Life After 50 April

Los AngeLes Metro April 2015

southern california

lifeafter50.com

the evolution

of EstatE

planning

Sinatra on

Sinatra FranK, Jr. on the man

behind The

Legend experienCe

the true

AlAskA

With true alaSKanS

Kim The

Cattrall “Sex and the City� star on life after

Samantha

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Contents

April 2015

12

30

36

45

Cover Profile

Departments

12 KIM CATTRALL

6 50-Plus: What You Need To Know

Features

9 Tuned In To What’s On

In the wake of “Sex and the City,” she’s emboldened and up for anything.

18 Estate Planning In Your 50s And Beyond

A decade-by-decade check to always stay one step ahead.

22 Keeping Your Future Healthcare Costs Under Control

Four steps that can make a big difference in managing tomorrow’s costs.

26 Aging Americans And Alcoholism

Help is available for dealing with alcoholism and alcohol-related issues.

30 The Look Of Life After 50 – Frank Sinatra, Jr.

Ol’ Blue Eyes’ son shares his thoughts and memories of the man behind the legend.

36 The Hallowed Hall Of Must-Knowtables * Billie Holiday Legendary notables that everyone, of every age, should know.

Cover photo by Richard Wyllie

A quick look at things 50-plusers should be aware of.

The best in April television viewing.

10 It’s The Law

Mitchell A. Karasov on protecting Medi-Cal benefits after an inheritance.

42 Let’s Get Out

Looking to get out and about? Our April/May calendar has some great suggestions.

45 Rick Steves’ Travels

It’s a wunderbar time to visit Germany and Austria.

47 United States Of Discovery

Experience the true Alaska with true Alaskans.

50 And Finally…The Bookworm’s Best, A Look Back and Just A Thought Before We Go

A book suggestion, memory, and a little something to leave you with.

All material published within this issue of Life After 50 and on www.lifeafte50.com is strictly for informational and educational purposes only. No individual, advice, product or service is in any way endorsed by Life After 50 or Southland Publishing, Inc. or provided as a substitute for the reader’s seeking of individualized professional advice or instruction. Readers should seek the advice of qualified professional on any matter regarding an individual, advice, recommendations, services or products covered within this issue. All information and material is provided to readers with the understanding that it comes from various sources from which there is no warranty or responsibility by Life After 50 or Southland Publishing, Inc. as to its or their legality, completeness or technical accuracy.

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Editor’s Note...

Yes, There Was Just Something About The Man

W

e’ve all had them, those wonderful moments of our lives that are indelibly seared into our brains and, as time passes, transcend into always-welcome memories we love to revisit. For me, one of those moments came in October of 1978, when only the air in a room stood between me and a legendary entertainer.

To be more specific, it was a crisp autumn air, the kind that has the magical quality of bringing New York City alive like no other time of year.

The room – one of the most iconic entertainment venues on the planet – Radio City Music Hall. And the entertainer – The Voice, Ol’ Blue Eyes, The Chairman of the Board – Francis Albert Sinatra!

Neither I nor my friend who joined me were the evening’s targeted demo.

Most 21-year-olds of the time would have been found a few blocks away at Madison Square Garden, rocking out to Springsteen, Boston, Elton John or Billy Joel rather than being caught at Rockefeller Center listening to a then-60-yearold guy their bobby-soxed grandmothers swooned to at the Paramount Theater in Times Square 36 years earlier. But for me, seeing Sinatra was part of a goal I had adopted to see, live-and-in-person, as many of the musical legends of the 20th century as possible, which included Elvis, the by-then-separated Beatles and Tony Bennett (who knew he would still be performing 37 years later).

On that October eve, from our seats in the second mezzanine (the best we could afford), following the opening acts of The 5th Dimension and comedian Jackie Gayle, THE MAN sauntered onstage. Tuxedoed, with a seemingly everpresent cigarette in hand, the notes I made in my program (which I still have) remind me he did 20 songs starting with “New York, New York” and ending with an encore of “My Way” and “America the Beautiful.” In between, his set list included a nod to Cole Porter with “Night and Day,” a medley of songs from his films, “The Tender Trap,” “On the Town” and “Guys and Dolls,” his classic hits, “The Lady Is a Tramp,” “Autumn in New York” and “My Funny Valentine,” and even an Elton John song entitled “Remember.”

Today, 37 years on, as the world Sinatra held on a string commemorates the 100th anniversary of his birth, I had the privilege of talking to his son, Frank Sinatra, Jr. for this issue of Life After 50.

I was fascinated to hear Sinatra, Jr. share interesting tidbits about, as he put it: “The man rather than the legend” – things I had never known. What, of his father’s accomplishments is he most proud of? What was the best advice he ever received from him? What is his most-treasured possession that once belonged to his dad?

Near the end of our conversation, when I shared my story of how much it meant to me that I had gotten the chance to see his dad in concert, he told me to never take that memory for granted. He then paused and took a deep breath.

“There was just something about the man,” he said.

That, unlike the other revelations he made about the man during our conversation, I knew all too well.

David Laurell, Editor-in-Chief

4 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

Publisher Valarie Anderson Editor-in-Chief David Laurell Associate Editors Steve Stoliar Claire Yezbak Fadden Art Director Michael Kraxenberger Editorial Assistants Max Andrews Marie Giusto Blauvelt Account Executives Los Angeles/South Bay: Tonya McKenzie Tonya@lifeafter50.com San Diego County National and Orange County Accounts: Phil Mendelson Phil@lifeafter50.com

Ad Coordinator, Travel Landra DeLoach Landra@lifeafter50.com VP Of Finance Michael T. Nagami Human Resources Andrea E. Baker Business Manager Linda Lam Billing Supervisor Kacie Cobian VP Of Operations David Comden

For advertising/distribution inquiries contact: Valarie Anderson (310) 822-1629 x 121, Valarie@lifeafter50.com To contact our editorial department: (818) 563-1007 davidl@lifeafter50.com 5355 Mcconnell Ave LA CA 90066 Valarie Anderson Valarie@lifeafter50.com 310 822-1629 x 121 Follow us on facebook ©2015 Southland Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved

An April Thought

“April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.”

- William Shakespeare

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Higher rates apply for customer with lower credit ratings. Financing not valid with other offers or prior purchases. No Finance Charges will be assessed if promo balance is paid in full in 12 months. Renewal by Andersen retailers are independently owned and operated retailers, and are neither brokers nor lenders. Any finance terms advertised are estimates only and all financing is provided by third-party lenders unaffiliated with Renewal by Andersen retailers, under terms and conditions arranged directly between the customer and such lender, all subject to credit requirements. Renewal by Andersen retailers do not assist with, counsel or negotiate financing, other than providing customers an introduction to lenders interested in financing. LA License # 992285. OC License # 990416. “Renewal by Andersen” and all other marks where denoted are marks of Andersen Corporation. ©2015 Andersen Corporation. All rights reserved. ©2015 Lead Surge LLC. All rights reserved. *See limited warranty for details. †Summer values are based on comparison of Renewal by Andersen Insert double-hung window SHGC to the SHGC for clear dual pane glass non-metal frame default values from the 2006, 2009 and 2012 International Energy Conservation Code “Glazed Fenestration” Default Tables.

50

The Candy Chronicles

A

Plus

What You Need To Know

By Claire Yezbak Fadden

ctress Candice Bergen begins her just-released memoir, “A Fine Romance” (Simon and Schuster, 2015), reminiscing about her first husband, Louis Malle, and how his zest for life greatly broadened her horizons. She then goes on to reveal the overpowering love she developed for her daughter, Chloe, after years of ambivalence about motherhood. With insightful recollections about her life, loves and iconic role on “Murphy Brown,” Bergen proves to be a natural writer who is hilarious, brutally honest, down-to-earth and wise.

Keeping Legendary Company

Spring Into Cutting Clutter

n their new tome, “In The Company Of Legends,” (Beaufort Books, 2015), authors Joan Kramer and David Heeley offer up an insider’s view of the careers and behind-the scenes lives and stories of many Hollywood legends including Frank Sinatra, Johnny Carson, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis, Jimmy Stewart and Katharine Hepburn. A treasure trove of untold stories, culled from more than 30 years of candid conversations and unguarded moments with America’s brightest stars and most powerful politicians, “In the Company of Legends” serves up one juicy revelation after another. Sometimes amusing, sometimes moving, and completely compelling from cover-to-cover, this delicious account of Kramer and Heeley’s adventures, misadventures, headaches, and thrills with the illustriously famous subjects with whom they have crossed paths and interviewed over the years is a pure joy to read. Filled with the quirks and maddening eccentricities of some of the world’s most gifted giants, talk show host Dick Cavett has called “In The Company Of Legends: “So delightfully entertaining and often startling that it is hard to put down. I ate with one hand while reading it.”

lutter has a way of sneaking up on everyone. It may be all those old clothes and shoes you haven’t worn in over 10 years, rooms filled with things you think you “will need someday,” the lack of space, or the fact that you have absolutely no time. Whether you live in a one-room apartment or a sprawling mansion, everyone can benefit from more organization.

“If you think like an organized person, soon you will be one,” says Lorie Marrero, certified professional organizer and author of the “Clutter Diet” (Reason Press, 2009).

Among the spring cleaning tips Marrero offers for thinking and living in a more organized fashion are to:

I

Fifty Candles

F

ifty years ago this month, “My Fair Lady” won the Oscar for Best Picture; Mickey Mantle hit the first indoor home run at the inaugural game played in the Astrodome; 40 tornadoes struck the U.S. Midwest killing 272 and injuring 5,000; Jack Nicklaus won the 29th Golf Masters Championship; the NFL changed their penalty flag from white to bright gold; the People’s Republic of China offered North Vietnam military aid; and an earthquake hit western Washington state, killing seven people.

Notable personalities born in April 1965 who are celebrating their 50th birthday this month include actors Robert Downey, Jr. and Jon Cryer, former San Diego Chargers quarterback Stan Humphries, comedians Martin Lawrence and Kevin James, NBA player Reggie Miller, actress Jane Adams, model Paulina Porizkova and television executive Jeff Zucker.

6 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

C

Take Baby Steps

Focus on one small area or room – or even just that one junk drawer. Don’t get overwhelmed by the big picture, as that is when frustration mounts, causing you to walk away in disgust. Be sure to finish the project you’ve begun.

You’ll feel a sense of accomplishment and be encouraged to tackle subsequent rooms and projects.

Keep Motivated

Stuck midway through an organizational project and need some inspiration to finish? Thinking of your project as a mini-makeover can make the work more exciting and less of a chore. Try taking pictures along the way; documenting your progress can really be rewarding.

Stay Organized

If your home is already organized, you know that keeping clutter at bay is a full-time job. Be sure to keep a watchful eye on areas that naturally accumulate clutter, such as entryways, counters and family areas. Get everyone involved in the organization process by teaching them where items belong and how to store them. By labeling storage bins, baskets or drawers, you’ll always be able to keep your home organized and clean.

By simply thinking about storage differently and coming up with a smart organizational system that works for you, you’ll be on the way to creating a well-balanced, happier home. “It all starts with your state of mind,” reminds Marrero. For more spring cleaning and organization tips, click on www.storganizationblog.com.

A Little More You Need To Know

TM and © 2011 Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. All Rights Reserved.

Where You Need To Go Celebrate Balboa Park’s 100th

T

o celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, dozens of museums, performing arts organizations, garden clubs and other cultural attractions in downtown San Diego’s Balboa Park will make 2015 a year to remember. Hundreds of events are planned over the course of the year, some running throughout the year, others lasting only a few days or weeks.

As part of the centennial celebration, the San Diego History Center is hosting “Ingenious! The World of Dr. Seuss” a colorful and fantastical exhibition that will immerse visitors in the world of Dr. Seuss. This popular traveling exhibition emphasizes San Diego as Theodor Seuss Geisel’s home and honors him as the world’s most-celebrated children’s author and innovator. This lively and whimsical exhibition features rare early works, ephemera, illustrations and editorial cartoons, as well as two newly released Geisel drawings. The Seussland gallery features giant bronze Seuss character sculptures and interactive activities that emphasize the important themes and innovative nature of Seuss books.

The exhibit runs through December 31. For additional information, events and updates for the Balboa Park 2015 Centennial Celebration, click on www.celebratebalboapark.org.

New Words

Y

ou might not find them in a dictionary yet, but they’re a part of the everyday American vocabulary.

Here’s what they mean.

Collywobbles: Queasiness, like butterflies in your stomach, a tummy ache or intestinal cramps.

Ideo locator: A map symbol, usually an arrow or a circle, stating: “You Are Here.”

Octothorpe: The tic-tac-toe or pound (#) key on a telephone.

The Most Important Thing To Know This Month Your Tax Return And The Healthcare Law

W

hen it comes to the healthcare law, almost everyone will need to do something new when filing their tax return this year. You and everyone on your return will need to do one of the following:

Report Healthcare Coverage If you and everyone on your tax return had healthcare coverage for all of 2014, simply check the “full year coverage” box when completing your return.

Claim A Coverage Exemption If you did not have healthcare coverage for all or part of 2014, you may qualify for a coverage exemption. The IRS software Free File will help you complete Form 8965 and file it with your tax return.

Make A Shared Responsibility Payment If you or your dependents had neither healthcare coverage nor an exemption, you may need to make a payment with your tax return.

Free File will help you calculate your payment and report it on your tax return.

Know About The Premium Tax Credit If you or anyone on your return purchased insurance coverage from the marketplace, you may be eligible for the premium tax credit. If you chose to have advance payments of the premium tax credit sent to your insurer in 2014, you must reconcile or compare the advance credit payments with the actual premium tax credit you are allowed to claim on your return.

You don’t need to be an expert on taxes or the new healthcare law to get it right. The Internal Revenue Service, in partnership with industry-leading companies, offers Free File software at no cost that will do the work for you. Free File is available by clicking on www.IRS.gov/freefile.

April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 7

Annuity Owners reAd this!

SENIORS BEWARE

Ensuring a Fair and Secure Financial Services Marketplace for all Californians

If you have purchased an ANNUITY or LIFE INSURANCE that ties up your money, has enormous surrender charges or undisclosed commission.

You do have legal rights

Call the Consumer advoCates toll Free 844-454-2780 For a free Consultation

ronald a. marron, attorney at law 8 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

Help us protect Californians from unlicensed or fraudulent consumer transactions.

Do you think you have been a victim of financial fraud or a scam?

The DBO regulates state-licensed financial institutions, products and professionals in order to provide accessibility to a fair and secure financial services marketplace.

For a list of licensees and industries regulated by the DBO, please visit our website at www.dbo.ca.gov.

Call us toll-free 1-866-275-2677 www.dbo.ca.gov/Consumers/ consumer_services.asp

A Bone To Pick: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery –

New original Movie, Hallmark Movies and Mystery Channel – Premieres Saturday April 4 at 9 p.m.

Based on the best-selling novels by Charlaine Harris, this new mystery franchise stars Candace Cameron Bure and Marilu Henner. Bure plays Aurora Teagarden, a librarian with a sharp mind for murder, who is known around her small town as a master sleuth. When her friend Jane unexpectedly dies and leaves Aurora everything in her will, she also leaves a troubling murder mystery haunting her neighborhood. It is up to Aurora to piece together the clues – including a skull, its missing skeleton and a suspicious group of neighbors – and solve the murder before she becomes the killer’s next victim.

Wolf Hall On Masterpiece – New Miniseries, PBS – Premieres Sunday April 5 at 10 p.m. (check local listings) This month’s Masterpiece might just be that. Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis star in this much-anticipated six-hour television miniseries adapted from Hilary Mantel’s best-selling Booker Prize-winning novels: “Wolf Hall” and its sequel, “Bring Up the Bodies.” This television event presents an intimate and provocative portrait of Thomas Cromwell, the brilliant and enigmatic consigliere to King Henry VIII, as he maneuvers the corridors of power at the Tudor court. Told from Cromwell’s perspective, “Wolf Hall” follows the complex machinations and backroom dealings of this pragmatic and accomplished power broker – from humble beginnings and with an enigmatic past – who must serve king and country while dealing with deadly political intrigue, Henry VIII’s tempestuous relationship with Anne Boleyn, and the religious upheavals of the Protestant reformation.

Odyssey – New Series, NBC – Premieres Sunday April 5 at 10 p.m.

This new series promises to be a complex journey through global politics, corporate espionage and military secrets involving three strangers who have only one thing in common – the truth. In this “Traffic”-like action-drama, an international conspiracy explodes when the lives of a female special-forces soldier, a disillusioned corporate lawyer, and a political activist from a privileged family unexpectedly collide. “Odyssey” stars Anna Friel, Peter Facinelli, Treat Williams, and Jake Robinson.

The Comedians – New Series, FX – Premieres

The Best In AprIl Television Viewing

By Sandi Berg

Tuned In To What’s On

Thursday April 9 at 10 p.m.

If you’re nostalgic for the likes of Larry Sanders, then this new half-hour comedy just might fit the bill. Billy Crystal plays a comedy legend who is reluctantly paired with Josh Gad, an edgier up-andcoming star, in an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look at a fictional late-night sketch-comedy show where egos and generations collide.

Larry Charles, Matt Nix and Ben Wexler serve as writers and executive producers, along with Crystal.

Happyish – New Series, Showtime – Premieres Sunday April 26 at 9:30 This half-hour comedy starring the hilarious Steve Coogen is a scathing examination of our pursuit of happiness – a pursuit that might just be the very thing causing our unhappiness in the first place. Coogan plays Thom Payne, a 44-year-old man whose world is thrown into disarray when his 25-year-old “wunderkind” boss arrives, saying things like “digital,” “social” and “viral.” Is he in need of a “rebranding,” as his mentor insists, or does he just have a “low joy ceiling,” as his corporate headhunter suggests? This series also stars Kathryn Hahn and Bradley Whitford with guest stars that will include Ellen Barkin and Carrie Preston.

April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 9

It’s The Law Mitchell A. Karasov

Mitchell A. Karasov, Esq. has offices in Los Angeles, Ventura County and the Coachella Valley. He specializes in elder law with emphasis in estate planning, Medi-Cal eligibility, trust administration, probate, conservatorships of person or estate, estate and trust litigation and financial abuse litigation. For more information click on www.karasovelderlaw.com or call (818) 508-7192.

Preserving benefits after selling the ranch

Q

My elderly mother resides in a low-income senior housing facility and lives on a combination of Medicare and Medi-Cal. Recently we were informed that she had inherited an interest in an Arizona ranch that had been her brother’s. We would like to sell or dispose of her interest in this property but are afraid she may lose some or all of her Medi-Cal benefits. How do we dispose of this property without incurring gifting penalties or creating income in my mother’s name that might disqualify her from some of her benefits and disrupt her life?

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In a situation like this, it is always best to consult an elder law attorney before you dispose of property and the MediCal recipient actually receives any inheritances and risks having their benefits disrupted. As a single individual, your mother is only entitled to maintain her Medi-Cal benefits if she has less than $2,000 in countable assets. Technically, the inheritance of any interest in the ranch is considered a countable asset, however, it may be exempted by carefully following specific Medi-Cal guidelines. You should seek immediate legal advice on how to address this issue with the Medi-Cal caseworker. They will explain that your mother may have options to preserve her Medi-Cal benefits if the ranch is sold; but that will greatly depend on how much she will receive from the sale and what her needs are. In the event the property is sold and the proceeds push her countable assets over $2,000, then she would be ineligible for Medi-Cal benefits. The ineligibility would commence during any month her countable assets exceed $2,000. Depending on how much your mother receives from the sale, your mother may just want to purchase some necessities of life that she’s had to do without because of her limited income. Perhaps she needs new clothing, more suitable furniture such as an adjustable bed, energy-saving appliances, dry goods, or an automobile.

She could also prepay other expenses. If she still needs her funeral and burial paid for, that would be a good option. She would need to pay for all of the transactions in the month she receives the money and her account must be under $2,000 before the end of the month, so thoughtful planning and prompt implementation is a must. If she receives a larger sum of money and would have anything left over after her shopping for these necessities, then you may need to pursue other strategies that would require more advanced planning. For instance, would she receive enough to purchase a house or condo to move into, or could you purchase a residence with her if she has a large enough sum? By pooling your money, it may work. Certain types of annuities could also be an option, but they might also increase her income too much. Gifting may be an option, but there again, a lot would depend on how much she will receive and the nature of the gift. If you have performed services for your mother, and would be entitled to compensation, that may be an alternative to outright gifting. Finally, don’t forget that, along with the benefits, you should also look into how the inheritance may impact her low-income senior housing.

A Special Wellness Report New Medicine Based On An 88-Year Old Theory By Albert Einstein Can Help Almost Everyone Who Is Sick Or Injured!

W

hat you are about to read may be the most important information you’ve ever read. Here is why.

Albert Einstein was, quite possibly, the most intelligent person who ever lived. His theories and ideas were so far ahead of his time, that even now, the smartest scientists alive are still discovering his value.

One of his theories published in 1917, worked out the theory of how lasers function. However, it was not until May 16, 1960 (43 years later) that the first actual laser was developed by an American scientist. Since then, scientists and inventors have developed many types of lasers and all kinds of uses for them. They can be used as a scalpel that is so delicate, it can be used on the eyes of human beings. Lasers are used to read price codes at your local supermarkets. And they’re used to play music and video on your CD’s and DVD’s.

But now, there is a new type of laser so effective against human disease and injury that it is rapidly changing the practice of medicine. This is a new type of low-level laser which produces an unfocused light that has been...

Registered With The FDA To Be 100% Safe!

Low-level lasers use less than one watt of power and they produce what can best be described as a “Healing Light”.

Here is a somewhat un-scientific description of how this “Healing Light” can potentially help reverse the damage done by human sickness and disease.

As you probably know, our entire bodies are made up of cells. The health of all human cells is based on energy. If your cells don’t receive enough energy, they will weaken and the body will become sick. Call 1-800-303-6923, Code 6529.

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April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 11

Cover Profile

In the wake of her iconic role as Samantha Jones on “Sex and the City,” her love of Shakespeare, work on new projects, and embrace of good advice and serious issues has emboldened her to be up for anything

KIm CATTRA

Story by Sandi Berg Photos by Richard Wyllie

12 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

F

or most Americans, the mention of Kim Cattrall’s name immediately conjures up thoughts of the brazen, bold, self-confident and sultry Samantha Jones, whom she portrayed for over six years on HBO’s “Sex and the City.” Surprisingly, however, there is only one thing Cattrall and Jones have in common.

“Physically, I guess we look alike,” laughs Cattrall.

“And it pretty much ends at that.”

LL

British-born and raised in Canada, Cattrall began her acting career after graduating from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, when legendary director Otto Preminger put her under an exclusive seven-year contract. Within a few months, Cattrall was cast in Preminger’s 1975 film “Rosebud,” which starred Peter O’Toole, Richard Attenborough and Peter Lawford. Not bad company for the screen debut of a young stage-trained actress who refers to her work on that film as “baptism by fire.”

While Preminger was an A-List director with credits that included “Exodus,” “Laura” and “The Man with The Golden Arm,” Cattrall says she did not find him to be a very encouraging or nurturing director and, soon after doing “Rosebud,” she left Preminger’s stable and her contract was bought out

by Universal Studios. As one of the last of the Hollywood contract players, Cattrall saw the studio system take its final breaths, which afforded her the opportunity to become a freelancer and seek a wider range of roles.

During the early years of her career, Cattrall was compared to a young Gene Tierney, and, ironically, in 1980 was cast alongside Tierney in the miniseries, “Scruples,” based on the bestseller by Judith Krantz.

Cattrall says that along with Tierney, she considers herself fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with some of Hollywood’s great screen legends, including Jean-Paul Belmondo, Patricia Neal and Eleanor Parker. She says she is especially grateful that she got to work with Jack Lemmon in the 1980 film “Tribute.”

She recalls Lemmon giving her advice during the production of “Tribute” that she considers to be the most valuable she has ever received. “I didn’t know whether I was going to be lucky enough to continue to work,” she says. “I was in my early 20s when I met him, which was the beginning of my career. I asked him for his advice on achieving longevity in acting and he said: ‘Kiddo, take things that scare the hell out of you. Just keep taking things that scare you. Keep doing that and know that you’ll grow. If you grow, you’ll change, you’ll develop, as opposed to playing the same character over and over again.’ ” Taking Lemmon’s advice to heart, Cattrall says she has always tried to broaden her range with each role she has accepted – both on screen and in her regular returns to the stage “I’ve had people who have asked me why I return to doing theater,” says Cattrall. “To me, Broadway was always exciting, as was the West End in London. As long as I am doing a play, it doesn’t really matter what it is. If there is a good director and a good part in a really good play, then I feel my time is never wasted. Doing live theater is very demanding – it’s the best gym you could ever imagine,” she adds with a laugh.

Chalking up a resume of stage and screen credits in the early 1980s, Cattrall’s film career came to prominence in 1982, when she played Miss Lynn Honeywell in the mega-hit comedy “Porky’s,” which was followed by another box-office hit, 1984’s “Police Academy.” After that, the roles just kept coming: “Big Trouble in Little China,” “Mannequin” and “The Return of the Musketeers,” to name just a few. She even took on the role of Vulcan Lieutenant Valeris in 1991’s “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” opposite the original “Star Trek” cast.

Kim continued to appear in numerous film and television productions throughout the 1990s, and then everything changed in 1998, when her career skyrocketed after being cast as Samantha in “Sex and the City.”

April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 13

The six seasons of HBO’s “Sex and the City” and the two follow up feature films based on the series, that stared Kim Cattrall along with Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon. are now all available on DVD.

CATTRALL ON SAmANTHA As popular as her character was, Cattrall confesses that she is diametrically the opposite of Samantha Jones. “We don’t live the same lives,” she states emphatically. “But she was a rewarding character to play. She gave me a confidence that I would take on, as I think you do when you play a character.

The characters you play affect you. It affects your point of view about things, and, in the case of Samantha, that was particularly true in the way I viewed relationships – female and male – that I hadn’t ever really concretely thought about or thought through.”

Cattrall says she was also able to get behind her character’s sultry and somewhat superficial veneer and found many admirable character traits in Samantha. “She was all about no judgment, no regret, living in the moment – positive and open. I also loved the fact that there was no situation that was ever too embarrassing for Samantha.”

When asked if she has a favorite “Sex and the City” episode, without hesitation Cattrall states it was the ones with the cancer storylines. She says she was proud to have been part of something that openly addressed cancer and other women’s issues – which may have changed the lives of women who watched the show. “I think, as women, we take on so many roles that it’s impossible to be brilliant at everything,” she opines. “The storylines on ‘Sex in the City’ provided a platform to talk about many of those things in an entertaining way and get rid of the taboos about how women are, how they’re supposed to be, or perceived to be, or how people need them to be. And, since then, when I hear the actors from HBO’s “Girls” interviewed, they invariably go back to something to do with ‘Sex and the City.’ That’s a great legacy – to have been a part of change – especially for women. You take ‘I Love Lucy,’ you go to ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show,’ you go to ‘Murphy

14 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

Brown,’ and then you go to ‘Sex and the City’ and ‘Girls’ and you see the progression, how in each of those decades, those shows produced a different kind of woman who were dealing with different issues.”

While there may have been great differences between the character and the creator – how they dealt with and lived life – Cattrall did, in fact, give life to Samantha in such a convincing manner, she received glowing reviews as well as numerous awards including a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and three SAG Awards that she shared with her cast mates.

She also believes that, with the exception of “Girls,” the next chapter of strong female-driven shows hasn’t yet come. “I hope, when it does, it will be in the hands of women that are older,” she says, perhaps giving herself some of that old Samantha confidence as she moves forward with her latest project – producing and starring in “Sensitive Skin,” an adaptation of the British series of the same name that Cattrall and the show’s other producers are hoping to sell to an American distributor.

In “Sensitive Skin,” Cattrall plays a woman who is in a 30-year marriage to a man she can no longer relate to. “I’m really interested in answering questions about various issues I’m dealing with at my age through the work I’m choosing to do, especially as a producer. I’m now in the last year of my 50s. I’m going to be 60 soon. So I’m hoping that in ‘Sensitive Skin,’ we can answer questions and explore aging and other issues using comedy as we did in ‘Sex and the City,’ to open up these situations and make them more relatable, make them less frightening, and make them real. I wanted to portray a woman who, in so many ways, doesn’t have a voice. I wanted to give a voice to that kind of woman – give her air to breathe.”

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LIFE AFTER SAmANTHA Along with her work in “Sensitive Skin,” Cattrall loves to do something she has done for many years – return to the English stage to do the classics for a few months out of every year. Her love for Shakespeare can be traced back to a production of “As You Like It” she saw at Strafford-on-Avon when she was just 11. That play so inspired her that it served as an epiphany and the impetus that led her to study theater. Her most recent theater work was for the PBS “Shakespeare Uncovered Series Two” (now available on DVD). Doing that gave her the opportunity to discuss one of her favorite roles – Cleopatra in the Bard’s “Antony and Cleopatra” – which she has played twice on the English stage. “It’s not just this simple story of getting a pound of flesh. It’s much more complex than that,” she says. “It’s political as well as personal – all told in a very public way.”

Beyond her acting work, Cattrall has parlayed her success into being an advocate for various causes and interests. While she was doing “Sex and the City,” she started working on campaigns about breast cancer awareness and has since teamed up with the drug manufacturer Pfizer to educate women about menopause; although she emphasizes that she doesn’t push any kind of medication or supplementation. “My menopause is mine, so I don’t preach about that. But what I really want women to do is to tune in to what they’re going through and to know they don’t have to suffer in silence. Today, we have ways to alleviate that.”

She has also been a three-time keynote speaker at Oxford University, where she has spoken about how important the arts are in the lives and development of young people. She has even established a foundation to support that cause. “At this point in life, you start to think, ‘Okay, what is the legacy?’” she says. “I’ve been fortunate, so I want to use what I’ve been given to be involved with young people and the arts in a creative and helpful way.”

16 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

HEADING TOWARDS HER SEVENTH DECADE Cattrall, who will turn 59 this August, says she is not afraid to be an aging woman in Hollywood and is, in fact, gracefully embracing her next decade. “It’s a part of being a woman of my generation to just look after yourself,” she says.

“There’s so much more information available today than when my mother was a young woman. I know what I can eat and what I can’t eat. I know what kind of exercise I can still do and can’t do. It’s just monitoring it, and most of that is just common sense. There’s no recipe for gracefully aging. But,” she adds, “genes help. Cheekbones help. A good dermatologist helps.”

She also says that she believes that, while getting the proper amount of sleep may be difficult, it is very important. “Sometimes I have so much going on in my brain, it’s hard to tune it all out,” she admits.

To remedy that situation, Cattrall, who has a dual citizenship in Canada and the U.K., recently bought a home in Canada where she will be closer to her family and can “kick back and recoup” as she puts it.

Wondering out loud where her career may lead as she enters her seventh decade, she is both pragmatic and optimistic. “Do I question if there is still a place for me in this business as I get older? Sure. But then I look at Betty White. She’s 93 and still as busy as ever. That’s really something to aspire to – her humor, her work ethic, the way she is adored. She is an inspiration to me in the way she’s up for everything.”

With Lemmon’s advice on longevity in the business to guide her and White’s inspiration to motivate her, Cattrall may just be a bit more like her “Sex and the City” character than she cares to admit – striding into a new decade of her life and career with a bold confidence that would impress anyone, including Samantha Jones herself.

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Special to Life After 50 by Alexandra Smyser of the Law Offices of Donald P. Schweitzer

Life After 50 on money matters

EstatE Planning in your 50s and Beyond When it comes to planning your later life and legacy, it is vitally important to do decade-by-decade checks to always stay one step ahead

P

rudent and well thought-out estate planning is important for everyone, but as we age, our situations change, our priorities shift, and estate planning may become an even more vital consideration. At a minimum, if you own real property or if you have cash assets over $150,000, you must have a trust to avoid burdening your beneficiaries with an expensive and time-consuming probate upon your death.

Many people, who have established a trust wrongly assume “That’s done!” and there is nothing more to worry about. The fact is, if it has been over a decade since you established and funded your trust, it is time to reevaluate your plan and make sure it still reflects your wishes.

Here are some milestones to guide you as you revisit your estate plan, beginning in your 50s, and then reevaluating it in each passing decade:

THE FIFTYSOMETHING CHECKLIST

Life in your 50s can present significant changes to your estate plan, as well as your loved ones’ plans.

During their 50s, many people find themselves caring for both their aging parents as well as their 18 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

adult children. Yes, you are a baby boomer, but you are now also a part of “the sandwich generation.”

This means that, along with planning for your own future, you must also be concerned about your children and your parents as well.

help your adult children create a plan

If your children are 18 years and older, you’ll want to encourage them to create an estate plan of their own. Everyone over the age of 18 should have a durable power of attorney for financial matters and an advance healthcare directive. Many people don’t realize until it’s too late that even though an 18-year-old may depend on your financial support, he or she is still considered an adult. Parents are not automatically authorized to make medical decisions on their children’s behalf. Perhaps you remember the heartbreaking case of Terri Schiavo in Florida in which a 26-year-old woman fell unexpectedly ill, which resulted in her being in a persistent vegetative state. She had no advance healthcare directive and her husband and her parents disagreed on what Terri would have wanted. Ultimately, a court had to determine what her wishes might have been, based on statements she made to friends

and family. Had Schiavo executed a simple, legal, healthcare directive expressing her wishes in writing, she and her family could have avoided enduring 14 court appeals, five suits in federal district court; action by the Florida legislature, the U.S. Congress and even the president of the United States; all followed by four denials by the Supreme Court of the United States to hear the matter. In short, what was an inherently private matter could have been kept from going public.

Make sure your aging parents have their estate plan in order

On the other end of your family spectrum, it is wise to make sure your aging parents have done the proper planning to ensure they will be able to live comfortably and happily. As your parents age, they may begin to need assistance with daily needs and financial affairs and some advance planning now can avoid a crisis down the line. Every family’s situation is going to be different, but some areas to think about are: estate planning: If your parents own real property or have cash assets over $150,000, they should have a revocable living trust to avoid probate when the

second of them passes away. Part of the process of planning is to list all of the assets and leave a “road map” for those who are dealing with the estate. This will be invaluable for a grieving family. incapacity documents: Every person, regardless of assets owned, should have a durable power of attorney for financial matters and an advance healthcare directive. These documents will be crucial to allow a trusted person make financial and healthcare decisions on their behalf, if they become incapacitated. long-term care: What is the plan if one or both of your parents need long-term care? Do they have long-term care insurance? Do they feel strongly about not living in a nursing home? It is never too soon to start thinking about how to pay for longterm care. digital assets, passwords and important documents: As part of your estate planning, as well as your adult child’s, consider who, in the event of your death, will take care of or manage your digital assets such as your e-mail, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, websites, domain names, and even digital photos, videos or computer-generated designs or intellectual properties. Who will own the contents and what are your wishes for each platform? Everyone should keep an updated list of user names and passwords with other important documents that will allow a “digital trustee” to access those assets and manage them in accordance with the owner’s desires.

THE SIXTYSOMETHING CHECKLIST

When you step back and look at your life in your 60s, the changes from when you were in your 30s and 40s can be dramatic, meaning your estate planning documents may be outdated. This is the time to amend your documents to reflect the current state of the law, your family and your potentially evolving wishes. Reviewing your documents to reflect your familial situation will ensure your wishes are current and your estate planning is up to date with the current law. This is also the time to start thinking about investing in long-term care insurance. provide protection For your adult children: The proper trust vehicle can protect your children’s inheritance from divorcing spouses or other creditors. Also, trusts can give you peace of mind if you have a child who is irresponsible with money or who has an addiction problem by appointing a neutral third party to manage your child’s inheritance. Revisit or create a plan that provides for the unique circumstances of your adult children. have you gotten divorced?: Estate planning and family law intersect in very specific ways. If you have gotten divorced, you want your estate planning documents to reflect your new situation. But beware: You may be limited by the laws on what you can do, so you must see an attorney who has experience in these areas.

have you remarried?: Blended families pose a particular problem for people as they age. Perhaps you would like to provide for your new spouse, but you also would like to protect your estate for your children. A trust can ensure that your children are protected even after you are gone. add grandchildren to your legacy: If you would like to provide for your grandchildren after your death, make sure you take into account their age and their level of maturity. To a 19-year-old, inheritance can mean little more than a hot new sports car.

An effective trust can pay for the grandchild’s necessities while protecting the principal until the grandchild is mature enough to handle it. have you received an inheritance?: If you have received any type of inheritance, make provisions in your estate planning to ensure it is protected and distributed according to your wishes.

THE SEVENTYSOMETHING CHECKLIST

As you approach your 70s, you will want to take stock of your health, assets and family situation and make sure you are still on track with your estate plan. review Beneficiaries: Review beneficiary designations on your tax deferred accounts and insurance policies to make sure you have named beneficiaries who are still in line with your desired distributions. Often, owners of accounts have forgotten to name beneficiaries; a change in beneficiary paperwork has been lost or never recorded by institutions; or named beneficiaries are a former spouse, a charity you no longer support, or a deceased family member or friend. Beneficiary designations are easy to change when you are

alive and nearly impossible for your personal representative to change after you are gone, so double-check that your beneficiaries are up to date. are you a Widow or Widower?: If your spouse has passed away, notify the institutions where you have accounts, collect life insurance policies, and talk to your financial advisor about investment accounts. Visit your estate planning attorney to update estate planning documents and change title on property. notify your Family: Let your family know what planning you have done and where they can find all your important documents. You do not need to share the details if you are not comfortable.

Provide contact information for your advisors, including your attorney, financial advisor, and accountant, to your family or beneficiaries. revisit your advance directive: As you age, your thoughts about medical decisions and care may change, so this is the time to revisit your advance directive to make sure it still meets your wishes.

Speak candidly with your healthcare agent about your feelings and your values so that he or she can make the best decisions about your care at the end of your life. Also, let your agent know your wishes for the disposition of your remains. end of life Memorial: Think about your final wishes for a memorial service and communicate that with your agent. Some people pick out hymns to be sung and passages to be read in a church service. Others specifically ask for no celebration at all. One of the greatest gifts you can leave your family is the gift of knowing that, whatever they may be, your final wishes were clearly documented, so they can carry them out in accordance with what you wanted.

April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 19

THE EIGHTYSOMETHING CHECKLIST

estate planning. Your legacy can live on indefinitely as part of an endowment fund and continue to support those areas you care about. Talk to your estate planning attorney about including charities among your beneficiaries.

ask For help With Finances: Most importantly, if you find yourself requiring assistance to manage your financial affairs, appoint someone you trust to act jointly with you before it is too late. Consult with an attorney to prepare documents that will protect your interests and also prevent courtintervention into your life. If you are financially comfortable, it is always best to involve your family in these discussions.

THE EVERYAGE CHECKLIST

As you enter your 80s, it becomes a time for reflecting on your life and your legacy.

consider charitable giving: If charitable giving has been an important aspect of your life, you may want to benefit your favorite causes as part of your

While it is advisable to revisit an estate plan every five to 10 years, individuals and couples should make amendments to estate documents as soon as there is any significant change to their life or familial affairs, such as a divorce, the passing of a spouse, or even the mental or physical health of beneficiaries. The smallest change of adding a grandchild as a beneficiary is an important one to tackle before it’s too late. Remember, it’s important to always be one step ahead of the plan when it comes to planning the blueprints of your legacy.

Ali Smyser is an estate

planning attorney at the Law Offices of Donald P. Schweitzer, located at 201 South Lake Avenue in Pasadena, California, who handles trusts, wills, probates, general and limited conservatorships, and special-needs trusts.

Her areas of expertise include estate plans for mature adults and blended families. She is a member of the California State Bar, the Los Angeles County Bar and the Pasadena Bar Association. She is active in numerous community organizations, including USCVerdugo Hills Hospital Women’s Council, USC-Verdugo Hills Hospital Planned Giving Committee, Salem Lutheran Church and National Charity League.

For more information on the Law Offices of Donald P. Schweitzer click on www.pasadenalawoffice.com or call (626) 683-8113

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APRIL 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 21

Life After 50 on money matters

Special to Life After 50

by James Suh, Regional Sales Manager, Merrill Edge, Los Angeles

Today: The Day To Make Plans To Keep Your Future Healthcare Costs Under Control Incorporating four important steps into the blueprint for your future can make a big difference in managing tomorrow’s costs

I

t’s well understood that healthcare costs change and grow as we age. However, even if you are only in your 50s and retirement is 15 or 20 years away, there are four important steps you can take – right now – that will help prepare you to manage those costs when you are ready to retire.

According to the most recent Merrill Edge survey, one in five Los Angeles residents – 20 percent – says they are making very bad decisions when it comes to saving for the future, a percentage that is higher than the national average of 13 percent. But even if you are not doing what you should be doing to prepare for the future, now is the time to start working to ensure you can meet your future healthcare needs.

Healthcare costs can vary widely depending on your health as you age and where you live.

22 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

That’s why it’s critical for you to understand today what your healthcare costs might be when you retire – and to understand the benefits of planning strategically to manage those costs. The sooner you start, the greater the impact you can have on your retirement and the more healthcare choices you could have in the future – from the doctors you select to where you can choose to live if you need long-term care. The following four steps can help you estimate your future healthcare costs, enhance your retirement plan and guard against risks.

STEP ONE: Get up to speed on what Medicare will cover and how much you’ll need to pay on your own Contrary to popular belief, Medicare won’t cover all of your medical expenses and it is not free.

On average, Medicare covers about half of all healthcare expenses. It doesn’t cover deductibles and co-pays, prescription drugs you take on a regular basis, dental care and dentures, hearing aids and alternative treatments, such as acupuncture.

It also doesn’t cover long-term care if you have an illness that prevents you from taking care of yourself. It’s important to have a plan in place so you can pick up where Medicare leaves off.

STEP TwO: Use all of your opportunities, from catch-up retirement contributions to a tax-free Health Savings Account Naturally, you want to take full advantage of contributing to your 401(k) and IRAs. If you are age 50 or older, you can use the catch-up provision to contribute an extra $6,000 to your 401(k) and

$1,000 to your IRA for the 2015 tax year. And the sooner you increase your contributions, the longer your investments have the opportunity to grow taxdeferred. If your cash flow makes these catch-ups difficult, consider the possibility that you may need to adjust your current lifestyle as you prepare for the future.

Funding a health savings account (HAS) on your own or at work, if your employer offers one and you are eligible, is another great way to get ahead of the curve. Created as part of the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act of 2003, HSAs are tax-advantaged savings vehicles that integrate healthcare spending and retirement saving.

HSAs are only available with high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) to help you save money to cover the higher deductibles and lower premiums that come with the HDHP option. If your company offers an HDHP/HSA, you can have your employer make a contribution to the account directly from your paycheck before taxes.

If you have an HSA on your own, you can make the contribution with after-tax dollars and you may be able to deduct the contributions you paid when you file your annual income tax return. Review your financial situation and your typical healthcare costs to consider whether the higher deductibles and lower premiums associated with the HDHP/HSA may be a good choice for you.

Deciding whether the HDHP/HSA makes sense for you may require a shift in mindset.

Rather than just checking into the hospital and assuming everything is being taken care of, an HDHP encourages you to become a cost-conscious consumer and a better healthcare shopper. It also helps you think longer term because you will see what different procedures actually cost.

STEP THrEE: Embracing healthy living is one of the best investments you can make today Taking care of yourself by practicing preventive care often results in lower future healthcare costs and greater independence in retirement. Staying healthy is like investing in your own “human capital.” People can invest in themselves through education, experience and exercise, putting human capital on the asset side.

The good news for those already pursuing a healthy lifestyle is that many preventive healthcare services are now covered in full under the Affordable Care Act. But for many, it’s not the cost of healthy living that’s the obstacle – it might be an inclination to focus on and care for others that stands in the way of healthy living. You need to take care of yourself in a sustainable way. If you don’t do that, then you risk not being able to meet other people’s needs over the long term. Or worse, you may end up dependent on them, even though that was never your intent.

What you can do now: Make a list of appointments or procedures you’ve put off and

start scheduling them today. It might surprise you how quick and easy it is to check these off your list. You can help prevent negative health events and ultimately reduce your healthcare costs by exercising regularly, going to your medical appointments and getting the right preventive care.

STEP FOUr: Stay current with changes There’s no question that viewing your healthcare in a more strategic way will be somewhat complicated by the fact that our nation’s healthcare system is evolving around you. Because the Affordable Care

Act is an equivalent program in size and scope to Social Security or Medicare, it is important to watch how states enact parts of the law and how access to healthcare changes. We will all have to stay agile and be ready to adapt to the changes that come so that we can pursue smart choices for our future.

James Suh is a director and regional sales manager for Preferred Banking and Merrill Edge. For more information call (714) 681-5922.

April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 23

What is the Most Important Box on the 2014 Tax Form for California Seniors?

O n F O r m 5 4 0 C A S tAt e I n C O m e tA x F O r m

Tax Deductible donations to this fund support legislation benefitting all aging Californians. Covering areas such as: · Elder Abuse · Financial Elder Abuse · Healthcare · Training and Reporting Requirements for Caregivers · Overall Enhancement of Senior Quality of Life

To date, 198 CSL proposals have been chaptered into legislation improving the life of all aging Californians.

For additional information on CSL chaptered and pending legislation, visit www.4csl.org.

The California Senior Legislators are volunteers from across the State.

The agency does not receive any State funding and is solely supported by donations.

To help support this advocacy work, please donate on your 2014 tax form.

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It begins with the right setting. Comfortable surroundings that please the eye and senses. A responsive staff for resident support needs, with a licensed nurse on-site 24/7. Professionally guided fitness and therapy for an active lifestyle. Delicious, chef-prepared cuisine. Concierge and transportation services. Enriching activities for mind, body and spirit.

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Special to Life After 50 by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.

Aging Americans and Alcohol Each April, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. sponsors Alcohol Awareness Month to increase public awareness and encourage people to seek help for alcoholism and alcohol-related issues

G

rowing older can bring on many losses, lifestyle changes and physical and psychological problems that cause stress, depression, resentment, hopelessness and loneliness. Perhaps, then, we should not be surprised to learn that alcohol and prescription drug addiction, among adults 60 and older, is one of the fastest growing health problems facing the country.

And yet, the situation remains underestimated, underidentified, underdiagnosed, and undertreated.

â&#x20AC;˘ Healthcare providers tend to overlook alcohol or drug problems among older Americans, mistaking the symptoms for dementia, depression, or other problems common to adults over 50. â&#x20AC;˘ Older adults are more likely to hide their alcohol or drug use and less likely to seek professional help.

THE RESULT: Thousands of older adults who need treatment do not receive it.

â&#x20AC;˘ Many relatives of older individuals with substance-use disorders, particularly their adult children, are living in denial or ashamed of the problem and choose not to address it.

Alcohol and drug problems among older adults is something few want to talk about, deal with or even treat. The reasons for this silence are varied:

THE REAL ISSUE: Alcoholism and/or alcohol dependency is overlooked and not treated properly and effectively.

26 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

FACT: Four out of five older adults seeking treatment for substance abuse have problems with alcohol vs. other types of drugs For example, older men and women often experience feeling lonely after the death of a spouse.

Grieving is normal, but often it is accompanied by increased alcohol use. Many older people rely on alcohol to reduce the feelings of loneliness, fear and anxiety associated with loss and other life stressors.

Feeling isolated leads to increased drinking. If there are friends around who notice this happening, they tend to stay away. This only causes more isolation and heavier drinking.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the American Geriatrics Society, people 65 or older are engaged

in risky drinking if they consume more than seven alcoholic drinks per week or more than three drinks on a single day. It is highly recommended that the single-occasion drink limit should be no more than two drinks for men and one drink for women.

FACT: Nine percent of Medicare beneficiaries (age 65 and older) consume more than 30 drinks a month and more than four drinks during any one occasion.

Drinking at an older age can have additional negative effects, such as: • Complicating the treatment of medical conditions.

• Causing a range of medical problems associated with alcoholism.

• Reducing the ability to function.

• Increasing the risk of accidents or falling.

• Posing the dangerous, and sometimes fatal, interaction with prescription medications.

People 65 and older consume more prescribed and over-the-counter medications than any other age group in the United States. Prescription drug misuse and abuse is prevalent among older adults, not only because more drugs are prescribed to them, but also because, as with alcohol, aging makes the body more vulnerable to drugs’ effects, and the use of alcohol with prescription medications brings added health risks.

As people age and experience losses, of a spouse, friends or their own health, they find themselves alone, or may even feel lonely around others. But they don’t have to go it alone. If you are concerned about your own use of alcohol or drugs, or that of a relative or friend – GET HELP!

T

he main office of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. is located in New York. Their website (www.ncadd.org) offers a tremendous amount of information and resources for those dealing with alcohol addiction.

They also have a 24-hour Hope Line, (800) 622-2255, that can refer those in need to nationwide affiliates.

For those in Southern California, the following is a list of NCADD affiliates: * National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of East San Gabriel and Pomona, 4626 North Grand Avenue, Covina, (626) 331-5316, www.ncaddesgpv.org * Behavioral Health Services, Inc., National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of the South Bay Area, 15519 Crenshaw Boulevard, Gardena, (310) 748-1361, www.ncaddsb.com * National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of Orange County, 5 Mason Street, Suite 150, Irvine, (949) 770-0847, www.ncaddoc.org * National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of Long Beach Area,

4201 Long Beach Boulevard, Suite 300, Long Beach, (562) 426-8262, www.womantowomanrecovery.org * Pasadena Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency, 1245 East Walnut Street, Suite 117, Pasadena, (626) 795-9127, www.socialmodel.com * National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of the San Fernando Valley, Inc., 6166 Vesper Avenue, Van Nuys, (818) 997-0414, www.ncadd-sfv.org * Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, 232 East Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara, (805) 963-1433, www. cadasb.org

April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 27

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APRIL 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 29

Frank Sinatra, Jr. As the world gives a centennial salute to Ol’ Blue Eyes, his son shares thoughts and memories of the man behind the legend Story by David Laurell * Photos Courtesy SCFTA

W

hile the actual day of Francis Albert Sinatra’s birth, in a Hoboken, New Jersey tenement building, won’t be celebrated until December, this entire year will serve as a salute to Ol’ Blue Eyes’ arrival on the planet.

To officially kick off the centennial celebration, Sinatra’s only son, Frank Sinatra, Jr., will team up with a 37-piece orchestra and present his multimedia show, “Sinatra Sings Sinatra, As I Remember It,” at Costa Mesa’s Segerstrom Center for the Arts on May 2.

The show, crafted to give fans a look at the legendary entertainer sans tuxedo, stage and spotlight, and accompanied by excerpts from his film and television appearances, rare family photos and songs, will see Sinatra, Jr. deliver first-hand recollections of life with his iconic father.

“This show represents a big change for me,” says Sinatra, Jr. “I’ve been doing Sinatra music onstage for decades. But this time, we are doing something we’ve never done before. Rather than just being a singer onstage, I’ll be taking on the role of what I call ‘a musical biographer’ and deal with two questions. One: What was the legend like? For

30 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

anyone who adored Frank Sinatra and his music, they know the answer to that question, because they know so much about him. The second question is the important one: What was HE like? That is where things get different. This will be a show that gets into presenting the story of the man as opposed to stories about the legend, which can be deceiving.

Stories about legends are usually pleasurable to read, although they aren’t always true, they shrink and grow as time passes. So we are going to present stories about the man as told by me. I’m the ideal person to tell his story, because I was a witness to it. The music, of course, is an important part of the show; but this presentation will be unique in that it will give people a far greater understanding as to what was happening around the music, in his real life. I want people, who grew up with the music of Frank Sinatra, to walk to their car after the show and have one say to the other: ‘I never knew that about Frank Sinatra.’ That’s my goal.”

While Sinatra, Jr. will proudly share many wonderful stories of his father, who in 1988, requested his son place his own singing career on hold to serve as his musical director and conductor,

he was adamant that the show be a truthful telling of his father’s story.

“We are dealing with an all-but-vanishing commodity in this world – something called the truth,” says Sinatra, Jr. “As we were putting this show together I felt we had to tell the story truthfully. We had to get away from all the press agentry, because that’s not the truth. Life is not all positive fun and games and flowers. So we are telling the real story, which will involve dark things as well as light things. I want people to come away knowing they have seen a truly honest presentation.

I know the people who will come to this show are the real admirers of Frank Sinatra, and I believe they want to really know something about him and his life. In order to do that, we have to tell a story that is not one that was always filled with sunny skies. His life was like any life – bad things happened – and if we are going to embrace the truth in telling his story, it has to include the darker side along with moments that are funny and those that are astonishing. My hope is that this show will bring his story to life in a way that has never been told before.”

Photo by brian Stewart

AN ALMOST TOSSED TREASURE Along with the pride he harbors for his father and his accomplishments, Sinatra, Jr. says he also has a very special tangible item of his father’s that he greatly treasures – one that could have easily been lost to the trash.

“I have a lot of things he gave me, but of all of them, I have one thing that, after his death, had been placed in a box with other things and a note that basically said they had no value. His widow felt the things she put in this box had no intrinsic value, and so they were given to me. As I was

LIFE TODAY Today, the 71-year-old Sinatra, Jr. lives in West Los Angeles, although, he spends little time there. “There is no such animal as a typical day for me,” he says. “I wish life were that simple, to just have typical days. That has never been the case with me. My life is divided into days traveling, days preparing to travel, days working and, like everyone else, just trying to keep up with all the paperwork and everything else along the way. I’m always traveling all over the world, just as I have for the past 53 years.”

He says he gives little thought to being in his eighth decade of life and says the only philosophy he has adopted on aging is nothing original. “It has been said that aging is not for the faint of heart, and I’ll go along with that,” he says with a laugh.

Pressed to go a little deeper on his thoughts of getting older, Sinatra, Jr. says that while his travel and work schedule is as demanding as it has ever been, the one thing that has changed as the years have gone by is his diet.

“You don’t get to my age by being reckless in what you eat,” he says. “When you are young, you can eat any damn thing you want. But as time goes by, you have to start being careful. I try, as much as I hate it, to eliminate bread from my diet. I’m a typical Italian, so that isn’t easy. I love the bread and the pasta. But it is very fattening, so I have taken to going through them, I found something I knew eating a lot of fish and vegetables.” about, but had never seen. In 1984, when I turned As for adhering to any sort of exercise regimen, 40, I was called by a woman who was the editor he brushes off the thought of it with a laugh. “Hey, of a newspaper supplement called Family Weekly, when your life involves travel and walking through which was like Parade Magazine. She said they airports, especially in today’s modern mega-airports, wanted to do something in honor of the parents’ holidays – Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. They had when you have to change planes and go through immigration and customs, which always seem to be enlisted the then-first lady, Nancy Reagan, whose two miles away from one another, you quickly find mother had just died, to write the Mother’s Day out what kind of shape you are in and get quite a article. Then they asked me to write the Father’s workout.”

Day article. I agreed and they said they would send out a ghostwriter to interview me and I said: ‘Wait a minute! I thought you wanted me to write it?’ The MUSIC AND THE MAN, FOUR editor was taken aback and said: ‘Do you want to GENERATIONS LATER do it?’ I told her I did and she said she would prefer While he has been so indelibly associated with that. So I sat down at an old typewriter and started his father’s music since he first started performing writing. Now, I had never even written anything in small venues in his early teens, and later as a for a school newspaper, so I wasn’t sure what I was vocalist for Sam Donahue’s band and then with his doing. But I spent days and days revamping and editing until I had a finished article. When I thought own orchestra, Sinatra, Jr. says his personal musical it was pretty good, I sent it off to the editor and, sure preferences are for singers and musicians who, like enough, on Father’s Day 1984 they printed it. On the his father, embrace quality material.

“I listen to people like Diana Krall – singers cover they had a full-page, black-and-white picture of Frank Sinatra onstage in a tuxedo, and then in the who have crossed over from the inferior to the superior. People who have given up the degenerative corner there was a photo of me in a tuxedo and the music that the age they come from promotes and title ‘He Always Does It His Way.’ Well, 14 years went by, and in 1998, when he died and all this stuff have sought out a higher quality of music. Linda Ronstadt and Rod Stewart have done that, and that was deemed to have no value was thrown in a look at Bob Dylan’s new album [“Shadows in the box, I found the cover of that magazine that he had Night” (Columbia Records, 2015) that includes ten framed and, for years, had hung on the wall in his songs originally recorded by Frank Sinatra]. I’ve private dressing area. It had meant so much to him that he had hung it in a place where he could look at known Bob for 40 years and knew he was always a great admirer of Sinatra. They used to hang out it every day, and now, I have it on my wall. It is the and have dinner together, so I’m thrilled he has put one thing of his that means the most to me.”

Photob By Hayley Sparks

After explaining that the preparation of the centennial celebration show had him thinking about things related to his father he hadn’t thought about in many years, and, in some cases, had never given thought to, Sinatra, Jr. is quick to respond when asked if there is one thing that stands out that makes him most proud of his father.

“The most pronounced situation that comes to my mind to answer that question happened in the early 1980s when he was called back to Washington, D.C. for an event that was put on by the Veterans Affairs Committee. The United States had pulled out of Vietnam by that time and many American military personnel were finally repatriated after spending years, and in some cases, decades, as prisoners of war in that place referred to as the Hanoi Hilton,” Sinatra, Jr. recalls. “He had been invited to attend a dinner that was being held on behalf of many of these men who had been stuck in that compound for years. When he arrived, he was curious as to why the people who were putting on the event had specifically invited him. When he asked them, they explained that while these GIs were being held as prisoners, their jailers gave them a broken-down record player and one record album – a Frank Sinatra record. They played that record over and over. During that time, Sinatra was their only contact with their country, with America, with home. That night, they told him something he never knew – that he helped save their sanity while in captivity.

For me, that is something that is one of the most noteworthy things I have ever heard about the man.”

Asked for a memory of his father that always gives him a smile, Sinatra, Jr. says that most people aren’t aware of what a witty and somewhat dry sense of humor he had. “I remember one time we were sitting watching the news and a story came on about some young guy, hardly in his 30s, who had been a member of the mob. He had jumped out of the mob, turned state’s evidence, and there he was testifying against them before some committee on television.

As we sat there, I remember my dad’s head started shaking. When I asked him what was wrong. He said: ‘What a shame. Poor guy – he’s so young – had so much to live for.’ He had this very subtle sense of humor and a lot of people didn’t know that or get it.”

April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 31

out this new album. I am also one of the millions of people who watched the Academy Awards this past February and was totally knocked out by Lady Gaga.

She can really sing and understands quality material.

That’s a great thing for her fans, younger people, who are being exposed to better music because of her.”

Sinatra, Jr. says he has great appreciation for singers, like the aforementioned, from the rock and pop era, who have embraced jazz, the music of the big bands and standards from the Great American Songbook, and are trying to pass that music on to today’s youth.

“Most every person under 30 or so has heard the name Frank Sinatra,” he opines when rejecting the notion that his father’s legacy is one known to most young people. “But when it comes to specifics about the man, they know nothing. Awhile back, the Department of Commerce – and why it ended up with them I don’t know – made the determination that a generation is the length of time from when a child is born to the average length of time they mature and have their own children. That number was determined to be 25 years. So that means every century gives us four generations, and if you consider that Frank Sinatra became a social phenomenon in 1940, we’re talking 75 years ago.

That means we are into a fourth generation. My point is that while his name is known, that it may be familiar to those under 30, the deeds and history of the man, to a very large extent, would have them at a loss. They may know he was a singer, but I don’t

think most of them can associate a song or a film or anything with his name.”

THERE WAS JUST SOMETHING ABOUT HIM With the passing of 100 years since Frank Sinatra’s birth and 17 years since his death, Sinatra, Jr. says he often thinks about the best advice his father gave him. “He told me to always listen to advice,” he reveals. “But not to always take it,” he adds with a laugh.

He also says the media coverage, programing and events that have been planned to coincide with the 100th anniversary of his father’s birth have given even him the opportunity to step back and gain a new perspective on the man.

“Every now and then, I find myself listening to the radio or something on television and one of his songs will come on – something he recorded during the prime of his life,” he says softly. “When I hear his voice, I get a little wistful. As I always tell people: Never take hearing one of his recordings for granted, because you are never going to hear that kind of singing again.”

He pauses and takes a deep breath.

“There was just something about the man.”

SINATRA SINGS SINATRA, AS I REMEMBER IT the Sinatra legend began with his first hits, recorded with the big bands of harry James and tommy Dorsey, and grew as he became the Voice who made the bobby-soxers swoon. in later years, he became known as the Chairman of the board, and eventually, ol’ blue eyes. but who was the man behind the legend?

Frank Sinatra, Jr’s new show, “Sinatra Sings Sinatra, as i remember it,” which will be presented at Costa Mesa’s Segerstrom Center for the arts on May 2, explains it all with

32 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

insights into the world’s greatest entertainer that could only come from his son. interlacing authentic renditions of his father’s songs with personal memories of the people involved, his recollections include observations of the songwriters, arrangers, musicians and pivotal performances that highlighted his father’s illustrious career, all backed by an orchestra that features many members who played with the man himself.

Presenting arrangements created by some of the greatest talents of this century including nelson riddle, bill rogers and billy May, the song list includes standards from the talents of Cole Porter, Sammy Cahn, Paul anka, hoagy Carmichael, Jerome Kern, oscar hammerstein ii, richard rodgers, Lorenz hart and ol’ blue eyes himself. and, of course, the central element of the show is Frank Sinatra, Jr., a great singer in his own right, who, while overshadowed in the past, has now stepped

forward to don the mantle relinquished by his father.

Tickets for the show are on sale now starting at $49. They are available at the box office located at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, by clicking on www.SCFTA.org or by calling (714) 556-2787.

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April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 33

The Hallowed Hall of Must-Knowtables

By David Laurell Illustration by Mark Hammermeister

Billie Holiday Revered as one of the most influential jazz singers of all time, Billie Holiday didn’t just sing the blues, she embodied them. From the upheaval and turmoil of her early life in the 1920s to the pinnacle of her career, “Lady Day” was never able to fend off the demons of alcohol and drug addiction, which ultimately claimed her life at the age of 44.

B

orn to the unwed 13-year-old Julia Sadie Fagan (also known as Sadie Harris) on April 7, 1915, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (although some say she was born in Baltimore, Maryland), Billie Holiday entered the world as Eleanora Fagan, or possibly Elinore Harris, as her birth certificate reportedly lists. While the facts regarding her birthplace, name and paternity have always been debated, there was no doubt that Holiday spent her early childhood in Baltimore. It has also become accepted, that, while the name “Frank DeViese” is reportedly listed as the father on her birth certificate, she believed Clarence Halliday to be her father, although he never had much to do with her.

When her daughter was five, Sadie married a longshoreman who, for a few years, gave them a somewhat normal home life. When the marriage ended, Sadie and her child struggled to survive. Left in the care of others, the then-nine-yearold Holiday was a habitual truant who was ordered to juvenile court and then sent to a reform school for nine months. Finally returned to her mother’s care, the following two years saw Holiday sexually assaulted by a neighbor, placed in protective custody, and leave school for good before her 12th birthday.

In 1927, Holiday found a way to help her mother get by – running errands for the owner of a brothel. That was also the year she first heard recordings by jazz greats, Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong.

The following year, her mother moved to New York City and, soon after, Holiday joined her. Living in a building owned by a woman who also ran a brothel, Sadie and her 13-year-old-daughter worked as $5-a-client prostitutes until the operation was raided and Sadie and Holiday were sent to prison for respective sentences of two and five months.

Finding solace from her troubles in music, Holiday began performing in small Harlem clubs for tips at the age of 15. It was during this time she first used the name “Billie,” which she took from the film star, Billie Dove, and the surname “Halliday,” which she eventually changed to “Holiday.”

Although she never had any formal musical training and couldn’t read music, Holiday mesmerized audiences and acquired a loyal following. Over the next two years she developed a signature sound with her unique diction and phrasing, which, as time passed, would become as much her trademark as the white gardenias she took to wearing in her hair.

When she was 18, Holiday was discovered by legendary music producer, John Hammond, who arranged a recording session with her and bandleader Benny Goodman (who was not yet a household name).

By 1936, with two hit records under her belt – “What a Little Moonlight Can Do” and “Miss Brown to You” – Holiday began working with jazz saxophonist

This feature is intended for you to clip and give to your children or grandchildren because…they must-know!

34 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

Lester Young, who dubbed her “Lady Day.” She went on to perform with bandleaders Count Basie and Artie Shaw, where she became one of the first black women to work with a white orchestra.

By the late 1930s, Holiday was a star, recording for Columbia Records. During that time, she was introduced to a song that had been written as a poem, “Strange Fruit,” about the lynching of a black man. Penned by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish schoolteacher who wrote under the pen name “Lewis Allan,” Holiday performed the song at Café Society, an integrated Greenwich Village club.

After getting positive feedback on her interpretation of “Strange Fruit,” she approached Columbia about recording it, but the company felt the song was too controversial. That changed in 1939 when Commodore Records, founded

by Milt Gabler and Jack Crystal (the uncle and father of comedian Billy Crystal), agreed to record it.

Another song always associated with Holiday is “God Bless the Child.” The impetus of that song came from a heated argument she had with her mother over money that ended with Holiday shouting: “God bless the child that’s got his own!” before storming out the door. Later relaying that story to pianist and composer, Arthur Herzog, Jr., a song emerged based on the line. “God Bless the Child” reached number 25 on the charts in 1941, was third in Billboard’s songs of the year, and sold over a million records.

With her career riding high, Holiday married trombonist Jimmy Monroe, but soon after began an affair with a trumpeter – Joe Guy – who was also her drug dealer. In the fall of 1946, Holiday began work on her only feature film, the musical drama “New Orleans,” which also starred Louis Armstrong and Woody Herman. Holiday’s drug addiction became a problem during the film’s production, as she was reportedly spending close to a thousand dollars a week on heroin.

The following year, Holiday and Monroe divorced, she broke off with Guy, was arrested for narcotics possession, convicted, and sentenced to the Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia.

Released from prison early, in March of 1948, because of good behavior, Holiday hesitantly agreed to doing a concert at Carnegie Hall, nervous that ticket sales would be light. Her concerns proved to be unfounded and, on March 27, she sang for a sold-out crowd.

Arrested again for drug possession the following year, Holiday entered the 1950s with her voice and health clearly suffering from the effects of drug and alcohol abuse.

In 1956, she married a Mafia enforcer by the name of Louis McKay who, like most of the men in her life, was abusive; although he did, unsuccessfully, try to help her kick the drugs.

In May of 1959, separated from McKay, completely broke, and diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver and heart disease, Holiday was admitted to Metropolitan Hospital in New York. In spite of her extremely weakened state, Federal Bureau of Narcotics agents arrested and handcuffed her for drug possession and placed her under police guard for six weeks. Her release came on July 17, 1959 – along with her death at the age of 44 from pulmonary edema and heart failure caused by cirrhosis of the liver.

Lady Day’s funeral was held at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York City and she was buried at Saint Raymond’s Cemetery in the Bronx, next to her mother, who had died in 1945.

LEARN MORE

While there are many books about Billie Holiday and numerous recordings, the following two tomes, album and film are among the essentials: • “Lady Sings the Blues” (Penguin Books, 1956), Billie Holiday’s autobiography, ghostwritten by New York Post writer and editor William Dufty.

• To coincide with the release of her autobiography, Holiday put out an album, also entitled “Lady Sings the Blues” (Clef Records, 1956).

• Holiday’s autobiography was made into the film, “Lady Sings the Blues” (Motown Productions and Paramount Pictures, 1972), in which singer Diana Ross portrayed the legendary singer and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

• “Billie Holiday” (Northeastern University Press., 1995) by jazz writer Stuart Nicholson.

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Let’s Get OUt A Preview of Upcoming Events for April/May By Claire Yezbak Fadden

eNteRtAINMeNt WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 SUNSET BABY When a former Black Revolutionary and political prisoner decides to connect with his estranged daughter, he discovers that fatherhood might be the most challenging revolution of all. Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. $30-$34.

Dates vary through April 19. (310) 477-2055 x2. odysseytheatre.com.

FIGARO “Figaro” is an adaptation of the second of the three “Figaro” plays penned by a member of French royal court, Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais; Lorenzo Da Ponte later adapted the work as the basis of the beloved Mozart opera. Beaumarchais, a French playwright, watchmaker, inventor, musician, diplomat, and revolutionary, played small but incendiary roles in both the American and French revolutions. A Noise Within, 3352 East Foothill Blvd., Pasadena.

Through May 10. Prices vary. (626) 3563100. anoisewithin.org.

THURSDAY, APRIL 16 CINDERELLA More than just a pretty face with the right shoe size, this Cinderella is a contemporary figure living in a fairytale setting. She is a spirited young woman with savvy and soul who doesn’t let her rags or her gowns trip her up in her quest for kindness, compassion and forgiveness. Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre at the Music Center, 135 North Grand Ave., Los Angeles.

Dates vary through April 26. $25-$130. centertheatregroup.org.

HENRY IV, PART I Part comedy, part tragedy, Shakespeare spins a tale of a young man caught between the joys of hanging around London pubs with the drunken and immoral Falstaff, and taking his rightful place beside his father

38 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

April/May 2015

as a prince fighting to maintain the crown amidst civil war. The Antaeus Company, 5112 Lankershim Blvd., N. Hollywood. Thurs.-Sun. through May 3. $30-$34. (818) 506-1983. antaeus.org.

THE POWER OF DUFF Charlie Duff’s nightly newscast makes him a voice to be heard, so why isn’t his teenage son listening? When an on-air prayer for his father goes viral, Duff finds himself at the center of a firestorm over God’s place in the newsroom. When his prayers turn prophetic, Duff suddenly has the power to reach everyone, except his own son. Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave. Los Angeles. Tues.-Sun. through May 17. (310) 208.5454. geffenplayhouse. com.

I AND YOU On the night before a class assignment is due, Caroline and Anthony plumb the mysteries of a Whitman poem…unaware that a deeper mystery has brought them together. The Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Avenue, Los Angeles. Thurs.-Sun. through June 14. $15– $35. (323) 663-1525. fountaintheatre.com.

GLENDALE NOON CONCERTS Los Angeles Horn Trio. Viola solo recital.

First Baptist Church of Glendale, 209 N. Louise St., Glendale. Free. (818) 242-2113. glendalenoonconcerts.blogspot.com.

SWITZERLAND A fictional account of legendary author Patricia Highsmith. Master of the macabre, Highsmith, is racing to finish her novel when an attractive young man arrives representing her impatient publisher.

Anxious to be rid of him and return to selfimposed exile, she attempts to terrorize him into fleeing. But he has a dark agenda of his own and will not leave until the final chapter is written. Audrey Skirball Theater at the Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles. Tues.-Sun. through April 19. (310) 208-5454. geffenplayhouse.com.

LA/Ventura

LES BALLETS JAZZ DE MONTREAL Displaying its radiant and expressive style, BJM explores the creative side of contemporary trends while firmly committing to classical aesthetics in a unique style that often has an uplifting effect on the soul. The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd. Beverly Hills.

Through April 18. $39-plus. (310) 246-3800. thewallis.org.

FRIDAY, APRIL 17

RECORDED IN HOLLYWOOD: THE MUSICAL

The fascinating true story of black businessman, record label owner and music producer. In 1948, a decade before Motown, John Dolphin opened Dolphin’s Of Hollywood Record Shop on legendary Central Avenue in South Los Angeles, the music mecca on the West Coast. This new musical features 13 original songs to match the musical era of the 1950s, as well as some hit cover songs. Lillian Theatre, 1076 Lillian Way. Los Angeles. Fri.-Sun. through May 17. $30. (323) 960-4443. plays411.com/hollywood

FRIDAY, APRIL 17

SATURDAY, APRIL 18

MAME The musical shares Mame’s collection of eccentric, wealthy society friends. Her life is one endless party, until her young nephew Patrick walks into her life. Her mad-cap, free-spirited lifestyle with its focus on today changes while looking after her brother’s son.

Kentwood Players, Westchester Playhouse, 8301 Hindry Ave., Westchester. Also April 18. $20-$25. 310-645-5156. kentwoodplayers.org.

WESTERN MUSIC ASSOCIATION JAM Musicians and cowboy poets perform stories and songs of the romantic days of the Old West, contemporary music of the American West and songs of the open range and the American cowboy. The Autry National Center, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park, Los Angeles. $6-$10. (323) 667-2000. theautry.org.

NORTHWEST DANCE PROJECT Sarah Slipper, artistic director. Founded in 2004, this dance company is dedicated to the creation and performance of innovative, contemporary material. Pepperdine University, Smothers Theatre, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. $20-$40. arts. pepperdine.edu.

FRIDAY, APRIL 24

PAT BENATAR AND NEIL GIRALDO In concert, the powerhouse behind one of the largest arsenals of rock hits, including “Love Is A Battlefield,” “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “Heartbreaker,” “We Live For Love,” “Promises In the Dark,” “We Belong.” Saban Theatre, 8440 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. $58-$110.

(888) 645-5006. sabantheatre.org.

MARY POPPINS Enjoy all the great songs from Disney’s immortal classic: “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Chim Chim Cheree,” “Feed the Birds” and “I Love To Laugh.” Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Fred Kavli Theatre, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. Also April 25, 26. $34-$74. (805) 449-2787. civicartsplaza.com.

CALeNDAR JULIUS CAESAR A play of shifting civic tides, paranoia and betrayal, this is a tense thriller steeped in civil war and the unending quest for power. Brutus, in concert with a cabal of senators fearing for the future of the Republic, slays its one true threat, Julius Caesar, but underestimates his power as emperor. A Noise Within, 3352 East Foothill Blvd., Pasadena. Through May 8.

Prices vary. (626) 356-3100. anoisewithin.org.

SATURDAY, APRIL 25 EARTH DAY: WILDFLOWERS AND WILDLIFE Celebrate Earth Day and the spring season with programs focusing on wildflowers, wildlife and water-wise home gardening.

Descanso Gardens, Center Circle 1418 Descanso Dr., La Cañada Flintridge. Also April 26. $6-$9. (818) 949-4200. descansogardens.org.

April/May 2015 LA/Ventura Coast Highway, Malibu. $12-$15. arts.pepperdine.edu.

TUESDAY, APRIL 28 GREGG ALLMAN Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Gregg Allman coined the term “southern rock,” to define the Allman Brothers’ sound: a fusion of rock, blues and country. Some memorable hits include “Ramblin’ Man,” “Midnight Rider,” “Sweet Melissa,” “Jessica” and “Whipping Post.”

The Canyon, 28912 Roadside Dr., Agoura Hills. Also April 29. $59-$99. (818) 879-5016. canyonclub.net.

VENTURA BLUEGRASS JAMS Milano’s Italian Restaurant, Patio, Ventura Harbor Village, 1559 Spinnaker Dr., Ventura.

(805) 658-0388. milanositalianrestaurant.com.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29

FASHIONS ON PARADE IN PARIS Westlake Women’s Club annual fashion show luncheon. Fabulous fashions for spring and summer. Boutique shopping. Complimentary champagne, door prizes, silent auction. Hyatt Westlake Plaza Hotel, 880 S. Westlake Blvd., Westlake Village. $75. (818) 991-2790.

MUSEUM OF LOVE An evening of artistry, storytelling, emotion and dance. Arcadia Performing Arts Center, 188 Campus Dr., Arcadia. $15. Through May 2.

(626) 821-1781. arcadiapaf.org.

THE OKEE DOKEE BROTHERS The Grammy Award-winning duo puts their passion for the outdoors at the heart of their Americana folk music. Pepperdine University, Smothers Theatre, 24255 Pacific

FRIDAY, MAY 1

danced with the devil in Salem. Imagining the destiny of the immortal stage villain, this next chapter finds Abigail living under an assumed name in a village far from Salem, trying to start afresh. But now her past is about to catch up with her. International City Theatre, Long Beach Performing Arts Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach. Thurs.-Sun. through May 24. $34-$48. (562) 436-4610. internationalcitytheatre.org.

SATURDAY, MAY 2 WALKING THE TIGHTROPE This is a sweet and funny story of a grandfather who, while trying to tell his five-year-old granddaughter that grandma is gone, begins to build a beautiful new relationship with her. Center Theatre Group, Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City. Also May 3. $30. (213) 628-2772. centertheatregroup.org.

SATURDAY, MAY 9 THE HOUSE OF YES Thanksgiving, 1983. Mrs. Pascal, her daughter, Jackie-O, and younger son, Anthony, await the arrival of, Jackie’s twin brother for the holiday.

But when Marty brings along his new fiancée, secrets unravel and the family’s elegant veneer begins to crack. Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. Fri.-Sun. through June 14. $25. (323) 960-5563. plays411.com/houseofyes.

SUNDAY, MAY 10 SECOND SUNDAY CONCERT Pasadena Central Library, 285 E Walnut, Pasadena. Free. (626) 398-0658.

TUESDAY, MAY 12 VENTURA BLUEGRASS JAMS Milano’s Italian Restaurant, Patio, Ventura Harbor Village, 1559 Spinnaker Dr., Ventura.

(805) 658-0388. milanositalianrestaurant.com.

THURSDAY, MAY 14 DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES ART WALK This self-guided, public art walk brings art lovers and community friends together in downtown Los Angeles. 411 S. Main St., between Second and Ninth Streets, Los Angeles. Free. downtown-artwalk.org.

MAY ABIGAIL/1702 Whatever happened to Abigail Williams? It’s 1702, a decade after the infamous seductress

eXHIBItIONs SUNDAY, MAY 3 MICHAEL MCDONALD From Doobie Brothers classics such as “What a Fool Believes” to solo hits like “I Keep Forgettin’” and his Motown covers, McDonald’s songs have emotional immediacy and a laid-back groove. At the heart of it, there is that rich, husky voice that carries the ache of unrequited love. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. $45-$112. laphil.com FREE FIRST SUNDAY Free admission to the Museum of Ventura County including its galleries and any special events. Museum of Ventura County, 100 East Main St., Ventura. First Sunday of each month.

(805) 653-0323. venturamuseum.org.

SCARLETT O’HARA’S BARBECUE DRESS On display to coincide with 75th anniversary of the release of “Gone with the Wind,” is the green and white dress worn by Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) to the barbeque at the Twelve Oaks Plantation. The signature costume appears onscreen for 30 minutes of the Civil War romance. Scarlett is shown being strapped into her corset to fit into the dress before the party begins, and wears the gown throughout the momentous party where she loses Ashley Wilkes, meets Rhett Butler, and the beginning of the fateful war is announced in single afternoon. The costume consists of three pieces—a bodice, a skirt, and a Kelly

WEDNESDAY, MAY 6

SATURDAY, APRIL 25

EMPIRE AND LIBERTY: THE CIVIL WAR AND THE WEST

The West is seldom considered in the context of the Civil War, yet Westward expansion shaped the issues that ignited that tumultuous conflict. This exhibition combines personal stories of Americans with audio-visual presentations and extraordinary historical artifacts. Come to know Sacagawea, John Sutter, Jesse and Frank James, Andrés Pico, Biddy Mason and Big Tree. Artifacts include: Jefferson Davis’s pistol, Ulysses S. Grant’s revolver, John Fremont’s 1842 expedition flag, George Armstrong Custer’s Bible and Kicking Bear’s muslin painting of the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. Tues.-Sun. through Jan. 3. $7-$10. (310) 440-4500. skirball.org.

GLENDALE NOON CONCERTS Ergo Musica. First Baptist Church of Glendale, 209 N. Louise St., Glendale. Free. (818) 2422113. glendalenoonconcerts.blogspot.com.

THURSDAY, MAY 7 BAROQUE CONVERSATIONS Bringing the series to a close, lute and Baroque guitar virtuoso John Schneiderman gathers his Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra friends to present an evening of concertos

by Haydn, Kohaut, Falckenhagen and Vivaldi.

Zipper Concert Hall, Colburn School, 200 South Grand Ave., Los Angeles. $56-plus.

(213) 622-7001. laco.org.

April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 39

CALeNDAR

April/May 2015 LA/Ventura green sash. Made to fit Leigh, its waistline measures 24½ inches (much roomier than the notorious 17-inch waist “GWTW” author Margaret Mitchell ascribed to Scarlett in her book). Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles.

Through May 19. $9-$12. (213) 763-3466. nhm.org.

GALLERY OF THE LOUVRE Samuel F. B. Morse, of Morse Code fame, may be better known as an inventor, but he began his career as a painter. This exhibition focuses exclusively on his masterwork featuring great paintings from the Louvre’s collection. The six-by-nine- foot canvas depicts masterpieces

by Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Caravaggio, Rubens and Van Dyck, among others, in a configuration deliberately fabricated by Morse. Huntington Library, Art Collection and Botanical Gardens, Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art, Susan and Stephen Chandler Wing, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. Through May 4. $12-$15. (626) 4052100. huntington.org.

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL BILLBOARDS OF THE SUNSET STRIP Featuring stunning photographs of handpainted billboards that dominated the Los Angeles landscape for almost two decades, this exhibition brings to life a unique period in the history of rock ‘n’ roll and the fabled Sunset Strip, whose nightclubs were the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll royalty.

Photographer Robert Landau traces the billboard phenomenon from the breakthrough promotion for the debut album by the Doors in 1967 to the advent of MTV in the 1980s, which signaled the end of an era. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. Tues.-Sun. through Aug. 16. $7-$10. (310) 440-4500. skirball.org.

CONTEMPORARY IMPRESSIONS: THE ARTWORK OF KATE HOFFMAN Mixed-media Ojai artist Kate Hoffman is familiar to many people in Ventura County for her paintings of horses and other animals, as well as for the fluid blue and green water of her seascapes. Her images are simple and loose, and her surfaces are often rubbed to suggest the dimension of the canvas, paper and gesso underneath. This exhibition comprises 12 large works, mostly oil on

40 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

canvas and many of which depict horses.

The Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum, 926 Railroad Avenue, Santa Paula.

Wed.-Sun. through May 31. Admission is $3-$5 venturamuseum.org or call (805) 525-3100.

ARMIN HANSEN: THE ARTFUL VOYAGE In the West, Hansen became the first to realize the potential beauty of commercial fishing, and he chose the theme in large part because he knew it well from firsthand experience. His vibrant, blustery scenes of the sea communicate broadly the impact of hardship and physical labor and the importance of bravery. Pasadena Museum of Art, 490 East Union Street, Pasadena.

Through May 31. $5-$7. Wed.-Sun. (626) 568-3665. pmcaonline.org.

AMAZING AUTOMOBILES: THE ULTIMATE CAR EXHIBIT Whether it’s the 1913 Mercer Raceabout, long considered the first race car, the Cadillac Papal Parade Phaeton known in pop-culture as the “Pope-mobile” or the car Danny Zuko races in “Grease,” cars play a memorable role in history. The exhibit is in partnership with the Petersen Automotive Museum to showcase some of The Petersen’s most stunning and memorable cars, including: 1956 XKSS owned by Steve McQueen, Batmobile driven by Michael Keaton in “Batman” (1989) and “Batman Returns” (1991) and the1946 custom Ford used by John Travolta and Olivia Newton John in “Grease” (1978). The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, 40 Presidential Dr., Simi Valley. Through May 1. $13-$16. (800) 410-8354. reaganlibrary.com.

GRANDES MAESTROS Great Masters of Iberoamerican Folk Art, Collection of Fomento Cultural Banamex.

A showcase of more than 1,200 works: colorful masks, intricate textiles, hand-carved miniature sculptures, yarn paintings, clay animals, religious and political altarpieces — associated with daily use or ritual purpose, and immersed in the traditions and identity of Iberoamérica. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Gem Vault, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles. Through Sept. 13. $9-$12.

(213) 763-3466. nhm.org.

DONNA SUMMER: FOUR SEASONS OF LOVE This display from the first exhibition highlighting the legendary “Queen of Disco,” includes gowns, costumes and set designs sketches designed by Summer, written lyrics and notes as well as photographs spanning Summer’s entire career. The Grammy Museum at L.A. Live, Fourth Floor, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles. Through Spring 2015. $12$13. (213) 765-6803. grammymuseum.org.

KIM STRINGFELLOW’S JACKRABBIT HOMESTEAD Through photography and audio interviews, this exhibition details how the desire to flee the urban sprawl of Los Angeles and stake a claim in the fierce California desert resulted in both a collection of derelict cabins in the 1950s and the reclamation of the land for a burgeoning artistic community today. The

FRIDAY, MAY 1

SEE JANE “SING!”

Fresh from her iconic portrayal of Sue Sylvester on “Glee” and her Broadway debut as Miss Hannigan in “Annie,” Jane Lynch brings her comic skills and musical prowess to the theater stage. Prepare for a side-splitting evening of musical comedy, with more than a dash of wit as Lynch explores her love of beauty and absurdity of the American standard and show tune. The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 9390 N Santa Monica Blvd. Beverly Hills. $39-$89. thewallis.org.

famous Indian headdress and handwritten Autry National Center, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park, Los Angeles. Through Aug. 23. lyrics. The Grammy Museum at L.A. Live, Fourth Floor, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Los $6-$10. (323) 667-2000. theautry.org.

Angeles. Through July 2015. $12-$13.

(213) 765-6803. grammymuseum.org.

PRIDE AND JOY The Texas Blues of Stevie Ray Vaughan. With his astonishingly accomplished guitar playing, Stevie Ray Vaughan ignited the blues revival of the 1980s and bridged the gap between blues Get the Word Out. E-mail and rock like no other artist had since the late your announcements to Claire Fadden, 1960s. His tragic death in 1990 at age 35 cut cfadden@lifeafter50.com. Include a short a brilliant career in blues and American brief description, location, date, time, cost, rock ‘n’ roll, just as he was on the brink of phone and website. Submission does not superstardom. Exhibition includes: several guarantee publication. Deadline for the guitars, including Vaughan’s “Number One” May/June calendar is April 1.

Fender Stratocaster, early family photographs, original stage outfits, including Vaughan’s

By Rick Steves ver the past month, as “The Sound of with a focus on Munich’s role. It’s slated to open It’s currently based in the Westbahnhof, but may Music” celebrated its 50th anniversary, the on April 30 – the 70th anniversary of Munich’s move its service to the main station (Hauptbahnthought of visiting Germany and Austria liberation from Nazi rule. hof) — check when booking. has become prevalent with many Americans. If you • The Vienna Boys’ Choir has another venue • In Nürnberg, the city’s historic Art Bunker has have never visited these two countries, they are for performances: MuTh, a concert hall in the opened to the public. It’s a series of cellars deep bucket-list “musts.” If you haven’t been there in Augarten public park, which also hosts shows by inside the rock of Castle Hill, where precious artmany years, you must return to see the changes. the Vienna Children’s Theater, children’s operas, work was carefully safeguarded from the World Germany and Austria are both works in progress, classical concerts, and pop music. The Boys’ War II air raids that devastated the city. The only each country has great and innovative museums Choir performs here on Friday afternoons in way to visit the now-nearly-empty bunker is on and galleries to share its culture with its many September and October. a once-daily tour. visitors. With many new sights now open or under construction, it’s a wunderbar time to visit, whether • Koblenz, site of the Deutsches Eck – the patriotic • Between Vienna and Salzburg, the Mauthausen Concentration Camp Memorial no longer charges for a spring fling to Berlin, a summer cruise on the spot where the Rhine and Mosel rivers converge for admission. The museum (in a barracks within Rhine, or an alpine adventure in the Austrian Alps.

– is home to the new Forum Confluentes, a modthe camp) was recently renovated, presenting a ern cultural center/art museum that also houses Here’s the latest on what you can expect during chronological history in English, including stories a library and restaurants. a 2015 visit: of camp inmates and Nazi officers, along with • In Trier, a new hop-on, hop-off bus tour covbone-chilling artifacts.

GERMANY ers the amphitheater, basilica, and Karl Marx’s • Salzburg has packaged some of its central Old house, before venturing to Petrisberg for great • While trains are usually the easiest way for Town sights into a single “DomQuartier” ticket, views over Trier and the Mosel Valley.

Americans to get around Germany, ultra-cheap covering sights at the Residenz, Cathedral, St. buses are a new option worth considering. The Peter’s Abbey Museum, and Franziskanerkirche.

AustRiA main bus lines are MeinFernBus (with the most • In Reutte, a new 1,200-foot-long pedestrian extensive network), FlixBus, and Berlin Linien • Vienna has just finished building an impressuspension bridge now links Ehrenberg Castle Bus. With fares that can allow you to cross Gersive new main train station in the location with the difficult-to-reach Fort Claudia across many for just €15 ($16.76 U.S. Dollars) and with of the former Südbahnhof. Most trains the valley. The bridge soars more than 300-feet depots or stops near major train stations, these depart from the new station, though some above the valley floor. buses can be a great value. trains still leave from the city’s other stations. To save money on the popular route Rick Steve writes European travel guidebooks • Munich’s new Egyptian Museum is well worth a between Vienna and Salzburg, consider the and hosts travel shows on public television and visit. Nearby, the new Nazi Documentation Cenprivate Westbahn rail service, which charges radio. You can e-mail him at rick@ricksteves. ter, filling the site of the former Nazi Party headhalf the price of the national-network trains. com and visit his website at www.ricksteves.com. quarters, will cover the rise and fall of Nazism,

O

Rick St eveS’ t Ravel

it’s a wunderbar time to visit Germany and Austria

April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 41

Uni t ed Stat eS of diScovery

Experience The True Alaska With True Alaskans

Make the dream of discovering the real Alaska a reality Compiled by Max Andrews | Photos courtesy Alaskan Dream Cruises

T

here’s only one way to truly discover and experience the true Alaska: amongst true Alaskans.

Alaskan Dream Cruises makes the discovery of the waterways, land, people, culture and food of The Last Frontier a dream-come-true by offering intimate, yacht-style cruising that explores the nation’s 49th state’s Inside Passage.

With over 40 years of Alaskan exploration experience, the professional crew of Alaskan Dream Cruises is uniquely positioned to take guests as close as possible to the state’s thundering tidewater glaciers and stunning wildlife. They are passionate about Alaska’s breathtaking wilderness and the honored privilege they have of being able to share it with those whose desire is to see the real Alaska.

Along with the intimate look at nature the cruise line offers, they know that no visit to Alaska would be complete without experiencing the marquee attractions of the region, as seen through the eyes of expert naturalists, and scientific and cultural expedition leaders. You’ll cruise Frederick Sound and Glacier Bay National Park, plus such out-of-the-way places as Kasaan, Petersburg, Kake, Wrangell, Tracy Arm and Windham Bay.

friendly Alaskan service, comfortable accommodations, and making sure that guests enjoy every drop of wonderment Southeast Alaska has to offer.

Cruises leave from Sitka, the line’s hometown and one of the friendliest, most beautiful and culturally fascinating communities in Alaska. Sitka, on the outer coast of Baranof Island, enjoys a stunning setting nestled under glacier-clad mountains at the western edge of Baranof Island at the threshold of the North Pacific Ocean. The hundreds of small islands that ring the natural harbor coupled with the rich abundance of the productive ocean waters, create an ideal place to live. The indigenous people, the “Tlingit,” have lived in harmony with the land here for thousands of years. It is a distinctively Alaskan town of about 8,500 hardy and friendly folks who are profoundly influenced by the area’s long and rich history.

Sitka is not just the cruise line’s ancestral home, it is its passion and legacy. They proudly share their insider’s knowledge on eight-, nine-, 11- and 13-day cruises spotlighting scenic beauty, amazing wildlife and intriguing native culture. With at least one shore excursion included every day, the value is unsurpassed.

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MAKING YOUR ALASKAN DREAMS COME TRUE

Alaskan Dream Cruises is not your typical cruise line. They are true Alaskan through-and-through, from their casual jeans-and-sweaters atmosphere to the warm frontier hospitality of their TlingitAlaska Native birthright. Their crew is completely focused on safety, chef-inspired cuisine and spirits,

1 LIFEAFTER50.COM NOvEMbER 2014 42 42 LIFEAFTER50.COM LIFEAFTER50.COM April April2015 2015

Alaskan Dream Cruises was conceived with the notion that guests come to Alaska in search of a deep personal connection with the true Alaska. A place of genuine character. A place where adventure is a way of life. A place where the wander-

ing soul’s most-cherished memories are born. To that end, they have gathered true Alaskan experts to travel with guests on-board and ashore. They boast years of experience as naturalists, educators, and authors, and are well-versed in everything from environmental science to marine biology.

Whether they’re recapping the day’s highlights at the nightly social hour or taking guets on a muskeg or rainforest hike, guests find that their enthusiasm for Alaska to make every day of their vacation a rewarding experience.

Their ships’ intimate atmosphere also fosters strong bonds of friendship where guests enjoy yacht-style cruising surrounded by their knowledgeable and friendly staff and accompanied by interesting people who share their passion for adventure and learning. Every day offers a relaxed, casual ambiance that allows Alaska’s awe-inspiring beauty to truly shine.

THE DREAM AWAITS

If you’ve been considering a visit to Alaska, Alaskan Dream Cruises welcomes you with local insider’s knowledge of where to go and what to do. They deliver the true Alaska you’ve always dreamed of – the wonderment of wildlife, glaciers, mountains and wilderness, all seen through true Alaskan eyes.

For more information and to book your Alaskan Dream Cruise, contact your travel professional, call (855) 747-8100 or click on www.alaskandreamcruises.com.

April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 43

T Ravel MaRkeT p lace | Guide

TRavel Marketplace G U I D e

Alaska

AlAskAn DreAm Cruises is a locally owned small-ship cruise line in Southeast Alaska. We draw on our insider knowledge to handcraft itineraries based on the region’s preeminent wildlife areas, remote destinations, and unique cultural experiences.

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907.586.2280 www.dhalaska.com GrAY line of AlAskA offers a wide variety of Alaska tours from local experts. Our customized Alaska vacations will bring you unforgettable memories with the diversity of Alaska travel options. Breathtaking scenery, wildlife, glaciers and mountains are just a few of the perks you may experience when traveling with Gray Line of Alaska. Choose from post or pre cruise options as well as guided and independent Alaska travel packages.

For over 65 years Gray Line of Alaska has proudly produced the best in Alaska tours.

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California

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Utah

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And Finally...

The Bookworm’s Best A Life After 50 book review

by Terri “The Bookworm” Schlichenmeyer

1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music

By Andrew Grant Jackson

Y

ou turned up the volume – again!

Surely, the guy in the car next to yours must think you’re weird. There you are, groovin’ to your tunes, seatdancing, singing along like you were in concert. Really, is there such a thing as having the music too loud?

No, there’s not. So turn up the volume one more time and grab a copy of “1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music” by Andrew Grant Jackson.

As 1965 began, more than 40 percent of Americans were under the age of 20. Teens emulated their parents then: boys wore short hair, girls wore long skirts. Segregation was common, color television was new, 80 percent of America was white, and the country’s youth had gotten a taste of The Beatles and loved them. Bob Dylan did, too, though John Lennon had once dismissed his music. The Rolling Stones were singing “puppy love” songs, while Barry Gordy hoped his Supremes might follow in Dean Martin’s footsteps since the “big money” was in nightclubs. Marvin Gaye, meanwhile, wanted to be “singing Cole Porter,” Malcolm X (who would soon be assassinated) met Martin Luther King, and thousands marched to Montgomery.

As winter turned to spring, Roger Miller captured six Grammys; Charlie Pride struggled with recording deals in a segregated music industry; and Johnny Cash accidentally, drunkenly, set fire to 500 acres of California forest. The Byrds’ music gave birth to the West Coast hippie dance style while girls wore shorter skirts and boys wore longer hair.

By the summer of 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson launched Medicaid and Medicare, and escalated America’s presence in Vietnam. Sonny and Cher had each other, babe; everybody was dancing at discotheques; Barry Gordy hired a charm-school teacher to prepare The Supremes for stardom…and Watts burned.

With 1965 winding down, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass whipped up interest. Frank Sinatra insisted that Sammy Davis, Jr. be allowed to stay at Rat Pack hotels, and Paul McCartney brought in a string quartet to record “Yesterday.” Cass Elliot became a Mama, John Lennon insulted Carole King, and drug songs were hip, and so, at year’s end, was the premiere of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

In preparing to write this review, I looked it up: time travel remains merely theoretical. Still, you can have the next best thing by reading “1965.” This book will have you humming along with songs you remember (or recognize, if you weren’t around then). Jackson melds history, music, and little-known anecdotes together till they’re as smooth as butter. But what’s most fascinating about this book is seeing how times “a-changed” so completely in just one year. From January to December of 1965 we went from flattops to Beatle mops, from segregation to Black is Beautiful, from “I Feel Fine” to “I Feel Good.”

This book is fun, fascinating and filled with facts about that amazing year that is now 50 years past. So sit back, turn up the volume, and take a trip back in time. You won’t be sorry.

“1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music” by Andrew Grant Jackson, 2015, Thomas Dunne Books, $27.99, 352 pages.

The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer who lives on a hill with two dogs and more than 12,000 books. You can contact Terri at bookwormsez@yahoo.com and read more of her book reviews at www.lifeafter50.com. Just click on “Entertainment” and then “Book Reviews.”

A Look Back

F

ifty years ago this month, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art opened its new complex along the Miracle Mile on Wilshire Boulevard becoming the largest art museum in the west. The museum had begun in 1913 as part of the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art (now the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County) in Exposition Park. As the collection outgrew its first home, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art was established with trustee Howard F. Ahmanson, Sr. contributing the initial $2 million to help finance the new location. Upon its opening, the museum consisted of three buildings built in a style similar to Lincoln Center and the Los Angeles Music Center: The Ahmanson Building, housing its permanent collections, the Lytton Gallery (now the Hammer Building), housing special exhibitions, and the 600seat Bing Theater. In 1986, the Anderson Building (now the Art of the Americas Building) opened to house modern and contemporary art collections. In 1988, the Pavilion for Japanese Art opened, and in 1994, the museum purchased the former May Company department store at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, designating it as LACMA West, which is now slated to be The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Today, as the repository of over 120,000 works of art, the museum attracts nearly a million visitors annually.

46 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

Just A Thought Before We Go

“That’s the true harbinger of spring, not crocuses or swallows returning to Capistrano, but the sound of a bat on a ball.” ~ Bill Veeck

February 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 47

48 LIFEAFTER50.COM APRIL 2015

Orange COunty April 2015

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Contents

April 2015

12

30

36

45

Cover Profile

Departments

12 KIM CATTRALL

6 50-Plus: What You Need To Know

Features

9 Tuned In To What’s On

In the wake of “Sex and the City,” she’s emboldened and up for anything.

18 Estate Planning In Your 50s And Beyond

A decade-by-decade check to always stay one step ahead.

22 Keeping Your Future Healthcare Costs Under Control

Four steps that can make a big difference in managing tomorrow’s costs.

26 Aging Americans And Alcoholism

Help is available for dealing with alcoholism and alcohol-related issues.

30 The Look Of Life After 50 – Frank Sinatra, Jr.

Ol’ Blue Eyes’ son shares his thoughts and memories of the man behind the legend.

36 The Hallowed Hall Of Must-Knowtables * Billie Holiday Legendary notables that everyone, of every age, should know.

Cover photo by Richard Wyllie

A quick look at things 50-plusers should be aware of.

The best in April television viewing.

10 It’s The Law

Mitchell A. Karasov on protecting Medi-Cal benefits after an inheritance.

42 Let’s Get Out

Looking to get out and about? Our April/May calendar has some great suggestions.

45 Rick Steves’ Travels

It’s a wunderbar time to visit Germany and Austria.

47 United States Of Discovery

Experience the true Alaska with true Alaskans.

50 And Finally…The Bookworm’s Best, A Look Back and Just A Thought Before We Go

A book suggestion, memory, and a little something to leave you with.

All material published within this issue of Life After 50 and on www.lifeafte50.com is strictly for informational and educational purposes only. No individual, advice, product or service is in any way endorsed by Life After 50 or Southland Publishing, Inc. or provided as a substitute for the reader’s seeking of individualized professional advice or instruction. Readers should seek the advice of qualified professional on any matter regarding an individual, advice, recommendations, services or products covered within this issue. All information and material is provided to readers with the understanding that it comes from various sources from which there is no warranty or responsibility by Life After 50 or Southland Publishing, Inc. as to its or their legality, completeness or technical accuracy.

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Editor’s Note...

Yes, There Was Just Something About The Man

W

e’ve all had them, those wonderful moments of our lives that are indelibly seared into our brains and, as time passes, transcend into always-welcome memories we love to revisit. For me, one of those moments came in October of 1978, when only the air in a room stood between me and a legendary entertainer.

To be more specific, it was a crisp autumn air, the kind that has the magical quality of bringing New York City alive like no other time of year.

The room – one of the most iconic entertainment venues on the planet – Radio City Music Hall. And the entertainer – The Voice, Ol’ Blue Eyes, The Chairman of the Board – Francis Albert Sinatra!

Neither I nor my friend who joined me were the evening’s targeted demo.

Most 21-year-olds of the time would have been found a few blocks away at Madison Square Garden, rocking out to Springsteen, Boston, Elton John or Billy Joel rather than being caught at Rockefeller Center listening to a then-60-yearold guy their bobby-soxed grandmothers swooned to at the Paramount Theater in Times Square 36 years earlier. But for me, seeing Sinatra was part of a goal I had adopted to see, live-and-in-person, as many of the musical legends of the 20th century as possible, which included Elvis, the by-then-separated Beatles and Tony Bennett (who knew he would still be performing 37 years later).

On that October eve, from our seats in the second mezzanine (the best we could afford), following the opening acts of The 5th Dimension and comedian Jackie Gayle, THE MAN sauntered onstage. Tuxedoed, with a seemingly everpresent cigarette in hand, the notes I made in my program (which I still have) remind me he did 20 songs starting with “New York, New York” and ending with an encore of “My Way” and “America the Beautiful.” In between, his set list included a nod to Cole Porter with “Night and Day,” a medley of songs from his films, “The Tender Trap,” “On the Town” and “Guys and Dolls,” his classic hits, “The Lady Is a Tramp,” “Autumn in New York” and “My Funny Valentine,” and even an Elton John song entitled “Remember.”

Today, 37 years on, as the world Sinatra held on a string commemorates the 100th anniversary of his birth, I had the privilege of talking to his son, Frank Sinatra, Jr. for this issue of Life After 50.

I was fascinated to hear Sinatra, Jr. share interesting tidbits about, as he put it: “The man rather than the legend” – things I had never known. What, of his father’s accomplishments is he most proud of? What was the best advice he ever received from him? What is his most-treasured possession that once belonged to his dad?

Near the end of our conversation, when I shared my story of how much it meant to me that I had gotten the chance to see his dad in concert, he told me to never take that memory for granted. He then paused and took a deep breath.

“There was just something about the man,” he said.

That, unlike the other revelations he made about the man during our conversation, I knew all too well.

David Laurell, Editor-in-Chief

4 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

Publisher Valarie Anderson Editor-in-Chief David Laurell Associate Editors Steve Stoliar Claire Yezbak Fadden Art Director Michael Kraxenberger Editorial Assistants Max Andrews Marie Giusto Blauvelt Account Executives Los Angeles/South Bay: Tonya McKenzie Tonya@lifeafter50.com San Diego County National and Orange County Accounts: Phil Mendelson Phil@lifeafter50.com

Ad Coordinator, Travel Landra DeLoach Landra@lifeafter50.com VP Of Finance Michael T. Nagami Human Resources Andrea E. Baker Business Manager Linda Lam Billing Supervisor Kacie Cobian VP Of Operations David Comden

For advertising/distribution inquiries contact: Valarie Anderson (310) 822-1629 x 121, Valarie@lifeafter50.com To contact our editorial department: (818) 563-1007 davidl@lifeafter50.com 5355 Mcconnell Ave LA CA 90066 Valarie Anderson Valarie@lifeafter50.com 310 822-1629 x 121 Follow us on facebook ©2015 Southland Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved

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1 Restrictions and conditions apply; see your local representative for details. Cannot be combined with prior purchases, other offers, or coupons. No adjustments to previous orders. Offer not available in all areas, 50% discount applied by retailer representative at time of contract execution and applies to minimum purchase of 6 or more windows and 4 or more patio doors. Discount applied to lowest priced window products in purchase. Offer does not include bay/bow windows. Offer only available as part of our Instant Product Rewards Plan. As part of the Instant Product Rewards Plan, all homeowners must be present and must purchase during the initial visit to qualify. 0% APR for 12 months available to well qualified buyers on approved credit only. Not all customers may qualify.

Higher rates apply for customer with lower credit ratings. Financing not valid with other offers or prior purchases. No Finance Charges will be assessed if promo balance is paid in full in 12 months. Renewal by Andersen retailers are independently owned and operated retailers, and are neither brokers nor lenders. Any finance terms advertised are estimates only and all financing is provided by third-party lenders unaffiliated with Renewal by Andersen retailers, under terms and conditions arranged directly between the customer and such lender, all subject to credit requirements. Renewal by Andersen retailers do not assist with, counsel or negotiate financing, other than providing customers an introduction to lenders interested in financing. LA License # 992285. OC License # 990416. “Renewal by Andersen” and all other marks where denoted are marks of Andersen Corporation. ©2015 Andersen Corporation. All rights reserved. ©2015 Lead Surge LLC. All rights reserved. *See limited warranty for details. †Summer values are based on comparison of Renewal by Andersen Insert double-hung window SHGC to the SHGC for clear dual pane glass non-metal frame default values from the 2006, 2009 and 2012 International Energy Conservation Code “Glazed Fenestration” Default Tables.

50

The Candy Chronicles

A

Plus

What You Need To Know

By Claire Yezbak Fadden

ctress Candice Bergen begins her just-released memoir, “A Fine Romance” (Simon and Schuster, 2015), reminiscing about her first husband, Louis Malle, and how his zest for life greatly broadened her horizons. She then goes on to reveal the overpowering love she developed for her daughter, Chloe, after years of ambivalence about motherhood. With insightful recollections about her life, loves and iconic role on “Murphy Brown,” Bergen proves to be a natural writer who is hilarious, brutally honest, down-to-earth and wise.

Keeping Legendary Company

Spring Into Cutting Clutter

n their new tome, “In The Company Of Legends,” (Beaufort Books, 2015), authors Joan Kramer and David Heeley offer up an insider’s view of the careers and behind-the scenes lives and stories of many Hollywood legends including Frank Sinatra, Johnny Carson, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis, Jimmy Stewart and Katharine Hepburn. A treasure trove of untold stories, culled from more than 30 years of candid conversations and unguarded moments with America’s brightest stars and most powerful politicians, “In the Company of Legends” serves up one juicy revelation after another. Sometimes amusing, sometimes moving, and completely compelling from cover-to-cover, this delicious account of Kramer and Heeley’s adventures, misadventures, headaches, and thrills with the illustriously famous subjects with whom they have crossed paths and interviewed over the years is a pure joy to read. Filled with the quirks and maddening eccentricities of some of the world’s most gifted giants, talk show host Dick Cavett has called “In The Company Of Legends: “So delightfully entertaining and often startling that it is hard to put down. I ate with one hand while reading it.”

lutter has a way of sneaking up on everyone. It may be all those old clothes and shoes you haven’t worn in over 10 years, rooms filled with things you think you “will need someday,” the lack of space, or the fact that you have absolutely no time. Whether you live in a one-room apartment or a sprawling mansion, everyone can benefit from more organization.

“If you think like an organized person, soon you will be one,” says Lorie Marrero, certified professional organizer and author of the “Clutter Diet” (Reason Press, 2009).

Among the spring cleaning tips Marrero offers for thinking and living in a more organized fashion are to:

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Fifty Candles

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ifty years ago this month, “My Fair Lady” won the Oscar for Best Picture; Mickey Mantle hit the first indoor home run at the inaugural game played in the Astrodome; 40 tornadoes struck the U.S. Midwest killing 272 and injuring 5,000; Jack Nicklaus won the 29th Golf Masters Championship; the NFL changed their penalty flag from white to bright gold; the People’s Republic of China offered North Vietnam military aid; and an earthquake hit western Washington state, killing seven people.

Notable personalities born in April 1965 who are celebrating their 50th birthday this month include actors Robert Downey, Jr. and Jon Cryer, former San Diego Chargers quarterback Stan Humphries, comedians Martin Lawrence and Kevin James, NBA player Reggie Miller, actress Jane Adams, model Paulina Porizkova and television executive Jeff Zucker.

6 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

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Take Baby Steps

Focus on one small area or room – or even just that one junk drawer. Don’t get overwhelmed by the big picture, as that is when frustration mounts, causing you to walk away in disgust. Be sure to finish the project you’ve begun.

You’ll feel a sense of accomplishment and be encouraged to tackle subsequent rooms and projects.

Keep Motivated

Stuck midway through an organizational project and need some inspiration to finish? Thinking of your project as a mini-makeover can make the work more exciting and less of a chore. Try taking pictures along the way; documenting your progress can really be rewarding.

Stay Organized

If your home is already organized, you know that keeping clutter at bay is a full-time job. Be sure to keep a watchful eye on areas that naturally accumulate clutter, such as entryways, counters and family areas. Get everyone involved in the organization process by teaching them where items belong and how to store them. By labeling storage bins, baskets or drawers, you’ll always be able to keep your home organized and clean.

By simply thinking about storage differently and coming up with a smart organizational system that works for you, you’ll be on the way to creating a well-balanced, happier home. “It all starts with your state of mind,” reminds Marrero. For more spring cleaning and organization tips, click on www.storganizationblog.com.

A Little More You Need To Know

TM and © 2011 Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. All Rights Reserved.

Where You Need To Go Celebrate Balboa Park’s 100th

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o celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, dozens of museums, performing arts organizations, garden clubs and other cultural attractions in downtown San Diego’s Balboa Park will make 2015 a year to remember. Hundreds of events are planned over the course of the year, some running throughout the year, others lasting only a few days or weeks.

As part of the centennial celebration, the San Diego History Center is hosting “Ingenious! The World of Dr. Seuss” a colorful and fantastical exhibition that will immerse visitors in the world of Dr. Seuss. This popular traveling exhibition emphasizes San Diego as Theodor Seuss Geisel’s home and honors him as the world’s most-celebrated children’s author and innovator. This lively and whimsical exhibition features rare early works, ephemera, illustrations and editorial cartoons, as well as two newly released Geisel drawings. The Seussland gallery features giant bronze Seuss character sculptures and interactive activities that emphasize the important themes and innovative nature of Seuss books.

The exhibit runs through December 31. For additional information, events and updates for the Balboa Park 2015 Centennial Celebration, click on www.celebratebalboapark.org.

New Words

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ou might not find them in a dictionary yet, but they’re a part of the everyday American vocabulary.

Here’s what they mean.

Collywobbles: Queasiness, like butterflies in your stomach, a tummy ache or intestinal cramps.

Ideo locator: A map symbol, usually an arrow or a circle, stating: “You Are Here.”

Octothorpe: The tic-tac-toe or pound (#) key on a telephone.

The Most Important Thing To Know This Month Your Tax Return And The Healthcare Law

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hen it comes to the healthcare law, almost everyone will need to do something new when filing their tax return this year. You and everyone on your return will need to do one of the following:

Report Healthcare Coverage If you and everyone on your tax return had healthcare coverage for all of 2014, simply check the “full year coverage” box when completing your return.

Claim A Coverage Exemption If you did not have healthcare coverage for all or part of 2014, you may qualify for a coverage exemption. The IRS software Free File will help you complete Form 8965 and file it with your tax return.

Make A Shared Responsibility Payment If you or your dependents had neither healthcare coverage nor an exemption, you may need to make a payment with your tax return.

Free File will help you calculate your payment and report it on your tax return.

Know About The Premium Tax Credit If you or anyone on your return purchased insurance coverage from the marketplace, you may be eligible for the premium tax credit. If you chose to have advance payments of the premium tax credit sent to your insurer in 2014, you must reconcile or compare the advance credit payments with the actual premium tax credit you are allowed to claim on your return.

You don’t need to be an expert on taxes or the new healthcare law to get it right. The Internal Revenue Service, in partnership with industry-leading companies, offers Free File software at no cost that will do the work for you. Free File is available by clicking on www.IRS.gov/freefile.

April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 7

The sun shInes JusT a lITTle brIghTer here.

For a Limited Time: $10,000 in Total Incentives!* ($5,000 Design Studio + $5,000 Closing Costs)

understandably so. relax and rejuvenate in bright, cozy spaces–light-filled, optional sun or hearth rooms, covered patios, dual owner suites with spa-like baths, and more. Discover the new living Well Collection — ten, single-story plans that speak to the very latest trends in new home design.

Thrive, with amenities and programs designed for creative social, physical and intellectual fulfillment. enjoy both a Championship golf Course, and a Par 3 Course.

These aren’t just new homes to live in, they’re a whole new way to think about living. live inspired. Visit DelWebb.com.

10 New Single-Story Plans in 2-3 Bedrooms, 2-3 Baths, 1,321 to 2,955 Sq. Ft. 81328 Corte Compras, Indio, CA 92203 (760) 772-5400 Homes from the low $200,000s

55+ Resort-Style Living

*Offer is valid on select homesites where purchase agreements are accepted by Del Webb by 4/30/2015 at Sun City Shadow Hills only and are subject to change or withdrawal at any time without notice. Incentive is up to $10,000 in total incentives $5,000 towards options and $5,000 towards closing costs. Closing cost offer available through participation in the Preferred Buyer Rewards Program which includes financing through Pulte Mortgage LLC. Buyers participating in the Preferred Buyer Rewards Program receive a credit at closing of up to $5,000 for credit toward payment of approved closing costs. The buyer is responsible for paying closing costs that exceed the incentive amount. Any unused incentive amount is the property of Del Webb, and may not be applied to purchase price. Offer may not be redeemed for cash or equivalent. All loans are subject to underwriting and loan qualifications of the lender. Rates, terms, and conditions are subject to change without notice. Pulte Mortgage LLC is an Equal Opportunity Lender Licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act. NMLS Entity Identifier 1791. www.pultemortgage.com (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). Residency requirements at this community require that at least one resident of household must be 55 years of age or older and additional restrictions apply. Some residents may be younger than 55. Homeowner association fees required. Prices shown are estimated base prices, do not include lot premiums or option and are subject to change without notice. Community association fees are required at this community. Additional information regarding these fees can be found in the DRE public report or a separate fact sheet on facilities available at the sales office. Images are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be an actual representation of a specific community, neighborhood or any completed improvements being offered. This material shall not constitute a valid offer in any state where prior registration is required other than California or if void by law. Offers and availability subject to change or withdrawal without notice.

Homes subject to prior sale. See a Del Webb sales associate for details. © 2015 Pulte Home Corporation. All rights reserved. Pulte Home Corporation is a licensed California real estate broker (lic.#00876003) 3/26/2015.

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Odyssey – New Series, NBC – Premieres Sunday April 5 at 10 p.m.

This new series promises to be a complex journey through global politics, corporate espionage and military secrets involving three strangers who have only one thing in common – the truth. In this “Traffic”-like actiondrama, an international conspiracy explodes when the lives of a female special-forces soldier, a disillusioned corporate lawyer, and a political activist from a privileged family unexpectedly collide. “Odyssey” stars Anna Friel, Peter Facinelli, Treat Williams, and Jake Robinson.

The Comedians – New Series, FX – Premieres Thursday April 9 at 10 p.m.

If you’re nostalgic for the likes of Larry Sanders, then this new half-hour comedy just might fit the bill. Billy Crystal plays a comedy legend who is reluctantly paired with Josh Gad, an edgier up-and-coming star, in an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look at a fictional late-night sketch-comedy show where egos and generations collide. Larry Charles, Matt Nix and Ben Wexler serve as writers and executive producers, along with Crystal.

The Best In AprIl Television Viewing

Happyish – New Series, Showtime – Premieres Sunday April 26 at 9:30 This half-hour comedy starring the hilarious Steve Coogen is a scathing examination of our pursuit of happiness – a pursuit that might just be the very thing causing our unhappiness in the first place. Coogan plays Thom Payne, a 44-year-old man whose world is thrown into disarray when his 25-year-old “wunderkind” boss arrives, saying things like “digital,” “social” and “viral.” Is he in need of a “rebranding,” as his mentor insists, or does he just have a “low joy ceiling,” as his corporate headhunter suggests? This series also stars Kathryn Hahn and Bradley Whitford with guest stars that will include Ellen Barkin and Carrie Preston.

By Sandi Berg

Tuned In To What’s On

April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 9

It’s The Law Mitchell A. Karasov

Mitchell A. Karasov, Esq. has offices in Los Angeles, Ventura County and the Coachella Valley. He specializes in elder law with emphasis in estate planning, Medi-Cal eligibility, trust administration, probate, conservatorships of person or estate, estate and trust litigation and financial abuse litigation. For more information click on www.karasovelderlaw.com or call (818) 508-7192.

Preserving benefits after selling the ranch

Q

My elderly mother resides in a low-income senior housing facility and lives on a combination of Medicare and Medi-Cal. Recently we were informed that she had inherited an interest in an Arizona ranch that had been her brother’s. We would like to sell or dispose of her interest in this property but are afraid she may lose some or all of her Medi-Cal benefits. How do we dispose of this property without incurring gifting penalties or creating income in my mother’s name that might disqualify her from some of her benefits and disrupt her life?

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In a situation like this, it is always best to consult an elder law attorney before you dispose of property and the MediCal recipient actually receives any inheritances and risks having their benefits disrupted. As a single individual, your mother is only entitled to maintain her Medi-Cal benefits if she has less than $2,000 in countable assets. Technically, the inheritance of any interest in the ranch is considered a countable asset, however, it may be exempted by carefully following specific Medi-Cal guidelines. You should seek immediate legal advice on how to address this issue with the Medi-Cal caseworker. They will explain that your mother may have options to preserve her Medi-Cal benefits if the ranch is sold; but that will greatly depend on how much she will receive from the sale and what her needs are. In the event the property is sold and the proceeds push her countable assets over $2,000, then she would be ineligible for Medi-Cal benefits. The ineligibility would commence during any month her countable assets exceed $2,000. Depending on how much your mother receives from the sale, your mother may just want to purchase some necessities of life that she’s had to do without because of her limited income. Perhaps she needs new clothing, more suitable furniture such as an adjustable bed, energy-saving appliances, dry goods, or an automobile.

She could also prepay other expenses. If she still needs her funeral and burial paid for, that would be a good option. She would need to pay for all of the transactions in the month she receives the money and her account must be under $2,000 before the end of the month, so thoughtful planning and prompt implementation is a must. If she receives a larger sum of money and would have anything left over after her shopping for these necessities, then you may need to pursue other strategies that would require more advanced planning. For instance, would she receive enough to purchase a house or condo to move into, or could you purchase a residence with her if she has a large enough sum? By pooling your money, it may work. Certain types of annuities could also be an option, but they might also increase her income too much. Gifting may be an option, but there again, a lot would depend on how much she will receive and the nature of the gift. If you have performed services for your mother, and would be entitled to compensation, that may be an alternative to outright gifting. Finally, don’t forget that, along with the benefits, you should also look into how the inheritance may impact her low-income senior housing.

A Special Wellness Report New Medicine Based On An 88-Year Old Theory By Albert Einstein Can Help Almost Everyone Who Is Sick Or Injured!

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hat you are about to read may be the most important information you’ve ever read. Here is why.

Albert Einstein was, quite possibly, the most intelligent person who ever lived. His theories and ideas were so far ahead of his time, that even now, the smartest scientists alive are still discovering his value.

One of his theories published in 1917, worked out the theory of how lasers function. However, it was not until May 16, 1960 (43 years later) that the first actual laser was developed by an American scientist. Since then, scientists and inventors have developed many types of lasers and all kinds of uses for them. They can be used as a scalpel that is so delicate, it can be used on the eyes of human beings. Lasers are used to read price codes at your local supermarkets. And they’re used to play music and video on your CD’s and DVD’s.

But now, there is a new type of laser so effective against human disease and injury that it is rapidly changing the practice of medicine. This is a new type of low-level laser which produces an unfocused light that has been...

Registered With The FDA To Be 100% Safe!

Low-level lasers use less than one watt of power and they produce what can best be described as a “Healing Light”.

Here is a somewhat un-scientific description of how this “Healing Light” can potentially help reverse the damage done by human sickness and disease.

As you probably know, our entire bodies are made up of cells. The health of all human cells is based on energy. If your cells don’t receive enough energy, they will weaken and the body will become sick. Call 1-800-303-6923, Code 6529.

Be One Of The First 200 To Call & Receive A Free Seminar Ticket!

For you to be healthy, what your cells need is exactly the right kind and the right amount of energy. Every time you get injured or become sick, the energy flow to your cells is disrupted. Until the proper type and amount of energy is restored, you will remain sick or injured.

That’s what a low-level laser device does. It re-energizes the cells in your body with the right kind and proper amount of healing energy. It may surprise you to learn that low level lasers are ...

Used By Doctors To Heal Their Patients In The Fastest Way Possible!

Could you guess what kind of doctors use the highest percent of low-level lasers on their patients?

It’s doctors involved in sports medicine. Why? The answer is simple. You see, doctors involved in sports medicine often have to get their patients better in the fastest way humanly possible because every day he remains “unhealthy” can cost the sports organization millions of dollars.

But here’s something exciting! You don’t actually need to go to a doctor to get laser therapy. If you want to you can buy one of these devices and use it on yourself. The

This is information which just might help relieve you of any disease and might possibly save your life and the life of your loved ones. And best of all, you can

Get This Information Absolutely FREE! Laser experts have written and compiled a FREE REPORT in which they explain to you exactly how and why low-level laser therapy works. We will show you some unbelievable “before” and “after” pictures of people who have benefitted by this amazing new therapy.

Professional Results In a Small, Easy to Use Package! Call 1-800-303-6923, Code 6529 For Your FREE Information Report. best ones come with simple, easy-to-follow instructions and can be used by almost any person with average intelligence.

Perhaps the best low-level lasers in the world have been invented by doctors who have studied lasers and human health for years and have discovered how they can be used...

To Help Almost Every Health Problem Ever Experienced By A Human Being!

Laser experts believe low-level laser therapy will become the medicine of the future. If you hold a low-level laser device against the skin of your body and turn it on, you will be able to see the laser light... but... you will not be able to feel it. There probably won’t even be a sensation of warmth. Laser light is as gentle as the kiss of a butterfly.

But, from a healing point of view, it is quite possible it is more effective than drugs or surgery.

Low-level laser therapy is not just the medicine of the future. For many people who know about it, it is the “medicine” they use now. The problem of trying to explain the healing powers of low-level laser therapy is...

It Works So Well On So Many Different Problems, It Seems Like It Couldn’t Possibly Be True!

But it is true! As mentioned earlier, all injury and illness creates an interruption of energy to the cells of the human body. The body will never recover until the proper amount and type of energy is restored to these cells. But once that energy is restored...

For some people, a free report and information like this can mark the beginning of an entirely new life... pain-free and full of energy. For others, it can make the difference of living a healthy life compared to a low-energy life of sickness and disease.

And, for those who live with enormous pain every day ... this free report could truly guide them to a miracle! But even if you are not sick, not injured, or not in pain, you should still order this report.

After all, it is 100% free. And almost nobody lives out their life without having at least some kind of sickness or injury.

Wouldn’t it be nice to know that, if you do become sick or injured, you will at least know where to go to find some sort of answer to your problems that don’t involve dangerous drugs!

Call 1-800-303-6923

...after you are connected, at the prompt, press the code number - 6529 - into your keypad then leave your name and mailing information. That number again is 1-800-303-6923, Code 6529. Your free report ... and free seminar ticket (if you’re one of the first 200 callers) will be sent to you via 1st Class Mail.

After all, this is one FREE report that will teach you about something that can possibly make more of a positive change in your life than anything else you will ever learn.

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The Body Can Recover From Almost Anything!

With the correct equipment, properly used, low level lasers have been clinically shown to reduce pain, reduce inflammation, increase cellular energy, increase cell permeability (so that the nutrients the cell needs to heal can get into the cell) and even help correct faulty DNA!* What you have just read is a very simplistic (almost childish) explanation of low-level laser therapy, of how it works, and what it can do for you. But this is something that needs to be explained to you much more accurately by a real expert.

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April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 11

Cover Profile

In the wake of her iconic role as Samantha Jones on “Sex and the City,” her love of Shakespeare, work on new projects, and embrace of good advice and serious issues has emboldened her to be up for anything

KIm CATTRA

Story by Sandi Berg Photos by Richard Wyllie

12 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

F

or most Americans, the mention of Kim Cattrall’s name immediately conjures up thoughts of the brazen, bold, self-confident and sultry Samantha Jones, whom she portrayed for over six years on HBO’s “Sex and the City.” Surprisingly, however, there is only one thing Cattrall and Jones have in common.

“Physically, I guess we look alike,” laughs Cattrall.

“And it pretty much ends at that.”

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British-born and raised in Canada, Cattrall began her acting career after graduating from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, when legendary director Otto Preminger put her under an exclusive seven-year contract. Within a few months, Cattrall was cast in Preminger’s 1975 film “Rosebud,” which starred Peter O’Toole, Richard Attenborough and Peter Lawford. Not bad company for the screen debut of a young stage-trained actress who refers to her work on that film as “baptism by fire.”

While Preminger was an A-List director with credits that included “Exodus,” “Laura” and “The Man with The Golden Arm,” Cattrall says she did not find him to be a very encouraging or nurturing director and, soon after doing “Rosebud,” she left Preminger’s stable and her contract was bought out

by Universal Studios. As one of the last of the Hollywood contract players, Cattrall saw the studio system take its final breaths, which afforded her the opportunity to become a freelancer and seek a wider range of roles.

During the early years of her career, Cattrall was compared to a young Gene Tierney, and, ironically, in 1980 was cast alongside Tierney in the miniseries, “Scruples,” based on the bestseller by Judith Krantz.

Cattrall says that along with Tierney, she considers herself fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with some of Hollywood’s great screen legends, including Jean-Paul Belmondo, Patricia Neal and Eleanor Parker. She says she is especially grateful that she got to work with Jack Lemmon in the 1980 film “Tribute.”

She recalls Lemmon giving her advice during the production of “Tribute” that she considers to be the most valuable she has ever received. “I didn’t know whether I was going to be lucky enough to continue to work,” she says. “I was in my early 20s when I met him, which was the beginning of my career. I asked him for his advice on achieving longevity in acting and he said: ‘Kiddo, take things that scare the hell out of you. Just keep taking things that scare you. Keep doing that and know that you’ll grow. If you grow, you’ll change, you’ll develop, as opposed to playing the same character over and over again.’ ” Taking Lemmon’s advice to heart, Cattrall says she has always tried to broaden her range with each role she has accepted – both on screen and in her regular returns to the stage “I’ve had people who have asked me why I return to doing theater,” says Cattrall. “To me, Broadway was always exciting, as was the West End in London. As long as I am doing a play, it doesn’t really matter what it is. If there is a good director and a good part in a really good play, then I feel my time is never wasted. Doing live theater is very demanding – it’s the best gym you could ever imagine,” she adds with a laugh.

Chalking up a resume of stage and screen credits in the early 1980s, Cattrall’s film career came to prominence in 1982, when she played Miss Lynn Honeywell in the mega-hit comedy “Porky’s,” which was followed by another box-office hit, 1984’s “Police Academy.” After that, the roles just kept coming: “Big Trouble in Little China,” “Mannequin” and “The Return of the Musketeers,” to name just a few. She even took on the role of Vulcan Lieutenant Valeris in 1991’s “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” opposite the original “Star Trek” cast.

Kim continued to appear in numerous film and television productions throughout the 1990s, and then everything changed in 1998, when her career skyrocketed after being cast as Samantha in “Sex and the City.”

April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 13

The six seasons of HBO’s “Sex and the City” and the two follow up feature films based on the series, that stared Kim Cattrall along with Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon. are now all available on DVD.

CATTRALL ON SAmANTHA As popular as her character was, Cattrall confesses that she is diametrically the opposite of Samantha Jones. “We don’t live the same lives,” she states emphatically. “But she was a rewarding character to play. She gave me a confidence that I would take on, as I think you do when you play a character.

The characters you play affect you. It affects your point of view about things, and, in the case of Samantha, that was particularly true in the way I viewed relationships – female and male – that I hadn’t ever really concretely thought about or thought through.”

Cattrall says she was also able to get behind her character’s sultry and somewhat superficial veneer and found many admirable character traits in Samantha. “She was all about no judgment, no regret, living in the moment – positive and open. I also loved the fact that there was no situation that was ever too embarrassing for Samantha.”

When asked if she has a favorite “Sex and the City” episode, without hesitation Cattrall states it was the ones with the cancer storylines. She says she was proud to have been part of something that openly addressed cancer and other women’s issues – which may have changed the lives of women who watched the show. “I think, as women, we take on so many roles that it’s impossible to be brilliant at everything,” she opines. “The storylines on ‘Sex in the City’ provided a platform to talk about many of those things in an entertaining way and get rid of the taboos about how women are, how they’re supposed to be, or perceived to be, or how people need them to be. And, since then, when I hear the actors from HBO’s “Girls” interviewed, they invariably go back to something to do with ‘Sex and the City.’ That’s a great legacy – to have been a part of change – especially for women. You take ‘I Love Lucy,’ you go to ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show,’ you go to ‘Murphy

14 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

Brown,’ and then you go to ‘Sex and the City’ and ‘Girls’ and you see the progression, how in each of those decades, those shows produced a different kind of woman who were dealing with different issues.”

While there may have been great differences between the character and the creator – how they dealt with and lived life – Cattrall did, in fact, give life to Samantha in such a convincing manner, she received glowing reviews as well as numerous awards including a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and three SAG Awards that she shared with her cast mates.

She also believes that, with the exception of “Girls,” the next chapter of strong female-driven shows hasn’t yet come. “I hope, when it does, it will be in the hands of women that are older,” she says, perhaps giving herself some of that old Samantha confidence as she moves forward with her latest project – producing and starring in “Sensitive Skin,” an adaptation of the British series of the same name that Cattrall and the show’s other producers are hoping to sell to an American distributor.

In “Sensitive Skin,” Cattrall plays a woman who is in a 30-year marriage to a man she can no longer relate to. “I’m really interested in answering questions about various issues I’m dealing with at my age through the work I’m choosing to do, especially as a producer. I’m now in the last year of my 50s. I’m going to be 60 soon. So I’m hoping that in ‘Sensitive Skin,’ we can answer questions and explore aging and other issues using comedy as we did in ‘Sex and the City,’ to open up these situations and make them more relatable, make them less frightening, and make them real. I wanted to portray a woman who, in so many ways, doesn’t have a voice. I wanted to give a voice to that kind of woman – give her air to breathe.”

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LIFE AFTER SAmANTHA Along with her work in “Sensitive Skin,” Cattrall loves to do something she has done for many years – return to the English stage to do the classics for a few months out of every year. Her love for Shakespeare can be traced back to a production of “As You Like It” she saw at Strafford-on-Avon when she was just 11. That play so inspired her that it served as an epiphany and the impetus that led her to study theater. Her most recent theater work was for the PBS “Shakespeare Uncovered Series Two” (now available on DVD). Doing that gave her the opportunity to discuss one of her favorite roles – Cleopatra in the Bard’s “Antony and Cleopatra” – which she has played twice on the English stage. “It’s not just this simple story of getting a pound of flesh. It’s much more complex than that,” she says. “It’s political as well as personal – all told in a very public way.”

Beyond her acting work, Cattrall has parlayed her success into being an advocate for various causes and interests. While she was doing “Sex and the City,” she started working on campaigns about breast cancer awareness and has since teamed up with the drug manufacturer Pfizer to educate women about menopause; although she emphasizes that she doesn’t push any kind of medication or supplementation. “My menopause is mine, so I don’t preach about that. But what I really want women to do is to tune in to what they’re going through and to know they don’t have to suffer in silence. Today, we have ways to alleviate that.”

She has also been a three-time keynote speaker at Oxford University, where she has spoken about how important the arts are in the lives and development of young people. She has even established a foundation to support that cause. “At this point in life, you start to think, ‘Okay, what is the legacy?’” she says. “I’ve been fortunate, so I want to use what I’ve been given to be involved with young people and the arts in a creative and helpful way.”

16 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

HEADING TOWARDS HER SEVENTH DECADE Cattrall, who will turn 59 this August, says she is not afraid to be an aging woman in Hollywood and is, in fact, gracefully embracing her next decade. “It’s a part of being a woman of my generation to just look after yourself,” she says.

“There’s so much more information available today than when my mother was a young woman. I know what I can eat and what I can’t eat. I know what kind of exercise I can still do and can’t do. It’s just monitoring it, and most of that is just common sense. There’s no recipe for gracefully aging. But,” she adds, “genes help. Cheekbones help. A good dermatologist helps.”

She also says that she believes that, while getting the proper amount of sleep may be difficult, it is very important. “Sometimes I have so much going on in my brain, it’s hard to tune it all out,” she admits.

To remedy that situation, Cattrall, who has a dual citizenship in Canada and the U.K., recently bought a home in Canada where she will be closer to her family and can “kick back and recoup” as she puts it.

Wondering out loud where her career may lead as she enters her seventh decade, she is both pragmatic and optimistic. “Do I question if there is still a place for me in this business as I get older? Sure. But then I look at Betty White. She’s 93 and still as busy as ever. That’s really something to aspire to – her humor, her work ethic, the way she is adored. She is an inspiration to me in the way she’s up for everything.”

With Lemmon’s advice on longevity in the business to guide her and White’s inspiration to motivate her, Cattrall may just be a bit more like her “Sex and the City” character than she cares to admit – striding into a new decade of her life and career with a bold confidence that would impress anyone, including Samantha Jones herself.

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Life After 50 on money matters

Special to Life After 50 by Alexandra Smyser of the Law Offices of Donald P. Schweitzer

EstatE Planning in your 50s and Beyond When it comes to planning your later life and legacy, it is vitally important to do decade-by-decade checks to always stay one step ahead

P

rudent and well thought-out estate planning is important for everyone, but as we age, our situations change, our priorities shift, and estate planning may become an even more vital consideration. At a minimum, if you own real property or if you have cash assets over $150,000, you must have a trust to avoid burdening your beneficiaries with an expensive and time-consuming probate upon your death.

Many people, who have established a trust wrongly assume “That’s done!” and there is nothing more to worry about. The fact is, if it has been over a decade since you established and funded your trust, it is time to reevaluate your plan and make sure it still reflects your wishes.

Here are some milestones to guide you as you revisit your estate plan, beginning in your 50s, and then reevaluating it in each passing decade:

THE FIFTYSOMETHING CHECKLIST

Life in your 50s can present significant changes to your estate plan, as well as your loved ones’ plans.

18 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

During their 50s, many people find themselves caring for both their aging parents as well as their adult children. Yes, you are a baby boomer, but you are now also a part of “the sandwich generation.”

This means that, along with planning for your own future, you must also be concerned about your children and your parents as well.

help your adult children create a plan

If your children are 18 years and older, you’ll want to encourage them to create an estate plan of their own. Everyone over the age of 18 should have a durable power of attorney for financial matters and an advance healthcare directive. Many people don’t realize until it’s too late that even though an 18-year-old may depend on your financial support, he or she is still considered an adult. Parents are not automatically authorized to make medical decisions on their children’s behalf. Perhaps you remember the heartbreaking case of Terri Schiavo in Florida in which a 26-year-old woman fell unexpectedly ill, which resulted in her being in a persistent vegetative state. She had no advance healthcare

directive and her husband and her parents disagreed on what Terri would have wanted. Ultimately, a court had to determine what her wishes might have been, based on statements she made to friends and family. Had Schiavo executed a simple, legal, healthcare directive expressing her wishes in writing, she and her family could have avoided enduring 14 court appeals, five suits in federal district court; action by the Florida legislature, the U.S. Congress and even the president of the United States; all followed by four denials by the Supreme Court of the United States to hear the matter. In short, what was an inherently private matter could have been kept from going public.

Make sure your aging parents have their estate plan in order

On the other end of your family spectrum, it is wise to make sure your aging parents have done the proper planning to ensure they will be able to live comfortably and happily. As your parents age, they may begin to need assistance with daily needs and financial affairs and some advance planning now can avoid a crisis down the line. Every family’s

situation is going to be different, but some areas to think about are: estate planning: If your parents own real property or have cash assets over $150,000, they should have a revocable living trust to avoid probate when the second of them passes away. Part of the process of planning is to list all of the assets and leave a “road map” for those who are dealing with the estate. This will be invaluable for a grieving family. incapacity documents: Every person, regardless of assets owned, should have a durable power of attorney for financial matters and an advance healthcare directive. These documents will be crucial to allow a trusted person make financial and healthcare decisions on their behalf, if they become incapacitated. long-term care: What is the plan if one or both of your parents need longterm care? Do they have long-term care insurance? Do they feel strongly about not living in a nursing home? It is never too soon to start thinking about how to pay for long-term care. digital assets, passwords and important documents: As part of your estate planning, as well as your adult child’s, consider who, in the event of your death, will take care of or manage your digital assets such as your e-mail, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, websites, domain names, and even digital photos, videos or computer-generated designs or intellectual properties. Who will own the contents and what are your wishes for each platform? Everyone should keep an updated list of user names and passwords with other important documents that will allow a “digital trustee” to access those assets and manage them in accordance with the owner’s desires.

THE SIXTYSOMETHING CHECKLIST

When you step back and look at your life in your 60s, the changes from when you were in your 30s and 40s can be dramatic, meaning your estate planning documents may be outdated. This is the time to amend your documents to reflect the current state of the law, your family and your potentially evolving wishes. Reviewing your documents to reflect your familial situation will ensure your wishes are current and your estate planning is up to date with the current law. This is also the time to start thinking about investing in long-term care insurance. provide protection For your adult children: The proper trust vehicle can protect your children’s inheritance from divorcing spouses or other creditors. Also, trusts can give you peace of mind if you have a child who is irresponsible with money or who has an addiction problem by appointing a neutral third party to manage your child’s

inheritance. Revisit or create a plan that provides for the unique circumstances of your adult children. have you gotten divorced?: Estate planning and family law intersect in very specific ways. If you have gotten divorced, you want your estate planning documents to reflect your new situation. But beware: You may be limited by the laws on what you can do, so you must see an attorney who has experience in these areas. have you remarried?: Blended families pose a particular problem for people as they age. Perhaps you would like to provide for your new spouse, but you also would like to protect your estate for your children. A trust can ensure that your children are protected even after you are gone. add grandchildren to your legacy: If you would like to provide for your grandchildren after your death, make sure you take into account their age and their level of maturity. To a 19-year-old, inheritance can mean little more than a hot new sports car.

An effective trust can pay for the grandchild’s necessities while protecting the principal until the grandchild is mature enough to handle it. have you received an inheritance?: If you have received any type of inheritance, make provisions in your estate planning to ensure it is protected and distributed according to your wishes.

THE SEVENTYSOMETHING CHECKLIST

As you approach your 70s, you will want to take stock of your health, assets and family situation

and make sure you are still on track with your estate plan. review Beneficiaries: Review beneficiary designations on your tax deferred accounts and insurance policies to make sure you have named beneficiaries who are still in line with your desired distributions. Often, owners of accounts have forgotten to name beneficiaries; a change in beneficiary paperwork has been lost or never recorded by institutions; or named beneficiaries are a former spouse, a charity you no longer support, or a deceased family member or friend. Beneficiary designations are easy to change when you are alive and nearly impossible for your personal representative to change after you are gone, so double-check that your beneficiaries are up to date. are you a Widow or Widower?: If your spouse has passed away, notify the institutions where you have accounts, collect life insurance policies, and talk to your financial advisor about investment accounts.

Visit your estate planning attorney to update estate planning documents and change title on property. notify your Family: Let your family know what planning you have done and where they can find all your important documents. You do not need to share the details if you are not comfortable. Provide contact information for your advisors, including your attorney, financial advisor, and accountant, to your family or beneficiaries. revisit your advance directive: As you age, your thoughts about medical decisions and care may change, so this is the time to revisit your advance

April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 19

directive to make sure it still meets your wishes.

Speak candidly with your healthcare agent about your feelings and your values so that he or she can make the best decisions about your care at the end of your life. Also, let your agent know your wishes for the disposition of your remains. end of life Memorial: Think about your final wishes for a memorial service and communicate that with your agent. Some people pick out hymns to be sung and passages to be read in a church service. Others specifically ask for no celebration at all. One of the greatest gifts you can leave your family is the gift of knowing that, whatever they may be, your final wishes were clearly documented, so they can carry them out in accordance with what you wanted.

THE EIGHTYSOMETHING CHECKLIST As you enter your 80s, it becomes a time for reflecting on your life and your legacy.

ask For help With Finances: Most importantly, if you find yourself requiring assistance to manage your financial affairs, appoint someone you trust to act jointly with you before it is too late. Consult

with an attorney to prepare documents that will protect your interests and also prevent courtintervention into your life. If you are financially comfortable, it is always best to involve your family in these discussions. consider charitable giving: If charitable giving has been an important aspect of your life, you may want to benefit your favorite causes as part of your estate planning. Your legacy can live on indefinitely as part of an endowment fund and continue to support those areas you care about. Talk to your estate planning attorney about including charities among your beneficiaries.

THE EVERYAGE CHECKLIST

While it is advisable to revisit an estate plan every five to 10 years, individuals and couples should make amendments to estate documents as soon as there is any significant change to their life or familial affairs, such as a divorce, the passing of a spouse, or even the mental or physical health of beneficiaries. The smallest change of adding a grandchild as a beneficiary is an important one to tackle before it’s too late. Remember, it’s important to always be one step ahead of the plan when it comes to planning the blueprints of your legacy.

Ali Smyser is an estate planning attorney at the Law Offices of Donald P. Schweitzer, located at 201 South Lake Avenue in Pasadena, California, who handles trusts, wills, probates, general and limited conservatorships, and special-needs trusts.

Her areas of expertise include estate plans for mature adults and blended families. She is a member of the California State Bar, the Los Angeles County Bar and the Pasadena Bar Association. She is active in numerous community organizations, including USC-Verdugo Hills Hospital Women’s Council, USC-Verdugo Hills Hospital Planned Giving Committee, Salem Lutheran Church and National Charity League.

For more information on the Law Offices of Donald P. Schweitzer click on www.pasadenalawoffice.com or call (626) 683-8113

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APRIL 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 21

Life After 50 on money matters

Special to Life After 50

by James Suh, Regional Sales Manager, Merrill Edge, Los Angeles

Today: The Day To Make Plans To Keep Your Future Healthcare Costs Under Control Incorporating four important steps into the blueprint for your future can make a big difference in managing tomorrow’s costs

I

t’s well understood that healthcare costs change and grow as we age. However, even if you are only in your 50s and retirement is 15 or 20 years away, there are four important steps you can take – right now – that will help prepare you to manage those costs when you are ready to retire.

According to the most recent Merrill Edge survey, one in five Los Angeles residents – 20 percent – says they are making very bad decisions when it comes to saving for the future, a percentage that is higher than the national average of 13 percent. But even if you are not doing what you should be doing to prepare for the future, now is the time to start working to ensure you can meet your future healthcare needs.

Healthcare costs can vary widely depending on your health as you age and where you live.

22 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

That’s why it’s critical for you to understand today what your healthcare costs might be when you retire – and to understand the benefits of planning strategically to manage those costs. The sooner you start, the greater the impact you can have on your retirement and the more healthcare choices you could have in the future – from the doctors you select to where you can choose to live if you need long-term care. The following four steps can help you estimate your future healthcare costs, enhance your retirement plan and guard against risks.

STEP ONE: Get up to speed on what Medicare will cover and how much you’ll need to pay on your own Contrary to popular belief, Medicare won’t cover all of your medical expenses and it is not free.

On average, Medicare covers about half of all healthcare expenses. It doesn’t cover deductibles and co-pays, prescription drugs you take on a regular basis, dental care and dentures, hearing aids and alternative treatments, such as acupuncture.

It also doesn’t cover long-term care if you have an illness that prevents you from taking care of yourself. It’s important to have a plan in place so you can pick up where Medicare leaves off.

STEP TwO: Use all of your opportunities, from catch-up retirement contributions to a tax-free Health Savings Account Naturally, you want to take full advantage of contributing to your 401(k) and IRAs. If you are age 50 or older, you can use the catch-up provision to contribute an extra $6,000 to your 401(k) and

$1,000 to your IRA for the 2015 tax year. And the sooner you increase your contributions, the longer your investments have the opportunity to grow taxdeferred. If your cash flow makes these catch-ups difficult, consider the possibility that you may need to adjust your current lifestyle as you prepare for the future.

Funding a health savings account (HAS) on your own or at work, if your employer offers one and you are eligible, is another great way to get ahead of the curve. Created as part of the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act of 2003, HSAs are tax-advantaged savings vehicles that integrate healthcare spending and retirement saving.

HSAs are only available with high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) to help you save money to cover the higher deductibles and lower premiums that come with the HDHP option. If your company offers an HDHP/HSA, you can have your employer make a contribution to the account directly from your paycheck before taxes.

If you have an HSA on your own, you can make the contribution with after-tax dollars and you may be able to deduct the contributions you paid when you file your annual income tax return. Review your financial situation and your typical healthcare costs to consider whether the higher deductibles and lower premiums associated with the HDHP/HSA may be a good choice for you.

Deciding whether the HDHP/HSA makes sense for you may require a shift in mindset.

Rather than just checking into the hospital and assuming everything is being taken care of, an HDHP encourages you to become a cost-conscious consumer and a better healthcare shopper. It also helps you think longer term because you will see what different procedures actually cost.

STEP THrEE: Embracing healthy living is one of the best investments you can make today Taking care of yourself by practicing preventive care often results in lower future healthcare costs and greater independence in retirement. Staying healthy is like investing in your own “human capital.” People can invest in themselves through education, experience and exercise, putting human capital on the asset side.

The good news for those already pursuing a healthy lifestyle is that many preventive healthcare services are now covered in full under the Affordable Care Act. But for many, it’s not the cost of healthy living that’s the obstacle – it might be an inclination to focus on and care for others that stands in the way of healthy living. You need to take care of yourself in a sustainable way. If you don’t do that, then you risk not being able to meet other people’s needs over the long term. Or worse, you may end up dependent on them, even though that was never your intent.

What you can do now: Make a list of appointments or procedures you’ve put off and

start scheduling them today. It might surprise you how quick and easy it is to check these off your list. You can help prevent negative health events and ultimately reduce your healthcare costs by exercising regularly, going to your medical appointments and getting the right preventive care.

STEP FOUr: Stay current with changes There’s no question that viewing your healthcare in a more strategic way will be somewhat complicated by the fact that our nation’s healthcare system is evolving around you. Because the Affordable Care

Act is an equivalent program in size and scope to Social Security or Medicare, it is important to watch how states enact parts of the law and how access to healthcare changes. We will all have to stay agile and be ready to adapt to the changes that come so that we can pursue smart choices for our future.

James Suh is a director and regional sales manager for Preferred Banking and Merrill Edge. For more information call (714) 681-5922.

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Special to Life After 50 by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.

Aging Americans and Alcohol Each April, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. sponsors Alcohol Awareness Month to increase public awareness and encourage people to seek help for alcoholism and alcohol-related issues

G

rowing older can bring on many losses, lifestyle changes and physical and psychological problems that cause stress, depression, resentment, hopelessness and loneliness. Perhaps, then, we should not be surprised to learn that alcohol and prescription drug addiction, among adults 60 and older, is one of the fastest growing health problems facing the country.

And yet, the situation remains underestimated, underidentified, underdiagnosed, and undertreated.

â&#x20AC;˘ Healthcare providers tend to overlook alcohol or drug problems among older Americans, mistaking the symptoms for dementia, depression, or other problems common to adults over 50. â&#x20AC;˘ Older adults are more likely to hide their alcohol or drug use and less likely to seek professional help.

THE RESULT: Thousands of older adults who need treatment do not receive it.

â&#x20AC;˘ Many relatives of older individuals with substance-use disorders, particularly their adult children, are living in denial or ashamed of the problem and choose not to address it.

Alcohol and drug problems among older adults is something few want to talk about, deal with or even treat. The reasons for this silence are varied:

THE REAL ISSUE: Alcoholism and/or alcohol dependency is overlooked and not treated properly and effectively.

26 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

FACT: Four out of five older adults seeking treatment for substance abuse have problems with alcohol vs. other types of drugs For example, older men and women often experience feeling lonely after the death of a spouse.

Grieving is normal, but often it is accompanied by increased alcohol use. Many older people rely on alcohol to reduce the feelings of loneliness, fear and anxiety associated with loss and other life stressors.

Feeling isolated leads to increased drinking. If there are friends around who notice this happening, they tend to stay away. This only causes more isolation and heavier drinking.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the American Geriatrics Society, people 65 or older are engaged

in risky drinking if they consume more than seven alcoholic drinks per week or more than three drinks on a single day. It is highly recommended that the single-occasion drink limit should be no more than two drinks for men and one drink for women.

FACT: Nine percent of Medicare beneficiaries (age 65 and older) consume more than 30 drinks a month and more than four drinks during any one occasion.

Drinking at an older age can have additional negative effects, such as: • Complicating the treatment of medical conditions.

• Causing a range of medical problems associated with alcoholism.

• Reducing the ability to function.

• Increasing the risk of accidents or falling.

• Posing the dangerous, and sometimes fatal, interaction with prescription medications.

People 65 and older consume more prescribed and over-the-counter medications than any other age group in the United States. Prescription drug misuse and abuse is prevalent among older adults, not only because more drugs are prescribed to them, but also because, as with alcohol, aging makes the body more vulnerable to drugs’ effects, and the use of alcohol with prescription medications brings added health risks.

As people age and experience losses, of a spouse, friends or their own health, they find themselves alone, or may even feel lonely around others. But they don’t have to go it alone. If you are concerned about your own use of alcohol or drugs, or that of a relative or friend – GET HELP!

T

he main office of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. is located in New York. Their website (www.ncadd.org) offers a tremendous amount of information and resources for those dealing with alcohol addiction.

They also have a 24-hour Hope Line, (800) 622-2255, that can refer those in need to nationwide affiliates.

For those in Southern California, the following is a list of NCADD affiliates: * National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of East San Gabriel and Pomona, 4626 North Grand Avenue, Covina, (626) 331-5316, www.ncaddesgpv.org * Behavioral Health Services, Inc., National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of the South Bay Area, 15519 Crenshaw Boulevard, Gardena, (310) 748-1361, www.ncaddsb.com * National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of Orange County, 5 Mason Street, Suite 150, Irvine, (949) 770-0847, www.ncaddoc.org * National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of Long Beach Area,

4201 Long Beach Boulevard, Suite 300, Long Beach, (562) 426-8262, www.womantowomanrecovery.org * Pasadena Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency, 1245 East Walnut Street, Suite 117, Pasadena, (626) 795-9127, www.socialmodel.com * National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of the San Fernando Valley, Inc., 6166 Vesper Avenue, Van Nuys, (818) 997-0414, www.ncadd-sfv.org * Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, 232 East Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara, (805) 963-1433, www. cadasb.org

April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 27

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Is Life Insurance A Good Investment?

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ife insurance is one of the most misunderstood and misused tools available to financial advisors and their clients. It can be one of the best parts of an overall plan or a major mistake. The challenge is how to know. If you already own life insurance of any type you should review it on an annual basis and make sure it is performing as well as possible.

If you don’t own life or investment-oriented insurance, you should look into the role it can play in your overall plan.

The First Things To Consider As a first step, you should decide who you will work with in reviewing an insurance policy or considering adding a policy. The reason this is significant is for life insurance to perform correctly, it must be considered in the context of your entire financial situation. This means looking at all of your investments and your potential needs and uses for insurance to decide if you should have insurance and, if so, what form it should take. Most people who offer insurance to the public are licensed to offer only insurance (or fixed annuities) and nothing else.

It stands to reason you should talk to someone who can evaluate and advise on your entire fififinancial situation and who is not limited to insurance as their only choice for you.

Type Of Insurance And The Death Benefit Next you must carefully consider the type of insurance. The major types are term insurance and permanent insurance. As term is generally for large death benefit needs while children are present in the home, I will skip that option for the sake of space. In a financial plan, we would consider only permanent insurance or investment-oriented insurance. This means the investment side of the insurance policy is what we are after, and the death benefit side is necessary but should be minimized. This last point is critical. The cost of the policy is directly related to the size of the death benefit. You want the lowest cost, so you want the lowest death benefit. There is an IRS formula that will determine what your minimum death benefit is. Never fund a permanent insurance policy without asking this question: “Based on the money I will invest in this policy, can I have a smaller death benefit?” Unless your primary focus is to leave the largest possible estate, you should always get the lowest possible death benefit.

Insurance As An Investment The last question is what type of investment you should use inside the policy. If you are working with an advisor who is licensed to discuss and offer any type of investment, you will have a wide range of choices. Some policies invest directly in the stock market. If you hit a good stock market period, then you will do extremely well with these. The downside is the stock market-type policies are the most expensive. Those costs, if combined with a bad period in the stock market, can cause the policy to really underperform. Other policies allow you to benefit from much of the gains when the stock market is up, but avoid losing money if the stock market is down. The costs on these policies are lower and the protection of principal is valuable. The risk from a bad market period is limited to not growing the policy as opposed to losing money when the market drops. The last type generates annual dividends similar to a bond or a dividendpaying stock. In most cases, your risk of principal loss is extremely low, but your potential gain each year is also limited. As you can see, there are many choices and considerations. This is why I am dogmatic about insisting a policy should only be obtained from an advisor who is licensed to discuss all types of investment products, notjust insurance products. If you would like an analysis of an existing policy or to consider a new one, Life After 50 readers are welcome to call my office for a free insurance analysis.

By William Jordan, financial advisor William Jordan is a nationally recognized wealth manager and well-known speaker on financial and investment topics. To request a meeting to discuss “William’s Seven Percent Solution,” contact his office at (949) 916-8000 or by clicking on at www.WJIca.com.

April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 29

Frank Sinatra, Jr. As the world gives a centennial salute to Ol’ Blue Eyes, his son shares thoughts and memories of the man behind the legend Story by David Laurell * Photos Courtesy SCFTA

W

hile the actual day of Francis Albert Sinatra’s birth, in a Hoboken, New Jersey tenement building, won’t be celebrated until December, this entire year will serve as a salute to Ol’ Blue Eyes’ arrival on the planet.

To officially kick off the centennial celebration, Sinatra’s only son, Frank Sinatra, Jr., will team up with a 37-piece orchestra and present his multimedia show, “Sinatra Sings Sinatra, As I Remember It,” at Costa Mesa’s Segerstrom Center for the Arts on May 2.

The show, crafted to give fans a look at the legendary entertainer sans tuxedo, stage and spotlight, and accompanied by excerpts from his film and television appearances, rare family photos and songs, will see Sinatra, Jr. deliver first-hand recollections of life with his iconic father.

“This show represents a big change for me,” says Sinatra, Jr. “I’ve been doing Sinatra music onstage for decades. But this time, we are doing something we’ve never done before. Rather than just being a singer onstage, I’ll be taking on the role of what I call ‘a musical biographer’ and deal with two questions. One: What was the legend like? For

30 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

anyone who adored Frank Sinatra and his music, they know the answer to that question, because they know so much about him. The second question is the important one: What was HE like? That is where things get different. This will be a show that gets into presenting the story of the man as opposed to stories about the legend, which can be deceiving.

Stories about legends are usually pleasurable to read, although they aren’t always true, they shrink and grow as time passes. So we are going to present stories about the man as told by me. I’m the ideal person to tell his story, because I was a witness to it. The music, of course, is an important part of the show; but this presentation will be unique in that it will give people a far greater understanding as to what was happening around the music, in his real life. I want people, who grew up with the music of Frank Sinatra, to walk to their car after the show and have one say to the other: ‘I never knew that about Frank Sinatra.’ That’s my goal.”

While Sinatra, Jr. will proudly share many wonderful stories of his father, who in 1988, requested his son place his own singing career on hold to serve as his musical director and conductor,

he was adamant that the show be a truthful telling of his father’s story.

“We are dealing with an all-but-vanishing commodity in this world – something called the truth,” says Sinatra, Jr. “As we were putting this show together I felt we had to tell the story truthfully. We had to get away from all the press agentry, because that’s not the truth. Life is not all positive fun and games and flowers. So we are telling the real story, which will involve dark things as well as light things. I want people to come away knowing they have seen a truly honest presentation.

I know the people who will come to this show are the real admirers of Frank Sinatra, and I believe they want to really know something about him and his life. In order to do that, we have to tell a story that is not one that was always filled with sunny skies. His life was like any life – bad things happened – and if we are going to embrace the truth in telling his story, it has to include the darker side along with moments that are funny and those that are astonishing. My hope is that this show will bring his story to life in a way that has never been told before.”

Photo by brian Stewart

AN ALMOST TOSSED TREASURE Along with the pride he harbors for his father and his accomplishments, Sinatra, Jr. says he also has a very special tangible item of his father’s that he greatly treasures – one that could have easily been lost to the trash.

“I have a lot of things he gave me, but of all of them, I have one thing that, after his death, had been placed in a box with other things and a note that basically said they had no value. His widow felt the things she put in this box had no intrinsic value, and so they were given to me. As I was

LIFE TODAY Today, the 71-year-old Sinatra, Jr. lives in West Los Angeles, although, he spends little time there. “There is no such animal as a typical day for me,” he says. “I wish life were that simple, to just have typical days. That has never been the case with me. My life is divided into days traveling, days preparing to travel, days working and, like everyone else, just trying to keep up with all the paperwork and everything else along the way. I’m always traveling all over the world, just as I have for the past 53 years.”

He says he gives little thought to being in his eighth decade of life and says the only philosophy he has adopted on aging is nothing original. “It has been said that aging is not for the faint of heart, and I’ll go along with that,” he says with a laugh.

Pressed to go a little deeper on his thoughts of getting older, Sinatra, Jr. says that while his travel and work schedule is as demanding as it has ever been, the one thing that has changed as the years have gone by is his diet.

“You don’t get to my age by being reckless in what you eat,” he says. “When you are young, you can eat any damn thing you want. But as time goes by, you have to start being careful. I try, as much as I hate it, to eliminate bread from my diet. I’m a typical Italian, so that isn’t easy. I love the bread and the pasta. But it is very fattening, so I have taken to going through them, I found something I knew eating a lot of fish and vegetables.” about, but had never seen. In 1984, when I turned As for adhering to any sort of exercise regimen, 40, I was called by a woman who was the editor he brushes off the thought of it with a laugh. “Hey, of a newspaper supplement called Family Weekly, when your life involves travel and walking through which was like Parade Magazine. She said they airports, especially in today’s modern mega-airports, wanted to do something in honor of the parents’ holidays – Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. They had when you have to change planes and go through immigration and customs, which always seem to be enlisted the then-first lady, Nancy Reagan, whose two miles away from one another, you quickly find mother had just died, to write the Mother’s Day out what kind of shape you are in and get quite a article. Then they asked me to write the Father’s workout.”

Day article. I agreed and they said they would send out a ghostwriter to interview me and I said: ‘Wait a minute! I thought you wanted me to write it?’ The MUSIC AND THE MAN, FOUR editor was taken aback and said: ‘Do you want to GENERATIONS LATER do it?’ I told her I did and she said she would prefer While he has been so indelibly associated with that. So I sat down at an old typewriter and started his father’s music since he first started performing writing. Now, I had never even written anything in small venues in his early teens, and later as a for a school newspaper, so I wasn’t sure what I was vocalist for Sam Donahue’s band and then with his doing. But I spent days and days revamping and editing until I had a finished article. When I thought own orchestra, Sinatra, Jr. says his personal musical it was pretty good, I sent it off to the editor and, sure preferences are for singers and musicians who, like enough, on Father’s Day 1984 they printed it. On the his father, embrace quality material.

“I listen to people like Diana Krall – singers cover they had a full-page, black-and-white picture of Frank Sinatra onstage in a tuxedo, and then in the who have crossed over from the inferior to the superior. People who have given up the degenerative corner there was a photo of me in a tuxedo and the music that the age they come from promotes and title ‘He Always Does It His Way.’ Well, 14 years went by, and in 1998, when he died and all this stuff have sought out a higher quality of music. Linda Ronstadt and Rod Stewart have done that, and that was deemed to have no value was thrown in a look at Bob Dylan’s new album [“Shadows in the box, I found the cover of that magazine that he had Night” (Columbia Records, 2015) that includes ten framed and, for years, had hung on the wall in his songs originally recorded by Frank Sinatra]. I’ve private dressing area. It had meant so much to him that he had hung it in a place where he could look at known Bob for 40 years and knew he was always a great admirer of Sinatra. They used to hang out it every day, and now, I have it on my wall. It is the and have dinner together, so I’m thrilled he has put one thing of his that means the most to me.”

Photob By Hayley Sparks

After explaining that the preparation of the centennial celebration show had him thinking about things related to his father he hadn’t thought about in many years, and, in some cases, had never given thought to, Sinatra, Jr. is quick to respond when asked if there is one thing that stands out that makes him most proud of his father.

“The most pronounced situation that comes to my mind to answer that question happened in the early 1980s when he was called back to Washington, D.C. for an event that was put on by the Veterans Affairs Committee. The United States had pulled out of Vietnam by that time and many American military personnel were finally repatriated after spending years, and in some cases, decades, as prisoners of war in that place referred to as the Hanoi Hilton,” Sinatra, Jr. recalls. “He had been invited to attend a dinner that was being held on behalf of many of these men who had been stuck in that compound for years. When he arrived, he was curious as to why the people who were putting on the event had specifically invited him. When he asked them, they explained that while these GIs were being held as prisoners, their jailers gave them a broken-down record player and one record album – a Frank Sinatra record. They played that record over and over. During that time, Sinatra was their only contact with their country, with America, with home. That night, they told him something he never knew – that he helped save their sanity while in captivity.

For me, that is something that is one of the most noteworthy things I have ever heard about the man.”

Asked for a memory of his father that always gives him a smile, Sinatra, Jr. says that most people aren’t aware of what a witty and somewhat dry sense of humor he had. “I remember one time we were sitting watching the news and a story came on about some young guy, hardly in his 30s, who had been a member of the mob. He had jumped out of the mob, turned state’s evidence, and there he was testifying against them before some committee on television.

As we sat there, I remember my dad’s head started shaking. When I asked him what was wrong. He said: ‘What a shame. Poor guy – he’s so young – had so much to live for.’ He had this very subtle sense of humor and a lot of people didn’t know that or get it.”

April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 31

out this new album. I am also one of the millions of people who watched the Academy Awards this past February and was totally knocked out by Lady Gaga.

She can really sing and understands quality material.

That’s a great thing for her fans, younger people, who are being exposed to better music because of her.”

Sinatra, Jr. says he has great appreciation for singers, like the aforementioned, from the rock and pop era, who have embraced jazz, the music of the big bands and standards from the Great American Songbook, and are trying to pass that music on to today’s youth.

“Most every person under 30 or so has heard the name Frank Sinatra,” he opines when rejecting the notion that his father’s legacy is one known to most young people. “But when it comes to specifics about the man, they know nothing. Awhile back, the Department of Commerce – and why it ended up with them I don’t know – made the determination that a generation is the length of time from when a child is born to the average length of time they mature and have their own children. That number was determined to be 25 years. So that means every century gives us four generations, and if you consider that Frank Sinatra became a social phenomenon in 1940, we’re talking 75 years ago.

That means we are into a fourth generation. My point is that while his name is known, that it may be familiar to those under 30, the deeds and history of the man, to a very large extent, would have them at a loss. They may know he was a singer, but I don’t

think most of them can associate a song or a film or anything with his name.”

THERE WAS JUST SOMETHING ABOUT HIM With the passing of 100 years since Frank Sinatra’s birth and 17 years since his death, Sinatra, Jr. says he often thinks about the best advice his father gave him. “He told me to always listen to advice,” he reveals. “But not to always take it,” he adds with a laugh.

He also says the media coverage, programing and events that have been planned to coincide with the 100th anniversary of his father’s birth have given even him the opportunity to step back and gain a new perspective on the man.

“Every now and then, I find myself listening to the radio or something on television and one of his songs will come on – something he recorded during the prime of his life,” he says softly. “When I hear his voice, I get a little wistful. As I always tell people: Never take hearing one of his recordings for granted, because you are never going to hear that kind of singing again.”

He pauses and takes a deep breath.

“There was just something about the man.”

SINATRA SINGS SINATRA, AS I REMEMBER IT the Sinatra legend began with his first hits, recorded with the big bands of harry James and tommy Dorsey, and grew as he became the Voice who made the bobby-soxers swoon. in later years, he became known as the Chairman of the board, and eventually, ol’ blue eyes. but who was the man behind the legend?

Frank Sinatra, Jr’s new show, “Sinatra Sings Sinatra, as i remember it,” which will be presented at Costa Mesa’s Segerstrom Center for the arts on May 2, explains it all with

32 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

insights into the world’s greatest entertainer that could only come from his son. interlacing authentic renditions of his father’s songs with personal memories of the people involved, his recollections include observations of the songwriters, arrangers, musicians and pivotal performances that highlighted his father’s illustrious career, all backed by an orchestra that features many members who played with the man himself.

Presenting arrangements created by some of the greatest talents of this century including nelson riddle, bill rogers and billy May, the song list includes standards from the talents of Cole Porter, Sammy Cahn, Paul anka, hoagy Carmichael, Jerome Kern, oscar hammerstein ii, richard rodgers, Lorenz hart and ol’ blue eyes himself. and, of course, the central element of the show is Frank Sinatra, Jr., a great singer in his own right, who, while overshadowed in the past, has now stepped

forward to don the mantle relinquished by his father.

Tickets for the show are on sale now starting at $49. They are available at the box office located at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, by clicking on www.SCFTA.org or by calling (714) 556-2787.

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The Hallowed Hall of Must-Knowtables

By David Laurell Illustration by Mark Hammermeister

Billie Holiday Revered as one of the most influential jazz singers of all time, Billie Holiday didn’t just sing the blues, she embodied them. From the upheaval and turmoil of her early life in the 1920s to the pinnacle of her career, “Lady Day” was never able to fend off the demons of alcohol and drug addiction, which ultimately claimed her life at the age of 44.

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orn to the unwed 13-year-old Julia Sadie Fagan (also known as Sadie Harris) on April 7, 1915, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (although some say she was born in Baltimore, Maryland), Billie Holiday entered the world as Eleanora Fagan, or possibly Elinore Harris, as her birth certificate reportedly lists. While the facts regarding her birthplace, name and paternity have always been debated, there was no doubt that Holiday spent her early childhood in Baltimore. It has also become accepted, that, while the name “Frank DeViese” is reportedly listed as the father on her birth certificate, she believed Clarence Halliday to be her father, although he never had much to do with her.

When her daughter was five, Sadie married a longshoreman who, for a few years, gave them a somewhat normal home life. When the marriage ended, Sadie and her child struggled to survive. Left in the care of others, the then-nine-yearold Holiday was a habitual truant who was ordered to juvenile court and then sent to a reform school for nine months. Finally returned to her mother’s care, the following two years saw Holiday sexually assaulted by a neighbor, placed in protective custody, and leave school for good before her 12th birthday.

In 1927, Holiday found a way to help her mother get by – running errands for the owner of a brothel. That was also the year she first heard recordings by jazz greats, Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong.

The following year, her mother moved to New York City and, soon after, Holiday joined her. Living in a building owned by a woman who also ran a brothel, Sadie and her 13-year-old-daughter worked as $5-a-client prostitutes until the operation was raided and Sadie and Holiday were sent to prison for respective sentences of two and five months.

Finding solace from her troubles in music, Holiday began performing in small Harlem clubs for tips at the age of 15. It was during this time she first used the name “Billie,” which she took from the film star, Billie Dove, and the surname “Halliday,” which she eventually changed to “Holiday.”

Although she never had any formal musical training and couldn’t read music, Holiday mesmerized audiences and acquired a loyal following. Over the next two years she developed a signature sound with her unique diction and phrasing, which, as time passed, would become as much her trademark as the white gardenias she took to wearing in her hair.

When she was 18, Holiday was discovered by legendary music producer, John Hammond, who arranged a recording session with her and bandleader Benny Goodman (who was not yet a household name).

By 1936, with two hit records under her belt – “What a Little Moonlight Can Do” and “Miss Brown to You” – Holiday began working with jazz saxophonist

This feature is intended for you to clip and give to your children or grandchildren because…they must-know!

34 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

Lester Young, who dubbed her “Lady Day.” She went on to perform with bandleaders Count Basie and Artie Shaw, where she became one of the first black women to work with a white orchestra.

By the late 1930s, Holiday was a star, recording for Columbia Records. During that time, she was introduced to a song that had been written as a poem, “Strange Fruit,” about the lynching of a black man. Penned by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish schoolteacher who wrote under the pen name “Lewis Allan,” Holiday performed the song at Café Society, an integrated Greenwich Village club.

After getting positive feedback on her interpretation of “Strange Fruit,” she approached Columbia about recording it, but the company felt the song was too controversial. That changed in 1939 when Commodore Records, founded

by Milt Gabler and Jack Crystal (the uncle and father of comedian Billy Crystal), agreed to record it.

Another song always associated with Holiday is “God Bless the Child.” The impetus of that song came from a heated argument she had with her mother over money that ended with Holiday shouting: “God bless the child that’s got his own!” before storming out the door. Later relaying that story to pianist and composer, Arthur Herzog, Jr., a song emerged based on the line. “God Bless the Child” reached number 25 on the charts in 1941, was third in Billboard’s songs of the year, and sold over a million records.

With her career riding high, Holiday married trombonist Jimmy Monroe, but soon after began an affair with a trumpeter – Joe Guy – who was also her drug dealer. In the fall of 1946, Holiday began work on her only feature film, the musical drama “New Orleans,” which also starred Louis Armstrong and Woody Herman. Holiday’s drug addiction became a problem during the film’s production, as she was reportedly spending close to a thousand dollars a week on heroin.

The following year, Holiday and Monroe divorced, she broke off with Guy, was arrested for narcotics possession, convicted, and sentenced to the Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia.

Released from prison early, in March of 1948, because of good behavior, Holiday hesitantly agreed to doing a concert at Carnegie Hall, nervous that ticket sales would be light. Her concerns proved to be unfounded and, on March 27, she sang for a sold-out crowd.

Arrested again for drug possession the following year, Holiday entered the 1950s with her voice and health clearly suffering from the effects of drug and alcohol abuse.

In 1956, she married a Mafia enforcer by the name of Louis McKay who, like most of the men in her life, was abusive; although he did, unsuccessfully, try to help her kick the drugs.

In May of 1959, separated from McKay, completely broke, and diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver and heart disease, Holiday was admitted to Metropolitan Hospital in New York. In spite of her extremely weakened state, Federal Bureau of Narcotics agents arrested and handcuffed her for drug possession and placed her under police guard for six weeks. Her release came on July 17, 1959 – along with her death at the age of 44 from pulmonary edema and heart failure caused by cirrhosis of the liver.

Lady Day’s funeral was held at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York City and she was buried at Saint Raymond’s Cemetery in the Bronx, next to her mother, who had died in 1945.

LEARN MORE

While there are many books about Billie Holiday and numerous recordings, the following two tomes, album and film are among the essentials: • “Lady Sings the Blues” (Penguin Books, 1956), Billie Holiday’s autobiography, ghostwritten by New York Post writer and editor William Dufty.

• To coincide with the release of her autobiography, Holiday put out an album, also entitled “Lady Sings the Blues” (Clef Records, 1956).

• Holiday’s autobiography was made into the film, “Lady Sings the Blues” (Motown Productions and Paramount Pictures, 1972), in which singer Diana Ross portrayed the legendary singer and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

• “Billie Holiday” (Northeastern University Press., 1995) by jazz writer Stuart Nicholson.

Mark Hammermeister is an award-winning artist. His work is available for purchase at www.markdraws.com April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 35

“A HILARIOUS musical

S E N I O R R E W A R D S P RO G R A M

whodunit!”

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The Smokin’ Cobras

STUDIO PRODUCTION

Job #: PAL 001354_01

Title: 4/6 Senior Print

Element: Life After 50 Magazine

CD: Gary Kelly

AE: George Miranda

PM: Ray Espinoza

MECHANICAL

Live: visual

The Mar Dels

A rockin’ oldies review playing the biggest surf and rockabilly hits from the 50’s and 60’s

Great music from the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s

April 7

April 14

The Alley Cats

The Bluzman

America’s Premier Doo-Wop Group

A Tribute to the Blues Brothers

April 21

April 28

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APPROVAL

AD: Patrick Garcia

CD: Romeo Cervas

PD: Maira Gutierrez

CW: Donovan L.

SM: Rosa Baer

Trim: 4.625”w x 11.5”h

Bleed: N/W

Scale: 100%

Color: CMYK

Upload:

April 22

Date In: 03-09-15

ROUND: R2

Begins

Due Date: 03-30-15

Everyone is a suspect in this musical murder mystery with a twist.

One actor investigates the crime.

The other plays all the suspects.

And they both play the piano.

OK CHANGES

APPROVAL

Notes: 1/2 PG 4C

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OK CHANGES

BOOK AND MUSIC BY

JOE KINOSIAN

BOOK AND LYRICS BY DIRECTED BY

KELLEN BLAIR

SCOTT SCHWARTZ

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949.497.2787 949.497.2787 lagunaplayhouse.com lagunaplayhouse.com 36 LIFEAFTER50.COM APRIL 2015

Located in Northern San Diego County From Orange County & Los Angeles County: Take I-5 South to Hwy 76, go east 23 miles From San Diego & Riverside County: Take I-15 to Hwy 76, go east 5 miles

APRIL 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 37

Let’s Get OUt

San Diego/Orange County/Inland Empire

A Preview of Upcoming Events for April/May By Claire Yezbak Fadden

eNteRtAINMeNt WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 JAZZ WEDNESDAYS Bill Cunliffe Trio. Laguna Beach Live!, 891 Laguna Canyon Rd., Laguna Beach. $20. (949) 715-9713. lagunbeachlive.org.

WHALE WATCHING Witness the longest mammal migration in the world, when approximately 20,000 gray whales pass San Diego on their annual 10,000-mile round-trip journey from the Bering Sea to the lagoons of Baja California.

Learn about gray whale baleen, barnacles and prey from Birch Aquarium at Scripps naturalists. Leaves daily from San Diego Bay. $38-$43. Through April 19. (619) 234-4111. flagshipsd.com. (858) 534-7336.

GUYS AND DOLLS Set in Damon Runyon’s mythical New York City, this oddball romantic comedy soars with the spirit of Broadway with vivid cast of characters: Sarah Brown, the upright but uptight “mission doll,” out to reform the evildoers of Times Square; Sky Masterson, the slick, high-rolling gambler who woos her on a bet and ends up falling in love; Adelaide, the chronically ill nightclub performer whose condition is brought on by the fact she’s been engaged to the same man for 14 years; and Nathan Detroit, her devoted fiancé, desperate as always to find a spot for his infamous floating crap game. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Segerstrom Hall, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. Through April 19. $29-plus. (714) 556-2787. scfta.org.

THURSDAY, APRIL 16

THE WHITE SNAKE In this visionary staging of a classic Chinese fable, a gentle serpent transforms into a beautiful woman. She falls in love with a dashing young man and decides to stay human forever, until a wicked monk discovers her true identity and vows to destroy her.

The Old Globe Theatre, Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage, Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, San Diego. $29-plus. Through April 26. (619) 234-5623. theoldglobe.org.

OF GOOD STOCK Legendary novelist Mick Stockton left his three daughters a house in Cape Cod, control over his books and a whole lot of issues. Years

38 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

later, the men in their lives struggle to be part of this elusive family’s legacy. It’s not always easy keeping up with the whip-smart and very funny Stockton Sisters, especially during a weekend filled with dramatic confrontations and surprising confessions. But good Scotch helps. South Coast Repertory, Segerstrom Stage, 655 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa.

Through April 26. Dark Mondays. $22-plus.

(714) 708-5555. scr.org.

UNCANNY VALLEY Chasing immortality by downloading your thoughts and memories into an everlasting human-shaped computer may sound like science fiction, but current research in robotics and artificial intelligence makes it possible now. The challenge is to get past the “uncanny valley,” the discomfort people experience when seeing electronic recreations of human being that are not quite believable.

San Diego Repertory Theatre at the Lyceum Space, Lyceum Stage, 79 Horton Plaza, San Diego. Through May 10. $31-$75.

(619) 544-1000. sdrep.org.

FRIDAY, APRIL 17 CALIFORNIA WINE FESTIVAL Wine, food, music, sea and sun. These elements create the quintessential wine tasting experience. At a sunny seaside setting, California’s best wineries pour hundreds of vintage red and white wines, complemented by dozens of the region’s top chefs and specialty food purveyors serving gourmet appetizers along with live music and an ocean view. April 17: Sunset Rare and Reserve Wine Tasting, Laguna Cliffs Resort and Spa, Vue Lawn, 25135 Park Lantern, Dana Point. April 18: Beach Side Wine Festival, Lantern Bay Park, 25511 Park Lantern Road, Dana Point.

Prices vary. californiawinefestival.com.

And where to put the acres of memorabilia bursting the seams of her Malibu estate?

If you’re Barbra Streisand, you enshrine them in a mini-mall in your basement where you can pretend to go shopping!

Out-of-work actor Alex More can’t pass up the oddest of odd jobs—an offer to play shopkeeper for one tough customer who doesn’t let anyone rain on her parade. Soon it begins to take a toll on his patience, his love life, and his view of people (who need people).

The Old Globe Theatre, Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, San Diego. $29-plus. Through May 3. (619) 234-5623. theoldglobe.org.

SATURDAY, APRIL 18 OCEANSIDE DAYS OF ART This juried fine art festival features some 100 local artists selling a variety of unique artwork including paintings, sculptures, stained glass, ceramics, fine jewelry, photography and more.

Enjoy live stage performances, hands-on art activities, street chalk artist, painting and sculpture demonstrations, and a delicious variety of food choices in the food court.

Oceanside Cultural Arts Foundation, Coast Highway 101 and Pier View Way, Oceanside.

Also April 19. Free. ocaf.info.

FREUD’S LAST SESSION At the outbreak of World War II, Sigmund Freud has a meeting with a young Oxford professor,

April/May 2015 C.S. Lewis. Depression. Lamb’s Players Theatre, 1142 Orange Ave., Coronado. $22plus. Through May 17. (619) 437-6000. lambsplayers.org.

THE 39 STEPS Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have this fast-paced whodunit.

The play is packed with nonstop laughs, more than 150 zany characters (played by a ridiculously talented cast of four), an on-stage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers and some good old-fashioned romance. Welk Resorts Theatre, 8860 Lawrence Welk Dr., Escondido. Dates vary through April 26. $45-$75. (888) 802-7469. welktheatre.com.

COUNTRY LIVE! Old Town Temecula Community Theater, The Merc, 42051 Main St., Temecula. $15.

(866) 653-8696. temeculatheater.org.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22 MURDER FOR TWO One actor investigates the crime... one actor plays all the suspects... and they both play the piano. A zany blend of classic musical comedy and madcap mystery.

Laguna Playhouse, Moulton Theatre Main Stage, 606 Laguna Canyon Rd., Laguna Beach. Through May 27. Prices vary.

(949) 497-2787. lagunaplayhouse.com.

ROCK IN THE PARK: BERKLEY HART SELIS TWANG Eve Selis and Marc Twang join forces with folk circuit mainstays Berkley Hart. Framed by thoughts of home, memories and dreams, using melodies that sound as familiar as those thoughts, their three-part harmonies take the listener from the easy lilt of West Coast country-rock to bluegrass-styled Appalachia. Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, 1875 El Prado, San Diego. $32.

(619) 238-1233 x806. rhfleet.org.

ESTHER The Biblical book of Esther explodes with rollicking hilarity as the evil Haman schemes to outwit bumbling King Xerxes for control of the Persian Empire. With the help of her wise cousin Mordecai, Esther cleverly thwarts Haman’s plot through her inspiring faith and surprising true events. LifeHouse Theater, 1135 N. Church St., Redlands. Weekends through May 10. $14-$18. (909) 335-3037 ext. 21. lifehousetheater.com.

BUYER AND CELLAR What’s a renowned diva to do with decades of memories that light the corners of her mind?

SATURDAY, APRIL 18

EYE ON DESIGN

Andrea Zittel’s Aggregated Stacks. This exhibition combines commissioned original works by internationally known high desert artist and Joshua Tree resident Andrea Zittel, along with objects from the museum’s permanent collection. The stacks serve both as wall-mounted reliefs, and as freestanding sculptures, creating complex compositions of integrated boxes that deconstruct the modernist grid by being simultaneously random in their arrangements, yet ordered by their inherent geometry. Palm Springs Art Museum, Architecture and Design Center, Edwards Harris Pavilion, 101 Museum Dr., Palm Springs. Through July 12. $11-$13. 760-322-4800. psmuseum.org.

CALeNDAR

April/May 2015 San Diego/Orange County/Inland Empire illustrates the transformative power of love through striking set design, inventive choreography and a cast of fanciful characters.

April 25 and 26: Bridges Auditorium, Pomona College, 450 N. College Way, Claremont. May 2 and 3: Lewis Family Playhouse, Victoria Gardens Cultural Center, 12505 Cultural Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga. May 9 and 10: Arcadia Performing Arts Center, 188 Campus Drive, Arcadia. May 16: Fox Performing Arts Center, 3801 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside. $30-$44. ipballet.org SUNDAY, APRIL 26 LIVE JAZZ ON THE PATIO Jimmy and Enrique. Bernardo Winery, Tasting Room Patio, 13330 Paseo Del Verano Norte, San Diego. Free. bernardowinery.com.

CLASSICS AT THE MERC Chamber performances by the region’s best professional musicians. Old Town Temecula Community Theater, The Merc, 42051 Main St., Temecula. Sundays. $12. (866) 653-8696. temeculatheater.org.

TUESDAY, APRIL 28

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22

THE FLOWER FIELDS AT CARLSBAD RANCH

For more than 60 years, giant tecolote ranunculus flowers bloom, transforming the rolling hills of North San Diego County into a spectacular and coordinated display of natural color and beauty. This annual burst of color is also one of nature’s official ways of announcing the arrival of spring. Explore 50-acres including the one-acre Orchid Showcase and the 4,000 sq. ft. Paul Ecke Jr. Family Barn designed to recall even more of a ranch setting. The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch, Paseo Del Norte, Carlsbad. Through May 10. $11-$12. (760) 431-0352. theflowerfields.com.

THURSDAY, APRIL 23 JAZZ AT THE MERC Old Town Temecula Community Theater, The Merc, 42051 Main St., Temecula. $15. (866) 653-8696. temeculatheater.org.

FRIDAY, APRIL 24 ART ALIVE 2015 The galleries at the San Diego Museum of Art will fill with exquisite floral interpretations of the permanent collection. Rotunda Designer, René van Rems of René van Rems International, transports to 1915 with his design featuring inspiration from Victorian England. A San Diego tradition and the Museum’s signature fundraiser, Art Alive provides critical funds for special exhibitions, educational outreach, programs and art conservation. San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego. Through Apr. 26. $20. 619-232-7931. sdmart.org.

SATURDAY, APRIL 25 COMEDY AT THE MERC PseudoRandomNoise offers their unique style of audience-participatory improvised comedy where you play too by helping to write, direct and even star onstage with some of the

region’s most talented comedic actors. Old Town Temecula Community Theater, The Merc, 42051 Main St., Temecula. Sundays. $12.

(866) 653-8696. temeculatheater.org.

HANAMATSURI BAZAAR Japanese and Buddhist Cultural Festival, April 25 and 26, 12:00-6:00pm, featuring Japanese food, taiko drumming, tea ceremony, tea tasting, introduction to Shin Buddhist meditation, demonstrations on bonsai and suiseki (viewing stones), cultural performances. Vista Buddhist Temple, 150 Cedar Road, Vista. Also April 26. Free.

(760) 941-8800. vbtemple.org.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST From the Beast’s imposing castle to the enchanted forest, this fairy tale vividly

ART OF ÉLAN: EPILOGUE The final concert of the season celebrates the wonderfully varied melodic and harmonic language of today’s most exciting composers.

San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego. $20-$25. (619)2327931. sdmart.org.

THURSDAY, APRIL 30 VERTIGO Drenched in Bernard Herrmann’s haunting and hypnotic score, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 thriller is widely recognized as one of the greatest films of all time. In this symphonic night at the movies, a newly restored print fills the big screen while the musicians of Pacific Symphony recreate the soundtrack – live.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. Through May 2. $35-plus. (714) 556-2787. scfta.org.

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF Touching audiences worldwide with its humor, warmth and honesty, the musical is set in the little village of Anatevka and centers on Tevye, a poor dairyman, and his five daughters.

With the help of a colorful and tight-knit Jewish community, Tevye tries to protect his daughters and instill them with traditional values in the face of changing social mores and the growing anti-Semitism of Czarist Russia. McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert. Through May 3. Price vary.

(760) 340-2787. mccallumtheatre.com.

MAY FRIDAY, MAY 1 CABARET The scene is the Kit Kat Klub, a seedy night club in Berlin, as the 1920s draw to a close.

Cliff, a young American writer, meets Ernst, a German who puts his briefcase among Cliff’s luggage at the German border. Cabaret reminds us of the insidious reign of the Nazi regime and the lengths that the characters go

to in order to “leave their troubles at the door.”

Welk Resorts Theatre, 8860 Lawrence Welk Dr., Escondido. Dates vary through July 26. $45-$75. (888) 802-7469. welktheatre.com.

SATURDAY, MAY 2 COUNTRY LIVE! Old Town Temecula Community Theater, The Merc, 42051 Main St., Temecula. $15.

(866) 653-8696. temeculatheater.org.

SUNDAY, MAY 3 INTIMATE CLASSICS: HAN BIN YOON, CELLO Within a year of picking up the cello, the standout chamber musician won his first competition and made solo appearances with the San Diego Youth Symphony. During his studies at the New England Conservatory of Music, Yoon was awarded the Presidential Scholarship. California Center for the Arts, Escondido at The Center Theater, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. Prices vary. (800) 988-4253. artcenter.org.

LIVE JAZZ ON THE PATIO Whitney Shay. Bernardo Winery, Tasting Room Patio, 13330 Paseo Del Verano Norte, San Diego. Free. bernardowinery.com.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 6 WOW: FIRST WEDNESDAYS: BOX CANYON BAND This group of bluegrass veterans from North San Diego County, unique musical styling comes from their experiences in bluegrass, country, swing, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll. California Center for the Arts, Escondido, Center Theater, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. Free. $12.

(800) 988-4253. artcenter.org.

THURSDAY, MAY 7 JAZZ AT THE MERC Old Town Temecula Community Theater, The Merc, 42051 Main St., Temecula. $15.

(866) 653-8696. temeculatheater.org.

SATURDAY, MAY 9 CELEBRITY READINGS: BILL WALTON Former NBA legend Bill Walton reads with his mother. In conjunction with its “Ingenious!

The World of Dr. Seuss” exhibition in Balboa Park, local celebrities read from their favorite Dr. Seuss books. San Diego History Center, Casa De Balboa, Balboa Park, 1649 El Prado, San Diego. $6-$8. (619) 232- 6203. sandiegohistory.org.

SPRING ARTS AND CRAFTS FAIR A truly all-artisan fair, where all the works are hand-crafted and sold by the artists and crafters themselves. Some 125 hand-picked vendors from across Southern California, with everything from handmade jewelry, soaps, paintings and sculpture, local honey, clothing, pottery, items for the home and garden.

Live music, a food court, free parking and

April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 39

CALeNDAR

April/May 2015 San Diego/Orange County/Inland Empire shuttle. Bernardo Winery, 13330 Paseo Del Verano Norte, San Diego. Also May 10. Free. bernardowinery.com.

exhibition. Bowers Museum, 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana. Through June 30. $12. (714) 5673679. bowers.org.

ARMS AND THE MAN The beautiful Raina Petkoff is about to marry the heroic soldier Sergius. But the battlefield sweeps into her boudoir when an enemy soldier takes refuge under her bed. Soon she will have to decide between her romantic ideals and the surprising sensations of new love. This charming play mixes smarts and silliness in a wonderfully entertaining tale of love and war. Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage, Old Globe Theatre, Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, San Diego. $29-plus. Through June 14.

(619) 234-5623. theoldglobe.org.

ALIEN SHE The first exhibition to highlight the lasting impact of the pioneering punk feminist movement Riot Grrrl focuses on seven contemporary artists working in a wide range of disciplines, including visual art, music, documentary film, new media, writing and performance. With approximately 900 historical and contemporary objects, the exhibition includes sculptures, photographs, videos, artist publications and drawings, as well as self-published zines and handdesigned posters from institutions and private archives worldwide. Orange County Museum of Art, 850 San Clemente Dr., Newport Beach.

Wed.-Sun. through May 24. $10. (949) 75911122. ocma.net.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13 ANNIE THE MUSICAL Leapin’ Lizards.

The world’s bestloved musical returns in timehonored form.

Featuring book and score by Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, the musical includes such unforgettable songs as “It’s the Hard Knock Life,” “Easy Street,” “I Don’t Need Anything But You,” plus the eternal anthem of optimism, “Tomorrow.” Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. Through May 24. $29-plus. (714) 556-2787. scfta.org.

THURSDAY, MAY 14 MOM’S SPECIALTIES Happy hour mocktail social. San Dimas Community Center, 245 E. Bonita Ave., San Dimas. $8. (909) 394-6290.

eXHIBItIONs FRED TOMASELLI: THE TIMES The exhibit highlights Tomaselli’s recent and extensive body of work adapting cover photos of The New York Times daily papers, echoing the absurdity of endless news cycles and occasionally commenting on the stories’ contents. In addition, the display offers a selection of Tomaselli’s collage and resin paintings that capture the extreme attention to detail for which the artist is renowned. The resin paintings helped Tomaselli establish an international reputation for his meticulously detailed, beautiful and mesmerizing works that bridge abstract and figurative art. Orange County Museum of Art, 850 San Clemente Dr., Newport Beach. Wed.-Sun. through May 24. $10. (949) 7591-1122. ocma.net.

WHERE ENDS MEET A Retrospective of Works by Nancy Ravenhall Johnson. This exhibition is about ingenuity and artistic inspiration. It reveals a journey that threads through a graphic designer’s career. Johnson’s works represent many hours of research vested in technical learning, developing graphics and timelines and overseeing their production. Examples of these will be used as backdrops to the

40 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

CALIFORNIA This Golden Land of Promise. An exhibition of paintings showcasing California’s remarkable history. Many of the paintings feature historic Spanish missions as well as beautiful landscapes. The Irvine Museum, 18881 Von Karman Ave., Ground Floor, Irvine.

Tues-Sat. through May 21. (949) 476-2565. irvinemuseum.org.

ROBERT HENRI’S CALIFORNIA Realism, Race and Region, 1914-1925.

The legendary American painter Robert Henri made his first plans to visit California just over a century ago.

“Westward Ho!” he exclaimed in 1914 in a letter to his former student, Alice Klauber, who lived in San Diego. This small and choice exhibition consists of a dozen outstanding examples of Henri’s work in California and brings together a number of Henri’s works produced during his sojourns in San Diego and Los Angeles. Laguna Art Museum, Segerstrom Gallery, 307 Cliff Dr., Laguna Beach. Through May 31. Closed Wednesdays. $5-$7. (949) 494-8971. lagunaartmuseum.org.

SEVEN BILLION OTHERS This ground-breaking, multimedia exhibition, brings voices and compelling video portraits from more than 6,000 individual interviews filmed in 84 countries by nearly 20 directors.

The 30-week presentation will allow visitors to identify what separates and unites us by giving direct access to individuals as diverse as a Brazilian fisherman, a Chinese shopkeeper, a German performer and an Afghan farmer. These interviews touch on our most visceral emotions and pose many thought-provoking questions and answers that speak to the human condition. Museum of Photographic Arts, Balboa Park, 1649 El Prado, San Diego. Through Sept. 13. $7-$8. (619) 238-7559. mopa.org.

CIRCLE OF ANIMALS/ ZODIAC HEAD: GOLD This exhibition features a group of sculptures by internationally acclaimed contemporary

TUESDAY, MAY 5

CINDERELLA

This lush production features an incredible orchestra, jaw-dropping transformations and all the moments you love— the pumpkin, the glass slipper, the masked ball and more—plus surprising twists. Rediscover some of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most beloved songs, including “In My Own Little Corner,” “Impossible/ It’s Possible” and “Ten Minutes Ago,” in this hilarious and romantic Broadway experience for anyone who’s ever had a wish, a dream... or a really great pair of shoes. San Diego Civic Theatre, Third and B St., 1100 Third Ave., downtown San Diego. Through May 10.

Prices vary. (619) 570-1100. broadwaysd.com.

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. The installation consists of 12 gilded bronze animal heads – rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig – that are each a representative symbol from the ancient Chinese zodiac. Weiwei’s work extends beyond the visual statement and reaches into history. These sculptures were based on the zodiac heads originally located at the Imperial retreat Yuanming Yuan (Old Summer Palace) just outside of Beijing, where they adorned the famed fountain-clock.

Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 Museum Dr., Palm Springs. Through May 31. $11-$13.

(760) 322-4800. psmuseum.org.

INGENIOUS! THE WORLD OF DR. SEUSS This highly popular traveling Dr. Seuss exhibition includes signature elements for the Balboa Park Centennial, emphasizing San Diego as the renowned author’s home and Theodor Geisel as the world’s most celebrated children’s author and an innovator. The lively and whimsical exhibition features rare early works, ephemera, illustration and editorial cartoons, as well as two newly released Geisel illustrations. The Seuss-land gallery features giant bronze Seuss character sculptures, anchoring interactive family activities that emphasize the important themes and

innovative nature of Seuss books. San Diego History Center, Casa De Balboa, Balboa Park, 1649 El Prado, San Diego. Through Dec. 31. $6-$8. (619) 232- 6203. sandiegohistory.org.

THE DISCOVERY OF KING TUT The discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 is considered the most famous discovery in the history of archaeology, and in modern times, the context of its discovery has been lost. The exhibit allows visitors to experience a rush of excitement as they step into a moment only ever witnessed by Howard Carter, Lord Carnarvon and a handful of others. Through stunning and scientifically produced replicas, the exhibition invites visitors to enjoy the magnificent splendor of these priceless Egyptian treasures.

San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego. 15-$27.

Through April 26. (619) 232-3821. sdnhm.org.

Get the Word Out. E-mail your announcements to Claire Fadden, cfadden@lifeafter50.com.

Include a brief description, location, date, time, cost, phone and website. Submission does not guarantee publication. Deadline for the May/ June Calendar is April 1.

By Rick Steves ver the past month, as “The Sound of with a focus on Munich’s role. It’s slated to open It’s currently based in the Westbahnhof, but may Music” celebrated its 50th anniversary, the on April 30 – the 70th anniversary of Munich’s move its service to the main station (Hauptbahnthought of visiting Germany and Austria liberation from Nazi rule. hof) — check when booking. has become prevalent with many Americans. If you • The Vienna Boys’ Choir has another venue • In Nürnberg, the city’s historic Art Bunker has have never visited these two countries, they are for performances: MuTh, a concert hall in the opened to the public. It’s a series of cellars deep bucket-list “musts.” If you haven’t been there in Augarten public park, which also hosts shows by inside the rock of Castle Hill, where precious artmany years, you must return to see the changes. the Vienna Children’s Theater, children’s operas, work was carefully safeguarded from the World Germany and Austria are both works in progress, classical concerts, and pop music. The Boys’ War II air raids that devastated the city. The only each country has great and innovative museums Choir performs here on Friday afternoons in way to visit the now-nearly-empty bunker is on and galleries to share its culture with its many September and October. a once-daily tour. visitors. With many new sights now open or under construction, it’s a wunderbar time to visit, whether • Koblenz, site of the Deutsches Eck – the patriotic • Between Vienna and Salzburg, the Mauthausen Concentration Camp Memorial no longer charges for a spring fling to Berlin, a summer cruise on the spot where the Rhine and Mosel rivers converge for admission. The museum (in a barracks within Rhine, or an alpine adventure in the Austrian Alps.

– is home to the new Forum Confluentes, a modthe camp) was recently renovated, presenting a ern cultural center/art museum that also houses Here’s the latest on what you can expect during chronological history in English, including stories a library and restaurants. a 2015 visit: of camp inmates and Nazi officers, along with • In Trier, a new hop-on, hop-off bus tour covbone-chilling artifacts.

GERMANY ers the amphitheater, basilica, and Karl Marx’s • Salzburg has packaged some of its central Old house, before venturing to Petrisberg for great • While trains are usually the easiest way for Town sights into a single “DomQuartier” ticket, views over Trier and the Mosel Valley.

Americans to get around Germany, ultra-cheap covering sights at the Residenz, Cathedral, St. buses are a new option worth considering. The Peter’s Abbey Museum, and Franziskanerkirche.

AustRiA main bus lines are MeinFernBus (with the most • In Reutte, a new 1,200-foot-long pedestrian extensive network), FlixBus, and Berlin Linien • Vienna has just finished building an impressuspension bridge now links Ehrenberg Castle Bus. With fares that can allow you to cross Gersive new main train station in the location with the difficult-to-reach Fort Claudia across many for just €15 ($16.76 U.S. Dollars) and with of the former Südbahnhof. Most trains the valley. The bridge soars more than 300-feet depots or stops near major train stations, these depart from the new station, though some above the valley floor. buses can be a great value. trains still leave from the city’s other stations. To save money on the popular route Rick Steve writes European travel guidebooks • Munich’s new Egyptian Museum is well worth a between Vienna and Salzburg, consider the and hosts travel shows on public television and visit. Nearby, the new Nazi Documentation Cenprivate Westbahn rail service, which charges radio. You can e-mail him at rick@ricksteves. ter, filling the site of the former Nazi Party headhalf the price of the national-network trains. com and visit his website at www.ricksteves.com. quarters, will cover the rise and fall of Nazism,

O

Rick St eveS’ t Ravel

it’s a wunderbar time to visit Germany and Austria

April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 41

Uni t ed Stat eS of diScovery

Experience The True Alaska With True Alaskans

Make the dream of discovering the real Alaska a reality Compiled by Max Andrews | Photos courtesy Alaskan Dream Cruises

T

here’s only one way to truly discover and experience the true Alaska: amongst true Alaskans.

Alaskan Dream Cruises makes the discovery of the waterways, land, people, culture and food of The Last Frontier a dream-come-true by offering intimate, yacht-style cruising that explores the nation’s 49th state’s Inside Passage.

With over 40 years of Alaskan exploration experience, the professional crew of Alaskan Dream Cruises is uniquely positioned to take guests as close as possible to the state’s thundering tidewater glaciers and stunning wildlife. They are passionate about Alaska’s breathtaking wilderness and the honored privilege they have of being able to share it with those whose desire is to see the real Alaska.

Along with the intimate look at nature the cruise line offers, they know that no visit to Alaska would be complete without experiencing the marquee attractions of the region, as seen through the eyes of expert naturalists, and scientific and cultural expedition leaders. You’ll cruise Frederick Sound and Glacier Bay National Park, plus such out-of-the-way places as Kasaan, Petersburg, Kake, Wrangell, Tracy Arm and Windham Bay.

friendly Alaskan service, comfortable accommodations, and making sure that guests enjoy every drop of wonderment Southeast Alaska has to offer.

Cruises leave from Sitka, the line’s hometown and one of the friendliest, most beautiful and culturally fascinating communities in Alaska. Sitka, on the outer coast of Baranof Island, enjoys a stunning setting nestled under glacier-clad mountains at the western edge of Baranof Island at the threshold of the North Pacific Ocean. The hundreds of small islands that ring the natural harbor coupled with the rich abundance of the productive ocean waters, create an ideal place to live. The indigenous people, the “Tlingit,” have lived in harmony with the land here for thousands of years. It is a distinctively Alaskan town of about 8,500 hardy and friendly folks who are profoundly influenced by the area’s long and rich history.

Sitka is not just the cruise line’s ancestral home, it is its passion and legacy. They proudly share their insider’s knowledge on eight-, nine-, 11- and 13-day cruises spotlighting scenic beauty, amazing wildlife and intriguing native culture. With at least one shore excursion included every day, the value is unsurpassed.

NOT YOUR TYPICAL CRUISE LINE

MAKING YOUR ALASKAN DREAMS COME TRUE

Alaskan Dream Cruises is not your typical cruise line. They are true Alaskan through-and-through, from their casual jeans-and-sweaters atmosphere to the warm frontier hospitality of their TlingitAlaska Native birthright. Their crew is completely focused on safety, chef-inspired cuisine and spirits,

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Alaskan Dream Cruises was conceived with the notion that guests come to Alaska in search of a deep personal connection with the true Alaska. A place of genuine character. A place where adventure is a way of life. A place where the wander-

ing soul’s most-cherished memories are born. To that end, they have gathered true Alaskan experts to travel with guests on-board and ashore. They boast years of experience as naturalists, educators, and authors, and are well-versed in everything from environmental science to marine biology.

Whether they’re recapping the day’s highlights at the nightly social hour or taking guets on a muskeg or rainforest hike, guests find that their enthusiasm for Alaska to make every day of their vacation a rewarding experience.

Their ships’ intimate atmosphere also fosters strong bonds of friendship where guests enjoy yacht-style cruising surrounded by their knowledgeable and friendly staff and accompanied by interesting people who share their passion for adventure and learning. Every day offers a relaxed, casual ambiance that allows Alaska’s awe-inspiring beauty to truly shine.

THE DREAM AWAITS

If you’ve been considering a visit to Alaska, Alaskan Dream Cruises welcomes you with local insider’s knowledge of where to go and what to do. They deliver the true Alaska you’ve always dreamed of – the wonderment of wildlife, glaciers, mountains and wilderness, all seen through true Alaskan eyes.

For more information and to book your Alaskan Dream Cruise, contact your travel professional, call (855) 747-8100 or click on www.alaskandreamcruises.com.

April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 43

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TRavel Marketplace G U I D e

Alaska

AlAskAn DreAm Cruises is a locally owned small-ship cruise line in Southeast Alaska. We draw on our insider knowledge to handcraft itineraries based on the region’s preeminent wildlife areas, remote destinations, and unique cultural experiences.

855.747.8100 www.AlaskanDreamCruises.com DriftwooD Hotel

907.586.2280 www.dhalaska.com GrAY line of AlAskA offers a wide variety of Alaska tours from local experts. Our customized Alaska vacations will bring you unforgettable memories with the diversity of Alaska travel options. Breathtaking scenery, wildlife, glaciers and mountains are just a few of the perks you may experience when traveling with Gray Line of Alaska. Choose from post or pre cruise options as well as guided and independent Alaska travel packages.

For over 65 years Gray Line of Alaska has proudly produced the best in Alaska tours.

800.544.2206 or www.graylineofalaska.com tHe Puffin inn — Whether your Alaska vacation brings you to

Anchorage for one night or many, Puffin Inn offers convenient access to area attractions such as Chugach State Park, the Seward Highway and the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. Our hotel in Anchorage is also minutes from metropolitan entertainment in downtown Anchorage, and a short drive to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Guests enjoy modern amenities with pillow top mattresses, 42” flat screen televisions, wireless Internet access, business center, exercise room, complimentary breakfast and pet-friendly accommodations. Free Airport shuttle available

800.4PUFFIN or www.puffininn.net

California

DolPHin BAY resort & sPA — Set along the rugged California Coast, just south of San Luis Obispo on California’s Scenic Highway 1, Dolphin Bay Resort & Spa is centrally located in Pismo Beach. The Dolphin Bay is the ideal hotel for romantic getaways or family vacations where guests stay anywhere from two nights to months at a time. With 60 spacious 1 and 2 bedroom suites featuring all of the amenities of a home, Lido Restaurant, The Spa at Dolphin Bay and an array of activities, guests can experience the best of the Central Coast.

800.516.0112 or www.thedolphinbay.com

tHe loDGe At lAke tAHoe Our centrally located resort boasts studio-to-two bedroom condominiums that provide the comforts of home.

Our on-site resort amenities serve as the premier way to enjoy South Lake Tahoe.

866.469.8222 or visit www.8664myvacation.com

Colorado

ColorADo trAils rAnCH — What you need is a week unwinding and exploring the wonders of our first class guest ranch. Colorado Trails Ranch is not far from Durango, in lovely Southwest Colorado. Set in the spectacular panoramas of the San Juan Mountains, our dude ranch resort offers lifetime experiences for singles, groups and entire families. There isn’t one difficult activity in our perfectly personalized programs. The food is delicious, the comfort is wonderful and you’ll feel like a well cared member of the family.

800.323.3833 or www.ColoradoTrails.com

Utah

sunriVer st.GeorGe is southern Utah’s premier master-planned resortstyle living community. Built in an unspoiled, rural location, SunRiver St.George provides a quiet, superbly

A WESTERN ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME! A first-class dude ranch in themountains outside of Durango.

Horseback Riding Fly Fishing River Rafting Western Dancing Campfire Cookouts

Ask About Our Discount Weeks!

(800) 323-3833 www.ColoradoTrails.com

1 LIFEAFTER50.COM FEbRuARy 2015 44 LIFEAFTER50.COM April 2015

planned community with occupancy limited to at least one resident 55 or better. From the golf course layout and community center design to the floor plans of our sensational SunRiver St. George homes, the resort-style living lifestyle is our central point of focus. SunRiver St.George is “building a lifestyle, not just homes.”

888.688.6556 or www.SunRiver.com

International

PACifiC DeliGHt tours — Air inclusive China Tours from $2,599*.

Explore all of our Asia destinations: China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Indonesia, and India.

For more information: Call 800.221.7179 or visit www.PacificDelightTours.com

u Travel TIP

When is the best month to visit Alaska?

You can’t go wrong visiting Alaska anytime between May 10 and September 15. The days are long, nature is in full bloom, and the air is alive with energy.

Japan

Why pay more for luxury?

Air-inclusive prices include int’l air LAX/SFO departure (add $200 for JFK; India JFK only; ask about other gateways), fuel surcharges, taxes and fees. Based on double occupancy. Your total price is subject to increase prior to full payment; your total price is not subject to increase after you make full payment, except for charges resulting from increased government-imposed taxes/fees. Your consent to this price increase policy will be required at the time of your initial payment.

Land only prices are based on per person, double occupancy and do not include international air. CST 2098539-20.

Discounts cannot be combined with any other promotion or discount.

tours if booked by April 30, 2015

Sail with the Best

Alaska Vacations

South America

Buenos Aires Puerto Madryn Mendoza • Bariloche Puerto Varas Santiago de Chile Rio de Janeiro Foz do Iguaçu • Lima Sacred Valley • Cusco Machu Picchu • Quito Cuenca • Guayaquil Galapagos

LA50-042015

India & Nepal

Sightseeing, Rail Tours, Multi-Day Packages, and more

www.pacificdelighttours.com or www.pdttours.com (800) 221-7179

To advertise in this section, contact landra Deloach: landra@lifeafter50.com 310.822.1629 x 121

Offering the best in Alaska Vacations for over 65 years!

graylineofalaska.com • 1.800.544.2206

T Ravel MaRkeT p lace | Guide

China

Delhi • Agra • Jaipur Tokyo • Mt. Fuji • Hakone Beijing • Xi’an Varanasi • Ranthambore Kyoto • Nara Shanghai • Guilin Khajuraho • Udaipur Yangshuo • Chongqing Save Yangtze River • Chengdu Mumbai • Kathmandu up to $500 per Suzhou • Hangzhou couple on Kunming • Dali Book any of our land-only Zhangjiajie • Lhasa • Lijiang India packages selected land only & Zhongdian • Luoyang

by April 30, 2015 air-inclusive Japan, Zhengzhou • Nanjing to save $300 per couple! China & South America Hong Kong

February 2015 LIFeaFTer50.COM 2 April 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 45

And Finally...

The Bookworm’s Best A Life After 50 book review

by Terri “The Bookworm” Schlichenmeyer

1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music

By Andrew Grant Jackson

Y

ou turned up the volume – again!

Surely, the guy in the car next to yours must think you’re weird. There you are, groovin’ to your tunes, seatdancing, singing along like you were in concert. Really, is there such a thing as having the music too loud?

No, there’s not. So turn up the volume one more time and grab a copy of “1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music” by Andrew Grant Jackson.

As 1965 began, more than 40 percent of Americans were under the age of 20. Teens emulated their parents then: boys wore short hair, girls wore long skirts. Segregation was common, color television was new, 80 percent of America was white, and the country’s youth had gotten a taste of The Beatles and loved them. Bob Dylan did, too, though John Lennon had once dismissed his music. The Rolling Stones were singing “puppy love” songs, while Barry Gordy hoped his Supremes might follow in Dean Martin’s footsteps since the “big money” was in nightclubs. Marvin Gaye, meanwhile, wanted to be “singing Cole Porter,” Malcolm X (who would soon be assassinated) met Martin Luther King, and thousands marched to Montgomery.

As winter turned to spring, Roger Miller captured six Grammys; Charlie Pride struggled with recording deals in a segregated music industry; and Johnny Cash accidentally, drunkenly, set fire to 500 acres of California forest. The Byrds’ music gave birth to the West Coast hippie dance style while girls wore shorter skirts and boys wore longer hair.

By the summer of 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson launched Medicaid and Medicare, and escalated America’s presence in Vietnam. Sonny and Cher had each other, babe; everybody was dancing at discotheques; Barry Gordy hired a charm-school teacher to prepare The Supremes for stardom…and Watts burned.

With 1965 winding down, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass whipped up interest. Frank Sinatra insisted that Sammy Davis, Jr. be allowed to stay at Rat Pack hotels, and Paul McCartney brought in a string quartet to record “Yesterday.” Cass Elliot became a Mama, John Lennon insulted Carole King, and drug songs were hip, and so, at year’s end, was the premiere of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

In preparing to write this review, I looked it up: time travel remains merely theoretical. Still, you can have the next best thing by reading “1965.” This book will have you humming along with songs you remember (or recognize, if you weren’t around then). Jackson melds history, music, and little-known anecdotes together till they’re as smooth as butter. But what’s most fascinating about this book is seeing how times “a-changed” so completely in just one year. From January to December of 1965 we went from flattops to Beatle mops, from segregation to Black is Beautiful, from “I Feel Fine” to “I Feel Good.”

This book is fun, fascinating and filled with facts about that amazing year that is now 50 years past. So sit back, turn up the volume, and take a trip back in time. You won’t be sorry.

“1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music” by Andrew Grant Jackson, 2015, Thomas Dunne Books, $27.99, 352 pages.

The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer who lives on a hill with two dogs and more than 12,000 books. You can contact Terri at bookwormsez@yahoo.com and read more of her book reviews at www.lifeafter50.com. Just click on “Entertainment” and then “Book Reviews.”

A Look Back

F

ifty years ago this month, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art opened its new complex along the Miracle Mile on Wilshire Boulevard becoming the largest art museum in the west. The museum had begun in 1913 as part of the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art (now the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County) in Exposition Park. As the collection outgrew its first home, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art was established with trustee Howard F. Ahmanson, Sr. contributing the initial $2 million to help finance the new location. Upon its opening, the museum consisted of three buildings built in a style similar to Lincoln Center and the Los Angeles Music Center: The Ahmanson Building, housing its permanent collections, the Lytton Gallery (now the Hammer Building), housing special exhibitions, and the 600seat Bing Theater. In 1986, the Anderson Building (now the Art of the Americas Building) opened to house modern and contemporary art collections. In 1988, the Pavilion for Japanese Art opened, and in 1994, the museum purchased the former May Company department store at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, designating it as LACMA West, which is now slated to be The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Today, as the repository of over 120,000 works of art, the museum attracts nearly a million visitors annually.

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Just A Thought Before We Go

“That’s the true harbinger of spring, not crocuses or swallows returning to Capistrano, but the sound of a bat on a ball.” ~ Bill Veeck

February 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 47

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