Back in 1980, I wrote an experimental opera called "Plato's Cave." The written score had odd little directions in it for the conducter like "during the next two measures pull your left ear." The conductor had no idea why he was supposed to do that, but conductors must follow the rules of the composition in order to interpret the composer's wishes properly. Each member of the audience received an envelope as they sat down for the perfomance. "When the conductor pulls his left ear, please open this envelope and perform 2 of the five acts listed" was written on the envelope. The orchestra members also received an envelope that said, "When the conductor lifts his right leg, please open this envelope and perform 2 of the five acts listed." The same was true for the singer/actors on the stage. Basically, what started as a standard opera experience quickly turned into a circus-like theater piece with the audience descending on the musicians asking them questions, playing the timpani, etc, the musicians scattering about the hall and stage doing acts like reciting their favorite family memories or jokes, and the singer/actors doing "jumping jacks" and/or applauding the various improvisational performances happening around them. Then the lights went out and everybody was forced to find their way back to their perspective roles of the standard opera experience-- audience member, orchestra member or stage performer. Ushers came out to help them with coned flashlights as a lone clarinetist played a solo called "The Banishment of Inequality." I remember two comments after the perfomance. A young woman telling me she lost all her creative inhibitions because she could be as goofy or as serious as she wanted and it was still part of the performance. The other comment was from a very serious British composer who told me he didn't like the piece so much because only I, the composer, knew what the hell was going on.... that's like "playing God." My response was "maybe so" but what I was really trying to do was break barriers between people by allowing them to tap in the creative process in a very spontaneous, very fun way. Even I didn't know what kind of unique perfomances or creative moments would arise out of my experimental opera...I was just setting the table for the CREATIVE PROCESS.

Smash cut 25 years later to the latest gaming/marketing concept--ARG. Alternate Reality Games. Wikipedia defines ARG as "an interactive narrative that uses the real world as a platform, often involving multiple media and game elements, to tell a story that may be affected by participants' ideas or actions." I had a conference call a few days ago with some very talented video game designers from New Mexico. They filled me in on this whole ARG craze. It's pretty heady stuff and is very much like "playing God." They even call the game designers and controllers "puppetmasters." Only they know what is real and what isn't. Obviously, in the wrong hands, ARG's could be very dangerous and controlling like what happens in the movie "The Game." But, in the right hands, it could alslo be used to help get people to reconnect in a positive way with their fellow man instead of just being plugged into a video game consul. One of the things we talked about was collaborating on a new ARG based on "BikerCHEF." We already established in our pilot that BikerCHEF's ancient tome cookbook/travel map (which has been passed down through centuries) has a specialized digital antenna which connects the current BikerCHEF to a wisdom cyber space up in the ethers. So, while I am shooting the episodes I could actually also be playing the BikerCHEF ARG getting clues to where I should go or whom I should meet next. Likewise, the people playing the ARG could win tv cameos, a place at BikerCHEF's table, etc. The idea completely reminds me of my experimental opera, but now we will be breaking barriers of the standard cable show viewing experience and doing it in a positive, celebrating the Human Spirit way. I like the idea, so stay tuned!

One man with courage makes a majority.
--Andrew Jackson

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Shot by Bailmeister, Stansky and ASC. Edited quickly with iMovie by CRC.

Martin Christopher Stout.

Uncle Marty is a true Karaoke King and all around good guy. Everytime I've seen him at a karaoke bar, he brought the house down. Uncle Marty has worked on several of my productions from driver to stunt man. I like having him on board because he makes the rest of my crew feel safe...also known as Marty the Mauler, he is very large, but gentle giant who is ready to fight when needed. He is also very spiritual and is proactive about helping his fellow man, especially those down and out, and actively protects the environment. Uncle Marty has a new band called "Last at Bat." He is competing in an on-line rockband contest with his song "There's a girl."

Below is a garage band video version of "there's a girl" which he did for a penny, but his heart is definitely in the right place.

Please go to www.star987.com and give him a vote of support. He deserves it.

THE RED DOG CAMERA REHEARSALS pt. 5

APPLE PHOTO BOOTH FUN

While I was in MOTOWN working with Suzanne and her great Madonna University PAH-FEST:MOTOWN team, I discovered SKYPE. Actually, Damian (DigiPostle) made me aware of it. Suzanne teaches a radio broadcasting class. While her students were promoting PAH-FEST:MOTOWN around the clock on the MADONNA UNIVERSITY radio station, I mentioned that my older brother Marc "the Cope" Coppola was a famous deejay/radio personality in New York. They were all excited. Marc offered to give them some professional tips. We had to figure out a way he could call into their radio show while out in the field with only internet access, no phones. SKYPE allowed me to get a real telephone number, so we could receive a telephone call from Marc while on-line. It worked wonderfully; the audio was perfectly clear. The DigiPostle also told me that if PAH uses our new SKYPE phone number instead of our mobile phone or land line numbers as the PAH Posse travels the globe, we will save a ton of money. SKYPE is just another reason why the brave new digital arena can be a win-win situation.

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.

--Mark Twain

PAH-FEST: MOTOWN

photo by ASC.

Esther Allen. She's my wife's dearest friend and was the maid of honor at our wedding back in the day. I am very impressed with her because she is an academic of the highest degree, but doesn't have a snooty bone in her body. She played the giant Swiss Miss lady in my little RED DOG film and has offered repeatedly to wrestle an albino alligator on film for me if I needed to get that type of Fellini-esque action scene in the can. Now, that's friendship! Seriously though, she is one of the most respected translators of Spanish and French literature in her field. Below is her current biography.

Esther Allen has translated more than 20 books from French and Spanish into English, including Jose Marti: Selected Writings,a Penguin Classics anthology that was selected by the Los Angeles Times Book Review as one of the Books of the Year of 2002. Her most recent book is a hauntingly beautiful novella called In Her Absence, by renowned Spanish writer Antonio Muñoz Molina, published last month by the Other Press. Co-founder of PEN World Voices: The New York Festival of International Literature, Allen is executive director of the newly-launched Center for Literary Translation at Columbia University, and is also an assistant professor at Baruch College, CUNY. In June of this year she was made a Chevalier de l'ordre des arts et lettres by the French Government.

Please visit her website www.centerforliterarytranslation.org. Both Adrienne and I are very proud of you and your work...keep it up.

I like staging one shot homages to classic film scenes. At the end of this Red Dog camera rehearsal, you will see my homage to Bob Hope in "Pale Face" where he stealthily moves through the town serendiptiously just missing running into the bad guys.

Apple Photo Booth Fun.

I love Drive-Ins. Watching a movie through my windshield under the night sky, while eating a slice of oily pizza and slurping down a Dr. Pepper can be a very comforting, blissful fix for me. Now that Drive-Ins are on the verge of extinction, it's hard to to get this very special fix. I do the blow up outdoor screen, outdoor stereo speakers and digital projector screenings from time to time, and that helps, but it's a bit of a cluster setting up and taking down. What if you need a quick Drive-In fix? I have the answer...MY-VU iPod Video headsets. Both the DigiPostle and myself tried them out today. It was totally like looking at a film through your windsheld while still being completely aware of your surroundings. And, there's nothing claustrophobic about it like some of the other, much more expensive video/virtual reality goggles you can buy. If you are missing Drive-In Gestalt in your life, I highly recommend the MY-VU iPod headsets...they made me very happy.

There are significant moments in everyone's day that can make literature. That's what you ought to write about.
--Raymond Carver

Mr. Paine has never tried a world famous Musso & Frank's flannel cake. Musso's is the oldest restaurant in Hollywood. It's always been a place where writer's hangout. I'm sure Elmore Leonard knows it well. Anyhow, I took Mr. Paine to the Musso's counter for breakfast. It was appropriate...Nick is a very talented writer himself.

Have a look and join the community.

PAH NATION

A PAH NATION conference call...all the animals chime in as well.

A brand new PAH NATION web page will be launched this Friday. The Great Zelda has been working her web design magic around the clock. It is going to be fantastic. So stay tuned!

TINKARA KOVAC

When I was in Izola, Solvenia I had the pleasure of meeting Tinkara. She is one of Slovenia's biggest rock stars--she has performed globally and is friends with Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson. She is a classically trained flautist and a very well respected teacher of music in Slovenia. I remarked that it was nice talking to someone who can discuss Mozart, John Cage, Marcello, The Doors, Varese and Jethro Tull in one breath. She told me that all Slovenians are very smart, but they are not fun to perform in front of because they tend to take things too seriously. She likes to perform in front of Americans because they know how to get out of their minds, just let the music sink in and have a good time. I can see her point, but I find it extremely refreshing to be around people who take things very seriously-- that does tend to be a problem for some of us "out to party" type Americans. In any case, Tinkara's creative process is the perfect blend of seriousness and playfulness.

Here are some interesting links about Tinkara:

www.jethrotull.com (there's a live video with Ian and Tinkara playing one of her songs and a video of hers).

Tinkara Kovac's short biography

Below are some of her songs from her latest album:


AQascape



Kamorkoli gres



Wolf's Eyelash

APPLE PHOTO BOOTH FUN

I have to admit that I am skeptical of the first run of new tech gadgets, but to my surprise the iPhone was very much like every other Apple product. It was aesthetically appealing, slick, lightweight, and the functionality was awesome. I had wondered how the text ability was going to work and even for those of us with chubby fingers could type quite easily on the touch screen. The camera on the phone was a really nice; it can take photos in portrait or landscape mode. Another plus to the phone is that if you already have a Mac you can sync all your applications to the phone i.e. iCal, iPhoto, iTunes, mail, etc. Which brings me to the drawbacks of the phone. First off it is only carried on AT&T/Cingular which in my opinion has one of the worst calling plans out there, not to mention in some locations gets really bad reception. Two the phone is really expensive and only has a max of 8 gigs right now, and if you have an iPod you know how fast that fills up, especially if you have a bunch of photos. I have information from an inside source who is confident that there will be a price drop within 6 months. Third and quite possibly the worst feature of the phone; there is no video capability. This feature alone prohibits me from buying the phone. My suggestion to consumers is that you wait. I would wait until the second generation comes out, my guess is that it will have more storage, it will have video capability, and it will be cheaper. My suggestion to Apple, follow in Nokia's footsteps and have really good video capabilities, have some version of iMovie on it, and have the phone available for other cell carriers.

All in all, the phone is really pretty and works like no other phone, but I still say wait for generation 2.

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.
--Virginia Woolf

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Making some pasta fagoili soup in Grants, New Mexico as seen by BC jr.

CHRISTOPHER COPPOLA--BETTER KNOWN AS CHRIS COPPOLA. HE'S A HOLLYWOOD CHARACTER/BIT ACTOR.


CHRISTOPHER COPPOLA--BETTER KNOWN AS CRC, BikerCHEF and The DigiVangelist.

I'D LIKE TO MAKE THIS PUBLIC ONCE AND FOR ALL...THE ONLY TWO THINGS WE HAVE IN COMMON IS OUR LAST NAME (WHICH IS LIKE "SMITH" IN ITALY) AND THE FACT THAT WE BOTH WORKED WITH MARTIN SHEEN. I REMEMBER MR. SHEEN REMARKING THAT THE TWO CHRISTOPHER COPPOLA'S WERE TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT SPECIES.

I THINK OUR PUBLICITY PHOTOS SAY IT ALL.

Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none.
--Benjamin Franklin