Academy Bows to Pressure for Recount

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has bowed to pressure to recount votes cast for the Oscar Award for Feature Documentary given to An Inconvenient Truth last night.

"There is compelling evidence that there were inconsistencies in the tabulation of votes from members of the Academy", according to an anonymous source close to Oscar officials. A number of the ballots cast for the Al Gore documentary appear to be tampered with, in a method similar to the 2000 Presidential Election in which the former vice president lost the election due to voting irregularities, sources report.

Officials for the Academy are tight-lipped about this snafu, and have requested the Oscar statue be returned until a formal ruling can be made. "However long the recount takes, we will continue to fight for justice" said a source close to the directors of co-nominee: Deliver Us From Evil". Lawyers for both sides are gearing up for an intense investigation. This is the first time we've ever had a voting scandal in the 79 years of the Academy Awards. "All I can say is its a strange coincidence that Al Gore is the nominee who won", said a janitor at the Kodak theatre.
-Rick Rockhill

The Saturday Seven: Favorites for the Oscars

Palm Springs is buzzing with predictions, opinions and favorites for tomorrow's Oscar awards. Like its storied past, Palm Springs is once again a popular getaway spot and playground for Hollywood celebrities. Actors, directors, producers, costume and set designers have been spotted around town over the past few months sipping cocktails and making their predictions about the coveted Oscar awards.

As Palm Springs Savant, I would be remiss if I didn't share my opinions and picks for this year's Academy Awards. Welcome to another scintillating installment of The Saturday Seven.

1. Best Picture: The Queen

2. Best Director: Clint Eastwood, Letters from Iwo Jima

3. Best Actor: Will Smith, Pursuit of Happyness

4. Best Actress: Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal

5. Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine

6. Best Supporting Acress: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

7. Best Eye Candy Scene: Daniel Craig, Casino Royale (I defy anyone to disagree)

OK, #7 isn't an Oscar category but as always, its my blog and I can do what I want. Besides it was a good excuse to put this picture on the blog again.
-Rick Rockhill

Global Pet Show: Cool Dogs!

Today was day two at the Global Pet show. It was a long day..I was up at 4:00 AM to prepare for an early business meeting and then walking the trade show all day. I saw some cute puppies at the Nestle-Purina booth. They were all curled up in a ball.

Below photos: I just love this dog...he was "working" in a booth all day and was holding a sign in his mouth helping his mom sell product.

Below: I ran into Faith again, the two-legged dog I met yesterday. She was wearing a cute pink doggie dress. it still amazes me how a dog can walk upright all day. She was "lost" by American Airlines while flying to Orlando earlier this week. Check out the article on MSBNC.COM

Below left: About as much fun as you can have at a Pet Industry Trade Show: "Fleas" protesting a vendor who makes flea collars. Below right: Some automated "manequin" who turned his head, blinked his eyes and talked to passers-by. Not sure why this impressed me...

- Rick Rockhill

Global Pet Show

Quick entry. Today was the first day of the Global Pet Trade Show in Orlando. It was a long day of being on my feet, talking to vendors and walking the trade show floor all day. The Global Pet Show is a huge pet expo, with all of the major food and supplies vendors exhibiting their wares to merchants in the retail community. It's mostly about product, but every so often there are pets roaming about. There was a very cool dog named Faith, who was unusual because she only had TWO LEGS. Faith was walking upright, on two legs throughout the show. She was amazing.

Here is a video of Faith:

Below: The many characters of the Global Pet Show. The photos don't do them justice...especially Sissy (below right), with her gold la-me and sequin outfit. The fun continues tomorrow...

-Rick Rockhill

Journey to Orlando

This morning I caught an early flight out of Palm Springs to Orlando, Florida to attend the Global Pet trade show. I flew on a jet owned by a friend of a friend named Ted (see right) so I expected a first class trip to Florida. As it turned out, Ted has a lot of friends who needed a lift. There were quite a few other people on Ted's plane. Anyway unfortunately for me, one of Ted's friends was the Marlboro Man from 1942. He was an old wrinkled up man with a giant cowboy hat who reeked of cigarette smoke and whisky. What a joy. I instantly put on my headphones and turned up the ole iPod, sipped my Bloody Mary quietly and tried not to breathe.

Above: the smelly old cowboy who sat next to me on my flight to Orando. I think he had a few too many ciggies and shots of whisky before the flight.

-Rick Rockhill

Macaroni & Cheese: Comfort Food Series Part II

This week brings part two in my series on comfort food. This week is on Macaroni and Cheese!

Quite honestly, I grew up thinking that mac-n-cheese was junk food. All I knew was that it came out of a box from Kraft, and other than cereal, most boxed/prepared foods were never available at home. So it wasn't until adulthood that I branched out and tried mac-n-cheese at an overpriced steakhouse as a side dish. AND I LOVED IT. I never knew the pleasures of this warm, gooey and delicious dish. I confess, I have still never made it from a box. I buy fresh, organic cheddar cheese, and organic pasta elbows. Sometimes I throw in other cheeses for more flavor, but cheddar is my favorite.

So go ahead, treat yourself to some Macaroni and Cheese this week for dinner. And think of me, the Palm Springs Savant as you savor the warm goodness on a cold winter night. Even if you make the boxed kind from Kraft, its still comfort food to me!

And now, for a limited time, I am pleased to include a FREE RECIPE for you to make Mac-n-Cheese right in your own home!


ORGANIC MACARONI AND CHEESE RECIPE
2 cups uncooked elbow organic macaroni
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) organic butter
2 1/2 cups organic Cheddar cheese
2 large free range eggs
1/2 cup organic milk
paprika, for the top

PREPARATION:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
Cook macaroni in boiling salted water, following package directions. Drain well; return to pot.
Shred the Cheddar Cheese and set aside.

Add butter and stir until melted. Add 2 cups of the shredded cheese.
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with the milk.
Add the milk mixture to the macaroni. Stir until well combined. Spoon into the greased pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted and browned and casserole is cooked through.Serves 4 to 6.
-Rick Rockhill

Palm Springs Modern Committee Benefit Party

Saturday night I attended a party to benefit the Palm Springs Modern Committee with a "Saturday Night Fever" 70's theme. Held at a private home situated on over 2 acres of land in south Palm Springs, the home was packed with a wide variety of guests. They had great 70's dance music with a dance floor out by the pool. Below left- groovy attire was one of the hallmarks of the evening. Below right: Palm Springs social scene maven Gloria Greer was enjoying a few moves on the dance floor (such fab glasses!)

Below left: The pool had wonderful oversized beach balls floating in it, and below right: a "martini glass" light image was projected onto the floor of the pool...a symbol of old Palm Springs for sure!

Below: left: The decor was retro-fun. Right: A gold sequin Booda statue greeted party guests and offered a corner of relative peace and tranquility.

Below: Outdoor party photos by the pool. The palm trees were lit-up in many different colors...

Below: These palm trees looked so spectacular against the dark desert sky.

Below: Me taking a moment to relax...doesn't everyone live like this?

- Rick Rockhill

The Saturday Seven: Best Black and White Films

Its 85 degrees and sunny in Palm Springs today...I'm relaxing poolside, working on this blog and can't help paraphrasing a line from Auntie Mame: "Life in Palm Springs is a banquet...and most poor suckers elsewhere are freezing to death". But I digress...

It's time for "The Saturday Seven", my random list of whatever I want. Oh, the power...how it frightens me at times. This week's list is about my favorite black and white films. (what did you expect from me, best cheap beers or Britney Spears songs?) Anyway, here goes:

The Saturday Seven: Best Black and White films:
1. Mildred Pierce (1945)
2. Some Like it Hot (1952)
3. Casablanca (1942)
4. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
5. Grand Hotel (1932)
6. Twelve Angry Men (1957)
7. The Apartment (1960)

Your thoughts?
-Rick rockhill

SAG Foundation "Love Equals" Event

This morning I attended the awards ceremony for the "Love Equals" writing contest, sponsored by the Screen Actor's Guild Foundation. The contest honored 64 children for their achievements in writing at the celebrity-studded awards ceremony at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles. Over 11,000 submissions were received and judged by a panal of celebrity judges. A number of celebrities attended the award ceremony this morning and read the winning entry for each age group. In the group photo above, left to right: KJ Steinberg, Constance Marie, JoBeth Williams, Henri Zimand, Linda Gray, Burt Reynolds, Donna Mills, unidentified male (rear), Marcia Smith (from SAG), Jane Kazcmarek and Esai Morales. Other celebrities present but not in this photo were James Cromwell, Morgan Fairchild, Jerry Penacoli, and Masiela Lusha.

Friend Jerry Penacoli of NBC's "Extra" was the Master of Ceremonies for the Awards ceremony and did a great job holding the attention of children aging from 4 to 11, as well as the adults in the audience. The Warner Avenue Elementary School Children's Choir opened and closed the show with an original song written just for this writing contest.
I was pleased to present the PETCO Award, given to two youngsters whose poems were about how dogs give love to them. When Jerry Penacoli announced my name, I walked on stage and realized I had not prepared any remarks-but never at a loss for words, I managed to speak about PETCO's passion for pets and how pleased we were to recognize these children's passion for pets. I presented each child with a check for $500, plus a $100 gift certificate to PETCO. In addition, they can adopt a puppy or kitten from any PETCO store with all expenses paid, including a complete kit of new pet supplies. We also awarded a year's supply of Natural Ultramix free dog or cat food. The cash prizes and free food are courtesy of Castor and Pollux, makers of Natural Ultramix holistic dog and cat foods.
THE CELEBRITY PHOTOS:

Above: Former "Dallas" star Linda Gray was really sweet when we chatted before the ceremony

Above left: Esai Morales & right: Burt Reynolds


Above left: "Knots Landing" star Donna Mills, & right: Morgan Fairchild who presented the "Palm Springs Award" based on a child whose poem was about how Palm Springs means love because his grandparents live in the desert.

Above left: "The Queen" star James Cromwell, & right: "Malcom in the Middle" star Jane Kazcmarek

Above Left: "Poltergist" star JoBeth Williams-we chatted over coffee before the ceremony, & Right: KJ Steinberg seemed a little high maintenance at first but when I sat next to her she was very pleasant.

Walls of colorfull balloons lined the stage and seating area

Above: The kids who I presented the PETCO Award: Jimmy Zhou and Kasey Constantine. Celebrity readers: Masiela Lusha (in pink) and Constance Marie (in blue). Far left in the second and third photos is Emcee Jerry Penacoli.

Above: The Warner Avenue Elementary School Children's Choir
-Rick Rockhill