Testing The Waters

If you haven't watched Oprah's Master Class on OWN you need to stop reading this post right now and go tune in... it is absolutely amazing! And if you don't know which channel OWN is on here's an easy     Channel Finder WHAT IS MASTER CLASS? Master Class is a show on the Own Network, in each episode a successful celebrity talks straight to camera and  openly  discusses the lessons they've learned from their life. Jane Fonda, Stevie Nicks, Tom Brokaw are just some that have  appeared  in this series. I recently watched Lenny Kravitz's Master Class and he  brought up many topics that I hold close to my own heart - one in particular had to do with race.  On the program he reveals a number of defining moments from his life but one in particular had a huge impact on him - this incident happened when he was in first grade.  On the first day of class his teacher had handed out one of those state mandated forms requiring the standard i...

I just finished work on a film and am currently in that in-between time that all artists go through.  Painters call this their "Blue Period." Usually, when I feel like this I can lure myself out of it by visiting museums, spending time with friends, going to the beach, reading autobiographies, watching inspirational stories on TV (which means I am glued to my OWN channel) or what I can find on-line. So, I began to scour the internet for inspiring stories when I vaguely remembered a story that I heard when I was younger, it was a story that seemed more fantastical than reality based.  I remembered hearing a about a man who walked across the World Trade Center on a tight rope - yes - that's right A TIGHT ROPE. A quick google search lead me to the infamous Philippe Petit a French, world renown high wire artist. On August 7, 1974 Petit completed an unauthorized high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Petit not only walked the 200 ft gap betwee...

I am a huge fan of the real-life, Crime/Cop shows (basically everything on A&E) 48 hours, Cold Case Files, DEA, Forensic Files... and also this new show on OWN called "Disappeared".  It wasn't until recently that a haunting thought came over me, as I watched the crimes on these shows it was like de ja vu, I realized that in my life I've had similar experiences. Seriously, it rocked me to my core how similar. I also realized that BUT FOR what my brother taught me I wouldn't alive today. This is me and my bro - after training one day My brother has been a Martial Artist ever since he could walk and swing Nunchaku. We grew up in the projects on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and because we lived in a tough neighborhood my brother taught me self defense and I am here today because he cared enough and had the patience to teach me some skills that saved my life.   AWARENESS OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS I was in High School and was 15 years old. It was after ...