings and performances.
‘Spirits with Spirits:’ GHOULA to Haunt Patrick’s Roadhouse
GHOULA (‘Ghost Hunters of Urban Los Angeles’), a Hollywood-based ghost-lore club, will hold its next monthly ‘Spirits with Spirits’ meeting at Patrick’s Roadhouse in Pacific Palisades on Saturday, September 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. Founded by Hollywood residents Richard Carradine and Lisa Strouss, GHOULA has been meeting on the 13th of every month since 2008. About 20 to 35 GHOULA members attend each meeting. This month’s outing marks the group’s first-ever trip to the Palisades for lore and libations at such (supposedly haunted) L.A. landmarks as Philippe’s French Dip Restaurant near Union Station, the Culver Hotel in Culver City, the Queen Mary in Long Beach, and Musso & Frank’s on Hollywood Boulevard. Carradine stresses that GHOULA is not a science-based, paranormal band of ghost-busters, but rather a social group. The meetings are casual mixers, and GHOULA provides a back-door way to learn about venerable establishments around Los Angeles. ‘Ghost stories are, in essence, a great way to look back in time,’ Carradine says. As for Patrick’s Roadhouse, located on Pacific Coast Highway at Entrada in Santa Monica Canyon, is it truly haunted? Carradine says that Patrick’s current owner, Silvio Moreira, has a story to tell regarding ghosts and Patrick’s, but he has been mum about the details. Moreira, a Portuguese immigrant who for many years worked at Patrick’s and now owns the popular breakfast/lunch destination, promises that all stories will be revealed at the event, when staffers will also divulge their potential ghost sightings as well. Current management aside, Carradine did stumble onto one of the legends about the Roadhouse, which buildings were once constituted a Red Car station and a hotel. ‘When the Red Car lines ended, the passenger depot for the Red Car line was converted into Roy’s Hot Dogs,’ Carradine says. An eccentric, colorful patron named Bill Fischler ordered a hamburger at Roy’s and complained that it was the worst burger he had ever tasted in this life. Roy’s owner said that if Fischler didn’t like the burgers, he could buy the place and make them himself. And so he did. He turned the hot dog stand into Patrick’s (naming it after his son) in 1969. ‘The success of Patrick’s,’ Carradine says, ‘forced them to expand into the adjoining building behind the stand, which was a hotel.’ Fischler died in 1997. According to Carradine’s research, ‘Bill Fischler haunts the restaurant, and his ghost supposedly scared a previous chef, forcing him to quit. He saw the ghost of Bill eyeballing him, making his displeasure known.’ Carradine finds the Fischler burger anecdote fitting. ‘To this day, Patrick’s prides itself on its burgers,’ says Carradine, who notes that President Bill Clinton, while staying in the area, pulled his motorcade over to Patrick’s on word that the burgers were so good there. Admission to the event is free but RSVP is necessary. Call 310-975-4635 or write to rcarradine@live.com GHOULA will provide the beverages, while Patrick’s, which is normally not open for dinner, will offer its full menu (including the burgers) at its usual prices.
Be There and Be Square for Theatre Palisades’ ‘Nerd’
Theater Review
Something different is going on at the Pierson Playhouse, where Theatre Palisades’ production of Larry Shue’s comedic play, ‘The Nerd,’ premiered Friday night. Directed by Brian Harris and produced by Martha Hunter and Andrew Frew, the play, set in 1981, stars Jeremy Di Paolo as Indiana resident Willum Cubbert and Eric Mello as Rick Steadman, the titular nerd. In addition to Di Paolo and Mello, the cast features Story Cunningham as Willum’s love interest, Tansy, who is about to move to Washington, D.C. to pursue a weathergirl career in local news and, in effect, end their relationship. Adam Rotenberg’s opinionated and cynical drama critic Axel (‘Ever seen anything good?’ Tanzy asks him) rounds out something of a relationship triangle. An obnoxious voice from Willum’s past, Rick happens to be visiting from Wisconsin in time for Willum’s 34th birthday party, a crossroads juncture for the aging architect. Willum feels obligated to invite Rick because this nerd had saved his life during the Vietnam War. With his tambourine and an autographed photo of Hugh Downs, Rick arrives at the party and levels it (his party games and a rendition of the national anthem become new forms of torture for the others). Then, Rick reveals that the brother and sister-in-law he lived with have abandoned him, so now Rick stays with Willum and does not want to leave. This gadfly continues to top himself as Willum’s b’te noire. Act II centers on Willum’s moral dilemma as he wrestles whether to keep his word to the man who saved his life in ‘Nam, or side with his friends, who scheme on how to get rid of Rick. Of all the plays staged by Theatre Palisades this year, ‘The Nerd’ may be the most perfectly cast. Di Paolo, as Willum, exudes a likeable, everyman quality evoking a milder version of ‘Funny People’ star Seth Rogen. And one’s acceptance of Mello’s energetic performance may ride on your tolerance level for classic (yet polarizing) Jerry Lewis’ man-child character, which people either love or find grating (this reporter is a Lewis fan). Richard Little and Hunter, as the Waldgraves, play the uptight, important people Willum must impress, and Dylan La Rocque, their spoiled brat, Thor (‘A poster child for Planned Parenthood,’ Axel cracks). This trio is definitely a play highlight, particularly Little’s put-upon Warnock Waldgrave. Hunter delivers her trademark high-strung comic acting as Celia Waldgrave, a shrill, nervous wreck. ‘The Nerd’ is a surprisingly physical play. In the course of telling this story, the nimble actors”all of them, really” go through enough physical machinations to audition for KOOZA Cirque du Soleil. The comedy in Shue’s piece can get a bit too silly in places, but overall, it entertains. The play is well directed by Harris, with a simple yet solid-looking set. Kudos to the costumers and the technicians behind the scenes. Judging by the seat-count post-intermission and some comments overheard, not everyone cared for the acerbic characters or the ‘existentialist’ humor. True, ‘Nerd’ has a mean streak running through it, or at least some subversive strains, that may not be fun for the whole family (some dirty throwaway lines, but nothing excessive). This writer, however, commends Theatre Palisades for experimenting with different styles, offering less conventional works, and taking risks. A community theater can continue to play it safe by leaning on oft-staged, Neil Simon crowd-pleasers, or can mix it up and introduce Palisadians to playwrights and pieces not as familiar. This is also a rare opportunity to see a staged play written by Shue, who died in his prime and left only two major works behind. Theatre Palisades’ 2010 season roster will include Michael Clooney’s ‘Cash on Delivery’ and ‘The Haunting of Hill House,’ based on a Shirley Jackson novel (in addition to more-familiar productions such as Simon’s ‘Chapter Two’ and David Auburn’s ‘Proof’). By crossing into trickier terrain, Theatre Palisades is challenging itself and challenging us, and the company should be supported for it. So leave your comfort zone at home and pay this ‘Nerd’ a visit. ‘The Nerd’ will play Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Pierson Playhouse, 941 Temescal Canyon Road, through October 11. Tickets: Friday and Sunday, adults, $16; seniors and students, $14; Saturday, $18; seniors and students, $16. Contact: (310) 454-1970 or visit www.theatrepalisades.org
Barrett Uses Hi-Tech to Speed Dental Procedures
First, it’s the painful insertion of the Novocain needle and then it’s the sound of that drill. Soon, your jaw starts to feel sore from keeping it open for so long and when you think it’s over, you learn that the dentist wants you to return in two weeks. Crowns, inlays and onlays are no fun, but according to longtime Palisadian and dentist Kevin Barrett, they can now at least be done in one visit. Barrett, who has had his practice for 30 years at 11980 San Vicente Blvd. in Brentwood, uses a technology called CAD/CAM dentistry (Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing) that allows him to complete the entire procedure in 45 to 90 minutes. ‘The big thing is that patients don’t have to miss another day of work,’ said Barrett, a 1967 Palisades High School graduate. Traditionally, dentists take a goopy plaster impression of the tooth and then send it to a lab, so that a crown, inlay or onlay can be made, which takes about two weeks. In the meantime, the patient copes with a temporary filling. ‘Those ways still work very well,’ Barrett said. ‘This is just a different, more high-tech way of doing it.’ CAD/CAM allows the dentist to take a digital impression of the tooth and Barrett and his staff can then make a crown right in the office. They are also able to make dental inlays or onlays, which are used in place of fillings for moderate decay and to restore teeth that are cracked or fractured. To start, Barrett and his staff take a photograph of the tooth. They then prepare the tooth and take another photograph. Using the two images, they design the crown on the computer in a 3-D environment, then choose a porcelain block the shade of the patient’s teeth and place it in a milling unit for about 10 minutes. After the crown is cut, they try it in the patient’s mouth and make any adjustments. Then, the crown is placed in an oven and glazed for 10 to 20 minutes. After it cools off, the crown is cemented into the patient’s mouth. Barrett said the procedure is great because patients don’t have to wear a temporary, which occasionally crack or fall out. Sirona developed Cerec (Ceramic Reconstruction) CAD/CAM in 1985, but Barrett thinks the company perfected the technology two years ago, which is how long he has used it. About 10,000 dentists in the United States use the technology, and the number is growing, Barrett said. One benefit to using CAD/CAM is that it is ‘greener,’ Barrett said. It does not require plaster and temporary compost, and ‘all that adds up to millions of pounds of waste in the United States.’ Barrett, who attended UCLA, double majoring in history and pre-dentistry before heading to USC’s dental school, embraces new technology because he believes it’s important to always improve upon his practice. He also uses lasers for various procedures. ‘If you don’t move forward, you’re standing still,’ the 59-year-old said. Before incorporating a technology, Barrett reads a lot about it, visits the manufacturer and speaks to other dentists using it. He assesses the time and money it will take to purchase the technology and teach his staff how to use it. Then he asks himself: ‘Will it be worth it to make procedures better and more comfortable?’ ‘A technology like CAD/CAM is a huge change in this entire office for my staff and the patient,’ Barrett said, noting that his two dental assistants have to make crowns, which was not a part of their job duties before. He has a total of eight employees. ‘I have a great staff. They have been with me for years, and they want to learn more. They have flown hundreds of miles to take classes with me.’ Barrett offers advice to other dentists interested in CAD/CAM and lectures to dentists (mostly in Southern California) about the latest technological advances. He recently spoke about CAD/CAM on Fox News. ’Technology has added a real bright light to the practice,’ said Barrett, whose wife, Lynn, is a homemaker. They have two children: Sean, 24, who works at Regal Capital Advisors in Westwood, and Michelle, 20, a USC junior majoring in business.
Rita Effros Explores Immune System’s Role in Bone Loss
UCLA professor and researcher Rita Effros is at the forefront of exploring the immune system and its effects on the human body. In addition to studying the effects of stress on that system (as reported in the January 8 Palisadian-Post), the Pacific Palisades resident’s latest study explores the link between high cholesterol and osteoporosis. Osteoporosis, which affects 10 million Americans, is a disease that causes fragile bones and increases the risk of fractures. Scientists have recognized there is a correlation between high cholesterol and osteoporosis, but until now pinpointing the connection has been elusive. In the August 20 issue of Journal Clinical Immunology, Effros said: ‘We’ve known that osteoporosis patients have higher cholesterol levels, more severe clogging of the heart arteries and increased risk of stroke. We also knew that drugs that lower cholesterol reduce bone fractures, too. What we didn’t understand was why.’ Effros, professor of pathology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, suspected oxidation’cell and tissue damage resulting from exposure of cholesterol fatty acids to free-radical molecules. In the study, UCLA researchers examined how high levels of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL)’the ‘bad’ cholesterol’affected bone and whether a T cell (type of immune cell) played a role in the process. Using blood samples from healthy human volunteers, the team isolated the participants’ T cells and cultured them in a dish. Half of the T cells were combined with normal LDL and half were combined with oxidized LDL. The scientists stimulated half of the T cells to mimic an immune response and left the other half alone. ‘Both the resting and the activated T cells started churning out a chemical [RANKL] that stimulates cells whose sole purpose is to destroy bone,’ Effros said. To investigate further how the immune system participates in bone loss, the scientists repeated the experiment with mice. Half the animals were fed a high-fat diet starting at one month of age, while the control group ate a normal diet. At 11 months, the mice on the high-fat diet showed elevated cholesterol and thinner bones. When Effros and her colleagues tested the T cells of the mice on the high-fat diet, they discovered that the cells acted differently than those of the mice on the normal diet. The T cells switched on the gene that produces RANKL. The chemical also appeared in the animals’ bloodstream, suggesting that the cellular activity contributed to their bone loss. ‘It’s normal for our T cells to produce small amounts of RANKL during an immune response,’ Effros said. ‘But when RANKL is manufactured for long periods or at the wrong time, it results in excessive bone damage. This discovery revealed to us how the immune system might play a role in bone loss.’ The next step will be exploring methods to control T-cell response to oxidized LDL in an effort to develop immune-based approaches to prevent or slow bone loss. Effros and her husband Edward, a professor in the UCLA mathematics department, have lived in the Palisades for almost 30 years. The couple has two children: Rachael, a pediatrician, who also has a master’s degree in public health and does research on health policy at The Rand Corporation, and Stephen, who is married to journalist Suzanne Pardington and is an architect in Portland. Effros received a B.A. in biology from Brandeis University and then a physical therapy degree from New York University, working as a therapist for five years. She stopped working while her children were young, but in 1975 embarked on a graduate program in immunology at the University of Pennsylvania, in the laboratory of Nobel Prize winner Peter Doherty. After completing her degree, she and her husband were offered positions at UCLA, and they moved to California.
Denise Doyen Creates a Wisenmouse
By SONIA GEARY Special to the Palisadian-Post Through her childhood, Denise Doyen prepared for a career in dance by religiously attending practice six nights a week at the Pasadena Dance Theater. Little did she know that, several decades later, the hours she spent tapping her shoes on the floor would train her ear for the complexities of writing rhyming stanzas for her children’s book, ‘Once Upon a Twice’ (Random House). ’The rhythmical ear you have to have to be good at tap dancing, you can hear beats and meter in your head, is very helpful as a poet,’ says Doyen, a Pacific Palisades resident. She will read from ‘Once’ on Friday, September 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. Doyen, who grew up in Baldwin Park, began dancing when she was four years old. Although she intended to dance professionally, she heeded her parents’ advice to have a backup plan and attend college, graduating from Stanford in 1977 with a degree in design. After 10 years as a Hollywood dancer, she made a natural transition from dancer to choreographer when Disney hired her to direct dance musical sequences for ‘Welcome to Pooh Corner.’ She soon started directing entire episodes, moving on to ‘Dumbo’s Circus’ in 1985. When the show ended, she began to look for another job, but quickly realized that Los Angeles had become the epicenter of animation, and that live-action shows would require her to relocate to New York. She had a hard time convincing Hollywood that her extensive children’s television experience would translate to the adult genre, so she enrolled at the American Film Institute, hoping to add more adult fare to her reel. What she found was that ambition and a degree were not enough to catch the proverbial Hollywood break. After spending several years trying to move into directing, she took a hiatus to focus on her family. ’After five years, I was burnt,’ Doyen says. ‘I thought, ‘Hollywood doesn’t want me, but my kids do.’ I took some time off to be a mom.’ Her sons, Paul (now 21) and Max (14), benefited from her experience as she got involved with creative projects at their schools. When Paul started investigating colleges, she became inspired to continue her education. Remembering her mother’s dramatic and inspiring performances of ‘Jabberwocky’ and ‘The Night Before Christmas,’ Doyen enrolled in the UCLA Extension writing program and began the sequence of classes to educate herself about children’s literature. ’There were so many books that were truly special to me as a child,’ she says. ‘I just thought it would be a great thing to write books that might mean something similar to another child.’ One of her first assignments inspired her unusual poem. ‘My teacher told us think about what moved you as a kid and mine that as a potential pool for where your story will come from. I loved ‘Jabberwocky.’ I loved the nonsense of it. I wanted to write a nonsense adventure,’ Doyen says. Her story began to take shape as she built on the first stanza that was seared in her mind. Because of the abstract and whimsical language of the poem, Doyen was adamant that the right illustrator would be integral to the success of the story. One morning in 2003, while lamenting about her need to find the perfect artist, Doyen’s husband, attorney Michael, procured a copy of ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ illustrated by Barry Moser. Moser, an award-winning master in his field, possessed not only a vintage style that encapsulated Denise’s vision, but an almost identical philosophy regarding children’s literature. Both believed that children were capable of understanding far more than simple picture books. ’Exposure to art and poetry at a young age can do great things for kids,’ Doyen says. ‘Not everything needs to be short, sweet and sunny. It can be long, beautiful and dark.’ On a whim, she checked Moser’s scheduled speaking engagements. Even though he lives in Massachusetts, he was serendipitously making an appearance that very day at Every Picture Tells a Story in Santa Monica. Armed with her story in hand, Doyen rushed down to try to meet him, but found that she had missed him by a mere five minutes. She convinced a skeptical journalist who had just interviewed him to pass along her story and information. Doyen is quick to say that her approach was unorthodox, since protocol dictates that illustrator and author are two separate entities, paired together by the publisher. ‘I probably wouldn’t have the guts to do it if the momentum hadn’t built just like it did,’ she says. ‘It all happened in the same morning. It was like the tumbling of dominoes.’ Moser was impressed with her story and agreed to be attached to her project, but even the involvement of a master illustrator was not enough to convince editors, who were worried that the language was too sophisticated for the children’s market. In 2007, Doyen finally secured an agent at the Big Sur Children’s Writing Conference. Together, they set about finding a publisher who was undaunted by the difficulty of selling a picture book with elegant language and a dramatic theme. After multiple rejections, they found their match at Random House with an art director and an editor who were both poetry majors in college. ’It was a tough sell,’ Doyen says. ‘My agent, Jennifer Rofe, deserves a lot of credit, as does my editor, Heidi Kilgras. She took a risk with this sophisticated, dark, picture book that echoes from another era. They really made this a work of love.’ Currently, Doyen is working on her next project, a middle-grade novel titled ‘Adventures in Nepaw.’
Filmmaker Meyer Signs Memoir
A trip through ‘time after time’ making movies. That describes the scene at Village Books on Swarthmore last Thursday evening when filmmaker Nicholas Meyer discussed his memoir, ‘The View From the Bridge: Memories of ‘Star Trek’ and a Life in Hollywood’ (Viking), which recounts, with detail and humor, his perspective as a writer and director on the original (and successful) ‘Star Trek’ movies. ‘View’ also offers Meyer’s experiences creating the off-kilter 1970s thrillers ‘The Seven-Percent Solution’ and ‘Time After Time.’ ‘It’s hard to speak of it without giving away a lot of it,’ Meyer said of ‘View’ by way of prefacing a humorous excerpt he read about ‘the most watched movie ever made for TV,’ the controversial nuclear war drama ‘The Day After,’ which he directed in 1983. The anecdote involved how that film intersected with his dashed hopes to jumpstart his pet project, ‘Conjuring,’ based on ‘Fifth Business’ by Robinson Davies, which Meyer shepherded for six years to no avail. ‘Everyone kept saying that my [‘Conjuring’] screenplay was ‘well-written,” Meyer told 40 audience members, eliciting laughter. ‘It took me years to figure out that this was not a compliment. In Hollywood, ‘well-written’ is code for ‘I don’t love you.” Beforehand, a Palisadian-Post reporter asked if there are too many chefs in the Hollywood kitchen. ‘It’s not that there’s too many chefs,’ Meyer, a Pacific Palisades resident, said. ‘They’re the wrong chefs. It’s marketing, not movie-making.’ Originally from New York, Meyer, 63, graduated from the University of Iowa with a theater and filmmaking degree. His ‘Trek’ work aside, Meyer’s films have centered on 19th-century literary characters and personages. In 1977, Meyer was nominated for an Academy Award in the Adapted Screenplay category for translating his own 1974 novel, the revisionist Sherlock Holmes novel ‘Seven-Percent Solution,’ starring Robert Duvall (as Dr. Watson) and Alan Arkin (as Sigmund Freud). Meyer wrote two ‘Solution’ sequels, which have not been made into films. Meyer wrote and directed the Jack the Ripper thriller ‘Time After Time’ (1979), in which a time-traveling H.G. Wells pursues the notorious serial killer in modern-day San Francisco. Next month will mark the film’s 30th anniversary. ‘It holds up pretty well,’ Meyer said, shunning the idea of a Blu-Ray release for it. ‘Do you want to put a Renoir in focus?’ For ‘Trek’ movie fans, Meyer is the series’ messiah, as he wrote and/or directed the even-numbered sequels, considered the best ones: ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’ (1982), ‘Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home’ (1986), and ‘Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country’ (1991), the last film featuring the original ‘Trek’ characters to reach theaters before J.J. Abrams’ reboot this summer. Meyer has been credited with saving a sinking ‘enterprise’ after Robert Wise’s original ‘Star Trek’ disappointed in 1979. ‘Wrath’ memorably starred Ricardo Montalban as the titular villain. Meyer was brought in to salvage the oft-rewritten screenplay, even though he had never seen an episode of the TV series. He revised it uncredited and, while ‘Trek’ creator Gene Roddenberry disagreed with Khan’s Captain Ahab undertones, ‘Wrath,’ directed by Meyer, grossed $97-million worldwide, setting a first-day box office-gross record In ‘View,’ Meyer writes he lifted ‘Trek IV”s subtitle from Hamlet’s ‘To be or not to be’ soliloquy (‘the undiscovered country’ refers to death): ‘After all, Spock would die in the movie.’ Then he learned star William Shatner ‘hates the script!’ One of several turbulent rides aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise described in Meyer’s book. Waiting in line to meet Meyer was Laird Malamed. ”Wrath of Khan’ is at the beginning of a chain of events that affected my life and led me to an entertainment career,’ Malamed said. As a teenager, Malamed picked up on ‘Wrath”s ‘Moby Dick’ references. Amazingly, his junior high English teacher let him write a paper analyzing the film’s embedded allusions to Herman Melville’s novel. Today an Activision executive heading the phenomenally successful video game franchise ‘Guitar Hero,’ Malamed indeed showed the Post his 27-year-old book report, marked with an ‘A’ and laudatory teacher’s notes. A Pacific Palisades resident since 1990, Meyer moved to town after ‘many years in Laurel Canyon. I was raising two children and looking for somewhere that was kid friendly. I like the air here and the retro quality. I have a fantasy of [Norris Hardware] going back to being a movie theater.’ Meyer praised the efforts of another Palisadian now associated with ‘Trek’ movies. ‘I thought it was an exciting reboot of the franchise,’ he said of Abrams’ feature. ‘I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.’ Meyer has more often worked as screenwriter than director, admitting ‘by the end of filming, I’m all burned out. But I’ll probably go back to directing. I’ve got grown-up kids now so there’s no stopping me.’ When asked for an update on the progress of his Theodore Roosevelt screenplay for Martin Scorsese, Meyer replied cryptically, ‘If you live long enough, you’ll see your movies get made.’