Forgotten Hollywood

FORGOTTEN HOLLYWOOD RADIO SHOW / SATURDAYS – 3PM

with MANNY PACHECO

“ON THE BACKLOT” with GARY LYCAN

Here’s a link to THE SPA:

http://tuner1.dc1.sonixtream.com/playlists/am1510kspa/am1510kspaKSPAAM.asx

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FORGOTTEN HOLLYWOOD focuses on Movie Music and Standards from Hollywood’s Golden Age. FORGOTTEN HOLLYWOOD shares whimisical and nostalgic stories about the bygone days of the Studio Era.

FORGOTTEN HOLLYWOOD airs occasional interviews with movie legends and cinema-related individuals; and also includes an On The Backlot segment with current NEWS relating to cinema’s cherished past. Plus, listen for snippets from your favorite classic films.

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Manny Pacheco is a Southern California radio & television personality, and the award-winning author of FORGOTTEN HOLLYWOOD FORGOTTEN HISTORY. The paperback tells America’s story through the eyes of character actors such as Claude Rains, Walter Brennan, Van Heflin, Hattie McDaniel, and Basil Rathbone.

Gary Lycan is a newspaper and online columnist of the Orange County Register. Lycan also wrote the Foreword of FORGOTTEN HOLLYWOOD FORGOTTEN HISTORY.

 Until next time>                              “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   An Italian research team is traveling to Florence to dig up the remains of a Renaissance woman who they believe posed for Leonardo da Vinci for the Mona Lisa portrait. This project aims to locate the remains of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a silk merchant. Art lovers have long linked Gherardini to the iconic painting.

   Giorgio Vasari, a 16th-century biographer, wrote that da Vinci painted a portrait using Gharadini, who was born in 1479. A few years ago, an amateur Italian historian said he had found a death certificate showing that she died in 1542, with her burial spot specifically in central Florence.

   The project follows a popular trend that uses CSI-like methods in art history, and has drawn (no pun intended) its share of criticism based on the inconclusive nature of the research. Some scholars have suggested  that such scientific techniques add little when it comes to appreciating or understanding a work of art. If successful, the research might unveil targeted characteristics of Gherardini’s face matching those in the painting, answering whether she could be the actual model-in-question.

   The first step… ground-penetration radar to search for the bones that are compatible with Gherardini’s. The group will also look for traces of possible diseases or bone structure to match what we know about Gherardini’s life. If such bones are identified, the researchers will conduct carbon dating and extract DNA, which will be compared to DNA extracted from the bones of Gherardini’s children, some of whom are also buried in Florence.

   Finally, if skull fragments are found, depending on how well-preserved they are, the research group might attempt a facial reconstruction. This step will be crucial in determining whether Gherardini was indeed the subject with the famous smile for Leonardo da Vinci.

   Bulletins as they break!

Until next time>                               “never forget”