MELROSE HEIGHTS MAGAZINE
MELROSE HEIGHTS MAGAZINE
Vo l u m e 1 0 n u m b e r 1 2
DEBBIE ALLEN “SuperStar” Part 2
Dr. KEITH BLACK
and The Human Brain
MODEL HOLLY RIDINGS and FASHION DESIGNER ROBERTO de ViLLACIS
FASHION WEEK
EL PASEO, PALM DESERT
Dr. ALLEN COUNTER His Mission ISSUE 12
MELROSE HEIGHTS COVER GIRL CONTEST
Debbie Allen part II by SONIA NAVARRO
Debbie Allen shares about her latest projects, a guilty pleasure, and the importance of keeping the Arts
alive....I had the pleasure of speaking with the extraordinary and dynamic Debbie Allen. We discuss her current Projects, future developments, and the importance of keeping the Arts ALIVE! Debbie Starts with TWIST, a musical she is Directing and Choreographing. I learned the depth of her work ethic, researching the period of the original and the new adaptation. Dicken’s Oliver Twist, the original, took place in the 1830’s and was a protest against the treatment of the poor. The new “Twist” takes place in New Orleans 1919-1928 on the eve of the Great Depression after WW1 when prohibition was in effect. Written by Bill Brown with an incredible score by Tena Clark and Gary Prim, Twist will open at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta this September. A great Cast and an amazing creative team that includes Tony Award Winner Todd Rosenthal (sets), Emilio Sosa ( costumes) and Rick Belzer (lighting), this is only one of the many projects Debbie Allen shares with us. She has plenty of surprises in store for us. So Keep reading.... Debbie Allen also has in development a major motion picture based on her children’s book Dancing in the Wings. Think she is done? Guess Again.
Debbie Allen: Over 25 Years of Fame
What are some of her favorite things to read? On the last trip, she took several copies of National Geographic with her on the plane. She recently enjoyed the new edition Nature’s Fury. We learn a great deal of respect for Mother Nature she explains..... One can be surprised to learn that one of Debbie Allen’s guilty pleasures is to enjoy A novel written by Tom Clancy, “it is like being inside the Bourne Identity, but you are reading a book, his writing is so scientific and dramatic”. As we concluded our interview, I ask Mrs. Allen, how does she find time for herself? To which she replied, as she chuckles, that’s the impossible dream. It will happen at some point. Debbie Allen continues to be an inspiration to all of us here at Melrose Heights. We wish her Lots of Love, Luck and Success with her Upcoming Projects.
Keith L. Black, MD One of a kind by SONIA NAVARRO
B
orn in 1957, in Tuskegee Alabama. Robert and Lilian Black, were the parents of a very curious young boy, which we now know and admire as DR. Keith Black. From a very young age he realized his passion for Science, he not only did counted on his parents support, they did everything in their power to cultivate and nurture his talent and gift. His interest began as early as he can remember. He was interested and curious in how birds could fly, how nature worked. He shares a memory that he not only holds in his brain but one that he keeps close to his heart. “At the age of 8 my mother and I were in the kitchen, she was cleaning a chicken and I asked her for the heart. Once she gave it to me, I took it outside and began to dissect it. My Father watched, the following day, he brought me a turkey heart, and the following week he went to the nearest slaughter house and brought me a bigger one, a cow’s heart. I was interested in how the muscles, heart valve and tissue all connected. It was wonderful to be able to dissect at this age, but what was more wonderful was that my parents were great and saw this interest.” In the tenth grade he performed his first official organ transplant on his first patient, a dog.
Photography by Curtis Williams DR. Keith Black
Dr. Allen Counter Provides Medicines and Shelter for Haiti’s Earthquake Victims Just days after the tragic earthquake struck on January 12, 2010, Dr. S. Allen Counter, Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Harvard Foundation organized the first of his two earthquake relief effort from Harvard and headed off to Haiti with a large supply of tents and donated medical supplies. He later contacted his friend, acclaimed actor Will Smith and asked him to donate 100 tents to the earthquake-displaced families in Haiti. Smith enthusiastically agreed, and shipped over 100 family-sized camping tents to Counter at Harvard through the Will and Jada-Pinkett Smith Family Foundation. Famed actress Debbie Allen also sent along a number tents for homeless children and families in Haiti. Dr. Counter personally delivered the tents to homeless families in and around the earthquake ravaged capital of Port Au Prince. Each tent can provide temporary housing for a family of six to eight persons. Dr. Counter bypassed the logistical bottleneck of supply traffic on damaged and congested Haitian roads entering Port Au Prince by using military helicopters provided by his friend and President of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernandez Reyna. Counter criss-crossed the Dominican Republic and Haiti numerous times on Huey Helicopters, delivering his tents as well as supplies of crutches, walking canes, and medicines to different locations in and around the Port Au Prince area. He was assisted in the distribution of the tents to homeless families by Haitian churches and military volunteers from the Dominican Republic. “It was deeply moving to witness entire families who were previously sleeping on the streets move into the comfort and privacy of their own new tent,” Counter said. “I felt blessed to be able to offer this small contribution of medicines temporary housing to displaced Haitian families in the aftermath of this disastrous earthquake.” By Dr. Leo H. Buchanan, Harvard University Health Services
Dr. S. Allen Counter, Professor of Neurology at Harvard University (center) onboard a Dominican military helicopter with medical supplies, tents and medical team members (L-R) Technical Assistant Anthony Jacobs, Dr. Bruce Jenike and nurse Widy Pierre in Haiti.
Dr. S. Allen Counter (left) is welcomed to the National Palace office of the Honorable Leonel Fernandez Reyna, President of the Dominican Republic who provided helicopters and pilots for Dr. Counter’s Haiti earthquake relief project.
EL PASEO FASHION WEEK
The second night had 20 interior designers testing their ideas in front of a judging panel that included ex-catwalkers Beverly Johnson and Cheryl Tiegs. In ASID’s Project Runway, the designers created outfits based on artworks from Palm Springs Art Museum exhibition The Passionate Pursuit: Gifts and Promised Works from Donna and Cargill McMillan Jr. The catch: Each look had to use home-design materials.
The Wednesday-night designers, each a winner of UNESCO-endorsed Islands of the World Fashion Week…”., came from exotic locales. Eric Raisina of Madagascar created fashions from hand-woven and hand-dyed natural silks and cottons. Nadya of Indonesia showed fashions by Bali artisans. Designer K-Bobby of Jamaica featured his evening fashions. Harl Taylor BAG of the Bahamas exhibited men’s and women’s hand-woven straw and sisal handbags with
V & G Accessories
K Bobby, Islands of the World
Photography by Curtis Williams
Colleen Quen
Photography by Curtis Williams
Colleen Quen
Colleen Quen
V & G Accessories
K Bobby
EL PASEO
V & G Accessories
K Bobby
Colleen Quen
, V & G Accessories
K Bobby
K Bobby
Nadia, Islands of the World
FASHION WEEK
K Bobby
V & G Accessories
FIDM Debut
Colleen Quen
V & G Accessories
Photography By Curtis Williams
HOLLY MUSE OF THE 80S by Patrica Mateos
Holly would have liked to be one of those women my mother talked about, those who would fill Studio 54 just by entering. Apart from their beauty, not always indispensable, it was their style, their personality, that made everybody turn around to look at them. Those whose sole presence became inspiring, those who showed the way to the designers, eager to take in what was on the street.
They would be in charge of turning around that tendency captured in the air. So that later they could synthesize it, expand it, structure it and finally spit it out in a way like wearing a skirt the wrong way around or wearing a hat. And lastly offer it to the shops where all the girls want to go and shop till they drop, thus entering the forbidden territory of the avant garde, the centre of the fascinating things that are then happening.
Hair and Makeup by Nicole Walmsley, www.nicolewalmsley.com Fashion Stylist Mauva Gacitua, www.starholdimages.com
Photography By Curtis Williams
rav’ish-ing
adj.causing great joy
Hair and Makeup by Nicole Walmsley, www.nicolewalmsley.com Fashion Stylist Mauva Gacitua, www.starholdimages.com Purple Chiffon Evening Gown with Gold Vintage Lace and Semi-Precious Stones, Necklace-Multi Semi Precious Gems, all by Roberto De Villacis, www.devillacis.com, Earrings, Bracelets and Rings provided by Starhold Images, Purple Satin/Gold Tone Shoes by Shoefete@gmail.com
Photography By Curtis Williams
INDIAN WELLS, CA BNP PARIBAS TENNIS OPEN Charlie Passarell and Raymond Moore of PM sports management delegated
the task to create and build this Tennis Garden by Rossetti Architect many moons ago. Rossetti Architect was successful when building the beautiful and very popular Tennis Center at the Crandon Park in Key Biscayne. In the gorgeous city of Miami in Florida. And Rossetti surely did not disappoint them when building Tennis Gardens in Indian Wells, CA. There is plenty of of space to play Tennis on their oversized tennis courts. This stadium was designed with the players and fans in mind. Every detail is to perfection. The amenities, the beautiful views of the Santa Rosa mountains and lovely spirit and soul of The Game of Tennis. The Tennis garden not only is a favorite to the fans and players, it has been Host to numerous concerts, musicians such as The Who, The Eagles, and Andrea Bocelli have graced the stage here with their performances. It has also Hosted Indian Wells Arts Festivals, and was home to two NBA preseason games. “This is my favorite court in the world” says Sony Ericsson WTA Pro and BNP Open Champ twice as of now) Daniela Hantuchosa. The Players line up at March 2010’s event was as follows. Men’s players, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic. And for the Women’s Line up by rank, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Caroline Wozniacki and Elena Dementieva to name a few, the stadium was filled with Champion Tennis Players from all over the world. The energy was incredible. Some of our favorite Hollywood Celebrities are spotted at this year’s March 2010 Event. ABC’s Private Practice stunningly beautiful and talented actress Kate Walsh. Along with other actors. James Caviezel enjoyed the tournament. People traveled from all over the country to make it to this event at and to be sure to have the best seats in town.
P
ractically born to the role, Christian’s parents Werner and Ursula Hohmann, both art collectors, opened their first gallery in 1976 in Walsrode, a tourist destination in Lower Saxony in northern Germany . At 19, Christian began working with Austrian painter, printmaker, and sculptor Rudolf Hausner (1914-1995) who regularly exhibited at the Hohmann’s Walsrode gallery. Together, Hausner and young Christian published several Fine Art Prints. Ever on the look out for new ideas and talent, Christian extended publishing to Prints by younger up and coming artists, and around the same time, he began studying Art History and Economics at the University of Trier, and later, in Hamburg where he opened his first gallery at age 21. Christian moved to Palm Desert in 2002 to become director of the Hart Gallery for what turned out to be nearly seven years. After his aunt Eva Hart retired in 2009, Christian opened his own gallery amongst the upscale restaurants and designer boutiques on El Paseo, Palm Desert ’s “ Rodeo Drive of the Desert.” Emphasizing European, and especially, German art, Christian Hohmann Fine Art hosts events throughout the year including Opening Receptions, lectures, charity events, and a glamorous Annual Gala.
CURTIS WILLIAMS FOTOGRAF
Flower Vase and Squares, Williams Collection 1972
Williams Collection, Josie Window Light, NY 1975
spicier the better so....... bring it on!!!
Next
we sampled the “Rendang Chicken”. This is a dish slowly cooked
in coconut milk with spices such as ginger and chili. OMG.... Loved this one, and the Mee Goreng, an Indian panfried noodle served fresh and hot from the kitchen, was the perfect dish to bring it all together. Michael said we must try the “Chendol” a dessert made from palm sugar, coconut, crushed ice and chendol bean. I loved this little court side restaurant with everything served on a banana leaf, giving off smells of far away places and exotic spices, but most of all I loved when Michael said “food like art is an expression of the person who makes it” When someone says something like that you know the food is going to be good!!!!
SATAY CHICKEN
323.933.4627, Located at the FARMER MARKTET, Fairfax & 3rd Street #122, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Bel Canto at the Beach--by James Koenig
In Venice , Italy one might expect to hear Italian songs and arias wafting across the canals and echoing from the slightly decaying acoustic of palazzos and monuments of the glory days! That’s not necessarily the usual order of business in hip and rapidly gentrifying Venice, California—where galleries and boutiques and Southern California “urban artsy” spills over all the way from Abbot Kinney past Main Street and muscle beach and the basketball courts to the sandy shores of the Santa Monica Bay. But recently the G2-Gallery on Abbot Kinney was alive with the sound of music—vocal music of Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi and various compositions for harp. The wonderful G-2 Gallery arrived on the Abbot Kinney scene in Venice a little over two years ago and has become one of the most prominent nature photography galleries in the country. Founded by Dan and Susan Gottlieb, themselves accomplished photographers, the gallery channels all proceeds to environmental causes. This time they were aiding a different kind of warbler. Performers for the May 23 concert had all been participants in the Bel Canto Institute summer program – not in Venice—but in Florence, Italy. They were chosen for performance awards for their outstanding work, and award concerts had already taken place in Vermont with the Vermont Symphony and in several upstate New York recitals. This was the first West Coast award concert for the program which regularly has participants from all over the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
MHM MUSIC
MELROSE HEIGHTS MAGAZINE
DEBBIE ALLEN “SuperStar” Part 2
Dr. KEITH BLACK
and The Human Brain
MODEL HOLLY RIDINGS and FASHION DESIGNER ROBERTO de ViLLACIS
ISSUE 12
FASHION WEEK
EL PASEO, PALM DESERT
Dr. ALLEN COUNTER His Mission
MELROSE HEIGHTS COVER GIRL CONTEST