John Spencer, star of West Wing and L.A. Law passed away on December 16th. I met John on the set of L.A. Law in the 20th Century Fox lot many years ago. It was an amazing show with an incredibly generous cast and John stood out as one of the most outgoing and friendliest cast members. A lot of times the stars don’t mingle or mix with ‘extras’ (it’s something like officers and enlisted people in the military). John stood on no formalities and purposefully reached out to the extras. I remember being on the set and he just walked up to introduce himself and shake our hands. Jimmy Smits is as likeable and outgoing star, remembering me from L.A. Law when we worked together on N.Y.P.D. Blue.

It’s been a while since this page has been up dated and I apologize. For someone of the stature of John Spencer, I had to get off my seat and pay my respects. God bless you John Spencer, I know you’re in heaven, probably introducing yourself to my dad.

You'll be missed John!

Emmy winning writer Alex P. Michaels' digital feature "Blood Kiss" will premiere at the York Independent Film Festival taking place May 19-20, 2001 at the University of York in England. The feature is a subtle, film noir vampyre movie. It is more about the characters, and the dark desires they have than the flow of blood. The movie stars Nina Angeloff, Simon Lovell, and Annie Sherman.

Alex seems to have been involved in the Midwest Independent film scene (USA - where he won his emmy) and has put together a very interesting ?press kit? and website where he invites the reader to see not only the usual hype?but a deeper, much more interesting view inside the making of this movie. Together with information in a bio-type format on the cast (pictured above), he includes an intriguing journal reviewing the insights of this writer/director.

?Blood Kiss? is a less violent but more sexy, more fun vampyre film that should be an interesting event at the York Independent Fim Festival!

Although the WGA had set 12:01AM, May 2nd as their strike deadline, PC's and typewriters are still being used by creative talent in Hollywood where fears of the strike had frightened industry and non-industry people in Hollywood and the greater Los Angeles community as well. Reportedly talks continue and the strike has been delayed.

It's rumored that Eddie Murphy, is in talks with Columbia Pictures to do a film version of the 1960's television show 'I Spy' that starred Bill Cosby and Robert Culp.

There has been a lot of bad talk about working with Mr. Murphy, but when I was an extra on the film 'The Nutty Professor' he was a very nice, soft spoken gentleman who saw me perspiring and stuck on my mark...he personally went to get me a cold softdrink. Working with him was a wonderful experience, he's a great actor, a great guy and 'I Spy' was an awesome series. I look forward to seeing this project!

CHUCK SLOAN TO FILL SEAT ON GENERAL MEMBERSHIP/HOLLYWOOD BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD CREATED BY THE DEATH OF STEVE ALLEN

LOS ANGELES --- Members of SAG's National Board of Directors representing the General Membership/Hollywood voted to have Chuck Sloan fill the vacancy on the Board from the General Membership/Hollywood created by the untimely death of Steve Allen.

Allen died the day before ballots in the vote for General Membership/Hollywood Board members were due to be returned. Allen then won a seat on the Board, creating a permanent vacancy needing to be filled.

Sloan was nominated from the floor of the meeting to fill the vacancy and won the seat by voice vote. Sloan will now serve until the next annual election in fall of 2001.

OSSIE DAVIS NAMED TO RECEIVE
2000 SCREEN ACTORS GUILD LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Los Angeles, November 14, 2000 — Ossie Davis has been selected as the 37th recipient of the Screen Actors Guild's highest honor -- the Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. The presentation of the 2000 Life Achievement Award will take place during the live telecast of the 7th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® from the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center on Sunday evening, March 11, 2001, on Turner Network Television (TNT).

Ossie Davis first electrified television audiences in 1965 in the title role in The Emperor Jones. Mr. Davis directed his first feature, the 1970 comedy Cotton Comes To Harlem (for which he also wrote the screenplay and songs). He has been credited with capturing new audiences for the industry. Emmy nominations greeted his performances in Miss Evers’ Boys, King and Teacher, Teacher. He starred on Broadway and on screen in I’m Not Rappaport, with Walter Matthau and with Matthau and Jack Lemmon in Grumpy Old Men. He received an Image nomination for The Client and this year played the title role in Showtime’s Finding Buck McHenry, starring opposite Ruby Dee. Mr. Davis received the Neil Simon Award for his teleplay for For Us The Living: The Story of Medgar Evers. and is the author of three children’s books: Langston, Just Like Martin and the award-winning Escape to Freedom.

You either loved the dedicated astronaut, Major Nelson in the television series 'I Dream of Jeannie' or loved to hate J.R. Ewing of 'Dallas' but either way...Larry Hagman has indeed touched many of our lives. Daily Variety reported that the 69 year old actor is writing a tell all book ["Hello Darlin': Tall (and absolutely True) Tales About My Life"] with US Weekly magazine bureau chief Todd Gold in Los Angeles, California.