RIP Phillip Seymour Hoffman, 46, a great actor who gave so many memorable performances, first as a supporting player, then as a leading man. He was equally adept on stage and in cinema. Although he was at least a decade younger than most of the actors who have played Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman on Broadway, he received glowing reviews. Despite his success, he continued to appear in independent films for meager pay, demonstrating artistic integrity. I am saddened that there will soon be no more of his work to admire, but angered at how this privileged man, father of three, has thrown his life away. In scanning his list of 63 credits at IMDb, many of the performances I had the privilege to see were brilliant, none were less than good. Here’s the quote I liked best among those attributed to him, his advice to aspiring actors: "Study, find all the good teachers and study with them, get involved in acting to act, not to be famous or for the money. Do plays. It's not worth it if you are just in it for the money. You have to love it." I’m tempted to add my own advice about substance abuse, but it would fall on deaf ears. Some people can’t or just won’t say no, and it has always made me sad.
Everyone has gotten into a heated argument at some point in life. They are ridiculous but usually harmless. Not so recently for two Russians, reported in the Weird But True section of today’s NY Post. A teacher stabbed a man to death in a drunken rhubarb about the merits of poetry vs. prose. The murderer preferred poetry. He must have been a frustrated writer, who everyone knows are a menace to society.
I had a great time last night at Adam and Sharon’s, catching up on news with them and our Exchange buddy Joe Piss, who also showed. Adam’s son, Kal, a film student, submitted a 35 second commercial to a contest whose theme was credit card savvy. It’s quite good. Kayla, Adam’s daughter, is a sophomore in high school, a member of the basketball and tennis teams. She is now taller than her dad, who’s five-ten. Piss is still trying to get out from under the thumb of his ex-wife, who is receiving alimony despite the fact she is living with another man. He still eats like there's no tomorrow.
Thoughts on the Super Bowl:
Those pundits who have written that the era of sports dynasties is finished may want to rethink that, given the youth of the Seahawks.
Despite all the rules changes to make scoring easier, defense still wins championships.
It's always a mystery how a good team like the Broncos can seem thoroughly incompetent the night of the biggest game.
Richard Sherman isn’t the only jerk in the league. There are many.
I was completely unfamiliar with the work of Bruno Mars before the halftime show. I was impressed.
I never liked the Red Hot Chili Peppers Give It Away, but they rocked it last night.
I tune out during most commercials. I noticed two: the one with the bull and cows was excellent and, of course, the one with Seinfeld and Costanza, which seemed a pale imitation of those wonderful diner conversations during the show’s heyday.
The four-day winning streak for the floating book shop is done. Even if the weather is decent tomorrow, the eight inches of snow that is expected will likely make conditions problematic. And it’s supposed to snow again Wednesday. Sucks.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Horror Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
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