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As the calendar turns to a new year I am grateful to many things —good health, a loving family, all the things that really matter. I am also happy to be employed—and I don’t take that for granted in these troubled times. Although there have been some upheavals at ReelzChannel, which is still building an audience in its third year, I’m happy to say that my weekly show Secret’s Out is holding fast. I’ve had two exceptionally good interview guests in recent weeks, the wonderful Alfred Molina and character actor Richard Jenkins, who does such a fine job in The Visitor. You can see both interviews streaming online HERE.
Many great people left our midst in 2008, and I feel lucky to have met a number of them, including actress Ann Savage, a lovely woman who came to my USC class many years ago to speak, following a showing of her B-movie showcase Detour, and the great pianist and personality Page Cavanaugh. One of the thrills of my life was being able to hire Page and his bass player Phil Mallory to play at my daughter’s bat mitzvah! No one ever sounded hipper than these two cats. For an eloquent tribute, complete with music, I encourage you to visit Scott Wolf’s Mouse Club site. A major fan of Page’s, like me, he managed to find a Disney connection, as The Page Cavanaugh Trio can be heard on the soundtrack of the 1957 cartoon The Truth About Mother Goose.
more in Leonard's Journal
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 THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON — Having studiously avoided watching previews or reading articles about this movie, I approached it with a clean slate—and fell in love with it. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button swept me up and took me on an emotional journey through one man’s extraordinary life. I was never aware of the time passing—which is rare for a movie that runs two hours and forty minutes.
By now you probably know the premise of the film, loosely based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald story about a man who is born old and grows younger with each passing year. Still, the less you know about the way it plays out the better off you’ll be. Director David Fincher manages to cast a spell as he spins this modern-day tall tale, weaving together elements that are tangible, mystical, and surreal. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett are perfect choices for the leading roles because they, too, represent a kind of heightened reality—more beautiful and charismatic than anyone you’re likely to find living next door. Even Taraji P. Henson, who’s perfect as Pitt’s adoptive mother, is an idealized character we all wish we had in our lives. (The entire cast is first-rate, including Tilda Swinton, Julia Ormond, and Jared Harris.)
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 As promised, here are some worthy follow-ups to our gallery of Christmas-inspired publicity poses. Publicity departments cooked up an endless variety of holiday photos every year—with all the appropriate iconography— for an eager array of newspapers and fan magazines that were only too happy to print them, with due credit to the studios. The caption on this late 1920s still reads, “A hot time at Universal City where Barbara Kent plays the inexorable director.”
I confess that I’m a sucker for these shots and can’t resist sharing some of my favorites with you. In fact, I promise to continue doing so throughout 2009. Wait until you see what’s in store for Valentine’s Day and Washington’s birthday!
to Photos Page
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Leonard's November Journal
 VAMPIRES, GANGSTERS,
AND MORE: A salute to
The Golden Age of the Gangster Film,
Revisiting Pete Kelly's Blues, Discovering M Squad and more
NEW TREASURES:
Hard to believe, but it is Year Eight for the Disney Treasures series. Leonard gives us an inside view
of the latest in this collectors' series.
Leonard's October Journal 
Treasures for a Chaplin-Phile - Leslie Caron in Person - The Old and The New: Stranger on Horseback and Appaloosa - USC's Tribute to John Wayne - Jazz Recommendations - Suffering Through Golddiggers of 1937 - Swimming Against the Critical Tide
Leonard's September Journal
 The Telluride Film Festival
I Love Hoppy
more in The Vault
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