Posts Tagged ‘danny glover’

The Dolores Huerta Foundation’s mission is to inspire people to organize sustainable communities to attain social justice. Last Friday, they did that by bringing Zack de la Rocha and Carlos Santana to the Greek Theater.

Greek Theater. 2700 N. Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90027

How do you celebrate your birthday when you’re an iconic human rights activist? Throw a huge benefit concert, if you’re Dolores Huerta. Weaving Movements Together was one of the most politically charged party I’ve attended this year. This star-studded concert benefited the Dolores Huerta Foundation, giving attendees the opportunity to listen to some of their favorite music acts while supporting their community.

The line up included Pete Escovedo, Lila Downs, the aforementioned Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against The Machine, and the original guitar hero, Carlos Santana. Danny Glover, Martin Sheen and Benjamin Bratt also spoke at the event, addressing the crowd with powerful and emotionally-charged speeches about the recent Arizona immigration legislation.

Dolores Huerta is a respected activist who has spent her life promoting human rights. Her resume includes working with Cesar Chavez to organize and run the labor union, United Farm Workers. For years, she’s been fighting on the frontlines for the rights of minorities, women, immigrants, and the gay community. Weaving Movements Together was not only a celebration, but another opportunity to raise funds and awareness for social justice.

Be sure to check out more posts from our Hot-spots editor Erin Darling right here at Positively Celebrity!

“Blindness” is kind of a scary movie depicting the outbreak of a seemingly contagious illness that renders people blind. Understandably, the worst of humanity comes out. Mark Ruffalo, Julianne Moore, Danny Glover, Alice Braga, and Gael García Bernal are some of the actors that make up a group of quarantined individuals living in a vacant mental institution where, literally, the blind are leading the blind, with one exception, a Doctor’s wife who lies about being sick in order to stay with her husband (who is sick). 

“Blindness” is a unique epidemic film that can be admired for its take on the genre, the acting, as well as its views of humanity during such desperate times.   The Good: – Terrific Acting – One sign of a great actor is when they can make audiences hate them, love them, sympathize with them, etc.  “Blindness” features actors capable of bringing viewers into their world so much so that it’s impossible to sit back and submissively watch this movie.

- A Different Take on the “Disease” Film Genre – Within the portfolio of “disease contaminating society” films out there “Blindness” is special. The characters don’t actually die from the “white blindness” disease.  The illness in this movie doesn’t mean death, life as a zombie or other tragic fate – the illness isn’t necessarily the “bad guy.”

- The Tempo – “Blindness’” plot progresses at a nice pace. The audience learns about the disease and how the world is dealing with it at the same pace as the characters in the movie. The pacing is so that the deterioration of society and desperation are sincere – viewers aren’t thrown into chaos and expected to buy into it.

The Bad: - Not a Happy Movie – About 15 minutes of “Blindness” are happy and worthy of a smile, I could have used a little more.

- It’s Pretty Darn Realistic! – Unlike zombie or alien attack movies, “Blindness” is slightly more plausible, making it that much scarier. Seeing how people change and the terrible things they do in the movie makes me cross my fingers that something like this will never happen.

In The End: “Blindness” is a quality film in regards to the acting and plot, but won’t leave audiences with a warm and tingly feeling once it’s over.

Only a legend with Paul Newman’s status could pull off something like this. Newman, who died in September, held an annual fundraiser for his kids’ camp, and the very elite of Hollywood appeared for a dramatic reading of The World of Nick Adams, in tribute to the late, great Hollywood thespian.

Celebrities like Warren Beatty, Danny Glover, Tom Hanks, Jack Nicholson, Bonnie Raitt and Sean Penn joined 2,500 others to benefit Newman’s Painted Turtle camp, which hosts children suffering from life-threatening illnesses.

Over the years, Newman and his Newman’s Own brand have donated more than $250 million to children’s charities. A true legend leaves a lasting mark and effects others in a positive way even after his demise, which makes Paul Newman one of few real legends the glitzy land of Hollywood will ever know.