Happy Birthday

Hotel Babylon

So we tore threw the first 3 seasons of "Footballers Wives" a few months ago and now, through Netflix, we're devouring "Hotel Babylon". Not as much sex and skullduggery as those footy players but a bit more heavy on character. Based on a non fiction novel about London's high end hotel business, the show glossy and bright and quick. Star turns are afforded to such stalwart brits as Joan Collins and Steven Berkoff, although Paula Abdul is supposedly in season two for an episode. While others can watch inane reality shows, dark crime dramas or idiotic sitcoms, top off your champagne glass and get pampered by the Babylon staff.

The Raleigh

We've been in Miami scouting for the feature film we will be starting in two weeks. The local crew has been swell and we've been staying at The Raleigh on Collins Ave. Great atmosphere and the pool is spectacular.
After a redeye flight and a forgettable lunch, we returned to the hotel for a few hours. some of us met by the poolside banqates and a waiter soon arrived. I ordered a gin and tonic.....he suggested a mojito. Of course he was right. The prop man joined the group and wanted a frozen marguarita.....our waiter frowned then gave a big uneven smile and suggested on rocks with salt. I told my colleague to aquiese.... this guy knows what he's doing! Great to be in a place where they gently steer you towards what you want.

Chilean Quantum

USA Today has some pics from the new Bond flick currently shooting in remote Chilean mountains. Looks like alot of cardio for Daniel Craig.
Seems that the local populace is non too happy with their landside being filmed for Bolivia. The two countries warred over this land in the 19th century and wounds have never healed. More in The Sun.

Quantum of Solace homepage

Gone

The 300sd got donated this morning ending 13 years of always starting up and rumbling around town. It get given to the Diabetes Association for auction. I tried for awhile to give it a name but nothing ever seemed appropriate other than "the SD". Ciao.

Script Dog

Seven was feeking left out this morning as I finished reading the script for the film I'm starting soon. This is his way of making sure I don't forget about him.

Auto Dog

We went out to Norco to see Dr. VanCise again last week. Seven loves the car and with the new phone camera, we can actually take a good shot of the pooch. He is not a stick his head out the window dog...... he prefers to lay in the well behind my seat and sleep. The sun was coming in and bouncing all over making him glow. He's finally back to his old self after 5 weeks of seeming sickness after problem after ailment.
The other picture is of him in the afternoon sun.

Old Interior

I found a picture of the old interior on the Ebay page that I first saw the 300cd on. It was pretty dirty and ripped up inside, including the headliner.

New Interior

I got the Mercedes 300cd back from the car upholsterers yesterday and love the job they did. The shop also did a little work on the body inside as well, repairing a bit of the rust damage. For anyone interested, the company is in Pasadena. Perez Upholstery 1129 South Fair Oaks.
When I first started to search for a place to do the work, I went to an official Mercedes place which quoted me about $6000 to do the whole interior. I guess Mercedes has kits made for each seat and section. Each front was going to run $1800. Ouch. Instead I did the whole thing for $1800 with Perez and I picking out some non Mercedes carpet but I like it a bit darker than the original. As ML says, it'll hide my dirt better.

Easter Day

Spent Easter afternoon at a friend's house in Glendale, CA. She been doing alot of work on the place and it is showing. Here are a few details of the old craftsman and her brood of pooches....

Sunset Dog

Everytime we try to move back our Hollywood digs, something happens with the dog. Now he seems to have sprained his foot. The middle two toes are all swollen and red but he still walks around on it, although haltingly in the morning. Doctor gave us some aromatherapy drops for it. I want to put it in a sling.
Although the thought of leaving him like that with a tall flight of stairs to master is too much.
I just hope everything is fine when I leave for the next job next week.

Weekend Dog

Last week, Seven came home from Wagville with a fever. We took him over to the vets and she prescribed Flagyl for him. After 3 days, Seven was acting as though he was drunk.... staggering around, falling over, eyes rolling around. So we looked up Flagyl on the web and found out it has some nasty side effects. Especially in animals with liver damage. Being on Phenolbarbital for his seizures can tax the liver. I was so angry and threw the stuff in the garbage.
We went out to our holistic vet in Norco (70 miles each way) and got the dog some herbs and his first acupuncture session. Two days later, we finally had a good walk this morning with no falling over.
I would have thought the LA vet who knows Seven and his condition would have been more on top of things. But I guess you always have to be vigilant.

Jaguar XF

The new commercials for the Jaguar XF we did in Spain last year have made it to the airwaves. I saw it for the first time during the oscars.

JaguarUSA

Groucho Dog

I was playing around with seven today and noticed his resemblance to another cigar chomping celeb.

Hotel Nadeau

A friend was out on the road on a job and saw this unusually named hotel. I'm sure it's 5 stars all the way.
Of course in the 18th century, you could have marvelled at Los Angeles' first four story structure...... the ultra elegant downtown Hotel Nadeau. More on french canuck freight pioneer Remi Nadeau here.

007 Style

Mens Vogue is running an article on style influencing flicks. Much loved but little known Bond, George Lazenby makes the cut in his casual blazer/ turtleneck combos from 1969's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".

Mercedes 300cd 1978

Got the new wheels back to LA yesterday. We had a major scare on the way out of San Diego. Car started to smoke and I pulled over...opened the hood.... and....Flames!
Yikes! Wilton had some water in his car and put out the mini fire. Seems some of the old "heat" insulation from the underside of the hood fell off and combusted on the manifold.
I peeled the rest of the stuff off and made it home with no more problems.
The engine is strong with alot of new parts (including transmission), the inside will be a gut job to be done while I'm back east this spring.

Close Up Dog

Seven and I were both sick at the begining of the week. He graciously allowed me to snap a few pics of our convalesence.

Was It A Horrible Year?

"People are most likely to become depressed in middle age, according to a worldwide study of happiness. The team of economists leading the work found that we are happiest towards the beginning and end of our lives, leaving us most miserable in middle years between 40 and 50.

The results, published in the journal Social Science & Medicine, showed that people's levels of happiness followed a U-shaped curve, a pattern that was remarkably consistent in the vast majority of countries the researchers looked at, from Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe.

For both men and women in the UK, the probability of depression peaked at around the age of 44. In the US, men were most likely to be unhappiest at 50, while for women the age was 40. "

Read the article here.

World's Dump

A "plastic soup" of waste floating in the Pacific Ocean is growing at an alarming rate and now covers an area twice the size of the continental United States, scientists have said.

The vast expanse of debris – in effect the world's largest rubbish dump – is held in place by swirling underwater currents. This drifting "soup" stretches from about 500 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan.

Read More here.