Guilty Pleasures SOUND + VISION: 'Hollywood' by Marina and The Diamonds

Advance to Hollywood! My on-camera MONOPOLY interview with documentary filmmaker, John Wellington Ennis.

Imagine my surprise upon receiving an email from a young, accomplished, and well-respected independent filmmaker from Beverly Hills. Now, imagine how I felt after reading that he wanted to sit down and interview me, on film, about my knowledge and enthusiasm for the game of Monopoly. I just about flipped my board! But seriously, I was more skeptical about the whole thing at first, than I was excited. I mean, why would this Hollywood filmmaker want to talk with me about such a commonplace game in our regular, everyday pop culture?? However, after some correspondence with Mr. John Wellington Ennis, I finally understood where he was coming from. It's simple, really. See, what interested John in the first place was my original post on Monopoly I wrote back in July of 2009. He said he not only liked how informative it was, he also really liked my enthusiasm for the game and thought that my energy could be good for his film.

So that explains why John was interested in talking with me, but it doesn't tell the whole story... The bigger picture in John's film, PAY 2 PLAY, consists of using the game of Monopoly in a symbolic way to help illustrate "the cycle of how political campaign costs breed corruption, making candidates beg, borrow, and steal." It also "shows how" we can "take back the election process and hold corporations accountable." And it also happens to be a sequel of sorts to his previous, critically acclaimed doc, Free For All!, which detailed the corruption of the 2004 U.S. election.

John, behind the camera, and li'l ol' me in front of it.
Man, are those camera lights bright!



Needless to say, I was pretty nervous come interview hour, never having done anything like it before in my life! But I must say that John was so professional and so good at directing me that I almost instantly felt at ease in his hands. I had a total blast talking about one of my favorite board games of all-time! I just hope that I didn't make a total fool of myself on film, you know? I have yet to see any part of what John shot, so it'll be quite interesting when I finally do get to see it...

The project is in post-production as I write this, and in desperate need of funding to complete. So if you're at all interested in donating to this wonderful cause, please, check out the information below. You can also click on the attached link to view a preview of the film! You should really look into it, whether donating, or not, because john is a brilliant, witty filmmaker who infuses his work with plenty of intelligence and humor. I'm telling you, I believe in this guy. And I'm not just saying all of this because he's putting me in his documentary, but rather I think his films are good enough to actually make a difference.



Here's another shot, from a different angle, of John setting up his
camera equipment. FYI - I only LOOK calm, cool, and collected...

























Yet another shot of the set up, however, I think John
might've already begun asking me questions, here.





At this point, the main interview was over and John was curious
to see what different variations of Monopoly I owned, so I
busted out a few and set 'em up for the camera. John was such
a cool guy, I sorta wished he had the time to stay and play an
actual game... Of course, that easily could've taken hours!



It's a wrap!
Me, and John Wellington Ennis after a successful afternoon shoot.



~ All photos taken by Tommy Kovac, and property of Anthony See ~

It Sure is HOT, Esther! Let's Go For a Dip...

Photo via Google Images

It's Summer, and the days are starting to really heat up here, in Southern California. So, taking a cue from some of my fellow bloggers who've also done water-themed posts, I thought that it might be fun to dive in the pool for a refreshing dip with Hollywood's bathing beauty of the 1940s and '50s, Esther Williams. Come on, put on your swim cap and let's jump in...

Photo via Google Images

So pretty in pink!

What'll the boys think?

Photo courtesy of Luis Aquino

Wow, all of that time in the water

must've shrunk Esther!

Photo courtesy of Luis Aquino

Strike a (pool) pose!

Photo courtesy of Luis Aquino

Men, keep that in mind...

Photo courtesy of Luis Aquino

Long before dolphin-safe tuna, it wasn't

uncommon for fishermen to find Esther

tangled in their nets. Why they were

fishing in swimming pools, is anybody's

guess...

Photo courtesy of Luis Aquino

"Vacation, all I ever wanted..."

Photo via Google Images

Even underwater, this lady looked good!

Photo courtesy of Luis Aquino

Cool, relaxed and... shiny?

Photo courtesy of Luis Aquino

Far from singing her "swan song", Esther

poses with a fellow swimmer.

Photo courtesy of Luis Aquino

"Would you like a beverage? It's cool and

refreshing Lipton iced tea. You'll love the

brisk Lipton flavor! When I'm not

swimming, you'll always find me drinking

a delicious glass of Lipton iced tea!"

Photo via Google Images

Even Tom & Jerry made a splash with Esther!

Alright, out of the water! We've gotten enough sun for the day, and the bus is heading back to 2009. Grab your towels, and don't leave your inflatable toys in the pool!

Wave good-bye to Esther, everyone!

I hope you all had a fun time! Come back again, soon, and we'll take another trip somewhere... Have a great weekend!