Who better to support children of war and help tell their stories than other youth? This is the idea behind the upcoming “Share the Love” humanitarian concert and fundraiser, organized by students from 11 schools, including Palisades Charter High School. The youth-produced event, supported by the nonprofit organization One Global Tribe, will be held at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood on Saturday, March 4 from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 pre-sale and $15 at the door. The students are raising money for the rehabilitation of the traumatized and wounded child soldiers at Rachele Rehabilitation Center in Lira, Uganda. The children of northern Uganda are kidnapped in the middle of the night, forced to become child soldiers and then sent to war. “It’s a situation that everyone’s been too quiet about,” said Megan Green, a PaliHi sophomore and president of her school’s Global Tribe community service club. “The main goal [of the concert] is to raise awareness for the cause.” Ryan Devlin (host of “Entertainment Tonight” on MTV) will host the event, which will feature a silent auction and performances by three high school bands, including The Outline, No Sex Just Dancing and Columbia. Special guests include KAOS Project Blowed Youth Poetry Team, with original poetry and spoken word presentations. The bands “have a large high school following,” said Green, who plans to start selling tickets at school on February 27. “I’m pretty sure we’re going to sell out.” On the evening of the event, students will also help launch “The Name Campaign” by selling dog tags ($15 each) engraved with the real name of an actual child soldier. By purchasing a dog tag, “you’re representing the name of a former child soldier in Uganda,” Green said. “You’re saying that you’re taking a stand for these people.” “The Name Campaign” (www.thenamecampaign.org) is dedicated to raising awareness of the 19-year-old conflict and its effect on thousands of children. Dog tags will be available for purchase throughout the year. “We really want to turn them into the next LIVESTRONG bracelets,” Green said, referring to the bright yellow wristbands that support the Lance Armstrong Foundation. One Global Tribe was started by activist Amy Eldon, the host and associate producer of “Dying to Tell the Story,” an Emmy-nominated film about the death of her older brother, 22-year-old Reuters photographer Dan Eldon, in Somalia in 1993. One Global Tribe offers youth and their teachers the tools and knowledge to engage themselves in being global citizens. “It’s an organization whose goal is to unite youth from all parts of the world,” said Green, who started Pali’s Global Tribe club at the beginning of the school year, after community service director Gretchen Miller referred her to the organization. Sophomore Jordan Petitt is vice president of the club. “Share the Love” will bring together youth from the east and west sides of Los Angeles to take a stand on the theme of war and violence. In addition to Pali, other participating high schools include Wildwood, New Roads, Crossroads, Archer School for Girls, Venice, Buckley, Marlborough School, Harvard-Westlake, Oakwood and Windward. “The voice and vision of youth is at the heart of this event,” said Alison Fast, outreach director of One Global Tribe. “We like to promote the idea that you don’t have to wait until you get out of high school to make a difference in the world.” The Knitting Factory is located at 7021 Hollywood Blvd. For more information, visit www.oneglobaltribe.org or www.namecampaign.org.
‘The Cherry Orchard’
Theater Review
If the foreshadowed demise of the orchard hinted at in Act One of Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard” had been an Ibsen hint like the pistols in the “Hedda Gabler,” the audience would have prepared for a dark climb to a tragic climax. But “The Cherry Orchard” is not in the vein of Ibsen and Strindberg, who were both tireless manipulators and gloomy naturalists. No, Chekhov is a master at keeping out of the way of the characters. He’d rather let the audience judge human folly for themselves. I was so looking forward to seeing this classic play, which is now on stage at the Ahmanson Theatre through March 19. Director Sean Matthias is credited for using Martin Sherman’s adaptation, which gives Chekhov’s words a distinctly American, even slangy sensibility. The plot serves only to bring a gentle clash between the past and the future, but more precisely gives the audience a window through which we see a romp of emotion, as if we were watching a family holiday reunion. The action swirls around Ranyevskaya (Annette Bening), who has returned to her beloved childhood home and cherry orchard in rural Russia, which is slated to be sold to pay her debts. While the playwright could have set up a particularly sad drama about loss and the passage of time, he never lets the audience feel pathos. The spare stage, sprinkled with a few pieces of turn-of-the-century furniture here and there, and efficient dialogue sit well with me, if I could believe in what’s confined in that space at that moment. This is the problem with this production. The characters, who after all are kin or old family servants, fail to convince us of this intimacy. There is plenty of hugging and kissing, and tearful embraces, none of which stick. Chekhov is a master of detail, and a storyteller, and each of these men and women has a story: Ranyevskaya is a spoiled, harmless elitist who makes countless bad decisions for love; Trofimov (Jason Butler Harner), the revolutionary student, professes to be “above” love while at the next turn he is blinded by hopeless adoration; and Lopakhin (Alfred Molina) is no Simon Legree, but a peasant who made good who can’t quite believe his good fortune. All of these stories are told in mini-monologues that add meat to the bones of the plot, but don’t further the action. Each character tells his or story, but then figuratively walks off the stage. This is Chekhov, certainly. Poet and critical essayist Kenneth Rexroth writes that “there is something intrinsically ridiculous about all the people in the play. Chekhov’s is truly a theater of the absurd. Yet we never think of them as very funny’and we don’t think of them as very sad, either. Chekhov’s people we simply accept.” The talented Molina’s Lopakhin is the one person who holds the center together. Here is a man, son of a serf, whose father was not even allowed in the kitchen of the house he now owns; a man who long ago was shown a kindness by the woman whose estate he has foreclosed, and a man uncomfortable in his new clothes, who is unable to commit to the woman who loves him. In summary, a man we accept because we know him to be human. “The Cherry Orchard” plays at the Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave. Tickets: (213) 628-2772.
Canyon School: “Ready
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Canyon Charter Elementary School made history last week when it became the first school in the nation to frame a house on its campus through Habitat for Humanity’s hurricane relief house-building program, Operation Home Delivery. The house is one of 350 being built across the U.S. and one of a dozen homes under the auspices of the nonprofit’s Los Angeles organization. The school’s plan to aid Gulf Coast hurricane victims was six months in the making and had the full support of the Los Angeles Unified School District. “Our partnership with Habitat for Humanity truly celebrates the generous spirit of giving in this community,” says Carol Henderson, principal of Canyon. “The opportunity to build a home for a family in need is a remarkable honor. Giving is contagious and we hope that our home will inspire other schools to help’one home at a time.” Canyon’s commitment to community service’an integral component of its charter’propelled the school to do more than just donate money to the hurricane relief effort. “What we wanted to do was to provide a memorable experience for the children,” explained former Canyon teacher Dorothy Miyake, who came out of retirement to spearhead the academic portion of the project. “We worked very hard to integrate the project into our social studies curriculum at every grade level.” The Habitat project was fully funded by the Canyon community. The required $85,000 to build the house was raised by the students and through private donations. The price includes the cost of the land, as well as construction materials. Habitat for Humanity says the only way it can afford to build a house at that price is because of volunteer labor. Canyon students started fundraising soon after the idea to build the house was hatched in the fall. Their efforts included a Halloween candy drive in which a sponsor bought back 15,000 pieces of candy for 10 cents a piece. Another fundraising project was “Count Your Lucky Stars,” in which students donated money they earned by doing chores at home. A third project involved selling their creative talents. Drawings by the children of Canyon’s historic one-room schoolhouse (now the library) were packaged as stationery, six cards selling for $10. Other ways the students gave? Two children in one Canyon family had birthday parties and requested checks for Habitat instead of birthday presents. Other students did a similar thing around the holidays, asking for money to help fund the project instead of their usual Christmas and Hanukkah gifts. “It is remarkable what the students and members of this community have done to be able to support Habitat for Humanity’s rebuilding efforts in the Gulf,” says Erin Rank, President/CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles. “This partnership is a wonderful example of what can happen when like-minded, goodhearted people are moved to action.” (Editor’s note: “What makes a House a Home?” is the theme of this year’s Canyon school fair being held today from 5 to 7 p.m. Photos taken by the students of the Habitat project will be on display. For volunteer opportunities with Habitat for Humanity in L.A. call 323-4663.)
Pali Boys Hoops Win
At halftime of last Friday night’s City Invitational playoff game, nothing seemed to be going right for the Palisades High boys varsity basketball team. The Dolphins had only 13 points and head coach James Paleno could feel the game slipping away. He instructed his players to use a full-court press and the strategy worked as Pali outscored host Huntington Park 32-16 in the final eight minutes to pull out a 57-54 victory. “Even though we were trailing, we all felt we could come back,” PaliHi forward Marshall Johnson said. “We usually start off slow so that didn’t bother us. We were determined to win, to play every possession like it was our last.” Trailing by 13 points at the start of the fourth quarter, Palisades chipped away at Huntington Park’s lead, pulling to within 49-46 on a three-pointer by Brian Barner with 2:29 left. After forcing a 10-second violation, Pali got the ball back and scored on a putback by Aaron Harris. Barner stole the inbounds pass and dished to Ashton Roberts, who drove the lane, was fouled, made the layup and sank the ensuing free throw to give the Dolphins their first lead, 51-49 with 1:53 left. Johnson , who finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds, increased Pali’s lead to three with seven seconds left. Needing to drive the length of the court, Spartans guard Danny Magana accicdentally dribbled the ball off of his foot and out of bounds. “It came down to the fact that we don’t want to go home yet,” Barner said. “We want to keep practicing and keep playing. We know if we play defense, we can stay in any game.” Palisades (12-13) traveled to top-seeded Venice Wednesday (result unavailable at press time). If victorious, the Dolphins will travel to the Eagle Rock-San Pedro winner Friday at 7 p.m. Girls Basketball Palisades’ varsity lost to King-Drew, 66-56, last Thursday night in the first round of the City championship playoffs. Zedra Slaton led the 14th-seeded Dolphins (10-11) with 19 points, including six of Pali’s first seven baskets while Silvia Cuellar and Tawana Briggs also scored in double figures. The third-seeded Golden Eagles (20-4) led by as many as 15 points. Pali cut its deficit to 54-50 with under a minute left but got no closer. Although the varsity team was eliminated, Palisades’ junior varsity team plays on. The third-seeded Dolphins followed last Wednesday’s 50-28 blowout of North Hollywood in the first round with a 36-31 quarterfinal win over Carson on Tuesday. Sophomore Mariah Lyons had 13 points and Cynthia Hernandez added 10 for the third-seeded Dolphins (14-1).
Gene’s Teams Win Las Vegas Tourney
Gene Selznick’s 17s girls club volleyball teams both won their divisions at the Las Vegas Invitational tournament last weekend. The first team, led by local players Kelly Irvin, Kendall Bird, Mattison Quayle and Audrey Eichler, finished first out of 168 teams in the U-17 elite division by winning all 10 of its matches. Selznick’s squad defeated San Diego Encinitas, 24-26, 25-21, 15-10, in the finals after beating Jamba of Hawaii in three games in the semifinals. Irvin, the team captain and setter, attends Marymount High along with Bird and Quayle. Eichler plays at Harvard-Westlake High in North Hollywood. Rounding out the squad were Ashley Lee of Whittier, Cathy Quilico and Jessie Yeager of Westlake, Deanna Elias and Tori Boden of Thousand Oaks and Sydney Bratovich of Las Vegas. Gene’s Team will play a mandatory 18-and-under tournament this Sunday at the Anaheim Stadium Club in preparation for Junior Olympic Qualifying March 17-19 in Denver, Colorado. Selznick’s 17s ‘B” team competed in the 18s division in Las Vegas, which consisted of 264 teams, and won the Silver Division. Led by Palisadians Christine Waters (Harvard-Westlake), Tori Storosh (New Roads) and Molly Peterson (Oak Park), the team also consisted of Caitlin Williams, Joanna Kobalski and Megan Berry of Santa Monica High, Amanda Gottesman of New Roads, Bianca Crain and Jessi Brown of Crossroads and Ali Habeeb of Notre Dame Academy.
Bellamy to Host First Tennis Channel Open
When it comes to tennis, no one is as enthusiastic or creative as Palisadian Steve Bellamy. Shortly after moving to Pacific Palisades 10 years ago he turned the Palisades Tennis Center into one of the country’s most renowned youth development programs. He has since become the founder and President of The Tennis Channel and now he has begun a new endeavor: The Tennis Channel Open, which begins Monday in Las Vegas. The Open will feature a men’s ATP and women’s ITF event, college and junior level tournaments as well as table tennis and paddle tennis championships, all played at a new state-of-the-art facility. A staunch advocate of doubles, Bellamy will start every day with a doubles match on stadium court. “Steve deserves a lot of credit for the popularity of tennis today,” says Las Vegas resident Andre Agassi, one of the most recognizable and successful players on the men’s tour. “He has brought the sport into so many people’s lives. Whether through the launch of the Tennis Channel, or through the thousands of children he has spent time with on the court, Steve has played an important role in introducing the sport to a whole new generation.” Bellamy was named Person of the Year for 2005 by The Daily Tennis/Tennisnews.com for his significant contributions to the sport. Daily Tennis/Tennis.com publisher Bob Larson said the award will henceforth be known as “The Bellamy” in honor of the inaugural winner.
Defense is Key to Dolphins’ Success
Palisades High Baseball Preview
With the two most feared hitters gone from the lineup, Palisades High baseball coaches Tom Seyler and Kelly Loftus know that the honus to win this season will shift to the Dolphins’ defense. Fortunately, defense is one of the team’s strengths and the aspect of the game players and coaches emphasize most. “Our defense is going to be the key,” said Loftus, who, along with Seyler, inherited the program when longtime coach Russ Howard decided to step down after the 2003 season. “We’re young in a lot of ways and so there are a lot of things we’re still learning about this group. But defense is the one thing that has to be consistent. I think that goes for any team–hitting will come and go, but defense has to be a priority.” At the heart of Pali’s defense is four-year starter Matt Skolnik at second base. He was a freshman when Palisades reached the City Invitational finals at Dodger Stadium in Howard’s final season. “Matt is our leader out there,” Seyler said. “He has the most experience and he’s our most reliable glove. You can always count on him to be in the right spot, to turn the double play or to back up a base.” Adam Greene, who played two years on junior varsity, will back-up Skolnik. Juniors Mitchell Schwartz and Cole Cook, both starting pitchers, will rotate at first base depending upon who is on the mound. Sophomore Garrett Champion, who filled in for injured starting catcher Tim Sunderland last season, will play third base. Fully recovered from a stress fracture in his right shoulder that forced him to miss virtually all of last season, Sunderland will be behind the plate. Playing shortstop will be junior Andrew Megee, completing Pali’s talented but relatively inexperienced infield. “We have to take more of a team approach this year,” Sunderland said. “The make-up of our team is a lot different. Last year, David [Bromberg] and Dylan [Cohen] were the majority of our offense. They were such good hitters that we could rely on them a lot. This year, we’re going to have to get contributions from the whole lineup.” Sunderland feels added pressure hitting clean-up–where Bromberg was a year ago. “I’m batting fourth, so that’s a key spot. We definitely have big shoes to fill but we’re looking forward to the challenge.” Patrolling the outfield will be senior Bobby Hicks in left and junior Austin Jones in center, with juniors Eric Verdun and Jeff Dauber platooning in left. Other outfielders include seniors Alex Pekelis and Brenden Pollis. “We’ve only lost two games in league the last two years so the other teams know our goal is to go undefeated,” said Skolnik, one of the Dolphins’ four team captains along with Sunderland, Dauber and Megee. “It’s going to be hard to do, but that’s still our goal. We don’t have as many home run hitters, so we’re going to have to produce runs in other ways but that doesn’t mean we can’t be just as good.” Seyler said Cook is emerging as the ace of the pitching staff. At 6-6 and 195 pounds, he throws 88 to 90 miles per hour and has a blazing fastball. The key, Seyler said, is whether he has consistent command of his curve ball and changeup. “The sky is the limit with this kid,” Seyler said. “He’s a strong kid with a lot of potential and if he can hit his spots he is going to dominate. Schwartz, another junior right-hander, is another starter Palisades will rely on to log plenty of innings. Two other right-handers, Seri Kattan-Wright and Johnny Bromberg, round out the staff along with Jones, the Dolphins’ lone left-hander. Junior Rob Rosenberg could contribute on varsity and Skolnik may be called upon to close out games as he did last year. “We call Matt [Skolnik] our “Mr. Right Now” guy because if we need an out right now, he’s the one we turn to,” Seyler said. “Austin [Jones] will be a situational guy who has been throwing real well in practice.” Kattan-Wright, a senior who hardly pitched at all last year because starters David Bromberg and Turhan Folse kept winning, is expecting to contribute more this season. “Last year, we basically had those two guys,” Kattan-Wright said. “This year, we have five solid starters. I think we’re a more well-rounded staff. As for myself, I have a good curve ball. That’s probably my favorite pitch.” Junior varsity players who could make an impact on varsity during the season include sophomore catcher Lucas Berry, freshman pitcher Jonathan Moscot, sophomore outfielder Alex Meadow and first baseman Zach Dauber. Having reached the quarterfinals of the City Section playoffs and nearly upsetting powerhouse Chatsworth last year, Pali’s coaches and players are no longer satisfied with just making the playoffs. That is what they expect. No, they have set much loftier goals this season. “Getting to Dodger Stadium and playing for the City championship,” Skolnik said. “That’s what we want to do. This is my last shot at it. And if we play to our potential, I believe we have a realistic chance.” Qualifying for the finals at Dodger Stadium won’t be easy. The Dolphins have loaded their nonleague schedule with some of the best teams in the Southland, including defending City champion El Camino Real, perennial City powers Cleveland and San Fernando and Marine League contenders Carson and Narbonne. In April, Pali travels to Las Vegas for the Centennial Tournament against the likes of Huntington Beach, Liberty and Kennedy. “Our schedule is brutal but we thrive on the competition,” Seyler said. “We’ve been playing good teams all winter long so why should it be any different?” Palisades holds its annual alumni game this Saturday at 1 p.m., preceded by a friendly junior varsity versus old-timers game. The season officially begins Friday, March 3, when the Dolphins host Southern Section powerhouse Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. “All these tough games and long, hard practices will help us when we start league,” Loftus said. “The Western League is supposed to be much improved and we’re not going to waltz through by any means. I see us playing a lot of close games this year but I see us winning as long as we play fundamentally sound, smart baseball.” Seyler and Loftus credit Pali alums Das Jesson and Jon Leicester, with working out Dolphin players in the offseason, developing their skills as hitters and fielders. Pali’s co-coaches enjoy seeing former players and coaches associated with the program return to lend their support and impart their knowledge to the team. “They’ve been a tremendous help to us and we’re grateful to have them out here,” Seyler said. “The kids look up to them and listen to what they have to say. Especially guys like Das and Jon who are in the majors.” For more information about Palisades Baseball, visit the Web site: www. palibaseball.com.
Sabbatini Survives Scary Sunday
Nissan Open at Riviera Country Club
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Rory Sabbatini learned the hard way that no lead is safe on a Sunday at Riviera Country Club. The South African native began the final round of the Nissan Open four strokes ahead of Fred Couples and Craig Barlow, but by the 15th hole he found himself locked in a four-way tie for the lead with his two playing partners and defending champion Adam Scott, who shot a 64 to finish 12 under par. Sabbatini described the pin locations on Sunday as “downright scary” and added that the course was set up in such a way as to make players pay for every mistake. Another golfer might have crumbled under the pressure, but on a day when he admittedly did not play his best, Sabbatini made the shots he had to and escaped with a one shot victory and the $918,000 winner’s check. “The first thing I felt was just a lot of relief,” Sabbatini said after his third PGA Tour victory. “I couldn’t understand how I could be misreading putts all day. Nothing seemed to be going my way. But I actually got more aggressive when I lost the lead and decided to go for it.” Scott finished second, Barlow was third at 11 under and Couples was fourth at 10 under. Lee Westwood and John Rollins tied for fifth at nine under, four shots back, while Ernie Els, one of the pre-tournament favorites, shot a final round 67 to finish four under par. Ignoring the crowd, which showed overwhelming support for Couples (a Southern Californian and past Nissan Open winner), Sabbatini hit a seven-iron within five feet of the hole on the par-three 16th and rolled in his birdie putt to regain a two-stroke advantage after Barlow and Couples each missed the fairway and wound up with bogeys. It proved to be the decisive shot, as neither Barlow nor Couples mounted a challenge on the final two holes. “Obviously, the 16th hole was the turning point for me,” the 29-year-old Sabbatini said. “My mentality changed after I bogeyed the 15th. I decided right then and there I’ve got to do what I can do to put some pressure back on the other guys. I played the 16th real aggressive and hit one of my best tee shots all day. And I was able to follow it with a good, clutch putt.” On the 18th, considered one of the most difficult par 4s in all of golf, Sabbatini played smart. He found the right side of the fairway and reached the front edge of the green on his second shot. Needing only to par, he calmly stroked his birdie putt within a foot of the hole, then tapped in for the win. Sabbatini was one-over for the day but could not have cared less. “This was the hardest round of golf I’ve ever played in my life,” he later confessed. “This is one of the truly great, classic golf courses. The greens are small and fast that you have to be so precise with every shot. If your ball-striking is off you’re in for a long afternoon.” It was an exciting but ultimately disappointing day for Scott, who was hoping to win officially this year after being declared the winner last year despite only completing two rounds due to rain. “I honestly didn’t think I had much of a shot of catching Rory when I started my round,” said the curly-haired Australian. “I had the advantage of playing ahead of the leaders so I didn’t feel much pressure. When I got to the back nine and saw the wind picking up I knew the scores would drop a bit and at that point I figured I might have a chance.” Once again, world No. 1 Tiger Woods was unable to win his hometown tournament. In fact, Woods didn’t even finish. He barely made the cut at one-over par, 11 strokes off the lead, then withdrew before the start of his third round Saturday morning due to a flu that visibly effected him over the first two rounds. “Everyone saw how Tiger felt this week, struggling with the flu and he just can’t shake it,” Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg said. “He feels awful. This is an event he loves to play in and strives to win.” It marked the first time in his career that Woods failed to complete a tournament for health reasons. Woods, who grew up 40 miles away in Cypress, made his PGA Tour debut at Riviera as a 16-year-old amateur, but has failed to win there in 11 tries.
Stepping Out for Oscar Night
Oscar Picks by Arnie and the ‘Mayor’
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
“I personally don’t think it’s a wonderful year for film; it’s actually a weak year,” said Arnie Wishnick, the Chamber of Commerce executive director who has been on hiatus as the Palisadian-Post’s longtime movie reviewer. “I completely disagree,” said Palisades Honorary Mayor Steve Guttenberg. “The films this year are very important because each is a social commentary and raises issues.” The movies nominated for best picture this year are “Capote,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Crash,” “Good Night, and Good Luck,” and “Munich.” Wishnick even suggested that the Academy should skip this year’s nominated films and go back to 1951 when “An American in Paris” won for best picture over “A Place in the Sun,” or 1952 when “The Greatest Show on Earth” won over “High Noon” and “Moulin Rouge” and announce one of those three losing films as the best picture of 2005, giving them the due they deserved. Mayor Guttenberg, a veteran actor by trade, strongly disagreed with that thinking. “‘Brokeback Mountain’ will win hands down. The score was beautiful, the cinematography brilliant. The story was a metaphor for so many themes.” When pressed for which of the nominated films will win, Wishnick predicts “Brokeback Mountain.” “I didn’t care for this movie. I agree with Steve that it has beautiful scenery, beautiful music, but there wasn’t much of a story and no humor. It just didn’t interest me. Although I agree with the gay community in asking, ‘Why couldn’t it have a happy ending?'” “Of the five movies, I wouldn’t tell people to run and see any of them,” Wishnick continued. “I do like ‘Matchpoint,’ Woody Allen’s movie’it’s well-acted and a good thriller. I would’ve put that in the best movie category.” The two he would knock out are “Crash” and “Good Night, and Good Luck.” Guttenberg said he would keep all the nominated movies, although he agreed that “Matchpoint” was excellent. Asked what other movie should have been nominated, Wishnick said: “King Kong. It got shafted. Yes, the movie is a tad long, the scenes in the jungle should have been cut and Adrian Brody was miscast, but it was a good movie. Naomi Watts should be in the best actress category.” “King Kong got exactly what it deserved,” Guttenberg said. “It didn’t have the ‘meat”it was a commercial foray with no important theme.” “In ‘Good Night, and Good Luck,'” Wishnick said, “anyone under the age of 40 won’t know anything about the people in the movie’they don’t know who the people are and what their jobs are.” “I disagree,” said Guttenberg. “One doesn’t have to be a heroin addict or a hustler to understand ‘Midnight Cowboy.’ Movies are the greatest and most popular art forms. They can help make social changes.'” “David Strathairn’s portrayal of Murrow was terrific,” Wishnick said. “I agree with George Clooney when he said that Joe McCarthy should have been nominated in the best supporting actor category for his vicious portrayal of himself.” In the best actor category, Wishnick believes that Phillip Seymour Hoffman “has a lock because he WAS Capote.” “Not a chance,” said Guttenberg, who thinks the award will go to cowboy Heath Ledger. Wishnick does have a piece of advice for Hoffman: “Get rid of the three names! Nobody should go into business with three names. The only person who has had three names that anyone remembers is Mary Tyler Moore.” In the best actress category, our two local “experts” both think the award will go to Reese Witherspoon in “Walk the Line,” although Wishnick’s favorite was Felicity Huffman in “Transamerica.” He said he can’t understand why Dame Judi Dench is even nominated. “If you close your eyes and listen, it’s like Betti Davis doing a British accent.” Guttenberg shook his head sadly at Wishnick’s analysis. “Arnie wouldn’t know a Faberge Egg if I broke it over his head, scrambled it and served it to him for breakfast. Undeterred, Wishnick continued, “I think Joan Allen (“The Upside of Anger”) should have been in this category, but once again films which are released early in the year tend to be forgotten when it comes time for the Oscars. Naomi Watts should also be in this category.” In the supporting actor category, Wishnick said it’s a toss-up between George Clooney and Paul Giamatti (who won the SAG award), but his favorite was William Hurt in “A History of Violence.” “Although he was only on the screen for eight minutes he was terrific. He gave a new definition to creepy in the role of the evil brother.” Once again, Guttenberg goes for broke and backs Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance for the award. Supporting actress? Wishnick predicted it will go to Rachel Weisz in “The Constant Gardener.” If he had been able to vote, he would have selected Maria Bello from “Trans-america.” Her acting was superb, but if that wasn’t enough, in one scene she puts on a cheerleading costume to spice up the bedroom. “She looked good in that cheerleading outfit,” Wishnick said. “That alone deserves a nomination.” “I have to go with Michelle Williams,” Guttenberg said, once again banking on “Brokeback Mountain.” In the documentary feature category there are several strong contenders, including “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” and “Murderball.” But both men think “It’s the year of the penguin.” And as Wishnick observed, “If the penguins show up they won’t even have to rent a tux.” If you look back over past Oscar winners for best original song, the list includes “Thanks for the Memories” (1938), “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” (1939), “Wish Upon a Star” (1942), “White Christmas” (1943), “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” (1969), “The Way We Were” (1973) and “I Just Called to Say I Love You” (1984). This year, searching through the movies, the Academy could find only three original songs: “In the Deep” from “Crash,” “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” from “Hustle and Flow,” and “Travelin’ Thru” from “Transamerica.” Although, the “pimp” song melody doesn’t leave your head for 48 hours, Arnie thinks “Travelin’ Thru” will win. The Mayor is betting on the melody you can’t get out of your head. Wishnick admitted he didn’t see all of the nominated foreign films, but that he’s heard good things about the German film “Sophie Scholl: The Final Days” and the Palestinian film “Paradise Now.” Guttenberg thinks the winner will be “Paradise Now.” What were some of the movies and performances overlooked by Academy voters? “Shopgirl,” said Wishnick. “It was a good movie with a good story; at the very least it should have been nominated for adopted screenplay. Claire Danes and Jason Schwartzman should have been nominated in the best actress and best supporting actor category as well.” “‘Mrs. Henderson Presents,'” Guttenberg said. “It was really good and really well made. ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ was also overlooked; it should have been nominated for music and art direction, as well as for best director (Tim Burton).” Who do we listen to if we want to win the Oscar ballot contest (page 2) in this special supplement? “I’m extremely accurate on picks,” Mayor Guttenberg said modestly. And Wishnick? “I’ve never won, and never will because I stray and pick someone in a category because it’s my favorite,” he said. “You have to put yourself in the shoes of the voter and think how they’ll vote.”
Bernstein Links Charity and Social Justice
By EVELYN BARGE Palisadian-Post Intern Growing up in Washington, D.C., during the civil rights and anti-war movements of the 1960s and 70s, Palisadian Celia Bernstein said she developed an early understanding of community issues and social change. As a child, Bernstein would distribute homemade peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to the hungry protesters. “It was a strange time,” she said. “But it had a real impact on me, so I’ve been doing work in the community for a long time.” Bernstein started her career as a social worker before moving into the nonprofit field. She met her husband Brad Kesden in 1983 during a brief venture into the entertainment industry in New York. They met when Kesden interviewed for a television show she was working on at the time. Although he was not hired, the two became friends and started dating in 1985. “I’m convinced that the reason I was in the [television] industry was to meet Brad,” she said. “Otherwise, I don’t know if we would have ever met.” The couple moved to Los Angeles in 1988, the same year that the Shefa Fund was founded in Philadelphia as a national Jewish public foundation to encourage American Jews and Jewish institutions to be involved in socially responsible philanthropy. “It brings back the notion of ‘tikkun-olam,’ a Hebrew word for healing the world,” Bernstein said. “It takes this notion of value of ‘tikkun-olam’ in the Jewish tradition and brings it alive.” Bernstein has been the West Coast director of the Shefa Fund since 2001, when Shefa opened its first West Coast office in Los Angeles. (The organization has sinced merged with another progressive Jewish organization, the Jewish Fund for Justice.) Prior to joining Shefa, Bernstein was the associate director of development at the Liberty Hill Foundation and managed the foundation’s Donor Advised Program. “In 2001, I was charged four years ago with creating a local city fund,” Bernstein said. “Our model is to create these city funds where we can pool contributions from Jewish individuals and institutions in a particular city, and then re-lend them within that city.” Through the creation of a local, faith-based fund, the organization collects loans from Jewish individuals and institutions and then redistributes the money to low-income communities. These communities can then use the funds for affordable housing, small businesses and public facilities. Bernstein said she feels it is important for the Jewish community to examine the potential connection between their personal money and social justice and to utilize their charitable resources. “The Jewish community, over the years, has been a minority community, a poor community and an immigrant community,” she said. “In last few decades, it’s become a very wealthy community. Per capita, the Jewish community is wealthier than the mainstream. We believe that it’s very important for Jews not only to help other Jews, but also for the Jewish community to really engage in being involved in the larger community and making it a better place for all.” In additional to loans for low-income communities, the Shefa Fund also runs a grant-making program. Grants are given to socially responsible organizations both in and out of the Jewish community. In the past year and a half, the Los Angeles fund pooled about $1.3 million in loans and equity grants. “Through our work, we’ve been able to get 20 individuals and family foundations and businesses to lend to us,” Bernstein said. “Our goal is to really organize a huge sum of money from the Jewish community for broader community development.” In February, the Shefa Fund merged with the Jewish Fund for Justice, a larger New York City organization, and Bernstein said the merger will give her office a heightened presence in Los Angeles. The two groups are now called the Jewish Funds for Justice. Bernstein said she is encouraged in her work by both the events of the past and a hope for the future. On her desk at work in Santa Monica, she keeps a framed photograph of her grandmother, Celia Kravitz. The picture was taken as Kravitz sat behind a sewing machine in a sweatshop in Baltimore. “It was not that long ago,” Bernstein said. At home in the Asilomar bluffs neighborhood, she keeps another memento for inspiration. It is a note written by her daughter Lena for a school project at Marquez Elementary. The note reads: “My mom works at the Shefa Fund, and that means give money away, and it means to help people.” “This is why I’m doing what I’m doing,” Bernstein said referring to the note. “This is the penultimate reward.” (Editor’s note: Celia Bernstein and her husband Brad Kesden have both been immersed in the nonprofit world since the fall of 2003, when he founded Rock the Classroom. See Evelyn Barge’s article on Kesden on page 17.)
