The Dog Ate the Part We Didn’t Like
(Musings on Music, Movies and Pop Culture)

By Philip Nutman

Dateline March 29

Hollywood Redux…

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions…

Actually, in this case it was the flight plan that led back to LA-LA Land within three weeks.

Okay, let’s back up a second. My original intention was to contribute a bi-weekly column to this site, but professional demands temporarily derailed that plan. So, it’s back to Hollywood we go for column #2 (normal service is being resumed as I write, now I’m back in Atlanta)…

Of Hobbits and Uncle Oscar

There were several reasons for my return to the Land of the Celluloid Dream, not the least of which was the fact my wife, the writer Anya Martin, had scored us tickets for http://www.TheOneRing.net’s Lord Of The Rings Oscar bash for the second year in a row. She was able to pull this off due to her involvement with the Mythic Imagination Institute, and the fact that their upcoming Mythic Journeys Conference here in Atlanta, (to be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Atlanta June 4th--6th) is a sponsor of the event. (http://www.mythicjourneys.org ).

At last year's Two Towers party, several cast members, including three out of four hobbits (minus Elijah Wood) turned up to hang out in the VIP area after the official golden figure smackdown at the Kodak Theater. Even director Peter Jackson called via cell phone from New Zealand to say a big "thank you" to the diehard fans at the party, which was piped (albeit unintelligibly) over the sound system of the legendary art nouveau Hollywood Athletic Club on Sunset Strip. This year, Elijah, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd and John Rhys Davies turned up following the film’s 11 Oscar triumphs, as did Mr. Jackson, his wife and co-writer, Fran Walsh, and fellow scribe Philippa Boyens, and just about everyone else on the tech side who won an Oscar. However, instead of hanging out in the VIP area, Men and Women of the People that the LOTR crowd are, they headed directly into the main fan party area (this year’s venue was the equal! ly cool Hollywood American Legion Post).

Since I was well into my sixth Grey Goose Vodka "Gandalfini" and in the midst of talking to two Very Important Dudes from THX, who were trying to explain to me their new 7.1 Surroundsound system, I missed Dominic Monaghan sing on the main stage alongside the band. Bummer, since I hear he was quite good.

Major members of the cast who were conspicuous by their absence included Sir Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Liv Tyler, and the unstoppable Viggo Mortensen.

Anyway, a good time was had by all, and congrats to Jackson and co. for their well-deserved (finally!) multiple Oscar win.

A reminder -- LOTR composer Howard Shore will be conducting the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for three performances of the southeastern premiere of The Lord of The Rings --A Symphony in Six Movements for Orchestra and Chorus (Music from the Motion Picture Trilogy) on Friday and Saturday, June 4th and 5th, at Atlanta Symphony Hall. Ace Tolkien artist Alan Lee’s incredible work from The Lord of the Rings will be used as part of the performance. Tickets are now available. For more info go to www.atlantasymphony.org .

Party, Party

Sunday, February 29th, Oscar night, capped off a weekend of non-stop fun.

On Friday 27th, hours after we arrived at the Universal Hilton (Paris the porn star was, thankfully, nowhere in sight), we had drinks and dinner at Marrakesh, a delightful Moroccan restaurant located on Ventura Blvd in the Valley with Jonathan Bross, head honcho of Chicago-based multi-media venture Velvet Steamroller Productions, and his sister, the very talented actress, Lisette Bross.

VSP shot their first feature film (in conjunction with Tuffin Entertainment and Raw Nerve Productions), the wild ‘n’ whacky black comedy splatter horror flick, 2001 Maniacs, starring Robert (Freddy Kreuger) Englund, here in Georgia late last year. The film, directed and co-written by up-and-comer Tim Sullivan (associate producer of the Kiss movie, Detroit Rock City), features cameos from local country boy Travis Tritt, wrestling rockabilly wild man Johnny Legend, and Blues Brothers writer-director John Landis, and looks like it’s going to be one of the most entertaining fright flicks of the Halloween season.

Lisette had a surprise gift for us – a tape of the award-winning, Dr. Seuss-inspired Who Slew Simon Thaddeus Mulberry Pew, imaginatively directed by Brett Nemeroff, which will be coming out on DVD in late June from Image Entertainment. Having laughed my arse off four times in as many days, Who Slew gets a Nutman Thumb In The Eye recommendation…

On a musical note (and the first of two http://www.atlantamusicguide.com World Exclusives within the coming weeks), I can reveal that VSP are about to unleash the first studio album in ten years by soul legend Percy Sledge, Shining Through The Rain, in conjunction with the Varese Sarabande label sometime in mid-summer. Furthermore, Jonathan Bross has intimated that http://www.atlantamusicguide.com will be the first folks in the world to hear said disc. Stay tuned…

Saturday night, as Elton John once sang, may be alright for fighting, but Saturday February 28th in LA was another night of good food and wine. Specifically, because I threw a party in honor of my wife in conjunction with writer-director Darren Stein, auteur of the delightful Heathers-ish black comedy Jawbreaker, who graciously hosted the soiree at his Hollywood Hills house. A rare opportunity to graze with an old Atlanta friend who’d moved westward, and with many LA-based pals and colleagues, including the aforementioned Tim Sullivan and rising actors Kristen Kerr and Dylan Edrington, the evening passed way too fast and was full of good cheer.

Speaking of the ebullient Mr. Stein, Darren directed a video for LA-based electroclash maniacs Dirty Sanchez this past weekend. The video is for the title track of the band’s Caroline Records album debut Really Rich Italian Satanists, and in Darren’s demented hands is something I’m rather looking forward to seeing.

Diane Arbus

On Monday, March 1st, having somehow avoided a hangover from all the Grey Goose and red wine consumed at the ROTK party, we checked out the incredible Diane Arbus Revelations exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (http://www.lacma.org), and the companion display of Erte-designed costumes. Both exhibits are amazing, but unfortunately, there’s no chance the Arbus show will be coming to Atlanta. If you’re going to LA between now and May 31st, make a point of checking this one out (the Erte show ends mid-April).

Back To Work

The only way I can stay sane while driving all over LA from meeting to meeting is by listening to music. This trip’s playlist included the following --

Live In Brazil – Concrete Blonde

That 70s Rockin’ Album (That 70s Show) – Various Artists

Veedon Fleece – Van Morrison

Learning To Flinch – Warren Zevon

Join Togther – The Who (live, 2 CDs recorded on the 1989 US tour)

Cyrus Chestnut – Cyrus Chestnut

All titles were bought at Decatur CD (www.decaturcd.com).

Okay, enough of this Dominick Dunne stuff. Coming next, Heavy Metal & Hard Rock Live Albums I Can't Live Without.

You have been warned…