I used to write a lot about poker on my old blog. Like many people, I was bitten by the Texas Hold 'em bug several years ago, when Chris Moneymaker came out of nowhere to win the main event of the World Series of Poker. Since then, I have played in many poker tournaments in casinos and countless hours online. I won a poker tournament in Las Vegas back in September, '05, and have had some success since then, but no outright wins. I even played in one of the early events of the 2006 World Series of Poker, but I was knocked out in the first twenty minutes. And, since then, despite some near misses and a ton of bad beats, I had yet to win another tournament.
That is, until yesterday. I played in a noon tournament yesterday at one of the local casinos. There were 75 people signed up for the tourney, and I have played in this tournament before. Considering the slump I've been in lately, and the dissipation of my confidence, I was not expecting much. Perhaps that's the best way to go into one of these things.
The tournament was pretty uneventful for most of the first three rounds. I was pretty much holding my own, never dipping below what I started with, but never accumulating very much, either. Then, for the last hand before the first break, a guy down at the other end of the table jumped up with his cellphone in his hand, pushed all his chips in, and then took off running, never to return. We had started the tournament with 5,000 chips, and this guy pushed in almost that amount. I was last to act. Everyone folded to me, and I looked down at pocket aces. I couldn't believe it. I pushed all in, the other guy had A-3 suited in hearts, no flush came on the board, and I doubled up right before the break.
For the next hour and a half, I held my own. I never got a big stack, and I managed to avoid getting blinded out by taking a few chances, making a couple of bluffs, and getting lucky. One time I was in the big blind with 9-10, suited in clubs, a suited connector. One player went all in, and I called, since I already had the big blind posted, and it was less than double the big blind to make the call. The pros say that the price was right, I had the correct odds to make the call, so I did. And sure enough, I ended up with a flush, the other poor dude had A-Q, and I knocked him out.
A little later on, there were 12 players left and I was short stacked. I had managed to hold on, but I was in danger of being blinded out. The blinds were 2000/4000 and I had about 13,000 in chips. I looked down at pocket 8's and went all in. Another guy called me with A-J. The 8's held up, I had doubled up, and that set me up to get to the final table, the first time I ever made a final table in that particular casino.
The tournament was paying only the top six places, and I was determined to be one of them. Three players got knocked out pretty quickly, and then there was seven. We played for about a half hour and I continued to hold my own, with neither a big stack or a small stack, right about the middle. Finally, the bubble boy was knocked out and I had made it into the money.
Ten minutes later, there were four of us left. And that's when I started to make my move. I won a major pot with A-K suited, and a couple of hands later, I won a big pot with a big raise when I looked down at pocket tens. We continued to play and I continued to accumulate a bigger and bigger stack, while the other three guys traded chips back and forth. Finally, the other players proposed that those three would tie for second place, and I would be the winner. We all agreed, the prize pool was distributed, and I was declared the winner of the tournament, complete with the monthy points that go along with winning, the placing of my name in the winner's book, and the satisfaction of knowing that I had finally won a tournament.
Looking back, I think I played one of the best tournaments of my poker career, if not the best. I wasn't perfect, but I made some critical, big-time laydowns that I might not have made in tournaments past, I played aggressively when I had big hands, and I showed the proper patience and discipline. And, for one Saturday at least, I tasted the sweet victory of winning a no-limit Texas Hold 'em tournament and I'm on top of the world. I'll be sad to see April go, it's been a good month.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
RIP Danny Federici
Danny Federici, one of the founding members of the E Street Band, passed away yesterday from melanoma cancer, at the age of 58. Danny played keyboards, usually organ, sometimes accordian, and was an integral part of the E Street sound. His musical contributions to such classics as "Sandy", "Incident on 57th Street", and "Backstreets" were monumental. He will be missed. I hope he's somewhere right now, jamming with John Lennon, George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix, Keith Moon, John Entwhistle, and my brother-in-law, Arthur.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
A Tale of Two Teams
I grew up in the Long Island suburbs of New York City, about 40 or so miles from Shea Stadium, the home of the New York Mets. Tom Seaver was my boyhood hero, and the Miracle Mets season of 1969 was one of the three or four best years of my life. I am, always have been, and always will be, a Met fan.
In 1982, I moved to Arizona, where there was no major league baseball team until 1998, when the Diamondbacks were born. Since that time, I have probably been to more Diamondbacks games than I ever went to Mets games, and I have adopted the D'backs as my second team. My stepson believes something like that is sacrilege, but what the hell does he know, he's only sixteen. When the two teams play each other, I root for the Mets. Against any other team, I root for the D'backs, and vice versa.
Both teams had rather disappointing finishes to last season, although the degree of disappointment was pretty divergent. The D'backs came out of nowhere to win their division and make the post-season with a bunch of young guys that no one outside of Arizona had ever heard of, other than Brandon Webb. They became only the fourth team in major league history to make the post-season while being outscored by their opponents over the course of the season. They finished with the best record in the National League, and summarily disposed of the Cubs in the first round of the playoffs, only to be subsequently swept by the Colorado Rockies in the NLCS. It was a disappointing end to a joyous season, but the young D'backs had nothing to hang their heads about, and the future looked optimistic indeed.
The Mets, on the other hand, having been the favorites to make the World Series in 2006, and coming up one game short in the NLCS agains the Cardinals that year, were once again tabbed as the team to beat in the National League. Omar Minaya, the GM, has spent a tidy fortune on such current and/or past stars as Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Moises Alou, Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, Shawn Green, and Billy Wagner to bring a World Series winner to Shea Stadium. After leading the NL east for most of the 2007 season, the Mets faded horribly down the stretch and completed one of the all-time worst choke jobs in major league history. It was brutal and embarassing. Met fans are still reeling.
Both teams have high expectations for this season. Both signed front-line big-time starting pitchers: Johan Santana is now a Met, and Dan Haren is now a D'back. Other than that, the teams pretty much stuck with what they had, and the results have been as different as night and day, which considering the make-up of the two teams, is not all that surprising.
The Mets are primarily an old team. Guys like Delgado, Alou, Martinez, Hernandez and Luis Castillo all have had their best years behind them. They are getting older, are extremely brittle, and are prone to injuries. Pedro, El Duque, and Moises Alou are already on the disabled list, and no one really knows when, or if, they will be back. The Mets needed to re-build and go with youth, but instead, gave up a good number of their best prospects for Santana. Other than Mike Pelfrey, who has become a member of the starting rotation by default, the cupboard is bare. There is some amazing young talent in David Wright, Jose Reyes, John Maine, and Oliver Perez, not to mention Carlos Beltran, who is in his prime. For the most part, however, the team is made up of a bunch of old guys an injury away from being out for an extended period of time. Not surprisingly, the Mets so far have only played .500 ball, and are struggling.
The D'backs, on the other hand, are young and rising. Guys like Mark Reynolds, Chris Young, and Justin Upton have all the talent in the world, are just now beginning to come into their own, and are getting better by the day. The line-up is made up of young, hungry, talented, enthusiastic ballplayers who are having the time of their lives. They are hitting the daylights out of the ball, have started the season 10-4, and are in first place in their division. The starting pitching, after Brandon Webb and Dan Haren, was a major question mark coming into the season, but so far, Micah Owings (another young pup) is 3-0 as the third starter, and Doug Davis hopefully should be back after his recent cancer surgery. He was in the dugout the other night, looking as if he was ready to put on a uniform. The bullpen has had a couple of meltdowns, and absent that, this team might have been undefeated so far. Their potential is scary.
Now, I'm no expert, just an ordinary baseball fan who has watched a lot of baseball over the last 40 or so years. It seems to me that the D'backs have done everything right, while the Mets have tried to out-Yankee the Yankees. The D'backs seem to be on the rise with unlimited potential. The Mets seem to be George Forman, trying to make yet another comeback at the age of 48. Care to place a wager on which team will probably go further in the post-season this year?
I'm still rooting for the Mets to start turning things around, and for the D'backs to continue their excellence. I would love to see both of my teams playing each other in the NLCS, although it would tear me apart as far as loyalty is concerned. It's a long season and anything can happen, but so far, it seems like the best of times for the team from Phoenix, and the worst of times for the team from Flushing (although it can't get much worse than last year's end-of-season choke). We'll have to wait and see what happens. Steroids and mega-salaries be damned, I love baseball.
In 1982, I moved to Arizona, where there was no major league baseball team until 1998, when the Diamondbacks were born. Since that time, I have probably been to more Diamondbacks games than I ever went to Mets games, and I have adopted the D'backs as my second team. My stepson believes something like that is sacrilege, but what the hell does he know, he's only sixteen. When the two teams play each other, I root for the Mets. Against any other team, I root for the D'backs, and vice versa.
Both teams had rather disappointing finishes to last season, although the degree of disappointment was pretty divergent. The D'backs came out of nowhere to win their division and make the post-season with a bunch of young guys that no one outside of Arizona had ever heard of, other than Brandon Webb. They became only the fourth team in major league history to make the post-season while being outscored by their opponents over the course of the season. They finished with the best record in the National League, and summarily disposed of the Cubs in the first round of the playoffs, only to be subsequently swept by the Colorado Rockies in the NLCS. It was a disappointing end to a joyous season, but the young D'backs had nothing to hang their heads about, and the future looked optimistic indeed.
The Mets, on the other hand, having been the favorites to make the World Series in 2006, and coming up one game short in the NLCS agains the Cardinals that year, were once again tabbed as the team to beat in the National League. Omar Minaya, the GM, has spent a tidy fortune on such current and/or past stars as Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Moises Alou, Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, Shawn Green, and Billy Wagner to bring a World Series winner to Shea Stadium. After leading the NL east for most of the 2007 season, the Mets faded horribly down the stretch and completed one of the all-time worst choke jobs in major league history. It was brutal and embarassing. Met fans are still reeling.
Both teams have high expectations for this season. Both signed front-line big-time starting pitchers: Johan Santana is now a Met, and Dan Haren is now a D'back. Other than that, the teams pretty much stuck with what they had, and the results have been as different as night and day, which considering the make-up of the two teams, is not all that surprising.
The Mets are primarily an old team. Guys like Delgado, Alou, Martinez, Hernandez and Luis Castillo all have had their best years behind them. They are getting older, are extremely brittle, and are prone to injuries. Pedro, El Duque, and Moises Alou are already on the disabled list, and no one really knows when, or if, they will be back. The Mets needed to re-build and go with youth, but instead, gave up a good number of their best prospects for Santana. Other than Mike Pelfrey, who has become a member of the starting rotation by default, the cupboard is bare. There is some amazing young talent in David Wright, Jose Reyes, John Maine, and Oliver Perez, not to mention Carlos Beltran, who is in his prime. For the most part, however, the team is made up of a bunch of old guys an injury away from being out for an extended period of time. Not surprisingly, the Mets so far have only played .500 ball, and are struggling.
The D'backs, on the other hand, are young and rising. Guys like Mark Reynolds, Chris Young, and Justin Upton have all the talent in the world, are just now beginning to come into their own, and are getting better by the day. The line-up is made up of young, hungry, talented, enthusiastic ballplayers who are having the time of their lives. They are hitting the daylights out of the ball, have started the season 10-4, and are in first place in their division. The starting pitching, after Brandon Webb and Dan Haren, was a major question mark coming into the season, but so far, Micah Owings (another young pup) is 3-0 as the third starter, and Doug Davis hopefully should be back after his recent cancer surgery. He was in the dugout the other night, looking as if he was ready to put on a uniform. The bullpen has had a couple of meltdowns, and absent that, this team might have been undefeated so far. Their potential is scary.
Now, I'm no expert, just an ordinary baseball fan who has watched a lot of baseball over the last 40 or so years. It seems to me that the D'backs have done everything right, while the Mets have tried to out-Yankee the Yankees. The D'backs seem to be on the rise with unlimited potential. The Mets seem to be George Forman, trying to make yet another comeback at the age of 48. Care to place a wager on which team will probably go further in the post-season this year?
I'm still rooting for the Mets to start turning things around, and for the D'backs to continue their excellence. I would love to see both of my teams playing each other in the NLCS, although it would tear me apart as far as loyalty is concerned. It's a long season and anything can happen, but so far, it seems like the best of times for the team from Phoenix, and the worst of times for the team from Flushing (although it can't get much worse than last year's end-of-season choke). We'll have to wait and see what happens. Steroids and mega-salaries be damned, I love baseball.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
The Boss
When you go to a Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band show, you expect certain things. You expect Bruce to give it everything he has, you expect the band to cook, you expect to hear a few old nuggets that blow you away, you expect to lose all your inhibitions as you sing and dance with a few thousand strangers, and you expect to feel exhilirated afterward. The difference between your standard, run-of-the-mill fantastic E Street show, and the absolutely amazing thing I witnessed tonight is what I call the "Holy shit" factor. That is, when you suddenly realize that Bruce and the band are playing something you never expected to hear again live, and you can't help yourself from sitting up and saying "Holy shit!" And that's what makes tonight's show one of the best I've ever seen, and maybe the best of all time.
In fact, the show started with a "Holy shit" moment. When you're an insane Springsteen nut like I am, you follow the shows of a particular tour, checking out all the setlists on the Bruce websites. For months on this tour, Bruce has begun just about every show with "Radio Nowhere" from the new album, a great song and one of the best rockers Bruce has ever written. I was ready and waiting for it. What I wasn't ready for was "Light of Day". "Light of Day", are you kidding me? Where the hell did that come from? And almost from the very first notes of the song, I found myself saying, "Holy shit!" To put it simply, it knocked my socks off, and it set the tone for the whole night.
"Radio Nowhere" was next, and that song is simply lights out when you see it performed live. That song segued into a blistering version of "Lonesome Day", and then "Gypsy Biker", which I still maintain is the best song from "Magic." And that led into "Murder Incorporated." "Murder Incorporated," how in the world did that get into the setlist? Five songs into the show, I've now had two "Holy shit" moments, and Bruce had yet to do a song written prior to the '90's, which is pretty much unprecedented.
Next came a hilarious monologue from Bruce. Now, it wasn't one of those rambling monologues from the old days, about Bruce's father and his guitar, or anything like that, but Bruce pointed out that Patti wasn't with the band tonight. He reminded us that he and Patti now have three teenagers at home, and there was some sort of teenage toga party going on, so Patti had to be home to supervise. According to Bruce, it gave a whole new meaning to the term "homeland security." I guess it sounds lame now, but it was pretty hilarious at the time, especially when he joked about the kids ordering a thousand pizzas and baking pot brownies. All the old fogies like me had a pretty good laugh over that. The band then segued into "Magic", and then "Reason to Believe", and while both were great, they are pretty much staples of this tour.
Then came the next three "Holy shit" moments. The first was "Trapped," which is not really a Bruce song, but a reggae song that Bruce had made his own back in the early 80's. He played it at the "We are the World" concerts, and it was sensational. The live album from that show is the only official recording of the E Street Band doing "Trapped", but it soon became a staple on "The River" tour, and it was one of the highlights of those shows. Tonight, it was simply jaw-dropping. Bruce is 58 years old, yet he performed this amazingly difficult and strenous vocal as if it was 1981 all over again. I do believe I had tears in my eyes, it was that much of a joyful shock.
Next came "Because the Night." Why Bruce never officially released a performance of this song is one of the great Springsteen-related mysteries, because he blows away the generic version by Patti Smith. To be fair, Patti did a great job with the song, but she is not Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. And if Bruce's vocal performance wasn't enough, Nils Lofgren's blistering guitar solo was simply unbelieveable. And if all that wasn't enough, the song segued right into "She's the One", which has been played pretty steadily on the tour, but is nonetheless a highlight every night, as the band absolutely cooks on this 33 year-old masterpiece. After singing my lungs out and gyrating like an idiot, I fell back exhausted, and all I could say was, "Holy shit."
Bruce then introduced Tommy Morello (I think that's the guy's name) from the band Rage Against the Machine, which I have heard about only because it is one of my sixteen year-old stepson's favorite bands. Morello came out to join Bruce on "Ghost of Tom Joad", which was my next "Holy shit" moment, as in Holy shit, why is he doing this lame song from that putrid album? Shame on me, because what sprung forth was one of the most powerful and emotional songs of the night, with an absolutely unbelieveable guitar solo from this Morello kid. I will never disparage "The Ghost of Tom Joad" again. It was a "Holy shit" moment for the ages.
The main set on the tour has usually ended with "Badlands", which is one of Bruce's best songs from the "Darkness on the Edge of Town" album, but has been played to death. But instead of ending the set with that tune, Bruce and the band launched into "Out in the Street", one of the best songs from "The River" album. I'm not quite sure it qualifies as a "Holy shit" moment, but it was a surprise, and it sure was great.
The final "Holy shit" moment came with the second song of the encores. Night after night, Bruce has stuck a wonderful old nugget into this slot. Sometimes it's "Jungleland", sometimes it's "Incident on 57th Street" (which I have yet to experience live), and when I saw the band in Los Angeles last October, it was a joyous rendition of "Kitty's Back." Tonight, it was "Rosalita". Yes, Rosie came out tonight in Anaheim, and it was so much fun that nobody cared that Bruce actually forgot the words at one point. Hell, we knew all the words, and we were more than happy to help him out.
As I sit here now in my hotel room in Anaheim, with my ears ringing and my throat sore, it is past midnight, which means I am now officially 50 years old. The first time I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, I was 17, and my whole life was ahead of me. I am 33 years older, a whole lot slower and heavier (weight-wise), a respected member of the legal profession, a husband, a father, and a stepfather. But in a lot of ways, I feel just like I did that night 33 years ago. I saw a legendary performance by my favorite band, I had the time of my life, and I feel absolutely drained and exhilirated. Just like I did that December night in 1975. Thanks for a great birthday present, Bruce. There's no doubt in my mind that you are still The Boss.
In fact, the show started with a "Holy shit" moment. When you're an insane Springsteen nut like I am, you follow the shows of a particular tour, checking out all the setlists on the Bruce websites. For months on this tour, Bruce has begun just about every show with "Radio Nowhere" from the new album, a great song and one of the best rockers Bruce has ever written. I was ready and waiting for it. What I wasn't ready for was "Light of Day". "Light of Day", are you kidding me? Where the hell did that come from? And almost from the very first notes of the song, I found myself saying, "Holy shit!" To put it simply, it knocked my socks off, and it set the tone for the whole night.
"Radio Nowhere" was next, and that song is simply lights out when you see it performed live. That song segued into a blistering version of "Lonesome Day", and then "Gypsy Biker", which I still maintain is the best song from "Magic." And that led into "Murder Incorporated." "Murder Incorporated," how in the world did that get into the setlist? Five songs into the show, I've now had two "Holy shit" moments, and Bruce had yet to do a song written prior to the '90's, which is pretty much unprecedented.
Next came a hilarious monologue from Bruce. Now, it wasn't one of those rambling monologues from the old days, about Bruce's father and his guitar, or anything like that, but Bruce pointed out that Patti wasn't with the band tonight. He reminded us that he and Patti now have three teenagers at home, and there was some sort of teenage toga party going on, so Patti had to be home to supervise. According to Bruce, it gave a whole new meaning to the term "homeland security." I guess it sounds lame now, but it was pretty hilarious at the time, especially when he joked about the kids ordering a thousand pizzas and baking pot brownies. All the old fogies like me had a pretty good laugh over that. The band then segued into "Magic", and then "Reason to Believe", and while both were great, they are pretty much staples of this tour.
Then came the next three "Holy shit" moments. The first was "Trapped," which is not really a Bruce song, but a reggae song that Bruce had made his own back in the early 80's. He played it at the "We are the World" concerts, and it was sensational. The live album from that show is the only official recording of the E Street Band doing "Trapped", but it soon became a staple on "The River" tour, and it was one of the highlights of those shows. Tonight, it was simply jaw-dropping. Bruce is 58 years old, yet he performed this amazingly difficult and strenous vocal as if it was 1981 all over again. I do believe I had tears in my eyes, it was that much of a joyful shock.
Next came "Because the Night." Why Bruce never officially released a performance of this song is one of the great Springsteen-related mysteries, because he blows away the generic version by Patti Smith. To be fair, Patti did a great job with the song, but she is not Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. And if Bruce's vocal performance wasn't enough, Nils Lofgren's blistering guitar solo was simply unbelieveable. And if all that wasn't enough, the song segued right into "She's the One", which has been played pretty steadily on the tour, but is nonetheless a highlight every night, as the band absolutely cooks on this 33 year-old masterpiece. After singing my lungs out and gyrating like an idiot, I fell back exhausted, and all I could say was, "Holy shit."
Bruce then introduced Tommy Morello (I think that's the guy's name) from the band Rage Against the Machine, which I have heard about only because it is one of my sixteen year-old stepson's favorite bands. Morello came out to join Bruce on "Ghost of Tom Joad", which was my next "Holy shit" moment, as in Holy shit, why is he doing this lame song from that putrid album? Shame on me, because what sprung forth was one of the most powerful and emotional songs of the night, with an absolutely unbelieveable guitar solo from this Morello kid. I will never disparage "The Ghost of Tom Joad" again. It was a "Holy shit" moment for the ages.
The main set on the tour has usually ended with "Badlands", which is one of Bruce's best songs from the "Darkness on the Edge of Town" album, but has been played to death. But instead of ending the set with that tune, Bruce and the band launched into "Out in the Street", one of the best songs from "The River" album. I'm not quite sure it qualifies as a "Holy shit" moment, but it was a surprise, and it sure was great.
The final "Holy shit" moment came with the second song of the encores. Night after night, Bruce has stuck a wonderful old nugget into this slot. Sometimes it's "Jungleland", sometimes it's "Incident on 57th Street" (which I have yet to experience live), and when I saw the band in Los Angeles last October, it was a joyous rendition of "Kitty's Back." Tonight, it was "Rosalita". Yes, Rosie came out tonight in Anaheim, and it was so much fun that nobody cared that Bruce actually forgot the words at one point. Hell, we knew all the words, and we were more than happy to help him out.
As I sit here now in my hotel room in Anaheim, with my ears ringing and my throat sore, it is past midnight, which means I am now officially 50 years old. The first time I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, I was 17, and my whole life was ahead of me. I am 33 years older, a whole lot slower and heavier (weight-wise), a respected member of the legal profession, a husband, a father, and a stepfather. But in a lot of ways, I feel just like I did that night 33 years ago. I saw a legendary performance by my favorite band, I had the time of my life, and I feel absolutely drained and exhilirated. Just like I did that December night in 1975. Thanks for a great birthday present, Bruce. There's no doubt in my mind that you are still The Boss.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
RIP Charlton Heston
For purposes of this post, I will forget, for the moment, the fact that Charlton Heston became a right-wing, fascist spokesman for the National Rifle Association. I will put out of my mind the image of him as a conservative watchdog for all things I detest.
No, when I think of Charlton Heston, I will think of Ben-Hur. And Moses. And the boss of the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey circus, whatever that character's real name was. And, of course, Taylor, the iconic main character of the orginal "Planet of the Apes", the only version that truly mattered.
When I was a kid, before I knew the difference and understood anything about the art of acting, Charlton Heston was my favorite actor. He played heroic characters who fought for justice and all things good and pure. His portrayal of the stalwart, macho and triumphant Jewish prince in the time of Christ, Ben-Hur, was a role model for every Jewish kid who had ever been picked on or put down, myself included. And from the first time I saw "The Ten Commandments", he was forever the image of Moses: strong, righteous, and the messenger of God. My grandmother told me he was Jewish, and I, of couse, had to believe that, since for crying out loud, he was "Moses", wasn't he? He became my Jewish role model, which for some reason, was pretty important to me when I was 10. Of course, I subsequently found out that he was about as Jewish as Yasser Arafat. Oh well.
The most interesting film he made, and ironically one of the worst performances of his career, was in Orson Welles' masterpiece, "Touch of Evil." By that time, Welles, of course, had burned all his bridges in Hollywood. The legendary director of "Citizen Kane" couldn't direct a television episode in Tinseltown, and had become a Hollywood pariah. Heston was at the peak of his career, having recently starred in "The Greatest Show on Earth" (widely believed today to be the worst movie ever to have won the Oscar for Best Picture) and "The Ten Commandments." Heston was enamored by the "Touch of Evil" project, and agreed to do the film with the assurance that Welles would direct. The studio had signed Welles on to play the part of the corrupt cop, Quinlan, and had no intention of letting him direct. Heston refused to budge, and threatened to walk off the film if Welles was not allowed to direct. The studio gave in, and Orson Welles directed his final Hollywood masterpiece, a moody, atmospheric, absorbing film noir that simply explodes off the screen. From the opening four-minute unbroken crane shot to the brilliant characterizations by Hollywood luminaries like Marlene Dietrich, Joseph Cotton and Akim Tamiroff, "Touch of Evil" is one of the most brilliant cinematic works of art of the '50's. The truly ironic thing is that Heston's portrayal of a Mexican detective is laughable. He's no match, acting-wise, for the beautiful, but hardly talented, Janet Leigh. And he is absolutely blown away by Welles himself, who is terrifying and pathetic as Hank Quinlan. The fact that Welles was not nominated for an Academy Award for his acting, let alone his incredible job of directing, is one of the great embarassments of the Academy. Nevertheless, "Touch of Evil" is one of the greatest films ever made, and its existence is owed in no small part to Charlton Heston. For that reason alone, he should be regarded as an icon of the American cinema.
In the '60s, Heston became a star of offbeat, science fiction films, the best of which was "Planet of the Apes." I think I was 10 years old when "Apes" came out, and every kid I knew saw the movie multiple times. Today, the film is regarded as a true classic, filled with wonderful paradoxes, intelligent dialogue (courtesy of Rod Serling's script), excellent photography, great performances by veteran actors in perfect ape make-up, and a legendary, powerful final image. The scene where Heston's character, Taylor, and his fellow astronauts find themselves in a group of mute humans, being hunted by talking apes with guns and horses, is truly terrifying. Heston followed that role with films such as "The Omega Man" and "Soylent Green", and if those movies were not quite as good as "Apes", they were nonetheless interesting and provocative.
So, for giving us "Touch of Evil", and his legendary roles as Ben-Hur, Moses, Taylor and the circus boss, not to mention a whole bunch of others, like Andrew Jackson, and the futuristic characters in "Soylent Green" and "The Omega Man", there will always be a warm spot in my heart for Charlton Heston. Rest in peace, Mr. Heston, and thank you.
No, when I think of Charlton Heston, I will think of Ben-Hur. And Moses. And the boss of the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey circus, whatever that character's real name was. And, of course, Taylor, the iconic main character of the orginal "Planet of the Apes", the only version that truly mattered.
When I was a kid, before I knew the difference and understood anything about the art of acting, Charlton Heston was my favorite actor. He played heroic characters who fought for justice and all things good and pure. His portrayal of the stalwart, macho and triumphant Jewish prince in the time of Christ, Ben-Hur, was a role model for every Jewish kid who had ever been picked on or put down, myself included. And from the first time I saw "The Ten Commandments", he was forever the image of Moses: strong, righteous, and the messenger of God. My grandmother told me he was Jewish, and I, of couse, had to believe that, since for crying out loud, he was "Moses", wasn't he? He became my Jewish role model, which for some reason, was pretty important to me when I was 10. Of course, I subsequently found out that he was about as Jewish as Yasser Arafat. Oh well.
The most interesting film he made, and ironically one of the worst performances of his career, was in Orson Welles' masterpiece, "Touch of Evil." By that time, Welles, of course, had burned all his bridges in Hollywood. The legendary director of "Citizen Kane" couldn't direct a television episode in Tinseltown, and had become a Hollywood pariah. Heston was at the peak of his career, having recently starred in "The Greatest Show on Earth" (widely believed today to be the worst movie ever to have won the Oscar for Best Picture) and "The Ten Commandments." Heston was enamored by the "Touch of Evil" project, and agreed to do the film with the assurance that Welles would direct. The studio had signed Welles on to play the part of the corrupt cop, Quinlan, and had no intention of letting him direct. Heston refused to budge, and threatened to walk off the film if Welles was not allowed to direct. The studio gave in, and Orson Welles directed his final Hollywood masterpiece, a moody, atmospheric, absorbing film noir that simply explodes off the screen. From the opening four-minute unbroken crane shot to the brilliant characterizations by Hollywood luminaries like Marlene Dietrich, Joseph Cotton and Akim Tamiroff, "Touch of Evil" is one of the most brilliant cinematic works of art of the '50's. The truly ironic thing is that Heston's portrayal of a Mexican detective is laughable. He's no match, acting-wise, for the beautiful, but hardly talented, Janet Leigh. And he is absolutely blown away by Welles himself, who is terrifying and pathetic as Hank Quinlan. The fact that Welles was not nominated for an Academy Award for his acting, let alone his incredible job of directing, is one of the great embarassments of the Academy. Nevertheless, "Touch of Evil" is one of the greatest films ever made, and its existence is owed in no small part to Charlton Heston. For that reason alone, he should be regarded as an icon of the American cinema.
In the '60s, Heston became a star of offbeat, science fiction films, the best of which was "Planet of the Apes." I think I was 10 years old when "Apes" came out, and every kid I knew saw the movie multiple times. Today, the film is regarded as a true classic, filled with wonderful paradoxes, intelligent dialogue (courtesy of Rod Serling's script), excellent photography, great performances by veteran actors in perfect ape make-up, and a legendary, powerful final image. The scene where Heston's character, Taylor, and his fellow astronauts find themselves in a group of mute humans, being hunted by talking apes with guns and horses, is truly terrifying. Heston followed that role with films such as "The Omega Man" and "Soylent Green", and if those movies were not quite as good as "Apes", they were nonetheless interesting and provocative.
So, for giving us "Touch of Evil", and his legendary roles as Ben-Hur, Moses, Taylor and the circus boss, not to mention a whole bunch of others, like Andrew Jackson, and the futuristic characters in "Soylent Green" and "The Omega Man", there will always be a warm spot in my heart for Charlton Heston. Rest in peace, Mr. Heston, and thank you.
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