Skirball Cultural Center and AARP The Magazine Discuss Hollywood and its Amazing Fountain of Eternal Youth

Source: AARP Press Center | December 24, 2003

For the first in a series of panel discussions, the Skirball Cultural Center and AARP The Magazine will examine Hollywood and its favorite myth-immortality and endless youth. "Young and Younger: Age, res and the Movies" will look at American culture's enduring fascination with youth and its fear of portraying the challenges and everyday realities of aging on the silver screen. The event is scheduled on Thursday, January 15, 2004, at 7:30 p.m. at the Skirball Cultural Center. AARP The Magazine is the nation's largest magazine with a circulation of 22 million and a publication of AARP.

The panel, moderated by Bernard Weinraub, West Coast television correspondent for The New York Times, features acclaimed actress Tyne Daly; Leo Braudy, University Professor and Bing Professor of English at the University of Southern California; award-winning filmmaker Alexander Payne; and Terry Press, Head of Marketing for DreamWorks SKG. See complete details below. Tickets are $20 General, $12 AARP and Skirball Members, and $10 Students. Tickets are available via Tickets L.A. at (323) 655-8587.

"We are thrilled to begin this exciting collaboration with AARP The Magazine," remarks Jordan Peimer, Skirball Program Director. "Through its range of exhibitions and public and educational programs, the Skirball aspires to build a society in which all of us can feel at home. By partnering with a publication committed to insightful thinking on a range of timely issues, we're ensuring that individuals of all ages can participate in conversations of importance to our community and the nation."

"AARP The Magazine is proud to join with the Skirball Cultural Center in producing this innovative discussion series that promises to be both thought-provoking and fun," said Steve Slon, editor, AARP The Magazine. "Our high-powered first panel is testament to the importance of this program."

AARP at the Skirball
YOUNG AND YOUNGER: AGE, IMAGE, AND THE MOVIES
The first in a series of panel discussions on the way we live and think
Thursday, January 15, 7:30 p.m.
$20 General, $15 AARP and Skirball Members, $10 Students
Advance Tickets: (323) 655-8587
American movies focus relentlessly on the young. Is this for demographic and financial reasons? Or is it artistically justifiable? Young people undergo dramatic and transformative changes, and young protagonists can work symbolically just as well for older viewers, while the reverse may not be true. Are we as a nation choosing to live in a vital youth culture? Or are we just determined to avoid the realities of aging and death? And, if so, what price do we pay for that evasion, both as a culture and as individuals living within it? A high-powered panel from Hollywood and academia will explore these issues.

Moderator:
Bernard Weinraub is the West Coast television correspondent for The New York Times, for which he has also served as Hollywood correspondent, foreign correspondent, metropolitan reporter, and assistant Washington editor.
Panelists:
Leo Braudy, University Professor and Bing Professor of English at the University of Southern California, is the author of Jean Renoir: The World of His Films, The Frenzy of Renown: Fame and Its History, and From Chivalry to Terrorism: War and the Changing Nature of Masculinity. Tyne Daly is a five-time Emmy winner and also a winner of the 1990 Tony award for best actress in a musical (Gypsy). Alexander Payne has directed three critically acclaimed films, Citizen Ruth, Election, and About Schmidt, which earned two Golden Globes and was voted best film of 2002 by both Los Angeles and London Film Critics Circles. Terry Press is the Head of Marketing for DreamWorks SKG, the entertainment studio formed by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen.

Visiting the Skirball Cultural Center
Skirball Cultural Center is located at 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA (Exit Skirball Center Drive off the 405). Museum hours: Tuesday through Saturday noon-5 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.- 5 p.m.; closed Monday. Gallery admission prices are $8 General, $6 Seniors and Students, Free for Skirball Members and Children under 12. Ruby Gallery shows are always free to the public. Parking is free. For general information, the public may call (310) 440-4500 or visit www.skirball.org. The Skirball is also home to Zeidler's Café which serves innovative California cuisine in an elegant setting and Audrey's Museum Store, which sells books, contemporary art, music, and more.

The Skirball Cultural Center is dedicated to exploring the connections between four thousand years of Jewish heritage and the vitality of American democratic ideals. We welcome and seek to inspire people of every ethnic and cultural identity. Guided by our respective memories and experiences, together we aspire to build a society in which all of us can feel at home. The Skirball achieves its mission through the display and interpretation of our museum's collections; changing exhibitions; public programs exploring the literary, visual, and performing arts from around the world; scholarship and publications; and through outreach to the community.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to making life better for people 50 and over. We provide information and resources; engage in legislative, regulatory and legal advocacy; assist members in serving their communities; and offer a wide range of unique benefits, special products, and services for our members. These include AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our quarterly publication for Hispanic members; NRTA Live and Learn for National Retired Teachers Association members; and our Web site, www.aarp.org. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.