L.A. Los Angeles Times Magazine | Feb. 8, 2009

Letter from the Editor

What is there to say about the Oscars that hasn’t already been said?

Letters to the Editor

HAPPY TRAILS

Overheard

“Wait a minute, the Clippers always lose­­—why do you have to pay to watch them?”

BACKSTORY

Doubt Changes Everything

During the run-up to the 2003 Iraq invasion, I was in rehearsal in New York with a play I wrote called Dirty Story, about Israel and the Palestinians. We were on a break. I was sitting with a member of the cast, staring at the empty stage, sharing a blank moment of silence. I suddenly said, “I think I want to write a play called Doubt.” He asked what it was about. I didn’t know. It was the word. The word was powerful to me.

Turn It Up

TÊTE-À-TÊTE: DANNY BOYLE

The Ear

The Gold Standard

Johnny Carson hosted the Academy Awards five times starting in 1979. Here’s how he opened his first awards show:

The Right Direction

THE BEGINNING...

Face Forward

One of the most talked about performances of 2008 is Anne Hathaway’s transcendent turn as Kym, the drug-addicted prodigal daughter returning home for her sister’s wedding in Rachel Getting Married. The film, written by Jenny Lumet and directed by Jonathan Demme, tackles the human condition of family dynamics under pressure and is by turns hopeful, horrific and fantastically funny. It may not exactly mirror your family, but everyone who watches it sees something familiar.

Suddenly Last Summer

As a starstruck 14-year-old living in Far Rockaway, Long Island, I began an obsession with Elizabeth Taylor. I cut out every picture of her (I still have the file all these years later) from every magazine and newspaper listed in the Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature in the New York Public Library and covered my bedroom walls with them. That should have tipped off my parents that something was very different about their little Howard.

Heaven Is in the Details

For Southern California residents, it’s a dream come true: a world-class luxury resort in our backyard. No more heavy-duty packing, interminable airport lines or taxing drives. Just a dream vacation, the level of which might be expected by royal families, heads of state and celebrities seeking solitude—and about an hour away from pretty much anywhere in Southern California.

I'm Still Hungry

And the Award for Best Menu...

Who better to ask how to throw an Oscar party than Wolfgang Puck, probably the world’s most famous chef and the ultimate authority on Oscar entertaining. You’ll find Wolf right smack in the middle of the intersection of food, fame and awards shows. And when we asked him about feeding Oscar partygoers, he did not mince words at offering his winning formula and his favorite recipes. I mean, he may not have time to cook and watch the Oscars at home with you, but he does have a few secrets for what makes the perfect bash—because really, Oscars is all about the party!

Personal Space

Anita’s Girl

My mom, Anita Bayer, died on March 3, 2008, and I am only now beginning to step back into my life. She was 86—certainly a more than reasonable number of years for a person to live, but she was my mother, so there is no such thing as enough time. Even though I am grateful that she is no longer suffering, I still cannot really grasp the concept of my mother not being here anymore. She is the longest relationship in my life.

My Best Story

Stage Fright

During the 65th Academy Awards in 1993, which I produced, we had a wonderful performance of Alan Menken and Tim Rice’s “A Whole New World,” which was from the Disney film Aladdin and nominated for an Oscar. Debbie Allen choreographed 35 dancers, along with the film’s stars Lea Salonga and Brad Kane. It was filled with Arabian Nights splendor.