THE CALENDAR OF THE EVENTS

On August 5th at 5pm, Author and Film Historian Jack Allen awarded one lucky winner with a strand of Marilyn's hair in a commemorative plaque. That was the top prize in the drawing that took place at the Hollywood Entertainment Museum at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard (across the street from the Hollywood Roosevelt). Every person who had bought the book within the last few months automatically had been entered into the contest (lottery numbers were printed on page one of each book copy). Books were also on sale at the museum at 4:30 PM to accommodate those who still wanted to purchase a book before the contest.

The winning prize numbers were drawn and announced live over the internet (www.marilynbymoonlight.com) at 5 PM. Winners did not need to be present to win. Admission to the museum included, for Marilyn fans only, a one-time guided tour of the current, much-acclaimed Judy Garland exhibit by Judy Garland Expert Tom Boghossian (whose own collection is currently on exhibit). This special tour will began right after the drawing.

On Monday evening, at 8pm August 5th, 2002 many Marilyn fans from across the world gathered at the Roosevelt Hotel’s Academy Ballroom for the second annual Children’s Charity event. This event, run by its President and Marilyn Monroe Impersonator Bettina Monroe, was designed to raise awareness as well as funds.

The evening featured dining and dancing as well as a Marilyn Monroe Look-A-Like contest. Each table was uniquely designed with decorations and gifts, making each guest feel special and pampered. We were all treated to a lovely and elegant full course dinner including a scrumptious cheesecake for dessert. The event’s special guests included pin up model and actress Jeanne Carmen as well as Legendary Paramount Producer A.C. Lyles.

Bettina filled the evening with event after event, the first being a rare viewing of Marilyn Monroe footage on the stages big screen, which included never before seen clips from Korea. Bettina then had several guests, myself included, come on stage to speak about raising funds to help battered and abused women and children. Afterwards, the winner of the Champagne Label Design, Daniel Cadrin, was brought up on stage where Bettina presented him with his award; a bottle of the Champagne he designed! (Proceeds from each bottle of wine sold will go to help the Children’s Charity Foundation)

The main event however was the Marilyn Monroe Look-A-Like contest where four beautiful and talented women competed in song and dance to gain title of GRAND PRIZE WINNER. The contest was loads of fun and all the people attending were able to participate in judging. There were many wonderful moments in this contest; Cindy Brooks performed two terrific song and dance routines and Janet Valentine performed her routine while mingling with the crowd and flirting with the gentlemen! Before the announcement of the grand winner began we all enjoyed dancing to the live band.

The winner of the Look-A-Like contest was Cindy Brooks and the second runner up was Janet Valentine. But there were no losers in this contest, everyone walked away with many wonderful gifts. This was a truly inspiring event where we all enjoyed each other’s company, dancing and dinning, as we raised funds to help abused women and children.

For more information
Marilyn's Children's Charity, Inc.
1990 Mill Pond Lane
Las Vegas, NV 89119

On August 5, 2002, I attended the “Night Of A Thousand Marilyn’s” exhibit at the Don O’ Melveny Gallery at 9009 Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood, California. This elegant affair was coordinated with the 40th Anniversary of Marilyn Monroe’s death and the release of Don O’Melveny’s book “No City For Dreaming” fictionally based on the mysterious death of Marilyn Monroe.

The gallery event featured artistic works from local artists, an artistic interpretation of “Marilyn’s death chamber,” as well a Marilyn Monroe look-a-like contest. Don O’Melveny, who was on hand to sell and sign copies of his new book, hosted the entire evening. In attendance were Marilyn fans, art connoisseurs, radio personalities and a few Marilyn impersonators!

The gallery itself, as well as the bathroom walls were lined with original art work inspired by the legend of Marilyn. One of the pieces of art featured a nude Venus like image of Marilyn Monroe painted alongside a boldly colored Joe DiMaggio and a faded ghost like appearance of Arthur Miller. Another presentation was of a nude Marilyn lying stretched out with images in the background invoking the layman visitor to perhaps think of a young Picasso. There were realistic images of Marilyn, two being of an original Tom Kelley 1955 calendar that the artist took advantage of marking up in creative interpretation. There was also a cartoon type image of Marilyn complete with an over exaggerated sex symbol body (Big head, heavy hips and large bosom) starring vacantly out to her adoring public making you think more of Anna Nicole Smith than Marilyn Monroe. The center of the main gallery featured an Andy Warhol type sculpture of obscure items all seemingly related to Marilyn Monroe.

The most theatrical display could be seen in the gallery’s second room. This “exhibit,” for lack of a better word, was a dramatic and subjective interpretation of Marilyn’s 5th Helena bedroom. Presented by local artists Edem Elesh (www.edem-art.com) and Charles Walker, the aptly titled “Marilyn’s Bedroom” was a sensory exploration of what we, the public, have perhaps conceived Marilyn’s bedroom to be like the night she passed away. It is certainly not a literal interpretation, as everything is physically incorrect, but perhaps a conceptually correct illumination of a tragically doomed sex idol’s bedroom. The gallery space in which the silk sheeted round bed is found was dramatically blacked out and the bed itself was theatrically lit with white stream lights from above giving one the impression at any moment Marilyn may find her way back to the comfort of her most intimate of habitats.

But perhaps most impressive of the evening was the work of an artist named Smael Laurent whose paintings paid direct homage to Marilyn by painstakingly recreating actual images of Marilyn on canvas. To the casual observer these paintings, specifically the one of a Bert Stern photo featured in the Gallery’s front window, looked more like photographs than paint on canvas and it is not until the viewer is forced to look closer that it is realized how deceiving the eye can be. I was able to speak to the artist, who is originally from France and whose work has appeared in galleries around the world, about his work. He informed me that he enjoyed painting Marilyn, as she was “an easy inspiration” and that although his main focus is not Marilyn Monroe he did find her an endlessly exciting subject.

It is clear when looking at his paintings that Mr. Laurent has found something that other artists still struggle to find when trying to recreate Marilyn and which, until now, seemed only to be able to be captured from the confines of a camera and that is the light within the physical beauty of Marilyn Monroe. To see some of Laurent’s work you can visit this website http://arkheart.free.fr/

The evening culminated in the announcement that Marilyn look-a-like, Lisa Hedrick who was decked out in a red gown and rhinestone jewelry, was the blonde gentlemen preferred. The exhibit will run through August 28, 2002 and then will travel for exhibit in China.

For more information on this exhibit or on the new book “No City For Dreaming” please contact:
Don O' Melveny Gallery
9009 Melrose Ave.
West Hollywood , CA 90069
Tel 310-273-7868