Another Farewell to Hollywood Royalty

Another Hollywood legend has made an untimely exit. Lauren Bacall has died at the age of 89. According to CNN reports, her grandson received a call earlier today saying that she had suffered a massive stroke.

Lauren Bacall tasted international fame in 1944 starring in the film: “To Have and Have Not”. She made this film with her soon-to-be husband Humphrey Bogart. The two later married and had two children. This dynamic duo starred in a total of four films which included: “The Big Sleep” (1946), “Dark Passage” (1947), “Key Largo” (1948). Together Bogart and Bacall created a unique magic that was all theirs. Humphrey Bogart died in 1957, leaving Bacall a widowed mother of two children.

Lauren Bacall was later married to actor Jason Robards at which point they had a child together, who later became an actor, Sam Robards. Bacall was said to have been engaged to Frank Sinatra four different times between marriages.

It’s hard to believe that during some of those beautiful black & white shots of Lauren Bacall, that she was a shy 19 year old trying to keep it together amidst all the attention. American Film Director, Howard Hawks’ wife is credited with discovering Bacall after she appeared on the cover of Harpers Bazaar. She modeled to earn extra money and also earned, and rightfully so, the term “The Look”. She was a classic, vintage beauty with a deep, sultry tone that was unmistakable. Lauren Bacall, a true Hollywood beauty, no further description needed. One of my favorite films in which she graced the ‘big screen’ with her presence, is called “Written on the Wind”. Everything about this movie mesmerizes me, from the opening music, to the color and wardrobe, plot and story, acting, etc. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it.

Lauren Bacall, the second actor to die within the last 24 hours, the first of course being Robin Williams. It has often been said that when Hollywood actors/actresses pass away, death usually comes in three’s. Unfortunately, I have seen this happen more than once and I pray that this isn’t the case now. R.I.P. Regal and classy lady. In the infamous words of Humphrey Bogart, “Here’s looking at you kid”.

By Sylvia Porter-Hall

Images: Free Google images

Did you know?…(3)

Did you know….The “Amazing Spiderman” movie was shot on E. Main St. in Upstate New York a-k-a Rochester, New York during May 2013? That’s right!! Roc City was the backdrop for some of the more high-powered scenes in this movie. Please click on the video below to view some of the action on the last day of filming!!

It’s kind of surreal to watch these scenes with an unusual number of NYPD police vehicles flying through the middle of downtown Rochester, New York; a place I grew up in. I can see the actual bus stop I used to wait at daily, en route home from work many years ago. It’s such a proud feeling that my hometown was chosen for this epic film.

I recall watching various news broadcasts during the filming of these scenes. Several Rochesterians were interviewed and asked for their thoughts on all the hoopla. Some people felt a bit inconvenienced being that many of the bus routes were detoured to accommodate the filming needs of this action-packed adventure. It appeared that one man didn’t even know about the filming and detours until he set out to go to work on the very first morning.  Boy did he get a big surprise! He seemed to handle it though and was very good-natured about it all. So, You can imagine what an event it must have been for some to people to commute to and from work on the first day of shooting. I guess if you’re going to be inconvenienced, it might as well be like this! Roc City is once again…positively on the map!

By Sylvia Porter-Hall

A Dog-Eat-Dog World

 

    

Who would think that the beautiful island of Puerto Rico would have an escalating problem such as ‘stray’ dogs? Unfortunately, it is true and the problem only seems to be getting worse. An Emmy Award-winning film called 100,000 directed by Juan Agustin Marquez, chronicles this issue as depicted in the hair-raising and eye-opening documentary. In Puerto Rico, these abandoned or feral dogs a-k-a ‘satos’ are increasing in number and can be frequently observed wandering the streets freely.

How sad is this? Such adorable animals that just need a good home and to be cared for and loved! It’s hard to imagine seeing so many homeless dogs at any given moment just living on the streets fighting to survive every day. Not to mention the ones that are taken and abused. It would seem that they would be better off left to the streets. At least that way, their suffering wouldn’t be at the hands of those who are supposed to be human.

The 100,000 documentary largely raises the awareness of this problem and also sheds light on the volunteer efforts to assist in decreasing this problem. Unbelievably, the government has done little to provide help in finding a solution. In the meantime, the dogs continue to take their chances out on the streets of Puerto Rico. Following the airing of this film in 2010 by director Juan Agustin Marquez, he teamed up with Purina of Puerto Rico to create and initiate a 20 school film tour which allowed students to view this topic and become educated about the seriousness of this situation. As a result, students made a pledge to help these abused animals. The pledge has been taken by thousands: to decrease the overpopulation problem and to promote the proper care of dogs. Here are a few of the points covered by this pledge:

– Educate myself about dogs and think hard about it before having one.

– Adopt, instead of buying.

– Spay/neuter my dog.

– Integrate my dog to my family for his/her entire life.

– Vaccinate my dog and take him/her to the vet when he/she is sick.

– Register my dog with the microchip.

– Bathe my dog.

– Walk my dog on a leash every day.

As you can see, there are several ways that the abuse and overpopulation of animals can be stopped and prevented in Puerto Rico. Most importantly, spaying and neutering needs to be promoted and encouraged. Evidently, communication has broken down in these areas due to a kind of ‘machismo’ mindset that deters the whole idea of controlling the animal population. According to director Marquez, it is crucial that education begin at an early age as to how to care for and treat animals.

Do you think Puerto Rico will ever truly address the growing problem with these stray animals? Or will it continue to do nothing and just remain a dog-eat-dog world? What are some suggestions you might add to this pledge? What other problems do you think exist as a result of so many of these dogs roaming around without any supervision? I know many of you out there are animal lovers, as am I. I would love to hear your thoughts. Please share!