Matthew McConaughey Packs the Bookpassage Ferry Building with Fans for a Rare Meet & Greet

Posted on September 26, 2023 by Jonathanshensa

All Photos © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Greetings and welcome to my latest blog. As many of you know, the entertainment industry is currently shutdown due to The WGA (Writers Guild of America) and the SAG (Screen Actors Guild of America) strikes. During the current strike stopping all work on camera and behind the scenes, actors are prohibited from promoting projects they’ve already filmed, in the form of interviews, premieres, fan expos, press junkets, festivals, and podcast appearances, among other types of publicity. SAG members are also banned from promoting their projects via social media. Celebrities now have something they never have, free time. Many have focused their time to their families. Others have chosen to use the time to devote to other inserts like writing books.

Matthew McConaughey “Just Because” In-Person Photo Opp Book Passage (SF Ferry Building)

One of my favorite things to photograph are book signings. I love seeing the fans faces when they get the chance to meet their favorite celebrities. Due to COVID, most of the book events the last 3 years, were forced to be done virtually instead of in-person. A week and a half ago I was in Hawaii, checking my favorite Bay Area Independent bookstore Bookpassage’s site (https://www.bookpassage.com). I saw that the store was having a Children’s Book event with Academy Award-winning actor and #1 New York Times bestselling author Matthew McConaughey. Matthew was already in the Bay Area for last weeks Dreamforce convention (an annual event that brings together the global Salesforce community for learning, fun, community building, and philanthropy). The book event was to celebrate the release of his debut picture book (for kids) “JUST BECAUSE” with a photo-op for fans with the actor.

Some might be confused why Matthew chose a children’s book for his follow up to “Greenlights”, his #1 New York Times bestselling autobiography. The 53-year old actor is a father of three (ages 15,13, and 10). “So we’ve had some cool conversations about these about different couplets in our family. I’m finding that after I’m having conversations with my kids about this book, I’m still continuing conversations with myself, conversations with my wife, conversations with other people about some of these couplets.” 

The book event was 16 hours after I returned from vacation. In the past I’ve had a great time photographing many celebrities at the Bookpassage stores, in San Francisco and Corte Madera locations. I know that Matthew is a very private person and it definitely seemed like a fan event. I applied for credentials thinking it would be a long shot. I decided to purchase a very affordable pre-signed copy of the book. I have a small collection of signed books by my favorite actors and actresses. I figured worst case scenario, I could always use just the photo-op photo for my blog. Matthew is one of my favorite actors, so I had no problem supporting the bookstore and the book. To my surprise Bookpassage’s, Karen West, emailed me back letting me know that his management, and they will allow me to capture photos of Matthew signing at the very beginning of the event for 2 minutes.

I arrived at the Book store in the Ferry Building early to find parking and to check out the scene. I was coming from Marin County (North of the Golden Gate Bridge) so I arrived very early. For starters, I found a parking space across the street from the Ferry Building. I entered the store to find out check in information. There was a stack of books that were pre signed by the register. Matthew wrote the children’s book with illustrations by Renée Kurilla. Since I was early I decided to get in line outside the bookstore to get my ticket for the book. The line was long and got longer with every minute. I spent time on line talking with Matthew’s fans. Everyone was so excited for the opportunity to meet McConaughey. One woman told me “If this was a Comic Con or another fan event convention fans could play anywhere from 100-$500 for the opportunity.” Matthew who was already in San Francisco to give a speech at the Dreamforce convention (an annual event that brings together the global Salesforce community for learning, fun, community building, and philanthropy). The Oscar winning actor added this special meet and greet to his schedule. His current book tour only had a hand full of event dates, starting in Austin and ending with 2 LA events the Saturday, after the San Francisco Bookpassage event.

Matthew arrived on time. The store had a step and repeat banner that had the name of the book on it. To my surprise, Matthew came out without the book and started taking photos with his photographer with the fans. Sadly, even though I had permission from the store and management the photographer made me go all the way to the left, when he was shooting to the right. I was told that I couldn’t talk or call over to Matthew. At this point I knew I was fucked. Obviously the rude hired photographer(shot all the book tour photos) had no experience shooting professional entertainment events with other photographers. Having a great relationship with the store I didn’t want to upset Matthew or the store, so I ended up using a longer lens to at least get some shots. Normally I’d be upset and would be looking for a publicist (who didn’t seem to be around) to complain. The outlets I worked with need at least a couple eye contact shots. Which was hard to do when you can’t call out to the subject you are photographing and the talent never looked my way. However, I knew coming into this event that it was geared as it should be to the fans. 

Luckily, I happen to fall into that category with Matthew. I had pre purchased a book that came with a photo op. I was put inline by the store and didn’t have to go to the back of the line. According to the store they had sold 1,000 books. When I reached my place in the Matthew turned to me and said “Cool shirt, man (I was wearing a Stevie Ray Vaughn shirt).” I then posed for a photo with him before heading out of the store. Outside it was a rare warmer day on the bay. I asked some people who had their books to pose with them. After that I had the difficulty of somehow editing the images with low lighting. After lots of time spent editing I at least had something to present to my outlets. Unfortunately, without having a photo of him holding the book or any eye contact shots, I knew this would be hard to get them to post it. I figured this would be a blog post. The store as always, put on a great event. If you are in San Francisco or Marin County you have to check the stores out.

All Photos © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

One of the reasons I wanted to get promotion for the store was, like the independent photographer, independent book stores have the daily fight to stay in business. With sites like Amazon and people using  Kindle’s, many book stores including major chains like the Barnes& Noble near me have been forced to close. My dad spent five decades working in the book publishing business, including a number of years working at Random House, the publisher of “Just Because”. 

“Just Because” was released by Penguin Random House on September 12th. The book just reached the #1 spot over the weekend on the New York Times, children’s book list. The actor and writers sons Levi, 15, Livingston, 10, and wife Camila Alves, threw him a surprise party to celebrate.

All Photos © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Thank you for taking your time to read my blog. For more celebrity pictures and stories checkout my social media links at the bottom. Don’t forget to support independent films and books in your city.

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Dead and Company – The Final Ride on the Grateful Dead Roller Coaster

Posted on September 19, 2023 by Jonathanshensa

All Photos © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

The Birth of Dead and Company

Last July, I closed a 30 year musical adventure in my life. If you know me you know that I’m a huge Deadhead. This is actually my fourth blog about the Grateful Dead. In 2015, I celebrated what I thought would be my last Grateful Dead shows in San Francisco (Fare Thee Well shows in Santa Clara, California). At the time I would have thought that it was my last show with multiple members of the Dead performing together. To my surprise just a year later, Dead and Company was formed with John Mayer taking over to try and not fill but play tribute to Jerry Garcia. Mayer, who never was a Deadhead growing up in Fairfield, Connecticut, one day while listening to Pandora, a subscription-based music streaming service owned by Sirius XM Holdings based in Oakland, California, came across Grateful Dead’s song “Althea” on Neil Young’s Pandora Channel. “When you’re listening to music on Pandora, there’s this inherent sense of ‘these are all songs you know but forgot that you wanted to hear. Mayer became obsessed with the Dead’s music. So much that he started playing a couple of songs at his solo shows in 2012. It wasn’t till John did a fill in for the late night talk show Late Night in 2015. That night was the first time John and Bob met and played with each other. Bob was plugging the upcoming Grateful Dead final shows in California and Chicago. John interviewed Bob before the two ending up jamming on a few Dead tunes together. The two had an amazing time playing with each other, so much that Weir wanted Mayer to join his new band Dead and Company. The band featured . The super group would be formed under the name Dead and Company. The band would consist of 3/4 of the core 4. Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann. The guys would be joined by John Mayer, on guitar, Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers Band) on bass and keyboard player Jeff Chimenti (Furthur/Ratdog).

Dead and Company: The Early Years

Before the first tour started many deadheads were surprised and critical of Mayer playing in the Dead. What many Deadheads did not understand is that Mayer treasures the Grateful Dead in the same way that they do. “I listen to this music every day,” he explains. “I listen to it in the car wherever I go. It’s playing like nature sounds, the way you would hear a babbling brook. The band initially announced one concert for October 31 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Following the pre-sale  for that show they announced another show at Madison Square Garden for the following night. On August 24 a full ten date tour was announced. The band performed a total of 22 concerts in sixteen different cities. My first show was 12/27/2015 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. The show was amazing and I grew a new respect for John Mayer as did most Deadheads. I must say it was weird at first hearing a guitar solo in the middle of a Grateful Dead song. My second show was, 8/29/2016, at Toyota Amphitheater near Sacramento. That night I got to experience something I never did before watch a show from the front of the house in the pit. Not only was it a great musical experience I was able to use my point and shoot camera to take some great photos. Everyone thought this band would be a short experience since John had a career as being on solo artist and the Dead members had different bands they played with. Nobody ever though it would last as long as it did (8years with tours every year with the exception of the 2020 tour which was cancelled due to COVID).

All Photos: © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Dead and Company: The Final Tour

All good things must come to an end. The band announced that the Summer 2023 tour would be the last one together. The tour was called Dead and Company The Final Tour. “As we put the finishing touches on booking venues, and understanding that word travels fast, we wanted to be the first to let you know that Dead & Company will be hitting the road next summer for what will be our final tour,” Mayer wrote. “Stay tuned for a full list of dates for what will surely be an exciting, celebratory, and heartfelt last run of shows. With love and appreciation, Dead & Company.” Bob Weir posted this message on social media. Well it looks like that’s it for this outfit; but don’t worry we will all be out there in one form or another until we drop.

To nobody’s surprise the shows were instant sell outs in most markets. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, the Dead & Company Summer Tour 2023 grossed a new high of $114.7 million and sold 845,000 tickets across 28 shows. Dead and Company closed out the tour with three sold-out concerts at Oracle Park in San Francisco in front of 120,000 fans. This was the most successful tour in the band’s eight-year history, drawing over 840,000 fans. I was lucky enough to be at the first and third night of the final shows.

After attempting to get tickets through pre sales then sales I was shut out due to Ticketmaster and scalpers on Stub Hub and other ticket agencies. Tickets that were $75 when ticket sales started were re listed in minutes for thousands of dollars for seats not in the upper level.. Thinking I was going to have to pay a scalpers price when the show came closer to happening. Lucky for me I had been a volunteer for a non profit called Headcount. HeadCount is a non-partisan organization that uses the power of music to register voters and promote participation in democracy. They reach young people and music fans where they already are – at concerts and online to inform and empower. I have been a Headcount volunteer since 2008 and had registered voters at Furthur, Bob Weir, Grateful Dead, Ratdog and Dead and Company shows.

The first show ticked off on 7/14/2023 at Oracle Park in San Francisco. The Dead non profits that have volunteers in each of the cities were joined by team leaders who traveled with the band from city to city. Headcount and Reverb was part of what is called participation row. Participation Row featured host non-profit organizations Headcount, REVERB, Wharffrats along with other non profits. The Dead & Company Participation Row was produced by HeadCount in partnership with REVERB, an environmental non-profit organization with a long history of running non-profit villages at live music events. If you have interest in volunteering for events with all kinds of music check out the information at the end of this Blog.

The first show on Friday started with “Not Fade Away” the band did not finish the song instead went into Shakedown St. followed by John Mayer singing “Cold Rain and Snow”. Highlight’s of Night 1 were Ramble On Rose, Brown-Eyed Women, Scarlet Begonias, Casey Jones, US Blues and the final song, a cover of Bob Dylan’s Knocking on Heaven’s Door. The song featured a montage of all of the members of the Dead who died. Of course the longest ovation came when Jerry Garcia’s image was on the big screen.

Shakedown St.

Next up was the third and final show of the tour and the band. Anticipation was high as everyone knew this was going to be a special night. I started the day arriving early so I could make it to Shakedown St. Just in case you aren’t a Deadhead (not sure if people would read this if not into the band) “Shakedown Street” is both the name of a 1978 Grateful Dead song, album and a descriptor for the chaotic vending areas where Deadheads and concertgoers mingle and sell anything and everything outside the concert venue. It’s amazing how technology has changed from Grateful Dead shows. Everyone took credit cards and there were actually food trucks from Southern California. I even saw Venice Beaches Harry Perry the Kama Kosmic Krusader (from the movie “Fletch”, rollerskating around selling his merchandise.

The Final Show

After volunteering with Headcount was stoked for the second and final set. Unlike the Friday show (obstructive view) the tickets were much better. I got to see a former team leader who I hadn’t seen in years. The show started with Bertha followed by Good Lovin’. Other highlights were Althea, Dear Mr. Fantasy (last time I heard that song was in 94 Jerry came out to play guitar with opening act Traffic at Giants Stadium). The set closed out with Bird Song. I finally made it to my seat to watch an incredible set 2. John Mayer started the set with the live favorite Help on the Way, Franklin’s Tower, Eyes of the World, Sugar Magnolia. The band came back with Truckin with the audience singing along to “What a Long Strange Trip its Been.” The band then went on with an emotional Brokendown Palace before ending with finishing off Not Fade Away (with the crowd singing “You Know Our Love Will Not Fadeaway). Instead of shooting off fireworks the band gave the fans a second (Colorado) drone show with the steal your face and skeleton tipping his hat to the fans.

What’s Next

I’m sure this won’t be the last time I see the guys play solo or together in some form, but I feel that it won’t be the same. The Dead are one of the few bands I had no problems seeing in a stadium. Deadheads are like family members. The more the better. A dead show is not just a concert its an experience. Walking down Shakedown St. you would see people of all ages, races and colors. Just last week in Hawaii a few occasions a complete stranger came up to me seeing my dead & Co. shirt and started talking to me about the show/band. Even online for a Matthew McConaughey meet and greet in San Fransisco this week I spent more times talking to Deadheads than speaking to Matthew’s fans.

After the tour concluded John Mayer wrote this on his social media sites Dead and Company is still a band – we just don’t know what the next show will be. I speak for us all when I say that I look forward to being shown the next shaft of light… I know we will all move towards it together.” Just last week we learned of what’s next for some of the members. A new destination concert called Dead Ahead Festival

The all-inclusive concert vacation, set to take place at Moon Palace Resort in Riviera Cancún, Mexico from January 12th–15th, will celebrate the Grateful Dead songbook with two nights of curated collaboration featuring Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Don Was, Jeff Chimenti, Oteil Burbridge, and Jay Lane featuring Tedeschi Trucks Band’s Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, Goose’s Rick Mitarotonda, Margo Price, and “very special guest” Sturgill Simpson. One thing is for sure, the music will never stop.

Thank you for reading my blog. More of my blog’s can be found here:

https://theoutsidersguidetotheinsideofhollywood.com

All Photos © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

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38th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival Celebrates Diversity

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Jonathanshensa

This gallery contains 22 photos.

Greetings everyone. Welcome back to another trip inside the red carpet and into some of entertainment’s coolest events. If you’ve never read my blog before, it’s different from other entertainment blogs you may have read. I’ve literally spent most of … Continue reading →

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The Who Hits Back with an Orchestra in San Jose

Posted on October 28, 2022 by Jonathanshensa

All Photos © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Monday night The Who brought their latest tour “The Who Hits Back” to the Sap Center in San Jose. Unlike their last tour, The Who Moving On 2 years ago they didn’t have a new album to support. Instead of doing a greatest hits only tour they decided to take a chance by playing with a local orchestra in each of the cities The current U.S. tour kicked off in Hollywood Florida back in April and is ending in Las Vegas in November. The band is made up of original members Roger Daltrey, Pete Townsend, guitarist/backing singer Simon Townshend, drummer Zak Starkey (Ringo Star’s son), keyboardists Loren Gold and Emily Marshall, bassist Jon Button, and backing vocalist and Billy Nicholls. The Who also were accompanied by a 48-piece orchestra, complete with cellos and French horns.

Driving from Sausalito, to San Jose I kept thinking about how I’ve seen the band in 5 decades. My two favorite The Who memories were seeing the band do their rock opera “Tommy” in 1989. Another show was in 1996 when the band played the entire Quadrophenia album from start to finish at Madison Square Garden. Sadly the show that had the most impact on me was their show at the Hollywood Bowl in 2002. This was their first show together after the untimely passing of John Entwistle. I even attended the VH1 Honors The Who Show in at UCLA in Westwood, California.

I decided to try and save some money by driving down to San Jose to buy a ticket from the Box Office like I’ve done in the past. When I got there they Box Office was closed with a sign saying buy tickets at ticketmaster.com. I walked around the outside of the building looking for someone who worked there. I finally saw a person inside the venue and I found an open door and entered the Arena as the band was sound checking Baba O’Riley. The friendly security guard explained that the venue Box Office only opens 2 hours before door. Thankfully the guard told me of an area near by to get something to eat.

I made it inside the venue in time to see Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist) play a short set. It was great to see Mike on the stage killing it once again on guitar. He wore a yellow suit that could have come out of the closet of Elton John. The band hit the stage at 7:30. The bands set list was a mix of of songs from their two albums and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers songs. The band opened with a rocking song called Mike went deep into the Heartbreakers catalog for the second song of the evening a song called “Fault Lines”. My favorite song of the evening was Mike playing the Heartbreakers classics, Refuge and “Runnin’ Down A Dream”. The band actually played a headline show at the Fillmore Tuesday night.

All Photos © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

30 minutes after Mike left the stage the lights went off and the band and the orchestra launched into the opening of the Overture from The Who’s Rock Opera “Tommy”, The songs played included “1921”, “It’s a Boy”, “Amazing Journey”, “Sparks”. The “Tommy” Tribute ended with two of my favorite Who songs, “Pinball Wizard” and “We’re Not Gonna Take It”. The crowd of all ages sang along to the “See Me Feel Me Listening to You” part. Following “Tommy”, the orchestra stayed on stage for “Eminence Front” and “Ball and Chain”.

With the orchestra taking a break it was time for the second part/act. Next up was another classic”You Better You Bet”. The next song was “The Seeker”, which had one of my favorite lyrics, “I asked Bobby Dylan, I asked The Beatles, I asked Timothy Leary, But he couldn’t help me either.” The Seeker was followed by “Naked Eye”, and “Another Tricky Day. Next up were two of the bands biggest hits, the classic anthem “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and the power ballad “Behind Blue Eyes” (with violin, cello, contrabass).

The third and final part of the show saw the Orchestra return for”Quadrophenia’s”, Bad boy anthem “The Real Me”, I’m the One, “5:15”, “The Rock and “Love, Reign O’er Me”. The final song of the evening was another Who classic, “Baba O’Riley” with the Katie Jacoby (electric and acoustic violinist), stepping up to the front of the stage jamming with the band taking it to another level.

The band did an amazing job and sounded great. The band was set up like an opening band or a small club, where the members are almost on top of each other (the orchestra was on the stage in the back). So we didn’t get to see the band jumping around. Roger did throw around his microphone and Pete did his windmill swing (no jumping). After over 50 years together one thing you can be sure of “The Kids are Alright”. For all things The Who, checkout their website at https://www.thewho.com

All Photos © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

All Photos © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

Posted in Concert Review, Concerts, Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography, SAP Center San Jose, Shenza's Reviews, The Who, The Who Hits Back San Jose Review, The Who Hits Back Tour 2022, The Who Live, The Who photos, The Who Review, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Falling for Anne Heche

Posted on August 31, 2022 by Jonathanshensa

Greetings everyone. Welcome back to “The Outsiders Guide to the Inside of Hollywood”. My entertainment blog is not only just about the events I that I covered as a photographer, its about how artist had an affect on my life. Sadly today’s blog is about losing another celebrity too soon.

On August 5, 2022, Anne Heche was involved in a sequence of three motor vehicle collisions in the neighborhood of Mar Vista in Los Angeles. The accident left Anne with a severe anoxic brain injury. Just before the first accident Anne’s car was caught on a video speeding through the suburban neighborhood. Thankfully she didn’t kill or seriously hurt someone. The LAPD said that a preliminary blood analysis confirmed the presence of both cocaine and narcotics, including Fentanyl, her system. Anne was paced on life support so that she could be an organ donator as she wished. Anne was taken off life support (Anne was brain dead on the 12th) on August 14, it was announced that organ recipients had been found and that her body would undergo the organ donation procedure that day.

Anne first got her big acting break on the CBS Soap Opera “Another World”. My first time seeing Anne was on a 1991 episode of “Murphy Brown”. In 2001 Anne guest stared in 7 episodes of “Ally McBeal”. Some my favorite films of her were “Donnie Brasco”, “I Know What You Did Last Summer”, “Wag the Dog”, “and Six Days, Seven Nights”.

Anne was always about taking chances in her career and in life. In 1998, she decided to take on the role of one of the greatest female horror characters of all time actresses by playing Marion Crane in Gus Van Sant’s “Psycho” remake. The film was not revived well by critics or the public.

Anne began dating Ellen DeGeneres in 1997, when both were at career high points. They took a lot of heat for their relationship. The relationship lasted till 2000. The couple came out as dating when Anne invited DeGeneres, as her date to the 1997 premiere of “Volcano.” Anne claimed she was cancelled in Hollywood because of her relationship with Ellen.

I only had the chance to photograph Anne twice in 2011. On Valentines day actor Alec Baldwin, was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I attended the ceremony and noticed Anne in the crowd in the crowed watching the ceremony. I tried to get some candid shots but failed due to the amount of fans at the ceremony. After the ceremony was over there was a lunch at Beso Restaurant, in Hollywood. I decided to try and get some photos of the celebrities entering the Restaurant. After watching a number of guests attending the lunch I noticed that Anne was walking towards the Restaurant. I was across the street trying to get a clear shot. I called her name and she turned around. At that point I slipped on a wet pavement and fell. Anne started to run towards me and asked as I hit the pavement. Luckily I held onto my camera like a football player. I got up and told her I was OK. I then asked her if I could get a photo of her. She laughed and said “of course you can.”

Later that year in June I had Red Carpet credentials for the Jim Carey film “Mr. Popper’s Penguins”. Anne attended the premiere with her boyfriend James Tupper and son Homer Lafoon . She looked so happy. I was hoping that she finally defeated her demons. Homer released a statement earlier in the day, stating he was “left with a deep, wordless sadness” following her death.

Sadly Anne could not control her drinking and drug use. The actress had a Podcast called “Better Together w/ Anne Heche and Heather Duffy” on Apple Podcasts. “We celebrate friendship, and we believe that we can create more joy in the world by sharing our stories, stumbles, and triumphs.” Just a week before her accident she was clearly drunk during the Podcast. I wish she could have gotten the help she needed. If you need help don’t be afraid to ask someone for help and remember you are not alone.

All photos © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

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Oscar Nominees Make Final Stop on the Road to the Oscars at the 37th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Posted on March 27, 2022 by Jonathanshensa

Santa Barbra Proves You Can Have a Safe In Person Festival During COVID

Welcome to the reboot of my blog, “The Outsiders Guide to the Inside of Hollywood”. For those of you joining me for the first time, my blog is different from others. I’ve been photographing celebrity red carpet events for over a decade and have been a lifelong film lover. I’m also an aspiring screenwriter and producer. As I’m sure everyone can relate to, I’ve been in complete hell thanks to COVID. My agency, PR Photos, closed up shop and disappeared without paying me the money they owed. I finally made my way back to covering films festivals with in person talent attending last fall at the Mill Valley Film Festival.

One of my favorite film festivals is located in Santa Barbara. I’ve been covering the Santa Barbara International Film Festival for over 10 years. The festival is famous for their tributes held at the historic Arlington Theater. Like most of the film festivals held Post COVID, last year the festival was virtual. When I first heard that SBIFF was going to be in person (with virtual events streamed) I was overjoyed. SBIFF is the final festival on the road to the Oscars. This year’s tributes were stacked with 2022 Oscar nominees. The list of talent appearing live was Javier Bardem, Nicole Kidman, Kristen Stewart, Will Smith, Benedict Cumberbatch, Caitriona Aunjanue Ellis, Penélope Cruz and more.

This year’s festival featured another obstacle with the rise of the Omicron-led Virus which led to the cancellation of the Sundance (they did a virtual version in 2021) and Palm Springs film festivals. The 2022 festival featured 48 world premieres and 95 U.S. premieres from 54 countries. The festival kicked off with director Craig Roberts,  “The Phantom of the Open” starring Sally Hawkins and Mark Rylance.

Outstanding Directors of the Year Award

My first day covering the festival was The Hollywood Reporter’s event Outstanding Directors of the Year Award honoring Paul Thomas Anderson (LICORICE PIZZA), Kenneth Branagh (BELFAST), Jane Campion (THE POWER OF THE DOG), Ryusuke Hamaguchi (DRIVE MY CAR), and Steven Spielberg (WEST SIDE STORY).

Once I arrived in Santa Barbara, my first stop was not the hotel or the venue. I had to race to pick up my media badge and show my proof of vaccination. The festival required masks to be worn both inside and outside at the festival. They had a great system, giving out red wristbands (that had to stay on at all times) to people after showing their card. This process saved a lot of time, and prevented me from having to dig out proof of vaccination at every event.

The first  Oscar Nominee who hit the red carpet was not a director but the Best Supporting Actor nominee, Kodi Smit-McPhee, from “The Power of the Dog”. Shortly after that “Belfast” director Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh arrived and signed autographs for the fans surrounding the Arlington Theatre. After speaking with the house video team he headed down the carpet and posed for photos with his wife, Lindsay Brunnock. After that he posed for solo photos. Just a few minutes later, Paul Thomas Anderson arrived representing his feel good coming of age film “Licorice Pizza”. At this point, there was a lot of confusion going on with a large number of people on the carpet. Unfortunately,  Paul walked right by my spot and I could only get a few shots off.

Kenneth, who was answering a videographer’s question, stopped and watched Anderson’s interview then walked up to him. Both directors were in great spirits and posed for pictures together. It turned out that both directors were fans of each other and this was the first time they ever met.That left us with 3 directors to go. As we waited, nothing seemed to be happening. I was almost sure Steven Spielberg and Jane Campion wouldn’t walk the carpet. The carpet finished up and I went inside to watch the tribute.

The evening kicked off with the Director of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival executive, Roger Durling hitting  the stage. Durling said, “It’s amazing to be back, amazing to be back in person, it’s surreal.” I’m in heaven. Durling spoke how COVID, changed the way he looked at things in life. “The glass was always half empty in life now, the glass is half full.” He then announced that  a few of the directors couldn’t be here because of testing positive for COVID. Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Steven Spielberg, and Jane Campion were interviewed in a taped virtual call. The night was far from over. Both directors were interviewed separately.

American Riviera Award Honoring Kristen Stewart

The third day of the festival was one of the most anticipated. The festival was honoring Kristen for her work playing Princess Diana in “Spencer.” The Oscar nominee arrived at the Arlington and to no surprise her first stop was to sign autographs for fans, who had been waiting. After the house interviewed her she made her way down to the press line to pose for photos. Kristen, who looked amazing, wore Chanel; a full-length black chiffon dress with a sheer midriff, complete with peek-a-boo white tutu. I have photographed Kristen in the past, but this was the most camera friendly I ever saw her. Kristen seemed overjoyed. Unfortunately, due to time she was only able to interview with the A list outlets. After the interviews, Kristen headed inside the Arlington for her tribute and award presentation. The tribute covered scenes and interviews that spanned Kristen’s entire career starting with her acting debut at the age of 12 in “Panic Room” with Jodie Foster to her most recent work in “Spencer”. The interview was led by IndieWire’s Anne Thompson. Anne went through Kristen’s career of course talking about the film series that made her an A list talent, the Twilight Saga. At this point, I was feeling a little bad for her. Kristen could have easily been typecast or gone on to do more teen films. It had to be hard when talking about the Vampire films. Kristen has come a long way, choosing independent films over potential box office blockbusters. She’s taken challenges of playing everyone from Joan Jett in “The Runaways” to Princess Diana in “Spencer”. The one thing Kristen hasn’t done is direct a film. That could be changing soon as she told Anne that she is trying to develop a feature “I’m trying to put a movie together right now… I have a couple balls in the air,” she said. “I’ll tease you with that, but I’m very excited.” After the tribute a surprise guest, Charlize Theron presented her with her award. The actors who are friends co-starred in “Snow White And The Huntsman”, hugged as Kristen made an acceptance speech thanking friends and family and directors she had worked with. 

Virtuosos Award

The next event was one of my favorite nights of the festival, the Virtuosos Award. This award was sponsored by UGG at the 37th Santa Barbara Film Festival at the Arlington Theatre. This award is given to multiple “up and coming” actors for achieving breakthrough performances. This year the festival honored Caitriona Balfe (Belfast), Ariana DeBose (West Side Story), Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza), Emilia Jones (CODA), Troy Kotsur (CODA), Simon Rex (Red Rocket), Saniyya Sidney (King Richard) and Ciarán Hinds (Belfast). The actors were interviewed on stage separately by Dave Karger, Turner Classic Movie Host,  who moderated the conversation. The star of the night was Troy Kotsur (CODA). The deaf actor proved that not only is he a great dramatic actor but he was really funny. I’ve got a feeling he will be taking home the Oscar this weekend.

Outstanding Performers Award Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis

Sunday night was one of my most anticipated evenings. The 2022 Outstanding Performers Award with Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis for their work in “King Richard”. They portrayed the parents of Venus Williams and Serena Williams in Reinaldo Marcus Green‘s “King Richard”.

Aunjanue Ellis arrived first. Shortly after Will Smith arrived and started signing autographs for the fans. After that, he headed down the carpet, posed for photos and did interviews before heading inside for the tributes.

The evenings started off with The Hollywood Reporter moderator, Scott Feinberg, showing clips and speaking with the actors while walking through their past films. Scott is one of the best moderators, however nobody could have predicted what was next. Shortly before the tribute started I was in my seat and these two drunk girls tried to sit in the media area. Luckily the volunteer made sure they left the press and talent area seats. Fast forward to about 15 minutes into the interview when I heard people talking and acting like they were at a bar. The scuffling got louder and louder. I wanted to get out of my seat and tell them to shut up! The scuffling only got louder. So loud that the actors heard it on stage. Will tried to see through the lights to see if the woman was alright. A young woman (very drunk) was repeatedly talking throughout the interview about a man sitting in front of her who had asked for her to be quiet and when she didn’t he took a cup of water and threw it on her. Security was in the process of kicking them both out when Smith stopped to ask what happened. He then joked to Ellis, “That’s why it’s really important to have white audiences, cause that would have gone very differently at either place where we grew up. So I wanna commend the white people for how y’all handled that. You wanna act out the scene, how it would’ve been if someone poured a drink on you?”

Ellis took off her earrings and heels as if she were getting ready for a fight. The audience laughed and Smith joked with Feinberg who tried to resume, “You’re not gonna make it back from that, Scott! You can try.” Luckily Scott made it back and led a very interesting tribute.

The Montecito Award – Penélope Cruz

Next Up was The Montecito Award presentation given to Penélope Cruz, who was being honored for her role in Pedro Almodóvar’s, “Parallel Mothers,” which earned her an Academy Award nomination in the Best Actress category. Penélope  looked stunning wearing a burgundy gown with a low back. After finishing up with the press line, she then entered the theater for her tribute. The tribute showed mainly clips from the 7 Pedro Almodóvar films she starred in. The actress talked about how she delves so deep into her characters when acting she can sometimes take on the emotions or the stress of those she is portraying. Penélope had a theater filled with fans, but her biggest fan was her husband, Javier Bardem, dressed in a suit who sat in the front row to support his wife. Penélope received the award from Sophia Loren’s son, director/producer Edoardo Ponti, which was followed by a recorded message to Penélope by Sophia Loren. In her speech Cruz, brought up that it was International Women’ Day, and said she shares her award with all of the wonderful mothers who are facing unbearable challenges and horrors in Ukraine.

Cinema Vanguard Award – Benedict Cumberbatch

The festival’s 2022 Cinema Vanguard Award winner was Benedict Cumberbatch. The actor is nominated for an academy award for Best Actor for the Jane Campion Western “Power of the Dog”. The film is the most nominated film of 2022 with 12 Nominations including Best Actor for Benedict. The actor hit the red carpet after signing autographs outside the theater for the fans. A few minutes after he walked the carpet his director of “Power of the Dog” who just recovered from COVID, Jane Campion joined him. She’s nominated for three Oscars: director, adapted screenplay, and best picture. The director who is not fond of walking carpets was completely caught up in the moment and was ecstatic to see Benedict. You could really see how the two became close friends and how much love and respect they had for each other.

After the press line, Benedict was interviewed about all the roles he did from television with “Sherlock Holmes” to “Power of the Dog”. The evening was the most attended event at the festival selling out the Arlington. His award was presented to him by Jane Campion. After his speech he started to leave but came back pointing at something in the crowd. The actor was given a Ukrainian flag as a sign of support for the country amid the ongoing Russian invasion. He then posed for the press to take photos as fans rushed the front stage area.

Maltin Modern Master Award – Javier Bardem & Nicole Kidman

The only disappointing night of the festival was the Maltin Modern Master Award. Oscar nominees Javier Bardem and Nicole Kidman were being honored for their portrayal of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball in Aaron Sorkin’s “Being the Ricardos”. Unfortunately, Kidman had to be in a Zoom interview, due to tearing her hamstring on her current Amazon television show, she was unable to attend in person. Javier Bardem showed up for the carpet wearing casual clothes. A much more laid back look compared to the suit he wore at his wife’s tribute (Penélope Cruz). After the carpet it was time for the festival’s final tribute. Javier was extremely happy making a number of jokes. He showed how much he appreciated the in person crowd upon accepting the award, Bardem said: “I’m very honored, I don’t want to leave this stage! …seeing these images on the big screen after two years, in a theater full of people… it’s a joy for an actor.”

The closing night film was a documentary on Dionne Warwick “Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over”. Director Dave Wooley attended the final night’s film. In closing I want to thank Roger Durling, Haley Powers, Sunshine Sachs, and the over 400 volunteers who made the festival’s return a huge success. For more coverage on the 2022 festival including the 2020 Winners checkout this article below by Patch Media’s Beau Behan.

https://patch.com/california/los-angeles/santa-barbara-international-film-fest-honors-2022-oscar-nominees

This blog is dedicated to my dad who died last July. Thank you for checking out my blog. Don’t forget to support independent film and local music in your city.

All photos © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

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My Kobe Bryant Tribute and Experience

Posted on January 27, 2021 by Jonathanshensa

Every generation has their where were you when moment. For my parents generation it was the Kennedy assassination. For my generation it was when, Kurt Cobain died and of course 9/11. Sadly we can add the events of January 26, 2020 to that list. On a foggy day in Calabasas at 9:45 in the morning Kobe Bryant and his 13 year old daughter’s helicopter slammed into a mountain side killing all 7 people. When I fist saw the news on television it didn’t feel real. After seeing all the post on social media all I could do was hope it was another fake celebrity death story. Then it was finally confirmed. The media started reporting that Kobe with with his daughter and her teammates on the way to headed to a basketball game at the Mamba Sports Academy’s Thousand Oaks.

After hearing the news about Gianna. All I could do was think of Kobe’s wife Vanessa and her two other young daughters. My thoughts went back to all of the games I got to witness on television and in person. Kobe was the second greatest player I’ve ever seen play the game. growing up in Yonkers New York I was a Knicks fan. I even got to attend a number of Play Off Games in the late 80’s and early 90’s. As a young child however, I use to root for The Philadelphia 76ers. My dad grew up in South Jersey and always followed the hers. H e even sent me off to Dr J’s basketball camp at Fordham University in the Bronx (but that is another story). Back in the 80’s the 76ers biggest rival was the Boston Celtics. Even though my mom and other family member scam from Boston for some reason I just really hated the Celtics. unfortunately with the exception of 1 year the Celtics would Always knock the Sixers, out of the Play offs. The celtics main rival from the Western Conference was the Los Angeles Lakers. When it came time for the NBA Finals I would always root for the showtime Lakers. At that point I never knew that The Lakers would end up being my home team.

Kobe Bryant The Early Years

I first started hearing about Kobe around 1995. I thought to myself this kid is too young. How can a teenager in the NBA. However Kobe may have skipped college but he did play in Italy where he grew up. His dad is NBA player Joe Bryant, Kobe declared for the 1996 NBA draft after graduation, and was picked by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick; the Hornets then traded him to the Lakers. That trade would forever change the Los Angeles Lakers. In May, 1997 I moved from Yonkers to Sherman Oaks, California. There I had a coup friends who lived there already. In November, I had a bucket list item crossed off my list. After years of seeing the great western Forum on television, I was actually going to see a Lakers game at the historical venue. I along with two friends from New York we attended the New York Knicks v.s. Los Angeles Lakers, game on November 7, 1997. Kobe came off the bench and scored 4 points. I defiantly saw potential. The Lakers won 99-94. Bryant won the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, at the All-star game. He then along with with Shaquille O’Neal, helped win three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002 and to titles in 2008&2009 without Shauq.

2002 Playoffs

After suffering through years on watching my Knick’s get nocked out of the Play Offs, (thanks to Jordan). I have to admit it was exciting to be a Laker fan those years. The 2002 season will always be special to me. I attended a game in the second, third and in June 2002 I was able to cross off attending a NBA Finals game in June. One of the games I attended was the game where with less than one second remaining on the clock, Robert Horry of the Los Lakers recovered the ball and made a three-point shot over Sacramento Kings’ Chris Webber to win Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference Finals at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on May 26, 2002. The Lakers would go on to beat the New Jersey Nets to complete their three-peat.

American Film Institute’s 44th Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute to John Williams

I would go on to see Kobe, grow from boy to man. He had an unforgettable smile abut never had a big ego. Sadly I never had the chance to meet him.I did however get a chance to photography him on the red carpet for American Film Institute’s 44th Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute to John Williams. Bryant had worked with Williams on the his 2018 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film ‘Dear Basketball’. Kobe walked the very crowded carpet. He seemed to be having the time of his life taking it all in. He was so proud of his Oscar, Laughing and chatting with J.J. Abrams and other celebrities. Kobe had been working on several projects at the time of his death.

The role that Kobe loved the best was being a Girldad. Kobe Bryant left a legacy from his 20 year, Laker career. He wasn’t just a great player he was a great person helping numerous charities. You could have seen him as a coach or possibly an owner of an NBA Team. Bryant was called “one of the greatest players in the history of our game” by NBA commissioner Adam Silver,. The NBA mourned for one of its own. One thing is sure, Kobe will never be forgotten.
Mamba out!

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Hollywood stars head North for the 35th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Posted on February 17, 2020 by Jonathanshensa

 Welcome back to ”The Outsiders Guide to the Inside of Hollywood.” I hope everyone enjoyed the Oscars. My latest blog is on one of my favorite film festivals, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The festival marks the end of Award Season and the final film festival before the Academy Awards. This year’s festival ran from Jan. 15 to Jan. 25, 2020.

The festival in the past had always been at the end of January / first week of February. This year the festival moved the date up to two weeks earlier in hopes to have more world premieres and showcases for new films and talent. SBIFF took gamble changing the dates, in the end, the gamble paid off. The the festival featured 47 world premieres and 71 U.S. premieres from 50 countries along with tributes to this year’s top Filmmakers, panel discussions and Q&A’s. Opening night the festival began with off with the U.S. Premiere of “A Bump Along The Way”, Directed by Shelly Love and starring Bronagh Gallagher, Lola Petticrew, Mary Moulds, Dan Gordon and Brendan Farrell.

Renee Zellweger American Riviera Award

SBIFF is famous for its Celebrity tributes, this year featured a diverse group of Filmmakers. Many who were nominated for an Academy Award. The first of the tributes was to Renee Zellweger, who was being honored with the American Riviera Award for her performance in “Judy”, playing Judy Garland. Renee hit the carpet wearing a black Tom Ford suit styled with Tom Ford shoes and David Webb jewelry. After doing interviews and posing for photos it was time for her tribute at the historic Arlington Theatre. When asked about playing Judy Garland, she called it “Role of a lifetime: She recently told Forbes of playing Garland: ‘I came to admire her even more deeply than I did before’. During her tribute Renee spoke about her entire career. One of the things I love about conversations and Q&A’s is hearing the story behind the story. I always have enjoyed SBIFF’s tributes. Zellweger would go on to win the Oscar for Best Actress at the 2020 Academy Awards.

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Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson The Outstanding Performers of the Year Award

The next the night the festival celebrated their choice for The Outstanding Performers of the Year with appearences by Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. The actors were being honored for their portrayal of a couple going through an ugly divorce in Noah Baumbach’s, “Marriage Story”. After waiting for the Academy Awards nominees who were running late, we started hearing rumors that Scarlett wasn’t coming. About 15 minutes later still no actors. Finally, we got word that Scarlet told them she got deafly ill at the hotel and wasn’t coming. There was a lot of talk going around about how truthful she or her handlers were being. Everyone was disappointed a lot of press and fans were really angry, but life happens and the show must go on. I started to wonder how were they going to do an on-stage interview with Adam due to the fact he doesn’t watch himself/ his films on the screen at all. Adam arrived and signed autographs for the fans before hitting the carpet to do interviews and photos. After the photos, I headed inside wondering how they were going to fill the time if they aren’t showing clips. The tribute started with Roger Durling telling the audience he had some bad news. After that, a pre clip of Adams films ran before taking the stage. I really enjoyed seeing Adam speak about his craft. I really didn’t know that much about him. The first thing I learned was before acting Adam served our country in the marines. You could tell he was a little bit nervous. As the conversation went on I actually grew to like this format. Adam really did a great interview. I have the feeling that he will get his Oscar one day.

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Virtuosos Awards

Next up was actually one of the festival’s best nights, the  Virtuosos Awards. The award celebrates a select group of talent whose noteworthy performances in the film have elevated them into the national cinematic dialogue. This year’s honorees were, Awkwafina (The Farewell), Taron Egerton (Rocketman), Cynthia Erivo (Harriet), Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart), Aldis Hodge (Clemency), George MacKay (1917), Florence Pugh (Midsommar), and Taylor Russel (Waves). The evening started with a Red Carpet with all of the recipients walking. Some of the fashion highlights of the evening were“Little Women” 2020 Oscar nominee Florence Pugh who wore a Valentino dress from the Spring 2020 Collection. Double 2020 Oscar Nominee for her role in “Harriet”, Cynthia Erivo, wore Brock Collection and Schiaparelli Couture. “The Farewell” and “Nora from Queens” star was dressed in Giambattista Valli. Once the carpet was finished the honorees headed inside the Arlington Theatre for the Award presentation. The Hollywood reporter’s Scott Feinberg then interviewed the actors separately before everyone was brought back together for a panel discussion that was full of interesting facts and some really cool and funny moments.

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    Montecito Award  Presentation to Lupita Nyong’o

The 2020 Montecito Award went to Lupita Nyong’o for her work in “US”, for not just playing one role but two. The film horror was written and directed by Oscar-winner Jordan Peele (Get Out). Lupita, who won an Oscar for her supporting acting in “12 Years a Slave”. Lupita, arrived for her tribute walked the carpet wearing Dolce & Gabbana Floral Print Dress. Lupita was interviewed and spoke about her career and some of her biggest highlights. The “Black Panther”, actress was then presented with the Montecito Award, which is given to a person in the entertainment industry who has made a great contribution to film.

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   Cinema Vanguard Award Presentation Laura Dern

The next celebrity tribute was the Cinema Vanguard Award being given to Laura Dern for her work as a divorce attorney in Noah Baumbach’s, “Marriage Story”. Dern who had swept all the major awards of award season already, wore a black vest dress inspired by a tuxedo. Laura was interviewed on stage and gave comments on ands stories from her long career. She also talked about parents Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern. The evening’s moderator showed clips of past films all the way up to “Marriage Story”. Laura who won in the past 5 Golden Globe Awards and a Primetime Emmy. Last week after being nominated for an Academy Award twice before for 2014’s “Wild” and 1991’s “Rambling Rose” Dern, finally took home an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Marriage Story”.

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  Maltin Modern Master Award Presentation to Brad Pitt

The Maltin Modern Master Award had always been one of my favorite night’s for the reason being the award and onstage interviews were given by the legendary Lenord Maltin. The award is the highest honor presented by SBIFF. Established in 1995, it was created to honor an individual who has enriched our culture through accomplishments in the motion picture industry. The award was re-named the Maltin Modern Master Award in 2015 in honor of long-time SBIFF moderator and renowned film critic Leonard Maltin. This year’s honoree was one of the most popular actors of all time. Brad Pitt was being honored for his career and his work in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”. This by far had one of the most press I’ve ever seen at the SBIFF. The sideline was around the corner with journalists almost on top of each other. Brad arrived at the Arlington and was greeted by a thunderous cheer that sounded more like a rock concert. Brad started by signing autographs for the huge crowd who was watching across the street. After finally finishing up the interviews with the house crew he started the long process of giving soundbites to the video journalist. Due to the amount of press we were body to body on the photo press line. Next to me, I saw some Junior High School and Grammar school kids sexting up a camera to due to an interview. I started to get nervous because people ended up pushing at the end of the carpet and I didn’t see a teacher with them. I literally shouted to the camera people pushing having to push back so no kids were hurt. One of the reporters who was from the grammar School name was Megan. She was like a mini Erin Andrews. Really acted well past her years. Her teacher who showed up with a mounted camera, told the girls that Brad may not have time for them to interview him. I then told them there’s no way he would just walk past and ignore the Junior Journalist. When Brad got to their spot he was surprised at first but gave the kids time and told them how good their questions were. After a quick photo run, I headed inside. Lenord Maltin brought Brad out and as the other tributes, he took a walk down memory lane starting with Brad’s early films along with his most recent. The most interesting fact learned from his tribute was his answer to the question what roles did you turn down. The answer was the lead role in the Matrix films. I’m sure Keanu Reeves has thanked him for. Brad’s award was given to him by Director and friend David Fincher. Brad got very emotional hearing David, words and thanked everyone in a humble speech. Two weeks after receiving the award in Santa Barbara, he would take home his second and first for acting Oscar.

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The Outstanding Director of the Year Award Presentation to Bong Joon-ho

The final tribute of the 2020 Santa Barbra International Film Festival was the The Outstanding Directors of the Year Award. Last year, in a historic event the festival had all 5 directors who were nominated for Best Director were honored and took part in conversation altogether. This year the lineup was listed as TBA till a couple days before the event. My colleges in the press were expecting some high profile names like Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, and Noah Baumbach. Up until a few months ago, they all were seen as the front runners, until a Korean Film named “Parasite” directed by Bong Joon-ho came from nowhere and became the biggest surprise of the 2020 Award Season. Instead of showcasing multiple directors the SBIFF Renamed it The Outstanding Director of the Year Award honoring Bong Joon-ho. Personally I knew Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese already were honored by SBIFF in December. The WGA had an event that night in LA where Noah Baumbach attended that night. I do feel that the SBIFF could have done something really cool and would have been the most talked and most covered event of the festival. What I would have done was invite all the nominees but include some of the Women directors who were not nominated for an Oscar but should have. I would have had Greta Gerwig (Little Women) Lulu Wang (The Farewell) and Olivia Wilde (Booksmart). As we know “Parasite” went on to win 4 Oscars, including Best Picture, Directing, International Feature Film and Writing (Original Screenplay). It was the first foreign film ever to win the Best Picture Oscar. So it looked like the festival made the right decision.

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As usual the festival had an amazing lineup of tributes. My only regret is that due to my event and work times conflicting with screenings I didn’t have time to see any films. The Santa Barbara International Film Festival will return for the 36th edition Jan. 27-Feb. 6, 2021 The SBIFF has screenings and events with celebrities several times a year. For more information go to sbiff.org. The festival is up for the USA Today Best Film festival. You can vote for them here. VOTE for them every day at bit.ly/36TeTuo.

For more on the 2020 festival including the 2020 Winers checkout this article by Patch Media’s Beau Behan. https://tinyurl.com/w6h6uvk

Thank you for checking out my blog. This Blog is dedicated to Kobe Bryant (Lakers) and Neil Pert (Rush) who tragically lost their lives last month.

All Photos © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography
#JonathanScottShensaPhotography #photobyjonathanscottshensa #sbiff #sbiff2020
#photobyJonathanShensa #photographer

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Netflix rolls out the red carpet for “Santa Clarita Diet”, then pulls the plug on the show a week later. Why your favorite streaming show might be next.

Posted on June 14, 2019 by Jonathanshensa

Greetings everyone and welcome back to The Outsiders Guide to the Inside of Hollywood.” I figured if Hollywood can reboot every Film and Television show, then I can reboot my blog. My blog is not like all the other blogs out there. Its is based on personal experiences I’ve had in my life of attending or covering entertainment and press events as a photographer, story teller and fan. The reason for my long hiatus was due to writers block. I was deeply effective by the suicides of Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington. My last Blog  was written on Chris Cornell’s birthday. It was also the day that Chester took his own life. I tried to put my feelings down on paper but another one of my creative influences, Tom Petty, accidentally overdosed on pain medication. I started over a dozen blogs, but never could get past three paragraphs. Lately I’ve been able to find my creative voice once again.

If any of you have read my blog’s in the past you know how I feel about Drew Barrymore. So it should be no surprise that when I found out about the LA Red Carpet Premiere of Season 3 of  “Santa Clarita Diet”, I had to cover it. The show stared Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant. Drew was also an Executive Producer on the show. The show is about  a married couple real estate agents in suburban Santa Clarita, California. Drew’s character dies, but transforms into a zombie and  needs human flesh to feed.

The day before the premiere, I still didn’t hear back from the publicist to see if my photo request was confirmed. I live in the Bay Area which is 400 miles from my home. After not hearing back, I sent one last email. Later on that night I got an email from the PR company saying my emails got lost in their junk mail. She then told me I was approved to cover the premiere in LA at 6 P.M. the next day. At the crack of Dawn the next morning I headed South.

About 6 hours later, I arrived in Hollywood. I lived in the Lower Hollywood Hills for 10 years and always have fond memories living and working in the area. Due to the large amount of events going on the premiere was held  at Hollywood Post 43 behind a closed gate. This was great. We didn’t have to deal with Fans, Collectors (Ebayers), Paparazzi and tourists. The Red Carpet was located in the parking lot. The set up was perfect, a beautiful long Red Carpet and great lighting! For the first time in a long time I was excited for a shoot!

The first cast members to arrive were actors  who were guest staring on the show this season. Goran Visnjic (E.R. Timeless), posed for pictures. During a interview with a Videographer, another former “Timeless” cast member actor, Malcolm Barrett, sneaked up to him and hugged Goran. They greeted each other like they were truly overjoyed to see each other.

The first  regular cast to hit the carpet was Skyler Gisondo. Skyler who is now co staring in the indie hit film “Booksmart”. He then was followed by former “Justified” actor  and Drew’s husband on the show, Timothy Olyphant. As he walked down the carpet he finally made it to my stop at the end.  I started to take some photos as he looked at my Guns N’ Roses sweatshirt Timothy spoke to me saying “Cool Sweatshirt.” I answered back, ” Cool Band”.  He nodded his head and said “Yeah.”

Finally it was time on the carpet for the lady of the evening, Star and Executive Producer, Drew Barrymore. Drew arrived in a beautiful green emerald long dress. Drew posed alone and with the cast and crew of the show. She then made sure that all the video people got interviews. By the time I packed up everything and got to my car Drew was on her final interview. The lot was pitch dark besides the one light left from the interview with no people except her, the interviewer, and her handlers. The night ended with high spirits and everyone hoping for a Season 4. But those hopes quickly faded.

One week later the show was canceled by Netflix. Fans were immediately furious with the Streaming service and threatened to cancel their membership. The hash tag’s #SaveSantaClaritaDiet and #CancelNetflix became popular posts on social media. Drew, being the professional that she is made a statement to Entertainment Weekly that both her character and Olyphant’s  were an “Amazing couple,” adding that she feels “lucky” to have been a part of the show. Barrymore also gave a shout out to Victor Fresco, the shows creator.”Sheila  and Joel were an amazing couple, who had shared goals. And I am lucky to have worked along side Tim Olyphant,” she told the outlet. “It was an honor to get to do something so delightful. Sheila lives forever in me. And I am grateful to Victor Fresco, who created a world so unique.”

So the question is, why did Netflix cancel the show? Sadly it came down to money. The show they claim cost too much to produce. They wanted to produce new cheaper shows of their own content. The streaming service did hardly any promotion for the new season. The Network has been on a firing frenzy lately, cancelling “One Day at a Time”, “Jessica Jones” and other fan favorites.

Their latest cancellation is actually a show they saved a year ago.  After 3 seasons “Lucifer”, a show staring Tom Ellis was cancelled by network TV. The series revolves around Lucifer Morningstar, the Devil, who abandons Hell for Los Angeles where he runs his own nightclub and becomes a consultant to the LAPD. The show was resurrected by Netflix after Fox cancelled the show last year. More than 300,000 fans campaigned to get the drama a fourth season.  The show and previous seasons premiered on Netflix for a shortened 10 episode season last month. However Netflix, last week renewed the show  for a Fifth but final season.

Once again Netflix said it is to expand their original content. Unfortunately they have replaced it with below average Netflix Original Films which are poorly made for television shows, and would have  either gone straight to video or never been released back in the day. It’s such a shame to see quality shows be replaced with below the bar quality. Netflix has produced a number of great shows and films. It just seems that they are interested in quantity over quality which could be a bad mistake in the streaming service wars. They don’t want to end up  being the next Myspace.

So what can you do as a fan? For streaming shows, you can stream them again. You don’t have to be a Neilson Family. Unlike regular T.V., Netflix knows what the numbers of viewers are. Another powerful tool is social media. Get people talking about the show. Tell a friend who hopefully will tell another friend to watch a film or T.V. show. Now more than ever its important to support Independent Film and Music. Check out an indie film or a local band in your area.

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My Chris Cornell Experience & Birthday Tribute

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Jonathanshensa

 

Greetings everyone and welcome to another edition of “The Outsiders Guide to the Inside of Hollywood”. This falls into the category of, wish I didn’t have to write. I’ve been trying for the last month’s and literally have started and stopped this blog over 50 times. Last May, we lost one of my favorite musical artist, Chris Cornell. Today July 20, would have been his birthday. Chris was a musical genius. His range and different styles of music was unlike anything at the time. The first time I heard of Soundgarden, was in 1990 when they were on tour with Faith No More”. I remember seeing an interview on MTV and hearing that voice. “That voice”, was so unique. The range of his vocals from Temple of the Dog, to Audioslave and his solo work to the unique and ground breaking sound of Soundgarden. The band had a sound unlike I’ve ever heard. Their songs were well written tales about overcoming obstacles and dealing with darkness, coming through to see the light and hope. The musical journey took everyone to a special place in their mind. Chris sang about personal demons but also stories of Love and hope.

Soundgarden, who was part of the Seattle Invasion along with Nirvana, Pearl Jam and others part of the Grunge rock scene. At the time the rock bands who were dominating the Billboard charts and filling Arena’s were part of the 80’s hairband era. Soundgarden may have had long hair and considered themselves a Heavy Metal band, but they were defiantly not a hair band (Poison, Warrant, ect.). The first Soundgarden album I bought, was the band’s third studio album, “Badmotorfinger”. The CD featured a hard rocking in your face version of “Rusty Cage”. Several times live you can hear Chris dedicate the song to Johnny Cash, who covered the song in 1996. The album was fresh and exciting. There was one song on the album “Outshinned”, that stood out to me. From the opening thunderous chords to the rock anthem lyrics like, “I’m looking California. But feeling Minnesota.”

My first Soundgarden show wasn’t until 1991, when they opened for Guns N Roses in in Woster Massachusetts. The my second show was at Lollaloluza 1992 which featured Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soundgarden, Jesus and Mary Train, Ministry and Pearl Jam and Ice Cube. The band sounded great. Unfortunately they only had about 30 minutes to play. Thankfully I got to see them headline in 1994.

It was the bands 4th album “Supperunknown”, that had an important significance in my life. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and went on to win 2 Grammy’s for the singles “Black Hole Sun” and “Spoonman”. The album launched the band into mainstream popularity. In 1995, the album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album. The album has been certified five times platinum by the RIAA in the United States, has sold 10 million copies worldwide and remains Soundgarden’s most successful album. Almost all the songs were instant rock classics. However, it was “Fell on Black Days” and “The Day I tried to Live” that had a direct impact on my life. The album came out on March 8, 1994. I bought it as soon as it came out and was the only thing I listened to for about 2 weeks straight. This time period was one of the toughest in my life. One year away from graduating college I was feeling lost and empty inside. I felt hopeless and was struggling with the question who I was and where I was going.

On a April 5, 1994, I was in Harvard Square at the House of Blues, drinking with my fellow alcoholic friend sometime before noon. I can’t remember which pitcher we were on when a guy came in and said he heard that Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain had died. It was before affordable cell phones and social media, so I went to the phone booth and called the local Alternative Radio station WFNX where the D.J. confirmed it. At first everyone thought it was a drug overdose like Cobain had a few months earlier. Then the news came out it was a suicide. At that point I lost my shit. Here was a guy with everything in the world to live for. As we know addiction has it’s toll on everyone but for him to commit suicide it made me feel like I could never go on. At the time I didn’t know it but I was having a major bipolar episode. I’m not sure how but someway I made it back from Cambridge to Boston. I was walking around the streets of Boston but had no destination. I ended up showing up late to a fraternity meeting, completely trashed instead of continuing to drink or doing something even worse. I don’t remember much about that day. I do remember waking up the next afternoon and listening to “The Day I tried to Live” over and over again. The opening lyrics. “I Woke the same as any other day Except a voice was in my head It said, “Seize the day, pull the trigger Drop the blade and watch the rolling heads”. I used the lyrics as a way to express ones self. It was about a month later where I started to write my first screenplay. Whenever I  write I  use music as a way to transform my thoughts and mentally turn into my characters.

1996 Soundgarden, returned to a very different Lollapalooza lineup than 1992.This lineup way far from the Indie bands that normally played. The New York shows at Randallas Island featured Soundgarden, The Ramones (final tour), Wu-Tang Clan, Rancid, Devo, Steve Earle, Cornershop, Melvins, Cocteau Twins, Screaming Trees and a controversial headliner Metallica. Metallica took a lot of heat for being the headliner since they fell into the Heavy Metal category. Like many other artists at the show Chris, talked about how much it meant to him to him to be on tour with The Ramones. Soundgarden sounded amazing. The band fed on energy from the crowd sang along with some of their lyrics. Sadly, the band broke up a year later, due to creative differences on where the band was going.

The next time I saw Chris perform was with Audioslave, The supergroup was formed in Los Angeles, in 2001. The band consisted of Soundgarden lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell, and Rage Against the Machine members Tom Morello (lead guitar), Tim Commerford (bass/backing vocals), and Brad Wilk (drums). On May 6, 2005, Audioslave played a free show in Havana, Cuba.The band  became the first American rock group to perform a concert in Cuba, playing in front of an audience of 70,000. One thing different about this tour was unlike their first tour this one featured a few Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine songs.

After a hugely successful show in Cuba, the band headed home to Los Angeles (Cornell was now living in LA). The band decided on doing another free show to celebrate the release of their latest album. The band would perform an outdoor concert on Hollywood Blvd. that will be broadcast on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” The band hit the stage in front of Kimmel’s studio on Hollywood Blvd. The street was closed for the concert that attract some 10,000 fans. The concert areas was behind wire fences and was suppose to only be for contest winners and the studio audience. The band was to play material from its new album, “Out Of Exile,” which was scheduled to be released May 24. Unlike most Kimmel, shows band was set to play a set and not just 2 songs like most guests do. The band sounded great, opening with “Your Time Has Come”. The crowd was full of energy. However, outside the gates everyone was watching the show on a huge screen. The crowd pushed it way to the gates. About 20 minutes into the set, the band broke out the Rage Against the Machine classic “Killing in the Name”. Fans were so excited they started moshing (slam dancing). The police saw it as a riot. Then the gate barrier tumbled. Then the riot squad i riot gear showed up. The police looked like Stormtroopers (latest Star Wars film opened that night) marching through the crowd. Then Chris got on the mic to tel the crowd that the show had to stop. Cornell then played one last song. The show ended with no other problems. The band released a third album, but broke up later that year.

I did have the chance to see Chris solo several times. One of those shows I was registering voters for Headcount, in the Bay Are for the 2008 “Projekt Revolution” tour.
Cornell was featured on the Main Stage of Linkin Park’s “Projekt Revolution” tour. The highlight was of the evening was Cornell dueting with Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington, performing Temple of the Dogs” Hunger Strike”. My next show in 2010 was a real special show. It was advertised as a solo acoustic show at the Troubadour. This was the second performance in what would be his“Songbook“ series. The show featured just Chris and an acoustic guitar. Chris played songs from Soundgarden, Audioslave and Temple of the Dog. He also played some of his favorite songs ranging from Elvis Costello, John Lennon The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. The crowed was packed and even included some celebrity guests. I ended up running into actor Tom Hanks and his wife as I left the show.

In 2010 Soundgarden, got back together with a tour that sold out the Forum in LA. The band sounded just as good as they did when I first heard them. My first and only official time photographing Soundgarden was on the Red Carpet at the Avengers LA premiere. Chris’ s kids had walked the carpet and sat on motorcycles that were on the carpet.

Out of all the shows I have been to I feel that my favorite show was At the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California in 2015. The tour was a co headlining tour with Nine Inch Nails. Chris and the guys knocked it out of the ball park. They blew Nine Inch Nails away at that show. The energy from the bands was the most intense I have ever seen of them. Chris looked happy and healthy. His vocals hit all the high notes. Sadly as I saw them walk away not realizing that would be the last time I ever saw Chris.

On May 18th, the Chris was found dead at the MGM Grand Hotel in Detroit.  I was in shock. But the real shock was when the information came out that it was a suicide. Cornell had a wife and young children. Soundgarden was on tour at the time. The only thing I could think of was all of the fans. Especially the ones like me, who had used his lyrics as our therapy. His songs helped us feel that we were not alone. As soon as I heard the news I flocked to his Twitter to see if there were any signs of even depression in his tweets. He seemed happy and looking forward to some family time. Vicki Cornell didn’t believe that her husband would actually take his own life. She blamed the anti-depressant Ativan for the singer’s hanging suicide. Sadly we will never know.

If you are having suicidal thoughts talk to a friend, family member or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255.

 

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Photo by © Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography

 

 

 

 

Posted in blog, Blogger, celebrity blog, Celebrity Event Photos, Celebrity Photos, concert, Entertainment, Entertainment Blogs, Entertainment Photographer Blog, Event Photographer for Hire, Hollywood celebrity photos, Independent music blog, Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography, Jonathan Shensa, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment