September 3 2023

 September 3, 2023
# 1622

This is the logo for SAG-AFTRA.

 https://www.sagaftra.org/ Extracted from pg 3 of Fall 2019 magazine: [1]
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Cover Story
SAG-AFTRA is a labor union representing performers in the entertainment industry, including actors, broadcasters, singers, and other media professionals.

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was founded on July 12, 1933, to protect the rights and welfare of actors in the motion picture industry. The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) was founded on August 5, 1937 to represent radio performers, later expanding to include television and other media professionals. SAG and AFTRA announced their intention to merge on March 30, 2012. The merger was approved by the memberships of both unions, and the new organization officially became SAG-AFTRA on March 30, 2012.

The merger aimed to combine the strengths and resources of both unions, providing a more unified and powerful voice for performers in the rapidly changing entertainment industry. SAG-AFTRA continues to represent and advocate for the rights and interests of its members in various aspects of the entertainment field.

SAG-AFTRA negotiates and enforces contracts for its members, advocating for fair wages, working conditions, and benefits in the entertainment industry. It also provides resources and support to its members, including health and retirement benefits, professional development programs, and legal assistance. The union plays a crucial role in protecting the rights and interests of its members within the entertainment community.

Dylan Capossela, a Gen Z business representative of the New England Chapter of SAG-AFTRA, when asked for a comment on the union said this:

“I was amazed, really, at the respect the union enjoys among their membership. We’ve been phone banking to alert membership of our activities, and when I introduce myself as being from SAG-AFTRA, the members’ esteem is apparent in their respect for my message. They are alert and interested, asking questions to clarify my message and volunteering their participation in union activities. They are appreciative that their union is so hands on. So close to them. Available.

“Remember, we’re in the northeast. We are not NY or LA where the superstars live. Where one or the other giants of screen might pop up on a protest line and draw a lot of attention. Our members are often background members, part of a group or a crowd, not even have a word to say. Or, having a line or a word, only. These members are trying to earn money to support themselves or their families and their issues are closer to home.

“A lot of my own work is menial, like making a bunch of phone calls, responding to emails, and drawing posters. But a lot of it is more interesting. For example, films made with budgets under $50,000 is handled by our branch of SAG-AFTRA. I help our members involved in such films negotiate details and help prosecute their claims. By the way, if a budget exceeds $50,000, then the national SAG-AFTRA, either New York or LA,  gets involved.

Some general notes re; SAG-AFTRA.

Theater people are represented by the Actors’ Guild. But if the performance is recorded, then SAG-AFTRA gets involved.

To join the union, an applicant must have either a single ‘principal’ role, defined as ANY spoken part, even a single word, or three ‘background’ roles, an appearance in a group or a crowd, without speaking a word. The actor is entitled to one such voucher for each day’s work. Vouchers attesting to the actor’s participation are issued to the actor.

The union’s dues are $1800.00 initiation fee for the US market, excluding New York or LA. To include work in NY or LA, the initiation fee is $3,000.00. The dues are $115.98 twice a year, plus 1.575% of film income. A bit more for NY or LA.

Liz Warren energizing union members

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Commentary
On Wednesday, August 9th, I melded in with hundreds of SAG-AFTRA members gathered with other local unions to rally on Boston Common. Among other things, the union wants language regulating the use of AI in film production, higher pay, and higher streaming residuals.

One of the early speakers helped warm up the crowd. “I am the actor everyone’s talking about — a lot of us are out here,” said Megan Carroll, a New England SAG-AFTRA actor. “We’re the ones who are not making enough money to get our health insurance. We’re the ones who have been scanned already for AI. I have been scanned for AI already. This is why I decided to strike.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren joined the rally in support of SAG-AFTRA members and she strongly rallied the participants saying, “You the actors, the writers, the directors, the animators, the musicians, the stylists, the sound technicians, and many, many more. You are the heart and soul of the entertainment industry. You are the reason we go to the movies. You are the reason we turn on Netflix and HBO and Disney+. You are the entertainment industry.”

The rally was well-organized, well attended, and enthusiastic. With an id, members got a picket sign and t-shirt which helped build solidarity.

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Kat’s Corner

The public servants of Gen Z

the team of young people that work for New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal is truly exceptional.

Scene from the district office of State Senator Hoylman-Sigal.

It’s quite easy to get bogged down by the harder parts of my job, but the team of young people that work for New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal is truly exceptional. We are all under 30 and tuned into the local political ecosystem and care so much about the wellbeing of our city. And we genuinely enjoy each others’ company.

Scene from our recent intern picnic in Central Park.

It’s this team that keeps me afloat, and from them I have learned a lot about what it means to be a devoted public servant and operate thoughtfully within the world. Every day I am humbled by their selflessness and kindness.

Linked In

Congrats dad!!!
Can’t wait to take a look!

Chris said, and then he posted the publication to Linked In. See what happened.

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Do You Believe in Magic? Anthology of Stories from the North End
Edited by Dom Capossela

A Linked In Post:

My son, Chris, Microsoft’s CMO and Executive VP, posted this to Linked IN last week, referencing “Do You Believe in Magic”.
Here is the link to the posting: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriscapossela/.  
And the post:

"I’m incredibly proud and excited for my dad, who curated stories from 30 Italian Americans in the neighborhood he grew up in for a book that captures the vibrant spirit of the Italian section of Boston, MA in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. It came together in amazing speed with an authenticity that brings me back to my childhood. I grew up working in my family’s Italian restaurant, where I listened to countless, wonderful stories like these. That’s where I learned valuable lessons that have influenced my career, and I’m grateful for the community that helped shape me.

If you’re so inclined, please check it out. All proceeds from the book will go to local charities in Boston’s North End.

Chris"

The result? In the first twenty-four hours after the post, 31,000 views, hundreds of positive comments. From all over the world.

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Brayden’s Corner

Being a Kid At The Rise of the Internet

This evening I was texted by an old friend from high school. She urgently requested that I send her a video that we made for a school project our freshman year, as she wanted to relive the embarrassing and imaginative ideas we came up with trying to be “funny” for our English class.

Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful in finding the video she was referring to, as I think it was attached to an account I no longer have access to. But I went down the rabbit hole of watching some of the “unlisted” videos on my main YouTube account, which has its first posting on August 25th, 2011 (almost exactly 12 years ago). I had posted my first ever video when I was 12 years old, half the age I am now. Looking back, it’s crazy to think I had access to that. I could just record a video in my bedroom with a crappy camera I got for Christmas, edit it on my computer and upload it to the internet for anyone in the world to see. My parents were hardly monitoring what I posted — and though completely innocent, I could have said things that put me in danger. I had taken a lot of inspiration from other “YouTubers” I was watching at the time; people a bit older than me who were making video blogs and comedy sketches. After watching these early YouTubers and seeing how they were making a living doing this, I decided that I wanted to be a YouTuber myself. 

I went through several phases in my teenage years where I would be consistently pumping out YouTube content. Looking back, these videos are immensely embarrassing. So embarrassing that I’ve had to change the settings to “unlisted” so that nobody can view them unless I specifically give them a private link. But I can’t bring myself to delete them, because already it’s interesting to see high-quality footage of what I was like as a kid, and the imaginative things I was creating. Even though I’m not quite far away enough from these videos to not cringe at myself, I know that when I’m older I will look back at these fondly. And if I ever become a famous actor or something, it will be fun to resurface these silly little things.

Luckily, I was a good kid and I didn’t put anything vulgar or problematic out there. The humor is very innocent and adorable, even though most of the jokes don’t land and probably only made sense in my little underdeveloped brain. There are videos of me playing with little puppets I made, creating terrible music, analyzing celebrity mustaches, trying to set the world record for the largest tin-foil ball, making fake commercials, and creating characters that would recur in sketches. It’s interesting to see how my skills developed over the course of 7 years (my most recent video on there was posted in 2018). In fact, I posted a few hits! In 2013 I posted a video of me lip-syncing to a mash-up of random popular songs, and it got 10,000 views (which was a lot at the time, especially for a 14-year-old nobody). I had a few videos here and there that got about 3,000-5,000, but the majority of them were under 100.

Screenshot of my Lip Syncing video that got over 10,000 views.

It’s weird to think we had so much freedom to do whatever we wanted with the internet back then. For many of us, we understood it better than our parents, so how were they going to know what was right or wrong? Many parents were overcautious, some completely oblivious, and mine somewhere in between. Then I look at younger kids today, and cringe at seeing babies being pushed around in strollers with their eyes glued to some stupid YouTube show on their iPad. Kids don’t play the same way they used to. I’m grateful I grew up at a time where I played outside every single day, and the internet was just another tool to enhance my creativity. I had all of these funny ideas, and YouTube gave me a reason to record them and put them online. This developed my writing skills, my acting skills, my videography and editing skills, and my marketing / online networking skills. All of these things I use in my everyday life today as an artist. I was outside, being imaginative and creative with my friends, while also developing useful skills. 

Me, a little bit older, collaborating with my longtime friend Hulio on higher-quality comedy sketches. December 2014.

I’m grateful for the childhood I have. And even though I look back at these videos and cringe, and probably will never make them publicly viewable, it’s fun to see little me having a good time.

Just in the past few years, I’ve released YouTube and TikTok sketches that have surpassed 1 million views. I think that would make a younger version of me really proud. Then I remembered a video I made during the pandemic after watching Bo Burnham’s Inside, inspired by a song where he reminisces on being a kid getting famous from making videos in his bedroom. I’ve linked the TikTok video below— this is the most of my old YouTube videos you’ll ever get to see, so enjoy!

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8YjLphP/

Thanks,

Brayden

Tucker’s Corner

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With time to kill on the way home from a trip to an Ohio located roller coaster park my friend and I bought last minute tickets to a screening in a deserted theater. Though the film is certainly aimed at a younger audience we hooted and hollered (helped by the fact that we were the only people in the theater). If you’re looking for a truly good hearted little film, a beautifully animated cartoon, or are a fan of the larger franchise, I can’t recommend this one enough. This is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem - Directed by Jeff Rowe and Kyle Spears

With its ridiculous-sounding premise spelled out in its title, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has long been a franchise that’s at its best when it embraces the absurdity of its own world. Their latest big screen outing (subtitled Mutant Mayhem and directed by Jeff Rowe, with Kyler Spears co-directing) understands this from the very first frame when a scientist coos at the mutated fly he keeps in a crib and now fears will be taken away by a corporation intent on using his bioengineering talentsto create all sorts of animal soldiers-turned-weapons. The cheeky, earnest tone of that first scene, which extends to the way this reimagined classic takes on our four martial arts-trained heroes and their rodent father figure, immediately assures you that you’re in good hands.

Those hands include not just Rowe (also a co-writer) and Spears, but two screenwriting teams that include the minds behind Superbad (Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg) and Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit). In a way, those two films work well as templates with which to understand what this creative team has done with Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo. For starters, part of the joy of this recent reboot is the way these walking, talking, ninja-weapon-wielding turtles truly feel like teenage boys. Indeed, when we first meet them, they’re nudging one another to break some rules and enjoy their time above ground away from their sewer life and enjoy some of what New York City has to offer. Namely, an outdoor movie screening in Brooklyn. In voicing them, Nicolas Cantu (a frazzled Leonardo), Micah Abbey (a nerdy Donatello), Brady Noon (an anger-prone Raphael), and Shamon Brown Jr (a charming Michelangelo) bring a welcome youthful energy to these siblings that makes getting lost in their shenanigans all the more fun.

Because, yes, on paper Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem plays with a number of well-worn TMNT tropes and beats. But everything around it—the voice work, the textured, play-doh-like animation, the sight gags, the Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross score,—is so winning that you can’t help but go along for this gloriously bonkers ride. Thankfully sparing us from being a full-blown origin story (how and why these four teens became ninja fighters with the help of a Jackie Chan-voiced rat named Splinter is breezed over in a perfectly efficient flashback), TMNT: MM centers instead on a relatable teenage narrative: how to get that cute girl to like you and how to fit in with those unlike you.

The plot really kicks off when our foursome accidentally hit unsuspecting would-be student journalist April O’Neill (The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri). With a ninja star, no less. As she curses them out without noticing who (or what) they are, her scooter is stolen—which leads by-the-rules Leonardo to propose the unthinkable: follow the perp and restore the bike to the young woman that, as one of his brothers puts it, activated all of his hormones at the same time. It’s in that kerfuffle with a bunch of petty criminals that April finds yet another clue for her ongoing investigation. Like everyone else in New York City, she’s keen on solving a series of high-profile heists perpetrated by “Superfly” (Ice Cube, who’s never been better). Egged on by his own desire to impress April, Leonardo recruits himself and his brothers to the cause.

The plot that follows, which brings the turtles head-to-head with a slew of other mutants (voiced by the likes of Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, and Hannibal Buress), will find them trying to leverage their ninja skills and brotherly chemistry to become heroes. Maybe that way they can earn the acceptance needed to attend high school like “normal kids” and, in the process, help April save her high school’s prom. And maybe that way they won’t have to sneak out of the sewers and into Madison Square Garden to watch Adele. Or, you know, make good on their training not to fend off scary humans but defend them instead from the vengeful wrath of Superfly. That intersection of playful teenage angst and kick-ass action (one fight scene is set to Blackstreet’s “No Diggity”; a chase sequence to 4 Non-Blonde’s “What’s’ Up?”) is arguably the reason fans new and old alike will cherish this latest TMNT adventure.

The film is also an audiovisual treat. With character and background designs that focus on the plastic tactility of these creations (every frame has a gritty hand-drawn feel), the film has the look of notebook sketches, the kind you’d draw in class while bored. It’s yet another reminder that this is ultimately a story of four awkward teenage boys who’ve only had each other for 15 years. Their overlapping banter is a joy to witness, making the dialogue-heavy scenes as engaging as the inventive action set-pieces.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is an endlessly delightful flick. Quippy, zippy, and punchy, this teen-focused take on everyone’s favorite pizza-loving vigilantes is a refreshing reappraisal of a property that could very well have felt stale in 2023. With a moral that boils down to simply “if people see that you’re good and true you’ll be accepted” I can’t help but be excited at the prospect that we’ll get to spend some more time with the boys somewhere down the road.

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MONTHLY HEALTH REPORT CARD:
of an 81-year-old male.
August, 2023

Natural Physiological Change
I am getting older.
Grade: B

Weight-lifting
August was eye opening. I was at the club two times weekly but my strength has diminished. But my energy level remains high and I still happily anticipate my visits. So I will lower my grade a full step down.
Grade: B+

Walking
June was a good month for walking. As a matter of course, in the nice weather season in Boston, from May through October, I walk about five miles a day, and I did that this month.
I prefer to find some reason to make trip out a destination walk, even if it’s only to buy an apple.
My speed and endurance have improved since the cold months have passed.
I walk twice as often in the warmer weather because the cold weather makes it so laborious to get out of the apartment.
Grade: A+

Illness
My Actinic keratosis was treated with liquid nitrogen cryotherapy. After the resulting scab fell off, my skin looked good. To a layman. I made an appointment for Sept 15 for a follow-up appointment. Grade is unchanged from last month. As it turns out, I got another growth, this on my nose.

Dermatoscopy is a non-invasive technique that aids in the early detection and diagnosis of skin cancers, such as melanoma, as well as other skin conditions. By magnifying the skin lesion and using different lighting conditions, dermatologists can observe patterns and structures that might not be visible to the naked eye. This information helps them make more accurate assessments about whether a lesion is benign or potentially malignant. It can be particularly useful in differentiating between various types of skin lesions and guiding decisions about whether a biopsy is necessary. It reduces the need for unnecessary surgical procedures and contributes to more precise diagnoses.

I was lucky to get a timely referral to a dermatologist, Vladyslava Doktor, who, after a dermatoscopy, determined that the lesion should be removed. Which she did. Painlessly. The shaving will leave no scar: the lesion was superficial.
The flesh was sent to a lab to determine if it was beginning cancer. Just in time for this article, Kelley from the doctor’s office called: the growth was benign: verruca vulgaris to be precise.

Grade: B-

Injury
None.
Grade A+

Weight
(Using only weight as a measure of health is simplistic. I know. Health care specialists consider an entire range of metrics.  Two commonly used indicators are the Body Mass Index that takes into account a person's weight and height.  And Body composition, considering the distribution of body fat and muscle mass rather than solely focusing on weight. But this analysis of the state of our health is meant to be doable in our regular day’s living.
We’ll use simple body weight and take other steps when we feel things going really poorly.)
I have stayed on my diet for most of June.
I am at a good weight for myself.
Grade A+

Oral Health
I have no teeth or gum issues.
I brush and floss regularly.
Get a cleaning twice a year.
Grade A+

Substance Abuse
I continue to drink a modest amount of coffee in the morning (12oz) and an Italian coffee in the afternoon. I have some form of alcoholic drink at dinner time. But only at dinnertime.
The grade is based on the absence of stimulants and mind-bending substances. I stay unchanged.
Grade: B+

Stress Management
Being retired and living alone I am deprived of the joys of gainful employment and daily social intercourse. But, on the other hand, I avoid the attendant stress that accompany both of those endeavors.
Grade: B+

Sleep
As I struggle with my sleep, I have devolved upon another solution that works and is appealing to me. (Although I haven’t passed that solution by my PCP yet. He might warn me off.)
I have no trouble falling asleep but I invariably awaken an hour later and have a difficult time getting back to sleep.
So here’s my latest solution:
For the last eight weeks, when I wake after that first hour, I have been taking four pills, at least two, but often three of them, are full-dose aspirin, and two, but often one, is a 5 mg dose of melatonin. The cocktail works in any combination.
But not 100% of the time. I still have a day or two a week when I am fully awake after  just that first hour, sometimes two hours of sleep. Understandably, in the hours after I get up from bed, I function slowly. I get through the day by taking several naps ranging from 15 minutes to an hour. Despite the occasional misstep, the cocktail mostly works and so I will continue taking it until I am told otherwise, or until the combination of pills doesn’t get me back to sleep. With the continuation of my success I’ll raise my grade, a single step, from a B to
Grade B+

Regularity
While my current diet is great for my weight-control, it’s not working as well for my regularity. As far as my eating habits are concerned, I’m still working with my personal version of the 16-8 diet. While this is a great improvement over my past eating patterns, I still have not brought enough plant-based food into my diet.
I take 5 fiber pills. (Five is the recommended dosage.)
Most important to my regularity is my posture at the bowl: standing, back to the bowl, knees slightly bent, torso supported by holding my knees, following my regular routine. In my case, and AI stresses that everyone is different, the newly-adopted posture has worked wonderfully for the last two months. I’m raising my grade by a small step, from a B to
Grade: B+

Memory
I do a lot to stay mentally active. One of my primary activities is writing. I work on this magazine, and I am also working on two books.
My other major memory activity is meal preparation, from the planning of the menu, the shopping, the preparation which sometimes involves me in writing recipes, and the eating.
Yet, despite all I do, my memory loss is a nuisance: I am the subject of those 1,000 jokes about walking into a room and forgetting why I chose to come here. This part sucks. I don’t know why I was so generous in grading myself in the past. So I’m making a full demotion, from an A+ to a
Grade: B+.

Social Activity
Social interaction helps ward off depression and stress. Some weeks are better than others. The month of June has been better excellent, lots of unexpected company. My grade remains the same.
Grade B+

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Art and Food
Tune in next issue when we focus on Florence and Tuscany.

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Chuckles and Thoughts
"If you're looking for self-help, why would you read a book written by somebody else? That's not self-help, that's help!"
George Carlin

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Six Word Stories
"Flickering candle, old letters, cherished memories."

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Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts, including links.

Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
text to 617.852.7192

This from Laura Annunziata, daughter of Michael whose picture appears in the dedication page of the “Do You Believe in Magic.”

Dom:
:)

Huge congrats to you and Victor on the book!

And from my three sons and daughter, independently, and in their own words:
Hey, dad,
Just bought mine, looking forward to reading and seeing the pics!

And from Tony C:

I bought 4 copies - will make good family Xmas presents! 

And, again, from Tony C, addressed to the Friends of the North End:

Hi,

I talked with Dom C this morning.  His son, Chris, is director of Marketing for Microsoft.  Chris did a post on Linked IN yesterday about the “ Do You Believe in Magic Book” and got 31,000 responses this morning!  Here is the posting.  LI profile:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriscapossela/.  Can we send this to the FONE list as a quote from Chris Capossela?  With 30 authors (mostly FONE members) and 50 stories, it should be of interest and hopefully get more to attend the reunion.

"I’m incredibly proud and excited for my dad, who curated stories from 30 Italian Americans in the neighborhood he grew up in for a book that captures the vibrant spirit of the Italian section of Boston, MA in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. It came together in amazing speed with an authenticity that brings me back to my childhood. I grew up working in my family’s Italian restaurant, where I listened to countless, wonderful stories like these. That’s where I learned valuable lessons that have influenced my career, and I’m grateful for the community that helped shape me.

If you’re so inclined, please check it out. All proceeds from the book will go to local charities in Boston’s North End.

Chris"

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!