In Honor of the Emmys, Here's Jessica Durbin...No, Wait. Here's Martha Schad, the Lady Behind "Poolside Chats" with Jessica Durbin.

By Laura Medina

Jessica Durbin of "Poolside Chats", Martha Schad's alter ego.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=jessica+durbin+of+poolside+chats&qpvt=jessica+durbin+of+poolside+chats&FORM=VDRE

Martha Schad, the Mastermind behind Jessica Durbin.

The cast and the director of "Poolside Chats with Jessica Durbin."

With the easy rise of social media, it seems like anyone, anywhere, can be a talk show host.  This scribe wishes them well.

In the immediate surrounding suburbs of Hollywood proper, it just fuels the fire of desperate wanna-bes and had-beens.  This scribe knows them and the feeling very well.

Architectural engineer-turned-stuntwoman/character actress, Martha Schad encounters them and that feeling on a daily basis and decided to do something, a not-so-serious yet edgy commentary on drive, creativity, ageism, sexism, conformity, and the entertainment industry in her YouTube skit series, "Poolside Chats with Jessica Durbin," https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=jessica+durbin+of+poolside+chats&qpvt=jessica+durbin+of+poolside+chats&FORM=VDRE

Martha Schad turned to her long-time collaborator and friend, tv director, Roman Cuilla Martinez to helm her alter ego, "Jessica Durbin" in the right direction.

After working together on "Silent Seconds" comedy shorts where Martha plays a cop arresting a robber, she grew to admire and respect Roman's directing.  When she came up with the concept of "Poolside Chats" and the Hollywood caricature, "Jessica Durbin," she emailed him about her idea of a web series.

Within two hours of brainstorming at a coffee house, "Poolside Chats with Jessica Durbin" came to form and took shape.  They agreed that there are parallels between Martha the working actress versus Jessica the struggling aspirant. "Poolside Chats" will be a great and funny platform addressing while mocking Hollywood's "-isms" of sexism and ageism.

"Jessica Durbin" is an over-exaggeration of Hollywood/LA clichés and stereotypes.  This gives Martha and Roman plenty of material to play with.  Then, they took it from there.

The difference between directing Martha the actress and Jessica the aspirant...

"When Martha plays herself, she's very concentrated."

As the lead actor, producer, and writer, she needs Roman to help her focus.  As Martha, she's more reserved.

Jessica...overly-enthusiastic, wearing her emotions on her sleeves.

In order to effectively emote Jessica, Roman tries to get Martha to release more emotions to fully express Jessica.

While "directing Jessica," Roman tries to scale back her emotions and reactions.

Directing Martha/Jessica is like day & night,  Jekyll & Hyde.

Roman and this scribe both joked about her kiddie pool as the "pool" in "Poolside Chats."

It's a metaphor for making do with you're just starting out or having to make do when that's all you got-anywhere.

Roman, "She's in a space that's too small for her, while her ambitions are too big for it."

After encountering ageism and sexism in a sea of creativity and talent that should transcend that, Martha Schad decided to do something about it...in a form of an alter-ego, Jessica Durbin,  a crazy, delusion wanna-be.

This snap, crackle, and pop of a woman, Martha admits that doing a skit, focused on Jessica, she is also jump-starting and expanding her own career.

"It's hard to get noticed in the film industry so, you gotta do your own thing."

"I wanted to do a character who's crazy wild." 

She (Jessica Durbin) is loosely based on personal experience (or anyone's personal experience in Hollywood).

Martha, along with Roman, uses Jessica and Poolside Chats as platforms to make statements on actresses' expiration dates and beauty standards, while skewering them.

She also talks about sexual exploitation and abuse within the industry, "casting couch for stunt performers?"...yes.

So, Martha wants to take those experiences then explore them in a comedic way, because other women have experience those same situations in other industries.

Martha...and her mom, come from an architectural engineering degree and background.

Her mom was a pioneering woman mechanical engineer, the only female in the office.  While pregnant with Martha in the Seventies, she stood up to a male colleague to stumped his smoking in the office.

Even today, there are still fewer females in engineering schools and fields, Martha, "You are in a man's world."

Making her splash in the acting biz, as a stunt woman, "I grew up a tomboy.  I got that from my dad."  Her intelligence and toughness from mom.

Using her engineering background and education in producing her own YouTube series isn't much of a stretch.

According to Martha, a script is like a 2-dimensional blueprint.  The assistant director is the project manager. You still need insurance and permits.  You still need to hire contractors to flesh out the concept into some tangible.

Since "Poolside Chats with Jessica Durbin" just leaped into people's consciousness while barbecuing Hollywood's ridiculous standards, Martha and Roman hope that real folks can laugh at the clichés, not be ruled by them.

The Veteran & The New, Gerry Beckley & The Mowgli's, Both Have New Releases.

By Laura Medina

The indie-rock group, THE MOWGLI'S will release their new album--WHERE'D YOUR WEEKEND GO? on September 30 on Photo Finish Records. A private album listening event was thrown on Thursday, September 8  at The Record Parlour in Hollywood.

They really piled on the sushi buffet and the band happily goofed around for their album release party.

Insider tip, The Record Parlour's cash registrar is also a fully-functional bar.

What people or customers don't know is that The Record Parlour has a cool lounge where you can chill and play vintage ping-pong games and a row of juke boxes that today's down-load Millennials are truly fascinated with.

When the youths celebrate among vintage vinyl and antique arcade games, today's Baby Boomers celebrate "America's" Gerry Beckley's new release, "Carousel" at the venerable Whisky A Go-Go.

Recorded at his Los Angeles studio Human Nature, the shimmering 12-track album plays to all of BECKLEY's strengths; the singer, songwriter and musician played most instruments on the album. CAROUSEL contains original standouts such as the deeply personal "Lifeline," "No Way I'm Gonna Lose You" (co-written with Dan Wilson who won an award for his work with Adele) and "Tokyo." There are also three covers on which BECKLEY puts his distinctive spin: Spirit's "Nature's Way," Gerry Rafferty's "To Each and Everyone" and Gerry and The Pacemakers' "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying."

 

TRACK LISTING FOR CAROUSEL at the album release party

1 "Tokyo"

2 "Nature's Way"

3 "Minutes Count"

4 "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying"

5 "Lifeline"

6 "Widows Weeds"

7 "No Way I'm Gonna Lose You"

8 "Once A Distant Heart"

9 "To Each And Everyone"

10 "Fly"

11 "Serious"

12 "Carousel"

 

For the young and the uninitiated, Gerry Beckley is a co-founding member of the rock band America who recently released the albums Lost & Found (2015) and Back Pages (2011) which hit #1 on the Amazon chart. Born in Fort Worth, Texas on September 12, 1952 to an American father and an English mother. He began playing the piano at age 3 and the guitar a few years later. By 1962 he was playing guitar in The Vanguards an instrumental surf music band in Virginia. He spent every summer in England and soon discovered British invasion music. In 1967 Beckley's father became the commander at the U.S. Air Force Base at West Ruislip, near London. Gerry attended Central High School in Hartfordshire where he played in various school bands and met his soon to be band members, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. Gerry has worked with a wide variety of musicians on many projects. One of the most notable is the recording Like a Brother done with Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys and Robert Lamm of Chicago. Beckley-Lamm-Wilson released Like a Brother in 2001.

 

Remember, Gerry Beckley's friends, family, and fans are legitimate Baby Boomers.  It's still Rock n Roll but no more sex and drugs..;and it's at the Whisky A Go-Go.

It was a rock n roll feast served on platters by waiters.

Three different types of sliders: beef, lamb, and pulled BBQ duck, Caesar Salad nestled in savory pastry cups, mini cartons of Chinese Chicken Salad, a fully-rounded gourmet cheese buffet, and salsa bar.  A dessert buffet of towering trays of brownies, Millionaire Shortbread Cookies, and Pecan Bars.  The health conscious lived on the Salsa Bar and the Fruit Skewers with the Yogurt Dipping Sauce.

This is the Rock Establish celebrate, feasting.

Retinol & Sunscreen in a Tube, All Together, Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Aging Perfector

By Laura Medina

http://www.neutrogena.com/product/healthy+skin+anti-aging+perfector.do?sortby=ourPicks

A friend asked, during a hot, sweaty afternoon, "How do you get that radiance?"

Other than gorging on fresh berries, guzzling chocolate-flavored collagen, and being born with way too many oil glands, this scribe just recently discovered this light-weight tinted moisturizer with Retinol and SPF 20 sunscreen, already whipped up in one tube.

Way back when, this scribe used to hand-mix, from scratch, day-time retinol and sunscreen together, without tint.

Now, Neutrogena does all the work for you.  Their Healthy Skin Anti-Aging Perfector comes in six universal, common shades.  It helps even tone and instantly erases the look of imperfections. It is enriched with Retinol, clinically proven to smooth skin's texture and reduce the appearance of fine lines. With Broad Spectrum SPF 20, it is perfect for every day use. Your skin will be left with a natural, dewy finish.

Enriched with clinically proven retinol, it reduces the appearance of fine lines.  

Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 20 protection Tinted moisturizer.

The combination evens tone and smooths skin's texture, leaving a natural, dewy finish with sheer coverage that works across skin tones.

Simple radiance in a tube.

The New Best Friend, Toners.

By Laura Medina

http://www.olehenriksen.com/search?q=facial

How to quench your skin when it's still sticky humid or burning hot and dry, without clogging the pores?

Toners.  These new breed of toners add to and replenish the skin without stripping necessary hydration.

Ole Henriksen doesn't add anything to the mix, unless it benefits the skin.  So, he added toners to nourish the skin, not strip it dry.

Truth Facial Water energizes and hydrates the complexion throughout the day, delighting the senses with a citrus botanical blend of sweet orange and mandarin oil, white tea, and pomegranate extracts.

Nurture Me Facial Water soothes and hydrates while calming the senses with a nutrient-rich botanical blend of cucumber and chamomile extracts and Pro Vitamin B5.

Grease Relief Facial Water purifies and mattifies while indulging the senses with an herbal botanical blend of lactic acid, and goldenseal and hops extracts.

http://www.emerginc.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&view=productdetails&virtuemart_product_id=93&virtuemart_category_id=14&Itemid=734

EmerginC Scientific Organics Spirulina Toner adds to the skin while hydrating it with:

Kombucha, Grape Stem Cells, Algae Extract, Glycerin, Spirulina, Green Tea, White Tea, Aloe Vera, Maritime Pine Bark Extract, Horsetail, Red Algae.

http://www.amarteskincare.com/product/aqua-mist-toner

This one pump of Amarte Aqua Mist Toner spritzes a mighty blast of:

Arbutin, a skin conditioner with whitening, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. Derived from blueberries, bearberries, cranberries, and pears, arbutin inhibits melanin formation via tyrosinase inhibition resulting in cosmetically relevant whitening properties.

Sodium hyaluronate, sodium salt of hyaluronic acid, is able to bind 1800 times its own weight in water, and serves as a moisturizer, thickener, and emulsifier.

Prickly Pear Extract soothes and calms the skin.

So, when the climate or season is still burning hot or sweaty sticky, you can blast these toners...with benefits without losing necessary moisture.

Get Dirty with Charcoal to Wash Away the Grime.

By Laura Medina

http://www.sheamoisture.com/African-Black-Soap-Clarifying-Mud-Mask_p_1801.html#extended_descriptionBlock

The waning days of Summer left you with clogged pores and icky, sticky oily complexion.  Do the opposite, use this charcoal products to suck the grime out of your pore without drying your face.

African Black Soap Clarifying Mud Mask draws out dirt and congestion while helping absorb excess oil and improve the appearance of troubled skin. A proprietary blend of African Black Soap and Raw Shea Butter helps to clarify, balance and soothe blemish-prone skin. 

African Black Soap is a natural remedy for blemished, troubled skin.

Tamarind Extract is a natural astringent which helps exfoliate and brighten skin.

Tea Tree Oil promotes healing with naturally anti-septic properties.

http://dermae.com/product/392/Purifying-2-in-1-Charcoal-Mask.html

Purifying 2-in-1 Charcoal Mask deeply detoxifies skin of harmful micropollutants in two ways: (1) Natural clays infused with Kimarine® Wakame, Bladerwrack and Activated Charcoal lift out dirt, oil and bacteria to decongest pores as the mask dries; (2) Apricot Seed Powder exfoliates away dead skin cells and captured debris upon removal. Kaolin and Bentonite Clays absorb excess oils and impurities, relieving skin congestion. Kimarine® Wakame is a potassium-rich, magnesium-rich seaweed that is clinically proven to protect skin against environmental pollutants (exhaust fumes, cigarette smoke, heavy metals). Bladderwrack is an antioxidant-rich, mineral-rich seaweed known for its water-binding properties, supporting healthy skin hydration and nourishment. Activated Charcoal, known for absorbing 100 to 200 times its weight in impurities, purges pores of deeply rooted toxins, then Apricot Seed Powder gently exfoliates away micropollutants. Ideal for oily, active or urban skin types, even safe for reactive skin (minimal ingredients and allergy-tested), used this formula once or twice a week for skin that looks dramatically fresher, healthier and purely glowing. 

http://www.ulta.com/charcoal-pore-minimizer?productId=xlsImpprod12001095&sku=2283258&CPMID=CSBING&CAWELAID=330000200000255220

The Bioré Charcoal Pore Minimizer activates with water to gently exfoliate and reduce the appearance of pores, leaving skin visibly & texturally smooth in just 30 seconds. With purifying charcoal, the formula gets deep into pores to draw out and bind to the dirt and oil that clogs pores.

The Third Tentpole and Last Leg, L.A. Times' The TASTE Food Festival

By Laura Medina

The Los Angeles Times newspaper should be so lucky in being so prestigious in having Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic, Jonathan Gold as their food festival host, The TASTE. 

Thank god, the fun and refreshing liquid nitrogen cocktail is alive and well on a sweltering Labor Day weekend, as demonstrated by Gwen LA's lead mixologist, Katie Emmerson, http://www.gwenla.com/homepage.html.  It's fun to watch as it is fun to sip.

Nathan Oliver, Wolf LA's Bar Director,http://www.wolfdiningla.com/, said that today's bartender is no longer a bartender.  It's not enough in today's gourmet cocktail culture.  This is why they're called mixologists.  A mixologist has to prep mis en place, just like a chef so the cocktail can arrive sooner, freshly mixed, than the meal itself, without frustrated, angry customers.  A mixologist has to mix for the recovering AAA, the designated driver, the sophisticated health freak in a cocktail dress, and the gourmand foodie, all in a blink of an eye.

A experienced and smart mixologist knows to start with whipping a not-too-sweet, made-from-scratch artisanal soda as a starter or a gourmet mocktail or a cocktail base.  When it comes to a full-fledged cocktail, he takes the existing artisanal soda then build a traditional alcohol cocktail from there.  A seamless bartending in six seconds, without a blink of an eye.

With sustaining seafood making a big splash, there was a lot of grilled octopus, incorporating squid ink as a sauce.

Don't fret, good ole fashion shrimp in any variation is still alive and well.  Those are the ones with the longest line.

Due to the hungry masses on a date night, the burger slider will never fall out of fashion.  Unami Burger chef founder, especially created "The Ernesto," for Princess Cruises.  The trend of putting beef and fries in paper cones continued from L.A. Food & Wine to The TASTE.

http://www.drinkbai.com/bai-bubbles

With all these spices and herbs and exotic fish and meats with a acquired taste for yummy cocktails, folks were glad there some fun, non-alcoholic beverages to wash out the alcohol while replenishing with fun, yummy flavors from Bai Bubbles.

If you're clever as those gourmet mixologists, to good to have on hand Bai and Owl's Brew and such for an instant cocktail at home, with basic vodka, tequila, and champagne/sparking white wine.

 http://www.pepsi.com/en-us/-/1893

The L.A. Times' The Taste is an optimal time to fully release Pepsi's new gourmet soda, returning to it's original formula when it first started, the Original Formula and a Ginger Cola, under the moniker of Pepsi 1893, the year they're founded.  At least, they're comfortable with making fun of themselves with an new ad campaign.

However, on Saturday night, folks could care less.  Here was something similar with a twist on an hot night, to wash out the liquor out of their system.

Go to http://www.pepsi.com/en-us/-/1893 for real cocktail recipes on Ginger Mint Julep and Juniper Cocktail.

The TASTE is also a food expo where predominant Mexican brands finally showcase to its full effect in doing an open taco and BBQ open house with a refreshing guzzle of Squirt! Grapefruit soda, goes well with beer.

The TASTE's "Dinner with a Twist" is a good ideas events for your next dinner.

Fruity Hair & Body Washes for Food Festivals & Fall County Fairs.

By Laura Medina

http://www.freshmonster.com/

Whether you're gearing for the last hurrah that is the Los Angeles' TASTE food and booze festival this Labor Day weekend or getting the family ready for the Fall-celebrating, month-long Los Angeles County Fair, all the way up in the Inland Empire, your brain is on food.

Whether you're whetting your food and booze pairing on adult-only date night at the TASTE or packing it all in for the family at the LA County Fair, it'll get messy.  Either, you're gonna get slushed on a sweltering Labor Day weekend or trekking on the fair grounds, you're gonna feel icky from the elements and spilled on food and drinks.

For the whole family, you can "borrow" your kids' stuff that's wholesome in ingredients while being "healthy" on the wallet, so you can afford to treat the whole family...Fresh Monster Body Wash and Shampoo & Conditioner are plant-based, using botanicals as fragrances.

What's really cool, each and everything is double-duty and practical and budget-friendly.  These are quick washes immediately after you're done gorging on fried fair food fare.

http://www.neutrogena.com/category/body+-+bath/rainbath-+.do?icid=homepage|home|aspot|3

If you desire a more mature fare, matching your body wash after an hot night at the LA Times' The TASTE, the new Neutrogena Rainbath line-up is like a cocktail blend of body washes.

The sky blue Ocean Mist Rainbath has a light orange scent that comes along with a  refreshing, tropical ocean mist fragrance enlivens the senses, while the rich creamy lather rinses clean to wash the day away and replenish the look of your skin.

The original Neutrogena Rainbath has an amber tone and a fragrance combo of spices, fruits and herbs that awakens your senses.

Pear & Green Tea Rainbath® Renewing Shower and Bath Gel is like the original Green Apple Martini, sweet but with a tart bite and refreshingly light in texture with a natural green tint, not heavily syrup that glows neon green in the dark.  Neutrogena® Rainbath® Renewing Pear & Green Tea Shower and Bath Gel softens and conditions skin without a heavy leave-behind residue.

Rainbath® Rejuvenating Shower and Bath Gel in Pomegranate is like a Cosmpolitian of a body wash, fruity but light...in an adult way, without being a liquid candy.  Not that, there's anything wrong with that.

Yes, you can still have food...and booze on the brain and still be clean about it.