UPDATE JANUARY 2003

    What? It's the New Year already?  Once we celebrated Thanksgiving the Holidays flew by.  I had lots of good times with family and friends... but now to 2003 which has already begun with lightening speed.

    The Travel Channel asked if I would go to the Critics Association event to introduce the critics to the show I filmed called "Movie Lovers Road Trip" which will air April 3rd, 2003. Candy Clark takes you to Petaluma, California and shows you where "American Graffiti" was shot.  Stephen Furst takes you to Boston, Massachusetts to show you around the fraternity house where they shot "Animal House." Clarence, a munchkin soldier from "The Wizard of Oz" takes you to Culver City MGM studio lot where they shot the movie.  I think I got the best trip of all, they flew Heather Menzies (who played 'Louisa') and me back to Salzburg, Austria to revisit the "Sound Of Music" locations.  I think the show will be fun to watch for all you movie lovers.  Jeff Corwin was also on hand talking about his new show "Monsters" on Discovery Channel.  He brought a real 'sloth' with him.  It was weird creature with scary hooked claws that looked like an Ewok to me. 

             

(Left to right) Candy Clark and me. Jeff Corwin introduces me to his sloth. Clarence, my favorite Munchkin soldier from "The Wizard of Oz". "Movie Lovers Road Trip" cast Me, Clarence, Candy and Stephen Furst.

Becca and I at the Travel Channel Cocktail Party

 

Jesse is roaming around the house singing "Why can't a woman be more like a man?"  as he was cast as 'Henry Higgins' in his high school musical "My Fair Lady.  I must say he is relishing the part and has been bitten by the bug. In November he played 'Sheridan Whiteside' in "The Man Who Came To Dinner", and was touched to know that Jonathan Harris had traveled the country in the same role. I could hear shades of Jonathan in the delivery of Jesse's lines. Later, Jesse told me it was his tribute to the man he had adored.

(left) JESSE AS SHERIDAN WHITESIDE IN 'THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER'

 

 

 

 

The movie Von Trapp's reunited with Robert Wise at the '75 Years of Best Picture Winners' where 'The Sound Of Music' was shown at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles, California.

Photo by LONG PHOTOGRAPHY INC.

When you get a chance check out my friend Heather's new website.

I am busy preparing for the March 16th opening of in Studio City, California. I'm very excited about it. The Gallery will exclusively showcase black and white photography and will open with my new exhibit 'Echoes'.  I've been busy hand-painting my selections that will include several photographs I shot on my recent visit to Austria.  I've been loving every minute of it.

I've also created a new page called AC Photo News which I will keep updated with my photography exhibits and other photographers that will show at A Studio Gallery in the future.

I would like to say how devastated I was when I watched to news about the 'Columbia' space shuttle. In April of 2001 me and my son Jesse, Bill Mumy and his son and Marta Kristen were invited on a personal tour of NASA in Florida. We will never forget seeing 'Endeavor' up close as she was being built, I was in awe.  The next day we returned to NASA as the sun rose to watch 'Discovery' as she was launched into the heavens. It was one of the most incredible things I've ever experienced, it took my breath away.

Aside from the mere vastness of NASA and their incredible accomplishments, there were the people.  The family feeling, the commitment and excitement was impossible to ignore. My heart goes out to the families and comrades of the seven astronauts.  They were courageous explorers of new frontiers, and what they were doing would better our planet for generations to come.

Take care of yourselves.

UPDATE APRIL 2003

Hello,

Welcome to another month in my crazy life.

 

We begin with the airing of "Movie Lovers Road Trip "April 3rd, 2003. This is why the Travel Channel sent Heather Menzies Urich and myself back to Salzburg, Austria. We were able to revisit the locations where we shot "The Sound Of Music." We had an absolutely smashing time, tooling around the city of Salzburg, flitting up to snow covered mountains, gallivanting around the Lake District, drinking in the magnificence and beauty of Austria.  Truly one of the most spectacular places on earth.

CLICK HERE FOR A TRAVEL SCRAPBOOK OF OUR TRIP

If you are interested in traveling to Salzburg, Austria check out this website.

  We even took the Sound of Music tour and it's fun.

I was also on hand for the opening of where I unveiled 45 new hand-painted photographs in a new collection of hand-painted photographs I call 'ECHOES'. Many of these photographs I shot on my trip to Austria.  The vistas and antique feel of the city lends itself to the kind of painting I do on the photos.

You can take a look at the entire exhibit by clicking here  

Recognize this outfit? I saw this on EBAY and it brought back some sweet memories.  It looks like I will be traveling east the end of April to attend the Chiller convention with the rest of the "Lost In Space" gang.  Hope you can come out and see us.

cheers,

 

 

Summer always seems to be here before we know it and then flies by with the greatest of speed.  As soon as my son Jesse finished school we both headed up to Oregon so we could visit our friends and I could take a series of art classes.  The classes I took were immensely helpful in shaping my latest photography exhibit ’Picture Poetry’ that was at Descanso Gardens the entire month of August. I love learning new techniques that stretch my creativity. The time in Oregon was a mixture of laughter of old friends and intensive art study for me. Jesse and I had a wonderful time.

      

If you would like to take a look at my latest exhibit of hand-painted photography