Having spent her life immersed in the world of art, fashion, and design, stylist Dalit Gwenna - www.dalitgwenna.com - has been able to label herself as “one the edgiest clothing stylists working today.” With an obsession for sequins, tulle and lace, Dalit has brought her creative twist to everyday style. Dalit’s clients range from glam pop stars and socialites, to business professionals and everyday fashionistas. Her fresh and unique eye allows her clientele to be ahead of the trend while remaining effortlessly chic.

Fashion Stylist Dalit Gwenna does Kimberly Cole

As a fashion insider on both the east and west coasts, Dalit has had her creative hands in all cracks of the fashion industry. Currently, Dalit is responsible for styling Forever 21 Inc.’s worldwide window directive.

Dalit has been featured in WWD, WFIT TV, TV Lesson, HollywoodWorx, Cliché Magazine, LA’s The Place, Apparel News, LIFE, 944, Agenda Magazine, TV Hits Australia and Look Book LA.

Following a successful modeling career she made her film debut in “Wild Things” portraying Matt Dillon’s girlfriend.

While living in Miami she was a series regular on the telenovela “Miami Sands” and appeared in the Adam Sandler comedy “The WaterBoy.” Since moving to Los Angeles she has guest-starred on numerous series such as “Ghost Whisperer” but her most propitious role transpired when she guest-starred on “Two and A Half Men”. The show’s executive producer, Chuck Lorre, cast her in four different roles. After portraying Charlie Sheen’s fiancée last season they decided that the chemistry was so good between them they hired her as a series regular for this upcoming season.

Taylor leads a multi-faceted life when she’s not acting. She recently went back to college to get her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science after a 10 year hiatus from school. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.

http://www.jennifertayloronline.com/

1. What made you decide to direct this film? Had you always wanted to direct?

I didn’t really even make the decision to direct the film it naturally evolved and before I knew it I was directing the film and it feels as though it was always meant to be that way.

I was initially producing and starring in the film. I was going to play the role of Billy, which ended up being played by Jonathan Tucker who did fantastic work and I couldn’t have found anyone more perfect for the role. Once I added the director hat I knew I couldn’t act in it as well because I am such a crazed freak when it comes to my work. I need to focus on one thing and one thing only and for me that was directing.

2. Your background as an actor, how did it help with directing? What other elements did you feel you had that prepared you during the film?

I have always had the urge to direct and I come from a film background. My father ran the AFI film school for around 14 years and now runs the film school at Chapman University. He has been a director all his life and I think it has always been in my blood. Working on set as an actor, I always watched whenever I could to see what methods and techniques the director was using. I would watch on the monitor, always soaking in whatever knowledge I could… So yes I always had the urge to direct.

My background as an actor helped so much during the filming of Flying Lessons. I was able to really connect deeply with each and everyone of my actors. I know what actors need, when they need encouragement, when they need the camera rolling because I have the keen sense to know when the actor is at the breaking point of finding something beautiful and exciting in the scene. I know when an actor isn’t getting what they want or need from another actor, I can see it in the body language and in the face and eyes.

I know actors so well since I have been doing it for 19 years now that I think I was able to create a deep layer of trust between the talent and myself and for this film, nothing was more important! This was my first time behind the lens and I know and understand when actors of caliber, which I am blessed to have had work with me, become weary of a first time director, no matter who is executive producing or who says what.

I gained the trust of all my actors quickly and that was key for me because I needed them to trust my vision and trust I knew and know what is best for this film as I see it.

I was as prepared as humanly possible to direct this film. I did storyboards of the entire film prior to principal. Going into filming I knew in my head how I saw every shot, every scene, every angle, and every line of dialogue in the scene and how I wanted every frame to look. I was and will always be open to new ideas because I do believe filmmaking is a team effort.

I owe so much of the actual preparation to direct Flying Lessons to my father first and foremost. He was with me every step of the way during prep and really guided me on how to make my film the best it can be and then left it in my hands to create my own life force which is Flying Lessons because as my dad would say, “at the end of the day, it is you who calls the shots, you who yells action, you who controls the energy and flow on set, you.” I don’t think I could have done it without him. I am so grateful and humbled by everyone’s belief in the film and me.

3. How would you differentiate yourself from other directors, is there a specific vision and or genre of films that you are going after?

Differentiating myself from other filmmakers is a tricky question and always a tricky thing to do. In Flying Lessons specifically it wasn’t about the creativity as far as camera work and angles were concerned, it was much more about finding the right place for the camera to sit and letting the scene unfold and the actors unfold within their loose structure. This is a character drama piece and to me it was and is most important in that genre that the audience has every possibility to connect with the characters and become involved in the journey.

The next film I am going to do is a combination of a character drama but also has a huge element of being a thriller at the same time and I find that exciting because I can really go there cinematically.

I find that the truth about how directors define themselves is always a bit obscured and if i’m going to go against that grain and be honest, I am different from any other filmmaker in the sense the is my heart and soul that defines the projects I do.

As far as camera work and shots, I take little pieces from everyone I know and everyone I admire as an artist and director. Pieces from Scorsese, Malick, Kubrick, Kazan, Greengrass, Cassavettes, Cohen Brothers, Paul Thomas Anderson and Darren Arrenofsky.

4. Will you direct again and what about your future in acting?

I will always continue to act as its something that lives in me and I love very much.

5. What were some of your highlights and or memorable moments as a director during production? Please elaborate on any of the talent you worked with.

Working with Hal Holbrook was the biggest and most memorable highlight for me during this process. He is a brilliant actor and a wonderful human being.. I found him to be inspiring to me in so many ways above and beyond how brilliant he is as Harry Pleasant. By the 2^nd day on set he knew everyone’s name and would test himself and almost always was right! He never complained once working in heat that was grueling hitting as high as 103degrees! He is a true solider and warrior and he should be recognized for that in every way possible. I wish there were more people in the world like him and more artists in the world like him. I would be honored to work with him again and am blessed to have had this opportunity to work with him.

6. With how far you have come and opening for the Santa Barbara Film Festival, how was the overall experience. How do you feel people will react to this film?

Being asked to open the 25^th anniversary Santa Barbara International Film Festival is such as honor. I feel so grateful and humbled to be recognized in this manner and to be the first film in the festivals history to open that isn’t a studio film! It feels like it was meant to be and we have come full circle seeing as we shot almost the entire film in the Santa Ynez Valley which is part of Santa Barbara County. I am so excited and nervous for Feb 4^th and I hope what people take with them after watching this film is that they found something within this film and is interwoven story lines that they can relate to and connect to.

I hope people love the film and leave the theatre moved and with a sense of hope and freedom, that through all difficult things there is always a light at the end of the tunnel and we have to fight and struggle and stew in it sometimes to get there but we can and will get there if we try hard enough and if we believe in ourselves and in others. Sometimes it takes a friend to show you the way, a family member, a lover or a stranger but seeing the light and knowing its worth finding is what I hope people feel from this movie.

Dalit Gwenna| Fashion Stylist | Costume Designer | Los Angeles | New York | Portfolio | Press| Bio| Contact

www.dalitgwenna.com

Ruskin Group Theatre presents the WORLD PREMIERE of

“Digging Up Dad”

A journey with Cris D’Annunzio, his past…and a shovel

OPENING Friday, FEBRUARY 12, 2010

Running Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm

Los Angeles, CA – Sometimes you have to go deeper to find the truth, and then come to terms with the unexpected results. Cris D’Annunzio, emotionally and physically outgunned in childhood, investigates his past with LOL revelations, and suspenseful twists in places that are otherwise safe. The mysterious circumstances surrounding his father’s death seem to indicate Mob involvement…and whether digging up Hoffa or Nuzzo, the journey is full of surprises.

CRIS D’ANNUNZIO was raised in a traditional East Coast nuclear family - in the sense that his grandparents, both Italian immigrants, lived in the house and there were always bombs going off! He survived to attend Princeton University, where he played football. Cris got his start in acting when he was ‘discovered’ by the John Houseman Acting Company while moving instruments for the symphony orchestra at Chautauqua Institute in upstate NY - his summer job during college. The experience of riding his bike to the theatre and performing stuck with him. After a brief stint in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills, Cris embarked on an acting and writing career that has taken him from the stage to the screen - both big and small. LA Stage appearances include COBB at the Falcon Theater, award winning COCKRAOCH NATION at LATC, and the World Premiere of Beth Henley’s SISTERS OF THE WINTER MADRIGAL. NY credits include MISS JULIE at Manhattan Theatre Club. Selected FILM credits include Ridley Scott’s AMERICAN GANGSTER and CHASING 3000 with Ray Liotta, which Cris wrote. Cris has had numerous TV roles which include appearances on WITHOUT A TRACE, and LAW AND ORDER.

Mike Myers Director/Producer– helmed the critically acclaimed production of FAITHFUL at the Ruskin last season. Other directing credits include THE COMPLEATE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (Abridged), THAT MAY WELL BE TRUE, MITIGATING FACTORS, PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE, LA CAFÉ PLAYS, SGNARELLE-THE IMAGINARY CUCKOLD and BEYOND THERAPY. He has produced more than 50 projects since 2002 and is a co-creator of the Ruskin’s critically acclaimed CAFÉ PLAYS, a monthly offering of one-acts that are done in 10 ½ hours from conception to staging. Mr. Myers is also a Santa Monica Arts Commissioner.

Brandon Baruch LIGHTING DESIGN
Recent Los Angeles Designs: Orpheus Descending at Theatre/Theater, PROJECT: Wonderland, Doomsday Kiss, and Ken Roht’s 99 Cent Only Calendar Girl Competition at Bootleg Theater; Scarcity, Mercury Fur, and Fatboy with NeedTheater; Son of Semele Ensemble’s Tragedy: A Tragedy; and Celebration Theater’s A Christmas Carol. Other productions include the West Coast Premieres of The Big Random, A Beautiful View, and Say You Love Satan; and the World-Premieres of Fafalo, Muscles in Our Toes, and Wildboy ‘74 (which Brandon also designed at the 2008 NYC Fringe Festival.) Brandon is the Resident Lighting Designer for NeedTheater.

www.maryandernie.com

“I’ve done more than a thousand of these,” Mr. Baron said during a recent bus tour of the show’s New Jersey sites, in a rare moment when he wasn’t, as a thoroughly enjoyable guide, dispensing nuggets of insider information or passing out quirky prizes for correctly answering trivia questions.

As with all things Sopranos, survival is the ultimate objective, be it the franchise or Tony himself. And so, not long after the bus emerged from the western exit of the Lincoln Tunnel on a recent Friday morning to begin a most unscenic tour, Mr. Baron addressed the question of whether there would ever be confirmation of Tony’s existence beyond the booth at Holsten’s Confectionery in Bloomfield, N.J.

Along with, of course, the impetus to keep the Sopranos tour bus and commercial machine rolling deep into the next decade.

“Listen to me carefully — there will not be a movie,” said Mr. Baron, 53, an actor in New York who cites 13 “Sopranos” stand-in credits, as well as a cameo as a bartender at the original Vesuvio restaurant, which was burned down by Tony in the show’s HBO debut (with Mr. Baron’s character inside, he postulates).

After a pause Mr. Baron’s audience, mainly tourists and fans from abroad, had caught on.

“We are hearing there will be a trilogy,” Mr. Baron said, offering various clues involving the show’s creator, David Chase. A caveat: Nothing will happen without a script that is acceptable to James Gandolfini, who, of course, played Tony.

How reliable is his information? Mr. Baron confided to a reporter that it came from the owner of a certain North Jersey establishment that the tour would later be visiting, the site of many “Sopranos” scenes unsuitable for children and network television.

The Sopranos tours, which are operated by On Location Tours (screentours.com; tickets, 212-209-3370) and cost $40, run Fridays and Saturdays from Midtown Manhattan and last about four hours. According to Cathy Wilke, the company’s director of marketing, the tours began in 2001, and while the last original episode was broadcast in June 2007, the buses are usually full. “We get a lot of people from the U.K. and Ireland,” Ms. Wilke said.

Two of those people, Sean McGuire, 24, and Aine Bannon, 21, had arrived from Belfast the previous day, had dinner, went to sleep and by morning were bound for New Jersey. Ground zero, the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building would have to wait until they had enjoyed breathtaking views of the Pizzaland shack, a diner under the Pulaski Skyway where Christopher Moltisanti took one for the team and the auto-body shop run by Sal Bonpensiero, known, of course, as Big Pussy.

“This is the first part of America we’re seeing,” said Mr. McGuire, who said “The Sopranos” was broadcast on free television in Northern Ireland. “It’s just like the show.”

Not exactly what the Puritans — or, for that matter, the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce — had in mind. But, while strolling in a light rain on Kearny Avenue in the town of the same name, Mr. Baron reminded everyone that many “Sopranos” settings were inauthentic. He pointed to the Irish-American Association, which in the show conveniently became the Italian-American Association.

Ethnicity notwithstanding, the street had a legitimate wiseguy feel, embellished by poker-faced, cigarette-smoking young men outside Big Stash’s Sub House.

“No kidding,” Mr. Baron said, “one time we had a body brought out of that green house across the street while we were here. I told that group, ‘We spare no expense.’ ”

Winding through Newark and Belleville and on into Bloomfield, the bus settled in front of Holsten’s on Broad Street. Since the final episode ended there with Tony, Carmela and A. J. waiting for Meadow, the Holsten’s staff has greeted fans with bags of the onion rings Tony endorsed and the Journey song “Don’t Stop Believing,” which provided the series-ending soundtrack.

Chris Carley, a co-owner of Holsten’s, said he won’t stop serving as long as the tourists keep coming (and buying assorted merchandise).

“In my perfect world,” Mr. Carley said, “there will be a movie, and it will begin with Meadow coming in and sitting down with her family.”

Mr. Carley and his partner, Ron Stark, had a don’t-blink-you’ll-miss-it appearance behind the counter in the finale, but he too thought his television was broken when the screen went dark as the episode concluded. “To this day people come in here and ask us, what the heck happened?” he said.

He has no answer except to point the twice-weekly busloads toward a booth now “reserved for the Sopranos” and occasionally occupied by Donald Metzger, a Tony Soprano impersonator, cigar and business card in hand.

Everyone in the “Sopranos” afterworld, it seems, is working an angle. Mr. Metzger, who strikes a pretty fair resemblance to Mr. Gandolfini, is available for weddings, fund-raisers and, according to his card, any occasion where he “can help keep people in line.”

He’s got Tony’s look of askance down too. When pursued by Mr. Metzger outside, a reporter thought twice of reneging on his promise of an interview. So sorry, Mr. Metzger was told, but the bus was leaving for the next and final stop: the Satin Dolls club on Route 17 in Lodi, otherwise known to the Sopranos-viewing world as the Bada Bing.

Inside the darkened club, another line formed for merchandise, though the scantily clad young women onstage did not go unnoticed.

“It’s business,” said one of the dancers, who gave her name as Anna. “I don’t mind at all them coming in, although they’re not around long enough to tip.” She admitted that she had never watched “The Sopranos.”

“Too violent,” she said. “But I guess that’s why most people loved it and why these people still come.”

Noting that those on the bus had come from as far away as Romania, Norway and Australia, Mr. Baron emphasized the potential for a movie. “There’s demand all over the world,” he said. “And they know how well ‘Sex and the City’ did.”

His source, the Satin Dolls owner, wasn’t around to shed more light on the subject, but the club’s manager said, “Everyone is keeping their fingers crossed.”

Asked for his name, he would identify himself only as “Jason Jr.” Not to be confused with Anthony Jr., Bobby Jr. or Uncle Junior. But par for the tour.

But then there are those customs that are so engrained as part of the mob way that they never need to actually be spoken. High among them — perhaps right at the top — is the ban on being gay.

So when Robert Mormando, a confessed Gambino family gunman, appeared on Monday for a hearing on his sentence for his role in the shooting of a Queens bagel store owner in 2003, he seemed to indicate that La Cosa Nostra’s laws may sometimes be honored less while being practiced than they are while being breached. Mr. Mormando, 44, not only confessed to acting as a government informer, but he also took the extra — and, it should be said, perilous — step of outing himself in court.

The unusual admission was made in a 10th-floor courtroom of Federal District Court in Brooklyn, though it was clearly more an act of self-interest than one of self-expression. He had already pleaded guilty to taking part in the shooting of the bagel store owner, Angelo Mugnolo, and was trying to obtain a lower sentence by persuading Judge Jack B. Weinstein that his cooperation was riskier than most, since he had lived for many years as a closeted homosexual in the mob.

“He didn’t want to make an announcement to the world,” said one person with knowledge of the case who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the dangers facing Mr. Mormando. “He wanted the judge to know what risks he took — why he wasn’t just your average cooperator, someone who had simply broken the code.”

Mr. Mormando’s hearing was, in fact, cloaked in secrecy, listed on the daily court calendar under the name “John Doe.” The documents in his case are under seal and even Pacer, the online federal court archive, has been scrubbed clean of anything related to the matter.

“He’s in an absolute state of fright,” said the person with knowledge of the case. “You have to understand that his partner is totally freaking out. His partner has no connection to any of this. You can just imagine how fraught the whole thing is.”

A divorced father of two, Mr. Mormando was born and raised in Ozone Park, a neighborhood in southern Queens long associated with John J. Gotti, the former (now deceased) Gambino family don. “At 16 or 17, he befriended them all,” said the knowledgeable person. “They made him feel important. He knows them all. They accepted him into their midst.”

Complicating matters is that Mr. Mormando had a close personal friendship with Richard G. Gotti, Mr. Gotti’s nephew, who is currently in prison on a federal racketeering charge. While there is no suggestion that the friendship was anything more than that, the mere fact that an avowed gay man was once “inseparable” from a Gotti is “an intolerable stain on their name,” said the person who has knowledge of the case.

Indeed, that type of “stain” has led to acts of violence in the past. In 1992, for instance, John D’Amato, a former boss of the DeCavalcante crime family, was murdered by an underling when, after an argument, his girlfriend told his cronies he was gay. “Nobody’s going to respect us if we have a gay homosexual boss sitting down discussing La Cosa Nostra business,” the gunman, Anthony Capo, testified at a murder trial in 2003.

There are, nonetheless, certain gay men who prospered in proximity to the mob — perhaps most notably the lawyer Roy Cohn, who represented dons like Anthony Salerno and Carmine Galante. The mob was also known for running gay bars and night clubs, including the Stonewall Inn, at a time when they were still considered part of the underworld.

Psychologically, of course, the Mafia is built upon a traditional view of manhood, one it shares with the military, wherein “gayness” is considered not only unconventional, but also weak. “The mob is all about men respecting men,” said Gerald L. Shargel, who was John J. Gotti’s lawyer. “That obviously introduces a high level of machismo.”

The case of Mr. D’Amato, in particular, was such a breach of protocol that “The Sopranos” stole his story, introducing a character named Vito Spatafore who was killed after two of his fellow gangsters saw him at a gay bar. Joseph R. Gannascoli, who played the role on TV, suggested in an interview on Tuesday that the Mafia and homosexuality were not an easy mix.

“Having never been gay or a mobster, I can still tell you that it’s got to be hard,” he said, “almost like a kind of triple life.

“Still, you’d figure even mobsters would be getting with the times. My feeling is it doesn’t really matter if they’re gay. So long as they earn.”

Karen Zraick contributed reporting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/21/nyregion/21gaymob.html?hp

CLEMENCY

Sunday, October 18th, 2009
12 noon
Grauman’s Chinese Theater
6925 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 461-9624