Celebrating Celebrity Moms in the Holidays
A holiday tradition which we never miss is the Motion Picture Mothers annual “Yule Love It” luncheon at the Regent Beverly Wilshire. Where else can you see such stars as Tom Selleck, Mackenzie Phillips and Anthony Hopkins with their moms, acting as dutiful little boys or girls? Selleck’s mom, Martha, is president of the group, which supports the Motion Picture and Television Fund, wich operates the home for industry retirees in Woodland Hills.
This year, Neil Diamond received their Gold Star Award, following in the footsteps of Michael York, Annette Funicello and Bob Stack to name a few. Diamond’s mom, Rose, unfortunately was unable to attend; but the humble performer gave her full credit for his success. Did you know that he composed the song Crackin Rose in 1970 in her honor?
Other awards were presented to Doris Roberts (Buddy Award) in honor of Buddy Rogers (who incidentally won the first Academy Award for Wings). The Applause Award was presented to and Mickey Jones.
And where do you think we spent the first night of Hanukkah? With Martin Landau who lighted the first candle at the Museum of Tolerance in West L.A. We were invited to the world premiere of The Aryan Couple, starring Landau, Judy Parfitt, Kenny Doughy and Caroline Carver. This is the story of a perfect Aryan couple who work as a valet and maid for an elderly Jewish couple in their opulent palace in Hungry in 1944. The patriarch of the family (Landau) makes a deal with the devil (Himmler) to save their lives in exchange for everything he owns.
Landau says he was particularly attracted to The Aryan Couple because the Holocaust is the backdrop. “This is a different way of looking at this period of history through characters that you get to know intimately,? he said. ?There has never been a film in which Eichmann and Himmler are principle characters relating to Jews at this level.” Filmed in Poland, and directed by John Daly (Platoon and The Last Emperor), this is a gripping tale of people surviving against all odds.
Marci Weiner can be contacted at hlbt@earthlink.net.