West Side Story Rebooted – 2021

by Arthur Cola

West Side Story Rebooted -2021

By Arthur Cola

Years ago when I was a lad like Stephen Spielberg I watched West Side Story on the big screen, only for me it was in one of those long gone Chicago Movie Palaces. Yesterday I went to the pre-premier showing of the musical which ranks with “Singing in the Rain” and “The Sound of Music” for me as an all-time great musical.

The music of Leonard Bernstein and the lyrics of Stephen Sondheim as the credits rolled held the power and gave the chills as they did in the original version. With anxious anticipation I waited in the Ultra-Screen theater of Marcus Cinema practically alone as there were only five people at that showing. The sights of New York where given a twist by Spielberg as the setting was placed in the area of New York City which was being torn down to create the new Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts back in the late 1950’s. There the Jets run by Riff were trying to hold onto the last vestige of their territory as they saw it while the Sharks run by Bernardo saw that neighborhood as their own. Two cultures were colliding, one of European ancestry and the other from the American Territory of Puerto Rico. That clash of ethnicity is as relevant today as it was back in the 50’s and Spielberg handled it well.

The challenge of any reboot especially of such a classic which in itself came from what is arguably the most profound and moving love story of all time, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, is to create something which will stand the test of time and impact the viewer of today in a way which creates dialogue and excitement. Did Spielberg accomplish that level of intensity and relevancy in a nation ripped apart by a similar type of division? Will the young people of this 21^st Century go and see this film?

Let me address the first question. And to do so we must look at the cast and how they portrayed their characters. We must begin with the Jets and Riff. Their emotional attachment to the neighborhood is felt as they sing and dance down the rubble filled streets. Unfortunately when one compares the 2021 Riff to Russ Tamblyn’s Riff of the original film there is something missing. I think it was the athleticism in Tamblyn’s dance. Despite that slight flaw the Jets pulled off who they were as people seeing what was once their turf now being taken over by outsiders as they saw it. I particularly saw a remarkable improvement in casting for the part of Baby John (Patrick Higgins) who really gave a feel to the role of a young guy not quite as tough and certainly not into fighting. When the Sharks attack him that scene was powerful and made one gasp in the realism of it. Those Sharks are led by Bernardo (David Alvarez) who is depicted exactly opposite of what the original Bernardo (George Chakaris) portrayed. He is a boxer and not elegant. His dancing is not as refined but it is very Latin. He is the man of the family and protective of his little sister, Maria and that comes through loud and clear in both versions. In Spielberg’s version Bernardo chooses a non-gang member, a shy boy Chino who is played by Josh Andres Rivera with intensity and develops the character to a greater depth than in the original version.

Spielberg has now set the stage for that moment in which love strikes and turns the world of Maria (Rachel Zegler) upside down as she views from across the gym floor Riff’s BFF, Tony (Ansel Elgort). The dance sequence raises the confrontation which is sure to come. It holds up just as well as in the original version and in one respect, when Tony and Maria meet behind the bleachers surpasses it. That moment in which love transcends all boundaries and traditions, is beautifully played by Ansel (Tony) and Rachel (Maria). These two young actors were wise choices for Cindy Tolan who was in charge of casting. Ansel Elgort is far superior to the original Tony in both depth of emotional portrayal and singing. He should receive an Academy Nomination but we all know that probably isn’t in the cards in today’s Hollywood. But there is hope for Rachel Zegler whose voice is lovely and who portrays a strong Maria hopelessly in love with her brother’s enemy. When Tony and Maria enter the Cloisters, which was a creatively genius change from the original film there is such an elevation in spirituality and love that I thought of my grandchildren and how they should all see this film just to see how love can be tender and endearing, passionate yet sacred.

But all comes crashing down as the fight between the Jets and the Sharks cannot be avoided. And it all begins in Doc’s Drug Store but in this version he is dead and his widow, Valentina, who is a Puerto Rican and considered a betrayer of her people because she married a Gringo. Rita Moreno who was Anita in the original version of West Side Story plays that part and for her I see an Oscar repeat. She gives humanity to Tony and motherly guidance to both Sharks and Jets alike. And she sings, what more can you ask? And we are shown a back story for Tony this time around one in which she guides him from prison release to a future with hope.

Speaking of Anita (Bernardo’s girlfriend and would-be wife), the new version with Ariana De Bose in the role was grandly performed. She held up the candle as it were, and took on Moreno’s role with her in the film with a bright version and strong performance. If your heart doesn’t pump faster in that “America” song and dance number than perhaps you should check your pulse. What an amazing scene that was; performed, not on a roof top but in the streets of New York City amidst the destruction surrounding them. That scene depicted a message of hope in the American dream fighting the idyllic fantasy of a non-existent culture.

From that exuberant number to the iconic fire escape balcony scene in the tenement housing of the day your pumping heart slows down as the two young people love struck beyond belief make plans for their future. As Tony takes you from singing “Maria” you truly believe that it is the most beautiful name in all the world; but when they break into “Tonight” these young actors are able to bring you onto those iron fire escapes and into their emotions. Spielberg maintains the Broadway-ish feeling in that scene with camera angles and close-ups which once again demonstrate that movies are magical.

But we all know the story of Romeo and Juliet; don’t we? From those songs of Love and commitment we are taken to that same set as Tony climbs into Maria’s bedroom window bloodied and devastated. That scene not held under the highway but in the Department of Sanitation’s winter salt shed gives stark reality to the battle between Riff and Bernardo into which Tony thrusts himself to stop the bloodshed only to cause more to be spilled. The salt dust fills the air as the fight begins. That use of dust and even of water by Spielberg is also a departure from the original film. It adds the reality of where these young people are; that being amongst the broken pipelines, flooded streets, the rain, and the winter salt mounds. These are used to bring a sense of realism to the choreography.

In an emotional and captivating set of scenes which takes the viewer from Maria being torn between her love for Tony and horror of learning of her brother’s death, to Anita’s entering the Drug Store to help Maria and Tony set up their meeting to escape the hell of what had just happened our emotions are torn asunder as we root for the lovers and express horror of what happens in that Drug Store. Valentina says it best, as she tells the Jets that they have dishonored their people. It makes one think if more of us thought about how we honor our people, such division may be easier to heal.

All of this takes us to that final scene of love lost and found and lost once again. The gun is the key player set up in another departure from the original film. Ansel Elgort as Tony takes you down the street filled with decay and destruction, his world is destroyed just as his neighborhood is. This stark scene tugs at your heart and if you don’t feel his pain then once again you should take your pulse. He begs for Chino to come and kill him. His call is answered just as Maria appears bringing hope which in an instant is blown away as two shots are fired. If you saw the original film, it is here that you see Natalie Wood’s Maria bring the audience to the edge of tears and so too does Rachel Zegler’s Maria. Nothing is more horrific and yet tender as when the Jets and Sharks take up the body of Tony onto their shoulders and carry him off as Maria follows alone in her grief and Valentina takes the gun from Chino while guiding him not to the drug store but to the arriving police. Then once again the music of Leonard Bernstein uplifts your soul and carries you in its embrace as Tony does to Maria in the movie poster on the theater wall.

The Reboot of “West Side Story” is another feather in the cap of Stephen Spielberg. He has managed in using young and accomplished actors and a veteran from the original film to make its story as relevant today as it was in the 1950’s. It is my hope that the young people of today will go see this film and learn from its message.

Murder on Capri by Arthur Cola

October 19, 2021arthurcolaEdit”Murder on Capri by Arthur Cola”

Book Five of the De Cenza Murder Mysteries

Author Arthur Cola with his new book, Murder on Capri

Murder on Capri is available as an ebook on Kindle and as a paperback directly from feedaread.com or amazon.com or click on this link:

https://www.feedaread.com/books/Murder-on-Capri-9781803022277.aspx

Love is blooming for three couples and not so much for a would-be priest as they arrive on the romantic Isle of Capri. They are prepared to enjoy a holiday after the success of their work and solving of a murder in Ireland. Ron De Cenza doesn’t have a romantic bone in his body some would say and his best pal Bob would say the one between his legs is an exception whenever the love of his life, Susan Marie Liguri, is around. And that begins the sub-plot of “Murder on Capri.” Shortly after their arrival Ron, Susan and Bob discover the naked body of a man with a knife stuck in his chest. The discovery of this body in the famous Blue Grotto leads the pack of seven to yet another find which revolves around the secret left by Joseph Bonaparte, Brother of Napoleon, former King of Spain, and King of Naples and Sicily in the early 19^th Century. So begins a tale which will pull you into the playground of the Emperor Tiberius of Ancient Rome, through the emerald lagoon of the Green Grotto to the Clock Tower of Capri and over the waves of the Mediterranean Sea. But Ron De Cenza and his friends are not alone in this quest to prove the secret of Joseph Bonaparte as being real. Nor are they alone in trying to solve the murder in the Blue Grotto. They lock horns with a friend from Rome, Captain Verdi of the Carabinieri who is in Capri on his honeymoon and finds himself leading the investigation and trying to keep up with the young Sherlock persona of Ron De Cenza.

#arthurcola #arthurcolabooks #mystery #DeCenzaMurderMysteries #mysterybooks

Murder on Capri by Arthur Cola

The Princess and the Egg by Arthur Cola

Once upon a time in a land called Wisconsin there lived a noble family with many Princes and Princesses. Now this family lived in a white stone castle high on a hill. On that hill the youngest Princess, called Angelina by all in the Kingdom, would love to play. She would ride her tricycle down, down, down into the woods below. Now next to those woods was a chicken coop with bright white feather creatures with tiny red headdresses and beard like growth under their pointed beaks.

Her Highness Angelina would park her bike at the edge of the woods and visit with these rather curious creatures whenever she could. She would ask them if they would like some of her treat which on any given day would be a Chex mix one. The chickens didn’t quite know what to make of her but one thing they did understand was that she wanted to be friends. And so they would hop the fence around the coop and scamper across the road to cluck their language to her. She would sit at the edge of the woods and talk with them, telling them about her latest adventures with the King who she called Papa. The king would stand at the door of the castle and watch the little Princess and keeping the Queen informed of the little Princess and her latest conversation with the chickens at the edge of the woods.

One day Princess Angelina passed through the gates leading into the woods and who should follow but one of those chickens whom she named Cooper. Together they strolled into the path in the woods, Cooper following her at a discreet distance just in case a fox was about. When she was into the glen in the center of the woods she would pick the yellow flowers and show them to the chicken called Cooper. Now you may think that to be a strange name for a girl chicken but it was the favorite name of the Princess who named most of her toys with that name. And just maybe since it contained the word “coop” within it, the chicken might feel comfortable with such a name.

When the King could no longer see the little Princess, he would not send his guards or even the Queen to fetch her out of the woods. He would make his way into the woods and call out to her.

“Angelina, it’s time to come home.”

The reply was always the same. “Five more minutes Papa, please.”

And as usual, five more minutes was granted by Royal Decree.

On a lovely sunny morning in early September just before the leaves turned into their rainbow colors of red, orange and yellow, the Princess once again peddled down the road from the castle and to the edge of the woods. But there were no chickens to be seen. She called out but not one cluck could be heard in return. She became worried and ran from the edge of the woods up the hill and into the courtyard. There she found the King seated upon a very different kind of throne. It had strips of plastic and cloth. The King called it a picnic chair. None of that mattered to the Princess. She wanted to know where had Cooper gone off to for she was not in the coop at the edge of the woods.

The King smiled and patted the shiny reddish brown hair which flowed over her shoulders. “Well perhaps she went off with her friends to search for a treat.”

The Princess pulled out of her silk play dress pocket a hand full of nuts and berries. “But Papa, I have her treat right here.”

“Indeed you do Princess,” the King looked about the grounds of the castle and just then he saw a white fluffy creature scampering across the road and up the hill to the castle. “Oh look Angelina, I think your friend is coming for a visit.”

And indeed there was Cooper, her feet moving so fast that they were hard to see. She entered the castle grounds and scampered right up to the little Princess holding the nuts and berries in her hands.

“Cluck, cluck,” she said as her head twisted and turned to make sure that fox wasn’t around.

“I have a treat for you,” said the Princess. She held out her hand and let the nuts and berries fall onto the ground.

Cooper the chicken went right to them and gobbled them up. She turned and gave a cluck of thanks. Then as quickly as she appeared, she disappeared across the royal lawn, down the King’s road and back to her coop.

From that day on, Cooper the chicken and the Princess Angelina would meet on the Castle lawn and talk about many things such as the colors of the trees’ leaves, and the sun in the sky and sometimes the fluffy white clouds in the sky. It was those fluffy white clouds which both the Princess and the Chicken liked best because they could look like a chicken running across the blue sky.

Now one morning, Cooper the Chicken was nowhere to be seen. Angelina was becoming sad. Then she heard the cluck, cluck sounds of her fluffy feathered friend. They were coming from the stable area where the Royal Carriages, bikes of the Princess and many things were kept. She ran to the stables across the Royal Courtyard. The big white door was open. The Princess peeked in and called out to her friend. “Cooper, where are you?”

On the other side of the carriages were the tiny carriages. These were kept for the Princess when she would like to take a ride into the village to see the Church Bell. It was from where these were kept that the clucking talk came. Somehow the Chicken knew that the Princess liked to ride in this strange carriage which instead of a horse would require a person to push it by handles while the Princess rode in the seat with a tray to hold her water and treats and set over four little wheels. Most people in the village called this carriage a stroller and so did the Princess but the King who pushed it down from the castle and up the hills to the Church called it a carriage.

Perched on the seat of the stroller carriage was Cooper the Chicken. Angelina was excited and ran to her. Between the clucks and the chatter of the Princess it was clear that they were happy to see each other. With a flap of her wings which wouldn’t let her take flight like other birds, Cooper jumped to the handle. The King would use the handle to push the carriage. She tried to tell Angelina something but the little Princess didn’t understand the clucking language very well.

“Well it’s nice to see you too. I have a treat for you,” said the smiling Princess with her hand held out with the nuts and berries in it.

“Cluck, cluck,” came the reply and she pecked some seeds out of the hand of the Princess.

Their visit was cut short for the King and Queen had come out to search for the Princess who could not be seen on the Royal lawn. “Angelina, it’s time for breakfast,” they called out.

“Oh Cooper, I must go. Grammy and Papa are calling me.” The Princess Angelina rushed out of the stables and past the carriages. She waved good-bye to her chicken friend and ran off across the courtyard and into the arms of the Queen, her grandmother. “Grammy Cooper is in the stable.”

The King thought he should check to make sure that Cooper the Chicken got back to the coop safely. Angelina followed him to the stable. The chicken was not there. They looked under the tool-bench and inside the carriages but there was no Cooper the Chicken. That’s when the King noticed the stroller. He walked to it and pulled it away from the wall. And what do you think he found lying on the black cushioned seat? “Why she left you an egg Angelina,” the King shouted as he called the little Princess to his side.

Princess Angelina jumped and down excited that she was left a surprise. “Oh Papa, it’s such a nice egg.”

And it truly was a very nice egg. In size it was just perfect for the Princess. Its shell glowed white like newly fallen snow after the sun came back out.

“Can I hold it?” giggled the excited Princess.”

“Oh yes, but just very gently or it may break,” replied the King.

The Princess put her two hands together and the King carefully placed the egg into them. She looked at it with a big smile. “Papa, why did Cooper leave her egg here?”

The King thought and thought before he gave an answer. “Well Angelina this is what I think. Almost every day, you ride down the hill to the Royal Woods to visit the Chicken coop. And many times the two of you would walk into the woods to pick flowers and for Cooper, to look for treats. You always had a treat for her and now she has given you a treat in return and just in time for breakfast.”

The King untied the pouch on his belt and placed the egg which even though it was not made of gold was just as special to Princess Angelina. They walked back to the castle and from down the road at the chicken coop, there stood Cooper the Chicken clucking her message of “Thanks for the treats. I hope that you like my egg.”

And the Princess Angelina did like that egg for it was a special one given by a friend from the chicken coop at the edge of the woods.

Princess Angelina and the Egg

Cooper the Chicken

The Erasing of American Culture by Arthur Colaianni

The Erasing of American Culture by Arthur Colaianni
I can’t believe that I’m saying this but I am so sorry for Lin Manuel Miranda. Here is a brilliant composer and writer who gave America the musical production of “Hamilton” which took off like a wildfire and spread its message in rap and music around the world. Here is a man who insulted the newly elected Vice-President who had come to watch the Broadway show. I saw the Vice-President elect Pence’s attendance as an opportunity to bridge the racial divide and Lin saw it as a time to further divide by his words to him. But still what has happened to him by the “erase our culture” movement embraced by more and more corporate and entertainment giants is ridiculous and outrageous. Still he took their demand for Disney to stop streaming the production of “Hamilton” on their Disney + programming and came forth with an apology that makes my stomach turn as I read it as an capitulation to the mob.
Now let me catch you up out there on what has happened here. “Hamilton” is about one of our founders, Alexander Hamilton. Lin Manuel Miranda in his production emphasized that he was an immigrant from the Caribbean Islands and the genius he brought to the Independence movement and later the Constitutional Convention and new government it formed which we almost enjoy today. I say almost because we have political parties which the founders did not foresee. Anyway it turns out that he was also a slave trader a one time in his life and yet in the show he is against slavery something I didn’t catch when I watched it for the first time on Disney+ the other day. But then he was in the slave trade; as long as it was legal then he could make money from such an enterprise but at the same time he could want to see its end as did many of the slave owners who were members of the Continental Congress who adopted the Declaration of Independence and Constitutional Convention which gave limits to the spread of slavery as a compromise to create the Union. Now had I lived during that time I would have let the South become its own country and fail as a nation because of its lack of industry to support its agrarian cotton culture. But from the beginning our Founders envisioned a Union of Sovereign States so I get it from my perspective in the 21st Century.
The Founders knew that one day the evil of such a practice, not being acceptable in Europe, since the Roman Empire fell, would be ended and Lincoln made sure of that. George Washington set in motion that movement to end it in the south when he made provisions to free his slaves with an endowment like structure which provided for the means to educate and place his slaves into a work force. Ben Franklin made sure of that when he started the Society to Abolish Slavery in the North. But I digress.
The issue is plain for anyone to see. “Hamilton” is being condemned because it dared to present a Founder as being heroic despite being flawed. Despite Miranda casting almost an entirely person of color cast and using white men to play the villainous George III and a preacher who spoke out against Independence, what he attempted is suddenly not enough. Unless all historic figures of our past fit what the dictates of this “erase USA culture” demand then they or what is written about them is not acceptable. In other words, our sins, our faith, our flaws, our misinterpretations, our views, our vision for America and theirs from the past are not forgivable ever. This of course flies in the face of Judeo-Christian teaching but then let’s not get into that for religion is also on the chopping block.
Now I cannot say that the wait to see “Hamilton” was worth it. It’s not my type of show. Give me “West Side Story” or “The King and I” musicals instead. Nevertheless I found it to be genius in presentation, energy and purpose. I did enjoy the George Washington song and the “What Happened in the Room” number; quite stunning actually, both of them. But that’s not the point of this missive. I am recalling the lines from another musical depicting the period of Independence movement. “1776” was the show and I directed a portion of it with my students back in the day. In that rendition Ben Franklin is arguing with John Adams who is desperately trying to save that portion of the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson from being deleted by the South. Franklin talks about the reality that those working to sever our ties with the mother country are not some type of mythological gods; that they are humans and not perfect. He convinces Adams that the issue is Independence first and then work on the issue of slavery. Again, I would have sided with Adams but I wasn’t there despite my grandkids who may think otherwise. And so our nation through a compromise that would come to haunt us to this very day was born. But the vision and the principles expounded in our sacred documents are not invalid because of that compromise. We have worked to make them applicable to all who came to our shores as voluntary immigrants and by force. It’s been a long road but we are achieving that vision; and now it’s being destroyed by those who wish to erase any of the good anyone may have contributed to that development because of poor judgement, mistakes or historically different perspectives of the time they lived in.
And that is why I am sad for Miranda and the persecution of his show, “Hamilton.” He tried to give immigrants and people of color a chance to be a part of our founding and development and the anarchists and culture erasers of the day won’t accept it. This is a time of mourning for the American people as we see such hope and vision being destroyed along with our heritage and symbols of our culture as a new nation made up of a new people, as Franklin said in “1776.” And ending with the lines of John Adams and George Washington from that show I ask again, “does anybody care, does anybody see what I see?”

Book Cover for new book: Pure and Tarnished Hearts

Seize Today by Arthur Colaianni

Seize Today
By Arthur Colaianni
Like many people during these days of Staying At Home we’ve been watching a lot of movies. I being a movie buff find this time of day an escape into what used to be and history and music. So we’ve done some Disney classic films, I mean really classical such as The Shaggy Dog and The Absent Minded Professor. We’ve also delved back into the 1930’s with the Sound of Music. But what struck me to write this opinion today was our viewing of the musical “Newsies.”
The Disney Newsies movie (there has since been a Tony Winning Broadway version of it) is a lavish well not so lavish maybe more like a time warp feeling of what it must have been like in the late 1890’s in this case in New York City. It was the time of giants and some of those industrial barons as they were called in the history books with which I grew up were Pulitzer and Hearst who controlled the printed press and great newspapers of the day. As the 19th Century came to a close these newspapers were hawked on the street corners by boys. Their salesmanship was outstanding which was good since that’s how they earned the pennies needed to live from those sales. The character Pulitzer facing a financial crunch decided to take one of those pennies away from those boys’ sales in order to make a greater profit. Jack Kelly the unofficial leader of the boys became outraged and tried to reason with an often harsh Publisher and even harsher social system and government leaders of the city. The result was organizing a strike; there would be no boys selling newspapers. One lonely news reporter befriended the street wise boys but that only brought down the wrath of the Mayor, Police and giant of the publishing industry in a violent manner. Eventually Governor Theodore Roosevelt heard of the beatings, arrests and riots in New York City and came to the aide of the boys. They won their penny back; David had slain Goliath once again.
Now to my point of this essay which is based on some of the lines delivered in that film and on stage. During a confrontation between publisher Pulitzer and Jack Kelly, the giant screamed at the teenager. “I tell the people what to think, I tell them how to vote. The press is power.”
That line struck a nerve in me. I began to see that very stance of power in our media today and expanded into the entertainment industry as well. The vast majority of We the People receive our information from a few sources of news outlets and printed media. It doesn’t take a genius to see that what we are being fed is often one sided and follows a common agenda. Thus we have for years heard of the Russian Collusion narrative which not only took down a three star general (Michael Flynn) but also led to the Impeachment of the President. When the narrative spouting the accusation was proven to be false by the Mueller Report and new evidence recently released the powers in charge of feeding us the news switched to the Coronavirus and brought panic to the nation. Now that it appears the virus is slowing down in many states and regions of a state, the narrative has focused on making the way our nation fought Covid-19 a political issue for the upcoming Presidential election. This includes the stifling of anything positive about certain drugs being used with a doctor’s guidance and even the wearing or not wearing of masks (I am a mask wearer and I do so to protect others just in case that I carry the virus with no symptoms) and most recently the protests to reopen America and let people go back to worship and dine and work and school. I believe in the Task Force Guidance outline to reopen America which was released weeks ago now and if followed would allow such activities to return. What happened in Wisconsin with people pouring into the bars completely disregarding protocols to keep others safe was irresponsible; but the people are frustrated with this constant push down to do anything which might reflect positively on President Trump as seen with the airing of the former President bashing the leaders of our nation on how they handled the coronavirus Pandemic. As a retired teacher and school principal, I am of the opinion that a commencement address is no place to play the blame game for political reasons. There will be plenty of time to air such biased views and a lot of support to do so from those in power who control what we see, what we hear, how we are entertained though to be honest it’s been a bit harder for them to shove their narratives down our throats since the advent of social media and the internet.
I don’t care if you hate Trump or love him, adore Obama or dislike Biden. I do care about We the People who in our system of governmental thought and exercise of our rights to work, worship, life, and directing the course of our nation must do so with all the facts not a constant harangue of negative views on this or that candidate or President being used by the powerful media giants of our day in the guise of news reporting and entertainment. And that belief brings me to another heart piercing line in the movie Newsies. “Sometimes it only takes one voice to begin a thousand voices.”
We the People collectively are the one voice needed in this nation to fight this virus together as each day brings new light and data which we didn’t know before as it’s a new form of coronavirus never before seen. It came to our land from another nation and it has created illness and death in its wake but it’s on the run if we are to believe that we shall have a vaccine by the end of the year. And I do believe from what I have read and heard from Dr. Fauci, Dr. Slaoui and others that we are well on our way to create one. But I am only one person. We must see the evidence and its development step by step to become believers. To do that we must do what Theodore Roosevelt and those newsboys and girl child workers did in the film. We must think about “Seizing Today.”
We must, as Senator Ron Johnson’s representative put it to me, “not be fooled” by appearances and inaccurate reports. We the People must seize this day and those which are ahead to speak our mind, exercise our rights in a responsible manner following the Presidential guidelines, save those who are prone to get infected due to age or health condition, call out those who speak with hate rather than reason and politicians who seek to destroy leaders rather than provide leadership, and follow our belief that our democracy is far superior than a communist regime on another continent despite their massive wealth and influence in the world. We the People will bring on a new renaissance to these United States. If we do that as many believe with President Trump who is the new Theodore Roosevelt in their minds as he is our first blue collar billionaire President then I will be pleased. But if it turns out to be the other guy then I will never lower myself to do what so many in the press and entertainment world have done. I will support that rebirth under that President’s leadership.
“Seize Today” America and work to bring us back and defeat the virus.

Senate Coronavirus Hearing Of May 12,2020 By Arthur Colaianni

Today I watched the entire Senate committee hearing with Task Force doctors. Most of the Democrat Senators questioning Fauci, Hahn, Redfield and Girior proved that they are more interested in criticizing the President than in addressing the health and economic well being of our nation. This was evident by the political tirade of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and by the nuances of the Senator from Minnesota who wrapped her testing question around a woman in a meat processing plant who went for a test and had to pay over a hundred dollars for the test when she became ill in April. She  implied that Trump lied about free testing. What is being overlooked is that she was a worker seeking asylum in the USA. I believe the law applied to citizens and that insurance companies dropped all testing charges. The Senator never said if this poor woman had insurance through the company for whom she worked. If she did not then that company should be ashamed of themselves for not picking up that cost. I found that the GOP Senators as well as the Dem Senators from Alabama and NH actually asked questions which focused on the Pandemic and how we can beat the virus and open the economy. The Senator from Georgia at the end of the session asked questions given her by constituents. It asked of all four medical experts if there was tension between them and the President and a lack of acceptance of their input. All four said no such split existed. Fauci said that the President and he have a good relationship and went on to say not only that but also that there was no division and from the early days in January when the seriousness of the coronavirus came to light, President Trump was receptive and that the foot was on the accelerator to address the Pandemic before it was even called that. He also pointed out that he and the others are medical people and researchers who do not give input on economic or political issues but on the facts of what was being discovered about the virus and how best to combat it.

Coronavirus Task Force Meeting Of April 27,2020 By Arthur Colaianni

Today I was struck by the great news that our testing thanks to the joint private and public sectors working together has been and will continue to increase exponentially. The President and the Coronavirus Task Force has been laser focused on bringing this virus under control.

At the same time I also heard a question which brought Dr. Fauci into the mix when he wasn’t even there. I felt compelled to write the President with my thoughts on what is evolving to be an effort by certain media types to drive a wedge between Fauci and Trump.

Below is my take on this situation.

Today’s Task Force briefing made it clear why we need to hear from the President and them frequently. It is imperative that Dr. Fauci returns to the briefing session. The media is trying to drive a wedge between him and the President. This is evident by the question asked today which involved him. Fauci is not a politician and is being used inappropriately by the media. He speaks of theories and a hypothesis which is then twisted to appear that he is at odds with the Task Force and the President. Only by involving him as he was in the past can dispel this narrative of friction existing.

I hope that the President and the American people strongly supports Dr. Fauci and the Task Force which is under attack by certain media reporters every day because of their agenda to destroy the President’s chances of being re-elected. The briefings need to continue despite this agenda. Americans who really think about what is apparent at these briefings see the truth. They see this constant attack through questions structured to show that what has been done to combat Covid-19  was slow, weak or ineffective. In short they stand out as being hostile.

We need to combat these attacks and the best way to do that is through the briefings. We the people need to hear the truth and see those involved in bringing about the cures and medicines, fighting the coronavirus and leading our nation in battle against it. At the same time we the people are seeing how our leaders are guiding our nation on a path to reopen state by state by helping the Governors with the tools and guidelines needed for safely opening our economy.

Coronavirus Task Force Briefing April 22,2020 by Arthur Colaianni

Trump, Pence, Fauci, Birx vs
Covid-19
The Coronavirus Task Force Briefing of April 22, 2020
By Arthur Colaianni
Every day as I watch the Task Force briefings I am amazed at the breath of information which is shared, the guidance offered, the cool leadership demonstrated and the seething disrespect underlying so many questions asked by the socially distant seated media types.
I was not disappointed on any count at today’s briefing. The President led off with a series of announcements which included that we have tested more people than all the other countries of the infected word combined. But the zinger was when he called out the misrepresented article and coverage of what the CDC Director said about a possible fall resurgence of the coronavirus. It was improperly reported that CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield announced that a second wave of coronavirus would be actually worse than the first one. The President called the CDC Director to the podium to set the record straight. In no uncertain terms he pointed out that he was talking about a combination of the usual fall flu appearance and a possible coronavirus second appearance would be complicated. At no time did he say that it would be worse. In fact the Director was encouraging people to get the flu shot next fall. Then Dr. Fauci came up and verified that a second time around would not be the same or worse because our nation is now in better shape to handle Covid-19. Though pressed to say otherwise he focused on the data and told the American people that it would be impossible to say we would have a second wave of the virus as this was the first time we have experienced it.
The focus of the briefing turned to the elderly and Nursing/retirement homes which have been the hardest hit population and locations. That’s when Vice-President Pence came up and told the story of not being able to see his mother back in Indiana. You could feel the sincerity of his concern for her just as many did when Gov. Cuomo talked of his mother in New York City who he couldn’t see. Then he gave statistics which I certainly had never heard before which in my mind would dispel any thought of a delay in action to fight the virus. Back in January when the nursing home in Washington State was the focal point of the virus appearing in America, the President saw a potential disastrous health issue facing the country. Upgraded rules were put into place back in January to safe guard the elderly and residents of such facilities and 8,000 agents were sent to across the nation to insure that these nursing homes were following the health guidelines.
The focus now on vulnerable populations, Dr. Birx talked about the elderly, people in rural areas and tribal indigenous nations and minority populations which would need testing. One reporter asked her if she thought all residents of nursing homes should be tested after an exchange about how many tests should be given. She leaned over the podium and coolly answered. I am so pleased that you brought that up for that’s exactly what it says in our guidelines. If they are followed by the states then all residents of nursing homes would be tested. The answer brought a smile to the President’s face as well as that of the Vice-President.
The Surgeon General, Jerome Adams also addressed the testing issue and made it clear that vulnerable and minority populations were being tested in growing numbers. Fauci and Birx had presented data which showed a disproportionate number of cases amongst African-American and Hispanic American populations several briefing sessions ago. A reporter tried to make it a racial issue but the Surgeon General would have none of it as he explained that unknown pre-existing health issues made them vulnerable.
The next bombshell revolved around the Governor of Georgia’s decision to reopen the state this Friday. The President made it clear that he did not agree with that decision and told Gov. Kemp that in a phone conversation. Trump was pressed on why he would not come down on the Governor. He made it clear that he trusted all governors to do what’s best for their state and said again that he disapproved of the decision. He went on to talk about the testing levels and how the labs in the states had greater capabilities than what was being done. He referred to Dr. Birx’s map of where these labs were located in the United States. A reporter asked if they could have a copy of that map so they could verify the locations. The Vice-President came up to answer that the map and a list of all labs was given to each Governor and State Health Depts. They would be happy to share the information with reporters.
One subtle reply from Dr. Fauci struck me. He made it clear that the Guidelines to stop the spread and reopen America were explicit, well thought out and thorough. And that they were working. Which I took to be a reply to Nancy Pelosi who said it was vague and useless.
Today’s briefing was a Grade A event which demonstrated to an honest American that our nation is in capable hands, more than that, extraordinarily so. Those who hate Trump will never see the good in anything which he directs. Those who support the President will find something good in anything he does. Those who try to place politics aside cannot help but to see that our President, Vice-President and the Coronavirus Task Force are hard at work to find cures and therapeutics, save lives and make sure that should the virus return in fall we will be in better shape to deal with it. At the same time they are working to responsibly reopen America’s economy and bring us into a renaissance.

A Suggestion for the EMMYS 2019

Mr. Adam Sharp

Dr. John Leverence

Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

Dear Mr. Sharp and Dr. Leverence:

Let this letter with a personal suggestion for future Emmy Award Shows begin with complimenting you on refraining from making the Emmys Presentation a platform for political hate speech and campaigning. We who do not share most of what your membership may think regarding the future of our nation appreciate that you are sensitive to the millions of us who enjoy Television programs because of their entertainment, while appreciating its voyages into discovery and history, news presentations and reporting on topics which face our nation and the world. This decision to curb such activity I believe will have a positive impact on viewership in the future once the word gets out. Free speech is a foundation pillar of American society and our nation to be sure. The use of it by those who happen to be in positions to grandstand with no counter viewpoint turns the show in a direction in which I don’t believe the Academy founders intended.

It was actually brilliant to go without an MC especially one who is a late night talk show host. We all know what they think and their attempt at humor is insulting and demeaning to many of us not to mention that it simply isn’t funny.

That being presented, I would like to make an observation about the Emmys Award itself and offer a suggestion. In reading the bio of Dr. Leverence, I noted that one of his accomplishments was to expand the Academy beyond the original broadcast networks. Certainly that is commendable for it brought in the possibility of so many more television programs, movies and series. At the same time, recent years’ Awards reflect almost none of the Networks, which millions of us watch for their entertainment value, issues being addressed, dramatic plots and comedic scenarios, who were the core of the Emmy Awards Show. One notable exception is SNL but then it by the Producer’s own words in his acceptance speech has survived because of Politics. Good for them, but there are many intensely successful programs and series on Broadcast Networks such as some of our family’s favorites NCIS, Blue Bloods, Last Man Standing, Big Bang Theory, Gotham and Suits; these last three will be missed. Actually while I am mentioning them may I say that Suits, Gotham and Big Bang Theory deserved as much recognition as was given to Game of Thrones. We were disappointed that they only got what the other shows departing got, a quick film clip. I think shows like Suits, Gotham and Big Bang Theory along with Game of Thrones should have been the foundation of the entertainment part of the show for each of them gave to the television audience many years of entertainment and creativity. It would have been far more interesting to have those casts in some manner creating a scene and presenting. And this brings me to my suggestion for future Emmy Shows.

For years now, the opposite of what happened in the early years of Television is taking place. Back then it was a natural state of affairs, there were few networks other than those now considered to be the broadcast ones. Now, that has changed dramatically. For some reason the membership of the Academy loves these new network shows and ignores the bread and butter of TV programming which millions of us who do not have HBO, Hulu, Amazon, etc. Our shows which have served up wonderful dramatic moments, belly laughs and insightfulness which touch our hearts and souls are virtually ignored. Maybe that will change as most new shows now are quite blatantly following messaging more in line with some of those who were bleeped out at the Awards Show. However, there is a far easier solution to this situation.

You already have Day Time Emmys and separate Awards for the scientific areas of TV. Perhaps the time has come for Prime Time Broadcast Emmys and Cable/Independent Emmys while preserving the Emmy for Best Comedy and Drama which covers all of Television. I am confident that millions of Television viewers will be beholden to you for considering such change and that these millions more would be watching your Emmy Awards Show, which by the way, should be entertaining for it’s a celebration of the Art of Television.

Thank you for your consideration;

Arthur Colaianni