Helen Hunt Shares Philosophies and Secrets on the Final Night of the Smart Talk Season in Des Moines

A review by David Borzo

They don’t get much bigger than Helen Hunt in Hollywood. The Academy Award-winning Actress, Director and Writer has seen huge success and acceptance with both critics and the public. From her earliest work as a child actor and high profile television jobs in the 1970’s, to Broadway and then the heights of prime time television and Hollywood, Hunt has been the consummate artist. On the final night of the 2010 Smart Talk Connected Conversation in Des Moines, Helen Hunt–artist and mom–shared some secrets behind the public face.

For many, Hunt’s fame began in the early ‘90’s with her starring role in Mad About You, opposite actor Paul Reiser. The show was a great success, playing for seven years while earning Hunt four Emmy wins and four Golden Globes. But greater fame was yet to come, as Hunt appeared some of the biggest movies of the ‘90’s, and in to 2000, including Twister, Cast Away, What Women Want, and As Good as It Gets, earning Hunt the Academy Award for Best Actress. (Fascinating to learn that she put together that powerful performance while also filming the regular season of Mad About You, working day and night).

And the roles are still coming; Hunt just finished filming the movie Soul Surfer in Oahu, Hawaii, set for release in 2011. Add to this stellar career: motherhood at age 40, and successful screenwriting and directing by 46.

Unlike many Hollywood superstars, you don’t see her name splashed across the
tabloids. She is a private person who keeps her life personal. “I haven’t done anything controversial. I just live my life as if it’s private,” Hunt said in a recent interview with the Des Moines Register. During her well prepared Connected Conversation, Hunt shared that she’s not much for the Hollywood gatherings and wrap parties either, impersonal events where she gets “…bored after 45 minutes.” If she is going to spend time with people, she wants to “…be with those who know secret things.” Otherwise, she would just rather spend time alone.

So, determined to make the evening interesting, Hunt shared some “secret things”
by connecting them to her acting roles over the years. In reflecting on the vibrant and complex characters she has portrayed, she revealed touching aspects of her personality and values. Career, life, family and work are all parts of the authentic characters that she has portrayed, giving us insight into the deeply emotional, yet exacting, Helen Hunt. The unassuming star spoke poignantly of what she brought to those characters, and what they in fact brought to her. That just may be the vital definition of art.

Speaking of her directorial debut in the film “Then She Found Me,” Hunt clearly
takes to the director’s role naturally. Her courageous direction, writing and acting in that 2007 film may be a sign of things to come–Helen Hunt may ultimately find the most acclaim and success as a director. It’s the demanding levels of control over the process (and sharing secret things) that a consummate professional like Hunt craves. Wrapping up the 2010 Smart Talk Series in Des Moines on a professional and affecting high note, Helen Hunt displayed talent and integrity. There’s no doubt that we’ll be hearing from her again soon.

Rita Moreno gives Des Moines a Sneak Preview of Coming Attractions!

A review by David Borzo

The 2010 Smart Talk Connected Conversation Series in Des Moines saw and heard something different on April 7th: a new work in progress from an entertainer with a remarkable track record and seemingly endless amount of energy. As a performer, Rita Moreno has no peer with her success–and energy–at the age of 78.  She’s unable to pass up new challenge on her life’s journey. And what a journey Rita Moreno has had–so far–an untouched record of achievement in film, stage, television and music.

No, she’s not finished. There is no retirement in Ms. Moreno’s plans. As she said, “I’m afraid that I’ll disappear” if she stopped taking creative challenges. Not much chance of Rita Moreno disappearing either: her terms on life are uninhibited. Her endless desire to keep performing is all the more impressive when you consider that she has nothing left to prove. And that voice….she still has it. The Smart Talk crowd at the Des Moines Civic Center was treated with a selection of classic songs (despite a recent cold, and with a little scrape in her voice) along with her stories of life.

Ms. Moreno’s achievements in her stellar career of nearly 65 years include (so far) an Oscar, a Tony, two Emmys and a Grammy. The obligatory note regarding these four highest competitive entertainment awards:  there have been less than a dozen people to achieve that milestone—and Rita Moreno is the only woman to do so. It’s the most exclusive of clubs….more men have walked on the moon.

In this 2010 Smart Talk series we have learned a lot from accomplished and inspiring women. Ms. Moreno added to the depth of her sage counsel and experiences with her work in progress, her one woman show, planned for Broadway in the next two years. (This, she noted with some bewilderment, is when she turns 80.) This sneak preview provided an engaging look at the entertainer, the daughter, the wife, the groundbreaking performer and legendary Actress. How did she manage it all over her incredible career?  “Perseverance” was the simple answer. “….dream – and find a way to hold on to that dream.” It’s all “…about perseverance.”

A far cry from the child born as Rosa Dolores Alverio in Puerto Rico, who moved to New York at age five with her mother, searching for a better life.  Her “rags to riches” story, ala Horatio Alger, as she mentioned, saw her in her Broadway debut at age 13. And in the true tradition of a Hollywood legend, was discovered by a talent scout, who arranged a meeting with Louis B. Mayer. Yes, THAT Louis B. Mayer. She signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer at age 17.

There were fascinating stories of the young contract player at MGM in the 1950’s; of dates with Elvis Presley, Howard Hughes, and Marlon Brando; of enduring the early typecast “exotic spitfire female” roles; and of course the story of Ms. Moreno’s major breakthrough in 1961 – her coveted role as Anita in West Side Story. She worked hard to get the role (after passing the opportunity to star in the Original Broadway production) and it earned her the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress of the year.

But of all her experiences, Ms. Moreno spoke with the greatest love and appreciation for her husband and her family. And she spoke with great admiration of her recent trip to the White House as a 2009 National Medal of Arts recipient. As she received her medal from President Barack Obama at the White House in February of 2010, she recalls with great relish, the opportunity to give the President an enthusiastic hug.

Ms. Moreno was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004.  Her perseverance and dreams have taken her to the heights, but she won’t take it easy now. Her final advice for the Smart Talk Crowd:  “…have your vision and dream, and don’t let anyone tell you what’s right for you.” Her philosophy has certainly worked for her….so far. Stay tuned.

One step Back, and Keep Moving Forward: Smart Talk with Alison Levine at Des Moines Civic Center

A review by David Borzo

The Smart Talk Series crowd at the Des Moines Civic Center was treated to something a little different on Wednesday night, March 3rd. Alison Levine may not have the same household name recognition as many of the Smart Talk Series speakers, but she more than held her own with her powerful message of doing whatever it takes to conquer complacency. She began her captivating presentation explaining her notion of a circle of experiences and enlightenment: from her early difficulties she gained the motivation and fortitude that drove her, eventually, to scale mountains; and those ascents to the top of the world in turn provide e her with the insight and wisdom needed to help her navigate her life.
We should all have such drive. Ms. Levine’s accomplishments show that she has the right stuff: the right stuff in mountain climbing, the right stuff in business, and the right stuff as a motivational medium for us.

Ms. Levine shared her story as a health survivor – not with an illness as an adult, but one that she was born with – a heart condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome. This life-threatening heart condition was so serious and unstable, that she was not even allowed to walk up a flight of stairs. Surgery as a teen then changed her life – conquering her physical ailment and energizing dreams that were as big as mountains. She encourages all of us to act on our own dreams. Ms. Levine’s advice, as reported in a recent Des Moines Register interview, is “If you have ever wondered about something — a sport, an activity, a hobby, a talent — don’t just read about it or talk about it or watch movies about it. Go out and do it.”

With her mantra of doing whatever it takes, Ms. Levine recounted experiences as the team captain of the first American Women’s Everest Expedition, a history-making climb that put her health and spirit to the test. In 2008 she also made history as the first American to complete a 600 mile ski-crossing in western Antarctica, all the way to the South Pole. In these adventures, Ms. Levine’s personal adversities included overcoming fears, as well as continued heath issues; she was at higher risk of frostbite, due to Raynaud’s Disease, which causes the arteries that feed her fingers and toes to collapse when experiencing cold weather and severe stress. Cold weather and stress! Naturally she took up mountain climbing…perhaps because it seemed an impossible task.

She recounted those extraordinary experiences and fears to the Smart Talk audience with well ordered clarity, and riveting images. How do you climb the highest peak in the world? How does your body become accustomed to the altitude and lack of oxygen? Ms. Levine recounted the arduous and exacting tasks, including a return to base camp every night, even as you get further and further up the face of Everest every day. Calling this “Climb high, and sleep low”, the process helps your body acclimate to the oxygen levels, and she used it to point out that there are times that you need to move back one step, in order to make it one step closer to your goal.  As her team advanced on Everest, they eventually had to pause between each stoic step–needing to breathe in and out several times, before being able to even take another step.

“Fortitude” and “determination” just scratches the surface of what makes a woman like Alison Levine tick. As a successful businesswoman on Wall Street, she found that her hard work and dedication was applicable to the business world. And as a woman dedicated to helping others achieve, Ms. Levine founded the Climb High Foundation in 2005, a charitable organization dedicated to improving the lives of jobless women in third-world countries. Her drive and relentless pursuits keep her busy all over the world.  Smart Talk is all about taking the lessons of others and applying them to your own life. Well, even if you are not setting out to climb mountains and conquer the poles, Levine’s advice is intrepid and poignant: “Fear and Risk will never kill you, but complacency will.”

Image Via Smart Talk

Smart Talk: Turn Pain In to Purpose. Fran Drescher at the Des Moines Civic Center

A review by David Borzo

Francine Joy “Fran” Drescher is a story teller. She clearly loves a good story and loves sharing them, especially when they illustrate important lessons learned. Twists and turns, success and failure, Ms. Drescher brought it all to the Smart Talk crowd at the Des Moines Civic Center on Monday night. As the kick off speaker for the 2010 Smart talk series, Ms. Drescher showed her star power and charisma, keeping the audience engaged with affecting stories of love, careers and health. She shared her survivor’s philosophy that when plans for the future don’t pan out like you want, you need to let go and write a new future.

Fran Drescher has had a lot of plans rewritten. With her successful career in T.V. and movies (she’s appeared in over 20 films) she is of course best known for the television series The Nanny, which she co-created and produced. She was also nominated for an Emmy and Golden Globe Award for The Nanny. But Ms. Drescher can’t be neatly squared away in the archetypal TV celebrity files; she is also a screenwriter, political and social activist, author and producer…and is currently serving as a US diplomatic envoy, taking her message of women’s health to the world stage.

Ms. Drescher related back throughout her presentation to another important life lesson that she relies on: there is always opportunity—and when opportunity presents itself, you need to seize it.  Carpe diem is her mantra, and of course, there was a good story to go along, a chance meeting on a flight to Europe in the early ‘90s. She had purchased her ticket, but then decided to use her frequent flyer miles to upgrade to first class. Low and behold, she found herself sitting next to Jeff Sagansky, an executive at CBS. As they crossed the Atlantic, they talked about a series she was developing, featuring her quirky style as the focus of a show. By the time they landed, she had convinced him to take a meeting with her to discuss the production. Of course the show was The Nanny, which was an instant success on CBS, making Fran Drescher a star.

By the end of The Nanny’s six year run though, Ms. Drescher had much more to think about. She was having serious health issues, and her marriage was on its last leg. By the time The Nanny closed down in 1999, she was divorced. And the next year, after two years of misdiagnosis by eight doctors, Drescher was diagnosed with uterine cancer, and underwent an immediate radical hysterectomy. Fortunately the cancer was in stage one. This led to another mantra: “Stage one is the cure” and she began efforts advocating that women insist on early cancer screening and curing it in the early stages. In an interview with USA TODAY, Ms. Drescher said “Nobody knows your body better than you…remember back in the days…when you went to your doctor, listed your symptoms and let them take over from there? Well, those days are over.”

Ms. Drescher encouraged the Smart Talk crowd Monday to listen to the early whispers of possible cancer…get the endometrial test if you think something is wrong. Don’t wait. She said that after surgery she felt like she had been dealt an unfair hand. But then she realized that we have no control over what we’re dealt, so at least handle it with dignity. Another lesson learned, so she wrote about her experiences in her second book, Cancer Schmancer, counseling men and women “to become more aware of the early warning signs of cancer, and to empower themselves.” An important challenge for us all, and a stirring beginning to the 2010 Smart Talk series!

Seizing the day, Fran Drescher started the Cancer Schmancer Movement, a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all women’s cancers be diagnosed while in Stage ONE, the most curable stage. More information can be found on her website at cancerschmancer.org.

Did you get to the Albaugh Classic?

Told ya! I was one of thousands of car buffs in Ankeny on Saturday for The Albaugh Classic supported by hundreds of volunteers and sponsored by Karl Chevrolet. Besides the Albaugh Collection there were about 500 owners from the Midwest displaying their vehicles: classics; street rods; cars and trucks. Included were quite a few orphan cars – some with names that old-timers know like Nash, Hudson, Willys, and Packard, and some orphan brands that younger folks know too like Oldsmobile and Plymouth. There were more Corvettes than I had ever seen in one place. Below are a few of my favorites.

For the first time I saw Dennis Albaugh’s collection of 130 Chevrolets. What a collection! My favorite was the one-of-a-kind 1928 Chevrolet Camp Car owned by John and Dora McMullen and shown below. It came complete with a non-anchored wicker chair driver’s seat with a second for the front seat passenger. Imagine what a State Trooper would say about that! It also had a quilt rack to the left of the driver’s seat, drop leaf dining room table just behind the front seats, and roll down window shades. Move over Winnebago!

The Albaugh’s Collection represents a Chevrolet and a Corvette from every year, and some years with two. It’s a privilege to walk through. Watch for Dennis to open his garage again. You’ll get your chance and you don’t want to miss it.

Speaking of you don’t want to miss it, watch for the 2009 Salisbury Automobile Classic on September 13.

photos by James G. Lindberg

Memorial Day in Des Moines, 2009, part 3

President Obama asked all Americans recently to make an extra effort to honor our veterans this Memorial Day. While I have many reasons and many relatives that always make me think about veterans and service on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, Obama’s invitation prompted me to go to the Memorial Day Program at Veterans Memorial Auditorium. It was a good decision.

There were veterans, young and old, many decorated (including the 8% who are women). They came from every branch of the military and stood in turn while a band played the song of each branch

In the photo above you can see Representative and Vietnam veteran Leonard Boswell; keynote speaker, Iowan, Vietnam veteran and ex-POW, now retired Lt. Cmdr. Larry Spencer, and Vietnam Veteran Marty Cardines of Des Moines, all standing in front of Patrick J. Palmersheim, Executive Director of the Iowa Department of Veteran Affairs. and 1st Lt. Martha Kester, a Chaplain in the Iowa Army National Guard (seated). Cardines (shown below and left) received medals for service and exceptional courage in Vietnam. His actions in Vietnam were exemplary, but his records were not carefully kept. It has taken decades for the bureaucracy to catch up, but catch up it did, and everyone present was honored to be part of the recognition ceremony.

Near the end of the ceremony National Guard member, Edwin Gonzalez (whose photo is shown below), a native of Honduras, was sworn in as a U. S. citizen. He is scheduled to be deployed overseas within two months. He was happy and proud.

Me too.

Retired Lt. Cmdr. Spencer, a Navy veteran of the Vietnam War and ex-POW offered comments with grace and humor, understating the difficulties he experienced as a prisoner of war. He emphasized the importance of communication, of community in the home and in the service, and of the joy of being part of Iowa and the Midwest. He closed by saying that any day that you wake up, look at the door to your bedroom, and find a knob on the inside, you know it is going to be a good day.

photos by James G. Lindberg

Thomas Friedman at Grinnell College

Good message!

Become the generation that will be called the Re-Generation.

Thomas Friedman, New York Times world affairs columnist and prolific author, gave the commencement address at Grinnell College on Monday May 19, 2009. You can hear the entire address (in 3 installments totaling just under 25 minutes) courtesy of YouTube.

In his initial remarks Friedman related several issues cited by fellow journalist Kurt Andersen in his recent Time magazine article, The End of Excess.

Continuing, Friedman then focused on a generational theme, first on the The Greatest Generation (that of his parents and grandparents – the generation that survived The Great Depression then fought in World War II). He cited the qualities that characterized the greatest generation:

• hard work
• delayed gratification
• achievement oriented
• focused attention

Those were my parents too and I would add to that list

• frugal
• humble
• accountable

Friedman contrasted the Greatest Generation with his own generation, the baby boomers (post-WWII babies) and named that generation the Grasshopper Generation – eating through the fabric of the nation like hungry locusts. He credited the grasshopper generation with such dubious qualities as

• excess (over-consuming, over-building, over-borrowing, over-lending, over-eating) and
• dumb as we wanna be (delaying the solutions to Social Security, health care, energy, environment, and immigration).

He cited the subprime meltdown in particular as illuminating a decline in basic values, risk management, accountability, and ethics.

Friedman then challenged the Grinnell graduates to become the Re-Generation

that could restore the basic values of

• hard work
• accountability

and added that the graduates should carry with them

• ethics
• uncompromising idealism
• unbending convictions
• principled behaviors

and that they should create value through

• invention
• innovation
• imagination

all in order to do real engineering of materials, of services, of societal movement that fulfill needs, both seen and unseen.

It was great advice to the Grinnell College Class of 2009.

Friedman also told an interesting story with several Iowa connections. While studying in London in 1975 and dating wife-to-be Ann Bucksbaum, daughter of Carolyn “Kay” (a Grinnell alum) and Matthew Bucksbaum (an Iowa alum), Friedman (not a journalist at the time) was so stirred by the politics of the day that he wrote an op-ed piece. Ann carried it back to Des Moines. The piece made its way to The Des Moines Register editorial page editor who published it. Friedman received $50, and he was hooked as a journalist. Thus, Friedman’s exceptional career has a strong Des Moines connection.

If you’d like to read two recent Friedman books try

• The World Is Flat
• Hot, Flat and Crowded.

photos by James G. Lindberg

More than Luck: Diane Keaton intrigues and delights in Des Moines Smart Talk

A review by David Borzo

Diane Keaton brought energy and excitement Wednesday to the stage at the Des Moines Civic Center, displaying an unquenchable embracing of life, and her own special brand of “luck”. Her program charmed the appreciative audience with a powerful testament of how to live life well. Very well. Keaton, the final speaker in the Smart Talk series for 2009, deftly blended stories from her incredible career in the movies, her close relationship with her mother, and her recent joy and challenges of raising two adopted children, Dexter, 13 and Duke, 8. Her stories and experiences were intertwined with a series of vintage family photos and home movies, and was a living testimonial for keeping memories alive.

Keaton, who along with being a legend in the movies is also a director, author, photographer, singer, producer, businesswoman and mother. She reveled in what she called her “luck” all through her lengthy career, lucky with associations and connections in getting roles; like starring in Woody Allen’s Broadway 1969 hit “Play it again, Sam”, (and winning a Tony Award) and getting the great role in 2003’s “Something’s Gotta Give” (earning her latest Academy Award nomination). OK… luck…sure…but it’s safe to say that talent has a lot to do with it too. As she put it at Smart Talk − “Luck is preparation meeting opportunity”.

She had just finished acting school when she got her role in the original Broadway production of Hair. On the screen she has starred in what have turned out to be many of the greatest films of all time; from her role as Kay Adams in the Godfather Trilogy, to her Academy Award winning title role in Annie Hall and Warren Beatty’s epic Reds (another Academy Award nomination). Throw in other classic films like Manhattan, Sleeper, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and more recently comedies like Father of the Bride, Father of the Bride Part II, and The First Wives Club. She also directed the poignant and powerful film Unstrung Heroes in 1995 to high acclaim. Next year, watch for Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford in the newest of her over 50 films, Morning Glory.

Keaton’s straightforward presentation and messages resonated with authenticity and empathy, a full life of messages received and lessons learned. She shared them generously. With both poignant memories of her mother’s tireless love and support for the young Diane’s acting, and then watching her mother struggle with Alzheimer’s (she recently passed in 2008) Keaton provides a strong tribute to her theme of taking on life and preserving memories. On the subject that is most asked of her – growing older – she also had a clear message: aging is just another opportunity…“ Don’t let Age become an act of submission” she declared, and clearly Keaton has not. Her positive perspective of embracing the past – while reveling in the present – and not fearing the future is so affirmative as to be contagious. An excellent cap to the 2009 Smart Talk season here in Des Moines.

photos by Kim Snellink

Everlasting Moments

Maria Larssons eviga ogonblick is the title in Swedish – Everlasting Moments in English, and the film is playing at the Varsity Theater.

I read a lot of film reviews Saturday including Roger Ebert’s review of Everlasting Moments and decided that of all the films in Des Moines, it looked the best. He gave it 4 stars; tv4 in Stockholm gave it 4 solar.

In one of the scenes the main character is described as having “the gift of seeing”.  As the moviegoer, you will need the gift of seeing too. Everlasting Moments is

• wonderfully visual
• melancholy
• unrushed
• subtle in color, music, and spirit

This factual story is based on a real character (Maria Larsson) as narrated by her daughter Maja.

The movie is set in southern Sweden about 100 years ago, about the time my father’s family was leaving Sweden. I enjoyed hearing the Swedish spoken, the subtitles seemed good, and the characters seemed very real (rough men, strong women, quiet children). The movie has enough stories to tell that it kept me entertained over its 2 hour 11 minute run. You might like it too.

Watch the trailer on YouTube, and you’ll know if you want to see it.

photo by flickr by dreamsjung

Victoria Rowell, actress, performer, author, foster care advocate

Tuesday night’s Smart Talk appearance by Victoria Rowell impressed the Des Moines Civic Center crowd with an inspirational personal story, a stirring journey complete with a ‘call to arms’ for all. Want to make a difference in other people’s lives, or in your own life? Victoria Rowell, movie and TV star, dancer, writer and philanthropist, had some Smart Talk for you. Raised in foster care through her childhood, by her description she still is in the foster care program, playing forward the nurturing she received. She started the non-profit Rowell Foster Children’s Positive Plan in 1990, fighting for foster children all over the world – “a world without borders”- as she described it. She talked of a “pandemic in the foster care system”, encouraging that we all can do something and make a difference, no matter how small.

Victoria Rowell carries more that a “celebrity endorsement” for her charities. She has lived the life, and today her organization supports the gamut of direct services for foster children – in fine arts, higher education, healthcare, financial literacy, reunification programs, cultural enrichment, and resources family support. It’s no wonder Ms. Rowell has received the United Nations Association Award for her work in human rights and world peace. She’s what you call a player.

This last year Rowell she shared her story with the world with her award winning book, The Women Who Raised Me, [4] a journal dedicated to the many role models in her foster care. “Growing up in foster care, I was never meant to be raised by one mother, but by many,” Rowell has said. Rowell received an NAACP Image Award in 2008 for Outstanding Literary Work by a Debut Author, for The Women Who Raised Me, and has been honored with multiple NAACP Image Awards in her career.

But it wasn’t all serious talk Tuesday night, and there were and plenty of questions about her role as Drucilla Winters on The Young and the Restless, [6] and whether she would be returning to that role soon. The Daytime Drama Diva was also a Prime-time star on Diagnosis Murder [7] with Dick Van Dyke for 7 years, and has guest-starred on The Cosby Show, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and has a recurring role in the series Noah’s Arc. And Ms. Rowell is currently co-producing an HBO movie based on that award winning homage to The Women Who Raised Me. And Ms. Rowell also has an impressive list of film credits, [8] including Eve’s Bayou, Leonard Part VI, The Distinguished Gentleman, and Dumb and Dumber.

But what impressed Tuesday most was the personal message to the audience about not selling yourself short. “Don’t self-edit” as she put it – we all have something to offer to people in need, be it assisting someone for “a day or a week, or with a couple of bags of groceries”. She charged the audience to chase personal passions and dreams – do not hold them in – manifest them. Great encouragement from an award winning dancer who received a prestigious dance scholarship at age 8 – by learning dance from a book, one of many her foster mother showed her and by watching the June Taylor Dancers [9] and the Ted Mack Amateur Hour [10] shows on TV!

Photo by flickr by Dasruets

Article written by David Borzo

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