Los Angeles, CA — YouTube has changed entertainment and news in a big way.    It’s brought the true democratization of mass media allowing virtually anyone to create, and broadcast whatever he or she desires.   Saying that, there are those issues related to what content gets special behind the scenes promotion by YouTube.   There is a lot of trash mixed in with some stunning content.   YouTube is  also a training ground for those that want to shape and hone their skills. Music lovers routinely steal or borrow music content created by others for their video’s soundtracks. This has created copyright pandemonium.   However it’s not really a bad thing for the artists. In fact new exposure of forgotten music of decades gone by has boosted legitimate sales! I’m a chronic music thief!   I do it because I fail to see the harm and I don’t get punished.   More importantly I need great music for the videos I create.   There is copyright fre...

Corcoran State Prison, CA —In this tough prison there are few bright spots.  Charles Manson, Sirhan Sirhan and many other convicted criminals who have committed despicable crimes wait here to simply die.    Most other inmates will quickly get out and the rate of return is astronomical. Of course they destroy lives along the way.  Our correctional institutions do anything but correct.  They are almost all, in reality advanced schools of crime and violence. We have locked up millions of young people in what we call correctional institutions.  We demand they turn their lives around but have made that daunting task impossible.  Perhaps it’s because we place them with one another where they can form peer groups of despair, destruction and depravity.  This concept can only fail. Most of these convicted losers come from ignorance, poverty and are raised by the worst mentors society has to offer.  We only make things worse for them. ...

Amsterdam, The Netherlands —In this incredibly beautiful city there is no shortage of art, entertainment or excitement.  It’s a natural place for the terrific actress, singer and world-class entertainer, Carice van Houten  who is a child of Holland.    I fell in love with Carice’s many talents when she starred in the Paul Verhoeven Film, Black Book .  I expect this incredible and exciting young woman to be getting an Oscar bound film role any day.    Carice completed a brand new album,  See You On The Ice  which is due to be released on ITunes on September 28 .   Carice was a guest on a Dutch DJ’s radio show and sang two selections from her album.  This sneak peek was a real treat for me to watch and now I must pass her on to you! At the very top of my Bucket List is winning a video interview of Carice for this blog! Somehow I think that will happen when I'm in Amsterdam or Carice is in L.A. Black Boo...

The lovely and talented Carice Van Houten ROCKS! Amsterdam, NL —The amazing actress, singer and talented performer Carice van Houten has released a new music video, Emily .  This is part of an album, See You on the Ice , that’s being released and will be available very soon on ITunes .    Van Houten, a multiple Golden Calf award winner simply owns her audience on everything she does.  She’s mastered her native language Dutch along with impeccable English and German.  I discovered her multiple talents in the fabulous Pa ul Verhoeven film, Black Book . She is a regular performer in the Game of Thrones.   She can also be seen with Holly Hunter in a new film called Jackie .   Carice is considering a film project right now that I’m involved with but, Carice is in demand everywhere.  The America audiences will soon be discovering her simply because she’s fearless and unstoppable!  I hope to be able to interview that great la...

Los Angeles, CA —After a hectic couple of months that took me to Paris, Geneva, Berlin, Amsterdam, Chicago and Pittsburg it was indeed time for a break. I was invited to spend some time with my camera shy friends, Golden Globe winning actress, singer and dancer, Ann Jillian and her husband former Chicago police sergeant Andy Murcia at the beach in Pacific Palisades. They brought some wonderful tuna fish sandwiches with them. I took a small walk along the beach to dream about my next trip to Germany. The elegant women, culture and lifestyle of Germany sends me into creativity. I so want to produce a television series for an America audience in Berlin. This was a great break from the worries of what’s happening in our world today. I hope I can share a little of the break with you all. Sit back and listen to the late (died in 2003) great, singer, song-writer and attorney Ed Townsend sing his 1958 hit, For Your Love …

Cole Porter once boasted and made a bet in a bar that he could compose a song on the spot. He won that bet with this masterpiece recorded by Jose Feliciano more than 40 years ago.

When I was in Berlin during the 20 year Wall Fest Celebration in November this great song was played. It was perfect music for the celebration. I give you two videos, one from the Wall Fest and the other from a Blondie concert. It’s difficult to believe by Debora Harry is 65 years-old now. This song really rocks.

As I returned from a too cold Windy City, I though of this gem from Randy Newman. Please sit back an enjoy!

We’ve had enough mayhem and politics already. Here is some of what really matters in our world.

Jim Croce was only 30 years-old when he died in a place crash on June 30, 1973. He was another singer-song writer that made this e world a better place to live. Of course he had a whole catalog of great material out but never lived long enough to spend any of the money. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite but this one was so mellow.

Harry Chapin was quite a musician and singer. His life was ended at 38 years of age when he had a heart attack and accident while driving in 1981. Of all his works he’s known best for this masterpiece:

In the 1960s The Supremes were hot. Soon egos ruled and it became, Diana Ross and the Supremes. Then there were no more Supremes. The Supremes were always better than what we wound up with. Then there was that embarrassing tour of Diana Ross and the “new” Supremes. Just in case you forgot about former Supreme, Mary Wilson , you can see here that she was anything but chopped liver. I always ask, “What might have been?”

Frankfurt, Germany —Instead of being sent to Viet Nam when I was drafted into the Army I served as a medical corpsman in Germany. I was in a Sachsenhausen club called Le Carousel in 1968-70. I was enjoying the company of some young beautiful women that year and here were a few songs they’d play for my enjoyment.

I don’t what turned me off the most, her drug use, smoking, tattoos or the hair and eye makeup out of an Ed Wood horror film. For me Amy Winehouse had no relevance until now. Until I ran across her rendition of, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? Winehouse’s voice is a divine gift. I had to put it on my Ipod along with The Shirells, Ben E. King and Carole King’s versions of that great song. Enjoy:

The gifted troubadour, poet, and songwriter gave us incredible energy and a magic carpet ride through his songs, guitar playing and harmonica music. This was at the intimate venue of The Coffee Gallery Backstage at 2029 N Lake Ave in Altadena. This house regularly puts up this kind of entertainment for their clientele. Lind’s 1966 mega-hit, Elusive Butterfly was as delightful as ever even without violins. The good news is that Lind has more shows yet to do in Southern California on his current tour. You can catch Lind next Saturday night at McCabe’s Concert Hall in Santa Monica if they still have tickets left. I was able to videotape the entire show tonight. We will have to see just what Lind’s handlers will let me post on the blog if anything. Of course Bob Lind has his own website and there are some songs posted there. Lind has some of his CDs in tow with him on this tour that lucky fans may get him to autograph. I say get in to see Bob Lind perform while he’s here. It ma...

I received an e-mail this morning from the talented songwriter/singer Bob Lind . He’s returning to the Bolshevik Republic to finish filming a documentary. Along the way he’s making some appearances where you can see him perform. Lind is most recognized for his fabulous 1960s hit Elusive Butterfly. I wasted no time in making a reservation for one of these shows: Friday, February 16th -- San Francisco The Smile Concert Appearing with The Aerosols and The Music Lovers at THE KNOCKOUT ROOM 3223 Mission San Francisco, California / 9 p.m. Info: (415) 550-6994 Sunday, February 18th -- Altadena THE COFFEE GALLERY BACKSTAGE 2029 N. Lake Ave. Altadena, California / 7:00 p.m. Reserve early! (626) 398-7917 http://www.coffeegallery.com/showsat.htm Wednesday, March 7 -- Buelton The TALES FROM THE TAVERN concert series appearing with Devon Sproule The Taproom at Firestone Walker 620 McMurray Road Buelton, California / 7 p.m. Info: (805) 688-0383 Talesfromthetavern.com Bob Lind wants to line up at ...

I’ve never been a fan of the Taser stun gun. They are a public relations nightmare in too many cases. The Westwood, CA, November 2006 UCLA library incident is an example where an 18-year veteran officer is battling the threat of unwarranted civil litigation. This in a land where the jury pool is polluted with extreme, Liberal cop haters. As for the UCLA officer’s continued employment, I suspect that’s shaky too in an academic institution top-heavy with the Liberal elite. The Taser carries the reputation with it of an ugly American past where cops used cattle prods on African-Americans to gain compliance in Southern states. Personally, I would not have used the Taser in that UCLA incident only because I fear the predictable outcry and circus especially when applied to an unruly minority group member. Nobody seems to care that the UCLA case like so many others only injured the pride of the so-called victim. At the Orlando, FL 2007 SHOT SHOW, I met with Taser representative, Jay Keyh...