John Williams, Redux

This summer of 2008 will be most memorable to me because once again I spent a night at a definitive Los Angeles landmark - the symbolic Hollywood Bowl - and with the single greatest force in film music - the incomparable John Williams!

To see him perform live is an experience like no other. His singular ability to capture the beauty, drama, excitement, humor, and even terror in film through music is mind-blowing.

It's nothing short of masterful how his numerous film scores have stood the test of time being distinctively iconic and universally recognizable. This year's concert title aptly puts it in perspective - "John Williams: A Hollywood Legend".

I thoroughly enjoyed "John Williams: Maestro of the Movies" last year that I made a pact to go on a pilgrimage to see John Williams make magical movie music every summer at the Bowl.

With the country freshly relishing its victory in the recent Beijing Olympics, John Williams opened the night with a tribute to the Olympic Games. And he started with a most fitting piece - the jubilant "Olympic Fanfare and Theme" which he himself composed and conducted for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.



A reflective interlude followed with "Song for World Peace," a most lyrical and symbolic piece that focused on flute and violin - instruments that reflected notions of tranquility. The three-piece opening salvo was concluded with "The Olympic Spirit" that featured film clips of past and most recent Olympic victories.

Williams perhaps never fails to mention his 35 years of collaboration with film director Steven Spielberg at each concert that he likens their relationship to a good marriage of movie and music that had always been harmonious in artistic expression.

So, he summed up the first half of the concert with music from their countless collaboration: Excerpts from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977); "Flight to Neverland" from "Hook" (1991); "The Adventures of Mutt" and "Irina's Theme" from "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (2008); and "Raiders March" from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981).

The second half of the concert dubbed "Hooray for Hollywood" started with a tribute to American film director and choreographer Stanley Donen whose body of work includes "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" (1954), "Always Fair Weather" (1955) and "Singin' In The Rain" (1952). As Williams' special guest, he provided lively banter and interesting insights into his featured films.

Most notable technological insights were how Fred Astaire was made to appear seamlessly dancing on walls and the ceiling singing "You're All The World To Me" in the 1950 film "Royal Wedding," and the challenges met by Donen in fusing live action with animation in "The Worry Song" from the 1945 musical "Anchors Aweigh". These are amazing feats of technical triumph considering they were made during Hollywood's golden age.

Williams next conducted his score for the 1995 remake of the Audrey Hepburn 1954 classic "Sabrina". The orchestra featured critically-acclaimed violin soloist Bing Wang.

The last part of the second half was a fitting tribute to George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Williams started with the eerie theme from "Jaws" (1975) which seamlessly segued to the victorious theme from "Star Wars" (1977).

This summer, I came prepared with a toy lightsaber and joined other fanatics light up the dark ampitheater with our neon "weapons". He capped the tribute with his soaring and Academy award-winning score for "E.T. - the Extra-Terrestrial" (1982).

What's a concert without an encore? After bowing out of the stage, the spotlight found him front and center again. The orchestra blasted away with the main theme from "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) which found the faux lightsabers and hollers of adulation back in the air!

"Marion's Theme" followed as a tribute to the character popularized by Karen Allen which made a comeback in the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones movies. The encore was fittingly concluded by the triumphant march from "Superman" (1978).

Another great summer night with the most important composer of our time.

I can't wait for next summer.

First Drive: The Path To My First Car, Part 7

It has been about 5 years since the last time I went behind the wheels. That was in my provincial hometown in the Philippines. In the province, you don’t really need an automobile to go around.

We lived in the city center where everything was within walking distance. The only place I ever needed transportation going to was work. But for that, I just use public transportation which was way more practical.

My car buying process is steadily progressing. There are now several dealers competing for my business. Since having my own car is imminent, I decided to rent a car for a few days to get a feel of the wheel.

Considering my driving history, I met several bumps on the road. Some funny, others dangerous.

It was about 5 in the afternoon when I finally sat on the driver’s seat and shifted the gear to drive. Getting out of the rental car lot was already a challenge.

I drove onto the wrong lane with several cars queued up behind me. I had to ask all of them to back up so I can maneuver to the correct lane, which also meant I had to cut in line. Sheesh.

The lady driver behind me had the left side of her face resting on her left palm, her left elbow resting on the car door, and annoyance strewn across her face.

The lanes were pretty narrow I was afraid the car will hit the spike posts. As I checked my sides while maneuvering towards the correct lane, I caught the eye of the rental car agent who attended to me.

His face was aghast at the way I was handling the car. I could only manage to flash him a sheepish grin and never looked back.

From out of the basement parking, the afternoon sun blinded my sight temporarily and I suddenly found myself in a deluge of cars in constant flux in the middle of downtown L.A. I cannot recall how I managed to squeeze into the flow.

The car was also making a strange noise each time I floored the pedal. It turns out the emergency brake handle had been on all that time! Goodness! My anxiety got the better of me that I failed to make a turn at one point.

The first stop had to be a safe place - home. Later in the evening, I decided to buy groceries. I braved the streets of my neighborhood with a printed MapQuest itinerary on hand.

As I was driving home from the mini mall, I realized my headlights had been off since I left home! OMG! Way to go for first time night driving.

Anxiety tapers off gradually with each mile conquered and the car driving closer to home. But as fate would have it, my navigating skills will have to be put to the test as several roads in the itinerary were closed for ongoing construction. Great!

I was going around in circles in the ghettoes of East L.A. in the middle of the night. But I made it home. So pat myself on the back I did. Whew.

The next night, I decided to hit the freeway. A good friend lent me her navigation unit which was a great help. Another friend lent me his time as he accompanied me in my battle with L.A. highways.

It was there that I made dangerous maneuvers. To make the long story short, I will not be hitting the freeway so soon.

Under the light of the full moon, he & I made it to as far as LAX and back. I realized that more than his time, he trusted me with his life. So I rewarded him with dinner and a movie. Yes, that’s how much his life is worth. Hehehe. Just kidding.

Freshly wounded from my battle with the freeway, I rerouted the GPS to use side streets on my way home. Someone once told me freeways are actually safer than side roads. That statement was to be proven true in a matter of minutes.

From out of nowhere a dog wandered into the lane and almost onto the middle of the road. With a swift glance at my sideview mirror and my blind spot, I made a sharp maneuver to avoid the little pest.

More than the dog, I was fuming at its owners who left it unleashed and unattended. If there was a car on my side and I couldn’t step on the break safely, I would have had to run over the poor pooch.

The third night sent me driving alone to several points. Nothing untoward, just some minor blunders. There's 3 more days before I return the car. So far, it had a good run and I got quite a good feel of the wheel.

Brand new vs CPO: The Path To My First Car, Part 6

My gratitude to everyone who participated in the poll, specially those who left comments bringing enlightenment to my dilemma. Others, perhaps finding the poll questions rather limited and limiting, chose to send me personal email to share their advice and expound on their opinion.

All in all, the exchange of ideas has been and still is very insightful. Thank you all for helping me in this major path I’m traversing.

I’m already on the last lap. It took this long because I do not have the luxury of physically present company to pick brains with during research and when eventually in the car lot. Except for emails, phone calls, the blog poll, and small talk at work, I am basically on my own.

To compensate, I collated print-outs of every Internet article I found significant about car- buying and filed them according to topics with subcategories. I will carry these along as I turn the bend from internet research to car lot search.

At the beginning of this path, I was pretty sold on the idea of getting a CPO vehicle, but further research - poll opinions included - is now prompting me to buy new instead.

There’s a lot to check on a used car, and if you’re not careful you might end up with a lemon. Though I consider myself fairly thorough, if not overly, the task seems daunting for someone like me who is truly new to car buying.

There are a lot of points to cover from outside the car, to inside the car, to under the car. Someone who has gone through buying and owning a car many times is in a much better position to make a used car purchase. It’s a familiar terrain for them they can probably do it in a breeze.

If I cannot even begin to synthesize the complexities of buying a new car, how much more buying a used one?

One advice about used car-buying is to choose a unit that’s at least 3 years old because it would have saved you the first leg of depreciation which is estimated at 45%. Unfortunately, I did not find any 2004 to 2005 Toyota certified Priuses within a 1000-mile radius.

CPO 2007s cost almost the same, about 87%, as new ones. They are priced high in auctions so sellers mark up the price as well. The shift to small cars a few months ago was not foreseen, so production then does not meet demand now.

A point to consider: older models come with less warranty, if there is any left.

Another advice about used car-buying is to have it inspected by a trusted mechanic. I don’t know anyone since I have not owned a vehicle here in the U.S.

Yes, I could bring it to a friend’s trusted mechanic or even an independent mechanic, but the burden of certainty that lies in the used car’s history which is quite impossible to lift rests in me - the consumer end of the car buying process.

In addition, I do not have the luxury of resources and company to go to a mechanic for an independent inspection so there will most likely be no second pair of eyes to inspect my certified prospect.

Car experts advise to stay away from CPOs if price is priority because the price to pay for a CPO label is not worth it compared to a used one. They attest the CPO market is not for bargain hunters.

Peace of mind is non-negotiable and I know I will find it in a brand new 2008 Toyota Prius. The only thing left to do now is find a good deal.