In Houston's therapy, to intervene is divine

March 31, 2004

BY BILL ZWECKER SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST Advertisement

Whitney Houston's mother is going public -- hoping to enlist the superstar's enormous fan base in support of the entertainer's attempt to lick her addictions.

Cissy Houston announced plans via a recorded message airing on New York's KISS-FM radio station for a ''prayer vigil'' next Monday -- a two-hour event the R&B and gospel great said she's calling ''mothers praying for healing.''

In the statement, the senior Houston said, ''Let us pray for healing and deliverance for our children affected by substance abuse.''

As first reported in this column, an intervention by various members of Whitney Houston's family -- including her mother -- led her to enter a drug rehabilitation program. While Houston reportedly exited the residential facility five days later, her spokeswoman insists the singer is continuing treatment on an outpatient basis.

''Clearly Cissy's public statement on the issue is her way of continuing to keep Whitney focused on how essential Cissy considers Whitney's recovery ... for herself, for [her daughter] Bobbi Kristina and for her entire family,'' a close family friend said Tuesday.

While various celebrities are expected to participate in the Monday prayer vigil at the famous Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, a source tells Foxonline's Roger Friedman that Houston cousins Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick are among the likely participants.

*In addition, the troubled Houston is getting a boost from Vivica A. Fox -- never one afraid to speak her mind. ''Whitney is an incredible entertainer and a great woman,'' Fox tells the May issue of Smooth magazine. ''Because of things that are happening in her life right now, a lot of people have forgotten her contribution to the music industry. I want to remind them.''

No word on whether this strong testimonial has anything to do with a pending biographical film in the works about the superstar diva's roller coaster life -- a role Fox admitted, ''I would love to play.''

PATRIC PINCHED: Maybe facing all us reporters in San Antonio for the press junket and premiere of his new film ''The Alamo'' was too much for Jason Patric. The actor -- who ironically portrays hard-drinking Jim Bowie in the upcoming Disney epic -- was arrested in Austin, Texas, early Monday, charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest.

Patric, 37, was standing in a street with a group of people at about 3 a.m. when asked by officers to move. Things apparently turned ugly, and police claim the actor became aggressive and even pushed an officer.

Though the actor insisted he was not drunk and demanded a sobriety test, police spokesman Kevin Buchman said there is no test administered for public intoxication [not involving driving]. Officers only need to suspect a person is drunk.

Patric was booked into the Travis County Jail and released five hours later, jail officials said.

The actor's publicist released a statement claiming Patric did nothing wrong. ''He hopes for a rapid resolution to clear his name,'' the statement said.

When I spoke to Patric on Friday morning, he waxed poetic about spending so much time in Austin while filming ''The Alamo.'' ''It's really one terrific town,'' he said -- quite soberly.

Wonder if he's still a fan.

PICTURE THIS: ''The Matrix'' star Keanu Reeves is sticking to sci-fi in his next movie gig. The actor will star in ''A Scanner Darkly,'' based on a Philip K. Dick novel and directed by Richard Linklater (''School of Rock''). Daily Variety reports Linklater will again use the same technology he employed in ''Waking Life'' -- shooting live action, then animating the actors.

*Michelle Pfeiffer is negotiating to star in a remake of Billy Wilder's classic 1957 film ''Witness for the Prosecution'' -- with a new screenplay penned by Pfeiffer's husband, David E. Kelley, based on the Agatha Christie novel. Pfeiffer would play the Christine Helm Vole role originally played by Marlene Dietrich in the film, which also starred Tyrone Power, Charles Laughton and his wife, Elsa Lanchester.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/people/166970_people31.html

People in the News: Allen dumped Clooney over respect

George Clooney may be considered the most eligible bachelor around, but he was the one who got dumped in his latest romance, says In Touch via imdb.com.

Actress Krista Allen broke up with Clooney "because he wasn't treating her with the respect she feels she deserves," her rep said.

Allen

The spokeswoman adds that Clooney and Allen will remain friends. You don't need respect for that?

Remember when singer Avril Lavigne dissed Hilary Duff as a "mommy's girl?" (The slam came after Duff said Lavigne needed to have more respect for her fans.) Well, it apparently was no slip of the tongue. Lavigne has now told People that "if (Duff) doesn't shut her mouth, then I'll shut it for her." Duff is taking the nice girl approach, saying she's sorry her remarks "got blown out of proportion."

Think Keanu Reeves needs more animation? He's set to star in "A Scanner Darkly," loosely based on a Philip K. Dick novel, which will be shot live and then animated, says Scifiwire.com.

People in the News

From breakthroughs to breakups, read up on your favorite personalities

Now that Penelope Cruz is free of Tom Cruise, whom she hooked up with when they filmed "Vanilla Sky, various gossips have linked her with current co-star Matthew McConaughey.

Is it that hard for actresses to meet people?

-- P-I reporter Rebekah Denn

Keanu Reeves To Star In 'A Scanner Darkly'

[Tue March 30, 2004 07:09PM]

Keanu Reeves is to star in the adaptation of the Philip K. Dick novel A Scanner Darkly, according to Variety.

School of Rock helmer Richard Linklater negotiating to direct.

A Scanner Darkly will employ the same technology Linklater used in Waking Life, It will be shot live-action, then animated.

Book was influenced by the drug experiences of Dick, the deceased author whose mind-bending sci-fi tales have been turned into Blade Runner, Total Recall and Minority Report, among other films. Linklater did the most recent draft of the script.

Story takes place in the future, where undercover agents change their faces along with their identities. Reeves plays one such officer, and his liberal ingestion of the drug Substance D causes him to develop a split personality.

Keanu Reeves stars in A Scanner Darkly

Variety reports that Keanu Reeves is set to star in A Scanner Darkly, an adaptation of the Philip K. Dick novel.The story takes place in the future where undercover agents change their faces along with their identities. Reeves will play one such officer, and his liberal ingestion of the drug Substance D causes him to develop a spilt personality.

Richard Linklater (School of Rock) is in talks to direct the film; Linklater wrote the most recent draft of the script. It is also reported that the film will employ the same technology the director used in Waking Life. It will be shot live-action, then animated.

Warner Independent is scheduling the film for a May start

Keanu set for Philip K. Dick sci-fi movie

Keanu set for Philip K. Dick sci-fi movie
POSTED ON 03/30/04 AT 9:30 A.M.
BY THOMAS CHAU

Variety reports that Keanu Reeves is set to star in "A Scanner Darkly" for director Richard Linklater ("School of Rock.") The film will be based on a Philip K. Dick short story, with Linklater penning the latest draft of the screenplay.

The film tells the story of undercover agents in the future who change their faces and identities. Reeves will play an agent who develops a split personality.

The film will also be produced by George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh's company Section 8 and shooting is set to begin in May.

At the premiere of THE MAYOR OF THE SUNSET STRIP

ovie Premiere
At the premiere of THE MAYOR OF THE SUNSET STRIP

You may never of heard of him, but Rodney Bingenheimer has been a fixture on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood for over a decade and years ago was dubbed THE MAYOR OF SUNSET STRIP. As a matter of fact I致e known Rodney since the late sixties and he, like most of us here in Hollywood at that time, were where the music was. Not only is Rodney known by just about every artist in the music industry, but he helped break dozens of major artists by giving them their first airplay on Los Angeles based radio station KROQ, where he has been a disc jockey for many years. Some of the major artists have included David Bowie, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, The Clash, Van Halen, Nirvana, Oasis, No Doubt and Coldplay. Rodney has a very special bond to Nancy Sinatra and Sonny and Cher. And now there is a new documentary detailing Rodney's life, during the course of which many of the rock legends pay homage to him.

Rodney is best known for his one line greeting "Hi, what痴 happening?" and he still greets you that way today. He has had a fulfilling life, but also a lonely sad life. During the course of the movie you hear about his mom (who has passed away), and meet his dad, step-mother and step-sister. You even go along with him to London where he scatters his mom痴 ashes in the sea. You also see photos of him with just about everyone involved in music・lvis, John Lennon, and celebrities・veryone knows Rodney. THE MAYOR OF SUNSET STRIP chronicles his life, letting you see what it's like being Rodney Bingenheimer.

First Look Pictures, Showtime and Samuel Goldwyn Films held the Los Angeles premiere for the movie at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood on March 22. Seen walking the red carpet was Rodney Bingenheimer; Producers Chris Carter, Tommy Perna and from the film Michael Des Barres (HIGHLANDER: THE SERIES, MCGUYVER and the rock band Silverhead); famous rock groupie and publisher of I知 With The Band Pamela Des Barres; Kim Fowley (songwriter); and Ronald Vaughn and Camile Chanery, who are close friends of Rodney.

They were joined by guests Matt LeBlanc (FRIENDS); Bruce Gary (The Knack); Cherie Currie (The Runaways); Harold Bronson (Rhino Records); Josh Randall (ED); Holly Palmer (Warner Bros. recording artists); Fiona Horn (SciFi Channel痴 MAD MAD HOUSE); Secret Machines; India Dupre・ Melissa George (ALIAS); Miss Mercy (former rock groupie and member with Pamela Des Barres of the GTO痴); Laura Elena Harring (MULHOLLAND DR.); Lake Bell (MISS MATCH); Juliette Lewis; Bow Wow Wow痴 Annabella Lwin; Stray Cats・Slim Jim Phantom; Gary Dourdan (CSI), Amber Tamblyn (JOAN OF ARCADIA) and many others.

THE MAYOR OF SUNSET STRIP opens in theatres in Los Angeles on March 26, in New York on April 2 and in other select cities on April 9. If you want to know more about Rodney or the film check out the website www.mayorofthesunsetstrip.com.

Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at feedback@cinescape.com.

ShoWest (2004)

Keanu Reeves and Amy Pascal, chairman of Sony's Columbia Pictures, presented an award at the Paris Las Vegas hotel during ShoWest, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners, March 25, 2004, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Keanu Reeves was there to present Nancy Meyers with the Director of the Year award. Meyers wrote and directed "Something's Gotta Give" - in which Keanu appeared.

According to the Las Vegas Sun, Keanu and Nancy showed mutual admiration: "She writes real personal work. What is that? The Nancy Meyers je ne sais quoi?" Reeves said laughing. "She's someone who has real insight into what she wants to see. She won't move on until she gets 'it.'"

Myers, whose projects include "Baby Boom" and "What Women Want," said "Give" has been her favorite movie experience, adding co-stars Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton "loved working with Keanu. He's fantastic. He's perfect."

Set Visit: Constantine

hen you read the story, you can tell that they have a bit of a history, that they have been through this before," says Djimon. "They were, at one point, teammates. Yeah, you can definitely feel that there's sort of a relationship there before. I could read through the script and then I sort of create it for myself. We sat down with the writer and the director and through rehearsing start to redefine the history."

Walking around on set, another interesting and seemingly out of place artifact is a tray holding a set of glasses with pin-up girls on them. In the scene, Midnite shows Constantine the collection, which is missing only one glass. Keanu explains, "Those are some nice pin-up girls with months on them, so I think this is illustrating the humor that you have all of these religious iconic items and he's also collecting these highball glasses."

Djimon's Midnite is a much more black and white character than Constantine. "Midnite, at this point, has much more of a business approach to John Constantine, his longtime friend and longtime partner," says Djimon. "He's completely distanced himself from that world and became completely neutral in society where everything's really about business for him. He takes no sides in the fight against evil. He's just there to accommodate the good and the bad."

Another signature aspect of the Midnite character is a striking style. As we talk to Djimon, he is adorned from head to toe in a sort of flamboyant purple velvet '70s pimp suit, pointy-toed shoes and all. "It's very extravagant but, especially for Midnite, the costume is good for me, yeah. He's very flamboyant as well. I've been warm in this one, with a little bit of fur. It's not something that I'm going to wear around, you know? Unless I need to get a job on Santa Monica.

"Midnite is a suave [character]. He's a witch doctor. Obviously, is a good friend to John Constantine and does pretty much what John Constantine's still doing now. They used to do that together before he took a different direction. The direction he took is more of a business direction, where he's not taking sides and he's not necessarily fighting with the humans. So, Midnite's very entertaining."

Djimon doesn't see the situations of Constantine as total fantasy either. "Personally, it's far from being ridiculous. Although this is a fictional story we are telling here, quite a bit of the strange things we have going on in this film happens in real life where people want to find a bit of peace in our crazy world. I already come from a country that is the source of voodoo..."

While Keanu has been the butt of many critics jokes in the past, Djimon says he is very impressed with Keanu's work ethic: "It's been quite an exciting experience because he's done so much and this time working on this picture first hand, it's a nice surprise because I realize how, actually he's a very talented man, and he takes his work, I mean, he's so anal about the work. The guy had received some criticisms good and bad. Working with him you have a greater feel for the kind of generosity he has with the work and then with people he becomes a part of this picture. He definitely is a very simple man and somewhat misunderstood. He's just very reclusive in a way. Very private. To see the dedication to the work and to the craft. He works hard at the work and making it work, he's very supportive of other actors that take part in his films..."

Lawrence sees Keanu as a perfect choice for John Constantine, citing their personal similarities: "It's interesting because I think Keanu actually has a lot of John Constantine in him, personally. I don't think he's really portrayed anything like John Constantine before, but just the way he is in his every day normal life and the sort of experiences he's had and his view on the world and on people is really sort of similar and I think we both... I don't want to get into anything sort of personal, but I mean, Keanu is kind of a haunted guy and he's sort of elusive and he's kind of mysterious. He's had some sort of tragic things happen to him and I think he sort of kind of lives that life a little bit. He's also, I would say, a little self-destructive, which I think Constantine is, you know?"

The studio is expecting a PG-13 release for Constantine, which may ultimately prove a difficult task for Lawrence and crew. "Well, I'll tell you. It's interesting. We went in, the studio wants it to be PG-13. We never intentionally went in and changed anything in the script in terms of like, taking out a sex scene or taking out a lot of blood and gore. It never really had that. We always had the intention of going into this movie and sort of treating it... I'll use the movie Jacob's Ladder as a reference in the way that you sort of, it's what you don't see and things that are hidden in shadows. The tough part is, this movie has a lot of things that you can't take out. There are multiple suicides in this movie. Multiple. You can't take it out. There are adult themes and that's what's sort of interesting about this whole process with the studio trying for PG-13, but we're not taking these things out. They haven't asked us to take these things out and the story depends on these things. The studio's been watching the dailies, so they see what we've been getting and there've been no complaints so far. There's part of me that just thinks that the studio really, sort of, doesn't understand it, which, I guess, for now, has been a good thing."

Constantine is currently scheduled for a February 11th, 2005 release.

-- Jeff Otto

Surrel Meats

llan Ben and Emmanuel Paletz sat in a booth in the Times Square Howard Johnson's and stared down at their paper place mats, studying the rather washed-out image of a 16-ounce T-bone steak, baked potato, tomato gratin, parsley, a bottle of steak sauce and a glass of pale red wine, accompanied by the words ''The meal that won the West!''

''Plain,'' Paletz pronounced.

''Boring,'' Ben added.

Well, what else would you expect from the authors of ''Art and Cook: Love Food, Live Design and Dream Art,'' an ambitious new book that is anything but plain and boring?

That book is raising eyebrows for more than its grammatically off-kilter title. There are its unique design and packaging -- it comes in a large egg carton (to symbolize the fragile nature of its contents, Ben and Paletz say). And then there are its provocative contents. When was the last time you flipped through a cookbook and found a beef-stew recipe illustrated by an image of a matador dangling a side of blood-red beef? Or one for Mediterranean grilled vegetables and rice with a picture of a shapely woman and an equally curvy hot orange pepper sunbathing side by side?

''We broke the format of the cookbook,'' said Ben, its publisher and photographer, enjoying a cup of coffee while Paletz, the art director and designer, preferred tea. ''Why do people have to see just a picture and text? Why can't they think about it -- not just food, but life itself?''

Ben recalled a seminal moment. ''Three years ago, basically, my wife sent me to buy a cookbook,'' he said. ''I was standing, looking for a book, and I said, 'Gosh, they're all the same.' Each book has the recipe and a picture of what the dish is, and I got really, really bored, and I decided that I would like to make a new cookbook, something else.''

[Snipped for Keanu]

Ben ventured into photography, studying at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan and focusing on fashion and, after graduation, still lifes. Paletz, whose father was a chef, studied design at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Israel and went on to create Flash-animation videos for the Cure and Keanu Reeves's band, Dogstar.

The two men pooled their talents and created photographs exploring their shared passions for social, political and environmental issues. They shopped them around to galleries, but one by one the galleries said no.

he 33rd New Directors/New Films Festival

Through April 4 at three sites: Alice Tully Hall (T) and the Walter Reade Theater (W) at Lincoln Center, 165 W. 66th St., and the MoMA Gramercy Theater (G), 127 East 23rd Street, between Lexington and Third Avenues.

Opening This Week

"THE MAYOR OF THE SUNSET STRIP" — George Hickenlooper's documentary about Rodney Bingenheimer, a Los Angeles nightclub impresario in the 70's and 80's, features David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Brian Wilson, Alice Cooper, Keanu Reeves, Debbie Harry, Pete Townshend, Beck, Joey Ramone and the Doors. When it was shown at last year's New York Film Festival, Stephen Holden wrote: "Fame, observed up close, is a cold and voracious entity, and `Mayor of the Sunset Strip,' without even trying, makes you feel its chilly pull." (No rating) (1:34) Opens Fri.

The Matrix Comics

There is a certain sweet misery caused by the reading of this title. I don't know about you but I'm still reeling from the sheer mediocrity of the third film's ending. Believe me, I wanted to like it, I was desperate to like it.

I had thought the first film a masterpiece. The second was highly enjoyable and full of the promise of a satisfying conclusion. If the film were a lover it would be a drunken nymphomaniac. Then the third came along and assaulted us with one of the most anti-climactic, disappointing finales of all time. The initial thrill had worn off and we'd woken up to find the drunk making us breakfast in skid-marked underwear.

It would be unfair, however, to allow the artistic poverty of the third instalment to colour our opinions of this collection of titles, set in 'The Matrix' universe. It does in fact contain many pieces of a quality that anyone, Matrix fan or not, can appreciate. You may be familiar with the work in this compilation as it has all been previously published on the Matrix website. It is still available there, even after the release of the book.

'But why should I spend my hard earned cash on something I can read for free?' I hear you say. Good point, you at the back. I can only answer that, from a personal perspective, I found it much more satisfying to peruse a copy whilst lying in bed with a hot chocolate and a teddy-bear than I did sitting bolt upright staring at a monitor screen. Also, it looks better on your shelf than a hard-drive does.

Still, what you really want to know is, is it any good? Well, to put it plainly, if you were somehow seized by a desperate desire to look up the term 'mixed bag' in an illustrated dictionary, you may well see a picture of this collection emblazoned before you. By the way, if this actually does happen to you, please seek medical help immediately. The instantaneous grabber of the collection is the short story written by Mr Neil 'I can't do anything wrong if I tried' Gaiman.

This is an entirely prose piece and, whilst not being amongst his best work, it is an interesting manipulation of the Matrix setting. Gaiman shows no fear at bending the rules to suit his narrative inclination. It is also fascinating that this early piece, like many of the others in the anthology, seems to have been written before the Wachowski brothers cemented the laws of the Matrix universe, leading to some interesting variations that do not always gel with the films.

The story deals with the idea of the Matrix as a false reality by playing tricks with time, so an apparent year in the Matrix only takes seconds in the real world. The most interesting element though is the introduction of aliens to the situation, providing a common enemy that both humans and machines need to defeat and an intrusion into the age-old status quo. It is an entertaining piece, but whilst reading it one gets the nagging feeling that Gaiman hasn't really taken it all that seriously and that some of the ideas contained within have been only hastily examined.

Despite this, it's still by far the best thing about this collection. As mentioned before, the actual comics themselves vary in quality. The excellent 'Butterfly', written and drawn by Dave Gibbons, is wonderfully minimalist with its dialogue, like a Haiku in the form of a comic. Over just a few pages, it very elegantly tells a tale of struggle, hope and death in the simple story of one man's confrontation with the nastiest of the nasty, those darn pesky Agents.

Also to be commended are 'A Sword Of A Different Colour' by Troy Nixey and 'A Life Less Empty' by Ted McKeever which both manage to illustrate the untapped depth of the Matrix setting and the wonderful things that can emerge when authors and artists of talent are allowed to play with it. Other comics like John Van Fleet's 'Burning Hope' demonstrate what happens when the other types of authors are given a go. I was personally disappointed by this confused and poorly written story as I am a fan of Van Fleet's work.

He does produce more of his wonderful semi-photo-realistic artwork, which has an appealing dream-like quality to it but this is simply not matched by his literary craftsmanship. All I can say is don't give up the day-job, mate. Also, we have 'Get It' by Peter Bagge, a 'humorous' look at the public reactions to the first film. Unfortunately, it's about as funny as watching Keanu Reeves getting fed into a wood-chipper.

So, mixed bag it is then. Despite this, the quality of the truly excellent pieces is high enough for me to recommend any Matrix fan to pick up a copy and, as a whole, the collection is an enjoyable night's read. If you really don't like any of the comics, you can rip them out and borrow that wood-chipper we mentioned.

Once you'd cleaned the Keanu off of it that is...

Gaiman on "Constantine" Controversy

Monday March 22nd, 2004 1:35am (US-PST)

Author: Garth Franklin
Source:

Author Neil Gaiman spoke out on his official blog recently about the talk of comic book author legend Alan Moore removing his name from the "Hellblazer" movie adaptation recently:

"Oh, it's true that Alan's rejected the money for CONSTANTINE and assigned it to his cocreators, but he's now done that for all films of his and things he's done that might one day be filmed. This was because he was deeply hurt and offended and irritated by being accused in the Larry Cohen lawsuit of having written League of Extraordinary Gentlemen as some kind of studio shill, and because Alan never does anything by halves. Up until the lawsuit his position was that he didn't care about the films people made from his work, but was happy to cash the cheques; after, he decided that he didn't even want to cash the cheques. His share of Constantine was redistributed among his co-creators, John Totleben, Steve Bissette and Rick Veitch and to Jamie Delano and John Ridgway.

As far as I know, from having spoken to him, Alan's view on Constantine itself is the same as his view on From Hell and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which is that he'll probably rent the DVD one day, you never know, hell might freeze over, -- and that the important work is the comic -- the main difference being here that the film is, from what I understand, mostly based on the Garth Ennis and Jamie Delano issues of the Hellblazer comic.

(And, for whatever remains of the record, Alan hasn't seen anything of Constantine -- no scripts, no nothing. Nor has he had any contact with DC on it except for asking Karen Berger to redistribute the money and the credit.)

I tend to feel that the filmmakers started with two strikes against them, simply by casting Keanu Reeves instead of, say, Jude Law, but everything I've heard since has been encouraging, so while I'll be sitting in the cinema with my arms folded and an "okay, convince me" attitude, I'll at least be going to see it."

Thanks to 'Antoine'.

Making a conscious choice

Toronto's Centre for Conscious Living attracts many who call themselves `spiritual but not religious' Minister says congregation

It's 11 on a Sunday morning and time for a little boogie-woogie.

The pianist, who works both ends of the clock performing live jazz, smiles as people begin to hoot and shout and the mood in the Toronto Truck Theatre becomes downright funky.

"You were born perfect, whole, and complete," Reverend Barbara Schreiner-Trudel tells the congregation.

"If you are hiding your greatness, you are not living God's purpose."

Welcome to the Centre for Conscious Living, Toronto's "un-church."

The centre is a trans-denominational, inclusive spiritual community that meets Sunday mornings at any space they can scare up now that their Bloor Street Cinema home has closed for roof repairs. ("We're going to have the smartest congregation ever," says Schreiner-Trudel. "They can't just show up to the service. They have to find it first.")

The focus is on empowering individuals to create the life of their dreams.

"God, the Universe, Spirit ... you can use whatever name you're comfortable with, but we believe it is a power that is where we are, in us and around us," Schreiner-Trudeltells her congregation. "It's the power you use as you live your life and express your life. The moment you begin to recognize the power is within you — that it's not somewhere outside — your life will begin to shift. If you change your thinking, you can change your life."

Torontonians have eagerly supported the centre's teachings, prompting Schreiner-Trudel to add a Sunday evening service in a United church at Sherbourne and Carlton Sts.

The message is pure New Thought, and fits right in with that of many of today's prominent spiritual writers and speakers.

Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, Wayne Dyer and others talk about a force in the universe that we use as individuals to create our lives, and about the power of the subconscious mind to create our reality. Together, these thinkers support a grassroots backlash against traditional, formalized religion.

New Thought concepts have made a powerful sweep around the planet, and in the last 10 years have become positively trendy. Everyone's talking about it: Oprah, Madonna, Keanu Reeves, Nelson Mandela.

The Centre for Conscious Living is an idea whose time has come. In Toronto, so many people consider themselves to be "spiritual but not religious" that the phrase became a cliché here before Alberta even knew it existed.

Eighty per cent of Canadians say they believe in God, yet only 20 per cent attend weekly religious services, according to the 2001 Statistics Canada survey. Canadians who reported themselves as belonging to no religion — and who are a mixed bag of agnostics, atheists, new thought spiritualists and those with simply "no religion" — made up less than 1 per cent of the Canadian population 30 years ago. Today, they represent the second-largest "religious" group in the country.

People are searching for the truth, and many are finding it in non-traditional places. Although Canadians report themselves to be just as spiritual as ever, Torontonians are increasingly more likely to find their answers in a Learning Annex workshop or Deepak Chopra tape than in a pew at their local church or synagogue.

The new bookstore spiritualists are some of the millions of people worldwide who, in one generation, have changed the face of spirituality from a matter that was primarily prescribed by traditional places of worship to one that is increasingly shopped for and selected by individuals on an à la carte basis.

In a recent interview, James Redfield, author of The Celestine Prophecy, explains the backlash against traditional religions. "Many religions traditionally claim their founder's experience of the word of God is the one true experience, and everyone else's experience of the word of God is at best a mistake and at worst a blasphemy.

"The new spirituality will step ... into an inclusive kind of understanding that allows us to honour and to celebrate each other's points of view without finding them mutually exclusive."

The centre's Schreiner-Trudel, a member of Toronto's Horizon Interfaith Council which works to promote harmony and understanding among Toronto's cultural and faith groups, finds value in any spiritual path. "We are an inclusive community that really believes there are many paths to God and this is one. Whichever path you choose is correct. There is no one way to find God."

Many of the new bookstore spiritualists, as well as a significant number of dropouts from other religions, have been drawn to The Centre for Conscious Living.

"People come here from all walks of life," says one member. "Many come who have never considered going to a church before because they don't really consider themselves to be Christian or religious at all.

"Others come here from regular places of worship because this just fits more with their beliefs. I think there are some people who alternate coming here with their regular synagogue."

Says Schreiner-Trudel: "We just believe there is one God, and God is love, and that power is available to all people. Knowing that helps us to recognize the validity and value of all faiths."

The Matrix Maestro

Composer Don Davis discusses the upcoming Revolutions DVD, working with publicity shy directors and the franchise’s ambitious Internet plans.

By Ian Spelling

Don Davis was bound to hook up with The Matrix trilogy. The respected composer already had a working relation-ship with film editor Zach Staen-berg. So, when Larry and Andy Wachowski hired Staenberg to cut Bound, he arranged a meeting between Davis and the brothers.

Davis and the Wachowskis hit all the right notes on Bound, leading the filmmaking brothers to tap Davis for The Matrix. “It seemed clear that Larry and Andy were looking to assemble a creative team that they could rely on,” Davis recalls. “And when The Matrix was green-lit, they brought along everyone from Bound who had made essential contributions, including Zach, Bill Pope (the cinematographer) and myself.”

The Wachowskis told Davis that they wanted the music in The Matrix to be as creative as the script and added they were looking for something that would be as different from other scores as the film’s visuals were from previous sci-fi efforts. “I could see that those were not idle words,” Davis says. “That’s because the script was the most creative effort I had ever seen for a film.”

Sure enough, The Matrix went on to become a worldwide hit and, more to the point, a pop culture icon, with Davis lauded for his layered, powerful and memorable score. Following his effort on The Matrix, Davis went on to score other projects such as House on Haunted Hill, AntiTrust, Valentine, Jurassic Park III, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever and, of course, The Animatrix.

The Animatrix DVD, a collection of short animated films set within the Matrix universe, paved the way for the big screen sequels The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. The latter arrives on DVD on April 6 from Warner Home Entertainment and thereby served as the impetus for our recent conversation with Davis.

“When I scored The Matrix, I felt that I had really gone all out in terms of intensity,” the composer notes. “Then when Reloaded came along, my instructions were to increase the intensity exponentially, which seemed impossible. And then, after I did increase the intensity for Reloaded, I was told to increase it again for Revolutions.”

“Fortunately, Revolutions provided me with two incredibly intense set pieces, in which the heightened intensity of the score fit the film nicely,” he adds. “There was also the idea that all the thematic musical material that was used in each film needed to be referred to, developed more, and reach a conclusion in Revolutions, which was also no small task.”

Out of the three Matrix films, Davis is happiest with the outcome of Revolutions, due to the use of the choir in the climatic battle between Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Smith (Hugo Weaving).

“We used excerpts from the Upanishads in the original Sanskrit as text for the choir to sing,” he explains. “That literary accompaniment to the visuals lent an amazing relevance that the score alone could never have provided.”

Davis goes on to explain that he considered each Matrix score a single movement in a three-movement symphony. In a way, the first part of the text for the choir in Revolutions reads as something of a synopsis for each movie: from delusion lead me to truth; from darkness lead me to light; from death lead me to immortality.

“Those words certainly mark Neo's journey through each film, and in a way they describe my journey as well, although I'm not yet able to fly, or dodge bullets,” Davis jokes. “The score for The Matrix was about 90 minutes long; the score for Reloaded was about 100 minutes; and the score for Revolutions was about 110 minutes.”

It’s not exactly a secret that the back-to-back sequels, which were released within six months of each other in 2003, connected far less intimately with audiences and critics than did The Matrix. Davis describes the situation as “very complicated” and one that requires a “very complicated answer, which I'm afraid can only be seen as inadequate in the context of an interview like this.” Nevertheless, he attempts to address a “few of the things that I think went awry” in the release of the two films.

“The departure of Lorenzo di Bonaventura at a very unfortunate time for us, I think, put us at something of a disadvantage,” he suggests. “He was instrumental in shepherding the trilogy through Warner Brothers, from the initial discussions about casting to the final marketing decisions.”

“I believe that had Lorenzo still been at Warners when Reloaded and Revolutions were released, his presence would have resulted in a much more focused and relevant marketing campaign,” Davis adds. “As it turned out, the campaign for Reloaded was oversaturated, which resulted in a huge audience that was expecting something that they weren't going to get.”

“Then the marketing department overcompensated in the opposite direction when Revolutions was released, resulting in a lack of audience awareness. It's my contention that Lorenzo's understanding of the project and his personal stake in its outcome would have inspired a much more sensible marketing strategy.”

Davis is also convinced the Wachowskis’ refusal to do any interviews with the press, although it stems from their deeply-held conviction that it is unseemly for artists to promote their own work, was entirely misunderstood by many journalists who covered the franchise. “There were people in the press who were personally insulted by that stance, and I believe that those bad feelings colored many of the reviews and coverage,” he insists.

“And lastly, it seems that as madly as the press likes to build their heroes beyond any human possibility, they just as demonically like to tear them down, and the elusive and mysterious Wachowski brothers were prime targets for just that sort of bloodlust,” he says. “In the long run, it is my belief that Larry and Andy's achievements will bear themselves out, as their work truly does speak for itself.”

The Matrix will likely not end with Revolutions. Though there’s little chance of another Matrix feature, special edition DVDs and Internet components are around the corner. And look for Davis to be on hand.

“I'm going to be involved with The Matrix Online, which is a subscription-served interactive video game on the Internet that will move the Matrix storyline forward in an incredibly innovative way,” Davis says. “It's being developed by Monolith in conjunction with Warner Brothers' video game department, and they already have several months’ worth of story material that Larry and Andy have rubber-stamped. It will be ready by the end of this year, and I believe it will invigorate the Matrix legacy for many years to come.”

So, if someone only just discovered Davis through his Matrix connection, what other scores of his would he suggest people check out, and why?

“Although the film didn't reach a large audience, the score from Warriors of Virtue shows a more melodic and traditional aspect to my work, which might surprise some of those who are only aware of my work on The Matrix trilogy,” he replies. “Similarly, the score from Jurassic Park III shows what I can do when I'm trying to continue the legacy of a master composer's previous work. And Bound might be a revelation to anyone who might want to see what everyone involved in The Matrix did when presenting a lesbian thriller.”

Given his many years in the composing game, Davis can wax practical about the purpose of scores. Music, he stresses, serves myriad functions. “Its most basic function is to provide an emotional framework on which to hang the human elements of any particular storyline,” concludes Davis, who’s currently working on an opera called Río de Sangre, excerpts of which will be presented by the Los Angeles Master Chorale at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in November of 2005.

“But scores also enable suspensions of disbelief, provide intensity to fights and chases, inform the audience about unseen plot elements, provide a sense of time and place, and give the film an immediate aural identity,” he adds. “Just to point out a few of the basics.”