::: George Christy ::: From the Beverly Hills Courier

Smack went my face against the tall glass frame that looked like a glass door that I assumed would open. Stunned, I mistakenly banged against a floor-length window. Whacked hard, schnozzle bruised, eyeglasses spared. What surfaced later from valet parkers was that I wasnÕt the only one, but apparently was the hardest hit at the 2000 Avenue of the Stars skyscraper that lodges the Creative Artists Agency. The buildingÕs senior marketing director, Cindy Giordano Taylor, who affirmed the offices are now at 85% capacity, then wisely put a bench in front of the glass, and while we all know architects fuss about their aesthetic purity of design, safety is an issue here. Either benches or potted palms would prevent another mishap. That aside, several hundred of us were invited on the windswept patio for a reception planned by Allison Jackson to benefit CherÕs Charitable Foundation and for CherÕs preview screening of Love Sees No Color, a 12-minute film produced by songwriter, singer and international peace activist Fred Nassiri, preferably known only by his surname. After introducing Nassiri, Cher added, ÒMusic plays a vital role in spreading a message of peace, love and unity. I was blown away by the thousands of children from 18 countries in the film, singing in 15 languages.Ó Within that brief time frame, the filmÕs famous locations whiz by, including the Wall of Separation that divides Israel and Palestine, the Eiffel Tower, the Holocaust Memorial and Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the Roman Coliseum, the Hermitage Museum and the River Neva in St. Petersburg, and more. ÒOur crew was the first to film on the revered grounds of the Taj Mahal. We were permitted to go to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, inside the Vatican, and at the Statue of Liberty,Ó explained Nassiri. ÒAlso at the ancient city of Persepolis, Osaka Castle in Japan, the Great Wall of China, One Arm Point in Australia, the Pyramids and the Great Sphinx in Egypt, and Unification Park in South Korea. In each country we hired a director and their top notch production teams. By no means was this a slam dunk, we had our perils and obstacles.Ó A former schoolteacher from Iran, Nassiri arrived in the United States during the Õ60s and stayed, toiling as a dishwasher, graduating from beauty school, owning a salon in Beverly Hills. He moved to Las Vegas and opened his Starwood boutique, became a leading wholesaler of apparel in America, underwent a spiritual epiphany in the early Õ80s. During the following decade, the industrious Nassiri wrote his activist songs, embracing music as the universal force, met with Nobel Prize winners Nelson Mandela, Shimon Peres and Kim Dae-jung. He had an audience with Pope Benedict XVI, and on location in India he adopted a village of 600 homeless folks, providing clean water supplies, food, clothing, bathing and restroom facilities. ÒIÕve committed to a monthly financial support. ÒIn Rio de Janeiro, I came upon a school where youngsters were creating art from junk items on the street, proving that the desire to create canÕt be stifled. Their schoolroom was asbestos ridden, unclean with foul odors, and unsafe. IÕm underwriting the Nassiri Cultural Center there, where the children will create their art comfortably Ð and happily.Ó Nassiri is living proof of Walt DisneyÕs long-held belief: ÒIf you can dream it, you can do it.Ó ÒOh boy, I finally made the Village Theatre,Ó exclaimed Jason Reitman before the premiere of his Juno, acclaimed as far back as September at the Toronto International Film Festival. He told the audience that he saved his Village Theatre ticket stubs when he was a teenager from movies (and flashed the stubs) that he lined up to see in Westwood. He couldnÕt say enough about his screenwriter Diablo Cody and his young cast, with its breakthrough performance by 20-year-old Ellen Page, a Nova Scotian. She stars as the resilient 16-year-old Juno MacGuff and must deal with her parents, played by Allison Janney and J. K. Simmons, about her unplanned pregnancy fathered by Michael Cera. ÒMy actors are years younger than I am,Ó added Jason, whoÕs 30. ÒAnd yet they taught me so much.Ó He insisted the audience remain in their seats when the credits were rolling Ð ÒI know É the tendency is to rush out, but I have a surprise you wonÕt want to miss.Ó After nodding to his parents, Genevieve and Ivan (Ghostbusters) Reitman, Jason bowed to Fox Searchlight for greenlighting his two movies -- his previous success was the political satire, Thank You for Smoking, made for $6 million and grossing $40 million, and heÕs filmed any number of television commercials, including Miller Light, Heineken, GM, Honda, Nintendo, BMW, Burger King. The surprise turned out to be Kimya Dawson and Adam Green of the Moldy Peaches performing one of their songs from the film. Why Moldy Peaches? ÒI asked Ellen Page whose music her character Juno would listen to, and she immediately answered, ÔMoldy Peaches.ÕÓ The crowd sauntered over to the Napa Valley Grille for a celebration, where we learned that before writing her debut Juno screenplay, Diablo Cody is a former stripper and phone sex operator in Minneapolis (now do we really believe this?) And Fox SearchlightÕs Peter Rice and wife Megan enthused about Young at Heart, with its choruses of 70-80-90-year-olds singing the songs of Cold Play, Sex Pistols, etc. that will be released in March. The seniors tour these concerts in their native Western Massachusetts, with Peter noting, ÒYouÕll love it, and be deeply moved.Ó At the Napa Valley Grille, we were joined by Charles Aidikoff, whoÕs given us the wonderfully comfortable Aidikoff Screening Room with its Klipsech surround sound system in Beverly Hills, where heÕs been these past 15 years Ð prior to that, his screening room was at 9255 Sunset Boulevard for 26 1/2 years. Charles escorted his artist, author and documentarian companion, Leith Eaton, and admitted, ÒWe go out every night. I just bought a limited edition hard-top Lexus convertible to celebrate my 93rd birthday thatÕs coming up in February. IÕm at work every day, screen favorite films every Sunday afternoon for friends Ð donÕt miss P.S. I Love You with Hilary Swank and Gerald Butler, we love that movie. And IÕm always auctioneering events for charities. The BHPD, the Fire Department of Beverly Hills, City of Hope, Liver and Make a Wish Foundations Ð I do my shtick, picked it up from that king of the one liners, Henny Youngman.Ó Tall, lean and energetic, Charles avoids red meat. ÒI eat breakfast, bypass lunch, and have chicken or fish and vegetables for dinner. But every night I eat a half-pint of Haagen-Dazs ice cream Ð either Belgian chocolate or mint chip, and knock off the other half-pint the next night. If IÕm too old for disco, hey, IÕm still too young for Bingo.Ó Online at www.bhcourier.com.