For tickets please visit The Pantages

Laura Jane is a indie soul artist based out of Los Angeles. She is not necessarily new to the music business having

Indie soul artist Laura Jane.

proven to be a very busy and in demand vocalist.  She busted on to the scene with her debut album TO MY PLANET BOO released independently in 2005. Having taken the time to write, recreate and redefine herself as an artist she has released a sophomore album EVERYTHING CHANGES. This soul rooted album still captivates her musical quilt and displays a lot of what makes LAURA JANE unique. There are elements, of jazz, soul, poetry, Brazilian, Latin soul and even pop on this album. There is a little bit of something for everyone.  Her lyrics always thoughtful, this album displays some serious growth in her as a songwriter . Laura Jane is an undeniable talent and an artist to watch! For Laura Jane updates make sure you check out her website:

www.laurajanemusic.net

You can sign up for the mailing list there as well as catch her schedule. 

Also find her on twitter, www.twitter.com/sweetlaurajane1

and check out her YouTube channel:

www.youtube.com/laurajanesmusic

MY CONFESSION – Official Music Video – LAURA JANE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqrxUSKxZuk

EVERYTHING CHANGES- Official Music Video  - LAURA JANE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJXppGAfQwI

Emiliya Zhivotovskaya, MAPP, CPC, ERYT

What is happiness? How is it defined? How do you define it? The answer would be varied and unique depending on the individual and their personal experiences. Recently, I had the pleasure of connecting with Flourish, an organization dedicated to utilizing research based tools to enable individuals and organizations to flourish.

Here is my interview with Emiliya. Enjoy.

MN: Let’s begin back in Ancient Greece with Aristotle. He referred to happiness as “eudaimonia” a contented state of being happy, healthy and prosperous. Incidentally, we find  “flourish” associated with Eudaimonia for the first time.

How does one flourish in a classic sense?

Emiliya: The ancient Greeks identified hedonia and eudaimonia, hedonia refers to the type of happiness that was about feeling good, whereas eudaimonia was about a life well lived. Today research shows that while happiness as in life satisfaction is entirely subjective, meaning it is unique to the person experiencing it, there are general factors that relate to people feeling as though they are flourishing. One model in positive psychology is referred to as PERMA which stands for positivity, engagement, relationships, meaning and achievement. In my work I also add on a V for vitality to this model.  While these are all standalone approaches to happiness, when you feel that they are all fairly high your life is flourishing.  Positivity is somewhat similar to hedonic happiness, in that it is about feeling positive emotions and feeling good. From this perspective were not just looking at happiness we are looking at people feeling a wide range of positive emotions including gratitude, contentment, peace, awe, connection, etc. Meaning would be most closely related to Aristotle’s description of eudaimonic happiness which is about living life with meaning and purpose, as well as living a good life.  Today’s research includes engagement which is the sense of having opportunities in your life to focus strongly on tasks that give you a sense of mastery and flow. Positive relationships are also key to happiness since research shows that loneliness is one of the greatest factors of depression. One research study found that the only thing that separated extremely happy people from extremely unhappy people was the number of strong social connections in their life. Achievement effects flourishing because we all have goals that we set and we can better know our strength and impact when we meet those goals. I add vitality to the list because I believe that physical wellness is essential for a flourishing life. Wellness is more than just the absence of disease and vitality refers to the times in our lives where we feel energized, healthy, physically aligned, well rested and more. All six of these separate and interconnected approaches are part of living a flourishing life.

MN: You studied with Martin Seligman, the father of Positive Psychology, who was also famous for “Learned Optimism,” and essentially taught us that happy people are more social, do you find that to be the case?

Emiliya: While there is a strong positive correlation between happy people being more social this does not mean that there is a causal relationship between happiness and being social. Meaning the arrow can go in the other direction as well. Social people tend to be happier. While there is some correlation between extroverts who are known to be more social and happiness, the key thing to recognize is that happiness is not a personality trait it is a skill set. People who frequently experience positive emotion tend to attract more people to them. When you feel grateful you often want to share that with others and do good things for others. Which in turn gives people an opportunity to express gratitude to you which then further boosts your positive emotion. Human beings are social creatures. We thrive from authentic relationships. When we are around people we care about our positive emotions go up. Our body releases oxytocin when we feel safe and connected to others. I have worked with many people who were quite social that were not very happy with their lives. Being social for them included strong social comparison and materialism. While they had many friends they had few deep connections or the ability to feel safe enough to share themselves truly with others. I have also worked with people who when they feel depressed they don’t want to be social and withdraw. Those people get a boost to their happiness level and decrease to their depression level when they are social. However, they get an even greater boost when they are social in the form of an act of kindness for someone else. That can include a random act of kindnessor even volunteering.  The process of being social and more authentic in a positive way gives us increased happiness.

MN: So many people have gone through hard times as a result of the economy, or are stuck in jobs they don’t like or are unemployed.  Is it fair to say, to those struggling, that happiness is also hard work?

Emiliya: Happiness is not hard work, however, happiness IS effort. Happiness is a skill set. Many people assume that happiness is just something that happens to them as a result of life events. Very few people recognize that it is a tangible skill set and that they can enhance it to practice and that if they don’t enhance it through practice their brain will default to being either neutral or filled with mild worry and judgment.  Our brain has a negativity bias meaning the negative experiences in our life are much stickier than the positive. We are significantly more likely to remember negative events, feedback,  emotions and wrongdoings, and significantly more likely to gloss over the simple positive things that are happening around us all the time. This means we are constantly needing to counter our mind’s tendency to worry, judge, criticize, gossip and compare.  And even if you are in a happy place you can always continue to build your happiness by expressing gratitude, connecting with people, setting goals, creating more flow experiences, using your strengths, enhancing the meaning in your life, and more. Neuroplasticity tells us that we can rewire our brain to think more positive and to be happier, however, that takes effort since many of our old patterns are ingrained. However, they are not permanent or set in stone.  Increasing your happiness does not have to be hard work the way that training for a marathon maybe. But it does require being conscious of your pessimistic mind chatter and habitual patterns and having access to the tools to help reshape these patterns. Otherwise we feel like life is Groundhog Day.

MN: Your practice and website encompass so many helpful methods: CBT, Mindfulness,  Flow, Resilience, Grit. These are all extraordinary and well-researched  tools to help combat depression and emotional roadblocks.

What do you say to negative people that these methods don’t work?

Emiliya: I hope I’m interpreting your question properly. What I hear you saying is what do I say for the people for whom these methods don’t work. Is that what you mean? If so, my answer is that in my seven years of professional life coaching and being involved in positive psychology, the only times that I have not been able to find a tool to help people become happier was when they truly did not want to make a positive change. It is like the saying you can bring a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. If a person does want to change the reason that I have so many methods on my website and bring so many tools into my practice is because happiness is not a one size fits all model. Just the same way that there are many forms of mindfulness practice or types of artistic expression, there are many different pathways to happiness. What is most important is to figure out which one will give people the biggest return on their investment in themselves. I often think of myself as a tool collector. One of the reasons I spent most of my life studying the human mind, the human body, Eastern traditions, positive psychology and other research based modalities as well as spirituality, is that all of these different methods all have great tools for supporting people. And there’s never a tool that works the same for everyone. So I’m constantly collecting new tools, metaphors, stories and research for how to help people better understand themselves and become more masterful in living their lives.

MN: Tell me about gratitude enhancers?

Emiliya: One of the biggest challenges people can experience around gratitude is when they can think of things that they “should” be grateful for,” however, they don’t authentically feel the emotion of gratitude when they think of those things.  This can be particularly toxic because not only are people not getting the benefit of feeling gratitude for those positive things in their life but they are also increasing the experience of negative emotions such as guilt.  One of the best things people can do to enhance their experience of gratitude is to savor what they are grateful for by getting even more specific about what makes them grateful for that person, place or thing. For example, if I am writing in my gratitude journal and my list sounds something like, “I’m grateful for my health, I’m grateful for my family, grateful for my home, etc” and they are all generic gratitudes, I can enhance the gratitude by digging deeper into why I’m grateful for those things and what my life would be like without them. I keep digging deeper and savoring more until I can authentically feel grateful.

Another gratitude enhancer, or opportunity to get even more benefit out of the practice of listing what you are grateful for, is to ask yourself how you contributed to that good thing happening. For example, if I am grateful for my two adorable dogs I can think of the ways in which I contributed to this blessing in my life. This includes the fact that I followed my intuition on getting my dog even though I did not know at the time how I was going to handle a dog with such a busy schedule. As a result, I met my fiancée through his dog and my dog meeting and I now have two happy dogs instead of one. Simply going to this brief thought experiment of how I contributed to that good thing happening gets me a boost to my positivity and greater gratitude.

 MN: Let’s look to musician and lyricist for a moment. David Cassidy told us “C’mon Get Happy in the 70’s. Bobby McFerrin then sings “Don’t Worry Be Happy” in the 80s. REM sings “Shiny Happy People” in the 90s. Lady Gaga most recently sang: “So Happy I Could Die” – Even legends like the Rolling Stones and Frank Sinatra sang a happy song. Music mirrors culture– and I know you’re also a singer– what’s our culture’s song now from your perspective?

Emiliya: Wow, this is a tough one. I may need to give this one some more thought. My first intuition is a song about money such as, “Money money money money, money!” Or “If I was a rich girl.”  But the song I’m really looking for is one that tells the story about our cultural obsession with individuality and customization. One of the greatest contributions to why our GDP has increased yet our happiness levels have flat lined and our depression rates have escalated is that our culture has moved away from the world of the “we-pod” to the land of the “i-pod.”  Many people are so focused on themselves and so disconnected from a sense of strong, positive and life enhancing community.  Just 100 years ago our society was focused much more on a sense of “we” which included families spending more time together, neighbors knowing each other and a sense of personal connection to a reasonable amount of people. Now we are continuously told that not only can we have the best, but we should have the best.  Marketers constantly bombard us to think we should want more and more, and we get obsessed with having things customized to make us unique. Psychologist use the term “maladaptive self-preoccupation” to describe people who become so caught up in themselves that it causes depression, anxiety, insecurity and more. Do you have a song for that? I can talk for hours about all the things our culture is doing that severely impedes our happiness. Instead, I’d prefer to say that today is also the best time be alive.  More and more people all over the world are taking happiness and well-being seriously. We’re seeing psychology, medicine, and even politics take greater interest in flourishing and moving our society north of neutral and aspiring to build a world where more people are happier than those that are not. There are also more tools and more people to offer support in applying those tools than ever before.  I’m optimistic.

MN: Can you tell our readers about your six-week course and how they can get involved?

Emiliya: I run a number of both online and in-person workshops that are available on my website www.theflourishingcenter.com. I also offer positive psychology coaching for anyone interested in learning more about these science based tools for increasing their happiness level.  And the last thing that your readers might be interested in is that we offer one of the first certificate programs in positive psychology. It’s a 6 month program that equips coaches, therapists, counselors, managers, teachers, or anyone that works with people, with training in positive psychology skills and theory.

To learn more please visit:

www.emiliya.com.

Emiliya Zhivotovskaya, MAPP, CPC, ERYT

- coach – speaker – teacher – healer -

Founder of The Flourishing Center
(212) F-L-O-U-R-I-S-H / (212) 356-8747

Emiliya Zhivotovskaya, MAPP, CPC, ERYT

- coach – speaker – teacher – healer -

Founder of The Flourishing Center
(212) F-L-O-U-R-I-S-H / (212) 356-8747

Beverly Hills, CA (March 11th, 2013) –– Explore a new language and culture at the Berlitz Beverly Hills Learning Center Open House, to be held Monday., March 11 at 5:30 p.m., where guests will experience a demo lesson by one of our native-fluent instructors.

At the Berlitz Learning Center in Beverly Hills, language instruction features the highly effective Berlitz Method^®, and offers flexible programs for language learners, executives and other busy professionals in the technology industry, manufacturing, logistics, financial services, insurance, tourism industries and other fields.

The Beverly Hills Learning Center, located at 9454 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 201, offers a variety of innovative language classes, global leadership training and cross-cultural solutions for individuals and organizations. Don’t miss these opportunities on March 11th!

For more information please call (310 276 1102) or e-mail (na.lcbeverlyhills@berlitz.us) Berlitz today.

About Berlitz Corporation – a Benesse Company – has been recognized as the world’s premier provider of language training and cross-cultural services. Headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey with more than 550 locations in over 70 countries and 40 million clients worldwide, today Berlitz is a global leadership training and education company with a comprehensive portfolio offering communications skills development, testing and assessment, global leadership training and customized dynamic solutions for cultural competency through a variety of delivery platforms.

You’ve seen the furniture in magazines, movies and on TV; from reality shows about the rich and famous to sexy music videos and exotic locations worldwide. But not until you take a step into its glitzy showroom on Sunset Plaza, in West Hollywood does it hit you…this is the most fabulous furniture store on earth. Goodies inside Diva Rocker Glam are more than just highend— Diva Rocker Glam furniture offers a fantasy of what we want our lives to be: Glamorous. Out of the ordinary. Sexy.

Opened in 2009, Diva Rocker Glam’s stylish and elegant pieces outfit mansions, beach houses and bungalows of headliners and legends worldwide. The likes of Steven Tyler, Cee Lo Green, Melanie Griffith, Matt Sorum, Ace Harper, and a leg long list of other VIPS who buy under the radar have been seen entering the showroom. Well-known realtors use Diva Rocker Glam furnishings to stage multi-million dollar properties from Malibu to the the Hollywood Hills, and beyond. For this year’s Emmys in September, Diva Rocker Glam designs were featured at the star-studded Bella Fortuna Gifting Suite, hosted by The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills celebs; plus Kim & Kyle Kardashian, Nancy O’ Dell, Denise Richards, Mel B, Paris & Cathy Hilton, Brooke Burke, Taraji P. Henson and Sofia Vergara werealso there. Diva Rocker Glam goodies have appeared on the Jay Leno Show, Dancing with the Stars, Kardashians, alongside Paris Hilton…possibilities are endless. And there is something for everyone on every budget. Maybe your VISA won’t say “YES” to imported leather, gold la’me, diamond tucked bejeweled ottoman. So get an exact faux leather duplicate for hundreds less.

Custom accessories are glistening chandeliers in the moodiest of colors, flamboyant mirrors begging for a wall on which to hang and who can miss a collection of handembellished, original acrylic on wood paintings (also on canvas) highlighted every where signed by celebrated LA artist Anja, whose distinctive European sense of high fashion art explodes with charisma. Everywhere you look: chairs, couches, chaises, ottomans, sofas, settees, loveseats and beds; fit for a king, queen, rock star and YOU. This furniture belongs in your home, office, hide-a-way love nest; anywhere you live!! When you pause from the Disneyland of home furnishing before you; next question. Who is the brains behind this operation? Her name is Cindy Rocker and for 20 years, she entrepreneured her way to the top. From salesgirl at Fred Segal when she first arrived in LA from Miami and didn’t have a clue how to make a living. Then for years, selling wholesale furniture out of her house in the Valley and delivering it in her car with ahousekeeper. And a year ago destiny stepped in with a well-deserved move to a Sunset Plaza storefront showroom. Exactly where this superstar belongs. Cindy is smart, beautiful, and on fire with bedazzling charm. To outsiders it might seem Cindy is the luckiest girl on earth to have an amazing gig as owner of the coolest store in LA. Look closer; LUCK has little to do with it.
This is about the journey of a hardworking woman who stayed committed and found the strength to keep going in the face of extreme and tragic family health struggles. It’s about a woman who jumped every hurdle thrown her way on the road to succes, and did it as a single mom of two. Her story isn’t unlike that of other single women/moms who find their only true BFF on the way up is determination not to give up. What’s in Cindy’s forecast? On the drawing board are new designs for the Home Shopping Channel and an affordable line especially designed for Costco. Not bad for a girl from Georgia who grew up on a ranch riding horses for fun…a perfect Hollywood match!

Read the the full interview in Volume 17, Issue 12 of Beverly Hills Times Magazine.

Donny & Marie: Christmas in Los Angeles

I’m glad the phrase, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” does not apply to this show. 

What began at the Flamingo in Las Vegas in 2008, has flourished and has finally arrived in L.A.

Donny and Marie pack five decades of entertainment and nostalgia into The Donny and Marie Christmas show (Dec. 4 through Dec. 23), right here in Tinseltown. They’ve come along way, baby, from Paper Roses and Puppy Love, and they just keep getting better with age.

 It was Andy Williams who was the first person to recognize the Osmonds’ talent. So here we sit 50 years later at the beautiful Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, and you know what…?

They are still going strong.

Donny and Marie Osmond’s gift to all of us Angelinos is their versatility, not limited to just traditional Christmas music. Like Marie Osmond said onstage, “We used to call it versatility. Now they call it ADD,” which is true for most of us consumed in our iPhones, iPads, iPods, time shifting, place shifting content on all these devices.  It was refreshing to have one place at the beautiful and historic Pantages where we could see it all in one sitting and enjoy what a live studio audience must have felt in yesteryear.  

 Their performance interspersed historic television clips of Donny and Marie with the world’s greatest talents including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Michael Jackson, Bob Hope, Lucille Ball… and the list goes on.  Marie gave us a taste of Chicago, The King and I and The Sound of Music and to hear her perform Turandot’s Nessun Dorma was breathtaking.  In a tender moment of the show, Donny sang Moon River to a historic clip of Andy Williams.

 When you watch Donny and Marie, one can’t help but to reflect on a lost art− the variety show. We ask ourselves, where did this great format that peaked in the 60s and 70s go? How did many great shows like: The Ed Sullivan Show, The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, The Flip Wilson Show, The Hudson Brothers, The Smothers Brothers, The Jacksons, and The Carpenters, just become bite sized clips on YouTube? It’s just not the same. Back then families united and tuned in acrossAmerica, and for an hour of their lives they immersed themselves in true talent.  You had to have the whole package: singing, dancing and comedy.

So now America tunes into The Voice, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, and Reality TV and the endless elimination contests.  I guess we can thank Reality TV, and Dancing with the Stars for that matter, in reigniting and reinvigorating a new audience for Donny and Marie.  Perhaps you were one of the 37 million weekly viewers that caught Donny win the 9^th Season of Dancing with the Stars – or Marie faint. Maybe that’s what brought you here.

Christmas in Los Angeles is a rewarding experience when you don’t know what to expect and the show exceeds your wildest expectations.  No need to vote on your iPhone, leave it at home. Just enjoy pure talent.

If you are looking to get in the Christmas spirit, then the Donny and Marie show is the ticket for you.  It’s electrified with an infusion of historic footage from their past. Andy Williams might have been the first to discover them, but don’t be the last to discover the Donny & Marie Christmas in Los Angeles.

So what was the gift that Donny gave Marie this Christmas?  I can’t spoil it, but for those of you that attend, I can tell you that their performance and this show is a gift that will last a lifetime.

Thank you Andy Williams!

By Suzanne Takowsky

LOOK—UP ON THE HARLEY!

It’s Superman? It’s Elvis? NO! It’s cosmic super artist extraordinaire Jack Armstrong. His entrances are definitely over-the-top and his Hollywood swagger is beyond jaw-dropping, but there is more to this 6 foot-big muscle-cool hair-sweet talking dude than just his flamboyant wardrobe and designer sunglasses. Andy Warhol referred to him as the “Last Wizard” and as it turns out…millions of his fans throughout the world agree that NOBODY does it better than Jack!
It began in a small town on the Arkansas River in Wichita, Kansas where Jack Armstrong was born and raised. He recalls a passion for bright colors and a brush in his hand by age three. In first grade, at age six, he took home his first art award for a brilliantly multi-colored painting he titled, Camelot Castle. And while most kids his age were playing in the back yard, Jack was intently studying with growing passion the works of the greatest artists the world has known, and says the critical influence on his own art was the work of Van Gogh. He headed to New York in 1979, and as fate would have it during an outing at Bloomingdales one afternoon, he bumped smack into one of his idols—Andy Warhol. He says about meeting Warhol…”It was just neat to be a young artist accepted by the most famous artist of his time. Back then I was doing stuff that was way more splashy than I am now. But Warhol liked my painting and he liked me.” By the time the 90s rolled around Jack had perfected a style all his own—one that is hard to overlook. He christened it—Cosmic Extensionalism and he vowed that during his career he would only execute 100 works on canvas.

Along with his paintings (collectors pieces that range in price from $300,000.00 to $3 million dollars), in 2009 and 2012 Jack published three art books containing the full library of his 100 paintings. His brush style casts an infinite prism of extreme light and color that offers a good presentation of why he chose the word “cosmic” to describe his life’s passion. Warhol told him, “It is more alchemy than art.” Jack travels the world showcasing his brush stroke genius and these days his paint strokes target more than canvas. His latest artistic venture is by all standards in keeping with his bigger than life need to take the world by surprise. It’s a million dollar, one-of-a-kind Harley that fans and critics throughout the world agree just might be his biggest Cosmic expression to date. But choosing a motorcycle to paint was no accident.

“I’ve raced off-road motorcycles since I was 13-years-old and I rode my first Harley Davidson in Chicago when I was 16,” he says. “I felt like a Rock Star when I rode a Harley…I felt like I was Steve McQueen. I love the chrome, the paint and especially the sound. I decided years ago to paint and create my own cosmic brand and after telling Warhol about my idea (mid 80s) he was intrigued enough to proclaim that after he was no longer painting I would become in his words, “the last wizard” of art. I told him if I had a chance to paint a really expensive motorcycle it had to be a Harley. He loved the idea when I said someday…I would paint a million dollar BIKE! Artist

In 2010, Harley Davidson asked me to create a unique motorcycle. I said I would, but it had to be priced at a million or more. They agreed. I spent six months creating something that looked like it had traveled from the stars to earth. I could only name it, “The Cosmic Starship Harley-Davidson!”

Jack has not only traveled the world for his art, but has lived in London, Paris and Switzerland. He says that painting in the South of France was one of his most inspiring experiences because it’s where Van Gogh and Gauguin painted. “That was a mythical time in my life where the paintings and light brought magic to my work. I believe that clear, bright light brings something special to the artist who paints outdoors. I’ve never painted any cosmic paintings inside—EVER!” Jack says he will always maintain a residence in Beverly Hills and Palm Springs, but in the works he will open the Armstrong Gallery for American Artists in Fayettville Arkansas this summer. Located a 30-minute drive south of Bentonvillle Arkansas, the hometown of Alice Walton, where in 1962 her father Sam Walton started the Walton 5-10 Cent store that later became Walmart. Jack says that Ms. Walton recently put the final touches on the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art—a $1.2 billion dollar/nine year project that has garnered rave reviews around the world. Like Ms. Walton, he believes NW Arkansas will become a future artist Mecca; it is already a major stop on the international museum scene.

“Opening a gallery where I exhibit the most cutting-edge, contemporary art in the world will not only be a sensation, but encourage undiscovered, talented artists to submit their work. Leo Castelli and Ivan Karp, the two most famous U.S. dealers of the 60s, 70s and early 80s discovered most of the big names of that period, and loved to meet and critique artists for possible exhibits. That no longer exists in big name galleries, offering NO hope to young artists. I will help change that current situation, and as a successful artist I will help future stars of the art world get a break. In the last year and a half I do see a change in major collectors like Victor Pinchuk, who created a museum in Russia and buys directly from artists, instead of dealers; exactly what Ms. Walton is doing. This a major shift in how high-end art is sold and collected. Finally, extremely talented artists rising to the top will be able to make a living while they are still alive— rather than after they have passed on.”

Jack’s reputation for the marvelous has grown internationally to the extent that his “Rock Star” status in the world of splashy art is legendary. He is the first American artist to be featured by FineArtsTV-Europe.com. Renowned collectors including Alice Walton, Michel Polnareff and Narendra Patel among others have acquired pieces from Jack. And indeed, his just released third coffee table art book—Cosmic Star Trip—is proving to be an international hit. The soft bound, 46 page, 18×12 laminated front and back covers display Jack’s full range of spectacular color. The Limited Edition 3-book collection retails for $1000.

With all of his success I had to ask…WHY STOP AT 100 PAINTINGS? He said, “100 is a mystical thing. Everyone wants to live to be 100. And, only 100 people on this planet will own a Jack Armstrong painting. The fact that there are only 100 of my paintings allows me to say truthfully that I never repeated myself and I never will.” AND WHAT ABOUT THIS SUPER SONIC-SUPER STEALTH HARLEY? “This Harley-Davidson was the most exciting painting I’ve ever done. Even though the canvas was metal, it was a canvas and this is a painting. I love the fact people all over the world who have never heard of me or of Cosmic Extensionalism have heard of Harley-Davidson.” And the legend continues………

Media inquiries: Ellen Sterling—ellendianesterling@mac.com
Jack Armstrong’s Cosmic Art: jack@jackarmstrongartist.com 310-990-7332
Orders: sells@JackArmstrongArtist.com http://jackarmstrongartist.com

Some we forgive…others we never will!

Celebrities and scandal go together like a shot of Tequila, lime and salt. There’s nothing shocking about
stars who venture off the beaten path to take a short cut through hell on their way to work. What is amazing
is how we forgive some and not others. I think it comes down to damage control, star talent and believability.
It’s easier for us to watch news unfold about an out of control star’s meltdown on Monday, forgive him/her
on Tuesday, and back to being a fan on Wednesday, IF we believe the offense is self-contained; meaning
the brunt of the joke is the celebrity—not us. Where we begin our transition into venomous sidewinders
is when we realize that WE are the fools; WE are the joke; We are the chumps believing the crap, while
the star is laughing all the way to the bank.

My #1 pick for the most scandalous celeb since Hollywood opened its doors is Charlie Sheen. He is
so out of his mind during his HIGH/MANIC moments we can’t help but be amused. That talk of “winning”
when he was so clearly “losing” the biggest pay check in television history brought tears to my eyes.
He IS or does an incredible ACT of behaving like a drug addict/alcoholic. AND he is the first to take the
blame or the credit depending on his mood. Just watching his infamous TV roast shortly after he got
fired from his top rated TV show, Two and a Half Men, by CBS/Warner Brothers one belly laughed for an
hour. As the highest paid actor in TV history (just under two million dollars an episode) the guy sat in the
hot seat and was dragged through hell and did not flinch as smile after smile crossed his face. It was as if
he enjoyed the backlook of his stroll into quicksand.

Charlie likes hookers and goes so far as telling critics they are “jealous” he has the cash to throw
away on the X-rated side of life. Charlie gets dragged into a hospital or rehab and jolts out with a smile on
his face waving like he is a Rose Parade King on a float. Vivid proclamations that he refuses to be held
hostage by a 12-step program that are more suited for losers than a “winning” guy like himself belongs
in a confessional, not on global news. Charlie went viral on interviews saying he had the ability to consume
enough drugs to kill a normal person, but not himself as he possesses Adonis DNA and tiger
blood. Watching the dazed expressions of those doing the interviews was excruciating hilarious. In
fact, Charlie was so sincere in his delusion, I began to root for his Superman infusion. Charlie gets fired
after making snide remarks about the ethnic background of one of his bosses; instead of being contrite,
he turns the event into a comedy routine and takes it on the road doing a city-to-city tour. Seriously, I was
glued to my TV during his manic meltdown waiting every day to see the follow-up repercussions of the
day before as were millions of other people. Now the big questions: Is Charlie Sheen down and out of
Hollywood? How about us? Is he crossed off our Christmas card list? Have we made the decision to
boycott him from our living rooms, and give our attention to more stable, sane actors? Have his
meltdowns drained his fan base and chased away his cheering section? What about those ex-wives and
paid for girlfriends; the ones with him during his more reflective train wreck moments? Have they turned
their backs and swiped a wet washcloth across their foreheads, happy to rid of the louse? UH NO.
Actually, a BIG NO. Maybe a couple of paid escorts went rogue, but the ex-wives and most of the sleepovers
are sticking like glue. About five minutes after his firing, Charlie was signing a deal for a new show.
Shortly after that he took the carnage of his life on the road and turned it into one of the biggest publicity
stunts of all time. THEN, he took the women and his kids and went on a fab vaca. But not before two
of his luxury cars were stolen out from under his nose (they were in his garage with the keys left in them)
and pitched down a cliff by his house. Last question we want answered: who really stole Charlie’s billion
dollar watch from the hotel room on that fateful night that ended with a hooker naked in the bathroom, cops
at the door and him in court? Has the drama slowed? A tad, but Charlie’s new show hasn’t even seen the
light of day and already there is $50 million lawsuit pending with people scraping over first-idea-ownership
rights. Not only has Charlie’s meltdown not hurt his career, it’s back on track with a vengeance, complete
with a new commercial from Fiat showing him zooming around his mansion in a tiny Fiat smoking up
the walls with burning tires, then stepping out of the car with a police ankle monitor strapped to his leg,
smiling like a hyena asking: “What other choice do I have when I’m under house arrest?” Charlie is a brilliant
actor (even his harshest critics had to admit he never acted up on the set only on his days off!!!). He
is charming and relentlessly captivating even during his wackiest meltdowns and from what I see many of
his women stand behind him, keeping their mouths shut for the most part. Is it the cash he throws their
way? Maybe, but nevertheless he continues down the road undeterred by his shenanigans. Charlie’s new
show will debut and we will watch it because Charlie is talented, fun and not hurting anyone but himself. He
gives us what we pay for—entertainment. He is not a role model. He is an actor and he does a tremendous
job doing his job. I wish him health and success as I did another amazingly talented actor a few years back
who was also going through a rough patch—Robert Downey, Jr., and look how he turned his life around
(happily married and a new father). Charlie needs to turn down the volume on his life not for us, but for
himself. A sad day would be one with news something had brought his life to a tragic end. I think most
people are rooting for him. I for one will watch his new show and as I did with his last show…sit back and
enjoy the many talents this guy brings to the screen. Why don’t we feel duped by all this Charlie ruckus?
Why are we still his fans? Because he is in real life who he plays on screen; he’s not PRETENDING to
be something he’s not for a pay check and ratings.

#2—Kim Kardashian. Charlie gave us years of brilliant acting performances. Kim has also given us
a few brilliant acting performances, but unlike Charlie, she will never be nominated for an Oscar because,
no script was involved. We saw Kim rise from the ashes of being a stylist to the steps of stardom with
the unveiling of a sex tape she made with then boyfriend Ray J. and a fleeting friendship with Paris
Hilton. Once the sex tape hit public viewing (some of her critics believe she was behind its release) it was
a fast road to riches for a young woman who although grew up in an affluent and educated home (her father
was a very respected, high powered L.A. attorney) had no educated ambitions of her own. Why are Kim’s
fans turning on her? Not that I was ever a big fan, but people hate that she has no star talent to offer for all
the money she is making. Kim by birthright is getting rich off her mother’s incredible business brain. Boo
all you want, but Kris Jenner has made her family rich out of thin air and should be in the Guinness Book
of World Records as the #1 agent on planet earth. Boo all you want again, but Kim is a steam roller, a
hard nosed money-maker who eats, breathes and thinks cash. She is no slacker. She works hard to
bring about what her mother dreams up for her to do, and her sisters and brother the same thing. While some kids refuse advice from a parent, Kim and her siblings embrace the brilliance of their mom’s career boosting tactics (no matter how they gripe on TV) and are riding on easy street because of it. From the outcry of popular opinion, people are getting nasty not because she can’t stay married or find a real talent or even because of those nails and broom eyelashes we are forced to notice whether we want to or not. People are sick of Kim because of her relentless self indulgent, self-promoting marketing. And I get it. She is striking non-stop while the iron is hot and before the celebrity curtain comes crashing down. Everyone makes mistakes, but why in the world does SHE need to jump from one BAD”DUDE to the other? She has money, youth, beauty and more retail endorsements than she can count. Why not cool her jets, enjoy the cash, relish the fame and give her vagina a rest? She is better than all these crumbs draped on her arm. What people are finding most scandalous about Kim is she is making money off making the public look like fools. Who in hell ever believed she was in love with Kris Humphries? I remember seeing him one night on Jay Leno, she was sitting by his side and he was acting like a pompous, smart talking jackass, so much so Jay looked like he wanted to reach over, slap his face or drag him to the men’s room to wash out his mouth with soap. Kim sat embarrassed and on pins and needles, scared of the next stupid statement that would explode out of his mouth.

# 3. Possibly one of the most talented actresses in Hollywood today, Lindsay Lohan is crumbling before our eyes. Watching her in courtroom mode is too harsh for words. She has lost her footing and it would be a life-saving advantage if she had someone at home in “parentmode” to give her a helping hand, but it doesn’t look like she does. All the hocus pocus she casts driving under the influence, car chases through the streets of L.A., charged with stealing a necklace? WTF… wrecking cars into trees, running, fleeing, protesting, pleading…my oh my Dorothy what can happen next? How about a taxi driver talking trash about a sex-forcab-fare-trade? On a brighter note folks Lindsay will play Elizabeth Taylor in an upcoming Lifetime biopic, Liz and Dick. Success and amazing roles on TV and the big screen and is where we want to see Lindsay, not behind bars. Unfortunately her story is not different than that of other child stars who were robbed of their youth and are now taking it out on themselves as adults. But this crash and burn is truly tragic. Unlike Britney Spear’s parents who grabbed the reigns of their struggling daughter and got her back to stability, Lindsay’s parents need parenting themselves. It’s difficult to get help from a dad who acts badly enough to go to jail or a mother who still hits the club scene. I see no one thrilled that Lindsay is going through a personal hell, in fact people say the opposite. Nobody wants to see her in a prison inmate stage production. Maybe this role as Liz will be the starting point of her return to a profession she is amazing at doing. It’s out right painful to watch her drowning in a sea of arrests, warrants and rehab stints. Lindsay we feel your pain and want you off Hollywood’s most scandalous list and on a Best Actress ballot.

Read the rest of this article including John Travolta and Chris Brown along with the full June Issue here.