Seymour Ubell Featured Exclusively On The Cover Of Hollywood Monthly Magazine

Celebrating Diversity In The Entertainment Industry

MONTHLY

November 2019

THE YANFAN FOUNDATION 6th annual hollywood weekly film festival

BRIANNAGH D

singer - songwriter

FAYE DUNAWAY hollywood icon

The

SEYMOUR UBELL

CHAIRMAN OF JC EDWARD CORPORATION AND FIRST-TIME NOVELIST AT 88 YEARS OLD

BIRTH MOTHER a novel

when love transcends all

SEYMOUR UBELL

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 1

2 • HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY

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HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 3

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR W

elcome readers to this very Special Issue of Hollywood Monthly Magazine featuring the Amazing Seymour Ubell. All boys (and men) want a Man they can look up to. Seymour Ubell is that Man -- but, the first thing he’ll do is point to the person he looks up to: his Wife.

And then Mr. Ubell will tell you he believes God is probably a Woman. Can you say “Paradigm Shift?”

I, for one, would be a willing member of that church.

Seymour Ubell has embarked on his first Novel. A story taken from his personal experience. The backstory of the Novel is heartbreaking, and the Novel -- Beautiful. We are so proud to have the one and only Seymour Ubell gracing our Cover.

We hope you enjoy this wonderful Issue of Hollywood Monthly Magazine. As always, we thank you, our readers, for your constant support. We are who we are because of YOU. We wish you all peace and happiness.

Anthony Ewart, Associate Editor

On The Cover Seymour Ubell

PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF Prather Jackson VICE PRESIDENT Bernice Harris Michael D. Coxson SENIOR BOOK CURATOR Jane Ubell-Meyer ASSOCIATE EDITOR Anthony Ewart DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE SERVICES & ASST TO THE PUBLISHER Jordan O'Quinn-Campbell MARKETING & SALES Launy Rhem CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Barbara Burke Victor Migalchan Alex A. Kecskes Rebecca Miller ART DIRECTOR Damian Aragon GRAPHIC DESIGNER Clemmy Le Busque PRODUCTION DESIGNER Denise Chavez CHINA OPERATIONS Victor Migalchan victor@hollywoodweeklymagazine.com (213) 220-3052 (424) 371-9900 INDIA OPERATION Ike Sinha Country Director Art4Peace Awards Hollywood Weekly Magazine B1/1565 Vasantkunj New Delhi-110 070 Mobile +919599068592 ASIA OPERATION Joyce Penas Pilarsky HWM Asia Ambassador Email: info@joycepilarsky.com Bench Bello HWM Asia Operations hollywoodmagazineusa@gmail.com Mobile +639273895559 DISTRIBUTORS CoMag MADER NEWS NEWS INFLIGHT, INC

CALL US AT (424)371-9900

EMAIL hollywoodweekly@gmail.com

MONTHLY

NOVEMBER 2019

8 12 14 18 28 34 39

BRIANNAGH D Singer - Songwriter

GEORGE GOODENOUGH Prolific Screenwriter

JANE UBELL-MEYER Books To Devour

SEYMOUR UBELL Retirement Is Not An Option

ALYCIA COOPER

TRADE Is A Perfect Shakespearean Tragedy

DEEPAK CHOPRA

On The Healing Power Of Love In Action

FAYE DUNAWAY Hollywood Icon

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 7

B

riannagh D

is an up-and-coming, sensational young artist that is looking to influence listeners and the music world with her positive messages and unique musical style. After walking the 2019 MTV VMA red carpet, this young lady is definitely set to take the world by storm. Her latest hit single and music video for “That Feeling” (ft.. Cassidy) was the central topic while being interviewed on the VMA red carpet, but she wasn’t only on the receiving end that evening. Briannagh D was a red carpet correspondent for Newark TV and interviewed all of the arrivals before they headed inside.

Not too many American artists incorporate Caribbean style into their music, but Briannagh has been inspired by her background. When asked what inspired her musical style, Briannagh told Hollywood Weekly: “I would definitely say that my background has inspired my style. My mom is Kittitian. Having that Caribbean background ignited my musical style. When I was growing up, I listened to a lot of Caribbean music like reggae and dancehall.”

She has collaborated with many other talented Caribbean and American artists. Her newest song “That Feeling” features Cassidy. Cassidy is an American rapper who is famous for doing freestyles, where he raps creative and complex raps on the spot. Briannagh told Hollywood Weekly that she was excited for this collaboration, because “he’s a great writer that comes up with raps very naturally.

As a young songwriter, I felt that working with him was something I could learn from.”

Briannagh collaborated with E-Dee on her lively song “Feel the Beat” that was produced by the well-respected producer, Duane DaRock. There is also a music video for the pop song that is equally as energetic. “Feel the Beat” makes listeners just want to get up and jam out to the beat. Briannagh said herself that “Feel the Beat” is a fun song to get people dancing and feeling good. In the music video, she also showcased her Afro-Caribbean dance style. Her collaboration with E-Dee earned Briannagh the number one spot on the Caribbean charts.

Briannagh stepped out of her comfort zone when she wrote “That Feeling.” “It’s such a new experience for me,” she tells Hollywood Weekly, “It was the first time writing about the feeling of love. It’s a very new topic for me”. Currently, the song is released on Spotify, and the music video was just released this August. This music video was Briannagh D’s second World Star Hip Hop upload. The video was also featured on 50 Cent’s website “This is 50.”

One could describe Briannagh’s voice as mature and having a deep, ric h and angelic tone. When “Feel the Beat” is actually Briannagh’s most we asked her who her musical inspirations were, famous song. When she first wrote it, she had no she said that vocally she is inspired by Whitney idea that it was going to be such a huge success. Houston and Mariah Carey. She said she admires Her music video went viral on Facebook and was musical legends because they are inspirational for uploaded to the popular website, World Star Hip younger artists, like herself.

Hop. Her inspiration for the song was the hope that people would dance to it, but little did she One of Briannagh’s most profound songs is know that it would become the Caribbean song of entitled “Stand Still” which she wrote at the age of the summer.

12. She believes that this is one of the best songs that she has ever written. She told Hollywood Weekly about what inspired this impactful song. “For me, it’s really important to write motivational lyrics, something that really touches people. ‘Stand Tall’ has an empowering message for those going through a hard time or getting bullied. I just want everyone to stand tall through their struggles”. It’s clear that Briannagh has a theme of spreading positivity through her songs, whether it’s to tell people to “stand tall” through life or just get them dancing with her pop songs.

Briannagh took some time to tell Hollywood Weekly about her creative writing process. When writing a new song, Briannagh, first listens to the beat then writes to it. Her favorite part is listening to a track and having that creative process begin. She really enjoys writing lyrics and writing along to the track.

She is proud of the end result of every song and is a perfectionist when it comes to editing her lyrics. If it doesn’t feel right, she will go back to make lyrical changes.

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Although Briannagh lives in the New York area, she has also come to Los Angeles and Hollywood many times and has even lived in LA before. She has performed at multiple venues in Hollywood.

She tells Hollywood Weekly that “I have performed in Hollywood for multiple fundraisers. One was called Nu Skool Sings Old School”. Her dream is to one day perform at the Hollywood Bowl.

in front of any crowd. She never has any stage anxiety. She is actually extremely excited before a performance and gains a lot of energy from the crowd.

After her performances, Briannagh usually enjoys talking to her fans and giving them inspiration to follow their dreams. Once, she performed for high school students her age. In excitement she explained that they were “so receptive and coming up to me after my performance”. Leading up to their finals, they said she inspired them. This is one of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist to Briannagh. She says, “it was truly a special and amazing experience.”

Briannagh has the potential to be a Hollywood star, because of her many talents. For one, Briannagh has had several acting roles and she’s looking to do more. She has made appearances on Disney Channel in the show “Bizaardvark,” on NBC’s “This Is Us,” Nickelodeon, ABC News, commercials, and several other films and shows.

Briannagh gave this final message to HW readers At such a young age, Briannagh has accomplished and her fans: “I just want to say that it’s important so much because she loves new opportunities and trying new things. She wants to be a strong role to believe in yourself and to not let any words from model for children and people in her community. outsiders make you feel down or make you feel like you can’t conquer your goals. It’s important Briannagh has been involved in music since she to surround yourself with positive and supportive was a small child. She started playing piano when people.” If you don’t feel supported, listen to her she was only 5 years old. She tells Hollywood music and we know you will feel supported.

Weekly that “I was 6 or 7 years old when I wrote my first song. I always knew that I wanted to do Spotify link for That Feeling: something musically. I just really liked being https://open.spotify.com/ creative and experimenting with rhymes”. On album/66HMZ6aM1sOi5goMUZx3MA?nd=1 top of Briannagh’s several other musical talents, she also plays the steel pan, which is a Caribbean Briannagh’s Social Media: instrument. Right now, Briannagh is focused on YouTube: BriannaghD writing and singing her songs, but one day she is

Website: www.briannaghdennehy.com hoping that she can produce her own music with

Instagram: @BriannaghD her background in instruments.

Twitter: @BriannaghD Facebook: BriannaghD Briannagh has gotten closer to her Caribbean background by visiting the Caribbean to perform at the St. Kitts Music Festival in 2017. The St. Kitts Music Festival is “The Premier Caribbean Music Festival” that has had headliners, such as Chris Brown, John Legend, Ciara, Patti Labelle, Ella Mai, and French Montana perform. Briannagh felt excited and humbled to share a stage with other big named artists.

Briannagh really loves performing at festivals. She says that every crowd has its own energy and own unique vibe. Although she loves large audiences, she feels like it’s still exciting to connect with smaller audiences. Either way, she is comfortable

GEORGE G

eorge Goodenough is a prolific screenwriter, who has the potential to write the next multimillion-dollar Hollywood blockbuster. He has been writing screenplays for the majority of his life. George has written 7 movies and 29 episodes of his own television series called “The Road”.

George began writing short stories when he was only nine years old, but he really discovered his passion for screenwriting when he was a teenager.

He was a huge fan of Raiders of the Lost Ark and he felt “overwhelmed with excitement” the first time he saw the film. He watched the movie a countless amount of times. He felt deeply inspired by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. George then went to the U.S. Navy and shortly after his service he decided to further pursue his passion for screenwriting.

One day, George decided to pick up a copy of the Writer’s Digest and he flipped through it out of curiosity.

Although he felt slightly intimidated by professional writing, he saw an ad for the Hollywood Scriptwriting Institute and decided to give them a call. As a prerequisite for getting into the university, George had to go through a test, and he had to submit a story of 100 words to the university.

The university was impressed by George’s storytelling skills and called them excellent, but they did note that he had some difficulties with grammar. Despite this, they decided to give George a chance if he brushed up on grammar. Once he conquered grammar, Hollywood Scriptwriting Institute gladly accepted George, so he could expand on his talent.

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GOODENOUGH

George decided to write several assignments on a typewriter.

Throughout his classes, it was becoming apparent that he was a natural born screenwriter. Despite the difficult curriculum, he received A’s on the majority of his assignments and classes.

Scriptwriting Institute.

George eventually graduated from the Hollywood Scriptwriting Institute and received his Scriptwriting Diploma. He was well versed in screenwriting and had acquired many skill s throughout his education. He was also professionally trained in narrative storytelling for television and film.

He often finds his inspiration for writing through music. He will often listen to country while writing his scripts.

George describes his style as very old school. Everything he writes goes on his notebook first, then he types it up on a typewriter. Although he has been offered to use a computer to type up his scripts, he feels like his creativity peaks when he uses a typewriter. He likes the fact that it is more difficult to use the typewriter rather than a computer. “I like the struggle,” he tells Hollywood Weekly “it’s a part of being a writer”.

One touching moment that sticks out to George is when he spoke to his professor, Donna Lee, upon graduation.

She was a talented screenwriting who worked on scripts for the popular 1970s show, “Love, American Style”.

He asked her “Am I really a scriptwriter?”

She quickly replied, “You are a Hollywood scriptwriter. Your scripts are phenomenal, and you have a style that I have never seen before”.

You can tell that George’s unique style has translated into his work.

George’s stories are different than any Hollywood movie that has been put out for at least two decades. He does not write remakes of classics and books, which is what we often see in the film industry.

“Every script I’ve written is something that keeps the audience glued to their seats,” says George.

To this day, George still regularly refers to his training and textbooks from the university whenever he has any questions or feels stuck writing. He also refers to the inspiring words of his mentor.

George always keeps in mind is that “in Hollywood there was no such thing as a perfect script”. Often in his screenwriting process, George goes through his stories multiple times to ensure they are as accurate and polished as possible. He also has a proofreader go through his work and he asks for opinions from his colleagues. All his scripts are officially registered.

He has been heavily complimented on the way he writes dialogue. He writes his scripts with certain formula that he was taught by the school that is highly classified. This formula that creates his entertaining scripts could not even be told to Hollywood Weekly! Whatever formula he was taught was developed into a distinctive style that is all his own.

George’s writing process has significantly matured and evolved since his education at the Hollywood

It is often heard in screenwriting that the first 10 pages of the script can make it or break it. George says that he spends the most of his time making the beginning of the script captivating for readers. It can take weeks rewriting and rearranging the structure to get those first essential 10 pages to work. “Around the first 10 pages, you need to have the audience’s attention,” he explains, “After those 10

Prolifiic Screenwriter pages, you give the audience a breath”.

He also tells us that a good script should have about 3 or 4 storylines that come together by the end of the film.

When writing films, George goes for something that is realistic, but also beyond what the audience expects. He takes situations from everyday life and puts them in an interesting way into the script with unexpected twists. He describes his characters as “crisp, clear, and they keep the audience glued to the script”.

George says that he still has 10 upcoming projects and scripts for his films.

One of his best scripts is a comedy called “Billy and Tina”. The opening line of the script is “Drugs, Cops, Sex, and a Small Family, the road to Mexico couldn’t be any longer”. The film centers around a character named Billy, who lives in Nevada, and he is involved in the drug business. After a suspicious drug deal, Billy is tailed by officers that follow him back to his trailer, where he lives with his wife, Tina, and his small child. When Billy finds out that he is being followed by police, they make a quick getaway to Idaho and they meet up with a friend that works at a car dealership. They then switch from a station wagon to a Camaro, and they continue their escape from police and drug dealers. When Billy and his family finally meet up with the drug dealers, Billy gives the drug dealer flower instead of cocaine, which incites a gun fight.

There is also a Billy and Tina Part 2 that George has completed.

If you are interested in purchasing any of George Goodman’s scripts, contact him at numberonescriptwriter@gmail. com or his number (530) 925-0210.

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 13

F

all is here and it’s a great time to snuggle up with a great book.

Books to Devour

Our picks this Fall include, a few debut novelists.

Of course Seymour Ubell’s The Birth Mother is here, not because he is my father, it’s because it’s a wonderful, interesting read with twists and turns, not to miss. We are also so proud to include Deborah Royce’s debut novel, Finding Mrs. Ford —it was chosen by Forbes as one of the 10 best books not to miss!

by Jane Ubell-Meyer, Founder of Bedside Reading

FALL BOOKS TO FALL IN LOVE WITH Cold Silence by Danielle Girard

A widow and ex-FBI agent of hardearned courage, Cody O’Brien is finally enjoying the quiet life, providing a good home for herself and her eight-year-old son, Ryan. Then Ryan is kidnapped in broad daylight. And Cody knows why.

Her life is a dangerous lie, easily exposed by the killers responsible for her husband’s murder. Failed by the Witness Protection Program, she’s on the run again, trusting only herself to save her son while heading blindly toward a past that wants only one thing from her: cold-blooded revenge.

Final Redemption by Helen Heinmiller:

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Emmy Harris was about to embark on a humanitarian mission when an unexpected appearance of an angelic woman brings back memories of the mysterious events surrounding her mother’s death. The beautiful angel delivers a disturbing message from Emmy’s past and reveals a bitter betrayal that sends her to Kazakhstan to start her life over.

Finding May by Jennifer Moorman: When is it okay to break a promise? Sixty years old and recently widowed, May MacAdams Wilson has spent the last three decades keeping a promise never to return to Mystic Water. But when May learns that her first love is dying, she must decide whether to break that promise or risk never getting to say goodbye to him. Finding May takes you on a journey of first loves, intense summer sun, moonlight kisses, and learning how to let go.

Hemlock Needle by Keenan Powell: In Anchorage, Alaska, Yup’ik Eskimo chief financial officer and single mother, Esther Fancyboy, walks out of a party and into a blizzard. She is never seen again, leaving behind a seven-year-old son, Evan. The local cops say she’ll come home when she’s done partying, but family friend Maeve Malloy doesn’t think it’s that simple. She goes looking for Esther just as she’s getting bad news of her own, a career-ending accusation. When Esther’s body turns up in a snow berm and a witness is shot to death in front of Maeve, she suspects Evan might be in danger. Maeve must race against time to save the boy – along with her career, and maybe her life.

Gilded Summers

by Donna Russo Morin: Two girls, Pearl and Ginevra, grow up in the singular moment known as the Gilded Age in Newport, Rhode Island--one lives above the stairs, the other below. These two young women must decide who they want to be in this world, and survive what it takes to get there...even if it includes murder.

Strings

by Megan Edwards: Ted Spencer has a hard enough time believing the celebrated violin really exists. To find it sitting on his coffee table is nothing short of incredible. The stuff of legend, the exquisite Guarnerius has been missing for centuries. But even though the renowned instrument is a violin lover’s dream come true, it holds only heartache for Ted.

The Nine by Jeanne McWilliams Blasberg: When well-meaning helicopter mom, Hannah Webber, enrolls her brilliant son and the center of her world, Sam, into the boarding school of her dreams, neither of them is prepared for what awaits: an illicit underworld where decades of privileged conspiracy threaten not only Sam but also his fragile family.

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 15

The Prophecy

by Kim Sakwa: Fierce and feared, 16th-century Highland laird Greylen MacGreggor has yet to meet his match—until Dr. Gwendolyn Reynolds falls through time and into his arms. Get spellbound by this time travel romance

When We Found Home

by Susan Mallery: Life is meant to be savored, but that’s not easy with no family, limited prospects and a past you’d rather not talk about.

Callie Smith doesn’t know how to feel when she discovers she has a brother and a sister—Malcolm, who grew up with affection, wealth and privilege, and Keira, a streetwise twelve-year-old. Despite her trepidation, she moves into the grand family home with her siblings and grandfather hoping just maybe this will be the start of a whole new life. But starting over can be messy. Callie and Keira fit in with each other, but not with their posh new lifestyle, leaving Malcolm feeling like the odd man out in his own home. Becoming a family will take patience, humor, a little bit of wine and a whole lot of love. But love isn’t Malcolm’s strong suit…until he learns that an open heart, like the family table, can always make room for.

Vicious

by L.J.Shen: An enemies-to-lovers, contemporary romance that spans over a decade.

She is a starving artist. Pretty and evasive like cherry blossom. Ten years ago, she barged into my life unannounced and turned everything upside down.

She paid the price. Emilia LeBlanc is completely off-limits, my best friend’s ex-girlfriend. The woman who knows my darkest secret, and the daughter of the cheap Help we hired to take care of our estate. That should deter me from chasing her, but it doesn’t.

So she hates me. She better get used to me.

The Connector’s Advantage by Michelle Tillis Lederman: Connectors think and act a certain way that make things happen faster, easier and often with a better result. This book will explain: Why relationships and connecting are critical to your results, success, and even happiness. Connectors have a way of thinking and acting that enables stronger relationships. How ANYONE can infuse these mindsets and behaviors into their interactions and see the impact.

I curated my connections and include expert advice from over two dozen authors, coaches, and business owners. Regardless of your goal; a job, a promotion, new business, a referral… who you know and who knows you will lead to opportunities. It is the strength of your relationships that leads to your success

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Q&A with Deborah Goodrich Royce, former actress and film executive, and screen writer.

Her debut novel is Finding Mrs. Ford.

Finding Mrs. Ford

by Deborah Goodrich Royce On a bright summer morning by the sea in Rhode Island, the FBI visits Susan Ford. They question her about an Iraqi Chaldean named Sammy Fakhouri, but Mrs. Ford denies knowing him.

Flashback to the summer of 1979, when a much-younger Susan meets wild Annie Nelson, who lures her to work at a shabby disco on the crumbling edge of Detroit—a disco populated by pretty girls and older men, some of whom are Iraqi Chaldeans. As Mrs. Ford grapples to spin her story to an increasingly dubious FBI, truths long hidden from that fateful summer threaten her carefully created existence.

Q: Friendships between women are always interesting and unique, who or what was the impetus for this relationship?

A: Let me begin by saying that I like women. I know that should be a given—I am a woman after all—but I think it bears stating because it is not always the case. I am also intrigued by how female friendships work. Annie and Susan are polar opposites.

They are also very young when they meet. What is it that happens when an introverted and intellectual girl like Susan encounters a charismatic and reckless girl like Annie? People like this meet all the time and, often, they give each other a wide berth. But other times, one falls under the sway of the other. Or there is a mutual hold that they exert on each other. This is when it becomes interesting.

Q: Finding Mrs. Ford explores a personal story against the backdrop of international/world events and through past and present

times. What drew you into this world?

A: I absolutely love the small personal story set against the sweep of historic events. A weight is suddenly tied around a story that might otherwise be seen as slight. And it is how we actually live. None of our lives plays out in a vacuum. Think of Dr. Zhivago in which we are focused on the love triangle of Zhivago, Tonya, and Lara, but their lives and relationships are seen in sharp relief to the events of WWI and the Russian Revolution.

Finding Mrs. Ford is not a geo-political thriller per se, but the events of 2014 when ISIS marched into the north of Iraq—the homeland of the Chaldean people—along with the Chaldeans’ many-decades-presence in the city of Detroit, creates a good backdrop for the plot. Sammy Fakhouri is Chadean. He travels from Baghdad to Boston to find Mrs. Ford at exactly that moment in time. Why is he looking for her and why is she lying?

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 17

Retirement is not an option.

A Conversation with Seymour Ubell, first time novelist at 88 years old.

Hollywood Weekly: The title of your book, The Birth Mother is intriguing. Tell us a little bit about the story.

and turns throughout children’s young lives. Including the dramatic chance meeting by the adoptive father with the actual Chinese Birth Mother.

Seymour Ubell: A middle-aged New York couple with a ten-year-old son, decide to adopt twin girls, as a result of totally circumstantial events. Daryl and Maxine Landsman go through the complex labyrinth of adoption in China. The couple brings the twins home. The children grow up in New York surrounded by a complex family environment. The story, both tragic and filled with joy, is filled with twists

HW: Where does your inspiration foryour story come from in this book?

Men hardly remember anything.

HW: Where does the theme God is a woman come from?

SU: Let me begin by stating, I am an atheist. However, I do believe in kindness, caring and accepting all people into my life, regardless of religion, race or politics. My wife is a very wise and the kindest, most loving person I have ever been with. She is my partner; I trust her the most. For more than three decades, I learned that women are much smarter, more sensitive and more creative than man is.

As I wrote, the story; the tale began to have a life of its own and it took over.

It guided me down the path, that if, there is a God, that God must, without question, be a woman. And so, I argue, if God is a man; Why do women have the power to perpetuate the species?

Why do women have the power to feed the species if there is no food? Adam never ate the apple; he was nursed on Eve’s breast. Why do women have the power to give a man his most significant pleasure? Why do they call Earth, ‘Mother Earth”? Why is nature is called ‘Mother Nature or that beautiful statue welcoming emigrants, Miss Liberty? All good things are a “She” never a “He”. I recite biblical stories where women save the day and the lives of both Judeo and Christian moments in history. When reading this book you will discover the power and gifts that women, in all their sensitivity, intellect and caring, have.

HW: Tell us about your early careers.

SU: The story tumbled into my lap from a personal experience between my wife and me. Very early in my career in China, one of my partners brought me to an orphanage. He was a benefactor at the institution. I saw the children and fell in love. As a result of the meeting, we had an opportunity to adopt the twins. We reluctantly decided not to. Because of a time in life when I was in my early sixties, just a bit too old to take on the responsibility of two infant children. As the years passed, my wife would mention, “The girls would have been five years old now and nursery school age.”

Once again, eight years later, Marsha said, “it would have been time for their Bat-Mitzvah and years later my wife would remind me; “Our twins would have been off to go to college.

At that moment I decided to write a novel that we did, in fact, adopt the children. What I learned from that SU: I never went to college. My father experience is, women died when I seventeen. It was vital that never forget anything.

I go to work to earn money, helping the family. We were very poor. We lived on a widow’s pension and the $42.50 a week I earned as a stock clerk in a men’s clothing company. At the age of nineteen, I was promoted to work in the company showroom. Shortly after, in my early twenties, the VP of Sales at the company gave me another promotion; to go “on-the-road” as a salesman. At the age of twenty-eight, I started my own printing brokerage company. It was very successful. Shortly

story of your life, the truth always works. Many people who read my story, approache me, consistently sharing the honesty they experienced.

They mentioned in detail their feelings regarding descriptions of World War II days in Brooklyn. And all the firsts in my life; including sex, love, marriage, children, and money. Readers enjoyed my account of the old neighborhood, the stores, the trolley cars racing on the main streets of Brooklyn; including descriptions of the neighbors, their

I enjoyed the creative experience very much. I wanted to continue writing.

In truth, I needed to continue writing. thereafter, I simultaneously started a messenger service company, a tennis racket company, and an advertising agency. At the age of sixty-two, I retired.

Two years later, I discovered, I hated retirement. It was important for me to return to the business world. I decided to go to China. I envisioned the future; seeking a business opportunity Asia.

The one place in the world I believed would be the future economic global competitor to the USA. When most people are retiring at the age of 64, I went back to work. I do not regret a single moment.

gossiping, the simple apartment buildings. Their response was a muchwelcomed experience. It was most gratifying. A memoir is interestingly restrictive. You must be truthful. Truth has power and it works.

My most poignant experience with the novel is, writing the fiction gives me, as the author, much power. If I like someone, I reward them. If I don’t, they suffer, or they die. I can make it snow or rain. Or sunshine. I am the master, in total control of life and death, success and failure. I am satisfied that I finished The Birth Mother. I wrote every single day. Perhaps an hour or more. I had to do research. A learning process. I have my own personal handicap about not attending college. However, I have become my own college professor, learning every day. In the saga, I had to learn. I am self-taught about Buddhism, Leukemia, Genetics and the use of a dictionary, a thesaurus and the research of how twins live and grow up.

HW: What is a typical day like for you?

SU: I awake early, 6:15 AM. By 7:00 AM, at the gym. A trainer works with me three days each week. I go to Equinox five, sometimes, often six days each week. I am on my Gym bicycle, riding three to four miles each day.

HW: What did you learn while writing your memoir?

My father died at the age of 44. I have little memory of him. All I have is my imagination and the feeling of my love for him. In my own life with the blessing of three especially talented children, whom I love totally, it was important for me to leave them the story of my life. I hoped to document my energy, my being, and the joy I treasured from my family, my successes as well as the pain and the struggles I encountered in failure. It was a wish to give my heirs the pleasure of remembering me as a man of multiple talents and skills. At the same time explain how I overcame life’s reversals.

And equally, my achievements.

And just perhaps my grandchildren and greatgrandchildren might be a bit Seymour at 18 curious about their heritage.

SU: Writing my memoir was an education. I learned, when telling the

What about this book are you most proud of ?

HW: What inspired you to write a novel?

SU: After I wrote my first book, a memoir.

“A Life of Risks Taken”, I enjoyed the creative experience very much. I wanted to continue writing. In truth, I needed to continue writing. I learned so much about myself and the people in my life.

When I write, it’s a rare time in my life, I am not in charge. The story takes over.

The computer becomes the boss.

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 19

From the gym, I take a cab to my office where my son Ed, who is the CEO is running the company. I just sign the checks. By 3:30 PM, I am at home.

I take a nap and write for an hour or more. Often dinner with friends, or my children or just Marsha and me.

By 9 pm I am in bed listening to both classical folk music I grew up with; including Sinatra. Simultaneously reading the NY Times or listening to my audiobooks. My children, Lynn, Jane, and Ed speak to me almost every day. A special blessing for any parent. Before my eyes close, I turn to my left and see the love of my life.

We kiss and whisper, “Goodnight.”

Before my eyes close, I turn to my left and see the love of my life. We kiss and whisper, “Goodnight.”

Earl, Alvin & Seymour Ubell

HW: What is next on your list?

What are you planning to write about next?

SU: I am working on two books at the same time. One is a fictionalized story about our family business that began in Europe with my grandfather and continued with my father here in America. The story includes their meetings with the Mafia families that existed in those days. My other book is about people who have another opportunity in life after the death of a wife or husband.

And those couples who go through divorce and find a “second love”.

And in most cases a happy life. But not always.

20 • HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY

Seymour and his wife Marsha Tosk

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 21

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22 • HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY

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HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 23

The Yanfan Foundation Title Sponsor 6th Annual Hollywood Weekly Fiilm Festival November 2, 2019

The first Westerner Branded at the Legendary Shaolin Temple of China in Henan Province, the main temple of the Shaolin school of Buddhism to this day and the birth place of Kung Fu. Born in the southern port town of Brindisi, Italy, Franco Testini, whose official title is His Majesty Abbot Shi Yanfan, acrossed the Mediterranean into the Shaolin Temple in Henan Province, China, and became the Shaolin Temple’s first ever appointed Western Ambassador.

Held by the Chinese government with the approval of the National Religious Affairs Administration and the China Buddhist Association, Shaolin Temple in Henan partially revived an ancient ceremony that had not been practiced for over 300 years.

His Majesty Abbot Shi Yanfan was at the helm of a long and grueling ceremony, after which he was officially anointed with the title of an Abbot. On May 24, 2007, many highly respected and honorary Abbots were called to witness this historical event. On the last day of the ceremony His Majesty Abbot Shi Yanfan was chosen to become the first ever non-Asian to receive the ancient ceremonial branding signs that consisted of searing nine circles on the top of the head with sticks of incense - called the Jieba.

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the 2,500 year old Shaolin Temple in Henan Province, China has unveiled its secrets that help promote natural self-healing of the body, increase inner strength, and reduce stress and pain. An unprecedented tribute to the most ancient martial arts and Eastern philosophy in the world.

Today, in order to spread the legendary Shaolin Culture around the world His Majesty Abbot Shi Yanfan was commissioned to be the Cultural Ambassador of Songshan Shaolin Temple Henan Province, China’s to promote the understanding, the revival, and preservation of legendary Shaolin heritaDge on a global scale.

26 • HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 27

OOPER

A LY C I A 28 • HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY

Alycia Cooper’s Short Film “

Covers ‘6 Circles of Hell’

by Anthony Ewart

Lust (2nd Circle). Greed (4th Circle). Wrath (5th Circle). Violence (7th Circle). Fraud (8th Circle). Treachery (9th Circle). It’s hard to imagine a 30 minute short film containing all of these elements from Dante Alighieri’s 14th -century masterpiece, “The Divine Comedy,” but she does. Inferno (Hell) is the first part of Dante’s Divine Comedy, and it is the most recognized part of the epic poem.

As writer and director of TRADE, Alycia Cooper is essentially our “guide” through this hellish scenario she has created, just

“Trade” just about

from “Dante’s Inferno” as the poet Virgil was Dante’s guide in the Divine Comedy. Maybe Alycia’s log line for TRADE should have echoed Dante’s as he passed through the gates of Hell: “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” But, Alycia Cooper is a comedian, right? We saw her on Last Comic Standing. We saw her on America’s Got Talent. Her comedy videos on Tru TV’s “Laff Mobb Presents Laff Tracks” are the highest rated videos they have. So, where did Alycia’s command of dramatic writing spring from? When did her comedy go gothic?

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 29

AlyciaCooper.com will tell you all you need to know about the whirlwind formation of this multitalented artist, which began at 5 when she “perfected knock-knock jokes and imitating drunk family members.”

B

ut nothing you read about Alycia Cooper’s comedic roots points to the emotional and psychological depth she exhibits in her first Short Film “Trade.”

Alycia has essentially pulled a Jordan Peele. Everyone knew Jordan Peele was an incredibly talented comedic actor and writer, but the leap he made to “Get Out” and “Us” as a writer and director came from a far deeper pool of talent. It came from a depth of talent unseen and unknown by the public, and therefore it came as a surprise -THIS, is Alycia Cooper’s story.

The deepest part of the ocean is called “Challenger Deep.” It’s located in the Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean. It’s 6.856 miles down.

That’s 36,200 feet. The closest patch of land to Challenger Deep is Fais Island.

Fais Island is classified as a “raised coral island” if that gives you an idea of the scope of land in the middle of nowhere we’re talking about. And even this raised coral island is 180 miles away from Challenger Deep. 6.856 miles down into the depths of the ocean -- I believe that’s just about the distance from the smile on our face we show the public to what’s really going on in the core of our existence.

The core of our existence. Six miles down into our emotional psyche. That’s where you’ll find Alycia Cooper fishing -- in the deepest part of our emotional ocean. But that’s where we find our true selves. Sigmund Freud said our 30 • HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY

Sallieu Sesay showing that he’s got levels.

personality is the tip of an iceberg, underneath the surface of the water (or under our conscious reality), was Freud’s psychological trifecta of the Id, Ego and Superego. Whatever this mysterious pool of knowledge and creativity and passion and raw talent deep inside our unconscious is called, clearly Alycia Cooper has tapped into it. Like drinking from a metaphorical sacred well of spiritual water within her unconscious, Alycia the comedian has been reborn Alycia Cooper, “The Filmmaker.”

“The filming of Trade was a great experience. There was a level of professionalism only matched by those bigger sets that I had been on previously.

IRONIC TRAGEDY I remember the empathy and kindness that everyone showed. To give specific examples would be a problem only in that it would require pages and pages of shout outs and acknowledgements. I can say in short that everyone was nice and there was such a sense of family. The support was strong on set. I remember one particular shot when I was outside of the house and Alycia yelled, “cut”. The response from everyone on set provided me with an enormous amount of reinforcement.

I look forward to more projects to come with Ms. Cooper.” Actor Sallieu Sesay, ‘Felonious Hinds’ from Alycia Cooper’s “Trade” TRADE is a perfect Shakespearean tragedy because of the heartbreaking irony of the story. The impetus for the events that lead to the tragic ending echo the famous saying written centuries ago: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Irony... John Travolta brought the irony of “Romeo and Juliet” into hilarious perspective in “Saturday Night Fever.” Travolta’s character “Tony Manero” reflects on the famous tragedy by stating, “I always thought Romeo should have just ‘waited a little longer.’”

Yes, maybe Juliet would have woken up in time for him not to kill himself if he had “waited a little longer.” But he didn’t wait. And that’s why it’s a tragedy.

Chastity Dotson

Actor Sallieu Sesay, who is a Writer/

Director himself, plays “Felonious Hinds” in TRADE. Sallieu does a masterful job in creating fear and intensity with just his eyes. Few can convey deep emotional subtext of rage and passion with their eyes. Sallieu can, frighteningly so. The intensity he brings to this role reminds me of a young Howard Rollins Jr. who set the world on cinema on fire with his performance in director Milos Forman’s “Ragtime.”

As a writer himself, he was able to compartmentalize the demons of his character, and only give us glimpses into what could possibly lay lurking 6 miles down in his troubled emotional psyche.

Actor Blue Kimble, who plays “Alonzo Harrison” in TRADE, is perfect as a man who is not exactly what he seems to be on the surface.

Freud’s “iceberg theory” about our personalities must have been swirling through Cooper’s mind as she created this complex character of conflicting emotions. Blue, a former football player, does a fantastic job of keeping you guessing about his character. Do we sympathize with him? Can we empathize with him? Do we we feel sorry for him or hate him? Blue and I spoke about the “drama” inherent in all sports, and though acting is a different kind of drama, adrenaline can’t tell the difference. Concentration and focus are tools for an athlete, and a thespian.

Blue has made his transition to film and television from football seamless, revealing that, just like Alycia Cooper, he was always in possession of hidden talents. Writer/Director Alycia Cooper has shown her talent in eliciting true, real performances from her actors, and Mr. Kimble was up for that challenge. It was just “Game Time,” for Blue.

Actress Chastity Dotson has the challenging role of “Tempia Harrison,” the wife of Kimble’s “Alonzo Harrison.”

Chastity is a seasoned theatre actress with seven one-woman shows under her belt, and 36 IMDB credits. She’s busy. But she loves what she does, which is immersing herself in fictional

characters. Becoming those characters.

Living like those characters. It could be an emotionally draining career for some, but not Chastity. 7 one-woman shows, clearly Chastity has a ravenous appetite for acting. In TRADE she has 30 minutes to show us her integral part in Cooper’s raw, emotional vision of a sad truth of denial in our society. For Chastity, the role of Tempia Harrison was complex. Tempia’s feelings about the husband she knew before he went to jail, and the man that came back to her. This she must balance with a successful career and two kids. But home is where your heart is, and Chastity’s home life with Alonzo is...well... Let’s just say her female intuition is leading her beneath the frozen surface water of the iceberg that is Alonzo Harrison.

Campion’s amazing 1993 film “The Piano,” with Holly Hunter, Anna Paquin, Sam Neill and Harvey Keitel.

TRADE is a disturbing film, but it is a necessary film. Alycia Cooper is concerned, at this point in her fil¬mmaking career, with peeling back the skin of uncomfortable and ugly situations, poking around in the flesh that lay underneath and then dramatically filming it. We may want to thank Alycia. Who knew the evil in Dante’s Inferno could be so close to our present lives? With people we know.

With people we meet. With people we’re married to.

Alycia Cooper’s TRADE will be screened at Hollywood Weekly Magazine’s 6th Annual International Film Festival on November 2nd. It will be one of those films that have to be discussed immediately after viewing, like Jane

TRADE is a perfect Shakespearean tragedy because of the heartbreaking irony of the story.

Blue Kimble gets his “daddy on” with his Trade kids, Isaiah James and Celeste Clark.

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 31

Alycia Cooper puts out another fire with DP, Freeman White III

Interview with Alycia Cooper HW-How long have you wanted to be a filmmaker?

Alycia Cooper- I believe a lot longer than I even realized. I’ve always loved Hollywood and cinema. When I was growing up in the 70’s, celebrities were insulated and almost mythical. They kept their private lives private. If you got a glimpse into their world, you drank it up like a thirsty person that walked through the desert, and is finally able to get a drink of water. They wouldn’t let you photograph their kids. There was such a mystique surrounding the entertainment business and entertainers, that a little girl like me never thought I could be a part of it. Nevertheless, I watched everything I gained exposure to, and had no idea that watching as much television and film that I did would lead me to this moment.

HW- What were your favorite movies as a child?

AC- Well, we had one cable channel in MD at the time, so you’d see the same few movies ad nauseam. I could recite the words to Cujo, Children of the Corn, and Carlito’s Way. 32 • HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY

Then, the big boom happened with Jaws and then E.T. The stories, acting and directing were so awesome that you were able to get lost in the story. People earned these spots with talent and hard work. There was no social media at the time, so people weren’t hired because of the number of followers they had. They got their positions on merit. Novel idea, huh? LOL! HW- Which directors did you gravitate towards?

AC- Early on, it was Steven Spielberg. As I grew older, it became Spike Lee, John Singleton, Kasi Lemmons, The Hudlin and Hughes brothers.

HW- Was there one film that resonated with you more than others?

AC- Yes. “The Color Purple.” The movie was over three hours long, but you were so lost in the story that it felt like ninety minutes. The acting, the script, the music, the cinematography- this movie made you laugh, cry, it had every-

thing. It also introduced us to Whoopi Goldberg. To this day, it has to be the most quoted movie of all time, and anytime it comes on television I end up watching it again. With commercials that can become a six hour adventure.

HW- Let’s talk about Trade. How did you come up with the title?

AC- I’m not giving you any spoilers. Your readers will have to find out November 2nd at the film festival.

HW- So, without giving away any spoilers, why this story?

AC- Well, as you know, I’m an actor and a comic. I started my stand up career in 2000. In this world, the worst thing you can do is sound like someone else, which is why it always baffles me why someone would want to steal jokes, but I digress. I always strive to sound unique, which spilled over into my screenwriting. I decided that I wanted to tell a story in such a way that it feels extremely fresh and different. I took a theme that I believe is not discussed in the African-American community and brought it to the forefront. I’m a huge Jordan Peele fan, so I knew that I wanted to add a horror/

suspense thriller aspect to the piece. I put all these things together and out came the story idea for “Trade.”

HW- What do you want audiences to take away from this film?

AC- I want to spark a dialogue. Some people will be on one side, some will be on the other. I purposely wrote it with nuances and dimensions so that no two people will experience this film the same way. It will all hinge upon the viewers individual upbringing, life experiences, and cultural assumptions. This is what makes Trade special. I’m proud of the work we all did on this. As a first time director, I couldn’t have asked for a better producing experience, team (in front of the camera and behind-the-scenes), and final product.

This is my calling card to the industry.

HW- What is your overall goal with Trade?

AC- My goal is to direct Trade as a feature film. I’ve already written the script. I just need investors to take this to the next level, but don’t we all? Lol.

“W

e had an amazing time on the production of “trade. The energy on the set was always positive and encouraging, those are the type of work environments that allow you to be your best on camera. Cooper is more than just a director, she wanted us to actually live on the camera, she wanted all of our emotions to be real. Because these are the things that capture the audience.

Trade” taps into different dynamics that everybody will be able to relate to, but then the film also gives you a glimpse into worlds that you may have never seen before. From The prison culture, to the family relationships.. we wanted to make sure that everything was as genuine and realistic as possible. And I think Cooper and our award winning cast of actors were able to pull that off. We can’t wait to share this film with the world.”

Actor Blue Kimble

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 33

DEEPAK CHOPRA Deepak ChPRA 34 • HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY

...on the Healing Power of “Love-in-Action”

By Allison Kugel

D

eepak Chopra has been a mentor of mine from the day of my first interview with him more than a decade ago. I will never forget the day in 2008 when I asked him to explain such existential concepts as the distinction between the brain, mind and soul; the concepts of space and time, and how meditation benefits our physical and mental health. His answers then were clear and precise and without hesitation; on my end it felt like waking up from a dream and setting about on a continuous path of discovery.

He and I sat down once again, this time to unpack the pressing issues of isolation, anxiety and depression and the growing epidemic of suicidal ideation and suicide, which has taken sharp incline over the past eighteen years. Deepak Chopra is now part of a team spearheading the Never Alone movement, a grassroots movement that aims to create community-led organizations around the world to help people in emotional distress who need community support. Never Alone is being funded through a GoFundMe campaign that has already surpassed its original goal.

In tandem, Deepak Chopra, has released his latest book, Metahuman (Harmony Books/Random House), which delves into the true essence of our nature when we break free of societal constructs and embrace a higher level of consciousness and greater zest for living on this planet.

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 35

A

llison Kugel: The subject matter we are about to discuss is an uncomfortable one, but one that needs to be addressed because we are losing too many people.

I looked at some World Health Organization statistics that report there has been a 60% increase in suicides over the past 45 years, with a 30% increase since 2001. My first question for you is simply… why?

Deepak Chopra: We are living in a culture that aggrandizes narcissism and the whole idea of a separate self. People are constantly engaged in social media, and in general media as well. All of this leads to a performance anxiety in a sense. Am I relevant if I’m not being noticed? On the one hand, social networks are supposed to increase our connectivity. In one sense they do, because we can communicate more effectively. But it also increases our isolation if we don’t get noticed.

Young adults, in particular, are at a very delicate stage of their life where they’re beginning to wonder about their identity. As young children, we never wonder about identity. We are just happy, without wondering about self-esteem and all those things. As we enter adolescence, identity becomes an issue and we are still forging our identities. Today our identity is all about, “Am I important? Am I relevant?” It’s not even about knowing who we are at a fundamental level.

Allison Kugel: I remember seeing my son, up until about the age of three, exhibit this pure unadulterated confidence and joy that emanated from 36 • HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY

his being. I have a video of him at the age of 15 or 16 months, where he’s running through a field and cracking himself up for no reason; just happy to be running in the grass. Why do we lose that joy and that feeling of wholeness, of being enough just as we are, as we get older?

illness, more narcissism and certainly more anxiety and depression. And we have more people who are medicated than ever before. What is all this pushing us towards? And what is the spiritual reason for it all?

Deepak Chopra: A lot of what you are seeing is the mental health Deepak Chopra: You are very of a collective mind, or a collective right in your observation. The humanity, that has created a world

everything, and you’re in a constant state of feeling the pain of everybody and everything?

Deepak Chopra: We can resign ourselves and say the human experiment has failed; that the human species was an interesting idea on behalf of nature’s evolutionary impulse, but it didn’t work. We can resign ourselves and wait for our collective extinction where we just go to the bar and get a drink, which will numb us even more, and which people are doing with drugs and alcohol and other addictions. This is mostly linked to this massive epidemic of suicide and depression.

Or, we can do something about it and hope for the best. What I have discovered through careful observation and as a physician, is that when people support each other in anything, and it doesn’t matter what it is, it is healing. When we support each other, the outcome of whatever that condition is that a person is struggling with, it does improve. This is what has led me to the opportunity to create, both, online and real-time communities where people can support each other for a more peaceful, just, sustainable, healthier and joyful existence. Ultimately, this is the purpose of life, to experience our innate joy. That comes automatically through empathy, which leads to compassion, which then leads to the desire to relieve another person’s slisten to them and you are there to support them, then they change, especially if you care.

WE ARE LIVING IN A CULTURE THAT AGGRANDIZES NARCISSISM AND THE WHOLE IDEA OF A SEPARATE SELF... poet Rabindranath Tagore is quoted as having said that “every child that’s born is proof that God has not given up on human beings (paraphrased).” Children are naturally joyful and loving and have empathy and compassion and playfulness as their innate traits.

The rest is the hypnosis of social conditioning. Unfortunately, it gets recycled through every generation and now it’s getting worse because of our ability to communicate our self-importance. Self-esteem is natural, in our natural state. We are confusing [self-esteem] with self-image, which is the ego-bound identity. Self-image constantly needs validation or else it feels very fearful.

with all the things you mentioned.

We’ve seen extinction in every other life form, but now we’re ready for our own extinction. The last extinction was sixty-five million years ago as a result of a meteorite hitting the earth, when dinosaurs were wiped out. We learned as a result of that extinction. But now if we have our next extinction, it will be as a result of human behavior. If this is not collective insanity… If we don’t acknowledge it then we are decreeing our own insanity. We need to understand our personal role in this collective insanity.

Suicide and depression are symptoms of our collective conditioned mind.

We treat hate to be normal. We treat the psychopathology of our everyday existence as normal. So numb have Allison Kugel: I’ve noticed we become. And so immune have we a pattern in the 21st century become to the cruelty that happens where we are being pushed to every day in the world. the brink in so many ways. We have extreme weather patterns, Allison Kugel: What if you’re mass shootings, more chronic an empath, and internalize

To Be continued in our next issue.

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 37

38 • HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY

FAYE DUNAWAY

HW: The Higher Path Collective: Best Dispensary in Los Angeles? What in your opinion establishes a top tier dispensary like The Higher Path Collective as the premier Cannabis dispensary in Los Angeles, and how do you differ from the many other cannabis shops in L.A.?

Staying on top in this industry requires strict adherence to regulations and a determination to always put the customers’ needs first.

As members of the UCBA and a long-standing legal business, we take pride in providing safe, tested products to our full spectrum of customers.

Is it challenging to keep up with all of the rules and regulations in the California cannabis industry?

B

onnie and Clyde. The Depression-era bank robbers are an infamous duoNo. in We American history. to check every box, and our team of lawyers makes sure we’re always one step Challenging?

Yes. Impossible? work diligently Thirty years after their crime spree, the actress selected ahead of the next regulation. Not only do we stay fully compliant, we offer our customers information on taxes and legal necessities, to portray “Bonnie” opposite Warren “Clyde” and through the UCBA we offer thoseBeatty’s resources to all dispensaries and vendors under that umbrella. was a Hollywood newcomer named Faye Dunaway. A graduate of Boston University with a degree in theatre, What is the UCBA? Dunaway had appeared in a number of Broadway hits.

But The Dunaway little Business experience on the silver screen, United had Cannabis Association.

From their website, “We fight on our collective behalf to create a robust and sustaining regmaking her a gamble for a leading role.

Producer andballot measures locally and legislation at the state, to taxation issues, licensing, ulated California cannabis industry. From introducing lead actor Warren Beatty opted to roll the dice with and social equity programs, the UCBA is the leading voice for legal cannabis in California.”

Faye Dunaway to depict his outlaw counterpart. The The owner of our shop, Jerred Kiloh, is also the President of the UCBA so our shop works with many other shops to maintain that decision to cast Dunaway paid-off as Bonnie and Clyde for California shoppers. Awards in 1967, inwas legality nominated for ten Academy cluding Best Picture and Dunaway as Best Actress.

HW: As you know,later there credit is a lot ofthe misinformation surroundingher the benefits and risks associated with cannabis use. According to your website, “since opening in Dunaway would film for turning into2013, a star.your focus has been on helping provide patients with the knowledge and medicine they need.” There are a number of unlicensed cannabis shops in Los

Angeles, why is it important for consumers to carefully select their medicine and other products from licensed cannabis shops like The Higher Path Collective?

A

fter Bonnie and Clyde, Faye Dunaway explored

Unfortunately, unlicensed marketmore is stillHollywood alive and well in California, and the hemp market is thriving with little to no regulation. That her acting the artistry in several hits,means including The are Thomas Crown Affaircontaminated opposite with pesticides and possibly not the strains or potencies that are advertised customers purchasing products Steve McQueen and The Arrangement opposite Kirk on their packaging. Recent random tests have discovered that CBD products around Los Angeles don’t actually contain any CBD! We Douglas.

Several years later, Dunaway played ruthless find this unacceptable.

Just like the FDA hasa to put ingredients on their packaging, the regulated industry does as well to provide full television executive a satire named earntransparency as toinwhat’s going insideNetwork, someone’s body. At The Higher Path, every product is tested and regulated from seed to sale, ing with the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Yet, in the complete clarity regarding its contents and potency.

midst of her Hollywood success, Faye Dunaway never lost HW: her Inpassion for the stage.

She frequently optedwhich for can supplement traditional medicine are in a state of conflict. For example, if someone goes our Western society, alternative health approaches stage roles over the Hollywood big screen, claiming that into a hospital and is diagnosed with high blood pressure, medical doctors will generally recommend a lifestyle change and give prescription drugs which the stage was more challenging than film. Her lifelong often came have serious you ask your medical doctor mentor from side the effects. stage, IfHarvard Professor Wil- for a natural alternative, they will typically avoid discussions of cannabis as a safe option.

So let’s set the record straight, please discuss several prevalent liam Alfred, who wrote Hogan’s Goat, an off-Broadway diseases that pharmaceutical companies are claiming their drugs can treat and alternative production starringatDunaway later turned into products available The Higherthat Path was Collective. a film with Dunaway maintaining her role.

Well, the spectrum of diseases and ailments alleviated with cannabis use is broad, and ever-growing. While we never promise to fully hroughout herour theatrical endeavors, Fayecarefully Dun- and advises with specific products to coincide with a lifestyle change that have cure any disease, consultation team listens awayeffective has beenforknown for her fiery temperament, proven many people.

Research is continually conducted on everything from cancer, auto immune diseases, anxiety, mental famously Otto and to see the positive effects cannabis provides as relief for these. healthclashing disorders,with and directors physical pain andPreminger we will continue

T

Roman Polanski. Still, even those who have been on the receiving end of Dunaway’s tongue that HW: I understand that you are alsobiting involved in Vapingadmit products, edibles and other cannabis related items. What can you share with our readers who maybe looking her demanding nature is driven by her passion for the for reputable products as part of their lifestyle? Are there resources that you can mention of other highly recommended vendors involved in the cannabis industry? art of acting. Dunaway later addressed her reputation in her autobiography, Looking for Gatsby, penningand that, Vaping is the fastest way to consume cannabis, one of the most discreet and easy. Edibles are the longest lasting, and provide the “I want to get it right. The fact is a man can be diffimost pain relief and help with insomnia. Dosing can be tricky, and is never easy to determine. We always advise customers call and cult and people applaud him for trying to do a superior schedule consultation so to weget canitwalk job…

And a awoman can try rightthem and through she’s ‘a the process. pain in the ass.’” Faye Dunaway succeeding in getting it HW: In closing, appreciate time.

Is there anything right, both on theI greatly theatre stage asyour well as the feature filmthat you wish to mentioned or further elaborate on that we did not discuss? screen. Whether or not she was truly “a pain in the ass” We are a shop that focuses on eco friendly brands, practices, and standards, and we work with many charities to keep the benefits remains unknown, but Faye Dunaway would wear the withinproudly. our community. We’re proud members of the Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce and happy to become involved with more moniker

charities in the future. We are proud of our commitment to a brighter, cleaner, more inclusive future.

Dunaway, F. (1995). Looking for Gatsby: My life. New York: Simon & Schuster, p. 218.

Faye Dunaway in a Studio Publicity Still from “BonnieHOLLYWOOD and Clyde” (1967) Warner Bros © • 13 WEEKLY

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