OF PLAYBOY AND DAUGHTERS AND A WEIRD NFL PLAY

Gravity

Sculpture by Lana Cochrun

    The recent work by Lana seems an appropriate symbol of this post.The woman wears life and the cumulative affect of unseen forces and her manner is haunting.

Photo by Playboy 

     Hugh Hefner's passing at 91 is a moment to consider who we are and what we have become.

     It seems a mistake to consider only the lifestyle of Hefner who seemed to patent the idea of a playboy. There is much about how he portrayed and used women that people can find offensive and demeaning. But Hefner and Playboy made an impact on America that is to our benefit.

     He was an early advocate for racial equality and took bold steps to make an integrated society the norm.

     He was a tireless advocate of free speech and expression. He fought against censorship and a government's heavy hand.

    He was an advocate and supporter of feminism a maturing of his own sexual views.

    His early TV show was the essence of hip, cool and intellectual discussion and fostered a new format.

    Playboy brought sexual behavior and practice out of the bedroom and into the light of analysis, study and public discussion. 

     And as cliche' as it may have been, he provided a forum for writers, published excellent literature and journalism. It published scores of brilliant articles and probing interviews. 

     He advanced music, art and genuine scholarship.

     In a roundabout way he helped launch Gloria Steinem's writing career.

     Yes, he published pictures of naked women. But the naked human body is nothing to be ashamed of, it is a rather marvelous signet of life on this planet. 

      One's view, on possibly everything we consider, may well change over time and the arrival of heirs.

       I did not hope that my daughters would grow to be Playboy Bunnies, and there was a time when both of them thought the magazine was exploitative. As they aged they came to see modern sexuality in their own enlightened ways. Hugh Hefner contributed to America's maturation.

      As a high school and college boy I enjoyed the magazine, including the beautiful women. I make no apology for that. My hormones were kicking on, sexual experience was a very present motivation in my life and I enjoyed the slick and polished style of Playboy magazine.

     In college I was able to visit a couple of Playboy Clubs and enjoyed the experience. Later, as a journalist and speaking with "Bunnies" and Playmates I gained a broadened view about what those women experienced and the difficulties of it. I saw the truth behind the pretense.

     As a correspondent I profiled one of the magazines leading photographers and accompanied him as he and his crew shot for a feature on mid western women. Let me explain a moment that forever changed my attitude about the models.  

     I'll start with the finished photo. It featured a beautiful young women, partially dressed with a come hither seductive look on her face. The truth is she was an 18 year old kid who found poses only because the photographer's assistants helped her attain them. The seductive look on the page of the magazine was in real life a confused "what do you want me to do?" expression. There was nothing sexual in her mind or behavior and the "look" the magazine was trying to attain was an accidental moment that a skilled photographer was able to glean. The "sexiness" of the shot was nothing in that kid's mind or experience.

       I met Hefner and he was an endearing man, well read and highly intelligent.  Years later I interviewed his daughter Christie when she became CEO. She too was endearing, articulate and deep thinking. 

       In later years Playboy seem an anachronism and even a bit silly.  Hefner's lifestyle seemed the same and perpetually adolescent.  But that does not negate the innovation he brought or the good battles he fought. He was an original.

consider 

     It surprised some the NFL Owners and Commissioner lined up with the players in the battle of words with the occupant of the White House. 

      It would be nice to think these plantation owners firmly believe in the full benefits of free speech and expression. But consider another angle.

      The players and the league are locked in a battle over the NFL's policy of dropping player's medical insurance after a time. That time is usually about the time the players begin suffering the maladies of the game's brutality.

       The biggest concern now and one that some of the public is finally starting to pay attention to is CTE. The statistics of former NFL players with CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) is shocking. Many are wondering if it is not a matter of IF, but WHEN NFL players begin to experience the disastrous destruction of their brains and their lives.

       Getting locked into a battle with the twitter in chief is a great diversion from the CTE concerns. Remember this is a league that tried to prevent a popular movie about CTE from being made, released or advertised. Changing the subject is like an audible change made at the line of scrimmage. 

     See you down the trail

THE WINNER IS…&…AND DEFINING LOVE

THE WINNER

   At dinner the other evening our friend Jill Turnbow, an actor and director said the Academy might as well hand out the Best Actor Oscar now to Eddie Redmayne.  She's right. 
   We see a lot of films and it is hard to imagine how anyone can top the job Redmayne did in the DANISH GIRL
   His portrayal of Dr. Stephen Hawking won him the Oscar last year in a performance of a lifetime-that is until he portrays Einer Wegener a Danish landscape painter who becomes Lili Elbe in one of the first sex change operations.
    As Einer and then as Lili, Redmayne is extraordinary and that word is hardly sufficient. So much of the emotional story is portrayed in his face, his looks and takes and hesitations. His eyes are an acting force unto themselves. 
    There is a contemporary political charge to the story set in the 1920's. Redmayne's acting and that of Alicia Vikander as his wife Gerda reveal the psychological trauma of transgender  metamorphosis. It is a pivot in life fraught with unimaginable torment and distress. Still this is a love story that at least stretches if not redefines love. Vikander as the wife who looses her husband but who still loves the person creates a cinematic allegory that all of us can learn from. Oh how I wish narrow-minded and judgmental self appointed moralists would open their minds the slightest sliver to see and take in the truly human dimension of those who suffer as Wegener did.
      At least we no longer declare transgender people insane and we may be gaining a better sensitivity. Redmayne and Vikander under director Tom Hooper (The Kings Speech and Les Miserables) offer extraordinary testament to the human saga. And Redmayne creates a role that must be seen to know sheer genius and acting as a force of nature.

THE NFL AS A FORCE OF EVIL?

   Cinema as Truth

     It is a wonder the film CONCUSSION was made. If only a portion of what we read is true, the NFL and its henchmen and minions have done what they can from allowing this moment of truth to sneak out of their dark empire. What we read is true, of course and the NFL has finally come to grips with the fact their "game" is causing its players to loose their minds, health and lives.

    Will Smith deserves a nomination for his portrayal of Dr. Bennet Omalu, the forensic pathologist who made the link of serial concussions to the brain disease that was driving former NFL players into madness, despair, violence and suicide.The condition is CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) This is all true, though the NFL did everything they could to discredit Omalu, his research and the work of others.

    "This is not medicine, this is business" is a line from the film at a time when Omalu and a former team doctor confront an NFL medical representative. It is a huge business and if there is science that links the serial head jarring of football to later CTE the impact would be/will be massive. From pee-wee leagues to the pros, players are subjected to force that leads to a disease state. The statistics are staggering, though the NFL tried to cover it up.  Their settlement with the players, after years of denial and lies, further seals the information on what they knew about concussions and when they knew it.  

     Full disclosure here; I watch professional football. I have worked and socialized with active and retired NFL players and executives. I've had professional contact with a couple of NFL owners. With the exception of the owners, the men I know are good guys, competitors, athletes and are driven. Some players are thugs, criminals and tolerated because of their talent. Good guys or thugs the bottom line is money-big money. Players have a small window and know they will likely end up with ailments and thus want to earn as much as they can for using their bodies as they do. 

     Despite the spin they blather, the owners are rich men and women who extort money from cities for stadium and concession deals, who covet the big TV money, and are not above lying or heavy handed tactics to protect their pile of money. Even bigger money is their bottom line, adding to their pile despite who gets hurt, fired or trampled in the process. Truth is not a part of their modus operandi, as they have proven time and time again. 

    Albert Brooks, who is brilliant as Pittsburgh Coroner Cyril Wecht, says the "NFL owns one day of the week, a day that used to belong to the church." There is no doubt Americans love professional football. It follows then that all of us bear a responsibility in the spread of CTE and the pain and death it leads to. 87 former NFL players, now deceased tested positive for CTE. Those 87 are out of 94 who's brains were tested. The research is still in it's infancy. Imagine where this will go. 4,500 former players have sued the NFL.

     Former stars, Mike Webster, Terry Long, Junior Seau and Dave Duerson committed suicide. It was the horrible fall from fame into a life of darkness of Pittsburgh's iron man and community hero Mike Webster in 2002 that started Dr. Omalu on this trail. What did the NFL know before that? We'll likely never know because their commissioner and his masters, the team owners sealed the information as part of a package settlement. 

     CONCUSSION is a good film with moments of uplift and faith. It is also a speaking of truth to power. In this case the power is the NFL and in this role it is a powerful force of evil and greed.

      Will Smith, Albert Brooks, David Morse as Mike Webster, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Alec Baldwin turn in great performances, but are also courageous for taking the roles in this very important film.

   See you down the trail.