May 2011 – Page 11 – Agenda Magazine Archives

A.i. (Artificial Intelligence) – Indie Hit Makers with a Retro-Futuristic Concept

A.i. (Artificial Intelligence) – Indie Hit Makers with a Retro-Futuristic Concept

If musical or artistic talent is hereditary, then A.i.’s Nick and Zack Young’s cup overfloweth! Their great uncle, Joe Young, was one of the founders of ASCAP in 1914 and one of the great songwriters of Tin Pan Alley. He wrote over 500 songs, including such hits as Al Jolson’s “My Mammy,” “I’m Sittin’ on Top of the World,” “Dinah,” “Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue,” and Frank Sinatra’s “You’re My Everything.” It’s no surprise that these brothers started making music when they were children—Zack played the drums, and Nick, the guitar. A few years after that, Nick and Zack formed the group A.i. They signed with DreamWorks Records, and in 2002 released their debut album Artificial Intelligence. They toured and eventually lost their keyboardist one night before a gig. Once back home in Los Angeles, and only a week before they were to hit the road, they found keyboardist Milen Kirov. The three musicians had a magical connection and immediately started writing.

How did you guys come up with the name A.i.?

Nick: Actually, I came up with it a long time ago. Around 1996, I was in my dentist’s office and I was reading an article on artificial intelligence. Something about the name hit me. It was before the Spielberg movie and stuff. No one really knew what artificial intelligence was. We thought it was a really cool name. We decided to roll with it. It kind of represented what we were doing with our instruments and so forth.

How long have you guys been together?

Zack: Nick and I started the band around 1996, 1997. We hooked up with Milen four years ago, the fall of 2003. It’s almost a decade.

That’s a long time. So, I understand that you have an interesting background? You come from a filmmaking background?

Nick: Yeah, I guess. All our families are really creative. Our father’s a filmmaker, Robert M. Young. Our great uncle, Joe Young, wrote a bunch of songs in the early 1900s for all kinds of singers.

Milen: I am originally from Bulgaria, and my parents teach and perform Bulgarian music.

That’s interesting. Do you guys listen to a lot of that older music?

Zack: Just as of recently. Nick is kind of the Joe Young historian of the family. He’s kind of finding his roots. He’s been finding out a lot about our heritage—Joe Young, in particular. He was an amazing songwriter. He was the founder of ASCAP in 1914. He wrote a bunch of great songs. My dad used to sing us lots of the songs when we were kids.

Nick: We just kind of grew up not knowing what to do with ourselves other than making music.

So you’ve had a lot of support with your music, then?

Nick: Definitely. I think that all our parents have really been supportive in terms of letting us do what we want to do, really supportive in terms of the arts. I used to skateboard, and I think my mom was really happy when I started playing guitar. I wasn’t coming home all beat up and bruised and stuff.

Tell me about A.i. then. Tell me about your music, the sound, all that stuff .

We’re really excited about this new album called Sex and Robotsthat we’ve been working on. It’s really been this whole new vision for the band, kind of reinventing ourselves. Rich Mouser was an integral part of putting this album together. We had a lot of fun doing it, and we got to really experiment with all sorts of instruments and not be held back in the studio and just be able to do whatever we wanted to do. We’re really excited about this album.

Milen: I think the essence of A.i. is this co-existence with the human and the electronic, the robotic. Therefore, we called our album Sex and Robots. We use electronic instruments, but we play everything live; so, I think we have a huge variety of sounds to experiment with, and also make them come alive.

Nick: There are points where we are writing the music the way that cyber technology has gone in this whole Internet direction, and the way technology co-exists with us today. I’ve been really inspired to just play with these guys and use electronics and synthesizers, drum machines, and live instruments—whatever the song calls for to bring these songs to life.

Who is your audience?

I think the music speaks to a lot of different people. Our father—he’s old and he likes the music. We have young girls 15, 16. They respond to the music, sometimes 17, too. We design our music to speak to a wide audience, not pinpoint it directly. The girls are definitely more inspiring to sing to than guys. But if the guy’s listening to it, and he’s pretending to sing to his girlfriend, that’s okay too.

I heard your music, of course. I’m sure you’ve heard this comment a lot: It’s very retro ’80s. It reminds me of Devo and some other bands in the ’80s. Tell me how you decided to use that sound particularly.

When we were working with our producer Rich Mouser, we started going back to the great albums we loved, and we started listening to Genesis and INXS, Prince, and all sorts of things. We brought some stuff to Rich Mouser, and he heard it and immediately started playing us music that reminded him of our music. It kind of started off as an organic process—it wasn’t “let’s go retro!” All of our music is just coming from inspiration and making music that we like and what we want to hear. Real rock and roll is music that is searching and discovering something new. We started listening to stuff back when drum machines first came out and synthesizers were first coming out and people were experimenting. There were all these discoveries being made that people don’t do today because everything’s too simple today with computers … and everybody’s writing music on their computer. We always feel like we need to play live, and that’s one difference between us and other bands that play electronic music. We play live, and we don’t want to sit at a computer and play music. We need to be able to connect with the audience directly. We got inspired by the music of the 80s, the songwriting. We strive to write a good song, a good melody. I think that all those artists in the ’80s had these new, exciting instruments, synthesizers to work with, but they achieved writing great songs in the studio, using huge radio sounds but it was not only for the purpose of experimenting. The experiments were helping to create a beautiful melody or a good song all together. This is probably our biggest goal, and it gives us the biggest pleasure, that we can use any instrument that has been used in music in the past 30 years or so. We have acoustic instruments, we have analog instruments, we have digital instruments on the album. But in the end, with all of these instruments, all this experimentation, the result is a song with a beautiful melody.

That’s a good explanation. So who plays what in this trio?

My name is Milen and I play keyboards and a synth bass.

My name is Nick Young and I play guitar and sing.

And I am Zach Young and I play drums and electronic drums.

You guys used to be signed with DreamWorks? What happened with that?

We had a record that came out on DreamWorks in 2002. We put our album out in DreamWorks and they just didn’t really know what to do with us, or do anything with us. We got out of the situation with them, and we just found it really empowering to go into the studio and start making our second album. We had a different keyboard player before who ended up leaving the band, and we found Milen. We kind of needed to reinvent ourselves, kind of find that initial spark of why we like playing music together. That’s kind of where this whole new direction came from.

So you guys would call yourselves an Indie band, then?

Yeah, I would say so.

I heard you’ve had some success. You’ve been played a couple of times on KROQ. Tell us about that.

Cat Corbit at KROQ “Locals Only” show started playing one of our songs, “Tell Me You Love Me.” We ended up getting played on KROQ. We were on a show called “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” on 97.1, which was really scary at first ’cause these radio people are just so quick, talking and stuff—it actually went really well. Callers were calling in saying [whether or not they liked the song or the band]. We had great response from people. We played the first two songs on the record, “Hey Now” and “Tell Me You Love Me.” People loved them both. The challenge now is just for us to get out there and start playing night after night. We really just want to bring this music to people in person. From the beginning, we’ve tried to stay away from [using sequencers and drum machines] because we don’t want to be controlled—if we want to do a chorus twice the length or do a jam out, we’re not controlled by [any] machines. Even though we’re using a lot of cutting-edge technology within our instruments, we try and figure out ways to keep it live as much as possible. So, there’s not sequencing or anything like that—it’s all played live.

It’s interesting because it does have the electronic sound to it, and I saw the live show. A couple of times during your show, I thought it sounded so electronic, but I saw you slamming and hitting on the drum and thought, “Wait a minute, that’s coming from him!”

Zack: That’s definitely something we’ve done in terms of my drum set. We’ve done a lot of experimenting over the years and figured out ways to play a lot of these sounds. Because we used to go to shows and we’d go to a rave and we’d see all these people dancing and we’d see a DJ playing. We love a lot of the aspects of the music, but we were missing the live element of it—we’re musicians to begin with. We try to figure out a way where we could bring this music to life in a certain way and not be controlled by machines.

That’s unique. Tell me. What is the highest high that you’ve ever had while you’ve been in this prospect of Indie music.

Every time we play, that’s the highest high, knowing that moment, playing the music and getting that feeling, you know. That elevated feeling is the best. It doesn’t matter if we’re rehearsing in this room (their rehearsal studio in Los Angeles) or if we’re on stage—every new day, every new performance, every new song that we create, and just being in that moment of creating.

Have there ever been any lows?

Definitely, there have been lows. Luckily, we have been fortunate enough not to have anything catastrophic happen to any of us. There are times when we’re working on a song and we can’t figure it out—things don’t seem to click. There’s writer’s block—whatever you want to call it. There have been times where it’s definitely been hard, and especially being an independent band. There are a lot of challenges. There have been hard times, but the times when we all play together, we forget about everything else. That’s the best time.

Now I have one more question for you. As a band coming up, and trying to break into this crazy music industry, do you have any advice for a band whose trying to break in?

We’re still trying to figure out our own strategy. If you’re in it for a career, you have to love it. So, have fun doing it. I think the world in general can get pretty dry. A lot of lube and a lot of Viagra, and I think that you’re liable to break through the barriers. If you’re in music, for the wrong reasons … my advice is keep at it. Have fun. Keep writing. Keep playing. Just keep getting better. I think people will notice you.

Milen: Even though you might think you choose music, really, music chooses you. Business-minded people can help you with advice, but the main advice for a musician is just keep playing.

Nick Young, vocals, guitar

Milen Kirov, keyboards, synth bass

Zack Young, acoustic/electronic drums

Interviewed by Kaylene Peoples

Transcribed by Aiza Cayanan

Sarena Traver – Racecar Driver and Fine Jewelry Designer

Sarena Traver – Racecar Driver and Fine Jewelry Designer

Moms, don’t worry if your daughters want to be racecar drivers. JeTalia’s head designer, Sarena Traver, makes racing cars and creating fine jewelry look risk-free. This mother of two incorporates the fluid motion of racing in her couture line by creating jewelry that moves! JeTalia is stunning and unique. Sarena believes that jewelry is a statement of a woman’s personality, evoking strength, beauty, and individuality. Her four collections, Cage, Synchro, Apex, and T2, are versatile and timeless. Shareeka Epps, named one of the Top five Most Talented Newcomers in Film 2006 (“2007 Spirit Awards”), wore JeTalia; and Rebecca Gayheart is also a fan of the chic line.

It is no surprise that Sarena would follow in her father’s footsteps. Her father owned a gem business, and she was his apprentice at just seven years old. That, combined with innate creativity, led to JeTalia. Sarena graduated from Gemological Institute of America. She draws her inspiration from surfing, racecar driving, and traveling; and the freedom and movement in her own life is revealed in her designs.

I try to incorporate movement in some way, whether it’s sliding pearls or sliding cage that holds a pearl inside, which is free to move and roll around. So because I likeracing and the movement involved with that, that’s what I try to do with my designs.

— Fine Jewelry Designer Sarena Traver of JeTalia —

JeTalia is a very unique name. How did you come up with that name?

JeTalia came from both of my children’s names. My son’s name is Jet, and my daughter’s name is Talia.

Did it take you a while to come up with that, or did you try other names first?

I considered other names like last names, my last name, but ultimately it came to using the kids’ names. It was more personal.

Well, how did you get involved with designing jewelry?

Growing up as a child, I would sit down with my father—he was a gem dealer—and color sort his stones and help him weigh them. I have always been involved with gems from the age of seven. As a result, I just kind of rolled into this progression of jewelry design and started another career within marketing. After I had my kids, I decided I wanted a change; so I went to school for jewelry design at GIA, and here I am.

Tell me about your jewelry.

It’s fine jewelry. I mostly work with 18-carat yellow gold, platinum, white gold, diamonds, and pearls.

If someone were to ask you to describe your jewelry in two or three sentences, how would you do that?

I would describe the majority of the pieces as whimsical, more feminine, free flowing, and a lot of movement. Movement is really key for me, and just something to make you feel beautiful.

Who is your demographic?

My demographic for JeTalia Jewlery would be 35- to 55- year old business-minded women, very successful, love to be feminine, and sexy. That’s pretty much it.

Where could someone buy your jewelry?

Well, right now just online. www.Jetalia.com. But in the future, higher end department stores, beauty salons, and boutiques.

What are some of your price points?

JeTalia’s price points range from $1,000 all the way up $18,000.

When did you get involved with racing cars?

I got really involved with racing cars the last few years and my husband does it. We have a great time together going out to the track and sharing that. It’s a lot of fun.

How long have you been doing that?

I’ve been racing cars for about three seasons now.

Is a season like a few months out of the year?

A season is approximately six to seven months out of the year. So there is some down time, and you can choose to do other races in between; but if you’re with a series, it’s pretty much six to seven months.

Well, that is pretty dare-devilish, wouldn’t you say?

Yeah, especially when you’re a mom and you’re doing other things, too—I try to fit it all in. But when you love it, you just make it happen.

What’s it like being a racecar driver?

It’s fun! It’s an adrenaline rush. It’s a good time.

Tell me about the rush.

When you’re going at high speeds and you have something go wrong with your car, and you crash, there’s no other feeling like it, when you’re heading for a cement wall at 80 miles an hour. And it hurts, but you get back in the car and do it again. You know you have a whole separate family at home on the tracks, and then you come home and you have your own family. It’s probably just the competitiveness that I like as well.

Are there different kinds of races?

There are different series that you could get involved with. There’s open wheel, which is what I do, Formula Mazda cars. I just did the Koni Challenge, which is a whole other series. There are lots of levels, depending on your budget, what you enjoy, and how fast you want to go. There are different types of tracks, too. So there’s really a little bit of everything for everyone.

Are there really a lot of women racing?

Unfortunately, there are very few women who race.

You’re definitely in the minority. Do you find that you may be considered somewhat of a role model to young girls because there are so few women racecar drivers?

Yes, it’s fun. When I take my kids to school, all the parents and teachers are really supportive of what I do. They love that I race cars. They had a career day [last Spring], and they asked me to come in and talk to all the kids—and they absolutely ate it up! They had so much fun with it. It was really interesting to go there and see all the little girls wanting to try on my helmet, wanting to hold my trophies. They really loved it, and I think reaching out to them and telling them that they can do any sport that they want. It doesn’t have to be racecar driving. It could be anything, and I think it really inspired them. It really touched a chord and, hopefully, HOPEFULLY, I turn a little girl into a little racecar driver one day.

What kind of car do you race?

I race Formula Mazda cars, which is an open wheel car. And [just recently], I had a race [where I drove] a Chevy Cobalt, which is a sedan.

Do these companies sponsor you for your races?

JeTalia is my sponsor.

How does JeTalia fit into racecar driving?

I try to incorporate movement in some way, whether it’s sliding pearls or a sliding cage that holds a pearl inside, which is free to move and roll around. And because I like racing and the movement involved with that, that’s what I try to do with my designs—right now with the [current] collections—the next phase of collections might be something totally different.

As the designer of JeTalia, what has been your highest high?

Seeing the pieces completed. It’s such a process from start to finish, with getting your education within that field, and taking and applying your knowledge, doing your designs and working with people on those designs. And just creating the piece, and seeing the end product—that’s a pretty good high I’d have to say.

What was your lowest low?

The lowest low was probably designing my website. That was quite the process, going through multiple web designers, and just the stress involved. It’s a whole other process—very time-consuming and very frustrating at the same time. So you just hang in there and you get through it, and eventually it will happen … and it did—that was another high moment. When it was completed and we were live on the Internet, it was a great moment, but there were definitely some highs and lows.

How many years have you been doing JeTalia?

Probably close to two years.

So you’re new, you’re basically almost an upstart, really. As an upstart, do you really feel that it has been a great amount of success up to this point?

Oh, definitely! You know the whole point is that you have to take baby steps, and be ready for a great opportunity for any moment. It’s been good moving forward in a slow manner, and finally being ready for that opportunity.

What advice would you give to someone that might aspire to do what you’re doing as a fine jewelry designer? Is there anything special that you could offer to help him or her?

Just do your research—lots of research in every field, and every aspect. It will pay off in the end. And be patient because it can’t happen overnight. Just stick with it.

What was your greatest moment as a racecar driver?

It would have to be getting a podium, getting a trophy out of the race, and having that great feeling that you just kicked a lot of butt from the racetrack, and had a really good time doing it, and you worked really hard at it, and it’s a good moment when you can do that.

What’s involved in training for a race?

There are different areas. There’s the physical, where you could train and diet—all of that to prepare. But I would say the most important thing is the mental [preparation]—really focusing on what you want and visually preparing for that. Seat time in the car is very important too—getting out there and actually putting laps together, working on that and having it just be perfect, every time.

Since you’re a minority in this sport, I guess you’re mostly racing against men. Is there ever more than one female in a race?

Sometimes, but it’s rare. I really haven’t had too many opportunities where there’s another woman. My last race, I brought by my co-driver, and she’s great to race with. She’s been around for a very long time. She’s 63 years old and she’s been racing for 30 years. She’s definitely a wonderful mentor to me in the racing field, and she is really supportive. I have a blast racing with her. But other than that, I don’t really come in contact with too many other women on the track.

Do you race only locally, or do you travel to other states?

I travel. But there is another series that I do, and then there’s the western series that travels just this region primarily.

What’s your lowest low when racing?

It would have to be when you crash a car—when you hit a cement wall, or tire wall, and you can’t continue in the race—or you total your car. Now that’s a pretty bad low.

And that has happened to you? Were you hurt?

Yeah. It’s not fun. You get hurt, but you recover, and you get back in the car because you love it. It’s absolutely addicting!

To learn more about Sarena Traver and JeTalia, visit her website at www.jetalia.com.

Interviewed by Kaylene Peoples

Interviewed by Kaylene Peoples
Transcribed by Tamara Baskin

Gunner Johnson – Sculptor with a Rare Vision

Gunner Johnson’s exceptional art and sculpted pieces have shown in galleries and have appeared in the movie Batman Forever. His newest jewelry line lends practicality to an already exquisite collection. His art pieces and his jewelry are quickly becoming a favorite among celebrities.

Having started this career in 1990, Gunner is one of the few sculptors who sculpt in steel. He also sculpts in wax to create jewelry. How he got started is a very unique, and interesting, story. He was living with his girlfriend and was avoiding going to bed with her. He started drawing to pass the time. He discovered he was very good. He sold a few drawings, and from there, a whole new creative world opened up.

When I would draw, the time would just disappear. The next thing I knew it would be 4 or 5 in the morning and I was still up drawing.

—Gunner Johnson—

What were some of your first drawings?

The first drawing was like a starship portal, as if you were inside a flying saucer and you were looking out and you were seeing the other starships that were part of your group. We were hovering over a planet and the planet had died. It really set this whole imaginative thing off for me. The second drawing, I was a Sioux Indian warrior, and that was charcoal and white oil pastel. So it was all just experimental at the time. I was just fooling around with it.

People don’t just pick up a pencil and draw these elaborate themes. Surely there must have been some indication that you wanted to do this at some point in your life.

When I was a kid, I was really into drawing, and my dad said, “Son, you can’t be an artist.” I remember wanting to be an artist at 9 and 10 years old. He said, “No. You should be a doctor or a lawyer. People don’t become artists. That’s not what they do for a living.” So then for the next 20 years I didn’t do anything. I mean I was doing other things, but I did nothing with art. I just stopped.

As I look around your apartment, I am overwhelmed by your depth of style as well as by your precision. These pieces should be in one of the top galleries. What is it that inspires you?

I just start feeling something and I just run with it. I get a feeling to do a piece and I have no idea how I’m structuring it. And depending on that piece, I have no idea where I’m going with it. Basically, I start with a feeling and fighting that whole idea that I can’t do it in my mind saying, “No, you can’t do this. You don’t even know how to do this.” And just spending the time just working on it and working on it until an idea comes up. And the more I do it, the more I become trained in allowing myself to just go with the flow of creating.

This whole time when your dad told you that you couldn’t do your art, what did you do?

Stole cars, climbed people’s balconies into their houses. I did a lot of crazy things. I was building sets. Basically, my dad told me to do what I was doing and work as hard as I could to make a living at whatever I do. And then I got into acting. I was doing some nonunion stuff. I did a film with David Carridine. I did some showcases and some plays. I studied really hard. I was really into it.

So this amazing chair that you are seated in, did you create that? And if so, how?

A friend and I went up to Topanga Canyon. We were actually going to Temescal Canyon, but this time, they wouldn’t let us up into the mountains with our dogs. We ended up at this place where I had gone to many times to meditate and hike with my dog, Topanga canyon. This was after the fire of Topanga and Malibu. Everything was burned except for this wood that you see on this floor (pointing to the legs of the chair on which he is sitting). I had this flash of this weird throne with wings of this wood and I had never seen wood this large before. Later I picked up a couple of books called Way of the Peaceful Warrior and Sacred Dream of the Peaceful Warrior. And I was really excited because I really liked these books. I came home and the next morning I was in a huge earthquake. One of my neighbors, Cindy, had been screaming upstairs and I thought she was trapped. So I jumped up out of my bed. I wasn’t thinking clearly, and I started running towards the door, and an antique just fell. I ran into the glass and ended up cutting a tendon in my right foot. So here I was injured in the earthquake and I had three weeks to read. People started bringing books over, and I was reading like crazy and I was getting really aligned with things. I got in this state of mind that I’m going to build this throne—this vision I had.

FEMA had paid me $1200 to fix the broken antique, and three weeks later I got my walking cast. I took the money and I bought welding gear—I never welded before—and I taped a piece of rubber on the bottom of my cast and hiked for three more weeks to look for more of this wood. I retrieved over a hundred pieces. I brought it back and proceeded to build this throne. With this piece, I basically cut the bottom of the leg and set the leg into a formation, and then I started visualizing how I was going to build the rest of the chair, one step at a time. That’s how this unfolded. It just took me two and a half months to build. My first piece out of steel was a candleholder that I practiced on and then I started working on this.

That’s amazing. It seems so daunting.

Everybody has an ability to open up, create stuff, and to come into alignment with what it is they’re really supposed to do. I just happened to find it. I put a show together and I got this piece done. I’d begun to gather a huge show. And it was from that show that I sent the pictures for Batman Forever. They were doing this movie and I had no idea about the characters. I sent the picture and the next day Warner Brothers was at the show. They came to the gallery and they wanted this chair in the show.

What’s next for you?

I’m not looking for a show at the moment. I’m looking for a very large space because I want to start teaching in this space and I want to incorporate people’s ideas and what they feel and what their idea is in learning and to actually formulate ideas within the class at the same time to build more pieces. I’ve actually completed a jewelry line. I’m working on another one, a leather one. Gunner's Leather Studio

How do you price your pieces?

It’s very hard for me to figure out pricing. That at times has been my downfall. Up to this point I get so passionate I can’t sleep. I’m waking up all night, which is actually something I do while I’m building pieces. Because I get to the point where I’m excited and I’m actually seeing the piece materialize. I’ll wake up, and in my mind, I’ll just be solving problems, problems I couldn’t figure out when I was working on a piece. I’ll wake up sometimes from a dream as I’m solving that particular problem of the piece. Once I wake up, the idea just comes.

Do you sketch your pieces before you create them?

I only sketch for clients that require a sketch. I might do a quick sketch, but to build something, it needs to unfold [naturally].

How can people buy your pieces?

Word of mouth, my website, or at my shows. I got so tired of trying to sell the work, but yet I couldn’t get them to see it. A lot of the galleries I visited wouldn’t take me because I didn’t have this long resume. I got so tired of trying to sell. This is where I backed out. I know that I have made something people aren’t seeing out there. You don’t see this in a gallery. You don’t see an alien woman (“Spitfire”) created with 80 feet of tubing and steel rods in her body. People don’t do this. I’m still trying to get to the stores to buy it. People are afraid to get out of the mainstream. They want to do everything that everybody else is doing—they won’t take a chance.

Now I’ve gotten into a different state of mind. I watched the movieThe Secret—I watched it 13 times now. And this movie is so precise on how easy it is to get what it is you want that things are beginning to fall into my lap again. You want to hear something funny? That’s how I built these pieces in the first place. I just believed that I could do it. Now I can actually bring my jewelry line and my artwork together.

Gunner’s jewelry has become a favorite of actress Rachel Melvin from NBC’s Days of Our Lives. She wears it on the show almost daily. Currently, Gunner’s jewelry can be found in the following stores:

Traffic
8500 Beverly Hills #654
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Black Blue
82711 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405

Rock Star
3835 Cross Creek Road Suite 3A
Malibu, CA. 90265 (310) 456-7374

Kitson Men
146 North Robertson Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA. 90048 (310) 358-9550

For more information, visit www.gunnerjohnson.com

Interviewed by Kaylene Peoples
Transcribed by Lisa Trimarchi

Adrian Bellani – An Actor with a Passion for Giving Back

Having moved here from El Salvador just two short years ago, Adrian Bellani has accomplished more than some who’ve lived here their entire lives. He has a successful acting career as the character Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald on the soap opera Passions, and he gives back to the Hispanic community as an ambassador of PADRES Contra El Cáncer (Parents against Cancer)—a charity that aids lower income children and their families whosuffer from cancer. Adrian just recently spearheaded a fundraiser in May, which raised quite a bit of money for the charity. Eva Longoria (the national spokesperson for PADRES), ambassadors Adrian Bellani, Matt Cedeno, Cristian de la Fuente, and Angelica Castro, along with comedian Carlos Mencia, Actor Amaury Nolasco, and many other celebrities played to raise money and awareness for PADRES Contra El Cáncer at the May 20th “Spike for HOPE” Celebrity Beach Volleyball Match in Hermosa Beach.

I’m very passionate about what I do, very spiritual, and I’m very positive. I have a very positive outlook on life.

—Adrian Bellani—

How long have you been acting?

Paid acting, I guess since I started Passions, which was only a year and a half ago, which is not long at all. Time has flown. I’ve only been out in California for two years. I have never taken acting class. I have no experience whatsoever before this.

How did you get the role as Miguel Lopez-Fitzerald?

I was very blessed and I was very lucky. My agents called me up and told me there was this audition they wanted to send me out on, and they really thought that the breakdown was similar to me as far as the description of the character. I went in and totally nailed it and … I’m here today.

Wow! Congratulations. So, let’s talk about some of the other interesting things that happen in your life. Tell me about PADRES.

I’m very much involved with PADRES Contra El Cáncer. It’s an organization which helps improve the quality of life for Latino children and their families. I say Latino because themajority of the kids we take care of are Latinos, although we are an organization that takes care of any child, from the ages of zero to twenty-one, and no family is turned away. Doesn’t matter what race, what ethnicity, what origin … doesn’t matter.

We take in a family and provide an individual plan for [them], catering to the child and his or her family’s educational, economical, and emotional needs. Over 70% of the families that come in, their annual income is under $20,000, which isn’t a lot of money to have a child go through cancer treatment. An organization like this really provides these kids and their families what they need to survive, whether it’s grocery or transportation vouchers, just classes, or daycare. PADRES is a family organization. It doesn’t only help the child, we really cater to the family. This is important because when you have a child or when you have any family member going through something so serious like cancer treatments, you know we’re all in the same boat together, and we all have to survive it together. They all have to be there for one another, and this organization does some amazing things.

Is this pretty much nationwide?

Right now we have our offices here in Los Angeles, pretty much work in the Los Angeles county area, but I think the long-term goal is to go nationwide one day.

How long has the organization been around?

PADRES Contra El Cáncer has been around since 1985.

What was it that made you really immerse yourself into this?

About a year ago, I met the CEO of ALMA through another ambassador of PADRES, and he really [spoke] passionately about his job and the organization. I was just drawn to it, and cancer has been in my family for years. My grandmother had breast cancer. My aunt had breast cancer, and my little cousin when he was ten, was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. I felt like it was something that I needed to do—you know, really try to help out these kids.

What does the money that goes towards these children do specifically?

Every so often, families with diagnosed children come in and they are provided classes so that they will understand what their child is going through, know what type of treatment they’re getting, and know how to take care of their kids throughout those treatments. It’s amazing. It’s beautiful. And the people, the staff, and the hospital, it’s just out of this world. I’m very close to everybody.

I commend you. That’s a big thing to take on. I understand that you tried to donate some shoes for hurricane Katrina victims. Can you tell me a little bit about that experience?

It just makes me irritated just to think of it again. Well, when Katrina hit and devastated the entire city of New Orleans, I saw all this stuff on television, and it was sad to see people weren’t really helping out at the time. I would like to mention that I was not onPassions at the time. I was pretty much a struggling actor and working at J. Crew, folding clothes until two or three o’clock in the morning. But I really wanted to help these people out somehow. It was just so sad to see that nobody was really doing anything—and I have access to this shoe company in El Salvador and they were willing to donate $500,000 worth of shoes that would be provided to the Katrina victims. These people had obviously lost not only their homes, but all of their possessions, too. $500,000 worth of shoes is a lot of shoes, and whether or not you could provide shoes for every victim or not, you could possibly provide shoes to every child and every female. I did everything I could to get in touch with the people I could talk to to actually tell them this is what I have and this is what I want to donate. How can we do this? Nobody, and I mean NOBODY cared. Absolutely nobody. I called so many people that I felt I could reach out to and say this is what I have, and this is what I want to do, and this is what I want to offer, and nobody even cared. El Salvador has the second largest U.S. embassy in the world, and we even called the U.S. embassy. They told us—and this was word for word—: “At the moment we are only accepting money. We do not accept anything else.” So you couldn’t give them clothes. You couldn’t give them towels. You couldn’t give them anything. All they wanted was money. At least that is what they told me.

How long after Katrina hit was this? Was it a week? Was it a month?

This was within the first month. It was really unbelievable. I don’t know, I guess I have to be Angelina Jolie or something to actually get some attention. It’s sad. You know people—just the normal citizen and the normal person at the time—wanted to help out, and nobody gave a crap about it. I’m sorry for the victims.

I’m sorry that happened, or should I say didn’t happen because it kind of makes a person jaded.

I was really upset for a while. And it was just unfortunate that the U.S. government would actually say something like that, too: “We’re not accepting any type of donations unless it’s monetary.”

I think every actor should be able to give back and do something. We’re so much in the public eye and we make so much money, you know it’s sad to see the people who are very well off and do nothing to give back.

If you had been on Passions back then, having some celebrity status, do you think it would have made a difference?

I honestly don’t know. I’m on a soap opera. It’s a great job and it’s a great career to have. But then again it is not a career like a Sean Penn or Angelina Jolie or somebody like that. I would never have the connections like somebody like they would have, having a company that actually wanted to donate half a million dollars in shoes. That’s pretty good right there.

What’s next for you?

As an actor I think there’s a bright future ahead of me. I think there are a lot of things coming my way. Hopefully, I will be able to keep working and giving back to my community and to PADRES Contra El Cáncer.

One day I want to start a foundation in El Salvador, and from that money, provide scholarships to certain kids. I want to take them out of public schools and put them into private schools and give them education throughout their life. I think something like that would be very important, especially in a country like mine where it’s a poor country.

Education is probably the most important thing for a country—for a nation in general. You pretty much have to educate one generation. And it’s done after that. With education, I think a country does better—an economy does better—families do better—kids do better.

To find out more about PADRES Contra El Cáncer, visit their website at www.iamhope.org. Also visit Adrian’s website atwww.adrianbellini.net and www.officialadrianbellani.com.

Check out the video.

Interviewed by Kaylene Peoples

Transcribed by Tamara Baskin and Lisa Trimarchi

Brazillian Tropicana Boca Raton, Florida

Marilyn Anderson’s
Romance on the Road goes to….

Brazilian Tropicana
Boca Raton, Florida

Some nights are for intimate romance, and some are for pure fun. On this night, we grabbed another couple, Harvey and Barbara, and headed for a lively evening with a traditional Brazilian meal and an energy-filled show.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, we started off with a pitcher of Sangria, which was cold, sweet, and filled with fruit. Next, we headed up to the cold salad buffet, where we piled our plates with spinach salad, beets, hearts of palm, artichokes, and various other salad fixings. They also had salmon, which I literally “forgot” to taste. Me, forget food? Oh well…next time.

After the salad course, the servers bring you fresh plates, and put hearty family-style helpings of rice, black beans, and fried bananas on the tables.

Then, the waiters come around… and around… and around… with long skewers of chicken, steak, and sausage. There was top sirloin, regular sirloin, garlic steak, spiced chicken, and bacon-wrapped chicken. As they cut slices for each person, you “catch” the slice with your individual set of small tongs. All you have to do after that is eat, eat, and eat some more. The servers keep coming back with skewers – until you tell them to stop!

A tray of desserts included chocolate cake, strawberry shortcake and tiramisu, but we were encouraged to try the homemade Brazilian desserts: flan, passion fruit mousse, and coconut pudding. We’re glad we did. Especially when we learned that Rosa, our gracious manager, had personally made the flan and pudding; and the owner’s wife and choreographer, Dalva, had made the mousse.

The entire staff for this Brazilian restaurant and show was almost like family. It has been in business for two decades. They were located in Pompano Beach for years until five months ago when they moved to Boca Raton. Mike and Dalva own the restaurant, but most of the wait staff and show people have been with them for years, as well. Rosa, our manager, told us she has been with them for 19 years. Rosa is a real sweetheart, so be sure to say hello to her from us when you go.

After satiating ourselves with food and drink, we settled back to listen to the band for a while. There’s a dance floor, and I was ready to jump up and move to the beat of the drums, but alas, Dennis and my crew weren’t budging. Next time, I’m bringing my boogey buddies! On Tuesday nights, guests get a special low-priced package for the meal, band, and dancing—and I’m guessing the dance floor is hopping.

Wednesdays through Sundays include all the above, the buffet, the Bossa Nova band, and dancing, along with the Brazilian Tropicana Show. And what a show it is! I must admit I wasn’t expecting it to be that good, but what a terrific surprise! There’s singing, dancing, and a martial arts specialty called Capoeira. It’s all energy-packed and loads of fun, sort of a mini-Las Vegas Revue.

I absolutely loved the Capoeiristas. These were 5 amazingly built guys doing a combination of fighting, dancing, and gymnastics… and they were sensational. One of the Capoeiristas looked very young, and when I asked afterwards, it turns out that he was 13! I was told that sometimes one of the female dancer’s daughters joins them as well—and she is only 9! The other Capoeiristas were older—and wow—what pecs!

Barbara and I loved watching these guys. Dennis and Harvey liked them too, but better still, they liked the dancing feather-head-dressed and sequined and beaded bikinied showgirls who moved their stomachs, torsos, and buns in twenty directions at a mile a minute!

It was all a delight to watch. And even more so when the lead singer, in a Carmen Miranda tribute, danced through the audience and cuddled up to men at different tables. Then she took one of the guys back to the stage to dance. Guess who the lucky guy was? Dennis! It was a hoot, especially when she asked him questions, and one of the Brazilian guys from the band put the answers in Dennis’s mouth—literally! The audience roared, and Harvey, Barbara, and I got a great kick out of it. When Dennis got back to the table, he thought I had “set him up.” But no, I didn’t have anything to do with his being chosen. Actually, it’s usually mewho bounds up to the stage when they ask for a volunteer. Finally, this was HIS turn!

With regard to atmosphere, the room itself isn’t fancy or stylish; but once the food and fun begins, it doesn’t matter. Everyone there was enjoying themselves.

Before the show started, I got to chat with one of the dancers, Heather. She is the only one in the troupe that isn’t Brazilian, and she’s been dancing with them for three years. I’m a sucker for a good romantic story, and I love how Heather met her hubby of two years. She started taking Capoeira lessons—and he was the teacher! He has also been a part of the show for 12 years. Unfortunately, he wasn’t in the show the night we saw it; he had broken his leg (I knew that looked dangerous!). Heather made sure to tell us he didn’t injure it in the show, but at his CapoeiraAcademy, where he teaches.

Another thing we learned about Capoeira was from our friend Harvey, who was with us. Harvey had taken six years of Martial Arts, so he knew the history of the Capoeiristas. It seems when they were slaves, their owners prohibited them from having weapons or practicing any kind of martial arts because they didn’t want the slaves rebelling or having an uprising. So instead, the slaves started dancing and put their martial arts into dance so their masters didn’t know what they were doing. Yes, there were some rebellions, but they were all to a dancing beat! Besides having a background in Martial Arts, Harvey told us that he has lots of Spanish-speaking relatives from Columbia, and he can’t wait to bring them all for a night at Brazilian Tropicana!

The supper club is great for couples, families, and groups. There are lots of tables for people celebrating birthdays and other occasions. Organizations can book the entire room for banquets and private parties on off nights.

Meanwhile, now I’m deciding whether to practice my samba and gyrate my buns, or try Capoeira with all those marvelous spins and high kicks. Hmmm…you think if I practice them I’ll work off some of that food and end up in the great shape those gals and guys were in? Oh… if only!

Brazilian Tropicana
7880 Glades Road
Boca Raton, Florida
(561) 477-5421
www.braziliantropicana.com

Marilyn Anderson
Romance on the Road

ELECTRICITY IN THE AIR… AND POWERING CARS, TOO!

ELECTRICITY IN THE AIR… AND POWERING CARS, TOO!

By Marilyn Anderson & Dennis L. Lanning

An expectant crowd turned out on Thursday night, March 1, at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles for a momentous occasion in the world of environmental automobiles: the unveiling of Phoenix Motorcars’ new electric SUT. The evening was hosted by six-time Emmy-nominated actor and environmentalist, Ed Begley, Jr., and his wife and co-star of HGTV’s Living with Ed, Rachelle Carson.

Approximately 400 environmentalist investors and celebrities of stage and screen were on hand for the launch party, including Bruce Davidson, Adrienne Janic, Linda Gray, Vincent Gallo, Boti Bliss, Lee Reherman, Patrika Darbo, and the beautiful Darryl Hannah, who was photographing all the happenings.

The real “star” of the night, though, was the new Phoenix Sport Utility Truck, all dressed up and ready to go with a special customized red and black paint job. The SUT is the only five-passenger, electric, freeway-speed vehicle in America. It’s a state-of-the-art truck that is ab-so-lutely cool!

Able to carry five people and all their gear in quiet comfort, the Phoenix utilizes new lithium battery technology that powers the vehicle for about 130 miles at freeway speeds before recharging, and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 10 seconds. A special charger enables it to fully recharge in a few hours. That rate of acceleration is at the top end for vehicles of this type. True to its roots, the people getting Phoenix off the ground have successfully designed an eclectic utility vehicle that runs and appears conventional in every way, but is transcendent in its environmental effects. Finally!

Ed Begley, Jr., enthusiastically endorsed the Phoenix. The environmentally devout Ed owned several previous electric cars and hybrids, and has put his name on the top of the list to buy one of the first 500 Phoenix Motorcars scheduled for delivery in 2008.

The Petersen Automotive Museum is a mecca for car enthusiasts. Rare is the museum that stays true to its mandate but is consistently able to put on a variety of shows that fascinate.

In addition to the Phoenix event, there was an outstanding exhibit of 74-year-old Ford coupes, entitled “32 Days of 1932 Fords.” Their selection of vehicles is not just meant to tantalize, but also to instruct us in the history of the automobile. Some of the cars are long forgotten, but their impact on car design, engineering, and utility remains. A fantastic exhibit of electric and environmentally sensitive vehicles makes us wonder, “Why did we standardize on fossil fuel?”

Soooooo, ride on down in whatever you drive now—and hitch a ride on a tour of this fascinating and compelling venue of our automotive history. And make sure you tune in to Living with Ed on HGTV.

* * *

Marilyn Anderson
Romance on the Road

Wine, Women, and…. COSTUMES from the Movies!

By Marilyn Anderson

‘Twas the night after Valentine’s Day—and what a great night it was! On Thursday, February 15th, Women & Wine(www.womenwine.com) sponsored a fantastic event at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Museum.

Guests enjoyed five wonderful wines along with hors d’oeuvres and a tour of the FIDM Museum’s “Art of Costume Design” exhibit, featuring costumes from 20 top movies of 2006, including The Queen, Marie Antoinette, and Dreamgirls. My personal faves were a dress that Naomi Watts wore in The Painted Veil and the magnificent costumes from The Curse of the Golden Flower.

What made it even more special were the “Quick Culture” guides in front of each exhibit, giving guests the info, gossip, and dish on all the costumes we were viewing. Hmmm… the only disappointment? None of the divine outfits from The Devil Wears Prada were on display. It seems they were all auctioned off previously. Too bad I didn’t know about it—I would have looked “mahvelous” in them, of course!

This exhibit at the 11,000 square-foot FIDM Museum and Galleries is the 15 th annual “Art of Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibition,” which runs through April 5 th . The Los Angeles campus also houses a Permanent and Study collection of over 10,000 costumes, accessories, and textiles from the 18 th Century through the present day, including film and theater costume. Top designer holdings include Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Dior, and Lacroix. And get a whiff of this! The Annette Green Perfume Museum, America’s only museum dedicated to the historical and cultural roles of fragrance around the world, is housed at the FIDM Museum and Galleries. So come on, ladies, who wouldn’t want to visit this fabulous place!

And the fun of the gala didn’t end there. Guests received swag bags filled with all kinds of goodies to keep them happy long after the night ended. We each got a complimentary copy, hot off the presses, of “The 2007 Academy Awards Preview,” the guide that predicts Oscar winners. Not to mention a CD of the original score of The Queen and a DVD of the wonderfully funny Academy Award nominated comedy, Little Miss Sunshine. No question—Women & Wine really knows how to throw a party!

Women & Wine presents all kinds of fabulous events, travel ops, great articles, wine club, and a monthly e-newsletter. It’s free to join at www.WomenWine.com.

So let’s meet up at their next event to sip some wine and have some fun. See you there!

Marilyn Anderson
Romance on the Road

THE HUNGRY AND HORNY SHOW

Reviewed By Marilyn Anderson

If the title sounds funny… well, the show is even funnier! Be prepared for three extremely talented and witty ladies telling all—and I do mean “all”—about their voracious appetites, both food-wise and sex-wise.

Lori Alan, Marianne Curan, and Wendy Kamenoff are all seasoned performers who let us in on the stories of their sex-lives, past and present. The show switches from pure performance to gossipy girl-talk, and the audience is invited into the women’s circle to hear them dishing about their lives.

Lori is a single woman who enjoys it that way. She is a natural comedienne whose every word and expression is pure fun. One of her hysterical bits is when she shows large illustrated caricatures of the pros and cons of dating her. It’s unique, creative and guaranteed to make you laugh. She’s terrific all through the evening, and as a bonus, she does a delightfully quirky impression of Liza Minelli.

Marianne Curan is the married one of the trio—but she did manage to dump one philandering husband along the way to her current hunka-hunka-hubby. She does a rousing and rowdy “infomercial” on husband #1: “No wider than a corkscrew, Mr. Party Penis fits anywhere. Order yours today and get a George Forman grill and a free STD!”

All the actresses talk about their “first time,” and Marianne shows her two very opposite sides: The shy Catholic virginal Marianne and the wickedly seductive “baaad girl” Marianne, who’s dying to get it on with Biff. She picked him because if she wanted to stop and he didn’t, she “could beat him up.” Marianne also does a spoof of Martha Stewart that you don’t want to miss.

And then, there’s the inimitable Wendy Kamenoff. Wendy is the energizing force behind “The Hungry and the Horny.” She got the idea for the show while taking a shower threeyears ago, and started developing it at her “Tasty Words” salon, a monthly performance that celebrates spoken word from assorted writer-actors.

Wendy is chatty and sweet, with a comedic take on everything from her adolescent obesity to her marriage misery and her more recent single adventures. Wendy admittedly falls in love every ten minutes, and we get to hear about a slew of her loves, from the English flower-bearing guy with surprisingly “good” teeth, to her one-and-only horrendous Internet date—and then happily, to the new honey she’s now hooking up with on a regular basis.

The audience is invited to join in by answering sex questions picked from a fish bowl. Volunteers are rewarded with an assortment of hilarious (possibly useful) goodies from the Pleasure Chest. Even with simple sets and staging, there’s a lot going on in this show. Never a dull moment, “The Hungry & Horny Show” is fast-paced and ably directed by Richard Hochberg.

If you don’t mind hearing women talking dirty onstage—and quite simply, if you want to laugh non-stop, this is the show to see. We saw it at the Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks, but it will be at a new venue soon.

And by the way, the guys in the audience were laughing just as hard as the gals! So bring your guy, or bring a girlfriend. And if you don’t go out to dinner first, you’ll go home “Hungry & Horny,” too!

The Lyric Theatre,

520 N.La Brea Ave.,
Los Angeles, 90036

For tickets, go to: www.lyrictheatrela.com or call 323. 939.9220

Upcoming Shows:

Tues. April 3rd & 10th, @ 9p.m.,
Wed. May 9th Tues, May 15th, Wed May 23rd and 30th at 8:00pm,
June 6th and 20th @ 8pm

For more info, visit:

www.myspace.com/thehungryandhornyshow

www.thehungry&hornyshow.com (Website coming soon.)

Reign Over Me – Movie Review

Reign Over Me

Movie Review

You have to see the new Adam Sandler and Don Cheedle movieReign Over Me. I found myself at about 1:00 p.m. yesterday trying to go to a movie, and nothing was playing at a decent time that I hadn’t already seen, but that. And I really didn’t plan to see an Adam Sandler movie. But was I glad I did!

The movie had all the elements I believe a good and even great movie should have. I don’t understand the critics giving it low marks because it is a good movie. It has great dialog, realistic and believable. There are places in the movie where there is great monologue, and it doesn’t sound annoying like in a Woody Allen movie. The monologue sort of caters to the less sophisticated moviegoer. I think the writer took some great elements from Woody Allen and tailored those elements to fit this movie.

Sometimes a movie seems disconnected, like the movie is speaking and saying, look at me. Look at my great dialog between these two great actors here. Well, in this movie, you almost forget that you are looking at Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler. They perform well together. Adam Sandler’s performance is not a long trail of great comedic monologue. He becomes the character so well, that you forget you are looking at Adam Sandler, the actor. The same can be said for Don Cheedle. There are moments in the movie where he doesn’t speak a word, but says reams in his expressions and visual performance. Because of this, the movie becomes not so much a pasting together of scenes, but a harmonious construction of themes flowing together.

The subject matter is handled well. If you’ve seen the trailers, you know that Adam is having some problems coping with his grief. Don Cheadle’s character is facing some bumps in his marriage and in his career. These two issues are not handled in a stereotypical way, although there is some coverage of common themes known to everyone… a man feeling stifled in his marriage, a man suffering a great loss.

In the end the main theme is shown in the action, and the audience should walk out feeling very satisfied. I did something I don’t always do after seeing a movie. I didn’t fidget and I sat in my seat through the final credits. I both laughed out loud and cried as I sat through the entire movie.

We expect humor in an Adam Sandler movie—and he did not disappoint—but what was totally unexpected was his range of emotion and physical, nonverbal expression.

The music fits the movie so well I find myself wanting to own the soundtrack.

I guess I’m not a sophisticated moviegoer because I don’t always agree with the critics, but this one, in my opinion, is worth watching.

Lisa A. Trimarchi

You Won… Have You Been Scammed Lately?

You Won! How many times have I read that in an email! Like a stampede, daily I received these little notices. At first I was honored, until I realized they weren’t prizes but traps. I had initially attempted to claim my prizes, which consisted of $500 gift cards, laptop computers, Tide samples, makeup kits, designer handbags, digital cameras, hotel stays…. The list is endless. I even received a check in the amount of 1 million dollars! All I had to do was respond to a few offers. I attempted on several occasions to fill out these offers to receive my free gift(s), but every time I tired of the endless surveys and subtle manipulations to get me to make an un-needed purchase. Occasionally I did pull out my credit card and pay for shipping of an item here and there, and I was even lured into buying a magazine subscription, or a diet pill—always giving up and never completing these offers, thus never receiving my prize.

Just like any other day, I had a sea of emails asking me to claim my prize. But this time I was determined to walk away with something worthwhile. I followed the link and embarked on a wild ride. If I completed all the offers, surveys, and shipping fees, I would receive a $500 Visa gift card. I could certainly use that gift card.

The first round of offers seemed harmless. Most of them were free offers, only asking me to pay shipping and handling. I selected the required 2 offers and moved on to the next step. Step 2 offered a few magazine subscriptions and asked me if I was planning to buy a new car in the near future or if I wanted to go back to college to start a new career. What the heck, I’d been contemplating getting a new car, so I responded to those offers, too. At that point I had already spent about $22 in shipping and knew that I was going to get a slew of phone calls offering me rates on financing a new car. Step 3 was more challenging. I had more choices, but fewer free offers. Shipping at this point was no longer the option. I had to purchase 3 offers. I bought a language program for $75.00, a magazine subscription, and a 30-day trial for a Pitney Bowes postage meter.

I devised a plan. I would immediately cancel these purchases and be out no money, yet still receive my $500 gift card. The last step had finally arrived an hour and a half later. I patiently responded to everything, and I was almost done. There was a flashing sign on the web page stating that I was almost done. I was overcome with excitement. I was actually going to receive my prize. I got it. I realized that these sponsors were hoping people would give up halfway through and never claim their prizes, and still make purchases during the process. But not me, I was determined to finish. Step 4—all I had to do was respond to 4 offers. I scanned the page and quickly spotted the freebies: a free trial subscription to Netflicks and a one month free supply of Relastin skin firming cream. Just two more offers to complete. I looked all over the page and the only offers left were Discover Card offers. There were 4, each with different card themes, but nonetheless, the same card. I already had a Discover credit card, but held my resolve and decided to apply for 2 more. And that’s when I realized I would never receive my $500 gift card. As I filled out the information for the first Discover card, I noticed in fine print that only one card application per customer was allowed—no exceptions! There was absolutely no way I could ever win my prize. This was a hoax, a con, a big fat lie! I was incensed, and determined to expose these charlatans.

If I could have successfully cancelled my orders, I might have escaped this scam unscathed, but I was not so lucky, and my credit card was the unfortunate casualty. Two months later I am still dealing with the repercussions. I called the toll-free numbers and canceled through voice mail, I sent emails asking them not to ship the order(s), and when they still came to my home, I marked them “return to sender.” But my bank statement and credit card bills told a different story. These people charged me anyway, ignoring my requests for cancellation. I have spent hours trying to remove charges, never receiving satisfaction. I was stuck with more than a few unwanted bills.

What did I win? Not the $500 gift card, not even the supposed free stuff for which I paid shipping. I have constantly to scrutinize my billing statements and guard against the continuous charges that appear every month. I guess nothing is for free.

The next time you receive one of those emails claiming you won, spam it and never look back. And if you really just want to spend your money, get in your car and drive to the nearest mall. It’s a lot more exciting and takes a lot less of your time. But ultimately you choose your purchase. It doesn’t choose you.

If you think you’re being scammed, visit the following websites:

www.ftc.gov

www.scam.com

www.sitereviewauthority.com

www.sarahs-scams-review.com

Below are the top ten online scams targeted by law enforcers:

Internet Auction Fraud

Internet Service Provider Scams

Multi-level Marketing / Pyramid Scams

Business Opportunities and Work-At-Home Scams (Beware of companies offering you a job that requires an up-front fee.)

Paid surveys

Investment Schemes and Get-Rich-Quick Scams

Travel/Vacation Fraud

Telephone / Pay-Per-Call Solicitation Frauds (including modem dialers and videotext)

Health Care Frauds

They say buyer beware for good reason. Nothing’s free, you get what you pay for, and there’s no such thing as get rich quick!

Staff Writer