Reubens Weekend - The Nightclub

Sunday night capped off by a visit to the nightclub "Level 3". The band featured editorial cartoonist Michael Ramirez on vocals. There was also karaoke which I unfortunately only got to hear a little bit of. What with the time difference and the early flight the next day, John and I were beat. I did get to hear both Vic Lee (Pardon My Planet) and Mark Tatulli (Lio).                                          

                     

Here's this year's winner for Best Gag Cartoon Mort Gerberg mixing it up.

Vic Lee (Nominated for best panel cartoon for Pardon My Planet) and his lovely wife Lisa.

Rina Piccolo cuts loose on the platform.

These bouncers tried to get her down but no dice :-)

Reubens Weekend - The Hotel

RMost of the Reubens Weekend took place this year at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel. This hotel is very new and is part of the Hollywood Highland Plaza adjacent to the Kodak Theater where they have the Oscars. It was very nice - here are a few pics.

These are of the Highland Plaza - it is not part of the hotel but is connected to it by walkways and bridges. It is modeled after a DW Griffith's movie set.

The room.

The famous Hollywood sign - complete with the famous Hollywood haze.

The hotel was full of great art.

The pool where I fried myself. If you look closely, Pearls Before Swine Creator Stephan Pastis is in there. Out of respect for his privacy I won't tell you which one he is. I will give you a hint - he definitely works out.

Of Stars and Footprints - more Reuben weekend photos

Well, we didn't leave the hotel much, but when we did we dutifully strolled up and down Hollywood Blvd. and the walk of fame. Sad to say, the walk has seen better days - it was a shame how much of it really needs to be repaired. Still, it was fun and we saw a lot of interesting star names.

Looking toward the Kodak Theater (where they hold the Oscars)
A better view of the Kodak and surrounding streetscape.

The entry where they have the red carpet.

The famous "stars"

One of my favs. :-)

Think about it.

John in front of Grauman's Chinese.

John Wayne's footprints will always be an "I Love Lucy" episode for me.

I had to take this one at a weird angle because there were simply too many people crowding around it. Probably something to do with a little movie they released lately.

You have to check your feet next to the stars.

Another of my personal favorites.

An oldie but a goodie.

I'm so lucky to have a dad that recorded a ton of Jack Benny radio shows for me to listen to while growing up. What great comedic timing.

Gotta love the pistol and the horseshoes.

For the "Citizen Kane" fans - Marion Davies was what all the fuss was about. As part of the Hearst Entertainment family, I take a greater interest in all things Hearst than I used to.

 

More Reubens pics - Cathy Guisewite's House

It was such a busy weekend, I'll be posting in stages. Here are some pics from Sunday afternoon when cartoonist Cathy Guisewite very generously opened up her home to the entire NCS. I did get to speak to her briefly and was able to finally thank her for her advice to John many years ago when he was breaking into the business, but it was a busy day and she was in high demand so I did not impose on her for a photo. Her home was lovely, the food was delicious (the salad alone was one of the best I've ever tasted), the music provided by a very talented guitarist was beautiful, and the company was terrific!

 

Cathy's parents Anne and Bill greeted everyone as they arrived. (No Cathy's mother does not customarily sport a mustache!)

A view of the house from the terrace.

The tennis court was nicely set up for eating and chatting and the umbrellas were a much appreciated touch - my Wisconsin winter skin was starting to get a little crispy by the end of a weekend in the California sun.

Surrounding the tennis court were these figures - each had the head of a cartoonist and his/her character. The stairs lead to the pool and a small guesthouse.

The pool. No one swam but, more surprisingly, no one got thrown in either. I must confess I rather thought Mike Peters might dive in but he didn't :-)

Cathy's home is filled with incredible art. 

Jan Elliot of Stone Soup

John with Hilary Price of Rhymes with Orange

There were two items for the cartoonists to sign - this piano and the pot below. Mell Lazarus of Miss Peach has a famous grand piano that has too many cartoonist's signatures to count. Cathy is trying to catch up.

Bill and Jeff Keene of Family Circus signing the pot.

Here are their faces but the shadows are pretty dark.

John signs the pot.

Edison nicely nestled between Pooch Cafe's Poncho and Mutts' Earl.

And I'll give Stephan Pastis the last word.

Reuben Weekend

I'll be writing in depth about our terrific time at the Reuben Weekend later today. In the meantime, here are a few photos.

John, Tom Racine (Tall Tale Radio) Norm Feuti (Retail) and Lucas Turnbloom (Imagine This!)
Vic Lee (Pardon My Planet - Award nominee), Brendan Burford (King Features), John

Jeff Corriveau (Deflocked), Rina Piccolo (Tina's Groove, Six Chix), me, Brendan Burford, Paul Gilligan (Pooch Cafe) Karyl Miller (comedy writer), and Jenny Robb (Museum of Cartoon Art)

Michael Meehan, Kieran Meehan (Pros and Cons) Norm Feuti, David Meehan

Me and Paul Gilligan (with Norm in the background)

My Other Life

Well, after ages of not having a website for my harp business, I have now taken the plunge into the 21st century. You can find my new harp website here.

It is only 75 % finished in that, I don't have that blog up and running yet, and we're still tweaking some things on the contact page, but it's mostly ready for public consumption. 

One of my main goals for this site is to raise money for breast cancer research through the sale of my original recordings. I lost my very best friend in the world to this disease 2 years ago and feel very passionately about the need to stamp it out or, at the very least, improve treatment options, survival rates, and quality of life for those in the metastatic stage. My hope is to really make a difference with these donations.

Even if you don't make a donation, you can listen to the music while you're on the site, and hopefully it will add something to your day.