The decision on which DP to hire should be based on his or her talent (not just the reel but entire films – several of them), reputation, relationships, referrals, shared vision for the project, what he or she brings to the table and how enjoyable they might be to work with 14-hours a day!

As a Director who tries very hard to do her homework and respect everyone’s jobs (and let the DP pick the camera and lenses to achieve the look I’m trying to achieve) and as a Producer who does her darndest to raise sufficient money to pay cast and crew a fair wage and secure the highest and best value equipment the project warrants – commensurate with its likely market value, there are a few things I’ve learned:

*   A great DP can get beautiful shots with any camera.

*   The most state-of-the-art camera with all the bells and whistles in the world can’t be fully capitalized on unless it’s operated by a skilled craftsman/technician/artist executing the vision of another at the helm.

*   There is a right camera for each and every project and budget.

*   Lenses are at least as important as the camera (if not even more so).

The camera should be selected because it is the sweet spot between what the DP and/or Director want to capture the visual style, what the budget can adequately afford (including lenses and post production considerations) and what is right for what you’re shooting – and how (size, weight, location space and mobility (rigging).

There is a free, available on-line and on-demand three-part documentary series that is incredibly edifying. NOTE: I have absolutely nothing to do with this series, the company, the products, the individuals involved – other than I truly benefitted from it and am truly recommending it wholeheartedly and unsolicited – to help others who read my blog.

The Great Camera Shootout 2011 is a documentary that compares 12 large scale technical cameras through 15 tests spread out across 3 episodes. Administered by Robert Primes, ASC, these cameras were pushed to the limit through real “on set” challenges conducted over four days involving over 60 technicians including some notable motion picture industry names you may recognize (Stephen Lighthill, ASC, Nancy Schreiber ASC, Matt Seigel, Michael Bravin, and Mike Curtis) with I’d say a goal they achieved: to broaden understanding of the elements that create image quality.

The 12 Cameras

1. Arri Alexa
2. Sony F-35
3. Sony F3
4. Canon 5D Mark II
5. Canon 7D
6. Canon 1D Mark IV
7. Nikon D7000
8. Weisscam HS-2
9. Phantom Flex
10. Panasonic AG-AF100
11. RED ONE M-X
12. 35mm Kodak 5213 and 5219 film

NOTE: The Red Epic, “S Log” on the Sony F3 and “CineStyle” for the Canon cameras were not available at the time of these tests.

This was NOT a contest to decide who makes the “best” camera.

Rather, it was a collection of IDENTICAL in-depth tests on everything from sharpness to low light sensitivity, exposure latitude, highlight detail, shadow detail, color quality, flesh tone reproduction, compression losses and shutter artifacts to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the industry’s newest cameras. Both a science and an art, industry professionals watched the results in calibrated 2K screenings.

Watch it for yourself!

FREE!

Episode One: The Tipping Point

3 tests Re: usable latitude:

*   The Dynamic Range Test

*   The Under Exposure Test

*   The Over Exposure Test

Episode Two: Sensors & Sensitivity

*   To illustrate how noise affects shots in the real world, the Signal-to-Noise Ratios were ascertained by shooting a chart with 20 different grey patches analyzing by software that converted each sensors’ illuminations into digital values.

*   A 3’ W Siemen star chart revealed the Spatial Frequency Response (SFR) of each sensor which demonstrated the smallest details each camera could capture.

*   A still life scene was shot to show the real world implications when resolution and compression are pushed to their limits.

*   Color compression and sub-sampling were proven using the Wringer chart to detail the differences between on-board and off-board recording.

Episode Three: It’s Not So Black & White

*   Motion Artifacts: the camera’s ability to render motion as close to human eyesight as possible. A motion controlled “drum test” built by General Lift was used to show vertical lines moving across the frame as well as the amount of skew generated by a camera’s sensor.

*   Rolling Shutter Issues: Clairmont Camera designed a test using a wheel spinning at 48 fps to show the differences between the ways the cameras each render motion.  A global shutter in a camera like the Phantom Flex will render the lines similar to the way your eye would see them.  The rolling shutter in the 5D mkII shows much more bend and skew.

*   Sensor Design

*   Processing Power

*   Price Point

When his dream car is hijacked, a high school football coach is seat belted in to a terrorist death trap and forced to play the unwilling suicide bomber in an Iraqi game of revenge roulette when he must race cross country in 21 hours flat to beat the clock to save his family – and his country.

 SYNOPSIS

Rural high school football coach DANNY MITCHELL (late 20s) gets his ass handed to him by a total stranger in a Jeep who beats his 1970 Challenger at an impromptu stoplight drag race. His humiliation is completed when, unable to match his competitor’s moves, his one-eighty onto the shoulder leaves just enough room for his neighborhood buddy, CHP JOHN, to pull up and park right alongside – lights flashing, ticket book at the ready.

When his due-any-second-pregnant wife, SARA (20s), sees the broken eggs and groceries tossed all over his car, Danny blames the mess on the jerk who cut him off – just about the time the victorious Jeep hauls threateningly up into their driveway! As he’s being tackled, Danny clues in that it’s his slightly estranged older brother, BLAKE (30s), an accomplished Marine, who’s just returned home from Iraq – and is just screwing with him.

Sara’s elated to see Blake again and eager for the brothers to get reacquainted. Blake shares that he met a girl. In Iraq. And he might ask her to move in with him when she gets home in a few weeks. They are shocked. Turns out she’s American. A Marine, too. They met when she saved his life by detonating a bomb. How hot is that?

When Danny shares that he’s entered to compete in an amateur race, Blake ridicules his dismal performance on his own home turf – not to mention the caliber of his car. Their divide deepens. Danny’s covets the race prize: the very first Saleen F-16 to roll off the line, a Dodge Challenger souped up by Steve Saleen into a SuperCar, built in honor of the US military, designed as an homage to the F-16 fighter jet. Danny begs Blake to help. Blake was a race car driver. He could help Danny win this. But Blake demolishes Danny’s hopes. Blake almost lost his life racing – a decade ago in a fiery crash – he’s not about to put his brother in a similar situation.

Danny explodes: “it’s a race for the rest of us” (i.e.: car enthusiasts, not professional drivers). Sara works her magic and manages to mend the chasm by giving Blake the insight that Danny’s always felt the underachieving runt in a family of war heroes – and win or not – this promises to be fun bonding for them.

Blake surprises Danny the next day when unveils his smashed up ’69 Charger – the car he almost died in – crumpled in a dusty mangled heap under a tarp in their parents’ barn. Still pissed, Danny misses Blake’s olive branch until he clarifies: he’s offering him a perfectly working and completely tricked out five hundred and fifty horse power, four twenty-six hemi – and his help installing it and training him. The brothers are – literally – off to the races.

Blake helps Danny soup up his car and hone his driving skills. Come race day, Danny does surprisingly well. He makes it through all the heats and the final race finds him head-to-head with the clearly superior AMEER HAIDER (40s), a formidable Iraqi. Pit support HAKIM HAIDER (30s) does a last second check on Ameer’s tires.

Danny performs admirably but it doesn’t look like it’s going to be enough to win until Ameer blows a tire seconds before the finish line. Danny manages to snake around him for the win. Suspicious, Blake’s military instincts kick in – which insults Danny in his triumph.  Danny can’t understand why Blake can’t just be happy for him and accept that he won fair and square.

It’s a long drive back home to California from Arizona, too long at least for about-to-pop Sara to make without stopping for the night. Danny’s only too willing to take his time joy riding in his new car and he tosses Blake the keys to drive his old Challenger home. Blake drives straight through, save an unexplained detour under a retired F-16 at the Arizona aircraft boneyard, followed with a random game of Texas Hold ‘Em at an upholstery shop.

When Danny gets home, Blake asks if he can take the new Saleen F-16 for a spin. Danny’s leery – but how can he deny him? Blake is half the reason he won it. But when Blake returns the car, Danny’s livid to see that his older brother inexplicably installed a real F-16 jet fighter seat into the car. He’s furious. Blake explains that those harnesses have saved his life many times. Danny doesn’t care. He wants the seat out. He’s gonna be driving in suburbia with a baby seat in the back. Blake agrees to take it out the next day but he needs to pick up his girlfriend at the airport.

The next morning, Danny and Sara are awoken before dawn by a pre-dawn call from Danny’s mother, MRS. MITCHELL (60s): Could Danny pick his father up at the air force base? This strikes Danny as odd since she’s never missed greeting him home from deployment in their forty-year marriage.

Indeed: she’s being held at gunpoint by a PALESTINIAN JIHADIST and a JORDANIAN MUJAHID who are coercing her into setting her son and husband up.

Unaware of his mother’s predicament, Danny’s eager to show off his new dream car trophy to his father, four-star GENERAL MITCHELL (60s) shares Danny’s concern that his wife isn’t there to welcome him home. He is disinterested in the car – that is until he discovers that his favorite, Blake, helped Danny prepare for and win it.

Still, he wouldn’t be an Air Force pilot if he weren’t a speed junkie and General Mitchell pulls his stick out a little during their joy ride home – that is – until it is cut short by CHP John giving chase. Only, it’s not John. It is John’s car that they recognize, but Hakim and an AFGHANI TALIB have relieved him of it – and are now hijacking Danny’s precious new ride.

The terrorists rig the supercharged car’s driver’s seat with C-4 explosives and load the dashboard with a live video chat-enabled iPad, waiting to play a video and another one set up as a red digital timer poised to tick down from 21:00 and a secondary GPS, destination pre-installed.

Forced back into the car as an unwilling suicide bomber, Danny is told if he gets out of his seat, his car will explode. He must follow their instructions or both his parents will die. Terrified, Danny pukes. His weathered veteran father tells his son to remain calm and follow their orders – as he’s knocked out with the butt of a rifle.

Peeling out for all their lives, Danny hasn’t a clue what to do but call Blake. Interrupted brushing his teeth, Blake is level-headed and laser-focused instantly. He gets Danny to play the video and overhears Hakim detail that their father’s military commands killed the former Iraqi Prime Minister’s youngest son and now the family is hell bent on revenge. As Danny is General Mitchell’s youngest son, he has just become a pawn in an Iraqi game of revenge roulette. Tousled and sexy in his shirt, Blake’s Lebanese-American girlfriend, MEIRA HAFSA (late 20s, early 30s), has her Beretta M9 loaded before she even gets her pants on.

Danny has been given twenty-one hours to make it from Barstow to Washington, D.C. He must hit several destinations and deadlines along the way – or U.S. landmarks will be destroyed. His speeding bomb is monitored non-stop via the Iraqi’s GPS.  It’s not long before CNN is non-stop live over his high-speed plight – and the terrorists reign of terror spreads like wildfire across the nation – just as they wanted it to.

Blake warns Danny not to call Sara as there’s nothing she can do but worry and the distraction will be too much for him to bear. Blake promises he’ll make sure she’s safe. Blake and Meira race nearby to the Mitchell’s home. Getting there just as the terrorists are moving his mother, Blake and Meira miss the two key leaders who go on ahead but manage to perform a precise extraction to rescue Mrs. Mitchell. Saving your future mother-in-law from terrorists makes quite the first impression.

Danny finally breaks down and tells Sara what’s going on. She bears it nobly and doesn’t let him hear her cry.  Blake collects her and safely ensconces their two precious family members at the hospital, surrounded by guards – and they race off to help Danny.

General Mitchell is held at gunpoint and ordered to call his good friend, GENERAL KEEFER (70s), the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to deliver the terrorists’ demands: a full and complete pull out of Iraq in 21 hours. Impossible. Yeah, they know that. But Keefer’s on it, calls in PRESIDENT TATE (60s).

En route, Danny rallies support from family friend SHERIFF PARKER (50s) to turn those pit maneuvers around into a police escort. As Danny is understandably now the #1 suspect in CHP John’s murder (since he was seen screeching away from his patrol car not long before his dead body was found nearby), Parker has to shift the powers that be’s perception that not only is Danny not a cop killer – nor is he a criminal at all – but rather: he’s the victim.

Meira is adamant that she get into Danny’s car. Blake’s having none of that. But Meira makes a solid case. She’s a bomb and computer expert. And it’s kind of hard to sit idly on the sidelines with the necessary skill set and and watch your family-to-be careen in danger. Blake pulls strings to get Meira on an F-18 and she flies ahead to intersect with Danny in Arizona while a gas tanker refuels his two gas tanks at 70 mph.

Danny is grateful for the fast food handed in through the window by the truck driving tandem but he’s shocked that anyone is fool enough to crawl into his car with him – much less a woman. Given his predicament, Danny’s knee-jerk reaction is prejudice toward her Middle Eastern heritage. But thick-skinned and confident, Meira quips: “We’re not all terrorists” and Blake introduces them over the hands-free. Danny apologizes, sincerely.

Meira came bearing electronic gifts. Not only her own laptop and other counter-surveillance  devices but CNN also asked her to bring a dash-cam and cell phone with her, to give their viewers vicarious shotgun seats, too. Meira connects the dashboard iPad monitor and Ameer, the evil mastermind, comes on screen – live.

Both Danny and Meira recognize him – but from different frames of reference – but there’s no time to compare notes. Even though Danny made it to his first destination, Flagstaff, on time – he had no idea what he was supposed to do or where he was supposed to go once he got there, so Ameer chalks that up as a miss and Danny and Meira are demoralized to see Ameer blow up Lake Havasu’s London Bridge live on the screen in front of them. But they don’t have time to grieve the innocent hikers and boaters that were killed – they can’t even slow down to think about it. Riddled with guilt, Danny must make his next deadline or more people will die.

Sara suffers helplessly in silence, watching the horrific ordeal unfold on TV. Her water breaks while she’s on the phone with her husband but she’s unwilling to add to his burden, so she stoically refrains from telling him she’s slipping into labor – and the stress is jeopardizing the baby.

Danny hits all his stops in record time in spite of every obstacle imaginable. After some drunk, fame-digging Frat Boys nearly kill him in a joy ride collision, Danny must persuade Good Samaritans to jump start his famous bomb.

Then, the Governor of Oklahoma refuses to let the traveling bomb cross his state line. He sets up a roadblock and there is a stand off between Texas and Oklahoma state police. Fans and protestors alike line the overpass and freeway. Political hierarchy prevails. The President supersedes the Governor’s federal jurisdiction with her national power and orders a couple of Huey Cobra helicopters to blast a path through the police barricade so Danny can get through.  The President then asks Danny, knowing he’s not going to get out of this alive, if he’d be willing to drive his car into a sand-filled container to try to limit the other innocent casualties. Danny says as soon as she can confirm his father is safe, he’ll do whatever she asks – but not until then.

As dusk settles, it dawns on famous NASCAR driver, DALE EARNHARDT, JR., that Danny’s stock headlights won’t illuminate the pitch black of night at the speed he’s traveling. He saves the day and rigs his own race car with high-powered lights and the team caravans Danny safely through the night.

The car’s ECU light flashes and the car’s computer must be rebooted – but they don’t have time. They are confronted with quite the quandary: they can’t stop but they can’t go on. Meira turns off all the cameras and takes the batteries out of every piece of electronic equipment and in privacy, saves the day by jury-rigging the terrorists’ GPS to an algorithm that will make Ameer mistake a fake beeping signal for Danny’s car, misleading him into believing they made their destination by the deadline without him knowing that they’ve actually pulled over to make repairs and catch up. Danny insists that this is the perfect time for Meira to get out of the car safely. Meira agrees. They say their goodbyes.

The Pit Crew team has the car back on its electronic feet in under seven minutes but before Danny can take off – Meira’s back in his front seat?! Turns out, she didn’t have any way of knowing that their next destination involves a huge cloverleaf freeway interchange. She programmed the algorithm for a straight line. If they can’t make up the time and swap the signals before Ameer clues in, he’ll figure out their ruse and undoubtedly blow another landmark. They haul ass, catch up and swap out the “fake” car-signal – and the whole caravan cloverleafs in the pitch black at breakneck speeds just as Ameer comes on to congratulate them for having made the destination they missed. When dawn breaks, Dale hops out to shake Danny’s hand as a real American hero and loans him his helmet: “maybe it’ll help?”

Blake and his team of Marines have tracked down General Mitchell being held hostage on a houseboat. They deploy a swift, tactical rescue. The President informs Danny and he concedes to her containment plan. Snipers, ordered illegally by General Deaton, begrudgingly follow their orders to take out his tires and make it look like an accident. His glass t-top roof shatters but Danny escapes. Cleverly, Danny instructs Meira to track back the Iraqi’s GPS signal and discovers that Ameer is not in Washington, D.C. as was previously assumed – he’s hiding safely in Arlington, Virginia.  Blake calls and talks to Meira and has her rig something under Danny’s seat. Danny freaks and pulls off to the side of the road. She tries to tell him something but he shoves her out of the car.

Along with the President and Pentagon staff, Ameer hears the roar of Danny’s car approach. Certain that Danny has reached his final destination, Ameer double crosses Danny and gives the order to blow him up, the Pentagon and all the rigged landmarks simultaneously. Ameer is more surprised than the President to discover that it’s actually Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s NASCAR that pulls up in front of the Pentagon as he tosses Danny’s swapped out and still-tracking GPS triumphantly into the air. The car bomb that Danny’s actually driving is headed – surprise! – straight for Ameer’s no-longer secret hold up.

Resigned to the fact that he’s not getting out of this alive, Danny says goodbye to his wife on his cell phone as his life flashes before him as he prepares to martyr himself for his country…

Just as the original Rocky caused audience members to punch the dark air in front of them, we want our theater-seat drivers so completely immersed in our exciting roller coaster ride that they vicariously slam their feet on imaginary brakes. Screaming past the variety of beautiful vistas our country has to offer, 21 Hours is a picture postcard love letter to America.

Our country – the entire world – changed forever in an instant on 9/11. No longer can we sit idly by, thinking someone will come to our rescue. They may not. We realize now that we might actually have to take action ourselves. Alone. Or even with strangers. Figuring out unconscionable circumstances on the fly and overcoming overwhelming obstacles in the moment.

Worse, perhaps, is to sit at home in our instantly- and constantly-connected world only to watch helplessly as loved ones struggle to extract themselves from situations no one could’ve prepared themselves for.

21 Hours taps into the global, post-9/11 zeitgeist while playing on the world’s contemporary fascination – if not obsession – with reality TV and and instantaneous, incessant technological connectivity.

While timely and relevant, this “ripped from the headlines” terrorist thriller is also universal and evergreen. Unashamedly patriotic, it shows the men and women of the US military in an honorable light without taking any polarizing political or religious positions. It’s a purely fictional story – a decidedly personal vendetta – of one family attacking the innocent civilians of another – on their own soil. It’s a road trip journey for all the citizens of the world who value their families, free will – and the open road.

Building upon the shoulders of the greats in the rich lineage of race and road films that have come before us, our goal is to conceive fresh and original stunts and sequences that will delight this rabid core audience.

We’ve also made great efforts – and will continue to strive – to avoid stereotypical or prejudicial cliches. Not only does the script offer smart and powerful female role models, most notably the President of the United States, the Hero’s wife and mother but perhaps most significantly, the key support brain buddy is a heroic Middle Eastern female Marine fighting for America. These are not just token hotties who sit prettily on the sidelines, they are prominent, proactive, thinking modern characters who dramatically affect the plot.

I have lived with this script for over a decade. It was optioned practically on its first submission – straight out of the gate ten years ago – right before 9/11 – after which it got caught in the deep freeze that locked up all terrorist scripts at that time.

Freed up and back in our control, we have worked diligently to tighten the plot, amp up the pace and update the technology and cultural references. I have imagined every conceivable angle, I know the characters and story inside and out and cannot wait to bring it out of our hearts and imaginations, off the page and to live on the screen.

“Anonymous” by John Orloff (Sony)

“The Artist” by Michel Hazanavicius (The Weinstein Company)

“Beginners” by Mike Mills (Focus Features)

“Bridesmaids” by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig (Universal)

“Cars 2″ by Ben Queen; Story by John Lasseter, Brad Lewis and Dan Fogelman (Disney)

“Coriolanus” by John Logan, from the play by William Shakespeare (The Weinstein Company)

“The Debt” by Matthew Vaughn & Jane Goldman and Peter Straughan (Focus Features)

“The Descendants” by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings (Fox Searchlight)

“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” by Steven Zaillian, based on the novel by Stieg Larsson (Sony)

“Hanna” by Seth Lochhead and David Farr; Story by Seth Lochhead (Focus Features)

“The Help” by Tate Taylor, based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett (Dreamworks)

“The Ides of March” by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Williman (Sony)

“The Iron Lady” by Abi Morgan (The Weinstein Company)

“Jane Eyre” by Moira Buffini, based on the novel by Charlotte Bronte (Focus Features)

“Machine Gun Preacher” by Jason Keller (Relativity Media)

“Margaret” by Kenneth Lonergan (Fox Searchlight)

“Margin Call” by J.C. Chandor (Rope of silicon website)

“Martha Marcy May Marlene” by Sean Durkin (Fox Searchlight)

“Moneyball” by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; Story by Stan Chervin, based on the book by Michael Lewis (Sony)

“My Week With Marilyn” by Adrian Hodges, from the book by Colin Clark (The Weinstein Company)

“Pariah” by Dee Rees (Focus Features)

“Shame” by Steve McQueen and Abi Morgan (Fox Searchlight)

“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” by Bridget O’Cconnor & Peter Straughan, based on the novel by John le Carre (Focus Features)

“War Horse” by Lee Hall and Richard Curtis, based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo (Dreamworks)

“Warrior” by Gavin O’Connor and Anthony Tambakis & Cliff Dorfman (Lionsgate)

“Win Win” by Tom McCarthy; Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni (Fox Searchlight)

Here’s a speed review of some of the highlights. I couldn’t possibly do justice to the amazing experience and have only skimmed the surface herein by mentioning a handful of the thought-provoking speakers and entertaining performers – but hopefully our unified communal focused intention, actions and creations WILL do justice to honor their mission.

To serve as a threshold from the busy day of workshops to the night’s presentations, a beautiful interlude from 10 year-old piano prodigy, Jahan Raymond set the stage for Rafael Bejarano who ushered in visceral focused attention with his amazing command of the Aboriginal Didgeridoo and fluidly passed the musical torch on over to Damien Rose, whose Tibetan Bowl playing ensured we were all resonating on the same frequency – or at least encouraged further steps on that journey.

Our emcee, comedian Louie Anderson, struck the perfect chord, delicately transitioning between the serious calls to action (and their prerequisite philosophical paradigm shifts) – and music, video, poetry – and quantum physics – with raucous laughter.

Edward James Olmos kicked the event off discussing the social responsibility of entertainment, media and the arts. Marta Mobley (Producer: Amish Grace) set the stage ably by calling upon the audience to focus on the triumphs of life instead of the tragedies.

Then, we were treated to a Goddess of a violinist, Lili Hadyn followed by the most hysterical Quantum Physicist, the brilliant Fred Alan Wolf, Ph.D. (Perhaps his insight comes from his having dallied in acid?

Next came a video greeting from Annie Lennox then the heartfelt Gary Zukav who proffered an interesting perspective: “the pain you’re feeling in your life is the distance between you and your potential.”

Up next was poet Drew Dellinger with a video-backdropped reading of his beautiful poem, Hieroglyphic Stairway, that starts: “It’s 3:23 in the morning/and I’m awake/because my great great grandchildren/won’t let me sleep/my great great grandchildren ask me in dreams/what did you do while the planet was plundered?/what did you do while the earth was unraveling?…what did you do/once/you/ knew?”

Wade Colwell-Sandoval and Baba Oyadare Ranson III of Funkamentalz got the whole audience on their feet, singing the refrain “Worldside Worldside” (as opposed to Westside or Eastside, etc.) to their funkalicious song that acknowledge-raps all 196 countries of the world in alphabetical order.

The beautiful and uber-green Frances Fisher (who I “auditioned” (took a meeting with) for Snitch and can’t wait to cast in something!) shared a few words that led into a great, long hug from the illumined Don Miguel Ruiz (The Four Agreements) who reminded us: “We are artists who create our own realities. Words are our tools. Be impeccable.”

Dara Marks (who I was honored to work with on her instant screenwriting classic, Inside Story, born out of her PhD in Mythological Studies from Pacifica Graduate Institute), likened story to the human instruction manual. She shared a personal story about her son’s BMX gift that sat in pieces in the garage for years, warning us that if cultures poorly assemble their stories, they won’t “catch air.”

Comedian Kyle Cease took the stage next, and commented how he’s often been told he could be the love child of Eckhart Tolle and Jim Carrey – and there he was, performing for them both sitting in seats right in front of him. He went off on a whole riff about how ironic it was he listened to Eckhart’s audio book on the drive over to contend with the intimidation factor of performing for him…NOW.

The imitable eighty-three-year-old Barbara Marx Hubbard offered advice to visionaries: Don’t die. (i.e.: manage to stay healthy enough to stick around as long as you can to reap the fruits of your decades of effort!. Born on 12/22/29, she’s ironically set a huge birthday event and Day One for the planetary shift for 12/22/12 (supposedly the end of the world).

Ash Ruiz and Faith Rivera sang to us that “Only a new seed can yield a new crop.”

Marianne Williamson was amazing, as always, and Jean Houston admonished social and fine artists alike to “Stop boring God!” (with our petty issues – raise the bar on the battles we’re fighting). She clarified that storytellers “are the mything links.” Apparently it took emergencies – socioeconomic, political, environmental, etc. – to bring about our emergence – so bring it on!

We thought Eckhart Tolle would be next – but Honorary GATE Founder Jim Carrey came out, impersonating Eckhart – which was hysterical. After a surprisingly playful Eckhart kicked Carrey off the stage, Eckhart explained that Jim Carrey had been teaching him facial expressions backstage. Priceless.

Jim Carrey (who’s art graced the lobby) was supposed to close the night before 11 PM – but at about 2 AM, he came out (again) to give us today’s SuperBowl score! (Teasing we’d been there all night and the game had started!)

Speaking of which, SuperBowl XLVI is afoot (it’s 9-3 and the Giants are winning – I’ve got it on in the background, relaxing with my Scottish Footballer on the couch next to me so I’ll get back to that – and get on the projects that Gate II so inspired!

A special thank you to Kate McCallum, one of our beloved 2012 MasterMinders – and also a member of the GATE Leadership Circle – who raised all our awareness by inviting us to this life-changing event!

THANK YOU!

Now, let’s see what we do with it!