Erik C. Andersen, ACE

Yesterday marked the 30th anniversary of the Twister motion picture release. I was the original technical consultant for the film and supplied the tornado image used for the poster and marketing. I put the money I made from the rights sale away, and ironically, 30 years later I’m finally using those funds to help pay for my PhD in documentary photography. It’s really weird how things progress in life. RIP to Bill Paxton, who was a genuinely nice person. #twister #movie @warnerbros #anniversary #Oklahoma

Character of the Day: Tiaan Jerjerrod

Michael Pennington, who played Moff Jerjerrod in Return of the Jedi, has sadly passed away at the age of 83. May the Force be with you, always.

Peacocks are native to India, Asia, & Africa, yet L.A. has one of the largest population in the world outside of those locations. How did they get here. . .and how have they thrived in L.A. for 150 years?! Let’s get into it!

Robin Williams accepting his Academy Award for Good Will Hunting is still one of the most heartfelt Oscar speeches ever.

One of the busiest corridors in America is finally getting rail service, a monumental undertaking that will be celebrated TODAY with the opening of the D-Line extension on Wilshire. This historic milestone for L.A. was more than 6 decades in the making. Let’s get into it.

In 1985, audiences turned on CBS expecting to see Lucille Ball make them laugh. Instead, they saw her pushing a shopping cart through Manhattan in dirty layered clothes, sleeping on heating grates, and playing a homeless elderly woman nobody wanted to look at. Many viewers hated it. Some critics called it depressing and uncomfortable. At 74 years old, Lucille Ball did it anyway. Because that was the point. The film was called Stone Pillow. Ball played Florabelle — a homeless woman surviving quietly on the streets of New York, invisible to the crowds around her. She even named the character after her grandmother, Flora Belle Hunt. By then, Lucille Ball was already a legend. She had transformed television with I Love Lucy. She became the first woman to run a major television studio through Desilu Productions. She was rich, famous, and beloved across America. She had absolutely nothing left to prove. She could have spent the rest of her life protecting the image people loved: The glamorous redhead. The comedy icon. America’s favorite sitcom star. Instead, she took the bleakest role of her career. Because in the 1980s, homelessness in America was exploding — especially among elderly women — and almost nobody wanted to talk about it. Not on television. Not in politics. Not in everyday life. People looked away. Lucille Ball wanted to force them to look. Filming became physically brutal. Production took place during a New York heat wave even though the movie was set in winter. Ball spent long days wearing heavy coats and layered clothing in extreme heat while filming street scenes across Manhattan. She pushed shopping carts for hours. She slept on actual heating grates. She wanted the performance to feel real. Eventually, dehydration sent her to the hospital for nearly two weeks. Doctors also discovered health complications linked to decades of chain smoking. Still, she refused to quit filming. When Stone Pillow aired on November 5, 1985, more than 23 million people watched. And many reacted exactly the way she expected: “We don’t want to see Lucy like this.” But Lucille Ball wasn’t trying to comfort audiences anymore. She was trying to humanize people society ignored. Afterward, she explained it simply: “Maybe next time you walk past someone sleeping on the street, you’ll remember they’re a person. They have a story.” That was the entire reason she made the film. Not awards. Not praise. Not nostalgia. Compassion. Four years later, Lucille Ball died at 77. Her legacy as a television pioneer was already untouchable. But one of the most revealing things she ever did came near the end of her life: When she could have protected her image forever, she risked it instead to make invisible people seen.

This is our LAST chance to publicly question the Cinerama Dome representative about their future plans for the Dome. This is an extremely important meeting — five years in the making. This will be the moment we find out whether they are actually serious about reopening. planning.lacity.gov/dcpapi2/meetin…

Bob Fosse in Little Prince movie, 1974 had a massive influence on Michael Jackson.

We say goodbye to our founder, the visionary Ted Turner. Ted’s love of classic films inspired him to create a channel dedicated to preserving them. He considered TCM one of his greatest accomplishments. His passion continues to inspire us all as we work to fulfill his mission.

Oscar winning composer BILL CONTI reveals how he wrote the incredible score to ROCKY (1976)

Oh now Rubio is coping Ice Cube… “check yourself before you wreck yourself” @icecube

Q: "If the fighting resumes, are you saying it could resume under 'Project Freedom'? And I ask as it relates to the War Powers Act." @SecRubio: "Operation Epic Fury has concluded…We're not cheering for an additional situation to occur, we would prefer the path of peace."

David Fincher has cleaned up Helena Bonham Carter's skin. He also changed the prescription on the bottle. Fight Club 4k Remaster Blu-ray on Top Fight Club Old Blu-ray on Bottom

Need a laugh!

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE "Nick The Lounge Singer Sings Star Wars Theme" (NBC, 1978) starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman, Robert Klein and Paul Shaffer Created by Lorne Michaels

50 years ago on May 4, 1976, artists, technicians, and craftspeople were hard at work on two continents as Star Wars: A New Hope continued production. While George Lucas along with his cast and crew captured scenes in England, ILM's team was hastily working to establish their visual effects workflow, along with a heck of a lot of spaceship models! They were a year into their preparations, and they still had a long way to go....

@ShawnRyanTV Looking forward!

May the 4th be with you.