Coming up 11/20 9:30am - Meeting You, Meeting Me Feature film, 2024, Written and Directed by Lina Suh

LOS ANGELES, October 30th -- MEETING YOU, MEETING ME an engrossing drama film about friendship by Korean American director Lina Suh will enjoy a week-long awards’ run from November 15-21st at Laemmle Noho 7. The film previously competed at CAAMFest, the Asian American International Film Festival, Pasadena International Film Festival with a Best Director nomination, and LA Femme International Film Festival where it was nominated for Best Feature.

MEETING YOU, MEETING ME tells the story of two women from different walks of life who both need a friend in this moment, when they cross paths by chance and form an unlikely friendship.

MEETING YOU, MEETING ME is written and directed by Suh, produced by Sharon Sunjung Park, with executive producers Anna Park and Samuel Yeunju Ha, co-executive producers Junghwan Kim and Hyojung Shin, and associate producer Paul Ji Hoon Lee. The film stars Annika Foster (Deadly Girls Night Out), Sam Yim (Transformers: The Last Knight) and Patrick Luwis (Cobra Kai). Cinematography is by Heyjin Jun and Dawn Suhyun Shim, editing by Daniele Joi and Yu Jung Hou, and music composed by Henry O.

“This film is a testament of so many friendships, old and new, that enabled this, from the writing of the script through production, all the way to sharing it in theaters now. It’s surreal and exciting when people say they see their own friendships reflected back at them through these characters,” says Suh.

Meeting You, Meeting Me (2024)

Sam Yim and Annika Foster in Meeting You, Meeting Me (2024)

Lina Suh grew up in Seoul, Korea; the American Midwest; and New York. She directed short films SO F*CKING HAPPY FOR YOU and GOOD FACE, the latter developed as a TV series with Sony Pictures TV and HBO Max. Lina is in development to write and direct film and TV projects with an eye towards co-productions with Korea. She was the story editor on DR. BRAIN, Apple TV+'s first Korean language series. MEETING YOU, MEETING ME is Lina’s first feature film as a writer and director. She received a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in Dramatic Writing and an MFA from the USC's School of Cinematic Arts in Film Production.

MEETING YOU, MEETING ME will screen from Friday, November 15 – Thursday November 21 at the Laemmle Noho 7, 5240 Lankershim Blvd,, North Hollywood, 91601.

Watch the Trailer

Tickets can be bought at https://www.laemmle.com/theater/noho-7?date=2024-11-15



For more information, or to interview Lina Suh, please contact Deborah Gilels at gilelsdeborah@gmail.com or at 818-648-9513.
“Meeting You, Meeting Me”

Film Synopsis

 An unexpected, much-needed friendship arrives at your doorstep. Two women from very different walks of life -- a Korean American divorce attorney who is very rooted in her immigrant family's upbringing, and a Californian college dropout searching for herself after being canceled online -- both desperately need a friend in this moment, when they cross paths by chance and form an unlikely friendship.

Filmmaker Bio 

Lina Suh grew up in Seoul, Korea; the American Midwest; and New York. Lina produced several fiction shorts in New York and Los Angeles, and directed a short humanitarian documentary FLOW ON THROUGH in Cambodia that was in a World Bank-issued “Water and Sanitation” guide distributed to NGOs in developing countries.

She has taught screenwriting at ESRA (Ecole Superieure de Realisation Audiovisuelle) a French film school satellite in NYC. She directed short films SO F*CKING HAPPY FOR YOU and GOOD FACE which was later developed as a TV series with Sony Pictures TV and HBO Max.

Lina is in development to write and direct film and TV projects with an eye towards co-productions with Korea. She was the story editor on DR. BRAIN, Apple TV+'s first Korean language series. MEETING YOU, MEETING ME is Lina’s first feature film as a writer and director. She received a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in Dramatic Writing and an MFA from the University of Southern California in film production.


Lina Suh - Director Statement 

My closest friendships have been the guiding forces throughout my life. Foremost are my two sisters who grew up with me across continents in Korea and in America. Then, my high school best friend is Mexican American living in Minnesota, and my college best friends are from Calcutta in India, Nebraska, New Jersey, Washington -- of Indian, Irish, Taiwanese, Lebanese descent. 

These women are all so different from each other, and different from me, but they have each challenged me with the ways they think and live their lives, they ground me with their awareness, we belly laugh together, they annoy me, they cry with me, they listen, and we have continually chosen to spend copious amounts of time together. A glimpse into a friendship like this, perfect with its imperfections, specific, intimate, surprising in its subtleties, is the story I want to share. I want the audience to walk away from this film, recognizing themselves and their closest friends in the characters Sav and Simone, and be moved by the transformative effect different people can have in our lives when we let them in.

Cast - Leads Annika Foster Sam Yim Cast - Additional Patrick Luwis Jennifer Pak Bornila Chatterjee Steve Greist Rachel Byrd Nicole Teeny Alex Egan Jamie Roy 

UCI Basic Needs Center announcers Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week recognized annually across the country to bring awareness to critical issues surrounding hunger and homelessness

Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is recognized annually across the country to bring awareness to critical issues surrounding hunger and homelessness. In light of this week, the Basic Needs Center's commitment to supporting students in meeting their fundamental needs addresses food- and housing-insecurity head on.

We acknowledge the existence of hunger and homelessness on our campus. At UCI, 46% of undergraduate students and 37% of graduate students face food-insecurity, while 6.5% of undergraduates and 4.8% of graduates experience homelessness. These numbers are a result of the 2023 UCGSES Survey and 2024 UCUES Survey section on Basic Needs and Affordability.

Any student facing food- and housing-insecurity are encouraged to make use of the resources the Basic Needs Center has to offer. We are dedicated to ensuring access to vital basic needs services for the student body.


Resources at the Basic Needs Center

FRESH and Mobile Pantry Services
Currently enrolled UCI students can access our pantry services once a week where food items and toiletries are provided. The FRESH Pantry is located at our center, while the Mobile Pantry operates on the first Friday of each month at a designated location.

Visit our Pantries webpage to view service hours and book an appointment.


CalFresh Application Assistance

CalFresh (also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) is a nutrition assistance program sponsored by the USDA that helps people purchase healthy foods. The program issues monthly electronic benefits on an EBT card that can be used at most grocery stores and farmers markets. Eligible students can receive up to $292 per month to buy groceries.

Our trained Basic Needs Advocates provide application assistance through confidential 1-1 sessions both in-person and virtually over Zoom.

Visit our CalFresh Application Assistance webpage to learn more about eligibilities, the application process, and book an appointment.


Emergency Meal Swipes
Emergency Meal Swipes (EMS) is an application-based service that helps students who are experiencing food insecurity and/or a student-related emergency, access several healthy and well-balanced meals offered at UCI’s Dining Commons.

For more information, visit our Emergency Meal Swipes page.

Short-Term Grocery Card Support
Any student facing food-insecurity and challenges obtaining food assistance can apply for the Grocery Card Support Program. Eligible students will receive an electronic grocery card for use at any Albertsons Stores (Pavilions, Vons, etc.).

For more information, visit our Short-Term Grocery Card Support page


Basic Needs Sponsored Housing
Basic Needs Sponsored Housing provides up to 30-days of temporary housing with a meal plan at UCI for students who are currently facing homelessness per the McKinney-Vento definition.

For more information, visit our Basic Needs Sponsored Housing page.


Campus Social Worker Consultations
Any student experiencing food/housing insecurity, financial stress, and other stressors can connect with a Campus Social Worker to receive support navigating these challenges.

For more information and to book an appointment, visit our Campus Social Worker page.

Suspended by No String: A Songwriter's Reflections on Faith, Aliveness, and Wonder by Peter Himmelman - a Grammy and Emmy nominated singer-songwriter, visual artist, best-selling author, film composer, entrepreneur, and rock and roll performer

 Suspended by No String

A Songwriter’s Reflections on Faith, Aliveness, and Wonder

A thought-provoking collection of spiritual reflections echoing the lyricism of Leonard Cohen and the uplifting messages of Anne Lamott

Suspended by No String is for readers of all spiritual stripes: those who are consistently devout, those who aren’t sure what to believe, and those who may not be religious in the traditional sense but who nevertheless want to view the world as something other than a place of randomness and build a relationship with a force infinitely beyond themselves.

Echoing the lyricism of Leonard Cohen and the lighthearted poignance of Anne Lamott, Suspended by No String is a thought-provoking anthology of spiritual reflections that will inspire readers to reclaim their childlike sense of wonder.

Suspended by No String is a collection of essays, personal narrative, and poetical reflections for readers of all spiritual stripes—those who are devout, those who aren’t sure what to believe, and those who may not be religious in a traditional sense but who nevertheless want to build a relationship with a force infinitely beyond themselves.

ABOUT

Peter Himmelman is a Grammy and Emmy nominated singer-songwriter, visual artist, best-selling author, film composer, entrepreneur, and rock and roll performer with over 20 critically acclaimed recordings to his credit.

In addition to his own creative work, he is the founder of Big Muse, a company, which helps organizations to leverage the power of their people’s innate creativity. Clients include The Wharton School, The UPennCLO Executive Doctoral Program, 3M, McDonald’s, Adobe, and Gap Inc. His most recent book, Let Me Out (Unlock your creative mind and bring your ideas to life) was released in October, 2016.

Peter also holds an Advanced Management Certificate from The Kellogg School of Business, at Northwestern and a Certificate of Leadership Development from the United States Army War College.

Tune in 11/13 for Janeane's conversation with Brad Tolinski and Jaan Uhelszki about their new release: MC5: An Oral Biography of Rock’s Most Revolutionary Band

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MC5: An Oral Biography of Rock’s Most Revolutionary Band

by Brad Tolinski, Jaan Uhelszki, and Ben Edmonds

A riveting oral biography of the proto-punk Detroit rockers MC5, based on original interviews with the band and key members of their inner circle out October 8, 2025 from Hachette Books

LISTEN
to today's show

featuring Brad Tolinski and Jaan Uhelszki.

New York, NY, October 8, 2024 – Today Hachette Books releases MC5: An Oral History of Rock's Most Revolutionary Band by Brad Tolinski, Jaan Uhelszki and Ben Edmonds. This riveting oral biography of the proto-punk Detroit rockers MC5, is based on original interviews with the band and key members of their inner circle.


About the book:

Few bands have dared to ignite a revolution through their fusion of activism and art like MC5. Managed by the charismatic radical and hippie spokesman, John Sinclair, MC5 wasn’t just a band; they were a thunderous proclamation of dissent, amplifying the voices of the marginalized long before it was fashionable. From championing racial equality to rallying for cannabis legalization, they fearlessly thrust their beliefs onto the world stage. For their efforts, the rabble-rousing musical arm of the White Panther Party, the scourge of J. Edgar Hoover's FBI and other defenders of public decency, were often beaten with clubs, threatened at gunpoint, tossed into jail, and even unceremoniously dumped by their record company, right as their album was storming up the charts—and all while the Sex Pistols were still on training wheels.

What has been lost amidst this notoriety is MC5 itself, a band worth remembering not because they were bad boys, but because they were so damn good. In MC5: An Oral Biography of Rock’s Most Revolutionary Band​, music journalists Brad Tolinski and Jaan Uhelszki invite readers to reconsider this legendary group. Centered around a series of interviews with MC5, their manager, and their inner circle—many of whom are no longer with us—that Tolinski and Uhelszki inherited from CREEM Magazine founding staffer and Mojo's US editor Ben Edmonds prior to his death, this book presents a genuinely candid, funny, and moving portrait of rock’s most uncompromising and articulate band. MC5 also features a virtual “who’s who” of 1960s rockers, including Iggy and the Stooges, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, promoter Bill Graham, John Lennon, the Jefferson Airplane, and political firebrands like Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden, and Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver.

As innovative, insightful, and inspiring as the band itself, MC5 is a fitting testament to the legacy of these iconic rock pioneers—told in their very own words.


Find it at Hachette and on Amazon.



Advanced Praise:

"MC5: An Oral Biography of Rock's Most Revolutionary Band is the final, definitive word on one of the 20th century's greatest, most influential and perennially under-recognized groups.”― JEM ASWAD, Variety
“MC5 were synonymous with Detroit rock, and always will be. And this book is a true testimonial to that.” ― ALICE COOPER

“The MC5 were a revelation… The future of rock personified! Fuck, they were great, and so is MC5: An Oral Biography of Rock’s Most Revolutionary Band.”― BILLY IDOL

“The sadly short-lived saga of the MC5 was among the wildest and most intense in rock history. MC5 captures their careening story with a candor and blunt force worthy of the band’s legacy.” ―DAVID BROWNE, Rolling Stone, author of Fire and Rain and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young



About the Authors:

Brad Tolinski was the editor-in-chief of Guitar World magazine, the best-selling magazine for musicians in the world, for over 25 years. His is also the author of Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen, Light & Shade: Conversations with Jimmy Page, and Play It Loud. He’s based in New York.

Jaan Uhelszki is a co-founder of the legendary music magazine, CREEM, where she became one of the first women to work in rock journalism. As head of the news department at Addicted to Noise, she won the National Feature Writer Award from the Music Journalists Association and three Deems Taylor Awards. She’s based in Palm Desert, CA.

As an editor at CREEM magazine (1971-1975), Ben Edmonds played a pivotal role in shaping the narrative of music culture. His insightful articles also graced the pages of Rolling Stone, and he served as a US correspondent for MOJO magazine. Edmonds authored the acclaimed Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On and the Last Days of the Motown Sound and his achievements include two ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor writing awards and two Grammy nominations. Tragically, pancreatic cancer claimed Edmonds’s life in 2016, cutting short his final project—a definitive biography of the MC5. This book owes its existence to Edmonds’ meticulous notes, serving as its cornerstone.


PUBLICITY CONTACT:
Roxanne Jones | roxanne.jones@hbgusa.com
Publication Date: October 8, 2024

Arna Vodenos, the WarmLine Clinical Director for NAMI OC and Jennifer Lewis the Walk Manager, join host Janeane to talk about the 20th Anniversary of NAMI Walks OC coming up 11/16

 

Arna Vodenos, NAMI OC WarmLine clinical director and Jennifer Lewis, Walk Manager for NAMI's upcoming walk, join host Janeane. They share details about the upcoming NAMI Walk November 16th at Angel Stadium and how you can get involved!

LISTEN

to this week's show

 with Arna and Jennifer.

NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.

COMING UP NOVEMBER 16th!
https://www.namioc.org/namiwalks2024

Contact Us:

NAMI Orange County

16480 S Harbor Blvd, Suite #101

Fountain Valley, CA 92708

Jennifer Lewis,

(831)-471-5435

jlewis@namioc.org
714-544-8488

About Arna Vodenos

Arna Vodenos, MA, Ch.t., specializes in holistic psychology with an emphasis on the importance of a balanced mind, body and spirit for optimal wellness. With over two decades in the field of wellness and healing, Arna specializes in many complementary, evidence- based mind-body techniques and integrates mindfulness, imagery healing, biofeedback, clinical hypnotherapy, breathing techniques, art and sound therapy into her practice.


Arna utilizes the combination of both traditional and non traditional modalities for the treatment of anxiety, mood disorders, trauma, along with increasing self-love and self-esteem through a daily self-care practice. Arna has worked with clients from ages 12- 80 years old over the past 24 years.

In addition, Arna has an extensive background in mental health working closely with NAMI, the National Alliance for Mental Health and with families who have a loved one with a mental illness. She is a teacher for NAMI’S Family to Family signature program and regularly volunteers as a trained suicide crisis counselor.

Arna is completing her Psy.D at the Chicago School for Professional Psychology, and earned a M.A. in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica and a B.S. in Psychology from Boston University. Arna is currently a Registered Psychological Associate (PSB94027008) under the supervision of Dr. Emi Iijima.

Crisis Resources

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis,
call or text 988 immediately.

If you are uncomfortable talking on the phone, you can chat the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988lifeline.org.

You can also text NAMI to 741-741 to be connected to a free, trained crisis counselor on the Crisis Text Line.


24/7 WARMLINE: 714-991-6412

Know the Warning Signs and Risk Factors of Suicide
Being Prepared for a Crisis
Read our guide, “Navigating a Mental Health Crisis”
What You Need to Know About Youth Suicide

Coming up Wednesday 10/30 at 9:30am - Director Jill Campbell joins host Janeane to talk about her documentary featuring the artistic excellence and founder of the SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIMSUIT ISSUE Jule Campbell. The film recently premiered at the Newport Beach Film Festival and included a stellar red carpet with Jill Campbell, Natalie Noel, Roshumba Williams, Cheryl Tiegs, and so many others followed by a very special Q&A.

Beyond the Gaze - featuring Christie Brinkley, Tyra Banks, Paulina Porizkova,
 Elle Macpherson, Roshumba Williams, Jule Campbell

LISTEN
to today's show
featuring Director Jill Campbell

Jule Campbell navigates a sexist workplace while confronting accusations of objectification during her 32-year tenure as founding editor of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. Unyielding in her pursuit of artistic excellence, Campbell fortuitously launches mogul models and a mega-franchise. At 95 Campbell reflects on her legacy and impending mortality with the grace and intuition that guided her career presenting a fair and balanced portrait of a complex and fascinating woman and her controversial career.

Here’s a link to the trailer.

*Official Selection – 2024 Woodstock Film Festival - World Premiere*

*Official Selection – 2024 Newport Beach Film Festival*

*Official Selection – 2024 Montclair Film Festival*

Courtesy of Red Barn Productions

Directed by Jill Campbell

Produced by Jonathan Gray, Jill Campbell, p.g.a., Rob Lyons, p.g.a., Sharon Cooney Shuttleworth

Executive Produced by Sharon Cooney Shuttleworth

Edited by Jill Woodward, Jill Campbell, p.g.a.

Supervising Editor: Toby Shimin

Composer: Miriam Cutler

Cinematographer: Nelson Walker, Gregory Gerhard

An incredible documentary featuring supermodels and director Jill Campbell about the founder of the SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIMSUIT ISSUE Jule Campbell. Jule was the OG to Anna Wintour of Vogue. The original documentary, Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell’s Swimsuit Issue will make its Southern California Debut on Wednesday 10/23 at 8PM at the NewPort Theater.

Natalie Noel (influencer and model), Roshumba Williams, Stacey Williams, Cheryl Tiegs, and Paulina Porizkova in attendance and will participate in a very special Q&A immediately following.

Director Jill Campbell and Models Roshumba Williams, Stacey Williams, Cheryl Tiegs, and Paulina Porizkova To Attend Newport Beach Film Festival

NYC PREMIERE In the world of magazine publishing, there is no annual publication more anticipated than the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Chic and controversial, the mastermind behind this titillating page turner was founding editor Jule Campbell. A creative trailblazer who navigated a male-dominated workplace while simultaneously rebuffing accusations of objectification Campbell transformed a struggling magazine with her vision to showcase female beauty in a tasteful, artistic manner. – Brandon Harrison

The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with film subject Jill Campbell, film subject Carol Alt, film subject MJ Day, film subject Stacey Williams, film subject Roshumba Williams.



This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
Closed Captioning for online screenings

All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.

Director: Jill Campbell

Executive Producer: Sharon Cooney Shuttleworth

Producer: Jill Campbell, Rob Lyons, Jonathan Gray

Cinematographer: Nelson Walker, Gregory Gerhard

Editor: Jill Woodward, Jill Campbell

Language: English

Country: United States of America

Year: 2024

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Woodstock Film Festival | World Premiere

Friday, October 18th at 7:30PM at Woodstock Playhouse

Newport Beach Film Festival | Public Screening
Wednesday, Oct 23rd, 8:00 PM at The New Port Theater

Montclair Film Festival | Public Screenings

Saturday, October 26th at 2:30PM at Clairidge Cinema 1

Sunday, October 27 at 6:30PM at Clairidge Cinema 1


RT: 107 Minutes



FIlm Sales

Gary Rubin

310-339-9298

Garyjrubin@gmail.com



Publicity Contacts



Amy Prenner –NEWPORT BEACH FF

The Prenner Group

amy@theprennergroup.com

(310) 709-1101



Falco Ink.

212-445-7100

StevenmBeeman@Falcoink.com | DanielleVillanella@FalcoInk.com

Coming up 10/30 - 9:00am - The Magic Yarn Project Founder & CEO - Holly Christensen

LISTEN 
to today's show 
featuring Holly Christensen

My name is Holly Christensen. I have often witnessed the scary and painful world of cancer as an oncology nurse, friend, and family member. I’ve always held my cancer patients very close to my heart.

In 2014, upon learning that a friend’s daughter had been diagnosed with cancer and would likely be in the hospital for a while, I began to think of what I could do to help bring some magic and light to this little girl’s life during the trying days that I knew were ahead for her.

Knowing how difficult it would be for her to lose her beautiful blonde curls, I made her a Rapunzel yarn wig and sent it in the mail.

She was overcome with joy.

My friend remarked at how many other little girls in that hospital would love to have such a special gift, as it had had such an impact on her daughter’s demeanor and happiness during her treatments.

I began to organize what I thought would be a small project creating a few dozen wigs to send to little cancer patients, and I put up a request on Facebook for yarn donations. Within hours, I was flooded with responses from around the world—mothers who wanted these wigs for their little girls who have cancer, complete strangers who wanted to help by donating money to buy yarn, professionals reaching out and requesting wigs for their hospitals, and more.

What started as a small project has snowballed into something much bigger than I ever expected! Thanks to the popularity of these wigs, The Magic Yarn Project was born, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We are the original and the largest organization making yarn wigs for children with medical hair loss.

Our entire Magic Yarn team has been overwhelmed with the donations and desire to help that has come from all over the world. Since our humble beginnings in 2015, the spirit of service has touched the hearts of tens of thousands. We estimate that Magic Yarn has spurred over 300,000 hours of volunteering over the last decade. We have received thousands of photos and stories from grateful parents, telling us how much it meant to their child to feel comfortable and playful again. Children rest in bed with their wigs when they are too sick to play; they wear them for courage during painful procedures; they show them off when they triumphantly ring the bell signaling their graduation from chemotherapy. Some grieving parents have even told us that the child they lost was buried wearing their Magic Yarn wig. Our hearts are shattered and healed over and over again when we hear how much it means to suffering families to know that strangers cared enough about their child to send them a handmade gift. The knowledge that they are not alone in the worst ordeal of their lives is a priceless gift.

Our ever-growing organization is funded solely by donations, and we are still 100% volunteer powered. The Magic Yarn Project was created to answer the call to bring light to little cancer fighters, and to help community members discover ways to be those light-givers. We’d like to invite you to watch our 4-minute video, and see for yourself that Magic is something that you can make: http://youtu.be/E9wtHskTI2g.

Yours in service,
Holly Christensen

Founder & CEO

ABOUT

Holly Christensen, Palmer, AK
Founder and Board President

Raised in both Alaska and Mexico, Holly has appreciated a diversity of experience and culture throughout her life. She has learned that one constant in life no matter where you go are the amazing accomplishments and acts of love that people are capable of. Holly’s desire to help and serve others led her to pursue her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. During her college education, she completed a maternity hospital internship in central Argentina, utilizing her Spanish-speaking skills in the medical setting and helping to create educational tools for postpartum mothers.

As an RN, Holly has worked in oncology, ICU, Alzheimer’s, and orthopedics. Holly now spends her time devoted to raising her three children and running The Magic Yarn Project, which she co-founded out of her one-car garage. She was named BYU’s College of Nursing 2018 “Alumna of the Year” for her work with The Magic Yarn Project.

Coming up 10/16 at 9:30am - UCI Alum and Director Joe Wein, talks about his latest film - 76 Days Adrift, premiering at The Newport Beach Film Festival. The gripping documentary from executive producer Ang Lee

LISTEN
to today's show
featuring Director Joe Wein

FROM EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ANG LEE, 76 DAYS ADRIFT TO PREMIERE AT THE NEWPORT BEACH FILM FESTIVAL

Newport Beach, CA – October 15, 2024—The filmmakers for 76 Days Adrift, will premiere at The Newport Beach Film Festival. The gripping documentary from executive producer Ang Lee, which immerses viewers in the harrowing survival story of Steven Callahan is directed by Joe Wein and features an evocative score by Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump. This documentary feature delves deep into one man’s incredible journey of endurance and resilience.

The film will screen on Sunday October 20 at 12pm at The Lot 3,
999 Newport Center Dr, Newport Beach, CA 92660, followed by a Q&A with director Joe Wein. It will have a second showing on Tuesday October 22 at 2:45PM at Big Newport 4, 300 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660. It will next premiere at the Naples International Film Festival on Friday October 25, Saturday October 26 and Sunday October 27 followed by DOC NYC in New York on Wednesday November 20 and Thursday November 21.

Based on Callahan's New York Times bestselling memoir Adrift: 76 Days Lost at Sea, the documentary recounts his terrifying experience after a collision with a whale left his boat sinking in the middle of the Atlantic on February 4, 1982. Alone on a life raft with only a basic emergency kit, Steven spent 76 days at the mercy of the vast ocean, battling not only the elements but also his inner fears and limits.

76 Days Adrift is more than a survival story; it’s an exploration of the unbreakable human spirit and the profound bond between humanity and nature. With raw, emotional storytelling and stunning cinematography, the film invites audiences to witness an extraordinary tale of courage, adaptation, and sheer willpower.

The Newport Beach Film Festival provides an ideal backdrop for the premiere of this compelling documentary, which is expected to captivate audiences with its breathtaking visuals and poignant narrative.


# # #


ABOUT JOE WEIN

Director Joe Wein, known for his work in music videos and commercials, brings his storytelling prowess to documentary filmmaking. His previous success includes the acclaimed short film "Goldfish," recognized at prestigious festivals and distributed by Shorts International. As a screenwriter, Joe has earned a place in Variety Magazine's "Top Ten Screenwriters to Watch."

Both director Joe Wein and Steven Callahan will engage in a Q&A session following the premiere screening, providing unique insights into the filmmaking process and the incredible survival story.

The musical score for the documentary is produced by Patrick Stump, the lead vocalist of Fall Out Boy. Stump's original score, along with his exclusive cover of Iggy Pop's "The Passenger," adds another layer to the film's immersive experience.

For more information, please visit https://76days.net.

Coming up Wednesday 9:00am on KUCI 88.9fm - LEARNING TO BE NAKED, a groundbreaking documentary premiering at the 20th Annual LA Femme International Film Festival. Janeane will be in conversation with Director Susan Wolf, and featured burlesque performer Mx Pucks

Janeane speaks with Director Susan Wolf, and featured burlesque performer
Mx Pucks on KUCI 88.9fm. Miss the show? Click the listen link below for the podcast.

LISTEN
to today's show

featuring Director Susan Wolf and burlesque performer Mx Pucks.

TRAILER: LEARNING TO BE NAKED

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


DIRECTOR SUSAN WOLF’S GROUNDBREAKING DOCUMENTARY

“LEARNING TO BE NAKED” WILL MAKE L.A. PREMIERE

AT THE 20th LA FEMME INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, OCT. 24-27, 2024


“Like a caterpillar metamorphosing inside a chrysalis, burlesque provides a safe space for many performers to transform, spread their wings and land on stage feeling more confident, beautiful and free.”


LOS ANGELES, October 5, 2024 --:“LEARNING TO BE NAKED”, a powerful and heartrending documentary of transformation and healing through the art of burlesque will screen Oct. 27 as part of the 20th LA FEMME INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL {LAFIFF} at the Regal Theaters at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles, October 24-27.


Produced and directed by Susan Wolf and Machiel Amorison and written by Wolf, the film was edited by Max Vonk, and features burlesque performers Dita Von Teese, Analyn Brook (Eileen Wright), Kia Puckett (Mx. Pucks A’Plenty), Annick Donckers (Loulou La Belle), Anna Paladino (Viola Panik), and Anna Smith Higgs.


“LEARNING TO BE NAKED” seeks to dispel stereotypes about what kinds of bodies deserve to be seen and celebrated. The film follows five extraordinary and unconventional performers as burlesque strips away their shame, gently peels off their insecurities and slowly undresses their pain, including an amputee/breast cancer survivor who proudly performs with her prosthesis and does not hide her scars; and a plus size, black, non-binary performer who is a fierce advocate for BIPOC and LGBTQ artists.


Director Wolf shares “It’s hard to imagine a more vulnerable experience than getting naked on stage–and for some it is precisely this experience that profoundly changes their lives.”


One featured performer, British Anna Smith Higgs, is disabled and a burlesque performer who knows most people do not say those words in the same sentence. Anna suffered a stroke at the age of 24, one month after giving birth to her son. She lost the use of her right arm and much of her vision. Through sheer determination Anna learned to walk again. After her stroke she was deeply depressed but through burlesque she has found “Joy, pure joy. It’s better than any drug,“ says Anna.


“I wanted to change the way people think about the disabled,” she declares. “ I want as many people as possible to see my act because it raises awareness that strokes don't just happen to older people.”


“LEARNING TO BE NAKED” will screen Sun, Oct 27th, at 2:00 PM in Auditorium 12 at the Regal Cinemas at LA Live, 1000 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, 90015


Susan Wolf , Eileen Wright and Mx. Pucks A’Plenty are available for interviews. Contact Deborah Gilels at L.A. Media Consultants to arrange a meeting at ddgilels@prodigy.net or 818-648-9513.


For more information, here’s the link to website: https://www.learningtobenaked.com
Link to trailer: TRAILER: LEARNING TO BE NAKED

During Mental Illness Awareness Week from October 6 – 12 and World Mental Health Day on October 10, NAMI is highlighting our workplace mental health. Learn about NAMI StigmaFree, download key resources, and share on your social media.

About Mental Illness Awareness Week

Everyone is impacted by mental health conditions – including the friends, family, and coworkers who don’t live with a mental health condition themselves. One in five adults in the U.S. experiences a mental health condition each year, which impacts those who know and love them.

Since 1990, Americans have celebrated the first full week of October as Mental Illness Awareness Week after the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) lobbied Congress to create this critical awareness event. This year, Mental Illness Awareness Week is October 6 – 12 and World Mental Health Day is October 10.

NAMI believes that mental health conditions are important to discuss all year, and we are thrilled to participate in a global conversation during this awareness week.

Personal mental health can sometimes take a backseat at work, but it’s time for us to come together to prioritize it. That’s why NAMI’s theme this #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek and #WorldMentalHealthDay is My Mental Health at Work! Promote mental wellness in your workplace with these guides. #NAMIStigmaFree

Mental health is important in all aspects of our lives, including in professional settings. That’s why we’re putting it first this #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek and #WorldMentalHealthDay! Let’s make our workplaces #NAMIStigmaFree. Share how you prioritize Mental Health at Work!

Learn more by visiting the NAMI website.

Coming up 10/9 at 9:00am - Roxanne Scott, PhD, a private practice licensed clinician, shares her personal healing journey after losing her late husband to Lewy Body Dementia

LISTEN
to today's show featuring
Roxanne Scott, PhD

About Roxanne Scott

• Texas born and bred
• Private practice licensed clinician in Irving, Texas
• Completed Master’s and Ph.D. at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas
• Currently continuing on her personal healing, increasing her faith and compassion, while helping others heal from trauma.
• Helping ease the journey for other LBD (Lewy Body Dementia) folks
• Recently completed volunteer training with Lewy Body Dementia Association’s Lewy Buddy Care program
• contact: ritscott13@att.net

What is Lewy Body Dementia?

The following information about Lewy Body Dementia comes from the Mayo Clinic website.


Overview

Lewy body dementia is the second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer's disease. Protein deposits called Lewy bodies develop in nerve cells in the brain. The protein deposits affect brain regions involved in thinking, memory and movement. This condition is also known as dementia with Lewy bodies.

Lewy body dementia causes a decline in mental abilities that gradually gets worse over time. People with Lewy body dementia might see things that aren't there. This is known as visual hallucinations. They also may have changes in alertness and attention.

People with Lewy body dementia might experience Parkinson's disease symptoms. These symptoms may include rigid muscles, slow movement, trouble walking and tremors.



Symptoms

Lewy body dementia symptoms can include:

Visual hallucinations. Seeing things that aren't there, known as hallucinations, might be one of the first symptoms of Lewy body dementia. This symptom often occurs regularly. People with Lewy body dementia might see shapes, animals or people that aren't there. Hallucinations involving sounds, smells or touch are possible.

Movement disorders. Signs of Parkinson's disease, known as parkinsonian signs, may occur. These symptoms include slowed movement, rigid muscles, tremor or a shuffling walk. This can cause the person to fall.

Poor regulation of body functions. The part of the nervous system that controls automatic functions is called the autonomic nervous system. Lewy body dementia can affect how well the autonomic nervous system controls blood pressure, heart rate, sweating and digestion. This can result in sudden drops in blood pressure upon standing, dizziness, falls, loss of bladder control and bowel issues such as constipation.

Cognitive problems. People with Lewy body dementia might have thinking problems similar to those of Alzheimer's disease. They may include confusion, poor attention, visual-spatial problems and memory loss.

Trouble with sleep. People with Lewy body dementia can have rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder. This disorder causes people to physically act out their dreams while asleep. People with REM sleep behavior disorder may punch, kick, yell or scream while sleeping.

Varying attention. Episodes of drowsiness, long periods of staring into space, long naps during the day or disorganized speech are possible.
Depression. People with Lewy body dementia might develop depression.
Apathy. Loss of motivation may occur.

Learn more by visiting the
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Coming up 10/2 on KUCI - PBS SoCal new documentary, The Cheech - Janeane speaks with Director Varda Bar-Kar

The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum showcases the actor's collection of more than 700 pieces by Mexican-American artists. Told through perspectives of established artists and those who know him best, the film tells his journey from comedy icon to Chicano art advocate.
Watch the Trailer

Director: Varda Bar-Kar

Producers: Nic Cha Kim and Alessandra Pasquino

Production: PBS SoCal and GroundStorm Media

Editor: Edgar Sardarian

Pictured: ARTBOUND Season 15 key art featuring Cheech Marin
(Image courtesy of PBS SoCal).

pbssocal.org/artbound

LISTEN
to today's show
featuring Varda Bar-Kar

Award-winning director Varda Bar-Kar was born in England to a South African mother and a Romanian father. By age ten, she had traveled and lived on three continents. Her international upbringing gives her a global perspective, deep appreciation, and love for diverse peoples and cultures. She is an “artivist” filmmaker who focuses her creative lens on meaningful stories exploring the breadth and diversity of the human condition. She faces society’s challenges with an uplifting approach that speaks to possibility. Her expansive portfolio of award-winning projects includes Varda’s music documentary Big Voice and so many more.
Learn more about Varda's projects and impressive accolades on her website.

Los Angeles, Calif. – September 4, 2024 – PBS SoCal, Southern California’s flagship PBS station, announced today the return of the original Emmy® award-winning arts and culture series ARTBOUND. The fifteenth season of the one-hour documentary series kicks off with a look at the creation of a world-class art museum and education center dedicated to Mexican-American artists – The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum (aka “The Cheech”) featuring interviews with actor and art collector Cheech Marin. 

New episodes from the 15th season of ARTBOUND will premiere as follows (subject to change*): “The Cheech” – Fri., Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal / Wed., Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus

Cheech Marin is bringing Chicano art to the mainstream art world. After amassing over 700 pieces since the mid-1980s, his efforts have led to the creation of The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum, a regionally-based, nationally-focused art institution dedicated to Mexican-American artists. Told through perspectives of established artists and those who know him best, the film tells his journey from comedy icon to Chicano art advocate.

The additional four documentaries in the new season lineup include a look at the life of dancer, musician and activist Nobuko Miyamoto, the impact of Leimert Park’s Brockman Gallery on Black artists, the rise of West Coast Modernism by looking at popular “Case Study Homes” as well as the fusion of art and science at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The new season of ARTBOUND will premiere with the documentary “The Cheech” on Fri., Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. PT on PBS SoCal and Wed., Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus. Following the broadcast, each of the new ARTBOUND films will stream on the free PBS app. Members of PBS SoCal will get early access to stream select documentaries with PBS Passport starting Oct. 4.

The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture

3581 Mission Inn Ave, Riverside, CA 92501

ABOUT THE FILM

Cheech Marin’s Chicano Art Collection Explored in Season Opener of 15th Season of Arts and Culture Series ARTBOUND Premiering October 4 on PBS SoCal

pbssocal.org/artbound

Select programming will also be available to stream on PBS.org and the free PBS App.

Members of PBS SoCal get extended access with PBS Passport.

On Sun., Sept. 29, PBS SoCal, Riverside’s “The Cheech” and the City of Riverside will co-host a public ARTBOUND Season Premiere Screening Event at noon followed by a panel discussion that includes iconic actor and art collector Cheech Marin, the film’s writer and director Varda Bar-Kar of GroundStorm Media and Executive Director of Riverside Art Museum Drew Oberjuerge. The screening event will take place one block away from “The Cheech” at The Box Riverside theater with a general reception following. Guests are invited to enjoy entry to The Cheech for FREE between 2-5pm following the screening. The event will offer up a sneak peek of all five episodes coming up in Season 15 of ARTBOUND just prior to the premiere screening of “ARTBOUND: The Cheech.” For more information about the screening, email communications@pbssocal.org.

Additionally, On Tues., Oct. 22 from 6-8:30pm at Downtown LA’s Central Library's Mark Taper Auditorium (630 W. 5th St.), the Los Angeles Public Library and LACMA will co-present a screening of “ARTBOUND: Black Art: A Brockman Gallery Legacy” that will showcase the iconic Leimert Park venue that was at the center of a community of Black artists in LA from 1967-1990. Co-founder of the Brockman Gallery Dale Brockman Davis, artist Charles Dickson and LACMA’s Naima Keith will participate in this panel discussion and screening event moderated by PBS SoCal’s Bonnie Boswell with welcome remarks from City Librarian John Szabo. The screening and discussion panel will also be followed by a reception in the outdoor Thorton courtyard. For more information about the screening event, email communications@pbssocal.org.

This season will also feature a series of six digital short documentaries spotlighting iconic Case Study Houses that include the Stahl House, Eames House, Triad House C, Harrison House, West House and Case Study House 1953 (#16). These shorts will dive deeper with exclusive content not covered in “ARTBOUND: Arts & Architecture: The Case Study House Program” giving viewers an opportunity to hear directly from the current homeowners as they share personal insights on the significance of these architectural masterpieces.


PBS SoCal also hosts an Events Resource Library at www.pbssocal.org/events-resource-library that features a range of original locally produced content that includes several documentary films from past seasons of ARTBOUND. This free digital hub equips organizations to host community screenings. Offering customizable invites, downloadable episodes and engaging post-screening content, the Events Resource Library fosters local storytelling, dialogue and connections. Films from this season of ARTBOUND as well as other popular, locally-produced content from PBS SoCal will become available.

ARTBOUND will be available to stream on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS App, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO.

For more information, follow us on social at @pbssocal

ARTBOUND is supported in part by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Frieda Berlinski Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, GRoW@Annenberg and other generous institutional funders.



ABOUT ARTBOUND

ARTBOUND is the award-winning series that captures the spirit of the arts and culture community in Southern California and beyond. The Original series explores and illuminates the cultural issues of our times, providing critical in-depth analysis of how arts and culture affect society. ARTBOUND recognizes the need for access to the arts, arts education and connecting local artists with audiences, and in fact, acts as Southern California’s largest stage. Utilizing public media as a space to find quality arts and culture programming, ARTBOUND reveals cultural touchstones that have shaped the fabric of the region’s communities and a nation whose story is indelibly linked to the arts.



ABOUT PBS SOCAL

PBS SoCal uses the power of public media for good, strengthening the civic fabric of Southern California and providing our community with an essential connection to a wider world. As a local, donor/member-supported non-profit organization, PBS SoCal manages 7 channels — including 2 primary broadcast channels, PBS SoCal and PBS SoCal Plus as well as 5 digital subchannels. With a commitment to make content available anytime and anywhere for free, PBS SoCal is reaches nearly 19M viewers in the region with programming that reflects the diversity of Southern California and showcases the full schedule of beloved and trusted PBS content spanning Education, News, Environment and Arts & Culture.  PBS SoCal programming is available to viewers over-the-air, on all key streaming platforms via the free PBS App and PBS KIDS App. PBS SoCal also sparks the sharing of ideas at in-person cultural events and community conversations as well as prepares children for kindergarten and beyond by bringing bilingual, hands-on learning experiences to the community for free.

Remembering 9/11: The 9/11 attacks, 23 years later - US remembers day of tragedy

Photo by Jin S. Lee

By The Associated Press


The U.S. is remembering the lives taken and those reshaped by 9/11, marking an anniversary laced this year with presidential campaign politics.


Sept. 11 — the date when hijacked plane attacks killed nearly 3,000 people in 2001 — falls in the thick of the presidential election season every four years, and it comes at an especially pointed moment this time.

President Joe Biden, on the last Sept. 11 of his term and likely his half-century political career, is headed with Harris to the ceremonies in New York, in Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon, the three sites where commercial jets crashed after al-Qaida operatives took them over on Sept. 11, 2001.

Officials later concluded that the aircraft that crashed near rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania, was headed toward Washington. It went down after crew members and passengers tried to wrest control from the hijackers.

The attacks killed 2,977 people and left thousands of bereaved relatives and scarred survivors. The planes carved a gash in the Pentagon, the U.S. military headquarters, and brought down the trade center’s twin towers, which were among the world’s tallest buildings.


The catastrophe also altered U.S. foreign policy, domestic security practices and the mindset of many Americans who had not previously felt vulnerable to attacks by foreign extremists.



Effects rippled around the world and through generations as the U.S. responded by leading a " Global War on Terrorism,” which included invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Those operations killed hundreds of thousands of Afghans and Iraqis and thousands of American troops, and Afghanistan became the site of the United States’ longest war.



As the complex legacy of 9/11 continues to evolve, communities around the country have developed remembrance traditions that range from laying wreaths to displaying flags, from marches to police radio messages. Volunteer projects also mark the anniversary, which Congress has titled both Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

The Memorial

The 9/11 Memorial is a tribute of remembrance, honoring the 2,977 people killed in the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center site, near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon, as well as the six people killed in the World Trade Center bombing on February 26, 1993.

Names on the Memorial

Photo by Jin S. Lee


Prior to its opening in 2011 on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum underwent a multi-year process to verify and arrange the names that would be inscribed into the Memorial’s bronze parapets. All inscribed names represent 9/11 attack homicide victims: people who died as a direct result of injury sustained in the attacks on September 11, 2001, including the impacts of the planes and the building collapses.

Every name can be located by the panel on which it is inscribed. A panel address is comprised of the letter N or S (N for North Pool, S for South Pool) followed by a number 1 through 76. See a full list of names on the Memorial.

Homepage | National September 11 Memorial & Museum (911memorial.org)

This Was Toscanini The Maestro, My Father, and Me - written by Samuel Antek & Lucy Antek Johnson

This Was Toscanini   
The Maestro, My Father, and Me

LISTEN
to today's show
featuring Lucy Antek Johnson

Written by Samuel Antek & Lucy Antek Johnson

Narrated by Lucy Antek Johnson & David Garrison

Available for the First Time in Audiobook Format, Featuring Original NBC Symphony Excerpts!

“This Was Toscanini: The Maestro, My Father, and Me, which was produced at our own Verso Studios at the Westport Library … brings to life violinist Samuel Antek’s firsthand portrait of Maestro Arturo Tos canini and features his daughter’s recollections of a memorable time in classical music history. Added bonus! Excerpts from some original NBC Symphony performances are featured throughout. Take a listen!”

—Bill Hermer, Executive Director of Westport Library (CT)

“[Samuel Antek] wrote very beautiful about me. Very simpatico.”

—Maestro Arturo Toscanini

Live from New York, it’s Saturday night … 1937–1954! This riveting new audiobook about Arturo Toscanini, widely considered the greatest conductor of the modern age, features recordings from original NBC Symphony performances, broadcast from Studio 8H Radio City in Rockefeller Center as well as Carnegie Hall.

This Was Toscanini: The Maestro, My Father, and Me by Samuel Antek and Lucy Antek Johnson, with narration by Lucy Antek Johnson and David Garrison (Brown Books Publishing Group; Audiobook on sale June 4, 2024), is an intimate, firsthand portrait of Toscanini, one of the most influential conductors and musicians of the 20th century. Originally released as a special expanded hardcover edition in 2021, the book will now be followed by the release of its companion audiobook in June 2024 — timed perfectly for Father’s Day. This Was Toscanini is told from the perspective of Samuel Antek, the Maestro’s first violinist for all seventeen years of the NBC Symphony Orchestra’s existence — an orchestra specifically created for the purpose of being conducted under the legendary Maestro himself.

Antek’s timeless story of what it was to rehearse, record and go on tour both nationally and internationally with the famed Toscanini is brilliantly delivered by narrator Garrison. Newly added musical sequences bring listeners right into the seats of the orchestra players. Witnessing the crackling crescendos alongside the vehement strokes and slashes of Toscanini’s baton, it’ll feel as though attending the master class of an artistic genius.

About Toscani - from Encyclopedia.com

For more than half a century, Arturo Toscanini was one of the world’s most respected conductors, a musical powerhouse whose performances packed orchestra halls—and filled the radio waves—in every major city in the United States. Toscanini dominated the classical music world, leading the debut performances of numerous important operas and symphonies. In a time when the majority of Americans craved popular music and novel trends, Toscanini did more than any other artist to increase the audience for classical symphonies and operatic works. A New York Times reporter noted that the fiery conductor “represented absolute, uncompromising integrity. He strove earnestly to realize as exactly as possible the composer’s intentions as printed in the musical score. To achieve perfection he drove musicians relentlessly, himself hardest of all.”

Toscanini conducted entirely from memory. Nearsighted from childhood, he memorized hundreds of intricate operas, symphonies, and concertos and then—in performance and often in rehearsals as well—led without ever consulting the score. The temperamental former cellist kept a full schedule of touring, recording, and performing until well into his eighties, finally retiring just three years before his death. The New York Times praised Toscanini for his “judgment, experience, vast musical knowledge, uncompromising standards and the touch of incandescent brilliance he infused into every performance he conducted.”


Toscanini was born in 1867 and grew up in Parma, Italy. His father was a tailor, and as a youth Arturo, too, wanted to make clothes. His ambitions changed at the age of nine when he began cello lessons at the Parma Conservatory of Music. He was fascinated by the instrument and by classical music in general. Within two years he won a full scholarship to the conservatory, where he was known to sell his lunch in order to buy more sheet music.

After graduating from the conservatory in 1885, Toscanini immediately found work with travelling orchestras in Italy. In 1886 he joined a company that journeyed to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to stage some operas. On that particular trip the company conductor one day refused to lead a performance. The musicians persuaded Toscanini to step in as conductor—his penchant for memorizing whole scores had already marked him as extraordinary. Toscanini reluctantly accepted the assignment and, with no prior preparation, made his conducting debut on June 25, 1886. He was 19 at the time.

This Was Toscanini - The Maestro, My Father, and Me

“I don’t want to hear notes anymore, there shouldn’t be any more notes ... Abandon yourself to your heart!” —Maestro Arturo Toscanini

This Was Toscanini began as an essay by Samuel Antek called “Playing with Maestro,” which detailed what it was like to work with the world-famous Arturo Toscanini. The essay was so well received that Antek was approached for a book publishing contract, to which he responded, “I will describe what I have actually seen, felt and heard Toscanini say. What he asked of us, those of us who made music with him.” Samuel Antek had written all but the final chapter when he died suddenly at age 49. His book was published five years posthumously to many rave reviews, including praise from The New York Times. It had been out of print for several years before Lucy Antek Johnson decided to rerelease it.

Calling this reworking “a memoir wrapped in a memoir,” Antek Johnson expands the spotlight on Arturo Toscanini to include her virtuosic father, relaying a story about two musicians whose paths fortuitously crossed when the historic NBC Symphony Orchestra was formed. Providing her own audio narration in the prelude, coda and introductions to each chapter, she vividly regales us with memories of her father’s rise from first violinist for NBC Symphony Orchestra to simultaneously conducting the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and Philadelphia Young People’s Orchestra, while becoming musical director of several major American orchestras under the influence of Toscanini. With moving reflections on her father’s career and what it was like to grow up in an era of musical performance celebrity, Antek Johnson shares a remarkable contemporary look into the glamourous “heyday” of classical music history.

“Toscanini often said, ‘Any asino can conduct — but to make music... eh? Is difficile?’ Playing with Toscanini was a musical rebirth. The clarity, intensity, and honesty of his musical vision — his own torment — was like a cleansing baptismal pool. Caught up in his force, your own indifference was washed away. You were not just a player, another musician, but an artist once more searching for long-forgotten ideals and truths. You were curiously alive, and there was purpose and self-fulfillment in your work. It was not a job; it was a calling.”

—Samuel Antek

“First published in 1963, my father’s book remains the most comprehensive personal narrative about working with the Maestro. It is a story about the passion and dedication it takes to make great music and about Toscanini’s singular and often volatile approach to music making. It is also a story about the formation of a new orchestra under the baton of a musical genius who not only was a force throughout his twentieth-century career but who possessed an artistry and style that resonate even now, more than sixty-five years after his last concert.”





About the Authors


Samuel Antek began his violin studies in Chicago and was then invited to New York to become a pupil and protégé of the famous teacher Leopold Auer. In 1937, Mr. Antek was selected to become a first violinist for the NBC Symphony, specially created by RCA for the legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini. He was a member of the orchestra for all of its 17 years.

While continuing to play first violin for NBC, he was appointed musical director and conductor of the New Jersey Symphony in 1947; was named the associate conductor of the Chicago Symphony under Fritz Reiner; and, after inaugurating his distinctive Young People’s Concerts series in New Jersey, was soon named the director of all Young People’s Concerts of the Philadelphia Orchestra. He was invited to guest conduct many of the nation’s major orchestras.

Samuel Antek died suddenly at age 49 in January 1958. This Was Toscanini, his unique evaluation of the Maestro, was published posthumously.

Lucy Antek Johnson, Samuel Antek’s daughter, was born and raised in New York City. After studying music, fine art and ballet, she was drawn to the world of television production and spent her entire career in the entertainment industry, producing movies for television before joining the ranks of NBC as a network executive. She soon worked her way up to senior vice president of daytime and children’s programs for CBS. Lucy and her husband, Bill Klein, live in Connecticut.




Praise for This Was Toscanini

“Toscanini was not only a genius as a conductor but also a revolutionary of musical interpretation. In fact, he placed the performer totally at the service of the composer, in sacred respect for and fidelity to the written text.” —Maestro Riccardo Muti

“When This Was Toscanini was first published in 1963, Samuel Antek’s classic account of playing in Toscanini’s orchestra brought the Maestro back to life. In this new edition, Lucy Antek Johnson revivifies not only her father’s text and its subject — along with many of Robert Hupka’s original photos — but also her father’s own remarkable story. This book will fascinate everyone interested not only in Toscanini but in symphonic music and music making in general.”

—Harvey Sachs, Author and Music Historian

“Few authors can have the combination of gifts and experience, of love and intellect, which Samuel Antek brought to the writing of this posthumous memoir. ... We can almost hear the hoarse Toscanini voice in his fierce admonitions to the players, his wildly picturesque mixture of Italian and English in an idiom all his
own. After the recordings, this book will probably remain the most enduring and endearing monument to the art of Arturo Toscanini.”

—The New York Times (1963)

“For decades, This Was Toscanini has been my favorite book about the conductor. ... Antek’s book … is not only one of the most valuable writings on Toscanini but is one of the most insightful documents by any musician, analyzing how one painstakingly creates the aural picture of a piece of music. Lucy Antek Johnson expands our knowledge of her father and reveals the musician and human being behind the words.” —Bob Kosovsky, Librarian, Music & Recorded Sound Division,
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

“My admiration and interest in the recordings and career of Arturo Toscanini were piqued by the original publication of this book in 1963 ... I pored over and over it ... as well as the excellent photographs of the maestro ‘in action’ at his rehearsals taken candidly by the late Robert Hupka, whom I met and befriended
several years later. It was because of this book that I pursued my ultimate career in audio engineering. Now that this important book is being reissued ... a new generation of music lovers, musicologists and musicians can get acquainted with one of the greatest conductors of the past.”

—Seth B. Winner, Original Sound Preservation Engineer, ret., The Toscanini Legacy, Performing Arts Research Center, New York Public Library

“As the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra nears its centennial in 2022, the lasting legacy of Samuel Antek, its fourth music director, can be found in his conviction in sharing the glories of orchestral music with New Jersey’s youngest citizens.”

—Gabriel van Aalst, President and CEO, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

“Already considered one of the most insightful books on the career of the conductor Arturo Toscanini, Johnson expands upon her father’s memoir with her own recollections and reflections.” —Ryan Patrick Irvin, Artistic Producer, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

“[Samuel Antek] was as gifted as an observer, a portraitist and a prose writer as he was a musician. The vigor of his sensory images makes its own literary music. This unique, doubly moving memoir unites an outstanding musician with his invaluable impressions of the world-famous maestro, and it also animates him as a man of his time — a loving husband and an adoring father to the daughter who writes insightfully and lovingly about the career in which [Samuel Antek] was poised to achieve even greater heights.” —Sybil Steinberg, Contributing Editor and Former Book Review Editor for Publishers Weekly


“One shares the experience of being under Toscanini’s baton ...

it is as though one were in the maestro’s living presence.”

—Kirkus Reviews (1963)