Lisa Burks Online

Will *click* for pet food

Sissy sent me information this week about The Animal Rescue Site and its worthy click-for-food program. 

I clicked (it really was that simple) and seconds later was informed:

Today, you and others have generated the value of 78,919 bowls of food.  Thank you!

Cool.

Want to join in?  CLICK HERE!

PS - There's tons of nifty, reasonably-priced shopping opportunities on site which also help to put food in pet bowls.  I filled 28 without breaking a sweat or the bank.  Only 219 days until Christmas ya know.

More info from their website:

The Animal Rescue Site focuses the power of the Internet on a specific need — providing food for some of the 27 million unwanted animals given to shelters in the U.S. every year. Over 10 million animals are put to death every year in the U.S. alone because they are abandoned and unwanted.

Each click on the purple "Fund Food for Animals" button at The Animal Rescue Site provides food and care for a rescued animal living in a shelter or sanctuary. Funding for food and care is paid by site sponsors and distributed to animals in need at the Fund for Animals' renowned animal sanctuaries (including Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch in Texas and the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in California), pet shelters supported by the Petfinder Foundation, North Shore Animal League, and other worthy animal care facilities supported by the GreaterGood.org foundation.

100% of sponsor advertising fees goes to our charitable partners.

Knott's Berry Flashback

I love seeing Charles Phoenix's SLIDE OF THE WEEK when it lands in my email in-box each Friday, and today's offering was one that I could really relate to:

Then and now (52 years later, when I visited in Feb-07), those rascals Handsome Brady (so handsome that I copped a feel - My, what a big gun you have, sir!) and Whiskey Bill are still workin' it with the tourists.

Read more about Charles' slide, and sign up for his mailing list, here.

Day of the Deadpan Humor

I found this little Day of the Dead guy hanging around at work this afternoon...

...in the most unusual place.

Liz Nocera: Hollywood Blonde Ambition

Blondes allegedly have more fun, but you can't prove that by looking back into Hollywood history at the often tragic lives of some of that town's most notorious bombshells.

That's just what Liz Nocera set out to do in her new book out this month, Hollywood Blondes: Golden Girls of the Silver Screen (Wasteland Press, 2007) which she produced with fellow Tinseltown chronicler, Michelle Vogel.

I'd like to thank Liz, (who I learned from her photo on the back cover is a blonde, too!) is familiar to many classic film fans via her Classic Actresses at Yahoo! Groups, for kindly sending me a signed copy of her book, especially because it includes two ladies that are near and dear to my heart, Jean Harlow and Barbara Payton.

The rest of the book's subject roster includes other late greats Carole Lombard, Mae West, Thelma Todd, Alice Faye, Betty Grable, Lana Turner, Carole Landis, Veronica Lake, Marie McDonald, Judy Holliday, Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield.  The book is dedicated to Betty Hutton, who passed away earlier this year.

While its easy these days to find information on all of these lovely ladies online, there are folks like me who still enjoy having books to curl up with and keep on the shelf.  This book fits the bill, serving as a one-stop shopping reference guide to these beauties, that packages biographies crafted from previously published materials, fan sites (including my own Jean Harlow Platinum Page), filmographies built from multiple resources and lots of images from Liz's private collection.

As a Hollywood writer myself, I was curious to know the details about Liz's journey from webmistress to published author, which I think is just as important as the material in her final product, so I posed a few questions which she answers below:

Why did you choose to showcase blondes?

The idea of writing a book about Hollywood blondes came from my desire to do a project about Carole Landis. Carole's niece Tammy is a close friend of mine and we had been talking for a couple of years about writing a book about Carole. Since E.J. Fleming had already written a wonderful biography about Carole we didn't think there would be much interest in another book devoted to her. I am also a huge fan of Marie McDonald and always wanted to write something about her. I came up with idea of a book dedicated to Hollywood blondes which would include Carole, Marie, and other great stars. I told Michelle Vogel my idea and she asked if I wanted to collaborate with her on a book.

The chapters seem to pull from a lot of different previously published books and internet resources - did you or your co-author Michelle Vogel do any original research?  What new information about blondes are you offering readers?

One of the main hesitations I had about writing a book was there has already been so much written about these actresses. What made me want to do it is that I am a fan of these women and so much of what I read in books and online is trash. Our goal was to have a book where these actresses stories were all told in the most accurate and positive way possible. Readers won't get any bombshell secrets like who killed Marilyn Monroe but they will get to know what made Marilyn such an amazing person, learn about all the films she made, and see some beautiful photos of her. They will also be told the truth about all those rumors that Jayne Mansfield was decapitated, that Jean Harlow died because she was beaten by Paul Bern, and that Carole Landis was a prostitute. We are also giving readers the most in-depth look at Marie McDonald's life that has ever been written. I think the format of our book offers something different as well. Most books that feature a lot of different stars don't give you a complete filmography for each one. We wanted the book to be a research tool as well as entertaining. Also many of the photos you see in the book have never been published before.

We definitely used many published biographies and web sites as sources for our information but we tried to choose only the ones we felt were accurate. My main source of research actually came from my collection of hundreds of vintage magazines. I found so many interesting stories and quotes in the pages of Screenland and Photoplay. Carole Landis's family was also very supportive with the book and offered me some wonderful stories about her which have never been told before.

How does writing a book compare with writing a website?

Writing a book is much harder! It's a lot easier to write two paragraphs about a person's life than it is writing twenty pages. Designing web sites are something I love to do. The reasons I started the web sites are the same reasons I wanted to write the book. I wanted to pay tribute to some amazing actresses who should never be forgotten. One of the toughest things about the book is you can't go back and change it. I am constantly changing my sites and adding new things. Now that the book has been published I keep thinking of things I should have included.

How did you end up teaming with Michelle Vogel and how was the work divided, i.e. what was your process?

Michelle and I first met online several years ago and since then we have became great friends. When we first started working on the project we decided that I would write the biographies and she would write the filmographies and the introduction. The hardest part was actually choosing which actresses to include. Michelle came up with the great idea of including a trivia section and a quote from the actresses at the beginning of each chapter. She also wrote the Judy Holliday biography when I got a little overwhelmed by it. Writing the biographies took a lot longer so she was finished with her part before me. Since she has written several books before I sent her everything I wrote and she would make suggestions and add things. Even though we divided up the work, it ended up being a true collaboration. All of the pictures we used came from my collection of vintage photos.

Who is your favorite blonde?

Carole Landis is my idol! Not only was she a talented actress and a beautiful woman but she had the biggest heart in Hollywood. She was a feminist before the word was even invented. I have suffered through many of the same things Carole did in her life (endometriosis, depression, family issues) and feel like I can really understand what she was going through. When I got to know her family and saw what wonderful people they were I started to believe that one of my purposes in life was to do whatever I could to keep Carole's memory alive. It has been such a thrill to be able to tell her story and see her on the cover of our book. I'm hoping some people may buy the book because they are a fan of Jean Harlow or Lana Turner and end up discovering Carole.

Any future projects?

Yes, there are several things I am working on right now.  Of course I have my three web site which keep me busy - Classic Actresses (http://www.classicactresses.com), Carole Landis Online (http://www.carolelandisonline.com), and Marie McDonald (http://www.mariemcdonald.org).  I have just started writing the first draft of a full-length Marie McDonald biography and I have talked with a few publishers about it.  I would love to do a sequel to our book called Hollywood Brunettes in the near future. I may also do some more projects involving Carole Landis including building a web site for her family to showcase their stories and photos. I have devoted the last year of my life to Hollywood Blondes so my first project is a long vacation in Hollywood this summer. I need to visit my friends and all my favorite blondes at Forest Lawn :-)

Thanks for the insights, Liz!

PS, next week's issue of The Globe will feature a full-page article, including photos, of Liz's book and a contest opportunity to win your own free, signed copy.  Look for that issue on newsstands in just a few days, at the end of this week.

Hollywood Blondes: Golden Girls of the Silver Screen is currently available at Amazon:

New biography champions Barbara Payton's humanity

For many years, the late film actress Barbara Payton (1927-1967) has been grist for the mill of writers who have mercilessly pummeled her in print over the sensational nosedive she took from Hollywood's glitz and glamour to its seediest backstreets and gutters.

Barbara at her best, circa 1950s

Barbara was Franchot Tone's third wife, if only for 53 days, and in my years of researching his life story I've read countless sordid stories about her that have left me wanting to take a long, hot shower after I've put each of the articles or books down.

Until now.

Enter John O'Dowd's exhaustively researched and incredibly balanced biography of Barbara, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye: The Barbara Payton Story, (BearManor Media, 2007) that, unlike the mythical white knight that failed to rush in to rescue her during the last reel of her life, finally arrives to lift the remains of her sad yet poignant legacy and present Barbara in a thoroughly engaging humanistic light.

I've known John for about eight years or more.  We met because our biographical subjects intersected in the early 1950s.  We've spent hours on email and the telephone discussing and debating Barbara and Franchot.

John has always been unwaivering in his respect and compassion for Barbara as a very troubled human being, something that is clearly evident in his final product.  In a world where biographers seem to take joy in exposing the worst in their subject in gossipy fashion, John addresses Barbara's issues (sexual addiction, drug and alcohol abuse, mental instability) by delving deeper into the circumstances and reasons which ultimately lead her down the path of hell.

Barbara & Franchot (John O'Dowd Collection)

My introduction to Barbara came when I began digging in to the details of the headline making fist-fight that Franchot lost to Tom Neal over the affections of fickle Barbara who flip-flopped between the two men with no apparent rhyme or reason.  I flat out didn't like her for that reason alone, I'm ashamed to say today.

What I learned from John and Barbara more than anyone else to-date is that no one is purely good or evil, and a person's life and personality is never the black and white that it may appear to be on the surface.  This is the beauty of John's approach to Barbara in his everyday life and in his book.

I've had the luxury of getting to know the different sides of Barbara's life and complex personality over time through my friendship with John.  As my quote on the back of Barbara's biography states, she truly did carve a niche in my heart and I never expected that.  I "get" her now and I think that readers of this book will have the same experience.

Cover design by LYNNPDesign.com

Major sources of information in this in-depth (over 400 pages of text and photos) book include many people who have never gone on record with their memories and insights about Barbara, including her brother, sister-in-law and son, John Lee.  For decades these people have refused to discuss Barbara because of the way she was previously treated in print, and who can blame them.  Their memories are bittersweet and often painful but incredibly enlightening.

One of the things I like best about John's presentation is that he often lets his interviewees (which also include a former husband, intimates, business associates, neighbors and friends) speak for themselves.  Page after page of direct quotes give you the feeling that you're sitting in a room full of Barbara's inner circle, partaking in candid conversation. The quotes are woven together by John's skillful, descriptive writing.

This entry is less of a review of John's book than it is a personal endorsment.   I know the blood, sweat and tears that he invested in Barbara's story and how many times various publishers told him that a compassionate look at her life just wouldn't sell.

Thankfully, Ben Ohmart at BearManor Media saw the need for such a book and published it.  I was so impressed with BearManor's enthusiasm for Barbara's story that I asked Ben to publish my book about Franchot, too.  Happily, he agreed.  Look for Franchot to join Barbara at BearManor in September 2008.

Barbara's niche at Cypress View Mausoleum in San Diego, CA

Yesterday I took the day off from work to venture down to San Diego with three friends so that we could leave flowers at Barbara's cremation niche to commemorate the 40th anniversary of her passing.  I took a copy of John's book with me to "show" her.

Call me crazy (and I know some people do) but we could definitely feel Barbara's presence around us.  I could almost hear a faint sigh of relief echoing in the quiet, marble-lined corridor, aptly named Chapel of Promise.  Someone cared enough to try to understand her and now there is the promise of new understanding from others.  And isn't that what we all want and deserve?

Related Websites
Hollywood Starlet Barbara Payton (official website)
Bay Area Reporter (book review)
Findagrave.com (memorial page)
IMDB.com (film credits)
Wikipedia (biographical information)

Pulverizing history, one house at a time

It seems that the practice of pulverizing historical homes in order to make way for dime-a-dozen condos and apartments is not limited to once-quaint neighborhoods like mine.
This Glendale News Press story about what could very well be the death knell for one of Montrose's first homes ever saddens me to no end.  Why buy property in a neighborhood that doesn't want to be condo-ized?  Why sell to someone who will destroy something so precious?

Money truly can't buy taste, or an appreciation of history.  Feh.

Update: Residents Say No To Project

Historic home may be razed for apartment units

Builder will seek permission from county to build five units on a lot that is zoned for just two.

By Ryan Vaillancourt
Published Wednesday, May 2, 2007 10:35 PM PDT

MONTROSE — The owner of a historic Craftsman-style house in unincorporated Montrose wants to knock it down and build a two-story, five-unit apartment complex in its place.

The developer is scheduled to present the project at a public meeting tonight, but some residents and neighbors are already lamenting the potential loss of one of the community's oldest homes.

Built in 1914, just after the city was founded, the house at 2128 Glenada Ave. sits on street with a cul-de-sac, said Mike Lawler, president of the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley.

"It's important to hang on to that older architecture and when you preserve old architecture, it enhances the value of the neighborhood around it," Lawler said. "People like old architecture, that old charm. It makes it feel like a community."