July 16: Phoebe Cates - Fast Times at Ridgemont High - is 48-years-old-today. (ADULTS ONLY)

ADULTS ONLY

Cates was born Phoebe Belle Cates in New York City, to a family of TV and Broadway production insiders. Her father, Joseph Cates was a major Broadway producer and a pioneering figure in television, who helped create The $64,000 Question. Her uncle Gilbert Cates produced numerous TV specials, often in partnership with Cates' father, and several annual Academy Awards shows.

Cates attended the Professional Children's School and the Juilliard School. When she was ten, she wanted to become a dancer. She eventually got a scholarship to the School of American Ballet, but after suffering a serious knee injury at age 15, she gave up her dancing career. She next began a career as a professional model, which was short-lived although successful.

After ending her modeling career, Cates decided to begin acting. Although her father was an actor as well, he was not enthusiastic about his daughter becoming an actress.

Cates' movie debut was in Paradise, released in 1982. At the age of 17 she played a starring role and did several fully nude scenes in the movie, which had a plot very similar to The Blue Lagoon. Cates later regretted being in the movie, and said: "What I learned was never to do a movie like that again."

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Later in 1982, Cates starred in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (along with Sean Penn), which features "the most memorable bikini-drop in cinema history." The following year, she was in the sex comedy Private School, for which she sang on two songs of the film's soundtrack.

Her later film roles were more modest and largely oriented toward younger audiences, such as the two Gremlins films, and the 1991 film Drop Dead Fred. Her face made the covers of teen magazines such as Seventeen, Tiger Beat, Teen Beat and others.

In 1984, she starred in the TV mini-series Lace. She sought the role of Lili "to get away from a sameness in her movie portrayals."

In 1985, Cates appeared Off-Broadway in Rich Relations written by David Henry Hwang at the Second Stage Theatre. In 1994, she starred in the romantic comedy Princess Caraboo.

Cates retired from acting in the mid-90s in order to raise her children. However, she did return in 2001 for one film with her family; The Anniversary Party, as a favor to the director, her best friend, Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Cates sang the title song (of the same name) for the film Paradise. She also sang the songs "Just One Touch" and "How Do I Let You Know" for the Private School soundtrack. She has also sang along with her husband, actor Kevin Kline, on Sesame Street (see video.)

In 1989, Cates married Kevin Kline, whom she had originally met while auditioning for the part that Meg Tilly ultimately won in The Big Chill. Kline and Cates make their home in New York City and have two children. In 2005, their son, Owen Joseph Kline, received rave reviews for his performance in The Squid and the Whale. Owen and sister Greta Simone Kline appeared in Cates' most recent film, The Anniversary Party in 2001.

In 2005, Cates opened her own boutique called Blue Tree on New York's Madison Avenue.

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July 16: Stewart Copeland of The Police is 59-years-old today.

Stewart Armstrong Copeland was born in Alexandria, Virginia. His family moved to Cairo, Egypt a few months after his birth, and Copeland spent his formative years in the Middle East. In 1957, the family moved to Beirut, Lebanon where Copeland attended the American Community School.

He started drum lessons at age twelve and by age thirteen he was playing drums for school dances. Later he moved to England. Copeland went to college at United States International University and UC Berkeley.

Returning to England, he worked as road manager then drummer for the progressive rock band Curved Air's 1974 reunion tour.

In 1977, Copeland founded The Police with singer-bassist Sting and guitarist Henry Padovani (who was soon replaced by Andy Summers), which became one of the top bands of the 1980s.

Copeland also recorded under the pseudonym Klark Kent, releasing several UK singles in 1978 with one ("Don't Care") entering the UK Singles Chart that year, In 1980, he released  a self-titled 10-inch green vinyl album. Recorded at Nigel Gray's Surrey Sound Studio, Copeland played all the instruments himself.

In 1982 Copeland was involved in the production of a WOMAD benefit album called Music and Rhythm. In 1983, Copeland composed a musical score to earn a Golden Globe nomination for his scoring of Rumble Fish.

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After The Police stopped touring in 1984, Copeland established a career composing soundtracks for movies (Airborne, Talk Radio, Wall Street, Riff Raff, Raining Stones, Surviving the Game, See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Highlander II: The Quickening, The Leopard Son, She's Having a Baby, Taking Care of Business, West Beirut, I am David, Good Burger), television (The Equalizer, Dead Like Me, Star Wars: Droids, the original pilot for Babylon 5, Nickelodeon's The Amanda Show, The Life and Times of Juniper Lee) and video games (Spyro the Dragon and The Agents), along with operas; Holy Blood and Crescent Moon.   and ballets.

In 1985, Copeland released a solo album, The Rhythmatist. The record was the result of a pilgrimage to Africa and its people, and it features local drums and percussion. The album was the official soundtrack to the movie of the same name, which was co-written by Stewart.

In 1988 Copeland followed up with The Equalizer & Other Cliff Hangers and  No Speak, an album collecting some of his soundtrack efforts. In 1986, Copeland teamed with Adam Ant to record the title track and video for the movie Out of Bounds.

In 1989, Copeland formed Animal Logic with jazz bassist Stanley Clarke and singer songwriter Deborah Holland. The trio had success with their first album but the followup recording sold poorly, and the band did not continue.

Copeland has occasionally played drums for other artists including Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford and Tom Waits. In 1993 he composed the music for Ch 4's Horse Opera. He was commissioned by Insomniac Games and Universal Interactive Studios (now Vivendi) in 1998 to make the musical scores for the hit PlayStation game Spyro the Dragon.

In 2000, he combined with Les Claypool of Primus and Trey Anastasio of Phish to create the band Oysterhead. That same year, he was approached by director Adam Collis to assemble the score for the film Sunset Strip.

In 2005, Copeland released Orchestralli, a live recording of chamber ensemble music which he had composed during a short tour of Italy in 2002. Also in 2005, Copeland started Gizmo, a new project with avant-garde guitarist David Fiuczynski. The band made their U.S debut on September 16, 2006 at the Modern Drummer Drum Festival.

 In January 2006, Copeland premiered his film about the Police called Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out at the Sundance Film Festival.

At the 2007 Grammy Awards, Copeland, Andy Summers and Sting performed the song "Roxanne" together again as The Police. This marked the band's first public performance since 1986. They had previously reunited only for an improvised set at Sting's wedding party in 1992 and for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. Copeland soon released the compilation album The Stewart Copeland Anthology.

In March 2008, Copeland premiered a new orchestral composition "Celeste" at "An Evening with Stewart Copeland," part of the Savannah Music Festival. On August 21, 2009, at SummerFest '09, Copeland unveiled a recent composition, "Retail Therapy." Copeland then performed three more original works: "Kaya," "Celeste" and "Gene Pool."

In September 2009, a memoir by Copeland entitled Strange Things Happen: A Life with The Police, Polo, and Pygmies was released by Harper Collins. The book chronicles much of Copeland's life, from his childhood through the course of his work with The Police and to the present.

In 2008, Copeland was commissioned by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra to create a percussion piece involving primarily Indonesian instruments. "Gamelan D’Drum." It was first performed in Dallas on February 5, 2011.

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Copeland is known for precise, energetic, and creative rock-influenced drumming along with a Lebanese- and jazz-influenced style. His distinctive sound centers on a hard, high-pitched crack on a snare or rimshot, and subtle hi-hat work.

Copeland was ranked by Rolling Stone magazine's reader poll as the fifth greatest drummer of all time.

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July 15: "First Lady of Rock" Linda Ronstadt is 65-years-old today.

Did you know?
Linda Ronstadt's Her paternal grandfather was Lloyd Groff Copeman, one of America's prominent prolific patent making inventors. He invented an early form of the toaster, many refrigerator devices, the grease gun, the first electric stove, and an early form of the microwave oven. His flexible rubber ice cube tray earned him millions of dollars in royalties.

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Linda Ronstadt was born in Tucson, Arizona and raised on her family's 10-acre ranch. The family was featured in Family Circle magazine in 1953.

Ronstadt began establishing her music career in the mid-1960s during California's emerging folk rock and country rock movements, genres which later defined post-60s rock music. Linda Ronstadt along with Bobby Kimmel and Kenny Edwards formed The Stone Poneys with Linda as the lead singer. 

As a solo artist, she released Hand Sown ... Home Grown in 1969, which has been described as the first alternative country record by a female recording artist. Although fame eluded her during these years, Ronstadt actively toured with The Doors, Neil Young, Jackson Browne and others, made numerous television show appearances, and began to contribute her voice to a variety of albums.

However, with the successful release of chart-topping albums such as Heart Like A Wheel, Simple Dreams, and Living In The USA, coupled with the fact that Ronstadt became the first female "arena class" rock star, setting records as one of the top-grossing concert artists of the decade, Ronstadt became a celebrity and an illustrious star of the highest magnitude and the most successful female artist of her era.

She was voted the Top Female Pop Singer of the 1970s. Her rock and roll image was equally as famous as her music, appearing six times on the cover of Rolling Stone, as well as Newsweek and Time magazine. 

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In the 1980s, Ronstadt went to Broadway, garnered a Tony nomination, teamed with composer Phillip Glass, recorded traditional music, and collaborated with famed conductor Nelson Riddle, an event at that time viewed as an original and unorthodox move for a rock and roll artist. The career move paid off, and Ronstadt remained one of the music industry's best-selling acts throughout the 1980s with multi-platinum selling albums such as: What's New, Canciones de Mi Padre and Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind.

Ronstadt has continued to successfully tour, collaborate, and record celebrated albums, such as Winter Light, and Hummin' to Myself.

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Linda Ronstadt has earned ten Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multi-platinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden Globe nominations.

As both a singer and record producer, she is considered one of music's most versatile and commercially successful female singers in U.S. history, she is recognized for her many public stages of self-reinvention and incarnations.

With a one time standing as the Queen of Rock where she was bestowed the title of "highest paid woman in rock," and known as the First Lady of Rock, she has more recently emerged as music matriarch, international arts advocate and Human Rights advocate.

Ronstadt has collaborated with artists from a diverse spectrum of genres – including Billy Eckstine, Frank Zappa, Rosemary Clooney, Flaco Jiménez, Philip Glass, The Chieftains, Gram Parsons, Dolly Parton and has lent her voice to over 120 albums around the world.

Christopher Loudon of Jazz Times noted in 2004, Ronstadt is "Blessed with arguably the most sterling set of pipes of her generation . . . rarest of rarities — a chameleon who can blend into any background yet remain boldly distinctive . . . It's an exceptional gift; one shared by few others."

In total, she has released over 30 solo albums, more than 15 compilations or greatest hits albums. Ronstadt has charted thirty-eight Billboard Hot 100 singles, twenty-one of which have reached the top 40, ten of which have reached the top 10, three peaking at No. 2, the No. 1 hit, "You're No Good."

In the UK, her single "Blue Bayou" reached the UK Top 40 and the duet with Aaron Neville, "Don't Know Much," peaked at #2 in December 1989. In addition, she has charted thirty-six albums, ten Top 10 albums, and three No. 1 albums on the Billboard Pop Album Charts.

In 1999, Ronstadt ranked #21 in VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll. Three years later, she ranked #40 in CMT's 40 Greatest Women in Country Music."Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" included Heart Like A Wheel at #164 and The Very Best Of Linda Ronstadt at #324.

In May 2009, Ronstadt received an honorary doctorate of music degree from the Berklee College of Music for her achievements and influence in music, and her contributions to American and international culture.

MIX Magazine stated that "Linda Ronstadt (has) left her mark on more than the record business; her devotion to the craft of singing influenced many audio professionals.... (and is) intensely knowledgeable about the mechanics of singing and the cultural contexts of every genre she passes."

In 2004, Ronstadt wrote the Forward Introduction to the book titled The NPR Curious Listener's Guide To American folk music, and in 2005 she wrote the introduction to the book titled Classic Ferrington Guitars, about guitar-maker Danny Ferrington and his custom guitars that he created for Ronstadt and other musicians such as Elvis Costello, Ry Cooder, and Kurt Cobain.

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City(e)scape

Soaked in luxury dress, H&M cardi, M&S shoes

Yes, I have been grossly neglecting this blog, but no, I haven't abandoned it! With reflection on some recent events, I've shifted my priorities to focus on other aspects of my life. A sincere thank you to those who have asked about me and to readers who continue to drop by despite the lack of updates. I really appreciate it!

This easy print dress was a lucky find at a sweet little boutique called Violet Hill Boutique tucked in the beautiful Steveston Village, Richmond BC. I've always loved getting fish & chips by the pier on a sunny afternoon and now, there's another reason to visit. If you're ever in the area, you ought to check out this boutique! Speaking of simple pleasures, I miss walking around HK with J, scouting out shops with the best macaroons and going back to our hotel room to enjoy them. I'm already dreaming about our next escape... Before that thought, I shall share the long overdue pictures from Bali, Indonesia. Up Next!

Hong Kong Part I

Zara blouse, J Brand jeans, LV bag, Hermes belt, YSL arty ring

I'm back from nearly a month away. First, it was a wonderful time in Hong Kong and Bali with the boy. Days after my return, I was devastated by the news of my grandmother being hospitalized... followed by an unexpected trip to Beijing for her funeral. Without much time to adjust, I left for New York city to meet my dad. Nevertheless, here I am... back on the blogging train and starting with pictures from Hong Kong. No matter how many years away, HK remains a place where I feel at home. I spent a good chunk of my childhood living in the city and there's something about it that's luring me back in. During this visit, I realized that it's time to get off cruise control and get on with my career development. A possible move to HK? Time will tell.










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