Digital Radio Tracker by Hollywood Weekly Magazine, LLC

Celebrating Diversity In The Entertainment Industry

Matt Damon

Pacific Palisades Mansion

Al Hirschfeld Foundation

Celebrating Black History

Megan Thee Stallion 4 GRAMMY nominations

Michael Matthews is Revolutionizing the music industry with

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR W

e welcome readers to our special coverage of the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. This year’s event has been rescheduled until March 14, 2001. It will be hosted by award winning “The Daily Show Host and Comedian Trevor Noah. We are also honored to have on our cover the founder of DigitalRadioTracker. com Inc, Michael Matthews. DigitalRadioTracker.com Inc also known as DRT is a leading global internet radio monitoring company which tracks radio airplay of songs played on over 5000 + radio stations on this planet! DRT can truly be described as a company that has filled the voids existing in the music industry and strengthens the business as a whole. Information gathered by DRT is utilized in a multitude of ways. Especially by artist, record labels, publicist, managers, promoters, DJs, and other industry professionals. And not to be overlooked, the first-ever media empire, Ebony, is getting its own documentary. Lisa Cortes will direct the film and Academy Award and Emmy Award winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams will produce, via One Story Up. Cortes will also produce, as well. Finally, we would be remised if we failed to acknowledge The Al Hirschfeld Foundation’s celebration of Black Culture. “Amplified Dignity” is an online exhibition celebrating Black History Month. As always, thank you for your tremendous and steadfast support. We truly join each of you as we celebrate the cultural diversity of the entertainment industry. Best wishes and be safe,

Celebrating Diversity In The Entertainment Industry

Prather Jackson

Publisher/Editor-In-Chief

Matt Damon

Pacific Palisades Mansion

Al Hirschfeld Foundation Black History Month

Newton Thomas Sigel

Cinematographer

Michael Matthews is Revolutionizing the music industry with

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4 MARVIN SPRUILL 8 WONHO 12 MEGAN THEE STALLION 15 NEWTON THOMAS SIGEL 16 THE EMPIRE OF EBONY 20 AL HIRSCHFELD FOUNDATION 22 MATT DAMON 26 SOULVISION MAGAZINE 28 BEDSIDE READING 30 ROCKY DAWUNI 33 YVONNE NELSON 34

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MICHAEL MATTHEWS Digital Radio Tracker Country Soul Singer

Singer/ Songwriter/ Producer Grammy Nominations Cinematographer Rise and Impact

Black History Month

Pacific Palisades Mansion April Walker

HW's Favorite Authors

From Highlife to Climate Change

Ghana's Hottest Actress

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY IS A PUBLICATION WHOLLY OWNED BY PRATHER JACKSON HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY MAGAZINE LLC. © 2020 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION OF ANY CONTENT WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSSION OF THE PUBLISHER IS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR MAY BE SENT TO: PRATHER@HOLLYWOODWEEKLYMAGAZINE.COM. 8345 RESEDA BLVD #117, NORTHRIDGE, CA 91324. FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES CALL: (424) 371-9900 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 3

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Michael Matthews Founder of DigitalRadioTracker.com Inc.

BY ANTHONY EWART It is easy to forget that there was a time when Independents (an Indie recording artist, musician and music entrepreneur) struggled for the attention of mainstream audiences. It was not easy. Even the term “indie” made people feel that their songs would be cheaply made and did not have enough worth or merit to be picked up by a major label record executive. No one paid attention to the Indies because, well, honestly, can anything good come from independent music makers who are independently working outside of a major label system on tiny budgets? The answer is yes.

don’t have the time or the resources to scan internet radio stations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But they are very much aware that stars like Justin Bieber, Soulja Boy, Shawn Mendes, Ed Sheeran, Carly Rae Jepsen to name a few were discovered on the Internet. Andy Samberg was also an internet star discovery before achieving fame virtually everywhere.

DRT does the work for you. They have a customized all-inclusive, superior tracking technology software that monitors radio airplay detection of songs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. An amazing accomplishment but not surprising since it was created Thanks to the advent of technology that things are drastically changing. Major record executives realized, by two music promoters who know the music business so well creating Digital Radio Tracker was simply a which should have been obvious to them, that there are “many talented individuals” who are not included matter of, as Michael Matthews told me, “Filling in the or part of the mainstream music scene. The shift in how voids that Tom and I saw from our years of experience in the music business. We knew exactly what was the music industry big guys are viewing independent needed.” Indeed, they did know and they have been artists and musicians starting from humble beginnings is vastly changing because of such new industry report- refashioning the music business with DRT since August of 2011. ing systems as DigitalRadioTracker.com. What is amazing about DRT’s song tracking technology is that it requires no special encoding or fingerprinting. Matthews explains “The system’s unique database logs songs that are played on all the radio stations that DRT monitors. The system captures the original version of a song and records the date and time it is played. Any subsequent versions of the song are also captured and logged. DRT follows songs like the credit bureau follows you -- close. DRT creates a file and all versions along with the original is stored in the system where the DigitalRadioTracker.com Inc. also known as DRT is a leading global internet radio monitoring company which individual data can be pulled and reviewed.” tracks radio airplay of songs played on over 5000+ radio stations on this planet! These stations (major to This is incredibly important because other monitoring independent) are comprised of an array of FM Terrestri- companies have never provided this level of information. Music executives, radio promoters and the artist al, Satellite and College as well as thousands of digital streaming radio stations...and that is the key right there. themselves have no idea how each version or mix of There is a diamond sea of undiscovered talent unknown their song is doing. This is a huge void that DRT has to mainstream music executives and producers who filled. Major music producers and executives are now searching for the next great “unknown singer or musician” that they can “discover.” These executives and producers know that “original musical talent” blossoms and flourishes around the world, the trick is finding that next great musical artist. That is where “DigitalRadioTracker.com, Inc.” has been shining so brilliantly since it was created by Michael Matthews in 2011.

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So, if you have the world’s greatest radio tracking system of course you are going to have the world’s “truest” charting system, and DRT does both. DRT monitors and tracks songs streaming at Internet Radio, Terrestrial FM, College and Non-Commercial stations all over the world and provides artists, musicians, publishers, producers, songwriters and record executives’ airplay reports and charts of their songs released. There are nine categories of music charts listed on DigitalRadioTracker website. DRT Global Top 200 Airplay Chart. DRT Global Top 150 Independent Airplay Chart. DRT Top 25 International Airplay Chart. DRT Global Top 50 Pop Airplay Chart. DRT Global Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Chart. DRT Global Top 50 Country Airplay Chart. DRT Global Top 50 Gospel/ Inspirational Airplay Chart. DRT Global Top 50 Adult Contemporary Airplay Chart and the DRT Global Top 50 Rock Airplay Chart. As I stated, this is truly a diamond sea of talent. All the songs on these massive charts have iTunes and Spotify links. It is a truly impressive collection and a goldmine for music producers, record executives and promoters searching for the next great singer, musician and band -- Superstar.

This is, of course, just the surface of the worldwide phenomenon that is DigitalRadioTracker. It all began with a conversation Michael Matthews had with Tom McGee, both of whom come from a background in radio and records. Matthews realized that most of the songs they were promoting were being played on digital radio and small-market FM stations. It was a kernel of a discovery, like the beginning of Ravel’s “Bolero,” that blossomed into the full symphonic glory that is now DRT. Through due diligence Matthews and McGee learned no one was monitoring these radio stations. It seemed incredulous. People were listening to these stations and discovering new artists but yet had no voice. For a record promoter any and all information about your client is crucial, valuable intel in the shaping of that client’s career. Yet information about songs being played online were being ignored. This was beyond an untapped market or undiscovered niche. This could be a game changer. DRT can truly be described as a company that has filled the voids existing in the music industry and HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 5

strengthened the business as a whole. As stated earlier, the information gathered by DRT is utilized by artists, record labels, publicists, managers, promoters, radio station programmers, DJs and other music industry professionals. Data collected by DRT is vital to booking shows and tours, selling merchandise or promoting songs to other radio stations. One extremely useful benefit all music artists are in agreement with is that the DRT Reports can assist them in collecting royalties on their music and further build their fan base. DRT Reports reveals invaluable information that can help develop promotional strategies for musical artists and assist them in monetizing their brand. DRT covers the waterfront as far as genres of music it tracks. Pop, R&B/Hip-Hop, Country, Gospel/Inspirational, Adult Contemporary and Rock. For all you Sarah Vaughan and B.B. King fans DRT also monitor a small number of Jazz, Americana and Blues stations as well. Budding singers/songwriters in college should also find a sense of hope and inspiration that DRT tracks an array of college radio formats around the world too. And that is what DRT is truly all about at its heart. Making sure all voices are heard. If your garage band can end up on a radio station somewhere on this planet, 6 • HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY

odds are, with over 5,000 radio stations being tracked, DigitalRadioTracker is tracking your stats. You matter. Matthews and McGee understand that technology has changed the landscape of the music industry. It is now a global industry and every day DRT receives requests from new radio stations wanting to join its community. The good news is with DRT monitoring over 45 million song titles a week in more than 125 countries globally it does not discriminate on the size of a radio station or its listener count. And with Matthews and McGee building a strong broadcasting community that monitors and represents a true voice as to what music is actually being played they have developed a unique system where all music industry professionals can access DRT’s database and radio stations interested in being monitored by DRT can register for a FREE account on DRT’s website. The kernel of an idea that Michael Matthews had all those years ago when he noticed most of the songs he was promoting were being played on digital radio has now filled more than a void in the music industry. Launching DRT has redefined and revealed the true understanding and comprehension of the music industry.

Photos by Curtis Matthews

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MARVIN SPRUILL COUNTRY SOUL SINGER

Maya Angelou said you may not remember a person's name, but you will never forget the way they made you feel. The unanimous feeling on how Country Soul Singer/Promoter/ manager loves country music. Whether he's singing to you an old Hank Williams song or just talking to you. His charm is magnetic and as deep as his sincere love for country music. Marvin Spruill is a people person, which means he is a music person. To Marvin music and people are not mutually exclusive. Stories and songs are part of human evolution. Stories and songs bind us together socially. We are composed of stories as much as we are composed of atoms. And no musical genre gets into the DNA of human stories like country music. Truth is an agenda in country music. Writers of country music like Willie Nelson and singers like Ronnie Milsap are emotional surgeons -- Truth Doctors, healing you or strengthening you through the power of music. Spruill is a born storyteller. He was only in high school when he won a school talent contest and wowed his peers singing a Charlie Pride song who was one of Marvin's favorite country soul artists. From the very beginning, Marvin had a lifelong love for Charlie Pride, the first African-American Country singer who was accepted and respected by his professional peers and the public. The sweet idealism of Marvin Spruill as a young teenager, he truly believed that if Charlie Pride could become a successful country music singer then he could as well. Marvin never doubted his talents. He was raised on R & B, Gospel Music, and Country Music, but Marvin loved listening to country music that was broadcast on the Grand Old Opry on Saturday nights. He said, "It had a different, strange sound that I loved." That was the music, but it was the lyrics and the stories woven in the songs that really resonated with Marvin. 8 • HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY

In ancient Greece stories were sung by the great poet, Homer. He was a poet who sang his stories for those lucky enough to hear Homer sing excerpts from The Iliad" and "The Odyssey." Marvin is a singer of stories, true, emotional stories about everyday people which earned him the nickname "Hillbilly Jim" as a young man. His mother understood Marvin's connection with country music because she loved the song Coal Miner's Daughter by Loretta Lynn. On Saturday nights the family would spend quality time and watch Hee Haw. Marvin's father was confused by the posters of country music artists on Marvin's wall, but country music was in his blood. Marvin always sang country and put his own soulful twist in the songs. The way Ray Charles did in his landmark "Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music" (1962), an album Willie Nelson personally stated had a huge influence on him as an artist and it did for many of his professional peers at the time. To put into perspective the kind of writer Willie Nelson is and why this statement means so much for the acceptance of all people singing what they love, Nelson wrote "Crazy" for Patsy Cline, probably one of the best known classic country songs from one of the best singers of any genre. Nelson was influenced by the way Ray Charles sang country music, as stated in his title, these were modern sounds. Marvin Spruill has spent a lifetime sharing his own modern sound of country and western music. Charlie Pride had his soulful sound. Even Lionel Ritchie had his own unique soul sound. As a music promoter, Marvin Spruill finds talented young Country Soul singers and provides them with venues and audiences to enjoy this resurgence of country soul. Marvin worked with a young country artist Jocie Johnson who opened up for David Allen Cole and appeared with Dwight Yoakam

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and he worked with the songstress Vicki Vann and many more. The best example of true breakout success is Lil Nas X's with his chart-topping song "Old Town Road" a collaboration with Billy Ray Cyrus. This song spent 19 weeks dominating the Billboard Top 100. That was a legendary accomplishment but not unexpected or surprising to Marvin Spruill who has seen incredible talent in the African-American Country Music scene for many years. Spruill was only 18 years old when he had reached out to Ernie Bivens of Ernie Bivens Promotions out of Nashville. Marvin with his quick wit broke into song and Ernie really liked Marvin's sound. The scout was so impressed with Marvin he eventually would pick Marvin up from his home in North Carolina and personally drive him to Nashville, Tennessee to record Marvin's unique country soul sound. Marvin remembers fondly the scout waking him up as they entered Nashville saying, "Look, Marvin, there's the Grand Old Opry." Marvin has had many wonderful moments like that with people who have recognized his talent and offered to help him. It is important to Marvin to give back, by reintroducing Country Soul Music back to the millions of fans who love Country. Just as many country music fans think country music is getting too pop, it has also strayed very far from its roots which initially incorporated elements from African-American music and instruments. The banjo, which is a staple instrument for hillbilly, folk, and country music, was created by African-Americans, who were trying to recreate their musical instruments from Africa. The banjo was introduced to mainstream America in the 1900s and is also a centerpiece for bluegrass music. Folk and blues are 10 • HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY

the precursors to country and rock music so you can't help but feel the influence and African-American music in most genres you hear today. Country music was a part of Marvin's roots, so you can imagine how painful it is when someone told him he can't sing country music because it's not his music. It's painful because Marvin thought about all the good country soul music this poor person is missing out on. Instead of getting mad Marvin may belt out a classic hillbilly or country song and let the listener hear what Marvin calls Country Soul Music. We should remember that the great Bob Dylan said when he heard African-American Folk Singer Leadbelly's song "Cotton Fields" it literally "changed his life right then and there." Dylan said this country soul sound "transported him into a world he had never known." That is the power of Country Soul Music. In 2021 Singer/Promoter Marvin Spruill and Actor/ Writer/Entrepreneur Rodney Allen Rippy will be co-executive producing their first Country Soul Music Awards, where Marvin will have a special posthumous Icon Achievement Award for his idol from those old days listening to the Grand Old Opry, the late great Charlie Pride. With the recent passing of Charlie Pride, there is no doubt that his music will live on forever because of his millions of fans who loved him. Growing up in Williamston, NC Marvin loved listening to Ronnie Milsap and even traveled 100 miles to a Ronnie Milsap performance at the Raleigh Durham fairgrounds and his biggest hit at that time was Stranger In My House. Believe it or not, Marvin managed to talk his way backstage where he met Ronnie

and presented him with an antique radio. Marvin had worked in the tobacco fields and had picked cucumbers yet he never let go of his dream to sing country music. But if you know Marvin then you know, as I mentioned, he is a people person, so the Country Soul Music Awards will be inclusive of all races, cultures, ages and those who love real, down-home country music. Country Soul Music is already out there, but like Bob Dylan discovering Leadbelly, it's all about giving mainstream audiences the opportunity to hear music that could very well change their lives for the better. Country Soul Music sure worked out well for Bob Dylan. Marvin on a visit to the Grand Ole Opry at the end of the night Marvin went up and stood center stage and as he closed his eyes, he imagined what it must felt like to perform there. As you can imagine, it wasn't always easy for Marvin to follow his dreams, he'll never forget some cold nights where he had no choice but to sleep in a cardboard condominium. Marvin still pressed forward and he's been a member of the California Country Music Association, The Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association. From the tobacco fields to the Grand Ole Opry, Marvin Spruill is Relentless Country Soul! Music promoter and manager. Marvin is also launching The Country Soul Music Magazine to keep country soul fans up to date on all the latest artist. If you would like to contact Marvin he can be reached at mdsentertainmentinc@gmail.com HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 11

Singer/ Songwriter/ Producer

WONHO RELEASES 1ST MINI ALBUM PART. 2

LOVE SYNONYM #2: RIGHT FOR US Singer-Songwriter-Producer, Wonho, has released his highly anticipated solo mini album, ‘WONHO 1ST MINI ALBUM Part2. <Love Synonym #2 : Right for Us>,' today. Within a few hours the album took over the #1 spot on the iTunes K-Pop Albums Chart, trended all over Twitter Worldwide, and is currently sitting at #3 on the iTunes Pop Albums Charts. With the release of his album last September announcing the start of his solo career, this album is a continuation of his ‘Love Synonym’ series and meant to dive deeper into Wonho as an artist and continue to solidify his story. Wonho’s debut last year resonated with fans all around the world, with the album quickly climbing to No. 1 on the Worldwide iTunes Album Chart, and ranking high on the iTunes charts in 30 countries and Billboard World Digital Song Sales Charts. On top of that, he wasted no time taking the U.S. Market by storm; receiving notable mentions from publications such as PAPER Magazine, MTV News, Access, iHeart, Teen Vogue, Refinery29 and Rolling Stone who stated “Performed entirely in English, the sweeping, piano-driven ballad showcases Wonho’s delicate falsetto, as he sings about protecting a cherished love despite all costs.” Without having released any music yet this year, Forbes has already named Wonho as one of “The K-Pop Solo Stars Who Could Break In America In 2021.” Wonho kicked off his album release by chatting with Radio.com about his inspiration throughout the writing process, which ultimately is his fans. Wonho is further exploring his range of artistry on this album by showcasing his songwriting and producing skills throughout multiple tracks. The focus track “Lose” depicts the story of a man who has overcome the trauma of parting, trying to get over the breakup to face and find his true self. With lyrics

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such as “Don’t wanna fight. Don’t wanna play. I can’t get over you. Just wanna watch. You leave tonight. It’s something I can’t do. Cos baby in your game of love. I know I’m gonna lose,” Wonho showcases his ability to embrace and exhibit the emotions he’s holding inside. In addition, the music video, using implicit fantasy elements, strongly conveys a man's struggle to escape his nightmare. For the first time during his solo career, Wonho is teaming up with an American artist on the track “Ain’t About You,” which NME referred to as “the standout track.” Multi-platinum singer-songwriter, KIIARA’s smooth vocals blend seamlessly with Wonho’s, creating an addictive bittersweet breakup track; “You’re so hard to resist. A love that hurt like this. I wish it wasn’t hell. To love you more than you love yourself.” Co-written by Wonho, “WENEED,” was inspired by the official fandom name 'WENEE,' containing sincerity for his fans and the people around him who have sent him infinite support and affection. Wonho spills out his true emotions through his heartfelt delivery; “Even in the darkest times. You were the one pulling me through….When I’m back on the stage. Can you wave your hands again. This song’s for you. Can you sing it along.” “Flash” is a song that expresses the feelings of letting someone go, comparing a light to his yearning and longing. The lyrics emphasize a dreamy and sentimental feeling by comparing the flickering lights of a lighthouse to the characteristics of the other person's emotions; which illuminate the darkness and are later recognized by someone who is having a hard time. By exploring many different genres throughout this mini album, Wonho has a song for every listener.

MORE INFO: In 2019, Wonho's fans tirelessly put forth efforts to show him he wasn’t alone in this world. Their message was heard globally, loud and clear; with multiple hashtags trending worldwide on twitter for weeks on end, online petitions garnering half a million signatures, fans taking it to the streets of Seoul writing supportive notes, and putting up billboards in Times Square, and all over the world to support him. As told by Forbes, “...fans had shown their support for the artist by sending the 2017 song “From Zero,” a special track co-written and producer by Wonho, to No. 1 on Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart to help prove his continuing viability and commercial appeal as an artist, songwriter and producer.” After months of fan-driven fundraisers, online petitions, Twitter trends and love; Wonho is thrilled to be giving back to his fans. His fanbase's new name is WENEE; and

the fandom name represents the special bond between Wonho and his fans, who have been there to support him through the ups and downs. Wonho sings passionately on the track “Coz anytime or place I’d be your shield, when you feel, like you ain’t got the fight in you to heal.” The release of “Losing You” in 2020 was Wonho’s first step forward in his solo career after signing with Highline Entertainment, which is a subsidiary label of Starship Entertainment—the home to K-pop groups including Monsta X, WJSN and CRAVITY—and houses viral EDM star DJ SODA. Back in April 2020, Wonho also joined Maverick Management’s roster, alongside Britney Spears, Madonna, The Weeknd, and many more big-name artists. CREDIT: HIGHLINE ENTERTAINMENT HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 13

MEGAN THEE STALLION RECEIVES 4 GRAMMY GRAMMY NOMINATIONS for Best New Artist Record of the Year, Best Rap Performance & Best Rap Song In the wake of releasing her critically acclaimed debut album, Good News, Megan Thee Stallion has received 4 GRAMMY nominations: Best New Artist, Record of the Year ("Savage Remix"), Best Rap Performance ("Savage Remix") and Best Rap Song ("Savage Remix"). Megan has also been honored as Apple Music’s Breakthrough Artist of the Year and received Best Rap/Hip Hop song for ‘WAP’ with Cardi B at this year’s AMAs, where she gave her first electrifying performance of ‘Body’. Since its release, Good News has reached #1 in 12 countries, and occupies #1 album on Apple Music’s Top 100: USA, as well as #1 track with ‘Body’. Notwithstanding, Good News has earned the second biggest debut for a rap album on Spotify at 6.9m streams. As well as fans everywhere taking on the ‘Body’ choreography challenge, Good News has been receiving outstanding reviews globally. These accolades follow Megan’s five BET Awards, including Hip Hop Artist Of The Year as well as an MTV VMA Award for ‘Savage’, GQ’s Rapper of the Year and an honor by TIME in the TIME100, its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

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CINEMATOGRAPHER

NEWTON THOMAS SIGEL

On creating emotional scenes in film By Alex A. Kecskes 16 • HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY

Hailing from Detroit, cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel is known for his work on the arresting crime drama Drive, starring Ryan Gosling; the action-adventure Three Kings, starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Ice Cube; and The Usual Suspects, starring Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, and Chazz Palminteri. A member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) since 2000, Sigel was a frequent collaborator on the films of Bryan Singer, notably The Usual Suspects and the X-Men franchise. He studied painting in Detroit and New York and began his career working as an artist in residency at the Whitney Museum in New York. In the sweeping crime drama Cherry, Sigel goes all out in creating the powerful images that move the film through a complex gauntlet of emotions. Cherry follows the wild journey of a disenfranchised young man from Ohio who meets the love of his life, only to risk losing her through a series of bad decisions and challenging life circumstances.

Looking at the script, what were some of the earliest challenges you faced in composing shots for Cherry? Sigel: First and foremost, we wanted to tell this story using the chapters in the book the story was based on. So the first challenge we faced was finding the individual ‘recipe’ for each chapter. We then looked for a way to integrate each chapter into the overall film—and do it visually. There was this evolution of visuals from the beginning of the film to the end. Did you storyboard most or all of the shots? Sigel: We talked about things in great detail but we didn’t storyboard them. We arrived at a clear idea of what we wanted to achieve and to get across in each chapter.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview. What attracted you to this powerfully moving film? Newton Thomas Sigel: The screenplay and the book were very powerful. They dealt with two critically important issues that confront us all. Not just as Americans but globally in terms of the opioid epidemic and its connection with PTSD. The soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan were having problems re-integrating into society. It’s become an increasingly difficult social and human problem. So while other films have dealt with both subjects, this script addresses these universal issues in a very unique and subjective way, one that’s deeply personal. I loved how the Russos transformed what was a very unique literary voice into a unique cinematic voice.

When we first see Emily in the classroom, she’s lit up like a saint in church. What were you going for in that scene? Sigel: There’s a transition early on. It’s a tease that reveals Cherry’s final bank robbery toward the end of the movie. He goes into the bank, up to the teller and experiences this internal fantasy moment of what could have been—a different life from the one he’d lived. We do a cue where all the light is streaming into the windows. It lights up the bank and we see that it’s empty. We flag off that and leave Cherry and the teller in their dedicated pool of light. And that transitions into the first time he’s ever seen Emily.

The slow pan of granddaughters in low light in the restaurant, then outside, dressed up in front of fancy SUVs was unusual and interesting. Again, your thinking there? Sigel: That was in the script where Cherry tries to work a normal job at the restaurant. We wanted to show that he couldn’t fit into that job. The owner’s daughters were looking at him as a kind of misfit or oddball. So the girls were presented as an impenetrable wall in their hostility. It underscored his inability to crack that part of his life. It was a way of presenting him as this socially awkward, lonely fellow. When Cherry gets high on ecstasy, you transitioned to black and white. What were you going for? Sigel: After he first sees Emily in the classroom, they have this conversation out in the courtyard, where he’s falling for her. Later, when he’s invited to a party, he trades some of his anxiety medication for ecstasy. When the ecstasy kicks in, he has this slight out-of-body experience. He runs into Emily again and starts talking to her. And she re-centers him and brings him back down to earth. We achieved the effect by shooting with a 3D rig and two cameras: one was infrared and the other was natural color. So we had two exact images of the same shot in the scene—both in infrared and normal color. That allowed us to blend the two and manipulate how much of the natural color we wanted

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to come through. So as the scene progressed, we got a bit more color, which showed how Emily brought him back down to earth. The Iraq combat footage was particularly powerful. Can you go into some of the challenges you faced with so much action? Sigel: In that sequence, we wanted to give a nod to the documentary and reality-based aspect of his experience. A lot of it was shot ‘hand-held’ and its intensity was a product of what was staged. The challenge was staging his foray into combat. It was done with a big drone shot where we came over the mountain to show a full-scale battle. We then went to a two-shot with a couple of soldiers, one of whom was hiding behind a Humvee. As he runs toward the back of the convoy, the camera widens and the drone runs along showing burning dead soldiers, some with their limbs missing. Then another convoy comes roaring up and a Humvee screeches to a halt. Cherry gets out and we go right into a close-up of him with a deer-caught-in-headlights shot. That’s when his superior joins him and shakes him back to reality. It was our way of going from the micro to the macro world of his reality. Where you go from that David Lean (Director, Lawrence of Arabia) moment into a very tight expressive close-up of this terrified young soldier. Some of the bank robbery scenes were humorous and chaotic. What were you shooting for there? Sigel: Cherry was not a hardened criminal but a young man whose heart was broken. He joined the military, went off to war, and came back and developed a drug addiction, which he fueled by robbing banks. One aspect of the book we wanted to capture was the sense of irony. So you see these guys who barely know one end of a gun from another trying to pull off these bank robberies. We wanted to capture that element of absurdity and irony, through their strange disguises and how his ‘brothers in crime’ would bail out on him in the middle of a robbery. 18 • HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY

You’ve been in the film industry for many years. What have you learned about filmmaking that surprised you? Sigel: Everything surprises me. I think that cinema is a very unique and specific experience. You’re sitting in a dark cinema, looking at a huge screen with a bunch of strangers. It’s a type of storytelling that you don’t get any other way. To be able to unite the great elements of literature, music, theater, light, and photography—all in one medium is, from an artist’s point of view, absolutely ecstatic. You’re not just playing in a very specific sandbox; you’re pouring parts of all of these different disciplines into this tapestry of sensory experience. So for a filmmaker, that keeps things interesting.

What advice would you give young, aspiring cinematographers trying to break in or just starting out? Sigel: The first thing I tell people when they ask me about filmmaking is you need to acquire some life experience that goes beyond filmmaking. This teaches you about the world around you. I was very blessed starting out as a documentary filmmaker traveling around the world. I saw extraordinary things that were enjoyable and some that were horrific. I think that life experience was really important in my development both as a cinematographer and filmmaker. So I would encourage every filmmaker to broaden their wealth of knowledge so they have something to draw from. There’s a lot more to life than filmmaking and the more you bring that life to your work the better filmmaker you’ll be.

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 19

THE EMPIRE OF EBONY

Lisa Cortés to Direct Documentary on the Rise and Impact of the 1st Black Media Empire

A supporter holds up an issue Ebony magazine featuring Barack Obama before a speech at a campaign event billed as a town hall meeting August 19, 2008. | Photo: Sara D. Davis/Getty Images (Getty Images) | Source: Theroot.com By Tonja Renée Stidhum The first-ever Black media empire, Ebony, is getting its own documentary. Lisa Cortés (All In: The Fight For Democracy, The Apollo) will direct the film and Academy Award and Emmy Award winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams’ (The Apollo, Life Animated) will produce via One Story Up. Cortés will also produce, as well.

rise of Ebony and Jet and their growth into a brand with a readership base in the millions which has had an undeniable effect on American culture. This will include the important role these publications played in illuminating key moments in American history that went unreported by the mainstream media.

Here’s what you can expect from the doc, per the press release sent to The Root:

With access to Ebony and Jet’s extensive archives, the film will also chronicle the media empire’s revolutionary effect on not just the media landscape but American culture, consumerism, and history. The Empire of Ebony will provide a powerful testament to the visionary entrepreneurship of the Ebony media empire and a dynamic story of Black struggle and triumph in America.

The Empire of Ebony will take an expansive look at The Johnson Publishing Company and their titles Ebony and Jet. The film will explore two of the most influential publications in the history of American media all the way from the media empire’s beginnings as a small publishing company, started by John H. Johnson and Eunice W. Johnson with a five-hundred dollar loan, to its incredible growth into a publishing juggernaut with an unparalleled cultural impact. The film will chart the

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“Growing up, Ebony and Jet were in every Black household and they were everything! You could start reading at home and finish at the beauty parlor, barbershop, or at your Auntie’s house,” Cortés said in a statement. “In the pages of these magazines I

saw Black people who inspired me to dream and create. I’m so excited to be working with the incredible team at One Story Up anchored by Roger Ross Williams, and honored that Linda Johnson Rice has entrusted me to tell this story for the first time. Through a visual archive spanning seventy-five years of the most important moments of African American life, The Empire of Ebony will be a revelatory story of entrepreneurship, innovation and Black love.” The celebration of Ebony’s legacy has also been documented in literary form by Lavaille Lavette called Ebony: Covering Black America, which is described as “a celebration of the treasure trove of the magazine’s rich history, glamorous covers, groundbreaking cultural impact, and authentic coverage of Black American life from the magazine’s inception to the present.” Of course we can’t help but wonder if the documentary will explore “the fall” along with “the rise.” In fact, it has been quite a rollercoaster ride of rises, falls and rebirths with the magazine being recently purchased for $14 million by retired Milwaukee Bucks forward Ulysses “Junior” Bridgeman and the very recent appointment of its new CEO, Michele Gee. It looks like this is the time to do a retrospective of our legacy Black publications because it was announced last October that HBO Max would be developing a drama series based on Essence Magazine’s origin story. “The lasting impact Ebony and Jet has is undeniable. With these publications, the Johnson Publishing Company changed the entire American press landscape and completely revolutionized the way Black Americans were able to see themselves in popular culture, media, and advertising,” Williams said in a statement. “We’ve seen numerous documentaries about other publications like Rolling Stone, Playboy, and The New York Times, but have yet to see something about such dynamic magazines like Ebony and Jet. I’m thrilled to be able to collaborate with Lisa, Linda, and Brenda through One Story Up to bring this project to life and shine a well deserved spotlight on this influential and powerful media empire.”

SUBMIT YOUR FILM GET REVIEWED (424) 371-9900 HollywoodWeekly@gmail.com

The Empire of Ebony, which is currently in production, is produced by Alyse Shorland and executive produced by Linda Johnson Rice, chairman and CEO of Johnson Publishing Company, and One Story Up’s Emmy Award-Winning Geoff Martz (The Innocence Files, Between The World And Me), Brenda Robinson, Regina K. Scully, Patty Quillin, Nion McEvoy, Leslie Berriman, Julie Parker Benello, Chaz Ebert, Jason Delane Lee, Yvonne Huff Lee, Jenny Raskin, Geralyn White Dreyfous, Jenifer Westphal, Joe Plummer, Charles D. King, Poppy Hanks, Steve Cohen, Paula Froehle, Jim Swartz, Susan Swartz, David Fialkow, Nina Fialkow, Barbara Dobkin, Eric Dobkin and Katrina vanden Heuvel. Co-Executive Producers include Malcolm Jenkins, Melony & Adam Lewis, Marni Grossman and Robert Pasin. Additional producers include Impact Partners, in association with Chicago Media Project, MACRO, The Lagralane Group and Artemis Rising Foundation.

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AL HIRSCHFELD FOUNDATION presents "AMPLIFIED DIGNITY," online exhibition celebrating

BLACK HISTORY

he Al Hirschfeld Foundation celebrates Black History with its latest online exhibition, Amplified Dignity: Black Dancers Drawn by Hirschfeld. Now live at AlHirschfeldFoundation.org/exhibitions though March 13, the exhibition features Hirschfeld's reflections of legendary 20th Century artists including Sammy Davis Jr., Josephine Baker, Nicholas Brothers, Bunny Briggs, Judith Jamison, Hinton Battle, Maurice Hines, and Honi Coles.

the 2020 Apple Awards. A special episode dedicated to the works featured Amplified Dignity: Black Dancers Drawn by Hirschfeld will be available starting February 2, 2021 from AlHirschfeldFoundation.org/podcasts, iTunes and other popular podcast sites.

"To be rendered by Hirschfeld is to be immortalized in the fraternity of American popular art," says dance educator, choreographer and dramaturg Melanie George, who has curated Amplified Dignity. "These drawings encapsulate a history of individual and collective opportunity and excellence, as well as disenfranchisement and marginalization. The exhibit contains a mix of well and lesser-known artists, and nameless groups of dancers, who have contributed to the history of dance in America. The images demonstrate reverence for the people and art of New York, especially during the Harlem Renaissance era. The intent is to place these dancers at the center of the cannon, not on the margins. A rightful place, as the foundation and evolution of dance in America is intertwined and indebted to innovation and performances by Black people in America." Amplified Dignity is the latest exhibition in The Al Hirschfeld Foundation's Black Art Matters series. Having launched last summer with Lost in the Stars: Black Theater Makers Drawn By Hirschfeld, upcoming exhibits in the series will celebrate black film artists and musicians, and the 80th anniversary of the artist's iconic representations of the African-American experience in the 1930's Harlem As Seen By Hirschfeld., Go behind the lines of Hirschfeld's art with "The Hirschfeld Century Podcast," nominated as "Best NYC podcast" by

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HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 23

ABOUT CURATOR MELANIE GEORGE

ABOUT THE AL HIRSCHFELD FOUNDATION

Melanie George is a dance educator, choreographer, scholar, and dramaturg. She is the founder and director of Jazz Is... Dance Project and an Associate Curator and Scholar-In-Residence at Jacob's Pillow. As a dramaturg, she has contributed to projects by David Neumann & Marcella Murray (on the Obie Award winning Distances Smaller Than This Are Not Confirmed), Raja Feather Kelly, Ephrat Asherie, Susan Marshall & Company, Machine Dazzle, and Urban Bush Women among others. A highly sought after teacher and choreographer of the neo-jazz aesthetic, Melanie is a featured in the documentary UpRooted: The Journey of Jazz, Dance. Melanie has presented her research on jazz improvisation and pedagogy throughout the U.S., in Canada and Scotland, and founded the global advocacy website jazzdancedirect.com. She is the former Dance Program Director at American University, and has guest lectured at Harvard University, the Yale School of Drama, and The Juilliard School, among others.

The mission of the Al Hirschfeld Foundation is to promote interest in the theater and visual arts by supporting non-profit museums, libraries, theaters and similar cultural institutions. The Foundation fulfills its mission through grants and exhibitions of Hirschfeld's art . The Foundation maintains an extensive collection of Hirschfeld artworks and lends and/ or donates pieces to institutions all over the world. Another primary mission is arts education, which the Foundation does primarily with the Hirschfeld Arts Curriculum. Created in conjunction with the New York City Board of Education, The Hirschfeld Arts Curriculum is an innovative visual/ performing arts education program based on Hirschfeld's art to engage students K through 12 in a variety of arts activities. Our programs encourage writing, reading, researching, observing, movement and performance to learn about the arts, its history, and the opportunities for education and employment in the arts field. The web based Al Hirschfeld curriculum is easy to use, and is intended to be a free resource for teachers and students. www.AlHirschfeldFoundation.org

Sammy Davis Jr in Stop the World I Want to Get Off, 1978 © The Al Hirschfeld Foundation. All rights reserved. www.AlHirschfeldFoundation.org. Press contact: Keith Sherman & Associates info@ksa-pr.com 212.764.7900 24 • HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY

ABOUT THE ARTIST Al Hirschfeld's drawings stand as one of the most innovative efforts in establishing the visual language of modern art through caricature in the 20th century. A self-described "characterist," his signature work, defined by a linear calligraphic style, appeared in virtually every major publication of the last nine decades (including a 75-year relationship with The New York Times) as well as numerous book and record covers and 15 postage stamps. Hirschfeld said his contribution was to take the character, created by the playwright and portrayed by the actor, and reinvent it for the reader. Playwright Terrence McNally wrote: "No one 'writes' more accurately of the performing arts than Al Hirschfeld. He accomplishes on a blank page with his pen and ink in a few strokes what many of us need a lifetime of words to say." In 1945, Hirschfeld celebrated the birth of his daughter Nina by placing her name in the background of a drawing. What the artist described as an innocent prank soon became a personal trademark and national obsession, as he began hiding numerous NINA's throughout his drawings for years to come. He is represented in many public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the National Portrait Gallery, and Harvard's Theater Collection. Hirschfeld authored several books including Manhattan Oases and Show Business is No Business in addition to 10 collections of his work. He was declared a Living Landmark by the New York City Landmarks Commission in 1996, and a Living Legend by The Library of Congress in 2000. Just before his death in January 2003, he learned he was to be awarded the Medal of Arts from the National Endowment of the Arts and inducted into the Academy of Arts and Letters. The winner of two Tony Awards, he was given the ultimate Broadway accolade on what would have been his 100th birthday in June 2003. The Martin Beck Theater was renamed the Al Hirschfeld Theater.

Whoopi Goldberg in Whoopi Goldberg, 1984

Bunny Briggs in Black and Blue, 1989

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MATT DAMON’S PACIFIC PALISADES MANSION!

For the first time in decades, Matt Damon will be making a move without his best friend, Ben Affleck. They moved their families together to Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades - even on the same street - back in 2012. Matt and wife, Luciana, purchased their luxurious home for $15 million, and have now put it on the market for $21 million. This time it appears Affleck will be staying in Los Angeles to be near his three children while the Damon home goes on the market and the family moves to their six-bedroom penthouse at the Standish in Brooklyn Heights, New York, which they purchased in 2018 for a record-breaking $16.745 million. This may be the first time so many miles have separated the two best buddies since their school days.

The Damons have excellent taste in homes from their stunning Spanish-style Miami Beach home, which they sold to move to California, to the magnificent contemporary now for sale, the Damons have been living in tropical climates with lush year-round landscaping and a 365-day, indoor-outdoor lifestyle. Their current 13,508-square-foot home has seven bedrooms and 10 baths, inside a private-gated entry. The home’s focus is the center atrium soaring to 35 feet with mahogany ceilings and light pouring in through clerestory windows branching out to the open-plan living. California-style formal rooms open seamlessly via movable glass walls allowing for vanishing thresholds between living and landscape. The house contains a chef ’s kitchen in mahogany with bluestone countertops, the master suite has its own private terrace, dual dressing rooms, massage room and bath. Also included is a game room, bar office, staff quarters, wine storage and tasting room, and a media room. Outside is a pool, spa, children’s play area, a waterfall, koi pond and Hawaiian-style covered lanai for dining and lounging among tropical plantings.

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When it comes to celebrities, Pacific Palisades has turned into the 21st-century Hollywood when it comes to where they choose to live. Its huge population of film industry, sports and music stars practically guarantee rubbing elbows with several when shopping at Palisades Village. A few include Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Billy Crystal, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, John Goodman, Steven Spielberg, Kate Hudson and Diane Keaton, who might be checking out paint colors for her next house flip.

Photo by Kelvin Bullock

Damon’s filming activities experienced a pause with the advent of the pandemic, but his latest film, The Last Duel, which was filmed in France and Ireland and is about a 14th-century fight to the death, will be released in October. He and his cohort-in-film, Ben Affleck, appear together once again in the movie. The two also co-wrote the screenplay and were the producers. The listing agent for the Damon home is Eric Haskell of The Agency, Beverly Hills. Photo credit: Alexis Adams • Source:TopTenRealEstateDeals.com HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 27

FEATURES FROM

Photo by Kelvin Bullock 28 • HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY

APRIL WALKER At a young age, April Walker showed signs of an entrepreneurial spirit. When April was a teenager she taught gymnastics and sold T-shirts to make a little change for herself. But it wasn’t until she set foot in Dapper Dan’s boutique custom shop that her entrepreneurial spirit translated into fashion. At the age of 21, Walker created her own custom tailor shop. She named the shop Fashion In Effect. Early customers included influential hip hop duo Audio Two (Milk & Giz) and Grammy-winning, reggae singer Shaggy. Fashion In Effect laid the groundwork for her brand, Walker Wear. Artists and entertainers of the era—Tupac, Notorious BIG, and Queen Latifah—were some of the early supporters of April and her brand. April was in a zone. Hip hop culture was gaining national attention around the same time Walker Wear was gaining momentum. Hip hop was no longer seen as a fad. A quick search through the blogging platform, Tumblr shows the impact April’s brand had and continues to have on pop culture. In the blog, you will find a GIF of Treach from Naughty by Nature rocking a Walker Wear jacket on Yo! MTV Raps. If you go deeper, you’ll find a scan of Run DMC sporting Walker Wear hats and jackets on the cover of L’Affiche in 1993. The name ‘Walker Wear’ pays homage to WilliWear, the fashion label of the late, great fashion designer Willie Smith. Just like Willie, April set out to create clothes for the common people. Today, the fashion world looks to hip hop for inspiration. But without April Walker—who was a major pioneer in urban wear—this genre would not exist. It doesn’t matter what didn’t exist before you. What matters is that you use your time on earth to carve out a path that is right for you today.

Photo by Kelvin Bullock

“Negative thoughts can kill dreams, while positive thoughts will ignite your tomorrows. What you place in your mind will become your reality. The most important story you’ll ever tell is your own. What kind of story are you telling yourself ? Make sure it’s a good one because you are listening.” –April Walker HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 29

Hollywood Weekly - Page Turners The March book list is here. The list has something for everyone. These books remind me of the renewed energy of spring filled with magic, brilliance and creativity. I love being entwined in the world of books. This month will not disappoint! Jane Ubell-Meyer Follow us on Instagram @bedsidereading ❁ contact us: Jane@bedsidereading.com ❁ visit us: BedsideReading.com

Anna Incognito by Laura Preble Anna Colin Beck knows all too well what can happen when things go wrong really wrong. So, she’s spent the last several years living an extremely regimented life at home, doing everything she can to avoid subjecting herself to the torments of a germ-infested world. Everything must be just so, and when things don’t go to plan, she punishes her own body...and that still hasn’t helped alleviate her pain. After a chance meeting in a laundromat, she finds herself completely infatuated with another person, something that hasn’t happened to her in a long time. Dr. Edward Denture is seemingly brilliant and magnetic...and in the blink of an eye, she’s attending intense somatic therapy sessions as his newest client. The more he draws from her, the further their relationship grows, until it’s crossed countless lines and consumed Anna with a fierce toxicity. And before she knows it, she finds herself buckled into the driver’s seat of a powder blue El Dorado for a solo cross-country road trip, determined to stop his wedding. It’s a trip that will test every limitation she’s ever set for herself, and though she’s planned extensively for all contingencies, there are some twists and turns you just can’t prepare for. With wry observations on the intersection of luck, fate, and life, Anna Incognito is a searing, darkly witty exploration of what it means to be alive.

Faye, Faraway by Helen Fisher Faye is a thirty-seven-year-old happily married mother of two young daughters. Every night, before she puts them to bed, she whispers to them: “You are good, you are kind, you are clever, you are funny.” She’s determined that they never doubt for a minute that their mother loves them unconditionally. After all, her own mother Jeanie had died when she was only seven years old and Faye has never gotten over that intense pain of losing her. But one day, her life is turned upside down when she finds herself in 1977, the year before her mother died. Suddenly, she has the chance to reconnect with her long-lost mother, and even meets her own younger self, a little girl she can barely remember. Jeanie doesn’t recognize Faye as her daughter, of course, even though there is something eerily familiar about her... As the two women become close friends, they share many secrets—but Faye is terrified of revealing the truth about her identity. Will it prevent her from returning to her own time and her beloved husband and daughters? What if she’s doomed to remain in the past forever? Faye knows that eventually she will have to choose between those she loves in the past and those she loves in the here and now, and that knowledge presents her with an impossible choice. Emotionally gripping and ineffably sweet Faye, Faraway is a brilliant exploration of the grief associated with unimaginable loss and the magic of being healed by love. 30 • HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY

The Perfect Blend by Kathryn Starke

The Perfect Blend is a Valentine’s themed romance novel that celebrates family, community, and the power of love. She has no time to date. He has no desire to date. Nevertheless, one sweet treat blends the perfect match. This contemporary romance reminds readers of the power of a variety of relationships in life. You never know what could be brewing right under your nose! Minnie Logan is the owner of Logan’s Coffee Shop, a staple in a small New England town. Struggling to maintain her grandfather’s legacy and rent payments, Minnie has less than a month to creatively preserve and renew her family business. Robert Vaughan, the CFO of a giant coffee conglomerate, arrives in the small town in pursuit of a takeover of Logan’s Coffee Shop. Unbeknownst to Minnie, she falls for the mysterious newcomer while she uses the magic of love and the miracle of faith to give back to the community that has given so much to her.

Never Say Goodbye by Kim Sakwa She’s a famous songwriter who can’t remember a year of her life. He’s the British spy with all the answers. While walking through the tunnels of her family’s estate in the British Isles, successful singer-songwriter Amanda Marceau travels through time and into the arms of Alexander Montgomery, the Royal Navy Admiral who captures her heart. Months later Amanda’s forced back to the present with Alexander’s daughter, heartbroken they’ve been separated, and shocked to discover she’s pregnant. Hoping Alexander will find his way through time to her, she’s later devastated to learn he was killed for being a spy at the dawn of the American Revolution. Unable to cope with the horrible consequences, Amanda suffers an epic breakdown, and tucks away the memories that are just too much for her to bear. But Alexander Montgomery wasn’t executed, nor has he forgotten Amanda. He’s spent each day planning, searching for, and finding his wife and his daughter. He’s made the jump through time and is using everything at his disposal to reunite his family in the twenty-first century. Then he learns that Amanda has amnesia—she can’t remember the time she spent in eighteenth-century Britain—and has no idea who he is. More determined than ever, Alexander knows it will take all of his love to restore her memory—or just maybe win her heart anew.

Live True Daily Journal by Ora Nadrich The Live True Daily Journal is here to help you stay aligned with your Authentic Self, each and every day. The reason for that is when it comes to being Authentic, it’s not always easy to stay true to who we are because oftentimes we’re busy being so many things to so many people, we can forget to stay true to ourselves. And sometimes we don’t want to imagine or deal with what can feel like the consequences of being Authentic – which means dealing with people’s judgments of us or confronting our own fears and doubts to step out of the safe zone of inauthenticity. Yes, being inauthentic can actually feel safe so we can avoid failure or rejection, but we pay a price when we do that, and that price is living dishonestly. The Live True Daily Journal is structured to keep you on a path of Authenticity. All of the content is designed to support your personal growth, and intended to keep you living Authentically, not just every day, but in every moment of your day. Consider it a Mindfulness guide to keep you present and aware of who you are, and who you are not. On average, it takes approximately 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic. The Live True Daily Journal is divided into 8 weeks so that you can gauge Authentic vs. inauthentic behavior daily and lead up to strengthening your Authentic Self. And, when you’ve completed the Live True Daily Journal, you will see how far you’ve come by how you developed new behaviors daily that support your Authenticity. At the end of those 8 weeks, I have no doubt that you will be quite pleased at the tremendous progress you will have made living in total alignment with your Authentic Self.

For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway In 1937 Ernest Hemingway traveled to Spain to cover the civil war there for the North American Newspaper Alliance. Three years later he completed the greatest novel to emerge from “the good fight,” For Whom the Bell Tolls. The story of Robert Jordan, a young American in the International Brigades attached to an antifascist guerilla unit in the mountains of Spain, it tells of loyalty and courage, love and defeat, and the tragic death of an ideal. In his portrayal of Jordan’s love for the beautiful Maria and his superb account of El Sordo’s last stand, in his brilliant travesty of La Pasionaria and his unwillingness to believe in blind faith, Hemingway surpasses his achievement in The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms to create a work at once rare and beautiful, strong and brutal, compassionate, moving, and wise. “If the function of a writer is to reveal reality,” Maxwell Perkins wrote Hemingway after reading the manuscript, “no one ever so completely performed it.” Greater in power, broader in scope, and more intensely emotional than any of the author’s previous works, it stands as one of the best war novels of all time.

The Changemaker by Deke Copenhaver

What Is A changemaker? Leadership is never easy. Almost all leaders deal with both triumph and tragedy, oftentimes in equal measure. The fact of the matter is that leadership insists on constant rejection of the status quo. True leaders demand continuous reflection and improvement of those around them, and even more importantly, of themselves. True leaders are Changemakers. In Deke Copenhaver’s The Changemaker: The Art of Building Better Leaders, you will learn to become unafraid of doing something different in the service of a good cause and how to spark a movement that others can’t help but rally around. The Changemaker is a roadmap of sorts, designed to deliver comprehensive, common sense leadership strategies to people from all walks of life. Through personal and professional anecdotes, case studies, and the wisdom from Changemakers gone by, The Changemaker will inspire and empower you to embrace adversity, rely on creativity and character, and sometimes take the road less traveled in order to unlock your ultimate potential.

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Conversations with Our Authors A Trilogy: Echoes, Reverberation, Dead Quiet by A.M. Caplan Echoes (Echoes Trilogy Book 1) At the edge of sanity lies an extraordinary truth. Discovering it may be the last thing she ever does…Hannah thinks she’s losing her mind. After hitting and killing a man with her car, his body and blood vanish without a trace. Desperate to prove she isn’t insane she searches exhaustively until she finds him—alive and unharmed. Taken under the wing of the handsome stranger, she’s stunned to learn he’s part of an ancient race of immortals. But so is his deranged sister, and she murders every person who learns his secret. And though Hannah is as tough and resourceful as they come, how can she hope to stop a psychopath who cannot die? Reverberation (Echoes Trilogy Book 2) Bound by blood. Separated by lies. Can she outrun what can’t be killed? Dead Quiet (Echoes Trilogy Book 3) Dead Quiet is the explosive conclusion to the Echoes supernatural thriller trilogy. If you like big-twist endings, unlikely love, and bloody combat, then you’ll adore A.M. Caplan’s high-octane finale. Author A.M. Caplan, author of Echoes, Reverberation, and Dead Quiet, the Echoes Trilogy, on what it’s like to write a book series.

Q&A – A.M. CAPLAN Q. What’s the appeal of writing multiple books centering around the same character/characters? A: I don’t know about you, but I love a story that goes on. Harry Potter, the Southern Vampire Mysteries, the Hunger Games Trilogy. Those are just a few of the series I have read to shreds over the years. There is just so much meat to them, so much opportunity to spend time with the characters and really get invested in them. The characters in the Echoes Trilogy needed that kind of room to expand, especially Hannah, who needed a chance to find out how exceptional she really was by the end of the trilogy. Just like you or me, sometimes characters need a little more space to grow into our full potential. Q. Silly question maybe, but time wise, writing a series must take a while. What was that like? A: Oddly enough, it was less time consuming than writing my first, unrelated novel. Though I guess that goes without saying, since as the saying goes, you spend your entire life writing your first book. Really, it did go incredibly quickly, mostly because the character’s 32 • HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY

stories were so complete for me by the time I put pen to paper—and I mean that literally, I always start out with a notebook and a Pilot V5 pen—that I finished all three books in the series within a span of nine months. Once I got going, I couldn’t stop until it was really and truly the end. Q;. Writing a series was rewarding then, but there had to be some challenges involved? A: What makes writing a series appealing is also what makes it difficult in the end. You spend a great deal of time invested in characters, which makes it harder to let them go when the time comes. Hannah’s story needed more than one book, but by the end of the Echoes Trilogy, it was that much harder to see it come to a close. On a different note, throughout the books there are a great number of historical figures. They’re tucked here and there and everywhere, and it was important to weave them and their influenced on the lives of the main characters and their story appropriately. It was challenging to make sure their stories all fit, were accurate, and served a purpose. They didn’t all make it and letting them go was a challenge. To this day I have pages and pages of characters and their lives that deserve their chance to be heard. Maybe they’ll get their own series in the future.

Stand Out or Sit Down by Tenaz Purdy Stand Out or Sit Down offers time-tested techniques that have helped thousands of young jobseekers overcome their unique obstacles: balancing school-work-home commitments, overcoming a perceived lack of work experience, managing various levels of parental involvement, and using and misusing technology, just to name a few. Succeeding in a job begins by finding the right job for them—not just any job. Self-assessment, networking, researching job opportunities, using technology to their advantage, properly completing job applications, resume writing, and interviewing are all taught with the young job seeker in mind. Stand Out or Sit Down also gives a voice to the thousands of employers whose businesses depend on the youth labor force. Most are happy to employ and mentor the young but have serious concerns about young workers’ lack of preparation for the working world. Their stories about young job applicants are also told to convey their concerns, expectations, and insider advice.

Q&A –TENAZ PURDY Q. What inspired you to write this book? A. As a career and technology educator for over 20 years, I have witnessed the diminishing value that society has placed on skills-based education. The focus in high school increasingly became all about taking the most rigorous academic schedule filled with honors and Advanced Placement courses. Little by little, time for part-time jobs got squeezed out. Young people need work experience earlier in life, so that they are prepared to meet basic

workplace norms and expectations. It’s my hope that Stand Out or Sit Down will help them get a successful start. Q. What is the most important thing for young people to know right now? A. The Covid-19 pandemic has left a lot of our children feeling isolated and disconnected from the outside world. But what I want my readers to know right now is this: the pandemic will end. Jobs will become available. And life will return to

a new normal. And when it does, those who have coupled their marketable skills with solid job-searching preparation will be more successful in finding a job they love than those who have not. These are the young people that will stand out not just because they achieved their goals, but they did so during what is sure to be the worst global crisis in their lifetime.

A Bend in the River by Libby Fischer Hellmann In 1968 two young Vietnamese sisters flee to Saigon after their village on the Mekong River is attacked by American forces and burned to the ground. The only survivors of the brutal massacre that killed their family, the sisters struggle to survive but become estranged, separated by sharply different choices and ideologies. Mai ekes out a living as a GI bar girl, but Tam’s anger festers, and she heads into jungle terrain to fight with the Viet Cong. For nearly ten years, neither sister knows if the other is alive. Do they both survive the war? And if they do, can they mend their fractured relationship? Or are the wounds from their journeys too deep to heal? In a stunning departure from her crime thrillers, Libby Fischer Hellmann delves into a universal story about survival, family, and the consequences of war.

Q&A – LIBBY FISCHER HELLMANN Q: Where did the idea for this book come from? A: I visited Vietnam because I wanted to see the country that had taken more than 50,000 American lives during the War. We were in an art gallery in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) when I saw the painting of the two girls that’s now on the cover. As soon as I saw it, I knew I was going to write a book about two Vietnamese sisters and how they coped with the war.

Q: Your scenes set in Saigon were so vividly done, such as creating the feel of the bar with the soldiers and the mansion. How did you go about the research for what Saigon in those days was like? A: I found interviews with bargirls that had been written in the late Sixties. Reading them surprised me—some of the girls loved their jobs because they had choices that weren’t available in “traditional” Vietnamese society. I also found articles explaining what went on in Viet Cong training camps. And, of course, I walked

the streets where the “Stardust” nightclub would have been. Q: What do you hope readers will take away from this book? A: That the Vietnam War was a civil war that began before we got involved and continued after we left. The U.S. justified our involvement as a fight against the “Domino Theory” of Communism. But that wasn’t the motivation from the Vietnamese side. They simply wanted their country to be unified. HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY • 33

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