So what’s wrong in Hollywood? Why are so many top executives at major studios being Terminatored?

IT’S THE PRODUCT STUPID!!!

That’s right if you make bad product, it doesn’t make money, and then you get fired. Pretty simple, but not really…Every good story has a beginning, a middle, and an end, so let’s start at the beginning and see if we can’t gain some substantive understanding of the problems facing Hollywood—not just the “DVD sells are down” excuse, but the reality of the difficulty of making dreams come to life.

The complexity of succeeding in the motion picture industry is really more a derivative of a left-brain right-brain conflict. Meaning that there is creative art and the business of creative art. The highest level of success that one can achieve in the motion picture / television industry comes from the optimum balance of these two factors – and yes there is an optimum balance and it can be achieved. The job of achieving this balance falls to a Studio Head.

Think about this task for a moment…A Studio Head has a person on the business side that wants to spend as little money as possible and he has a person on the creative side that will spend as much money as possible to achieve a creative vision – this is the best case scenario. The job of managing this endless conflict is a sign of a healthy studio. And somewhere the Studio Head should have a go to person, a tiebreaker, a person that pulls the trigger and ultimately says yes or no—all things considered.

All things considered is where much of the trouble of the last ten years has come from—ALL THINGS ARE NOT BEING CONSIDERED. To make a good movie there must be a good script. The industry knows this, but often ignores this, choosing projects based on pre packaged star power or financing instead. The buck stops with the head of the studio, but it begins in development. And the executives that are paying the price for bad results as of late are really paying the price for inadequate development of product. And to make this point crystal clear my novel “Stan Lerner’s Criminal” won the 2008 Hollywood Book Festival, I’ve mentioned this in a few blogs, but what I didn’t mention is that in over a year since this win not a single development executive in Hollywood contacted my manager or myself—true story. Ten thousand books, one winner, no call, bad for everyone.

Studios provide an incredible environment for business and creative process behind well-guarded walls, but since the Golden Age of Hollywood these walls have grown too tall too impenetrable for talent. The head of a studio is no longer just protected from the outside world, he or she, is a prisoner of a place and a system. And make no mistake, the system has a protocol, however it is not a protocol that has been written and subjected to analysis by the great minds of business. Rather it is a protocol unwritten by those seeking to carve out fiefdoms and advance their own personal interests over that of the studio—again it is the head of the studio that pays for this. Development must be an open process; a studio should be in the business of looking for scripts, all of the time—everywhere. There is no agency that has the exclusive on great writers and there are many great writers at no agency at all.

If inadequate development is the beginning of the story, lack of a vision / strategy is the middle. Studios used to set trends, today they look for one to follow—this does not work. If your neighbor makes a horror movie and it does well this does not mean you should make a horror movie. Because if you do, it might not do well. A vision in the motion picture business is about a yearly slate of movies. A good slate is a balanced slate, because the public’s appetite is for a variety of types of movies. Every studio vision should be integrated into the development process—and it should translate something like this in the discussion between the creative vision and the creative people:

 “What do we have for Horror? What’s going on with Action? Why don’t we have a Romance in development? You know we need a feel good Drama for fall? We have two Sci Fi projects that I like…And if I don’t have a Comedy on the slate by the end of the month someone’s getting fired…Funny is money…And there’s no excuse for not having a comedy…People want to laugh right now…” And so on. A studio must have a creative pool of writers to draw from and it must know what it wants—good writers can deliver whatever is asked of them.

The end of the story is about directors and producers who deliver movies on budget on time for the business fellows. But also deliver movies that are experiences worthy of the big screen. A few months ago my friend and business associate Mark Loge was kind enough to take me to a Last Remaining Seats showing of “A Streetcar Named Desire” at the Los Angels Theatre—this was a sold out event attended by more than two thousand people. There were a lot of current movies showing that night in Los Angeles, but over two thousand moviegoers were watching a film made fifty-eight years ago in a building that’s seventy-five-plus-years-old. And I can’t help, but to fondly remember the three-hour, long line I waited in to see “Jaws” as a kid. Not because it starred anybody, but because it was guaranteed to make me afraid to swim in the ocean—it did! The point being that every movie should be a work of art that takes its place in the history of great movies—THERE IS NO FORMULA FOR THIS.

So why write a blog about a subject matter that seemingly affects only a very few, very well paid individuals? Because their success is our success. I’ve met a few of the few people who run studios…Had Brian Mulligan remained at Universal I would have made several movies there…I recall the thrill of getting that deal memo, it was a new business model…Vivendi bought the studio, Brian left, my deal went away, but I never stopped loving movies—and most of us love a good movie. So maybe a greater collective understanding will help the people we count on to keep us entertained. I hope so. Okay, I’m off to the studio…

My regular readers, no doubt, still pondering my recent call for a force of one million soldiers to be deployed to Afghanistan, might think a second military action in the region over reaching—it’s not. Iran will require a massive air assault aimed at destroying all of its nuclear facilities and a ground invasion that should first secure Iranian oil assets and second destroy the Islamist government infrastructure that aids and abets global terrorism. As a punitive action for flagrantly disregarding international law the Iranian naval fleet should be additionally targeted and destroyed completely. This is the only course of action that can be taken, given Iran’s outright treachery.

Previously I’ve described the scene America will awake to when a nuclear weapon is detonated in one or more of our cities –Washington and New York are the targets. The weapons, which will be delivered through a terrorist network will come from one of the following: North Korea, Pakistan, the former Soviet Union, or if it is allowed to continue, Iran. But make no mistake; Iran is exponentially more likely to supply such a weapon, because Iran’s leaders are compelled by ideology and the other’s are not. Literally, Iran’s leaders are not afraid to bring about the destruction of their own country as long as they have destroyed America in the process.

So it can be thus be surmised that Iran is a greater threat to America than it is to Israel, but this is an issue of extreme complexity. Mahmoud Ahmajinedad continually baits Israel by denying the Holocaust and making provocative statements to the effect that Israel should be wiped off of the map. This is an intentional deception to mislead the United States and the other Western powers into thinking that they are not the primary targets of Iranian nuclear ambition. Iranians are not Arabs and have no substantial quarrel with the Jewish state. It was in fact the Persian Emperor Cyrus who ended the first exile of the Jewish people and it should be noted that Zoroastrianism was practiced during the time of Cyrus who was heavily influenced by Jewish thought and lineage. Mahmoud Ahmajinedad describes himself as an academic—he is well versed in history and it can be assumed that all of the aforementioned and much more reside well within his intellectual grasp.

Because Iranian history is both long and intricate much has to be considered when understanding what type of leadership guides the country, the most dangerous of which is a leadership that traces itself to the pure Aryan roots of Iranian history—this is the case with Mr. Ahmajinedad. The most recent leader in modern history to identify with Aryan lineage was of course Germany’s Adolf Hitler—fifteen million human lives were lost by the time his ambitions were ended. Mahmoud Ahmajinedad knows that it was America that stood between Hitler and his vision for the world and it is still America that stands against such a vision—he will act accordingly, against America first.

And it should be America with England and France at its side that stands against the tyrannical ambitions of the enemies of freedom. It is a disgrace to the three traditional Western allies to rely on Israel to fight their fight. What country can stand against the military might of America and its allies, with a combined population of almost half a billion citizens? It is the greatest military alliance in the history of mankind that it is incumbent upon to put an end to the Iranian threat—not Israel, a nation of less than seven and half million people occupying a geographical area one fiftieth the size of the state of Texas.

Every lie that now emanates from the Iranian regime compounds the affront to America. Iran is a country that for too many years has been allowed to fight its wars via cowardly proxies given to terrorist groups. Thousands of American lives have been lost not to Iranian soldiers who have the courage to meet on the battlefield, but to improvised explosive devices that they make within the safety of their own borders and give to their surrogates who draw American blood by way of cell phone. Our most current government offered an olive branch and dialogue; the Iranians answered that they would cut off the hands of their enemies and demanded that we engage in a dialogue to prove our respect for their country.

Dear Mr. President, destroy this threat to our country and the world—the American people stand resolutely behind you and implore you to act. The portraits of Presidents, who had to bear this responsibility before you, surround you. To what lengths was our founding father George Washington willing to go to pry the yoke of a king from the neck of our people? To what enemy would Andrew Jackson yield a single inch? What compromise would have been acceptable to Lincoln? President Roosevelt knew what the end of fascism in Germany, Japan, and Italy must be. And President Truman did not falter in executing his predecessor’s plans. A young President Kennedy rejected Soviet missiles in Cuba. Old and wise President Reagan brought an end to the Evil Empire once known as the Soviet Union…All of this costs American lives and money, yet I know of no American that wishes to undo these deeds.

We can all look to our founding fathers and the great leaders of generations past for strength and guidance. They would not tolerate the insults, the lies, the treachery, the murders and ultimately the destruction of America, which the leadership of Iran has so completely dedicated itself to. The time for talking and diplomacy has past—it only gives our enemy a greater opportunity to pursue their plans.

Now is the time…

Perhaps it is the name of someone you want to call.  Sometimes it is a tune that is dancing around your mind just out of memory’s reach.  There was an item that my wife asked me to pick up at the store.  “Write it down so you’ll remember,” she said.  “Not necessary,” I replied.  And there I was wandering the aisles hoping I would see something that might jog my memory.

You scrunch up your brow; rub your temples with your fists, and contort your face into a bizarre mask of concentration.  None of this helps.  Finally, a disconnected thought pops into your mind or you run into an acquaintance and stop to chat.  A few minutes later you remember whatever it was that was tormenting you.

Isn’t it amazing?  All that sweating and stressing to remember and—nothing!  Then three minutes of doing something else, and bingo!  There it is.  It came back to you as clearly as could be.  

Like all of us, I spend my day tackling challenges. Sometimes there’s a problem baffling me. Then I put it out of mind and retire for the night.  Often in the early pre-dawn hours I will awaken and am instantly aware that I have had a creative thought breakthrough.  Grabbing the pen and pad I always keep alongside my bed, and which I recommend as a vital business tool, I can hurriedly scrawl down the answer to the daunting problem from the day before. 

Every time this happens I am amazed, yet it shouldn’t astound me.  After all, this is one of those timeless truths of ancient Jewish wisdom.  Human creativity thrives in an environment of thrust, retreat, and then thrust again.  Work the problem, back off, and then return to the problem.  It will yield more rapidly than it would in one long protracted push.

This is the principle of both sleep and the Sabbath.

Withdrawing from economic and other forceful interactions with the world during the Sabbath doesn’t lessen our productivity; it enhances it. Six days of creativity depend for their effectiveness upon the one day of rest and retreat.  

The function of sleep itself is one of the 125 greatest mysteries of science, according to Science magazine.  It certainly appears that any creature that managed to do away with sleep would enjoy enormous evolutionary advantage.  First of all it would have no extended period of vulnerability to predators.  Second, it would have significantly more time available for food gathering and reproduction.  Yet we all need sleep. Trying to override this need with stimulants doesn’t work long term. 

This is a physical parallel to a spiritual reality. Just as our bodies require sleep, so do our minds and souls. Creativity and productivity are enhanced by regular periods of withdrawal.  

Life is full of stressful problems. We think we can’t afford to stop running. Sometimes we think we can’t even take the time to talk to God on a daily basis. Yet if we force ourselves to retreat, we will find that we are using time more efficiently, not less. 

In addition to setting times for sleep, prayer and the Sabbath, I think it’s a good idea to make a regular appointment with yourself right in your calendar just as you make appointments to meet with a customer or client.  Mark it down as thinking time. It might only be twenty minutes of intense concentration on a problem.  Work at that problem keeping extraneous ideas out of your head. Then switch your focus to something else. Let your subconscious work the problem for you. 

When God set up the rhythms of night and day, six days of work and the Sabbath, He was providing the means by which individuals and societies thrive. I am delighted that two of my audio CDs that explore the truths God built into the world, Tower of Power: Decoding the Secrets of Babel and Madam, I’m Adam: Decoding the Marriage Secrets of Eden are now available as downloads. In celebration, this week, Tower of Power is 20% off in either the download or physical form.

Kanye West (black) taking the microphone out of Taylor (white) Swift’s hands and proclaiming that Beyonce (black) had made one of the best video’s ever was not just rude as the media portrayed it—it was racism, black racism.

Serena Williams (black) outburst over a fault called by a line judge cost her a point on her serve and the match. Her outburst went something to the effect, “You don’t know me, I’ll take this fucking ball and shove it down your fucking throat.” She had already had one warning for unsportsmanlike conduct in the first set for smashing her racket—there was nothing subjective about what took place. She clearly violated the rules of tennis and she was treated as any player white, black or purple would have been. Yet, I sat at Starbucks 15^th and Montana (SM) and listened to a woman (black) emphatically explain that, “they took the points away from Serena because they were afraid she was going to come back and kick that white girls ass.” For the record this was not a crazy woman—she works and lives in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the world. Apparently the fact that Serena had lost the first set and was down match point meant nothing—because she was black she would at will rise to the occasion and vanquish the white girl. Even Serena didn’t suggest this when she didn’t exactly apologize at her press conference, this woman’s statement—black racism.

When The Factor came on and Bill O’Reilly and guests watched as the all white crowd, seventy-five thousand strong, protested the Obama agenda in Washington DC, they concluded that they weren’t racist, but that it made sense as whites do make up the majority of the population. I stared on in wonder thinking, “is there really not a single black person in America that doesn’t agree with the Obama agenda”. And then I thought of every black person I know, and I know a lot, and I couldn’t think of a single one of them that didn’t vote for Barak Obama. Then I thought about Colin Powell (black), a Republican, a military man, who didn’t vote for his friend, fellow Republican, and military man John McCain. Forty-five million black people, if they voted, all voted for the President? Forty-five million black people, apparently, all agree with his agenda—black racism?

Racism (1) a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.

(2) racial prejudice or discrimination.

According to Miriam Webster’s Definition of racism (1) or (2) it’s both fair and appropriate for anyone of color to ask if they themselves are racist. Did you vote for the President because he is black? Do you agree with the President on issues because he is black? I think if answered truthfully, millions of my fellow Americans have some deep soul searching to do. The fact that the media has chosen to ignore what is obviously racism, now bordering on lunacy, will if continued go on to be the final death nail in the public’s trust of media.

In fairness to the President, he himself has been very clear that the people protesting his policies are not racist. But he has never addressed his black constituency and said, “Don’t vote for me because I am black. Vote for me because…” If the President said words to this affect he could indeed be considered a leader of remarkable virtue—but for now we wait.

And what about Gospel Brunch? Kim (black) has been like a brother to me (white) for close to thirty years. At the time of our first meeting we were both drug dealers, from the very meanest of streets, and we both used limousine companies as our legitimate fronts. When the occasion arose and Kim needed to borrow a limousine (black) I leant it to him.

“You’re just going to hand a black guy, you barely know, the keys to your limo?” he asked.

“I think of you as green—like a Martian,” I replied.

“What?” he asked, a tone of confusion in his voice.

“I don’t care what color you are as long as you plan on giving me some money—GREEN. And you do plan on giving me some money for me letting you use my car, right?”

He smiled. “Of course I’ll give you some money.”

A couple of years later Kim saved my life by informing me of a hit that was to take place on me by two rival drug dealers (black). They, the people that planned my murder, had never considered that Kim’s loyalty could be with someone white. Good for me, bad for them. I’m alive today because my friend Kim is not a racist. And to give myself some credit I’m alive because I am not a racist. But I know racism when I see it.

My advice to people of color including the President: treat people as you want to be treated—maybe even treat them better. Remember what it was like to be discriminated against and root out any inclination to return the favor and do this to others.

It is imperative to understand:

For every force there is an opposing force, for every action a reaction. President Obama represents people of color and he represents that, in America, a person of color can rise to the highest position in the land…And if his policies are successful for all Americans he will have accomplished much. But if people of color and or the President are deemed of as practicing racism there will be an opposing force, a reaction, and because it will constitute a majority of the population it will be a crushing force that will make it impossible to govern.

Racism is ugly in all of its incarnations. It should not be ignored because it is being practiced by a minority—a powerful minority. With great power comes great responsibility. Much of white America doesn’t like what its seeing…This fact, under no circumstance, should be taken lightly or dismissed…I urge the media, the President, and all Americans to have this discussion with civility amongst each other—it needs to take place.

First, the context of my thoughts on today’s downward spiral of business is from the vantage of growing up, born and raised, to do OLD BUSINESS—my father was a World War II veteran who opened a car lot on Whittier Blvd. and later or additionally an auto parts business—he was a straightforward businessman. Because of my age (44) I came to majority as a businessman in the 1980’s the cradle of the commercial digital revolution, which much to my father’s concern I embraced. The net effect being that I think about business today, as everyone should, in terms of what was, what is and what will be. Or more simply put: did the old way yield a better result than the new way or is the inverse true and worthy of evolution?

“When times are good people drink. When times are bad people drink more!” an eloquent and insightful cliché. Do not step into the trap of thinking that clichés are myths in need of debunking, because more often than not a cliché articulates the most universal of truths. However, not all clichés are born from truth and great harm can come from such ideas.

“If you build it they will come,” a paraphrased line from a movie, now a cliché, but not exactly a universal truth. And be frightened, because this flaw of thought has permeated American business culture. IF YOU BUILD IT THEY MAY NOT COME!!! Please feel free to quote this humble writer. And, because my vocation is telling people about things, I am the first to divulge the obvious that it is in my interest to weigh in. That being said, business is as much about perception as it is product—you can have the best product in the world, but if nobody knows of its existence, financial challenge will be imminent, and that simple fact, AWARENESS, only broaches perception. A product can be great, people can be aware of it, and it still won’t sell.

American Cars For Example:

Since the time of acquiring my license I’ve owned and driven a number of cars that rank on the level referred to as Dream Cars—especially in the days of my youth. Some of these cars were capable of extraordinary feats of acceleration and handling, but I drove them as much to impress others as I did for love of motoring—and I do love motoring. Yet, I can say with authority that several American made cars are better than all of the dream cars I’ve driven collectively. I grew up in the business, I’ve driven the cars people dream about, and a good Ford F-150 Truck or GMC Denali would be my choice today….But this fact contradicts perception—and the perception that foreign made automobiles are better than those made in America has been the ruination of the American Auto Industry.

Forgive me for this digression, but I would be remiss if I did not mention the “Beryl Wolk Factor”. Beryl (late 70’s) is a marketing guru residing in Jenkintown PA, “who can sell ice to an Eskimo.” While I have marveled at Beryl’s brilliant ideas and understanding of how to motivate people to buy—I have chosen throughout my career to focus on searching out great products and experiences to tell people about. I think it is an amazing talent to be able to sell anything to anybody, but to only sell what one believes in, raises business to a higher level. My father would never have sold a car he himself wouldn’t have driven. Downtownster would never take money from a business that I myself would not be a patron of…Imagine if just a few years ago mortgage bankers hadn’t processed loans for customers that they themselves wouldn’t have lent money to…

In a more microcosmic sense I have noticed here in Southern California, Los Angeles and Downtown LA, a disturbing trend among businesses, both owned by large companies and small alike, to think that owning a business or even a good business is enough to succeed—IT’S NOT! Remember the aforementioned cliché regarding the motivation to imbibe drinks of the distilled variety… “When business is good, advertise. WHEN BUSINESS IS BAD ADVERTISE MORE!!!” Or in this day in age with the help of advertising, marketing, and social media strategies, ENGAGE IN CUSTOMER ACQUISITION!!! Consumers are bombarded daily by bad news, often misreported, by 24/7 media sources. To counteract this, each and every business must overcome and take control of the conversation about who they are and what they do. A business must decide who their customer is and acquire that customer—and this should cost money.

A vital component of the disease infecting business with the idea that it is not necessary to acquire customers today is selfishness or in the worst cases greed. A business that is not eager to pay to acquire customers declares that it does not desire to be part of the chain that throughout American history has made the American economy the greatest wealth generator in the known story of mankind. In my father’s generation neighbors rushed to give business to another neighbor when he or she opened a new business. It was a particularly great honor to be the very first customer. And the owner of the business always framed the first dollar, then put it on display for all to see, for as long as the cash register rang. Why such excitement? Certainly not because people perceived such a new business as an elaborate vacuum cleaner that would suck dollars out of the local economy, build a mansion for the owner in a far off city, and provide business to business revenue exclusively to friends and family of the owner. No, I suggest the contrary. People did and still should support businesses that are members in good standing of the community. Not that they just make the obligatory offerings to the local business organizations, but that they actually do business in the neighborhood and with the people that are putting food on their proverbial kitchen table.

Every month I attend a Marketing Round Table…I do not write about what is said there…But, on occasion, I will refer to procedure or purpose or (in this instance ) a philosophical lesson:

All attendees of the Round Table are given a chance to stand and speak briefly about their business interests. And let me be clear, this is a great opportunity. However, the vast majority of those who speak simply tell the others in the room about what special or specials that the business they represent happens to be offering in the coming month. Because I live and work Downtown I get some benefit out of this, but the majority of the Round Table attendees, to the best of my knowledge, are not downtownsters. I can’t help, but to wonder sometimes why one restaurant marketing specialist is telling twenty other restaurant marketing specialists about the new Happy Hour special at their restaurant. Do the marketing specialists all go to each other’s places for Happy Hour?

Every reader of this blog knows that the purpose of a marketing meeting, BUSINESS TO BUSINESS, is to develop new ideas and strategic alliances. And again let me be crystal clear, the organizers specify during the course of every meeting that this is its purpose….

But assignment of blame in either the macro or micro sense is of no relevance beyond the philosophical. The origin of this state of egoistic, to the point of self-destruction, business practice shall make for fine intellectual chatter at the dining table many nights into the future. However, the pressing matter at hand is a profoundly needed major shift in PARADIGM. It is incumbent on all members of the business community today, to utterly reject the culture of “getting something for nothing.” And it is urgent that business investment in product development, customer experience and customer acquisition be the first and foremost priority of all members of the business community. It is once again time for investment before dividends. The pendulum has swung back to a need for many of the business principles of old. The customers have spoken. Are you listening? Do you have something to tell them?

I hope you tell them soon…

Now, I’m going to start with a bold statement and then explain myself. “Guns do NOT kill people, people kill people.” I remember my early high school years studying Industrial Arts and Auto Shop. We were so excited to “get to work.” Our instructors knew the dangers associated with tools, especially power tools, and took us through the process of “de-mystifying” them and teaching us the safety rules.

Firearms are only tools. Each caliber, gauge or style has a specific purpose that it was made for—people, bigger isn’t always better. If you use the right tool for the right job you will never go wrong!

The problems we read about so often occur when kids make statements like, “My dad has a real cool gun…wanna see it?” When this happens the weapon looses its function as a tool and becomes a mystical, magical item to show off with to earn status among peers. The two primary reasons people get hurt with firearms outside of criminal activity is lack of safety and stupidity. When someone doesn’t have the right training or misuses ANY tool, people often get hurt. Don’t hide your weapons from your children. Don’t make it a secret. “De-mystify” it and teach them safe and correct practices. Be the parent! Follow local firearm laws and use your tools appropriately.

This brings me to my next point, a little piece I call “Criminal Mindset vs. Lawful Mindset.” A person who obeys the law looks at a fence or padlock and says, “That’s somewhere I should stay out of.” A criminal looks at the same area and says, “There must be something worth stealing in there….I wonder how difficult it would be to get in?” Put very simply, “rules” and “laws” don’t apply to criminals because they make a life out of breaking and getting around them. Regardless of how many weapons laws and restrictions are made, criminals will ALWAYS find a way to make, steal, or acquire a weapon. Fences and locks can act as a deterrent to crime because they make “the pickings” more difficult. But well-informed citizens who obey the law and are armed are the most difficult targets—criminals will almost always move on to easier prey.

The unfortunate reality is that we really have no ability, currently, to defend what is rightfully ours. We only have the ability to defend our lives or the life of another.

Regardless of where you stand on gun control laws and regulations, there is one universal truth: action or the lack of action always has a consequence. It is not my place to tell you how to live your life and what to believe in, but I urge you to do what’s right by your children and teach them how to use the things around them properly. Teach them to live as a part of the world and not in fear of it. Empower them with a sense of stewardship and responsibility—ESPECIALLY IF YOU OWN A FIREARM!!!

A 2008 Baylor University study showed that more than half of all Americans claim to have been protected from harm by an angel on at least one occasion.  They could have attributed their happy escapes to luck or coincidence, but they didn’t.  They told researchers that they were helped by angels.

But what exactly is an angel?  We often use the word but we mean different things.  Some men use the word romantically.  Indeed, there are dozens of popular melodies with angel in the title.  Some think of angels as delicate creatures with diaphanous wings.  Others think of specific angels, like Gabriel.

The Bible frequently speaks of angels without describing exactly what they look like. Furthermore, Scripture is deliberately ambiguous about whether angels are human or supernatural. One can see this clearly in the Hebrew.  Take a look at this verse:

And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening

 and Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom.

(Genesis 19:1)

Now look at this verse:

And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying,

we came to your brother to Esau…

(Genesis 32:6)

The Hebrew word used for “angels” in Genesis 19 and for “messengers” in Genesis 32 is one and the same – Ma-LA-CHim:

That’s right—exactly the same word translates as messenger and angel.

Angels are messengers of God.  At times they are supernatural; but they can also be humans on a mission.  And it makes no difference whether or not those people know that they are acting as messengers of God.

During June and July of 1969, I undertook a grand adventure—a foolhardy motorcycle trip through Africa that surely added gray hairs to my parents.  (Note to Lapin children: Do not try this!)

One day I joined a crowd of villagers to watch the Apollo moon landing on the only black and white TV for miles around.  It had been wedged into a tree and was running off a car battery.  The next day I resumed my travels and arrived at a “cross road”.  It was actually a place where two dirt tracks converged.  My well-planned itinerary had me taking the better-traveled left route to the northwest.

To this day, I don’t know what made me unexpectedly turn right.  All I know is that I felt an almost irresistible tug in that direction.  My machine’s handlebar seemed to swing of its own accord as I leaned into the turn and found myself heading along a rutted track leading I knew not exactly where.

That afternoon I came across a stranded white Ford sedan containing a couple and their two young children.  They had been there for two days and were hungry, tired, and frightened.  Not too many people came along that northeast road.  After poking around under the hood, I discovered that their fuel pump had failed.  Using a piece of rubber I cut from their spare tire’s inner tube, I was able to replace the torn diaphragm of the pump.  They called me their angel, which made me blush. Then they gratefully went on their way. 

On July 21, 1969 God used me as His messenger. The people I helped thought of me as a human angel.  The terminology doesn’t make much difference does it?

For He will send His angels for you, to guard you in all your paths.

Psalms (91:11)

May this always be true for you.

I hope you will take advantage of the last few days that Madam, I’m Adam: Decoding the Marriage Secrets of Eden is on sale. After all, our spouses are certainly messengers from God designed to help each of us reach our full potential.

Apparently if a security host or busser says to a guest “let me find some hot girls in the crowd and bring them over to your table” it will be considered solicitation and the club can be fined. Lap dancing, even if it’s your wife, also considered lewd public behavior and the club can be fined. If you even look a little drunk and the club serves you a drink it can be fined. This is really walking a tightrope, as “a little drunk” is not definitively defined.

Apparently the nightclub’s staff is now the police, because if anyone asks for anything illicit or happens to be a working girl it is the nightclub’s security staff that is responsible for throwing them right out of the venue. Even smaller venues, like ROK Vegas, have taken steps like banning smoking cigars in the club as of last night. I mean really people, is Las Vegas a place based on adult related venues or is it Disney Land? Gaming should do what it was designed for and just stick to gaming. Nightclubs have their own way of doing things and to place hundreds of regulations on them will soon be the death of several of the city’s most popular clubs.

Conversationally, Prive’ is probably headed out the door. There is talk already that their lease may not be renewed and that they may lose their liquor license. It all boils down to a group of guys coming to Vegas for a long weekend of anything goes fun, only to find the Party Pooper Police standing at the door shaking their fingers and saying, “no you can’t.”

In other news, Young MC appeared at ROK Vegas last night. He performed about 5 numbers and the crowd really enjoyed him. I have to say that most celeb performers really are a pain, but Young MC was pretty reserved choosing to just enjoy the venue and take everything in. A real classy kind of guy.

I received a text message from one of my sources at 3:00 pm that Michael Jackson, often called the King of Pop, was dead. This was fifteen minutes before the official declaration and by 3:30 pm the calls, text messages, and emails asking me to write something were rolling in. My initial response to all requests was that I had no intention of writing a story about Michael Jackson’s death. My reason being: that everyone was going to have something to say and that I had nothing to add. I have a passion for writing and or talking—I’m a storyteller by nature, but a good storyteller should have something unique to say or at the very least a unique viewpoint.

Over a three-day period I did follow the story. Requests for my attention to it did not cease, some coming from the most unexpected people. As these days passed my response to requests that I write about Michael Jackson’s death changed. I began to tell readers that I might write on the topic of the inconsistent through line that had become so evident in, not only the nonstop media coverage, but among the general population as well. One of downtownster’s most highly educated and respected readers was particularly intrigued by my introduction of the through line concept—and was seemingly not too sure exactly what a through line was. So let me clarify:

A through line is the spine of a story. The concept, first introduced by Constantin Stanislavski, was a way for actors to think about characterization. The idea being that it is not enough to understand what we are doing or trying to do, but rather we must understand our ultimate objective—thus creating a link from action to action that propels us to our ultimate desired outcome.

As I watched the first few hours of cable news coverage each channel and commentator had a take and in some cases several. Fox News in particular filled their time with inaccurate information that was astounding. And of course the vile Nancy Grace was already ranting about the children and custody issues. Michael Jackson in a matter of minutes was called a child molester, a music genius, the loneliest man on Earth, an adoring father, a boy trapped in a man’s body, an icon, in debt for 400 million dollars, on the verge of a comeback, worth a billion dollars, and ABC’s Martin Bashir, who did more harm to Michael Jackson’s reputation than anybody, except for Michael Jackson, made a statement that knowing Michael Jackson was one of the greatest honors of his life. This actually caused me to shake my head. I recalled him saying that Michael Jackson’s home Neverland was not safe for children. But the words genuine or honest do not come to mind at the mention of the name Marin Bashir.

The truth about Michael Jackson and the through line that is now being decided on will be two very different things. The truth about Michael Jackson with respect to his music is: Michael Jackson was a musical genius and one of the best entertainers ever. His personal life was for the first 35 years, the personal life of the rich and famous. And let me interject here that it is ridiculous to perpetuate the myth that he was somehow robbed of his childhood. Given the choice, I doubt anyone including Michael Jackson, would choose being a poor black kid in pre civil rights Indiana over being world famous and a mansion in Beverly Hills. The last 15 years of Michael Jackson’s personal life were about prescription drug addiction and plastic surgery malpractice—NOTHING MORE. All the rest of the behavior, some very strange, can be attributed to these two factors.

But there is big money involved in the business of Michael Jackson, now. So the though line will be this: Michael Jackson was a musical genius, buy everything with his name on it and take a tour of Neverland Ranch, which will become Graceland West. And to be honest—even I’ll go take that tour. Why? Because his music made life for all of us better— and now that’s really all that needs to be said. 

A year earlier, in September 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain returned from meeting with Adolf Hitler in Munich saying,   “…a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honor.  I believe it is peace for our time.”  Only one year later German bullets were killing British boys.  

Prime Minister Chamberlain was undeniably an intelligent man.  He had done far better in school and university than had Winston Churchill, yet it was Churchill who in the early 1930s knew that war with Germany was inevitable. 

In politics, as in wealth creation and successful family life, wisdom is far more important than intelligence.  This is great news because there is not much we can do to increase our intelligence, but we can certainly increase our wisdom.

Intelligence governs how quickly one tackles abstract ideas and how rapidly one assimilates and processes data.  Doing this well is certainly helpful in many professions, but it only goes so far.  Being wise means knowing how the world really works.  Intelligence is largely hereditary while wisdom can be gained.  I would like to impart to you the first three steps in gaining wisdom.

The first step is getting to know God.  

The beginning of wisdom is fear of God.

(Psalms 111:10)

Wisdom can be a powerful tool for both good and evil.  Many people are motivated by their understanding of God’s wishes. Others act in ways intended to defy God.  Much of life revolves around spiritual factors like love, trust, faith, optimism, and courage.  Without an understanding of this spiritual side of life it is difficult to function effectively in the real world.

The second step in gaining wisdom is to eschew fantasy and embrace fact.  Read quality non-fiction and accustom yourself to accept people and circumstances as they are rather than as you’d like them to be.  Reduce the amount of time you devote to amusement.  The word ‘amusement’ means ‘without thinking.’  (a = without, as in amoral; and muse = think)  Instead, set aside regular ‘thinking-time’ appointments with yourself.  This not only helps to grow your wisdom, it also makes you happier.  

The third step, and yes I know this is very difficult, is to work on suppressing one’s emotions while trying to analyze a situation.  Let me show you where the Bible elegantly demonstrates this point.  

When Queen Esther invited Haman and the king to a banquet in her chambers (Esther 5:4), this prestigious invitation boosted Haman onto an emotional high.  In his elated mood, being spurned by his nemesis, Mordechai, infuriated him.  When he consulted with his friends (in the Hebrew, OHaVaV, which means ‘those who loved him’) and his wife (Esther 5:10) they giddily embraced both Haman’s euphoria and anger, advising him to hang Mordechai.

Shortly thereafter, Haman was humiliated by the king (Esther 6:10) and he again consulted his wife and friends (again, in the Hebrew text ‘those who loved him’) about this apparent reversal of his fortunes.

And Haman told his wife, Zeresh, and those who loved him, all that had happened, and his wise advisors and Zeresh his wife said to him….

(Esther 6:13)

Abandoning their emotional connection to Haman transforms his sycophantic lovers into wise advisors.  They clinically examine the situation and with wisdom recognize the bad news that his star is descending (Esther 6:13).

Though you cannot increase your Intelligence Quotient, you can increase your Wisdom Quotient.  The first three steps are: (a) invest time in learning to know and fear God; (b) strive to accept reality; and (c) separate your emotions from your thinking. 

One of the most exciting projects I ever worked on was my audio CD, Tower of Power—Decoding the Secrets of Babel.  It is a resource that truly explains some of the rules that God built into the world showing how the world really works.  My prayer is that this teaching becomes a step on your road to wisdom.