U-8 Girls The Golden Stars lost to the Golden Girls, 5-0, at Kenter Canyon. Courtney Corrin, Caroline Scholze and Marianne Verrone kept the pressure on the Girls with several shots on goal, with help from midfielders Erica Jaffe and Libby Sondheimer. Stars Brittney Ghadoushi and Devon Shalom were strong on defense in front of goalies Kelsey Allen-Niesen and Lizzie Howard. U-10 Girls Black Magic scored four goals in the third quarter to post a 4-3 victory over the Silver Cyclones. MacKenzie Howe scored the first three goals and Brittney Butler tallied the game-winner for the Magic. Isabella Bertagna scored all three goals for the Cyclones. U-10 Boys The Red Barons and Tigers played to a scoreless tie at Barrington Recreation Center. Tiger goalies Brad Graboff and Hagen Smith shut down the Tigers with the help of defenders Jonah Joffe, Tommy Collins, Joan Iacopino and Nick Ravich. In another game, the Burgundy Bombers overcame a two-goal deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the Green Goblins, 3-3, Saturday at Barrington. The Bombers were led by the goaltending of Bennett Shaeffer, Jesse Wood, Jordan Shalom, and Kieran McCann. Jack Davis scored the tying goal off an assist from brother Charlie Davis and Joe Rosenbaum added two goals for the Bombers. U-12 Boys Crimson United beat the Flaming Watermelons, 3-1, at Palisades High. Turner Hanley, Judd Liebman and Parker Hiatt each scored for the United, with Cole Kahrilas, Jordan Lewis and Shervin Ghaffari each adding an assist. Casey Jordan played strong in goal for the United.
Paly Third at Annual Meet
Local YMCA Swimmers Host Invitational at Temescal Canyon Pool
It wasn’t the Olympics, but one could not tell from the excitement generated during the Palisades-Malibu YMCA swim team’s annual Invitational last Saturday and Sunday at Temescal Canyon Pool. An Olympic atmosphere pervaded the Some 670 swimmers representing 12 of the strongest YMCA teams from Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Orange Counties participated in last weekend’s meet. All but five of Paly’s 120 swimmers, ranging from 5 to 18 years old, competed in at least one race. Their efforts resulted in a third-place finish for the second straight year, once again behind first-place San Pedro and runner-up Crescenta Canada. Paly Coaches Eric Butler and Kameron Kelly agreed that the host team did well considering the quality of competition it faced. ‘The 8-and-unders really did an outstanding job for us. They exemplified the direction the program here is going,’ Kelly said. ‘After all of the schedule changes and coaching changes, the team is exceeding even our expectations.’ Coach Butler added: ‘Our 10-and-unders really put on a great performance. This is the first meet of the season and I think we’re right where we need to be at this point.’ Relays were confined to one session after it became apparent that with so many swimmers it would be a challenge to finish the meet before dark on Sunday. Paly’s 10-and-under girls’ 200 Freestyle Relay team of Courtney Carswell, Pamela Soffer, Olivia Kirkpatrick and Mara Silka finished third. The boys’ 11 & 12-year-old 200 Freestyle Relay of Danny Fujinaka, Jack Porter, Stephen Anthony and Jacob DeFilippis also placed third. Among the Paly swimmers who took to the starting blocks for the first time in an organized meet were Mac Abe, Ruby Allen, Nick Barnett, Catherine Bergin, Caroline Carswell, Andrew and Derek Chang, Tommy Collins, Sean Daigle, Jake Dvorsky, Nicole Elattrache, Jei Gapito, Nicolas Green, Kate Heck, Izzy Kalichman, Griffin Koffman, Kenny Kim, Gabriella Lamm, Maya Landan, Michael Lukasiak, Tristan Marsh, Rachel Martin, Amanda McAdams, Kelly McGinnis, Adam and Caroline Moreton, Mardell Ramirez, Jeremy Ratib, Samantha Richmond, Chris Soffer, John Soneff, Peter Tilton, Melina Vamos, Joe Walker, Alec Wilimovsky, Connor Yost, and Stephanie Zolan. The group of 11& 12-year-old girls who were first-timers themselves five years ago consisted of Alexandra Edel, Allison Merz, Haley Lemoine, Jennifer and Kimberly Tartavull and Shelby Pascoe. They placed second, seventh, ninth, 10th, 12th and 17th, respectively, in the 200 Individual Medley, dropping as much as 19 seconds off of their previous best times and scoring 50 points for the team in that event alone. Individual winners who placed fifth or better were six-year-old Joe Walker (third in the 25 Freestyle); six-year-old Elizabeth Edel (first in the 100 Individual Medley and 25 Breaststroke, second in the 25 Freestyle, 50 Freestyle and 25 Backstroke and third in the 25 Butterfly); Courtney Carswell, who once again proved one of the toughest competitors in the 7 & 8-year-old girls division with a second-place swim in the 100 Individual Medley, 25 Backstroke and 50 Freestyle, and fourth-place finishes in the 25 Freestyle, 25 Breaststroke and 25 Butterfly. Eight-year-old Syndey Cheong took fourth in the 25 Backstroke, while Jayme Rossie swam fifth in the same event. Alex Landau was another top point getter for the Paly boys’ team with a second-place swim in the 25 Butterfly, thirrd in the 25 Breaststroke and fourth in the 100 Individual Medley. Ten-year- olds Matthew Piazza and Adelaide Seaman each placed third in the 50 Freestyle in the boys’ and girls’ divisions, respectively. Danny Fujinaka, the fastest 11 & 12-year-old boy, placed fourth in the 200 Breaststroke and 200 Freestyle and fifth in the 200 Individual Medley, 50 Butterfly, 100 Freestyle and 50 Freestyle. Having an outstanding meet and garnering the most points for the Paly girls’ team was 12-year-old Alexander Edel, who won the 50 (36.48) and 100 Breaststroke (1:20.14), the 50 (28.40) and 100 Freestyle (1:01.47), finished runner-up in the 50 Butterfly, 50 Backstroke and the 200 Individual Medley, and swam third in the 200 Freestyle. Other 11 & 12-year-old girls who place in the top five were Haley Lemoine (fourth in the 50 Freestyle; Jennifer Tartavull, who shaved four seconds off of her previous-best 50 Breaststroke time to place third and added a fifth-place swim in the 100 Breaststroke; Allison Merz (fifth in the 100 Butterfly) and Shelby Pascoe (fourth in the 100 Backstroke). Swimming third in the 100 Backstroke and fifth in the 100 Breaststroke was 13-year-old Nick Karody. Samantha Brill, 14, took third place in the 50 Freestyle while Jessica Schem swam fourth in both the 100 and 200 Backstroke. Sixteen-year-old Chelsea Davidoff placed second in the 100 Breaststroke and fourth in the 50 Freestyle. Hannah Haberfield, also 16, took fifth in the 50 and 100 Freestyle events and second in the 100 Butterfly. Fifteen-year-old Erica Drennan won the 100 Butterfly in 1:13.00), placed second in the 100 Backstroke and swam third in the 200 Backstroke, 200 Individual Medley and 100 Freestyle. For the Paly boys, 16-year-old Paris Hays scored well in the 15-and-over division, placing second in the 50 Freestyle, third in the 100 Butterfly and fourth in the 200 Freestyle. Carlson Cameron, 18, was third in the 100 Freestyle. The Paly Y Invitational has been held ‘as long as anyone can remember,’ according to meet director Rob Merz, dating back at least 32 years when the Paly team was started. Coaches Butler and Kelly invite any swimmers who think they might like to try the excitement of competing to call the pool and schedule a tryout. The coaches also give private lessons at the Temescal Canyon facility to teach proper technique for competitive swimming.
Volleyball Loses to Venice
Palisades may be the defending City champion, but Venice was the more experienced team entering Monday’s Western League showdown. In the end, that experience served the visiting Gondoliers well throughout a 25-19, 23-25, 25-10, 25-22 victory which gave them sole possession of first place heading into the second round of league play. ”The rivalry between the two schools has long been among the most fiercely competitive in the City Section and Monday’s match was no exception. But while the majority of Dolphins are freshmen, the Gondos’ roster boasts five seniors and five juniors. And although Palisades’ youthful exuberance and athleticism showed at times, the poise and consistency of Venice proved to be the decisive factor. ”As the match progressed, a battle in the middle evolved between Pali freshman Alex Lunder and Venice senior Ashley Legoretta. The Dolphins’ 14-year-old was by far their biggest offensive weapon, finishing with 10 kills and six blocks. Legoretta countered with 14 kills, 14 digs and eight blocks while junior outside hitter Kiana Seaver added 12 kills and three aces for Venice (5-2 overall, 4-0 in league). ”Momentum swung back and forth throughout the first game. Senior setter Diana Grubb served four consecutive points to give Pali (5-2, 3-1) a 13-12 lead but six service errors ultimately cost Pali a chance to take an early lead on its home floor. Game two was closely contested until freshman Jenna McCallister’s touch kill down the line put Pali ahead to stay. Fellow ninth-grader Alina Kheyfets, who was born in Moscow and is a black belt in karate, dropped a quick-set kill on game point that leveled the match at a game apiece and put a smile on the face of Pali’s first-year coach Cheri Stuart. ”Venice took control of the match in the third game, benefiting from numerous service, rotation and return errors by the Dolphins to open a commanding 17-5 advantage. The Gondos’ domination continued early in the fourth game as they raced to a 22-14 lead. However, Palisades did not go down without a fight. The Dolphins mounted a furious rally, pulling to within two points twice and saving two match points before Seaver ended it with a crosscourt kill. ”Natasha Vokhshoori had six kills and three blocks and Kaylie McCallister had 12 digs for the Dolphins, whose only previous loss came in its season opener at Santa Monica. Venice is undefeated since nonleague losses to San Pedro and Narbonne. Monday’s match aired that evening on KCLS-LA television and will be rebroadcast Friday at 10 p.m. Football ”For the third time in five games, the Palisades High varsity football team failed to produce an offensive touchdown in a 34-6 nonleague loss to San Pedro Friday night at Stadium by the Sea. By halftime, an eery mist had engulfed the field, but it was the Dolphins who seemed to be in a fog. ”Palisades (1-4) rushed for a season-low 45 yards, all but three of those by junior tailback Andre Harris. Senior quarterback Dylan Cohen completed 4 of 13 passes for 27 yards’two of them to Harris’and was sacked four times. The Dolphins might have been shut out completely if not for a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown by senior defensive back Brandon Bryant with 21 seconds left in the third quarter. Bryant also made a spectacular one-handed interception at midfield in the second quarter, but the Dolphins could not take advantage of the turnover and punted four plays later. ”After recovering the opening kickoff, San Pedro (3-2) wasted little time capitalizing on Palisades’ miscue. Gregory Wood, who finished with 71 yards in 16 carries, scored on a seven-yard run 1:31 into the game. Quarterback Dustin Garneau completed 8 of 13 passes for 153 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown pass that extended the Pirates’ lead to 28-6 early in the fourth quarter. Girls Tennis ”Without top player Olivia Colman, Palisades may not have the best varsity tennis team in the City Section. But the Dolphins are out to prove they are still the team to beat in the Western League. Pali’s stiffest competition was supposed to have come from Westchester, but Pali trounced the host Comets 6-1 in the first meeting between the schools, sweeping all three doubles matches in the process. ”Just before the season started, Colman left PaliHi and enrolled in an independent study program. Her absence was felt in nonleague losses to Mira Costa and Malibu, but since then Palisades has won five matches in a row, with No. 1 and No. 2 singles players Krista Slocum and Contessa Brown leading the way. ”The defending league champion Dolphins traveled to Venice Monday and beat the Gondos 6-1. Brown defeated Jenna Yoshikama, 8-3, at No. 1 singles, Slocum beat Pauline Lampert by the same score at No. 2 singles, Lauren Pugatch blanked Kiri Inouve, 8-0, at No. 3 singles and Sarah Yankelovitz won 8-2 at No. 4 singles. ”Co-captain Brittany O’Neal and Yasmir Navas lost 8-2 at No. 1 doubles, Mary Logan and Lotte Kiepe won 8-4 at No. 2 doubles and Dina Quick paired with Elieka Salamipour to win 8-6 at the No. 3 doubles position.
TGA Golf Classes at Temescal Park
Total Golf Adventures (TGA) will begin a revolutionary golf program in the Palisades for children from kindergarten through sixth grade. TGA’s mission is to grow each child’s passion for the game of golf while developing and improving their motor skills and coordination, encouraging their advancement, and building their confidence and self-esteem. TGA’s golf class is an eight-week program, beginning Monday, October 18, and running through Monday, December 13, at Temescal Canyon Park. TGA provides the necessary equipment, including golf clubs and new technologically advanced practice balls. The class includes a National Golf Program t-shirt, a certificate of completion, exciting contests with prizes, a two-week team tournament and the opportunity to participate in weekend events with students from schools all over Los Angeles. To register call Steve Tanner at 399-8422 or e-mail: steve@totalgolfadventures.com.
Pros Prep to Light Malibu Surf Night
Red Bull 5X will take over First Point in Malibu from 7 to 9 p.m. this Saturday, October 16, when five of the world’s best female longboarders compete in 5X, a new type of surf competition. The break at Surfrider Beach will be lit up with 180,000 watts of power, making it seem like a bright summer day on a July weekend. World class longboarders Kassia Meador, Kim Hamrock, Daize Shayne, Mary Osborne and Schuyler McFerran will test the waves at First Point, then a post-surf party will be held across the street at the Malibu Inn (22969 Pacific Coast Hwy). Surfers will be judged based on their performance in five categories: torque, boost, push, mojo and combo. Call Josh Kendrick at 460-5254 or Jordan Miller at 323-866-6035.
Calvary Upsets St. Matthew’s
In a matchup between Palisades private schools, the Calvary Christian girls volleyball team defeated defending Junior Delphic League champion St. Matthews, 25-17, 25-17, last Thursday at the St Matthew’s gym. Calvary exacted a measure of revenge against the team that eliminated them in the Delphic League semifinals last year. Eighth-graders Glenna Roberts, Cati Hance, Hilary Dahl and Catherine Price led the Cougars while seventh-grader Maya McPherson made numerous kills. Dahl passed well in her defensive specialist role. Other valuable contributions were made by Christina McHugh, Genevieve Dash and Tate Johnson. Calvary is coached by Brian and Karen Kelly. ‘St. Matthews is a well-coached team,’ Brian Kelly said. ‘We put forth a good effort and we are looking forward to our remaining games.’ All six Calvary starters play for Sunshine Volleyball Club. Along with St. Matthew’s, Calvary competes in the Junior Delphic League with Harvard-Westlake, Brentwood, St. Paul’s and Windward.
Judith Lengyel, 59; Pioneering Molecular Biologist at UCLA
Judith Ann Lengyel, a molecular biologist at UCLA, whose groundbreaking work has created new insights into how specific genes control cell shape and movement during the formation of an organism, died September 25. Lengyel, 59, a professor of molecular and developmental biology at UCLA for 28 years, died from a brain tumor. She was a longtime resident of Pacific Palisades, where she enjoyed hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains and bicycling. ‘Judith was an amazing figure who broke new ground in determining how organisms evolve,’ said Utpal Banerjee, chair of the Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology. ‘She was a superb scientist, a role model and a mentor for women in the sciences, and a national leader in advancement of work in molecular biology.’ Born in Rochester, New York, Lengyel moved to Los Angeles at an early age. She attended Palisades Elementary, Paul Revere and University High, then earned her undergraduate degree in microbiology at UCLA in 1967. She received her Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in molecular biology. Lengyel conducted post-doctoral work at MIT in molecular and developmental biology, beginning her work on genetic development in drosophila (fruit flies) that she would continue for the rest of her career. In 1976, Lengyel became an assistant professor in the biology department and the Molecular Biology Institute at UCLA. With her first student, Kathryn Anderson, she pioneered the measurement of the rates of synthesis and turnover of messenger RNAs in drosophila embryos’research that opened the door to modern molecular approaches to investigating development of organisms. ‘Judith conducted landmark research on ‘tailless,’ an extremely interesting gene with many unique properties that affect development,’ said John Merriam, professor of molecular and developmental biology at UCLA. ‘Her work was instrumental in creating a revolution in biology that had a major impact on our understanding of how genes control the development of the embryo. ‘It is likely that the tailless interacts with other signals to lead to specific head and tail organs. Judith’s work on tailless led to a more contemporary question: how are the cells that make these organs actually controlled?’ said Merriam. ‘Judith played an important role in promoting the idea that the signaling pathways used in the early embryo are deployed again at later stages of development, and are also used in adults to maintain the integrity of organs,’ said associate professor Karen Lyons. ‘This concept emerged from the collected work of many scientists, but Judith’s research certainly provided some of the strongest arguments supporting it. Among her most specific contributions were many papers clarifying the details of the tailless signaling pathway. The work was one of the earliest examples to show that repression of gene activity is as important for proper development as is activation of gene activity.’ Lengyel’s honors include Phi Beta Kappa (1967), elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1992), the Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award (1996), elected California representative to the National Fly Board (2001-2004), and elected treasurer of the Society for Developmental Biology (2002-2004). Well known for her active role in teaching, mentoring and as a role model for young scientists, Lengyel established and regularly taught the upper division developmental biology course, bringing in most of the other faculty who now teach in this course. She was a leader in many arenas to promote graduate and undergraduate teaching in developmental biology. Lengyel is the daughter of physicist Bela Lengyel, the founding chair of the Department of Physics at Cal State Northridge, and Helen Wilman. In addition to her husband, Frederick Eiserling, she is survived by two stepchildren, Erik and Ingrid, and her brother, Thomas. Plans for a memorial service are pending. Call 825-1054 for the time and location.
Christol’s New Book Tackles International Law
Quitting skiing led Palisadian Carl Q. Christol, 91, to write his latest book. In 2001, a friend of his was in a skiing accident and Christol, a lifelong athlete who still swims a half-mile every day, decided it was time for him to give up skiing also because it was too dangerous. His book, ‘International Law and U.S. Foreign Policy,’ is the result. ”Christol, a Distinguished Emeritus Professor of international law and political science at USC, would like citizens to be well-informed and to participate in the formulation of American foreign policy. He will be sign and discuss his new book at Village Books this Sunday, October 17 from 2 to 4 p.m. ”The book was designed for both a general audience that would like to understand foreign policy better prior to November’s election and also for university students who are interested in public policy and foreign policy, international law and U.S. Constitutional law. ”Drawing on his athletic life, Christol offers an analogy between international law and the rules for sports contests. International law, he explains, ‘is the product of the collective actions and decisions of countries wishing to fix rules for their international relations. These rules are designed to serve their basic interests and to promote a maximum world order.’ ”Comparing this to a football game, he says: ‘A football game is played on a gridiron with fixed boundaries. Players must stay within the boundary if they want to make gains or to score.’ ”The book is divided into 10 chapters with sections on international criminal tribunals, environment and climate change, anti-personnel land mines, arms control and disarmament, the Middle East peace process, the war in Iraq and terrorism. In fact, Christol has been concerned about terrorism for a long time and brings the perspective of years of study to his view of the problem. ”In 1987, Christol was quoted in USC’s Daily Trojan that ‘now terrorism is getting to such a boiling point that we ought to be taking a look at it. Unfortunately, the more freedom a country has, the more open it is to terrorism.’ At that time he was the organizer of a conference on terrorism, whose principal speaker was L. Paul Bremer, the Department of State Ambassador-at-Large for terrorist activities. Bremer’s work emphasized preventing aerial hijacking, the protection of U.S. government personnel serving abroad and the effective criminal prosecution of terrorists. ”Christol says the controversial part of his new book is about the war in Iraq, which President Bush has been defending and Senator Kerry has called ‘wrong war, wrong place, wrong time.’ ”Based on his own World War II experience as an infantry officer, Christol has been a careful observer of military policy. ‘You cannot have troops in a standby position in the blazing hot heat of Saudi Arabia and Iraq at a time when periodic sandstorms begin to travel at high speeds. Why? Sand gets into tanks and guns’incapacitating or neutralizing their potential utility. It was very bad planning by the Pentagon to get troops in a precarious position before diplomacy, when desert storms started kicking up.’ ”The book addresses the approaches of unilateralism vs. multilateralism. ‘Unilateralists are also called realists, while multilateralists also claim they are approaching from a realistic basis, but they rely more on a legalistic-moralistic approach.’ Christol gives the example of Henry Kissinger as a realist and Woodrow Wilson as having a multilateral approach. ”The book acknowledges the important role of globalization and analyzes the manner in which the Clinton and Bush administrations have been committed to multilateralism and unilateralism. ”’My own biases are in favor of multilateralism and the need to give the United Nations another chance in the area of security, as well as to make evident contributions to education, social and health benefits, and the promotion of basic human rights.’ Christol is also a strong supporter of the International Criminal Court. ”Christol grew up in South Dakota, graduated from the University of South Dakota, and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and his L.L.B. from Yale Law School. He moved to the Palisades in 1967 with his wife Jeannette, daughter Susan and son Richard. This is his ninth book, including several on his specialty, space law. ”Christol taught at USC for 40 years and received the school’s Raubenheimer Outstanding Senior Faculty Award in 1982. In 1962-63, he held the international law chair at the U.S. Naval War College. ” ”A Palisades Rotary Club member and a member of the peacemaking committee of the Palisades Presbyterian Church, Christol is available to speak about his book to small groups in the Palisades area. In the book’s addendum, he encourages voters to influence foreign policy choices, by writing to their leaders, their newspaper, and by keeping abreast of current events.
A Gourmet Political Rally
A truly grassroots effort in a Palisades neighborhood raised $50,225 Sunday when 301 Democrats paid $150 apiece for a Kerry/Edwards political rally and festive gourmet dinner at the home of Stefano and Debra Coaloa on Grenola. Originally the brainstorm of Palisadian attorney Scott Corwin (Palisadian-Post, October 7), a trustee of the Democratic National Committee, the party evolved into the biggest political gathering in many years in the Palisades as 14 Palisades couples joined the preparations. Said Susan Corwin, Scott’s wife: ‘We had four chefs who are neighbors (Stefano Coaloa, Rob Vogel, Steve Mindel and Antonio Cocoa), 10 servers and helpers, hundreds of hours at committee meetings planning and replanning, and neighbors who were understanding enough to let the party happen even if they have an alternative point of view.’ She continued, ‘I know that everybody loved the food. At my table, my mother-in-law commented that the dinner here was better than her meal at the $5,000-a-plate Kerry fundraiser at the Sheraton Miramar Hotel. Several guests asked me who catered the party, and when I said, ‘Our neighbors!’ they were stunned in disbelief.’ Guest speakers at the event included California State Treasurer Phil Angelides, L.A. City Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa, and State Assemblymember Fran Pavley.
Palisadian Recalls Reeve’s Final Movie
‘I don’t think there’s a day that’s gone by that I haven’t thought about Chris and how he’s made me consistently think about how lucky I am and to appreciate everything I have.’ These are the reflective words of Palisadian Paul Maibaum, who had the privilege of working with Christopher Reeve in what would unwittingly become Reeve’s final film project. Reeve, perhaps best known for his role as Superman, went into cardiac arrest Saturday, then fell into a coma and died Sunday at the age of 52. Doctors said he died of complications from an infection. After a horse jumping accident in May 1995 left him paralyzed from the neck down, Reeve became a strong advocate for both spinal cord and stem cell research and, in turn, was an inspiration to many. Primarily a veteran of the television industry, Maibaum works for Universal as a director of photography, a position that oversees all the components that appear on camera, ranging from production design to set decoration. Some of his TV credits include ‘Run of the House,’ ‘Lucky,’ ‘Dragnet,’ ‘Grounded for Life,’ ‘The Invisible Man’ and ‘Parker Lewis Can’t Lose.’ This past summer, Maibaum worked on the A&E television movie Reeve directed called ‘The Brooke Ellison Story.’ The docudrama is based on the real-life story of a girl, who at age 11 became quadriplegic after being hit by a car. The two-hour program chronicles Brooke’s incredible and inspiring journey from the fateful car crash to her graduation day at Harvard. Filmed in New Orleans from the end of June through July, the movie stars Lacey Chabert (‘Mean Girls’) as Brooke and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (‘The Perfect Storm’) and John Slattery (‘Mona Lisa Smile’) as Brooke’s ever-supportive parents. Maibaum fondly recalls the first day he met Reeve on the set: ‘He got out of his big, black van with his driver, nurse and assistant and was adamant on negotiating everything on his own’getting himself into the building, into the elevator and up to the second floor. We exchanged hellos and he gave me a wink and said, ‘Thank you very much for coming’ with the most sincerity I’ve ever seen anybody have.’ This was the second TV movie Reeve had directed. In 1997, he directed an HBO movie called ‘In the Gloaming’ which dealt with the issue of AIDS. To accommodate Reeve’s arduous routine following his morning awakening, the production ran on a five-week, 9- to 10-hour-a-day timetable as opposed to the standard TV movie filming of four weeks, 12 to 14 hours a day. As a result of his injury, Reeve was unable to regulate his own body temperature and was regularly kept in an air-conditioned space. A room equipped with state-of-the-art cameras was also set up which allowed Reeve to view filming that took place in small spaces, such as a bathroom. In addition, a lipstick, or spy, camera was positioned (Continued on Page 6) on Reeve’s microphone so the actors could see a video image of him on the set. ”Although he was physically separated from the activity, he could always see what was going on and was always part of the production,’ says Maibaum, a director of photography for 13 years. ‘Directing really gave him all the control that he really didn’t have.’ Since the director, the assistant director and the director of photography are ‘the nexus’ of a TV movie, Maibaum collaborated very closely with Reeve. ‘Chris made me feel extremely welcome and that all my ideas were valid, even if they weren’t necessarily the ideas he was going to use. He was the kind of guy who pulled the best out of you.’ Reeve’s wife, Dana, and 12-year-old son, Will, both had small acting roles in the movie. One on-set memory that stood out for Maibaum was when Will was standing next to his father and playfully gave him ‘a big noogie.’ The real Brooke Ellison and her family also visited the set and even witnessed a few scenes. Maibaum says he believes the movie goes ‘beyond the level of your generic TV movie of a family crisis.’ ‘I’m not belittling those other movies dealing with important issues, but I think there’s something very different about this one because the guy at the helm knew intimately what it meant to be confined in a wheelchair, unable to breathe on his own or even turn his head to look at you. Because he was in the same condition [as Brooke], he was a stickler for the truth.’ Looking back, Maibaum says he saw no indication that Reeve’s health was waning in any way during filming. He says Reeve was consistently early on set, often stayed late to review the next day’s work and even met with crew members on weekends to discuss the production. On days off, Maibaum recalls seeing Reeve at a movie theater and touring the city’s French Quarter. ‘After a few hours with him, you pretty much forgot he was in a wheelchair,’ Maibaum says. ‘He was like any other creative mind and wheelchair or not, spinal cord injury or not, he could direct.’ The last correspondence Maibaum had with Reeve was through e-mail during the film’s post-production stage at the end of September. ‘He was telling me how much responsibility he thought I took for how good the show looked,’ Maibaum recounts. ‘I felt I had been overly complimented because it was his inspiration that made everyone rise to the occasion.’ Maibaum, who learned of Reeve’s sudden death in the newspaper Monday, says he was ‘shocked’ and ‘greatly saddened’ by the news. ‘I considered him a friend. He was more than someone I had worked with because he had touched me so much.’ Maibaum says he believes Reeve would want to be remembered for ‘being courageous, having a dream and keeping a sense of humor.’ ‘One of the things that kind of took the edge off the anguish off his passing for me was that he did get to see the film completed. He got to screen a DVD copy of it at his house with his family and friends.’ A self-proclaimed ‘townie,’ Maibaum grew up in Rustic Canyon and now lives with his wife Julie in the Marquez area. Their daughter Shanna is a freshman at San Diego State University. Maibaum is currently at work on a new NBC mid-season comedy ‘Crazy For You,’ which debuts in January. ‘The Brooke Ellison Story’ airs Monday, October 25 at 8 p.m. on A&E. For more information, log onto http://www.aetv.com and click on ‘The Brooke Ellison Story.’
