An (alleged) actor prepares for his next (alleged) role

I have been interested in the performing arts such as movies and theater for quite some time now.  Despite this interest and knowledge, I have yet to be considered an actor; much less any important person involved in film making and stagecraft.  However, in the past two years, I have been involved with an acting troupe that at least once every year puts on a show in front of an audience consisting of our families and others from the Town of Oyster Bay, New York.  It relates to the Town's Group Activities Program for the Disabled, for which I am considered due to having Asperger's Syndrome. 

Each Spring since 2013, I have been involved in acting in a play or musical of some sort.  In 2013, I was both Bill the candy store owner and a composite of the TV reporters in Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory.  The next year, we did something different in a number of us portrayed important singers over the past 60 years.  It was our take on a Legends in Concert performance you might see on a cruise ship.  For my part, I was John Belushi in his Blues Brothers alter ego.  This past May, I was the Chris Penn character Willard in an interesting hybrid staging of Footloose.  We took elements from both the film and the later Broadway musical.  So, I got to sing (gasp!) a couple different times, notably the Randy Newman sound alike Mama Says.  Now, try picturing me singing this.

Sadly, I did not get to do the full song.  Oh well, had to make it just under an hour and 10 minutes.

So, next month the GAP drama program gets back in business after having the summer off.  I am hoping we may be able to do something for the Christmas season, even though it might be at best a holiday themed Legends in Concert sort of occasion.  None the less, we are definitely going to put on a show sometime next year in either April or May.  I would like to believe that before the year is out, we will find out what play/musical act we are doing.

This is where you come in.  I have some ideas that I would hope receive the necessary traction and approval of the GAP leadership; though I am far from the only person jotting down ideas.  Here are quite a few that I have considered for what we could do.

Disney related.

Inside Out
Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs
Toy Story (any of the movies)
Wall-E
The Lion King

Jim Henson related.

The Muppet Movie
The Great Muppet Caper
The Muppet Show (a sort of best of sketches)
Sesame Street (perhaps some of the better sketches over the years)
Labyrinth
The Dark Crystal
The Cube
The Storyteller ( any of a number of episodes)
A number of different TV specials involving Jim Henson and/or the Muppets
Note:  There would be no need to use puppetry.  I would prefer those involved being ourselves, yet imitating our characters by wearing related costumes.  In the case of a character like Kermit The Frog, a sweater or onesie (jumpsuit pajama) will suffice.

All ages acceptable, musical or film based

The Last Unicorn
Fun Home
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Finding Neverland (possibly the movie version)
A Hard Day's Night
Help!
Yellow Submarine
Bye Bye Birdie
Star Wars (any of the movies; though I have not yet seen Episode VII yet)
The Sandlot
Wallace and Gromit
Shaun the Sheep
The Pirates
Fantastic Mr. Fox
E.T.

I like these, although opinions may vary

Company
West Side Story (no alterations to the ending)
Into The Woods
Starlight Express
Cats
My Dinner With Andre
Toys
The Wall
Me and Earl and The Dying Girl
The Land Before Time
The Odd Couple (preferably the Lemmon-Matthau film)
The Producers
Blazing Saddles
Monty Python's Flying Circus (any number of sketches)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python's Life of Brian
Spamalot


And a special section.  Should we be doing another Legends in Concert type show, I think we could do some of these artists.

Pink Floyd
Sir Paul McCartney
The Who
ABBA
Janet Jackson
Peter Gabriel
Joni Mitchell
The Temptations
Prince
George Harrison
Stevie Wonder
Billy Joel
The Pretenders
U2
Paul Simon
Kiss
Arcade Fire
Husker Du
The B-52's


Where you come in is as follows: I would like to know what you think of these suggestions.  I would also like to know if you have any ideas of what we could do for next year.  If you can, please either comment or post or like this essay either here or on Facebook.  I would like to hear from you.

Here is an added incentive:  you can give me a suggestion, and if anyone asks, I could post a video of me acting out a role from that particular character and/or play/musical/movie.  Think of it like a screen test, or rather one of those lip sync dubbing videos only it is me actually saying the lines.

If you want, I can post an idea for what sort of musical I might like, though others are not sure.  I really think we could do a play such as this; provided some material is altered.

Once again, let me know what all of you think about these ideas.  I would like to hear your ideas as well.

Surprisingly have not been to a Broadway show in quite a while,

Robert Kelly

Miscavige's Successor

 Recently, I have written my thoughts and concerns regarding the Church of Scientology.  I have noticed that since the release of the Alex Gibney documentary Going Clear, the Church is now effectively in an crisis of its own doing.  Membership is down to 50,000 at best; and any attempts at smearing the whistleblowers have been met with needed ridicule.  I cannot say for certain if David Miscavige is about to have his religion be relegated to the status of outright cult.  I do however believe there has ben a successor religion to pick up where Scientology left off.  And indeed, a leader has already been chosen.

The religion I refer to is the Roman Catholic Church, and its leader(s) are Pope Benedict XVI (born Joseph Ratzinger, retired/deposed) and most notably Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Brogolia, active).  It is Pope Francis and his leadership capabilities which I am concerned about. Now, people that know me know that I am considered a Catholic, having gone through all the official rites of church membership and living nearby an important diocese with offices in Rockville Centre.  Yet, I have not been to a Sunday Mass in quite a number of years, for quite a number of reasons too numerous to mention.  Indeed, if you were to press me on the issue, I would say Roger Ebert's memoir Life Itself explains best my antipathy towards the religious hierarchy.  It does not, however, mean I am in tune with Church doctrine; for one thing, I am pro-choice. Many Catholics sadly are not pro-choice.  As well, I am of the belief that a female can be just as important of a religious leader in the Catholic order as any male. 

Yet, those are only minor issues at this time.  My leading concern, and one I think is shared by many, is the intertwined relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and our secular world we live in.  In the two years since the installation of Pope Francis, the Church has seen a massive publicity campaign that did not occur for decades earlier.  What gets me is that not one year before, Alex Gibney had directed and produced a documentary regarding the abuses the Church has done to younger men; focusing mainly on those that were abused at a Catholic school for the hearing impaired.  If you can look for it, Mea Maxima Culpa was shown on HBO and might be found on Blu-Ray and DVD at Amazon. 

This push for a Catholic revival has occurred just under a decade after questions regarding the Church's financial properties and management of banking institutions came to the forefront.  As of today, the Church owns more property and businesses outright than what we can imagine.  In effect, membership in the Church does require a hefty frigging fee every time the collection plate gets passed during Sunday Mass; the more you pay, the more you get to obtain their version of Clear, or perhaps OT VIII. 

So for me, I have a problem with a religion that demands your money for their wisdom.  Yet you know what else; I am deeply aghast at the child abuse that goes on with younger men.  My disgust has been with me in that regard for some two decades, after seeing the Canadian TV miniseries The Boys Of St. Vincent.  I remember it only aired a few times in the mid 1990s on A&E in the US; yet I did find a decent web transfer of the complete 3+ hour miniseries on a Japanese hosted video site.  Here is the link at the bottom of the essay.

I post the link only because there is not a way to embed the video on this site.  None the less, it is downright disturbing, and on a different note it is still Henry Czerny's most iconic role. 

Even with all that has been mentioned, I am concerned that the Roman Catholic Church is on a path of obtaining world political leadership.  We may not have seen this in our lifetimes; yet it was not that long ago in human history that the Church was the globalist order in this world.  For hundreds of years, particularly the Middle Ages and Dark Ages prior to the Renaissance and even afterward, Kings and Queens, Dukes and Duchesses, Princes and Princesses, Military leaders and Civilian leaders, Legislators and Judges alike, all bowed down and pledged their allegiances and lives to the Church.  Whomever was Pope had final say on all social, political, economic and war decisions.  Clergymen gave their opinions and statements on issues; and governments were set forth to do the deeds of the Church.  This began to thaw slowly but surely with the German Lutheran Reformation, along with the establishment of the Church of England and Anglicanism. 

Now, under Pope Francis' leadership, more so than in any other time, the Catholic Church is now seemingly the final arbiter and ruler on all matters relating to mainland Europe.  Interestingly, that includes Germany; whose Chancellor, Angela Merkel, might not have been re-elected had not the Pope endorsed her and her Conservative minded party.  This order, for instance, that all Catholics must house the Syrian refugees in Europe seems more akin to a forced political maneuver rather than a recommendation.  I, for instance, would not be too certain to house a refugee, for reasons too varied to list here.  It now appears that the Church now dictates policy in Cuba.  I do not believe this was ever the intention of the Castro brothers when the 1959 Revolution took place. 

This public relations program the Church is now engaged in seems to the layman a good and decent success; if only one considers the public humbleness and more liberal minded attitudes and beliefs Pope Francis espouses.  But you see, that is the problem with Pope worship; only in the last year have Catholics overall been willing to accept LGBTQ people, for instance.  Just because the Pope says so, Now they can accept.  Well, I and many of my family and friends accepted the LGBTQ community long before it was considered cool to be accepting these groups of people.  In fact, so did many others become supporters and advocates of LGBTQ individuals prior to 2014.  I never needed Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI or Pope Francis to tell me When to accept the LBGTQ community.  I do have a brain and use it regularly.  Nor do I then or now need a Catholic leader to tell me to support their agenda regarding their anti-abortion and anti-contraceptives dogma.  To me, being pro-choice is being pro-life; for I choose the life of the female rather than the implied life of a fetus.  As I have often said, our birthdays do not come on the anniversary of the date when our parents "did it". 

And yet, after this trip to Cuba, Pope Francis will make his way to the United States and will pretty much dictate the lives and beliefs of some 69.4 million Catholics; this includes Jeb Bush.  I often half jokingly wonder if, say in Washington DC or in New York, the Pope says a command like "eat a stick of butter" and many though not all would do it in fear of being excommunicated if refused.  Again it is a joke, and I know some may be saying to me "well Robert, if your favored political figure or celebrity said it, you would do it too".  No, because there is a difference.  They are not religious leaders and thus if I choose not to eat a stick of butter, they cannot force me to do otherwise.  A religious leader, such as a Pope or Cardinal or Archbishop, has this unique sway in allowing people to do things just by saying "Do It".  So if Pope Francis goes up on his pulpit and tells Catholics to vote for Jeb Bush or any other candidate beholden to the Church; I am concerned these fellow Catholics will be like lemmings willingly falling down to their premature grave. 

Well, now that I have made my concerns known, I would like to hear from you.  I have noticed that while I am getting page views, something seems to be wrong with the comments and interactivity.  Do any of you fellow readers have any suggestions?  I do have a Facebook page, search keyword Robert Kelly.  You can mention your concerns there, or even here if possible.  Might I need to change the website to a new server or hosting platform?  It does get a bit lonely only talking to myself at times.  Let me know if anything can be done about this.  I would really like to hear your views. 

I end with a rather problematic yet pertinent question.  If you were invited to the house of any of these three people:

Pope Francis
David Miscavige
Robert Durst

Which one would be honest with you?  Well, for me there is no definite answer, except maybe a fourth opinion.  Choose neither and free your mind.

It is a TED talk, yes.  But since the other choices were David Icke (an acquired taste I know) or a song which sounds a heck of a lot like Queen Of The Night (Whitney Houston off of The Bodyguard), this will suffice.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Robert






http://www.56.com/w33/play_album-aid-9150379_vid-NTY5NDg3MzY.html

Impressions on Show Me A Hero

In my previous essay, I gave a brief primer on what I think might be the most important miniseries of 2015.  That would be the David Simon & Paul Haggis 6 part miniseries Show Me A Hero.  Since I gave a synopsis and background on the events referenced in the miniseries, and mentioned some of the more noted actors and up-and-comers with great roles; I felt it best to mention some interesting aspects of what I saw that impressed me quite well.  Perhaps if you saw it, you may think the same.

Show Me A Hero begins with Nick Wasiscko (Oscar Isaac) getting out of his car and passing by the burial plot of his father.  Interspersed without much words is a cutaway shot of Wasiscko's beeper going off to remind him to call 911.  We see this scene two other times.  The second time is at the beginning of part 4, when we then see Nick looking at a person and thinking it is his father; although we do not see Nick regurgitating his Maalox.  The final time is at the end; which is the culmination of what would turn out to be his final day in life.  You see, on October 29, 1993, Nick Wasiscko killed himself right near his father's burial plot.  It was the culmination of a spiral which would have Mr. Wasiscko not be on a ballot on election day for the first time in 8 years.  By that point in his life, although married to a smart person and effectively free from the grind of Yonkers politics, Nick Wasiscko was despondent over a perceived investigation into finances accrued during his time as Mayor: although nothing relating to corruption was ever found. 

This reminded me of a technique Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu has used in his movies.  In that, Innaritu begins his films with a scene or dream that may mean something.  It is repeated at the end, only this time in an alternate fashion under a different point of view and/or an added context.  I must say I was impressed with this storytelling technique; which I think is more of a Paul Haggis trademark than you would expect from David Simon.  Initially, I did not place the scenes at the graveyard as being flash forwards until the final 20 minutes or so for Part 6.  The giveaway for me was seeing Oscar Isaac wearing the same green turtleneck as you see when Show Me A Hero starts.  That is when I realized the initial scenes at the graveyard would be repeated and enhanced at the end.  And indeed it does, coupled with a David Simon trademark ending montage and where are the rest now texts interspersed. 

This brings me to another observance about Show Me A Hero that rather stunned me.  In past David Simon series such as Homicide, The Wire, Generation Kill and Treme; characters eventually move on, many living yet some having passed.  Yet, particularly regarding The Wire, we are left with the realization that while there are changes, nothing really has changed.  Think of it: the Baltimore Homicide unit still fights an uphill cause of righting the wrongs of the city; The Game still continues even though as Slim Charles says "It just got more fierce"; we are still in Iraq and in other military zones in the Middle East; and New Orleans is still in a lengthy process of recovering. 

It is rather different in Show Me A Hero.  That is because the public housing project in Yonkers works, even to this day with some 200 projects developed each year.  Those still alive are still living in Yonkers and/or Westchester County, yet there lives are a heck of a lot better than decades prior.  As well, the legal matters regarding the City of Yonkers were eventually settled....in 2007!  None the less, they are settled.  Possibly the one leading constant in the past 28 years has been Judge Leonard B. Sand still on the bench; albeit as a senior district court judge but still quite active. 

In part 1 of this essay, I alluded to the Clarke Peters character,  Robert Mayhawk, as plausibly being a fictional composite character of the many different community organizers and land developers that were involved in the early 1990s.  I suppose I am correct in this assessment, as can be witnessed in the final end credits montage of the actor and his/her real life counterpart.  There clearly is not one for Clarke Peters.  I do feel however that Mr. Peters' role is an important piece of the puzzle when examining the matters pertaining to the housing project.  As well, similar to Peters' roles as Lester Freamon in The Wire and Big Chief in Treme, there is a sense of moral clarity and realistic ideals that his character provides to others.  I think of a scene in part 6, where Mayhawk, Oscar Newman (Peter Riegert) and others are hosting a seminar for proper neighbor policy.  Clearly, many of the African-American homeowners are feeling belittled and/or insulted.  Yet, Mayhawk responds with what TV Tropes likes to call an armor-piercing question.  I'm paraphrasing here, but what is said is that in wanting a better life, most things would be different.  Not necessarily better, but different.  So with that in mind, is it better to be in a different environment with a promising future, or a bleak future with same results?  Well, as we see towards the end, the homeowners understand these matters and are able to make different yet better lives for themselves.  Obviously it is best shown with Doreen Henderson (Natalie Paul), who has indeed become an important figure in the community. 

Show Me A Hero utilizes songs from two distinct singer songwriters.  One is Bruce Springsteen, which at times seems like during the run of the miniseries we are hearing a greatest hits package.  It is quite meticulously done and fits the scenes these songs are placed in.  A more specific and yet important example is Steve Earle.  Mr. Earle has appeared in supporting roles in The Wire and Treme; and in Show Me A Hero a deep cut from his album The Hard Way is played at the end of every installment.  It is a song named When The People Find Out.  Here is the initial recording from 1990. 

In the last installment, a newer acoustic version is heard which is more somber.  I personally prefer the newer version, which is far more biting and attentive to Earle's lyrical wisdom.  Now, there is another song played on the last installment which I am not too sure what it is, though it sounds quite good.

One final impression Show Me A Hero had on me, and I think I am not alone in this regard.  I found this miniseries to be more promising and important than a film Paul Haggis did 10 years ago.  That movie of course was Crash, which I did like and still think was a surprise gem in 2005; I do not think it was worthy of a Best Picture Oscar, as I would have preferred Munich or Syriana as better movies that year.  None the less, this is one of Mr. Haggis' best projects he has done recently.  And one of two this year, the other being his involvement in the Alex Gibney documentary Going Clear; of which I mentioned in an earlier post.

Quite honestly, I am looking forward to what will be the next David Simon series or film he and his team at Blown Deadline have up their sleeve.  Understandably, initiating a newer series or film or even book will take time; yet I look forward when the time comes.  I feel the same way for Paul Haggis and his team at Pretty Pictures.  Indeed, on a different matter, I am glad to see Mr. Haggis not need Scientology to advance in his endeavors.

Oh, one final thing.  The person in elderly care in Part 1 of Show Me A Hero looked fairly familiar.  I have now found out the actor was Rene Auberjonois; quite a nice cameo from one of the more iconic Hey, It's That Guy actors out there.  Here is one of his more known roles.

In short, Show Me A Hero is on my shortlist for the best television in 2015; it is already for me the best miniseries.  If this were a movie, it would definitely be among the best of this year.  In fact, if Show Me A Hero cannot get Emmy nominations; I do not see why it should not receive Oscar nominations.  It is that good.

All The Pieces Matter,

Robert

PS.  Related to Scientology.  I am becoming convinced that the Church of Scientology had a role in the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman.  I will explain more soon.

Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy.

This past Sunday night, while many my age and a number of others were watching the MTV VMAs in a year that did not honor the types of music you find on Fordham University's radio station; I was watching the concluding two hours of what I think is HBO's third important television event of the year.  The first two were the Andrew Jarecki documentary miniseries The Jinx and the Alex Gibney film Going Clear.  I could possibly add a third already in Andy Samberg's brilliant sports faux biography 7 Days In Hell.  Yet, this might have outclassed all three of them.

David Simon is clearly one of the most inventive writers and producers of TV out there today.  Show Me A Hero, a collaboration of ideas between Simon and his team along with noted filmmaker and Oscar winner Paul Haggis, is easily the best television program to have been shown this year.  It may not be at the same groundbreaking and innovative functions set forth in The Wire; yet this does come quite close in miniseries form.  Like many of Mr. Simon's projects, this delves in relations in a community in changing times.  However, this story told is one that is entirely true.

When Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan was first elected to the US Senate in 1976, one of his goals relative to his home state of New York was to see implementation of housing for families and individuals with lower income levels relative to the norm in the state.  It was not until the 1982 election of Gov. Mario Cuomo, a fellow New York Democrat and political figure with a working class background, that Sen. Moynihan was able to have a statewide ally in housing plans.  At the time, New York was a state where there were an equalization between liberal minded areas and conservative minded areas.  Usually in the cities like Manhattan and the Five Boroughs, then as now, projects like public housing were given wide support. 

However, the suburbs and rural sections of the state were far more conservative and Republican oriented.  None the less, some of these enclaves like Long Island (namely Nassau County) were able to acquiesce to federal mandates for housing; willing to go along due to Republican Sen. Al D'Amato's approval of the projects.  A noted suburb that held out in initiating public housing was the Westchester County city of Yonkers.  Yonkers at that time, and now even, is a location for city dwellers without having to actually live in the city; that would include the Bronx.  Not making derogatory statements; just mentioning a fact that people who want to be close to NYC yet are not living there will prefer the housing locations in Westchester County as a more family friendly alternative.  Much of the demographics of Yonkers in the 1980s were for the most part well-to-do white families. 

That all began to change by 1987.  As a result of federally funded legislation to desegregate public housing, New York Southern District Court Judge Leonard B. Sand declared the city of Yonkers in contempt of court.  This was followed by an order to develop 200 housing quarters for lower income families in Yonkers' east side.  Many of the people living in Yonkers did not take this order lightly.  As I mentioned before, it was a predominately Republican community rejecting the more Democratic minded policies that needed to be done.  It is here that Show Me A Hero offers the stories and glimpses of many of these people who were either directly involved with providing the housing or were tenants for these projects.

Like many of David Simon's series, there is not one central person to look at when so many lives are intertwined.  Yet if there is a central figure, it would need to be Yonkers Mayor Nick Wasiscko, a Democrat who was elected to the city Council in 1985 at just 26.  Two years later, Wasiscko was elected as the youngest Mayor in the history of Yonkers at only 28.  In this miniseries, Oscar Isaac portrays Nick Wasicko in a role that were there any justice in this world he would have been given the Emmy for Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie straight away.  In some respects, Mr. Isaac shows us a multi-tiered look at Wasiscko that does not make him look like the second coming of a Lincoln or a Roosevelt.  In fact, Wasiscko was elected Mayor on a platform of rejecting the housing decision.  Yet, after Wasiscko's election, the City of Yonkers' appeal was lost. 

There is a line in the miniseries that Oscar Isaac says during one of the more raucous council meetings which I think sums up the need to press forward with the housing projects.  The line, "Majority rules but it cannot rule contrary to the law", does give the noted conundrum on how certain matters of law need to be accepted.  And admittedly, the first three parts of this miniseries might be found by non political people to be a bit dry; what with the emphasis placed on the city council as well as the federal circuit courts.  Yet, there are not too many movies or shows that relate to the inner workings of local government when it is usually the decisions of a town council or city ordinance that will directly affect the needs and desires of its populace. 

As I mentioned earlier, Oscar Isaac and his portrayal of Nick Wasiscko may seem to be the central focus of this miniseries.  Yet, there are of course many other actor involved that merit recognition.

Catherine Keener:  her portrayal of Yonkers resident and advocate Mary Dorman would also be worthy of at least an Emmy nomination.  Keener does not show up until part two; yet it is an interesting yet understated role that reflects Mrs. Dorman's evolution from being against the public housing initiative to becoming one of the few white homeowners outside of public office willing to become friends and partners with the African-American and Hispanic communities.  There is no dramatic epiphany or any sort of emotional outburst making the change known.  Rather, similar to the gradual evolution of characters we saw on The Wire (and I am particularly thinking of Andre Royo's brilliant Bubbles), the eventual reversal of ideals comes without forewarning and yet feels as if these ideals were already in the making.

Alfred Molina:  Molina plays Mayor Hank Spallone, whom defeated Wasiscko for the job in 1989 before Spallone himself was defeated two years later.  Mayor Spallone was a brash sort of political figure that felt more at ease with being the antagonistic pest, rather than running a city.  Mr. Molina is one of our greatest actors, and even in a kind of smaller scale role, when Molina is on screen, he owns the scene. 

Ilfenesh Hadera:  she is a newly minted actress that portrays Alma Febles; a single mother from Puerto Rico that would over the years become a success story in earning a decent living and providing well for her children and now grandchildren.

Natalie Paul:  another new actress who plays Doreen Henderson.  Ms. Henderson started out having drug problems which intensified after the death of a male companion in the inner cities (played by one of the kids from season four of The Wire; I think the one that played Namond.)  She did become a success story in effectively being the leading advocate for people living in public housing, similar to what Mary Dorman was for her community. 

LaTanya Richardson Jackson:  her portrayal of Norma O'Neal is rather interesting.  Ms. O'Neal was a nurse practitioner who eventually went blind due to diabetes.  She also was very much involved in matters relating to housing, yet did not fully integrate due to different forms of opinions with newer generations of civil rights leaders. 

Clarke Peters:  the important gem in any David Simon series.  Mr. Peters only shows up in the last two parts, yet it is his portrayal of Robert Mayhawk (possibly not an actual person) that provides the conscience and wisdom of the matters relating to housing and integration.  And like in previous roles, Clarke Peters has the lines which I think matter most.

Carla Quevedo:  her portrayal of Nay Wasiscko is quite important, namely as the eventual better half of the relationship.  I do hope we hear more from Ms. Quevedo to come.

There are of course other roles and many other actors to note for this miniseries.  Winona Ryder doing excellent work as Vinni Restiano, Jim Belushi in a rare dramatic role as Mayor Angelo Martinelli, Bob Balaban doing superbly as Judge Leonard B. Sand, Jon Bernthal providing some important ideals as NAACP lawyer Mike Sussman, Peter Riegert in the role of Oscar Newman that is an important insight into how housing plans are developed.  Dominique Fishback is another up and comer portraying young single mother Billie Rowan. 

I will have a second essay to explain a lot more on many of the interesting touches made to this miniseries.  Perhaps this one is quite long as is.  None the less, it is a great miniseries; one that I think should be required viewing for anyone involved with community services pertaining to local matters.

More coming; stay tuned,

Robert

PS.  I am liking the new Google logo.  And I am keenly interested in what Alphabet will bring to the table of new ideas.