Il Divo

Il Divo was the standout film among the five we saw at the FFF. Superbly directed by Paolo Sorrentino, it had great acting, pacing and cinematography. It is the story of the often reviled Italian politican Gulio Andreotti. Sounds boring, but the way the material was handled was captivating. Somehow they presented this great villain with a compassionate hand, while accusing him of murders, manipulation, fraud. The actors who played Andreotti, Toni Servillo, and his faction were each perfect for their very different parts. It reminded me of The Lives of Others, but with gorgeous Italian cinematography!

Jon Voight at Florida Film Festival

We watched Midnight Cowboy at the FFF and heard Jon Voight interviewed for over an hour. He made very insightful and intelligent observations about the art of film making, and told lots of great stories, often with wonderful humor. Afterwards, he talked individually with people & of course signed autographs. He seemed to be a very thoughtful person, in every sense of the word.

PInk Lemonade Stand

Victoria Petrucelly's Pink Lemonade Stand is a big success! This morning there were lots of people & TV coverage! All proceeds are being donated to the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Victoria & her friend Jesse had long planned a lemonade stand. When her mother, Angela, was diagnosed with breast cancer, they decided to make it a PINK lemonade stand. Angela left us on Valentine's Day, and her memory is alive and well! Way to go, Victoria!

Wake

Angela's wake was a wonderful celebration of this extraordinary woman. Reid prepared three fantastic bulletin board sized photo collages of Angela's life. We all stood looking at them in amazement, laughing & crying. Angela is very photogenic & the photos captured her energy. For two hours, her friends and family poured out their hearts with wonderful stories & tributes. A big highlight was her three grade school friends and fellow cheerleaders from Long Island, christened "the Divas" by Victor. Angela's high school cheer leader jacket hung on the wall. Father John, the penultimate Irish priest who got to know Angela during her illness, summed it all up, "She deserved heaven more than earth."

Angela

Our dear friend Angela left us on February 14 after a brutal struggle with cancer and infections that wracked her body. She hopefully is in Light and Peace now. Angela was my truest, dearest friend. She was the Rock of Gibralter as COO/CFO of DRZ, and chief counselor to 30 people there who loved her and relied on her. She was the true Super Mom, somehow making costumes and baking theme cakes on top of her demanding job. She was a bright light who touched everyone around her. My wishes for healing and peace to her husband Reid, her young children Victoria and Vincent and her mother, father and family.

We celebrated our friend Bebe's birthday with her at dinner & joined some of her friends at a dinner party the next evening. Bebe appeared in her trademark black leather pants & black turtle neck. Her regime of swimming, Pilate's & hiking keeps her in incredible shape. She is busy in the studio. She is continuing the astronomy theme of last year's successful show of collages, in a larger mixed media format of painting & collage. The first two look fantastic! Another show is scheduled for March. Go Bebe!!

TASF

We recently visited the little house which was purchased by the Tibetan Assn. of Santa Fe, one of the Tibetan organizations which we support. We met Rigzin, who gave us a tour: two classrooms, a kitchen and a small hall. The classrooms are mainly used to teach children the Tibetan language, a practice that is illegal in their native country. In the hall, three gentlemen were wrapping and organizing a great many sutras. They are going to be placed in slots in two big shelves built by Tashi, who we also met. Rigzin offered us tea and asked us to sit down. We spoke at length with about the preservation of the Tibetan culture and the genocide occurring at the hands of the Chinese in Tibet (please see my Nov. 08 posting). He asked for advice on fund raising and grant writing to support the classes. We hope to be able to help.