Even though it only went three seasons — and two of those were only half as long — Father Dowling Mysteries is one of those indelible properties that people seem to remember fondly. A lot of that can be laid at the feet of series star Tom Bosley in the title role. Who better to play the priest with a penchant for solving mysteries than the man who played America’s favorite father for 11 seasons on Happy Days? Mr. C’s compassion and wisdom won over audiences on that show, so it was no surprise that he brought those along with him to his new venture.

Likely, he caught the mystery series bug in the years between Happy Days and Father Dowling Mysteries by his portrayal of Sheriff Tupper on the first three seasons of another classic mystery show, Murder, She Wrote. It was during his run on that show that Bosley first moonlighted as Father Dowling in a made-for-TV movie on November 1, 1987. The following year, NBC picked it up to series, though the 1988 writer’s strike delayed its premiere until January 1989. As such, that first season only ran eight episodes. It is these episodes and that telefilm that make up Father Dowling Mysteries: The First Season.

Bosley was very much following in the footsteps of fellow sitcom dad Andy Griffith who took to solving crimes on NBC’s hit series Matlock, starting in 1986. NBC was on top of the heap then, so it was almost a no-brainer to poach Bosley from Murder, She Wrote and give him another starring vehicle.

Bosley’s charm and joyous performance carries much of the stories, but he’s perfectly matched by street-smart Sister Stephanie “Steve,” played by Tracy Nelson with a whole different kind of charm. The two seem to always be on the same page when they abruptly decide to take off and nose their way into a local mystery. Their relationship plays one part father/daughter and the other part equal partners who trust one another implicitly. But always there is that shining joy and happiness in everything. Even in the face of danger, Father Dowling has a smile and a kind word … and a hint that maybe they should make their way to church this coming Sunday. He’d certainly love to see them there.

Tom Bosley and Tracy Nelson of Father Dowling Mysteries

There’s a dated element, of course, to the capers shown on Father Dowling Mysteries. Especially in this era of procedurals that spend as much time on forensics and the power of modern technology to solve crimes. Father Dowling and Sister Steve don’t have access to that kind of technology — or even cell phones, for that matter — so they go about it the old-fashioned way. That means some old-school classics like high speed car chases in almost every episode, courtesy of the lead-footed Sister Steve, as well as lots of sneaking around. Luckily, as a man and woman of the cloth, people tend to trust their motives when they ask to poke around a crime scene or a private domicile. While it all feels rather harmless, as there’s never any real sense that either of our protagonists is in mortal danger, the mysteries are fun enough that it’s compelling to watch as our amateurs outsmart the bad guys, and in some cases, the authorities, as well.

Things get a little corny from time to time, as well, and no more so than with the introduction of Father Dowling’s “evil twin” brother late in this first season. It’s as if the moment television realized it could use split-screen technology to have someone play two characters at once, this became a staple of virtually every television series on the air. Luckily, Father Dowling Mysteries had an ace up its sleeve that helped even this cliche go down smooth. As dated as things may look while you’re smiling at the computers, telephones and cars, the writing holds up very well, as do the performances of the lead actors. Particularly, Bosley makes both characters believable without going over the top on either one.

There’s also the inevitable scene in a strip club reserved for the official series premiere. It’s nice to see this staple of mystery and crime television even make its way onto a series that has a Catholic priest as its lead. If it’s a little awkward to see cops hanging out in a strip club, it’s even weirder when it’s Father Dowling. And Sister Steve took it a step worse, infiltrating the club to get a job as a bartender. Note that Sister Steve seems to have any skill necessary to help them solve the crime. She was flipping bottles like Tom Cruise in Cocktail!

The video transfer is about what would be expected for an under-appreciated series. In other words, it’s not that great. The premiere movie looks especially worse for wear, but the transfer for most of the episodes looks about like you might remember getting on the television back in 1989, if the antenna was pointed just right, giving the strongest signal. As for extras, they basically didn’t even bother. Episode previews for most of them is literally all that was offered. In other words, this is the television series, and basically that’s it.

Tom Bosley as Father Dowling

After this first season, Father Dowling Mysteries jumped ship to ABC where it got a 13-episode second season. A 22-episode third season rounded out the series run, which is a little disappointing when you realize how well the product holds up. It would have been nice to see Paramount package those first two seasons together in this outing, though perhaps the shift in networks had some impact. Or they just went the cheaper route to gauge interest in the property before investing in a larger release. Still, that means that even if this does well, it’ll be another short release for the second season.

In a tough television landscape, and with some scheduling difficulties getting out of the gate, Father Dowling Mysteries went largely unnoticed among the mystery series of the day. But it really shouldn’t have. Luckily, it has a second chance to find an audience. Anyone looking for a very calm and safe-seeming mystery series with a charming and joyous lead, accompanied by a fun and enthusiastic sidekick, should look no further than Father Dowling Mysteries.

Kiefer Sutherland and David Mazouz in Touch

I’m looking forward to seeing how Touch does with audiences when the Fox show premieres officially on March19, 2012. After eight seasons of watching Kiefer Sutherland kick terrorist tush on 24, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to see him as any other character. But after watching the pilot for Touch, I’m willing to give it a try.

Sutherland stars as Martin Bohm, a New York blue collar worker whose wife died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He’s a single dad, raising his 11-year-old son, Jake (David Mazouz), who narrates much of the pilot episode, even though he hasn’t spoken a word his entire life. Jake is also obsessed with numbers and cell phones, and while he seems autistic, both Sutherland and series creator Tim Kring (who helmed Heroes) say he is not.

According to professor Arthur Teller (Danny Glover), Jake is one of those people who possess amazing gifts when it comes to figuring out patterns and connections. This gift also serves to connect Jake with his dad, who uses the information to thwart potentially harmful events from happening.

I recently caught up with Sutherland, who revealed that he wasn’t completely ready to return to television.

At what point did you connect with the character of Martin and know this was a story you wanted to tell?

I was doing a play in New York on Broadway, and  I had a film I was going to do, so I read Touch almost reluctantly. I wasn’t completely ready to go back to television yet. I was enjoying some of the different opportunities I had. But I think it was around page 30 where I just knew I’d be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity that Touch was.

And I identified with Martin right out of the gate. There was something interesting, because obviously, this is very different than 24, yet there’s a similar kind of character. Jack Bauer would be faced with unbelievable circumstances in the course of a day, and he would never win completely, and this guy is never going to win either. He’s never going to have that quintessential father-son relationship.

And yet he perseveres, and I identified with him as a parent not knowing what to do all the time. During [ex-wife] Camelia’s pregnancy … for nine months I had these fantasies of how I was going to be the greatest dad on the planet. And then Sarah was born, and a kind of fear came over me like none I’ve ever had in my life. I was confronted with the fact that I really didn’t know what I was doing, and I was going to have to figure it out as I went.

So do you think everything is connected, and we’re just not smart enough to piece it together?

I absolutely think it is. Can one focus on every single moment of their life in this way? No, of course not, but even something as simple as someone who’s late for a bus one day … all of a sudden they’re not on the bus, and they’re taking up space somewhere else. Maybe they’re in a taxi, and that affects the taxi driver’s life. So yes, I do believe there’s a ripple effect upon everything we do, and it has positive consequences and negative consequences.

David Mazouz in Touch

You mentioned loving the script, but were there other things that brought you back to television?

A combination of things. I had an unbelievable experience on 24. We shot 198 episodes, and I was as excited about shooting the 198th as I was the first. And I had a great relationship with Fox, both the studio and the network, so that, combined with this script … it wasn’t even really a choice anymore. It was something I knew I had to do.

And I remember thinking about it really strongly when I was crossing the street in New York. I said to Susan, a person I work with … if we don’t do this, how are we going to feel in September watching it and knowing its potential? That answered my question for me. I didn’t want to be sitting there watching this fantastic show if I’d had the opportunity to be a part of it.

For people who are used to seeing you as Jack Bauer on 24, how do you convince them to give Touch a look?  

I don’t know if there is convincing. Ultimately, almost in the way that 24 started, people might be interested because they’re a fan of Tim Kring or mine or maybe they liked the Touch trailer. They’ll watch it and tell friends about it, and we have to rely on that.

For me, personally, I feel that there’s a great deal of suspense within the context of the show, not knowing what the numbers are and the narrative where the audience knows more than the lead character. So even though we’re not blowing things up, there’s enough excitement that people who enjoyed 24 won’t be thrown by it.

How do you categorize the show? Do you see it as a drama, science fiction, paranormal fiction … ?

I’ve always looked at it as a drama. We’re embarking on the journey of a father trying to connect with his son and trying to have as normal a relationship as he can under the circumstances. That will always be at the heart of the show, but there are also elements of science fiction, thriller and suspense.

Touch has a great opportunity for lots of guest stars. Will Titus Welliver and Danny Glover be back, and is there a possibility of your dad making an appearance?

There’s always that possibility. I’ve conveyed to Tim Kring that my father is someone who I’d very much like to work with. We don’t have a script or a story, but it’s certainly open.

And Touch is a procedural show. Unlike 24 and Heroes, which were serialized shows, these episodes will have a beginning, a middle and an end. But that doesn’t preclude a character you’ve seen in one episode coming back five episodes down the line. We have, in fact, done that, but I don’t want to say who.

There also might be background characters in one episode that will come to the forefront in another episode, but that doesn’t stop each episode from being its own complete little entity. That’s something Tim Kring has done a beautiful job of weaving in and out.

Talk a little about working with David Mazouz and forming an on-screen bond with his character when he doesn’t talk. What’s that like? 

He’s an amazing young actor and an amazing young man. He does something that’s really impossible to teach an actor to do. He has very limited physical response to anything that I do. He doesn’t talk, and yet I can feel his presence even if he’s not looking at me. I can always sense that he’s listening, and I think that comes across to the viewer, as well. That’s a real gift.

He was the first boy out of about 25 young people that I read with, and I remember thinking, wow, this kid is amazing. If the other kids are going to be like this, we’re going to find an amazing kid. After I’d read with about 30 kids, I was finally like, ‘would you guys please just hire the first kid?’ All the kids were fantastic, but there was something really special with David.

He works a lot of hours with us, and I’ve just been completely amazed by how focused and attentive he is. I think that’s a big thing. He’s not being made to do this. He really enjoys it, and he’s very curious about how to get better. I really love working with him.

What can you say about Martin’s journey in the first season?

At the beginning of the story, we discover Martin has a son named Jake, who we realize has been misdiagnosed with severe autism. In fact, he’s just a truly evolved human being that is years beyond where my character and where our society is. In an effort to communicate with my son, I discover he has this unbelievable skill set that allows him to interpret numbers and symbols in a way that explains our past and, to some degree, predicts our future.

The story is based on a Chinese fable called The Red Thread, which is basically a red thread looped loosely around the ankles of all the people that are supposed to come in contact with each other over the course of a lifetime. This thread can stretch and it can bend, but it cannot break. Somehow in our society, we’ve broken this, and my son is taking me on a journey to try and put the thread back together.

David Mazouz and Kiefer Sutherland in Touch

Who are some of the other characters Martin connects with?

Certainly, Danny Glover, who explains his son’s condition to him. And Gugu [Mbatha-Raw], who plays the worker at Child Services who’s managing Jake’s case. Those are people that will be very important. There’s also Martin’s wife, who was killed on the terrible day of 9/11, and even though she’s not with us, he speaks a lot to her. And I think a lot is going to be between Jake and his father. Martin starts to be able to read a lot of Jake’s physicality and understand what that is, and the audience does, as well.

After playing Jack Bauer for eight seasons, talk about how Martin will allow you to grow in new ways as an actor?

Loneliness is a tricky thing to play, because I don’t want people feeling sorry for Martin. Yet I want them to understand that the more he’s able to communicate with his son, the more enlightened and enriched his life will be. He might be able to move past some of the pain he’s experienced from the loss of his wife and his son’s condition.

These are all real subtle narratives to play. They’re not actually written. They’re tonal qualities, and that’s something I’m trying to focus on with Martin. It’s also something I learned how to do better through my experience on 24. A lot of the things I learned were trying to focus on small changes within Jack Bauer, whether it was from season to season or over the course of one of those days.

What I learned in that process is something I’m trying to bring to Martin, that there’s more going on than what’s written on the page or what one scene might require.  There are through-lines within the context of the character that are going from episode to episode.  If we’re lucky enough to do multiple seasons, we’ll connect those, as well. So that’s really an extension of a technique I hadn’t focused on before my experience on 24. Touch is a perfect kind of show, and Martin is a perfect character to try and weave those things in.

Images: Fox

I reviewed Journey 2: The Mysterious Island for my syndication partners this week. It’s not a bad family adventure movie. It’s not the best, but definitely not the worst. Something in between, with lots of colorful landscapes, giant lizards and a cool treehouse with a working elevator and lightning-bug lamps. A cast that includes Josh Hutcherson, Vanessa Hudgens and Michael Caine doesn’t hurt. I gave it 3.5 out of 5 Reels.

But perhaps the best thing about this movie is that I learned Dwayne Johnson has a really nice voice. The former pro wrestler sang What a Wonderful World, accompanying himself on the ukulele. Well, he customized the lyrics a little. See what you think below.

I like Dwayne Johnson in family movies, and thought Tooth Fairy and Race to Witch Mountain were both very cute.

Follow Dwayne Johnson on Twitter and Facebook.

My friends over at PBS just sent out a cute and funny infographic about Downton Abbey, the veddy British show with which I’m somewhat obsessed at the moment.

Unlike everyone who’s on top of things and actually watching the show as it airs, I just finished season one on blu-ray, so I’ve got season two spreading out before me like a beautifully manicured rose garden.

If you’re watching it in real time, you know that the season two finale airs this Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012. I won’t have to wait, however, because the U.K. version is already available on blu-ray.

Unfortunately, I saw last week’s spoiler-worthy cover of Entertainment Weekly, so I know there’s a love triangle involving Lady Mary ahead of me. Though that wouldn’t have been difficult to figure out, based on how season one ended.

Anyway, check out the fun infographic below. I had no idea that Jim Carter, a.k.a. Mr. Carson, does charity bike rides all over the world, or that Andrew Lloyd Webber tried to buy Highclere Castle so he’d have a place to put his art collection. That’s a high-class problem if ever I heard one.

The Classic Connoisseur’s Guide to the Best Films & Stars

Editor’s Note: We’re proud and honored to introduce our newest contributor, Vera Marie Badertscher. Her site, A Traveler’s Library, is all about books and movies that inspire people to travel. Here on Reel Life With Jane, Vera will cover her favorite classic films and stars. First up: Burt Lancaster. Happy Valentine’s Day to all the movie lovers out there!

Burt Lancaster, circa 1953 | Bud Fraker Photo

Do you watch those marathons of past Academy Award-winning films each year when the Oscars draw near? I am more of a sprinter myself — picking and choosing the classic films that are worth a second or third look. But in our rush, rush, newest, best, gotta-have-it-now world, we sometimes forget that there are some films and some people from the past that we should not forget.

Too often, once they are gone, we forget the glamour, the talent, the sheer inventiveness of movie stars and films from the past. So I’ve volunteered to remind the readers of Reel Life With Jane of some giants in movie history. I’ll base my choices on very personal and idiosyncratic viewing habits. You may not agree with all of them. You may think I’m just plain nuts from time to time. But if I introduce you to a few movie giants that you have forgotten — or never knew about — then I’m doing my job.

Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity, 1953 | Columbia Pictures

Melanie Votaw wrote here last year about Bradley Cooper, People magazine’s sexiest man alive. During Burt Lancaster’s day, he would have won the title hands down. Very few movie stars have brought all the assets to the screen that Lancaster (1913 – 1994) had. Between 1946 and 1989, he made 74 movies and appeared in several TV shows, as well. His early training as a circus trapeze artist meant that he moved through scenes with the grace of a dancer — and with muscles rippling like a Harlequin Romance cover picture.

Lancaster brought his intelligence to acting, getting inside each character in an age when the attitude of many stars was to “learn the lines and make the marks” (stand on the lines marked for the camera’s best view). And the physical assets … well, a a spotlight gleaming smile, thick wavy hair, knowing eyes, and high cheekbones made a spectacular visual package.

I’m still finding Lancaster movies that I have not yet seen, but when trying to list my favorite Burt Lancaster roles, I have a hard time stopping before I have listed all 74 of them.  He was nominated four times for Academy Awards and won for Elmer Gantry in 1960 (a portrait of pure evil). He won the Golden Globe for The Birdman of Alcatraz in 1962 and for Atlantic City in 1980 (a particular favorite of mine because he plays an older man and a very different type from his early romantic heroes).

Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster lock lips in that famous beach scene in From Here to Eternity | Columbia Pictures, 1953

Lancaster’s choice of roles reflected both his interest in serious subjects and his ability to adapt to the times and the interests of the audience. That kept his work alive through several decades. Two early classics adapted from the stage and both released in 1948 were Sorry Wrong Number and All My Sons. 

Shortly thereafter, he played dramatic roles in two other stage adaptations — Come Back Little Sheba (1952), which firmly established him as a serious actor, not just a pretty face, and Tennessee Williams’ The Rose Tattoo (1955).

The romantic From Here to Eternity (1953) with Deborah Kerr became a trademark of sort for the love scene in the surf. In the 1960s, he did many character studies, including The Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) and The Leopard (1963), one of several foreign films that he made.

The Cold war spawned movies based on popular novels, like The List of Adrian Messenger (1963) and Seven Days in May (1964).

Burt Lancaster in The Swimmer, 1968 | Columbia Pictures

Another one that I will never forget reflects its time perfectly — The Swimmer (1968). Gotta love a 54-year-old man who can pull off a nude scene and still look sexy.

And I’m not even listing Lancaster’s western and adventure roles in which he brought depth to gunslingers and pirates so often shown as two dimensional. In all these movies, I love the way he moves. I love the sense of power he projects and the feeling you get that he has a secret.

If you are not familiar with Burt Lancaster, I hope that you will give him a try. I think you may be surprised at how truly good acting can continue to enchant, even though the vehicle may be decades old.

At A Traveler’s Library, Vera Marie Badertscher writes about movies and books that inspire people to travel.

The story of a boy and his horse - a still from the film, War Horse, with actor Jeremy Irvine | DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC.

SPOILER ALERT: If you plan to see the stage or film version of War Horse, you may choose not to read this. While I don’t believe I’m giving away anything that would spoil the story for you, if you hate knowing absolutely anything about a story before you experience it, click elsewhere.

I had the opportunity to see the Broadway play version of War Horse the night before I saw Stephen Spielberg’s movie version of the novel by Michael Morpurgo. The book was written in an effort to explore war through the eyes of the horses that were forced to take part. It’s a period piece set during World War I, the first war to use machine guns and tanks, and it’s a very emotional story that I, surprisingly, found more effective on stage than on film.

Still from the film, War Horse | DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC.

This is a very stylized play that uses puppets for horses with three puppeteers standing alongside each horse at all times, manipulating their movements. So, you’d think the realism of film would affect me more deeply, right? How can puppets compare to flesh and blood horses? Yet, the creations of The Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa are so amazing that audiences have found it remarkably easy to forget they’re watching puppets.

The stage version of War Horse also includes an unusual screen background on which various images are projected during the play – unusual because it’s wide but narrow from top to bottom and also asymmetrical, as if it’s a slice of paper ripped out of a sketch pad. The projected images aren’t your average archival scenes from the period either. They’re often images that look exactly like they were drawn in that sketch pad, or they’re projections of large blood drops that splatter one by one onto the screen until it turns almost solid red.

So, while I can’t say exactly why a play with puppets moved me more than a film with real horses, I’ll venture a theory. I think perhaps since we’ve been inundated with so many films depicting war, it’s easy to become desensitized to some degree out of emotional protection. Seeing the blood drop by drop on the screen behind the actors made the truth of war more real for me than any hyper-authentic film scene, and the stylized nature of the play heightened the story beyond “mere” realism. This is a paradox, but it worked.

Background mood music is also used during the play – a technique used in film but not generally on stage. I was surprised to discover that this was very effective and could take the place of dialogue in some short sections.

As for the puppets, the movement achieved is truly spectacular. The emotions created through nothing more than this movement were so effective that the two horse puppets each received a curtain call … after the puppeteer teams for each horse ran on stage without their puppets to receive slightly softer cheers.

There are other inspired elements in the stage production. A large part of the stage floor becomes a movable circle that turns slowly to create the illusion of horses covering ground as they gallop. Let’s just say I’ve never seen anything like this production on a stage, and I flinched just as much when something painful happened to a horse puppet as I did while watching the real horses in the film. From the audible responses of the audience members around me, I wasn’t the only one who reacted this way. (The play was adapted by Nick Stafford from the book, directed by Andre Bishop and Bernard Gersten, and originated at the National Theatre of Great Britain.)

A still from the film, War Horse | DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not putting down the film. It’s well made, and I appreciate the fact that few name actors are used, allowing the horses to be the “stars” in a way. And there is one section of the film that surpasses the play for me from an emotional perspective. This is the scene where the horse runs alone through the war zone. I won’t say anything more in an effort not to spoil it for those who haven’t yet seen it, but the horror of what appears to be a real horse trotting through a battleground is stunning, especially when contrasted with the beauty of the animal itself. There is simply no way to create anything like that in a live theater, not even with a stage that turns.

I applaud writer Morpurgo for finally paying tribute to the animals sacrificed in war. The story is heart-wrenching and beautiful, whichever version you see. Apparently, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) signed off on the film version of War Horse, and the most harrowing scenes were computer-generated. Still, if you find it excruciating to watch animals depicted in painful situations, you’re better off skipping this one – both on stage and on screen – despite the story’s predictably heartwarming ending.

Melanie Votaw is a freelance writer and photographer based in Brooklyn, New York and the author of 12 non-fiction books. Visit her Web site, RuletheWord.com, and follow her on Twitter.

Raquel Welch and Simon Doonan dish about 'Myra Breckinridge' and Mae West at Lincoln Center | Melanie Votaw Photo

I had the privilege of attending a Q&A session with Raquel Welch, moderated by Simon Doonan, on February 10, 2012 as part of a small festival of Welch’s films screened by the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York from February 10-14. Welch is appearing at a few of the screenings for Q&A’s, but I attended the one before the 1970’s film, Myra Breckinridge, which costarred Mae West.

Raquel Welch as Myra Breckinridge | Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Now 71 years old, Welch still looks stunning (get me the name of her plastic surgeon, stat!), and she was articulate and delightfully funny.

She isn’t exactly proud of Myra Breckinridge, but she finds it easy to laugh about the experience now. Based on a book by Gore Vidal, the film is about Myron Breckinridge (played by Rex Reed), who gets a sex change operation in Europe and returns to the U.S. as Myra, played by Welch.

When Welch heard that Anne Bancroft had turned down the role, she tried to get it, telling producer Richard Zanuck, “I don’t know exactly what kind of actress you’re looking for in this role, but I was thinking if a guy was going to change his sex and wanted to be like a movie star-type of girl, don’t you think he might want to look like me?’”

Raquel Welch poses in New York at Lincoln Center | Melanie Votaw Photo

Next thing she knew, she had the role without seeing a script, which was … well, a problem. When asked if she was able to have any fun while making the movie, she said, “Pretty much it was all fun, but it was sad fun because I really was worried about the script. I didn’t want to make a movie that didn’t make any sense. I thought we were going to make something kind of revolutionary.”

On John Huston, who was also in the cast, Welch said, “I loved to be with John because he was so brilliant, and he was funny…. I once went to him almost in tears and said, ‘John, did you see the latest draft?’ He said, ‘Oh, don’t worry, my darlin’, it’s a film, just a film.’ I thought, ‘If John Huston, the great auteur, is saying this to me, I have no hope in hell.’”

Her experience with director, Michael Sarne, was … interesting. “I did like Michael, and really he was a fun, sweet guy. But I did resent very much that he used to carry around this little box…. He used to say, ‘I’ve got this little box for you, Raquel!’ I said, ‘I’m not strapping on anything, Michael, okay?’”

Raquel Welch and Simon Doonan at Lincoln Center | Melanie Votaw Photo

Welch spoke about cast mate Mae West with both respect and humor, taking the opportunity to dish without restraint about the elder sex symbol. Prior to shooting, Welch asked to meet with West at her home. “As I was waiting, I noticed that all the furniture was white, of course, but I couldn’t see very well because I also noticed that there were only 25-watt pale pink bulbs. And I thought, ‘Poor Mae, I hope when I get this age…’ And, of course, now, I’m over 70, so it’s really not funny! I’m about ready to carry around my 25-watt bulbs, too! But I really was very honored to be meeting her because she really is a legend. They sort of shoot that word around – icon, legend, this and that, but she really was. She invented camp, didn’t she? I think. For the public, anyway. She brought it out of the closet.”

When West finally emerged for their first meeting, Welch was surprised. “I thought, ‘I wonder what she’s really going to be like in real life’ because everybody I’ve ever met in the movies before … well, they had their persona on camera but then there was another real side to them. But Mae didn’t have a real side. Now, I don’t mean to be unkind, but really! She came out, and she had a long peignoir on. And she had a very, very blonde wig on, lots of eyelashes. This was noon.”

This is when Welch got up and treated us to a flawless Mae West impression.

Raquel Welch imitates Mae West | Melanie Votaw Photo

Then, she went on to talk about the experience of working with West:

“She refused to ever appear in the same frame of film with me. There were no two-shots…. She left after she did her things, and I had an off-camera person read me my lines, and then, I would pretend that she was there.”

Mae West and Raquel Welch in 'Myra Breckinridge' | Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

“I had this beautiful, beautiful dress, and it was black, and it had a big white ruff around the neck…. Mae was going to wear all white with black trim, so this would be perfect … NOT. Apparently, Mae had a look, how I don’t know, but got wind of the fact that I was wearing this exquisite dress…. I went to the closet to get the dress, and it wasn’t there. I said, ‘Ruth, what happened to the dress?’ She said, ‘It’s been confiscated…. Mae does not want you to wear that dress. You can wear the red dress that you wore in the last scene….’”

How did Welch respond to this? “I’ll tell you what,” she said to the director, “I’m going to go home for lunch, and when the dress reappears, so will I.” And with that “punch line,” as she called it, she took her bow at Lincoln Center to cheers and a standing ovation.

Melanie Votaw is a freelance writer and photographer based in Brooklyn, New York and the author of 12 non-fiction books. Visit her Web site, RuletheWord.com, and follow her on Twitter.

An artist's rendering for Paradise Lost of Bradley Cooper as Lucifer | Legendary Pictures

A film adaptation of John Milton’s classic 17th century poem, Paradise Lost, set to begin filming in Australia this summer with Bradley Cooper as Lucifer, has been axed by Legendary Pictures. The reasons reported are a bulging budget and problems with visual effects. Early reports were that the movie would include technological advances beyond Avatar, but at San Diego Comic Con in July 2011, director Alex Proyas (Dark City) admitted of Paradise Lost, “This one couldn’t have been made a few years ago. As a matter of fact, we’re not even sure we can make it now. We’re hoping we can.” I guess they couldn’t, at least not for a reasonable budget.

This must be very disappointing for Cooper, who lobbied for the role of Lucifer, putting himself on tape in order to convince Proyas that he could pull it off. In January 2012 at the Sundance Film Festival, he told interviewers that he expected to begin shooting the film in June 2012. Alongside Proyas, he talked about the project at San Diego Comic Con in July.

Bradley Cooper as a downtrodden writer in Limitless | Relativity Media LLC

Cancelling the film has suddenly put a lot of people out of work this summer and is, no doubt, a blow to Australia’s film industry. Numerous crew members and eleven cast members had already been listed on the film’s IMDB page, including Rufus Sewell, Casey Affleck, and Djimon Hounsou.

Cooper had also been set to star in a remake of The Crow before litigation between the Weinstein Co. and Relativity Media (the company responsible for Limitless, Cooper’s star vehicle released in March, 2011) got in the way. Drawings of Cooper as Eric Draven were released last year before the plans fell apart. The film is now reportedly back in the planning stages, but a cast has not been announced. It will be interesting to see if Cooper is once again named as a possible star to play the role made famous by the late Brandon Lee. (Incidentally, Alex Proyas directed the original version of The Crow released in 1994.)

Nevertheless, Cooper has reason to celebrate in other areas. Besides a small role in a Dax Shepard film, the actor shot starring roles in three movies last year, including The Silver Linings Playbook with Robert DeNiro and Jennifer Lawrence, The Place Beyond the Pines with Ryan Gosling, and The Words with Jeremy Irons and Zoe Saldana.

The Words earned a big distribution deal at Sundance, and distributors are already swarming around Serena, a project he will shoot this year with Jennifer Lawrence, directed by Susanne Bier. Below, Cooper and other cast members, along with the writer/directors, talk about The Words at Sundance.

Meanwhile, Paradise Lost sounded like a very exciting production, so we can only hope that it will be “resurrected” at some point.

(Check out my article listing 20 reasons why Bradley Cooper was the right choice for Sexiest Man Alive.)

Melanie Votaw is a freelance writer and photographer based in Brooklyn, New York and the author of 12 non-fiction books. Visit her Web site, RuletheWord.com, and follow her on Twitter.

Game of Thrones returns with season two on April 1, 2012, and these images are making me absolutely giddy.

As is usually the case for HBO shows, this one has a superb official site, including a viewer’s guide, family trees, history, videos about filming in Croatia and Belfast, and a great production diary. Season one is out on DVD/Blu-ray; and season two introduces several new characters, including Brienne, Melisandre and others.

Check them out below, along with some of your favorite denizens of Westeros. But first, a preview…

Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister

Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy

Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark

Richard Madden as Robb Stark

Gethin Anthony as Renly Baratheon

Carice van Houten as Mellisandre; Stephen Dillane as Stannis Baratheon

Kit Harrington as Jon Snow

Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Baratheon

Liam Cunningham as Davos Seaworth

Emilia Clarke as Danereys Targaryen

Emilia Clarke as Danereys Targaryen

Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister

Michelle Fairley as Catelyn Stark

Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth

Issac Hempstead-Wright as Bran Stark; Kristian Nairn as Hodor

Patrick Malahide as Balon Greyjoy

Maisie Williams as Arya Stark

Images: Helen Sloan, Paul Schiraldi, Oliver Upton | HBO

When I heard the news yesterday that Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriages in California — was declared unconstitutional in court, I cheered. I’m pretty sure I cheered out loud, even though no one was around to hear me.

But my joy was short-lived when I heard that Ellen DeGeneres, who married wife Portia de Rossi a few years back, was being targeted by a group called One Million Moms, who protested her recent appointment as spokesperson for J.C. Penney. Over on my Facebook profile, I wondered what century it is again, and how come we haven’t moved past all this ridiculousness. Apparently, some have not.

But now I’m cheering again (it’s been an up and down week for me), because on The Ellen DeGeneres Show yesterday, Ellen addressed both Proposition 8 and the One Million Moms in a monologue that is so brilliant, I’m including it here in its entirety. I refuse to edit Ellen’s awesomeness.

Here we go, and thank you, Ellen, for being you. If you’d rather watch Ellen do the monologue, skip to the end of this post and watch the video.

Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi: They're adorable! | AP photo

“There was some good news for marriage equality in California yesterday. If you haven’t been following it, I’ll you catch you up. For a long time, same-sex marriage was not legal. Then, here in California, it was legal for like 25 minutes. Then it was not legal again because of something called Prop 8, which banned same-sex marriage. And I’m happy to say that yesterday an appeals court ruled that Prop 8 was unconstitutional.

“I’m sure the people who oppose it will try to appeal it, but it’s a step in the right direction. So I’m happy.

“However, it leads me to something else I’d like to talk about. You all may know that I’ve recently teamed up with J.C. Penney. I’m very excited about that. Not only because I think they’re a great store, but also because I get a great employee discount. And I could use some new t-shirts.

“I’m happy about it. J.C. Penney is happy about it. But there’s a group called One Million Moms that isn’t happy about it. And normally I try not to pay attention to my haters, but this time I’d like to talk about it because my haters are my motivators.

“This organization doesn’t think I should be the spokesperson because I’m gay. For those of you who are just tuning in for the first time, it’s true. I’m gay. I hope you were sitting down. I hate to break it to you this way.

“They wanted to get me fired, and I’m proud and happy to say that J.C. Penney stuck by their decision to make me their spokesperson. Which is great news for me, because I also need some new crew socks. I’m really going to clean up with this discount.

“I mean, if they have a problem with spokespeople, what about the Pillsbury Doughboy? He runs around without any pants on, basically begging for people to poke his belly. What kind of message is that?

“After J.C. Penney didn’t back down, I thought the story would be over. It’s going to go away. Heard about it last week, and it did not go away. The group has posted a message on their Facebook page. We’ll read it together.

“One Million Mom Statement: ‘By jumping on the pro-gay bandwagon, J.C. Penney is attempting to gain a new target market and in the process will lose customers with traditional values that have been faithful to them over all these years. The majority of J.C. Penney shoppers will be offended and choose to no longer shop there.’

“First of all, being gay or pro-gay isn’t a bandwagon. You don’t get a free ride anywhere. There’s no music. And occasionally, we’ll sing ‘We Are Family,’ but that’s about it.

“Secondly, they said a majority of J.C. Penney shoppers will be offended and not shop there anymore. I’d like to read just a few comments from the Million Moms Facebook page. This is on their page. And not that there’s anyone counting, but for a group that calls themselves a Million Moms, they only have 40,000 members on their page. So they’re rounding up to the nearest million, and I get that.

“Anyway, here are some comments that people wrote on their Facebook page:

• ‘Love Ellen and everything she stands for. I’m going to shop there more now!’
• ‘Guess I have to start shopping at J.C. Penney now.’
• ‘Way to go J.C. Penney for not giving in to bullies. Stand your ground.’
• ‘I am a Christian and part of a traditional family, and I support Ellen and now J.C. Penney!!!!’

“I usually don’t talk about stuff like this on my show, but I really want to thank everyone who is supporting me. If you don’t know me very well, if you’re just watching maybe for the first time or you’re just getting to know me, I want to be clear. Here are the values I stand for:

“I stand for honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you’d want to be treated and helping those in need. To me, those are traditional values. That’s what I stand for. I also believe in dance.”